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diff --git a/13636-h/13636-h.htm b/13636-h/13636-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b11f74d --- /dev/null +++ b/13636-h/13636-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,9838 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> +<head> + <meta name="generator" + content="HTML Tidy for Windows (vers 1st July 2004), see www.w3.org" /> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" + content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /> + + <title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Lippincott's Magazine of + Popular Literature and Science, Vol. XI, No. 23, February, + 1873.</title> + <style type="text/css"> + /*<![CDATA[*/ + + <!-- + body { + margin-left : 10%; + margin-right : 10%; + } + p { + text-align : justify; + } + blockquote { + text-align : justify; + } + h1 , h2 , h3 , h4 , h5 , h6 { + text-align : center; + } + h1 { /* Title */ + margin-top : 2em; + margin-bottom : 2em; + } + h2 { /* Article Headings */ + margin-top : 4em; + margin-bottom : 2em; + } + h3 { /* Chapters and subheadings */ + margin-top : 2em; + margin-bottom : 2em; + } + pre { + font-size : 0.7em; + } + hr { + text-align : center; + width : 50%; + } + hr.short { + text-align : center; + width : 20%; + } + .author { /* text right-justified inside small margin */ + margin-right : 5%; + text-align : right; + } + .center { /* used for author's name after poems */ + text-align : center; + } + .illustrations { + margin : 0.5em 10%; + font-size : 0.9em; + } + div.trans-note { /* Transcriber's note */ + border-style : solid; + border-width : 1px; + margin : 3em 15%; + padding : 1em; + text-align : center; + } + span.pagenum { + position : absolute; + left : 1%; + right : 85%; + font-size : 8pt; + } + .poem { + margin-left : 10%; + margin-right : 10%; + margin-bottom : 1em; + text-align : left; + } + .poem .stanza { + margin : 1em 0; + } + .poem p { + margin : 0; + padding-left : 3em; + text-indent : -3em; + } + .poem p.i2 { + margin-left : 1em; + } + .poem p.i4 { + margin-left : 2em; + } + .poem p.i6 { + margin-left : 3em; + } + .poem p.i8 { + margin-left : 4em; + } + .poem p.i10 { + margin-left : 5em; + } + .poem p.i12 { + margin-left : 6em; + } + .poem p.i20 { + margin-left : 15em; + } + .toc { + margin : 0 10%; + text-align : left; + font-size : 0.9em; + } + .toc p { + margin : 0.5em 0; + } + .toc p.i4 { /* Table of contents indented items */ + margin-left : 2em; + } + .figure , .figcenter { + padding : 1em; + margin : 0; + text-align : center; + } + .figure img , .figcenter img { + border : none; + } + .figcenter { + margin : auto; + } + --> + /*]]>*/ + </style> +</head> + +<body> +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 13636 ***</div> + + <h1>LIPPINCOTT'S MAGAZINE</h1> + + <h3>OF</h3> + + <h2><i>POPULAR LITERATURE AND SCIENCE.</i></h2> + <hr class="short" /> + + <h4>FEBRUARY, 1873.<br /> + Vol. XI., No. 23.</h4> + <hr class="short" /> + <br /> + <br /> + + <h3>TABLE OF CONTENTS</h3> + + <div class="toc"> + + <p><a href="#illustrations">ILLUSTRATIONS</a></p> + + <p><a href="#H_4_0001">SEARCHING FOR THE QUININE-PLANT IN + PERU.</a></p> + + <p class="i4"><a href="#H_4_0026">Concluding + Paper.</a></p> + + <p><a href="#H_4_0002">A GLANCE AT THE SITE AND + ANTIQUITIES OF ATHENS By J.L.T. PHILLIPS.</a></p> + + <p><a href="#H_4_0003">COMMONPLACE By CONSTANCE + FENIMORE WOOLSON.</a></p> + + <p><a href="#H_4_0004">PROBATIONER LEONHARD; OR, THREE + NIGHTS IN THE HAPPY VALLEY By CAROLINE CHESEBRO.</a></p> + + <p class="i4"><a href="#HCH0001">Chapter IV.—The + Test—With Mental Reservations.</a></p> + + <p class="i4"><a href="#HCH0002">Chapter V.—Sister + Benigna.</a></p> + + <p class="i4"><a href="#HCH0003">Chapter VI.—The Men + Of Spenersberg.</a></p> + + <p class="i4"><a href="#HCH0004">Chapter VII.—The + Book.</a></p> + + <p class="i4"><a href="#HCH0005">CHAPTER + VIII.—Conference Meeting.</a></p> + + <p class="i4"><a href="#HCH0006">CHAPTER IX.—Will + The Architect Have Employment?</a></p> + + <p><a href="#H_4_0011">COUNTRY-HOUSE LIFE IN ENGLAND + By REGINALD WYNFORD.</a></p> + + <p><a href="#H_4_0012">THE FOREST OF ARDEN By ITA + ANIOL PROKOP.</a></p> + + <p><a href="#H_4_0013">JACK, THE REGULAR By THOMAS + DUNN ENGLISH.</a></p> + + <p><a href="#H_4_0014">OBSERVATIONS AND ADVENTURES IN + SUBMARINE DIVING By WILL WALLACE HARNEY.</a></p> + + <p><a href="#H_4_0015">CONFIDENTIAL.</a></p> + + <p><a href="#H_4_0016">GLIMPSES OF JOHN CHINAMAN By + PRENTICE MULFORD.</a></p> + + <p><a href="#H_4_0017">A WINTER REVERIE By MILLIE W. + CARPENTER.</a></p> + + <p><a href="#H_4_0018">"PASSPORTS, GENTLEMEN!" By + A.H.</a></p> + + <p><a href="#H_4_0019">OUR MONTHLY GOSSIP.</a></p> + + <p class="i4"><a href="#H_4_0027">The Cornwallis + Family.</a></p> + + <p class="i4"><a href="#H_4_0020">Novelties In + Ethnology.</a></p> + + <p class="i4"><a href="#H_4_0021">The + Steam-whistle.</a></p> + + <p class="i4"><a href="#H_4_0022">Siamese News.</a></p> + + <p class="i4"><a href="#H_4_0023">Madison As A Temperance + Man.</a></p> + + <p><a href="#H_NOTE">NOTES.</a></p> + + <p><a href="#H_4_0025">LITERATURE OF THE DAY.</a></p> + + <p class="i4"><a href="#H_4_0028">Books Received.</a></p> + </div> + <hr /> + <br /> + <a name="illustrations" + id="illustrations"></a> + + <h4>ILLUSTRATIONS</h4> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#image-0001">The Cones of + Patabamba.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#image-0002">"Pepe Garcia, + Who Marched Ahead, Announced the Print Of A South American + Tiger."</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#image-0003">"Napoleon-like, + They Washed Their Dirty Linen in The Family"</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#image-0004">"Aragon and his + Men Fell Upon the Deserters Without Mercy."</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#image-0005">"They Greeted + These Indian Relics As Crusoe Did The Footprints of the + Savages."</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#image-0006">"Another Savage + Had Found a Pair of Linen Pantaloons."</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#image-0007">View of the + Acropolis and The Columns Of The Temple Of Jupiter + Olympus.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#image-0008">Theatre of + Dionysus (Bacchus).</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#image-0009">Victory Untying + Her Sandals.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#image-0010">Temple of + Victory.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#image-0011">The + Parthenon.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#image-0012">Bas Relief of + the Gods (Frieze Of The Parthenon).</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#image-0013">Porch of the + Caryatides.</a></p> + + <p class="illustrations"><a href="#image-0014">Monument of + Lysicrates.</a></p><br /> + <hr /> + <a name="H_4_0001" + id="H_4_0001"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + + <h2>SEARCHING FOR THE QUININE-PLANT IN + PERU.</h2><a name="H_4_0026" + id="H_4_0026"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + + <h3>CONCLUDING PAPER.</h3> + + <p>Early on a brilliant morning, with baggage repacked, and the + lessening amount of provisions more firmly strapped on the + shoulders of the Indians, the explorers left their pleasant + site on the banks of the Maniri. The repose allowed to the bulk + of the party during the absence of their Bolivian companions + had been wholesome and refreshing. The success of the + bark-hunters in their search for cinchonas had cheered all + hearts, and the luxurious supper of dried mutton and chuno + arranged for them on their return gave a reminiscence of + splendor to the thatched hut on the banks of the stream. This + edifice, the last of civilized construction they expected to + see, had the effect of a home in the wilderness. The bivouac + there had been enjoyed with a sentiment of tranquil + carelessness. Little did the travelers think that savage eyes + had been peeping through the forest upon their fancied + security, and that the wild people of the valleys who were to + work them all kinds of mischief were upon their track from this + station forth.</p> + + <p>The enormous fire kindled for breakfast mingled with the + stain of sunrise to cast a glow upon their departure. Across + the vale of the Cconi, as though a pair of sturdy porters had + arisen to celebrate their leavetaking, the cones of Patabamba + caught the first rays of the sun and held them aloft like + hospitable torches. These huge forms, soldered together at the + waist like Chang and Eng, and clothed with shaggy woods up to + the top, had been the guardian watchers over their days in the + ajoupa at Maniri. The sun just rising empurpled their double + cones, while the base and the surrounding landscape were washed + with the neutral tints of twilight.</p> + + <p>After passing the narrow affluent after which the + camping-ground of Maniri was named, the party pursued the + course of the Cconi through a more level tract of country. The + stones and precipices became more rare, but in revenge the + sandy banks soon began to reflect a heat that was hardly + bearable. As the implacable sun neared its zenith the party + walked with bent heads and blinded eyes, now dashing through + great plains of bamboos, now following the hatchets of the + peons through thickets of heated shrubbery.</p> + + <p>Whenever the country became more wooded in its character, + the bark-hunters, whose quest obliged them to stray in short + flights around the wings of the column, redoubled their mazes. + The careless air of these Bolivian retrievers, their voluntary + doublings through the most difficult jungles, and their easy + way of walking over everything with their noses in the air, + proved well their indifference to the obstacles which were + almost insurmountable to the rest.</p><a name="image-0001" + id="image-0001"><!--IMG--></a> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a href="images/0215.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/0215.jpg" + alt="The Cones of Patabamba" /></a> The Cones of + Patabamba + </div><!--IMAGE END--> + + <p>Nothing could be more singular and interesting than to see + them consulting one by one the indications scattered around + them, and deciding on their probabilities or promises. Where + the height and thickness of the foliage prevented them from + seeing the sky, or even the shade of the surrounding green, + they walked bent toward the ground, stirring up the rubbish, + and choosing among the dead foliage certain leaves, of which + they carefully examined the two sides and the stem. When by + accident they found themselves near enough to speak to each + other—a rare chance, for each peon undertook a separate + line of search—they asked their friends, showing the + leaves they had found, whether their discoveries appertained to + the neighboring trees or whether the wind had brought the + pieces from a distance. This kind of investigation, pursued by + men who had prowled through forests all their lives, might seem + slightly puerile if the reader does not understand that it is + often difficult, or even impossible, to recognize the growing + tree by its bark, covered as it is from base to branches with + parasitic vegetation of every sort. In those forests whatever + has a stout stem is used without scruple by the bignonias and + air-plants, which race over the trunk, plant their root-claws + in the cracks, leap over the whole tree at a single jet, or + strangle it with multiplied knots, all the while adorning it + with a superb mantle of leaves and blossoms. This is a + difficulty which the most experienced <i>cascarilleros</i> are + not able to overcome. As an instance, the history is cited of a + <i>practico</i> or speculator who led an exploration for these + trees in the valley of Apolobamba. After having caused to be + felled, barked, measured, dried and trimmed all the cinchonas + of one of those natural thickets called <i>manchas</i>—an + operation which had occupied four months—he was about to + abandon the spot and pursue the exploration elsewhere, when + accident led him to discover, in the enormous trunk buried in + creepers against which he had built his cabin, a <i>Cinchona + nitida</i>, the forefather of all the trees he had + stripped.</p> + + <p>In this kind of search the caravan pursued the borders of + the river, sometimes on this side and sometimes on that, now + passing the two-headed mountain Camanti, now sighting the + tufted peak of Basiri, now crossing the torrent called the + Garote. In the latter, where the dam and hydraulic works of an + old Spanish gold-hunter were still visible in a state of ruin, + the sacred golden thirst of Colonel Perez once more attacked + him. Two or three pins' heads of the insane metal were actually + unearthed by the colonel and displayed in a pie-dish; but the + business of the party was one which made even the finding of + gold insignificant, and they pursued their way.</p> + + <p>The flanks of these mountains, however, were really of + importance to the botanical motive of the expedition. Along the + side of the Camanti, where the yellow Garote leaked downward in + a rocky ravine, the Bolivians were again successful. They + brought to Marcoy specimens of half a dozen cinchonas, for him + to sketch, analyze and decorate with Latin names. The colors of + two or three of these barks promised well, but the pearl of the + collection was a specimen of the genuine <i>Calisaya</i>, with + its silver-gray envelope and leaf ribbed with carmine. This + proud discovery was a boon for science and for commerce. It + threw a new light upon the geographical locality of the most + precious species of cinchona. It was incontestably the plant, + and the Bolivians appeared amazed rather than pleased to have + discovered outside of their own country a kind of bark proper + only to Bolivia, and hardly known to overpass the northern + extremity of the valley of Apolobamba. This discovery would + rehabilitate, in the European market, the quinine-plants of + Lower Peru, heretofore considered as inferior to those of Upper + Peru and Bolivia. The latter country has for some time secured + the most favorable reputation for its barks—a reputation + ably sustained by the efforts of the company De la Paz, to whom + the government has long granted a monopoly. This reputation is + based on the abundance in that country of two species, the + <i>Cinchona calisaya</i> and <i>Boliviana,</i> the best known + and most valued in the market. But for two valuable cinchonas + possessed by Bolivia, Peru can show twenty, many of them + excellent in quality, and awaiting only the enterprise of the + government and the natural exhaustion of the forests to the + south.</p> + + <p>This magnificent bit of luck, the finding of the calisaya, + awakened in the susceptible bosom of Mr. Marcoy an ardent + desire to explore for himself the site of its discovery. But + Eusebio, the chief of the cascarilleros, assuming a mysterious + and warning expression, informed the traveler that the place + was quite inaccessible for a white man, and that he had risked + his own neck a score of times in descending the ravine which + separated the route from the hillside where the fortunate + plants were growing. He promised, however, to point out the + locality from afar, and to show, by a certain changeable gloss + proper to the leaf, the precise stratum of the calisaya amongst + the belts of the forest. This promise he forgot to execute more + particularly, but it appeared that the locality would never be + excessively hard to find, marked as it was by Nature with the + gigantic finger-post of Mount Camanti. Placing, then, in + security these precious specimens among their baggage, the + explorers continued their advance along the valley.</p> + + <p>The footing was level and easy. Rocks and precipices were + left behind, and were displaced by a soft, slippery sort of + sand, where from space to space were planted, like so many + oases in a desert, clumps of giant reeds. By a strange but + natural caprice these beds of rustling verdure were cut in an + infinity of well-defined geometric forms. Seen from an eminence + and at a distance, this arrangement gave a singular effect. In + the midst of these native garden-beds were cut distinct and + narrow alleys, where the drifting sands were packed like + artificial paths. It is unnecessary to add that the soft + footways, notwithstanding their advertisement of verdure and + shade, proved to be of African temperature.</p> + + <p>The last hours of daylight surprised the travelers among the + labyrinths of these strange gardens. A suitable spot was chosen + for the halt. As the porters were preparing to throw down their + packs, Pepe Garcia, who marched ahead, announced the print of a + South American tiger. The first care of the Indians, on hearing + this news, was to send forth a horrible cry and to throng + around the marks. The footprints disappeared at the thickest + part of the jungle. After an examination of the traces, which + resembled a large trefoil, they precipitated themselves on the + interpreter-in-chief, representing how impossible it was to + camp out in the neighborhood of the dreaded animal. But Pepe + Garcia, accustomed as he was by profession to try his strength + with the ferocious bear and the wily boar, was not the man to + be afraid of a tiger, even of a genuine tiger from Bengal. To + prove to the porters how slight was the estimation he placed on + the supposed enemy, and also to drill them in the case of + similar rencounters, he pushed the whole troop pellmell into + the thickest part of the reeds, with the surly order to cut + down the canes for sheds. Drawing his own knife, he slashed + right and left among the stems, which the Indians, trembling + with fear, were obliged to make into sheaves on the spot and + transport to the beach selected for the bivouac. Double rows of + these <i>arundos</i>, driven into the sand, formed the + partitions of the cabins, for which their interwoven leaves + made an appropriate thatch. The green halls with matted vaults + were picturesque enough; each peon, seeing how easily they were + constructed, chose to have a house for himself; and the Tiger's + Beach quickly presented the appearance of a camp disposed in a + long straight line, of which the timorous Indians occupied the + extremity nearest the river.</p> + + <p>No "tiger" appeared to justify the apprehensions of the + porters; but what was lacking to their fears from beasts with + four feet was made up to them by beasts with wings. The night + closed in dry and serene. Since leaving Maniri, whether because + of the broadening of the valley, the rarity of the + water-courses or the decreasing altitude of the hills, the + adventurers had been little troubled with fogs at night. The + fauna of the region, too, had offered nothing of an alarming + complexion, except the footprints of the tiger in question: an + occasional tapir or peccary from the woods, and otters and fish + from the streams, had attracted the shots of the party, but + merely as welcome additions to their game-bags, not as food for + their fears. To-night, however, the veritable bugbear of the + tropical forest paid them a visit, and left a real souvenir of + his presence. As the Indian servants stretched themselves out + in slumber under the bright stars and in the partial shelter of + their ajoupas, a bat of the vampire species, attracted by the + emanations of their bodies, came sailing over them, and + emboldened by the silence reigning everywhere, selected a + victim for attack. Hovering over the fellow's exposed foot, he + bit the great toe, and fanning his prey in the traditional yet + inevitable manner by the natural movement of his wings, he + gorged himself with blood without disturbing the mozo. The + latter, on awakening in the morning, observed a slight swelling + in the perforated part, and on examination discovered a round + hole large enough to admit a pea. Without rising, the man + summoned his companions, who formed a group around him for the + purpose of furnishing a certain natural remedy in the shape of + a secretion which each one drew out of his ears. With this the + patient made himself a plaster for his wound, and appeared to + think but little of it. Questioned as to his sensations by the + white travelers, who found themselves a good deal more + disturbed with the idea of the vampire than they had been by + any indications of tigers or wild-boars, the fellow explained + that he had felt no sensation, unless it might have been an + agreeable coolness of his sand-baked feet. The incident seemed + so disagreeable and so likely of recurrence that Colonel Perez + ever afterward slept with his feet rolled up in a variety of + fantastic draperies, while Mr. Marcoy for several nights + retained his boots.</p><a name="image-0002" + id="image-0002"><!--IMG--></a> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a href="images/0216.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/0216.jpg" + alt="'Pepe Garcia, Who Marched Ahead, Announced the Print Of A South American Tiger.'" /> + </a> 'Pepe Garcia, Who Marched Ahead, Announced the Print + Of A South American Tiger.' + </div><!--IMAGE END--> + + <p>The path along the river-sands would have been voluntarily + followed by all the more irresponsible portion of the party, + notwithstanding the blinding heats, on account of its smoother + footing. The cascarilleros, however, objected that its tufts of + canes and passifloras offered no promise for their researches. + A compromise was effected. The porters, under the command of + Juan of Aragon, were allowed to follow the shore, and were + armed with a supply of fish-hooks to induce them to add from + time to time to the alarmingly diminished supply of provisions. + The grandees of the party followed the Bolivians, whose + specialty entitled them to control practically the direction of + the route, and plunged into the woods to botanize, to explore + and to search for game. A system of conversation by means of + shouts and pistol-shots was established between the two + divisions. The next night proved the wisdom of this + bifurcation. The united booty of earth, air and water, under + the form of a squirrel, a pair of toucans and a variety of + fish, afforded a meal which the porters described as <i>comida + opipara</i> or a sumptuous festival. Lulled and comforted by + the sensation which a contented stomach wafts toward the brain, + the explorers, after washing their hands and rinsing their + mouths at the riverside, betook themselves to a cheerful repose + <i>sub jove</i>, the locality offering no reeds of the + articulated species with which to construct a shelter.</p> + + <p>The party, then, betook themselves to slumber with unusual + contentment, repeating the splendid supper in their dreams, + with the addition of every famous wine that Oporto and Rheims + could dispense, when they were awakened by a sudden and + terrible storm. A waterspout stooped over the forest and sucked + up a mass of crackling branches. The camp-fire hissed and went + out in a fume of smoke. A continuity of thunder, far off at + first, but approaching nearer and nearer, kept up a constant + and increasing fusillade, to whose reports was soon added the + voice of the Cconi, lashed in its bed and bellowing like the + sea. The surprising tumult went on in a <i>crescendo</i>. The + hardly-interrupted charges of the lightning gave to the eye a + strange vision of flying woods and soaring branches. Startled, + trembling and sitting bolt upright, the adventurers asked if + their last hour were come. The rain undertook to answer in + spinning down upon their heads drops that were like bullets, + and which for some time were taken for hail. Fearing to be + maimed or blinded as they sat, the party crowded together, + placing themselves back to back; and, unable to lay their heads + under their wings like the birds, sheltered them upon their + knees under the protection of their crossed arms. The fearful + deluge of heated shot lasted until morning. Then, as if in + laughter, the sun came radiantly out, the landscape readjusted + its disheveled beauties, and the ground, covered with boughs + distributed by the whirlwind, greedily drank in the waters from + heaven. Soon there remained nothing of the memorable tempest + but the diamonds falling in measured cadence from the refreshed + and stiffened leaves.</p> + + <p>Up to sunrise the unfortunates rested stoically silent, + their knees in their mouths, and receiving the visitation like + a group of statuary. The rain ceasing with the same promptitude + with which it had risen, they raised their heads and looked + each other in the face, like the enemies over the fire in + Byron's <i>Dream</i>. Each countenance was blue, and decorated + with long flat locks of adhesive hair. The teeth of the whole + party were chattering like a concert of castanets. The sun, + like a practical joker, laughed ironically at the general + picture.</p> + + <p>The first hours of morning were consecrated to a general + examination of the stores, especially the precious specimens of + cinchona. Bundles were restrapped, the damp provisions laid out + in the sun, and the clothing of the party, even to the most + intimate garment, was taken down to the river to be refreshed + and furbished up. A common disaster had created a common cause + amongst the whole troop, and with one accord + everybody—peons, mozos, interpreters, bark-strippers and + gentlemen—set in motion a grand cleaning-up day. + Napoleon-like, they washed their dirty linen in the family. + Whoever had seen the strangers coming and going from the beach + to the woods, clothed in most abbreviated fashion, and seeming + as familiar to the uniform as if they had always worn it under + the charitable mantle of the woods, would have taken them for a + savage tribe in the midst of its encampment. It is probable + they were so seen.</p> + + <p>Thanks to the intense heat of the sun-shine, the garments + and baggage of the expedition were quickly dried. The first + were donned, the last was loaded on the porters, and the line + of march was taken up. Up to noon the road lay along the + blazing sands under a sun of fire. All the members of the party + felt fresh and hardy after the involuntary bath, except one of + the Indians, who was affected with a kind of ophthalmia. This + attack, which Mr. Marcoy attributed partly to the glare, partly + to the wet, and partly to a singular hobby peculiar to the + individual of sleeping with his eyes wide open, was of no long + duration. The pain which he complained of disappeared with a + few hours of exercise and with the determination he showed in + staring straight at the god of day, who, as if in memory of the + worship formerly extended toward him in the country, deigned to + serve as oculist for the sufferer. A little before sunset halt + was made for the night-camp in the centre of a beach protected + by clumps of reeds in three quarters of the wind. The Indian + porters, despatched for fish and firewood, returned suddenly + with a frightened mien to say that they had fallen into the + midst of a camp of savages. The white men quickly rejoined them + at the spot indicated, where they found a single hut in ruins, + made of reeds which appeared to have been cut for the + construction some fortnight before, and strewn with + fire-brands, banana skins and the tail of a large fish. Pepe + Garcia, consulted on these indications, explained that it was + in reality the camping-place of some of the savage Siriniris, + but that the narrowness of the hut seemed to indicate that not + more than two of the Indians, probably a man and woman, had + resided there during a short fishing-excursion.</p> + + <p>This discovery cast a shade over the countenances of the + porters. After having collected the provisions necessary for a + slender supper, they drew apart, and, while cooking was going + on, began to converse with each other in a low voice. No notice + was taken of their behavior, however, though it would have + required little imagination to guess the subject of their + parliament. The tired eyes of the explorers were already + closed, while their ears, more alert, could hear the confused + murmur proceeding from the Indians' quarter, where the + disposition seemed to be to prolong the watch + indefinitely.</p><a name="image-0003" + id="image-0003"><!--IMG--></a> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a href="images/0219.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/0219.jpg" + alt="'Napoleon-like, They Washed Their Dirty Linen in The Family'" /> + </a> 'Napoleon-like, They Washed Their Dirty Linen in The + Family' + </div><!--IMAGE END--> + + <p>The dark hours filed past, and jocund day, according to + Shakespeare and Romeo, stood tiptoe on the mountain-tops of + Camanti and Basiri, when the travelers were awakened by a + fierce and terrible cry. Lifting their heads in astonishment, + they perceived the faithful Pepe Garcia, his face disfigured + with rage, and his fist shaking vigorously in the direction of + the Indians, who sat lowering and sullen in their places. + Aragon and the cascarilleros, collected around the chief + interpreter, far from trying to calm his anger, appeared to + feed it by their suggestions. An explanation of the scene was + demanded. Eight of the bearers, it appeared, had deserted, + leaving to their comrades the pleasure of watching over the + packages of cinchona, but assuming for their part the charge of + a good fraction of the provisions, which they had disappeared + with for the relief of their fellow-porters. This copious + bleeding of the larder drew from Colonel Perez a terrible oath, + and occasioned a more vivid sentiment in the entrails of Marcoy + than the defection of the men. If the evil was grand, the + remedy was correspondingly difficult. Indolent or mercurial at + pleasure, the Indians had doubtless threaded the woods with + winged feet, and were now far away. Mr. Marcoy proposed + therefore to continue the march without them, but to set down a + heavy account of bastinadoes to their credit when they should + turn up again at Marcapata. This proposition, as it erred on + the side of mercy, was unanimously rejected, and a + scouting-party was ordered in pursuit, consisting of the + bark-hunters and Juan of Aragon, to whom for the occasion Pepe + Garcia confided his remarkable + fowling-piece.</p><a name="image-0004" + id="image-0004"><!--IMG--></a> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:75%;"> + <a href="images/0220.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/0220.jpg" + alt="'Aragon and his Men Fell Upon the Deserters Without Mercy.'" /> + </a> 'Aragon and his Men Fell Upon the Deserters Without + Mercy.' + </div><!--IMAGE END--> + + <p>In the afternoon the extemporized police reappeared. The + fugitives had been found tranquilly sitting on the banks of the + river, distending their abdomens with the stolen preserves and + chocolate. Aragon and his men fell upon the deserters without + mercy. The former, battering away at them with the stock of his + gun, and the latter, exercising upon their shoulders whatever + they possessed in the way of lassoes, axe-handles and + sabre-blades, maintained the argument effectually for some time + in this way, and did not descend to questions until muscular + fatigue caused them to desist. The catechism subsequently put + to the porters elicited the reply, from the spokesman of the + recusants, that they were tired of being afraid of the wild + Indians; that they objected to marching into the dens of + tigers; that, perceiving their rations diminished from day to + day, they had imagined the time not far distant when the same + would be withdrawn altogether. It was curious, as it seemed to + Marcoy when the argument was rehearsed to him presently, that + the fellows made no complaint of being footsore, overcharged + with burdens or conducted into paths too difficult for them. A + lurking admiration for the vigor with which, after all, they + played their crushing part of beasts of burden, procured them + immunity from further punishment after their return. Their + bivouacs were simply watched on the succeeding nights by + Bolivian sentinels.</p> + + <p>After a few minutes allowed the strayed sheep to rub their + bruises, the march was continued. The afternoon afforded a + succession of the same sandy riverbanks, dressed with reeds, + false maize, calceolarias and purple passion-flowers, and + yielding for sole booty a brace of wild black ducks, and an + opossum holding in her pouch five saucy and scolding little + ones. The natural civet employed as a cosmetic by this animal + forbade the notion of using it for food, and it was thrown with + its family into the river, after being deprived of its glossy + skin.</p> + + <p>As evening approached, and as all eyes were exploring the + banks for a suitable camping-ground, a spacious and even beach + was fixed upon as offering all the requisite conveniences. It + was agreed to halt there. Attaining the locality, however, they + were amazed to find all the traces of a previous occupation. + Several sheds, formed of bamboo hurdles set up against the + ground with sticks, like traps, were grouped together. Under + each was a hearth, a simple excavation, two feet across and a + few inches deep, and filled with ashes. A few arrows, feathers + and rude pieces of pottery were scattered around. They greeted + these Indian relics as Crusoe did the footprints of the + savages. Nor was it more reassuring to observe, among other + callers like themselves who had left their visiting-cards at + the doors since the departure of the proprietors, the + sign-manual of jaguars and tapirs, whose footprints were + plainly visible on the gravel.</p> + + <p>A close examination was made of every detail pertaining to + the huts and their accessories, and the interpreters were asked + if it would be prudent to encamp in a spot thus leased in + advance. Pepe Garcia and Aragon were of opinion that it would + be better to pass the night there, assuring their employers + that there would be no danger in sleeping among the teraphim of + the savages, provided that nothing was touched or displaced. + Their motion was promptly adopted, to the great discomfiture of + the porters, who were poised on one foot ready for flight. A + salute of five shots was fired, with a vague intention of + giving any listeners the highest possible opinion of the white + explorers as a military power. An enormous fire was kindled, + sentinels were posted, and the party turned in, taking care, + however, during the whole night to close but one eye at a + time.</p><a name="image-0005" + id="image-0005"><!--IMG--></a> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a href="images/0222.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/0222.jpg" + alt="'They Greeted These Indian Relics As Crusoe Did The Footprints of the Savages.'" /> + </a> 'They Greeted These Indian Relics As Crusoe Did The + Footprints of the Savages.' + </div><!--IMAGE END--> + + <p>Day commenced to blush, when all ears were assaulted by a + concerted howl, proceeding from behind a bed of canes on the + other side of the river. "<i>Alerta! los Chunchos!</i>" cried + the sentinel. The three words produced a startling effect: the + porters sprang up like frightened deer; Mr. Marcoy grasped a + sheaf of pencils and a box of water-colors with a warlike air, + and the colonel's lips were crisped into a singular smile, + indicative of lively emotions. Hardly were the travelers + clothed and armed when the reeds parted with a rattling noise, + and three nude Indians, sepia-colored and crowned with tufts of + hair like horses' tails, leaped out like jacks-in-the-box. At + sight of the party standing to receive them they redoubled + their clamor, then, flourishing their arms and legs and turning + continually round, they gradually revolved into the presence of + the explorers. They selected as chiefs and sachems of the party + such as bore weapons, being the colonel, Marcoy and the two + interpreters. These they clasped in a warm, fulsome embrace: + they were smeared from head to foot with rocoa (crude arnotta), + and their passage through the river having dissolved this + pigment, they printed themselves off, in this act of amity, + upon the persons and clothing of their hosts. While the white + men, with a very bad grace, were cleaning off these tokens of + natural affection, the new-comers went on to present their + civilities all around. Two of the porters they recognized at + once, with their eagle eyesight, from having relieved them of + their shirts while the latter were working out some penalty at + the governor's farm of Sausipata, and proceeded to claim a warm + acquaintance on that basis; but the bearers, with equally + lively memories of the affront, responded simply with a frown + and the epithet of <i>Sua-sua</i>—double thief.</p> + + <p>Pepe Garcia undertook a colloquy, and Aragon, not to be + behindhand, flashed a few words across the conversation, right + and left as it were, his expressions appearing to be in a + different tongue from those used by the chief interpreter, and + both utterly without perceptible resemblance to the rolling + consonants and gutturals of the savages. Marcoy imbibed a + strong impression that the only terms understood in common were + the words of Spanish with which the palaver was thickly + interlarded. This was the first time the interpreters were put + on their mettle in a strictly professional sense, and the test + was not altogether triumphant. However, by a careful raising of + the voice in all difficult passages, and a wild, expressive + pantomime, an understanding was arrived at.</p> + + <p>The visitors belonged to the tribe of Siriniris, inhabiting + the space comprised between the valleys of Ocongate and + Ollachea, and extending eastwardly as far as the twelfth + degree. They lived at peace with their neighbors, the + Huat-chipayris and the Pukiris. For several days the reports of + the Christian guns (<i>tasa-tasa</i>) had advertised them of + the presence of white men in the valley, and, curious to judge + of their numbers, they had approached. They had formed a + cunning escort to the party, always faithful but never seen, + since the encampment at Maniri: every camping-ground since that + particular bivouac they faithfully described. They were, of + course, in particular and direful need of <i>sirutas</i> and + <i>bambas</i> (knives and hatchets), but their fears of the + <i>tasa-tasa</i>, or guns, was still stronger than their + desires, and their courage had not, until they saw the + strangers domiciled as guests in their own habitations, + attained the firmness and consistency necessary for a personal + approach. The three dancing ambassadors were ministers + plenipotentiary on the part of their tribe, located in a bamboo + metropolis five miles off.</p> + + <p>The white men could not well avoid laying down their + <i>tasa-tasa</i> and disbursing <i>sirutas</i> and + <i>bambas</i>. The savages, after this triumph of diplomacy, + suddenly turned, and, thrusting their fingers in their mouths, + emitted a shrill note, which had the effect of enchanting the + forest of rushes across the river, and causing it to give birth + to a whole ballet of naked coryphei. Nine men, seven women and + three dogs composed the spectacle, of which the masculine part, + the human and the canine, proceeded to swim the stream and + fraternize with the strangers. The women rested on the bank + like river-nymphs: their costume was somewhat less prudish than + that of the men, the coat of rocoa being confined to their + faces, which were further decorated with joints of reed thrust + through the nose and ears. A glance of curiosity darted across + the water by the colonel was surprised in its flight by the + ambassadors, who addressed a hasty word or two to their ladies: + the latter, with one quick and cat-like gesture, whipped off + each a branch of the nearest foliage, and were dressed in a + single instant.</p> + + <p>To reward all these vociferous mendicants with the + invaluable cutlery was hardly prudent. Seeing the hesitation of + their visitors, the savages adopted other tactics. Hurling + themselves across the river, they quickly reappeared, armed + with all the temptations they could think of to induce the + strangers to barter. The scene of these savages coming to + market was a picturesque one. Entering the water, provided with + their objects of exchange, which they held high above their + heads, and swimming with the right arm only, they began to cut + the river diagonally. The lifting of the waves and the dash of + spray almost concealed the file of dusky heads. Nothing could + be plainly seen but the left arms, standing out of the water as + stiff and inflexible as so many bars of bronze, relieved + against the silvery brightness of the water. These advancing + arms were adorned with the material of traffic—bird-skins + of variegated colors, bows and arrows, and live tamed parrots + standing upon perches of bamboo. The white spectators could not + but admire the native vigor, elegance and promptitude of their + motions as they rose from the water like Tritons, and, throwing + their treasures down in a heap, bounded forward to give their + visitors the conventional signals of friendship. A rapid + bargain was concluded, in which the sylvan booty of the wild + men (not forgetting the prudent exaction of their weapons) was + entirely made over to the custody of the explorers in exchange + for a few Birmingham knives worth fourpence each.</p> + + <p>However curious and amicable might be their new relations + with the savages, the party were desirous to put an end to them + as soon as possible. Pepe Garcia announced that the pale + chiefs, wishing to resume their march, were about to separate + from them. This decision appeared to be unpleasant or + distressful in their estimation, and they tried to reverse it + by all sorts of arguments. No answer being volunteered, they + shouted to their women to await them, and betook themselves to + walking with the party. One of the three ambassadors, a + graceful rogue of twenty-five, marked all over with rocoa and + lote, so as to earn for himself the nickname of "the Panther," + gamboled and caracoled in front of the procession as if to give + it an entertainment. His two comrades had garroted with their + arms the neck of the chief interpreter: another held Juan of + Aragon by the skirt of his blouse, and regulated his steps by + those of the youth. This accord of barbarism and civilization + had in it something decidedly graceful, and rather pathetic: if + ever the language natural to man was found, the medium in + circulation before our sickly machinery of speech came to be + invented, it was in this concert of persuasive action and + tender cooing notes. The main body of the Siriniris marched + pellmell along with the porters, whom this vicinage made + exceedingly uncomfortable, and who were perspiring in great + drops.</p> + + <p>At the commencement of a wood the whites embraced the + occasion to take formal leave of their new acquaintances. As + they endeavored to turn their backs upon them they were at once + surrounded by the whole band, crying and gesticulating, and + opposing their departure with a sort of determined + playfulness.</p> + + <p>At the same time a word often repeated, the word + <i>Huatinmio</i>, began to enter largely into their + conversation, and piqued the curiosity of the historiographer. + Marcoy begged the interpreter to procure him the explanation of + this perpetual shibboleth. Half by signs, half in the polyglot + jargon which he had been employing with the Siriniris, Garcia + managed to understand that the word in question was the name of + their village, situated at a small distance and in a direction + which they indicated. In this retreat, they said, no + inhabitants remained but women, children and old men, the rest + of the braves being absent on a chase. They proposed a visit to + their capital, where the strangers, they said, honored and + cherished by the tribe, might pass many enviable days.</p> + + <p>The proposed excursion, which would cause a loss of + considerable time and a deflection from the intended route, was + declined in courteous terms by Marcoy through the + interpretation of Pepe Garcia. Among civilized folk this urbane + refusal would have sufficed, but the savages, taking such a + reply as a challenge to verbal warfare, returned to the charge + with increased tenacity. It were hard to say what natural logic + they put in practice or what sylvan persuasions they wrought + by, but their peculiar mode of stroking the white men's backs + with their hands, and the softer and still softer inflections + which they introduced into their voices, would have melted + hearts of marble. In brief, the civilized portion adopted the + more weakly part and allowed themselves to be led by the savage + portion.</p> + + <p>The colonel and Pepe Garcia were still more easily persuaded + than Mr. Marcoy, and only awaited his adhesion. When it was + finally announced the Siriniris renewed their gambols and + uttered shouts of delight. They then took the head of the + excursion. A singularity in their guides, which quickly + attracted the notice of the explorers, was the perfect + indifference with which they took either the clearings or the + thickets in their path. Where the strangers were afraid of + tearing their garments, these unprotected savages had no care + whatever for their skins. It is true that their ingenuity in + gliding through the labyrinth resembled magic. However the + forest might bristle with undergrowth, they never thought of + breaking down obstacles or of cutting them, as the equally + practiced Bolivians did, with a knife. They contented + themselves with putting aside with one hand the tufts of + foliage as if they had been curtains or draperies, and that + with an easy decision of gesture and an elegance of attitude + which are hardly found outside of certain natural tribes.</p> + + <p>The city of Huatinmio proved to be a group of seven large + sheds perched among plaintains and bananas, divided into + stalls, and affording shelter for a hundred individuals. The + most sordid destitution—if ignorance of comfort can be + called destitution—reigned everywhere around. The women + were especially hideous, and on receipt of presents of small + bells and large needles became additionally disagreeable in + their antics of gratitude. The bells were quickly inserted in + their ears, and soon the whole village was in + tintinnabulation.</p> + + <p>A night was passed in the hospitality of these barbarians, + who vacated their largest cabin for their guests. A repast was + served, consisting of stewed monkey: no salt was used in the + cookery, but on the other hand a dose of pimento was thrown in, + which brought tears to the eyes of the strangers and made them + run to the water-jar as if to save their lives. The evening was + spent in a general conversation with the Siriniris, who were + completely mystified by the form and properties of a candle + which Mr. Marcoy drew from his baggage and ignited. The wild + men passed it from hand to hand, examining it, and singeing + themselves in turn. Still another marvel was the sheet of paper + on which the artist essayed a portrait of one of his hosts. The + finished sketch did not appear to attract them at all, or to + raise in their minds the faintest association with the human + form, but the texture and whiteness of the sheet excited their + lively admiration, and they passed it from one to another with + many exclamations of wonder. Meantime, a number of questions + were suggested and proposed through the interpreter.</p> + + <p>The formality of marriage among the Siriniris was found to + be quite unknown; the most rudimentary idea of divine worship + could not be discovered; the treatment of the aged was shown to + be contemptuous and neglectful in the extreme; and the lines of + demarcation with the beasts seemed to be but feebly traced. + Finally, Mr. Marcoy begged the interpreter to propound the + delicate inquiry whether, among the viands with which they + nourished or had formerly nourished themselves, human flesh had + found a place. Garcia hesitated, and at first declined to push + the interrogation, but after some persuasion consented. The + Siriniris were not in the least shocked at the question, and + answered that the flesh of man, especially in infancy, was a + delicious food, far better than the monkey, the tapir or the + peccary; that their nation, in the days of its power, + frequently used it at the great feasts; but that the difficulty + of procuring such a rarity had increased until they were now + forced to strike it from their bill of fare.</p> + + <p>The night passed without disturbance, and the next day's + parting was accompanied by reiterated requests for a repetition + of the visit. The Panther, who since their arrival had + oppressed the travelers with a multitude of officious + attentions, escorted them into the woods, and there took leave + of them with a gesture of his hand, relieving their eyes of his + slippery, snake-like robe of spots. A knife from their stores, + slung round his neck like a locket, smote his breast at each + step as he danced backward, and a couple of large fish-hooks + glanced in his ears.</p> + + <p>With a feeling of relief and satisfied curiosity the + exploring party left behind them the traces of these children + of Nature, and returned toward the river. The cascarilleros, + all for their business, had regretted the waste of time, and + now betook themselves to an examination of the woods with all + their energy. After several hours of march their efforts were + crowned with success. Eusebio presently rejoined his employers, + showing leaves and berries of the <i>Cinchona scrobiculata</i> + and <i>pubescens</i>: the peons, on their side, had discovered + isolated specimens of the <i>Calisaya</i>, which, joined with + those found on Mount Camanti, indicated an extended belt of + that precious species. This was not the best. A veritable + treasure which they had unearthed, worth all the others put + together, was a line of those violet cinchonas which the native + exporters call <i>Cascarilla morada</i>, and the botanists + <i>Cinchona Boliviana</i>. The trees of this kind were grouped + in threes and fours, and extended for half a mile. This + repeated proof that the most valuable of all the cinchonas, + together with nearly every one of the others, were to be + discovered in a small radius along the valley of the Cconi, + filled the explorers with triumph, and demonstrated beyond a + doubt the sagacity of Don Santo Domingo in organizing the + expedition.</p> + + <p>The purpose and intention of the journey was now abundantly + fulfilled. Had the travelers rested satisfied with the liberal + indications they had found, and consented to place themselves + between the haunts of the savages and the abodes of + civilization, with a tendency and determination toward the + latter, they might have returned with safety as with glory. The + estimate made by Eusebio, however, of the trend or direction of + the calisaya groves, induced him to forsake the bed of the + Cconi, and strike south-eastwardly, so as to cross the Ollachea + and the Ayapata.</p> + + <p>"But the mountains are disappearing," hazarded Mr. Marcoy. + "Will not the cinchonas disappear with them?"</p> + + <p>"Oh," answered the majordomo, like a pedagogue to a + confident school-boy, "the señor knows better how to put + ink or color on a sheet of paper than how to judge of these + things. The plain, the <i>campo llano</i>, is far enough to the + east. Before we should see the disappearance of the mountains, + we should have to cross as many hills and ravines as we have + left behind us."</p> + + <p>"What do you think of doing, then?" naturally demanded + Marcoy, who had long since begun to feel that the expedition + had but one chief, and that was the sepia-colored cascarillero + from Bolivia,</p> + + <p>"Everything and nothing," answered Eusebio.</p> + + <p>These enigmas always carry the day. The apparatus of march + was once more set in motion toward the adjacent water-sheds. + After a considerable journey—rewarded, it must be said, + with a succession of cinchona discoveries—they halted + near a clearing in the forest, where large heaps of stones and + pebbles, arranged in semicircles, attracted their attention. + The cascarilleros explained this appearance as due to former + arrangements for gold-washing in an old river-bed, the San + Gavan or the Ayapata, that had now changed its locality.</p> + + <p>While examining the unusual appearance an abominable clamor + burst from the woods around, and a band of Siriniris appeared, + led by a lusty ruffian crowned with oriole feathers, whom the + travelers recognized as having been among their previous + acquaintances.</p> + + <p>The encounter was very disagreeable, but the strangers + determined to make the best of it. The manner of this band of + Indians was somewhat different from that of the others. They + brought nothing for barter, and had an indescribably coarse and + hardy style of behavior.</p> + + <p>The travelers determined to buy a little information, if + nothing better, with their knives and fish-hooks. Garcia was + accordingly instructed to demand the meaning of the heaps and + causeways of stones. The savages laughed at first, but finally + informed the visitors that the constructions which puzzled them + so had been made by people of their own race many years ago, + for the purpose of gathering gold from the river which used to + run along there, but which now flowed seven miles off.</p> + + <p>This information was dear to the historic instinct of + Marcoy. He spoke, by his usual proxy, to the Indian of the + oriole, commanding him not to begin every explanation by + laughing, as he had been doing, but to answer intelligently, + promising a reward of several knives. The savage exchanged a + rapid glance with his fellows, and then he and they stood up as + stiff and mute as the trees. Marcoy then asked him if he had + never heard his father or his grandfather speak of the great + city of San Gavan, built hereabouts formerly by the Spanish + chevaliers, and which the Caranga and Suchimani Indians from + the Inambari River had destroyed by fire.</p> + + <p>The evident recognition of this legend by the savages, and + their rapid exchange among themselves of the words <i>sacapa + huayris Ipaños</i>, induced Marcoy to ask if they could + guide them to the site of the former city. They answered that a + day's march would be sufficient, and pointed with their arms in + the direction of north-north-west.</p> + + <p>The temptation to see the place whose golden renown, after + having made the tour of the American continent, had reached + Spain and the world at large, was too strong to be resisted. + Colonel Perez, besides the magic attraction which the mention + of gold had for him, felt his national pride touched by the + idea of a place where his compatriots had added such + magnificence to the Spanish name, and gained so many ingots of + gold by paddling in the streams. The cascarilleros were + delighted to extend their journey, in hopes of yet larger + discoveries. As for the porters, since the manifestations of + the savages they clung to the party with as much anxiety as + they had ever shown to escape from it.</p> + + <p>In 1767 the city of San Gavan, remaining intact amid the + ruin of all its neighbors, was the sole disburser of the riches + of the Caravaya Valley. The gold-dust, collected throughout the + whole territory on a government monopoly, was brought thither + upon the backs of Indians, melted into ingots, and distributed + to Lima and the world at large. On the night of the 15th and + 16th of December in that year the wealthy city was fired by the + Carangas and the Suchimanis, and all the inhabitants slain with + arrows or clubs. The first lords of the soil had resumed their + rights.</p> + + <p>When the news of the event was brought to Lima, the viceroy + of the period, Antonio Amat, swore on a piece of the true cross + to exterminate every Indian in Peru. It is to the persuasions + of his favorite, Mariquita Gallegas, that the preservation of + the native tribes from a bloody extirpation is due. This woman, + <i>La Perichola</i>, whose caricatured likeness we see in the + most agreeable of Offenbach's operas, and whose deeds of mercy + and edifying end in a convent entitle her to some charitable + consideration, persuaded her royal lover to operate on the + natives with missionaries and teachers rather than with fire + and sword. Antonio Amat yielded, and the Indians have + survived.</p><a name="image-0006" + id="image-0006"><!--IMG--></a> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:70%;"> + <a href="images/0224.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/0224.jpg" + alt="'Another Savage Had Found a Pair of Linen Pantaloons.'" /> + </a> 'Another Savage Had Found a Pair of Linen Pantaloons.' + </div><!--IMAGE END--> + + <p>Let no traveler go to South America and cross the Andes with + the idea of unearthing a Nineveh or a Babylon on the site of + San Gavan. The emissaries of Don Santo Domingo were quickly + standing, among the grinning and amused Indians, on the + locality of the Golden Depot of San Gavan. But Nature had + thoroughly reclaimed her own, and the place, indicated again + and again by the savages with absolute unanimity, showed + nothing but mounds of fern and moss under canopies of forest + trees.</p> + + <p>A day's rest and a sketch or two were consecrated by Marcoy + to this historic spot, the grave of a civilization. It had been + well if he had restrained his feelings of romance, and betaken + himself with his companions to the homeward track.</p> + + <p>As the explorers were breakfasting in the morning on a + squirrel and a couple of birds shot among the vanished streets + of San Gavan, a disagreeable incident supervened. The wild + Indians had disappeared over-night. But now, seemingly born + instantaneously from the trees, a throng of Siriniris burst + upon the scene, rushing up to the travelers, straining them + repeatedly in a rude embrace, then leaving them, then + assaulting them again, and accompanying every contact with the + eternal cry, <i>Siruta inta menea</i>—"Give me a knife." + Each member of the troop had now six savages at his heels, and + they were not those of the day before, but a new and rougher + band. The chiefs of the party rushed together and brandished + their muskets. This forced the savages to retire, but gave to + the rencounter that hostile air which, in consideration of the + disparity of numbers, ought at all hazards to have been + avoided. The wild men quickly formed a circle around the + artillery. The latter, fearing for their porters and the + precious baggage, leaped through this circle and joined their + servants, making believe to cock their fire-arms. Upon this the + Indians, half afraid of the guns, vanished into the woods, + first picking up whatever clothing and utensils they could lay + their hands on. In an instant they were showing these trophies + to their rightful owners from a safe distance, laughing as if + they would split their sides. One of the naked rascals had + seized a flannel undershirt of the colonel's, which was drying + on a branch. His efforts to introduce his great feet into the + sleeves were excruciating. Another savage had found a pair of + linen pantaloons, which he was endeavoring to put on like a + coat, appearing much embarrassed with the posterior portion, + which completely masked his face. Aragon had seen a young + reprobate of his own age make off with a pair of socks of his + property. Detecting the rogue half hidden by a tree, the mozo + made a sortie, seized the Indian, and by a violent shake + brought the property out of his mouth, where it had been + concealed as in a natural pocket.