this ebook was one of project gutenberg's early files produced at a time when proofing methods and tools were not well developed. there is an improved edition of this title which may be viewed as ebook (#100) at https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/100 ******************************************************************* ******************************************************************* this ebook was one of project gutenberg's early files produced at a time when proofing methods and tools were not well developed. there is an improved edition of this title which may be viewed as ebook (#1531) at https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1531 ******************************************************************* java head by joseph hergesheimer 1918 it is only the path of pure simplicity which guards and preserves the spirit. _chwang-tze_ to hazleton mirkil, jr. _from dorothy and joseph hergesheimer_ i very late indeed in may, but early in the morning, laurel ammidon lay in bed considering two widely different aspects of chairs. the day before she had been eleven, and the comparative maturity of that age had filled her with a moving disdain for certain fanciful thoughts which had given her extreme youth a decidedly novel if not an actually adventurous setting. until yesterday, almost, she had regarded the various chairs of the house as beings endowed with life and character; she had held conversations with some, and, with a careless exterior not warranted by an inner dread, avoided others in gloomy dusks. all this, now, she contemptuously discarded. chairs were--chairs, things to sit on, wood and stuffed cushions. yet she was slightly melancholy at losing such a satisfactory lot of reliable familiars: unlike older people, victims of the most disconcerting moods and mysterious changes, chairs could always be counted on to remain secure in their individual peculiarities. she could see by her fireplace the elaborately carved teakwood chair that her grandfather had brought home from china, which had never varied from the state of a brown and rather benevolent dragon; its claws were always claws, the grinning fretted mouth was perpetually fixed for a cloud of smoke and a mild rumble of complaint. the severe waxed hickory beyond with the broad arm for writing, a source of special pride, had been an accommodating and precise old gentleman. the spindling gold chairs in the drawingroom were supercilious creatures at a king's ball; the graceful impressive formality of the heppelwhites in the dining room belonged to the loveliest of boston ladies. those with difficult haircloth seats in the parlor were deacons; others in the breakfast room talkative and unpretentious; while the deep easy-chair before the library fire was a ship. there were mahogany stools, dwarfs of dark tricks; angry high-backed things in the hall below; and a terrifying shape of gleaming red that, without question, stirred hatefully and reached out curved and dripping hands. anyhow, such they had all seemed. but lately she had felt a growing secrecy about it, an increasing dread of being laughed at; and now, definitely eleven, she recognized the necessity of dropping such pretense even with herself. they were just chairs, she rerepeated; there was an end of that. the tall clock with the brass face outside her door, after a premonitory whirring, loudly and firmly struck seven, and laurel wondered whether her sisters, in the room open from hers, were awake. she listened attentively but there was no sound of movement. she made a noise in her throat, that might at once have appeared accidental and been successful in its purpose of arousing them; but there was no response. she would have gone in and frankly waked janet, who was not yet thirteen and reasonable; but experience had shown her that camilla, reposing in the eminence and security of two years more, would permit no such light freedom with her slumbers. sidsall, who had been given a big room for herself on the other side of their parents, would greet anyone cheerfully no matter how tightly she might have been asleep. and sidsall, the oldest of them all, was nearly sixteen and had stayed for part of their cousin lucy saltonstone's dance, where no less a person than roger brevard had asked her for a quadrille. laurel's thoughts grew so active that she was unable to remain any longer in bed; she freed herself from the enveloping linen and crossed the room to a window through which the sun was pouring in a sharp bright angle. she had never known the world to smell so delightful--it was one of the notable mays in which the lilacs blossomed--and she stood responding with a sparkling life to the brilliant scented morning, the honey-sweet perfume of the lilacs mingled with the faintly pungent odor of box wet with dew. she could see, looking back across a smooth green corner of the wibirds' lawn next door, the enclosure of their own back yard, divided from the garden by a white lattice fence and row of prim grayish poplars. at the farther wall her grandfather, in a wide palm leaf hat, was stirring about his pear trees, tapping the ground and poking among the branches with his ivory headed cane. laurel exuberantly performed her morning toilet, half careless, in her soaring spirits, of the possible effect of numerous small ringings of pitcher on basin, the clatter of drawers, upon camilla. yesterday she had worn a dress of light wool delaine; but this morning, she decided largely, summer had practically come; and, on her own authority, she got an affair of thin pineapple cloth out of the yellow camphorwood chest. she hurriedly finished weaving her heavy chestnut hair into two gleaming plaits, fastened a muslin guimpe at the back, and slipped into her dress. here, however, she twisted her face into an expression of annoyance--her years were affronted by the length of pantalets that hung below her skirt. such a show of their narrow ruffles might do for a very small girl, but not for one of eleven; and she caught them up until only the merest fulled edge was visible. then she made a buoyant descent to the lower hall, left the house by a side door to the bricked walk and an arched gate into the yard, and joined her grandfather. "six bells in the morning watch," he announced, consulting a thick gold timepiece. "head pump rigged and deck swabbed down?" secure in her knowledge of the correct answers for these sudden interrogations laurel impatiently replied, "yes, sir." "scuttle butt filled?" "yes, sir." she frowned and dug a heel in the soft ground. "then splice the keel and heave the galley overboard." this last she recognized as a sally of humor, and contrived a fleeting perfunctory smile. her grandfather turned once more to the pears. "see the buds on those ashton towns," he commented. laurel gazed critically: the varnished red buds were bursting with white blossom, the new leaves unrolling, tender green and sticky. "but the jargonelles--" he drew in his lips doubtfully. she studied him with the profound interest his sheer being always invoked: she was absorbed in his surprising large roundness of body, like an enormous pudding; in the deliberate care with which he moved and planted his feet; but most of all by the fact that when he was angry his face got quite purple, the color of her mother's paletot or a hamburg grape. they crossed the yard to where the vines of the latter, and of white chasselas--laurel was familiar with these names from frequent horticultural questionings--had been laid down in cold frames for later transplanting; and from them the old man, her palm tightly held in his, trod ponderously to the currant bushes massed against the closed arcade of the stables, the wood and coal and store houses, across the rear of the place. at last, with frequent disconcerting mutterings and explosive breaths, he finished his inspection and turned toward the house. laurel, conscious of her own superiority of apparel, surveyed her companion in a frowning attitude exactly caught from her mother. he had on that mussy suit of yellow chinese silk, and there was a spot on the waistcoat straining at its pearl buttons. she wondered, maintaining the silent mimicry of elder remonstrance, why he would wear those untidy old things when his chests were heaped with snowy white linen and english broadcloths. it was very improper in an ammidon, particularly in one who had been captain of so many big ships, and in court dress with a cocked hat met the emperor of russia. they did not retrace laurel's steps, but passed through a narrow wicket to the garden that lay directly behind the house. the enclosure was full of robin-song and pouring sunlight; the lilac trees on either side of the summer-house against the gallery of the stable were blurred with their new lavender flowering; the thorned glossy foliage of the hedge of june roses on briggs street glittered with diamonds of water; and the rockery in the far corner showed a quiver of arbutus among its strange and lacy ferns and mosses. laurel sniffed the fragrant air, filled with a tumult of energy; every instinct longed to skip; she thought of jouncing as high as the poplars, right over the house and into washington square beyond. "miss fidget!" her grandfather exclaimed, exasperated, releasing her hand. "you're like holding on to a stormy petrel." "i don't think that's very nice," she replied. "god bless me," he said, turning upon her his steady blue gaze; "what have we got here, all dressed up to go ashore?" she sharply elevated a shoulder and retorted, "well, i'm eleven." his look, which had seemed quite fierce, grew kindly again. "eleven," he echoed with a satisfactory amazement; "that will need some cumshaws and kisses." the first, she knew, was a word of pleasant import, brought from the east, and meant gifts; and, realizing that the second was unavoidably connected with it, she philosophically held up her face. lifting her over his expanse of stomach he kissed her loudly. she didn't object, really, or rather she wouldn't at all but for a strong odor of manilla cheroots and the medford rum he took at stated periods. after this they moved on, through the bay window of the drawing-room that opened on the garden, where a woman was brushing with a nodding feather duster, under the white arch that framed the main stairway, and turned aside to where breakfast was being laid. laurel saw that her father was already seated at the table, intent upon the tall, thickly printed sheet of the salem _register_. he paused to meet her dutiful lips; then with a "good morning, father," returned to his reading. camilla entered at laurel's heels; and the latter, in a delight slightly tempered by doubt, saw that she had been before her sister in a suitable dress for such a warm day. camilla still wore her dark merino; and she gazed with mingled surprise and annoyance at laurel's airy garb. "did mother say you might put that on?" she demanded. "because if she didn't i expect you will have to go right up from breakfast and change. it isn't a dress at all for so early in the morning. why, i believe it's one of your very best." the look of critical disapproval suddenly became doubly accusing. "laurel ammidon, wherever are your pantalets?" "i'm too big to have pantalets hanging down over my shoetops," she replied defiantly, "and so i just hitched them up. you can still see the frill." janet had come into the room, and stood behind her. "don't you notice camilla," she advised; "she's not really grown up." they turned at the appearance of their mother. "dear me, camilla," the latter observed, "you are getting too particular for any comfort. what has upset you now?" "look at laurel," camilla replied; "that's all you need to do. you'd think she went to dances instead of sidsall" laurel painfully avoided her mother's comprehensive glance. "very beautiful," the elder said in a tone of palpable pleasure. laurel advanced her lower lip ever so slightly in the direction of camilla. "but you have taken a great deal into your own hands." she shifted apparently to another topic. "there will be no lessons to-day for i have to send miss gomes into boston." at this announcement laurel was flooded with a joy that obviously belonged to her former, less dignified state. "however," her mother continued addressing her, "since you have dressed yourself like a lady i shall expect you to behave appropriately; no soiled or torn skirts, and an hour at your piano scales instead of a half." laurel's anticipation of pleasure ebbed as quickly as it had come--she would have to move with the greatest caution all day, and spend a whole hour at the piano. it was the room to which she objected rather than the practicing; a depressing sort of place where she was careful not to move anything out of the stiff and threatening order in which it belonged. the chairdeacons in particular were severely watchful; but that, now, she had determined to ignore. she turned to johnnycakes, honey and milk, only half hearing, in her preoccupation with the injustice that had overtaken her, the conversation about the table. her gaze strayed over the walls of the breakfast room, where water color drawings of vessels, half models of ships on teakwood or spanish mahogany boards, filled every possible space. some her grandfather had sailed in as second and then first mate, of others he had been master, and the rest, she knew, were owned by ammidon, ammidon and saltonstone, her grandfather, father and uncle. just opposite her was the _two capes_ at anchor in table bay, the sails all furled except the fore-topsail which hung in the gear. a gig manned by six sailors in tarpaulin hats with an officer in the stern sheets swung with dripping oars across the dark water of the foreground; on the left an inky ship was standing in close hauled on the port tack with all her canvas set. it was lighter about the _two capes_, and at the back a mountain with a flat top--showing at once why it was called table bay--rose against an overcast sky. laurel knew a great deal about the _two capes_--for instance that she had been a barque of two hundred and nine tons--because it had been her grandfather's first command, and he never tired of narrating every detail of that memorable voyage. laurel could repeat most of these particulars: they sailed on the tenth of april in 'ninety-three, and were four and a half months to the cape of good hope; twenty days later, on the rocky island of st. paul, grandfather had a fight with a monster seal; a sailor took the scurvy, and, dosed with niter and vinegar, was stowed in the longboat, but he died and was buried at sea in the doldrums. then, with a cargo of sumatra pepper, they made corregidor island and manilla bay where the old spanish fort stood at the mouth of the pasig. the barque, the final cargo of hemp and indigo and sugar in the hold, set sail again for the cape of good hope, and returned, by way of falmouth in england and rotterdam, home. the other drawings were hardly less familiar; ships, barques, brigs and topsail schooners, the skillful work of salmon, anton roux and chinnery. there was the _celestina_ becalmed off marseilles, her sails hanging idly from the yards and stays, her hull with painted ports and carved bow and stern mirrored in the level sea. there was the _albacore_ running through the northeast trades with royals and all her weather studding sails set. farther along the _pallas athena_, in heavy weather off the cape of good hope, was being driven hard across the agulhas bank under double-reefed topsails, reefed courses, the fore-topmast staysail and spanker, with the westerly current breaking in an ugly cross sea, but, as her grandfather always explained, setting the ship thirty or forty miles to windward in a day. she lingered, finally, over the _metacom_, running her easting down far to the southward with square yards under a close-reefed maintop sail, double-reefed foresail and forestaysail, dead before a gale and gigantic long seas hurling the ship on in the bleak watery desolation. laurel was closely concerned in all these. one cause for this was the fact that her grandfather so often selected her as the audience for his memories and stories, during which his manner was completely that of one navigator to another; and a second flourished in the knowledge that camilla affected to disdain the sea and any of its connections. sidsall appeared and took her place with a collective greeting; while laurel, coming out of her abstraction, realized that they were discussing the subject in which nearly every conversation now began or ended--the solemn speculation of why her uncle gerrit ammidon, master of the ship _nautilus_, was so long overdue from china. laurel heard this from two angles, or, otherwise, when her grandfather was or was not present, the tone of the first far more encouraging than that of the latter. her father was speaking: "my opinion is that he was unexpectedly held up at shanghai. it's a new port for us, and, captain verney tells me, very difficult to make: after woosung you have to get hold of two bamboo poles stuck up on the bank a hundred feet apart as a leading mark, and, with these in range, steer for the bar. the channel is very narrow, and he says the _nautilus_ would have to wait for high water, perhaps for the spring tide. she may have got ashore, strained and sprung a leak, and had to discharge her cargo for repairs." "that's never gerrit," the elder replied positively. "there isn't a better master afloat. he can smell shoal water. i was certain we'd hear from him when the _sorsogon_ was back from calcutta. do you suppose, william, that he took the _nautilus_ about the horn and--?" laurel wondered at the unmannerly way in which he gulped his coffee. "he might have driven into the antarctic winter," he proceeded. "my deck was swept and all the boats stove off the falklands in april." "gerrit's got a ship," the other asserted, "not a hermaphrodite brig built like a butter box. you'll find that i am right and that he has been tied up in port." "i made eight hundred per cent on a first cargo for my owners," the elder retorted. "then there was trading, yes, and sailing, too. no chronometers with confounded rates of variation and other fancy parlor instruments to read your position from. when i first navigated it was with an astrolabe and the moon. a master knew his lead, latitude and lookout then. "eight hundred barrels of flour and pine boards to rio and back with coffee and hides for salem," he continued; "then out to gibraltar and brazil with wine and on in ballast for calcutta. tahiti and morea, the sandwich islands and the feejees. sandalwood and tortoise shell and beche de mer; sea horses' teeth, and saltpeter for the chinese government. i don't want to hear about your bills of exchange and kegs of spanish dollars and solid cargoes of tea run back direct. why, with your canton and india agents and sight drafts the china service is like dealing with a boston store." laurel saw that her father was assuming the expression of restrained annoyance habitual when the elder contrasted old shipping ways with new. "unfortunately," he said, "the patient chinaman will no longer exchange silks and lacquer and teas for boiled sea slugs. he has learned to demand something of value." "why, damn it, william," the other exploded, "nothing's more valuable to a chinese than his belly. they'll give eighteen hundred dollars a pecul for birds' nests any day. as for your insinuation that we used to diddle them--i never ran opium up from india to rot their souls. and when the chinese government tried to stop it there's the british commercial interests forcing it on them with cannon in 'forty-two. "look at the pepper we brought into salem--" he was, laurel realized with intense interest, growing beautifully empurpled; "--lay right off the beach at mukka and did business with the dato himself. we forded the bags on the crew's backs across a river with muskets served in case the bloody heathen drew their creeses. when we made sail everything was running over with pepper--the boats and forecastle and cabins and between decks." "well, father, the heroic times are done, of course; i can't say that i'm sorry. i shouldn't like to finance a voyage that reached out to three years and depended on the captain's picking up six or seven cargoes." the old man rose; and, muttering a plainly uncomplimentary period about the resemblance of modern ship owners to clerks, walked with his heavy careful tread from the room. "you are so foolish to argue and excite him," william's wife told him. laurel regarded her with a passionate admiration for the shining hair turning smoothly about her brow and drawn over her ears to the low coil in the back, for her brown barã©ge dress with velvet leaves and blue forget-me-nots and tightest of long sleeves and high collar, and because generally she was a mother to be owned and viewed with pride. she met laurel's gaze with a little friendly nod and said: "don't forget about your clothes, and i think you ought to finish the practicing before dinner, so you'll be free for a walk with your grandfather in the afternoon." soon after, laurel stood in the hall viewing with disfavor the light dress she had put on so gayly at rising. in spite of her sense of increasing age she had a strong desire to play in the yard and climb about in the woodhouse. already the business of being grown up began to pall upon her, the outlook dreary that included nothing but a whole hour at the piano, an endless care of her skirts, and the slowest kind of walk through washington square and down to derby wharf, where--no matter in which direction and for what purpose they started forth--her grandfather's way invariably led. janet joined her, and they stood irresolutely balancing on alternate slippers. "did you notice," the former volunteered, "mother is letting camilla have lots of starch in her petticoats, so that they stand right out like crinoline? wasn't she hateful this morning!" laurel heard a slight sound at her back, and, wheeling, saw her grandfather looking out from the library door. a swift premonition of possible additional misfortune seized her. moving toward the side entrance she said to janet, "we'd better be going right away." it was, however, too late. "well, little girls," he remarked benevolently, "since miss gomes has left for the day it would be as well if i heard your geography lesson." "i don't think mother intended for us to study today," laurel replied, making a face of appeal for janet's support. but the latter remained solidly and silently neutral. "what, what," the elder mildly exploded; "mutiny in the forecastle! get right up here in the break of the quarter-deck or i'll harry you." he stood aside while laurel and janet filed into the library. geography was the only subject their grandfather proposed for his instruction, and the lesson, she knew, might take any one of several directions. he sometimes heard it with the precision of miss gomes herself; he might substitute for the regular questions such queries, drawn from his wide voyages, as he thought to be of infinitely greater use and interest; or, better still, he frequently gave them the benefit of long reminiscences, through which they sat blinking in a mechanical attention or slightly wriggling with minds far away from the old man's periods, full of outlandish names and places, and, when he got excited, shocking swears. he turned the easy-chair--the one which laurel had thought of as a ship--away from the fireplace, now covered with a green slatted blind for the summer; and they drew forward two of the heavy chairs with shining claw feet that stood against the wall. smiley's geography, a book no larger than the shipmaster's hand, was found and opened to hindoostan, or india within the ganges. there was a dark surprising picture of hindoos doing penance under the banyan tree, and a confusing view of the himaleh mountains. "stuff," he proceeded, gazing with disfavor at the illustrations. "this ought to be written by men who have seen the world and know its tides and landmarks. do you suppose," he demanded heatedly of janet, "that the fellow who put this together ever took a ship through the formosa channel against the northeast monsoon?" "no, sir," janet replied hastily. "here are climate and face of the country and religion," he located these items with a blunt finger, "but i can't find exports. i'll lay he won't know a bengal chintz from a bundle handkerchief." "i don't think it says anything about exports," laurel volunteered. "we have the boundaries and--" "bilge," he interrupted sharply. "i didn't fetch boundaries back in the _two capes_, did i?" he thrust the offending volume into a crevice of his chair. "laurel," he added, "what is the outport of st. petersburg?" "cronstadt," she answered, after a violent searching of her memory. "and for manilla?" he turned to janet. "i can't think," she admitted. "laurel?" "cavite," the latter pronounced out of a racking mental effort. "just so, and--" he looked up at the ceiling, "the port for boston?" "i don't believe we've had that," she said firmly. his gaze fastened on her so intently that she blushed into her lap. "don't believe we've had it," he echoed. "why, confound it--" he paused and regarded her with a new doubt. "laurel," he demanded, "what is an outport?" she had a distinct feeling of justifiable injury. a recognized part of the present system of examination was its strict limitation to questions made familiar by constant repetition; and this last was entirely new. she was sure of several kinds of ports--one they had after dinner, another indicated a certain side of a vessel, and still a third was salem. but an outport--cronstadt, cavite, what it really meant, what they were, had escaped her. she decided to risk an opinion. "an outport," she said slowly, "is a--a part of a ship," that much seemed safe--"i expect it's the place where they throw things like potato peels through." "you suppose what!" he cried, breathing quite hard. "a place where they--" he broke off. "and you're jeremy ammidon's granddaughter! by heaven, it would make a coolie laugh. it's like william, who never would go to sea, to have four daughters in place of a son. i'm done with you; go tinker on the piano." they got down from their chairs and departed with an only half concealed eagerness. "do you think he means it," janet asked hopefully, "and he'll never have any geography again?" "no, i don't," laurel told her shortly. she was inwardly ruffled, and further annoyed at janet's placid acceptance of whatever the day brought along. janet was a stick! she turned away and found herself facing the parlor and the memory of the impending hour of practice. well, it had to be done before dinner, and she went forward with dragging feet. within the formal shaded space of the chamber she stopped to speculate on the varied and colorful pictures of the wall paper reaching from the white paneling above her waist to the deep white carving at the ceiling. the scene which absorbed her most showed, elevated above a smooth stream, a marble pavilion with sweeping steps and a polite company about a reclining gentleman with bare arms and a wreath on his head and a lady in flowing robes playing pipes. to the right, in deep green shadow, a charmer was swinging from ropes of flowers, lovers hid behind a brown mossy trunk; while on the left, against a weeping willow and frowning rock, four serene creatures gathered about a barge with a gilded prow. still on her reluctant progress to the piano she stopped to examine the east india money on the lowest shelf of a locked corner cupboard. there was a tiresome string of cash with a rattan twisted through their square holes; silver customs taels, and mace and candareen; chinese gold leaf and fukien dollars; coins from cochin china in the shape of india ink, with raised edges and characters; old carolus hooked dollars; sycee silver ingots, smooth and flat above, but roughly oval on the lower surface, not unlike shoes; japanese obangs, their gold stamped and beaten out almost as broad as a hand's palm; mohurs and pieces from singapore; dutch guilders from java; and the small silver and gold drops of siam called tical. she arrived finally at the harplike stool of the piano; but there she had to wait until the clock in the hall above struck some division of the hour for her guidance, and she rattled the brass rings that formed the handles of drawers on either side of the keyboard. later, her fingers picking a precarious way through bass and treble, she heard sidsall's voice at the door; the latter was joined by their mother, and they went out to the clatter of hoofs, the thin jingle of harness chains, where the barouche waited for them in the street. once camilla obtruded into the room. "i wonder you don't give yourself a headache," she remarked; "i never heard more nerve-racking sounds." laurel gathered that camilla was proud of this expression, which she must have newly caught from some grown person. she considered a reply, but, nothing sufficiently crushing occurring, she ignored the other in a difficult transposition of her hands. camilla left; the clock above struck a second quarter; the third, while she honestly continued her efforts up until the first actual note of the hour. "thank god that's over," she said in the liberal manner of a shipmaster. now only the walk with her grandfather remained of the actively tiresome duties of the day. after dinner the sun blazed down with almost the heat of midsummer, and laurel felt unexpectedly indifferent, content to linger in the house. only too soon she heard inquiries for her; and