. 
 
DOLORES! 
 
 A Tale of Maine and Italy. 
 
 \ 
 
 BY 
 
 RUDOLPH LEONHART, A. M., 
 
 AUTHOR OK 
 
 THE CHILDREN OF THE OUTLAW ;" " THROUGH BLOOD AND 
 IRON ; " , TKF WILD ROSE," ETC. 
 
 RKVISKD KDITION. 
 
 CANTON, OHIO: 
 CASSIDY, BOOK AND JOB PRINTER. 
 
 1887. 
 
COPYRIGHT. 
 
 188-7. 
 
TflBLE OF CONTENTS, 
 
 I. A SAD FINALE, 
 
 II. SKIRMISHES, , 13. 
 
 III. THE MAINE BATTLE, 26. 
 
 IV. CONQUEST. 36. 
 
 V. THE SUPERINTENDENT, 46. 
 
 VI. DEVELOPMENTS. 57. 
 
 VII. THE TEMPTER. 68. 
 
 VIII. AN ADVENTURE, 74. 
 
 IX. FLUCTUATIONS, 94. 
 
 X. ON THE TRACK, 106. 
 
 XI. Two YEARS LATER. 115. 
 
 XII. A-N ARRIVAL, 121. 
 
 XIII. A LETTER, 134. 
 YIV. A VOICE FROM THE GRAVE, - 14(5. 
 
 XV. NEWS BROUGHT HOME, 156. 
 
 XVI. A CRISIS APPROACHING, 167. 
 
 XVIII. A FAILURE, 178. 
 
 XIX. IT NEVER RAINS BUT IT POURS, 189. 
 
 XX. WORSE AND WORSE, 196. 
 
 XXI. A NEW REIGN, 203. 
 
 XXII. LOVE DAWNING, LOVE WANING, 207. 
 
 XXIII. THE CAVE AGAIN. 218. 
 
 M12004 
 
CONTENTS-CONTINUED. 
 
 Y X I Y . A DRIVER DRIVEN. 
 
 XXV. SPECULA TION>. 
 
 XXVI. A JOURNEY. 
 
 XXVII. A MAN HUNT, 27(>. 
 
 XXVIII. A TRESPASS ATONED A DEIJT CANCELED, 27U. 
 
 XXIX. PLANNING ALL AROUND, ^. 
 
 XXX. (JLIMPSES EROM A DlARY, 292. 
 
 XXXI. HOME AOAIN, 
 
 XXXII. INSTRUCTIONS, -14. 
 XXX III. THE MITTEN, 321. 
 XXXIV. HEKJIIT AND DEPTH, 320. 
 XYXV. A PLENIPOTENTIARY, : >41. 
 
 XXXVI. A DECEIVER DECEIVED, ; - r ><>. 
 
 XXXVII. THE "GREAT TOUR," M". 
 
 XXXVIII. THE DIARY ACJAIN, : > r >-. 
 
 XXXIX. A JpURXEY AND ITS ( \ )NSE<H 1 -X^ l^S, 3" 1 1 - 
 
 XL. OLD ACQUAINTANCES, 
 
 XLI. ALARMIX<: NKWS, li) - 
 
 XLII. A HAPPY MORNING, -or>. 
 
 XLIII. A DIKE CORNERED, 417. 
 
 XLI\\ Tin: KE (JALANT HUOMO. -J 2r> - 
 
 XLY. CnNd 
 
DOLORES. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 A SAD FINALE. 
 
 The sounds of a barrelorgan vibrate through the evening air. 
 "Home, sweet home" floats sweetly on the waves of the breeze that 
 fans the face of the pleasant valley. The music is in keeping with 
 the charming landscape which stretches from the rock-bound but 
 picturesque and romantic coast of Maine, but the musician is not ; 
 and the glance we cast on him jars unpleasantly with the feeling of 
 contentment that has imperceptibly stolen over us. The man is 
 evidently a foreigner, a native of the sunny land that boasts of 
 Rome and Naples, and his pale careworn face shows plainly that 
 he is deeply sensitive to the tune he plays. Home ! sweet home ! 
 Alas ! no people in the world are so devotedly attached to their 
 native country as the Italians. Even the most prosperous of that 
 race never overcome a yearning for " beautiful Italy," and yet our 
 minstrel does not belong to Fortune s favorites. He surely misses 
 his native country ; for his hollow eye mirrors a melancholy sadness, 
 a pain intense to distraction. The fickle, changing clime of the 
 New World does not agree with his constitution, and even a care 
 less observer can hardly fail to discover that consumption, the arch 
 destroyer of America s youth and strength, has made fearful havoc 
 upon the musician s form, once so noble and vigorous. His cheeks 
 are hollow though covered with a treacherous bloom ; his body has 
 become emaciated to the thinness of a skeleton, and only his eyes 
 have retained their lustre. Yes, they have even gained in bril 
 liancy, and in connection with the hair of raven blackness which 
 
DOLORES. 
 
 surrounds his temples in rich profusion, impart to his face a ghastly 
 pallor painful to behold. His strength is gone ; for, though re 
 lieved of the weight of the instrument by a supporting frame on 
 which it stands, his hand turns the crank with a languor inexpress 
 ibly sad. In consequence of this the air, so tender in itself, as 
 sumes a mournful sadness apt to bring tears into our eyes. It has 
 that effect at least upon a little girl standing close by the wander 
 ing minstrel s side and holding in a caressing manner his unengaged 
 hand. She seems to be about twelve years of age, and a family re 
 semblance lets us guess the relation of father and daughter between 
 the two. She has his black waving tresses and the large lucid eye, 
 though the color of the latter is more of a bluish than a blackish 
 tint. 
 
 The child is poorly clad as is the man, and the tattered dress of 
 faded silk half covers, half reveals a body of perfect proportions, 
 but yet too angular for our ideas of beauty. The frock only 
 reaches to the knee, leaving the limb beneath it and the foot ex 
 posed. The child presses her father s hand with earnest devotion 
 to her cheek and the sad and tender glance with which she scans 
 his face betrays a depth of feeling and an understanding beyond 
 her years. Does she fully comprehend the precarious condition of 
 her father s health ? the delicacy of the tie that unites them and 
 may be ruptured by the first rough contact with the world ? We 
 do not know, but we know that the group before us, if not of ideal 
 beauty, is such as the sculptor or painter likes to choose when he 
 intends to remind us of the frail mortality of our race. 
 
 The pair stands on the highroad leading through one of those 
 pretty villages which only New England can show. One side of it 
 is lined with little cottages, encased in pretty gardens, and the 
 other with an iron railing enclosing the pleasure grounds of a state 
 ly mansion, looming with grace and elegance from the dense cluster 
 of surrounding shrubs and trees. Opposite the Italian and his 
 daughter the railing curves inward, and displays a handsome double 
 gate shutting up a broad well-kept carriage drive whose sides are 
 adorned with gay flowerbeds in full bloom. The road, running at 
 right angles against the sea, is lost in clusters of bushes above 
 which the blue expanse of water, dotted with distant sails, becomes 
 visible. Turning landward the pike winds through a broad valley, 
 
DOLORES. 5 
 
 clotted with farmhouses and orchards and bound in the distance by 
 a sweeep of semi-circular woodland ranges which with their term 
 inus lean on the ocean. The road after leaving the village passes 
 the buildings of a large factory, and at length creeps over the hills, 
 looking like the ribbon with which we tie a garland. The sun, 
 approaching the western sky, betokens the neighborhood of the 
 evening hours whose freshness will pleasantly relieve the intense 
 heat of a sultry summer day. From the factory above mentioned 
 a stream of men and women pours into the street, all carrying their 
 dinner buckets, and for the most part wending their way towards 
 the village and turning here and there into the houses lining the 
 way. Some of them stop, as they come to the minstrel and his 
 daughter; they listen to the plaintive music and then, with warm 
 compassion, place a coin in the box which the girl passes around. 
 A sweet smile of the little creature, and a graceful nod of the head 
 thank them for their charity and then they part, reflecting on their 
 way on the caprice of fortune which metes its favors out with lavish 
 hands to some, and denies even the indispensable mite to others. 
 
 The little girl, however, hastens back to her father, attracted 
 by a violent fit of coughing which threatens to put a stop not only 
 to the music but even to the musician himself. The little one has no 
 such fears, for, alas, she is used to seeing her father suffer ; still she 
 knows that after an attack like this he needs her assistance, trifling 
 as it is, for he is almost unable to stand on his feet. Indeed, as 
 she approaches him, she notices a tremor passing through his feeble 
 frame ; his hands rest on the organ for support ; his head sinks 
 wearily on his breast, and from his mouth issues a fearful stream 
 of blood, taking away on its currents the last sparks of vitality that 
 remained in the wornout frame. 
 
 A fearful shriek of the girl stops the passers-by, and hurrying 
 near the unfortunate man, they come just in time to receive the 
 sinking form into their arms and thus save it from a rough fall 
 upon the ground. They carry him to the green sward lining the 
 side of the road next to the railing and busy themselves about him 
 with the confusion of people not exactly knowing what to do. 
 While some hurry for the doctor, others cry for water and endeavor 
 to stop the blood which still continues to ooze from the mouth, 
 though with lessened violence. Alas, the poor fellow had but lit- 
 
6 DOLORES. 
 
 tie of the precious liquid, and the fountain drying up the current 
 of course began to slacken. The people around him shook their 
 heads and with pitying countenances gazed upon the little girl 
 kneeling at the side of her father, holding his hands in hers and 
 with pleading fervor calling on him to return to consciousness and 
 to her. She used a foreign tongue, but yet the crowd understood 
 her, for there is a language which everybody comprehends, the 
 language of love and sadness. There were few eyes dry in that 
 assembly and many seemed more affected than the child itself. No 
 wonder ; the poor thing was half stupified and failed to realize the 
 greatness of the loss in store for her. The hemorrhage had fright 
 ened her, but she scarcely understood the significance of the symp 
 toms. Her father had suffered so much and so long that she failed 
 to comprehend the fact of his near release, his deliverance from all 
 further trouble. 
 
 Now the doctor made his appearance. He gazed a moment and 
 shook hi* head. Looking around on the crowd that was increasing 
 every minute, he said : 
 
 "My friends, this man is dying; we must take him to some 
 shelter. Is there nobody present that lives close by and is willing 
 to lend his roof to a suffering fellow-mortal to die in peace?" 
 
 Several voices responded to the call ; but at this moment the 
 stamp of hoofs and the rolling of carriage wheels became audible, 
 and a minute afterwards a well dressed gentleman accompanied by 
 a little gitl stepped into the circle. The crowd drew back respect 
 fully and from this and other signs we conclude that the new comer 
 holds a conspicuous position in the neighborhood. He is a portly 
 man of medium size, between thirty-five and forty. His dress is 
 of fine material and fashionable cut, but he wears it with a careless 
 ease approaching slovenliness. His face is broad and good-natured, 
 and as his eyes gaze upon the dying stranger they show a sympathy 
 and compassion that cannot help impressing us favorably as to the 
 character of the man. The only thing we do not like is the loose 
 ness of the lower face, the want of expression around the mouth 
 which, as psychologists assure us, indicates a lack of firmness and 
 decision. The little girl seems of the same age as the Italian s 
 daughter ; but she is of a very different type. While the child of 
 the south is thin, angular, with sun-burnt skin and black hair, the 
 
DOLORES. 7 
 
 new comer bears the impress of the north. Her complexion is of 
 a snowy whiteness, her hair of a hue between gold and flax. Dim 
 ples adorn her chin and the plump cheeks over which the glow of 
 health is spread in a manner more distinct than delicate. Her lips 
 vie in color with the cherry and the eyes are of a light but charm 
 ing blue. The face lacks nothing but intellect to make it attrac 
 tive ; it has the beauty of the waxen doll in which we miss nothing 
 so much as the absence of animation. Timidly the girl holds on 
 to her father s coat ; but as she peeps around to see the poor in 
 valid, we notice her father s expression of good nature in her eyes. 
 
 "Why, what is this, Doctor?" asked the new comer, "What is 
 the matter with the poor fellow ?" 
 
 "A hemorrhage of the worst kind, Mr. Fox. I was just trying 
 to get the patient under shelter. These people volunteered to take 
 him to their houses. 
 
 " Just like them, good and kind as ever. But the man would 
 be troublesome to them ; better take him to my house. There is 
 lots of room and better accommodations. John, just give the reins 
 to Richard and come this way. So, who else will lend a hand ? 
 That s right ; but gently lads, the poor fellow will feel every move 
 ment. Now take him to the house, lads, to the front room in the 
 basement. And this is his daughter ? Poor child, come give me 
 your hand. No ? Well, go with your father then. I reckon you 
 wont have him much longer anyhow, eh, Doctor ?" 
 
 I fear not, sir. The man may once more return to conscious 
 ness, but he cannot live much longer. He is evidently in the last 
 stage of consumption and this hemorrhage will take him off." 
 
 "Well, Doctor, do the best you can for him ; I ll see to the 
 payment of the bill. Jim, take that instrument off the road and 
 put it somewhere out of the way. Take care, that Mrs. Fox don t 
 stumble over it tho , when she returns ; you know, she don t like 
 vulgar things." 
 
 " Yes> sir," the servant spoken to replied, accompanying his re 
 sponse with a knowing look. Taking the organ, he carried it to 
 the house, trying on the road to elicit some music from it by turn 
 ing the crank. But the first sound made him start ; it was so much 
 out of the way on this sad occasion that Jim avoided the crani[ 
 
8 DOLORES. 
 
 with scrupulous care and taking a back door, executed the order of 
 his master. 
 
 In the meantime the patient had been deposited on the lounge 
 of a room that bore the character of something between a library 
 and a smoking-room. The doctor applied the proper restoratives 
 and after a few minutes had the satisfaction of seeing him open his 
 eyes. The little girl had not relinquished her father s hand for a 
 moment, and now when she saw him returning to consciousness, 
 she uttered a cry of delight and in her native tongue began to 
 speak to him. The doctor, however, checked her. 
 
 "My dear child," he said, laying his hand upon her shoulder 
 and bending over her, " you must not trouble your father now, for 
 he is very sick. If you can be a good girl and keep quiet for a 
 little while, he may soon be well enough to speak to you." 
 
 The child listened attentively and showed by a nod that she un 
 derstood the physician. It evidently cost her a struggle to obey ; 
 but she conquered and regaining hold of her father s hand, relapsed 
 into silence. 
 
 The patient also had heard the doctor and evidently understood 
 him. A sad smile flitted over his features and moving his lips, he 
 made an attempt to speak, but failed in the effort. The doctor 
 noticed it and said : 
 
 " Keep still, my good man ; you are not strong enough to speak 
 yet. We ll get you something to strengthen you." 
 
 " Shall I send for some wine ?" Mr. Fox inquired. 
 
 "You may as well. It would hardly do to give him wine, if 
 there was any hope of recovery ; but there is not and the stimulant 
 will enable the poor fellow to speak. He may have something to 
 communicate to us or to his daughter." 
 
 The wine was brought, a fiery sherry, and its effect upon the 
 dying man was wonderful. His look regained its vivacity and his 
 tongue the power of speech. Looking around he seemed to scrutin 
 ize the persons present and at last kept his gaze fixed upon Mr. 
 Fox. He seemed to guess that he was the proprietor of the house 
 and with a feeble gesture beckoned him to his side. 
 
 " You are the master of this house ?" he asked in low tones and 
 a f oreigh accent 
 
 "Yes, sir, that I am ;" Mr. Fox responded with a kind nod, 
 
DOLORES. 9 
 
 " and if there is anything I can do for you, just let me know. You 
 may be sure that it shall be attended to." 
 
 " You are very kind," said the Italian, and a smile at once sweet 
 and melancholy passed over his features. " You are a gentil huo- 
 mo, I know, and will be kind to my daughter when I am gone ?" 
 
 " Of course, sir, the girl shall be taken care of. If nothing else 
 troubles your mind, you may die in peace." 
 
 The face of the Italian showed a struggle. At last he said : 
 
 " Take the portfolio from my pocket, I am too weak." 
 
 His wish Avas fulfilled and an elegant diary, evidently a relic of 
 better days, produced. On seeing it, the stranger s eye lit up and 
 his face assumed an aspect of pride and dignity at once sudden and 
 startling. 
 
 " You open," he said, and Fox, obeying his injunction, pro 
 duced several papers which he handed to the patient. 
 
 " Now listen," said the Italian, making a great effort to speak 
 clearly and concisely ; "I look like a beggar, but oh, I am not an 
 ordinary one. I was once a noble duke in my native country ; but 
 wishing to free it from the yoke of Austria, I joined an insurrec 
 tion against that power. We failed and incurred the penalty at 
 tached to such attempts. My poor wife died in this country from 
 want and exposure, and I follow her from the same cause. But 
 there is my daughter Dolores ah ! truly has she been named ; for 
 under sufferings she has been reared, the last member of a noble 
 race. What is to become of her ? Will she grow up in ignorance 
 and poverty ? Oh ! how her destiny afflicts my dying hour !" 
 
 He stopped, and covering his face with his hands, betrayed by 
 groans and sighs the deepness of his sorrow. Again his daughter 
 spoke to him in Italian, and he listened to her voice, a^s if angels 
 had addressed him. Fox was deeply affected by this scene and 
 wishing to comfort the poor sufferer, repeated his promise to take 
 care of the girl after her father s death. Still the man seemed not 
 satisfied ; but turning to the owner of the house, he said with much 
 hesitancy and indecision : 
 
 "But my daughter is the duchess of Gatana ; will you raise her 
 a menial, a low, ignorant servant?" 
 
 "Why no," Fox replied, slightly embarrassed but evidently 
 wishing to spare the feelings of the dying man ; " if she is a lady 
 
10 DOLORES. 
 
 she ought to receive the education of one." 
 
 "Oh ! God bless you ; you take a burden off my heart. And 
 you would be so good as to charge yourself with her education ?" 
 
 "Yes, sir, I will," said Fox, impressed by the earnestness of the 
 Italian. 
 
 " You give me the word of a gentil liuomoT 
 
 " If you mean the word of a gentleman ; I will." 
 
 " Thank you, sir, thank you. You give me ease and comfort. 
 You swear to do it by this symbol ?" 
 
 In his eager efforts for his daughter s welfare the patient s 
 strength had much increased and he was able to pull from his 
 bosom a small but beautifully wrought crucifix of gold and ebony 
 and to hold it towards Mr. Fox, who as a protestant was something 
 loth to accommodate himself to the notions of a Catholic. Still, 
 the look of intense suspense in the eye of the dying man was un 
 endurable, and wishing to convince him of the sincerity of his in 
 tention, he laid his hand upon the crucifix and said : 
 
 "I swear." 
 
 Now the Italian seemed satisfied. A deep tranquillity spread 
 over his beautiful face, which seemed to have lost every trace of the 
 fatal disease that had destroyed its owner. He took his daughter s 
 hand and said to her : 
 
 " Dolores, I must leave you " 
 
 Before he could proceed, the impetuous girl was on her knees, 
 and laying her head close to his, said with a voice almost drowned 
 by sobbing : 
 
 "No, father dear, you must not leave poor Dolores alone. 
 What ! oh ! what, is she to do without her dear father ?" 
 
 Tears started from her father s eye, but checking his emotion 
 with his whole remaining strength, he said : 
 
 " I know you will miss me, Dolores ; but you will also get a 
 good home and a guardian who will provide for you, and that you 
 know, your poor, sick father was unable to do. I should like to 
 live on your account, my dearest child ; but at the same time I am 
 weary, so weary that I delight to think I shall soon sleep the long, 
 deep sleep in the cool ground. Mourn for me my daughter, but 
 take comfort in the thought that it is all for the best. Will my 
 strong, brave Dolores promise this ?" 
 
DOLORES. 11 
 
 A low "yes," almost stifled by heartrending sighs, came as an 
 answer from the lips of the little girl. 
 
 1 That is right, dear," said her father, laying his hand upon her 
 curly head. "And you, sir, take care of these papers. They con 
 tain the marriage certificate of her parents and a list of her estates. 
 True, they now only exist on paper, for a cruel dynasty has snatched 
 them from her ; but God is merciful and may some day restore her 
 to her rank and fortune. Take good care of the papers, sir." 
 
 Fox promised repeatedly to fulfil all the injunctions of the suf~ 
 ferer with unswerving fidelity, and thereby rendered his last hour 
 comparatively light and happy ; but the excitement now passing 
 away left the patient doubly weak, and it was evident to all present 
 that his dissolution was fast approaching. With one of his hands 
 on his daughter s head and the other enclosed in hers, he now and 
 then whispered a word of love and comfort into her ears, her head 
 still resting close to his. He could no longer speak loud nor raise 
 his hand to beckon ; but an impressive glance meeting the eye of 
 Mr. Fox, that gentleman bent his head to the patient s ear. 
 
 "I am happy," the poor man whispered, "and you made me 
 so. Remember /" 
 
 After a while he whispered : 
 
 "Dolores." 
 
 This was the last word he spoke. When the child raised her 
 head in response to the call, his eye was becoming fixed, and though 
 unfamiliar with death she could not mistake that the moment, 
 which would make her an orphan, was at hand. Bending intently 
 over his face, she watched every motion of his body. She saw the 
 last tremor creeping through his limbs, saw his body stretch and 
 lengthen and felt his hands grow cold in hers. Thus long she has 
 repressed her grief, perhaps in obedience to his injunction ; perhaps 
 also from the wish of making his departure as light and tranquil 
 as possible. This was surely a self-control beyond her years, but 
 then a single look upon her pensive face sufficed to show that she 
 was no ordinary child. Now, however, she indemnified herself for 
 all restraint by an abandonment to grief which much alarmed the 
 persons present. She cried and shrieked and writhed as if in agon 
 ies of pain. She threw herself upon the dead body and clung to 
 him with a vehemence that made all efforts to withdraw her vain. 
 
12 DOLORES. 
 
 She seemed deaf to all persuasions and entreaties, and for more* 
 than an hour would suffer no interference between herself and her 
 grief. At last she calmed down, more from physical exhaustion 
 than any abatement of her grief. She ceased to sob and cry and 
 allowed Mr. Fox to take her hand and speak words of comfort and 
 consolation into her ear. She suffered his daughter to take her 
 other hand and gently stroke it ; she even raised her tear dimmed 
 eyes to those of the other girl and looked into them with a glance con 
 taining wonderment, affection and suspicion in a strange mixture. 
 Still, she would not be separated from the body, and only when her 
 eyes had closed in slumber and her repose had reached the depth of 
 utter unconsciousness, so natural after the exciting scenes through 
 which she had gone, Mr. Fox was able to take her in his arms and 
 carry her to a chamber on the second floor, where a servant took 
 care of her. 
 
 " Be kind to the child, Susan," Mr. Fox enjoined upon her ; 
 "make her comfortable with some of Lucy s dresses and put her 
 to bed. I have to see to matters down stairs." 
 
 " Yes, sir," the girl replied, but she also looked after him with 
 the queer look we noticed on the face of Master Jim, when that 
 worthy carried the organ in. Yet she obeyed his order, and taking 
 the sleeping child into the room, layed her on a bed and undressed 
 her as gently as she could. Lucy stood by and watched the opera 
 tion with considerable interest. 
 
 11 Susan," she asked, " she is to stay with us, is she ?" 
 
 Susan winced under the question. 
 
 " Indeed, Lucy, that s more n I can tell." 
 
 Father says so at any rate." 
 
 The servant shrugged her shoulders, a gesture meaning perhaps 
 as much as : " What of that ?" But she said nothing. 
 
 "Her name is Dolores," the child said; "do you think it a 
 pretty name ?" 
 
 " No, Lucy, I don t, nor the child either for that matter. She 
 looks so outlandish." 
 
 " But I like her, Susan." 
 
 "You do? well, I know somebody that wont, I bet." 
 
 " You mean Richard ? I know he doesn t like her, for he told 
 me so and called her a Gipsy." 
 
DOLORES. 13 
 
 " Did he ? well I think your mother wont like her any better. 
 Law s me, what a fuss she ll make when she finds the brat here." 
 
 By this time Dolores had been undressed and provided with one 
 of Lucy s nightgowns, and as she lay upon the snowy pillow, her 
 ringlets contrasting strangely with the pallor of her face, on which 
 the traces of recent grief were still impressed, she formed a sight 
 well calculated to soften any heart. The servant girl s was soft 
 ened, but she left the room with a shake of her head and a dubious 
 glance in her homely face what could it mean ? 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 SKIRMISHES. 
 
 The funeral was over. While Dolores slept the sleep of ex 
 haustion, Mr. Fox had made all necessary preparations. A plain 
 coffin had been ordered and delivered at the break of dawn the 
 next morning, while Dolores was still sleeping. The body had been 
 laid into the coffin and everything prepared for the last rites with 
 out her knowledge. For a moment Mr. Fox had oeen doubtful as 
 to the propriety of waking Dolores, to let her join it ; but at last 
 he had concluded that it would be cruel to deprive her of this last 
 chance of seeing her dead father. Sad as the ceremony would be 
 for her, she would at least fully realize her loss and be more in 
 clined to adapt herself to the situation. So she had been wakened 
 and dressed by Susan, who had revived the recollection of last 
 night s occurrences as gently as her somewhat rude nature would 
 permit. At first, on wakening, Dolores had threatened to rebel 
 but no sooner had the knowledge of the past returned to her mind 
 than she at once submitted to the girl s directions and, as it were, 
 relapsed into apathy, suffering Susan to dress and conduct her to 
 the funeral-chamber much like an automaton. Only on seeing her 
 father in the coffin, she had rushed to his side with a wildness that 
 threatened a repetition of last night s scene. She had grasped his 
 icy hands, loudly called his name and hiding her head upon his 
 breast, moaned aloud. Yet no tear had entered her eyes, and after 
 a few minutes she had gained sufficient self-possession to follow the 
 
14 DOLORES. 
 
 admonitions of Mr. Fox, who had kindly taken her hand, assuring 
 her that he would be a father to her and informing her that they 
 were now going to take her father s remains to his last resting place. 
 Sitting in a carriage at his side she had attended the funeral, and 
 in the graveyard behaved with a composure remarkable for her 
 years. There is something repugnant in death and in a corpse, es 
 pecially to children, and the form we loved so much when animated 
 tills us with a secret awe, when life has once departed. This is a 
 wise provision of nature, and Dolores now benefitted by it ; tho it 
 would have been hard to tell, even for more penetrating eyes than 
 those of Mr. Fox, whether the composure of the little girl was the 
 result of self-control or of an abatement of the grief with which 
 she mourned her father s death. 
 
 Now they were back in the villa, and from Mr. Fox s abstracted 
 manner it was evident that he was pondering upon the sudden death 
 of the musician and the new duties it had imposed upon him. He 
 called his daughter, bidding her to take the little stranger into the 
 garden and show her the place, and when she had obeyed him, and 
 taking Dolores by the hand, departed from the room, he paced the 
 floor in a manner not at all in keeping with the ease and non 
 chalance so plainly depicted on his good-natured face. On the con 
 trary he seemed extremely nervous, and the hands which were 
 folded on the back twitched and worked in a manner almost dan 
 gerous to the safety of the fingers. At length Mr. Fox stopped, 
 and opening the door called in a loud voice : 
 
 "Susan!" 
 
 Yes, sir," the menial responded, and a moment afterwards 
 made her appearance at the door, wiping her hands on her apron 
 and holding its corner even after the operation had been finished. 
 " What may you be wishing, sir ?" 
 
 " Well, Susan," Fox addressed her, coming to a dead stop in 
 his walk and trying to look unconcerned, " I called you in to speak 
 to you about this little girl. I suppose you know that 1 promised 
 her father to take care of her, do you ?" 
 
 " Well, yes ; I think I did hear, sir." 
 
 "Now, then, as a man of my word, I mean to stick to that 
 promise ; but the question is, what had we better do with her ?" 
 
 " Indeed, sir, you ought to know best." 
 
DOLORES. 15 
 
 "Well, s I do, Susan ; still, however, it will do no harm to- 
 give me your opinion about it." 
 
 "But, sir, indeed I hain t any ; unless you let her sleep with me 
 and give her to the kitchen girl to help her sweepin and scrubbin 
 and runnin errands." 
 
 Mr. Fox looked amazed. 
 
 "Sweeping and scrubbing?" he exclaimed, "why, Susan, don t 
 you know she is a " 
 
 "A what?" the servant inquired, when he stopped. 
 
 But Mr. Fox would not tell. He feared to be ridiculed, if he 
 hinted at the pi etended high station of his ward. So he said : 
 
 "Never mind ; only I promised her father not to let her serve,, 
 but bring her up a lady and give her a good education." 
 
 Susan struggled between astonishment and indignation. The 
 low and ignorant will pardon their superiors for possessing rank and 
 wealth, but woe to their equal who endeavors to better his condi 
 tion and rise above their level they will never pardon him. Susan 
 had in her way taken a liking for the orphan ; but the words of her 
 master effectually destroyed it, and at that moment she hated her. 
 What ! a little beggar girl to be taken, and flattered and caressed 
 and be doted upon ? No indeed, Susan at least would countenance 
 no such proceedings and this resolution became unmistakably plain 
 in her miens and words, as she replied : 
 
 "An edication ? Who ever heard the like ! I wonder how Mrs. 
 Fox will fancy that." 
 
 With these words Susan had evidently played a trump ; for Mr. 
 Fox winced and showed some hesitancy, when he said : 
 
 "Why shouldn t she fancy it ? As a good Christian she cannot 
 but laud my good intentions." 
 
 The girl said nothing, but plucked the corner of her apron. Mr. 
 Fox, however, at once recollected that, if Mrs. Fox did object, 
 Susan surely was not the person to whom he had to account for his 
 actions ; so he said with a good deal of resolution : 
 
 As I said before, the girl must be cared for. She needs gar 
 ments of all descriptions, and until they can be procured some of 
 Lucy s dresses will answer. Don t you think they ll tit her ?" 
 
 "They may, for all I know, tho its hard to say how Mrs. Fox 
 will take it." 
 
16 DOLORKS. 
 
 Mr. Fox did not reply to this ; but ignoring it, resumed : 
 
 "If I recollect right, the little room above the kitchen is un 
 occupied." 
 
 "So it is, sir ; but 
 
 "And it is furnished for a sleeping-room?" 
 ." There is a bed there and a washstand ; but I guess 
 
 " Then it will answer to put little Dolores there. I charge you, 
 Susan, to see that everything is done to make her comfortable." 
 
 Susan was sorely vexed, and she couldn t for her life quit the 
 room without showing it and making an attempt at rebelling 
 against her master s orders. Past experience must have shown her 
 the feasibility of such a conduct, or she would perhaps not have 
 risked the experiment. 
 
 " You must excuse my gainsaying, Mr. Fox," she said, pluck 
 ing her apron with greater zest than before and coloring a little, 
 either from vexation or excitement, " but it strikes me, sir, that 
 Mrs. Fox will never give in to such an arrangement. She is look 
 ing for a second cook, I heard her say, and wants the room to put 
 her in." 
 
 " She does?" Mr. Fox replied ; "well, if that is the case, we 
 must not interfere. We can put Dolores as well in the corner room 
 above the parlor." 
 
 " But that is a spare-room for visitors, and I heard Mrs. Fox 
 say us how she expected lots of friends soon." 
 
 " Did she say so ? Well then there is the little chamber next to 
 mine ; that is a cozy little room and not wanted, I am sure." 
 
 At this suggestion Susan became still more excited. Letting 
 her apron go and placing her arms akimbo, she cried : 
 
 " Mr. Fox, you don t mean that? The best, costliest room in 
 the whole house for this little brat of a beggar ? Mrs. Fox will be 
 delighted to see her silk spreads soiled Jby her dirty fingers." 
 
 Mr. Fox received this new objection with a patience showing 
 that he possessed an unusual stock of that virtue. Having reflected 
 a while, he resumed : 
 
 "You women are dreadfully particular, I know, and I don t like 
 to cross your arrangements, if I can help it. If all these rooms 
 don t answer, I know but one more and that is the closet next to 
 
DOLORES. 17 
 
 Lucy s room. I looked in yesterday and noticed it to be just ready 
 to receive an inmate." 
 
 Susan shook her head. 
 
 The Missus won t like a strange beggar child so near her 
 darling I am sure," she said. " Nobody knows what sort of a per 
 son she is, and she might play all sorts of tricks on poor Lucy be 
 fore we d know." 
 
 This last argument was the best she had thus far advanced ; but 
 yet it irritated Mr. Fox, and perhaps for that very reason. We are 
 apt to get excited just in proportion to our antagonist s success in 
 warding off our thrusts. So Susan accomplished by good sense 
 what she had failed to accomplish by nonsense, though surely 
 against her will, namely, the rousing of her master s ire. To judge 
 by her surprise and consternation the sight must have been perfectly 
 novel to her. With open mouth she stared at him, as he said : 
 
 " Nonsense, Susan ! I am getting tired of your subterfuges and 
 want no more of them. I thought you had a better heart than to 
 try ousting a poor lonely child that never harmed you. I want to 
 be obeyed without further parlance ; do you understand ? I don t 
 care what room you fix, but I want you to fix one and that at once. 
 Begone, I say, and let me hear no more of this. If I find that the 
 child s comfort is neglected, I ll make you rue it. Don t stare at 
 me, but go." 
 
 The reader will perceive that Mr. Fox had nicely worked him 
 self into a rage. That is the way with many a timid man, though 
 we are far from imputing cowardice to Mr. Fox, and they won t 
 take heart, until they hear their own voice cheering them up. Mr. 
 Fox was cheered by his ; he seemed to like himself in this new 
 character much better than Susan did. She was dumbfounded 
 with surprise and without the utterance of even a syllable left the 
 room to do his bidding. Mr. Fox, however, resumed his walk ; he 
 might as well benefit by his excitement in making the floor tremble 
 under his firm and energetic step, therein imitating the engineer 
 who makes the paddles fly while steam is up. 
 
 "These womenfolks are intolerable with their " buts " and " ifs" 
 The deuce may take them all, not excepting (here Mr. Fox low 
 ered his voice and cast a cautious glance around him) Mrs. Fox. 
 When a fellow wants to be comfortable, they come with their brooms 
 
18 DOLORES. 
 
 and scrubbing brushes ; when he wants to be sociable they pout and 
 stick up their noses ; when he desires to be left alone, they make 
 his head swim with their gibberish and when he wants to act like 
 a Christian they come and prove that he is worse than a heathen. 
 I shouldn t wonder at all if Mrs. Fox would do that very thing. 
 I wish she was back and the whole thing over, for come it will, that 
 is more than sure. She ll try to make me send this poor little thing 
 to the poor-house and persuade me in the bargain that nothing will 
 be more calculated to advance her welfare. But, Mrs. Fox, you ll 
 try in vain this time. I have given my word and even sworn to 
 take care of the girl, and I shall do it in the face of all opposition. 
 Still, they will make me very uncomfortable and the little one too, 
 I fear. Where may she be ? I must go* and hunt her up, for some 
 how the little one has bewitched me with her deep sensible eyes 
 and the quiet way in which she bears her loss." 
 
 Mr. Fox left the house and stepped into the park, but just as 
 he was turning the corner of the house, the person he sought came 
 running towards him with every sign of the greatest excitement. 
 Her eyes were flashing fire, her little hands were clentched and the 
 lips firmly pressed together. Without heeding Mr. Fox, she was 
 on the point of hastening by him, when that gentleman with a 
 voice expressing tenderness and surprise called ner name. 
 
 " Dolores ! Little one ! what is the matter? 
 
 Now, Mr. Fox had not at all what we call a musical voice. It 
 was rather common, if not rough ; but it isn t always the quality of 
 the voice that makes it find the way to the hearer s heart ; it is the 
 feeling which dictates the words. Now, Mr. Fox was one of the 
 very few who had ever spoken kindly to Dolores ; moreover, he had 
 spoken kindly at the very moment when she needed kindness most, 
 and is it strange that the image of her benefactor had engraved it 
 self into her heart ; that the tone of his voice fell pleasantly on her 
 ear ? It failed not to affect her even in the state of feverish ex 
 citement whose prey she was, and stopping short in response to his 
 call, she said with a trembling voice : 
 
 " I want to go away, sir. You are kind to me ; but the others 
 are not ; your people sneer at me whenever they look at me, and 
 that boy has struck me and called me a Gipsy. I am no Gipsy and 
 I ll go away where I need not hear it any more. You are good to 
 
DOLORES. 19 
 
 me, sir, and Dolores thanks you very much." 
 
 After these words that had been poured into the ear of Mr. 
 Fox with a rapidity calculated to bewilder anybody, Dolores had 
 stepped up to him and kissed his hand. Then turning she had 
 again commenced her hasty flight, when another exclamation from 
 his mouth stopped her a second time. 
 
 "Dolores!" 
 
 This time he spoke more tenderly yet and although surprise was 
 still manifest, his voice bore the character of reproach. The girl 
 stopped at once, but she did not turn ; hanging her head and work 
 ing her hands in a restless manner, she awaited his further address. 
 
 He went up to her, and taking one of her hands into his own, 
 led her to a part of the park where dense undergrowth limited the 
 view, but was also calculated to conceal the couple. No word was 
 said on either side, until they reached a seat overhung by flower 
 ing shrubs and climbing plants, a snug, cozy place. Mr. Fox sat 
 down and drew the girl to his side, but neither of them noticed the 
 beauty of the place. 
 
 " Now, little one," Mr. Fox began, " repeat to me what you said 
 before ; but .say it slowly ; you perfectly drowned me before with 
 your hurried charges." 
 
 But by this time Dolores had cooled down a little and now felt 
 the repugnance innate to noble nature to play informer. She hes 
 itated and stammered and it was only by dint of perseverance and 
 numerous questions that Mr. Fox elicited the truth from her. It 
 was this : While walking with Lucy in the park and garden she 
 had suffered the rough contact with persons either ill-disposed or 
 void of sensibility who, by their sneers and covert allusions or their 
 uncouth sympathy, had deeply wounded her feelings. Still she had 
 borne it all and taken comfort from the even kindness and gentle 
 ness of her companion. She, at least, had done nothing to hurt 
 her sensitive companion, though her calm and perhaps shallow na 
 ture had on the other hand also prevented her from making rapid 
 advances to affection and intimacy. Then followed the scene which 
 had so deeply stirred the ire in the girl s bosom and whose very re 
 cital even now made her tremble with agitation. Walking on one 
 of the roads that wound through the groves of the park, they had 
 on a sharp bend suddenly come upon a boy whom Lucy addressed 
 
20 DOLOR KS. 
 
 as her brother, but who with scornful laugh had declined all inter 
 course with a lu-iiar brat. To this word Dolores relunctantly con 
 fessed, insinuating shyly that many others of a worse character had 
 been used. However, she had not borne them all with tame indif 
 ference, but stepping boldly up to the young ruffian s face had 
 parried his thrusts with so much skill that in his vexatious disap 
 pointment he had lowered himself to the mean act of striking a 
 feeble little girl. This act it was that had made her temper run 
 away with her and would perhaps have driven her from her pro 
 tector s roof, if he had not opportunely intercepted her flight. He 
 now sat silent, no doubt deeply annoyed at the dishonorable course 
 of one he called his son. Dolores saw it and wishing to comfort 
 him, she told him with a cheering voice that she did not mind it 
 any longer and begged him not to think about it any more. 
 
 Fox was deeply touched by this display of generosity and the 
 liking he had from the beginning felt for this little girl fast ripened 
 into a warm affection. Drawing her closely to his side he said : 
 
 1 Little one, I see, I have not wasted my fostering care upon 
 an unworthy object. What I promised to your father from a feel 
 ing of Christian dut} r , I now pledge to you from true and sincere 
 affection. Will you in all respects, in the full sense of the word 
 be my dear and loving daughter ?" 
 
 The child nestled closely to his side, her face assuming a happy 
 expression and lovingly she whispered : 
 
 -I will." 
 
 "Well, then, our compact has been duly made and ratified; 
 but, Dolores, my power to protect you goes only a certain way. 
 Of course, that booby of a boy shall no longer abuse you, nor the 
 servants jeer you ; but there is a power to abuse which being^ indi 
 rect and only in tone and expression lies beyond my control and 
 from which I cannot shelter you. Alas! poor child, many will be 
 the instance?* where the world jars upon a high strung character, 
 and I would be false to my trust to persuade you to the belief that 
 such trials will be spared you in my house. Forewarned is fore 
 armed and I want you from this present moment to form the reso 
 lution of meeting all such low attacks with calm indifference. Do 
 you understand me, Dolores?" 
 
 "I think I do, sir" 
 
DOLORES. 21 
 
 "I knew you would. I knew from the first sight that you are 
 a little lady in every sense of the word and that induced me to be 
 friend you. Yes, my good girl, you will have many an unpleasant 
 hour in this, my house, from which even I cannot save you ; but 
 will you recollect at such periods that I am and always shall be 
 your true and sincere friend and father?" 
 
 " I will, sir." 
 
 And will you recollect that I can perhaps protect you best, when 
 I seem least disposed to do so ? May be I expect more of your 
 penetration than your years would warrant ?" 
 
 "No, sir, I know well what you mean. Seeming to care but 
 little about me, you will make the others let me alone." 
 
 Fox looked at the little creature with surprise. 
 
 " God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb and gives cunning 
 to the worm," he said earnestly. "Yes, Dolores, I see you are 
 prudent above your years, and having hinted so much I may as well 
 go a step further. Mrs. Fox, you know, my wife " 
 
 He hesitated, and the little girl noticing his embarrassment, 
 hastened to reply : 
 
 " Say nothing more, Mr. Fox. That naughty boy, I mean your 
 son Richard, said something that made me think his mother would 
 not be kind to me. I do not know, why it is ; but I feel that it will 
 be so. Still I shall not mind it, Mr. Fox, or rather I shall try hard 
 to make her Jove me too, just for your sake, Mr. Fox, and because 
 you are so good to me." 
 
 Tears started to his eyes. His affection for this little creature 
 increased wonderfully and threatened to equal and outstrip the love 
 he bore to his own children. Richard often annoyed him by his 
 numerous failings and Lucy, though a good child, was hardly bright 
 and lively enough to awaken strong affections even in a parent. 
 In this child Fox had for the first time found his ideal realized and 
 therefore involuntarily opened to her the fountains of a heart which 
 he was perhaps often enough compelled to close up. His feeling 
 was moreover increased by the readiness with which Dolores adapt 
 ed herself to circumstances, and to say that he felt grateful for the 
 indulgence which she had promised to Mrs. Fox s caprices, would 
 be stating the case but very feebly. A load was taken off his mind 
 and he began to look with different feelings towards the hour that 
 
22 DOLORES. 
 
 would bring back his wife. The marriage of Mr. Fox and his lady 
 were not exactly what we term an unhappy one ; but this was merely 
 due to the husband s consideration, his easy disposition and the 
 happy humor with which he adapted himself to all her notions. If 
 he had been as head-strong, as he was kind and tolerant, that term 
 would have found its application in its worst definition. As it was 
 Mr. Fox yielded the point in almost every instance, and the reader 
 will therefore find Miss Susan s wonderment fully justified, when he 
 for the first time in her experience showed proofs of a will of his 
 own. But to return to the pair under the elder bush. Mr. Fox 
 drew the girl tenderly to his heart and holding her in a firm em 
 brace, said: 
 
 " Dolores, my dear child, little did 1 dream what treasure I 
 should receive in you when I promised to your father what Christian 
 charity compelled me to promise. I confess I felt uneasy when I 
 thought of your first meeting with Mrs. Fox ; but your assurance 
 fully eases my mind on that score. Perhaps our fears are unground 
 ed and she may for once pull evenly with me. Nor will I advise 
 you how to behave to her ; your own good sense will tell you bet 
 ter than words of mine could do. And now let us part ; it will be 
 best from the beginning, if w r e avoid any show of great familiarity ; 
 but never for a moment forget, my child, that I love you dearly 
 and always shall love you with unchanging fidelity. If any one 
 should dare to annoy you beyond endurance, come to me at once, 
 no matter from what party the annoyance comes. I shall stand by 
 you on such occasions ; but if they let you alone and only now and 
 then by word or look betray their littleness of soul well, then let 
 it go, my child ; remember that by resenting every little annoy 
 ance, we would annoy ourselves more than our evil wishers and 
 destroy that even tenor of our lives which constitutes our hap 
 piness." 
 
 Mr. Fox arose, still leading by the hand the little girl he had 
 taken to the seat and yet a different creature. Grasping firmly the 
 hand of her protector, she walked beside him with a step that hardly 
 touched the ground. Fox noticed with satisfaction the buoyancy 
 of her spirits. 
 
 " Dolores," he began again, " we had to talk so much that I for 
 got to ask how you stand with Lucy?" 
 
DOLOKES. 23 
 
 "Oh ! very well indeed ! She is so good and gentle ; I shall 
 always like her very much." 
 
 "I am glad of it, for Lucy is really a good girl and will un 
 doubtedly return your affections." 
 
 Dolores shook her head. 
 
 I don t know, sir, how that will be. Supposing her mother 
 forbids her to love me ?" 
 
 Fox was again startled at her keen perception of the situation. 
 Still he smiled and said : 
 
 "Love can neither be commanded nor forbidden, child. There 
 fore try to win the love of Lucy and nobody can deprive you of 
 it." 
 
 " But she may be forbidden to show her love." 
 
 "That is true ; but we would nevertheless gain an ally to our 
 party and have so much more prospect of a final victory." 
 
 Dolores smiled. Near the house the two parted, and while the 
 girl sought her foster sister, Mr. Fox turned his steps towards the 
 stable, where he was almost always sure to find his son. Richard 
 loved horses better than books and understood the merits of a racer 
 better than those of a lecture. In town, during winter, Mr. Fox 
 enforced a strict attendance of both his children at school, and 
 at first had even brought a governess to his country residence, to 
 keep up, if not improve, their knowledge ; but Richard s conduct 
 had always made her stay of short duration, and as Mrs. Fox took 
 his part and pretended that studying in the heat of summer did not 
 agree with her son, her husband had yielded for the sake of peace 
 and lately allowed the children the whole summer for play and 
 recreation. 
 
 On reaching the stable, he found his boy engaged in an eager 
 conversation with John, the coachman. The subject seemed to 
 please the speaker and the listener equally well, for Mr. Fox heard 
 frequent shouts of laughter, and the name of " Gipsy" repeatedly 
 struck his ear. 
 
 " Richard, step this way," he said, " I want to speak to you." 
 
 The boy, a lad of some fourteen or fifteen years, was a little 
 
 startled on hearing his name so unexpectedly called ; but turning 
 
 around and recognizing his father, he quickly regained his com- 
 
24 DOLORES. 
 
 posure, and resuming his former position with his back towards 
 Mr. Fox, answered : 
 
 "I will after awhile ; I am just helping John a little." 
 
 Now the boy had no doubt many a time disobeyed his father 
 without any manifest evil effects to himself; but if he expected to 
 get off as well on this occasion, he was much mistaken. Before he 
 was aware of it, his father s hand was upon him, seizing him by 
 the collar of his jacket and wheeling him with a vigor that made 
 him spin like a top until he finally stopped, confronting the angry 
 brow of his father. He was out of breath, but apparently more 
 with surprise than with exercise. This energetic action of Mr. Fox 
 was probably as strange to him as another manifestation of it had 
 been to Susan. Yes, so little could he realize it that for a moment 
 he took it for a joke, and, assuming an air of injured dignity, said 
 with a brusque voice : 
 
 "What do you mean, sir?" 
 
 " You are of very dull comprehension," Mr. Fox sternly replied, 
 " and it is well for you that I set down your impudence to account 
 of your stupidity." 
 
 The boy still stared at his father, but by this time he began to 
 realize that the whirl had been applied in good earnest. John, the 
 coachman, had also come to this conclusion and, therefore, retreated 
 to a safer distance ; but having reached what he considered a secure 
 corner, he imitated his young master, and with dilated eyes and 
 mouth gave way to his unqualified astonishment in the shape of a 
 hopeless stare. 
 
 "Still, I desire to be understood hereafter, sir," Mr. Fox re 
 sumed, and therefore advise you to listen with due attention to 
 what I have to say. If ever I hear of a repetition of the dastardly 
 act against Dolores of which you are guilty ; moreover, if in the 
 least way, by word, look or act you dare to molest her, I shall pun 
 ish you in a manner that will make you rue the hour when you 
 took it into your head to disregard your father s order. Do you 
 understand me, sir ?" 
 
 Sullen silence on the part of Master Richard. Making another 
 step towards the boy, Mr. Fox repeated the question with a sharper 
 tone. 
 
 I want to know whether you understand me ?" 
 
DOLOKES. 25 
 
 This time a morose yes !" came from the boy s lips. 
 " Very well, I am glad to know it ; and John, I want you to 
 witness his reply. He understands me. Now, sir, begone ! and 
 don t appear before my eyes until you have learned to know that 
 no true gentleman ever strikes a woman. Begone, sir !" 
 
 Stupified, but appearently cowed, the boy left the stable, and 
 John, considering his corner no longer safe, was on the point of 
 beating a retreat, when Mr. Fox s voice arrested him. 
 -John!" 
 
 -Yes, sir!" the response came quicker arid more respectfully 
 than it had ever issued from the coachman s mouth, and that indi 
 vidual appeared before his master with an awkwardness showing 
 plainly that his conscience was far from easy and that he did not 
 know exactly what was in store for him. 
 
 " You have seen Dolores, the ittle girl whose father died in 
 this house yesterday ?" 
 "Yes, sir!" 
 
 You know that she is henceforth to be regarded and treated 
 like a member of my family ?" 
 
 " Well, sure, sir, I didn t know exactly." 
 
 Mind it then that such is the case. You have witnessed my 
 order to Richard regarding his conduct towards the girl ; well, what 
 I forbid my children, I shall surely not allow my servants. I want 
 you and all the rest to treat Dolores with due respect, or in case of 
 a contrary conduct be prepared to quit my service. Will you have 
 the goodness to communicate these matters to your comrades as 
 well as the female servants of the house ?" 
 
 " Yes, sir," was the reply of the perplexed coachman. 
 "Thank you, John, that is all. I suppose you know that you 
 have to drive to the depot this evening for Mrs. Fox ? I expect 
 her on the six o clock train." 
 
 " So the children tells me," John replied with returning assur 
 ance, feeling evidently like a man that has gone through a severe 
 thunder storm without being struck by the lightning. " I was jist 
 gittin ready, when yer Honor came in the stable." 
 
 Very well, start in time ; you know Mrs. Fox don t like to be 
 kept waiting." 
 
 With these words Mr. Fox returned to the house. He went to 
 
26 DOLORES. 
 
 his room, but if he had gone into the basement instead, he could 
 have witnessed a considerable excitement produced by John s com 
 munications which that worthy of course hastened to make with 
 out delay. He overdrew his masters passion, if anything, and de 
 lighted in frightening the servant girls by emphasizing the strict 
 ness of the order. In this he was successful ; for though they pre 
 tended to treat the whole matter very lightly, they were really 
 frightened by the unexpected fierceness of a man whom they had 
 accustomed themselves to consider void of all elements calculated 
 to produce such emotions. They all valued their places in his 
 household ; for they were well treated and well paid, and therefore 
 resolved to comply with his demands as far as outward show was 
 concerned. But though there were no communication son the sub 
 ject among them, there was not a servant in that house that day 
 who did not secretly vow to Wm or herself, that the beggar girl 
 should pay for this." 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE MAIN BATTLE. 
 
 Supper was over. Mr. Fox was sitting in his arm chair on the 
 portico and the two girls occupied a lounge in his neighborhood. 
 He had missed Richard at the meal, but abstained from asking 
 . questions, because he guessed the boy s whereabouts. True, John 
 had driven alone from the mansion ; but Richard had, so thought 
 his father, joined him on the road, to be the first to see his mother 
 and pour into her ear a colored story of everything that had tran 
 spired in the house during her absence. His thoughts kept him 
 silent, and imitating his example, the girls also said but little and 
 that little in a whisper. All at once the sound of wheels became 
 audible on the road and a moment afterwards an open carriage 
 drove up before the house. At the first sound Fox had arisen and 
 in that position he awaited the arrival of his wife. There she sat, 
 ^richly attired, and at her side her son, thus verifying his father s 
 supposition. His wife, then, knew everything, and that perhaps 
 was well ; for it saved him the trouble of breaking the news to her 
 
DOLORES. . 27 
 
 and allowed him to act on the defensive in the conflict which, as 
 he knew, was sure to come. 
 
 When the carriage stopped, Lucy and her father stood waiting 
 at the door to assist Mrs. Fox in alighting, while Dolores had re 
 mained at the top of the stairs, secretly trembling at the thought 
 of meeting the woman whom she had good reason to consider the 
 arbiter of her fate, the person in whose power it lay to make her 
 happy or miserable. 
 
 On reaching the ground Mrs. Fox stooped to kiss her daughter, 
 taking good care not derange her splendid toilet ; then raising her 
 self again she answered her husband s "good evening" and "welcome 
 home" with a gracious nod, and laying her gloved hand into his ex 
 tended right, vouchsafed to him a condescending smile. Mrs. Fox 
 was a handsome woman, some might have called her beautiful ; but 
 it was the beauty of the marble and like it, cold. Even her smile 
 would not light it up nor take from those large gray eyes the sharp 
 stinging look that made Dolores shrink when they rapidly glanced 
 over the house and for a moment dwelled on her figure. With 
 stately bearing the lady swept up the flight of stairs leading to the 
 portico, refusing her husband s assistance, and stepping on the plat 
 form with a mien that seemed to say : This is my realm and I 
 am queen of it !" Passing Dolores and pretending now to get the 
 first sight of her, she stopped a moment and said coldly : 
 
 Ah ! whom have we here ? I suppose it is the little girl my 
 son told me about. Edward, have you already instructed Susan to 
 assign her such duties in the servant s department as will suit her 
 capacity ?" 
 
 Mr. Fox hesitated a moment before he answered. He had hard 
 ly expected that she would begin the battle so soon, or that she 
 would open it with a battery of such heavy cailber. Generally 
 her tactics consisted in light skirmishes and ambuscades, from which 
 she would fall upon an ungarded point of his position and capture 
 him before he was aware of it. This time she evidently preferred 
 an open fight, perhaps provoked by the magnitude of his offense. 
 True, her face showed not the slightest evidence of vexation ; but 
 then Mr. Fox knew very well that these placid features were not 
 always a certain index to the feelings underneath ; that, while the 
 mouth could smile, a sea of rage could heave and surge and seathe 
 
28 DOLORES. 
 
 below the glassy surface. It might be so this time and Mr. Fox 
 wa< inclined to consider this rather fortunate ; for an excited foe 
 rarely resorts to feints and wiles and false attacks. At any rate, 
 he resolved to meet the issue fairly and squarely, and knowing the 
 danger of yielding the slightest point, replied : 
 
 "I have not, Caroline ; nor is it my intention to do it at all." 
 
 " Well, there you are right," she answered with a smile ; "this 
 is properly my province and I shall attend to it. Here, my little 
 girl ; I ll gi\ e you a chance of showing your docility ; take these 
 things of mine and put them on the rack." 
 
 Dolores with a willing hand stepped forward to do the lady s 
 bidding, but the voice of Mr. Fox at once arrested her. 
 
 "Stop a moment, Dolores," he said, with his face slightly col 
 oring up ; " you are hardly strong and skilled enough for this and 
 might drop the shawl. There is Susan coming who can do the job 
 a great deal better. Susan, take your mistress things and put 
 them away." 
 
 "You haven t had your supper yet, Caroline, have you?" 
 
 " No, sir," his wife replied, biting her lip, but in no other way 
 showing herself vexed at the manoeuver with which he had parried 
 her thrust, " I haven t had anything worth speaking of since we 
 left the city this morning." 
 
 "Well, you had better have a bite then, before you change 
 your dress. I ordered Susan to have supper ready for you." 
 
 "Thank you, sir," Mrs. Fox replied, and in his company and 
 that of her children descended into the dining-room. There she 
 seated herself at the table in company with her son who for the 
 sake of meeting her, or may be for other reasons, had foregone his 
 supper. 
 
 "Poor boy!" his mother said caressingly, " missed his supper 
 for mother s sake. Well, it will now taste doubly good in my com 
 pany" 
 
 Susan had brought tea and was going to serve at the table, when 
 Mrs. Fox interrupted her. 
 
 " Susan," she said, "you must be very busy and I hate to im 
 pose on you. Supposing you go on with your work and send me 
 the little girl from the porch. This surely is an easy task and she 
 may as well relieve you of this extra labor. I am not hard to 
 
DOLORES. 29 
 
 please and if she is not perfect all at once, she certainly will do 
 better after a while." 
 
 Susan spoke her "yes ma m" with a slight embarrassment, cast 
 ing a furtive glance at her master before she turned to go. Before 
 she reached the door his voice stopped her : 
 
 " Susan," he said with a laugh, " I am afraid Dolores would 
 make a botch of it. You better leave her where she is and if you 
 are really busy elsewhere, Lucy and I will do the waiting. My 
 little girl will certainly delight in waiting upon her mother." 
 
 This was said so definitely though in a pleasant manner, that 
 Susan dared not disregard it ; but with her stereotyped yes, sir," 
 left the room without any other comfort than the exchange of a 
 significant look with her mistress. 
 
 That lady was evidently the prey of unpleasant sensations. 
 Twice in the period of half an hour she had been foiled and con 
 tradicted by a husband on whos e record such things were entirely 
 unknown. True, Richard had faithfully chronicled the astound 
 ing display of energy which Mr. Fox had lately been guilty of ; 
 but that was to children and servants. She doubted not that the 
 very sight of her would suffice to crush in the bud the struggle for 
 independence her husband seemed inclined to make. His down 
 right contradiction therefore on two occasions and the ready obedi 
 ence he found with the servants, at once irritated and alarmed her. 
 Yet his opposition to her wishes had been so considerate, so entire 
 ly in the limits of politeness and good breeding that she was de 
 prived of any chance whatever of putting in the powerful levers 
 with which she had always carried her point. She was still un 
 certain as to the best course to pursue, when Mr. Fox changed his 
 tactics, and benefiting by the advantage he had gained, assumed 
 the offensive. 
 
 "Caroline," he said as quietly and politely as he could, "the 
 servants being absent, I may as well seize the opportunity of recti 
 fying an error under which you seem to labor in regard to this lit 
 tle girl. I thought Richard had already explained her case." Mr. 
 Fox looked sharply at the boy who dropped his eyes and blushed 
 under his gaze "but it seems I have been mistaken and have 
 therefore to enlighten you respecting her case. Her father who 
 died yesterday under this roof exacted a promise from me to take 
 
30 DOLORES. 
 
 care of the child and to educate her in a manner becoming her 
 position." 
 
 Here Mr. Fox hesitated a little. He probably felt that from 
 a prudent, worldly point of view, he had given a rather hasty 
 pledge, and that by the adherence to it he would expose himself to 
 the ridicule of the scoffers. Mrs. Fox saw her advantage and 
 feigning an unbounded surprise exclaimed : 
 
 " But, Mr. Fox, I am at a loss to comprehend this. Can it 
 barely be possible that you, the experienced business man, should 
 have suffered yourself to be imposed upon ? Position indeed ! pray 
 what rank does this protege of yours hold ?" 
 
 Mr. Fox slightly colored. This was another weak point of his 
 case, and he felt the keen reluctance of the republican, to appear 
 captivated by the lustre of rank and station. For that reason he 
 merely replied : , 
 
 " Her father left me papers proving that she belongs to one of 
 the first noble families of Italy." 
 
 Mrs. Fox laughed, but if she could have heard how ugly that 
 laughter sounded, she would have been less prone to indulge in her 
 merriment. 
 
 "Noble families indeed !" she sneered, "pray, if her father was 
 of such high rank, why did he beg his bread in the streets ?" 
 
 In making this inquiry Mrs. Fox betrayed a knowledge which 
 she had formerly denied. But ;this slight inconsistancy escaped 
 observation in the ardor of the fight and without alluding to it Mr. 
 Fox replied : 
 
 Because he joined a conspiracy against the house of Austria 
 and on discovery had to flee for his life." 
 
 Another outburst of merriment, holding the middle between 
 a laugh and a sneer. 
 
 "The old story of the political refugee ! I must confess, I have 
 never yet seen an Italian who was not at least a duke and had not 
 taken part in some dreadful conspiracy." 
 
 Mr. Fox remained silent. He felt that he lost ground, and his 
 wife seeing her advantage, was not slow to follow it up. 
 
 "Indeed, Mr. Fox, I am not only perfectly thunderstruck at 
 the credulity with which you have fallen a prey to the machina- 
 
DOLORES. 31 
 
 tions of these people. I should have expected more of one of your 
 experience." 
 
 Mr. Fox got somewhat nettled at these taunts. 
 
 " You show little charity, Mrs. Fox, in excluding from your 
 explanations even the possibility of the poor fellow s honesty. A 
 hemorrhage is generally no trick in the role of imposters and peo 
 ple are apt to speak the truth when they seal their statements with 
 their death." 
 
 There was no gain saying this and Mrs. Fox knew it and there 
 fore changed her front. 
 
 Even admitting that the man was honest," she argued, being 
 careful to preserve a show of fairness in word and expression, "was 
 it not inconsiderate in you to make the promise ?" 
 
 " Not to my knowledge, madam." 
 
 "Well then, let me explain. It was not very considerate to 
 impose a new burden on me without consulting my wishes." 
 
 I was not aware that you were a heavily burdened woman. 
 If you want more help, a word will suffice to procure it." 
 
 It isn t help I want, sir. Help cannot do everything. If I 
 were to act the mother to this girl, a hundred duties would arise 
 which I could not shift upon other shoulders. But that is not all. 
 You were even more inconsiderate to the girl than to your wife in 
 making that promise." 
 
 " You love to speak in riddles, madam." 
 
 Indeed I do not ; nothing can be plainer. You agreed to raise 
 this little girl a lady and w r hen you have done so, what is to become 
 of her ? Do you intend to shorten your own children s inherit 
 ance by bestowing upon the strange girl a fortune that will enable 
 her to live in conformity with her education? Or wilFyou cast 
 her off after having given her a taste for enjoyments which will 
 never be hers ? That is not only inconsiderateness, it is down 
 right cruelty." 
 
 Mr. Fox felt the force of these objections ; but he also felt that 
 they covered the extreme limits of the case. Moreover, he felt 
 that his wife reasoned very cleverly at the expense of her feelings, 
 and that in doing a good deed it will never do to contemplate dis 
 tant unfavorable possibilities and thus suffer ourselves to be pre 
 vented from executing it. Lastly, however, all these fine reason- 
 
32 DOLORES. 
 
 ings were totally useless and unseasonable, because not only by his 
 word but even by his oath he was pledged to the fulfilment of his 
 promise. This he intimated to his wife in plain words, begging her 
 to receive the case as a fixed fact and to accommodate herself to cir 
 cumstances which it was out of his power to alter. But if he had 
 expected a ready compliance to this request, he was evidently much 
 mistaken. Mrs. Fox not only refused to yield the point, but see- 
 ino- that calm reasoning would fail to answer, she at once entered 
 the field with declamations and protestations, with tears and la 
 mentations, in short, with all the powerful weapons at the disposal 
 of the female sex. 
 
 "So you really mean to say, Edward, that you will adhere to 
 this foolish project ?" 
 
 " Why, Caroline, you are too good a Christian to desire that I 
 should perjure myself." 
 
 "That, sir, you have to settle with your conscience. It wasn t 
 J who advised such silly pledges, and you can surely not expect 
 that I should consider myself bound by your vows ?" 
 
 " I do expect that you will respect them and do nothing to in 
 terfere with their fulfilment." 
 
 " But what am I to do with this beggar child ? You do not ex 
 pect that I and my children shall associate with her on terms of 
 equality ?" 
 
 "I merely hope that you will do nothing to make her life in my 
 house a burden. As to the rest, I shall take everything upon my 
 self." 
 
 "And this creature, this beggar girl is to be about me, a foreign 
 element to interfere with my designs, destroy my comfort and spy 
 my actions ? No, sir, I shall never consent to such an arrange 
 ment, and I warn you from the first that I shall do all in my power 
 to rid myself of this girl whom I cannot see in any other light then 
 th:tt of an intruder and annoyance." 
 
 With these words Mrs. Fox arose, and sweeping with the dig 
 nity of an offended queen across the room, had reached the door, 
 when her husband bade her stop a moment. 
 
 "Caroline," he said, I hope you will think better of this after 
 calm reflection ; but if you should not ; if you should insist upon 
 crossing my wishes in this respect, I hope you will at least limit 
 
DOLORES. 33 
 
 your opposition to passive resistance. Any direct interference with 
 my orders, any attempt to incite my children or servants to a re 
 bellion against my dispositions, will compel me to use my rights 
 and powers as the master of this house. You know I hate disputes 
 and you can easily avoid them. Let me hope then that this dis 
 agreeable subject will never be revived between us." 
 
 Mrs. Fox disdained to reply ; she hardly awaited the end of his 
 remarks, but leaving the room and slamming the door with un- 
 lady-like vehemence, went up stairs and retiring to her room, be 
 came invisible for the rest of the evening. Her children, however, 
 were summoned to her presence to receive instructions ; but while 
 Lucy was merely strictly forbidden to have anything to do with 
 the "beggar girl," her son was taken into her more intimate con 
 fidence. He remained closeted with her for quite a length of time 
 and when he reappeared it was with a malignant joy on his face 
 and a triumphant scowl which he hardly thought necessary to con 
 ceal. 
 
 Mr. Fox was the last to leave the dining-room. He ascended 
 the stairs with a heavy heart and when he stepped on the portico, 
 where Dolores had been waiting in painful suspense, a deep sigh 
 betrayed to her at once that the interview had not furthered her in 
 terests. Mr. Fox laid his hand on her head, but he said nothing, 
 and with a vacant stare gazed before him. Only when Dolores 
 caught his other hand and caressingly laid it against her cheek, he 
 looked down upon her with a mournful smile, saying merely : 
 
 "Poor child!" 
 
 Mrs. Fox don t like me ?" Dolores asked shyly. 
 
 He shook his head. 
 
 " She hates me very much." 
 
 " Oh, I do not think she does ; at least she did not say so." 
 
 " But she does not want me in the house ?" 
 
 " It is hard to say, child, what she wants," he answered with a 
 shade of vexation in his tone, hardly remembering to whom he 
 spoke. 
 
 After a while Dolores resumed : 
 
 "It will make you miserable, Mr. Fox, to have her be angry 
 with you ?" 
 
:)4 DOLORES. 
 
 Mr. Fox started and looked troubled. 
 
 " I hardly know, child, for I am used to it. True, I try to 
 avoid such things, but if they can t be helped they have to be 
 borne." 
 
 " But they might be helped," Dolores suggested. 
 
 He looked up in surprise. 
 
 " How, child ?" he asked abruptly. 
 
 " If you send me away," she said, dropping her head and speak 
 ing so softly that he could scarcely hear her. 
 
 He was deeply moved at such self-denial. Drawing her into 
 his embrace and kissing her forehead, he said quickly and with 
 decision : 
 
 " Do not mention it again, for it is out of the question. You 
 are worth a dozen like her and at such a price I will not purchase 
 peace." 
 
 Releasing her and taking a chair he mused a while and then 
 resumed : 
 
 " But I am selfish, Dolores ; I forgot that you must suffer more 
 in such a feud than I." 
 
 She shook her head. 
 
 " I shall be sorry to displease her," she said, but then I know 
 that you love me and that will make me not mind it." 
 
 "Are you sure of that, Dolores?" 
 
 "Very sure." 
 
 " Well, then, let us weather it as well as we can. If she refuses 
 to be a mother to you, I ll have to be both father and mother, that s 
 all. Come, child ;lt is late and I must see whether Susan has done 
 my bidding and prepared you a room to sleep in." 
 
 Taking her hand, he led her into the basement, where Susan 
 was still busy washing dishes and making preparations for to-mor 
 row s breakfast." 
 
 " Is the room ready I ordered, Susan ?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 Show us to it, then." 
 
 Susan led them up a pair of back stairs and opened the door of 
 the room above the kitchen about which she had made so much 
 fuss a few hours ago. 
 
DOLORES. 35 
 
 That will do, Susan, you may go." 
 
 * Shan t I assist the miss to undress ?" 
 
 Before Mr. Fox could reply, Dolores said in a pleasant way : 
 
 "Thank you, Susan, 1 can do very well alone. I thank you 
 for fixing this room so nicely for me." 
 
 If Susan appreciated her thanks, she did not show it ; but leav 
 ing the room returned to her sphere of business. 
 
 "And you really want no help, Dolores ?" 
 
 "Indeed, Mr. Fox, I do not. Since my mother s death I had 
 nobody to assist me and then, you know, if I had had help, why it 
 wouldn t have done me any good, because I had no clothes to 
 change." 
 
 This was said half sadly and half jokingly ; but Mr. Fox was 
 more affected by the sadness than the joke ; so he said : 
 
 " Poor little one! Clothes shall never fail you again if I can 
 help it, nor help either, if you need it. Still, if you can get along 
 alone, it will be so much the better and spare Susan s dignity. 
 There is a great deal in management, and I am sure my little Do 
 lores will know how to manage." 
 
 " I hope I shall, sir ; at least I shall try very hard to make them 
 love me." 
 
 "They must be monsters, if you do not succeed at last. But 
 now, good night, Dolores ; I shall wait outside until you are in 
 bed." 
 
 He took her hand, and when she held up her little face to him, 
 pressed a tender kiss upon her lips. Poor thing ! perhaps it had 
 been her habit to offer that tribute of affection to her father, and 
 now in the yearning for love, so general in children, she bestowed 
 it upon the man who had given her parent a decent burial and 
 shown her more kindness than she could recollect to have received 
 on her whole dreary journey through life. Then Mr. Fox left the 
 room and patiently stood sentinel at the door, until Dolores voice 
 informed him that she had safely reached the haven in which she 
 was to anchor for the night, a bed more comfortable and tidy than 
 she had seen in all her past experience. 
 
36 DOLORES. 
 
 CHA1TKK IV. 
 CONQUEST. 
 
 The next morning at break of day when Susan was kindling a 
 fire in the range, a light hand was laid upon her shoulder and a 
 childish voice inquired : 
 
 "Susan, may I help you?" 
 
 The girl started and looking up saw Dolores, who being washed 
 and combed and attired in a plain calico dress and a white apron, 
 presented as pretty a picture as one would want to see. Her head 
 was bent a little, to catch Susan s eye, while from he r own ema 
 nated a flood of genuine kindness truly captivating. For a moment 
 Susan was captivated ; but recollecting that such a speedy and un 
 conditional surrender would be disgraceful and altogether humili 
 ating she checked the kind reply already upon her lips and said 
 rather sharply : 
 
 "Is that you? What do you want here in the kitchen?" 
 
 "I want to help you, Susan ; do let me." 
 
 "Nonsense ! It won t do for so fine a lady to soil her fingers. 
 Didn t Mr. Fox tell me plain enough he didn t want you to work ?" 
 
 " Mr Fox meant kindly. 1 think he promised my dear father 
 (her eyes swam in tears at the mention) to be kind to me and to 
 teach me to read and write and learn all sorts of things ; but I 
 think he didn t mean I shouldn t work at all ; only I shouldn t 
 work all the time, but learn a bit every day." 
 
 " I don t know what he meant, but I know what he said." 
 
 "O, Susan, do let me help you ; I love to work so very much 
 and you will see I am not quite so stupid as you think me. I can 
 make coffee and toast bread, and spread the table and wash the 
 dishes, and do a great many things beside, if you would only let 
 me." 
 
 Susan was considerably worried. She was naturally a well dis 
 posed person, though somewhat rough, and the genuine loveliness 
 - of the little stranger stole irresistably into her heart. Yet she re 
 sisted stoutly, and the recollection of this little beggar having been 
 exalted high above her as yet sustained her. Still her voice had 
 no longer its former roughness, when she said : 
 
DOLORES. 37 
 
 "Listen to the child! I wonder where you learned all the 
 things you mentioned ; may be on the street ?" 
 
 Dolores colored and was evidently hurt by the blunt allusion to 
 her former wretched condition ; but she had a purpose, the purpose 
 of conquering these un genial spirits, and with a control above her 
 years she suppressed her feelings and replied : 
 
 " Oh, Susan, we were not always on the street. Some years ago, 
 when my father s health was better and my mother living, we fared 
 better and had a little home, and then it was I helped my dear ma, 
 for she was feeble and after a while got sick and grew worse and 
 worse, until at last she died and we had to put her in a coffin like 
 that of poor father. After that he also got sick and too feeble to 
 work, and so he bought the organ with the last money he had and 
 and" 
 
 Dolores voice was completely drowned in the tears that now 
 streamed down her cheeks in a torrent, though evidently against 
 her wish. She struggled hard to suppress them and after a while 
 succeeded. The cloud passed from her face and she smiled with 
 double sweetness through the moisture that still filled her eyes. 
 
 Susan was more moved than ever. These tears annoyed her 
 very much, and tho unwilling to comfort the girl, she thought she 
 could at least do no less than grant the request whose original de 
 nial had provoked them. 
 
 "Well, well," she said abruptly, "don t cry ; what is the use of 
 it ? If you are bound to dirty your hands and clothes, you may 
 work, for all I care. But if the master scolds, I. hope you will re 
 collect that it wasn t any of my doings and that you forced me into 
 it." 
 
 Dolores eyes brightened visibly. Clasping her hands she said : 
 
 "Oh, you are so good, Susan, and I shall love you for it. I 
 know you don t like me, Susan, and have made up your mind not 
 to either. But, Susan, I shall be so good, so vert/ good to you that 
 I ll make you, nevertheless." 
 
 A queer sensation crept over Susan s heart. What could it 
 mean ? Was this little girl to make a fool of her as she had of 
 Mr. Fox? It would never do, no never ; therefore she put an end 
 to this dangerous conversation by saying : 
 
38 DOLORES. 
 
 " Law me, child, what are you talking about. What has put 
 such strange notions into your head ? Come, come I havn t no 
 time to dispute with you any longer. Here is the coffee and there 
 is the mill ; you may grind away and I ll soon see what stuff you 
 are made of." 
 
 The coffee was ground and the table set for the servants who 
 had their meal much earlier than the family. When every thing 
 was ready, John and Jim and Jane, the cook, came in and they 
 rivaled in staring at the little girl and wondering what her presence 
 meant. But they were soon to learn, for after they had seated 
 themselves Dolores bade Susan sit down, and on refusal forced her 
 on a chair in a pleasant, flattering way that was irresistible. 
 
 That much accomplished, the child brought the big coffee pot, 
 so big that she had to take both her hands to hold it, and then 
 poured the brown aromatic beverage into their cups and brought 
 them milk and sugar and bread, and her rapid eager eye discovered 
 every want, even before it had made itself felt. At first they did 
 not know what to say, and sat in rather an awkward silence ; but 
 Dolores understood how to make them .speak. She asked them 
 questions and made remarks bearing upon their different occupa 
 tions, showing a familiarity therewith that made them wonder. But 
 she succeeded at the same time in dispelling their embarrassment 
 and, before they knew it, the men and women were in a lively con 
 versation with her and with each other, and jokes and railleries 
 were taken and given, and before the meal was over John declared 
 she was a little beauty, and Jim pretended that her smile made the 
 coffee sweeter than any sugar. Even the women had lost their 
 prejudices and made up their mind to accept the little stranger and 
 her position in the house in good grace. Their faces told Dolores, 
 tho their lips did not, and in consequence her eyes got brighter 
 and her smile sweeter, and she felt as if she could dance and em 
 brace the whole company, one and all. 
 
 At this junction of the affair Susan gave a start and grew slight 
 ly pale, for she had looked through the half open door and seen 
 their master s face. But he didn t at all look angry ; on the con 
 trary, u irav smile rested en his features and he warned Susan, by 
 raising his finger not to betray his presence, and then vanished be 
 fore the others had noticed him. When the meal was over, Dolores 
 
DOLORES. 39 
 
 would not rest until Susan had supplied her with a large coarse 
 apron to save her clothes and then allowed her to dry the dishes as 
 they came out of the pan. Only when everything was finished 
 and all traces of the meal had been removed, would she consent to 
 go up stairs. Stepping upon the portico, she saw Mr. Fox and 
 running up to him, bade him good morning. He replied in warm 
 tones and then by questions, that seemed unpremeditated, elicited 
 from the child a recital of her recent achievement. She was evi 
 dently proud of it and he was careful not to check her ardor. With 
 some children a dangerous familiarity with coarse characters might 
 have resulted from such an intercourse ; but somehow Mr. Fox had 
 no fear of this in the case of Dolores. She had thus far acted with 
 so much propriety that her protector could not find the heart to 
 blame or even advise her. He abandoned her to that instinct of 
 propriety which seemed to be innate in her, and this was well. 
 Moreover he rejoiced at the good impression which she had made 
 upon the servants ; for he well knew how much even the subordin 
 ate members of a household can contribute to a person s happiness 
 or misery. If the servants loved his little Ifoster-dauglrter, Mrs. 
 Fox would in a great measure be deprived of the means of annoy 
 ing her. Lucy s gentleness disqualified her naturally for any 
 agency in such an attempt and the hostile forces were therefore re 
 duced to his wife and Richard ; for Mr. Fox knew his boy well 
 enough to feel sure that he would not only second his mother in 
 any measure against Dolores, but even delight in anything that re 
 quired craft and cunning for its execution. 
 
 Shortly afterwards Richard and Lucy joined the pair on the 
 portico. They both ottered their good morning ;" but after that 
 the boy abstained from taking the slightest notice of Dolores. 
 Lucy behaved with her usual gentleness ; but she labored under a 
 constraint that was evidently inspired. Mr. Fox said nothing. He 
 knew well that interference would only make matters worse, and 
 therefore allowed both his children to conduct themselves towards 
 Dolores as they pleased, provided they abstained from any direct 
 attempts to insult or hurt her feelings. 
 
 The bell rang and called the party into the dining-room, where 
 a tempting breakfast was set for them. Mrs. Fox sent word that 
 she would not be present, pleading fatigue from yesterday s journey 
 
40 DOLORES. 
 
 as an excuse. Nobody but Richard seemed to regret this announce 
 ment, and he probably regreted it merely because he felt the want 
 of a congenial spii it. On the contrary, the tone of the conversa 
 tion was gay and lively, and even Susan seemed infected by the 
 general hilarity. Mr. Fox saw with pleasure that she waited upon 
 nobody with more satisfaction than upon Dolores and always helped 
 her to the best of everything, without seeming to have the inten 
 tion of doing so. 
 
 When breakfast was over, Mr. Fox announced his intention to 
 take a walk to the factory and invited the children to accompany 
 him. Richard alleged that his mother would want him and begged 
 to be excused ; but Lucy, after some hesitation, consented to join 
 them. Leaving the park, the trio took the highway on the right, 
 passing through common but nevertheless pretty scenery. On the 
 right the park stretched nearly all the way to the works, and on 
 the left it was lined with little cottages, as before said, with only 
 here and there an opening of an acre or two between them. As 
 they approached the last house, which had quite a number of hand 
 some shade trees around it, and in its architecture and surround 
 ings showed more than ordinary taste, they saw a woman sitting at 
 the window, who, on observing the party, greeted them friendly 
 and came to the door, insisting on a short stop at her house. She 
 was so urgent in her invitation that Mr. Fox could not well de 
 cline ; he therefore directed his companions to stop a little while, 
 and opening the gate of the fence advanced towards the house to 
 salute the hostess. 
 
 "How do you do, Mrs. Fuchs?" he said, shaking hands with 
 the dame who was about forty years of age, but had withstood the 
 tooth of time very well, showing an embonpoint indicative of a 
 surplus of health ; "how do you do, madam, and how do your 
 worthy husband and the boys fare ?" 
 
 " The boys are very well, sir, thank you," the hostess replied 
 with a strong German accent, reversing Mr. Fox s questions in her 
 reply. " Mr. Fuchs works as usual in the factory, and as to my 
 self why I can t complain, only sometimes, I think, I get a little 
 old and frail." 
 
 " Frail, madam ?" Mr. Fox replied, " why you are as stout as 
 ever and will undoubtedly remain so for fifty years to come." 
 
DOLORES. 41 
 
 Mrs. Fuchs laughed and begged her company to be seated 
 which they refused to do, alleging a lack of time to indulge in 
 anything besides the meditated call at the factory. 
 
 "Oh! you must stay long enough to taste a glass of Rhine 
 wine my brother-in-law sent us from the old country," the hostess 
 replied with an earnestness that would brook no contradiction. 
 "Just sit down on the porch ; I ll be back in less than no time." 
 
 Suiting the actions to the words, she disappeared, but shortly 
 afterwards returned with some glasses and a bottle of wine which 
 all her guests had to partake of, before she would be satisfied. Mr. 
 Fox praised the wine as it well deserved ; for it was of the best the 
 famous Rhine produces and had been sent by a relative living at 
 that source. Then he once more asserted the necessity of continu 
 ing their walk ; but the hostess was evidently bound to prolong the 
 visit. 
 
 "Why, Mr. Fox," she said, "you are always in a great hurry. 
 I havn t had time yet to look at these little ladies. This here is 
 Miss Lucy, I know, and growing fast too ; but whom have we here? 
 Is this the little guest staying at the mansion ?" 
 
 "Yes, Mrs. Fuchs, and I seize this opportunity to recommend 
 her to your favor." 
 
 " She is welcome, indeed she is," the hostess said with a genuine 
 kindness that could not well be mistaken, at the same time seizing 
 the girl s hand and giving it a firm pressure. " I hope she will 
 often call to see me and stay longer than Mr. Fox is willing to do. 
 But there are my boys. Charles ! Henry ! Come and pay your 
 respects to Mr. Fox." 
 
 Two boys, about sixteen and fourteen years of age, presented 
 themselves before the party, to do their mother s bidding. They 
 were both handsome, clever looking boys, especially the older who 
 had a certain something about his person which we sometimes but 
 rarely find in strangers, and which attracts us powerfully from the 
 first. He was tall for his age, possessing a body evidently strong 
 and well knit, yet by no means void of that grace which is seldom 
 matched with robustness and strength. When he took off his 
 straw hat he showed a high and commanding forehead ; but though 
 a pleasant smile seemed to play habitually around his lips, a 
 thoughtful earnestness was stamped on his upjper face. His hair 
 
42 DOLORES. 
 
 and eyes were of an auburn color, and the latter of a brightness 
 which in moments of excitement must certainly assume a startling 
 brilliancy. Altogether the youth was of an extraordinary charac 
 ter, and this Dolores seemed to feel, for her eyes dwelled long and 
 earnestly upon him, and when she shook hands with him she 
 blushed and dropped her eyes before his keen and searching glance. 
 
 Henry, the younger boy, was no less attractive in his way. He 
 had not the striking appearance of his brother, but in the eyes of 
 some was more handsome. His beauty was not of an intellectual 
 character, however, and in the eyes of Dolores his glossy hair, 
 smooth skin and fair color were no compensation for his brother s 
 appearance of superior intellect. Kot that Henry had looked any 
 ways dull ; but his lively eyes lacked steadiness, wandering here 
 and there with restless vivacity and creating involuntarily the im 
 pression in the observing mind that his purpose was as unsteady as 
 his glance. 
 
 Charles was evidently one of Mr. Fox s favorites, for he shook 
 hands w r ith him with great cordiality and inquired about his doings. 
 Before the boy could answer his mother replied in his stead. 
 
 "Mr. Fox, excuse me for interrupting you ; but I ll be honest 
 and confess that I had my little side reason for calling you in to 
 day and for trespassing on your precious time. It is my boys I 
 wanted to speak to you about and if these young ladies will go a 
 moment with them and allow them to show them the garden and 
 their pets and treasures generally, I shall unburden my heart, sir, 
 and not keep you much longer either." 
 
 Mr. Fox had muck respect for the whole family, that was evi 
 dent from the readiness with which he complied with her wishes. 
 
 " Well, little ones, be off then for a spell ; but be careful not to 
 go beyond calling distance nor to impose upon the gallantry of 
 your guides." 
 
 The young people obeyed, and Charles from the start assumed 
 the guide ; not that he had pressed his services in that capacity 
 upon the girls no, it seemed rather a matter of course than any 
 thing else, he falling into it as naturally as the others, including 
 Henry, into that of followers. 
 
 " Well, young ladies," he began with a smile and tone that was 
 condescending, without intending to be so, "what do you like to 
 
DOLORES. 43 
 
 see ? Your father s visit will be of short duration as he says and 
 I cannot show you half my treasures, as mother is kind enough to 
 style them, before he ll call you away. What would you see then ? 
 Shall I take you into the animal, mineral or vegetable kingdom ? 
 Will you have beasts, plants or stones ? Speak, Lucy." 
 
 Lucy smiled and rather shyly answered : 
 
 " It makes no difference to me, Charles ; suit your own pleas 
 ure." 
 
 "But I would rather suit your pleasure. What does this young 
 lady say ? How did your father call her ?" 
 
 " Dolores is my name." 
 
 " Dolores f that means pain" the boy said gravely ; it is a pret 
 ty but a sad name. Well, Miss Dolores, what do you say ?" 
 
 " I say what Lucy said. I don t know your treasures, and one 
 is therefore as welcome as another." 
 
 Charles looked sharply at the little thing that spoke so defi 
 nitely. 
 
 " You are right," he said, "and I shall yield the point. I ll 
 show you things then which I like best myself; if they don t suit 
 your taste you must blame yourselves." 
 
 He led them to the rear part of the garden, where an enclosure 
 contained several pet animals of his. There was an eagle and 
 lesser birds, a raccoon, a fox, a deer and other quadrupeds be 
 longing to the collection, which was a very choice one. The girls 
 where delighted ; for the animals were indeed fine specimens and 
 very different from the lifeless, crippled creatures w r e generally see 
 in museums or menageries. They were not very tame either, es 
 pecially those which from their nature were beasts of prey. Charles 
 would therefore not allow Henry or the girls to enter their en 
 closures ; for they had on former occasions not only frightened but 
 even attacked strangers. He himself, however, went into every 
 cage without hesitation and Dolores was at once delighted and 
 frightened at the fearlessness with which he handled them and the 
 great attachment to their master and entire subjection to his will 
 these animals showed. She looked at him with considerable respect 
 and listened to his explanations with profound attention. Much of 
 what he said was new to her, but Dolores w r as not altogether so ig 
 norant as her previous life would warrant. Her parents had been 
 
44 DOLORES. 
 
 educated people, and striven to the best of their ability to impart 
 their knowledge to their daughter. From them she had inherited 
 a language above her recent station, and many other things which 
 long neglect had made very dim, but net obliterated altogether. 
 As Charles spoke they rose to view and made his remarks doubly 
 valuable and instructive. 
 
 From the menagerie Charles took his visitors to other equally 
 interesting departments of his little dominion, and wherever they 
 went he addressed his remarks unconsciously to Dolores. Perhaps 
 her decisive language had impressed him, or he noticed in her re 
 plies marks of a superior intellect that enlisted his sympathy. 
 Seeing that treats of an intellectual character pleased her best, he 
 made his selections accordingly, much to the disappointment of 
 Lucy, who clamored for the white mice and pet lambs, and the 
 large swing in which Charles had often made her scream with fear 
 and delight. But to-day he seemed deaf to all her hints and al 
 lusions, and seeing him so little inclined to humor her wishes, she 
 gave Henry a hint, and before Charles and Dolores knew it they 
 had strayed off to amusements more congenial to their dispositions. 
 
 And Charles and his little mate, what did they in the mean 
 time admire ? The lad took her into his sanctum which was study, 
 library, workshop and laboratory all in one. First he showed her 
 the model of a frigate, a beautiful piece of workmanship, all his 
 own making. He knew and told her the names of all the masts 
 and sails and riggings, and enlarged on the duties and beauties and 
 hardships and perils of the sea, until her fancy was completely 
 captivated, and she could scarcely tear herself away from the model. 
 Next they went to a little engine, which he had built, though the 
 main parts had been cast for him at the factory. He had given 
 the dimensions and calculated the power and at last had the satis 
 faction of seeing the machine work perfectly. Now, of course 
 there was no steam up, but Charles often fired his engine and then 
 used its power in turning, boring or performing other mechanical 
 labors he required. 
 
 From the engine they came to cases with books of various 
 kinds, whose very titles sounded too learned for ignorant little Do 
 lores. She told him so with her wonted honesty and he said it was 
 a pity and asked her whether she had no desire to learn. Then it 
 
DOLORES. 45 
 
 was her turn to become animated, and, with a shining face, to tell 
 him how anxious she was and that Mr. Fox had promised to give 
 her a chance. Her eagerness pleased the young student, and their 
 mutual exchanges and discoveries of similar likes and dislikes made 
 them fast friends and feel as if they had known each other ever 
 so long. When Mr. Fox s voice finally summoned Dolores away 
 they were not half through with examining and talking, and 
 Charles exacted a promise from her to come soon again, which Do 
 lores was very willing to give. They reached the older couple 
 about the same time with Henry and Lucy ; but the young people 
 were too much occupied to notice the closing remarks of the hos- 
 te^s who, judging from her earnest countenance, had been talking 
 rather serious matters. 
 
 " And you will not take it ill that I thus touched on matters 
 that are not mv business ?" she said. 
 
 How can you ask that question?" he returned reproachfully. 
 " I would be very ungrateful not to appreciate your kind motives ; 
 though your friendship to me and mine makes you see things 
 rather too gloomy, I think. If that man ever deceives me, I shall 
 lose all faith in human nature and for that, if for no other reason, 
 sincerely trust he may not." 
 
 "Well, it is in human nature to err," the hostess resumed, "and 
 I am the last to claim infallibility. Having told you my suspi 
 cion, I feel relieved and if after all this my warning is not heeded, 
 and you ll come to harm, sir, I shall at least have the conscious 
 ness of having done my duty." 
 
 "Certainly, certainly," Mr. Fox exclaimed, "and your words 
 have proven anew that you are, what I always thought you to be, 
 a true friend. Nor will they be thrown away, Mrs. Fnchs; indeed 
 they will not and I promise you to keep my eyes open." 
 
 " That is all I want, and in regard to the boys, you will in 
 struct Mr. Wood ?" 
 
 "Of course, I will, Mrs. Fuchs, and that at once. Indeed I 
 cannot imagine what he meant by refusing your husband, and I 
 half believe there must be a misunderstanding somewhere. At 
 any rate, I shall soon know and, misunderstanding or not, you may 
 rest assured that the boys will be admitted into the factory." 
 
46 DOLORES. 
 
 The hostess thanked him, and then they shook hands and part 
 ed. Fox and the girls resuming their walk to the factory which 
 was now only a few hundred yards distant. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE SUPERINTENDENT. 
 
 The buildings were of considerable dimensions and well finished, 
 and the neatness and order prevailing everywhere bore evidence of 
 an efficient management. The party entered the main building, 
 and going from place to place saw cutlery of all descriptions going 
 through the various processes of manufacture. Lucy had seen this 
 so often that the charm of novelty was lacking ; but with Dolores 
 it was very different. She was all attention, evidently taking in 
 the most minute details and asking pertinent questions, wherever 
 her little head could not furnish the explanation. Mr. Fox was 
 much pleased at her zeal, and furnished all the information she 
 could possibly desire. From the main building they went into an 
 other of minor dimensions, in which the various sorts of knives and 
 forks underwent the last finishing touch. The girls were delighted 
 with the fine polished handles and blades, and the eyes of Dolores 
 sparkled with delight when Mr. Fox took a pocket knife of ingeni 
 ous design and more than ordinary beauty and made her a present 
 of it. 
 
 " I am to have this beautiful knife?" she cried in ecstasies. The 
 gift was so much in keeping with the energetic practical character 
 of the child that she enjoyed it very much and came near being 
 thrown oft that balance of mind which she generally understood 
 how to preserve so well. Her eyes beamed with a brightness more 
 satisfactory to Mr. Fox than ever so many words of thanks could 
 have been. He was glad to see that she so soon regained the buoy 
 ancy of mind and body which her excessive grief at her father s 
 death had made him fear she would be wanting for a long time. 
 Her parent had only been buried a day and now this little girl as 
 sumed a mien of gayety that might have led most observers to the 
 
DOLOKES. 47 
 
 belief that she was a shallow, heartless creature, sacrificing the 
 memory of the dead one to the charms and allurements of her new 
 situation. Yet such observers would have been very much mis 
 taken ; deep natures like that of Dolores do not easily show their 
 sorrow on the surface ; like deep waters they preserve their tran 
 quillity, unless agitated by storms of fearful magnitudes in which 
 instance, however, they pitch their billows with a startling vehe 
 mence. Moreover Dolores had a will, a strong will, and enclosing 
 the rememberance of her father with filial piety into the recesses 
 of her heart, she endeavored to spare her benefactor the sight of 
 sighs and tears which would be foreign, and, as she thought, un 
 pleasant to him. Whether she preserved this stoic composure al 
 ways when alone ; whether she did not often wet her pillow with 
 her tears in the still hours of night ; who knows ? Happy she, if 
 she could control her grief ; happy childhood which rapidly for 
 gets and already applies a healing balm before the arrow that in 
 flicted the wound is well removed. 
 
 " Good day, Mr. Fuchs." Fox addressed a man of his own age 
 who was busying himself about some machinery that seemed out of 
 order. " Always busy, as I see ; if you ll stop long enough to 
 listen, I shall deliver your wife s best wishes to you." 
 
 This was said with a jocund air as one man speaks to another 
 of equal standing ; yet they slightly confused Mr. Fuchs. Mr. 
 Fuchs was the true type of the German mechanic, as he imigrates 
 into this country at mature age and with habits formed. There 
 were the square strong features of the face, the eyes beaming with 
 intelligence and good nature, the strong, sturdy frame, bent some 
 what forward, either by hard work or that modest submissiveness 
 which forms an essential element of his earliest training. He 
 shows a slight embarrassment when addressed by his betters and 
 in spite of himself cannot unlearn that involuntary motion of his 
 hand to his cap when spoken to. Mr. Fox s kindness, instead of 
 easing the man, oppressed him, as it were with a load of indebted 
 ness for so undeserved a condescension, and in vain that gentleman 
 had through years of intercourse battled to put Mr. Fuchs at his 
 ease. That worthy man showed himself as nervous and fluttered 
 to-day as at the hour when Mr. Fox first engaged his services for 
 
48 DOLORES. 
 
 the factory which, by the by, had been a considerable number of 
 years ago. Finally Mr. Fox had got used to his ways and no 
 longer minded them. 
 
 " Why, Mr. Fox, that s you," the foreman said starting up in 
 surprise, for he had been stooping down with his back towards the 
 party. He smiled and bowed repeatedly, in the mean time hold 
 ing his light working cap suspended above his head. "Quite a 
 surprise, indeed." 
 
 " Why man, I don t make myself as scarce as that, do I ?" 
 
 " Well, I think, I havn t seen Mr. Fox for a whole week, I am 
 sure." 
 
 "Indeed, is it that long I have been absent? Well, I guess 
 I ll do better in future. Your wife, Mr. Fuchs, thinks so at any 
 rate ; I had a good long talk with the worthy lady." 
 
 Mr. Fox spoke so meaningly and the look he cast into the 
 other s eye was so significant that the foreman could not help no 
 ticing it. He grew more nervous in consequence and said with 
 considerable stammering : 
 
 " Did she indeed? Sure, Mr. Fox, I warned her not to ; I told 
 her, I 1- 
 
 " Never mind, sir," Mr. Fox rep.ied. "I took it as it was in 
 tended, and even if your lady were too apprehensive, it would cer 
 tainly do no harm. I shall keep my eyes open hereafter and visit 
 the factory more frequently." 
 
 Mr. Fox had lowered his voice in saying this, still his fear of 
 being overheard was trifling compared with that of Mr. Fuchs. 
 That individual was the embodiment of fear and trembling, and 
 turning here and there, cast his eyes in every direction with nerv 
 ousness truly ludicrous. Still, Mr. Fox did not laugh at him, but 
 in a soothing manner said to him : 
 
 " Fear nothing, sir, he is not present, nor shall he hear the least 
 about your wife s communications ; so rest easy on that score. In 
 regard to your wishes about your boys, I shall talk to Mr. Wood 
 at once. I cannot imagine what he meant by refusing you." 
 
 " Nor I, Mr. Fox, unless he feared that by the presence of the 
 boys my influence with you would be increased. I know he dis 
 likes me, Mr. Fox." 
 
 Mr. Fox shook his head. 
 
DOLORES. 49 
 
 "I don t really know why he should ; he never intimated any 
 thing of the kind to me. At any rate, it will avail him nothing. 
 Rest assured, my good friend, that I value your services too highly 
 to be influenced against you, even by Mr. Wood." 
 
 With these words Mr. Fox went on with his companions, and 
 leaving the factory approached and entered a one-story building 
 above whose door the word " Office" was painted in large striking 
 letters. In the only room of the building two men were engaged 
 in rather a lively altercation, so lively indeed that they did not 
 hear the entrance of Mr. Fox, who in his turn stood still, rather 
 surprised at the tone of a dispute altogether too hot for the office 
 of a large manufacturing establishment. Besides the disputants 
 there was a young clerk in the office who, though following the ar 
 guments with much interest, had retained sufficient control over his 
 eyes and years to notice the entrance of his employer. He was 
 evidently startled and by various signs and sounds endeavored to 
 warn one of the disputants of possible troubles. The man thus 
 warned appeared to fill a position of importance in the factory ; 
 one could see this from the elegance of his clothes, the easy post 
 ure in an arm chair which he occupied during the altercation, while 
 his antagonist was standing with his hat in his hand ; from the as 
 surance some might have termed it presumption with which he 
 eyed him, in short, from a certain something that always bespeaks 
 authority, though it is apt to change with the character of the oc 
 cupant from the modest self-reliance of the gentleman to the swag 
 ger of the upstart. We don t want to be hard on appearances, but 
 we must confess that we don t like that man s looks at all. His 
 forehead is low and overhung by masses of coarse black hair, from 
 under which his small eyes shine forth with a sparkle that shares 
 the charm of the rattlesnake, if that reptile really possesses the 
 power to hold gazer spell bound. His features were common, with 
 nothing to repel or to attract. The most singular quality of the 
 man, however, was his voice, which preserved a sonorous sweetness 
 even in the heat of dispute, which in this instance evidently had 
 the effect of irritating his adversary the more. We sons of Adam 
 have the weakness of becoming doubly nettled when an insult is 
 offered us in a bland and polke manner. 
 
 "Well, Mr. Wood," the man addressed the person we have 
 
50 DOLORES. 
 
 described, is that your last word? Is there no chance for us to- 
 earn a decent living in this factory ? God knows, we haven t done 
 too well before ; but if you insist upon taking ten more per cent 
 from our wages, we ll have to stint ourselves to dry bread." 
 
 " Dry bread is very healthy food, my good man, and eaten by 
 many a fellow that knows as much and more than you." 
 
 The man winced under the taunt. 
 
 " May be they stand it, because it is nt your bread." 
 
 " Who compels you, my friend, to eat my bread ?" the manager 
 asked Avith the greatest suavity. 
 
 " Necessity, sir, and you know it and therefore venture to op 
 press a poor man. You know, I can t easily move with a large 
 family ; you know, this is my native place and also my comrades , 
 and you think we d rather suffer you to flay us than quit and pull 
 stakes. But, Mr. Wood, let me tell you, there is an end to every 
 thing, and when a fellow is pushed against the wall he can t back 
 any further." 
 
 Mr. Wood yawned : 
 
 "My good man," he said, "that will do. I understand you 
 and you understand me ; what then is the use of talking any furth 
 er ? I have my orders and they must be obeyed ; so that ends the 
 matter." 
 
 It may fo* you ; but not for us. Indeed you always talk of 
 orders ; but somehow I can t get into my head that Mr. Fox should 
 want to be so hard on us. He used to be very good to us, and fair 
 too, and its only since you are standing between us and him that 
 matters have changed for worse. You threaten to discharge any 
 one that complains to Mr. Fox ; but if you discharge me a dozen 
 times over, I am going to have a talk to him. May be I could tell 
 him things " 
 
 Mr. Fox had only overheard the last remarks ; but he had heard 
 enough to deem his speedy intervention desirable. 
 
 "Mr friends, what is all this about?" he said, stepping forward 
 and thereby causing both disputants to turn towards him with a 
 start. Both were alarmed, though perhaps from different reasons ; 
 but before either had time to respond, Mr. Fox continued : 
 
 " Wilcox, if I understood you right, you spoke of calling on 
 me ; what can I do for you, my friend ? n 
 
DOLORES. 51 
 
 " Well, Mr. Fox," the man replied, letting the rim of his hat 
 slip through his fingers, the truth of the matter is, I wanted to 
 have a talk to you about your intention of reducing our wages. 
 We earn little enough as it is, and v 
 
 "Reduce your wages ;" Mr. Fox said in surprise, "what do you 
 mean ? I never thought of such a thing. Who told you ?" 
 
 "Why, Mr Wood- 
 By this time that gentleman had regained his self-possession. 
 Wishing to check all further communications on the part of the 
 laborer, he interrupted him, saying : 
 
 Mr. Fox, you surely recollect our conversation concerning 
 this. You did not exactly authorize the measure, but I inferred 
 from your remarks " 
 
 " Something that was not in them," Mr. Fox said somewhat 
 sharply. Then recollecting that it would not answer to lecture his 
 superintendent before one of the hands, he checked himself. Turn 
 ing to the workman, he said : 
 
 " Wilcox, this is a misunderstanding which Mr. Wood will be 
 able to explain, no doubt. You may go for the present to let your 
 friends know that we shall do nothing to you and them but what 
 is fair. I have some business with Mr. Wood just now ; but if 
 you ll do me the favor of calling at my house this evening or any 
 time that suits you I shall be glad to see you." 
 
 " Thank you, Mr. Fox, I shall be glad to call," the man re 
 plied, and donning his hat, left the room a much happier fellow 
 than appearances had warranted a few minutes ago. 
 
 Mr. Fox, on the other hand, took a chair, and his face bore a 
 darker expression than it was wont to show. 
 
 "Little ones," he addressed the girls, "business is too dry for 
 your ears and you will undoubtedly prefer to run about, while I 
 am deliberating with Mr. Wood. George, they haven t seen the 
 machine room and the engine building. Supposing you lay down 
 your pen for half an hour and conduct them around. 1 charge you 
 with their safety though and expect them back without broken 
 bones. Be careful therefore and don t let them go too near the 
 machinery." 
 
 George was the young man at .the desk. Doing his master s 
 
52 DOLORES. 
 
 bidding, he arose and led the girls from the office. After the door 
 was shut again, Mr. Fox turned to his companion and said : 
 
 1 Well, cousin Richard, what does all this signify?" 
 
 It seemed that it was Mr. Fox s destiny that day to astonish 
 everybody. He had startled his male and female servants, sur 
 prised his son and amazed his wife, and now it was the turn of this 
 gentleman with the cunning eye and the sonorous voice to experi 
 ence the same thing. Mr. Fox was so very different from what he 
 used to be ; he spoke so much more sharply, shortly, to the point, 
 that Mr. Wood, for the first time since their long connection, felt 
 embarrassed although the confusion was but momentary ; using the 
 sweetest undulations of his voice, he said : 
 
 " It signifies, cousin Edward, that I go so far in my devotion to 
 you to save you all unnecessary trouble, even at the cost of my 
 popularity." 
 
 " Your popularity ? I don t see how that can suffer, by making 
 me the scapegoat for your obnoxious measures." 
 
 " Obnoxious they may be necessary they surely are." 
 
 " Necessary? how necessary? I see no reason for this. reduc 
 tion." 
 
 " You will, if you examine the books. Cutlery has fallen in 
 price and the raw material has risen. The expenses of your house 
 hold are considerable, you know, and if you want to live as usual " 
 
 " I ll have to press the money out of the sweat of my poor la 
 borers. No, sir, that is not my desire. 1 was not aware though, 
 that we lived so very extravagantly, Richard ; how much money 
 did you furnish last month ?" 
 
 " Three hundred dollars for household expenses." 
 
 "Well, that is enough, but hardly too much. I don t think, 
 such sums will break us up for a while." 
 
 " But, sir," the manager resumed reluctantly, "you know there 
 are other expenses." 
 
 "Exactly, Richard, but they are small compared with the above 
 expense." 
 
 "There are, first, fifty dollars charged to your private account." 
 
 "Well, what more?" 
 
 " There are one thousand dollars charged to Mrs. Fox s private 
 account." 
 
DOLORES. 53 
 
 Mr. Fox straightened himself up in his chair. 
 
 "Richard, you are joking ; one thousand dollars monthly ex 
 penditure of my wife ?" 
 
 " Exactly, sir ; not a cent more nor less." 
 
 "And the month before, how much ?" 
 
 " One thousand dollars." 
 
 " And the month before that ?" 
 
 " One thousand dollars." 
 
 Now it was Mr. Fox s turn to be astounded, yes thunderstruck. 
 One thousand dollars a month for his wife s private necessities ! 
 
 No wonder then that a new reduction of the laborers wages had 
 become necessary. He felt his ire rising within him ; but he was 
 even more ashamed than angry ; ashamed of his own negligence, 
 his culpable ease and indulgence, without which such things could 
 never have happened. But this should change now, he would 
 rouse himself to redoubled energy and exercise a vigilance over his 
 family, his servants and employees which would make such out 
 rages impossible hereafter. 
 
 " Why did you never inform me of this, Richard?" he said ab 
 ruptly. 
 
 " Inform you, Edward? Why of course, I expected you to 
 know it. How could I think that Cousin Caroline would spend 
 such sums of money without your knowledge ? Indeed I am more 
 astonished at my discovery, than you could possibly be at yours" 
 
 Fox felt the point and calculated that silence would be the best 
 policy. So changing the topic, he begged Wood to show him the 
 books, and having received them, applied himself to their examin 
 ation with so much zeal that when the girls returned, after an 
 hour s absence, he declared that he had thought them gone but 
 one-fourth of that time. Still he would not let them wait any 
 longer, especially since the accounts had evidently been kept with 
 the most scrupulous care, and had still further convinced him of 
 the fact that the blame rested chiefly with himself, at least as far 
 as his wife s prodigality was concerned, and indeed even regarding 
 Mr. Wood s intended measure towards the hands. Mr. Fox saw 
 well enough that such extravagance could not well be indulged in 
 without some penalty, and if Mr. Wood preferred to let the poor 
 laborers pay it and keep this unpleasant fact concealed from Mr. 
 
54 DOLORES. 
 
 Fox, why, surely such conduct might show wrong principles and a 
 false consideration, but still a consideration. Mr. Fox arose with a 
 troubled mind ; he had not yet exactly marked out his course of 
 conduct, but he had at least resolved to commence the reform with 
 his own person. Preparing to leave the office, he said to Wood : 
 
 " Cousin Richard, I have been a fool, that s evident; but I shall 
 take off that cap now, rely on it. Let matters remain here, as 
 they were before ; but when Mrs. Fox comes for more money, tell 
 her she cannot have a cent more than one hundred dollars a month. 
 If she don t like it, refer her to me." 
 
 He was on the point of leaving the office, but remembering 
 something he had forgotten in his excitement, he once more turned 
 to the manager. 
 
 " Richard," he said, " Mr. Fuchs tells me that you refused to 
 admit his boys into the factory. How is that?" 
 
 Mr. Wood s mien showed plainly that this question touched 
 another sore spot. Yet there was no way of avoiding the issue ; 
 so he summoned courage and replied : 
 
 " Well, Edward, to tell the truth, I did refuse him. He asked 
 special privileges, such as wanting his boys to work only part of 
 the time and having them turn to anything they had a mind to. 
 Granting such favors would be a dangerous innovation and I doubt 
 ed whether I had authority to do it. Therefore I refused." 
 
 " Still you thought you had the authority to reduce the wages 
 of all the hands and also forgot that it is as much an act of au 
 thority to refuse as to grant. Conscience is a queer institution, 
 isn t it Richard ? But to set yours at ease, I herewith give you 
 full power to grant the wishes of Mr. Fuchs concerning his boys. 
 Good day, sir." 
 
 With these words he departed, leaving Mr. Wood and his junior 
 clerk in a rather perplexed state of mind. They gazed at one an 
 other with a sheepish expression, and Wood at last began : 
 
 " George, what in all creation does this mean ? Do you under 
 stand what has got into the head of the old dolt ?" 
 
 "Not exactly, Mr. Wood ; but what I see means caution. It 
 would be a nice thing, if Mr. Fox should remain wide awake and 
 spoil our fine calculations." 
 
 "The deuce take him ! I d sooner see him go to h 1 than give 
 
DOLORES. 55 
 
 up my plans and my long cherished thirst for vengeance. But no, 
 this energy of his will not last ; it is too sudden to wear." 
 
 And if it lasts contrary to your expectations ?" 
 
 " Then we must change our tactics. The consummation of our 
 present plan requires altogether too much time, and the slightest 
 suspicion would at once result in the discovery which would be 
 worse than failure. No, I cannot bear the thought of disappoint 
 ment and if this sudden freak of his should last, we must take 
 measures to quicken the denouement." 
 
 " Perhaps Mrs. Fox can give you the clue to this change." 
 
 She may and I shall call on her as soon as I can. This sud 
 den discovery of her imaginary extravagance is also a bad thing. 
 It will stop one source from which we swelled our income ; but it 
 never rains but it pours, as the proverb says." 
 
 " That is so, and the admittance of the Fuchs boys comes also 
 very importunely." 
 
 " Well, yes, though after all I cannot see how they will harm 
 us much. I was wrong in making any ado about it. I fear the 
 father more than the boys, and a certain something tells me that 
 he suspects our operations." 
 
 "That old poltroon ? Why Richard, I should as soon suspect 
 my boot-jack. No, I have no fear of him, out a good deal of his 
 son. There isn t a smarter and more cunning youngster to be found 
 for five miles around." 
 
 "You may be right, George, and it will do no harm to watch 
 his movements. It s surely very vexing though to be bothered at 
 a dozen places at once. Sometimes I think, if I had known how 
 much trouble would be in store for us, I wouldn t have embarked 
 on so perilous an undertaking." 
 
 " Why, Richard ! I am astonished. You and Fox seem to have 
 swapped characters." 
 
 "It isn t that, George; but I begin to understand what it 
 means, when the bible says : the way of the transgressor is hard" 
 
 George laughed lustily. 
 