</p> + + <p>The travelers immediately threw themselves into marching + order and took up their line of route. The savages followed. At + the first obstacle, a mass of matted trees, they easily + rejoined the party of whites.</p> + + <p>Then, for the first time, the idea of their power seemed to + strike them, and they precipitated themselves upon the porters, + who took to flight, rolling from under their packs like animals + of burden. In a moment every article of baggage, every knife + and weapon, was seized, and the red-skins, singing and howling, + were making off through the woods. Among them was now seen the + Siriniri with orioles' feathers, who must have guided them to + their prey.</p> + + <p>The expedition was pillaged, and pillaged as a joke. The + thieves were heard laughing as they scampered off like deer + through the woods.</p> + + <p>It was hard to realize at once the gravity of the + misfortune. No one was hurt, no one was insulted. But + provisions, clothing, articles of exchange and weapons were all + gone, except such arms and ammunition as the travelers carried + on their persons. A collection of cinchonas was in possession + of one of the Bolivians, though it represented but a fraction + of the species discovered. The besiegers, however, had + disappeared, and a westerly march was taken up. Good time was + made that day, and a heavy night's sleep was the consequence. + With the morning light came the well-remembered and hateful + cry, and the little army found itself surrounded by a throng of + merry naked demons, among whom were some who had not profited + by the distribution of the spoils. At the magic word + <i>siruta</i> all these new-comers rushed in a mass upon the + white men. Marcoy managed to slip his fine ivory-handled + machete within his trowser leg, but every other cutting tool + disappeared as if by magic from the possession of the + explorers. The shooting-utensils the savages, believing them + haunted, would not touch. Then, half irritated at the + exhaustion of the booty, the amiable children of Nature burst + out into open derision. The artists of the tribe, filling their + palms with rocoa, and moistening the same with saliva, went up + to their late patrons and began to decorate their faces. The + latter, judging patience their best policy, sat in silence + while the delicate fancy of the savages expended itself in + arabesques and flourishes. Perez and Aragon had their eyes + surrounded with red spectacles. The face of Marcoy, covered + with a heavy beard, only allowed room for a "W" on the + forehead, and Pepe Garcia was quit for a set of interfacings + like a checkerboard. Having thus signed their marks upon their + visitors, the aborigines retired, catching up here and there a + stray ball of cord or a strip of beef, saluting with the hand, + and vanishing into the woods with the repeated compliment, + <i>Eminiki</i>—"I am off."</p> + + <p>The victims rested motionless for fifteen minutes: then + pellmell, through the thickest of the brush and down the + steepest of the hill, blotted out under gigantic ferns and + covered by umbrageous vines, stealing along water-courses and + skirting the sides of the mountains, they rushed precipitately + westward.</p> + + <p>Two months after the priest of Marcapata had dismissed with + his benediction the party of confident and enthusiastic + explorers, he received again his strayed flock, but this time + in rags, armed with ammunitionless guns and one poor knife, + wasted by hunger, baked by the sun, and tattooed like + Polynesians by the briers and insects. The good man could not + repress a tear. "Ah, my son," said he as he clasped Marcoy's + hand, "see what it costs to go hunting the cascarilla in the + land of the infidels!"</p> + + <p>The explorations started by Don Juan Sanz de Santo Domingo + came to profitable result, but not to his advantage. Three + weeks after the pioneers arrived again in Cuzco, Don Juan + started another expedition, on a much larger scale, to + accomplish the working of the cinchona valleys, under charge of + the same Bolivians, who could make like a bee for every tree + they had discovered. A detachment of soldiers was to protect + the party, and the working force was more than double. Finally, + the night before the intended start, the Bolivian + cascarilleros, with their examinador, disappeared together. It + is probable that Don Juan's scheme, nursed, according to + custom, with too much publicity, had attracted the attention of + the merchants of Cuzco, who had found it profitable to buy off + the bark-searchers for their own interest.</p> + + <p>The crash of this immense enterprise was too much for Don + Juan. Threatened with creditors, Jews, <i>escribanos</i> and + the police, he retired to a silver-mine he was opening in the + province of Abancay. This mine, in successful operation, he + depended on for satisfying his creditors. He found it choked + up, destroyed with a blast of powder by some enemy. Unable to + bear the disappointment, Don Juan blew out his brains in the + office belonging to his mine. A month afterward, Don Eugenic + Mendoza y Jara, the bishop of Cuzco, sent a couple of Indians + for the body, with instructions to throw it into a ditch: the + men attached a rope to the feet and dragged it to a ravine, + where dogs and vultures disposed of the unhallowed + remains.</p><a name="H_4_0002" + id="H_4_0002"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + + <h2>A GLANCE AT THE SITE AND ANTIQUITIES OF ATHENS.</h2> + + <p>The day is a happy one to the student-traveler from the + Western World in which he first looks upon the lovely plain of + Athens. Rounding the point where Hymettus thrusts his huge + length into the sea, the long, featureless mountain-wall of + Southern Attica suddenly breaks down, and gives place to a + broad expanse of fertile, and well-cultivated soil, sloping + gently back with ever-narrowing bounds until it reaches the + foot-hills of lofty Pentelicus. The wooded heights of Parnes + enclose it on the north, while bald Hymettus rears an + impassable barrier along the south. In front of the gently + recurved shore stretch the smooth waters of the Gulf of + Salamis, while beyond rises range upon range of lofty + mountain-peaks with strikingly varied outline, terminating on + the one hand in the towering cone of Egina, and on the other in + the pyramidal, fir-clad summit of Cithaeron. Upon the plain, at + the distance of three or four miles from the sea, are several + small rocky hills of picturesque appearance, isolated and + seemingly independent, but really parts of a low range parallel + to Hymettus. Upon one of the most considerable of these, whose + precipitous sides make it a natural fortress, stood the + Acropolis, and upon the group of lesser heights around and in + the valleys between clustered the dwellings of ancient + Athens.</p><a name="image-0007" + id="image-0007"><!--IMG--></a> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a href="images/0227.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/0227.jpg" + alt="View of the Acropolis and The Columns Of The Temple Of Jupiter Olympus." /> + </a> View of the Acropolis and The Columns Of The Temple Of + Jupiter Olympus. + </div><!--IMAGE END--> + + <p>It was a fitting site for the capital of a people keenly + sensitive to beauty, and destined to become the leaders of the + world in matters of taste, especially in the important + department of the Fine Arts. Nowhere are there more charming + contrasts of mountain, sea and plain—nowhere a more + perfect harmony of picturesque effect. The sea is not a dreary + waste of waters without bounds, but a smiling gulf mirroring + its mountain-walls and winding about embosomed isles, yet ever + broadening as it recedes, and suggesting the mighty flood + beyond from which it springs. The plain is not an illimitable + expanse over which the weary eye ranges in vain in quest of + some resting-place, but is so small as to be embraced in its + whole contour in a single view, while its separate + features—the broad, dense belt of olives which marks the + bed of its principal stream, the ancient Cephissus, the + vineyards, the grain-fields and the sunny hillside + pastures—are made to produce their full impression. The + mountains are not near enough to be obtrusive, much less + oppressive; neither are they so distant as to be indistinct or + to seem insignificant. Seen through the clear air, their naked + summits are so sharply defined and so individual in appearance + as to seem almost like sculptured forms chiseled out of the + hard rock.</p> + + <p>The city which rose upon this favored spot was worthy of its + surroundings. The home of a free and enterprising race endowed + with rare gifts of intellect and sensibility, and ever on the + alert for improvement, it became the nurse of letters and of + arts, while the luxury begotten of prosperity awakened a taste + for adornment, and the wealth acquired by an extended commerce + furnished the means of gratifying it. The age of Pericles was + the period of the highest national development. At that time + were reared the celebrated structures in honor of the + virgin-goddess who was the patron of Athens—the + Parthenon, the Propylaea, the Erechtheum—which crowned + the Acropolis, and were the glory of the city as they were the + masterpieces of Grecian architecture. During the preceding half + century many works of utility and of splendor had been + constructed, and the city now became renowned not only in + Greece, but throughout the ancient world, for the magnificence + of its public buildings. Thucydides, writing about this time, + says that should Athens be destroyed, posterity would infer + from its ruins that the city had been twice as populous as it + actually was. Demosthenes speaks of the strangers who came to + visit its attractions. But the changes of twenty-three + centuries have passed upon this splendor—a sad story of + violence and neglect—and the queenly city has long been + in the condition of ruin imagined by Thucydides. Still, the + spell of her influence is not broken, and the charm which once + drew so many visitors to her shrines still acts powerfully on + the hearts of scholars in all lands, who, having looked up to + her poets, orators and philosophers as teachers and loved them + as friends, long to visit their haunts, to stand where they + stood, to behold the scenes which they were wont to view, and + to gaze upon what may remain of the great works of art upon + which their admiration was bestowed.</p> + + <p>So the student-pilgrim from the Western World with native + ardor strains his sight to catch the first glimpse of the + Athenian plain and city. He is fresh from his studies, and + familiar with what books teach of the geography of Greece and + the topography of Athens. He needs not to be informed which + mountain-range is Parnes, and which Pentelicus—which + island is Salamis, and which Egina. Yet much of what he sees is + a revelation to him. The mountains are higher, more varied and + more beautiful than he had supposed, Lycabettus and the + Acropolis more imposing, Pentelicus farther away, and the plain + larger, the gulf narrower, and Egina nearer and more + mountainous, than he had fancied. He is astonished at the + smallness of the harbor at Peiraeus, having insensibly formed + his conception of its size from the notices of the mighty + fleets which sailed from it in the palmy days when Athens was + mistress of the seas. He is not prepared to see the southern + shore of Salamis so near to the Peiraeus, though it explains + the close connection between that island and Athens, and throws + some light upon the great naval defeat of the Persians. In + short, while every object is recognized as it presents itself, + yet a more correct conception is formed of its relative + position and aspect from a single glance of the eye than had + been acquired from books during years of study.</p> + + <p>Arrived at the city, his experience is the same. He needs no + guide to conduct him to its antiquities, nor cicerone to + explain in bad French or worse English their names and history. + Still, unexpected appearances present themselves not + unfrequently. Hastening toward the Acropolis, he will first + inspect the remains of the great theatre of Dionysus, so + familiar to him as the place where, in the presence of all the + people and many strangers, were acted the plays of his favorite + poets, Eschylus and Sophocles, and where they won many prizes. + Hurrying over the eastern brow of the hill, he comes suddenly + upon the spot, enters at the summit, as many an Athenian did in + the olden time, and is smitten with amazement at the first + glance, and led to question whether this be indeed the site of + the ancient theatre. He finds, it is true, the topmost seats + cut in the solid rock, row above row, stripped now of their + marble lining and weather-worn, but yet the genuine ancient + seats of the upper tier. These he expected to find. But whence + are those fresh seats which fill the lower part of the hollow, + arranged as neatly as if intended for immediate use? and whence + the massive stage beyond? He bethinks himself that he has heard + of recent excavations under the patronage of the government, + and closer inspection shows that these are actually the lower + seats of the theatre in the time of the emperor Hadrian, whose + favorite residence was Athens, and who did so much to embellish + the city. The front seats consist of massive stone chairs, each + inscribed with the name of its occupant, generally the + priestess of some one of the numerous gods worshiped by that + people so given to idolatry. In the centre of the second row is + an elevated throne inscribed with the name of Hadrian. The + stage is seen to be the ancient Greek stage enlarged to the + Roman size to suit the demands of a later style of theatrical + representation.</p><a name="image-0008" + id="image-0008"><!--IMG--></a> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a href="images/0229.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/0229.jpg" + alt="Theatre of Dionysus (Bacchus)." /></a> Theatre of + Dionysus (Bacchus). + </div><!--IMAGE END--> + + <p>After looking in vain for the seat occupied by the priestess + of the Unknown God, our traveler passes on and enters with a + beating heart the charmed precincts of the Acropolis itself. + The Propylaea, which he has been accustomed to regard too + exclusively as a mere entrance-gate to the glories beyond, + impresses him with its size and grandeur, and the little temple + of Victory by its side with its elegance.<a id="footnotetag1" + name="footnotetag1"></a><a href="#footnote1"><sup>1</sup></a> + But the steepness of the ascent perplexes him. It seems + impracticable for horses, yet he knows by unexceptionable + testimony that the Athenian youth prided themselves upon + driving their matched steeds in the great Panathenaic + procession which once every four years wound up the hill, + bearing the sacred peplus to the temple of the goddess. A + closer examination reveals the transverse creases of the + pavement designed to give a footing to the beasts, as well + as the marks of the chariot-wheels. Nevertheless, the ascent + (and much more the descent) must have been a perilous + undertaking, unless the teams were better broken than the + various accounts of chariot-races furnished by the poets + would indicate. Entering beneath the great gate, a little + distance forward to the left may readily be found the site + of the colossal bronze statue of the warrior-goddess in + complete armor, formed by Phidias out of the spoils taken at + Marathon. The square base, partly sunk in the uneven rock, + is as perfect as if just put in readiness to receive the + pedestal of that famous work. A road bending to the right + and slightly hollowed out of the rock leads to the + Parthenon. The outer platform which sustains this celebrated + temple is partly cut from the rock of the hill and partly + built up of common limestone. The inner one of three + courses, as well as the whole superstructure, is formed of + Pentelic marble of a compact crystalline structure and of + dazzling whiteness. Long exposure has not availed to destroy + its lustre, but only to soften its tone. The visitor, + planting himself at the western front, is in a position to + gain some adequate idea of the perfection of the noble + building. The interior and central parts suffered the + principal injury from the explosion of the Turkish powder + magazine in 1687. The western front remains nearly entire. + It has been despoiled, indeed, of its movable ornaments. The + statues which filled the pediment are gone, with the + exception of a fragment or two. The sculptured slabs have + been removed from the spaces between the triglyphs, and the + gilded shields which hung beneath have been taken down. Of + the magnificent frieze, representing the procession of the + great quadrennial festival, only the portion surrounding the + western vestibule is still in place.<a id="footnotetag2" + name="footnotetag2"></a><a href="#footnote2"><sup>2</sup></a></p><a name="image-0009" + id="image-0009"><!--IMG--></a> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a href="images/0230.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/0230.jpg" + alt="Victory Untying Her Sandals." /></a> Victory + Untying Her Sandals. + </div><!--IMAGE END--> + <a name="image-0010" + id="image-0010"><!--IMG--></a> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a href="images/0231.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/0231.jpg" + alt="Temple of Victory" /></a> Temple of Victory + </div><!--IMAGE END--> + <a name="image-0011" + id="image-0011"><!--IMG--></a> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a href="images/0232.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/0232.jpg" + alt="The Parthenon." /></a> The Parthenon. + </div><!--IMAGE END--> + + <p>Still, as these were strictly decorations, and wholly + subordinate to the organic parts of the structure, their + presence, while it would doubtless greatly enhance the effect + of the whole, is not felt to be essential to its completeness. + The whole Doric columns still bear the massive entablature + sheltered by the covering roof. The simple greatness of the + conception, the just proportion of the several parts, together + with the elaborate finishing of the whole work, invest it with + a charm such as the works of man seldom possess—the pure + and lasting pleasure which flows from apparent perfection + Entering the principal apartment of the building, traces are + seen of the stucco and pictures with which the walls were + covered when it was fitted up as a Christian church in the + Byzantine period. Near the centre of the marble pavement is a + rectangular space laid with dark stone from the Peirseus or + from Eleusis. It marks the probable site of the colossal + precious statue of the goddess in gold and ivory—one of + the most celebrated works of Phidias. The smaller apartment + beyond, accessible only from the opposite front of the temple, + was used by the state as a place of deposit and safekeeping for + bullion and other valuables in the care of the state + treasurer.</p><a name="image-0012" + id="image-0012"><!--IMG--></a> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a href="images/0233.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/0233.jpg" + alt="Bas Relief of the Gods (Frieze Of The Parthenon)." /> + </a> Bas Relief of the Gods (Frieze Of The Parthenon). + </div><!--IMAGE END--> + + <p>Having examined the great temple, and tested the curvature + of its seemingly horizontal lines by sighting along the + unencumbered platform, and having stopped at several points of + the grand portico to admire the fine views of the city and + surrounding country, the traveler picks his way northward, + across a thick layer of fragments of columns, statues and + blocks of marble, toward the low-placed, irregular but elegant + Erechtheum, the temple of the most ancient worship and statue + of the patron-goddess of the city. This building sits close by + the northern as the Parthenon does by the southern wall of the + enclosure. It has suffered equally with the other from the + ravages of time, and its ruins, though less grand, are more + beautiful. Most of the graceful Ionic columns are still + standing, but large portions of the roof and entablature have + fallen. Fragments of decorated cornice strew the ground, some + of them of considerable length, and afford a near view of that + delicate ornamentation and exquisite finish so rare outside the + limits of Greece. The elevated porch of the Caryatides, lately + restored by the substitution of a new figure in place of the + missing statue now in the British Museum, attracts attention as + a unique specimen of Greek art, and also as showing how far a + skillful treatment will overcome the inherent difficulties of a + subject. The row of fair maidens looking out toward the + Parthenon do not seem much oppressed by the burden which rests + upon them, while their graceful forms lend a pleasing variety + to the scene. Passing out by the northern wing of the + Propylaea, a survey is had of the numerous fragments of + sculpture discovered among the ruins upon the hill, and + temporarily placed in the ancient Pinacotheca. The eye rests + upon sweet infant faces and upon rugged manly ones. Sometimes a + single feature only remains, which, touched by the finger of + genius, awakens admiration. A naked arm severed from the trunk, + of feminine cast, but with muscles tightly strained and hand + clenched as in agony, will arrest attention and dwell in the + memory.</p> + + <p>North-west of the Acropolis, across a narrow chasm, lies the + low, rocky height of the Areopagus, accessible at the southeast + angle by a narrow flight of sixteen rudely-cut steps, which + lead to a small rectangular excavation on the summit, which + faces the Acropolis, and is surrounded upon three sides by a + double tier of benches hewn out of the rock. Here undoubtedly + the most venerable court of justice at Athens had its seat and + tried its cases in the open air. Here too, without doubt, stood + the great apostle when, with bold spirit and weighty words, he + declared unto the men of Athens that God of whom they confessed + their ignorance; who was not to be represented by gold or + silver or stone graven by art and man's device; who dwelt not + in temples made with hands, and needed not to be worshiped with + men's hands. In no other place can one feel so sure that he + comes upon the very footsteps of the apostle, and on no other + spot can one better appreciate his high gifts as an orator or + the noble devotion of his whole soul to the work of the Master. + How poor in comparison with his life-work appear the + performances of the greatest of the Athenian thinkers or + doers!</p> + + <p>A little more than a quarter of a mile west of the Acropolis + is another rocky hill—the Pnyx—celebrated as the + place where the assembly of all the citizens met to transact + the business of the state. A large semicircular area was + formed, partly by excavation, partly by building up from + beneath, the bounds of which can be distinctly traced. + Considerable remains of the terrace-wall at the foot of the + slope exist—huge stones twelve or fourteen feet in length + by eight or ten in breadth. The chord of the semicircle is near + the top of the hill, formed by the perpendicular face of the + excavated rock, and is about four hundred feet in length by + twenty in depth. Projecting from it at the centre, and hewn out + of the same rock, is the bema or stone platform from which the + great orators from the time of Themistocles and Aristides, and + perhaps of Solon, down to the age of Demosthenes and the Attic + Ten, addressed the mass of their fellow-citizens. It is a + massive cubic block, with a linear edge of eleven feet, + standing upon a graduated base of nearly equal height, and is + mounted on either side by a flight of nine stone steps. From + its connection with the most celebrated efforts of some of the + greatest orators our race has yet seen, it is one of the most + interesting relics in the world, and its solid structure will + cause it to endure as long as the world itself shall stand, + unless, as there is some reason to apprehend will be the case, + it is knocked to pieces and carried off in the carpet-bags of + travelers. No traces of the Agora, which occupied the shallow + valley between the Pnyx and the Acropolis, remain. It was the + heart of the city, and was adorned with numerous public + buildings, porticoes, temples and statues. It was often + thronged with citizens gathered for purposes of trade, + discussion, or to hear and tell some new + thing.</p><a name="image-0013" + id="image-0013"><!--IMG--></a> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a href="images/0235.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/0235.jpg" + alt="Porch of the Caryatides." /></a> Porch of the + Caryatides. + </div><!--IMAGE END--> + + <p>Half a mile or more to the south-east, on the banks of the + Ilissus, stood a magnificent structure dedicated to Olympian + Zeus—one of the four largest temples of Greece, ranking + with that of Demeter at Eleusis and that of Diana at Ephesus. + Its foundations remain, and sixteen of the huge Corinthian + columns belonging to its majestic triple colonnade. One of + these is fallen. Breaking up into the numerous disks of which + it was composed—six and a half feet in diameter by two or + more in thickness—and stretching out to a length of over + sixty feet, it gives an impressive conception of the size of + these columns, said to be the largest standing in Europe. The + level area of the temple is now used as a training-ground for + soldiers. Close by, and almost in the bed of the stream, which + is dry the larger part of the year, issues from beneath a ledge + of rock the copious fountain of sweet waters known to the + ancients as Calirrhoe. It furnished the only good + drinking-water of the city, and was used in all the sacrifices + to the gods. A little way above, on the opposite bank of the + Ilissus, is the site of the Panathenaic stadium, whose shape is + perfectly preserved in the smooth grass-grown hollow with + semicircular extremity which here lies at right angles to the + stream, between parallel ridges partly artificial.</p> + + <p>Northward from the Acropolis, on a slight elevation, is the + best-preserved and one of the most ancient structures of + Athens—the temple of Theseus, built under the + administration of Cimon by the generation preceding Pericles + and the Parthenon. It is of the Doric order, and shaped like + the Parthenon, but considerably inferior to it in size as well + as in execution. It has been roofed with wood in modern times, + and was long used as a church, but is now a place of deposit + for the numerous statues and sculptured stones of various + kinds—mostly sepulchral monuments—which have been + recently discovered in and about the city. They are for the + most part unimportant as works of art, though many are + interesting from their antiquity or historic associations. + Among these is the stone which once crowned the burial-mound on + the plain of Marathon. It bears a single figure, said to + represent the messenger who brought the tidings of victory to + his countrymen.</p> + + <p>Near the Theseium was the double gate (Dipylum) in the + ancient wall of the city whence issued the Sacred Way leading + to Eleusis, and bordered, like the Appian Way at Rome, with + tombs, many of them cenotaphs of persons who died in the public + service and were deemed worthy of a monument in the public + burying-ground. Within a few years an excavation has been made + through an artificial mound of ashes, pottery and other refuse + emptied out of the city, and a section of a few rods of this + celebrated road has been laid bare. The sepulchral monuments + are ranged on one side rather thickly, and crowd somewhat + closely upon the narrow pavement. They are, for the most part, + simple, thick slabs of white marble, with a triangular or + pediment-shaped top, beneath which is sculptured in low relief + the closing scene of the person commemorated, followed by a + short inscription. The work is done in an artistic style worthy + of the publicity its location gave it. On one of these slabs + you recognize the familiar full-length figure of Demosthenes, + standing with two companions and clasping in a parting grasp + the hand of a woman, who is reclining upon her deathbed. The + inscription is, <i>Collyrion, wife of Agathon</i>. On another + stone of larger size is a more imposing piece of sculpture. A + horseman fully armed is thrusting his spear into the body of + his fallen foe—a hoplite. The inscription relates that + the unhappy foot-soldier fell at Corinth <i>by reason of those + five words of his</i>!—a record intelligible enough, + doubtless, to his contemporaries, but sufficiently obscure and + provocative of curiosity to later generations.</p> + + <p>There are other noted structures at Athens, such as the + Choragic Monument of Lysicrates—the highest type of the + Corinthian order of architecture, as the Erechtheum is of the + Ionic and the Parthenon of the Doric—but want of space + forbids any further description of them. Let the American + traveler visit Athens with the expectation of finding a city + occupying the most charming of sites, and containing by far the + most interesting and important monuments of antiquity, in their + original position, to be found in the whole world.</p> + + <p class="author">J.L.T. PHILLIPS.</p><a name="image-0014" + id="image-0014"><!--IMG--></a> + + <div class="figcenter" + style="width:100%;"> + <a href="images/0237.jpg"><img width="100%" + src="images/0237.jpg" + alt="Monument of Lysicrates." /></a> Monument of + Lysicrates. + </div><!--IMAGE END--> + <a name="H_4_0003" + id="H_4_0003"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + + <h2>COMMONPLACE.</h2> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i10">My little girl is commonplace, you + say?</p> + + <p class="i12">Well, well, I grant it, as you use the + phrase</p> + + <p class="i10">Concede the whole; although there was a + day</p> + + <p class="i12">When I too questioned words, and from a + maze</p> + + <p class="i10">Of hairsplit meanings, cut with + close-drawn line,</p> + + <p class="i10">Sought to draw out a language + superfine,</p> + + <p class="i2">Above the common, scarify with words and + scintillate with pen;</p> + + <p class="i2">But that time's over—now I am + content to stand with other men.</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i10">It's the best place, fair youth. I see + your smile—</p> + + <p class="i12">The scornful smile of that ambitious + age</p> + + <p class="i10">That thinks it all things knows, and all + the while</p> + + <p class="i12">It nothing knows. And yet those smiles + presage</p> + + <p class="i10">Some future fame, because your aim is + high;</p> + + <p class="i10">As when one tries to shoot into the + sky,</p> + + <p class="i2">If his rash arrow at the moon he aims, a + bolder flight we see,</p> + + <p class="i2">Though vain, than if with level poise it + safely reached the nearest tree.</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i10">A common proverb that! Does it + disjoint</p> + + <p class="i12">Your graceful terms? One more you'll + understand:</p> + + <p class="i10">Cut down a pencil to too fine a + point,</p> + + <p class="i12">Lo, it breaks off, all useless, in your + hand!</p> + + <p class="i10">The child is fitted for her present + sphere:</p> + + <p class="i10">Let her live out her life, without the + fear</p> + + <p class="i2">That comes when souls, daring the heights + of dread infinity, are tost,</p> + + <p class="i2">Now up, now down, by the great winds, + their little home for ever lost.</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i10">My little girl seems to you + commonplace</p> + + <p class="i12">Because she loves the daisies, common + flowers;</p> + + <p class="i10">Because she finds in common pictures + grace,</p> + + <p class="i12">And nothing knows of classic music's + powers:</p> + + <p class="i10">She reads her romance, but the mystic's + creed</p> + + <p class="i10">Is something far beyond her simple + need.</p> + + <p class="i2">She goes to church, but the mixed doubts + and theories that thinkers find</p> + + <p class="i2">In all religious truth can never enter + her undoubting mind.</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i10">A daisy's earth's own + blossom—better far</p> + + <p class="i12">Than city gardener's costly hybrid + prize:</p> + + <p class="i10">When you're found worthy of a higher + star,</p> + + <p class="i12">'Twill then be time earth's daisies to + despise;</p> + + <p class="i10">But not till then. And if the child can + sing</p> + + <p class="i10">Sweet songs like "Robin Gray," why + should I fling</p> + + <p class="i2">A cloud over her music's joy, and set for + her the heavy task</p> + + <p class="i2">Of learning what Bach knew, or finding + sense under mad Chopin's mask?</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i10">Then as to pictures: if her taste + prefers</p> + + <p class="i12">That common picture of the + "Huguenots,"</p> + + <p class="i10">Where the girl's heart—a tender + heart like hers—</p> + + <p class="i12">Strives to defeat earth's greatest + powers' great plots</p> + + <p class="i10">With her poor little kerchief, shall I + change</p> + + <p class="i10">The print for Turner's riddles wild and + strange?</p> + + <p class="i2">Or take her stories—simple tales + which her few leisure hours beguile—</p> + + <p class="i2">And give her Browning's _Sordello_, a + Herbert Spencer, a Carlyle?</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i10">Her creed, too, in your eyes is + commonplace,</p> + + <p class="i12">Because she does not doubt the Bible's + truth</p> + + <p class="i10">Because she does not doubt the saving + grace</p> + + <p class="i12">Of fervent prayer, but from her rosy + youth,</p> + + <p class="i10">So full of life, to gray old age's + time,</p> + + <p class="i10">Prays on with faith half ignorant, half + sublime.</p> + + <p class="i2">Yes, commonplace! But if I spoil this + common faith, when all is done</p> + + <p class="i2">Can deist, pantheist or atheist invent a + better one?</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i10">Climb to the highest mountain's highest + verge,</p> + + <p class="i12">Step off: you've lost the petty height + you had;</p> + + <p class="i10">Up to the highest point poor reason + urge,</p> + + <p class="i12">Step off: the sense is gone, the mind is + mad.</p> + + <p class="i10">"Thus far, and yet no farther, shalt + thou go,"</p> + + <p class="i10">Was said of old, and I have found it + so:</p> + + <p class="i2">This planet's ours, 'tis all we have; + here we belong, and those are wise</p> + + <p class="i2">Who make the best of it, nor vainly try + above its plane to rise.</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i10">Nay, nay: I know already your reply;</p> + + <p class="i12">I have been through the whole long years + ago;</p> + + <p class="i10">I have soared up as far as soul can + fly,</p> + + <p class="i12">I have dug down as far as mind can + go;</p> + + <p class="i10">But always found, at certain depth or + height,</p> + + <p class="i10">The bar that separates the infinite</p> + + <p class="i2">From finite powers, against whose + strength immutable we beat in vain,</p> + + <p class="i2">Or circle round only to find ourselves at + starting-point again.</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i10">If you must for yourself find out this + truth,</p> + + <p class="i12">I bid you go, proud heart, with + blessings free:</p> + + <p class="i10">'Tis the old fruitless quest of ardent + youth,</p> + + <p class="i12">And soon or late you will come back to + me.</p> + + <p class="i10">You'll learn there's naught so common as + the breath</p> + + <p class="i10">Of life, unless it be the calm of + death:</p> + + <p class="i2">You'll learn that with the Lord + Omnipotent there's nothing commonplace,</p> + + <p class="i2">And with such souls as that poor child's, + humbled, abashed, you'll hide your face.</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p class="center">CONSTANCE FENIMORE + WOOLSON.</p><a name="H_4_0004" + id="H_4_0004"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + + <h2>PROBATIONER LEONHARD;<br /> + OR,<br /> + THREE NIGHTS IN THE HAPPY VALLEY.</h2> + + <h3><a name="HCH0001" + id="HCH0001"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> CHAPTER IV.</h3> + + <h3>THE TEST—WITH MENTAL RESERVATIONS.</h3> + + <p>Elise went out to gather willow-twigs, as her mother had + said when her father asked for her.</p> + + <p>A little later in the afternoon, Mr. Albert Spener walked + swiftly down the street toward the house occupied by the Rev. + Mr. Wenck. While he was yet at a distance Elise saw him + approaching, and possibly she thought, "He has seen me and + comes to meet me;" and many a pleasant stroll on many an + afternoon would have justified the thought.</p> + + <p>But it was not until he had, as it were, stumbled upon Elise + that he noticed her. He carried in his hand a letter, and when + suddenly he stopped upon the sidewalk and looked at her, the + changeful aspects of his face were marvelous to behold.</p> + + <p>"Where are you going?" he asked.</p> + + <p>"I was going home," she answered, not a little surprised by + the abrupt and authoritative manner of his address.</p> + + <p>"I want to talk with you," said he. "Is it to-day that I am + to begin to leave off loving you, Elise?"</p> + + <p>"That you are—What do you say, Albert?" she asked.</p> + + <p>"Have you not seen Brother Wenck's letter to your father, + Elise?"</p> + + <p>She shook her head.</p> + + <p>"The lot—the lot—" he repeated, but his voice + refused to help him tell the tale.</p> + + <p>"Albert, may I see the letter?" Father and Mother Loretz + might have rejoiced in their daughter could they have seen and + heard her in those trying moments. Her gentleness and her + serene dignity said for her that she would not be over-thrown + by the storm which had burst upon her in a moment, unlocked for + as tempest and whirlwind out of a clear sky.</p> + + <p>Spener thrust into her hands the letter addressed to him + that morning by the minister. It contained an announcement of + the decision rendered by the lot, couched in terms more brief, + perhaps, than those which conveyed the same intelligence to the + father of Elise.</p> + + <p>She gave it back to him without a word.</p> + + <p>"If Brother Wenck is going to stand by it," said he, + "there'll be no room for him in this place. I was just going to + his house to tell him so. Will you go with me? I should like to + have a witness. I'll make short work of it."</p> + + <p>"No," said Elise, shrinking back amazed from her companion. + "I will not go with you to insult that good man."</p> + + <p>"You will go with me—<i>not</i> to his house, then! + Come, Elise, we must talk about this. You must help me untie + this knot. I cannot imagine how I ever permitted things to take + their chance. I have never heard of a sillier superstition than + I seem to have encouraged. Talk about faith! Let a man act up + to light and take the consequences. I can see clear enough now. + <i>You</i> never looked for this to happen, Elise?"</p> + + <p>She shook her head. Indeed, she never had—no, not for + a moment.</p> + + <p>"To think I should have permitted it to go on!"</p> + + <p>"But you did let it go on—and I—consented. Do + not let me forget that," she exclaimed. "I will go home, + Albert."</p> + + <p>"Ha, Elise! I wish I could feel more confidence in your + teachers when you get there."</p> + + <p>"I need no one to tell me what my duty is just here," she + answered.</p> + + <p>"Have you ever loved me, child? <i>Child</i>! I am talking + to a rock. You do not yield to this?" He waved the letter + aloft, and as if he would dash it from him. Elise looked at + him, and did not speak. "Sister Benigna will of course feel + called upon to bless the Lord," said he. "But Wenck shall find + a way out of this difficulty. Then we will have done with them + both, my own."</p> + + <p>"Am I to have no voice in this matter?" she asked. "What if + I say—"</p> + + <p>Spener grasped her hand so suddenly that, as if in her + surprise she had forgotten what she was about to say, Elise + added, "Sister Benigna is my best friend. She knows nothing + about the lot."</p> + + <p>"Does not?"</p> + + <p>"I told you, Albert, that it was to be so. And—you do + not mean to threaten Mr. Wenck?"</p> + + <p>"I mean to have him find a way out of this difficulty. He + ought to have said to your father that this lot business + belongs to a period gone by. He did hint at it. I supposed, of + course, that he would see the thing came out right, since he + let it go on."</p> + + <p>"Did you then believe it was only a play or a trick?" + exclaimed Elise indignantly.</p> + + <p>"Not quite, but I did not suppose that we were a company who + would stand by an adverse decision. You know, if you are the + Elise I have loved so long, that I must love you + always—that I am not going to give you up. Your father + was bent on the test, but look at him and tell me if he + expected this turn. He is twenty years older than he was + yesterday. Folks used to resort to the lot in deciding about + marriages, and it was all well enough if they didn't care how + it turned out, or hadn't faith to believe in their own ability + to choose. A pretty way of doing business, though! Suppose I + had tried it on this place! I have always asked for God's + blessing, and tried to act so that I need not blush when I + asked it; but a man must know his own mind, he must act with + decision. I say again, I don't like your teachers, Elise. + Between Sister Benigna and Mr. Wenck, now, what would be my + chances if I could submit to such a pair?"</p> + + <p>"You and I have no quarrel," said Elise gently. "I suppose + that you acted in good faith. You know how much I + care—how humiliated I shall feel if you attack in any way + a man so good as Mr. Wenck. You do not understand Sister + Benigna."</p> + + <p>It was well that she had these to speak of, and that she + need not confine herself to the main thought before them, for + Albert could do anything he attempted. Had not her father + always said, "Let Spener alone for getting what he wants: he'll + have it, but he's above-board and honest;" and what hopes, + heaven-cleaving, had spread wing the instant her eyes met + his!</p> + + <p>"It is easy to say that I do not understand," said he. "One + has only to assume that another is so excellent and virtuous a + character as to be beyond your comprehension, and then your + mouth is stopped."</p> + + <p>"Ah, how bitter you are!" exclaimed Elise. Her voice was + full of pain.</p> + + <p>Spener silently reproached himself, and said, with a + tenderness that was irresistible, "You don't know what + temptations beset a man in business and everywhere, Elise. It + would be easier far to lie down and die, I have thought + sometimes, than to stand up and meet the enemy like a man. You + will never convince me that my duty is to let you go, to give + you up. I can think of nothing so wicked."</p> + + <p>These words, which had a joyful sound to which she could not + seal her ears, made Elise stop suddenly, afraid of Albert, + afraid of herself. "I think," she said after a moment, "we had + best not walk together any longer. There is nothing we can say + that will satisfy ourselves or ought to satisfy each + other."</p> + + <p>"Do you mean that you accept this decision?" said he.</p> + + <p>"I promised, Albert. So did you."</p> + + <p>"We will not talk about it. But we can at least walk + together, Elise. You need not speak. What you confessed just + now is true—you cannot say anything to the purpose."</p> + + <p>So they walked on together. Silently, past all Spenersberg's + dwelling-places they walked, till they came to the cemetery, + and ascending the hill they strolled about that pleasant place + among the graves, and thought, perhaps, How blessed are the + dead! and oh to be lying there in a dreamless sleep beneath the + blooming wild roses, and where dirges were sounding through the + cedars day and night! Elise might have thought thus, but not + her companion. He was the last man to wish to pass from the + scene of his successes merely because a great failure + threatened him. Looking upon the slight young figure beside him + and her grave sweet face, a wrathful contempt was aroused + within him that he should have allowed himself to be placed in + a situation so absurd. As they walked down the hill again, he + startled his companion by a merry outbreak. "Tell me you are + not mine!" he said: "there never was a joke like it!"</p> + + <h3><a name="HCH0002" + id="HCH0002"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> CHAPTER V.</h3> + + <h3>SISTER BENIGNA.</h3> + + <p>On her return home Elise found Sister Benigna seated at the + piano, attuning herself, as she said, after her work among the + restive children of her school.</p> + + <p>When she looked upon her friend and recalled the bitter + words Albert had spoken against her, Elise felt their + injustice. It was true, as she had told him, he did not + understand Sister Benigna.</p> + + <p>Sitting down beside the window, Elise began to busy herself + over the dainty basket she was elaborately decorating. After a + few moments Sister Benigna left the piano and stood looking at + Elise and her work. She had something to say, but how should + she say it? how approach the heart which had wrapped itself up + in sorrow and surrounded itself with the guards of silence?</p> + + <p>Presently Elise looked at her, but not until she had so long + resisted the inclination to do so that there was something like + violence in the effort. When her eyes met the gaze of Sister + Benigna the warm blood rushed to her cheeks, and she looked + quickly down again. Did Sister Benigna know yet about the + letter Mr. Wenck had written?</p> + + <p>A sad smile appeared on Benigna's face. She shook her head. + If she did not know what had happened, she no doubt understood + that some kind of trouble had entered the house.</p> + + <p>Drawing a roll of needlework from her pocket, she quietly + occupied herself with it until Elise, unable to endure the + silence longer, said, "Oh, Sister Benigna, is it not time we + did something about the Sisters' House? I have been reading + about one: I forget where it is. What a beautiful Home you and + I could make for poor people, and sick girls not able to work, + and old women! We ought to have such a Home in Spenersberg. I + have been thinking all day it is what we must have, and it is + time we set about it."</p> + + <p>"I do not agree with you," was the quiet answer. "There is + no real need for it here, and perhaps there never will be. Work + that is so unnecessary might better be avoided. In Spenersberg + it is better that the poor and the old and the sick should be + cared for in their homes, by their own households: there is no + want here."</p> + + <p>"Will you read what I have been reading?" said Elise, + hesitating, not willing yet to give up the project which looked + so full of promise.</p> + + <p>"I know all about Sisters' Houses, and they are excellent + institutions, but if you will go from house to house here you + will find that you would probably keep house by yourself a long + time if you opened such an establishment. No, no: you have your + work all prepared for you, and I certainly have mine. There is + a good deal to be done yet for the festival. Tomorrow, after + five, come to the schoolroom and we will practice a while. And + we might do something here tonight. The children surprise me: I + seem to be surrounded by a little company of angels while they + sing."</p> + + <p>"Oh, Sister Benigna," exclaimed Elise throwing down her work + in despair, "I don't in the least care about the festival. I + should be glad to know it was all given up. I cannot sing at + it. I think I have lost my voice: I do, indeed. I tried it this + afternoon, and I croaked worse than anything you ever + heard."</p> + + <p>"Croaked? We must see to that," said Sister Benigna; but, + though her voice was so cheerful, she closed her eyes as she + spoke, and passed her hands over them, and in spite of herself + a look of pain was for an instant visible on her always pale + face. She rose quickly and walked across the room, and crossed + it twice before she came again to the window.</p> + + <p>"You don't understand me to-day," said Elise impetuously; + "and I don't want you to." But Elise would not have spoken at + all had she looked at Sister Benigna.</p> + + <p>A silence of many seconds, which seemed much longer to + Elise, followed her words. She did not dare to go on. What was + Sister Benigna thinking? Would she never speak? Had she nothing + to say? Elise was about to rise also, because to sit still in + that silence or to break it by words had become equally + impossible, when Sister Benigna, approaching gently, laid her + hand upon her and said, "Wait one moment: I have something to + tell you, Elise."</p> + + <p>And so Elise sat down. She could not summon the strength to + go with that voice in her ear and the touch of that hand + arresting her.</p> + + <p>"I once had a friend as young as you are, of whom you often + remind me," said Benigna. "She had a lover, and their faith led + them to seek a knowledge of the Lord's will concerning their + marriage. It was inquired for them, and it was found against + the union. You often remind me of her, I said, but your + fortunes are not at all like hers."</p> + + <p>"Sister Benigna, why do you tell me this?" asked Elise + quickly, in a voice hardly audible. She was afraid to listen. + She recalled Albert's words. She did not know if she might + trust the friendly voice that spoke.</p> + + <p>"Because I have always thought that some time it would be + well for you to hear it; but if you do not wish to hear it, I + will go no farther."</p> + + <p>Elise looked at Benigna—not trust her! "Please go on," + she said.</p> + + <p>"I knew the poor child very well. She had grown up in an + unhappy home, and had never known what it was to have comfort + and peace in the house, or even plenty to eat and to wear. She + was expected to go out and earn her living as soon as she had + learned the use of her hands and feet. Poor child! she felt her + fortune was a hard one, but God always cared for her. In one + way and another she in time picked up enough knowledge of music + to teach beginners. The first real friend she had was the + friend who became so dear to her that—I need not try to + find words to tell you how dear he was.</p> + + <p>"She was soon skilled enough to be able to take more + intelligent and advanced pupils, and in the church-music she + had the leading parts. By and by the music was put into her + hands for festivals and the great days, Christmas and Easter, + as it has been put into mine here in Spenersberg. One day + <i>he</i> said to her, 'It seems to us the best thing in life + to be near each other. Would it might be God's will that we + should never part!' She responded to that prayer from the + depths of her heart, and a great gulf seemed to open before + her, for she thought what would her life be worth if they were + destined to part? Then he said, 'Let us inquire the will of our + Lord;' and she said, 'Let it be so;' and they had faith that + would enable them to abide by the decision. The lot pronounced + against them. I do not believe that it had entered the heart of + either of them to understand how necessary they had become to + each other, and when they saw that all was over it was a sad + awaking. For a little while it was with both as if they had + madly thrown a birthright away; for, though they had faith, + they were not yet perfect in it. Not soon did either see that + this life had a blessing for them every day—new every + morning, fresh every evening—and that from everlasting to + everlasting are the mercies of God. But at last he said, 'I am + afraid, my darling'" (Elise started at this word of endearment. + It was like a revelation to think that there had been lovers in + the world before her time), "'it will go harder with me than + with you. I cannot stay here and go on with my work. I must go + among new people, and begin again.' And so he went away, and at + last, when by the grace of God they met again—surely, + surely by no seeking of their own—they were no less true + friends because they had for their lifetime been led into + separate paths. Their faith saved them."</p> + + <p>Low though the voice was in which these last words were + spoken, there was a strength and inspiration in them which + Elise felt. She looked at Sister Benigna with steady, wondering + eyes. Such a story from her lips, and told so, and told now! + And her countenance! what divine beauty glowed in it! The + moment had a vision that could never be forgotten.</p> + + <p>Elise did not speak, but neither, having heard this tale, + did she now rise to depart. She folded her hands and bowed her + head upon them, and so they sat silent until the first chords + of the "Pastoral Symphony" drew the souls of both away up into + a realm which is entered only by the pure in heart.</p> + + <p>About this time it was that Leonhard Marten, while passing, + heard that recitative of a soprano voice which so amazed him. + Dropping quickly into the shade of the trees opposite Loretz's + house, he listened to the announcement, "There were shepherds + abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by + night," and there remained until he saw two men advancing + toward the house, one of them evidently approaching his + home.</p> + + <p>Through the sleepless night Elise's thoughts were constantly + going over the simple incidents of the story Sister Benigna had + told her. But they had not by morning yielded all the + consolations which the teller of the tale perceived among their + possibilities, for the reason, perhaps, that Elise's sympathies + had been more powerfully excited by the tale than her faith. It + was not upon the final result of the severance effected by the + lot that her mind rested dismayed: her heart was full of pain, + thinking of that poor girl's early life, and that at last, when + all the recollection of it was put far from her by the joy + which shone upon her as the sun out of darkness, she must look + forward and by its light behold a future so dreary. "How + fearful!" she moaned once; and her closed eyes did not see the + face that turned toward her full of pain, full of love.</p> + + <p>Of all doubts that could afflict the soul of Sister Benigna, + none more distracting than this was conceivable: Had she proved + the best instructor to this child of her spirit? Had she even + been <i>capable</i> of teaching her truest truth? Was it the + truth or herself to which Elise was always deferring? Was + obedience a duty when not impelled and sanctified by faith? In + what did the prime virtue of resignation consist? Would not + obedience without faith be merely a debasing superstitious + submission to the will of the believing? Her reflections were + not suggested by a shrewd guess. She knew that the lot had been + resorted to, and that the letters had been written to Elise and + Albert which acquainted them with the result; and the peace of + her prayerful soul was rent by the thought that a joyless + surrender of human will to a higher was, perhaps, no better + than the poor helpless slave's extorted sacrifice. The + happiness of the household seemed to Benigna in her keeping. If + they had gone lightly seeking the oracle of God, as they would + have sought a fortune-teller, was not the Most High dishonored? + She could not say this to Elise, but could she say it to Albert + Spener? Ought she not to say it to him? There was no other to + whom it could be said. Had the coming day any duty so + imperative as this? She arose to perform it, but Spener, as we + know, had gone away the day before.</p> + + <h3><a name="HCH0003" + id="HCH0003"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> CHAPTER VI.</h3> + + <h3>THE MEN OF SPENERSBERG.</h3> + + <p>This Spenersberg, about which Leonhard was not a little + eager to know more when he shut the door of the apartment into + which his host had ushered him—for he must remain all + night—what was it?</p> + + <p>A colony, or a brotherhood, or a community, six years old. + Such a fact does not lie ready for observation every + day—such a place does not lie in the hand of a man at his + bidding. What, then, was its history? We need not wait to find + out until morning, when Leonhard will proceed to discover. He + is satisfied when he lies down upon the bed, which awaited him, + it seems, as he came hither on the way-train—quite + satisfied that Spener of Spenersberg must be a man worth + seeing. Breathing beings possessed of ideas and homes here must + have been handled with power by a master mind to have brought + about this community, if so it is to be called, in six short + years, thinks Leonhard. He recalls his own past six years, and + turns uneasily on his bed, and finds no rest until he reminds + himself of the criticism he has been enabled to pass on Miss + Elise's rendering of "He is a righteous Saviour," and the + suggestion he made concerning the pitch of "Ye shall find rest + for your souls." The recollection acts upon him somewhat as the + advancing wave acts on the sand-line made by the wave + preceding. When he made the first suggestion, Sister Benigna + stood for a moment looking at him, surprised by his remark; + but, less than a second taken up with a thought of him, she had + passed instantly on to say, "Try it so, Elise: 'He is a + righteous Saviour.' We will make it a slower movement. Ah! how + impressive! how beautiful! It is the composer's very thought! + Again—slow: it is perfect!"</p> + + <p>Was this kind of praise worth the taking? a source of praise + worth the seeking? Leonhard had said ungrateful things about + his prize-credentials to Miss Marion Ayres, and I do believe + that these very prizes, awarded for his various drawings, were + never so valued by him as the look with which priestly Benigna + seemed to admit him at least so far as into the fellowship of + the Gentiles' Court.