in her gaiter boots, a silk bonnet with a blue scarf tied under her chin and flowing over a shoulder and palm leaf cashmere shawl, she accompanied the old man across pleasant street and over the wide green square to the arched west gate with its gilt eagle and essex street. "will we be going on central street?" she asked. "no reason for turning down there," he replied, forgetful of the gingerbread shop with the shaky little bell inside the door, the buttered gingerbread on the upper shelf for three cents and that without on the lower for two. she gathered her hopes now about webb's drugstore, where her grandfather sometimes stopped for a talk, and bought her rock candy, gibraltars or blackjacks. it was too hot for blackjacks, she decided, and, with opportunity, would choose the cooling peppermint flavor of the gibraltars. the elms on essex street were far enough in leaf to cast a flickering shade in the faintly salt air drifting from the sea; and they progressed so slowly that laurel was able to study the contents of most of the store windows they passed. some held crewels and crimped white cakes of wax, gayly colored reticule beads with a wooden spoon for a penny measure, and "strawberry" emery balls. there was a west india store and a place where they sold oil and candles, another had charts for mariners; while across the way stood the east india marine hall. here her grandfather hesitated, and for a moment it seemed as if he would go over and join the masters always to be found about the museum. but in the end he continued beyond the essex house with its iron bow and lamp over the entrance, past cheapside to webb's drugstore, where he purchased a bag of peristaltic lozenges, and--after pretending to start away as if nothing more were to be secured there--the gibraltars. they were returning, in the general direction of derby wharf, when jeremy ammidon met a companion of past days at sea, and stopped for the inevitable conversational exchange. the latter, who had such a great spreading beard that laurel couldn't determine whether or not he wore a neck scarf, said: "barzil dunsack all but died." "ha!" the other exclaimed. laurel wondered at the indelicacy in speaking about old captain dunsack to her grandfather, when everyone in salem knew they had quarreled years ago and not spoken to each other since. "he was bad off," he persisted; "a cold grappled in his chest and went into lung fever. barzil's looking wasted, what with sickness and the trouble about edward." at a nod, half encouraging, he added, "it appears edward left heard and company in canton and took ship back to boston. he's there now for what i know. never sent any word to salem or his father. looks a little as if he had been turned out of his berth. then one of barzil's schooners caught the edge of the last hurricane off the great bank and went ashore on green turtle key. used him near all up." laurel saw that her grandfather was frowning heavily and silently moving his lips. the other left them standing and her companion brought his cane down sharply. "boy and boy," he said. "barzil was a good man... looking old. so am i, so am i. feet almost useless. laurel," he addressed her, "i want you to go right on home. i've got to stop around and see an old friend who has been sick." she left obediently, but paused once to gaze back incredulously at the bulky shape of her grandfather moving toward barzil dunsack's. that quarrel was part of their family history, she had been aware of it as long as she had of the solemn clock in the second hall; and not very far back, perhaps when she was eight, it had taken a fresh activity of discussion around the person of her uncle gerrit, who, it was feared, might now be drowned at sea. what it had all been about neither she nor her sisters knew, for not only was the subject dropped at the approach of any of them but they were forbidden to mention it. at home she was unable to communicate her surprising news at once because of the flood of talk that met her from the drawing-room. olive wibird and lacy, her cousin, were engaged with sidsall in a conversation often a duet and sometimes a trio. laurel took a seat at the edge of the chatter and followed it comprehensively. she didn't like olive wibird who would greet her in a sugary voice; but elsewhere olive was tremendously admired, there were always men about her, serenades rising from the lawn beneath her window, and laurel herself had seen olive's dressing table laden with bouquets in frilly lace paper. she had one now, in a holder of mother-of-pearl, with a gilt chain and ring. her wide skirt was a mass of over-drapery, knots of moss roses and green gauze ribbons; while a silver cord ending in a tassel fell forward among her curls. lacy saltonstone, almost as plainly dressed as sidsall, was as usual sitting straighter than anyone else laurel ever saw; she had a brown face with a finely curved nose and brown eyes, and her voice was cool and decided. "for me," she said, "he is the most fascinating person in salem." olive wibird made a swift face of dissent. "he's too stiff and there is gray in his hair. i like my men more like sparkling hock. dancing with him he holds you as if you were glass." "i don't seem to remember you and mr. brevard together," lacy commented. "he hasn't asked me for centuries," the other admitted. "he did sidsall, though, as we all remember; didn't he, love?" sidsall's cheeks turned bright pink. laurel dispassionately wished that her sister wouldn't make such a show of herself. it was too bad that sidsall was so--so broad and well looking; she was not in the least pale or interesting, and had neither lacy's saltonstone's thin gracefulness nor olive's popular manner. "it was very noble of him," sidsall agreed. "but he was extremely engaged," lacy assured her with her wide slow stare. "he told me that you were like apple blossoms." that might please sidsall, thought laurel, but she personally held apple blossoms to be a very common sort of flower. evidently something of the kind had occurred to olive, too, for she said: "heaven only knows what men will admire. it's clear they don't like a prude. i intend to have a good time until i get married--" "but what if you love in vain?" sidsall interrupted. "there isn't any need for that," olive told her. "when i see a man i want i'm going to get him. it's easy if you know how and make opportunities. i always have one garter a little loose." "laurel," her sister turned, "i'm certain your supper is ready. go along like a nice child." in her room a woman with a flat worn face and a dusty wisp of hair across her neck was spreading underlinen, ironed into beautiful narrow wisps of pleating, in a drawer. it was hodie, a methodist, the only one laurel knew, and the latter was always entranced by the servant's religious exclamations, doubts and audible prayers. she was saying something now about pits, gauds and vanities; and she ended a short profession of faith with an amen so loud and sudden that laurel, although she was waiting for it, jumped. it was past seven, the air was so sweet with lilacs that they seemed to be blooming in her room, and the sunlight died slowly from still space. by leaning out of her window she could see over the square. the lamplighter was moving along its wooden fence, leaving faint twinkling yellow lights, and there were little gleams from the windows on bath street beyond. the gayety of her morning mood was replaced by a dim kind of wondering, her thoughts became uncertain like the objects in the quivering light outside. the palest possible star shone in the yellow sky; she had to look hard or it was lost. janet, stirring in the next room, seemed so far away that she might not hear her, laurel, no matter how loudly she called. "janet!" she cried, prompted by unreasoning dread. "you needn't to yell," janet complained, at the door. but already laurel was oblivious of her: she had seen a familiar figure slowly crossing washington square --her grandfather coming home from captain dunsack's. gracious, how poky he was; she was glad that she wasn't dragging along at his side. he seemed bigger and rounder than usual. she heard the tap of his cane as he left the common for pleasant street; then his feet moved and stopped, moved and stopped, up the steps of their house. she was sorry now that she hadn't known what an outport was, and determined to ask him to-morrow. she liked his stories, that camilla disdained, about crews and hong kong and the stormy cape. the thought of cape horn brought back the memory of her uncle gerrit, absent in the ship _nautilus_. her mental pictures of him were not clear--he was almost always at sea--but she remembered his eyes, which were very confusing to encounter, and his hair parted and carelessly brushing the bottoms of his ears. laurel recalled hearing that gerrit was his father's favorite, and she suddenly understood something of the unhappiness that weighed upon the old man. she hoped desperately that janet or camilla wouldn't come in and laugh at her for crying. in bed she saw that the room was rapidly filling with dusk. only yesterday she would have told herself that the dragon in the teakwood chair was stirring; but now laurel could see that it never moved. she rocked like the little boats that crossed the harbor or came in from the ships anchored beyond the wharves, and settled into a sleep like a great placid sea flooding the world of her home and the lamplighter and her grandfather sorrowing for uncle gerrit. ii when jeremy ammidon sent his granddaughter home alone, and turned toward captain dunsack's, on hardy street, he stopped for a moment to approve the diminishing sturdy figure. all william's children, though they were girls, were remarkably handsome, with glowing red cheeks and clear eyes, tumbling masses of hair and a generous vigor of body. he sighed at laurel's superabundant youth, and moved carefully forward; he was very heavy, and his progress was uncertain. his thoughts were divided between the present and the past--barzil dunsack, aged and ill and unfortunate, and the happening long ago that had resulted in a separation of years after a close youthful companionship. it had occurred while barzil was master of the brig _luna,_ owned by billy gray, and he, jeremy, was first mate. in the exactness with which he recalled every detail of his life in ships he remembered that at the time they were off bourbon island, about a hundred and ten miles southwest of the lie de france. the _luna_ was close hauled, and, while barzil was giving an order at the wheel, she fetched a bad lee lurch and sent him in a heap across the deck, striking his head against the bumkin bitts. he had got up dazed but not apparently seriously injured; and after his head had been swabbed and bound by the steward he returned to the poop. there, however, his conduct had been so peculiar--among other things sending down the watch to put on sunday rig against a possible hail by the lord--that, after a long consultation with mr. patterson, the second mate and the boatswain, and a brief announcement to the crew, he, jeremy ammidon, had taken command in their interest and that of the owner. barzil had made difficulties: mr. patterson struck up a leveled pistol in the master's hand just as it exploded. they had confined him, in charge of the unhappy steward, to his cabin; where, after he had completely recovered from the effects of the blow, and jeremy had been upheld by the authorities at table bay, he stubbornly remained until the _luna_ had been warped into salem. from the moment of their landing they had not exchanged a word. jeremy was surprised to find himself at present bound toward the other's house. he was not certain that barzil would even see him; but, he muttered, the thing had lasted long enough, they were too old for such foolishness; and the other had come into adverse winds, now, when he should be lying quietly in a snug harbor. he had never paid serious attention to the threatened complication two or three years before, when gerrit had been seen repeatedly with kate dunsack's irregularly born daughter. he was sorry for the two women. it was his opinion that the man had been shipped drunk by some boarding house runner; anyhow, only the second day out vollar had been lost overboard from the main-royal yard, and kate's child born outside the law. it was hard, he told himself again, walking down orange street, past the custom house to derby. the girl, nettie vollar--they had adopted the father's name--was attractive in a decided french way, with crisp black hair, a pert nose and dimple, and, why, good heavens, twenty-one or two years old if she was a week! how time did run. it was nothing extraordinary if gerrit had been seen a time or two with her on the street, or even if he had called at the dunsacks'. barzil's and his quarrel didn't extend to all the members of their families; and as for the dunsacks being common--that was nonsense. barzil was as good as he any day; only where he had prospered, and moved up into a showy place on the common, the other had had the head winds. through no fault of his own the reputation had fastened on him of being unlucky in his cargoes: if he carried tea and colonial exports to, say, antwerp, they would have been declared contraband while he was at sea, and seized on the docks; he had been blown, in an impenetrable fog, ashore on tierra del fuego, and, barely making cape pembroke, had been obliged to beach his ship, a total loss. then there was kate's trouble. barzil was a rigorously moral and religious man and his pain at that last must have been heavy. jeremy ammidon's mind turned to gerrit, his son; this interest in nettie vollar, if it had existed, was characteristic of the boy, who had a quick heart and an honest disdain for the muddling narrow ways of the land. he would have sought her out simply from the instinct to protest against the smugness of salem opinion. a fine sailor, and a master at twenty-two. a great one to carry sail; yet in the sixteen years of his commands he had had no more serious accident than the loss of a fore-topgallant mast or splitting a couple of courses. it was gerrit's ability, the splendid qualities of his ship, that made jeremy hope he would still come sailing into the harbor with some narration of delay and danger overcome. he was now on derby street, in a region of rigging and sail lofts, block and pump makers, ships' stores, spar yards, gilders, carvers and workers in metal. there was a strong smell of tar and new canvas and the flat odor that rose at low water. sailors passed, yellow powerful scandinavians and dark men with earrings from southern latitudes, in red or checked shirts, blue dungarees and glazed black hats with trailing ribbons, or in cheap and clumsy shore clothes. there was a scraping of fiddle from an upper window, the sound of heavy capering feet and the stale laughter of harborside women. on hardy street he continued to the last house at the right, the farther side of which gave across a yard of uneven bricks, straggling bushes and aged splitting apple trees and an expanse of lush grass ending abruptly in a wooden embankment and the water. a short fence turned in from the sidewalk to the front door, where jeremy knocked. a long pause followed, in which he became first impatient and then irritable; and he was lifting his hand for a second summons when the door suddenly opened and he was facing kate vollar. there was only a faint trace of surprise on her apathetic--jeremy ammidon called it moonlike--countenance; as if her overwhelming mischance had robbed her features of all further expressions of interest or concern. "i heard," jeremy said in a voice pitched loud enough to conceal any inward uncertainty, "that your father had been sick. met captain rendell on essex street and he said barzil had lung fever. thought i'd see if there was any truth in it." "he just managed to stay alive," kate vollar replied, gazing at him with her stilled gray eyes. "but he's better now, though he's not up and about yet. shall i tell him that--that you are here?" "yes. just say jeremy ammidon's below, and would like to pass a greeting with him." he followed the woman in, and entered a large gloomy chamber while she mounted the stair leading directly from the front. the blackened fireplace gaping uncovered for the summer, the woodwork, painted yellow with an artificial graining, and a stiff set of ebonized chairs, their dingy crimson plush backs protected by elaborate thread antimacassars, seemed to hold and reflect the misfortunes of their owner. jeremy picked up an ostrich egg, painted with a clump of viciously green coconut palms and a cottony surf; he put it down with an absent smile and impatiently fingered a volume of "the life of harriet atwood newell." she was one of the missionaries who had gone out on the _caravan_, with augustine heard, to india, but forbidden to land there had died not long after on the ã�le de france. "houqua was a damned good heathen," he said aloud: "and so was nasservanjee." he left the table and proceeded to a window opening upon the harbor, here fretted with wharves. a barque was fast in a small stone-bound dock, newly in, his practiced glance saw, from a blue water voyage, africa probably. her standing gear was in a perfection and beauty of order that spoke of long tranquil days in the trades, and that no mere harbor riggers could hope to accomplish. the deck was burdened with the ugly confusion of unloading. jeremy studied the jibs stowed in harbor covers, the raking masts and tapering royal poles over the stolid roofs. ordinarily seeing no more he could not only name a vessel trading out of salem, but from her rig recognize anyone of a score of masters who, otherwise unheralded, might be in command. however, here he was at a loss, and he thought again of the change, the decline, that had overtaken salem shipping, the celebrated merchants; the pennants of william gray, he reflected, had flown from the main truck of fifteen ships, seven barques, thirteen brigs and schooners. ammidon, ammidon and saltonstone, in spite of his vehement protests, the counsel of the oldest member of the firm, were moving shipment by shipment all their business to boston, listening to the promptings of state street and central wharf. to the right was the sagging landing from which barzil's schooners sailed trading with the west indies; and back of it, and of his house, stood the small office. his mind had turned to this inconsiderable commerce when kate vollar entered and told him that her father would see him. barzil dunsack was propped up in bed in a room above that in which jeremy had been waiting. he, totally different from the other, showed his age in sunken dry cheeks, a forehead like an arch of bone, and a thick short gray beard. a long faded lock of hair had been hastily brushed forward and an incongruously bright knitted scarf drawn about his shoulders. jeremy ammidon concealed his dismay not only at barzil's wrecked being but at the dismal aspect of the interior, the worn rugs with their pieces of once bright material frayed and loose, the splitting veneer of an old chest of drawers and blistered mirror above a dusty iron grate. "you have got in among the rocks!" he exclaimed. "still they tell me you've weathered the worst. copper bound and oak ribs. don't build them like that to-day." barzil dunsack's eyes were bright and searching behind steel-rimmed spectacles, and he studied jeremy without replying. "well, isn't there a salute in you?" the latter demanded, incensed. "i'm not a malay proa." the grim shadow of a smile dawned on barzil's countenance. "i mind one hanging on our quarter by formosa," he returned; "i trained a cannon aft and fired a shot, when she sheered off. that was in the _flora_ in 'ninety-seven." a long silence enveloped them. jeremy's mind was thronged with memories of ports and storms, mates and ships and logged days. "remember oahu like it was when we first made it," he queried, "and the kanaka girls swimming out to the ship with hybiscus flowers in their hair? yes, and the anchorage at tahiti with the swells pounding on the coral reef and papeete under the mountain? it was nice there in the afternoon, lying off the beach with the white cottages among the palms and orange trees and the band playing in the grove by government house." captain dunsack frowned at the trivial character of these memories. he muttered something about the weight of the lord, and the carnal hearts of the men in ships. jeremy declared, "stuff! he'll wink at a sailor man with hardly a free day on shore. it wasn't bad at calcutta, either, with an awning on the quarter-deck, watching the carriages and syces in the maidan and maybe a corpse or two floating about the gangway from the burning ghauts." "a mean entrance," barzil dunsack asserted. "i don't know a worse with the southwest monsoon in the bay of bengal and the pilot brigs gone from the sand heads. that's where heard got pounded with the _emerald_ drawing nineteen feet, and eighteen on the bar. shook the reefs out of his topsails, laid her on her beam ends, and with some inches saved scraped in." "pick up the three juggernaut pagodas of ganjam," jeremy remarked absently. "'thou shalt have no other god--'" jeremy, with a glint in his eye, asked, "wasn't your last consignment of west india molasses marked medford?" "you always were a scoffer," the other replied, unmoved. "how's nettie?" jeremy ammidon inquired with a deliberate show of interest. barzil's lips tightened. "i haven't seen her for a little," he replied. "she's been visiting at ipswich." jeremy added, "a good girl," but the man in bed made no further comment. his undimmed gaze was fastened upon a wall, his mouth folded in a hard line on a harsh and deeply seamed countenance. an able man pursued by bad luck. "nothing's been heard from gerrit," jeremy said after a little. still the other kept silent. his face darkened: by god, if barzil hadn't a decent word for the fact that gerrit was seven months overdue, perhaps lost, this was not a house for him. "i say that we've had nothing from my son since he lay in the lye-ee-moon pass off hong kong," he repeated sharply. a spasm of suffering, instantly controlled, passed over barzil's face. "gerrit called once and again before he last sailed for montevideo," he finally pronounced. "i stopped it and he left in a temper. i--i won't have another mortal sin here like kate's." "do you mean that gerrit's loose?" jeremy hotly demanded, rising. "a more honorable boy never breathed." barzil was cold. "i told him not to come back," he repeated; "it would only lead to--to shamefulness." jeremy shook his cane toward the bed. "i may be a scoffer," he cried, "but i wouldn't hold a judgment over a child of mine! i'm not so damned holy that i can look down on a misfortunate girl. if gerrit did come to see nettie and the boy had a liking for her, why you drove away a cursed good husband. and if you think for a minute i wouldn't welcome her because that vollar fell off a yard before he could find a preacher you're an old fool!" "nettie must bear her burden: far better be dead than a stumbling block." "well, i'd rather be a drunken pierhead jumper on the waterloo road than any such pious blue nose. i'll tell you this, too--i'd hate to ship afore the mast under you for all you'd have the ensign on the booby hatch with prayers read sunday morning. i don't wonder you got into weather; i'd have no word for a creator who didn't blow in your eye." "i'll listen to no blasphemy, captain ammidon," barzil dunsack said sternly. "and i'll speak my mind, captain dunsack; it's this--your girls are a long sight too good for you or for any other judgmatical, psalm-singing devil dodger." he stood fuming at the door. "good afternoon to you." barzil dunsack reclined with his gaunt bearded head sunk forward on his thin chest swathed in the gay worsted wrap, his wasted hands, the tendons corded with pale violet veins, clenched outside the checkered quilt beneath which his body made scarcely a mark. outside, in the soft glow of beginning dusk, jeremy blamed himself bitterly for his anger at the sick man. he had gone to see him in a spirit friendly with old memories, forgetful of their long quarrel in the stirred emotions of the past days of youth and first manhood; and he had shouted at barzil as if he were a lubber at the masthead. he realized that in order to be in time for supper he must turn toward the common and home; but his gaze caught the spars of the strange barque; and, mechanically, he made his way over a narrow grassy passage to the wharf. she was the _cora sellers_ of marblehead, and he recognized from a glance at the cargo that she had been out to the east coast of africa--mozambique and zanzibar, aden and muscat. a matted frail of dates swung ponderously in air, there were baled goatskins and sacks of mocha coffee, sagging baskets of reddish unwashed gum copal carried in bulk, and a sun-blackened mate smoking a rat-tail dutch cigar was supervising the moving of elephant tusks in a milky glimmer of ivory ashore. there was a vague murmur of the rising tide, beyond the wharves and warehouses the water was faintly rippled in silver and rose, and a ship was standing into the harbor with all her canvas spread to the light wind. he turned away with a sigh and walked slowly up toward the elms of pleasant street. at his front door he stopped to regard the polished brass plate where in place of his name he had caused to be engraved the words java head. they held for him, coming into this pleasant dwelling after so many tumultuous years at sea, the symbol of the safe and happy end of an arduous voyage; just as the high black rock of java head thrusting up over the horizon promised the placidity and accomplishment of the sunda strait. whenever he noticed the plate he felt again the relief of coasting that northerly shore: he saw the mate forward with the crew passing the chains through the hawse pipes and shackling them to the anchors. the island rose from level groves of shore palms to lofty blue peaks terraced with rice and red-massed kina plantations, with shining streams and green kananga flowers and tamarinds. the land breeze, fragrant with clove buds and cinnamon, came off to the ship in the vaporous dusk; and, in the blazing sunlight of morning, the anjer sampans swarmed out with a shrill chatter of brilliant birds, monkeys and naked brown humanity, piled with dark green oranges and limes and purple mangosteen. in the last few years, particularly with gerrit away, he had turned more and more from the surroundings of his house--rather it had become william's house--to an inner life of memories. his own active life seemed to him to have been infinitely fuller, more purposeful and various, than that of present existence at java head. all salem had been different: he had a certain contempt for the existence of his son william and the latter's associates and friends. he had said that the trading now done in ships was like dealing at a boston store, and the merchants reminded him of storekeepers. the old days, when a voyage was a public affair, and a ship's manifest posted in the custom house on which anyone might write himself down for a varying part of the responsibility and profit, had given place to closed capital; the passages from port to port with the captain, as often as not, his own supercargo and a figure of importance, had become scheduled affairs in which a master was subjected to any countinghouse clerk with an order from the firm: the ships themselves were fast being ruined. he was in his room, after supper, seated momentarily on a day bed with a covering of white siberian fox skins, and he pronounced aloud, in a tone of satirical contempt, the single word, "clipper." nearly everyone in the shipping business seemed to have been touched by this madness for the ridiculous ideas of an experimental griffiths and his model of a ship with the bows turned inside out, the greatest beam aft and a dead rise like an inverted roof. that the _rainbow_, the initial result of this insanity, hadn't capsized at her launching had been due to some freak of chance; just as her miraculous preservation through a voyage or so to china could have been made possible only by continuously mild weather. even if the _rainbow_ had been fast--her run was called ninety-two days out to canton and home in eighty-eight--it was absurd to suppose that there had been the usual monsoon. and if she did come in a little ahead of vessels built on a solid full-bodied model, why her hold had no cargo capacity worth the name. things on the seas were going to the devil! he moved down to the library, where he lighted a cheroot and addressed himself to the _gazette_; but his restlessness increased: the paper drooped and his thoughts turned to gerrit as a small boy. he saw him leaving home, for the first time, to go to the school at andover, in a cloth cap with a glazed peak, striped long pantaloons and blue coat and waistcoat; later at the high desk in the counting-rooms of ammidon, ammidon and saltonstone; then sailing as supercargo on one of the company's ships to russia and liverpool. he had soon dropped such clerking for seamen's duties, and his rise to mastership had been rapid. rhoda, william's wife, entered and stood before him accusingly. "you are worrying again," she declared; "in here all by yourself. it really seems as if you didn't believe in our interest or affection. i have a feeling, and you know they are always right, that gerrit will sail into the harbor any day now." he had always liked rhoda, a large handsome woman with rich coloring--her