 " Mr. Wood in the role of a parson !" he cried. "That is too 
 good, and if somebody told me now the world would come to an 
 end to-morrow I should believe it. Indeed I must take some 
 medicine to guard against infection ; for this madness seems to be 
 
56 DOLORES. 
 
 in the air and before I am aware of it I shall have caught it my 
 self." 
 
 His companion did not heed his mockeries, but brooding over 
 the dark thoughts that filled his mind, preserved his silence. 
 George, in order to rouse him, shook him by the shoulder. 
 
 " Man, wake up !" he cried. " If the prospect of wealth and 
 vengeance cannot stir you up, let the sweet thought of love re 
 quited warm your sluggish blood." 
 
 Wood stared. 
 
 " What do you mean ? What do you know of love ? Listen 
 to the boy ! " Hardly fledged, he talks about the passion of a 
 man ! " 
 
 " You forget the school I am in, Richard," George said, with a 
 sneer. " Under your tuition one ripens fast. But to come back to 
 the point. It is hardly fair that you should try to hide this court 
 ship of yours from your faithful ally. It is no use, at all events, 
 for I know as well as you that you mean to steal not only your em- 
 player s money, but his wife in the bargain. Do tell me how far 
 you have succeeded ? " 
 
 Wood cast a look upon the other that made him stop at once. 
 
 "George," he said, " if I were you I would not meddle with 
 matters that don t concern you. We were allies in our attempt upon 
 the purse of Mr. Fox, but not in any upon his wife. If what you 
 hinted at were true it would surely be none of your business, and 
 I ll tell vou once for all that I shall brook no attempt to extend our 
 partnership in that direction." 
 
 " Jealous!" the young man muttered to himself, as he resumed 
 his seat to close an account. * I ll follow your advice and hold my 
 peace ; but at the same time it will not be amiss to keep a lookout 
 on your movements. A man who sells his employer will not hesi 
 tate to sell his friend, and it may be well enough to set a trap for 
 you that can be sprung when necessity requires it." 
 
 The worthy youngster chuckled at his smartness, but in moral 
 izing on his friend s treachery he forgot the trifling circumstance 
 that he came under the same category. 
 
DOLORES. 57 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 DEVELOPMENTS. 
 
 Dolores had conquered the basement ; but if from this success 
 she formed the hope of conquering also the boudoir she was gi eatly 
 mistaken. The servants at least had hearts, but if -Mrs. Fox at 
 all possessed that organ, generally considered the seat of feeling, 
 she did not show it in her conduct. Perhaps her heart had under 
 gone a slow process of petrifiction, or it was, maybe, so filled with 
 her own important self that there was no room for other parties in 
 it. She certainly had none for poor Dolores, and from the way she 
 treated her husband, for him either. Richard alone could boast of 
 receiving from his mother tokens of affection, but even these were 
 of a very capricious character and more calculated to injure than to- 
 benefit the boy. There was no notion of his, however odd, which 
 his mother did not gratify, and though Mr. Fox was far from ap 
 proving such a course, he held his counsel for the sake of peace. 
 That exhibition of energy which had astonished the whole house 
 hold was too antagonistic to his character to last any length of time. 
 It had indeed come to a speedy terminus and Mr. Fox had resumed 
 his old habit of rather yielding and avoiding than by decision rul 
 ing. Only in regard to Dolores he was determined to make an ex 
 ception ; but as the prudent little creature had quickly read his dis 
 position she took good care to give him no occasion for the scenes 
 of strife and dispute he shunned so much. She had resolved rather 
 to suffer herself than to make him suffer, and many were the taunts 
 and jeers and insults she received from Mrs. Fox and her son which 
 she bore in patience, without even in the least intimating their ex 
 istence to her friend and protector. This was meant kindly, but for 
 Mr. Fox s reformation it certainly was unfortunate. Practice makes 
 perfect, says the adage, and the practice wanting, Mr. Fox remained 
 a bungler in the art of ruling. 
 
 We have neither the time nor the disposition to dwell on the 
 method of torture which the enemies of Dolores applied in her 
 case, nor to describe the thousand little tricks by which they en 
 deavored to make her uncomfortable ; the words containing poi 
 son, the eyes looking daggers, the miens conveying jeers. 
 
58 DOLORES. 
 
 There is little pleasure in painting in detail human wickedness ; 
 but it is perfectly intolerable if it bears upon the innocence of 
 childhood. Fortunately, Dolores had been provided by nature 
 with various weapons of defense. The attempts of Mrs. Fox she 
 always met with that sweet forbearance which in itself is more 
 calculated to lame the arm of the assailant than resistance, though 
 as yet her conduct had not lessened the disposition of that woman 
 to abuse her, it had at least on various occasions driven the 
 blush of shame and confusion into her cheeks. Master Robert, 
 however, Dolores met with other weapons. The threat of Mr. Fox 
 had effectually stopped that young man s attempts to inflict cor 
 poral punishment on the little girl. The only way in which he 
 now could annoy her was to abuse her in words and this was a 
 mode of warfare in which she was more than a match for him. Re 
 turning irony for scorn, tho never leaving the precincts of de - 
 corum, which her adversary totally disregarded, she would soon 
 turn the point and from the position of the one assailed change 
 to that of the assailer. Punishing him severely by the keenness 
 of her wit, she would drive him from corner to corner until at 
 last he had to beat an inglorious retreat, hating her worse than 
 ever, but gradually becoming a little shy to challenge her to en 
 gagements which invariably terminated in defeat. 
 
 As we have intimated she kept her annoyance carefully con 
 cealed from Mr. Fox, but the constant stress upon her mind could 
 not be endured without injurious results for her health. She 
 grew nervous and the angular form of her body became still more 
 angular. She lost both color and. appetite and even Mr. Fox, in 
 different observer as he was, could not help noticing the change. 
 His attention once attracted and his appreusion roused, he began to 
 show again a spirit resembling that with which he had adopted and 
 instilled into his little foster-daughter. Taking her hand and lead 
 ing her to the very arbor that had witnessed their original compact 
 he made her sit down and looking into her eyes with anxious ten 
 derness said : 
 
 " Dolores, do you recollect what you promised me once at this 
 very place?" 
 
 "I do, dear father," she said with her usual sweet expression. 
 
DOLORES. 59 
 
 * I felt too happy at this place to ever forget what was said be 
 tween us here." 
 
 "You recollect that you promised always to love me like a 
 daughter ?" 
 
 "And haven t I loved you so ?" the little maiden cried, throw 
 ing her arms around his neck and smiling archly. Indeed if I 
 tried ever so hard, I don t think I could love you any better than 
 I do now." 
 
 "I believe you, darling," he said, returning her caresses, " but 
 Dolores, love begits confidence, and have you confided in me as 
 you ought to have ? Look in my eyes, child ? and answer that 
 question." 
 
 But Dolores hung her head, the victim of a lively embarrass 
 ment that died her cheeks with scarlet and even drove the tears 
 into her eyes. 
 
 You need not answer, Dolores, and by your silence confess 
 your guilt. Instead of confiding in me and telling me that they 
 are teasing you and worrying you to death, you bear your injury 
 in silence and let the paleness of your cheeks betray the secret 
 which your lips ought to have imparted. Say, was that right?" 
 
 " Instead of answering the little one hung her head still deeper 
 and the tears came trickling more copiously from out her eyes. 
 
 "I know your motives, Dolores," he resumed, "and they 
 would still more endear you to my heart if it were possible, but if 
 I love ease and tranquility, I value your welfare and happiness 
 infinitely more highly and would with cheerfulness sacrifice the 
 former iu order to secure the latter. This cannot be tolerated any 
 longer ; but what must be done ? Tell me, shall I put you in 
 some institution or other to pursue a course of studies ?" 
 
 Dolores no longer hung her head. Raising it quickly and 
 energetically, she answered : 
 
 "No, no, father I will not leave you. If they vex me by their 
 enmity you make me much more happy by your affections." 
 
 "Heaven knows, I would not like to Dart with you. What I 
 proposed was for your good. But if you will not leave me, there 
 must at least be some alteration. If this were to go on much 
 longer, you would waste to a shadow and die with consumption, 
 like your poor father." 
 
60 DOLORES. 
 
 The girl thought a moment, then she said : 
 
 You spoke of studying. I think if I could be allowed to 
 learn I would be happy." 
 
 "Allowed? Of course, my good child, you will be allowed, 
 but where will you study and what ?" 
 
 " Where?" Dolores said wistfully ; "I think I know. There is 
 Mr. Goodman to whom Charley Fuchs says his lessons." 
 
 "Why, sure enough," cried Mr. Fox, "I never thought of 
 him. He is a worthy man and, as they say, a good teacher. At 
 least he has made quite a scholar out of Charley. Run, Dol, and 
 get your hat and mine ; we shall see at once whether Mr. Good 
 man will consent to bother himself with my little beauty." 
 
 Dolores fairly skimmed the sward as she ran to do his bidding. 
 When she returned a minute afterwards, she did no longer look the 
 pining, melancholy child of the morning. The old lustre had re 
 turned to her eyes, the smile to the corners of her mouth, and the 
 glow of health to her cheeks. Mr. Fox was delighted at this 
 change, thinking that he had now found the panacea for his favor 
 ite. Leaving the park the pair took the street in a direction oppo 
 site to the side where the factory lay. Walking through the 
 greater part of the village, which forms one long line along the 
 turnpike, they finally reached a building almost concealed by the 
 clusters of bushes surrounding it. It was much less presumptuous 
 than the mansion, but yet superior to most of the cottages of the 
 village, excepting perhaps the house of Mr. Fuchs. It stood in 
 close proximity to a venerable stone church from the numerous 
 cracks of which ivy and other creepers were hanging in beautiful 
 profusion, and around whose weather-beaten steeple multitudes of 
 rooks were making short trips, filling the air with their dismal cries. 
 The house was the parsonage, and Mr. Goodman, the gentleman 
 they were in search of, the worthy pastor of the village. He was a 
 widower, having lost his wife a number of years ago and now living 
 in company with a spinster sister, who, unlike most old maids, had 
 guarded her heart from shrinking like her features. She kept 
 house for her brother, and was the oracle of the village in every 
 thing beyond the margin of every day life, and Mr. Fox insisted 
 that in consequence, of her conciliatory counsels, the justice of the 
 peace in the village came near starving. She was now standing in 
 
DOLORES. 61 
 
 the garden examining the blue clusters of grapes which were ap 
 proaching ripeness and blinked with tempting richness at the pass 
 ers-by. Discerning the visitors as they entered the gate, she went 
 to meet them with her hands extended and a genuine hospitable 
 smile on her wrinkled face. 
 
 "Aye, aye! Mr. Fox and my little Dolores !" she cried, " rare 
 but welcome guests. I thought you had forgotten us altogether." 
 
 " Why, Miss Sarah, you know the passion of us foxes for grapes," 
 Mr. Fox said with a cunning twinkle in his eye and laughing at 
 his own joke." I see yours are getting ripe, madam." 
 
 " Ah! is that the reason of your call ? " the damsel said, enter 
 ing into the spirit of his remark; " then you really deserve to fare 
 like your namesake, that didn t get any." 
 
 " If I don t I ll imitate the fellow still further, abusing your 
 grapes all over the village and telling everybody that they are 
 sour." 
 
 " That would be dreadful, Mr. Fox, and more than I could bear. 
 I suppose I ll have to compromise the matter and give you your 
 share, even if you don t deserve it." 
 
 "Well, now, that sounds more reasonable, doesn t it, Doll? 
 Won t we two pitcn in ? " 
 
 " You won t to-day, my dear sir, because they ain t ripe ; but 
 come into the house. I ll call brother Andrew, he ll be glad to see 
 you, in spite of your dreadful intentions against his grapes." 
 
 Miss Goodman led the way, and entering the house showed the 
 guests into one of these old fashioned parlors where comfort was 
 the great consideration and boastful elegance a total stranger. One 
 could sit on the chairs without fear of their frail legs and step on 
 the carpet without risking the displeasure of the lady of the house 
 for soiling a handsome flower in the pattern. Excusing herself Miss 
 Sarah* left the room, but shortly afterwards returned with her 
 brother, who shook hands with his guests, showing the genuine cor 
 diality and guileless simplicity which Oliver Goldsmith so beauti 
 fully depicts in the parson s colleague, the vicar of Wakefielcl. If 
 the reader will kindly allow me to substitute that famous portrait 
 of a worthy minister for my own, he has the character of Andrew 
 Goodman to the letter. No worthier man ever filled the pulpit than 
 he, and in all his bearings, be it as the preacher of the gospel, the 
 
62 DOLORES. 
 
 teacher of his flock, the visitor of the sick or the genial companion 
 at the fireside, he showed an amiability which was perfectly capti 
 vating and caused the whole village to look upon him with pride, 
 love and respect. 
 
 " Ah ! my dear Mr. Fox," he said, with a touch of sarcasm, 
 "how fortunate for me to be the proprietor of those handsome 
 grapes. They secure me at least one visit a year from your worthy 
 self." 
 
 " Don t scold, Mr. Goodman, "Fox replied. " You somehow are 
 less apt at it than anything else." 
 
 " There you are right, Mr. Fox," Miss Sarah interrupted," but 
 it s no wonder, for he attempts it so very rarely." 
 
 " Practice makes perfect, Miss Sarah. However, Mr. Goodman 
 is perfect in so many other things that he can well afford to do 
 without the perfection at scolding." 
 "You ll spoil him by your flattery." 
 
 " I ll run the risk, madam. But Mr. Goodman, you were right 
 jn blaming me for having selfish motives in my present visit. It is 
 not the grapes, though, that brought me this time ; it s something 
 worse." 
 
 "Let us have it. After your warning I am -prepared to receive 
 the shock without detriment to my nerves." 
 
 "Well, sir, I have the intention of trespassing on your valua 
 ble time. This little girl of mine has conceived the idea that she 
 must needs drink at the fountain of knowledge, and that nobody 
 but Mr. Goodman is fit to administer the draught. What do you 
 say now, sir ? " 
 
 I say that the idea of stilling the thirst of a good little girl 
 like Dolores is mcuh more comfortable than that of having a fox 
 after one s grapes." 
 
 "Thank you, sir. Am I to understand from your reply that 
 you would really charge yourself with the instruction of my daugh 
 ter?" 
 
 " That is my intention, sir, and I can assure you that, instead 
 of being a trouble, it will be nothing but a pleasure. I have been 
 watching the little miss, and from my observations and the praise 
 of my pupil, Charley Fuchs, I have an idea that Dolores will make 
 a good scholar." 
 
DOLORES. 63 
 
 I am glad to hear you say so. I ll leave the matter entirely to 
 your excellent judgment. When do you want Dotores to com 
 mence ? " 
 
 " The sooner the better. The fall is drawing near, and if you 
 want the little one to accomplish much before your removal to 
 town, she cannot begin too soon." 
 
 Mr. Fox s face got very sober. 
 
 " It is a fact," he said, " four more weeks and our country life 
 will be at an end. I hate town, I do heartily, and if it wasn t for 
 Mrs. Fox I should stay here all the year round." 
 
 " Well, Mr. Fox, I share your views," Miss Sarah remarked; 
 " if I were to stay in town a single winter I think I d die with suf 
 focation. I pity the little ones on account of their confinement." 
 
 Oh! Lucy and Dick are used to it ; they even share their 
 mother s liking for town." 
 
 But this little one ; won t she feel like a bird in a cage ? " 
 
 " I fear she will, and that, too, like one picked at by mischiev 
 ous cat-birds." 
 
 " Why, I do not understand you, Mr. Fox," the parson re 
 marked, with some wonderment in his voice. " What does your 
 smile signify ? " 
 
 Mr. Fox shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 "Mr. Goodman, I wouldn t tell everybody, but with you I m 
 safe enough. Did you ever notice that there is some opposition in 
 the mansion to this little one ? " 
 
 The parson nodded. 
 
 I sometimes thought as much, but from charity discredited my 
 supposition. If Dolores is disliked by your family her residence in 
 town will surely be unpleasant." 
 
 " Unpleasant is hardly strong enough a term. Still, what ami 
 to do ? I cannot leave the girl alone in the big empty house with 
 the servants." 
 
 " Hardly," Miss Sarah replied, " but if I knew that brother An 
 drew would concur, I think I could find an expedient." 
 
 Mr. Goodman smiled. 
 
 " I think I do anticipate your proposition. At all events you 
 
 can make none that w T ould not meet with my hearty approbation. * 
 
 " Thank you, Andrew. I thought if you would agree, and Mr. 
 
64 DOLORES. 
 
 Fox be willing to part with his charge during the winter months, it 
 would give fts much pleasure to receive the little girl into our 
 household during that time." 
 
 Mr. Goodman nodded with a mien that seemed to say : 
 
 ( Exactly ! that s what I expected and suits me to perfection. 
 Such a dear little creature will lighten up our sombre house." 
 
 Dolores looked shy. She moved nearer to Mr. Fox and took 
 his hand. 
 
 "They may be very good people," her motion said, " but they 
 ain t my dear foster father after all." 
 
 Mr. Fox was much affected by this unexpected kindness. It 
 really relieved him of a load of doubt and anxiety which the very 
 thought of removing Dolores to the narrow sphere of his winter res 
 idence, where she would be much more exposed to the malice of 
 her adversaries, had created. Rising and taking the lady s hand, 
 he said : 
 
 " Miss Sarah, that is just like you, but much more than I had 
 a right to expect. From the bottom of my heart I thank you for 
 your offer, and accept it on condition that you will allow a compen 
 sation for the outlay occasioned by Dolores presence." 
 
 " Never mind the compensation," Mr. Goodwin said ; " that is 
 a secondary matter. We forget that Dolores is also a party to the 
 agreement. Her countenance does not look as if she liked it very 
 much." 
 
 The face of the girl was indeed much clouded up, and tears 
 were shining in the corners of her eyes ; but Mr. Goodman s words 
 had a wonderful effect upon her. Checking her feelings with that 
 strong will we have noticed in the girl before, she tried to smile, 
 and with considerable firmness said : 
 
 11 Of course I wouldn t like to leave my dear, good father, and I 
 was sorry for a little while when you talked about it ; very sorry, 
 indeed. But I know also that he wouldn t want to leave me here 
 if it were not for my good. So I won t be sorry any more ; at least 
 I ll try not to." 
 
 Mr. Fox looked at the others with an inquiring glance. 
 
 "Just as I thought," he said. "Just as I expected my little 
 daughter to speak. Mr. Goodman, I never saw the like of it ; 
 always right, always sensible ; she has a wonderful perception of 
 
DOLORES. 65 
 
 propriety. Nor can she be spoiled, either, or I wouldn t praise her 
 to her face. I praise the day that bestowed this gift upon me." 
 
 Dolores hung her head. It was evident that she was less fond 
 of praise than of doing right. Mr. Goodman looked at her approv 
 ingly and Sarah stroked her hair, which, however, would not be 
 straightened out, but with a rebellious obstinacy always sprung 
 back into its original curly condition. 
 
 " She is a good girl," the damsel said, " and it shall be my en 
 deavor to make her miss her good papa as little as possible. Our 
 house is a little quiet and old fashioned, but I think Dolores will 
 like it well enough." 
 
 * At any rate she has a respite of four weeks, and in that time 
 will get to know us better," Mr. Goodman suggested. " I think, 
 like Sarah, that we shall succeed in reconciling the young lady to 
 her fate." 
 
 "Reconcile?" Mr. Fox replied. "I think she will be recon 
 ciled. I have half a notion to make you certify in writing that I 
 merely lend you the child ; for when I return in the spring she ll 
 be so fond of you and the parsonage that I ll have difficulty in coax 
 ing her back to the mansion." 
 
 This was said jestingly and with the purpose of giving the con 
 versation a cheerful turn, but Dolores took it in earnest and would 
 have piptested if the others had let her. As it was Sarah proposed 
 a ramble over the house an^ the ground, to which the child as 
 sented. By the side of her new friend and prospective foster- 
 mother she started on her tour, weich gave her much pleasure and 
 soon put her on familiar terms with the spinster. They saw the 
 house and the yard and the out-buildings, with the fowls and cows 
 and other stock ; they walked through the flower and vegetable 
 gardens, which distinguished themselves by taste and neatness, 
 spurning the very thought of weeds. Dolores had seen gardening 
 on a larger scale at the mansion, but what those of the parsonage 
 lacked in size they made up in taste and neatness, so that Sarah s 
 fear of a disparaging comparison was entirely unfounded. Dolores 
 was pleased, and her honest countenance showed as plainly as could 
 be that her tongue did not dissemble. Encouraged by the little 
 girl s tokens of enjoyment, Miss Sarah extended their ramble to the 
 adjacent church, showing her first the grounds, which were no 
 
66 DOLORES. 
 
 longer used for burying purposes, and then the edifice itself. Climb 
 ing the winding stairs that led into the steeple they stepped upon a 
 gallery from which a view the most charming one of all her ex 
 perience, Dolores declared met their eyes, showing not only the 
 beautiful valley in whose midst the church was lying, but also the 
 blue expanse of the ocean to the far and almost invisible line where 
 sky and water kissed each other. From the gallery they could look 
 over the intervening clusters of trees and see the craggy shore of 
 the little bay from where the ocean penetrated into the coast and 
 where the restless, never weary waves had eaten out the softer parts 
 of the i ocks, leaving the harder ribs standing in the most fantastic 
 forms and shapes. To-day, with such mild and pleasant weather, it 
 required some stretch of imagination to realize that these gentle rip 
 pling waves should have been able to reach the top of those tower 
 ing crags, and, more than that, eaten out a considerable portion of 
 their substance ; but Miss Sarah warned Dolores not to form an 
 idea of the sea by a summer s sojourn on the coast. It would be an 
 erroneous one, she said, and the blasts of winter would soon rectify 
 the wrong impression. But who could think of storms and desola 
 tion when all nature breathed joy and tranquility ? Dolores could 
 not tire of looking at the little bay, forming a rather precarious har 
 bor and containing that afternoon a dozen fishing vessels and quite 
 a number of smaller crafts of various descriptions, from tjae boat 
 with mast and sail down to the nutshell of a skiff propelled merely 
 by means of oars. The girl s eyes w 7 ould not withdraw from the 
 pretty picture, but pointing out to her companion one beauty after 
 another she got quite excited. This excitement, however, got to- 
 its climax when all at once she saw a sailing boat draw its graceful 
 furrows through the water, which she recognized as that of Charles 
 and Henry Fuchs. Two young men were in the craft, and although 
 the distance w r as two great to recognize the features, the size and 
 the suits of the boys left Dolores no doubt that the brothers were 
 in the vessel. 
 
 "It is Charles!" she cried, making no mention at all of the 
 second figure and thereby unconsciously showing her predilection; 
 "it is Charles sailing in his craft. He showed it to me the other 
 day and promised to take me out and he must do it too, for, oh > 
 see Miss Sarah, isn t it beautiful?" 
 
DOLORES. 67 
 
 Miss Sarah agreed and indulged her young friend as long as pos 
 sible. When she thought it time to return to the house she only 
 needed to say that Mr. Fox would be waiting ; for no sooner had 
 the words left her lips when the little girl hastened down stairs, 
 taking two steps at a time, making it a hard task for Miss Sarah 
 to keep up. This also the considerate little creature did see and 
 stopping to await the damsel s arrival, apologized for her want of 
 consideration. Miss Sarah was much pleased ; she congratulated 
 herself upon her splendid idea of receiving this little girl with the 
 bright understanding and sensative perception into her household. 
 It is a pleasure to manage clever, docile children, and Sarah, in 
 guiding this gifted girl, anticipated the same pleasure, though in 
 a higher sense, which the horseman experiences in the reining of a 
 steed of delicate mouth, which feels and obeys the slightest pull of 
 the rein ; or the sailor in the craft that spins like a top on her 
 heels, minds the helm in fair weather and foul and dives through 
 the salty element like the duck in search of fish. 
 
 When the two reached the parlor they found it empty. The 
 parson and his guest had long ago settled the question regarding 
 Dolores instruction, and, in imitation of the ladies, left the house 
 in search of nature and her beauties. Sarah and her charge found 
 them walking the very covered archway whose fruit had furnished 
 the topic of the innocent bandinage we have recorded on a pre 
 vious occasion. They heard Mr. Fox say : 
 
 "You may draw on me for $100, sir, in support of your benevo 
 lent efforts. In fact you will always find me ready to aid you in 
 any project of charity according to my means A man that has a 
 little money ought surely not to hesitate to give in a cause where 
 his betters spend time and comfort and health. No thanks, sir ; I 
 should feel ashamed to receive it. But, ah, there are the ladies. 
 Dolores, Mr. Goodman has kindly consented to take you in charge 
 as early as to-morrow. He will furnish you with such books as 
 you may need. And now good bye, my friends. Am I not to be 
 envied ? I need neither say : fare gently with my child, nor on 
 the other hand, honor the precepts of thy teacher, for wisdom 
 floweth therefrom. Both these wishes are a fixed fact, a matter of 
 course. Good bye, good bye." 
 
68 DOLORES. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE TEMPTER. 
 
 The same afternoon another scene was being enacted at the man 
 sion which it is ray duty to describe, tho I do not take much 
 pleasure in making the attempt. The public are as much blase in 
 their reading as in most other things, and to satisfy them, villains 
 of the deepest dye, their doings and their victims must be de 
 picted. Nothing less than foul murders, villainous plots, hair 
 breadth escapes and seductions will answer, and the fair readers 
 seem to forget altogether that, to make us write all these things, 
 however true and natural, they condemn us to a close companion 
 ship with people who are anything but preposessing. They make 
 us breathe, as it were, the foul air of their dens, listen to their 
 low language, familiarize ourselves with their mode of thinking 
 and feeling, and perhaps in that way subject us to the danger of a 
 slight taint adhering to our own person, and of assuming traits 
 which we pretend to abhor, and to paint merely in order to have 
 them abhorred by others and presented as a warning example to 
 the weak and simple. Still, as my tale requires it and no reason 
 ing of mine is likely to effect a change in the public taste very 
 soon, I may as w r ell go to work and bring before my readers eye a 
 man whom the world regards as a model gentleman, but whom 
 they may now classify according to their own conceptions of right 
 and wrong. 
 
 " Susan, where is Mr. Fox?" 
 
 " Gone out, Mr. Wood, with Miss Dolores." 
 
 " Miss indeed !" and Mrs. Fox." 
 
 " Is dressing for a ride. I heard her bid Richard to have the 
 brown mare hitched to the new buggy." 
 
 " Very well, Susan ; when she comes down stairs, tell her I am 
 in the parlor." 
 
 Mr. Wood deposited his hat on the rack and went into the room 
 where about ten minutes afterwards he was joined by the mistress 
 of the house. 
 
 " Ah ! cousin Richard," she said with a smile, offering him her 
 gloved hand, " a rare guest, indeed. I haven t seen you for a cen- 
 
DOLORES. 69 
 
 t ury and am therefore doubly sorry not to be able to enjoy your 
 visit. I am going to drive to .town to do a little shopping. Will 
 you kindly excuse me ?" 
 
 " Who is to take you, Caroline ?" 
 
 " Why, Dick ; I hear him driving the buggy before the house, 
 even." 
 
 " Let us go out then, I don t want to keep you waiting." 
 
 As the two stepped on the portico they saw Richard, Jr., sit 
 ting in the buggy, whip in hand, his face radiant with the expecta 
 tion of the drive. 
 
 " Dicky, my boy," Mr. Wood addressed him, " I have a favor 
 to ask." 
 
 "What is it uncle?" 
 
 " I want you to give me your seat in the buggy." 
 
 The boy s mein grew sullen. 
 
 "I won t do it, sir," he said shortly. 
 
 Mrs. Fox looked inquiringly at Mr. Wood. 
 
 "I think you will, Dick," that gentleman said, "as soon as 
 you have heard the rest of my proposition. If you will give me 
 your seat in the buggy, I shall give you a note to George to the 
 effect that he may saddle my pony for you and give you my new 
 gun, so that you may ride and hunt at the same time." 
 
 Mr. AVood knew that the boy fancied his pony more than all 
 the horses in his own stable, but to make the offer irresistable, he 
 added that of the new gun which Richard thus far had never been 
 allowed to touch. The effect was as marked as sudden. Jumping 
 from his seat the boy cried eagerly : 
 
 "Agreed, sir ; hurry up and write me the note." 
 
 Wood did, his bidding ; tearing a leaf from his diary, he pen 
 cilled a few hasty lines. Handing the paper to the boy, he signi 
 fied to Mrs. Fox his readiness to assume his duties as cavalier at 
 tendant. The lady said nothing, but taking her seat in the car 
 riage and allowing him the place at her side, she suffered him to 
 drive from the park into the road, without asking an explanation 
 of his conduct. Still, Avhen they had passed the factory and Wood 
 seemed exclusively engaged with the management of the horse, 
 she remarked : 
 
 "Richard, what is the matter with you ? I didn t interfere in 
 
70 DOLORES. 
 
 your bargain with my boy, because I know that you are not the 
 man to do a thing without a cause. But yet your explanation is 
 not forthcoming and I must confess that I am curious to receive 
 it." 
 
 "Patience, Caroline, he answered, "my explanation was com 
 ing ; but I have to tell you so many things to-day and, things of 
 such importance, that I was arranging them in my mind, in order 
 not to forget any of them. Now I am prepared." 
 
 He broke off, but after a few moments he resumed : 
 
 " Let me go back a piece Caroline ; back to the time when you 
 and I were children; children of poor parents, but happy withal. 
 We were constant playmates, and there was nothing of which 
 Richard Wood was more fond and proud than of his cousin Caro 
 line. Was it not so, madam ?" 
 
 Mrs. Fox seemed somewhat uneasy, even annoyed by his way 
 
 " Maybe it was, Richard," she answered, "but what is the use 
 of calling up these recollections? If tkat was your only pur 
 pose " 
 
 " Stop, Caroline, do not form hasty conclusions. I said that 
 Richard Wood was fond and proud of his cousin and his fondness 
 grew with his years. I was a passionate boy, you know, and 
 when my fondness changed into love it was no common passion, 
 but one that rooted deeply in my soul and <>ould not be torn out 
 but at the expense of life." 
 
 "But, Richard " the lady said with evident uneasiness ; "your 
 words are painful to me, please desist 
 
 " Desist? Why, Caroline, you might as well order Vesivus to 
 stop, when with a mighty inner pressure he bursts the bowels of 
 the earth, hurling rocks and lava to the sky. No, madam, I have 
 been silent long enough and even if I wished to remain so longer I 
 could not. Painful ? what does it matter. You may well afford 
 endure a moment s pain after the long years of suffering you have 
 caused me." 
 
 Mrs. Fox said nothing, though it was evident that she was the 
 prey of conflicting emotions. 
 
 "Yes, I loved you deeply, sincerely, passionately then, and if 
 you had consented to be mine, I would have been like wax in your 
 hands and you might have made an honest man of me, you might 
 
DOLORES. 71 
 
 have even inspired me to great achievements and enabled me to 
 write my name on the tablets of fame." 
 
 Again he paused ; but if he expected a reply he was mistaken. 
 Mrs. Fox sat still and motionless, with her head averted, only the 
 violent trembling of her hands betraying her deep emotion. 
 
 "You chose the contrary," he resumed, "and by casting me 
 me off sealed my fate. My passion which, if requitted, would have 
 made me foremost among the good, drove me irresistibly to wicked 
 thoughts and evil practices when spurned." 
 
 "Richard," she now broke in with a faltering voice, "your 
 memory serves you wrong, for your love was not spurned, only " 
 
 "Oh! I remember well enough," he said bitterly, "you said 
 you loved me in return but you had more ambition than love. 
 You ridiculed the idea of love in a hut and insisted upon the ne 
 cessity of wealth and position to keep love alive and prevent it 
 from becoming a bane instead of a blessing. You bade me wait 
 and strive, and while I waited and strove you accepted the hand of 
 a man you did not love, because he offered you at once what with 
 me lay ia a distant and very uncertain future. 
 
 " I shall not dwell upon the period of wretchedness that fol 
 lowed your marriage," he continued, when she did not reply, " I 
 shall not tell you of the awful thoughts of suicide, of murder to 
 which I then fell prey. Yes, your life and his were in imminent 
 danger for months in succession, and if I spared you it was because 
 my hope refused to die and because my vengence was not satisfied 
 with the mere death of him that shut on me the gates of paradise. 
 I lived and suffered him to live in order to henceforth entertain no 
 other thoughs no other purpose but vengence. For that purpose I 
 sold myself into his service, worked for him day and night and 
 played the faithful friend, to gain his confidence and thus the 
 power to destroy him. Vengence was my meat and drink, ven 
 gence and another passion. Caroline, when you, a bride, stepped 
 from your father s house and saw despair in your wretched cousin s 
 eye, you took his hand and whispered into his ear a word of conso 
 lation which alone prevented him from turning mad. Caroline, 
 say, do you recollect f 
 
 He tried to catch her eye, but failed. 
 
 "You must remember," he continued, "for I cannot believe 
 
72 DOLORES. 
 
 that wanton cruelty could have dictated those words of comfort. 
 You said : "live, love and hope f. Well, Caroline, I have lived, I 
 have hoped, I still love as ardently as ever ; say, will my patience 
 be rewarded?" 
 
 Mrs. Fox was evidently crushed by this confession and the ex 
 pectation connected with it. 
 
 " O, Richard !" she cried, " this comes so unexpectedly. After 
 a long silence of sixteen years, this passionate avowal. How can 
 you hold the wife, the mother of grown children, responsible for 
 the foolish promise of a thoughtless girl." 
 
 " Thoughtless you were not, Caroline. A girl who can disre 
 gard the dictates of her heart and sell herself for mammon is not 
 thoughtless. Nor can this my avowal come altogether unexpected. 
 Has not my life during these sixteen years of slavery been one act 
 of devotion and fidelity to you ? Have I not on all occasions taken 
 care of your interest at the expense of his ? Have I not endeavored 
 to accumulate large sums which at any moment are at your dis 
 posal ?" 
 
 u I think by dividing these sums with you I have fairly paid 
 you for your services," she said with a slight touch of sarcasm. 
 
 "Paid? no, you have not paid me, for what is money to me 
 without you to share it? When I agreed to take my portion, it 
 was merely to gain your consent for the measure and to invest it 
 for you as a faithful steward." 
 
 " But Richard, this sudden disclosure almost overwhelms me ; 
 why do you speak now, after so long a silence ?" 
 
 " Because I knew that you wanted gold, and that without it you 
 you would reject me as readily now as sixteen years ago. To gain 
 you I needed gold, and to get gold I have plotted hard, using fair 
 means an foul and now after a servitude longer than Jacob s I step 
 before you, to receive no compensation ; am I to be cheated out of 
 it r 
 
 His language became threatening, but it did not displease Mrs. 
 Fox. She had something in her nature which understood such 
 fierce wooing, and perhaps was fascinated more by it than she 
 would have been by sweet and flattering persuasion. She disliked 
 her husband for nothing more than his easy, yielding disposition, 
 though, strange contradiction, she was ever ready to benefit by it 
 
DOLORES. 73 
 
 and rule him with a rod of iron. There was undoubtedly a con 
 genial element in the pair now driving in that buggy, and if she 
 hesitated to grant his wishes, it was more the fear of the censure of 
 the world that would fall on the guilty wife than any serious 
 scruple of her conscience. So, wavering between the wish to 
 gratify him and the fear of the unavoidable consequences of such 
 a step, she said : 
 
 " But Richard, be reasonable ! Consider what you ask. * Re 
 member what abuse the world would heap upon the faithless wife 
 and mother." 
 
 "They would say nothing, Caroline, for do you think that I 
 would expose the woman of my love to idle gossip ? No, let me 
 see to that ; only requit my love and I ll shelter you against the 
 world." 
 
 " How can you avoid such censure, Richard ? If I were weak 
 enough to follow your dictates and those of my silly heart, how 
 could you avoid exposing me to the censure of the public?" 
 
 " Let that be my care, Caroline. If you belong to me, I shall 
 have strength and cunning sufficient to accomplish anything." 
 
 " Then you you do not do not propose to take me from my 
 home " 
 
 Shame was as yet alive and made her stammer, but * it is only 
 the first step that costs, the adage says, and when we see the fallen 
 women again we shall no longer notice .the blush of shame upon 
 her cheek. 
 
 "Not for the present, Caroline. My plans are not mature ; 
 though the time may not be far distant when I can claim you 
 openly and fearlessly before the world." 
 
 "But Richard how can I dare to step before him and my child 
 ren with a guilty conscience ? I d sink into the ground with 
 shame." 
 
 Before that dolt ; before a man who is no man, whom you 
 cannot help despising with all your heart ? Come, dear Caroline, 
 you surely are not weak enough for that !" 
 
 Thus he spoke to her, now flattering and persuading, now using 
 threats and fierce exclamations, until at last he reached his object. 
 Indeed the battle was not very obstinate ; a woman ready to scorn 
 and ridicule her husband will not be slow to dishonor him. 
 
74 DOLORES. 
 
 That evening Mrs. Fox did not return to her home the unpol 
 luted wife she had left it. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 AN ADVENTURE. 
 
 It was now late in October, and Dolores had just taken her 
 abode in the parsonage. Usually the family of the mansion had 
 left for town three weeks sooner ; but this time for a wonder Mrs. 
 Fox had been the cause of delay. She seemed all at once to take 
 an interest in nature which had never been noticed in her before, 
 and almost daily planned excursions into the ^irrounding country. 
 Mr. Fox also loved nature, but not exactly in his wife s company, 
 and felt grateful to Mr. Wood for offering to take charge of her on 
 such occasions. He preferred to stroll about with Lucy and 
 Dolores, the latter of which had by this time plunged into her 
 studies with a zest that promised great results. She had recovered 
 her buoyant spirits and even gained more flesh than she had lost, 
 and when Mr. Fox told her how proud he was of her on account of 
 Mr. Goodman s praise, a perfect radiance lit up her countenance. 
 Besides, she thought she .noticed a change in Mrs. Fox s conduct 
 toward her, and the hope of sooner or later gaining her love con 
 tributed much to her present happiness. 
 
 Now, however, they had all left, and Dolores shared the com 
 pany of the minister and his sister. True, the parting from her 
 foster-father had made her sad ; but she had already learned to love 
 and respect her new friends by that time, and the assurance of an 
 -early reunion would not suffer her to be dejected any length of 
 time. Indeed, she had no leisure for sadness. Her studies were so 
 interesting, and nature, in spite of the lateness of the season, was 
 so beautiful ! In fact, its beauty had rather increased than dimin 
 ished, for Jack Frost had already at nights bitten the leaves of the 
 trees and thus clothed them in their magnificent dresses of gold and 
 scarlet and purple and brown. They were evidently enjoying their 
 carnival before a long winter. 
 
DOLORES. 75 
 
 The nuts were ripe, and in spare hours Dolores, in the company 
 of gallant Charles Fuchs, would scour the woods and return with 
 heavy baskets full of the precious fruit that was to shorten the long 
 evening hours of winter. The intimacy between the pair, which a 
 similar disposition had created, had been enhanced by the pursuit 
 of kindred studies. True, Charles was far in advance of Dolores, 
 but they had the same teacher, studied in the same room, and, what 
 was more, possessed the same thirst for knowledge. It was really 
 wonderful to see what progress Dolores made. The child did not 
 appear to acquire by any effort : the knowledge seemed to lie within 
 her, and only to require the touch of the teacher s magic wand to 
 spring into sight. To say that Mr. Goodman was surprised would 
 hardly describe that gentleman s emotion. He was amazed ; he did 
 not understand it, but could only second Mr. Fox s statement when 
 that gentleman had said : "It lies within her ; she is as good as 
 wise, a perfect little wonder." Yet she was childlike withal, not 
 one of your precocious creatures whose maturity is produced by the 
 sting of the worm eating its way to the core. Her amiability cap 
 tivated all with whom she came in contact, and Charles, who had 
 no sisters, doted upon her with the fondness of a brother. Though 
 reserved and even somewhat domineering to other children, includ 
 ing Henry the consequence of the homage involuntarily paid by 
 inferior minds to those superior he was all gentleness and atten 
 tion to Dolores, humoring her wishes and even guessing those she 
 hesitated to express. 
 
 Thus far they had not found a chance to carry out the long 
 cherished plan of a sailing excursion in Charlie s boat ; but as the 
 season was getting late, bringing squally weather and sudden 
 changes, they agreed that the next fair day should be made a holi 
 day and devoted to that purpose So when one Saturday morning 
 the sun rose in a spotless sky, with merely a gentle breeze creating 
 a rustle in the leaves, Charles and Henry appeared at the parsonage 
 dressed in their sailor suits and summoned Dolores to prepare for 
 the trip without delay. The child required no urging ; in ten min 
 utes she stood before her friends ready to receive M iss Sarah s warn 
 ings to be cautious and the large basket containing all the dainties 
 that were to grace the voyage. 
 
76 DOLORES. 
 
 "Do, child, be careful, now," she enjoined for the thirtieth 
 time, " and you, Charles, take good care of her, my lad." 
 
 "Never fear, Miss Sarah. You know I would not for the 
 world expose Dolores, so rest easy on that score. But now we must 
 depart or noon will be upon us before we know it. Good bye, Miss 
 Sarah." 
 
 So off they went, taking with them the best wishes of the par 
 son and his sister. The walk to the bay consumed only a few min 
 utes, and was soon accomplished by these young elastic feet. Now 
 they reached the boat, and Dolores was helped in and the basket 
 with the provisions deposited in a locker at the stern, the cover of 
 which served as a seat. Next Charles jumped in, erecting the mast 
 and getting the sail in order, while Henry loosened the chain, ready 
 to drop it and follow his brother into the boat. 
 
 "All right !" cries Charles, a spring of Henry and the sail be 
 gins to fill and propel the light vessel over the water. Charles sits 
 at the stern, with one hand handling the rudder and with the other 
 the line that regulates the sail. Henry is in the bow watching for 
 his brother s words of command and ready to execute them on the 
 spot. At Charles side sits Dolores with fluttering heart, all excite 
 ment at the novelty of the amusement, but not yet all delight. 
 Charles laughs at her, when she seizes his arm with a nervous grasp 
 at any sudden turn of the boat, but soon she gets used to its motions 
 and then no longer furnishes material for merriment. Her fear 
 subsides ; but her excitement remaining, assumes the character of 
 pure delight. Now leaning overboard and letting her fingers trail 
 through the water, now clasping her hands in ecstacy over some 
 new point of beauty revealing itself to her eye ; now laughing at 
 Charles quaint remarks or amusing the boys in return by those of 
 her own invention, she was the very picture of happiness and as 
 sumed a radiant beauty such as Charles had never noticed in her 
 before. 
 
 "Dolores," he said, smiling, " I really think the water is your 
 element. I shouldn t wonder much to see you suddenly change into 
 a water fairy and return to the element from which you may have 
 been taken merely by mistake." 
 
 " Why, Charles, yes, that would be fun. To live down there 
 
DOLORES. 77 
 
 among the pretty fishes, in palaces of corals and seaweeds; wouldn t 
 it be splendid ? " 
 
 " I don t know about that, Dol. I haven t much of a taste for 
 brine as a beverage." 
 
 " Oh ! water fairies don t drink salt water, Charles. They live 
 on goldfish and sea stars, you know." 
 
 I don t know whether I should like them any better." 
 
 "Oh, you are hard to please, Charles. I know your mother 
 spoils you with all the dainties she cooks and bakes for you. But 
 I do say it would be fun to live down there and surprise you when 
 sailing in your boat by diving from tjje water." 
 
 " Well, Dol, it might be fun for you, but then what should we 
 do without you ? Miss Sarah would make a pretty fuss indeed on 
 learning that you had turned into a sprite." 
 
 " Why, yes, I see it wouldn t answer at all, Charles. Miss Sarah 
 might miss me, and Mr. Fox surely would. So I won t dive for a 
 while. But Charles, what are you doing ? Aint we going too far 
 from shore ? * 
 
 " Why, no, that is the fun. I see the wind is getting favorable 
 for a good cruise, and 1 am bound to show you the sailing qualities 
 of the Mermaid." 
 
 Dolores had implicit faith in her companion s skill and strength, 
 so she acquiesced in his decision, and instead of fretting abandoned 
 herself to a full enjoyment of the hour. Receiving the wind from 
 the rear at an obtuse angle with her course the boat cut the waves 
 with the rapidity of the seabird and thereby created in the bosom 
 of the girl the pleasure always engendered by rapid motion. Her 
 curls fluttering in the wind, her eyes dilated, her mouth drinking 
 eagerly the bracing air, she reveled in the beauties of the ocean 
 with an abandonment which pleased and flattered Charles. It was 
 he that had procured this recreation for Dolores, and he was grati 
 fied to see her so delighted. Since the above remarks no words had 
 been exchanged between the trio ; they seemed too happy to speak 
 much, thus verifying the truth that great bliss inclines to pensive- 
 ness rather than boisterous mirth. At last Dolores remarked : 
 
 " Charles, you promised the other day to tell me some beautiful 
 fairy tale ; supposing you do it now. I think it would be doubly 
 delightful on the sea." 
 
78 DOLORES. 
 
 " Perhaps you are right, Dolores, but I wish you knew German; 
 the tales I know are German tales, and they sound much prettier 
 in that language than in any other." 
 
 11 German ? Yes, you told me your parents are German, com 
 ing from a beautiful country beyond the sea. I wish I knew Ger 
 man." 
 
 " So do I, Dolores ; it would give you access to so many beau 
 tiful books." 
 
 "Is it very hard to learn ?" 
 
 " It is not very easy, Dol, but you could learn it easily enough." 
 
 * Would you teach me, Charles ?" 
 
 " Of course I would. Strange that I never thought of this be 
 fore." 
 
 " Why no, Charles, it is not so very strange. We haven t 
 known one another so long yet." 
 
 " I know, Dol, we haven t ; but still it seems to me as if I had 
 known you all the while." 
 
 " And so it seems to me, Charles. I suppose it is because- we 
 are such very good friends together. But as to German, tell me 
 the name of one of your stories in German." 
 
 " Oh ! Dol, there are so many of them that it is hard to pick. 
 There is for instance Dornroeschen. " 
 
 " Doruroeschen ? " Dolores said with an accent as correct as if 
 she had spoken German all her life, " why that is not hard to un. 
 derstand, it sounds familiar to me, say doesn t it mean as much as 
 BriarroseT" 
 
 " Of course it does," Charles said with a look of surprise ; "Dol, 
 you are a strange girl, I never saw one like you before." 
 
 "Why am I strange, Charles?" 
 
 "Because you know everything beforehand. Mr. Goodman 
 says you do and you will soon excel me, if I don t look out, he 
 says." 
 
 Pshaw ! Charlie, you are making fun of me." 
 
 " Not the least, Dolores. You are a strange girl and I shouldn t 
 at all wonder to see you turn into a mermaid in good earnest." 
 
 " I like that word Dornroeschen, said Dolores abruptly, as if 
 she wanted to change the conversation; "but I should like to know 
 some more, try me on another name." 
 
DOLORES. 79 
 
 " Schneeivitchen then." 
 
 "Oh, you take easy ones. Everybody might know that that 
 means snowwhite." 
 
 " No, indeed, everybody wouldn t, for everybody isn t Dolores. 
 But here is another. 
 " Aschenpuddel" 
 
 11 Why that is some one who puddles in the ashes. If German 
 is no harder than that I ll soon know it." 
 
 "I shouldn t wonder if you knew it now," the boy replied . 
 Listen and see whether you don t." 
 
 And then he began the pretty story of Briarrose in his mother s 
 tongue which I shall not repeat here. On the one hand it is fa 
 miliar to almost every body; on the other I am afraid but few of 
 my readers would understand it ; for with all due respect to them 
 in regard to the German language, I think with Charlie that they 
 would not all of them be like Doloros. 
 
 AVhile Charlie spoke, and at the same time keenly eyed her, 
 Dolores sat like one dreaming. It was evident from the expression 
 of her face, which varied with the modulations of the story, that 
 the words beat not meaningless against her ear but reached the 
 seat of understanding, but it was clear at the same time that the 
 impression was by no means distinct and well defined. The girl 
 listened more with her instinct, as it were, than with her reason, 
 or rather like one that listens to something far away and, in spite 
 of strenuous efforts, only succeeds in getting a faint idea of the 
 meaning. Nevertheless, when Dolores related to Charles the story 
 as she had understood it, he was so astonished that he was scarcely 
 able to tell her so. 
 
 " Dolores, you are making fun of me now ?" he said positively. 
 "You do understand German." 
 
 "If I do, I didn t know it." 
 
 < < Were you ever in Germany ?" 
 
 I was not, Charlie." 
 
 "But you were with Germans in this country ?" 
 
 ".I may have been, Charlie, but never long, at least I do not 
 recollect of ever hearing words like those you spoke before." 
 
 " Your father came from Italy ?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
80 DOLORES. 
 
 u And your mother ?" 
 
 Came from there too, for all I know." 
 
 " Wonderful, wonderful !" he muttered and for a while he be 
 came very silent, evidently turning this enigma over and over in 
 his mind without finding a solution. From this silence his brother s 
 voice roused him.. 
 
 "Charles," he said, " if you want to go to the cemetery to-day, 
 it is time to shift. It is past twelve and we have a long ways to go 
 ^there." 
 
 Charles looked at the sun and nodded. 
 
 "You are right, Henry," he replied. " I had got into a brown 
 study." 
 
 The sail was shifted and the boat obeying the new impulse, no 
 longer stood into the sea, but in a diagonal line approached the 
 shore in a northwestern direction. They might there be about two 
 miles frome the coast and from the course of the boat Dolores 
 judged that they would strike land about the same distance north 
 of the harbor from which they had started. The name cemetery 
 had struck the girl and after pondering upon its possible meaning 
 in this connection, she at last inquired : 
 
 " Henry spoke about a cemetery. I wasn t aware that there is 
 a place of that kind at the coast about here." 
 
 " There isn t either, Dol. Only the people call it so from the 
 many rocks which stand in the water tombstone fashion." 
 
 " O, yes, I recollect now. Miss Sarah spoke about such a place 
 the other day, saying it was haunted." 
 
 " You know what that means, Dol ?" 
 
 "Of course, I do, though I don t believe in it. It means that 
 it is visited by ghosts." 
 
 " Ain t you afraid of ghosts, Dol ?" 
 
 Not a bit, Charlie, for there ain t any." 
 
 "Well, I don t know, some say there ain t, but others swear 
 there are and that they have seen them. I hope you are not afraid 
 to go to such a place ?" 
 
 "No, Charlie, I am not," the girl said so quietly that the boy 
 had no reason to doubt her word, and therefore continued to hold 
 his boat in a position that would effect his purpose. 
 "I have my special reason, Dol, to go to the cemetery," he 
 
DOLORES. 81 
 
 said. "I have been told that there is an eagle s nest somewhere up 
 there and I shall try to get the young ones." 
 
 " You haven t been there then lately, Charlie ?" 
 
 "No, Dol, to tell the truth, I have never been there yet." 
 
 " Why, that is funny ; you ain t afraid?" 
 
 " Of course I am not, but other people are, you know." 
 
 He winked at his brother. 
 
 " You mean Henry is ? But that need not keep you away." 
 
 I know, but mother is afraid and she always made me promise 
 not to go." 
 
 "And you would disobey her today, Charles?" the girl said 
 with a touch of reproach. 
 
 "No, not exactly, Dol. The truth is she didn t make me 
 promise to-day." 
 
 " Perhaps she forgot." 
 
 "May be she did, Dol," he said with a laugh, "but that is her 
 lookout and not mine, you know. I am bound to benefit by the 
 chance and try for the eagles. But Henry, what is the matter? 
 What are you doing ?" 
 
 " Getting,my fishing tackle ready. Charlie. I promised mother 
 some fish and want you to put me off on the rocky island. You 
 know they bite well there, and when you come back, I expect to 
 have more than mother wants." 
 
 " What a thoughtful and dutiful son ! Charles exclaimed with 
 a touch of sarcasm and a wink at Dolores. " Henry isn t a bit 
 afraid, not he. But then mother wants fish, you know, and so he 
 can t visit the cemetery." 
 
 Henry colored slightly, and the glance he cast at his brother 
 was anything but friendly. But when Dolores laughed he joined 
 in the chorus, probably thinking thatt i was the best thing he 
 could do. Nothing more was said about his motives, but Charles 
 resumed : 
 
 Dol, the rocky island is well worth seeing, and as it is noon 
 and time to think of dinner, we may as well cast anchor there and 
 take our meal on terra firma." 
 
 This proposition was agreed to and the course continued. By 
 this time the characteristic features of the coast began to show 
 themselves. While the main shore rose in high crags of more than 
 
82 DOLORES. 
 
 one hundred feet almost perpendicularly, masses of scattered rocks 
 from five to ten feet high at the time of the tide rose from the 
 water, resembling to a certain degre the tombstones of a graveyard 
 especially when seen from the distance, and thus justifying the 
 popular appellation of the cemetery, which, as above mentioned, 
 had been bestowed upon it by the country people. Being of lime 
 stone, the rocks by their whitish color strengthened the impression. 
 Near the coast they gradually grew higher, thereby creating the 
 idea that the graveyard was situated on a hillside, exposing to gaze 
 almost every monument. The flat rock which Harry had honored 
 with the name of island was the only exception from the general 
 rule, in as far as it had not the shape of a thin pillar, but of a 
 table rock some three feet above water at ordinary tide and about 
 twenty feet square. It was a short distance from the other rocks, 
 appearing to stand to them in the same relation of forerunner which 
 they themselves sustained to the main shore The water around 
 this island was deep and free from reefs and, as an iron ring had 
 been rivited in the rock, our travellers found no difficulty in 
 fastening their boat to the island. 
 
 "In the name of my sovereign queen, Dolores *di Gatana, I 
 take possession of this island," Charles said with a laugh, springing 
 on the rock and swinging his straw hat. Then turning to the boat 
 he bowed with mock reverence and said : 
 
 " Does it please your majesty to dine on her newly gained soil 
 roc/: I meant to say or does she prefer the shadow of the sail ?" 
 
 "The sail will be more acceptable for the repast," Dolores said 
 with graceful condescension, happily imitating the style of her 
 friend ; "but I must confess that I am well inclined to pay a visit 
 to this land of mine, to acquaint myself with its manners and cus 
 toms and to let the sun of my royal grace shine upon its inhabit 
 ants. Stewart, you will in my absence make due preparations for 
 a pleasant meal, for it pleases my royal stomach to share the weak 
 ness of common mortals, so vulgarly called hunger. And now, 
 Sir Chamberlain, if you will reach me your loyal right I shall en 
 deavor to ascend my rocky realm." 
 
 Charles in silence did her bidding. He had made up his mind 
 hence not to wonder at anything he might see in this little creature ; 
 for the grace and dignity with which she spoke was truly marvel- 
 
DOLORES. 83 
 
 ous and would have done credit to any real princess. Walking 
 around on the rock the pair enjoyed the beauty of the scenery, 
 especially the view on the rocks which from that spot was really 
 grand. The white pillars looming from the deep with their bases 
 washed by the rippling waves, offering a great variety in their fan 
 tastic forms, rising gradually to the height of the crags composing 
 the shore ; here and there crowding closely together, while at other 
 places they allowed room for little basins, whose watery bottom, 
 however, remained invisible. These pillars, I say, were well worth 
 examining, and Charles and Dolores hastened to their meal in or 
 der to be able to commence their exploring expedition as soon as 
 possible. 
 
 Henry had already brought forth the basket with the eatables 
 of Miss Sarah s concoction, and their savory nature in connection 
 with the good appetite of the adventurers made them disappear fast. 
 
 When they had finished, Henry took his tackle, jumped on the 
 rock and loosening the rope allowed the boat to yield to the pres 
 sure of the tide which was near its height and gently carried the 
 boat towards the rocks. The sail had been furled and the mast 
 taken down, because they were of no benefit amongst the crags, 
 and a pair of oars in the hands of Charles were used to propel the 
 boat instead. The young man handled them with exemplary skill ; 
 but before entering the labyrinth he stopped a moment. 
 
 " Henry," he said, "hadn t you better come along? We may 
 be hours in returning, and in case of ennui you d have no means 
 of reaching the shore without us." 
 
 " Never mind, Charles; you know I am fond ef fishing and 
 shall think the hours too short, if anything." 
 
 "But, Henry, we might be prevented from returning at all by 
 getting entangled in one of these many channels." 
 
 " That wouldn t better my case much, Charlie," Henry said 
 laughing, "on the contrary, under such circumstances I could bene 
 fit you instead of being benefitted. Mother knows that I meant to 
 fish here ; if we are not back at dusk, she ll cause a boat to come in 
 search of us." 
 
 "Well, as you please. May be you are right. Good-bye, 
 Henry, and much pleasure to you." 
 
 Henry s "likewise" was still echoing among the rocks when the 
 
M DOLORES 
 
 boat had already turned the corner and gone out of >ight. Thev 
 s\\am in :i channel or lather a innltitiulo of channels which were 
 so like one another that stranger- fouiul great ditlieulty in distin- 
 gui-hing the right one. Charles noticed this from the first aiul 
 with a readiness and circumspection which wouKl have done credit 
 to a navigator of experience, lie improsed certain features of the 
 rocks around him on his mind. Still this was all he could do, ami 
 so he begged Polore.- to keep a lookout for game, laying his gun 
 in reach of his hand, in case an eagle or other bird should pre-eut 
 itself. Dolores would have liked to Uno\\ more about the -torv of 
 this siranire phuv, since Charles had intimated that he was acquaint 
 ed \\iih it : but siviujr that he was too bu-y to narrate it just then, 
 sle curbed her cnrio-ity and, waiti;\r i\>r a favorable opportunity, 
 eagerly sent her eyes around in search of pi me Nothing. ho\v- 
 . would pre-cut it>elf and the >olemu silence of the plaee. rath 
 er deepeueil than broken by the rippling of the water or the clash 
 ing of the oars, fell like a damper upon the piy spirit of the girl. 
 At one of those ba-ins 1 have mentioned Tharle- stopped his boat 
 and -aid : 
 
 6 . I VI ; here let n- halt a while and look around us. This 
 basin mu>t >er\c us as a landmark to shape our course : if we for 
 get our entrance m\ \\hole trouble will be in vain. IKiyousee 
 these t\\o nu*ks together looking like a pair^of weather beaten >alt> 
 in their overalls? \ erv well : our channel lies between them. 
 V \\ for our next Mop-. It is hard to >ay in w hich direction the 
 shore lie>. Thoe reck- are getting so high that they exclude the 
 sight of everything, even that of the sun." 
 
 " Hut not their shallow." IVlorc- -uu U ^teil. 
 
 rharles started. 
 
 " Pol. yvui are a jewel." he said. M the -martest little thing that 
 6V6T WOT6 skirta You think t>f things that escaped this bhvk- 
 heail of mine. To the deuce with all my measure- of precaution. 
 If on returning we can t see the sun. the shadow will indicate our 
 course." 
 
 Hut the sky may cloud up. 
 
 "Oh well, the world may perish, for that matter; one mustn t 
 al\\a\ < expect the worst." 
 
DOLORKS. 85 
 
 So they went on, directing their course by keeping the sunlit 
 side of the rocks to their right. 
 
 Can t you tell me now what the people say about this place, 
 Charlie?" Dolores inquired. 
 
 " Why yes, 1 may as well ; it isn t much though and nonsense 
 at (test. Thi story goes that ninny years ago a pirate frequented 
 this place, hiding his vessel and his treasures in some cave in the 
 crags. ( )ne dav, while on sea, he fell in with a man-of-war that 
 had been in search of him. It was too late to run away, and more 
 over the pirate was not much inclined to run. So in spite of heavy 
 odds against hinf he accepted light and skillfully baffled all the ef 
 forts of his foes to take him. At last, however, his masts were shot 
 a\\a\ ; the ship became unmanagable and the crew of the man-of- 
 war succeeded in boarding his vessel. Then a dreadful hand-to- 
 hand tight ensued in which no quarter was given on either side. 
 The pirates fought with dcsparation, their captain at their head ; 
 they never yielded ; until, receiving the mortal wound, they would 
 fall on the deck never to arise. At last the captain alone was left. 
 Seeing his comrades dead, he beneiitted by the dusk of evening 
 which in the meantime had crept upon the vessels, and jumping 
 into the sea, succeeded in reaching a little boat that had been trail 
 ing behind the vessel at the beginning of the fight. Cutting the 
 rope, he managed to get away from the ships and by means of a 
 pair of oars the bree/e and the tide, soon reached the neighboring 
 shore and his hiding place. But he was go much exhausted that 
 he fell upon the ground in a tit of fainting, never to awaken again. 
 The wounds he had received in the fight, though not mortal in 
 themselves, had become fatal in consequence of the loss of blood. 
 Slowly but surely the Hood of life was ooxing out, until at last the 
 vital spark became extinct and the wicked but brave buccaneer 
 lay a corpse upon the beach that hid his treasures." 
 
 "That story makes me shudder, Charlie," Dolores said after a 
 pause, "but yet I like it. Does the story not tell the pirate s name?" 
 
 " It does," he replied with a light hesitancy, "it calls him Fox." 
 
 " Fox ? why, it is funny he should be called like my father." 
 
 "It is, Dol, and what is queerer yet, malignant tongues whisper 
 of a relationship between the pirate and the family of the man 
 sion. But this is all nonsense of course. I don t believe the part 
 
86 DOLORES. 
 
 relating to the man s existence, much less that one connecting him 
 with our Mr. Fox." 
 
 " Nor I, Charlie," she said with indignation. "To think of it ! 
 My good foster-father the relation of a bloodthirsty pirate !" 
 
 It isn t likely, Dol ; tho stranger things have happened for 
 that matter. But here is another basin and let me see yes, 
 surely that is the shore. Do you see how the crags are hanging 
 together on top ?" 
 
 "Yes, Charlie ; but at the bottom are large fissures. May be 
 we can pass through." 
 
 " I ll soon find out, Dol. Look out, that you don t strike your 
 head against some projecting edge. But what is this ? Oh, Dol, 
 how beautiful !" 
 
 This exclamation was drawn from him by the strange beauty of 
 the place which they had reached on passing through the fissure. 
 The sky was no longer over head ; but a dome-like vault of lime 
 stone rock loomed more than fifty feet above instead. Narrow fis 
 sures on the sides and the top admitted the rays of the sun which, 
 flitting like as many streaks of gold through the vault, lit up the 
 space with a colored light of a subdued brightness. The bottom 
 consisted partly of water, partly of snow-white sand on which in 
 one corner several bones and a scull became visible. On the right 
 the water entered into another fissure naturally suggesting the idea 
 that the cave continued on that side. The place was extremely 
 beautiful, though showing a beauty in which the august and even 
 awful predominated. 
 
 When Charles had uttered the above exclamation, the boat 
 grated on the sand and with the impulse of the last stroke glided 
 far enough up to remain fastened. Charles sprang on shore and 
 reaching his hand to Dolores, assisted her in also gaining the 
 ground. They looked around like bewildered, and when they no 
 ticed the bones the girl drew nearer to her companion. 
 
 "The pirate s cave !" she cried half loud. 
 
 " Yes, and his skeleton," he replied. " I begin to believe that 
 there is something in the story after all. But isn t that lovely ? 
 I could almost fancy a freebooter s life with such an abode to dwell 
 in." 
 
DOLORES. 87 
 
 "And such a death to die," Dolores said ; "no, Charlie, you 
 would do no such thing." 
 
 " May be, I wouldn t, Dol," he said laughing, "but if the story 
 Is true so far, may be that part about the fellow s treasures is also 
 correct. We must bring a psck and shovel to dig for them." 
 
 The girl shuddered. 
 
 "I wouldn t want money to which the blood of poor murdered 
 people is sticking," she said. " Come, Charlie, let us leave this 
 place ; it makes a person feel so wild and wicked." 
 
 "Little goosy !" he said with a laugh, " you wild and wicked? 
 I defy any place to make you wicked." 
 
 " Well, I .don t care, I am afraid and wish to leave." 
 
 "If that is so, I suppose I ll have to humor you. But before 
 we go let me examine that fissure just for a moment. You see 
 there is a strip of dry sand along the water which will enable us to 
 pass with dry feet." 
 
 She yielded with evident reluctance ; but his ardent desire of 
 farther discoveries made him for once disregard her wishes. Taking 
 his shot-gun on his shoulder and extending his hand to his com 
 panion, he walked with her towards the fissure mentioned, and fol 
 lowing the strip of dry sand soon reached another cave of smaller 
 dimensions but similar character which, however, was much more 
 poorly lit up. In fact, so somber was the vault that Charles with 
 his feet struck against an object which his eyes had failed to dis 
 cover. 
 
 "That sounds like wood, Dol," he said, relinquishing her hand 
 for a moment in order to ascertain the nature of his discovery. 
 
 " Indeed, it is a box and a heavy one too," he continued in an 
 excited manner. "Dol, this is an adventure. If this box should 
 contain gold !" 
 
 " Give me your hand, Charlie, and let us go," Dolores said with 
 a tone of urging supplication. You know I am no coward ; but 
 here my heart is failing me. I feel as if some evil thing will hap 
 pen us." 
 
 "Very well, Dol/ he answered soothingly, "Til not press the 
 matter now. The discovery may suffice for to-day and its develop 
 ment be left to another time. Come, let us return." 
 
 Suiting the action to his words he entered the passage with 
 
88 DOLORES. 
 
 Dolores, when all at once the sounds of oars striking the water, 
 mixed with guarded voices of men fell upon their ears. They 
 stopped and Charles felt the hand of Dolores tightening around 
 his own. 
 
 "I knew it," she said with a whisper, "I knew that something 
 would befall us. If you had only minded my warning." 
 
 " Your warning would have been too late, child. But I don t 
 believe in danger yet. "We shall most likely meet another com 
 pany of visitors ; though I didn t think that the cemetery was so 
 much frequented. But hush, the re coming." 
 
 Remaining in the fissure they now heard the noise getting more 
 distinct every moment, and at last saw a large boat with some eight 
 or ten men gliding into the first vault. There were several boxes 
 in the boat ; but Charles had not much time to examine them, for 
 no sooner had the new comers seen the boat on the sand, when all 
 of them uttered loud exclamations of surprise mixed with copious 
 curses. 
 
 "H 1 and damnation !" cried one of them who seemed to be 
 their leader, at the same time springing on the sandy bottom, 
 "what does this signify ? An intruder in our cave? "Where is he 
 that I may send him to the fishes of the sea, for surely he ll not 
 leave this place alive." 
 
 His companions followed him, making boisterous demonstra 
 tions of their indignation and swearing numerous oaths, reiterating 
 the declaration of their leader to at once dispatch the intruder or 
 intruders. 
 
 This was a trying moment for our young friends and if they 
 had yielded to their fear and thrown themselves with cries and 
 lamentations at the feet of the men who so. fearfully threatened 
 their lives, we would have no reason to be at all surprised. Still 
 they did not and those expecting great things from Charles Fuchs 
 uncommon qualities would not have been disappointed if they could 
 have witnessed his conduct. 
 
 " Back into the cave," he whispered to the girl, " you are not 
 safe hsre ; I ll guard the entrance." 
 
 Urging her back with his hand, he expected to have her follow 
 his injunctions, although he had no time to convince himself, for 
 the strangers finding the first cave empty were already hastening 
 
DOLORES. 89 
 
 towards the second. Charles had not a moment to lose. Causing 
 the muzzle of his gun to become visible to the eyes of the approach 
 ing party, he cried with a loud voice : 
 
 "Back!" 
 
 The sound breaking against the rocky walls filled the grotto 
 with an uproar truly startling. It accomplished its object, however, 
 for the men made a dead stop, probably more affected by surprise 
 than fear. 
 
 "Who ventures to impede our progress ?" the leader inquired 
 while the others preserved an expectant silence. 
 
 " One who has the power to enforce his dictates. One more 
 step and I shall order my companions to fire." 
 
 " But who are you, and what are you doing in there ?" 
 
 " As to the first question, I must refuse to gratify your curiosi 
 ty. As to the second you may know we came by ch -- ^e." 
 
 " Then you know nothing of the cave ?" 
 
 " Nothing but the idle rumor in the mouth of the people." 
 
 " But we cannot allow you to return. If you do not surrender 
 all at once we shall attack you and shoot you down like dogs." 
 
 " It takes two to make a bargain. We shall defend our lives 
 as well as we can." 
 
 The intrepid tone in which this was said did not fail to impress 
 the men. The passage was narrow and only to be affected in 
 single file. They did not know how large the party in the second 
 cave might be, and, taking all things into consideration, the attack 
 which the leader had threatened was a pretty risky affair. Putting 
 their heads together the men seemed to deliberate on the best 
 course to pursue ; but before they had come to a conclusion, the 
 voice from the passage attracted their attention. 
 
 " We don t know 7 who you are," it said, "nor do we care to learn 
 it. \\ T e are not interested in this cave and were brought here by 
 the merest chance. Now under these circumstances, I should think 
 we could come to an understanding, which would on the one hand 
 secure your secret and on the other our retreat." 
 
 " How would you secure our secret," the leader of the strangers 
 replied. 
 
 " By swearing to respect it." 
 
 What security would you give us for keeping your oath ?" 
 
90 DOLORES. 
 
 1 1 That proposal could hardly satisfy us." 
 
 Well to get away from here we would have to confide in your 
 oath, why shouldn t you trust us as much ?" 
 
 " That is you mean that we should swear to let you go in case 
 you could satisfy us as to your discretion." 
 
 " Exactly. Under no other circumstances could we consent to 
 surrender ourselves to your mercy." 
 
 " Well, I think we must decline that offer. It will be much 
 easier to starve you out and thas compel your surrender without 
 condition." 
 
 " You forget some circumstances calculated to interfere with 
 that arrangement." 
 
 " And which ones, pray ?" 
 
 First, you leave out of your calculation the fact that while we 
 are protected from your attacks, a guard of yours would be subject 
 to our bullf 
 
 "Ah, indeed ! And the other circumstance?" 
 
 " Pome of our party are .on the ocean fishing. They know that 
 we intended to visit the cemetery, and if we don t return by sunset, 
 they will surely come out here with a force to trace us." 
 
 The other suffered an imprecation to slip through his lips. 
 
 " You see that to blocade us, instead of securing your secret, 
 would only endanger it the more," the voice from the passage pro 
 ceeded. 
 
 "Curse you and the whole of them," the speaker said savagely 
 " What business had you to put your saucy face into a pie that 
 don t concern you ?" 
 
 " We had no idea of meeting you or anybody here." 
 
 Again the men put their heads together for a consultation. 
 After a few minutes they seemed to have come to resolution, for 
 the leader turning towards the fissure said : 
 
 "My friends have authorized me to accept your proposition. 
 So you may come out and give your pledge." 
 
 " Not unless you swear to let us go unobstructed." Raise your 
 hands and speak as I speak." 
 
 The men did his bidding and faithfully repeated the oath by 
 which they bound themselves not to do any injury to such party 
 or parties occupying at that moment the inner cave, or to obstruct 
 
DOLORES. 91 
 
 their departure. This being done Charles stepped boldly into their 
 presence leading by the hand his trembling companion. The men 
 looked blank. Was this the formidable party that threatened their 
 destruction in case of attack ? They had been sold by a boy, but 
 while they felt mortified at this humiliation, they could not help 
 admiring the fortitude and cunning with which one so young had 
 averted a fearful destiny. 
 
 " Is that your whole party ?" the leader inquii ed in a tone hold 
 ing the middle between a scowl and a laugh. 
 
 " The whole party in the cave, yes, sir." 
 
 " And you are not afraid that we will punish you for your de 
 ception ?" 
 
 " You forget your oath, sir. Besides I do not recollect of hav 
 ing deceived you." 
 
 "You spoke of an outside party." 
 
 " I spoke the truth. If we are here detained there will be 
 many persons out this very evening to search for us, and it would 
 certainly be strange if they should miss the cave." 
 
 "You may be right, sir ; but even if we could trust you on 
 your oath, this little girl will surely tell on us." 
 
 "]So, I will not, sir," Dolores answered, conquering her fear 
 and stepping forward. " You can trust me as safely as Charlie. 
 Indeed I am no tattle tale." 
 
 " I ll answer for Dolores," Charles now remarked. "She is no 
 common child and what she says she will faithfully adhere to." 
 
 " She looks like it," the man resumed. " At any rate we have 
 to run the risk. What is her name, sir ?" 
 
 " Dolores di Gatana." 
 
 "That is an outlandish name. Where does she reside " 
 
 At the mansion in the village with Mr. Fox." 
 
 The man cast a significant look at his comrades. 
 
 " And your name ?" he inquired. 
 
 " Charles Fuchs, of the same place." 
 
 "Very well, Charles Fuchs, I shall note these names and if ever 
 we learn that you have violated your pledge you will learn at your 
 cost that we cannot be safely trifled with. And now you both 
 solemnly swear that for two years you will neither return to this 
 place nor tell any human soul about its existence." 
 
92 DOLORES. 
 
 " We do," the pair responded. 
 
 " Well, in that case you may go. I trust that a lad who has 
 shown such self control and sagacity beyond his years will show 
 himself as trustworthy as he was prudent." 
 
 "You may rely upon it," Charles replied and then helping 
 Dolores into the boat and taking a seat in it himself, propelled the 
 vessel from a place which had very nearly become fatal to them. 
 They remained silent for a few minutes, but Charles had too 
 bouyant a spirit to remain dejected long, so he roused himself say 
 ing: 
 
 " Well Dol, that was a real adventure wasn t it?" 
 
 "I don t like adventures, Charlie," Dolores said with a shake 
 of her head, her natural cheerfulness still battling with the depres 
 sion her nerves had experienced in consequence of the late exciting 
 ordeal. " They are much nicer to read about than to go through. 
 Please do row fast so as to get away from those savage men. They 
 must be pirates surely." 
 
 " Hardly, Dol, or we should have heard of depredations on the 
 coast." 
 
 " Why then should they hide in caves and fear to be dis 
 covered ?" 
 
 "They may have many reasons, for what I know. They may 
 be smugglers for instance." 
 
 " Is smuggling so dangerous ?" 
 
 " It is punished with fines and imprisonment. But, Dol, what 
 is this ? We have lost our way ; this is not the channel in which 
 we came, it is much wider." 
 
 "Bo it is, Charlie, and there is the cave again. Oh ! quick ! 
 let us get away from the ugly place." 
 
 " Charles in his excitement for we imagine that even his pulse 
 had beaten with increased rapidity had evidently missed the right 
 direction and described a curve, had returned to the basin before 
 the cave. Fearing to fare worse in a second contact with the party 
 in the cave he rowed away as fast as he could, choosing the wide 
 channel on account of the greater chance for speed it ottered. But 
 he had hardly gone over the space of a few hundred yards when an 
 exclamation of Dolores caused him to cease rowing and to turn 
 around. There at a distance of not more than a hundred feet lay 
 
DOLORES. 93 
 
 a small brig barely visible through the fissures and intervals of the 
 rocks, which at that place were densely planted. A boat like that 
 which the two had seen in the cave was lying at the side of the ves 
 sel, and a party of men were busily engaged in loading it with 
 boxes by means of a pulley which was fastened to the end of the 
 main sail-yard. Fortunately the men were too busy with their 
 work to notice the pair in the boat, and Charles soon succeeded in 
 gaining a point where they were secure against discovery. 
 
 " The plot thickens, Dol," the lad said with a puzzled counte 
 nance, but I feel pretty sure now that my guess was correct." 
 
 "What guess, Charlie?" 
 
 "That the men in the cave are smugglers." 
 
 " But what should they smuggle at this point?" 
 
 That s what puzzles me. If they only hadn t secured our si 
 lence by making us swear, I d soon smoke them out and know all 
 about it." <**., 
 
 Another exclamation or the girl caused another stoppage of the 
 lad s labor. Turning around he saw before him an avenue of con 
 siderable width, at the end of which was the sea. This avenue, 
 however, was not open but closed by a large number of rocks which 
 stood there even more densely than at most other places, just as if 
 nature had intended to hide this easy access to the harbor where the 
 brig was riding at anchor. The outlet was on the left hand side, 
 hardly visible from the ocean, because guarded by various groups 
 of rocky pillars which concealed the entrance without impeding it. 
 Through the intervals of the closing palisades they saw 7 the rocky 
 island and on it the figure of Henry who was deeply engrossed with 
 this sport. AVhen they first discovered him he was just engaged in 
 hauling up a fish, and Dolores requested her companion to take her 
 out at once, because she wanted to see the sport. Turning the cor 
 ner the boat soon swam on the open sea, loudly welcomed by the 
 boy on the rock, who in spite of his entertaining pastime was evi 
 dently glad to see the adventurers safely return from a place so 
 badly reputed in the village. Seeing his brother without any booty 
 he laughed and said, triumphantly: 
 
 "Where are the eagles, Charles ? Wouldn t the ghost allow you 
 to take them away ? May be I chose the better part this time ; for 
 
94 DOLORES. 
 
 look at the fish I caught in the meantime. Did you ever see more 
 splendid fellows ? 
 
 Charles and Dolores could not help admiring the really fine fish 
 which Henry displayed by raising from the water a line to which 
 they had been fastened in order to prevent their exposure to the 
 sun. A desire of imitation seizing them they both went to the rock 
 and threw their tackles into the water, but without much success, 
 greatly to the delight of Henry, who continued to be as lucky, or 
 as he pretended, as skillful as ever. Half an hour after the return 
 of the others he declared his intention to stop, as he would find dif 
 ficulty in taking to the house the fish he had caught already. The 
 others acquiesced, and it really seemed as if the desire to change the 
 current of their thoughts more than the pleasure of the sport had 
 induced them to make an attempt at fishing. The trio went into 
 the boat, and rowing in silence to the place of landing deserted the 
 vessel in a much more sober mood than that in which they had en 
 tered it. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 FLUCTUATIONS. 
 
 If anything had beeii wanting to complete the intimacy of 
 Charles and Dolores it was the common secret which they were now 
 compelled to harbor in their hearts. Being prevented from com 
 municating their discoveries and adventures to others, they 
 could not refrain from making them the topic of frequent conver 
 sations. Their friendship, moreover, became so fast and ardent 
 from the fact that they had no other channels for their flow of feei 
 ng. As we have said before Charles was of a reserved and some 
 what haughty disposition, and even his brother Henry did not es 
 cape the condescending nonchalance with which he treated both 
 boys and girls of his acquaintance. He was conscious of his mental 
 and physical superiority, and this is no wonder, for not only in 
 school had he long ago outdistanced all competitors for distinction, 
 but also on several hard fought battle-fields proved his superior 
 
DOLORES. 95 
 
 strength and prowess. Experiencing no opposition in anything he 
 did or said he had unconsciously acquired the vice, resulting from 
 unrestrained sway, of willfulness and imperiousness. Even his par 
 ents yielded to his influence, and it was well for the young man 
 that his intellect was so strong and his taste and disposition so pure, 
 or the want of wholesome restraint might have proved even more 
 injurious than it really did. As it was he had only acquired the 
 evil habits spoken of and the hatred of ever so many individuals of 
 his age and sex, who had once been rivals and all of them sustained 
 defeats more or less humiliating. Like all persons of prominence 
 he did not escape either hatred or envy, though so far he had found 
 in the knowledge of this fact merely a source of proud exultation, a 
 proof that as yet his enemies had not succeeded in touching any 
 vital spot. 
 
 His brother Henry was no exception to the rule. As long as he 
 could remember Charles had always been an authority to him, to 
 brave which was totally out of the question. But ready obedience 
 engenders the relation of master and servant, and this relation ex 
 cludes friendship. We have heard and read of ardent attachments 
 between such parties, but on close examination always found that 
 they failed to stand the test of friendship. The slave may love his 
 master with fidelity, but the dog may do the same thing ; and yet 
 the animal crouching at his master s feet is not his friend in the 
 true sense of the word. The master may dote upon his servant with 
 warm affection; he may love him sufficiently to expose his life for 
 him ; still pure friendship he cannot feel, because the principal and 
 fundamental condition of friendship is equality. 
 
 Henry did not love his brother, while the latter only enter 
 tained a feeling of kind toleration for the former. Yet Henry was 
 not so much his brother s inferior in intellect as in character. He 
 comprehended things as fast, but his thirst for knowledge, instead 
 of being the steady, even flame that seeks to light up the dark re 
 cesses of nature, resembled more the fitful, way ward streak of light 
 ning, more consuming and destroying than ennobling and enlighen- 
 ing. Between such flashes long periods of total darkness were the 
 rule for him, and instead of being the joy of his parents and teach 
 ers he had proved to them a source of sorrow and vexation in pro 
 portion to his growing age. 
 
96 DOLORES. 
 
 The) 7 had constantly drawn a parallel between him and his 
 brother, extolling the latter at his expense, and this, though per 
 haps just enough, had in no small degree influenced his feelings 
 towards Charles. Now the latter s new attachment to Dolores had 
 made matters even worse ; for the spare moments of the elder 
 brother, which had formerly in a measure been devoted to the 
 younger one, were now much more pleasantly spent in Dolores 
 company. It is hard to say how Henry would have liked the girl 
 under different circumstances ; as it was, the influence she acquired 
 over one generally so inaccessible, and the additional estrangement 
 it caused between them, much as it was against her wish and will, 
 could hardly be productive of much sympathy between them. 
 
 For Charles, however, the acquisition of his new friend was 
 very fortunate. What he had failed to meet with among all his 
 comrades an equal spirit with whifh he might struggle without 
 the danger of too great a preeminency, he now found unexpectedly 
 in this little girl. He had at first attempted to treat her like the 
 others, but had experienced a signal failure. Yet she had not re 
 buked him, not bandied words with him, or in the least assumed the 
 position of an antagonist. No, there was a certain something in her 
 quiet, unobtrusive manner which said, more effectually than any 
 words could have done : 
 
 "Stop, sir, if you please; this will not answer in my case. If 
 you and I are to be friends, it must be on a different footing." 
 
 This language her manners had spoken with much benefit to 
 him. He not only abstained from attempts to domineer over 
 her, but showed even more regard for the wishes and feelings of 
 others and especially his parents, who, thongh proud of their prom 
 ising son, could not be totally blind to his faults. They noticed 
 the change and ascribing it correctly to her influence, received the 
 girl in their house and arms with paternal fondness and vied with 
 the parson and his sister to make her happy. 
 
 It is not to be wondered at that under these genial circum 
 stances the happy germs in this gifted creatures nature developed 
 with truly astonishing rapidity. Her course of study might fitly 
 be compared to the race of the noble steed, which, out distancing 
 all competitors, reaches the mark in an incredibly short time and 
 thus gains the palm. But while some children skip and hurry 
 
DOLORES. 97 
 
 over the field of learning to show a piecemeal erudition, a super 
 ficial and fragmentary knowledge as the result, that of Dolores was 
 the very reverse. To learn a thing and to remember it was the 
 same with her, and Charles was more than once compelled to have 
 recourse to her memory in matters pertaining to the rudimental 
 studies. Such applications, however, instead of causing jealousy 
 gave him much delight, as they were so many reasons in his eyes 
 why he should love and cherish this clever child. 
 
 One day he found an Italian quotation in one of his books and 
 being ignorant of that language went to Dolores to have it trans 
 lated. It was the first Italian she had seen for a good while and 
 her eye lit up with enthusiasm when she interpreted the quota 
 tion. She found a little difficulty in doing it, however, and ex 
 pressed her fear to Charles that she would soon forget her native 
 tongue from want of practice. This remark resulted in the adopt- 
 tion of a new study for the two in which the general order was re 
 versed, Dolores appearing as the teacher and Charles as her pupil. 
 We know him to be an apt scholar, but yet his progress in Italian , 
 great as it was, was far from equaling the proficiency which the 
 girl soon acquired in German. Before a month of study had pass 
 ed she was able to understand the parents of Charles Fuchs and 
 converse with them fluently on all ordinary topics. But Charles 
 maintained that even Dolores could not have accomplished this if 
 the language had not been, as it were, sleeping in her mind. She 
 must have understood it in early childhood, he said, or all smart 
 ness in creation would not divest this phenomenon of its miracu 
 lous character. 
 
 So the winter was one of earnest study and genial intercourse 
 in the house, but it was also one of healthy recreation and pleasant 
 passtime without. No sooner had winter with icy hand bound up 
 the streams and ponds and spread a warm covering of snow over 
 the sleeping herbs and flowers, when the young people exposed 
 their persons to its icy breath, now gliding on skates over the 
 glassy ice, now hitching Charles own horse to a handsome sleigh 
 and by the merry tinkling of the bells flying with the swiftness of 
 an arrow over the smooth course. 
 
 At last Christmas came, bringing Mr. Fox, himself instead of 
 the box of presents which Dolores had been led to expect. Not 
 
98 DOLORES. 
 
 that the box had been left behind, oh, no ! it also came along and 
 much larger than expected. Now Dolores was all life and joy and 
 motion, not on account of the presents, not she ! The girl had a 
 grateful heart and amidst so much love and affection had not for 
 gotten him who had befriended her before all others and extended 
 to her a helping hand at the expense of his domestic peace. Dolores 
 was not blind to his imperfections, but they did not in the least 
 affect the love she bore him. Dolores thought so at any rate, or 
 rather felt so ; for as we have more than once intimated, the little 
 girl reasoned by perception and argued by intuition. When first 
 he alighted from the carriage at the parsonage, she flew into his 
 embrace and for a long while would not release him. At last, 
 when she withdrew her arms, she commented on his appearance, 
 telling him that the sojourn in town did not at all agree with him. 
 And she was right, for he had got much thinner and an additional 
 wrinkle had laid itself across his forehead. At first, in the excite 
 ment of reunion, this wrinkle did not amount to much and the 
 merry emotions of his heart seemed not only to have the power to 
 smooth that one, but all the others also. But when the first up 
 roar had subsided and his features had glided back into every day 
 shape, the wrinkle returned and deepened and obtruded itself upon 
 the gazer, as if it meant to say : Here I am ! here I mean to re 
 main, I am a reality, I am a chapter of this man s history, as you 
 can learn if you only have the key that opens his lips. 
 
 With Dolores the case was different, her body had developed 
 almost as her mind and the glow on her cheeks intensified by the 
 bracing winter air spoke of health and strength. Three short 
 months had hardly elapsed since his departure to the city, and yet 
 this girl had gained that roundness of form which only childhood 
 can give. He might have remained in the cold, who knows how 
 long, fondling his girl and asking and answering questions, if Miss 
 Sarah had not finally protested and insinuated that a continuation 
 in the parlor would be acceptable all around. So they went in and 
 the box was also brought, though under protest too, since it must 
 not be opened before Christmas eve. Then Dolores told him that 
 Mrs. Fuchs was going to have a beautiful Christmas tree and had 
 invited her to be her guest that night, and then argued that Mr. 
 Fox must also go, or she couldn t at all think of it, and yet she 
 
DOLORES. 99 
 
 would like to go very much. Mr. Fox promised her to go along if 
 she could secure him an invitation, a task which Dolores took upon 
 herself with a gravity truly becoming 
 
 Mr. Fox could not stay long. Besides the desire to see Dolores 
 the condition of the factory had necessitated his presence. In com 
 menting to the parson on the latter subject the wrinkle on his 
 brow grew a little deeper, and it was evident that pecuniary 
 troubles had been added to the domestic ones. The management 
 of Mr. Wood was without a flaw, he said to the minister, and yet 
 the income had been so much reduced as hardly to meet the many 
 expenses unavoidable in so large a household as his. He wanted 
 to see for himself, he said, though he knew beforehand that it 
 would avail him nothing, since he could do no better or hardly so 
 well as Mr. Wood, whose only fault was too great fidelity to his 
 employer. 
 
 To this Mr. Goodman neither objected nor assented. Personally 
 he did not like Mr. Wood, but he was far too honorable to allow 
 his likes or dislikes to influence his words or actions, unless they 
 were seconded by outside reasons of weight. The laborers in the 
 factory did not like Mr. Wood either, they had often intimated it 
 to Mr. Goodman, but severity was not necessarily iniquity and Mr. 
 Wood s fidelity to his employer might indeed have been the cause 
 of his exacting rigor. So Mr. Goodman remained silent on the 
 subject and it was dropped without any further remarks concern 
 ing it. 
 
 The next morning John came from the mansion with the sleigh 
 and drove Mr. Fox and Dolores to the factory. The doors of the 
 establishment were now closed against the cold, but the busy life 
 within was the same which Dolores had witnessed on the occasion 
 of her first visit. Only one feature was new ; Charles and Henry, 
 occupying a workbench for themselves, were now amongst the 
 laborers, both working away with a good will, though with 
 different results. On close examination one could see good progress 
 on the article in the hand of Charles, while Henry s work showed 
 the marks of a bungler. Old Mr. Fu chs was with the boys when 
 Fox and Dolores were approaching their bench, and from the look 
 of vexation in the father s face and that of sullenness in Henry s it 
 was evident that a lecture had just ended. When Mr. Fuchs, how- 
 
100 DOLORES. 
 
 ever, noticed the presence of his employer, the cloud passed from 
 his face. Smiling officiously and quickly baring his head, he wel 
 comed Mr. Fox and expressed his satisfaction at seeing him well. 
 
 Mr. Fox took him aside. 
 
 "Old friend," he said, "a word in confidence." 
 
 " How does the mill fare ?" 
 
 Fuchs played his old game in casting uneasy glances in every 
 direction, 
 
 "Fare? Mr. Fox, why she fares well enough. As far as I know 
 she goes on as usual." 
 
 " The same number of hands?" 
 
 " The same number, sir. 
 
 " The same amount of work finished?" 
 
 "To all appearances, yes, sir. Mr. Wood ought to be able to 
 answer that question." 
 
 " But I want your statement. From the books I see that you 
 have changed a number of hands." 
 
 " Mr. Wood s doings, sir. 
 
 "Were those dismissed unfit ?" 
 
 * Not to my knowledge." 
 
 " Are the new ones better ?" 
 
 Mr. Fuchs winced at the directness of this question. Faltering 
 between the wish to serve his employer and the fear of securing 
 the enmity of the superintendent, he answered : 
 
 " Why no. That is they may, but I think" 
 
 " You also ship your goods to different customers, I perceive." 
 
 "So it seems from the marking on the boxes." 
 
 "But what in the world can be the reason "? 
 
 Mr. Fuchs shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " The new purchasers pay less and pay poorly." 
 
 Mr. Fuchs repeated his gesture. 
 Can you tell me why Stellman & Co. no longer buy from us?" 
 
 Well, it is 1 think it is, because we sent them at least 
 
 I think so a poor article." 
 
 Mr. Fuchs seemed to be astonished at his own audacity, for he 
 drew a deep breath after finishing his remark. 
 
 "A poor article? Why in the world did you send them a 
 poorer article than formerly ?" 
 
 ; i 
 
DOLOKES. 101 
 
 "Not my doing, sir. Mr. Wood, you know 
 
 Ah yes, 1 forgot. Well, never mind, Mr. Fuchs, I ll go to 
 see him ; only I wish you would keep your eyes open as much as 
 possible and report to me if you see anything wrong. Will you do 
 that, Mr. Fuchs ?" 
 
 "Of course I will, sir, and with much pleasure," said the fore 
 man, lifting his cap again and leading Mr. Fox to the door where 
 Dolores joined him, after having talked to Charles in the mean 
 time. At the door Mr. Fox turned back. 
 
 " Charles, my lad, can you corne here a moment?" 
 
 When the lad was at his side he continued : 
 
 " Charlie, I learn from Dolores that she has an invitation from 
 your mother for Christmas eve. Can you secure one for me too?" 
 
 "Of course I can, Mr. Fox; but it is unnecessary ; you know 
 you are welcome without invitation." 
 
 May be, my son, but I want one nevertheless, and I want you 
 to come and deliver it in person this evening at the parsonage. Do 
 you understand, Charlie ?" 
 
 "I think I do, sir," Charles replied construing the other re 
 marks as a hint that he wanted to speak to him privately. " I ll 
 not fail to come." 
 
 "Very well, my boy, that will do." 
 
 A few minutes afterwards Mr. Fox stepped into the office. Mr. 
 Wood had received the news of his arrival but he feigned surprise. 
 
 "Why, Cousin Edward, this is unexpected," he said joyfully, 
 springing to his feet and extending his hand to the new comer with 
 evident tokens of pleasure in his face. "What brings you in so 
 rough a season into the country ?" 
 
 If a thought of suspicion had dwelled in the mind of Mr. Fox, 
 this cordial reception was apt to chase it away in one so unsophis 
 ticated. He was even somewhat ashamed of it and hastened to re- 
 
 ply- 
 
 "Why, Richard, I came to see this little girl of mine. That is 
 my principal errand, and MS a secondary matter I thought I might 
 consult with you about the factory and see whether we couldn t 
 possibly make the concern a little more remunerative. Your re- 
 imttences have dwindled down to such pittances that I have been 
 forced to considerably overdraw my deposits in the bank." 
 
102 DOLORES. 
 
 If Mr. Fox had watched his foreman closely in making this 
 statement, he might have seen a flash of malignant joy shooting 
 from his eyes, but it was not in the good natured character of that 
 gentleman to watch other people s features for the purpose of read 
 ing their souls. So Mr. Wood found sufficient time to bring his 
 countenance into that doleful cast which fitted the disagreeable 
 revelations of the proprietor. 
 
 "Why, I am glad you came," he said with a voice whose capti 
 vating sweetness was still enhanced by a sympathetic touch. 
 
 "I have been ill at ease all this while and felt the weight of 
 responsibility as a crushing burden." 
 
 "Oh well, you must not take the thing so much to heart," said 
 Mr. Fox. Our embarrassment may be only temporary ; indeed I 
 hope it will be and that spring may restore us to our old prosper- 
 ity." 
 
 "And so do I," Wood eagerly struck in. "I have done my 
 very best to avert it and even proposed measures that drew the 
 odium of the hands upon me. Still, if you think that under a 
 different management the business would revive, I am perfectly 
 willing to retire from my situation." 
 
 Mr. Fox was startled at the thought of the bare possibility of 
 such a step and the cunning manager knew it, or he would never 
 have ventured such a proposition. He knew that Mr. Fox loathed 
 the idea of taking such a burden as the management of the factory 
 upon himself, and that he necessarily must dislike the idea of 
 changing superintendents at the time of a crisis. Moreover the 
 service of Mr. Wood had always been so faithful ; he had guarded 
 the interest of his employer with such sacrifice of self that even a 
 more disci iminating man than Mr. Fox might well have hesitated 
 to feel suspicious of one who had so well stood the test of many 
 years. So, when the proprietor had once more examined the books 
 nd found them kept with the old scrupulous neatness and exact 
 ness he dropped all the questions he had intended asking, and after 
 a consultation of more than an hour left the factory in no ways 
 wiser than he had entered it. During the day he was unusually 
 still, and when Charles arrived in the evening, he had not yet re 
 covered the healthy tone which generally characterized his man 
 ners. The youth formally delivered his mother s invitation, wait- 
 
DOLORES. 103 
 
 ing for further developments at some suitable moment. Mr. Fox, 
 however, allowed several favorable opportunities of speaking to 
 him to pass by without benefitting by them, and Charles, thinking 
 he might have forgotten his purpose, resolved to aid his memory. 
 Waiting until he was alone with Mr. Fox and Dolores, whom he 
 evidently did not consider in the light of an obstacle, he said : 
 
 "Mr. Fox, when you begged me this morning to deliver my 
 mother s invitation in person, you meant more than you said ; at 
 least I thought that you desired to speak to me in confidence. Was 
 I correct in that opinion ?" 
 
 Mr. Fox started from his pensive mood. He looked to the 
 bright eye of the youth with pleasure and then said : 
 
 " You were right, Charlie ; a new proof that you are a clever 
 lad. However, I have learned something since that makes my 
 communication unnecessary, and I shall now forbear annoying you 
 with my troubles." 
 
 After these words Dolores pushed her chair nearer to his and, 
 laying her hand upon his knee, looked earnestly into his gloomy 
 countenance. 
 
 " Papa Fox, there is something the matter with you," she said, 
 " and I want to know it. It won t trouble me a bit and I am sure 
 Charles, neither, for that matter." 
 
 "No, indeed, sir, I ll be glad to do anything for your sake," 
 the youth earnestly asserted. 
 
 Mr. Fox was moved. 
 
 "Why, children, it isn t so very much," he said, "and I may 
 as well tell you, if only to set your mind at ease about it." 
 
 He stopped a moment and the absent look of his eyes showed 
 plainly that his mind was wandering; over the past. The children 
 did not interrupt him, but with respectful consideration fixed their 
 looks upon him, waiting for the moment when he would be ready 
 to break the silence. At last he sighed deeply and turning to the 
 children, said : 
 
 Excuse me, children, if I kept you waiting ; but what I have 
 to say to you embodies thoughts of distrust to those I have been 
 trusting many years, and it is but natural that I should hesitate 
 to plant into your young hearts the seeds of feelings which embit 
 ter the mind and can not be easily eradicated again. Still, you 
 
104 DOLORES. 
 
 desire to learn my troubles and I accept your sacrifice ; for it is in 
 deed pleasant to have confidents, though they be young and unex 
 perienced." 
 
 Again he stopped a minute. Then resuming he continued : 
 
 " There are several things that trouble me, and if I once reveal 
 them to you, I may as well make a clean breast of it. You know 
 my relations to Mrs. Fox and I think that hardly requires an ex 
 planation." 
 
 His companions nodded and Mr. Fox continued. 
 
 "Lately the difficulty has extended to the children and that is 
 one thing that worries me considerably. Lucy is totally under the 
 influence of her mother and if not removed from it, will soon be 
 nothing but a senseless doll, an idle worshiper of fashion. It is 
 hard to speak so of my own daughter but it is only the sad truth. 
 To make matters worse, I see no remedy." 
 
 Charles seemed to think differently, to judge from the expres 
 sion of his face. 
 
 " Why, Mr. Fox, it appears to me as if you could easily stop 
 those bad proceedings. Lucy surely is a good girl, and if you pro 
 nounced a firm "veto" to Mrs. Fox s fashionable affairs " 
 
 He stopped. 
 
 "Charlie, you do not understand these things. In forcing 
 measures, as you advise, I would make life one continual torture 
 which I could not endure. Besides, Lucy s course is annoying me 
 less than that of Richard who shows all the symptoms oi* a preco 
 cious depravity. He indulges in every fashionable vice and spends 
 more money than I am able to pay, even if I were inclined to do 
 so. He finds no difficulty in securing credit and thus far I have 
 not come to the extreme measure of withdrawing my assistance in 
 paying his debts ; but he must have other sources than my purse, 
 for the bills that come to me for settlement can not possibly contain 
 all the items of his expenditures. He must receive encouragement 
 from without." 
 
 " His mother ?" Charles suggested. 
 
 " Has not money enough to defray her own expenses and contin 
 ually troubles me for contributions. No, he must have a friend in 
 terested in his ruin." 
 
 " Or yours," Charles suggested. 
 
DOLORES. 105 
 
 Mr. Fox started. With a troubled look he said : 
 " The same idea! You meet me halfway. Charlie, what do 
 you mean ?" 
 
 Nothing definite ; your remark suggested the idea." 
 " But it has haunted me, too, I do not know why ; it caused my 
 remark to you this morning, and now, when I mean to confide it to 
 you as a secret, I meet it on your lips." 
 
 " Through me it shall not reach any other ears, sir." 
 " I know, Charlie, and therefore choose you as a confidant in 
 spite of your youth. Your father, though ray good and faithful 
 friend, is not cunning enough to do me much good. You see I 
 place great confidence in you, Charlie." 
 " I appreciate your goodness." 
 
 " Goodness, Charlie? No, indeed, my lad ; it is anything but 
 goodness to draw your youthful mind into my troubles. Still, I 
 desire it, you expect it, and so I suppose it has to be." 
 Another short pause. 
 
 " Has your mother ever broached this subject to you, Charlie?" 
 "No, sir, not to my recollection. She has her likes and dis 
 likes, but beyond that 
 
 " Very well, so I shall have to give names, after all. The man 
 whom I have always considered my fast friend and only lately been 
 led to suspect is 
 
 "A person whom I know without your naming him," Charlie 
 interrupted. " I must confess that strange things have happened 
 in the factory since my admittance, but I thought they might pos 
 sibly be explained in a natural manner, and that it wasn t my busi 
 ness to interfere. 
 
 But now, Charlie, if I entreat you earnestly to make it your 
 business, will you promise to be watchful and end this state of un 
 certainty which destroys the little peace of mind left me and threat, 
 ens to reduce me to beggary at the same time?" 
 Charles started. 
 
 " Is it as bad as that, MY. Fox ? " 
 " Fully as bad ; but you haven t promised yet." 
 " Well, then, I promise ; though my promise conditions a work 
 of espionage which I despise and wouldn t undertake for everybody. 
 
106 DOLORES. 
 
 But I always liked you, Mr. Fox, and like you doubly since you 
 acted so kindly to this little girl." 
 
 " Why, this is strange ! So you befriended me on her account ? 
 It really seems as if my little foster daughter were destined to in 
 demnify me for all the misery resulting from the treachery of rela 
 tions." 
 
 He stroked Dolores curls and then continued : 
 
 " Mind, Charlie, I want no guesses, no uncertainties. I guess 
 already, and that makes me wretched. Only, when the plainest 
 evidence establishes his guilt then and then only speak the word 
 that is to decide his fate and mine." 
 
 Charles promised and this ended the matter, for Mr. Fox de 
 clared that he had full confidence in the youth and would therefore 
 abstain from any rules of conduct. This was of course agreeable to 
 Charles, who from that moment bent all the energy of his mind up 
 on the mission that had been entrusted to him. 
 
 Mr. Wood was very gay that evening. The interview with Mr. 
 Fox had been so satisfactory and promising that he thought he 
 might allow himself and his accomplice, George, an unusual indul 
 gence. He had procured several bottles of wine and finished them 
 off with many toasts to their success and the rifin of their em 
 ployer. 
 
 If he had known what formidable foe had been put on his track 
 that very night he might have felt very sober in spite of his exces 
 sive drinking. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 ON THE TRACK. 
 
 Mrs. Fuchs Christmas party had been a great success, and the 
 box from the city its crowning feature. Everybody had been con 
 sidered by the kind donor, who, however, had left on the morning 
 following, thus depriving himself of the pleasure of seeing the faces 
 which his liberality had caused to brighten. In consequence of his 
 departure the two families had sobered down and the young people, 
 
DOLORES. 107 
 
 excepting Henry, resumed their habits of industry. Everything 
 assumed its old feature, or at least appeared to do so, for in reality 
 there were two secret currents running under the surface that 
 seemed so tranquil. Mr. Wood and his accomplice carried on their 
 nefarious plan which was to result in the financial and social ruin 
 of Mr. Fox ; but while they were lulling themselves into a false se 
 curity, and by degrees growing bolder in their operations, a vigi 
 lant eye began to watch every motion of theirs, encouraged at first 
 merely by grateful emotions for the man whose ruin was being 
 plotted ; but by and by also by discoveries strange and startling. 
 
 Charles conducted himself with the greatest caution. Not be 
 ing very fond f the occupants of the office, nor indeed a favorite 
 of theirs, he took good care not to excite their suspicion by too 
 rapid a change in his demeanor toward them. He needed the priv 
 ilege of a free admission to the office and the books and to gain it 
 managed with a rare tact. Changing gradually from a cold conduct 
 to polite advances first to George and afterward to Mr. Wood, he 
 soon exercised over them the charm innate in his person. Benefit- 
 ting by the indulgence of Mr. Fox concerning his position in the 
 factory, he examined the various departments with an eye keen 
 enough to penetrate the slightest details. The first thing that struck 
 him as strange was the nature of the boxes containing the steel used 
 for the manufactures of the establishment. They were of two sorts, 
 one very unlike the other, and yet marked as coming from the 
 same firm. Even the handwriting was different, both sets evidently 
 emanating from different individuals who preserved too distinctly 
 their peculiarities to be mistaken. 
 
 Another suspicious circumstance was the difference of the metal 
 packed in the different boxes, one being considerably superior to 
 the other, as Charles knew from a test he made for the special pur 
 pose of ascertaining their quality. Yet there was no distinction 
 made in the manufactory as to the material, as Charles could easily 
 perceive on the better article promiscuously packed and sold with 
 the inferior. 
 
 What could this signify ? Could it be barely possible that Mr. 
 Wood was buying the inferior stuff without the knowledge of Mr. 
 Fox ? Charles resolved to ascertain this at the earliest moment 
 after the latter gentleman s return to the country. In the mean- 
 
108 DOLORES. 
 
 time he worked himself into the good graces of the superinten 
 dent by doing little turns for him and showing such aptness in mak 
 ing calculations that Mr. Wood readily consented when Charles 
 manifested a desire to devote a portion of his time to the study of 
 bookkeeping. The youth wrote a beautiful hand, and executed the 
 tasks the manager set him with such rapidity and skill that Mr. 
 Wood was at once surprised and pleased. Soon the student under 
 stood enough about the management of the various books to exam 
 ine their contents with a critical eye, but he was no more successful 
 than Mr. Fox. Whatever might be the character of other transac 
 tions of the superintendent his books were evidently unexception 
 able. Nor did Charles wonder. It is so easy for a practiced eye to 
 discover inaccuracies in books containing accounts ; the figures show 
 such merciless conclusions that a man as cunning as Mr. Wood 
 would surely be very cautious not to be caught at such puerile blun 
 ders. If anything was wrong it had to be looked for in another 
 province, and Charles resolved to do so. He returned to his work 
 bench, and with redoubled energy renewed his observations on all 
 the different branches of the establishment. 
 
 In this way the winter wore away faster than Charles could rec 
 ollect it to have done before. The reason was evident ; besides the 
 exciting watch on affairs in the establishment he had his studies to 
 attend to, and above all his new friendship to engage him and ab 
 sorb his thoughts. To please Dolores he shunned no labor or fa 
 tigue, and many a tiresome march through snow and slush did he 
 make for the purpose of either catching wild animals alive to give 
 to her as pets or killing others for the sake of their fur, of which 
 he caused articles of dress to be manufactured for his friend. He 
 spent nearly half his leisure hours at the parsonage, and his mother 
 would have become outright jealous if she had not herself loved the 
 little giil with a mother s love and managed to secure a good por 
 tion of her free time for herself. Indeed, Dolores spent so many 
 hours at the house of Mrs. Fuchs that it was hard to say which was 
 really her home, the parsonage having merely the advantage of the 
 night. Even the latter Dolores often spent at the cottage of 
 Charles parents, and the desire of enjoying the girl s company drew 
 the families much more together and made them much more inti 
 mate than they had formerly been. Miss Sarah all at once dis- 
 
DOLORES. 109 
 
 covered new genial features in Mrs. Fuchs, and the latter declared 
 she daily saw new points in the spinster that deserved love and ad 
 miration Dolores lived and breathed and had her being in love 
 and tenderness, and her nature developed in consequence with the 
 rapidity and luxuriance of the tropics. Of the rank poison, how 
 ever, peculiar to that zone she was entirely free, and all the praise 
 and care and affection bestowed upon her merely had the tendency 
 of coloring more deeply the amiable traits of character. 
 
 Besides the pleasure her studies gave her she delighted in noth 
 ing so much as to brave the hardships of the season and in Charles 
 company roam over the snow-covered fields and forests of the neigh 
 borhood. She often accompanied him on his hunting excursions, 
 and though of a very tender disposition and sensitive character, 
 could admire his skill as a marksman and look with childish delight 
 on the conquered game as it rapidly increased, finally swelling to a 
 burdensome load. She was totally free from that fashionable weak 
 ness which cannot see a fly killed, though it does not hesitate to 
 worry a servant, a friend or relative to death. Indeed there was 
 nothing sickly in the girl s nature, her body being as healthy as her 
 mind, receiving a tone and vigor by the judicious course of exer 
 cise to which she subjected herself that could not be surpassed. 
 
 Dolores had been present at the interview between Mr. Fox and 
 Charles, and she now was the only confidant to whom he communi 
 cated the progress of his operations. She was always kept au fait, 
 but still she was considerably startled when late one evening he ap 
 peared at the parsonage, gun in hand, and" with a countenance all 
 aglow with excitement. Mr. Goodman was in his study and Miss 
 Sarah in the dining-room setting the table for the next day s break 
 fast, so Charles found Dolores alone and could at once unload his 
 heart of the burden with which it was evidently oppressed. 
 
 " Why, Charlie, so late at night! I did not expect you any 
 more. Where do you come from ? What is the matter ? " 
 
 Charles sat down beside her with his gun between his knees. 
 
 "Dolores," he said, with shing eyes, "I have got them now." 
 
 "Got whom, Charlie?" 
 
 " Why, the rascals, of course, on whose track I have been all 
 this while." 
 
110 DOLOKES. 
 
 " Is it possible ? You did discover something, then, and papa 
 was right ? " 
 
 " He was, Dolores ; but listen and I ll tell you all about it. You 
 know that I tracked the bear the other day, and have been trying 
 ever since to get the cubs for you ? " 
 
 "No, dear Charlie, I did not know that ; for if I had I should 
 have begged you not to expose yourself so much for my sake." 
 
 "Expose myself ! Why, child, don t you think I m a match for 
 any bear ? I have made more than one rue his audacity in mak 
 ing a stand against me. But that is not the point now, Dol ; I 
 simply meant to explain to you how I came to make the great dis 
 covery I spoke of. Last night I got everything ready for a hunt 
 and before daybreak this morning I started on my way. I took the 
 road to the bay, because there the bear had made her appearance. 
 It had snowed a little during the night, and when I reached the 
 shore I saw the fresh tracks of horses and a sled." 
 
 He stopped and looked at her with an expectant glance, seem 
 ing to wait for a sign of surprise. Yet it did not come, 
 
 . " Well, Charlie, what else ? That surely isn t the great discov 
 ery you spoke of ? " 
 
 Charles laughed. 
 
 " Dol, you little goosy, it wasn t the discovery, but it led to it. 
 What do you suppose I thought when I saw the track ? " 
 
 Y T ou wondered who had made it." 
 
 "No, I didn t, for I knew that at once from a spoke which had 
 been left behind. It was painted red and black, and belongs to the 
 large sled of the factory." 
 
 "Ah ! " Dolores exclaimed. A light seemed to dawn to her. 
 
 " So I didn t wonder who had made the track, but rather why 
 they had made it ; moreover, why they had made it during the 
 night. You know there is some littled ice along the shore, and the 
 track went to the very water s edge. In following it I saw in the 
 snow the impression of a box the shape of which struck me as fa 
 miliar. I thought a moment, and then was sure that it had been 
 made by one of the boxes in which we receive the metal at the fac 
 tory." 
 
