two of them the park and the bowery are large ele gant and handsome buildings and are i grieve to write it generally deserted


the third the olympic is a tiny show box for vaudevilles and burlesques


it is singularly well conducted by mr mitchell a comic actor of great quiet humour and originality who is well remembered and esteemed by london playgoers


i am happy to report of this deserving gentle man that his benches are usually well filled and that his theatre rings with merriment every night


i had almost forgotten a small summer theatre called niblos with gardens and open air amuse ments attached but i believe it is not exempt from the general depression under which theatrical property or what is hu morously called by that name unfortu nately labours


the country round new york is sur passingly and exquisitely picturesque


the climate as i have already intimated is somewhat of the warmest


what would it be without the sea breezes which come from its beautiful bay in the evening time i will not throw myself or my readers into a fever by inquiring


the tone of the best society in this city is like that of boston here and there it may be with a greater infusion of the mercantile spirit but generally polished and refined and always most hospitable


the houses and tables are elegant the hours later and more rakish and here is perhaps a greater spirit of contention in reference to appearances and the display of wealth and costly living


the ladies are singularly beautiful


before i left new york i made arrange ments for securing a passage home in the george washington packet ship which was advertised to sail in june that being the month in which i had determined if prevented by no accident in course of my ramblings to leave america


i never thought that going back to england returning to all who are dear to me and to pursuits that have insensibly grown to be a part of my nature i could have felt so much sorrow as i endured when i parted at last on board this ship with the friends who had accompanied me from this city


i never thought the name of any place so far away and so lately known could ever associate itself in my mind with the crowd of affectionate re membrances that now cluster about it


there are those in this city who would brighten to me the darkest winterday that ever glimmered and went out in lap land and before whose presence even home grew dim when they and i ex changed that painful word which mingles with our every thought and deed which haunts our cradleheads in infancy and closes up the vista of our lives in age


to be continued


the battle of life


a love story


by charles dickens


part


the second


i i have said marion hastily raising her head


you dont know what i do wouldnt know what i do


itufspeak to him


you are the best and truest friend in all the world for what you have said to me but i must take this step


will you go with me clemency she kissed her on her friendlyfaceor shalltgoalone


sorrowing and wondering clemency turned the key and opened thereof


to the dark and doubtful night that lay beyond the threshold marion passed quickly holding her hand in the dark night he joined her and they spoke together earnestly and long and the hand that held so fast by clemency snow trembled now turned


deadly cold now clasped and closed on hers in the strong feeling of the speech it emphasized unconsciously


when they returned he followed to the door and pausing there a moment seized the other hand and pressed it to his lips


then stealthily withdrew


p w


the door was barred and locked again and once


again she stood beneath herfathersroof


mot i bowed down by the secret that she brought there though so young but with that same expression on her face for which


i had no name before and shining through her tears j again she thanked and thanked herhumble friend and trusted


to her as she said with confidence implicitly


hfer chamber safely reached she fell upon her knees and with her secret weighing johcbearr could pray j i a half a could rise up frowherprayers so tranquil and i serene and bedding over her fond sister in her slumberlbokrujilnf her face and smile


though sadly murihurings she kissed her forehead hove thatgrachad greens mother to her ever and she lqeseriasachildi


l


y couidtdraw the passive arm about her neck when trying downorstit seemed to cling thereof its ownwilliroteptingwand tenderly even in saying


and breathe


wreaths parted lips god bless hurt


cpusirikiijtoa peaceful sleep herself but for a one festive rvyj pnecriedoitin sejr innocent iaintoupljng


voicelwtshewas quite alone and lifyjifotyftrgttenfipr as it a month soon passes even at its earliest pace


emqntj appointed to eclipse jieteenthat night and therurwasqickwvtj tang went by kejajvapqnry a


ltni the


day arrived a raging winter


day that shook the old house sometimes asifishivred in displays


djiytomakehdine


dpnblyhpme


to give the chimney corner


newdejugtiu


we shed a ruddy glow upon the


faces gathered round the hearth jauddraw each fireside group into a closer and more social leagues against the roaring elements without


such awinteidaasbebt preparesthewayi for shutout nightforcurtained rooms andicheerfulrlooks for music laughter dancinglighuandijovialientflrtainment tuv


allpress


theijootor had in store to welcome alfred backs they june w thathe


ctould not arrive tonight and they would make the night air ring beside the heiapprohohed


all


his old friends should congregate about him he should not miss


facettiathehadhoowaandlikedi


nplithey should eartoaebathemti was


arrows evans so ghuthmkibhue and miisiiasiis were


rsixaiw active feet and beautiful provision made of every hospitable kind


becauseitwaa the christmas seasons and his eyes were all unused to english holly and its sturdy green the dancing room was garlanded and hung with it and the red berries gleamed an english welcome to him peeping from among the leaves


it was a busy day for all of them a busier day for none of them than grace who noiselessly presided everywhere and was the cheerful mind of all the prep rations


many time that day as well as many a time within the fleeting month preceding it did clemency glance anxiously and almost fearfully at marion


she saw her paper perhaps than usual but there was a sweet composure on her face that made it lovelier than ever at night when she was dressed and wore upon her head a wreath that grace had proudly twined about itits mimic flowers were alfred b favourites as grace remembered when she chose themthat old expression pensive almost sorrowful and yet so spiritual high and stirring sat again upon her brow enhanced a hundred fold


the next wreath i adjust on this fair head will he a marriage wreath said grace dr i am no true prophet dear


her sister smiled and held her in her arms


a moment grace


dont leave me yet


are you sure that i want nothing more


her care was not for that


it was her sisters face she thought of and her eyes were fixed upon it tenderly


my art said grace can go no farther dear girl nor your beauty


i never saw you look so beautiful as now


i never was so happy she returned


aye but there is greater happiness in store


in such another home as cheerful and as bright as this looks now said grace alfred and his young wife will soon be living


she smiled again


it is a happy home grace in your fancy


i can see it in your eyes


i know it to be happy dear


how glad i am to know it


well cried the doctor bustling in


here we are all ready for alfred eh


he cant be here until pretty late an hour or so before midnight so therell be plenty of time for making merry before he comes


hell not find us with the ice unbroken


pile up the fire here britain i let it shine upon the holly till it works again


its a world of nonsense puss true lovers and all the rest of itall nonsense but well be nonsensical with the rest of em and give our true lover a mad welcome


upon my word i said the old doctor looking at his daughters proudly im not clear tonight among other absurdities but that im the father of two handsome girls


all that one of them has ever done or may domay do dearest fatherto cause you pain or grief forgive her said marion forgive her now when her heart is full


say that you forgive her


that she shall always share your love and and the rest was not said for her face was hidden on the old mans shoulder


tut cut out said the doctor gently for give what have i to forgive heyday if our true lovers come back to flurry us like this we must hold em at a distance we must send ex pi cases out to stop em short upon the road and bring em on a mile or two a day until were properly prepared to meet em


kiss me puss


for give i why what a silly child you are


if you had vexed and crossed me fifty times a day instead of not at all id forgive you everything but such a supplication


kiss me again puss


there prospective and retrospectivea clear score between us


pile up the fire here would you freeze the people on this bleak december night


let us


be light and warm and merry or ill not forgive j some of you so gaily the old doctor carried it


and the fire was piled up and the lights were bright and company arrived and a murmuring of lively tongues began and already there was a pleasant air of cheerful excitement stirring through all the house


more and more company came flocking in


bright eyes sparkled upon marion smiling lips gave her joy of his return sage mothers formed themselves and hoped she mightnt be too youthful and inconstant for the quiet round of home impetuous fathers fell into disgrace for too much exaltation of her beauty daughters envied her sons envied him innumerable pairs of lovers pro fitted by the occasion all were interested animated and expectant


mr and mrs craggs came arm in arm but mrs snitchey cause alone


why whats become of aim inquired the doctor


the feather of a bird of paradise in mrs snitrheys tarban trembled as if the bird of paradise were alive again when she said that doubtless mr craggs knew


she was never told that nasty office said mrs craggs


j i wish it was burnt down said mrs snitchey


heshestheres a little matter of business that keeps my partner rather later said mr craggs looking uneasily about him


ohh business


dont tell me i said mrs snitchey


j we know what business means said mrs craggs


but their not knowing what it meant was perhaps the reason why mrs snitcheys bird of paradise feather quivered so portentously and all the pendant bits on mrs craggss earrings shook like little bells


i wonder you could come away mr craggs said his wife


mr craggs is fortunate im sure saidmrsi snitchey


i that office so engrosses em said mrs craggs


a person with an office has no business to be married at all said mrs


snitchey


then mrs snitchey said within herself that i that look of hers had pierced to craggans soul and he knew it and mrs craggs observed to craggs that his snitcheys were deceiving him behind his back and he would find it out when it was too late


still mr craggs without much heeding these remarks looked uneasily about him until his eye rested on grace to whom he immediately presented himself


good evening maam said craggs


you look charmingly


yourmissyour sister miss marion is she


p


oh shes quite well mr craggs yesiis she here asked craggs


here


cant you see her yonder going to dance said grace


mr craggs put on his spectacles to see the better looked at her through


them for some time coughed and put them with an air of satisfaction in their sheath again and in his pocket


j now the music struck up and the dance com i menced


the bright fire crackled and sparkled rose and fell as though it joined the dance itself in right good fellowship


sometimes it roared as if it would make music too


sometimes it flashed and beamed as if it were the eye of the old room j it winked too sometimes like a knowing patriarch upon the youthful whippersin corners


some times it sported with the hollyhoughs and shining on the leaves by fits and starts made them look as if they were in the cold winter night again and fluttering in the wind