countenance somehow reminded him of an apricot--and fine clothes. she paused, studied him for a moment, and then asked, "was your call on captain dunsack pleasant?" "it ought to have been," he confided, "but i got mad and talked like a dutch uncle, and barzil went off on a holy tack." "about nettie vollar?" jeremy nodded. "look here, rhoda," he demanded, "did gerrit ever say anything to you about her?" "yes," she told him; "gerrit was very frank." "did he like the girl?" "i couldn't make that out. but if there hadn't been, well--something unusual in her circumstances i think he would never have noticed her. gerrit is a curious mixture, a very impressionable heart and a contrary stubborn will. he was sorry for nettie, and, at the way a great many people treated her, threw himself into opposition. nettie's father made him very mad, and gerrit pretty well damned all salem before he left in the _nautilus_. he was excruciatingly funny: you know gerrit can be, particularly when he imitates anybody. i think being away at sea a great deal, and having absolute command of everything, give men a different view of things from ours. what is terribly important to salem hardly touches gerrit; it's all silly pretense, or worse, to him. "i wouldn't mind that if it weren't for the sense of humor that leads him into the wildest extravagances, and the fact that he'll act on his feelings. you know i'm devoted to him but i give a sigh of relief whenever he gets away on his ship without doing any one of the hundred insanities he threatens." "gerrit's like me," he said. "more than william," she agreed. "william is never impetuous, and he's often impatient with his brother. he's a splendid husband, but gerrit would make a wonderful lover. i'm thankful i never fell into his affections ... too wearing for an indolent woman." "you've been a great comfort and pleasure, rhoda," he told her. "i only wish gerrit could marry someone like you--" "but who would give him sons," she interrupted. "it's just as you say about him, and i've always been uneasy. god knows what he won't do--on land. william's a great deal happier, for all his brother's humor. i joke william, but he's very satisfactory and solid. he'll make port if he doesn't get tied up with newfangled notions. why, it stands to reason that a ship built like a knife would double up in the seas off the falklands." "he has a lot of confidence in mr. mckay." "mckay is a good man unsettled. the _may broughton_ is a fine barque, and his packet ships are as seaworthy as any, but--" his indignation increased so that he sputtered, and rhoda laughed. "now your girls," he added, "fine models, all of them, plenty of beam, work in any kind of weather." "that's very complimentary," she assured him, rising. "you mustn't worry about gerrit. remember, my predictions never fail." when she had gone his mind returned to storms he had safely weathered--the gray gales of cape horn, black hurricanes and the explosive tempests in eastern straits and seas. he took from the drawer of a bookcase with glass doors set in geometrical pattern a thin volume bound in black boards. a paper label was inscribed in a small, carefully formed script, "journal of my intended voyage from salem to the east indies in the ship _woodbine_." he opened at random: "comes in with strong wind from sse with rain squalls. very ugly sea on. double reefed the topsails, reefed the courses and furled the mainsail. at six p.m. shipped a very heavy sea that carried away the bulwarks on the larboard quarter and stove those on the starboard quarter and amidships ... upper cabin filled with water. through the night strong gales.... lightning at all points of the compass." the memory of this night, six days out from manilla to hong kong, was clearer than the actuality of the room in which he sat, an old man with his activity, his strength, his manhood, far behind him, a hulk. "at ten split the mainsail in pieces. close reefed the fore and double reefed the main-topsails. rising gales and heavy head sea. shipping a great quantity of water and leaking considerable. bent a new mainsail and set it. reefed and set the jib. pumping near two thousand strokes an hour. "october seventh, sunday. comes in with strong gales and a heavy head sea. both officers crippled and man laid up. through the night the same. leaking badly. a great number of junks in sight ... and so at five p.m. come to anchor." he had been a good man then, sixteen days on the quarter-deck without going below; insensible to ice or fever or weariness. he had been autocratic, too; and had his boy servant carrying areca nuts, chunam and tobacco in two silk bags, another with a fan and a third holding an umbrella. such things were all over now, he understood, in this driving age. his mind continually returned to gerrit, to dwell on the vast number of perils held in store by the sea; there was always the possibility of scurvy, an entire crew rotting alive in the forecastle and the ship broached to, dismasted; of mutiny; the sheer smothering finality of volcanic waves. he had never realized until now, in the misery of uncertainty, the hellish loneliness of a shipmaster at sea; the pride of duty, the necessity of discipline, that put him beyond all counsel, all assistance and human interdependence. jeremy, who had arrogantly accepted this responsibility without a question, through so many long years and voyages, now dreaded it, found it an inhuman burden, for his son. william couldn't be expected to appreciate the difficulties of his brother's position: all the former's experience had been got when, with james saltonstone and a party of salem merchants, he ventured to the lighthouse at the entrance of the harbor, had a cold collation, and returned with the pilot or in the custom house sloop. these occasions of huzzas and salutes and speeches were supplemented with a hasty inspection, now and then, of a vessel lying still at the wharf with sails harbor furled. william guessed little of the long effort through which a ship won from the first of those moments to the last. he was solely concerned with the returns of the cargo. however, rhoda was right, and this mooning wouldn't bring gerrit into port. he turned to the bookcase, where a squat bottle of medford rum rested beside a tumbler; after a drink he lighted a cheroot and smoking vigorously, with hands clasped behind him, paced back and forth in an undeviating line between the door to the hall and a dark polished secretary he had bought in london. while he was walking camilla came into the room and sedately took a seat on one of the formal chairs against the wall. "i guess you think that's the deck of a ship," she said conversationally. he regarded her with a faint threatening glint of humor. camilla's dignity was stupendous; particularly now, when, he observed, her skirts stood out in a thoroughly grown manner. he liked laurel best of william's children; she had, in spite of her confusion in regard to outports, a surprising grasp upon many of the details of life on shipboard, and a largeness of manner and expression entertaining in a little girl. sidsall was the most ingratiating--she had gerrit's direct kindling gaze; janet showed no individuality yet beyond an entire willingness to conform to outward circumstance while pursuing deeply secret speculations within. but camilla impressed the entire family by the rigidity of her correctness in personal and social niceties. at times, he felt, she would be a nuisance but for the firm hand of her mother and his own contribution to their well-being by an occasional sly sally. "it might be that," he admitted; "if it weren't for the facts that it's a house and library, and i'm an old man, and you're not at all like the second mate." "i should hope not," she replied decidedly. "a second mate isn't anything, and i am a--a young lady anyhow." "you'll soon be out at dances." "i go to parties now; that is, mother let me stay at the coggswells' on thursday until the men came at nine for sangaree. and i'm at all the ballad soirã©es." he made a gesture of pretended surprise and admiration. "i don't suppose they ever have a good chantey with the stuff they play?" he queried. "dear me, no. mr. dempster sings the indian's lament, and the may queen: that's a cantata and it's in three parts." jeremy began to hum, and in a moment was intoning in a loud monotonous voice, sweeping a hand up and down: _"to my hero, bangedero, singing hey for a gay hash girl."_ "i don't think that's very nice," she said primly. "what do you mean--not very nice?" he demanded, incensed. "there's nothing finer with a rousing chanteyman leading it and the watch hauling on the braces. you'd never hear the like at any ballad soirã©e. and: _"sweet william, he married a wife, 'gentle jenny,' cried rose marie, to be the sweet comfort of his life, as the dew flies over the mulberry tree."_ "there isn't much sense to it," she observed. for a little, indignant at her disparagement of such noble fragments, he tramped silently back and forth, followed by a cloud of smoke from the cheroot. no one on land could understand the absorbing significance of every detail of a ship's life.... only gerrit, of all his family, knew the chanteys and watches, the anxiety and beauty of landfalls--the blue falklands or teneriffe rising above the clouds, the hurried making and taking of sail in the squalls of the doldrums. "in india," he told her, stopping in his measured course, "female children are given to the crocodiles." her mouth parted at this, her eyes became dilated, and she slipped from the chair. "that's perfectly awfully appalling," she breathed. "the little brown girl babies. oh, father," she cried, as william ammidon came into the library, "what do you suppose grandfather says, that in india female children are...crocodiles." words failed her. "what's the sense in frightening the child, father?" william remonstrated. "i wish you would keep those horrors for the old heathen of the marine society." jeremy had a lively sense of guilt; he had been betrayed by camilla's confounded airs and pretensions. he ought to be ashamed of himself, telling the girl such things. "the british government is putting a stop to that," he added hastily, "and to suttees--" "what are they?" she inquired. "never mind, camilla," her father interposed; "go up with your mother and sisters. "i suppose it's no good speaking to you," william continued; "but my family is not a crew and this house isn't the _two capes_. you might make some effort to realize you're on land." "i know i'm on land, william; tell that any day from a sight of you. you can afford to listen a little now and then about the sea. that's where all you have came from; it's the same with near everybody in salem. vessels brought them and vessels kept them going; and, with the wharves as empty as they were this afternoon, soon there won't be any salem to talk about." "the tide's turned from here," the other replied; "with the increase in tonnage and the importance of time we need the railway and docking facility of the larger cities--boston and new york." "it's running out fast enough," jeremy agreed; "and there's a lot going out with it you'll never see again--like the men who put a reef in england in 'twelve." "you are always sounding the same strings; we're at peace with the world now, and a good thing for shipping." "peace!" the elder declared hotly; "you and the democrats may call it that, but it's a damned swindle, with the british to windward of you and hardly a sail now drawing in your ropes. what did edmund burke tell parliament in 'seventy-five about our whalers, hey! why, that from davis strait to the antipodes, from the falklands to africa, we outdrove holland, france and england. after the laws and bounties congress passed in 'eighty-nine what could you see--something like a half million tonnage gained in three years or so. in the war of 'twelve your land soldiers were a pretty show, with the capitol burning; but when it was finished the privateers had sunk over nine million dollars of british shipping to their sixty thousand. the chesapeake luggers have gone out with the tide, too. and then, by god, by god, what then: the treaty of ghent, with england impressing our seamen and tying our ships up in what ports she chose under a right of search! on top of this your commissioners repeal the ship laws and the british allow you to carry only native cargoes to the united kingdom with a part of the customs and harbor dues off. "but in spite of congress and political sharks we went out to india and china direct, with _the george_ home from calcutta in ninety-five days, and the east indiamen six or seven months on the shorter run to england. i can show you what the london _times_ said about that, it's in my desk: 'twelve years of peace, and...the shipping interest...is half ruined...thousands of our manufactures are seeking redemption in foreign lands.' it goes on to tell that american seamen already controlled an important part of the british carrying trade to the east indies. yet your precious lawmakers open our west india trade to great britain, but they wouldn't ask the privilege to carry a cargo from british india to liverpool or canada." "now, father," william put in, "you are getting excited again. it isn't good for you. we are not all such fools to-day as you make out." "look at the masters themselves," jeremy continued explosively; "gentlemen like gerrit, from harvard university, and not lime-juicers beating their way aft with a belaying pin. they could sail a ship with two-thirds the crew of a britisher with her clumsy yellow hemp sails and belly you could lose a dinghy in. mind, i don't say the english aren't handy in a ship and that they wouldn't clew up a topsail clean at the edge of hell. what we are on the seas came over from them. but we bettered it, william, and they knew it; and, naturally enough, laid out to sail around us. i don't blame england, but i do our god damn--" "father," the other firmly interrupted, "you are shouting as if you were on the quarter-deck in a gale. i must insist on your quieting down; you'll burst a blood vessel." "maybe i am," jeremy muttered; "and it wouldn't matter much if i did. when i see a nation with shipmasters who would set their royals when others hove too, and get there, all snarled up with shore lines and political duffel, i'm nigh ready to burst something." "rhoda said that you were at the dunsacks' this afternoon; i saw edward in boston yesterday." "i don't care if you saw the flying dutchman," the other asserted, breathing stormily. "it's curious about the china service," william went on; "anyone out there for a number of years gets to look chinese. edward is as yellow as a lemon, but nothing like as pleasant a color. thin, too, and nervous; hands crawling all over themselves, never still for a moment. he didn't say why he had left heard and company, and i didn't quite like to ask. edward came on from england in the _queen of the west,_ the swallow tail line. i did ask him if he were going to settle in salem, but he couldn't say; there was something about a boston house. it seems that gerrit carried his chest and things from canton in the _nautilus_ as an accommodation." suddenly jeremy felt very insecure, his body heavy and knees weak, failing. he stumbled back into the chair by the fireplace, william at his side. "you must pay some attention to what you're told, father," the latter said anxiously. "how are you now?" "i'm all right," he declared testily, trying to brush away the dimness floating before his eyes. "shall i help you up to bed?" "i'll go to bed when i've a mind to," jeremy retorted. "i am not under cover yet by a long reach." to establish his well-being he rose and moved to the secretary, where he got a fresh cheroot, and lighted it with slightly trembling fingers. he grumbled inarticulately, remembering his own exploits in the carrying of sail and record runs under the bluff bows of the honorable john company itself. the ebb tide, he thought, returning to william's figure and its amplification by himself. so much that had been good sweeping out to sea never to return....gerrit long overdue. once more he shook himself free of numbing dread; automatically he had fallen back into the passage from the secretary to the hall door. he saw that he had worn threadbare a narrow strip where his feet had so often pressed. it would be necessary for him to see about a fresh case of cheroots soon, primes, too; they needn't try to put him off with the second quality. he was put off a great deal lately; people pretended to be listening to him, and all the time their thoughts were somewhere else, either that or they were merely politely concealing the opinion that he was out of date, of no importance. his family were always providing against his fatigue or excitement; at the countinghouse the gravest problems, he was certain, were withheld from him. at the occurrence of this possibility a fresh indignation poured through his brain. fuming and tramping up and down he determined that to-morrow he would show any of the clerks who didn't attend to his wishes or counsel that he was still senior partner of ammidon, ammidon and saltonstone. iii the evening was surprisingly warm and still, with an intermittent falling of rain, and the windows were open in the room where rhoda ammidon sat regarding half dismayed her reflection in the mirror of a dressing table. a few minutes before she had discovered her first gray hair. it was not only the mere assault upon her vanity, but, too, a realization far deeper--here was the stamp of time, the mark of a considerable progress toward the end itself. her emotions were various; but, curiously enough, almost the first had been a wave of passionate tenderness for william and her little girls. the shock of finding that arresting sign was now giving place to a purely feminine reaction. she considered for a moment the purchase of a bottle of hair coloring, then with a disdainful gesture dismissed such a temporary and troublesome measure. she kept an undiminishing pride in her appearance and a relentless care and choice in the details of her dress, pleased by the knowledge that the attention men paid her showed no indication yet of growing perfunctory. she had been much admired both in boston and london through her youth, and she recalled her early doubts at the prospect of life in salem; but she realized now that, as her years and children multiplied, she was by imperceptible degrees returning to a traditional new england heritage. she was glad, however, that william's wide connections lifted him above a purely local view; william was really a splendid husband. rhoda was conscious of this together with a clear recognition of his faults, and quite aside from both existed her unreasoning affection. the latter vividly dominated her, shut out, on any occasion of stress, all else; but for the most part she held him in an attitude of mildly amused comprehension. gerrit ammidon she hadn't seen until after her engagement to william, and she sometimes thought of the former in connection with marriage. gerrit, she admitted to herself, was a far more romantic figure than william; not handsomer--william ammidon was very good looking--but more arresting, with his hair swinging about his ears and intense blue gaze. an exciting man, she decided again, for whom one would eternally put on the loveliest clothes possible; a man to make you almost as ravishingly happy as miserable, and, therefore, disturbing as a husband. at this her mind returned to her gray hair and the fact that the metal backlog of the kitchen fire, which supplied the house with hot water, had been leaking over the hearth. a feeling of melancholy possessed her at the turning of younger visions into commonplace necessities, but she dismissed it with the shadow of a smile--it was absurd for a woman of her age to dwell on such frivolous things. yet she still lingered to wonder if men too kept intact among their memories the radiant image of their youth, if they ever thought of it with tenderness and extenuation. she decided in the negative, convinced that men, even at the end of many years, never definitely lost connection with their early selves, there was always a trace of hopefulness, of jaunty vanity--sometimes winning and sometimes merely ridiculous--attached to their decline. rhoda stirred and moved to a window, gazing vaguely out into the moist blue obscurity. sidsall, she realized, was maturing with a disconcerting rapidity. depths were opening in the girl's being at which she, her mother, could only guess. it was exactly as if a crystal through and through which she had gazed had suddenly been veiled by rosy clouds. sidsall had a charming nature, direct and unsuspicious and generously courageous. there was a sound at the door, and william entered, patently ruffled. it was clear that he had had another disagreement with his father. "it's shameful how you disturb him," she declared. "look here, rhoda," he replied vigorously. "i won't continually be put in the wrong. it seems as if i had no affection for the old gentleman. i always have the difficult thing to do, and he has been slightly contemptuous ever since i was a boy because i didn't go to sea. the truth is--while i wouldn't think of letting him know--he's a tremendous nuisance pottering about the countingrooms with his stories of antediluvian trading voyages. and worse is to come--these new clipper ships and passages have knocked the wind out of the old slow full-bottomed vessels. we have about determined to reorganize our fleet entirely, and are in treaty with donald mckay for an extreme clipper type of twelve hundred tons. "of course, he's my parent; but i wonder at saltonstone's patience. father won't hear of the opium trade and it's turning over thousand per cent profits. we are privately operating two fast topsail schooners in india now, but it's both inconvenient and a risk. they ought to be put right under our house flag for credit alone. it is all bound to come up, and then he'll go off like a cannon." "couldn't you wait till he's dead, william?" she asked. "it won't be a great while now. i can see that he has failed dreadfully from this worry about gerrit." "five years will make all the difference. we are losing tea cargoes every month to these ships making sensational runs. i don't talk much, rhoda, about, well--my family; but i am as upset over gerrit as anyone else. except for a tendency to carry too much sail there's not a better shipmaster out of new england. not only that ... he's my brother. it's easy to like gerrit; his opinions are a little wild, and an exaggerated sense of justice gets him into absurd situations; yet his motives are the purest possible. perhaps that word pure describes him better than any other, however people who didn't know might smile. as a man, rhoda, i can assert that he is surprisingly clean-hearted." "that's a wonderful quality," she agreed; "why anyone should smile is beyond me. william, would you know that my hair is turning gray, do i look a lot older than i did five years ago?" he studied her complacently. "you've hardly changed since i married you," he asserted; "a great deal prettier than these young cramped figgers i see about. the girls, too, are just like you--good armfuls all of them." the next day was flawlessly sunny, the slightly stirring air reminiscent of the sea, and the lilacs everywhere were masses of purple and white bloom. stepping down from her carriage on the morning round of shopping rhoda encountered nettie vollar leaving one of the stores of cheapside. "why, nettie," she exclaimed kindly, "it's been the longest time since i've seen you. it is just no use asking you to the house, and it seems, with nothing to do, i never have a minute for the visits i'd like to make." nettie, she thought, was a striking girl, no--woman, with her stack of black hair, dark sparkling eyes and red spot on either cheek. more fetching in profile than full face, her nose had a pert angle and her cleft chin was enticingly rounded. later she would be too fat but now her body was ripely perfect. "i don't go anywhere much," she responded, in a voice faintly and instinctively antagonistic. "i don't like kindness in people; but i suppose i ought to be contented--that's all i'll probably ever get from anybody who is a thing in the world. mrs. ammidon," she hesitated, then continued more rapidly, her gaze lowered, "have you had any word about captain ammidon yet? have they given up hope of the _nautilus_?" "we've had no news," rhoda told her, and then she added her conviction that gerrit would return safely. "he was better than kind," nettie vollar said. "i'm sure he liked me, mrs. ammidon, or he would have if everything hadn't been spoiled by grandfather. he thinks i'm a dreadful sin, you know, a punishment on mother. but inside of me i don't feel different from others. sometimes i--i wonder that i don't actually go sinful, i've had opportunities, and being good hasn't offered me much, has it?" "you are naturally a good girl, nettie," rhoda answered simply; "but you must be braver than ordinary. if we think differently from salem still it is in salem we must live; i keep many of my beliefs secret just as you must control most of your feelings." the other responded with a hard little laugh. "thank you, though. you are more like gerrit, captain ammidon, than mrs. saltonstone, his own sister. i hate her," she declared. "i hate all the salem women, so superior and condescending and christian. they always have a silly look of wonder at their charity in speaking to me... when they do. they act as if it's just a privilege for me to be in their church. i'd rather go to a cotillion at hamilton hall any day." "of course you would," rhoda agreed. there seemed to be so little for her to offer or say that she was relieved when they parted. the afternoon grew really sultry, but, when the shadows had lengthened, she encountered jeremy ammidon wandering aimlessly about the hall and, his fine palmetto hat and wanghee in her hand, urged him out to the east india marine society. "it's much too beautiful a day for the house," she insisted. "there's nothing remarkable about it," he returned; "wind's too light and variable, hardly enough to hold way on a ship." there were the stirring strains of a quickstep without; at the door they saw the salem cadets, preceded by flag's band, marching in columns of fours into washington square. the white breeches with scarlet coats and brass buttons made a gay showing on the green common, the sunlight glittered on silver braid and tassels, gilt and pompons, scaled chin straps and varnished leather. the old man's face grew dark at the brilliant line drawn up for inspection, and he muttered a period about cursed young whigs. "wouldn't have one of the scoundrels in my house if i could help it. don't understand william; he's too damned mild for my idea of a good citizen. "why, it's only reasonable that a country's got to be run like a ship, from the quarter-deck. how far do you suppose a vessel would get if the crew hung about aft and chose representatives from the port and starboard watches and galley for a body to lay the course and make sail?" "please, father," she protested, laughing. "do go along into the sun." she gently pushed him toward the door. rhoda realized the fact that william was more than half whig already. that threatened still another point of difference, of departure, from all that his father held to be sacred necessities. jeremy, like most of the older shipmasters, was a bitter federalist, an upholder of a strongly centralized autocratic government. he left, grumbling, and the staccato commands of the military evolutions on the common rang through the slumberous afternoon. she lingered in the doorway and laurel appeared, jigging with excitement. "can't i get nearer," she begged; "there's nothing to see from here." her mother replied, "ask camilla to take you over to the square." camilla appeared indifferently. "i don't know why anyone should be flustered," she observed; "it isn't like the fourth of july with a concert and fireworks." as they were going, sidsall came out in a white tarlatan dress worked with sprays of yellow barley, her face glowing with color, and sat on the steps. "positively," her mother said, looking down on the mass of bright chestnut hair in a chenille net, "we'll soon have to have you up in braids." "i wish i might," she responded. "and hodie is too silly--i can't get her to lace me tightly enough. she says such things are engines of the devil." "it's still a little soon for that--" rhoda broke off as a slight erect man at the verge of middle age turned in from pleasant street upon them. "roger," she said cordially as he came quickly up the steps. he greeted her lightly and bent over sidsall with an extended hand: "the apple blossoms, i see, are here." rhoda wondered what nonsense roger brevard was repeating; sidsall's face was hidden from view. but then roger was always like that, his manner was never at a loss for the appropriate gesture. he had a great many points in common with her, she thought; neither had been born in salem, and his rightful setting was in the best metropolitan drawing-rooms. he had been here for a dozen years, now, in charge of the local affairs of the mongolian marine insurance company; and she often wondered why, a member of a family socially notable in new york, he continued in a city, a position, of comparative unimportance. she was, she said, going back to the lawn, the glare of pleasant street was fatiguing; and she proceeded through the house with the surety