 "Ah!" 
 
 "You begin to see, Dol, don t you ? Well, a blind man might, 
 
DOLOKES. Ill 
 
 for that matter," Charles rejoined, jokingly. "Thinks I to myself, 
 Charlie, what can this signify ? A box from the factory, and well 
 filled, too, for the impression was deep and sharp, fetched from the 
 seashore in the dead of night. 1 was puzzled, but only for a mo 
 ment, for all at once a flash ran through my mind, lighting up my 
 memory with a wonderful brightness. I had seen such boxes be 
 fore besides those at the factory. I had seen them on the boat in the 
 cave" 
 
 These words were spoken with an impressive voice, and to in 
 crease the effect Charles had in saying them seized the arm of his 
 companion. This had the desired effect. Greatly excited she 
 sprang to her feet, and clasping her hands .together cried in a hur 
 ried manner : 
 
 " Oh, the cave, the dreadful cave ! I shake even now when I 
 think of it. Charlie, are you not mistaken ? " 
 
 " Not a bit of it, and I ll fathom the whole thing. Didn t I tell 
 you at the time that I thought those men were smugglers ? " 
 
 " Yes, you did ; and so you think 
 
 That they are smuggling part of the steel from which we man 
 ufacture our cutlery." 
 
 "But why should they do it ? " 
 
 * Because they can import steel much cheaper than they can 
 buy it here, provided they avoid the duty. I always wondered at 
 the difference in the boxes and the metal. Now I understand it 
 all." 
 
 And do you think that my dear papa knows about it ? " 
 
 " No, I do not. Firstly, Mr. Fox is too good a citizen to desire 
 to cheat the government out of its dues ; and, secondly, if he were 
 a party to the fraud he would surely not have set a spy upon his 
 own actions." 
 
 " But who, then, should have ventured to run so great a risk ?" 
 
 "Who but Mr. Wood ? Of course he isn t alone, for he needs 
 accomplices in such a transaction. To make sure I went to the 
 stable and asked the driver divers questions, taking good care to 
 make them perfectly innocent. In spite of my careless mien the 
 fellow got confused, contradicted himself several times, finally get 
 ting vexed and rude. If a doubt had existed in my mind before, 
 this man s conduct would at once have destroyed it." 
 
112 DOLORES. 
 
 " I wonder Mr. Wood should have acted so carelessly as to let 
 the track in the snow betray his actions." 
 
 " I do not, Dolores. I saw there was a consignment of metal 
 from the depot, too, and he most likely thought that he could con 
 ceal his smuggled boxes best by mixing them with the others. Be 
 sides, it snowed so heavily last evening that it had tho appearance 
 of continuing all night, in which case the tracks would have been 
 obliterated." 
 
 "That is true, Charlie ; the weather has favored us greatly. 
 But what do you intend doing next Will you communicate with 
 papa at once ? " 
 
 Charles shook his head. 
 
 " Mr. Fox wants positive proof, and to give that we must catch 
 the evil-doers in the act. This we cannot do. 
 
 " Why not, Charlie ? Will they not sooner or later repeat their 
 action ? " 
 
 "They will, undoubtedly; but to prove smuggling we must 
 show the connection with a foreign vessel or at least a vessel from 
 a foreign port. Can we do this, Dol ? " 
 Dolores started. 
 
 " Our oath ! " she said, with a tone of awe. 
 
 "There lies the difficulty," Charles resumed. " We can hardly 
 convince Mr. Fox without violating our plighted oath, and yet we 
 cannot perjure ourselves." 
 
 " Of course not," Dolores earnestly assented. 
 
 " Therefore it will be better if we say nothing of our discover 
 ies at present, but continue to watch and do our best to counteract 
 any pernicious influence of the superintendent. I am sure now he 
 is cheating Mr. Fox out of his profits, for a man who goes so far 
 will not hesitate to dive to the bottom of iniquity." 
 
 On this they finally resolved, and after some further delibera 
 tion on the subject Charles withdrew. 
 
 A start was made, a point gained, and our young friend had no 
 doubt that he would now be able not only to discover Mr. Wood s 
 other machinations, but also to foil his evil intentions and save Mr. 
 Fox from their pernicious consequences. If that fatal oath had not 
 been made his task would have been much more simple, but even 
 as it was he felt confident of final success. 
 
DOLORES. 113 
 
 Before his discovery the examination of the books had been 
 fruitless, now they promised rich results. Resuming his visits at 
 the office, Charles devoted himself to their perusal with renewed 
 zeal and soon learned how Mr. Wood had been able to conceal his 
 operations so long and successfully. According to the books Mr. 
 Wood used nothing but American steel, charging the factory with 
 the whole amount and crediting certain firms with the same. If 
 Mr. Fox had asked for the receipts of those parties the thing might 
 have been very different ; but as his easy good nature had always 
 prevented such thorough measures, the superintendent found no 
 difficulty in making the whole thing very plausible in the books 
 which moreover captivated the examiner by their extreme neatness. 
 
 Charles readily understood the motive of Mr. Wood s smuggling 
 operations ; but why was the inferior metal thus acquired worked 
 up promiscuously with better material ? This considerably puzzled 
 our young friend who was enough of a business man to see that, by 
 classing fche goods according to their value, the superintendent 
 could have secured a better market and also more remunerative 
 prices. His management could only have the tendency to create 
 discontent amongst the purchasers and finally drive them to another 
 market. What could it mean ? Was it barely possible that Mr. 
 Wood had not only the desire of enriching himself, but also the 
 more damnable one of ruining his employer, after he had reached 
 his own purpose ? It must be so, for Charles could conceive no 
 other motive and holding fast this idea, until something better 
 would present itself, he concluded to act upon it. 
 
 By this time, spring had begun to send its forerunners in the 
 shape of showers and storms and glimpses of sunshine and the un 
 erring cry of birds of migration high above in the air. The weather 
 began to become more and more settled but even before the country 
 was at all inviting the family at the mansion, to everybody s sur 
 prise, made its appearance. Mrs. Fox was the instigator of this 
 unexpected movement which had been heartily endorsed by her 
 husband, though he could not help wondering himself at the change 
 of his wife s notions. Formerly she had derided the pleasures of 
 the country and only consented to a residence in it, because her 
 fashionable friends all indulged in it, and because the dullness of 
 the city during the summer months was even more intolerable than 
 
114 DOLORES. 
 
 that of the country. She had always come as late and gone as 
 early as possible ; but now it seemed as if the exception of the fall 
 was to become the rule for the future. She declared herself to be 
 delighted with the beauties of nature, and Mr. Fox was glad enough 
 to perceive the change ; for it was not the only change visible in 
 his wife. Her conduct to Dolores, who, of course, returned to the 
 mansion on the arrival of the family, was all Mr. Fox could desire ; 
 for though she would not condescend to bestow any marks of affec 
 tion or regard upon the girl, sh^ abstained on the other hand from 
 those manifestations of disgust or enmity which had made Dolores 
 so miserable. 
 
 As we have said, Mr. Fox was pleased with the change in his 
 wife s conduct without caring to know the source. If he had 
 known it would he have been as indifferent? Hardly, for the 
 faithless woman had wronged her husband in a point where men 
 are very sensitive and ready to avenge their sullied honor, even if 
 not wounded in their heart. Easy and indulging as Mr. Fox was, 
 it is more than likely that the guilt of his wife would have roused 
 the lion in his nature and brought up a tempest fearful in propor 
 tion to its rareness. 
 
 And she who has forgotten the vow of love and fidelity which 
 once she plighted to the man of her choice ! how does she feel ? 
 How does she manage to sooth and quiet the monitor who persists 
 in telling her that she is emptying the cup of sinful lust ? how does 
 she feel ? She does not care to sift her feelings ; for on the surface 
 she finds a happiness that suffices hen If anything redeems her 
 lost condition and mitigates the severity of our judgment, it is the 
 fact that she really loves the man who has accomplished her ruin. 
 He has devoted a life to her ; he has with tenacious perseverance 
 persued a plan, the only plan of his existence, and on it has wasted 
 all his strength and energy and feeling. Such a love is tempting. 
 What does it matter, if it is coupled with a fierce hatred to her 
 husband and the burning wish to accomplish his ruin ? What is 
 that husband to her? Her vivacity, her restlessness, her deep 
 emotions and passionate feelings are foreign to the ease and non 
 chalance of his character. He might have answered for a slave ; 
 but slave he would not be and else he could not. So when the 
 tempter stepped up to her and with a sweet and insinuating voice 
 
DOLORES. 115 
 
 spoke fiery words which struck a kindred string and pleaded the 
 cause of his mad passion with a fervor that was congenial to her 
 ardent nature, she struggled but a moment, as we have seen, and 
 readily yielded to the glittering enticement. 
 
 She had sinned, and by adhering to her lover continued to sin ; 
 but, in spite of it, her love, however wrong, threw those softening 
 influences around her which that passion always exercises over 
 woman. She seemed to grow younger -and more beautiful, though 
 that beauty had even before been remarkable, as we have seen. 
 
 The servants were, like Dolores, benefitted by their mistress 
 change. She was less fretful and more easily pleased. Lucy, with 
 her quiet ways and peaceful mind was least affected by the change; 
 but Richard, instead of being benefitted, was actually injured by 
 his mother s increased indulgence. Aping the dandies of the city 
 who tolerated and flattered him for the sake of his money, he fell 
 into all kinds of absurd extravagances which secured for him the 
 ridicule of the neighborhood and the dislike of the household, his 
 mother forming the only exception. 
 
 Towards Mr. Fox his wife showed a certain reserve approaching 
 shyness ; but this diffidence so charming in a woman when the re 
 sult of bashful coyness and timid modesty and the first dawning 
 consciousness of conjugal love, had no attraction for the husband, 
 when it was the result of the admonitions of a guilty conscience. 
 Mr. Fox was glad enough to be left alone and nothing indeed was 
 further from his mind than the desire to resume more intimate rela 
 tions to a wife whom he had once loved and cherished, but who, 
 by her waywardness and her caprices, had long ago succeeded in 
 stiffling the emotions which had filled his heart. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 TWO YEARS LATER. 
 
 Time flies fast ; but the narrator can accelerate its motion. He 
 need but raise his wand and months fly faster than seconds ; sum 
 mer changes to winter and winter back to summer. He lets the 
 
116 DOLORES. 
 
 infant be born and by a wink mature to maidenhood or adolescence; 
 he plants the acorn and by his magic power causes the mighty tree 
 to shoot up in a moment and spread its branches amongst the 
 clouds, to protect the warbling birds or the weary wanderer in its 
 shadow. 
 
 We call at the factory two years after the first visit of Dolores. 
 We enter the office and sec Mr. Wood in a perfect tempest of rage. 
 He strides up aud down with a vehemence that knows no bounds, 
 and it is doubtful whether his words are uttered in soliloquy or ad 
 dressed to George, the only other occupant of the room. George 
 shrugs his shoulders repeatedly ; but returns no answer which 
 silence creates the doubt alluded to. But enough of reflections ; 
 drawing up the curtain for the second act we retreat behind the 
 scenes and let the persons of the drama speak for themselves. 
 
 "Confound them all!" Mr. Wood exclaimed, showing a far 
 greater sense of propriety in this amaible utterance than in some of 
 his previous expressions ; "confound them all, 1 say ! This is more 
 than I can bear, either they or I ! I must at once press matters to 
 a decision." 
 
 "But by too great a haste you may spoil what hasn t been 
 spoiled yet," George now interposed. 
 
 " Too great a haste ! yes, indeed ! you have been counseling 
 tardiness all the time and tardiness has spoiled everything." 
 
 " But what is lost, Wood ? I really think that you see things 
 in too gloomy a light." 
 
 " What is lost ?" the irritated man repeated, with that snappish 
 tenacity so peculiar to persons in his mood, "ask me rather what 
 is not lost ? Have we made any headway these eighteen months ?" 
 
 "Not much, to be sure; but remaining stationary and losing 
 ground are two different things." 
 
 "I think differently. There is nothing stationary in this world, 
 and not to progress is to slide back. Have we not been obliged to 
 give up our new customers and fall back upon the old ones?" 
 
 "Why yest, but" 
 
 " Have we not in that way lost all the gain accruing from our 
 clever operations ? " 
 
 " Of course ; but then" 
 
DOLORES. 117 
 
 Have we not been obliged to smuggle a better quality of steel 
 in order to be at all able to continue that feature so indispensible to 
 the success of our plans ? " 
 
 " That is all very true ; but we smuggle still in undisturbed se 
 curity, and the profit we derive from it is not to be despised." 
 
 Wood stopped short ; he shook his head with an angry zest and 
 said : 
 
 " George, you are like all the others, losing sight of the whole 
 over the parts. You may be a good private, but you will never be 
 a general. Do you think I care for a few paltry pennies ? Do you 
 think I accumulate lucre for the sake of lucre ? I thought you 
 knew me better, and surely you ought, for I revealed my inmost 
 thoughts to you so often. If I cannot satiate the vengeance for 
 which I have worked and planned through many weary years, I 
 don t care that much for all the treasures in the world." 
 
 Mr. Wood did not refer to that other and even stronger passion 
 of his ; indeed, he had never made George a confidant of it. 
 
 ." But your chance for that is as good as ever, Richard. I see 
 nothing to spoil the game." 
 
 " I do. Have you forgotten Charlie s visit to the cave ? " 
 
 " No, but he has faithfully kept his oath of secrecy." 
 
 " He need not keep it any longer, for Captain Butler, you re 
 member, bound him only for two years, thinking that he would be 
 more likely to remain silent during that period than a more lengthy 
 and indefinite one. One more week and the young man will be free 
 to act" 
 
 " Bat do you think he will venture there again ? " 
 
 " He venture ? " Why, George, you sometimes ask childish 
 questions. You surely know Charles Fuchs long enough to be con 
 vinced that he is not the person to be easily scared." 
 
 " Still he knows nothing of our contraband trade. He may pay 
 a dozen visits to the cave and never meet our friends." 
 
 " He may and may not. I surely cannot run such risks. Be 
 sides, I am not so sure about his ignorance concerning the secrets of 
 the cave." 
 
 " How should he know ? His short visit can certainly not have 
 given him a clue. Moreover, Charles has changed wonderfully 
 
118 DOLORES. 
 
 lately ; he lias formed a strong liking for you, and I think we might 
 without much risk make him a party to our plans." 
 
 " For Heaven s sake, no ! " the other shouted, with a frightened 
 countenance. 
 
 Why, what is the matter, Richard ?" George inquired, with 
 much wonderment in his voice. "I do think you are getting ner. 
 vous." 
 
 " I know I am. This continual suspense and excitement is tell 
 ing on me." 
 
 " But what makes you so afraid of Charles ? " 
 
 " I hardly know myself. I like the boy and yet I fear him; at 
 least I wouldn t for the world make him a party to our plot." 
 
 " Well, do as you like," George replied, with a touch of cold 
 ness and a shrug of his shoulder. 
 
 " I cannot stand this any longer," Wood continued, without 
 heeding the other s remark. "I ll bring matters to a crisis, and 
 that, too, within a week. Like the gambler who has been losing 
 long and with a desperate energy stakes his all upon one card to 
 win or perish, I shall play va banqe" 
 
 George became excited by infection. 
 
 " That is King Richard again," he cried, " the fearless leader 
 who leads through peril to success. Go on, my friend, George puts 
 his fortune on your card." 
 
 But Wood had already cooled down again. 
 
 "Don t get excited, boy," he said, lifting his hand toward his 
 comrade in a calming manner. This is no child s play, and wants a 
 calm deliberation. Sit down, George, and let us talk the matter 
 over." 
 
 The other obeyed his injunction, and sitting down at the side of 
 Mr. Wood, who had himself taken a chair, looked expectantly into 
 his face. 
 
 " Has Butler not been heard from yet ? " Wood inquired. 
 
 " Not to my knowledge. Old Peter has thus far failed to re 
 port any signals." 
 
 " He ought to be here, and surely will, if it is at all in his 
 power. He knows as well as me that the secret of the cave will 
 cease to be a secret in less than a week." 
 
 " I think like you that he will soon be here." 
 
DOLOKES. 119 
 
 " Well, go to see Peter this evening and warn him into double 
 vigilance. Let him report the arrival of the vessel without a mo 
 ment s delay." 
 
 "I will, sir." 
 
 " Very well. Now listen carefully. Captain Butler is not aware 
 of -my intentions. He thinks Mr. Fox has knowledge of our clan 
 destine connections. Thus far neither party has received any writ 
 ings from the other concerning these transactions ; but this time I 
 shall demand a receipt from Butler s hand for the payment of the 
 cargo of steel he will deliver." 
 
 " But will he give it?" 
 
 " I think so. I shall pretend that my employer suspects fraud, 
 and that I want him to see the receipt for the whole sum." 
 
 " But what good will such a receipt do you?" 
 
 " Why, George, don t you think it will make the commander of 
 the revenue cutter start when he lays his eyes on it ? " 
 
 " But the cutter lies at P , a long ways off." 
 
 " P is not out of the world, and a quick messenger can take 
 
 it there in twelve hours. That part of the enterprise I thought of 
 putting into your hands." 
 
 " Into mine f " the other asked, with a look of surprise. "I 
 hardly know whether I should fancy the idea of being so far from 
 the scene of action." 
 
 Wood looked at him with a keen, searching glance. 
 
 " Why don t you say at once that you don t trust me, and that 
 you expect to be cheated out of your portion of the earnings." 
 
 " It isn t that," George replied, slightly embarrassed, " but you 
 would not be here on my return, and where should I find you ? " 
 
 " It isn t necessary that you should find me, George," Wood 
 coldly responded. "Do not misunderstand me ; you shall faith 
 fully receive the liberal reward your assistance merits, and that, 
 too, before you start ; but as to further fellowship, it is neither de 
 sirable nor wise. I like you well enough, George, but I cannot say 
 that I like the idea of having a living, speaking monitor about me 
 to remind me of a transaction which it is to our interest to bury in 
 oblivion. If you reflect a little, my lad, you must confess thaj: sep 
 aration is our best policy." 
 
 George now returned the othei s glance. He suspected that 
 
120 DOLORES. 
 
 there was another reason in the heart of his accomplice for wishing 
 a separation, and this want of sincerity considerably annoyed him. 
 A certain dark thought again arose in the depth of his soul, and 
 w r hile he deliberated with the superintendent on the ruin of his 
 principal he calculated whether by the betrayal of the former he 
 could not induce the latter to double his gains. To obtain this end, 
 however, he must of course acquiesce in the other s arrangements 
 without further contradiction ; so, smoothing his countenance into 
 an approving smile, he said : 
 
 * c May be you are right, Richard . indeed, now I think of it, 
 you are right, though at first I didn t fancy being thrown away like 
 a squeezed lemon." 
 
 Wood laughed. 
 
 11 What an absurd simile. If you had compared yourself with 
 a soaked sponge you would have been more correct." 
 
 " But what other measures do you propose, Richard ?" 
 
 " That is soon told. I am going to give Butler a forged check 
 
 on the Phoenix Bank of P , and divide with you the profit of 
 
 the coup. It isn t more than fair that the captain should at last 
 pay the penalty for the violation of our laws. Don t you think 
 BO?" 
 
 The two worthies laughed at this joke. It is so easy to laugh at 
 the expense of others. 
 
 " He cannot suspect the trick," Wood continued, " and to make 
 the joke more capital he can have no recourse on account of for 
 gery." 
 
 " Hardly ! " George struck in. "I wager that he ll keep very 
 mum about it." 
 
 " Mum ? No, George, he ll swear at us until his bile is all ex 
 hausted and the devil tired of his invocations." 
 
 4 No doubt of that, but go on. I am decidedly anxious to see 
 your fine tactics developed." 
 
 " I am nearly done. I expect considerable remittances shortly 
 for goods delivered, and these also will be divided and go a good 
 piece toward swelling our funds." 
 
 " And the money you hold for Mrs. Fox ? " 
 
 " Will be faithfully surrendered into her hands. It wouldn t 
 
DOLORES. 121 
 
 do, George, to cheat a faithful ally out of her dues. Honesty 
 among thieves, you know." 
 
 " Why, yes, of course," the young man replied, being unable to 
 suppress a slight blush that persisted in mantling his cheeks. He 
 was determined to set that proverb at naught and at the same time 
 entertained serious doubts regarding the truthfulness of the other s 
 statements. But then he didn t care, if Wood appropriated that 
 money, as he was at the very moment revolving plans in his mind 
 whose results would more than compensate him for any loss he 
 might experience at the hands of his accomplice. He aimed at 
 nothing less than the destruction of his comrade and that, too, with 
 an indifference truly diabolical. Of the two rogues he evidently 
 was the blackest ; for while the superintendent aimed at the gratifi 
 cation of the powerful passions of love and hatred, his younger ac 
 complice merely worked for the satisfaction of the meanest of all 
 earthly vices miserly greediness and heartless avarice. 
 
 " And w r e must really part?" he added with a hypocritical sad- 
 naes. "I shall feel lost, for hitherto I have faithfully looked to 
 you for guidance." 
 
 " I presume you will find better guides and safer ones," Wood 
 said with ironical sincerity. "Comfort yourself on that score. And 
 now be oif, George, and notify Peter, so that we will at once be 
 warned of Butlers arrival." 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 AN ARRIVAL. 
 
 On the afternoon of the same day a stranger walked the road 
 leading to the village. He had a foreign air and a foreign looking 
 carpet-bag and, we need therefore not wonder that he stopped every 
 few minutes to subject the different houses to a scrutinizing glance. 
 The appearance of the stranger was not very prepossessing. His 
 suit was rather shabby, but this circumstance which we are apt to 
 overlook when connected with a pleasant countenance and a genial 
 look, was in his instance aggravated by a very uninviting face. 
 
122 DOLORES. 
 
 ISot that the features had been ugly no ; their expression rather 
 than their form repelled those who, in passing the man, looked at 
 him with natural curiosity. One or two, overcoming their dislike 
 and judging him to be a stranger from the indecision of his move 
 ments, stopped and kindly asked him what he wanted and whether 
 he was trying to find somebody. To this they got no satisfactory 
 reply, however. The stranger, after a few words of answer, mut 
 tered so indistinctly as to make it uncertain whether they were 
 English or not, rudely turned from the would-be guide and resum 
 ing his indecisive motions, continued his walk towards the village. 
 
 Now, when he passed Mr. Fuchs cottage, it happened that the 
 mistress of the house occupied her w r onted seat on the porch of the 
 building. She happened to call with a loud voice to one of her 
 sons who was evidently near, though not in sight, and her words, 
 spoken in German, at once attracted the attention of the stranger. 
 His face lost its sullenness and assumed a portion of that eager 
 spirit peculiar to horses, when, after a long fatiguing journey, they 
 approach the crib and smell the oats. Approaching the gate that 
 led into the garden he called the attention of the woman to his per 
 son by saying in a voice which was sharp and snappish : 
 
 "Sie sind deutsch, Madame, nicht wahr ?" 
 
 Mrs. Fuchs looked at him attentively. 
 
 " Jawohl, mein Herr, warum?" 
 
 " Warum ?" the stranger said snappishly, continuing of course 
 in German, which, for the benefit of the reader, I shall, however, 
 translate into English. "Why? That is self evident; I am a 
 German, seek a German, and wish ^o find him, for I am tired, 
 hungry and thirsty." 
 
 Mrs. Fuchs looked at him with a mien, showing plainly that 
 she did by no means appreciate the fellow s plainness and shortness. 
 Still, there is something gratifying in meeting a countryman, even 
 though he be a boor, and she replied more kindly than his manner 
 warranted : 
 
 " Ursache genug ! Reason enough, to be sure. It is but Chris 
 tian duty to assist in ending so much distress. \Vill you not come 
 in and eat and drink and rest and then continue your search in 
 which I shall, of course, assist you, if I am able." 
 
 The lady s kindness still more reduced the stranger s sourness. 
 
DOLORES. 123 
 
 He signified his readiness to accept the invitation, and passing 
 through the gate, assumed a comfortable position on the porch with 
 a readiness and nonchalance that showed at once the great care this 
 individual took of No. 1 ; i. e. : himself. 
 
 " So, madam," he said, depositing his long and slender carpet 
 bag, "I am seated, Gott sei dank, and if you will procure some 
 eatables I shall not fail to do them justice. I have had nothing 
 since this morning and, to tell the truth, my breakfast was merely 
 the shadow of one." 
 
 Good-natured Mrs. Fuchs forgot over the fellow s hunger the 
 cynical way in which he informed her ; or perhaps she excused him 
 on account of the circumstances in which she found him. She 
 probably knew that the rough contact with the world is not exactly 
 calculated to make us either smooth of speech or tender of touch, 
 and that, like the butterfly, we lose the delicate bloom on our 
 wings when an uncouth hand intercepts our merry flight amongst 
 flowers and their perfumes. 
 
 " Wait a moment," she said, and, disappearing in the house, 
 soon returned with some of the substantial blessings of life. The 
 bread and butter and cheese were accompanied by a glass or two of 
 wine, though not of that prime kind which Mr. Fox had tasted on 
 the visit we witnessed. No, indeed ; Mrs. Fuchs knew better. She 
 believed in the adage which forbids us to cast pearls before certain 
 animals and understood the great art to confine charity within the 
 proper limits. 
 
 The stranger, however, was a judge. He ate and drank and 
 smacked his lips. 
 
 " Nichtubel! not so bad ; though I have drunk better growth 
 on the banks of father Rhine." 
 
 " So you hail from the Rhine?" Mrs. Fuchs inquired with in 
 creased interest, her own cradle having been rocked to the melodies 
 in vogue in that favored country. 
 
 " Yes, I do," he said sharply, " and a fool s errant it was that 
 took me away from there." 
 
 "Would you deem it rude if I asked you its nature ?" 
 
 No, I wouldn t. Woman are curious, that is an old truth and 
 can t surprise a man of my experience." 
 
 " Well, sir?" she suggested, overlooking his freedom. 
 
124 DOLORES. 
 
 "Well, madame, I simply went to America in quest of for 
 tune." 
 
 W hy , I suppose everybody does that more or less." 
 
 " Everybody is more or less a fool. I haven t found my for 
 tune yet, though I have been six months in this abominable country ; 
 yes, what s worse, I haven t found my brother." 
 
 " Your brother f So you have relations in America." 
 
 * Yes, madam, they are so fortunate." 
 
 " And you expect to find your brother here ? You will hardly 
 succeed, for we are the only German family in the place." 
 
 "Hold der kukuk ! the deuce take it. This was my last trump 
 and if it fails, I may as well give up the game. Isn t this Fox- 
 ville ?" 
 
 " That is the name of the place." 
 
 "And there is nobody by the name of Fuchs living here?" 
 
 " Fuchs ? Why, who said there wasn t. You said you wanted 
 to find" 
 
 * My worthy brother, Conrad Fuchs, the senior of the family. 
 If you know anything about that person and will communicate your 
 knowledge to me, you will oblige Jacob Fuchs, his younger 
 brother." 
 
 Mrs. Fuchs was astonished. She was more than that, she was 
 overpowered. The ties of relationship are closer in Germany than 
 in any other country, and even the cousin in the tenth degree con 
 tinues to be counted amongst the kindred. This was her husband s 
 own brother ! at least he said so and in the simplicity of her heart 
 she never thought of doubting his statement. She clasped her 
 hands in astonishment and, taking the hand of the stranger into 
 hers, she embraced and kissed him, totally forgetting his rough 
 and uncouth ways and by divers exclamations endeavoring to con 
 voke the rest of the family. 
 
 " Why is it possible ?" she cried ; " my husband s own brother ! 
 his only brother Jacob, if I have been rightly informed, my good, 
 dear brother-in-law ! Oh ! how Conrad will rejoice ! Of this he 
 never dreamed, to be sure. Husband Conrad ! Charles ! Henry ! 
 Why don t you come ? Your Uncle Jacob is here ! Your Uncle 
 Jacob in his own self same person !" 
 
 Now in her zeal the good dame forgot that her husband and the 
 
DOLORES. 125 
 
 boys were at the factory at that moment, or at least ought to have 
 been there, though Master Henry wasn t, for obedient to his 
 mother s call, he soon afterwards emerged from the house. This 
 didn t at all strike her as odd ; on the contrary she wondered at 
 the absence of the others, inquiring for the reason. Only when 
 Henry replied that they were probably at the factory she remem 
 bered the connecting circumstances, hinting to the lad that it 
 wouldn t be at all amiss for him to be there also. But this was not 
 the day to scold, and telling Henry that he saw his uncle before 
 him and vice versa, she begged her honored guest to excuse her a 
 few moments, in order to prepare for the reception of so worthy a 
 person. Jacob Fuchs did excuse her, enjoying the bread, butter 
 and cheese like one famished, setting down the inferior quality of 
 the wine on account of the ignorance of his claims. 
 
 While eating and drinking he eyed and addressed his young 
 nephew, who, in his turn, showed by his supicious, scornful glances 
 that he was far from sharing his mother s enthusiasm. But Jacob 
 wasn t easily disconcerted. 
 
 "Heinrich, my lad," he said coolly, after finishing his first 
 bottle, "You would greatly oblige me by getting this exchanged. 
 Just tell your mother that I prefer Deidesheim Trammer to all 
 other kinds, and if she should happen to keep that sort 
 
 Henry obeyed with a bad grace, but returning carried a flask 
 bearing the brand mentioned. Uncle Jacob was pleased, he was 
 considerably softened and with every new glass seemed to imbibe 
 the very essence of the milk of human kindness. 
 
 " Why, Henry, my boy," he said, " this meeting is as pleasant 
 as it is unexpected. After wandering six months through this hos 
 pital wilderness of the United States, I meet at last the brother 
 whom I intended to surprise and to make rich and independent." 
 
 Henry began to listen. Rich and independant. This shabby 
 uncle that was so hungry and thirsty like a beggar, to make his 
 father rich and independent. Yes indeed, he, Henry, would first 
 see and then believe it ; but not sooner. His uncle s remark there 
 fore sharpened the expression of scorn around his mouth. The 
 stranger saw it. 
 
 " That sounds funny, Henry, doesn t it ?" he inquired ; "never 
 
126 DOLORES. 
 
 mind the fun, my boy, it will by and by become dead earnest, I 
 assure you. You seem to be tolerably well fixed here." 
 
 Henry stated that they were fixed well enough for everyday as 
 pirations. 
 
 "A fine house?" 
 
 -Oh, yes." 
 
 - And much land ?" 
 
 " Some five acres around the building." 
 
 - And other sources of revenue ?" 
 
 Henry felt as if prudence dictated discretion towards a com 
 parative stranger. But this was his uncle and that uncle had 
 boasted of making his relatives rich. Indeed Henry felt much dis 
 posed to exaggerate his father s means to impress this new uncle 
 of such shabby looks and high pretentions. So he asserted that his 
 father had ever so much stock in banks and other papers from 
 which he derived a splendid revenue. 
 
 The stranger listened attentively. These qualifications of a 
 brother seemed very acceptable, but Henry thought his display 
 made hardly the effect which he had expected. 
 
 Very well, Henry," the new comer said, "very well indeed ; 
 but what has been the result of it ? What is your father doing ?" 
 
 - Working in Mr. Fox s factory, as foreman though." 
 
 At the word Fox the stranger started, but collecting himself he 
 said : 
 
 -Foreman indeed. And your brother didn t you say you 
 had another brother?" 
 
 - I did, sir. He is working in the factory as volunteer to learn 
 the trade." 
 
 -Volunteer! Just a little gilding to smooth the rough name. 
 I think he will soon volunteer at pleasanter work. And you, my 
 boy?" 
 
 Henry took good care not to tell him that he, too, would have 
 been at the factory if his indomitable penchant to idleness had not 
 induced him to make a " blue Monday, which practice with him 
 often extended over the whole week. Henrj) had not yet resolved 
 upon an answer when his uncle saved him the trouble by saying : 
 
 -Never mind, Henry, what you are doing. I will give you a 
 chance of doing better. I am not joking, lad, but in sober earnest. 
 
DOLOKES. 127 
 
 You seem to be a clever, sensible boy and I have no doubt we 
 shall get along swimmingly together. Keach me your hand. What 
 do you think ? Are you willing to form a treaty of offense and 
 defense with an uncle that can soon make you steinreich ; i. e. : 
 possessing more gold than you now have stones on your premises?" 
 
 Henry was clever, but he was also credulous like most persons 
 who dislike labor and look for unexpected turn-ups and sudden 
 chances to take the place of industry and perseverence. His uncle 
 might possibly be more than an idle boaster, and in such a case 
 would it not be very profitable to worm himself into his good graces 
 before the rest of the family had a chance ? If such a conduct 
 should not result in great profit, it could hardly do much harm and 
 the youth instantly resolved to assume a different mien towards 
 this Croesus in a beggar s garb. So he laid his hand into his 
 uncle s extended palm with a good enough grace and signified his 
 readiness to tie with him the knot of firm friendship and mutual 
 good will. Indeed this union had nothing strange about it. If the 
 younger partner was as yet lacking the callous skin, the brazen 
 face and the ready wit of the vagrant, by means of which he made 
 a living, the younger showed an aptness which promised these 
 qualities in rich profusion, and a family resemblance between the 
 pair was unmistakable. They had no further chance to advance 
 their intimacy just then, for Mrs. Fuchs appearing at the door 
 begged her guest to enter and retire to the room she had hastily 
 prepared for him. He would find a bath prepared, she said, and 
 plenty of Conrad s clothes in the closet, in case he wanted to re 
 plenish his wardrobe. She hoped he would enjoy the bath and 
 feel refreshed by it. Supper would be ready in a couple of hours 
 and the rest of the family home by that time, though she wouldn t 
 wait that long, but send Henry to the factory without delay, in 
 order to take to her husband and Charles the glad tidings. 
 
 Uncle Jacob submitted to her directions with the grace of a 
 man that has learned to weather the storms of the world. Taking 
 his carpet-bag he suffered himself to be shown to his room, while 
 Henry betook himself to the factory to inform his father and 
 brother. He showed no haste, however, but walking slowly pon 
 dered on this unexpected event, on his uncle s mysterious hints and 
 their possible consequences. He did not exactly know how to take 
 
128 DOLORES. 
 
 his amiable relation, but he was ready enough to benefit by his as 
 sistance, and before reaching the factory he had fully resolved to 
 have a chance at the fat things in prospect and not allow the others 
 to step in before him, as they were wont to do. 
 
 Mr. Fuchs and Charles were busily engaged in calculating 
 something lying on their workbench, their backs were turned to 
 wards the messenger and both were considerably startled when 
 Henry with intentional abruptness cried out to them : 
 
 "Father, mother wants you at home. Uncle Jacob from Ger 
 many has come." 
 
 "Who has come, Henry?" Mr. Fuchs asked, with a surprise 
 bordering on bewilderment. 
 
 " He has been in the cellar, father," Charles suggested with an 
 ironical smile, " he has paid a visit to the Rhine wine and seen 
 vissions of home." 
 
 A cold, hateful gleam from Henry s eye resented the irony. 
 
 " You are right, I have been in the cellar," he replied, "I have 
 also fetched up wine, but not for myself ; I tell you again, Uncle 
 Jacob has come and mother wants you to come home." 
 
 Mr. Fuchs shook his head. This seemed very incredible to him 
 for reasons of his own. Turning to Charles he said : 
 
 " What can this mean ? I have not seen nor corresponded with 
 my brother for more than twenty years ; could it be really pos 
 sible 
 
 " We can easily find out, father. Somebody must have come 
 and I suppose we may as well go home to see. Henry run back: 
 and tell mother we are coming. We shall just wash a little and 
 see to things before we start." 
 
 Charlie s word was law to Henry, more than his parents . True 
 he hated his brother for the authority he exercised over him ; but 
 still he obeyed, therein resembling most other slavish spirits who 
 smile and lick spittle in their betters face and make a fist at them 
 within their pocket. 
 
 So on Master Henry strolled. His relatives also prepared to 
 leave the factory, pondering on the news that had been brought to 
 them and wondering what it could mean. 
 
 "It cannot be, surely cannot be," Mr. Fuches continued to 
 reiterate. 
 
DOLORES. 129 
 
 \Vhynot, father?" Charles replied, struck by something pe 
 culiar in his father s manner. " If your brother is living he surely 
 might have come, for though you did not correspond with him, he 
 might easily have got our address from other friends at home. Is 
 there anything special that makes you think he wouldn t come ?" 
 
 Mr. Fuchs was the prey of uneasiness and hesitancy. For a 
 few moments he remained silent ; then, however, he replied : 
 
 "Charlie, you are more of a man and friend to me than many 
 another boy would be. I can trust you without fear. I am glad 
 you sent Henry back, for I can now give you a few hints concern 
 ing this brother of mine that may prove useful in case he really 
 should have come." 
 
 By this time the two had left the factory and begun to walk 
 toward the house which was not far distant, as the reader will rec 
 ollect. 
 
 "I must be brief, Charlie," Mr. Fuchs commenced again. 
 " Jacob, you know, was my only brother. I hate to say evil things 
 about him, but the truth is that from his early childhood he was 
 the black sheep of the family. Often when I see Henry s way 
 wardness I cannot help thinking that he bears a strong resemblance 
 to his uncle, and that thought makes me wretched. I cannot tell 
 you Jacob s misdemeanors in detail, my son, but shall merely state 
 that he managed by his intrigues to deprive me of my parents af 
 fection and finally to drive me from my native home to seek another 
 beyond the ocean. The wound he thus struck me has healed long 
 ago, and I bear my brother no malice. I have even abstained from 
 mentioning anything about it to your mother, for nobody likes to 
 blacken his own kindred ; but now this is different, of course. If 
 your uncle has really come, a thing I am strongly inclined to doubt, 
 my duty requires me to give you a hint so as to guard against the 
 evil consequences of any intrigues he may feel disposed to spin. If, 
 on the other hand, he has reformed and comes with good intentions, 
 why my communications will be buried in your breast and not pre 
 vent you from doing justice to your uncle. Am I right, Charlie ?" 
 
 " Right as ever, father. I thank you for your confidence, and 
 promise to treat this uncle according to his merits, provided some 
 strange vagrant has not imposed on mother. But here we are, and 
 shall soon know what it amounts to. There is mother in a glow." 
 
130 DOLORES. 
 
 He was right. When they stepped into the house Mrs. Fuchs 
 met them with a countenance so fluttered and excited that she did 
 not look at all like herself. 
 
 " Oh ! there you are at last," she cried. I thought you \vould 
 never come. And how sober you look ! I declare, you don t seem 
 to be glad at all. Didn t Henry tell you that brother Jacob has ar 
 rived ? " 
 
 Mr. Fuchs was going to explain ; but Charles, laying his hand 
 on his father s arm, stopped him, saying : 
 
 "Leave mother to me, father ; you had better go up at once 
 and look to the stranger. We must, of course, identify his person 
 before we can proceed." 
 
 Mr. Fuchs nodded, and ascending the stairway left his wife and 
 son to themselves. Charles laid his hand around his mother s waist 
 and closeted himself with her in a neighboring room. When a few 
 minutes afterward they appeared again the face of Mrs. Fuchs had 
 much sobered down ; indeed, she looked so gloomy that Charles 
 thought it necessary to caution her. 
 
 " Cheer up, mother dear," he whispered in her ear. " Remem 
 ber our visitor must not see this change, nor Henry either. The 
 boy is not considerate enough to be trusted. Moreover, all may 
 be right, you know, and we may still rejoice at our kinsman s com- 
 ing." 
 
 You are my good, clever boy," she replied, looking tenderly 
 into his noble face, " and I shall endeavor to control myself. But 
 listen, they are coming." 
 
 She was right. A door up stairs opened, and the sharp, snap 
 pish voice of the stranger penetrated, in all its modulations, the 
 house. 
 
 "I don t like his voice," Charles whispered to his mother. " If 
 his person isn t more agreeable 
 
 He hadn t time to finish, for already the stranger was descend 
 ing in company with Mr. Fuchs. 
 
 " Aye, aye, * they heard him say, " just in time, brother Con 
 rad, just in time to recruit my strength and purse. I tell you they 
 are both considerably exhausted." 
 
 " I am glad, Jacob, that I am able to supply all your wants." 
 
 " It s really uncle Jacob," Charles whispered to his mother. 
 
DOLOKES. 131 
 
 " And so am I, brother, so am I. Not that I want much from 
 you, or long, or to keep. No, indeed, I have rather come to be 
 stow and not to take." 
 
 " Speak plainly, Jacob ; I do not understand you." 
 
 " Of course you don t, Conrad ; I do not wish you should. All 
 in due season, you know, in due season. But whom have we here ? 
 Ah ! my good sister in-law, the Samaritan, who fed the stranger 
 without knowing him, though the wine she gave me was a beggarly 
 wine. And this young chap ? Ah ! I recollect ; you have another 
 boy, Charles isn t that your name, my son ? " 
 
 "Nephew, uncle, you mean to say. I am Charles Fuchs, and 
 at your service." 
 
 These words, and yet more the manner of uttering them, acted 
 as a check upon uncle Jacob; at least as far as Charles was con 
 cerned. The young man practiced that effectual means of holding 
 at the distance, overdrawn politeness, than which there is no better 
 remedy. It acts like so many weapons thrust against the rude in 
 vader, repelling his advances like pointed bayonets. Uncle Jacob 
 could not break down Charles defences either then or afterwards, 
 and we may as well state here that the relation between uncle and 
 nephew never became a cordial one. Mr. Fuchs could be bullied, 
 his wife persuaded and Henry coaxed ; but Charles preserved his 
 distant politeness, or rather his polite distance, and proved a most 
 effectual barrier to uncle Jacob s forwardness. That gentleman felt 
 an indistinct aversion to the young man, and this similarity of feel 
 ing soon became a new bond of fellowship between the new comer 
 and Henry, so that they were mostly in each other s company. 
 
 " Thank you, sir, thank you indeed," the visitor replied. "Uncle 
 Jacob may call on you before you think it, though he is not the 
 man to accept services without compensation. But sister Barbara, 
 I see you are getting impatient, and so am I. If you will lead the 
 way to the dining-room I shall show you without delay how my 
 little lunch of before has prepared my stomach for a good supper." 
 Mrs. Fuchs opened a door and the company entered a room, 
 where a very acceptable meal had been spread. Uncle Jacob was 
 the first one to sit down ; he had already pitched deeply into the 
 mysteries of half a dozen dishes before the others had taken up their 
 knives aud forks. 
 
132 DOLORES. 
 
 " You do pretty well for America, madam," lie said, with a con 
 descending nod, without letting his speaking interfere with his eat 
 ing, " and if a glass of good Rhine wine washes the victuals down, 
 they pass to their receptacle in a pleasant enough manner. Brother 
 Conrad, I hope you have provided yourself tolerably well with this 
 sort of wine. You recollect, I always preferred it to all others." 
 
 "Indeed I don t, Jacob." 
 
 " Well, take my word for it then, brother. I ll do my best in 
 helping you finish your supply, and then it shall be my turn to 
 treat and you must assist rue, as I do you now. Only wait until I 
 make my fortune 
 
 " Oh ! you are going to make your fortune, uncle ? " 
 
 " Uncle Jacob was annoyed, and for a moment felt inclined to 
 resent Charles irony, but the face of the young man didn t look at 
 all inviting, so he checked his vexation and said, with a laugh : 
 
 " Indeed I am, though you seem inclined to make light of it. 
 Just wait till I call you all in a family council, for then you will 
 hear astounding disclosures. But now w r e are at supper, friends, 
 and it is my principle to always do with undivided energy what I 
 am doing. So please, sister, to reach me some of that pudding, 
 and, brother, if it wouldn t be too much trouble to replace this 
 empty bottle with a full one thank you, sir. I love to deal with 
 people who take tender hints and needn t be winked at with fence 
 posts." 
 
 Any one seeing uncle Jacob at his supper wouldn t entertain the 
 least doubt that he was concentrating all his energy upon that work. 
 If his other undertakings all resembled this he surely was a push 
 ing fellow, and the search after fortune might be successful. True, 
 thus far he had evidently failed, judging from the shabby garments 
 he had now exchanged for better ones of his host and brother ; but 
 the best pointer may sometimes lose the scent, and there is hope as 
 long as there is life. Uncle Jacob s life was very tenacious, for if 
 all the adventures and hardships with the narration of which he 
 entertained the family were true, he surely could boast of having 
 borne what nine- tenths of mankind would be unable to endure. 
 
 At last they arose. The visitor s capacity of receiving and stor 
 ing food had by no means been entirely exhausted, but he managed 
 to take a bottle of wine and a plate of cake into the parlor, com- 
 
DOLOKES. 133 
 
 forting himself with the thought that it wasn t much further from 
 there to the cellar and pantry than from the dining-room, and that 
 at all events this labor fell to the lot of others. 
 
 The evenings were getting long, and Mrs. Fuchs found it neces 
 sary to light the iine lamp which graced the mantlepiece and was 
 only used for extraordinary occasions. Its light cast a pleasant, 
 comfortable glow over the room, and uncle Jacob, who had planted 
 himself in the most comfortable easy chair in the room, had good 
 reason to congratulate himself on having found a home which con 
 trasted strangely with the adventurous life he had lately led, and 
 appeared to exercise a double charm in prospect of the coming win 
 ter, He had lit a cigar, without in the least ascertaining Mrs. 
 Fuchs sentiments concerning this privilege, and the pleasure of 
 puffing off rings and columns of smoke had for a while even over 
 come the enjoyment of letting his tongue run and keeping his audi 
 tors in suspense with scenes and sketches of his past life, which 
 were entirely more striking than probable. 
 
 During one of these lulls the gate of the garden was heard to 
 swing, and a knock at the door betrayed the comitfg of another vis 
 itor. 
 
 " Why, that is Dol," Charles exclaimed, springing to his feet 
 and hastening to the door. " She was to come this evening, but we 
 forgot through uncle s arrival." 
 
 He left the room, and a minute afterwards reappeared in com 
 pany with a young lady. It is well that we know from Charlie s 
 words who stands before us, or we would surely not recognize our 
 former friend. This young, stately creature the little girl of old ? 
 In this splendidly developed form we do not recognize the angular 
 points of a wandering minstrel girl who by her painful leanness 
 awoke the pity of charitable souls. Charles tells us it is his friend 
 Dolores, and we surely have no reason to doubt his word. The 
 black massy curls are there as of old ; so is the fiery eye, though 
 moderated and subdued by gentle sweetness and a look of thought- 
 fulness which speaks of mental treasures undeaueath. Her com 
 plexion is not very white but clear and transparent, showing the 
 slightest variations of the purple flood beneath. Her teeth are per 
 fect, and as she greets the company assembled a smile o exquisite 
 beauty flits over her perfect features They are now fully devel- 
 
134 DOLORES. 
 
 oped, and the promise of the bud has been fulfilled by the open 
 flower. She is but no, I shall not attempt to paint a beauty which 
 defies the painter s brush, much more the sharp point with which 
 the author is to depict the features of his heroes and the traits of 
 their character. Perhaps the reader may by following my tale catch 
 here and there a glimpse of the charms, a view into the soul of this 
 young being on whom nature had, for once without freaks, showered 
 her richest gifts and blessings. With these glimpses he must rest 
 satisfied. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 A LETTER. 
 
 Mrs. Fuchs arose and with motherly care took the hat and shawl 
 of the visitor. 
 
 " You are late, Dol," shesaid having long ago adopted Charles 
 mode of naming her " we had almost given you up." 
 
 " I had to wait for papa," she said, casting a side glance at the 
 stranger in the arm chair. " He intended coming with me, but be 
 ing suddenly prevented by pressing business sent James along to see 
 me safely to the cottage. It wasn t necessary," she added, with a 
 light laugh, " for I am not at all afraid ; but papa wills it so, and 
 like a dutiful daughter I obey." 
 
 After this Charles took it upon himself to inform his friend of 
 the great event of the day. First her eye brightened considerably 
 at the news of the arrival of an uncle from Germany, and she wel 
 comed the stranger in his native tongue with her usual warmth of 
 expression ; but when he answered in his cynical style, and in the 
 course of the evening displayed traits of character not at all com 
 mendable, she shrank from the new-comer, becoming rather taciturn 
 and merely casting uncertain glances on his vulgar features when 
 she thought she could do this without observation. 
 
 Uncle Jacob in the meantime continued his libations, and from 
 the growing freedom of expression and total absence of restraint, it 
 became evident that the fiery wine began to make a marked impres- 
 
DOLOKES. 135 
 
 sion upon his brain. Becoming more boastful and vainglorious 
 every minute, at last he said : 
 
 " This wine is good, verteufelt good. It opens man s heart, as 
 the poet says ; it surely opened mine. I did not mean to make you 
 so early the recipients of the golden news I bear within my pocket ; 
 but you have been so clever to uncle Jacob that he cannot think of 
 leaving you in the dark any longer. Yes, indeed, you have not 
 honored a niggardly uncle, as my communications will soon show. 
 Brother Conrad, do you recollect our great grandfather Eberhard ?" 
 
 " Yes, Jacob, I do. Grandfather often spoke to us about him. 
 He had a restless, roving disposition, visiting all the countries on 
 the globe and finally dying far from home, nobody knows where." 
 
 11 Nobody knew where, you had better say, for lately documents 
 have been discovered which make it almost certain that he died on 
 the coast of Maine, probably in this neighborhood." 
 
 "Indeed?" Conrad inquired, with that curiosity which is so 
 natural when the destiny of some member of the family is made the 
 topic of conversation. The others also listened to uncle Jacob with 
 more attention than they had hitherto evinced during the evening, 
 without, however, in the least understanding what the history of a 
 great grand-uncle could have to do with the golden news that had 
 been promised. 
 
 " Indeed? " he said, that must have been quite recently, for 
 it is altogether new to me. How did that happen ? " 
 
 "Why, this way. You recollect our great aunt Sarah, who 
 died an old maid a number of years ago ? " 
 
 " Of course 1 do. We received a little legacy from her." 
 
 " Exactly. Well, about a year ago the house in which she had 
 lived and which had been in the Fuchs family for many genera 
 tions was repaired, and on removing some old rubbish in the garret 
 a box with musty papers was discovered, which, on closer examina 
 tion, proved to contain family documents. The owner, not belong 
 ing to the old stock and hearing about my temporary presence in 
 the town, sent for me, and on my arrival at the house delivered the 
 whole box into my hands. I caused it at once to be removed to my 
 lodgings, and feeling rather curious to learn the nature of the pa 
 pers, began to examine them. It was a tedious task. Most of the 
 papers were diaries, treating on the income and expenses of the 
 
136 DOLORES. 
 
 Fuchs for many years. To me they were extremely indifferent, or 
 rather a source of vexation, for it made me angry to think that such 
 large sums had once been handled by my ancestors and yet not a 
 cent come down to my poor person. I was already on the point of 
 delivering the whole plunder to the fire, when all at once a name 
 and date attracted my attention and kept my eye rivited to the doc 
 ument on which they stood. The name was Eberhardt Fuchs and 
 the date the year 1760." 
 
 "Well, what more? Go on, uncle Jacob," Charles urged the 
 narrator, who had stopped for a moment. 
 
 "Ah! the young gentleman gets interested," Jacob Fuchs re 
 marked with a grin and evident satisfaction at the other s impa 
 tience. " Well, I m coming ; only give me a moment s time to pro 
 duce the document." 
 
 With these words he put his hand into his coat pocket and drew 
 out a large and old fashioned diary which was firmly secured by a 
 leather string reaching half a dozen times around it. Uncle Jacob 
 unwound it slowly and with the dignity of a man who knows what 
 he is about. At last the string was off, and the cover yielding to 
 the presence of the hand displayed a number of pockets, all of 
 which were empty excepting one, that contained a yellow looking 
 paper. Jacob seized it with a solemn mien, and turning to the 
 company remarked : 
 
 " The time has come when those of you who suspected uncle 
 Jacob s soundness of mind will humble themselves before him and 
 eagerly beg his forgiveness. It will be easily obtained and readily 
 bestowed ; but Mr. Charles being the greatest skeptic, if I am not 
 mistaken, deserves a little penalty, which we shall infiict upon him 
 by making him read the letter to the company." 
 
 Charles was well satisfied with this punishment ; his interest was 
 awakened, and fearing the delay which would surely result from 
 his uncle s pompous way he was very willing to act in the capacity 
 of reader. Taking the paper from the other s hand and holding it 
 to the light in order to decipher the lines, which time had half ob 
 literated, he read : 
 
 ON BOARD " THE ROVER," \ 
 GULF OK MKXICO, July 20, 1760. / 
 
 Dear Caroline: In spite of your interdiction I take the peii to 
 write to you. I cannot help it, for just as the plant turns its head to 
 
DOLOKES. 137 
 
 the sunlight, I turn to you for one smile, one word of comfort, yes 
 of love. You banished me from my native home ; you drive me a 
 fugitive over land and sea, and shall I not even have the comfort to 
 write to you, to tell you that I love you as much, no, more than 
 ever? This can, this must not be, and if I displease and offend you 
 by this letter, I take comfort at the thought that my approaching 
 dissolution will attone for it. 
 
 I shall not live much longer, Caroline, and there is comfort in 
 the thought, for it means I shall not suffer and sin much longer. 
 Suffer and sin! Yes, Caroline, I Lave had hell in my bosom ever 
 since you disdained my love, and reached to Brother John the hand 
 which ought to have been mine. A sea of fire has been raging there, 
 where others carry feelings of a gentle nature. It has driven me 
 from continent to continent and plunged me in a vortex of the worst 
 of dissipations. Or do you t hi LI k that deeds of virtue could spring 
 from fiery passions such as mine? No, Caroline, it could not be and 
 your good and pure soul would shrink from me, if it could look into 
 the dreadful abyss from which the deeds of my daik career have 
 risen. 
 
 Why do I write this down ? Why do I make you, as it were, 
 an accomplice of my crimes? Ah, love is selfish, Caroline, and un 
 requited love yearns for revenge. You were mine, mine alone, if 
 deep, undying passion establishes a claim, and yet you gave away 
 what belonged to me and by doing so created a blank in my nature 
 which has never since been filled. No smile has lit my face, no af 
 fection warmed my heart, no sympathy has drawn me to a fellow 
 being. No ray has ever shown into that blank, that dreadful blank, 
 but grim spectres have risen there, spectres with diabolical faces, 
 that have sneered at innocence and virtue and allured me on to a 
 path of wickedness on which nc sin is wanting that hell can boast 
 of. You know I never was a halfway man, and my love which 
 could have made a saint of me, if requited, has driven me to the 
 extremes of iniquity, since you disdained it. 
 
 I am tired of life, for life can offer nothing worth living for, since 
 you are denied to me. The long years of separation have been one 
 continued effort to forget, but that effort has been nothing but a 
 miserable failure. Imagine then, how glad I must be to see the 
 moment approaching when this wretched wreck of mine will fore- 
 ever disappear from the surface of life s ocean. I shall not prompt 
 the hand of time, I am not coward enough to lift my hand against 
 myself, but I feel, I know with deep satisfaction that the volcano in 
 my bosom has nearly spent its wrath, that the substance feeding it 
 has well nigh become exhausted. 
 
 Farewell, Caroline. I owe to you much suffering but I also owe 
 to you a happiness of by gone days, the very recollection of which 
 would be bliss, if not embittered by the torments of jealousy. I do 
 not curse you or your memory, let that suffice, for as to blessing 
 you, I have forgotten how to. 
 
 I leave much gold ; I leave it to your children. My will has been 
 executed and rests safely in a cave on the coast of Maine, near the 
 large estate on which my brother Walter lives as steward. He is to 
 have a competence, but the greatest portion goes unto your children 
 as the testament will show. I shall deposit it in the courts, as soon 
 as I return there, for I feel that my days are numbered. 
 
 Do not thank me, Caroline, for you have no occasion. In leav- 
 
138 DOLORES. 
 
 ing my money to your children I hardly know whether I act from 
 motives of revenge or affection. Alas! I love your little ones in as 
 far as they are part of you, but I feel malignant hate arising in nay 
 bosom when I consider that they are also part of his. 
 
 No, Caroline, no, thank me not. But when you sooner or later 
 look upon the mementoes of a man that died a victim of his love, re 
 member with a tear poor EBERHARDT. 
 
 During the reading of this passionate letter a deep silence had 
 been reigning in the room. Even after Charles had finished, the 
 echoes of the soul-stiring appeal continued to vibrate in the hearts 
 of the hearers, and when Uncle Jacob interrupted the silence with 
 the exultation of the heir expectant, thoy felt it like a discord jar 
 ring upon their hearts. He evidently was callous to such silly sen 
 timents, or may be the many readings he had given the letter had 
 hardened him against its impressions. 
 
 11 Well, what now ?" he inquired, sending a triumphant glance 
 around the room. "Where are the skeptics, the scoffers? Who 
 is the first to ask pardon of the benignant uncle that is to make 
 you all rich ?" 
 
 His words in a degree dispelled the feelings of the company, 
 awakened by the reading. Charles was the first to collect himself 
 sufficiently for an answer. 
 
 "Not quite so fast, uncle !" he exclaimed with a smile on his 
 lips. "This letter is a fine document and well calculated to set our 
 hearts throbbing, but it is merely a promise, uncle, and a promise 
 and its fulfilment are two differnt things. Before we humble our 
 selves before you in sackcloth aud ashes, tell us where is the testa 
 ment of the writer ?" 
 
 "The testament? Ah hm well, the testament is i4 at a 
 place of which I am not exactly aware ; that is, I presume I have 
 my idea 
 
 " And what is your idea, uncle?" 
 
 Uncle Jacob cleared his throat and arranged his cravat. Then 
 he emptied a glass of wine and finally said : 
 
 " You see the letter speaks about the courts 
 
 But which courts, uncle?" 
 
 "That s more than I can tell ; but Eberhardt Fuchs evidently 
 means the courts of Maine." 
 
 "There are many courts in Maine, uncle." 
 
 "Pshaw ! nephew, I I know all that, but the number is not so 
 
DOLORES. 139 
 
 large that we couldn t soon find out whether the last will of a cer 
 tain Eberhardt Fuchs or Fox had been recorded there." 
 
 " Fuchs or Fox?" Charles inquired with increased attention. 
 " What do you mean by those two names ?" 
 
 "I mean simply that from the diary of our great grand-aunt it 
 is evidant that Eberhardt s brother Walter, mentioned in this let 
 ter, has changed his German name of Fuchs to the English equi 
 valent of Fox." 
 
 The family exchanged glances, but there seemed to be a tactic 
 agreement to leave to Charles the office of speaker. 
 
 That brings us nearer home, indeed, the young man remark 
 ed thougtfully, for there is a family of Fox in this village who 
 have been here for several generations and in case of the correct 
 ness of your statements would be our relatives. Just think of it, 
 mother ? You the cousin of proud Mrs. Fox in the mansion. Won t 
 she enjoy the idea though ?" 
 
 Charles laughed heartily, turning his eyes from his mother to 
 the fair visitor at his side who sat there the very picture of sus 
 pense and excitement. However, before Mrs. Fuchs or anybody 
 else could reply to Charlie s remark, Uncle Jacob had snatched up 
 the word saying : 
 
 "Let her enjoy it or not, dear nephew, that can be very in 
 different to us. Let us discover the testament, the precious testa 
 ment, and we may laugh at her displeasure, for displeased she will 
 be, I am sure, on receiving short notice to quit and make room for 
 better people. Yes, she won t like it, I dare say." 
 
 " But even if we find the testament, uncle, you forget that this 
 Mr. Eberhardt makes his brother joint heir with the children of 
 Caroline." 
 
 "Pshaw ! a trifle, a bonus, a bone thrown to the dogs. Don t 
 he speak of much gold, and that his brother Walter is merely to 
 have a competence?" 
 
 " That is true, and if you find the testament you may indeed 
 be able to compel Mrs. Fox to move her trucks." 
 
 Ah, there ! I am glad you think so !" 
 
 A silence followed these words and the company was evidently 
 the prey of some embarrassment. At last Mrs. Fuchs drew a breath 
 saying : 
 
140 DOLORES. 
 
 " I, for my part, hope it won t be found. I don t like to drive 
 people out of their possessions." 
 
 "Nor I !" said Charles promptly, his father joining him. Henry 
 kept silent, his eager eye watching his uncle s lips. 
 
 " Are you crazy ?" Jacob inquired, letting his wondering eye 
 wander from one member of the family to the other. " That is 
 down right madness. But if you <vant to play the sympathizing 
 fools, bear well in mind that Uncle Jacob will not keep you com 
 pany. I haven t staked for naught my last farthing on the suc 
 cessful establishment of this claim, and if you are willing to forego 
 your rights, I for one will push mine with every particle of strength 
 n my possession." 
 
 Another silence which Uncle Jacob employed to drain another 
 glass of wine. Charles was the first to speak again. 
 
 " I do not blame you much for your determination ; for you do 
 not like us, entertain friendly relations to the family concerned. I 
 acknowledge that you have a right to investigate this case, but I 
 feel extremely doubtful whether you will succeed. If such a will 
 as that this letter speaks about had ever been filed in our courts 
 we could hardly have failed to learn something about it. However, 
 it is not impossible, and if you succeed I shall not be slow to con 
 gratulate you." 
 
 " Charlas, how can you speak so ?" his mother inquired with 
 tones of reproach. Does it not clear iy appear from that letter 
 that the gold of Eberhardt Fuchs is the result of sin and iniquity ? 
 It is dated on board a vessel. Have you forgotten the story in the 
 mouth of the people concerning a certain pirate who bore the name 
 of Fox ?" 
 
 "No, mother, I haven t. I never believed in it, but now I 
 think I was mistaken." 
 
 " And such gold you would rejoice in?" 
 
 "Mother, I did not say so. I merely said that I should con 
 gratulate Uncle Jacob, in case he should succeed in establishing 
 his claim. Moreover our opinion concerning this ancestor of ours 
 merely rests on a supposition ; let us at least give him the benefit 
 of a doubt." 
 
 The miens of uncle Jacob showed a nervous restlessness. Help 
 ing himseK to more wine and gulping it down as if desirous of 
 
DOLORES. 141 
 
 gathering strength and resolution from it, he snapped his fingers, 
 saying : 
 
 * You are a pious set, you are. When a member of the family 
 comes across the ocean, a man that is tied to you by bonds of blood, 
 and holds out to you the prospect of unbounded wealth, you say 
 "fi" into his face, and would rather see him die in want and pover 
 ty than have a family of strangers come to harm. I call that mean, 
 and when you set up wry faces and cross yourself against the 
 demon that helped amass the gold and, may be, guards it all the 
 while, I call that ridiculous." 
 
 "Don t get excited, brother Jacob," Mr. Fuchs now exhorted 
 the visitor whose flushed countenance threatened further complica 
 tions. "Keep calm and let us all sleep upon this wonderful rela 
 tion, before we make it the matter of further deliberations." 
 
 "Well, I have* no objections," Jacob said, "only the matter 
 ought to be kept amongst ourselves. If we allow it to become 
 known our adversary may take measures to strengthen his position. 
 The family, I hope, will keep the secret, and that young lady- 
 All eyes were turned to Dolores who, in the excitement of the 
 discovery, had been overlooked. 
 
 She blushed, but after a moment s hesitation, replied : 
 I shall respect your secret, sir, although you are conspiring 
 against a man who is my father and my benefactor." 
 
 "What!" uncle Jacob exclaimed with indignation, "she a 
 daughter of this man and I received no warning ?" 
 
 "She is a foster daughter, uncle," Charles replied, " but I 
 answer for her secrecy." 
 
 "A foster daughter?" Jacob returned, and his look became 
 quite vague and absent. She looks as if she was a member of the 
 family. There was a miniature picture amongst aunt Sarah s things 
 that looked exactly like her. Are you sure she is not a relative of 
 ours ?" 
 
 " Sure, uncle ! She is Italian by birth and her name is Gatana." 
 "Gatana? That name sounds strange to me, though one of 
 Caroline s sons went to Italy and settled there. He was a painter 
 and a roving fellow like his uncle Eberhardt, though nothing evil 
 could ever be said of him. He married in Rome and had a son 
 who also became a painter and a celebrated one, too. I shouldn t 
 
142 DOLORES. 
 
 have known this if it hadn t been for a diary of our great grand 
 mother which fell into my hands with this letter." 
 
 11 You have her diary?" Charles inquired eagerly. "O, let me 
 see it, uncle, for she must have been a wonderful woman to inspire 
 such a violent passion." 
 
 Indeed, I never could see anything wonderful about her looks 
 or her writings. There was a picture of hers in the box." 
 
 " But the diary, uncle, the diary !" 
 
 " I am sorry I cannot give it to you just now ; it is in my car 
 pet-bag. But if you ll have patience till to-morrow 
 
 " Of course, uncle, I can wait that long. To morrow morning, 
 then, I shall call on you for the papers." 
 
 The conversation now turned on other points, but it was flat and 
 dragging, as might well be expected after such startling disclosures. 
 Uncle Jacob by this time had reached the drowsy stage of drunken 
 ness and after a good deal of nodding was gone into the land of 
 dreams. Delicacy of feeling prevented the family from making 
 commentaries on him and his doings, and other topics proving stale 
 the family retired sooner than was customary. Dolores gave the 
 signal by rising and signifying her intention to depart for home. 
 James having been ordered at a late hour, the company of Charles 
 was offered and accepted and soon the young couple wandered un 
 der a starry sky. But the heart of Dolores was too full to remain 
 unopened and stopping suddenly she exclaimed : 
 
 "O ! Charlie, this is wonderful ! almost as strange as our ad 
 venture in the cave." 
 
 " You see the bearing then, Dol, which both events have upon 
 one another ?" 
 
 " I think I do, Charlie, though I tremble at making my deduc 
 tions. Mr. Fox s ancestor a pirate !" 
 
 " Why don t you say> and mine, too ?" 
 
 "Because I could nt think of wounding thus your feeling." 
 
 Charles smiled. 
 
 " I am not so easily wounded, Dol, as that. Uncle Jacob would 
 be proud of the connection if that could only secure his money." 
 
 Uncle Jacob is no favorite of mine ; pardon me for saying 
 that much of a relative of yours." 
 
DOLORES. 143 
 
 " There is no occasion for asking pardon, Dol. You know we 
 never differed much in judgment." 
 
 " So you don t like him either?" 
 
 "Like him ! I have a notion to make you ask my pardon now." 
 
 "And you think there is not much danger of his finding the 
 testament?" 
 
 " Not much danger of his finding it ; but I know a couple who 
 might have better chances." 
 
 Again the girl started. Stopping short, she said : 
 
 " You mean us two ? Could it be barely possible that the cave 
 should still hold the secret ?" 
 
 "Not only possible, but almost certain, unless the ancestors of 
 your foster father discovered and destroyed the document in order 
 to improve their claim." 
 
 " That would have been a crime." 
 
 Charles shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 Few men are overscrupulous, where money is concerned. 
 Take uncle Jacob as an example ; he would do many things, I ven 
 ture, which are not recorded in the book of honor to appropriate 
 the prize he is in search of." 
 
 When Dolores did not reply, he continued : 
 
 " No, I think the will still lies secreted where the pirate buried 
 it and, I have but little doubt, that the cave is the spot. How 
 fortunate that our term of probation is drawing to a close." 
 
 " Why, Charlie, you think of aiding this man against my 
 father ?" 
 
 "No, Dol ; you must not look at it in this light. The finding 
 of the will may be as propicious to Mr. Fox as to us and then it is 
 more than likely that the place which hides the testament will also 
 contain a. portion, may be a large portion, of the treasures of which 
 the letter speaks." 
 
 " Then you think that the unhappy man never returned to the 
 cave ?" 
 
 " Returned perhaps to die there. Don t you remember the tale 
 I told you, Dol ?" 
 
 " I do remember," she said with a shudder. "What a horrible 
 
 end !" 
 
144 DOLOKES. 
 
 "The story may magnify the horror." The bones, however, we 
 found warrant a shade of truth to it." 
 
 "But why should later visitors, why should those men we saw 
 there, not have buried the skeleton ?" 
 
 " Perhaps to terrify uncalled visitors. Let that be as it may ; 
 I am bound to search for the will as soon as I am free to go to the 
 cave." 
 
 " When will that be ?" 
 
 " Within one week just from to-day." 
 
 " Is not the risk you run too great a stake for the possible gain ?" 
 
 " May be, Dol ; but it isn t the gain that tempts me. There is 
 a mystery concerning our family and as long as that is unrevealed, 
 I shall have no rest." 
 
 " I think I understand you, Charlie, and I shall make no further 
 objections, provided you allow me to satisfy my curiosity at the 
 same time." 
 
 " There, you have got me now, Dol, I declare. It is hardly 
 fair to set such traps for your friends ; but you have the advantage 
 and may as well follow it up. But ain t you afraid to go, child?" 
 
 AVe see that Charles carefully preserves old privileges, for the 
 appellation of child" is hardly applicable to that companion at his 
 side. 
 
 Dolores shook her head. 
 
 " I am not afraid, Charlie," she said with a smile, "but I experi 
 ence the feeling that used to creep over me, when a child I listened 
 to the fairy tales of old. If it is fear it certainly is clothed ioto a 
 very attractive garb." 
 
 The dear girl, in giving this reply, evidently did not examine 
 her inner-self very closely. If she had done so she might have 
 found that she was more afraid for her companion than for herself 
 and being,unable to prevent his going found a comfort in sharing 
 his danger. 
 
 The distance to the mansion was but short and the young couple 
 reached the carriage gate much sooner than they liked. Xot that 
 this feeling had manifested itself to them in a tangible shape Dol 
 might have even attempted a denial but it surely was in existence; 
 it showed itself in the pressure of their hands at parting in the 
 slightly doleful character of the "good night" and the repeated 
 
DOLORES. 145 
 
 turning of the head of which both parties were guilty, although 
 they might as well have omitted it, for all the benefit they derived 
 from it in the dead of the night. 
 
 Happy young couple ! happy, because they are so without know 
 ing it, enjoying, as it were, the rich hour of promise just before the 
 dawn of morning. The sun will soon rise, the glories of his colors 
 will set the skies on fire ; his genial heat, his alluring smile will en 
 tice all nature into frolicsome gladness. The flowers will then open, 
 the bugs will buzz; a deep, trembling happiness will penetrate 
 through nature. The earth will heave and shout in a thousand 
 voices the supreme rapture of existence, as if it feared to suffocate 
 with the f ulsomeness of life s delight. 
 
 All this the hour of early morn anticipates, and so does the 
 youthful heart foretaste the bliss of love before the consciousness of 
 love has ever dawned. No constraint as yet fettered the genial in 
 tercourse between the youth and maiden ; no stammering diffidence, 
 no burning blush became the treacherous index of their heart s sen 
 sations. Hand in hand they wander over meadows decked with 
 flowers, their bosoms calm, their faces serene, their steps elastic. 
 But now the heavenly light peep over the horizon, wrapping the 
 distant mountains in a veil of purple. They stop to look ; they 
 look and wonder ; they wonder and an undefined sensation, as 
 strange as new creeps over their hearts, runs along their nerves, 
 shoots through their brains, knocking everywhere at the secret doors 
 of their existence and causing new life to spring under its footsteps. 
 At once they know and tremble at their knowledge ; they shrink 
 from one another s sight and flee each other, merely to unite. No 
 longer does their laughter s merry peel echo through the woods and 
 on the banks of the rivulets ; they grow pale and melancholy, but 
 drink happiness from their very sadness ; they in short they love, 
 obeying thus the great eternal law which called them forth into ex 
 istence for that purpose. Love ! life s essence and condition, its in 
 and out, its up and down, its all and everything I Love ! the old 
 story told ever since Adam learned to know the charms of Eve, and 
 yet not finished, and never to be finished as long as minutes run 
 along the everlasting stream of time. 
 
 TO 
 
146 DOLORES. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 A VOICE FROM THE GRAVE. 
 
 When Charles called on his uncle the next morning for the pa 
 pers promised that gentleman was still in bed snoring away the ef 
 fects of last night s potations. But Charles declined to stand on 
 ceremony ; he was impatient for the papers, and at the same time 
 thought that his uncle wasn t the man to be approached on tiptoe. 
 So he went up to the bed, and shaking the arm o the sleeper cried 
 in his ear : 
 
 " Good morning, uncle Jacob. I hope you enjoyed a good night s 
 rest." 
 
 "Oh! ah!" the sleeper groaned, throwing his arms wildly 
 around his head. Don t take the will ; you shan t have the will." 
 
 " He dreams about it," Charles muttered, and giving his uncle 
 another shake tried to awaken him. 
 
 At last the man opened his eyes, staring at the youth with agaze 
 so vacant as to lack every vestige of intelligence and recognition. 
 However, by and by he grew more wakeful, and rubbing his eyes 
 said to his nephew : 
 
 "Ah ! Charles, that s you, up and dressed. Ah! you young 
 folks have the advantage over us. I declare 1 am as drowsy as if 
 I hadn t slept an hour. What time is it, Charlie?" 
 
 " Oh, it s early enough, uncle ; only I thought I d wake you in 
 time to get ready for breakfast." 
 
 " Thank you, my boy, but I don t feel a bit hungry this morn 
 ing, and with your permission shall take another nap. Your moth 
 er s good things w r on t run away, you know." 
 
 " Just as you please, uncle ; only I would thank you to give me 
 that diary now. I have to go to the factory by and by, and should 
 like to read it before I leave." 
 
 " Exactly, Charlie. Here, take the key and open my carpet 
 bag. Do you see the bundle of papers ? Just take the top one ; 
 that s it. I hope you ll enjoy the reading, though I doubt it very 
 much, for to tell you the truth, Charlie, it s nothing but woman s 
 gossip, and awful dry in the bargain." 
 
DOLORES. 147 
 
 " I ll make the best of it, uncle." 
 
 " Exactly, Charlie, but stop a moment, if you please. One fa 
 vor is worth another, you know, and I may as well state to you in 
 confidence that I am in the habit of regulating my appetite for the 
 day by a little dram in the morning." 
 
 " You want a glass of wine, uncle ? " 
 
 No, Charlie, no wine. The best wine has some acidity which 
 contracts the stomach and prevents it from doing its whole duty. I 
 want something of a stronger nature, something that will shut up 
 the cracks and fissures in my old receptacle and impart a glow of 
 health and vigor to its muscles." 
 
 " I understand you, uncle," Charles replied with a laugh, for he 
 could not help enjoying his uncle s pointed way of stating things in 
 spite of his uncouthness. He applied to his mother for the strong 
 est stomach bitters she had in the house, and filling a large tumbler 
 with it returned to his uncle, who on his arrival at the room had 
 already closed one eye and merely seemed to keep the other open to 
 report the coming of the dram at headquarters. 
 
 " Ah ! that s a good boy. If the quality equals the quantity, I 
 shall hardly have to find fault." 
 
 Charles smiled when his uncle took the tumbler and in one 
 draught poured its contents down his throat. The young man could 
 hardly have swallowed a drop without burning his throat, and he 
 felt a mischievous pleasure in anticipating his uncle s discomfiture. 
 But he had reckoned without his host ; not even a muscle did that 
 experienced imbiber of alcoholic drinks suffer to get out of shape. 
 
 First rate ! " he said, smacking his lips and sending forth at 
 almost the same instant the first of a number of snores, which at 
 once convinced his nephew of the uselessness of further attempts at 
 conversation. The youth however, was by no means inclined to 
 waste any time on the old tippler, but, seizing the paper with an 
 eager grasp, left the room to seek the solitude of his own. Moving 
 a rocking-chair to the window, through which the first rays of the 
 sun proclaimed a golden morning, he prepared to read the effusions 
 of a heart which had been mouldering in the grave for many, many 
 years. It was with a certain veneration that Charles brought the 
 manuscript to his eye and read : 
 
 * * * Be quiet, heart; what dos t thou wish ? Hast thou not 
 
148 DOLORES. 
 
 husband and children such darling children to dote upon ? What 
 dost thou want? Canst thou not quit to dwell upon a recollection 
 which is as idle as it is sinful ? 
 
 Alas, thus I admonish it every day, but in vain. I cannot ban 
 ish his memory , for the more I try the more distinctly it rises to my 
 vision. Eberhardt, you have been well avenged, and your sad words 
 of farewell will never cease to echo in my soul. Where are you now ? 
 Have you finally found a home to rest your weary feet, a loving voice 
 to comfort you, a caressing hand to wipe the perspiration from your 
 brow? Alas, it was my province to administer to your wants, my 
 destiny to travel the path of life at your side, but a strange perver 
 sion blinded me to my fate and now am I culpable? No, merely 
 miserable, in spite of the many blessings of my existence. My hus 
 band is good and noble, my children are worthy of both love and 
 pride, and yet what makes my life a desert? Is it not the endless, 
 ceaseless, neVer-dying yearning for the man whom too late I recog 
 nized as the idol of my soul ? 
 
 This is sinful, I know ; but I have given it up to stifle an emo 
 tion which fills my heart to the exclusion of a wife s affection, a 
 mother s love. Sometimes I feel asif I could no longer bear this sus 
 pense ; as if I had to tear myself from borne and kindred and my na 
 tive country to hunt him all over the world, and, having found him, 
 die contented at his feet. 
 
 I was too cruel when he went. I forbade him to think 
 of me, to write to me. Ah ! at that moment I was yet unconscious 
 of the condition of my heart. To day I have no greater wish, no 
 more ardent desire than to hear from him, to know how he bears the 
 exile to which my madness drove him. 
 
 * * * I have heard from him. Years have passed since his 
 departure, but every circumstance connected with it is as vividly im 
 pressed on my memory as on the very day he left us. Poor Eber 
 hardt? he cannot rest, and by his restlessness destroys my peace as 
 well. My heart, at least, has learned to beat more quietly, but my 
 soul is as much troubled at the exile s destiny as ever it was. If I 
 could only see him enter a haven where he might rest from the storms 
 of life I think I could still learn to be happy. My husband s affec 
 tion is increasing with his years, and my children are displaying 
 traits of which a mother might well be proud. My noble John, who 
 with his father s name seems to have inherited his happy disposition, 
 his equammity and peacefulness of mind ; my beautiful Eberhardt, 
 named after the restless wanderer, and restless as himself. He can 
 not settle down to any peaceful occupation, but always builds up cas 
 tles in the air. May Heaven protect him from his uncle s destiny. 
 
 Again a letter, the last one I am likely to receive from 
 him. This awful letter, half cuise, half blessing. How, after twenty 
 long years of separation, it has once more produced an uproar in my 
 soul of which I would have thought myself incapable. Alas! is this so 
 wonderful ? A stranger could not peruse these lines without feeling 
 a shudder creep through his body, much less the person whom he 
 would like to make accountable for his transgressions. But am I 
 guilty of his sins ? Had he a right to rebel against his God and make 
 his wretchedness an excuse for yielding to his evil passions ? No, 
 thank God ! I am not guilty. If I misunderstood the feelings of my 
 heart ; if in the innocence of unconscious maidenhood I took for love 
 the voice that spoke in me for my husband, his brother John, I suf- 
 
DOLORES. 149 
 
 fered agonies of years and thereby expatiated my mistake. But as to 
 guilt, I here deny the charge and call to Heaven for a witness of my 
 innocence. But though he wrongs me in his charge I cannot help 
 crying and trembling at the horrid picture he conjures before my 
 eyes. What can he mean ? What do his allusions signify ? Oh ! 
 this uncertainty, this ambiguity is worse thau the most horrid detail 
 of his crimes. 
 
 He talks of gold ; how did he earn it? He talks also of leaving 
 it to my children. I do not want it ; they shall not nave it, for I 
 fear there is but no, I cannot write down the word which a fearful 
 suspicion whispers in myear. Let him keep his gold. I will pity 
 him, I will pray for him, I will even with gentle hands administer 
 unto his wants in case he comes to die at home ; but I do not want 
 his money. 
 
 He must be dead ; I feel it in my heart, but who 
 knows in what country he has laid his weary head upon the pillow, 
 never to lift it up again. 
 
 He must not have returned to Maine or we should have heard 
 from Walter, to whom he had entrusted the stewardship of his 
 estate. Should Walter hesitale to write because he fears that we 
 might come and claim a portion of the spoils ? Alas ! there is no 
 danger, and if he knew my feelings he might write perhaps and let 
 me know. It is hard to bear this suspense. 
 
 * Another year and not a word from him or Walter. 
 I am more fully convinced than ever that he is dead. The thought 
 troubles me and gives me comfort at the same time. His life was so 
 miserable that death must have been a blessing to him. Indeed his 
 letter says so and if I could but fix my thoughts upon a spot where 
 his weary body rests I might pray for him and in my prayer ex 
 perience a feeling of relief. 
 
 To-day my son Eberhardt left us, to go to Italy 
 and study the works of art which grace the cities of that happy land. 
 He is a great artist and much as my heart aches at the thought of 
 of our long separation, I cannot grudge him the delight he antici 
 pates from visiting the home of many master spirits. May angels 
 guard you on your way, my son, and lead you safely back into the 
 arms of your loving mother. 
 
 He is in Rome, the city without rival, the eternal 
 Rome, which loomed through many centuries and will continue to 
 raise its hallowed head as long as earth harbors the children of men. 
 He is delighted and it is a pleasure to read his letters. 
 
 * Resignation is a mother s destiny. After she has 
 fed her children with the blood of her heart, they leave the parental 
 roof, may be never to return. Eberhardt has found in Rome the 
 maiden of his choice, and he requests our sanction to his union with 
 the loved one. What can we do but consent? and yet to consent 
 means nothing but to sign our sons degree of exile. Once married 
 in Italy he may never return to the land of his fathers. 
 
 Joyous news from Italy. Eberhardt s Maria has 
 given birth to a son whom they will name Carlo in honor of his 
 grandmother. Alas ! a sad honor it is, for will I ever see again the 
 son of my heart and the dear child that bears my name. 
 
 I have become resigned to the prospect of dying 
 without blessing my absent son. The ties that bind him to hi 
 second home become stronger every day, and though he promises 
 
150 DOLORES. 
 
 every letter that the next year shall witness a journey of his across 
 the alps, I have my own thoughts about it. Carlo is getting tall 
 and handsome, his rather writes, and shows a greater talent for his 
 father s art than does the father himself. I hope he will some day 
 be a great artist. 
 
 The expectations of Eberhardt regarding Carlo s 
 talents have been more than realized. The young man is only 
 twenty and yet his picture of the crucifixion won the prize at the 
 exhibition. If anything can mitigate the sadness of separation 
 from my dear ones it is the pride I take in their achievements. 
 
 I am getting old and feeble and my days are 
 numbered. Alas ! I am ready to depart, for my days on earth have 
 been many, only I wish 1 could see my friends in Italy before I close 
 my eyes in slumber everlasting. I am a great-grandmother now, 
 for Carlo has chosen his companion for life and she has born him a 
 daughter. A sweet face is hers, he sent me the picture in miniature 
 and I cannot tire of looking at the soulful face. 
 
 Aunt Caroline is dead and I have assumed the legacy of her 
 papers. To me they are the dear relics of a woman who came as 
 near the angels as human beings are capable. She suffered much in 
 early life and the perusal of her notes, written in the agony of pain, 
 has deeply affected me. But her strength of mind at last overcome 
 her weakness and the latter part of her life passed in peace and hap 
 piness. Poor aunt, if she could but have seen her son Eberhardt be 
 fore her death. This was her wish by day and dream at night and 
 her yearning has no doubt accelerated her dissolution. I think 
 Eberhardt might well have humored the wishes of his mother, but 
 then she would not let him know how much she longed to see him 
 So she died and only an hour afterwards the sad news of Eberhardt s 
 death arrived. It is well she died before, for, if not, the letter would 
 have killed her with the shock. 
 
 A number of years have passed without my touch 
 ing these papers. Now I have to chronicle a number of changes. 
 Carlo has risen to great fame iii italy, his daughter Maria is wooed 
 by one of the country s princes, the Duke di Gatana. 
 
 Further than this Charles could not read. The last name acted 
 on his feelings pretty much the same way as the lighted match on 
 a keg of powder. It exploded him to such a degree that he had to 
 collect himself considerably before lie was able to reflect. A film 
 over his eyes prevented him from seeing and he had to wipe them 
 before they were capable of exercising their functions. At last 
 when his power of vision returned, he hunted the place a second 
 time and there it stood in plain letters : Duke di Gatana. Could it 
 be possible ? If a woman of his house had married the Duke of 
 Gatana why, then- 
 He stopped thinking, to resume a reading which had proved so 
 fascinating. 
 
DOLORES. 151 
 
 * * * The report was true enough ; two months ago the 
 wedding was celebrated with great splendor and Maria Fuchs, the 
 painter s daughter, followed her noble husband to his princely do 
 mains in Lombardy. 
 
 * Mary has written to me, the dear child. She 
 pretends to be perfectly happy and yet I feel a shadow of sadness in 
 her letter. They have been married now these five years and yet 
 no children has blessed their union. Perhaps the sadness originates 
 from this. Indeed there is no perfect happiness beneath the skies. 
 
 * At last ! An heiress has made her appearance in 
 the ducal palace and the vein of sadness has disappeared from 
 Maria s letters. May the sun of bliss shine forever on the worthy 
 couple. 
 
 * * In reading over the above wish I am struck with 
 the fickleness of fortune. Alas ! I am old and decrepit ! Why could 
 I not depart without seeing the loved ones in Italy come to want 
 and sorrow. Caroline died before the news of Eberhardt s death 
 reached her her niece is much less fortunate, for she has to chronicle 
 a destiny much worse than death. These terrible political convul 
 sions ! If the duke had only taken Maria s warning. But no, he 
 loved his country better than his comfort or even his life and by as 
 sisting in an effort to restore its liberty put both at stake. Fortune 
 did not smile on his undertaking and now the duke and his family 
 wander as fugitives in a distant land across the ocean. To us they 
 could not come. Austria s mighty hand would have reached the 
 duke and then what should they have done here but mourn the 
 downfall of a family once rich and respected ? Our house has sunk ! 
 Instead of the riches of Uncle Eberhardt who died in foreign lands, 
 the Children of Caroline seem to have inherited the evil seed spring 
 ing from the curses of his letter. Conrad, her grandson has gone to 
 America, and Jacob, his brother, by his vagaries is doing his best to 
 drag the gray hair of his poor aunt with sorrow into the grave. Oh ! 
 I am weary ! Welcome death, how long wilt thou tarry to lead me 
 through thy gates into the regions where all the friends of early 
 days are dwelling. Come ! oh, come, to relieve. 
 
 With this the manuscript closed, but Charles continued to gaze 
 at it as if he could not free nimself from the influence of the spirits 
 that seemed to breathe at him from the lines. He pondered on 
 the sad fate of both the writers on the decline of a family once 
 rich and influential. He meditated on the strange fate that had 
 scattered its members here and there, and, following their wander 
 ings in his mind, visited the famous cities of Italy. Then all at 
 once the name of the duke who married Carlo s daughter came 
 back to his memory and from that name it skipped unto the fair 
 companion of last night s walk. Dolores his kin, his dear, dear 
 cousin. 
 
 The thought was too exciting to suffer him in his room any 
 longer. Seizing his hat and putting the manuscript into his pocket, 
 
152 DOLORES. 
 
 he rushed down stairs to cross the hall and run through the open 
 house-door and gate into the street. In vain his wondering mother 
 cried to him that breakfast was ready and that he should not leave 
 just then. Beckoning to her with a waving hand he ran rather 
 than walked towards the mansion. Never yet had he traversed 
 the distance in so short a time, and when he pushed back the gate, 
 he was a good deal out of breath, partly from excitement, partly 
 from the exertion of the run. He stopped to recover himself and 
 also to think about the next step he should take. It was quite 
 early yet, between the hours of seven and eight, and what would 
 the servants say about so early a call ? He felt somewhat like the 
 hero of Cervantes and might have retraced his steps to await a 
 fitter hour, if fortunately the door of the house had not opened at 
 that moment to admit to -the porch the lithe figure of the girl he 
 was in search of. This induced him to remain. He let her come 
 down the stairs and wander awhile on the paths of the park before 
 he stepped up to her and made his presence known. Dolores started 
 at his call, and seemed to wonder much at his appearance at that 
 hour. She was on the point of asking him the reason, but a glance 
 into his be.aming eyes convinced her that something unusual had 
 occurred. So she inquired at once : 
 
 " What is it, Charlie ? What else have you discovered ? " 
 
 " So you think that I have discovered something else, Dol " 
 
 " I judge it from your excited manners and the unusual hour of 
 your visit." 
 
 He did not reply t once, but taking her hand led her to a seat, 
 the very seat where Mr. Fox had adopted her and promised to take 
 the lonely wanderer to his heart. She had told Charles about that 
 place and hour, but they were both too much excited then to think 
 of it, he in the eagerness of communicating his discovery, she in 
 the great suspense of waiting for his words. 
 
 " Sit down, Dolores," he resumed, pulling the faded manuscript 
 from his pocket and holding it up to her gaze. " Do you see these 
 papers ? " 
 
 " The will of Eberhardt ! " she exclaimed, clasping her hands 
 and rising to her feet. 
 
 "No, not exactly," he said, with a mysterious smile ; it is a 
 will, though not the one my uncle hunts so eagerly. The gift it be- 
 
DOLORES. 153: 
 
 stows upon our family is much more precious than gold or precious 
 stones." 
 
 " Don t tease me, Charlie, but tell me what you mean. Don t 
 you see I am dying with suspense ? " 
 
 He pressed her back upon the bench and laid the manuscript in 
 her hands. 
 
 "Read, Dol, just read," he said. But no sooner had she laid 
 eyes upon the paper than he snatched it from her again, and in a 
 jubilant voice exclaimed : 
 
 " No! don t read it, Dol ; don t read it, or I shall in the mean 
 time get crazy. You want to know what treasure has been left to 
 us ? Well, listen ; it is the best, dearest, prettiest little cousin in 
 the world, and that cousin s name is Dolores di Gatana. Does my 
 little lady understand now, does she still wonder that Charles 
 Fuchs got tipsy over the news and don t know what he is about ? " 
 
 During these words he had seized both hands of the girl, and 
 pulling her up lifted her into his arms, whirling her around and 
 stealing kiss after kiss from her rosy lips. But this was really too 
 much for her. For the first time she tried to get angry at her 
 friend, and attempting a genuine frown endeavored to disengage 
 herself from his embrace. 
 
 " Charlie ! " she said, with pouting lips, " have you kept com 
 pany with your uncle in his attempts upon your father s cellar ? I 
 never saw you so before, and cannot say I like it very much. Please 
 sober down and speak coherently, or I must refuse to listen to your 
 queer expressions." 
 
 Her attempt at indignation merely increased Charlie s mirth. 
 Seizing her hand a second time, in spite of her opposition, and then 
 holding it a captive between both of his, he said : 
 
 " I told you, Dol, that I am tipsy tipsy with joy, though, not 
 with wine. Is it to be wondered that a young man loses his balance 
 of mind when such a dear, sweet cousin falls unexpectedly to his 
 lot?" 
 
 " But I am at a loss to comprehend your meaning. You found 
 a cousin, you say, and that cousin 
 
 " Is nobody but my good and loving Dol, my mate, my friend, 
 my fellow-student, my everything. Here, read this diary ; read it, 
 
154 DOLORES. 
 
 I say, or you might berate me a second time and thereby exhaust 
 my patience. You know I can stand much 
 
 " Yes, very much, she said, ironically, and then taking the pa 
 per made a second attempt to read the cause of Charlie s unusual 
 merriment. 
 
 "Not from the beginning! " he cried, " it takes too long to read 
 it all at present. Here, let me show you ; don t you see? Carlo 
 that is Carlo Fuehs, the painter has risen to great fame in Italy ; 
 his daughter Maria is wooed by one of the country princes, the 
 Dukedi Gatana." 
 
 " My father ! " she exclaimed, with glowing cheeks. 
 
 " Of course, your father. Here, you can read how you were 
 born and how your father lost rank and wealth in his rash attempt 
 to liberate his country." 
 
 " Why, it is true, Charlie, it is true, and I am not without rela 
 tions, then. Besides my good and noble foster father I have real 
 kindred, and you, Charlie, are my cousin you my cousin." 
 
 " Ah ! who is tipsy now ? "he inquired, with a laugh. "Madam, 
 I fear you have kept my uncle company in his attempts upon my 
 father s cellar. Please sober down and speak coherently, or " 
 
 She interrupted him. 
 
 "Stop, Charlie, stop, or I shall cry presently, and that, too, 
 without knowing whether it is with joy or sadness. Have pity upon 
 my dizzy head, Charlie." 
 
 " I will, Dol, on one condition. You must come this very mo 
 ment and help me break the happy news to my mother. 
 
 " But, Charlie, father will soon be up and miss me." 
 
 "We won t be long." 
 
 "And may I. tell him, too ? " 
 
 "Of course, Dol, though with a caution. I do not know how 
 he would receive his new relations." 
 
 " Why, yes, I am his kin as well as yours. Oh ! how this makes 
 me happy ! To know that it was after all the voice of nature that 
 spoke in him for the little stranger ; to know that I had real claims 
 upon his love and protection." 
 
 She would, perhaps, have gone on with her exclamations if he 
 had not stopped her, reminding her of the necessity of speed. So 
 she started, leaning on his arm with double resignation, or rather 
 
DOLORES. 155 
 
 less restraint, for I doubt very much whether the discovery of their 
 relationship had the effect of increasing her affection for the youth. 
 She liked him well enough before, I venture to suggest, only the 
 natural diffidence of maidenhood prevented the open manifestation 
 of her feelings. Now he was her cousin, and to love a cousin is not 
 only proper, but our bounden duty, you know. She may without 
 great impropriety press his arm especially if he falls as suddenly 
 from the sky as this one had done she may without reserve rest 
 her slender form on his supporting arm ; she may even smile on 
 him and turn her head and look so lovingly into his eyes. Is that 
 not the fashion with cousins ? She thinks it is, and is bound to use 
 a privilege so new and so delightful. Now they approach the cot 
 tage. They walk no longer, they fairly run, and fluttering into the 
 house like two gay butterflies surprise the family at breakfast. 
 Dolores flies into Mrs. Fuchs arms and kisses her until she pants 
 for breath, and Charles shakes his uncle s shoulder until that worthy 
 cries for mercy and asks for something strong to steady debilitated 
 nerves. Mr. Fuchs and Henry in their amazement lay down their 
 knives and forks, gazing with open mouths at the intruders and for 
 getting to swallow the morsels they had entered for promotion. 
 Finally the new comers attempted an explanation, but by their ex 
 clamations and mutual interruptions and interspersed caresses made 
 matters rather worse than better. It takes a good while until the 
 truth dawns upon the company, but that point once reached the de 
 light of all of them surpasses even their previous bewilderment. 
 Even Henry betrays signs of satisfaction, and uncle Jacob, striking 
 the table with his fist so as to make the dishes rattle, exclaims : 
 
 " Hoi mich der Kukuk ! The deuce may take me if I didn t 
 know it yesterday. I have her grandmother s likeness, and when 
 you see it you will say that it resembles her like one egg does the 
 other." 
 
 " Yes, you did, uncle, but I claim the exclusive merit of discov 
 ery," Charles now remarked. " Without my literary inclinations 
 and passion for old manuscripts we might have groped in the dark 
 for years to come. Therefore, Dol is my cousin par excellence, and 
 the rest of you come after me." 
 
 They all laughed and were ready to settle down a little and en 
 joy the presence of the newly found relative, but Dolores would not 
 
156 DOLORES. 
 
 consent to stay. She had only promised to remain a minute, she 
 said, and must surely go to see Mr. Fox and make him a partici 
 pant of the glad tidings. To this, however, uncle Jacob objected. 
 
 " I have your promise to keep my secret," he admonished her. 
 
 Xor shall I violate my promise, for in stating my relationship 
 to him I need not in the least allude to your secret." 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Fuchs looked rather dubious. 
 
 " Dolores," the latter said, " I have no doubt that Mr. Fox will 
 rejoice at the fact that his dear foster daughter is also his niece ; 
 but I am not quite so sure whether he will be over anxious to re 
 ceive us all in the capacity of kin." 
 
 " I know he will," Dolores replied with beaming eyes, "and by 
 your doubt you wrong my good foster-father." 
 
 May be I do, Dol, but I am almost certain that Mrs. Fox 
 will see the matter in a different light and I fear that instead of 
 mending your position in the family your communication will only 
 serve to make it worse." 
 
 The countenance of Dolores became sad and pensive. She 
 studied a moment but after that resumed her former cheerful 
 ness. 
 
 You may be right, aunt," she said she had always called 
 Mrs. Fuchs aunt, so the discovery did not alter the address " and 
 I have resolved to leave it to Mr. Fox. I consider it my duty to 
 communicate the news to him and he may then proceed as he 
 thinks best. Indeed it would make me miserable to know I held 
 concealed from him matter of such importance." 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 NEWS BROUGHT HOME. 
 
 She bid them good bye, as if she feared to meet with more ob 
 jections. Charlie s company was also refused and alone she re 
 turned to her father s house. She found him in the garden where 
 he enjoyed his regular walk before breakfast. He nodded when 
 he saw her passing through the gate. 
 
DOLORES. 157 
 
 "Been out so early, Dol ?" he inquired. 
 
 She nodded, and folding her hands about his arm and keeping 
 step with him replied : 
 
 " I have been out like the princesses of old, while the dew was 
 on the grass and the elfs were playing on the flowers. I have seen 
 them, pa, and they have told me wonderful tales more wonderful 
 than any fairy-tale my mother used to tell me." 
 
 "And may I know these wonderful tales, Dol?" 
 
 " Certainly, pa ; that s what I came to see you for. A dutiful 
 daughter ought to have no secrets before her father." 
 
 "Spin away, then, at your yarn, Dol, the breakfast bell will 
 ring in less than fifteen minutes." 
 
 "I will, pa, but you must not interrupt me or I may get con 
 fused." 
 
 " I ll try not to, Doll." 
 
 " So listen then. Once upon a time there was a worthy burgher 
 in the land across the sea who had a competence and some to spare. 
 His good wife bore him three sons who were alike in beauty and 
 grace of person, but different in disposition. While the oldest was 
 quiet in his habits, the youngest displayed a restlessness and roving 
 spirit which filled his mother s heart with apprehension. The 
 second brother was neither quiet like the oldest, nor wild and rest 
 less like the youngest, but partaking a little of them both formed, 
 as it were, a mediating link between them. 
 
 "Now it happened that in the neighbor s house a maiden of 
 great beauty held her court. She was not one of noble birth, but 
 also a burgher s daughter ; still many noble lords appeared to do 
 her homage. However, she listened not to their insinuations, but, 
 following the dictates of her parents, and, as she thought, of her 
 own heart, she reached her hand in marriage to the burgher s oldest 
 son. The wedding was celebrated with great joy and exultation 
 and the noise for a while deadened the cry of despair which issued 
 from the youngest brother s mouth. He also loved the handsome 
 maiden, but battling with a diffidence so foreign to his free and 
 open nature, had never ventured to betraj his passion till it was too 
 late. Only when a bride the lady learned the nature of his feelings 
 toward her, and, frowning on the man who would destroy her 
 peace, she bade him never to repeat to her words of such improper 
 
158 DOLORES. 
 
 import. He left her presence with a curse upon his lips, and yield 
 ing to the dictates of his fiery nature fled from his native home 
 never to return, but to die an exile in a foreign land. The lady 
 sympathizing with his bereaA 7 ed parents and mourning with the 
 mourners, allowed a voice to awake in her heart which at first she 
 construed as the offspring of pity. But the voice grew louder every 
 day, and when at last it filled her bosom with a stifled yearning for 
 the fugitive, she made the terrible discovery that she had com 
 mitted a sad mistake in chosing the oldest brother for her husband. 
 She suffered long and painfully, but like a dutiful wife struggled 
 and battled against her rebellious heart, until at last she had con 
 quered back the peace of former days. 
 
 Of the fugitive she heard but rarely. The second brother had 
 gone to meet him in the wilderness of the new 7 world, where for 
 tune had heaped her choicest gifts upon the homeless wanderer, as 
 if to compensate him for his first and fatal disappointment. She 
 would have liked to see him again, yet she consoled herself until 
 her oldest son, in imitation of her uncle, also deserted his native 
 town aud crossing the Alps settled in the fair land of Italy. There 
 his name became noted amongst the famous and skilled in art and 
 his son achieved even a greater reputation than his father. Princes 
 vied to do homage and one of them sought and received in mar 
 riage the hand of the daughter of the house. He took her to his 
 princely domain and prepared for her the life of one that knows no 
 sorrow, until all at once black clouds arose in the distant sky. A 
 fearful tempest broke loose over their devoted heads. It swept 
 away every trace of wealth and comfort and finally landed them a 
 pair of beggars on the shores of the new world. The name of that 
 unfortunate nobleman was di Gatana." 
 
 "Ah, Doll, I comprehend, you are 
 
 11 No interruption, pa. I have your promise." 
 
 "Exactly, child ; go on then, Doll, go on." 
 
 " I am proceeding, pa. Let us return to the roving lover and 
 his brother, in order not to lose sight of them. The latter was put 
 as steward on the wretched man s estate, while the owner hastened 
 from one country to another, as if the furies were allowing him no 
 rest. Fearful tales were told about his occupation and pursui. 
 
DOLOKES. 159 
 
 and even now these legends live in the mouths of the people on the 
 coast." 
 
 "1 see, Dol, you have heard the silly story, but 
 
 " Your promise, pa. We shall not quarrel on the merits of 
 the tale, but rather turn our eye upon the brother, who, in con 
 sequence of the happy combinations of his traits of character, strove 
 and labored and came out victorious in his struggle with the world. 
 Changing his name of Fuchs into that of Fox, he rose in wealth 
 and consideration and became the founder of a family whose name 
 has ever had a clear ring throughout the state of Maine. His de- 
 scendents were all worthy men, but none of them reached in good 
 ness, cleverness and kindness of heart the present patriarch of 
 Foxville, my good, my precious father." 
 
 It had cost Mr. Fox much exertion to listen to that, but finished 
 or not finished he was bound not to let the story proceed without 
 throwing in a word himself. Stopping short and holding Dolores 
 at arms length, as if he wanted to get a good look at her, he cried : 
 
 "Now, Miss, that s more than enough. Promise or no promise, 
 I mean to have my saying to. Does the vixen know that she has 
 completely confused my head with her long stories ? I kind of 
 guess the meaning of that gossip, and yet I must confess I hardly 
 know " 
 
 He looked so comical with his dubious countenance that Do 
 lores could not help laughing. 
 
 " Let me perform the task of solving the mystery for you, pa," 
 she said. " I ll state it in the simple form of a mathematical prob 
 lem. Now, pa, do pay attention : When two brothers have child 
 ren, what relation do the latter sustain to one another ?" 
 
 " Why, that of cousins, of course, you vixin." 
 
 " And the children s children ?" 
 
 " Are cousins still, though in the second degree." 
 
 " And their children again ?" 
 
 "Are cousins, Dol, nothing but cousins in a homosopathic 
 fashion." 
 
 "Then, worthy sir, allow me to present to your consideration 
 your cousin Dolores di Gatana." 
 
 A moment he stared at her. Then nodding eagerly he cried : 
 
 That is the kernel of the nut, indeed it is. And so my good, 
 
160 DOLORES. 
 
 my darling daughter has all at once become a distant cousin in the 
 fourth degree. Dol, I protest against that change." 
 
 His voice showed a queer mixture of joy and sadness and it is 
 likely that he merely spoke at random, to prevent himself from 
 falling a victim to the deep emotion which had seized him. But 
 Dolores took it differently. Her excited mind had merely heard 
 the melancholy touch in her companion s voice, and throwing her 
 self into his arms with an unexpected vehemence, that almost 
 made him stagger, she said : 
 
 " No, pa, there must not be a change from that. I want to re 
 main your loving, dutiful daughter. Yet I can hardly tell how 
 much I w y as delighted to know that you and I are kin, for it ex 
 plains to me why you and I w r ere drawn together from the start. 
 Moreover, it lightens a little the burden under which a conscious 
 ness of endless obligations to my benefactor made me stagger. I am 
 your cousin now, you see, and cousins have a legal claim of mutual 
 protection." 
 
 "I see. from your face that you are joking, Dol, else I might 
 feel inclined to lecture you the first time since our connection. 
 You speak of obligations, while in reality I am your everlasting 
 debtor for all the rays of happiness which ever since have lit my 
 loneliness and sadness." 
 
 " AVell, pa, I say nothing more ; let us exchange receipted bills 
 and then commence a new account." 
 
 "Agreed, Dol; but there is the breakfast bell. Come, let us 
 rapidly inform our sovereign Lady. I am very curious to know 
 how she will receive the news and whether it will make the flowers 
 spring up within her frosty heart." 
 
 Dolores started. 
 
 "Pa," she suddenly cried, stopping him short, "your words re 
 mind me of the fact that you interrupted my story and that I never 
 finished it." 
 
 "True, Dol, but I know the most important part and can wait 
 for the end till after breakfast." 
 
 "The most important, pa? How do you know that ? Indeed 
 I must detain you, even at the risk of letting the coffee get cold." 
 
 " Well, child, hurry then. I have spoiled you I know and you 
 must have your way." 
 
DOLORES. 161 
 
 " Exactly, pa ; I ll not engage you longer than a minute. The 
 lady had another son besides the one that went to Italy. He stayed 
 at home and, marrying a maiden of his native town, raised a fami 
 ly and struggled to maintain the ancient glory of the house. But 
 it was all in vain ; the means and the influence of the family 
 dwindled from generation to generation and at last the old home 
 stead had to be sold. Before this happened one of the two broth 
 ers, representing the family at present, in consequence of a quarrel 
 stirred by his younger brother, left his native town and turning his 
 steps towards the great republic of the West settled in the little 
 town of Foxville. There 
 
 " But, Dol, that goes beyond the bounds of reality. Your story 
 is more romantic than the wildest fairy tale." 
 
 Mr. Fox said this with more excitement than he had even mani 
 fested at the first discovery. This is easily explained. A man is 
 more exposed to the danger of intoxication at the second bottle 
 than the first and Dolores construed her father s excitement in that 
 way. 
 
 "That is not my fault, pa," she said, shrugging her shoulders 
 and dragging him towards the house, "but you haven t told me 
 yet what you think about the other relations." 
 
 "Relations! yes, relations," Mr. Fox exclaimed, allowing his 
 head to rise and fall in regular intervals. They are all my rela 
 tions and glad am I of it, of course, for honester people than they 
 aint to be found in the United States." 
 
 There ! I thought so !" Dol exclaimed, her face bearing an 
 expression of triumph. 
 
 "What, Dol?" 
 
 "That you wouldn t hesitate to acknowledge our good friends 
 as your kin." 
 
 "Of course I don t, Dol ; you did me but justice in that sup 
 position." 
 
 "But Mrs. Fuchs had one, too, pa. She thinks Mrs. Fox 
 wouldn t be quite so delighted with the change as I." 
 
 His countenance became thoughtful. 
 
 " She may be right, Dol," he said with a nod, " but that cannot 
 alter my part in the programme. I am bound to inform my family 
 of their new acquisitions and the sooner they receive the informa- 
 
 II 
 
162 DOLORES. 
 
 tion the better it will be. But, child, one more question before we 
 enter. Where did you all at once collect so much information. 
 Did you turn somnambulist or establish a regular telegraph line 
 with beings from a higher sphere ?" 
 
 " Xot at all, pa. My channel is rather low and commonplace. 
 Last night a brother of our Mr. Fuchs suddenly made his appear 
 ance at his brother s door and after eating and drinking like a hero, 
 announced himself as Mr. Jacob Fuchs, from beyond the sea, a 
 knight without much courage but with great love for everything 
 that can administer unto the wants of the stomach." 
 
 A brother of Mr. Fuchs, you say ? Why, wonder over won 
 der ! If this week continues as it has commenced it will surely be 
 come the most momentous one of my life." 
 
 Is Saul amongst the prophets ? Poor Mr. Fox ! Does an in 
 ward voice whisper to you of coming evil ! Does the traitor s 
 wicked purpose throw its shadow across your path ? 
 
 Without further remarks they stepped into the house. Mrs. 
 Fox and the children were already engaged at their meal. 
 
 "Caroline, you must excuse our tardiness," Mr. Fox addressed 
 his wife, * on account of very strange discoveries I have made. I 
 would ask you to guess their nature, if I w r ere not convinced before 
 hand that you would never find out." 
 
 A guilty conscience is easily alarmed. Mrs. Fox was concealing 
 things from her husband and the thought that her conduct had 
 been discovered was very natural. She grew pale and even had to 
 seize the table for support. Mr. Fox observed her confusion. He 
 nodded pleasantly and said : 
 
 " Well, Caroline, you seem to have an idea after all. You get 
 excited, I notice, and well you may, for I did not fare any better." 
 
 She trembled worse than before, but her lips remained closed. 
 
 Why, what is the matter, madame ?" Fox inquired, "you 
 surely are getting nervous. I never knew that you took so much 
 interest in Dolores." 
 
 " Dolores !" Mrs. Fox breathed more freely. Then her hus 
 band did not allude to her, and yet she had nearly betrayed herself. 
 For a moment she hated the girl as much as ever. 
 
 " Dolores !" she gasped, betraying in her features the nature of 
 
DOLORES. 163 
 
 her feelings. "What of her ? I expected from your excited mien 
 that some accident, indeed I hardly know 1 thought 
 
 "No, no, Caroline," he answered more softly than he had been 
 wont to speak to her lately. Rest easy as to that. I do not know 
 of any accidents whatever. Who should have met with one ? We 
 are all present excepting Dick and he 
 
 Mr. Fox left the sentence unfinished, but his face revealed the 
 thought which his lips had refused to communicate. His brow be 
 came clouded and his lips compressed, thereby bestowing upon his 
 face the expression of energy and decision which we generally 
 missed in it. 
 
 If Mr. Fox expected to be interrogated by his wife he was mis 
 taken. She had learned that her husband s discoveries did not re 
 late to her but to the girl whom, at best, she had regarded with in 
 difference and therefore abstained from all further manifestations 
 of curiosity. 
 