sometimes its genial humour grew obstreperous and passed all bounds and then it cast into thrown among the twins i ling feet with a loud burst a shower of harmless little sparks and ip its exultation leaped and bounded like a mad thing up the broad old chimney


at another dance was near its close when mr snitchey touched his partner who was looking on upon the arm


it


mr craggs started as if his familiar


had been a spectre a is be gone he asked


hush i he has been with me said snitchey for three hours and more


he went over everything


he looked into all our arrangements for him and was very particular indeed


herr humphris


i


the dance was finished


marion passed before him as i he spoke


she did not observe him or his partner but looked over her shoulder towards her sister in the distance as she slowly made her way into the crowd and passed out of their view


you see star nth and wells said mr craggs


he didorecajitovtbat subject t umpofew j ilv imwr nobaiword


r iimia and is he really few


lfchoiafisay he keeps to


his word


he drops down the riverwiththetidwthasheuofa boat of this and sogoesout to sea on this darkmightadare deviliheiiswforeithe wind


theres no such i lonely road anywhere else


thats one thing


the tide flows he says an hour before midnight about the time


im glad its over mr snitchey wiped his forehead which looked hot and anxious


what do you think said mr craggs a bomb


hush i replied his cautious partner looking straight before him


i understand you


dont mention names and dont let us seem to be talking secrets


i dont know what to think and to tell you the truth i dont care now


its a great relief


his selflove deceived him i suppose


perhaps the young lady coquetted a little


the evidence would seem to point that way


alfred not arrived


not yet said mr craggs expected every minute


i good


mr snitchey a trial histories again


i havent been so nervous since weve been in partnership


i intend to spend the evening now mr craggs


mrs snitchey and mrs craggs joined them as he announced this intention


the bird of paradise was in a state of extreme vibration and the little bells were ringing quite audibly


it has been the theme of general comment mr snitchey said mrs snitchey


i hope the office is satisfied


satisfied with what my dear asked mr snitchey with the exposure of a defenceless woman to ridicule and remark returned his wife


that is quite in the way of the office that is


i really myself said mrs craggs have been so long accustomed to connect the office with everything opposed to domesticity that i am glad to know it as the avowed enemy of my peace


there is something honest in that at all events


my dear urged mr craggs your good opinion is invaluable but i never avowed that the office was the enemy of your peace


no said mrs craggs ringing a perfect peal upon the little bells not you indeed


you wouldnt be worthy of the office if you had the candour to


as to my having been away tonight my dear said mr snitchey giving her his arm the deprivation has been mine im sure but as mr craggs knows mrs snitchey cut this reference very short by hitching her husband to a distance and asking him to look at that man


to do her the favour to look at him


at which man my dear said mr snitchey


your chosen companion im no companion to you mr snitchey


yes yes you are very dear he interposed


no no im not said mrs snitchey with a majestic smile


i know my station


will you look at your chosen companion mr snitchey at your referee at the keeper of your secrets at the man you trust at your other self in short


the habitual association of self with craggs occasioned mr snitchey to look in that direction


if you can look that man in the eye this night said mrs snitchey and not know that you are deluded practised upon made the victim of his arms and bent down pi estate to his will by some unaccountable fascination which it is impossible to explain and against which no warning of mine is of the least avail


all i can say is i pity you


i at the very same moment mrs craggs was oracular on the cross subject


was it possible she said that craggs could so blind himself to his snitcheys as not to feel his true position


did he mean to say that he had seen his snitcheys come in that room and didnt plainly see that there was reservation cunning treachery in the man


would i he tell her that his very action when he wiped his forehead and looked so stealthily about him didnt show that there was something weigh ing on the conscience of his precious snitcheys if he had a conscience that wouldnt bear the light


did anybody but his snitrheys come to festive entertainments like a burglar which by the way was hardly a clear illustration of the case as he had walked in very mildly at the door


and would he still assert to her at noonday it being nearly midnight that his snitcheys were to be justified through thick and thin against all facts and reason and experience


neither snitchey and craggs openly attempted to stem the current which had thus set in but both were content to be carried gently along it until its force abated which happened at about the same time as general movement for a country dance in which mr snitchey proposed himself as a partner to mrs craggs and mr craggs gallantly offered himself to mrs snitchey and after some such slight evasions as why dont you ask somebody else and youll be glad i know if i decline and i wonder you can dance out of the office but this jocosely now each lady graciously accepted and took her place


it was an old custom among them indeed to do so and to pair off in like manner at dinners and suppers infer they were excellent friends and on a footing or easy familiarity


perhaps the false craggs and the wicked snitchey were a recognised fiction with the two wives as doe and roe incessantly running up and down bailiwicks were with the two husbands or perhaps the ladies had instituted and taken upon themselves these two shares in the business rather than be left out of it altogether


but certain it is that each wife went as gravely and steadily to work in her vocation as her husband did inches and would have considered is almost impossible for the firm to maintain a successful and respectable existence without her laudable exertions


but now the bird of paradise was seen to flutter down the middle and the little bells began to bounce and jingle in possesses and the doctors rosy face spun round and round like an expressive pfigtop highly varnished and breathless mr craggs began to doubt already whether country dancing had been made too easy like the rest of life and mr snitchey with his nimble cuts and cappers


footed it for self and craggs add half a dozen more


do z now too the fire took fresh courage favoured by the


lively wind the dance awakened and burnt clear and high


it was the genius of the enemy j and present everywhere


it shone in peoples i eyesit sparkled in the jewels on the snowy necks of girls it twinkled at their ears as if it whispered to them slyly it flashed about their waists it flickered on the ground and made it may for their feet it bloomed upon the ceiling that its glow might set off their bright faces and it kindled up a general illumination in mrs griggss little belfry


now took the lively air that fanned it grew less gentle as the music quickened and the dance press ceeded with new spirit and a breeze arose that made the leaves and berries dance upon the wall astheyhadoften done upon the trees and rustled in the room as if an invisible company of fairies treading in the footsteps of the good substantial


revellers were whirling after them


now top no feature of the doctors face could be distinguished as he spun and span and now there seemed dozen birds of paradise fitful flight and now there were a thousand little bells at work it and now a fleet of flying skirts was ruffled by a little tempest when the music gave in and the dance was overs hot and


breathless as the doctor was it only made him the more impatient for alfreds coming xnythwbeen seed britain


anything been heard its in too dark to see far sir


too much noise in side the house to hear


i y m s s


thats


right


r


thb gayer welcome for him


how goes the time


r s jubttwelve sir


he cant be long sir


rhwnrt as far north twiw hinds lost nine hsawttes i from the chance he caught was light as he turned the corner by the bid church


led musically in the summer time mt the window


wotemsa never vomeearnedand wearidforitfir awayu i mr t ulm i


lagainjthejllght distinct and ruddy kindled he knew to give him welcome and to speed him home


he beckoned with his hand and waved his hat and cheered out loud as if the light were they and they could see anuhesrhimj as hecwshedtowrdd them through the mud and mire triumphantly stop he knew the doctor and understood what he had done


he would not let it be a sur prise to them


but he could make it one yet by going forward on foot


if the orchard gate were open he could enter there if not thelwall was easily climbed as he knew of old and he would be among them in an instant at i he dismounted from the chaise and telling the driver even that was not easy in his agitationto remain behind for a few minutes and then to follow slowly rayon with exceeding swifwessfriedthe gate scaled the wall jumped down on the other side and stood panting in the old orchard


there was a frosty came upon the frees which in the faint light of true clouded moon hung upon the smaller branches like head garlands


withered leaves crackled and snapped beneath his feet as he crept softly on towards the house


the desolation of a winter nightsat brooding on the earth and in the sky


but the red light came cheerily towards him from the windows figures passed and repassed there and the hum and murmur of voices greeted his ear sweetly in listening for hers attempting as he crept on to detach it from the rest and half believing that he heard it he had nearly reached the door when i it was abruptly opened and a figure coming out encountered his


it instantly recoiled with a half suppressed ery clemency he said dont you know me


don come in she answered pushing him back


go away


dont ask me why


dont come in


what is the matter


he exclaimed


i didnt know


i am afraid to think go back


hock


there was a sudden tumult in the house


she put her hands upon her ears


a wild scream such as no hands could shut out was heard and gracedistraction in her looks and manner rushed out at the door


grace l


he caught her in his arms


what is it is she dead


she disengaged herself as if to recognise his face and fell down at his feet


a crowd of figures came about them from the house


among them was her father with a paper in his hand a what is it


cried alfred grasping his hair with his hands and looking in an agony from face to face as he bent upon his knee beside the insensible girl


will no one look at me


will no one speak to me


does no one know me


is there no voice among you all to tell me what it is there was a murmur among them of she is gone


gone he echoed pled my dear alfred i said the doctor in a broken voice and with his hands before his fade


gone from her home and us


tonight


i she writes that she has made her innocent and blame less choiceentreats that we will forgive her prays that we will not forget her and is gone


with whom


where


he started up as fifth follow in pursuit but when they gave way to let him pass looked wildly round upon them staggered backward sunk down in his former attitude clasping one of graces cold hands in his own


there was a hurried running to and fro confusion noise disorder and no purpose


somerpro ceeded to disperse themselves about the roads and some took horse and some got lights and some conversed together urging that there was no trace or track to follow


some approached him kindly with the view of offering consolation sowe admonished him that grace must be removed into the house and he prevented it


he never heard them and he never moved


the snow fell fast and thick


he looked up for a moment in the air and thought that those white ashes strewn upon his hopes and misery were suited to them well


he looked round on the whitening ground and thought how marions footprints would be hushed and covered up as soon as made and even that remembrance of her blotted out