of his following. but on the close-cut emerald sod there was no sign of him, and she found a seat in a basket chair by the willow tree beyond. she waited for roger with a small but growing impatience; he must be done immediately with whatever he might say to sidsall, and she wished to discuss the possibilities of a rumor that president polk intended to visit salem. there would be a collation, perhaps a military ball, to arrange; franklin hall would be the better place for the latter. she heard a faint silvery echo of laughter--sidsall. it was extremely nice, of course, in roger brevard to entertain her daughter, though she didn't care to have the child give the effect of receiving men yet. it was, finally, sidsall who appeared, unaccompanied, in the drawing-room window. she came forward to where rhoda sat, her face still stirred with amusement. "mr. brevard went on," she said in response to her mother's look of inquiry. "that's rather odd," the latter commented almost sharply. "he had only a few minutes," the girl explained. she sank into a seat and mood of abstraction. rhoda studied her with a veiled glance. hers were exceptional children, they had given her scarcely an hour's concern; and she must see that in the unsettling period which sidsall was now entering she was not spoiled. perhaps laurel entertained her more than the others. she was a very normal little girl, not thoughtful like janet, and without camilla's exaggerated poise; but she had a picturesque imagination; and her companionship with her grandfather was delightful. the latter addressed her quite as if she were a fellow shipmaster; and she had acquired some remarkable sea expressions, some deplorable and others enigmatic: only to-day, questioned about the order of her room, she had said that it was "all square by the lifts and braces." for this her grandfather had given her a gold piece. there was, she knew, an excellent school for older girls at lausanne; and, revolving the possibility of obtaining for sidsall some of the european advantages she, rhoda, had enjoyed, the following afternoon she drove to the cliffords' on marlboro street for a consultation with madra, who had spent a number of seasons on lake leman. in a cool parlor with yellow tibet rugs and maroon hangings she had tea while madra clifford, thin and imperious, with a settled ill health like white powder and a priceless risajii shawl, conversed in a shrill key. "caroline has been in bed for a week. that vulgar dr. fisk, with his elbow in her bosom, tried five times to extract her tooth, and then broke it to the roots. i hear there is a galvanic ring for rheumatism. the pain in my joints is excruciating; i have an idea my bones are changing into chalk; the right knee will hardly bend." the darkly colored shawl with its border of cypress intensified her sunken blue-traced temples and the pallid lips. she developed the subject of her indisposition, sparing no detail; while rhoda ammidon, from her superabundance of well-being, half pitied the other and was half revolted at the mind touched, too, by bodily ill. the fortune accumulated by the hardy clifford men, flogged out of crews and stained by the blood of primitive and dull savages--the cliffords were notorious for their brutal driving--now served only to support madra's debility and a horde of unscrupulous panderers to her obsession. "edward dunsack is in salem," she continued; "and i've heard he has the most peculiar appearance. very probably the result of the unmentionable practices of the orient. father liked the chinese though; so many of our shipmasters have, and not always the merchants.... what was i saying? oh, yes, edward dunsack. i understand you had a distinct alarm in that quarter, about the girl and gerrit ammidon. but i forgot to say how glad i am about gerrit. you must have been horribly worried--" "what do you mean?" rhoda demanded. "why, haven't you heard! the nautilus was sighted. news came from boston. she ought to be into-day, i believe. i suppose william has been too concerned to get you word at home." rhoda ammidon rose immediately, surprised at the force of the emotion that blurred her eyes with tears. gerrit was safe! possibly they had been told at java head now, but she must be there with jeremy ammidon; surprises, even as joyful as this, were a great strain on him. neglecting the object of her visit she returned at once to pleasant street, urging the coachman to an undignified haste, and keeping the carriage at the door. her father-in-law was at his secretary in the library, and it was evident that he had heard nothing of his son's return. "well, rhoda," he said, swinging about; "what a bright cheek you have--like laurel's." "i feel bright, father," she replied with a nod and smile. "after this none of you will be able to laugh at my predictions. you see, a woman's feeling is often more correct than masculine judgment." his momentary bewilderment gave place to a painfully strained interrogation. "yes," she told him, "but we are none of us surprised--gerrit is almost in salem harbor." she moved near him and, with a veiled anxiety, laid her hand upon his shoulder. "a splendid sailor," he muttered. it seemed as if rhoda could really hear the dull rising pounding of his shaken heart. but his excitement subsided, gave way to a normal concern, a flood of vain questions and preparation to go down to the wharf. in the midst of this a message came from the countinghouse of ammidon, ammidon and saltonstone that the _nautilus_ would dock within an hour. a small crowd had already gathered on derby wharf when rhoda and her companion made their way past the warehouses built at intervals along the wharf to the place where the _nautilus_ would be warped in. the wharfinger saluted them, william ammidon joined his wife, and beyond she could see james saltonstone conversing with the surveyor of the port. the afternoon was serene, a faint air drew in from the sea; and with it, sweeping slowly inside peach's point, was the tall ship with her canvas towering gold in the western sun against the distance of sea and sky. as rhoda watched she saw their house flag--a white field checkered in blue--fluttering from the main royal truck. "the royals are coming in!" jeremy ammidon exclaimed, gripping rhoda's arm. "he is lowering his top-gallant yards and hauling up the courses! my dear, there's nothing on god's earth finer than a ship." the _nautilus_ slipped along surprisingly fast. rhoda could now see the crew moving about and coiling the gear. "look, father, there's gerrit on the quarter-deck." the shipmaster, shorter than common, with broad assertive shoulders in formal black, was easily recognizable. a woman with a worn flushed face pressed by jeremy. "andrew's there, too," she told them, "mr. broadrick, the mate." the ship moved more slowly, under her topsails and jibs, in a soundless progress with the ripples falling away in water like dark green glass, liquid and still. she was now but a short distance from the end of the wharf. mr. broadrick was forward between the knightheads with the crew ranged to the starboard and at the braces, while gerrit ammidon stood with one hand on the quarter-deck railing and the other holding a brass speaking trumpet to his lips: "let go your port fore and after braces, mr. broadrick; brace the fore and mizzen yards sharp up, leave the main braces fast, and lay the main topsail to the mast. as she comes to the wind let the jibs run down." he turned to the man at the wheel, "helm hard a starboard." "hard a starboard, sir." the ship answered quickly and rounded to while her weather fore and mizzen yards flew forward until they touched the starboard backstays and the men hauled in the slack of the braces. with the main yard square to check her way the jibs drooped down along the stays. "mr. broadrick, you may let go the starboard anchor and furl sails." the mate grasped a top maul and struck the trigger of the ring stopper a clean blow, the anchor splashed into the water with a rumbling cable, and the _nautilus_ was home. gerrit ammidon walked hurriedly to the companionway and went below, while the mate continued, "stand by to let go your topsail halliards and man the gear. sharper with the mizzen sheets and unbend those clew lines and garnets... stow the clews in a harbor furl." at a rhythmic shout the bunts of the three topsails came up together. the wind had died away and the flags hung listlessly from the main truck and spanker gaff. the water of the harbor was unstirred except for the swirls at the oar blades of an incoming quarter boat and the warp paying out at her stern. the voice of the mate, the chantey of the crew heaving at the capstan bars, came to rhoda subdued: _"the times are hard and wages low, oh, leave her, johnny, leave her. i guess it's time for us to go, oh, leave her, johnny, leave her. i thought i heard the old man say, oh, leave her, johnny, leave her. to-morrow we will get our pay .......leave her"_ rhoda ammidon discovered herself leaning forward tensely, her hands shut in excitement and emotion; and she relaxed with a happy laugh as the _nautilus_, with her yards exactly square and rigging taut, her sides and figurehead and ports bright with newly laid on paint, moved to the wharf. it seemed to her that gerrit, descending a short stage from the deck, looked markedly older than when he had last sailed. yet he had a surprisingly youthful air still; partly, she thought, from the manner in which he wore his hair, falling in a waving thick line about his cheeks. his mouth was at once fresh and severe, his face clean shaven, and his eyes--if possible--more directly blue than ever. "i'll take the ship's manifest to the collector," he said, greeting them and impatiently waving aside the vendors after the cook's slush, the excited women and runners and human miscellany crowding forward. "then java head." he paused, speaking over his shoulder: "i'd be thankful if you would send the barouche down in an hour or so." driving back, her hand on jeremy ammidon's knee, rhoda wondered at gerrit's request. it was entirely unlike him to ride in the barouche; rather he had always derided it in the terms of his calling. however, unable to find a solution for her surprise, she listened to the other's comments and speculations: "i suppose william's first question will be about the cargo, and, of course, i hope the ship has done well. but i'm just glad to have gerrit back; i am for a fact, rhoda." "we all are," she assured him, "and william as happy as any. you mustn't be misled by his manner, father. i hope the supper will be good and please you." "gerrit will be satisfied with anything," he chuckled. "probably he's been out of beans even for a month. did you notice that fore-royal mast and yard? they were rigged at sea: gerrit carried them away. it hurts him to take in a sail. some day i tell him he'll drag the spars out of his ship. his confounded pride will founder him." he made these charges lightly, with a palpable underlying pride; and, rhoda knew, would permit no one else to criticize his son. she found her daughters in a state of gala excitement on the front steps. "uncle gerrit in the _nautilus,_" laurel chanted; and it was evident that camilla herself was thrilled. they all went up to put on holiday dress. rhoda turned to the coachman, "have the barouche at the head of derby wharf in an hour." gerrit's unusual demand again puzzled her. a fantastic possibility lodged in her brain--perhaps he was not alone. she pulled the bell rope for her maid, changed into black moirã© with cut steel bretelles, and selected the peacock coloring of a peri-taus shawl. she found her husband with his father in the library. "i understand it's a splendid cargo," william remarked. jeremy nodded triumphantly at her, and she expressed a half humorous resentment at this mercenary display. "he ought to be here," the younger man declared, consulting his watch. as he spoke rhoda saw the barouche draw up before the house. she had a glimpse of a figure at gerrit ammidon's side in extravagantly brilliant satins; there was a sibilant whisper of rich materials in the hall, and the master entered the library with a pale set face. "father," he said, "rhoda and william, allow me--my wife, taou yuen." rhoda ammidon gave an uncontrollable gasp as the chinese woman sank in a fluttering prostration of color at jeremy's feet. he ejaculated, "god bless me," and started back. william's face was inscrutable, unguessed lines appeared about his severe mouth. her own sensation was one of incredulity touched with mounting anger and feeling of outrage. the woman rose, but only to sink again before william: she was on her knees and, supported by her hands, bent forward and touched her forehead to the floor three times. gerrit laughed shortly. "she was to shake your hands; we went over and over it on shipboard. but anything less than the _kã»l'on_ was too casual for her." she was now erect with a freer murmur of greeting to rhoda. the latter was instantly aware of one certainty--chinese she might be, she was, but no less absolutely aristocratic. her face, oval and slightly flat, was plastered with paint on paint, but her gesture, the calm scrutiny of enigmatic black eyes under delicately arched brows, exquisite quiet hands, were all under the most admirable instinctive command. rhoda said: "i see that i am to welcome you for gerrit's family." the other, in slow lisping english replied: "thank you greatly. i am humbled to the earth before your goodness." "you will want to go to your room," rhoda continued mechanically. "it was only prepared for one, but i'll send a servant up at once." she was enraged at the silent stupidity of the three men and flashed a silent command at her husband. "this is a decided surprise," the latter at last addressed his brother; "nor can i pretend that it is pleasant." jeremy ammidon's gaze wandered blankly from gerrit to the woman, then back to his son. never before had rhoda seen such lovely clothes: a long gown with wide sleeves of blue-black satin, embroidered in peach-colored flower petals and innumerable minute sapphire and orange butterflies, a short sleeveless jacket of sage green caught with looped red jade buttons and threaded with silver and indigo high-soled slippers crusted and tasseled with pearls. her hair rose from the back in a smooth burnished loop. there were long pins of pink jade carved into blossoms, a quivering decoration of paper-thin gold leaves with moonstones in glistening drops, and a band of coral lotus buds. pierced stone bracelets hung about her delicate wrists, fretted crystal balls swung from the lobes of her ears; and clasped on the ends of several fingers were long pointed filagrees of ivory. "taou yuen," gerrit repeated shortly, with his challenging bright gaze. "that means peach garden. my wife is a manchu," he asserted in a more biting tone; "a manchu and the daughter of a noble. thank you, rhoda, particularly. but i have always counted on you. will you go up with her? that is if--if my father has a room, a place, for us." "this will always be your home, gerrit," jeremy said slowly, with the long breath of a diver in deep waters. iv in the room that had been his since early maturity gerrit ammidon gave an involuntary sigh of relief. taou yuen, his wife, was standing in the middle of the floor, gazing about with a faint and polite smile. her eyes rested on a yellow camphor chest--one of the set brought home by his father--on a severe high range of drawers made of sycamore with six legs, on her brilliant reflection in the eagle-crowned mirror above the mantel, and the sleigh bed with low heavily curved ends. the situation below, however brief and, on the whole, reasonably conducted, had been surprisingly difficult. at the same time that he had felt no necessity to apologize for his marriage he had known that taou yuen must surprise, yes--shock, his family. she was chinese, to them a heathen: they would be unable to comprehend any mitigating dignity of rank. where they'd actually suffer, he realized, would be in the attitude of salem, the stupid gabble, the censure and cold pity caused by his wife. personally he regarded these with the contempt he felt for so many of the qualities that on shore bound the interests of everyone into a single common concern. it gave him pleasure to assault the authority and importance of such public prejudice and self-opinion; but, unavoidably implicating his family, at once a part of himself and salem, he was conscious of the fact that he had laid them all open to disagreeable moments. he was sorry for this, and his regret, principally materialized by his father's hurt confusion, had unexpectedly cast a shadow on a scene to which he had looked forward with a distinct sense of comedy. where the realities were concerned he had no fear of taou yuen's ability to justify herself completely. he possessed a stupendous admiration for her. he watched her now with the mingled understanding and mystification that gave his life with her such a decided charm. her gaze had fastened on the mirror-stand above the drawers: she must be wondering if she would have to paint and prepare herself for him here, openly. he knew that she considered it a great impropriety for her face to be seen bare; all the elaborate processes of her morning toilet must be privately conducted. he recognized this, but had no idea what she actually thought of the room, of his family, of the astonishing situation into which her heart had betrayed her. one and then another early hope he saw at once were vain. it had seemed to him that in america, in salem, she might become less evidently chinese; not in the incongruous horror of western clothes, but in her attitude, in a surrender to superficial customs; he had pictured her as merging distinctively into the local scene. in china he had hoped that in the vicinity of washington square and pleasant street she would appear less eastern; but, beyond all doubt, here she was enormously more so. the strange repressed surrounding accentuated every detail of her manchu pomp and color. the frank splendor of her satins and carved jades and embroidery, her immobile striking face loaded with carmine and glinting headdress, the flawless loveliness of hands with the pointed nail protectors, were, in his room, infinitely dramatized. the other, less secure possibility that she might essentially change perished silently. in a way his wish had been a presumption--that a member of the oldest and most subtle civilization existing would, if she were able, adopt such comparatively crude habits of life and thought. she moved slowly up to the bed, examining it curiously; and again he understood her look of doubt--in china beds were called _kang_, or stoves, from the fact that they were more often than not a platform of brick with an opening beneath for hot coals. she fingered the ball fringe of the coverlet, and then turned with amazement to the soft pillow. a hand with the stone bracelet falling back from her smooth wrist rose to the complicated edifice of her headdress. "your pillow is coming along from the ship," he told her; "the women here do up their hair every morning." she considered this with geranium lips slightly parted on flawless teeth, and nodded slowly. the westering sun striking through the window overlooking the common illuminated her with a flat gold unreality. "i'll have a day bed brought for you," he continued, realizing that, as the result of fortunate chance, she understood most of what he said without an actual command of the individual words. in reply she sank before him in the deep manchu gesture with one knee sweeping the floor, the humility of her posture dignified by grace. he touched the crystal globe of an earring, pinched her chin, in the half light manner by which he instinctively expressed his affection for her. she was calm and pleased. "taou yuen," he continued, "you miss shanghai, with the wall of ten gates and the river woosung stuck full of masts. you'll never think salem is a paradise like soochow." "this is your city," she replied, slowly choosing the words. "your ancestors are here." there was not a shade of regret in her voice or manner. he tried once more, and as vainly as ever, to penetrate the veil of her perfect serenity. she never, it became apparent, descended from the most inflexible self-control; small emotions--surface gayety of mood, curiosity, the faintest possible indication of contempt, he had learned to distinguish; the fact that she cared enough for him to desert every familiar circumstance was evident; but beyond these he was powerless to reach. his own emotions were hardly less obscured: the dominating feeling was his admiration for her exquisite worldly wisdom, the perfection of her bodily beauty, and the philosophy which bore her above the countless trivialities that destroyed the dignity of western minds. he realized that her paint and embroidery covered a spirit as cold and tempered as fine metal. she was totally without the social sentiment of his own world; but she was equally innocent of its nauseous hypocrisy, the pretensions of a piety covering commercial dishonesty, obscenity of thought and spreading scandal. the injustice he saw practiced on shore had always turned him with a sense of relief to the cleansing challenge of the sea; always, brought in contact with cunning and self-seeking men and heartless schemes, with women cheapened by a conviction of the indecency of life, he was in a state of hot indignation. from all this taou yuen offered a complete escape. on the purely feminine side she was a constant delight, the last possible refinement, he told himself, of instinct and effect. she was incapable of the least vulgarity; never for an instant did she flag from the necessity of beauty, never had he seen her too weary for an adornment laborious in a hundred difficult conventions. she was, too, a continuous source of entertainment, even as his wife she never ceased to be a spectacle; his consciousness of her as a being outside himself persisted. "i must go down and see where our things are," he said, rising. in the hall he stopped before the tall clock whose striking was a part of his early memories. below, the house seemed empty; and, instead of turning to the front door and his purpose, he went into the drawing-room. the long glass doors to the garden were open, and the interior was filled with the scent of lilacs. the room itself had always reminded him of them--it was pale in color, cool gilt and lavender brocade and white panels. nothing had been moved or changed: the inlaid cylinder fall desk with its garlands of painted flowers on the light waxed wood stood at the left, the pole screen with the embroidered bouquet was before the fire blind, the girandoles, scrolled in ormolu and hung with crystal lusters, held the shimmer of golden reflections on the walls. he had remembered the drawing-room at java head as a place of enchanted perfection; in his childhood its still serenity had seemed a presentment of what might be hoped for in heaven. the thought of the room as it was now, open but a little dim to the lilacs and warm afternoon, had haunted him as the measure of all peace and serenity in moments of extreme danger, his ship laboring in elemental catastrophes and in remote seas. its fragrance had touched him through the miasma of whampoa reach, waiting for the lighters of tea to float down from canton; standing off in the thunder squalls of the night for the morning sea breeze to take him into rio; over a cognac in the coffee stalls of the french market at new orleans, the chanteys ringing from the cotton gangs along the levees: _"were you ever down in mobile bay? aye, aye, pump away."_ as he left the room he saw laurel, william's youngest child, and he imprisoned her in an arm. "you haven't asked what i've got for you in my sea chest," he said. gerrit was very fond of all four of the rosy-cheeked vigorous girls, and a sense of injury touched him at laurel's reserved manner. she studied him with a wondering uneasy concern. this he realized was the result of bring home taou yuen; and an aggravated impatience, a growing rebellion, seized him. he wouldn't stay with his wife at java head a day longer than necessary; and if anyone, in his family or outside, showed the slightest disdain he could retaliate with his knowledge of local pettiness, the backbiting enmities and secret lapses. god knew he didn't want trouble, all he asked was a reasonable liberty, the semblance, anyhow, of a courtesy toward his wife. whatever might be said would be of no moment to her--except in the attitude of his father--and taou yuen's indifference furnished a splendid example for himself. he wondered why the devil he was continually putting his fingers in affairs that couldn't concern him. no one thanked him for his trouble, they considered him something of a fool--a good sailor but peculiar. the damned unexpected twists of his sense of the absurd, too, got him into constant difficulty. his father was standing outside the principal entrance; and, as he joined him on the steps, he saw two men from the _nautilus_ carrying his ship's desk by the beckets let in the ends. the wind was blowing gently up pleasant street; the men, at his gesture, lifted their burden up the steps, between the direction of the wind and jeremy ammidon. the latter rose instantly into one of his dark rages: "what do you mean, you damned packetrats--coming up a companionway to the windward of me! i'll have no whalers' habits here." he repeated discontentedly that everything on sea and land had fallen into a decline. others followed with a number of korean boxes, strapped and locked with copper, and wicker baskets. a man in charge said to gerrit ammidon: "the chest was left for mr. dunsack at the foot of hardy street, sir, as you ordered. the inspector sent it off complimentary with your personal things." gerrit asked, "he didn't stop to get a whiff of it then?" the other shook his head. "edward dunsack asked me to ship it here and explained that it was only junk he was bringing home, but what it amounts to is about a case of patna opium. he's lucky." they turned inside, william was in the library, and gerrit instinctively followed his father into the room. william surveyed him with a moody discontent. "what i can't understand," he proceeded; "is why you call it a marriage, why you brought your woman here to us, to rhoda and the children." "it's simple enough," gerrit replied; "taou yuen is my wife, we are married exactly as rhoda and you are. she is not my woman in the sense you mean. i won't allow that, william." "how can it matter what you will or will not allow when everyone'll think the other? shipmasters have had chinese mistresses before, yes, and smuggled them into salem; but this conduct of yours is beyond speech." gerrit ammidon said: "don't carry this too far." anger like a hot cloud oppressed him. "i am married legally and, if anything, by a ceremony less preposterous than your own. taou yuen is not open to any man or woman's suspicions. i am overwhelmingly indebted to her." "but she's not your race," william ammidon muttered; "she is a confucian or taoist, or some such thing." "you're unitarian one day a week, and father is congregational, hodie's a methodist, and no one knows what i am," gerrit cried. "good god, what does all that matter! isn't a religion a religion? do you suppose a lord worth the name would be anything but entertained by such spiteful little dogmas. a sincere greased nigger with his voodoo must be as good as any of us." "that is too strong, gerrit," jeremy objected. "you'll get nowhere crying down christianity." "if i could find it," the younger declared bitterly, "i'd feel differently. it's right enough in the bible. ...well, we'll go on to boston to-morrow." "this is your home," his father repeated. "naturally william, all of us have been disturbed; but nothing beyond that. i trust we are a loyal family. what you've done can't be mended with hard words." "she may become very fashionable," gerrit mockingly told his brother. "it'll be a blow to camilla," jeremy chuckled. "some rice must be cooked." "manchus don't live on rice," gerrit replied. "they don't bind the feet either nor wear the common chinese clothes. rhoda will understand better." again in his room he found his wife bending over a gorgeous heap of satins, bright mazarines and ornaments. "we'll go down to supper soon," he told her. already there were signs of her presence about the room: the chest of drawers was covered with gold and jade and green amber, painted paper fans set on ivory and tortoise shell, and lacquer fan boxes; coral hairpins, sandalwood combs, silver rouge pots and rose quartz perfume bottles with canary silk cords and tassels. on a familiar table was her pipe, wound in gilt wire, and the flowered satin tobacco case. an old coin was hanging at the head of the bed, a charm against evil spirits; and on a stand was the amethyst image of kuan-yin _pu tze_, the goddess of mercy. taou yuen sank on the floor with a little embarrassed laugh at the confusion in which he had surprised her. "let your attitude be grave," he quoted from the book of rites with a pretended severity. her amusement rose in a ripple of mirth. he opened his desk, rearranging the disorder brought about by its transportation; and, when he turned, she was prostrate in the last rays of the sun. "_o-me-to-fuh_," she breathed; "_o-me-to-fuh_," the invocation to buddha. this at an end she announced, "now i am grave and respectful for your family." supper, gerrit admitted to himself, promised to be a painful occasion; conversation