</p> + + <p>He would have fallen asleep just here with a pleasant + thought but for the recollection of Wilberforce's letter, which + startled him hardly less than the apparition of his friend in + the moonlight streaming through his half-curtained window would + have done. Is it always so pleasant a thought that for ever and + ever a man shall bear his own company?</p> + + <p>But this Spenersberg? Seven years ago, on the day when he + came of age, Albert Spener, then a young clerk in a fancy-goods + store, went to look at the estate which his grandfather had + bequeathed to him the year preceding. Not ten years ago the old + man made his will and gave the property, on which he had not + quite starved, to his only grandson, and here was this + worthless gorge which stretched between the fields more + productive than many a famous gold-mine.</p> + + <p>The youth had seen at once that if he should deal with the + land as his predecessors had done, he would be able to draw no + more from the stingy acres than they. He had shown the bent of + his mind and the nature of his talent by the promptness with + which he put things remote together, and by the directness with + which he reached his conclusions.</p> + + <p>He had left his town-lodgings, having obtained of his + employer leave of absence for one week, and within twenty-four + hours had come to his conclusion and returned to his post. Of + that estate which he had inherited but a portion, and a very + small portion, offered to the cultivator the least + encouragement. The land had long ago been stripped of its + forest trees, and, thus defrauded of its natural fertilizers, + lay now, after successive seasons of drain and waste, as barren + as a desert, with the exception of that narrow strip between + the hills which apparently bent low that inland might look upon + river.</p> + + <p>Along the banks of the stream, which flowed, a current of + considerable depth and swiftness, toward its outlet, the river, + willows were growing. Albert's employer was an importer to a + small extent, and fancy willow-ware formed a very considerable + share of his importations. The conclusion he had reached while + surveying his land was an answer to the question he had asked + himself: Why should not this land be made to bring forth the + kind of willow used by basket-weavers, and why should not + basket-weavers be induced to gather into a community of some + sort, and so importers be beaten in the market by domestic + productions? The aim thus clearly defined Spener had + accomplished. His Moravians furnished him with a willow-ware + which was always quoted at a high figure, and the patriotic + pride the manufacturer felt in the enterprise was abundantly + rewarded: no foreign mark was ever found on his home-made + goods.</p> + + <p>But <i>his</i> Moravians: where did these people come from, + and how came they to be known as his?</p> + + <p>The question brings us to Frederick Loretz. In those days he + was a porter in the establishment where Spener was a clerk. He + had filled this situation only one month, however, when he was + attacked with a fever which was scourging the neighborhood, and + taken to the hospital. Albert followed him thither with kindly + words and care, for the poor fellow was a stranger in the town, + and he had already told Spener his dismal story. Afar from wife + and child, among strangers and a pauper, his doom, he believed, + was to die. How he bemoaned his wasted life then, and the husks + which he had eaten!</p> + + <p>In his delirium Loretz would have put an end to his life. + Spener talked him out of this horror of himself, and showed him + that there was always opportunity, while life lasted, for + wanderers to seek again the fold they had strayed from; for + when the delirium passed the man's conscience remained, and he + confessed that he had lived away from the brethren of his + faith, and was an outcast. Oh, if he could but be transported + to Herrnhut and set down there a well man in that sanctuary of + Moravianism, how devoutly would he return to the faith and + practice of his fathers!</p> + + <p>When Spener returned from his trip of investigation he + hastened immediately to the hospital, sought out poor half-dead + Loretz, laid his hand on his shoulder, and said, "Come, get up: + I want you." And he explained his project: "I will build a + house for you, send for your wife and child, put you all + together, and start you in life. I am going into the basket + business, and I want you to look after my willows. After they + are pretty well grown you shall get in some + families—Simon-Pure Moravians, you know—and we will + have a village of our own. D'ye hear me?"</p> + + <p>The poor fellow did hear: he struggled up in his bed, threw + his arms around Spener's neck, tried to kiss him, and + fainted.</p> + + <p>"This is a good beginning," said Spener to himself as he + laid the senseless head upon the pillow and felt for the + beating heart. The beating heart was there. In a few moments + Loretz was looking, with eyes that shone with loving gratitude + and wondering admiration, on the young man who had saved his + life.</p> + + <p>"I have no money," said this youth in further explanation of + his project—for he wanted his companion to understand his + circumstances from the outset—"but I shall borrow five + thousand dollars. I can pay the interest on that sum out of my + salary. Perhaps I shall sell a few lots on the river, if I can + turn attention to the region. It will all come out right, + anyhow. Now, how soon can you be ready? I will write to your + wife to-day if you say so, and tell her to come on with the + little girl."</p> + + <p>"Wait a week," said Loretz in a whisper; and all that night + and the following day his chances for this world and the next + seemed about equal.</p> + + <p>But after that he rallied, and his recovery was certain. It + was slow, however, hastened though it was by the hope and + expectation which had opened to him when he had reached the + lowest depth of despair and covered himself with the ashes of + repentance.</p> + + <p>The letter for the wife and little girl was written, and + money sent to bring them from the place where Loretz had left + them when he set out in search of occupation, to find + employment as a porter, and the fever, and Albert Spener.</p> + + <p>During the first year of co-working Loretz devoted himself + to the culture of the willow, and then, as time passed on and + hands were needed, he brought one family after another to the + place—Moravians all—until now there were at least + five hundred inhabitants in Spenersberg, a large factory and a + church, whereof Spener himself was a member "in good and + regular standing."</p> + + <p>Seven years of incessant labor, directed by a wise + foresight, which looked almost like inspiration and miracle, + had resulted in all this real prosperity. Loretz never stopped + wondering at it, and yet he could have told you every step of + the process. All that had been <i>done</i> he had had a hand + in, but the devising brain was Spener's; and no wonder that, in + spite of his familiarity with the details, the sum-total of the + activities put forth in that valley should have seemed to + Loretz marvelous, magical.</p> + + <p>He had many things to rejoice over besides his own + prosperity. His daughter was in all respects a perfect being, + to his thinking. For six years now she had been under the + instruction of Sister Benigna, not only in music, but in all + things that Sister Benigna, a well-instructed woman, could + teach. She sang, as Leonhard Marten would have told you, + "divinely," she was beautiful to look upon, and Albert Spener + desired to marry her.</p> + + <p>Surely the Lord had blessed him, and remembered no more + those years of wanderings when, alienated from the brethren, he + sought out his own ways and came close upon destruction. What + should he return to the beneficent Giver for all these + benefits?</p> + + <p>Poor Loretz! In his prosperity he thought that he should + never be moved, but he would not basely use that conviction and + forget the source of all his satisfaction. He remembered that + it was when he repented of his misdeeds that Spener came to him + and drew him from the pit. He could never look upon Albert as + other than a divine agent; and when Spener joined himself to + the Moravians, led partly by his admiration of them, partly by + religious impulse, and partly because of his conviction that to + be wholly successful he and his people must form a unit, his + joy was complete.</p> + + <p>The proposal for Elise's hand had an effect upon her father + which any one who knew him well might have looked for and + directed. The pride of his life was satisfied. He remembered + that he and his Anna, in seeking to know the will of the Lord + in respect to their marriage, had been answered favorably by + the lot. He desired the signal demonstration of heavenly will + in regard to the nuptials proposed. Not a shadow of a doubt + visited his mind as to the result, and the influence of his + faith upon Spener was such that he acquiesced in the measure, + though not without remonstrance and misgiving and mental + reservation.</p> + + <p>To find his way up into the region of faith, and quiet + himself there when the result of the seeking was known, was + almost impossible for Loretz. He could fear the Judge who had + decreed, but could he trust in Him? He began to grope back + among his follies of the past, seeking a crime he had not + repented, as the cause of this domestic calamity. But ah! to + reap such a harvest as this for any youthful folly! Poor soul! + little he knew of vengeance and retribution. He was at his + wit's end, incapable alike of advancing, retreating or of + peaceful surrender.</p> + + <p>It was pleasant to him to think, in the night-watches, of + the young man who occupied the room next to his. He did not + see—at least had not yet seen—in Leonhard a + messenger sent to the house, as did his wife; but the presence + of the young stranger spoke favorable things in his behalf; and + then, as there was really nothing to be <i>done</i> about this + decision, anything that gave a diversion to sombre thoughts was + welcome. Sister Benigna had spoken very kindly to Leonhard in + the evening, and he had pointed out a place in one of Elise's + solos where by taking a higher key in a single passage a + marvelous effect could be produced. That showed knowledge; and + he said that he had taught music. Perhaps he would like to + remain until after the congregation festival had taken + place.</p> + + <h3><a name="HCH0004" + id="HCH0004"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> CHAPTER VII.</h3> + + <h3>THE BOOK.</h3> + + <p>In the morning the master of the house rapped on Leonhard's + door and said: "When you come down I have something to show + you." The voice of Mr. Loretz had almost its accustomed + cheerfulness of tone, and he ended his remark with a brief "Ha! + ha!" peculiar to him, which not only expressed his own + good-humor, but also invited good-humored response.</p> + + <p>Leonhard answered cheerily, and in a few moments he had + descended the steep uncovered stair to the music-room.</p> + + <p>"Now for the book," Loretz called out as Leonhard + entered.</p> + + <p>How handsome our young friend looked as he stood there + shaking hands with the elderly man, whose broad, florid face + now actually shone with hospitable feeling!</p> + + <p>"Is father going to claim you as one of us, Mr. Marten?" + asked the wife of Loretz, who answered her husband's call by + coming into the room and bringing with her a large volume + wrapped in chamois skin.</p> + + <p>"What shall I be, then?" asked Leonhard. "A wiser and a + better man, I do not doubt."</p> + + <p>"What! you do not know?" the good woman stayed to say. "Has + nobody told you where you are, my young friend?"</p> + + <p>"I never before found myself in a place I should like to + stay in always; so what does the rest signify?" answered + Leonhard. "What's in a name?"</p> + + <p>"Not much perhaps, yet something," said Loretz. "We are all + Moravians here. I was going to look in this book here for the + names of your ancestors. I thought perhaps you knew about + Spenersberg."</p> + + <p>"I am as new to it all as Christopher Columbus was to the + West India islands. If you find the names of my kinsmen down in + your book, sir, it—it will be a marvelous, happy sight + for me," said Leonhard.</p> + + <p>"I'll try my hand at it," said Loretz. "Ha! ha!" and he + opened the volume, which was bound in black leather, the leaves + yellowed with years. "This book," he continued, "is one hundred + and fifty years old. You will find recorded in it the names of + all my grandfather's friends, and all my father's. See, it is + our way. There are all the dates. Where they lived, see, and + where they died. It is all down. A man cannot feel himself cut + off from his kind as long as he has a volume like that in his + library. I have added a few names of my own friends, and their + birthdays. Here, you see, is Sister Benigna's, written with her + own hand. A most remarkable woman, sir. True as + steel—always the same. But"—he paused a moment and + looked at Leonhard with his head inclined to one side, and an + expression of perplexity upon his face—"there's something + out of the way here in this country. I have not more than one + name down to a dozen in my father's record, and twenty in my + grandfather's. We do not make friends, and we do not keep them, + as they did in old time. We don't trust each other as men ought + to. Half the time we find ourselves wondering whether the folks + we're dealing with are <i>honest</i>. Now think of that!"</p> + + <p>"Are men any worse than they were in the old time?" asked + Leonhard, evidently not entering into the conversation with the + keenest enjoyment.</p> + + <p>"I do not know how it is," said Loretz with a sigh, + continuing to turn the leaves of the book as he spoke.</p> + + <p>"Perhaps we have less imagination, and don't look at every + new-comer as a friend until we have tried him," suggested + Leonhard. "We decide that everybody shall be tested before we + accept him. And isn't it the best way? Better than to be + disappointed, when we have set our heart on a man—or a + woman."</p> + + <p>"I do not know—I cannot account for it," said Mr. + Loretz. Then with a sudden start he laid his right hand on the + page before him, and with a great pleased smile in his + deep-set, small blue eyes he said: "Here is your name. I felt + sure I should find it: I felt certain it was down. See here, on + my grandfather's page—<i>Leonhard Marten, Herrnhut</i>, + 1770. How do you like that?"</p> + + <p>"I like it well," said Leonhard, bending over the book and + examining the close-fisted autograph set down strongly in + unfading ink. Had he found an ancestor at last? What could have + amazed him as much?</p> + + <p>"What have you found?" asked Mrs. Loretz, who had heard + these remarks in the next room, where she was actively making + preparations for the breakfast, which already sent forth its + odorous invitations.</p> + + <p>"We have found the name," answered her husband. "Come and + see. I have read it, I dare say, a hundred times: that was what + made me feel that an old friend had come."</p> + + <p>"That means," said the good woman, hastening in at her + husband's call, and reading the name with a pleased + smile—"that means that you belong to us. I thought you + did. I am glad."</p> + + <p>Were these folk so intent on securing a convert that in + these various ways they made the young stranger feel that he + was not among strangers in this unknown Spenersberg? Nothing + was farther from their thought: they only gave to their kindly + feeling hearty utterance, and perhaps spoke with a little extra + emphasis because the constraint they secretly felt in + consequence of their household trouble made them unanimous in + the effort to put it out of sight—not out of this + stranger's sight, but out of their own.</p> + + <p>"Perhaps you will stop with us a while, and maybe write your + name on my page before you go," said Loretz, afraid that his + wife had gone a little too far.</p> + + <p>"Without a single test?" Leonhard answered. "Haven't we just + agreed that we wise men don't take each other on trust, as they + did in our grandfathers' day?"</p> + + <p>"A man living in Herrnhut in 1770 would not have for a + descendant a—a man I could not trust," said Loretz, + closing the book and placing it in its chamois covering again. + "Breakfast, mother, did you say?"</p> + + <p>"Have you wanted ink?" asked Sister Benigna, entering at + that instant. "Are we writing in the sacred birthday book?"</p> + + <p>"Not yet," said Leonhard hastily, the color rising to his + face in a way to suggest forked lightning somewhere beyond + sight.</p> + + <p>"You have wanted ink, and are too kind to let me know," she + said. "I emptied the bottle copying music for the children + yesterday."</p> + + <p>"The ink was put to a better use then than I could have + found for it this morning," said Leonhard.</p> + + <p>And Mrs. Loretz, who looked into the room just then, said to + herself, as her eyes fell on him, "Poor soul! he is in + trouble."</p> + + <p>In fact, this thought was in Leonhard's mind as he went into + breakfast with the family: "A deuced good friend I have + proved—to Wilberforce! Isn't there anybody here + clear-eyed enough to see that it would be like forgery to write + my name down in a book of friendship?"</p> + + <p>The morning meal was enlivened by much more than the usual + amount of talk. Leonhard was curious to know about Herrnhut, + that old home of Moravianism, and the interest which he + manifested in the history Loretz was so eager to communicate + made him in turn an object of almost affectionate attention. + That he had no facts of private biography to communicate in + turn did net attract notice, because, however many such facts + he might have ready to produce, by the time Loretz had done + talking it was necessary that the day's work should + begin.</p><a name="HCH0005" + id="HCH0005"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + + <h3><a name="HCH0008" + id="HCH0008"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> CHAPTER VIII.</h3> + + <h3>CONFERENCE MEETING.</h3> + + <p>The school-room was a large apartment in the basement of the + factory which had been used as a drying-room until it became + necessary to find for the increasing numbers of the little + flock more spacious accommodations. The basement was entered by + a door at the end of the building opposite that by which the + operatives entered the factory, and the hours were so timed + that the children went and came without disturbance to + themselves or others. The path that led to the basement door + was neatly bordered with flowering plants and bushes, and + sunlight was always to be found there, if anywhere in the + valley, from eight o'clock till two.</p> + + <p>Leonhard walked to the factory with Sister Benigna, to whose + conduct Loretz had consigned him when called away by the tower + bell.</p> + + <p>At the door of the basement Mr. Wenck was standing with a + printed copy of Handel's sacred oratorio of <i>The Messiah</i> + in his hand. Evidently he was waiting for Sister Benigna.</p> + + <p>But when she had said to Leonhard, "Pass on to the other end + of the building and you will find the entrance, and Mr. + Spener's office in the corner as you enter," and Leonhard had + thanked her, and bowed and passed on, and she turned to Mr. + Wenck, it was very little indeed that he said or had to say + about the music which he held in his hand.</p> + + <p>"I have no doubt that all the preparation necessary for + to-morrow evening is being made," he said. "You may need this + book. But I did not come to talk about it. Sister Benigna," he + continued in a different tone, and a voice not quite under his + control, "is it not unreasonable to have passed a sleepless + night thinking of Albert and Elise?"</p> + + <p>"Very unreasonable." But he had not charged her, as she + supposed, with that folly, as his next words showed.</p> + + <p>"It is, and yet I have done it—only because all this + might have been so easily avoided."</p> + + <p>"And yet it was unavoidable," said she, looking toward the + school-room door as one who had no time to waste in idle + talk.</p> + + <p>"Not that I question the wisdom of the resort if all were of + one mind," said Mr. Wenck, who had the dreary all-day before + him, and was not in the least pressed for time. "But I can see + that even on the part of Brother Loretz the act was not a + genuine act of faith."</p> + + <p>Startled by the expression the minister was giving to her + secret thoughts, Benigna exclaimed, "And yet what can be + done?"</p> + + <p>"Nothing," he answered. "If Loretz should yield to Spener, + and if I should—do you not see he has had everything his + own way here?—he would feel that nothing could stand in + opposition to him. If he were a different man! And they are + both so young!"</p> + + <p>"I know that Elise has a conscience that will hold her fast + to duty," said Benigna, but she did not speak hopefully: she + spoke deliberately, however, thinking that these words + <i>conscience</i> and <i>duty</i> might arrest the minister's + attention, and that he would perhaps, by some means, throw + light upon questions which were constantly becoming more + perplexing to her. Was conscience an unfailing guide? Was one + person's duty to be pronounced upon by another without scruple, + and defined with unfaltering exactness? But the words had not + arrested the minister's attention.</p> + + <p>"If they could only see that there is nothing to be done!" + said he. "Oh, they will, Benigna! Had they only the faith, + Benigna!"</p> + + <p>"Yet how vain their sacrifice, for they have it not!" said + she. And as if she would not prolong an interview which must be + full of pain, because no light could proceed from any words + that would be given them to speak, Sister Benigna turned + abruptly toward the basement door when she had said this, and + entered it without bestowing a parting glance even on the + minister.</p> + + <p>He walked away after an instant's hesitation: indeed there + was nothing further to be said, and she did well to go.</p> + + <p>Going homeward by a path which led along the hillside above + the village street, he must pass the small house separated from + all others—the house which was the appointed + resting-place of all who lived in Spenersberg to die + there—known as the Corpse-house. To it the bodies of + deceased persons were always taken after death, and there they + remained until the hour when they were carried forth for + burial.</p> + + <p>As Mr. Wenck approached he saw that the door stood open: a + few steps farther, and this fact was accounted for. A bent and + wrinkled old woman stood there with a broom in her hand, which + she had been using in a plain, straight-forward manner.</p> + + <p>"Ah, Mary," he said, "what does this mean, my good + woman?"</p> + + <p>"It is the minister," she answered in a low voice, + curtseying. "I was moved to come here this morning, sir, and + see to things. It was time to be brushing up a little, I + thought. It is a month now since the last."</p> + + <p>"I will take down the old boughs then, and garnish the walls + with new ones. And have you looked at the lamp too, Mary?"</p> + + <p>"It is trimmed, sir," said the woman; and the minister's + readiness to assist her drew forth the confession: "I was + thinking on my bed in the night-watches that it must be done. + There will one be going home soon. And it may be myself, sir. I + could not have been easy if I had not come up to tidy the + house."</p> + + <p>Having finished her task, which was a short one and easily + performed, the woman now waited to watch the minister as he + selected cedar boughs and wove them into wreaths, and suspended + them from the walls and rafters of the little room; and it + comforted the simple soul when, standing in the doorway, the + good man lifted his eyes toward heaven and said in the words of + the church litany:</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">From error and misunderstanding,</p> + + <p class="i2">From the loss of our glory in Thee,</p> + + <p class="i2">From self-complacency,</p> + + <p class="i2">From untimely projects,</p> + + <p class="i2">From needless perplexity,</p> + + <p class="i2">From the murdering spirit and devices of + Satan,</p> + + <p class="i2">From the influence of the spirit of this + world,</p> + + <p class="i2">From hypocrisy and fanaticism,</p> + + <p class="i2">From the deceitfulness of sin,</p> + + <p class="i2">From all sin,</p> + + <p class="i2"><i>Preserve us, gracious Lord and + God</i>—</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>and devoutly she joined in with him in the solemn responsive + cry.</p> + + <p>It was very evident that the minister's work that day was + not to be performed in his silent home among his books.</p> + + <p>On the brightest day let the sun become eclipsed, and how + the earth will pine! What melancholy will pervade the busy + streets, the pleasant fields and woods! How disconsolately the + birds will seek their mates and their nests!</p> + + <p>The children came together, but many a half hour passed + during which the shadow of an Unknown seemed to come between + them and their teacher. The bright soul, was she too suffering + from an eclipse? Does it happen that all souls, even the most + valiant, most loving, least selfish, come in time to passes so + difficult that, shrinking back, they say, "Why should I + struggle to gain the other side? What is there worth seeking? + Better to end all here. This life is not worth enduring"? And + yet, does it also come to pass as certainly that these valiant, + unselfish, loving ones will struggle, fight, climb, wade, creep + on, on while the breath of life remains in them, and never + surrender? It seemed as if Sister Benigna had arrived at a + place where her baffled spirit stood still and felt its + helplessness. Could she do nothing for Elise, the dear child + for whose happiness she would cheerfully give her life, and not + think the price too dear?</p> + + <p>By and by the children were aware that Sister Benigna had + come again among them: the humblest little flower lifted up its + head, and the smallest bird began to chirp and move about and + smooth its wings.</p> + + <p>Sister Benigna! what had she recollected?—that but a + single day perhaps was hers to live, and here were all these + children! As she turned with ardent zeal to her + work—which indeed had not failed of accustomed conduct so + far as routine went—tell me what do you find in those + lovely eyes if not the heavenliest assurances? Let who will + call the scene of this life's operations a vale of tears, a + world of misery, a prison-house of the spirit, here is one who + asks for herself nothing of honors or riches or pleasures, and + who can bless the Lord God for the glory of the earth he has + created, and for those everlasting purposes of his which + mortals can but trust in, and which are past finding out. + Children, let us do our best to-day, and wait until to-morrow + for to-morrow's gifts. This exhortation was in the eyes, mien, + conduct of the teacher, and so she led them on until, when they + came to practice their hymns for the festival, every little + heart and voice was in tune, and she praised them with voice so + cheerful, how should they guess that it had ever been choked by + anguish or had ever fainted in despair?</p> + + <p>O young eyes saddening over what is to you a painful, + insoluble problem! yet a little while and you shall see the + mists of morning breaking everywhere, and the great conquering + sun will enfold you too in its warm embrace: the humble laurels + of the mountain's side, even as the great pines and cedars of + the mountain's crest, have but to receive and use what the + sterile rock and the blinding cloud, the wintry tempest and the + rain and the summer's heat bestow, and lo! the heights are + alive with glory. But it is not in a day.</p><a name="HCH0006" + id="HCH0006"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + + <h3><a name="HCH0009" + id="HCH0009"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> CHAPTER IX.</h3> + + <h3>WILL THE ARCHITECT HAVE EMPLOYMENT?</h3> + + <p>On entering the factory, Leonhard met Loretz near the door + talking with Albert Spener. When he saw Leonhard, Loretz said, + "I was just saying to Mr. Spener that I expected you, sir, and + how he might recognize you; but you shall speak for yourself. + If you will spend a little time looking about, I shall be back + soon: perhaps Mr. Spener—"</p> + + <p>"Mr. Leonhard Marten, I believe," said Mr. Albert Spener + with a little exaggeration of his natural stiffness. Perhaps he + did not suspect that all the morning he had been manifesting + considerable loftiness toward Loretz, and that he spoke in a + way that made Leonhard feel that his departure from Spenersberg + would probably take place within something less than + twenty-four hours.</p> + + <p>Yet within half an hour the young men were walking up and + down the factory, examining machinery and work, and talking as + freely as if they had known each other six months. They were + not in everything as unlike as they were in person. Spener was + a tall, spare man, who conveyed an impression of mental + strength and physical activity. He could turn his hand to + anything, and <i>attempt</i> anything that was to be done by + skillful handicraft; and whether he could use his wits well in + shaping men, let Spenersberg answer. His square-shaped head was + covered with bright brown hair, which had a reddish tinge, and + his moustache was of no stinted growth: his black eyes + penetrated and flashed, and could glow and glare in a way to + make weakness and feebleness tremble. His quick speech did not + spare: right and left he used his swords of thought and will. + Fall in! or, Out of the way! were the commands laid down by him + since the foundations of Spenersberg were laid. In the + fancy-goods line he might have made of himself a spectacle, + supposing he could have remained in the trade; but set apart + here in this vale, the centre of a sphere of his own creation, + where there was something at stake vast enough to justify the + exercise of energy and authority, he had a field for the fair + play of all that was within him—the worst and the best. + The worst that he could be he was—a tyrant; and the best + that he could be he was—a lover. Hitherto his tyrannies + had brought about good results only, but it was well that the + girl he loved had not only spirit and courage enough to love + him, but also faith enough to remove mountains.</p> + + <p>If Leonhard had determined that he would make a friend of + Spener before he entered the factory, he could not have + proceeded more wisely than he did. First, he was interested in + the works, and intent on being told about the manufacture of + articles of furniture from a product ostensibly of such small + account as the willow; then he was interested in the designs + and surprised at the ingenious variety, and curious to learn + their source, and amazed to hear that Mr. Spener had himself + originated more than half of them. Then presently he began to + suggest designs, and at the end of an hour he found himself at + a table in Spener's office drawing shapes for baskets and + chairs and tables and ornamental devices, and making Spener + laugh so at some remark as to be heard all over the + building.</p> + + <p>"You say you are an architect," he said after Leonhard had + covered a sheet of paper with suggestions written and outlined + for him, which he looked at with swiftly-comprehending and + satisfied eyes. "What do you say to doing a job for me?"</p> + + <p>"With all my heart," answered Leonhard, "if it can be done + at once."</p> + + <p>These words were in the highest degree satisfactory. Here + was a man who knew the worth of a minute. He was the man for + Spener. "Come with me," he said, "and I'll show you a + building-site or two worth putting money on;" and so they + walked together out of the factory, crossed a rustic + foot-bridge to the opposite side, ascended a sunny half-cleared + slope and passed across a field; and there beneath them, far + below, rolled the grand river which had among its notable ports + this little Spenersberg.</p> + + <p>"What do you think of a house on this site, sir?" asked + Spener, looking with no small degree of satisfaction around him + and down the rocky steep.</p> + + <p>"I think I should like to be commissioned to build a castle + with towers and gates of this very granite which you could hew + out by the thousand cord from the quarry yonder. What a perfect + gray for building!"</p> + + <p>"I have always thought I would use the material on the + ground—the best compliment I could pay this place which I + have raised my fortune out of," said Spener.</p> + + <p>"There's no better material on the earth," said + Leonhard.</p> + + <p>"But I don't want a castle: I want a house with room enough + in it—high ceilings, wide halls, and a piazza fifteen or + twenty feet wide all around it."</p> + + <p>"Must I give up the castle? There isn't a better site on the + Rhine than this."</p> + + <p>"But I'm not a baron, and I live at peace with my + neighbors—at least with outsiders." That last remark was + an unfortunate one, for it brought the speaker back consciously + to confront the images which were constantly lurking round + him—only hid when he commanded them out of sight in the + manfulness of a spirit that would not be interfered with in its + work. He sat looking at Leonhard opposite to him, who had + already taken a note-book and pencil from his pocket, and, + planting his left foot firmly against one of the great rocks of + the cliff, he said, "Loretz tells me you stayed all night at + his house."</p> + + <p>"Yes, he invited me in when I inquired my way to the + inn."</p> + + <p>"Sister Benigna was there?"</p> + + <p>"She wasn't anywhere else," said Leonhard, looking up and + smiling. "Excuse the slang. If you are where she is, you may + feel very certain about her being there."</p> + + <p>"Not at all," said Albert, evidently nettled into argument + by the theme he had introduced. "She is one of those persons + who can be in several places at the same time. You heard them + sing, I suppose. They are preparing for the congregation + festival. It is six years since we started here, but we only + built our church last year: this year we have the first + celebration in the edifice, and of course there is great + preparation."</p> + + <p>"I have been wondering how I could go away before it takes + place ever since I heard of it."</p> + + <p>"If you wonder less how you can stay, remain of course," + said Spener with no great cordiality: he owed this stranger + nothing, after all.</p> + + <p>"It will only be to prove that I am really music-mad, as + they have been telling me ever since I was born. If that is the + case, from the evidences I have had since I came here I think I + shall recover."</p> + + <p>"What do you mean?" asked Spener.</p> + + <p>"I mean that I see how little I really know about the + science. I never heard anything to equal the musical knowledge + and execution of Loretz's daughter and this Sister Benigna you + speak of."</p> + + <p>"Ah! I am not a musician. I tried the trombone, but lacked + the patience. I am satisfied to admire. And so you liked the + singers? Which best?"</p> + + <p>"Both."</p> + + <p>"Come, come—what was the difference?"</p> + + <p>"The difference?" repeated Leonhard reflecting.</p> + + <p>Spener also seemed to reflect on his question, and was so + absorbed in his thinking that he seemed to be startled when + Leonhard, from his studies of the square house with the wide + halls and the large rooms with high ceilings, turned to him and + said, "The difference, sir, is between two women."</p> + + <p>"No difference at all, do you mean? Do you mean they are + alike? They are not alike."</p> + + <p>"Not so alike that I have seen anything like either of + them."</p> + + <p>"Ah! neither have I. For that reason I shall marry one of + them, while the other I would not marry—no, not if she + were the only woman on the continent."</p> + + <p>"You are a fortunate man," said Leonhard.</p> + + <p>"I intend to prove that. Nothing more is necessary than the + girl's consent—is there?—if you have made up your + mind that you must have her."</p> + + <p>"I should think you might say that, sir."</p> + + <p>"But you don't hazard an opinion as to which, sir."</p> + + <p>"Not I."</p> + + <p>"Why not?"</p> + + <p>"It might be Miss Elise, if—"</p> + + <p>"If what?"</p> + + <p>"I am not accustomed to see young ladies in their homes. I + have only fancied sometimes what a pretty girl might be in her + father's house."</p> + + <p>"Well, sir?" said Spener impatiently.</p> + + <p>"A young lady like Miss Elise would have a great deal to + say, I should suppose."</p> + + <p>"Is she dumb? I thought she could talk. I should have said + so."</p> + + <p>"I should have guessed, too, that she would always be + singing about the house."</p> + + <p>"And if not—what then?"</p> + + <p>"Something must be going wrong somewhere. So you see it + can't be Miss Elise, according to my judgment."</p> + + <p>Spener laughed when this conclusion was reached.</p> + + <p>"Come here again within a month and see if she can talk and + sing," said he with eyes flashing. "Perhaps you have found that + it is as easy to frighten a bugbear out of the way as to be + frightened by one. I never found, sir, that I couldn't put a + stumbling-block out of my path. We have one little man here who + is going to prove himself a nuisance, I'm afraid. He is a good + little fellow, too. I always liked him until he undertook to + manage my affairs. I don't propose to give up the reins yet a + while, and until I do, you see, he has no chance. I am sorry + about it, for I considered him quite like a friend; but a + friend, sir, with a flaw in him is worse than an enemy. I know + where to find my enemies, but I can't keep track of a man who + pretends to be a friend and serves me ill. But pshaw! let me + see what you are doing."</p> + + <p>Leonhard was glad when the man ceased from discoursing on + friendship—a favorite theme among Spenersbergers, he + began to think—and glad to break away from his work, for + he held his pencil less firmly than he should have done.</p> + + <p>Spener studied the portion completed, and seemed surprised + as well as pleased. "You know your business," said he. "Be so + good as to finish the design."</p> + + <p>Then returning the book to Leonhard, he looked at his watch. + "It is time I went to dinner," he said. "Come with me. Loretz + knows you are with me, and will expect you to be my guest + to-day." So they walked across the field, but did not descend + by the path along which they had ascended. They went farther to + the east, and Spener led the way down the rough hillside until + he came to a point whence the descent was less steep and + difficult. There he paused. A beautiful view was spread before + them. Little Spenersberg lay on the slope opposite: between ran + the stream, which widened farther toward the east and narrowed + toward the west, where it emptied into the river. Eastward the + valley also widened, and there the willows grew, and looked + like a great garden, beautiful in every shade of green.</p> + + <p>"I should not have the river from this point," said Spener, + "but I should have a great deal more, and be nearer the people: + I do not think it would be the thing to appear even to separate + myself from them. I have done a great deal not so agreeable to + me, I assure you, in order to bring myself near to them. One + must make sacrifices to obtain his ends: it is only to count + the cost and then be ready to put down the money. Suppose you + plant a house just here."</p> + + <p>"How could it be done?"</p> + + <p>"You an architect and ask me!"</p> + + <p>"Things can be planted anywhere," answered Leonhard, "but + whether the cost of production will not be greater than the + fruit is worth, is the question. You can have a platform built + here as broad as that the temple stood on if you are willing to + pay for the foundations."</p> + + <p>"That is the talk!" said Spener. "Take a square look, and + let me know what you can do toward a house on the hillside. You + see there is no end of raw material for building, and it is a + perfect prospect. But come now to dinner."</p> + + <p class="author">CAROLINE CHESEBRO.</p> + + <p class="center">[TO BE CONTINUED.]</p><a name="H_4_0011" + id="H_4_0011"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + + <h2>COUNTRY-HOUSE LIFE IN ENGLAND.</h2> + + <p>The love for country life is, if possible, stronger in + England now than at any previous period in her history. There + is no other country where this taste has prevailed to the same + extent. It arose originally from causes mainly political. In + France a similar condition of things existed down to the + sixteenth century, and was mainly brought to an end by the + policy of ministers, who dreaded the increasing power of petty + princes in remote provinces becoming in combination formidable + to the central power. It was specially the object of Richelieu + and Mazarin to check this sort of baronial <i>imperium in + imperio</i>, and it became in the time of Louis XIV the + keystone of that monarch's domestic policy. This tended to + encourage the "hanging on" of <i>grands seigneurs</i> about the + court, where many of the chief of them, after having exhausted + their resources in gambling or riotous living, became dependent + for place or pension on the Crown, and were in fact the + creatures of the king and his minister. Of course this did not + apply to all. Here and there in the broad area of France were + to be found magnificent châteaux—a few of which, + especially in Central France, still survive—where the + marquis or count reigned over his people an almost absolute + monarch.</p> + + <p>There is a passage in one of Horace Walpole's letters in + which that virtuoso expresses his regret, after a visit to the + ancestral "hôtels" of Paris, whose contents had afforded + him such intense gratification, that the nobility of England, + like that of France, had not concentrated their treasures of + art, etc. in London houses. Had he lived a few years longer he + would probably have altered his views, which were such as his + sagacious and manly father, who dearly loved his Norfolk home, + Houghton, would never have held.</p> + + <p>In England, from the time that anything like social life, as + we understand the phrase, became known, the power of the Crown + was so well established that no necessity for resorting to a + policy such as Richelieu's for diminishing the influence of the + noblesse existed.</p> + + <p>In fact, a course distinctly the reverse came to be adopted + from the time of Elizabeth down to even a later period than the + reign of Charles II.</p> + + <p>In the reign of Elizabeth an act was passed, which is to + this hour probably on the statute book, restricting building in + or near the metropolis. James I appears to have been in a + chronic panic on this subject, and never lost an opportunity of + dilating upon it. In one of his proclamations he refers to + those swarms of gentry "who, through the instigation of their + wives, or to new model and fashion their daughters who, if they + were unmarried, marred their reputations, and if married, lost + them—did neglect their country hospitality and cumber the + city, a general nuisance to the kingdom." He desired the Star + Chamber "to regulate the exorbitancy of the new buildings about + the city, which were but a shelter for those who, when they had + spent their estates in coaches, lacqueys and fine clothes like + Frenchmen, lived miserably in their houses like Italians; but + the honor of the English nobility and gentry is to be + hospitable among their tenants.</p> + + <p>"Gentlemen resident on their estates," said he, very + sensibly, "were like ships in port: their value and magnitude + were felt and acknowledged; but when at a distance, as their + size seemed insignificant, so their worth and importance were + not duly estimated."</p> + + <p>Charles I., with characteristic arbitrariness, carried + matters with a still higher hand. His Star Chamber caused + buildings to be actually razed, and fined truants heavily. One + case which is reported displays the grim and costly humor of + the illegal tribunal which dealt with such cases. Poor Mr. + Palmer of Sussex, a gay bachelor, being called upon to show + cause why he had been residing in London, pleaded in + extenuation that he had no house, his mansion having been + destroyed by fire two years before. This, however, was held + rather an aggravation of the offence, inasmuch as he had failed + to rebuild it; and Mr. Palmer paid a penalty of one thousand + pounds—equivalent to at least twenty thousand dollars + now.</p> + + <p>A document which especially serves to show the manner of + life of the ancient noblesse is the earl of Northumberland's + "Household Book" in the early part of the sixteenth century. By + this we see the great magnificence of the old nobility, who, + seated in their castles, lived in a state of splendor scarcely + inferior to that of the court. As the king had his privy + council, so the earl of Northumberland had his council, + composed of his principal officers, by whose advice and + assistance he established his code of economic laws. As the + king had his lords and grooms of the chamber, who waited in + their respective turns, so the earl was attended by the + constables of his several castles, who entered into waiting in + regular succession. Among other instances of magnificence it + may be remarked that not fewer than eleven priests were kept in + the household, presided over by a doctor or bachelor of + divinity as dean of the chapel.</p> + + <p>An account of how the earl of Worcester lived at Ragland + Castle before the civil wars which began in 1641 also exhibits + his manner of life in great detail: "At eleven o'clock the + Castle Gates were shut and the tables laid: two in the + dining-room; three in the hall; one in Mrs. Watson's + appartment, where the chaplains eat; two in the housekeeper's + room for my ladie's women. The Earl came into the Dining Room + attended by his gentlemen. As soon as he was seated, Sir Ralph + Blackstone, Steward of the House, retired. The Comptroller, Mr. + Holland, attended with his staff; as did the Sewer, Mr. + Blackburn, and the daily waiters with many gentlemen's sons, + from two to seven hundred pounds a year, bred up in the Castle; + my ladie's Gentleman Usher, Mr. Harcourt; my lord's Gentlemen + of the Chamber, Mr. Morgan and Mr. Fox.</p> + + <p>"At the first table sat the noble family and such of the + nobility as came there. At the second table in the Dining-room + sat Knights and honorable gentlemen attended by footmen.</p> + + <p>"In the hall at the first table sat Sir R. Blackstone, + Steward, the Comptroller, Secretary, Master of the Horse, + Master of the Fishponds, my Lord Herbert's Preceptor, with such + gentlemen as came there under the degree of knight, attended by + footmen and plentifully served with wine.</p> + + <p>"At the third table in the hall sate the Clerk of the + Kitchen, with the Yeomen, officers of the House, two Grooms of + the Chamber, etc.</p> + + <p>"Other officers of the Household were the Chief Auditor, + Clerk of Accounts, Purveyor of the Castle, Usher of the Hall, + Closet Keeper, Gentleman of the Chapel, Keeper of the Records, + Master of the Wardrobe, Master of the Armoury, Master Groom of + the Stable for the 12 War-horses, Master of the Hounds, Master + Falconer, Porter and his men, two Butchers, two Keepers of the + Home Park, two Keepers of the Red Deer Park, Footmen, Grooms + and other Menial Servants to the number of 150. Some of the + footmen were Brewers and Bakers.</p> + + <p>"<i>Out offices</i>.—Steward of Ragland, Governor of + Chepstow Castle, Housekeeper of Worcester House in London, + thirteen Bailiffs, two Counsel for the Bailiffs—who + looked after the estate—to have recourse to, and a + Solicitor."</p> + + <p>In a delicious old volume now rarely to be met with, called + <i>The Olio</i>, published eighty years ago, Francis Grose the + antiquary thus describes certain characters typical of the + country life of the earlier half of the seventeenth century: + "When I was a young man there existed in the families of most + unmarried men or widowers of the rank of gentlemen, resident in + the country, a certain antiquated female, either maiden or + widow, commonly an aunt or cousin. Her dress I have now before + me: it consisted of a stiff-starched cap and hood, a little + hoop, a rich silk damask gown with large flowers. She leant on + an ivory-headed crutch-cane, and was followed by a fat + phthisicky dog of the pug kind, who commonly reposed on a + cushion, and enjoyed the privilege of snarling at the servants, + and occasionally biting their heels, with impunity. By the side + of this old lady jingled a bunch of keys, securing in different + closets and corner-cupboards all sorts of cordial waters, + cherry and raspberry brandy, washes for the complexion, Daffy's + elixir, a rich seed-cake, a number of pots of currant jelly and + raspberry jam, with a range of gallipots and phials and purges + for the use of poorer neighbors. The daily business of this + good lady was to scold the maids, collect eggs, feed the + turkeys and assist at all lyings-in that happened within the + parish. Alas! this being is no more seen, and the race is, like + that of her pug dog and the black rat, totally extinct.</p> + + <p>"Another character, now worn out and gone, was the country + squire: I mean the little, independent country gentleman of + three hundred pounds a year, who commonly appeared in a plain + drab or plush coat, large silver buttons, a jockey cap, and + rarely without boots. His travels never exceeded the distance + to the county-town, and that only at assize- and session-time, + or to attend an election. Once a week he commonly dined at the + next market-town with the attorneys and justices. This man went + to church regularly, read the weekly journal, settled the + parochial disputes between the parish officers at the vestry, + and afterward adjourned to the neighboring ale-house, where he + usually got drunk for the good of his country. He never played + at cards but at Christmas, when a family pack was produced from + the mantelpiece. He was commonly followed by a couple of + greyhounds and a pointer, and announced his arrival at a + friend's house by cracking his whip or giving the view-halloo. + His drink was generally ale, except on Christmas, the Fifth of + November or some other gala-day, when he would make a bowl of + strong brandy punch, garnished with a toast and nutmeg. A + journey to London was by one of these men reckoned as great an + undertaking as is at present a voyage to the East Indies, and + undertaken with scarcely less precaution and preparation. The + mansion of one of these squires was of plaster striped with + timber, not unaptly called calimanco-work, or of red brick; + large casemented bow-windows, a porch with seats in it, and + over it a study, the eaves of the house well inhabited by + swallows, and the court set round with hollyhocks. The hall was + furnished with flitches of bacon, and the mantelpiece with guns + and fishing-rods of different dimensions, accompanied by the + broadsword, partisan and dagger borne by his ancestors in the + Civil Wars. The vacant spaces were occupied by stags' horns. + Against the wall was posted King Charles's <i>Golden Rules</i>, + Vincent Wing's <i>Almanack</i> and a portrait of the duke of + Marlborough: in his window lay Baker's <i>Chronicle</i>, Fox's + <i>Book of Martyrs</i>, Glanvil on <i>Apparitions</i>, + Quincey's <i>Dispensatory</i>, the <i>Complete Justice</i> and + a <i>Book of Farriery</i>. In the corner, by the fireside, + stood a large wooden two-armed chair with a cushion; and within + the chimney-corner were a couple of seats. Here, at Christmas, + he entertained his tenants assembled round a glowing fire made + of the roots of trees and other great logs, and told and heard + the traditionary tales of the village respecting ghosts and + witches till fear made them afraid to move. In the mean time + the jorum of ale was in continual circulation. The best parlor, + which was never opened but on particular occasions, was + furnished with Turk-worked chairs, and hung round with + portraits of his ancestors—the men, some in the character + of shepherds with their crooks, dressed in full suits and huge + full-bottomed perukes, and others in complete armor or + buff-coats; the females, likewise as shepherdesses with the + lamb and crook, all habited in high heads and flowing robes. + Alas! these men and these houses are no more! The luxury of the + times has obliged them to quit the country and become humble + dependants on great men, to solicit a place or commission, to + live in London, to rack their tenants and draw their rents + before due. The venerable mansion is in the mean time suffered + to tumble down or is partly upheld as a farm-house, till after + a few years the estate is conveyed to the steward of the + neighboring lord, or else to some nabob, contractor or limb of + the law."</p> + + <p>It is unquestionably owing to the love of country life + amongst the higher classes that England so early attained in + many respects what may be termed an even civilization. In + almost all other countries the traveler beyond the confines of + a few great cities finds himself in a region of comparative + semi-barbarism. But no one familiar with English country life + can say that this is the case in the rural districts of + England, whilst it is most unquestionably so in Ireland, simply + because she has through absenteeism been deprived of those + influences which have done so much for her wealthy sister. Go + where you will in England to-day, and you will find within five + miles of you a good turnpike road, leading to an inn hard by, + where you may get a clean and comfortable though simple dinner, + good bread, good butter, and a carriage—"fly" is the term + now, as in the days of Mr. Jonathan Oldbuck—to convey you + where you will. And this was the case long before railways came + into vogue.</p> + + <p>The influence of the great house has very wide + ramifications, and extends far beyond the radius of park, + village and estate. It greatly affects the prosperity of the + country and county towns. Go into Exeter or Shrewsbury on a + market-day in the autumn months, and you will find the streets + crowded with carriages. If a local herald be with you, he will + tell you all about their owners by glancing at the liveries and + panels. They belong, half of them, to the old county gentry, + who have shopped here—always at the same shops, according + as their proprietors are Whigs or Tories—for generations. + It may well be imagined what a difference the custom of twenty + gentlemen spending on an average twenty-five thousand dollars a + year makes to a grocer or draper. Besides, this class of + customer demands a first-rate article, and consequently it is + worth while to keep it in stock. The fishmonger knows that + twenty great houses within ten miles require their handsome + dish of fish for dinner as regularly as their bread and butter. + It becomes worth his while therefore to secure a steady supply. + In this way smaller people profit, and country life becomes + pleasant to them too, inasmuch as the demands of the rich + contribute to the comfort of those in moderate + circumstances.</p> + + <p>Let us pass to the daily routine of an affluent country + home. The breakfast hour is from nine to eleven, except where + hunting-men or enthusiasts in shooting are concerned. The + former are often in the saddle before six, and young + partridge-slayers may, during the first fortnight of + September—after that their ardor abates a bit—be + found in the stubbles at any hour after sunrise.</p> + + <p>A country-house breakfast in the house of a gentlemen with + from three thousand a year upward, when several guests are in + the house, is a very attractive meal. Of course its degree of + excellence varies, but we will take an average case in the + house of a squire living on his paternal acres with five + thousand pounds a year and knowing how to live.</p> + + <p>It is 10 A.M. in October: family prayers, usual in nine + country-houses out of ten, which a guest can attend or not as + he pleases, are over. The company is gradually gathering in the + breakfast-room. It is an ample apartment, paneled with oak and + hung with family pictures. If you have any appreciation for + fine plate—and you are to be pitied if you have + not—you will mark the charming shape and exquisite + chasing of the antique urn and other silver vessels, which + shine as brilliantly as on the day they left the silversmiths + to Her Majesty, Queen Anne. No "Brummagem" patterns will you + find here.</p> + + <p>On the table at equidistant points stand two tiny tables or + dumb-waiters, which are made to revolve. On these are placed + sugar, cream, butter, preserves, salt, pepper, mustard, etc., + so that every one can help himself without troubling + others—a great desideratum, for many people are of the + same mind on this point as a well-known English family, of whom + it was once observed that they were very nice people, but + didn't like being bored to pass the mustard.</p> + + <p>On the sideboard are three beautiful silver dishes with + spirit-lamps beneath them. Let us look under their covers. + Broiled chicken, fresh mushrooms on toast, and stewed kidney. + On a larger dish is fish, and ranged behind these hot viands + are cold ham, tongue, pheasant and game-pie. On huge platters + of wood, with knives to correspond, are farm-house brown bread + and white bread, whilst on the breakfast-table itself you will + find hot rolls, toast—of which two or three fresh relays + are brought in during breakfast—buttered toast, muffins + and the freshest of eggs. The hot dishes at breakfast are + varied almost every morning, and where there is a good cook a + variety of some twenty dishes is made.</p> + + <p>Marmalade (Marie Malade) of oranges—said to have been + originally prepared for Mary queen of Scots when ill, and + introduced by her into Scotland—and "jams" of apricot and + other fruit always form a part of an English or Scotch + breakfast. The living is just as good—often + better—among the five-thousand-pounds-a-year gentry as + among the very wealthy: the only difference lies in the number + of servants and guests.</p> + + <p>The luncheon-hour is from one to two. At luncheon there will + be a roast leg of mutton or some such <i>pièce de + résistance</i>, and a made dish, such as minced + veal—a dish, by the way, not the least understood in this + country, where it is horribly mangled—two hot dishes of + meat and several cold, and various sorts of pastry. These, with + bread, butter, fruit, cheese, sherry, port, claret and beer, + complete the meal.