but he never felt the weather and he never stirred i i part the second concluded


pate on a threelegged stool


continued from our last


chapter vii


months passed on and the spring was gladdening againbut not all hearts


marys selfsacrifice had not been in


vainher pa


rents once more had a roof of their own to shelter them all was done that could be to prevent old dalton continuing his drunken habits but still ie obtained spirits in various ways


mary had written to him pointing out all she had done to make him com fortable and imploring rim to abstain from that drink which had been the cause of so much misery


he promised but a drunk ards promise is seldom kept


as yet she had not courageto visit devonshire she knew hodge after a long illness had gone as keeper to chudleigh on some of squire selbys property there more she knew not


she had indeed kept her word to woods she was a good and faithful wife but who might know in mary woods placid but smiling the rosy mary dalton who milked black madge


lt was a fine april morning and mr selby walked across his grounds he saw a man coining towards him his eyes bent on the earth


the man started at his approach and touched his hat


twas old isaac stone


a was oa isaac oione


good day isaac said the squire a fine day this for vegeta tion


ay zur answered the other sadly it be afine healthsome day formost things


im sorry to see continued mr selby that


your son has been obliged to give up his situa tion and return home


isaac looked up


he be very bad squire i in thinkin he answered


have you had good advice


i will send my doctor to him from thank ce koindly zur re plied the other but it wunt do no gude


hes had too many o they doctors im afeard


oh you mustnt fancy that said mr selby kindly nothing better than a skilful one or more necessary isaac


ay zur when they be all you zays but hodge never was well arter mary daltons marriage thof he wur weak loike afore yet he wur agettin better


but he conti


nued interrupting himsalf i maunttake up your toime zur wi our grievances


yes yes said the squire tell mei knew nothing of this


isaac then related the long courtship botween his son


and


mary and the sad ending


in her marriage for her parents sake


when he had told all he added with a shakeof thc head but he wur gettin better till the newdoctor seed un


what new doctor inquired mr selby who felt a deep in terest in thc sad tale


why you zee sur continued isaac there comd a gentle man from one day to walkthrough the grounds as yer honour leuves em open for all respectable persons and this gentleman met wi poor hodge and got axing him his complaint loike and then he zecmed to take au interest in the lad and gave us his card and comd nigh everydaywhich wur main koind squire hut hes killed the lad for all that


did he give him wrong medicines not understanding the case asked the other


noa zurnot that but our own doctor a plain spoken man used to call things by tliait right ames as we poor folks could understand but the tother he used all sorts of fine names as no cue could understand and tliis froightened hodge


and where is this man inquired mr selby gone zur gone arter doing all the mischief


and yet i doant think he meant itfor he wur main koind to the last and left us lots of descriptions as he called un but i didnt let hodge touch one on un


they might have done him good urged mr selby


some medical men like using latin terms especially to persons of your class isaac they think it will have more weight with you


tiley be wrong zur quoite wrong for thof we beantedicatd we doant care for foine names we can understand tother better


do ee think squire i should do a better dayswork if theyd christened me gustavus varser loike the young gentleman at temple court


noa foine names aint nowt and since ever that doctor has called things by all they words as no one compre hendnot even he himselfi do believe hodge has got worse and shakes his headb and says eeyther i shall never get well


there be too much about me wrong


i never did think we had such queer places about us before


what a mystery we mun be


loike machinery feytherone is wrong all wrong


i never shall get over itnever zee she agen


and then squire said


isaac sadly the poor boy sits him down and doant speak for hours may be and then hell start up wi what did t doctor call this feytherfor heres whele all be wrong


and he lays his poor thin hand on his breast


how often we seek other causes for an effect of nature


hodges father was convinced the doctor had hurried if not assured his sons death


poor fellow


he was fast moving onward fo that bourne of rest so sought by many the grave


a tendency to con sumption had rendered him unable to stand against his


heavy trouble


he had no incentive to live


why struggleon


he made no eftbrt but gave way at once


he would stroll over the grounds slowly andin suffering and only smile when rover


now himself again came to meet hima privileged truest in i i that domain or when he stopped to gaze at black


madge cropping the grass there at his earnest request


twas our last milkin feyther together


he said


bo ee get black madge here to graze


and she came somewhat i sobered but still something of her old look as on that evening j i when she upset her pail of milk andwitlv it the happiness of two lives


on such slight foundation is our earthly joy too often built


tujw holy mountain of la sa lette a pilgrimage of the year


bv thk eight rbv


bishop ullatikne chapter


v


the apparition


tho th of september toll on a saturday


it was also the eve of the fes tivsil of ouv lady


of the sevcu dolours


miiximin and melanie conducting


their cows came down together from the moun tain of la s alette upon the level or terrace called souslcsbuisscs


the day was serene the sky cloudless the sun shone brilliantly


tt was about midday for they heard the distant sound of the angelus bell


they mole their provisions and ate them by the i side of a little spring called ties wmrnes on the right of the little spring called seuia


when they had finished their repast they descended crossed the tveam and laid down their bags separately near the place where another spring sometimes flowed but was at that time dry though soon to become for ever famous


they descended a few more paces and then contrary to their usual habits as they afterwards said they lay down at a little distance from each other and fell asleep


molanio awoke first and not seeing the cows she awoke maximin


they thencrossed the stream together ascended in l straight line to the opposite snound and on turning round saw the cows lying on a gentle slope of mount gargas


they were about returning towards the driedup spring to pick up their bags but scarcely had thcy turned when they saw a bright and dazzling light


here we will give the recital of the children


we will give it exactly as they vavc it on the same evening to their em ployers as they gave it the next morning to the cure of la salette as alelanie re counted it the same day to monsieur pey tard the mayor of la salette as they gave it on the following days melanie to the in habitants of la salette maximin to the in habitants of corps and as they have constantly given it to all enquirers ever since


jy


melanibs eegitaii


we fell asleep then i woke first and


i did not see my cows


i woke maxi min


maximin i said quick let us go and look for the cows


we passed the little stream which went up straight before us and saw the cows lying down on the other side they were not far off


i was coming down first and when i was five or six steps off the little stream i saw a brightness like the sun it was far more brilliant but it had not the same colour


and i said to maximin come quick and see the


bright light down there and maximin came down saying where is it


i pointed to it near the little spring and he stopped when he saw it


then we saw a lady in the bright light she was sitting with her head in her hands


we were afraid i let my stick fall


then maximin said keep your stick if it does anything i will give it a good knock


then the lady rose up crossed her arms and said to us come near my children be not afraid i am here to tell you great news


then we crossed the little stream


and she advanced to the place where we had been sleeping


she was between us both


she said to us weeping all the time that she spoke i clearly saw her tears falling t if my people will not submit i shall be forced to let go the haud of my son


it is so strong so heavy that i can no longer withold it


for how long


a time do i suffer for you


if i would not have my son abandon you i am compelled to pray to him without ceasing


and as to you you take no heed of it


however much you pray however much you do you will never recompense the pains i have taken for you


six days have i given you to labour the seventh


i have kept for myself and they will not give it me


it is this which makes the hand of my son so heavy


those who drive the carts cannot swear without introducing the name of my son


these are the two things which make the hand of my son so heavy


if the harvest is spoilt it is all on your account


i gave you warning last year in the potatoes but you did not heed it


on the contrary when you found the po tatoes spoilt you swore you took the name of my son in vain


they will continue to decay so that by christmas there will be none left


j


and as i did not well understand what was meant by potatoes po mines dejerre i was going to ask maximin what was meauf by potatoes and the lady said to us


ah


my children you do not under stand i will say it in a different way


then she continued melanie continues the recital in iha patois of the country


if the potatoes las iruffas are spoilt it is all on your account


i gave you warning last year but you would not take iced of it


on the contrary when you found the potatoes spoilt you swore and in troduced in your oaths che name of my son


if you have corn it is no good to sow it all that you sow the beasts will eat


what comes up will fall into dust when you thrash it


there will come a great famine


before the famine comes the children under seven years of age will be seized with trembling and will die in the hands of those who hold them the others will do penance by the famine


the walnuts will become bad the grapes will rot


if they are converted the stones and the rocks will change into heaps of corn and the potatoes will be self sown on the lauds


do you say your prayers well my children


both of us answered not very well vlfidam


you must be sure to say them well morning and evening


when you cannot do better say at least an our father and an ijail mai but when you have time say morc


there are none go to muss but a lew aged women the rest work on the sunday all the summer ancl in the winter when they know not what to do the boys so to mass only to mock at religion


during lent they go to the shambles like dogs


i have you never seen corn that is spoilt my child


maximin replied


oh


no madam


for me i did not know of which of us she asked this question and i replied very gently no madam i have never seen any yet


you must surely have seen it you my child turning to maximin once when you were near the farm of coin with your father


the master of the field told your father to go and see his ruined wheat


you went both together


you took two or three of the ears into your hands and rubbed them and they fell all in to dust and then you returned home


when you were still balfanhours distance from corps your fathergave you a piece of bread and said to you here my child eat some bread this year at least t dont know who will eat i any next year if the corn goes on like that


maximin replied oh


yes madam i recollect now just this moment i did not remember


after this the lady said to us in french well my children you will make this to be known to all my people


then she ascended to the place where we had gone to look for our cows


she did not touch the grass


she moved along on the tips of the grass


i and maxinim followed her i passed before the lady and maximin a little on the side two or three steps


and then this beautiful lady rose a little from the j ground melanie raised her hand a yard or i more above the ground by way of illustra tion then she looked towards heaven then towards the earth then we saw her head no more then the arms no more then the feet no more we saw nothing more but a bright ness in the air after this the brightness disappeared


