^OJI1V3-JO> s R% .^lOSANCElfj^ f RYQc INDIA: THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. BY MRS. EMMA D. E. N. SOUTHWORTH. AUTHOR OF "THE HISSING BRIDE," "THE LOST HEIRESS," "THE DE- SERTED WIFE," "THE WIFE'S VICTORY," ETC. Complete in one large volume, neatly bound in cloth, for One Dollar and Twenty-Jive Cents ; or in two volumes, paper cover, for One Dollar. '"INDIA: THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER,' taking it all in all, is the best work Mrs. Southworth has yet written. It is one great merit in her fictions, that they faithfully delineate life and manners, without entering on vexed social, religious, or political issues.] In J^ India,' the reader will find a vivid delineation of the South-West. ! But this is not all : the characters are boldly drawn, the incidents natural, and the action of the story rapid and absorb- ing. The two heroines are finely contrasted. The hero is a noble creation ; strong of will, earnest in purpose, firm for the right, and persevering to the end in whatever he believes to be justice and truth. We cannot recall, in any late work, a character so ideally lofty, yet so faithful to reality. The heroic spirit in which he goes West, abandoning the luxuries he has been accustomed to, and settling down in his rude log hut, determined to conquer fortune with his own good right hand, is, indeed, the true type of a self- ,' relying American. No fiction of Mrs. Southworth's bears such/ proofs of careful finish. It ought, on these several accounts, to" have a popularity unrivalled by any of her former works, spite of the immense circulation they have attained." Copies of either edition of the above work will be sent to any part of the United States, free of postage, on the person wishing it remitting the price to the publisher, in a letter. Published and for sale by T. B. PETERSON, No. 1O2 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. (IT) 18 MRS. SOUTH WORTH'S WORKS T. B. PETERSON publishes a complete and uniform edition of Mrs. Southworth's works, any one or all of which will be sent to any place in the United States, free of postage, on receipt of remittances. The following are their names : THE LOST HEIRESS. By Mrs. Emma D. E. N. Southwoi-th. Being a splendid Picture of American Life; everybody admiring and applauding it as a master production. Complete in two vo- lumes, paper cover. Price One Dollar ; or in one volume, cloth, for One Dollar and Twenty-five cents. THE MISSING BRIDE ; oa, MIRIAM, THE AVENGER. By Mrs. Emma D. E. N. Southworth. Two volumes, paper cover. Price One Dollar ; or bound in one volume, cloth, for $1.25. THE WIFE'S VICTORY; AND NINE OTHER NOUVELLETTES. By Mrs. Emma D. E. N. Southworth. It is embellished with a view of Prospect Cottage, the residence of the author, as well as a view of Brotherton Hall. Complete in two volumes, paper cover. Price One Dollar; or bound in one volume, cloth, for $1.25. THE CURSE OF CLIFTON. By Mrs. Emma D. E. N. Southworth. Complete in two volumes, paper cover. Price One Dollar; or bound in one volume, cloth, for Oue Dollar and Twenty-five cents. THE DISCARDED DAUGHTER. By Mrs. Emma D. E. N. South- worth. Two volumes, paper cover, price One Dollar; or bound in one volume, cloth, for One Dollar and Twenty-five cents. THE DESERTED WIFE. Complete in two volumes, paper cover. Price One Dollar; or bound in one volume, cloth, for $1.25. IN PEESS, AND WILL BE SHORTLY PUBLISHED. RETRIBUTION; OR, THE VALE OF SHADOWS. A Tale of Pas- sion. By Mrs. Emma D. E. N. Southworth. Two volumes, paper cover. Price One Dollar; or bound in one volume, cloth, for $1.25. THE MOTHER-IN-LAW; OR, THE ISLE OF RAYS. By Mrs. Emma D. E. N. Southworth. Complete in two volumes, paper cover. Price One Dollar; or bound in one volume, cloth, for $1.25. SHANNONDALE. By Mrs. Emma D. E. N. Southworth. Complete in two volumes, paper cover. Price One Dollar ; or bound in one volume, cloth, for One Dollar and Twenty-five cents. VIRGINIA AND MAGDALENE: OR, THE FOSTER SISTERS. By Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth. Complete in two volumes, paper cover. Price One Dollar; or in one volume, cloth, for $1.25. BSF" Copies of either edition of any of the above works, will be sent to any person, to any part of the United States, fret of postage, on their remitting the price of whatever works they may wish, to the publisher, in a letter post-paid. Published and for Sale by T. B. PETERSON, No. 102 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. ; -#=-!. VIST INTO WOI.F GROVE INDIA: THE V ... ..^ .'..V I7QHNI* .. PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. EMMA D. E. N. SOUTHWORTH. AUTHOR OP "DESERTED WIFE," "LOST HEIRESS," "CURSE OP CLIFTON," " DISCARDED DAUGHTER," " MISSING BRIDE," "WIFE'S VICTORY." " How changed since last her speaking eye Glanced gladness round the glittering room, Where high-born men were proud to wait Where beauty watched to imitate Her gentle voice and lovely mien And gather from her air and gait The graces of its queen 1" BYBON. T. B. PETERSON, NO. 102 CHESTNUT STREET. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1856, by T. B. PETERSON, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, in and for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. PEIKTED BY KINO ft BAIT! P. TALMAOK BROTHERS, BOOKBINDERS. MRS, HELEN MOORE WALL, V /> ' >*;:; 5 : ,W ; ', > J*fi\ . . OT PETEBSBUKG, VIRGINIA, is most i&tiiSiiAi Mirnfeit, BY HEE FRIEND, EMMA D. E. N. SOUTHWORTH. PEOSPICT COTTAOB, February IGOi, 1856. 20512 PREFACE. THE leading incidents of the following story were suggested by circumstances in the life of a near relative, long since, we trust, in Heaven. I have used the novelist's privilege in giving a hap- pier termination to the fiction than is warranted by the facts. E. D. E. N. S. PROSPECT COTTAGE, / February 16th, 1856. CONTENTS. i. The Collegian's Supper, 25 ii. A Southern Home, .37 in. The Planter's Daughter, ^* <*'-/;> , x . . . 46 iv. Mrs. Sutherland, . . . .",.'.. .67 v. Chambre de Toilette et la Trousseau, ..' ; -V : V HI n. Love and Gold, . . . '"." --.,. . 118 vii. Reaction, i, './'' ' *' J*.-jt -.'! 132 mi. Farewell, . . . . . . . . . 154 ix. The Fatal Marriage, . . . . '. . 162 x. Rosalie and her Lover, 177 xi. Rosalie, . '. \ ,- : , ; ... . . 183 xu. Bridal Preparations, . . .' . f . . . 196 xui. The Meeting, . . .' ." . ,_. , v 205 xiv. Rosalie, . , . . . . . . . 217 xv. Discordances, * v;. - .... 223 x\i. The Confession, v ... . 4 '.' T ; . 235 xvn. Prognostics, . . .'.-,, ^ . 241 xvin. Departures, . . . .' .,-.,. . 246 xix. The Journey, 250 xx. The Log Cabin, . 266 (23) 24 CONTENTS. CHAPTER "OB xxi. Going to Housekeeping, ' . . . ' . . 274 xxii. A Night of Fear, . Jr-r -. ''* -282 xxin. Cabin-Keeping . . 291 xxiv. Domestic Arrangements, 299 xxv. Cashmere, 307 xxvi. India, 328 xxvii. Forgery, 334 xxvin. Uncle Billy, 340 xxix. Failing Health, 344 xxx. An Original, 361 xxxi. Magnanimity, ., . .- 358 xxxn. Restitution, . . . . . . . _ . . 3G1 xxxin. Immortality, ' " -i "" .*" , i ' r* . . 371 xxxiv. Take up the Burthen of Life again, . . . 382 xxxv. To Wed the Earliest Loved, .... 388 INDIA: THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. CHAPTER I. THE COLLEGIAN'S SUPPER. " Filled is life's goblet to the brim." Longfellow. "INDIA!" exclaimed Mark Sutherland, rising at the head of his table, and waving high the brimming glass, while his fine dark countenance lighted up with enthusiasm. A young Ajax in athletic beauty and strength, stood the Mississippian, until "India!" responded his friend Lauderdale, from the foot of the table. " India !" echoed the young men around the board, as they all arose, and, standing, honoured the toast. Then the glasses jingled merrily down upon the table, and then " Now that in blind faith we have worshipped your goddess who is India ? Is it a woman or a quarter of the globe your idolatry ?" (25) 26 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. " India I" ejaculated the young Southerner with fer- vor. " India 1 " ' Oh ! a woman ! friend, a woman ! Why, a beast had scarce been duller ' than to have harboured such a question! Fill high your glasses again, and "Twixt the red wine and the chalice' let me breathe her beauty's name. Gentlemen, are you ready? The Pearl of Pearl River I" "The Pearl of Pearl River!" responded Lauderdale. "The Pearl of Pearl River!" re-echoed all those gay youths, as this toast was also quaffed standing, and the empty glasses rattled down upon the table. This was the parting toast, and the company broke up to separate. The young guests all crowded around their youthful host with adieus, regrets, congratula- tions, and kind wishes ; for all these opposite phrases were equally appropriate, as will be seen. Mark Sutherland was the son and nephew of the celebrated Pearl River planters the three brothers Sutherland. He was the prospective possessor of three immense estates being the heir of the first, be- trothed to the heiress of the second, and co-heir with her to the third extensive plantation. He had just concluded a brilliant collegiate course with distin- guished honour; he was soon to return south, to enter upon his patrimony, and claim the hand of his affianced bride, before he set forth upon his Euro- pean travels. And this was his valedictory enter- tainment, given to his classmates. For him, indeed " Filled was life's goblet to the brim !" THE COLLEGIAN'S SUPPER. 27 No wonder those fine strong eyes danced with an- ticipation as he shook hands right and left. He was, up to this time, a frank, thoughtless, joyous, extrava- gant fellow selfish because he knew nothing of sor- row, and wasteful because he knew nothing of want. Affluent in youth, health, and love affluent in wealth, honour, and homage he seemed to consider gold valueless as dust, and deference only his just due. He " the heir of all the ages" past of thought and toil, had entered upon his intellectual inheritance with great $clat ; but as yet not one mite had he added to the store ; not one thought had he bestowed upon the great subjects that now engross all earnest minds. Too full of youthful fire, vitality, love, hope, and joy, for any grave thought or feeling to find room in his brain or heart, was the planter's son. How, indeed, could earnest thought find entrance through such a crowd of noisy joys to his heart ? He stood upon the threshold of the past, indeed, and his face was set forward towards the future ; but not one onward step had he taken. Why should he trouble himself? The bounteous future was advancing to him, smiling, and laden with all the riches of life and time. But he stood, receiving the adieus of his young friends, and dealing out wholesale and retail invita- tions for all and each to come and visit him, for an indefinite length of time, or until they were tired. At last they were all gone, except Lauderdale, his churn, who was passing some days with him, as his guest, at the Minerva House. "You are an enviable dog, Sutherland," exclaimed the latter, clapping him sharply upon the shoulder. " You are a deuced enviable villain ! By my soul, it 28 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. is enough to make a poor man like me dissatisfied with his lot, or the present arrangements of society, which amounts to precisely the same thing, I sup- pose. Deuce take me, if it is not enough to make me turn Agrarian, Chartist, Eadical, or whatever may be the new name for the old discontent ! Just contrast our positions ! Here are you, at one-and-twenty years of age, entirely free from all toil and care for the whole remainder of your life. You will now return to a sumptuous southern home, on a magnificent estate, where troops of friends wait to welcome you, and troops of slaves attend to serve you, and where your bride, the very pearl of beauty, dreams of and lan- guishes for your presence; and, above all yes, I speak reflectingly, above all more than sumptuous home, and troops of friends, and trains of servants, and blushing bride where, lying perdue at your ser- vice, is a plenty of the root of all evil ' Gold to save gold to lend Gold to give gold to spend.' While I! well, I shall just plod on in the old way, teaching school one half the year to pay my college expenses for the other, until I find myself in some lawyer's shop, in arrears with my landlady, in debt to my washerwoman detesting to walk up the street, because I should pass the tailor's store abhorring to walk down it, because I should be sure to see the shoemaker standing in his door. With no more com- fort or convenience in my life than can be enjoyed between my little back-chamber, up four pair of stairs in a cheap boarding-house, and the straight-backed chair and high-topped desk of the law shop. And no THE COLLEGIAN'S SUPPER. 29 more love, or hope, or poetry, in my life, than may be found bound up between the covers of Coke upon Lyttleton. Or perhaps I shall turn private tutor, and advertise, 'A highly respectable young gentleman, a graduate of Yale College, wishes to obtain,' &c. ; and you, who will be by this time the grave head of a family, with several little domestic liabilities, will probably answer the advertisement ; and I shall find myself teaching the names of the keys of knowledge to young Mark and his brothers. Oh 1" " Ha ! ha 1 ha I ha! ha I ha 1 ha 1" laughed Sutherland. "Oh, you'll patronise me, rather! You'll be kind to me ; for you'll say to yourself and friends, 'He was a college friend of mine, poor fellow.' I fancy I hear and see you saying it now, with that careless, cordial, jolly condescension of yours." "Ha! ha! ha! ha! ha! ha! ha! My dear Lincoln! My dear fellow, why should that be? Why should you be pettifogger or pedagogue, unless you have a vocation for it ? Why should anybody do what they don't want to do ? Life is rich full of wealth, and love, and joy, and glory. Enter and take pos- session." " Enter and take possession ! Yes, that is what you can do. Life is full of wealth, and love, and joy, and glory, for you, indeed ; and you can afford to mock me with those words! But, never mind, my fine flamingo ! I have heard the wise say that happiness is not so unequally distributed, after all. And I, for one, don't believe this cake of comfort is going to be so very unjustly divided between us, or that you will have all the white sugar on the top, and I all the burnt paper at the bottom." 30 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. " See here, my friend, remember that we good-for- nothing Mississippians are not initiated into the mys- teries of the kitchen, and therefore I don't understand your culinary figure of speech at all." " Oh, go on ! go on I You're a young bear I" "A young bear! Comrades! Oh, they are all gone! A young bear? Oh, I suppose he alludes to my black whiskers and hair, and my shag over coat!" "I mean your trouble is all before you!" " Trouble ? Oh, my dear boy, that is a word with out a meaning ! Trouble ? What is trouble ? What idea is the word designed to represent ? Trouble ? Oh, my dear fellow, it is all a mistake, a mere notion, a superstition, a prejudice ; a saying of old folks, who, being near the verge of departure from this bright, glad, joyous, jubilant world, vainly try to console themselves by slandering it as a world of trouble, and talk of a better one, to which they are progressing. If this world in itself is not ' good,' as the Creator pro- nounced it to be in the beginning, by all the rules of comparison, how can any other world be said to be better?" " Well, I believe in the better world as much as they do ; but look you ! the pleasantest notion I have of Heaven is its being being" " Oh, don't let it go any further as good as this world, and only better as far as it endures longer. This world is full of all that is great and glorious for enjoyment ! And, Lincoln, my fine fellow, enter and take possession! Don't teach or study law! Don't plod; it is ungentlemanly. Somebody, I suppose, must teach and study law, and do such things but don't THE COLLEGIAN'S SUPPER. 31 you. Do you leave it to those a those persons a those in fact who have the plebeian instinct of labor; you apprehend ? They really enjoy work now ! Just- think of it I I suppose that gracious nature, intending them to carry on the work of the world, endowed them with a taste for it! Ha! ha! ha! ha! ha! ha! ha! But /'ve no vocation for it ! Neither have you, my dear boy. Don't force your nature in an opposite direction to which it tends, therefore ! Enter life, and take possession !'^_ "Humph! thank you! This is to say, 'follow my attractions,' and if they ' attract' me to lead an idle life, and live upon other people, why, so much the better they are my attractions ; and if they ' attract' me to pick my host's pocket, or run away with his daughter, it is the same thing by the same law." "Ha! ha! ha! Oh, certainly; remembering that your host might experience an attraction to blow your brains out." " Pleasant points to be drawn to. I guess I shall not follow my attractions! I'll stick to the little law shop, and relieve weariness by grumbling. Some distin- guished men have emerged from those little law dens; and, by the way, seriously, my dear Mark, I think that I, that you, even you, possess those very qualities out of which really distinguished men are formed, and that if destiny had not 'thrust' a sort of moneyed and landed greatness upon you, that even you would ' achieve' some judicial, political, diplomatic, or intel- lectual greatness of some sort." "Ha! ha! ha! even // Well, that is a stretch of possibility, indeed. Even 7j humph! Mais a\ nos moutons. Will you come home with me ? Do come 32 INDIA. THE PEARL OP PEARL RIVER. and be my guest d eternite or until you win some rich Mississippi beauty. Woo beauty, not Blackstone, for a fortune. You have so much more genius for the first than for the last, my fine fellow." " Oh, then you would have me turn fortune-hunter, and, under cover of your friendship and introduction, aim at some heiress, and bring her down, and so secure wealth?" "Set fire to you, no! "Whom do you take me for? Do you think that / would present an adventurer to Southern Creoles? No, sir! But I do want you to fall in love with a Southern beauty, and fortune would follow, of course." " I do not see it at all. There are several links wanting in that chain of reasoning. But, apropos of beauty, love, and marriage. Tell me something more of Miss Sutherland, votre belle fiancee." "India! listen, you." And he took Lauderdale's arm, and turned to walk up and down the room for a confidential chat. " Listen, you ! I named her just now over the wine. I regret to have done so. Would it were undone ! But so it is ; in some moment of ex- citement a word passes our lips, and it is unrecallable forever. She is so sacred to my heart, so divine to my soul! I often wonder if Helen of Argos were half as beautiful as she my India." "What a strange, charming name that is for a woman 1" "Is it not? But, rich, luxurious, and gorgeous, in its associations, too (and that is why it was given to her) it suits her. She is India. Her mother was like her a beautiful, passionate Havanienne, rich in genius, poetry, song luxuriating in the beautiful creations THE COLLEGIAN'S SUPPEK. 35 of others, yet far too indolent to create. More than all, she lost herself amid the oriental elysiums of Moore, and thence she named her only daughter Hinda. And as the maiden budded and bloomed into womanhood well, yes, I believe, after all, it was I who softened down her name to India. It has the same derivation, it is the same name, in fact. Oh I and it suits her." " Describe your nonpareil to me." " I cannot. By my soul's idolatry, I cannot. The best of beauty the charm, the soul, the divine of beauty can never be described or painted. It is spiritual, and can only be perceived." "Humph! is she fair?" " No yet radiant." "Dark?" " No yet shadowy." " Is she tall?" "No." "Short?" "No, no; nonsense!" " What, neither tall nor short ? Perhaps she is of medium height." " I do not know. I cannot tell, indeed. But oh ! she is beautiful she is glorious ! My lady, my queen !" " To come to something tangible, what is the colour of her eyes ?" " On ! what is the colour of love, or joy, or heaven? for as soon could I tell you the colour of these as of her witching eyes. I only know they have light, softly thrilling all the chords of life, like music ; and shadows, calming my spirit, like silence." " Well, I admit the hue of beautiful eyes to be a 2 84 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. mysterious point ; but hair, now, is a little more cer- tain in that respect. Tell me the hue of your lady's tresses." " I cannot. I only know they are rich, warm, and lustrous." "Humph! satisfactory portrait that. Oh! here is Flamingo. Come, Flame, and tell me what is the colour of your young mistress's hair." The latter part of this speech was addressed to Mr. Sutherland's valet, who had just entered. Flamingo was a character in his way ; a handsome, bright mu- latto, with quite a " wealth" of bushy black silky hair and whiskers. Very mercurial in temperament, and excessively fond of dress, he presented quite as gay and gorgeous an exterior as the famous feathered biped, his namesake. Flamingo stood for a moment in a quandary, at the suddenness and novelty of the question put to him. "Oh, come, now; you are not poetically bewil- dered. Can't you tell us the colour of the lady's hair?" " De colour o' Miss Inda's hair, sir a yes, sir its its 'bout de colour o' 'lasses taffy, when you're 'bout half done pullin' of it, an' it's shining." " Molasses taffy ! Out, you wretch ! It is amber- hued, Lauderdale amber-hued, understand ; the rich, warm, lustrous hue of amber. Molasses taffy ! Oh, villain ! To think I could not find a comparison in all nature precious enough for those precious tresses, and he should compare them to molasses taffy ! Out of my sight, beast ! Molasses taffy! PahF exclaimed Suther- land, in disgust, while Lauderdale laughed aloud, and Flamingo vanished into the adjoining chamber, where THE COLLEGIAN'S SUPPER. 35 he turned on the gas, and busied himself in making the apartment comfortable for the night. " Come, let's get out of this mess before the waiters come to clear away the service. Look I This is one of the things that always make me melancholy," said Sutherland, pointing to the disordered table. Both young men were about to retire, when Suther- land again clasped the hand of his friend and said "But you have not yet told me whether you wjll accompany me home. Come, laying all jesting and raillery aside, you know how happy I should be to' have you." "And you know what I have told you before, my dear Sutherland, that I must go to New York for the anniversary week. And by the way, my dear Damon, why cannot you stop a few days before you go South, and attend some of these meetings ?" "Me! Heavens! You shock me! You deprive me of words of breath ! // a Mississippian ! Why, look you ; if I were to attend one of those meetings, and if it should be known in my neighborhood, my friends would turn me off, my uncles disinherit me, and my father rise from his grave to reproach me. Sir, my friends and relatives are ' of the most straitest sect of the Pharisees !' " " And do you share their opinions ?" " Opinions ? Opinions, my dear fellow ! I have no opinions. Opinions, it appears to me, are the currency of of those who have nothing else to offer in ex- change for a living." " Levity ! Oh, Mark, how you sin against your own fine mind I" 86 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEAKL RIVEU. "Oh! come, come, come, no more of that. 'Sir, praise is very flat, except from the fair sex.' " "Ah! I see you are hopelessly flighty to-night. Good night." " Good night. Stay ; you will go with me ?" " No ; unless you first accompany me to New York, and remain through the anniversary week, and attend the meetings." "And hear myself traduced, slandered, abused, cursed ! A pleasant invitation thank you." " And get yourself disabused of many things, you should rather say. See here, Mark, my proposition is perfectly fair and reasonable, and has a meaning in it. Observe : you invite me to the South, and laugh- ingly promise that an actual acquaintance with the patriarchal system shall cool what you call my fever ; and that a Southern bride with two hundred negroes, shall completely cure it. Well, I am reasonable. I am open to conviction. I am willing to try it to examine the 'peculiar institution' with the utmost impartiality. Nor do I fear or doubt the result. But observe further. Both of us, it seems, have heard but one side of this great question. I therefore consent to go with you to the South, and spend some weeks on a cotton plantation, only on condition that you accom- pany me to New York, and attend the anniversary meetings. In a word, I will see your side of the question, if you will hear ours." " I'll do it, I'll go," exclaimed Sutherland, laughing, and clapping his hand cordially into that of Lauder- dale. " I'll go, nor have / any doubt or fear as to the result." A SOUTHERN HOME. 37 CHAPTER II. A SOUTHERN HOME. " A villa beautiful to see ; Marble-porched and cedar-chambered, Hung with silken drapery ; Bossed with ornaments of silver, Interlaid with gems and gold ; Filled with carvings from cathedrals, Rescued in the days of old ; Eloquent with books and pictures, All that luxury can afford ; Warm with statues that Pygmalion Might have fashioned and adored. In the forest glades and vistas, Lovely are the light and gloom : Fountains sparkle in the gardens, And exotics breathe perfume." Hackay. THE sun shines on no more "beautiful and entrancing region than the vale of Pearl river. It is the Elysium. of the sunny south, reposing between the rich alluvial lands of the Mississippi, and the fragrant* pine forests of the Pascagoula. The green land of the valley seems to roll in gentle undulations, like the waves of a calm sea. Between the swelling hills, or rather waves of verdure, flow crystal streams towards the bosom of the Pearl. These lovely hills are capped * All who have travelled through or near the pine woods of Mississippi know the effect of the southern sun upon these trees, ripening and rare- fying from them a most grateful and salubrious fragrance, called the " terebinthine odour." The effect of the climate is still more obvious upon ornamental trees and flowers. Those that lose much of their luxuriant beauty and fragrance in the North, attain in the South their utmost per- fection. 38 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. with groves of the most beautiful and odoriferous of the southern flowering trees. These charming streams are shaded with the most fragrant and delightful of the flowering shrubs and vines. Here nature throws around her riches with an unsparing hand and a wonderful exuberance of luxury. Birds of the most brilliant plumage and enchanting melody fill all the summer groves, at early morn and eve, with their perfect music. Flowers of countless varieties, and most beautiful forms and hues, laden all the air with their ambrosial perfume. The breeze is charged with music and fragrance, as from the spicy groves of Araby the Blest. If in this garden this conservatory of Nature, where all her choicest luxuries are assembled there is one spot more favoured than all the rest, it is " Cash- mere," the beautiful seat of Clement Sutherland. The brothers Sutherland emigrated from the old dominion, and settled on the Pearl river, in those palmy days of cotton-planting, when every planter seemed a very Midas, turning all he touched to gold, and when the foundations were laid of some of the present enormous southern fortunes. It was no lovo for the land of sun that brought the Sutherlands there. They had heard that the common annual profits of the cotton crops were from ten to eighty thousand dollars ; and they had sold their tobacco plantation on the Potomac, and emigrated to the valley of the Pearl. The spot selected by the brothers was that Eden of the valley where the Pearl river turns with a serpen- tine bend in the form of an S with an additional curve, shaping the land into two round points to the west, and one the largest and loveliest to the east. A SOUTHEKX HOME. oU The east point had been taken up by Clement Suther- land, the eldest of the brothers, and the west points by the two others. Thus Clement Sutherland's plan- tation lay embosomed between those of his brethren. On the upper side lay that of Mark, the second brother, and on the lower, that of Paul, the third and bachelor brother. Yery early in life, and some years previous to their emigration, Mark Sutherland had been united in marriage to a lady of St. Mary's one of the noblest of Maryland's noble daughters. From her, their only son, Mark Sutherland, the younger, inherited a strong mind, warm heart, and high spirit ; from his father he took the stalwart form, athletic strength, and dark and sometimes terrible beauty, that marked the race of Sutherland. 1 Clement Sutherland had remained unmarried until long after his settlement upon the Pearl. But one autumn, while on a visit to New Orleans, to negotiate the sale of his cotton, he chanced to meet a beautiful West Indian girl, whom he afterwards wooed and won for his bride. Whether the sweet Havanienne, or the large fortune of which she was the sole heiress, was the object of his worship, was a mooted point by those who knew him best. It is probable he adored both. Certainly no slightest wish or whim of the lovely Creole remained unsatisfied. It was she who gave the charming scene of his home the appropriate name of Cashmere. She it was who persuaded him to pause in his incessant, exclusive thinking, talking, and acting, about cotton-growing, and his mad pur- suit of gain, to build and adorn an elegant villa upon the site of the temporary framed house to which he 40 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. had brought the beautiful epicurienne. Her rare artistic taste presided over the architecture and embellishment of the mansion, and the laying out and ornamenting of the grounds. But here the evanescent energy of the indolent West Indian died out. She was, at best, but a lovely and fragile spring flower, that faded and fell ere the summer of her life had come. She left a child of perfect beauty a little girl who inherited her mother's graceful harmony of form and com- plexion, and her father's strength and vigour of con- stitution. Immediately after the death of her mother, the orphaned infant had been taken home by her aunt, Mrs. Mark Sutherland, to share the maternal cares bestowed upon her only son. The lady gave herself up to the rearing and education of these children. And not the noble mother of the Gracchi was prouder of her "jewels" than Mrs. Sutherland of hers. Thus the infancy and childhood of Mark and Hinda were passed together the same mother's heart, the same nursery, the same school-room, nay, the same book, with their heads together, and their black and golden locks mingled, were shared by the children. And no Guinea mice or turtle doves were ever fonder of each other than our boy and girl. It was a woful day when they were first separated Mark to enter college, and Hinda to be placed at a fashionable boarding-school. Tears fell on both sides, like spring showers. Young Mark, when laughed at for his girlish tears, angrily rejoined, that it was no shame to weep ; that the renowned hero, Achilles, had wept when they took Briseis away from him, also when his friend Patroclus was slain. A SOUTHERN HOME. 41 Paul Sutherland, the third brother, had remained up to the present time unmarried, with the determi- nation to continue so until the end of his life. He bestowed his affections with paternal pride and devo- tion upon his niece and nephew, resolving to make them his joint heirs, and with his own large property swell the enormous bulk of theirs. Just two years previous to the opening of our story, the Pearl river trio had been broken by the death of Mark Suther- land, the elder. Young Sutherland had hastened home to console his widowed mother, but not long did the widow permit him to remain. The lady sent him back at the commencement of the next following term. But it is time to describe more particularly Cash- mere, the charming seat of Clement Sutherland, and the principal scene of our drama. The estate itself was a very extensive one, comprising several thou- sand acres of the richest land in the vale. That part of the plantation on which the villa had been erected lay in a bend of the Pearl river, surrounded on three sides north, east, and south by its pellucid waters. The whole of this area is occupied by the mansion and ornamental grounds. The villa itself is a very elegant edifice of white freestone, fronting the river. The building is long and broad, in proportion to its height this being the necessary plan of all southern mansions, to save them from the effects of the terrible tornadoes that sweep over the country, and to which a higher elevation would expose them. But the mansion is relieved from all appearance of heaviness, by a light and elegant Ionic colonnade, sustaining an open verandah run- 42 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. ning around three sides of the building. On the fourth side, looking to the south, the aspect is diver- sified by a large bay window projecting from the lower story, and an elegant Venetian balcony from the upper one. The villa is also shaded on three sides north, west, and south by a grove of the most beautiful and fra- grant of the southern trees the splendid tulip-poplar, lifting to the skies its slender shaft, crested with elegantly-shaped leaves of the most brilliant and intense verdure, and crowned with its bell-shaped flowers of the most vivid and gorgeous flame colour ; the beautiful cotton- wood tree, softly powdered over with its formless snowy blossoms ; the queenly mag- nolia-grand iflora, with its glittering green foliage and dazzling white flowers and rich oppressive aroma; the pretty red-bud, with its umbrella-shaped top, its crumpled, heart-shaped leaves, and scarlet tufts ; the bois-d'arc, in full bloom, the most splendid and mag- nificent of ornamental trees, uniting the rarest quali- ties of the orange tree and the catalpa ; the chinienne, with its vivid green foliage and brilliant purple flowers, dropping delicious but heavy narcotic odours, weigh- ing down the nerves and brain into luxurious repose, and stupefying the very birds that shelter in its aromatic shades, so that they may be taken captive with the bare hand; the imperial catalpa, sovereign of the grove by virtue of the grandeur and elegance of its form, the grace and beauty of its foliage, and the ambrosial perfume of its flowers, filling all the air around with its delightful fragrance; and many, many others, so various, beautiful, and aromatic, that one is lost and entranced amid the luxuriating wealth A SOUTHERN HOME. 43 of the grove. Birds of the most splendid plumage and the most exquisite melody the goldfinch, the oriole, the redbird, the paroquet, the nightingale, swallow, and innumerable others, shelter here, and their songs fill the air with music. No artificial walk disfigures the sward. The green and velvety turf affords the softest, coolest footing. Rustic seats of twisted bow- wood are under the trees; here and there fountains of crystal water leap, sparkle, and fall, ever playing silvery accompaniments to the song of birds ; statues of Diana, Pan, and the wood- nymphs, peopled the grove. Its shades are the de- lightful resort of the Sutherlands and their friends, to enjoy the freshness and brilliancy of the morning, to find shelter from the burning rays of the sun at noon, or to luxuriate in the delicious breeze of the evening. This Arcadian grove, as has been said, surrounded the house on three sides north, west, and south. The east is the front of the house towards the river. The view here is open, and the most beautiful, charming, and variegated, to be imagined. From the colonnaded verandah a flight of broad marble steps lead to a terrace carpeted with grass, and planted with rose-bushes the Damascus, the Pro- vence, the scarlet, the white, the multiflora, the moss rose; daily, monthly, and perpetual roses; "roses everywhere roses" such a luxuriant exuberance of roses upon this velvety terrace. The rose terrace is divided from the lawn by a trdllage of the most deli- cate and elaborate trellis- work ; and this also is wreathed and festooned by running rose vines. Below this spreads the lawn on every side, not level, but gently waving, and covered with grass as soft, as 44 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. smooth, and as downy as velvet ; and everywhere the eye roves with pleasure over a turf of brilliant intense green, except where it is variegated with the floral mosaic work of gay parterres, or trellised arbours, or reservoirs, or single magnificent forest trees left standing in honour of their monarchal grandeur. The parterres are rich, beautiful, and fragrant beyond de- scription; there our hot-house plants bloom in the open air; and there our common garden flowers violets, lilies, roses, myrtles, irises, and innumerable others flourish with surpassing luxuriance. The arbours, of delicate trellis-work and elegant form, are shaded and adorned with running vines of rich Arme- nean and cape jessamine, honeysuckles, and woodbine. The reservoirs contain gold fish, and other ornamental specimens of the piscatorial kingdom. This extensive and beautiful lawn is surrounded by an iron open-work fencing, very light and elegant in appearance, yet very strong and impassable. Three ornamented gates relieve the uniformity of this iron trellis ; one on the north leads through to the orange groves, always inviting and delightful, whether in full bloom, and shedding ambrosial perfume in the spring, or laden with their golden fruit in the fall. The gate on the north admitted into the vineyard, where every variety of the finest and rarest grapes flourished in luxuriant abundance. The one on the east is central between these two others, and leads from the lawn down to the white and pebbly beach of the Pearl, where pretty boats are always moored for the conve- nience of the rambler who might desire to cross the river. And then the curving river itself is well named the A SOUTHERN HOME. 45 Pearl, from the soft, semi-transparent glow of roseate, whitish, or saffron tints, caught from the heavens. Across the soft water, in rich contrast, lie hills, and groves, and cotton-fields the latter, one of the gayest features in southern scenery. They are sometimes a mile square. They are planted in straight rows, six feet apart ; and the earth between them, of a rich Spanish-red colour, is kept entirely clean from weeds. The plants grow to the height of seven feet, and spread in full-leaved branches, bearing brilliant white and gold-hued flowers. When in full bloom, a cotton- field by itself is a gorgeous landscape. Beyond these hills, and groves, and cotton fields, are other cotton- fields, and groves, and hills, extending on and on, until afar off they blend with the horizon, in soft, in- distinct hues, mingled together like the tints of the clouds. I have led you through the beautiful grounds im- mediately around and in front of the villa ; but behind the mansion, and back of the grove, there are gardens and orchards, and still other fields of cotton and out- houses, and offices, and the negro village called " The Quarters." 46 INDIA. THE TEAKL OF PEARL RIVER. CHAPTER III. THE PLANTER'S DAUGHTER. She has halls and she has vassals, and the resonant steam eagles Follow fast on the directing of her floating dove-like hand, With a thunderous vapour trailing underneath the starry vigils, So to mark upon the blasted heavens the measure of her lands. Mrs. Browning. THE summer sun had just sunk below the horizon, leaving all the heavens suffused with a pale golden and roseate light, that falls softly on the semi-trans- parent waters of the Pearl, flowing serenely on be- tween its banks of undulating hills and dales, and green and purple lights and glooms. No jarring sight or sound breaks the voluptuous stillness of the scene and hour. The golden light has faded from the windows and balconies of the villa, and sunk with the sunken sun. An evening breeze is rising from the dis- tant pine- woods, that will soon tempt the inmates forth to enjoy its exhilarating and salubrious freshness and fragrance. But as yet all is quiet about the mansion. In the innermost sanctuary of that house reposes Miss Sutherland. It is the most elegant of a sumptu- ous suit of apartments, upon which Mr. Sutherland had spared no amount of care or expense having summoned from New Orleans a French artiste, of dis- tinguished genius in his profession, to superintend their interior architecture, furnishing and adornment. The suit consists of a boudoir, two drawing-rooms, a hall or picture gallery, a music room, a double THE PLANTER'S DAUGHTER. 47 parlour, a library, and dining and breakfast rooms ; and, by the machinery of grooved doors, all these splendid apartments may be thrown into one magnifi- cent saloon. But the most finished and perfect of the suite is the luxurious boudoir of India. It is a very bower of beauty 'and love, a chef d'ceuvre of artistic genius, a casket worthy to enshrine the Pearl of Pearl Eiver. There she reposes in the recess of the bay window, "silk-curtained from the sun." This bay window is the only one in the apartment ; it is both deep and lofty, and is a small room in itself. It is curtained off from the main apartment by drapery of purple damask satin, lined with gold-coloured silk, and fes- tooned by gold cords and tassels. The interior of the recess is draped with thin gold-coloured silk alone ; and the evening light, glowing through it, throws a warm, rich, lustrous atmosphere around the form of Oriental beauty, reposing on the silken couch in the recess. It is a rare type of beauty, not easy to realise by your imagination, blending the highest charms of the spiritual, the intellectual, and the sensual, in seeming perfect harmony ; it is a costly type of beauty, pos- sessed often only at a fearful discount of happiness; it is a dangerous organisation, full of fatality to its possessor and all connected with her ; for that lovely and voluptuous repose resembles the undisturbed serenity of the young leopardess, or the verdant and flowery surface of the sleeping volcano. It is a richly and highly gifted nature, but one that, more than all others, requires in early youth the firm and steady guidance of the wise and good, and that in after life 48 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. needs the constant controlling influence of Christian principle. India Sutherland has never known another guide than her own good pleasure. "Queen o'er herself" she is not, indeed, unhappily ; but queen instead over father and lover, friends, relatives, and servants. In truth hers is a gentle and graceful reign. It could not be otherwise, over subjects so devoted as hers. All of them, from Mr. Sutherland her father, down to Oriole her bower-maid, deem it their best happiness to watch, anticipate, and prevent her wants ; and she is pleased to repay such devotion with lovely smiles and loving words. She is, indeed, the tamest as well as the most beautiful young leopardess that ever sheathed claws and teeth in the softest down. She is no hypo- crite ; she is perfectly sincere ; but her deepest nature is unawakened, undeveloped. She knows no more, no, nor as much, as you now do, of the latent strength, fire, and cruelty of those passions which opposition might provoke. There she lay, as unconscious of the seeds of selfishness and tyranny as Nero was, when, at seventeen years of age, he burst into tears at sign- ing the first death-warrant. Awful spirits sleep in the vasty depths of our souls awful in goodness or in evil and vicissitudes are the Glendowers that can call them forth. There she lies, all unconscious of the coming struggle, " a perfect form in perfect rest." A rich dress of light material, yet dark and brilliant colours, flows gracefully around her beautiful figure. She reclines upon a crimson silken couch, her face slightly turned downwards, her head supported by her hand, and her eyes fixed upon a book that lies open upon the downy pillow ; a profusion of smooth, THE PLANTER'S DAUGHTER. 49 shining, amber-hued ringlets droop around her grace- ful Grecian head ; her eyebrows are much darker, and are delicately pencilled ; her eyelashes are also dark and long, and shade large eyes of the deepest blue ; her complexion is very rich, of a clear warm brown, deepening into a crimson blush upon cheeks and lips the brighter and warmer now that the book beneath her eyes absorbs her quite. The light through the golden-hued drapery of the window pours a warm, subdued effulgence over the whole picture. On a cushion below her couch sits a little quadroon girl, of perfect beauty, fanning her mistress with a fan of ostrich plumes ; and while she sways the graceful feathers to and fro, her dark eyes, full of affection and innocent admiration, are fixed upon the beautiful epicurienne. When the rising of the evening breeze began to swell the gold-hued curtains, Oriole dropped her fan, but continued to sit and watch lovingly the features of her lady. When the purple shades of evening began to fall around, Oriole arose softly, and drew back the curtains on their golden wires, to let in more light and air, revealing the terrace of roses, the lawn and its groves and reservoirs, and the lovely rose and amber-clouded Pearl, rolling on between its banks of undulating light and shade; and giving to view, besides, the figure of a lady standing upon the ter- race of roses, and who immediately advanced smiling, and threw in a shower of rose-leaves over the recum- bent reader, exclaiming "Will that wake you? MonDieu! What is it you are idling over? The breeze is up, and playing a prelude through the pine tops and cane-brakes, and 3 50 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIYEH. the birds are about to break forth in. their evening song. Will you come out ?" The speaker was a lady of about twenty-five years of age, of petite form, delicate features, dark and bril- liant complexion, and sprightly countenance, which owed its fascination to dazzling little teeth, and ripe lips bowed with archness, great sparkling black eyes full of mischief, and jetty ringlets in whose very intri- cacies seemed to lurk a thousand innocent conspiracies. She was dressed in mourning, if that dress could be called mourning which consisted of a fine light black tissue over black silk, and a number of jet bracelets set in gold, that adorned the whitest, prettiest arms in the world, and a jet necklace that set off the white- ness of the prettiest throat and bosom. Mrs. Vivian, of New Orleans Annette Valeria Vivian spirituelle Valerie piquant Nan I the widow of a wealthy mer- chant, a distant relative of Mrs. Sutherland by her mother's side, and now with her step-daughter on a visit of some weeks here at " Cashmere." " Ciel! then do you hear me? What volume of birds or flowers do you prefer to the living birds and flowers out here ? What book (pardieu !) of poetry do you like better than the gorgeous pastoral poem spread around us ? Mon Dieu ! she does not hear me yet ! India, I say I" exclaimed the impatient little beauty, throwing in another shower of rose petals. Miss Sutherland, languid and smiling, rose from her recumbent posture, and handed her the volume. " Pope ! by all that is solemnly in earnest ! Pope's Essay on Man, by all that is grave, serious and awful ! Why, I thought at the very worst it was some Flora's THE PLANTER'S DAUGHTER. 