</p> + + <p>Few of the men of the party are present at this meal, and + those who are eat but little, reserving their forces until + dinner. All is placed on the table at once, and not, as at + dinner, in courses. The servants leave the room when they have + placed everything on the table, and people wait on themselves. + Dumb-waiters with clean plates, glasses, etc. stand at each + corner of the table, so that there is very little need to get + up for what you want.</p> + + <p>The afternoon is usually passed by the ladies alone or with + only one or two gentlemen who don't care to shoot, etc., and is + spent in riding, driving and walking. Englishwomen are great + walkers. With their skirts conveniently looped up, and boots + well adapted to defy the mud, they brave all sorts of weather. + "Oh it rains! what a bore! We can't go out," said a young lady, + standing at the breakfast-room window at a house in Ireland; to + which her host rejoined, "If you don't go out here when it + rains, you don't go out at all;" which is pretty much the + truth.</p> + + <p>About five o'clock, as you sit over your book in the + library, you hear a rapid firing off of guns, which apprises + you that the men have returned from shooting. They linger a + while in the gun-room talking over their sport and seeing the + record of the killed entered in the game-book. Then some, + doffing the shooting-gear for a free-and-easy but scrupulously + neat attire, repair to the ladies' sitting-room or the library + for "kettledrum."</p> + + <p>On a low table is placed the tea equipage, and tea in + beautiful little cups is being dispensed by fair hands. This is + a very pleasant time in many houses, and particularly favorable + to fun and flirtation. In houses where there are children, the + cousins of the house and others very intimate adjourn to the + school-room, where, when the party is further reinforced by + three or four boys home for the holidays, a scene of fun and + frolic, which it requires all the energies of the staid + governess to prevent going too far, ensues.</p> + + <p>So time speeds on until the dressing-bell rings at seven + o'clock, summoning all to prepare for the great event of the + day—dinner. Every one dons evening-attire for this meal; + and so strong a feeling obtains on this point that if, in case + of his luggage going wrong or other accident, a man is + compelled to join the party in morning-clothes, he feels + painfully "fish-out-of-waterish." We know, indeed, of a case in + which a guest absurdly sensitive would not come down to dinner + until the arrival of his things, which did not make their + appearance for a week.</p> + + <p>Ladies' dress in country-houses depends altogether upon the + occasion. If it be a quiet party of intimate friends, their + attire is of the simplest, but in many fashionable houses the + amount of dressing is fully as great as in London. English + ladies do not dress nearly as expensively or with so much taste + as Americans, but, on the other hand, they have the subject + much less in their thoughts; which is perhaps even more + desirable.</p> + + <p>There is a degree of pomp and ceremony, which, however, is + far from being unpleasant, at dinner in a large country-house. + The party is frequently joined by the rector and his wife, a + neighboring squire or two, and a stray parson, so that it + frequently reaches twenty. Of course in this case the + pleasantness of the prandial period depends largely upon whom + you have the luck to get next to; but there's this advantage in + the situation over a similar one in London—that you have, + at all events, a something of local topics in common, having + picked up a little knowledge of places and people during your + stay, or if you are quite a new-comer, you can easily set your + neighbor a-going by questions about surroundings. Generally + there is some acquaintance between most of the people staying + in a house, as hosts make up their parties with the view of + accommodating persons wishing to meet others whom they like. + Young men will thus frequently get a good-natured hostess to + ask some young lady whose society they especially affect, and + thus country-houses become proverbially adapted for + match-making.</p> + + <p>There are few houses now-a-days in which the gentlemen + linger in the dining-room long after the ladies have left it. + Habits of hard drinking are now almost entirely confined to + young men in the army and the lower classes. The evenings are + spent chiefly in conversation: sometimes a rubber of whist is + made up, or, if there are a number of young people, there is + dancing.</p> + + <p>A rather surprising step which occasioned something of a + scandalous sensation in the social world was resorted to some + years ago at a country-house in Devonshire. Two or three fast + young ladies, finding the evening somewhat heavy, and lamenting + a dearth of dancing men, rang the bell, and in five minutes the + lady of the house, who was in another room, was aghast at + seeing them whirling round in their Jeames's arms. It was + understood that the ringleader in this enterprise, the daughter + of an Irish earl, was not likely to be asked to repeat her + visit.</p> + + <p>About eleven wine and water and biscuits are brought into + the drawing-room, and a few minutes later the ladies retire. + The wine and water, with the addition of other stimulants, are + then transferred to the billiard- and smoking-rooms, to which + the gentlemen adjourn so soon as they have changed their black + coats for dressing-gowns or lounging suits, in which great + latitude is given to the caprice of individual fancy.</p> + + <p>The sittings in these apartments are protracted until any + hour, as the servants usually go to bed when they have provided + every one with his flat candle-stick—that emblem of + gentility which always so prominently recurred to the mind of + Mrs. Micawber when recalling the happy days when she "lived at + home with papa and mamma." In some fast houses pretty high play + takes place at such times.</p> + + <p>It not unfrequently happens that the master of the house + takes but a very limited share in the recreations of his + guests, being much engrossed by the various avocations which + fall to the lot of a country proprietor. After breakfast in the + morning he will make it his business to see that each gentleman + is provided with such recreation as he likes for the day. This + man will shoot, that one will fish; Brown will like to have a + horse and go over to see some London friends who are staying + ten miles off; Jones has heaps of letters which must be written + in the morning, but will ride with the ladies in the afternoon; + and when all these arrangements are completed the squire will + drive off with his old confidential groom in the dog-cart, with + that fast-trotting bay, to attend the county meeting in the + nearest cathedral town or dispense justice from the bench at + Pottleton; and when eight o'clock brings all together at dinner + an agreeable diversity is given to conversation by each man's + varied experiences during the day.</p> + + <p>Of course some houses are desperately dull, whilst others + are always agreeable. Haddo House, during the lifetime of Lord + Aberdeen, the prime minister, had an exceptional reputation for + the former quality. It was said to be the most silent house in + England; and silence in this instance was regarded as quite the + reverse of golden. The family scarcely ever spoke, and the + guest, finding that his efforts brought no response, became + alarmed at the echoes of his own voice. Lord Aberdeen and his + son, Lord Haddo—an amiable but weak and eccentric man, + father of the young earl who dropped his title and was drowned + whilst working as mate of a merchantman—did not get on + well together, and saw very little of each other for some + years. At length a reconciliation was effected, and the son was + invited to Haddo. Anxious to be pleasant and conciliatory, he + faltered out admiringly, "The place looks nice, the trees are + very green." "Did you expect to see 'em blue, then?" was the + encouraging paternal rejoinder.</p> + + <p>The degree of luxury in many of these great houses is less + remarkable than its completeness. Everything is in keeping, + thus presenting a remarkable contrast to most of our rich men's + attempts at the same. The dinner, cooked by a <i>cordon + bleu</i> of the cuisine<a id="footnotetag3" + name="footnotetag3"></a><a href="#footnote3"><sup>3</sup></a>—whose + resources in the way of "hot plates" and other accessories + for furnishing a superlative dinner are unrivaled—is + often served on glittering plate, or china almost equally + valuable, by men six feet high, of splendid figure, and + dressed with the most scrupulous neatness and cleanliness. + Gloves are never worn by servants in first-rate English + houses, but they carry a tiny napkin in their hands which + they place between their fingers and the plates. Nearly all + country gentlemen are hospitable, and it very rarely happens + that guests are not staying in the house. A county ball or + some other such gathering fills it from garret to + cellar.</p> + + <p>The best guest-rooms are always reserved for the married: + bachelors are stowed away comparatively "anywhere." In winter + fires are always lit in the bedrooms about five o'clock, so + that they may be warm at dressing-time; and shortly before the + dressing-bell rings the servant deputed to attend upon a guest + who does not bring a valet with him goes to his room, lays out + his evening-toilette, puts shirt, socks, etc. to air before the + fire, places a capacious pitcher of boiling water on the + washing-stand, and having lit the candles, drawn the easy-chair + to the fire, just ready on provocation to burst into a blaze, + lights the wax candles on the dressing-table and withdraws.</p> + + <p>In winter the guest is asked whether he likes a fire to get + up by, and in that event a housemaid enters early with as + little noise as possible and lights it. On rising in the + morning you find all your clothes carefully brushed and put in + order, and every appliance for ample ablutions at hand.</p> + + <p>A guest gives the servant who attends him a tip of from a + dollar and a quarter to five dollars, according to the length + of his stay. If he shoots, a couple of sovereigns for a week's + sport is a usual fee to a keeper. Some people give absurdly + large sums, but the habit of giving them has long been on the + decline. The keeper supplies powder and shot, and sends in an + account for them. Immense expense is involved in these shooting + establishments. The late Sir Richard Sutton, a great celebrity + in the sporting world, who had the finest shooting in England, + and therefore probably in the world, used to say that every + pheasant he killed cost him a guinea. On some estates the sale + of the game is in some degree a set-off to the cost of + maintaining it, just as the sale of the fruit decreases the + cost of pineries, etc. Nothing but the fact that the possession + of land becomes more and more vested in those who regard it as + luxury could have enabled this sacrifice of farming to sport to + continue so long. It is the source of continual complaint and + resentment on the part of the farmers, who are only pacified by + allowance being made to them out of their rent for damage done + by game.</p> + + <p>The expense of keeping up large places becomes heavier every + year, owing to the constantly-increasing rates of wages, etc., + and in some cases imposes a grievous burden, eating heavily + into income and leaving men with thousands of acres very poor + balances at their bankers to meet the Christmas bills. Those + who have large families to provide for, and get seriously + behindhand, usually shut up or let their places—which + latter is easily done if they be near London or in a good + shooting country—and recoup on the Continent; but of late + years prices there have risen so enormously that this plan of + restoring the equilibrium between income and expenditure is far + less satisfactory than it was forty years ago. The encumbrances + on many estates are very heavy. A nobleman who twenty years ago + succeeded to an entailed estate, with a house almost gutted, + through having had an execution put in it, and a heavy + debt—some of which, though not legally bound to + liquidate, he thought it his duty to settle—acted in a + very spirited manner which few of his order have the courage to + imitate. He dropped his title, went abroad and lived for some + years on about three thousand dollars a year. He has now paid + off all his encumbrances, and has a clear income, steadily + increasing, of a hundred thousand dollars a year. In another + case a gentleman accomplished a similar feat by living in a + corner of his vast mansion and maintaining only a couple of + servants.</p> + + <p>In Ireland, owing to the lower rates of wages and far + greater—in the remoter parts—cheapness of + provisions, large places can be maintained at considerably less + cost, but they are usually far less well kept, partly owing to + their being on an absurdly large scale as compared with the + means of the proprietors, and partly from the slovenly habits + of the country. And in some cases people who could afford it + will not spend the money. There are, however, notable + exceptions. Powerscourt in Wicklow, the seat of Viscount + Powerscourt, and Woodstock in Kilkenny, the beautiful demesne + of Mr. Tighe, are probably in as perfect order as any seats in + England. A countryman was sent over to the latter one day with + a message from another county. "Well, Jerry," said the master + on his return, "what did you think of Woodstock?" "Shure, your + honor," was the reply, "I niver seed such a power of girls + a-swaping up the leaves."</p> + + <p>Country-house life in Ireland and Scotland is almost + identical with that in England, except that, in the former + especially, there is generally less money. Scotland has of late + years become so much the fashion, land has risen so enormously + in value, and properties are so very large, that some of the + establishments, such as those at Drumlanrig, Dunrobin, Gordon + Castle and Floors, the seats respectively of the dukes of + Buccleuch, Sutherland, Richmond and Roxburghe, are on a + princely scale. The number of wealthy squires is far fewer than + in England. It is a curious feature in the Scottish character + that notwithstanding the radical politics of the + country—for scarcely a Conservative is returned by + it—the people cling fondly to primogeniture and their + great lords, who, probably to a far greater extent than in + England, hold the soil. The duke of Sutherland possesses nearly + the whole of the county from which he derives his title, whilst + the duke of Buccleuch owns the greater part of four.</p> + + <p>Horses are such a very expensive item that a large stable is + seldom found unless there is a very large income, for otherwise + the rest of the establishment must be cut down to a low figure. + Hunting millionaires keep from ten to twenty, or even thirty, + hacks and hunters, besides four or five carriage-horses. Three + or four riding-horses, three carriage-horses and a pony or two + is about the usual number in the stable of a country gentleman + with from five to six thousand pounds a year. The stable-staff + would be coachman, groom and two helpers. The number of + servants in country-houses varies from seven or eight to + eighty, but probably there are not ten houses in the country + where it reaches so high a figure as the last: from fifteen to + twenty would be a common number.</p> + + <p>There are many popular bachelors and old maids who live + about half the year in the country-houses of their friends. A + gentleman of this sort will have his chambers in London and his + valet, whilst the lady will have her lodgings and maid. In + London they will live cheaply and comfortably, he at his club + and dining out with rich friends, she in her snug little room + and passing half her time in friends' houses. There is not the + slightest surrender of independence about these people. They + would not stay a day in a house which they did not like, but + their pleasant manners and company make them acceptable, and + friends are charmed to have them.</p> + + <p>One of the special recommendations of a great country-house + is that you need not see too much of any one. There is no + necessary meeting except at meals—in many houses then + even only at dinner—and in the evening. Many sit a great + deal in their own rooms if they have writing or work to do; + some will be in the billiard-room, others in the library, + others in the drawing-room: the host's great friend will be + with him in his own private room, whilst the hostess's will + pass most of the time in that lady's + boudoir.<a id="footnotetag4" + name="footnotetag4"></a><a href="#footnote4"><sup>4</sup></a></p> + + <p>In some respects railroads have had a very injurious effect + on the sociability of English country life. They have rendered + people in great houses too apt to draw their supplies of + society exclusively from town. English trains run so fast that + this can even be done in places quite remote from London. The + journey from London to Rugby, for instance, eighty miles, is + almost invariably accomplished in two hours. Leaving at five in + the afternoon, a man reaches that station at 7.10: his friend's + well-appointed dog-cart is there to meet him, and that + exquisitely neat young groom, with his immaculate buckskins and + boots in which you may see yourself, will make the thoroughbred + do the four miles to the hall in time to enable you to dress + for dinner by 7.45. Returning on Tuesday morning—and all + the lines are most accommodating about return tickets—the + barrister, guardsman, government clerk can easily be at his + post in town by eleven o'clock. Thus the actual "country + people" get to be held rather cheap, and come off badly, + because Londoners, being more in the way of hearing, seeing and + observing what is going on in society, are naturally more + congenial to fine people in country-houses who live in the + metropolis half the year.</p> + + <p>It is evident from the following amusing squib, which + appeared in one of the Annuals for 1832, how far more dependent + the country gentleman was upon his country neighbors in those + days, when only idle men could run down from town:</p> + + <p>"Mr. J., having frequently witnessed with regret country + gentlemen, in their country-houses, reduced to the dullness of + a domestic circle, and nearly led to commit suicide in the + month of November, or, what is more melancholy, to invite the + ancient and neighboring families of the Tags, the Rags and the + Bobtails, has opened an office in Spring Gardens for the + purpose of furnishing country gentlemen in their country-houses + with company and guests on the most moderate terms. It will + appear from the catalogue that Mr. J. has a choice and elegant + assortment of six hundred and seventeen guests, ready to start + at a moment's warning to any country gentleman at any house. + Among them will be found three Scotch peers, several ditto + Irish, fifteen decayed baronets, eight yellow admirals, + forty-seven major-generals on half pay (who narrate the whole + Peninsular War), twenty-seven dowagers, one hundred and + eighty-seven old maids on small annuities, and several + unbeneficed clergymen, who play a little on the fiddle. All the + above play at cards, and usually with success if partners. No + objection to cards on Sunday evenings or rainy mornings. The + country gentleman to allow the guests four feeds a day, and to + produce claret if a Scotch or Irish peer be present."</p> + + <p>A country village very often has no inhabitants except the + parson holding the rank of gentry. The majority of ladies in + moderate or narrow circumstances live in county-towns, such as + Exeter, Salisbury, etc., or in watering-places, which abound + and are of all degrees of fashion and expense. County-town and + watering-place society is a thing <i>per se</i>, and has very + little to do with "county" society, which means that of the + landed gentry living in their country-houses. Thus, noblemen + and gentlemen within a radius of five miles of such + watering-places as Bath, Tonbridge Wells and Weymouth would not + have a dozen visiting acquaintances resident in those + towns.</p> + + <p>To get into "county" society is by no means easy to persons + without advantages of position or connection, even with ample + means, and to the wealthy manufacturer or merchant is often a + business of years. The upper class of Englishmen, and more + especially women, are accustomed to find throughout their + acquaintance an almost identical style and set of manners. + Anything which differs from this they are apt to regard as + "ungentlemanlike or unladylike," and shun accordingly. The + dislike to traders and manufacturers, which is very strong in + those counties, such as Cheshire and Warwickshire, which + environ great commercial centres, arises not from the folly of + thinking commerce a low occupation, but because the county + gentry have different tastes, habits and modes of thought from + men who have worked their way up from the counting-room, and do + not, as the phrase goes, "get on" with them, any more than a + Wall street broker ordinarily gets on with a well-read, + accomplished member of the Bar.</p> + + <p>A result of this is that a large number of wealthy + commercial men, in despair of ever entering the charmed circle + of county society, take up their abode in or near the + fashionable watering-places, where, after the manner of those + at our own Newport, they build palaces in paddocks, have acres + of glass, rear the most marvelous of pines and peaches, and + have model farms which cost them thousands of pounds a year. To + this class is owing in a great degree the extraordinary + increase of Leamington, Torquay, Tonbridge Wells, + etc.—places which have made the fortunes of the lucky + people who chanced to own them.</p> + + <p>English ladies, as a rule, take a great deal of interest in + the poor around them, and really know a great deal of them. The + village near the hall is almost always well attended to, but it + unfortunately happens that outlying properties sometimes come + off far less well. The classes which see nothing of each other + in English rural life are the wives and daughters of the gentry + and those of the wealthier farmers and tradesmen: between these + sections a huge gulf intervenes, which has not as yet been in + the least degree bridged over. In former days very great people + used to have once or twice in the year what were called "public + days," when it was open house for all who chose to come, with a + sort of tacit understanding that none below the class of + substantial yeomen or tradesmen would make their appearance. + This custom has now fallen into disuse, but was maintained to + the last by the Hon. Doctor Vernon-Harcourt, who was for more + than half a century archbishop of York, and is yet retained by + Earl Fitzwilliam at Wentworth House, his princely seat in + Yorkshire. There, once or twice a year, a great gathering takes + place. Dinner is provided for hundreds of guests, and care is + taken to place a member of the family at every table to do his + or her part toward dispensing hospitality to high and low.</p> + + <p>During the summer and early autumn croquet and archery offer + good excuses for bringing young people together, and reunions + of this kind palliate the miseries of those who cannot afford + to partake of the expensive gayeties of the London season. The + archery meetings are often exceedingly pretty fêtes. + Somtimes they are held in grounds specially devoted to the + purpose, as is the case at St. Leonard's, near Hastings, where + the archery-ground will well repay a visit. The shooting takes + place in a deep and vast excavation covered with the smoothest + turf, and from the high ground above is a glorious view of the + old castle of Hastings and the ocean. In Devonshire these + meetings have an exceptional interest from the fact that they + are held in the park of Powderham Castle, the ancestral seat of + the celebrated family of Courtenay. All the county flocks to + them, some persons coming fifty miles for this purpose. Apropos + of one of these meetings, we shall venture to interpolate an + anecdote which deserves to be recorded for the sublimity of + impudence which it displays. The railway from London to + Plymouth skirts the park of Powderham, running so close beside + it that each train sends a herd of deer scampering down the + velvety glades. One afternoon a bouncing young lady, who + belonged to a family which had lately emerged from the class of + yeoman into that of gentry, and whose "manners had not the + repose which stamps the caste of Vere de Vere," found herself + in a carriage with two fashionably-attired persons of her own + sex. As the train ran by the park, one of these latter + exclaimed to her companion, "Oh look, there's Powderham! Don't + you remember that archery-party we went to there two years + ago?" "To be sure," was the rejoinder. "I'm not likely to + forget it, there were some such queer people. Who were those + vulgarians whom we thought so particularly objectionable? I + can't remember." "Oh, H——: H—— of + P——! That was the name." Upon this the other young + lady in the carriage bounced to her feet with the words, "Allow + me to tell you, madam, that I am Miss H—— of + P——!" Neither of those she addressed deigned to + utter a word in reply to this announcement, nor did it appear + in the least to disconcert them. One slowly drew out a gold + double eye-glass, leisurely surveyed Miss H—— of + P—— from head to foot, and then proceeded to talk + to her companion in French. Perhaps the best part of the joke + was that Miss H—— made a round of visits in the + course of the week, and detailed the disgusting treatment to + which she had been subjected to a numerous acquaintance, who, + it is needless to say, appeared during the narration as + indignant and sympathetic as she could have wished, but who are + declared by some ill-natured persons to have been precisely + those who in secret chuckled over the insult with the greatest + glee.</p> + + <p>English gentlemen experience an almost painful sensation as + they journey through our land and observe the utter + indifference of its wealthier classes to the charms of such a + magnificent country. "Pearls before swine," they say in their + hearts. "God made the country and man made the town." "Yes, and + how obviously the American prefers the work of man to the work + of the Almighty!" These and similar reflections no doubt fill + the minds of many a thoughtful English traveler as the train + speeds over hill and dale, field and forest. What sites are + here! he thinks. What a perfect park might be made out of that + wild ground! what cover-shooting there ought to be in that + woodland! what fishing and boating on that lake! And then he + groans in spirit as the cars enter a forest where tree leans + against tree, and neglect reigns on all sides, and he thinks of + the glorious oaks and beeches so carefully cared for in his own + country, where trees and flowery are loved and petted as much + as dogs and horses. And if anything can increase the contempt + he feels for those who "don't care a rap" for country and + country life, it is a visit to such resorts as Newport and + Saratoga. There he finds men whose only notion of country life + is what he would hold to be utterly destitute of all its + ingredients. They build palaces in paddocks, take actually no + exercise, play at cards for three hours in the forenoon, dine, + and then drive out "just like ladies," we heard a young Oxonian + exclaim—"got up" in the style that an Englishman adopts + only in Hyde Park or Piccadilly.</p> + + <p>When an American went to stay with Lord Palmerston at + Broadlands, the great minister ordered horses for a ride in the + delicious glades of the New Forest. When they came to the door + his guest was obliged to confess himself no horseman. The + premier, with ready courtesy, said, "Oh, then, we'll walk: it's + all the same to me;" but it wasn't quite the same. The incident + was just one of those which separate the Englishman of a + certain rank from the American.</p> + + <p>There is of course a certain class of Americans, more + especially among the <i>jeunesse dorée</i> of New York, + who greatly affect sport: they "run" horses and shoot pigeons, + but these are not persons who commend themselves to real + gentlemen, English or American. They belong to the bad style of + "fast men," and are as thoroughly distasteful to a Devonshire + or Cheshire squire as to one who merits "the grand old + name"—which they conspicuously defame—in their own + country.</p> + + <p>The English country-loving gentleman to whom we have been + referring is, for the most part, of a widely different + mould—a man of first-rate education, frequently of high + attainments, and often one whose ends and aims in life are for + far higher things than pleasure, even of the most innocent + kind, but who, when he takes it, derives it chiefly from the + country. Many of this kind will instantly occur to those + acquainted with English worthies: to mention two—John + Evelyn and Sir Fowell Buxton.</p> + + <p class="author">REGINALD WYNFORD.</p><a name="H_4_0012" + id="H_4_0012"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + + <h2>THE FOREST OF ARDEN.</h2> + + <p>A girl of seventeen—a girl with a "missish" name, with + a "missish" face as well, soft skin, bright eyes, dark hair, + medium height and a certain amount of coquetry in her attire. + This completes the "visible" of Nellie Archer. And the + invisible? With an exterior such as this, what thoughts or + ideas are possible within? Surely none worth the trouble of + searching after. It is a case of the rind being the better part + of the fruit, the shell excelling the kernel; and with a slight + effort we can imagine her acquirements. Some scraps of + geography, mixed up with the topography of an embroidery + pattern; some grammar, of much use in parsing the imperfect + phrases of celebrated authors, to the neglect of her own; some + romanticism, finding expression in the arrangement of a spray + of artificial flowers on a spring bonnet; some idea of duty, + resulting in the manufacture of sweet cake or "seeing after" + the dessert for dinner; and a conception of "woman's mission" + gained from Tennyson—</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">Oh teach the orphan-boy to read,</p> + + <p class="i2">Or teach the orphan-girl to sew.</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>No! no! no! not so fast, please. In spite of Nellie's name, + of her face, of her attire, that little head is filled quite + otherwise. It is not her fault that this is so: is it her + misfortune? But to give the history of this being entire, it is + necessary to begin seventeen years back, at the very beginning + of her life, for in our human nature, as in the inanimate + world, a phenomenon is better understood when we know its + producing causes.</p> + + <p>Nellie's father was a business-man of a type common in + America—one whose affairs led him here, there and + everywhere. Never quiet while awake, and scarcely at rest + during slumber, he resembled Bedreddin Hassan in frequently + going to sleep in one town, to awake in another far distant, + but without the benighted Oriental's surprise at the transfer, + the afrit who performed this prodigy being a steam-engine, and + the magician it obeyed the human mind.</p> + + <p>In these rapid peregrinations it would not have been easy + for Mr. Archer to carry an infant with him; so, when his wife + died and left Nellie to his sole care at six months old, he + speedily cast about in his mind to rid himself of the + encumbrance.</p> + + <p>Having heard that country air is good for children, he sent + the little one to the interior, and quite admired himself for + giving her such an advantage: then, too, the house in the city + could be sold.</p> + + <p>But to whom did he entrust his child? For a while this had + been the great difficulty. In vain he thought over the years he + had lived, to find a friend: he had been too busy to make + friends. For an honest person he had traversed the world too + hurriedly to perceive the deeper, better part of mankind; he + had floated on the surface with the scum and froth, and could + recall no one whom he could trust. At last, away back in the + years of his childhood, he saw a face—that of a young but + motherly Irishwoman, who had lived in his father's family as a + faithful servant, and had been a fond partisan of his in his + fickle troubles when a boy.</p> + + <p>He sought and found her in his need. She had married, borne + children and grown old: her offspring, after much struggling + and little help from the parent birds, had learned to fly + alone, and had left the home-nest to try their own fortunes. It + was not hard for Mr. Archer to persuade Nurse Bridget and her + husband to inhabit his house in the country and take charge of + the baby. In a short time the arrangements were complete, and + the three were installed in comfort, for the busy man did not + grudge money.</p> + + <p>If in the long years that followed a thought of the + neglected little one did at times reproach him, he dismissed it + with the resolution of doing something for her when she should + be grown up; but at what date this event was to take place, or + what it was that he intended to do, he did not definitely + settle.</p> + + <p>The mansion in the country was an old rambling house, in + which there were enough deserted rooms to furnish half a dozen + ghosts with desirable lodgings, without inconvenience to the + living dwellers. The front approach was through an avenue of + hemlocks, dark and untrimmed. Under the closed windows lay a + tangled garden, where flowers grew rank, shadowed by high ash + and leafy oak, outposts of the forest behind—a forest + jealous of cultivation, stealthily drawing nearer each year, + and threatening to reconquer its own.</p> + + <p>There was an unused well in a corner that looked like the + habitation of a fairy—of a good fairy, I am sure, because + the grass grew greenest and best about the worn curb, and the + tender mosses and little plants that could not support the heat + in summer found a refuge within its cool circle and flourished + there.</p> + + <p>On the other side of the house, and dividing it from level + fields, were the kitchen-garden and orchard. In springtime you + might have imagined the latter to be a grove of singing trees, + bearing song for fruit: in autumn, had you seen it when the sun + was low, glinting through leaves and gilding apples and stem, + you would have been reminded of the garden of the + Hesperides.</p> + + <p>Below the fields lay a broad river—in summer, languid + and clear; in winter, turbid and full. The child often wondered + (as soon as she could wonder) if, when it was lying so tranquil + under the summer clouds, it was thinking of the frolic it would + have with the great blocks of ice in the winter; whether it + loved best the rush and struggle of the floods or the quiet of + low water; and, above all, whither it was going.</p> + + <p>The homely faces and bent, ungainly forms of the old nurse + and her husband harmonized well with the mellow gloom about + them; and the infant Nellie completed the scene, like the spot + of sunlight in the foreground of a picture by Rembrandt.</p> + + <p>Now, Nellie inherited her father's active disposition, and, + left to her own amusement, her occupations were many and + various. At three years of age she was turned loose in the + orchard, with three blind puppies in lieu of toys. Day by day + she augmented her store, until she had two kittens, one little + white pig with a curly tail, half a dozen soft piepies, one + kid, and many inanimate articles, such as broken bottles, + dishes, looking-glass and gay bits of calico. When the little + thing became sleepy she would toddle through the long grass to + a corner, whence the river could be heard fretting against its + banks, and lie there: she said the water sang to her. Finding + that this was her favorite spot, the old nurse placed there a + bright quilt for her to rest on, and in case she should awake + hungry there stood a tin of milk hard by. This was all the + attention she received, unless the fairy of the well took her + under her protection, but for that I cannot vouch. Sometimes + the puppies drank her milk before she awoke; then she went + contentedly and ate green apples or ripe cherries. Thus she + lived and grew.</p> + + <p>By the time Nellie was seven she had seen whole generations + of pets pass away. It was wonderful what knowledge she gained + in this golden orchard. She knew that piepies became + chickens—that they were killed and eaten; so death came + into her world. She knew that the kid grew into a big goat, and + became very wicked, for he ran at her one day, throwing her to + the ground and hurting her severely; so sin came into her + world. She saw innate depravity exemplified in the conduct of + her innocent white pig, that would take to puddles and filth in + spite of her gentle endeavors to restrain its wayward impulses. + Her puppies too bit each other, would quarrel over a bone, + growl and get generally unmanageable. None of her animals + fulfilled the promise of their youth, and her care was returned + with base ingratitude. Even the little wrens bickered with the + blue-birds, and showed their selfishness and jealousy in + chasing them from the crumbs she impartially spread for all in + common.</p> + + <p>So at seven she was a wise little woman, and said to her + nurse one day, "I do not care for pets any more: they all grow + up nasty."</p> + + <p>Was Solomon's "All is vanity" truer?</p> + + <p>With so much experience Nellie felt old, for life is not + counted by years alone: it is the loss of hope, the mistrust of + appearance, the vanishing of illusion, that brings age. A + hopeful heart is young at seventy, and youth is past when hope + is dead. But, in spite of all, hope was not dead in the heart + of the little maid, and though deceived she was quite ready to + be deceived a second time, as was Solomon, and as we are + all.</p> + + <p>It was now that the girl began to be fond of flowers. She + made herself a bed for them in a sunny corner of the + kitchen-garden, and transplanted daisy roots and + spring-beauties, with other wood- and field-plants as they + blossomed. She watched the ferns unroll their worm-like fronds, + made plays with the nodding violets, and ornamented her head + with dandelion curls. This was indeed a happy summer. Her + rambles were unlimited, and each day she was rewarded by new + discoveries and delightful secrets—how the May-apple is + good to eat, that sassafras root makes tea, that birch bark is + very like candy, though not so sweet, and slippery elm a + feast.</p> + + <p>Her new playmates were as lovely and perfect as she could + desire. <i>They</i> did not "grow up nasty," but in the autumn, + alas! they died.</p> + + <p>One day at the end of the Indian summer, after having + wandered for hours searching for her favorites, she found them + all withered. The trees also looked forlorn, shivering in the + chill air, with scarce a leaf to cover them: the wind moaned, + and the sky was gray instead of the bright summer blue. The + little one, tired and disappointed, touched by this mighty + lesson of decay, threw herself on a friendly bank and wept.</p> + + <p>It is true the beautiful face of Nature had grown sad each + winter, and her flowers and lovely things had yearly passed + away, but Nellie had not then loved them.</p> + + <p>Here she was found by a boy rosy-cheeked and bright, who all + his life had been loved and caressed to the same extent that + Nellie had been neglected. He lived beyond the forest, and had + come this afternoon to look for walnuts. Seeing the girl + unhappy, he essayed some of the blandishing arts his mother had + often lavished on him, speaking to her in a kindly tone and + asking her why she cried.</p> + + <p>The child looked up at the sound of this new voice, and her + astonishment stopped her tears. After gazing at him for some + time with her eyes wide open, she remarked, wonderingly, "You + are little, like me."</p> + + <p>"I am not very small," replied the boy, straightening + himself.</p> + + <p>"Oh, but you <i>are</i> young and little," she insisted.</p> + + <p>"I am young, but not little. Come stand up beside me. See! + you don't more than reach my shoulder."</p> + + <p>"Shall you ever get bigger?"</p> + + <p>"Of course I shall."</p> + + <p>"Shall you grow up nasty?" she continued, trying to bring + her stock of experience to bear on this new phenomenon.</p> + + <p>"No, I sha'n't!" he answered very decidedly.</p> + + <p>"Shall you die?"</p> + + <p>"No, not until I am old, old, old."</p> + + <p>"I am very glad: I will take you for a pet, All my little + animals get nasty, and my flowers have died, but I don't care, + now that you have come: I think I shall like you best."</p> + + <p>"But I won't be your pet," said the boy, offended.</p> + + <p>"Why not?" she asked, looking at him beseechingly. "I should + be very good to you;" and she smoothed his sleeve with her + brown hand as if it were the fur of one of her late + darlings.</p> + + <p>"Who are you?" he demanded inquisitively.</p> + + <p>"I am myself," she innocently replied.</p> + + <p>"What is your name?"</p> + + <p>"I am Nellie. Have you a name?" she eagerly went on. "If you + haven't, I'll give you a pretty one. Let me see: I will call + you—"</p> + + <p>"You need not trouble yourself, thank you: I have a name of + my own, Miss Nellie. I am Danby Overbeck."</p> + + <p>"Dan—by—o—ver—beck!" she repeated + slowly. "Why, you have an awful long name, Beck, for such a + little fellow."</p> + + <p>"I am not little, and I will not have you call me Beck: that + is no name."</p> + + <p>"I forgot all but the last. Don't get nasty, please;" and + she patted his arm soothingly. "What does your nurse call + you?"</p> + + <p>"I am no baby to have a nurse," he said disdainfully.</p> + + <p>"You have no nurse? Poor thing! What do you do? who feeds + you?"</p> + + <p>"I feed myself."</p> + + <p>"Where do you live," she asked, looking about curiously, as + if she thought he had some kind of a nest near at hand.</p> + + <p>"Oh, far away—at the other side of the woods."</p> + + <p>"Won't you come and live with me? Do!"</p> + + <p>"No indeed, gypsy: I must go home. See, the sun is almost + down. You had better go too: your mother will be anxious."</p> + + <p>"I have no mother, and my flowers are all dead. I wish you + would be my pet—I wish you would come with me;" and her + lip trembled.</p> + + <p>"My gracious, child! what would the old lady at home say? + Why, there would be an awful row."</p> + + <p>"Never mind, come," she answered coaxingly, rubbing her head + against his sleeve like a kitten. "Come, I will love you so + much."</p> + + <p>"You go home," he said, patting her head, "and I will come + again some day, and will bring you flowers."</p> + + <p>"The flowers are all dead," she replied, shaking her + head.</p> + + <p>"I can make some grow. Go now, run away: let me see you + off."</p> + + <p>She looked for a moment at this superior being, who could + make flowers grow and could live without the care of a nurse, + and then, obeying the stronger intelligence, she trotted off + toward home.</p> + + <p>And now life contained new pleasure for Nellie, for the boy + was large-hearted and kind, coming almost daily to take her + with him on his excursions. Indeed, he was as lonely as the + child, companions being difficult to find in that + out-of-the-way neighborhood, and the odd little thing amused + him. She would trudge bravely by his side when he went to fish, + or carry his bag when he went gunning; and his promise of + flowers was redeemed with gifts from the conservatory, which + enhanced her opinion of this divinity, seeing that they were + even more beautiful than those of her own fields. Often, when + tired of sport, Danby would read to her, sitting in the shade + of forest trees, stories of pirates and robbers or of wonderful + adventures: these were the afternoons she enjoyed the most.</p> + + <p>One day, seeing her lips grow bright and her eyes dark from + her intense interest in the story, he offered her the book as + he was preparing to go, saying, "Take it home, Nellie, and read + it."</p> + + <p>She took the volume in her hand eagerly, looked at the page + a little while, a puzzled expression gradually passing over her + face, until finally she turned to him open-eyed and + disappointed, saying simply, "I can't."</p> + + <p>"Oh try!"</p> + + <p>"How shall I try?"</p> + + <p>"It begins <i>there</i>: now go on, it is easy. + <i>There</i>" he repeated, pointing to the word, "go on," he + added impatiently.</p> + + <p>"Where shall I go?"</p> + + <p>"Why read, Stupid! Look at it."</p> + + <p>She bent over and gazed earnestly where the end of his + finger touched the book. "I look and look," she said, shaking + her head, "but I do not see the pretty stories that you do. + They seem quite gone away, and nothing is left but little + crooked marks."</p> + + <p>"I do believe you can't read."</p> + + <p>"I do believe it too," said Nellie.</p> + + <p>"But you must try; such a big girl as you are getting to + be!"</p> + + <p>"I try and I look, but it don't come to me."</p> + + <p>"You must learn."</p> + + <p>"Yes."</p> + + <p>"Do you intend to do it?"</p> + + <p>"Why should I? You can read to me."</p> + + <p>"You will never know anything," exclaimed the boy severely. + "How do you spend your time in the morning, when I am not + here?"</p> + + <p>"I do nothing."</p> + + <p>"Nothing?"</p> + + <p>"That is, I wait until you come," in an explanatory + tone.</p> + + <p>"What do you do while you are waiting?"</p> + + <p>"I think about you, and wonder how soon you will be here; + and I walk about, or lie on the grass and look at the + clouds."</p> + + <p>"Well, did I ever hear of such an idle girl? I shall not + come again if you don't learn to read." Nellie was not much + given to laughter or tears. She had lived too much alone for + such outward appeals for sympathy. Why laugh when there is no + one near to smile in return? Why weep when there is no one to + give comfort? She only regarded him with a world of reproach in + her large eyes.</p> + + <p>"Nellie," he said, in reply to her eyes, "you ought to learn + to read, and you <i>must</i>. Did no one ever try to teach + you?"</p> + + <p>She shook her head.</p> + + <p>"Have you no books?"</p> + + <p>Again a negative shake.</p> + + <p>"Just come along with me to the house. I'll see about this + thing: it must be stopped." And Danby rose and walked off with + a determined air, while the girl, abashed and wondering, + followed him. When they arrived he plunged into the subject at + once: "Nurse Bridget, can you read?"</p> + + <p>"An' I raly don't know, as I niver tried."</p> + + <p>"Fiddlesticks! Of course Maurice is too blind, and very + likely he never tried either. Are there no books in the + house?"</p> + + <p>"An' there is, then—a whole room full of them, Master + Danby. We are not people of no larnin' here, I can tell you. + There is big books, an' little books, an' some awful purty + books, an' some," she added doubtfully, "as is not so + purty."</p> + + <p>"You know a great deal about books!" said the boy + sarcastically.</p> + + <p>"An' sure I do. Haven't I dusted them once ivery year since + I came to this blessed place? And tired enough they made me, + too. I ain't likely to forgit them."</p> + + <p>"Well, let us see them."</p> + + <p>"Sure they're locked."</p> + + <p>"Open them," said the impatient boy.</p> + + <p>"Do open them," added Nellie timidly.</p> + + <p>But it required much coaxing to accomplish their design, and + after nurse did consent time was lost in looking for the keys, + which were at last found under a china bowl in the cupboard. + Then the old woman led the way with much importance, opening + door after door of the unused part of the house, until she came + to the library. It was a large, sober-looking room, with worn + furniture and carpet, but rich in literature, and even art, for + several fine pictures hung on the walls. The ancestor from whom + the house had descended must have been a learned man in his + day, and a wise, for he had gathered about him treasures. Danby + shouted with delight, and Nellie's eyes sparkled as she saw his + pleasure.</p> + + <p>"Open all the windows, nurse, please, and then leave us. + Why, Nellie, there is enough learning here to make you the most + wonderful woman in the world! Do you think you can get all + these books into your head?" he asked mischievously, "because + that is what I expect of you. We will take a big one to begin + with." The girl looked on while he, with mock ceremony, took + down the largest volume within reach and laid it open on a + reading-desk near. "Now sit;" and he drew a chair for her + before the open book, and another for himself. "It is nice big + print. Do you see this word?" and he pointed to one of the + first at the top of the page.</p> + + <p>She nodded her head gravely.</p> + + <p>"It is <i>love</i>: say it."</p> + + <p>She repeated the word after him.</p> + + <p>"Now find it all over the page whereever it occurs."</p> + + <p>With some mistakes she finally succeeded in recognizing the + word again.</p> + + <p>"Don't you forget it."</p> + + <p>"Yes."</p> + + <p>"No, you must <i>not</i>."</p> + + <p>"I mean I won't."</p> + + <p>"All right! Here is another: it is called <i>the</i>. Now + find it."</p> + + <p>Many times she went through the same process. In his pride + of teaching Danby did not let his pupil flag. When he was going + she asked timidly, "Shall you come again?"</p> + + <p>"Of course I shall, Ignoramus, but don't you forget your + lesson."</p> + + <p>"No, no," she answered brightening. "I will think of it all + the time I am asleep."</p> + + <p>"That is a good girl," he said patronizingly, and bade her + good-bye.</p> + + <p>It was thus she learned to read, not remarkably well, but + well enough to content Danby, which was sufficient to content + Nellie also; and the ambitious boy was not satisfied until she + could write as well.</p> + + <p>An end came to this peaceful life when the youth left home + for college. The girl's eyes seemed to grow larger from intense + gazing at him during the last few weeks that preceded his + departure, but that was her only expression of feeling. The + morning after he left, the nurse, not finding her appear at her + usual time, went to her chamber to look for her. She lay on the + bed, as she had been lying all the night, sleepless, with pale + face and red lips. Nurse asked her what was the matter.</p> + + <p>"Nothing," was the reply.</p> + + <p>"Come get up, Beauty," coaxed the nurse.</p> + + <p>But Nellie turned her face to the wall and did not answer. + She lay thus for a week, scarcely eating or sleeping, sick in + mind and body, struggling with a grief that she hardly knew was + grief. At the end of that time she tottered from the bed, and, + clothing herself with difficulty, crept to the library.</p> + + <p>The instinct that sends a sick animal to the plant that will + cure it seemed to teach Nellie where to find comfort. Danby was + gone, but memory remained, and the place where he had been was + to her made holy and possessed healing power, as does the + shrine of a saint for a believer. Her shrine was the + reading-desk, and the chair on which he had sat during those + happy lessons. To make all complete, she lifted the heavy book + from the shelf and opened it at the page from which she had + first learned. She put herself in his chair and caressed the + words with her thin hand, her fingers trembling over the place + that his had touched, then dropping her head on the desk where + his arm had lain, she smiling slept.</p> + + <p>She awoke with the nurse looking down on her, saying, + "Beauty, you are better."</p> + + <p>And so she was: she drank the broth and ate the bread and + grapes that had been brought her, and from that day grew + stronger. But the shadow in her eyes was deeper now, and the + veins in her temples were bluer, as if the blood had throbbed + and pained there. Every morning found her at her post: she had + no need to roam the woods and fields now—her world lay + within her. It was sad for one so young to live on memory.</p> + + <p>For many days her page and these few words were sufficient + to content her, and to recall them one after another, as Danby + had taught, was her only occupation. But by and by the words + themselves began to interest her, then the context, and finally + the sense dawned upon her—dawned not less surely that it + came slowly, and that she was now and then compelled to stop + and think out a word.</p> + + <p>And what did she learn? Near the top of the large page the + first word, "love." It ended a sentence and stood conspicuous, + which was the reason it had caught the eye of the eager boy + when he began to teach. What did it mean? What went before? + What after? It was a long time before she asked herself these + questions, for her understanding had not formed the habit of + being curious. Previously her eyes alone had sight, now her + intellect commenced seeing. What was the web of which this word + was the woof, knitting together, underlying, now appearing, now + hidden, but always there? She turned the leaves and counted + where it recurred again and again, like a bird repeating one + sweet note, of which it never tires. Then the larger type in + the middle of each page drew her attention: she read, <i>As You + Like It</i>. "What do I like? This story is perhaps as I like + it. I wonder what it is about? I don't care now for pirates and + robbers: I liked them when <i>he</i> read to me, but not now." + Her thoughts then wandered off to Danby, and she read no more + that day.</p> + + <p>However, Nellie had plenty of time before her, and when her + thinking was ended she would return to her text. I do not know + how long a time it required for her to connect the sentence + that followed the word "love;" but it became clear to her + finally, just as a difficult puzzle will sometimes resolve + itself as you are idly regarding it. And this is what she saw: + "Love! But it cannot be sounded: my affection hath an unknown + bottom, like the bay of Portugal." The phrase struck her as if + it was her own, and for the first time in her life she blushed. + She did not know much about the bay of Portugal, it is true, + but she understood the rest. From that time forth the book + possessed a strange interest for her. Much that she did not + comprehend she passed by. Often for several days she would not + find a passage that pleased her, but when such a one was + discovered her slow perusal of it and long dwelling on it gave + a beauty and power to the sentiment that more expert students + might have lost. I cannot describe the almost feverish effect + upon her of that poetical quartette beginning with—</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + Good shepherd, tell this youth what 'tis to love. + </div> + </div> + + <p>How she hung over it, smiled at it, brightening into delight + at the echo of her own feelings! In the raillery of Rosalind + her heart found words to speak; and her sense and wit were + awakened by the sarcasm of the same character. "Pray you, no + more of this: 'tis like the howling of Irish wolves against the + moon," came like a healthy tonic after a week of ecstasy spent + over the preceding lines.</p> + + <p>Her mind grew in such companionship. She lived no more + alone: she had found friends who sympathized with her. Smiles + and tears became frequent on her face, making it more + beautiful. <i>As You Like It</i> was just as she liked it. The + forest of Arden was her forest. Rosalind's banished father was + her father: that busy man she had never seen. With the book for + interpreter she fell in love with her world over again. Sunset + and dawn possessed new charms; the little flowers seemed + dignified; moonlight and fairy-land unveiled their mysteries; + nothing was forgotten. It appeared as if all the knowledge of + the world was contained in those magic pages, and the + master-key to this treasure, the dominant of this harmony, was + <i>love</i>—the word that Danby had taught her. The word? + The feeling as well, and with the feeling—<i>all</i>.</p> + + <p>Circling from this passion as from a pole-star, all those + great constellations of thought revolved. With Lear's madness + was Cordelia's affection; with the inhumanity of Shylock was + Jessica's trust; with the Moor's jealousy was Desdemona's + devotion. The sweet and bitter of life, religion, poetry and + philosophy, ambition, revenge and superstition, controlled, + created or destroyed by that little word. And <i>how</i> they + loved—Perdita, Juliet, Miranda—quickly and + entirely, without shame, as she had loved Danby—as buds + bloom and birds warble. Oh it was sweet, sweet, sweet! Amid + friends like these she became gay, moved briskly, grew rosy and + sang. This was her favorite song, to a melody she had caught + from the river:</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i6">Under the greenwood tree</p> + + <p class="i6">Who loves to lie with me,</p> + + <p class="i6">And turn his merry note</p> + + <p class="i6">Unto the sweet bird's throat,</p> + + <p class="i2">Come hither, come hither, come + hither:</p> + + <p class="i10">Here shall he see</p> + + <p class="i10">No enemy</p> + + <p class="i2">But winter and rough weather.</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>Four years passed by—not all spent with one book, + however. Nellie's desire for study grew with what it fed on. + This book opened the way for many. Reading led to reflection; + reflection, to observation; observation, to Nature; and thus in + an endless round.</p> + + <p>About this time her busy father remembered he possessed a + "baby," laid away somewhere, like an old parchment, and he + concluded he would "look her up." His surprise was great when + he saw the child a woman—still greater when he observed + her self-possession, her intelligence, and a certain quaint way + she had of expressing herself that was charming in connection + with her fresh young face. She was neither diffident nor + awkward, knowing too little of the world to fear, and having + naturally that simplicity of manner which touches nearly upon + high breeding. But Mr. Archer being one of those men who think + that "beauty should go beautifully," her toilette shocked him. + Under the influence of her presence he felt that he had + neglected her. The whole house reproached him: the few rooms + that had been furnished were dilapidated and worn.</p> + + <p>"I did not know things looked so badly down here," he said + apologetically. "I am sure I must have had everything properly + arranged when Nurse Bridget came. Your cradle was comfortable, + was it not?"</p> + + <p>"I scarcely remember," answered his daughter demurely.