and i said to maximin perhaps it is a great saint


and maxi anin said to me if we had known it was a great saint we would have asked her to take us with her


and i said to him oh that she was here still


then maximin darted his hand to catch a little of the brightness but there was nothing there i any more


and we looked well to see if we could not see her


and i said she will not let herself be seen that we may not see where she goes


afterwards we looked after our cows


at this point melanie is asked did she tell you nothing else melanie


no sir q


did she not tell you a secret iifelanie


yes sir but she has forbidden us to toll it


q


what did she speak about melanie


if i toll you what about you will soon find out what it is


when did she tell you your secret


melanie


after speaking o the walnuts and the grapes


but before giving it to me it seemed to me that she spoke to maxi min and i heard nothing


q did she give you the secret in french


melaiiie


she told it me in ptitois


qhow was she clothed


she had white shoes with roses round them of all colours gold coloured stockings a goldcoloured apron j i white robe with pearls all over it a white cape over her shoulders with roses round it a white cap a little bent forwards a crown with roses round her cap


she wore a very small chain on which was hung a cross with a figure of our lord on the right were pincers on the left a hammer


at the extremities of the cross another large chain lull like the roses round the cape


her face was white and elongated


i could not look io her long together because she dazzled us


maxbjlvs recital


after we had given drink to our cows and eaten our meal we fell asleep basido the little stream close by a little dried up spring


melanie awoke first and she awoke me


to go and look after our cows


we went to look lor our cows and on turning round we saw them lying on the other side of thomountain


then as we weje coming down melanie saw a great brightness on towards the spring and she said to me l maxim in come and see this brightness


i went towards melanie then


we saw a brightness open and within it


we saw a lady sitting like this maximin sits down with his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands and we were afraid


and melanie said oh my grod


and she let her stick fall


audi said to her keep your stick do i will take care of


mine if it


does anything to us i will give it a good knock


and the lady rose u


p crossed her arms arid said to us


come near my children fear not i am here to tell you great news


and we felt no more fear then we went forward and crossed the stream and the lady came towards us for a few steps from where she was seated and she said to us


if my people will not submit i am compelled to let go the hand of my son c


hero maximin recounts the words of the lacty hi nearly the same words as melanie


he then continues his recital


then she crossed the little stream and at two steps beyond the stream without turning towards us she said well my little children you will cause this to be known to all my people


then she ascended some fifteen paces gliding over the herbage as if she were sus pended and moved on by other hands her feet only touched the top of the herbage


we followed her up the ascent


melanie passed before the lady and i to one side at a distance of two or three paces


before she disappeared this beautiful lady rose up like this


maximin marks with his hands an elevation of about a yard and a half


she remained suspended thus in the air a moment then we saw her head no more then the arms no more then the rest of the body no more she seemed to melt away


and then there remained a great light which i tried to catch with my hands as well as the flowers she had at her feet but there was nothing there


and melanie said to me it must be a great saint


and i said to her if we had known it was a great saint we would have isked her to take us with her


afterwards we felt great satisfaction and we spoke of all we had seen and then we looked after our cows


at night when we had got home to our masters i was a little sad and as they asked what was the matter with me i told them all that this lady had said to me


q tell me maximin when did the lady give you your secret


maximin


after she had said the grapes will rot aikl the walnuts will become bad


thou the lady said something to ino in french and said


you shall not say this nor this nor this


she also kept silence for a short time it seemed to me that she was speaking to melanie


q what oclock was it when you woke and saw the lady


it was about two or three oclock


i


such is the recital of maximin


on the few discrepancies in form rather than sub stance between the narratives of the two children i shall niake some observations later on


it is the common remark of the mystic writers that celestial apparitions cause dismay at first but end in consolation whilst those which are of an infernal origin show whatever attractiveness they may put forth at the very beginning but end in troubling the soul


and the recorded visions of the sacred scriptures bear out this rule


so far as this test is concerned i leave the reader to apply it to the simple narrative of these uneducated children


one feature runs through the whole of this case which as a proof of the sincerity of the children has struck me much and strikes me the more as i examine more minutely into it


in replying to those countless in terrogations which have been put to them of which whole volumes have been recorded whilst they thought but of describing the apparition and the circumstances attending their own share in it they have unconsciously ponrtrayed their own characters in all their lights and shades down to the minutest particulars and that with a truthful nos which nolliing but the fact of their having s thought and so acted at the time can explain


nor can it be explained how thev did so think and act and speak if they had


not before them the appearance they de scribe and had not heard what they say they heard


it was perhaps the instinct of this fact that led the times to admit


that the children were not the deceivers


maxi min was as restless as he always is


he was as free from what we must again call human respect


he kept to his stick


if it did anything he would give it a good knock


he could not make the same efforts to look as melanie


he took his hat off his head and twirled it on his stick and put it on again


with the end of his stick he sent the pebbles rolling about


various thoughts passed through his head


he says he had heard talk of sorceresses and hs thought she might be a sorceress


then when the beautiful lady spoke of the heavy arm of her soil he thought she meant that her son had been beating her for as ha at a later time explained lie did not then know that the lady avas the blessed virgin


nay as he said at another time though he knew there was a blessed virgin yet he did not know at that time ivko shevxw


melanie though almost as illinstructed as maximin was more reflective and had other thoughts


as stated to me by maximin the exact words in which after the vision had departed she found utterance were these


it is either crod


or my fathers blessed virgin or a great saint


maximin caught at the last words his ideas were changed and he regretted he had not asked the great saint to take them with her


in reading the many conversations takuii


down from the lips of the children or in conversing with them it is very remarkable as the abbe lioussclot has also observed how completely the whole form and presence of the beautiful lady is fixed and as it were stereotyped in their winds


indeed quite as much as her words


however new or unexpected the question they are


never at a loss they never require time to re member they seem to look for an instant as if at the type within thorn and their reply both with clearness and


confidence


and all their answers given as they have been to every rank and class of penons questioning with every degree of ability and under all possible varieties of circum stances and that for a course of more than eight years when brought together are found to have a consistency a keeping and a symmetry such that the last replies ten only to add a finer perfection to the picture which they sketched on the first day


thus whilst the prophetic words stand in their original simplicity unchanged and un added to this incessant agitation of enquiry has brought out a development in the de scription of the apparition


then the children have learnt the french language and have with time and the expansion of their minds acquired an accumulation of ideas and images as instruments with which to convey mure perfectly what has always remained pictured within them as it were with light on their souls


criticism will remark upon the more spiritualized form which the vision takes with these later explanations but then it should be recol lected that whilst the words


they heard were hot their own and have no analogy with their characters the descriptions of the vision emanate from themselves and at first their minds were ruile and their own speech imperfect


the evidence ujjon which to ese descriptions rest is derived more abundantly from melahie than from maxi min


she has naturally been more ques tioned on the subjects of appearance and costume


she looked and observed more


the restlessness of maximin made him less endure the exceeding brightness and hence he could not look into the face of the lady but only saw the headdress and the form from beneath the face


for the face he remarks was too dazzling for him to


bear


then again he was much the younger of the two


both describe the lady as unusually tall neither of them can speak of the materials or of the texture ofhei costume they describe the light which they first saw us incomparably brighter than the smi and when asked about its colour


they say tlere


is nocolour in the world


at all resembling it


in describing the lady the only ideas they can use are those of form light and colour


yet the colours they say are like noearthlv colours for dill is so brilliant


and yet one thing is described as far more brilliant than another


thus the pearls which covered the robe were very brilliant


the sleeves were deep and covered the hands and were crossed over beneath the breast so as


partly to cover the crucifix


the cross was yellow but bright the figure of our lord upon ifc was also yellow but far more bright


lately when tve superior of the mission of la salette was preparing a statue representing the appa rition for the church he wont as he told jne and asked maximin apart if the figure of our lord had a crown of thorns


nmaxi miu looked for a moment and said no


be then went and asked mehuiie


after an instant she answered no


the pincers and hammer were placed on the arms of the cross beyond the nailed hands


when told vaqiq was


no such thing as blue roses melanie linsueusd at once but there wore blue roses and roses of all colours


yet they declare that they were not roses they were so bright


there were none round the lower part of the dress as sometimes pictured but only round the feet


the apron descended nearly but not quite down to the length of the robe


melanie speaks of spangles covering this apron hut when spangles were produced she said they are not like these those are not brilliant these are poor


the greatest difficulty has been to obtain a correct description of the head dross


they use the word cap


and even point to caps as worn by pilgrims from one of the provinces as having some resemblance to it


in form


but when questioned more malanie can give no idea of any other sub ftamo in it than light as if it were formed dreams of brilliancy it bent forward at to


and wa not quite pointed


over the brow there was


a diadem of roses out of which the cap arose


but in the centre of each rose there was something exceedingly full of light


she calls it a mtujistei by which she always means something excessive r its brilliancy


and then a fine thread or riv of light came out of those bright centres wiiioli enlarged itself as it lengthened


thou there went up out of the diadem from lifvuon the roses something like brilliant ivarb which made a branch and then liriit


branches


the lady not only glided ovov the herbage without pressing upon it pitj hi crossing the little stream she glided o oat of the stones in the middle of it


no representation which has been produced can give the children any satisfaction


they say that nothing can give any notion of the beauty or


the brilliancy of the lady


then melanie speaks of the gentle sweetness of her voice as beyond all comparison


and maximin says of its sweetness


that all the finest symphonies of the church choirs which he has since heard are nothing to that voice


to complete this description i will add a letter of melanies which was written last year