 Not so with Lucy. We have much neglected that young lady 
 in our story. She also had grown and developed ; but there had 
 been hardly any change in the character of her appearance. There 
 were the same gentle features, the same blue eyes and yellow 
 curls. The bloom on her lips and cheeks had deepened and her 
 form was approaching the embonpoint which her childhood had 
 predicted and which ceases to be a virtue as soon as it passes a cer 
 tain limit. This limit Lucy had not reached ; she still moved with 
 grace and ease, embodying the idea of what is called a "sweet girl." 
 She now was curious to know the news of her father, because they 
 concerned her friend Dolores. Ever since her mother had ceased 
 to restrict the intercourse of the girls a fast friendship had sprung 
 up between them, in spite of the difference in their character and 
 intellect. While Dolores, with her keen penetration and energy, 
 formed the positive pole, and Lucy, with her gentle and yielding 
 disposition, supplied the negative. She moved, as it were, planet 
 like around the sun, receiving from him light and warmth. Still, 
 unlike the relation between sun and earth, that of the girl showed 
 no different seasons. There was no heat, no drought, no icy cold 
 ness ; but the current of their friendship ran on with even tenor- 
 Lucy not only loved Dolores, she also looked up to her ; she re 
 spected, admired and even worshiped her, and anything concern. 
 
164 DOLORES. 
 
 ing her idol was of course received with lively interest. So taking 
 up her father s interrupted sentence, she said : 
 
 " And he is not likely to meet with accidents. Like a cat he 
 always lights upon his feet in case of a fall." 
 
 " You don t flatter your brother," Mrs. Fox said with a touch 
 of displeasure. 
 
 "Nor is that at all necessary," Mr. Fox suggested, speaking 
 rapidly. "If he had been flattered less he would fare better now 
 than he does." 
 
 Lucy saw the danger of an altercation. To avoid it she ex 
 claimed : 
 
 "But the news, father, the news! It is hardly fair to hold 
 them out in prospect and then refuse to make them known." 
 
 True, child," Mr. Fox exclaimed, his face brightening with 
 the recollection of Dolores communications. " I am in duty bound 
 to let the cat out of the bag." 
 
 " But I don t want a cat, father; you know I don t like cats." 
 
 " But supposing I substitute a cousin for the cat ?" 
 
 " A cousin, pa, what do you mean? " 
 
 "A bran new cousin, child, and such a cousin." 
 
 " Wouldn t you like to have a cousin, Lucy ? " 
 
 " Why yes, I would, but that is an idle wish, for it will never 
 be realized, and I am si ill at a loss to comprehend at what you are 
 hinting." 
 
 " Well, Lucy, didn t I tell you plainly that I have found a 
 cousin for you ? How would you fancy Dol for one ?" 
 
 1 I should be delighted with her, pa." 
 
 " Well, take her, then, for she is your cousin. Caroline, what 
 do you think ? The foster daughter who entered our house a 
 stranger to shed light and sunshine over it, has turned out a rela 
 tive, a real relative. 
 
 " Pa, you are joking," Lucy answered for her mother. 
 
 " No, indeed, 1 am in dead earnest. Her mother descends from 
 a brother of our ancestor. She is a cousin in good faith, though not 
 in the first degree." 
 
 Lucy was delighted. She rose and embraced her new relation, 
 and kissing her tenderly exclaimed : 
 
DOLORES. 165 
 
 " Oh ! I am so glad I have a cousin, a real live cousin, and bet 
 ter still, I have my Dol for one." 
 
 Dolores smiled. 
 
 "I don t know whether I ought to feel flattered or not," she 
 said. "You seem very willing to renounce the sister just to gain a 
 distant cousin." 
 
 "Dol, shame on you," she cried ; "you know I didn t mean it 
 that way. I love you doubly now, once as a sister and secondly as 
 a cousin. Indeed, I shall have my heart so full of you that I must 
 build an addition to it. 
 
 While the girls laughed at this remark Mrs. Fox inquired : 
 
 " That is quite a romance, sir ; may I ask where you got the 
 material for the plot ? 
 
 "Yes, madam," he replied, somewhat vexed at her derisive 
 tone, " you can be furnished with the source as well as with the 
 proof. It does exist in writings of the most conclusive character, 
 and since you seem to be so much delighted at this acquisition, I 
 feel inclined to intimate that there is a certain prospect of a further 
 increase of our kindred. 
 
 " How fortunate for you, who claims to be a philantropist. We, 
 on the other hand, shall suffer from the access, since by a simple 
 rule of arithmetic the quotient is reduced in just proportion to the 
 increase of the divisor." 
 
 " No danger, madam ; the heart is like the magnet, the greater 
 the weight it carries the greater also its strength. But ain t you 
 anxious to learn the other names ? 
 
 "Ladies are decried as being curious; a denial on my part 
 would, therefore, avail me nothing." 
 
 " That s what I call an unconditional surrender. Now, if I tell 
 you that the family name of Dol s mother was Fuchs, can you guess 
 the rest?" 
 
 Mrs. Fox started. 
 
 "Edward," she said, with dignity, "if you confine your joke 
 to Dolores it can be borne, because it does not alter facts ; but if 
 you go beyond this and threaten to draw your factory hands into 
 the family circle, I must decidedly object." 
 
 "1 shall draw nobody in that has no business there, Caroline ; 
 but you can t expect me to be able to undo established facts." 
 
166 DOLORES. 
 
 " Aiid these facts ; will you have the kindness to enlighten me 
 as to their nature? " 
 
 " Of course I will," Mr. Fox replied, and then proceeded to 
 state briefly the history of the family from which his own had 
 sprung. Mrs. Fox could not help being impressed with the correct 
 ness of the statements ; but yet her aristocratic mind rebelled against 
 the thought of receiving on terms of intimacy a family who thus 
 far had been counted among the hands employed by her husband in 
 his factory. 
 
 "And what what does Mr. Fuchs think of this ? " she inquird, 
 addressing herself to the girl who also had the presumption to press 
 theese claims upon her delicately organized mind. 
 
 " He was loth to have me tell Mr. Fox at all," Dolores replied, 
 with emphasis. 
 
 " And why did you see fit to disobey his wishes ? - 
 
 " Because I felt unwilling to keep so important a matter from 
 his knowledge. Fear nothing, madam ; if you take no measures to 
 open connections with the family they on their part will be very 
 slow to encroach on you." 
 
 " That shows that Mr. Fuchs and his wife are very sensible peo 
 ple in their way. They know that we in our position can never 
 think of receiving them on terms of equality, and therefore have 
 the good sense to preserve the proper distance. I do sincerely hope, 
 Mr. Fox, that you will not suffer yourself to be surpassed by them 
 in their sense of propriety." 
 
 Having said this she arose, and dropping a distant courtesy 
 withdrew from the room. 
 
 " I thought that much," Mr. Fox remarked, with a look of un 
 derstanding at Dolores. " and can therefore hardly say that I am 
 disappointed. She may have her pleasure ; if she refuses to recog 
 nize established facts she may take the consequences." 
 
 "But, pa," Dolores remonstrated, "I hardly think that you 
 would do Mr. and Mrs. Fuchs a favor by drawing them forcibly 
 into your house. They would not only derive no pleasure from 
 such a course, but actually suffer from manifestations of neglect or 
 contempt in which Mrs. Fox would probably not be sparing." 
 
 Mr. Fox reflected awhile. 
 
 " You are right, Dol, " he said at last, " I shall not force mat- 
 
DOLORES. 167 
 
 ters, but leave everything to time and circumstances. Still, as for 
 myself I cannot resist the temptation to drop in at the cottage to 
 shake hands with cousin Conrad and to see the fellow from across 
 the ocean. Good by, children ; I shall be back before the hour of 
 dinner." 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 A CRISIS APPROACHING. 
 
 " Captain Butler has arrived and cast anchor in the cemetery," 
 George ci ied to Wood the same morning, rushing into the office 
 with excited mien and trying to recover breath. "I have nearly 
 run myself to death from the wish of imparting the news as early as 
 possible." 
 
 And by your haste and excitement you have drawn the atten 
 tion of spies upon your movements. George, can you never learn 
 that self-control is the first indispensible duty of any man who 
 wishes to rise above his fellow beings ? " 
 
 " To preach is easier than to practice." 
 
 I practice what I preach. IS ever through all this time have 
 you seen me give way to passion in such a measure as to allow the 
 world an insight into my schemes. But that is idle. I may as well 
 proceed to give you further instructions. When did the brig ar 
 rive ? " 
 
 "After midnight." 
 
 "Then by this evening the boxes will all be in the cave. George, 
 have a boat ready to take us there, but let nobody but you and I 
 know of our errand." 
 
 " I will not, sir." 
 
 " One of the drafts I was expecting has come this morning ; the 
 other may be here by to-day s mail. We cannot act before it is in 
 our hands. It will not do to leave a sum of $6,000 behind us if we 
 can secure it by waiting a little." 
 
 " But waiting may endanger all." 
 
168 DOLORES. 
 
 " Very true, still I cannot bear the thought of leaving such a 
 sum in his clutches. I am not satisfied with crippling him, I want 
 his ruin" 
 
 George looked at him. 
 
 " Richard," he said, with your permission I should like to ask 
 a question. What makes you hate this man so much ? " 
 
 Wood shook his head. 
 
 " I would rather not inform you. It has nothing to do with our 
 project, and if you get your stipulated share that is all you can in 
 reason ask." 
 
 George did not answer. 
 
 "Will you please go and see whether the mail has come? 
 Wood resumed. " In case the letter in question has arrived we need 
 hesitate no longer but may fix the hour the coming night. What 
 do you think ? " 
 
 "Nothing at all, sir, I leave it all to you. I ll run to the office 
 now and see whether the mail is in." 
 
 He left and ten minutes afterwards returned with a letter, 
 
 swinging it triumphantly in his hand. It bore the stamp of B , 
 
 and Wood s face lit with an ugly scowl when he said : 
 
 " That s the right one, I thought it would come to-day. That 
 puts a couple of thousands more in the pocket of each of us." 
 
 "Is there anything else to be done during the day ? " 
 
 " No, sir ; only don t fail to be at the coast this evening at eight 
 o clock." 
 
 " I thought you told me ten before " 
 
 " I did, but it strikes me that if we go so late too great a por 
 tion of the night would be consumed by the visit. Indeed if it 
 were not for the papers I want the captain to sign, the visit would 
 be altogether unnecessary." 
 
 " But supposing you visit him during the day, couldn t you in 
 that instance get your receipt as well ?" 
 
 "I cannot leave during the day, George," the superintendent 
 replied with a slight embarrassment. 
 
 "There are several things which need my presence, and in 
 fact" 
 
 " And what do yu think of my going ?" 
 
 "It would do well enough, excepting the possibility of the cap- 
 
DOLORES. 169 
 
 tain s refusal. Having once refused you, he might become sus 
 picious and refuse me as well. On the whole I think it will be 
 best to go at eight o clock." 
 
 "Very well, sir, and when do you propose to settle our ac 
 counts?" 
 
 Wood smiled an ugly smile. 
 
 " Why, George, what a careful mode of doing business you 
 have adopted all at once. You never before evinced such zeal in 
 straightening up accounts." 
 
 " Perhaps I didn t sir, in the service of Mr. Fox ; but now, you 
 know, I am minding my own business." 
 
 " Exactly, George, nor do I blame you. I shall divide with 
 you before we start on our errand. In fact we might proceed at 
 once, only Mr. Fox might come in the meantime and want to see 
 letters." 
 
 "The deuce ! if he should take it into his head to appropriate 
 them." 
 
 " That is not likely as he is not in the habit of doing so. In 
 case he sees the money he may desire me to settle at once the ar 
 rears of the laborers. In that I can accomodate him, commencing 
 with the liquidation of your account and mine. If that should take 
 all the money who could complain ?" 
 
 Wood laughed at his remark and George followed suit. All at 
 once, how r ever, they noticed Mr. Fox through the office window and 
 sobering down to their daily routine, awaited his appearance. 
 
 He was in a very good humor, perhaps the result of the visit he 
 had just paid to the cottage ; at any rate Mr. Wood had not seen 
 him so gay for a good while. Mr. Fox was so easily pleased that 
 the manager found no difficulty in securing his approval to the 
 various propositions he offered as well as his endorsement on the 
 drafts in question necessary for collection. 
 
 " Just as you please, Richard," he said, "just as you please. 
 We are over our hard spell now, and everything is prosperous. 
 With due respect to your talents don t you think that I deserve a 
 little credit for the way I managed things ?" 
 
 "Of course I do, Edward, and you will recollect that I was the 
 first to acknowledge my mistake and your better judgment. You 
 managed admirably." 
 
170 DOLORES. 
 
 " Yes, yes, Richard, 1 did tolerably well ; but then I must not 
 
 forget that it is chieflly due to ; tut, tut, what am I gossipping 
 
 about ? I think my mind is wandering this morning. It wouldn t 
 be so very strange after all the adventures I met with. I tell you, 
 Richard , no, I won t tell you either, at least not now. I must 
 first sober down a little to guard against my talking nonsense and 
 thereby losing the trifle of respect I have secured from you for 
 clever management." 
 
 With this he hastened from the room, leaving the two plotters 
 at loss to comprehend him. 
 
 " What does it mean ?" George inquired. He talks as if he had 
 got tipsy early in the morning." 
 
 " It isn t that, he never drinks anything before his dinner." 
 
 " Some unexpected pleasure then, but of what sort?" 
 
 " Who cares? It is enough for us that his excitement greatly 
 facilitates our measures. I venture to say the dunce will not re 
 turn to-day, and we may as well divide our spoils at once. Are 
 you satisfied regarding our last settlement ?" 
 
 "Certainly, Richard, it was very satisfactory." 
 
 "So much the better. Now in regard to these checks, they are 
 not equal, one calling for the payment of six thousand dollars, the 
 other for that of five. In case I give you the larger check will you 
 pay me the difference in cash ?" 
 
 " Why, no, Mr. Wood, I should not like to do that." 
 
 "Not do it, George?" the other inquired somewhat astonished. 
 " Is not the note endorsed ?" 
 
 "It is, sir." 
 
 " Does that not make it as good as cash ?" 
 
 "It does, to any one who has a chance of collecting it." 
 
 " Why, George, you have the time." 
 
 "Not if you want me to start for P without delay." 
 
 " O, you will have time to stop long enough in town to cash 
 it." 
 
 " But they might hesitate to trust me in the bank with such a 
 sum. You know I never drew money before." 
 
 "But, George, that objection is just as applicable to the smaller 
 check." 
 
DOLORES. 171 
 
 " It is, sir, and that is the reason why I am forced to refuse the 
 acceptance of either." 
 
 Wood s face darkened. 
 
 "You get all at once very particular," he said, "but if you 
 think that I will humor such notions you are much mistaken. You 
 say you refuse the smaller draft and five hundred dollars in cash ? 
 
 "I do, sir." 
 
 But you forget that by your obstinacy you run the risk of get 
 ting nothing." 
 
 " No greater risk than you, sir. You may rest assured, Mr. 
 Wood, that I should take good care in such a case to place the 
 money at a safe distance from your grasp." 
 
 Wood looked at his accomplice with undisguised amazement. 
 This was the first instance where the lad had shown any will of his 
 own, and when the veiled menace of betrayal reached his ears, he 
 did not know whether he should trust them. Still George was right 
 and had Wood completely at his mercy. How fortunate that the 
 superintendent had not intrusted his other secret to the fellow as 
 well. Thanks to his prudence that portion of the programme was 
 safe at least. But as to the money question, Wood saw no way of 
 forcing George into compulsion, and with that sagacity and rapid 
 penetration so peculiar to his character he saw at once that it would 
 come with a better grace to yield at nce than to let the final con 
 sent appear as the result of further menaces. 
 
 " George," he said all at once, changing the nature of his voice 
 and forcing himself into a smile, * * I make you a compliment. You 
 are fast reaching your maturity and exact your claims from me 
 with a sharpness which allows little doubt of your capacity to en 
 force your purpose. If you refuse the draft, I shall, of course, be 
 forced to pay your share in cash, although that will necessitate my 
 staying here another day." 
 
 " Exactly, sir, and I like that arrangement better, because it 
 gives me more time to reach P ." 
 
 More time to ruin and betray me, or at least to discover my 
 trail," Mr. Wood thought to himself. "But wait, I shall take 
 measures to counteract all treacherous mines that you may spring 
 on me." 
 
 * Why, that is true," he said aloud, stooping to open the safe 
 
172 DOLORES. 
 
 and taking from it a large number of one hundred dollar notes. 
 " Here, George, is your money, and we are quits now, are we 
 not ?" 
 
 " Exactly, sir." 
 
 " And you are satisfied ?" 
 
 Fully so." 
 
 "And you agree to take the information to the revenue of 
 ficers?" 
 
 " I shall faithfully execute your commission." 
 
 "Very well, George. X I am compelled to rely upon your 
 promise. I would rather have you act from motives of attachment 
 than of fear. But this much I say, woe to you if you betray the 
 trust I put in you." 
 
 George s face blanched a little, but collecting himself, he said : 
 
 "Fear nothing, sir, I shall not disappoint you." 
 
 " So much the better for you. I ll have to leave you now, and 
 may be absent for an hour or two. Please have an eye to things, 
 for I must not be guilty of neglect during the waning hours of our 
 administration." 
 
 He left the office, and, after arranging his attire, took the road 
 to the mansion. On arriving there he found that Mr. Fox had 
 gone to the parsonage with the girls, and that Mrs. Fox alone was 
 at home. This suited his purpose and sending his card to her, he 
 stepped into the parlor to await her coming. Throwing himself 
 into an arm chair, he gave himself up to the host of tumultuous 
 thoughts that were crowding through his brain. His plans had 
 reached a climax. What he had hoped and worked and struggled 
 for was on the point of becoming a reality. Ah ! it was well, for 
 he felt that his mind could not have borne much longer the heavy 
 straine upon it. Fear and hope and glorious expectation were 
 struggling for the mastery within his breast, and he found the 
 greatest difficulty in preserving the outward calmness that was so 
 indispensable to secure success. 
 
 When Mrs. Fox entered the room he sprang up and approached 
 her with a haste that started her. 
 
 " What is the matter, Richard?" she said, blushing at the fer 
 vor with which he carried her hand to his lips, "you seem very 
 much excited." 
 
DOLORES. 173 
 
 "No wonder, Caroline. The hour has come when I shall take 
 you with me, as the precious jewel which the owner hides from the 
 vulgar gaze of the curious crowd." 
 
 Her hand quivered in his. Laying the other that was free up 
 on her bosom, she replied : 
 
 " What do you mean, Richard? Must I go with you ; must I 
 leave the home of my children ? Much as I love you I tremble at 
 the thought." 
 
 "And yet you have to learn to face it, for I have chosen the 
 coming night for the time of our flight." 
 
 Impossible !" she cried, I cannot leave so quickly ; why did 
 you not give me longer warning ?" 
 
 " From motives of affection, Caroline. I knew that you would 
 worry all the time, and perhaps by worrying betray our secret. 
 Besides, you knew that it would come to this, and if you really 
 love me as you say you do you will without much difficulty suc 
 ceed in severing such bonds as tie you to this house." 
 
 "And my dear poor children, ami never to see them any 
 more ?" 
 
 Not for the present, Caroline. What future years may have 
 in store we do not know and it would be idle to make conjectures. 
 Come now, dear Caroline> take courage ; you ought to delight in 
 this opportunity of showing your love to me." 
 
 "You cannot doubt that love, Richard, after so many proofs 
 given at the cost of my tranquility. But what do you propose to 
 do?" 
 
 "I shall be at the gate at 12 o clock to receive you and conduct 
 you to the buggy which will be waiting in the neighborhood. We 
 shall at once drive to the station and be in time to take the early 
 train for the border. Once in Canada we shall find little difficulty 
 in concealing our trail and after a while take the steamer to Liver 
 pool. In the fair regions of the old world you will soon forget the 
 fetters which tied you to the new one and in the arms of your 
 Richard live a life of deepfelt happiness." 
 
 And am I to take nothing with me ?" 
 
 "Yes, Caroline. Your departure to the city is near at hand 
 and I have been thinking that you might pack a trunk and send it 
 by Adams Express, pretending that it holds your winter dresses 
 
174 DOLORES. 
 
 which need attention at the milliner s hand. You need not mark 
 the trunk but just send word by John that you will call at the 
 office to-morrow to give directions. In that way I think you may 
 without suspicion take your most valuable wardrobe along." 
 
 " Well, I will follow your advice," she answered with a sigh ; 
 * and God may grant ah ! Richard, I do not dare to call on Him 
 any more." 
 
 " She shuddered and buried her face in her hands. 
 
 " Not so, my love," he pleaded with his most alluring tones and 
 soothing and consoling the conscience-stricken woman, gradually 
 succeeded in restoring to all appearances her peace of mind. En 
 joining upon her the necessity of caution and firmness, he left her 
 to return to the office and there watch the movements of his accom 
 plice whose conduct had created serious misgivings in his mind. 
 
 Mrs. Fox in the mean time had left the parlor and returned to 
 her room, where she made preparations to pack such articles of 
 apparel as her great traveling trunk would hold and as could be 
 collected in a hurry. To say that she began the work with an easy 
 heart would do her injustice. On the contrary she took the various 
 garments from the wardrobe as if they had been solid iron instead 
 of the light and airy fabrics which they really were. Many a tear 
 started from her eyes, running across -her cheeks and falling to the 
 floor unheeded. Her thoughts seemed to wander far away, judging 
 from the absent look of her eyes. All at once, however, she started 
 like one whose heart had been pierced by a bullet ; the dress she 
 held slipped from her fingers and her whole frame trembled as if in 
 fever. 
 
 What was the matter ? 
 
 The door had creaked on the hinges, and Lucy s voice had ex 
 claimed in great surprise : 
 
 " Oh ! mother, what is that ? Moving already ? I declare, you 
 pack your things for going to the city, do you not ?" 
 
 That was the cause of Mrs. Fox s sudden start. She could not 
 force herself to answer her daughter s question, but nodding merely 
 with her head bent low to store the dress away, she pretending to 
 be very busy at the task. 
 
 Lucy laughed. 
 
 * Too busy to reply. I really think that you have caught the 
 
DOLORES. 175 
 
 working fever from Dolores. But, mother, don t you fear that 
 you ll spoil Susan ?" 
 
 " The name of Dolores had nerved Mrs. Fox sufficiently to face 
 her daughter s loving glances. "Me will remain," she thought, 
 "and nobody will miss me except, perhaps, poor Dick, who will 
 have a hard time to stand the flood of reprimand and admonition. 
 But I do not give him up altogether ; Richard hinted at a possi 
 bility of meeting him again 
 
 Again Lucy broke in upon her train of thoughts. 
 
 " Why, mother, are you sick ? I never saw you so so taciturn. 
 I hope I have not offended you." 
 
 Mrs. Fox s heart was touched by this appeal. Tears started to 
 her eyes and embracing her daughter with a fervor which was even 
 stranger to the girl than the previous reserve, she said with stream 
 ing eyes : 
 
 You offend me, Lucy ? No never, never did you in the least 
 offend me. You were always the very pattern of a ood and duti 
 ful daughter." 
 
 " But, mother, I see no reason to cry at that. I for my part 
 am glad to have you think and say so ; why then do you talk as if 
 you meant to leave me, never to return ?" 
 
 Mrs. Fox was frightened. 
 
 "Foolish child, what do you talk about?" she said, casting a 
 shy glance around the room. " Did I lead you to entertain such 
 silly thoughts ?" 
 
 "No, mother ; I only mean you talk so serious as if you in 
 tended taking leave for ever." 
 
 Mrs. Fox was deeply impressed. 
 
 " We are mortal," she said gloomily, " and nobody knows how 
 soon we may be called from one another, never to meet again on 
 earth. Lucy, would you would you in such a case sometimes 
 think of me ?" 
 
 " You know I would, mother ; though I really think that I have 
 as much right to think of dying as you. There is something the 
 matter with you, mother, and you had better lie on your lounge 
 and rest instead of packing these dresses. We are not going to 
 morrow you know and you ll find plenty time yet." 
 
176 DOLORES. 
 
 " "NVe are not going but the trunk is. I want to have the 
 milliner make some alterations " 
 
 Lucy shook her head. 
 
 Mother, follow my advice and desist from doing this to-day. 
 I do not see 
 
 This time Mrs. Fox interrupted her sharply. She saw no other 
 way to withstand the flood of emotions awakened by her daughter s 
 gentle pleadings. 
 
 <l That is enough, Lucy," she said. I understand your motives, 
 but your contradictions worries me and you will oblige me by de 
 sisting. Indeed I can attend much better to this work when I am 
 by myself. So go to your room until I call you or send for you. 
 
 Lucy had listened to these words w r ith increasing sadness. Her 
 mother s tenderness had for a while awakened the hope in her that 
 hereafter her mother would take her nearer to her heart, but now 
 she was at once and cruelly undeceived. The animation in her 
 face died away, her smile faded, and a large tear dropping from 
 her eye, slowly rolled across her cheek and fell to the floor. Thus 
 she stood for half a minute, then heaving a deep sigh she turned 
 and was on the point of leaving the room when her mother s voice 
 stopped her. 
 
 "Lucy!" 
 
 When she turned she saw Mrs. Fox with outstretched arms, 
 ready to receive and fold her to her heart. Her name had been 
 uttered with so much longing, such deep and yearning love that 
 Lucy felt like one stupified and instead of throwing herself at once 
 into her mother s arms stood like one totally bewildered. But 
 Mrs. Fox did not wait for the return of her composure ; hastening 
 towards her she flung her arms around her neck and laying her 
 head upon her shoulder cried bitterly as if her heart would break. 
 Lucy several times endeavored to speak to her to sooth her grief 
 and fathom its cause ; but Mrs. Fox stopped her every time with 
 so much earnestness that the poor girl saw no remedy but to lead 
 her to a lounge and there resting her head against her own shoulder 
 suffer her to cry herself to rest. Nor was she mistaken. Quicker 
 than Lucy had expected Mrs. Fox arose to a sitting posture and 
 drying her tears remarked : 
 
 "There, Lucy, that will do. This has been in me for a long 
 
DOLORES. 177 
 
 time, and my heart being full to overflowing the flood of tears could 
 no longer be restrained. It was well, my child, that I had no wit 
 ness of my weakness but you, and you will of course not expose 
 your mother s silly conduct." 
 
 "Of course not, mother, but why ?" 
 
 " I have a second favor to ask you, Lucy ; please abstain from 
 questions. The time will soon arrive when you will understand me 
 without interpretation." 
 
 " I will, mother, to please you. Will you persist in further ex 
 hausting your strength by attending to this unaccustomed labor ? " 
 
 "It must be done, Lucy, and that at once. Come, be a good 
 girl now and bother me no longer with questions and objections. 
 Go to your room, or play and work with Dolores. I shall be done 
 within an hour, and then will join you for the rest of the day." 
 
 To secure obedience to her wishes she gently forced the girl 
 toward the door, kissing and embracing her at every step. On the 
 threshold she looked once more with fervent tenderness into her 
 eyes, then turning, closed and locked the door, leaving Lucy in a 
 strange confusion of joy and sorrow and wonderment at the possible 
 cause of all these strange breaks. 
 
 Meanwhile Mr. Wood was walking fast to reach the office. He 
 meditated and thought that in dividing his spoils with George so 
 early he had committed a mistake. Where was his guarantee for 
 the faithful execution of his contract, the guarantee against imme 
 diate betrayal ? He though of this too late, but while he trembled 
 at the possibility of a failure in his plans in consequence, he hoped 
 on the other hand that fear would be a factor of sufficient power in 
 the young man s calculation to prevent him from committing trea 
 son, even if he should fail to execute his promise of delivering the 
 implicating papers into the hands of the revenue officers. 
 
 But Wood must even guard against this latter emergency. So 
 sitting down he penned and sealed a letter which was addressed to 
 the above officers, giving such information as would necessarily lead 
 to the apprehension of the guilty party, even in case George had 
 failed to deliver his papers in person. This letter he placed in his 
 pocket, intending to drop it as soon as their flight would have pro 
 ceeded sufficiently to make it safe. The rest of the afternoon he 
 spent in superintending the various departments of the factory, and 
 
 12 
 
178 DOLORES. 
 
 those who saw the calm indifference lying on his countenance, the 
 sharpness with which he reprimanded slight mistakes, the orders 
 he gave affecting the work of weeks, would have hardly dreamed 
 that this man stood on the point not only of ruining his employer s 
 business character, but also his social and moral position. Collect 
 ing all his strength of mind for one last great effort, he seemed to 
 all appearances as calm as the calmest and most unconcerned of all 
 the men in his principal s employ. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 A FAILURE. 
 
 "There goes a trunk from the mansion," uncle Jacob addressed 
 Mrs. Fuchs and Henry, who since his uncle s arrival could not be 
 persuaded to visit the factory and was stoutly backed in his obsti. 
 nacy by that worthy person. " There goes a trunk," the latter said, 
 observing John with a spring-wagon on which a large trunk was 
 being taken away, "and if you don t hurry, sister, you won t have 
 the satisfaction of lowering Mrs. Fox s pride a peg or two." 
 
 " And how should I accomplish that ? " 
 
 "Of course by paying her a visit in your new capacity of 
 cousin." 
 
 " In order to give her a chance of humbling me so low that even 
 the dogs would refuse a piece of bread from my hand ; no, indeed ! 
 you won t catch me playing such silly tricks." 
 
 " Pshaw ! fiddlesticks ! you are over sensitive. Only let me find 
 the testament and you ll see me handle these fancy people after my 
 own fashion. You are all over-delicate except Henry, who is a lad 
 after my own heart. Just let me get hold of the lost will I m 
 hunting and I ll show you what I mean by rewarding aid and sym 
 pathy." 
 
 In this way uncle Jacob had spent the greater part of the day. 
 During the absence of Conrad and Charles he tried the patience of 
 his sister-in-law, and when she at last began to show signs of ex 
 haustion of that useful virtue he addressed himself to Henry, and 
 
DOLOEES. 179 
 
 in him not only found a never-tiring listener but also, and what 
 was more, a person willing to enter with him on such measures, fair 
 or fcul, and spin such intrigues as might be necessary to attain his 
 purpose. 
 
 Uncle Jacob was an everlasting talker, but the quality of his 
 conversation was not at all in keeping with its quantity. Perhaps 
 that accounts for his voluininousness, and he acted on the principle 
 that a man always should give a good measure of an inferior article, 
 while we find another explanation in the circumstance that uncle 
 Jacob had managed to secure a key to his brother s wine cellar and 
 that he took good care to keep his lips well moistened. 
 
 At the time of the above remark Jacob had already paid fre 
 quent visits to the cellar, without, however, so far destroying the 
 equilibrium which is necessary to carry a person with decorum 
 through his daily routine, Still Mrs. Fuchs was afraid that further 
 visits would have that undesirable effect, and she thought proper to 
 remind uncle Jacob of the fact that they had all been invited to the 
 parsonage that night to celebrate the discovery of the relationship 
 of Dol. with the families of the mansion and the cottage. Mr. Fox 
 would be present, she said, and then hinted how unpleasant it must 
 be for all concerned to have the general satisfaction marred or de 
 stroyed by the incapacity of one visitor to conduct himself with 
 common propriety. 
 
 Jacob resented the insinuation in his usual blunt way, but yet 
 he proved by his abstinence from further potations that he well un 
 derstood the importance of meeting with prudent reservation a man 
 whom he had good reason to believe his rival for the acquisition of 
 countless wealth. Besides, they were to visit a preacher s house, 
 and Charles had taken pleasure in telling his uncle that preachers 
 in this country always stand on great ceremony, and do not say a or 
 suffer to be said in their presence anything that is not unexcep 
 tional in all its bearings. 
 
 At supper time the men came home, but merely taking time 
 enough to change their suits they and the rest of the family soon 
 started on their way to the parsonage, where they were expected to 
 take supper. At the gate of the mansion they were joined by Mr. 
 Fox and the girls, Mrs. Fox having pleaded a headache as her ex 
 cuse for remaining at home. Mr. Fox smiled when she made the 
 
180 DOLORES. 
 
 statement, but little did he dream of the fearful crisis which was 
 fast approaching while he in company with his daughters left the 
 house to spend a few hours in social intercourse. Enjoy them, poor 
 fellow, for an hour will soon appear fraught with the elements of 
 great happiness. 
 
 The parsonage w r as decorated in a manner becoming the occa 
 sion. Miss Sarah had plundered her flower-garden to secure a fine 
 bouquet for every table in the house. The dining-room especially 
 bore a gay look, and the hostess was greatly pleased to see so much 
 praise bestowed upon her arrangements. She smiled through tears 
 when she took both the hands of Dolores. 
 
 " Dol, my good girl," she said, drawing her old ward into her 
 arms and kissing her with warm affection, "I wish you luck in 
 your acquisitions. I and my brother are the only friends who have 
 not turned into kindred ; will you still allow us to think of you as 
 we are wont to do that is, our daughter? " 
 
 " Of course I will," Dolores said. " I shall not merely allow 
 but demand it. Indeed the daughter comes before the cousin, and 
 if the latter is not satisfied with that arrangement he may expect 
 short notice to quit." 
 
 "Why! this is dreadful for all concerned!" Charles now struck 
 in. I fortunately am not in that dilemma, In my case the cousin 
 does not interfere with the daughter, although I could, no doubt, 
 muster sufficient dignity for a father." 
 
 One playful word gave birth to another and even before the 
 company had seated themselves around the well spread table, every 
 trace of restraint had vanished, excepting uncle Jacob s who was 
 unable to follow the conversation which was carried on in English. 
 To indemnify himself he bestowed his undivided attention upon 
 Miss Sarah s dishes which met with his profound approbation. At 
 first she was delighted to see him appreciate her culinary efforts so 
 well; but by and by her delight assumed the character of alarm, 
 as she had never before met a person who could let cakes and pies, 
 custards and jellies disappear with such marvelous rapidity. Of 
 course, she was too kind and well bred to make remarks, but the 
 timid glance with which she followed the gluttons motions, spoke 
 plain enough. Charles and Dolores enjoyed her scare and were ex 
 tremely amused at the energy with which the spinster urged the 
 
DOLORES. 181 
 
 rest of the company to partake of her good things. Indeed Sarah s 
 dismay did not spring from avarice, but from a well founded ap 
 prehension that, in spite of the bounteous supply, the others would 
 have no chance of admiring her skill in cooking, baking, stewing 
 and preserving, if this locust without wings was allowed to continue 
 his depridations without a check. From sheer motives of com 
 passion, therefore, the young people seconded the spinsters efforts, 
 partly by letting the dishes wander around the table, partly by 
 drawing uncle Jacob into a conversation in German. This latter 
 remedy fully answered the purpose. Putting on all the steam of 
 his lingual engine, he tore away at such a rate, that Dolores thought 
 the medicine was worse than the evil and told her friend as much 
 in a confidential whisper. 
 
 Charles laughed. 
 
 * It s a pity that men like him don t carry a safety valve on 
 their faces. Uncle carries such a pressure of steam that an ex 
 plosion wouldn t at all astonish me." 
 
 But this whispering was contraband. Uncle Jacob told them 
 as much, and willing or not willing, the unfortunate couple became 
 the victims of their generosity. For that, however, they had the 
 gratitude of Miss Sarah, which took a tangible shape in many de 
 licious morsels that were piled on their plates. After supper the 
 party strolled through the house and garden. It was a beautiful 
 October night with a starry sky of rare brightness above. The still 
 ness of the hour caused distant sounds to strike the ear with great 
 plainness. 
 
 " Listen, Dol," Charles addressed his friend with whom he was 
 wandering up and down the garden walk, " some one is loosening a 
 boat. This is a grand night for a ride on the bay." 
 
 "But who may have any business out there so late ? The fish, 
 ing season is over, is it not?" 
 
 "Yes, Dol. I hardly know who could be out so late. There 
 are not many such romantic souls as we in the village. However^ 
 that reminds me of our proposed visit to the cemetery. A few 
 more days and we will be at liberty to act." 
 
 Some one approaching, the conversation took a different turn. 
 The evening passed away pleasantly, and therefore rapidly. It was 
 fully ten o clock when the gathering broke up and the guests with 
 
182 DOLORES. 
 
 many a good night departed. Their ways ran together to the park- 
 gate of the mansion, and there the scene of parting was acted over 
 again. All this had caused delay, and when the last noise had 
 died away at the cottage, the clock struck eleven. Everybody 
 soon found rest and oblivion in the arms of sleep excepting Uncle 
 Jacob. The injudicious packing of so many victuals, after many 
 months of compulsory fasting, began to avenge itself. Even on 
 the way home Jacob had began to fell uncomfortable. His stomach 
 had indulged in queer heavings which reminded him of the time 
 when he was on the ocean and had fallen a prey to sea sickness. On 
 his arrival at the cottage he had paid a visit to the cellar, and there 
 endeavored by a large tumbler full of rum to compromise the mat 
 ter with his stomach, but like most compromises that of Uncle 
 Jacob had merely a temporary effect, and he had hardly been in 
 bed an hour, when strange sensations awakened him. His head 
 grew dizzy and he would have sworn that he was unable to stir a 
 foot, if the laws of violated nature had not forced him to arise 
 Uncle Jacob had no time to arouse the family even if he had been 
 inclined to do so, but forward and callous as he was, he felt a cer 
 tain shame arising from the consciousness of the origin of his sick 
 ness. 
 
 In the open air he felt a little better ; but yet the revolution 
 in his stomach would not let him rest. He felt a crisis coming 
 nearer and nearer and an increasing nausea drove him from the 
 porch to the street. He hardly knew what he was doing ; a new 
 cramp in his stomach forced him to lay both his hands upon the 
 aching part ; the heaving within became more and more tumultu 
 ous, and then Uncle Jacob underwent the disagreable sensation of 
 a man who has his stomach relieved by the process which in com 
 mon parlance we call vomiting. 
 
 He had sinned considerably against his stomach and his penalty 
 was in proportion. A full quarter of an hour passed by, before he 
 could venture to straighten himself up. Wonderful sensations had 
 in the meantime passed through his brain. He had an indistinct 
 recollection of the tramping of a horse and the rolling of carriage 
 wheels. On reaching the place of the road opposite the cottage the 
 horse had shied at him, if his impression was correct, and after 
 bounding sideways with a jerk that sent the wagon spinning had 
 
DOLORES. 183 
 
 started off at a furious gallop. He had also heard a scream that 
 seemed to emanate from the lips of a woman, judging from its shrill 
 nature and high pitch or had he only been dreaming that part? 
 No, indeed, for listen ! there it is again, though not so shrill now, 
 but low and moaning, as issuing from a person in the agonies of 
 pain. It is near by, quite near, on the other side of the road, and 
 there is something lying on the ground that resembles a human be 
 ing. 
 
 Jacob has now fully recovered from his sickness. Coarse and 
 forward as he was he could not help being impressed by those piti 
 ful moans, and running to the spot where the figure lay discovered 
 to his consternation a woman in a state of unconsciousness. From 
 her mouth came the plaintive sounds that had moved and startled 
 him, but they grew lower every minute, causing him to fancy that 
 the poor sufferer was fast approaching death. Jacob was in a great 
 tribulation. He tried to lift the head and shoulders of the person, 
 but a louder moan induced him to drop her again. 
 
 " I can do nothing by myself," he muttered, and running rap 
 idly into the house knocked at the door of the chamber where the 
 boys were sleeping. 
 
 " Charles ! Henry ! Get up, get up, I say ! " 
 
 Charles was the first to answer. 
 
 "Who is there?" 
 
 " 1, uncle Jacob. For God s sake get up and open. There is a 
 woman dying on the road. She must have fallen from a wagon." 
 
 " A woman, you say? " Charles inquired, obeying his injunc 
 tions, " where is she ? What is the matter with her ?" 
 
 " She is dying on the road, I say. Be quick, boys, or you won t 
 find her alive." 
 
 "Are you sure you ain t dreaming, uncle?" Charles inquired 
 with a dubious shake of his head, but hurrying his dressing as much 
 as possible notwithstanding. 
 
 "You will soon find that out when you reach the road," Jacob 
 answered. 
 
 " Come on then, uncle, I am ready." 
 
 Rushing down stairs the two soon stood beside the prostrate 
 form, which by that time had ceased to give any signs of pain or 
 even life. 
 
184 DOLORES. 
 
 " She is dead," Jacob said, with a shudder. 
 
 " No, she is not," Charles replied, " she is still warm. Lend 
 me a hand, uncle ; we must carry her into the house. I have a 
 good hold of the shoulders and you take the feet. Where is 
 Henry?" 
 
 "Gone to sleep again, I guess." 
 
 "The drowsy good-for-nothing ! We have to do without him, 
 then. Are you ready ? Lift her up, then." 
 
 "It will give her pain," Jacob suggested, as they were carrying 
 the body toward the gate. 
 
 "Not now, you see she has fainted ; and if she hadn t it can t 
 be helped. We cannot leave her in the open street. If that 
 sleepy-head had only got up ah! there is mother with a* light. I 
 am so glad. Mother, turn the light this way. We have a poor 
 woman who has come to harm some way or other." 
 
 Mrs. Fuchs had much of Charlie s resoluteness ; she was a woman 
 for emergencies. Instead of indulging in useless exclamations she 
 held her peace, obeying her son s injunctions, and thus enabling 
 the men to take their burden to the porch and thence into a spare 
 bedroom that adjoined the parlor. 
 
 The body was laid upon the bed and the bonnet and thick veil, 
 which covered head and face, removed. Then, when the lamp was 
 raised for further inspection it threw its rays upon a face, the sight 
 of which drew a simultaneous cry from both mother and son. The 
 lamp in Mrs. Fuchs hand shook so as to make the chimney rattle, 
 and she had to put it on the table to prevent its falling. The eyes 
 of the two met in a long and significant glance. " She here," it 
 seemed to say, "and at this hour, and in this dreadful condition. 
 What can it mean ?" 
 
 But there the inquest ended. No sound was suffered to escape 
 their lips to give voice to the mute supposition. Even the wonder 
 ing inquiry of uncle Jacob was disregarded, and conquering their 
 excitement with a strong resolve the two set to work with a will. 
 
 " Water, Charlie," Mrs. Fuchs said, in a manner that made the 
 words come out as if under a strong pressure. " I ll see to all the 
 rest. Jacob, please summon Conrad down, but leave Henry where 
 he is. You also would do better to retire, may be, for you look 
 sick and tired, and we can get along without you." 
 
DOLORES. 185 
 
 But Jacob was not to be removed in that way. He summoned 
 Conrad to arise, but as to going to bed he couldn t think of it. He 
 had discovered that woman, and if it hadn t been for him they 
 would have found her dead in the street on the coming morning. 
 And now was he to be put aside on the plea of consideration and 
 never to know what that cry of mother and son meant ? Not he, 
 indeed. 
 
 During the absence of the men Mrs. Fuchs had removed the 
 garments of the sufferer by cutting thorn apart ; she had also pulled 
 off her shoes, arid when Charles returned with a basin of water and 
 a sponge he found her nicely covered with a quilt. Mrs. Fuchs took 
 the sponge, and bathing the temples of the woman with the cooling 
 fluid endeavored to recall her to consciousness. She succeeded in a 
 measure, for the patient opened her eyes, but the glance she cast on 
 her surroundings showed by its vacancy that, though no longer in a 
 swoon, her mind was wandering. 
 
 At this moment Mr. Fuchs came into the room with Jacob at 
 his heels. His face showed some uneasiness, but he evidently did 
 not guess the truth, for when his wife lifted her hand in caution 
 and stepping up to him whispered a word in his ear he started with 
 a look of consternation which seemed to say, how is that possible ? 
 But when he.neared the bed and cast a glance upon its inmate he 
 saw it was just as his wife had intimated. Folding his hands he 
 merely uttered : 
 
 "Gracious God." 
 
 Charles roused his parents from their torpor. 
 
 " This will not do," he said. " We must at once take measures 
 to secure medical aid and then notify her husband." 
 
 Good Heavens ! Could it be possible that he should be ig 
 norant of her absence from home at this late hour ? " 
 
 "No guesses, mother, see rather to her comfort. I ll go and 
 get the doctor and then call at the mansion." 
 
 He went away, leaving his parents alone with the sufferer. 
 Uncle Jacob would have liked nothing better than to keep them 
 company, but a plain hint from his nephew sufficed to send him to 
 his room. We have intimated before that the young man had man 
 aged to secure his relative s respect in a considerable degree, and 
 Jacob saw fit to mind the son where the mother had hinted in vain. 
 
186 DOLORES. 
 
 True, uncle Jacob grumbled a little on retiring to his room, but he 
 was doubly sleepy in consequence of his perforce cure, and found 
 consolation for his slight the moment he stretched upon his mat 
 tress. 
 
 Not so the pair at the sick-bed. They knew that Charles would 
 use the utmost speed in bringing the doctor, and yet the time elaps 
 ing before his arrival appeared to them almost like eternity. At 
 last the garden gate swung, the door opened, and the physician of 
 the village made his appearance in the room. Charles evidently 
 had prepared them in a measure for the sight in store, for the man 
 of science was more excited than the Fuchs had ever seen him be 
 fore. 
 
 " Good evening, friends," he said in a low but hurried accent, 
 "your son has told me strange news. Mrs. Fox thrown from a car 
 riage, and that at midnight. Ah ! there she is, poor soul. Please 
 rnadam, move a little, to give me a chance of examining her. Has 
 she spoken since the accident ?" 
 
 " Not a word, doctor. She was unconscious when they brought 
 her in, but the cold water has brought her to. She loks delirious." 
 
 " She is delirious, and I should not wonder if brain fever would 
 set in in consequence of the fall." 
 
 " Are any bones broken, doctor?" 
 
 11 1 think not, but her case is bad enough without it. Please to 
 get some linen or muslin, madam. I want to lay wet bandages 
 around her head." 
 
 While Mrs. Fuchs produced the desired articles the door opened 
 again, this time admitting Mr. Fox and Charles. The former was 
 perfectly bewildered, showing clearly by his conduct that he was as 
 much at a loss to comprehend his wife s present plight as the family 
 in the cottage. Neglecting to greet the persons in the room he 
 hastily stepped up to the bed and gazed with intense anxiety into 
 the vacant eye of his wife. He saw how the doctor applied the wet 
 bandages and also how he forced some medicine through her com 
 pressed lips ; but more than ten minutes had elapsed since his ar 
 rival before he finally asked : 
 
 " Doctor, is there any hope ?" 
 
 " His voice was so hollow that all were startled. 
 
 "I can say nothing definite, Mr. Fox," the physician replied. 
 
DOLORES. 187 
 
 " As far as I can judge there are no bones broken, but the head 
 has evidently received a jar, and I am afraid brain fever may set 
 in." 
 
 " Then she cannot be removed ? " 
 
 "No, sir ; the most absolute rest and tranquility are necessary 
 for the patient. If you remove her I can answer for nothing." 
 
 " Oh ! she is in good hands/ Mrs. Fuchs earnestly remarked. 
 " Don t fret on that score, Mi Fox." 
 
 He looked at her intently, then shook his head. 
 
 " It isn t that," he said. " I wouldn t want better care, but the 
 people, madam, the people." 
 
 They understood well what he meant, but nobody came forward 
 to offer consolation. 
 
 " What will they say when the rumor spreads that Mrs. Fox 
 was found at midnight on the highway without her husband s 
 knowledge of the fact ? " 
 
 " Now, don t take it so hard, Mr. Fox," the owner of the cot 
 tage said, with an effort at consolation. Mrs. Fox may have had 
 good reasons for being out, and as to the people, why I do not see 
 why they need ever learn anything about it. Dr. Palmer is the 
 only one besides the family who knows the affair, and I am sure he 
 is not the man to carry gossip to the people." 
 
 "Of course, Mr. Fox, we can keep the whole thing a secret if 
 you think best to have it so." 
 
 " That is a good idea," Mrs. Fuchs exclaimed. " Until we know 
 the object of Mrs. Fox s being out at so late an hour we must en 
 deavor to keep the accident from becoming known. Was it John 
 that drove her ?" 
 
 " No, madam, he is at home ; so are the horses. That is what 
 puzzles me. I haven t the least idea what this strange movement 
 signifies." 
 
 " Well, don t you fret about it now, Mr. Fox. I am sure we 
 shall soon get the clue to the mystery. But listen, she begins to 
 talk ; is that a good sign, doctor ? " 
 
 The physician merely answered by a " pst !" and all could dis 
 tinctly hear how the patient said : 
 
 "The horse, Richard ! the horse !" 
 
 After a minute s silence she resumed : 
 
188 DOLORES. 
 
 " Let me off, Richard. Let me off to return to my children. 
 What will they think of their mother?" 
 
 Another pause. 
 
 " They will point their fingers at me, at me, the adultress." 
 
 Mr. Fox covered his face, then groaned aloud. 
 
 Mrs. Fuchs laid her hand upon his shoulder. 
 
 "Now don t ; don t condemn her on the testimony of a feverish 
 brain. You see she does not know what she is talking about." 
 
 " I know she doesn t," he said bitterly. " If she was sensible 
 she would hide that confession in the deepest recesses of her soul." 
 
 All felt the force of his remark. 
 
 " I could have borne much from her," he continued, "I did 
 bear much. But that she should have sullied my honor, should 
 have found the heart to abandon my home and children to cover us 
 with shame that is too much, is more than I can ever forgive her. ?> 
 
 Again Mrs. Fuchs attempted to console him. 
 
 "Mr. Fox," she said, "do not rashly judge or you may be 
 judged. Even if your conjectures be correct a thing by no means 
 certain you should thank God for his gracious interference and 
 for thus frustrating her plans. There she lies, helpless and pros 
 trate. How fortunate that it was our house in which she was re 
 ceived. If she should not recover from her injuries silence will for 
 ever cover her mistake ; if, on the other hand, she is restored to 
 health, she will have learned a lesson, and you, sir, in time will not 
 withhold your pardon. But now, sir, talk no more, for unless I am 
 mistaken she hears us and becomes excited." 
 
 The doctor agreeing with her the room became perfectly still. 
 Charles, at the doctor s request, accompanied him to his office to 
 take the proper medicine back to the cottage. Mr. Fox consented 
 to return to the mansion and tell a plausible story in the morning 
 so as to shape public opinion and prevent idle rumors from spread 
 ing among the neighbors. He was to call, however, in the morn 
 ing and to bring Dolores with him so that the girl might assist Mrs. 
 Fuchs and relieve her in a measure of the burden which this sick 
 spell had imposed upon her. Mr. Fuchs retired to a lounge in a 
 neighboring room and his wife resumed her seat at the side of the 
 bed to watch the patient and administer the medicine in accordance 
 with the doctor s directions. When Charles returned she tried to 
 
DOLORES. 189 
 
 persuade him to take a little more sleep, but he refused so emphat 
 ically that she gave it up and allowed him to share the vigil at the 
 bedside. 
 
 Thus the hours of the night wore away and with the returning 
 sun the doctor again made his appearance. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 IT NEVER RAINS BUT IT TOURS. 
 
 He was not alone ; Mr. Fox and the two young ladies appeared 
 in his company. The intelligence elicited from Mrs. Fuchs was 
 not satisfactory. The patient had had a restless night and spoken 
 considerably in the same strain as that related. In fact she hesita 
 ted to admit the girls to her room, and taking Mr. Fox aside inti 
 mated as much. It would hardly do, she said, to allow Lucy to 
 listen to a mother proclaiming continually her own shame. And 
 yet how could they refuse her ? On what plea should they exclude 
 her from the presence of a mother that might die before the setting 
 of another sun ? The Doctor was consulted and induced to state 
 that the presence of too many persons would injure the condition 
 of the patient ; but Lucy, generally so gentle and yielding, was 
 deaf tc all persuasions this time. Indeed she guessed the truth and 
 told them as much. 
 
 "Let me in," she pleaded, "for my place is at my mother s 
 bedside. If she is delirious and in her fever talks at random I shall 
 not hear it, at least not heed it. So do not hinder me from going 
 in to her. I shall not make the least noise, nor be at all in the 
 way ; but see her and nurse her I must, indeed I must." 
 
 What should they do ? She guessed the truth and so they 
 thought at last they might as well indulge her. To the entrance 
 of Dolores there was no objection after that ; indeed nobody seemed 
 to think it wrong from the beginning. She was strong of mind, 
 they knew. To imagine that she might be injured in her morals 
 was preposterous. The even tenor of her mind, her high princi 
 ples, the purity of her heart that lit up her face, as it were, with a 
 
190 DOLORES. 
 
 halo of innocence, excluded the thought of even the possibility 
 that she might be injured by the contact with sin and evil. Nobody 
 ever mentioned this in words, or thought of it even in distinct 
 thoughts ; but that is the triumph of a pure and high strung nature 
 that it fills all around it with an instinctive confidence, a trust as 
 much, a matter of course, as the eternal laws of nature. 
 
 So the girls were admitted to the room, and after a few pangs 
 of bitter anguish on the part of Lucy and rapidly suppressed tears 
 of sympathy on that of Dolores, the young nurses entered upon 
 their duties. There is a soothing influence in youth, gentleness 
 and beauty even upon sickness, and the feverish blood of poor 
 Mrs. Fox seemed to flow less violently through her veins. Perhaps 
 the doctor s medicine also began to take effect and half an hour 
 after Mr. Fox s arrival at the cottage his wife fell into a sleep 
 which,, though broken and feverish, might be considered a great 
 improvement on her previous ravings. It also gave the others a 
 chance for a short consultation on the course to be pursued. It 
 was impossible to conceal the sickness of Mrs. Fox altogether, but 
 it was to be hoped that they might succeed in giving it a natural 
 explanation. She had been sick for some time, and under the influ 
 ence of a slow fever had packed and dispatched her trunk. In the 
 night her fever had increased sufficiently to cause an aberration of 
 her mind. In this delirious condition she had wandered from the 
 house and taken refuge at the cottage where she was kindly receiv 
 ed and nursed, the malignant nature of the sickness making a re 
 moval of the patient impossible. 
 
 This story, they hoped, might find credence with the public, 
 provided it was systematically repeated by all concerned. True, it 
 was beyond their power to prevent idle gossips from starting rum 
 ors, but a frown at the proper time would suffice to chase them 
 from open day-light in to the night, where they, like bats, might 
 eek out a shadowy existence. The only danger of betrayal lay 
 with uncle Jacob, and Charles volunteered to take upon himself 
 the task of securing his silence. 
 
 " I think I can manage him," he said, " and may as well go up 
 at once to try. But before I forget ; when I returned with the 
 medicine from Dr. Palmer s office I saw something white lying in 
 the road at the place where we discovered Mrs. Fox. On closer 
 
DOLORES. 191 
 
 examination I found it to be a letter and thinking that it might 
 have fallen from the poor lady I put it in my pocket, to hand it to 
 Mr. Fox in the morning. Here it is, sir, and you had better ex 
 amine it, while I go up to see to uncle Jacob." 
 
 With these words he pulled an envelope from his pocket that" 
 was unsealed and unaddressed, though it evidently contained a let 
 ter, judging from its weight and stiffness. He handed it to Mr. 
 Fox and then left the room and went up stairs to see his uncle. 
 The sickness and vigil of last night had prolonged uncle Jacob s 
 slumber and Charles had to shake him considerably to secure his 
 attention. 
 
 * Ah ! yes, yes, ah ! what is the matter ; is that you Charlie ? 
 What is it my lad ? 
 
 Are you fully awake, uncle ? " 
 
 " Wide awake, like a lark, Charlie." 
 
 "And do you recollect last night s adventure ?" 
 
 "Exactly!" he exclaimed, although it was evident that only 
 his nephew s inquiry had roused his memory. "The woman that 
 had fallen from the carriage, is she dead, Charlie ?" 
 
 His voice became low and husky at this question. 
 
 "No, uncle, she is alive and may recover. It was on her ac 
 count that I come to speak to you." 
 
 Uncle Jacob straightened himself rapidly ; his interest had been 
 awakened and he inquired with eagerness : 
 
 " Well, Charlie, I am all attention ; what have you to tell me 
 about the woman ?" 
 
 You saw mother and me start last night on recognizing her. 
 You wont wonder at that when I tell you that the woman is the 
 mistress of the mansion, Mrs. Fox?" 
 
 " Whey ! Charlie, you don t say so !" 
 
 Yes, I do, uncle ; it is Mrs. Fox that now lies down stairs 
 with a typhoid fever." 
 
 " Typhoid fever? Strange ! I never heard of anybody getting 
 that from falling out of a carriage." 
 
 "But she didn t fall from a carriage, uncle," Charles said, im 
 pressively, looking at his relative significantly. " I came up for 
 the purpose of correcting that impression." 
 
 "But I heard the carriage, Charlie." 
 
192 DOLORES. 
 
 " Nothing but the fancy of a sick brain." 
 
 " I tell you it was no such thing, boy. I saw the horse, too, 
 and I could swear " 
 
 " You better not, uncle," Charles interrupted him. 
 
 "It is just as I tell you. Mrs. Fox Jias not fallen from the 
 ivagon, but is suffering from a typhoid fever." 
 
 "But, Charlie ," the obstinate fellow resumed. 
 
 " Why, uncle, I wonder at your dull comprehension," the 
 young man said impatiently, " fallen or not fallen, she mustn t 
 have fallen but suffers from a typhoid fever. Do you understand 
 now ?" 
 
 " Yes, yes, I see ; you want to hush the matter up." 
 
 " Exactly, and will you promise to let nobody know the real 
 state of affairs ?" 
 
 " Of course, my boy, if I can do you a favor by it." 
 
 " Not even Henry ?" 
 
 " You want even him to remain in ignorance ?" 
 
 "Him more than all the rest. He gossips like an old woman." 
 
 " Well, if it must ba I will not tell him. It will go hard, though, 
 for I like the boy." 
 
 A derisive smile passed over Charlie s countenance. 
 
 "It must be, uncle, and now let me tell you. By hinting a 
 word of this affair to anybody you will make me your enemy ; do 
 you know what that signifies, to have me for an enemy?" 
 
 Charles looked daggers while he said this. Uncle Jacob had an 
 idea and lie said so. 
 
 " Well, I am glad of it. However, I would rather be your 
 friend, and if you humor me in this I shall befriend you. I have 
 an idea where Kberhardt s testament may be concealed and if I find 
 you a man of \*our word I may a e sist you in discovering it." 
 
 Charles could not well have hit upon a more powerful incentive 
 to close his uncle s lips. Jacob s eyes lit up at the mention of the 
 will, and he was on the point of launching on a torrent of eager 
 questions, when a rap at the door interrupted him. Charles opened 
 and saw Mr. Fox standing outside. Dejected as that gentleman 
 had been since the discovery of his wife s want of fidelity, he looked 
 now so pale and frightened, so much the prey of hopeful consterna 
 tion, that Charles at once guessed a new calamity. Stepping out 
 
DOLORES. 193 
 
 to him and closing the door behind him, he asked in guarded tones: 
 
 What is the matter, sir ? She isn t worse, not dying ? " 
 
 Mr. Fox shook his head. 
 
 " The letter ! the letter !" he gasped, pointing to an open paper 
 he held in his trembling hand. 
 
 " What letter, Mr. Fox ? The one I gave you ?" 
 
 Mr. Fox nodded. 
 
 " Take and read," he said. " I am a ruined man." 
 
 Charles took the letter, but instead of looking at it, he said : 
 
 " Come, Mr. Fox, let us go down into the parlor or the arbor 
 behind the house. This is too public a place to discuss delicate 
 matters. Come my dear sir." 
 
 Taking the other s arm, he led him down stairs. 
 
 " Does my father know about this ?" he asked on the way. 
 
 No, Charlie, I thought of you first. I knew that I could rely 
 on your judgment and energy above that of all others." 
 
 " Thank you, sir, for your good opinion ; but father is a man 
 of much experience, though a little timid in consequence of early 
 training. Have you any objection to draw him in to the secret?" 
 
 "Not the least, Charlie ; on the contrary, I applaud your prop 
 osition. Call him at once." 
 
 Charles found his father making preparations for going to the 
 factory. Looking at the clock on the mantelpiece he saw that the 
 hand had passed the hour of six by thirty minutes. 
 
 " Have you had your breakfast, father?" 
 
 "A bite, Charlie, a cold bite. I thought I wouldn t wait for 
 anything else, for my presence may be necessary at the factory." 
 
 Charles looked up ; the thought of Mr. Wood struck him for 
 the first time. Had he any connection with the letter ? But he 
 had no leisure to meditate now, so he said : 
 
 " Don t go for a minute or two, father. Mr. Fox wants you in 
 the garden." 
 
 Fuchs nodded without asking questions and the two went into 
 the grape arbor, where they found Mr. Fox sitting at a table, his 
 head resting heavily on his hand. 
 
 "Here we are, sir," Charles addressed him, "and ready to 
 listen. You may beforehand rest assured f our assistance, feeble 
 as it is." 
 
194 DOLORES. 
 
 " Thank you," Mr. Fox said monotonously, at the same time 
 handing him the letter. 
 
 Charles opened it and recognizing the handwriting, exclaimed : 
 
 " Mr. Wood s hand ; shall I read aloud?" 
 
 If you please, Charlie." 
 
 FOXVILLE, 
 
 To Lieutenant D , commander of the Revenue Cutter Speed. 
 
 DEAR SIB: It is my painful duty to inform you to-day of a 
 
 nefarious practice to which Edward Fox, of Foxville, L county, 
 
 Maine, and a manufacturing house of England, are parties. A 
 smuggling trade of steel has been carried on between these parties 
 for years, and on so great a scale that the Government has been 
 cheated out of thousands. A few days ago I dispatched a messenger 
 to you with the necessary evidence to prove the misdemeanor, but 
 fearing that, for some reason or other the information may not reach 
 you, I take pains to send you these lines. If you will take the 
 trouble to visit the coast of Maine, near Foxville, and there examine 
 the cave of the cemetery you will find ample proofs of the correct 
 ness of my statement. Hoping that the law will have its way and 
 that this great swindle will find the punishment it deserves, I sign 
 myself Truly yours, 
 
 A LAW ABIDING CITIZEN. 
 
 " The scoundrel !" Mr. Fuchs exclaimed, with a readiness show 
 ing that he had for once overcome his diffidence. 
 
 "Yes, more than scoundrel!" Charles struck in. "Now I 
 understand his machinations." 
 
 "I don t," Mr. Fox said, with an apathetic voice. " What can 
 he mean with this senseless information ? It is not only fear that 
 moved me so, it is horror at such black ingratitude." 
 
 " When I explain you will understand it easily enough. First 
 let me tell you that Mr. Wood has been really smuggling, and for 
 several years." 
 
 His hearers started. 
 
 "Smuggling, and you knew it and did not inform me?" Mr. 
 Fox said, half wonderingly, half indignantly. 
 
 " Yes, sir, I knew it and so did Dolores. Allow me to tell you 
 how we found it out and why we concealed it from your knowledge. 
 We may have been wrong, but if we were it was a fault of the 
 head, not of the heart." 
 
 He now related the adventure with the sled and his subsequent 
 discoveries. He gave as the reason of his secrecy the wish to catch 
 the offender in the act of smuggling, but laboring under the diffi- 
 
DOLORES. 195 
 
 culty of being obliged to conceal the essential features, failed in 
 satisfying his hearers. 
 
 "You meant well, Charlie," Mr. Fox replied. "I know you 
 meant well, for by means of your hints I was enabled to counter 
 act the pernicious influences of this traitor. Still, if you had in 
 formed me I might have prevented this misfortune. Who knows 
 what seeming evidence the scoundrel may have collected to fasten 
 this crime upon me. He speaks of a messenger who was sent some 
 days ago ; he speaks of caves which are entirely unknown to me 
 ah ! even now the servants of the law may be on the track, and 
 ready to fasten on my name a stain that will never leave it again, 
 even if they fail to prove the charge against me." 
 
 "Yes, Charlie, you did wrong," Mr. Fuchs now joined in. " It 
 was always your fault to act too independently and your conduct 
 may now bring about the ruin of our benefactor." 
 
 This was more than Charles could bear, fie sprang to his feet 
 and was on the point of repelling the charge when all at once he 
 remembered the binding obligation of the oath. No, he would not 
 perjure himself, even at the risk of being misjudged by those 
 whose good opinion he valued. A few days would set everything 
 right, and even if the revenue officers should raise the charge of 
 smuggling, his testimony and that of Dolores would certainly suf 
 fice to clear Mr. Fox. So calming down he merely said : 
 
 "Father ! Mr. Fox ! you surely wrong me. I cannot now re 
 veal any more than I have told you ; but in a few days shall give 
 you satisfactory explanations. Until then I beg you to believe 
 that I did nothing which your judgment would not sustain, if you 
 knew all. But time is precious now ; let us resolve upon our next 
 movement in this matter. Of course we shall not find Mr. Wood 
 at the factory this morning, nor George, either." 
 
 " Why not George ?" 
 
 " Because he is the accomplice of Mr. Wood, or rather one of 
 them. Our presence will, therefore, be very necessary there this 
 morning. risJiall go with father at the usual hour. You, Mr. 
 Fox, must come a little later to avoid the appearance of haste." 
 
 " Yes, yes, that will be best," Mr. Fuchs now struck in ; "you 
 must come at your usual hour to keep the workmen from starting 
 rumors." 
 
196 DOLORES. 
 
 After this remark he stopped and both the elder men involun 
 tarily turned to Charles, as if they expected to receive from him 
 directions as to what else was to be done. 
 
 " "When you arrive you call me out and take me to the office," 
 the young man continued with a resolute, decisive tone that showed 
 exactly what he thought was necessary and imparted that feeling 
 to the others. "There we must first examine everything before 
 we decide upon our next step. I am very much afraid we shall 
 make discoveries that will prove that this letter and the attempt on 
 Mrs. Fox are not the only items of Mr. Wood s list of crimes. Mr. 
 Fox, have you had any breakfast this morning ?" 
 
 " No, Charlie, but I have no appetite whatever." 
 
 " You must force yourself to eat a little, nevertheless. Other 
 wise you, too, would break down and goodness knows we cannot 
 spare you now. Come, dear sir, I think mother has some break 
 fast ready now. Cheer up ; all may be well yet." 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 WORSE AND WORSE. 
 
 Mr. Fox suffered himself to be led into the house. Breakfast 
 was ready and the three sat down to take a few morsels before 
 goin to the task that had been resolved upon. Mr. Fox was first 
 to go to the mansion and there relate the story concerning his wife s 
 illness and afterwards make his appearance at the factory. The 
 girls were to remain at the cottage for the present and assist in 
 nursing the patient. Mrs. Fuchs was able to give them all the 
 comforting assurance that the condition of the sufferer was all that 
 could Jbe expected under the circumstances and that there was 
 reasonable hope of recovery, provided undue excitement could be 
 prevented from preying on her mind. 
 
 They soon separated. Mr. Fox, taking the way to the mansion, 
 cast uneasy glances about him to see whether people were already 
 acquainted with his shame. A few people of the village passing 
 him greeted him with the usual salutation, but in his opinion their 
 accent was ironical and their smile malignant. Probably these 
 
DOLORES. 197 
 
 persons looked and acted after their wonted fashion ; but his mood 
 colored the visions of his eye, causing it to act like a prism which 
 dyes the object on which it casts its colored rays. 
 
 On reaching his house he noticed an unusual stir and bustle 
 among the servants. They knew that something was wrong, and 
 he shrank from the thought that it was his province to give the 
 necessary explanations. Still he knew that much depended on his 
 looks and words, and going to the library he rang the bell. 
 
 When Susan entered he had tolerably well succeeded in banish 
 ing from his face all emotions except a sadness which was but nat 
 ural for the occasion. 
 
 " Susan," he said, "I want to speak to you. Ta^e a chair and 
 listen well to what I tell you, for I want you to communicate sad 
 news to the others." 
 
 Here Susan interrupted him. Clasping her hands together she 
 exclaimed with a frightened voice : 
 
 " Oh ! Mr. Fox, I knew it, I knew it. They wouldn t believe 
 me when I told them that something had befallen my mistress, but 
 I see it now in your face. Is she dead ? Is my poor mistress 
 dead ? " 
 
 " No, Susan, it is not so bad as that ; but what made you think 
 so?" 
 
 " Oh! when I knocked at her door this morning I got no an 
 swer not a bit of one. I tried again and again, but with no better 
 luck. And then, too, I heard the bell in the night and noticed your 
 getting up and going away. I thought something was the matter, 
 but when you came and took the young ladies away I knew it for 
 sure. Oh! Mrs. Fox is dead ! my good mistress is dead, only you 
 are afraid to tell me." 
 
 Indeed, Susan, it is not so bad as that," Mr. Fox replied, evi 
 dently moved by the manifestation of an attachment which he had 
 not expected. " Still she is very sick and there is no telling what 
 may happen. Tell me Susan, did you notice anything unusual in 
 Mrs. Fox lately, any symptoms of sickness ? " 
 
 "Not to my knowledge, sir, excepting, maybe, yesterday after 
 noon. Mr. Wood called during your absence, but he didn t stay 
 long, and when Mrs. Fox went up stairs I thought she looked fever 
 ish like. Yes, now I think of it, she did, and then she commenced 
 
198 . DOLORES. 
 
 to pack the trunk, a thing she never did in all her life. Indeed, 
 she must have been sick then, only we didn t think of it." 
 
 " Yes, Susan, I think, like you, she must have been very sick 
 even then, and it is a great pity we didn t notice it. Lucy told me 
 that she was very anxious about her dresses and wouldn t even let 
 her touch them. She seemed to have the queer idea that the 
 dresses needed altering and must at once be sent to the city." 
 
 " Indeed, sir, and she did send them a big trunk full. John 
 had to take it to town to Adams express. She would call and see 
 about it, he had to tell them." 
 
 " And she did go, poor woman. We must have been strangely 
 blind not to see it coming. About midnight Mrs. Fox must have 
 become delirious, for from what happened afterwards we know that 
 she must have left the house about that time." 
 
 " Good gracious ! the darling woman ! To leave the house at 
 such an hour alone and in a fever. It s a wonder it didn t kill her." 
 
 " It came very near it, Susan, and may still for all we know. * 
 
 " But where is she now ? " 
 
 " At the cottage, you know, Mr. Fuch s house. We were at 
 the parsonage last night, and didn t get home till late. Mrs. Fuchs 
 had some arrangements to make before retiring, and the clock 
 struck twelve before she had got through. To-day is her wash-day 
 and looking out to see what kind of weather she might expect she 
 noticed something white lying in the street. At first she thought it 
 was a rag or something of that sort, but when she heard a moan she 
 knew it was a human being, and running down discovered Mrs. 
 Fox. They were sorely frightened, you may well believe, and so 
 was I when they summoned me to the bedside. I fo und the doctor 
 there, who told me it was typhoid fever of the worst description. 
 She didn t know me nor the girls either this morning." 
 
 "Oh, dear ! oh, dear !" Susan exclaimed, " and are there no 
 hopes of her recovery ? " 
 
 " Oh yes, she was a little, better when I left, and had fallen into 
 a slumber. Still she may be sick for weeks, if she does recover, 
 and we couldn t think of moving her. So she ll remain at the cot 
 tage, and the girls will be there, too, most of the time to nurse her 
 and keep her company." 
 
DOLOKES. 199 
 
 "Oh! how dreadful, how dreadful. The house will belike 
 dead, and we might as well all go away." 
 
 " Indeed we mightn t, Susan. I shall be here, and I expect 
 everything to go on as usual." 
 
 " But may I go and see her, sir ?" 
 
 " Not just at present, Susan. The doctor has ordered the strict 
 est seclusion, and says the slightest excitement may kill her. As 
 soon, however, as she is out of danger you may see her as often as 
 you please." 
 
 " Thank you, sir, and will you want any dinner to-day?" 
 
 " Of course, Susan, I expect to take my meals here. So now 
 you may go and tell the others. See that they do not ask me any 
 questions. It worries me and don t do your mistress any good." 
 
 " So far so good," Mr. Fox said to himself as he left the house 
 and took the direction to the factory. " Still there is another task 
 before me, and Heaven knows how I ll get through that." 
 
 " Charlie, can you come to the office for a minute? I have a 
 commission for you." 
 
 Thus Mr. Fox s voice rang through the building, plainly heard 
 by the hands, as it was intended it should be. 
 
 " Aye, aye, sir," Charles responded, a load being taken off his 
 mind at the same time. Mr. Wood was nowhere and George was 
 absent, and in spite of Mr. Fuchs efforts to keep the machinery go 
 ing it threatened to come to a stand-still every minute. For that 
 reason Charles felt greatly relieved on hearing Mr. Fox s voice, and 
 stepping briskly over the yard joined him in the office. He closed 
 and locked the door behind him, and then, facing his companion, 
 said : 
 
 * Twas high time for you to come. They kept asking so many 
 questions that I was nearly at my wit s end." 
 
 " And what do you propose to do, Charlie ? " 
 
 "That depends on the result of our investigation. Mr. Fox, 
 have you the keys of the safe ? " 
 
 " Yes, there is a duplicate in my possession. Why do you ask 
 that?" 
 
 Will you please open the safe, then ? " 
 
 Mr. Fox obeyed his injunction. 
 
 "Now look for the money, or was there none? " 
 
200 DOLORES. 
 
 " Yes, Wood showed me drafts amounting to $10,000. 
 
 " Ah ! " Charles said with a sigh of relief, " so much the better 
 they couldn t be cashed without your endorsement." 
 
 " But," Mr. Fox stammered, " I think he made me endorse 
 them. He said he wanted money to pay off the hands." 
 
 "That is bad," Charles responded. " Please look for them at 
 once." 
 
 Mr. Fox did so, but they had disappeared. 
 
 " I thought so," Charles exclaimed. 
 
 Mr. Fox, however, did not take it so coolly. He groaned and 
 sank into a chair. 
 
 * Eleven thousand dollars ! 
 
 u I wonder it isn t more. It may be for all we know. Come, 
 let us examine the books. A man is never ready to act until he 
 knows the worst." 
 
 Mr. Fox assented. The books were run over, and in spite of 
 his dejection the owner could not help admiring the quick and 
 comprehensive glance with which Charles took in the smallest de 
 tails. In less than an hour the total lay before them. It was not 
 at all flattering, and, as Charles had suggested, worse than Mr. Fox 
 was prepared to expect. 
 
 The hands in the factory had not been paid for nearly a month ; 
 pay-day was near at hand and no money in the treasury. But that 
 was not all. On close examination Charles found several letters of 
 the firms from which the factory was in the habit of receiving its 
 steel. These letters contained polite but urgent requests to settle 
 certain dues, and after figuring up the various items Mr. Fox found 
 himself indebted to the one firm alone for more than $10,000. 
 This, together with the sum due the laborers, threatened to exceed 
 his resources. The money had been there to meet these contingen 
 cies, but the fraud of the superintendent had created a total deficit of 
 more than $24,000. We need not wonder, therefore, that Mr. Fox 
 became more and more dejected, and expressed to Charles his con 
 viction of the uselessness of any efforts to stem the tide. 
 
 " To make the cup full," he said, " nothing but the appearance 
 of the revenue officers is wanting. Indeed,! shouldn t be surprised 
 to see them enter this very moment. Nor would I care. My honor 
 
DOLORES. 201 
 
 blighted, my credit gone, what does it matter if my reputation as a 
 law-abiding citizen is destroyed ?" 
 
 t Charles was alarmed at this dejection. He could not help be 
 lieving that Mr. Fox in his heart blamed him to a certain degree 
 and in a measure ascribed his misfortune to the young man s secre 
 cy. If he could only cheer him up, to hold out a few days until 
 that fatal bar would be taken from him, then he would at least be 
 able to justify his own conduct and maybe even render Mr. Fox 
 material assistance. 
 
 "Now, Mr. Fox, this is downright wrong, you see. No good 
 mariner will leave the vessel as long as he has the prospect of hold 
 ing her planks together. Our case is not so bad as that. True, 
 we have sprung a leak, but I am confident of our ability to stop it. 
 Cheer up, sir ! Excessive grief is neither manly nor expedient ; it 
 becomes us better to take measures to retrieve our fortune than ta 
 lay our hands in our laps and look the picture of despair." 
 
 " But what would jou do ? I see no means of raising at short 
 notice the large amount we owe. Indeed by the bad management 
 of the establishment my credit in the banks has already suffered 
 and I see no chance of raising the necessary funds." 
 
 " There is nothing like trying, Mr. Fox. Will you promise to- 
 make an effort?" 
 
 " Yes, Charlie, I will, but for that purpose I ll have to pay a 
 visit to our town, or, if necessary, even to the city. Before I leave, 
 however, I must take steps to install you in Mr. Wood s place." 
 
 "Hadn t you better appoint my father? It would look better 
 and I could still assist him in all his measures." 
 
 I think you are right, my boy. Will you please call your 
 father in?" 
 
 When Mr. Fuchs appeared he was informed of what had hap 
 pened and what was to be done. In his timidity he shrank from 
 the great responsibility of his new position and only the thought of 
 Charlie s assistance reconciled him to the arrangement. The three 
 were on the point of leaving the office and calling the hands 
 together to acquaint them with the change, when Charles stopped 
 the others, saying : 
 
 I never thought of it ; shall we take no measures of bringing 
 
202 DOLORES. 
 
 the runaways to justice ? Perhaps we might be fortunate enough 
 in such a case to recover a portion of the booty." 
 
 Mr. Fox shook his head. 
 
 "I have thought of that," he said, "but I have come to the 
 conclusion it would not answer for certain reasons at which I need 
 but hint, My wife s reputation is at the scoundrel s mercy and I 
 am afraid he would have little scruples to threaten her in order to 
 secure impunity." 
 
 Charles saw the subject pained him, so he abstained from touch 
 ing it again. All the hands were called together and informed of 
 the new arrangement. There was some surprise of course and a 
 good deal of envy and jealousy, but Mr. Fox took the proper course 
 by ignoring these manifestations and ordering a resumption of the 
 work as if no change had at all occurred. From the factory he 
 went to the cottage, where no remarkable change had taken place. 
 What little change there was, however, was for the better and Mr. 
 Fox felt inclined to share the hope of the girls and the family at 
 the cottage that his wife would recover. Hope? Did he really 
 hope it ? Wouldn t it be a mercy for her to find oblivion in the 
 grave ? Would it not be a mercy for him, too ? At times a bitter 
 ness of heart induced him to believe that such an event would be 
 acceptable, nay, even agreeable to him ; but at other times again 
 he felt angry with himself and persuaded himself that he w r ould 
 find no difficulty in verifying Mrs. Fuchs prediction, namely, that 
 he would readily pardon her great offense. 
 
 Thus his thoughts vacillated, when he left the cottage to pay a 
 final visit at the mansion. His adieu to his daughters had been 
 short but fervent. A kiss, a Godspeed, a pressure of the hand and 
 one parent had departed to leave them with another who might also 
 depart at any time, depart for another home, never to return. 
 
 Those were solemn thoughts that filled these young creatures, 
 while they attended to the duties of the sick-room ; nor did the 
 meditations of the father differ much from theirs. He and Lucy 
 would have discovered great similarity of views and ideas if an ex 
 change could have been made just then. Kind though Mr. Fox s 
 disposition was, gentle as we have found Lucy to be, neither of 
 them had the genuine charity which Dolores noble soul developed 
 towards the unfortunate woman. And vet she was the one that had 
 
DOLOEES. 203 
 
 been slighted by the patient, the recipient of many taunts direct 
 and indirect, expressed and intimated. But her generous heart had 
 kept no record of her injuries, and when her enemy lay prostrate 
 on her sick-bed she had been the first to approach her without a 
 secret shudder at her pollution. Dolores hated sin, but she imita 
 ted the example of the founder of the Christian faith who warned 
 the people not to condemn others unless they felt themselves free 
 from sin. 
 
 And strange ! the patient seemed to feel what her delirious 
 mind was unfit to comprehend. She preferred the presence and 
 assistance of Dolores to that of all others and appeared to find a 
 great relief when the girl laid her hand upon her temple, which 
 burned with the intense heat of a tumultuous blood. Strange in 
 deed ! What a false perception a willful blindness had kept asun 
 der in the days of prosperity seemed now destined to be joined 
 together by the bitter but salutary lessons of adversity. 
 
 CHAPTER XXL 
 
 A NEW REIGN. 
 
 After Mr. Fox had left, Charles seized the reins of government 
 in the factory with a strong hand. While father and son endeavor 
 ed to reconcile their former fellow-laborers by kindness, to what 
 they must necessarily consider as a great, good fortune, they suffer 
 ed on the other hand no encroachment on the prerogatives of the 
 office. These were not theirs but inherent to the place, and it was 
 not their business to introduce innovations which might affect their 
 successors. On the whole they had less difficulty than they expec 
 ted, and this Mr. Fuchs rightly attributed to his son s influence. 
 Charles was not only liked but he was also esteemed and, what goes 
 farther with a certain class, feared. He could knock down the 
 best man in the factory, and there were a few anecdotes in circula 
 tion which showed that he was very sensative and quick to strike 
 when insulted. 
 
 Charles had received carte blanche,. indeed he would not have 
 
204 DOLORES. 
 
 accepted the office on any other condition, and when Mr. Fox had 
 departed he at once adopted the policy by which he had resolved 
 to be governed. Mr. Fuchs was satisfied with anything his son 
 might suggest and so the first measure was carried into practice 
 without delay. He sent word to about a dozen of the oldest and 
 most influential laborers in the factory requesting them to meet 
 him in the office. After they had entered and seated themselves 
 he communicated in concise, sharp outlines such features of the 
 fraud as he thought best for them to know. 
 
 Wood and George strange ! now when he thought of it he 
 found that the young man had never gone by any other name 
 had defrauded Mr. Fox to the amount of many thousands and crip 
 pled him sufficiently to make the meeting of all dues a difficult 
 matter. Mr. Fox, he said, had gone away to raise the necessary 
 funds, but times were dull ; the war in Italy had brought on a 
 crises and money was scarce. Now, in case Mr. Fox should not 
 succeed in getting enough to satisfy everybody, he wanted to know 
 whether they would be willing to do a little for their employer by 
 giving him some time and inducing their fellow workmen to do the 
 same. He was their benefactor and the benefactor of the village 
 and the man that could point out any injury he had ever received 
 from Mr. Fox was yet to make his appearance. 
 
 It was a perfect little speech he made them and it was well re 
 ceived. The sturdy fellows, with their blackened hands and faces, 
 declared that Mr.JFox needn t fret on their account add that they 
 would say the same thing for their comrades. He had given them 
 a chance to lay by a little and they could get along well enough 
 even if payments should be postponed for a month or two. They 
 thanked Charles for his confidence and the chance he had given 
 them to show how much they thought of their generous employer. 
 
 " So far, so good," said Charles to his father after the delegates 
 had left the office. " That is one point gained. But what is this ?" 
 
 He had taken a letter which, with other mail matter, had arriv 
 ed a little while ago. "Ha! George s handwriting! Listen, 
 father, to what the scoundrel has to say. I bet he is going to sell 
 his partner" : 
 
 Charles Fuchs, Esq. (the fellow addresses the letter *o me ! seems 
 to have bad considerable forethought.) DEAK ISiR : (thank you, 
 
DOLORES. 205 
 
 sir, I would rather not be cleared by you.) Having been compelled 
 by Mr. Wood (voluntary sort of compulsion I guess) to participate 
 in an act which never had my approbation, I now write to you these 
 lines ro offer atonement to the extent of my ability. I have in my 
 possession valuable papers which are of the greatest importance to 
 Mr. Fox. (I bet he is tue messenger that was to see the revenue 
 officers and now proposes to sell out to us) If you should feel in 
 clined to secure these papers you can obtain an interview with me 
 by making your appearance at the rock called the Devil s Needle 
 (I have no doubt the fellow feels very much at home at such a place) 
 a place of which you have doubtless heard. I shall give you time 
 to the end of this week. If you fail to call at the rendezvous then I 
 shall construe your non-appearance into a refusal of my offer and at 
 once make use of the papers in away that must result in your em 
 ployer s ruin. Yours respectfully, (thank you, sir, I d rather be de 
 spised by the like of you) GEORGE. 
 
 "George Nobody," Charles exclaimed, waxing warm, "or 
 rather George Arnold ; for every other name is too good for such a 
 traitor." 
 
 " And you think he holds the paper which Wood mentioned in 
 the letter you found before our house ?" 
 
 " Of course he does. He cannot know that we see through his 
 trick, for I am sure he has not the least idea of the other letter." 
 
 "Wood evidently wrote it because he did not trust his own ac 
 complice, and we would never have got sight of it if it hadn t been 
 for that fortunate accident last night." 
 
 "Charles," his father admonished, reproachfully, " how can 
 you call fortunate what put a human life in jeopardy ?" 
 
 "Why not, father? Is it not better that she should have 
 broken her neck than her husband s heart and ruined his reputa 
 tion in the bargain ? She may well consider herself fortunate to 
 have escaped a fearful destiny with the slight penalty of a few 
 weeks confinement. I do not bear her any grudge, father, indeed 
 I don t. On the contrary, I hope sincerely that this accident will 
 prove a salutary lesson for the future." 
 
 " Amen !" Mr. Fuchs struck in. " But you have forgotten to 
 tell me what you mean to do in regard to this communication ? 
 
 " Disregard it, of course. On Sunday my time is up, and then 
 never mind, father. Trust me another week, and all will come 
 out right. For the present it is sufficient that a second cloud has 
 mercifully passed us without sending the destructive thunderbolt* 
 He will be safe from the revenue officers unless Wood should deem 
 proper to write another letter, which I think rather improbable. 
 
206 DOLOKES. 
 
 The failure of the attempt to abduct Mrs. Fox must have been a 
 serious shock to him, and may debar him from further hostile acts. 
 How he must have hated Mr. Fox to do him so much injury." 
 
 " 1 think he did hate him, and your mother actually warned 
 Mr. Fox a couple of years ago. But he paid no heed to it, and 
 therefore must now pay the penalty. He took it too lightly and so 
 did you pardon me for saying that much and it gives me much 
 annoyance to think that you, though unintentionally, should have 
 contributed to his ruin." 
 
 Charles remained unmoved. 
 
 "Father," he said, " would it not be a little more charitable to 
 wait a while before pronouncing judgment on my actions ? I need 
 but say a word to clear me of your accusations, but it is against my 
 conscience to say that word, and I shall leave it unsaid." 
 
 " Be it so, Charlie, be it so," his father answered eagerly. " I 
 take your word as readily as the best evidence you might produce. 
 Are there any new measures you contemplate ? " 
 
 " None, father, just now. We must work up the raw material 
 judiciously, neither too fast nor too slowly. We do not know how 
 soon Mr. Fox will send a new supply, and yet it would not do to 
 stop the hands or dismiss a few. We must avoid everything that 
 might create dissatisfaction." 
 
 "That is true, Charlie. Fortunately we have enough on hand 
 to do us three or four weeks. In the meantime Mr. Fox will likely 
 send us more." 
 
 "Exactly, father," Charles said, with a brightening counte 
 nance, " or I make a big haul of which you little dream. No ques 
 tions, sir, no questions. I could not answer them." 
 
 * As you please, Charlie, but I must go and make the rounds 
 through the factory. The master s eyes make the horses fat, as we 
 say in German, and I am sure it is so." 
 
 With these words he left the office, while Charles remained, 
 throwing himself into an armchair and studying the situation with 
 a zeal that surely deserved favorable results. And to judge from 
 his appearance he found results that were tolerably satisfactory, for 
 after a series of eager nods and snappings of his fingers he ex 
 claimed : 
 
 So, that will do. A cunning scoundrel has challenged us and 
 
DOLORES. 207 
 
 staked his very life upon the issue of the combat. Well, let him 
 try his worst. We know his cards, and his highest trumps shall be 
 wasted upon our cause, as the blow of the sword that bounds back 
 from the polished shield and only jars the arm of him who struck 
 the blow." 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 LOVE DAWNING LOVE WANING. 
 
 In the cottage things went their quiet way. No noise was heard 
 from roof to cellar, and silence thickened and became tangible in 
 and near the sick chamber. None but the doctor and the ladies 
 were allowed admittance to the room, arid of them not more than 
 two at a time. The patient grew better and worse, or rather her re 
 covery was interrupted and retarded by spells of fever, which would 
 return at regular intervals. At such hours the task of nursing her 
 was not very easy. It did not only strain the body for at times 
 the patient had to be retained on the bed by application of physical 
 force but also the mind. To listen to the ravings of the giddy 
 brain, the incessant harping on the sinful love that had caused her 
 flight and sickness ; the passionate appeals to her seducer to release 
 her from her bonds, and the sad reproaches of a guilty conscience, 
 all these things could not be listened to without a shock upon the 
 hearer s mind. Lucy was evidently sinking under it. One day, 
 coming from the room she threw herself into Dolores arms and 
 burst into such a flood of passionate tears that both Dolores and 
 Mrs. Fuchs became alarmed. The gentle, even disposition of the 
 girl was so foreign to these passionate gusts that their appearance 
 caused her friends to fear a serious derangement of her nervous 
 system. 
 
 " I cannot stand it any longer," she cried amitlst her sobs, " in 
 deed I cannot. When I hear her wild appeals to that wicked man, 
 her earnest supplications for forgiveness, I feel as if I sat in judg 
 ment upon her. I try to bend my heart to sympathy and compas 
 sion, but oh! Dolores, I cannot break myself to feelings of indulg- 
 
208 DOLORES. 
 
 ence and forgiveness. Do not let me go into that room any more, 
 or I shall lose the control of my reason yes, grow insane without 
 even the hope ot recovery. 
 
 " Still, Lucy," Dolores now addressed her, drawing the quiver 
 ing form nearer to her heart and stroking with a gentle hand the 
 disheveled hair. " Say nothing more at present, and weep away 
 the burden that threatens to overpower your strength. I under 
 stand you, child, and pity you. Of course you must not watch in 
 that room any longer just at present, at least not when she wanders 
 in her fever. Leave that to me, Lucy, and Mrs. Fuchs. You can 
 do a thousand little things out here and in the kitchen that will be 
 just as welcome as your vigils in the sick-room. Indeed, if you had 
 not been so stubborn on your coming you might have been spared 
 this trial." 
 
 " Oh ! Dolores," Lucy answered, raising her head a little, " I 
 had no idea what it is to sit in judgment over a fallen mother. 
 Don t these ravings ever shock you ? " 
 
 "They shock my reason without influencing my heart. I am 
 far from feeling any aversion to your poor mother, Lucy, I rather 
 love her better than before, for 1 pity her from the bottom of my 
 heart, and compassion engenders affection. Perhaps it is selfishness 
 that makes me feel so ; perhaps I feel a satisfaction to see her de 
 scending from that cold reserve, that distant coldness to which 
 there was no chance of access. If Mrs. Fox recovers, and there is 
 no longer any doubt of it, I think, I hope to find an avenue to her 
 heart and induce her to receive me in the same affection with which 
 our good father regards me." 
 
 " And you can really forget that she Lucy hesitated. It 
 seemed impossible for her to clothe her thoughts in words. 
 
 " Stop, Lucy," Dolores said, somewhat sternly. " It surely is 
 not your province to sit in judgment on your mother s failings. 
 To you she has always been a good and indulgent mother. But it 
 isn t my kind and gentle Lucy who speaks ; it is a foreign voice en 
 gendered by this overworking of your mind and body. Just rest 
 yourself awhile and I am sure these sickly, overstrained notions 
 will vanish of themselves, and instead of grieving at your injuries 
 you will thank a kind Providence for his timely interference." 
 
 Lucy did not reply, but from the lowered brow and compressed 
 
DOLORES. 209 
 
 lips it was evident that she was as yet incapable of appreciating the 
 spirit of her sister s remarks. When Mrs. Fuchs came out a mo 
 ment afterwards Dolores stated Lucy s wishes to her, and that 
 motherly friend at once consented to the change. Indeed she was 
 glad of it, and without delay took Lucy to the kitchen in order to 
 assign her tasks that would employ her hands without taxing her 
 brain. The young lady was not a very expert hand in this new 
 sphere, as her mother had made her form the notion that work of 
 such a rough description was rather below her dignity, but she was 
 willing, and under Mrs. Fuchs guidance did well enough. ^ 
 
 In the meantime Dolores had taken her position at the sick-bed. 
 This was the hour when Mrs. Fox was at the height of fever and 
 must be watched with double care. Dolores seemed destined for 
 such Samaritan office, for she went to work so quietly, so unobtru 
 sively that many an older nurse might have learned from her. 
 
 " Here, here ! give me your hand ! " the patient cried, fumbling 
 eagerly with her nervous fingers. " So, that does me good ; it stops 
 the fire within me. Lay the other on my head ; lay it on quickly. 
 Ha ! how that cools. You know I am doomed to burn ; yes, burn 
 forever, because I listened to the serpent and tasted of the fruit that 
 is forbidden. Burn ! burn ! burn ! ah ! to burn forever. Is that 
 thought not horrible ? Away ! let go, let go ! I want to drown my. 
 self in cooling water. Oh! water, water ! ; 
 
 " Yes, here is water, mother. Come, let me lift your head that 
 you may drink with greater ease. Does it refresh you ? " 
 
 " Yes, it does, but who are you who takes such compassion on 
 one that s doomed ? You are an angle, are you not ? 
 
 " No, madam, I am far from being one. I am only Dolores. 
 Don t you know Dolores ? " 
 
 " Yes, I do know her, but you ain t Dolores. Dolores is away 
 at the judgment seat to testify against me. Oh! so much testimony 
 will crush me. They will heap more fire upon me ; more fire, more 
 fire ! " 
 
 Again Dolores had to hold the patient until the fever abated 
 and total relaxation followed the unnatural excitement. Mrs. Fox 
 lay with closed eyes, and her breathing was so faint as to be hardly 
 perceptible. Yet Dolores could not withdraw her hands. When 
 she made a motion for that purpose the weary lids of the sufferer s 
 
210 DOLORES. 
 
 eyes opened a little, and a supplicating glance expressed what lan 
 guage could not. 
 
 1 hus several days passed off, bringing only the slightest changes 
 of improvement. Finally, on the fourth day, the doctor declared 
 her out of danger. " The crisis set in last night," he said, " and a 
 good constitution and your excellent care have caused the scale of 
 life to sink. The fever is over, and the patient will no doubt return 
 to consciousness and coherent talk. But i.he danger is by no means 
 entirely past. She will ask numerous questions which must be an 
 swered- with great discretion, for the slightest shock, excitement or 
 fright may bring on a relapse which would certainly be fatal. It 
 will be best to let only Dolores be about her for the present." 
 
 " Would not Lucy answer better ?" Mrs. Fuchs inquired. Her 
 face is more familiar. 
 
 " That may all be, but I have noticed that the presence of Do 
 lores is soothing to the patient, and we ought to take the hints of 
 nature in preference to our own opinion. No, let Dolores stay with 
 her and I guarantee that all will soon be well." 
 
 " But Dolores is killing herself with this everlasting watching, 
 doctor. Don t you see how thin she looks? " 
 
 "Never mind my looks, aunty," Dolores answered with a laugh 
 that was fresh enough under the circumstances. " I am not the 
 least fatigued and can stand it a good while longer. Hush! she is 
 stirring. You talk to the doctor, I must go in." 
 
 When she took her seat at the bedside she thought she noticed 
 a profuse perspiration on the forehead of the patient. At this she 
 greatly rejoiced, since the doctor had said that everything would go 
 right if only that symptom would make its appearance. She drew 
 the cover higher on the body of the convalescent to keep her warm 
 and promote the perspiration. While she was doing this with her 
 head and shoulders over the bed, Mrs. Fox opened her eyes. For 
 the first time they looked clear and intelligent, wandering over the 
 room and at last adhering to the lovely countenance bending over 
 her. She smiled and with feeble accent asked : 
 
 "Dol, is that you?" 
 
 The girl s eyes shone with radiance. Never before had Mrs. 
 Fox called her by that familiar name. She nodded in reply, look 
 ing extremely happy, and casting, as it were, the reflection of her 
 
DOLORES. 211 
 
 rosy countenance on the pale cheeks of the patient. Mrs. Fox 
 closed her eyes again perhaps she was unable to stand so much 
 light all at once but only for a minute. Opening them a second 
 time she said : 
 
 " Where am I?" 
 
 With friends, dear madam, who rejoice at your recovery." 
 
 u I have been sick ? " 
 
 " Yes, madam." 
 
 Very sick?" 
 
 " The doctor tells us so, but you are past all danger now. In 
 deed, the doctor said you would be free from fever." 
 
 " Good girl. But this is not my room ; where am I ?" 
 
 Mrs. Fox s look expressed some anxiety, and therefore Dolores 
 hastened to reply : 
 
 Among your friends, dear madam, let that suffice. Come, ask 
 no more questions now. Here, take a sip of this cooling lemonade 
 I have prepared for you. So, that will do. Now close your eyes 
 and sleep ; I ll keep you company." 
 
 With one hand she stroked the patient s face, closing the weary 
 eyes that yielded readily to the kind persuasion, and with the other 
 took and held the emaciated fingers. Soon the soothing influence 
 stole over the weakened frame. The eyes closed more firmly, the 
 breath increased in strength, and the bosom rose and fell regularly. 
 A mysterious fluid, which the physicians call with learned names, 
 but which is, nevertheless, a mystery to them, emanated from the 
 nurse s fingers, and creeping along the thousand nerves of the con 
 valescent, imparted to them new tone and vigor. Mrs. Fox slept 
 soundly for more than an hour, and in the meantime Dolores had 
 to sit perfectly still and continue sending the stream of life in gentle 
 waves all over the feeble body. At length the patient awoke again, 
 and this time at once sent out her glance in search of her nurse. 
 Having found her she let it dwell upon her face with so much love 
 and fervor that it went into the girl s innermost heart and filled it 
 with a rapture that made her feel like shouting with delight. Still 
 she remained perfectly quiet until Mrs. Fox began : 
 
 " Dol, tell me where I am. I feel strong enough to hear it." 
 
 Dolores reflected a second. By hesitating she would excite the 
 patient more than by a prompt statement of the truth. If Mrs. Fox 
 
212 DOLORES. 
 
 should try to make deductions and further inquiries, it would still 
 be time to check her and advance the doctor s positive orders as a 
 screen behind which to retreat. So she frankly answered : 
 
 "You are at the cottage, madam ; you know, Mr. Fuchs resi 
 dence." 
 
 But hew " 
 
 " How you got here, you mean ? That is hard to tell. You 
 must have wandered from our house in a fever, for you were found 
 insensible at the gate here. The doctor was summoned without de 
 lay, and he pronounced your malady typhoid fever." 
 
 Mrs. Fox listened as if in a dream. Slowly her memory began 
 to act and she gained a dim vision of the past. But that statement 
 of Dolores . Was she deceiving or trying to deceive ? Firmly she 
 fastened her gaze upon the girl s features, but Dolores knew what 
 was at stake, and with heroic courage stood the test. Mrs. Fox 
 seemed satisfied ; a sigh of relief escaped her bosom, and dismissing 
 a vague apprehension she delivered herself solely to the new love 
 that had suddenly sprung up within Jier bosom. Tears started to 
 her eyes, welling up spontaneously from her heart, and she tried to 
 lift her arms as if she wanted to fold the girl in her embrace. But 
 she was too weak, and the name of her nurse, feebly whispered, was 
 all the manifestation she was able to make. But the language of 
 love speaks eloquently even in whispers, and no sooner had Dolores 
 heard her name when, sinking on her knees before the bed, she 
 kissed the emaciated hands and said : 
 
 Dear Mrs. Fox, what do you wish ? What can I -do for you ?" 
 
 "I want you to call me mother 
 
 11 My mother!" 
 
 A deep emotion prevented both from speaking, but when Do 
 lores had sufficiently recovered she all at once was frightened at the 
 thought that this might be injurious to the patient. So she arose, 
 and w T ith a beseeching look said to her newly gained friend : 
 
 "Please be calm now. This is all wrong, and Dr. Palmer will 
 scold me for neglecting his directions. This excitement will injure 
 you, mother." 
 
 Poor child ! She wanted to cure the patient from the intoxica 
 tion under which she labored, and yet continued to apply the stiin- 
 ulaut. 
 
DOLORES. 213 
 
 Mrs. Fox shook her head with a happy smile. 
 
 "Fear nothing, Dol," she said. This will not hurt me, dar 
 ling. It is a medicine that will promote my convalescence. I feel 
 it does me good." 
 
 " So much the better, mother, but now it is enough and you 
 must sleep again. Here is your medicine, it is time to take it. So, 
 now sleep yourself well. I shall not leave you for a moment." 
 
 Mrs.-Fox obeyed her like a child. Holding Dolores hand as 
 firmly as her feeble strength permitted she closed her eyes and soon 
 once more slumbered towards new health and strength yes, towards 
 a new life. Poor Dolores had to sit again for hours without a mo 
 tion, for sickness is very apt to make us egotists and tyrants, worse 
 than which the annals of history cannot show. During this spell 
 of sleep the doctor called, but being fully satisfied with the appear 
 ance of things he went away without waking the patient. 
 
 " She mends faster than I dared to hope, " he said to Mrs. Fuchs 
 and Lucy, " and I sirfcerely think that it is due to the magnetic in 
 fluence of that wonderful girl in there. If Mrs. Fox, after her re 
 covery, does not hold her as her most precious jewel she does not 
 deserve her good fortune of having cleared the gates of death." 
 
 He went away, and minute after minute ran by m wonted haste, 
 but silently, quietly, as if they feared to check the convalescence 
 of the patient in the sick-room. The clock seemed to tick more 
 gently, and the sunbeams to moderate their light. It was late in 
 the evening when Mrs. Fox awoke from her second nap. As usual 
 her eyes went in search of Dolores. Her hand by a gentle pressure 
 seemed desirous of ascertaining her presence, and being thus satis 
 fied the patient said : 
 
 " I am hungry." 
 
 Sick persons are like children. They speak their wants as they 
 feel them. It seems their weakness neutralizes the control which 
 artificial training has acquired over our instincts and feelings. 
 
 "lam glad to hear it, mother." (It seemed to give her so 
 much delight to use that word that she lost no opportunity to put it 
 in. " Mrs. Fuchs has prepared the nicest gruel for you, and I shall 
 just go out a moment to fetch it in." 
 
 "No, Dol, don t go. Can t you call Lucy in? Where is 
 Lucy?" 
 
214 DOLORES. 
 
 Dolores had expected this question and nerved herself for it be 
 forehand. She had so far succeeded in convincing Mrs. Fox that 
 the motives of her late nocturnal doings had not come to light. 
 This conviction seemed to have soothed the patient, and Dolores 
 considered it expedient to sustain it until Mrs. Fox was strong 
 enough to decide on her course of conduct. If she wanted to make 
 a clean breast of it to her husband it was in her power to do so ; if 
 on the other hand she thought best to bury the past in oblivion the 
 measures of Dolores were calculated to support her. Mrs. Fuchs 
 had sanctioned them and promised to inform Lucy and induce her 
 to conceal from her mother any emotions calculated to destroy her 
 assurance. As yet, however, Dolores did not know how Mrs. Fuchs 
 had succeeded, and this uncertainty induced her to delay a meeting 
 which might result disastrously. So she said : 
 
 " She must not see you for a little while yet ; the doctor thinks 
 an interview with her might excite and therefore injure you. The 
 doctor s veto is the patient s law you know, mother, and you must 
 submit to it. To morrow you may be strong enough to see your 
 daughter. 
 
 After finishing Dolores awaited the reply of Mrs. Fox with a 
 beating heart. What if she should fret, if she should insist upon 
 an interview before the wounded feelings of her daughter had had 
 time to heal ? She was therefore greatly relieved when the patient 
 with evident indifference acquiesced in the decision and merely 
 said : 
 
 "As you please, child ; but I am hungry, very hungry." 
 
 "Oh ! you shall eat, mother, of course you shall. Just allow 
 me to step to the door and call Mrs. Fuchs." 
 
 This was done, and a minute afterwards the hostess entered with 
 a little dish containing the promised nourishment. 
 
 " Here is your soup, my dear madam," she said, without any in 
 troduction, acting as if the presence of the convalescent in her house 
 was a matter of course. " Dol, sit on the bed and support the head 
 of Mrs. Fox while I feed her with the spoon." 
 
 " That is the way with sick folks," she continued, with a pleas 
 ant smile. They are like little children and have to be fed. They 
 cry, too, sometimes, when they don t get what they want, but as 
 with the children their crying makes us happy because it indicates 
 
DOLORES. 215 
 
 the change, the return to health and strength. How do you like 
 your soup, madam ? " 
 
 " It is so good ; and you are good and kind, Mrs. Fuchs. I 
 must have caused you great annoyance." 
 
 " Tut, tut ! don t say a Word about it, now, unless you want to 
 make me scold you. The little trouble is of no account compared 
 with the happiness it gives me to see you recover under my hands, 
 as it were." 
 
 The patient smiled ; but when she wanted to speak Mrs. Fuchs 
 checked her, saying : 
 
 Must you lie still, dear madam, and don t say a word. We 
 want you to get well right fast, and, to secure that object, must in 
 sist on rest and sleep. Do you think you could get a nap after 
 your little meal?" 
 
 "I 11 try." 
 
 And she did try, and soon her regular breathing indicated a 
 sound slumber. Dolores also caught a little sleep ; leaning back in 
 a rocking-chair, the patient s hand still enclosed in hers, she lay 
 and slept till near midnight, when the voice of Mrs. Fox aroused 
 her. She straightened up with a start, and the look she cast upon 
 the patient bore an expression of anxiety. Still everything was 
 right. 
 
 " I am sorry to disturb you, Dol, but I am dying with thirst ; 
 will you please reach me a little water ? " 
 
 st Of course I will, and I am sorry that I suffered myself to be 
 overcome by sleep." 
 
 " I am not sorry, Dol, for I fear you are wearing your strength 
 away by these incessant vigils. But I hope I shall soon be well 
 now, and then we shall change relations and I shall nurse you as 
 you have never been nursed before. 
 
 * But I don t want to get sick." 
 
 " R or do I want you to, but I shall nurse you, sick or not sick. 
 I shall try to see whether I cannot spoil you a little bit. To tell 
 you the truth, Dol, it has always worried me to see you so nearly 
 perfect, and so little subject to the weaknesses of human nature. 
 Your conduct was somewhat of a mute reproach upon my short 
 comings." 
 
 " Now don t talk so, mother ; partly because I oughtn t to hear 
 
216 DOLORES. 
 
 it, and partly because you oughtn t to talk at all. Suppose you 
 try another dose of sleep." 
 
 Yes, my dear girl, I shall obey your wishes, but is there none 
 of that gruel left ? I feel as hungry as a bear, and if I have no 
 gruel I might make an attempt at you. Oh ! Dol, I love you so 
 much that I could eat you up." 
 
 Dolores did not know whether she was more delighted at these 
 manifestations of affection or at the cheerful character they bore. 
 She kissed the patient repeatedly, and in her embraces Mrs. Fox 
 passed over into the land of dreams. 
 
 On the morning her improvement was even more visible. She 
 repeatedly asked for her daughter Lucy, and Dolores went in search 
 of her in order to ascertain whether it would be safe to allow an in 
 terview. Lucy s swollen eyes showed that she had wept much, but 
 Dolores found her much more calm and resigned, and in answer to 
 her inquiry recei ved the assurance that she felt strong enough to 
 see her mother. 
 
 The girl was an enigma to Dolores. She wondered that one so 
 feeble in intellect, so free from passions, should show so passionate 
 a repugnance to the manifestations of weakness in others She did 
 not know the world ; if she had, she would have learned that it is 
 not the character of little minds to be tolerant and indulgent. The 
 greater the soul the wider the scope of vision and thought ; the 
 greater, also, the virtues of generosity and magnanimity. 
 
 " Come, then, Dolores said to her, " your mother wants to see 
 you. Recollect, however, that on your firmness her whole chance 
 of future happiness depends. Show yourself weak and you will 
 doubtless plunge her into a sea of trouble and wretchedness that 
 may only cease with her life." 
 
 " I can bear to see her, Dolores," Lucy replied, and, indeed, the 
 girl s countenance bore the stamp of greater resolution than one was 
 wont to see there. 
 
 When the two entered the chamber Mrs. Fox stretched her 
 hands toward them. 
 
 " My daughters, both my daughters," she said as ardently as her 
 weakness would allow. " I am happy, indeed, that by this grievous 
 affliction I was enabled to increase the number of my children." 
 
 Neither of the girls spoke a word in reply. Dolores knelt at the 
 
DOLORES. 217 
 
 bedside, drawing down her rather unwilling companion. Once 
 there, however, and her mother s hand resting upon her head, 
 Lucy found tears, and, weeping bitterly, felt the chill of her heart 
 melting away with the copious stream that rolled down her cheeks. 
 Fortunately, Mrs. Fox attributed her daughter s tears to the anguish 
 of the days of danger now passed, and stroking her golden curls, 
 tried to comfort her. 
 
 " Don t, Lucy," she said ; "our friends here tell me that I am 
 getting well and I know from my feelings that they do not deceive 
 me. Cheer up, then, darling, and show by a joyful countenance 
 that you rejoice at your mother s recovery." 
 
 But Lucy could not persuade herself to go that far. To smile 
 would be as much as saying that she was glad and happy, and in 
 her uncharitable mood such a deception did not seem justifiable to 
 ner. To stop her weeping was all she managed to accomplish and 
 the rigid features of her countenance might have struck even Mrs, 
 Fox as something strange, if she had not always been accustomed 
 to a negative affection in her daughter, and if on the other hand 
 Dolores had not attracted her attention in an unusual degree. So 
 the interview passed off without any evil consequences, Dolores ex 
 cusing Lucy s withdrawal on the plea of household affairs, and Mrs. 
 Fox accepting the excuse with a coolness rather unaccountable to 
 the foster daughter. When Lucy left the room a new feeling had 
 nestled in her heart, a feeling so bitter and tantalizing that she 
 would gladly have exchanged it for the previous coldness. Perhaps 
 she could not have defined it herself if any person had asked her 
 questions, but one who knows the human heart and has had suffi 
 cient experience in the fickleness and utter inconsistency of its emo 
 tions would without hesitation have told us that jealousy had struck 
 its poisonous fangs into Lucy s bosom. Jealousy ! How is that pos 
 sible ? We are aware that jealousy begrudges the participation in 
 a boon we value highly, but can we also fall a prey to that passion 
 if a stranger shares with us the affection of a party we little love ? 
 The case of Lucy seems to answer in the affirmative, and we can 
 but wonder at this strange contradiction of her feelings. Or could 
 it be barely possible that her mother s love again rose in her esti 
 mation in proportion as she saw the danger of a stranger s appropri 
 ating to herself the fairest portion ? Children often value toys be- 
 
218 DOLORES. 
 
 causo other children possess them, and for the same reason covet 
 things which they themselves had frequently rejected with disdain. 
 In one respect Lucy was a child, but this new passion took away 
 from her the harmlessness of childhood. Alas ! poor Dolores little 
 dreamed that she only gained a mother s love at the expense of a 
 sister s affection. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 THE CAVE AGAIN. 
 