</p> + + <p>"Oh! ah! yes! It is some time ago, I believe?"</p> + + <p>"Seventeen years."</p> + + <p>"Y-e-s: I had forgotten."</p> + + <p>He had an idea, this man of a hundred schemes, that his + "baby" was laughing at him, and, singularly enough, it raised + her in his estimation. He even asked her to come and live with + him in the city, but she refused, and he did not insist.</p> + + <p>Then he set about making a change, which was soon + accomplished. He sent for furniture and carpets, and cleared + the rubbish from without and within. Under his decided orders a + complete outfit "suitable for his daughter" soon arrived, and + with it a maid. Nellie, whose ideas of maids were taken from + Lucetta, was much disappointed in the actual being, and the + modern Lucetta was also disappointed when she saw the "howling + wilderness" to which she had been inveigled; so the two parted + speedily. But Mr. Archer remained: he was one of those men who + do things thoroughly which they have once undertaken. When he + was satisfied with Nellie's appearance he took her to call on + all the neighboring families within reach.</p> + + <p>Among others, they went to see Mrs. Overbeck, Danby's + mother, whom Mr. Archer had known in his youth. Nellie wore her + brave trappings bravely, and acted her part nicely until Mrs. + Overbeck gave her a motherly kiss at parting, when she grew + pale and trembled. Why should she? Her hostess thought it was + from the heat, and insisted on her taking a glass of wine.</p> + + <p>In the autumn of this year Danby graduated and returned + home. Nellie had not seen him during all this interval: he had + spent his vacations abroad, and had become quite a traveled + man. While she retained her affection for him unchanged, he + scarcely remembered the funny little girl who had been so + devoted to him in the years gone by. A few days after he + arrived, his mother, in giving him the local news, mentioned + the charming acquaintance she had made of a young lady who + lived in the neighborhood. On hearing her name the young man + exclaimed, "Why, that must be Nellie!"</p> + + <p>"Do you know her?" asked his mother in surprise.</p> + + <p>"Of course I do, and many a jolly time I have had with her. + Odd little thing, ain't she?"</p> + + <p>"I should not call her odd," remarked his mother.</p> + + <p>"You do not know her as I do."</p> + + <p>"Perhaps not. I suppose you will go with me when I return + her visit."</p> + + <p>"Certainly I will—just in for that sort of thing. A + man feels the need of some relaxation after a four years' bore, + and there is nothing like the society of the weaker sex to give + the mind repose."</p> + + <p>"Shocking boy!" said the fond mother with a smile.</p> + + <p>In a short time the projected call was made.</p> + + <p>"You will frighten her with all that finery, my handsome + mother," remarked Danby as they walked to the carriage.</p> + + <p>"I think she will survive it, but I shall not answer for the + effect of those brilliant kids of yours."</p> + + <p>"The feminine eye is caught by display," said her son + sententiously.</p> + + <p>They chatted as they drove rapidly through the forest to the + old house, entered the front gate and rolled up the broad + avenue.</p> + + <p>"I had no idea the place looked so well," remarked Danby, + <i>en connaisseur</i>, as they approached. "I always entered by + the back way;" and he gave his moustache a final twirl.</p> + + <p>After a loud knock from a vigorous hand the door was opened + by a small servant, much resembling Nellie some four years + before. Danby was going to speak to her, but recalling the time + that had elapsed, he knew it could not be she. All within was + altered. Three rooms <i>en suite</i>, the last of which was the + library, had been carefully refurnished. He looked about him. + Could this be the place in which he had passed so many days? + But he forgot all in the figure that advanced to receive them. + With a pretty grace she gave her hand to his mother and + welcomed "Mr. Overbeck." How she talked—talked like a + babbling brook! It was now his turn to open big eyes and be + silent. He tried to recall the girl he had left. Vain endeavor! + This bright creature, grave and gay, silent but ready, + respectful yet confident, how could he follow her? The visit + came to an end, but was repeated again and again by Danby, and + each time with new astonishment, new delight. She had the + coquetry of a dozen women, yet her eyes looked so true. She was + a perfect elf for pranks and jokes, yet demure as a nun. When + he tried to awe her with his learning, she was saucy; if he was + serious, she was gay; if he wished to teach, she rebelled. She + was self-willed as a changeling, refractory yet gentle, + seditious but just,—only waiting to strike her colors and + proclaim him conqueror; but this he did not know, for she kept + well hid in her heart what "woman's fear" she had. She was all + her favorite heroines in turn, with herself added to the + galaxy.</p> + + <p>One day he penetrated into the library, notwithstanding some + very serious efforts on her part to prevent him: by this time + he would occasionally assert himself. The furniture there was + not much altered. A few worn things had been replaced, but the + room looked so much the same that the scene of that first + reading-lesson came vividly to his mind. He turned to the side + where the desk had stood. It was still there, with the two + chairs before it, and on it was the book. She would not for the + world have had it moved, but it was, as it were, glorified. Mr. + Archer had wished "these old things cleared away," but Nellie + had besought him so earnestly that he allowed them to stay, + stipulating, however, that they should be upholstered anew. To + this she assented, saying, "Send me the best of everything and + <i>I</i> will cover them—the very best, mind;" and her + father, willing to please her, did as she desired.</p> + + <p>So the old desk became smart in brocade and gold-lace, the + book received a cushion all bullion and embroidery, and the + chairs emulated the splendor. It required a poet or a girl in + love to clothe a fancy so beautifully, and Nellie was both. It + was her shrine: why should she not adorn it?</p> + + <p>I cannot follow the process of thought in Danby's mind as he + looked at this and at Nellie—Nellie blushing with the + sudden guiltiness that even the discovery of a harmless action + will bring when we wish to conceal it. Sometimes a moment + reveals much.</p> + + <p>"Nellie"—it was the first time he had called her so + since his return—"I must give you a reading-lesson: come, + sit here."</p> + + <p>Mechanically she obeyed him, all the rebel fading away: she + looked like the Nellie of other days. She felt she had laid + bare her soul, but in proportion as her confusion overcame her + did he become decided. It is the slaves that make tyrants, it + is said.</p> + + <p>Under the impulse of his hand the book opened at the + well-worn page.</p> + + <p>"Read!"</p> + + <p>For a little while she sat with downcast eyes. Well she knew + the passage to which he was pointing: "Love! But it cannot be + sounded: my affection hath an unknown bottom, like the bay of + Portugal."</p> + + <p>The sentence seemed to dance and grow till it covered the + page—grow till in her sight it assumed the size of a + placard, and then it took life and became her + accuser—told in big letters the story of her devotion to + the mocking boy beside her.</p> + + <p>"There is good advice on the preceding page," he whispered + smiling. "Orlando says he would kiss before he spoke: may + I?"</p> + + <p>She started up and looked at his triumphant face a moment, + her mouth quivering, her eyes full of tears. "How can + you—" she began.</p> + + <p>But before she could finish he was by her side: "Because I + love you—love you, all that the book says, and a thousand + times more. Because if you love me we will live our own + romance, and I doubt if we cannot make our old woods as + romantic as the forest of Arden. Will you not say," he asked + tenderly, "that there will be at least one pair of true lovers + there?"</p> + + <p>I could not hear Nellie's answer: her head was so near + his—on his shoulder, in fact—that she whispered it + in his ear. But a moment after, pushing him from her with the + old mischief sparkling from her eyes, she said, "'Til frown and + be perverse, and say thee nay, so thou wilt woo,'" and looked a + saucy challenge in his face.</p> + + <p>"Naughty sprite!" he exclaimed, catching her in his arms and + shutting her mouth with kisses.</p> + + <p>It was not long after, perhaps a year, that a happy bride + and groom might have been seen walking up the hemlock avenue + arm in arm.</p> + + <p>"Do you remember," she asked, smiling thoughtfully—"do + you remember the time I begged you to come home with me and be + my pet?"</p> + + <p>The young husband leaned down and said something the + narrator did not catch, but from the expression of his face it + must have been very spoony: with a bride such as that charming + Nellie, how could he help it?</p> + + <p>Yes, she had brought him home. Mr. Archer had given the + house with its broad acres as a dowry to his daughter, and + Nellie had desired that the honeymoon should be spent in her + "forest of Arden."</p> + + <p class="author">ITA ANIOL PROKOP.</p><a name="H_4_0013" + id="H_4_0013"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + + <h2>JACK, THE REGULAR.</h2> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">In the Bergen winter night, when the + hickory fire is roaring,</p> + + <p class="i2">Flickering streams of ruddy light on the + folk before it pouring—</p> + + <p class="i2">When the apples pass around, and the + cider follows after,</p> + + <p class="i2">And the well-worn jest is crowned by the + hearers' hearty laughter—</p> + + <p class="i2">When the cat is purring there, and the + dog beside her dozing,</p> + + <p class="i2">And within his easy-chair sits the + grandsire old, reposing,—</p> + + <p class="i2">Then they tell the story true to the + children, hushed and eager,</p> + + <p class="i2">How the two Van Valens slew, on a time, + the Tory leaguer,</p> + + <p class="i20">Jack, the Regular.</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">Near a hundred years ago, when the + maddest of the Georges</p> + + <p class="i2">Sent his troops to scatter woe on our + hills and in our gorges,</p> + + <p class="i2">Less we hated, less we feared, those he + sent here to invade us</p> + + <p class="i2">Than the neighbors with us reared who + opposed us or betrayed us;</p> + + <p class="i2">And amid those loyal knaves who rejoiced + in our disasters,</p> + + <p class="i2">As became the willing slaves of the worst + of royal masters,</p> + + <p class="i2">Stood John Berry, and he said that a + regular commission</p> + + <p class="i2">Set him at his comrades' head; so we + called him, in derision,</p> + + <p class="i20">"Jack, the Regular."</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">When he heard it—"Let them fling! + Let the traitors make them merry</p> + + <p class="i2">With the fact my gracious king deigns to + make me Captain Berry.</p> + + <p class="i2">I will scourge them for the sneer, for + the venom that they carry;</p> + + <p class="i2">I will shake their hearts with fear as + the land around I harry:</p> + + <p class="i2">They shall find the midnight raid waking + them from fitful slumbers;</p> + + <p class="i2">They shall find the ball and blade daily + thinning out their numbers:</p> + + <p class="i2">Barn in ashes, cattle slain, hearth on + which there glows no ember,</p> + + <p class="i2">Neatless plough and horseless wain; thus + the rebels shall remember</p> + + <p class="i20">Jack, the Regular!"</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">Well he kept his promise then with a + fierce, relentless daring,</p> + + <p class="i2">Fire to rooftrees, death to men, through + the Bergen valleys bearing:</p> + + <p class="i2">In the midnight deep and dark came his + vengeance darker, deeper—</p> + + <p class="i2">At the watch-dog's sudden bark woke in + terror every sleeper;</p> + + <p class="i2">Till at length the farmers brown, wasting + time no more on tillage,</p> + + <p class="i2">Swore those ruffians of the Crown, fiends + of murder, fire and pillage,</p> + + <p class="i2">Should be chased by every path to the + dens where they had banded,</p> + + <p class="i2">And no prayers should soften wrath when + they caught the bloody-handed</p> + + <p class="i20">Jack, the Regular.</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">One by one they slew his men: still the + chief their chase evaded.</p> + + <p class="i2">He had vanished from their ken, by the + Fiend or Fortune aided—</p> + + <p class="i2">Either fled to Powles Hoek, where the + Briton yet commanded,</p> + + <p class="i2">Or his stamping-ground forsook, waiting + till the hunt disbanded;</p> + + <p class="i2">So they checked pursuit at length, and + returned to toil securely:</p> + + <p class="i2">It was useless wasting strength on a + purpose baffled surely.</p> + + <p class="i2">But the two Van Valens swore, in a + patriotic rapture,</p> + + <p class="i2">_They_ would never give it o'er till + they'd either kill or capture</p> + + <p class="i20">Jack, the Regular.</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">Long they hunted through the wood, long + they slept upon the hillside;</p> + + <p class="i2">In the forest sought their food, drank + when thirsty at the rill-side;</p> + + <p class="i2">No exposure counted hard—theirs was + hunting border-fashion:</p> + + <p class="i2">They grew bearded like the pard, and + their chase became a passion:</p> + + <p class="i2">Even friends esteemed them mad, said + their minds were out of balance,</p> + + <p class="i2">Mourned the cruel fate and sad fallen on + the poor Van Valens;</p> + + <p class="i2">But they answered to it all, "Only wait + our loud view-holloa</p> + + <p class="i2">When the prey shall to us fall, for to + death we mean to follow</p> + + <p class="i20">Jack, the Regular."</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">Hunted they from Tenavlieon to where the + Hudson presses</p> + + <p class="i2">To the base of traprocks high; through + Moonachie's damp recesses;</p> + + <p class="i2">Down as far as Bergen Hill; by the Ramapo + and Drochy,</p> + + <p class="i2">Overproek and Pellum Kill—meadows + flat and hilltops rocky—</p> + + <p class="i2">Till at last the brothers stood where the + road from New Barbadoes,</p> + + <p class="i2">At the English Neighborhood, slants + toward the Palisadoes;</p> + + <p class="i2">Still to find the prey they sought left + no sign for hunter eager:</p> + + <p class="i2">Followed steady, not yet caught, was the + skulking, fox-like leaguer</p> + + <p class="i20">Jack, the Regular.</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">Who are they that yonder creep by those + bleak rocks in the distance,</p> + + <p class="i2">Like the figures born in sleep, called by + slumber to existence?—</p> + + <p class="i2">Tories doubtless from below, from the + Hoek, sent out for spying.</p> + + <p class="i2">"No! the foremost is our foe—he so + long before us flying!</p> + + <p class="i2">Now he spies us! see him start! wave his + kerchief like a banner!</p> + + <p class="i2">Lay his left hand on his heart in a + proud, insulting manner.</p> + + <p class="i2">Well he knows that distant spot's past + our ball, his low scorn flinging.</p> + + <p class="i2">If you cannot feel the shot, you shall + hear the firelock's ringing,</p> + + <p class="i20">Jack, the Regular!"</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">Ha! he falls! An ambuscade? 'Twas + impossible to strike him!</p> + + <p class="i2">Are there Tories in the glade? Such a + trick is very like him.</p> + + <p class="i2">See! his comrade by him kneels, turning + him in terror over,</p> + + <p class="i2">Then takes nimbly to his heels. Have they + really slain the rover?</p> + + <p class="i2">It is worth some risk to know; so, with + firelocks poised and ready,</p> + + <p class="i2">Up the sloping hills they go, with a + quick lookout and steady.</p> + + <p class="i2">Dead! The random shot had struck, to the + heart had pierced the Tory—</p> + + <p class="i2">Vengeance seconded by luck! Lies there, + cold and stiff and gory,</p> + + <p class="i20">Jack, the Regular.</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">"Jack, the Regular, is dead! Honor to the + man who slew him!"</p> + + <p class="i2">So the Bergen farmers said as they + crowded round to view him;</p> + + <p class="i2">For the wretch that lay there slain had + with wickedness unbending</p> + + <p class="i2">To their roofs brought fiery rain, to + their kinsfolk woeful ending.</p> + + <p class="i2">Not a mother but had prest, in a sudden + pang of fearing,</p> + + <p class="i2">Sobbing darlings to her breast when his + name had smote her hearing;</p> + + <p class="i2">Not a wife that did not feel terror when + the words were uttered;</p> + + <p class="i2">Not a man but chilled to steel when the + hated sounds he muttered—</p> + + <p class="i20">Jack, the Regular.</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">Bloody in his work was he, in his purpose + iron-hearted—</p> + + <p class="i2">Gentle pity could not be when the + pitiless had parted.</p> + + <p class="i2">So, the corse in wagon thrown, with no + decent cover o'er it—</p> + + <p class="i2">Jeers its funeral rites alone—into + Hackensack they bore it,</p> + + <p class="i2">'Mid the clanging of the bells in the old + Brick Church's steeple,</p> + + <p class="i2">And the hooting and the yells of the + gladdened, maddened people.</p> + + <p class="i2">Some they rode and some they ran by the + wagon where it rumbled,</p> + + <p class="i2">Scoffing at the lifeless man, all elate + that death had humbled</p> + + <p class="i20">Jack, the Regular.</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">Thus within the winter night, when the + hickory fire is roaring,</p> + + <p class="i2">Flickering streams of ruddy light on the + folk before it pouring—</p> + + <p class="i2">When the apples pass around, and the + cider follows after,</p> + + <p class="i2">And the well-worn jest is crowned by the + hearers' hearty laughter—</p> + + <p class="i2">When the cat is purring there, and the + dog beside her dozing,</p> + + <p class="i2">And within his easy-chair sits the + grandsire old, reposing,—</p> + + <p class="i2">Then they tell the story true to the + children, hushed and eager,</p> + + <p class="i2">the two Van Valens slew, on a time, the + Tory leaguer,</p> + + <p class="i20">Jack, the Regular.</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p class="center">THOMAS DUNN ENGLISH.</p><a name="H_4_0014" + id="H_4_0014"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + + <h2>OBSERVATIONS AND ADVENTURES IN SUBMARINE DIVING.</h2> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + [Greek: —liphon eponumon te reuma kai + petraerephae autoktit' antra.] + + <p class="i10">ÆSCHYLUS: <i>Prometheus Bound</i>.</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>Did you ever pause before a calm, bright little pool in the + woods, and look steadily at the picture it presents, without + feeling as if you had peeped into another world? Every outline + is preserved, every tint is freshened and purified, in the + cool, glimmering reflection. There is a grace and a softness in + the prismatic lymph that give a new form and color to the + common and familiar objects it has printed in its still, + pellucid depths. Every little basin of clear water by the + roadside is a magic mirror, and transforms all that it + encloses. There is a vastness of depth, too, in that concave + hemisphere, through which the vision sinks like a falling star, + that excites and fills the imagination. What it shows is only a + shadow, but all things seen are mere shadows painted on the + retina, and you have, at such times, a realistic sense of the + beautiful and bold imagery which calls a favorite fountain of + the East the Eye of the Desert.</p> + + <p>The alluring softness of this mimic world increases to + sublimity when, instead of some rocky basin, dripping with + mossy emeralds and coral berries, you look upon the deep + crystalline sea. Each mates to its kind. This does not gather + its imagery from gray, mossy rock or pendent leaf or flower, + but draws into its enfolding arms the wide vault of the + cerulean sky. The richness of the majestic azure is deepened by + that magnificent marriage. The pale blue is darkened to violet. + Far through the ever-varying surface of the curious gelatinous + liquid breaks the phosphorescence, sprinkled into innumerable + lights and cross-lights. As you look upon those endless + pastures thought is quickened with the conception of their + innumerable phases of vitality. The floating weed, whose meshes + measure the spaces of continents and archipelagoes, is + everywhere instinct with animal and vegetable life. The builder + coral, glimmering in its softer parts with delicate hues and + tints, throws up its stony barrier through a thousand miles of + length and a third as much in breadth, fringing the continents + with bays and sounds and atoll islands like fairy rings of the + sea. Animate flowers—sea-nettles, sea anemones, + plumularia, campanularia, hydropores, confervae, oscillatoria, + bryozoa—people the great waters. Sea-urchins, star-fish, + sea-eggs, combative gymnoti, polypes, struggle and thrive with + ever-renewing change of color; gelatinous worms that shine like + stars cling to every weed; glimmering animalcules, + phosphorescent medusae, the very deep itself is vivid with + sparkle and corruscation of electric fire. So through every + scale, from the zoophyte to the warm-blooded whale, the sea + teems with life, out of which fewer links have been dropped + than from sub-aërial life. It is a matter for curious + speculation that the missing species belong not to the lower + subsidiary genera, as in terrene animals, but to the highest + types of marine life. In the quarries of Lyme Regis, among the + accumulations of a sea of the Liassic period, lay the huge + skeleton of the Ichthyosaurus, a warm-blooded marine existence, + with huge saucer eyes of singular telescopic power, that + gleamed radiant "with the eyelids of the morning," "by whose + neesings alight doth shine"—the true leviathan of Job. In + the same extinct sea is found the skeleton of the Plesiosaurus, + a marine lizard of equal size, and warm-blooded, whose + swan-like neck and body graced the serene seas of the + pre-adamite world. Another was that of the Pterodactyl, the + antique aragon, a winged fish. The task of sustaining these + existences was too great for old Ocean, and the monsters + dropped from the upper end of the chain into the encrusting + mud, the petrified symbols of failure. So one day man may drop + into the limbo of vanities, among the abandoned tools in the + Creator's workshop.</p> + + <p>But, however high or low the degree in the scale, one + distinguishing feature marks the vital creation in vegetable or + animal—an intelligence capable of adjusting itself to the + elements about it, and electing its food. The sunflower, even, + does not follow the sun by a mechanical law, but, growing by a + fair, bright sheet of water, looks as constantly at that + shining surface for the beloved light as ever did the fabled + Greek boy at his own image in the fountain. The tendrils of the + vine seek and choose their own support, and the thirsty + spongioles of the root find the nourishing veins of water. + Growth, says a naturalist, is the conscious motion of vegetable + life. But this theory of kinship, imperfect in the plant, + becomes plain and distinct in the animate creation. However far + removed, the wild dolphin at play and the painted bird in the + air are cousins of man, with a responsive chord of sympathy + connecting them.</p> + + <p>It is this feeling that sends an exhilarating thrill through + the submarine explorer when a school of porpoises frisk by with + undulating grace, the marine type of a group of frolicking + children. It is the instinctive perception that it is a pure + enjoyment to the fish, the healthy glow and laugh of submarine + existence. But for that sense of sympathetic nature the + flying-fish, reeling porpoise and dolphin would be no more to + him than the skipping shuttle in a weaver's loom, the dull + impetus of senseless machinery. Self-generated motion is the + outward and visible sign of vitality—its wanton exercise + the symbol and expression of enjoyment. The poor philosopher + who distinguished humanity as singular in the exhibition of + humor had surely never heard a mocking-bird sing, watched a + roguish crow or admired a school of fish.</p> + + <p>This keen appreciation of a kindred life in the sea has + thrown its charm over the poetry and religion of all races. + Ocean us leaves the o'erarching floods and rocky grottoes at + the call of bound Prometheus; Cyrene, with her nymphs, sits in + the cool Peneus, where comes Aristaeus mourning for his stolen + bees; the Druid washed his hedge-hyssop in the sacred water, + and priestesses lived on coral reefs visited by remote lovers + in their sundown seas; Schiller's diver goes into the purpling + deep and sees the Sea-Horror reaching out its hundred arms; the + beautiful Undine is the vivid poetry of the sea. Every fountain + has its guardian saint or nymph, and to this day not only the + German peasant and benighted English boor thrill at the sight + of some nymph-guarded well, but the New Mexican Indian offers + his rude pottery in propitiation of the animate existence, the + deity of the purling spring.</p> + <hr /> + + <p>"Der Taucher," for all the rhythm and music that clothes his + luckless plunge, was but a caitiff knight to some of our + submarine adventurers. A diver during the bay-fight in Mobile + harbor had reason to apprehend a more desperate encounter. A + huge cuttle-fish, the marine monster of Pliny and Victor Hugo, + had been seen in the water. His tough, sinuous, spidery arms, + five fathoms long, wavered visibly in the blue transparent + gulf,</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">Und schaudernd dacht ich's—da + kroch's heran,</p> + + <p class="i2">Regte hundert Gelenke zugleich,</p> + + <p class="i2">Will schnappen nach mir.</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>A harpoon was driven into the leathery, pulpy body of the + monster, but with no other effect than the sudden snapping of + the inch line like thread. It was subsequent to this that, as + the diver stayed his steps in the unsteady current, his staff + was seized below. The water was murky with the river-silt above + the salt brine, and he could see nothing, but after an effort + the staff was rescued or released. Curious to know what it was, + he probed again, and the stick was wrenched from his hand. With + a thrill he recognized in such power the monster of the sea, + the devil-fish. He returned anxious, doubtful, but resolute. + Few like to be driven from a duty by brute force. He armed + himself, and descended to renew the hazardous encounter in the + gloomy solitude of the sea-bottom. I would I had the wit to + describe that tournament beneath the sea; the stab, thrust, + curvet, plunge—the conquest and capture of the unknown + combatant. A special chance preserves the mediaeval character + of the contest, saving it from the sulphurous associations of + modern warfare that might be suggested by the name of + devil-fish. No: the antagonist wore a coat-of-mail and arms of + proof, as became a good knight of the sea, and was besides + succulent, digestible—a veritable prize for the + conqueror. It was a monstrous crab.</p> + + <p>The constant encounter of strange and unforeseen perils + enables the professional diver to meet them with the same + coolness with which ordinary and familiar dangers are + confronted on land. On one occasion a party of such men were + driven out into the Gulf by a fierce "norther," were tossed + about like chips for three days in the vexed element, scant of + food, their compass out of order, and the horizon darkened with + prevailing storm. At another time a party wandered out in the + shallows of one of the keys that fringe the Gulf coast. They + amused themselves with wading into the water, broken into + dazzling brilliance. A few sharks were seen occasionally, which + gradually and unobserved increased to, a squadron. The waders + meanwhile continued their sport until the evening waned away. + Far over the dusk violet Night spread her vaporous shadows:</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">The blinding mist came up and hid the + land,</p> + + <p class="i2">And round and round the land,</p> + + <p class="i2">And o'er and o'er the land,</p> + + <p class="i4">As far as eye could see.</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>At last they turned their steps homeward, crossing the + little sandy key, between which and the beach lay a channel + shoulder-deep, its translucent waves now glimmering with + phosphorescence. But here they were met by an unexpected + obstacle. The fleet of sharks, with a strategical cunning + worthy of admiration, had flanked the little island, and now in + the deeper water formed in ranks and squadrons, and, with their + great goggle eyes like port-fires burning, lay ready to dispute + the passage. Armed with such weapons as they could clutch, the + men dashed into the water with paeans and shouts and the broken + pitchers of fallen Jericho. The violet phosphorescence lighted + them on their way, and tracked with luminous curve and star + every move of the enemy. The gashed water at every stroke of + club or swish of tail or fin bled in blue and red fire, as if + the very sea was wounded. The enemy's line of battle was broken + and scattered, but not until more than one of the assailants + had looked point-blank into the angry eyes of a shark and + beaten it off with actual blows. It was the Thermopylae of + sharkdom, with numbers reversed—a Red Sea passage + resonant with psalms of victory.</p> + + <p>There are novel difficulties as well as dangers to be + encountered. The native courage of the man must be tempered, + ground and polished. On land it is the massing of numbers that + accomplishes the result—the accumulation of vital forces + and intelligence upon the objective point. The innumerable + threads of individual enterprise, like the twist of a Manton + barrel, give the toughest tensile power. Under the sea, + however, it is often the strength of the single thread, the wit + of the individual pitted against the solid impregnability of + the elements, the <i>vis inertiae</i> of the sea. It looks as + if uneducated Nature built her rude fastnesses and rocky + battlements with a special I view to resistance, making the + fickle and I unstable her strongest barricade. An example of + the skill and address necessary to conquer obstacles of the + latter kind was illustrated in Mobile Bay. There lay about a + sunken vessel an impenetrable mail of quicksand. It became + necessary to sink piles into this material. The obstacle does + not lie in its fickle, unstable character, but its elastic + tension. It swallows a nail or a beam by slow, serpent-like + deglutition. It is hungry, insatiable, impenetrable. Try to + force it, to drive down a pile by direct force: it resists. The + mallet is struck back by reverberating elasticity with an equal + force, and the huge pointed stake rebounds. Brute force beats + and beats in vain. The fickle sand will not be driven—no, + not an inch.</p> + + <p>Wit comes in where weight breaks down. A force-pump, a + common old-style fire-engine, was rigged up, the nozzle and + hose bound to a huge pile,</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i10">to equal which the tallest pine</p> + + <p class="i2">Hewn on Norwegian hills, to be the + mast</p> + + <p class="i2">Of some great ammiral, were but a + wand.</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>The pump was set to work. The water tore through the + nostril-pipe, boring a hole with such rapidity that the tall + beam dropped into the socket with startling suddenness. Still + breathing torrents, the pipe was withdrawn: the clutching sand + seized, grappled the stake. It is cemented in.</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">You may break, you may shatter the + <i>stake</i>, if you will,</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>but—you can never pull it out.</p> + + <p>Perhaps the most singular and venturesome exploit ever + performed in submarine diving was that of searching the sunken + monitor Milwaukee during the bay-fight in Mobile harbor. This + sea-going fortress was a huge double-turreted monitor, with a + ponderous, crushing projectile force in her. Her battery of + four fifteen-inch guns, and the tough, insensible solidity of + her huge wrought-iron turrets and heavy plated hulk, burdened + the sleepy waters of the bay. Upon a time she braced her iron + jacket about her, girded her huge sides with fifteen-inch + pistolry, and went rolling her clumsy volume down the bay to + mash Fort Taylor to rubbish and débacle. The sea + staggered under her ponderous gliding and groaned about her + massive bulk as she wended her awkward course toward the + bay-shore over against the fort. She sighted her blunderbusses, + and, rolling, grunting, wheezing in her revolving towers like a + Falstaff ill at ease, spat her gobbets of flame and death. The + poor little water-spaniel fort ran down to the shore and barked + at her of course. <i>Cui bono</i> or <i>malo?</i> Why, like + Job's mates, fill its poor belly with the east wind, or try to + draw out leviathan with a hook, or his tongue with a cord thou + lettest down? Yet who treads of the fight between invulnerable + Achilles and heroic Hector, and admires Achilles? The admiral + of the American fleet, sick of the premature pother, signaled + the lazy solidity to return. The loathly monster, slowly, like + a bull-dog wrenched from his victim, rolled snarling, lazily, + leisurely down the bay, not obeying and yet not disobeying the + signal.</p> + + <p>All along the sunny coast, like flowers springing up in a + battle-field, were rows of little white cottages, tenanted by + women and children—love, life and peace in the midst of + ruin and sudden death. At the offending spectacle of homely + peace among its enemies the unglutted monster eased its huge + wrath. Tumbling and bursting among the poor little pasteboard + shells of cottages, where children played and women gossiped of + the war, and prayed for its end, no matter how, fell the huge + globes and cones of murder. Shrieks and cries, slain babes and + wounded women on shore; surly, half-mutinous officers and crew + on that iron hulk, shocked at the fell work they were set to + do; and the glimmer and wash of the bay-water below—that + sweet, tranquil, half-transparent liquid, with idle weeds and + chips upon it, empty crates and boxes of dead merchandise, + sacked of their life and substance by the war, as one might + swallow an oyster; the soft veils of shadowy ships and the + distant city spires; umbrageous fires and slips of shining sand + all mirrored in the soft and quiet sea, while this devilish + pother went on. There is a buoy adrift! No, it is a sodden + cask, perhaps of spoiling meat, while the people in the town + yonder are starving; and still the huge iron, gluttonous + monster bursts its foam of blood and death, while the surly + crew curse and think of mothers and babes at home. Better to + look at the bay, the idle, pleasing summer water, with chips + and corks and weeds upon it; better to look at the bubbling + cask yonder—much better, captain, if you only knew it! + But the reluctant, heavy iron turret groans and wheezes on its + pivotal round, and it will be a minute or half a minute before + the throated hell speaks again. But it <i>will</i> speak: + machinery is fatally accurate to time and place. Can nothing + stay it, or stop the trembling of those bursting iron spheres + among yon pretty print-like homes? No: look at the buoy, + wish-wash, rolling lazily, bobbing in the water, a lazy, idle + cask, with nothing in the world to do on this day of busy + mischief. What hands coopered it in the new West? what farmer + filled it? There is the grunting of swine, lowing of cattle, in + the look of the staves. But the turret groans and wheezes and + goes around, whether you look at it or not. What cottage this + time? The soft lap-lap of the water goes on, and the tedious + cask gets nearer: it will slide by the counter. You have a + curious interest in that. No: it grates under the bow; + it—Thunder and wreck and ruin! Has the bay burst open and + swallowed us? The huge, invulnerable iron monster—not + invulnerable after all—has met its master in the idle + cask. It is blind, imprisoned Samson pulling down the pillars + of the temple. The tough iron plates at the bow are rent and + torn and twisted like wet paper. A terrible hole is gashed in + the hull. The monster wobbles, rolls, gasps, and drinks huge + gulps of water like a wounded man—desperately wounded, + and dying in his thirsty veins and arteries. The swallowed + torrent rushes aft, hissing and quenching the fires; beats + against the stern, and comes forward with the rush of that + repulse to meet the incoming wave. Into the boats, the + water—anywhere but here. She reels again and groans; and + then, as a desperate hero dies, she slopes her huge warlike + beak at the hostile water and rushes to her own ruin with a + surge and convulsion. The victorious sea sweeps over it and + hides it, laughing at her work. She will keep it safely. That + is the unsung epic of the Milwaukee, without which I should + have little to say of the submarine diving during the + bay-fight.</p> + + <p>The harbor of Mobile is shaped like a rude Innuit boot. At + the top, Tensaw and Mobile Rivers, in their deltas, make, + respectively, two and three looplike bands, like the straps. + The toe is Bonsecour Bay, pointing east. The heel rests on + Dauphin Island, while the main channel flows into the hollow of + the foot between Fort Morgan and Dauphin Island. In the + north-west angle, obscured by the foliage, lay the devoted + city, suffering no less from artificial famine, made + unnecessarily, than the ligatures that stopped the vital + current of trade. Tons of meat were found putrefying while the + citizens, and even the garrison, had been starving on scanty + rations. Food could be purchased, but at exorbitant rates, and + the medium of exchange, Confederate notes, all gone to water + and waste paper. The true story of the Lost Cause has yet to be + written. North of Mobile, in the Trans-Mississippi department, + thousands whose every throb was devoted to the enterprise, + welcomed the Northern invaders, not as destroyers of a hope + already dead by the act of a few entrusted with its defence, + but as something better than the anarchy that was not Southern + independence or anything else human.</p> + + <p>Such were the condition, period and place—the people + crushed between the upper and nether millstones of two hostile + and contending civilizations—when native thrift evoked a + new element, that set in sharp contrast the heroism of life and + the heroism of death, the courage that incurs danger to save + against the courage that accepts danger to destroy. The work + was the saving of the valuable arms—costing the + government thirty thousand dollars per gun—and the + machinery of the sunken Milwaukee.<a id="footnotetag5" + name="footnotetag5"></a><a href="#footnote5"><sup>5</sup></a> + By a curious circumstance this party of divers was composed + partly, if not principally or entirely, of mechanics and + engineers who were exempt from military service under the + economic laws of the Confederacy, yet who in heart and soul + sympathized with the rebellion. They had worked to save for + the South: now they were to work and save for the North. It + was a service of superadded danger. All the peril incurred + from missile weapons was increased by the hidden danger of + the secret under-sea and the presence of the terrible + torpedoes. These floated everywhere, in all innocent, + unsuspicious shapes. One monster, made of boiler iron, a + huge cross, is popularly believed to be still hidden in the + bay. The person possessing the chart wherein the masked + battery's place was set down is said to have destroyed it + and fled. Let us hope, however, that this is an error.</p> + + <p>Keep in mind, in reading this account, the contrasted + picture of peace in Nature and war in man—the calm blue + sky; the soft hazy outlines of woods and bay-shore dropping + their soft veils in the water; the cottages, suggesting + industry and love; the distant city; the delicate and graceful + spars of the Hartford; the busy despatch-steamers plying to and + fro; the bursting forts and huge ugly monitors; the starry + arches of flying shells by night and flying cloud by day; the + soft lap of the water; the sensuous, sweet beauty of that + latitude of eternal spring; and the soft dark violet of the + outer sea, glassing itself in calm or broken into millioned + frets of blue, red and starry fire; the danger above and the + danger below; the dark mysterious caverns of the sea, rich with + coral grots and grove and abounding marine life; the + impenetrable gloom of the ship's hold, whose unimaginable + darkness and labyrinthine intricacy of machinery set obstacles + at every turn and move and step; the darkness; the fury; the + hues and shape, all that art can make or Nature fashion, gild + or color wrought into one grand tablature of splendor and + magnificence. War and peaceful industry met there in novel + rivalry, and each claimed its privileges. The captain of the + Search said to the officers, while crowding his men behind the + turret, with sly, dry humor, "Come, you are all <i>paid</i> to + be shot at: my men are not."</p> + + <p>More than once the accuracy of the enemy's fire drove the + little party to shelter. Though the diver was shielded by the + impenetrable fickle element that gave Achilles invulnerability, + the air-pump above was exposed, and thus the diver might be + slain by indirection. There lay Achilles' heel, the exposed + vulnerable part that Mother Thetis's baptism neglected.</p> + + <p>The work below was arduous: the hulk crowded with the + entangling machinery of sixteen engines, cuddies, ports, spars, + levers, hatches, stancheons, floating trunks, bibulous boxes + heavy with drink, and the awful, mysterious gloom of the water, + which is not night or darkness, but the absence of any ray to + touch the sensitive optic nerve. The sense of touch the only + reliance, and the life-line his guide.</p> + + <p>But the peril incurred can be better understood through an + illustrative example of a perilous adventure and a poor return. + Officers and men of the unfortunate monitor asked for the + rescue of their property, allowing a stipulated sum in lieu of + salvage. Among these was a petty officer, anxious for the + recovery of his chest. It involved peculiar hazards, since it + carried the diver below the familiar turret-chamber, through + the <i>inextricabilis error</i> of entangling machinery in the + engine-room, groping among floating and sunken objects, into a + remote state-room, the Acheron of the cavernous hold. He was to + find by touch a seaman's chest; handle it in that thickening + gloom; carry it, push it, move it through that labyrinthine + obscurity to a point from which it could be raised. To add + immeasurably to the intricacy of this undertaking, there was + the need of carrying his life-line and air-hose through all + that entanglement and obscurity. Three times in that horror of + thick darkness like wool the line tangled in the web of + machinery, and three times he had, by tedious endeavor, to + follow it up, find the knot and release it. Then the door of + the little state-room, the throat of exit, was shut to, and + around and around the dense chamber he groped as if in a dream, + and could find no vent. All was alike—a smooth, slimy + wall, glutinous with that gelatinous liquid, the sea-water. The + tangled line became a blind guide and fruitful source of error; + the hours were ebbing away, drowning life and vital air in that + horrible watery pit;</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">Aut hoc inclusi ligno occultantur + Achivi,</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>or, a worse enemy than the subtle Greek's, death from the + suspended air-current. Speed, nimbleness, strength and activity + were worthless: with tedious fingers he must follow the + life-line, find its entanglements and slowly loosen them, + carefully taking up the slack, and so follow the straightened + cord to the door. Then the chest: he must not forget that. + Slowly he heaves and pushes, now at this, now at the life-line + hitching on knob, handle, lever or projecting peg—on + anything or nothing in that maze of machinery; by involution + and evolution, like the unknown quantity in a cubic equation, + through all the twists, turns, assumptions and substitutions, + and always with that unmanageable, indivisible coefficient the + box, until he reaches the upper air.</p> + + <p>In Aesop's fable, when the crane claimed the reward of the + wolf for using his long neck and bill as a forceps in + extracting a bone from the latter's oesophagus, Lupus suggests + that for the crane to have had his head down in the lupine + throat and <i>not</i> get it snapped off was reward enough for + any reasonable fowl. The petty officer was sufficiently learned + in the Lyceum to administer a like return. The stipulated + salvage was never paid or offered.<a id="footnotetag6" + name="footnotetag6"></a><a href="#footnote6"><sup>6</sup></a></p> + + <p>The monitors had small square hatches or man-ports let into + the deck, admitting one person conveniently.</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">Hinc via, Tartanii quae fert Acherontis + ad undas.</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>A swinging ladder, whose foot was clear of the floor, led + down into the recesses. A diver, having completed his task, + ascended the treacherous staircase to escape, and found the + hatch blocked up. A floating chest or box had drifted into the + opening, and, fitting closely, had firmly corked the man up in + that dungeon, tight as a fly in a bottle. From his doubtful + perch on the ladder he endeavored to push the obstacle from its + insertion. Two or more equal difficulties made this impossible. + The box had no handle, and it was slippery with the ooze and + mucus of the sea. The leverage of pushing only wedged it faster + in the orifice. The inconstant ladder swayed from it as a + fulcrum. Again and again by art and endeavor and angle of push + he essayed, and the ladder made sport of it. It was deadly + sport, that swing and seesaw on the slippery rungs in the + immeasurable loneliness of the silent, shrouded cabin. It was + no rush of air, sending life tingling in the blood made + brilliant with carmine of oxidation, but the dense, mephitic + sough of the thick wool of water. He descended and sat upon the + floor to think. Feasible methods had failed, and the sands of + his life were running out like the old physician's. Now to try + the impracticable. There are heaps of wisdom in the wrong way + sometimes, which, I suppose, is the reason some of us like it. + The box was out of his reach, choked in the gullet of that + life-hole. No spring or leap from floor or ladder could reach + its slippery side or bear it from its fixture. The sea had + caught him prowling in its mysteries, and blocked him up, as + cruel lords of ancient days walled up the intruder on their + domestic privacy. Wit after brute force: man and Nature were + pitted against each other in the uncongenial gloom—life + the stake.</p> + + <p>He groped about his prison, glutinous with infusoriae and + the oily consistence of the sea. Here a nail, there a block or + lever, shaped out mentally by the touch, theorized, studied + upon and thrown down. Now a hatchet, monkey-wrench, + monkey's-tail, or gliding fish or wriggling eel, companions of + his imprisonment. At last the cold touch of iron: the hand + encloses and lifts it; its weight betrays its length; he feels + it to the end—blunt, square, useless. He tries the other + end—an edge or spike. That will do. Standing under the + hatch, guided by the ladder to the position, and with a strong + swinging, upward blow, the new tool is driven into the soft, + fibrous and adhesive pine bottom of the box. On the principle + on which your butler's practiced elbow draws the twisted screw + sunk into the cobwebbed seal of your '48 port, he uncorks + himself. The box pulled out of the hatch, the sea-gods threw up + the sponge, that zoophyte being handy.</p> + + <p>These few incidents, strung together at random, and + embracing only limited experiences out of many in one + enterprise, are illustrative, in their variety and character, + of this hardy pursuit, and the fascination of danger which is + the school of native hardihood. But they give the reader a very + imperfect idea of the nature and appearance of the new element + into which man has pushed his industry. The havoc and spoil, + the continued danger and contention, darken the gloom of the + submarine world as a flash of lightning leaves blacker the + shadow of the night and storm.</p> + + <p>The first invention to promote subaqueous search was the + diving-bell, a clumsy vessel which isolates the diver. It is + embarrassing, if not dangerous, where there is a strong current + or if it rests upon a slant deck. It limits the vision, and in + one instance it is supposed the wretched diver was taken from + the bell by a shark. It permits an assistant, however, and a + bold diver will plunge from the deck above and ascend in the + vessel, to the invariable surprise of his companion. An example + of one of its perils, settling in the mud, occurred, I think, + in the port of New York. A party of amateurs, supported by + champagne flasks and a reporter, went down. The bell settled + and stuck like a boy's sucker. One of the party proposed + shaking or rocking the bell, and doing so, the water was forced + under and the bell lifted from the ooze.</p> + + <p>But a descent in submarine armor is the true way to visit + the world under water. The first sensation in descending is the + sudden bursting roar of furious, Niagarac cascades in the ears. + It thunders and booms upon the startled nerve with the rush and + storm of an avalanche. The sense quivers with it. But it is not + air shaken by reflected blows: it is the cascades driven into + the enclosing helmet by the force-pump. As the flexile hose has + to be stiffly distended to bear an aqueous gravity of + twenty-five to fifty pounds to the square inch, the force of + the current can be estimated. The tympanum of the ear yields to + the fierce external pressure. The brain feels and multiplies + the intolerable tension as if the interior was clamped in a + vice, and that tumultuous, thunderous torrent pours on. + Involuntarily the mouth opens: the air rushes in the Eustachian + tube, and with sudden velocity strikes the intruded tension of + the drum, which snaps back to its normal state with a sharp, + pistol-like crack. The strain is momently relieved to be + renewed again, and again relieved by the same attending + salutes.</p> + + <p>In your curious dress you must appear monstrous, even to + that marine world, familiar with abnormal creations. The whale + looks from eyes on the top of his head; the flat-fish, sole, + halibut have both eyes on the same side; and certain Crustacea + place the organ on a foot-stalk, as if one were to hold up his + eye in his hand to include a wider horizon. But the monster + which the fish now sees differs from all these. It has four + great goggle eyes arranged symmetrically around its head. + Peering through these plate-glass optics, the diver sees the + curious, strange beauty of the world around him, not as the + bather sees it, blurred and indistinct, but in the calm + splendor of its own thallassphere. The first thought is one of + unspeakable admiration of the miraculous beauty of everything + around him—a glory and a splendor of refraction, + interference and reflection that puts to shame the Arabian + story of the kingdom of the Blue Fish. Above him is that pure + golden canopy with its rare glimmering + lustrousness—something like the soft, dewy effulgence + that comes with sun-breaks through showery afternoons. The soft + delicacy of that pure straw-yellow that prevails everywhere is + crossed and lighted by tints and glimmering hues of accidental + and complementary color indescribably elegant. The floor of the + sea rises like a golden carpet in gentle incline to the + surface; but this incline, experience soon teaches, is an + ocular deception, the effect of refraction, such as a tumbler + of water and a spoon can exhibit in petty. It is perhaps the + first observable warning that you are in a new medium, and that + your familiar friend, the light, comes to you altered in its + nature; and it is as well to remember this and "make a note on + it."</p> + + <p>Raising your eyes to the horizontal and looking straight + forward, a new and beautiful wealth of color is developed. It + is at first a delicate blue, as if an accidental color of the + prevailing yellow. But soon it deepens into a rich violet. You + feel as if you had never before appreciated the loveliness of + that rich tint. As your eye dwells upon it the rich lustrous + violet darkens to indigo, and sinking into deeper hues becomes + a majestic threat of color. It is ominous, vivid + blue-black—solid, adamantine, a crystal wall of amethyst. + It is all around you. You are cased, dungeoned in the solid + masonry of the waters. It is beauty indeed, but the sombre and + awful beauty of the night and storm. The eye turns for relief + and reassurance to the paly-golden lustrous roof, and watches + that tender penciling which brightens every object it touches. + The hull of the sunken ship, lying slant and open to the sun, + has been long enough submerged to be crusted with barnacles, + hydropores, crustacea and the labored constructions of the + microscopic existences and vegetation that fill the sea. The + song of Ariel becomes vivid and realistic in its rich + word-power:</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">Full fathom five thy father lies;</p> + + <p class="i4">Of his bones are coral made;</p> + + <p class="i2">Those are pearls that were his eyes:</p> + + <p class="i4">Nothing of him that doth fade</p> + + <p class="i2">But doth suffer a sea-change</p> + + <p class="i2">Into something rich and strange.</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>The transfiguration of familiar objects is indeed curious + and wonderful. The hulk, once gaudy with paint and gilding, has + come under the skill of the lapidary and sea-artist. It is + crusted with emerald and flossy mosses, and glimmers with + diamond, jacinth, ruby, topaz, sapphire and gold. Every + jewel-shape in leaf, spore, coral or plume, lying on a greenish + crystalline ground, is fringed with a soft radiance of silver + fire, and every point is tipped in minute ciliate flames of + faint steely purple. It is spotted with soft velvety black + wherever a shadow falls, that mingles and varies the wonderful + display of color. It is brilliant, vivid, changeable with the + interferences of light from the fluctuating surface above, + which transmogrifies everything—touches the coarsest + objects with its pencil, and they become radiant and spiritual. + A pile of brick, dumped carelessly on the deck, has become a + huge hill of crystal jewelry, lively with brilliant prismatic + radiance. Where the light falls on the steps of the staircase + it shows a ladder of silver crusted with emeralds. The + round-house, spars, masts, every spot where a peak or angle + catches the light, have flushed into liquid, jeweled beauty; + and each point, a prism and mirror, catches, multiplies and + reflects the other splendor. A rainbow, a fleecy mist over the + lake, made prismal by the sunlight, a bunch of sub-aqueous + moss, a soap-bubble, are all examples in our daily experience + of that transforming power of water in the display of color. + The prevailing tone is that soft, golden effulgence which, like + the grace of a cheerful and loving heart, blends all into one + harmonious whole.</p> + + <p>But observation warns the spectator of the delusive + character of all that splendor of color. He lifts a box from + the ooze: he appears to have uncorked the world. The hold is a + bottomless chasm. Every indentation, every acclivity that casts + a shadow, gives the impression of that soundless depth. The + bottom of the sea seems loopholed with cavities that pierce the + solid globe and the dark abysses of space beyond. The diver is + surrounded by pitfalls, real and imaginary. There is no + graduation. The shallow concave of a hand-basin is as the + shadow of the bottomless well.</p> + + <p>If the exploration takes place in the delta of a great + river, the light is affected by the various densities of the + double refracting media. At the proper depth one can see + clearly the line where these two meet, clean cut and as sharply + defined as the bottom of a green glass tumbler through the pure + water it contains. The salt brine or gelatinous sea-water sinks + weighted to the bottom, and over it flows the fresh + river-water. If the latter is darkened with sediment, it + obscures the silent depths with a heavy, gloomy cloud. In + seasons of freshet this becomes a total darkness.</p> + + <p>But even on a bright, sunshiny day, under clear water, the + shadow of any object in the sea is unlike any shade in the + upper atmosphere. It draws a black curtain over everything + under it, completely obscuring it. Nor is this peculiarity lost + when the explorer enters the shadow; but, as one looking into a + tunnel from without can see nothing therein, though the open + country beyond is plainly visible, so, standing in that + submarine shadow, all around is dark, though beyond the sable + curtain of the shadow the view is clear. Apply this optical + fact to the ghastly story of a diver's alleged experience in + the cabin of a sunken ship. It is narrated that there was + revealed to his appalled sight the spectacle of the drowned + passengers in various attitudes of alarm or devotion when the + dreadful suffocation came. The story is told with great effect + and power, but unless a voltaic lantern is included in the + stage furniture, the ghastly tableaux must sink into the limbo + of incredibilities.