monsieur


it is by command of our mother supe rioress that i do myself the honour of writing a few lines to speak to you of mary our mother and our protectress but what shall i say


who loved her so little before she showed herself to me on the privileged mountain and who yet love her so little


alas


i aui the most miserable of creatures


i am desired to say something of our lady op la salette but i can only repeat again what you have already seen in books nevertheless i may be able to add some little particulars which perhaps are not written


st


the blessed virgin was surrounded by two nrost overwhelming brightnesses


i know notkow to name the colour


of the first brightness which was seen by us and which extended for three or four yards around our mother


and thus in that light which was motionless the two wretched little cowherds were enveloped then there came forth from our


good mother another brightness more beautiful and bril liant which reached to us and moved and formed rays


i could hot look for long without my eyes filling with tears yet at that time i felt myself stronger to support it for if all had


not been supernatural even at the approach of the first light i should have been reduced to dust and we were so near the blessed virgin that a person could not have passed between us


ndly


ths blessed virgin had roses round the cape over her shoulders and round her shoes there were white blue and red roses from the centres of the roses there came a sort of flame which rose up like incense and mingled with the light that surrounded our protectress


in short it is more than possible that god without letting us know had changed our eyes so that we could remain so long a time as it were in a suu


at the moment that the blessed virgin spoke the sun we have on earth appeared but as a diiri


shadow so i am not as tonished that my eyes look upon the sun


as


if it were not so brilliant now as it seemed before the apparition


rdly


whilst the blessed virgin spoke to us she wept and shed many tears


oh monsieur who would not weep at seeing their mother weep


and yet our mother weeps over the ingratitude of her children


the tears of our good mother were brilliant they did not fall on the earth they disappeared like sparks of fire


the features of mary were white and elongated her eyes were very gentle her look was so kind so affable and attracted one towards her in spite of one self


oh yes one must be dead not to love mary


i one must be more than that one must have never existed not to love mary and to cause her to be loved


ah


if i could make myself heard through all the universe then i might content the desire i have to make mary to be loved


jesus and mary be ye known and loved by all hearts this is always my first morning sigh when i awake


have the great kindness monsieur uot to lorget me m your prayers and however unworth i will pray for you


accept the homage of piofound respect with which i sun monsieur your very hum ble servant sister mary of the cross the least of religious


the holy mountain


la sa


letter pilgrimage of the yeah


i by tiieught


rev


bishop ulkatooltnb


citaptlsrvi the event


ajtir the apa ih


rition


h hesofch of september the day following i the apparition was sunday


and early that p morning the children were sent by their l employers to toll their narrative to the cure i of the parish


the abbe perrin cure of la i salette was an aged and venerable ecclesiastic


at the parochial mass he told it in his sim plicity to his parishioners


some who had heard it already from the children had declared it


was theblessed virgin and he drew the same conclusion


he made it the subject of his exhortation and mingling his tears with those of his people he spoke of the anger of the son of god against blasphemers and against those who neglected the day of the lord


this gave it publication


but no one suspected the good cure of having devised a iuble


he neither knew maxiniin who had been in his parish but live or six days nor melanie who for the nine months she had been there had seldom come to the church


he did not even know that part of the moun tain


he had never had occasion to make the laborious ascent to a solitude where only those who kept cattle went during the day tor a few months of the year


ten days afterwards the cure was removed for this act and a young ecclesiastic of the same name who was n stranger to the event was substituted in his place


this is that abbe perrin whose name appears in the later in vestisrations and who is not to be confounded with his predecessor


he is a young man of considerable acquire inents and of very amiable manners


j thesamemorningtheemployer of maximin took the boy home to his father at corps according to his promise and thus whilst melanie was evangelizing the apparition at la salette maximin wasdoingthesamething


at corps


the lather of maximin would not believe


but when he heard what had been said by the lady of the ruined wheat and of her repeating his own remark to his son when he gave him the bread then he believed


those who went up the mountain found the little driedup spring flowing copi ously


as the terrace was the common property of the commune of la salette and all its inhabitants had the right to graze upen it they weiie well acquainted with its pastures


since that time the water lias never ceased to flow it is beautifully clear and falls for the urenuui ui some tnree leeu down tiie iace or small rocks ranged in a semicircle


the water might constantly supply a pipe of some three or


four inches in diameter


the news spread rapidly and put vast numbers of persons in motion towards the mountain


within eighteen days of the event the bishop of the diocese had published amandate to his clergy enjoining them under pain of


suspension to be incurred by the very fact on no account to publish or encourage the


supposition of a miraculous manifestation upon which the proper authority had not spoken


and thus for twenty months the clergy of the diocese remained silent ob serving indeed and interrogating with the rest but with their months absolutely sealed upon the subject


but there came in numbers clergy from other dioceses lawyers physicians and persons of every class as well as the mul titudes of the poor


the children were con tinually subjected to examinations


they were taken to the place they were interro gated apart their statements were confronted suspicions were attached first to this person then to that but without any grounds no evidence would come up against them


so the children continued to be browbeaten coaxed tempted with bribes


threatened and crossquestioned in every way that human ingenuity or practised skill could devise


the civil authorities even mingled threats of im prisonment with their interrogations and the brigadier de gendarmerie produced cords as if to bind maximin


but no contradiction could be elicited no signs of fraud could be jjjghfcoutjnor could the children be silenced


tnry were to make the great news pass to all the people they said and they would rather die than neglect to do as they wer told


but it was asked of melanie if the blessed virgin commanded you to tell this to all her people you are not doing it since you remain here in the convent


melanie


i tell it


to all who ask me


q why do you not go and publish it in all the cities


the religious do not allow me to go


qlf the blessed virgin commanded you would you go


i would go


q


but if they were disposed to put you to death on this account would you not be silent


surely not


one could die but once and after i was dead i should never die more


do you like to speak of all this


melanie it does not affect me


q would you rather not speak of it


i should rather not provided people knew it


amongst others came the venerable bishop of ptochelle


this distinguished prelate made a journey of two hundred leagues to enquire and to converse with the children


on his return he wrote to the bishop of grenoble i have come back with a conviction which scarcely differs from evidence


and within eight months of the event he published the work in which he narrated the history of liis enquiries and gave expression to his own pri vate convictions


miracles through the instru mentality of the water of the fountain began to i be reported at a very early period and as the cases increased in numbers they began also to be enquired into


on


the first anniversary of the apparition amost extraordinary and unlookedforspectacle took place on the mountain


the anniver sary occurred on a sunday


it was antici pated that far greater than the usual number of pilgrims would come and in order thatthe obligations of the sunday might be satisfied the bishop allowed mass to be said for the pilgrims


but to the astonishment of every one for no measures had been taken to invite or to draw persons together and the clergy of the diocese were yet under the injunction of silence from fifty to


sixty thousand persons of all classes came together on the mountain


they arrived from all parts of prance anc even from other countries


amongst them were two hundred and fifty clergymen


though as yet there was neither habitation nor place of shelter and the rain fell heavily from eight oclock the night before until ten next morning fifteen hundred


persons passed the night on themouhtain


and by one in the morning illuminating the darkness with torchlight the head of a procession began to ascend the mountain whilst its farther extremities extended some twelve or fifteen miles along the roads in the direction of gap and grenoble besides crowding the different paths of the mountain and every hour of j the morning poured some thousands of persons i upon the scene of the apparition


two i altars were erected and covered over with sheds and on these the holy sacrafice was offered some thirty or forty times


pressed together as this vast multitude was yet by all accounts there was no disorder


only four gensdarmes were on the spot and their sole occupation was to open the passage to the altars for the communicants or to the foun tain for those who came to drink of its waters


a thick cloud covered the mountain and filled the valleys beneath so that for a considerable time the pilgrims could only see the masses of human heads buried in the fog for the distance of a hundred paces from where they severally stood though the whole breadth of the mountain resounded with pious canticles


at last the sun raised the cloud from the top of the mountain and revealed the entire scene whilst the stream of fresh arrivals were emerging out of the mists that still lay below


the magnificat was chanted in two choirs by some thirty thousand voices


and then an ecclesiastic tall of stature and with stentorian voice rose up abovethe multi tude and cried out over the vast assembly


my brethren let us pray for france


then one common emotion united the hearts of all in one and their prayers for their country were offered up with many tears


mary had indeed called her people together through the voice of her young apostles


they were there those two simple children almost forgotten in the multitude


and it was only a year since they had been there alone with mary in their company


there has never been such anotheassemblage though the anniversary has not once passed without calling together many thousands


barnaby rudge


o chapter xli


dolly hugged her father as has been already stated and having hugged her mother also accom panied both into the little parlour where the cloth was already laid for dinner and where miss miggs a trifle more rigid and bony than of yore received her with a sort of hysterical gasp intendedfor a smile


into the hands off that young virgin site delivered her bonnet and walking dress dill of a dreadful artful and designing kind and then said with a laugh which rivalled the locksmiths music how glad i always am to be at home again


andhow glad we always are doll said her father putting back the dark hair from her sparkling eyes to have you at home


givemea kiss


if there hrid been anybody of the male kind there to see her do itbut there was not it was a mercy idont like your being at the warren said the locksmith i cant bear to have you out of my sight


and what is the news over yonder doll


what news there is i thinkyouknow already replied his daughter


i am sure vou do though


ay cried the locksmith whats that coing come said dolly you know very well


iwant you to tell me why


mr haredale


oh how gruff he is again to be surehas been away from home for some days past and why he is travelling about we know he istravelling because of hisletters without telling his own niech why or wherefore


miss emmp doesnt want to know ll swear returned the locksmith i dont know that said dolly


but i do at any rate


do tell me


why is he so secret and what is this ghoststory which nobody is to tell miss emma and which seems to be mixed up with ihis going away