 Four days had passed without bringing Mr. Fox or even a let 
 ter or dispatch from him. The convalescent had been cautiously 
 informed of her husband s absence, and the communication had evi 
 dently affected her much more than the first interview with her 
 daughter. Still she received in resignation the daily reports of his 
 prolonged absence, and made it difficult for her friends to learn 
 whether she looked with fear or hope towards the hour of their re 
 union. 
 
 Not so with Charles. He had cause to wish Mr. Fox s presence 
 for many reasons. Letters of importance were received every day, 
 that had to be answered without delay, and Charles began to under 
 stand that the management of such an establishment requires some 
 thing more than mere energy and intelligence ; to be successful the 
 manager must have experience, and that qualification time alone 
 can give. Fortunately his father had this requirement in a high 
 degree, and under ordinary circumstances the partnership might 
 have answered very well. But the whole mechanism had got out 
 of order by Woods fault, and Mr. Fuchs regularly shrank from 
 measures which his judgment had acknowledged as equally neces 
 sary and daring. The fact that they had not made the circum 
 stances, and that the circumstances left not the shadow of a choice, 
 did not console Mr. Fuchs much, and he labored under his respon 
 sibility like a vessel that carries too great a pressure of canvas on a 
 disproportionate mast. 
 
 But if, for his fathers sake, Charles was anxious to see Mr. Fox 
 
DOLORP:S. 219 
 
 return with a pocket full of money to satisfy pressing creditors, he 
 had within himself a romantic element which delighted in extraor 
 dinary situations, and looked for channels of assistance which the 
 ordinary world would have ridiculed. The diary of his female an 
 cestors and the letter of Eberhardt containing the allusion to a tes 
 tament had never entirely deserted his mind. Even in the pressure 
 of business Charles saw tempting visions dancing before his mental 
 eye, and it was only by a firm resolve that he banished them suffi 
 ciently to allow himself to attend to other and more important mat 
 ters. His excitement, of course, increased as the day approached 
 that freed him from all obligations of secrecy. The evening before 
 he had found an opportunity to whisper to Dolores that he wanted 
 her company for the afternoon of the next day. But wanting and 
 obtaining are two different things, so Charles thought best to take 
 the matter in his own hands and work it to the desired issue. 
 
 "Mother," he said after supper, "it is a shame the way you 
 confine Dolores to the sick-room." 
 
 "But, Charlie, Mrs. Fox will not let her go ; she seems to be 
 unable to get along without her." 
 
 " If she is no more reasonable she will have to do without her, 
 for this constant strain will make her sick. As long as Mrs. Fox 
 was in danger I didn t object taking the absolute necessity as a con 
 solation. But now she is out of danger, and I do most decidedly 
 object." 
 
 Mrs. Fuchs smiled. 
 
 " Charlie, what are you driving at? Why don t you come for 
 ward like a man and tell your mother what you want ? " 
 
 Charles blushed slightly. 
 
 " Want?" he said, " nothing particular, but I want Dolores to 
 have air and exercise." 
 
 And propose for that purpose 
 
 " A boat-ride on the ocean. I know she likes that well " 
 
 " And I know that Mr. Charles likes that just as well, and that 
 I was right in thinking that some selfish motive was lying at the 
 bottom of all this philanthropic talk." 
 
 Charles had to laugh in spite of himself. 
 
 " You are to smart for me, mother," he said. " But suppos 
 ing you were right, I don t see that that alters the case any. Dol 
 
220 DOLORES. 
 
 needs air and exercise, and it matters little in whose company she 
 enjoys them." 
 
 " You are right, Charlie, and I ll try to second you in this af 
 fair. When do you want Dol ? " 
 
 " To-morrow, after dinner. I could not well be absent from 
 the factory a whole day." 
 
 "Xor she from the cottage." 
 
 " Well, then, let us have the afternoon. But mind, I want no 
 company ; neither Henry nor uncle Jacob." 
 
 " That is a pity ; Jacob is getting so bothersome in the house, I 
 would gladly spare him for a whole day." 
 
 Well, if you promise to disengage Dolores I shall free you. 
 from uncle Jacob for a whole day. All I have to do is to send him 
 on a fool s errand. 
 
 " Be careful how you treat him, Charlie. He is your father s 
 brother, and though not exemplary in everything is entitled to re 
 spect." 
 
 "Oh! I respect him hugely. So much, indeed, that I would 
 never go near him if I could help it. Still he must be borne with, 
 that s a fact. He knows the circumstances of Mrs. Fox s sickness, 
 and could do her infinite harm if he chose to set his tongue in mo 
 tion." 
 
 "True enough ;_! never thought of that ; a double reason to 
 treat him with due caution." 
 
 "I shall be careful, mother. But he is very intimate with 
 Henry ; if any mischief is brewing it will surely spring from this 
 union of two kindred spirits." 
 
 " You are hard on your brother." 
 
 " I cannot help it, mother. It makes me impatient to think of 
 that lazy, good-for nothing drone. 1 wonder where he got his love 
 of idleness ? It surely is in neither you nor father. He must have 
 got it from his uncle." 
 
 " May be he has. lam glad you mention this matter, for I 
 shall now have my eyes upon them." 
 
 " It will do no harm, mother, though for the present I have 
 managed to secure uncle Jacob s sympathy in our behalf. Unless 
 he finds it to his advantage to secure my enmity he will be careful 
 
DOLORES. 221 
 
 to abstain from all gossip in regard to Mrs. Fox. I forebade him 
 to even make Henry his confidant." 
 
 The conversation closing Mrs. Fuchs went to the sick-room for 
 the purpose of reconnoitering the ground and making preparations 
 for a general assault upon the fortress. An hour afterwards she re 
 turned and made Charles happy by the assurance that the excur 
 sion had already been decided upon, and that, other circumstances 
 being favorable, the convalescent would hardly raise any objections. 
 
 In consequence of this communication Charles without de ay en 
 tered upon an activity that was as noiseless as it was efficient. Go 
 ing to his workshop he secured a revolver, with the necessary am- 
 unition, and various tools, adapted to digging in the ground. 
 
 With the revolver in his pocket and the tools on his shofllder 
 he managed to leave the house and reach the boat unseen. There 
 he put all the articles in a locker and then with a lighter heart re 
 turned home to wait for the momentous hour. 
 
 That night Charles did not sleep much. Slowly the hours of 
 darkness passed away, and the. morning hours in the office of the 
 factory not much faster. At last the whistle proclaimed the mid 
 dle of the day and Charles walked to the cottage so quickly that 
 Mr. Fuchs could hardly keep up with him. 
 
 The young man was still afraid that something would happen 
 to spoil the double pleasure in prospect, and when at last dinner 
 was over and Dolores, with a becoming blush, presented herself to 
 him as ready for the excursion, he hardly accepted it as a matter 
 of fact but rather as an illusion that would float into shapeless mist 
 on the first contact with reality. But when they left the cottage 
 and walked towards the bay, her arm leaning for support on his 
 own as of old, he became tolerably well assured that he was not 
 dreaming and displayed a gay humor which was in keeping with 
 the occasion and the day. The latter was a copy of the one that 
 had witnessed their first joint sail" upon the sea, shining with all the 
 brilliancy and radiance of the northern autumn. Dolores could 
 not help recalling the adventures of that eventful day. How things 
 had changed since ! How some actors had left the stage to make 
 room for others ! How she herself had grown and changed ! Yet 
 she was to embark in the very boat that bore her then and the same 
 nimble, handsome youth that led her steps two years ago was at 
 
222 DOLORES. 
 
 her side. But Henry ? His absence caused her thoughts to turn 
 upon him. 
 
 " Where is Henry?" she asked her friend ; " did he refuse to 
 accompany us ? If I recollect right I have seen neither him nor 
 your uncle in the cottage at breakfast or dinner." 
 
 Charles laughed. 
 
 They had no time to wait for breakfast this morning," he 
 said, " so they took a bite and started off at a good speed." 
 
 11 But where did they go?" 
 
 1 To chase a wild goose and ride uncle s hobby." 
 
 " You mean to hunt the testament?" 
 
 ^Exactly. I told them that ten miles from here there is an old 
 lawyer nearly seventy years of age who has always had a great 
 practice and is more likely to know of any such instrument in case 
 it does exist, than any other man of his profession. To put uncle 
 on the scent was all that was required ; so he shot off like a well 
 trained pointer and by this time undoubtedly is boring old Mr. 
 Sharp to death with his questions." 
 
 " But, Charlie, will oui expedition be any less of a wild goose 
 chase than theirs ?" 
 
 "Yes, Dol, considerably. We know at least the nest of the 
 bird and if we fail to find any eggs there we will at once be satisfied 
 that there is no use in hunting them at any other place. But here 
 is the boat, Dol. Jump in while I erect the mast and loosen the 
 chain." 
 
 Soon the boat was in sailing trim and the pair started on their 
 errand. This time the straight course to the rocky island was 
 struck and that reached the entrance to the wider channel was 
 gained. Here the sail was taken down and the oar substituted 
 and assisted by his previous knowledge Charles soon reached the 
 last basin before the cave. On their way they had found the track 
 clear ; no sign of any vessel had shown itself and Charles was, 
 therefore, reasonably certain that they would this time remain un 
 molested by foreign intruders. Still he thought best to prepare for 
 the worst ; so, opening his chest, he armed himself with his revol 
 ver, placing it ready for immediate use, and after that took out the 
 tools. 
 
DOLORES. 223 
 
 "Now, Dol, look out for your head," he said, " we are going to 
 cross the Rubicon." 
 
 The boat entered the fissure and half a minute afterwards they 
 once more swam on the basin within the cave. There was the same 
 old beautiful twilight, the somber shade, the trembling streaks of 
 light on the walls, the looming vault, the deep mysterious silence. 
 The recollection of the first visit and the exciting adventure rose 
 so vividly within their minds as to cast its shadow to the present 
 hour. They could not help feeling a little nervous, and Charles 
 said : 
 
 "Come, Dol, let us go to work. If we indulge too long in 
 contemplations of the beauty of this place we shall get so senti 
 mental as to be unfit for any emergency that may arise. There, 
 give me your hand now to alight. What beautiful sand this is." 
 
 " Yes, fit to grace the halls of any king of old. What do you 
 mean to do now?" 
 
 I mean first to pay a visit to the rear cave. I put a dark 
 lantern in my pocket that will now do us good service." 
 
 He set to work lighting the lantern and meanwhile Dolores 
 asked him what he expected to find there. 
 
 I have reasons to believe that the cave contains a cargo of 
 steel. Wood left it there to serve as a trap for Mr. Fox to fall in 
 to ; instead of that it shall do us good service and partly indemnify 
 us for the superintendent s rascalities. But we must not sell the 
 bear s hide before we catch the animal ; so away with speculations. 
 Come, Dol, reach me your hand and forward into the jaws of 
 hades !" 
 
 Charles laughed but started a little, when his mirth awoke a 
 loud echo in the cave that filled it with its vibrations. 
 
 "Listen ! the spirits of the cave are mocking you !" 
 
 Let them mock ; if they only resign to us the treasures in 
 their care." 
 
 " But people say treasures are watched by evil malignant spirits; 
 it would hardly do to provoke their ire." 
 
 " I do not fear them as long as my good spirit is leading me." 
 
 " Wlrs~, Charlie," Dolores answered with a laugh, "if that com 
 pliment refers to my humble person you had better reverse your 
 
224 DOLORES. 
 
 figure of speech. If my senses do not deceive me I am a spirit led 
 not leading" 
 
 The young man had no time to answer to her raillery, for they 
 had in the meanwhile traversed the passage and now stood within 
 the second cave. Charles opened his lantern and when its "light 
 shot through the spacious vault a shout of joy burst from his lips. 
 Piled up in formidable rows large numbers of the well-known 
 boxes displayed themselves to their view. Charles could not in a 
 moment form an estimate of their value, but he knew that they 
 were very valuable, and that if he appropriated them for his em 
 ployer he would find nobody to dispute his claims. But the sword 
 of Damocles was still hanging over their heads and an untimely 
 visit on the part of the revenue officers was apt to spoil their game. 
 Opposed as the young man was to smuggling he claimed the right 
 of Mr. Fox to appropriate this cargo of steel on account of the 
 losses he had sustained by the superintendent s fraudulent transac 
 tions. He did not know the shipper and did not care to learn his 
 name. If he was bold enough to come and advance his claims 
 then it would still be time to consider the expediency of surrender 
 ing the goods or pay for them. 
 
 This reasoning might, perhaps, not have stood the test of logic, 
 but it \vas natural under the circumstances and such as a fair- 
 minded person would hardly have objected to. 
 
 " I must engage a few r trusty persons to land this cargo," Char 
 lie remarked to his companion; "it would be too dangerous to 
 leave it here any length of time." 
 
 " But does it belong to us, Charlie ?" 
 
 " I think it does. It has certainly been paid for by money out 
 of Mr. Fox s pocket. We cannot think of relinguishing it now." 
 
 " Well, you know best ; what next do you intend to undertake?" 
 
 "Oh, yes ; I am glad you put me in mind of it. We must 
 now search for uncle Eberhardt s last will and, maybe, treasures." 
 
 " And you have really hope of finding it?" 
 
 " Why not, Dol ? It was made ; we know that from his own 
 testimony. It was not recorded, or the books of some court or 
 other would contain it ; why then not think that it may be hidden 
 in a place where the writer found a sudden death ?" 
 
 " And where do you think of searching first?" 
 
DOLOKES. 225 
 
 "There, where the skeleton is lying in the front cave." 
 " Bah ! I shudder at the idea of disturbing the pirate s remains." 
 " The thought is not pleasant, but it must be entertained and 
 acted upon if we want to make any discoveries. Just think of him 
 returning from the cave ! Hardly able to stand he reaches the 
 precincts of the cave. He lands and sinks upon the ground ; the 
 blood is oozing from his wounds in spite of all efforts to stop its 
 flow. He grows weaker and with approaching death the burning 
 passion of his restless heart flames up once more with its former 
 brilliancy. His thoughts turn to the love of his youth. The testa 
 ment in which he gave his all unto her children comes foremost in 
 his mind. Reason is already waning and instinct becomes supreme. 
 Like the faithful dog, entrusted with the keeping of a treasure, 
 he gathers the last strength to make an effort of reaching the spot 
 where the will is buried. The task is painful in the extreme, but 
 he bends an iron will to its achievement and he succeeds. He 
 covers the ground where his secret dies with him and with a sigh 
 of relief his soul departs from his body." 
 
 " Ah ! you paint vividly, Charles," Dolores whispered with a 
 shudder, having grasped her companion s arm more firmly as he 
 proceeded. Methinks I see him now. Say nothing more about him, 
 please. I am not superstitious, you know, but I feel as if your elo 
 quent description could conjure his spirit into life." 
 
 " Well, you shall have your way, Dol. I do not wish to disturb 
 his soul, unless it is like that of the Spanish licentiate- which was 
 buried on the wayside. You recollect the clever student who lifted 
 his soul in the shape of genuine doubloons. To such a resurrection 
 I should have no objections whatever. But really, we chat as if it 
 was our object to talk us into courage. Come, now, let us begin or 
 we shall not get through to-day." 
 
 With these words he retraced his steps, carrying the lantern in 
 one hand and leading Dolores by the other. Having reached the 
 front cave he blew out the lantern, the sunlight creeping through 
 the fissures of the rocks illuminating it sufficiently for his purpose. 
 Then taking a shovel he approached the spot where the decaying 
 skeleton was lying. He felt an unpleasant sensation creeping over 
 his body when the tool touched the first bone, but nerving himself 
 and laughing at his own folly he went to work with a zest that soon 
 
 15 
 
226 DOLORES. 
 
 accomplished his purpose. When the place was cleared the young 
 man stopped, and begging his companion to come up, laid the pick 
 in her hand. 
 
 " I don t want to be better than you in the way of superstition," 
 he said gayly. Just drive in the pick for a beginning ; it will 
 bring me good luck." 
 
 She complied with a light laugh and then returned the tool, 
 which he handled with a good will. But the ground was dry and 
 loose, and he soon found that the shovel would do the work alone. 
 Throwing the sand to one side he had penetrated to the depth of a 
 foot and a half when the shovel struck on something solid. Dolores 
 heard it, and in her excitement could not prevent a light cry from 
 escaping her lips. Charles did not cry, but he was hardly less af 
 fected and was obliged to stop work for a moment. 
 
 " There, see what a fool I am," he said, stretching his trembling 
 hand towards Dolores. " Simply because my shovel strikes a body 
 that may be nothing but a board or worthless box, I fall a prey to 
 an excitement of which I ought to be ashamed." 
 
 But you surely struck upon a box, Charlie," she said, 
 eagerly. 
 
 "Well, supposing I did, child, where is the difference? We 
 study the works of ancient and modern philosophers ; we cant upon 
 the vanity of gold, and yet when we catch a mere glimpse of its 
 lustre we go into ecstacies and forget our lessons like the poodle 
 does his tricks when he sees a chance at mutton chops." 
 
 "But why don t you proceed, Charlie ?" 
 
 "Talking, Dol?" 
 
 No, digging, sir ; you know very well what I meant." 
 
 " I stop for two reasons, Dol. First, I want to punish you and 
 myself for this want of equinimity, and secondly, I want to steady 
 my nerves for further efforts. If I give way at the sound of an old 
 board where will I be when my eye lights on treasures like Alad 
 din s?" 
 
 " Charlie, I never knew what a great talker you could be." 
 
 "That will do, Dol. Say nothing more, for here goes." 
 
 Again the sand flew from the hole, and a repeated striking on 
 the substance underneath gave proof beyond a doubt that it was a 
 board in a horizontal position which impeded their progress. In her 
 
DOLORES. 227 
 
 zeal to see Dolores came nearer and nearer, and both she and Charles 
 had by this time lost every recollection of the bones. They began 
 to feel that strange, mysterious influence which magic gold exer 
 cises over the calmest of men. Mind, they didn t know as yet 
 whether they would strike a golden vein or not ; the mere prospect 
 was sufficient to make their eyes sparkle, their nostrils widen like 
 the steed s that scents the bloody battle. The bloodhound can not 
 more eagerly pursue the track of the runaway than man follows up 
 the track of gold. Yes, gold is powerful on earth, more powerful 
 than we might wish for the sake of mankind ; but no" teaching of 
 philosophy nor preaching of the gospel will much affect the case. I 
 am pretty sure that if such a chance should present itself to me just 
 now I should lay down my pen, and, stopping these reflections, 
 grasp for the precious metal as greedily as most other persons. 
 
 Charles and Dolores were noble specimens of their kind, and if 
 the good and virtuous are thus affected by the thought of gold, 
 what may we expect of the worshippers of sin and mammon ? Is 
 it a wonder that so many crimes are committed in the diggings ? 
 No, we are to marvel that matters are not worse, that people do not 
 act at such places as if the demons of hell were driving them to sin 
 and death. That even the gold fields of Australia, California and 
 Nevada show instances> numerous instances of public and private 
 virtue is apt to impress us with a high opinion of man s spiritual 
 condition. 
 
 Now the sand is all removed, and a board, that has perhaps been 
 there for many, many years, comes to light. But it isn t a board, 
 for, though the edges lie free from the ground, the effort to turn it 
 up with the shovel proves useless. 
 
 It is a box beyond all doubt, and in the excitement of the dis 
 covery Charles applies most childish means to raise it from the 
 ground. Kneeling down he pulls, and tugs, and lifts and pushes 
 until the perspiration rolls from his forehead to the ground and a 
 merry laugh on the part of Dolores calls him to his senses. 
 
 " Confound the box," he cried, joining in her mirth, and 
 springing to his feet. It sticks in there as tight as if a dozen 
 imps were holding it. I must enlarge the hole and loosen the sides 
 before I can at all expect to lift it from the ground." 
 
 To judge from the cover the box seemed to be about two feet 
 
228 DOLORES 
 
 square, the third dimension, as sticking in the ground, remaining 
 uncertain. It was, therefore, no small labor to dig out a cavity 
 large enough to allow room on all sides of the box, and a full hour 
 elapsed before Charles accomplished the task. The box was about 
 a foot deep, and although he succeeded in getting his fingers under 
 the bottom and lifted with all his might, he did not succeed in rais 
 ing it more than an inch or two. 
 
 This weight was a favorable indication. 
 
 " Dol," Charles said, seriously, " that chest contains either lead 
 or gold ; nothing else would make it so heavy. If I should break 
 it open and find it to contain the former metal, could you bear the 
 disappointment ? 
 
 " Yes, Charlie, I think I could, though I must confess that it 
 woud be a disappointment. I never thought that this yellow trash 
 should so engross our minds." 
 
 "Nor I, Dol, to tell the truth. If any man should now order 
 me. from this place, I would draw my revolver to defend it. Still 
 we must prepare ourselves to see our golden expectations dissolve 
 into vapor. I could never pardon myself for having first aroused 
 and then disappointed your expectations, unless I knew that in such 
 a case your peace of mind would suffer no lasting detriment." 
 
 "Oh ! Charlie, it is not so bad as that. Just work away, I 
 think I can bear the consequences like a stoic, no matter how the 
 thing may turn out." 
 
 " Well, then, here is the pick, which will soon settle the ques 
 tion. A couple of blows well applied and the cover will spring. 
 Hold your breath, Dol." 
 
 Down the pick went between the cover and sideboard, but the 
 box was stronger than Charles had fancied. Strong hinges held it 
 on one side and a massive padlock on the other, and in spite of 
 lifting and tugging the first blow made little impression. The sec 
 ond one, dealt with even greater force, somewhat widened the crack 
 produced by its predecessor, but it wasn t until a full dozen had 
 been spent upon the cover that it finally yielded with a crash, and, 
 in consequence of a jerk with the piek, flew back. Eagerly four 
 eyes sent their glances into the box, but another obstacle in the 
 shape of a piece of oilcloth impeded the view. This cover being re 
 moved by the trembling hands of Charles, some parchments made 
 
DOLORES. 229 
 
 their appearance, and between them and beside them were round 
 coins of large size and yellow color, on which the feeble light of 
 the cave awoke a faint reflection. 
 "The testament!" 
 "The gold!" 
 
 After these simultaneous cries there was deep silence. It was 
 true ; their boldest expectations had been realized yes, more than 
 realized, for if that whole box was filled that way their fancy was 
 slow in furnishing figures large enough to meet the truth. There 
 was gold in masses, in larger heaps than these young people had 
 ever seen or dreamed of. There was also the testament of the 
 former owner, by virtue of which they were, without doubt, in 
 stalled as the proper heirs. Charles took it up as if in a dream, and, 
 glancing over the contents, convinced himself of the correctness of 
 his supposition. 
 
 " Well, Dol, what now ?" he suddenly addressed the girl, turn 
 ing abruptly to her. " Are you satisfied with my sagacity ? AYas 
 I correct in my conjectures ? " 
 
 " Yes, Charlie, you were right, but don t speak to me just now. 
 I cannot think, I can only gaze. Gold ! gold ! gold ! Oh! so much 
 gold." - 
 
 He looked alarmed and gently shook her arm. 
 " Child, what is the matter with you ? You are drunk." 
 "Yes, Charlie, I am drunk, intoxicated with this sight. But I 
 am getting over it now, and if you will bear with me for one mo 
 ment I ll be myself again. So, now my head feels clearer." 
 
 It would be vain to try to render the rambling conversation now 
 ensuing. Little children could not have been wilder after school- 
 hours than our friends hovering over their discovered treasure. 
 Now they laughed, and the next moment they sobered down to 
 earnestness even tinged with sadness ; now they let the coin slip 
 through their fingers, listening to the merry tinkle with which they 
 struck against their comrades underneath, and anon they rose to 
 their feet, stepping back and looking at the treasure with a look of 
 awe. But sitting or standing, laughing or chatting, they built all 
 the while air castles of the most fantastic nature, and would, no 
 doubt, have continued this sport if the deepening shades of the cave 
 
230 DOLORES. 
 
 had not at last reminded them of the approach of night and the ne 
 cessity of fixing upon a plan. 
 
 " We must bury the gold again for the present," Charles sug 
 gested, " and come for it some other time." 
 
 " But it may be found and stolen." 
 
 Care and trouble, the inseparable companions of gold, had 
 already made their appearance. 
 
 11 That is true," Charles replied, " but it can t be helped. AVe 
 could take but little with us, and that little would be apt to betray 
 us. But I shall take the will and place it in the safe of the office. 
 There it will be secure, you know, and we shall need it to establish 
 our claims to all this gold." 
 
 " It will not all be ours, Charles. Part of it belongs to uncle 
 Jacob and part to father." 
 
 " No, Dol, I hardly think that the testament gives anything to 
 Mr. Fox. I should not wonder if it deprived him even of a large 
 portion of the wealth he now enjoys. " 
 
 " Do you think so, Charlie ? If that is the case I shall take no 
 more pleasure in the discovery of all this gold. I do not want to 
 participate in any transaction calculated to deprive my dear father 
 of his fortune." 
 
 " Nor I either, Dol. I could not think of such a course." 
 
 "Are you in earnest, Charlie?" she asked with brightening 
 eyes. 
 
 " In dead earnest, child ; how can you doubt my word ?" 
 
 " I do not doubt it, only the fear of danger to father s prosper 
 ity confused my head. I thank you, Charlie, from the bottom of 
 my heart." 
 
 "There is no occasion for that, Dolores. But to obtain our 
 wishes we must secrete the document for a while. If it was put in 
 court I should be powerless to protect the interests of Mr. Fox, but 
 by keeping it back and merely hinting at our discovery we may ob 
 tain better terms from uncle Jacob." 
 
 " Manage it just as you think best, only Mr. Fox must not suf 
 fer in consequence of any good luck of mine." 
 
 " He shall not, Dol, if I can help it, but I may as well tell you 
 that Mr. Fox is at present in great pecuniary embarrassment. He 
 
DOLORES. 231 
 
 may even become a bankrupt if he does not soon succeed in raising 
 large sums of money." 
 
 " Charlie, you alarm me." 
 
 " Now, would you have any objection if, in case of necessity, I 
 take a portion of this money to set him right again ? " 
 
 " Not the least, Charlie ; how can you ask ? You know that I 
 would gladly forfeit my whole share to assist him." 
 
 " I thought so, but this is business, and in business it is always 
 best to have a clear understanding. But now I must set to work to 
 bury the gold. It would not do to leave any trace of my digging." 
 
 After fastening the cover on the box Charles threw the sand 
 back into the hole, and this task being much easier than the work 
 of excavating he finished it in less than half an hour. Every trace 
 of the operation was then carefully obliterated and the bones were 
 replaced in their previous position. The sun had already sunk be 
 low the horizon when the pair finally stepped into the boat, and 
 shoving it through the entrance steered through the intricate pas 
 sages of the channel. On reaching the open sea the mast was 
 hoisted and a favorable breeze drove the boat rapidly through the 
 waves towards the little harbor. Many glances the two cast back at 
 the place that held their precious secret, and even after reaching 
 the land and walking towards the village their eyes wandered in 
 the direction of the cemetery, although the last vestige of it had 
 long ago disappeared from sight. 
 
 Supper was over when they reached the cottage, but Mrs. Fuchs 
 had not forgotten them. Placing the reserved food upon the table 
 and pouring out a cup of freshly prepared tea, she summoned the 
 two to sit down and make up for lost time. 
 
 Neither Charles nor Dolores were in the least hungry, but they 
 had to force themselves to take a few bites in order to avoid ques 
 tions, which they could not have answered without considerable em 
 barrassment. They had resolved to keep their discovery secret un 
 til they were capable ot calm reflection, and Dolores had left it to 
 Charlie s judgment to decide when this period should arrive. Mrs. 
 Fuchs kept them company, but while their lips were talking one 
 thing their thoughts wandered off to another. 
 
 The hostess noticed it ; she told them that they were rather stu 
 pid, but being kind enough to attribute their absence of mind to 
 
232 DOLORES. 
 
 the fatigue of their excursion, she advised both the young people 
 to retire to bed at an early hour. 
 
 " I have arranged with Lucy to relieve you altogether for the 
 coming night, Dol," she said. " After this trip you will enjoy a 
 good sleep, and you shall have it. Don t contradict me, it is all 
 cut and dried, and no use to try a change." 
 
 But Mrs. Fox " 
 
 "Is so well this evening that she expects to sleep the whole 
 night. You may see her for a minute, but after that, to bed, Miss 
 Dolores, and that without delay." 
 
 . Dolores was only too well inclined to accept Mrs. Fuchs kind 
 ness. Her late discovery had in a measure disqualified her for a 
 nurse, and she was greatly delighted at the thought of lying on her 
 bed and being at liberty to let her thoughts wander over the adven 
 tures of the afternoon. Yet she did not enjoy that pleasure very 
 long, for she had hardly stretched her weary limbs on her mattress 
 when the fatigue of the body overcame the excitement of the soul 
 and soon sank her into a deep slumber, during which her fancies 
 assumed the garb of dreams, treating on the same subject, but ex 
 aggerating a thousand times the circumstances of reality. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 A DRIVER DRIVEN. 
 
 Charles, being less fatigued, had resisted the flattering caress of 
 sleep longer than Dolores. He thought on the discovery until hi& 
 head ached, but in spite of his musings he saw no way of securing 
 the treasure without the assistance of some confidential friend, 
 Henry would not answer, much less uncle Jacob with his greedy 
 avarice. His father was too timid and indecisive in his measures, 
 but still he was the only one that could be thought of. So next 
 morning, when they reached the factory, Charles requested a pri 
 vate interview with his father at the office, and gave him as short 
 and clear an account of the discovery as possible. Mr. Fuchs lis 
 tened with every sign of astonishment, and, after Charles hacl fin 
 ished, replied : 
 
DOLORES. 233 
 
 " My son, if I did not know that you are a steady, sober lad and 
 would not entertain the thought of making fun of your father, I 
 should not credit the story. And you knew the secret of the cave 
 for two years ? 
 
 " Yes, father, and that was the reason of my silence in regard 
 to Mr. Wood s transactions. I burned to speak, as you may well 
 imagine, but I could not think of violating my oath." 
 
 " Of course not, Charlie, of course not. I approve of your con 
 duct, yes, I admire it, and that of little Dol even more. Who 
 would have thought of giving her credit for so much character ? " 
 
 I, father ; indeed I would have trusted her in far greater 
 temptations. But you forgot the gold." 
 
 * Ah ! yes ; I can not as yet force myself to look upon your 
 story as a reality. You have the testament in your possession, you 
 say ? " 
 
 "Yes, father, he replied, untying a portfolio, which he had 
 taken from the house and never for a moment released from his 
 grasp. The parchment he drew out had grown old with time, but 
 the sand in which it had been buried was so dry, and the oilcloth 
 cover had so effectually kept out all destructive influences that not 
 a letter of the document had become illegible. Unfolding it, he 
 asked his father : 
 
 " Shall I read it ? " 
 
 " If you please." 
 
 ON BOARD " THE ROVER," 
 September 20, 1760. 
 
 Be it known to all concerned that I have this day drawn up my 
 last will and testament and intend to leave my property as follows : 
 
 First. The box in the cave of the cemetery on the coast of Main e 
 containing in doubloons and diamonds the sum of $250, 000.00. 
 
 " Is it possible !" Mr. Fuchs could not abstain from interrupting. 
 
 I leave to the children of my sister-in-law, Caroline Fuchs, resid 
 ing at B in ihe Palatinate 011 the Rhine, in equal portions. 
 
 Second. My estate at Foxville, in the Colony of Maine, I also 
 leave to the children of said Caroline Fuchs, and the heir or heirs of 
 my brother Walter who now jesides thereon, taking charge of the 
 same for me, the land to be equally divided amongst all the parties 
 above named. 
 
 " Poor Mr. Fox !" Charles interrupted himself. 
 
 That would deprive him of a portion of his property." 
 
 " The greater portion, father ; but Dol and I have made up our 
 
234 DOLORES. 
 
 rainds that he shall suffer no detriment whatever. Were we right, 
 father?" 
 
 " Of course, my boy ; but I fear uncle Jacob would think differ 
 ently." 
 
 4 So do I. For that reason we must keep quiet about the will 
 unless we can induce him to sign a written agreement that suits our 
 purpose. 
 
 "But will he do that?" 
 
 "I think he will; leave that to me, father, I know how to 
 manage him." 
 
 "Very well, Charlie ; but go on with the will." 
 
 " Well, that is nearly all. The signature is testified to by two 
 witnesses, both of whom seem to have been officers of the * Rover. " 
 
 "The paper is evidently unfinished, or at least the formality of 
 recording is lacking. We know from Eberhardt s letter that it was 
 his intention to have it recorded, but a sudden death seems to have 
 prevented the execution of the purpose." 
 
 "You may be right, Charlie ; but what do you propose doing 
 with the money ? " 
 
 "That is the difficulty. By means of levers we two might suc 
 ceed in shipping the box and conveying it safely to the cottage, or 
 better to the large safe here in the office ; but how shall we both 
 get off at the same time without creating suspicion?" 
 
 We might start before day-break and in that way manage to 
 get back jat an early hour." 
 
 " But not in time to start the factory." 
 
 "That would be hardly necessary ; I might instruct the fore 
 man the night before and he could get along well enough for a 
 couple of hours." 
 
 " But the horse and wagon, father?" 
 
 " On returning to the bay I could stay in the boat and you go 
 for the wagon." 
 
 "But if Henry or uncle Jacob should ask an explanation?" 
 
 " We must send them off on some errand or other." 
 
 "They will hardly go. I took that liberty with uncle yester 
 day, sending him to lawyer Sharp at Hilltown. He is not in the 
 best of humor this morning in consequence of the useless walk." 
 
 Mr. Fuchs laughed. 
 
DOLOKES. 235 
 
 " I do not wonder ; it is no fun to run ten miles and back for 
 nothing. "We must hit upon another expedient, then. How would 
 it do to give him plenty of Deidesheimer Trammer this evening ?" 
 
 That would indeed chain him to his bed till a late hour ; but 
 what of Henry ?" 
 
 Mr. Fuchs sighed. 
 
 " Alas ! Charlie, your brother will not neglect a chance of im 
 bibing freely. If we don t curt his appetite he will be even more 
 helpless to-morrow morning than my brother." 
 
 Charles shook his head. 
 
 " I hate to base my calculations on my brother s degradation. 
 Goodness knows he is low enough without it. However, we must 
 secure the box to-morrow and one drunken spell more or less will 
 eventually matter little. So the plan is fixed ; thanks to your 
 sagacity, father. It seems to me we had changed roles for once. 
 Generally you counsel caution and have to check my ardor ; this 
 time the case lies just reversed. Can you account for that ? 
 
 "No, Charlie, unless it is that I am getting restless and impa 
 tient to see so big a pile of gold." 
 
 "May be that is the cause ; but I know this, that if you had 
 once seen the gold, like me, you would be shy and timid also. I 
 cannot rid myself of the thought that by some chance intruder the 
 secret may leak out." 
 
 "Well, that risk is as great one day as another, or rather every 
 day increases it. The sooner we remove the gold the better." 
 
 " You are right again, father ; so have your way about it. You 
 had better make the necessary arrangements all at once. Invent 
 any story for the foreman that seems credible." 
 
 Mr. Fuchs was on the point of leaving the office, when suddenly 
 he returned, saying : 
 
 Charlie, you spoke of a cargo of steel in the cave ; we have 
 not fixed on any course regarding that." 
 
 " You are right," Charles lively responded ; " that, too, requires 
 immediate attention." 
 
 "And what would you propose?" 
 
 " Oh ! that is easily managed. Wood, in his contraband trade, 
 must have had accomplices to transport the steel. Has any one 
 left the factory lately besides George?" 
 
236 DOLOKES. 
 
 "Not to my knowledge, Charlie." 
 
 "Then we have our man. I know John, the driver, is one of 
 them and if we attack him on a sudden and threaten him with dire 
 punishment he will not only betray the other parties but volunteer 
 to haul the cargo as an offset to his offense." 
 
 "So you will shift the matter entirely off your hands? The 
 plan is excellent. . When do you mean to start them ?" 
 
 " This evening, if possible ; else the revenue officers might spoil 
 the job for us." 
 
 " But can they remove the boxes in one night? You know to 
 morrow they would be in our way." 
 
 " I hope they can and, if not, they may divide the job into two 
 night s labor." 
 
 "Exactly. You seem to have regained your nerve, Charlie- 
 Shall I send you the driver when I inform the foreman ?" 
 "If you please, sir." 
 
 A few minutes afterwards John the driver made his appearance. 
 This summons was somewhat suspicious and Charles saw from the 
 fellow s mien that he had a guilty conscience. 
 
 " Sit down, John," Charles addressed him. "I want to speak 
 a word or two to you. You know the superintendent has cut sticks 
 and left us in a pretty fix." 
 The driver started. 
 
 " Well, yes, I know, Charlie ; but then you know I don t see 
 exactly T don t see what I have to do with that." 
 
 "Oh! I thought you might give us some information, John. 
 You know you were always on very good terms with Mr. Wood. ^ 
 "I!" the driver stammered in great consternation ; "indeed I 
 don t know " 
 
 By this time Charles was sure of the man s complicity. So, 
 changing his easy mode of speaking into a rapid, energetic one, he 
 said suddenly : 
 
 But I know ; Wood used to smuggle steel from the cemetery 
 and you assisted him." 
 
 A flash from the blue sky could not have .struck the driver 
 more unexpectedly and forcibly than this sudden declaration. He 
 stared at Charles with his eyes and mouth open, the helpless victim 
 of unbounded consternation. At last he made an effort to collect 
 
DOLORES. 237 
 
 himself, but before he had uttered a single word, Charles continued: 
 
 "I have witnesses to prove what I say. I need but give a hint 
 to the revenue officers and you will be delivered to the severity of 
 the law. Moreover, your situation is in jeopardy ; one word from 
 my lips and you leave this factory an unemployed man." 
 
 John could not constrain himself any longer. Springing to his 
 feet and lifting his hands in an imploring manner, he cried : 
 
 " Oh ! Charlie, good Mr. Charlie, don t ruin a poor fellow that 
 merely did what he was bid to do. It went against the grain to 
 assist in cheating Mr. Fox, but what could I do ? In these hard 
 times a poor fellow is glad to earn an honest penny outside of his 
 work. Please, sir, don t ruin me ; I ll do anything in the world for 
 you, only don t, don t inform on me." 
 
 Charles looked at him with a steady eye. At length when he 
 thought the fellow s fear had been ^frought to a high enough pitch, 
 he broke the silence by saying : 
 
 " Very well, John. You are a married man and I pity your 
 wife and children. I will keep silent on one condition." 
 
 " Wliat is it, Charlie, what is it?" John inquired eagerly. "I ll 
 do anything in my power to make amends." 
 
 " There is a cargo of steel in the cave at present," Charles re 
 sumed. 
 
 " Indeed is there ? I didn t know that." 
 
 It has been paid for with Mr. Fox s money and he cannot af 
 ford to lose it. He despises the nefarious practice of smuggling, 
 but as Wood has smuggled this cargo so far Mr. Fox cannot now 
 inform the revenue officers without losing both his money and the 
 goods. Do you understand me ?" 
 
 " Exactly, sir, exactly." 
 
 " Well, then, I ll pardon your assistance at previous offenses if 
 you can manage to haul the eargo from the cave to the factory this 
 very night." 
 
 " Is it a large cargo ? 
 
 "Tolerably large." 
 
 " And two nights would be too late for you ? " 
 
 " I should prefer to have the job done all at once. To show 
 you that I mean well, if the boxes are in our yard to-morrow morn 
 ing at four o clock I shall not only say a good word in your favor to 
 
238 DOLORES. 
 
 Mr. Fox, but also give you aud your comrades a hundred dollar 
 note as a token of my satisfaction." 
 
 John s countenance brightened. Making a few steps towards 
 Charles and extending his hand to him, he said : 
 
 " Charlie, I am your man. The deuce take me if you ain t the 
 honestest man I ever did see. I shall fetch you the boxes this night 
 and no mistake, and what s more, if John Riley ever forgets your 
 kindness may ten thousand bombshells blast him all to pieces." 
 
 " Very well, John," Charles replied, taking the proffered hand, 
 " I count on you. But you had better go now, or people might 
 wonder what we two have to confer together about all this while. * 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 
 
 SPECULATIONS. 
 
 About nine o clock a wagon with one horse drove up to the of 
 fice door. There were two men in it, using a rough, strong box for 
 a seat. We hardly need tell the reader that the occupants were the 
 Fuchs, father and son, and that they were just returning from a 
 successful expedition. He knows the box also, and does not won 
 der in the least when we state that rollers and levers had to be used 
 before the chest was safely deposited on the floor of the office. Two 
 laborers, however, who had been called to lend a hand, had won 
 dered considerably, and only became satisfied when they were in 
 formed that steel bars of a fine quality formed the contents. 
 
 " So," said Charlie with a contented mien, locking the door after 
 the^nen had left, and then, dropping into a chair, wiped the per 
 spiration from his brow. So far, so good. We have reason to be 
 satisfied with our success. Did you notice the boxes of steel in the 
 shed?" 
 
 " I did, my son, but then we were sure to find them .there, for 
 you recollect the cave was empty." 
 
 " To be sure, but still it gratifies me considerably to know them 
 safe. We may now at our leisure transfer the contents of the chest 
 to the large safe. This would not hold half of them." 
 
DOLORES. 239- 
 
 You promised John and his men a hundred dollars." 
 
 "Exactly, but it would not do to give him the money in the 
 presence of others. After we are through here you may please give 
 him a hint to call on me after working hours." 
 
 " I will, Charlie, but here is the hatchet and a chisel to open 
 the box." 
 
 " Just one minute more, father. Let me lower the curtain to 
 keep inquisitive eyes from prying into affairs that do not concern 
 them." 
 
 The box was then opened and Mr. Fuchs, who now saw its con 
 tents for the first time, experienced nearly the same sensations of 
 awe and pleasure which his son had felt two days ago. Age is said 
 to make us wiser and cooler, but few men get wise and cool enough 
 to free themselves from the charm of gold. 
 
 The two had no time to count the money, but they had on the 
 night before procured a dozen small but strong bags from Mrs. 
 Fuchs and now put the coins into them for better handling. At 
 the bottom of the chest they found a little box of rosewood with 
 steel corners and beautiful inland work of gold and enamel. It had 
 a lock and a key sticking in it. On turning the key and lifting the 
 cover, which worked on hinges, a sight truly grand and startling 
 presented itself to them. Large quantities of precious stones filled 
 the box to the brim, some cut and reflecting the light a hundred 
 fold, others with rough covers, such as are found in the mines of 
 Brazil and India. 
 
 " These are diamonds," Charles cried in excited but yet subdued 
 tones. " These stones alone must be worth that sum in the hands 
 of a man who understands selling them to advantage." 
 
 You may be right for all 1 know ; I have very little know 
 ledge of such matters. So, here is the last bag ; just let me put 
 that in the safe." 
 
 "No, stop a moment, father. I want to count off $25,000 to 
 meet Mr. Fox s outstanding debts." 
 
 " What ? You would pay them with this money ? " 
 
 " Yes, father. Dolores has given her consent ; I hope you have 
 no objections ? " 
 
 " No, my boy, none whatever ; only be careful in your actions. 
 
240 DOLORES. 
 
 This money belongs by right to the descendants of Caroline Fuchs, 
 but the courts might raise trouble in the matter, and " 
 
 " I think it will be best not to trouble the courts at all. If we 
 can get the heirs to make an amiable settlement among themselves 
 no outside person need know anything about this matter. " 
 
 "But, Charlie, there is danger in that. It is hardly possible to 
 keep such things a secret, and if they do leak out you subject 
 yourself to bad repute, and, may be, persecutions by law." 
 
 " Well, let us leave that to more mature reflection ; now I want 
 to count this money. 
 
 Mr. Fuchs yielded the point, as he was wont to do, and the sum 
 of $25,000 was counted and laid aside. 
 
 The rest of the day was passed in the common routine of busi 
 ness, and in the evening, when the driver made his appearance in 
 the office, Charles handed him the stipulated reward in gold. 
 
 The fellow s eyes sparkled. 
 
 " I thank you very much, sir. Did vou examine the boxes ? " 
 
 11 1 did, John, and found them all right. You have come up to 
 your promise like a man." 
 
 " I thank you for those words, sir. I ll not forget your kind 
 ness, and if ever you want a person to do a job for you, hard or not 
 hard, pay or no pay, you know where to find him." 
 
 " Yes, John, I ll think of that. And now, my friend, no more 
 irregularities ; you understand me ? " 
 
 " I do, sir, and you may clip my ears if ever you find me on the 
 wrong track again." 
 
 " It is so easy to gain a man," Charles said to himself as he was 
 walking home. " I wonder why there were ever kings who were 
 hated by their people." 
 
 We could have solved the mystery for him. Charles overlooked 
 this fellow s failings and rewarded his honesty. The kings, how 
 ever, whom history has marked as tyrants, did just the reverse. 
 They overlooked the virtues of their people and rewarded their in 
 iquities. Thus they gained the approval of the wicked, the hatred 
 of the good and the curse of posterity. 
 
 At the cottage he found smiling faces excepting uncle Jacob s 
 and Henry s, which bore shadows. Uncle Jacob was out of humor 
 because so far he had made no headway at all in the great enter- 
 
DOLORES. 241 
 
 prise of his life. Charles confidential communication regarding 
 the whereabouts of the testament had cheered him for a while, but 
 failing to receive any satisfactory details from his nephew, he be 
 gan to suspect that the young man had merely talked at random, 
 with no other object in view than that of securing his uncle s secrecy 
 concerning Mrs. Fox s night adventure. He felt so vexed at this 
 thought that he would at once have broken his pledge if the young 
 man s impressive warning had not stood vividly before his mind and 
 suggested the propriety of not risking his enmity. Besides, the 
 knowledge of the real facts of the case might become too valuable 
 to lightly throw away. If the testament could not be found uncle 
 Jacob might after a while succeed in getting Mr. Fox to cash that 
 knowledge to the amount of a few thousands, and with that money 
 he might return to Germany, for, rich or poor, he would never 
 think of spending the remainder of his life in as disagreeable a 
 country as the United States had proven themselves thus far to be. 
 
 Uncle Jacob s thoughts were running in that strain when Charles 
 entered the parlor. Jacob was alone, and Charles resolved to ben 
 efit by the opportunity to push his plans. He had hardly seen, 
 much less spoken to his uncle since that worthy s expedition into 
 the country, and now the young man approached him in a pleasant 
 manner, which was captivating to his uncle in proportion to its rare 
 ness. 
 
 " Well, uncle, how do you do this evening? I haven t had 
 time to speak to you this day or two. You must excuse me on ac 
 count of the urgent duties that now devolve upon me." 
 
 " Certainly, Charlie, certainly, my boy. I know you must have 
 a hard time of it now." 
 
 " Rather hard, uncle." 
 
 " When do you expect Mr. Fox back ? " 
 
 <( That s hard to tell, uncle. Mr. Fox is trying to raise money 
 and that is a difficult operation now-a-days." 
 
 "Very true, Charlie, very true. I am a living example of that 
 truth. I have been trying to raise money these twenty years and 
 have riot succeeded over well." 
 
 "Better luck for the future then, uncle. You remember the 
 testament." 
 
 16 
 
242 DOLORES. 
 
 " Curse the testament," Jacob said with a sudden outburst of 
 passion. But he checked himself, saying : 
 
 Charles, you held out some hope to me the other day ; tell 
 me the truth now, my boy ; you merely wanted to lead your uncle 
 somewhat by the nose, didn t you ?" 
 
 " Why, uncle, what do you mean ? How would I dare to show 
 disrespect to my father s brother ?" 
 
 " Thank you, Charlie, thank you very much. But to return to 
 the subject. There was some foundation to the hints you dropped." 
 
 " Of course, uncle, or I shouldn t have dropped them. I repeat 
 that I have a pretty clear idea where the testament may be found." 
 
 Charles smiled at the thought of uncle Jacob s total ignorance 
 of the truth of the assertion. 
 
 * You have, have you my lad ? Now come, don t play blind 
 man s bluff with your old uncle, but speak out plainly that a fellow 
 can understand you." 
 
 These words were uttered with a kind of confidential secrecy, 
 the speaker moving up to Charles and laying his hand persuasively 
 upon his knee. Charles laughed. 
 
 " You are trying to catch me with soft solder, uncle Jacob," he 
 said, "just as mother does the flies with honey. But I ain t so 
 easily caught as they, my dear sir. Do you think I mean to throw 
 my knowledge away ? This is a land of speculation, uncle, and 
 when a man possesses a secret that s worth knowing he makes the 
 most of it he can." 
 
 "Ah ! you want to skin your poor uncle, you young rascal, do 
 you?" 
 
 "No, uncle, I only want to shave you. That will save you the 
 trouble going to the barber." 
 
 " Well, shave away, Charlie ; how much hair must I sacrifice? 
 Will a thousand dollars do ?" 
 
 " Ah ! you are generous, uncle. I see you have a due apprecia 
 tion of my secret ; but I prefer to state the matter differently. 
 First and foremost, will you have the kindness to state in to how 
 many shares the inheritance ought to be divided, according to your 
 opinion ?" 
 
 " In two, Charlie, of course, in two ; one share falling to your 
 father, the other to me." 
 
DOLORES. 243 
 
 "And Dolores, uncle. It seems you leave her entirely in the 
 cold." 
 
 " Dolores ! Ah ! yes, I recollect now, she is the representative 
 of the Italian branch. It is hard to endure the thought that a lit 
 tle girl should come in for such a pile of money 
 
 "Pile of money?" Charles interrupted him ; "hold on, uncle, 
 your fancy is running away with you. Who spoke about a pile of 
 money ?" 
 
 "Didn t you speak of one, Charlie? I thought you did. At 
 any rate there ought to be one. But what was I saying, Charlie ? 
 You interrupted me." 
 
 You spoke of Dolores, uncle." 
 
 "Exactly, Charlie. I was going to say that if the thing could 
 not be well avoided a few thousand dollars might be sacrificed to 
 satisfy the girl." 
 
 "You are very liberal, uncle, that is a fact," Charles replied, 
 somewhat vexed by the manifestation of such sordid greediness ; 
 " the matter might be looked at from a very different point of view. 
 Dolores, one might say, represents the one branch, you and father 
 the other ; consequently she is entitled to one-half of the inheri 
 tance " 
 
 This was too much for uncle Jacob. Jumping up, with every 
 sign of consternation in his face, he said : 
 
 " Charlie, lad ! you must be mad to entertain such thoughts. 
 I tell you it would be downright wickedness to let so much money 
 go out of the family." 
 
 " There ! so much money again. I told you not to be too hasty, 
 sir. If you entertain such miserly principles I have nothing more 
 to say." 
 
 After these words Charles pretended to be desirous of ending 
 the conversation by leaving the room, but his uncle, who saw that 
 he had gone too far, eagerly pressed him back upon his chair. 
 
 "Don t go, Charlie," he cried, " don t you go, my boy. I was 
 merely letting on, you know. The girl may indeed be entitled to 
 a third, but an entire half ! just think of it, Charlie ! an entire 
 half ! It is preposterous to entertain the idea." 
 
 "Ah! you are coming round, I see. A third; that sounds 
 more reasonable." 
 
244 DOLORES. 
 
 "So you give up the notion of the half?" Jacob cried; "I 
 thought you would, for the position was untenable. Yes, we ll 
 allow her one- third, we ll allow the girl one-third. Poor thing ! 
 she is fatherless and motherless, you know. It wouldn t be chris- 
 tian-like to take advantage of her, would it, Charlie?" 
 
 The young man had to bite his lips to keep from bursting into 
 a laugh. He thought he never saw the smile of the wolf in sheep s 
 clothing more strikingly illustrated. But to laugh might spoil the 
 game, so he remained serious, and said : 
 
 " Well, have it your own way. Let us assume that you are en 
 titled to a full third of Eberhardt s inheritance ; you see the thing 
 might be looked at in a very different light ; bringing in Mr. Fox 
 and myself and Henry we might reduce your share to a sixth, but 
 assuming that you were entitled to a full third what would you be 
 inclined to take for your share ?" 
 
 " What ! take for my share ?" 
 
 Jacob was somewhat bewildered in consequence of the example 
 in fractions which Charlie had given him. One-sixth ! the mere 
 idea was enough to make him tremble. 
 
 " I want to know how much you would take for your third? Is 
 that not plain enough, uncle?" 
 
 "Yes, I understand you now, Charlie. How much would I 
 take ? That is hard to say ; what do you think of a hundred 
 thousand?" 
 
 "Coppers?" 
 
 " Dollars, of course !" Jacob replied with a mien of injured dig 
 nity. 
 
 " One hundred thousand dollars ?" Charles said, breaking into 
 a boisterous laugh. " Uncle Jacob, if you were not my father s 
 brother I would call you an ass !" 
 
 Uncle Jacob swallowed haid at that tough expression, but yet 
 he succeeded. Charles knew his man. He had much knowledge 
 of men for one so young. He would have made a great statesman, 
 maybe, if his cradle had stood in the halls of some great noble 
 house. As it was, he merely had the chance of making his uncle 
 keep step to his fife ; but he made the best of it. 
 
 " Well, Charlie, being your father s brother I hope you didn t 
 mean to apply that word to me. The sum can hardly be considered 
 
DOLORES. 245 
 
 high when you take into consideration the property of Mr. Fox, 
 which also belongs to Eberhardt s bequests." 
 
 " I wouldn t be too sure about that, uncle. Mr. Fox has been 
 in possession so long that you would find it exceedingly difficult to 
 oust him. Moreover I shall tell vou in confidence, mind, uncle 
 Jacob, in confidence that Mr. Fox is on the point of becoming a 
 bankrupt." 
 
 Jacob started up. 
 
 " You don t say so ; a bankrupt with that factory and fine man 
 sion and park ?" 
 
 11 Yes, sir, with all that and in spite of it, Mr. Fox is embar 
 rassed. But you mustn t speak of it, uncle." 
 
 "Honor bright!" Jacob cried pompously. 4< But that alters 
 the case. I suppose I have to come down a peg or two." 
 
 " I suppose so, top, uncle." 
 
 * What do you think of of no indeed, I wont ask a sum at 
 all. You better make me an offer now ; yes, make me a handsome 
 offer. I know you wouldn t skin your poor uncle too badly." 
 
 " I told you I would merely shave you. What do you think of 
 twenty thousand ?" 
 
 "Now, Charlie, come, you cannot be in earnest ; twenty thous 
 and ! Bah !" 
 
 " "Well, call it thirty thousand, uncle." 
 
 "Thirty thousand !" Jacob exclaimed, while his eyes began to 
 sparkle at the readiness with which his nephew flung away ten 
 thousand dollars. " Come, my good boy, add another ten and I m 
 your man." 
 
 Charles hesitated a moment and then said : 
 
 " I shall do even better, uncle, and pay you fifty thousand dol 
 lars for your share, but on one condition." 
 
 "Name it, Charlie, name it, my boy." 
 
 " After having given me a written renunciation of your claim, 
 which is to be certified to before witnesses, you depart at once for 
 Germany, never to return." 
 
 "But the money, sir, the money ? " 
 
 " Will be handed you in drafts on a Frankfort house." 
 
 Now uncle Jacob s self-control was at an end. Jumping up and 
 
246 DOLORES. 
 
 embracing his nephew, who suffered the caress with a bad enough 
 grace, he cried : 
 
 " Nothing else, Charlie, nothing else. With all my heart will 
 I go and never return to these confounded United States. Give me 
 the money, sir, and I ll start to-morrow." 
 
 " I ll give you the money to-morrow, and you may start the day 
 after." 
 
 " Just as you please, my darling, just as you please." 
 
 " Well, come to my room, uncle. I shall draw up the papers at 
 once." 
 
 a But you will not cheat me, Charlie, will you ? " 
 
 The brow of the young man darkened. 
 
 " I will pardon your suspicion on account of your excitement. 
 If you think you cannot trust me, let us drop the matter alto 
 gether." 
 
 u No, Charlie, no, my dear lad. You must not mind my ugly 
 tongue, because it makes me say things against my own will. I ll 
 go with you." 
 
 In his room the young man drew up a paper in which Jacob 
 Fuchs pledged himself to renounce all claims to a certain inheri 
 tance coming from his ancestor, Eberhardt Fuchs, in consideration 
 of the payment of $50,000 in cash. 
 
 " Is that correct, uncle ? " 
 
 " Exactly." 
 
 * Now sign and then let us go to two neighbors to witness your 
 signature." 
 
 " But, Charlie, I haven t my money yet," 
 
 " Why, uncle, this paper only binds you in case of such a pay 
 ment. Don t you see ? " 
 
 " I do, Charlie, give me the pen ; so." 
 
 He signed and then said : 
 
 "Now let us go, Charlie." 
 
 The two left the house. The neighbors were willing enough to 
 certify to the signature. When their names were on the paper 
 Charles and his uncle returned to the cottage. 
 
 "Now keep mum, uncle," Charles cautioned his companion. 
 " Go to bed, and to-morrow morning you shall have your draft." 
 
DOLOEES. 247 
 
 " I will, Charlie, but I feel awfully dry ; don t you think we 
 had better go into the cellar and seal our treaty with a bottle ? " 
 
 "I don t care, uncle," Charles replied, fearing to contradict him 
 in a point where he knew him to be stubborn. " I have no objec 
 tions to taking a glass with you." 
 
 So they went into the cellar, and after a moderate libation 
 Charles saw his uncle into his room. There he waited until Jacob 
 was in bed and then he went away to imitate his example. 
 
 The next day was pay-day. When Charles reached the office 
 the men to whom he had made the confidential communication a 
 few days ago entered the room. They announced themselves as del 
 egates from all the workmen in the factory, and then stated that 
 they had been authorized to inform the new superintendent that 
 they would all be willing to wait a month or even two months for 
 the money, if necessary. 
 
 " I thank you in Mr. Fox s name," Charles replied to them. "I 
 thank you most sincerely, and I am sure Mr. Fox will be much 
 pleased on his return to learn your handsome conduct. However, 
 it gives me much pleasure to announce to you that your sacrifice 
 has become unnecessary. We have managed to raise sufficient funds 
 to pay you all, and if you will call at this office after twelve we 
 shall be prepared to satisfy you. We intend to give you this after 
 noon as a holiday." 
 
 " But, Mr. Charlie," said the speaker, " if it should in the least 
 embarrass Mr. Fox 
 
 "It will not, sir, not in the least. We are fully prepared to 
 settle all our debts with you, and that without any trouble at all." 
 
 The men left. They didn t seem to like the turn of affairs ; they 
 seemed to be sorry that they had been deprived of the chance of 
 rendering Mr. Fox a service. 
 
 In the afternoon the hands were all paid off and the works were 
 stopped for the rest of the day. While this transaction was still 
 going on uncle Jacob showed his face in the office. Charles beck 
 oned him to his side. 
 
 " You see I am busy now, uncle, " he whispered in his ear. 
 " We shall have to postpone our settlement until to-morrow. In the 
 meantime you get your things ready for leaving and say good-bye 
 
248 DOLORES. 
 
 to the women. They needn t know the reason of your going nor 
 your riches either. Do you hear, uncle ? " 
 
 " Yes, Charlie, but the money 
 
 ft Will be yours to-morrow. I shall accompany you to Boston. 
 I have business there, and shall buy foreign bills of exchange for 
 you." 
 
 " You would trouble yourself that much for your uncle, Char 
 lie, would you ? " 
 
 " It is no trouble, for I have to go at any rate. But now please 
 excuse me. You see these people are all waiting and I must satisfy 
 them." 
 
 Uncle Jacob left, and going home greatly surprised the women 
 by the announcement of his resolution. Henry was even more sur 
 prised than they, and with his wonderment there was mixed a con 
 siderable amount of anger. He had greatly trusted to his uncle s 
 good fortune ; he had abandoned his daily pursuits for his sake, and 
 now suddenly heard him announce his purpose of returning to his 
 native country. What could it mean ? Had he renounced the hope 
 of finding the lost will, or had somebody paid him a bonus to get 
 him out of the way? He spoke to his uncle, trying to make him 
 reveal the reason of this sudden change, but, loquacious as uncle 
 Jacob naturally was, the great sum of money at stake induced him 
 to keep his peace. 
 
 Charles in the meantime continued his labors at the office, his 
 father and the foreman assisting him. The people had formerly 
 received their wages in banknotes, and it created joy and won 
 derment at the same time when Charles this time paid down 
 their money in gold coins of full weight. On the bank notes they 
 had often to lose a fraction of a cent and more, and even with those 
 at par there was always the possibility of their being spurious. Gold 
 is the currency for the poor man ; nothing will ever induce him to 
 prefer to it paper currency, no matter how good. While the mer 
 chant, the speculator or the capitalist is glad to benefit by the lighter 
 and more convenient banknote, the day laborer will delight in noth 
 ing so much as in the solid coin which he can hoard away without 
 any danger of losing the result of his hard labor. 
 
 Charles was glad enough to see the men satisfied, but he did not 
 like the many questions they asked him. Most of them had never 
 
DOLORES. 249 
 
 seen these Spanish coins, and Charles had to explain their value to 
 almost every one of them. Fortunately, he was able to show them 
 the value of doubloons in the bank note detector, otherwise he might 
 not have been able to induce them to receive the money in spite of 
 its being gold. 
 
 The foreman shared the common wonderment at these old coins. 
 
 " Those doubloons are quite a curiosity," he said. " Where did 
 you succeed in getting so large a pile of them ? " 
 
 " They must have been hoarded away by the former superin 
 tendent in some old box or other, Charles answered evasively, pre 
 tending to be too busy to give more detailed explanations. 
 
 " I was a fool for paying the hands in these coins," he said to 
 his father when they finally were alone. 
 
 "I warned you beforehand, Charlie, didn t I? " 
 
 " You warned me against touching the money at all, and not 
 because it consisted of Spanish doubloons. At least I didn t under 
 stand you that way." 
 
 "I may not have mentioned it, but I surely had my misgiv- 
 ings." 
 
 " I am almost sure, father, you didn t raise that objection. At 
 any rate it is too late to mend the matter now. The only thing we 
 can do is to guard against spending any more of that money in this 
 neighborhood. I thought of taking a check at our bank for the 
 balance of the $25,000, but I am afraid to risk it. No city nearer 
 than Boston will answer the purpose." 
 
 " You do not think of going there, Charlie ?"* 
 
 " With your permission I do. You can manage the factory 
 alone for a few days, can you not? " 
 
 "Well, yes, I might." 
 
 " Then please raise no objections to my going. I have two 
 more objects in view." 
 
 "May I know them? " 
 
 " Of course, father. One is to test the value of some of the 
 diamonds." 
 
 "And the other?" 
 
 " To see uncle Jacob safe on his way to Germany." 
 
 " Uncle Jacob ! He go home ? Ha ! ha ! you don t know my 
 brother, if you think that he entertains any such idea." 
 
250 DOLORES. 
 
 " I do not think it, I know it, father." 
 
 "How do you know it?" 
 
 "Simply because he informed me of his resolution last night." 
 
 Mr. Fuchs looked at his son. Shaking his head, he said : 
 
 " Charles, you are growing over my head. Such things can go 
 on in my house and I not know about them ?" 
 
 "Now, don t scold me, father. I meant well and am still in 
 clined to think that I acted for the best." 
 
 * Well, that may be ; but tell me all about it. I do not see 
 how in the world you could induce Jacob to give up his chase after 
 the testament." 
 
 " I induced him by buying up his claim." % 
 
 "At what figure?" 
 
 " Fifty thousand dollars. Was that fair ?" 
 
 " Tolerably fair, but not legal." 
 
 "Father, you come back to the old point. The more I think 
 of it the more I am convinced that we ought not to take this mat 
 ter before the courts. I sounded uncle Jacob yesterday. If the 
 will is taken into court for adjustment Mr. Fox will be reduced to 
 beggary. Your brother has no more scruples to sacrifice him than 
 our cat." 
 
 " I fear you are right," Mr. Fuchs said thoughtfully. 
 
 "Very well. To make him harmless we must not only keep 
 this case out of court but even destroy the will." 
 
 "Not just no^ Charlie." 
 
 "Ko, not just now. With your permission I shall show it to 
 Mr. Fox on his return, to convince him that its suppression is in 
 his favor." 
 
 "Yes, he will see that he owes his security to our generosity." 
 
 " It isn t that, father. Only in case the thing should ever leak 
 out I want an interested witness to testify to the fairness of our 
 action. As to generosity I shall even go a step farther if you per 
 mit it." 
 
 " What step do you mean ?" 
 
 " I shall allow him the twenty-five thousand dollars as his share 
 of the money. He may secretly blame his misfortune on me, be 
 cause I did not inform him of his superintendent s action. The 
 
DOLORES. 251 
 
 -sum mentioned covers all the losses and I shall feel easier by re 
 pairing them." 
 
 "But Dolores has to be consulted." 
 
 " I have her sanction, father." 
 
 "Well, I shall not withhold mine. After once abandoning 
 legal grounds we cannot any longer be governed by legal scruples, 
 or I would say that Dolores, as a minor, has no right to give away 
 anything." 
 
 She may be a minor as to years, but her mind is riper, father, 
 than that of many an older woman." 
 
 " I think so, too, and therefore have no objections." 
 
 " So the matter is tolerably well settled. The only point about 
 which we have to come to an understanding is Henry s interest in 
 this affair." 
 
 "He must be kept in total ignorance about it," Mr. Fuchs said 
 readily. 
 
 * I say so, too, father. The knowledge of so much money at 
 our disposal would be an encouragement to his evil inclinations. 
 He has not at all improved since his uncle s arrival and it is partly 
 on his account that I made uncle Jacob s immediate, departure a 
 feature of our contract. I shall accompany him to Boston and 
 there buy him bills of exchange on Frankfort. 
 
 That is a good idea. I cannot say that I hate my brother but 
 his departure will take a burden from my heart. He would ruin 
 Henry beyond a doubt." 
 
 "And hold Mrs. Fox s reputation at his mercy." 
 
 "Dear me ! I never thought of that. Yes, my son, you man 
 aged very well ; but tell me, did you inform your mother of all 
 this?" 
 
 "No, father, I did not, simply because I lacked the time to do 
 it." 
 
 "Then you intend to tell her?" 
 
 "Surely, father. I am proud to say my mother is no gossip. 
 She can be trusted." 
 
 " Certainly she can and ought to. Had I better tell her while 
 you are absent?" 
 
 "No, father, I think I shall find leisure to tell her all to-night. 
 But it is getting late ; come, let us go." 
 
252 DOLORES. 
 
 He seized his hat and the two were on the point of leaving 
 when Charles suddenly grasped his father s arm : 
 
 "Father, tell me, did Wood use the larger safe?" 
 
 " Yes, Charlie ; why do you ask ?" 
 
 * Were there two keys to it, as to the smaller one ? 
 
 " I see what you are driving at. No, Charlie, I never saw but 
 one ; but even if there were two, you do not think that he d be 
 bold enough to venture here?" 
 
 " A rogue like him is bold enough to do anything. I ll caution 
 the watchman before I go." 
 
 On crossing the yard they found that individual smoking his 
 pipe. 
 
 " Josiah, have you got a revolver with you ? " Charles address 
 ed him. 
 
 "No, sir, I hain t. No use for one is there? " 
 
 "Well, I don t know. You are aware that Mr. Wood and 
 George ran off with a large sum of money." 
 
 " They tell me so, sir." 
 
 " Well, the scoundrels are bold enough to do most anything. 
 Do you know how to use a revolver ? 
 
 " I kind *o think I handled one one st or twiste." 
 
 " Very well, just come along and I ll lend you mine. I want 
 you to have a particular eye upon the office. There are valuable 
 books and papers there that Mr. Fox wouldn t like to lose. I shall 
 be absent for a few days and if you ll promise to take good care of 
 things generally and the office particularly I shall not mind a few 
 dollars to pay you for your trouble when I return." 
 
 "Exactly, sir, jist give me the shootin iron and I warrant you 
 there won t be nobody agoin in to yer office without payin toll." 
 
 When they reached the cottage Charles ran in and a minute 
 later returned with a revolver which he handed to the watchman. 
 
 "So!" he said to his father, after the custos had withdrawn, 
 " I shall now start with a lighter heart. It isn t very likely he ll 
 ever show his face again at Foxville, but foreseen is forewarned." 
 
DOLOEES. 253 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 A JOURNEY. 
 
 Charles did find time that evening to see his mother privately. 
 If what she heard from him filled her with great astonishment it 
 certainly cured her of her wonder at her brother-in-law s move 
 ments. She understood them well now and enjoyed them still bet 
 ter ; for she, too, had noticed his influence over Henry and knew 
 that it would hardly have the tendency of making her son any 
 better. For that reason, although she regretted to lose Charles 
 even for a few days, she readily approved of all his actions and 
 especially of his intended journey. Their interview occupied so 
 much time that he found no opportunity of exchanging with 
 Dolores more than a hasty farewell before retiring to bed. 
 
 "Mother will tell you all," he whispered as he passed her, and 
 Mrs. Fuchs had indeed volunteered to make her perfectly au fait 
 in regard to the late development of affairs. So Charles departed 
 with an easy heart. Mr. Fuchs had hitched his horse to the light 
 spring-wagon and sat already on the front seat, whip in hand, when 
 Charlie and Jacob left the house, stopping a moment on the porch 
 to shake hands and say good-bye, the latter most likely for ever. 
 
 Mr. Fuchs was to drive the two to the station, and it must be 
 confessed that uncle Jacob cut a much nicer figure on departing 
 than he did on his arrival. His brother had given him a good 
 traveling trunk and such articles of clothing as he could spare him 
 self or procure in the village. 
 
 At the factory they stopped a moment to take from the office a 
 small but very heavy valise. It took Charles entire strength to 
 lift it into the wagon, and the watchman could not help wondering 
 at a weight so out of proportion to the size. 
 
 I calculate that s part of them birds we got the other day. 
 It s no wonder he don t fancy to have anybody hook that there 
 breed. But rest easy, sar, rest ye intirely easy, I and this shootin 
 iron shall do our dewty." 
 
 Charles was glad when the factory was left behind. It was 
 early yet, the fog and sunlight battling for the mastery. The 
 scenery was pretty enough, fantastic forms of fog varying every 
 
254 DOLORES. 
 
 minute. Now this misty veil showed through a sudden rent a 
 handsome farm with fields, meadows and orchards, and a minute 
 later the rent was showed up by rapid spirit hands and a new one 
 made, through which a forest, a creek, a rivulet displayed them 
 selves to the eyes of the travelers. The distance was a short one, 
 not more than three miles, and the stout pacer of Mr. Fuchs soon 
 took them over it, landing them safely at the depot They were 
 just in time for the morning train. Charles had to use all his 
 strength to preserve an easy gait while carrying his carpet-bag. 
 
 "The cars for Boston will leave in five minutes." It is time 
 for Mr. Fuchs to say good-bye. An earnest " God bless you " to 
 his son, a " happy journey " to his brother and he leaves the car 
 and standing outside at the window watches the two until the bell 
 begins to ring and the train to set itself in motion. Looking after 
 it he remains five minutes without stirring from the place. He 
 meditates without endeavoring to get a clear impression of his 
 thoughts. Only this he knows, he feels no sorrow at parting from 
 a brother whom he is not very likely to see again. He also knows 
 that this brother is even more indifferent, gazing with feverish im 
 patience towards the hour that will put him in possession of the 
 dear, the long-coveted thousands. 
 
 But his horse impatiently paws the ground, so he goes and 
 jumping into the wagon whips him into a fast gait, in order to for 
 get his thoughts by the rapid motion. 
 
 The train also proceeds on its way, increasing its speed from sec 
 ond to second, until at last it reaches its maximum rapidity and 
 then with suspended breath, as it were, hurries the passengers over 
 hill and dale, even through the bowels of the earth. 
 
 Towns are reached and left behind ; big forests passed which, in 
 consequence of the rapid motion, appear as mere groves, fit for Sun 
 day-school picnics. Cows grazing along the railway are condensed 
 in herds of- such magnitude that we wonder how one farmer can 
 manage to milk so many, and what in the world he does with all 
 the milk, and cream, and butter. 
 
 At length darkness descends upon the earth. It throws its veil 
 over all the country around us. We know there is something there, 
 though, and we feel oppressed at the thought of the existence of so 
 many things of which we fail to form the slightest idea. But this, 
 
DOLORES. 255 
 
 too, does not last long. We are tired of thinking, and, closing our 
 eyes, manage to snatch a few moments of slumber from which, 
 however, every shrill whistle awakens us, causing us to start and 
 wonder whether the steam-pipe will not soon whistle for our station. 
 
 Nothing is eternal on earth ; even a day s journey on the rail 
 road comes to a terminus. Even f I hear the reader ask. Yes, 
 even, or has it entirely escaped their observation that our impatience 
 increases in the exact ratio of our means of gratifying it ? Who 
 ever thought of grumbling about slow speed in the days of canal- 
 boats and stage-coaches ? Only since railroads have been in vogue 
 has it become the fashion to be impatient and lament the loss of a 
 half hour as if it were the last one at the disposal of the traveler 
 and badly needed to make his piece with Heaven. 
 
 Charles and his uncle reached Boston in safety, but at an hour 
 when even in great cities people begin to seek their pillow. Charles 
 happened to recollect the name of the hotel which Mr. Fox was in 
 the habit of frequenting on his trips to Boston, and securing a car 
 riage, ordered the driver to take them there. Fortunately there 
 was room in the house, and the young man secured two adjoining 
 apartments for himself and uncle. 
 
 Charles was an early riser. In spite of yesterday s fatigue he 
 was ready for breakfast while uncle Jacob still snored away with a 
 skill such as only long practice can give. So the young man went 
 down stairs and after taking his breakfast went into the office. 
 
 " Is Mr. Fox here ? " he asked the clerk. 
 
 " Which Mr. Fox, sir? We have several guests by that name. 
 There is one of them with us just now." 
 
 " The Mr. Fox I mean hails from Foxville, Maine. His first 
 name is Edward." 
 
 " That s the man, sir ; he lodges in No. 8, second floor. You 
 will find him in now ; hasn t had his breakfast yet." 
 
 "Not just now, sir. Please don t mention to Mr. Fox that I 
 inquired for him ; I want to surprise him on my return to the ho 
 tel. Can you give me the address of some prominent jeweler who- 
 deals in diamonds ? " 
 
 "Yes, sir, I can ; there are Messrs. Ruby & Co., No. 279 this 
 street, a very prompt and reliable firm. Nothing bogus there ; all 
 genuine, all solid." 
 
256 DOLORES. 
 
 1 Are they likely to be open at this early hour ? " 
 
 "Generally open about this time, between eight and nine. What 
 time is it now? Half-past eight. Yes, sir, I think you ll find them 
 open." 
 
 " Very well, I shall go there. Much obliged for your informa 
 tion." 
 
 " No occasion, sir ; just go down this street. No. 279 ; you can 
 hardly miss it." 
 
 Charles followed the directions and reached the store just as the 
 doors were opened to the public. 
 
 " Mr. Ruby in ?" he asked the janitor. 
 
 " No, sir ; he is hardly ever here before twelve o clock, but his 
 partner, Mr. Brilliant, is in the office." 
 
 " That will answer," the young man replied, walking the length 
 of the store to a small room which was separated from the store by 
 a glass partition, and by the desk, stools and arm-chairs announced 
 itself at once as the office. On entering Charles found a young man 
 who was sitting in an arm-chair reading the morning paper. When 
 he observed the stranger he politely saluted him, and, rising to his 
 feet asked what he wished." 
 
 " I wanted to see Mr. Ruby on business, but since he is absent, 
 as I hear, any other head of the firm will answer as well." 
 
 " I am his partner, sir ; please take a seat." 
 
 " After accepting the invitation Charles drew a small paper box 
 from his pocket. 
 
 "Mr. Brilliant, if I am right?" 
 
 " Brilliant, sir, is my name." 
 
 " Well, Mr. Brilliant, I have by inheritance become heir to a 
 fine selection of diamonds which I should like to dispose of. I need 
 the money more than the jewels, besides being no great admirer of 
 trinkets of that kind." 
 
 " Have you got the stones with you ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir, I have some of them. 1 was afraid to carry a larger 
 number on account of the insecurity of large cities, such as Boston." 
 
 Mr. Brilliant took the box and opened it. On perceiving the 
 stones he started ; that was more than he had expected. He had 
 seldom seen a more brilliant selection of diamonds, and yet this 
 young man said they were only a part of those in his possession. 
 
DOLOKES. 257 
 
 The enthusiast for once got the better of the shrewd business man 
 and he said : 
 
 " My dear sir, do you know that you have a fine selection of dia 
 monds there ? Your relative must have been a pretty rich fellow 
 to leave you such diamonds." 
 
 He was an old bachelor and a queer kind of a fellow. I never 
 knew him personally, but those who did tell me that he was fond 
 of collecting them." 
 
 . May I request your name sir ? " 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 " Because we could hardly venture on so large a purchase with 
 out knowing the name of the owner and receiving some good refer 
 ence. They might be " 
 
 "Stolen? " Charles continued, when the other hesitated, half 
 vexed, half amused at the idea. 
 
 " Do I look like a thief, sir ? " 
 
 " No, sir, you do not, and you must pardon my straightfor 
 wardness. But we cannot always take a person s looks as an index 
 of his character, and if you had been bitten as often as we have, 
 sir, you would not only find our caution excusable, but even neces 
 sary. 
 
 Charles mused a moment. 
 
 " Do you happen to know a certain Mr. Fox, of Foxville, State 
 of Maine?" 
 
 " Mr. Edward Fox, owner of a cutlery factory ? " 
 
 " The very same, Charles said, greatly relieved at the thought 
 of being able now to refer to him. " Would a reference from him 
 answer your purpose, even if I prefer to maintain my incognitio ? " 
 
 "Perfectly, sir." 
 
 Without any further words Charles stepped to a desk, penned 
 a few lines and after folding and sealing the note, addressed it to 
 Mr. Edward Fox, Hotel, No. 8. 
 
 "So," he said, turning agfrin to Mr. Brillant, "if you ll have 
 the kindness to send this to its address you ll have satisfaction in 
 less than ten mtoiutes." 
 
 Mr. Brillant called a boy, ordering him to carry the letter to 
 the address and wait for an answer. Then he resumed his examina 
 tion of the stones and was still engaged in that agreeable pastime 
 
258 DOLORES. 
 
 -when the boy returned with an answer. On opening it Mr. Brillant 
 read as follows : 
 
 HOTEL, Nov. 5th, 1858. 
 
 MR. BRILLANT. Dear Sir: I heartily endorse any transaction 
 of the writer of the note you sent me. You may consider me as re 
 sponsible for anything he does. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 EDWARD Fox. 
 
 "That is more than sufficient, sir," Mr. Brillant addressed our 
 friend. "I beg pardon again for my necessary caution. Have 
 you already fixed a value on these stones ? 
 
 "Only a very vague one, sir. To tell you the honest truth, 
 sir, I am a very poor judge of precious stones and came to you be 
 cause you have the reputation of great fairness. State the sum 
 you can afford to give for the stones and I am inclined to think 
 that I shall accept your offer. 
 
 Mr. Brillant now examined stone after stone in the most care 
 ful manner. It took him fully half an hour to get through, but 
 when he was through he had also made up his mind." 
 
 " These are beautiful stones," he said, "but then some of them 
 have to be cut and that is rather expensive. We could give you 
 fifty thousand dollars for the stones and not a cent more." 
 
 Charles had taken somewhat less than half the stones. The 
 offer was more than he had expected and he at once signified his 
 readiness to accept it. 
 
 " You will double your sum on those diamonds," he said, " but 
 that is no more than fair. A man don t lay out fifty thousand dol 
 lars for nothing. I shall take your offer provided I can have the 
 sum at once." 
 
 Mr. Brillant scratched his head, and said : 
 
 "Fifty thousand dollars is no child s play. Can you wait till 
 noon?" " 
 
 "lean." 
 
 * Then the stones are mine. Here, take them, and if you will 
 call about twelve o clock you will find me ready to pay you." 
 
 " I don t want the stones with me," Charles replied. "A due 
 note for the full amount will answer the purpose." 
 
 Mr. Brillant wrote the note and Charles, after pocketing it, 
 withdrew from the store. He hurried back to the hotel and taking 
 
DOLORES. 259 
 
 his carpet-bag with him, was going to start on a second expedition 
 when the clerk stopped him. 
 
 " The gentleman who arrived with you seems to be in great 
 tribulation about your absence. He talks a language I do not un 
 derstand German, I believe and perhaps you had better see him 
 a moment just to put him at his ease." 
 
 Charles laughed. 
 
 "The old fool!" he cried. Have you nobody in the house 
 who speaks his language ?" 
 
 " One of the waiters does, sir." 
 
 "Well, then, just tell him to bear with me for one more hour. 
 If I go up I ll never disengage myself again. The old fellow is a 
 perfect sticking plaster." 
 
 " Very well, sir, I ll do your bidding." 
 
 Charles left the house and, walking down the street, entered 
 the office of the first private banking house he came to. 
 
 "What do you pay for doubloons?" he asked a man behind 
 the counter. 
 
 The banker stated the price. 
 
 * Do you feel disposed to buy any ?" 
 
 " As many as you have, 1 the man said with a smile. 
 
 Charles opened his valise and as he pulled out bag after bag and 
 placed them in a line on the counter the countenance of the banker 
 gradually became more respectful. So it is in this world. They 
 don t value us according to what we are but what we have, and 
 their faces, like thermometers, indicate the degree of respect which, 
 according to their opinion, correspond with our means. 
 
 When the valise had become exhausted the banker and a few 
 assistants counted the doubloons with the rapidity and accuracy 
 peculiar to the tribe. After counting, the lead pencil wandered 
 for a minute over a piece of paper and the calculation being finish 
 ed it was laid before Charles without a word of explanation. 
 Figures speak for themselves. What use is there in wasting breath 
 on them ? 
 
 Charles had made his own calculation at home. The difference 
 was too immaterial to cavil over, and he said : 
 
 Very well, sir." 
 
 * What kind of money do you want ? 
 
260 DOLORES. 
 
 " None just at present. I prefer a couple of accepted orders on 
 your house." 
 
 "To what amount?" 
 
 "One eleven, the other nine thousand dollars; payable to 
 bearer." 
 
 " Here they are, sir." 
 
 Charles pocketed these orders like the first one and then, with 
 the help of the directory, searched and found the firms to whom 
 Mr. Fox was indebted. 
 
 Calling at the first creditor he stated his readiness to settle Mr. 
 Fox s bill. 
 
 The man looked astonished. 
 
 " Why, how is this?" he asked. " He was here but yesterday 
 stating his inability. The debt is in the hands of our attorney for 
 collection." 
 
 "Will you withdraw it on payment?" 
 
 "Of course we will." 
 
 " Here is a draft for eleven thousand dollars." 
 
 The head of the firm seemed to be a little ashamed, an4 Charles 
 imagined that Mr. Fox must have been subjected to rather humilia 
 ting treatment. Taking his receipt he started for the second firm 
 and after having arranged matters there to mutual satisfaction, he 
 returned to the hotel. 
 
 "It is time you are coming, sir," the clerk said with a laugh ; 
 " your friend is roaring like a hungry lion." 
 
 Charles muttered something like an imprecation while he ran 
 up stairs, taking three steps at a time. The door of his uncle s 
 room was left upon the latch and he could hear how the old gentle 
 man lamented in his native tongue to some one within. 
 
 "The young rogue!" he heard him cry, "to leave his poor 
 uncle in such a fix ! To leave him in a strange town, in a strange 
 hotel, with no means to pay expenses ! I might have known it 
 would come to this, old fool that I was ; yes, I might have known 
 from the way he soft-soaped me. But it shall cost him dear, this 
 joke upon his uncle. I shall without delay walk back to Foxville 
 and have him arrested for false pretenses ; yes, for swindling." 
 
 That was as much as Charles wanted to hear. Pushing the 
 door open with an energetic jerk he rapidly stepped into the room 
 
DOLORES. 2 61 
 
 and stood before his uncle with brows contracted and a flashing eye 
 that portended little good to the whining adventurer. In fact he 
 stopped as suddenly as if a slap had shut his lips ; his figure assumed 
 a bent posture and his hands were clasped partly in astonishment, 
 partly in supplication. 
 
 Charles was on the point of giving way to his indignation, but 
 the presence of the waiter caused him to check himself. 
 
 " Have the kindness to leave us for a moment," Charles said 
 to the servant, and when the man had obeyed his injunction he ad 
 dressed his uncle : 
 
 "What does this farce signify?" he said sternly. "Am I to 
 infer from your conduct that you have gone crazy ? Indeed in no 
 other way can I explain to myself this ridiculous conduct." 
 
 " Now, Charlie, please don t be mad. I thought I feared 
 
 " Say nothing more, sir, for I fear that your thoughts embodied 
 a gross insult to myself. I ask no excuses, sir ; but I will say this, 
 if you once more conduct yourself in this disgraceful manner I 
 shall at once leave you to your fate, and take good care, too, that 
 the door of my father s house will not be opened again to you." 
 
 Uncle Jacob was completely cowed. Charles looked at his 
 watch , t it was exactly twelve o clock. 
 
 " Take your hat, sir, and come with me," he said in the same 
 stern tone. " I shall buy the drafts I promised you and then dis 
 patch you without delay. There is but little pleasure in your com 
 pany." 
 
 Uncle Jacob took his hat and silently followed Charles down 
 stairs. The clerk tried to catch a glance of intelligence from the 
 young man, but Charles was not at all willing to make him a party 
 of this embroglio and therefore passed him without vouchsafing 
 him a single look. 
 
 " Proud like the dickens," the clerk muttered to himself. " I 
 shouldn t wonder if that poor old gentleman had good reasons for 
 his lamentations after all. If the trunk wasn t here I would pre 
 sent the bill at once." 
 
 " Inconsistent Mr. Clerk ! You are not the only individual who 
 measures the character of others by the scale of his sensitiveness. A 
 man is a perfect gentleman if he smiles on you, but if he steps by 
 chance upon your corn he is a low-bred pup. 
 
262 DOLORES. 
 
 Fortunately for Charles the remark of the clerk did not affect 
 him. Walking rapidly he soon reached the jeweler who had pur 
 chased his diamonds. Mr. Ruby was present now, and compli 
 mented the stranger on the possession of such nice stones. After 
 redeeming their note and receiving the receipt of Charles the deal 
 ers requested him to call on them first in case he should wish to 
 dispose of his other stones. This he promised and then left the 
 store, followed more than accompanied by his uncle, who found diffi 
 culty in keeping up with his nephew s rapid steps, and yet shunned 
 to remonstrate with him. 
 
 All at once Charles stopped. He had discovered a sign that at 
 tracted his attention. It read : 
 
 * * 
 
 1 "TRANS ATLANTIC STEAMSHIP COMPANY." : 
 
 * * 
 
 A circular pasted in the show window informed the public that 
 the splendid steamer Sea Serpent would leave for Antwerp the next 
 morning ; also that bills of exchange on any European city were 
 sold and bought here at the cheapest rate. 
 
 Charles had found what he wanted. 
 
 "Come in," he laconically addressed his uncle, and entering 
 the building informed one of the clerks that he wanted to buy bills 
 of exchange on Frankfort and also engage a stateroom on the Sea 
 Serpent. 
 
 11 To what amount would you want the bills ?" the clerk in 
 quired. 
 
 " Forty-nine thousand dollars in favor of Jacob Fuchs," Charles 
 replied, laying as many notes on the counter. 
 
 The clerk smiled. They don t charge for smiles in money insti 
 tutions, but they don t smile on paupers either. They are very 
 quick at such places, but for 849,000 they surpass themselves. 
 Charles had his bills in less than ten minutes. 
 
 " Now the stateroom," he said. 
 
 " Exactly, sir, you can have your choice. Here is No. 28, which 
 I can recommend to you with a good conscience, because I once 
 made the trip in it myself." 
 
 "Let it be No. 28, then." 
 
 "What name, sir?" 
 
DOLOKES. 263 
 
 "Jacob Fuchs." 
 
 One hundred dollars, sir, if you please. Thank you. Here 
 is your ticket. You had better send you baggage to the vessel at 
 once." 
 
 "I shall, sir. Good-day." 
 
 " Now for the trunk and then to the vessel." 
 
 At the hotel Charles settled his uncle s bill and then ordered a 
 carriage. 
 
 " You forgot to pay your own bill," the clerk said, somewhat 
 impudently. 
 
 " I do not intend to leave yet." 
 
 " That makes no difference. It is our custom to collect the bill 
 in advance where there is no baggage to secure it." 
 
 Charles pitched him a hundred dollar note. 
 
 ** "I commend your caution, " he said, derisively. "It speaks 
 well for the class of guests you deal with. Does that suffice as se 
 curity ? " 
 
 The clerk was as susceptible to the influence of money as other 
 persons. Besides, Charles had spoken haughtily, and it is the priv 
 ilege of nabobs to order their fellow men about. Handing back the 
 money he said : 
 
 " Never mind, sir, about the money. We can afford to make an 
 exception in your case." 
 
 " But I cannot afford to accept a favor from you, sir. Keep the 
 bill until we settle." 
 
 The clerk felt cheap when Charles left the office. 
 
 " He must be something big," the consistant logician muttered 
 to himself. 
 
 It was a fact, however ; Charles had the airs of a duke. 
 
 Away the carriage rolled, landing them in due time at the pier 
 where the Sda Serpent lay at anchor. Entrusting the trunk to a 
 porter Charles led his uncle to the office of the steamer, and on pre 
 senting his ticket was shown to No. 28. 
 
 " Sit down, sir," the young man said, accompanying his words 
 with a motion of his hand and taking a chair himself. I want to 
 settle with you." 
 
 Uncle Jacob had not yet recovered from his depression, so he 
 obeyed his nephew and looked at him in expectation. 
 
264 DOLORES. 
 
 " Here are 849,000 in bills of exchange," the young man re 
 sumed ; here is your ticket and here the sum of $900 in cash. That 
 makes 850,000, does it not ? " 
 
 "Yes, Charlie, so it does. You are a good lad, and I hope " 
 
 I hope that you will abstain from hoping anything at all. We 
 are done, sir, and I shall now see that you live up to the letter and 
 spirit of our contract. There is no necessity for leaving this vessel 
 any more. You know she will leave early in the morning." 
 
 Yes, Charlie, I know. 
 
 " Then you had better stay on board. If you don t, I will not 
 be responsible for any losses you may sustain." 
 
 " I shall stay on board, my boy. I am too glad to have reached 
 it to leave it again this side of the? Atlantic. " 
 
 " Very well. You will no longer need me, and I may as well 
 wish you a pleasant voyage and retire." / 
 
 "Won t you shake hands, Charlie?" Jacob said, reproach 
 fully. 
 
 " If it gives you any satisfaction, why not ? " 
 
 Charles spoke and shook hands with equal coldness. He could 
 not force himself to feign a sorrow he did not feel. His uncle s 
 character had filled him with extreme distrust. 
 
 So they parted, Charles sincerely hoped forever. He had or 
 dered the cabman to wait for him, and now drove rapidly to the ho 
 tel. It was near dinner-time and Mr. Fox was at home. Charles 
 knocked at his door, and on the inmate s " Come in," entered. Mr. 
 Fox sat on a lotljige, and Charles was frightened at the great change 
 which the days of their separation had produced on his face. The 
 furrows on the forehead had deepened, and the cheeks looked pale 
 and hollow. The lips, not over-firm before, now hung down with 
 an expression of utter helplessness. On perceiving the young man 
 Mr. Fox half arose, with a shadow of his former jovialty in his face.. 
 He stretched his hand towards the young man and said : 
 
 " Ah ! there you are at last, my boy. I have been expecting 
 you ever since the reception of your note. Was my reply of any 
 use to you ? 
 
 " It was, sir, and I thank you for your confidence." 
 
 " Confidence ? Ah ! Charlie, I wish I could trust all the world 
 as much as you. 
 
DOLORES. 265 
 
 " The world seems to have dealt roughly with you, my dear sir. 
 You look pale and haggard." 
 
 " The world is the world, Charlie ; It smiles upon the prosper 
 ous, it frowns upon the unfortunate. It frowns upon me, my boy, 
 at present ; that tells the whole story." 
 
 " You have not been successful, then, in your endeavors ? " 
 
 " They have been worse than failures, Charlie. This Italian 
 war has made money so tight that affairs have much the appearance 
 of a panic. I have tried every means to raise the necessary money 
 but I have failed. Everybody has treated me with such a strange 
 distrust that I sometimes have felt inclined to see more in it than 
 the general suspicion incident to times of panic." 
 
 11 Mr. Wood s doings," Charles suggested. 
 
 " I shouldn t wonder ; indeed I have thought so to. But that 
 fact does not much alter things. I cannot pay my debts ; I lack the 
 means to carry on the factory, and the sale of my property under 
 very disadvantageous circumstances arises* before my mind as an 
 unavoidable calamity. 
 
 " J s the want of money the only thing that troubles you ? Par 
 don the question, Mr. Fox, since it is dictated by the most sincere 
 sympathy." 
 
 " I know, my boy, I know that very well," Mr. Fox said ear 
 nestly, seizing and pressing Charlie s hand. " I wish Providence 
 had bestowed upon me the gift of such a son. Indeed, it gives me 
 pleasure to think of you as one related by the ties of consanguin- 
 ity." 
 
 " Then, Mr. Fox, you will relate to me all that troubles you ? 
 Perhaps I can relieve you more than you may think." 
 
 Mr. Fox shook his head. 
 
 * That is hardly possible, my boy. My other sorrows are sor 
 rows of the heart, and engendered by the unworthy conduct of my 
 family. Do you understand me now ? 
 
 I do, sir, but yet I do not despair of offering effective consola 
 tion. First let me tell you, Mr. Fox, that I have good news from 
 home." 
 
 You allude to Mrs. Fox ? Ah ! Charlie, may not in this in 
 stance good news be bad and bad news good ? " 
 
 Charles started. 
 
266 DOLORES. 
 
 * Mr. Fox," he said, with somewhat of reproach in his tones, 
 " you cannot really desire the death of a repentant sinner? " 
 
 " She is repentant, then ? " he asked with an averted look." 
 
 " Not so much in words as actions. We have managed to im 
 press her with the belief that the causes of her sickness are un 
 known to all but her. This has quickened her recovery and un 
 doubtedly engendered her resolution to bury the past in oblivion 
 and begin a new life." 
 
 He stopped as if expecting a question on the part of Mr. Fox, 
 but when that gentleman preserved his silence, Charles continued : 
 
 " Her former aversion to Dolores has suddenly changed into so 
 ardent an affection as to arouse the jealousy of even gentle Lucy. 
 Indeed, Dolores had to remain with her night and day, and to her 
 care and magnetic influence the doctor ascribes the rapid convales 
 cence of the patient." 
 
 Mr. Fox became interested against his will. 
 
 " And Dolores ? " h* inquired. 
 
 Has conducted herself in this affair with the strange good tact 
 she always shows. * She nurses Mrs. Fox with the love and pa 
 tience of a daughter, and has even influenced Lucy s stubbornness 
 when she refused to pardon her erring mother." 
 
 Mr. Fox groaned. 
 
 " That is the point, Charlie," he cried, " the thorn in my side 
 that turns my food into poison and makes my nights sleepless. Thus 
 to be deceived by the mate of my house and bed ; to have the 
 honor of my name sullied before the eyes of a prying world. It is 
 enough to drive one to madness." 
 
 Charles took Mr. Fox s hand. 
 
 " My dear sir, will you tolerate the advice and consolation of 
 one as young as I ?" 
 
 1 Speak, my boy." 
 
 " Well, then, allow me to assure you that you look at this in 
 too dark a light. As to the world, it will never know this false step 
 of Mrs. Fox s. Dr. Palmer is the only one outside of our family 
 who knows it, and I will answer for him myself." 
 
 " Yes, Dr. Palmer is true." 
 
 " Very well. Henry, fortunately, was asleep at the time of the 
 
DOLORES. 267 
 
 accident, and the only dangerous witness has just taken the steamer 
 for Europe." 
 
 " Whom do you mean ?" Mr. Fox inquired, with a start. 
 
 " My uncle Jacob. We have induced him to return to his na 
 tive country. That is only one of the many strange events I have 
 to tell you ; but everything in due time. At present let me return 
 to the poor patient at our house. We have all buried the occur 
 rence in the deepest recesses of our soul. Mr. Fox, could you not 
 do the same ? Could you not pardon the poor lady s offense and 
 allow her to open a new record ? I know well enough that you are 
 a deeply injured man, but from what my mother says there has 
 been such a radical change in Mrs. Fox that there is no doubt of 
 much happiness in store for you if you can only overcome a resent 
 ment which, though natural, is neither Christian nor politic." 
 
 " You are a warm advocate, Charlie, Mr. Fox said with a smile 
 that drove much of the former gloom away from his countenance, 
 but you ask impossibilities. A man cannot change his heart in 
 the twinkling of an eye. All 111 promise you is to make the -effort 
 to forget." 
 
 " I ask no more. But in regard to the new state of affairs." 
 
 11 Of course I ll recognize them. The future will much depend 
 on her conduct." 
 
 " Then I predict a happy solution. But, Mr. Fox, there is an 
 other sore spot you haven t touched as yet. Let me spare you the 
 pain by stating that Richard is its name." 
 
 Mr. Fox nodded. 
 
 " Is he really so bad ?" 
 
 " Yes, I have been obliged to listen to a long record of shame 
 and sin since my arrival here," Mr. Fox said, with a sigh. " His 
 employer has dismissed him long ago, and thus far all my efforts to 
 ferret him out have been unsuccessful." 
 
 " That is too bad, indeed. How -may he manage to exist with 
 out your support ? " 
 
 " I fear he has received assistance from his mother, but that 
 will now be different, and may as well be buried with other errors. 
 I must not dwell on it, or the task of forgiving her will be aggra 
 vated." 
 
 " Then let us forget it by all means. lam here now and two 
 
268 DOLORES. 
 
 can always accomplish more than one. We must not think of 
 going home until we discover Richard s hiding place." 
 
 But you forget the factory, Charlie. It makes me shudder to 
 think of its present condition. The hands have not been paid and 
 the supply of steel is nearly or entirely exhausted." 
 
 "Excuse my contradiction, sir, but the hands have been paid." 
 
 "Paid!" 
 
 Mr. Fox was not merely startled he was puzzled. He evi 
 dently did not understand the other s meaning. Charles could 
 surely not make sport of him : that would be outrageous under 
 the circumstances. 
 
 " Yes, paid," Chiles replied, evidently enjoying Mr. Fox s 
 bewilderment. Besides that, a new supply of steel has been 
 procured and paid for. 
 
 Mr. Fox got alarmed. Could it be barely possible that the 
 mind of his young friend should have suffered ? He looked at 
 him with a glance that spoke his apprehension ; but Charles en 
 joyed, his mystification too much to end it all at once ; so he con 
 tinued : 
 
 "A tide of good luck has set in since your departure, Mr. Fox. 
 Will you have the kindness to examine these papers ?" 
 
 * A receipt in full from Messrs. Steel & Co. Another from 
 Messrs. Ironton Bros. Charlie, what does that mean? Come, 
 don*t play with me any longer. I might not be able to stand it 
 much longer. A minute ago I feared for your reason now I 
 begin to tremble for my own." 
 
 Mr. Fox, in saying this, laid his hand upon his forehead. At 
 the same time he looked so very much perplexed that Charles saw 
 the necessity of immediate explanation. 
 
 ** Your reason is all right, Mr. Fox, and if you will listen to me 
 I shall tell you a strange story." 
 
 " Go on then, Charlie, the .faster the better." 
 
 The young man told his story. It was as long as wonderful, 
 and more than once Mr. Fox thought that the solution was more 
 puzzling than the puzzle. Still he listened patiently to the end ; 
 but when Charles at last had done he yielded to the flood of long 
 pent-up feelings. Taking both the hands of his young friend he 
 shook them heartily and said : 
 
DOLORES. 269 
 
 "Charles, you are a greater jewel than any your ancestor left 
 you in his will. Without you what would I be to-day ? By re 
 ceiving my wife into your house you saved my honor, at least, be 
 fore the world. By plundering your own inheritance you sus 
 tained my sinking fortune. What I am to-day is your work. 
 Charles, how can I ever pay this debt of gratitude?" 
 
 The bright tears ran down the cheeks of Mr. Fox. It is embar 
 rassing to see a man weep, and Charles, therefore, cried. 
 
 "Now please don t, Mr. Fox ; I cannot stand it. You have 
 borne misfortune like a hero ; don t let good luck unman you now." 
 
 "You are right, Charlie, right in this as in everything." Mr. 
 Fox said, with a smile, drying up the evidence of his weakness, 
 * But now come at once and let me write you an acknowledgement 
 of my indebtedness. How much did the whole sum amount to?" 
 
 "Never mind the sum. My father and Dolores could not 
 think of receiving the gifts of fortune without bestowing a 
 of the blessing on the American branch of the family. Th 
 you to consider yourself the owner of the sum advanced." 
 
 "No, Charlie, no, that will never do. How could I ever " 
 
 Charles stopped him rather abruptly. 
 
 "See here, sir," he said somewhat sternly. "I just now took 
 Uncle Jacob with fifty thousand dollars to the Sea-serpent. Shall 
 we bestow that sum upon one so unworthy and be deprived of the 
 pleasure of bestowing less than one-half the sum upon a man 
 whom we both love and respect ?" 
 
 * But he is an heir by right. 
 
 " You are an heir by nature, and there is no more sacred right 
 than that. Now please, sir, say not another word, unless you 
 mean to hurt the feelings of a person who deserves bettdtf treat 
 ment at your hands." 
 
 "I give in, Charlie, I give in, my boy ; but if I ever forget you 
 this 
 
 "Now, there, again. We want you to forget this and many 
 other things. But there goes the gong, sir ; come on to dinner. 
 Talking has made me as hungry as a wolf." 
 
270 DOLORES. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 A MAN HUNT. 
 
 Charles, young as he was, readily saw the reason why Mr. Fox 
 had thus far failed to find any trace of Richard. He had merely 
 made underhand inquiries ; that is he had searched a pin in the 
 river while standing on shore. There are only two ways of finding 
 the frequenter of dens of vice. One of them is to pay the police 
 for lending you their eyes and the other, and far the surest, is to 
 use your own. So, while Charles humored his friend in seconding 
 his efforts he kept his ow r n counsel, and at night when Mr. Fox had 
 retired to bed started on expeditions of his own. He had read 
 enough about large cities to know that criminals and adventurers 
 who live on their wits and devotees of low and obscene pleasure 
 seoli| the night as naturally as the owls of the forest in pursuit of 
 their game. He knew, moreover, that the frequentation of their 
 dens are even more dangerous at night than during daylight ; but 
 that could not deter him from his purpose. Armed with a small 
 revolver, which could easily be concealed in his breast-pocket, and 
 with a cane of solid material, he set out on his mission. Night 
 after night he hunted the grog shops, the dancing houses, and the 
 brothels of Boston, but evidently to no avail. A week passed with 
 out bringing the least clue of the lost son, and Mr. Fox, falling 
 back into his previous despondency, declared any further efforts 
 useless and reminded Charles of the necessity of returning to Fox- 
 ville. In vain the young man demonstrated the propriety of pro 
 longing their search. Mr. Fox had become so crabbed in conse 
 quence of his late misfortunes that he was difficult to manage and 
 disinclined to humor Charlie s wishes. 
 
 "Very well," he finally answered, "Til give you one more day. 
 If we fail to discover any trace within that time I shall give him 
 up for lost and return to Foxville without him. A father cannot 
 be expected to make himself a slave for the sake of a degenerate 
 son." 
 
 Charles had to content himself with this reply ; but he resolved 
 to make the most of this respite and to secure the assistance of a 
 skilled detective. On inquiry he learned that a certain Mr. Sly 
 
DOLORES. 271 
 
 possessed the reputation of being foremost in that profession. Mr. 
 Sly might be found at headquarters, if not not engaged, he was- 
 informed, and, going there, Charles was so fortunate as to find his- 
 man. Mr. Sly took him to his office and inquired about his wishes. 
 
 Charles drew a ten-dollar note from his pocket and handed it to 
 the detective. 
 
 4 * Please accept this as a token of my consideration. If you 
 can help me in the accomplishment of my purpose I shall give you 
 ten times that sum." 
 
 Mr. Sly replied that it would give him pleasure to assist so con 
 siderate a gentleman, and, thanks t the bank notes, he meant what 
 he said. 
 
 Charles proceeded to state the nature of his wishes. He alsa 
 stated that he had scoured all the dens of Boston for a week with 
 out even the shadow of success, and that he thought he could use- 
 the remaining day to no better purpose than to renew his researches 
 under the guidance of Mr. Sly. 
 
 The detective meditated for a minute. Then he asked : 
 
 "How old is the lad?" 
 
 About seventeen." 
 
 "His name?" 
 
 " Richard Fox." 
 
 Formerly employed by Steel & Co. you say? 1 
 
 Yes, sir. 
 
 That firm could give no clue to his whereabouts ?" 
 
 "No, sir, they hadn t seen him for six months." 
 
 " Had he any passions, any favorite pastime while at home?" 
 
 Charles started. The thought had never struck him. 
 
 "Yes, sir, he was a complete jockey. He was only happy 
 when in the stables or on horseback." 
 
 "That is important, sir. I know a livery man that deals with 
 all the fops and dandies of the city. If it suits your pleasure, sir, 
 we shall go to see him." 
 
 Charles answered by taking his hat. 
 
 Mr. Sly, my purse is at your service," he said. "Don t hesi 
 tate to take a cab whenever you deem it desirable." 
 
 Yours is a wise policy, sir. By using the horses legs instead 
 of yours you ll double your time. Hoh I Jimmy ! this way !" 
 
272 BOLORES. 
 
 Jimmy was a driver and obeyed the summons, and a minute 
 afterwards the new friends rolled towards the livery stable in ques 
 tion. It was not far from headquarters and before long the cab 
 stopped. 
 
 "Mr. Dash, allow me to introduce my friend, Mr. Fuchs, to 
 you." 
 
 " Mr. Fuchs, glad to see you. What can I do for you ?" 
 
 " That s easily stated. Mr. Fuchs is in quest of a young cousin 
 who always had" a passion for the noble steed. You keep the best 
 horses and most stylish vehicles in the city of Boston and it is nat 
 ural that we should apply to you for information before going to 
 other parties." 
 
 Very flattering, Mr. Sly, but yet correct. Please may I ask 
 the name of your relation ?" 
 
 "Richard Fox, of Maine." 
 
 "Handsome youth of seventeen, slender frame, fair hair, mus 
 tache in the act of sprouting ?" 
 
 "The very man," Charles eagerly exclaimed. "Can you give 
 us any clue to his whereabouts ?" 
 
 " Sorry to say, no. Hasn t been here these three weeks. Out 
 of cash, I suppose ; couldn t pay for the last horse he hired." 
 
 "Ah! that is too bad!" Charles cried with much disappoint 
 ment. "Mr. Sly, I am afraid we ll have to shift our stage of 
 action." 
 
 " Not too fast, Mr. Fuchs, if you please. Never give up a trail 
 until you find a better one ; that is our first rule, sir. Mr. Dash> 
 don t you recollect any customer of yours with whom Mr. Fox 
 used to be intimate ?" 
 
 Mr. Dfesh hesitated a moment. 
 
 " See here, Sly, I don t want to go to court on this affair." 
 
 "Court? What do you think, sir? I know better than that. 
 Your name will not appear. If you have no other scruples, you 
 may as well shell out your news." 
 
 1 Well, on that condition I have no objection to let you know 
 that Mr. Fox was very intimate with Charles Burlesque." 
 
 "Burlesque? You mean the comedian?" 
 
 "The very one." 
 
 "Thank you, sir. Now, Mr. Fuchs, to the cab if you please. 
 
DOLORES. 273 
 
 Our trail is gaining in distinctness. Jimmy, do you happen to 
 know where Burlesque, the actor, lives ?" 
 
 "Funny Charlie? I think I do. Every child in Boston can 
 tell you." 
 
 "Drive to the house, then, but fast. Double rations for you 
 and your nag, you know." 
 
 "Three cheers for yer honor!" Jimmy shouted and away the 
 cab flew with commendable speed. 
 
 " Here we are !" Jimmy cried, stopping the cab and opening the 
 door. "Up that flight of stairs, you can t miss it." 
 
 "All right, Jimmy." 
 
 Sly and Charles ascended the flight of stairs and soon discov 
 ered a sign with the actor s name on a back door. 
 
 "Come" in!" a merry voice answered the knock at the door. 
 " How do you do, gents? Take a chair and excuse me for failing 
 to rise. I am lame just now." 
 
 "Lame, Mr. Burlesque ? I am sorry to hear it and so will the 
 public be. I don t see what they ll do without Mr. Burlesque to 
 set their laughing muscles agoing." 
 
 "Oh, sir, it isn t as bad as that!" the actor cried. "You see 
 my lameness merely affects my pocket. I am out of boots, out of 
 pants, out of linen in short, I am out of sorts." 
 
 " But how do you manage to play ?" 
 
 " Oh, my wardrobe is good enough for lamplight yet. In that 
 cravat I was a king last night. But these Bostonians are so con 
 foundedly particular that they would cry, Stone him ! if I dared 
 to make my appearance on State street in this fashion." 
 
 "But when do you* eat?" Charles inquired. He was so 
 amused at the light-hearted son of Thalia that for a moment he 
 forgot his object. 
 
 " At night, sir, on whatever I can get, and that is deuced little. 
 Romance, sir, is getting scarcer every day and soon the happy days 
 will be a reminiscence of the past, when a fellow could get an oys 
 ter supper and a bottle of claret without paying for it." 
 
 "You are painting darkly, sir. I should like you to look at 
 things from a brighter point of view. Would you have any objec 
 tion to a small loan to put you in condition to appear before the 
 public in becoming decorum ?" 
 
 T8 
 
274 DOLORES. 
 
 The actor raised himself upon one elbow. 
 
 "Mr. Sly, just have the kindness to touch that gentleman s 
 shoulder. Is he real T 
 
 * * Of course he is ; why do you ask ?" 
 
 The comedian fell back upon his couch. 
 
 " That is an enigma worthy of solution," he said, as if in solil 
 oquy. "A real live person that offers a loan to an actor withoait 
 being asked for it." 
 