51 Annual, or Gems of the Aviary, or some other of the embossed and gilded trifles that litter your rooms. But Pope's Essay on Man ! Why, I should as soon have expected to find you studying a work on tanning and currying!" "Oh, hush, you tease! And tell me what these lines mean. I have been studying them for the last half hour, and can't make them out." ''You studying! Ha! ha! ha! You doing any- thing! By the way, I have been trying to discover what office I hold near the person of our Queen. I have just this instant found out that I am thinker in ordinary to her gracious majesty." "Well, dear Nan, do credit to your post think me out these lines," said the beauty, languidly sinking back upon her couch. " But what lines do you mean ?" " Oriole, show them to her. Oh, never mind, you don't know them. Hand me the book, Nan ! Here, here are the lines now make out a meaning for them, if you can : And binding nature fast in fate, Left free the human will.' " "Well," said Mrs. Vivian, laughing, "it sounds very like And tying Adam hand and foot, Bid him get up and walk !' And it looks as if it might have been written by Uncle Billy Bothsides! Ah, by the way, here he comes. Talk of the evil one, and you know the rest. Ah, I shall be amused to hear his opinion of the sentiment in question. It is just in his way." 52 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. I am sure that I shall never be able to do justice to the gentleman that was now seen advancing from the lawn Mr. William I. Boiling, as he called himself; Billy Boiling, as he was called by his brothers-in-law ; Boiling Billy, as called by his boon companions of the bowling alley ; Uncle Billy, by the young people; Marse Billy, by the negroes ; and Billy Bothsides, by everybody else. He was a short, fat, little gentleman, of about fifty years of age, and clothed in an immacu- late suit of white linen, with a fresh broad-brimmed straw hat, which as he walked he carried in one hand, while in the other he flourished out a perfumed linen handkerchief, with which he wiped his face and rubbed his head. His little head was covered with fine light hair, that did not shade, but curled itself tightly off from his round, rosy, good-natured face, full of cheer- fulness, candour, and conceit. The damper or the warmer the weather, or the more excited state of Uncle Billy's feelings, then the redder grew his face and the tighter curled off his flaxen hair. Mr. Boiling was one of those social and domestic ne'er-do-weels of which every large family connection may rue its specimen one of those idle hangers-on to others, of which almost every southern house does penance with at least one. He was a brother of Mrs. Mark Sutherland, but no credit to his sister or their mutual family ; though, to use his own qualifying style, neither was he any dishonour to them. He was a bachelor. He said it was by his own free election that he led a single life, though he vowed he very much preferred a married life ', that nothing could be justly compared to the blessings of celibacy, except rhe beatitude of matrimony. He compromised with THE PLANTER'S DAUGHTER. 53 the deficiency of every other sort of importance by a large surplus of se/f-importance. He valued himself mostly upon what he called his cool blood, clear head, and perfect impartiality of judgment. He was not to be seduced by love or bribed by money to any sort of partisanship. And as there are two sides to most questions under the sun, and as Mr. Boiling would look impartially upon positive and negative at once, so Billy "Won himself an everlasting name." He now came up to the bay window, wiping his face, and fanning himself, and saying "Good evening, ladies I It is a perfectly delightful evening though, to be su^e, it is insufferably warm." Mrs. Yivian immediately challenged him with, " Mr. Boiling, we are anxious to know your opinion upon these lines of Pope ;" and she read them to him, and put the book in his hands. He took it, and wiped his face, and fanned himself but these cooling opera- tions seemed to heat him all the more, for his face grew very red and his flaxen hair crisped tightly as he gazed upon the page, and said : " Eh, yes, that's all right certainly 1" "We believe it right, but what does it mean?" " Mean ! Why, this is what it means 'Binding nature fast in fate, Left free the human will;' certai nly yes.' ' "Please to explain yourself, Mr. Boiling," said the widow, while India gazed on in languid amusement. Uncle Billy wiped his forehead, and said, "Why 54: IXDIA. THE PEARL OF PEAKL RIVER. I don't think ladies understand these grave theologi- cal matters." " No, but you can enlighten us, Mr. Boiling." "You see these lines comprise the profoundest pro- blems of philosophy so profound as to perplex the understandings of the greatest scholars and philoso- phers that have ever lived ; so profound, in fact, as to be quite unintelligible even to me yet so simple as to be easily comprehended by the narrowest intellect so simple as to be clear even to you, or to Fly here." This was said of a small boy who at that instant appeared with a basket of oranges. " Fly, do you know what your master William is talking about ?" "Yes, ma'am ; politics." "Exactly," smiled Valeria; "go on, Mr. Boiling." "Heml Observe, Mrs. Vivian, that there is an ana- logy all through nature physical, mental, moral, spiritual." " Yes. Fly, listen what is he talking about now ?" " Physic and sparrits, ma'am." " That is right. Pray go on, Mr. Boiling." " Yes ; permit me to seat myself." Uncle Billy let himself cautiously down upon the green turf. Valeria gave her hand to India, who stepped out upon the terrace and seated herself. Mrs. Vivian sank down near her. Oriole placed herself by her mistress, with the plume fan. Fly stood a short distance off, with his basket of oranges. The tall rose trees, blown by the breeze, shed cool- ness and fragrance over the party. The beautiful va- riegated lawn, with its groves, ponds, and parterres, THE PLANTER'S DAUGHTER. 55 stretched out before them; and below it flowed on, between its banks of purple shadow, the limpid Pearl, with the evening light fast fading from its white bosom. "Now, then, Mr. Boiling!" "Now, then, Mrs. Vivian! I said that there was an analogy running through the universe of nature; thus, the centripetal and centrifugal forces, that modify each other's power, and regulate the motions of the planetary systems, correspond exactly to predestina- tion and free will" "Do you understand him now, Fly?" "No, ma'am; Marse Billy's too deep for me now." " And for me too, Fly ; put down your basket now, and go, Fly. I dislike to see a poor child tiring him- self, first upon one foot, and then upon the other ; it puts me ill at ease." "Yes, go! you sickly little wretch, you! I wonder how you think the ladies like to have such an ugly little attenuated black shrimp as you are about them; and I'm astonished at the gardener for presuming to send you here. Be off with you, and never show your face again," said Master Billy, growing very red in the face with zeal and gallantry. Little Fly looked first surprised and grieved, and tnen penitent on the score of his sickness and de- formity, and set down his basket and turned to go. " Please don't scold him, Mr. Boiling ; it's not his fault, poor little fellow! - It was I who asked Mr. Sutherland to take him from the field and place him in the garden, because it is shadier there, and the work is lighter. Everybody cannot be strong and handsome can they, Fly ?" And the gentle speaker 66 INDIA. THE PEAKL OF PEAKL K1VEK. turned and laid her hand kindly upon the boy's head and smiled encouragingly in his face. The child looked up in grateful affection ; and the eyes of all the party were raised to welcome the orphan step- daughter of Mrs. Vivian. She was a fair, pale girl, of a gentle, thoughtful, pensive cast of countenance and style of beauty, with which her plain dress of deep mourning perfectly harmonized. "Come and sit by me, Rosalie, love," said the widow, making room for the maiden, half embracing her with one arm. The kind girl put au orange in the boy's hand, and, smiling, motioned him away ; and Fly, no longer mortified, but solaced and cheerful, ran off. "Now proceed, Mr. Boiling. Rosalie, dove, Mr. Bolliiig is explaining to us the two great motive powers of the universe ; the centripetal, which he says means the law of the Lord, and the centrifugal, which he says means the temptation of the demon. And we, my love, are the planetary bodies, kept from extremes of good and evil by the opposite action of these two forces. Is not this it, Mr. Boiling ?" "No, madam; riol no! no! Lord! Lord! Thus it is to expose one's theories, especially to Mrs. Vivian there, who would wrest the plainest text of Scripture to her own perdition. No, ma'am ; I was about to say that the overruling will of Providence and the free agency of man were the two great motive powers of the moral universe the human free will, being the great inward and impulsive force, is the centrifugal or fly ing-off power, and the government of God the cen- tripetal or constraining power ; that in the moral world these two great forces modify each other's action, just THE PLANTER'S DAUGHTER. 57 as their prototypes do in the material world keeping all in healthful action. Do you understand me ?" "Do you understand yourself, Mr. Boiling?" " Ah, I see you don't women seldom do 1" said Uncle Billy, wiping his forehead. " Thus, then, were man without free will without the power of working out his own salvation, or the privilege of sending himself to perdition, if he desired it he would no longer be a moral agent, and, were he never so sinless, he would be at the best only a sinless puppet, an automaton, and God's creation would be a dumb show. And, on the other hand, were human free will left without restraint of the Lord's overruling government, why, man would rush into all sorts of extravagances, become a maniac, and convert God's order into chaos again. But, both these evil extremes being avoided, the Scylla of inert, passive obedience is left upon the right, and the Charybdis of unbridled license on the left, and all goes on well and harmoniously. And now I hope you understand how it is that in ' binding nature fast in fate,' God still left free the human will." "No, I do not; it seems to me that we are free agents, or we are not free agents one or the other." " We're both, I assure you both. Truth generally lies between extremes. I have known that all my life, and acted upon it. We are free agents, and we are not that is to say, we are free agents within a certain limit, and no further. And observe, my dear Mrs. Yivian, and my dear girls ! within tliat limit we have still room enough to save or to lose our souls/" This speech was concluded with so much solemnity of manner, that it imposed a silence on the little 58 INDIA. THE PEAUL OF PEARL RIVER. circle, that might have lasted much longer than it did, had Mr. Boiling been disposed to repose on his laurels, lie was not. " Now, are you satisfied, madam ?" he inquired of Mrs. Vivian. The little lady shook her jetty ringlets, and slowly picked her marabout fan to pieces. " I think mamma wishes to know why these things need be so," said Eosalie. " My sweet Miss Vivian, little maidens should be seen, and not heard." " Don't tempt Mr. Boiling beyond his depth, Rosa- lie," smiled the widow ; and not suiting the action to the word, she handed Uncle Billy an orange she had just peeled. The little gentleman received the attention with a deprecating, humble bow, and, to prevent inconve- nient questioning, turned to Miss Sutherland, and inquired when she had heard from her cousin Mark, winking with what he supposed to be a killing leer. The beauty slightly raised her lip and arched her brows, but deigned no other answer. "Oh, she has not heard from Mr. Sutherland for three whole days, and his last letter was but twelve pages long. I am afraid he is fickle, like the rest. I should not wonder if he were now the humble servant of some northern blue . It is written, ' put not your trust in' pantaloons. Men are so uncertain," said Valeria. " Men are so uncertain 1 What men ? Uncertain in what respect ?" " All men are uncertain, in all things !" " Humph, that is a totally unfounded calumny on THE PLANTER'S DAUGHTER. 59 our sex ; though, to be candid, I acknowledge it is but too true of all men, without a single exception save myself!" "You? Oh, dear, oh! Ha! ha! ha! You!" " Yes, me ! In what did you ever find me uncer- tain?" "In what? Oh, heavens! he asks in what! Why, in all things mental, moral, and physical! In reli- gion, politics, and morality ! In friendship, love, and truth! In war, courtship, and money! In one word, you are a thorough, essential, organic uncertainty. Other people are uncertain you are uncertainty. I think, in the day of general doom, you will find yourself nothing in nowhere!" Uncle Billy turned away from this unmerciful philippic, and again asked Miss Sutherland if she had lately heard from her cousin. " I have not heard from him for two weeks," re- plied the young lady, in a low voice, and without raising her eyes. "Nan, what would you give me for a letter?" in- quired Mr. Boiling, rolling his little blue eyes merrily, as. he drew one from his pocket and laid it before her. " Oh, Mr. Boiling! have you had this letter all this time, and detained it from me?" said the beauty, re- proachfully, as she took it, and, excusing herself, withdrew into the house to peruse it. " Come, Eosalie, this night air is deadly to you, my child." " Oh, mamma, see, the full moon is just rising over those purple hills. I only want to see it reflected in the river, and then I will come." "Are you moon-struck, then, Rosalie? Come in; 00 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. you can safely view the scene from the house. Be- sides, coffee is about to be served." And the lady gave her hand to her step-daughter and assisted her to arise, and then tenderly drawing the girl's arm within her own, turned to lead her into the house. And Mr. Boiling lifted himself up, and picking up his straw hat, said "And I must go down to the cotton-mills, and make Clement Sutherland come home to his supper. Heigh-ho! it's an incontrovertible fact, that if I did not walk after that man and take care of him, he'd kill himself in the pursuit of gain in one month. Everything is forgotten mental culture and bodily comfort. I have to bully him to his breakfast, and dragoon him to his dinner, and scare him to his sup- per. If things go on in this way, I shall have to cut up his food and place it to his lips. He is growing to be a monomaniac on the subject of money-getting. He is as thin as a whipping-post, and about as en- livening to look upon. He looks like a weasel in the winter time, all skin and hair, and cunning and care ! He looks as if he felt poor in the midst of all his pos- sessions, and I suppose he really does ; while here arn I, without a sous, cent, markee, happy as a king, and much more at leisure; eating hearty, and sleeping sound, and growing fat; 'having nothing, yet pos- sessing all things,' according to Scripture, and without a care in life, except to keep Clement from sharing the fate of Midas, and starving in the midst of gold. And, by-the-by, that is another heathen myth, with an eternal, awful truth wrapped up in it. Heigh-bol. Well, here's to bring him home to his supper. And a hot time 1 shall have of it, between him and the in- THE PLANTER'S DAUGHTER. 61 fernal machinery! I shall not get the thunder of the mills out of my ears, or the shower of cotton-lint out of my eyes, nose, and throat, the whole night ! Oriole, is that you ? Do you go and tell the housekeeper, child, to have something comforting prepared for your poor master. He's had nothing since breakfast; I couldn't find him at dinner-time. He was gone, devil knows where, to inspect, devil knows what ! He is the only southerner I ever did know to give himself up so entirely to the worship of Mammon, and the only one, I hope, I ever shall know I" And, having eased his mind by this fit of grum- bling, Uncle Billy waddled off on his benevolent errand to the mills. In the meantime Mrs. Vivian conducted her step- daughter into the drawing-room communicating with Miss Sutherland's boudoir. The room was now bril- liantly lighted up, but vacant of the family. The broad doors were slidden back into the walls, reveal- ing the boudoir in its rich-toned gloom and gleam of purple and gold; and India herself, standing in the midst, quite lost in thought, with one jewelled hand pressing back the amber ringlets from her forehead, and the other hanging down by her side, clasping the letter of Mr. Sutherland. So deeply troubled and perplexed was her look, that Valeria impulsively sprang to her side, exclaiming, "What grieves you, my dearest India ? No evil news, I trust ?" Miss Sutherland burst into tears, and silently handed ner the letter. But before Valeria had turned it about and found the commencement, India recovered her voice, and said in broken accents, "You know how closely I have kept his correspondence for the last 62 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. few weeks. Alas ! 1 have Lad reason for it, Valeria. Little do his uncles imagine what detains him at the North. But he conceals nothing from me, and he lays the heavy responsibility of his confidence upon me. For a month past it has been an onerous burden to my conscience." " My love ! what has he been doing there ? Has he killed his man in a duel, and got himself in trouble, in that frozen stiff North, where a gentleman cannot even shoot his rival in a generous quarrel, without being put to the inconvenience of a judicial investi- gation ? I really do suppose that is it, now !" " Oh, no ! Would it were only that ! That were no dishonour, at least. Oh, no ! It is as much worse as it could possibly be!" "I cannot believe that Mr. Sutherland would do aught unworthy of a man and a gentleman." " Woe to my lips that they should utter the charge. But read his letter, Valeria, and advise me, for I am deeply distressed," said Miss Sutherland ; and she threw herself back into a cushioned chair, and bowed her face upon her hands, until all the amber ringlets drooped and veiled them. Valeria ran her eyes quickly over the letter, and then she threw herself into a chair but it was to laugh. Miss Sutherland raised her head in silent sur- prise and displeasure. But still Valeria laughed, till the tears ran down her cheeks, holding up one hand in speechless deprecation, to implore forgiveness for a mirth impossible to restrain. When she found her voice "Why, my dear, unsophisticated girl, there is nothing except a great deal of food for laughter in all this! He has been in New York nt thn li-M^t- of THE PLANTER' s DAUGHTER. 63 the annual fever, and has caught it ! He has been bit by a raging reformer, and gone rabid 1 Not the first hot-headed young southerner sent to a northern col- lege who has fallen into the same series of fevers. But they all come safely through it! When they) find out that to free their slaves means just to empty their pockets, and go to work with their own hands or brains, you have no idea how refrigerating the effect. Don't fear for Mr. Sutherland. He will be brought beautifully out of it ! Only note it! he will never send a son of his to be educated at a northern college. Come, cheer up, my love, and never mind my laughing. Really it is legitimate food for laugh- ter! Ha! ha! ha! ha! ha!" " Oh, don't ! Only think of it, even at its best ! Here, for weeks past, he has been mingling freely with these sort of persons mixing in their assemblies, where people of all colours and castes meet on equal terms, in a stifling crowd oh, Queen of Heaven ! it is a ruinous dishonour an unspeakable insult he has cast upon me, his betrothed !" she exclaimed, rising with all the proud and passionate energy of deep and strong conviction. And again Mrs. Vivian gave way to a peal of silvery laughter, exclaiming, "Why, you simple maiden I gentlemen will do such odd things, because you see they (poets excepted) have no instincts not even any original ideas of refinement. But be com- forted ! He comes to us by sea, and will have passed through several hundred miles of salt sea wind before he reaches your fragrant boudoir." " Do not pursue this subject ! Do not, Valeria ! Do 64 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. not press it upon me so I It wrongs, it injures me 1 feel it does 1" said India, with energetic earnestness. " I never saw you so deeply and strongly moved before nonsense! But indeed I must have my laugh out with somebody ! It is, besides, too good to keep this ludicrous secret ! Ah, here comes Mr. Boiling, with Uncle Clement in his wake, no doubt, for he went to fetch him 1 I must tell Uncle Clement of his son-in-law's conversation or die. "Uncle, Uncle Clement! what do you think has happened to Mark ? Listen," exclaimed the vivacious lady, running off with the letter. Miss Sutherland sprang and caught her hand, and, pale as death, cried out, " On your life, Valeria on your soul ! You do not know my father ; he abhors those sects with an exterminating fury of hatred ! Give me the letter ! Nay, now by your honour, Valeria ! It was a sacred confidence. Give me the letter!" and she wrested the contended paper away from the giddy, laughing, little lady. "Heycfa?// What the mischief is all this? A re- gular romp or wrestle ? Let me put down my hat, and I'll stand by and see fair play," exclaimed Mr. Boiling, who had just entered. Blushing with anger at having suffered herself to be surprised out of her usual repose of manner, Miss Sutherland sat down in silent dignity, while Mrs. Vivian, still laughing, inquired, "Where is uncle?" "Where? Yes! ' Echo answers where ?' He has not been home to breakfast nor dinner, and now I suppose he'll not be here to supper. I went down to the mill to bring him home to supper ; he was not there! Guess where he was? Gone over the other THK PLANTERS Ii.U'GHTKR. ('<> side of the river, to preside at the lynching of an jm cendiary. Upon my sacred word and honour!" ex- --JL J claimed Uncle Billy, growing crimson in the face, "the most cruel, unjust, unwarrantable proceeding I ever heard of in all my life ; though, to be perfectly fair, I must say it serves the fellow exactly right." "Apropos what did I tell- you, Valeria?" said Miss Sutherland, in a low voice. " And, now, what is this mighty mystery that must be concealed from Clement?" Mrs. Yivian and Miss Sutherland exchanged glances, and the latter replied : "It is a letter from Mr. Suther- land, sir, that concerns myself alone, and I do not choose to make its contents public, even at the sug- gestion of my dear esteemed friend here." "Ah! Umph hum! Yes! But now, my dear child, let me say one word. Young people are foolish, and need to be counselled by the wisdom of age. Observe, therefore, what I say, and be guided by my advice. There is no circumstance or combination of circumstances whatever, that will justify you in with- holding any secret from your father; nevertheless, I am bound to say that nothing under the sun could excuse you in betraying, even to him, the confidence of your betrothed husband. Now, I hope you under- stand your duiy! At least, you have my advice!" said Uncle Billy, wiping his head, after which he placed his handkerchief in his straw hat, seated him- self, and put the hat upon the carpet between his feet all with a look of great self-satisfaction. "At least the advice is very practical!" said an ironical voice behind him. All turned to see Mr. Sutherland the elder, who had silently entered. Ho 4 66 INDIA. THE PKARL OF PEARL H1VK11. was of an unusually tall, attenuated form, with a yellow, bilious, cadaverous face, whetted to the keen- est edge by care and rapacity, and surrounded by hair and whiskers so long and bristling as to give quite a ferocious aspect to a set of features that with- out them would have looked merely cunning. lie strode into the midst of the circle, and standing be- fore his daughter, demanded in an authoritative tone, " Give me that letter, Miss Sutherland 1" She turned deadly pale, but without an instant's hesitation arose to her feet, placed the letter in her bosom, and stood fronting him. Seeing that the matter was about to take a very serious turn, Mrs. Vivian playfully interfered, by nestling her soft little hand into the great bony one of the planter, and saying, with her bewitching smile, " Ah, then, Mr. Sutherland, let young people alone. Do not rifle a young girl's little mysteries. Remem- ber when you were youthful it was not so long ago but what you can remember, I am sure," she said with an arch glance. " And when you used to write sweet nonsense to one beautiful Cecile, her mother, how would you have liked it if the practical commercial eyes of good Monsieur Dumoulins had read your letters ? Come ! give me your arm to supper ; we have waited for you half an hour ;" and the lively lady slipped her arm into his ; and Mr. Sutherland with the very ill grace of a bear led captive, suffered himself to be carried off. Mr. Billy Boiling, with a flourishing bow, gave his hand to Miss Sutherland, and Paul Sutherland led Rosalie. The apartment was very pleasant. The inner shut- ters of wire irau/e, that wore closed against the mos- MRS. SUTHERLAND. 67 quitoes, did not exclude the fresh and fragrant evening breeze that fanned the room. The elegant tea-table stood in the midst, and the whole was illumined by light subdued through shades of ground glass not figured but plain, and diffusing a soft, clear, even radiance. They sat down to the table, and coffee and tea were served by waiters from the .sideboard. To dispel the last shades of suspicion and discontent from the mind of Mr. Sutherland, Mrs. Vivian remarked : " We are to have Mr. Mark Sutherland home in a very few days, if I understand aright. N^est ce pas, chere Indie?' 1 ' 1 Miss Sutherland only bowed, and the conversation turned upon their approaching voyage to Europe. CHAPTER IV. MRS. SUTHERLAND. On her cheek the autumn flush Deeply ripens; such a blush In the midst of brown was born, Like red poppies grown with corn. Round her eyos her tresses lay Which are blackest, none can say; But long lashes veil a light That had else been all too bright. Hood. ON the opposite side of the Pearl from Cashmere, and a little further down the river, and back from its banks, in a small vale embosomed in hills, was Silent- shades, the home of Mark Sutherland. The homestead was the same that had been built by his father, upon first laying out the plantation. The house was very 68 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RTVER. modest and unpretending a moderate-sized, oblong building of two stories, painted light brown, with green shutters, and with piazzas surrounding both floors. The house was shaded and darkened by catalpa trees clustering thick about it and overhanging the roof. The pillars of the piazzas were thickly twined with running vines, that, branching and interlacing, formed a beautiful treillage of foliage and flowers. Doors from this piazza admitted directly into the rooms upon the first floor. In the right-hand front room, opening upon two sides into the piazza, upon the next evening after the events related in the last chapter, sat Mrs. Sutherland. She was a medium- sized, full-formed brunette, of perhaps forty years of age ; yet so perfect was her physical organization, and so well regulated her moral nature, so even, calm, and blameless had been the tenor of her life, that now, she was a specimen not, certainly, of youthful beauty but of a rarer kind of matured and perfected matronly beauty. Her style was noble and simple. Her rich, abundant hair of glossy black, with purplish light, was plainly di vided above a broad forehead, and laying down upon the temples in heavy looped bands, was carried be- hind and twisted into a thick, rich coil, and wound round and round into a large knot fastened with pins; there were no combs, curls, ribbons, or fripperies of any sort, to mar the simple, grand beauty of the head. The eye- brows were black and lightly arched; the eyes large, dark, and very quiet, under their curtain of long black lashes; the nose perfectly straight; and the cheeks, lips, and chin, perfectly beautiful in contour. Her complexion was of that mellow, Italian brown, flush- ing and deepening in tln < > .h<--Aks to a carnation richness. MKS. SUTHERLAND. 69 (ITncle -Billy, who sincerely admired his sister, always said that her complexion ever reminded him of the bloom on a ripe, luscious peach.) Her dress was very simple a black silk with a delicate lace collar pinned with a small diamond brooch. She sat in an easy chair, reading a letter ; and as she read and turned the leaves a quiet smile would just dawn and play on her lips. By her side was a stand with an open book, a workbox, and a little silver handrbell. At last, without removing her eyes from the letter, she smilingly extended her hand, and rang the little bell. A servant entered, and still without withdrawing her eyes from the fascinating letter, she said : " Send Mrs. Jolly to me, William." The man withdrew with a bow, and the house- keeper entered, and awaited the commands of the lady. Slowly and smilingly folding up the letter, she said, "Mr. Sutherland is coming home this evening. He brings a friend, a young gentleman, with him. I wish you to have their chambers prepared ; and do remem- ber to close the wire-gauze blinds, and burn catalpa leaves in the rooms, to- destroy any mosquitoes that may remain." " And at what time shall 1 order supper, madam ?" " Ah, yes it will be necessary to put it back two or three hours. You must judge of that. Mr. Suther- land may arrive at any time between this and ten o'clock." The housekeeper left the room, and the lady sank into her chair again, to re-peruse her letter, smiling and murmuring to herself, half aloud "Dear boy! dearest Mark ! Sure no mother ever had a son like 70 INDIA. THE PEAKL OF PEARL RIVER. mine. Comes to me first comes to me before hasten- ing to see his lady-love his adored India. Dearest Mark but his devotion shall be rewarded. He shall find his India here." And she went to a writing-desk, took paper, and pen, and ink, and wrote the following note: SILENTSHADES, June, 184-. DEAR INDIA : My dear niece, but dearer daughter, just get into your carriage, and come to me, and do not pause to wonder why I ask you. It is late, I know, but the moon shines brightly, and the roads are good your driver is careful, and the distance is short. More than all, dear daughter, I consider your coming very important. So hasten, darling, to Your affectionate aunt and mother, HELEN B. SUTHERLAND. Having sealed this letter, the lady rang the bell and gave it in charge of a footman, urging dispatch. Soon a waiter entered, and lighted up the rooms ; and he had scarcely closed the blinds and withdrawn, before the sound of carriage-wheels was heard ap- proaching, and the lady hastened out into the hall. The carriage paused before the door, and in an instant after, Mark Sutherland had alighted, and was clasped to the bosom of his mother. " Oh, my dear Mark ! I am so overjoyed to have you again 1" " Dear mother, I am so proud and happy to find you looking so well! Permit me to present my friend Mr. Lincoln Lauderdale Mrs. Sutherland." A low bow from the gentleman, and a deep courtesy SUTHERLAND. 71 from the lady, and then smilingly throwing off her habitual reserve, Mrs. Sutherland offered her hand, saying " I am very glad to see you, Mr. Lauderdale. You are not a stranger, I assure you. My son has taught rne to esteem you, and desire your friendship. Will you enter now ?" And with another smile she gave her hand to her guest, and permitted him to lead her into the drawing- room. Mr. Sutherland remained in the hall to give some directions to the grooms, and to order the baggage of his guest to be taken up to his chamber. After which he entered the parlour, and laying his hand affectionately upon his friend's shoulder, said " My dear Lauderdale, when you feel disposed or, rather, if you feel disposed to change your dress Flamingo will show you your apartment. Supper will be ready Madame, when will supper be ready?" " My dear Mark, any time in an hour an hour and a half" "In an hour, Lincoln ; that will give you ample time. Flame ! lights here. Show Mr. Lauderdale to his room, and consider yourself in his exclusive ser- vice while he honours us with his company. I pre- sume you will prefer Flame, my dear Lincoln, because you already know the fellow." " Thank you, but really I do not need" " Oh, say not a word, my dear boy ! When you have been subjected to the enervating influence of this climate for a week, you will better know what you need.'' 72 INDIA. THE PEARL OK PEAKL 1UVE1J. By this time Flamingo made bis appearance with chamber lamps. Lauderdale arose to follow him. Sutherland accompanied him into the hall. " My dear Mark," said the former, " did I under- stand you to say that Mrs. Sutherland was your own mother ?" " Undoubtedly my own mother ! "What a question ! Besides, my friend, pardon me! but really, whero are your eyes ? We are said to be the image of each other !" " Well, now, although both of you are dark, with high complexions, I cannot see the likeness, to save my soul," said Lauderdale, mischievously; then ad- ding, " she is very handsome." "Is she not!" echoed Sutherland, with enthusiasm, and accompanying Lauderdale ; up stairs "the hand- somest woman in the world? oh, except one. You should see India. And, more than that, she my mother, I mean is the most excellent, except none." "I cannot think that she was so handsome in early youth as she is now." "Oh, I suppose her youth to her maturity was as the budding to the blooming rose that is all. Here is your room. Make Flame supply you with anything you may need, that is not at hand ; and for your lii'e nay, more, for your good looks, worth more than lil'e do not open the wire shutters ; if you do, you may look in the glass in ten minutes after, and fancy your- self ill with the erysipelas. Au revoirf When you are ready, come down." Mark Sutherland left the room, and instead of seek- in.; hi.s own rluiinber, to refresh himself with a change MES. SUTHERLAND. 73 of raiment, he hastened down the stairs, entere 1 the parlour, and once more clasped his mother fervently in his arms, and " My dearest mother," and " My dearest Mark," were the words exchanged between them. " But, oh, Mark ! how haggard you look, my love ! You have been ill, and never let me know it." " No, upon my honour, mother I" " Ah, but you are so pale and thin, and your ex- pression is so anxious what is it? What can it be, Mark?" " My own dear mother, it is nothing that should give you any uneasiness. I have had a long, fatiguing ride, and I have not heard from India for more than a week. How is my Pearl ?" " Ah, rogue ! a lover's anxiety. Is that the cause of those haggard looks ? And yet, to come to me first ! Dear Mark ! But I have anticipated all your wishes. Your India will be here to meet you I am expecting her every moment. Hark! there are her carriage- wheels 1" said the lady, going to the window; then hurrying back, she exclaimed, "Pestef she has some one with her that lively little Mrs. Vivian, I suppose. Listen, Mark ! I will carry her off to a dressing-room, and leave you to meet India. She does not know that you are here." And Mrs. Sutherland went to the hall door, which she reached just as Mrs. Vivian, who was the first to alight, entered. ^ "Ah, how do you do, Mrs. Vivian? I am very glad to see you! Come, come into my room." " Oh, but stop let us wait for India 1" " By no means, my dear. Mark will wait for her." 71 INDIA. THE FEAKL OF PEAUL RIVER. "A-h-h-hf He has come!" " Certainly," said the lady, carrying off her captive. India sauntered languidly up the door-stairs. Mark sprang forward to meet her. She started paled reeled might have fallen, but he caught her to his bosom, murmuring deeply, earnestly, "India! my India T For a moment she had nearly swooned with sur- prise and joy, but in the next instant she recovered, and deeply blushing, withdrew herself from him, say- ing, " I did not know that you were here." "I have only this instant arrived," he replied. " My dear, beautiful India ! to see you, it is unspeak- able happiness." And he would have clasped her form again, but with flushed cheek she glided out of his arms and entered the parlour. He followed her, placed an easy chair, seated her on it, rolled a cushion to her feet, untied and removed her bonnet, lifted the mass of shining amber ringlets and pressed them to his face, and then would have sunk down upon the cushion at her feet there to sit and worship with his eyes her peerless beauty, only the sound of light footsteps and silvery laughter arrested the folly. It was Valeria, who, chatting and laughing with her usual gaiety, entered, accompanied by Mrs. Suther- land. Their entrance was soon followed by that of Mr. Lauderdale, who was immediately presented to Mrs. Vivian and Miss Sutherland. Supper was next announced, and the party left the drawing-room. After supper, the evening was spent in music, conversation, and cards. A storm arising. detained the ladies all night. After the party had MRS. SUTHERLAND. 75 separated, each to seek his or her own apartment, Sutherland stopped for an instant in Lauderdale's room to ask, "Well, what do you think of her, Lin- coln ?" " She is perfectly beautiful." "Is she not?" " There is positively nothing possible to be added to her beauty 1" "Ah, did I not tell you so?" " She has taken me completely captive." "The deuce! I did not require you to be taken captive." " If I were only in a condition to seek the lady's love" " Humph ! What would you do, then ?'' " Lose no time in suing for it." " The demon you wouldn't ! That is extremely cool, upon my sacred word and honour !" " Such glorious black eyes !" " They are not black, mine honest friend, but blue celestial blue." "Blue, are they? I thought they were black; but, in truth, one cannot follow their quickly-changing light and shade to find the hue, they scintillate and flash so." "Scintillate and flash! Why, they are calm and steady as stars. What the deuce are her eyes to you?" "And then her magnificent black hair!" " Black ! you are mad ! Hers is bronze in the shade, and golden in the sunlight. D 1 fly away with you!" the latter clause under his breath. " I swear her hair is superb black !" 76 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. "Who are you talking about?" "Who who but charming Mrs. Vivian!" "Cousin Valeria! Oh-h-h-h! ha! ha! ha! And/ was speaking of India ! So you think Mrs. Vivian good-looking ?" " Good-looking divine." " I thought no one in his senses could apply that term to any woman but Miss Sutherland." "Who the red-haired young lady?" " Red-haired /" burst out the voice of Sutherland, in indignant astonishment ; then reining in his anger with a strong hand, he added, " Lincoln, you are my friend, but there are some provocations" "Miss Sutherland is graceful" said Lauderdale, with a quiet smile. "Tah-tah-tah, with your faint praises ; good-night." " Now, here is a reasonable man! When he thought me praising his love with great fervour, he was so jealous as to feel like running me through the heart ; and now that he finds me very moderate in my admi- ration of his idol, he is angry enough to sweep my head off at a blow," said Lauderdale, laughing. " Good-night !" said Sutherland, to cover his con- fusion. " Stay, I can't let you go so ; your lady-love is really lovely enough to turn all the heads and break all the hearts that approach her. But she has not disturbed the healthful action of mine will that con- tent you ?" " Yes, because I know it is true especially the first part of it. Good-night." " Good-night." And the friends separated. MRS. SUTHERLAND. 7t "And is this all you have to say in support of your project, Mark?" " Not all, my dear mother." The lady applied her handkerchief to her eyes quietly, almost stealthily ; her face was pale and sorrowful ; she seemed to restrain herself steadily, as though she thought the betrayal of strong emotion j unbecoming to a woman of her age and station. Her son had just revealed to her his purpose of emanci- pating all the negroes upon his plantation and sending them to Liberia, with his reasons for so doing. The scene took place very early in the morning after his arrival. It was in her dressing-room. Before any of their guests had arisen, they were up, and she had called him, as he passed her door. They sat now at the open window that looked out upon the beautiful valley of the Pearl, with its groves and fields and streams all fresh and resplendent in the light of the newly-risen sun. The mother sighed deeply as she withdrew her glance from the gladdening scene, and fixed it upon the face of her sou. "And so, Mark, this is the cause of your ill and anxious looks?" " Yes, mother ; I will not deny to you that it has cost me a very severe struggle ; and perhaps you see some of its effects." " Yes, some of them, Mark alas ! not all" said the lady, in a low, faint voice. If a little while before she had restrained unmeet energy of expression in the strong emotion she had felt, now all power as well as all will seemed to forsake her. ^> t sat silent, with her hands folded and her 78 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER eyes fixed upon them. Mr. Sutherland watched her anxiously. " My dear madam, I have pained you." " I am a widow, Mark, and have no child but you" "Mother" " It is a sorrowful time for the mother, Mark, when the boy she has nursed and brought up to man's estate turns upon her in her weakness, arrayed in all the strength and power of manhood." " My dearest mother" "Your father, Mark, never caused me a tear or a sigh in his life." "God bless his memory for that." " He trusted so in your affection for me, Mark and so did I that he left me totally dependent upon you" " My dearest mother, your comfort and convenience shall be my first object in life. Not even India, my loved India, shall cause me to forget all I owe to you." " Words, Mark ! words ! This project of yours will reduce me to beggary I" " No, dear madam, it shall not. Me it will reduce to my own exertions for a livelihood, but not you. When all my slaves are freed, and on their way to Africa at my cost, there will still remain, from the sale of the land, some thirty thousand dollars. That money, mother, with the homestead here, I intend to settle upon yourself" " Oh, rny son ! you break my heart. Do you think, then, that I will suffer you to beggar yourself to en- rich me ? No, dear Mark ; no ! Since you do not forget me since you remember me with affectionate interest, it is sufficient. If I reproached you just now, MK.S. SUTHKKLAXD. 79 it was only because I felt as if you did not care for me ; and that is a sorrowful feeling in a parent, Mark." " I never for one instant forgot your interests, dear mother. How could I? I had settled the plan I have named to you, in my mind, before I left the North." " I cannot bear the name of that quarter of our country ! the word strikes like a bullet, Mark !" ex- claimed the lady, with an impulsive start, and shrunk as if indeed she were shot. Mr. Sutherland looked down, mortified and troubled. "And as for this plan, Mark," proceeded the lady, " it must not be carried out. Under no circumstances can I consent that you beggar yourself for me." " Dearest mother, I do not think it possible for mere loss of fortune to beggar a man of good health and good morals. I shall go to the West. It is a broad field for enterprise. I studied law for my amusement, having had a strong natural attraction for it; I shall commence the practice of that profession in some western village, and grow up with the town. I shall succeed. Indeed, methinks new life and energy runs through my veins and fires my heart at the very thought of difficulties to meet and overcome !" said Mr. Sutherland, smiling gaily, stretching his arms and rubbing his hands together "Alas! you do not know what you are talking about, Mark ! What a project ! And your approach- ing marriage with India is it possible in this con- nexion that you do not think of that ?" " Not think of that !" echoed Mr. Sutherland, as a strange, beautiful smile flitted over his face. " Mo- ther, I dreaded this interview with you ; but I looked 80 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVEK. forward to an explanation with my loved India as the first reward of right-doing if what I have done is right a foretaste of what the rewards of Heaven will be! My India! I know her generosity, her magna- nimity, her high-souled enthusiasm! How many times I have experienced it ! How many times, when reading with her of some high heroism of the olden time, when there were heroes, have I seen her pause, her bosom heave, her cheek flush, her eye kindle and gaze upon me, expressing unspeakable admiration of those lofty deeds ! And now, when in her own life an opportunity occurs of practising those very same greajLvirtues when she has the power, by sacrificing wealth and luxury, to bless hundreds of her fellow- beings, and not them only, but their children and children's children do I not know that high-souled girl will aspire to do it ! Madam, it is a majestic, a godlike power, to be able to confer the blessing of liberty and education upon hundreds of beings and their descendants to numberless generations a power I would not now exchange for a small limited mo- narchy. And, oh ! do I not know that my India soul of my soul ! will think as I do will feel as I do ? Nay, do I not know that she will go beyond me? Mother, when I have doubted, or struggled against my better feelings, I have seen as in a vision, her eyes suffused with generous tears, her cheek kin- dle, and felt the warm pressure of her hand encour- aging, inspiring me !" " Oh, Mark ! Mark ! romance ! nothing more. And even should India approve your project, which I think quite impossible, what is your further purpose? To leave her here, bound by an engagement, to wear on* Mliri. SUTHEKLANJ). 81 her youth in expectation of your making a fortune and coming back to claim her hand ?" " No, dearest mother, that were too hard a trial to both of us. No, I mean to take her with me to the West, to encourage and assist me while I make her as happy as I possibly can !" Here, again, the lady's feelings arose to so high a pitch of excitement that she had to put a violent con- straint upon herself, while she answered quietly, "And how do you think Miss Sutherland will like to lay aside all the prestige of her rank, and wealth, and bridehood, and, instead of a splendid wedding, and a bridal tour, and a voyage to Europe, take an ignomi- nious departure from her father's house, for a life of poverty and privation in the West?" " I told you, dearest mother, that my India was of a highly heroic nature. That does not mean wedded to ease and worldly honour; indeed, it more fre- quently means the loss of both." " And so you deliberately mean to take that girl if she will go with you to some miserable western village, to endure all the miseries of poverty ?" "What miseries of poverty, dearest mother? If you were a European talking of Europeans, I could understand your prudence; but you are an American matron talking to an American youth, and advising him not to marry the girl he loves if he has not a fur- tune to support her. It seems to me, mother, that in our country the man or woman who refuses to marry for such a reason, wants faith, love, hope, enterprise, energy, and every thing they ought to have ; and under such circumstances, it seems but right, indeed, that they should stay single." 5 82 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. "You do not know what you are talking about. But should India be so imprudent, do you think her father will consent to such a mad project ?" " His consent to our union was long ago obtained ; and if, under present circumstances, he should with- draw it India is of age, 3*011 know !" " Mark, tell me if you have ever had any experi- mental knowledge of want?" The young man looked up with a questioning glance. "Because if you do not know, I can tell you, Mark. I know how young people think of poverty, and talk of poverty, when any strong motive like love, or any other passion, urges them to embrace it ; and people who are older, and should know better, talk pretty much in the same way. They will tell you that poverty deprives you of none of the real essential blessings of life ; that the riches of nature and of nature's God are free alike to the rich and the poor; that the blessings of health, of well-doing, of sunshine, and the face of nature, are open alike to both. It is so with the rich, doubtless, and it may be so with the poor who were born in this poverty ; but to the well-born and well-educated, to the refined and intellectual, poverty is a dreadful, , dreadful thing. It is not only to suffer the privation of proper and sufficient food, and comfortable clothing, and dwelling it is to be shut out of all enjoyment of the blessings of nature and of society, and at the s;une time be exposed to all the evils that nature and society can inflict upon you. You have no leisure, or if you have, you have no respectable clothing, in which to go out and take the air, and enjoy the genial sunshine of pleasant days, on the one hand ; and on the other, no adequate protection against the freezing MRS. SUTHERLAND. 