now i see your know by your colouring so


wat tile story means or is or has to do with it i know no more


tian you my dear returned the locksmith exceptthat its some foolish fear of little solomons which has indeed no meaning in it i suppose


as to mr haredales journey he goes as i believe yes said dolly


as i believe resumed thelocksmitlh pinching her cheek on business doll


what it may be is quite another matter


read blue beard and dont be too curious pet its no business of yours or mine depend upon that andheres dinner which is much more to thie purpose


dolly might have remonstrated against this sum


mary dismissal of the subject notwithstanding the sappearance of dinner but at themention of blue beard mrs varden interposed protesting she could not find it in her conscience to sit tamely by and hear her child recommended to peruse the adventlres of a turk and mussulmanfar less of a fabulous turk which she consaidred that potentate to be


site held that in such stirring and tremendous times as those in which they lived it would be much more to the purpose if dolly became a regular


subscriber to the thunderer where she would have an oppor


tunity of reading lord george gordons speeches word for word which would be a greater comfort and solace to her than ahrundred and fifty blue beards ever could impart


she appealed in sup


port of thin proposition to miss miggs then to waiting who said that indeed the peace of mind she had derived from the perusal ofihat paper generally but espeyially of one article of the very last week as ever was entitled great britain drenched in gore exceeded all belief the same composition she added had aleo wrought such a comforting effect o


i tihe mind of a married sister of hers then resident at golden lidn court number twentysivin second bellhandle on tile right hand doorpost that being in a delicate state of health and in fact expecting an addition to hier family she had been seized with fits directly after its perusal and had raved of the inquisition ever since to the great improvement of her husband and friends


miss miggs went on to say that she would recommend all those whose hearts were hardenedto hear lord george them


selves whom she commended first in respect of iris steady


protestantism


then of his oratory then of his eyes then of his nose then of his legs and lastly of his figure generally which she looked upon as fit for any statue prince or angel to which sani timent mrs varden fully subscribed


mrs varden having cut in looked at a box upon the mantleshelf painted in imitation of a very red


brick dwellinghouse with a yellow roof having at top a real chimney down which voluntary subscrib ers dropped their silver gold or pence into the parlour and on the door the counterfeit presentment of a brass plate whereon was legibly inscribed protestant association and looking at it said that it was to her a source of poignant misery to think that varden never had of all his substance dropped anything into that temple save once in secret as she afterwards discovered two fragments of tobaccopipe which she hoped would


not be put down to his last account


that dolly sithe was grieved to say was no less backward in hier contri butions better loving as it seemed to purchase ribbons and such gauds than to encourage tie great cause then in such heavy tribulation and that sihe did entreat her her father she much feared could not be moved not to despise but imitate the bright example of miss miggs who flung her wages as it were into the very countenance of the pope and bruised his features with her quarters money


oh mim said


miggs dont relude to that i had no intentions mim that nobody should know


such sacrifices as i can make are quitera widders mite


itsall


i have cried migga with a great burst of tears for with her they never came on by dogrees but its made up to me in othier ways its well made up


lthis was ejuitetrue though not perhaps in the sense that migga intended


as she never failed to


keep her selfdenial full in mrsvardens view it drew forth so many gifts of caps and gowns and other articles of dress that upon the whole the ied brick house was perhaps thebest investment for her small capital she could possibly have hit upon returning her interest at therate of seven or eight per cent


in money and fifty at least in personal repute and credit


you neednt cry minggs said mrsvsrden herself in tears you neednt be ashamed of it though your poor mistress is on the same side


miggs howled at this remark in a peculiarly dismal way nnd said shie knowed that master hated her


thatit was a dreadful thing to live in families and have dislikes and not give satisfactions


lthat to make divisione was a thing she could not abear to think of neither could her feelings let her do it


that if it was masters wishes as shie and him shlould part it was best they should part and she hoped he mnight be the happier for it and always wishes him well and that he might find somebody as would meist hiis dispositions


it would be a hard trial shd said to part from suchi a missis but she could meet any suffering whenher conscience told her site was in tile rights and therefore she was willing even to go that lengths


she did not think she added that she could long survive tihe separa tions but as she was hated and looked upon unpleasant perhaps her dying as soon as possible would be the best endings for all parties


wlth tihles affecting conclusion miss miggs shed more tears and sobbed abundantly


can you bear this varden saold iis wife in a solemn voice laying down her knife andfork why not very well my dear rejoined the locksmith but iltry to keep my temnper


dont let thiere be words on my account mim sobbed miggs


its muchl thre best that we should pastt


i wouldnt stayohi gracious tneland make dissonsions not for a annual gold mine and found in tea and sugar


lest tle reonatder sirnould be at any loss to discover tite captse of lissa mliggss deep emotion it may be whisporedr apart that happening to be ilsteuing as her cstorn sometimes wnas wihen gabriel and lils wife conversedt irgelthecrse hn had heard the locnkamiths joke relative to tlhe forceign black whio played tile tambourine and bursting with the spiteful feelings which the taunt awoke in her fair breast explgieed in the manner we have witnessed


matters hitig now arrived at a crisis the locksmith as usual and for the sake of peace and quietness gave i what are you crying for girl lihe said


whats the matter with you


what are you talking about hatred for


i dont hate yon i dont


hate anybody


dry your eyes and make yourself agreeable in heavens name and let us all be happy while we can


the allied powers deeming it good generalship to consider this a sufficient apology on thepart of


ther enemy and confession of having been in tihe wrong did dry their eyes and take it in good parit


miss mliggs observed that she bore no malice no not to holergreatest foe whom she raher loved the more indeed the greater persecution she sustained


mrs vaiden approved of this meek and forgiving spirit in high terms andaccidentallydeclared as a closing article of agreement that dolly should accompany heir to the clerkenwell branch of the association that very night


this was an extraordinary instance ofher great prudence and policy having had thi end in view from the first and entertaining a secret misgiving that the lockamih lwho was bold when dolly was in question bllffd object sire had back


ed miss miggs up to this point in order that sihe might have him at a disadvantage


the mancauvre succeeded so well that gabriel only made a wry face and with the warning he had just had fresh in his mind did not dare to say one word


the difference ended therefore in miggs being presented with a gown by mrs varden and halfa crown by dolly as if she had eminently distin


guished herselfin the paths of morality and goodness


mrs v according to custom expressed her lhope that varden would take a lesson from what had passed and learn more generous conduct


forlthe time to come and the dinner being now cold and nobodys appetite being very iucht impiroved by what had passed they went oawith it as mrs varden said like christians as


there was to be a grand parade of the royal east london volunteers that afternoon the lock


smith did no more work but sat down comfortably with his pipe in his mouth and his arm round his pretty daughters wiist looking lovingly on mrs v


from time to timee and exhibiting from the crowd of his head to the sole of his foot one smiling surface of good humour


andto be sure when it was time to dress him in his regimentals whenudolly hanging about him in all kinds of gracefulwinning ways helped to button and buckle and brush him up and get him into one of the tightest coats that ever was made by moitaltailor he the proudest father in all england


what a handy jade it is i said the locksmilli to mrs varden who stood by with folded hands rather proud of her husband toowhile miggs held his cap and sword at arms length as if mistrusting


that the latter might run some one through the body of its own accord buit never marry a soldier doll my dear


dolly didnt ask why not or say a word indeed but stooped her head down very


low to tie his sash


i never wear this dress said honest gabriel


but ithink of poor joe willet


i loved joel lhe was always a favourite of mine


poor joeldeari heart my girl dont tie me in so tight


dollylaighednot like herself at allthe strangest little laugh that could beandheld her head down


lower still


poor joe i resumed the


locksmith muttering to himself i always wish lie had come to me


i jht have made it up between them if ihe had


i


old john made a great mistake in his wayof cig by that lad a great mistake


hiavo you early tied that sash mydear


what an illmade sash it wasl there it was


loose again and trailing on the ground


dolly was obliged to kneel down and recommence at the


beginning


never mind youngwillet varden said his wife frowning you might find some one more deserving to talk about i think


miss miggs gave a great sniff to the same effect


nay martha cried the locksmith dont let us bear too hard upon him


if the lad is dsead


indeed well deal kindly by his memory


i a runaway and a vagabond l said mrs varden


miss miggs expressed her conmcurrenco as before


a runaway my dear but not a vagabond returned the locksmith in a gentle tone


hlo behaved himself well did joealways and was a handsome manly fellow


dontcall him a vaigs bond martha mrs varden coughedand sodid mliggs


he tried hard to gain your good opinion martha i can tell you said the locksmith smiling and stroking his chin


al i that he did t seems but yesterday that he followed me out to tlie maypole door onenight and begged me not to say how like a boy they used himsay here at home he meant thoughat the time i recollect i didnt understand


and hows mlissdpolly sir says joe pursued the locksmith miring sorrowfully


ah i poor joel well i declare cried migg


oh i good


ness gracious me


whats the matter now v said gabriel turning sharply to her


t why if here ant miss dolly said the hand maid stooping down to look into her face a giving way to floods of tears


oh mim i oh sir italy its give me such a turn cried the susceptible damsel pressing her hand upon


her side to quell the palpitation of her heart that you might kndck me down with a feather


the locksmith after glancing at miss miggs as if lie could have wished to have a feather brought straightway looked on with a broad stare while dolly hurried away followed by that sympathising young woman then turning to his wife stammered out is


dolly ill


have i done anything i isit my fault


your fault i cried mranv reproachfully thereyou had better minake liaste out a what have i donle saild poor gabriel