 4 You have not signified your pleasure, sir," Charles resumed. 
 "Have I hurt your feelings?" 
 
 "No, sir, but you have puzzled my wit. When do you want 
 the monej back, sir?" 
 
 " Whenever you can spare it." 
 
 " That may be never." 
 
 " It suits my convenience." 
 
 This time the actor jumped to the floor. 
 
 "Allow me to shake hands with you, sir ?" he said with a feel 
 ing that shone through all his mirth. "I now for the first time 
 understand the story of Diogenes and the lantern. But what can 
 I do for you gents? I imagine you haven t called for nothing on 
 a cripple." 
 
 " No, sir, we have an object in view. We are in search of one 
 of your friends." 
 
 " Speak more concisely, man. The number of my friends is 
 legion." 
 
 "And yet you suffer want ?" Charles interposed. 
 
 By friends I mean, of course, those whom I befriend." 
 
 "Ah!" 
 
 Now you understand ; but which of my friends do you want ?" 
 
 "A young man by the name of Fox." 
 
 "Ah ! Dick Fox. The poor fellow is crippled like myself ; the 
 governor has ceased to send remittances and he keeps his sofa like 
 myself. It s only at nights that I sometimes see the lad." 
 
 " But you know his residence ?" 
 
 The actor started. His look became suspicious. 
 
 What do you want with him ? Do you want to persecute him 
 n account of debts ? Is this merely a bribe to betray ^.m 
 
DOLORES. 275 
 
 the hands of justice ? If that is so, take back your money. I am 
 no Judas." 
 
 The more Charles saw of the actor the better he liked him. 
 
 "No, sir, be easy and keep your money," he said. "I have 
 not the slightest notion to harm the lad. He is a cousin of mine, 
 and, as to his debts, I am more disposed to pay than to resent 
 them." 
 
 I do not doubt your word, because I have seen your actions. 
 Yes, sir, I know the whereabouts of Dick Fox. He lives at 107 
 street, second floor, back room." 
 
 "Thank you, sir," Charles resumed, writing down the number 
 and the street. "You have done me a greater service than you 
 think, and if ever you need the assistance of a friend do you un 
 derstand, a real friend, that differs from the legion you possess 
 you call on me. Here is my name and residence." 
 
 " I take the offer as you give it. Have you any objections if I 
 call on you before you leave town ?" 
 
 "Not the slightest. You ll find me at No. 19 - -Hotel. But 
 you must excuse me, sir, as I am in a great hurry to find my 
 cousin. I intend to leave for home to-morrow." 
 
 Another hearty shake and they parted. Charles was astonished 
 to find so much principle and genuine honor in so gay a fellow, but 
 if he had seen a little more about the world he would have found 
 that it is not always the sedate, portly gentleman with standing 
 collar, white necktie and a gold-headed cane that is the embodi 
 ment of honor. 
 
 The street and number were given to Jimmy and once more 
 Jim s Rosinante made the wheels fly as if she had understood the 
 hint about the double rations. On the way the two delib 
 erated about the best mode of securing Richard s voluntary com 
 pany. 
 
 "Burlesque spoke about debts," Mr. Sly suggested. "How 
 would it do to take him between kind persuasions and stern 
 menaces to press him into acquiescence ?" 
 
 "The idea is good, sir. I shall introduce you in your official 
 capacity, and ther.eby awe him into submission." 
 
 The cab stopped before a house of rather shabby appearance. 
 A dirty flight of stairs led into the second story and the banister 
 
276 DOLORES. 
 
 was so greasy that Charles preferred to ascend without its assist 
 ance. On reaching the second floor the two examined the doors. 
 There were no signs on them ; but, as there was only one leading to 
 the rear of the house, they knocked at it at random. This time 
 they received no summons, but a step was heard approaching the 
 door. A key was turned and the door slightly opened. The hall 
 was dark, and, as the visitors could not be recognized, the inmate 
 opened his door a little wider to let the light from within fall upon 
 their faces. Then Charles recognized his relative, and, stepping 
 forward with a rapid step, he exclaimed : 
 
 " Kichard Fox! It is really you ?" 
 
 On hearing his name, the inmate made a rapid motion to shut 
 the door ; but Charles had anticipated such a course and set his 
 foot beyond the sill. At the same time he gave the door a vigor 
 ous push, and thereby made it escape the other s grasp. 
 
 "Charles Fuchs !" he cried, with a mixture of surprise and in 
 dignation. "What does this signify? Who gives you the right 
 of thus intruding into my room ? Depart at once, or I shall be 
 compelled to eject you forcibly." 
 
 "Richard Fox, you had better think twice before you act so 
 rashly. I intrude my presence upon you in the sacred right of 
 ambassador. Your father sends me here, sir." 
 
 The calm, dignified conduct of the visitor had its effect upon 
 the youth. 
 
 "Come in. then, and state your errand ; but be brief, if you 
 please. 1 have neither the time nor the inclination to listen to a 
 sermon." 
 
 " I am not at all inclined to make one. Your father s message 
 is as short as plain. It is embodied in two words, "Come home /" 
 
 "And if I decline to follow the injunction ?" 
 
 "lam authorized to use force. Here, in this companion of 
 mine, you see a member of the city police." 
 
 Richard stepped back in evident surprise. 
 
 " We have learned of the contraction of certain debts of yours, 
 Richard, which are very apt to lead you into difficulties. You 
 have only the choice between wandering into prison or your father s 
 arms. 
 
 w, you have ferreted me out?" the young man cried, 
 
DOLORES. 277 
 
 with flashing eyes and clenched fists. "I thank you, sir, and hope 
 the day may come when I can pay you back." 
 
 "These are idle threats, Richard," Charles replied, with a calm 
 deportment that gave him a gread advantage over his excited ad 
 versary. "Your time, you say, is measured; so is mine. You will 
 oblige me by stating, without delay, whether you prefer to follow 
 me or this gentleman." 
 
 Richard saw himself driven to the wall. 
 
 " How will my father receive me if I come ?" 
 
 * I guarantee you a lenient reception. To grant you more is 
 beyond my power. It is your affair to win back your father s 
 love." 
 
 " Do you know what he intends to do with me?" 
 
 " I think he means to take you home at present; but this is not 
 the time nor place to negotiate. I want your final answer." 
 
 "I 11 go." 
 
 " Very well, sir. Have the kindness to prepare your luggage 
 for removal." 
 
 A flush of shame passed over Richard s features. 
 
 " I have no luggage," he answered sullenly. 
 
 "No other clothing ?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 " Well, then, we must procure some on the way. You cannot 
 appear in a beggar s garb before your father. Take your hat." 
 
 By this time the authoritative manner of Charlie had begun to 
 make an impression upon Richard, and he obeyed his injunction 
 without reply. When he was ready to go Charles said to him : 
 
 " Allow me to insinuate that you are yet, in a measure, the mas 
 ter of your actions. You can make an attempt at flight if you 
 choose ; but, in that instance, I shall withdraw my protecting hand 
 from you and surrender you to my companion. He is tolerably 
 expert in catching runaways, and in case of capture I shouldn t at 
 all Avonder at half a dozen suits of swindling finding their way to 
 the newspapers. I have nothing more to say, sir, and you may 
 now suit your pleasure. Let us go." 
 
 Richard s spirits were completely broken. It is doubtful whether 
 he would have attempted flight even on discovering that Mr. Sly 
 was merely acting as a scarecrow. They w r ent down stairs and en- 
 
278 DOLORES. 
 
 tered the cab. Jimmy had to drive first to a clothing store, then 
 to a shoe store, then to a hatter. He felt proud of the patronage 
 he was permitted to exercise that day. At last he had to drive to 
 Charles hotel, where he was dismissed with the promised double 
 rations. Those of the horse he received in cash, and it is to be 
 hoped, for the sake of his conscience, that he didn t cheat his four- 
 legged partner out of his dues. 
 
 Mr. Sly took his departure at the door. Charles had managed 
 to slip the stipulated sum into his hands unseen by Richard. That 
 young man became more and more crestfallen as the moment of 
 meeting his deeply injured father approached. 
 
 Charles took him first to his room. 
 
 .Stay here, until I call you" he said to him. "I want to pre 
 pare your father for your appearance." 
 
 Going out he locked the door, leaving Richard as a prisoner. 
 But the youth did not care ; he was more afraid no\v of the unlock 
 ing than the locking of the door. Charles, on the other hand, de 
 scended to Mr. Fox s room, and finding him at home, entered into 
 his presence. There was something in his mien that aroused the 
 other s attention. 
 
 "You have found him, have you?" he exclaimed with an 
 effort at calmness. But Charles saw how his lips quivered and his 
 hands trembled. 
 
 "Yes Sir," he answered, deeming it best to avoid all evasions. 
 "I have found him and less depraved than we had reason to fear." 
 
 u And where where is he?" 
 
 "In my room, sir; but in order to overcome his reluctance t 
 follow me, I have promised that he should find in you a lenient 
 judge and father. Are you prepared to vertify that promise?" 
 
 "Yes, Charlie," Mr. Fox said softly. "I don t pretend to be any 
 better than the father in the parable. I am prepared to kill the 
 calf, for my boy that has been given back to me." 
 
 Charles left without speaking another word. On reaching his 
 room he beckoned Richard : 
 
 "Come!" 
 
 The way to the room of Mr. Fox was traversed in silence. 
 Charks opened the door and pushed his trembling companion ia- 
 
DOLOKES. 279 
 
 Then he closed the door it was not meet that this meeting should 
 be profaned by the eyes of a third party. 
 
 That evening a happy trio took the northern train. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 A TRESSPASS ATONED A DEBT CANCELED. 
 
 Charles had telegraphed from Boston and Mr. Fuchs was at the 
 depot with the wagon. He was surprised at the sight of Richard, 
 but suppressing every sign of that emotion as best he could, he 
 heartily shook hands with him and with his father. After put 
 ting on the baggage, the party got on board and started for the 
 village. Mr. Fuchs had to answer many questions, but Charles 
 thought he noticed a certain something, a reserve in his manner 
 that was not natural. Mr. Fuchs had reported "all right" in re 
 sponse to questions concerning the cottage and factory and if any 
 thing else was wrong it could not be very serious. On reaching 
 the factory, however, he thought he noticed an unusual stir about 
 the building. A crowd was standing in the yard and as they came 
 abreast the place they saw the office standing open and within it a 
 plain coffin resting on two chairs. A foreboding seized his mind, 
 and grasping his father s arm he said : 
 
 "It isn t his body? 
 
 Mr. Fuchs nodded. 
 
 "Yes, Charles it is his body. It seems providence made you in 
 strumental in drawing the sinner to an early account. The revolv 
 er which you gave into the hands of old Josiah sent the fatal bul 
 let." 
 
 Mr. Fox did not understand these allusions. He became restive 
 and inquired with evident curiosity 
 
 \V horn do you talk about ? Somebody was killed with a pistol 
 shot, it seems, who is it? speak!" 
 
 "Mr. Fox I did not mean to push this matter to your face the 
 very moment of your return ; but I could not help it. All the ar- 
 
280 DOLORES. 
 
 raDgements for the burial had been made, when I received Charlie s 
 dispatch, and I could not well change the hour without giving rise 
 to idle speculations." 
 
 "But the name, sir, the name !" Mr. Fox exclaimed impatient- 
 
 iy- 
 
 For once Mr. Fuchs forgot the humble practice of his early 
 days. He remained perfectly quiet and turning his full face to the 
 inquirer, said : 
 
 1 ( Can you not guess his name ? The corpse of the man that 
 has so deeply injured you in heart and purse lies in yon coffin 
 his soul may even now tremble before the tribunal of retribution ?" 
 
 Now Mr. Fox understood. He was evidently deeply moved and 
 folding his hands exclaimed : 
 
 JWood ! her cousin ! is it possible ? 
 
 A nod was all the answer he received. 
 
 "Does my wife know?" 
 
 "No, sir, we thought best not to tell her at so critical a period." 
 
 Again a silence. After a while Mr. Fox resumed : 
 
 Please tell me the particulars. It will ease me to know all 
 about it." 
 
 "The others were equally anxious and listened with suspended 
 breath to Mr. Fuchs recital. 
 
 "I can only give you the story Josiah told me," he said. "The 
 second night after Charlie s departure, the watchman saw somebody 
 creeping about the office. It was near midnight and dark, and on 
 Josiah s summons the noise ceased. But the watchman had been 
 cautioned by Charlie in regard to the office and the mere cessation 
 of the noise did not satisfy him. So he walked up to the spot 
 where he had noticed the suspicious movements. By the light of 
 his lantern he was enabled to see the form of a human being crouch 
 ing in the corner made by the office walls and the fence. The man 
 saw no chance of escape ; except by running past the watchman. 
 He rose and started but his face becoming visible Josiah discovered 
 that it was the superintendent. 
 
 "Mr. Wood!" he exclaimed. 
 
 "That exclamation sealed the fate of the intruder. On hear 
 ing his name he stopped at least Josiah says so and cursing the 
 person who dared to interefere with his designs, sprang towards the 
 
DOLORES. 281 
 
 watchman with a dagger in his hand. It seems to have aroused 
 his anger to see himself discovered ; else it is hard to understand, 
 why he stopped his flight. Perhaps he also wanted to satisfy an 
 old grudge against the watchman, who seems to have been a thorn 
 in his side ? preventing him from moving freely in his nightly opera 
 tions at all events, if the statement of Josiah is correct, the super 
 intendent ran towards him with murderous intentions and justified 
 the use of the revolver, as an act of self-defense. Josiah fired but 
 one shot, the bullet penetrating the forehead and killing him on the- 
 spot." 
 
 "And what what do the people say about this?" 
 
 Mr. Fox gasped on asking this question. 
 
 "They generally share the opinion of the coroner s jury which 
 acquitted Josiah of all blame and passed the verdict of death in con 
 sequence of unjustifiable assault upon a fellow-being. The knowl 
 edge of the late conduct of the dead man may have influenced 
 public opinion, or it may not it isn t my business to sit in judg 
 ment over the jury." 
 
 Here the subject was dropped and the rest of the way traversed 
 in silence. Mr. Fox had arrived in so contented a mood and now 
 this tragedy must occur and cast a gloom over the aspect of affairs. 
 He felt sad indeed on arriving at the cottage ; but the joyous cry 
 from the lips of Dolores and the more quiet demonstrations of joy 
 on the part of Lucy had the effect of cheering him again. He- 
 wandered from the arms of one into those of another and the wel 
 come from Mrs. Fuchs was hardly less warm than that of the girls. 
 She took him and Richard into the parlor and from her expectant 
 look it was evident that she was anxious for him to broach a cer 
 tain delicate matter. Mr. Fox understood it very well ; but he had 
 to undergo a last violent struggle, before he could force himself to- 
 ask the question : 
 
 "And Mrs. Fox, how is she to-day? " 
 
 A pleasant smile and a grateful look on the part of Dolores re 
 warded him for his effort and Mrs. Fuchs also seemed to be grati 
 fied, for it was in her happiest tone that she thanked him for the- 
 inquiry and stated that Mrs. Fox was not only a hundred per cent, 
 better than on the day of his departure ; but also extremely anxious 
 to see him. 
 
282 DOLORES. 
 
 "She knows then, of our arrival?" 
 
 "She knows that you are here, but we thought best to say noth 
 ing as yet about Richards presence. We thought too much emo 
 tion might imperil her recovery," 
 
 "Well you are right madam and thoughtful as ever. I shall 
 manage to break the news to her so as to avoid excitement. In 
 which room shall I find her? No, Dol., not you. Mrs. Fuchs 
 will have the kindness to point out the way. I ll soon be back 
 children. 
 
 They all understood that he wanted no witnesses to this inter 
 view. Nor did Mrs. Fuchs presume to go any further than the 
 door. Stopping there and laying her hand upon his arm, she said 
 in a low voice and with pleading earnestness ; 
 
 "Spare her, Mr. Fox! She is weak and penitent." 
 
 He nodded. 
 
 "Fear nothing madam. I shall endeavor to secure your appro 
 bation." 
 
 Mrs. Fuchs smiled and then stepped back. He, on the other 
 hand, opened the door and entered the room. Mrs. Fox was sitting 
 in an arm chair, and, attracted by the noise, turned her head. A 
 deep blush spread over her face when she recognized her husband. 
 She tried to rise, but her weakness or emotion, or, perhaps, a union 
 of both, caused a failure of the attempt. She sank back into her 
 seat and the hand that had grasped the arm of the chair to sustain 
 the movement now held on to it to hide the tremor which had 
 seized it. 
 
 Mr. Fox had seen the attempt and its failure. He had also 
 seen the ravnges which the recent sickness had committed on her 
 face. Her cheeks had sunk away, her lips lost their color, and the 
 dark hair contrasted strongly with the thin, pale countenance. Her 
 eyes looked larger than before, and Mr. Fox thought he saw a 
 meek resignation, an humble prayer for forgiveness in them which 
 touched him deeply. A minute before he had thought that, in 
 showing kindness and compassion, he would have to play a role ; 
 but there was no acting in his motion, when, stepping forward and 
 raising his hand in admonition, he cried : 
 
 "Don t, Caroline, you are too weak to rise. How do you do 
 to-day ? I am glad to hear that you are rapidly recovering." 
 
DOLORES. 283 
 
 In saying this he had approached her and extended his hand in 
 greeting. But she shook her head, and, warding off his hand, she 
 said : 
 
 "Edward, you are very kind; but I cannot consent to abuse 
 your kindness. Are you aware that that you offer your hand to 
 one to one that broke the pledge of affection and fidelity she 
 swore to you before the altar ?" 
 
 At first Mrs. Fox had faltered considerably in making this con 
 fession ; but towards the end her voice had become at once lower 
 and firmer. Her head was bowed upon her hand, and in breath 
 less suspense she waited for his answer. At last it came. He was 
 still standing, and, looking down with a mixture of grief and com 
 passion, he replied : 
 
 " Caroline, I am aware of it." 
 
 She shook her head with a mournful sadness. 
 
 You cannot know all, Edward, or you would not thus kindly 
 offer me your hand. I have sinned and have to bear the penalty. 
 The blackness of my heart must be laid open to you before I can 
 appeal to you to decide my destiny." 
 
 "Caroline, that is a useless self-torture. In torturing yourself 
 you also torture me. I assure you that you can tell me nothing 
 new. I know your whole mistake and have forgiven it. 
 
 " I thank you, Edward. 1 had no right to hope for this. But 
 your forgiveness merely affects the past ; you are also the arbiter 
 of my future. Dispose of me according to your pleasure, and I 
 assure you that I shall kiss the rod that strikes me." 
 
 Mr. Fox shook his head. 
 
 "Caroline, you little know my heart if you deem me capable 
 of playing the part of the stern judge, who must condemn the 
 deed even if he pardons the offense. No, Caroline, our relation 
 before the eyes of the world must continue as it was before. We 
 owe it to ourselves, to our children, to these kind friends who have 
 exerted themselves day and night to guard our name from evil re 
 pute. As to my feelings, Caroline, I solemnly assure you that I 
 harbor nothing in my heart that bears the character of anger or 
 revenge. I have fully and from the bottom of my heart forgiven 
 you ; more you cannot ask at present. If I told you differently 
 you would not credit my assertions and a new obstacle would rise 
 
284 DOLORES. 
 
 between us. Men cannot change their feelings in a day ; but, Car 
 oline, if what they say is true, if you have really laid off the char 
 acter of former days and assumed that spirit of gentleness and 
 meekness which adorns a woman above every other grace, then, 
 Caroline, I shall with gladness welcome you back to my arms and 
 heart and bless the day which turned a seeming curse into a bless 
 ing. Now, let me ask you : will you, on these conditions, return 
 to me and accept the hand you did refuse before ?" 
 
 Copious tears streamed over her cheeks ; but she made no effort 
 to check them, and, taking his hand, replied.: 
 
 "I thank you, Edward. You grant me infinitely more than I 
 had reason to expect. But you will see that you have not be 
 stowed your charity upon one undeserving. Henceforth your wel 
 fare shall be my constant prayer, your happiness my study. Oh ! 
 why was I condemned to wander in my blindness all these years ? 
 Why did I with my perverseness check your salutory influence 
 upon our boy and thus become instrumental in urging him upon 
 the road of vice?" 
 
 She hid her face and her tears threatened to assume the charac 
 ter of hysterical sobs. Mr. Fox thought that, under the circum 
 stances, a sudden announcement of her son s return might do no 
 harm, but rather act as a strong restorative to mental health and 
 vigor. So he said : 
 
 "Don t cry, Caroline. In this instance, as in others, a kind 
 providence has averted the worst consequences of your errors. 
 Richard is not lost to you ; he lives. He has returned with me and 
 longs for your permission to lay down into your hand the promise 
 of a better life." 
 
 The medicine was powerful, but in this instance it had been 
 properly administered and served as a check for the sinking spirit 
 and despondency of Mrs. Fox. On her husband s announcement 
 she raised her head, her sobs ceased as if by magic, and, extending 
 her hands, she cried : 
 
 " Richard ! my son, where are you ? Oh, Edward if you have 
 any compassion upon your erring, but repenting wife go bring him 
 here, the missing one ; him whom I had given up for doubly lost." 
 
 Mr. Fox left the room and a minute afterward his son entered 
 the door. 
 
DOLOKES. 285 
 
 "Richard!" 
 
 "Mother!" 
 
 The two lay in one another s arms and vheir tears mingled in 
 one copious stream. Mr. Fox had not returned; perhaps he 
 thought that such a scene would be profaned by even a father s 
 presence. Reader, let us drop the curtain, to look in at them is 
 not meet any more for us than him. The relation of mother and 
 child, though sullied by the dross of sinful passions, is always 
 :sacred. Let us respect it. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 PLANNING ALL AROUND. 
 
 Calmer days followed this stormy season ; calm within, though 
 rough and ungenial without. The family of Mr. Fox had, soon 
 after his arrival, returned to the mansion, and the undisguised joy of 
 Susan and the other servants had brought tears to the eyes of their 
 mistress. For the first time in all her married life she seemed to 
 comprehend the meaning of the word "home." Mr. Fox, although 
 prepared for a change, had hardly dared to hope that it would be 
 so radical ; and when Mrs. Fox declared that she was not well 
 enough to go to the city, but delighted at the thought of spending 
 the winter in their snug, comfortable country home ; when he saw 
 her devotion to Dolores and made unceasing efforts to make the 
 girl forget her former hostile , coldness ; when she almost forced 
 Mrs. Fuchs to frequent intercourse and insisted upon the rights 
 and privileges of relationship when all these strange changes 
 developed themselves before his eyes he felt that the moment of 
 reinstating her into her former privileges had already come, and 
 that if he delayed a confession of that fact he merely hesitated 
 from a fear of seeing these fine improvements all at once dissolve 
 in vapor. 
 
 But such a fear was without the least foundation. Mrs. Fox 
 was the first to call her husband s attention to the fact that Fox- 
 ville w^uld hardly furnish the means of finishing such an educa 
 tion of tfie girls as was demanded by their station in life. 
 
286 DOLORES. 
 
 . 
 
 "You do not like the city," she continued, "and I, too, have 
 lost all taste for it. Would it not be proper, then, to select a good 
 boarding school, where Lucy and Dolores could finish their educa 
 tion and acquire such accomplishments as make home pleasant? 
 They both have fine voices and Dolores a great taste for drawing, 
 and, much as I hate the thought of losing their cheering influence 
 at home, I think we are hardly justifiable in allowing motives of 
 selfishness to detain us from giving them every opportunity to im 
 prove their talents." 
 
 "I do not like boarding schools, Caroline," Mr. Fox replied, 
 "but, if you really are in earnest regarding your resolution, of 
 making Foxville your permanent home, I do not see how we can 
 avoid them. The girls certainly need further opportunities, and 
 so I suppose we must choose the smaller of two evils. Do you 
 know of any good school in the neighborhood where they might 
 go ? Mind, I cannot entertain the thought of sending them too 
 far away." 
 
 "Nor I, Edward. I really know of none that I could recom 
 mend at present ; but don t you think that Mr. Goodman could 
 guide us in our selection ? He is largely acquainted in the State, 
 and I have no doubt that he could furnish the desired informa 
 tion." 
 
 "We can at least try him, but, Caroline, this suggestion of 
 yours has called another matter to my mind that needs attention. 
 The question is, what profession is our Richard to choose for life ? 
 He has failed in mercantile pursuits. For a scholar he seems but 
 poorly qualified. What course, then, had we, in your opinion, best 
 advise him to adopt?" 
 
 " I hardly know, Edward, and even if I had an idea, I should 
 hardly venture to disclose it. My influence over the boy has been 
 attended with such pernicious consequences, Edward, that I want 
 you to decide yourself." 
 
 Mr. Fox smiled. 
 
 "That s what I call a very cunning way of shirking responsi 
 bilities ; but you put the load upon my sholders in such a graceful 
 manner that I cannot well object. I have indeed been thinking of 
 a calling that could not fail to exercise a healthy influence upon our 
 
DOLORES. 287 
 
 boy ; but I have been hesitating to broach it, because I feared your 
 opposition. " 
 
 She shook her head with a melancholy smile. 
 
 "I see, my efforts have as yet been unsuccessful to convince 
 you of my earnest purposes ; nor have I reason to complain ; ah I 
 it is hard to win back a husband s confidence, when once forfeited." 
 
 "No, Caroline, dear Caroline, do not say that, for it is not the 
 case. Continue your present course and you will fulfill even more 
 than you promised." 
 
 " Thank you, Edward ; your words do make me happy. But 
 you have failed to mention the profession you -think adapted to our 
 Richard." 
 
 "Well, Caroline, what do you think of the sea?" 
 
 Mrs. Fox started, her cheeks blanched ; she folded her hands on 
 her bosom and cast a supplicating glance at her husband. That was 
 all the answer he received. 
 
 " There !" he said smiling. "I thought as much. A mother 
 always thinks of the sea with a shudder, when it comes to trusting 
 her son to the mercy of the treacherous element." 
 
 "No, Edward, indeed I do not object. My first emotion was 
 one of fear, it is true, but that once conquered, I am far from dis 
 approving your choice. I think myself that the rigid discipline on 
 board a ship would have a salutary effect upon the fickle character 
 of our boy. But will he not object? " 
 
 "If you agree Coaroline, I shall not listen to his objections. 
 He owes us a reparation for his past offences and my proposal will 
 give him a good opportunity of showing the earnestness and sinceri 
 ty of his professions. There he comes, I may as well broach the 
 subject to him at once. Richard, we have been talking about you. 
 We think it time for you to choose a calling. What do you think 
 of a mariner s profession?" 
 
 "I think I should like it well enough. I have failed in a 
 course of my own and resolved to be this time guided by your judg 
 ment. If you think a sailor s life calculated to improve me, I have 
 no objection to adopting it. 
 
 That s spoken like a man, Richard. I do indeed consider a 
 sailor s calling adapted to your nature. But in what branch would 
 you like to serve ? Shall I procure for you a cadetship at Annepo- 
 
288 DOLORES. 
 
 lis, or would you rather devote yourself to mercantile pursuits, 
 and after serving due apprenticeship enter the captaincy of a mer 
 chant vessel?" 
 
 "I think the latter course more desirable, father. A stay at 
 Annapolis might be fraught with new temptations and shake my 
 good resolutions. They have hardly rooted deep enough to stand 
 much shaking. Moreover I do not think that I ll ever be much of 
 a scholar, and so the merchantman will be the place for me." 
 
 "There is sense in what you say, Richard, and I shall do ac 
 cording to your wishes. There is a friend of mine, a captain Tar- 
 field, ready to put to sea in a new vessel, the Swallow," and I think 
 I can manage to secure a berth for you on board of it. Your 
 mother can meanwhile superintend your outfit ; for if we fail in get 
 ting you on the Swallow, there will be a hundred other chances. I 
 shall write to Tarfield without delay." 
 
 Thus measures were taken at the mansion to send the younger 
 generation away from home, to prepare them for a later struggle 
 with the world. Mr. Fox was very glad that his wife had taken 
 the lead in regard to the education of the girls. Since Dolores 
 accession to a rich inheritance, he had more than ever felt his re 
 sponsibility and the necessity of giving her a thorough education. 
 Mr. Goodman had done his full duty ; but in modern languages, 
 in music and the lighter arts which at once adorn and enrich our 
 life, he was unable to give instructions. Mr. Fox did not as yet 
 feel justified to divulge to his wife the new circumstances of their 
 cousin and foster-daughter, therefore his satisfaction at her proposal. 
 
 A similar process of fermentation took place at the cottage at 
 the same time. Charles had always had a great taste for the arts 
 and sciences, and now when fortune had smiled on his family and 
 put sufficient means at his disposal his former love for them not 
 only revived but became irresistable. He had not been back a 
 month when he announced his desire to visit some institution of 
 learning and under able instructors go through a regular course of 
 study. Of course he found no resistance. His parents were so ac 
 customed to consider the wishes of the high-minded, intelligent 
 youth as binding that they would not even have dreamed of refus 
 ing their sanction to so commendable a resolution. But, while the 
 course of Charles was clearly marked out and rather a source of 
 
DOLORES. 289 
 
 pleasure than trouble, the future of the younger brother often filled 
 the parents hearts with apprehension. He showed no predilection 
 for either mental or manual labor and the drudgery of mercantile 
 pursuits was extremely distasteful to this fastidious youth. His 
 parents were at a loss how to proceed with him, when the destina 
 tion of Richard at once threw light on their perplexity. The 
 ocean ! Yes, the ocean ! That is a wide berth for all who cannot 
 prosper on the land. If they cannot make their way among their 
 fellow-beings put them on the ocean ; there they are out of the 
 way. This sounds like irony ; but what else is irony than truth 
 somewhat sharply drawn ? The ocean is the great school for good- 
 for-nothings, where no temptation entices them back to their ways 
 of folly. This is at best a negative preventative, but it is better 
 than none at all, and in battling with winds and waves many a 
 youth has regained that healthy tone of mind and body and moral 
 sensitiveness which grieving parents had already given up for lost. 
 
 Yes, Henry must go to sea. He must, if possible, become a 
 shipmate of Richard s. They will find a mutual consolation in 
 their company when, on the first rough contact with the elements* 
 their hearts threaten to sink within them. 
 
 A feeble monitor warns against this arrangement, demonstrat 
 ing that the boys will not only be a support to one another in their 
 hours of trouble but afeo a peril in the hour of temptation. They 
 are not always on the sea. The port is nearing with all its low en 
 joyment and the voice of conscience which might have been listen 
 ed to by each one singly may become drowned by the noisy en 
 couragement they give to one another. 
 
 This voice, so weak and feeble, is lost sight of in so many con 
 siderations of greater moment. 
 
 The boys like the arrangement, and when a letter from captain 
 Tarfield announces his readiness to receive both of them in the 
 capacity of ordinary members of his cre^f the bitter pill of humilia 
 tion is very much sweetened by the thought that they can weather 
 the roughness of the trial in each other s company. 
 
 Busy scenes are now the order of the day. Trunks are bought 
 and packed, two of them with the infinite number of items con 
 stituting a lady s wardrobe ; two others with the rough and strong 
 
 19 
 
290 DOLORES. 
 
 materials used for a sailor s suit and the last one with neat but 
 plain garments adapted to a student s character. 
 
 The scene of packing is followed by the more noisy one of shak 
 ing hands and giving kisses and shedding tears ?tid indulging in 
 parting salutations in general. Then a sudden stillness follows, fall 
 ing heavily upon the bereaved parents. Foxville seems dead to 
 them, the streets deserted. Their meals taste so insipid, and the 
 coffee has lost its flavor. Only jpy degtees they reconcile themselves 
 to their solitary lot, and then, lacking other points of attraction and 
 entertainment are more closely drawn towards each other. How 
 often do we notice a doting tenderness in old married people to one 
 another which dates from the time when the nestling made the first 
 trial of its wings and perching on another tree began to push affairs 
 on his or her own account. 
 
 Besides missing his children in the house Mr. Fox felt as if by 
 losing Charles from the factory he had lost his right hand. True, 
 Mr. Fuchs assisted him with all his strength and ability, but Mr. 
 Fuchs wasn t Charles and could not replace him. The matter 
 would have been worse if Charles had not, in the queerest manner, 
 procured a substitute just a few days before leaving. One morning 
 on calling at the post-office he received a very odd epistle, which 
 ran as follows : 
 
 BOSTON, November 25th, 1858. 
 
 Charles Fuchs, Esq. DEAR SIB: Since meeting you the other 
 day I have nt had a moment of satisfaction. It is no wonder. You 
 are the first man I ever saw and when a fellow haw once tasted the 
 substance he is not very likely to be contented, again with the 
 shadow. I am not satisfied. I am tired of treading the boards that 
 are said to represent the world, but in reality represent nothing but 
 a concentrated embodiment of meanness, trickiness and intrigues. 
 Shall I, a sensible man, make a fool of myself to make fools feel as if 
 they might be sensible? No, sir ; I am disgusted with the glorious 
 misery of the stage, and wishing the legions of my former friends to 
 a place where coal is at a premium, I have a constant craving to 
 escape to the person that promised to be my friend in truth. Tell 
 me, honestly, have you in or about your remote retreat a place, how 
 ever small, a situation, however humble, where a Burlesque would 
 not be amiss ? Understand me, I do not want to be a burden nor a 
 drone. I want to work, and by working earn an honest penny. If 
 you have such an opening, and feel inclined to execute what you 
 promised in words, write a few lines and you will, in a hurry, see 
 Yours, CHARLES BURLESQUE. 
 
 Charles laughed. The letter amused him, and also flattered 
 him. The best of us are prone to be pleased to see others entertain 
 
DOLORES. 291 
 
 a good opinion of us, and Charles did not claim to be better than 
 the best. He mused a little and then formed a resolution. He 
 liked the frankness of the actor and was inclined to go on first im 
 pressions. He did not know the man at all, but he felt assured 
 that whatever his other failings might be he would never be deceit 
 ful. Everything else might be tolerated and amended, and Charles 
 began to wonder whether Mr. Burlesque would not answer to act in 
 a measure as his substitute. The actor was of a cheerful disposi 
 tion and might exercise a healthful influence over Mr. Fox. Tak 
 ing it all im all the pros outweighed the cons, and Charles had no 
 sooner come to this conclusion than he went to Mr. Fox to gain his 
 opinion and consent. Mr. Fox was not free from the prejudice 
 which many worthy men have conceived against actors and a dubi 
 ous shake of his head at the beginning of the communication por 
 tended little good for our young friend s intentions. But Charles 
 was not easily discouraged. He began to draw the actor s portrait 
 in vivid colors and after finishing had the satisfaction of seeing his 
 fatherly friend embrace a different view. 
 
 The fellow, by assisting us in finding the track of Richard, 
 has put us under obligations," he said, "and what you tell me of 
 his character has rather pleased me. Therefore, if you have set 
 your heart on making the experiment I may as well accord my 
 sanction." 
 
 So Charles sat down to answer the letter, and on the return mail 
 Mr. Burlesque received the summons to pack up his baggage and 
 start for Maine. "Leave the cravats, that knew you in the role 
 of "princes," in Boston and, if possible, even the recollection of 
 those roles. You will find a very quiet corner here and if you can 
 not spend a month without seeing a strange face you had better 
 stay where you are." 
 
 Mr. Burlesque thought he could and so he came. He was kind 
 ly received by Charles and Mr. Fox and introduced into the fami 
 lies of the cottage and the mansion. After he had recovered from 
 the fatigue of his journey he was at once initiated into the duties 
 of his new office and seemed to like it well enough. Only one 
 thing created his dissatisfaction, namely, the- early departure of 
 his new friend. 
 
 " It is too bad ! " he said. " After hunting and finding at last 
 
292 DOLORES. 
 
 a real friend I must experience the grief of parting from him. 
 That reminds me of the dying king whose life could only be saved 
 by wearing the shirt of a man of perfect happiness. The messen 
 gers, after scouring the whole kingdom, finally found but one hap 
 py man and he possessed no shirt. The king died, and so, my 
 friend, will my contentment die on your departure." 
 
 Charles consoled him as best he could, promising numerous let 
 ters, and when the day of departure came he left Mr. Burlesque in 
 a comfortable state of mind. Charles went by way of Boston and 
 on his arrival at that city disposed of the rest of his diamonds to 
 Messrs. Ruby & Brillant and of his doubloons to other parties. 
 
 The money thus realized he invested in equal shares for the 
 benefit of his father and Dolores, with the assistance of a reliable 
 broker to whom Mr. Fox had given him a letter of introduction. 
 A dozen of the finest jewels, however, he retained for Dolores, 
 leaving them with Messrs. Ruby & Brillant, with directions to 
 work them into a handsome set of jewels. This business attended 
 to he continued his journey to the university, where he intended 
 to surrender himself to an earnest course of study, to interrupt him 
 in which would hardly be fair for the reader and myself. Take 
 care of him, oh ! ye muses. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 GLIMPSES FROM A DIARY. 
 
 * * * At school ! We can hardly realize it, and while I look 
 at Lucy she looks back and neither of us is any wiser for the look. 
 Apropos, Lucy has greatly changed, since let me see yes ever 
 since her mother s sickness. She, formerly so gentle and so loving, 
 seems to grow colder every day. Is it only to me? I hardly know. 
 I have tried my best to thaw the ice around her heart, but all in 
 vain. She denies my assertions of a change and that of course 
 ends the matter. It pains me though ; for at one time, when every 
 body had turned against me, Lucy alone sided with her good father 
 and by her gentle even tenderness cleared up many a gloomy hour 
 
DOLORES. 293 
 
 for the orphan stranger. Now, while the others love me, Lucy 
 withdraws her affection, and why? Why? That puzzles me. Can 
 she not pardon me for sharing her mother s love ? Or has she not 
 even by this time learned to forget her mother s error? I hardly 
 know to which of these reasons I should ascribe the change per. 
 haps they operate in union. But, however this may be, I have 
 learned a lesson, a painful one. But they say experience has to be 
 dearly bought and I cannot expect to form an exception. What I 
 have learned is this : A gentle, meek disposition is not always the evi 
 dence of a feeling heart. The frigid zone, they say, is still and cold 
 and for earthquakes, eruptions of volcanoes and sweeping hurri 
 canes you have to visit the tropics. But gentle natures, one might 
 think, would not be capable of intense hatred either. I hardly 
 know. It seems to me that they can be very chilling in their touch. 
 A low temperature can more readily be depressed to icy coldness . 
 
 than one that s high 
 
 * * * % At school. We have been here a week and I begin 
 to learn the landmarks that enable me to move with ease and assur 
 ance in this new sphere of mine. On the whole I like it, as it 
 promises food for my mind. True, Mr. Goodman did not let me 
 starve at home, but his dishes sometimes were just a shade too 
 heavy for me, creating as it were a mental dyspepsia. It takes a 
 good stomach to digest his Greek, Latin and trigonometry and cal 
 culus and I am glad to intersperse my meals with lighter dishes. I 
 am studying French now, and by studying I mean studying. 
 Charles is going to learn the same language and we have agreed 
 upon a race. I should like so much to beat him but I fear I can 
 not do it. He has a powerful mind. I see that more distinctly 
 every day, because I have now the means of comparison. I am 
 sorry to say it, but it is true, nevertheless, there is much littleness 
 around me, littleness of mind and littleness of. soul. I cannot say 
 that I like these girls very much, and I fear that I shall not 
 make many friends. I read so much about schoolmate s intima 
 cies and ardent friendships dating from school and continuing 
 through life, but I have thus far seen very little of the kind. 
 Perhaps it is my own fault ; perhaps I lack the necessary sympathy 
 and cannot become enthusiastic over the subjects which interest the 
 others. They are fond of dress and jewels. I do not care about 
 
294 DOLORES. 
 
 either. They fall in love with every mustache. T find nothing in 
 teresting either in the mustaches or their owners. They move in 
 superlatives and, exhausting their vocabularies on commonplace 
 affairs, lack language to enter into topics of a higher nature. I do 
 not understand them, or rather they pretend that I am a closed 
 book to them. I think they do dislike me and a would-be friend 
 and gossip informed me of the reason. I want to be better and 
 wiser, they allege, according to the say so of this friend and such 
 an unpardonable presumption cannot be tolerated. Alas ! God 
 knows that I have no such feelings. I ll try to be a little more 
 sociable and enter into the sprit of their conversation, although it 
 will be up-hill work, I know. In fact I have been spoiled at home. 
 The intercourse with Charles, Mr. Goodman and Miss Sarah yes, 
 Miss Sarah, too, and all the other friends I mean the intercourse 
 with them has spoiled me. They are real men and women and 
 here I feel as if they were acting, all of them, and blaming me for 
 giving myself as nature made me. Well, it is unfortunate that I 
 can take refuge to other friends. My books can comfort me and so 
 can the grand view of nature from my window. It is winter now, 
 but even in death nature has understood how to maintain its gran 
 deur. How must this beautiful expanse of hill, dale, lake and for 
 est look in the gay colors of spring and the burning gorgeous one 
 of summer and fall ! I anticipate much pleasure from the ever 
 
 changing character of this landscape 
 
 * * * I am amused at my French professor and cannot 
 help laughing at his odd language and movements. He is the very 
 picture of a Frenchman, at least as I imagine from the numerous 
 descriptions I have read. Monsieur Parbleu is a man of small 
 stature ; his dress, his gait, his bow, his " tournure," as he calls it, 
 are perfect, and he always appears to me as if, on coming to school, 
 he had stepped from an etui, a case, as it were, and, on leaving us, 
 could do nothing else but return to it. I show great deference to 
 the man, because I feel it, and, either from this reason or because 
 *I study my lessons, he seems to have formed a singular regard for 
 me. According to his assertions, I must surely be the eighth won 
 der of the world. Monsieur Parbleu has never in his "aixpeeriaince 
 found such ain aibell scholaire as Miss Doloraise, upon honnaire, 
 nevaire flattairs." I take good care not to tell him the reason of 
 
DOLORES. 295 
 
 my efforts ; it does a person good to be considered something, be 
 cause it urges him to be something. My other teachers are also 
 pleased with my progress, at least they say so, and, considering my 
 application, I am inclined to believe them. My instructor in music 
 is a German, a good man, too, I am inclined to believe, but the 
 very opposite to Monsieur Parbleu. He isn t at all tidy in his 
 dress ; all geniuses are slovenly, they say, and Herr Spreitzfinger 
 is on all sides allowed to be a member of that chosen band. He 
 smokes a detestable cigar, not in my presence, to be sure, but the 
 perfume of tobacco adhering to his clothes, becomes the tell-tale of 
 his besetting weakness. He wears a loose cravat and turned col 
 lars, which are more remarkable for size than cleanness. His long 
 black hair hangs in disheveled masses round his head, forming, as 
 I hear, another striking evidence of its owner s superior organiza 
 tion. Mr. Spreitzfinger s coatsleeves are of an unaccountable short 
 ness, the arm protruding almost to the elbow, and, however favor 
 able that may be to the free manipulation of his hands and fingers, 
 it neither lends him grace nor elegance. 
 
 In short, my music teacher is anything but a counterpart to the 
 fashionable Monsieur Parbleu, and the girls always titter when he 
 makes his appearance. I, however, am inclined to forgive his 
 shortcomings for the sake of the pleasure I derive from his per 
 formance on the piano. In fact, when he plays I don t see either 
 collar or coatsleeves ; my sight becomes a secondary matter and 
 the ear steps into the first place. I know but little about music, 
 but I cannot help thinking that the professor really is something 
 of a genius. The other girls don t like his music ; they always 
 plague him about polkas and schottisches and the like, and Mr. 
 Spreitzfinger don t like it. The other day I was present when he 
 replied to such a request : 
 
 Ladies, you petter puy a krind-organ ; tat plays tances petter 
 tan I can do it." 
 
 The " ladies " highly resented the idea, but I felt gratified, and 
 ever since I have vouchsafed the professor an increased amount of 
 respect. A real artist ought to elevate the public to his level, not 
 lower himself to theirs. He plays fantasies of the classic school 
 for me ; sometimes also variations of his own, and I derive a vague 
 kind of pleasure from hearing them. I do not understand that 
 
296 DOLORES. 
 
 music yet why should I deny it ? but I hope I soon shall. The 
 pleasure it gives me now is about the same as if I heard an orator 
 in a language of which I merely knew the rudiments. I know the 
 text, but cannot follow the development of the arguments. Yet I 
 hear the speaker s sonorous voice ; I see the graceful sweep of his 
 accompanying gestures ; I look into his soul-lit features and have a 
 mysterious anticipation of the sublimity of the thoughts he is pro 
 nouncing. 
 
 Mr. Spreitzfinger begins to notice me. I am now through the 
 drudgery of the A B C of music and he sometimes looks at me 
 as if he wanted to look to the bottom of my soul and see what is 
 within me. This morning after my lesson he threw back his long 
 hair with a jerk ; then wringing his bony fingers to make them 
 crack in a dozen places he said : 
 
 " Miss Tolores, you to remarkaply veil. You have te material 
 for a real artist. If you go on as you have commencet, I shall 
 make someting out of you." 
 
 " Are you in earnest, sir?" I inquired. "I despise flattery." 
 
 " You to?" he asked, casting a queer look at me ; " te oter laties 
 ton t. Put I to not flatter you, Miss Tolores. I sait te trut and 
 notink put te trut." 
 
 "Then, sir, I shall double my efforts. I dislike nothing more 
 than an indifferent thumping on the instrument. Rather than be 
 an indifferent player I would be none at all." 
 
 Then the professor made a queer remark. 
 
 " No, no, matam, at all events," he said ; " you have a soul, te 
 oters haven t ; what can tey expect to learn witout a soul ?" 
 
 His tone was extremely sarcastic, but to me he shows a greater 
 deference than ever. Tliis afternoon I met him in the hall and he 
 drew his hat and greeted me with a respect as if I had been a prin 
 cess. Some of the girls saw it and teased me about it. One of 
 them said : 
 
 "Look out, Dolores, the professor is going to fall in love with 
 you." 
 
 I really think they envied me this distinction, for, as a general 
 thing, the professor shoots past us in a hurry, at best vouchsafing 
 us a condescending nod. So every trifle becomes a source of envy 
 and jealousy, and I do really begin to be ashamed of my sex 
 
DOLOKES. 297 
 
 since my boarding school experience. If women all over the 
 world betray the littleness cropping out here at every corner it is 
 no wonder that the stronger sex shows so little respect for our 
 rights 
 
 # * * Mrs. Strictly, our principal, is as perfect in her ways 
 as Monsieur Parbleu in his. She always reminds me of the figures 
 exposed in the show windows for the display of dress ; the only dif 
 ference is that Mrs. Strictly does not merely display a faultless toi 
 let, but also the mental and moral qualities of a perfect lady. This 
 would be all well enough if the qualities were not continually on 
 exhibition. Mrs. Strictly is a living manual of perfection. She 
 seems to say : Look at me, young ladies ; notice my tournure ; this 
 is the way to bow and this is the way to smile, and this is the way 
 to rise, and sit, and walk, and talk, and do the thousand things 
 that make a lady comme il faut. When on our walks she gives a 
 penny to a beggar her motion says : This is the way to do it. When 
 she admires a view she seems to say : Now notice my expressions ! 
 She is modest for imitation and pious, too, for that matter, for even 
 in church she seems to say : Look this way, young ladies, and ben 
 efit by the chance of seeing a modest woman kneel and worship. 
 
 Mr. Strictly is a mere cipher in the establishment. He is a tall, 
 portly and rather handsome man, but yet he is nothing but a cipher. 
 He represents the outside dignity of the school, like the gaudy sign 
 above a dry goods store or the carriages behind the hearse. Be 
 sides this he keeps the books and buys the victuals, and on exam 
 inations and exhibitions builds the stage and shifts the scenes and 
 pulls the wires and prompts the performers. I must laugh when I 
 think of him. Not that I didn t like him ; I do like him well 
 enough, just as you like a second fiddle that adds the charm of 
 harmony to the beauties of the air. Mrs. Strictly sings the airs, 
 or, if you prefer it, she puts them on. The worthy pair reminds 
 me of a droll story that Charles told me once. A friend of his, 
 examining the city of Liverpool, noticed a cobbler and his wife 
 who had established their shop on the sidewalk of the street and 
 assisted one another in their work, he by mending, she by recom 
 mending. Every once in a while the worthy pair would rise and, 
 parting, taking separate sides of the street. Then, strutting down 
 
298 DOLOKES. 
 
 street with a dignified composure, they would proclaim this dia 
 logue : 
 
 She. "My husband mends boots and shoes. 
 
 He (in deep basso). " I am the man to do it. 
 
 She. "My husband," etc., etc., ad infinitum. 
 
 In our seminary the case lies just reversed. She mends the ig 
 norance and tattered manners of the pupils and he proclaims the 
 fact to all the world and adjacent counties. Oh, dear me ! if she 
 knew r in what disrespectful terms I speak about her to my diary ! 
 But, then, a person must have one confidential friend. The other 
 girls gossip among themselves I gossip to my diary 
 
 * * * A letter from Charlie! That is always a feast, a 
 holiday. He writes in German for fear, he says, that I will forget 
 that language over my French unless he keeps me in practice. I 
 forget German ? Oh, indeed ! there is little danger of that. I 
 like French well enough in its way ; you can express yourself so 
 politely, so guardedly. It is the language for bon mots and spark 
 ling wit, but with German it can stand no comparison. To it, is 
 what the graceful birch is to the towering, majestic oak. It waves 
 prettily in the breath of the wind, and its bark shines with a 
 whitish lustre ; but give me the oak for sublimity. The birds find 
 shelter in its branches and the weary wanderer in its shade. Just 
 as deeply as the oak sends its roots into the ground, the German 
 language sinks within our hearts, embracing it, creeping through 
 it, and pervading it in such a way as to make any effort of tearing 
 it out extremely idle. No, Charles, I shall not forget my German 
 as little as I shall forget you. Your letters do me good. We have 
 here the climate of California, long and uninterrupted drouths, 
 and if it was not for an occasional fertilizing shower from you or 
 home in shape of a letter my heart would dry up and only my 
 brain expand at its expense. Lucy neither loves me any more, 
 nor allows me to love her. Indeed I have ceased all efforts in that 
 direction ; for love is a mutual relation ; is like the working of two 
 opposite poles in magnetism. Lucy used to be the negative and 
 I the positive, and we agreed admirably.* Xo\v she has turned pos 
 itive and I cannot change. Perhaps by growing negative, by play 
 ing the role of the ivy climbing up the stronger tree, I might sue- 
 
DOLORES. 299 
 
 ceed. But I am no ivy ; I do not like to creep and twist and wind. 
 I am very positive, too positive I sometimes think 
 
 * * * To-day I spoke to my music teacher for the first time 
 in German. I shall never forget the amazement and subsequent 
 pleasure he showed on that occasion. It was in consequence of an 
 involuntary outburst of delight in listening to one of Beethoven s 
 sonatas which the professor played for me that the exclamation, 
 Oli ! mein Gott, wie schoen ! escaped me. No sooner had the 
 words been uttered than I laid my hands upon my lips as if to 
 catch back the treacherous words. But it was too late. Mr. 
 Spreitzfinger broke off in the middle of the chord, and, turning 
 abruptly on his stool, gazed at me in undisguised astonishment. 
 
 Sie sprechen deutseh ?" he said sharply ; you speak Jerman 
 and titn t tell me? Tat vasn t right, Miss Tolores, inteet it vasn t. 
 If I hat known tat you spoke Jerman I shoult have taught you 
 in my native tongue ant you voult have learnet even faster tan 
 you tit." 
 
 After that he wanted to know where I had learned it and led 
 me to speak of one thing and another until I had given him a tol 
 erably complete picture of Foxville and my friends there. I don t 
 know why I did it, and I think I was a little angry with myself 
 for doing it, but somehow it went so natural and Mr. Spreitzfinger 
 appeared so much more to his advantage in his native tongue, 
 which he speaks with a good accent, that one word brought on the 
 other, and the story was out before I knew it. The professor, how 
 ever, made returns for my confidence, giving me some rough 
 sketches of his life. Poor man ! the uncouth gestures of his body, 
 and his slovenly habits, have prevented him from making a mark 
 in life. He don t know it himself ; but it is nevertheless true. I 
 see it fiom his sketches. His talents were overlooked and his 
 shortcomings noticed. Oh, ye artists ! take warning from poor Mr. 
 Spreitzfinger, and take to clean collars and coatsleeves which pro 
 tect your elbows. My teacher is an artist. 1 know enough of music 
 to see that now ; but his collars and imperfect coatsleeves have 
 driven him from concert halls into the seminary of a little country 
 town. Even here they injure him, for I have caught several 
 glances of Mrs. Strictly which bode him little good. If he wasn t 
 so successful a teacher he would -.have been dismissed long before 
 
300 DOLORES. 
 
 this. But he makes very small pretensions ; that is another reason 
 for our principal to retain him. 
 
 * * * Mr. Spreitzfmger says 1 begin to play tolerably well. 
 He praises my touch and expression. No wonder, however ! He 
 makes me practice three hours a day, and if that is not calculated 
 to advance one s skill I do not know what will. He thinks differ 
 ently. He says he knew people w r ho practiced four hours and 
 could never succeed in playing the plainest air. Yesterday he said 
 in German : 
 
 " Miss Dolores, you have such a silvery laugh, you must surely 
 have a good voice. Will you have the kindness to sing the scale 
 for me ?" 
 
 I saw no reason to refuse him, and commenced with c, he sec 
 onding my voice with the corresponding chords. I wasn t destined, 
 however, to reach the octave, for even before we were half through 
 he jumped from his stool with a vehemence that frightened me, 
 and, walking through the room with his biggest strides, exclaimed : 
 
 "This voice ! oh what a voice ! and I knew nothing about it ! 
 Six months, six precious months gone and lost! It is a sin, a per 
 fect shame. What if I hadn t by chance tumbled over this pre 
 cious voice ! It might have remained untrained, lost to herself 
 and the world forever ! But, thank God, it is time yet. Miss Do 
 lores, I don t ask you to take singing lessons ; you must, you abso 
 lutely must. 1 
 
 His excitement was so ludicrous that I could not help laugh 
 ing. 
 
 " You may laugh as much as you please," he said, waving his 
 hand and speaking German, w r hich language has now become the 
 exclusive medium between us. "You may laugh, on condition 
 that you let me have my way. The man who found the Kohinor 
 and he that ground it to its present brilliancy can not be prouder 
 of their success than I shall be when this nightingale of Maine 
 first charms the ears of thousands." 
 
 What could I do in the face of such enthusiasm ? I had to 
 yield, and now I practice singing as well as playing 
 
 * * * To-day I received a costly present. It seems that 
 Charles retained some diamonds of Uncle Eberhardt s and caused 
 them to be set in Boston in a very tasty manner. Now they are 
 
DOLORES. 301 
 
 lying in my hand, and I hardly know which I value most, the gift 
 or the kind letter that accompanies it. "Dol," he writes indeed 
 I fear the world is spoiling him, for he begins to flatter " Dol, I 
 beg you to accept from me these jewels. They are a fitting em 
 blem of your purity. The gold in which they are set does not in 
 crease their value ; but it is necessary to show them to advantage 
 and bring to light the brilliancy of their lustre. It is your history 
 over again, Dolores. Mrs. Strictly is the artist who now is putting 
 you into a proper setting. She cuts and grinds and polishes, and 
 when she is done she will boast of her work and forget that only 
 the setting is hers and nothing else, and that the beauty and spark 
 ling fire of the precious jewel were there before she touched it. 
 With every other girl I should be afraid of such boarding-school 
 work ; but you cannot be spoiled I know that of old, because we 
 tried it pretty hard at home. They may cut here and add there ; 
 to make a flaw is entirely impossible new beauties must necessarily 
 spring up everywhere under their touch." 
 
 That s the way he writes, and I am going to give him a good 
 lecture about it in my reply. 
 
 But what shall I do with these stones? I cannot wear them 
 here ; they are too costly. I would raise such a mountain of envy 
 amongst the girls- that an avalanche might break loose and suffo 
 cate me. But, without joking, I do not want to appear better or 
 more highly favored than Lucy. It is enough to think that she 
 treats me with so much coldness. I shall do nothing on my part 
 to widen the cleft between us. 
 
 * * * Vacation is over and we are back in our school, ready 
 to plunge once more into the sea of learning. Strange ! I was 
 more loath to leave my dear old home this time than the first time. 
 On the first occasion I didn t know any better. But now I do know. 
 Only now I fully understand the powerful charm and the melan 
 choly sweetness of the old song, "Home, Sweet Home ! " It isn t 
 the air that captivates me, though its gentle sadness is calculated 
 to bring home the sentiments of the words with double force. I do 
 not know why this air always pursues me waking and dreaming. I 
 cannot account for it on the great appreciation of my home alone. 
 A secret inward power drives it to my lips, a voice from the spirit- 
 
302 DOLORES. 
 
 land, an echo from the past. Where does it come from, why does 
 it strike me so powerfully ? 
 
 * * * There is one more reason why I hated to leave Fox- 
 ville worse than the first time. Charles was to be home, too, on 
 vacation ; but, unfortunately, our terms did not coincide, and all 
 we could exact from him was a promise to do his best to meet us. 
 I suppose he did his best, but we did not see him. We lingered 
 day after day until Lucy refused to prolong our stay. Our school 
 would open, she said, and she would not like to lose any recita. 
 tions. Her parents praised her resolution and I? of course I 
 couldn t betray my reluctance and its cause. Lucy knew it ; that 
 I instinctively perceived. But no, it was the love of study, her 
 sense of order and of duty which gave birth to her desire for a re 
 turn to school. I have really to conquer a disposition of feeling a 
 bitterness against the girl. She begins to make the same impres 
 sion upon me with her even coldness, as a trog or other amphibi 
 ous creature would in consequence of their cold, slippery skin. If 
 I am wrong, if I wrong her, I cannot help it. I do my best to 
 force myself to friendly feelings towards my parents daughter, but 
 I must now repeat what I said once before, " Love cannot be forced 
 and, like the plant in subterranean vaults, creep to the warm and 
 genial light 
 
 * * * I have committed another offence against my school 
 mates in venturing to compete for and win the first prize at the 
 examination preceding the close of school. This is an old affair 
 now, but, on looking over my diary, I find that I neglected to 
 record it. Not that I place a very great value on the occurrence ; 
 but it would be just as foolish to leave it off these pages on ac 
 count of a false shame as to proclaim it with a vain pride to the 
 four points of the compass. I chronicle events on these leaves 
 such as they are, not as they ought to be, and if the statement of 
 any triumphs is calculated to give offence I have the comfort of 
 feeling sure that no eyes but mine will ever see it. 
 
 * * * What do you think of Mr. Burlesque, and how do 
 you like him ? " was a question in a letter from Charlie that lies 
 before me. What do I think of him ? Well, he is a clever fellow 
 with a gay disposition ; rather too gay for me, though. I like 
 originality but I do not like farces. Overdrawn characters become 
 
DOLOKES. 303 
 
 caricatures and those I could never admire. Moreover, Mr. Bur 
 lesque has driven his vehicle of life through " thick and thin," as 
 they say in German, and in consequence the mire has been spat 
 tered all over him. I feel he is not so pure as I should like a 
 friend to be. To me he has never over-stepped the bounds of de 
 corum, but I thought he came as close to the margin as was possi 
 ble. May be the simple life in Foxville will improve him ; indeed 
 I hope it will, for though my judgment can not exactly bestow the 
 character of perfect on the man my sympathy is with him. I like 
 him well enough. I like his constant efforts to cheer and help niy 
 dear papa. I like his struggle to forget the gay pleasures of city 
 life and learn the proper appreciation of the charms of the country. 
 But most of all I like the enthusiastic love with which he speaks of 
 Charlie. He never tires of that topic and somehow I never tire to 
 listen. So it happened that we had many and long chats together. 
 He says that Charlie is the only man he ever saw and I subscribe 
 to it. Dear me ! when I compare him with the striplings on whom 
 our girls here dote and about whom they rave the difference appears 
 so great that I lack a measure to define it. Mr. Burlesque saw him 
 but once and that sufficed to -bind him heart and soul. Now, if he 
 loves him so much from one short interview what can those do that 
 shared his leisure and his work, his joys, his sorrows and his aspira- 
 tins? Yesterday I took Webster s dictionary to look for the 
 definition of the word "idol." It means an image to be worshiped 
 as a God. Now, the bible calls the worshipers of idols heathen. 
 I fear I am a heathen 
 
 * * * To-day when I came to my room I thought L-ucy 
 looked rather nervous, contrary to her loabits. She soon invented 
 a pretence to leave me, and when I took out my diary I thought I 
 noticed a confusion in the writing desk that is not usual. Should 
 she have had the meanness to pry into those papers ? The box 
 was locked, but these common locks are easily forced. It would 
 be too bad indeed ! But, no, I shall not think of it. I shall not 
 condemn her on such slight suspicion. But I shall be more cau 
 tious hereafter and put the diary in a place where prying eyes and 
 skillful fingers will try in vain to penetrate to it 
 
 * * * Xwo years are gone, and after the expiration of 
 another I shall be through with my course of studies. It makes 
 
304 DOLORES. 
 
 me glad and sorry at the same time to think of it. Sorry because 
 the calm, happy days of school life will then be over, never to 
 return. Happy, because then I shall be able to enjoy the company 
 of my friends at home without the fear of early parting. What 
 does a short vacation amount to ? Every day is spoiled and embit 
 tered by the thought that one is drawing near which will surely 
 snatch us from our home. Charles expects to be through about the 
 same time and if I am to trust his letters he is about as anxious and 
 impatient to meet me as I am to meet him. Is it not strange that 
 two long years have passed without bringing us face to face ? Dur 
 ing my two vacations he could not leave the college and when his 
 vacation came around and he made a trip up this way to take me 
 by surprise I was absent on an excursion to the mountains with a 
 pleasure party from our seminary. We were absent a whole week, 
 and I enjoyed myself well enough, but when I got home and found 
 a note, and nothing but a note, in which he expressed his sorrow 
 on account of missing me I felt as if 1 could have despaired and 
 sat down to a good crying spell, such as I have not had for years. 
 Now I shall have to wait another year before I can expect to see 
 him. Dear me ! how many things we shall then have to say to one 
 another. How many stories we shall have to tell ; how many ques 
 tions to ask and reply to ; how many puzzles and problems of life 
 and death to propose and solve ; how many imaginary journeys to 
 make to subterranean caves and deepest bowels of the earth ; to 
 mountain peaks and to the airy realms above ; even up to the moon 
 and planets and light dispersing sun. Indeed I do not see how we 
 shall ever get through, unless the hours of night shrink to minimum 
 and the days expand to their double length. This, I am afraid, 
 will never happen. On the contrary the hours spent in his compa 
 ny will share the common fate of happy hours, their transient- 
 ness 
 
 * * * My diary is much neglected now. The session draws 
 towards its close, and I mean to compete for the first honor. I 
 know Charlie does and it gives me sweet satisfaction to share his 
 risk, but it will be sweeter yet to share his triumph. My triumph, 
 however, will not be very great. Three years is a long race, and 
 most of our students are out of breath by this time. There are a 
 few of a more tenacious purpose than the crowd wko seem inclined 
 
DOLORES. 305 
 
 to dispute my victory. However, there are some new students, 
 clever girls, who scorn to yield the palm without an effort. So the 
 contest is not without a certain interest, and though I am far from 
 feeling the feverish excitement of the first year yet I feel the neces 
 sity of close application to make success secure. Farewell, then, 
 thou friend of my lonely hours ; only at rare intervals will my 
 diary be enabled to visit thee. Farewell ! 
 
 * * * A letter from Charlie ! Such extraordinary events 
 form an exception from the general rule. I must spare the time to 
 chronicle it in the pages of my diary ; especially since it is very 
 likely the last letter I ll get from him. One more week and I ll 
 have ceased to be the happy schoolgirl to enter into a state not less 
 laborious and even more responsible. One more week to prepare 
 for the contest ! I ought to concentrate my thoughts upon my 
 studies, but I cannot do it. However much I struggle to retain 
 them here they constantly fly to my native home and to the dear, 
 dear faces I shall there meet again. There is a picture of Charlie 
 in the letter, a splendid photograph. He wears a moustache now 
 and handsome whiskers, and I was so much engaged in looking at 
 the picture that I didn t notice how one of the girls came up behind 
 and gazing over my shoulder saw the picture. I started like a 
 thief detected in the act of stealing, when she clapped her hands 
 and with a merry laugh exclaimed : 
 
 A man ! a man ! Our Lady Perfect has the picture of a man ! 
 He is handsome, though, and I ll keep mum if you will tell me 
 who he is and whether you love him very much ? " 
 
 I felt a burning of indignation in my face ; I think it was at 
 her indiscretion. Without deigning to answer a word to her ques 
 tions I turned abruptly and sought my chamber. There, however, 
 her question haunts me all the time. Do I love him ? No, I love 
 him not. If Webster is correct I worship him and worship is no 
 love. Worship you can, but idols ! I worship the idol of my soul 
 and that is idolatry 
 
 ^ * * Triumph ! Triumph ! The palm is mine ! The vie- 
 tory is won. It was not easily won, however, and I value the prize 
 in proportion. And he ? Oh ! I have not the slightest doubt that 
 he, too, conquered all the rest. It was the thought of him that 
 gave me strength, and can I doubt that he, too, thought of me? 
 
 20 
 
306 DOLORES. 
 
 Doubt ! That fearful word now for the first time rises in my mind. 
 If he had not learned to think of me as I of him what would the 
 future be ? A blank ; for I love him, love him dearly ; worship 
 him. Why should I hide it from myself ? Alas ! I couldn t ; for 
 this feeling has become so interwoven with my nature that to ignore 
 it would be not to exist. They write so much of love sleeping in our 
 hearts and bursting into consciousness with a sudden start. Well, 
 perhaps they are right. I never knew how much I loved him un 
 til on my return from the mountains, when I learned that he had 
 been here to see me. In the copious tears then flowing from my 
 eyes love took root and grew until it filled my heart and all the 
 world. After that, beauty received its merits merely from gracing 
 him. Intelligence, from shining through his eyes. Virtue became 
 of value, since he cherished its precepts, and vice shunned because 
 he shuns it 
 
 Doubt ! Horrid word ! How could I ever bear to live without 
 a kindred feeling in his bosom ? 
 
 * * * A change has come over me. I now understand 
 superlatives and, what is more, I use them. To-morrow we shall 
 go home. I am the happiest creature on the globe. Time creeps 
 most terribly slow for me and I should be infinitely obliged to 
 Morpheus, God of Dreams, if he could plunge me into oblivion 
 until the moment of departure has arrived. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 HOME AGAIN. 
 
 Those were stiring, excited times in the two families of Fox- 
 ville, when the girls came home. Theirs was not the only arrival 
 for on the preceding day Richard and Henery had suddenly re 
 turned from Portsmouth, where their vessel was to undergo 
 thorough repairs. They had leave of absence for the whole winter 
 and were received with a doubly hearty welcome, as they bore let 
 ters from Captain Tarfield which gave them a pretty good character. 
 True, neither of them had advanced much in his profession as they 
 
DOLOKES. 307 
 
 had not succeeded in rising above the rank of common sailors, but 
 that was only of secondary importance. If their new life had only 
 improved their morals and made them firmer in principle, the rest 
 could easily be borne. A few more voyages would surely perfect 
 them in the art of navigation, and once fit to command a vessel, the 
 means of Mr. Fox would without much trouble secure Richard a 
 captaincy with Henry for hi* lieutenant. 
 
 Charles was now the only one wanting, to make the family cir 
 cle complete. His session closed a little later and they could hardly 
 expect him before another week. But, though this circumstance 
 somewhat damped the spirits of Dolores, the young men were gay 
 and lively, and made the mansion and the cottage ring with their 
 laughter and their stories. They had been in most of the countries 
 of Europe and of course could relate many things that were either 
 new to the others or nevertheless listened to with interest because 
 coming from the lips of eye witnesses. 
 
 Lucy was the one least excited. She greeted her brother as if 
 he had been absent three weeks instead of three years. Richard 
 of course could not help noticing this, but he either cared little 
 about his sister s feelings towards him or he was well skilled in hid 
 ing his own. He treated her as lightly as she him and Dolores be 
 came so much the object of his attention that the whole family 
 could not well help noticing it. Dolores alone, in her innocence, 
 failed to see anything unusual in his conduct and therefore lent 
 him her ear with the good-nature which formed a fundamental 
 trait in her character. Once, when her eye suddenly, though un 
 intentionally, turned to the place where Lucy sat, she thought she 
 noticed a lurking expression in her look which startled her. Her 
 eye passed on however and when a minute afterwards it met that 
 of Lucy a second time nothing but the old tranquil indifference was 
 visible. 
 
 "I must have been mistaken," Dolores said to herself, though 
 I shouldn t wonder if the attention this loquacious sailor boy pays 
 to my humble person should increase her hostility. It is my mis 
 fortune to suffer worst for what I value least. Heaven knows that 
 I would gladly be spared the trouble of listening to his suada for, 
 let others think what they please, I am not at all inclined to believe 
 
308 DOLORES. 
 
 in the reform of these naval heroes. There is something in Rich 
 ard s eye which says, beware ! I wish Charles would come." 
 
 A sigh which ended this soliloquy induced Richard to press the 
 question, whether she felt unwell. A slight headache, the conse 
 quence of her trip in the stage coach, gave her a good excuse for 
 withdrawing to her room, where she threw herself upon her bed and 
 soon was lost in a crowd of promiscuous thoughts. 
 
 Richard was alone with Lucy now, for Henry had gone home 
 immediately after Dolores departure from the parlor. He made a 
 motion like one that throws off a mask and said to his sister : 
 
 Lucy I am glad we can have a tete-a-tete. You have studied 
 French they tell me and you know what that means?" 
 
 "Supposing, I do Richard ; what good will a tete-a-tete do you ? 
 You certainly have no secrets to communicate?" 
 
 "No Lucy, that is a fact. If I had, I might choose a different 
 person to confide in." 
 
 " You are very flattering Richard, I must confess. If the be 
 ginning of your tete-a-tete consists of taunts what will the end be?" 
 
 Richard looked at his sister attentively. 
 
 " Lucy," he said after a few moments, "it strikes me that you 
 have changed most wonderfully since I left you. Then you were 
 the embodiment of gentleness, kindness and consideration ; now 
 you look sour enough to turn into No. 1 vinegar." 
 
 "May be I feel like what I look. Many things have changed 
 here besides me Richard." 
 
 "So it seems, Lucy. Amongst other important items I notice 
 the reception of Dolores into universal favor." 
 
 Lucy smiled scornfully. 
 
 " It does not take much penetration to notice that," she said. 
 
 "No, nor that you form an exception to the rule. What can 
 have been the cause of it? Does Miss Lucy experience slight 
 touches of jealousy and envy?" 
 
 Lucy s f*ce remained unmoved. 
 
 " If you have no secrets to reveal I, for my part, may. In such 
 a case, however, you will hardly wonder at my discretion." 
 
 Richard laughed. 
 
 "Lucy," he said, I do not recognize in you the little girl of 
 yore. But you have changed for the better, have improved. You 
 
DOLORES. 309 
 
 show spunk and wit and cunning, all of which are valuable quali 
 ties. I must say my respect for you has considerably increased 
 since this tete-a-tete. I do despise nothing more than girls who 
 can be classed with the geese." 
 
 "Am I to consider that as a compliment ?" 
 
 "Decidedly. Since this discovery of your talents I shall treat 
 you differently. Instead of using you as a mere puppet I shall 
 now give you a clue to the role you are to play." 
 
 "Are to play ? Richard, methinks you use expressions a little 
 bit too positive." 
 
 "Do I? Beg pardon, then, Lucy. Of course I expect you to 
 further my interests of your own free will, and shall be able to 
 convince you that this is your interest as well." 
 
 "That sounds more reasonable. Let me hear what you have 
 to say." 
 
 First, Lucy, allow me to insinuate that you act very foolishly 
 in giving way to any enmity to Dolores." 
 
 But why ? Because I do not imitate the other ? I have seen 
 very well that you attached yourself to her interests." 
 
 "I don t deny it; but, Lucy, you must in justice confess that 
 you are as much to blame as she. While she received me kindly, 
 you turned a cold shoulder to my warm advances." 
 
 "That may be ; but I cannot help it. It makes me angry to 
 see this worship of the golden calf." 
 
 " Jealous, upon my word ! But, Lucy, you forget that if they 
 all changed you were no less inconsistent by now turning her 
 enemy." 
 
 " Never mind that now ; but come, rather, to the point." 
 
 " Very well, Lucy, just as you please. I have made up my 
 mind to marry her. Is that plain enough ?" 
 
 Lucy started ; but she didn t do her brother the favor of seem 
 ing much surprised. On the contrary she broke out in a derisive 
 laugh. Richard was vexed. 
 
 " Will you please tell me why that strikes you so ridiculous ?" 
 he asked. 
 
 "Why not, Richard? Leaving out the question of the 
 propriety of marrying a beggar-girl for she is really nothing 
 else the question arises, Will she take you ? " 
 
310 DOLORES. 
 
 "And that question, Lucy, you think 
 
 " Will be answered in the negative." 
 
 "The deuce it will ! It must not be ! What makes you think 
 so ? The match is not so bad. The governor has a heap of cash 
 and I " 
 
 He stopped and cast an approving look at his person. 
 
 " Am a tolerably handsome fellow. That s what you meant 
 to say. Still it is idle to speculate about it." 
 
 Richard hung his head, but only for a moment. 
 
 "You see things too dark," he resumed. "I cannot give up the 
 hope of success unless you prove your assertions. Why in the 
 world should she refuse to marry me ?" 
 
 "You men are exceedingly conceited. If nothing else will 
 satisfy you, here is a direct answer : jShe loves somebody else. " 
 
 "Is that all?" 
 
 " If I tell you his name you will change your tone." 
 
 " Out with the name, then." 
 
 " Charles Fuchs." 
 
 Richard jumped from the lounge as if a scorpion had stung 
 him ; but his excitement was only momentary, at least as far as 
 outward appearances were concerned. 
 
 " Fool that I was, to be frightened by a name. It was a mere 
 paroxysm and is over now." 
 
 " Ah, Richard, don t dissemble to me. I know you fear him." 
 
 " I did at one time, I confess ; but that time is over. His name 
 had the old power, but only for a moment, I tell you I fear him 
 no longer ; but I hate him. There is no recollection of my child 
 hood which is not in some way or other mixed up with his hateful 
 face. He crossed me in every wish, he foiled me in every under 
 taking ; all my humiliations bear his name, and if I have cause to 
 hate anybody it is Charles Fuchs. But I tell you I do not fear 
 him any more ; why should I ? Perhaps, because he had easy days 
 at college, while I had to battle with winds and waves and do the 
 lowest kind of labor. 
 
 " But, Richard, it was your choice to go to sea ; you might just 
 as easily have gone to college if you had chosen. You surely can 
 not blame him for hardships of your own choosing." 
 
 " AVhy, you wax eloquent in his defense. If I recollect right 
 
DOLORES. 311 
 
 there was always quite a penchant of yours that way. I see it all 
 now. Dolores has been condemned in your sight because she dared 
 to lift her eyes to a man whom Miss Lucy has condescended to 
 adore. 
 
 Lucy made a disconnected attempt to disprove the charge, but 
 her confusion only confirmed his opinion. 
 
 " Don t you deny it, Lucy," he said, "for I shall believe it not 
 withstanding. But, then, that is no reason why we two should 
 quarrel. I sacrifice my hatred to you, you yours to me, and we 
 are even. Meanwhile, we can promote each other s interest to the 
 best of our ability. How do you like the plan ? If you agree 
 here is my hand." 
 
 In justice to Lucy, we must confess that he took rather than 
 received her hand. The gain of an ally restored Richard s good 
 humor. 
 
 "I know now that Dolores loves this Charles Fuchs ; but I 
 should like to ask another question, if it wasn t rather delicate un 
 der the circumstances," 
 
 " Do not spare me, Richard," Lucy answered in a gloomy tone. 
 * I know what you want to ascertain. I do m believe that Charles 
 returns her passion." 
 
 This was uttered with such melancholy sadness that even her 
 selfish brother was touched. 
 
 " Poor Lucy !" he said. "I pity you with all my heart ; but 
 pity alone will not mend matters. We must act, conspire, spring 
 m j nes j n short, do everything in our power to foil this union and 
 reach our purpose. I ll go to mother now to gain her sympathy, 
 and you may in the meanwhile keep your eyes and ears open to 
 benefit by any chance that may present itself." 
 
 Alas ! the seed thus sown fell on a fertile soil. It sprouted, 
 grew, and ripened to a resolution which put at jeopardy the happi 
 ness of two beings. 
 
 Richard found his mother in her room. The excitement of the 
 last two days had somewhat affected her nerves and Dr. Palmer, 
 who had called to see the children and on that occasion seen the 
 mother, had advised an afternoon s retirement. She smiled when 
 Richard stepped into the room. 
 
 "That is kind in you, my boy, to sacrifice your leisure to your 
 
312 DOLORES. 
 
 mother while more entertaining sport is to be found below. I am 
 so glad to see you, Richard, and you can hardly realize how 
 much I missed you all the time. Come here, my son, and tell 
 your mother all you have to say and yet would not confide to every 
 body." 
 
 Richard followed her invitation. 
 
 " A mother s eye sees sharp, they say," he remarked. " I have 
 indeed a matter which I wish to confide to you. It is a love affair 
 mother." 
 
 Ladies always like to hear of love affairs. So Mrs. Fox did 
 not disguise her pleasure when she answered : 
 
 " A love affair ? Perhaps you captured the heart of some for 
 eign princess and now want my consent to your union ?" 
 
 "No, mother, not exactly," Richard answered with a laugh. 
 " The mistress of my heart is but a beggar-girl." 
 
 "A what?" 
 
 The old nature of Mrs. Fox flashed up, and for a moment she 
 felt inclined to resent what she considered an improper joke. But, 
 regaining her self-control as quickly as she had lost it,, she added : 
 
 "Explain yourself, my son. You surely cannot take pleasure 
 in making sport of your mother." 
 
 "No, mother, nothing is further from my mind. You will see 
 yourself as soon as I pronounce the name of my intended. It is 
 Dolores." 
 
 "Dolores?" 
 
 Mrs. Fox s amazement was genuine. She would have thought 
 of any name sooner than that. Her son had been away so long and 
 only returned a day or two before, and yet this love, it was very 
 strange. 
 
 " Yes, mother, Dolores. I wonder at your amazement. Has 
 my selection not your approbation ? " 
 
 : Yes, Richard, very much, only I thought now I see what 
 you meant by beggar-girl. But Dolores is no beggar-girl, Richard. 
 Did father never tell you of her birth ? She is a dutchess by right." 
 
 " I know she is ! " Richard eagerly broke in upon her words ; 
 then checking himself he continued: "That is, I mean I was 
 aware of her origin. It isn t the dutchess tho I love, but the girl 
 herself." 
 
DOLORES. 313 
 
 " God bless you Richard ! " 
 
 That was his mother s benediction and consent. If she had 
 known what, a black lie he had uttered, she would have cursed, in 
 stead of blessing him. 
 
 11 Thank you mother," he now resumed. "I know that you 
 have great influence over Dolores. Would you kindly use it in my 
 favor?" 
 
 Mrs. Fox shrugged her sholders. 
 
 "My influence over her? If you had spoken of her influ 
 ence over me you would have been more correct. Dolores, my boy, 
 is not the girl to be influenced, and unless you succeed in winning 
 her free consent, neither I nor your father would venture to influ 
 ence her decision." 
 
 "A princess indeed!" Richard replied somewhat derisively. 
 " A real one could not receive more homage." 
 
 * A real one would not deserve more. No, my boy, do not rely 
 much on my influence ; yet what I have is at your disposal." 
 
 " Thank you mother, that is all I ask. I hardly expect Dol 
 ores will accept me all at once. I have four or five months at my 
 disposal, and all I ask is to gain permission to pay my attention to 
 her." 
 
 " That demand is so reasonable that a reasonable girl like Dolores 
 will hardly deny it, unless 
 
 "Unless what? " he asked impatiently when she stopped. 
 
 " Unless her heart is already engaged." 
 
 There ! a second time this objection ! Until now he had hoped 
 that his sister had been mistaken, but now on his mother s hint he 
 ceased to doubt. Very well then, let it be so. The knowledge of 
 this love of hers, or his too for that matter, shall not detain him. 
 If he cannot win her by fair means he shall use foul ones, for the 
 prize at stake is too great to be lost. It is not only the girl he cov 
 ets, tho it cannot be denied that her luxuriant beauty begins to 
 exercise a powerful charm on his sensual nature, it is the 
 
 Looking shyly around he interrupts his own thoughts. So 
 much does he fear profane ears may catch the secret of his soul. 
 
 There is one thing in his favor : Charles will not arrive before 
 the expiration of another week ; he has seven entire days to work 
 in. But he has only these seven, and what he expects to accom- 
 
314 DOLORES. 
 
 plish must be accomplished within that time. But then, what 
 shall he do ? Can he calumniate the character of the absent one 
 and entice Dolores to a hasty pledge from which she cannot, will 
 not, back out ? Can he try the same game on him by playing into 
 his hands a forged letter, which shows her character as one that s 
 lost to honor and repute ? Both tricks are hazardous and too un 
 certain of result. Something more cunning must be invented, so 
 cunning that even their sharp wit fails to comprehend it. Or stop ! 
 would not the very simplest trap be the one best calculated for such 
 superior minds ? Yes indeed the thought is worthy of his brain- 
 he might have said a demon s just as well and nothing remains to 
 be done except to set the trap and fix the time of execution. But 
 there is no need of hurry, in spite of the shortness of the time. In 
 deed he knows that many a plot has fallen from sheer precipitation. 
 He must first explore the grounds. Fortune seldom forsakes the 
 bold and he does not doubt that more than one chance will be 
 offered before the expiration of many hours. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 INSTRUCTIONS. 
 
 The family at the cottage, though glad at Henry s arrival, and 
 participating in the joy of their friends at the mansion, had, so to 
 speak, hardly reached the climax of their satisfaction. Charles, 
 the light of their eyes, the joy of their hearts ; he who, under all 
 circumstances, had proved himself the worthy recipient of their 
 most fervent love, was yet absent. But he was to come, and that 
 fact alone was sufficient to spread a glow of joyous anticipation over 
 their faces which cast its reflection even on Henry. Not that he 
 had experienced much delight at the thought of soon meeting his 
 brother ; no, he was at best very indifferent about it ; but his par 
 ents loved him more dearly on his brother s account, probably with 
 out knowing themselves. He, however, knew and this knowledge 
 was hardly calculated to inspire him with very warm feelings toward 
 his brother. He had always begrudged Charles thj first place in 
 
DOLOKES. 315 
 
 his parents love, without ever taking the trouble of finding the 
 solution of that problem in his own short comings. To speak the 
 truth, his probation on the ocean had not improved him much, if 
 any, notwithstanding Captain Tarfield s laudatory letter, and if it 
 hadn t been for the pleasant excitement of his parents they would 
 have seen it at once. 
 
 Ever since the departure of the two sons, Mr. Burlesque had 
 been an inmate of the family. He had occupied Charlie s room 
 and taken care of Charlie s pets and collection, at that young man s 
 particular request. At first Mrs. Fuchs could not bear the thought 
 of seeing a stranger installed in the room where the spirit of her 
 boy had left its impress on every spot. But gradually the winning 
 ways of the new comer and especially his enthusiastic love for 
 Charles had overcome her repugnance. She had long ago received 
 him under her particular care and in her particular affection, and 
 Mr. Burlesque vowed that if he had improved in these three years 
 it was solely due to the salutary influence of Charlie s mother. 
 
 It was touching to see how these two persons now vied in mak 
 ing the reception of the favorite a festival worthy of his merits. 
 Mr. Burlesque spent all his spare hours in fixing up the room, in 
 arranging the books, dusting the glass cases containing Charlie s 
 collection of butterflies a^nd insects, in polishing the memorable 
 engine and, lastly, in repainting the cages and enclosures of the 
 animals in the zoological department of the garden. Mrs. Fuchs, 
 in the meantime, was hardly less busy in her department. She 
 completed her stock in pantry and cellar, and studied in advance 
 such cakes as she would bake because he liked them best. Her 
 husband nodded and smiled at her bustle and activity, and so did 
 Henry smile ; but a careful observer would have noticed an ingre 
 dient of bitter envy in his smile, and that he ground his teeth when 
 indulging in this manifestation of satisfaction. The observer would 
 have shook his head and wondered what all this would come to yet. 
 
 Mr. Burlesque did not like the brother of his friend. He had 
 mixed too much with society of every description as not to undei^ 
 stand the character of Henry. Burlesque himself had been of 
 rather loose habits and he surely was the last person to cast a stone 
 at Henry for a similar weakness. But it was hardly for such a de 
 fect that he would have taken the young mariner to account. 
 
316 DOLORES. 
 
 There was a certain something in him which Burlesque felt but yet 
 could not define. The comedian could think of nothing more fit 
 ting to compare him with than the cat. When he saw Henry 
 strolling about with his eyes half shut, his gait loitering but his 
 step noiseless and cautious, he could not help thinking of that ani 
 mal. You stroke her and she purrs and brushes her soft fur against 
 you. She curves her back and whisks her tail ; in short she shows 
 every sign of supreme satisfaction. But you look into her eyes 
 and you will perceive that expression of malignant cunning and 
 cruel heartlessness which she cannot entirely conceal. You also 
 see the working of the claws as they lie concealed in the ball of the 
 paw, but there is a nervous twitching in them as if the animal was 
 laboring under a strong temptation to spread them out" and sink 
 them into the hand which caresses it, unconscious of its danger. 
 
 Henry, on the other hand, seemed equally disinclined to make 
 much of Mr. Burlesque. He spent most of his time in Richard s 
 company and the two were more frequently seen at the mansion 
 than at the cottage. Their long companionship on board the ves 
 sel made the intimacy so natural that their parents found nothing 
 strange in it ; but if they could have witnessed all their secret 
 meetings and whispered conversations they might perhaps have 
 changed their opinion. The nearer the day of Charlie s arrival 
 approached the more numerous did these interviews become. Some 
 times Richard and Henry put their heads together and then again 
 Richard and his sister might be seen in lively but guarded conver 
 sation. It was on coming from one of the latter that we see Rich 
 ard wending his way to the cottage. Henry was sitting on the 
 porch indulging in his favorite amusement, smoking and idling. 
 
 Come in, Dick," he cried, when he saw the other stopping at 
 the gate. 
 
 " No, you come down, Henry. 1 want to have a chat with you. 
 Let us stroll up and down the road." 
 
 Hem:y would have preferred to prolong his siesta, but then 
 Richard wished him to come out and Richard generally knew what 
 he was about, so he joined him. 
 
 " "Well, what s the matter this time, Dick?" 
 
 " The old yarn, Henry, old but always new." 
 
 "What s up now?" 
 
DOLOKES. 317 
 
 I have a paper in my pocket that s worth a hundred thousand 
 dollars." 
 
 11 No. The governor hasn t been that generous ?" 
 
 " Don t be a fool, Hen. I am only speaking figuratively. The 
 paper in my possession is more than likely to help me to those nice 
 domains in Italy, you know." 
 
 "Ah!" 
 
 " And you to a handsome fortune in the bargain." 
 
 " So much the better." 
 
 " But ain t you curious, Henry ?" 
 
 "No, you know I never was. Tis too much trouble." 
 
 " Well, your laziness beats all I ever saw in that line. I like 
 my leisure as well as you, but when it comes to working out a 
 plan" 
 
 "I thought you were going to tell me something?" 
 
 " And so I am. See here, do you know this writing ?" 
 
 " No, I don t." 
 
 "Well, it is Dolores ." 
 
 "Ah!" 
 
 " A leaf from her diary." 
 
 "Ah!" 
 
 "And a precious leaf, I tell you. Just read this line." 
 
 " Do I love him f No, I love him not. There now !" 
 
 " What does she mean? I do not understand it." 
 
 " She talks about your brother. It is he she does not love." 
 
 "But you told me the contrary all along." 
 
 " I say so yet. But this paper says she does not love him. It 
 surely isn t our business to contradict her own writing." 
 
 "Of course it isn t. But what does it mean ?" 
 
 "It means there is another page following this one in which she 
 states that instead of loving she worships him." 
 
 " Ha ! ha ! I suppose that was a bitter pill for you, Dick ?" 
 
 "I did t see it myself, but only learned it from Lucy." 
 
 That doesn t make it any sweeter. And this leaf you got 
 from Lucy, did you ?" 
 
 "Yes, she is a precious girl, and by getting her you ll get a 
 jewel. None of your dry, insipid wax dolls." 
 
 "I haven t got her yet." 
 
318 DOLORES. 
 
 11 But you shall have her ; depend upon it." 
 
 "Did you sound her on that point ?" Henry asked with more 
 vivacity than he had yet shown. 
 
 " No, I didn t. To tell you the truth, Henry, your case doesn t 
 look any more favorably than mine. In fact I know r she looks with 
 partiality upon your brother." 
 
 A curse slipped through Henry s lips. 
 
 " He always was in my way." 
 
 "And in mine, too." 
 
 " He always foiled my purposes." 
 
 "And mine, too." 
 
 "I hate him." 
 
 "And so do I." 
 
 " He must not interfere w r ith me in this instance." . 
 
 Nor with me, Henry. You see we are natural allies. If he 
 succeeds we are done for. By his ruin w r e may effect our fortune." 
 
 " You are right. But how can we accomplish our purpose?" 
 
 "By working into one another s hands. All that is necessary 
 is to induce your brother to believe that Dolores is faithless, or 
 rather, that she does not love him ; for I hardly think that they 
 have already plighted one another s faith." 
 
 " And you hope to accomplish that by placing this paper in his 
 hands?" 
 
 " Just so, Henry, and by placing myself before his eyes in the 
 light of a successful wooer." 
 
 " That s a devilish good idea, I must say." 
 
 Yes, it is good enough ; but the idea alone won t do it, and I 
 rely on your assistance to turn it to account." 
 
 " What do you want me f o do ?" 
 
 "I was just going to explain. You have been absent at sea, 
 you know, and you come home a repentant sinner with a heart full 
 of love and tenderness for the long-missed brother." 
 
 "But, Richard, that is a confounded lie." 
 
 "Never mind the lie. The weight of just one more will hardly 
 kill you. Well, our dear Charles arrives ; he jumps from the car 
 riage, and, before he knows it, a loving brother lies in his arms." 
 
 " Split me if he does anything like it !" 
 
 Henry, you are a trying case. Have the kindness to hold 
 
DOLORES. 319 
 
 your peace until I have done. Where was I ? Oh, yes ! a loving 
 brother lies in his arms. He is agreeably surprised. His conscience 
 tells him that he hardly deserves such love, and he resolves to 
 make up for lost time. Arm in arm the affectionate couple step 
 into the house. Enter delighted parents with profusion of bless 
 ings. An affecting drama is put in scene ; domestic happiness in 
 one act. Persons: Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel !" 
 
 " I am Cain I suppose ?" 
 
 " Suit yourself. Who d be that soft dunce of an Abel ? But I 
 told you not to interrupt me. You make me lose my thread." 
 
 Cain and Abel was the last." 
 
 "Exactly, Cain and Abel. Abel is in love and consequently 
 something of a fool. Cain s friend has a hankering after Abel s 
 mistress and has managed to get a leaf of her diary, on which she 
 says she doesn t love Abel." 
 
 I didn t know they understood the art of writing as early as 
 that." 
 
 "Henry, you are intolerable. If I didn t need you so badly 
 I d desert you on the spot." 
 
 " Well, can t you let a fellow show his learning every once in a 
 while ?" 
 
 " Well, yes, excuse me. They ought to have made you profes 
 sor of history. But to come back to our drama. Abel has been 
 absent and flies to see his mistress; but, Cain you pay attention, 
 do you ?" 
 
 " Go ahead, steamboat." 
 
 Very well, I m coming to the point now. Cain, because of the 
 great love he bears his brother, just catches him by the coat-sleeve 
 and stops his exit. Abel frowns and wonders ; but Cain, remain 
 ing undiscomfited, says with a tender smile, Excuse me, brother 
 dear ; you do not like my conduct, but you will appreciate it when 
 you read these lines. I don t want my brother to make a fool of 
 himself. " 
 
 "Very ingenious, Dicky; the deuce take me if it isn t." 
 
 "I knew you would say so, Henry. Need I paint further de 
 tails of the scene ?" 
 
 " No, sir, let me have the paper." 
 
 And you ll be sure to act your role to nature ?" 
 
320 DOLORES. 
 
 "Never mind me. If you carry out your part of the program 
 as well as I ll play mine you may be pretty sure of success. But, 
 then, what will you gain by this ?" 
 
 "I ll gain this much: that a cloud of distrust will arise be 
 tween them, and in a cloud, you know, a good many tricks may be 
 performed. Charles is a proud, hasty fellow, and Dolores is not 
 slow to resent insults. If we can only raise a spark of discord be 
 tween them we shall soon manage to fan it into a flame." 
 
 " Well, maybe we can ; it is worth trying anyhow. But I am too 
 tired to walk any further. Come, let s go home and have a glass 
 of wine." 
 
 " I have no objection, Hen. ; but, before we return, let us fix 
 on some certain signal by which you can without delay inform me 
 of your brother s coming. It is essential that I, should receive in 
 stant warning." 
 
 How would the flagstaff on the cottage do ? I could run up 
 a small streamer to let you know." 
 
 "Exactly. We can easily perceive it from the mansion ; but 
 when do you expect your brother ?" 
 
 " We got a letter this morning announcing his arrival on Sun 
 day morning next." 
 
 "Then he ll come with the night train ?" 
 
 "That s the calculation." 
 
 " And you will fetch him from the depot ?" 
 " Father or Burlesque, I suppose. I hate to get up so early in 
 the morning." 
 
 Richard thought a moment. 
 
 " See here, Henry, I shall want a second signal to announce his 
 impending visit to the mansion. It is essential that I should play 
 the agreeable lover just in time for him to see the sight." 
 
 "That s true. I have an idea Dolores wouldn t let } r ou play 
 the sentimental swain any length of time." 
 
 "Don t you fret. I ll do it, sir, and do it well. But what 
 about the second signal ?" 
 
 " Why, I have a dozen streamers in my trunk. I can easily run 
 up a second one as soon fis he starts off for the mansion." 
 
 "And they ll think you are flagging in honor of his arrival. 
 Ha! ha! that will be capital !" 
 
DOLORES. 321 
 
 Yes, so it will, no doubt ; but a glass of wine and a good cigar 
 are not to be despised either. Here is the house. I am tired 
 enough to drop right down. Come in ! come in, sir !" 
 
 Richard could not well refuse. He liked a glass of wine, espe 
 cially as it was as good as that of Mr. Fuchs , and then he had to 
 humor Henry, who was an indispensable accomplice. So the two 
 went in and Henry got the key and a few minutes afterwards the 
 wine sparkled in the glasses. Sitting on easy chairs and puffing 
 their fragrant Havanas, they sipped their wine with a relish and a 
 deep tranquility, as if the most angelic business instead of a fiend 
 ish plot had just now been transacted between them. They talked 
 about their cruises, and, one word chasing the other, it was nearly 
 evening before Richard recollected that he intended only to stay a 
 few minutes and that business of the most important kind was 
 waiting for him at the house. He had only a few days to operate 
 in and no minute was to be lost. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 THE MITTEN. 
 
 When he reached the mansion the bell just rang for supper, 
 and he hastened to join the family in a very pleasant meal. The 
 many topics which a long absence from home had accumulated 
 were not half exhausted and the conversation sprang playfully 
 from one subject to another. After supper Mrs. Fox retired to her 
 room, Mr. Fox to his library, and the two girls and Richard to the 
 parlor. The days were not only getting short, but cold, and the 
 grate, therefore, contained a cheerful fire. The room was elegant 
 and comfortable, and Richard felt a keen feeling of satisfaction 
 when he dropped into the swelling cushions of an arm-chair, ex 
 changing occasional remarks now with Dolores, now with Lucy. 
 The open instrument called his mind to music. 
 
 "Dolores, I have not heard you play," he said, "and yet they 
 tell me that you excel in music as much as in everything else. 
 Will you have the kindness to perform for me ?" 
 
 21 
 
322 DOLORES. 
 
 You have learned to turn your phrases well enough for a tar, 
 I shall play for you on condition that you will hereafter exclude 
 the unwholesome element of flattery from your remarks to me." 
 "I ll do most anything to please you." 
 
 Dolores shrugged her shoulders, as if to say, " Why, you are 
 incorrigible !" Perhaps to gratify his wish, perhaps to escape fur 
 ther adulation from his lips, she rose and took the seat before the- 
 instrument. Running her fingers up and down the keys and elicit 
 ing from them some rapid passages like as many silver pearls, she 
 involuntarily, yes imperceptibly, fell into the air of "Home, Sweet 
 Home !" which she worked into an everchanging string of varia 
 tions. Like every true artist, she forgot that she was performing a 
 task, even that she played before somebody. While her fantasy 
 raised its wings higher and higher her thoughts began to wander 
 back, far back into the past. She saw a sick and faltering min 
 strel in the street with a little girl at his side, and a tear slipped 
 down her cheek as an offering to the memory of the dead. Then 
 she ran over the years that followed, varying her music in accord 
 ance with the gayer or sadder subjects of her thought. She saw 
 the cottage and its inmates, the parsonage with the quaint but noble 
 pair, the ocean and the cave, and the exciting scenes she there had 
 gone through. Next her school-life rose up to view, the French 
 man with his cut and dried perfection, the odd but genial German, 
 the model principal and her prince consort. Then came the con 
 test, the homeward journey and arrival- 
 She gave a start. She did not know how long she had been 
 playing. Richard didn t either. He thought it had been very 
 tiresome ; but, of course, kept his thought unto himself. When 
 Dolores had begun he had penciled a short note and shoved it to 
 his sister, in consequence of which she had risen and retired so 
 softly as to escape the notice of the performer. After that Richard 
 had wished that Dolores would stop. He didn t care about music ; 
 he didn t understand it ; nothing but thumping, dingling, jingling, 
 anyhow. If she would only stop ! Of course he couldn t hint his 
 wishes. He couldn t begin to entertain the thought of causing 
 her displeasure. She ll get tired at last. There, now, she s clos 
 ing. Now is the time, Dick ! 
 
 Dolores rose rapidly from her stool. On noticing Lucy s with- 
 
DOLORES. 323 
 
 drawal a shadow passed over her brow. Jealous ! forever jealous ! 
 wfere the words which passed through her mind. The thought was 
 natural, for, of course, she didn t know anything of Richard s 
 manoeuvres. 
 
 " I must have tired you, Richard," she said, taking her book 
 and handkerchief from the table, evidently preparing for retire 
 ment ; "but you will undoubtedly pardon the offense on the prom 
 ise of its non-recurrence." 
 
 "I have nothing to pardon, Dolores, but rather to thank you 
 for the entertainment. But I am in a mood for asking favors this 
 evening. Will you have the kindness to take your chair and 
 vouchsafe me a few minutes conversation ? I shall not detain 
 you long." 
 
 Dolores smiled, but she resumed her previous position in the 
 rocking-chair. 
 
 "I never had an idea that the ocean was such a good school 
 for politeness. It will hardly do to slight so respectful a solicita 
 tion, especially when the petitioner is a brother." 
 
 The word "brother" seemed to grate on Richard s ears. He 
 could not suffer her to put that bar between herself and his aspira 
 tions. 
 
 "Xo, not of a brother, Dolores. Understand me right: It 
 would make me happy to sustain that relation to one so good, so 
 noble and accomplished if I was not ambitious of assuming one 
 still more intimate and sacred. Dolores, I tremble more before 
 your sight than I did during the raging of the tempest. Spare me 
 a further explanation and tell me that you understand me." 
 
 She did understand him ; but her sensations on discovering this 
 meaning were anything but pleasant. She felt like one who sees 
 a venomous serpent winding at his, feet, ready to fasten its loathing 
 coils around turn in unrequited tenderness. But she had no sooner 
 become aware of this feeling, when she blamed herself for it as un 
 worthy of her generous nature. If Richard had once wandered 
 astray he had atoned by a long and painful probation. There was 
 no dishonor to her in his avowal, and this idea having struggled to 
 the surface of her mind her original indignation and repugnance 
 changed to deep compassion. She thought of Charles and her love 
 for him, and how she would feel on being spurned and loathed, as 
 
324 DOLORES. 
 
 she had first intended that Richard now should be. Of course, it 
 did not take her more than a second to let these thoughts flash 
 through her mind, and there had been hardly a pause when she 
 replied : 
 
 11 It would be unworthy of me and trifling with you to pretend 
 I didn t understand you, Richard. I do understand you, but it is 
 my painful duty to warn you not to proceed. I cannot, never will 
 be able to listen to your .wishes, and the sooner you desist 
 from your efforts the more will you spare your own feelings and 
 mine." 
 
 Richard knew that this would be her answer ; moreover, he was 
 merely acting the passionate lover for a purpose ; yet, when he 
 heard himself thus peremptorily refused, he felt a burning ire aris 
 ing within him. He felt like hurling his defiance at the head of 
 this proud beauty who spoke or thought, at least, any aspirations 
 to her hand on his part mere presumption. Indeed for a moment 
 he was in great danger of falling from his role, and many a bitter 
 hour would such an occurrence have spared the girl ; but, unfortu 
 nately, he governed himself in time to hide his emotion. Assum 
 ing a sad and reproachful tone, he said : 
 
 11 Dolores, have you really the heart of shutting thus on me 
 the gate of heaven without any chance of entrance whatever ?. If 
 you forbid a fellow thus peremptorily to love you why don t you 
 wear a veil ? Why don t you hide your dazzling beauty, your 
 brilliant mind, your high accomplishments within a convent? Can 
 you blame the person who, warmed and cheered by the genial sun, 
 ventures to raise his eyes to his blending glory ?" 
 
 "No, Richard, I would not blame him, I would pity him, as I 
 pity you ; for his wishes would be as unattainable as yours. Heaven 
 forbid that I should compare my humble self with that heavenly 
 luminary ; but you choosed the figure and I borrowed it for conve 
 nience sake. I am sorry for you, Richard, extremely sorry, and 
 would give you a year of my existence to restore your peace of 
 mind. Requite your feelings I cannot, and feel in honor and in 
 conscience bound to tell you so without duplicity." 
 
 He sighed, perhaps the sigh was no longer mere acting, for it 
 was almost impossible to see this glorious creature in her grand re 
 serve and not become impressed. 
 
DOLORES. 325 
 
 " Ah ! Dolores ! If you but knew how much more lovely your 
 dignified refusal is making you in my sight, you would have 
 choosen a different mode of checking the ardor of my soul. Laugh 
 at me, mock, scorn me, tread me in the dust, only don t wrap your 
 self in this celestial light, which pains my eyes and yet lures me to 
 destruction like the moth that is drawn into the autodafe of the 
 burning taper." 
 
 Dolores rose to her feet. She smiled in spite of herself. 
 
 "Richard you are too flowery in your speaking for one that s 
 just going to die. I do not say that you desire to deceive me, far 
 be it from me, but I think you are deceiving yourself. You have 
 only seen me one day and that is hardly long enough to conceive so 
 desperate a passion. If you examine your feelings a little more 
 closely you will find that they contain a considerable portion of that 
 spontaneous gallantry for which you seamen are noted. Allow me 
 to wish you a very pleasant night." 
 
 Drooping a deep courtesy she was on the point of leaving the 
 room, when Richard s voice once more stopped her. He had risen 
 and there was an element of truthfulness in his voice when he 
 cried : 
 
 Dolores ! Stop ! for heaven s sake stop one more moment ! 
 When I told you just now to laugh at me I did not know what I 
 was asking. Oh ! if you could know how every one of your gay 
 words pierced my heart like daggers, you surely would have fore- 
 borne. Dolores do not go without leaving me a ray of light to illu 
 minate the darkness of dispair. I know that I have been too pre 
 sumptions to think that so proud a fortress as your virgin heart 
 would surrender on the first summons. I ll have patience ; I ll fol 
 low you as unobtrusively as your shadow, but also just as constantly. 
 I ll be your slave. My whole life shall be devoted to your service, 
 only don t turn your back on me ; don t with one single word 
 destroy every hope, thus dooming me to the lot of the criminal 
 who, chained in a subterrannean dungeon, is doomed to pass a life 
 without the genial sun." 
 
 Dolores was a young and inexperienced girl, yet a certain intui 
 tion enabled her to distinguish between reality and acting. She 
 felt that deep passion binds the tongue instead of loosening it, and 
 even the most gifted mind forgets its cunning and trembles and 
 
326 DOLORES. 
 
 stammers in the presence of the loved one. So, although she did 
 not doubt that Richard felt something of the feelings he profe ->.!. 
 she was convinced that he was guilty of over-drawing, perhaps in 
 tentionally, perhaps unintentionally. She felt as though she ought 
 to check this game at once. If she indulged him, that pain which 
 she now thought to be mere pretension, might become a reality. It 
 would not do. So, turning to the passionate young man, she said 
 firmly, though with kindness : 
 
 "Richard, you ask impossiblities. To smile on yon would be to 
 encourage you, and that I cannot do conscientiously. If you under 
 stand my decision to be irrevocable, you will cease to waste your 
 best strength in useless efforts. To tune encourage you and then at 
 last repel your homap^ would be the conduct of a coquette. I am no 
 coquette, Richard, and although I now may hurt your feelings, I 
 mean well. Let us forget what passed between us and be assured 
 that, if I cannot listen to your wishes just expressed, I shall alway- 
 be to you a true and faithful sister. 
 
 The nod with which she left the room had nothing of the 
 former playfulness. It was grave and sympathetic, but on Richard 
 it had the same effect. He could hardly wait for the door to close 
 upon the departing form to burst into a ringing passion and to 
 shake his fists in that direction. 
 
 " Wait, madam ! " he cried. "I ll teach you manners before you 
 are many days older. I ll teach you to spurn a man without 
 whose assistance you ll always remain what you are now, a begger 
 girl. Mock princess now, your proud neck will gladly stoop as soon 
 as you learn that I can all at once transform you into a rc<if prin 
 cess. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 AM> in-:rni. 
 
 Merrily the whip in Mr. Burlesque s hand cracked through the 
 morning air when on Sunday morning that individual returned 
 from the depot with Charles at his side. It s well we have lately 
 
DOLORES. 327 
 
 seen a photograph of that gentleman in Dolores possession or we 
 might find difficulty in recognizing in this stately form, graced 
 with moustache and whiskers, our old and tried friend Charles. 
 His countenance was radient with expectation ; but w r hile Burles 
 que kept up a constant stream of talk, half comical and half in 
 earnest, Charles only gave the shortest and most inevitable answers 
 and even then in the most confused manner, so as to demonstrate 
 to a certainty that his mind was absent, shooting far ahead of the 
 nimble feet of old Browny, who had greeted his former master 
 with a neigh and now tried hard to win his approbation by his 
 speed. Yet, Charles thoughts were faster than the horse, as we 
 have seen, and when they arrived at the gate his thoughts had 
 been there. On jumping down, Charles found himself in the em 
 brace of a youth, who was no one but his brother Henry, and yet 
 he somehow, without knowing why, had hardly counted on such a 
 warm reception. But there he was, and if the thought of a mistake 
 had still clung to Charles the other s address set every doubt aside. 
 
 " Why, Charlie, how you stare ; don t you know your brother ?" 
 
 I thought you were Henry, only 
 
 "Only you had hardly expected such a hearty welcome from 
 his lips. Why, Charlie, it is not fair to charge the man with the 
 folly of the boy." 
 
 " God forbid I should, Henry. Nobody can rejoice more than 
 I at the thought that the disagreeable jarrings between us will be no 
 more. You know I never meant you harm, Henry." 
 
 " Yes, Charlie, I know now. But there is mother scolding me 
 within her heart for keeping you away from her embrace. Go up 
 at once and I will come up afterwards." 
 
 A moment later Charles lay in his mother s arms. Then -his 
 father came in for his share. 
 
 "Now, you are mine again," Mrs. Fuchs said, after the first 
 exchange of salutations. "My pleasure at seeing you will no 
 longer be embittered by the thought of loosing you again." 
 
 "But, mother, lam even now meditating on the thought of 
 leaving you again." 
 
 His smile assured her of the harmlessness of his intentions. She 
 thought she knew what he alluded to. 
 
 "You are, you wicked boy," she answered with that roguish 
 
328 DOLORES. 
 
 plainness so peculiar to her. "That is a mother s fate all the 
 world over. Hardly weaned, you youngsters desert her and run 
 after the apron-strings of some blue-eyed girl with rosy cheeks and 
 dimples." 
 
 Charles blushed and thereby proved the correctness of her sup 
 position. Mr. Fuchs also began to see. 
 
 " Ah ! the wind blows from that direction, does it ?" he asked. 
 
 "Of course, Conrad, didn t you see it? If we force him to 
 squint at the mansion much longer we ll have him cross-eyed before 
 night." 
 
 Mr. Fuchs laughed. He enjoyed a joke as much as anyone on 
 festive occasions and his son s return was a festival of the first 
 magnitude. 
 
 " W e cannot load such dreadful risk upon our conscience, can 
 we mother ?" he said. 
 
 Charles fell from one confusion into another. It is a good sign 
 to see a young man of twenty-one blush. Some have forgotten 
 how at the age of fifteen. He tried to laugh it all away, but laugh 
 ing made it worse rather than better, for before he knew it they 
 all joined him and were enjoying their merriment at his expense. 
 
 At last his another had mercy on him. Taking his hand and 
 fondling it, she said : 
 
 "Now, father, leave my boy alone, will you. We have seen 
 him but once every year and a certain young lady has been obliged 
 to forego that pleasure for more than three years. Go, my son, 
 and -follow the dictates of your heart. We do not blame you for 
 obeying its instincts. Only don t stay too long, and bring ourDol 
 along, that we may bless her and feast our eyes upon a sight which 
 realizes the ardent wishes of our hearts." 
 
 "Oh, mother, you are the best of women! You need never 
 fear that she ll dispute with you for a place in my heart." 
 
 * I know, Charles ; but tell us before you go, were you success 
 ful in the contest?" 
 
 The frm of the young man seemed to grow. A fire of pride 
 and conscious strength kindling in his eye, he said : 
 
 " Yes, mother, and I m going to lay the first prize at Dolores 
 feet." 
 
 " I knew it ! " his mother said, her voice echoing his triumph. 
 