</p> + + <p>The cabin of a sunken vessel is dark beyond any supernal + conception of darkness. Even a cabin window does not alter this + law, though it may be itself visible, with objects on its + surface, as in a child's magic-lantern. As the rays of light + pass through an object flatwise, like the blade of a knife + through the leaves of a book, and may be admitted through + another of like character in the plane of the first, so a ray + of light can penetrate with deflection through air and water. + But becoming polarized, the interposition of a third medium + ordinarily transparent will stop it altogether. Hence the + plate-glass window under water admits no light into the + interior of a cabin. The distrust of sight grows with the + diver's experience. The eye brings its habit of estimating + proportion and distance from an attenuated atmosphere into + another and denser medium, and the seer is continually deceived + by the change. He hesitates, halts, and is observant of the + pitfalls about him. A gang-plank slightly above the surface of + the deck is bordered, where its shadow falls, by dismal + trenches. There is a range of hills crossing the deck before + him. As he approaches he estimates the difficulty of the + ascent. At its apparent foot he reaches to clamber the steep + sides, and the sierra is still a step beyond his reach. Drawing + still nearer, he prepares to crawl up; his hand touches the + top; it is less than shoulder-high.</p> + + <p>But perhaps the strongest illustration of the differing + densities of these two media is furnished by an attempt to + drive a nail under water. By an absolute law such an effort, if + guided by sight independent of calculation, must fail. Habit + and experience, tested in atmospheric light, will control the + muscles, and direct the blow at the very point where the + nail-head is not. For this reason the ingenious expedient of a + voltaic lantern under water has proved to be impracticable. It + is not the light alone which is wanted, but that sweet familiar + atmosphere through which we are habituated to look. The + submarine diver learns to rely wholly on the truer sense of + touch, and guided by that he engages in tasks requiring labor + and skill with the easy assurance of a blind man in the crowded + street.</p> + + <p>The conveyance of sound through the inelastic medium of + water is so difficult that it has been called the world of + silence. This is only comparatively true. The fish has an + auditory cavity, which, though simple in itself, certifies the + ordinary conviction of sound, but it is dull and imperfect; and + perhaps all marine creatures have other means of communication. + There is an instance, however, of musical sounds produced by + marine animals, which seems to show an appreciation of harmony. + In one of the lakes of Ceylon, Sir Emerson Tennent heard soft + musical sounds, like the first faint notes of the aeolian harp + or the faint vibrations of a wineglass when its rim is rubbed + by a wet finger. This curious harmony is supposed to be + produced by a species of testaceous mollusk. A similar + intonation is heard at times along the Florida coast.</p> + + <p>Interesting as this may be, as indicating an appreciation of + that systematic order in arrangement which in music is harmony, + it does not alter the fact that to the ears of the diver, save + the cascade of the air through the life-hose, it is a sea of + silence. No shout or spoken word reaches him. Even a + cannon-shot comes to him dull and muffled, or if distant it is + unheard. But a sharp, quick sound, that appears to break the + air, like ice, into sharp radii, can be heard, especially if + struck against anything on the water. The sound of driving a + nail on the ship above, for example, or a sharp tap on the + diving-bell below, is distinctly and reciprocally audible. + Conversation below the surface by ordinary methods is out of + the question, but it can be sustained by placing the metal + helmets of the interlocutors together, thus providing a medium + of conveyance.</p> + + <p>The effort to clothe with intelligence subaqueous life must + have been greatly strengthened among primitive nations by the + musical sounds to which I have referred. Those mysterious + breathings were associated with a human will, and gave + forebodings from their very sweetness. Everywhere they are + associated with a passionate or pathetic mystery, and the + widely-spread area over which their island home is portrayed as + existing strengthens the conclusion that the strange music of + the sea belongs not to Ceylon or Florida or the Mediterranean + alone. It affords us another instance, by that common enjoyment + of sweet sounds, of the chain of sympathy between all + intelligent creatures, and better prepares us for familiar + acquaintance with the beings which people the sea. We have + prejudices and preconceived ideas to get rid of, whose strength + has crystallized into aphorisms. "Cold as a fish" and + "fish-eyed" are ordinary expressions. Then the touch of a fish, + cold, slippery, serpent-like, causes an involuntary + shrinking.</p> + + <p>But the submarine diver has a new revelation of piscine + character and beauty, and perhaps can better understand the + enticings of a siren or fantastic Lurlei than the classical + scholar. In the flush of aureal light tinging their pearly + glimmering armor are the radiant, graceful, frolicsome + inhabitants of the sea. The glutinous or oily exudation that + covers them is a brilliant varnish. Their lustrous colors, + variety of crystalline tints and beautiful markings and spots, + attract the eye of the artist even in the fish-market; but when + glowing with full life, lively, nimble, playful, surely the + most graceful living creatures of earth, air or sea, the soul + must be blind indeed that can look upon them unmoved.</p> + + <p>The dull optic seen glazing in the death-throes upon the + market-stall, with coarse vulgar surroundings, becomes, in its + native element, full of intelligence and light. In even the + smaller fry the round orb glitters like a diamond star. One + cannot see the fish without seeing its eye. It is positive, + persistent, prevalent, the whole animate existence expressed in + it. As far as the fish can be seen its eye is visible. The + glimmer of scales, the grace of perfect motion, the rare golden + pavilion with its jeweled floor and heavy violet curtains, + complete a scene whose harmony of color, radiance and animal + life is perfect. The minnow and sun-perch are the pages of the + tourney on the cloth of gold. There is a fearless familiarity + in these playful little things, a social, frank intimacy with + their novel visitor, that astonishes while it pleases. They + crowd about him, curiously touch him, and regard all his + movements with a frank, lively interest. Nor are the larger + fish shy. The sheeps-head, red and black groper, sea-trout and + other, familiar fish of the sportsman, receive him with frank + bonhommie or fearless curiosity. In their large round beautiful + eyes the diver reads evidence of intelligence and curious + wonder that sometimes startles him with its entirely human + expression. There is a look of interest mixed with curiosity, + leading to the irresistible conclusion of a kindred nature. No + faithful hound or pet doe could express a franker interest in + its eyes. Curiosity, which I take to be expressly destructive + of the now-exploded theory of instinct, is expressed not only + by the eye, but by the movements. As in man there is an eager + passion to handle that which is novel, so these curious + denizens of the sea are persistent in their efforts to touch + the diver. An instance of this occurred, attended with + disagreeable results to one of the parties, and that not the + fish. The Eve of this investigation was a large catfish. These + fish are the true rovers of the water. They have a large round + black eye, full of intelligence and fire: their warlike spines + and gaff-topsails give them the true buccaneer build. One of + these, while the diver was engaged, incited by its fearless + curiosity, slipped up and touched him with its cold nose. The + man involuntarily threw back his hand, and the soft palm + striking the sharp gaff, it was driven into the flesh. There + was an instant's struggle before the fish wrenched itself loose + from the bleeding member, and then it only swung off a little, + staring with its bold black eyes at the intruder, as if it + wished to stay for further question. It is hard to translate + the expression of that look of curious wonder and surprise + without appearing to exaggerate, but the impression produced + was that if the fish did not speak to him, it was from no lack + of intelligent emotions to be expressed in language.</p> + + <p>A prolonged stay in one place gave a diver an opportunity to + test this intelligence further, and to observe the trustful + familiarity of this variety of marine life. He was continually + surrounded at his work by a school of gropers, averaging a foot + in length. An accident having identified one of them, he + observed it was a daily visitor. After the first curiosity the + gropers apparently settled into the belief that the novel + monster was harmless and clumsy, but useful in assisting them + to their food. The species feed on Crustacea and marine worms, + which shelter under rocks, mosses and sunken objects at the + sea-bottom. In raising anything out of the ooze a dozen of + these fish would thrust their heads into the hollow for their + food before the diver's hand was removed. They would follow him + about, eyeing his motions, dashing in advance or around in + sport, and evidently with a liking for their new-found friend. + Pleased with such an unexpected familiarity, the man would + bring them food and feed them from his hand, as one feeds a + flock of chickens. The resemblance, in their familiarity and + some of their ways, to poultry was, in fact, very striking. As + a little chick will sometimes seize a large crumb and scurry + off, followed by the flock, so a fish would sometimes snatch a + morsel and fly, followed by the school. If he dropped it or + stopped to enjoy his <i>bonne bouche</i>, his mates would be + upon him. Sometimes two would get the same morsel, and there + would be a trial of strength, accompanied with much flash and + glitter of shining scales. But no matter how called off, their + interest and curiosity remained with the diver. They would + return, pushing their noses about him, caressingly in + appearance if not intent, and bob into the treasures of worm + and shell-fish his labor exposed. He became convinced that they + were sportive, indulging in dash and play for the fun of it, + rather than for any grosser object to be attained.</p> + + <p>This curious intimacy was continued for weeks: the fish, + unless driven away by some rover of prey of their kind, were in + regular attendance during his hours of work. Perhaps the + solitude and silence of that curious submarine world + strengthened the impression of recognition and intimacy, but by + every criterion we usually accept in terrestrial creation these + little creatures had an interest and a friendly feeling for one + who furnished them food, and who was always careful to avoid + injuring them or giving them any unnecessary alarm. He could + not, of course, take up a fish in his hand, any more than a + chicken will submit to handling; but as to the comparative + tameness of the two, the fish is more approachable than the + chicken. That they knew and expected the diver at the usual + hour was a conclusion impossible to deny, as also that they + grew into familiarity with him, and were actuated by an + intelligent recognition of his service to them. It would be + hard to convince this gentleman that a school of fish cannot be + as readily and completely tamed as a flock of chickens.</p> + + <p>Why not? The fear of man is no instinctive feeling in the + invertebrate creation. The pioneer who penetrates into the + uninhabited wilds of our Western frontier finds bird and beast + fearless and familiar. Man's cruelty is a lesson of experience. + The timid and fearful of the lower creation belong to creatures + of prey. The shark, for example, is as cowardly as the + wolf.</p> + + <p>I thought to speak of other marine creations with which the + diver grows acquainted, finding in them only a repetition of + the same degree of life he has seen in the upper world. But let + it be enough to state the conclusion—as yet only an + impression, and perhaps never to be more—that in marine + existence there is to be found the counterpart always of some + animate existence on earth, invertebrate or radiate, in + corresponding animals or insects, between whose habits and + modes of existence strong analogies are found. The shrimps that + hang in clusters on your hand under the water are but winged + insects of the air in another frame that have annoyed you on + the land.</p> + + <p>Let me dismiss the subject with the brief account of a diver + caught in a trap.</p> + + <p>In the passion of blind destruction that followed and + attended the breaking out of hostilities between the North and + the South, as a child breaks his rival's playthings, the + barbarism of war destroyed the useful improvements of + civilization. Among the things destroyed by this iconoclastic + fury was the valuable dry-dock in Pensacola Bay. It was burned + to the water's edge, and sunk. A company was subsequently + organized to rescue the wreck, and in the course of the + submarine labor occurred the incident to which I refer.</p> + + <p>The dry-dock was built in compartments, to ensure it against + sinking, but the ingenuity which was to keep it above water now + served effectually to keep it down. Each one of these small + water-tight compartments held the vessel fast to the bottom, as + Gulliver was bound by innumerable threads to the ground of + Lilliput. It was necessary to break severally into the lower + side of each of these chambers, and allow the water to flow + evenly in all. The interior of the hull was checkered by these + boxes. Huge beams and cross-ties intersected each other at + right angles, forming the frame for this honeycombed interior, + pigeon-holed like a merchant's desk. It was necessary to tear + off the skin and penetrate from one to the other in order to + effect this.</p> + + <p>It was a difficult and tedious job under water. The net of + intersecting beams lay so close together that the passage + between was exceedingly narrow and compressed, barely admitting + the diver's body. The pens, so framed by intersecting beams, + were narrowed and straitened, embarrassing attempts at labor in + them, which the cold, slippery, serpent-like touch of the + sea-water was not likely to make pleasanter. It folded the + shuddering body in its coils, and a most ancient and fish-like + smell did not improve the situation. The toil was multiplied by + the innumerable pigeon-holes, as if they fitted into one + another like a Chinese puzzle, with the unlucky diver in the + middle box. It was a nightmare of the sea, the furniture of a + dream solidified in woody fibre.</p> + + <p>Into one of these crowding holes the diver crawled. There + was the tedious work of tearing off the casing to occupy an + hour or more, and when it was accomplished he endeavored to + back out of his situation. He was stopped fast and tight in his + regression. The arrangement of the armor about the head and + shoulders, making a cone whose apex was the helmet, prevented + his exit. It was like the barb of a harpoon, and caught him + fast in the wood. Such a danger is not sudden in its + revelation. There is at first only a feeling of impatience at + the embarrassment, a disposition to "tear things." In vain + attempts at doubling and other gymnastic feats the diver wasted + several hours, until his companions above became alarmed at the + delay. They renewed and increased their labors at the + force-pump, and the impetuous torrent came surging about the + diver's ears. It served to complete his danger. It sprung the + trap in which he lay enclosed. The inflated armor swelled and + filled up the crowded spaces. It stiffened out the casing of + the helmet to equal the burden of fifty pounds to the square + inch, and made it as hard as iron. He was caught like the + gluttonous fox. The bulky volume of included air made exit + impossible. It was no longer a labyrinth as before, where + freedom of motion incited courage: he was in the fetters of + wind and water, bound fast to the floor of his dungeon den. He + signaled for the pump to stop. It was the only alternative. He + might die without that life-giving air, but he would certainly + die if its volume was not reduced. The cock at the back of the + helmet for discharging the vessel was out of his reach. The + invention never contemplated a case in which the diver would + perish from the presence of air.</p> + + <p>As the armor worn was made tight at the sleeves with elastic + wristbands, his remedy was to insert his fingers under it, and + slowly and tediously allow the bubbling air to escape. In this + he persevered steadily, encouraged by the prospect of escape. + The way was long and difficult, but release certain with the + reduction of that huge bulk.</p> + + <p>But a new and subtler danger attacked him—the very wit + of Nature brought to bear upon his force and ingenuity. It was + as if the mysterious sirens of the sea saw in that intellectual + force the real strength of their prisoner, and sought to steal + it from him while they lulled him to indifference. Inhaling and + reinhaling the reduced volume of air, it became carbonized and + foul, not with the warning of sudden oppression, but</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">Sly as April melts to May,</p> + + <p class="i2">And May slips into June.</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>The senses, intoxicated by the new companion sent them by + the lungs, began to sport with it, as ignorant children with a + loaded shell, forgetful of duty and the critical condition of + the man. They began to wander in vagaries and delusions. A soft + chime of distant bells rang in his ears with the sweet sleepy + service of a Sabbath afternoon; the sound of hymns and the + organ mingled with the melody and the chant of the sirens of + the sea.</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">There is sweet music here that softer + falls</p> + + <p class="i4">Than petals from blown roses on the + grass,</p> + + <p class="i2">Or night-dew on still waters, between + walls</p> + + <p class="i4">Of shadowy granite in a gleaming + pass—</p> + + <p class="i2">Music that gentler on the spirit lies</p> + + <p class="i2">Than tired eyelids upon tired eyes.</p> + + <p class="i2">Here are cool mosses deep,</p> + + <p class="i2">And through the moss the ivies creep,</p> + + <p class="i2">And in the stream the long-leaved flowers + weep,</p> + + <p class="i2">And from the craggy ledge the poppy hangs + in sleep.</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>The sensuous beauty, the infinite luxury of repose sung by + the poet, filled and steeped his senses. The desire to sleep + was intoxicating, delicious, irresistible; and with it ran + delicious, restful thrills through all his limbs, the narcotism + of the blood. It was partly, no doubt, the effect of inhaling + that pernicious air; partly that hibernation of the bear which + in the freezing man precedes dissolution; and possibly more + than that, something more than any mere physical + cause—life perhaps preparing to lay this tired body down, + its future usefulness destroyed.</p> + + <p>This delicious enervation had to be constantly resisted and + dominated by a superior will. One more strenuous effort to + relieve that straitened garrison, to release that imprisoned + and fettered body, and then, if that failed, an unconditional + surrender to the armies of eternal steep. But it did not fail. + That constant, persevering tugging of the fingers at the + wristbands, pursued mechanically in that strange condition of + pleasing stupor, had reduced the exaggerated distensions of the + bulbous head-gear. A stout, energetic push set the diver free, + and he was drawn to the surface dazed, drowsy, and only half + conscious of the peril undergone. But with the rush of fresh, + untainted air to the lungs came an emotion of gratitude to the + Giver of life and the full consciousness of escape.</p> + + <p>And this sums up my sketch illustrative of the peculiar + character of marine life, and the hazards of submarine + adventure, hitherto known to few, for—well, for + <i>divers</i> reasons.</p> + + <p class="author">WILL WALLACE HARNEY.</p><a name="H_4_0015" + id="H_4_0015"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + + <h2>CONFIDENTIAL.</h2> + + <p>My ear has ever been considered public property for private + usage. I cannot call to mind the time when I was not somebody's + confidante, the business beginning as far back as the winter I + ran down to Aunt Rally's to receive my birthday-party of sweet + or bitter sixteen, as will appear.</p> + + <p>Ralph Romer was the first to spread the news of my arrival + in the village among the girls of my own age. Ralph Romer it + was who had braved the dangers of "brier and brake" to find the + bright holly berries with which Aunt Hally had decorated the + cheery little parlor for the occasion; and it was with Ralph + Romer I danced the oftenest on that famous night.</p> + + <p>"Wouldn't I just step out on the porch a short little + minute," he whispered as he came around in the rear of Aunt + Hally to bid me good-night, ending the whisper, according to + the style of all boy-lovers, "I've got something to tell + you."</p> + + <p>The door stood open and conveniently near, and I suppose I + wanted to see how high the snow had drifted since dark; and, a + better reason still, I couldn't afford to let Ralph take my + hand off with him; and so I had to go out on the porch just + long enough to get it back, while he said: "Ettie Moore says + she loves me, and we are going to correspond when I go back to + college; and as you know all lovers and their sweethearts must + have a confidante to smuggle letters and valentines across the + lines, we have both chosen you for ours. Oh, I was so afraid + you wouldn't come!"</p> + + <p>I found the snow had drifted—-well, I don't believe I + knew how many inches.</p> + + <p>I have not promised a recital of all my auricular + experiences. Enough to say, that in time I settled down into + the conviction that it was my special mission to be the + receptacle of other people's secrets; and they seemed + determined to convince me that they thought so too.</p> + + <p>So, when Mr. Tennent Tremont happened along and became a + candidate for auricular favors, like a tradesman who has gained + the self-sustaining ground which has made him indifferent as to + custom-seeking, I could afford to be entirely independent about + giving a previous promise to keep his secrets for him; and so, + dear reader, they are as much yours as mine.</p> + + <p>When my brother introduced him into our family circle we + took him to be a Northern college-chum, met with during his + just-returned-from-trip to Washington; for it was in those days + when Southern hospitality was as much appreciated as it was + liberally bestowed. It was a good time for a modest stranger to + come among new faces. We were in the flutter and bustle which a + wedding in the family makes, and it gave him an opportunity to + get used to us, and left us none to observe him unpleasantly + much.</p> + + <p>But when the wedding was over, and I had made up my week of + lost sleep, and he and my brother had kept themselves out of + the way on a camp-hunt, for my mother to do up her week of + house-cleaning,—it is here that our story proper + begins.</p> + + <p>As we were leaving the breakfast-table one morning my + brother caught my dress-sleeve, and, dropping in the rear of + Mr. Tennent Tremont, allowed him to find the verandah: "Really, + sis, I don't think you are doing the clever thing, quite."</p> + + <p>"How?"</p> + + <p>"Why, in not helping me to entertain my friend."</p> + + <p>"Getting tired of him?"</p> + + <p>"No, he isn't one of that kind; but, to tell the truth, I am + too busy just now to give him the whole of my time."</p> + + <p>"Too busy turning your own cakes. Yes, I see."</p> + + <p>"Which is no more than my sister is doing; which reminds me + to say that J.B. will call this morning, he desired me to + inform you. But, dear sis, we must not be so absorbed in our + own love-matters as to give my friend only a moiety of our + attention, for, poor fellow! he has one of his own."</p> + + <p>"So I am to bore him for the sake of relieving you? Is that + my role?"</p> + + <p>"Now stop! He simply wants a lady confidante."</p> + + <p>I broke away from my brother's hold, and ran up to my room + to see if all was right for my expected caller, giving my right + ear a pull, by way of saying to that victimized organ, "You are + needed."</p> + + <p>And what think you I did next? Got out my + embroidery-material bag, and put it in order for action at a + moment's warning. I was prepared for a reasonable amount of + martyrdom pertaining to my profession, but I was always an + economist of time, and not another unemployed hour would I + yield to the selfish demands of my forthcoming job.</p> + + <p>The next day was one of November drizzle, the house + confinement of which, my adroit brother declared, could only be + mitigated by my presence in the sitting-room until the improved + state of the weather allowed their escape from it.</p> + + <p>I was in the habit of appropriating such weather to my + piano, and I had not touched it for a month. Whether Mr. + Tennent Tremont's nerves were in a sound state or not, I was + determined to practice until twelve. But when he came in from + the library and assisted me in opening the instrument, I was + obliged to ask him what he would have. They were my first + direct words to him, our three weeks' guest.</p> + + <p>"Oh, 'Summer Night' is a favorite," he said.</p> + + <p>I gave him the song, and then executed the long variations; + then, dropping my tired hands in my lap, inquired whether he + liked vocal or instrumental best.</p> + + <p>"Not any more of either, just now, thanking you kindly for + what you have given me," he said. "Have you ever been a + confidante, Miss ——?"</p> + + <p>"That is my vocation, Mr. Tremont," I replied, grasping my + bag.</p> + + <p>"Which? your embroidery or—"</p> + + <p>"Both combined," I tried to say pleasantly, "as on this + occasion. I am at Mr. Tremont's service;" and I threaded my + tapestry-needle.</p> + + <p>Without a prefatory word he began: "Years before your young + heart was awakened to 'the sweetest joy, the wildest woe,' I + loved."</p> + + <p>"And single yet!" I exclaimed as I let my hands drop and + glanced up at his brown hair, to see if all those years had + left their silver footprints there.</p> + + <p>"And single yet," he repeated slowly, "and still worshiping + at the same shrine; and to no other will I ever bow until this + head is silvered o'er, and this strong arm palsied with the + infirmities of age—if a long life is indeed to be + mine."</p> + + <p>His ardor startled me, but I managed to stitch away + composedly, and he went on:</p> + + <p>"I know it is in the highest degree selfish to inflict on + you a recital of what may not interest you; but I have tried to + keep my secret buried from human eyes, from all but + <i>hers</i>, and you are now the only being on earth to whom I + have ever <i>said</i>, 'I love.' As intimate as I have been + with your brother, if he knows it, it is by his penetration, + for no word of acknowledgment has ever passed my lips before. + May I go on?" he asked.</p> + + <p>"Oh yes," I answered, taken by surprise. "I suppose so. It + is a relief to talk, and to listen, I have told you, is my + vocation."</p> + + <p>"How long can you listen?" he questioned in delighted + eagerness.</p> + + <p>I fancied he would have to be allowanced, and I held up my + paper pattern before me: "This bouquet of flowers is to be + transferred. I will give you all the time it will take to do + it. Remember, the catastrophe must be reached by that time. + Some one else will probably want my ear."</p> + + <p>"But," said he, "listening is not the only duty of a + confidante: you must aid me by your counsel. Only a woman may + say how a woman may be won."</p> + + <p>"You have my sympathies, Mr. Tremont, on the score of your + being a very dear brother's friend. I know nothing of + her—next to nothing of you. I can neither counsel nor aid + you."</p> + + <p>"That brother is familiar with every page of my outward + life-history. It was in our family he spent his vacation, while + you and your father were traveling in Europe."</p> + + <p>"Well, then, that will do about yourself. Now about + her?"</p> + + <p>The door-bell was rung: the waiter announced—well, my + obliging brother has already given enough of his + name—"Mr. J.B." My confessor withdrew.</p> + + <p>The next morning, as I was bringing the freshened + flower-vases into the sitting-room, he brought me my bag, + saying, "Now about her."</p> + + <p>I opened the piano, repeated his favorite, kept my seat and + cultivated my roses vigorously.</p> + + <p>"Miss —— ," he began, "I would not knowingly + give pain to a human creature. Yesterday, when your visitor + found me by your side, I observed a frown on his face. I detest + obtrusiveness, but if there is anything in the relation in + which you stand to each other which will make my attentions + objectionable to either of you, they shall cease this moment. + You are at perfect liberty to repeat to him every word I have + said to you."</p> + + <p>"I thank you sincerely for your considerateness," I said. "I + am under no obligations of the kind to him or any other + gentleman."</p> + + <p>He introduced his topic by saying: "I am glad that I shall + have to say little more of myself. Oh, what a strange joy it is + to be able to speak unreservedly of her, and of the long + pent-up hopes and fears of the past years! And now, if you will + assist me in interpreting her conduct toward me—if you + will inspire me with even faint hope of success—if you + will advise me as you would a brother how to + proceed,—gratitude will be too weak a word for my feeling + toward you for the remainder of my life."</p> + + <p>"I have not yet sufficient light on her part of the affair + to aid you by advice," I answered. "In these slowly-developing + love-affairs there is usually but one great hindering cause. Do + you know," I said, laughing as much as I dared, looking into + his woebegone face, "that you have not told me what has passed + between you?"</p> + + <p>His moment or two of death silence made me almost regret my + last words.</p> + + <p>"In the first of our acquaintance I was ever tortured by her + indifference. My first attentions were quietly received, never + encouraged. Then came the still more torturing fear—agony + let me call it—lest she was pre-engaged. Thank God! that + burden was lifted from my poor heart, but only, it seemed, to + make room for the very one of all in the catalogue of causes by + which a lover's hope dies beyond the possibility of a + resurrection. It is the rock—no, I fear the placid waters + of friendship into which my freighted bark is now + drifting—which may lie between it and the bright isle of + love, the safe harbor" (he shuddered), "not the blissful + possession."</p> + + <p>Reader, the roses were not growing under my needle: my + sympathies were at last fully enlisted.</p> + + <p>"You have well said," I answered. "Friendship is the 'nine + notch' in which a lover makes 'no count' in the game of hearts. + But steer bravely past these dark gulfs of despair. Have you + ever had recourse to jealousy in your desperation?" I + queried.</p> + + <p>"I scorn such a base ally. Your brother can tell you I am + here partly because I would avoid increasing an affection in + another which I cannot return."</p> + + <p>"Does she know of that?" I asked, not at all prepared in my + own mind to yield the potency of the ally in my sincere desire + to aid him by this test of a woman's affection.</p> + + <p>"Yes: I have no reason, however, for thinking that the fact + has raised her estimate of the article," he said, making a poor + attempt to smile.</p> + + <p>I felt ashamed of my suggestion, and said quickly, "You + correspond, of course: how are her letters?" Now I was sure of + my safest clue in finding her out.</p> + + <p>"It was through the medium of her letters that I first + obtained my knowledge of her mind, her temperament, her + disposition, her admirable domestic virtues; for they were + written without reserve. They excited my highest admiration; + they stimulated my desire to know more of her; but they contain + no word of love for me."</p> + + <p>His want of boldness almost excited my contempt. My skill + was baffled on every side, and, not caring much to conceal my + impatience, I said, "You have asked me to advise you as I would + my brother. She is cold and selfish: give her up."</p> + + <p>"Give her up!" he said with measured and emphatic + slowness—"give her up, when I have sought her beneath + every clime on which the sun shines—not for months, but + for years? Give her up, when her presence gives me all I have + ever known of happiness? Give her up!" and he leaned his head + on the back of his chair and closed his eyes.</p> + + <p>I had imagined him gifted with wonderful self-control, but + when I looked up from my work all color had faded from his + cheeks, the lips seemed ready to yield the little blood left + there by the clinch of the white-teeth upon them, while every + muscle of the face quivered with spasmodic effort to control + emotion. When the eyes were opened and fixed on the ceiling, I + saw no trace in them of anger, revenge, or even of wounded + pride. They were full of tears, ready to gush in one last + flood-tide of feeling over a subdued, chastened, but breaking + heart.</p> + + <p>It was very evident that my treatment was not adding much + comfort to my patient, however salutary it might prove in the + end. I knew of his intention to leave the next day: there was + little time left me to aid him, and I had come to regard the + unknown woman's mysterious nature or strategic warfare as + pitted against my superior penetration. That he might be + victorious she must be vanquished. <i>She</i> was, then, my + antagonist.</p> + + <p>The deepening twilight was producing chilliness. I flooded + the room with brilliant light, stirred the grate into glowing + warmth, and invited him to a seat near the fire.</p> + + <p>"You will not leave me, will you? This may be—<i>it + will be</i>—my last demand on you as a confidante. How is + the bouquet progressing?" he asked.</p> + + <p>"See," I said, holding my embroidery up before me: "we must + hurry. I have but one more tendril to add."</p> + + <p>"Tendrils are clinging things, like hope, are they not?" he + said pensively.</p> + + <p>But sentimentalizing was not the business of the hour, and I + intimated as much to him. "Yes," I replied, "but hope must now + give place to effort. I see you are not going to take my + 'give-her-up' advice."</p> + + <p>"No—only from her who has the right to give it."</p> + + <p>I now considered my patient out of danger.</p> + + <p>"Then why do you torture yourself longer with doubts? + Perhaps your irresolution has caused a want of confidence in + the strength of your affection. At least give her an + opportunity to define her true position toward you. Beard the + lions of indifference and friendship in their dens, and do not + yield to unmanly cowardice. Strange that I have given you the + counsel last which should have been given first! But do not, I + beseech you, lose any time in seeking her. Assure her of your + long and unwavering devotion. Constancy is the most valued word + in a true woman's vocabulary. You have staked too much + happiness to lose: you <i>must</i> win."</p> + + <p>"And if I lose," he said—holding up something before + him which I took to be a picture, though it was in the shape of + a heart—"and if I lose, then perish all of earth to me. + But leave me only this, and should I hold you thus, and gaze on + what I have first and last and only loved until this perishable + material on which I have placed you turn to dust, still will + you be graven on a heart whose deathless love can know no + death; for a thing so holy as the love I bear you was not made + to die."</p> + + <p>My work—now my completed work—dropped beneath my + fingers, for the last stitch was taken.</p> + + <p>If I could not prevent his self-torture, he should not, at + least, torture me longer; and snatching the thing from his + grasp, I exclaimed as I closed my hands over it, "Now, before I + return it, you must, you <i>shall</i>, promise me that you will + take the last advice I gave you; or will you allow me to look + at it, and then unseal the silent lips and give you the + prophetic little 'yes' or 'no' which a professed physiognomist + like your confidante can always read in the eye?"</p> + + <p>"I would rather you did the last," he said; and I rose, + leaned my elbow on the corner of the mantel nearest the + gaslight, rested my head on my empty hand, so as to shade my + eyes from the intensity of the brilliant burner near me, and + with the awe creeping over me with which the old astrologers + read the horoscope of the midnight stars, I looked, and + saw—only a wonderfully faithful copy of the portrait + hanging just over me, of which Mr. Tennent Tremont's confidante + was the original. I threw it from me, and burst into tears. He + stood quite near me. I thought I hated him, but my obtuse, + blundering, idiotic self more than him. I waved my hand in + token either of his silence or withdrawal, for in all my life + long I, with a whole dictionary in my mind of abusive epithets, + was never more at a loss for a word. My token was unheeded.</p> + + <p>He only murmured softly,</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">"I had never seen thee weeping:</p> + + <p class="i2">I cannot leave thee now.</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>When you snatched my picture from me a moment ago I saw a + glistening tear of sympathy in your eye; but what are + these?"</p> + + <p>"So cruel! so ungenerous! so unfair!" I said, still pressing + my hands tightly over my eyes. "How can I ever forgive + you?"</p> + + <p>With softer murmur than the last he repeated the words,</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">"'Tis sweet to let the pardoned in."</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>"Astounding presumption that!" I said, now giving him the + benefit of my full gaze—"to speak of pardon before making + a confession of your guilt! But before I give you time even for + that, the remaining mysteries which still hang around your tale + of woe shall be cleared up. Please to inform the court how the + original of your purloined sketch could have been the object of + years of devotion, when it has been only four weeks to-day + since you laid your mortal eyes on her?"</p> + + <p>"Ah! you may well say mortal; but you know the soul too has + its visual organs. I saw and loved and worshiped my ideal in + those years, and sought her too—how + unceasingly!—and I said,</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">Only for the real will I with the ideal + part:</p> + + <p class="i2">Another shall not even tempt my + heart.</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>When I saw her just four weeks since, I knew her,</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">And my heart responded as, with unseen + wings,</p> + + <p class="i2">An angel touched its unswept strings,</p> + + <p class="i6">And whispers in its song,</p> + + <p class="i6">Where hast thou strayed so long?"</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>But the avenging demon of curiosity was not to be exorcised + by sentimental evasion: "Those letters, sir, of which you + spoke, <i>they</i> must have been of a real, tangible + form—not a part of the mythical phantasmagoria of your + idealistic vision."</p> + + <p>He laughed as a light-hearted child would, but knitted his + brow with a perplexed air as he said, "Why don't the British + government send a woman to find the source of the Nile? I must + thank your unsophisticated brother's pride in his sister's + epistolary accomplishments for my privilege of perusal. What + next?"</p> + + <p>I thought a moment. Before, I had fifty other queries to + propound, but now as I looked into the glowing anthracite + before me which gave us those pleasant Reveries, they very + naturally all resolved themselves into explained mysteries + without his aid.</p> + + <p>He insists that the "prophetic little yes or no" never + came.</p> + + <p>Upon my honor, dear reader, as a confidante, I still think + it the most unfair procedure which ever "disgraced the annals + of civilized warfare;" but I shall have abundant opportunity + for revenge, for we are to make the journey of life + together.</p><a name="H_4_0016" + id="H_4_0016"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + + <h2>GLIMPSES OF JOHN CHINAMAN.</h2> + + <p>When John Marshall picked up the first golden nugget in + California, a call was sounded for the gathering of an immense + gold-seeking army made up of many nationalities; and among the + rest China sent a battalion some fifty thousand strong.</p> + + <p>John Chinaman has remained with us ever since, despised and + abused, being neither a co-worshiper nor a co-sympathizer in + aught save the getting of gold. In dress, custom and language + his is still a nationality as distinct from ours as are the + waters of the Gulf Stream from those of the ocean.</p> + + <p>It is possible that this may be but the second migration of + Tartars to the American shore. It is possible that the North + American Indian and the Chinaman may be identical in origin and + race. Close observers find among the aboriginal tribes resident + far up on the north-west American coast peculiar habits and + customs, having closely-allied types among the Chinese. The + features of the Aleuts, the natives of the Aleutian Islands, + are said to approximate closely to those of the Mongolians. The + unvarying long black hair, variously-shaded brown skin, + beardless face and shaven head are points, natural and + artificial, common to the Indian and Mongolian. There is a hint + of common custom between the Indian scalplock and Chinese + cue.</p> + + <p>"John" has been a thorough gleaner of the mines. The + "superior race" allowed him to make no valuable discoveries. He + could buy their half-worked-out placers. The "river-bed" they + sold him when its chances of yielding were deemed desperate. + When the golden fruitage of the banks was reduced to a dollar + per day, they became "China diggings." But wherever "John" + settled he worked steadily, patiently and systematically, no + matter whether his ten or twelve hours' labor brought fifty + cents or fifty dollars; for his industry is of an untiring + mechanical character. In the earlier and flusher days of + California's gold-harvest the white man worked spasmodically. + He was ever leaving the five-dollar diggings in hand for the + fifty- or hundred-dollar-per-day claims afar off in some + imaginary bush. These golden rumors were always on the wing. + The country was but half explored, and many localities were + rich in mystery. The white vanguard pushed north, south and + east, frequently enduring privation and suffering. "John," in + comparative comfort, trotted patiently after, carrying his + snugly made-up bundle of provisions and blankets at one end of + a bamboo pole, his pick, shovel, pan and rocker at the other, + to work over the leavings. The leavings sometimes turned out + more gold than "new ground," much to the chagrin of the + impatient Caucasian. But John, according to his own testimony, + never owned a rich claim. Ask him how much it yielded per day, + and he would tell you, "sometimes four, sometimes six bittee" + (four or six shillings). He had many inducements for + prevarication. Nearly every white man's hand was against him. + If he found a bit of rich ground, "jumpers" were ready to drive + him from it: Mexicans waylaid him and robbed him of his dust. + In remote localities he enclosed his camp by strong stockades: + even these were sometimes forced and carried at night by bands + of desperadoes. Lastly came the foreign miner's tax-collector, + with his demand of four dollars monthly per man for the + privilege of digging gold. There were hundreds and thousands of + other foreign laborers in the mines—English, German, + French, Italian and Portuguese—but they paid little or + none of this tax, for they might soon be entitled to a vote, + and the tax-collector was appointed by the sheriff of the + county, and the sheriff, like other officials, craved a + re-election. But John was never to be a voter, and so he + shouldered the whole of this load, and when he could not pay, + the official beat him and took away his tools. John often + fought this persecutor by strategy. In localities where no + white men would betray him he signalized his coming from afar. + From the crags of Red Mountain on the Tuolumne River I have + often seen the white flag waved as the dreaded collector came + down the steep trail to collect his monthly dues. That signal + or a puff of smoke told the Chinese for miles along the + river-valley to conceal themselves from the "license-man." + Rockers, picks and shovels were hastily thrust into clumps of + chapparal, and their owners clambered up the hillsides into + artificial caves or leafy coverts. Out of companies of fifty + the collector finds but twenty men at work. These pay their + tax, the official rides on down the river, the hidden thirty + Mongolians emerge from cover; and more than once has a keen + collector "doubled on them" by coming back unexpectedly and + detecting the entire gang on their claim.</p> + + <p>John has been invaluable to the California demagogue, + furnishing for him a sop of hatred and prejudice to throw + before "enlightened constituencies." It needs but to mention + the "filthy Chinaman" to provoke an angry roar from the + mass-meeting. Yet the Chinaman is not entirely filthy. He + washes his entire person every day when practicable; he loves + clean clothes; his kitchen-utensils will bear inspection. When + the smallpox raged so severely in San Francisco a few years + since, there were very few deaths among his race. But John + <i>is</i> not nice about his house. He seems to have none of + our ideas concerning home comfort. Smoke has no terror for him; + soap he keeps entirely for his clothes and person; floor-and + wall-washing are things never hinted at; and the refuse of his + table is scarcely thrown out of doors. Privacy is not one of + his luxuries—he wants a house full: where there is room + for a bunk, there is room for a man. An anthill, a beehive, a + rabbit-warren are his models of domestic comfort: what is + stinted room for two Americans is spaciousness for a dozen + Chinese. Go into one of their cabins at night, and you are in + an oven full of opium- and lamp-smoke. Recumbent forms are + dimly seen lying on bunks above and below. The chattering is + incessant. Stay there ten minutes, and as your eye becomes + accustomed to the smoke you will dimly see blue bundles lying + on shelves aloft. Anon the bundles stir, talk and puff smoke. + Above is a loft six feet square: a ladder brings it in + communication with the ground floor. Mongolians are ever coming + down, but the gabble of tongues above shows that a host is + still left. Like an omnibus, a Chinese house is never full. Nor + is it ever quiet. At all hours of the night may be heard their + talk and the clatter of their wooden shoes. A Chinaman does not + retire like an American, intending to make a serious business + of his night's sleeping. He merely "lops down" half dressed, + and is ready to arise at the least call of business or + pleasure.</p> + + <p>While at work in his claim his fire is always kindled near + by, and over it a tea-pot. This is his beverage every half + hour. His tea must be hot, strong and without milk or sugar. He + also consumes a terrible mixture sold him by white traders, + called indiscriminately brandy, gin or whisky, yet an + intoxicated Chinaman is the rarest of rare sights. Rice he can + cook elegantly, every grain being steamed to its utmost degree + of distension. Soup he makes of no other meat than pork. The + poorest among his hordes must have a chicken or duck for his + holiday. He eats it merely parboiled. He will eat dog also, + providing it is not long past maturity.</p> + + <p>The Chinese grocery-stores are museums to the American. + There are strange dried roots, strange dried fish, strange + dried land and marine plants, ducks and chickens, split, + pressed thin and smoked; dried shellfish; cakes newly made, + yellow, glutinous and fatty, stamped with tea-box characters; + and great earthen jars filled with rottenness. I speak + correctly if perhaps too forcibly, for when those imposing jars + are opened to serve a customer with some manner of vegetable + cut in long strips, the native-born American finds it expedient + to hold his nose. American storekeepers in the mines deal + largely in Chinese goods. They know the Mongolian names of the + articles inquired for, but of their character, their + composition, how they are cooked or how eaten, they can give no + information. It is heathenish "truck," by whose sale they make + a profit. Only that and nothing more.</p> + + <p>A Chinese miner's house is generally a conglomeration of old + boards, mats, brush, canvas and stones. Rusty sheets of tin + sometimes help to form the edifice. Anything lying about loose + in the neighborhood is certain in time to form a part of the + Mongolian mansion.</p> + + <p>When the white man abandons mining-ground he often leaves + behind very serviceable frame houses. John comes along to glean + the gold left by the Caucasian. He builds a cluster of + shapeless huts. The deserted white man's house gradually + disappears. A clapboard is gone, and then another, and finally + all. The skeleton of the frame remains: months pass away; piece + by piece the joists disappear; some morning they are found + tumbled in a heap, and at last nothing is left save the cellar + and chimneys. Meantime, John's clusters of huts swell their + rude proportions, but you must examine them narrowly to detect + any traces of your vanished house, for he revels in smoke, and + everything about him is soon colored to a hue much resembling + his own brownish-yellow countenance. Thus he picks the + domiciliary skeleton bare, and then carries off the bones. He + is a quiet but skillful plunderer. John No. 1 on his way home + from his mining-claim rips off a board; John No. 2 next day + drags it a few yards from the house. John No. 3 a week + afterward drags it home. In this manner the dissolution of your + house is protracted for months. In this manner he distributes + the responsibility of the theft over his entire community. I + have seen a large boarding-house disappear in this way, and + when the owner, after a year's absence, revisited the spot to + look after his property, he found his real estate reduced to a + cellar.</p> + + <p>John himself is a sort of museum in his character and + habits. We must be pardoned for giving details of these, + mingled promiscuously, rather after the museum style. His New + Year comes in February. For the Chinaman of limited means it + lasts a week, for the wealthy it may endure three. His + consumption of fire-crackers during that period is immense. He + burns strings a yard in length suspended from poles over his + balconies. The uproar and sputtering consequent on this + festivity in the Chinese quarter at San Francisco is + tremendous. The city authorities limit this Celestial + Pandemonium to a week.</p> + + <p>He does not forsake the amusement of kite-flying even when + arrived at maturity. His artistic imitations of birds and + dragons float over our housetops. To these are often affixed + contrivances for producing hollow, mournful, buzzing sounds, + mystifying whole neighborhoods. His game of shuttlecock is to + keep a cork, one end being stuck with feathers, flying in the + air as long as possible, the impelling member being the foot, + the players standing in a circle and numbering from four to + twenty. Some show great dexterity in kicking with the heel. His + vocal music to our ears seems a monotonous caterwaul. His + violin has but one string: his execution is merely a modified + species of saw-filing.</p> + + <p>He loves to gamble, especially in lotteries. He is a + diligent student of his own comfort. Traveling on foot during a + hot day, he protects himself with an umbrella and refreshes + himself with a fan. In place of prosaic signs on his + store-fronts, he often inscribes quotations from his favorite + authors.</p> + + <p>He is a lover of flowers. His balconies and window-sills are + often thickly packed with shrubs and creepers in pots. He is + not a speedy and taciturn eater. His tea-table talks are full + of noisy jollity, and are often prolonged far into the + night.</p> + + <p>He is a lover of the drama. A single play sometimes requires + months for representation, being, like a serial story, + "continued" night after night. He never dances. There is no + melody in the Mongolian foot. Dancing he regards as a species + of Caucasian insanity.</p> + + <p>To make an oath binding he must swear by the head of a cock + cut off before him in open court. Chinese testimony is not + admissible in American courts. It is a legal California axiom + that a Chinaman cannot speak the truth. But cases have occurred + wherein, he being an eye-witness, the desire to hear what he + <i>might</i> tell as to what he had seen has proved stronger + than the prejudice against him; and the more effectually to + clinch the chances of his telling the truth, the above, his + national form of oath, has been resorted to. He has among us + some secret government of his own. Before his secret tribunals + more than one Mongolian has been hurried in Star-Chamber + fashion, and never seen afterward. The nature of the offences + thus visited by secret and bloody punishment is scarcely known + to Americans. He has two chief deities—a god and a devil. + Most of his prayers are offered to his devil. His god, he says, + being good and well-disposed, it is not necessary to propitiate + him. But his devil is ugly, and must be won over by offering + and petition. Once a year, wherever collected in any number, he + builds a flimsy sort of temple, decorates it with ornaments of + tinsel, lays piles of fruit, meats and sugared delicacies on an + altar, keeps up night and day a steady crash of gongs, and + installs therein some great, uncouth wooden idols. When this + period of worship is over the "josh-house" disappears, and the + idols are unceremoniously stowed away among other useless + lumber.</p> + + <p>He shaves with an instrument resembling a butcher's cleaver + in miniature. Nature generally denies him beard, so he shaves + what a sailor would term the fore and after part of his head. + He reaps his hirsute crop dry, using no lather. His cue is + pieced out by silken braid, so interwoven as gradually to taper + into a slim tassel, something like a Missouri mule-driver's + "black snake" whip-lash. To lose this cue is to lose caste and + standing among his fellows. No misfortune for him can be + greater.</p> + + <p>Coarse cowhide boots are the only articles of American wear + that he favors. He inclines to buy the largest sizes, thinking + he thereby gets the most for his money, and when his No. 7 feet + wobble and chafe in No. 12 boots he complains that they "fit + too much."</p> + + <p>He cultivates the vegetables of his native land in + California. They are curiosities like himself. One resembles + our string-bean, but is circular in shape and from two to three + feet in length. It is not in the least stringy, breaks off + short and crisp, boils tender very quickly and affords + excellent eating. He is a very careful cultivator, and will + spend hours picking off dead leaves and insects from the young + plants. When he finds a dead cat, rat, dog or chicken, he + throws it into a small vat of water, allows it to decompose, + and sprinkles the liquid fertilizer thus obtained over his + plantation. Watermelon and pumpkin seeds are for him dessert + delicacies. He consumes his garden products about half cooked + in an American culinary point of view, merely wilting them by + an immersion in boiling water.</p> + + <p>There are about fifteen English words to be learned by a + Chinaman on arriving in California, and no more. With these he + expresses all his wants, and with this limited stock you must + learn to convey all that is needful to him. The practice thus + forced upon one in employing a Chinese servant is useful in + preventing a circumlocutory habit of speech. Many of our + letters the Mongolian mouth has no capacity for sounding. + <i>R</i> he invariably sounds like <i>l</i>, so that the word + "rice" he pronounces "lice"—a bit of information which + may prevent an unpleasant apprehension when you come to employ + a Chinese cook. He rejects the English personal pronoun I, and + uses the possessive "my" in its place; thus, "My go home," in + place of "I go home."</p> + + <p>When he buries a countryman he throws from the hearse into + the air handfuls of brown tissue-paper slips, punctured with + Chinese characters. Sometimes, at his burial-processions, he + gives a small piece of money to every person met on the road. + Over the grave he beats gongs and sets off packs of + fire-crackers. On it he leaves cooked meats, drink, delicacies + and lighted wax tapers. Eventually the bones are disinterred + and shipped to his native land. In the remotest + mining-districts of California are found Chinese graves thus + opened and emptied of their inmates. I have in one instance + seen him, so far as he was permitted, render some of these + funeral honors to an American. The deceased had gained this + honor by treating the Chinese as though they were partners in + our common humanity. "Missa Tom," as he was termed by them, + they knew they could trust. He acquired among them a reputation + as the one righteous American in their California Gomorrah. + Chinamen would come to him from distant localities, that he + might overlook their bills of sale and other documents used in + business intercourse with the white man. Their need of such, an + honest adviser was great. The descendants of the Pilgrim + Fathers often took advantage of their ignorance of the English + language, written or spoken. "Missa Tom" suddenly died. I had + occasion to visit his farm a few days after his death, and on + the first night of my stay there saw the array of meats, fruit, + wine and burning tapers on a table in front of the house, which + his Chinese friends told me was intended as an offering to + "Missa Tom's" spirit.</p> + + <p>We will dive for a moment into a Chinese wash-cellar. "John" + does three-fourths of the washing of California. His lavatories + are on every street. "Hip Tee, Washing and Ironing," says the + sign, evidently the first production of an amateur in + lettering. Two doors above is the establishment of Tong + Wash—two below, that of Hi Sing. Hip Tee and five + assistants are busy ironing. The odor is a trinity of steam, + damp clothes and opium. More Mongolian tongues are heard from + smoky recesses in the rear. As we enter, Hip Tee is blowing a + shower of moisture from his mouth, "very like a whale." This is + his method of dampening the linen preparatory to ironing. It is + a skilled performance. The fluid leaves his lips as fine as + mist. If we are on business we leave our bundles, and in return + receive a ticket covered with hieroglyphics. These indicate the + kind and number of the garments left to be cleansed, and some + distinguishing mark (supposing this to be our first patronage + of Hip Tee) by which we may be again identified. It may be by a + pug nose, a hare lip, red hair, no hair or squint eyes. They + never ask one's name, for they can neither pronounce nor write + it when it is given. The ticket is an unintelligible tracery of + lines, curves, dots and dashes, made by a brush dipped in India + ink on a shred of flimsy Chinese paper. It may teem with abuse + and ridicule, but you must pocket all that, and produce it on + calling again, or your shirts and collars go into the Chinese + Circumlocution Wash-house Office. It is very difficult getting + one's clothes back if the ticket be lost—very. Hip Tee + now dabs a duplicate of your ticket in a long book, and all is + over. You will call on Saturday night for your linen. You do + so. There is apparently the same cellar, the same smell of + steam, damp clothes and opium, the same sputter of sprinkling + water, and apparently the same Hip Tee and assistants with + brown shaven foreheads and long cues hanging straight down + behind or coiled in snake-like fashion about their craniums. + You present your ticket. Hip Tee examines it and shakes his + head. "No good—oder man," he says, and points up the + street. You are now perplexed and somewhat alarmed. You say: + "John, I want my clothes. I left them here last Monday. You + gave me that ticket." "No," replies Hip Tee very decidedly, + "oder man;" and again he waves his arm upward. Then you are + wroth. You abuse, expostulate, entreat, and talk a great deal + of English, and some of it very strong English, which Hip Tee + does not understand; and Hip Tee talks a great deal of Chinese, + and perhaps strong Chinese, which you do not understand. You + commence sentences in broken Chinese and terminate them in + unbroken English. Hip Tee commences sentences in broken English + and terminates them in pure Chinese, from a like inability to + express his indignation in a foreign tongue. "What for you no + go oder man? No my ticket—tung sung lung, ya hip + kee—<i>ping!"</i> he cries; and all this time the + assistants are industriously ironing and spouting mist, and + leisurely making remarks in their sing-song unintelligibility + which you feel have uncomplimentary reference to yourself. + Suddenly a light breaks upon you. This is not Hip Tee's cellar, + this is not Hip Tee. It is the establishment of Hi Sing. This + is Hi Sing himself who for the last half hour has been + endeavoring with his stock of fifteen English words to make you + understand that you are in the wrong house. But these Chinese, + as to faces and their wash-houses, and all the paraphernalia of + their wash-houses, are so much alike that this is an easy + mistake to make. You find the lavatory of Hip Tee, who + pronounces the hieroglyphics all correct, and delivers you your + lost and found shirts clean, with half the buttons broken, and + the bosoms pounded, scrubbed and frayed into an irregular sort + of embroidery.</p> + + <p>"He can only dig, cook and wash," said the American miner + contemptuously years ago: "he can't work rock." To work rock in + mining parlance is to be skillful in boring Earth's stony husk + after mineral. It is to be proficient in sledging, drilling and + blasting. The Chinaman seemed to have no aptitude for this + labor. He was content to use his pick and shovel in the + gravel-banks: metallic veins of gold, silver or copper he left + entirely to the white man.</p> + + <p>Yet it was a great mistake to suppose he could not "work + rock," or do anything else required of him. John is a most apt + and intelligent labor-machine. Show him once your tactics in + any operation, and ever after he imitates them as accurately as + does the parrot its memorized sentences. So when the Pacific + Railroad was being bored through the hard granite of the + Sierras it was John who handled the drill and sledge as well as + the white laborer. He was hurled by thousands on that immense + work, and it was the tawny hand of China that hewed out + hundreds of miles for the transcontinental pathway. Nor is this + all. He is crowding into one avenue of employment after another + in California. He fills our woolen- and silk-mills; he makes + slippers and binds shoes; he is skilled in the use of the + sewing-machine; cellar after cellar in San Francisco is filled + with these Celestial brownies rolling cigars; his fishing-nets + are in every bay and inlet; he is employed in scores of the + lesser establishments for preserving fruit, grinding salt, + making matches, etc. He would quickly jump into the places of + the carpenter, mason and blacksmith were he allowed, for there + are numbers of them whose knowledge of these and other trades + is sufficient at least to render them useful as assistants. He + is handy on shipboard: the Panama steamers carry Chinese + foremast hands. He is preferred as a house-servant: the Chinese + boy of fourteen or sixteen learns quickly to cook and wash in + American fashion. He is neat in person, can be easily ruled, + does not set up an independent sovereignty in the kitchen, has + no followers, will not outshine his mistress in attire; and, + although not perfect, yet affords a refreshing change from our + Milesian tyrants of the roast and wash-tub. But when you catch + this Celestial domestic treasure, be sure that the first + culinary operations performed for his instruction are correctly + manipulated, for his imitativeness is of a cast-iron rigidity. + Once in the mould, it can only with great difficulty be + altered. Burn your toast or your pudding, and he is apt to + regard the accident as the rule.</p> + + <p>The young Chinese, especially in San Francisco, are anxious + to acquire an English education. They may not attend the public + schools. A few years since certain Chinese mission-schools were + established by the joint efforts of several religious + denominations. Young ladies and gentlemen volunteered their + services on Sunday to teach these Chinese children to read. + They make eager, apt and docile pupils. Great is their pride on + mastering a few lines of English text. They become much + attached to their teachers, and it is possible, if the vote of + the latter were taken, it would evidence more liking for their + yellow, long-cued pupils than for any class of white children. + But while so assiduous to learn, it is rather doubtful whether + much real religious impression is made upon them. It is + possible that their home-training negatives that.</p> + + <p>We have spoken entirely of the Chinaman. What of the + Chinawoman in America? In California the word "Chinawoman" is + synonymous with what is most vile and disgusting. Few, very + few, of a respectable class are in the State. The slums of + London and New York are as respectable thoroughfares compared + with the rows of "China alleys" in the heart of San Francisco. + These can hardly be termed "abandoned women." They have had no + sense of virtue, propriety or decency to abandon. They are + ignorant of the disgrace of their calling: if the term may be + allowed, they pursue it innocently. Many are scarcely more than + children. They are mere commodities, being by their own + countrymen bought in China, shipped and consigned to factors in + California, and there sold for a term of years.</p> + + <p>The Chinaman has bitter enemies in San Francisco: they + thirst to annihilate him. He is accustomed to blows and + brickbats; he is legitimate game for rowdies, both grown and + juvenile; and children supposed to be better trained can scarce + resist the temptation of snatching at his pig-tail as he passes + through their groups in front of the public schools. Even on + Sundays nice little boys coming from Sabbath-school, with their + catechisms tucked under their jackets, and texts enjoining + mercy and gentleness fresh upon their lips, will sometimes + salute the benighted heathen as he passes by with a volley of + stones. If he turns on his small assailants, he is apt to meet + larger ones. Men are not wanting, ready and panting, to take up + the quarrel thus wantonly commenced by the offspring of the + "superior race." There are hundreds of families, who came over + the sea to seek in America the comfort and prosperity denied + them in the land of their birth, whose children from earliest + infancy are inculcated with the sentiment that the Chinaman is + a dog, a pest and a curse. On the occasion of William H. + Seward's visit to a San Francisco theatre, two Chinese + merchants were hissed and hooted by the gallery mob from a box + which they had ventured to occupy. This assumption of style and + exclusiveness proved very offensive to the shirt-sleeved, + upper-tier representatives of the "superior race," who had + assembled in large numbers to catch a glimpse of one of the + black man's great champions. Ethiopia could have sat in that + box in perfect safety, but China in such a place was the red + rag rousing the ire of the Democratic bull. John has a story of + his own to carry back home from a Christian land.</p> + + <p>For this prejudice and hostility there are provocative + causes, although they may not be urged in extenuation. The + Chinaman is a dangerous competitor for the white laborer; and + when the latter, with other and smaller mouths to feed, once + gets the idea implanted in his mind that the bread is being + taken from them by what he deems a semi-human heathen, whose + beliefs, habits, appearance and customs are distasteful to him, + there are all the conditions ready for a state of mind toward + the almond-eyed Oriental which leans far away from brotherly + love.</p> + + <p>Brotherly love sometimes depends on circumstances. "Am I not + a man and brother?" cries John from his native shore. + "Certainly," we respond. Pass round the hat—let us take + up a contribution for the conversion of the poor heathen. The + coins clink thickly in the bottom of the charitable chapeau. We + return home, feeling ourselves raised an inch higher + heavenward.</p> + + <p>"Am I not a man and brother?" cries John in our midst, + digging our gold, setting up opposition laundries and wheeling + sand at half a dollar per day less wages. "No. Get out, ye + long-tailed baste! An' wad ye put me on a livil with + that—that baboon?" Pass round the hat. The coins mass + themselves more thickly than ever. For what? To buy muskets, + powder and ball. Wherefore? Wait! More than once has the + demagogue cried, "Drive them into the sea!"</p> + + <p class="author">PRENTICE MULFORD.</p><a name="H_4_0017" + id="H_4_0017"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + + <h2>A WINTER REVERIE.</h2> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">We stood amid the rustling gloom + alone</p> + + <p class="i4">That night, while from the blue plains + overhead,</p> + + <p class="i2">With golden kisses thickly overblown,</p> + + <p class="i4">A shooting star into the darkness + sped.</p> + + <p class="i4">"'Twas like Persephone, who ran," we + said,</p> + + <p class="i2">"Away from Love." The grass sprang round + our feet,</p> + + <p class="i2">The purple lilacs in the dusk smelled + sweet,</p> + + <p class="i2">And the black demon of the train sped + by,</p> + + <p class="i2">Rousing the still air with his long, loud + cry.</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">The slender rim of a young rising + moon</p> + + <p class="i4">Hung in the west as you leaned on the + bar</p> + + <p class="i2">And spun a thread of some sweet April + tune,</p> + + <p class="i4">And wished a wish and named the falling + star.</p> + + <p class="i4">We heard a brook trill in the fields + afar;</p> + + <p class="i2">The air wrapped round us that entrancing + fold</p> + + <p class="i2">Of vanishing sweet stuff that mortal + hold</p> + + <p class="i2">Can never grasp—the mist of + dreams—as down</p> + + <p class="i2">The street we went in that fair foreign + town.</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">I might have whispered of my love that + night,</p> + + <p class="i4">But something wrapped you as a shield + around,</p> + + <p class="i2">And held me back: your quiver of + affright,</p> + + <p class="i4">Your startled movement at some sudden + sound—</p> + + <p class="i4">A night-bird rustling on the leafy + ground—</p> + + <p class="i2">Your hushed and tremulous whisper of + alarm,</p> + + <p class="i2">Your beating heart pressed close against + my arm,—</p> + + <p class="i2">All, all were sweet; and yet _my_ heart + beat true,</p> + + <p class="i2">Nor shrined one wish I might not breathe + to you.</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">So when we parted little had been + said:</p> + + <p class="i4">I left you standing just within the + door,</p> + + <p class="i2">With the dim moonlight streaming on your + head</p> + + <p class="i4">And rippling softly on the checkered + floor.</p> + + <p class="i4">I can remember even the dress you + wore—</p> + + <p class="i2">Some dainty white Swiss stuff that + floated round</p> + + <p class="i2">Your supple form and trailed upon the + ground,</p> + + <p class="i2">While bands of coral bound each slender + wrist,</p> + + <p class="i2">Studded with one great purple + amethyst.</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <hr /> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">My story is not much—is + it?—to tell:</p> + + <p class="i4">It seems a wandering line of music, + faint,</p> + + <p class="i2">Whose sweet pathetic measures rise and + swell,</p> + + <p class="i4">Then, strangled, fall with curious + restraint.</p> + + <p class="i4">'Tis like the pictures that the artists + paint,</p> + + <p class="i2">With shadows forward thrown into the + light</p> + + <p class="i2">From the real figures hidden out of + sight.</p> + + <p class="i2">And is not life crossed in this strange, + sad way</p> + + <p class="i2">With dreams whose shadows lengthen day by + day?</p> + </div> + + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">But you, dear heart—sweet heart + loved all these years—</p> + + <p class="i4">Will recognize the passion of the + strain:</p> + + <p class="i2">Who eats the lotos-flower of Love with + tears,</p> + + <p class="i4">Will know the rapture of that numb, vague + pain</p> + + <p class="i4">Which thrills the heart and stirs the + languid brain.</p> + + <p class="i2">All day amid the toiling throng we + strive,</p> + + <p class="i2">While in our heart these sacred, sweet + loves thrive,</p> + + <p class="i2">And in choice hours we show them, white + and cool</p> + + <p class="i2">Like lilies floating on a troubled + pool.</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p class="center">MILLIE W. CARPENTER.</p><a name="H_4_0018" + id="H_4_0018"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + + <h2>"PASSPORTS, GENTLEMEN!"</h2> + + <p>The close of July, 1870, found our party tarrying for a few + days at Geneva. We had left home with the intention of "doing" + Europe in less than four months. June and July were already + gone, but in that time, traveling as only Americans can, Great + Britain, Belgium, the Rhine country and portions of Switzerland + had been visited and admired. We were now pausing for a few + days to take breath and prepare for yet wider flights. Our + proposed route from Geneva would lead us through Northern + Germany, returning by way of Paris to London and Liverpool.</p> + + <p>We had intentionally left Paris for the last, hoping that + the Communist disturbances would be completely quieted before + September. At this time their forces had been recently routed, + and the Versailles troops were occupying the capital. The + leaders of the Commune were scattered in every direction, and, + if newspaper accounts were to be believed, were being captured + in every city of France. Especially was this true of the + custom-house upon the Swiss frontier, where report said that + more than one leading Communist had been stopped by the + lynx-eyed officials, who would accept no substitute for the + signed and countersigned passport, and hold no parley until + such a passport had been presented.</p> + + <p>In view of these facts, the American minister in Paris had + issued a circular letter to citizens of the United States + traveling abroad, requesting them to see that their passports + had the official visé before attempting to enter France, + thus saving themselves and friends a large amount of + unnecessary trouble and delay. Nothing was said of those who + might think proper to attempt an entrance <i>without</i> a + passport, such temerity being in official eyes beyond all + advice or protection. Influenced by this letter and several + facts which had come under our notice proving the uncertainty + of all things, and especially of travel in France, we saw that + our passports were made officially correct.</p> + + <p>While at Geneva our party separated for a few days. My + friends proposed making an expedition up the lake, while I + arranged to spend a day and night at Aix-les-Bains, a small + town in the south of France. My object in visiting it was not + to enjoy the sulphur-baths for which it is famous, but to see + some friends who were spending the summer there. I had written, + telling them to expect me by the five o'clock train on + Wednesday afternoon. As my stay was to be so brief, I left my + valise at the hotel in Geneva, and found myself now, for the + first time, separated from that trusty sable friend which had + until this hour been my constant companion by day and + night.</p> + + <p>The train was just leaving the station when a lady sitting + opposite to me, with her back to the locomotive, asked, in + French, if I would be willing to change seats. Catching her + meaning rather by her gestures than words, I inquired in + English if she would like my seat, and found by her reply that + I was traveling with an English lady.</p> + + <p>I should here explain that although I had studied the French + language as part of my education, I found it impossible to + speak French with any fluency or understand it when spoken. My + newly-made friend, however (for friend she proved herself), + spoke French and English with equal fluency.</p> + + <p>In the process of comparing notes (so familiar to all + travelers) mention was made of the recent war and the unwonted + strictness and severity of the custom-house officials. In an + instant my hand was upon my pocket-book, only to find that I + had neglected to take my passport from my valise.</p> + + <p>The embarrassment of the situation flashed upon me, and my + troubled countenance revealed to my companion that something + unusual had occurred. I answered her inquiring look by saying + that I had left my passport in Geneva. Her immediate sympathy + was only equaled by her evident alarm. She said there was but + one thing to be done—return instantly for it. I fully + agreed with her, but found, to my dismay, upon consulting a + guide-book, that our train was an express, which did not stop + before reaching Belgarde, the frontier-town.</p> + + <p>I would willingly have pulled the bell-rope had there been + any, and stopped the train at any cost, but it was impossible, + and nothing remained but to sit quietly while I was + relentlessly hurried into the very jaws of the French + officials. The misery of the situation was aggravated by the + fact that I could not command enough French to explain how I + came to be traveling without a passport. As a last resort, I + applied to my friend, begging her to explain to the officer at + the custom-house that I was a citizen of the United States, and + had left my passport in Geneva. This she readily promised to + do, although I could see that she had but little faith in the + result. After a ride of an hour, during which my reflections + were none of the pleasantest, we arrived at Belgarde. Here the + doors of the railway carriages were thrown open, and we were + politely requested to alight. We stepped out upon a platform + swarming with fierce gendarmes, whom I regarded attentively, + wondering which of them was destined to become my protector. + From the platform we were ushered into a large room + communicating by a narrow passage with a second room, into + which our baggage was being carried. One by one my + fellow-passengers approached the narrow and (to me) gloomy + passage and presented their passports. These were closely + scanned by the officer in charge, handed to an assistant to be + countersigned, and the holder, all being right, was passed into + the second room. Our turn soon came, and, accompanied by the + English lady, I approached my fate.</p> + + <p>Her passport was declared to be official, and handing it + back the officer looked inquiringly at me. My friend then began + her explanation. As I stood attentively regarding the officer's + face, I could see his puzzled look change into one of + comprehension, and then of amusement. To her inquiry he replied + that there would be no objection under the circumstances to my + returning to Geneva and procuring my passport. Encouraged by + the favorable turn my fortunes had taken, I asked, through my + friend, if it would be possible for me to go on without a + passport. An instantaneous change passed over his countenance, + and, shrugging his shoulders, he replied that it was + impossible: there was a second custom-house at Culoz, where I + should certainly be stopped, forced to explain how I had passed + Belgarde, and severely punished for attempting to enter without + a passport. I did not, however, wait for him to finish his + angry harangue, but passed on to the second room, where I was + soon joined by my interpreting friend, who explained to me in + full what I had already learned from the officer's countenance + and gesture. She thought that I was fortunate in escaping so + easily, and advised an immediate return to Geneva. I again + consulted my guide-book, and found that there was no return + train for several hours, and consequently that I should arrive + in Geneva too late to start for Aix-les-Bains that night. This + would necessitate waiting until Thursday, and perhaps force me + to give up the trip, for our seats were engaged in the Chamouni + coach for Friday morning. I imagined my friends in vain + awaiting my arrival at Aix, and the smiles of our party when + they found me in Geneva upon their return from the lake. But, + more than all, the possibility of not reaching Aix at all + troubled me, for I was very anxious to see my friends there, + and had written home that I intended to see them.</p> + + <p>I found by my guide-book that our train reached Culoz before + the Geneva return train; so on the instant I formed the + desperate resolve of running the blockade at Belgarde, and if I + found it impossible to pass the custom-house at Culoz, + <i>there</i> to take the return train for Geneva. I walked to + the platform as if merely accompanying my friend, stood for a + moment at the door of the carriage conversing with her, and + then, as the train started for Culoz, quickly stepped in and + shut the door. Her dismay was really pitiable: had I not been + somewhat troubled in mind myself, I should have laughed + outright. She saw nothing before me but certain destruction, + and I am free to confess that the prospect of a telegram + flashing over the wires at that moment from Belgarde to Culoz + was not reassuring. The die, however, had been cast, and now + nothing remained but to endure in silence the interminable hour + which must elapse ere we should reach Culoz. There we were to + change cars, the Geneva train going on to Paris, while we took + the train on the opposite platform for Aix-les-Bains. This + necessitated passing through the dépôt, and + passing through the dépôt was passing through the + custom-house. As our train stopped in front of the fatal door, + and one by one the passengers filed into it and were lost to + sight, I seemed to see written above the door, "All hope + abandon, ye who enter here!" It was simply rushing into the + jaws of fate: there was not the slightest possibility of my + being able to pass through that depot unchallenged. I should be + carried on to Paris if I remained in the train; I should be + arrested if I remained on the platform; I was discovered if I + entered the custom-house. Eagerly I glanced around for some + means of escape. Every instant the number of passengers on the + platform was decreasing, the danger of discovery rapidly + increasing.</p> + + <p>I had feared lest some benevolent French officer, anxious + for my safety, would be found waiting to assist me in + alighting: I was thankful to find that I should be allowed to + assist myself, and that no one paid any particular attention to + me. As I stood there hesitating what course to pursue, and + feeling how much easier my mind at this moment would be were I + waiting on the Belgarde platform, I noticed a door standing + open a few steps to the left. Without any further hesitation I + walked directly in, to find myself in a railroad restaurant. It + proved to be a tower of refuge.</p> + + <p>No one had noticed me. There were other passengers in the + room, waiting for the Paris train; so, joining myself to them, + I remained there until the custom-house doors were closed and + the guards had left the platform. The question now arose, How + should I reach the opposite platform? The train might start at + any moment: the only legitimate passage was closed. I knew that + the attempt would be fraught with danger, yet I felt that it + was now too late to draw back. If I remained any length of time + in the restaurant, I should be suspected and discovered; and as + I thought of that moment a terrific scene arose before my mind + in which an excited French official thundered at me in his + choicest French, while I stood silent, unable to explain who I + was, how I came there, whither I was going; I imagined myself + being searched for treasonable documents and none being found; + I seemed to see my captors consulting how they could best + compel me to tell what I knew. These scenes and others of like + nature entertained me while I waited for the coast—or + rather platform—to be cleared. When at length all the + immediate guards were gone, I started out to find my way, if + possible, to the train for Aix. I have read of travelers + cutting their way through trackless forests, of ice-bound + mariners anxiously seeking the North-west passage, and, worse + than all, of luckless countrymen wandering bewildered through + the streets of Boston; but I am confident that no traveler, + mariner or countryman ever sought his way with more + circumspection and diligence than I in my search for a passage + between those two platforms.</p> + + <p>As I glanced cautiously up and down I saw a door standing + open at some little distance. Around that door all my hopes + were immediately centred. It might lead directly to the + custom-house; it might be the entrance to the barracks of the + guards; it might be—I knew not what; but it might afford + a passage to the other platform.</p> + + <p>I walked quickly to the door, glanced in, saw no one and + entered. The room was a baggage-room, and at that moment + unoccupied. It instantly occurred to me that a baggage-room + <i>ought</i> to open on both platforms. I felt as though I + could have shouted "Eureka!" and I am confident that the joy of + Archimedes as he rushed through the streets of Syracuse was no + greater than mine as I felt that I had so unexpectedly + discovered the passage I was seeking. Passing through this + room, I found myself in a second, like the former unoccupied. + It had occurred to me that all the doors might be closed, and + the thought had considerably abated my rejoicing; but no! I saw + a door which stood invitingly open.</p> + + <p>No guards were stationed on the platform; so I stepped out, + and before me stood the train for Aix, into which my + fellow-passengers were entering, some of them still holding + their passports in their hands. Taking my seat in one of the + carriages, in a few moments the train started and I was on my + way to Aix. The relief was unspeakably great. An instant before + it seemed as if nothing short of a miracle could save me from a + French guard-house, and now, by the simplest combination of + circumstances, in which a restaurant and baggage-room bore an + important part, I had passed unchallenged. I remember that I + enjoyed the scenery and views along the route from Culoz to Aix + more than while passing from Belgarde to Culoz.</p> + + <p>My friends were found expecting me upon my arrival, and + joined in congratulating me upon my happy escape. A night and + day were passed very pleasantly, and then arose the question of + return.</p> + + <p>I suggested telegraphing to Geneva for my passport, but that + was vetoed, and it was decided that I should return as I had + come—passportless. I confess that the attempt seemed + somewhat hazardous. If it was dangerous to attempt an entrance + into France, how much more so to attempt an exit, especially + when the custom-house force had been doubled with the sole + object that all possibility of escape might be precluded, and + that any one passing Culoz might be stopped at Belgarde! It was + urged, however, that our seats had been engaged in the + diligence for Friday morning, and to send for the passport + would consume considerable time—would certainly delay the + party until Saturday, and perhaps until Monday, which delay + would seriously affect all their plans, time being so limited + and so many places remaining to be visited. I had passed once, + why not again? Influenced by these facts, and thinking what a + triumph it would be once more to baffle French vigilance, I + determined to attempt the return. There was a train leaving Aix + about eight P.M., reaching Geneva at eleven: it was decided + that I should take this train. I had arranged a vague plan of + action, although I expected to depend rather upon the + suggestion of the moment.</p> + + <p>It was quite dark when we reached Culoz. As the train + arrived at the platform, and we were obliged again to change + cars, I thought of the friendly restaurant; but no! the + restaurant was closed, and moreover a company of gendarmes was + present to see that every one entered the door leading to the + custom-house. There was no room for hesitation or delay. I + entered under protest, but still I entered.</p> + + <p>In a moment I perceived the desperate situation. The room + had two doors—one opening upon the platform from which we + had just come, and now guarded by an officer; the other leading + to the opposite platform, and there stood the custom-house + officer receiving and inspecting the passports. It was indeed + Scylla and Charybdis. If I attempted to pass the officer + without a passport, I was undone; if I remained until all the + other passengers had passed out, I was undone. For an instant I + felt as if I had better give up the unequal contest. The forces + of the enemy were too many for me. I saw that I had been + captured: why fight against Fate? A moment's reflection, + however, restored my courage. It was evident that one thing + alone remained to be done: that was to find my way out of the + door by which I had just entered, as speedily as possible. But + there stood the guard.</p> + + <p>The train by which we had come was still before the + platform: an idea suggested itself. Acting as if I had left + some article in the train, I stepped hurriedly up to the guard, + who, catching my meaning, made way for me without a word. Once + upon the platform, I resolved never again to enter that door + except as a prisoner. The guard followed me with his eyes for a + moment, and then, seeing me open one of the carriage doors, + turned back to his post. As soon as I perceived that I was no + longer watched I glided off in the opposite direction under the + shadows of the platform. I was looking for a certain door which + I remembered well as a friend in need. I knew not in which + direction it lay, nor could I have recognized it if shut; but + hardly had I gone ten steps when the same door stood open + before me. It was the act of an instant to spring through it, + out of sight of the guard. Why this door and baggage-room + should have been left thus open and unguarded when such evident + and scrutinizing care was taken in every other quarter, I have + to this day been unable to understand. But for that fact I + should have found it utterly impossible to pass that + custom-house going or coming.</p> + + <p>Once in the baggage-room, the way was familiar, and, passing + into the second room, I found the door open as on the day + previous, and in a moment stood undiscovered upon the platform. + Entering the waiting train, I was soon on the way to + Belgarde.</p> + + <p>My only thought during the ride was, What shall I do when we + arrive at Belgarde? I expected to see the doors thrown open as + before, and hear again the polite invitation to enter the + custom-house. Was it not certain detection to refuse? was it + not equally dangerous to obey? The officer at Belgarde had seen + me the day before, and warned me not to go to Culoz. What + reception would he give me when he saw me attempting to return? + Or it might be he would not remember me, and then in the + darkness and confusion I should surely be taken for an escaping + Communist. That I had passed Culoz was no comfort when I + remembered that this would only aggravate my guilt in their + eyes.</p> + + <p>The case did indeed seem desperate. Willingly would I have + jumped out and walked the entire distance to Geneva, if I might + only thus escape that terrible custom-house, which every moment + loomed up more terrifically. At length this troubled hour was + passed: we had arrived at Belgarde, and the moment for action + had come. I had determined to avoid the custom-house at all + hazards. When the doors were thrown open I expected to alight, + but not to enter. My plan was to find some sheltering door, or + even corner, where I could remain until the others had + presented their passports and were beginning to return, then + join them and take my seat as before. The dépôt at + Belgarde was brilliantly lighted, and the gendarmes pacing to + and fro in the gaslight seemed not only to have increased in + numbers, but to have acquired an additional ferocity since the + day previous.</p> + + <p>As I looked but my spirit sank within me. I could only brace + myself for the coming crisis. For several moments nothing was + said or done. The doors remained shut, and no one seemed at all + concerned about our presence. Each minute appeared an hour as I + sat there awaiting my fate. The suspense was becoming too + great: I felt that my stock of self-possession was entirely + deserting me. At length I began to hope that they were + satisfied with the examination at Culoz, and would allow us to + pass unchallenged. Just at that moment, as hope was dawning + into certainty, the door opened and the custom-house officer + entered with a polite bow, while a body of gendarmes drew up + behind him upon the platform. He uttered two French words, and + I needed no interpreter to tell me that they were "Passports, + gentlemen!"</p> + + <p>I shuddered as I saw him standing so near, within reach of + my arm. There were six persons besides myself in the carriage, + and I was occupying a seat beside the door farthest from the + platform. Any one who has seen a European railway-carriage will + understand me when I say that I sat next to the right-hand + door, while he had entered by the left. One by one the + passports were handed up to him until he held six in his + hand.</p> + + <p>With the rest of the passengers I had taken out my + pocket-book and searched as if for my passport, but had handed + none to him, and now I sat awaiting developments. I saw that he + would read the six passports, and then turn to me for the + seventh.</p> + + <p>The desperate thought flashed upon me of opening the door + and escaping into the darkness. The carriage itself was so + dimly lighted that I could barely see the face of my opposite + neighbor, and I therefore hoped to be able to slip out without + any one perceiving it. The attempt was desperate, but so was + the situation. The officer was buried in the passports, holding + them near his face to catch the dim light. The door was + fastened upon the outside, and so, watching him, I leaned far + out of the window until I was able to reach the catch and + unfasten the door. A slight push, and it swung noiselessly + open. I glanced at the officer: he was intently reading the + <i>last</i> passport. I had placed one foot upon the outside + step, and was about to glide out into the darkness, when he + laid the paper down and looked directly at me.</p> + + <p>It would have been madness to attempt an escape with his + eyes upon me; so, assuming as nonchalant a look as my present + feelings would allow, I answered his inquiring glance with one + of confident assurance.</p> + + <p>He saw my nonchalant expression. He saw the open pocket-book + in my hand. He had <i>not</i> counted the number of passports. + All the passengers were settling themselves to sleep. It must + be all right; so, with a polite "Bon soir, messieurs!" he bowed + and left the carriage. My sensation of relief may be better + imagined than described. Hardly had he left our carriage when + we heard the sound of voices and hurrying feet upon the + platform, and looking out saw some unfortunate individual + carried off under guard. I trembled as I thought how narrowly I + had escaped his fate. In a few moments, however, we were safely + on our way to Geneva, and as we sped on into the darkness, + while congratulating myself upon my fortunate escape, I firmly + resolved to be better prepared for the emergency the next time + I should hear those memorable words, "Passports, + gentlemen!"</p> + + <p class="author">A.H.</p><a name="H_4_0019" + id="H_4_0019"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + + <h2>OUR MONTHLY GOSSIP.</h2><a name="H_4_0027" + id="H_4_0027"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + + <h3>THE CORNWALLIS FAMILY.</h3> + + <p>The death was lately announced of two of the last + survivors—only one of the name is now left—of a + family whose chief played a very conspicuous, and for himself + unfortunate, part in this country a century ago—the + marquis Cornwallis. His only son, who married a daughter of the + celebrated match-making duchess of Gordon, left no male issue, + but five daughters. Two of them, the countess of St. + Germans—wife of the earl who accompanied the prince of + Wales on his visit here—and Lady Braybrook, died some + years ago; and recently Lady Mary Ross, whose husband edited + the correspondence of the first marquis, and Lady Louisa, who + never married, have also gone to their graves.</p> + + <p>The family of Cornwallis is very ancient, and can point to + many distinguished members. Its ancestral seat is at Brome, in + Suffolk. This is a fine old mansion, and the hall, which is + very lofty and open to the roof, is an excellent specimen of + the work of other days. The chapel contains capital oak + carving. In the village church there are monuments worth notice + of the family.</p> + + <p>Following the fate of so many other places, Brome passed + after the death of the second marquis to a <i>novus homo</i>, + one Matthias Kerrison, who, having begun life as a carpenter, + contrived in various ways to acquire a colossal fortune. His + son rose to distinction in the army, obtained a seat in + Parliament, which he held for thirty years, and was created a + baronet.</p> + + <p>He left at his death a son and three daughters. The former, + long married, is childless. The sisters are respectively the + wives of Earl Stanhope, the well-known historian; Lord + Henniker, a wealthy Suffolk proprietor; and Lord Bateman. It is + understood that under the late baronet's will the son of the + last will, in the event of the present baronet dying childless, + succeed to the property. It will thus be observed that Brome, + after having been for four centuries in one family, is destined + to change hands repeatedly in a few years.</p> + + <p>When the second Marquis Cornwallis died sonless, the + marquisate became extinct, but the earldom passed to his first + cousin. This nobleman, by no means an able or admirable person, + married twice. By his first marriage he had a daughter, who + married Charles Wykeham-Martin, Esq., M.P., whose father, by a + concatenation of chances, became the owner of Leeds Castle, + near Maidstone, in Kent—a splendid moated baronial pile, + dating from the thirteenth century, but added to and improved + in admirable taste. Leeds was formerly the property of the + Fairfax family, whose chief, the present lord, resides near + Washington. It came to them from the once famous family of + Colepepper.</p> + + <p>Earl Cornwallis married a second time late in life, and had + an only daughter, Lady Julia. From that time his one idea + seemed to be to accumulate for this child, and accordingly at + his death she was the greatest heiress in England, her long + minority serving to add immensely to her father's hoards. Of + course, when the time approached for her entering society under + the chaperonage of her cousins, the marquis's daughters, + speculation was very rife in the London world as to whom she + would marry, and many a mamma of high degree cast sheep's eyes + at the heiress, and thought how charmingly her accumulations + would serve to clear the encumbrances on certain acres. But + they were not kept long in suspense. One night during the + London season, when the ladies Cornwallis gave a grand ball, a + damper was cast over the proceedings, so far at least as + aspirants to the heiress's money-bags were concerned, by the + announcement of her engagement. Said a lady to a gentleman in + the course of that evening, "Most extraordinary! There seem to + be no men in the room to-night." "Why, of course not," was the + rejoinder, "after this fatal news." Lady Julia's choice fell + upon a young officer in the Guards, Viscount Holmesdale, eldest + son of Earl Amherst. Lord Holmesdale was unexceptionable in + point of position, but his pecuniary position was such as to + make one hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year a very + agreeable addition to his income. It may, however, be a + satisfaction to those less richly endowed with this world's + goods than Lady Holmesdale to reflect that being an heiress + generally proves rather the reverse of a passport to + matrimonial bliss; and by all accounts she is no exception to + the usual fate in this respect. We can't have everything in + this world.</p> + + <p>Lady Holmesdale's property was tied up by her old father + (whose whole thoughts were given to this end, and who was in + the habit of carrying his will on his person) to such a degree + that in the event of her death her husband can only derive a + very slight benefit from his wife's property beyond the + insurances which may have been effected on her life. She is + childless, and has very precarious health. Her principal seat + is Linton Park, near Maidstone, Kent, in which county she is + the largest landowner. In the event of her dying without issue, + her estates pass to the son of Major Fiennes Cornwallis, who + was second son of the late Mr. Wykeham-Martin by Lady + Holmesdale's elder half-sister.</p> + + <p>A cousin of Lady Holmesdale, Miss Cornwallis, the last + representative of a third branch, died some years ago. This + lady, who possessed rare literary and social acquirements, + bequeathed her property to Major Wykeham-Martin, who thereupon + changed his name to Cornwallis. The major, a gallant officer, + one of those of whom Tennyson says,</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">Into the jaws of death</p> + + <p class="i2">Rode the six hundred,</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>only survived the Balaklava charge to die a few years later + through an accident in the hunting-field. "A fine, modest young + officer," was Thackeray's verdict about him, when, after dinner + at "Tom Phinn's," a noted bachelor barrister of eminence whose + little dinners were not the least agreeable in London, the + story of that famous ride had been coaxed out of the young + <i>militaire</i>, who, if left to himself, would never have let + you have a notion that he had seen such splendid service. The + only Cornwallis now left is Lady Elizabeth, granddaughter of + the first marquis.</p><a name="H_4_0020" + id="H_4_0020"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + + <h3>NOVELTIES IN ETHNOLOGY.</h3> + + <p>Two savants of high reputation have lately undertaken to + seek out the origin of that German race which has just put + itself at the head of military Europe. One is Wilhelm + Obermüller, a German ethnologist, member of the Vienna + Geographical Society, whose startling theory nevertheless is + that the Germans are the direct descendants of Cain! The other + scholar, M. Quatrefages, a man of still greater reputation, + devotes himself to a proposition almost as + extraordinary—namely, that the Prussian pedigree is Finn + and Slav, with only a small pinch of Teuton, and hence, in an + ethnographical view, is anti-German!</p> + + <p>That M. Quatrefages should maintain such a postulate, his + patriotism if not his scientific reputation might lead us to + expect; but that Obermüller should be so eager to trace + German origin back to the first murderer is rather more + suprising. Obermüller's work embraces in its general scope + the origin of all European nations, but the most striking part + is that relating to Germany. He holds that, from the remotest + era, the Celto-Aryan race, starting from the plain of Tartary, + the probable cradle of mankind, split into two great + branches—one the Oriental Aryans, and the other the + Western Aryans, or Celts. The former—who, as he proceeds + to show, were no other than the descendants of + Cain—betook themselves to China, which land they found + inhabited by the Mongolians, another great primordial race; and + we are told that the Mongolians are indicated when mention is + made in Scripture of Cain's marriage in the land of Nod. The + intermixture of Cainists and Mongolians produced the Turks, + while the pure Cainist tribes formed the German people, under + the name of Swabians (Chinese, <i>Siampi</i>), Goths + (<i>Yeuten</i> in Chinese) and Ases (<i>Sachsons</i>). Such, in + brief, is the curious theory of Obermüller.</p> + + <p>The question next arises, How is it that we find the Germans + transplanted from the Hoang-Ho to the Rhine? We are told that, + being driven out of China by the Turks, they poured into the + European countries which the Celts or Western Aryans had + already occupied. These latter had in the mean time gone out + from the Asiatic cradle of the race, and following the course + of the Indus to Hindostan and Persia, had, under the name of + Chaldeans, overrun Armenia, Syria, Arabia, Egypt and North + Africa, which latter they found inhabited by certain negro + races, whereas in Egypt they discovered red-skins or + Atlantides; which latter, by the way, form also our own + aborigines. The intermixture of the Celts with these primitive + races just named produced the Jews and Semitic people. At the + time of the Celtic invasion Western Europe and Northern Africa + were occupied by the race of the Atlantides, while the + Mongolians, including also the Lapps, Finns and Huns, peopled + the north of Europe and of Asia. The Celts pushed in between + these two races, and only very much later the German people, + driven out of China by the Turks, as we have said, arrived in + Europe.</p> + + <p>When, therefore, did these Cainist invasions of Germany take + place? Obermüller says that the date must have been toward + the epoch of the Roman conquests. Gallia was then inhabited in + the south by the primitive Atlantid race of Ligurians and by + the Greek colony of Massilia; in the centre by the Gaelags + (Celts) or Gauls, who, pouring northward from Spain, had + conquered it fifteen hundred years before the Christian era; + and in the north by the Belgic Cimbrians, who had come from + Germany, and who were designated under the name of Germans + (<i>Ghermann</i>) or border-men, and who, though called + <i>Germani</i> by Caesar and Tacitus, were yet not of the + Cainist stock, but Celts. However, these Germans, whom the + Romans encountered to their cost on the Rhine and Danube, were + of the genuine Oriental Cainist stock, and these, after + centuries of fierce struggle, they failed to conquer, though + the Celts of Britain, Gaul and Spain, as well as all the old + empires of the East, had fallen an easy prey to their + victorious eagles.</p> + + <p>It only remains to add that this invasion of Germany by + Cain's progeny was accomplished in three streams. The Ases + (Sachsons) directed themselves to the Elbe and Danube, and + thence to the north; the Suevi, or Swabians, chose the centre + and south of Germany; while the Goths did not rest till they + had overrun Italy, Southern France and Spain. But each of these + three main streams was composed of many tribes, whom the old + writers catalogue without system, mixing both Celtic and + Teutonic tribes under the general name of Germans; and it is + only in modern days that the careless enumeration of the + classic writers has been rejected, and a more scientific method + substituted. It will be seen, in fine, that in the main + Obermüller does not differ from accepted theories in + German ethnology, which have long carefully dissevered the + Celts from the Teutons, and assigned to each tribe with + approximate accuracy its earliest fixed abode in Europe. It is + the tracing back of the German race proper to the first-born of + Adam, according to scriptural genealogy, which makes this + theory curious and amusing.</p> + + <p>To the work of M. Quatrefages we have only space to devote a + paragraph. Originally contributed to the <i>Revue des Deux + Mondes</i>, it bears the marks in its inferences, if not in its + facts, of being composed for an audience of sympathizing + countrymen, rather than for the world of science at large. M. + Quatrefages says that the first dwellers in Prussia were Finns, + who founded the stock, and were in turn overpowered by the + Slavs, who imposed their language and customs on the whole of + the Baltic region. The consequent mixture of Finns and Slavs + created a population wholly un-German; and what dash of genuine + Germanism Prussia now has was subsequently acquired in the + persons of sundry traders from Bremen, followed by a class of + roving nobility, who entered the half-civilized country with + their retainers in quest of spoils. Besides these elements, + Prussia, like England and America, received in modern times an + influx of French Huguenots; which M. Quatrefages naturally + considers a piece of great good fortune for Prussia. Briefly, + then, the French savant regards Prussia as German only in her + nobility and upper-middle classes, while the substratum of + population is a composition of Slav and Finn, and hence + thoroughly anti-German. As, according to the old saying, if you + scratch a Russian you will find a Tartar beneath, so, according + to M. Ouatrefages, we may suppose that scraping a Prussian + would disclose a Finn. The political inferences which he draws + are very fanciful. He traces shadowy analogies between the + tactics of Von Moltke's veterans and the warlike customs of the + ancient Slavs, and suggests that the basic origin of the + Prussian population may lead it to cultivate a Russian alliance + rather than an Austrian, forgetting, apparently, that by his + own admission the ruling-classes of Prussia are German in + origin, ideas and sympathies.</p> + + <p class="author">L.S.</p><a name="H_4_0021" + id="H_4_0021"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + + <h3>THE STEAM-WHISTLE.</h3> + + <p>While Mr. Ruskin was lately bewailing the bell-ringing + propensity of mankind, the English Parliament and several + American legislatures, city or State, were assaulting the + greater nuisance of the steam-whistle, and trying to substitute + bell-ringing for it. Mr. Ruskin's particular grievance was, + that his own nerves were <i>crispé</i> by the incessant + ding-dong of the church-bells of Florence summoning the devout + to prayer, but he generalized his wrath. Possibly, he would + have been less sensitive and fastidious regarding the musical + carillons of the Italian city were he wont to dwell within + ear-shot of an American factory or railroad-station. Not that + Mr. Ruskin fails to appreciate—or, rather, to + depreciate—railways in their connection with Italian + landscapes; for, besides his series of complaints regarding the + Florence bells, he denounces the railway from Rome to Naples, + and the railway-tunnels under Monts Cenis and St. Gothard, and + the railway-bridge leading into Venice, as enemies of the + beautiful and picturesque in Nature. But it is the locomotive, + independent of the shriek, that is his abomination; whereas a + man less sensitive to sights, and (if possible) more sensitive + to sounds, might pardon the cutting up of the landscape were + his ear-drum spared from splitting.</p> + + <p>Emerson asks, "What is so odious as noise?" But a + <i>Saturday Reviewer</i> once devoted an elaborate essay to the + eulogy of unmitigated noise, or rather to the keen enjoyment of + it by children. People with enviable nerves and unenviable + tastes often enjoy sounds in the ratio of their lack of + melody—say, such everyday thoroughfare music as the slap + and bang of coach-wheels on the cobble-stones; the creaking of + street-cars round a sharp curve, like Milton's infernal doors + "grating harsh thunder;" the squeaking falsettos of the cries + by old-clothes' men, itinerant glaziers, fishmongers, + fruiterers, tinkers and what not; the yells of rival coachmen + at the railway-stations, giving one an idea of Bedlam; the + street-fiddlers and violinists with horribly untuned + instruments; the Italian open-air singers hoarsely shouting, + "Shoo Fly" or "Viva Garibaldi! viva l'Italia!" the gongs beaten + on steamboats and by hotel-runners at stations on the arrival + of trains; the unearthly squeals and shrieks of new "musical + instruments" sold cheap by street-peddlers; the horrible + noise-producers which boys invent for the torture of nervous + people—such, for example, as this present season's, which + is happily styled "the devil's fiddle," or "the chicken-box," + whose simplest form is an emptied tomato-can, with a string + passed through the end and pulled with the rosined fingers. + Now, that a man may be pleased with a rattle, even if it be + only a car-rattle, is conceivable, but it is hard to understand + how he can retain a relish for the squeal of a + locomotive-whistle. The practice of summoning workmen to + factories by this shrill monitor, of using it to announce the + dinner-hour, the hour of resuming work after the nooning, and + the hour of quitting work for the night, ought to be abolished + everywhere. There is not the faintest excuse for it, because + clocks and bells will do the same work exactly as well. On the + other hand, the whistle causes perpetual irritation to the + nervous, feeble and sick, and frequent cases of horses running + away with fright at the sudden shriek, smashing property or + destroying life.</p> + + <p>Let us give moral aid and comfort to the campaign, + Cisatlantic and Transatlantic, against the steam-whistle. In + the local councils of Philadelphia, Camden and other cities it + has been well opened in our country; in the House of Commons + has been introduced a bill providing that "no person shall use + or employ in any manufactory or any other place any + steam-whistle or steam-trumpet for the purpose of summoning or + dismissing workmen or persons employed, without the sanction of + the sanitary authorities." They call this whistle, by the way, + it would seem, the "American devil," for the Manchester + <i>Examiner</i> congratulates its readers that the "American + devil" has been taken by the throat, and ere long his yells + will be heard no more.</p> + + <p>John Leech, it is said, was actually driven from house to + house in a vain effort to escape the nuisance of + organ-grinders, whom he has immortalized in Punch by many + exquisite sketches, showing that they know "the vally of peace + and quietness." Some of his friends declare that this nuisance + so worked on his nerves that he may be said to have died of + organ-grinders. Holmes has immortalized the same guild of + wandering minstrels as a sort of "crusaders sent from infernal + clime to dock the ears of melody and break the legs of time." + And yet the hand-organ, so often the subject of municipal + legislation, is dulcet music compared with the steam-whistle, + even when the latter instrument takes its most ambitiously + artistic form of the "Calliope."</p><a name="H_4_0022" + id="H_4_0022"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + + <h3>SIAMESE NEWS.</h3> + + <p>Letters recently received from Bangkok, Siam, bearing date + July 25, 1872, give the following interesting items.</p> + + <p>His Majesty has just appointed an English tutor to his royal + brothers, associating with them some of the sons of the higher + nobles to the number of twenty. This certainly indicates + progress in liberal and enlarged views in a land where hitherto + no noble, however exalted his rank or worthy his character, was + considered a fit associate for the princes of the royal family, + who have always been trained to hold themselves entirely aloof + from those about them. The young king now on the throne has + changed all this, and says he wishes not only that his brothers + shall have the advantage of studying with others of their own + age, but that they should thus learn to know their people + better, and by mingling with them freely in their studies and + sports acquire more liberal views of men and things than their + ancestors had. He insists that his young brothers and their + classmates shall stand on precisely the same footing, and each + be treated by the teacher according to his merits. The king + intends to appoint yet other teachers in his family for both + boys and girls; and though perhaps the time may not yet have + come, it is certainly not far distant, when Siam will sustain + high schools and colleges, both literary and scientific.</p> + + <p>The religious aspect of the nation is somewhat less + promising. Though the royal edict gives protection to all + religions, and permits every man to choose for himself in + matters of conscience, it can scarcely be said that the two + kings take any real interest in Christianity. They think less + of Booddhism, its mystic creed and imposing ceremonies, and + have made very many changes in the form of worship; but, + apparently, they are no more Christians than were their + respective fathers, the late first and second kings. They treat + Christianity with outward respect, because they esteem it + decorous to do so; and the same is true of the regent and prime + minister; but none of them even profess any real regard for the + worship of the true God. The concessions made thus far indicate + progress in civilization, not in piety; and while the kings and + their subjects are assuredly loosing their grasp on Booddhism, + they are not reaching out to lay hold on Christianity. It seems + rather as if the whole nation were swaying off into the frigid + regions of skepticism, and, influenced by the example of many + unworthy representatives of Christian countries, they live only + for the luxuries and laxities of the present life. Priestly + robes are much less frequently seen on the river and in the + streets than formerly; and many of the clergy no longer reside + at the temples, but with their families in their own houses; + thus relinquishing even the pretence of celibacy, which has + hitherto been one of the very strongest points of Booddhism, + giving it an appearance of sanctity and a hold on the + affections of the people that nothing else can do. With this + rapidly-increasing renunciation of priestly celibacy and the + daily-diminishing ranks of the clergy, Booddhism, the mammoth + religion of the world, seems tottering to ruin, and even the + present generation may see its utter demolition, at least so + far as Siam is concerned. Services at the temples are now held + in imitation of English morning and evening prayers; a moral + essay is read, at which the body-guards of the kings and the + government officers are generally required to be present, and + the remainder of the day they are excused from duty, instead of + being kept, as formerly, Sundays and week-days, in almost + perpetual attendance on His Majesty.</p> + + <p>The supreme king is now in his twentieth year, and will take + the reins of government this year. He is tall and slight in + person, gentlemanlike in manners, perfectly well bred, and + always courteous to strangers, though even more modest and + unassuming than was his father, the priest-king, whose praises + are still fresh in every heart. His Majesty speaks English + quite creditably, wears the English dress most of the time, and + keeps himself well informed as to matters and things generally. + His reign, thus far, promises well for himself and his + kingdom.</p> + + <p>The second king, still called King <i>George Washington</i>, + is now about thirty, and a most noble specimen of the courtly + Oriental gentleman. His tall, compact figure is admirably + developed both for strength and beauty, his face is full and + pleasing, and his head finely formed. He is affable in manner, + converses readily in English, and is fond of Europeans and + their customs. He keeps his father's palace and steamboats in + excellent condition, and his body-guard under thorough drill. + On a recent visit of the American steamer Moreton he came out + on the battlements of his palace, and after watching her + progress for some time, he signaled her to lay to, which she + did just opposite his palace. He immediately went aboard, and + remained for an hour or so, chatting merrily with both ladies + and gentlemen, while the steamer puffed up the river a few + miles, and then returned for His Majesty to disembark at his + own palace. King George occasionally wears the <i>full</i> + English dress, either civil or military, but generally only the + hat, coat, linen and shoes, with the Siamese + <i>pàh-nûng</i> in lieu of pantaloons. The regent, + the minister of foreign affairs and many of the princes and + nobles have adopted this mongrel costume, and, to a greater or + less extent, our language, manner of living and forms of + etiquette. Visitors to the kings now sit on chairs, instead of + crouching on cushions before the throne, as formerly; while + native princes and ministers of state no longer prostrate + themselves with their faces in the dust in the royal presence, + but stand at the foot of the throne while holding an audience + with their Majesties, each being allowed full opportunity to + state his case or present any petition he may desire. The + sovereigns are no longer unknown, mysterious personages, whose + features their people have never been permitted to look upon; + but they may be seen any fine day taking their drives in their + own coaches or phaetons, and lifting their hats to passing + friends. Nor do they on ordinary occasions deem it necessary to + be surrounded by armed soldiers for protection, but go where + they list, with only their liveried coachmen and footmen, and + perhaps a single companion or secretary inside.</p> + + <p>The city itself has correspondingly improved. Within the + walls have just been completed two new streets, meeting at + right angles near the mayor's office, where is a public park of + circular form very handsomely laid out. The streets radiating + from this centre are broad, and lined with new brick houses of + two stories and tiled roofs. These are mostly private + dwellings, uniformly built; and with their broad sidewalks and + shade trees of luxuriant tropical growth present a very + picturesque appearance. One wide street, commencing at the + royal palace, extends six or seven miles through the city, + reaching the river near a little village called Pak-lat-bon. + This is the fashionable <i>drive</i>, where may be seen not + only their Majesties, the regent, the prime minister and other + high dignitaries lounging in stately equipages drawn by two or + four prancing steeds, but many private citizens of different + nations in their light pony-carriages, palanquins, etc., + instead of the invariable barges and <i>sampans</i> of a few + years ago, when the river was the "Broadway" of the city and + the canals its cross-streets. Steamers of various dimensions + now busily ply the river: the kings own several, which they use + for pleasure-boats; eight or ten are fitted up as war-steamers, + and others are packets to Singapore, China and elsewhere, + carrying passengers and merchandise.</p> + + <p>The regent, <i>Pra-Nai-Wai,</i> is a sedate, dignified, + courteous gentleman of sixty-five, who walks erect with firm + step and manly form, and with mental and physical powers still + unimpaired. His half-brother, who filled the post of minister + of foreign affairs at the commencement of the present reign, + died blind some little time back, after twice paying ten + thousand dollars to a Dutch oculist from Batavia to operate on + his eyes for cataract. His successor, the present minister, is + one of the finest specimens of a Siamese gentleman in the + country. He was first a provincial governor; then went on a + special embassy to England; last year attended the supreme king + on his visit to Singapore and Batavia; and recently accompanied + him again to India, whence the royal party have but just + returned. The regal convoy consisted of five or six + war-steamers, and His Majesty, besides his own officers, was + escorted also by the English consul at Bangkok, the + harbor-master and several European officers in the Siamese + service. The royal tourist visited Rangoon, Calcutta, Madras, + Bombay, Allahabad and Ceylon; and entered with great gusto into + the spirit of his travels, seeing everything, asking questions + and taking notes as he passed from point to point. The regent, + in conjunction with the second king, held the reins of + government during the absence of the first king; and in truth + the regent has for the most part governed the country since the + death of the late king, in 1868, the young heir being then but + fifteen years of age. The regent is decidedly a favorite with + both kings and people, and his rule has been popular and + prosperous.</p><a name="H_4_0023" + id="H_4_0023"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + + <h3>MADISON AS A TEMPERANCE MAN.</h3> + + <p>Many years ago, when the temperance movement began in + Virginia, ex-President Madison lent the weight of his influence + to the cause. Case-bottles and decanters disappeared from the + sideboard at Montpelier—wine was no longer dispensed to + the many visitors at that hospitable mansion. Nor was this all. + Harvest began, but the customary barrel of whisky was not + purchased, and the song of the scythemen in the wheatfield + languished. In lieu of whisky, there was a beverage most + innocuous, unstimulating and unpalatable to the army of dusky + laborers.</p> + + <p>The following morning, Mr. Madison called in his head-man to + make the usual inquiry, "Nelson, how comes on the crop?"</p> + + <p>"Po'ly, Mars' Jeems—monsus po'ly."</p> + + <p>"Why, what's the matter?"</p> + + <p>"Things is seyus."</p> + + <p>"What do you mean by serious?"</p> + + <p>"We gwine los' dat crap."</p> + + <p>"Lose the crop! Why should we lose it?"</p> + + <p>"'Cause dat ar crap ar heap too big a crap to be gethered + 'thout whisky. 'Lasses-and-water nuver gethered no crap sence + de woil' war' made, ner 'taint gwine to."</p> + + <p>Mr. Madison succumbed: the whisky was procured, the "crap" + was "gethered," case-bottles and decanters reappeared, and the + ancient order was restored at Montpelier, never again to be + disturbed.</p> + + <h2><a name="H_NOTE" + id="H_NOTE"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> NOTES.</h2> + + <p>Amidst the recent hurly-burly of politics in France, + involving the fate of the Thiers government, if not of the + republic itself, a minor grievance of the artists has probably + been little noticed by the general public. Yet a grievance it + was, and one which caused men of taste and sentiment to cry out + loudly. The threatened act of vandalism against which they + protested was a proposal to fell part of the Forest of + Fontainebleau. The castle and forest have long belonged to the + state, but why the woods should now be cut down by the + government is not clear. The motive is probably to turn the + fine timber into cash, though a Paris wit, in pretended despair + of other explanation, jokingly alleged, at the time of Prince + Napoleon's late expulsion from France, that the government was + afraid the prince, taking refuge in its dense recesses, might + there conceal himself (<i>à la</i> Charles II., we + presume) in one of its venerable oaks. At any rate, it was + arranged to level a part of the timber, and on hearing of this + threatened mutilation of a favorite resort the French artists + rallied to beg M. Thiers, like the character in General + Morris's ballad, to "spare those trees." And well may they + petition, for the forest contains nearly thirty-five thousand + acres, abounding in beautiful and picturesque scenery. It can + boast finer trees than any other French forest, while its + meadows, lawns and cliffs furnish specimens of almost every + plant and flower to be found in France. Now, when we add that + its views are exceedingly varied, its rocks, ravines, plateaus + and thickets each offering some entirely different and + admirable study to the landscape-painters who frequent it in + great numbers during the spring and autumn months (for it is + only fourteen or fifteen leagues out of Paris, on the high road + to Lyons), we have shown reason enough for the consentaneous + action on the part of the men and women of the brush and + pencil.</p> + + <p>The traveled reader will hardly need to be told that good + judges consider the forest and castle to compose the finest + domain in France. But there are also numberless historic + reminiscences intertwined with Fontainebleau. And, by the way, + it was originally known as the Forêt de Bierre, until + some thirsty huntsmen, who found its spring deliciously + refreshing, rebaptized it as Fontaine Belle Eau. Such, at + least, is the old story. The first founding of a royal + residence there dates at least as far back as the twelfth + century, and possibly much farther, while the present + château was begun by Francis I. in the sixteenth. So many + famous historic events, indeed, have taken place within the + precincts of the forest that the committee of "Protection + Artistique" is pardonable in claiming that "Fontainebleau + Forest ought to be ranked with those national historic + monuments which must at all hazards be preserved for the + admiration of artists and tourists," as well as of patriotic + Frenchmen. What illustrations shall we select from among the + events connected with it, about which a thousand volumes of + history, poetry, art, science and romance have been composed? + At Fontainebleau, Charles V. was royally feasted by Francis; + there the Edict of Nantes was revoked; there Condé died; + there the decree of divorce between Napoleon and Josephine was + pronounced; and there the emperor afterward signed his own + abdication. It is true that nobody proposes to demolish the + castle, and that is the historic centre; but the petitioners + claim that it is difficult and dangerous to attempt to divide + the domain into historic and non-historic, artistic and + non-artistic parts, with a view to its mutilation. There is + ground for hoping that a favorable response will be given to + the eloquent appeal of the artists and amateurs.</p> + + <p>The vanity of Victor Hugo, though always "Olympian," perhaps + never mounted to a sublimer height than in the reply he sent to + M. Catulle Mendes on receiving from him the news of Gautier's + death. It contained but half a dozen lines, yet found space to + declare, "Of the men of 1830, <i>I alone am left</i>. It is now + my turn." The profound egotism of "<i>il ne reste plus que + moi</i>" could not escape being vigorously lashed by V. Hugo's + old comrades of the quill, dating back with him to 1830, and + now so loftily ignored. "See, even in his epistles of + condolence," they cry, "the omnipresent <i>moi</i> of Hugo must + appear, to overshadow everything else!" One indignant writer + declares the poet to be a mere walking personal pronoun. + Another humorously pities those still extant contemporaries of + 1830 who, after having for forty years dedicated their songs + and romances and dramas to Hugo, now learn from the selfsame + maw which has greedily gulped their praises that they + themselves do not exist, never did exist. One man of genius + slyly writes: "Some of us veterans will find ourselves + embarrassed—Michelet, G. Sand, Janin, Sandeau <i>et un + pen moi</i>. Is it possible that we died a long time ago, one + after the other, without knowing it? Was it a delusion on our + part to fancy ourselves existing, or was our existence only a + bad dream?" But to Victor Hugo even these complaints will + perhaps seem to smoke like fresh incense on the altar of + self-adulation which this great genius keeps ever lighted.</p> + + <p>The reader may remember the story of that non-committal + editor who during the late canvass, desiring to propitiate all + his subscribers of both parties, hoisted the ticket of + "Gr—— and ——n" at the top of his + column, thus giving those who took the paper their choice of + interpretations between "Grant and Wilson" and "Grceley and + Brown." A story turning on the same style of point (and + probably quite as apocryphal, though the author labels it + "<i>historique</i>") is told of an army officers' mess in + France. A brother-soldier from a neighboring detachment having + come in, and a <i>champenoise</i> having been uncorked in his + honor, "Gentlemen," said the guest, raising his glass, "I am + about to propose a toast at once patriotic and political." A + chorus of hasty ejaculations and of murmurs at once greeted + him. "Yes, gentlemen," coolly proceeded the orator, "I drink to + a thing which—an object that—Bah! I will out with + it at once. It begins with an <i>R</i> and ends with an + <i>e</i>."</p> + + <p>"Capital!" whispers a young lieutenant of Bordeaux + promotion. "He proposes the <i>Republique</i>, without + offending the old fogies by saying the word."</p> + + <p>"Nonsense! He means the <i>Radicale</i>," replies the other, + an old captain from Cassel.</p> + + <p>"Upon my word," says a third as he lifts his glass, "our + friend must mean <i>la Royaute</i>."</p> + + <p>"I see!" cries a one-legged veteran of Froschweiler: "we + drink to <i>la Revanche</i>."</p> + + <p>In fact, the whole party drank the toast heartily, each + interpreting it to his liking.</p> + + <p>In the hands of a Swift even so trivial an incident might be + made to point a moral on the facility with which alike in + theology and politics—from Athanasian Creed to Cincinnati + or Philadelphia Platform—men comfortably interpret to + their own diverse likings some doctrine that "begins with an + <i>R</i> and ends with an <i>e</i>," and swallow it with great + unanimity and enthusiasm.</p> + + <p>Possibly the death of Mr. Greeley, after a prolonged + delirium induced in part by political excitement, may add for + Americans some fresh interest to the theory of a paper which + just previous to that pathetic event M. Lunier had read before + the Paris Academy of Medicine. The author confessed his + statistics to be incomplete, but regarded them as ample for the + decisive formulation of the proposition that great political + crises tend to increase the number of cases of mental + alienation. The leading point of his elaborate argument appears + to be the classification of fresh cases of insanity developed + since the beginning of the late French war. The strongest + comparison is one indicating an excess of seven per cent, in + the number of such cases, proportioned to the population in the + departments conquered and occupied by the Germans, over those + which they did not invade. Finally, M. Lunier reckons the cases + of mental alienation induced by the late political and military + events in France at from twelve hundred to fifteen hundred. + Politics without war may, it is considered, produce the same + results—results not at all surprising, of course, except + as to their extent. As to this last, if M. Lunier's figures and + deductions be correct, the mental strain of exciting politics + is even more destructive than has been generally supposed.</p> + + <h2><a name="H_4_0025" + id="H_4_0025"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> LITERATURE OF THE + DAY.</h2> + + <p>Gareth and Lynette. By Alfred Tennyson, D.C.L., + Poet-Laureate. Boston: J.R. Osgood & Co.</p> + + <p>"With this poem the author concludes the Idyls of the King." + The occasion is a tempting one to review the long series of + Arthurian lays written by Tennyson, from the <i>Mort d' + Arthur</i>, and the pretty song about Lancelot and Guinevere, + and the first casting of "Elaine's" legend in the form of + <i>The Lady of Shallot</i>, down to the present tale, flung + like a capricious field flower into a wreath complete enough + without it. The poet's first adventure into the + subject—the mysterious, shadowy and elevated performance + called the <i>Mort d' Arthur</i>—will probably be always + thought the best. Tennyson, when he wrote it, was just trying + the peculiarities of his style: he was testing the quality of + his cadences, the ring of his long sententious lines repeated + continually as refrains, and the trustworthiness of his artful, + much-sacrificing simplicity. He put as it were a spot or two of + pigment on the end of his painting-knife, and held it up into + the air of the vaporous traditions of the Round Table. It stood + the test, it had the color; but the artist, uncertain of his + style, his public and his own liking, made a number of other + tentatives before he could decide to go on in the manner he + commenced with. He tried the <i>Guinevere</i>, laughing and + galloping in its ballad-movement; he tried the <i>Shallot</i>, + with a triple rhyme and a short positive refrain, like a bell + rung in an incantation, and brought up every minute by a finger + pressed upon the edge. Either of these three—although the + metre of the first was the only one endurable by the ear in the + case of a long series of poems—either of these had, it + may be positively said, a general tone more suitable to the + ancient feeling, and more consistent with the duty of a modern + poet arranging for new ears the legends collected by Sir Thomas + Malory, than the general tone of the present Idyls. Those first + experiments, charged like a full sponge with the essence and + volume of primitive legend, went to their purpose without + retrospection or vacillation: each short tale, whether it + laughed or moaned, promulgated itself like an oracle. The + teller seemed to have been listening to the voice of Fate, and + whether, Guinevere swayed the bridle-rein, or Elaine's web flew + out and floated wide, or Lancelot sang tirra-lirra by the + river, it was asserted with the positiveness of a Hebrew + chronicle, which we do not question because it is history. But + we hardly have such an illusion in reading the late Idyls. We + seem to be in the presence of a constructor who arranges + things, of a moralist turning ancient stories with a latent + purpose of decorum, of an official Englishman looking about for + old confirmations of modern sociology, of a salaried laureate + inventing a prototype of Prince Albert. The singleness of a + story-teller who has convinced himself that he tells a true + story is gone. That this diversion into the region of didactics + is accompanied, on our poet's part, with every ingenuity of + ornament, and every grace of a style which people have learned + to like and which he has made his own, need not be said. The + Tennysonian beauties are all there. The work takes its place in + literature, obscuring the Arthurian work of Dryden, as Milton's + achievement of <i>Paradise Lost</i> obscured the Italian work + on the same subject which preceded it. The story is told, and + the things of the Round Table can hardly be related again in + English, any more than the tale of Troy could be sung again in + Greek after the poem of Homer. But beauties do not necessarily + compose into perfect Beauty, and the achievement of a task + neatly done does not prevent the eye from wandering over the + work to see if the material has been used to the best + advantage. So, the reader who has allowed himself to rest long + in the simple magic evoked by Malory or in the Celtic air of + Villemarque's legends, will be fain to ask whether a man of + Tennyson's force could not have given to his century a + recasting which would have satisfied primitive credulity as + well as modern subtility. There is an antique bronze at Naples + that has been cleaned and set up in a splendid museum, and + perhaps looks more graceful than ever; but the pipe that used + to lead to the lips, and the passage that used to communicate + with the priest-chamber, are gone, and nothing can compensate + for them: it used to be a form and a voice, and now it is + nothing but a form.</p> + + <p>We have just observed that in our opinion the first essays + made by the Laureate with his Arthurian material had the best + ring, or at least had some excellences lost to the later work. + <i>Gareth and Lynette</i>, however, by its fluency and + simplicity, and by not being overcharged with meaning, seems to + part company with some of this overweighted later performance, + and to attempt a recovery of the directness and spring of the + start. It is, however, far behind all of them in a momentous + particular; for in narrating <i>them</i>, the poet, while able + to keep up his immediate connection with the source of + tradition, and to narrate with the directness of belief, had + still some undercurrent of thought which he meant to convey, + and which he succeeded in keeping track of: Arthur and + Guinevere, in the little song, ride along like primeval beings + of the world—the situation seems the type of all + seduction; the Lady of Shallot is not alone the recluse who + sees life in a mirror, she is the cloistered Middle Age itself, + and when her mirror breaks we feel that a thousand glasses are + bursting, a thousand webs are parting, and that the times are + coming eye to eye with the actual. In those younger days, + Tennyson, possessed with a subject, and as it were floating in + it, could pour out a legend with the credulity of a child and + the clear convincing insight of a teacher: when he came in + mature life to apply himself to the rounded work, he had more + of a disposition to teach, and less of that imaginative reach + which is like belief; and <i>now</i> he is telling a story + again for the sake of the story, but without the deeper + meaning. Lynette is a supercilious damsel who asks redress of + the knights of the Round Table: Gareth, a male Cinderella, + starts from the kitchen to defend her, and after conquering her + prejudices by his bravery, assumes his place as a disguised + prince. It is a plain little comedy, not much in Tennyson's + line: there are places where he tries to imitate the artless + disconnected speech of youth; and here, as with the little + nun's babble in <i>Guinevere</i>, and with some other passages + of factitious simplicity, the poet makes rather queer work:</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">Gold? said I gold?—ay then, why he, + or she,</p> + + <p class="i2">Or whosoe'er it was, or half the + world,</p> + + <p class="i2">Had ventured—<i>had</i> the thing I + spake of been</p> + + <p class="i2">Mere gold—but this was all of that + true steel</p> + + <p class="i2">Whereof they forged the brand + Excalibur,</p> + + <p class="i2">And lightnings played about it in the + storm, etc.</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>It may be questioned whether hap-hazard talk ever, in any + age of human speech, took a form like that, though it is just + like Tennyson in many a weary part of his poetry. The blank + verse, for its part, is broken with all the old skill, and + there are lines of beautiful license, like this:</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">Camelot, a city of shadowy palaces,</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>or strengthened with the extra quantity, like this:</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">Stay, felon knight, I avenge me for my + friend!</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>or imitating the motion described, as these:</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">The hoof of his horse slept in the + stream, the stream</p> + + <p class="i2">Descended, and the Sun was washed + away;</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>but occasionally the effort to give variety leads into mere + puzzles and disagreeable fractures of metre, such as the + following quatrain:</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">Courteous or bestial from the moment,</p> + + <p class="i2">Such as have nor law nor king; and three + of these</p> + + <p class="i2">Proud in their fantasy, call themselves + the Day,</p> + + <p class="i2">Morning-Star, and Noon-Sun, and + Evening-Star.</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>The first line in this quotation, if it be not a misprint of + the American edition, can only be brought to any kind of rule + by accenting each polysyllable on the last, and is not, when + even that is done, a pleasant piece of caprice. There are + plenty of phrases that shock the attention sufficiently to keep + it from stagnating on the smooth surface of the verse; such + are—"ever-highering eagle-circles," "there were none but + few goodlier than he," "tipt with trenchant steel," and the + expression, already famous, of "tip-tilted" for Lynette's nose; + to which may be added the object of Gareth's attention, + mentioned in the third line of the poem, when he "stared at the + <i>spate</i>." But in the matter of descriptive power we do not + know that the Laureate has succeeded better for a long time + past in his touches of landscape-painting: the pictures of + halls, castles, rivers and woods are all felicitous. For + example, this in five lines, where the travelers saw</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">Bowl-shaped, through tops of many + thousand pines,</p> + + <p class="i2">A gloomy-gladed hollow slowly sink</p> + + <p class="i2">To westward; in the deeps whereof a + mere,</p> + + <p class="i2">Round as the red eye of an eagle-owl,</p> + + <p class="i2">Under the half-dead sunset glared; and + cries</p> + + <p class="i2">Ascended.</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>Or this simple and beautiful sketch of crescent + moonlight:</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i12">Silent the silent field</p> + + <p class="i2">They traversed. Arthur's harp tho' + summer-wan,</p> + + <p class="i2">In counter motion to the clouds, + allured</p> + + <p class="i2">The glance of Gareth dreaming on his + liege.</p> + + <p class="i2">A star shot.</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>It is still, perfect, and utterly simple sketches like + these, thrown off in the repose of power, that form the best + setting for a heroic or poetical action: what better device was + ever invented, even by Tennyson himself, for striking just the + right note in the reader's mind while thinking of a noble + primitive knight, than that in another Idyl, where Lancelot + went along, looking at a star, "<i>and wondered what it + was"?</i> Of a more imaginative kind of beauty are the + descriptions of the walls of rock near Castle Dangerous, decked + by the hermit with tinted bas-reliefs, and the fine one of + Camelot, looking as if "built by fairy kings," with its city + gate surmounted by the figures of the three mystic queens, "the + friends of Arthur," and decked upon the keystone with the image + of the Lady, whose form is set in ripples of stone and crossed + by mystic fish, while her drapery weeps from her sides as water + flowing away. The most charming part of the character-painting + is where the shrewish Lynette, as her estimate of the + scullion-knight gradually rises in view of his mighty deeds, + evinces her kindlier mood, not directly in speech, but by + catches of love-songs breaking out of the midst of her scornful + gibes: this is a very subtle and suitable and poetical way of + eliciting the under-workings of the damsel's mind, and it is + continued through five or six pages in an interrupted carol, + until at last the maiden, wholly won, bids him ride by her + side, and finishes her lay:</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">O trefoil, sparkling on the rainy + plain,</p> + + <p class="i2">O rainbow, with three colors after + rain,</p> + + <p class="i2">Shine sweetly: thrice my love hath smiled + on me.</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>The allegory by which Gareth's four opponents are made to + form a sort of stumbling succession representing Morn, Noon, + Evening, and Night or Death, is hardly worth the introduction, + but it is not insisted upon: the last of these knights, + besieging Castle Perilous in a skull helmet, and clamoring for + marriage with Lynette's sister Lyonors, turns out to be a + large-sized, fresh-faced and foolish boy, who issues from the + skull "as a flower new blown," and fatuously explains that his + brothers have dressed him out in burlesque and deposited him as + a bugbear at the gate. This is not very salutary allegorizing, + but it is soon over, and the poem closed, leaving a pleasant + perfume in the reader's mind of chivalry, errantry and the + delicious days before the invention of civilization.</p> + <hr /> + + <p>Handbook of the History of Philosophy. By Dr. Albert + Schwegler. Translated arid annotated by James Hutchison + Stirling, LL.D. New York: Putnam.</p> + + <p>Spinoza teaches that "substance is God;" but, says Mr. + Matthew Arnold, "propositions about substance pass by mankind + at large like the idle wind, which mankind at large regards + not: it will not even listen to a word about these + propositions, unless it first learns what their author was + driving at with them, and finds that this object of his is one + with which it sympathizes." There is no way of getting the + multitude to listen to Spinoza's <i>Ethics</i> or Plato's + <i>Dialectics</i> but something is gained when a man of science + like Dr. Schwegler happens to possess the gift of fluent and + easy statement, and can pour into a work like the present, + which is the expansion of a hasty encyclopaedia article, the + vivacity of current speech, and the impulse which gives unity + to a long history while it excludes crabbed digressions. It + happens that the American world received the first translation + of Schwegler's <i>History</i> <i>of Philosophy</i>; and it may + be asked, What need have Americans of a subsequent version by a + Scotch doctor of laws? The answer is, that Mr. Seelye's earlier + rendering was taken from a first edition, and that the present + one includes the variations made in five editions which have + now been issued. Even on British ground the work thus + translated has reached three editions, and the multitude of + "mankind at large," hearing of these repeated editions in + Edinburgh and of twenty thousand copies sold in Germany, may + begin to prick up its ears, and to think that this is one of + the easily-read philosophies of modern times, of which Taine + and Michelet have the secret. It is not so: abstractions stated + with scientific precision in their elliptic slang or + technicality are not and cannot be made easy reading: the + strong hands of condensation which Schwegler pressed down upon + the material he controlled so perfectly have not left it + lighter or more digestible. The reader of this manual, for + instance, will be invited to consider the Eleatic argumentation + that nothing exists but Identity, "which is the beënt, and + that Difference, the non-beënt, does not exist; and + therefore that he must not only not go on talking about + difference, but that he must not allude to difference as being + anything but the non-beënt; for if he casts about for a + synonym, and arrives at the notion that he may say non-existent + for non-beënt, he is abjectly wrong, for beënt does + not mean existent, and non-beënt non-existent, but it must + be considered that the beënt is strictly the non-existent, + and the existent the non-beënt." Such are the amenities of + expression into which an eloquent metaphysician, trying his + best to speak popularly, is led. Yet the book is readable to + that orderly application of the mind which such studies exact, + and is the firmest and strictest guide now speaking our English + tongue. Its steady attention to the business in hand, from the + pre-Socratic philosphies down through the great age of the + Greek revival, to Germany and Hegel at last, is most sustained + and admirable. Indeed, few thinkers of Anglo-Saxon birth are + able even to praise such a book as it deserves. The only real + impediment to its acceptance by scholars of our race is that + its attention to modern philosophy is rather partial, the + French and the Germans getting most of the story, and English + philosophers like Locke and Hume receiving scant attention, + while Paley is not recognized. This class of omissions is + attended to by the Scotch translator in a mass of annotations + which lead him into a broad and interesting view of British + philosophy, in the course of which he has some severe + reflections on the ignorance of Mr. Lewes and Mr. Mill. On + account of these valuable notes, and also for the alterations + made by Schwegler himself, we feel that we must invite American + scholars possessing the Seelye translation to replace it or + accompany it by this present version, which is a cheap and + compassable volume.</p> + <hr /> + + <p>Joseph Noirel's Revenge. By Victor Cherbuliez. Translated + from the French by Wm. F. West, A. M. New York: Holt & + Williams.</p> + + <p>M. Victor Cherbuliez belongs to a Genevese family long and + honorably connected with literature in the capacity of + publishers both at Paris and Geneva. It is in the latter town + and the adjacent region that the scene of the present + story—the first, we believe, of the author's works which + has found its way into English—is laid; and much of its + charm is derived from the local coloring with which many of the + characters and incidents are invested. Even the quiet home-life + of so beautiful and renowned a place cannot but be tinted by + reflections from the incomparable beauties of its surroundings, + and from the grand and vivid passages of its singularly + picturesque history. The subordinate figures on the canvas have + accordingly an interest greater than what arises from their + commonplace individualities and their meagre part in the + action—like barndoor fowls pecking and clucking beside + larger bipeds in a walled yard steeped in sunlight. But the + sunlight which gives a delicious warmth and brightness to the + earlier chapters of the novel is soon succeeded by gloom and + tempest. The interest is more and more concentrated on the few + principal persons; and the action, which at the outset promised + to be light and amusing, with merely so much of tenderness and + pathos as may belong to the higher comedy, becomes by degrees + deeply tragical, and ends in a catastrophe which is saved from + being horrible and revolting only by the shadows that forecast + and the softening strains that attend it. In point of + construction and skillful handling the story is as effective as + French art alone could have made it, while it has an + under-meaning rendered all the more suggestive by being left to + find its way into the reader's reflections without any obvious + prompting. The heroine, sole child of a prosperous bourgeois + couple, stands between two lovers—one the last relic of a + noble Burgundian family; the other a workman with socialist + tendencies. Marguerite Mirion is invested with all the + fascination which beauty of face, simplicity of mind, purity of + soul, sweetness of disposition and joyousness of spirit can + impart. Yet she is, and feels herself to be, entirely + <i>bourgeoise,</i> longing for no ideal heights, worldly or + spiritual, ready for all ordinary duties, content with simple + and innocent pleasures, rinding in the life, the thoughts, the + occupations and enjoyments of her class all that is needed to + make the current of her life run smoothly and to satisfy the + cravings of her bright but gentle nature. It is in simple + obedience to the will of her parents that she marries Count + Roger d'Ornis, and is carried from her happy home at + Mon-Plaisir to a dilapidated castle in the Jura, where there + are no smiling faces or loving hearts to make her + welcome—where, on the contrary, she meets only with + haughty, spiteful or morose looks and a chilling and gloomy + atmosphere. It is from sheer necessity that she accepts the aid + of Joseph Noirel, her father's head-workman, whose ardent + spirit, quickened by the consciousness of talent, but rendered + morbid by the slights which his birth and position have + entailed, has been plunged into blackest night by the loss of + the single star that had illumined its firmament. Count Roger + is not wholly devoid of honor and generosity; but he has no + true appreciation of his wife, and will sacrifice her without + remorse to save his own reputation. Joseph, on the other hand, + is ready to dare all things to protect her from harm; but he + cannot forego the reward which entails upon her a deeper + misery. It is Marguerite alone who, in the terrible struggle of + fate and of clashing interests and desires, rises to the height + of absolute self-abnegation; and this not through any sudden + development of qualities or intuitions foreign to her previous + modes of thought, but by the simple application of these to the + hard and complicated problems which have suddenly confronted + her. Herein lies the novelty of the conception and the lesson + which the author has apparently intended to convey. See, he + seems to say, how the bourgeois nature, equally scorned by the + classes above and below it as the embodiment of vulgar ease and + selfishness, contains precisely the elements of true heroism + which are wanting alike in those who set conventional rules + above moral laws and in those who revolt against all + restrictions. The book is thus an apology for a class which is + no favorite with poets or romancers; but, as we have said, the + design is only to be inferred from the story, and may easily + pass unnoticed, at least with American readers. The character + of Noirel is powerfully drawn, but it is less original than + that of the heroine, belonging, for example, to the same type + as the hero of <i>Le Rouge et le Noir</i>—"ce Robespierre + de village," as Sainte-Beuve, we believe, calls him.</p> + <hr /> + + <p>Homes and Hospitals; or, Two Phases of Woman's Work, as + exhibited in the Labors of Amy Button and Agnes E. Jones. + Boston: American Tract Society; New York: Hurd & + Houghton.</p> + + <p>Doubtless we should not, though most of us do, feel a + tenderness for the Dorcas who proves to be a lady of culture + and distinction, rather different from the careless respect we + accord to the Dorcas who has large feet and hands, and + mismanages her <i>h</i>'s. In this elegant little book "Amy" is + the descendant of influential patrons and patronesses, and + "Agnes" is the lovely saint whom Miss Nightingale calls "Una," + though her high-bred purity and lowly self-dedication rather + recall the character of Elizabeth of Hungary. Agnes, in Crook + lane and Abbot's street, encounters old paupers who have + already enjoyed the bounty of her ancestress's (Dame Dutton) + legacy. When she becomes interested in the old Indian + campaigner, Miles, she is able to procure his admission to + Chelsea through the influence of "my brother, Colonel Dutton." + She lightens her watches by reading Manzoni's novel, <i>I + Promessi Sposi,</i> she quotes Lord Bacon, and compares the + hospital-nurses to the witches in <i>Macbeth</i>. These mental + and social graces do not, perhaps, assist the practical part of + her ministrations, but they undoubtedly chasten the influence + of her ministrations on her own character. It is as a purist + and an aristocrat of the best kind that Miss Dutton forms + within her own mind this resolution: "If the details of evil + are unavoidably brought under your eye, let not your thoughts + rest upon them a moment longer than is absolutely needful. + Dismiss them with a vigorous effort as soon as you have done + your best to apply a remedy: commit the matter into higher + Hands, then turn to your book, your music, your wood-carving, + your pet recreation, whatever it is. This is one way, at least, + of keeping the mind elastic and pure." And with the discretion + of rare breeding she carries into the haunts of vice and + miserable intrigue the Italian byword: <i>Orecchie spalancate, + e bocca stretta</i>. A similar elevation, but also a sense that + responsibility to her caste requires the most tender humility, + may be found in "Una." When about to associate with coarse + hired London nurses at St. Thomas's Hospital, she asks herself, + "Are you more above those with whom you will have to mix than + our Saviour was in every thought and sensitive refinement?" It + was by such self-teaching that these high-spirited girls made + their life-toil redound to their own purification, as it did to + the cause of humanity. The purpose served by binding in one + volume the district experiences of Miss Dutton and the hospital + record of Miss Jones is that of indicating to the average young + lady of our period a diversity of ways in which she may serve + our Master and His poor. With "Amy" she may retain her + connection with society, and adorn her home and her circle, all + the while that she reads the Litany with the decayed governess + or <i>Golden Deeds</i> to the dying burglar. With "Agnes" she + may plunge into more heroic self-abnegation. Leaving the fair + attractions of the world as utterly as the diver leaves the + foam and surface of the sea, she may grope for moral pearls in + the workhouse of Liverpool or train for her sombre avocation in + the asylum at Kaiserwerth. Such absolute dedication will + probably have some effect on her "tone" as a lady. She can no + longer keep up with the current interests of society. Instead + of Shakespeare and Italian literature, which we have seen + coloring the career of the district visitor, her life will take + on a sort of submarine pallor. The sordid surroundings will + press too close for any gleam from the outer world to + penetrate. The things of interest will be the wretched things + of pauperdom and hospital service—the slight improvement + of Gaffer, the spiritual needs of Gammer, the harsh tyranny of + upper nurses. "To-day when out walking," says the brave young + lady, as superintendent of a boys' hospital, "I could only keep + from crying by running races with my boys." The effect of a + training so rigid—training which sometimes includes + stove-blacking and floor-washing—is to try the pure + metal, to eject the merely ornamental young lady whose nature + is dross, and to consolidate the valuable nature that is + sterling. Miss Agnes, plunged in hard practical work, and + unconsciously acquiring a little workmen's slang, gives the + final judgment on the utility of such discipline: "Without a + regular hard London training I should have been nowhere." Both + the saints of the century are now dead, and these memoirs + conserve the perfume of their lives.</p> + <hr /> + + <p>Songs from the Old Dramatists. Collected and Edited by Abby + Sage Richardson, New York: Hurd & Houghton.</p> + + <p>Any anthology of old English lyrics is a treasure if one can + depend upon the correctness of printing and punctuating. Mrs. + Richardson has found a quantity of rather recondite ones, and + most of the favorites are given too. Only to read her long + index of first lines is to catch a succession of dainty fancies + and of exquisite rhythms, arranged when the language was + crystallizing into beauty under the fanning wings of song. That + some of our pet jewels are omitted was to be expected. The + compiler does not find space for Rochester's most + sincere-seeming stanzas, beginning, "I cannot change as others + do"—among the sweetest and most lyrical utterances which + could set the stay-imprisoned hearts of Charles II.'s beauties + to bounding with a touch of emotion. Perhaps Rochester was not + exactly a dramatist, though that point is wisely strained in + other cases. We do not get the "Nay, dearest, think me not + unkind," nor do we get the "To all you ladies now on land," + though sailors' lyrics, among the finest legacies of the time + when gallant England ruled the waves, are not wanting. We have + Sir Charles Sedley's</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">"Love still hath something of the sea</p> + + <p class="i4">From which his mother rose,"</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>and the siren's song, fit for the loveliest of Parthenopes, + from Browne's <i>Masque of the Inner Temple</i>, beginning,</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">"Steer, hither steer your winged + pines,</p> + + <p class="i4">All beaten mariners!"—</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>songs which severally repeat the fatigue of the sea or that + daring energy of its Elizabethan followers which by a false + etymology we term chivalrous. We do not find the superb lunacy + of "Mad Tom of Bedlam" in the catch beginning, "I know more + than Apollo," but we have something almost as spirited, where + John Ford sings, in <i>The Sun's Darling</i>,</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">"The dogs have the stag in chase!</p> + + <p class="i4">'Tis a sport to content a king.</p> + + <p class="i4">So-ho! ho! through the skies</p> + + <p class="i4">How the proud bird flies,</p> + + <p class="i2">And swooping, kills with a grace!</p> + + <p class="i4">Now the deer falls! hark! how they + ring."</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>For what is pensive and retrospective in tone we are given a + song of "The Aged Courtier," which once in a pageant touched + the finer consciousness of Queen Elizabeth. The unemployed + warrior, whose "helmet now shall make a hive for bees," treats + the virgin sovereign as his saint and divinity, promising,</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">"And when he saddest sits in holy + cell,</p> + + <p class="i4">He'll teach his swains this carol for a + song:</p> + + <p class="i2">Blest be the hearts that wish my + sovereign well!</p> + + <p class="i4">Cursed be the souls that think her any + wrong!</p> + + <p class="i2">Goddess! allow this aged man his + right</p> + + <p class="i2">To be your beadsman now, that was your + knight."</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>The feudal feeling can hardly be more beautifully + expressed.</p> + + <p>From the devotion that was low and lifelong we may turn to + the devotion that was loud and fleeting. The love-songs are + many and well picked: one is the madrigal from Thomas Lodge's + <i>Eitphues' Golden Legacy,</i> which "he wrote," he says, "on + the ocean, when every line was wet with a surge, and every + humorous passion counterchecked with a storm;" and which (the + madrigal) had the good fortune to suggest and name + Shakespeare's archest character, Rosalind. We cannot dwell upon + this perfumed chaplet of love-ditties. Mrs. Richardson is here + doubtless in her element, but she does not always lighten + counsel with the wisdom of her words; for instance, when, in + Beaumont and Fletcher's "Beauty clear and fair," she makes an + attempted emendation in the lines—</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i2">"Where to live near,</p> + + <p class="i4">And planted there,</p> + + <p class="i2">Is still to live and still live new;</p> + + <p class="i4">Where to gain a favor is</p> + + <p class="i4">More than light perpetual bliss;</p> + + <p class="i2">Oh make me live by serving you."</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>On this the editress says: "I have always been inclined to + believe that this line should read: 'More than <i>life</i>, + perpetual bliss.'" The image here, where the whole figure is + taken from flowers, is of being planted and growing in the glow + of the mistress's beauty, whose favor is more fructifying than + the sun, and to which he immediately begs to be recalled, "back + again, to this <i>light</i>." To say that living anywhere is + "more than life" is a forced bombastic notion not in the way of + Beaumont and Fletcher, but coming later, and rather + characteristic of Poe, with his rant about</p> + + <div class="poem"> + <div class="stanza"> + <p class="i10">"that infinity with which my wife</p> + + <p class="i2">Was dearer to my soul than its + soul-life."</p> + </div> + </div> + + <p>Mrs. Richardson's notes, in fact, contradict the impression + of thoroughness which her selecting, we are glad to say, leaves + on the mind. She is aware that the "Ode to Melancholy" in + <i>The Nice Valour</i> begins in the same way as Milton's + "Pensieroso," but she does not seem to know that the latter is + also closely imitated from Burton's poem in his <i>Anatomy of + Melancholy</i>. And she quotes John Still's "Jolly Good Ale and + Old" as a "panegyric on old sack," sack being sweet wine.</p> + + <p>The publishers have done their part, and made of these drops + of oozed gold what is called "an elegant trifle" for the + holidays. Mr. John La Farge, a very "advanced" sort of artist + and illustrator, has furnished some embellishments which will + be better liked by people of broad culture, and especially by + enthusiasts for Japanese art, than they will be by ordinary + Christmas-shoppers, though the frontispiece to "Songs of + Fairies," representing Psyche floating among water-lilies, is + beautiful enough and obvious enough for anybody.</p> + <hr /> + <a name="H_4_0028" + id="H_4_0028"><!-- H2 anchor --></a> + + <h3><i>Books Received</i>.</h3> + + <p>A Concordance to the Constitution of the United States of + America. By Charles W. Stearns, M.D. New York: Mason, Baker + & Pratt.</p> + + <p>The Standard: A Collection of Sacred and Secular Music. By + L.O. Emerson and H. R. Palmer. Boston: Oliver Ditson & + Co.</p> + + <p>Gems of Strauss: A Collection of Dance Music for the Piano. + By Johann Strauss. Boston: Oliver Ditson & Co.</p> + + <p>The Greeks of To-Day. By Charles K. Tuckerman. New York: + G.P. Putnam & Sons.</p> + + <p>The Eustace Diamonds. By Anthony Trollope. New York: Harper + & Brothers.</p> + + <p>How to Paint. By F.B. Gardner. New York: Samuel R. Wells. + How to Paint. By F.B. Gardner. New York: Samuel R. Wells.</p> + <hr /> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="footnote1" + name="footnote1"></a> <b>Footnote 1</b>: + <a href="#footnotetag1">(return)</a> + + <p>The latter contains, among other relics of a balustrade + which protected and adorned the platform of the temple, the + exquisitely graceful torso of Victory untying her sandals, + of which casts are to be seen in most of the museums of + Europe.</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="footnote2" + name="footnote2"></a> <b>Footnote 2</b>: + <a href="#footnotetag2">(return)</a> + + <p>Among the figures of this bas-relief, twelve are + recognized by their lofty stature and sitting posture as + those of divinities. One group is represented in the + engraving.</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="footnote3" + name="footnote3"></a> <b>Footnote 3</b>: + <a href="#footnotetag3">(return)</a> + + <p>Frenchmen say that the best English dinners are now the + best in the world, because they combine the finest French + <i>entrées</i> and <i>entremets</i> with + <i>pièces de résistance</i> of unrivaled + excellence.</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="footnote4" + name="footnote4"></a> <b>Footnote 4</b>: + <a href="#footnotetag4">(return)</a> + + <p>Perhaps the most charming idea of a country-house was + that conceived by Mr. Mathew of Thomastown--a huge mansion + still extant, now the property of the count de Jarnac, to + whom it descended. This gentleman, who was an ancestor of + the celebrated Temperance leader, probably had as much + claret drunk in his house as any one in his country; which + is saying a good deal.</p> + + <p>He had an income which would be equivalent to one + hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars a year in our + money, and for several years traveled abroad and spent very + little. On his return with an ample sum of ready money, he + carried into execution a long-cherished scheme of country + life.</p> + + <p>He arranged his immense mansion after the fashion of an + inn. The guests arrived, were shown to their rooms, and + treated as though they were in the most perfectly-appointed + hotel. They ordered dinner when they pleased, dined + together or alone as suited them, hunted, shot, played + billiards, cards, etc. at will, and kept their own horses. + There was a regular bar, where drinks of the finest quality + were always served. The host never appeared in that + character: he was just like any other gentleman in the + house.</p> + + <p>The only difference from a hotel lay in the choice + character of the company, and the fact that not a farthing + might be disbursed. The servants were all paid extra, with + the strict understanding that they did not accept a + farthing, and that any dereliction from this rule would be + punished by instant dismissal.</p> + + <p>Unlike most Irish establishments, especially at that + date (about the middle of the last century), this was + managed with the greatest order, method and economy.</p> + + <p>Among the notable guests was Dean Swift, whose + astonishment at the magnitude of the place, with the lights + in hundreds of windows at night, is mentioned by Dr. + Sheridan.</p> + + <p>It is pleasant to add in this connection that the count + and countess de Jarnac worthily sustain the high character + earned a century since by their remarkable ancestor, who + was one of the best and most benevolent men of his day.</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="footnote5" + name="footnote5"></a> <b>Footnote 5</b>: + <a href="#footnotetag5">(return)</a> + + <p>The Milwaukee was sunk nearly due east of the city: the + Osage, Tecumseh, several despatch-boats and steamers, + besides the three monitors, were sunk by torpedoes in the + bay.</p> + </blockquote> + + <blockquote class="footnote"> + <a id="footnote6" + name="footnote6"></a> <b>Footnote 6</b>: + <a href="#footnotetag6">(return)</a> + + <p>It was a warrant-officer of the Milwaukee: I do not wish + to be more definite; but the money (fifty dollars) may be + sent to the editor of this Magazine, who will forward it to + the diver.</p> + </blockquote> + <hr /> + +<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 13636 ***</div> +</body> +</html> diff --git a/13636-h/images/0215.jpg b/13636-h/images/0215.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..3016bd4 --- /dev/null +++ b/13636-h/images/0215.jpg diff --git a/13636-h/images/0216.jpg b/13636-h/images/0216.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..14c9f64 --- /dev/null +++ b/13636-h/images/0216.jpg diff --git a/13636-h/images/0219.jpg b/13636-h/images/0219.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..d67ef66 --- /dev/null +++ b/13636-h/images/0219.jpg diff --git a/13636-h/images/0220.jpg b/13636-h/images/0220.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..5132105 --- /dev/null +++ b/13636-h/images/0220.jpg diff --git a/13636-h/images/0222.jpg b/13636-h/images/0222.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..a02074d --- /dev/null +++ b/13636-h/images/0222.jpg diff --git a/13636-h/images/0224.jpg b/13636-h/images/0224.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..fcd1d0d --- /dev/null +++ b/13636-h/images/0224.jpg diff --git a/13636-h/images/0227.jpg b/13636-h/images/0227.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..76456e4 --- /dev/null +++ b/13636-h/images/0227.jpg diff --git a/13636-h/images/0229.jpg b/13636-h/images/0229.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..10ba709 --- /dev/null +++ b/13636-h/images/0229.jpg diff --git a/13636-h/images/0230.jpg b/13636-h/images/0230.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..b23e5f4 --- /dev/null +++ b/13636-h/images/0230.jpg diff --git a/13636-h/images/0231.jpg b/13636-h/images/0231.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..e09a128 --- /dev/null +++ b/13636-h/images/0231.jpg diff --git a/13636-h/images/0232.jpg b/13636-h/images/0232.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..d1dabab --- /dev/null +++ b/13636-h/images/0232.jpg diff --git a/13636-h/images/0233.jpg b/13636-h/images/0233.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..6bf630e --- /dev/null +++ b/13636-h/images/0233.jpg diff --git a/13636-h/images/0235.jpg b/13636-h/images/0235.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..312eb1f --- /dev/null +++ b/13636-h/images/0235.jpg diff --git a/13636-h/images/0237.jpg b/13636-h/images/0237.jpg Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..4a160f0 --- /dev/null +++ b/13636-h/images/0237.jpg |