it was agreed that mredwards name was neverto be mentioned and i have not spoken of hini hlave mrs varden merely replied that she had


no patiencewish him and bounced off after the other two


the unfortunate locksmith wouiid


hisesah about himn girded on his iword put on his cap and walked out


i am not much of a dab at my exercise lie said under his breath but i shall get into fewei scrapes at that work than at this


every man came into the world for somethltng my department seems to be to make every woman cry without meaning it


its rather hard i


but hie forgot it before he reached the end of


tbhe street and wont on with a shining face nodding to the neighbours and showering about hris friendly greeting


like mild spring rain


to he rohtinued chinrse notion of goland a chinese treatise on geography contains the fol


lowing description of england thes kingdom of yigkehlis england is a dependant or triblrery state of iilan llolland


their garments and manners in eating and drinking are tihe same


the males us tmuch cloth and like to drink wine


the females before imarriagei bind the waist ibeing desirous to look slender


their hair hangs in curl


over their necks they use a shaort garment and petticoats but dlresas in a larger clothl wlhen they go ont


ithley take snuff out of boxes made of gotl and thlreatds


this is a lit parallel to tire account piveno of our country by the greek monik mlnlalus in tit paschlal chroenicle r ilriti is ai cirybuilt iy olaudius cmsar on thie lrders of tlhe oceanii


i lpttrantciitss opinion ot monfy


lie who expands it properly is its master hie who lays it up its kteper hie who loves it a fool hie whli fears it a slavt anti iie who aldores it an idolater


mfemttor the story oe


a feather


jj bouffltut srtrelb chapter rv patty butler the featherdresser


the garrets of the poorpattys mothermr


lintly the apothe cary continued from our last tub week that followed the th of august was a time of jubilee foi rejoicing throughout england


a prince of wales was born and as i heard numberless patriotic sages had at public dinners already prophesied in him another alfred


in his time all the virtues would walk the highways dropping flowers in theeveryday paths of mortals and rejoicing plenty unloose her golden sheave for the no more repining poor


the sky would wear a purer azurethe gladdening sun once more beam with the sanctifying fight it cast on eden the whole earth lie nearer paradise and once more angels talk familiauy with men as men were wont to talk with one another


the prince it was predicted from the tables of a thousand tavernswould be the paragon of mortals in his own great acts indicating to the highest the divine origin and end of man and showing the felly the littleness of all human mallee and all human selfish ness


george the fourth yet slept in his cradle when the spirit of prophesying thus walked abroad and played the sweetest notes upon its silver trumpet and tailors and gold iacemen felt a strange mysterious gladnessa lightening of tbe heart and pleasant spasm of the pocket patty butler dwelt in a long dark lane on the north side of the strand in one of those noisome pestilent retreats abutting on yet hidden by the wealth and splendour of the metropolis one of the thousand social blotches covered by the perfumed goldworked trappings of the harlot london


even to this place did the birth of the prince of wales bring gladness for patty butler smiled al dreaming grief might smile upon an angel aa luke knuckle mr flamingo lightporter some what suddenly stood before her


hush said patty advancing to him with upraised finger


m hows mother asked luke with a quiet earnestness


betterbetter luke and asleep


have you brought work inquired the girl with trembling voice and the tears already in her eyes


havnt you heard the news asked flamingos porter


what news should i hear in this place said patty


why to be sure you might as well be clean out of the world i not to have heard all about it


well i wouldnt ha believed it


cant you guess


patty with a wan smile shook her head


well then said luke not to teace you any longerfor god help you poor babe youve enough trouble for any sicwhat do you


thinktheres a prince of wales born i indeed said patty unmoved by the blissful intelligence


why where could you ha been not to have heard the bells ringing and the gunstobe sure this isnt much of a place for merry bells to be heard in at allbut where could you ha been


where could i have beenwhere could i go said patty m little impatientlyand then forcing a smile to her fading ups she askedand what luke can a prince matter to folks like us


well why you used to be a quick girldont you see the prince of wales as is come will make the fortin of feathers


its what they call one of his royal prerogativesthough for myself i cant say i know what they quite are


i know this much though old flamingos all upon the wing agin


theres work for three months certain added luke


fatty clasped her hinds in gratitude but said nothing


master said you must come to the shop and work or go without it but i talked to missusha i shed ha been a nicer woman after all if luck hadnt given her such good board and lodging told her how ill your mother washow youd starve beside her but wouldnt leave her so i got her to abuse master into a bit of goodness and so that you maynt leave mother ive brought the work to you


here the honest porter dis played myself and others to patty butler


you are always so goodnatured luke cried patty


i dont know about that said knuckle but after all it teems to me so easy to be goodnaturd i wonder anybody takes the trouble to be anything else


good bye putty i say the work must be done directlyfor master says he dont know when it wont be wanted


i wont stir luke till ive finished it that you may be ure of said putty with new cheerfulness and wishing her a cordial farewell and speedy health to her mother luke knucklethe lightporter to flamingo the court feather mer chantdescended the dark narrow staircase with the feeling of the finest gentleman for he trod gently anxiously lest he hould wake the sleeping sick


released from the case i could now look about me


i am sure i felt a thrill of pain as the place broke upon me


an august sun struggled through a narrow lattice as though stained and tainted by the gloom it had to pierce dimly show


ing the space of the apartment a space not encumbered by useless furniture


in a recess a nook of the room was a bed and i could hear thehard breathing of a sleeperbut only hear for a curtain of surprising whiteness hung between us


indeed every object wai wonderfully clean and displayed itself in con


trast to the meanness the homeliness of the material


all was penurybut penury in housewife attire


patty butler took me from my other companions looking earnestly at me


i have seen eyes exulting under coronets have felt throughout my frame the magic breath of beauty born with all earths pleasures for its handmaids have waved above and touched the velvet cheek of lady greatness yet have i never felt such deep emotion at when gated upon by the poor featherdresserthe girl of fifteen yearsthe drudge of a karret in


pestilent and feverbreathing alley


fatty would never have been beautiful bom in down and fed upon the worlds honeydue she would have passed for nothing handsome but she bad in her countenance that kind of plainness to my mind better than any beauty heaven has yet fashioned


her sweet gentle thin face trembled with sensibilitywith sensibility that sent its riches to her eyes glittering for a moment there beyond all worth of diamonds


i bave said she was really but fifteen she would have passed for twenty


from earliest childhood she was made to read the hardest words want povertyin the iron book of daily life and tbe early teaching had given to her face a look f years beyond ber age


with her daily misery bad anticipated j time


and she sits in that almost empty garret a lovely sacred thinga creature that redeems the evils and the wrongs of earth and in her quiet sufferingin her devotion constant to her heart as ber hearts bloodgive best assurance of a future heaven


she sits glorified by patient povertyby the sustain ing meekness of her soul by the unconquerable strength of her affections beautiful are queens on thronesbut is there not a beauty eternal m the beauty of the stars in placid want smiling with angel looks and gathering holiest power even from the misery that consumes it


for two nights patty scarcely took one constant hours re pose


still she worked her labour only intermitted by her frequent visits to the bedside where lay her sick mother


i baa seen the feet of the best operadancers heard them praised for their life ay for their intelligencetheir sentiment


vet have i seen nothing like patty butlers foot touching the garret floor from her chair to the bedside so gentle so affec tionate so noiseless yet so trembling at its motion lest she should wake her mother


caen day the doctornot the parish doctorcame


a neighbour had told bim of the sick woman and he bad acci dentally seen the gentle patty


mr lintly was a poor apotbe cary


it was at times a hard struggle for him not to tell the man who called for the tateso call again


he had no boot of a shilling from airs


bailer ten could his skill restore ber but morerise knew theses


of death waaon her consumption patty knew k notwithered iier


the third day i passed in um garret the doctor paid his morning visit patty had been up all night that night she had wtptbitterly wepthad risen very ova minutes to hover boat har soother who would still latjra har she was better touch batter


mr lintly the apothecary entered the garret


what chapista an woven rar mm of slaughter i what statuts enacted tomtnsuyingconqswrors


what notts of glory sounded raatjutapfaratiaa prtltaa to tbt gnupa of moodaheddlng i i have seen much of the ceremonies dedicated to these things and contrasting my late feelings with roy present with what new homage do i venerate the race of lint leythe men who like minor deities walk the earthand in the homes of poverty where sickness falls with doubly heavy hand fight the disease beside the poor mans bed their only fee the blessing of the poor t mars may have his planet but give me whatin the spirit of the old mythology might be made a star iu heaven the night lamp of apothecary lintly


and howhow is your mother asked the apothecary shown into the room by patty who with me in her hand had risen to open the door


she is better sir said pattybetter and asleep


the apothecary looked with a mild sadness on the girl and drew aside the curtain


her mother was dead


in tears and agony and numbness of heart and death about me i was prepareddrest for but of that in another chapter


to bo continued


barnaliy rulgi


cttaptttt xvii


it was a chilly night and the fire in the widows parlour had burnt low


er strange companion p laced tier in a chair and stooping down before the halfextinguished ashes raked them together and fanned them with his lint


front time to time he glanced at her over his shoulder as though to assure himrelf of her remaining quiet and making no effort lo depart and that done busied himself about the tire again


it was not without reason that he took these paits for his dress was dank and drenched with wet his jaws rattled with cold and he shivered froee head to font


it had rained hard during the previous night and for some hours in the morning but since noon it had been fine


wheresoever lie had passed the hours of darkness itis condition sufficiently be tokened that many of them had been spent beneath the open sky


besmeared with mire his saturated clothes clinging with a damp embrace about his litbs his bear unshaven itta face unwashed ilia meagre cheeks worn into deep hollowsa mote miserable wrete it could hardly be than this man who now cowered down upon the widows hearth and watched the struggling flame with bloodshot eyes