DOLORES. 329 
 
 "But, Charlie, you ll give but to receive. Dolores is fully your 
 equal. She, too, out-distanced all competition." 
 
 " You tell me nothing new, mother. I saw it in the girl the 
 first day she paid a visit to our house. But will you really pardon 
 me for leaving you for half an hour ? " 
 
 " For double that time, Charlie, and with all my heart. But 
 don t forget this condition, you must indemnify us for our loss of 
 time by returning with Dolores." 
 
 Charles was in danger of becoming the prey to second confusion 
 and only escaped it by running from the room. In the hall he 
 took his hat and clearing the steps of the porch with one spring he 
 was on the point of passing through the gate, when Henry s voice 
 stopped him : , 
 
 " Charlie, indulge me just a moment. I want to talk to you on 
 matters of importance." 
 
 " Exactly, Henry, I am at your service, that is if you will just 
 consent to postpone the discussion till this afternoon. If your af 
 fairs are important others still more important demand my presence 
 at the mansion." 
 
 Henry shook his head and looked at Charles with such a queer 
 expression that the young man started. 
 
 " I knew the object of your errand, Charlie, and if I tell you 
 that my communication directly bears upon it will you then vouch 
 safe me a short interview ?" 
 
 Charles evidently was far from understanding his brother yet ; 
 but a vague fear arose in his heart that threatened to suffocate him. 
 
 " You want to tell me something about Dolores?" 
 
 Henry nodded. Charlie s eyes kindled. Setting his teeth to 
 gether, he said : 
 
 " Henry, beware ! I am very touchy on that point, and the 
 slightest abuse of her I worship might put at jeopardy the relation 
 which has begun under such good auspices." 
 
 Henry nodded like a man that has well and carefully considered 
 the consequences of his actions. 
 
 " I know, Charlie, I know how unpleasant is the office of the 
 person who advises us for our best interests against our inclination. 
 The surgeon s knife which precedes the process of healing is even 
 more painful than salutary," 
 
330 DOLORES. 
 
 
 
 Charles chafed under his brother s remark, like the steed that 
 strikes the ground with a restive foot ; but Henry had so well se 
 cured his hold that all his brother s efforts to get loose were idle. 
 He saw it, and from that moment felt sure of victory. 
 
 Henry, if you had no other object than to entertain me with 
 stale similes and well established axioms 
 
 " Xo, Charlie, you know that is not my object. It is so pain 
 ful, though, to hurt the feelings of those we love." 
 
 " I absolve you from all delicacy, Henry, on condition that you 
 hurry on with this affair. What have you to tell me. Speak !" 
 
 So pressed Henry saw no evasion. Taking his brother s arm 
 and walking in the direction of the factory, he said : 
 
 " Charles, tell me truly, do you go to the mansion with the pur 
 pose of offering yourself as a wooer to Dolores ? I do not ask from 
 idle curiosity." 
 
 "Yes, sir, I do. There is no need of hiding the existence of a 
 feeling which constitutes the pride of my life." 
 
 " I thought so, " Henry said with a sigh. " But have you ever, 
 by word or letter, exchanged any vows of love?" 
 
 "You are inquisitive. But I shall construe your curosity as 
 dictated by the feelings you profess. My answer is, no, sir ; we 
 have never spoken or written about love to one another and the 
 whole rich treasure of delight is still in store for us." 
 
 "But, Charles," Henry said, stoping and taking his 
 brother by the arm, "has it ever struck you that there is a bare 
 possibility of your feelings Deing unrequited ?" 
 
 If Charles had been turned into a statue he could not have been 
 more immovable than he was for the period of five minutes. Only 
 by degrees his dumbness seemed to leave him, and at last he was 
 able to utter : 
 
 "Henry, this question has a meaning. Recollect what I told 
 you of the risk you run. Do you know anything to the contrary ?" 
 
 "Before I answer your reply, I would simply state that I am 
 no informer. If any act of Dolores, by which she may have given 
 away her heart to anybody else, casts a reflection on her character, 
 I have no more to say." 
 
 "Don t worry me to death by your evasions, Henry. I never 
 
DOLORES. 331 
 
 said or did anything which would have made it wrong in her to 
 love somebody else. Now go on ! go on !" 
 
 "Your statement relieves me, Charlie. I am now free to give 
 the reasons that make me think that Dolores looks at you in the 
 light of a dear friend, but nothing more. Richard has intimated 
 to me 
 
 -Henry!" 
 
 This word, pronounced with virtuous indignation, brought the 
 calumniator to a stop. 
 
 Do you think the sayso of a fool and knave sufficient grounds 
 to weaken my faith in the purity of a girl like Dolores ?" 
 
 " I do not, Charlie, and if you will allow me to proceed I shall 
 be able to convince you. On what ground you bestow those flatter 
 ing epithets on Richard, however, I am at a loss to comprehend. 
 His statement alone, I say, would not have induced me to seek 
 this interview. But if it is sustained by testimony from the lady s 
 own hand, it is certainly worthy of some consideration." 
 
 "You understand how to apply all the means of a slow tor 
 ture." 
 
 "No, Charlie. lam nearly through. The other day, when I 
 entered the park for the puipose of paying a visit to the family, 
 I saw a piece of paper slowly fluttering from the upper story, which, 
 after numerous evolutions and somersaults, alighted at my feet. 
 Influenced by an almost unconscious curiosity, I picked up the 
 paper and surely would have thrown it away as fast as I had seized 
 it if I had not recognized Dolores handwriting. Mother had 
 shown me several letters of hers, and there is so much attraction 
 in the beautiful handwriting and the more beautiful thoughts of 
 those letters that I could not resist the temptation of scanning the 
 lines in my hand. If I did wrong the supposition that a paper so 
 carelessly abandoned could not contain a secret must be my ex 
 cuse." 
 
 "And this paper you have it yet ?" 
 
 The powerful emotion which, though suppressed, trembled in 
 every word of this question, awakened in Henry s mind the con 
 sciousness of the great danger to which he had exposed himself. 
 His position was similar to that of the man who shares the lion s 
 
332 DOLORES. 
 
 cage and knows that his safety depends on his assurance a single 
 stap back and the lion will tear him to pieces. 
 
 " Yes, Charles, I have it yet. I kept it for the purpose of show 
 ing it to you. I somehow had an intuitive perception that things 
 would just come about as they have done, and, much as I loathed 
 the thought of paining you, I preferred it to the other of seeing 
 you the subject of humiliating ridicule or even deception." 
 
 The paper ! the paper !" 
 
 Henry took a portfolio from his pocket and from it drew a paper, 
 which he handed to his brother. Charles at once recognized the 
 handwriting of her that was so dear to him. His eyes swam, and 
 it took some minutes before he was steady enough to read. He 
 proceeded, and it was a painful sight to witness the perusal. Henry, 
 hypocrite that he was, took care to look in another direction while 
 his brother was thus engaged. The paper ran : 
 
 * * * Very likely the last letter I ll ever get from him.. One 
 more week and I shall have ceased to be the happy school-girl to en 
 ter into a state not less laborious and even more responsible. One 
 more week to prepare for the contest ! I ought to concentrate my 
 thoughts upon my studies ; but I cannot do it. However much I 
 struggle to retain them here they constantly fly to my native home 
 and to the dear faces I shall there meet again. 
 
 There is a picture of Charles in the letter, a splendid photograph. 
 He wears a mustache now and handsome whiskers, and I was so 
 much engaged with looking at the picture that I didn t notice how 
 one of the girls came up behind and, gazing over my shoulders, saw 
 the picture. I started like a thief detected in the act of stealing, 
 when she clapped her hands and, with a merry laugh, exclaimed : 
 
 41 A man ! a man ! Our Lady Perfect has the picture of a man ! 
 He is handsome tho and I will keep mum if you will on the spot 
 confess who he is and whether you love him very much ?" 
 
 I felt a burning in my face of indignation, I think it was, at 
 her indiscretion. Without deigning to answer a word to her ques 
 tion I turned abruptly and sought my chamber. There, however, 
 her question haunts me all the time. Do I love him ? No, I love 
 him not 
 
 That was all ! But it was enough. No, I love him not ! Those 
 words sounded in his ears, they echoed through his brain ; they 
 sounded like the sentence with which the judge condemns the 
 criminal after the jury have found him guilty. It is hard to tell 
 how long Charles would have stood there on the road staring at the 
 unfortunate paper if Henry had not reminded him of the neces 
 sity of preserving the necessary composure before the people, wha 
 began to flock to church. 
 
DOLORES. 333 
 
 " Come, Charlie, bear it like a man," he said, and would have 
 continued his consolations if an impatient gesture of his brother 
 had not stopped him. 
 
 "I know what you would say, and tis well enough. Yes, I 
 am indebted to you for opening my eyes just in due time to save 
 me from making a fool of myself. If I had known this before my 
 arrival I should have invented an excuse for prolonging my ab 
 sence. As it is, I told mother that I would go and see her. Very 
 well, I ll do just as I told her. Why shouldn t I ? This egre 
 gious conceit of mine deserves a punishment. Moreover I must 
 confess that I am curious to see what happiness she enjoys as the 
 betrothed of such a fellow !" 
 
 He spoke with so much bitterness that Henry thought best to 
 keep his peace. He was glad when they reached the cottage, for 
 he felt very much like ridding himself of the company of his vic 
 tim. After reaching his hand to the parting brother he walked up 
 stairs to hoist another streamer. 
 
 "So!" he muttered, "my task is done, Mr. Dick, and yours 
 begins. If you do your part as well as I did mine, success cannot 
 be wanting. But if you fail and that is very likely, for, I tell 
 you, tis hard to bamboozle him any length of time if "you fail, I 
 say, I shall escape the penalty of my offense by making you the 
 scapegoat. You must not think, Mr. Dick, that I am the cat 
 which hauls the chestnut from the fire for you ; not I. Indeed I 
 think Charles wasn t so very wrong by calling him a fool a fool 
 and a well, Henry, don t you be calling names. One or the other 
 might keep sticking to you by mistake. He must be there now, 
 pretty nearly, and this child is too smart for you to step into his 
 way on coming home. I ll take the hook and line and try my luck 
 at fishing." 
 
 But let us now return to Charles and anticipate his arrival at 
 the mansion a few minutes. 
 
 Over the mansion the Sunday had broke as gloriously as over 
 the cottage, and when dark clouds were aleeady gathering over the 
 latter sunshine was still shedding its pleasant glow upon the former. 
 At breakfast the question of going to church had been raised, and 
 Mr. and Mrs. Fox had declared their intention of attending service 
 and w r alking the short distance, in order to allow John the chance 
 
334 DOLORES. 
 
 of a holiday. On hearing this determination Richard at once vol 
 unteered his company, because he wished that Dolores should stay 
 at home, and felt convinced that this would not happen unless she 
 could do so without the prospect of being unmolested by his im 
 portunities. True, he had abstained from annoying her ; but he 
 had not always been so successful in governing his looks as his 
 words, and the conduct of Dolores had plainly shown that she 
 deemed it necessary to be on the guard. Generally Dolores was 
 quick in joining any company like that proposed ; but this time 
 she pleaded an unprepared state of mind as an excuse for remain 
 ing at home. Lucy had received her instructions from her brother 
 and, of course, announced her purpose of going with her parents. 
 Thus Dolores was to remain alone, and when the church-party had 
 left the premises and disappeared behind the bushes of the park, 
 she felt a secret pleasure at being by herself. No doubt her 
 thoughts wandered to the friend who, by this time, had not only 
 reached the cottage, but might be even on the way to the mansion 
 if his longing for a reunion was only half as ardent as her own. 
 Perhaps the knowledge of that fact had had much to do with her 
 remaining home from church, though, when she asserted that she 
 was not ift a proper mood for devotional exercises, she certainly 
 told the truth. 
 
 Dolores tried to read, but her eyes and mind both refused to 
 perform their ordinary task. The air was so close, so oppressive in 
 the house, that she felt the necessity of seeking the open air. Tak 
 ing her shawl and straw hat she descended to the- portico and thence 
 into the park. There she felt better, and with every new step her 
 composure became more complete. She felt happy in the morning 
 air in the consciousness of her beloved one s close proximity. After 
 strolling a while she came to the seat where several important mo 
 ments of her life had shaped themselves. Would it exercise a 
 salutary influence upon her destiny to-day ? Could fate vouchsafe 
 to her the happiness of receiving just there the friend that filled 
 her heart to the exclusion of every other feeling ? She trembled 
 at the mere thought of go much happiness. Poor child ! why not 
 rather tremble at the peril so much more real and near ? You do 
 not know that Richard, on some pretence or other, has retraced 
 his steps, and, having climbed the fence of the park, is now oon- 
 
DOLORES. 335 
 
 cealed in your neighborhood, ready to break in upon your peace 
 as soon as the appearance of his adversary gives the signal ! You 
 do not know that everything combines to make the plot of the 
 conspirators successful ; you do not know that, on seeing the im 
 punity with which they act, a doubt arises in the mind of a neu 
 tral spectator whether there is a ruling providence or not. Poor 
 child ! of all thte you are ignorant, and yet the storm is about to 
 burst upon your devoted head. 
 
 The garden gate has creaked ; but she is too much absorbed in 
 thought to hear it. Richard, however, has noticed it his senses 
 are impaired by passion. From his hiding-place he sees a form 
 passing through the bushes, though not "with the eager step of the 
 lover that goes to meet the mistress of his heart after an absence 
 of years. If it is Charles, Henry must have been at work and 
 considerably dampened his spirit. So much the better ; his task 
 will be comparatively easy then. Now he sees the features of the 
 visitor through an opening it is Charles. He goes to the house ; 
 he rings the bell; Susan opens and points to the park. He comes 
 down the steps and, walking towards the seat, occupied by Dolores, 
 approaches rapidly. As yet he has not seen her, nor she him, but 
 she seems to feel his presence, for she is getting restless now is 
 the time. Kneeling before her in theatrical fashion he cries : 
 "Dolores!" 
 
 A low scream from her lips betrays her surprise at seeing at 
 her feet a person whom she thinks far away ; but Dolores is not 
 apt to remain the prey of any involuntary emotion, and she is on 
 the point of rising and repelling the boldness of the intruder, 
 when listen ! a step approaches ; behold! a face appears through 
 the foliage. It is Charles ! It is Charles, and so strong is her 
 emotion that for the first tim. in her life she loses the control of 
 her body. Yet her soul flies out to meet him ; she totally forgets 
 the kneeling figure at her feet ; she does not feel how he takes her 
 hand ; she does not hear the stream of burning passion that he 
 pours into her ear. Her eye is riveted upon the approaching- 
 friend ; but what is that ? Is this face indicative of the rapture 
 she is feeling ? What does that melancholy expression signify ? 
 Why is his step so slow ? Now the sadness vanishes ; but it is not 
 joy that takes his place. His face grows stern and rigid ; his eye 
 
336 DOLORES. 
 
 does not even dwell on her ; it seeks the ground, some object at 
 her feet. Merciful heavens! the whole reality at once presents 
 itself unto her mind. She sees him now that kneels before her ; 
 she feels her hands engaged, and that, too, with a grip which baf 
 fles her efforts to disengage it ; she hears the words he still is pour 
 ing forth. 
 
 " Light of my soul ! I bless the day that gave you birth, Do 
 lores, queen of my heart ! 
 
 The immovable form across the way hears them, too. His rigid 
 features relax and a bitter smile of contempt flits over them. He 
 turns ; he does not, cannot mean to leave her simply because a pol 
 troon, a miserable creature of a man, has dared to benefit by the 
 commotion into w T hich the very presence of the other has thrown 
 her. He tunis, he goes ! 
 
 "Charlie!" 
 
 A world of expression lies in that one, that single cry ; but 
 Charles heeds it not. He does not even turn, a repelling motion 
 of his hand is all his answer. It rather quickens his retreat, and 
 she sees him hastening from the grounds as if the furies drove 
 him off. 
 
 He is gone ! but the wretch, whose work this is, still holds her 
 hand, still kneels before her. Ha ! that is more than she can bear. 
 For once her wrath throws off the rigid control under which the 
 passioned impulses of her soul are generally kept. She feels as if 
 she could raise her foot and crush him under her heel as she would 
 crush a spider. Now she is strong enough to free her hand. A 
 sudden jerk and she is loose from him. Her eye flashes with a 
 fire that makes him drop his face. 
 
 "Wretch ! miserable wretch ! am I sunk so low as to become 
 the sport of your whims ? How can you dare to offend my ears a 
 second time with words so full of loathing ? Begone ! begone I 
 say, or I shall whip you from my presence like a dog !" 
 
 How he shrinks under these scathing words ; how he rises and 
 sneaks away. He is gone, but full five minutes elapse before life 
 returns unto the form that stands with lifted hands and flashing 
 eyes, like an fti spirited statue of Nemesis. Alas, the flash of wrath 
 ha not only hit the offender like a two-edged sword, it has pene 
 trated her own heart as well. She is angry with the despicable 
 
DOLORES. 337 
 
 intruder, but she is more angry with herself for granting him the 
 spectacle of her weakness. She is also angry with the fugitive, 
 more angry than she ever thought she could be at him. What ! 
 has he so little faith in her to condemn her on appearances so tri 
 fling ? Has he no more respect for her character and taste than 
 to entertain the supposition that she could lower herself to one 
 like Kichard ? The more she thinks of it, the more his flight as 
 sumes the aspect of an insult, and in her first keen indignation she 
 makes the vow of doing nothing on her part to rectify the error. 
 If he thinks her so low and indiscreet as to be capable of throwing 
 herself on the neck of a Kichard well, let it be so. In case of a 
 voluntary return and confession of his fault she might endeavor to 
 forgive him ; else never. 
 
 We see Dolores can be proud as well as Charles. Indeed a 
 person of character can hardly be imagined without pride. Pride 
 is the support which upholds a noble soul in its position and guards 
 it from becoming polluted by all that s low and mean. Dolores 
 was proud and her pride upheld her in the severest trial of her 
 life. No tear moistened her eyes ; keeping the solitude of her 
 room, she paced the floor for hours. Nobody did see her do it ; 
 her door was locked, and all day long nobody was allowed to enter, 
 but they heard the hurried, heavy step in spite of the carpet. At 
 times that noise would cease and then no sign of life was percepti 
 ble in the room. Dolores did not appear at either dinner or sup 
 per, and all questions as to whether she wanted food to be taken 
 to her room were answered in the negative. She was not hungry, 
 she said, but suffering with a sick headache ; she wished to be left 
 alone. If her parents had known the true state of affairs they 
 might have felt more alarmed and insisted upon admittance to offer 
 sympathy and consolation ; but, as Richard, after his rude dismis 
 sal, had hastened to show himself in church, and, as he took good 
 care not to furnish his parents a clue to the strange conduct of the 
 girl, they acquiesced in her refusal to grant admittance to her 
 room, thinking that it might really be a sick spell and that Dolores, 
 as a considerate girl, wanted to spare them the sight of any fretful- 
 ness engendered by her indisposition. So the poor girl had to fight 
 the first stormy battle with her heart all alone. She had to strug 
 gle with the passion which can either bestow upon us the bliss of 
 
 22 
 
338 DOLORES. 
 
 angels or the anguish of the doomed. Her s was the latter destiny. 
 The cup of sorrow was full to the brim and she refused to touch it 
 with all the pride and energy of her soul. But the struggle was in 
 vain. As hour after hour passed on her energy began to fail, her 
 pride sank with it, and then her head bowed down, her hands raised 
 the cup and her lips drew in the bitter draught until it was drained 
 to the dregs. Then came the anguish and woe ; the doubt of a 
 ruling providence ; the despair of ever trusting human hearts again ; 
 the utter vanity of life and light and sunshine. 
 
 Night set in, but not the end of Dolores suffering. No sleep 
 came to her that night, and only when the sun rose the next morn 
 ing, inaugurating another day, Dolores thought that she had con 
 quered and could venture to show her face to the others. 
 
 She made her appearance at the breakfast table with her usual 
 smile, but her face showed such a deadly palor that both her par 
 ents were frightened. They knew, however, that Dolores would 
 dislike to be annoyed by any signs of their alarm and therefore 
 abstained from asking questions ; but when breakfast was over Mr. 
 Fox took his hat and that of his foster-child and putting it upon 
 her head and tying it with his own hands, he said to her : 
 
 " Come, Dol, you and I will have a walk. It will do you good 
 after your sick spell." 
 
 And Dolores, who had thought herself proof against all tribula 
 tion, was so touched by his act and words of kindness, that the clear 
 tears came at once to her eyes and made them swim. She thought 
 she had buried her heart with all its woe, but, alas ! the human 
 heart is a strange enigma. Some say that it may break and I am 
 not inclined to dispute the assertion. But this I know, it is ex 
 tremely hard to bury it and ignore its feelings. Bury it as much 
 as you please but it will come forth from the ground and bear fruit 
 with wonderful rapidity. It may be wormwood and bitterness that 
 grow on them, but live it will and any attempts to deaden it will 
 only increase its vitality. 
 
 So in Dolores case. She did not refuse nor did she consent, 
 but suffering herself to be led into the park she showed the restless 
 ness and indifference of a little child. But the park did not give 
 sufficient scope, Mr. Fox thought, for a good fatiguing walk, and 
 such a one he wanted. Therefore, he passed the gate with her and 
 
DOLORES. 339 
 
 turning to the right manifested his intention of passing the cottage. 
 Then Dolores showed signs of life. 
 
 " No, pa, not that way ! not that way !" she said with such a 
 feverish haste that he was more seriously alarmed than before. He 
 stopped, and taking her head between his hands looked searchingly 
 into her eyes. The same phenomenon ! They filled with tears in 
 less than a second, and this time the bitter drops welled up so 
 strong that they passed the brim and trickled down her cheeks. 
 
 "Child, my dear, good child, what is the matter?" Mr. Fox 
 said in a voice that plainly showed his great alarm. "Is it not 
 sickness that ails you ? Has anybody dared to harm you ? Dol, 
 let your father know, and rest assured that you have all his sympa 
 thy if not his help, for that may not avail you anything." 
 
 Dolores shook her head, but Mr. Fox persisted in his efforts. 
 
 " If you refuse to go that way, Dol, have you any objections to 
 the opposite direction ? You have not ? Well, let us go toward 
 the coast, then ; one way answers me as well as another. Perhaps 
 the sight of the ocean will widen your heart and induce you to con 
 fide your secret to your father." 
 
 He led her on in silence until they had passed the village and 
 the bay and the distant sea burst into view. The sight of the ma 
 jestic ocean has indeed some soothing element within it and Dolores 
 felt it. A deep sigh rung itself from her oppressed bosom and she 
 leaned more trustingly upon her guide. Mr. Fox pressed her to 
 his heart. 
 
 "That is right, Dol," he said with a low and gentle tone. " I 
 construe your caresses as an indication of your wish to unburden 
 your heart. Am I right?" 
 
 She nodded. 
 
 " Perhaps, Dol, I can facilitate the matter by meeting you half 
 way. Tell me, has not the arrival of Charlie Fiichs something to 
 do with your distress?" 
 
 He felt her body shrink in his embrace. So he had guessed the 
 truth. 
 
 "You see I was correct," he said somewhat gayly. "That is 
 because I sympathize with you and comprehend you better than 
 the rest. Now, make a clean breast of it, Dol, and let me know 
 the whole story. Perhaps 1 may help you after all." 
 
340 DOLORES. 
 
 She shook her head and looked sad, but struggled no longer 
 and she gave him a sketch of yesterday s events. To do her justice 
 she passed over Richard s offense as lightly as possible and abstain 
 ed even from making commentaries on Charles conduct. When 
 she was through Mr. Fox breathed a sigh of relief. 
 
 "Well, Dol," he said, " that is a sad story, no doubt, and I 
 can imagine what you must have suffered yesterday. But, then, 
 the case is by no means hopeless and if you ll let me I shall this 
 very morning go to the cottage and set things right. Now, don t 
 you fear, child," he continued, when Dolores made a mien to con 
 tradict ; "your honor is safe in my hands I can assure you, and I 
 shall neither say or do anything that is incompatible with it. I ll 
 make what you might call a tour of inspection, that is I mean to 
 stick out my feelers and see how matters stand. Nor will I be ab 
 sent long, but return to you and report just as soon as I know how 
 things look." 
 
 To this Dolores could have no reasonable objection, and when 
 the two retraced their steps after a while she felt more light hearted 
 than before. While walking, Mr. Fox touched some minor points. 
 
 " 1 wondered yesterday at Charlie s absence from the mansion 
 and so did Mrs. Fox ; but then your sickness was the all absorbing 
 topic of our thoughts and conversation. Now, of course I marvel 
 no longer at his failing to pay us a visit, but I wonder with you 
 that the rhetorical exercises of that jackanapes of a sailorboy should 
 have made such an impression upon his mind. Richard is my boy 
 and I don t deny him a father s feelings ; but when it comes to a 
 comparison between him and Charlie I know well enough how I 
 would choose if I were a girl." 
 
 This undisguised praise of her ideal added still more to the reac 
 tion which had taken place within her heart. When they reached 
 the gate and there parted, she to return to the house and he to un 
 dertake the promised mission tour to the cottage, she could bid him 
 good-bye with a smile that had nothing of constraint in it. 
 
DOLORES. 341 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 A PLENIPOTENTIARY. 
 
 Dolores went to her room and, taking a seat at the window, 
 which had a view of the park gate, watched for her father s return. 
 He did not keep her waiting long, for after the expiration of an 
 hour she saw him entering the park. If his face had worn a bright 
 and hopeful expression she would have run down stairs to meet him 
 half way, but that was not the case. His step was measured and 
 his countenance serious, if not sad. So> instead of meeting him, 
 she kept her seat and with a beating heart awaited his arrival in 
 the room. She feared he would be the harbinger of bad news and 
 in that case she would hear them soon enough. Now his step re 
 sounds on the stair-case. Now he knocks and enters. She has not 
 been mistaken ; his countenance is serious, though its expression 
 is more puzzled than dejected. He sees the anxious inquiry in his 
 daughter s eyes and hastens to her. 
 
 "Don t get scared, Dol, at my phiz. What I have heard and 
 seen is calculated to upset the reason of stronger minds than mine. 
 Not that the aspect of affairs looks desperate, but on the contrary 
 I have the sincere conviction that everything will come right after 
 a while, but it will take time, and 1 think you ll have to make up 
 your mind to spend a couple of weeks without laying your eyes 
 upon your lover." 
 
 "So he refuses to acknowledge his wrong? Father, I shall 
 never ask him to return to me. If he refuses to visit the mansion 
 he may prolong his absence to suit his pleasure." 
 
 Mr. Fox rubbed his hands. 
 
 " Spunky, Dol, spunky ! That s what I like to see. When a 
 girl gets spunky there s little danger of her dying with a broken 
 heart." 
 
 Dolores could not help smiling, but getting serious again with 
 out delay, she asked : 
 
 " Father, you would not have me sacrifice my self-respect for 
 my love, would you ?" 
 
 " Indeed I wouldn t, Dol ; but the puzzle is Charles stands on 
 his self-respect as much as you." 
 
342 DOLORES. 
 
 " What ! Is he still inclined to discredit my or rather your ex 
 planation?" 
 
 " I am not prepared to answer that question, in as far as I failed 
 to see him." 
 
 11 He was not at the cottage, then ? " 
 
 "No, child, nor in the village, either." 
 
 "Father!" 
 
 "Now, child, don t get scared. I told you the matter isn t as 
 bad as it looks, and if you ll let me tell my story without interrupt 
 ing me I ll try to bring you over to my opinion. 
 
 "I ll try not to interrupt you, father." 
 
 "Very well, Dol. When I got to the house I found it empty, 
 with the exception of Mrs. Fuchs, whose eyes were swollen from 
 weeping. Nevertheless, she received me with her usual kindness 
 and invited me into the parlor." 
 
 " Well," says I to her, as soon as we were seated, " I see there s 
 trouble here as well as there. 
 
 " Yes, Mr. Fox, we are sorely troubled," says she ; "but what 
 do you mean by trouble there. I do not understand." 
 
 "If you had seen my poor child just now," says I, " with a 
 countenance as pale as death you would understand me without 
 trouble." 
 
 " But, father," Dolores said, " how could you thus expose me ? 
 My sorrow will be satisfaction to them." 
 
 "Never you fear, child, " Mr. Fox responded. " When I went 
 there I had resolved on ever so many measures of caution, but on 
 seeing Mrs. Fuchs sorrow they melted like ice in July, and I spoke 
 as I felt." 
 
 "Very well, go on, father." 
 
 " I will, Dol. Says I : She was locked up in her room all day 
 long yesterday ; never taking food, never showing her face, never 
 closing her eyes all night." 
 
 Mrs. Fuchs started with a look of wonder. 
 
 "lam still at a loss to comprehend you, Mr. Fox," says she. 
 "If she felt so sorry for what occurred why, then, did she turn 
 the cold shoulder on my poor boy for the sake of that 
 
 " Jacknapes of a fellow," I broke in when I saw her hesitate. 
 "Exactly, that would be an unacountable puzzle, if it wasn t for 
 
DOLORES. 343 
 
 the fact that she never did turn the cold sholder on him, either for 
 the sake of Richard or anybody elese." 
 
 Mrs. Fuchs got somewhat excited. 
 
 " What !" says yhe, " can you deny what Charlie saw with his 
 own eyes ? " 
 
 "I repeat, what I asserted " says I, " and if he ten times saw it, 
 I can explain the mystery in as far as I heard the story from my 
 daughter s own lips." 
 
 Then I told her the story as I received it from you a little 
 while ago. When I was through I expected to see her rise and 
 may be dance with pleasure and take my hand cry : all right Sir ! 
 and the like. But my dear girl she didn t anything of the kind. 
 She sat perfectly still and her face was a little colder than before, 
 if anything." 
 
 " Mr. Fox " said she " that s a very nice story but I am sorry 
 to be compelled to say that its nothing but a story." 
 
 " Madam ! " says I, flashing up. "Don t allow your grief to 
 prevent you from considering the import of such imputation." 
 
 " I am prepared to prove my words, Mr. Fox," she says some 
 what coldly. 
 
 " You would oblige me then by doing so madam," says I. 
 
 "Then, instead of answering, she pulls a letter from her pocket 
 and hands it over to me. I take it and read it, and to tell you the 
 honest truth, child, I was exceedingly puzzled. If I didn t know 
 you so well Dol, and if I wasn t as sure of your incapability of play 
 ing a double game, as I am of my own existance, I would have 
 given in and taken sides with them." 
 
 " But father, you terify me ! Where is the writing capable of 
 casting a shadow between us ? " 
 
 " No Dol, not so," he cried drawing her in to his embrace and 
 pressing a kiss upon her brow. "It did not do that, it couldn t ; 
 in fact nothing at all could ever do that. So don t do me the in 
 justice of suspecting my position." 
 
 " Forgive me, father, but where is that paper ? " 
 
 "Here, child." 
 
 "What ! oh father, that is my own hand writing, a leaf from 
 my diary ! I don t know how it ever got into his hands ; but, with- 
 
344 DOLORES. 
 
 out regard to that, this paper can surely contain no testimony 
 against me." 
 
 " It loeks like it Dol. Just read the last line." 
 
 Dolores turned the paper over and read : 
 
 " Do I love him ? No I love him not. 
 
 For a moment she stood silent ; then all at once a shout of joy 
 burst from her lips and "darting through the room, she knelt at a 
 bureau and with trembling hands unlocked a drawer. Taking from 
 it a book, she returned to her father s side as quickly as she had 
 left it. Her face had undergone a perfect change. A light of 
 heavenly joy streamed from her eyes ; the color had returned to her 
 lips and cheeks with marvelous quickness and as she now with 
 nervous fingers tried to open the book she had taken from the 
 drawer, she presented a picture so beautiful and lovely that Mr. 
 Fox dared hardly breath, unless the sound might drive it awaj like 
 the vision of a dream from which a rude shock awakens us. 
 
 " See father," she cried " here is the proof of my innocence. 
 Not that I care so much about that proof itself my word ought to 
 suffice the man that loves me but it shows his conduct in a dif 
 ferent light. It shows that he did not act from appearances alone, 
 but upon evidence that might stagger any man. Oh father, I am 
 so happy ! " 
 
 " Well, well, Dol I am glad to hear it ; but then I must con 
 fess that I am somewhat curious to see this puzzle solved. Thus 
 far I don : t understand it." 
 
 " Here father, read. You see this leaf fits in this place. The 
 line that caused this serious complication is the bottom line of one 
 page and requires the reading of the top line of the next page to 
 complete the sense. Now read : 
 
 " Well child let me see. If Webster is correct, I worship him 
 and worfhipisnobve. Worship you can bat idols. I worship the 
 idol of my soul and that is idolatry. Aye, aye, child, I never knew 
 you had such a big heart in your little body as all that. I tell you, 
 Charlie is a lucky dog." 
 
 Dolores blushed. She snatched the book from him and said : 
 
 " Mind, pa, neither you nor anybody else would ever have seen 
 that writing if it had not been necessary to clear me of this grave im 
 putation. But how did the leaf get out of my drawer ? Gracious 
 
DOLORES. 345 
 
 heaven ! That thought involves such terrible possibilites. that I 
 tremble to pursue it." 
 
 Dolores had folded her hands while saying this, looking the 
 very picture of consternation. Mr. Fox looked at her inquiringly 
 
 " What can you mean, Dol ? Explain." 
 
 "No, father, do not demand this. By obeying your injunction, 
 1 might rouse spirits of suspicion and revenge, to banish which 
 would be more difficult than to conjure them." 
 
 "I understand you Dol," Mr. Fox replied and his face grew 
 pale. " Such spirits might indeed make sad havoc on our domestic 
 peace. But are you sure that the leaf was not lost by hazard ? " 
 
 " This very leaf, father? " she replied with bitterness of tone ; 
 but let it be so ; yes let that be the construction we put upon this 
 strange occurence ; else I might be induced to lose my faith in 
 human nature, and curse my sex for propagating this wicked race. 
 Or better yet, father, let it be buried in oblivion." 
 
 "Yes, Dolores, let us try. If you, the deeply injured party, 
 can succeed, methinks that I, so much interested in your generous 
 proposition should find no difficulty. But, Dol, you show but lit 
 tle curiosity to hear the conclusion of my story." 
 
 " Oh yes, I did forget that you did not tell me all. You have 
 failed to explain your meaning when you stated that Charles is 
 not in the village now." 
 
 " Yes, that is it. A bitter cup still remains to be drained, but 
 after the happy explanation you will do like a strong, courageous 
 girl." 
 
 " Oh, father, you frighten me ; such a long introduction. You 
 cannot mean that any serious accident has befallen him." 
 
 "No, child, I do not mean that ; but read this letter, it will ex 
 plain the whole affair to you. I should have hesitated to put it 
 into your hands under less favorable circumstances, but as matters 
 stand, there can be no harm. 
 
 Dolores took the letter. It was but a short note and ran as fol 
 lows : 
 
 Dear Mother. I send you these lines from the station. I am going 
 to leave you for another short spell. Burlesque will tell you why. 
 When you learn all, you will pardon your unhappy 
 
 CHARLES 
 
 All joy had vanished from the poor girl s face, while reading 
 
346 DOLORES. 
 
 this short but, to her, eloquent note. Tears started once more into 
 her eyes and for ten minutes she indulged in a good cry. The 
 great trial she had borne bravely, but under this comparatively 
 light disappointment she gave away. Thus it is in life. The 
 man who storms a battery at the head of a regiment often shrinks 
 from having his tooth pulled. Mr. Fox let her have her way for a 
 little while, then he laid his hand on her head and said : 
 
 " Dol, don t be selfish. While you are here crying about your 
 lover s absence a mother in her cottage not only mourns his absence, 
 but also his broken spirit. Had we not better go and bring her 
 comfort ? 
 
 Mr. Fox had touched the right chord. 
 
 "Oh father, how selfish I am. Come, let us go at once to 
 aunt Barbara. She must not suffer a moment longer than we can 
 help it." 
 
 Mr. Fox nodded. They took their hats, and without stopping 
 to enlighten Mrs. Fox who, being ignorant of the whole affair, 
 might well afford to remain so an hour longer left the house 
 and took the direction to the cottage. Never in all his experience 
 had Mr. Fox been hurried over that distance at such a frightful 
 speed. He had to stop about a hundred feet from the gate to catch 
 his breath, but Dolores had no patience to wait. The important 
 diary in her hand, she flew along the road, then through the gate, 
 and over the porch into the hall where Mrs. Fuchs was in the act 
 opening a door. 
 
 "Aunt Barbara!" the girl cried with joyous rapture, and 
 throwing her arms around the lady s neck showered such a profu 
 sion of kisses, caresses and flattering epithets upon her, that she 
 could not have warded them off, if she had been ever so much in 
 clined to do so. 
 
 " Don t say a word, before you hear me aunty," Dolores at last 
 exclaimed, shutting the other s lips by gently laying her hand upon 
 them. " Come in, I can explain it now, I can unravel the mystery 
 into the brightest sunshine." 
 
 She drew Mrs. Fuchs into the room and to a chair on which she 
 compelled her to sit without much ceremony. Then she opened her 
 diary and said : 
 
DOLORES. 347 
 
 "Here is the passage on whose evidence you condemned me. 
 Read it again ! " , 
 
 Alas ! I know it by heart, Dolores. What is the use of read 
 ing it?" 
 
 "But here is the continuation of the sentence. Read that, 
 then, if you please : 
 
 If Webster is correct, I worship him and worship is no love. 
 Worship you can but idols. I worship the idol of my soul, and that 
 is idolatry." 
 
 Mr. Fuchs stopped, and Dolores looked with triumphant inqui 
 ry into her face. 
 
 "Now, aunty, mother, what now?" 
 
 Mrs. Fuchs looked bewildered. 
 
 " I don t know what to say. This is so sudden a revelation that 
 I can hardly master the powerful emotions of my heart. Oh, Dol, 
 if Charlie could have known this yesterday." 
 
 " Or, aunt, if I had only known that this paper was in his pos 
 session I would then have laid aside my pride and come to explain. 
 As it was I thought he condemned me on more trifling evidence, 
 and I was too proud and mortified to take the first step in an ex 
 planation." 
 
 " So you did not know he had the paper ? How did you happen 
 to lose it?" 
 
 " Pst , aunty, don t ask me that question. That question might 
 open hell and give its evil spirits liberty to haunt the earth. The 
 paper was in my drawer ; it has disappeared. Let that suffice, 
 aunty. You understand me, don t you?" 
 
 " I think I do, child. But this is dreadful ! " 
 
 "Never mention it again. Come, pa is on the porch. He 
 came along but couldn t keep up with me. Let us go to him and 
 advise about the proper means of bringing back the runaway." 
 
 Mrs. Fuchs humored the girl and soon shook hands with Mr. 
 Fox. She was like newly born ; a very different person from what 
 he had found her on his first visit. He told her so, and she replied: 
 
 " No wonder, sir. This girl of yours is somewhat of a sorceress. 
 She understands how to make a person laugh and cry in one breath. 
 No wonder poor Charlie is so perfectly bewitched ! 
 
348 DOLORES. 
 
 Mr. Fox laughed and then gave the conversation a practical 
 turn. 
 
 " Let me see," he said, " the next train for Boston starts at 12 
 o clock. If we dispatch Mr. Burlesque at once he can reach the 
 depot in time to take it. We can telegraph at the same time and 
 thus prevent our bird from flying any further. In that way we 
 can have him here in three days at least. Mrs. Fuchs can I have 
 your horse and buggy to take Mr. Burlesque to town ?" 
 
 " Of course, sir," Mrs. Fuchs replied, and left her friends to get 
 Henry to hitch up the horse and drive the buggy to the front door. 
 When she returned to the porch Mr. Fox inquired : 
 
 "How did Charles get off so quick? The lad displayed his 
 usual energy on this occasion." 
 
 " Well, sir, his trunk was still at the depot. He had not brought 
 it with him, because there was so much baggage on the train and 
 he Avould have been obliged to wait at least an hour for it. When 
 he left the mansion yesterday he did not call here at all, but going 
 to the factory got Mr. Burlesque to drive him to the depot with 
 one of the factory horses. You may imagine my feelings at the 
 reception of his note. I entertained pretty hard thoughts against 
 our little girl here and came mighty near expressing them, too." 
 
 "Yes, madam, I noticed something like it," Mr. Fox replied 
 with a sarcastic twinkle of his eye ; " but here is the horse. Thank 
 you, Henry. Good-bye, madam ; good-bye, Dol. You must go 
 home now and inform your mother. I know she frets about you." 
 
 " Yes, father," Dolores answered; and while he drove off in 
 one direction she, like a dutiful daughter, returned to the mansion 
 after having said a warm good-bye to aunt Barbara. 
 
 On reaching the factory Mr. Fox jumped from his buggy and 
 entered the office. He found gloomy faces the order of the day. 
 
 " Cheer up, friends !" he cried ; " there is no more occasion for 
 making long faces. My little one loves your son and friend after 
 all. No, she doesn t love him, she worships him, the little vixen !" 
 
 Mr. Fox, after giving a hurried explanation, continued : " Mr. 
 Burlesque, the train for Boston leaves in one hour. Can you, with 
 out any further preparation, go there and bring the runaway back ? 
 The buggy is at the door and I can take you to the depot/ 
 
 Instead of an answer Mr. Burlesque sprang up and took his hat. 
 
DOLOKES. 349 
 
 His employer had, in the twinkling of an eye, driven all the gloom 
 from his brow. 
 
 " I am ready, sir," was all he said. He was so joyous that he 
 forgot to make a joke. 
 
 " Well, Mr. Fuchs, take care of yourself and the factory." 
 
 With this warning the two left the office, jumped into the bug 
 gy and made the horse do his very best. They were in time to pro 
 cure the ticket, and Burlesque sprang on the platform of the car 
 while the train was already moving. 
 
 Mr. Fox next went to the telegraph office and sent the follow 
 ing dispatch : 
 
 Charles Fachs, Esq., Boston, Hotel. 
 
 All right. Mystery explained. Burlesque will be there. Await 
 his coming. 
 
 EDWARD Fox. 
 
 Mr. Fox had done his duty. In a contented mood of mind he 
 resumed his seat in the vehicle which had brought him and return 
 ed more leisurely than he had come. 
 
 Three days passed away. Tn vain the two families had waited 
 for a dispatch announcing the train on which the friends would 
 arrive. At last, on the evening of the third day, Mr. Burlesque 
 arrived on foot and alone. He looked doleful and crestfallen. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Fox and Dolores were at the cottage in search of news. 
 All got frightened at the sad countenance of the messenger. They 
 felt sure that he was the harbinger of evil tidings. He greeted 
 them with a nod of the head without saying a word. 
 
 "Speak, man!" Mr. Fox exclaimed ; "don t stand there like 
 a statue ! We can stand the worst. Is he dead ?" 
 
 "No, sir; thank God it isn t so bad as that. This letter, no 
 doubt, will explain all." 
 
 He handed Mr. Fox a letter addressed to Mrs. Fuchs. 
 
 May I read it ?" he asked, laying his finger on the seal. 
 
 "Yes, sir ; but quick !" 
 
 Mr. Fox tore open the envelope and unfolded a note. It wasn t 
 much longer than the first one Charles had written to his mother 
 from the depot. It read as follows : 
 
 DEAREST MOTHER: When you get this note I am on the ocean 
 
 A scream of pain and surprise on the part of the ladies inter- 
 
350 DOLORES. 
 
 rupted him. But it was not repeated. The suspense of what else 
 the note would yet reveal took away their breath. So Mr. Fox 
 continued : 
 
 I hardly venture to ask your forgiveness for so grievious an of 
 fense as mine. But, mother, believe me, I could not act differently. 
 To return to Foxville and witness the happiness of a pair so ill- 
 matched would have been worse than death, and sooner or later 
 would have resulted in his or my death. I did not know that any 
 passion could so completely overpower me, but it is the fact. My 
 love for her has filled me so long (it was a feature of my boyhood) 
 that it has pervaded my whole nature. To kill it would be to kill 
 myself. On going now to Europe I will not forget her ; but I hope 
 that I may learn in time to bear the thought of knowing her being 
 another s, Oh ! my God, of one whom I most sincerely believe to be 
 unworthy of her 
 
 At this period Mrs. Fuchs took the hand of Richard s mother. 
 
 " Pardon him !" she said, with tears streaming down her cheeks; 
 " he knows not what he says." 
 
 Instead of an answer Mrs. Fox embraced and kissed her. Mr. 
 Fox resumed : 
 
 I am going to Italy. It will give me the shadow of a consola 
 tion to visit the laud where the cradle of her ancestors once stood. 
 Give my love to my dear father. She will refuse to receive it. As 
 soon as I can report progress in this, my difficult uudertaking, you 
 will hear from your CHARLES. 
 
 Dolores threw herself into the arms of the bereaved mother. 
 They wept together, the only comfort that was left for them. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 
 A DECEIVER DECEIVED. 
 
 It was a dreary life that now began in the two families. All 
 those joyous expectations, all those anticipations of delightful meet 
 ings, of winter evenings, with plenty of light and warmth and 
 mirth, where were they ? The source of light and life in the cot 
 tage was a wanderer in distant lands, and the maiden in the man 
 sion she, once so genial and happy and causing happiness to oth 
 ers Dolores, was only the shadow of her former self. We do not 
 use the word as a mere metaphor, for not only her hilarity was 
 waning but the substance of her body, too, was wasting, and that 
 lovely form, once so round and fresh, soon assumed an alarming 
 
DOLOKES. 351 
 
 angularity. Her parents studied day and night how to divert her 
 mind, but it was all in vain. She did not complain. She asserted 
 in reply to all anxious inquiries about her state of mind and health 
 that she felt well and was even comparatively happy. But the ex 
 perienced eye of Mr. Fox could not be easily deceived, and so he 
 resolved to consult the family physician before it was too late. In 
 order to enable Dr. Palmer to advise judiciously, Mr. Fox deemed 
 it necessary to give him an outline sketch of the late trouble, there 
 by enabling him to see that the disease, if such it was, had its seat 
 in the mind as well as in the body. 
 
 Dr. Palmer shook his head. 
 
 "Medicine," he said, "will not do the slightest good in thi& 
 case. It seems Dolores has sunk into a state of apathy, to arouse 
 her from which is no easy matter, and may require extraordinary 
 means. I should advise a change of place and air ; in other words, 
 traveling. 
 
 "But, Doctor, how can we travel in the depth of winter?" 
 Mrs. Fox inquired. She, of course, had been drawn into the con 
 sultation and now advanced this objection. 
 
 "Well, madam, for the present you must stay at home, of 
 course ; but I would make plans for the coming spring and set her 
 at work to think about and to prepare for it. In that way you 
 may give food to mind and body in the shape of healthful occupa 
 tion. Only don t let her look into your cards ; as soon as she 
 thinks that you are doctoring her your project will fail." 
 
 In obedience to these injunctions Mr. and Mrs. Fox resolved in 
 their mind a dozen different plans, none of which, however, had 
 the merit of particular feasibility. They were still torturing their 
 brains in this manner when all at once a ray of light burst into the 
 chaos, as unexpected as welcome. 
 
 When Mr. Burlesque returned from his last and unsuccessful 
 trip on foot, his heart and head as sore as his body, he had, be 
 tween the factory and cottage, met a couple of idlers, whose com 
 fortable looks, sauntering gait and laughter contrasted too strongly 
 with his gloomy mood of mind not to fill him with an undefined 
 but yet strong feeling of hostility against them. When they no 
 ticed and recognized him they thought it prudent to moderate their 
 mirth and to look concerned to a certain degree. The reader will 
 
352 DOLORES. 
 
 have guessed that these merry companions were Richard and Henry. 
 Burlesque answered their inquiries rather sharply and turned away 
 quickly to continue his walk to the cottage ; but, rapidly as his 
 glance passed them, he could not help noticing a malignant pleas 
 ure in their eyes, nor could he help hearing another outburst of 
 their unpleasant laughter in which they indulged. 
 
 The stirring scenes at the cottage which now followed had the 
 tendency of crowding this encounter from his memory ; but when 
 the feelings of the inmates returned to their wonted channel the 
 circumstances of that interview returned to his mind with greater 
 force than before. Why should these two laugh when all the oth 
 ers wept ? Were their interests so much at variance ? And if the 
 sad misunderstanding was so acceptable to them was it not possible 
 that they had helped or even planned to bring it about ? 
 
 Mr. Burlesque was alone in his office when this question arose 
 in his mind. It agitated him to such a degree that he sprang from 
 his seat and for more than half an hour paced the floor. The more 
 he thought of it the more he followed the thread running through 
 the whole tragedy, the more he became confirmed in his belief. 
 Yes, these two goodfornothings had, for unknown reasons, con 
 cocted the scheme which had chased the sunshine from two fire 
 sides for many a sad day, perhaps forever. They had concocted it, 
 but why ? That was the mystery. Could Richard really have 
 thought that the memory of a man like Charles could be so easily 
 driven from the maiden s heart ? Or was there another secret rea 
 son which made him hope for success ? 
 
 Burlesque did not know ; but he was resolved to do his best to 
 fathom the mystery. If Dolores and Mr. Fox had reasons to spare 
 the criminals if such they were Mr. Burlesque had none, and 
 when he commenced his operations it was with the determination of 
 waging the war to the bitter end. 
 
 He seemed to feel that it would not do to draw either of the 
 families into his confidence ; but, trusting to the resources of his 
 own mind, commenced the work without outside assistance. These 
 resources were by no means despicable. His great experience in 
 acting characters of the different kinds gave him a weapon which 
 he handled with striking and to the conspirators fatal success. 
 At first Mr. Burlesque changed his conduct towards Richard and 
 
DOLOKES. 353 
 
 Henry but little. He had plenty of time and much at stake ; their 
 suspicion once aroused it might take months to lull it again. Only 
 gradually and imperceptibly he wormed himself into the good 
 graces of Henry and revived his old relations to Richard. 
 
 Burlesque was a master in the art of dissembling. Guessing 
 correctly that Henry disliked his brother, he thought that nothing 
 would more really engender a familiarity between them than the 
 pretension of a kindred feeling, especially if it was presented as 
 the growth of time. Henry took the bait, and before three months 
 were over he had changed his feelings toward the actor so much as 
 to wonder how he could ever have disliked him. Besides hinting 
 at Charles as an impractical fool who didn t deserve anything bet 
 ter than to wander over the world, Mr. Burlesque gained by noth 
 ing a quicker and stronger hold upon the younger brother than by 
 the readiness with which he connived at his little irregularities. 
 Not satisfied with shielding Henry from discovery, he even lent his 
 office and his money to furnish him and Richard with the place 
 and means of indulging in those little orgies which were totally 
 out of question at either the cottage or the mansion. 
 
 At last the fruit, according to his opinion, was ripe enough to 
 be plucked. We find him in the office at the late hour of 8 o clock 
 P. M. The curtains are down ; a pleasant fire in the grate warms 
 up the air and a pair of lamps cast their bright light on a well- 
 filled supper table. A white cloth is spread over the furniture, 
 hiding its rough workmanship, and several cans of oysters and 
 bottles of wine promise an abundant supply of food and drink. 
 Burlesque surveys the whole arrangement and a grim smile betrays 
 his satisfaction. He puts a box of cigars on the table, and, light 
 ing one himself, assumes a seat before the grate to give himself up 
 to his thoughts. But he has not much time for this, for all at once 
 voices became audible before the door ; he hears feet knocking off 
 the snow that covers the ground outside, and then the door opens 
 and admits our well-known mariners. 
 
 " Good evening, Burlesque !" they cry, and Richard continues : 
 
 "You have a devilish cosy cabin here, I tell you. Good 
 enough for a prince." 
 
 Yes, a fellow feels mighty good here after tramping through 
 the snow," Henry chimed in. 
 
 23 
 
354 DOLORES. 
 
 11 You must be cold, boys," Burlesque said ; "come to the grate 
 a moment and warm yourselves before you pitch in. The wine is 
 a little too cold anyhow. I just brought it in. 
 
 The visitors followed his injunctions and soon the trio sat at the 
 fire, engaging in a conversation, which, for the sake of fair readers, 
 we must suppress. Nor is it my intention to accompany them 
 through their revelry. It suffices, if we notice them again, when 
 their tongues have grown heavy and refuse to pass the ribaldry 
 which had been the order of the night. I do Mr. Burlesque jus 
 tice ; he had found no pleasure in the pastime, although the time 
 was not far distant when he had partaken in similar orgies as a full 
 partner and abettor. In this instance nothing but the love for his 
 injured friend and his ardent wish to avenge his wrongs could have 
 induced him to go through the sickening scene of the gradual in 
 toxication of the youths. 
 
 Xow the long looked for moment had arrived. As yet the fel 
 lows were talkative enough to betray their secret ; but, that mark 
 once passed, the sleepy spell would set in, and then goodbye, ye 
 revelations. So the actor commenced his operations. 
 
 "Boys," he cried, raising his tumbler, "it appears to me we 
 h aint clone half enough homage to the womon. Our sweethearts, 
 long may they live ! A rascal who refuses to give her name and 
 toast her. I ll set you a good example, boys. My sweet love lives 
 in Boston ; alas ! the charming Windermere sheds her lustre now 
 on luckier fellows. Well, never mind this ; to her memory, lads, 
 come pledge a glass." The visitors were not slow to join him in 
 the toast and the glasses rang merrily among the shouts. 
 
 " So," Burlesque resumed, "I ve done my duty. Now, Henry, 
 your turn comes next." 
 
 "Lucy Fox, then," the young man stammered forth, "her 
 health forever." 
 
 Again the glasses met with a zest that threatened their imme 
 diate destruction. 
 
 "Ah ! does the wind blow from that corner, Henry? Your 
 taste is good and your judgment better. A cunning rooster always 
 hunts for a warmly lined nest. Now you, Richard give us the last 
 but not the least toast. I m sure you can have picked no unworthy 
 subject for your love," 
 
DOLORES. 355 
 
 " I should think not " he answered strutting like a turkey gob 
 bler. " What would you say if I pledged you for Dolores, dutchess 
 of Gatana? " 
 
 " Good, sir, good, upon my soul. I wish that milk-sop of a 
 Charlie could hear you now. The fool ! To run away and leave his 
 sweetheart to his betters. Ha! Ha!" 
 
 "Ha! Ha! It s surely funny, but Burlesque you know he 
 would not have run quite so quick, if I and Henry here hadn t 
 signed his pass. But you havn t pledged me yet ; long life to the 
 dutchess of Gatana." 
 
 " Here I go," Burlesque answered, " and I most sincerely wish 
 her chances for the title were as good as her beauty." 
 
 "Never you mind, sir," Richard popped out "that title is a 
 duced sight better than you think. Do you imagine I should allow 
 myself to be captivated by a handsome phiz, if it wasn t backed by 
 a ducal crown and plenty of fields and villages? Heh ! Henry ! 
 It takes a man to see the world to make him clever, dosn t it old 
 fellow ? " 
 
 "To be sure it does, Dick. You and I have done our share." 
 
 " There ! Burlesque, do you hear that ? Just come and pledge 
 a glass to Richard, duke of Gatana and his consort." 
 
 "I will, with pleasure, Richard ; yes, more than that, I ll pledge 
 you even a visit, if that duchy of yours is anywhere nearer than 
 the moon, which in truth 1 fear it isn t." 
 
 " Isn t eh? See here old chap, if you wern t so clever a fellow 
 I d say you were a duced sort of an unbelieving Thomas. What 
 do you mean Charlie to doubt the word of a gentleman, like me ?" 
 
 Burlesque took it all in good humor. It didn t suit him to get 
 angry. Laughing at the other s pompous air he cried : 
 
 "So far Richard, I havn t had a chance to doubt your word. 
 You have been joking and I have given joke for joke. In reality, 
 I guess, I have about as much chance to be a duke as you." 
 
 " You have, have you? Supposing we take the thing from a 
 practical point of view. Are you willing to bet $5.00 on that ?" 
 
 "Of course. I will win it too. Henry may hold the stakes. 
 Here is my five. Fork out your money." 
 
 "The devil take me, if I have any. Supposing you lend me 
 some. When I am duke I will pay you back with interest." 
 
356 DOLORES. 
 
 " That s cool. " Burlesque said with a laugh, but I have no ob 
 jection to that novel way of betting. Here Heny is another five, 
 and now Richard if you can prove the point the stake is yours." 
 
 Richard laughed the course laugh peculiar to intoxication. 
 
 " That money is as good as mine" he cried. " I hope you ll ad 
 mit Henry s testimony." 
 
 "If he promises to adhere strictly to veracity." 
 
 " Honor bright !" cries Henry. 
 
 All right, then. Go ahead steamboat." 
 
 " Very well," said Richard, interrupting the following narrative 
 with numerous hiccoghs. " Very well, sir, I can satisfy you in less 
 than no time. This summer, you must know, our vessel put in at 
 Leghorn to take in a cargo of goods. Isn t that so, Henry ? " 
 
 " Just so." 
 
 " Well, after a hard days work the captain would often give us 
 men permission to go to shore. Henry and I of course improved 
 such opportunities, for I tell you Burlesque that country beats all 
 the world for its wines and girls. Don t it, Henry? " 
 
 " I think it does." 
 
 " One night we had loaded so much that we couldn t get back 
 to the ship to save ourselves. The host of the tavern where we 
 had been carousing allowed us to sleep on the benches of the bar 
 room, and when we woke in the morning we stared at one another 
 and commenced to laugh didn t we, Henry ?" 
 
 " I guess so." 
 
 "There, Burlesque, notice what he says ; it s true to the letter. 
 \Vell, after washing a little and adjusting our dress, says I to 
 Henry : I ll be darned over and over again if I don t benefit by 
 this chance to see the country. Come, let s make an excursion for 
 more wine and women. 
 
 " But the captain, Dick, says Henry, looking very wise. To 
 do him justice, lie can look wise on rare occasions." 
 
 " The deuce take the captain ! says I. I ll make it all right. 
 Just come along now. " 
 
 "So we went. Leaving the city behind us we struck a road 
 that winds through the hills to the interior, rising higher and 
 higher and affording a thousand beautiful views of the bay and the 
 city at our feet. To tell the truth, Burlesque, we didn t care much 
 
DOLOKES. 357 
 
 about the picturesque, Henry and I. We went in for the solid and 
 I tell you we got enough of it before we returned. We are hand 
 some lads, you know, and such a shower of fiery glances you never 
 saw. The girls were just picking the grapes in the vineyards, and 
 I hardly know whether we got more grapes, wine or kisses. We 
 might have stayed all day with these bewitching Venuses, if I 
 hadn t been anxious to see more of the country. So we said good 
 bye to them and climbed until we reached the top of the moun 
 tain that girdles the coast. The exercise had made us hungry and 
 tired ; therefore we were glad to discover an old castle at the road 
 side, built in old style, with ditches, battlements and turrets. It 
 was tolerably well preserved, however, and tenanted, for an old 
 man sat before the gate, something of a porter we supposed, and 
 our supposition proved correct. We asked him whether he could 
 sell us something to eat and drink, and, his answer being in the 
 affirmative, we sat down at the bench while the old fellow got up 
 to fetch us some provisions and a bottle of wine. In Italy they 
 keep a mighty poor table, I tell you, as far as eating is concerned, 
 but as to drinking by Jove, the wine is fit for gods. Hunger is 
 the best cook, they say, and we eat the dry crusts and maccaroni 
 of the castellan with a good enough relish. His wine moreover in 
 demnified us for his victuals, for I swear it was the best we had 
 drunk so far. It made us talkative, and, since the castellan under 
 stood French and we had picked up a smattering of that language 
 in the French ports, we succeeded first-rate in keeping up a con 
 versation. We asked him questions about this and that, and some 
 how or other I hardly knew how it came up he told us the 
 name of his master, the owner of the castle. It was the duke di 
 Gatana." 
 
 " The dickens it was !" Burlesque broke in with sudden vehe 
 mence. He had forgotten his role. Fortunately the vigorous ex 
 pression suited the occasion ; at least Kichard took it in good 
 humor. 
 
 " Aha ! you begin to smell a rat, do you ?" he said, laughing. 
 Henry, hold on to the stakes ; the old chap is fearing for his 
 money." 
 
 " It begins to look squally !" Burlesque replied, scratching his 
 
358 DOLORES. 
 
 head and looking concerned. "But go on with your yarn the 
 sooner I know my fate the better." 
 
 "Y.ou can he accommodated, my dear sir; though as to the 
 money you better make up your mind at once to lose it ; it s a 
 gone case." 
 
 " I ll see about that when you have done. So go on." 
 
 "Very well. I started when I heard the name and so did 
 Henry. We did start, Henry, didn t we ?" 
 
 "Guess we did." 
 
 " The duke di Gatana, says I to the castellan. I thought 
 the estates of the duke had been confiscated by the government ?" 
 
 " That was under the Austrian government in Lombardy, 
 where most domains are lying, says he, but this war has changed 
 all that. We belong to Italy now ; the possessions have been re 
 stored to the rightful owner. " 
 
 " The devil they have ! thinks I ; maybe the little beggar-girl 
 at home is worth looking after. " 
 
 " But who is the rightful owner, sir? says I to the castellan. 
 1 thought the duke had been obliged to flee for his life and never 
 returned to his native country ? " 
 
 " You have been rightly informed, says the old man with a 
 sigh ; it is a sad story, sir, and brings tears into my old eyes. " 
 
 " Have you any objection to telling us ?" 
 
 " He had none, and we now listened to a well-known story. Of 
 course, what we knew already, hadn t much interest for us, but we 
 learned other things that were well worth the time we spent on 
 them. When he had finished I asked him :" 
 
 " So the present duke is the brother of the one who had to 
 leave the country? 
 
 " Yes, sign or. " 
 
 " And you never heard of him again ? " 
 
 " No, sir, we didn t. To tell you in confidence, the present 
 duke didn t over-exert himself in finding him. It was to his inter 
 est that his brother shouldn t be found, and interest, you know, 
 goes above blood. But, then, it isn t my business; what has a 
 poor old man to do with such affairs ? " 
 
 " Then if the real duke was still alive the property would go 
 back to him ? " 
 
DOLOKES. 359 
 
 " No doubt, sir" 
 
 " Or to his son in case of his death ? 
 
 t< t 
 
 Why, certainly, signor ; that s the law of the country. " 
 
 " Now for a question more to the point, thinks I." 
 
 " Signor Castellano, you are very kind to answer the idle ques 
 tions of a stranger ; yet I must ask one more : How would the case 
 stand provided a daughter had been left instead of a son ? 
 
 " Of that signor, I can inform you correctly, says he; "be 
 cause the archives of the family have a similar case on record. " 
 
 " And that record what does it say ? K 
 
 " It gave the property to the daughter and the title to the 
 uncle. " 
 
 " Then the daughter was not a duchess ? " 
 
 " No, but she married, and the king graciously bestowed the 
 ducal dignity upon the pair. " 
 
 " Then the husband of Dolores may also get that title? says I." 
 
 "The old man jumped up as if he had been electrified." 
 
 " Dolores ! he cried ; what do you know about her? You 
 know her name, you know her residence oh, make the last days 
 of an old man happy by letting him partake of your knowledge? " 
 
 " I had made a blunder the smartest of us can make blun 
 ders can t they, Burlesque ?" 
 
 " Of course," the actor responded, and there is reason to believe 
 that he said what he meant. 
 
 Well, I had made a blunder, but I am not the fellow who is 
 caught as easily as that. So I says as unconcerned as possible :" 
 
 " What did you mean, signor ? I know of no Dolores; only 
 you mentioned that name before in speaking of the duke s daugh 
 ter, and I recollected it." 
 
 "The old chap laid his hand on his forehead. He seemed 
 deeply pained by his disappointment, and, upon honor, I felt for 
 the fellow, as I owed him valuable information. But, then, you 
 know, I couldn t let him look into my cards. That would have 
 been absurd, wouldn t it ?" 
 
 Burlesque, of course, agreed. 
 
 "I knew you d say so. But that s my besetting weakness. I 
 am tender-hearted as a chicken if I wasn t I d fare a great deal 
 better. But see here, Henry, just fork over that money of mine." 
 
360 DOLORES. 
 
 "I protest?" Burlesque cried, laughing against his will. "On 
 what grounds do you claim it ?" 
 
 Kichard looked indignant. 
 
 " There, now !" he cried ; "that s just like you. You are the 
 most selfish old coon I ever saw. You were so in Boston, you are 
 so now, you ll ever be so. What? protest against my pocketing 
 this well-earned money ?" 
 
 "How well-earned, Richard ?" 
 
 " Burlesque, you mean dog ! didn t I tell you a nice story ?" 
 
 "Agreed!" 
 
 " Didn t you and I bet about something ?" 
 
 "Agreed!" 
 
 " Henry, what was it about ?" * 
 
 "Darned if I know." 
 
 Henry was very drowsy. 
 
 "That s a pity ! But. see here, tis all the same thing. I know 
 I won, and that ought to be enough between gentlemen." 
 
 " Well, I don t care ; you may pocket the stakes, but you must 
 finish the story. . 
 
 " If that s all, here it goes." 
 
 But the tongue of the young toper had by this time become so 
 heavy that Burlesque could make very little out of his words. 
 Nor did he care. He knew enough, and, allowing the two revel 
 lers to sleep themselves sober on the floor of the office to which the 
 law of gravity naturally attracted them, he blew out the lamps, 
 and, taking for his part the comfortable rocking-chair, studied on 
 the startling revelations of his former friend and boon companion 
 until his eyes also became heavy and he fell asleep. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 THE * GREAT TOUR." 
 
 Burlesque wanted to awake in time to send his companions 
 home and remove the traces of their orgies before day-light, and 
 with it the arriving workmen would notice such disorder. He 
 awoke very early. It was not easy to rouse the others from their 
 
DOLOKES. 361 
 
 lethargy, but a few well directed kicks and blows finally answered 
 the purpose, and they arose from the floor, stiff from their uncom 
 fortable quarters and dirty like swine that have wallowed in the 
 mud. They were not in the very best of humor, and instead of 
 taking the stiffness of their joints and the pain in their heads as a 
 very moderate punishment for their excesses, they swore and cursed 
 as if thereby they could improve their condition. Burlesque, how 
 ever, did not stand on ceremony that morning After having 
 brushed their soiled clothes he opened the door and gave them to 
 understand that it would be to their interest to reach their beds as 
 soon as possible, in order to sleep away the most striking traces of 
 last night s irregularities. They were now sober enough to see the 
 propriety of this advice and acting upon it withdrew from the 
 premises. Burlesque looked after them with contempt. 
 
 " Go !" he said with a scornful motion of his hand. I have 
 what I want, and now throw you away like the lemon from which 
 the juice has been pressed. Go ! If there was anything of a re 
 deeming character in you I might pity you. But, no, you don t 
 deserve even pity, for you are fit subjects of contempt." 
 
 Burlesque followed them at break of day. He found Mrs. 
 Fuchs stirring. From her looks he saw that she was aware of his 
 absence as well as that of Henry ; but before she could speak, the 
 indignation filling her, he took her hand and said : 
 
 " Mother Barbara, don t scold, for I do not deserve it. Don t 
 ask questions, either, and be satisfied if I tell you that one Charlie 
 is working for the other." 
 
 After those words he nodded and sought his room. There he 
 remained long enough to wash and dress and then, leaving the 
 house, took the road leading to the mansion. It was very early 
 when he got there and Mr. Fox, to whom he was announced, won 
 dered what so unusual a visit could signify. Yet, he admitted his 
 superintendent and remained closeted with him so long that the 
 servants had to ring the breakfast bell half a dozen times without 
 his minding it. He accompanied Mr. Burlesque through the gar 
 den to the gate, talking to him in such an eager manner that the 
 servants racked their brains to know what in the world such inti 
 macy could mean. But Mr. Fox was deaf to all hints and inqui 
 ries on the part of servants as well as members of the family. 
 
362 DOLORES. 
 
 After breakfast he went to the cottage, from the cottage to the 
 factory, from the factory to the mansion, and yet he merely seemed 
 to have reached the latter place for the purpose of making the 
 same identical tour over again. 
 
 At dinner, increased curiosity on the part of the ladies ; im 
 penetrable smiles on the face of Mr. Fox. Only at supper that 
 gentleman vouchsafed a gracious explanation of his bustle. 
 
 " My dear," he said, bowing to Mrs. Fox. "Children, I have 
 the pleasure to announce to you that on the first of March coming 
 we are going to start on the great tour. I have received informa 
 tion of a business character which makes my presence in France 
 and Italy unavoidable. We have been talking so long about this 
 tour that you may as well accompany me, for, to tell the honest 
 truth, I dislike to grace the omnibuses, railroad cars and steamboat 
 cabins of Europe alone. What do you think of my proposal ? 
 What do you think of the prospect of visiting the land of 
 ancient lore, the Rhine, the Rhone and the Po, the Arno and the 
 Tiber ?" 
 
 On the pale cheek of Dolores a faint color made its appearance, 
 the first time for ever so long. It didn t stay long, as if frightened 
 at its own boldness. But Mr. Fox had seen it, and Mrs. Fox had 
 seen it, and the latter, glad at her husband s announcement, on her 
 own accord was doubly glad on perceiving the animating influence 
 which the mere thought of the voyage had on her darling. She 
 entered with a lively spirit into his proposition, and spoke with so 
 much enthusiasm of the pleasure she anticipated that Dolores 
 found it impossible to harbor for a moment the idea that the whole 
 affair was merely a novel dose of medicine for her debilitated 
 system. 
 
 "And we are to start on the first of March?" Mrs. Fox re 
 sumed for the twentieth time. "Dear me, children, what a short 
 time to get our wardrobes all arranged. We cannot go without due 
 prepai-ation, and I may as well tell our worthy husband and father 
 that a deep grip into his purse will be necessary to procure a proper 
 outfit." 
 
 " I give you carte blanche," Mr. Fox said with a grace which, 
 alas ! adorns but few fathers and husbands, and a more becoming 
 ornament than which no lady wishes in her husband or father. 
 
DOLOKES. 363 
 
 Nor did the ladies in the mansion fail to appreciate such noble gen 
 erosity, and, after a long and animated discussion, in which even 
 Dolores showed a more lively interest than usual, it was resolved 
 that two of their number should make a trip to Boston in the com 
 pany and under the protection of Mr. Burlesque, who, they cor 
 rectly thought, would be capable of showing them the best sources 
 for procuring the various articles they needed. 
 
 Mrs. Fox, of course, was to form one of the two delegates, as 
 her experience in the realm of fashion could not possibly be spared. 
 But who was to accompany her ? Both girls could not well go 
 away. True, Mr. Fox volunteered to endure the hardships of sin 
 gle blessedness for a week or so, but they would not think of ac 
 cepting his sacrifice, and the problem was therefore reduced to the 
 question: which of the two girls was to stay at home? They 
 rivaled in generous offers ; but for a while it was doubtful who 
 was to carry off the palm. At last, however, Lucy, taking her 
 sister s hand, looked in her own with an imploring, tearful look, 
 saying : 
 
 " Dear Dolores, for my sake, go !" 
 
 Dolores w r as so astonished at this sudden manifestation of re 
 turning affection that for a moment she could do nothing but stare 
 at the other with mute surprise. Then, however, recovering from 
 her wonderment, she yielded to the impulse of joy, and, throwing 
 her arms around Lucy s neck, she said : 
 
 "Anything you please, Lucy. It makes me happy to humor 
 you." 
 
 The parents looked on with pleasure, but they did not under 
 stand why so ordinary an event should be made the occasion of a 
 solemn demonstration. 
 
 The reader, however, does understand. In Lucy s mind the 
 unhappy issue of her brother s intrigue had aroused the most bitter 
 remorse. As long as Dolores stood in the bloom of health and 
 pride and strength she had succeeded in hardening her heart 
 against her. But when the arrow had left the shaft ; w r hen it had 
 penetrated to her heart and caused the poor girl to wilt like a 
 flower, at whose root a worm is gnawing then, at last, Lucy awoke 
 from her trance. Even her slighted love and a jealousy so natural 
 under the circumstances could not induce her to rejoice in the sud- 
 
364 DOLORES. 
 
 den and fatal change in Dolores appearance. The thought that 
 this lingering, wasting fever would- result in consumption, and that 
 in such an instance she might justly ascribe to her agency the prin 
 cipal cause of her rival s early death, made her wretched. 
 
 But, though these thoughts had been agitating her soul ever 
 since the fatal Sunday, she had managed to hide every trace of her 
 emotions from Dolores ; so, when her conversion broke through 
 the cover with the suddenness of a wildfire, Dolores could hardly 
 be blamed for showing such little preparation. At all events, she 
 quickly understood the motives of Lucy, and, helping her to pass 
 over the next hours with her wonted good tact, she managed not 
 only to keep their parents in ignorance of the true state of affairs, 
 but also to let the resumption of their former friendly relation 
 appear so much the matter of course that they soon ceased to 
 wonder. 
 
 The trip to Boston was made, and such a great stock of the 
 most exquisite tissues of silk, wool and cotton was brought back 
 that all the seamstresses of Foxville were kept busy day and night 
 to sew the numerous articles of dress to be finished before the first 
 of March. 
 
 It was, indeed, a busy season. Mr. Fuchs and Miss Sarah 
 Goodman, of course, were not only consulted, but even engaged, 
 for that matter. Dolores was greatly benefited by this bustle. She 
 had no time and no place to pine, and the healthy, unceasing work 
 around her gave a healthy tone to her weakened frame. True, she 
 was yet far from regaining that former elasticity of mind and body 
 which had been her principal charm ; but the feeble glow on her 
 cheeks became less shy and at last suffered itself to become fastened 
 there permanently. 
 
 Richard was the only one in the family who did not share in the 
 bustle or in the hilarity thereby awakened. Mr. Fox, although he 
 had promised Dolores to forget certain under-currents of intrigue 
 which had produced this deplorable condition of affairs, found it a 
 more difficult task than he had imagined. At first he had pon 
 dered a good deal on the matter and received a tolerably clear im 
 pression of the part which both his children had played in the 
 tragedy. But, while he blamed Lucy for abetting, he condemned 
 Richard for plotting, and, in spite of all efforts, he could not force 
 
DOLORES. 365 
 
 himself to more than an indifference towards the young man. Even 
 Mrs. Fox seemed to have an indistinct perception of his perfidy 
 and treated him less warmly than before, and so he reaped in rich 
 profusion what he had sown with such great expectations. His 
 accomplice (Lucy) shrank from him, because she knew his wicked 
 intentions more fully than the others, and the company of Henry 
 was no great source of satisfaction. On the one hand, the inmates 
 of the cottage showed too plainly how unacceptable his visits were 
 to them ; on the other, no real pleasure can ever spring from friend 
 ship based on sin. Such amusement is like the counterfeit light of 
 the moon ; it shines, but there is no warmth, no animation. 
 
 Dolores she whom he had so deeply injured was the only per 
 son who now showed him kindness. At meals, at night, while gath 
 ered round the fireside, she spoke to him and tried to draw him 
 into the general conversation. But these efforts, so well meant, 
 had the opposite effect from that intended. Richard s nature, 
 though depraved, had retained sufficient elements of goodness to 
 be impressed and troubled by these manifestations of generosity. 
 Instead of benefiting by her kind advances, he shrank from her 
 touch as if her hand had been burning fire. There was a great 
 upheaving in his inmost being he went, as it were, through the 
 process of fermentation. As yet the dregs were not ejected, wildly 
 the conflicting elements of his nature warred within his heart, and 
 no one could tell which would gain the victory. Indeed nobody 
 knew, and even on the approach of March, when the struggle was 
 over, when the dregs had settled, and the heart of the young man 
 issued purified from the fearful struggle, nobody in the house had 
 any idea of his change. Kor did he tell them ; he feared nobody 
 would credit his professions, and, on his departure to his vessel, 
 which fell in the week before that of the others, he took with him 
 the indifference of his family as a merited punishment for his 
 deeds. Yet he was not hopeless. Through all the tedious hours of 
 his monotonous calling he took the pleasant anticipation of a joy 
 ful reception after a long and earnest probation. 
 
 A lively scene preceded the departure of the family. Business 
 had nothing to do with it, for Mr. Fuchs and Burlesque had long 
 before that time received full instructions and authority. But all 
 the neighbors came and said good-bye ; the inmates of the cottage 
 
366 DOLORES. 
 
 and the parsonage, of course, in the front ranks. Now the popu 
 larity of the family could be plainly seen. If this tour had been 
 undertaken before Mrs. Fox s sickness, the demonstrations might 
 not have been so numerous nor so lively ; but since that time the 
 changed conduct of that lady had gained her love and respect a& 
 warm as that accorded to her husband. The principal share how 
 ever fell to Dolores who was the idol of the village. If I have 
 omitted to report the many acts of Samaritan kindness by which 
 she had endeared herself to the hearts of the people, the readers 
 must blame the narrow scope of this tale and not my disposition. 
 The} may be sure that such acts were exceedingly numerous and 
 the fact that the villagers recollected them after the young lady s 
 protracted absence at school, is an eloquent testimony in itself. 
 During the late winter the poor child had net been seen much; but 
 the people did not blame her. They rather pitied her and loved 
 her the more for her distress. Somehow or other the rumor had 
 spread through the place it seems that people have an intuitive 
 perception by which they reach conclusions and that rumor was 
 not far from the truth. Dolores and Charles figured in these 
 rumors as hero and heroine, and Richard as the ogre, who, by his 
 wicked charms, separates the lovers. Indeed the young man was 
 made to feel the aversion of the people all winter, and to the mo 
 ment of his departure public sentiment condemned him by word, 
 look and gesture. In large towns individual iniquity disappears in 
 the general turmoil or is neutralized by rank, wealth or other influ 
 ences ; but, although flattery and adulation live in villages as well 
 as cities, the vox populi is there generally less biased by outside 
 circumstances. 
 
 At length the day arrived on which the family of the mansion 
 were to leave. They were glad when the last hand was shaken, 
 the last adieu spoken, and the carriage took them from their home 
 to the depot. Nothing is more worrying than this incessant leave- 
 taking, and, however well the good-speeds of our friends may be 
 meant, they can, under such circumstances, annoy us as much as 
 the maledictions of our enemies. 
 
 The depot is reached, the seats are taken, the train rushes them 
 to Boston, and in the harbor the Sea Serpent opens its hospitable 
 quarters to the party. Staterooms having been secured beforehand, 
 
DOLORES. 367 
 
 all necessary arrangements were completed without loss of time, 
 and the next morning, when the steamer began to push her mighty 
 paddles through the water of the harbor, our friends were on deck 
 enjoying the beautiful scenery and anticipating even greater pleas 
 ures from the future. Nor were they disappointed. Excepting a 
 few squalls, on which sea-sickness knocked at the cabin-door of 
 some of the passengers, they were favored with the fairest weather, 
 and the nearer they came to the coast of Europe the more marked 
 became also the approach of spring. We cannot afford to accom 
 pany the family on their tour, cannot examine with them the great 
 cities of England and France, nor follow all their steps along the 
 romantic Rhine. Suffice it to say that, having reached Switzer 
 land, they ascended higher and higher, reaching the famous peaks 
 where the snow never melts, and thence descended into the classic 
 vally of Italy. 
 
 The whole company had longed for that moment with a rest 
 lessness of which they themselves were probably unconscious, but 
 which had surely existed and in a measure deprived them of the 
 pleasure which otherwise they might have found in viewing so 
 many beauties of nature, so many specimens of science, art and 
 industry. But, once in Italy, their movements began to be more 
 measured, and, having reached the Lago di Gomo, Mr. Fox rented 
 an old villa, which was sufficiently well furnished to permit a so 
 journ in its walls. The house lay on the lake shore, having a mag 
 nificent view of the greater portion of the crystal sheet that washed 
 the base of the rock on which it was built. At first the family 
 missed the comforts of their home, for the nobleman in Italy lives 
 and furnishes his house often more plainly than the American me 
 chanic in moderate circumstances. No doubt the villa which they 
 had rented had once been inhabited by one of these nobles, such 
 as the country even now abounds with, like our forests swarm with 
 locusts in years particularly favorable to the development of those 
 insects ; but the race had died out long ago, or by some cause or 
 other been driven from the home of their ancestors ; at all events, 
 when the Foxes rented the place at an almost nominal rate, they 
 found it sadly out of repair. The windows had not only lost their 
 shutters or jalousies," as the French call them so properly, but 
 many of their panes in the bargain, and when Mr. Fox called the 
 
368 DOLORES. 
 
 landlord s attention to their defective condition, he received the 
 information that this circumstance was rather an advantage, as the 
 draft produced would mitigate the heat. The rest of the house 
 was in keeping with the windows, i. e., in the landlord s construc 
 tion, in excellent trim. For every defect he found an excuse, 
 actually turning it into a merit, so that on his departure Mr. Fox 
 could not help feeling proud of his new habitation. Dolores 
 laughed at him, and that heartily, the first time for a long, long 
 time, and so pleased was her father at hearing this long missed 
 music that he declared himself greatly indebted to the landlord 
 and willing to undergo a second trial of his patience with even 
 greater meekness, provided Dolores would reward him in a similar 
 manner. Our young friend had at once become of even greater 
 consequence here than at home, for she alone was enabled by her 
 knowledge of the native tongue to interpret the wishes of the fam 
 ily to the numerous servants. Numerous indeed ! Mr. Fox had 
 engaged a host of them just for fun. There was the butler and 
 the steward, the master of ceremonies and the porter, the male 
 and female cook, half a dozen waiters, the coachman, half a dozen 
 housemaids, and, dear knows what else. The first memorandum of 
 Mr. Fox dated from Lago di Como reads as follows : 
 
 Engaged twenty -one servants to-day. Amount of total wages 
 equal to those of John, Jim and Susan at home. Was afraid to 
 have my ears eaten off at first, but they tell me these fellows live 
 on air, maccaroni and water. If that s the case I don t mind a 
 dozen more. It sounds kind of big when I write to the folks at 
 home, " We keep house now with only three dozen servants." 
 
 But Mr. Fox wasn t through yet with his experience. Just you 
 wait a little while my good friend, and you will talk in a different 
 
 key. 
 
 Mr. Fox did not make great pretensions to style and clearness 
 in his diary ; therefore we must be cautious not to treat our readers 
 with too many specimens. Fortunately a certain young lady has 
 resumed a habit she formed at school and if she succeeded so well 
 in the prosaic state of Maine where everything bearing the name of 
 >/>//// is under a ban, we certainly have reason to expect that the 
 classic ground she steps on, will inspire her with efforts as good or 
 even better. Let this be as it may, 1 shall allow Dolores to tell the 
 rest of her story in her own way. We copy : 
 
DOLORES. 369 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 THE DIARY AGAIN. 
 
 LAGO DI COMO, July 25th, 1859. 
 
 Here we are and quite happy too. By saying we, I include my 
 humble self. Why should I not state it ? Three months ago I 
 should have deemed it absolutely impossible that I could call my 
 self happy once more. Indeed I sometimes feel angry at myself for 
 saying or rather feeling so. Isn t that funny ? unhappy for being 
 happy. And what makes me so? Nothing in particular but a 
 good many things together. He is not with us yet ; but I rejoice 
 in the thought that he breathes at least with me the same air. Mrs. 
 Fuchs got a letter from him just the week before our departure 
 from Foxville, dated January and marked Vienna, and containing 
 the information that he intended to spend this season exploring 
 Italy. He must be here then, perhaps near. Oh ! the thought is 
 beautifying and excruciating at the same time. How will the first 
 interview turn out ? What will he say ? How will he look ? Has 
 he got his mother s letter in which she wrote him of my weakness ? 
 Indeed no woman ever fared so badly as I. No woman ever was 
 required to cry to the four points of the compass : come loved one ! 
 here I am. I love you, please requit my passion ! That is the 
 world upside down, the wooer wooed. 
 
 Now there ! castles in Spain again ? I trouble myself about 
 what may come and forget that the chances are in favor of nothing 
 happening at all. True, Mr. Fuchs has written to the various 
 American Consuls in the Italian cities, and as every person has to 
 show his pass here, our agents may find a trace of the deserter. 
 But they may not for that matter, and then ? A blind traveling 
 here and there ; a chance crossing or diverging of our trails, and 
 more years of separation. But yet I cling to hope. I feel as if I 
 could not stand a second disappointment ; as if my fund of physical 
 strength became exhausted when away from him. That is not very 
 flattering ; it is rather humiliating ; it dissolves into vapor that 
 praise insisting on making me an original character. Ah ! I am no 
 sun ; I am a moon, at best a planet that loses all productive power 
 as soon as the great luminary ceases to throw light and sunshine on 
 
 24 
 
370 DOLORES. 
 
 its surface. In the morning, when I awaken, and in the night, 
 when I retire, my thoughts, my wishes, my aspirations are Charles 
 and always Charles. Instead of counting the time by hours, days 
 and weeks, I divide it into such which I was forced to pass without 
 him and such when my eyes will first be blessed again with his 
 sight. Alas, not yet ! 
 
 * * * I am in Italy, my native country. True, I have for 
 gotten the customs of the people, but I remember their language 
 and now as I move amongst our servants or the inhabitants of the 
 surrounding villages, I hear their talk, and listen to their words as 
 one would listen to distant bells, carrying a well-known air sweetly 
 but indistinctly through the air. 
 
 * * * ^y e nave a h os t, O f servants and yet hardly any at all. 
 I had to laugh at father for making that very same remark. 
 
 "I do not know how it is Caroline," he said to mother this 
 morning with a perplexed mein ; " with all our help we are more 
 poorly served than at home. " 
 
 k * But I know why father, " I cried when ma did not reply. 
 
 " < Let s hear then, Dol. " 
 
 * The reason is that we haven t all these servants but they sus 
 tain that relation to one another. You recollect the story of the 
 House that Ja<?k built ? " 
 
 " No, child, I don t think that I do. " 
 
 "What pa! not know the story of the morn and the priest 
 all tattered and torn, that married the maid, that milked the cow with 
 crumpled horn " 
 
 " Enough, Dol! " he cried with a laugh. " I know now, 
 and I shouldn t wonder you were right. I shall no longer tolerate 
 the disposition of these lazy fellows to shift their responsibilites on 
 each other s shoulders. 
 
 Pa went out in a rage and I was highly amused when he con 
 voked his host of servants, paid them their wages a week in ad 
 vance and told one half of them that he would dispense with their 
 services. They all understood the first part of the speech first rate; 
 but when it came to the second, papa Fox had to secure my assist 
 ance to convince these obtuse fellows of the fact that in the future 
 we should be able to get along without their valuable help. At last 
 I made them understand, however, but such crying and lamenting 1 
 
DOLORES. 371 
 
 such promises of doing better, such invocations of all the saints and 
 higher powers that our cruelty would deprive a dozen children of a 
 chance of living ! Fortunatly Mr. Fox received these lamentations 
 through me, else that dear good gentleman would have been shaken 
 in his purposes in less than no time. But I, becoming stern for 
 once, bade them be-gone without delay. 
 
 They obeyed, in fact they are like little children and so differ 
 ent from our American servants that one can hardly mention them 
 both in the same way. It must be their education, their govern 
 ment, yes, the very air they breathe. The air affects me similarly . 
 1 run about and spring and dance and chase butter-flies like a per 
 fect school girl, or rather an imperfect one ; for in America a girl 
 in her teens would be ashamed to cut up as I do. Indeed I ought 
 to be ashamed too for feeling so jubilant, considering that it is my 
 duty to be sedate or sad or even miserable because he isn t here. 
 But then I do not feel happy on account of the present, it is the an 
 ticipation of something, or somebody coming! coming! Indeed I 
 shouldn t feel surprised if he were to step this very moment into my 
 presence. I can hardly explain the nature of my feeling, but it 
 seems to me as if I see him with a mental eye ; as if a spirit hand 
 were going from my soul towards him, leading him nearer and nearer 
 until at last he stands in the presence of his happy Dolores. 
 
 * * * This morning father is going to leave us for awhile. 
 He is going to make a trip to Turin, on business he says, with a 
 mysterious mem in answer to our inquiries. We wanted him to take 
 us along, just to tease him, but no, he cannot be bothered with a lot 
 of troublesome woman on a business excursion, he says. Besides 
 he thinks we ought to rest a little, and keep our good-for-nothing 
 ragamuffins in a wholesome perspiration. They are just learning to 
 shift their feet he says, and be wouldn t for the world go through 
 the process of training them again. There is enough remaining to 
 be done in that line heaven knows, he complains, to make the 
 thought of re-commencing perfectly preposterous. 
 
 So we of course submit with a good grace, but then, being 
 women, we rack our brains in order to find out what business he 
 possibly can have in Turin. He looked at me with a significant 
 glance. Can he possibly intend to make inquiries concerning my 
 relations ? 
 
372 DOLORES. 
 
 * * * Father has gone and I made use of my increased 
 leisure this afternoon to make an excursion along the lake shore in 
 company wkh Antonio, our servant. I wanted Lucy to go along, 
 but she excused herself on a plea of being busy. I think she told 
 a little fib though. Miss Lucy shares the aversion of most her 
 country-women to walking more than is absolutely necessary. If 
 we could have taken the carriage, she would have gone with me. 
 But no indeed, when I take an airing I don t want the horses and 
 coachman to share the fun. I should have left Antonio at home if 
 it had not been for the many vagabonds that loiter about. The 
 war they say, has largely increased their number and that it is un 
 safe for a lady to go without protection. Mother insisted on Anto 
 nio s going and to keep from alarming her, I yielded and departed 
 without discussing the question. Is Antonio any protection ? 
 
 The walk was beautiful ; we followed the winding lake shore, 
 and even now I revel in the recollection of so many charms. We 
 must have gone four miles from home and that was farther than T 
 intended to go ; but, then, one new point of beauty chased the 
 other, alluring me on and further on, so that at last it required a 
 firm resolution to turn my head and retrace my steps. The latter 
 expression is hardly correct, though ; Antonio told me of another 
 road higher up the hills that would take us home and allow more 
 extensive views of the lake and the distant shores beyond. Of 
 course, I told him to lead me on to it, and, in consequence, had 
 two adventures, one pleasant and the other rather less so. After 
 we had climbed a path winding up the hillside we reached the new 
 road and, indeed, were amply paid for our trouble. The views lost 
 the charming details of those on the lower road, but they more 
 than compensated by their grandeur and expanse. Far across the 
 lake a castle rose in the air with such a brilliant whiteness that it 
 attracted my attention. I asked Antonio whose it was. He said it 
 belonged to the Duke di Gatana. Gatana! \Vhat recollections 
 that name awakened in me ! My name ! If my poor dead father s 
 patriotic efforts had been crowned with success how differently 
 would my destiny have shaped itself ! I would now dwell in pal 
 aces and receive the homage of hundreds. I would be a duchess 
 and wear a crown, a real crown, and be admitted to court. But, 
 then, would I be happier ? Would I even now exchange if such 
 
DOLOEES. 373 
 
 exchange lay in my power ? Not I ! For it was the exile who 
 found Charlie ; it was the exile that gained his love and learned to 
 return it, and for all the castles in the world I would not sell the 
 thought. Charles, good, noble Charles, belongs to me ! he is my 
 own, my property a domain that no sovereign king can show ! 
 No, I do not want my duchy back, if, in receiving it, I must give 
 up my love. Yet I should like to visit that castle. I wonder 
 whether it is the one in which my parents used to live ? I should 
 also like to see the duke, the new duke ; for, undoubtedly, the do 
 mains of my ancestors have been bestowed upon some faithful 
 follower of the government. 
 
 These reflections and many more engaged my attention to such 
 a degree that I stood some time I do not know how long gazing 
 at the castle in total oblivion of my surroundings. All at once, 
 however, I was recalled to reality in rather a startling manner. I 
 felt somebody taking hold of my skirt behind me, and when I 
 turned abruptly to see the intruder and chastise his temerity, I 
 looked right into a face well calculated to create alarm. The per 
 son that had thus rudely drawn my attention to himself was a tall, 
 wild-looking man, with hardly sufficient clothing to cover his pow 
 erful body. A low-crowned felt hat sat sideways on masses of 
 black dishevelled hair and a pair of sparkling and dismal-looking 
 eyes shone from under shaggy brows. I was frightened at his sight, 
 and my face must have betrayed my fear, for he smiled with a sin 
 ister satisfaction which forebode me nothing good. 
 
 " What do you want?" I asked him, summoning all the courage 
 I could command. At the same time I looked around for my ser 
 vant. He had disappeared. 
 
 My question, spoken in fluent Italian, seemed to startle the man. 
 He had undoubtedly expected me to be a foreign lady, such as fre 
 quent that region in large numbers during the fair season, and it 
 struck me that I might get rid of him by feigning to be a native, 
 which, in reality, I am. 
 
 The man -stepped back a step. 
 
 "Excuse me," he said, touching his hat with the grace of a 
 grandee ; " is signora Italian ?" 
 
 " Of course I am, my friend ; what makes you ask ?" 
 
 I thought you were with the foreign family in the old castle. 1 
 
374 DOLORES. 
 
 " So I am, but I am not their daughter. I am an Italian, and 
 an orphan, too, at that. But what do you wish of me?" 
 
 I thought it would be well to invoke his compassion, as courage 
 and pluck could avail but little against so powerful an adversary. 
 My manoeuvre had the desired effect, for the conduct of the man 
 became more and more civil, and, touching his hat a second time, 
 he said : 
 
 "If you are Italian, madam, I do not want anything, except 
 you feel disposed to favor me with a gift. There are enough for 
 eigners we can plunder. I am too good a patriot to raise my hand 
 against a daughter of my country." 
 
 "Then you are a brigand ?" I asked, considerably assured by 
 his polite conduct, handing him at the same time my little purse. 
 He received it with a polite bow, and, slipping it into his pocket, 
 said : 
 
 " That name the sbirri bestow us ; but we do not like it ; we 
 call ourselves the knights of the highway. 91 
 
 " And you are permitted to carry on your dangerous profession 
 so openly ?" 
 
 The brigand for that he was, in spite of his love for romantic 
 names the brigand, I say, shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 " Who will hinder us?" he said. "The hotel-keeper, the grocer, 
 the milk-vender, the servant they all follow our trade, robbing 
 the stranger continually in the most legitimate manner why, then, 
 forbid us the innocent pastime of robbing a little once in a while ? 
 In fact, those confederates I mentioned do not begrudge us the 
 mite we take from their victims. They acknowledge our claims, 
 and, as to the sbirri bah ! I care that much for all their enmity." 
 
 He snapped his fingers, and I must confess that I began to look 
 at the fellow with quite different eyes. I had read so much about 
 these brigands and their tincture of romance ; but to read about a 
 robber and to meet one are very different things. I wanted to ben 
 efit by this opportunity and ask several other questions concerning 
 their daring calling and mode of living, but my brigand cut me 
 short. 
 
 "Excuse me, signora, if I must refuse to converse with you 
 any longer. Although I despise the sbirri, one ought not to chal 
 lenge fate. Moreover, I warn you against myself. When I said 
 
DOLORES. 375 
 
 that I did not feel disposed to rob a countrywoman I did not know 
 that those superb eyes of yours are on the best way of stealing my 
 heart. I advise you, signora, to depart ; Luigi has not the reputa 
 tion of being a very tame lover." 
 
 I shuddered inwardly, although I was strong enough to keep 
 up an outward appearance of composure. Thanking the man for 
 liis considerate treatment, I bade him goodbye and pursued the 
 road, which I knew would take me to our home. I did not ven 
 ture to walk fast, for fear the brigand would notice unfavorably 
 my desire of escaping from his presence. Still, the distance be 
 tween us increasing gradually, I began to feel easier and to notice 
 once more the beauties of the country. While thus engaged my 
 -eye was all at once attracted by the sight of Mr. Antonio, who fol 
 lowed me with such an unconcern that, instead of getting angry, 
 I could only laugh at the brazen-faced fellow, who dared to 
 show himself after having so meanly forsaken me in the hour of 
 peril. 
 
 "What do you want here, Antonio?" I asked, after a good 
 laugh, summoning all the sternness then at my command. 
 
 " Go home with you," was the unconcerned reply. 
 
 "What! after your dastardly conduct? I shall tell Mr. Fox 
 of your bravery, and he will chase you from the house as soon as 
 he comes back." 
 
 Antonio shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 "What do you want ?" he said with the mien of an injured 
 man ; "you don t expect me to expose myself to the rage of the 
 famous Luigi ?" 
 
 " So you know the gentleman ? Who is this Luigi ?" 
 
 The greatest brigand in northern Italy: Did you never hear 
 of Luigi?" 
 
 Fortunately, I hadn t, for if, on hearing his name, I had known 
 all the stories of that robber s gallantry, cunning, cruelty and dar 
 ing with which Antonio entertained me on the rest of our way 
 home, I don t think I should have had the strength to retain that 
 composure, which, in connection with my knowledge of Italian, 
 saved me from his hands. When I think of the whole affair I 
 cannot help remarking that if the American servants excel the 
 Italian ontes I see myself compelled to award the prize to the Italian 
 
376 DOLORES. 
 
 robbers in preference to our own. I must laugh when I imagine 
 myself face to face with the scum of society that represent the 
 fraternity of the United States. I fear I would hardly have re 
 ceived from them an equally considerate treatment. My brigand 
 is surrounded with something like a halo in my remembrance, 
 though I am not at all prepared to assert that polish and courtesy 
 make vice less vicious. Perhaps they may have the effect of mak 
 ing it less repulsive, and it is as yet an open question whether that 
 
 is productive of better morals or worse 
 
 * * * Since the above adventure I am a little more careful 
 in the selection of means to gratify my passion for nature and her 
 beauties. I do not go further than the village, where more or less 
 persons surround me all the time, and when I have exhausted the 
 views from the shore I take the little boat and, either alone or in 
 mother s and Lucy s company, row on the crystal flood. I used to 
 have a reputation for sketching in school; and now, for the first 
 time I feel the full importance of a gift like that. Every day I 
 transfer one or two scenes to my paper, and, thanks to my assiduity, 
 I have already accumulated a handsome selection. I am now 
 painting a view from my window in Sepia as a present for father 
 when he returns. By the by, he has been absent now fo more 
 than a week and we have not had the slightest sign of lifs* from, 
 him. I cannot help thinking of Mr. Luigi and his associates, 
 though, of course, I keep my thoughts most carefully to myself. 
 It would make mother nervous and restless to imagine her husband 
 in the slightest danger. Ever since that memorable sickness she 
 perfectly dotes on him, and it is no wonder, for he carries her 
 always, so to speak, on his hands. Of course, I never told my 
 adventure to her or Lucy for reasons obvious ; if I had they could 
 not help sharing my thoughts. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 A JOURNEY AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. 
 
 Here the diary abruptly ends, for reasons which the readers- 
 may by and by discern themselves. Failing to gain any informa- 
 
DOLORES. 377 
 
 tion from our heroine herself, we can, perhaps, do nothing better 
 than return to the moment of Mr. Fox s departure, and, using our 
 free pass, as the author and his friends enter with him the carriage 
 that takes him to the place where a railroad facilitates a more rapid 
 journey to the capital. When we started it was early in the morn 
 ing, and when the steeples of Turin became visible in the distance 
 another morning had just been ushered in. Mr. Fox and his sec 
 retary were not overloaded with baggage, and so they succeeded 
 without much delay in reaching a hotel. There, after the neces 
 sary ablutions and a meal, which fitted them for business, Mr. Fox 
 sent for one of the waiters. When the man came the guest in 
 quired through his famulus : 
 
 " My friend, do you happen to know whether the Duke di 
 Gatana is in the city ?" 
 
 I cannot serve your excellency ; but I can show your excel 
 lency his palace if that will be of any service." 
 
 " It will answer. If you ll show us the palace we can pursue 
 our inquiries in person. Where, then, does it lie?" 
 
 " Your excellency can see it from the window. It is across the 
 place. Does your excellency notice that large building over 
 there?" 
 
 "Exactly." 
 
 ^ Well, that is the palace. If your excellency will wait a few 
 minutes I can easily ascertain whether the family is in the city." 
 
 The waiter was already at the door, overlooking the energetic 
 "nevermind!" of Mr. Fox. He flies, he returns, he is already 
 back and, with a quickened breath that shows the greatness of his 
 exertion, reports that his grace, the duke, is not only in the city, 
 but also at home, and that his excellency will no doubt be received 
 if he takes the trouble of calling. 
 
 " Come, James, let us see whether his excellency will have the 
 condescension to receive us." 
 
 James is one of those men who, living in a foreign country,, 
 benefit by their knowledge of several languages to tap the pockets- 
 of wealthy travelers by acting in the capacity of interpreter. Mr. 
 Fox had engaged James in Switzerland, the great vortex, where all 
 nations send their streams of travelers. Dolores had volunteered 
 to perform the duties of interpreter herself ; but Mr. Fox had his 
 
378 DOLORES. 
 
 own reasons for declining her offer. He wanted to experiment on 
 her chances for the duchy, and, in case of failure, hide the whole 
 attempt from her knowledge. Therefore, he had suffered himself 
 to be taken in tow by Mr. James Fitzgerald. 
 
 Arriving at the portal of the palace, Mr. Fox handed his card 
 to a porter, and was conducted into an ante-chamber to await the 
 duke s pleasure. 
 
 After the expiration of a few moments a servant appeared and 
 requesting the visitors to follow him, led the way to the interior of 
 the house and up a flight of stairs into the second story. Every 
 where marks of great wealth met Mr. Fox s eyes, and that gentle 
 man couldn t help thinking, what a nice thing it would be if Dol 
 ores could all at once step into such riches. He was not through 
 yet with this pleasant thought when the servant ushered them into 
 a chamber and announced : 
 
 " Signer Foggs and secretary ! " 
 
 Mr. Fox preceived a man whose resemblance to the dying min 
 strel, and even to Dolores, proved him to be the Duke. He was a 
 handsome man of about forty years of age and would have made a 
 pleasant enough impression on the visitor, if the face had not been 
 too much drawn into lines of haughty reserve and the eyes had glanc 
 ed through the lids with less sharpness. As it was, Mr. Fox was not 
 favorably impressed and at once made up his mind that with sifch a 
 person nothing but rigid exaction and unbending firmness would 
 answer the purpose. Therefore, when the duke arose and saluted 
 the stranger with cold formality, Mr. Fox bowed with a stiffness 
 that seemed to say : 
 
 "Just as you please, sir. We in America can stand as well on 
 our dignity as any Italian duke." 
 
 "Be seated," said the duke, "what gives me the pleasure of 
 this call?" 
 
 " I accept your civility, for what I have to tell you cannot be 
 said in a second. I come from the United States, sir, the asylum 
 of most of your exiled countrymen." 
 
 When this remark ,was interpreted to the duke, he started 
 slightly and his eye looked at the visitor with double keenness, to 
 ascertain whether his words conveyed any hidden meaning. 
 
 "Yes, I know Signor Foggs, or Fuggo or " 
 
DOLORES. 379 
 
 "Fox, sir." 
 
 " Ah ! Foggs then. Your visit, 1 was going to say, has hardly 
 the purpose of manifesting your sympathy with those countrymen 
 of mine ? " 
 
 " No, sir, not a bit of it, not a bit of it. Or, rather, yes I do 
 mean to show my sympathy for one of them at least." 
 
 " Please explain, sir." 
 
 The duke smiled a supercilious smile. 
 
 " Never you fear, Sir Duke, I am coming right to the point. 
 The man I allude to is nothing more nor less than the former 
 duke, your brother." 
 
 " Mr. Fox had the pleasure to see that his straightforwardness 
 was not without the desired effect upon the host. The hand which 
 rested on the back of the chair from which he had risen, grasped 
 that back more firmly to hide a slight trembling and the other hand 
 fidgeted up and down the buttons of his vest. He evidently did not 
 know what to reply and so chose the expedient of remaining silent. 
 Mr. Fox continued : 
 
 " I am happy to say, that the duke had full confidence in my 
 integrity and that he intrusted me with the keeping of the most 
 important documents. These documents involve the inheritance of 
 all his estates and you will hardly wonder, sir, that I thought best 
 to attend to such important business in person. In other words you 
 see in me the deputy or plenipotentiary of the duke, to arrange 
 with you the proper means of settling the succession and other 
 matters appertaining to his former posessions." 
 
 Mr. Fox had on purpose spoken somewhat pompously, partly to 
 to average the duke s supercilious reception, partly to impress him 
 with the conviction that he had to deal with a man of consequence. 
 Nor did his purpose fail him. While listening to these sudden and 
 unexpected revelations, the duke had become more and more pale- 
 He had made no effort to interrupt the stranger; nor did he speak 
 at once after he had finished ; but finally, as if aware of the neces 
 sity of saying something in return, he answered in an uncertain 
 tone of voice : 
 
 "My brother, the Duke; I was laboring under the impression 
 that he was dead. At least my efforts to find a trace of him were 
 idle. I continued them for years and finally gave them up because 
 
380 DOLORES. 
 
 convinced of the utter hopelessness of their continuance. So you 
 bring word from him ? 
 
 "Yes, sir, though a message from the grave." 
 
 " Hah ! you trifle with my feelings, sir ! Beware or you may 
 learn at your cost that the Duke di Gatana is not to be played 
 with." 
 
 Mr. Fox remained unmoved. Duke or not duke, that was 
 rather indifferent to his republican nature. 
 
 You are mistaken if you think that I am playing, sir," he 
 said. " I am in dead earnest. If the duke is not living his right 
 ful heir is, and that is the same thing to all effects and purposes 
 is it not, sir?" 
 
 The alarm of the other began anew. Yet he tried more eva 
 sions. 
 
 "Perhaps you are not aware, sir stranger, that the domains of 
 the duke, my brother, were confiscated by the government on ac 
 count of certain revolutionary attempts of his ?" 
 
 I am aware of that, and also of the fact that the property was- 
 restored after the war." 
 
 "And this son of the exile, this nephew of mine w T here is he 
 now?" 
 
 " You are mistaken again by imagining that the heir is a son. 
 It is a daughter, sir, and she has been educated in my house. It 
 seems that these communications are not very welcome to your 
 grace ; but, I assure you, if you could see the young lady the 
 most lovely and perfect woman my eye ever rested upon you 
 would rejoice in the thought that she is your kin." 
 
 The brow of the Italian cleared up a little on this communica 
 tion. A girl ! There was solace in that thought. A beautiful 
 girl ! that was better yet. He had a son, and by uniting the two 
 branches of the house, he might still retain the princely posses 
 sions in his family. But that man might be an impostor. True, 
 an inner voice told him the contrary ; but still he might be, or he 
 might be lacking the means of proving his bold assertions. In 
 such a case the duke could easily maintain his position against an 
 obscure stranger and his ward. Yes, it was worth the trial. 
 
 "What you say there, signor, sounds fair enough; but you 
 can hardly expect that I should credit the words of a stranger who 
 
DOLOKES. 381 
 
 tells me of the discovery of a niece. I suppose you are prepared 
 to substantiate your assertions with sufficient proof ?" 
 
 "That is, you suppose, I am not prepared," Mr. Fox muttered 
 to himself. Then, raising his voice, he said : 
 
 " Such a supposition is entirely correct, sir duke. I have with 
 me the copies of papers which prove the descent of Dolores be 
 yond a doubt. Here they are, signor, subject to your examina 
 tion. Recollect, these papers are mere copies." 
 
 Mr. Fox said this with a cunning smile that showed plainly how 
 little confidence he placed in the integrity of a man that mani 
 fested such reluctance to receive a brother s daughter because she 
 threatened to assert her rights. The duke understood; but he 
 merely bit his lips, and, receiving the copy of the documents, ran 
 his eye over them with haste and eagerness. The stranger was 
 right. If the original papers were really in his possession and 
 the knowledge of the name Dolores seemed to warrant it it would 
 be vain to show an open fight against such proofs. Open fight ! 
 His mind dwelt on this thought, and in a moment the duke had 
 resolved upon a different policy. His forehead became smooth ; 
 his eyes lost their stinging sharpness ; his mouth was wreathed in 
 smiles, and, stepping forward and extending his right hand to 
 wards the stranger, he said, with great politeness : 
 
 " Signor Foggs you have conquered me. Will you accept the 
 hand of a man whose duty it was to doubt until convinced ?" 
 
 Mr. Fox was surprised at this sudden change ; but the duke 
 appealed to his fairness, and such an appeal is irresistible* to an 
 upright man. So our friend, without hesitation, accepted and 
 shook the proffered hand, and, in a few words, expressed his satis 
 faction at the other s change. 
 
 The duke now invited his guests to a seat, and, ringing the bell, 
 ordered refreshments. 
 
 "You must really pardon my reserve, signor," he said. "I am 
 beset by so many adventurers that I can hardly be sufficiently care 
 ful against their snares. But a fair man confesses his mistake, 
 and I am glad to assure you that I do. Here, signor, do me the 
 favor to accept a glass of wine grown on my own soil. If it isn t 
 the best in the world there is certainly much that s inferior." 
 
382 DOLORES. 
 
 "It is excellent, sir duke. Permit me to empty this glass to 
 your health." 
 
 " Let us rather drink the health of her whom I am now anxious 
 to call my niece. I hope you have not left her beyond the ocean? 
 
 "No, sir, my whole family accompanies me on this journey. 
 You see, I reckon Dolores as a member of my family." 
 
 "I doubt not that she fully appreciates that honor. You must 
 at some more propitious moment tell me her story, which is ro 
 mantic enough, I wager. At present I am impatient to learn her 
 whereabouts in order to proceed to her without delay and offer her 
 an uncle s welcome." 
 
 The duke spoke with such apparent sincerity that Mr. Fox suf 
 fered himself to be deceived. He shook the hand of the host a 
 second time and declared repeatedly that such language pleased 
 him infinitely better than the duke s original reserve. 
 
 " As to the girl," he said, " she will be pleased to receive in 
 you her father s brother. Thus far she has no idea of the object of 
 my tour. I did not want to subject her to any disappointment in 
 case of a failure of my plans." 
 
 "You are as wise as honest, signer," the duke responded 
 warmly, "but you have not yet gratified my curiosity as to the 
 whereabouts of my niece." 
 
 "That s true. We have rented a building on the Lago di 
 Como which they call the old castle." 
 
 " Exactly, I know the place, as I have been negotiating for its 
 purchase." 
 
 " Indeed, signer? Why, I am glad to hear it." 
 
 " We are even neighbors," the duke resumed. " I own a manor 
 on the opposite side of the lake. The white house is visible from 
 your windows." 
 
 " I think it is, sir duke, for I have noticed such a building. I 
 cannot help "feeling greatly gratified at the issue of this inter 
 view." 
 