83 cold of winter, and no escape from the burning heat of summer. And for society, pride will not permit you to seek the company of your sometime peers, and delicacy restrains you from the coarse association around you. To us, Mark, poverty would be the pri- vation of every enjoyment. To be poor, were to be maimed, blind, ill, and imprisoned, at once I" "Dear mother, you are a lady /, a man! And loss of fortune has now no terrors for me ; and birth and education, so far from rendering me more helpless, shall make me stronger to conquer my difficulties. I have no fear of wanting any of the comforts of life from the very onset. And as for being shut out, or rather shut in, from nature mother, do you think I shall be? Do you think I shall keep away from nature because I cannot call on her in a coach, with a groom on horseback to take in my card ? No, in- deed. On the contrary, I purpose to live with nature. She's an old intimate friend of mine, and no summer friend either nor shall I be a summer friend of hers, and shrink from her boisterous winds and rattling sleet. And as for society, mother oh, let me quote to you the words of Dr. Channing, whose lips, indeed, seemed touched with fire: 'No matter though the prosperous of my own time will not enter my obscure dwelling. If the Sacred Writers will enter and take up their abode under my roof, if Milton will cross my threshold to sing to me of paradise, and Shakspeare to open to me the worlds of imagination and the workings of the human heart, and Franklin to enrich me with his practical wisdom, I shall not pine for want of intellectual companionship.' So, dearest mother, with industry that will procure me all the 84 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVEK. necessaries of life, health that will enable me to enjoy or endure nature in all her moods, and a mind de- pendent on itself for its enjoyment, what have I to dread from loss of fortune ?" "It may be very well for you, at least tolerable; but for India! You would not bring Miss Sutherland down to such a state ?" Mark paused, and then answered " Yes, mother, yes ; if the only other alternative is to be a separation of many years, I would bring India down to this state." "Oh, Mark! that is very, very selfish!" " I do not think so, madam." "Mark! Just now, when I told you of the nameless miseries of the well-born poor, you did not deny them, but said. 'Mother, you are a lady /, a man.' Mark ! out of your own mouth I will condemn you. India Miss Sutherland ' is a lady? Mark ! Are you not selfish ?" "No, mother! not if India feels as I do as I know she does ; not if our separation would be to her, as it would be to me, a greater evil than all the early struggles our union may bring upon us." " My dear son, your sanguine confidence gives me deep pain. Dear Mark, be not too sure ! Not for worlds would I speak a word against your India. Nor do 1 know that, under her circumstances, I speak much evil of her when I say that she is haughty, self- willed, indolent, and fastidious! But are those the elements of self-sacrifice ?" " Mother, I would not hear another soul breathe aught against India but you ; but to answer your question and granting, v/hnt I am unwilling to MRS. SUTHERLAND. 85 grant, that these faults of her station may be also hers affection will conquer them! My life upon India's magnanimity !" Yet, even while he spoke, he became suddenly pale and aghast, as if, for the first time, the possibility that it might be otherwise had struck him. The lady had been pale and disturbed throughout the interview ; and now she rose, and taking his hand, said "Mark, they have gone down to breakfast; we must go too. We will speak of this again. Mark, I should be in despair, if I did not hope that circum- stances will compel you to abandon this insane purpose. When do you break it to India ?" " This day, mother ! You have conjured up a phantom whose 'presence I would not endure for many hours. It must be exorcised by dear India forth- with." Mrs. Sutherland had two grounds of hope. The first was, that her son, restored to home associations and influences, might change his views and purposes before they should become known to his uncle. Upon this first hope she founded her purpose of preventing, as long as possible, Mark's intended communication to India. The second ground of hope was, that in the event of Mr. Sutherland's intentions becoming known, the powerful motives that would be brought to bear upon him the threatened loss of his uncle's favour, and of his promised bride's hand might irresistibly impel him to renounce his project. But her present wish was to arrest the disclosure of her son's resolution until she could gain time to use her influence upon him to induce him to abandon 86 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. them. These thoughts did not arise in her mind during her interview with Mark, nor until she sat reflecting upon it, after breakfast, in the back parlour. Her visitors, on leaving the table, had retired into the front room. Her fit of deep thought was interrupted by the entrance of Mrs. Vivian from that front parlour. The " lady gay" came in, trilling a lively opera air. Mrs. Sutherland arose, and took her hand with a very serious manner, saying " My dear Valeria, who have you left in the other room ?" "Mark and India," answered the little widow, raising her. eyebrows with slight surprise. " No one else ?" "No yes I do not know; I believe there is a waiter, or" " My dearest Valeria," said Mrs. Sutherland, draw- ing her to the opposite extremity of the room, " do me a favour ; return to the room, and, not only while you remain here, but after you go back to Cashmere, prevent as long as possible any private conversation between those two young people; interrupt them; follow them; stay with them: circumvent them in every way." " Helen, you astonish me ! Me play Madame De- trop, not ' for one night only,' but for a whole season I You positively shock me I" exclaimed Mrs. Vivian, and her eyes asked, what can you mean ? Mrs. Sutherland answered both words and looks at the same time, by saying, very gravely, " Valeria, I ask a very strange favour, and impose upon your friendship the unpleasant alternative of re- MRS. SUTHERLAND. 5* fusing me point blank, or taking upon yourself a most ungracious duty ; but, dear Valeria, in this at least the end will justify the means. I do not wish to separate my son and niece, as your eyes seem to say but au contraire, to prevent their separation." " I do not comprehend." " I wish to prevent a quarrel. Young people will not quarrel before others, any more than they will make love before them. There is a point of contro- versy between Mark and India, and I do not wish them to have an opportunity of discussing it until both their heads are cool." " Ah, I think I know 'the point of contention," said Valeria, with a bright look of sudden intelli- gence. " You ?" " Yes." And the thoughtless little lady, totally forgetful that the communication had been confidential, im- parted to her the contents of Mark's letter to India, and the indignation she had expressed at its con- tents, and the fear she had betrayed lest her father and uncle should discover her lover's change of sen- timents. Mrs. Sutherland heard the story with a thoughtful brow, and at its close, said " And do you not think, Valeria, that the discussion of this subject between them at present would end fatally for our hopes ?'' "I do not know, indeed. I cannot estimate the strength of Mr. Sutherland's convictions and pur- poses." 88 INDIA. THE PEARL OK PEARL RIVKK. "But you think that India will never yield to them?" "Never!" " And so think I. Yet Mark, dear, deluded child, would stake his soul on what he calls her heroism. Well, Valeria, now will you promise me to prevent an interview as long as you can, to give me an oppor- tunity of trying to bring that poor boy to reason ?" "Ha! ha! hal It is a thankless task, but I will undertake it. But you must give me an assistant, to relieve me sometimes, and to better insure the success of your enterprise. Confide in Uncle Billy, and let him be on duty while I am off." " I intend to have a talk with my brother upon the subject, but in the mean time I rely mainly upon you. Promise me again that you will be vigilant." "As vigilant as I can, Helen; but you know my first duty is to Eosalie, dear child I I reproach my- self for having left her last night, but the housekeeper promised that she would sleep in the adjoining room, and watch over her." "Do you not think that you watch over her too much ? Do you not see that she is made too much of a hothouse-plant ?" "Eosalie? What! when even a slight change in the weather, or a draught of air, or a piece of fruit not ripe, or a little too ripe, or some such trifle, is sufficient to make her ill for a week, and to bring her to the brink of the grave ? I would give half ray fortune to any physician who would" The little lady's voice broke down, and her spark- ling eyes melted into tears; then she said, in a falter- ing tone "Do you think she will die? or do you think there is a blessed possibility of her health being re stored ?" "That which she never possessed, and therefore never lost, cannot, of course, be restored. But I think a different manner of treatment would strengthen the child ; for how can you expect her to be strong, confined to hot rooms, and idleness, and super-dainty diet?" " I am sure I do the very best I can for the dear girl; I take her out twice a day in the carriage; I never suffer her to go alone; she never has a bath until I dip the thermometer into it with my own hands, to regulate the temperature; she never puts on an article of clothing until I have ascertained it to be well aired ; and she never even eats an orange until it has first passed through my fingers ; and yet, with all my care, she droops and droops" "Like an over- nursed exotic. But, dear Valeria, there ! There goes Thomas, with a vase of yesterday's flowers, to change them. Hasten in there, dear Valeria, and prevent an eclaircissement, while I speak to my brother." " Why, is he here ?" "Certainly; he came while we were at breakfast, and went up stairs to change his dress. That is the reason I remained in this room, to give him his breakfast." The flighty little lady, already oblivious of her causes for distress, went singing into the room, just in time to overhear, with her quick ears, Mr. Suther- land say to his betrothed " Dear India (Oh, heavens ! here comes that widow VIO INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVEK. again !) but 1 must have an uninterrupted talk with you; when and where shall it be?" " In the library, at twelve. Hush ! She's here" " So," thought Mrs. Vivian, " I have just got in time enough to hear for myself that my efforts to be useful and impertinent will be totally fruitless." In the meanwhile Uncle Billy had changed his dress, and had come down in a jacket and trousers of linen, white as " driven snow," and took his seat at the breakfast table. While she waited upon him, Mrs. Sutherland cautiously communicated the news that so burdened her mind. Gradually, as she- proceeded, the truth burst with the suddenness of a thunderbolt upon Uncle Billy, who dropped his roll and cup of coffee, turned pale, fell back in his chair, and gasped " Good gracious 1" " Don't make a noise, brother, if you please. See, James is coming with your eggs ; wait until he has withdrawn," said the self-possessed Mrs. Sutherland; and then she directed the servant who came in to set down his salver, and leave the room. When he had gone, she turned again to her brother, and said "Yes, this is true, and nothing remains now but to try to overrule his purpose, or at least to gain time." "I I am overwhelmed, prostrated, stunned with astonishment; though, to be sure, at my time of life, I am never the least surprised by any thing that hap- pens. They are fools who at fifty wonder at any thing." Mrs. Sutherland then expressed a wish that her MRS. SUTHERLAND. 91 brother would aid her designs, both by delaying the opportunity of an explanation between the young people, and also by using all his logical powers upon her son, to convert him from his purpose ; for, strange as it may seem, Mrs. Sutherland had unbounded faith m Mr. Boiling's polemic abilities. His soi-disant im- partiality, coolness, and precision of judgment, had really imposed upon her. Uncle Billy dug both his hands in his pockets, and dropped his rosy chin upon his chest with an attitude and expression of deep cogitation, and his face quite flushed with the heat and burden of his thoughts. At last he said, with an air of great deliberation " Hem ! In the first place, we must essay every possible means of persuasion and coercion, to move him from his purpose. Yes, persuasion and coercion of every possible kind and degree ; for in this case the end justifies the means." "Yes, my dear brother, I agree with you perfectly; it is just what I said." "Yes, but at the same time," said Billy Bothsides, shaking his head, and glancing keenly at his sister, with the astute air of one making a very fine distinc tion " at the same time, we are not to use any undue or unfair influence over the young man." " Oh, certainly not," said Mrs. Sutherland. " No, no, I never could consent to that, although 1 would go to any justifiable or even unjustifiable lengths, to cure the boy of his folly. You understand me ? You follow out my line of reasoning?" "Well, no, brother William, I do not, clearly." "Women seldom do! women seldom do! Bui never mind! Trust to me! Pll bring him round 92 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. / though I confess I do not believe it will be in the power of mortal man to do it," said Mr. Boiling, rising from the table, and sauntering into the front parlour. He found Mrs. Vivian monopolising the attention of Mr. Sutherland, by making him translate for her a sonnet of Petrarch. As soon as Uncle Billy appeared, to relieve guard, Mrs. Vivian suddenly lost all interest in Italian, dropped her book, and left the room, pass- ing Mrs. Sutherland on her way, to whom she said, laughingly "A pretty commencement I have made of it I First, heard myself anathematised for a ' pestilent widow' next made myself and three other people wretched for an hour those were, Sutherland, who was dying to speak to India Lauderdale, who was longing to talk to me India, who wishes to listen to Sutherland and last, not least, myself, who was quite willing to hear what Lauderdale had to say." "Mr. Lauderdale seemed quite pleased with you last night." " Pleased ? Well, I should not be surprised. Per- haps he means to make love to me this morning. If he does not, perhaps he's only a college boy I mean to make love to him, pour se disennuyee ;" and waving her fan playfully, and half curtseying, the trifler glided off. And soon after she was seen promenading on the piazza with young Lauderdale. Ennuyee with the dolce far niente of the morning, Miss Sutherland ordered her carriage to return home. Uncle Billy begged a seat inside, and Mr. Sutherland 1UK.3. SUTHERLAND. 93 and (at the invitation of the latter) Mr. Lauderdale mounted horses to attend the party. Their way lay through a beautiful piece of woods, that covered the hill, just rising, and then gradually declining to the river. They crossed by a ferry. This part of the river, being the head of the bend, resembled a beautiful woodland lake, lying embosomed among its green hills and groves, which were all dis- tinctly reflected in the water, that was flushed with a pale purple light, changing ever into azure or crim- son, or fading oft* into faint beautiful hues of pink or saffron. " Oh ! it is well-named the Pearl this lovely river though it might as well be called the Opal," said Billy Boiling, who had a taste for natural beauty. They were but few minutes in reaching the other bank of the river, and landing at Cashmere. Arrived at Cashmere, the party passed up the wind- ing road leading through the groves and shrubberies of the lawn, to the foot of the marble steps leading to the rose terrace, and there alighting, passed through the verandah into the house. Laughingly Mrs. Vivian took immediate posses- sion of Miss Sutherland, and carried her off to seek Rosalie. Mr. Sutherland, senior, happened to be in the house, and Mark immediately introduced his friend Lauder- dale. The old gentleman welcomed the stranger with the stately suavity habitual to men of his day and station ; but he received his nephew with an earnest- ness of affection scarcely restrained by the presence of a third party pressing his hand with much warmth, and detaining it lingeriiigly in his clasp. 9-i INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. Mark Sutherland could hardly repress a groan, to think how soon all this must be changed. Nay, more : he even felt a species of compunction for receiving his uncle's kindness under what he felt to be false colours ; and he determined, if possible, not to let an hour pass before having a full explanation with him. And so, after the first compliments were over, and when the planter arose and politely excused himself, saying that important business called him over to hia new plantation, and expressing a hope that Mr. Lauderdale would consider his house, servants, and stables, entirely at his commands, Mark Sutherland laid his hand solemnly upon his arm, and said " My dear uncle, I must nave a conversation^with you this morning." " My dear Mark," said the old man, smiling if it could be called a smile " I know what you are about to ask, and I answer beforehand, just as soon as India pleases. The sooner the better. I speak freely before your friend" bowing to the latter "whom, I pre- sume, you have persuaded to do you the honour of attending you upon the occasion. Consult my daugh- ter ! You know her will is law in this affair." "My dear sir, it is upon another subject that I really must consult you, at your very earliest conve- nience," said Mr. Sutherland, with such earnestness of manner as to enforce serious attention. " Well, sir," said the planter, " to-day you must really excuse me. I have to go over to the new planta- tion. Stoke, my manager there, thinks that the cotton crop is not in a vigorous state ; he fears that it is taking the rot. But, excuse me young men know little and care less for the anxieties that make their MRS. SUTHERLAND. 95 elders slaves." And, smiling and bowing, the old gentleman withdrew. And Mark Sutherland, seeing no opportunity of breaking his mind to either father or daughter for the present, invited Lauderdale for a ride over the plantation. Mr. Sutherland rang, and ordered horses, which were at the door in fifteen minutes, and he and his friend mounted and commenced their ride. First winding round the shaded path at the foot of the rose terrace, they turned to the left, and entered the grove which surrounded three sides of the back of the house. Half a mile's ride through a narrow, tangled pathway, up which they were obliged to pro- ceed in Indian file, led them to an elevated clearing of about a hundred acres, on which was situated the negro village, called, in plantation parlance, "The Quarters." "There! what do you think of that?" asked Mark Sutherland, with a slight dash of triumph in his tone, as they drew rein and paused under the shade of the trees at the edge of the grove. Lauderdale's eyes were roving leisurely and atten- tively over the woodland village. It was certainly a most lovely scene. The sky above was of the brilliant, intense blue of southern climes ; the foliage of the woods around was of the vivid green of early summer. A few large trees were left standing at intervals in the clearing; and under these, and scattered at irregular distances through the area, were the neat white cottages with their red -pain ted doors. Each cottage had its small vegetable garden, and some few of the better- kept houses had their fruit trees, and even flower 9 ) INDIA. THE 1'EAUL OF 1'EAKL KiVEH. yards. The village was deserted now, except by the children playing at the doors, and the old people left to take care of them. Of these latter, some were seated upon the door-steps, and some were standing leaning over the fence-rails ; some were occupied with knitting coarse stockings; and some, mostly men, were smok- ing their pipes. All the able-bodied men and women were out in the fields. Lauderdale looked on, first with an expression of surprise and pleasure, but afterwards with a counte- nance full of thought. " Well, my friend, how do you like that ?" repeated Mr. Sutherland. " I will give you my opinion more at large, later in the day, my dear Mark," replied Lauderdale; and then he added, " I have been told that you have the best stud and best stables in Mississippi; will you favour me with the sight of those also ?" Mr. Sutherland immediately assented. They turned their horses' heads, and taking another path, rode in a circuit around to the site of the stables, which lay at some distance to the right of the mansion house, and were concealed from the latter by an intervening arm of the grove. The stables were built in the most approved modern style, with much architectural beauty, and possessed every requisite for the health and comfort of the noble animals for whose accommo- dation they were designed. Here again Lauderdale expressed no opinion, but asked to see don't_start, super-refined reader the pig pens. Mark, with a queer smile, conducted his guest to the desired premises ; and also, without waiting to be solicited, introduced him to the cow pens, the hen house, etc. All these MRS. SUTHERLAND. 97 buildings had been constructed under the direction of a celebrated English rural architect, and of course were fitted with every modern improvement for the well-being of the stock. Still Lauderdale as yet re- served his judgment, while he expressed his thanks to his host for the privilege he had enjoyed. Sutherland mischievously asked him whether he would not also like to see the pigeon boxes before dinner. Lauder- dale smilingly declined, and they returned to the house. They alighted from their saddles and threw the reins to the groom, entered the hall, and separated to dress for dinner. Half an hour after, when they met in the drawing- room, Lauderdale advanced to his host, and said, " Sutherland, I must thank you again for the sight of your plantation arrangements ! and I must say that all your stock horses, cows, and pigs, and slaves are probably the best accommodated of any in the state !" Mark Sutherland, with a flushed brow, turned away. But in an instant, Lauderdale laid his hand upon his arm, and said, with a voice and manner full of affec- tionate earnestness " I mean to say just this, dear Mark that your negro village is comfortable, and even exceedingly beautiful, but that no amount of physical comfort can or ought to compensate an immortal being for the loss / of liberty I" The entrance of other members of the family and the speedy announcement of dinner ended this con- versation for the present. Haggard, care-worn, anxious, as he was, the deep, ever-springing fountain of gladness in Mark Suther- 93 INDIA. T1IE I'EAuL OF PEARL RIVER. land's heart dispersed all his gloom; and, during dinner, when the jest and laugh went round, lie was as usual the spring of wit and humour to the party. After dinner, when he was about to seek an inter- view with his betrothed, Mrs. Vivian forestalled him, by carrying off Miss Sutherland to examine a box of goods, lately arrived from New Orleans for the bride elect. And Mr. Boiling, leaving Sutherland, senior, to entertain the guest, ran his arm through that of Mark, and marched him off in triumph. " Well, Mark," he said, as soon as he had got him on to the lawn, " I cannot understand it ! how a young man of your strength of character, of your firmness nay, obstinacy ; stubbornness should permit yourself to fall a prey to these adventurers." "I really do not see how I am their prey, Uncle Billy, or why they should be adventurers." " Oh, Mark, you are I mean, dear Mark, you want experience of the world ; and no amount of moral or intellectual excellence will stand you in stead for that.- Nay, indeed, goodness will only make you the easier victim, and talent the more useful tool to these speculators." " Uncle, you wrong them ! By the honour of my soul, you do ! You have never seen or heard but one side of the question, and therefore you are bitterly prejudiced." "Prejudiced! Me prejudiced! when everybody knows that I am the most impartial person in the world ! But ' moderation has its martyrs also.' " "You certainly are prejudiced in this matter; yet how shall I set you right ? And why should I be MRS. SUTHERLAND. 99 surprised? Once, there was never such a scoffer as I was." " Yes, and thafs just what raises the hair of my head with wonder 1 Your good-humoured satire and gay indulgence used to please me so much more than your uncle's haughty, scornful, persecuting resentment of these people's affronts. You used to laugh, and say to your uncles, 'Your anger is inadequate to the offence ; it is ungenerous. These objects of your dis- pleasure are very harmless enthusiasts.' And now! Ah, Mark, I call to mind the poet's line ' First endure, then pity, then embrace.' You began by enduring, and you end by embracing their doctrines. Ah, Mark ! Mark I Mark ! how came it so?" " Uncle, did you never hear of a gay man or woman of the world well enough in their way not sinners above all sinners, but with a certain light, satirical way of treating serious subjects, and a certain good- humoured contempt for those that entertained them did you never hear an instance of such a man or woman going into a religious meeting to scoff, but returning home to pray? Well, very much akin to that was my experience. I went to the convention in New York, just to fulfil a promise made to my friend Lauderdale, and next to have a laugh at them 1 At the first meeting well ; I am not going to give you a report of it sufficient is it to tell you that the sub- ject was presented to my mind in a new and startling aspect. I laughed, or rather tried to laugh, it off." " I wish to goodness you had taken it more earn- 100 INDIA. THE PEARL OF FEAKL KIVEK. estly than to begin with laughing, to end with imitating." "At the second meeting, there were some still higher, purer souls, and more eloquent and com- manding tongues; lips touched with fire, whose words were flame consuming the wrong principle, that shrivelled up before it. But I do not mean to become eloquent myself. This is not the time or place, nor are you the audience. It is enough to say that the speakers in that meeting gave me the heart- ache and the headache, and I wished in my soul I had never entered their hall. Yet nevertheless a fascina- tion drew me there the third evening. And then, whether ' the master minds' of the cause had said all they had to say for the time, or whether they had not yet arrived upon the scene of action, I really cannot say (for the room was crowded, and not by friends of the cause, as you will hear, but by conspirators, who had come there to break the meeting up) but certainly, after one short address of thrilling eloquence and power during the progress of which I felt my- self to be a participant in an injustice, and at the close of which I was ready to make an irrevocable oath to clear my life from the sin up jumps a fellow, with more zeal than knowledge, and more deviltry, I per- fectly believe, than either, and so defames me and my fellow-citizens of the South, and so caricatures us as monsters of atrocity, and so whirrs and rattles whips and chains and gyves about my ears and eyes, that it was the cast of a die whether I should laugh or swear. But before it was decided, a resolution was put and an amendment offered, and two or three people rose, and half a dozen began to speak, and everybody SUTHERLAND. 101 wanted to talk, and nobody but me wanted to hear, and there was a confusion inside and a gathering mob outside, and in an incredibly short time there was a hailstorm of stones, and battered walls, and smashed windows, and the meeting was broken up in a row ; and my Celtic blood boiled up and boiled over ; and while laying about me valiantly in defence of freedom of speech, / lost myself. And when I found myself, I was lying v/ith a broken arm and broken head in the watchhouse!" " Good gracious, Mark ! what a dishonour I What would my sister, what would my niece, say to that?" " They do not know it, and they need not." " Well, really, one would have thought that would have cured you !" " My good uncle, it did of indecision. One is very apt to be confirmed to a cause in which they have suffered somewhat. I lay very ill for two weeks. During that time I was ministered to by some ex- cellent men, and women also persons whose disinter- estedness, benevolence, gentleness, and perfect sin- cerity, gave me such a deep and beautiful impression of the Christian character as I had never received from book or pulpit persons who had sacrificed fortune, position, friendships aZZ, to a pure but despised cause. It was the silent influence, even more than the spoken words of these, which fixed me forever in my good purpose." " It may be true, Mark, that there are such, or it may only have seemed so to you. What I know is, that if there are such disinterested souls in the cause, they are, at best, only the instruments with which the 10^ 1NMA. THK PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. party leaders work for their own individual ends and selfish purposes." " No, it is not so, nor could it be so ; wisdom and goodness could not become the tools of selfishness and worldliness." " Now, Mark, don't stand there and try to dazzle your old uncle's intellect, by a fine-sounding Joseph Surface sentiment ! You must either be a blockhead, or take me for one, when you pretend to tell me that the teachers of that party are not a set of self-seeking agitators, whose motives range from the mere getting of daily bread, up to the getting of political power ; and who, if it fell easily in their way, would as will- ingly reach their ends by entering into the slave trade, as by agitating the question of emancipation." The hot blood crimsoned Mark Sutherland's brow, and he answered indignantly " You speak of that of which you know nothing. You speak of those whose" "Ahl don't I know nothing?" interrupted Mr. Boiling. "Where is that Mr. Grab, who came down here as a travelling preacher, and took that opportu- nity (or perhaps he was sent on purpose, and paid to do it) to preach abolition to the poor whites and the blacks, and to do Satan knows what other mischief; and the Lord knows what judgment would have fallen on him from our incensed planters, if he had not been offered an asylum in the house of your cousin, Mrs. Tilden, who, being a sentimental, compassionate young woman, and finding herself the protectress of a pale, persecuted young preacher, began to court him, as widows tuill court ; and so, when all her brothers and brothers-in-law came in force to turn him out and MRS. heard how women, even the most tenderly reared and delicate, have, for affection, for constancy, for truth, and the great idea of duty, borne poverty, toil, hard- ships and privations, even with a better grace and with more fortitude and patience than the strongest/ men. But I begin to think that history and tradition must exaggerate. How, indeed, could my own fragile lady-love endure what my strong frame must encounter and overcome? No, dear India, ardently as I once desired that you should be, from this time forward, the partner of my lot, I see and feel that the wish was thoughtless, unreasonable, selfish. It was exact- ing far too much. No, dearest, painful as it must be to tear myself from you, I must go forth alone to do battle with an adverse fate. Yet whv should I call 12G INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. it adverse ? I go forth with youth, and health, and strength ; with a liberal education, and some talent ; and when I have attained fame and fortune, then, like a true knight, I will come and lay them at my lady's feet, and claim no, not claim but sue for my blessed reward." She said that she could not let him go ; it would break her heart to part with him. Could he leave her to break her heart ? "Would he not give up his purpose for her sake, and stay with her ? Her head was still upon his shoulder, and her face against his cheek. With a slight movement, at once shy and fond, she pressed her lips to his neck, and repeated her question: Would he not give up his purpose for her sake, and stay with her ? He felt his fortitude and strength fast leaving him. Amidst the fondest caresses, he said "My own dear India! how have I merited such love? My India, I will not stay so long as I said. I will not stay till I have won fame or fortune. I can- not remain away so long. But as soon as I have won a modest competence in a year or two I will be back to claim my blessing." Her tears fell like rain. Still she clasped, and pressed, and kissed his neck, and said that would not do at all ; he must not leave her no, not for a week ; she could not, would not, bear it ; she should die. He kissed away her tears, fast as they fell, and then proposed again that she should go with him, promising to do more than man ever did, or even could do, to shield her from hardship till all hardship should be over, as it surely would be in time. With a few deep-drawn sighs, she lifted up her LOVE AND GOLD. 127 head, and answered, No, she could not go ; she was far too delicate to bear such a change ; he ought to know it, and ought not to ask it. No, if he loved her, he must give up his project, and stay with her ; and if he did love her, he surely would do it. Any man that really loved would do that much for his lady. She was evidently merging from her tender, alluring mood, into an irritable and capricious one. Full of doubt and trouble at her words, he an- swered " My dearest India, I told you that this purposed action of mine is a measure of conscience. You know it involves an immense sacrifice. Do you sup- pose that I would make that sacrifice, except from the most righteous principles, and do you suppose I can possibly abandon such principles ? My India, if from my great love for you I could now sacrifice my con- science to your convenience, you would soon lose all esteem for me, and, in losing all esteem, lose all com- fort in loving me. My India, no honourable woman can continue to love a man who has forfeited his own and her respect. Do you not know that?" Coldly she put away his encircling arms coldly she withdrew herself from him, saying " I see how it is, sir I You do not love me ; you are faithless ; you seek an excuse to break with me, by putting our union upon conditions impossible for me to comply with. You need not have taken such a crooked path to a plain end, sir ; you needed only to have frankly named your wish, to have had your plighted troth restored. You are free, sir to unite yourself with one of the favoured race, the objects of your manifest preference, if you please" 128 INDIA. THE PEAKL OF PEARL KIVEK. This last, most insulting clause was cast at him with a glance of insufferable scorn, as she turned to leave the room. His brow crimsoned with the sudden smite of shame, and "This from you, India!" he exclaimed. She was looking at him still; but the scorn and anger slowly passed from her face, as he rose and ad- vanced towards her, saying " But you are excited ; I will not lay your bitter words to heart, nor suffer you to leave me in anger. Dearest India !" She had already regretted her sharp words; love and anger were balanced in her bosom so evenly, that it took but a trifle to disturb the equilibrium ; and now his forbearance and his kind words completely upset the scale, and love ascended. Turning to him once more, and throwing herself in his open arms, she burst into tears, and said " Dearest Mark, only give up this mad, mad project, and I am all yours. Oh, you know I am, any way ; for even now the separation that would pain you, would kill or madden me! But, oh! you know I cannot endure the hardships you would prepare for me; they would be equally fatal. Give it up, Mark! Dear Mark, give it up, for my sake, for your dear mother's sake, for all our sakes! Stay with us! do not divide us, and break our hearts, by leaving us ! We all love you so ! you know we do ! We would do anything in the world for you, if you would stay with us ! And I only grow angry and lose my senses, and utter mad words, when you talk of leaving us! Don't go, Mark! Dearest Mark, don't leave us." LOVE AXD GOLD. 129 And so she pleaded, hiding her tears and blushes on his shoulder, and clasping, and pressing, and kiss- ing his neck and cheek. The pleadings of young beaut j to young love, most powerful, most painful to resist, yet they were resisted, mournfully, but calmly and firmly, resisted. She raised her head from his shoulder. " And you persist in your purpose ?" she said. " My India, I cannot do otherwise." " Notwithstanding all the suffering you may cause your mother, your relatives, and me?" " My own India, .1 would I could bear all your grief in my own person." "But you adhere to your resolution?" " I have no alternative." "And this is your final decision?" He bowed. " Even if you should lose me for ever ?" He started, as if suddenly struck by a bullet. He changed colour, but did not speak. She regarded him fixedly. At last she said, slowly and calmly " Will you please to answer my question ?" "India," he said, "I will not for a moment, admit such a possibility. God will never repay fidelity to conscience with calamity." "Perhaps it might not be a calamity. I think it were well we should understand each other. The question is now before you do not evade it."' "My India, it is not practically before me. No, thank Heaven, the intolerable alternative of resigning you or my principles is not yet before me." " By all our past dreams, and present hopes, of hap- piness, I assure you that the alternative is now snb- 8 180 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. mitted to you, sir. And I adjure you, by your con- science, and by the strength of your vaunted princi- ples, to decide the question, which I now repeat to you if the adherence of your present purpose in- volve the final loss of my hand and heart, do you still persist in that purpose ?" Something in her tone caught up his glance, to rivet it upon her. Never in all their lives had she seemed to him so beautiful, so regnant, so irresistibly attrac- tive. He gazed upon, he studied her face ; nor did she turn it from him, nor avert her glance. She met his searching gaze proudly, fearlessly, imperially ; she seemed to wish that he should read her soul, and know its immutable determination. There was no pique, no anger, no weakness, or wavering, on that high, haughty brow now; there was nothing but calm, indomitable resolution. He gazed upon her in wonder, and in sorrow, some time fascinated by the imperious beauty of her young brow, and marvelling that this could be the tender, seductive woman that lay cooing on his bosom scarce an hour ago. It would not do to waver now. He took her hand again. He answered, solemnly " India, you have adjured me, by my conscience, by the sacredness of my honour, to answer your ques- tion, and say whether, were the alternative finally before me, I should resign my resolution, or la re- signed by you. India, I may not, must not, evaile this. And I answer now, by my sacred honour and my hopes of heaven, come what may, of trial, of suf- fering, or of agony, I will never forego this purpose, to which reason and conscience alike urge me." "And that is your final determination?" LOVE AND GOLD. 131 He bowed. "Now, then, hear mine; but first I give you back your plighted troth and its less perishable symbol" here she drew a diamond ring from her finger, and handed it to him " and I remove your image from my heart with less difficulty than I disentangle this miniature one from my chain" here she took a locket, set with diamonds, from her chatelaine, and handed him. He received both pledges back, and stood with a certain mournful dignity, awaiting her further words and actions. "And now," she said, "let me make you thoroughly acquainted with my thought upon this subject which so interests you, so that you may see how far, as the East is from the West, is my thought from yours. Know, that I like the position that I occupy, the power that I wield ; our plantation is as large as a German or Italian principality ; our people are better governed, more prosperous, and more profitable, than the subjects of such a principality. We have more power than its prince. And I was born to this power; I am accustomed to it; I like it. Heaven crowned me with it ; and do you think that I will discrown my brow to become what? A drudg- ing peasant? NEVER! And now, hear my oath. As you are the 'dupe' of a party, we separate, never to meet again until you have recovered manhood and independence enough to abjure this pernicious influ- ence, and abandon the mad project to which it has forced you so help me God !" And, turning haughtily away, she left the room. 132 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. CHAPTER YII. REACTION. " Pray Heaven for firmness thy whole soul to bend To this thy purpose to begin, pursue, With thoughts all fixed and feelings purely kind ; Strength to complete, and with delight review, And grace to give the praise where all is due." Gharlet Wilcox. IT was over. Until this, he had not realized his true position. Nay, he did not fully realize it now. He sat, as one stunned, in the seat into which he had dropped when the door closed behind her. Until now, he had been elevated by a high enthusiasm in his purpose, and supported by a firm faith in her sym- pathy and co-operation a faith, the strength of which he had not known until it was stricken from him, and he was left weaker than a child. "Why ! it really had not seemed so great a sacrifice to resign wealth and position with her by his side with her approving looks, and smiles, and words with her cordial, affectionate concurrence. And how often the picture had glowed before his imagination, as he recalled her kindling cheek, and kindling eye, and fervent imagination, while reading with him of some heroic deed of self-devotion in another I And when he thought of all that earnest enthusiasm with himself for its object forgive him, it was no better than a ' lover's aspiration, perhaps ; but all his soul took fire at her image, and all things seemed easy to do, to be, or- to suffer, for such an unspeakable joy. That he REACTION. 133 should be her Curtius, her Bayard, her Hampden, Sydney, her hero. And until now, he had believed this, and had lived and acted under a strange illusion. And if for an instant his faith in her sympathy had ever been shaken, it was merely as the Christian be- liever's trust is shaken, only to strike its roots the deeper after the jar. But now oh ! this was indeed the bitterness of death ! In the first stunned moment after his fall from such a height of confidence and joy, into such a depth of desolation and wretchedness, he could scarcely be- lieve in his misery, far less analyze it, and detect its hidden and bitterest element. And this was its bit- terest element the ascertained antagonism, of his India her utter antagonism ! This was the weapon that had felled him to the earth. This was the fang of the adder, struck deep in his heart, and poisoning- all his soul ! with what ? With distrust ! distrust of her, of himself, of all men and women ! As yet, all this he felt, without acknowledging, nay, without per- ceiving it. He sat there as one in a trance. And the hours that passed over him were as a blank. He was aroused by psychological disturbance. Why should he immolate himself upon the altar of a principle that one half of the Christian world would consider a mere madness ? And how if, after all, it was madness ? How if he was self-deceived ? actuated by fanaticism, and not by legitimate heroism ? She whose whole soul had glowed at the mere mention of true magnanimity she whose approbation had been the ardently desired reward of his sacrifice the object of his young heart's passionate aspiration how had slie regarded him ? As a hero or a fanatic ! How had 134: INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVEH. she received him in his new aspect ? Not as he had often fondly prevised not with a faithful, loving clasp, strengthening his hands not with a fervent, inspiring gaze, imparting courage and energy to his soul not with approval and sympathy, and faithful cordial con- currence, confirming his faith arming him for any conflict strengthening him for any sacrifice. Oh I no, no; far otherwise. She had heard him with repelling hand and averted eye, and scorn, and loathing, and repulsion, that had left him bitterly disappointed, humbled, weakened, prostrated, paralyzed by self- doubt 1 Was she right ? "Was he a madman ? Oh I there had been an element of worship and of aspiration in his love for India. And was this idol a mere stone, upon which he had broken himself in vain? He could not bear to think so. He was willing to believe himself a fool or a madman, so that her image remained undimmed, unspotted, unchanged in its shrine so that she was still a perfect woman, angel, goddess ! And was this not truly so ? Was her decision not really just, and was he not indeed a fanatic? To believe this, would end the struggle and the agony at once. To confess this, would restore harmony and happiness to the grievously-disturbed family circle, and peace and joy to himself and his India ! How easy to step down from his pedestal of principle, frankly confess it to have been a false position, taken in a fit of generous, youthful enthusiasm ; to jest over it with his friends -friends recovered by that step; to call himself Don Quixotte the younger, laugh at the matter, and dismiss it to oblivion. And then India ! This REACTION. 