she had covered her face with her hands fearing as it seemed to look towards him


so they remained for some short time in silence


glancing tound again lie asked at length is this your house


it is


why in the name of heaven do you darken it give me meat and drink lie answered sul lenly or i dare do more than that


the very marrow in my bones is cold with wet and hunger


i must have warmth and food and i will have them here


you were the robber on the chigwell road


i was


and neatly a murderer then


the will was not wanting


there was one catne open me and raised the hueandcry that it would have gone hard with but for his nimbleness


i made a thrust at him


you thrust your sword at himt


cried the widow looking upwatds


you hear this man


you hear and saw


lie looked at her as with her head thrown back and her hands tight clenched together she uttered these words in an agony of appeal


then starting to his feet as she had done he advanced towards her


beware


she cried in a suppressed voice whose firmness stopped him midway


do not so much as touch me with a finger or you ate lost body and soul you are lost


hear me


he replied menacing her with his hand


i that in the form of a man live the life of a hunted beast that in the body am a spirit a ghost upon the earth a thing from which all crea tures shrink save those curat beings of another world who will not leave me i am in my despe ration of this night past all fear but that of the hell in which i exist from day to day


give the alarm cry out refuse to shelter me


i will not hurt you


but i will not be taken alive and so surely as you threaten me above your breath i fall a dead man on this floor


the blood with which i sprinkle it be on you and yours in the name of the evil spirit that tempts men to their ruin i as he spoke lie took a pistol from his breast and firmly clutched it in his hand


remove this man from me good heaven


cried the widow


in thy grace and mercy give him one minutes penitence and strike him dead


it has no such purpose he said confronting her


it is deaf


give me to eat and drink lest i do that it cannot help my doing and will not do for you


will you leave me if i do thus much


will you leave me and return no more


i will promise nothing lie rejoined seating himself at the table nothing but thisi will execute my threat if you betray me


she rose at length and going to a closet or pantry in the room brought out some fragments of cold meat and bread and put them on the table


lie asked for brandy and for water


these she produced likewise and he ate and drank with the voracity of a famished hound


all the time he was so engaged she kept at the uttermost distance of the chamber and sat there shuddering but with her face towards him


she never turned her back upon him once and although when she passed him as she was obliged to do in going to and from the cupboard


she gathered the skirts of her garment about her as if even its touching his by chance were horrible to think of still in the midst of all this dread and terror she kept her face directed to his own and watched his every movement


his repast endedif that can be called one which was a mere ravenous satisfying of the calls of hungerhe moved his chair towards the fire again and warming himself before the blaze which had now sprong brightly up accosted her once more


i am an outcast to whom a roof above his head is often an uncommon luxury and the food a beggar would reject is delicate fare


you live here at your ease


do you live alone


i do not she made answer with an effort


r who dwells here besidesv oneit is no matter who


you had best be gone or he may find you here


why do you linger


for warmth he replied spreading out his hands before the fire


for warmth


you are rich perhaps


very site said faintly very rich


no duubt i am very rich


at least you are not penniless


you have some money


you were making purchases to night


i have a little left


it is but a few shillings


give me your purse


you had it in your hand at the door


give tt to me


she stepped to the table and laid it dlowe


he reached across took it up and told the contents into his hand


as lie was counting them she listened for a moment and sprung towards him


take what there is take all take mote if more were there but go before it is too late


i have heard a waywvard step without i know full well


it will return directly


begone


wahst do you moan i do net atop to ask


i will not answver


mitch as i dread to touch you


i would drag you to the door if i posoessed the strength rather titan you should lose an instant


miserable wretch i fly froit this place


if there are spies without i am safer hteret replied the itan standing aghast


i will remain here


snd will tnot fly till the danger is past


it is ton late i cried the wldowe who had listened for the step and not to him


ilhark to that toot upon the ground


do you tremble to hear it


it isnmy son my idiot son


as alte said this wildly shore came a heavy knockitng at the door he looked at her and site at him


let htin comne in said the man htoarrely


i fear ham less than the dark houseleas night


het knocks again


let him come in the dread of this hour returned the widow lihas been upon me all my life and i wvill nsa


fevil wvill fall upton him if you steed eye to eye


my blighted boy i


oh i all good angels avho know the truth hear a peer mothers prayer


sod spare my


boy from knowledge of this man fhe rattles at the shutters i cried cthe mac


lhe calls you


that voice anti cry


i it was he wvho grappled nme in the road


was it he


she had sunk upon her knees and so knelt down tmoving her lips bitt uttering no sound


as lie gazedupon her uticeatein what to do or wehere to turn thu shutters flow open


lie hasd barel time to catch a knife from the table sheathe it sothe loose alcove of his coat hide in ithe closet and do all with the lightnings speed


when ibarnaby tapped ntthu bare glass and raised thtesasli exultingly


cliy wvho can keep out grip and me i lie cried thrusting in lila head and staring round tue rotom


are you there mother f hiow long you keep us from the fire atid light


shte statasnered come excuse and tendered hitim her hand


but barnahy sprung lightly in without assistance and ptig his arn round her neck kissed her a sundm moes


we have been afield motherleaping ditches scrambling through hedges running doswn steep hacks up sod sway and hucrrying on


the wind has been blowing and the rushes sod young plaois bowing and bending to it lest it chouand do them harm the cowardsand gripha its ha hbravo grip who cares for nothing sod when the wviod rolls him over in the dust turns manfully to bite it grip bold grip lhas quarrelled with every little bowing twvigtltinklng he told me that it mocked himand has aworrled it like a bulldog lie his ha i the raven in his little basket at lila nastiers back hearing this frequent mention of his name in a lonp of exultation expressed his sympathy by crowing like a cock and afterwards running over his various phrases of speech with such tapidity and in so many varieties of hoarseness that they sounded like mur tours of a crowd of people


he takes such care of me besides i said barnaby


such care mother i he watches all the time i sleep and when i shut any eyes and makebelieve to slumber he practises new learning softly but lie keeps his eye on me the while and if he sees me laugh though ever so little stops directly


ile wont surprase me till hes perfect


the raven crowed again in a rapturous manner which plainly said those are certainly some of my characteristics and i glory in them


in the meantime barnaay closed the window and secured it and coming to the fireplace prepared to sit down with his face to the closet


but his mother prevented this by hastily taking that side herself and motion leg him towards the other


how pale you are tonight i said barnaby leaning on his stick


we have been cruel grip and made her anxious


a anxious in good truth and sick at heart


the listener held the door of his hidingplace open with his hand and closely watched her son


grip alive to everything lila master was unconscious of had his head out of the basket and in teturn was watch


i ing him intently with his glistening eye


ho flaps his wings sail barnaby turning almost quickly enough to catch the retreating form and closing door as if there were strangers here i but grip is uiser than to fancy that


jump then accepting this invitation with a dignity peculiar to himself the bird hopped up on his masters shoul


r der from that to his extended hand and so to the ground


barnaby unstrapping the basket and put


ting it down with the lid open grips first care was to shut it down with all possible despatch and then to stand upon it


believing no doubt that lie had now rendered it utterly impossible and beyond the power of mortal man to shut him up in it any more he drew a great many corks in triumph and uttered a corresponding number of hurrahs


id othei


said harnaby laying aside his hat and stick and returning to the chair from which he had risen ill tell you where we have been today and what we have been doingshall i


she took his hand in hers and holding it nodded the word she could not speak


you mustnt tell said barnaby holding up his finger for its a secret mind and only known to me and grip and hugh


we had the dog with us but lies not like grip clever as lie is and doesnt guess it yet ll wager


why do you look behind me so


i did i she answered faintly


i didnt know i did


come nearer me


you are frightened i said barnaby changing colour


motheryou dont see see what j therestheres none of this about is there ire answered in a whisper drawing closer to her and clasping the mark upon his wrist


i am afraid tiete is somewhere


you make my hair stand on end and my flesh creep


why do you look like that


is it in the room as i have seen it in my dreams dashing the ceiling and the walls with red


tell me


is it


lie fell into a shivering fit as he put the question and shutting out the light with his hands sat shak ing in every limb until it had passed away


after a time he raised his head and looked about him is it gone there has been nothing here rejoined his mother soothing him


nothing indeed dear barnaby


look


you see there are but you and me


he gazed at her vacantly ond becoming reassured by degress burst into a wild laugh


but let us see lie said thoughtfully


were we talking t was it you and me


where have vwe been nowhere but here


aye but hugh and i said barnaby thats it


maypole hugh and i you know and grip we have been lying in the forest and among the trees by the road side with a darklanthorn after night came on and the dog in a noose ready to slip him when the man came by


what man


the robber him that the stars winked at


we have waited for him after dark these many nights and we shall have him


id know him in a thousand


mother see here


this is the man


look l he twisted his handkerchief round his head pulled his hat upon his brow wrapped his coat about him and stood up before her so like the original he counterfeited that the dark figure peering out behind him might have passed for his own stytadow


ha ha ha i we shall have him he cried ridding himself of the semblance as hastily as he had assumed it


you shall see him mother bound hand and foot and brought to london at a saddle girtl and you shall hear of him at tyburn tree if we have luck


so hugh says


youre pale again and trembling


and why do you look behind me so


i it is nothing she answered


i am not quite well


go you to bed dear and leave me here


to bed i he answered


i doot like bed


i like to lie before the fire watching the prospects in the burning coalsthe rivers hills and dells in the deep red sunset and the wild faces


i am hungry too and grip has eaten nothing since broad noon


let us to supper


grip


to supper lad