 You cannot be any more so than I, signor Foggs ; but it is in 
 your power to gratify me still more by granting one request. It is 
 hardly meet that the benefactor of our family should lodge in a 
 hotel, while I possess a home to shelter him. Say that you have 
 no objection and I ll send this very minute for your baggage." 
 
DOLORES. 383 J 
 
 " We have nothing but a small valise ; but, signer 
 "No buts, signer, unless you want to hurt my feelings. If 
 ever I visit the United States I shall submit to similar arrange 
 ments. Here you are my guest and must submit to the sacred 
 obligations which hospitality makes it my duty and pleasure to 
 enforce. 
 
 What could Mr. Fox say against such generous sentiments ? 
 He submitted, and before the expiration of another hour he found 
 himself installed in a comfortable chamber of the dukal palace 
 with James as a companion. He saw with great satisfaction the 
 princely splendor of every piece of furniture in the room ; but 
 fortunately for his peace of mind he did not notice how soon after 
 his occupation a servant took his position near the door, looking 
 for the world like a- sentinel on duty. Was he placed there to pre 
 vent them from suffering or from doing harm ? There was an 
 other feature in the duke s conduct which would have alarmed Mr. 
 Fox if he had been cognizant of it. It was this : Immediately 
 after the withdrawal of the visitors the duke had sent for a certain 
 Giacomo. The man had come and been closeted with his master 
 for more than an hour. On leaving him he had pocketed a well- 
 filled purse which the duke had handed him, and then taken the 
 direction to the depot. On arriving there he had inquired for the 
 next eastern train, and, learning that an express would leave for 
 Venice in half an hour, had bought a ticket for Pavia, the station 
 next to the Lago di Como. These movements, as we have said, 
 would certainly have made Mr. Fox nervous and restless if he had 
 only noticed them ; but, fortunately or ought we to say unfortu 
 nately ? he remained in total ignorance of them. He enjoyed 
 himself highly in his new quarters, and it must be confessed that 
 the duke left nothing undone to entertain his guest. He showed 
 him all the sights of the city, and, plunging him from one amuse 
 ment into another, caused him to forget in a measure that an 
 anxious family was daily expecting his return or at least a sign of 
 life. The conduct of the duke made this seeming negligence ex 
 cusable day for day after he asserted his burning desire to meet his 
 niece, and expressed a deep regret that circumstances prevented 
 his departure. He did not explain how it happened that these cir 
 cumstances did not prevent his devotion to amusements of all 
 
384 DOLORES. 
 
 kinds ; but Mr. Fox enjoyed himself, and a man who does is not 
 inclined to be over-scrupulous. 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 OLD ACQUAINTANCES. 
 
 While this was going on in Turin, a young man, a pedestrian, 
 followed the mountain road that led around the western shore of 
 Lago di Como. The traveler marched vigorously in spite of the 
 hot sun and the hour of noon, which was near at hand. To judge 
 from the dust on his clothes, he must have passed over a consider 
 able piece of ground that morning ; but, excepting an occasional 
 lifting of his light straw hat in order to wipe the perspiration off 
 his brow, he showed no sign of exertion, much less fatigue. When 
 he stopped it was less for the purpose of resting than of catching 
 and fastening a delightful view in his sketch-book. It is at such a 
 moment that he first engages our attention. He has left the main 
 road and, climbing up a rocky cliff, reached a plateau, from which 
 a charming view into the valley and lake opens and paid him for 
 his trouble. A few bushes gave him shade and made superfluous 
 the straw hat which the artist had laid on the grass at his side. A 
 well-seasoned thorny cane with many knots protruding lay beside 
 the hat, apparently a harmless, but yet efficient, weapon of defense. 
 A glance into the young man s breast pocket, however, shows us 
 the butt end of a good revolver as an additional protection, leav 
 ing out of account the lithe, athletic form of the artist, who seemed 
 as well qualified to handle the cane or sword as the pencil. 
 
 He drew a castle on the opposite side of the lake, whose dilapi 
 dated, weather-beaten exterior made it a proper subject for a 
 sketch. After drawing the general outlines he looked more sharply 
 for some details, and, failing to make out one or two essential fea 
 tures, took his pocket telescope to assist him. By means of it he 
 discovered various female figures moving on the porch or balcony 
 and the sight seemed to affect him, f6r, allowing the telescope to 
 sink and the sketch-book to fall to the ground, he let his head drop 
 upon his hand, which, in turn, was supported by the elbow resting 
 
on tlu 1 knee, and mused. His thoughts were evidently of a mel 
 ancholy character, for a deep sigh escaped from his bosom. Wo 
 an 1 not able to state whether a second one was on the way to follow 
 it, for all at once the doleful pastime of the young man was inter 
 rupted by such loud, dissonant sounds in his immediate neighbor 
 hood that he without delay sprang to his feet, and, sei/ing his 
 cane, awaited the further development of affairs. lie had not 
 long to wait, for a moment afterward the bodies of several persons 
 breaking through the hushes appeared on the open plateau. There 
 were four of them, evidently engaged in a bitter deadly strife. 
 The artist saw weapons gleaming in their hands ; but he also saw 
 that in regard to numbers the combat was very unequal. Three 
 struggled against one, and only the wonderful agility and prowess 
 of the latter enabled him to sustain a conflict against such odds. 
 For a few moments the artist remained neutral ; the skill and 
 strength of the man lighting under such disadvantages seemed to 
 make him forget his perilous position. lint his enemies pressed 
 him harder and harder and, besides becoming fatigued, he was 
 with every second pushed nearer the brim of the plateau, which was 
 abrupt enough to make a fall almost, fatal. The artist hesitated no 
 longer. 
 
 " Fair plav !" he cried in Italian, but with a foreign accent, 
 and, jumping toward the combatants, let his cane describe danger 
 ous circles through the air. " Is it manly for three to attack one? 
 Turn this way one of you and let, me teach him a lesson in man 
 ners." 
 
 lie pressed the assailants in such a manner as to compel one of 
 them to turn against the new comer. The man did so with a curse, 
 and, springing on him with the fierceness of a tiger, would have 
 plunged his dagger into the artist s bosom if the hitter s cane, had 
 not promptly stopped the dangerous movement. A rapid blow 
 sent the dagger spinning through the air and the arm dangling to 
 the hip. Planting a blow between the fellow s eyes thai betrayed 
 his Anglo-Saxon origin, the artist set his adversary completely lior* 
 (In coinlxii and was just going to turn to a second one when he saw 
 that the combat was already at an end. A second member of the 
 trio lay on the ground with a dagger sticking to the hilt in his 
 breast, and the third one only saved himself from the fate of his 
 
386 DOLORES. 
 
 companions by beating a dangerous and precipitous retreat down 
 the cliff. The artist was in the act of witnessing his descent, when 
 the victorious combatant, seizing his arm, drew him towards the 
 bushes, saying : 
 
 "Don t stop to see how the carrion reaches the bottom. It 
 would not pay. Come ! come ! we are in danger." 
 
 " We ?" the artist inquired. " I do not see why I should be in 
 danger." 
 
 " If you do not see it, take my word for it. You have assisted 
 Luigi against the sbirri, and that is an offence they 11 never par 
 don." 
 
 The young man snatched up his sketch book and then suffered 
 himself to be led by his companion over a rather rough road deeper 
 and higher into the mountain, until at last every trace of cultiva 
 tion had disappeared. The respect with which the bravery of his 
 guide had filled the artist, had thus far prevented him from mak 
 ing any remonstrances ; but when the country became wilder and 
 wilder, and every vestige of road or even path disappeared, it struck 
 him that it might be prudent to ask some explanation from a 
 stranger who, though brave, might nevertheless be a great scoundrel. 
 In fact, the name Luigi which he had given as being his, had no 
 good sound in the regions from which he came. The papers had 
 been filled with accounts of a famous brigand by that name, and 
 from what the artist had witnessed he was well inclined to think 
 that this Luigi and the hero of the papers might be identical. 
 Therefore he stopped abruptly and said : 
 
 "Mr. Luigi, that is quite enough for friendship s sake. I have 
 done you a service, and you repaid me by saving me from the 
 rough contact with the police. At least you say you have, and I 
 shall take your word for it ; but as to following you without any 
 guarantee or explanation, why, it is altogether out of the question." 
 
 The Italian eyed the speaker with undiguised affection and 
 respect. 
 
 "I see you are a brave fellow," he replied, "or you would not 
 beard the lion in his den. Very few persons dare to speak to Luigi 
 as you have spoken. What would you do if I should now turn my 
 hand against you ? " 
 
 "I should endeaver to prove to you that an American gentle- 
 
DOLORES. 387 
 
 man is at least as much of a match as three-fold the number of your 
 sbirri." 
 
 "I know you would, signer, I know. But nothing is further 
 from my mind than the desire to harm you. You have rendered 
 Luigi a great service, and he is not the man to prove himself un 
 grateful. What must I do to convince you of my friendship and 
 the earnest desire to serve you ? " 
 
 "By showing me the nearest way out of this wilderness. I 
 want to reach the next town before evening." 
 
 "That is impossible, signor, for it is past twelve now and the 
 distance to Pesanto is more than twenty miles." 
 
 The artist suffered an exclamation of impatience to escape his 
 lips. The brigand took his hand. 
 
 "Signor," he said with earnest supplication "listen to my 
 prayer ! do not forsake me now ! I have so few to love and you by 
 your noble and chivalrous bearing have gained my love to its 
 fullest extent. Do not feel offended, do not laugh at me either for 
 a man who, like me, has to associate so much with the scum of so 
 ciety, feels the charm of an honest man s company stronger than 
 that of handsome women. Grant me the pleasure of spending a few 
 hours at least, in your company, so that in after years 1 may say to 
 myself or to the people : I have seen a man. " 
 
 The artist laughed. 
 
 " Burlesque over and over !" he cried, thereby setting aside our 
 last scruple as to his identity. It is Charles Fuchs and knowing 
 that much, AVC may as well give him his proper appellation. 
 
 " Burlesque over and over ! " he cried "and for the sake of Bur 
 lesque I will grant your prayer. I am at your disposal, signor, you 
 may do with me as suits your pleasure." 
 
 Instead of all thanks Luigi took his hand and led him still 
 deeper up the pass, through which they had been stumbling ; but 
 after the expiration of a quarter of an hour the path came suddenly 
 to an end. The cleft in the mountain grew much narrower and a 
 number of rocks having detached themselves from the steep walls 
 and fallen "pele-mele" into the pass, seemed to stop every advance. 
 But Luigi was evidently at home here ; climbing over a rock now 
 and slipping past another, he finally reached a kind of kettle or 
 cauldron which for protection or seclusion could not be surpassed. 
 
388 DOLORES. 
 
 Besides a sentinel which guarded the outer entrance to the grotto, 
 the place was occupied by half a dozen rough looking fellows, who 
 enjoyed their leisure in as many different positions as they numbered 
 persons. The voice of the captain called them suddenly to their 
 feet ; their eyes looked wildly and spitefully upon the stranger, for 
 whom their captain showed so much consideration. Luigi spoke : 
 
 "Brethren," he said, "this signor is my friend you under 
 stand what that means : he is my friend. He is tatiooed, sacred, 
 inviolable. To touch him, yes, even to offend him is certain death 
 you know me !" 
 
 The eyes of the robbers dwelt as darkly upon the stranger as 
 before. Luigi saw it. Not so much to yield to them, as because 
 he chose to communicate the reason of his action, he said : 
 
 " This gentleman has saved my life. He came to my assistance 
 in a fight with three sbirri. I came near being overpowered you 
 know what that means. I shall never become a prisoner." 
 
 Now a sudden motion came into the brigands. They ran to 
 shake hands with the stranger, and there was not one amongst 
 them who did not offer him the free use of his dagger. Having 
 thus shown their gratefulness the men dispersed, and Luigi took 
 Charles to a hut, which was well furnished, considering the place 
 and its occupant. Instead of wooden furniture, which the narrow 
 passage made impossible, cushions and mattresses covered the floor 
 along the walls, and when Charles, in obedience to his host s sum 
 mons, stretched his somewhat fatigued limbs on one of these mat 
 tresses, his head resting on a silken pillow, he compared himself to 
 a Turkish pasha who prepares to give audience to his eunuchs and 
 the members of his seraglio. But Luigi showed himself a good 
 host in other respects as well, for fifteen minutes after their arrival 
 a number of savory dishes stood before them, to find which pala 
 table one needed not to be very hungry at all. 
 
 "You lead a comfortable life, Signor Luigi," Charles remarked 
 to his host while enjoying his meal. "These meats are well pre 
 pared, the bread is good, the fruit is delicious, and the wine worthy 
 of a king." 
 
 Luigi shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 "Abundance one day and want the next," he said; "that is our 
 
DOLORES. 389 
 
 lot. You had a fair specimen this morning of the dangers which 
 beset us on our way." 
 
 Then you do not follow a brigand s calling from selection ?" 
 
 "No, signor, a wanton act of folly committed in the exuber 
 ance of youth threw me out of my career, and compelled me to 
 seek the mountains. Such a life once begun is hard to quit again, 
 and I lead it as much from necessity as from choice. I say this 
 unto you, though I should be very careful to confess such senti 
 ments from my comrades." 
 
 I am glad you have such confidence in me. To reward it, I 
 can do nothing better than to offer you my assistance in beginning 
 a new life. Go with me to my country across the ocean ; there 
 a man of nerve, will, and intelligence, such as you possess, can 
 not fail to meet with success. I am not without means and 
 influence in my sphere, and what I can do for you will certainly be 
 done." 
 
 Luigi was moved, more deeply moved than he chose to show ; 
 but the strong pressure of his hand and the .sudden hoarseness in 
 his throat betrayed him. 
 
 "You are very kind, signor; I have not learned your name 
 yet?" 
 
 "They call me Charles Fuchs across here, which, in Italian, 
 would be as much as Carlo Fuchs." 
 
 " Well, Signor Carlo, I was going to say that I appreciate your 
 kindness from the fullness of my heart. The thought of going 
 with you is very tempting, but an oath binds me to my compan 
 ions which I cannot break. No, no, signor, I shall have to ful 
 fill my destiny, which is a hempen rope, or, at best, an ounce of 
 lead." 
 
 "But would your comrades not wish to join you in so com 
 mendable an enterprise? I extend my hospitality to them, pro 
 vided they pledge to me their vow to become new and better 
 men." 
 
 "I ll think of it, signor, and I will tell them. It is my duty 
 to hold out to them this chance ; but I doubt very much whether 
 they would like the proposition. They have, most of them, sunk 
 too deep to extricate themselves as easily as that." 
 
 The meal being over, the conversation stopped, and the brigand 
 
390 DOLORES. 
 
 and his guest left the hut to enjoy the delightful air in front of it. 
 While Luigi went to his men and spoke to them of the generous 
 offers of the stranger, Charles took out his sketch-book and began 
 to sketch some of the interesting groups before him. In Italy 
 there is a certain romance, a vestige of nobility to be found in the 
 very dregs of the populace, and if the painter wants a model for 
 a hero, an apostle he seeks among the peasantry of the mountains. 
 Charles sketched with interest, the pencil flew rapidly across the 
 paper, and he hardly noticed the return of Luigi, who stooped 
 over his shoulders, watching curiously the progress of the work. 
 
 " That is a strange art you exercise, signor. It must be a great 
 satisfaction thus to be able to fasten the features of a landscape or 
 a person on a piece of paper, to put them in your pocket, and thus 
 make them your property which you can take any place you please. 
 I have seen many men of your profession and always envied, but 
 never molested them." 
 
 Charles laughed. 
 
 "I thank you in the name of all painters," he said, "though 
 I myself am none. I am merely a poor amateur and not at all 
 proud of my ability to soil good paper with a few pencil marks." 
 
 "Excuse me, Signor Carlo, for contradicting you. I have a 
 tolerably good idea of an artist s touch ; that sketch bears the 
 stamp of genius, notwithstanding your modest self-underrating. 
 Will you allow me the pleasure of examining the book?" 
 
 " Of course, signor," Charles replied, at the same time handing 
 him the sketches, which the brigand viewed with evident pleasure 
 and a good deal of appreciation. Commencing his examination 
 with the sketch just finished he went backward, working his way 
 gradually from the later drawings to those of an earlier date. Some 
 drawings he recognized, and showed such a sincere delight at them 
 that Charles concluded that he could not be depraved beyond re 
 demption. A man who finds pleasure in J;he contemplation of 
 works of art and admires nature, their source, is still accessible to 
 noble impulses. Only the low and hopeless villain is dead to the 
 spark of genius. 
 
 The sketch-book showed landscapes and faces in rich profusion, 
 and among the latter was one which made Luigi start. Yet he 
 abstained from making any remarks until he had found the same 
 
DOLORES. 391 
 
 portrait on a dozen different pages and in a variety of attitudes. 
 Pointing to one of the numerous copies of this lovely face he said 
 positively : 
 
 "You love her !" 
 
 This unexpected and direct remark had a strange effect upon 
 the young man. He blushed with an intensity which inclines us 
 to take the glow of his countenance more as an indication of pain 
 than of bashf ulness. At the same time a moan broke from his 
 bosom so deep, so plaintive, that it startled the robber. With 
 a tact innate in these people, he laid his hand upon Charles shoul 
 der and said : 
 
 "Pardon me, signor, I have hurt your feelings. If I had known 
 the effect of my remark I would sooner have cut off my tongue 
 than made it." 
 
 Charles smiled painfully. 
 
 "Never mind, Luigi, you are perfectly excusable. It is my 
 business to ask your pardon for showing such unmanly weakness." 
 
 " Then you love unhappily ?" 
 
 Charles replied by nodding. This was the first time since hi s 
 departure from home that this subject had been broached by or to 
 him. Carefully the feelings of his heart had been pent up, and he 
 thought sometimes that the moment was near at hand of which he 
 had spoken in the letter to his mother, and that he would soon be 
 able to write to her again. But now the w r ild uproar of his bosom 
 taught him differently, and, like young wine in fermentation which 
 threatens to break the cask confining it, the fullness of his long 
 stifled emotions forced an utterance. He rose and paced the nar 
 row space with an energy as if he wished to burst the rocky bounds 
 that hemmed his movements. Luigi felt extremely unhappy at this 
 unfortunate occurrence, but for full fifteen minutes his guest re 
 fused to listen to his words. At last, however, the first paroxysm 
 of his grief having spent itself, he returned of his own accord to 
 where Luigi was sitting with a mournful face. 
 
 "Excuse me, my good signor," he said, with an attempt to 
 smile ; " this is the first time for a long while that my sore heart 
 has been touched. The shock was too much for me, and you see 
 that I had to yield to the powerful emotions which swayed me as 
 
392 DOLORES. 
 
 the hurricane sways a reed. Now it is over, and I promise you to 
 save you the repetition of so unmanly an aspect." 
 
 Luigi took both his hands. 
 
 "I feel for you; but I shall never recur to that sad face 
 again." 
 
 Charles shook his head. 
 
 4 There you are wrong, signer. The first pain being over, I 
 wish nothing better than to speak of her. Oh, Luigi, there is not 
 one girl like her in the world, and though she breathes thousands 
 of miles from here, and the broad Atlantic ocean rolls its mighty 
 floods between us, she attracts me as powerfully as the pole the 
 magnet." 
 
 Luigi looked surprised. 
 
 "You say you left her in America?" 
 
 Charles nodded. 
 
 " Then she must have a duplicate. I saw this very face a few 
 days ago on the shore of Lago di Como." 
 
 Charles sprang up again, the prey of excitement ; this announce 
 ment was too much for his composure. But, then, he began to- 
 think, and, as the conviction seized his mind that the statement of 
 Luigi could not possibly be correct, he smiled bitterly, and, with a 
 shake of his head, resumed his seat. 
 
 " I am a fool," he said in melancholy tones. "I know she can 
 not be here, and yet I suffer myself to go frantic by the statement 
 that you have seen her." 
 
 "If I have not seen her I have seen somebody that resembles 
 her like as one egg the other. Has she not long black tresses of 
 luxuriant profusion ?" 
 
 "She has." 
 
 " And a high commanding forehead with arched brows from 
 under which a wonderful pair of dark-blue eyes are gazing with/ 
 high intelligence and just a touch of sadness?" 
 
 "You paint her to perfection," cried Charles, beginning to be 
 come excited a second time in spite of his efforts to remain calm. 
 "I recognize Dolores, excepting the touch of sadness, you men 
 tion." 
 
 "She may be pining for the absent one," Lugi said, with a 
 hopeful smile, as if he wished to encourage the despairing lover. 
 
DOLOKES. 393 
 
 " But I have not yet completed my description. The lady I saw is 
 of medium size and a model for a Pallas. Never before have I 
 seen such perfect grace and stately dignity united." 
 
 "You paint vividly, Signer Luigi. The lady seems to have 
 made a deep impression on your heart." 
 
 " She did, Carlo, I can assure you," the other replied earnestly. 
 11 1 had to beg her to depart to save her from certain curious wishes 
 arising in my heart." 
 
 " Can you give me no nearer details nothing by which an ac 
 quaintance could identify her ?" 
 
 " Of course I can ; dunce that I was not to think of it. I had 
 a conversation with the lady, in which she told me that, although 
 she was with the English family in the old castle, of which you 
 drew a sketch this morning, she was Italian by birth and an orphan. 
 Here is a little purse she gave me gave me, signor, I swear it by 
 the madonna ; I could not have robbed her for the world." 
 
 At these words he pulled a pocketbook of small dimensions and 
 fine finish, which Charles recognized on the spot. Dolores had 
 bought it in his presence the day before her departure for school. 
 Every doubt was at an end, and the certainty of the close prox 
 imity of her he loved burst upon him as the glorious sun on a 
 cloudless morning upon a dazzled world. He was unable to think ; 
 he could merely feel, and all his feelings centered and burst out 
 into her name. 
 
 "It is her purse !" he cried, snatching it from the brigand ; "it 
 is Dolores purse, and I must have it if you demand a price ten 
 times its weight in gold. It is Dolores ! here in Italy ! near me ! 
 the thought is apt to set me mad ! But now, Luigi, good Luigi, 
 do not delay. Come, I must see her. Lead me to the road that 
 takes me to her presence. Come, sir, make haste, unless you wish 
 to see me dying with impatience." 
 
 Rushing into the hut he snatched his cane and hat, and then 
 coming out again seized the arm of Luigi in order to drag him to 
 the entrance. The brigand saw the hopelessness of stopping his 
 impetuous demands, and, with a good-natured smile, humored him 
 to a certain extent. 
 
 " Signor Carlo," he said, smiling, " I am ready to conduct you, 
 but you must give me time for preparation. Recollect our encoun- 
 
394 DOLORES. 
 
 ter with the sbirri. If we fall into their hands I guarantee noth 
 ing. Caught together, hung together" is the motto on which the 
 scoundrels act. No, signor, not so desperately fast. Soft and 
 fairly goes far is the adage, and it is a true one. Therefore, suf 
 fer yourself to be conducted by it." 
 
 Charles saw the propriety of these remarks ; but he found great 
 difficulty in applying them to his case. Yet he checked himself 
 sufficiently to allow Luigi time for needful preparations. The bri 
 gand assumed a complete disguise, and when he had donned the 
 suit of a peasant and stepped before his friend with cane in hand, 
 Charles had difficulty in recognizing the bold dashing robber in the 
 meek, smiling and rather stupid looking countryman. 
 
 " So now I am ready to go with you, for you must know that I 
 have resolved to see you safely to the end of your journey. I 
 shouldn t wonder if the sbirri showed an unusual activity after 
 that adventure of theirs, and, unless properly guided, you might 
 easily fall into their hands. That must not be if Luigi can help 
 it, and, therefore, he will go with you. Now come along, signor, 
 we have no time to lose, if we want to reach the castle before 
 night." 
 
 "Charles, of course, had no objection to depart, and so the two 
 retraced their steps over the tiresome road which they had pursued 
 in the morning. As long as the ravine protected them everything 
 went well, but, on reaching the margin of the road, they saw the 
 apprehensions of Luigi verified by the presence of large numbers 
 of armed policemen, who were scouring the surrounding country 
 in squads of different sizes. 
 
 Luigi laughed when he saw them. 
 
 " The fools r he said, " they might as well hunt for a pin in 
 the Lago as hope to catch me by keeping to the turnpike. But, 
 the truth of it is, they are afraid to venture into the mountain 
 passes. 
 
 " But they will hinder us from pursuing our way ?" 
 
 Luigi shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 "I see no other chance than to wait for the cover of night and 
 row across the lake. I have a little boat that will just answer the 
 purpose. Water leaves no trail, and I see no better way to take the 
 bloodhounds from your trail." 
 
DOLORES. 395 
 
 Charles fretted much at the thought of such delay ; but he was 
 sensible enough to see that Luigi counseled wisely, and he finally 
 consented to the proposal, although with a bad enough grace. 
 Fortunately, dusk was already near at hand, and, the hour of twi 
 light being short in all southern countries, the prospect before them 
 was less gloomy than it had looked at first. The hour of waiting 
 was mostly spent in silence ; once or twice a few remarks concern 
 ing the old castle and its inhabitants were exchanged, but the sus 
 pense and expectation of both of them were not favorable for an 
 exchange of words and thoughts, and Charles started from a deep 
 study when Luigi finally said : 
 
 "It s time, Carlo." 
 
 Cautiously they cross the road at a place where it was densely 
 fringed with bushes and make a short turn, thus concealing any 
 object on it from distant spectators. Creeping on their hands and 
 feet they descended the rocky shore of the lake as well as they 
 could, and, finally reaching it undiscovered, entered one of the little 
 skiffs that lay ready for use along the edge of the water. With 
 gentle strokes they forced the craft into the lake, and the skill 
 with which Charles seconded the efforts of his guide drew more 
 than one word of praise from Luigi s lips. So rapid was their 
 progress that they reached the opposite shore before the darkness 
 of night had fully set in. The feeble twilight was seconded by 
 the moon, which had just raised her first quarter in the sky, and 
 in that way the inmates of the skiff were enabled to reach the 
 beach just below the place where the old castle raised its walls into 
 the air. 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 ALARMING NEWS. 
 
 "Now go in, signer," Luigi addressed his friend, "and ascer 
 tain how matters stand. I shall wait for you a whole hour, until 
 the moon disappears beyond the mountain. If by that time I see 
 no sign of you I shall construe it as an indication that everything 
 
396 DOLORES. 
 
 is right and that I can return, leaving you in safety. Farewell,. 
 Carlo, give me your hand ; you cannot imagine how much good 
 your visit has done me and how sad I shall feel after your depar 
 ture. You cannot have mourned your love more deeply than I 
 shall mourn your friendship." 
 
 Charles was deeply moved in spite of the excitement of the 
 moment. 
 
 " You must not go before I come back to the shore to see you/* 
 he said ; moreover, I cannot think of leaving you in such a hope 
 less condition, and, before I go for good, I shall once more renew 
 my offer. But, Luigi, I fear I have acted like a fool, and that my 
 presence in that house will be anything but requited. Tell me, did 
 you notice a certain young mariner in her company ?" 
 
 "No, Carlo, she was alone, and I know for sure that no such 
 person is in the company. I have a friend of mine in the castle, 
 and from him I know for certain that the party consists of the 
 parents and two daughters." 
 
 " Ha ! that relieves me in a measure. I can now hope that she 
 may have changed her mind, may have awoke as from a dream. 
 I ll go now, Luigi ; remember that I want to see you yet thi& 
 night." 
 
 Saying this the young man left the shore, and ascending the 
 flight of stairs leading to the court-yard, soon reached the open 
 space before the portico. The place looked not only neglected, 
 but even deserted, and for a moment the heart of Charles stood 
 still with apprehension that the family he sought had left. That 
 error however lasted but a moment, for all at once he noticed 
 servants running to and fro as if in a state of alarm or perplexity. 
 He entered and tried to stop one or two of them, but they were too 
 confused to give him very satisfactory information. A vague fear 
 took hold of him, and he resolved to push on without a previous 
 announcement of his arrival. Following the hall and ascending a 
 broad flight of stairs, he reached the second story which was totally- 
 dark with the exception of one room whose door was ajar, thus 
 sending out a streak of light as the evidence of its being illuminated. 
 This door Charles pushed open, and he did not know whether to 
 feel delighted or alarmed on discovering Mrs. Fox and Lucy 
 huddled together on a sofa with tearful eyes, the hopeless prey of 
 
DOLORES. 397 
 
 anguish and consternation. The sound of his footsteps attracted 
 their attention, and a ray of joy lit up the eyes of Mrs. Fox as she 
 recognized the visitor in the light of the candle. Rising and throw 
 ing herself into his arms, she cried : 
 
 " Charlie ! our good dear Charlie ! At last a person to whom 
 we poor frightened women can look for help and consolation ! Oh 
 Charlie how glad I am to see you ! " 
 
 Lucy joined in these demonstrations, but what surprised Charles 
 was that they treated his coming as something entirely natural, as 
 something that might have occurred any day. Something unusual 
 must have happened, and his heart shrank with fear at the dread 
 ful thought which flitted through his brain. He had to muster 
 courage to ask the question : 
 
 " "W hat is the matter ladies ? you are alarmed ? Where are the 
 other members of the family ?" 
 
 l( Alas, we do not know, Charlie ! that is our trouble." 
 
 " Not know? Mr. Fox " 
 
 " Left us a week ago for a trip to Turin." 
 
 "And Dolores?" 
 
 " Has disapeared since this morning. Our servants have been 
 hunting her everywhere, but thus far without success. Imagine 
 my delight on discovering your dear face, Charlie. I begin to hope 
 again, for you love the poor girl and I know you will leave no stone 
 unturned to find her." 
 
 " Charles was startled but yet relieved. He had feared some 
 thing worse, and therefore taken comfort from his agreeable dis 
 appointment. Still matters looked bad enough. Dolores lost since 
 morning. It was indeed fortunate that he should have arrived in 
 time to begin researches with a reasonable prospect of success. 
 But not a moment must be lost, and he led the ladies back to the 
 sofa to extract any information that might have the tendency of 
 leading him on the right track. 
 
 " Now tell me all about it, Mrs. Fox," he said taking a seat at 
 her side. 
 
 " Alas ! I know but very little. This morning Dolores started 
 on a tour of charity. Antonio, one of our servants came with a 
 message from a poor sick woman, living in one of the last houses of 
 the village, begging the signora that spoke Italian to come and see 
 
398 DOLORES. 
 
 her as she had matters of importance to communicate to her. Dolores 
 you know how good she is could not find it in her heart to- 
 refuse the woman. She may be a beggar in disguise, she said, 
 but again it may not. It shall not be said of me that I refused to 
 comfort a poor creature in her hour of death. With those words 
 she went and from that moment my eyes have been deprived the 
 pleasure of resting on her dear, dear form." 
 
 " But have you not sent to the house ? " 
 
 " Of course we have. It was found empty with its back door 
 open, and traces of a struggle in the garden behind." 
 
 Charles shuddered. 
 
 " And Antonio ?" he asked. 
 
 " Has disappeared as well as Dolores." 
 
 " And you have no idea who can have abducted her ?" 
 
 " Not the slightest. They say there are robbers in this country, 
 and they may possibly have stolen the child to secure a ransom. I 
 have caused it to be proclaimed all over the village that a hand 
 some reward will be paid to any one who can bring her back or 
 even lead to the discovery of her whereabouts." 
 
 " You have done right, Mrs. Fox, and all I ask of you is to 
 take heart. Don t fret dear madam, for I shall at once devote my 
 whole strength to her recovery. But to begin at once I have to 
 leave you. Will you pardon me for this seeming rudeness ? 
 
 " Dou t speak so, Charlie. I would be the first to hurry you 
 off, if your own zeal did not prompt you. Go, my boy, and bring 
 her back to my arms to receive the blessing of a mother. But stop, 
 do you know she loves you ? Do you know that the whole un 
 fortunate affair was nothing but the result of a mistake ? " 
 
 " I did not, and your words make me happy. But how 
 
 " Never mind how Charlie ; do not stop now for an explanation. 
 The lines you read had a continuation to the effect that instead of 
 loving you, she worshipped you. So, let that suffice, Charlie, and 
 hasten off. I shall be comparatively tranquil, now, since I know 
 you are on her trail." 
 
 Charles pressed the hands of the ladies, and after a short adieu 
 left their presence. Pain and joy struggled in his soul ; pain on ac 
 count of the mysterious disappearance of his love ; joy because the 
 sad doubt of her indifference had for ever been dispelled from his 
 
DOLOKES. 399* 
 
 soul. In this frame of mind, he hurried down the steps to the 
 water s edge, to rejoin the brigand, for he shared the idea that 
 Dolores had been kidnapped, in order to secure a ransom. Her 
 life would be safe in such an instance ; but her honor ! He trem 
 bled at the thought. Luigi knew beforehand from his hurried, 
 eager step that something was wrong, and when Charles reached 
 him, he was as ready for listening as for acting. 
 
 " Now Luigi " the young man said in hasty tones, " if you really 
 value my friendship and gratitude you have a chance to prove it. 
 I have returned to my friends to learn that the heart of Dolores is 
 mine ; but also that some rascal has this very morning robbed me 
 of her person. Mrs. Fox thinks it was a robber and I am inclined 
 to share that idea. Luigi, if you really are the prince of these 
 fellows, you must assist me in recovering her person." 
 
 "Of that you may rest assured, Carlo," Luigi replied "but then, 
 such things are rarely undertaken without my knowledge. I have 
 my doubts about the girl s being in the hands of robbers. Come, 
 give me a connected account of the whole affair. I must know all 
 to be able to judge." 
 
 Charles related all he knew. 
 
 " Antonia, you said, was the scoundrel s name that disappeared 
 with her?" Luigi*inquired. 
 
 " So they tell me." 
 
 " I have no doubt, it is the same fellow that accompanied her 
 the other day. He scampered off on seeing me but I noticed enough 
 of the rascal s face to set him down as a regular scamp." 
 
 " And you have no idea where she can be ? " 
 
 Not yet, Carlo. Has she any enemies who would be benefited 
 by her disappearance ? " 
 
 "Not to my knowledge ; but stop, I may as well tell you her 
 past history. She is the daughter of the Duke di Gatana who had 
 to flee, because he was discovered in a conspiracy against the gov 
 ernment." 
 
 Luigi listened. He thought he saw a ray of light penetrating 
 the mystery, but said nothing. 
 
 "The Duke lived an exile in America and when dying left his 
 daughter in the hands of the gentleman who educated her and 
 whose family now resides in this village." 
 
400 DOLORES. 
 
 " And you say he has started on a tour to Turin, and not been 
 heard of since his departure ? " 
 
 "So, it is." 
 
 " Then I understand the whole case. Indeed you would under 
 stand it as well, if it wasn t for one or two things of which you are 
 ignorant. Tell me, Carlo, that after the peace of Villa France the 
 Duke s domains were restored to his family ? " 
 
 " Indeed I didn t. In that case Dolores would be the rightful 
 heiress, 
 
 " So she would, and unfortunately, the Duke, her uncle seems 
 to know it." 
 
 "But how? I cannot see how in the world he should have 
 gained the knowledge." 
 
 " You don t ? :) Luigi said with a smile. " And yet you are so 
 clever. But the fact is, we Italians are born intriguers." 
 
 "Come, come, be quick," Charles said impatiently "we have no 
 time for reflections." 
 
 " Indeed we have," Luigi responded rather coolly. " There is 
 nothing like understanding one s position. But I will explain, 
 listen ; Mr. Fox by some means or other learns the actual state of 
 affairs and he comes to Italy to push the claim of his ward." 
 
 "Ha! indeed!" 
 
 " He keeps her in ignorance because he does not wish to raise 
 hopes which he may be unable to fulfill. He rents this house and 
 starts for Turin to see the uncle duke." 
 
 "Do you think so?" 
 
 " I know it," was the calm reply. " Mr. Fox reaches the cap 
 ital, he sees the duke and presents the case. He has papers, has 
 he not?" 
 
 " Yes, the most conclusive documents." 
 
 "Very well, the duke chafes ; but he cannot save himself, and, 
 making a virtue of necessity, he plays the pleasant gentleman, the 
 loving uncle. Mr. Fox is invited to his palace ; the place of resi 
 dence of the heiress is wormed out of him, and, while he is cajoled 
 from one amusement to another, a confidential messenger is dis 
 patched to carry off the precious prize, voila tout. 
 
 " By St. George ! I think you are right," cried Charles, rising 
 so rapidly in the little craft as to come near upsetting it. " But to 
 
DOLORES. 401 
 
 know the trouble and to remedy it are two different things. The 
 hardest task is still before you." 
 
 " Well, I don t know. It is easier for a good physician to 
 apply the proper medicine after a correct diagnosis than for a poor 
 one to find the seat of the malady. Everything depends on the 
 doctor." 
 
 " That means, you have strong hopes of recovering Dolores?" 
 
 " Yes, unless the duke ha given her a pill of arsenic, or caused 
 her virgin bosom to be pierced by six inches of cold steel." 
 
 Charles shuddered. 
 
 " He would hardly venture to go to such extremes !" 
 
 Luigi shrugged his shoulders ; he was very good at that. 
 
 " Friend Carlo, it is hard to say what such a grandee will ven 
 ture for the sake of rank and wealth. But let us assume the more 
 desirable construction, and the question arises : Where has the 
 duke caused her to be secreted ? Now, he has so many castles that 
 question is a very difficult one." 
 
 I see it is. Have you any idea ?" 
 
 " I think I have. First, I ask myself the question : How 
 many of the duke s manors are available ? Next, How many are 
 desirable ? In that way the large number becomes considerably 
 reduced." 
 
 " How many, then, are available?" 
 
 "Two or three." 
 
 "And desirable?" 
 
 " Just one." 
 
 " Ah ! that does simplify our task if you are correct in your 
 conclusion, which I am inclined to think, judging from your other 
 clever deductions." 
 
 "Thank you, signer." 
 
 "But where is this castle ?" 
 
 "Just one mile from the place where you met me this 
 morning." 
 
 " That sounds encouraging. I can hardly understand, however, 
 why the duke should deem a prison desirable which is so near the 
 scone of action." 
 
 "That makes it only- more desirable in my judgment. Nobody 
 
 26 
 
402 DOLORES. 
 
 would expect the victim so near the stage on which the outrage 
 was committed." 
 
 "Again you are right, and you expect to be able to gain access 
 to this castle ?" 
 
 "Carlo, I make it a rule and tell you in confidence that my 
 entire success and reputation are due to this rule I make it a rule, 
 I say, to have an accomplice in every place of importance ten miles 
 around. The castle in question fornfs no exception, and there is 
 no hour of day or night at which I could not penetrate into the 
 secret vaults of that stronghold." 
 
 Oh, thanks, Luigi ! thanks for the encouragement you give 
 me. I shall never again rebel against your arrangement ; but, per 
 haps, you will allow the humble question : Is there anything to 
 delay our departure ? 
 
 Luigi laughed. 
 
 " No, Carlo," he said, " there is nothing to delay it ; but there 
 is much to prompt it. We must recover the body of the prisoner 
 this very night. If the agent of the duke gets only the faintest 
 hint of our intentions, farewell to the prospect of success?" 
 
 " I am glad to hear you speak that way, Luigi. I surely will 
 be the last to cause delay. Seize your oar ; mine is ready." 
 
 Again the little craft cut the glossy surface of the lake, this 
 time faster than before, as if the oarsmen felt the value of every 
 second. When the keel grated on the beach they jumped from 
 the vessel, and, without taking the trouble of securing it, began 
 the ascent of the rocky shore. It was very dark now, and without 
 Luigi s perfect knowledge of the ground they would never have 
 succeeded. Thanks to his skill as a guide, they soon reached the 
 road and entered the ravine which led to Luigi s hiding-place and 
 stronghold. Here the walk became more and more difficult, and 
 when the rocks began to obstruct the path Charles declared his 
 inability to proceed. 
 
 "I have thought of that, Carlo," Luigi replied. "It isn t at 
 all necessary for you to climb across. You can stay here and act 
 as sentinel, and in less than fifteen minutes I shall join you with 
 such members of the band as I can command." 
 
 " Very well, signer." 
 Luigi proceeded, and the time specified had not transpired by 
 
DOLORES. 403 
 
 several minutes when the chieftain made his appearance with a 
 long string of followers behind him. Taking Charles by the hand 
 he led him down the pass until they reached the more open, but 
 less safe highway. Luigi stopped until all his men were collected 
 in a circle around him. 
 
 " The sbirri may be on the watch yet," he said, " and in that 
 instance we must be cautious. Don t use any firearms ; in fact, we 
 might as well have left them at home, for all the good they ll do 
 us ; but, if cold steel can lid you of the vermin, use it freely. You 
 all know the castle. We are going to take it from the front. An- 
 selmo is turnkey, you know, and will open when he hears my signal. 
 The rest depends upon his communications. I can better instruct 
 you after I have spoken to him. Now, forward !" 
 
 Silently and in single file the band proceeded along the high 
 way until after awhile a road branched off to the left. This they 
 struck and pursued for a quarter of an hour, when a massive wall 
 suddenly checked all further progress. Luigi extracted a shrill 
 sound from a little whistle, and, then stepping back into the forest 
 like his followers, he awaited the result of the signal. They had 
 to wait fifteen minutes before their patience was rewarded. Luigi 
 had already pondered on the best way of forcing an entrance, when 
 all at once a creaking in the lock of the gate betrayed the insertion 
 of a key. The noise then stopped again, to be heard once more, 
 when the door swung on its hinges. A man stepped into the road, 
 and a moment afterwards Luigi reached him and conversed with 
 him in low, cautious tones. The interview lasted about ten min 
 utes, after which time Luigi returned to his men. 
 
 She is here, and Anselmo reports everything favorable," he 
 said. "I hope to be able to carry the lady oft without discovery. 
 Still we must be cautious, and I shall place a guard at every door or 
 side passage to which we come. If I tap a man s shoulder he stands 
 sentinel until he is relieved by a second tap. Our parole is Do 
 lores. Any one coming and failing to give it must be stabbed 
 dead. Do you all comprehend ?" 
 
 Aye, aye!" 
 
 "Forward, then ! Carlo, remain at my side; here is Anselmo 
 with the lantern. Take the lead, my friend ; we are ready to fol 
 low." 
 
404 DOLOKKS. 
 
 The turnkey entered the door and the captain followed, tapping 
 his next neighbor on the shoulder. The man stepped aside, and, 
 the rest closing up, followed their leader. The distance was long, 
 and, tap following tap, the squad becomes less and less until only 
 half a dozen, including the turnkey and Charles, reached the door 
 of the chamber, in which, according to the former statement, the 
 prisoner was confined. As yet they had no proof that they would 
 find Dolores ; but the indications pointed so strongly to her person 
 that little or no doubt prevailed in the minds of Charles and Luigi 
 as to whom they would discover. The turnkey stopped them : 
 
 "The room is a double one, and the first one used as an ante 
 chamber. I have not been in it ; but, if it is not locked, we may 
 expect to find a couple of guards in it." 
 
 He tried the latch and the door yielded to his pressure. By the 
 light of the lantern the visitors saw two men lying on as many 
 couches and sleeping the sleep of the just. Luigi beckoned two 
 of his men : 
 
 "Stand over these fellows with your daggers drawn. If they 
 keep still, don t hurt them; if they open their eyes, let your dag 
 gers do their work, but well and noiselessly." 
 
 The men took their posts. Did a warning spirit caution the 
 threatened sleepers ? Nobody can tell ; but so much we know, 
 that they continued to sleep like rocks. The turnkey went to the 
 second door; the key was in the lock, and, being turned at once, 
 permitted the entrance into the room. The turnkey went first, and 
 the others heard a voice saying : 
 
 " What do you want? dm you not even allow me an hour of 
 rest?" 
 
 Charles heard the voice and recognized it. Once more his self- 
 control was on the point of giving away, but Luigi had anticipated 
 this and, fortunately, checked him in time. When the turnkey 
 stepped into the room the chieftain laid one hand like an iron vice 
 around the arm of Charles and the other gently upon that young 
 man s lips. Thus he managed to impress on him the necessity of 
 silence and checked the impulsive motions which seized the lover 
 on hearing her long-missed voice. But, though he dared not speak, 
 he was not prevented from listening, and heard the turnkey whis 
 per a few cautious words and the prisoner responded with an excla- 
 
DOLORES. 405 
 
 mation almost ton loud for the occasion. The guards at the beds 
 grasped their daggers more firmly, but the danger passed oft with 
 out evil results to anybody. Again Charles heard the turnkey he 
 most likely warned her against a repetition of such a perilous prac 
 tice; then two different footsteps became audible, the one heavy, 
 the other lighter, but both very guarded. Now they stepped into 
 the ante-chamber, the light of the lantern falls upon the intruders, 
 and a new "pst!" on the part of the turnkey is necessary to stop 
 the lady from bursting into a shout of exultation. She conquers 
 her tongue, but she cannot control her foot, and nimbly, but 
 noiselessly she flies across the room into the extended arms of 
 Charles. 
 
 "Forward ! forward!" the captain now exhorted, and the com 
 pany left the room and the castle in the same order in which it had 
 entered. A tap on a sentinel s shoulder, and he joined the proces 
 sion. At the gate the captain halted and let the others pass 
 him he counted them to make sure that no one had been left 
 behind perhaps a victim, perhaps a traitor. The number was 
 complete. 
 
 " Anselmo," he said, "you have become impossible here. They ll 
 shoot you like a dog to-morrow morning if they find you. Go and 
 leave your keys with Pietro, and then join us." 
 
 " They will change the locks, siguor." 
 
 We cannot help it. Do as I tell you. Now, friend Carlo, I 
 am ready to escort you." 
 
 He led the way and the happy couple followed. As yet they 
 had not exchanged a single word ; but when the main road was 
 reached without accident, Charles could no longer abstain from ex 
 pressing his delight. 
 
 "Dolores!" 
 
 "Charles!" 
 
 A question a short response ! Two words only, and yet vol 
 umes of thought and feeling. They sufficed the happy couple for 
 the rest of the walk. When they reached the pass Luigi said to 
 Charles : 
 
 " You must accompany us and stay with us for a few days. To 
 go to the castle now would be an invitation to the duke to repeat 
 his trick." 
 
406 DOLORES. 
 
 " But the law would uphold us, Luigi. We could have recourse 
 to the courts. 
 
 Luigi laughed. 
 
 " I do not know how it is with you. across the ocean ; but, with 
 us, the goddess of justice is only blind to the poor and the lowly. 
 For the rich and powerful she sees well enough. Take the word 
 of one that knows the country and loves you in the bargain. Come, 
 share the safety of our stronghold or, rather, let her share." 
 
 The latter hint decided. Turning to Dolores Charles said : 
 
 " You hear what this man says, Dolores. Will you trust your 
 honor and your life into his keeping ?" 
 
 "1 will, Charlie, for I think he means well. Indeed, I have 
 met him before this, and held him in grateful remembrance." 
 
 " Very well, then, on we go !" Charles responded, and the whole 
 troupe started up the pass. When they reached the barrier of 
 rocks, the first faint rays of the sun dispelled the deep darkness, 
 and, by the light thus gained and the assistance of a lantern, the 
 two fugitives reached the safety of the fort more easily than they 
 had expected. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIL 
 
 A HAIM Y MORMNC. 
 
 Luigi gave up his hut to Dolores, and the poor girl, who had 
 gone through a sleepless night and anxious day, gladly benefited 
 by the chance of sleeping a few hours under her friend s protec 
 tion. Charles, wrapped in a blanket which Luigi had given him, 
 stretched himself before the only entrance of the hut, containing 
 the treasure recovered in a double sense. No slumber, however, 
 entered his own eyes, and, with his hand on his revolver, he 
 awaited the light of the day and the awakening of Dolores, which 
 at last came before any of the robbers had risen. The first inter 
 view took place in that sweet solitude which lovers so much covet. 
 When Dolores stepped from the door and saw him lying on the 
 bare ground, a faithful sentinel, she was moved by his devotion, 
 and, believing him still asleep, was on the point of retreating to 
 
DOLORES. 407 
 
 the interior of the hut; but, rising on his elbow, he showed his 
 wakefulness and, of course, checked her retreat. 
 
 "Dolores!" he cried again, springing to his feet. "I can 
 hardly realize the fact that I am, after all, allowed not only to 
 address you, but to address you in this manner. I have suffered 
 much for your sake, dearest ; but this moment, this blissful moment 
 more than repays me." 
 
 He had first seized her hand and then, becoming more and more 
 assured, gradually drew her into a fervent embrace. A kiss sealed 
 the union of their hearts, by which I do not want my readers to 
 understand that it remained without numerous successors. The 
 contrary was the case ; but the first kiss between young lovers has 
 something peculiar within it. It may be compared to the breaking 
 of the ice on swelling rivers in the time of spring. 
 
 Dolores stroked his hair from his forehead. 
 
 " Poor Charlie !" she said with loving tones. " You look as if 
 you had suffered ; but, I assure you, the storm that passed over 
 our devoted heads has not left me untouched. I was sick, Charlie, 
 very sick, they tell me." 
 
 Another kiss and a warm embrace were his only reply. 
 
 " How dreadful," she resumed, "that the very words in which 
 I meant to express my love to you should have been construed by 
 you as the death-warrant of your hope. I suppose our friends have 
 before this explained to you the mistake under which you were 
 laboring 
 
 "They have only hinted at it, Dol ; but I am ready to receive 
 it all in detail now. In fact, I demand it, as something due me. 
 I surely ought to be indemnified for my long ; continuous suffer 
 ing." 
 
 "There now! behold the lords of creation! While they woo 
 us they petition; when they have won us they begin to demand. 
 My dear sir, do you know that you deserve punishment rather than 
 reward for having had so little faith in my good sense and judg 
 ment ? moreover, for running from us all in such hot haste ?" 
 
 Charles laughed. It was the first genuine laugh for many a 
 dreary day. 
 
 * I begin to fear that there is no evasion from this trying task," 
 Dolores resumed. 
 
DOLORES. 
 
 " Indeed there isn t ; but if the shutting of both my eyes will 
 in any way facilitate the confession, you are welcome to such an 
 indulgence." 
 
 " Well, shut your eyes, then ; though I am afraid you can hear 
 well enough with your ears for that matter." 
 
 "Goon, Dol." 
 
 "So you will have no mercy on poor me ? Well listen then : I 
 stated that I did not love you, because I worshipped you, and was 
 pretty sure of committing idolatry. There now ! I can never 
 after this hold up my head to you, for if I tell you that, for 
 some naughtiness or other, I shall love you less, you will not be 
 lieve me." 
 
 " Have you h nished, Dol ?" 
 
 " Yes, Charles, I have, but don t open your eyes just yet, for 
 I am still feeling the burning blush on my cheeks." 
 
 " But I think that blush must be becoming." 
 
 " Well, may I open my eyes now ? I cannot stand this absti 
 nence much longer." 
 
 " It will teach you to shut your eyes to my faults hereafter." 
 
 " Oh, Dol, there is plenty of time for that when you begin to 
 have some. At present I much prefer to look at your perfections. 
 Just think how long I have been deprived of the pleasure of look 
 ing at you at all." 
 
 "Yes, that is true, Charlie. I see I have been rather selfish, 
 for I have denied you a pleasure which I have been enjoying all 
 the time. You may open your eyes to their double capacity now 
 to make up for lost time." 
 
 " Thank you, Dol ; besides I have been squinting at you just a 
 little bit a natural defect in my right eye." 
 
 So they jested and laughed as if they had been separated but 
 one short day instead of many months. The reader may think 
 this strange, perhaps, but if he- does he cannot possibly be a good 
 judge of human nature. Our deepest emotions are least apt to 
 reach the surface. Niagara makes his mighty leap over a preci 
 pice and produces mist as the result, We sometimes weep with 
 joy and, again, laugh with despair. Great passions are apt to 
 make silent, and railleries are often used to pave the way to mutual 
 understandings. 
 
DOLOKKS. 409 
 
 So with Charles and Dolores. While they indulged in their 
 innocent exchange of badinage, they were both of them inexpress 
 ibly happy. They would rather not have said anything at all .to 
 one another ; but sitting hand in hand, face to face, would have 
 liked to read from each other s eyes the confession of love and 
 happiness. But the heart always labors under a diffidence when 
 first the consciousness of mutual affection dawns within it, and 
 many innocent artifices are resorted to to break the ice and lead 
 into a natural, even channel the emotions which make the heart 
 beat wildly against the breast and threaten to upset all the habits 
 and feelings of our former life. 
 
 Gradually, however, another chord of their hearts was struck. 
 They related to each other the sad experience of their separation, 
 and, approaching the present time, indulged in speculations of 
 what the future would bring. 
 
 "By the by, Dol, did Mr. Fox ever intimate any special reason 
 for visiting Italy ?" Charles inquired in the course of their conver 
 sation. 
 
 "No, Charles, but he dropped mysterious hints, especially on 
 his departure for Turin. I shouldn t wonder if he were hunting 
 for some relatives of mine, intending to surprise me with their dis 
 covery. 
 
 " Sagacious as ever, Dol, only you didn t hit the nail in the 
 centre. Under other circumstances I would not have spoiled his 
 intentions by informing you ; but, as matters stand, it is my impe 
 rious duty. Say, Dol, have you any idea from whose hands we 
 liberated you?" 
 
 " No, Charles, I had no chance to find out. When they seized 
 me yesterday in the hut, to which they had allured me under false 
 pretenses, they put a veil over my face and, throwing me into a 
 carriage, drove away at a great speed. We continued on the way 
 all day and a portion of the night, and when I now consider the 
 short distance from this place to the castle across the lake I cannot 
 help thinking that they took me here and there in order to create 
 in rne the thought that I was far away from my people, and conse 
 quently entirely in the power of my captors. You see, therefore, 
 that I had no chance in forming any guess at their character. In 
 deed I sometimes thought that they were robbers, and I even 
 
410 DOLORES. 
 
 wronged our good host by believing him to be implicated in the at 
 tempt ; but, although I am now fully convinced of his innocence, 
 I am as much at a loss to divine the character of my kidnappers as 
 ever. 
 
 I do not wonder, Dol. Mrs. Fox entertained the same thought. 
 The truth is too disgusting to entertain, at least for an American 
 mind, although such things are common enough here, if what 
 Luigi says is true." 
 
 " But Charlie, what do you mean ? You seem to wish to pre 
 pare me for something horrible." 
 
 " Indeed I do ; or don t you think it horrible that an uncle 
 should cause his brother s child to be kidnapped as soon as he learns 
 of her existence and arrival ?" 
 
 " My uncle ! my father s brother !" 
 
 "Nobody else. It was from the castle of the duke di Gatana 
 that we liberated you." 
 
 Dolores hung her head. 
 
 " Oh, my glorious anticipations !" she cried, " where are they? 
 The stranger s land has nursed and educated me, and my native 
 country puts the adder in my way to sting my foot in crossing its 
 very border. Come, Charlie, let us flee from a country where such 
 things are possible ! Let us return to America, where people pre 
 serve a warm and feeling heart under a cold surface." 
 
 "I have no objection to that, Dolores ; indeed it is my wish 
 that it should be done. But, on the other hand, I must caution you 
 not to condemn this land for the meanness of an individual. You 
 recollect that in America you found bad persons on your path of 
 life as well as virtuous ones, and if you draw the balance it is very 
 doubtful which side will preponderate." 
 
 "You may be right, Charlie, but what object could the duke 
 have had to thus persecute me ?" 
 
 "Can you not guess, Dolores? By the peace of Villa Franca 
 "the domains of your father have been restored to your family, and 
 you, being the rightful heir, the duke naturally pardon me, I 
 meant unnaturally tried to get you into his possession." 
 
 " Ah, now I understand many things which were a mystery to 
 me before. My father heard of this at home and planned the voy 
 age to secure my claims," 
 
DOLORES. 411 
 
 "At least I think so. Maybe he wished at the same time to 
 improve your health and quicken our reunion." 
 
 "Good, dear father. But I do not covet wealth and rank 
 which is associated with such danger. If you love me, Charles, 
 let us return to Maine, where nature is cold, but the hearts of the 
 people are warm." 
 
 " You express my sentiments, Dol ; but just at present we can 
 not well depart. You forget that Mr. Fox has not yet returned 
 from Turin. I should not wonder much if he, too, was in the 
 power of the duke." 
 
 "Yes, indeed! His journey had escaped me; but it is no 
 wonder, Charlie. The last few days have brought so many wild 
 storms and filled me with so many conflicting feelings that it is but 
 natural to get confused. So you think that father went to see the 
 duke." 
 
 "No doubt about it, Dol, and, in his innocence Mr. Fox be 
 trayed the secret of your place of residence." 
 
 "But what is to be done, Charlie? I must confess I am at 
 a loss to conceive a plan that will at all answer the purpose." 
 
 "Well, I have one, Dol, which I think will answer. This 
 morning, while w r atching on the sill of the hut, I had time to think, 
 and, improving my opportunity, managed to form a plan." 
 
 "Ah, Charlie, you contemplate new struggles then. If my 
 voice is heard, we shall embark without delay and leave a country 
 where my nearest relatives threaten my liberty and even my life 
 for the sa*ke of miserable, lucre." 
 
 "Dolores, confide in me. My plan will not in the least expose 
 you. I meant to send a trusty messenger to the castle this morn 
 ing with a note to the effect that you are safe and under my pro 
 tection ; but that the ill-will of a powerful enemy of your family 
 makes it unsafe for you or me to return to the castle. I next mean 
 to state that I guess the whereabouts of Mr. Fox, and request them 
 to break up their household and depart for Turin as soon as possi 
 ble. There they must report at once to the American Minister, 
 and leave word where we may find them or vice versa. What do 
 you think of this ? 
 
 " It is well enough as far as they are concerned ; but what are 
 we to do ?" 
 
412 DOLOKKS. 
 
 - I am coming to that presently. Luigi will most likely pro 
 pose that you shall remain in his protection while I go to Turin 
 and look for your father 
 
 He was going to proceed, but Dolores nestled to his side with 
 such a look of alarm and prayerful persuasion that he checked 
 himself, saying : 
 
 " Fear nothing dearest, I haven t the slightest idea to forsake 
 you. Not that I did not trust Luigi, but no man is master of his 
 feelings, and our host, now a noble fellow, might by a sudden pas 
 sion for you be changed into our enemy. Indeed I fear you have 
 already made a deeper impression on his heart than is good for his 
 tranquility, and the sooner you quit his company the better for all 
 of us. My plan was this. We stay here until dark this evening 
 and then proceed under the shelter of the night to the next village, 
 which is only a few miles distant. There w r e procure a carriage 
 that takes us to the nearest railroad station and once on an express 
 train bound for the Capital, any and every cause for fear is at an 
 end. But, in order to escape annoyance on the road, it will be best 
 for you to assume male attire. Luigi has a variety of clothes I see, 
 and will no doubt furnish us with a suit which will answer the pur 
 pose. "What do you think of plan number two? " 
 
 "It is well enuough, though I do not like the idea of assuming 
 the garb of your sex." 
 
 " I deem it essential to your safety." 
 
 "Then I shall submit; but the men are getting awake now. 
 Come, let me retire to the hut, I dislike so much to meet their 
 coarse glances." 
 
 Dolores was right. A general stir became visible in the camp 
 and Charles, therefore, granted her resonable request. She had 
 hardly retired, when Luigi came up and bidding our friend a good 
 morning, congratulated him on the safe recovery of his lady. 
 Charles seized and warmly shook his hand. 
 
 Luigi," he said "you have done me a service which I can 
 never forget. If you had saved my life I should not be under half 
 the obligations as now. I cannot bear the thought of leaving you 
 here, exposed to the dangers of your calling and the communion of 
 the low and degraded. I shall write to you on reaching the capital. 
 Can you give me an address to which I may direct my letters ? " 
 
DOLOPxES. 413 
 
 "I can, Carlo, just let me write it in your memorandum book. 
 So, if you write to that address, you may be sure that I shall get 
 your letter. Am I to understand that you intend to leave me soon." 
 
 " Yes, Signor Luigi, we mean to leave this evening. Can you 
 sell me a suit of men s clothing that will fit Dolores ? I think that 
 such disguise will save me from annoyance until she reaches Turin." 
 
 " Yes, Carlo, I have the suit of a page, which my men took on 
 one occassion from the surplus of a rich family. You need not 
 tell the lady how I came by it." 
 
 "I certainly will not. But I have more favors to ask. Can 
 you send a trusty fellow with a note of mine to the castle ? " 
 
 " Of course I can. Write your note and I guarantee its safe de 
 livery in a couple of hours." 
 
 " Thank you. You are a pearl of a brigand, but you are more 
 valuable for better purposes. Give me your pledge, Luigi, that 
 you will try your best to tear yourself away from this degrading 
 neighborhood and pursuit." 
 
 Luigi s eye was moist when he laid his hand into that of Charles 
 with a firm pressure. That pressure was all his answer. Charles 
 went into the hut and taking from his small valise paper, ink and 
 pen, wrote the following note : 
 
 LUIGI S CAMP, Aug. 9th, 1859. 
 Mrs. C. Fox. 
 
 Dear Madam: Allow me to congratulate you on the safe recov 
 ery of your daughter. She is with me now, sending her love to you 
 and Lucy, but she cannot return to the castle on account of the en 
 mity of a powerful relative, who seeks her destruction, in order to 
 rid Jjimself of her claims to his property. I am going to take her in 
 disguise to the capital, to which place I request you to depart without 
 delay. Do not stop to sell what you cannot take along, it is better to 
 sacrifice than to delay. Depart at once with Lucy, and on ariving 
 at Turin c:ll at the American Ministry. There you will receive word 
 from your friend 
 
 CHARLES FUCHS. 
 
 To this Dolores added a P. 8. which ran as follows : 
 
 Dear Mother and Sister: Rest easy on my account. I am well 
 and in good spirits. This evening Charles and I are going to leave 
 for Turin to join father. Follow as soon as you can, but inform no 
 one of your intentions. Your daughter, 
 
 DOLORES. 
 
 This note was put into an envelope and then, without any ad 
 dress, handed to Luigi. The captain picked a lad of some fifteen 
 
414 DOLORES. 
 
 years, with handsome countenance and intelligent eyes, and gave 
 him the necessary instructions. 
 
 " You answer for the letter with your life, Bernardo." 
 
 The lad nodded, and, hiding the letter in a leather pocket on 
 his breast, shot away from the fort with the agility and quickness 
 of a spaniel. 
 
 The day wore away slowly, and Dolores thought it would never 
 end. Luigi treated her with great deference, and her fare was not 
 only good, but even excellent ; but she could not rid herself of a, 
 certain feeling of fear and insecurity, on account of the promis 
 cuous society she was compelled to share. If she had understood 
 these people better she would have set aside her unnecessary anx 
 iety. She would have known, then, that to them the laws of hos 
 pitality are sacred, and that, instead of having any desire of harm 
 ing her, each and all of them would have laid down their lives 
 sooner than to allow her foes to injure her. When the afternoon 
 wore away she retired to the hut with the suit which Luigi had 
 furnished her, and half an hour afterwards returned as handsome 
 a lad as the sun ever shone upon. The black velvet pants and 
 jacket showed her symmetrical body to a great advantage, and the 
 Kossuth hat and top boots gave her an air of mischievous sauci- 
 ness, which she was far from feeling. She blushed deeply on meet 
 ing the admiring glance of Charles and Luigi. 
 
 " Don t look at me like that, Charlie," she said with an embar 
 rassed smile, " or I ll never come out to you." 
 
 " That would be a great blessing for all the girls of this land. 
 Dear me, what bleeding hearts you ll leave behind on your jour 
 ney !" 
 
 " Don t make fun of me, Charles. I feel very serious." 
 
 "So much more reason, Dol, for cheering you up. But what 
 did you do with all your splendid curls ? I hope you did not cut 
 them." 
 
 Instead of an answer she lifted her hat and displayed a narrow 
 ribbon, by means of which she had ingeniously shortened her hair, 
 without cutting it. 
 
 "That will do very well ; but now, Luigi, tell me, can you pro 
 cure us a carriage to take us to the railroad station ? Perhaps the 
 
DOLORES. 415 
 
 police are still on the Avatch, and I would not for the world fall 
 into their clutches now." 
 
 "Of course, you must not." Fortunately, I have my connec 
 tions and I think I can manage to procure what you want. I shall 
 accompany you myself as far as Canti, but still it will be better to 
 send somebody in advance to prevent unnecessary delay." 
 
 He looked around as if he was reflecting in his mind whom he 
 had better send. At last his eye rested on a young man of clever 
 looks, and, beckoning him, gave him the necessary instructions in 
 an undertone. Luigi evidently kept good discipline ; for the man 
 showed as ready and even as cheerful an obedience as the first mes 
 senger. He nodded, and, taking the direction of the only outlet, 
 disappeared from sight. 
 
 An hour afterwards Luigi deemed it late and dark enough to 
 begin the intended expedition. He assisted Dolores with respect 
 ful assiduity in climbing over the rocks, and soon the trio descended 
 the pass, this time as Dolores sincerely hoped for the last time. 
 When they reached the road they turned to the right, thus going 
 over ground familiar to Charles, as he had come that way only two 
 days ago. Still the company of Luigi was welcome, even neces 
 sary, as darkness had now set in, and several cross-roads made it 
 difficult for a stranger to keep the right direction. After walking 
 about three or four miles they reached the place which Luigi had 
 called Canti. He stopped his companions a few hundred steps 
 from the first house. 
 
 "Wait here a minute ; I had better reconnoitre. Some voice 
 within me warns me that something is wrong. Step into these 
 bushes and do not stir until I return." 
 
 With these words he left them, and it was a full half hour be 
 fore he returned. 
 
 " I thank the Holy Virgin for inspiring me with caution," he 
 said, on reaching them. "If I had suffered you to proceed you 
 would now be in the hands of the magistrates. They have made 
 you out a fellow even more terrible than myself, and your case 
 would have been desperate if they had caught you." 
 
 Dolores drew nearer to her friend as if she wanted to protect 
 him. Luigi saw the motion. 
 
 " Fear nothing, signora. Thanks to my foreboding, everything 
 
lit) DOLORES. 
 
 is safe now. My messenger was cunning enough to elude the grip 
 of these cerberusses, and has caused a one-horse carriage to leave 
 the place and wait for us on the other side. But we have to make 
 the circuit of this town, and 1 fear signora will be much fatigued 
 before she reaches the carriage." 
 
 Never mind me!" said Dolores so cheerfully that Luigi, 
 without further parley, led the way. The road was by no means 
 pleasant, or, rather, there was no road at all. Fences, fields and 
 even ditches had to be traversed, and sometimes it was necessary 
 for Dolores to lean on the arms of both her companions in order to 
 overcome the obstacles in her way. It was well that her feet were 
 protected by the page s boots, for they prevented at least the mois 
 ture from penetrating. When they at last reached the road on the 
 other side of the town the poor girl was very much fatigued, and 
 never in all her past experience had she felt such a great relief 
 and pleasant sensations on entering a carriage as on that occa 
 sion. She felt too grateful for Luigi s services, however, to for 
 get to thank him. Reaching her hand to him from the carriage 
 she said : 
 
 " Signer Luigi, this is not the place nor the time to thank you. 
 I join my entreaties to those of Charles give us an opportunity 
 of seeing you again, and let us show by our actions how much we 
 appreciate your generous conduct." 
 
 Luigi was too depely moved to reply in words. He pressed 
 his lips upon the white hand lying in his and then relinquished it. 
 Then, turning to Charles, he drew him into a long and fervent 
 embrace. 
 
 "The Holy Virgin keep you," he whispered, and, withdrawing 
 with hurried steps, disappeared in the darkness. Charles gained 
 his seat besi-de Dolores, and the driver, cracking his whip, set the 
 vehicle in motion. The parting from their tried friend inclined 
 the young couple to silence. 
 
 " I cannot bear the thought of leaving the noble fellow to his 
 fate. He deserves an effort to draw him from his forlorn condition, 
 and I shall make it." 
 
 A pressure of Dolores hand assured him of her sympathy. 
 They talked about the brigand s noble qualities and how they might 
 execute their generous intentions. Hour after hour wore away. 
 
DOLORES. 417 
 
 and when the first streaks of light appeared in the eastern sky the 
 carriage reached the railroad station. Obedient to his instructions 
 the driver stopped before the place, and, on foot, Charles and Do- 
 Idres completed the short remainder of their journey. There were 
 not many persons up yet, but there who were up and saw the wan 
 derers surely had no idea that they had come so far that night. 
 Their freeness from baggage and neat attire precluded all such 
 thoughts and, unmolested, the pair reached the depot. Luigi had 
 taken his measures to perfection. Fifteen minutes after their arri 
 val the locomotive of the eastern train whistled in the distance, 
 and shortly afterwards the train came rolling up to the depot and 
 stopped along the platform. The tickets had already been secured 
 and now our adventurers took their seats and, the time of stoppage 
 having expired, the train rolled on toward the capital in the distant 
 west. 
 
 CHAPTER XLTII. 
 
 A DUKE CORNERED. 
 
 Mr. Fox was walking up and down his room. He was restless 
 and nervous ; no wonder ! for he had been a full week with his 
 grace, the duke, and yet he saw no evidence of that gentleman s 
 getting ready to join him in a trip to the Lago di Como. The ex 
 cuses of his grace, however, were so numerous and his sorrow at 
 being detained seemingly so sincere, that Mr. Fox rather pitied 
 4han blamed him, and tried to bear the delay with becoming pa 
 tience. Yet he was restless and nervous on the occasion of our 
 visit at his quarters, and even revolving in his mind the expe 
 diency of starting without the duke, when all at once a knock at 
 his door engaged his attention and drew his thoughts into a differ 
 ent channel. He went and opened, but the sight which met his 
 gaze was so unexpected that he started back. 
 
 " Charlie ! Is it possible ! my dear Charlie in person !" 
 He might have continued his exclamations if Charles had not 
 cautioned him with a "pst!" The young man was particular in 
 
 27 
 
418 DOLORES. 
 
 shutting the door and securing it with a bolt inside, and only when 
 this task was performed, he turned around and, extending his hand 
 to Mr. Fox, said, with a smile : 
 
 I am glad to see myself so welcome ; but you would do well 
 to express yourself in a more guarded manner." 
 
 " Why so, Charlie ; why so ? I don t know at which to wonder 
 most your unexpected appearance here, or the guarded manner of 
 your entrance.- Why, my boy, don t you know that we are in the 
 house of Dolores uncle, the duke." 
 
 " I have an accurate knowledge of that fact, Mr. Fox, and my 
 precaution is based on that very knowledge." 
 
 Mr. Fox was stupefied. 
 
 " What do you mean, Charlie ? I don t understand you." 
 
 " I mean that you have been fearfully duped, sir. 
 
 " Duped Charlie ? That cannot be." 
 
 It can be, because it is. Tell me, sir, does not the duke re 
 tard your departure from day to day." 
 
 He does, because he wants to accompany me and cannot dis 
 engage himself." 
 
 " I assure you, he has no such desire. Did it never strike you 
 that he might merely play a game and keep you here in order to 
 keep you from crossing his purposes ?" 
 
 " No, Charlie, that thought never occurred tome; but now, 
 since you mention it, his manoeuvres assume a suspicious aspect. 
 What made you ask that question ?" 
 
 "The knowledge of the duke s intention. Did he not learn 
 from you the whereabouts of Dolores ?" 
 
 " I think he did," Mr. Fox replied, with evident alarm. 
 
 " Well, he benefited by that knowledge, and stole her from the 
 castle on the lakeshore." 
 
 Mr. Fox stepped back with a look of consternation. 
 
 " You are joking, Charlie; tell me that you are joking, boy." 
 
 * I never was more earnest in my life, sir. 
 
 " And I am staying here day after day wasting my time like a 
 fool. But wait, Mr. Duke, you shall pay for this. Come, Charlie, 
 let us go to the American embassy, to the police, the king ! Let 
 us see whether a miserable grandee can thus abuse an American 
 citizen with impunity." 
 
DOLOKES. 419 
 
 The worthy man ran for his hat and would have shot from the 
 room in hotjiaste if Charles had not retained him forcibly. 
 
 " Mr. Fox," he said, "your haste would only spoil what has 
 not yet been spoiled. Fortunately, I learned the distress of Do 
 lores in time to save her, but it was a narrow escape, I assure 
 you." 
 
 " Why did you not tell me all at once, you wicked fellow ?" Mr. 
 Fox said somewhat angry. Thank God for that timely interfer 
 ence. But come, let us leave this hotbed of treachery without 
 delay. Not another night will I sleep under this roof !" 
 
 "Neither you shall; but, I repeat, that hurry is more apt to 
 injure than to benefit us. We have plenty time to leave this palace 
 before night. Just now I want you to sit down and listen to all 
 the many things I have to tell you." 
 
 " Well, fire away, boy," Mr. Fox replied, taking a seat, but 
 chafing all the while like a chained lion, 
 
 Charles began his tale, and before long Mr. Fox became so in 
 terested that he even forgot that he had been impatient. He lis 
 tened with breathless suspense to the recital of his daughter s 
 narrow escape, and, when Charles had done, he shook his hand and 
 said : 
 
 "They say babies have their guardian angels, but I now per 
 ceive that boobies have as well. I am a boojby, Charlie, a dolt, and 
 you my guardian angel. Providence had pity on my stupid head 
 and sent you on my track to correct my blunders. Charles, what 
 a fool I have made of myself." 
 
 "Now, Mr. Fox, I cannot consent to listen to any such disre 
 spectful language bearing upon a certain gentleman I highly es 
 teem and love. You will oblige me by discontinuing it at once. 
 Have you a right to call yourself ugly names, because in the 
 goodness of your heart you have been deceived by an arrant 
 knave?" 
 
 "That s right; smooth it up, my boy, so that I can bear look 
 ing in a mirror again. Goodness of heart ! Yes, indeed stupidity 
 of brain!" 
 
 No, sir, I do believe that I or any other man would not have 
 fared any better." 
 
420 DOLORES. 
 
 "Yes, you would; you would have smelled the rat ten steps 
 ahead." 
 
 "I thank you in the name of my nasal organ," Charles replied, 
 indulging in a moderate laugh. " But, now stop abusing yourself; 
 we can use the time for something better." 
 
 " Very well, my boy, I cave in. I am not fit for anything but 
 listening anyhow. You command hereafter and I ll obey. Go 
 ahead, sir!" 
 
 " Any way you please, sir, if we only accomplish our purpose. 
 Dolores has become much disgusted at her relations in consequence 
 of his " coup " and desires nothing better than to return to Amer 
 ica at once." 
 
 " Cannot be done, sir ; cannot be thought of ! " Mr. Fox ex 
 claimed. " What vacate the field in the face of such knavish con 
 duct ? No, indeed. I mean to show the Duke that an American 
 gentleman cannot be trifled with, if he is ever so much of a dolt." 
 
 " Now, don t sir," Charles said entreatingly. "but as regards 
 your intentions, they meet my approbation. It is our duty to pre 
 serve Dolores claims even against her wishes, and I am of the 
 opinion that the lawless conduct of her uncle has put the game 
 into our hands. We have all the trumps and must win, if we com. 
 mit no blunders." 
 
 " But we will if I am concerned in it, Charlie. Do me the fa 
 vor to leave me entirely" out of the question." 
 
 " Your duties will be neither difficult nor ardent. First, I want 
 you to go the Embassy, where Dolores will be delighted to receive 
 you." 
 
 " That step meets my hearty appreciation." 
 
 " Next to that, I want you to consult the minister, as to a pro 
 per place of residence in the neighborhood of his hotel." 
 
 "That is not very difficult either." 
 
 "Thirdly I want you to look out for Mrs. Fox and Lucy and 
 take care of them. They will call at the Embassy, you recollect." 
 
 "Agreed; what else?" 
 
 " Nothing, Mr. Fox, except to hold yourself in readiness for any 
 new developments, and keep at home as much as possible, so that 
 I may find you without delay and trouble." 
 
 Mr. Fox took his hat. 
 
DOLORES. 421 
 
 " I like that program, Charlie." he said, and I think that 1 can 
 carry it out without any further blunders . Can I go now ? " 
 \ Charles could not help laughing. 
 
 " Yes, sir, you may and tell the minister to keep an eye on this 
 palace, in case I should not show myself in an hour or so." 
 
 " We ll watch you, Charlie, you may depend on that, and now 
 I ll slip away. Don t tell me anything about your intentions ; my 
 head is swimming as it is, in consequence of all the stuff that has 
 been crammed into it." 
 
 He opened the door and slipped silently down stairs, as if he 
 feared to be stopped before reaching the portal. But nobody made 
 any signs to intercept his exit. The Duke had evidently not heard 
 from his agent yet, and having reached the street he inquired for 
 the American Embassy, and started towards it with such haste, as 
 if a spectre were at his heels. 
 
 We must let him go and return to Charles as the person acting 
 just now the principal role. Having waited long enough for Mr. 
 Fox to reach the street, he rang the bell and told the entering ser 
 vant to take his compliments to the Duke and that Mr. Fox would 
 like to pay his attention to his grace. 
 
 The servant looked so stupified on seeing a new face in that 
 room that Charles thought best to explain. 
 
 " I am Mr. Fox Jr.," he said ; but you need not mention that 
 to his grace. I shall explain it myself." 
 
 The servant withdrew and five minutes afterwards returned with 
 the message that the Duke would be happy to receive Mr. Foggs. 
 
 Charles followed the man and begged him to show him the 
 Duke s room. On reaching the ante-chamber the servant on duty 
 was as astonished as his comrade had been. He stepped before the 
 curtained door, as if he meant to stop the advance of the stranger. 
 
 " The Duke expects me," Charles addressed him. " I am Mr. 
 Fox Junior." 
 
 The servant seemed still doubtful as to the propriety of admit 
 ting him ; but the visitor moved with so much assurance and 
 elegance that he was afraid to offend him by still detaining him. 
 Opening the door he said : 
 
 " Signer Foggs, Jr." 
 
 The last word made the Duke raise his head in wonderment and 
 
422 DOLORES. 
 
 when he saw a perfect stranger entering his apartment, lie started 
 up in surprise and seemed inclined to call his servants for the pur 
 pose of ejecting a man that had secured an entrance by false pre* 
 tences. But the polite bow and the noble appearance of the young 
 man made him hesitate. 
 
 u What does this signify ? " he asked rather sharply. I ex 
 pected a certain Mr. Foggs, and most justly wonder at seeing a 
 stranger enter instead." 
 
 "You see Mr. Fox before you. My name is Charles Fuchs, 
 and my relative, who is just now engaged, begs your grace to ac 
 cept me as his representative." 
 
 The duke did not seem to be much assured by this reply. What 
 did this change signify ? Did the stranger speak the truth ? and if 
 he did, would the duke gain much by the change ? There was a 
 certain something in that young man s eye which told the duke 
 that it might not be very safe to trifle with him. He, therefore, 
 looked at Charles without saying a word ; but, if he meditated 
 strong measures against the intruder, Charles spoiled his calcula 
 tions by resuming in a tone of great politeness : 
 
 " Your grace need fear nothing from my person, and if you 
 will grant me the favor of a short interview, you can soon convince 
 yourself of the correctness of my statement." 
 
 The young man certainly did not look like an assassin ; so 
 the duke thought there could be no great risk in granting his re 
 quest. 
 
 "Take a seat, then, signor," he replied; " I am curious to re 
 ceive the explanation of the qui pro quo." 
 
 Charless took a chair. 
 
 "In order not to occupy your grace s time longer than neces 
 sary," he said, " I ll enter into the subject of my call without any 
 preface. I am authorized by Mr. Fox and Miss Dolores di Gutuiui 
 to enter into any amicable settlement of that lady s claims your 
 grace may desire to make." 
 
 The duke winced under these words. He saw at once that he 
 had a different person to deal with. This man meant business. For 
 a moment he was seriously alarmed, but, recollecting a certain dis 
 patch he had received which was signed "Giacomo," and contained 
 the statement that " everything ivas right, " he roused his spirits 
 
DOLORES. 423 
 
 and entered without delay upon the execution of a plan which, as 
 he thought, would crush any further aspirations of these people in 
 the bud. 
 
 "Amicable settlement?" he asked, laying a good portion of de 
 rision in his words. " Indeed, sir, I am getting tired of this farce. 
 On inquiry, I have learned that the party whose interests you pre 
 tend to advocate I mean a certain lady pretending to be my 
 niece does only exist in imagination." 
 
 Now the duke expected to see the young stranger fire up and 
 use insultingjlanguage, thus furnishing him with an excuse to have 
 him ejected from the palace. Being in possession of the heiress, 
 he would, after that, brand all their claims as attempts at defraud 
 ing him out of his possessions. The disappearance of the girl he 
 would interpret as a measure on their part to cast a shadow on his 
 reputation, and use it as a proof in his favor of the untenable- 
 ness of their position. They might, perhaps, annoy him a little ; 
 but what could they do without the girl ? It was more than likely 
 that they would desist as soon as they would learn of her disap 
 pearance. 
 
 These were the duke s calculations, and his present conduct was 
 based upon them. He was, therefore, surprised to see that his re 
 ply, instead of arousing the passion of the visitor, had only the 
 effect of exciting his mirth. Indeed, Charles smiled ; he smiled as 
 strongly as he could without overstepping the borders of good 
 breeding. Some persons might have styled his smile a laugh. 
 NOW T he smiled because he understood the duke s position ; be 
 cause he read in his soul as in a book ; and, finally, because he 
 enjoyed the thought of driving that rogue of high rank from posi 
 tion to position until nothing but an unconditional surrender would 
 be left. He only smiled a moment, though ; the time for the strug 
 gle had arrived. 
 
 " Sir duke," he said with a low voice, looking at the same time 
 around the room as if he wanted to see whether any uncalled-for 
 ears were listening, "if you would accept my advice you would 
 not stand on ground which is wholly untenable." 
 
 "Thank you, signer, for that advice," the duke said with 
 freezing coldness ; " but I am in the habit of taking my own coun 
 sel." 
 
424 DOLORES; 
 
 Charles shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 "Perhaps you will change your tactics after receiving certain 
 information. You are not the only person receiving telegraphic 
 dispatches. That glorious institution, the pride of our age, is a 
 common institution, thank God." 
 
 He stopped. He wanted to crush the duke by inches. That 
 was cruel, no doubt ; but he meant to be cruel, because lie thought 
 that the man before him deserved punishment. He looked at his 
 victim and saw at once that his arrow had hit the mark the duke 
 had got a shade paler and he did not reply ; that was proof beyond 
 a doubt. 
 
 " Your dispatch told you that all was right," he continued, 
 "but mine is of a later date, you see, and tells me that Gil is 
 ivrong that is, as far as you are concerned." 
 
 The duke felt that the stranger played with him, as the cat 
 with the mouse, and he made a powerful effort to free himself from 
 that keen, sarcastic look; those sharp, biting words. He struggled 
 hard and he failed. Charles saw him collapse, and feeling a touch 
 of pity, he hastened his operations. 
 
 " I ll not speak in riddles, signor," he resumed. "I ll tell you 
 plainly that the prisoner has been rescued from your castle on the 
 lake. I ll tell you plainly that she is now in this city, and that it 
 would cost us but an hour to reach the court and whisper into the 
 king s ear a tale of shame and treachery. After this statement, 
 which your stubbornness compelled me to make, I repeat my orig 
 inal question : Is your grace inclined to make an amicable settle 
 ment ?" 
 
 The duke all the time felt a keen torment, worse than which 
 the doomed spirits cannot suffer ; but these very tortures bred 
 thoughts within his mind also worthy of demoniac spirits. Could 
 he possibly secure this daring person who outraged him in the very 
 privacy of his sanctum ? Could he not command some trusty fol 
 lowers among his servants who would be willing to assist in silenc 
 ing those lips forever ? 
 
 These thoughts were by no means mature ; but his nervous body 
 anticipated their completion. His hand jerked towards the bell on 
 the table and might have touched it if it had not been for its very 
 nervousness. 
 
DOLORES. 425 
 
 Charles saw the motion, but it had no other effect on him than 
 the duke s previous measures it created another smile. 
 
 "Ring away, sir duke," he said scornfully, "for all the good 
 your ringing will do you. Do you think that I was silly enough 
 to beard the lion in his den without securing my retreat ? Allow 
 me to inform you that our minister is in the secret, and that this 
 secret will start on its way to the royal palace if within one hour 
 from now I do not make my appearance at the embassy. Sir duke, 
 will you allow me to repeat my question : Are you ready for an 
 amicable settlement?" 
 
 The proud noble was completely humbled ; he was more than 
 humbled he was crushed. Raising his hand with a supplicating 
 gesture, he said in a broken voice : 
 
 " Mercy, mercy ! do not proceed. I am willing to do anything 
 you wish ; but not now, not now. I am not able to attend to busi 
 ness just now ; grant me a respite till to-morrow ?" 
 
 "I will, signor, and with pleasure ; but, mark, if this is merely 
 a subterfuge ; if to-morrow you begin your game over again in 
 that case J shall refuse to treat. In that case I shall let justice 
 have her sway and publicity her victim." 
 
 "Be it as you say," the duke replied; "but now leave me, 
 leave me, sir." 
 
 Charles obeyed his wishes, and, bowing deeply, withdrew from 
 the chamber. 
 
 On the next morning the papers contained the startling an 
 nouncement that the duke di Gatana had suddenly (Jied in conse 
 quence of a stroke of apoplexy. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 
 THE RE GALANT HUOMO. 
 
 Mrs. Fox and her daughter had arrived. The room of the 
 hotel where Mr. Fox had taken his abode witnessed a happy scene. 
 They were reunited reunited after much suffering and some peril. 
 Such adversities are necessary to give us the full appreciation of 
 
 28 
 
426 DOLORES. 
 
 the value of love and friendship. They are apt to make us more 
 contented and better. They made the members of this family 
 better; softening the rough outlines of some characters and giving 
 strength to the new formation of others. Happy they were, of 
 course ; so happy that Dolores declared it to be tempting fortune 
 to force any more gifts from her unwilling hand. She demanded 
 an immediate departure for her home across the ocean and the 
 startling news of her uncle s sudden death could not change her 
 opinion. Yet Charles and Mr. Fox would not listen to her persua 
 sions. The former declared emphatically that his own wishes coin 
 cided to those of Dolores, and that she would be as welcome to 
 him without as with a crown ; but he sided with Mr. Fox when 
 that gentleman declared that they had no right to humor the 
 wishes of an inexperienced child who did not know the value of 
 the pearls she wished to fling away. Riper years might bring re 
 pentance of the rash act, and it was Mr. Fox s duty to secure him 
 self against reproaches which were not probable, but yet possible. 
 So the wishes of Dolores were overruled, and it was resolved that 
 an audience with the king should be sought and a decision of the 
 case solicited from his impartiality and judgment. The minister 
 easily obtained permission for his protege to appear, and it was 
 decided that Dolores, in the company of Mr. Fox and Charles, 
 should be presented. They procured the necessary suits, and one 
 afternoon, in company with the minister, drove to the palace. The 
 king was alone, and he received the party with his usual friendli 
 ness and condescension. He had just read the description of the 
 young lady s case, and now looked with interest and admiration 
 upon the splendid beauty of the youthful duchess. 
 
 " I bid you welcome at my court, Dolores di Gatana, " he said, 
 reaching his hand to her. " You have gone through many vicissi 
 tudes of fortune from what I learn ; let us hope that in the future 
 only the sun of happiness will shine on your path." 
 
 I thank your majesty." 
 
 "And this is the worthy gentleman who has guided your help 
 less youth in the land beyond the ocean ?" 
 
 He was and is my father. 
 
 "That is right ; gratitude is a virtue which adorns every rank 
 and station. I welcome you at my court, Signor Fox." 
 
DOLORES. 427 
 
 Mr. Fox replied by bowing in silence. 
 
 "But this second friend of yours in what capacity must I re 
 gard him ?" 
 
 " As a cousin, your majesty, and a dear friend." 
 
 Dolores blushed in speaking and the king smiled. 
 
 "Give me your hand, young gentleman ; the friendship of this 
 charming lady is the best recommendation you could bring me. 
 But, now having welcomed you, my lady, I would ask you what 
 do you want me to do in this novel case of yours ?" 
 
 Dolores bowed. 
 
 " I leave it to your majesty s best discretion." 
 
 "And you have no wishes you would want me to regard." 
 
 " Yes, your majesty, I have. I have the wish to be spared this 
 wealth and splendor, which, as I have experienced even now, car 
 ries with it much constraint and hollowness. I want nothing better 
 than to be allowed to continue in the same sphere where a merciful 
 Providence has placed me." 
 
 The king became more and more interested in this lovely girl. 
 
 "You speak wisely for one so young," he said ; "but what pre 
 vents you from indulging in your wishes ?" 
 
 "The deference in which I hold the opinion of these friends. 
 They both appear to think that I ought not to decide so important 
 a matter in my youth and inexperience. 
 
 " By the Holy Virgin, they are right, Dolores. I thank them 
 for giving me a chance to see one of the fairest jewels of my 
 crown. No, no, we cannot afford to lose you, child." 
 
 He stopped and seemed to meditate a little while. 
 
 " They tell me the deceased duke left a son," he began after a 
 while. "What would you say if we solved this Gordian knot, a 
 second Alexander, by making you and him a pair ?" 
 
 Dolores stepped back a step, and her consternation at the king s 
 suggestion was so evident that he could not help noticing it. 
 
 "My proposal does not seem to meet your approbation," he said, 
 smiling. I cannot construe your evident repugnance in any other 
 way than by interpreting it as a declaration that your heart is 
 already engaged." 
 
 A deep blush on her cheeks confirmed his suspicion. 
 
428 DOLORES. 
 
 "And this happy individual/ 1 he continued; "does my eye 
 behold him ?" 
 
 He glanced at Charles, and, Dolores taking courage, seized the 
 young man s hand and, presenting him to the king, said : 
 
 " Your majesty will make me very happy by approving of my 
 choice." 
 
 "With pleasure, child, with pleasure. lam no tyrant who 
 rends happy hearts asunder. I congratulate this lucky youth, and, 
 to tell the truth, I envy him." 
 
 The king smiled and seemed to study a second time for a proper 
 solution of this question. 
 
 " I see," he resumed as before, " I can do nothing less than be 
 stow your rank upon your husband. In such case, signor, could I 
 count upon your loyal support ?" 
 
 The king, in speaking the latter words, had turned to Charles. 
 Our young friend was sorry for this question. It pained him to 
 reject the king s kindness, and yet his principles would suffer noth 
 ing else. 
 
 "Your majesty will pardon me," he said with a noble grace 
 that won the king s approval, if I respectfully decline the great 
 honor offered me. I am an American citizen, sire, and, as such, 
 forbidden to receive any rank or favor from a foreign potentate." 
 
 " But you might expatriate yourself." 
 
 "I love my country, sire," the young man said, raising his 
 head and looking proudly in the king s eye ; "and no considera 
 tion, not even my devotion to this lady, could induce me to de 
 sert it." 
 
 The king bit his lips, and for a moment it seemed as if he 
 meant to give way to the little resentment which this open rejec 
 tion had created. But Victor Emanuel had not the reputation of 
 a good man for nothing. He promptly conquered the tran 
 sient emotion, and, offering his hand to Charles a second time, 
 he said : 
 
 "Proud as a Republican ! is the adage; but I bear you no 
 malice, and here is my hand as a pledge of the sincerity of my 
 words. I respect your character, though it makes me doubly sorry 
 that I have n chance of winning you for my court." 
 
DOLOKES. 429 
 
 Again the king stopped, and this time the silence became 
 painful. To end it Charles stepped forward: 
 
 "Will it offend your majesty if I give my opinion unde- 
 manded ?" 
 
 "Not at all, sir. I should like to hear your views." 
 
 " I thank your majesty. It strikes me that it would hardly be 
 fair to make the duke s son suffer for his father s faults ; how 
 would it answer to divide the domains of the ducal house between 
 the heirs disputant ?" 
 
 "That is a fair proposal, sir ; but does it meet the lady s appro 
 bation ?" 
 
 "Anything which Charles proposes is acceptible to me." 
 
 Fair words from fair lips. It strikes me as if I myself could 
 refuse a ducal crown for the love of such a damsel. Be it then, 
 as you say ; but I have to make one condition." 
 
 " Will your madjesty please to name it. ?" 
 
 " I am too selfish to lose such a fair subject altogether, and 
 therefore make the stipulation that you spend one third of all your 
 time in my dominions." 
 
 "And if I fail?" 
 
 You pay the income of the estates for that year to the poor of 
 my kingdom." 
 
 "Accepted, majesty." 
 
 " And now, have you any other favor to ask ? " 
 
 " Yes, with your majesty s permission, I would ask a full pardon 
 of Luigi, the brigand and his band." 
 
 The king was evidently both surprised and amused at this re 
 quest. 
 
 " May I ask you the reason of that request ?" he asked. 
 
 Dolores hesitated. 
 
 " My answer might impair the reputation of the Duke, my 
 uncle." 
 
 " Never minJ. Your words are safe with me." 
 
 So driven, Dolores saw herself compelled to narrate how Luigi 
 had assisted her in escaping from the Duke s castle. The king was 
 interested and he was moved- Laying his hand upon the lady s 
 head, he said : 
 
430 DOLORES. 
 
 " You are as good as you are beautiful. Will you pledge me a 
 visit every time you visit Italy ? " 
 
 " With all my heart, sire." 
 
 "Then you shall have the pardon. Excuse me a few moments 
 if you please." 
 
 With these words the king left the room and Mr. Fox took a 
 long breath. The presence of a majesty evidently did not agree 
 with his republican lungs. 
 
 "Dol," he said, "I don t know how you get all the words to 
 speak so handsomely. I felt all the time as if I was standing on 
 eggs." 
 
 Dolores laughed. 
 
 "And you, Charlie, bold rascal that you are, to throw a crown 
 at a kings feet." 
 
 " Wasn t I right, Mr. Fox." 
 
 " Well, yes, I think you were. That is, I mean to say, it was 
 rather a ticklish job." 
 
 Before Charles could reply the king re-entered the room. He 
 handed Dolores a letter and said : 
 
 "Here is the pardon. The rascal may thank his lucky stars 
 for your timely interference ; for these robbers have got so bold 
 since the war that 1 was meditating a crusade in force against 
 them. But, now, having granted you a favor I claim the privilege 
 of asking one myself." 
 
 " What can I grant worthy of a kings acceptance ? " 
 
 " That you will allow me to give away this hand; next to re 
 ceiving it, it is the greatest pleasure I can conceive." 
 
 "Your majesty overwhelms me with your kindness. Indeed 
 we had not thought of so early a marriage." 
 
 "But you will change your plan to accomodate me. I know 
 you will. You, sir, I suppose have no objection to my proposition ?" 
 
 "Not the slightest !" Charles cried with a radient eye. 
 
 " I thought so," the king said coolly. " And you sir ? " 
 
 "I can only say that the day of their union will be the hap 
 piest of my life, " Mr. Fox responded. 
 
 "That is settled then. Let it be understood that I give the 
 bride away and make the necessary arrangements. I shall see you 
 
DOLORES. 431 
 
 again ; for to-day you must kindly excuse me. My leisure time is 
 up." 
 
 The king waved his hand. They were dismissed. Dolores was 
 as in a trance, and she stated in after years that she never knew how 
 she reached her hotel. 
 
 Mrs. Fox and Lucy opened their eyes to their widest extent 
 and would hardly credit the story of the king s gracious condescen 
 sion. Dolores bore her luck meekly ; Charles his proudly. 
 
 " And the wedding is to be soon ? " Mrs. Fox exclaimed, clasp 
 ing her hands in token of her surprise and joyous excitement. 
 
 " Yes mother " Charles thought he might take the liberty now 
 " but we don t know the day. The king is to appoint it himself. 
 I don t care how soon it comes so that I can get a witness from the 
 lake. Dol, you were a noble girl to think of Luigi. You are so 
 much better and smarter than I. I should never have thought of 
 such a thing. Will you give me the paper and allow me to depart 
 at once, to take the joyful news to Luigi ? " 
 
 " I will, Charlie, and I charge you to bring him along without 
 fail." 
 
 "I ll try my best, Dol. Good- by my darling, soon my bride. 
 Mother take good care of her. Good- by to all of you." 
 
 "What, Charlie, leave us now?" Mr. Fox exclaimed. -You 
 cannot think of such a thing." 
 
 "Indeed I can and do. I have to pay a debt of gratitude in 
 which both Dolores and I are concerned. To-morrow might be too 
 late. Indeed I hare a foreboding as if it would be. Good-bye 
 once more and a happy re-union." 
 
 He drew Dolores into his arms and kissed her tenderly. After 
 t"hat he took his hat and before they could say or do anything to 
 the contrary he had left the room. 
 
 It is our duty once more to accompany him on his trip. For 
 tunately, this is the day of railroads, and we can let the young 
 man travel with the fastest express train of the road. Behold ! he 
 has already reached the station, where he quits the ironway and 
 takes a carriage for the little town of Canti. Now he is there, he 
 seeks the magistrate and puts the king s pardon into his hand. 
 The man knows the royal signature, and feels a great deal of re- 
 
432 DOLORES. 
 
 spect for a man who has influence enough to procure such a docu 
 ment. 
 
 " Your excellency is just in time to do the work of mercy. To 
 morrow might have been too late, for I now hold an order from the 
 secretary of the interior to use the most rigid measures to stop 
 the depredations of these banditti. A company of regulars have 
 been placed at my disposal and a most deadly conflict stood in pros 
 pect. But how, your excellency, convey this joyful intelligence 
 to Luigi?" 
 
 There is no trouble in that, my friend. I happen to know 
 his place of refuge." 
 
 " Indeed ! If you will pardon the liberty, I should ask whether 
 your excellency is the gentleman who was mixed up with Luigi s- 
 last offense ?" 
 
 " I might answer yes to that question and not be far out of the 
 way," Charles replied with a laugh. " But I have little time to 
 lose ; you would oblige me by making out a safe pass for my pro 
 tege without delay. 
 
 The magistrate complied with this request, and an hour after 
 wards Charles again started on his mission of mercy. He found 
 the road without any trouble, and, having gained the pass, as 
 cended it until he reached a place a few hundred yards from where 
 he knew the sentinel to be posted. A shrill whistle brought out 
 the head of the man. Charles broke a green bough and with it 
 advanced until the sentinel told him to stop. 
 
 " Man, have you forgotten me?" Charles cried to him. 
 
 "By the madonna, you are Signor Carlo, the captain s friend." 
 
 "Is he at home?" 
 
 " Yes, sir, in truth, he has been a different man ever since your 
 departure, and doesn t stir a particle." 
 
 I want to see him." 
 
 " AVell, come on ; a good friend like you one can pass without 
 much danger. The captain will be so glad to see you !" 
 
 And, indeed, he was glad. When Charles emerged from the 
 pass and showed his face to the chieftain, that man sprang up as if 
 a bullet had hit him. One bounce and he lay in Charles arms. 
 
 " You return ? You have not forgotten poor Luigi ?" 
 
 "No, indeed; you hardly thought I would? lam the har- 
 
DOLORES. 433 
 
 binger of good news, Luigi. I have secured your pardon from the 
 king." 
 
 But Luigi did not appear to be glad at this news at all. 
 
 " I thank you, my friend, for your kind intentions, and I shall 
 take it just the same as if I could benefit by it. But you know 
 I can not. 1 am no better than these, and as they fare I must 
 fare." 
 
 But, man, I knew all that, and therefore procured a free par 
 don for all, or, rather, she did. Just think of it ! with her own 
 sweet lips she begged the pardon of you all from the king. Here, 
 take this. It is the safe pass from the magistrate in Canti for you 
 and all your followers." 
 
 Luigi took the paper with a trembling hand. He wanted to 
 speak, but he could not. Another moment and that strong man, 
 that man of iron body and iron will, wept like a child. 
 
 "Tell them," he sobbed, "I can not do it." 
 
 Charles acted on the hint. Mounting on a ledge projecting 
 from the rocks, he waved his hat and, by his cries, brought all the 
 band to his feet. They wondered, no doubt, what was the matter, 
 looking now at their weeping leader, now at the stranger. 
 
 " Men," he cried, " I have happy news for you. You recollect 
 the lady who owes the recovery of her freedom to your generosity ? 
 Very well ; she went to the capital here and, like a good, noble 
 lady that she is, went to the king to procure a free pardon for you 
 all. Here I hold it in my hand." 
 
 For a moment the crowd was still ; they seemed to fail to com 
 prehend the meaning of the words. But, after a few minutes, 
 when the consciousness of their good luck had burst upon their 
 brains, they all broke out into a loud and simultaneous shout of 
 delight. Some danced, others fell into each other s arms, and a 
 few like their chieftain went aside and cried. Charles allowed 
 their first delirium of joy to pass away before he made another 
 effort to speak ; but when he thought them cool enough to give 
 him their attention, he raised his hand as an indication that he had 
 more to say. 
 
 " I am glad to see you all so happy," he resumed. "You have 
 occasion for rejoicing, for a heavy weight has been taken from 
 your shoulders. You are newly born, as it were, and I hope that 
 
434 DOLORES. 
 
 nil of you will begin a new life. You have my sincere wishes, and, 
 what is more, you shall have my assistance. In the name of the 
 good lady, to whom you are indebted for this happy moment, I 
 offer every one of you the chance of a life, industrious but free of 
 care. The lady is going to enter upon the possession of large es 
 tates, and it shall be my pleasure and my privilege to employ every 
 one of you according to his talents and his inclinations. Until that 
 time I shall furnish your former leader with the means to support 
 you. None of you shall leave here and say, I had no chance to 
 amend ; destitution forced me back to a freebooter s life. Recol 
 lect, we hold out a helping hand to all of yon. But we make one 
 condition one rigid, stern, unchangeable condition. It is, Sin no 
 more / 
 
 After these words Charles sprang from the ledge, and, so eager 
 were the grateful children of the forest to press his hand and stam 
 mer their thanks, that he found difficulty to catch sufficient air for 
 breathing and space for standing. At last he succeeded in reach 
 ing the place where Luigi stood a mute, but appreciating spectator 
 of the scene. Charles told him to bid the men gather their valua 
 bles and then form in procession below the narrow passage. They 
 did not possess much, for, with the characteristic thoughtlessness 
 of their class, they had always spent their ill-gotten gain as quickly 
 as they had earned it. Therefore, the procession was soon formed, 
 and, with Charles and Luigi at their head, they marched to Canti 
 to receive a written certificate of their pardon. They formed a sin 
 gular procession, these wild-looking men, interspersed with numer 
 ous women and children, and many a curious eye stopped on the 
 road to view them and him who led them. The town was all astir, 
 and the sidewalks of the streets lined with spectators. Charles, 
 however, did not care ; freely and frankly he gazed around, and 
 many a pretty maiden acknowledged to herself or her bosom 
 friend that the foreign signor was a very handsome youth. Charles 
 was proud of his role ; in fact, never in all his life had he felt so 
 proud as at the head of that promiscuous band. 
 
 At the court house they halted, and it required several hours 
 until every one had his pardon in his pocket. Then Charles made 
 them fall in rank again and led them from the town until they 
 reached a commons with large chestnut trees scattered here and 
 
DOLORES. 435 
 
 there. Forming* them in a circle, and, stepping himself into the 
 centre, he made them another, a final speech. 
 
 "My friends," he said, "I have to leave you now, and, what 
 is worse, I have to rob you of Luigi for a little while. But he is 
 to come back, and, in the meantime, I shall see that you are not 
 lacking the necessaries of life. How many are there of you ?" 
 
 A census was taken, which showed the whole band to number 
 thirty-five heads, about one third of which belonged to women and 
 children. 
 
 "Luigi, how much money is necessary to feed them well for 
 twenty-four hours ?" Charles inquired. 
 
 " A louis d or will do it well." 
 
 " Very well, I shall take my measures accordingly. My friends, 
 could you camp under these trees for a couple of weeks ?" 
 
 "We can, if the magistrates will let us," a voice from the 
 crowd responded. 
 
 I expect to gain their consent. Now, mind well what I tell 
 you. I shall contract with some one in town to furnish you the 
 necessary supplies for thirty days. So long you will be without a 
 leader, for you must learn to lead yourselves, must learn self-con 
 trol and gain self reliance. These thirty days shall be a time of 
 trial of probation. You must not stray from here, and abstain 
 from all and every lawless action. Those of you who stand this 
 test I shall take care of on my return ; those, however, who are 
 unable to restrain themselves so little as to disregard my wishes, 
 I shall deem unworthy of further sympathy and show them the 
 cold shoulder. And now, farewell. I shall go to town with 
 Luigi and take the necessary measures in your behalf. Farewell, 
 and let me hope that I shall find you here all of you on my 
 return." 
 
 Another scene of pressing around the young man ; more shak 
 ing of hands, more shedding of tears. They have left, and the 
 members of the little tribe look at one another with eyes as help 
 less as those of children who have suddenly been deprived of their 
 mother. 
 
 Charles and Luigi went to town. Their first walk was to the 
 magistrate, to whom the former explained his intentions concerning 
 the late banditti, begging his consent to their remaining on the 
 
436 DOLORES. 
 
 commons until he could take better care of them. The magistrate 
 was a good and kind man, and, without difficulty, granted the de 
 sired permission. 
 
 " You are a wise young man," he said to Charles, shaking his 
 hand with sincere admiration. " To have secured the pardon of 
 these men may be a good deed ; but to secure them the chance of 
 an industrious, honest life is one infinitely better. To set these 
 men free and adrift would be little better than to force them back 
 to their old wicked ways. I admire your generosity, and I admire 
 your plan of gradual emancipation. Those who cannot await your 
 return without further transgressions are indeed unfit subjects of 
 compassion and deserve nothing better than the hempen noose, 
 which will be their final destiny. I wish you the best success, sig- 
 nor, in your philanthropic efforts, and you may rest assured that 
 you have at least the aid which I can give and my prayers." 
 
 "Thank you, sir. Tell me, would it be much trouble for you 
 to take care of these thirty pieces of gold ? I want the money tc 
 be spent for the support of my clients and expect to contract with 
 some one for the provisions. But I fear deception in case the con 
 tractor is beyond control, and a surveillance on your part, signor, 
 would no doubt prevent swindling. 
 
 The magistrate received the money and promised to see that it 
 should be spent honestly and properly. So everything was settled 
 to his satisfaction, and, making a circuit for the purpose of avoid 
 ing another contact, Charles reached the railroad with his friend 
 much sooner than he had expected. On arriving at the hotel in 
 Turin he was, of course, received with open arms, and the reader 
 will readily believe me when I tell him that the famous brigand, 
 too, received much care and attention. 
 
 CHAPTER XLV. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 
 
 The nuptials of our hero and heroine turned out a grand affair. 
 The undertakings of a king are not always royal, but in this in 
 stance they were. The king, according to the program, gave away 
 
DOLORES. 437 
 
 the bride, and a magnificent bride she was. I could spend a couple 
 of pages in describing her splendid robe, her veil of gossamer, pre 
 sented by his majesty ; her priceless jewels; but, then, I shun the 
 rigid criticism of the fair sex, and rather omit the chance of a 
 grand description than betray my ignorance of the thousand and 
 one articles which make up a lady s toilet. I also pass over the 
 stately appearance of the bridegroom, and merely mention that, 
 beside Luigi, another visitor of interest was among the guests as 
 sembled I mean the young Duke di Gatana, the cousin of the 
 bride. The generous conduct of Dolores had gained her the love 
 of her aunt as well as her cousin, and, although his recent loss 
 would have excused his absence, he could not refuse himself the 
 satisfaction of gracing the ceremony by his presence, and, as the 
 head of the family, giving it his sanction. 
 
 I assure the reader that it is quite a self-denial to now break off 
 the thread of my tale, but I see well enough that it must be done 
 some time or other, and where could there be a fitter opportunity 
 than the entrance of my heroes into that harbor of bliss which 
 they so richly deserve ? 
 
 In Foxville the establishment has been largely increased and 
 the hands more than doubled. The concern flourishes in spite of 
 the war, or, perhaps, in consequence of it. Charles, who has en 
 tered as partner, gives his workmen a share of the profits, and they 
 go through the fire for him, as the Germans say. 
 
 In Italy their estates are equally flourishing. Numerous estab 
 lishments for raising silk worms or making wine and olive-oil, or 
 braiding straw hats or bonnets have sprung up everywhere on their 
 lands, and their "subjects" are envied far and near. They treat 
 them well and encourage their industry by allowing them a fair 
 portion of the profits of their labor. They encourage industry more 
 over by putting a premium on intelligence and establishing every 
 where good schools. No child is allowed to work in their factories 
 and they make it compulsory on the part of the parents to send 
 their children to school. 
 
 Amongst their most florishing settlements is that of the bandits 
 of our acquaintance. They never fail to visit this settlement, and 
 are always received with faithful demonstrations of joy. Luigi is 
 their assistant in their Italian domains. Burlesque in those of the 
 
438 DOLORES. 
 
 new world. It is hard to say which of the two is more warmly at 
 tached to the noble pair. Luigi is still single ; his ardent friend 
 ship almost excludes the possibility of his loving. Burlesque on 
 the other hand has recently won the heart and hand of Lucy. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Fox enjoy their usual good health but their spirits 
 seem to increase with their years. The name of the former is still 
 in the firm ; but it may be said that he is an honorary member in the 
 true sense of the word. He is regularly absent and exempt from 
 paying fees. Is that not the definition f an "honorary member?" 
 
 Charlie s parents experience the truth of the bible words which 
 say : A wise son makes a glad father; but a foolish son is the heavi 
 ness of his mother." They still pretend to live in the cottage, but 
 in reality they spend most of their time in the house which Charles 
 has built in the neighborhood of his own home. They dote upon a 
 little stranger who has arrived and predicts he will unite his father s 
 integrity and intellect with his mother s goodnes and beauty. Henry 
 and Richard are in Italy. They have just served their last term of 
 apprenticeship under the pleasant but firm rule of Luigi. Mrs. Fuchs 
 Jr. has lately caused the execution of a deed, by which two fine 
 farms in Lombardy have been settled upon them. If the report is 
 true, they have learned the language and manners of their country, 
 and look with favorable eyes upon tw r o damsels there, expecting in 
 turn to settle their farms upon them as their better halves and 
 helpmates. 
 
 Mr. Goodman and his sister Sarah are braving the inroads of 
 old age most cheerfully. As far as cheerfulness and contentment 
 are concerned, they are likely to cheat old age out of its dues. 
 
 THE END. 
 
M12004 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY