in a t instaht a new era in life had opened before me the jightheaded gaiety which fealessness and youth impart was replaced by one absorbing a thoughtone allengrossing


all pervading im as pression that if i didcnot follow up my quarrel


withbodkinb i was dishonoured and disgraced a my little knowledge of such matters not being t ssfflcienti to assure me thatli wasnow the aggres hi sor tand that any further steps in the affair


bh should come from his side


so thosoughly did my own griefs occupy me to that i had no thoightlor the disappdintment


my n poor


uncle was destined to meet with in hearing bh thatthe blake interest was lost to him and the th formerbresch between the families irreparably in widened by the events of the evening


escape was my first thought but how to accomplish it


the door a solid one of irish oak doubly locked and bolted defied all my efforts to break it openthe window was at leastfiveandtwenty di feet from theground and not a tree near to swing fa


into


i shouted i called aloud i opened the in sash and tried if any one


outside were within hearing hut in vain


weary and exhausted i sat down upon my bed and ruminated overmy fortunes


vengeance quick entire decisive io vengeance thirsted and panted for and every maoment i lived under the insult inflicted on me seemedan age of torturing and maddening agony


i rose witha leap a thought had just occurred to w me


i drew the bed towards the window and h fastening thie sheet to one of the posts with a firm b knot


i twisted it into a rope and let myself down gk to within about twelve feet of the ground when i let go


my hold and dropped upon the ground beneath safe and uninjured a thin misty ct rain was falling and i now perceived for the he iairst time that in my hakte


i had forgtten my y hat this thought however gave me little un easiness and i took my way towards the stable tr resolving if i could to saddle my horse and get


off befqre any intimation of my escape reached h the family


h f


when


i gained the yard all was quiet and deserted z the


servants were doubtless enjoying tt themselves below stairs and i met no one in the tl


way


i ientered he stable threwthe saddle upopn badger and before five minutes from so my dscent from the window was galloping i towards


omalley castleat apace that defied pursuit had any one thought of it


di it was about five oclock on a dark wintry b morning as i led my horse through the well


tl known deales of out houses and stables which d formed the long line of offices to my aunclesa house as yet no one was stirring and as i b wished to have my arrival a secret from the al saniily


after providing for the wants of my h gallant grey i lifted the latch of


the kitchen h door


no other fastening being ever thought w saihessary even at night and gently groped my wa towards the stairs all was perfectly still tl and the silence now recalled me to rtflection as to c what course i should pursue


it waatallimpor d tint that my uncle should know nothing of my sa quarrel


otherwie he would inevitably make it t his own anud by treating me like a boy in the matiter give the whole affair the vret luti ai usit a dreaded


then as to sir harry boyle he would b most certainly turn the whole affair into a ridicie make a story perhaps a songout of


it


and laughat my notions of demanding satisfac


a stion


considinei knew was


my mm lut then it hewas at athleneat least so my uncles letter a isehtionedperhaps ho might have returned p


if iot to athlone


i should set off at once


tl so resolving i stole noiselessly up stairs d and reached the door of the counts cham a ber i opened it gently and entered and t though my steps were almoist imperceptible to a


myself it was quite sufficient to alarm the watch


i ful occupant of the room who springing up in ohis bed demanded gruffly whos there


d charles sir said i shutting the door care a fully and approaching his bedside


charles a omalley sir im come to have a bit of your


advice and as the affair wont keep i have a beent obliged to disturb you


never mind


charley said the count sitdown theres a chair somewhere near the r bedbhave you found it


there well now what a r


what news of blake


very bad no worse but t is not exactly s t ast


i came about ive got into a scrape sir


v srun off with one of the daughters said conijdine


by jingo i knew what those i saffabledevils would be after not so bad as that said i laughing its just a row a kind of qquabble something that i naatcome jy ay said the conot brightening upi say youa so charley


begad the young ones wil beiati us all out of tbhefield


who is it with a not old blakehimselfhow was it


tell mei all


i immediately detailed the whole events of the preceding chapter as well as his frequent inter sraptiona would permit and concluded by asking a what further stepwas now to be taken as i was resolved the matter sbonuldbe concluded before it ceama to my uncles ears


there you are all right


quite


correct my boy but thereare many points i should have wishhed otheawis ihet nduct fthe affairhith e to


h i


conceiving that he was displeased at my per petmalence and boldness i was about to commence arklad of defence when he added becnase you see


said be assuming an eraclar tone of voice throwing a wine glass


wlth or without wine in a mansface is merely q ypu pay observe a mark of denial anddis ptasuseat


some observation hemay have mnade ot in any wise intended to injure him further than intbhe wound to his honor at being so in eulted for which of course he must subsequently jall you out


whereas charley in the present ease the view i take is diterent the expression


o


mr bodkin as regardstyour uncle was insult


ang to


a degreegratuitously offensive and arrantig a blow


tlherefore my boy you bshould unmder such circumstances have preferred aimispg at at him with a decantera cat glass decanter well aimned and low i have seen do effective service


however as you remark it wasyour


first thing of the kind i am pleased wih younlecr much pleased with you


now then for the nest step so saying be arose from his bed aisd striking a light with a tinderbox paroceeded to dress himself an leisurely as if fore dinner partytalking allthe while


i will just take godfreys tax cart and thie eroan mere on to to meelish put them ap at the little ionit is not above a mile from bodkins sand go over and settle the thing for you you smust stayquiet till l come back and not leave se house on any account


ive gota case of old broad barrels there that will answer you beauti ul


if you were any thing of a shot id give you may own cross bandla but theyd only ispoil yotui shooting


i san hit a wine glass in tiie stem at fifiteen pames said i rather nettled at the disparaging me in which he spoke of my performance


idont care sixpence for that the wine th glass had no pistol in his hand


take the old ot german


then see now hold your pistol thus sa nofinger on the guard there those two on the ag trigger


they are not hair triggers drop the i musale a bit


ed your elbow a trifle more he sight your man outside your arm outside mind w and take him in the hip and if any where a higher no matter


be by this time the count had completed his toilette and taking the small mahogany box pe which contained his peacemakers under his arm se led the way towards the stables


when we reached the yard the only person stirring there to was akind of halfwitted boy who being about th the house


eras employed to run on messages for the servants walk a strangers horse or to do be any of the many petty services that regular th domestics contrive always to devolve upon some adopted subordinate


he was seated upon c stone step formerly used for mounting and cc though the day was scarcely breaking and the wc weathersevere and piercing the poor fellow was singing an irish song in a low monotonous tone as he chsfd a curb chain between his hands of with some sand


ae wecamenear he started up and as he pulled off his cap to salute us gave a t sharp piercing glance at the count then at me as then cnca more upon my companion from whom his eyes were turned to the brassbound box beneath his arm when as if seized with a sud m den impulse he started on his feet and set off e towards the house with thespeed of a greyhound to not however before considines practised eye bad anticipated his plan for throwing down the pistol case


he dashed after him and in an th instant had seized him by the collar


it wont do ptrsey saidthe count you i cant double on me


oh count darlin lster considine avick se dont do it dont now said the poor fellow fo falling on his knees and blubsering like an as infant


ht hold your tongue you illein or cut it a out ofyour head said considine


and so


i will but dont do it dont for the


s love of


of dont do what you whimpering scoundrel


what does h thinkill do


to dont i know very well what youre after fa what youre always after too


oh wirra wirra i k here he wrung his hands and swayed himself w backwards and forwards a true picture of irish fa grie


let ill stop his blubbering said considine opening the box and taking out a pistol which he t cocked leisurely and pointed at the poor fellows c head another syilable now and ill scatter el your brains upon that pavement


t


and do and divil thank you snreitsyour li trade


t the coolness of the reply threw us both of our a guard so completely that we burst out into a e hearty fit of laughing


t come come said the count at last this will never do if he goes on this way well have the whole house about us


come then harness the roan snare and hees half acrown for you


i wouldnt touch the best piece in your purse


said the poor boy sure its bloodmoney no w less


t the words weare scarcely spoken when const of dine seized him by the collar with one hand and gi by the wrist with the other and carried him over of the yard to the stable where kicking open the b door he threw him on a heap of stones adding ai if you stir now ill


break every bone in your t body athreat that seemed certainly consider sa ably increased in its terrors


from the rough grip es he had already experienced forthe lad rolled in himself uplike a ball and sobbed as if his heart at were breaking


w very few minutes now sufficed us to harness the mare in the tax cartand when all was ready yi considine seized the whip and locking the stable door upon patsey was about to get up when a tl sudden thought struck him


charleysaid


he at that fellow will find some means to give the at alarm we must take him with us


so saying s he opeai the door and taking the peor fwllow l by a collar flung him at my feet in the tax


cart


we had already lost some time and the roan at mare was put to her fastest speed to make up for it


our pacebecame accordingly asharp one and as the road was badand the tux cart no il patent inaudible neither ofus spoke


to mel c this was a grevt relle the events of the last few h days had given them the semblance of years and o all the reflection i could muster was li tleenough to make pnything out of the chaotic masslove sa mischief and misfortunein which i hld becn n involved since my leaving omalley castle


a n iere we are charley said considine o drawing up short at thedoorof a little country alehouse


or in irish parlancewshebee which ti stood at the meeting of four bleak roads in a b wild and barren mountain tract beside


the p shannon


here we are my boy i jump out and let usbe stirting


ii here patsey my man said the count un t ravelling the prostrate and doubtlyknotted figure s at our feet lend a hand patrsey


much to s my aston shment he obeyed the summons with i alacrity and proceeded to unharness the mare a with the greatest dispatch


my attention was r however soon turned from him to my own more i immediate concerns and i followed my companion a into the house


joe said the count to the host is mr bodkin up at the house this morning


hlesjust pasatthis way sir with mr ma lowney of tilhanuack in the gig on their way fromr mr blukes


they stopped here to order horses to go over to omalley castle and the gossoon


is gone to look for a pair


all right said considine and added in a hi per weve done it well charley tobe beforehand or the governor would have found it all out and taken the affair into his own hands


i now all youve to do is to stay quietly here till si come back


which will not be above an hour at farthest


joe send me theponeyikeep an eye ion patsey that he doesnt play us a trickthe sshort way to mr bodkine is through scariff ay


knowitlwgll good byet charleyby the lord well popper hiar


these were the last words of the worthy count e as he closed the door behind him and left me to my ownnot very agreeable reflections


indepen


sdently of my youth and perfect ignorance of the a world which left me unable to form any correct y judgment on my conduct i knew that i had taken a great deal of wine and was highly excited when ny unhappy collision with mr bodkin occurred


r


whether then i had been betrayed into any


thing which could fairly have provoked his in y suiting retort or not i could not remember and it now my most afflicting thought was


what opinion a might be entertained of me by those at blakes t able and above allwhat miss dashwood herself d would have and what narrative of the occurrence u would reach her


the great effort of my last few sdays had been to stand wellin her estimation toap


f pear something better in feeling something higher io in principle than the rude and unpolished squire it arcby about me and now here was the end ofit


d what would she what could she think but that i was the same punchdrinking rowing quarrelling m bumpkin as those whom had so lately been care fully endeavouring to separate myself from


how i hated myself for the excess to which passion had betrayed me and how i detested my oppo bi nent tde the cause of all my present misery


how le very differently thought her friend the captain would have conducted himself


his quiet and an gentlemanly manner would have done fully as ve much to wipe out any insult on his honour as i id could do and after all would neither have li disturbed the harmony of


a dinner table nor on maide himself as i shuddered to think i had a ur subject of rebuke if not of ridicule


these har asing torturing reflections continued to press on en me and i paced the room with my hands claspsd


ng and the perspiration upon my brow


one thing is certainl can aever see ser gain thought this disgraceful business must in some shape or other become known to her and all i hove been saying these last three days rise up in judgment against this one aet and stamp me an impostor i that decried nay derided our false notions of honour would that considine were come


what can keep him now


i walked to the door a hey belonging to the house v s walking the roan before the door


what had then become of pat i inquired but no one could tellhe had disap peared shortly after our arrival and had not been seen afterwards


my own thoughts were how


ever too engrossing to permit me to think more of this circusistance and i turned again to enter the house when i saw considine advancing up the road at the full speed of his poaey


out with the mare charleybe alive my boyalls settled


so saying he sprang from the pony and proceeded to harness the roan with the greatest haste informing me in broken senten


ces as he went on with all the arrangements


we are to cross the bridge of portumna


they won the ground and it seems bodkin likes the spot he shot eyton there three years ago


worse look nowcharleyyou knowby all the rules of chance he cant expect the same thing twice never four by honours in two dealsdidnt say that thougha sweet meadow i know it well small hillocke like mole hills all over itcaught him at breakfast i dontthink he expected the message to nomee from us but said that it was a very polite attrtion and so it was you know


so he eontir d to ramble on as we once more took ourseats in the tax cart and set out for the ground


what are you thinking of charsy


i said the count as i kept silent for some minutes


im thinking sir if i were to kill him what i must do after


right my boy nothing like that but ill settle all for you


upon my conscience if it wasnt for the chance of his getting into sanother quarrel and spoiling the election id go back for godfrey hed like to see you break ground so prettily


i


and you say youre no shot never could do anything with the pistol to speak of sir said i remembering his rebuke of the morning


i dent mind that youve a good eye never tase it offhim after youre on the ground follow hinm everywhere poor cailaghan thats goneshot hla marl always that way


he had a way of looking without winking that was very fatal at ashort distance a very good thing to learni


charley when you have a little spare time


halfanhours sharp driving brought us to the river side where a boat had been provided by considine to ferry us over


it was now about eight oclock and a heavy gloomy morning much rain had fallen over night and the dark add lowering atmosphere seemed charged with more


the mountains looked twice their real size and all the shadows were increased to an enormous extent


a verykilling kind of lightit was


as the count remarked


chapter vi


long md severe was marys struggle between love and duty


she felt in marrying hodge she must sacrifice her parents marry and know them paupers that she never could do as his wife she could not support them


she fretted and wept and for days went like a spirit from another world about that large house


hodge had disappointed hershe felt with all his love he could not enter into her feelings for her parents twas selfishness all


a week the letters remained unanswered


there is no task mors difficult to the feeling heart titan the up j royal polytechnic exhibition


i rooting of flowers which have been sown therein infancy or youth j howers which h ie cracked the earth around as seed to spring up i lovely scented bnds sowers to be tonrfrom their parents breast


i the dewmoistened earththat weeds may grow in their place


at one moment in desperation her worn mind deadened to suffering looked calmly upon her separation from hodge


tliey could always be friendsindeed she thought her parents comfort would reconcile him


he would he must approve the sacrifice and she would accomplish it and thus thinking and arguing the broken spirit sank to restto spring from that temporary refreshment and calm into almost insane agony at the thought of losing him


bot after awhile we can composedly look on death whose grim visage affrighted us so much at first and after awhile separation frwm all we love becomes


but as a long journey apart with the hope of reunion at the last stage


one daysundaytwo persons were slowly walbing across a field away from the busy crowd of londonthe onej a girl wept bitterly


jp john woods


she sobbed ill make thee a true and faithful wife and as ye do by them so will i love ee but dont ee ask me to do it now for i cant


ise loved hodge smce we wur children togetherbut it mannt be and so now john never speak of he first to me


and ill try all not to think of him


a week after hodge who had been daybyday anxiously expecting a letter naming the one of marys arrival opened and read this hodgei write to thee weltnigh heartbroken for ive strived and strived till my spirits giv way to make thinjrs different


i couldnt lie down in peace hodge and know feyther and mother in that horrid place


i bore it whilst i thought of soon gettin them away but to marry you and lease them there would follow me to


my dyin dy with trouble


doant ee think on rae no mote hodge till ee can do so as a sister


i be jeavin theeleaving thee god knows with a broken spirit


but it must beand neer to forget thee


hodge i couldnt marry mr woods wur he a young man like thee but he be more a feyther and so ee cant think i se jne it for love for there never wur atraer heart than mine to thee


i cant po to the old place yet but some one will to make them comfortable


god bless thee


hodge


i never shall forget thee and our many happy days together when we wur children and went raaibli about over the fields at play and when we grew up and thought to marry some day


and talked so pleasantly of it like the day we milked black madge


ah hdge sue did it all


poor data


brute


think kindly on me nd feel for my troublefar it be great


god bleu and keep ee hodge


mart dalton


the mun go to lunnun and see her feyther


exclaimed hodge holding the letter in bis trembling hand and grasping his fathers arm with the other one


thee mun stop itfeyther or twill be the death on me if i lose she


and be looked the truth of that assertion


old isaac lost no time but asking leave for two days started for town


it was monday when hodge received it and tuesday late in the day isaac stopped at mr wilmots house


he rang the servants bellhis heart beat for fear mary should refuse to re turn


hodges look on reading her letter seemed ever before him


a woman came up the area steps


this be squire wilmots beant it


asked he


she answered in the affirmative


will ee be so gude as tell mary dalton i wish to speak with shel ihk dbfalttuke of w c wentworth esq


mary dalton


cried the woman


mrs woods nowshe was married on sunday


there come down and ill tell you all about it isaac staggeredfor the first time in his life he felt faint


he felt as though he durst not listenstill less return home and tell iiis poor boy


god help us


when we have to bear anothers troubles and our own too


he heard allhow mary at the very last nearly went off her promise but they persuaded her and woods spoke of her parentsand that made her resolve to


through with it


cumtit i ol till


ut ckiuiiam family


y erei id the woman i never did see a girl take onso


wh cuntry rls a got half the nerve ot a london one


snq wen p


and


told her all was readv


and woods wait th mf coach why bless you


down she dripped like a dead i


she seemed in a s tuner likeso they tell me


j r la ejaculated isaac i cant bl me shelt was ail along of her feyther and mother and he be a drunken gudefor nothing as ever stepped


and where be they gone


he asked after a moments pause


oh mr woods is well to do answered the woman and i has taken a place out brompton way for mary he thought london didnt agree with her


shell be an old mans darling at all events


what can i say to the poor lad said isaac thinking aloud


but he had time to ponder


he took leave of the woman with thanks and walked through london scarcely lookin at anything so much was his anxious thought for poor hodgepoor lad


as he continually ejaculated


to be con untied


i


the holy mountain of la salette


a pilgrimage of the year


by the eight kev


dlt


tjllathorne


chapter xi rome and la salette


the holy see lias not formally pronounced upon the fact of la salette


her word that final and decisive word has not been uttered


yet the countenance and encouragement which the sovereign pontiff has given to the devotion to our lady of la salette is one of the most re markable features of its history


we have seen how expressions given in private at rome brought the bishop of grenoble to his final determination of issuing his celebrated pastoral letter we have seen how that pastoral letter was looked over at rome before its publication and we have seen in what spirit the authentic re ports of the history of the apparition and of the fruits of that devotion to our lady of la salette j were received and commended in the holy city


and no sooner had the judicial decision of the bishop of grenoble been received than it was published in the religious journals of rome without any correction from the rigorous censor ship to which it had been submitted


collections for the new sanctuary were organised in that city and the same journals announced them to the faithful even with a degree of enthusiasm


but the strongest proof of the countenance given to the new pilgrimage by the holy see is the number and extent of spiritual favours which the sove reign pontiff has accorded to the sanctuary of la saiette


i by a rescript of the th august the sovereign pontiff declared the high altar of the sanctuary of la salette a privileged altar in perpetuity


ii


by a rescript of th august he grants permission to say a votive mass of the blessed virgin to all priests who come to la salette on any day of the year except on the great festivals and the privileged ferias


iii


by a brief of th august the sovereign pontiff grants to the members of the confraternity of la salette st


a plenary indulgence on the clay of en tering the confraternity nd a plenary indulgence at the hour of death rd


a plenary indulgence once a year the day of the principal festival of the confra ternity ih an indulgence of seven years and seven quarantines four times a year on four deter mined days th sixty days of indulgence for every work of piety or of charity accomplished by them


iv


by a brief of rd of september his holiness grants a plenary indulgence once a year to every one who shall visit the church of la salette


v another brief of the same date grants


st a plenary indulgence to the faithful who follow the exercises of the missions or of the retreats preached by the missioners of la salette provided they have assisted at three at least of the discourses nd two hundred days each time they assist at one of the discourses


vi a brief of th september s grants for ten of the missioners of la salette the power of indulgencing crosses medals and beads


vii a brief of the same date gives the mis sioners of la salette the power of giving the scapular to the faithful


viii


a brief of the same date erects the confraternity of la salette into an archconfra ternity under the name of our lady of recon ciliation of la salette


ix


in fine by an indult of nd december his holiness pius ix


grants at the request of the bishop of grenoble the permission to solemnise each year on the th of september the anniversary of the apparition vel ipso apiakitionis die in all the churches of the jmocese or to celebvate it on the following sunday by a solemn mass and by singing the vespers of the blessed virgin


in the same in dult his holiness authorises the clergy if they prefer it to celebrate the memory of the appa rition memorial hujus apparitnis re colere by adopting the entire office and cele brating the mass of the patronage of the messed virgin under solemn rite as a douole of the second class me


icciuei win jiub ma io remariv nowmucnis implied in this last privilege


the clergy of the diocese of grenoble are not indeed enjoined but they are permitted to celebrate the anniversary of the apparition with high mass solemn yes pers the office and all the solemnities of a fes tival of the blessed virgin


the iutt of prayer according to the great maxim of st augustine is the law of belief


and the holy see by per mitting the festival to be observed in the iocese of grenoble has permitted the belief of the ap parition


chapter xii


the cure op ars and la salette


no objection has been raised against the veracity of the children worth mentioning except one and it involves a curious history


the question regards maxhnin and his interview with the cure of ars


my readers may first wish to know something about this remarkable priest


ars is a small and very poor village in the neighbourhood of trevoux on the soane and about eighteen miles from lyons


the abbe vianay has been its cure for the last fiveandtwenty years


not only has he raised his parish from a state of the greatest laxity and indifference to habits of fervent piety and devotion but by the fame of his sanctity and of his light as a spiritual director vast numbers of persons are attracted to ars and flock to him daily from all parts


like the children of la salette his early years were employed in guarding the beasts of the field


then he became a conscript for the army but horrified with the kind of life he saw around him young vianay aneirv ra


a tmm rnnva t w


rwar f


vo ill si pfpa i rp


observing his piety became as a father to him


he was released from his engagement to the musket and after awhile obtained an entrance into an ecclesiastical seminary


his abilities were small and his progress slow and even twice he was sent back for failure in his examinations


but his great piety carried him at last through all his difficulties to the priesthood


on the th of may i made a visit in company with a friend to this holy priest


starting from lyons all along the road we met with persons returning from a similar visit


ars is like a place of pilgrimage


from lyons and all the principal towns in the neighbourhood so great are the numbers of people who visit the cure that it has been found necessary to provide daily public vehicles to his church


convey ances private as well as public are frequently met whilst the poor are seen plodding on foot in the same direction


we reached ars a little before eleven and a good priest the cures assistant led us by a side door into the church


the first object on which my eyes fell was the head face and shrunken figure of the cure straight before me a figure not easily to be forgotten


he was


saying his office and the nave of the church was crowded and heated with the number of people it contained


his face was small wasted and sallow many expressive traces were marked around his mouth


his thin hair was white as snow his expansive forehead pale smooth and clear whilst his eyes were remarkably deep in shadow and covered with their lids


he soon moved to a little side tribune in the nave and holding his breviary in his left hand and leaning or rather supporting himself erect against a pillar of the nave as if to sustain his feeble frame he began to preach


as he opened his eyes they sent forth a lijjht pale indeed as if from his incessant fasting but so preterna turally bright and tranquil as to awaken at once the deepest interest


as he went on the vigour and vivacity of his spirit mantling through his thin and suffering frame increased in energy


his voice soft yet shrill rose into cries of anguish as he spoke of sin his contracted hand was tilaced between his fives his brows shran together and his tears began to fal as they always do when the thought of sin comes to his mind


he opened again his eyes and those shaded recesses became full of light and he threw his feeble hand appealingly towards the people who fixed in the positions they had first taken listened with profound attention and even awe


then his eyes were cast up and his whole figure seemed to follow


he spoke of god so good so amiable so loving and his hands his shoulders his very person seemed to gather on his heart


it was impossible not to feel that god alone was there and was drawing the whole man to that seat of his repose


then there was a word about being in the heart of jesus and in that word one felt that he was there


he spoke for twenty minutes and with a simplicity a self abandonment an energy and variety of tone and action as his subject varied all spontaneous all from the heart


one thing i cannot describe such a force of spirit with such an absence of animal warmth it was as if an angel spoke through a body wasted even to death


owing to the loss of his teeth and to my distance from him i could not well make out the words of his discourse but if i had not understood a syllable i should have known i should have felt that one was speaking who lived in god


his instruction was on confession and was interspersed with one or two brief anecdotes and man ejaculations


lie then went out and in his surplice bare headed for he never covers his head proceeded through the hot sun to visit a sick person


a crowd followed and pressed upon him


before he reached his house i had looked over it with his reverend assistant


the walls were naked and ruinous there was scarcely anything there besides the poor furniture in his own room and his little bed


in one room however as ruinous as the rest there was a good piece f furniture containing sets of rich vestments which the marquis of ars at a cost of francs had presented to his church


before he came in i was told he would escape from me as soon as he could for a little solitude


but no


his manner of receiving me was as free and simple as it was full of humility and charity


thero was nothing of a tone and gesture straining itself to maintain a diameter but the disengaged selfabandonment and simple politeness vf a saint


the chair which he presented was recommended as the chair of his predecessor in the parish


and often he repeated that he was very grateful for my visit


i was speaking of prayer for england and of the sufferings of our poorer catholics on account of their faith and he was listening his eyes nearly closed when suddenly he opened their singular light in all its brightness full upon me and breaking in on the narrative in a way i shall never forget witli the manner of one giving a confidence he said but i believe that the church in engbnd will return again to its ancient splendour


it is remarkable how often one meets this conviction in france and how much prayer it gives rise to


to understand hini one should see his face always glowing when he speaks of god always bursting into fits f tears


when he thinks of evil


his poor eyes though so sweet and tranquil are worn with his tears and habitually inflamed


his spirit of direction has that largeness in it which only prayer and a long experience of souls can attain to unless it be infused


so long as the soul has god for her object and acts with god the mode of her interior employment is but an accident


the love of god and the protection of mary these are his two great themes


his own favourite amongst the rest of the saints is st philomene


he has built a beautiful chapel in her honour attached to his little convent it is the first that was raised under her invocation in pnnnnn t llrn


vile miiippit it vtn til ps flf firflpi cleanliness and piety


i felt it would be wrong to detain him from his short time for rest and food so i asked him for a medal by which to remember him


he took a few in his hand and said take one


no i said give me one


there he said is the immaculate concep tion and there is st philomene


it is not true that this holy priest has pre dicted evils on france as has been related or that he has a special medal which he blesses for the protection of those who wear it against coming calamities


at my request he saw my companion for a short time and saying he would go and meet him he had no sooner shown himself at the door than the crowd of people rushed upon him


he can never stir out without being thus surrounded and pressed on by the people


he took my friend affectionately by the hand aud walked with him round his little garden and when an offeriug was made to him for his church he said oh let it be for my poor


he mas then left to himself but his meal was quickly over and he returned to the confes sional be is now required by his bishop under obedience to add to the one single poor meal that j mflf to he all he had in the dav


a second and to eat a little meat at one of them


at this he shed tears that a sinner like him should eat meat and he thinks himself a glutton


he never begins his labours in the confes sional later than two oclock in the morning often at one and when the numbers waiting are very great at midnight


penitents will lie all night on the grass fifty at once either in order to gain the earliest admission to the church and confessional or because of the houses being already completely filled with those who come from a distance


except while he says mass or preaches his little discourse or for the very short time he takes for his scanty food the holy cure lives almost entirely in the confessional


from midnight or early morn he is there until nine at nigut then he retires for his office a little reading and some two hours at the very most for rest


such has been the unbroken course of his life for many years


in his soul he kts with god in his poor earthly frame he suffers from a complication of most acute maladies which give him no repose


as he said to one who is intimate with him he suffers ail day for the conversion of souls and all night for the souls in purgatory


of his penetration into the interior states of souls many instances arc recounted


some five years ago the holy cure to the sur prise of all who saw the action put on his hat took his breviary under his arm and started off


his vicaire suspecting his object followed him his aged housekeeper soon followed also


the priest got before him and accosted him where my father are you going


i have long taken care of others he re plied i must look to my own soul


ut have you the bishop s permission to go said his rev companion


you he replied know the people of this parish well you are competent to take care of them


he was bent on seeking solitude in the chartreuse


his housekeeper seized possession of his breviary


give it up said the holy cure i com mand you


father i never disobeyed you until you replied his housekeeper


then the vicaire got on a narrow bridge on his path to stop the way and meanwhile the church bell was wrung and the parish alarmed the people crowded to the place of this singular contest with tears and entreaties


at last the vicaire said if you go i will not remain i will go too and what will become of your people


then said the holy cure with a burst of tears cannot leave my people abandoned and with this he returned


the sanctuary of his church is most clean and orderly a new marble altar is adornod with sculptures of his patron saints a new stained window decorates the apse the chapels are full of pious objects


in one is all that can recal the sufferings of our lord in another that of our


lady of dolours and of st philomene there is hung up a little forest of crutches generally offerings from those wiho required them on their way to ars but not on their return homewards


on one column hangs a tabular inscription in which the holy cure dedicates himself and his parishioners to our lady of the imu aculate conception


whilst on the other side by the statue of our lady of dolours there is a painting more expressive than skilfully executed which represents the cure in bed in the last extremity and receiving the holy viaticum priests religious sisters and his parishioners on their knees look mournfully on with prayer on their lips whilst above this scene appears our lady in an attitude of protection


the inscrip tion intimates that this is the grateful expression of his parishioners to our lady conceived without stain for his instantaneous recovery on thft mi of mav


it became a report that maximin had retracted his statement respecting the apparition in the presence of this venerable cure


this re port got widely spread and was much harped upon by the opponents of la salette


the story arose out of the following incident


certain enthusiasts for the baron of riche mont the pretended louis xvii got it into their heads that the secrets of la salette re garded their idol


three of these gentlemen contrived to draw maximin to lyons they sur rounded him with their own friends tried their mesmeric arts upon him and did all in their power to elicit bis secret and connect it witu their own cause


at length he was accidentally met and rescued from their hands by his early friend the abbe bez the author of one of the earliest books in favour of la salette


while he was with them


under tbe pretence of enabling him to obtain some light on his vocation they conducted maximin to the cure of ars


as the abbe rousselot observes he went in a thought less humour and he came back in a humour as thoughtless


but neither going nor returning did he evince that contrition and repentance for deceptions practised which have been ascribed to him and one of the three persons who conducted him thither has since declared that when he left ars he was loth joyous and contented and gave no cause for suspicion that he had been making any painful or humiliating avowal


maximin shall now tell ms own siory


xxe is met sumo time after the event we have narrated at the grand chartreuse by his longtried friend mile


brulais


she interrogates him as follows q why did you give yourself into the hands of those persons


maximin


why indeed i wished to see the country


q


into what strange ways you threw your self poor imprudent youth that you are


what were you thinking of


ah i committed a foolery thats true but all the same it was that which brought the secret to rome


how so


well then you will see mon signeur the cardinal of lyons heard of all the noise in the newspapers because of the cure of ars and he wished to have the secret


the pope demanded it and the bishop of grenoble sent it to the pope this is what i mean


but what happened with the cure of ars


will you tell me something about it


this is what happened these three gentlemen took me to the cure of ars that i might consult him as they said upon my vocation


the cure advised me to return to my diocese and these gentlemen were quite angry they told me i had not understood him and bid mego back again to him


i went to his confes sional for he is seldom seen by persons except there


the cure of ars is almost doaf and people dont understand him very well because he has lost most of his teeth


he asked me if i had seen the blessed virgin and i answered him i do not know whether it was the blessed virgin i saw something


a lady


but if you know yourself that it was the blessed virgin you should tell it to all tluc peo ple that they may believe in la salette


but it is said as a certainty my dear child that you accused yourself to the cure of ars of having told lies is this true


maximin


ah


i said to the cure that i had sometimes told lies


you must retract said he


but no i answered i cannot retract for that it is not worth the trouble


he told me i ovght and i answered him since it is past i cannot do it now it is too old


q


but wlint lid you mean


maximin answered with a tone of assurance i meant my little stories to the cure of corps when i did not wawt to say where i was going or when i did not want to study my lessons


thus i see the cur of ars understood those stories of which you spoke as referring to the apparition


why yes


he understood it in that way as that was put in the newspapers


but you were not at confession


no i was at the confessional but i had not said my conftteor and i did not go there to make my confession


they add a story that you retracted before the vicaire of ars


he said that i had made out a story and that i had not seen the blessed virgin and then as i was not in a very good humour i said to him have it if you will that i dont tell the truth and that i did not see any thing


and then i wnt away


this was maximins wellknown style of an swering whensoever his veracity was called in question and there are many examples of it reported in his examinations


the cause of his giving way to those tart replies on occasion maximin has himself explained more than once to his friends


he finds that when the appari lauu uuu jua uwu liuwutuucoo aic umou in question in an offensive manner that a certain dread comes upon him lest in his inward excitement and confusion he should be thrown off his guard and should let some portion of his secret slip from him and so he saves himself by cutting off the interrogator with some short and abrupt reply which puts an end to his trial


and it must be recollected that in the present instance he was in a very peculiar position was in a strange place and must have felt his loneli ness surrounded as he was by designing men who were utter strangers to him and knew nothing of his character


but before we pro ceed we will give in his own words the history of his escape from the gentlemen who had thus far got him into their hands


he is still replying to the questions of the same friend i returned to lyons with these gentlemen


tiiiu umy uui liie a unmet iiu me


nuiei uu pare


they sat down at table and could not agree because all three wanted to have me


when all of a sudden look you the waiter opened the doov of the room and i saw m bez come in the priest who has come several times to la salette and whom i am very fond of


as soon as i saw m bez i ran crying into his arms and when he saw me he was quite moved


and then i would not leave him again and all the three stood pretty well astonished


then the bishop of grenoble had me placed in the petit


seminaire and i wrote a letter to the cure of ars to assure him that i had never retracted be


cause it is true


q


how did m bez happen to be at that hotel at the same time with you


maximin


i dont know it wis the good god who did that


i believe he went to hire an apartment for a friend and certainly he could not have known that these gentlemen had just brought me to that hotel or even that i was in lyons


maximin remained three weeks under the care of a clergyman at a pension at lyons and then returned to grenoble


here he underwent


a severe examination in presence xne


joisnop before a commission of clergy and laity


he was tried and urged in every way to induce him to avow the retractation which it began to be rumoured he had made


but maximin remained firm and intrepid


he protested that he would never avow but what he had always avowed and what he would avow on the bed of death that he had seen a beautiful lady who spoke and dis appeared


he maintained that he had given no contradiction to this at ars bat admitted that not understanding the cure distinctly he had re peatedly said yes and no at hazard


he after wards underwent other and repeated interro gations at the episcopal palace but without any other result


maximin was merely found to be what he had always been


after this maximin unknown to any one wrote a letter to one of these gentlemen who had conducted him to lyons and who had been kind to him


it is in his offhand style inter spersed with errors of diction but evidently from his heart


in it he says march


my dear sir


they have told yon that i belied myself before the cure of ars i think myself all this comes from the vicaire for you know what he said to us at the providence where he took us


jor as to me l assure you that noways belied myself and i am always ready to give my blood to maintain what i saw


for the cure of ars may have illunderstood me or the devil may have changed my words in his ears


for as to me i assure you that i did not unsay what i have said for the last four years that i had seen


remember sir that the money which has been offered us to say that what we had seen was not we might have had it poor as we are and you know our families


i beg of you to judge all this and you will see that what we have said for four years is the truth c c


these statements of maximin bring out his character with considerable force whilst they explain the cause of the misunderstanding at ars


but the good cure of ars it is alleged wrote a letter to the cardinal archbishop of lyons expressing his disbelief of the fact of la snlette and this point remains to be enquired into


not more than a month after maximin had been with the good cure a vcspcctublo person from lyons had an interview with thelatter and the following record of the conversation was transmitted to the abbe rousselot


q do you believe in la salette


the cure


yes i believe in it


q


and yet the cardinal has received a letter signed by


you and in that letter you say itis not to be believed for that it is false


the cure every day i sign a quantity of letters though i do not read any of them but i believe in la salette


the fact is that this holy cure never himself writes anything as i was informed by his present vicaire he does not answer any of the numerous letters which are addressed to him and it ap pears that the vicaire to whom maximin refers in his letter and who was well known to be an opponent of la salette after his interview with maximin drew up a letter of his own to the car dinal archbishop and got the simplehearted cure to put his name to that letter though he had never read it


that vicaire was afterwards removed and another put in his place


immediately after this affair took place one ot the marist fathers went expressly to ars to enquire into its truth and the cure expressed himself to him in these words i have always believed in la salette i believe in it still


i bless medals and images of our lady of la salette i have distributed a great number of them


i have written all this to the bishop of grenoble


and see here whether i do not believe


here the cure approached his bed and drawing the curtain showed the religious father a large picture of our lady of la salette framed and hung up at the head of his bed


i did not insist further whites this respected re ligious to the bishop of grenoble for i was convinced that the good cure had scarcely had anything to do with all that i had heard reported of him


i have repeated this to a great number of persons who all conclude with me that the imagination of certain enemies of la salette had furnished those darkenings of suspicion which had given so much scandal to pious souls


but the good cure was quite disconsolate at all that was attributed to him


he gave expres sion to his feelings to several persons ot whom one wrote on the th of october to the abbe rousselot as follows have seen the cure who is truly disconsolate at what is attri buted to him


he told me as well as madame d that he had never said that the event of la salette had not taken place only that it was possible that the child had not well explained himself or that he himself had not well under understood him that besides he had never seen melanie who would perhaps have been clearer in her answers


madam d repeated the very same words to me five days ago


i will add but one quotation more it is de cisive of the affairs of ars


the bishop of grenoble after sending two of his clergy to make enquiries on the spot wrote to the bishop of bellay in whose diocese the parish of ars is situate


the following is an extract from the reply of the bishop of bellay a prelate bearing a high character for wisdom and sanctity


bellay jan


monseigneur


before answering the letter you did me the honour to acdress to me i wished to make en quiries as to what had passed at ars


i had a somewhat lengthened interview with m ray mond who acts as vicaire and who interrogated the young man on the subject of la salette


the bishops of valence and of viviere were with me for the consecration of monseigneur challondon i cammunicated to them the docu ments which you sent me and this is the ult of our reflections


we ever consider it as certain that the children are not in any under standing with each other to deceive the public and that they really saw a person who spoke to them


was it the blessed virgin


every thing leads to that belief but all this cannot be attested except by miracles different from the apparition


it is for you monseigneur to examine and pronounce c c


a few days after what had passed at ars the bishop of bellay had remarked to a marist father what has passed at ars is but a trial and a temuest raised hv tln rlovil


ua font of la salette will come out of it more brilliant


and two months before his death the same distinguished prelate repeated an expression he had often used before i attach no importance to what passed at ars the curd of ars is not competent to judge a fact of so much gravity


if have dwelt at some length on the incident of ars it is because it is the sole objection of any moment that has been raised against the evidence and which in the exag gerated form it gained through rumour caused doubts to some believers for a time whilst it deterred others from enquiry


but as the bishop of bellay had anticipated the fact of la salette came out of if more brilliant it was this circumstance that occasioned the demand for the secret to be sent to rome


and it was the encouragement that came from home after the arrival of the secret which decided the bishop of grenoble on issuing his judicial decision and founding the sanctuary


the words of maximin first uttered alter his rtturn from ars to gre nobie were like a prophecy


they now ho said mock at la salette but it is like a flower which in winter they cover with dirt and dung but in the summer it springs from the earth more beautiful


at a later period maximin said in reply to a friendly question the affair goes prosperously


you see what a noise they have made oh well


it is that which has pushed the secret to rome without that noise it would not have been there yet


barnaiy rudge


chlapera


viii


clear ofthe locksmiths house sim tappertitolaid asci cautious manner and assuming intotsastead atitoft ragfaing swaggeringroav g blade who would rather kill aman than otherwise and eat him too if needful made the bestoflbsway alongthei darkened streets


alf pausing foran instant now and then to smite his pocket and assure himself of the safety of his masterkey he hurried onto


barbican aqd turning into


one of the narrowest of the narrow streets which diverged from that centre slackened his pace and wiped his heated brow as if the termination of his walk were near at hand


it was not a very choice


spot for midnight expe ditions being in truth one of more than queastion able character and of an appearance by no means inviting


from the main atreet he had entered itself little better than an alleya lowbrowed door


way led intoa blind court or yard


profoundly dark unpaved and reeking with stagnant odours


into


this illfavoured pit the locksmiths vagrant prentice


groped his way and stopping at a house from whose defaced and rotten front the rude effigy of a bottles swung to and fro like some gibbeted malefactor struck thrice upon an iron grating with his foot


after listening in vain for some response to his sig nal mr tappertit became impatient andstruck the grating thrice again


a further delay ensued but it was notof long duration the ground seemed to open athis feet


and


a ragged head appeared


is that the captain said a voice as ragged as the bead


yes replied mrteppertit haughtily descend ing as he spoke who should it be


its so late we gave you up returned


the voice as its owner stopped to shut and fasten the grating youre late sir


lead


on said


mr tappertitwitha


gloomy majesty and make remarks when i requirer you


forward


this latter word of command was perhaps some what theatrical and unnecessary inasmuch asthe decent was by a very narrow steep anod slippery


flight of steps and any rashness or departurefrons


the beaten track must have ended in a yawnipg waterbutt


but mr tappertit being like some other great commanders favourable to strong effects and personal display cried forwardl again the hoarsest voice he couldassume and led the way with folded arms and knitted tirows to the cellar down below where there was a small copper fixed in a corner a chair or two a form and table a glim mering fire and a truckle bed covered with a ragged patchwork rug


welcome noble captain cred a lanky figure rising as if from a nap


the captain nodded


then throwing off his outer roat he stood composed in all his dignity and eyed his follower over what news tonight he asked when he had looked into his very soul


nothing particular replied the otheratretch lng himself and hewas so long already that it was quite alarriingto see him do it how come you to be so late no matter was allrptin deigned to ay in answer


is the room prepared


it is replied his follower the comrade is he here


yes and a sprinkling of the othersyou hear


em i


playing skittle said the captain moodily lighthearted revellersi i


there was no doubt irespecting the particular


amusement in which these heedless spiritswere indulging for even in the close and stilingaotmos phere of the vault the noise sounded like distant thunder


it certainly appeared at first sighta singular spot to chose for that or anyother purpose oflelaxation if the other cellars answered to the onua in which this brief colloquytookplace forithe floors were of sodden earth the walls and


rco ofo diiap bare tlrick tapestried with thetracksof snails and slugs the air was sickening tainted aadoffeo sive


it seemed from one strong flavour which was uppermost among the various odours of the place tihit it had at no very distant period been usedas


a storehouse for cheeses a circumstance whlich


while it accounted for the greasy moisture that bungo about it was agreeably suggestive of rats


it was naturially damp tbeides and little trees of uengus


sprung from every mouldering corner


t the proprietor of thiscpharming retreat and owner of the iagged head befoie mentioned for he wore an old tiewig as bare and frousy aa stunted hearth broomr had by ibis tiie joined tieem and stooda littlepart rubbtig his hands wagging his hoary bristled chin and smiling in silence


his gyes were closed i but had they been wide open it would have beei easy to tell from the attentive expression of the face he turoed towards jthempple andu iwholesoime hs miglht bexpecteduin ono


his nqder ground euitenceand from a certain anxious raising add qliveriong of the lids that he was biind


t even stsgg had bees asleep asid the long comrade nodding towards this person ssolund captainl iisound


crit she blind musa


i whaidoes ny nioble csptain drlnkis it brandy


rumi laqueliaugh


is it soatkd guupoy


eror


blasing oil


oive it a niam eheart ofoaeatndyqdi get it for ryou iitw wt sinofrom a bshops


cellar oimehted oldi rd klinjoeergessiaitt


b i said mr t ipsrtjthaguslly that tts somelhing strong and comes qulek aand so lopg q yui takh carn of ati yon may bring it roe telse devila cellar


is ke


i ibiistild ilptl rejoined the blqid wiis


slpoken h ie a preonees glory ilalhaf from the devil as cellar


i a brave joke


the ocap aole el h i hostsp


a i as if h he ad been u tidnt oneh ahis


e i for they pierce like gimlelts


dir


tappertit smiled grimly at his comrade n and wisting out one more look a kind of oclar screw ander the influence of which the blind man feigned to undergo great anguish and torture bade himin i a softened tone approach and hold his peace


i obey you captain cried stagg drawing close to him and filling out a bumper without spil ling a drop by reason that he held his little finger at the brim of the glass and stopped at the instant the liquor touched it


drink noble governor


deathtosallmasters lifelo all prepticesanod love to all fair damsels


drink brave general and warm your gallant heart


mr tappertit condescended to take the glass from his outstretched hand


stagg then dropped uponone knee and gently smoothed the calves of his legs with an air of humble admiration


that ihad but eyebhe


cried


tobehold smy captains symmetrical proportions i that i had but eyes to look upon these twin invaders of domestic peace


get out said mr tappertit glancing down


ward at his favourite limbs


o along will you otngg when i touch my own afterwards cried the host smiting them reproachfully i hate em


comparatively speaking theyve no more shape than wooden legs beside these models of my noble esptrains


yyourst exclaimed mr tappertit


no i should think not


dorit talk about those precious old toothpicks in the same breath with mine thats rather too much


here


take the glass


benjamin


lead on


to business i with these words he folded his arms and frown


ing with a sullen majesty passed with his companion through a little door at the upper end of the cellar and disappeared leaving stagg to his private meditations


the vault they entered strewn with sawdust and dimly lighted was between the outer one from which they had just come and that in which the skittle players were diverting themselves as was manifested by the increasell noise and clamour of tongues which was suddenly stopped however and replaced by a dead silence at a signal from the long comrade


then this young gentleman going to a little cup


board returned with a thighbone which in former times must have been part and parcel of some indi vidual at least as long as himself and placed the same in the hands of mr tappertit who receiving it as a sceptre and staff of authority cocked his threecornered hat fiercely on the top of his head and mounted a large table whereon a chair of state cheerfully ornamented with a couple of skulls was placed ready fotar his reception


he had no sooner assumed thisposition than another young gentleman appeared bearing in his arms a huge clasped book who made him a profound obeisanceand delivering it to the long comrade ad vanced to the table and turning his back upon it stood there atlaswise


then the long comrade got upon the table too t and seating himself in a lowerchairthan mr tappertits with much state and ceremony placed the large book on the shoul ders of theirmute companion as deliberately as if he had been a wooden desk and prepared to make entries therein with a pen of corresponding size


swhen the long comrade had made these prepa rations he looked towards mlr


tappertit and mlr


tapperlit flourishing the bone knocked nine times therewith upon one of the sculls


at the ninth stioke a third young gentleman emerged from the door leading to the skittle ground and bowing low awaited his commands


prentice i said the mighty captain who waits without


the prentice made answer that a stranger was in attendance who claimed admission into that secret society of prentice knighu and a free partici pation in their rights privileges and inmunities


thereupon mr tappertit flourished the bone again and giving the other skull a prodigious rap on the nose exclaimed admit him


at these dread words the prentice bowed once more and so with


drew as he had come


there soon appeared at the same door two other prentices having between them a third whose eyes were bandaged and who was attired in a bagwig and broadskirted coat trimmed with tarnished lace and who was girded with a sword in compliance with the laws of the institution regulating the introduction of


candidates which required them to assume this conitly dress aid kept it constantly in lavender for their convenience


one of the conductors of this novice held a rusty blundferbuss pointed towards his ear and the other a very ancient sabre with which hecaried imaginary offenders as he came along in a sisgoinary and anatomical manner


as this silent groupadvanced mr tappertit fixed his hat upon his head


the novice then laid his bhand upon his breast and bent before him


when lie hid himbled himself sufficiently the captain ordered tlhe bandigeto be removed and proceeded to eye him a said the captain thoughtfully when he hatlteoneluiledthis ordeal


proceed


thelii comrade read aloud as follows mlark gilbert age nineteen bound to thomas curzon hoiegolden fleece aldgate loves curzons diaughtei cannot say thai curzons daughter loves himh should think it probable


curzon pulled his ears last itesday week


how cried the captain starting


for lookitng t his daughter please you said tie novie


witoecurzon down denounced said the cap tas


put a black cross against the name of trnon


asobiaseyouu sailt ihe novice thats not the ojrist h erlillslhisprentice idle dog and stops his beoirniihei ihwoks ti lii liking tle gives idulch chcdestoeating cheshire sir hhnself and sun dias r are only once a mondth


lthis a alii


taiperiit gravely is a fla


grant casedr t i oi wblcik crosses to the name of daiemon


i e a if the srcli jsid the


novice who was an illldkhii o aisdde shambling lad wvith suuken eyesset blone toge ther


th his head i the society wvdblld iirnhihi houiise downfor heb not insured orbeiiathlm ah be comes home from hiais club at tght r helpmoi to arryoff isdaughter and marry her at the fleet whether she gave consent or no


lr


tlip rtit waved his grizzly trunceon s an admoiiitids tohlni ni t to


interru ad ordered three blick roesies to tile nambof curzotr


which means he said in graciousexplanation veneatice complete and ierrible


prentice do yba love the coastituiton


to which te snovise eing to that end intruacted by his attendant sponsors


iieid i do


thhirch ih state buid everything estab


lihsbi


lit thib masters


cji th the captlain


int novice sid i io


wboiln idts ess red fa such occasions told him how that eir e cta


mono tt which weptlllc in stron bos somewnhere jut where e lyh oud narotndjout or have had in times gone by jtad frequent holidays ol w right broken peoples heads by scores defied their et masters nay even achieved some glorious murders if in iihe streets which privileges had gradually been i wrested from them and in all which noble aspira


sl tions they were now restrained how the degrading d checks imposed upon them were unquestionably it attributable to the innovating spirit of the times and how they united therefore to resist all change except h such change as would restore these good old english cgstomps by which they would standor fall


after c illustrating the wisdom of going backward by refer


b ence to that sagacious fish the crab and not unfre quent practice of the mule and donkey he described i their general objects which were briefly vengeance i on their tyrant masters of whose grievous and insupportable oppression no prentice could enter tain a moments doubt andthe restoration as afore said aof their ancient rights and holidays for nei ther of which ohjects were they now quite ripe c being barely twenty strong but which they pledged ii themselves to pursue with fire and sword when ti needful


then he described the oath which every n member of that small remnant of a noble body took and which was of a dreadful and impressive kind bindipg him at the bidding of his chief to resist i and obstruct the lord mayor swordbearer and p chaplain to despise the authority of the sheriffs and to hold the court of aldermen as nought but not on any account in case the fullness of time should bring a general rising of prentices to damage or inu any way disfigure temple bar which was strictly constitutional and always to be approached with reverence


having gone over these several heads with eloquence and force and having further informed the novice that this society had had its origin in his own tgeming brain stimulated by a swelling sense of wrong and outrage


tir


tappertit demanded whether he had strength of heart to take the mighty pledge required or whether he would withdraw while retreat was yet within his power


to this the novice made rejoinder that he would take the vow though it should choke him and it was accordingly administered with many impressive circumstances among which the lighting up of the two skulls with a candle inside of each and a great many flourishes with the bone were chiefly conspi


cuous not to mention a variety of grave exercises with the blunderbuss and sabre and some dismal groaning by unseen prentices without


all these dark and direful ceremonies being at length com pleted the table was put aside the chair of state removed the sceptre locked up in its usual cup


board the doors of communication between the three cellars thrown freely open and the prentice knights resigned themselves to merriment


but mlr


tappertit who had a soul above the vulgar herd and who on account of his greatness could only afford to be merry now and then threw himself on a bench with the air of a man who was faint witl dignity


he looked with an indiffer ent eye alike on skittles cards and dice thinking t only of the locksmitlhs daughter and the base dege nerate days on which he had fallen


my noble captain neither games nor sings nor dances said his host taking a seat beside him


driuk gallant general


dlr


tappertit drained the proffered goblet to the dregs then thrust his hands into his pockets and with a lowering visage walked among the skittles while hts followers such is the influence of superior genius restrained the ardent ball and held his ihttle shins in dumb respect


if i had been born a corsair or a pirate a brigand genteel highwayman or patriot and theyre the same thing thought mr tappertit musing among the nine pins i should have been all right but to drag out a ignoble existence unbeknown to mankind in generalpatience


i will be famous yet


a voice within me keeps on whispering great


ness


i i shall burst out one of these days and when i do what power can keep me down i leel my soul getting into my head at the idea


more drink there


the novice pursued mr tappertit not exactly in a voice of thunder for his tones to say the truth were rather cracked and shrill but very impressively notwithstanding where is he p here noble captain cried stagg one stands i beside me who i feel is a stranger


have you said mr tappertit letting his gaze fall on the party indicated who was indeed the new i knight by this time restored to his own apparel i have you the impression of your streetdoor key in wax p the long comrade anticipated the reply by producing it from the shelf on which it had been deposited


good said mr tappertit scrutinising it attentively while a breathless silence reigned around for he had constructed secret doorkeys for the whole society and perhaps owed something of his influence to that mean and trivial circumstance ion such slight accidents do even men of mind sdepend l


this is easily made


come hither friend


with that hie beckoned the new knighlt apart and putting the pattern in his pocket motioned to him to walk by hiis side


and so he said when they had taken a few sturns up and down youyou love your masters daughter i ll i do said the preotice


honour bright


no chaff you know


have you rejoined mlr


tappertit catching him by the wrist and giving him a look which would have been expressive of the most deadly malevolence but for an accidental hiccup that rather interfered with it have you aa rival not as i know on replied the preintice


lifi you iad now said mr tappertit what would youeh


the prenticelooked fierce and clenched iis fists


it is enoughit cried air tappertit hastily vwe understand each othler


we are observed


hlank you sso saying hie cast him off again and calling tihe long comrade aside after taking a few hasty turns by shimself bade him immediately write and post agaiinst the wall a notice proscribing one joseph willet scommonly known as joe of chigwell forbidding all prentice knights to succour comfort or irold communion with itim and requiring themn on pain rof excommunication to molest hurtwrong aonnoy and plek quarrels with the said joseph wvhensoever sind wheriesoever they or any of them should happen i to encouoter him


haviug relieved his mind by this energetcle pro i ceeding he condescended to approach the festive h board and warming by degrees at length deigned i to preside and even to enchant the company with a song


after this he rose to such a pitch as to caonsent to regale the society wtii as hornppe which he actually performed to the music of a fiddle played by an ingenious member with isuch surpasting ability and brillianyof


iaecution that thie spetotidsr could op t l psuliieenly enthlisstitr in ltheir i admilrlion andtlheirihostprotested with tears in rhis eyes thlati hie had never truly felt his blindteesa iuntil that momeht


j i y e i but the hostwithdrawtlug jitobably to weep in i uecrst aon etradltsh til inforantion tit it i


wanted little more than an hour of day and that all the cocks in barbican had already begun to crow as if their lives depended upon it


at this intelligence the prentice knights arose in haste and mar


shalling into a line filed off one by one and dipersed with all speed to their several homes leaving their leader to pass the grating last


good night noble captain whispered the blind man as he held it open for his passage out farewell brave general


bye be illustrious commander


good luck go with you for aconceited braggitg emptyheaded ducklegged idiot


with which parting words coolly added as he listened to his receding footsteps and locked the grate upon himself he descended the steps and


lighting the fire below the little copper prepared without any assistance for his daily occupation which was to retail at the areahead above penny worths of broth and soup and savoury puddings compounded with such scraps as were to be bought in the heap for the least money at fleet market in the evening time and for the sale of which he had need to have depended chiefly on his private con nexion for the court had no thoroughfare and was not that kind of place in which many people were likely to take the air or to frequent as an agreeable promenade


to be continued


ttor the story of a feather


sy suli mxvalv


a storyfrom


punch


chapteb xxxi


continued from our last


curlwells suit is bejectedappear ance and grief of the widow cramp


have i pot heard of this woman cb child said lintley taking pattys hand


the wretch must she follow you


evenhere


but now we will not talk of her


this is air


inglewood a clergyman my friend


he bad heard your story and wished to see you


you will pardon me i hope said inglewood


it was impossible to suppress such a wish learning such a history


i camei felt it my christian dutyto cqunsel comfort you


find you well prepared so well many might learn their best lesson of you


young woman the sorrow that has fallen upon you becomes through patience a sweetness and a beauty


it is a fiery trial thissaid inglewood with a slight tremor of voiceand proves the purity of your immortal spirit


patty made no answer but with downcast eyes and flush ing face seemed to shrink and tremble at the commendation of the speaker


her agitation increased her feelings had been overwrought in the past scene and now the voice of tenderness and sympathy overcame her


still grasping lint leys hand her bigeart relieved itself in tears


let me seize this momentfor i would furn explain matters as i proceedto account for the appearance of mr ingle wood


as i afterwards discovered he had become known to mr lintley through doctor wilson w ho it may be remem bered was physician to the countess of blushrose and her child and whose recommendation had introduced lintley albeit too late to the earls house


when inglewood renounced his chaplains office he soughtbut vainly soughtfor the humblest curacy


promises promises were after a time almost his daily food


still often dinnerless he put a blithe look upon illfortune descending from his garret to the world as though he came warm from every household comfort


and then it happened that as his purse shrank his health failed


when be appeared in the prison he looked a disappointed patient dying man


had he made his condition known to the earl of blushrosethe earl s nephew was out of england that kind goodhearted nobleman had placed him in employ ment


often the poor parson promised himself to make the appeal and then something put off the hour


that some thing could not have been pride for inglewood himself was the last person to suspect it


come patty i have some good news for you said lint icy


he man abram is takenis now a prisoner in the gaol


la sir and if he is said mrs traply vexed that the secret should have escaped the judges wont take his word for the young womans innocence supposing he can be brought to swear it and if hes a chance of slipping his own bead out of the ropeoh sir i know what newgate ishe wont mind whose head he puts into it


as for mrs gaptooth why shes as good a heart ill be bound as ever beat but temper sir temper spoils the best of us


im sure i should be sorry very sorry if anything was to happen to the girl and if youll take my advicehere mrs traply beckoned lintley and ingle wood apart and lowered her voice to a confidential whisper


take my advice and persuade her to marry the gentleman in the next room


hell lay out any money on witnesses


and hes quite struck with her quite foolish like and more than that really means honour and nothing less


of what gentleman do you speak asked lintlcy


mr curlwell answered the turnkeys wife


mr curlwell pray walk into this room said lintley opening wide the halfclosed door and discovering the valet who stationed close beside it had overheard all that had passed


curlwellsomewhat abashed awkwardly complied with lint leys request


patty who for the first time was made con scious of the presence of her old persecutor instinctively approached lintley as for protection


your servant mr inglewood hope you are well sir


strange pim to roctln m


ingtvwsud am ctnlnch whose visits to the earls housekeeper mrs pillow had made the person of the chaplain no stranger to him


moreover the valet wanting a subject to relieve his discussion availed him self of the readiest that oflfered


i have heard of you mr curlwell said lintley and as the friend the protector of this young woman desire a little plain speaking


why do you follow her honour sir all honour answered the valet throwing back his head and spreading the fingers of his right hand over his heart


i hope mr lintley sir im a man above preju dice and im not ashamed to own it i dont think miss butler at all guilty and to prove it sir if a jury should think as i doand as ive had lawyers opinion theres little doubt all may be made straight if we go the right way to work and here curlwell slightly laughed and slightly winked why sir then and then asked lintley in a tone not to be mistaken


and then at i said before sir answered carlwell


i offer min butler my hand my purse my heart can any gerulenwn do more


cried the valet with a selfapproving mile


well fatty said lintley it is now for you to speak


if mr curl well has followed you all lore nothing but love and honour exclaimed the valet


nothing but that could have made me follow her as i have done seeking her out in all corners


oh sir i the work i had before i found her in bloomsburythat will prove im in earnest


i know i dont deny it ive been wild like other young men but a man may repent eh mr ingle wood i hope you feel he may answered the parson


never was more certain of anything said curlwell and so as i said before if miss butler will let me try to clear this matter up theres my hand my purse my heart


patty said lintley it is for you to speak


patty in a most calm collected manner as though she had gathered her energies for the one effort quitting the side of lintley approached curlwell


the valet was plainly flattered by the action and stood smiling and working his ringers ready to seise the hand that he was sure was to be resigned to him


you would hare my answer mr curlwell


i believe am sure you are sorry for the pain you have given me from my very heart i pardon you


i thank you too for the offer of your help cannot on your terms accept it


still sir indeed i thank you


grant me one kindnessbut one


never gainwhatever may be my fatenever waste a thought a word upon me


thus patty in the moat clear and passionless voice destroyed the hopes of curlwell


well you know best cried the valet with a face of carlet violently putting on his gloves and with equal violence trying to smile


you know best i meant well and if things shouldnt turn out as some other people would desire at the last moment dont blame me


saying this curlwell stalked towards the door


pausing a moment he returned approaching patty


still he said if you should alter your mind remember theres ray hand my purseyes my purse and my heart


and then curlwell disappeared though unable to divest himself of the conviction that his offer must be accepted at hie last how indeed could it be otherwise i and now mrs traply said the apothecary let me thank you for your goodness to my young friend here


i j hope we shall not much longer trouble you


dear me


i i had almost forgotten i here are the drops i promised you and lintley drew


phial from his pocket


take about twelve drops when you feel the fit come on


youre very kind doctor


nobody knows what i suffer from vapours sometimes


and its no wonder i wasnt brought up to newgate


when i was


girl at chesterdo you know chester


and mrs traply sjghed


very well answered lintjey


you dont know the family of the brushes and again mrs traply sighed


i cepjt sa i do but i have no doubtfrom what i haye heard you saythey are very excellent people mrs traply having in her short acquaintance with the apothecary again and again talked of sir mohawk brush and his high relations insinuating moreover that she had never been troubled with the vapoursat chester which desolating complaintreal or imaginarybad enabled lintley cheaply to show his apprcia tion of mrs traply kindness to patty


henct tbe phial


inglewood have some business in the prison i will not be long said lintley hastily quitting the room as though animated by some sudden reflection


inglewood for a moment looked confused


his face flushed and when he appeared about to address patty words seemed to be denied him


and then he sighed heavily and looking at the wretched girl melancholy like a deep shadow fell upon him


for a moment he buried his face in his hand he then rose aud walked rapidly up and down the narrow room


you dont look well sir said mrs traply its the weather


it is answered inglewood listlessly casting his heaviness of heart upon the allsuffering atmosphere


will you try the doctors drops sir


and the woman proffered the phial the harmless fraudwell would it be were all frauds so harmlessof lintley


with me the sky some times rains vapours but then my nerves are like any cobwebs


like me sir perhaps youre not used to london


now when i was at chester iwish somebody would take you there and never let you come back again said mr traply entering the room and bringing with him wellnigh dissolved in tears the widow cramp


here make this lady comfortable if theres room cried the turnkey glancing at patty and inglewood


why theres nobody here but miss butler and the turnkeys wife was proceeding butler


i thats the young woman i wished to see i


oh my dear childi


how is he


a blessed creature


how is he cried mrs cramp


doesnt he ask after me


isnt he dying to see me exclaimed the widow seizing pattys hand


what is itof whom do you speak asked patty


of whom


why of edwarddear suffering innocent edward exclaimed the widow


she means mr clickly abram the gentleman thats stole a watch cried a voice and looking i observed the faithful becky mrs cramps maid


ile did no such thing cried mrs cramp


dear slandered creature


i hes as innocent us the baby at the bosom


and youre innocent too said the widow to fattyat least i hope you are but at all events you can clear him my dear girl cant you truly madam said inglewood you seem to forget that the man abramthe crime committed by him has caused the misery of this innocent young womanit is he who must clear her


therethereyoure all alikeall against him a dear noble fellow


but hell overcome his enemies yet i


yes if i sell my bed from under me he shall


i dont want money no thank heaven i dont want money


dont missus dont said becky whispering and edging close to the widow


twill be all right enough maam said traply never a doubt of it


cant it be easily proved mr abram was fifty miles from the place where the man vas stopped and the watch taken to be sure no doubt cried mrs cramp


he steal a watch that noble generous soul


with the sentiments he possesses i hed have died first


ha they little know edward and so my good girland again the widow in the very childish ness of her grief turned to patty and so you can prove that you knew nothing of him


ihat the watch found with you was given to you by somebody elsethat however you came by it dear edward knew nothing of the matter


i must beg your silence madam i have already told you the young woman is a victima helpless ignorant victim of the atrocity of the man abram and again i begsaid ingle wood


bul he was permitted to say no more for mrs crump again bursting into a passion of tears loudly exclaimed that everybody was set against the charming creaturethut all the world thirsted for the life of her dear edward


to be contiuueil


otchapter ass


such were the iocksmiths thoughts when first seated in the stuiig corner and slowly recovering from a pleass itdtsfect of visionpleasant because occasioned by tiesvind blowing in his eyes which made it a matter of sound policy and duty to him self that he should take refuge from the weather and tempted him for the same reason to aggravate a slight cough and declare he felt but poorly


such were still his thoughts more than a full hour afterwards when supper over he still sat with shining jovial face in the same warm nook listening to the cricketlike chirrup of little solomon daisy and bearing no unimportant or slightly respected part in the social gossip round the maypole fire


i wish he may be an honest man thats all said solomon winding up a variety of speculations relating to the stranger concerning whom gabriel had compared notes with the company and so raised a grave discussion i wish he may be an honest man


so we all do i suppose dont we observed the locksmith


i dont said joe


no i cried gabriel


no


he struck me with his whip the coward when lie was mounted and i afoot and i should be better pleased that he turned out what i think him


and what may that be joe


no good mr varden


you may shake your head father but i say no good and will say no good and i would say no good a hundred times over if that would bring him back to have the drubbing he deserves


hold your tongue sir said john willet


i wont father


its all along of you that lie dared to do what be did


seeing me treated like a child and put down like a fool he plucks up a heart and has a fling at a fellow that lie thinks and may well think too hasnt a grain of spirit but lies mistaken as ill show him and as ill show all of you before long


does the boy know what hes a saying oft cried the astonished john willet


father returned joe


i know what i say and mean well better than you do when you hear me


i can bear with you but i cannot bear the contempt that your treating me in the way you do brings upon me from others every day


look at other young men of my age


have they no liberty no will no right to speak p are ti ey obliged to sit mumchance and to be ordered about till they are the laughing stock of young and old


am a byeword all over chigwell and i sayand its fairer toy saying so now than waiting till you are dead and ive got your moneyi say that before long i shall be driven to break such bounds and that when i do it wont be me that youll have to blame but yourself and no other


john willet was so amazed by the exasperation and boldness of this hopeful son that he sat as one bewildered staring in a ludicrous manner at the boiler and endeavouring but quite ineffectually to collect his tardy thoughts and invent an answer the guests scarcely less disturbed were equally at a loss and at length with a variety of mut tered half expressed condolences and pieces of advice rose to depart being at the same time slightly muddled with liquor


thie honest locksmith alone addressed a few words of coherent and sensible advice to both parties urging john willet to remember that joe was nearly arrived at mans estate and should not be ruled with too tight a hand and exhorting joe himself to bear with his fathers caprices and rather endeavour to turn them aside by temperate remonstrance than by illtimed rebellion


this advice was received as such advice usually is


on john willet it made almost as much impression as on the sign outside the door while joe who took it in the best part avowed himself more obliged than lie could well express but politely intimated his intention never theless of taking his own course uninfluenced by anybody


ayou have always been a very good friend to me mr varden


lie said as they stood without the porch and the locksmith was equipping himself for his journey home i take it very kind of you to say all this but the times nearly come when the maypole and mist part company


ioving stones gather no moss joe said gabriel


nor millestone much replied joe


im little better than one here and see as much of the would


then what would you do joe


pursued the locksmith stroking his chin reflectively


what could you bet ohere could you go you seei i must trust to chance mr varden


a bad thing to trust to joe


i dont like it


i always tell my girl when he talk about a husband for her never to trust to chance but to make sure beforehand that she has a good man and true and then chance will neither make her nor break her


what are you fidgeting about there joe nothing gone in the harness i hope t no no said joe finding however something very engrossing to do in the way of strapping and buckling


miss dolly quite well


hearty thank ye


she looks pretty enough to be well and good too


shes always both sir


so she is thank god


i hope said joe alter some hesitation that you wont tell this story against me this of my having been beat like the boy theyd make of me at all events till i have met this man again and settled the account


itll be a better story then


why


who should i tell it to i returned ga briel


they know it here and im not likely to come across anybody else who would care about it


sl thats true enough said the young fellow with a sigh


r i quite forgot that


yes thats true


so saying ie taised his face which was very red no doubt from the exertion of strapping and buckling as afresaid and giving the reins to the old man who had by this time taken his seat sighed again and bade him good night


good night cried gabriel now think better of what we have just been speaking of and dont be rash theres a good fellow i have an in terest in you and wouldnt have you cast yourself away


good itighst


retuentng hts cheering farewcell with cordial good will joe wiliet lingered till the sound of she wheela ceased to vibrate in his ears and then shaking his head mournfully reentered the house


gabriel varden wended lila way towards london thinkimug of a great many things and most of alt of flaming terms in which so relate lilt adventure and so account satisfactertly to mrts


varden for visiting the maypole despite certain solemn covenants be tween ilniself and that lady


thioking begets not onl thought but drowsiness occasionally sod the moe he locksmith thought sthe more sleepy he be ameman may be very nober or at least firmly sot upon his legs on that neutral ground which ises be


tween she confines of perfect sobriety and slight tipsiness and yes feel a strong tendency to mingle up present circutnstanices with others which have no manner of connexion wvitth them to confound all consideration of persons things times anod placas and to jumble lila disjointed thoughts together in a kind of mental kaleidoscope producing combinationsi as unexpected as they are transitory


thlis svas gabriel vardens stale as nodding in lila dog sleep and leaving his herse so isuraun a road wisls which he was well acquainted he got over the ground on conscianaly and drew nearer arid nearer home he had roused haimavlf once when the liorse stepped until the turnpike gate was opened and tad cried a a lusty good night to the tolikeeper bus then tie woke out of a dream about picking a luck in the stomach of she great mogul sod even when he did wake mixed up the turnpike man with his mothier lnlisw


whso had been dead twenty years


it is not surprising tlierefote that lie soon relapsed and jogged heavily along quite insensible to his pro atid now he approached sthe great city which lay outserretched before like a dark shadow on ithe ground roidening she sloggish air with a deep doll light that told of isbyrinthis of public ways anti shopa and swartus of busy people


approaching nearer and nearer yet this halo began to fade and sthe causes inhich produced it slowly to develop themselves


loog lines of psorly lighted streots night be faintly tritced with hero and there a lighter spot


where lamps were clustered about as square or market or kound some great building ofter a tune these grew hanor distinct and the isnips shemoeloes were visible klgiut yetiowv sperka that scemed to ho rapidly anhlufd out one byono as intervening obstacles hid them from thai sgut


lthen sounds urose thei striking of the chsurcis clocks sthe distant bark of dogs she tium of trhllic in theo streets thou outlines night be traced tall steeples looming in the air and p lep of unequal roofs oppresood bycltimneys shun this noise swelled iinto a louder sound and farina grew niore distinct and numeraoiss still sod london visiblesin lisa darkness by its oto faint ii glt and not by lust of heaven was at lined


thise oloosmlth hsowevcr all unconscious of its near vicinity still jogged on half sleeping and half waking when a loud cry at no areat distance ahead roused him with a start


for a moment or two he looked about him like a man who had been transported to some strange country in his sleep but soon recognising familiar objects rubbed his eyes lazily and might have re lapsed again but that the cry was repeated not once or twice or thrice but many times and each time if possible with an increased vehemence


thoroughly aroused gabriel who was a bold man and not easily daunted made straight to the spot urging on his stout little horse as if for life or death


the matter indeed looked sutficiently serious for coming to the place whence the cries had proceeded he descried the figure of a man extended in an ap


parently lifeless state upon the pathway and hover ing round him another person with a torch in his hand which he waved in the air with a wild impa tience redoubling meanwhile those cries for help which had brought the locksmith to the spot


vwhats here to do said the old man slight ing


hows this


what


barnaby t the bearer of the torch shook his long loose hair back from his eyes and thrusting his face eagerly into that of the locksmith fixed upon him a look which told his history at once


you know me iiarnabyl said varden


lie nodded not once or twice but a score of times and that with a fantastic exaggeration which would have kept his head in motion for an hour but that the locksmith held up his finger and fixing his eye sternly upon him caused him to desist then pointed to tihe body with iinquiring look


theres blood upon him saad barnaby with a shudder


it makes me sick


low came it therel demanded varden


steel steel steel i lie replied fiercely imitating with his hand the thrust of a sword


is lie rebbed


l said the locksmith


barnaby caught him by the arm and nodded yes then pointed towards the city


oh said the old man bending over the body and looking round as he spoke into barnabys pale face strangely lighted up by something whsich was not intellect


the tobber made off that way did he


well well never mind that just now


hold your torch this waya little further offso


now stand quiet while i try to see what harm is done


with these words he applied himself to a closer examination of the prostrate form while barnaby holding thre torch as he had been directed looked on in silence fascinated by interest or curiosity but repelled nevertheless by some strong and secret horror which convulsed him in every nerve


as he stood at that moment half sirinkiing hack and half bending forward both his face anddigure were full in the strong glare of tire link and as distinctly revealed as though it had been broad day


he was aut threeandtwenty years old and though rather spare of a fair height and strong make


his hair of which he had a great profusion was red and hanging in disorder about his face and shoulders gave to his restless looks an expression quie unearthly enhanced by the paleness of his plexion and the glassy lustre of his large truding eyes


startling as his aspect was the eatures were good and there was something even plaintive in his wan and haggard aspect


but the absence of the soul is far more terrible in a living man than in a dead one and in this unfortunate being its noblest powers were wanting


his dress was of green clumsily trimmed here and there apparently by his own hands with gaudy lace brightest where the clout was most worn and soiled ant poorest where it was at the best


a pair of tawdry ruffles dangled at his wrists while his throat was nearly hare


he had ornamented his hat with a cluster of peacocks feathers but they were limp and broken and now trailed negligently down his back


girded to his side was the steel hilt of an old sword without blade or scabbard and some particolored ends of ribands and poor glass toys completed the ornamental portion of his attire


lite fluttered and confused disposition of all the motley scraps that formed his attire bespoke in a scarcely less degree than his eager and unsettled manner the disorder of his mind and by a grotesque contrast set off and heightened the more impressive wildness of his face


t barnaby said the locksmith after a hasty but careful inspection this man is not dead but he has a wound in his side and is in a fainting fit i know him i know him


cried barnaby clapping his hands


know him repeated tire locksmith


hush i said barnaby laying his finger on his litps


ile wot o today a wotng wouldnt for a light guinea that he should never go a wooing again for if he did some eyes would grow dim that are now as bright assee when talk of eyes the stars come out


whose eyes are they


if they are angels eyes why do they look down here and see good men hurt and only wink and sparkle all the night i now heaven help this silly fellow murmured the perplexed locksmith can lie know this gentl man


his mothers house is not far off i had better see if she can tell me who he is


barnaby my man help me to put him in the chaise and well ride home together


i cant touch him i cried the idiot falling back and shuddering as with a strong spasm hes bloody


its in his nature i know muttered the lock smith its cruel to ask him but i must have help


barnaby good barnaby dear barnaby if you know this gentleman for the sake of his life and everybodys life that loves him help me to raise him and lay him down


cover him then wrap him closedont let me see itsmell ithear the word


dont speak the word dont


no no ill not


there you see hes covered now


gently


well done well done i they placed him in tire carriage with great ease for barnaby was strong and active but all the time they were so occupied he shivered from head to foot and evidently experienced such an ecstasy of terror that tire locksmith could scarcely endure to witness his suffering