135 beautiful, bewildering girl would be his own in five days. That vision whelmed him in vague, intense delirium. Would it be so easy to step from his post, to abjure his principles, to silence his conscience ? No! Even amid the intoxicating dream of his beautiful India's love, his stern soul answered, No ! He knew that he had not taken a false position the Tempter could not persuade him that he had done so. He knew himself to be right ; he knew that he was not self-deceived. Not even now, in this hour of bitter trial, would his moral sense be so confused. In his conscience, the dividing line between right and wrong was too clearly, distinctly, sharply denned, and there was no possibility of confusing or mistaking the boundary. And so the mental sophistry of the temptation ended. And now for the moral conflict. Admitted that his convictions were those of pure rational duty, why should he sacrifice so much to them ? Did others around him do so ? Did any one live up to his or her high idea of right ? On the contrary, who did not silence the voice of conscience every day of their lives ? Who in this world was not, in their turn, and in their way, more or less unjust, selfish ? And did they not, the best of them, compound for all this by going to church, and confessing themselves " lost and ruined sinners," and returning with a clean conscience, like a tablet newly sponged over, and prepared to be inscribed all over again with the same sins, to be effaced in the same manner ? Now, why could not he also do his pleasure, enjoy his wealth, hold to this 136 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. world, and secure heaven all on these easy terms'/ It was only to make a profession. It would not do. His heart, it is true, had not been touched by the spirit of Christianity, yet his mind was too clear and right to deceive itself so delightfully about this matter. That grace of God which hath appeared unto all men, taught him that Christ was not the minister of sin not one who gave out pa- tents conferring impunity in sin, and signed with his own life-blood not one who wiped out the sins of the soul, as men sponge out marks from a note-book, to make room for more of the same sort of matter not one to make his own righteousness the shield for our wilful unrighteousness. In a Avord, he felt and knew that Christ was not the minister of sin. This sorely tried and tempted man had made no professions, had used no cant, but he nevertheless pos- sessed a large portion of natural conscientiousness, and he had a frank, light-hearted manner of doing right, bordering on levity and nonchalance a man- ner tending to mislead superficial observers into making too shallow an estimate of the depth and earnestness of his convictions and principles. All his family, from the cold-hearted, clear-headed Clement Sutherland, down to the ardent and impul- sive India, had miscalculated the strength of his cha- racter and the firmness of his purpose. And hence the comparative indifference with which they had hitherto received the communication of his intentions. I say comparative indifference; for though indeed the family were much disturbed that he should for a mo- ment entertain such purposes as he had revealed, yet none of them had doubted that the influences which REACTION. 137 should be brought to bear upon him would compel him to abandon his project. And thus agitation at this time was calmness, perfect halcyon peace, in com- parison with the confusion, the chaos, the tremendous storm of indignation, opposition, and persecution, that afterwards arose and hurtled around him. There are no wars so bloody as civil wars ; there are no feuds so deadly as family feuds ; there are no enemies so bitter, so cruel, so unrelenting, as those of our own blood, when they are enemies! Others may spare, but they will never spare ! Others may in time be- come sated with vengeance, but they never! while their victim has one faculty of mind left uncrazed, or one heartstring unwrung. Others may in time be touched by some sense of justice ; they never ! they hold to and defend their cruelty. Others may repent; the;/ never. It would seem that a fatal blindness of sight and hardness of heart fell upon them as a judg- ment from Heaven for their unnatural sin. Perhaps you think that the days of martyrdom have been passed ever since the stake and the faggot went into disrepute ; and that the spirit of persecu- tion went out with the fires of Smithfield. If you do, may you never have more reason for thinking other- wise than is contained in the simple narrative before you. I am not going to enter minutely into the de- tails of all the scenes that followed that last interview between Mark and India. I have all this time gone around and about the subject, fearing or disliking to approach it. In real life, evil, malignant passion is not really the graceful and dignified and all but too fascinating thing that we see it represented on the stage for instance, in the toga and buskins of Brutus 138 INDIA. THE PEAKL OF PEAKL KIVEK. and Cassius, or the train and plumes of Lucretia Borgia. Nor has it a stately, measured gait, a sono- rous utterance, or a grand gesture. It is a humiliating fact, but it is a fact, that it looks and behaves very much more like an excited Terry or Judy at a fair. It shakes its fists, and strides, and vociferates, and chokes, and stutters. Fierce anger, hatred, and vengeance are of no rank. They show just as hideous, revolt- ing, and vulgar, in the prince or princess, as in the meanest peasant. And all this has been suggested by the recollection of the manner in which Mark Suther- land was treated by his family. He had made one more attempt to obtain another interview with India, by addressing to her a note. This note was returned, with the seal undisturbed, and with an insulting menace to the effect that any communication addressed by Mr. Mark Sutherland to Miss Sutherland must be preceded by a complete and final renunciation of his present purposes, before it could be received by her. Full of bitterness, he wrote to her again, and concluded his note thus : "I know you now, India; I know you perfectly. I no longer worship you. Alas! there is nothing in you to worship, or even to approve beyond your en- chanting beauty. And yet I love you still for that bewildering beauty and for the dream that is passing away. And you love me for something better than that ; you love me, now that for conscience I with- stand you, as you never loved me before. You wrong me in taking yourself away. You take from me mine own. There is a voice in your heart that assures you of this. But you stifle that voice. You outrage REACTION. 139 Nature but beware ! Be sure that Nature is a dread goddess, and Nemesis waits upon her bidding !" There is something awful in the just anger of a noble-minded, pure-hearted, high-spirited man; and thrice awful is it to the woman who loves him, when that anger falls upon herself. India received this letter, and as she read it, bitter and scalding tears fell upon it. He had surmised the truth she did love him now with ten-fold strength and fervour, now that she had tried and proved his strength. There was something in him to love, to lean upon, to worship something far more reliable, more attractive, and more binding than mere masculine beauty than the stately form, the dark, spirited countenance, and the fascinating gaiety, that had pleased her childish fancy. There was firmness, courage, fortitude, moral strength; something that a true woman loves to rest upon, serve, adore. A wild and passionate longing seized her heart to go and stand by him in his emergency to help to sustain him, if it were ever so slight a help, in this storm of opposition. AVhile the soul of India was convulsed in the terri- ble struggle between her strong and passionate affec- tion, and her invincible spirit of antagonism, Mark Sutherland lingered at Cashmere. The habit of con- sidering himself a son of the house could not easily be uprooted ; and the absorption of all his thoughts and feelings in the subject of his broken relations with India, prevented him, for a time, from perceiving the cold and scornful demeanour of the master of the house. Had he not been totally abstracted in mind, he would not for an hour have borne the arrogance, which neither age nor relationship justified. 140 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. Miss Sutherland had perseveringly absented her- self from the drawing-room, and from the table con- fining herself to her own room, and taking her meals there. At length one day, the family, as usual, with the exception of India, sat down to dinner. There were present Clement and Paul Sutherland, Mrs. Vivian, Miss Vivian, Mr. Boiling, Mark, and Lincoln a party of seven persons claiming to be refined women, or honorable men ; in a word, ladies and gentlemen enough, under any emergency, to preserve the decen- cies of a family dinner-table. Clement Sutherland, the host, sat with the usual cloud upon his brow. When the waiter was about to lift the cover from the dish before him, he arrested his act, by saying " Stop, sir ! where is Miss Sutherland ? Go, and let her know that dinner waits." The man bowed and left the room. An embar- rassing pause and silence ensued, during which Cle- ment Sutherland sat back in his chair, with a scowl upon his yellow forehead, with an expression and an attitude that he doubtless supposed to be awfully tragic and imposing, and which, in truth, was inex- pressibly disagreeable, and even alarming; for all present felt that under all that ridiculous dramatic acting there was some real offence meant some mean, unmanly, inhospitable act to be perpetrated. In about ten minutes, the servant returned. Entering, and stepping lightly, he went up to his master's side, bowed, and in a low voice said " Miss Sutherland, sir, has ordered me to say that she desires to be ex- cused." And, with another bow, the waiter retired, and stood behind his, master's chair. Clement Suther- REACTION. 141 land started up with an augry gesture, pushed his chair violently behind him, to the risk of upsetting my gentleman- waiter, and exclaimed " Sirs, I have to ask you if the laws of hospitality are to be so abused as to exile my daughter from the head of the table, and how long it is your pleasure that this state of things shall continue ?" This explosion was just as shocking as though some- thing like it had not been expected. Mark Sutherland, with a crimsoned brow, arose from his chair. Lincoln, with perfect self-possession, deliberately arose, walked into the hall, took down his hat, re- turned, and, standing before Clement Sutherland, de- liberately said " Mr. Sutherland, permit me to make a due acknowledgment of the hospitality you have ex- tended me, and also to express my regret that it has been so unpardonably trespassed against. I shall be most happy if you will afford me the opportunity to reciprocate the hospitality, and atone for the trespass. Good day, sir. " Oh ! young man, you have nothing to thank me for." Bowing to the ladies present, Lincoln with- drew. Mark Sutherland snatched his hat, and, with- out a word of leave-taking, left the room. All the other members of the family circle remained seated at the table, with the exception of Miss Yivian, who, rising, excused herself, and retired. When Mark Sutherland reached the rose terrace, he called to Lincoln to stop, and wait until their horses were saddled. And then he hastened off to the stables to give his orders. In a very short time the horses were brought up, 142 IXDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. and the young men mounted, and gallopped away from the house. They rode on in silence for some time Lincoln buried in calm thought, and Mark enrapt in a sort of fierce reverie. At length he backed his horse close up to Lincoln's steed, seized his hand, and exclaimed, "Lauderdale, how can I ever atone for exposing you to such insult ?" "Insult? My dear fellow" (he was just about to say, " Mr. Clement Sutherland cannot insult me ;" but, delicate and generous in his consideration for the feelings of Mark, he only said) "look into my face, and see if you think I am very much troubled ." And, indeed, the pleasant countenance of the youth was well calculated to re-assure his friend. They relapsed into silence as they approached the river. Sutherland was absorbed in mournful and bitter reverie, which Lauderdale forbore to break. They crossed the Pearl in perfect silence; Lincoln glancing from the beautiful semi-transparent river, with its surface softly flushed with rose and saffron clouds, to the gorgeous fields of cotton, with its myriads beyond myriads of golden white flowers. When they left the ferry-boat, and cantered up the gradual ascent of the road, and entered upon the domain of Silentshade, once more Mark put out his hand and seized that of his friend, saying, " Here at last is my home, where I may welcome any friend of mine for any length of time ; and I do not so much invite you, as I entreat you, to come and stay with me as long as you can give me your company, if it be only, dear Lincoln, to prove that you forgive me the offence that has been offered to you." " Pray say no more about it, dear Mark ; how are REACTION. 1-13 you responsible fbr an affront offered yourself as well as me ? As for staying with you, I will do so with the greatest pleasure as long as I may." And once more Mark Sutherland fell into silence into bitter and sorrowful meditation into deep de- spondency. Since India's haughty rejection of his hand, his life had grown very real to him. Before that, he had thought, spoken, and acted, as one under the influence of some inspiring dream. His anticipa- tion and appreciation of the trials that awaited him, differed as much from the real experience of them as the imagining of some glorious martyrdom falls short of the suffering it. Young enthusiast that he was, he had thought only of the excitement and glory of the heroism, and not of the fierce torture and maddening shame of the sacri- fice. But now he felt his position in all its dreadful reality. And it was well that he should so feel it. It would test his sincerity, try his strength, prove his character. And now he rode on despairing, almost heart-broken. Yet even in this dark and clouded hour, one bright star of hope, and promise, and strength, shone on him a mother's love a mother's undying, unchanging love. It has been the theme of poets, of philosophers, and of novelists, since hearts first beat with affections, and tongues first gave them utterance. It is the chosen Scripture illustration to express even the divine love of God. The young man rode along, deeply musing on that mother's love deeply thirsting for it. He felt man as he was that it would be a sweet and grateful relief to sit by her side, to drop his proud, but weary head upon her shoulder, and for a little while to give vent to the 144 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. flood of sorrow now stifled iu his bosom sure, that if others thought even such a transient yielding to grief unmanly, she, that tender and affectionate mo- ther, never would think so. And so he mused upon that love the only earthly love that never faileth that neither misfortune can abate, nor crime alienate. And, unfortunate and suffering in the cause of con- science as he was, how confidently he trusted in that mother's sympathy and support! Yea, though all other affection might fail him though friends should forsake, and relatives abandon him, and even his bride discard him she, his mother, would be true ! He would have staked his salvation upon this, us they turned into the avenue of limes leading up to the house, and saw Mrs. Sutherland standing, smiling, upon the piazzi. But, on seeing the young men approach, in one instant, the lady's countenance changed. She had had her lesson. Without advancing one step to meet and welcome them, she allowed them, after dismounting from their horses, to walk quite up the steps, and to the very spot where she stood, and to bow and speak, before she relaxed one muscle of her countenance. She replied to their greeting in the coldest tones, inviting them to enter the house. For an instant, Mark and Lincoln raised their eyes to each others face, and their glances met. A pang of mortification and disappointment sped through the heart of Sutherland ; and Lauderdale, apparently not the least surprised or disconcerted, took his reso- lution. Preceded by the lady, they entered the house, and REACTION. 145 passed into a front parlour, and at her cold invitation, which seemed more like a strained and reluctant per- mission granted, they took seats. Nothing could be more deeply disagreeable and embarrassing than the next few minutes. Mrs. Sutherland took her sofa in perfect silence, turned her face towards them with a look of cold enquiry, and assumed the air of waiting to hear what might be their business with her what they might have to communicate. This was very perplexing. They did not come on business indeed, they were made to feel that they had no business there. They had come to be entertained, ,and comforted, and compensated, after the Clement Sutherland infliction. They had nothing particular to answer to that cold, questioning look, except Lau- derdale, who, cool as his own clime, informed Mrs. Sutherland that the day was " very fine." The lady bowed in silent assent. " The weather for many days past has been very pleasant," continued Lincoln, without the least em- barrassment. " Yes I think the present state of the atmosphere highly favourable to travelling" said the lady. " Your climate here, madam, is not near so sultry as we of the North have supposed it to be," persevered Lincoln. " Hem yet at this season we think it too hot to be wholesome to you of the North," said the lady, with a curling lip. "Humph," thought Lauderdale, "your courtesy, madam, is cold enough to cool the hottest hour of the hottest day, in the hottest clime under the sun." But, turning to his friend Mark, said 9 146 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. "Sutherland, if madame will excuse us, will you bo kind enough to let me have my room ?" And Mark, released from the vice into which he had felt himself compressed for the last ten minutes, very gladly sprang up to accompany him. Lauder- dale bowed to Mrs. Sutherland, with some pardonable formality of ceremony, perhaps, as they left the parlour. When they had reached Lincoln's chamber, in the second story, Mark threw himself into a chair, and covered his face with his hands. Lincoln went calmly to work, packing up his wardrobe. After a while, seeing that Sutherland kept his attitude of humilia-^ tion, he went up to him, clapped him upon the shoulder cheerfully, and said "Never mind, my dear Mark ! never mind ! You take this to heart far more than necessary. Now, I dare say that one of your hot-blooded, fire-eating Mississippians, treated as I have been, would call somebody out, and do something desperate; but I really do not feel obliged to do anything of the sort." "/ am a Mississippian do you consider me a very hot-blooded person? Am I not rather a miserable poltroon, to see my friend and guest outraged and in- sulted as you have been ?" " Well, that is as fine a piece of self-accusation as I have met with since reading the formula of confession in a Roman Catholic missal. You could not help it, Mark you could not affront age or womanhood, in my defence or your own," said Lauderdale ; and he resumed his packing. In a very few minutes it was completed, and then REACTION. 147 he came to announce his departure to Mark, and to take leave of him. "I have nothing to say to you, dear Lincoln nothing whatever, except once more to entreat your pardon for what has passed, and to wish you well with all my heart." He could not seek to change his guest's purpose could not ask him to remain ; how could he do so, indeed ? He wished to order the carriage, but- Lin- coln positively refused to avail himself of it, saying that he would walk to the next village, and send for his trunks. Mark impressed upon him the use of his own riding-horse, and Lincoln, to avoid wounding him, accepted it. The young men then went down stairs; Lincoln entered the parlour, to bid adieu to his hostess, and Mark left the house to order the horses, for he was resolved to accompany his friend. In a few minutes they were in their saddles, and on the road leading to C , a muddy, miserable town, about five miles down the river. Here the friends finally separated, but not until Lincoln's trunks had been sent for, and had arrived, and Lincoln himself had entered the stage that passed through the village that night, and was to convey him to the steamboat landing on the Mississippi, by which route he preferred to return north. They took leave with mutual assurance of remembrances, and promises of frequent correspondence. It was late at night when Mark Sutherland re- turned to his home, and he immediately went to his room. 148 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. He arose the next morning, with the full determi- nation to set immediately to work. " I must plunge myself into action, lest I wither by despair," might have been his thought. His mother received him at the breakfast-table with coldness. He told her respectfully what he intended to do during the day. She curled her lip, and begged him to pro- ceed, without remorse or fear, to unroof the house that sheltered her head and she trusted Heaven would give her strength to bear even that. After breakfast, he set out, and rode to Jackson, to engage the services of a lawyer to assist him in making out the deeds, and taking the legal measures required in emancipating his people. As the distance to the city was a full day's journey, and he had busi- ness enough to occupy the whole of the second day, he did not reach home until the evening of the third day. He came, accompanied by a lawyer. They were both tired and hungry, but found no supper prepared, and no one to make them welcome. Mr. Sutherland went out, and enquired for his mother, and was told that the lady desired to be excused from receiving an official, that had come to make her homeless. Mark stifled a sigh ; he ordered refreshments for his guest, and soon after showed him to his sleeping chamber. The next day was a very busy, yet a very trying one. On coming down into the breakfast-room, Mark Sutherland heard with poignant sorrow that his mo- ther had departed from the house, carrying with her many of her personal effects, as if for a long or per- manent absence, and had gone to take up her abode in Cashmere. In consternation at this act, Mark REACTION. 149 Sutherland rushed out to institute further enquiries, and found in front of the house a baggage- waggon, with Billy Boiling standing up in the midst, receiving and packing away trunks, boxes, and packages, that were lifted to him by two negro men in attendance. " In the name of Heaven, what is the meaning of all this, uncle ?" asked Mark with trepidation. Mr. Boiling stood up, took his handkerchief leisurely from his pocket, wiped his flushed, perspiring face, replaced it, and answered " It means, sir, that you have turned my sister out of doors ; that is all it means." " But, uncle, my dear mother has perfect" " D n it, sir, don't call my sister mother, or me uncle ! You are no son or nephew of ours ; we wash our hands of you ! We cast you off I We'll have nothing to do with you I" "Why, Mr. Boiling, what is the" " Confound it, sir, don't talk to me ; you are a vil- lain, sir ! James, drive on 1" And clapping his hat upon his head, Mr. Boiling sat down and settled the last box in its place, and the waggon was driven off. It is impossible to describe the state of mind in which Mark Sutherland found himself. The distract- ing thoughts and emotions that whirled through his brain and heart, excited him almost to frenzy. He immediately wrote an imploring, passionate note to his mother, briefly alluding to the independence he intended to secure to her, and supplicating her to re- turn to her 6"wn home. He sent it off; and, in a few minutes, unsatisfied with that note, he wrote another, more affectionate, more ardent, more supplicating, and despatched that also. 150 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. And then, half-maddened as he was, he turned and set himself to his business. He caused all the ser- vants to be assembled on the lawn. He went out to them, and announced his intention of setting free, and sending all who were willing to go, to Liberia. lie explained to them the good that must accrue to the younger, and more intelligent and industrious among them, who might emigrate and settle in the last-named place. This news did not take the negroes the least by surprise. They had heard whisperings of the cause that had broken off their master's marriage, and set all his family and friends at feud with him. After closing his little speech to the assembled slaves, he singled out some dozen among them heads of cabin families old and steady men ; and he took them with him into his library, where he explained to them, at greater length, the advantages of the plan of emigra- tion to Liberia. And then he dismissed them, to con- verse with each other, to reflect, and decide what they wished to do. Next, he left his study to go and enquire if the messenger sent to his mother had returned. He found the man watching for him in the hall. He held a let- ter in his hand. Mr. Sutherland eagerly snatched it. It contained a few lines, formally advising him. that no further communication would be received from him, which was not preceded by a full and complete renunciation of his obnoxious plans. While his gaze was painfully riveted upon this note, the second mes- senger arrived, bringing a letter in his hand. He seized it. It was his own, returned unopened. " Did you see Mrs. Sutherland, Flamingo ?" "Yes, sir/ 1 REACTION. 151 " What did she say ?" " I gave her the letter, sir ; she took it, and read the direction, and handed it back to me, and told me to take it back to him who sent it, and not to bring her another one." "That will do you may go," said Mark, and a spasm of pain twitched his countenance, as he tore up the letter, and threw the fragments away. " That is not all, sir there is something else." " Well, what new stab ?" he thought ; but he said "Well, what is it?" Flamingo took from under his arm a small packet, wrapped in tissue paper, and handed it to him. " What is this ? Where did you get this ?" " Miss Eosalie gave it to me to bring to you." "You may go now," said Mr. Sutherland, as he opened a door, and passed into the parlour, and sat down to look at the packet. It was a little morocco case, containing a lady's small pocket Bible, bound in white velvet and silver, with silver clasps. An ele- gant little bijou it was. Upon the fly-leaf was written, " Rosalie Vivian, from her affectionate and liappy mother" And this writing bore a date of several years before. On the opposite page was inscribed, "Mark Suther- land, with the deep respect of Rosalie Vivian" And this inscription bore the date of to-day. A leaf was folded down, and when he opened it at the 27th Psalm, he saw marked this passage : " When my father and my mother forsake me, then will the Lord take me up." There was still another page turned down, and another pencil stroke, enclosing these words, (Mark x. 29,) ''And Jesus answered, and said, Verily, I say unto you, there is no man hath left home, or brethren, or 1^2 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake and the gospel's, but ho shall re- ceive an hundred-fold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions ; and in the world to come, eternal life." He turned over the little book with a fond look and smile partly given to the elegant little bijou itself, such an inappropriate sort of copy to be sent to a man and partly to the fair, gentle girl, its donor. The little incident came to him like a soft, encour- aging pressure of the hand, or a kind word at his greatest need like a loving benediction. And for those blessed words that were marked, they were dropped into his broken and tearful heart, like good seeds into the ploughed and watered earth, to bring forth fruit in due season. He replaced the little book in its case, wrapped it again in its tissue paper, and, for the present, lodged it within the ample breast of his coat. He had never in his life heard Rosalie give expression to one fine heroic sentiment, such as fell plenteously from the lips of India, as the pearls and diamonds from the fairy favoured maiden of the child's story. But now he could not suppress the painful regret that the bril- liant and enthusiastic India had not possessed more of the tenderness, sympathy, and real independence, found in the fragile, retired Rosalie. Ifc were tedious, as needless, to follow Mr. Suther- land through all the multifarious and harassing de- tails of business that filled up the next few weeks. His path was full of difficulties. Not only social aud domestic discouragements, and legal obstacles and REACTION. 153 delays, but difficulties that arose on the part of the negroes themselves. A few of them did not want the old state of things, with its familiar associations, and close attachments, broken up. Some of them, who were anxious to be free, had wives and children, or husbands, upon some neighbouring plantation, and so were held bound by their affections. Nay, indeed, often a mere fraternal love was sufficient to produce this effect. This class of negroes, proved to be a great trial and vexation to Mark, not only by throwing nearly insurmountable obstacles in the way of their own emancipation, but also affording his opponents much material for laughter. It was in vain their benefactor told these men, that, after a few years of labour and saving, they would be able to purchase their wives or children. They shook their heads they feared their spirits were too faint. As far as his means would go, Mr. Sutherland purchased these wives or children, and sent them off with their hus- bands and fathers. At length, it was all over the slaves were emanci- pated and gone, each with a sum of money to pay their transport, and provide their immediate necessi- ties, until they should find work. Many misgivings troubled the head of Mr. Sutherland, as to whether they would do well with the liberty, so unaccustomed, and so newly given ; but no doubts as to the right- eousness of his own act ever crossed his mind. And so he committed the result to Providence. He had taken care to secure the homestead to his mother. For her benefit, he had also placed at in- terest thirty thousand dollars, which, at six per cent., would yield her an income of eighteen hundred. 154 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL KIVER. Having thus wound up his business, he went over to Cashmere to seek an interview a. farewell interview with his mother and relatives. He learned that they had, a few days before, left Cashmere for the North. The next morning, Mark Sutherland, with only ninety dollars in his pocket-book, with his wardrobe and his law books, departed from his childhood's home. It may be as well to state here, that when the Sutherlands returned, in the autumn, Mrs. Suther- land, with some ten or twelve slaves, her own personal property, took up her abode at Silentshades, availed herself of the income her son had secured to her, and made herself comfortable. CHAPTER VIII. FAREWELL. " Fair wert thou in the dreams Of early life, thou land of glorious flowers, And summer winds, and low-toned silvery streams, Dim with the shadow of thy laurel bowers. "Fair wert thou, with the light On thy blue hills and sleepy waters cast From purple skies, soft deepening into night, Yet slow as if each moment was their last Of glory waning fast !" Henans. THE sun was rising in cloudless splendour, on the morning on which Mark Sutherland paused upon an FAREWELL. 155 eminence, to throw a farewell glance over the beau- tiful scenes of his childhood and youth the fair valley of the Pearl. East lay the dark boundary of the pine forest, pierced by the golden, arrow-like rays of the level sun, or casting long, spear-like shadows athwart the green alluvion south and west, belts of forest alternated with gaudy cotton-fields, and rolling green hills, interspersed with graceful groves, until in softly- blended hues they met the distant horizon. From this beautifully- variegated circumference, his eye re- turned to gaze upon the centre of the scene the Penrl the lovely river which took its name from the semi-transparent hues of clouded saffron, rose, and azure, that seemed not only caught from the glorious sky above, and the gorgeous hills, and fields, and grove, around, but flashed up from the deep channel of the stream, as if its clear waters flowed through u bed of opal. At some distance below him, encircled by a bend of the river, lay like some rich mosaic on the bosom of the vale " Cashmere," the almost Oriental scene of his youthful love-dream. There was the pebbly beach, with, its miniature piers and fairy boats the lawn, with its flowering and fragrant groves, its crystal founts, its shaded walks and vine-clad arbours ; and, nearer the house, the rose terrace, with its millions of odoriferous budding and blooming roses, surrounding as within a crimson glow, that white villa and its colonnade of light Ionic shafts. At this distance, he could see distinctly the bay window, with its purple curtains, of India's boudoir; and, at its sight, the image of the beautiful India arose before him. Again he saw her in that poetic harmony of form rind colour- 156 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. ing that had so ravished his artist soul the slender, yet well-rounded figure the \\arrn, bright counte- nance, with its amber-hued ringlets, and clear olive complexion deepening into crimson upon cheeks and lips a beauty in which there was no strong contrast, but all rich harmony a form that he once had fondly thought clothed a soul as harmonious as beautiful. They were lost ! all lost home, and bride, and lovely dreams of youth 1 Do not despise him, or blame him, when I tell you, in the touching words of Scripture, "that he lifted up his voice and wept." He was but twenty-one, and this was the first despairing passionate sorrow of his youth. It is very easy to talk and write of the " rewards of virtue," the comfort of a good conscience, the de- lights of duty. Alas ! I am afraid the delights of duty are seldom believed in, and seldomer experienced. Be sure, when a great sacrifice of interest, of affection, of hope, is made, and a great sorrow is felt nothing nothing but a loving, Christian faith -can console. And Mark Sutherland was not a Christian man. Here, then, even a philanthropist might reasonably inquire why all this was done ? Why a youth, born and brought up a slaveholder, should, against precon- ceived ideas, against prudence, against self-interest, against hope, with doubtful good even to the benefi- ciaries of his self-detotion, beggar himself for the sake of their emancipation? Why he, being no Christian, should make such an immense sacrifice of wealth, position, affection, hope in short, of all tem- poral and earthly interests ? We are all able to answer, that, had a scientific ] phrenologist examined the moral organs of Mark FAREWELL. 157 Sutherland's head, he would have found his answer in the predominant CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. It was, there- fore, only a severe sense of justice that laid its iron hand upon him, obliging him to do as he had done a single sense of justice, such as might have influenced the actions of a Pagan or an Atheist a hard, stern sense of justice, without faith, hope, or love an un- compromising sense of justice, without self-flattery, promise, or comfort. He is not as yet a Christian, but he may become one, he must become one, for no great sacrifice was ever made to duty, without Christ claiming that re- deemed soul as his own. After all, perhaps, there is but one sin and sorrow in the world IDOLATRY arid all forms of evil are compromised within it. It includes all shades of sin, from the lightest error that clouds the conscience, to the darkest crime that brings endless night upon the soul ; and all degrees of suffering, from the discontent that disturbs the passing hour, to the anguish and despair that overwhelms and swallows up all the hopes of life. "We are all idolaters. Some god-pas- sion of the heart is ever the deity we worship. Am- bition, avarice, love " the world, the flesh, or the devil," in some form, is always the idol. Perhaps, love; the first, the most disinterested, self-devoted, of all the forms of idolatry, comes nearest to the true worship. But it is not the true worship by all the anguish that it brings, it is not the true worship. Oh ! if but for a moment we could raise our souls to God, in the self-surrender wherewith, in passionate devotion, we throw our hearts beneath the feet of sonic \\vuk an 1 perishable form of clay that were 158 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. conversion that were regeneration that were a great deliverance that were eternal life, and full of joy! And are there not moments when we catch a glimpse of such a possibility? when brain and heart stand still, thoughtless, breathless ? when life itself pauses in the transient revelation of such unsufferable light ? And we know that some have entered in and lived this light all the days of their lives. To many of us, alas ! and in most of our moods, they seem to live in an unknown world to speak in an unknown tongue. Who of us has not occasionally experienced these thoughts and emotions, in reading and meditating on the lives and characters of Christians of any name? it matters little what; for there is a unity of spirit in all regenerated children of God, of every nation, rank, or sect. Fenelon and George Whitefield the French- man and the Briton the mitred archbishop and the poor field preacher the Roman Catholic and the Methodist, dwelt in the same light, spoke the same language, because both were one in spirit. What if through the medium, of each separate brain, the the- ology look different '/ The heart is greater than the brain; or, in other words, the affections arc higher than the intellect. " Out of the heart are the issues of life;" and "this is life eternal, that we should know the true God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent." With their hearts, their affections, they discerned ]Iirn. And in love they were one with each other, and one with Christ and God. And who, in com- muning with their fervent souls in meditating on their perfect faith and love perfect devotion to God, FAREWELL. 159 has not been startled by some such light as this let in upon the mind? " Why, if this unfailing love this unwavering faith this unreserved devotion this total self- surrender be the worship we owe to our Creator, then have we been idolaters ; for all this instinct and power, and tiecessity of loving, sacrificing, and wor- shipping has been ours, and has been lavished, wasted, only on the creature." Akin to this was the feeling that impelled the dying Wolsey to exclaim, " Had I but served God as dili- gently as I have served the king, He would not have given me over in my grey hairs." And as Mark Sutherland stood gazing in bitter- ness of spirit upon the beautiful scene of his love and joy, the maddening scene of his trial and suf- fering, these words escaped from his bursting heart : " Oh, God ! if I had worshipped thee as I worshipped her, Thy beautiful work, I had not been now alone alone in my sorrow." It was the sincere, earnest cry of a stricken, penitent, suffering heart. It was answered then and there. Around him fell an influence sober and more genial than sunshine more refreshing than dew a spiritual influence, warm- ing, renewing, supporting a Divine influence, kind- ling and strengthening the soul within him. The Comforter had come, and was acknowledged. With uncovered head, and uplifted heart, then and there Mark Sutherland consecrated his life to the ser- vice of God, and His work on earth. From the beautiful vale he turned, and, inspired by new strength and courage, put spurs to his horse, and galloped rapidly on towards the road leading to 160 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. tbe town of C , where, six weeks since, he had parted with Lauderdale. He reached C in time for an early breakfast. Here not wishing to leave his family in ignorance of his fate, and by his depar- ture thus to cut down the bridge of communication between them and himself he addressed a letter to his bachelor uncle, Paul Sutherland, informing him that his destination was some north-western town, whence, as soon as he should become settled, he should write. He gave this letter in charge of the landlord, to be forwarded as soon as his uncle should return from the North. He then mounted his horse, and took the road to Natchez, whence he intended to em- bark in a steamboat up the Mississippi. He reached the city by nightfall, and found his baggage, sent by the stage-coach, had arrived in safety. He took the boat that passed that night ; and the next morning he found himself many miles on his way up the river. " The world was all before him, where to choose His place of rest, and Providence his guide." And to a young, adventurous, hopeful spirit, this uncertainty, joined to liberty, was not without its pe- culiar charm. During the greater part of the day he remained on deck, with a spy-glass in his hand, ex- amining the face of the country on either side of the river. The lawns and villages on the Lower Missis- sippi did not attract him in the least degree. Their situations were low their beach sluggishly washed by the thick and murky water their thoroughfare wet and muddy their general aspect unwholesome to the last degree. But, farther up the river, and above the mouth of the FAREWELL. 161 Ohio, the country and the colour of the water began to change. High bluffs, gray old rocks, and gigantic woods, diversified the shores crystal creeks and ver- dant islets varied the river. He approached the fine " Eock Kiver country." Beautiful as a poetic vision of Elysium, had seemed the luxurious valley of the Pearl. But this gigantic scene Eock Eiver, Eock Island, with the opposite shores of the Mississippi, widening here into a lake-like expanse had a breadth of gran- deur, a Titanic vigour and vitality of beauty, the most consonant, the most imposing and encouraging, to his own young energetic spirit. The boat stopped opposite the village of S , just as the morning mist was rolling away before the sun, and revealing the scene in all its picturesque beauty, and fresh life. The young city was but two years old yet, infant of the Titaness West, it was growing and thriving most vigorously. Here, then, Mark Sutherland determined to take up his abode here to live and labour. He ordered his baggage into the boat, and stepped in after it, and was swiftly rowed to the shore. Here, too, in order to begin aright and betimes, he shouldered his own trunk, while a porter followed with his box of books, and wended his way to the hotel on the hill. 10 162 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. CHAPTER IX. THE FATAL MARRIAGE. " Isabella. 'Tis a babbling world "Mr. Gravet. Oh! 'tis an atrociout world ! (It will be burnt up one day that's a comfort." London Airurance. EIGHTEEN months have passed since Mark Suther- land left his home. Eighteen months of persevering study, of unsuccessful effort, and of varied wanderings, find him, at the close, in Cincinnati, quite penniless, and nearly hopeless. His efforts to find employment here are unavailing. He has not even the means to pay his board a situation in which many a worthy and promising young man has found himself, who has afterwards nevertheless risen to fame or fortune. Embarrassing and discouraging enough is the position while occupied, however piquant to look back upon. In a listless and disappointed mood, Mark Sutherland entered the reading-room of the hotel, and, taking up the daily papers, began to look over their columns, to see if any new want of a clerk or an agent had been advertised, which might hold out the hope of employ- ment to him. At last, in the Intelligencer, his eye lighted upon an advertisement for a classical and mathematical teacher. The candidate was required to produce the highest testimonials of character and competency, and requested to apply through the office of that paper. Mr. Sutherland's classical and mathe- matical attainments were far above mediocrity, and THE FATAL MARRIAGE. 163 the references he could give were unexceptionable. He felt therefore certain of being able to offer more than an equivalent for the salary. He saw, too, that the office of a teacher, by leaving him many hours of the day, and the whole of Saturdays and holidays free, would afford him ample leisure for the pursuit of his legal studies. He called for writing materials, and immediately wrote and mailed a letter of application. He was scarcely anxious about the result only a little inter- ested to know whether he should get the situation, and what sort of a one it would be, when it was got ; whether it would be the place of assistant in a public academy, or that of tutor in a private family ; also, whether his temporary home should be in the cold North or the sunny South, the populous East or the sparsely-settled West, or in the indefinite country between them ; lastly, with what sort of people he should find himself. But, upon the whole, he scarcely hoped to get a response to his application, as the paper containing the advertisement was several days old when he first saw it. Therefore, when days passed into weeks, and weeks became a month, he gave up all hopes of ob- taining an answer, without much disappointment. At length as generally happens after expectation sickens and dies, and is buried the unlooked-for letter arrived. It contained a proposition from Colo- nel Ashley, of Virginia, to engage Mr. Sutherland as private tutor, to prepare his two younger sons for the university, offering, in remuneration, a very liberal salary, and requesting, in the event of Mr. Sutherland's 164 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. acceptance, that he would reply promptly, and follow his own letter in person as soon as possible. Mark sat down and wrote at once, closing the con- tract, and promising to be at Ashley by the first of March. It was now near the last of February. He sold his horse, paid his bill at the hotel, and having money enough remaining to take him to Virginia, left the same afternoon by the steamboat up the river, and met the stage at Wheeling. After two or three days' travelling upon the turnpike road, through the most sublime and beautiful mountain and valley scenery in the world, he arrived, late one evening, at the little hamlet of Ashley, situated in a wild and picturesque gap of the Blue Ridge. Here, at the little inn, he ordered supper, and pur- posed to spend the night. But he had scarcely en- tered the little bed-room allotted to him, with the in- tention of refreshing himself with ablutions and a change of dress, before the head of the host was put through the door, and the information given that Colonel Ashley's carriage had come to meet Mr. Sutherland, and was waiting below. He finished his toilet, however, before leaving his room. He found the parlour occupied by two boys, of about thirteen and fifteen years of age, disputing the possession of a pistol, which, in the wrestle that en- sued, went off harmlessly. And before Mark could reprove them for their imprudence, they came to meet him. The elder lad, cap in hand, inquired, respect- fully "Are you Mr. Sutherland, sir?" " Yes, my son ; have you business with me ?" THE FATAL MARRIAGE. 163 " Father has sent the carriage for you, sir that is all. My name is Henry he's Eichard. St. Gerald, you know, is in Washington. He is in Congress, you know, and has made a great speech father says, one of the greatest speeches that has been made since" " Ohj slio ! He's a great deal older than we are, Mr. Sutherland ; and he's only our half-brother be- sides. You don't know every thing," said the younger boy Richard, addressing the last phrase, accompanied by a punch in the side, to his brother. " I am happy to meet you, Henry how do you do, Richard ?" said Mr. Sutherland, giving a hand to each of the boys. "And so," he added, smiling to himself, and at them, "this new star of the Capitol this eloquent and admired St. Gerald Ashley is a relative of yours?" " Our brother," said Henry. " Our AaZ/'-brother," amended Richard, favouring his senior with another malicious punch in the ribs. Hereupon another scuffle ensued, which Mr. Suther- land ended, by saying " Come shall we go on to Ashley Hall, or will you take supper first, here, with me?" " Take supper first here, with you," assented the boys, who could have been tempted by nothing but the novelty to forego their father's sumptuous supper- table for this poor tavern meal. " It was kind to come and meet me. But how did you guess that I should arrive this evening ?" " Oh, we did not guess. Father thought it about time you should come, and he sent the carriage, and intended to send it every stage-day until you did come, 166 INDIA. THE PEAKL OF PEAKL KIVEK. or write, or something. Father would have come himself, only he staid home to read St. Gerald's great speech." "St. Gerald" was evidently the hero of Henry's worship. While they supped, their horses were fed and watered. And, half an hour afterwards, Mr. Suther- land and his pupils entered the carriage, and were driven to Ashley Hall. It was quite dark when the carriage drew up before the door of a large, rumbling old building of red sandstone, scarcely to be distin- guished from the irregular masses of rock rising be- hind and around it. A bright light illumined the hall, where the travellers were received by a negro man in waiting, who would have conducted them into a drawing-room on the left, but that Henry and Eichard, breaking violently forward, threw open the door upon the right, exclaiming " Father is here. He is come, father ! We found him at the village." A genial wood fire blazed and crackled in the wide, old-fashioned chimney of this room ; and near it, in an easy chair, beside a candlestand, sat an old gentle- man, engaged in reading a newspaper. No whit dis- turbed by the boisterous onslaught of the boys, he calmly laid aside his paper and stood up an under- sized, attenuated old man, with a thin, flushed face, and a head of hair as white and soft as cotton wool. He stood, slightly trembling with partial paralysis, but received Mr. Sutherland with the fine courtesy of an old-school gentleman. The boys hurried about their own business. The man-servant placed an arm chair for Mr. THE FATAL MARRIAGE. 167 Sutherland. And when the latter was fairly seated, the old gentleman resumed his own seat, and inquired whether his guest had supped. Being answered in the affirmative, he nevertheless ordered refreshments to be served there. A stand, with wine, sandwiches, cake, and fruit was placed between them; and while they discussed these, the old gentleman, in an indifferent sort of manner, said " By the way, Mr. Sutherland, have you seen Mon- day's paper, with the debate on the tariff? Here it is ; take it look over it. Never mind me, I would prefer that you should see it now. If any thing strikes you, just read it aloud, will you ?" Mark took the paper, but found the " debate" to be all on one side, and in the mouth of one individual, to wit the Hon. St. Gerald Ashley, of Virginia. He ran his eye over it the old man fingering cheese and crackers, and pretending to eat, not to interrupt him. " Do you wish me to read this debate aloud, sir ?" asked Mark, benevolently inclined to indulge the aged father's pride. "Yes, yes," said the old man, smiling, nodding, and crumbling soda crackers; "yes, if it will not tire you." " Oh, by no means," answered Mark ; and forthwith began. The celebrated speech was, indeed, a master-piece of legislative oratory ; and Mark Sutherland was an admirable elocutionist. He read, became deeply in- terested and absorbed, and before long was betrayed, by the old man's enthusiasm and his sympathy, into declamation, interrupted now and then by Colonel 1J3 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. Ashley's exclaiming, " Thafs it ! hear, hear. T'//"t must have brought down the House! I wonder what the Democrats will find to say to that!" Finally, laughing at the fever into which he had worked himself and his hearer, Mark finished the speech, and laid down the paper. It was time it was past eleven o'clock late hours for country people, and far too late for the aged and infirm. "Thank you, sir. Thank you. You have given me a treat. It was as good as if I had heard it spoken," said the old man, flushing with pride and pleasure. Soon after, he rang for night lamps, and a servant to show Mr. Sutherland to his room. Early next morning, Mark Sutherland arose and left his bed-room. The family were not yet stirring; none but the house servants were about. And with the restlessness of a heart ill at ease, he walked out upon the piazza, to find diversion from the bitter re- trospections of the past, and gloomy forebodings of the future, in the novel aspect of the country around him. To one used to the undulating, luxurious beauty of southern scenery, there was something startling and inspiring in the abrupt, stern, rugged, yet vigour- ous and productive aspect of this mountainous region. The Ashley plantation filled the whole of a small valley, shut in between two curving spurs of the Alleghanies, and watered by a branch of the Rappa- harmock. The Ashley house, an irregular but massive building of red sandstone, was situated at the foot of the mountain ; behind it arose hoary rocks, inter- mingled or crowned by dark evergreens of pine and cedar; before it, at some distance, flowed the branch: THE FATAL MARRIAGE. 169 around on every side within the vale were gardens, shrubberies, orchards, wheat and corn fields ; and here and there, picturesquely placed, or half concealed by trees or jutting rocks, were the negro quarters ; while more conspicuously, in the midst of the open fields, stood the barns and granaries. Altogether^ the planta- tion, occupying the whole valley, and completely shut in by mountains, was an independent, isolated, little domain in itself. Now, upon the second day of March, the grass along the margin of the branch was already fresh and verdant, and the wheat fields sprouting greenly. The morning was very bright and fresh, and Mark walked into the garden that lay to the left of the house. There he found three or four negroes, under the di- rection of the gardener, engaged in clearing up beds, tying vines, trimming trees, and repairing arbours and garden seats. This place had not the luxurious beauty of the south, nor the fresh and vigorous life of the west ; yet there was a solid, jolly, old homeliness about it, very comfortable even in contrast tQ those other scenes. Mark felt this, while alternately talking with the old gardener or contemplating the old home. He was interrupted by an irruption of that Goth and Vandal, Henry and Richard Ashley, who, rush- ing upon him, seized the one his right hand and the other his left, and boisterously informed him that breakfast was ready, and had " been waiting ever so long." He returned their vehement greeting good-humour- edly, and accompanied them into the house, and to the break fast -table, which was set in the old oak 170 INDIA. THE PEAKL OF PEARL K1VER. parlour where he had passed the preceding eve- ning. Two ladies, in simple, graceful, morning dresses of white cambric, sat near the fire, occupied with a little delicate needlework ; Colonel Ashley stood with his back to the chimney, with tlie paper in his hand, and talking to them about the speech. On seeing Mr. Sutherland, the old gentleman im- mediately stepped forward, welcomed him, and con- ducted him to the ladies, saying, " My dears, this is Mr. Sutherland ; Mr. Sutherland, my" But before another syllable was spoken, the elder lady had lifted her face, started up with a blush of pleasure, and extended her hand, exclaiming "Mark Sutherland ! Is it possible !" "Mrs. Vivian! Miss Vivian!" exclaimed Mark, extending a hand to each, impulsively. " Why, how strange that we should meet here !" said Valeria. " A most pleasant surprise, indeed I" responded Mark. " The surprise as well as the pleasure is mutual, I assure you ! But how did it happen ?" '' I am sure I do not know." " Nor I. Can you guess, Rose ?" and Mrs. Vivian turned to her step-daughter, who remained silent, with her fingers in the unconscious clasp of Mark Suther" 1 land's hand. " I inquired only in jest, but now I really do believe you could tell us something about this," persisted the lady, looking intently at the maiden. Rosalie's pale face slightly flushed ; she withdrew her hand, resumed her seat, and took up her work. THE FATAL MAHKIAGE 171 Colonel Ashley, if he felt, certainly expressed no sur- prise at this re-union ; but as, with stately courtesy, he handed his niece to the head of the table, said, "As Mrs. Vivian arrived only yesterday afternoon, and retired at once to rest from the fatigue of her journey, and as Mr. Sutherland reached here last night, there has been no time for conversation about our arrangements." "Ah, yes; that's all very well; but you'll neve.- make me believe that Rose is not at the bottom of this, somehow," laughed the widow, shaking her jetty curls as she sat down at the table. Her eyes met those of Rosalie for an instant, and the spirit of mis- chief was quelled. She became silent on that topic, and soon after changed the subject, entering into gay conversation about St. Gerald Ashley and his sudden fame. When breakfast was over, Colonel Ashley invited Mr. Sutherland to accompany him to his study, where he began to unfold his plan for the education of his boys. After hearing him through, Mark inquired when he should enter upon his new duties, and re- quested to defer the commencement until Monday, and to use the intervening time to become acquainted with his home and pupils. The interview then closed. Both gentlemen de- scended the stairs. Colonel Ashley told Mr. Suther- land that he would find the ladies in the parlour, and then, excusing himself, bade him good morning, and entered the carriage, which was waiting to take him to the village. Mark opened the parlour door, advanced into the room, and before he could retreat, saw and heard the 172 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL KIVER. fragment of an earnest interview between the mother and daughter. Mrs. Vivian sat upon the sofa, her head bent, her jetty curls drooping, her jetty eye-lashes and rosy cheeks sprinkling and sparkling with tear- drops, like morning dew upon a fresh flower. She was nimbly and nervously stitching away at a piece of muslin embroidery. Rosalie sat on a cushion before her, with her hands and her needlework fallen idly on her lap, and her pale hair fallen back from her paler, upturned brow, and earnest eyes, that were fixed upon her mother's. She was asking in open accents, " Oh, mamma ! can this be possible ?" " Not only possible, but true, Rose," replied the lady, dashing the sparkling tears away. " Oh, mammal do not let him meet such a shock ; prepare him for it, mamma." "I cannot; how could I? Hush here he is," said she, perceiving Mark. And in an instant, presto I all was changed. Smiling out from her tears, like an April sun from a cloud, or a blooming rose scattering its dew in the breeze, she looked up and said, " Come in, Mark ; draw that easy chair up here to the sofa, and sit down, for I know by experience that men are lazy as the laziest women." Mr. Sutherland took the indicated seat. Mis3 Vivian started from her lowly position, resuming her place upon the sofa, drawing the foot-cushion under her feet, and arranging her needlework. "It is really surprising that we should all meet here so unexpectedly in Alleghany county," said Mrs. Vivian. THE FATAL MARRIAGE. 173 "I certainly had not anticipated such a pleasure. I did not know that you were related to Colonel Ashley, or to any one else in this part of the country." "Nor am I. Colonel Ashley is Rosalie's great uncle her mother's uncle. Colonel Ashley's last re- maining single daughter was married last year, and Rosalie was invited to take her abdicated place in his household. Physicians recommended the bracing air of the mountains for my delicate girl, and therefore Rosalie has been living here for the last eighteen months ever since we left Cashmere, in fact. Last winter, I think, was rather too cold for her here on the mountains. I spent the season in Washington, from whence I have just returned ; but next winter I in- tend to take Rose to Louisiana with me, and make an arrangement by which she can spend all her winters in the south." " Indeed, mamma, you shall not immolate your hap- piness upon my ill health. You shall just spend your winters in Washington, where you enjoy life so much, and your summers at the watering-places, where you meet again your gay and brilliant friends. I shall do well enough. You shall visit me in the spring and autumn intervals." " Oh, a truce, Rosalie ! We shall be set down as a model mother and daughter. / know, for one, selfish- ness is the mainspring of all my acts. I rather think I like you, child, and prefer to see you well. There ! I declare there's Robert with the horses already. Put on your cloth habit, Rosalie ; the morning is really cold ; and don't let him take you far, child ; these hearty men have very little instinctive mercy for de- INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. hcate girls, and he would not imagine he hail tired you to death till you had dropped from your horse." Rosalie arose, rolled up her work, and left the room, nodding and smiling to a young man who en- tered as she left. " Mr. Bloomfield," said the lady, presenting him to Mr. Sutherland. Mr. Bloomfield was a sufficiently pleasing specimen of a well-bred, country beau moderately tall, broad-shouldered, and deep-chested with regular features fresh, ruddy com- plexion clear, merry blue eyes and lips, whose every curve expressed the good humour and benevo- lence of a kind, contented heart. "You mustn't take Rose far, Robert." " I will take her only to mother's." "And you sha'n't teaze her with any more non- sense ! I can't put up with that, you know." Robert Bloomfield blushed violently, smiled till all his regular white teeth shone, and was stammering out a blundering deprecation, when, to his great re- lief, Rosalie appeared, attired for the ride. The young man arose, Mrs. Vivian surveyed Rose, to be sure she was well defended from the cold, and finally yielded her in charge of her escort, who bowed and took her out. Mrs. Vivian and Mark looked at them through the window, saw him place her in the saddle with more than polite attention with a careful and tender soli- citude that made her smile. When they had ridden off, she turned to Mark, and said " I like that good humoured, blundering boy. He has been paying court to Rose ever since she has been here. He is a young man of independent fortune, ir- reproachable character, fair education, and most ex- THE FATAL MARRIAGE. 175 cellent disposition, and he has loved Rose for more than a year. Yet, with all, he is not worthy of her 1 he wants polish the polish that nothing but inter- course with refined society can give him. He came to see me last winter in Washington, got fitted out by a fashionable tailor, and I good-naturedly took him with me to an evening party. If ever I do such a thing again as long as I live may ; but never mind ! Just think, when I presented him to a super- fine belle, of his holding out his hands to shake hands with her, telling her he was glad to see her, and hoping that if ever she passed through his part of the country, she would pay his mother and sisters a visit, &c. And then, when the elegant Mrs. A. inquired if Mr. Bloomfield waltzed, just fancy him blushing furi- ously, and saying that he would rather not that he disapproved of waltzing !" " Well !" said Mrs. Vivian, looking up, after a pause. " Yes well ?" inquired her companion, raising his eyebrows. " You have not made a single comment upon my country beau. I see how it is. You're thinking of your relatives. Mark, you must question me if you want me to tell you anything." " My mother" began the young man. " She is living very comfortably with her husband at Cashmere." " With her husband !" " Is it possible you did not know she was married, Mark ?" "I never knew it I never dreamed it I never 176 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. thought it possible." He looked shocked he was shocked. "And why not?" asked the lady, with a little jealous petulance. " Why may not a widow re- marry ?" "Nay T do not know, I'm sure," said Mr. Suther- land, with his eyebrows still raised, and his eyes fixed upon the floor. "My mother married! Will you please tell me to whom ?" " To whom ? Oh, of course you know, Mark. Now, who was it likely to be, but Dr. Wells ?" " Our old family physician !" " Why of course. You know he had been pleased with her a long time." " That my mother should have married !" " She never would have done so, Mark, had you not left her." " And she is happy, you say ?" " Comfortable, Mark. Your mother and Dr. Wells make what Tim Linken water calls 'a comfortable couple.' " " I am not so much grieved as surprised," said Mr. Sutherland. And after a short pause he said, " There was another my cousin." The face of the lady grew troubled she did not speak. " Is India well ?" again spake Mark, in a faltering voice. " India is well, and beautiful as ever. She was the belle of Washington last winter her beauty the theme of every tongue the envy of every woman, the madness of every man. No assembly was com- plete without 'the Pearl of Pearl River!' " ROSALIE AND HER LOVER. 177 Mark Sutherland grew pale, and shivered saying, " Of course she" " Among her own sex there was no rival star. She divided public interest and attention only with St. Gerald Ashley, that great new planet on the political horizon." Mark Sutherland's whole strong frame was con- vulsed. He started up and paced the floor in ex- treme agitation then, seizing his hat, rushed out of i.he room. " And / was to prepare him for it, said Eosalie !" exclaimed Mrs. Yivian, looking after him, as the pity of her heart grew strong. CHAPTER X. ROSALIE AND HER LOVER. " She loves, but 'tis not him she loves Not him on whom she ponders, When in some dream of tenderness Her truant fancy wanders. The forms that flit her vision through Are like the shapes of old, Where tales of prince and paladin On tapestry are told. Man may not hope her heart to win, Be his of common mould." C. F. Hoffman. IN the meantime, the two young riders took their way up a narrow bridle-path, leading up a long crooked pass of the mountain. The morning was glistening with brightness and 11 178 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. freshness, and the mingled joyous sounds of rural life made music in the air. They rode along awhile in silence, strange enough in a pair so youthful. At length the young man broke the spell. " Rose !" " Well, Robert !" "I cannot bear this suspense! I cannot, indeed. Heart and frame are wearing out with it !" Rosalie stole a glance at his clear, bright blue eye, and round, fresh, ruddy cheek, looking still brighter and fresher under the glossy, crisp, curling, auburn hair and a smile lighted up her countenance. "Ah! you may laughj You have the hardest, the most unimpressible heart I ever saw .in my life! But good and strong as my constitution is, it will break down it will indeed, Rosalie if you keep this up much longer. And I wish it would break down ! I do so ! Then perhaps you would pity me." " But, Robert, my pity would be very poor com- pensation for lost health." " I don't know ! If I could make you feel for me any way, or at any cost, I should be glad." " I cfo, Robert. I feel a very sincere esteem and friendship for you. Surely you cannot doubt that." " Oh ! yes, you are good to me to a certain degree. Your heart is like a peach 1" "Like a peach!" "Yes; it is superficially soft and impressible, but the core of it is hard and rough hard and rough ! Oh, Rosalie, can't you try to like me a little ?" " I like you very much without trying !" " Oh, you know what I mean, you tormenting girl 1 ROSALIE AND HER LOVER. 179 Can't you you can't you love me well enough to be my own ? Speak ! Answer ! Tell me, Rose 1" " Oh, Robert, how many times have I told you no?" " I but I won't take no for an answer I All my affections and hopes are freighted in you, and I will not resign you ; I will not, Rose. I will go on hoping in spite of you hoping against hope ! It is impossible mind I say impossible any one loving as I do, should not win love in return. It does seem to me as if it would be unjust in heaven to permit it 1" He spoke with impatient, passionate vehemence and earnestness. Rosalie watched and heard him with wondering and sorrowing interest. She gravely said " ' It is impossible that one loving so much should not win love in return,' you say ? Yes, it does seem impossible, if we did not know it to be often really possible. It does seem unjust 1" "You acknowledge it! You own it to be unjust that I should give you so much give you all my entire heart, with all its affections and hopes and get back nothing, nothing in return or next to it only ' esteem,' forsooth ! and ' friendship !' That provokes and exasperates me beyond endurance! Rosalie, I don't want your esteem or friendship. I refuse and repudiate itl I reject and repulse it! I will have none of it ! Give me nothing, or give me your whole heart and hand !" " I would to Heaven I could do it, Robert ! I would to Heaven I could give you my heart. I am ready to say that if 1 could, I should then be a happy and enviable girl , because I believe you a most excellent young man, whose only weakness is your regard for 180 IXDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. me. But I cannot, Jlobert. With all my friendship for you" "Don't name it I" " I must, Eobert ! "With all my friendship for you, when you talk of love, my heart grows hard and cold, and silent as a stone it has no response for you at all." " And you say that to drive me out of my senses to make me wild !" " I say it because it is the simple truth. I am sorry that such is the truth. I think, with you, it is strange strange almost unjust, that so much priceless love should be thrown away." "How cool she is! Good Heaven, how cool she is !" "T have a problem for you, Kobert; and I want to see if, with all your mathematics, you can solve it, and satisfy me as to why there is so much love lost in this world." " She can philosophise, too, after her fashion. She can do anything but love 1" " Will you solve my problem ?" " It belongs rather to metaphysics than mathematics, one would think nevertheless, state it." "Thus, then: A loves B or rather, to be clearer, Aaron loves Belinda with a perfect passion ; and he thinks, by reason of its great power, it must win a response from her. But Belinda involuntarily turns from Aaron, and fixes her affection upon Charles, who does not in the least return it. Now, why should these cross purposes exist? They say that marriages are made in heaven. I wish the angel that has charge of them would look into this matter a little." ROSALIE AND HER LOVER. 181 She spoke in a light, bantering manner, yet her voice quivered slightly. She stole an arch glance at her companion, and said " There is my problem solve it." He eyed her closely, jealously. " Are you putting an imaginary case ?" he asked. "Nay, answer my question before asking an- other." " Well, then, yes ! I will tell you how this ought to end, and how it shall end, too. Belinda will soon feel it to be unwomanly, indelicate, undignified, to leave her heart in the possession of one who under- values the priceless treasure; she will withdraw it, and yield it up at the demand of the rightful owner of him who justly claims it because he prizes it above all treasures, and desires it above all pos- sessions 1" "You think so?" said Eosalie, averting her face, and bending down, and stroking her horse's mane. " I know so." "How do you know it?" " Because it ought to be so." " Again why ?" " Because man's love is the conquering love ! But now, tell me were you putting an imaginary case ?" " Yes, I was putting an imaginary case," she said, in a low, quiet tone. She drew rein. "What is the matter, Eosalie? Are you tired? Has the ride been too much for you ?" inquired the young man, checking his horse, and looking anxiously at her. 182 INDIA. THE PEAUL OF PEARL KIVER. " Yes, I think so," she answered, wearily. " Rest awhile, and then we will go on." " No I must go home the air is very chill," she said, shivering. "And you are pale," he observed, gazing at her with earnest, affectionate interest. She returned that gaze with a pensive, grateful glance, saying ''Indeed, I feel I ought to be very grateful to you for caring so much for a poor, sickly creature, like me. You in such fine health, too. I do not understand it. I thought every one preferred blooming girls ; but you attach yourself to poor, pale me. Dear Robert, believe me, I am very, very grateful for your love, however this may end. I do wish I could be more than grateful. Dear Robert, if I could give you my whole heart as easily as I give you this rose, I would do it." And detaching a white rose from her bosom, she handed it to him. And they turned their horses' heads, and went down the mountain path, towards home. ROSALIE. 183 CHAPTER XL ROSALIE. "Imagine something purer far, More free from stain of clay, Than friendship, love or passion are, Yet human still as they. And if thy lip for love like this No mortal word can frame, Go ask of angels what it is, And call it by that name." Moore. ROSALIE YIVIAX and Robert Bloom field reached home just as the carriage containing Colonel Ashley rolled into the yard. The old gentleman alighted, greeted the young people with a most cheerful and kindly smile, and with unusual vigour and lightness tripped up stairs into the house. His servant, laden with packets of newspapers and letters, followed. n You may take my word for it, Rosalie, that the Colonel has received some excellent news by this morning's mail ! And now just observe the power of the soul over the body ! Joyful news will so reju- venate infirm old age, that it will skip about, elastic as youth. Witness Colonel Ashley, who stepped up those stairs more lightly than I ever saw him move in my life ; while disappointment and sorrow will so en- feeble youth that it will move about drooping like paralytic age. Witness me ready to drop from my saddle with exhaustion from your unkindness, Ro- salie!" "I am not unkind, nor do you look very much 184 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. prostrated, let me say, Kobert! But will you not come in ?" *'No," mournfully replied the young man, assisting her to alight. "You had better we have strawberries for the first time this spring." "Nonsense!" exclaimed Robert, with an offended air. " Strawberries from uncle's premium conservatory, and cream from my own premium dairy ; you had "better think it over 1" "Nonsense!" exclaimed Robert, contemptuously. " Oh, then, there's no more to be said, of course !" " Good morning, Rosalie !" "Good morning, Robert; but won't you shake hands with me?" she asked, offering her hand. He seized that little hand, and squeezed it and pressed it to his lips, and with an expression of curiously-blended de- precation and reproach, dropped it, mounted his horse, and galloped away. Mrs. Vivian was standing dawdling with a white rose in the piazza.. She came forward, with tender care, to meet Rosalie. "Did you ride far are you tired, love?" " Not very." " But you look pale and wearied." "A moment's rest will restore me, dear mamma." "Come in and sit down, while I take off your things," said the kind little lady, leading her step- child into the parlour. She sat her down in a deep- cushioned chair, rang the bell, ordered a cordial, and then removed her hat and riding skirt. When she had made Rosalie take a cracker and u little glass of ROSALIE. 185 anise-seed cordial, and when the salver was removed, and they were left alone, Rosalie reclining upon the sofa, Valeria sitting in the easy chair near her, the lady inquired " Why did not Robert come in ?" " I do not know, unless it was because he did not wish to do so." " Have you quarrelled ?" " Quarrelled ! Dear mamma, I never had a quarrel with any one in all my life, and never expect to have one with anybody least of all with Bob." " That is no reason you should not have a lover's quarrel they befall the most amiable pair. Is it so ?" "What, mamma?" "Have you and Robert had a 'lover's quarrel?' " " No, indeed I assure you." " Yet Robert went away offended ' in dudgeon,' as uncle would say." Rosalie looked distressed. The lady eyed her search- iugiy- " Rosalie, will you let me speak to you frankly, and ask you a few questions ?" " Certainly, dear mamma ; I would turn my heart inside out, and show you its most hidden secret, if it had any secrets." " Well, then, are you and Robert engaged ?" "No, mamma." "He has not yet proposed, then?" " I scarcely know, mamma, whether I ought to re- veal poor Robert's confidences." "Well?" " Well, mamma !" " You did not reject him ?'* 186 INDIA. THE PEAIiL OF PEARL RIVER. " Yes, madam." " I'm astonished ! Ilow long ago has this been ?" " Dear mamma, twelve months ago Robert first did me the honour of offering his hand, and I gratefully declined it." " Yet continued to keep his company ! Oh, Rosalie ! "Well, has he ever renewed his proposals ?" " Yes, mamma, several times." " And you have continued to reject them ?" " Of course, mamma." "And yet you still accept his attentions! Oh, Rosalie I" " Was I am I wrong, mamma ?" asked Rosalie, looking up from where she reclined upon the sofa. The lady sat with her hands clasped upon her knees, in a simple attitude, with her eyes fixed in sorrowful doubt upon her child. " Do you ever mean to review your decision, and accept him, Rosalie ?" " Never, mamma, I assure you !" " Are you very certain, Rosalie ?" "Certain, dear mamma, beyond all possibility of doubt." " If I could believe it" "Dear mamma, you may rest assured of it ! Why, if I thought it was to be my fate to marry Robert Bloomfield, well as I like him, I think I should die of grief!" " And yet you keep his company I Oh ! Rosalie, I am surprised." " Is it not right, mamma ?" " What a simple question ! Oh, child ! if it were not you, I should say it is unprincipled !" KOSALIE. 187 " Mamma, you distress and alarm me ! Why must I not keep poor Robert's company, when he takes so much comfort in my society ?" " Comfort ! Does he take comfort do you call it comfort? No, Rosalie, it is a feverish, consuming hope that keeps him at your side ; a wasting, baleful hope, which, since you do not intend to realize to him, it is your bounden duty to extinguish for- ever !" "Mamma! I do not quite understand you. I am sorry, very sorry, that I cannot return Robert's re- gard" "Oh!" exclaimed the lady, interrupting her, "I am not sorry for that: as to that, I am very glad you are not engaged to him, nor ever likely to be ; but" " But why add to the grief of rejection the bitter- ness of ingratitude and coldness'/" "To refuse his attentions, to deny him. your com- pany, would not be either the one or the other, and it is your duty." "When poor Robert has no consolation in the world but my company" "To say he has no other intoxication, would be nearer the truth. Rosalie, you are so young, so deli- cate, so spirituelle, so inexperienced. Rosalie, there is a kindness that is cruel, and that is what you have been showing 'poor Robert' all this time. And there is a cruelty that is kind, and that is what you must show him now." " Mamma, if you think it wrong, I will never ride with him again." " And avoid him as much as possible, Rosalie." 188 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. "Indeed I will, rnarnma. Poor Kobert!" " Fudge ! It will not hurt him. The flame without fuel will soon expire harmlessly." By this time the young girl had quite recovered from her fatigue, and she arose and left the room, to prepare her strawberries, she said. She passed into' a pleasant back room, connected with the pantry and dining-room, but opening upon the garden, and devoted to certain light dessert pre- parations; such as the shelling of peas, stoning of cherries, &c. It was a cool apartment, with a bare, white oak floor, and many doors and windows open, and looking out upon the pleasant garden, with its budding spring flowers its roses, hyacinths, and daffodils and upon the orchard, with its peach trees and cherry trees, covered with pink and with white blossoms, and further off, upon the green and dewy wheat field, lying in fertile dales between gray and mossy rocks and mountains. It was indeed a pleasant apartment, looking out upon a fresh, verdant, rural scene. Rosalie sat down in the midst of the room, with a basket of fresh strawberries on her right hand, an empty basket to receive the caps on her left, and a cut-glass dish on her lap. She chose to do this. She had a decided attraction to these little graceful domestic avocations; and as her nimble fingers capped the strawberries, and dropped berries in the dish, and threw caps in the basket, she began to sing some lively rural glee; and while she was busily engaged, singing and capping, she chanced to look up, and saw Mark Sutherland approaching the house from the garden. He met her glance, and smiled. She ROSALIE. ' 189 was in a merry mood, or she would not have felt free to say to him what she did. " Come in, Mr. Sutherland ; I have got something for you, very nice!" Mark came in, and she said, "Make a bowl of your joined hands, now, and here 1" She poured into his hands some fine large straw- berries, adding, " These are the first fruits of the season, Mr. Suth- erland, and we offer them to you." "Let me first merit them, by helping you," said Mark. "Will you help me?" " Certainly ; that is, if I arn not intruding on some housekeeping sanctuary." " Oh, no ! this room is open and common to the whole family; why, it is the pleasantest room in the house, only as it is near the pantry and dining-room, and opens upon the kitchen garden, we prepare our fruit, and sometimes pick over our vegetables here." Mr. Sutherland drew a chair on the other side of the strawberry basket, and went to work nobody could tell why actuated by some whim, no doubt. After a little desultory conversation, Mr. Sutherland said, " I believe, dear Eosalie, that I owe this situation to your friendly remembrance, and I have been wait- ing some hours for an opportunity of expressing my thanks." Rosalie's face flushed to the temples. "I am deeply obliged and grateful to my fair patroness." The blush deepened, crimsoning her face. She 190 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. waved her hand deprecatingly, impatiently; she began " Mr. Sutherland" and stopped, as it were, choked. " Miss Vivian, are you so unwilling to receive my acknowledgments? Then must my gratitude be silent, but not the less deep." Again she essayed to speak, and the words came vehemently, impetuously. " I had no agency in procuring this situation for you, Mr. Sutherland. How could you think for a mo- ment that /, or any one else, could presume to ' pa- tronize' you in such a manner ? How could you sup- pose, for an instant, that I, or any one else that knew you, could deem this position a fit and proper one for you ? No ! could I have dared to interfere, it would have been to prevent your coming here." There was a tone of honest, earnest indignation in her voice, looks, and manner, that utterly astounded Mark Sutherland. Could it be that she thought him unworthy of the position ? No ; he dismissed that surmise at once, and answered, quietly, " I confess you surprise me, Rosalie ! Is not the vocation of a teacher really honourable, if conven- tionally humble ?" " It is greater, higher, more difficult, more respon- sible, than any other, except that of the preacher of the Gospel !" answered the girl, earnestly. " What is the matter, then am I unfit for it ?" "Yes, you are totally unfit for it." "Why?" smiled Mark; "has my education been neglected ?" " I know that you are a distinguished classical and mathematical scholar, Mr. Sutherland; and for any other branch of knowledge quite fitted to toke a pro- ROSALIE. 191 lessor's chair; but to be a teacher of youth requires other and rarer qualifications, which you have not." " To wit ?" inquired Mark, much amused with his young mentor. " First, then, you should have a natural vocation for teaching, and consequently the love of it, which you have not ; a great deal of affection for children, which you have not; much patience, perseverance, firmness, social humility, some of which qualities you have, and others you have not." " I am tempted to ask you to specify which I have ^nd which I have not, but I will not." "I thought you were going to open a glorious career for yourself, and achieve a great name." " In what manner ?" " I thought you were going to be a statesman." "A lawyer, child." " Why are you here, then, Mr. Sutherland ? Why are you not a lawyer ?" " Eosalie, I made an effort, many an effort, to get admitted to practice, at the bar of S . I had thought myself well qualified, for I had studied legal science with what you call an attraction a vocation for the profession. For several years past I had read law con amore; yet, through the want of familiarity with the technicalities of practice, I failed to get ad- mitted as a practitioner before the court." " Then I would have gone into some lawyer's office, and assisted him as a copyist for nothing, until I had acquired an intimacy with those crabbed technicalities. It seems to me such a very trivial matter for an im- pediment. Why, there is your uncle, who is no law- yer, but who can draw up a right legal and binding 192 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. document, with as many ' whereases' and ' aforesaids' as ever made a composition unintelligible." * " My dear Rosalie, that would have been a very small beginning." " ' Despise not the day of small things,' said the wise man. And at least the lawyer's office would have been in the way of your genius ; and to have entered it in the capacity of copyist would have been much better than to have turned into this by-path, which is utterly apart from it." "There were difficulties in the way of even that, Rosalie." " And even if there were difficulties, what then ? We have no royal road to distinction in our country. We have no ready-made great men. None are 'born great ;' none have ' greatness thrust upon them.' If any would be great, he must 'achieve greatness.' Nearly all of our heroes and statesmen have struggled up from the humblest places in society have strug- gled up, alone and unaided, until they have proved their mettle; and the struggle has been wholesome for them, and has turned them out sound and health- ful natures." "You speak wisely and truly, dear Rosalie; yet each of all these men to. whom you have alluded, had near and dear friends mother, sisters, a wife, per- haps to watch his career, and rejoice in it to soothe him in moments of exasperation, from injustice, from opposition, from persecution, and to encourage him in hours of depression and despondency, when all his hopes and energies seemed palsied, and the wheels of life and action seemed clogged and stopped ; and, finally, to share and enjoy his success, and to glory in ROSALIE. l'J3 his triumph. Oh, believe me, Rosalie, man cannot work for himself alone ! It were a low and selfish aiai!" "Bat he can work for humanity he can work for God !" said Rosalie, in a low and reverent voice. Mark Sutherland sat with his eyes fixed upon the ground, in deep thought. Rosalie continued " Attain a position, Mr. Sutherland such a position as the prophetic voice in your heart foretels. Win fame 1 not for yourself, but for men and God ! not for your own aggrandizement, but for the POWER to right the wronged, to raise the fallen, to deliver the op- pressed, to redeem the evil, to speak with AUTHORITY the truth to men and before God ! Labour, wait, struggle, for such a position, and, though no mother, sister, wife, or love, smile on your career, men and women will know it ! God will bless it !" Mark Sutherland still remained buried in deep and silent thought upon her words. Oh, if India had so spoken to him, so sympathized with his aspirations, so encouraged his flagging hopes and energies, what might he not have accomplished, even before this ! But this child Rosalie was nothing, and yet she spoke words of high moment, and spoke them " as one having authority." "You astonish me, Rosalie; you talk far beyond your years and sex ; you really astound me." " I wish I could convince you." " You do, you do, my child. But, Rosalie, how is this? You must have reflected very much, for one of your tender years." "1 am not so young; I am seventeen." " A venerable age, indeed. But, Rosalie, how is it 19-i INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. that you have thought so much beyond girls of your age?" " Have I done so . r ' " Why, assuredly do you not know that you have? Now tell me how it is." " Well, if it is so as you say for / do not know and cannot judge of young people, having never had any young companions I suppose it is because I have been always sickly, and have always led an isolated, meditative life ; hearing in my secluded retreat only the loudest thunders of the distant great world of society, I have naturally thought most about its great successes, and how they were accomplished. I have watched from afar the career of living great men, and have secretly made unto myself idols like them. I have read with deep interest the lives of distinguished statesmen and heroes, particularly those who have struggled up from poverty and obscurity ; that is the reason." "Yet that is very unusual in so young and beautiful a girl. I cannot yet comprehend it I can scarcely believe in it." " The pleasures of childhood and girlhood were not for me there was nothing left but books, and much thought over needlework, in solitary hours. Please do not give me undue credit; it is more mortifying than blame. I must tell you how it was I thought so much of your life. Nearly two years ago, after you made such a vast sacrifice to principle giving up wealth, station, popularity, family, friends, love, es- teem, all for your ideas of duty hero- worshipper that I was, I recognized in you the elements of which heroes are made, and 1 '- ROSALIE. 195 She blushed, and suddenly stopped, conscious of the indelicacy of praising him to his face. " Go on, dear Rosalie." Still she remained silent and embarrassed. " Well, -"Rosalie, you saw, or rather you iliought you saw, in me the elements of heroism ?" "It was very impertinent in me to presume to say so forgive it 1" " Nay, dear child, I beg you won't take it back ! If you do not hope for me, who will ?" " Indeed, I do hope for your success very strongly and more than that, I count upon it very confi- dently" " But finish what you were going to say ; you saw in some one ' the elements of which heroes are made, and' " " Oh, nothing, only I dived more deeply than ever before into my lives of great men, and reflected more than ever upon the causes that made them great, if you do not think it presumption in a girl like me to talk of reflection upon such a subject. But my mind ever had an attraction to it, and you gave that attrac- tion a new and strong interest. I thought of you, and hoped that you were on the road to an honour- able and beneficent distinction. I was grieved to hear that you were coming here; I would have opposed it, had I dared. Do not stay here, Mr. Sutherland." " I must fulfil my engagement with your uncle !" " My uncle will release you from it." " Yet, dear Rosalie, I cannot leave now." "Do not think me importunate, impertinent; I wish you would go even now to-day." 196 INDIA. THE PEAKL OF PEARL RIVER. Mark Sutherland looked up at her in surprise, but checked the answer that rose to his lips, when he saw her troubled face. Her work being now completed, she arose, and left the room. CHAPTER XII. BRIDAL PREPARATIONS. " Oh, yet we know that somehow good Will be the final goal of ill, To pangs of nature, sins of will, Defects of doubt, and taints of blood : "That nothing walks with aimless feet; That not one life shall be destroyed, Or cast as rubbish to the void, When God hath made the pile complete : " That not a worm is cloven in vain ! That not a worm, with vain desire, Is shrivelled in a fruitless fire, Or but subserves another's gain." Tennyton. FOR the next several days, various notes of prepa- ration as for some joyful coming event, were sounded through the old hall. Servants, within and without the house, pursued their avocations with unusual alac- rity. Waggons, with new furniture, arrived from a neighbouring town. In the drawing-room and par- lours, Mrs. Vivian directed the operations of the up- holsterers, in putting down new carpets, and hanging new curtains, mirrors, &c. On the lawn, and in the garden, Rosalie's taste presided at the trimming and BRIDAL PREPARATIONS. 197 dressing of vines, shrubs, and flowers; while from one to the other Colonel Ashley flew with a gay, busy in- terest. They were all evidently playing the prelude to some great family festival. Mark Sutherland re- mained unenlightened upon the subject, until, one morning, as he walked out upon the piazza, to enjoy the early freshness of the air, he was joined by the two lads, Henry and Eichard, who, seizing each a hand, eagerly inquired "Are you going to walk out this morning, before breakfast, Mr. Sutherland ?" A nod and smile was his answer. He was de- pressed, despondent; he felt that he had no part in all that was going on in that house he felt himself a stranger and an alien. Yet, too generous and bene- volent to damp the spirits of the lads by his own. gloom, he smiled upon them kindly, and when they asked permission to accompany him, he inquired, gaily, how it happened that, while all were so very busy, in the house and on the grounds, they alone should be idle. ' " Oh, Mrs. Vivian drives us out of the way even Hose won't let us help her, and father threatens to lock us up if we don't keep quiet. We're driven about from post to pillar ; and so we came out to walk with you. Father and the rest of them making such a fuss! just as if nobody ever got married before St. Gerald!" said Eichard, contemptuously. Another might have rebuked the boy for speaking so disrespectfully ; but Mark had little of the tutor spirit in him, after all. Eosalie was right in that. They left the piazza, crossed the lawn, and took the narrow path leading along the course of the stream 108 INDIA. THE PEAIiL OF PEARL RIVER. the boys sometimes affectionately holding his hands, and sometimes one or the other suddenly breaking away to pluck and bring him an early violet, or eglantine rose, or to throw a pebble in the stream, where some small fish had started up. At last " Making such a fuss !" again complained Eichard ; " making such a fuss, and driving us about so that we boys can't have a bit of peace of our lives ! Just as if she were so much better than everybody else in the world, that so much trouble must be taken for her." " Whom are you talking of?" inquired Mr. Suther- land, carelessly. " Why the young lady St. Gerald is going to marry, to be sure !" "Ah, then, Mr. Ashley is going to bring home a wife, is he ?" " Why, of course he is !" said Henry, warming up. "He is going to be married to a beautiful young lady, very rich, who was the belle of the city last winter, they say !" " Oh, she is as rich and as beautiful as a princess in a fairy book ; and that's what all the fuss is about," sneered Richard. " Don't you mind Rich, Mr. Sutherland ; he can't bear to have a word said about anybody but him- self!" "As if I wanted anybody to bother themselves about me I'm not so much like you as {hat" retorted Richard. And thereupon arose the usual squabble be- tween the lads, until their tutor interfered and restored order, if not good feeling. They continued their walk for about a mile along BRIDAL PREPARATIONS. 199 tlie mountain stream, and then returning by the back hills, got home at the breakfast hour. Colonel Ashley, Mrs. Vivian, and Eose, were al- ready seated at the breakfast-table, and engaged in eager conversation concerning the approaching mar- riage of the heir of the house, when Mr. Sutherland and the lads entered. " Good morning, Mr. Sutherland. I hope you have had a pleasant walk though I would not be bothered with those troublesome boys, if I were you; their com- pany is quite enough in school hours, I should think!" said the old gentleman, banteringly, as they took their places at the board. Mrs. Vivian and Rosalie smiled a salutation. And then the thread of the conversation was taken up again, as if it had never been broken, and as if Mark Sutherland was already familiar with the pre- mises. " Yes ; St. Gerald writes me that the marriage will come off at an early hour of the day, and that imme- diately after the ceremony they will set out from Washington for this place. It will take them two days to reach here, so that we may expect the party on Thursday evening. Rosalie, my dear, bear that in mind, if you please, and be ready. Mrs. Vivian, my dear lady, I do not want two cups of chocolate at once this, I think, is intended for Mr. Suther- land!" said the old gentleman, passing the cup to Mark. Mrs. Vivian's mind was certainly absent and dis- tracted, as her manner was disconcerted, and her beautiful countenance troubled. After breakfast, the family party separated as 200 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. usual. Colonel Ashley went to his study, to write letters ; Mrs. Vivian and Eosalie to their work-table, in the parlour; and Mark to his school-room, with the boys. The ladies had scarcely seated themselves, before a servant entered to say that Mr. Robert Bloomfield had come with the ponies, and wished to know if Mis.s Rosalie would ride. " Don't go, Rose ; send an excuse. Cut this com- panionship firmly and kindly off, at once and forever," s nd Mrs. Vivian, in a low voice. " Tell him, William, that I am very much obliged for his kindness, but I cannot ride to-day," said Rosalie , and, as the servant left the room, she added, "That was a very unkind, ungrateful message, mamma." " Nonsense ! "What kindness or gratitude do you owe to Robert?" answered the lady, with an apparent harshness of sentiment that her heart did not by any means justify. But, before Rosalie could reply again, Robert Bloomfield entered the room, flushed and in haste; and, without even seeing Mrs. Vivian, hurried up to the young girl, exclaiming "Rose! Rose! how is this ? Three times I have called here, as usual as a matter of course to ride with you, and each time I have been met by your servant, and told I don't know what, except that I could not see you, Rose. Dear Rosalie, have I offended you in any way ? Dear Rosalie, speak to me I Say! Say, are you angry with me?" he persisted, seeing that she did not answer. BRIDAL PREPARATIONS. 201 "Xo\v, what on earth should I be angry with you about, Robert ? Of course, I am not angry." "You are offended with me. You are, I feel you are I know you are; I see it in your face, Rosalie," he persisted, gazing on her troubled counte- nance, and reading, but not aright, its sorrowful ex- pression. "Indeed, I am- not displeased with you, dear Bob. How could I possibly be, when you never in your life gave me cause for any other feeling towards you than esteem and thankfulness ?" "'Esteem and thankfulness!' I told you before, Rosalie, if you persisted in talking that way you'd drive me out of my senses !" Here Mrs. Vivian hemmed, to give notice of her presence; and Robert Bloomfield turned, and per- ceived her for the first time. If he had not observed the lady before, he did not care about her now. He bowed ; and then, forgetting her, turned, and resumed his conversation with Rosalie, in the same impatient, impassioned tone. Mrs. Vivian, with a cold, offended air, arose and left the room. But as soon as the door closed behind the lady, and Robert found himself alone with Rosalie, he certainly betrayed a great sense of relief, for his manner became more earnest and vehement, and he pleaded anew the hopeless suit so often and so de- cidedly rejected. His tongue was loosened, and words flowed, without let or hindrance, in that impetuous torrent of eloquence inspired only by passion ; and Rosalie listened with emotion scarcely less than his own, for every word he uttered gave expression to the vague, deep, unspoken yearning of her own heart. 202 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVKK. She heard him out patiently; yes, she let him be gin again, and go over the whole matter a second and a third time, before she could find courage to destroy his hopes. At last she said . " I have deeply wronged you, Robert. I did not mean it, Heaven knows ; but I have wronged you. Robert, I am very sorry. I shall never forgive my- self." "I don't understand you, Rosalie I do tell me what you mean !" " I mean that I have not been frank enough with you, Robert. I have not had the courage," said Rosa- lie, in a faltering voice, for she still deeply pitied him. He did not look like an object of pity, just then; all his countenance suddenly brightened with joy. He seized her hand, exclaiming " Do I comprehend ? Do I hear you right ? Do you mean, after all, that you like me a little better than you said you did ?" "No. Oh! Robert, what a sanguine nature yours must be, to interpret every word which is not positive, in your own way No, Robert ! I mean, that I have thoughtlessly accepted all your kind services, knowing full well that I never, never can repay the smallest of them. I mean, too, that I have let you tell me, again and again, of your regard, knowing all the while that I can never, never return it in the way you wish. I have wronged you, by not telling you this with suffi- cent firmness before !" " Cruel ! cold ! hard ! heartless !" "It is my misfortune that I cannot accept you, Robert. My reason is telling me all the time, just as any prudent old lady could tell me that if I could like you, I should have an enviable lot in life ; not BRIDAL PREPARATIONS. 203 because you are wealthy, and all that, of course, Robert, but because I really do know you are so good, so disinterested, so true, and because your dear mother and sisters are just like you, and I could love them as if they were my own relatives." "In mercy, Rosalie, why do you talk to me so, if you never mean to accept me ?" " Why, indeed ? Because I cannot reject this kind- ness, for which I am indeed most sincerely grateful, in any other but the humblest manner, and with every circumstance to assure you, that I feel how much good I reject in rejecting you, Robert. Dear Robert, there is certainly destiny, as well as duty, in these matters ; and, well as I like you, I could not love you enough to marry you, if my salvation depended on it ; indeed I could not. I am not destined to so easy a life, Robert. I begin to have a foreshadowing that my lot will be a very rough one, Robert ; that I shall not be left to bask in the sunshine, but shall have to face and weather the storm." " You you fragile snow-drop ! "What do you mean now ? You meet the storms of life ! Has the Plant- ers' Own Bank broken, or have all the slaves on the plantation run off in a body ?" "Neither one nor the other, Robert. And if I ' rough it' in the world, it will be my own free choice." " I confess I do not understand you except that you make me wretched ; that is plain enough, but as to the rest, I am all in the dark." " It is my own secret, Robert." "One thing I do know; that is, you are too deli- cate for a rough life." " Robert, there are many delicate natures that have 204 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. been cherished, and nursed, and petted to miserable weakness and death. My flower garden has taught me that lesson." " I should like to know how a flower garden could teach you a lesson like that /" "Oh! should you? I can tell you, then. Last year, when I came here, I found a new flower growing in the garden. I don't know botany, and I don't know what the flower was, or how it came there ; but I suppose the wind brought the seed. My flower was so feeble and withered, that it had lost all beauty and comeliness, and every charm, except a delightful odour. I weeded and worked around it, and watered it regularly, and nursed and cherished it, but it faded faster and faster, yielding a dying fragrance. I said it was too exposed and cold, and I took it up and transplanted it to the conservatory. There it wilted and fell, and I gave it up for lost. But now mark the sequel. A few days after, I took a ride up to the mountain top, and left my horse, for a ramble on foot. A fresh, delicate, delicious odour greeted me. I looked about, and lo ! there, in a cleft of. the rock on the mountain top, where it would be exposed to all the snow, and wind, and hail of winter, and burning rays of summer, was my strange hot-house plant I There it grew and flourished, swaying to and fro in the wind, and filling all the air with the freshness of its fra- grance! Now what do you think I did, Robert? You will laugh at me, of course, for everybody laughed. The very next day I took my poor flower, that was dying in the conservatory and that I pitied as if it had been a sick, caged bird and I carried it up the mountain, and planted it in the evening. THE MEETING. 205 Thunder gusts and showers the next day prevented my ride ; but the third day I visited my protege. It was living ! It- had plucked up a spirit and intended to live. I am like that plant, Kobert ! And now, to come back to yourself. We must part, Robert, as friends kindly but not to meet again, except as mere acquaintances, until you have outgrown the present weakness of your heart." She extended her hand he pressed it to his lips, seized his cap, and hastily left the house. CHAPTER XIII. THE MEETING. " The staring madness, when she wakes, to find That which she has loved must love is not that She meant to love There is a desolation in her eye He cannot bear to look on for it seems As though it eats the light out of his own." Festus. THE day at length came upon which St. Gerald Ashley and his young bride, with their attendants, were expected to arrive at Ashley Hall. Early in the afternoon, the carriage had been sent to the village to meet them; and in the evening all the members of the family were assembled in the drawing-room, to await them. Many of the country gentry, who had been invited to meet the bridal party, had joined the circle in the course of the evening, and the rooms were now quite full. Among the guests present were 206 INDIA. THE PEARL OP PEARL RIVER. the Right Honourable W R , then Governor of the State ; Judge M , of the Supreme Court ; and a few others, high in state or national authority, whose distinguished names are now historical. But there was no one present so proud or happy as old Colonel Ashley, who walked about gently rubbing his hands, in the simple gleefulness of his country heart and habits. The carriage was behind time ; for the reason, it was rumoured, that the bride and her attendants chose to rest an hour or two at the village. At length, however, the welcome wheels were heard to roll up to the door, and the travellers to alight and enter the hall. They retired to change their dresses before entering the drawing-room. In the meantime, among the country neighbours in the saloon, all was half-sub- dued excitement and expectancy. Among the com- pany was Mark Sutherland, of course. He was not one to shade with his dark brow the brightness of other people's gaiety. In the social temper of youih, he had sought to enter into the spirit of the time, and had laughed and jested with the young people, or " talked politics" with the elders, as the case de- manded. He had heard the slight, subdued bustle in the hall, incident upon the arrival of the bridal party; and the instant absorption of the whole heart of the assembled company, in the interest of the moment, had left him free. He had stood a few moments quite alone and unobserved, when a slight tremulousness of the air near him, a slight disturbance of his own serenity, caused him to look up. Rosalie Vivian was standing near him, with a de- precating, imploring look and gesture. Her face was THE MEETING. 20*. white as the white crape dress she wore, and hoi wreath of snow drops quivered with the trembling of her frame. Startled by her appearance, he asked hurriedly " Dear Rosalie, has anything happened ? What is the matter ?" "I ought to have told you before! Some of us ought to have told you ! / ought to have done so !" she answered, somewhat vaguely and wildly. " Told me what, dear Kosalie ? What is it ?" " Give me the support of your arm into the next room there is no one there." " My child, you are not well !" said Mark, looking at her now with painful anxiety, as he drew her hand through his arm. " I am not good, you ought to say. I have not been good ! I have been a coward ! I have not been your friend, Mark ! I have been a traitor." "A traitor! Rosalie, you rave !" "I ought to have told you any time this- month past ; but I could not bear to do it. And now it is scarcely any use at all ; it is a mockery to tell you. But yet, indeed, I could not bear to see you standing there, so gay and unsuspicious. I could not bear to think how you would lose your self-command in her presence. No, I could not endure the thought, Mark !" she said, more and more incoherently. " Rosalie, you are very nervous ; you have over- excited yourself about this wedding. Come, let me get you something," said Mark, drawing her gently through the crowd. As they passed, the buzz of conversation increased very much, and " They are coming ;" " The bride is 208 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. coming;" "There she is;" "Hush," &c., were the sounds that heralded the entrance of the bridal party, just as Mark Sutherland led Eosalie Vivian into the next room. He took her to a sofa, seated her, handed her a glass of water ; but she waved it aside, saying, " I do not need it I do not need it ! It is you who need strength and calmness now. O, Mark ! I wish you had left the house when I advised you to leave it!" she exclaimed, her agitation becoming momentarily greater. At last, forcing herself to speak again, she asked : " Mr. Sutherland ! Mark ! Do you know the name of the lady whom St. Gerald Ashley has married ?" " Certainly," said Mark Sutherland, raising his eye- brows in an interrogative manner. " You do !" exclaimed Eosalie, greatly surprised excited. " Certainly I do ! How could I possibly remain in ignorance of it?" "You do ! You know it! And yet you are so calm ! Nay, indeed, I am afraid you are mistaken ; whom do you suppose it to be ?" " One once betrothed to myself my cousin India !" "You know it! And you are not unhappy about it 1 Oh, blessed Lord ! I am so thankful so glad 1" And Rosalie dropped her face upon her hands, and wept softly and quietly. "Dear Eosalie, has all this disturbance of yours been caused by your sympathy with unworthy me ?" " I remembered how you suffered at Cashmere I feared I dreaded if you met her suddenly here the bride of another that"- " Well, dear Rose ! That" THE MEETING. 209 " Oh, I fear you think me very impertinent. If you do, you may tell me so ; indeed, I shall not take it amiss." " Tell me your thought, Rosalie. Was it that all those old wounds would be re-opened ? That all those sufferings would be renewed ?" " Yes !" " Yet you see that they are not." " No, thank Heaven, Mark ! But I cannot undei stand it." " Well, then, understand it now. The advent of my promised bride, as the wedded wife of another, does not disturb a pulse of mine, because, in my heart in any honourable heart love could not long survive esteem, more than it could survive hope or duty, and because" Here his whole manner grew most earnest, most intense, and passing his arm over her shoulder, he drew her face towards his own, and kissing away the tear drops from her eyes, said, " Be- cause I love this single tear of true feeling better than the whole heart of yonder selfish beauty !" And now, if Mark fancied tears, he might have a plenty of them; for now they fell warm and fast. " What is the matter, Rosalie ? Why do you weep now ?" asked Mark. But she did not answer. He repeated the question perseveringly. At last, sobbing softly, and smiling, and sighing, and blushing, and averting her face, she said, archly, "Juliet wept at what she was 'glad of.'" "Are you glad, Rosalie? Tell me, dear Rose. Arc you glad that I love you more than all the world 13 L'l<> INDIA. THE PEAKL OF PEARL 1UVE11. that I have chosen you the guiding star of my mo r She did not, could not answer. He repeated this question, also searchingly, perse- veringly, only to hear her answer; and he bent his ear, and averted his eyes, and quelled the beating of his heart, to win her reply. At last it came, with her face hidden on his shoulder, and in a tone scarcely above her breath " I always hoped you would like me at last ; I did not think you would so soon, though." "But are you glad are you (jlwlT persisted the unreasonable man. "Yes, glad" whispered Rosalie; and in proof of her truth the tears rolled quietly down her face. "And so am I! Glad, happy, hopeful, confident, Rosalie ! There will be no more faltering, and faint- ing, and failing now ! You have infused new life into me. That any gossamer girl should have the power to do this ! Yet such is the case, Rosalie." "Am I such a gossamer ?" "You are very fragile, Rosalie." ' ' Out of the heart are the issues of life.' " They were interrupted, of course; people always are when they are very blessed. It does not suit "the rest of mankind" to leave them so. This time it was old Colonel Ashley, who really was happy enough in himself to have left Mark and Rosalie alone in their content, if he had known it. lie came in with a brisk step, with his slight figure seeming slighter, his grey hair lighter, and his thin, rosy face fiercer than ever, with the effervescence of his joy. lie advanced, speaking THE MEETING. 211 "Ah, Mr. Sutherland, you are here! I have been looking for you. What ! will you be the last to pay your respects to the bride, and she a relative though a very distant one, I suppose, of your own? Come, let me present you." "Does India does Mrs. Ashley expect me?" in- quired Mr. Sutherland. " I imagine not !" replied the old gentleman, raising his eyebrows ; " but that does not matter, you know. Come!" Pressing the hand of Eosalie, before relinquishing it, Mark Sutherland arose to accompany Colonel Ash- ley to the front drawing-room, and to the presence of the bride. They could not at once approach her, on account of the number of persons around her ; yet the room was not so thronged with company as to prevent their having a full view of the bride and her attendants. There stood India receiving the homage of her circle her superb form arrayed in the rich and gor- geous costume that was so well adapted to her ma- jestic and [luxurious style of beauty. Her cheeks were mantled with a rich, high colour, yet this seemed not the carnation bloom of youth and health, but the fire of a feverish excitement. Her eyes were dark and brilliant, yet not with the light of innocent love and joy, but with the blaze of a burning and con- suming heart. " Come," whispered the old gentleman ; " it is no use to stand here waiting our opportunity ; for we might stand all night, and those fools wouldn't give way. Poor wretches ! just like boys peeping at a gentle- man's conservatory, where they know they dare not 212 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVKll. touch even a rose-bud. Come, we must elbow through that circle of dandies ; gently, you know gently." And suiting the action to the words, Colonel Ash- ley adroitly insinuated himself through the outer crowd and through the nearer circle, and into the very presence of the bride. She was not looking towards the new-comers. She was listening to a gentleman, who, having apparently exhausted all other subjects of adulation, was now ex- patiating upon the rare and exquisite beauty of the bouquet she held in her hand. Colonel Ashley and Mr. Sutherland were before her. " Mrs. Ashley" She looked round. " Will you permit me to present to you my young friend, Mr. Sutherland a distant relative of your own, may I hope ?" Mark Sutherland looked up, caught her eye, and bowed deeply. But before he had had time to do so, before even the deliberate ceremonious presentation speech of the old gentleman was half over at the very instant she had turned around, and her eye had fallen upon Mark Sutherland a change, an appalling change, had come over her lovely face and form, like that which might be supposed to sweep over the face of some beautiful and fertile oasis at the sudden blast of the simoom, that buries all its luxurious beauty in the burning and arid sands of the desert. As by the sudden smite of death, all colour was dashed out from her cheek, and all light from her eye. For a moment she stood and gazed, transfixed, unable to withdraw her stony eyes from his; then, THE MEETING. 213 with a sudden cry, as if some tightly-strained heart- string had snapped the tension of her form relaxed, and she fell to the floor ! In an instant all was confusion. Eaised in the arms of her father, Clement Sutherland who, until that moment, had remained obscure in the back- ground the swooning bride was borne into the ad- joining room, and laid upon the sofa, while resto- ratives were anxiously sought for, to be administered. In the meantime, in the saloon she had left, only two persons Mark Sutherland and Mrs. Vivian un- . derstood the cause of her fainting. Various innocent conjectures prevailed, far from the truth. "It was the heat of the room," thought one; "Over-excite- ment," opined another ; " Standing so long," fancied a third ; " The fatigue of her journey," imagined a fourth. " Really, it was too inconsiderate in Colonel Ashley to oblige his daughter to receive company upon the very evening of her arrival," complained Mrs. Chief Justice M , a large, heavy person, fan- ning herself slowly. "I noticed her face was very pale," said a sympathetic lady, drawing upon her im- agination for her facts. "Indeed! but I thought it was very flushed," interrupted a matter-of-fact indi- vidual. All these various conjectures were expressed in low, almost inaudible tones ; while, undisturbed and smiling, Mrs. Vivian passed among the company, and, as it were, moved upon the troubled waters of their half-suppressed excitement, and, with her mere smile of self-possession, restoring calmness and order. Presently the door of the inner room opened, and the bride reappeared, leaning lightly upon the arm of 214 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. her father, and attended by her husband and brides- maids. She entered, and passed up the saloon to her former position. Several country gentlemen zealously drew forward a cushioned chair, and several sympa- thetic old-fashioned ladies approached, with inquiries and expressions of condolence. Pale and weary, but smiling and self-possessed, Mrs. Ashley gracefully accepted the services of the former, and replied to the interested questions and comments of the latter. " It was very ill-judged on the part of the Colonel, my dear, to subject you to the fatigue of a reception, just off your journey very indeed," said Mrs. Chief Justice M . " I do really think we ought to exercise the good taste of retiring," whispered another. Whether India heard this remark or not, she an- swered " I am not fatigued. We made but a very short stage to day, and rested several hours at the next vil- lage. No; it was the warmth and closeness of the room. The windows are open now, and the effect has gone with the cause," she added, smiling brightly, while at the same moment the consciousness of the first falsehood she had ever uttered in her life brought a warm though transient blush to her cheek, that re- sembled the returning glow of strength, and reassured all doubt. After a little, the musicians began to touch their instruments, and soon struck up a lively quadrille air. The younger portion of the company gave signs of restlessness. Gentlemen hesitated, and then chose their partners for the set, and remained awaiting the mo- THE MEETING. 215 tions of Mrs. Ashley. As hostess, it was her right to select any gentleman present to honour with her hand for the quadrille ; and as bride, it was her privilege to lead off the dance. When India became aware that all were waiting for her, she threw her eyes over the assembly ; and the aspiring heart of many a youth beat faster when their beams lingered for an instant on him. But he for whom she looked was nowhere to be seen. At last, a smile of scorn and self -scorn writhed swiftly athwart her lips, and her eyes suddenly blazed as their light kindled upon the form of one who came in at the farthest door. Quick as lightning flashed and fled the spasm of that face, leaving it serene and smiling, as she arose and met the new-comer, and said sweetly " My cousin Mark, will you honour me ?" And before the astonished man could bow, she had placed her hand in his, and he found himself by her side, at the head of a set that instantly formed around them. India spoke and smiled with her usual charming ease, and danced with her usual grace and dignity. And after the dance was finished, and her partner had led her to her seat, she detained him near her, toying with her fan or bouquet, talking of a thousand nothings. She presented him to her husband ; and Mark Sutherland, of course, politely expressed him- self pleased to form the personal acquaintance of one with whose public life and services he had been so long familiar, &c. Throughout the long evening, India maintained a regnant self-control. And Mark Sutherland wondered & the seeming inconsistency of her conduct. He did 216 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. not know, or he did not reflect, that in the first in- stance of surprise, her nerves had so to speak got the start of her will, and so betrayed her ; but that after once the will had regained the ascendancy over the nerves, it was able to control them. Not again that evening did Mark Sutherland find an opportunity to speak with Rosalie. India detained him at her side, smiling, chatting, and in her daring audacity carrying back their recollections into scenes and times and places that suggested the parallel of taking lighted candles among open casks of camphine or gunpowder. Her indifference was too well attested to be genuine. But Mark Sutherland's perfect calm- ness real and thorough, as hers was assumed and superficial assisted her. The drama of the evening was at last over. The company had departed, the lights were out, and India .found herself, for a few moments, alone in her chamber. She had smiled, and glanced, and chatted, and charmed all eyes and ears to the last. She had gained the privacy of her chamber she had angrily, then fiercely, rejected the services of her attendant, and turned her from the room. And now, for the moment, she was alone and free the acting all was over the mask might be laid aside the miserable victim of pride might seem the wretch she really was. And oh ! the fearful change that came over that beautiful but agonized face when the mask of smiles fell I She threw herself, all robed, and gemmed, and wreathed, as she was, prostrate upon the bed her form convulsed, her bosom heaving with the suffo- cating anguish, vur Rosalie.* THE CONFESSION. 2o ( J " Yes, I know mamma and Mr. Lauderdale will be united next month." " Well, dear Rosalie ?" "Well?" "I am going away in a week must we then part?" "Not unless you wish to go and leave me behind, Mark." " Wish to leave you behind ! In leaving you I should turn my back upon my guiding star, my in- spiration, my life !" " Then I accompany you, Mark." " Your friends, Eose, will they not raise serious opposition ?" " No ! I have neither father nor mother, and there are no other friends who have any wish to rule me, or any interest in doing so. My young step-mother is going to break the conventional tie between herself and me by marrying a second time ; and with her own heart under the gentle influence of happiness, she will not be disposed to wring mine. As for my uncle, his son has brought a wife home now, who will be the mistress of his house, and he no longer requires my presence in that capacity. Indeed, I might even be considered in the way. And neither am I disposed to take a second place in a household of which I have hitherto been at the head. And that reminds me that I am at the head of it still, and that the duties of the position press upon me every hour even now," said Rosalie, moving to go. He caught her hand to detain her. "Stay do not leave me just yet. And so, my dearest Rosalie, u~hen I go forth you will accompany me?" 240 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. " I have said that if you wish it yes, I will accom- pany you." " God bless you, dearest Eose !" burst from his lips with impassioned fervour. " But, my dear girl my fairy, fragile girl do you know what women in the far West have to encounter ? hardships from which the most robust shrink; hardships from which the strong and beautiful India shrank ; and will my pale, frail Rosalie dare them ? and can she bear them ?" "India, with her glorious physique, is still a delicate daughter of the sun ; she is like a gorgeous, brilliant exotic, that can bloom only in a luxurious conserva- tory ; while I, with my wan face and fragile form, am yet a child of the wind a wood-anemone, that only withered in a Southern hothouse that will flourish and thrive in the wilderness." " Heaven grant it may be as you say, dear Rosalie ! It is impossible for me to give you up, to leave you ; yet when I think of all you may have to suffer in being my companion, my heart is filled with anxiety and trouble. What did you say, dearest ? Your sweetest words hide under low tones, just as the sweetest violets lurk under thick shade. What were you murmuring?" "Only that I should not suffer half as much in meeting anything with you, as I should as I should" " Well, dearest ?" 11 In being left behind" said Rosalie, dropping her head upon "his shoulder, as he caught her to his heart, and exclaimed, in a sudden burst of emotion "You shall not be left behind, my darling ! my darling ! By all my hopes of earth and heaven. I will never, never part tVoru yen ! PROGNOSTICS. 241 For a moment her bead had rested on his breast in peace, and then she began to grow restless and twisted herself out of his embrace. "Where now?" he asked, rather impatiently. She looked at him with a comic expression of countenance, and said : "It is a mortifying necessity to confess, but the truth is, the luam has to be taken out of soak and put on to boil for dinner, aud I have got to see it done ; also there are gooseberry tarts and lemon custard to be prepared for the dessert, and I have got to go and do it. I wonder if uncle and cousin St. Gerald, who both love their palates, (low be it spoken,) will ever get anything fit to eat when the gorgeous Mrs. India takes my place!" and so, laughing and escaping, she ran off. CHAPTER XVII. i PROGNOSTICS. "With caution judge of probability ; Things thought unlikely, e'en impossible, Experience often shows us to be true." Shakspeare. THE world-honoured and time-honoured bard whose lines are quoted above habitually looked beneath the mere plausible surface of possibility, and from the deep insight thereby gained, often put forth oracles at opposition to the usual routine of thought and expec- tation, yet which the eternal experiences of life con- tinue to endorse as truths. 15 242 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. Were I writing a merely fictitious narrative, it would be in order now (after the custom-sanctioned manner of story-tellers) to describe the cruel oppo- sition the lovers met from tyrannical parents, guar- dians, &c. But I am writing a true story in this particular at least, "stranger than fiction" and so have no such events to relate. It happened as Eosalie had predicted she met no serious opposition to the current of her affections. And if we look into the causes of that leniency on the part of her guardians, we shall not find their non- resistance so unaccountable, after all. Left without father or mother without near rela- tives or natural protectors, except a youthful step- dame, now too entirely absorbed in the contemplation of her own marriage, and an old uncle, to whom until two years past she had been a perfect stranger, Miss Vivian was thus not the first object of interest to any one around her. It is true, that when Rosalie made known her pur- pose to Mrs. Vivian, the lady opposed the contemplated marriage with entreaties and tears ; but finding that entreaties and tears only distressed the maiden with- out shaking her resolution, the young step-mother felt neither the right nor the inclination to attempt the arbitrary control of Miss Vivian's destiny. In yield- ing her final consent, the sweet-lipped lady said, amid falling tears "Oh! were he well established, Rosalie, there is no one in the world to whom I would resign you with so much pleasure and comfort, as to him whom you have chosen. And well I know, and deeply 1 feel, that even now, from this low point of life with you by his si ic with you for an incentive PROGNOSTICS. 243 with his high moral principles and intellectual faculties, and in this favoured country, he must rise, he must accomplish a brilliant destiny. But 0, Eosa- lie, my child, in the meanwhile, I dread for you those toilsome, terrible first steps on the road to success ! O Eosalie, pause ! How much wiser to wait until he has conquered success !" " And share his triumphs when I would not share his toils? No! no! no!" "It would be so much safer, Eosalie 1" " And so much more prudent to allow him, in those moments of depression and despondency that must come, to think that it is only the successful statesman or jurist whose fortunes I would share, not those of the toiling aspirant ! To turn a second India on his hands, and so forever and forever break down his faith in womanhood, in disinterestedness, and in truth ! No ! no ! no ! and a thousand times no ! I have the blessed privilege of healing the heart that India wounded, of lifting up the brow that she bowed down, of strengthening and sustaining the faith that she weakened." " If you should be a burden to him ?" " I will never be a burden to him ! Providence will never so fail me. Mine is no sudden girlish fancy. It is a deep, earnest affection, arising from the profoundest sentiments of esteem and honour that ever woman felt for man and the Father who inspired it will bless it. HE who in his benignant love said, ' It is not good for man to be alone,' will strengthen me to be a true help-meet for my husband." " Eosalie ! be practical, child !" " Be faithful first, aiid practical afterwards." 244 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEA&L RIVER. " Eosalie, you don't know what you brave ! Fancy yourself and Mark now married, and housekeeping (forsooth !) in some wretched log- cabin or some lath- and-plaster shell of a shanty, in some new Western village. Fancy yourselves both down with that curse of new settlements, the ague, and each unable to help the other, and no one to give you a cup of tea, and perhaps with no tea in the house." " That is a plain statement of a very dismal contin- gency, dear mamma. Yet I have no doubt that we should shiver and shake safely through it, as others have done. Yet it is not fair or wise to contemplate the worst possibility only. The Western pioneers are not always laid up with the ague and without tea 1" said Rosalie, with a sparkle of fan in her eyes. But in a moment after, the young girl's face grew serious, and she said, in a tremulous voice, " And besides, dear mamma, the very bugbears that you have evoked to frighten me from my journey only draw me on to go. Oh, do you think, mamma, that I could bear to stay here in safety, ease, and luxury, and know that he was far away, exposed to all the dangers, hardships, and privations of a pioneer life ?" " Nonsense ! Danger is the natural element of man ! to seek it is the nature of the creature!" "Yes, mamma; but illness, fever, burning thirst, solitude, and helplessness, is not. And, if I thought that Mark were suffering all these things in some wretched Western cabin, and I not near to bathe his head and give him a cup of cold water, and to nurse and com- fort and soothe him, but separated from him by thou- sands of miles of mountains and plains, I tell you, mamma, it would nearly break my heart ! It is no PROGNOSTICS. 245 use ! I must go with him, to meet whatever of good or ill Fate has in store. It can have nothing else so evil as a separation ! Oh ! I feel as if the worst calamity that could possibly befall me, would be a separation from him." "Foolish girl! You love that broad-shouldered, robust man, as tenderly as a mother loves her babe !" " I love him with a tenderness and sympathy that makes me tremblingly alive to his least ^sorrow or, lightest pain ; and yet mark you, mamma, with an esteem, with a depth of respect, with an honour that makes me aspire to his approbation as my highest good under Heaven !" " Kosalie, I will not farther oppose you ! Yet, if you only had strength to endure the hardships of a Western life, I should feel less anxiety." " Do not fear. I shall be able to endure, because ' my good will is to it ;' and energetic, because I shaH have a good motive ; and healthy, because I shall be happy because my heart will be right and at rest ; for I say it again, because it is a great deep truth ' Out of the heart are the issues of life /' Yes, out of the heart are the issues of will, purpose, hope, health, strength, enterprise, achievement, SUCCESS! Out of the heart are the issues of all the good that can come back to us in time or eternity! on earth or in Heaven 1" 246 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER, CHAPTER XVIII. DEPARTURES. " We foresee and could foretel Thy future fortune sure and well ; But those passionate ejes speak true, speak true, And let them say what thou shall do !" Browning. WITH Miss Vivian's uncle the difficulty was even less in obtaining his consent to the marriage with Mark Sutherland; and for the following reasons: Colonel Ashley worshipped his proud, talented son, St. Gerald; and in his estimation no interests could compete for an instant with St. Gerald's interests. Colonel Ashley liked Rosalie well enough, and wished her well enough, and he was resolved to do all he could to insure her future happiness; yet if a slight risk of her welfare would insure the domestic peace and content of St. Gerald, Colonel Ashley was not one to hesitate between the conflicting interests of his niece and son. And that the marriage and departure of Mark Sutherland and Rosalie would tend greatly to tranquillise the life of the already disturbed hus- band, he could not now doubt. It was dreadful to notice all the fatal effects of India's want of faith it was awful to anticipate the final result. The once haughty and self-possessed woman was growing spiritless and nervous, subject to extremes of excitement and depression, moody, irri- table, and flighty to the last degree. Her glorious beauty was tvithering, uniting, as you have seen some DEPARTURES. 247 richly -blooming flower wither suddenly without appa- rent cause wither as if scorched by the burning breath of the sirocco. And the cause was apparent to every one around her, not excepting her bitterly- wronged and most wretched husband to every one around her but Rosalie, whose perfect truth and inno- cence of heart shielded her from the suspicion of so much evil. If it was fearful to see the ravages that misery had made in the glorious beauty of India, it was not less so to observe its desolating effect upon the splendid genius of St. Gerald. It was now a stirring time with aspiring young statesmen. A great national crisis was at hand ; and it behooved all prominent politicians to be up and do- ing. St. Gerald, of all statesmen, should have been the most active, the most energetic. The eyes of his party were turned in anxiety towards him the eyes of old grey heads, exhausted by a long life's service, and reposing on their well-earned laurels, and the eyes of young aspirants, panting to succeed to them, were all fixed upon St. Gerald, as their hope, their leader, and their deliverer ! A senator already, he is carried up on the tenth wave of popular favour ! Should he serve them well in this crisis, as he surely can if he will, for his talent, his eloquence, his influence is mighty among the nations; should he serve them well this time, there is no honour, no, not the highest in the gift of the people, to which he may not reason- ably aspire ! St. Gerald should be busy now riding from town to town, from county to county, from State to State convening the people, organising meetings, making speeches, drawing up resolutions, and doing all those multifarious acts by which states- 248 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. men in the recess of Congress touch the secret springs of the great political machinery, to keep it in mo- tion, or haply to stop it altogether. St. Gerald should be up and doing, for now is the " tide" in his affairs, which " taken at the flood" may bear him on to for- tune aye, ultimately to the, Presidential chair. St. Gerald should be active, stirring for every day is destiny ! But the young statesman is doing absolutely nothing. He is withering in inaction, because his bride is withering from his side. Colonel Ashley perceives it all. And can he see the brilliant fortunes of his proud boy thus wrecked, if the sacrifice of Rosalie will help to avert the ruin ? No, Eosalie! Only give yourself to Mark Suther- land, and coax him away to "parts unknown," to that " bourne whence no traveller returneth," if possi- ble, and your uncle will smooth your path he will try to persuade Clement Sutherland to forego his wrath and hate, and yield you up your own fortune he will give you his blessing, and as much assistance of every kind as your independent spirit will permit you to accept. Colonel Ashley, in fact, gave his full consent and approbation to the engagement of Mark Sutherland and Eosalie Vivian. He even joined Mr. Suther- land in persuading Rosalie to fix an early day for the solemnization of the marriage. And, having settled that matter to his satisfaction, he next sought his friend, Clement Sutherland, and, having informed him of the betrothal, entreated him to make some provision from the bride's fortune for the young couple, or at least to settle an annuity upon DEPARTURES. 249 her until she should be of age, and enter upon the possession of her property. But Clement Sutherland was proof against all argu- ments and entreaties. He locked his grim jaws fast, and would yield not a cent or a kind word. At last Colonel Ashley left him in indignation and despair. He did not then know that hate and revenge were not the only reasons that constrained the guardian of Mark Sutherland's young bride to hold a death-grip upon her purse-strings. No one then suspected that the money-grasping passion of the man had tempted him into ruinous speculations and embezzlement of the orphan's funds. "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof;" therefore, let them not dream it yet!__ A week after this betrothal, Mr. Lauderdale arrived, to fulfil his engagement with the " sparkling" young widow. He was received with the utmost pleasure by his old friends and acquaintances, and welcomed with cordial hospitality by Colonel Ashley. The next week witnessed two bridals. Mr. Lauder- dale and Mrs. Vivian were married at Ashley Hall, by the pastor of the parish ; and at the same time and place, by the same minister, Mark Sutherland and Eosalie Vivian were united in that bond that only death can sever. The next day there were two departures : Mr. and Mrs. Lauderdale bade an affectionate adieu to their friends, and set out for their palace home in the South ; and Mark Sutherland, and Eosalie, his wife, departed for their log cabin in the West. 250 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. CHAPTER XIX. THE JOURNEY. " If any two creatures grew into one, They shall do more than the world has done j Tho' each apart were never so weak, Yt vainly thro' the world would you seek For the knowledge and the might Which, in such union, grew their right." Browning. "ROSALIE, my own blessed wife, you spoke the truth, or, rather, you applied it fitly 'out of the heart are the issues of life I' I feel and recognize it now. It is with far different emotions that I tread this deck, that bears us on to the great West, to those which oppressed and discouraged my soul two years ago. Then, dearest, I went forth alone, unloved, un- loving ; now your form hangs upon my arm, not an incumbrance, but a source of strength and joy. But, O Rosalie, how is it how will it be with you ? Can you love the wild West as you love your own sunny South?" " ' Westward the star of empire wends its way.' Who can look upon the shores of this great river, and note the many thriving new villages, without joyfully perceiving that ? The South is a beautiful, a luxuriant region, where, 'lapped in Elysium,' you may dream your soul away; but the West is a magnificently vigorous land, whose clarion voice summons you to action. The South might be illustrated by a beautiful epicurienne, like India the West only by a vigorous young Titan, like" THE JOURNEY. 251 "Whom?" "Mark Sutherland!" answered Eosalie, with her eyes sparkling with delight. They were standing upon the hurricane deck of the steamer Indian Queen, which was puffing and blowing its rapid course down the Ohio river. She was lean- ing on the arm of her husband ; their heads were bare, the better to enjoy the freshness of the morning air ; her eyes were sparkling, and her cheeks glowing with animation, and her sunny ringlets, blown back, floated on the breeze. From their elevated site they commanded a view of both shores of the river, and turned their eyes alternately from the north to the south side. " Does my dear Eosalie perceive any very remark- able difference in the aspect of these opposite shores ?" asked Mark, bending his serious gaze upon her. " Yes ! I notice that one shore is thickly studded with thriving villages and flourishing fields, while the other is a comparative wilderness, with here and there a plantation house, and at long intervals a stunted town. What can be the reason of this ?" " Have you not already surmised the reason?" The thoughtful eyes of Eosalie roved slowly over the scene, and then raised and fixed their earnest gaze upon her husband's face, and she said "It is so. There is only one set of persons in the civilized world who are more unhappy than the negroes." " And they are" " Their masters." " Yes, Eosalie ; and it is from among their number 252 INDIA. THE PEARL OP PEARL RIVER. that the first great successful reformer of the great evil must arise !" " Why do you think so, Mark ?" " From Jittiess : we are unwilling to be taught our duty by an antagonist who reasons in partial igno- rance of the facts, judges harshly and unjustly, and speaks not the truth in love so often as falsehood in hatred; and from analogy: all great successful re- formers that the world has ever known, have arisen not from the outside, but from the very midst of the evil to be reformed. Martin Luther sprang, not from among the Illuminati, but from the bosom of the Roman Catholic Church and priesthood. Nay, Christ himself came not in clouds of glory, clothed with the majesty of Godhead from Heaven he arose from the midst of the people whom he came to redeem. So, Eosalie, the apostle of liberty must arise in the South." She had listened to his words with loving and reverent attention, and now she fixed her gaze upon his eyes, and said, with penetrating earnestness " Mark Sutherland' Thou art the manT " His very soul thrilled to her inspiring words and glance. He walked hastily from her side in agitation, but, soon returning, said " Nay, Koaalie, nay ; this mission is not for me. I hear no voice from heaven calling me to the work I" "Have you listened? The voice of God speaks not often in thunder from Heaven. It is a ' still, small voice,' breathed from the depths of your spirit. ' The word of God is within you.' " He pressed his hand to his brow, throwing back the THE JOUKNEY. 253 dark hair that fell in waves around it. He was still agitated, excited. "You trouble my soul even as the descending angel troubled the pool of Bethesda, Eosalie!" he said. " Only to arouse its powers," she answered, carry- ing out the simile. While speaking, she anxiously sought his eyes, which at last met hers in a loving gaze, and then she continued, " You have consecrated your mission as only such a mission can be consecrated, by a great sacrifice at its commencement can you pause now ?" " Kosalie ! Eosalie ! why had I not known you bet- ter before ? Why could I not have loved you only from the first? Why have the last two or three years of my life been lonely and wasted ?" ' " I had to grow up for you. I had to be left to mature in solitude and silence. I was a child three years ago." " And you are a child still, young priestess of liberty I ) A child still in all things but the inspired wisdom of your heart I" We have no time nor space to follow the course of this young pair, step by step, or to relate the many conversations they held together, in which hand up- held hand, heart strengthened heart, spirit inspired spirit, until the two grew into one with oue heart, soul, and spirit one interest, purpose, and object. The boat wended on her way, reached the mouth of the Ohio river, and turned up the Mississippi ; and in five days more landed at the new village of S , / iu the Northwest Territory. It was very early in the morning ; the sun had not yet risen, and the fog still 254 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. lay, white and heavy, upon the wilderness shores for here the wilderness, exuberant and luxuriant in vege- tation, lay all around and the new village of S was at the very outskirts of pioneer civilization. It was situated on the right or east bank of the Upper Mississippi, and the dwellings were scattered up and down the high bluff so oddly, that a passenger, look- ing upon the hamlet, said it see med as if a giant had gathered a handful of houses and flung them at the bluff, and that they had settled at random where they had fallen. Our young couple were the only passengers for S , and they followed their baggage into the skiff, and were landed just as the sun arose, gilding the windows of the village, and lighting up into splendour all the glorious scene. "See, Mark! It is a happy omen," said Rosalie smiling. He pressed her hand, and turned upon her a look of unspeakable love, as he handed her to the shore. There was a porter even in that rude, remote place. He took charge of the baggage, and led the way to the hotel on the top of the bluff. It was a large, unfinished, two-story frame house, rudely built of rough pine boards, unpainted without, and unplastered within. Our young couple followed their guide, the porter, who was also the landlord, into the large bare parlour, which was also the kitchen of the inn. This room was scantily furnished, with a few rough chairs, a table neatly enough set out for breakfast, and a glowing cooking stove, in full blast, at which stood the cook, who was also the landlady, getting breakfast. THE JOURNEY. 255 The rudeness of the whole scene disturbed Mark, for Eosalie's sake. She felt that it did. She looked at him with a gladdening smile, exclaiming " Oh ! I like it, Mark. I like it so much. Every- thing is so new and strange, and so free and easy. And so large and grand," she added, going to one of the windows, and looking out, with delighted eyes, upon the magnificent virgin country. "The air is fine here, Mark. There is a springiness and life in it I never felt before, even on the mountains. And see, the fog is all dispersed already." " Yes it's allowed to be healthy in these parts ; no ague here," said the landlady. " And so near the ' river that is strange," said Mark. "Well, you see the winds blow mostly from the shore ; and the fog when there is a fog settles on the other side of the river. And then, many folks allow that this, being a high, lime-stone country, is naterally healthy." " Have you many boarders now ?" inquired Rosalie, kindly interesting herself in the fortunes of her hostess. " Only bachelors, for constant. Sometimes, when a boat-load of people arrive, we have a house full, till they gets settled or goes somers else," replied the land- lady, setting the coffee-pot on the table, and ordering her lord and master to go to the door and blow the horn. She then invited her guests to sit down to breakfast, and had just begun to help them, when her other boarders, the bachelors half-a-dozen robust, rudely-clothed, but earnest, intelligent-looking men entered, and gathered around the table. The break- 256 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. fast was plain, but substantial, well-cooked, and abun- dant. And our young pair, as well as the bachelors, did justice to the fare. After breakfast " the bachelors" left the table and the house, and went about their various businesses some to their stores, some to their workshops. The landlady bustled about to wash up and clear away her breakfast service ; and Mark Sutherland followed his young wife to the window, and said " And now, dear Rosalie, I must leave you here, at least till noon." " You must ?" "Yes; there is much to be -done, that must be done immediately. Lauderdale's deserted law-office must be opened and aired, and my sign or shingle, as the folks here call it tacked up, and the place generally prepared for the transaction of any business that may turn up. Then I have to write and send off an ad- vertisement to the nearest newspaper which, by the way, is published in a town thirty miles distant. And lastly, dear Eose, I have to look up a cabin, or part of a frame house, where ' two mortal mice,' like you and I, may go to housekeeping. Whether all this can be accomplished in a forenoon, or not, I do not know ; but, at all events, I shall try to be back again at twelve. Good bye." And, pressing her hand, he left her. Rosalie seated herself by the window, and looked out upon the new country. From the river, and from the grove that crowned the bluff on which the village was situated, the country stretched eastward, out and out a high, level, and limitless prairie, its flat and green monotony broken, ut wide intervals, by groves THE JOUENEY. 257 similar to this which surrounded S , and relieved by countless millions of wild flowers, whose rich, gor- geous, and brilliant hues surpassed anything the ob- server had ever seen before. " What is that splendid scarlet flower that grows so tall, and is as abundant on the prairie as clover in our own fields ?" inquired Eosalie. " I reckon you are talking about the prairie pink ; but I haven't much time, myself, to take notice of flowers 'specially wild weeds," replied the landlady, rattling the dishes and tea-cups, and bustling about between the cooking stove, the table, and the cup- board. " Are you not a Marylander ?" asked Eosalie. " Yes," said the woman. "How did you know?" "By your speech." Just at this moment the cry of a child commenced in an adjoining room, and continued during the whole of the hostess's morning work. She set aside the table, and began to sweep the room, raising a great dust from the dried and pulverized mud left by the bachelors' shoes. Eosalie thoughtlessly threw her pocket-handkerchief over her head, to protect her hair from the dust thoughtlessly, for else she might have guessed it would displease the touchy pride of the hard-working pioneer woman. " You don't like the dust maybe you never saw a broom ?" she asked, looking somewhat contemptuously at the young lady's delicate person. " Oh ! yes, I have," said Eosalie, gently, " and used a broom, too ; but I always sprinkle the floor, and tie a handkerchief over my head before sweeping." " And what do you take all that trouble for ?" 16 258 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVEE. " Because I dislike the dust to settle on my hair." "Ha! ha! ha! You'll get out of that, if you settk in these parts," laughed the woman not ill-naturedly this time resuming her broom, and continuing her sweeping to its completion. Then she fired up the cooking-stove afresh; and while it was drawing, and roaring, and heating. the room to suffocation in this sultry summer weather, she wiped down the chairs with her apron, and finally went into the next chamber and brought out her baby which was still squalling at the top of his voice. Giving him a piece of bread, she sat him in the cradle and went about her work, not- withstanding that the child threw away the bread, and was screaming louder than ever. Eosalie got up and lifted the babe, and took him to the window, where she sat down with him, and soon soothed his temper. The over-worked mother looked pleased, but said, deprecatingly " You needn't adone that ; 'tain't a bit o' use ; it'll only spile him. You'll find 'twon't do. And if ever you have a house of your own, and a baby of your own, and no one to tend to nyther but yourself mark my words just exactly when the loaf of bread is burning up in the oven, and the tea-kettle is boiling over, and the fat is catching afire in the frying-pan, that very time the baby's going to take to open its throat and squall you deaf. Let it squall! You ain't got twenty pair o' hands you can't tend to everything at once. You'll find it so, too mark my words I never knew it to fail 1" " That is a very discouraging picture, indeed," said Kosalie ; " nevertheless, I should try to foresee and prevent such a combination of perplexities." THE JOURNEY. 259 " Oh ! would you ? You may thank goodness if, on top of all that, your man aint down with a spell of sickness, and the cow lost in the woods, and the well dry!" said the hostess, going to the door, and rapping, and calling out " John ! You John !" The landlord, her " man," obeyed the summons, entering from the bar-room. She met him with a sharp rebuke, for not bringing water enough, not splitting wood enough, not bringing the vegetables for dinner " An' it drawin' on to 'leven o'clock and he knew the bachelors would be home to dinner at twelve." And pushing the empty pail into his hand, she bade him make haste to the well, and be back in no time with the water, and so she hustled him out of the house. And soon the process of dinner-cooking was commenced ; and in addition to the melting heat of the stove, the various mingled steams of boiling, stewing, and frying arose, and filled the summer air with thick, greasy vapour. "Surely cooking-stoves were first invented by the demon," Rosalie could not help thinking, while she resolved, whenever she had to cook, it should be in an open fire-place, where the stifling vapours could ascend the chimney. When dinner was ready, the sound of the horn summoned the same company, who entered first an adjoining shed, where they all washed their faces and hands, using the same tin basin and the same crash towel, and then coarse, ruddy, healthful, and hungry they came in, and gathered around the table. A few minutes after they had sat down, Mark Sutherland returned from his morning's ramble, and took his scat amoiiK them. 260 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. "How have you prospered in your enterprise to- day, Mark?" asked Rosalie, as they left the table. "I have got through all I wished to do to my per- fect satisfaction, except one thing." "And that?" "I have not been able to rent a house, or a part of a house, either for love or money! And so, dear Rosalie, I shall have to leave you again this after- noon, in order to renew my search. And I am afraid you find the time hang very heavily." "Not at all, I assure you, Mark. I have been occupied and interested. Everything is so different here from what I have ever been accustomed to." " Yes, very different, indeed !" said Mark Suther- land, with a sigh. " Now, I didn't mean that," said Rosalie, smiling. " I meant that everything is so new and strange that I am entertained and amused every moment." "Entertain and amuse yourself, then, as well as you can, until I come back in the evening ; then, my love," whispered Mark, stealthily pressing her hand to his heart, as he left her. The landlady rattled and clattered the dishes, and bustled about between table, cupboard, and cooking- stove, until she had cleared away the dinner-service. And then she proceeded to wash off the stove, raising a more offensive vapour than before. Then she swept the floor again ; then she got a tub of water and a mop, and washed it all over. And then, after wiping and putting away the tub, and pan, and mop, and doing numberless other " last jobs," she finally cleansed her own face and hands, put on a clean apron, and sat down to nurse her baby, and talk to Rosalie. But THE JOURNEY. 261 by this time the afternoon was so far spent, that the poor woman had not rested half an hour before it was time to get up, fire up the cooking-stove once more, and prepare supper for her family and her boarders, who would be back, she said, at six. Eosalie was sympathetically fatigued, only to wit- ness her labours, and she could not refrain from say- ing, as she once more took charge of the fretful, teeth- ing child " Indeed, you have a great deal to do. I do not know how you have strength to go through so much." "Ah! you will know after a bit; wait a little. Lord, child, this is nothing at all ! wait till wash-day," said the hostess, putting a great tray of flour on the table, and preparing to make bread. And once more the process of cooking went on, with, the same accompaniments of melting heat, sti- fling vapour, &c. And again the horn sounded, and the company gathered; but this time Mark Suther- land did not appear during the whole course of the meal no, nor after it was over. The table was cleared away, the room once more put in order, the candles lighted for the evening, and the men gathered in the kitchen, with their pipes, but still Mark did not come. The landlady was rocking her baby to sleep, and entering at intervals into the conversation. At last she arose, and put her child to bed, and asked Rosalie if she should not like to be shown to her sleeping- room. Rosalie replied in the affirmative ; and the hostess lighted a candle and conducted her through the mid- dle passage, and up the stairs, and opened a door to 262 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. the right of the landing, leading into a large room, unplastered, and nearly unfurnished. The room was divided in the middle by a temporary partition of hanging blankets. In the first division there were two double beds, covered with coarse patch-work quilts. The hostess passed between these, and, putting aside the blankets, led her guest to the interior divi- sion, which was smaller, and contained only one bed, covered like the others. "You are to sleep here. Is there anything you want ?" she asked, setting down the candle on a chest that served as toilet-table and washstand. "Yes; water and towels, if you please," replied Eosalie. " I'll get them for you in a minute. When do you look for him in ?" " Mr. Sutherland ? every moment !" " Umph ! humph ! Now tell me the truth I sha'n't blame you it's none o' my business you know, but ain't you and that young man a runaway match?" " Why, no, certainly not," said Eosalie, reddening and laughing. "We were married in my uncle's house, and left it with his blessing and good wishes." " That's right ; you must excuse my asking, but you somehow looked so young and delicate for such a life as you're come to, that I couldn't help thinking that it must o' been a love-match" Rosalie did not say that she hoped it was a love- match, and the landlady departed on her errand. When she entered, bringing a tin basin and a crash towel, she put them down upon the chest, and said : " I forgot to tell you that there are four bachelors sleep in the fore part of the room." THE JOURNEY. 263 .Rosalie looked up, surprised and shocked. This feature of western life was quite new to her, and she was totally unprepared for it. The hostess saw her expression, and hastened to say " Oh 1 they're very nice, steady young men ; they won't make a noise, and keep you awake." " But have you no private room unoccupied ? Your house seems large ; I should think there were at least four chambers on this floor ?" " Lor' bless you, child, so there are ; but the floors ain't laid to none o' them except this one, which is the reason I have to put so many in it. Bless you, you mus'n't mind such things out here nobody does 'tain't like where you come from, you know. And now, child, if there's nothing else I can do for you, I hope you'll excuse me, for indeed I am so tired I am almost ready to drop." " Certainly ; indeed, I am sorry to have given you so much trouble. Good night!" "Good night!" said the hostess, taking up her can- dle, and disappearing through the opening folds of the blanket. Eosalie did not wish to sleep. The not unpleasant restlessness, induced by a new and strange position, drove sleep for a time from her eyes. She drew the chest to the only window in her part of the room, and sat down, and opened it, and looked out upon the dark green prairie, that seemed to roll out like the ocean to meet the eastern horizon, where the harvest rnoon was just rising. The full moon ! It was the only familiar object that met her eyes in all the strange, wild, lonely, beautiful scene the only old acquaintance the only thing she had known at home ! Tears but not of 264 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. sadness rushed to her eyes. And then she thought of the vicissitudes of the last two years, and especially of the last two months ; of her life of almost oriental luxury in the valley of the Pearl; of her home in the mountains of Virginia, where she was surrounded by all the advantages of wealth, taste, elegance, and com- fort where the eyes of affection watched her motions all day long, and many servants waited on her lightest bidding ; and then of the roughness and ruggedness of her present lot. But not in repining, and not in regret did she compare these various phases of her life. She was happy if ever young wife was so. She looked upon the prairie, bathed in the silvery splen- dour of moonlight, with its mystic boundaries lost un- der the horizon, and its vastness and vagueness cast a glamour over her imagination, and charmed her with the fancy of wandering on and on in quest of its un- known limits, or as far as the vanishing boundaries might entice her. In the midst of these eyrie reveries sleep surprised her, and her fair head sank upon her folded hands on the window-sill. She was awakened by a gentle clasp around her waist and a gentle voice in her ear, saying " My Kosalie asleep at the window with the night dews falling on your head ?" She started, blushed, smiled, and exclaimed, "O, Mark, is it yc i ? I am so glad that you have cornel" He let down the window, and placed his hand upon her head to see if it was damp, and asked " Why did you not go to rest, Rosalie ?" " Why, at first I was not sleepy ; and I heard that there were strangers in the next room or, rather, on THE JOURNEY. 205 the other side of the blankets and it seemed so odd. I could not get used to the thought in a minute, Mark." He answered with a laugh and said, as he looked around " Yes, it is rather a rude place, with rather primitive accommodations, for the first and best hotel in the great city of Shelton. But, never mind ; wait a bit. In a year or two you shall see this house well and completely finished, within and without, and the rooms all properly and comfortably fitted up and furnished, and the establishment provided with suitable waiters and chamber-maids; and in half-a-dozen years the host will probably have made his fortune." " Well, Mark, and what success have you had this afternoon ?" " The best success. I have found a house, which I think will suit us exactly. Come to the window for a moment again. Do you see, immediately under the moon, that distant grove, that looks as if it were just against the horizon? You see the trees stand up straight and dark against the sky ?" " Yes, I see it." " That is Wolf's Grove. It is not more than three miles from here. I can easily walk the distance twice a day. There is one building on the spot a large log cabin, that was put up for a meeting-house, but has fallen into disuse since the rise of this village. The cabin is in good repair, and I have already en- gaged it. So, dear wife, we have only to wait for the arrival of our little furniture, to go to housekeeping. And to-morrow we will go over to Wolf's Grove, and review the premises. 266 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. CHAPTER XX. THE LOG CABIN. " A summer lodge amid the wild." Bryant. "JUDGE! your plunder's come landed from the 4 Sachem' this morning !" were the words with which the landlord greeted Mark Sutherland, as the latter, with Rosalie, descended to breakfast. " Judge !" echoed Rosalie, looking inquiringly from one to the other. Mark Sutherland laughed, and pinched her arm; and when their host had moved off in another direc- tion, said : " Nonsense, Rose. Yes, it was I whom he addressed as Judge of course it was. Every one gets an hono- rary title of distinction here. I don't know what it is given for ; certainly not to confer honour, but rather, I suppose, for the sake of civil brevity, as it is easier to say ' Judge' than ' Mr. Thompson.' Now, if I had ever belonged to .any military company if only as private in militia, they'd dub me here ' Cap'n,' if not ' Major,' or ' Gen'l :' and if I were county constable, instead of law student, they must still call me 'Judge.'" And just then, as if in illustration of Mr. Suther- land's words, several men entered, eagerly inquiring for " the Colonel," meaning the landlord. And when the host came forward to know their will, several speaking equally together, exclaimed : THE LOG CABIN. 267 " Colonel, we want your guns, and your dogs, and your company, this morning, to hunt a pack of wolves that chased Jones's boy almost into the village !" "A pack of wolves!" exclaimed the boarders, gathering around. " Jones's boy !" ejaculated the landlord, in amaze- ment. " Eiding from McPherson's mill ;" " So close, they caught at the boy's boots ;" " Foremost one hung upon the horse's flanks ;" "Wounded;" " Nothing but the animal's speed saved him ;" "Wet with sweat;" "Miraculous 'scape;" " Jones's boy," &c., were the broken sentences with which the tale was told by the several informants, all speaking at once. " Well, friends, long as there's no damage done, I don't see any use in being so excited. As to my guns and dogs, you can have them in welcome ; but as to my company, I have promised the Judge here to drive him and his wife over to see their house. And I expect they will want me to haul the plunder over too won't you, Judge ?" Mark Sutherland bowed. After a little discussion, they urged "the Judge" to join their hunt, and Eosalie privately squeezed Mark's arm in disapproval. Mark declined ; and, after a little more altercation, the visitors at length departed, with three or four of the bachelor boarders, who quaffed each a "hasty" cup of coffee and followed. When this little disturbance was over " I did not know," said Mr. Sutherland, " that the 268 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. wild denizens of the forest ever ventured so near the settlements." "No more they don't," replied the host; "only this go, I s'pose, the Injuns have been hunting of 'em and druv 'em close on to the village. We'll git shut of 'em agin after a bit." When breakfast was over, "the Colonel" geared up the carryall to take his young guests across the prairie to Wolf's Grove. It was a fresh, bright, blithe morning, scarcely seven o'clock, when they set out, and the prairie still glistened with dew. There was no road to Wolf's Grove; but the driver took a bee- line over the level ground, and the wheels of the carry- all tracked deep through the sedgy grass and gorgeous wild flowers. "It looks strange to me," said Eosalie, "to see these glorious flowers which, if they were in our eastern gardens, we should cherish with so much care driven down and crushed by thousands under our wheels." " It is "but the sign of the fall of the forest before the advancing march of immigration," observed Mark. " It reminds me, somehow, of the triumphal entries of the sanguinary old conquerors of ancient times, whose chariot wheels passed ruthlessly over the fallen, the dead, and the dying." Mark smiled at her fancy, and the driver took his pipe out of his mouth, and turned and looked at her in perplexity. "But, Rose, when you look around you at the countless millions of flowers left blooming nay, 1 mean to say, when you think of the countless millions THE LOG CABIN. 269 of trees left standing -does it not give you an exultant sense of the exhaustless wealth, the boundless resources of our prairies and forests?" "I know something inspires me with unlimited hope just now. There is, certainly, as far as the com- forts and elegances of civilized life are concerned, a look of great privation in the village and among the peo- ple we have just left. And yet and yet whether it is because the inhabitants are mostly young and full of health and hope, or that the houses are all new, or that the primeval wealth and exuberance of nature is not only undiminished, but almost untouched ; whether it is any or all of these causes, I do not know, but certainly to me there is about this country an air of youth, vigor, hope, promise, unlimited, indescribable ! I feel its influence, without being able to explain it. It seems to me that here, the age, the weariness, and the sorrow of the old world has been left behind. That this is a breaking out in a new place, or rather that this country and people, and we ourselves, are a new creation, fresh from the hand of God, and with a new promise 1 Let us be faithful to our part of the covenant. Oh, let us be faithful; let no sin, selfish- ness, injustice of ours cause us to lose the glorious promise!" A pressure of the hand, at once approving, kind, and warning, from Mark Sutherland, reminded Rosalie that they were not alone. A little farther on, the sprightly eyes of the girl lighted upon a large, speckled bird, standing still, almost in their road. " What a beautiful bird ! What is it ?" inquired Rosalie. 270 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. "It's a prairie chicken. Now, I want you just to take notice o' that creetur ; it won't take the trouble to move you'll see," said the man, driving slowly past, and leaving the bird behind them, standing still. " They must be very tame," said Eosalie. "No, they ain't nyther, but they've got a heap o' sense. We are driving. Now, if I had o' been afoot with a gun, or anything that looks like a gun to it say a stick why, it would a-taken wing in a minute. I've took notice of it often and often. Same case with a deer it'll stand right still and look at you going past with your team ; but only just let it catch its eyes on you when you're walking 'long o' your gun, and it's off in an instant. "Well knowing of that, you see, I often just quietly lays my gun down in the bottom of the wagon, to be ready for the creeturs." In desultory talk like this, which nevertheless gave our young immigrants some little insight into the manners of the country, they passed over the three miles of intervening prairie land, and entered Wolf's Grove. Wolf's Grove was not what its name indicated an isolated piece of wood, similar to those that at wide intervals dotted the prairie; it was rather a portion of that vast, unbroken, interminable forest, projecting here into the open prairie like a point of land into the sea, but stretching back and back hundreds of miles, and even to the banks of Lake Superior. Here the old primeval forest trees were of gigantic, almost fabulous size, but thinly scattered, and standing singly apart, like the outposts of a vast army. Half a mile within the Grove, where the trees were THE LOG CABIN. 271 thicker, stood the cabin originally built for a school and meeting-house, by the first settlers. There was not a wood-shed, a fence, a fruit tree, nor a foot of cultivated ground, around it ; nor a house, nor a field, within three miles of it. Mark Sutherland and Eosalie alighted, and entered the house, while the driver secured his horses and gave them water. The cabin was unusually large and well built, being nearly thirty feet square, and con- structed of huge logs, well hewn, and well cemented. The cabin fronted south, where one door admitted into the only room ; opposite this door, in the north wall, stood the large, open fire-place. The room was lighted by two windows, fronting each other, east and west. The floor was well laid, and a step-ladder in the corner, between the fire-place and the east window, led up to a loft. The house was in good repair, with the single exception of the broken windows. "A very different abode from that you have left, for my sake, dear Eosalie ; and yet, if you only knew, as I do, how much better this is than any other log cabin to be found anywhere! Why, Hose, it is a palace, compared to some." " I know it is ; and I only wonder that it has been left so long untenanted, while the meanest hovels have been all taken up." " Why, you see, my dear, this house is too remote from the village for any one but a farmer, and as it stands upon the reserved school lands, of course, no farmer can cultivate the ground." " Will it not be too far for you ?" " With me it is different. I like to walk, and do not grudge my steps. The three miles' walk, morning 272 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. and evening, will do me good. Nay, more; that ex- ercise will be a necessary relief from the sedentary life of the office. My only anxiety will be in leaving you here alone, all day. Will you be very lonesome, dear?" "Lonesome? I don't know. I should be lonesome anywhere without you, Mark. But that is a very fool- ish weakness, and must be overcome, of course." "But you will be afraid to stay here all day long alone?" " Afraid ? Of what ? Why should I be ? Is there any cause of fear ?" " No, dear ; no cause for fear ; but, as Emilia said of jealousy, one might say of fear : ' That fearful souls will not be answered so ; They are not ever fearful for a catue, But fearful for they are fearful' " " Well, I am not afraid with or without a cause. A child would not be afraid in this quiet place," said Eosalie, going to one of the windows, and looking out into the waving woods. " How still how very still no sound to be heard but the rustle of the leaves and the ripple of water, that must be near I" she continued, looking from the window, while Mark walked about the room and made notes of glass, putty, a door latch, and such little matters that would be needed to be brought out with their furniture. Then they went out where the driver stood watering his horses, and where the only sign of previous human presence was afforded by the narrow grass-grown path, leading down into a deep dingle, where the ripple of water was heard. THE LOG CABIN. 273 "If you'd like a drink, there's one of the finest springs in the whole country down there," said the landlord, taking a tin cup from the wagon and handing it to Mark. Eosalie was already going down the path. They reached the spring, and found the water cold and clear as crystal. They drank, and congratulated themselves upon this great blessing, and then went up to the cabin, and, as their host was in a hurry to be off, they entered the carryall to return to the village. " Well, are you going to take it ?" asked the driver, looking around as he took the reins and started. " Why, of course. I had already taken it." "I knowed that; but I thought when she saw how lonesome it was, she'd object. 'Tain't many women I can tell you that who'd agree to live out there, by themselves, in that lonesome place, and you gone all day long." " I am sure my wife prefers it to an inferior cabin nearer the village." " Yes, indeed, I do," said Eosalie. "Well, every one to their taste," observed the landlord, cracking his whip, and making his horses fly. They reached home in good time for dinner. The afternoon was employed by Mark Sutherland in collecting together necessary provisions, to be taken with their furniture to the cabin ; and by Rosalie seated by the window of her part of the upper chamber in hemming napkins, preparatory to her housekeep- ing, and in looking out upon the prairie basking in the afternoon sun, and upon her distant home, Wolf's Grove. lu the evening the hunters returned from an unsuc- 17 274 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEAIiL RIVER. cessful expedition ; and fatigued and mortified, and inclined to be silent upon the subject of their defeated enterprise, they gathered around the supper table. But the curiosity of the hostess, and the perseverance of the host, at last elicited from them the fact that they had not even hit upon the track of the wolves. The next day was fixed upon by Mark Sutherland and his wife for their removal to Wolfs Grove. CHAPTER XXL GOING TO HOUSEKEEPING. ALL the forenoon of the next day, Mr. Garner, the landlord, was absent with his team ; so that our young people were obliged to defer their removal until the afternoon ; and they spent the intervening hours in reviewing their possessions and supplying those few lust articles that always are forgotten in a first pre- paration. At two o'clock, the capacious wagon of the hotel stood before the door, laden with furniture, trunks, provisions, and so forth. A tolerable seat was arranged for Rosalie among the baggage ; but Mark, on foot, accompanied the landlord, who walked at the head of his horses. It was a slow progress ; the horses, already fatigued with their morning's work, never got out of a walk ; so that it was nearly four o'clock when they entered Wolfs Grove and drew up before the log cabin. While his horses were resting, Mr. Garner GOING TO HOUSEKEEPING. 275 assisted Mark to unlade the wagon, and take in the furniture and arrange the heaviest part of it. Then, having watered his horses, he shook hands with his late guests, wished them good luck, jumped upon his seat in front of the wagon, and drove off. And Mark and Eosalie found themselves standing, looking at each other, alone, in the forest cabin. It was a moment in which flashed back upon each the memory of their whole past lives, and the intense realization of their present position. A doubt, whether to weep or smile, quivered over Eosalie's features for an instant. Mark saw the tremor of her lips and eye- lids, and drew her to his heart ; and she dropped her head upon his shoulder and smiled through her tears. He whispered, cheerily " Never mind, dear; you will be one of the honoured pioneer women of the West. And when this wilder- ness is a great Commonwealth, and Shelton is a great city, and I am an old patriarch, we will have much joy in telling of the log cabin in the wil'derness, where we first went to housekeeping. And now, let us see if we cannot get this place into a little order." The room, as I said, was large and square, with a window east and west, facing each other, and a stone fire-place north, facing a broad door south. The walls were unplastered, but well planed and cemented, and grey with time and use. The floor was of rough but sound pine plank. A broad shelf over the fire-place served for a mantel-piece. In the corner between the east window and the fire-place stood the step-ladder leading to the loft. In the opposite corner, between the west window and the fire-place, were three trian- gular shelves, that did duty as cupboard or beuufut. 276 INDIA. THE FEARfe OF PEAKL RIVER. Finally, the sashes of the windows were good, but the glass was all broken out of them. This was the state of the room when Mark and Eosalie looked around it. Mark went up the step-ladder to examine the loft, but found it so low that even a woman could not stand upright in it. It was therefore given up, except as a place to stow trunks, boxes, &c. Then they began to arrange their furniture. It was very easily done, they had so little a bedstead with its appointments, a table, a half-dozen chairs, and almost everything else in half-dozens. The form of the room favoured the convenient arrangement of these things. The bedstead had already been put up in the corner between the west window and the door, and the table placed in the corresponding corner be- tween the door and the east window. They set the chairs in their places, and then Mark began to unpack the china, while Eosalie arranged it on the shelves of the corner cupboard. There were several things remnants of past refinement out of keeping with their present condition; among them, the French china that looked upon their rough pine shelves as the elegant Mark Sutherland and the fair and delicate Kosalie looked in their rude log cabin and the superb white Marseilles counterpanes, whose deep fringes touched the rough plank floor; and the tester and valance of fine and beautiful net- work ; and lastly, the tamboured curtains that lay upon the chairs, ready to be put up when Mark should have mended the windows. These were certainly out of place here, but it could not be helped ; they were Rosalie's little per- sonal effects, endeared to her by long possession, and by their having been the property, and some of them GOING TO HOUSEKEEPING. 277 the tamboured curtains and the net valance, for in- stance the handiwork of her mother. By sunset, all was arranged, except two matters the broken win- dows, with which now the young master of the house began to employ himself, taking out the sashes and laying them upon the table, and laying pane after pane in their places ; and the barrel of flour which stood in the middle of the floor, with a quarter of beef laid across the top of it both waiting to be put away out of sight, in a proper place ; that is, supposing a proper place could be found on premises where there was neither storehouse, pantry, nor shed, nor even a second room. Mark busied himself with the window sashes, trying pane after pane in the empty forms. But at length, turning around, he smiled and said "It's no use, Eose; I'm not a glazier, and so care- fully as I thought I measured the sashes and the glass, they will not exactly fit ; and I have no diamond here to trim them, and so I suppose they must be left until to-morrow." And he replaced the empty sashes in the window frames. Then, seeing the neglected barrel of flour, he wheeled it up against the wall, near the door, and said it must remain there for the present ; and Eosalie took a coarse, clean table-cloth and spread it over the beef, that still lay upon the top. " And now, dear," he said, looking around, " I be- lieve we are as well fixed as we can be for the present. Nothing remains but to get supper ; and, as I was out here in the West two years before you ever saw it, I shouldn't wonder if I hadn't to give you some in- struction." 278 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. " Ton teach me to cook I /, my uncle's housekeeper for two years, while you were wandering about from town to town 1" exclaimed Eosalie. Mark laughed, and bade her remember that when she was " uncle's" housekeeper she had experienced cooks at her command, and that her housekeeping duties and responsibilities consisted in carrying the keys and ordering what she pleased to have for dinner. And he further advised her to recollect that she was not to snap up her liege lord in that way, either! Whereupon Eose bade him mind his business and his briefs ; for that she should snap him, and box his ears, too, whenever the spirit moved her. She! Mark snatched her, laughing, to his bosom, and half suffo- cated her with kisses, and then holding her tight, bade her do her wickedest. "And, Eose," he exclaimed merrily, "I do not know why it is ; but out here, in this cabin of the wilderness, with nobody but you for company, I feel as if the restraints of society and of maturity had fallen away, and restored me to the freedom and the wilfulness and the irresponsible wickedness of my boyhood. And oh! little one, if you were only a great deal taller and stronger, what a wrestle we would have!" And he gazed down on her there, standing within his arms so small, so fair, so perfectly helpless, so utterly in his power and all the wantonness of youth fled from before her helplessness and her beauty, and a flood of unutterable tenderness rushed over his heart ; and, still gazing upon her with infinite love, he said "God forever bless you you little, little ; wee thing; GOING TO HOUSEKEEPING. 279 you delicate, beautiful creature; and God forever for- sake me, if ever, willingly, I give you a moment's pain or sorrow !" Blushing deeply, Rose withdrew herself from his now yielding clasp, and, to cover her girlish embar- rassment, took the new bucket and put it in his hands, requesting him to go to the spring, and bring her fresh water to fill the tea-kettle, and adding " You shall see what nice biscuits and what nice tea I can make." Mark took the pail and went out, and disappeared down the path. Rosalie, observing the floor littered, looked around for the broom to sweep it up; a'nd then laughed to find that, with all their getting, they had got no broom, Mark came in with the pail of water, set it down, and said he would go and get some brush to kindle a fire. And while he was gone, Rosalie put water in a basin to wash her hands preparatory to making the biscuits ; and then she discovered that they had for- gotten soap also. And while she stood in dismay, wondering what else might have been omitted, Mark re-entered with a pile of brush on his shoulders, " like Christian with his bundle of sin," he said. He threw it down upon the hearth, and began to look around, and then he broke into a gay, prolonged laugh. " What's the matter, Mark ? Are you daring to laugh at me, with my sleeves and skirt tucked up ?" " O, Rosalie, we have heads, child ! we have heads and so have cabbages, when they have come to maturity." 280 IXDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. " Well, don't laugh yours off your shoulders, but tell me what you're laughing at!" " We have not brought a match nor a candle." " Oh ! no ! You don't say so ?" " It is a positive fact." " We have forgotten soap and brooms too ; we have forgotten everything." " No, not everything ; only a few things that make everything useless." "What's to be done? We can't cook supper to- night, or even breakfast to-morrow morning, without a fire." " No. Let's see I know if one rubs two pieces of wood together long enough, they will ignite ; and I know of other processes by which fire may be kindled; but, after all, I think the quickest and the surest way will be for me to go back to Shelton this evening, and get the matches ; and then I can also get soap, a broom, and my pistols, which were likewise for- gotten." "Go back to Shelton this evening! Walk three miles to Shelton, and back this evening, and the sun already down ! You will be tired to death." " No, dear ; I can walk that three miles in about an hour, get the things in ten minutes ; borrow Mr. Garner's saddle-horse to ride back, and take him home again in the morning, when I go to the office. And my brave little girl will not be afraid to stay here a a few hours by herself?" " Afraid ? No ; surely not." "You can fasten the door with this wooden pin, if you wish to do so." "Oh! I shall not wish to fasten the door. I shall GOING TO HOUSEKEEPING. 281 sit on the sill and watch the stars, and see if I can read our future destiny on their orbs, and wait for the moon to rise, and for you to come." " No, you must not do that, Eose. The woods are damp, and the evening air chill. And, now I think of it, this cabin will be too cool for you, with this draught through the open windows. Let's see if we cannot do something with them. If you had anything to tack up against them, Eosalie ?" She went to a box and took out two sheets, each of which, doubled, was tacked against a window, and be- cause the breeze still lifted them, a few tacks were driven in the sides and bottoms of these temporary blinds, to keep them down. Having finished that job, Mark pulled down and buttoned his wristbands, put on his coat, kissed Rosalie, bade her keep up her heart, for that he should be back at ten, or a little after, and departed. She stood at the door, watching him, until he disappeared within the intervening trees, and then she turned and entered the darkening house. Did Mark Sutherland did Rosalie dream of all that should happen before they should meet again? Did either imagine the grim horror of the next few hours ? It was a night that one of them never, in after life, forgot whose fearful memory haunted thoughts by day, and visions by night, when the dreamer would start from sleep, and, with convulsive shivers and cold perspiration, gaze around in terror that could not be reassured. 282 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. CHAPTER XXII. A NIGHT OF FEAR. EOSALIE entered the house, and shut the door be- hind her. It was very dark, for twilight had departed, and the moon had not yet arisen. Although the door and windows were closed, the room was still suffi- ciently cool, and Rosalie might have remained plea- santly seated in her sole rocking chair, and wrapped in reverie, through all the lonely hours until her husband should return, but for one trifling circumstance; tri- fling in itself, yet fraught with the most appalling dan- ger, and the most ghastly consequences. The fresh carnal smell of that quarter of newly-killed beef that lay across the top of the barrel, only lightly covered over with the table-cloth, began to fill the closed room, and soon became intolerable to Rosalie's fine senses. For the sake of fresh, pure air, she went and opened the door, and sat down upon the door step. There she sat, gazing into the dark mysterious depths of the forest, or up to the deep blue, starlit sky, listening to the chirp of the field-cricket, the grass-hopper, and the katydid, those merry little night warblers, who begin their concerts when the birds have finished theirs and remembering all her past life, enjoying her pre- sent, and dreaming and hoping of the future. She thought of her palace home, where, circled with affec- tion, she had still wandered with a strange unrest, and wasted with a vague longing; she thought of her pre- A NIGHT OF FEAR. 283 sent home, as poor, as humble, as rude, as it well could be, yet yielding a fulness of content of measureless content that filled her heart to overflowing with grati- tude and love to God for the joy and peace that abounded. And she thought of their future ; it might bring toil, privation, penury, disappointment, and death, but it could not deprive her of the jewel of her soul, LOVE. That word that idea was still the cen- tre of her soul's circle, around which thought and feel- ing still revolved. She sank into a dim, delicious reve- rie, and, wrapped in blissful dreams, the world around her disappeared. The cheerful chirp of the crickets and the katydids was no longer heard the deep blue, star-lit sky no longer watched the dark, mysterious forest, with its ever untrodden depths, no longer seen., She was like a slumberer " smiling as in delightful visions, on the brink of a dread chasm." There was a far-off, light, multitudinous tramp, like the patter of distant rain-drops. She knew it not, she heard it not. "Senseless as the dead was she, to all around, beneath, above." Senseless as the dead aye, sense- less as the dead to the near approach of a dreadful death ! Oh, surely this was not her unguarded hour ! She would not be left to perish in her youth and beauty to perish while wrapped in her visions of love and devotion. Oh, surely her guardian angel must have been at his post. He was ! For, as she sat there in the door, her thin white dress distinct in the darkness, her fair pale face bowed on her hand, and her beautiful light hair damp with dew a shudder thrilled her frame. She arose, and, shivering with a damp dullness, retired into the house; but before she 284 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. shut the door, she turned her eyes once more from earth to sky, and " It is a most beautiful night," she said ; " a lovely night, ' not made for sleep.' " A singular low noise caught her ear, and ceased. "That sounds like a sudden fall of rain stopped," she said, and paused to listen. Not hearing the noise again, she closed the door ; and without in the least degree intending to do it, quite mechanically she did the wisest thing that could have been done. She barred the door, and then she seated herself once more in the rocking-chair. The room was intensely dark. The faint light that stole in at the sheeted window only seemed a thinner blackness. She sat gently rocking to and fro, and gradually relapsing into reverie. It was soon rudely broken through. Still like the sudden heavy fall of rain-drops on forest leaves, mul- titudinous footsteps thronged pattering around the cabin pawing at its walls ! Startled, astonished, yet not alarmed, Rosalie listened. Then a low ground swell of a growl arose, murmuring on the air, and thrilling every nerve with awe. It was low, deep, and threatening, as the thrilling bass string of the harpsi- chord when rudely swept by some idler's hand. Rosalie stood up; and, resting her hand upon the rocking-chair, listened more intently. The sound ceased all was still as death. She crept cautiously to the window, and, pulling aside slightly the edge of the sheet-blind, where it was tacked to the side of the frame, she looked out. The night was deeply dark, though the sky was still studded with stars the ground was also lighted with stars twin stars, scattered all A NIGHT OF FEAR. about. At first sight she took these for lightning- bugs ; but, as she gazed, she knew them to be the phosphoric, excited eyes of couchant wild beasts. And, at the same instant that she made this appalling discovery, the whole pack burst, in full cry, upon the cabin, tearing at the walls, and howling furiously with hunger, rage, and frantic desire. Rosalie tottered back to her chair, and sank into it. The whole horrible truth, in all its detail of cause, effect, and consequence, burst with overwhelming force upon her senses. It was a pack of hungry wolves 1 the same pack that the Indian hunters had pursued into the neighbourhood of Shelton the same pack that had been the terror of the settlement since their discovery near it. They had been drawn to the cabin by the scent of blood from the newly-killed beef, and there was no light in the house to fright them off. Sick oh, sick, and nearly swooning with deadly terror Rosalie still charged her soul "to hold her body strengthened" for the crisis. She looked around in the darkness, trying to think of some means of defence, security, or escape, but found none. If she should open the door and fly from the house, she must inevitably fall an instant victim to their rapacity. That plan was rejected at once, as not to be thought of, except as the drowning think of catching at straws. And then her eyes flew wildly around in the darkness for means of defence or retreat. Alas! there was not a chance of either. She could go up into the loft, or climb up into the chimney, or bury herself in the bed ; but an instant's reflection convinced her that there was no place within the walls to which the fell wolves would not climb with mure INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. facility than she could, and no retreat to which their keen scent would not guide them, and from which they would not drag her to death. And oh ! in the midst of all her desperate thoughts, their frantic onsets to the walls, their horrible baying, barking, and tear- ing, nearly drove her mad with terror. Every instant she expected death ! How thin, how slight the barrier that kept them out ! The moment they should chance to strike the broken windows, protected only by the thin sheets, and so find the way of entrance, that very moment must the cabin be filled by the hungry and ravening beasts. For an instant, perhaps, the beef, whose scent had drawn them to the' spot, might divert them from herself, but only for an instant, for that flesh would be swiftly torn in pieces and devoured ; and then what a fate would be hers I To perish so sharply and suddenly, and by such a ghastly death ! And not of herself alone did she think in that hour of dread, but of all whom her death would appal and afflict; and of him, oh! of him whom it would most awfully bereave. For herself for her own person it would not be so dreadful, after all, she thought. The sharp agony would soon be over in a very few- minutes most likely and then all that was mortal and perishable of her her small, frail body would be totally destroyed ; and her soul, she trusted, would be at rest. But, of the distant loved ones, whose hearts would thrill with horror at hearing of her fate, and of him whose life would be made desolate by her loss whose arm, whose brain would be stricken power- less by the terrible doom of her who was at once his inspiration and his object this, oh ! f/n'n was the bit- terness of death! But oh! the frightful, the mad- A NIGHT OF FEAR. 287 dening howls of the demoniacs outside scattered all her thoughts so quickly, it was impossible to reflect to any good end. But suddenly athwart the stormy chaos of deafening noise, despairing terror, and dis- tracting thought, darted, like lightning, an inspira- tion ! She had grown conscious that the storm out- side had drawn itself to a point nearest the spot where the barrel and the meat stood ; and the wolves were scratching and tearing furiously, and hurling them- selves at the wall, baying all the while in full cry, or barking and fighting among themselves, like demons. And now her idea was further to decoy them from the windows, the weak parts of the cabin. She went to the barrel. She could not lift the quarter of beef, but she pushed it off, letting it fall heavily upon the floor. For an instant the noise outside ceased, but soon burst forth again with renewed violence. She dragged the beef close as she could get it to the door, and then she got a knife, and close to the floor she cut the flesh in gashes, so that the juices might run under the door to the outside, and draw and hold the frantic wolves to that spot. For this she knew was the safest place of attack it was the farthest removed from the windows, and the door was too strong and well barred to give way. She knew this, but yet when it rattled violently at their furious assaults, her very heart nearly died within her. She thought of her husband's return with extreme anxiety ; she feared full as much as she hoped it. She had perfect faith in his courage and presence of mind, and she knew, besides, he would be well armed when ho should return ; and yet she sickened with fear for him \vhen she thought of that return. She remembered 288 INDIA. THE PEAKL OF PEARL RIVER. that he said he would be back by ten. She wished to know the hour. It was still pitch dark, but she went to the chimney shelf, and opened the clock, and with her delicate fingers and nice touch she felt for the hour and the minute hands, and for the raised figures, and ascertained that it was already after ten. She felt again, and was sure there was no mistake. After ten, and Mark not yet returned ! What could have detained him ? This source of anxiety was beginning to add its sting to the others, when a new ground of alarm, of despair, fixed her panic-stricken where she stood. The wolves, who had not ceased to howl and cry, and hurl themselves against the walls, now led by a surer instinct, were careering around and around the cabin, leaping up at the walls, and leaping up at the window- sashes, which shook at each bound ! The clamour out- side was now deafening, appalling. She heard the frail sashes shake she heard them give way she heard the whole hungry, horrible pack burst with full cry into the room; and mortal terror whirled away her consciousness, and, with an agonizing cry to Heaven, she fell to the floor insensible. * ****** When consciousness came back, Eosalie found herself lying upon her bed. The room was quiet, cool, and dimly lighted by a candle on the hearth, whose glare was shaded from her eyes by an inter- vening chair with a shawl thrown over it. Mark was standing by her, bathing her face with cold water. As memory returned, she shuddered violently several times; and her first words, gasped out, were, "The wolves! Oh! the wolves!" A NIGHT OF FEAR. 289 "They are gone, love; put to flight!" said Mark Sutherland, soothingly. "And you youf she asked, wildly gazing at him. " Safe, as you see, love !" he answered, as he lifted her head, and placed a glass of cold water to her lips. " How did it happen, Mark ?" she questioned, as he laid her head once more upon the pillow. " What happen, love ?" "My escape, your safety, and the flight of the wolves." " Dear Eose, we had better not revert to the subject again to-night. Try to compose yourself." " I cannot ! If I close my eyes and lie still, I hear again those dreadful howls I see again those glaring eyes and ghastly fangs I live over again the terrible danger." " My dear Eosalie, there was really no very great danger, and it was all over as soon as I reached the spot with fire-arms," said Mark, calmly, and wishing to depreciate the peril she had passed, and restore her to quietness. "Yet tell me about it if you will talk to me about the escape I shall not brood over the appal- ling" She shuddered, and was silent. " There is really very little to tell, Kosalie. As I ap- proached the house on my return home I heard the howling of the wolves. . I surmised the truth in- stantly that they were the same pack the neighbours had been after for the last few days that the smell of the fresh meat we had brought over the prairie and 18 290 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. into the forest had decoyed them to the cabin, from whence there was no light to scare them. I hurried on as fast as possible, and soon came upon the cabin, and found a pack of perhaps a dozen wolves baying around the house, and leaping and scratching at the walls. They were prairie wolves a small, cowardly race who go in packs, and who are generally very easily driven off. I first of all picked up and threw a billet of wood at them. I forgot, dear Eose, that our window had no better defence than a sheet, or else I never thought of it at all, for when I threw the piece of wood, it not only passed through the pack of wolves, but on through the window-place, too scattering the animals, but also making an opening, through which several of them, in their efforts to escape, leaped into the house" " It was then I fainted," said Eosalie. " I found you lying on the floor, insensible." "But you and the wolves?" " A very short skirmish served to put the enemy to flight. I succeeded in killing only two of them two that had leaped before me in at the window the others escaped." As Rbsalie continued to tremble, he added : " They are really not a formidable antagonist, my dear. I have heard a pioneer say, that he would as lief as not tumble himself, unarmed, down into a dingle full of them, and trust to his muscular strength and courage to conquer. That might have keen all boasting ; still I know they are a dastardly race ; and if you had known it, and could have raised a great noise, and thrown some heavy missiles among them CABIN- KEEPING. 291 from the loft above, you would have put them all to flight." " Ah, but if they had got in while I lay here in- sensible from terror, they would have destroyed me," thought Eosalie. But, unwilling to give pain, she withheld the expression of those terrible thoughts. More words of soothing influence Mark dropped into her ear, until at length her spirits were calmed, and she was enabled to join him in earnest thanks- giving to Heaven for their preservation. He fanned her till she dropped asleep. And then, late as it was, he went and busied himself with many things that remained to be done putting glass in the windows, cutting up and salting down the nearly fatal quarter of beef, ripping off the head of the barrel of flour, &e. and doing all so quietly as not to disturb the sleeper. CHAPTER XXIIL CABIN-KEEPING. "There is probation to decree, Many and long must the trials he; Thou shalt victoriously endure, If that brow is true and those eyes are sure." Browning. A NIGHT'S undisturbed repose restored Rosalie's exhausted nervous energy. The young couple arose early in the morning to begin their first day of house, or rather cabin-keeping, for the difference of style requires a difference of term. They had anticipated 292 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. toil and privation, and had thought they were pre- pared to meet them. But it is one thing to think in a general way about work and want, and quite another to feel them in all their irritating and exhausting details ; and the first day of housekeeping in the forest log cabin taught them this difference. They had no garden, no cow, no poultry, and there was no market where to procure the necessaries that these should have supplied. Everything that could be bought at the village shops had been provided; yet their first breakfast consisted of coffee without cream or milk, ..and biscuits without butter. But mutual love, and hope, and trust, sweetened the meal, and even their little privations furnished matters of jest. And when breakfast was over, and Mark was preparing to bid his "little sweetheart," as he called her, farewell for the da}', and promising to return by four o'clock, she gaily asked him what he would like for dinner, and he replied by ordering a bill of fare, that might have been furnished by some famous Eastern or European hotel. Suddenly, in the midst of their merriment, she thought of the wolves and trembled yet restrained the expres- sion of her fears. But the eye of affection read her thoughts, and Mark hastened to assure her that there was no more to dread that the cabin was the last place on earth that the same animals would seek again that they would not come within sight of its smok- ing chimney. Her trust in his judgment and his truthfulness completely reassured her doubting heart, and set it at perfect rest. And she let him go to his business with a gay, glad smile. She watched him winding up the little narrow path, and disappearing among the trees, and then she turned CABIN- KEEPING. 293 into the house, to wash up the breakfast service and set the room in order. It was a queer day that first one that she spent alone in her cabin. After arrang- ing her corner cupboard and sweeping her room, and making a few little alterations and improvements in the disposition of her lighter furniture, she unpacked her sewing materials and sat down in the door to needlework. The primeval forest all around her, even up to the house, the blue sky above, and the log cabin, in the door of which she sat, was all that met the eye; the trilling songs of the wood birds, and the ripple-ripple of the trickling spring in the deep dell near, was all that met the ear. And yet she was not lonesome she loved this solitude the manifest pre- sence of God filled it, and heart and mind received the holy, the elevating, the joyous influence. The day advanced the sparkling freshness of the morning mellowed into noon. And then she got up and took a pitcher and went down to the spring, that seemed to have been calling her in its merry voice all the morning. A narrow, steep path down into the dingle led to the spring, and beyond it arose a high hill, heavily wooded, like all the land about there. She filled her pitcher, and returned to the house to take her lonely noontide luncheon. And then, as the meridian sun was pouring its rays in at the door, which you know faced the south, she removed her needlework to the west window, and resumed her sewing. Day waned; nor was she conscious of its waning until the burning sun began to glance in at her through the window where she sat, and oblige her to cake her work to the opposite one smiling at the conceit of being chased from place to place by 294: INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. Apollo. She sat at the cool east window, until the striking of the clock warned her that it was time to prepare the afternoon meal, which was to comprise "dinner and supper together." She arose, and put away her work. But what was there to be got for dinner, after all? Tea without milk, bread without butter, and salted beef without vegetables. A poor meal certainly to set before an epicurean, such as Mr. Sutherland had been, for of herself she never thought. Suddenly she recollected having seen some wild plum trees growing on the hill beyond the spring, and she knew the fruit should now be ripe, and she thought she would go and get some, to make a pie. No sooner thought than attempted. She seized her bonnet, caught up a little basket, and set out. She hastened down the dingle path, crossed the run, and climbed the hill. She reached its summit, and stopped to breathe, and rest for a moment. The sudden glory of the extended landscape held her spell-bound. On one side of the forest a boundless ocean of waving greenery spreading on and on, thousands of miles, for aught she knew, after it was lost under the horizon. On the other side, the vast prairie, with its dotted groves, like oases in desert, and in the distance the river, and the village, and the opposite shore of Mis- souri Territory. For a few minutes she stood in en- chanted admiration ; and then, remembering that she had no time to lose, addressed herself to the errand upon which she came, promising herself, after ten, when they should be at leisure, to return with Mark, and view the landscape over by moonlight. The wild plum trees furnished a rich harvest. She had only * CABIN- KEEPING. 295 to shake the slight and graceful shaft, and a shower of ripe fruit fell around her. She quickly filled her basket ; and then, with her girlish love of change, she returned to the house by another way. By this little route through the thicket, she observed, late as it was in the season, a profusion of wild raspberries, of un- usual size and richness. She stopped, in pleased sur- prise, to gather them, and heaped them up on top of the plums, as many as the basket would hold. Delighted with these woodland treasures such a delicious addition to her frugal board she returned to the cabin, and began to prepare their evening meal. Eosalie had not superintended her uncle's Virginia farm-house for two years, to no purpose. She was a skilful little cook. It was not much to prepare a meal twice a day, for two persons ; besides, her " good will was to it." And I doubt if, in all the elegance and luxury of her Southern home, she was ever gayer, gladder, happier, than when preparing, with her own hands, this first little supper in her log cabin. The meal was soon ready. The damask table linen and the delicate china that adorned the table, and the fair girl that hovered around it, I was about to say, were somewhat out of keeping with the house. But that would not have been true; for there was nothing mean, poor, or squalid, in the surroundings of the log cabin. It had a wild, woodland air there was as yet nothing to offend the most aesthetic taste. The arrange- ment of the table was complete the last things set upon it being the delicate pastry and the cut-glass bowl of raspberries, powdered with sugar. But, there was no cream or butter; and this was Rosalie's sole regret, as she gave a pleased glance at the whole effect, 296 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. and then went to eacli window, and put aside the muslin curtains to let in the evening breeze, and the green woodland prospect. As she turned from the window, she was startled by a thump upon the floor, and the exclamation of " There I she sent you these ! And I wonder why you couldn't o' corned arter them yourself!" And with astonishment Rosalie saw standing in the room a large, fair-complexioned, rniddle-aged man, clothed in coarse blue linen jacket and trousers, with a waiter's white apron tied before him. He had just thumped on the floor a large basket filled with vege- tables. He still held in his hand a tin pail, with a tin pan covered upon the top of it. " Who are you ?" inquired she. "Billy. Here's the butter. Where am I to pour the milk?" said the man, lifting the little pan that contained a pound print, and displaying half a gallon of milk in the pail. " Who sent these ?" asked Rose, in surprise. "She! Can't you empty the milk? I've got to carry the bucket back." " I am afraid there is some mistake," said Rose, hesi- tating. " Who did you say sent you ?" "1/er, I tell you. I can't stand here gablin' all day." "But, my good friend, there is some error these things were not sent to me," persisted Rosalie, looking longingly at the hard, sweet-smelling butter, with the dew rising on it. With no more ado, "Billy" marched up to the corner cupboard, seized a knife, passed it under the print of butter, and deftly turned the print out of the CAHTX-KEEPING. 297 pan into a plate ; next, he took up the pail and poured the milk into a pitcher; finally, he went back and seized his basket, and seeing nothing, to receive the vegetables, just turned it upside down and shook them out upon the floor and potatoes, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, &c., rolled in every direction. And " Billy" caught up his empty pan and pail and pitched them into the basket, and hitched the latter, with a jerk, upon his arm, and marched out of the door, exclaim- ing "Now, for the futur', mind, you must come arter 'em every day, yourself if they're worth havin' they're worth comin' for, an' I've got 'nought to do for her, 'out trudgin' over here every day for you. An' I told her I wan't a-goin' to do it, nuther," &c., &c., &c. For long after Billy was out of sight in the woods, Rosalie heard the retreating sound of his grumbling. Full of wonder, she set about to collect the fugitive potatoes, tomatoes, &c. She put them under the lower shelf of her cupboard, and drew the short white cur- tain before them ; then she set the pitcher of rich milk and the plate of fresh butter upon the table, much pleased with the unexpected luxury, but more pleased to anticipate the surprise and pleasure of Mark. And all being ready, she took her sewing, and sat in the door to watch for his coming. She heard his footstep before she saw his form ; and she closed the door and ran up the woodland path to meet him. And soon their merry voices and silvery laughter echoed through the forest, as they approached the cabin. Rosalie had said nothing of her new luxuries-; and when they entered the cabin, and he threw a glance around, and 298 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. dropped his eyes upon the table, first of all he caught and kissed Rose again for her affectionate care, and then, by his exclamations and questions, exhibited all the surprise and satisfaction that the most exacting little Eose could have desired. While they supped, Eosalie explained the mystery of the plums and rasp- berries, and, after relating the visit of Billy, requested an explanation of the other mystery, of the butter, milk, and vegetables, and expressed her fears that, after all, she had no right to them that they were intended for some one else. Mark reassured her by giving his opinion that they were intended for her- self, and no other ; and that she would find out, the next day, probably, the kind neighbour who had sent them. After supper was over and cleared away, and the young pair had rested awhile, and the moon had risen, they crossed the rill and went up the hill to enjoy the fine air and the extended view. And thus closed their first day at the log cabin. And the next morning Rosalie found out her kind neighbours. DOMESTIC ARRANGEMENTS. 299 CHAPTER XXIV. DOMESTIC ARRANGEMENTS. '' They grow in the world's approving eyes, In friendship's smile and home's caress : Collecting all the heart's sweet ties Into one knot of happiness." Moore. THE next morning, after breakfast, while sitting alone in her cabin, engaged, as usual, in needlework, Rosalie received a call from her kind neighbour, Mrs. Attridge, whom she found to be the wife of the worthy proprietor of the neighbouring lead-smelting furnace. " Fat, fair, and forty," with a fund of good nature and good humour, in easy circumstances, and with much experience in Western life, this lady proved an in- valuable acquisition to Rosalie in the era of her cabin trials. Her frank, gay, and homely manner invited confidence. She pressed upon her young neighbour the freedom of her garden and her dairy, for as long as the latter chose to avail herself of the privilege, or until she should have cows and a garden of her own telling her that it was the custom of the settlers to accommodate each other in that way, and that she herself, in the first year of her residence here, had been indebted to a neighbour for her milk and vege- tables. Talking of vegetables, led to the subject of "Billy," whom Mrs. Attridge laughingly averred to be a vegetable himself, for verdancy. Billy, she said, was a native of Holland, brought over to America in his infancy, and left a destitute orphan, whom her 300 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RTVER. mother had taken and brought up, but whose peculi- arity of disposition and simplicity of character was such as fitted him only for house-work. She said that, on the death of his first mistress, Billy had attached himself to the fortunes of herself and husband, and had accompanied them to the West, and had been their only house servant ever since cooking, cleaning, washing, and ironing, as well as any woman could. Rosalie was amused, cheered, and comforted, by Mrs. Attridge's lively conversation and kind sympathy yet during the lady's visit, a case that had troubled the youthful wife for several days still weighed upon her spirits and cast its gloom over her countenance, and refused to be shaken off. Mrs. Attridge, with a housekeeper's sympathy and a woman's tact, divined the cause, and with rude but kind promptitude drew the trouble out to light, by suddenly asking " What do you intend to do about your washing, my dear ? for it is all nonsense to suppose that you could wash." " It is, indeed," said Rosalie ; " and that is just what disturbs me so. I can manage to keep our cabin tidy, and dress our little meals ; but I cannot wash indeed, I cannot. I attempted to do so, but, after having ex- hausted all my strength, and made myself almost ill, I failed. And when I know that every pioneer house- keeper needs to be competent to the performance of all her domestic duties, I feel thoroughly ashamed of my helplessness in some respects. And when I see my husband so patient and cheerful under domestic annoyances that no day-labourer with an efficient DOMESTIC ARRANGEMENTS. 301 helpmate ever has to suffer oh ! you know I must feel so cruelly disappointed in myself." Mrs. Attridge made no comment, but looked upon her young neighbour with a considerate, fond, pro- tective expression on her honest countenance. And after a few minutes, Eosalie spoke again " Can you advise me what to do, Mrs. Attridge ? for I have resolved that, in our present circumstances, my husband shall be put to no expense for these matters." " Oh ! pshaw ! you can never do it ; and some other plan must be thought of," said the visitor, reflec- tively. " Yes, it is real incapacity on my part a want of the requisite physical strength. I am not constitu- tionally weak ; but the muscles of my arms and chest have never been trained to great or continued ex- ertion, and strengthened by that process more is the pity ! Look at my wrists." And Eosalie, smilingly, tearfully, held out two delicate, fair, tapering arms. And Mrs. Attridge took and held them affectionately, while she said " I know I know it would be useless and cruel to expect hard work of you ; and yet the expense oughtn't to come on him, neither, just now. I have been thinking, since I sat here, of an Irish family of the name of Malony, who live in a shanty about a quarter of a mile from this, on my road home. The man works at our furnace, and the woman washes for bachelors. Now, although they are thriving, she and her family are always ragged, because she is as igno- rant as a savage of the use of a needle ; and, besides, she says she hasn't time to sew. Now," said Mrs. 302 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. Attridge, half laughingly, as she arose to depart, "suppose you were to barter work with Judy Ma- lony, and pay her for washing by making up clothing for her children? At any rate, I will call and see Judy on my way home, and send her over to you." Eosalie cordially thanked her kind friend, and held her hand, and felt unwilling to allow her to depart. " I shall send Billy over with more fresh milk this evening. And you must not mind his grumbling he grumbles at me and Mr. Attridge all day long sometimes, and won't allow us to touch a thing in the garden till he thinks proper, without a deal of grumbling." Mrs. Attridge, after promising Rosalie to walk over and see her often, and spend whole days whenever it was possible, took leave, and de- parted. That evening Mark Sutherland returned home sooner than usual. His countenance was cheerful with good news, and he threw into Eosalie's lap a packet of letters and papers from home the first that had been received since their separation from their friends. There was a letter from Colonel Ashley, full of kind wishes, and something more substantial in the shape of a cheque on the St. Louis bank, for his niece. He informed them that he was again alone that his son, St. Gerald, having lost his election, had, under the disappointment, yielded to the wishes of his Avifo, and taken her to her Southern home ; and that he expected his own eldest daughter, DOMESTIC AK11AXGEMENTS, 303 now a widow, to return and take the direction of his household. There was also a letter from Valeria to Rose, and one from Lincoln to Mark. By these letters they learned that Mr. and Mrs. Lauderdale had joined the Ashleys at Cashmere, and remained the guests of Clement Sutherland for a month before proceeding to their own home in Louisiana. Valeria wrote that the Valley of the Pearl was still the loveliest vale on earth, and Cashmere the brightest gem on its bosom ; but that the envied master of this Eden was more sullen, morose, and unhappy than ever that it was rumoured his affairs were not as prosperous as before that he had engaged in ruinous speculations that Mr. St. Gerald Ashley, since losing his election, had lost his good temper and amiability, and sought more consolation from his "generous wine" than from his unloving wife that all these circum- stances weighed heavily upon the health and spirits of the beautiful India, who had changed sadly within the last few months. The kind-hearted but volatile Valeria touched lightly and reluctantly upon these unhappy circumstances, and seemed always divided between her spirit of communicativeness and her scruples of conscience. Mark Sutherland and Eosalie read with regret, and turned from the sad contemplation with a sense of relief to rest gladly upon the image of Valeria^and Lincoln Landerdale, now happily settled upon their beautiful estate of Fairplains, in Louisiana. Withal this was a happy evening to the young cottagers a festival of gladness, such as can be fully enjoyed 304 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. only by exiles, feasting upon long-desired letters from home. The next day Eosalie was somewhat surprised to receive a visit from Judy, and very well satisfied to effect with her an arrangement by which Judy was to do all the washing and ironing for Rosalie, who was to repay her by making up frocks and aprons for her children. And so, before the end of the first week of housekeeping, Rosalie's domestic circumstances were providentially arranged in all the order and comfort consistent with log-cabin life. It would seem a lonely life she led now, yet Rosalie found it not so. The solitude was peopled with her multitudinous rich affections, high purposes, and bright hopes of the future. Through the day she sang at her active household work, or fell into pleasing reverie over her needle. In the afternoon, when Mark returned, they partook of an early supper, rested, and then took a pleasant woodland walk, or occupied the evening hours with a book. On the first Sabbath Mrs. Attridge called in her car- ryall to offer the young couple the two vacant seats to church; a favour which, after some little hesitation and reflection, they frankly and gratefully accepted. And, afterwards, Mark Sutherland was much pleased when it fell in the way of his profession to do Mr. Attridge a gratuitous service a favour which it was rather difficult to make honest Paul Attridge accept, who answered to all Mr. Sutherland's grateful acknow- ledgments and expostulations, " That neighbours should be neighbours, but that professional men should be paid for their services." As passed the week, so passed the autumn, bringing DOMESTIC ARRANGEMENTS. 305 little change in the circumstances of our young friends. Mr. Sutherland gained admittance to the bar ; but as yet his professional duties were confined exclusively to office business, the drawing up of deeds, bonds, mort- gages, &c. And this was not profitable. Indeed, many of his best-meaning neighbours strongly advised him to take up government land, and turn his attention to agriculture. But this Rosalie opposed with all her might, encouraging him to be constant to his profes- sion as he was to his wife " for better for worse, for richer for poorer." She alone, suppressing all com- plaint and concealing all her personal privations, con- tinued to cheer and strengthen the struggler. She alone had an invincible faith in his future his future of greatness and wide usefulness. Autumn waned, and the severe winter of those lati- tudes approached. Early in December a heavy fall of snow covered the ground two or three feet in depth, rendering the road almost impassable between Wolf's Grove and Shelton, and nearly blockading our friends in their log cabin. It was with the greatest difficulty that Mark Sutherland performed the three miles' jour- ney from his home to his office, and Rosalie was a close prisoner in her house. The snow lay on the ground several weeks, during which time the hardships and privations of the young couple were so numerous and so great as to determine them to seize the earliest opportunity of removing into town; and Mark accordingly sought a house in Shelton. And having found one vacated by a family about to emigrate to Arkansas, he rented it at once, and availed himself of the first favourable change in the weather to remove to town and take possession of it. 19 306 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. Their removal took place the first of January. A return to the society of her fellow-beings produced a very happy change in the spirit of Rosalie. Patient, cheerful, and hopeful, she had been before ; but now, the sight of people about her all active, lively, ener- getic, each engaged in the pursuit of some calling, whose object was at once the benefit of his individual self and the community this gave strong impetus to her enterprise, and suggested many plans of usefulness and improvement. Considerable and thriving as was the town of Shel- ton, no newspaper had as yet been published there. Rosalie spoke of this to her husband. Could he not create a sphere of influence and usefulness in that way ? Could he not edit an independent newspaper ? It took money to set up a journal, and he had no money, Mark answered. Could he not interest the small capitalists and busi- ness men of the village in this enterprise ? Mark replied, that to edit a paper required time, and that his office business, though not enough to support them comfortably, was quite enough to spoil his leisure for any other employment. In fact, our friend was in a state of depression and discouragement, from which it required all the faith and hope that was in Rosalie to arouse him. She said that she would help him, both in the law office and with the paper. She begged him to try her her " good will was to it," and she had more leisure than she could profitably employ at present. In brief, Rosalie effected her purpose. Mark Suth- erland prevailed upon the principal men of the village to unite in establishing a free paper ; and, as a natural CASHMERE. 307 result, they appointed Mr. Sutherland the editor. Eosalie rendered efficient though unseen aid. Nor did the enterprising spirit of the girl pause here. There was no good school in Shelton. The want of one was greatly felt. Eosalie proposed to Mark that she should open one. Mark at first opposed the plan it would be too much for her. But Rosalie found her greatest health of mind and body in her greatest activity and usefulness. The girl's school was established by her single enterprise. And it grew and prospered. CHAPTER XXV. CASHMERE. "You were not meant to straggle from your youth, To skulk, and creep, and in mean pathways range; Act with stern truth, largo faith, and loving will Up and be doing." Lowell. FOUR years had passed away since Mark Sutherland and Rosalie had taken up their residence in the village of Shelton. In this space of time many changes had passed over the village community and the individuals that composed it. The Territory had been erected into a state new towns were incorporated new cities founded old ones throve. Shelton itself had more than doubled in population and importance. Where there had been but three or four stores, there were now a dozen; where there had been but two 308 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. churches, there were now five. A handsome court- house stood on the site of the old log tenement, whence the law, if not justice, had once issued its decisions; an excellent market-place, well attended, added much to the comfort of the citizens; a lyceum an incipient library and museum, perhaps lent its attractions to the town; an elegant and capacious hotel replaced the rude, clap-boarded tavern of Colonel Garner. The country around the village had become thickly settled, and many, many improve- ments, which it were tedious to enumerate, had added to the importance of the place. Our friends, Mark and Eosalie, had grown up with the village. Their paper, "The True Freeman" and their school, had both greatly prospered. But no one in the world, except Mark himself, knew how much of this prosperity was owing to the cheerful hope, the firm faith, the warm zeal, the untiring per- severance of Rosalie. And at times he wondered at the power of that pale, fragile creature for she was still very delicate and frail. His professional business had increased very rapidly. He could not have specified any day, or any suit, from which his success had taken its impetus all had been so gradual, so purely the result of applica- tion and perseverance, rather than of accident or for- tune. He felt that here too there was an outward influence, an external power, to which he owed much, very much, of his persistent energy a power living by his side, that continually threw itself with all its ardour and force into his purposes into his soul warming and strengthening him for effort, for endur- ance. CASHMERE. 309 His success was wonderful. He was already the most popular, the busiest, as he was also considered the most able lawyer in the West. Though but twenty-five years of age, he was no longer only by courtesy "Judge" he was the presiding Judge of the court, by the appointment of the Executive. He had been elected to the State Senate; he had been named as a candidate for Governor. And he felt and knew that from the quiet, fair, and fragile being at his side, he drew continual strength, and light, and warmth; that, in addition to his own, he absorbed her life her life, that she gave freely to her love. Her form was frailer, her face wanner, but more beautiful, more impressive than ever for her eyes were brilliant and eloquent with enthusiasm, and her lips, "touched with fire." "Not only for you not only for you but for humanity, dearest Mark, I wish you to attain power and place. You will attain them, and 1 shall not, die till thenf" she would mentally add. At the end of the fourth year of their residence in Shelton, Rosalie having attained her majority, it be- came necessary for Mark Sutherland to go to Missis- sippi to Cashmere on the part of his wife, for the purpose of making a final settlement with her guardian, Clement Sutherland, and taking possession of her splendid fortune. He wished very much that Eosalie should accompany him to the South; but as the necessity of her personal attendance might be dis- pensed with, and as at home the interests of their household, their school, and the paper, seemed to require the presence of one of them, it was decided 310 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. that Mark Sutherland should depart on his journey alone. It was on a cool, pleasant day of September that Judge Sutherland set out on his journey for the South. Kosalie had accompanied him on board the boat, to remain as long as she might before the steamer should leave the wharf. It was their first separation since their marriage, and upon that account alone, perhaps, they felt it the more sensibly ; and as the boat was getting up her steam, Mark Sutherland blessed and dismissed his wife. He felt how wan, how fragile, how spritual was her appearance; he almost felt that at any moment she might be wafted from his posses- sion, from his sight, for ever. The idea transfixed him with a sharp agony, but only for a little while. The boat was on her way, and his thoughts turned from her he was leaving behind to those he was hastening to meet. This way, too, was full of anxiety. Nearly a year had passed since he had heard from any of his friends in Mississippi. Although he had written to his mother regularly, he had received no letter from her for several months, and the vague reports from Silentshades were not satisfactory. Six weeks had intervened since his wife had attained her majority, and they had advised Mr. Clement Sutherland to be prepared to give an account of and yield up the property left in his care for so many years ; yet no answer had been vouchsafed. Rumour also spoke of Clement Sutherland as a suspected, if not a ruined man. Full of anxiety as to the truth of these injurious rumours and the causes of this ominous silence, Mark Sutherland paced the deck of the steamer as it pur- sued its course down the river. CASHMERE. 311 It was on the afternoon of the sixth day of his voyage, that the boat stopped at the wharf of the small hamlet of C , and Mark Sutherland debarked, and hired a horse to take him to Cashmere. He left his portmanteau in the care of the landlord of the little tavern, and set out on his ride. Leaving the low banks of the river to the westward behind him, he rode on towards the interior of the State, ascended a line of hills, and descending the other side, entered once more the "Beautiful Valley of the Pearl." Here then he stood once more upon the scene of his youth's tragedy! With the profoundest interest he looked around. But all was, or seemed to be, changed I Had it really ever been so beautiful as it had once seemed to him, and had age and decay passed over it? Or had its beauty been only the glamour thrown over the scene ':y youth, and love, and hope? It might have been his changed and purified vision; for much of imagination, e Uhusiasm, ideality, had passed away with the morning of Mark's life, even as the silvery mist of sunrise passes away before the full, broad day. It might have been the waning season, for it was now late in a dry and burning September; but the beauty and glory had departed from the vale. The luxuriant green freshness of summer had departed, and the brilliant and gorgeous magnificence of autumn had not come. All the vegetation forests, and shrub- beries, and grasses was dry and parched in the sun, and the very earth beneath seemed calcined by the dry and burning heat. The springs, ponds, and water- courses were low, muddy, and nearly exhausted ; and over all the sun-burned, feverish earth, hung a still, 312 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. coppery, parching sky. You scarcely could tell which was driest and hottest the burning sky above, or the burning earth below. It was, as an old field negro said, " like an oven-lid on an oven." The Pearl itself was now a narrow, shrunken, sluggish stream, creeping between high banks of red and pulverized earth, that was always sliding in and discolouring and thickening the stream of water. Mark Sutherland rode down to the edge of the river, to the ferry house once a neat and well-kept little building, now fallen into neglect and dilapidation. The white-haired negro ferryman was a servant of Clement Sutherland's, and an old acquaintance of Mark's. He met his "yonng master" with a sort of subdued surprise and pleasure, and to his mjestion as to whether they were all well at Cashmere, answered with a sigh that they were just as well as usual. Mark asked no other questions, and in perfect silence the old man put his passenger over to the Cashmere side. Here had once been a well-kept wharf, but now it was much worn and out of repair. Under the shade of a group of elms on the right had once stood a pretty boat-house, in the form of a Chinese Pagoda ; it was now a heap of ruins. There had once been a little fleet of boats moored under its shadow; there remained now one large, dirty skiff, half-full of mud and water, and floating idly on the turbid stream ; and another smaller skiff, high and dry upon the beach, with its timbers shrunken apart, bleaching in the sun. A? Mark rode on through the grounds towards the CASHMERE. 313 house, he noticed further signs of approaching desola- tion. Fences were broken or down, and out-build- ings were dilapidated or unroofed. Passing through the orchard, he saw the trees untrimmed ; some broken down with their loads of over-ripe fruit, some blighted a prey to vermin and some dying or dead, and wrapped in shrouds of cobwebs. Entering the vine- yard, he observed the trellis-work broken and falling, the vines trailing on the ground, and the ripe and luscious fruit rotting on its stems. He paused near the garden on his right, and a glance showed him that favourite resort of his youth, once the perfection of order and beauty, now a wilderness where thousands of the most lovely flowers and most noxious weeds dried and decayed together under the burning sun of September. There the deadly nightshade grew ranker than the rose which it crowded out of life ; and the poison oak, whose contact is death, twined in and out among the tendrils of the honeysuckle and the clematis. Everywhere I everywhere ! all things betokened in- difference and neglect, and prophesied of ruin and despair. While occupied with wondering what could have been the cause of this great and grievous change, Murk Sutherland perceived the approach of an old negro, who touched his hat in respectful salutation, and followed him to the foot of the Eose Terrace, where he stood in readiness to take the horse. Mark dismounted, and threw the reins to the groom, whom he now recognized for an old acquaintance. He held out his hand and .spoke kindly to the old man, in- quiring after his wife and children. " All well as can be 'spected Marse Mark ! Ah, 314 INDIA. THE PEARL OF PEARL RIVER. chile ! things is changed since you was here 'deed dey is, honey. Tree year han' runnin' ole marse crap fail 'fore my blessed Hebbenly Master, dey did, honey tree year han' runnin'. 'Deed, den, when we- dem had fuss-rate crap, come de tornado, an' ruin eberyting ; and nothin' eber been fix up right since. An' 'pears like nothin' eber gone right since. Den ole marse he went to speculating and loss heap o' money leastways so dey do say. Den arter a bit come de sheriff, executionizin' down on top o' we-dem poor coloured people, as hadden nothin' 'tal to do wid it an' carries away all de best of us all my poor dear gals an' boys, as I hoped to spen' my ole days wid, an' good many oders. And since dat, seem like we-dem aint had no heart to tend to nothin' a-pinin* arter our poor children it kinder takes all the strength out'n us." "With a deep sigh, Mark Sutherland turned from the poor old man, and went up the stone steps that led to the Eose Terrace, that was also a neglected wilderness but a wilderness of roses, and therefore still beautiful. Unannounced, he went up into the piazza ; and before he could retreat, in an instant he saw and heard the following: A man or perhaps I should be expected to say, a gentleman of very bloated and slothful appearance, was lazily reclining upon a bench, with his feet on the top of the balus- trades, and with his right arm around the waist of a pretty, frightened quadroon girl, who seemed from the fan she still held, to have been engaged in keeping the flies off from him while he slept. She was now gently and fearfully struggling to free herself from his clasp, and saying, in hushed, frightened tones CASHMERE. 315 "O! if you please, sir, don't! Consider. Indeed it isn't right. What would my dear mistress say?" " Mistress ! my pretty Oriole ! I wish she may say anything ! Let her ! You shall kiss me 1" " O master ! O sir !" At this moment Mark Sutherland had entered, ad- vanced, and bowed very coldly, saying "Mr. St. Gerald Ashley, if I remember right ?" The ruin of St. Gerald Ashley arose to his feet, and answered, with something of his former ease and self- possession, "Yes, sir. Mr. Sutherland, you are welcome to Cashmere again. Walk in ; or would you prefer to sit down in the cool air here for a few moments ? The house is very warm. Girl, go an