rose sporadically and quickly died in glances of irrepressible curiosity directed at his wife. she, on the contrary, showed no pointed interest in her surroundings; and, in her hesitating slurred english, answered rhoda's few questions without putting any in return. camilla preserved a frozen silence; sidsall was pleasantly conciliating in her attitude toward the novel situation; janet, her lips moving noiselessly, was rapt in amazement; and laurel smiled, abashed at meeting taou yuen's eyes. the recounting of his delayed return offered gerrit a welcome relief from the pervading strain: "there's no tea to speak of at shanghai, and i took on a mixed cargo--pongees and porcelain and matting. i got camphor and cassia and seven hundred peculs of ginger; then i decided to lay a course to manilla for some of the cheroots father likes. the weather was fine, i had a good cargo, and, well--we pleasured out to honolulu. i was riding the island horses and shipping oil when the schooner _kahemameha_ arrived from the coast with the news of the gold discovery in california. every boat in the harbor was loaded to the trucks, crowded with passengers at their weight in ginseng, and laid for san francisco.... well, i was caught with the rest. "five thousand dollars was offered me to carry a gentleman and his attendant. two others would pay three for the same purpose. stowage was worth what you asked.... the _nautilus_ made a good run; then, about a day from land, mr. broadrick told me that there wouldn't be a seaman on the ship an hour after we anchored. they were all crazy with gold fever, he said. i could see, too, that they were excited; the watch hung under the weather rail jabbering like parrots; an uglier crew of sea lawyers never developed. "there was one thing to do and i did it--called them aft and gave them some hot scouse. they'd shipped for salem and there they must go. i didn't anchor, but stood off--the harbor was crowded with deserted vessels like some hell for ships--and sent the jolly boat in with the passengers and a couple of men. they didn't come back, you may be sure. the consignment for san francisco i carried out that evening, for i made sail at once." "you had a pretty time getting a way on her," jeremy ammidon remarked. "i did," gerrit acknowledged shortly. "the second mate's ear was taken loose by a belaying pin that flew out of the dark like a gull. mr. broadrick had a bad minute in the port forecastle after he had ordered all hands on deck a third time. the fine weather left us, though, and that kept the crew busy; we carried away the fore-royal mast and yard before we were within a thousand miles of the latitude of the horn. that hit us like a cannon ball of ice. you know what it is at its worst," he told his father; "weeks of snow and hail and fog and gales; and not for anything can you keep an easting. god knows how a ship lives through the seas; but she does, she does, and you lose the magellan clouds astern." the old man nodded. gerrit was relieved, however, when supper ended and his wife formally departed for her room. immediately slipping a hand inside rhoda's arm he conducted her to the drawing-room. "i'd like you to know more about it," he said directly. "it was very extraordinary. a lãº kikwã¡ng was a high official of the canton customs, and when shanghai was declared an open port in forty-two they made him hoppo there. i remembered him at canton, a dignified old duck with eighty or a hundred servants to keep anyone from possibly speaking to him of business, but there had been some trouble about foreign vessels selling saltpeter illegally and--he knew some english--we had quite a friendly little consultation. yet it hadn't prepared me for his coming off to the _nautilus_ at shanghai with a linguist and an air of the greatest mystery. his manner was beautiful, of course, absolutely tranquil and that made what they said, what he hoped, seem even wilder than it was. "his son, it appeared, had married and was accidentally drowned in the great canal hardly a month after the ceremony. his widow belonged, then, to the husband's family, and from that moment her father-in-law had had nothing but bad luck. he had been robbed, his best stallion died, there had been a flood in his tea which not only spoiled the crop but filled the ground with silt--it was impossible to relate his calamities. he consulted a necromancer at last and learned that it was all caused by the presence of taou yuen. "this, you see, made the difficulty, as it's a frightful disgrace to return a married daughter to her own father's home, and lãº had grown very fond of her. she was extremely clever and virtuous, he said. the other thing was to kill her or force her to commit suicide. he told me very calmly that he would like to avoid this. "then, in the linguist's most flowery manner, they went on with what lãº kikwã¡ng proposed. he had recognized that i was a man of 'superior propriety' and he wondered if i would take taou yuen away to america with me. very secretly though--there would be an uproar if it were known that a manchu woman had been married to a foreigner. i could see her first in his garden without her knowing anything about it. "it's needless to tell you that i went with them that afternoon. a meeting was arranged for the next day--" he broke off, sitting forward with elbows on knees, gazing fixedly at his clasped hands. "you make that very clear, gerrit," his sister-in-law replied; "i now understand the past almost as well as yourself; but it's the future i'm in doubt about. i saw immediately that your wife was not an ordinary woman; it would be much easier if she were. certainly you don't intend to stay here, at java head; but that is immaterial. wherever you go in america it will not be suitable for her. she'll be no more at home with your friends than you with hers. i feel terribly sad about it, gerrit; you were as selfish as only a man can be." "you are unjust, rhoda," he protested. "taou yuen was willing to come. she had read about other countries and saw a great deal of the english wife of a rich dutch factor at shanghai; as lãº kikwã¡ng said, she's wonderfully intelligent. i think she is happy, too." "rubbish! of course she loves you; i am not talking about that. how will she get along while you are away on your long voyages? she couldn't possibly live in the cabin of a ship, and do you suppose she'd be contented in salem with you absent for a year!" "we have as many chances of success as any other marriage," he asserted. "the whole business is foolish enough." "that opinion might do for a single shipmaster, with only a month or two out of the year on land. when you were free, gerrit, your impatience with convention was refreshing and possible. but can't you see that you have given up your liberty! you have tied your hands. however loudly you may cry out against society now you are a part of us, foolish or not. you'll find that your wife has anchored you in salem, boston or singapore, no matter where you go: people will reach and hurt you through her. "she is very gorgeous and placid, superior on the surface; but the heart, gerrit--that isn't made of jade and ivory and silk." "i'll bring down your presents to-morrow," he told her, avoiding any further present discussion of his marriage. "has father failed, do you think? his tempers are vigorous as ever." "he seems baggier about the eyes and throat. he is just as quick, but it exhausts him more. things would be much better if he were only content to let william manage at the countinghouse. times are shifting so quickly with these new clipper ships and direct passages and political changes." "there's no longer any doubt about the clippers," gerrit declared; "the california gold rush will attend to that." in his room he found taou yuen, in soft white silk worked with bamboo leaves, on the day bed, smoking. she rose immediately as he entered; and, coming close to him, ran her cool fingers through his hair. he stood gazing out at the dim oil flares that marked the confines of washington square, considering all that rhoda had said. strangely enough it led his thoughts away from his wife; they reverted to nettie vollar. he had been, he realized, very nearly in love with her: what he meant by that inaccurate term was that if the affair had continued a little longer he would have insisted on marrying her. nettie was not indifferent to him. an impersonal feeling had attracted him to her--a resentment of her treatment by the larger part of salem, particularly the oblique admiration of the men. his supersensitiveness to any form of injustice had driven him into the protest of calling and accompanying her, with an exaggerated politeness, about the streets. it had not been difficult; she was warm-blooded, luxurious, a very vivid woman. gerrit, however, had made a point of repressing any response to that aspect of their intercourse--the sheerest necessity for the preservation of his disdain. she had cried on his shoulder, in his arms, practically; he had acted in the purely fraternal manner. but the thing was reaching a natural conclusion when her grandfather, barzil dunsack, had interfered with his unsupportably frank accusations and command. the _nautilus_ had been ready for sea, and his, gerrit's, imperious resentment had carried him out of the dunsacks' house--to shanghai and taou yuen--without another word to nettie. how strangely life progressed, without chart or intelligent observations or papers! he heard the tap of his wife's pipe; there was a faint sweetish odor of drugged tobacco and the scent of cloves in which she saturated herself. outside was salem, dim and without perceptible movement; the clock in the hall struck ten. taou yuen didn't approach him again nor speak; her perceptions were wonderfully acute. the sense of loneliness that sometimes overtook him on shore deepened, a feeling of impotence, as if he had suddenly waked, lost and helpless, in an unfamiliar planet. there was the soft whisper of his wife's passage across the room. in the lamplight the paint on her cheeks made startling unnatural patches of--paint. the reflections slid over the liquid black mass of her hair, died in the lustrous creamy folds of her garment. she was at once grotesque and impressive, like a figure in a chinese pantomime watched from the western auditorium of his inheritance. his fondness for her, his admiration, had not lessened. he surveyed his position, the presence here, in his room at java head, of taou yuen, with amazement; all the small culminating episodes lost, the result was beyond credence. his thoughts returned to rhoda's accusation of selfishness, the disaster implied in her pity for his wife. he tried again to analyze his marriage, discover whatever justification, security, it possessed. was his admiration for taou yuen sufficient provision for his part of their future together? it was founded largely on her superiority to the world he had known; and here it was necessary for him to convince himself that his wedding had not been merely the result of romantic accident. he knew that the sensual had had almost no part in it, it had been mental; an act of pity crystallizing his revolt against what he felt to be the impotence of "christian" ethics. yet this was not sufficient; for he, like rhoda, had found under his wife's immobility the flux of immemorial woman. no, it wasn't enough; but more existed, he was certain of that. no one could expect him, now, to experience the thrill of idealized passion that was the sole property of youth. what feeling he had had for nettie--he was obliged to return to her from the fact that it was the only possible comparison--had come from very much the same source as the other. the old impersonal motives! the danger, rhoda pointed out, had been admitted when his marriage made impossible the continuation of that aloof position. he doubted that it could change him so utterly. the thought of the entertainment his wife would afford him in salem expanded. he regretted that the best, the calling and comments of the women, was necessarily lost to him, but taou yuen would repeat a great deal: she, too, had a sly sense of the ridiculous. he hoped that his sister-in-law didn't suppose her helpless; the impenetrable manchu control gave her a pitiless advantage over any less absolute civilization. in the darkness before sleep the heavy exotic scents in the room oppressed him strangely. he rose early, and quietly dressing went out into the garden: buds on the june roses against the high blank fence on the street were swelling into visible crimson; there were the stamping of horses' feet on the cobbles of the stable inclosure, the heavy breathing and admonitions of the coachman wielding a currycomb. the sunlight streamed down through pale green willow and tall lilac bushes, through the octagonal latticed summerhouse and across the vivid sod to the drawing-room door. gerrit turned, and entered the farther yard, where his father was inspecting the pear trees. "the _nautilus_ will need new copper sheathing," gerrit said: "she's pretty well stripped forward." "take her around to the salem marine railway at the foot of english street. a fine ship, gerrit, with a proper hull. i tell you they'll never improve on the french lines." "she won't go into the wind with a clipper," he admitted; "but i'll sail her on a fair breeze with anything afloat." "if you come to that," his father asserted; "nothing handsomer will ever be seen than an east india-man in the northeast trades with the captain on the quarter-deck in a cocked hat and sword, the shoals of flying fish and albacore skittering about a transom as high and carved and gilded as a church, the royal pennant at the mainmast head. maybe it would be the _earl of balcarras_ with her cannons shining and the midshipmen running about." "yes," the younger man returned, "and taking in her light sails at sunset, dropping astern like an island. the john company's ruining british shipping." jeremy ammidon muttered one of his favorite pessimistic complaints. "what did you say her name was?" he demanded abruptly. "taou yuen." "taou yuen ammidon," the elder pronounced experimentally. "it doesn't sound right, the two won't go together." "but they have," gerrit declared. he thought impatiently that he must listen to a repetition of rhoda's assertions. "i don't know much about 'em," jeremy proceeded. "all i saw, when i was younger, was the little singing-girls playing mora and wailing over their infernal three-stringed fiddles something about the moon and a bowl of water lilies." taou yuen did not come down to breakfast, and gerrit stayed away from their room until her toilet must be finished. it was sunday; and with the customary preparation for church under way william said: "i suppose you will go down to the ship?" the hidden question, the purpose of the inquiry, at once stirred into being all gerrit's perversity. "no," he replied carelessly; "we'll go with you this morning." "that's unheard of," william exclaimed heatedly; "a woman in all her paint and perfume and outrageous clothes in north church, with--with my family! i won't have it, do you understand." "no worse than what you see there every week," gerrit retorted calmly; "corsets and feathers and female gimcracks. plenty of rouge and cologne too. it will give them something new to stare at and whisper about." william ammidon choked on his anger, and his wife laid a gloved hand on his arm. "you must make up your mind to it," she told him. "it can't hurt anyone. she is gerrit's wife, you see." above, the shipmaster said to taou yuen: "we are going to church with the family." he surveyed her clothes with a faint glimmer of amusement. she had, he saw, made herself especially resplendent as a manchu. the long gown was straw-colored satin with black bats--a symbol of happiness--whirling on thickly embroidered silver clouds, over which she wore a sleeve coat fastened with white jade and glittering with spangles of beaten copper. her slippers were pale rose, and fresh apple blossoms, which she had had brought from the yard, made a headdress fixed with long silver and dull red ivory pins. she smiled obediently at his announcement, and, with a fan of peacock silks and betel nuts in a pouch like a tea rose hanging by a cord from a jade button, she signified her readiness to proceed. william had gone on foot with his girls, jeremy was seldom in church, and rhoda, taou yuen beside her with gerrit facing them, followed in the barouche. it seemed to the latter that they were almost immediately at the door of north church. the leisurely congregation filling the walk stiffened in incredulous amazement as gerrit handed his wife to the pavement. rhoda went promptly forward, nodding in response to countless stupefied greetings; while gerrit ammidon moved on at taou yuen's side. prepared, he restrained the latter from a prostration in the hall of the church. nothing had changed: the umbrella trough still bore the numbers of the pews, the stair wound gloomily up to the organ loft. he again found the subdued interior, the maroon upholstery, the flat gothic squares of the ceiling and dark red stone walls, a place of reposeful charm. the ammidons had two of the box pews against the right wall: his brother and children were in the second, and, inside the other small inclosure, he shut the gate and took his place on a contracted corner bench. taou yuen sat with rhoda against the back of the pew. the former, blazing like a gorgeous flower on the shadowed surface of a pool, smiled serenely at him. he could hear the hum of subdued comment running like ignited powder through the church, familiar faces turned blankly toward him or nodded in patent confusion. the men, he noted, expressed a single rigid condemnation. the women, in crisp light dresses and ribboned bonnets, were franker in their curiosity. taou yuen was a loadstone for their glances. as the service progressed her face grew expressionless. fretted sandalwood bracelets drooped over her folded hands, and miniature dragon flies quivered on the gold wires of her earrings; the sharp perfumes of the east drifted out and mingled with the western scents of extracts and powders. he only saw that she was politely chewing betel nut. it wasn't, he told himself, reverting to his critical attitude toward salem, that he was lacking in charity toward his neighbors, or that he felt any superiority; but the quality that signally roused his antagonism was precisely the men's present aspect of heavy censure and boundless propriety, their stolid attitude of justifying the spiritual consummation promised by the sermon and hymns. the long night watches, the anxiety of the sea, the profound mysteries of the wheeling stars and the silence of the ocean at dawns, had given him, he dimly realized, an inarticulate reverence for the supreme mystery of creation. he was unable to put it into words or facile prayer but it was the guarded foundation of most that he was, and it bred in him a contempt for lesser signs. the religion of his birth, the faith of taou yuen, the fetishism of the zanzibar coast, he had regarded as equally important, or futile--the mere wash of the immensity of beauty, the inexorable destiny, that had seemed to breathe on him alone at the stern of his ship. he lost himself now in the keenness of his remembered emotion: the church faded into a far horizon, he felt the slight heave of the ship and heard the creaking of the wheel as the steersman shifted his hands; from aloft came the faint slapping of the bunt lines on rigid canvas, the loose hemp slippers of the crew sounded across the deck, the water whispered alongside, the ship's bell was struck and repeated in a diminished note on the topgallant forecastle. the morning rose from below the edge of the sea and the pure air freshened.... his thoughts were recalled to the present by the dogmatic insistence of the clergyman's voice, promising heaven, threatening hell. his gaze rested on the chalky debility of madra clifford. the service over, the aisle past the ammidon pews was filled with a slow-moving inquisitive throng. rhoda chose to wait until the greater part was past, and then she followed with the unmoved taou yuen and gerrit. "this is my brother's wife," he heard the former say. "mrs. saltonstone, gerrit's sister, mrs. clifford and miss vermeil. yes... from shanghai. overdue. we were worried, of course." taou yuen smiled vigorously and flapped the vivid fan. against her brilliant colors, the carved jade and embroideries, silver and apple blossoms, the other women looked colorless in wide book muslin and barã©ge, with short veils of tulle illusion hanging from bonnets of rice straw and glazed crãªpe. palpably shocked by her oriental face masked in paint, her chinese "heathen" origin, yet they fingered the amazing needlework and wondered over the weight of her satins. the men he knew gave him, for the most part, a curt greeting. they glanced more covertly at his wife; he understood exactly what thoughts brought out this condemnation soiled by private speculation; and his disdain mounted at their sleek backs and glossy tile, hats supported on stiffly bent arms. after dinner he walked through the warm sunny emptiness of the afternoon to derby wharf and the _nautilus_. standing on the wharf, smoking a cheroot, he leaned back upon his cane, studying the ship with a gaze that missed no detail. there was not a sound from the water; across the harbor peach's point seemed about to dissolve in a faint green haze; a strong scent of mingled spices came from the warehouses. there was the splash of oars in the basin beyond, and the more distant peal of a church bell. at the sound of footfalls behind him he turned and saw nettie vollar and her uncle, edward dunsack. a dark color rose in the girl's cheek, and her hand pulled involuntarily at dunsack's arm, as if she wished to retreat. gerrit thought that she had aged since he had latest met her: nettie's mouth, with its full, slightly drooping lower lip, had lost something of its fresh arch; her eyes, though they still preserved their black sparkle, were plainly resentful. edward dunsack, medium tall but thin almost to emaciation, had a riven sallow face with close-cut silvery hair and agate-brown eyes with contracted pupils. "well, nettie," gerrit said, moving forward promptly, "it's pleasant to see you again." her hand was cold and still. "dunsack, too." "i am obliged to you for my chest," the latter told him, unmoved by gerrit's quizzical gaze. "glad to do it for you," the other replied; "it came ashore with my personal things, and so, perhaps, saved you something." "perhaps," dunsack agreed levelly. looking down at the cob filling of the wharf, nettie vollar said, "you came home married, i hear, and to a chinese lady." gerrit assented. "you'll certainly know her, and like her, too. taou yuen is very wise and without the prejudices--" he stopped, conscious of the stupidity of his attempted kindness. nettie looked up defiantly, biting her lip--a familiar trick, he recalled. dunsack interposed: "you will find that the chinese have none of your little sympathetic tricks. no foreigner could ever grasp the depth of their indifference to what you might call humanity. they are born wise, as you say, but weary. i suppose your wife plays the guitar skillfully and sings the soochow love song." gerrit ammidon studied him with somber eyes and a gathering temper: it was, however, impossible to decide whether the implication was deliberately insulting. he wouldn't have any canton clerk, probably saturated with opium, insinuate that his affair was on the plane of that of a drunken sailor! "my wife," he said deliberately, "is a manchu lady. you may know that they don't learn dialect songs nor ornament tea houses." "very remarkable," dunsack returned imperturbably. "we never see them. how did you manage a go-between, and did you send the hour of your birth to the calculator of destinies? then there is so much to remember in a chinese wedding--the catties of tea and four silver ingots, the earrings and red and green silk and tao priest to consult the gods." gerrit heard this with a frowning countenance. if nettie were not there he would put dunsack forward with the hypothetical crew to which he belonged. he felt as sorry for nettie, he discovered, as ever. it moved him to see her vivacity of life, her appealingly warm color, slowly dulled by salem and the adventitious circumstance of her birth. what a dreary existence she led in the harsh atmosphere of her grandfather and the solemn house on hardy street! at one time he had fancied that he might change it... when now here was taou yuen, detached and superior, waiting in his room at java head. "i stopped for a moment to look at the ship," he said, with the trace of an ungracious bow, "and must get back." the sunlight flung a warm moted veil over nettie vollar. she gave him a startled uncalculated glance of almost desperate appeal and his heart responded with a quickened thud. edward dunsack was sallow and enigmatic, with thin pinched lips. v "the stupid bruiser," edward dunsack declared in a thin bitterness that startled the girl at his side. "the low sea bully!" he was gazing at the resolute back of captain ammidon. a surprising hatred filled him at the memory of the other's intolerant gaze, the careless contempt of his words. he thought, oddly enough, of the delicate and ingenious tortures practiced on offenders in china; the pleasant mental picture followed of ammidon bowed in a wooden collar, of gerrit ammidon bambooed, sliced, slowly choking.... with an intense sense of horror he caught himself dwelling on these dripping visions. his hands clasped rigidly, a sweat stood out on his brow, in a realization that was at once dread and a self-loathing. about him lay the tranquil salem water, the still wharves, the familiar roofs and green tree tops. this wasn't canton, he told himself, but america: there was nettie; only a few streets away was his father's house, his own home, all solid and safe and reassuring. china was a thing of the past, its insidious secret hold broken. it was now only a dream of evil fascination from which he had waked to the reality, the saving substance, of derby wharf. "it's his domineering manner," he explained the outburst to nettie; "all shipmasters have it--as if the world were a vessel they damned from a quarter-deck in the sky. i never could put up with them." "he is very kind, really," she replied, looking away over the harbor. "it is so queer--marrying a chinese woman like that. how will he ever get along with her or be happy?" "he won't," edward dunsack asserted. "leave that to time." he studied her attentively. "was it anything to you?" he asked. "it might have been," she acknowledged listlessly, her gaze still on the horizon. "he came to see me two or three times, quite differently from other nice men, and took me to a concert at the philharmonic society. he was getting to like me, i could tell that, when grandfather interfered--" "i see," dunsack interrupted, "with the immorality of the supermoral." "whatever it was he was past bearing. no one could blame gerrit for getting into a fury. the next day i stood almost in this spot, it was late afternoon too, and watched the _nautilus_ sail away. all the canvas was set and i could see her for a long time. when the last trace had gone it seemed to me that my life had sunk too ... out there." "the old man's a fool," he said bluntly of his father. "how do you suppose he got hold of a manchu?" he shifted his thought, addressing the stillness about them rather than his companion. "don't imagine for a minute that you are superior to her," he told nettie more directly. "there is nothing more remarkable. they must be gorgeous," a faint color stained his long cheeks. "what incredible luck," he murmured. he was thinking avidly of the women of china--the little gay girls like toys, the momentary glimpses of enameled faces in hurrying red-flowered sedan chairs, faces of ivory stained with carmine, in gold-crusted headdresses. a sudden impatience at nettie vollar's obvious person and clothes expanded to a detestation of an atmosphere he had but a minute or so before welcomed as an escape from something infinitely worse than death. now it seemed impossible to spend a life in salem. it would have been better, when he had been released by heard and company, to have taken the position open in the dutch hong. he was in a continual state of such vacillation, as if he were the seat of two separate and antagonistic personalities; rather, he changed the figure, in him the east struggled with the west. it was necessary for the latter to triumph. the difficulty lay in the fact that the first was represented by an actual circumstance while the other was only a dim apprehension, a weakened allegiance to ties never strong. he cursed the extraordinary chance that, against every probability, had brought the chest of opium safely to him here. its purchase had been the result of habit evading his will, he had despatched it--in that seesawing contest--by a precarious route, half hoping that it would be lost or seized; and, when he had seen the chest carried down hardy street to his door, a species of terror had fastened upon him, a premonition of an evil spirit flickering above him in a turning of oily smoke. why hadn't he pitched the thing into the water at the foot of their yard! there was time still: he would take the balls of opium and dispose of them secretly. a sudden energy, a renewed sense of strength, flooded him. this distaste for nettie changed into a pity at the ill luck that had followed her: she didn't deserve it. generous emotions expanded his heart. he dreamed of taking hold of his father's small commerce in rum and sugar with the west indies and turning it into a concern as rich and powerful as ammidon, ammidon and saltonstone. why not! they, too, would have a big white house on washington square or chestnut street, with servants--chinese servants--and horses and great ships sailing in, laden with the east. why not indeed! he, edward dunsack, had more brains than jeremy ammidon, that stiff old man with a face the color of a damask plum. his niece would go to all the balls at franklin and hamilton halls, the injustice of her position overcome by an impressively increasing fortune. abstractly he patted her shoulder with a hand as long and gaunt and yellow as his face. all this would come as a result of throwing the opium into the harbor. it was as good as accomplished. in the face of his prospective well-being he felt already the equal of anyone in salem. if gerrit ammidon had married a manchu lady it was his privilege, no, duty, to call and put his experience in things chinese at their command. she would speak only a little if any english; no one here understood the preparation of her food--her delicate necessity for dishes not the property of an entire household; a hundred such details of which the infinitely cruder west must be ignorant. he thought complacently that he would understand her better than anyone else in salem, in boston, in america; far better than her husband. she would without doubt learn to depend on him: they would laugh together at the manners and people about them. ammidon would be away for long periods on the china service.-his dreams broke off with a sardonic laugh, a repetition of the tone in which he had objurgated the ship-master. such visions were the property of youth, and he was forty-two, forty-two and nothing more than a discredited clerk who had fled across the world from a shadow. but he was right--he had seen white men who had caught the breath of china accepting just such opportunities as the one offered to him after his dismissal by augustine heard. at the dutch hong he'd be expected to talk about his late employer. such situations, he had realized in a rarely illuminating flash, were only temporary, a descending flight. these men resembled the fate of, say, a brig sailing into the china sea in all the perfection of order of the british marine: at, perhaps, hong kong, sold to a native firm, she would be refitted under an extravagant flag, and slowly the order would depart until, in a slovenly tangle of rigging and defilement, she'd be seen yawing on secret and nauseous errands. a homely chime of bells was repeated from the town; a ship's fast strained resinously with the changing tide. "it will be getting on toward supper," nettie told him. they walked slowly from the wharf, turned silently into derby street and hardy on their way home. beyond the inner fence of the garden the thick uneven sod reaching to the water was dark and cool against the luminous flush of evening. a sound of frying and heavy odor came from the kitchen, and kate vollar's voice informed them that the meal was ready. barzil dunsack bowed his head over the table and pronounced a grace in startlingly resonant tones, the reverent humility of his words oddly emphasized by a sort of angry impatience. it seemed as if he at once subjected himself to his god and expressed a certain dissatisfaction with his forbearance. edward dunsack was plunged in the thought of the resolution he intended to fulfill that evening. the throwing away of the opium had lost a part of its symbolic meaning. it now seemed even a little rash when he could find an immediate highly profitable market--the opium had cost him seven hundred dollars in china. but he must, he realized, be firm. afterwards, in his room facing away from the street over darkening yards and gables and foliage, he stood gazing at the chest of mango wood that held the drug. edward dunsack unlocked and lifted the lid. on the tray before him were twenty balls, each the size of his two fists, wrapped in a hard skin of poppy leaves, and there was a similar number beneath. it was obvious that he couldn't carry a tray through the house, and he took out two balls, after which he secured the remainder. he walked quickly down the stair and through the close turning of the lower hall that led through a side door to the yard. a pale rectangle of lamplight fell from the sitting room window over a brick path and ground tramped bare of grass; a clinking of dishes sounded in the kitchen. the sod was damp, and perhaps eight feet below the wooden buttress of the land the water showed impenetrably black. safely there he passed a tense hand over a brow suddenly wet; he was shaking as if in the grip of a chill. his condition needed drastic measures. the cold heavy opium gave out its tantalizing odor. in a minute it would be disposed of and he would go for more. he calculated that this necessitated twenty trips at the present rate--a bag might serve his purpose better. he raised an arm with an opium ball, but his hand remained suspended in air. an inarticulate protest seized him, a suffocating sense of impending loss. he would never be able to get patna opium here; it was a valuable medical property. his nerves shook at the thought of its delights. then as if without his volition and against every intention, his arm described a short arc and his hand was empty. there was the impact of a solid object striking the water, a faint ripple on the motionless expanse, and then absolute silence. he was aghast at his wanton act, the irreparable waste of a precious substance, and cursed in a low audible cantonese. whose concern was it if he did, very occasionally, smoke a "pistol"? how could it possibly matter! the dreams about a great foreign commerce, a white house like the ammidons', were futile; it was too late. he could expect nothing from life but the unspeakable monotony of his father's dwelling, the bare office. he had worked hard, been as full of splendid early resolutions as anyone, and he wasn't blamable if chance balked his ambition. a soul was nothing more than a twisting leaf in the wind of fate. there remained only to take what escape was offered--golden visions, luxury, beauty beyond all earth. his contrary determination seemed of less actuality than the imagined echoing of the splash that still hung in his brain. it was a thing far away, belonging to another time, another man; like the memory of a period of charming ignorance. the thought of it wove a strand of melancholy into his present mature realization like the delicate scent of blossoming trees borne to him on the evening air, barely perceptible and then lost in the pungency of the opium. the latter became, mystically, all china, the irresistible fascination that had gradually possessed his imagination, dulling the associations of his heredity and birth, calling him further and further into its secretive heart. he returned to his room, where he put back the second ball in the tray of its chest. an extraordinary weariness hung over him, there was a sense of leaden weight in his arms and feet. flashes of a different perception pierced his apathy; a voice, seemingly outside his being, whispered of danger, evil and danger.... a twisting leaf, he told himself again with his deep fatalism. the memory of gerrit ammidon's crisp blue gaze, his vigorous gestures and speech, became an intolerable affront, representing the far lost point of his own departure. his contrary feelings met and grappled in his mind; but in the end the past, salem, was always defeated, weaker, more faintly perceived. in a great many essentials, he told himself, he had become chinese in sympathy and fiber. the lamp threw a smooth gleam over the mango wood chest, and he bent, turning the key in the ornamental brass lock. he could reconsider the disposal of the opium to-morrow; there was no hurry; he had no intention of becoming a victim to the drug. that would be an inconceivable stupidity, the negation of all the philosophy he had gained. very occasionally-his thoughts swung to the surprising fact of ammidon's chinese wife: if, as he had first suspected, she were a common woman of the port who had made a fool of the dull sailor he perceived the making of a very entertaining comedy. there would be the keenest irony in exposing her to himself before the complacent ignorance of her husband. he knew such women: convicted in chinese, perhaps before the entire ammidon family, not a muscle of her face would betray surprise or concern. she might try to murder him, very ingeniously, but never descend to the intrigue, the lies, of a western woman placed in the same position. she'd stoically accept the situation. these visions ran rapidly, vividly, through his brain; he was accustomed to them; a greater part of his waking life was filled with such pictures, infinitely more alluring, persuasive, than the disappointing actuality. he got out of his clothes, and, in a loose gown of black silk, sat at his open window, his chin sunk in the palm of a hand, his face set against the night. the next morning, at the breakfast table, he listened with a fleering mouth to his father's long dogmatic grace before meat. his sister sat opposite their parent, her gaze lowered in a perpetual amazement, her entire person stamped with a stupid humility. there was nothing humble, however, in nettie; the crisp french coloring positively crackled with an electric energy; her mouth was set in a rebellious red blot. studying her, edward dunsack saw that she was prettier than he had first realized on his return to salem. he speculated over the story she had told him yesterday about gerrit ammidon's attachment. what an incredible idiot their father had been: edward would have relished gerrit as a brother-in-law; good would have come to them all from such a connection. if he had been in america at the time no such error would have been permitted. with his counsel nettie would have caught ammidon beyond any escape. he wondered if the girl had actually cared for the shipmaster or if the affair had been nothing more than a sop to her wounded pride and isolation. in a way beyond his present understanding this seemed to be considerably important. if she had loved him no one could predict what her attitude might be in any future development of their contact; but if her pride only had been involved, injured, she might readily be an instrument for his own obscure purposes. the office where barzil dunsack conducted the limited affairs of his west india trading was a small one-room building back of the dwelling. there was a high desk at which a clerk stood, or balanced on a long-legged stool, a more formal secretary against the length of the wall, with a careful model of a full ship, the spars and standing rigging slack and the whole gray with dust, a built-in cupboard opposite, a dilapidated chair or so and a ten-plate iron stove for wood. a window looked out across the grass to the harbor and another opened blankly against a board fence. there edward dunsack made a column of entries in a script fine and regular but occasionally showing an uncontrollably tremulous line. he was conscious of this tendency, growing through the past year; and he surveyed his writing with a feeling of angry dismay. try as he might, with a frowning concentration, to pen the words and numerals firmly, presently his attention would slip, his hand waver ever so slightly, and a sudden stricken appearance of old age fasten on the characters.... by heaven, to-night he'd throw all that stinking stuff away! outside the day was immaculate, the expanse of the water was like celestial silk, such sails as he saw resembled white clouds. the early morning bird song had subsided, but a persistent robin was whistling from the grass by the open door. the curd-like petals of a magnolia were slowly shifting obliquely to the ground, he could hear the stir of derby street. he was inexpressibly weary of the struggle always racking his being: it seemed to him that in the midst of a serene world he was tormented by some inimicable and fatal power. he fastened his thoughts on commonplace happier objects, on the page under his hand, the entries of medford rum and sugar cane and molasses, and the infinitely larger affairs of ammidon, ammidon and saltonstone. there was no reason why he shouldn't call on jeremy ammidon's family. the latter had signified by his visit the desire to end the misunderstanding between them. he was as well born as gerrit ammidon; only ill chance had made them seem differently situated. anyhow, unlike canton, mere exterior position had comparatively little weight in salem. the shipmasters, the more important merchants, arrogated a certain superiority to themselves: but it broke down before the inborn democracy of the local spirit. that afternoon, he decided, he'd be in pleasant street; and later he dressed with the most meticulous care. a growing doubt seized him as he mounted the outside steps of the ammidons' impressive house; but he crushed it down and firmly rapped with the polished knocker on the opened door. the family, a servant told him, was in the garden; and he followed through a large white-paneled hall into a formal drawing-room and green space beyond. he was again uncertain before the number of people grouped about a summerhouse and apparently watching his approach with cold surprise. but gerrit ammidon stepped forward and greeted him with an adequately level civility. "you know my father," he said, and jeremy ammidon, his heavy body in linen above which his face was dusky, put out an abrupt hand. there was a mr. brevard, a slender unconcerned person in very fashionable but restrained clothes; william ammidon's wife, a large woman in india muslin, handsome enough, edward dunsack conceded, in the obvious american sense; a daughter of william's, a girl blooming into womanhood, far too vigorous and brightly colored for his taste; and gerrit's wife. the latter had been hidden from him at first, and he saw her suddenly, completely: his surprise caused him to stand in an awkward suspense--never had he imagined that a woman, even a manchu, could be so beautiful! he recognized, in a score of unmistakable details, that she was of irreproachably high birth; her satins were embroidered with the symbols of nobility and matrimonial felicity; the gold fingernail guards, the jade and flowering pearls, her earrings and tasseled tobacco pouch and ivory fan, were all in the most superlative manner. a deep pleasurable excitement filled him as he made his greeting in correct chinese. the long delicate oval of her face showed no emotion at the sound of her native speech and she returned his periods in a slowly chosen mechanical english. edward dunsack thought that as he spoke an expression of distaste stamped gerrit's features. however, he was left in no doubt: "my wife," the other instructed him, "prefers to speak english. that is the only way she has of picking it up." a contempt filled dunsack which he was barely able to keep from his voice and manner. he nodded shortly, and subsided into a study of taou yuen so open that she must have become aware of his interest. seated on the bench that circled the interior of the latticed summerhouse she moved so that he could no longer see her face. brevard was beside her, talking in a low amused voice: there was a ringing peal of laughter from sidsall ammidon and a faint infinitely well-bred ripple from taou yuen. the brilliant patch of her gown made an extraordinary effect in the salem garden. edward dunsack recognized the scents that stirred from her, more eastern and disturbing even than opium: there was a subtle natural odor of musk, the perfumes of henna and clove blossoms and santal. a curious double feeling possessed him in the split consciousness of which he was capable--he had the sensation of having come, in the suave afternoon garden, on overwhelming disaster, and at the same time he was enraged by the play of fate that had given such a woman to gerrit ammidon and denied him, with his special appreciation of oriental charm, the slightest satisfaction. a more general hatred of gerrit tightened to a consuming resentment of the other's blind fortune. one thing was unmistakably borne upon him--in spite of the courtesy he was meeting it was clear that he could not hope to become a customary visitor at the ammidons'. he was put definitely outside the community of interests in which brevard easily entered. william ammidon joined them, and something like astonishment at dunsack's presence was visible on his complacent face. he remained, however, in a stubborn resistance to small adverse signs in the hope of gaining some additional facts about taou yuen. she had been, he learned, a widow and gerrit had married her with her father-in-law's consent although the latter was a rich official. he wanted to ask a thousand questions, but he knew that even if the ammidons were too dense to grasp his curiosity, taou yuen herself would comprehend his impoliteness. nowhere else could be found the wisdom and poise of a manchu lady. jeremy ammidon, in a lawn chair, a smoking cheroot in his fingers, asked him about affairs of chinese government and commerce. as the old man talked he flushed darkly with quick indignation. "the english have made our political diplomats look like stuffed gulls!" he declared. "look at their orders in council and the british prize courts," he proceeded, waving his cheroot; "stop an american vessel anywhere and pretend to find a deserting english sailor. with the treaty of ghent and cod-headed commissioners and a congress that wouldn't know a ship from a bread barge the country's going to hell on greased ways! i've said it a thousand times and any man not a complete ass knows that you can't run a government without a strong head. locofocos," he muttered. edward dunsack listened to this tirade with an air of polite attention which hid completely the fact that he heard or comprehended scarcely a word. his thoughts were filled by the fragrant vision of taou yuen; already he was deep in the problem of how to see her again, to-morrow. it would be excessively difficult. eastern women never, if they could avoid it, walked; and they were, he knew, entirely without the necessity that drove the women of salem into a ceaseless round of calling and gossip. it was probable that, except to ride, she wouldn't leave the house and grounds. he cursed the chance quarrel that had set a customary void between the houses of dunsack and ammidon, the unfortunate affair of his sister and vollar inescapably adding to the permanency of the breach; he particularly cursed nettie. there, however, his mind took up the twisted thread of the vague possibility that the latter might be useful to him: he was amazed at the way in which his premonitions fitted into the pattern of situations yet to be materialized. edward dunsack turned from his contemplation of taou yuen to a careful consideration of gerrit ammidon. the latter had a countenance which showed strong, easily summoned emotions. it was an intolerant face, dunsack judged, and yet sentimental; and it was surprisingly young, guileless. at the same time it was unusually determined--an affair of uncomplicated surfaces, direct gaze, marked bone. he questioned sharply, irritably, the length to which his projections had reached. what were they all about? the answer was presented by the glittering figure of the manchu; she had risen and was standing in the entrance of the summerhouse. he thought, with a jerking pulse, of oriental similes; she was a lotus-woman, a green slip of willow, an ambrosial moon, a mustard flower. her teeth were white buds, her breasts blanched almonds. his entire life in china had been a preparation for the realization of the present moment. the sense of danger, of anger at gerrit ammidon, perished before the supreme emotion called up by taou yuen. he wanted to embrace her satin-shod feet, to cling to her odorous hands, such hands as were never formed out of china, like petals of coral. not only her bodily charm intoxicated him, but the thought of her subtle mind added its attraction, its shadows never to be pierced by the blunted western instinct, the knowledge of pleasures like perfumes, the calm blend of the eight diagrams of confucius, the stoicism of the buddhistic soul revolving perpetually in the urn of fate, and of the aloof tao of lao-tze. brevard left with an easy familiarity, already planning a return, that filled edward dunsack with resentful envy. the sun had disappeared behind the house; long cool shadows swept down the garden; it was past time for him to go. a reluctance to move from the magic of taou yuen possessed him: he was unable to think how, when, he would next see her. he raged at the prohibition against speaking chinese; that ability should give him an overwhelming advantage of gerrit ammidon. this was, of course, the reason that he had been virtually commanded to limit himself to english. many of the forms of extreme chinese courtesy were impossible to express in another language. finally he rose; in departing he emphasized the importance of jeremy ammidon--taou yuen should recognize and applaud that. he saw that she was watching him obliquely, her lips in repose, her hands still among the satin draperies. an american would have betrayed something of her reaction to him, he could have discovered a trace, an indication, of her thoughts; but the manchu's face was as inscrutable as porcelain. william ammidon nodded, the old man responded to his leave-taking with a degree of warmness, gerrit at least smiled in a not unfriendly manner. edward dunsack bowed to taou yuen, and she gravely inclined her head. he had a last glimpse of her glowing in the green light of the inclosure of rose-bushes and poplars, emerald sod and tangled lilac trees. at the supper table his sister's appearance in somber untidy black barã©ge, nettie's unrestrained gestures and speech, the coarse red cloth and plain boiled fare, all added to a discontent that he could scarcely restrain. with the utmost discrimination in delicate shades of beauty and luxury he was yet condemned to spend his days in surroundings hardly raised above poverty-stricken squalor. incongruous as it was he could yet imagine taou yuen moving with a certain appropriateness about the ammidons' spacious grounds and house; but he was absolutely unable to picture her here, on hardy street. all the vivid scenes that continually formed and shifted in his mind gathered about gerrit ammidon's wife. he used this phrase in a contemptuously satirical manner: it was impossible for ammidon actually to marry a manchu. such racial mating, he told himself, could not be consummated; there were too many deep antipathies of flesh and spirit; the man was too--too stupidly normal. sooner or later he would swing back to his own. with him, edward dunsack, it was different; he always had an inner kinship with china; at first sight its streets and sounds, odors and ways, had seemed familiar, admirable. the realization of this, when his place with heard and company collapsed, had sent him back to america, in a strange dread. he remembered how the vague fear had followed him to derby wharf. now he laughed at it, welcoming every chinese instinct he had. they seemed to throw a bridge across enormous difficulties, bringing him finally to taou yuen. he lingered at the table after supper, his head sunk on his chest, revolving the various aspects of his position. one thing was definite--he must have taou yuen; it was unthinkable that she should continue with gerrit ammidon. it needed skillful planning, tortuous execution, but in the end he'd get his desire. he had no doubt of that. it was necessary. if she opposed him she would discover that he, too, could be subtle, oriental, yes--dangerous. none of the stupid inhibitions that, for example, bound his father interfered with the free exercise of his personal wishes. he was beyond primitive morality. an ecstasy of contemplation ravished his senses. "goodness, uncle edward," nettie exclaimed, "you scared me, you looked so like a chinee." "there are no such people," he retorted sharply, exasperated by the vulgar error. she was undismayed; and when, in reply to the question, she learned that he had been at the ammidons' her surprise increased his irritation. he saw from her manner that his calling there had been at least unexpected. nettie interrupted the preparation of the table for breakfast, and dropped into a chair beyond him, her hands--the sleeves were rolled back to her elbows--clasped before her. "you must tell me everything," she declared eagerly. "what is she like? do they seem happy? did he hold her hand? do chinese women kiss? is she tall or--" "i can't remember a question out of your rattle," he interrupted her. he was about to give expression to his admiration for taou yuen, when he stopped, with tight lips. here, perhaps, was the lever by which so much was to be shifted. "she's chinese," he said indifferently, "and that means yellow." nettie made a gesture of distaste. "they seem to get along well enough. of course, it's ridiculous to call it a marriage, and it seems to me very questionable to impose it on the ammidons as that. the thing is--how long will it last, how soon will he get tired of her and send her back to canton?" nettie vollar closed her eyes, her hands were rigid. the lamplight, streaming up over her face, showed him that it was tense and pale and answered a question. her feeling for gerrit ammidon had been more than a mere hurt pride. in addition to that he saw beyond any doubt the proof of its existence still. this complicated his problem: inspired only by a resentment that he might fan into hatred she would be far more pliable than in the grip of a genuine affection for gerrit ammidon. he understood the processes of the former, a flexible and useful steel; but no one could predict the vagaries, the absurd self-sacrifices, of love. well, he'd have to work with what offered. that, he realized, was the strength of his philosophy--he accepted promptly, without vain regret, the means that lay at his hand. "ammidon seems worn," he said generally; "they were in the garden, and i had a few words privately with him." nettie glanced swiftly across the table; her lips moved; but she repressed the obvious question trembling on them. "he showed, i think," he continued carefully, "a very improper interest in you." "how?" "he asked if you were well and happy. i most certainly told him, for any number of reasons, for pride alone, that you were." "then you told a lie," she cried in a tone so hard that it surprised him. "of course," he went on smoothly, "i know that you are not, almost all your circumstances prohibit that. but i don't intend to circulate it in salem. opinion here may have forced you into a long loneliness, but i shan't give anyone the satisfaction of knowing it. and, after all, you have your grandfather mostly to blame. you would have been married to gerrit ammidon now if he hadn't interfered; you would have been walking about the ammidons' garden with your hand on his arm in place of that chinese prostitute." "i don't see why you should make me so miserable," she declared. "i don't care anything about the garden, it isn't that. why do you suppose he brought such a woman home?" "pique," he told her; "he couldn't care for her in the way he might for, well--you. as i said, he'll drop her on his next voyage to the east; he will leave her and probably never come back to salem again. i hear that ammidon, ammidon and saltonstone are planning a new policy--bigger ships, clippers in the china and california trade; and that means removal to boston. their facilities here are no longer suitable." she moved, her chin fell upon her hands, propped up with her elbows on the table. apparently edward dunsack was gazing at the wall beyond her. her breast gave a single sharp heave. when nettie looked up her face was flushed. "i wish that i were really a bad woman," she spoke in a low vibrant voice. "what is bad and what is good?" he still seemed to ignore her, considering a question that had no personal bearing. "in one country a thing is thought wrong and in another it is the highest virtue. in one age this or that is condemned, when, turn the calendar, and everyone is praising it." he became confidential, the image of kindness. "i'll tell you what i think is wicked," he pronounced, leaning toward her, "and that is the way you two were kept apart; unchristian is what i call it." "gerrit doesn't care," she said. "how do you know?" he demanded. "i cannot agree with you. i don't find a great deal in him to admire, he is too simple and transparent; but there's no doubt of this, he is faithful. one idea, one affection, is all his head will hold." "that's a beautiful trait." a palpable wistfulness settled over her. "it's greatly admired," he agreed; "although not by me. i believe in taking what is yours, what you need, from life. i suppose that i have been away from proprieties so long that they have lost their importance. they seem to me of no greater weight than barriers of straw. but, of course, that mightn't suit you; probably, living in salem as you have, its opinion is valuable." "salem!" she exclaimed bitterly. "what has it ever been to me but an unfair judgment? i owe salem no consideration; i can't see that i owe any to life." "i don't want to insist on that," he proceeded deliberately. "the tragedy of your position is that married to ammidon everything in the past would have been overlooked, forgotten. even now--" he stopped with a gesture indicating the presence still of large possibilities. god, what a vacillating fool the girl was! he could say no more at present, and he rose, leaving the room with nettie staring dully across the table. he went outside, to the grass fronting on the harbor. here, last night, he had thrown the opium into the water. it seemed to him that he had lived through a complete existence since then: the presence of taou yuen had created a new world. he thought she walked to him through the gloom; he saw her slender body grow brighter as she approached; he heard her speak in a low native murmur; their hands caught in an eager tangle. he put aside, momentarily, the problem of the difficulties of going again to the ammidons' for an easier one--the bringing of gerrit ammidon here. he was confident that, thrown together on the still rim of the water, at evening, the emotion born between his niece and the shipmaster and prematurely choked would revive. he had no means of knowing ammidon's present exact feeling for nettie; he was counting only on a general theory of men and nature at large. he was already convinced, from very wide knowledge, experience, that the other could not form a permanent attachment to the manchu; and nettie's great difference, together with the romance of her unhappy position, must have a potent effect on the fellow's evident sentimentality. a dank air rose from the water, like the smell of death; and, with an uncontrollable shiver, he turned back toward the house. in his room edward dunsack recalled that he had promised himself to throw away the remainder of the opium on this and succeeding nights. in view of that his movements were inexplicable: he got out from a locked chest the _yen tsiang_, a heavy tube of dark wood inlaid with silver ideograms and diminutive earthen cup at one end. then he produced a small brass lamp, brushes, long needles, and a metal rod. taking off his clothes, and in the somber black folds of the silk robe, he made various minutely careful preparations. finally, extended on his bed, he dipped the end of the rod into opium the color of tar, kept it for a bubbling moment near the blaze of the lamp, and then crowded the drug into the pipe. he held the bowl to the flame and drew in a long deep inhalation. a second followed and the pipe was empty. he repeated this until he had smoked a mace. a vivacious and brilliant state of being flooded him; he felt capable of profoundly witty conversation, and laughed at the solemn absurdities of the ammidons, at his father attempting to call down a blessing out of the empty sky upon their food, at his sister's lugubrious countenance, the childish emotions of nettie. what a nonsensical strutting business life was. the confines of his room were lost in an amber radiance that filled all space; it was at once a light and a perfume and charged with a sense of impending rapture. a sparkling crimson shape floated down from infinite skies--taou yuen. she wore a bridal costume, cunningly embroidered with the phoenix, a hood of thin gold plate, and a band of red silk about her brow bore the eight copper figures of the beings who are immortal. her hair was ornamented by the pure green jade pins of summer, her hanging wrists were heavy with virgin silver, while her face was like the desirous august moon flushed in low vapors. he raised his bony arms--the wide silk sleeves falling back--his emaciated yellow hands. from under his dark eyelids there was a glitter of vision like the sheen on mica... taou yuen floated nearer. edward dunsack woke suddenly, at the darkest ebb of night, and started hurriedly to his feet. a sickening vertigo, a whirling head, sent him lurching across the room. he came in contact with a chest of drawers, and clung to it with the feeling that his legs were shriveling beneath him. his consciousness slowly returned, and with it a pain like ruthless tearing fingers searched his body. the rectangle of the open window, only less dark than the room, promised a relief from the strangled effort of his breathing, and he fell across the ledge, lifting his face to a starless and unstirring heat. waves of complete physical exhaustion passed over him. an utter horror fastened on his brain. "oh, god," he said, with numb lips, "we thank thee for this, thy daily blessing--" he broke off with an effort. that was his father pronouncing a grace. "oh god--" he said again, when it seemed to him that in the darkness he saw the blank placidity of a buddha carved from gray stone. tears ran over his sunken cheeks, salt and warm like blood. vi the night was so oppressive, continuing such an unusually sultry period for the season, that sidsall, ordinarily impervious to the effects of weather, was unable to sleep. although the door between her room and her parents' was shut, she heard her father--his step, at once quick and firm, was easily recognizable moving about beyond. her restlessness increased and she got up, crossing the floor to the window open on the garden, where she knelt, the thick plait of her hair across her cheek and shoulder, with her arms propped on the ledge. the depths of sky were hidden in a darkness like night made visible; and, in place of moving air, there were slow waves of perfume, now from the lilacs and now from the opening hedge of june roses. her brain was filled by a multitude of minor images and speculations, but fixed at their back was the presence of roger brevard. she approved of him absolutely. he had exactly the formal manner that gave her a pleasant sense of delicate importance, and his clothes were beautiful, a sprig of rose geranium in a buttonhole and his gloves and boots immaculate. she liked rather slight graceful men, she thought, with the quiet voices of a polite ancestry. naturally olive wibird preferred less restrained companions, although heaven knew that olive appeared to make all kinds welcome. olive's opinion of roger brevard would have been very different if he had asked her to dance. sidsall recalled the quadrille he had led her through at lacy's party; he had been a perfect partner, at once light and firm. he had been a habitual caller at java head before that occasion, and had come in the same manner since. that is, casually viewed, his visits seemed the same; but in reality there were some small yet significant differences. they were all held in his attitude of the afternoon when he had stayed talking exclusively to her on the steps. she couldn't say just what the change was; when she attempted to examine it her thoughts became confused and turned to a hundred absurd considerations, such as--at present--the loveliness of the night. the scents of the flowers were overwhelming. he got on, too, better than almost anyone else with her uncle gerrit's manchu wife. she had watched them together until it had dawned on her that the two had some important qualities in common--they both appeared to stand a little aside from the world, as if they were against the wall at a cotillion. she thought this in spite of the fact that it was precisely what roger brevard never did; it was true in the mysterious way of so much now that came from ideas over which she had no control. the subject of uncle gerrit's wife--she had not yet been told or decided for herself what to call her--was inexhaustibly enthralling. but, before she was again fairly launched in it, she paused to wonder at the presence of the dreadful dunsack man on their lawn. his hollow yellow cheeks and staring brown eyes which somehow made her think of pain, his restless hands and speech, all repelled her violently. taou--taou yuen hadn't liked him either: when, after the longest time, he had gone, she replied to a short comment from her, sidsall's, father: "rotten wood cannot be carved." some one else had mentioned opium. she had intended to ask more particularly about this, but it slipped from her mind. she remembered that her grandfather made one of his familiar exclamations peppered with an appalling word. he was really very embarrassing, and she was glad that roger brevard had left. it was a bad example for laurel, too, who copied him, and only that morning said "my god" to miss gomes. her mind swung back to the consideration of the manchu: the latter was the fact upon which camilla was so insistent, that in this case a manchu was a noble, almost a princess. camilla suffered dreadfully from the endless questions put to her outside their house about uncle gerrit's wife. she had more than once wept at the public blot laid on them. laurel was frankly inquisitive and janet as puzzling as usual. the clothes of course were enchanting, the richness of the materials and hand embroidery marvellous; her jewelry was never ending. it didn't seem quite like clothing, in the sense of her own tarlatan and crinoline, her waist which hodie wouldn't properly lace and tulle draping; there was a certain resemblance to the dressing in van amburgh's circus; but--in spite of camilla's private laments--every inch of it was distinguished. the layers of paint upset them, but uncle gerrit had explained, a little impatiently, that it was a manchu custom, adding that the world couldn't be all measured and judged by salem. sidsall liked her rather than not, she decided; and determined to make an effort to know her better. she wanted specially to discover the nature of the bond that held one to the other, and explore, in safety, the depths of love. she could not help feeling that her uncle's affair, extraordinary as it was, must throw light on the whole complicated business of marriage. ... the clock in the hall struck an indeterminate half hour, it appeared to grow lighter outside, and there was a twittering of martins from the stables. from above came the vigorous harsh cawing of crows. suddenly sleepy she returned to bed and almost immediately the room was flooded with sunlight. it was an accepted fact now that taou yuen, the garden of peaches, stayed in her room until long after breakfast; and when sidsall, rising from the table, found a servant taking up a pot of hot water for tea, she secured it and knocked carefully on the door above. the slurring hesitating voice said "come in," and she entered with a diffidence covered by a cheerfully polite morning greeting. she found the other in crãªpe de chine pantaloons wrapped tightly about her ankles and bound over quilted muslin socks with gay brocaded ribbons and a short floating gown of gray silk worked with willow leaves. her hair was an undisturbed complication of lustrous black, gold bodkins and flowers massed on either side; and her face, without paint or powder, was as smooth as ivory and the color of very pale coffee and cream. sidsall saw that she was at her toilet, and she put down the pot of steaming water, moving toward the door; but taou yuen, with a charmingly shy gesture, begged her to stay. she swiftly drew a cup of tea from silvery leaves, filled and lighted the minute bowl of her tobacco pipe, deeply inhaled the smoke; then returned to a mirror. fascinated, sidsall followed every motion. taou yuen polished her face sharply with a hot damp cloth and then dipped her fingers in a jar that held a sticky amber substance. "honey," she said briefly, rubbing it into her cheeks and palms. next she attacked her eyebrows, and skillfully wielding a thin silk cord left arches like pencil markings. at times she interrupted her preparations to turn to sidsall with a little smile so engaging that the girl smiled sympathetically in answer. there were a gilt paper box of rice powder, with which she drenched her countenance, leaves of carmine transferred to her cheeks with a wet finger, and a silver pot of rouge from which she coated her lips. as she gazed approvingly at her reflection sidsall said: "it's very beautiful." her eyes, drawn up toward her temples, shone gayly; and, close to sidsall, she touched the latter affectionately on the cheek. the cold sharp contact of the long curving finger guard gave the girl an unpleasant shock. it seemed lifeless, or like the scratching of a beetle. suddenly the woman's glittering gaze, her expressionless face stiff with paint, the blaze of her barbaric colors, filled sidsall with a shrinking that was almost dread. she was even more oppressed by an instinctive feeling of what she could express to herself only as cruelty hidden under the other's scented embroidery. at the same time her curiosity persisted, conquered. she was unable, however, to think of any possible manner of introducing the new subject of her interest, love, and was forced to be content with an indifferent opening. "we were all quite surprised when mr. dunsack called yesterday," she said. "he isn't in the least a friend of the family. grandfather went to sea with his father, but even they didn't speak for years in salem. the dunsacks are a little common." "i know," taou yuen replied. "mr. dunsack--a long time in canton, at the american agents. china is bad for men like him. black spirits get in them and the ten sins." "he stared at you in the rudest way." "he never saw a manchu lady before. in china the dog would not have passed by the first gate. here it is nothing to be a manchu or an honorable wife; it is all like the tea houses and rice villages. men walk up to you with bold eyes. i tell gerrit and he laughs. i stay in the room and he brings me shamefully down. this mr. dunsack comes and the wise old man talks to him like a son. he touches your mother's hand. he sees the young girls like white candles." "we wouldn't let him really bother us," sidsall explained; "probably if he comes again we'll all be out." taou yuen made a comment in chinese. "a bad thought is a secret knife," she continued; "it is more dangerous than the anger of the emperor, a sickness that kills with the stink of bodies already dead." this seemed rather absurd to sidsall. she considered once more the introduction of the subject of her new concern; but, in spite of taou yuen's extravagant appearance, there was a quality of being which made impossible any blunt interrogation. she had a decidedly aloof manner. her mother, sidsall recognized, and the older women they knew, had a trace of this; but in the manchu it was carried infinitely further, a most autocratic disdain. her feeling for the other shifted rapidly from attitude to attitude. she watched, she was certain, these same sensations come over her aunt caroline saltonstone, mrs. clifford and mrs. wibird, who called on gerrit ammidon's wife that afternoon. they were sitting with their crinoline widespread against their chairs, gazing with a concerted battery of curiosity at taou yuen's shimmering figure in the drawing-room screened against the sun. mrs. wibird, sidsall thought--a woman of fat and faded prettiness, with wine red splotches beneath her eyes, and a voice that went on and on in the relating of various petty emotional disturbances--must have resembled olive as a girl. it was probable, then, that olive would look like her mother when in turn she was middle-aged. mrs. clifford, unseasonably huddled in her perpetual shawl, more than ever suggested a haggard marble in somberly rich clothes. aunt caroline sat with complacent hands and loud inattentive speech. taou yuen smiled at them placidly. "our men," said mrs. clifford, "went out to china for years. it never occurred to them however to marry a chinese woman; but i dare say they didn't see the right sort." "most of the captains like china," taou yuen said. "they are so far away from their families--" she made a brief philosophical gesture, and madra clifford studied her with a narrowed gaze. "it would be the same," she continued, "if chinamen came to america." mrs. wibird shuddered. "a yellow skin," she cried impetuously; "i can't bide the thought." "i'm sure we'd be tremendously interested," mrs. saltonstone hurriedly put in, "if you'd tell us about your wedding. a chinese wedding must be--be very gay, with firecrackers and--" "my marriage with captain ammidon was not beautiful--i was a widow and he foreign. the manchu wedding is very nice. first there is the engagement ceremony. i sit like this," she sank gracefully to the floor, cross-legged, "on the bed with my eyes shut, and, if i am noble, two princesses come and put the _ju yi_, it's jade and means all joy, on my lap. two little silk bags hang from the buttons of my gown with gold coins, and two gold rings on my fingers must be marked with _ta hsi_, that's great happiness." "i'm told polygamy is an active practice," mrs. wibird remarked with a rising interest. "yes?" taou yuen asked. "one man--a lot of wives." "the emperor has a great many and some manchus take a second and third. you think that is wrong here. who knows! the chinese women are very good, very modest. the four books for girls teach perfect submission; the five virtues are benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, sincerity. confucius says, 'the root is filial piety.'" "very admirable," mrs. wibird nodded, agitating the small dyed ostrich plumes tipped with marabou of her bonnet; but it was clear to sidsall that this was not the revelation for which she had hoped. a momentary silence, the edge of an uneasiness, enveloped the visitors. "what lovely satins," mrs. saltonstone commented. "please--i have a box full; you will let me give you some?" "indeed yes, and thank you." mrs. wibird, growing resentful, said that a cousin of her aunt's had been a missionary to china, "and did a very blessed work too." taou yuen smoothly agreed that it was quite possible. "our poor have a great many wrong and lustful ideas," she acknowledged; "they tell lies and beat their wives and gamble. the higher classes too, the mandarins and princes, use the people for their own security and rob them. sometimes the law is not honest, and a man with gold gets free when a laborer is put in the bamboo cage." mrs. clifford said very vigorously, "ha!" the silence returned intensified. "i remember," the manchu went on, "this will amuse you. my father-in-law, who was in the canton customs, told me that some boxes of bibles came out from america, with other objects, and when they were opened at the mission they were the wrong ones and filled with rum." there was not, however, any marked appreciation of this on the part of the salem women. they rose to leave and taou yuen sank on her knee. she gazed without a trace of emotion at the three flooding the door with their belled skirts. "they are the same everywhere," she told the girl. the latter moved out into the garden. there she subconsciously picked a rose and fastened it in her hair; her thoughts turned to roger brevard. in his place her uncle gerrit came out through the drawing-room window. the usual shadow of the house, lengthening with afternoon, was pleasantly enveloping, and they walked slowly over the grass. "a flower in your hair," he said, "and by yourself. you have been thinking about true love." she blushed vividly at this unexpected angle on her mind and found it impossible to meet his keen blue eyes. "love must be a remarkable thing." she raised a swift glance to his face and discovered that he had not spoken to her at all, but, hat in hand, was looking away with an expression of abstraction. "i mean the unreasonable silly divine kind," he specified, now gazing at her quizzically, as if lost in a mood over which he had no control; "the sort that is as long as life and stronger. it is entirely different and ages older than the reasonable logical love, all proper and suitable and civilized; or the love that is the result of a determination, the result of a determination," he repeated, frowning darkly at their feet. sidsall held her breath, thrilled by the wealth of what she had heard, fearful of diverting what might be yet revealed. but he moved away abruptly, in a manner that enforced solitude, and stood apparently examining the rockery. her brain rang with the splendid phrase, "love as long as life and stronger." it seemed to clarify and state so much of her lately confused being. hodie, artfully drawn into the consideration of earthly affection, was far less satisfactory than gerrit ammidon. she dwelt on the treasure beyond moth or rust, lost in an ecstasy of contemplation expressed in her customary explosive amens. at the same time she admitted that lower unions were blessed of god, and recommended sidsall to think on "a man who has seen the light and by no means a sea captain." sidsall replied cuttingly, "i think you must forget where you are." "i forget nothing," hodie stoutly maintained; "i'll witness before anyone." she settled the flounces of sidsall's skirt with a deft hand. walking toward the saltonstones' for tea, with a mulberry silk parasol casting a shifting glow on her expanse of clear madras, sidsall wondered at the sudden change of almost all her interests and preoccupations. it was very disturbing--she fell into daydreams that carried her fancy away on a search that was a longing, a soft confusion of opening her arms to mystery. this varied with a restless melancholy; the old securities of her life were hidden in a mist of uncertainty in which her consciousness was troubled by nameless pressures; something within her held almost desperately back from further adventuring. but all the time a latent fascination was drawing her on, putting aside the curtain for her better view. the saltonstones' dwelling on chestnut street was one of a pair--a large solid square of brick--with two identical oval white porticoes and rows of windows keyed in white stone. within the staircase swept up to a slender pillared opening, through which lacy, calmly dressing, waved a deliberate hand. mrs. saltonstone was seated by the tall gilt framed mirror on a low marble stand between long front windows. "as usual," she said, in connection with her daughter, "lacy's as cool as a water monkey; gets it from james; they wouldn't hurry if--" she searched in vain for an expression of her family's composure. "now i am an impetuous woman." she promptly exhibited this quality in the vigor with which she met the wrong canister of tea brought by a servant. she didn't intend to serve padre souchong to a lot of people who apparently confused afternoon tea with an invitation to dinner. in the small press which followed sidsall stopped in the dining room with lacy and olive wibird. olive was still discussing men. "he sat holding my hand right on that bench by your hedge, sidsall, and said that nothing could keep him from coming back for me, but he died of yellow fever in batavia." she left in the company of a beau of fifty anyhow, with a glistening bald head, a silly smirking bow and flood of compliments. lacy moved away and sidsall found herself facing roger brevard. "that looks remarkably like a garden," he said, waving toward an open door. the sun had become obscured in a veil of cloud, drooping until it almost seemed to rest on the bright green foliage; her companion's mood, too, was shadowed. "i thought you'd be here," he added outside, "and looked for you at once." "there was something special you wanted to say?" "my dear child," he replied, "can't you guess how absolutely refreshing you are? no, i have nothing special. but you'll soon get used to men around with no more reason than yourself." she studied this seriously; and, as its complimentary intent emerged, a corresponding color stained her cheeks. her gaze rested on him for the fleetest moment possible and, to her surprise, she saw that he was frowning. "i came here just to see you. no," he corrected his period, "only to see you." his manner was surprisingly abrupt and disconcerting. "i can quite realize," he went on, "that i shouldn't say any of this. yet, on the other hand, it is the most natural thing in the world. i have been listening to the conventional babble of teas and cotillions for so long that you are like a breath of lost youth. certainly that is appropriate. i think," he told her, "that you are the youngest thing alive." then he laughed, "so young that i have annoyed you." "i feel a great deal older than i did, well--last month," she said. "that is a tragedy." she felt that if he were still amused at her she was furious, but he was even graver than before. "to tell you helps hurry the charm to an end. that is what might be complained against me. yet flowers will open, you know, and it might as well be in an honest sun." "i don't understand," she admitted, troubled. "why, it means, sidsall, that i am offering you an experienced hand, that i'm certain i can do you more good than harm--" "that's silly," she interrupted. "if you mean that we might be friends, really confidential friends, it would help me awfully. but then it's so one-sided." "you'll have to overlook that," he answered; "probably all that i can give you, experience, isn't worth the smallest of your feelings. probably you won't need me for an instant. certainly the pleasure will be mine." "you didn't understand," she told him, with dignity; "it's the other way round. i am not a particle interesting and everyone agrees that i'm too healthy. but i can't help it if my cheeks are red and mother won't let me have powder." it was obviously impossible to explain about hodie and the lacing. "i like it," he insisted. "i'll admit that i am unfashionable there. i think we'll hit on a great deal to share privately." there was a faint patter among the leaves, and a cold drop of rain fell on sidsall's arm. others struck roger brevard but he continued without apparently noticing them. "you must understand that i am entirely at your service. sometimes, although they won't come yet, there are things a--a friend can do better than one's family. you'll ask me, sidsall?" "yes," she said solemnly. more rain struck her; she could see it now plainly, falling between them. roger brevard's face was dark, the frown still scarred his forehead. personally she was happier than she remembered ever being before and she wondered at his severity of bearing. "but you must go in at once," he cried, suddenly energetic, his familiar self; "you are getting wetter every minute." the clouds dissolved into a late sunlight that streamed in long bars through the canopies of elms on the streets. from her windows sidsall saw a world of flashing greenery and limpid sky. usually when she was happy she sang unimportant bits of light song, but her present state was serious and inarticulate. the indeterminate questions, the disturbing vague moods, of the past days somehow combined and took on the tangible shape of roger brevard. her curiosity about love was resolved into a sudden inner shrinking from its possibilities and meaning. she was lost in her aloofness from mundane affairs: taou yuen in whispering silk, her grandfather's rotund tones, laurel and camilla and her mother, were distant, immaterial. in the evening she sat on the front steps, a web of white, dreamily intent on the shimmering sweep of washington square. after a little she was joined by gerrit ammidon. he wore linen trousers and a short blue sea jacket; and the wavering delicately lavender trail of smoke from his cheroot was like her floating thoughts. "already," he said, "i am full of getting back on my ship." she smiled at him absently. "the land doesn't do for a sailor," he continued. "they are always into trouble on shore. i can't say why it should be so but it is. if there's not one kind there is another; rum and such varnish for the able seaman, and--and complications for a master. i suppose that's because there are so confounded many unexpected currents and slants of wind, as you might say. on shipboard everything pretty much is charted; a thing will be followed more or less by a fixed consequence. the waves break so and so on coral or rocks or sand; there is usually the sun for an observation; a good man knows his ship, how many points she'll hold on the wind, how a cargo must be stowed, when to take in the light canvas. you can give the man at the wheel a course and turn in or stay on deck and beat your way through hell. it's exact, you know, but on shore--" he made a hopeless gesture. "there are no regulations," he observed moodily; "or else nobody follows them: collisions all the time, sinkings and derelicts drifting round, awash and dismasted. but they are everywhere. that fellow, edward dunsack--" he stopped, lost in speculation. then, "he seems harmless enough," he resumed, "even pitiful; but he sticks in your head. i wish i'd never brought his damned chest to salem. a fool would have known better. i'm worse--a childish fool. a derelict," he said again. "you are smashing over a swell at twelve knots or more, everything spread, when, in a hollow, there it is squarely across your bow. no time to shift the wheel, and a ship's missing, perhaps in a hundred fathom. it might be the best ship afloat, the best master and stoutest crew, but in a minute she's only a salty tangle." he laughed uneasily at the vividness of his fancy. "if it's hard for us what must it be for taou yuen?" he demanded. "married to me! here! that's courage for you." he tramped down the steps, across pleasant street, with his bare head sunk, and vanished into the obscurity of the square. she caught a last glimmer of white trousers, a faint rapid gleam where his lighted cheroot described the arc of a passionate gesture on the night. the spring, like the full buds of the hedge roses in the ammidons' garden, passed swiftly into early summer. the flowers against the house showed gay perennial colors, the stocks and larkspur and snapdragons succeeded the retreating flood of the lilacs. the days were still yellow pools of heat, or else cooled by the faintly salt sea wind drawing down the elms and chestnuts, followed by purple-green nights of moonlight. they seemed to sidsall to hold everything in a pause. she saw less and less of taou yuen who now scarcely came out of her room except for an occasional ride in the barouche with mrs. ammidon or a contemplative hour in the garden, usually at dusk. apparently content with the elaborate rearrangement of her headdress, she sat for long periods, gazing out over washington square, idle except for the regular tap of her pipe emptying the ashes of the minute bowl. yet sidsall's first interest in her had almost completely shifted to gerrit ammidon. he evidently preferred her company to that of the other members of his family, and they often took short largely silent walks, usually down to the salem marine railway where the _nautilus_ was undergoing repairs. his protracted silences were broken by the sudden vehement protests against the generally muddled aspect of affairs or longer monologues of inner questioning and search. he almost never referred to her or made her part of a conversation; she was free to dwell on her own emotions while he, with a corrugated brow, went on in his tortuous and solitary course. on an afternoon when they had walked to the foot of briggs street, and were gazing out over the tranquil water of collins cove, gerrit ammidon asked abruptly: "have you seen nettie vollar lately?" sidsall was unable to remember exactly when that had been. she rather thought she had caught a glimpse of her in lawrence place with books under her arm which she was probably taking from the athenaeum for her grandfather. anyone, she told herself privately, could see that nettie vollar wouldn't care for books. something had occurred, or threatened to occur, between her uncle and nettie; what it was she had never been told; but she realized that only one thing could really happen between a man and a girl--they must have been in love. in the interest of this she recalled nettie vollar's appearance, but was unable to discover any marked attractions. the elder had a good figure, rather full for her age, and totally different from her own square solidity. her hair was coarse and carelessly arranged, her clothes noticeable for a love of brightness rather than care in the spending of a small sum. gerrit ammidon had the strangest tastes! he was standing immobile, looking across the cove as if he were on a quarter-deck searching for a hidden land. his legs were slightly spread, firmly planted in a manner to defeat any sudden lurching. she grew a little impatient at him staring like a block at nothing at all; she felt older than he, superior in the knowledge of life; he seemed hardly more than an absurd boy. sidsall had a desire to shake him. he was so--so impracticable. "don't you think we'd better be going?" she asked finally. gerrit ammidon turned and followed her obediently. there were lights in the rope walk on briggs street; through a window she could see a man pacing down the long narrow interior laying a strand of hemp from the burden on his shoulders. it made her shudder to think of the monotonous passage forward and back, an eternity of slow-twisting rope. yet life was something like that--she took the happenings of each day and wove them into a strand dark and bright: a strand, she realized, that grew stronger as it lengthened.... that would be true of everyone--of her companion and grandfather and hodie. they reached the house as the family were gathering in the dining room, when sidsall found roger brevard unexpectedly staying for supper. she met his direct greeting and smile with a warm stir of pleasure and sat in a happy silence listening to the voices about the table. her uncle had brought his wife down and the candles glittering among the lusters on the walls spread their light over the manchu's strange vivid figure. everything about life was so confusing, sidsall thought. the night flowed in at the open windows drenched with magic: here were candles but outside were stars. the port in its engraved glass decanter seemed to burn with a ruby flame. "bah!" her grandfather was exclaiming. "i'll put a thousand dollars on gerrit and the _nautilus_ against any clipper built; but mind, in all weathers." "voyage by voyage," william ammidon insisted, "he would be left in the harbor. the california gold deposits--." later a crowd, slowly collecting, recalled the fact that the salem band was to play that night in the square. "oh, mother, look," laurel cried; "they've got lamps in their hats." small wavering flames were being lighted on the musicians' hats; there were melancholy disconnected hoots from bassoons and the silver clear scale of a bugle. "can't i get nearer, mother?" laurel implored as usual. "can't i go and see the little lamps on their heads?" "sidsall and i will look after her," roger brevard put in, and almost immediately the three were entering washington square. the throng was thickest directly behind the band, radiating in thinning numbers to the wooden boundary fence. laurel led them to an advantageous position, where they could watch the curious effects of the ring of lights above intent faces drawn hollow-cheeked by the vigorous blowing of instruments. the leader, in the center of the flickering smoky illumination, now beat with his arms in one direction, now in another. a second selection followed, and a third, during which, in surprising pauses, the band shouted a concerted "hurrah!" sidsall was infinitely contented. how splendidly erect and calm and distinguished roger brevard was! she hated younger men, they were only boys, who kept up a senseless talk about college humor. he saw instantly that the people were crushing her skirts, and firmly conducted them out of the crowd. it was nicer here beyond the wavering dark mass: a waltz flowed about her so tender and gracious that her eyes filled with tears. but laurel had to be taken home; and, clasping mr. brevard's hand, the little girl talked volubly as they moved away. "and so," she said, "i told her to keep her topsails full." "what?" he demanded. "she was falling off, you know--losing way. hell's hatches--" "laurel," sidsall corrected her sharply. "no, you mustn't laugh at her." only gerrit ammidon was on the steps, the other men were in the library; her mother had gone up with janet. laurel left them, and, without speech, they walked through the house to the lawn. the stars had apparently retreated to new infinities of distance and night, there was a throb of music so faint that it might be only an echoing memory; roger brevard's face was pale and strained. he asked: "have you forgotten that we are friends?" "no," she returned seriously, lifting her look to his. he was very close to her and her heart beat unsteadily. she had a choking premonition of what was about to occur, but she stood without the slightest attempt to prevent his kiss. it affected him even more than herself, for he stepped back sharply with his hands clenched. roger was silent for so long that she said, timidly: "i didn't mind, so much." "thank you," he replied almost harshly. "there's no need for you to regret it. no need, no need. but if it were only a year more--." "we all grow older," she told him wisely. "so we do, sidsall, and we change. but you should stay exactly as you are now, white and young and fragrant. never the fruit but always the blossom, and always a night in early summer. the afterwards is an indifferent performance." "i don't understand," her voice was shadowed. "sidsall for a moment. don't move--opening petals, shy pure heart...loveliness...." "i don't understand," she repeated, but the trouble had vanished. she even smiled at him: she was filled with an absolute security in her vision of roger brevard. why, she had no need to question; it was an instinct beyond search and above knowledge; perhaps, she thought as they turned toward the house, its name was love. vii the days, to nettie vollar, seemed to be both unutterably dull and colored by a possibility of excitement like an undercurrent of hardly perceptible fever. her mother, it was true, took on herself most of the duties of barzil dunsack's house; but there were still a large number of little things that returned unvaried with every morning, noon and night for the girl's attention. the cause of any impending excitement--except the mere presence of gerrit ammidon in salem, now surely of no moment to her--she was unable to place. the feeling that pervaded her most was the heavy conviction that her life was a complete waste, she had the sensation of being condemned to stay in surroundings, in a service, that never for a moment represented her desire or true capabilities. her family, as she had grown into maturity, seemed strange, her place there an unhappy accident. at her brightest periods she pictured being suddenly, arbitrarily, removed into happier appropriate regions. for a time that vision had assumed the tangible shape of gerrit ammidon; then this comfortable figure had abruptly left her to an infinitely more seldom return of her faint indefinite hope. through the inordinate number of hours when she was potentially alone she had developed a strain of almost painful thought out of keeping with the whole of her naturally unreflective being. in moments such as the present--she was sitting in her room overlooking hardy street on its landward reach--she followed the slow turnings of her mind in the manner of a child spelling out a sentence. two things seemed to her of the first importance--the existence into which she had been forced by the circumstance of her birth, and her unknown father himself: unknown, that is, except for vague promptings and desires which, for need of a better reason, she traced to his personality. that he was superior, in that he had had a distinct measure of gentle blood, she was assured by her mother on one of the rare occasions when the subject was touched between them. to that she credited the greater part of her obscure dissatisfaction with conditions which she described as mean. the latter evidently didn't disturb her mother or grandfather; she realized that the long-drawn silent severity of the old man had crushed what spirit her mother may have had. it was clear that the elder woman had been very pretty, with wide fluttering eyes which made you think of gray moths, and delicately colored cheeks; but all that had been crushed, too. she was meek in a way that filled her daughter with determined resentment and fear. the resentment sprang from the silent assertion that she wouldn't be worn down like that; the fear followed the realization of the rigid power of the old man and the weight of all that held her powerless to escape. naturally she was rather cheerful than somber, an involuntary gayety rose from her in the drabbest moments; she even defied barzil dunsack with ribbons and flowers on her bonnet. the prospect from her window offered no relief from the interior; it was true that in the other direction she could catch glimpses of the harbor, by leaning out she could get the comparatively full sweep at the bottom of the street; but there were usually things ugly and restraining between her and the freedom of the horizon. her favorite place had been at the edge of the grass above the tide; but, since his return, edward dunsack had hit upon it too, and his proximity made her increasingly uneasy. for one thing he talked to himself out loud, principally in chinese, and the sliding unintelligible tongue, accompanied by the sight of his gaunt yellow face, his inattentive fixed eyes, gave her an icy shiver. it was almost worse when he conversed with her in a palpable effort at an effect of sympathy. she rose and wandered finally to the embankment of the garden. the water shimmered under the full flood of afternoon; she was gazing at the distance in an aimless manner that had lately fastened on her when she heard a stirring of the grass behind her and edward dunsack approached. he was livid in the pitiless light, and seemed terribly fragile, a thing that a mere clap of thunder might crumble to nothing; she felt that she could sweep him away with a broom; yet at the same time there were startling gleams of inner violence, a bitter energy, an effect of deepness, that appalled her. "if you should ask me," he declared, "if my opinion is of any value, i'd say that ammidon owed you considerable. he led you to expect something better than his running away without a word; i'd have an explanation out of him. of course, if he had come back married--this affair with a chinese woman isn't that--it would be all over. but, somehow, with things as they are, i can't believe that it is." "do you expect me to go to their house, like you did?" she replied resentfully. he turned such a malicious face on her that instinctively she moved back. for a moment he was silent, his meager leaden lips drawn tight over dark teeth in a dry grin, his fingers like curved wires; then, relaxing, he cursed the entire house of ammidon. "the truth is," he ended, "that you were a little fool; you had everything, everything, in your hand and threw it away." his gaze strayed from her to the surface of the water, a short distance from the land. "threw it away," he repeated; "it can't be got in this country either." he was, she thought, crazy. however, all that he said about gerrit lingered in her mind; it fanned to new life the embers of her rebellion. if a chance should come she would let gerrit ammidon know something of the wrong he had done her. as her uncle had pointed out, the chinese woman was different from an american, a white woman. their entire position, gerrit's and her own, was peculiar, outside ordinary judgments. she saw him occasionally from a distance, as she must continue to do while he was in salem, since no opportunity had been made for them to exchange words. that must come from gerrit. her mother called her, and she went in, finding the elder in the kitchen. "i can't get enough heat to bake," she worried; "you can bear your hand right in the oven. your grandfather won't have his sponge biscuit for supper." nettie declared, "i certainly wouldn't let it bother me. just tell him and let him say what he likes." her mother turned palpably startled. "but--", she began weakly. "i know exactly what you're going to say," nettie cut in, "he has it every night and he'll expect it. how much, i'd like to ask, have you been expecting all your life and getting nothing? and now i am the same. i don't believe we're as wicked as grandfather lets on, and i'm certain he's not so good as he thinks. i don't admit we are going to hell, either; if i did i can tell you i'd be different. i'd have a good time like some other girls i see. i guess it would be good, anyhow, with silk flounces four yards around. i'm what i am because i don't listen to him; i don't pay any attention to the pious old women who make long faces at us." "you mustn't talk like that, nettie," her mother protested anxiously. "it has a right hard sound. your grandfather is a very upright religious man. it's proper for those who sin to suffer in this world that they may be humble for the next." "i don't want to be humble," nettie told her. "the ammidons aren't humble. mrs. saltonstone isn't." a pain deepened visibly on the elder's pale countenance. "you mustn't think it doesn't hurt me, nettie, to--to see you away from all the pleasure. it tears at my heart dreadful. that is part of the punishment." the girl made a vivid gesture, "but you sit back and take it!" she cried. "you talk of it as punishment. i won't! i won't! i'm going to do something different." "what?" her mother demanded, terrified. "i don't know," nettie admitted. "but if i had it to do over i'd kiss gerrit ammidon as soon as he looked for it." "nettie, do you--do you think he wanted to marry you?" "yes," she answered shortly. "he's like that. whatever you might say against him he's honest." her mother began to cry, large slow tears that rolled out of her eyes without a sound. she sat with lax hopeless hands in her lap of cheap worn dress stuff. nettie vollar felt no impulse toward crying; she was bright with anger--anger at what barzil dunsack had done with her mother, at the harm he had worked in her. "you are a saint compared to uncle edward," she asserted. "i don't know what's wrong with him, but there is something." "i've noticed it too: times his eyes are glazed like, and then his staring at you like a cat. it's a fact he doesn't eat right, and he forgets what's said as soon as a body speaks. might he have some chinese disease, do you think?" "it's not like a real sickness...." the evening in the dreary sitting room with only the reddish illumination of one lamp was almost unendurable. her grandfather sat with broad wasted hands gripping his shrunken knees, his eyes gazing stonily out above a nose netted with fine blue veins and harsh mouth almost concealed by the curtain of beard. edward rose uneasily and returned, casting a swelling and diminishing shadow--obscurely unnatural like himself--over the faded and weather-stained wall paper. her mother was bowed, speechless. nettie wanted to scream, to horrify them all with some outrageous remark. she would have liked to knock the lamp from the table, send it crashing over the floor, and see the flames spread out, consume the house, consume... she stopped, horrified at her thoughts. she didn't want things like that in her mind, she continued, but the echo of dancing, of music, of the salem band marching up essex street with mr. morse playing his celebrated silvery fanfare on the bugle. she wanted to laugh, to talk, yes--to love. why, she was young, barely twenty-one; and here she was in a house like the old cemetery on charter street. before they went to bed her grandfather would read out from the bible, but always the old testament. finally he rose and secured the volume, bound in dusty calf, its pages brown along the edges. his voice rang in a slow emphasized fervor: "'hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the lord, thy god, when he led thee by the way? "'and now what hast thou to do in the way of egypt, to drink the waters of sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of assyria, to drink the waters of the river? "'thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee; know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the lord thy god, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the lord god of hosts. "'for of old i have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bonds; and thou saidst, i will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot. "'yet i had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me? "'for though thou wash thee with nitre--'" nettie was impressed, intimidated, in spite of the contrary resolution in the kitchen: the words seemed to burn into her mother, herself, like boiling fat from a pan; and a great relief flooded her when she could escape again to the temporary relief of her room. it was hot, the windows were up, and she made no light that might attract mosquitoes or force her to draw the close shades. she stood undressed luxuriating in the sense of freedom of body. she was richly white in the gloom: her full young beauty gave her a feeling of contentment and strength, and, equally, a great loneliness. it wasn't corrupt, a "degenerate plant," she thought with a passionate conviction like a cry. she determined to say no prayer to such a ruthless being; yet, soon after, in her coarse nightgown, she found herself kneeling by the bed with hard-clasped hands. it was a prayer for which barzil dunsack would have had nothing but condemnation: she implored the dark, the mystery of augustness, for carnal and light things, yes--for waltzes and quadrilles and songs and pleasure, young pleasure, all the aching desires of her health and spirit and nature and years; but most for love. she said the last blindly, in an instinct without definition, with the feeling that it was the key, the door, to everything else; and in her mind rose the image of gerrit ammidon. she saw his firm direct countenance, the frosty blue eyes and human warmth. he needn't have come at all, she added, if it had been only to double the dreariness of her existence. she wondered a little, her emotion subsiding, at the interest her uncle showed in her affairs. it wasn't like what else she had gathered of him; and she searched, but without success, for any hidden reason he might have. he actively blackened the name of ammidon while he was lost in too great an indifference to be moved by any but extraordinary pressures. everything left his mind, as her mother had said, almost immediately. suddenly weary, she gave up all effort at understanding. a wind moved in from the sea, fluttering the light curtains, and brought her a sense of coolness and release. it came from the immense free sweep of ocean to which her sinking consciousness turned in peaceful recognition and surrender. altogether, in the days that followed, she realized a greater degree of mental freedom than before her revolt. she had removed herself, it appeared, a little outside the family, almost as if she were studying them calmly through a window: a large part of the terror her grandfather had possessed for her had disappeared, leaving for her recognition a very old and worn man; she was sorry for her mother with a deep affection mixed with impatience. at first she had tried to put something of her own revived spirit in the older woman but it was like pouring water into a cracked glass: her mother was too utterly broken to hold any resolution whatever. nettie's feeling for edward dunsack became an instinctive deep distrust. it was almost impossible for her to remain when--as he so often did now--he approached her to talk about the injustice of her mode of life and the debt gerrit ammidon owed her. he would stand with his fingers twitching, talking in a rapid sharp voice, blinking continuously against any light brighter than that of a shaded room or dusk. he seldom left the office or went out through the day; his place at the dinner table was far more often empty than not. but after their early supper, in the long late june twilights, he had an inexhaustible desire for her to stroll with him. she occasionally agreed for the reason that they invariably passed in the vicinity of washington square and pleasant street, and saw the impressive block of the ammidon mansion. however, they never met any of its inmates. once they had walked directly by the entrance; some girls, perhaps a woman, certainly two men, were grouped in the doorway: it was growing dark and nettie couldn't be certain. edward dunsack clearly hesitated before the bricks leading in between the high white fence posts topped with carved twisting flames; and, in a sudden agony at the possibility of his stopping, nettie hurried on, her cheeks flaming and her heart, she thought, thumping in her throat. her uncle followed her. there was a trail of intimate merriment from the portico, a man's voice mingling gayly with those of the girls. "that was the brevard who's in the mongolian marine insurance company," edward dunsack informed her. "i hear he's a great hand for leading cotillions and balls--the balls you ought to take part in." on and on he went with the familiar recital of her wrongs. it carried them all the way over pleasant and essex and derby streets home. the next day, however, he was forced to go about the town, and returned for dinner in a state of excitement evident to anyone. he ate without attention whatever was before him, and extravagantly pleasant, related how he had conversed with mrs. gerrit ammidon in the family carriage in front of the countinghouse of ammidon, ammidon and saltonstone on liberty street. nettie was surprised that his concern was caused by such a commonplace event. "the women of china--." words failing him, he waved a thin dry hand. his father frowned heavily. then, abruptly, as if he had been snatched out of his chair by an invisible powerful clutch, he started up and disappeared. the afternoon passed the full and nettie, bound in preparation for supper for redmond's, the virginia oysterman's at derby wharf, stood waiting for some money. "i can't think where i left my reticule," her mother called, "unless it's in edward's room where i cleaned this morning. just run up and see.... he'll be at the office." above, nettie found the door closed, but it opened readily as she turned the knob: she went in without hesitation. the interior she naturally thought was empty; and then, with an unreasoning cold fear, she saw that edward dunsack was lying on the bed. some of his clothes were tumbled on the floor, and he wore his black chinese gown. the room was permeated with a heavy smooth odor; on a stand at her uncle's hand was a curious collection of strange objects--a little brass lamp with a flickering bluish flame, a black and silver object like a swollen unnatural pipe, stained bodkins, a lump of what she took to be tar-her attention was caught by edward dunsack's face: it had fallen back with his pinched chin pointing toward the ceiling, it was the color of yellow clay, and through his half-opened eyelids was an empty glimmer of gray-white. she shrank away involuntarily, and the word "dead" formed just audibly on her trembling lips. in an instant she was in the hall, calling in a panic-stricken voice, her icy hands at her throat; and her grandfather mounted the stair with surprising agility, followed by his daughter kate. "uncle edward," nettie articulated, waving toward the room from which she had fled. the two women followed the rigid advance of barzil dunsack. as he saw the figure of his son there was a stabbing gasp of his breath. he halted for a moment, and it seemed to nettie vollar that suddenly his determined carriage crumbled, his shoulders sagged; then he went forward. the bed had high slender posts that at one time supported a canopy, but now they were bare, and an old hand held to one as he bent over. "is he dead?" the older woman asked. barzil dunsack made no immediate reply; his gaze turned from his son to the stand, the fluttering lamp and its accessories. his head moved slowly in the act of sniffing the pungent haze swimming in the interior. nettie could see his face, and she was appalled by an, expression grimmer than any she remembered; it was both harsh, implacable, and stricken, as empty of blood as the countenance on the bed. the hand on the post tightened until it, too, was linen white. she drew close to her mother's side, putting a supporting arm about the soft shaking shoulders. "no," said barzil dunsack, in a booming voice, "not dead, and yet dead forever. go downstairs," he commanded. they backed confused to the door. "if edward is sick--" kate vollar began. the old man's face blazed with intolerable pain and anger. "woman," he demanded, "can you cure what god has smitten?" his eyes alone, hard and bright in the seamed and hairy face, drove them out into the hall. below in the sitting room nettie exclaimed, "he might have told us something!" "whatever it is," her mother returned, "it's dreadful bad. i've felt that all along about edward; he's never been himself this last time." mechanically she found her reticule beside the painted ostrich egg from africa. "you'll have to get the oysters anyhow," she told her daughter, maintaining the inevitable pressure of small necessities that defied all tragedy and death. nettie escaped with an enormous relief into the sunny normal tranquility of the afternoon. the house had become too horrible to bear; and even on the thronged length of derby wharf, like a street robbed of its supports and thrust out into the harbor, she was followed by the vision of edward dunsack's peaked clayey face. she got the oysters, and in an overwhelming reluctance to return walked out to the end of the wharf, where a ship was discharging her cargo--heavy plaited mats of cassia with a delicate scent, red and blue slabs of marble, baskets of granular cakes of gray camphor, rough brown logs of teak, smooth dull yellow rolls of gamboge, bags with sharp conflicting odors, baled silks and half chests of tea wrapped in bamboos and matting painted with the ship's name, _rose and rosalie_. there nettie found herself beside a little girl clasping the hand of a bulky old gentleman in pongee and a palm leaf hat and following every operation with a grave critical regard. "i guess," she said to her companion, "it's only the cheap sort of tea, a late picking, or it would be in canisters." she was, nettie realized, the youngest ammidon child with her grand-father. the latter looked round and recognized nettie vollar. "how's barzil dunsack?" he asked immediately. she was at a loss for an answer, since she could not describe the subject of the inquiry as all right nor explain their unhappy condition. "intend to stop in," jeremy ammidon continued; "last time i was there i went up like a rocket." laurel--that was the child's name, she remembered--gazed at her intently. "i was saying to grandfather," she repeated precisely, "that this wasn't really much of a cargo. nothing like the one uncle gerrit brought back in the nautilus. we were having an argument about salem too. but, of course, all the big cargoes are going into boston," she sturdily confronted the flushed old man. "you're william all over again," he asserted, almost annoyed. both their expressions grew stubborn in a manner that, in view of their great difference in age and experience, nettie thought quite absurd. what a beautiful dress the child had on--porto rico drawn work, with pale yellow ribbons to her bonnet. "i wish you'd stay here a minute with nettie vollar," jeremy told her, "while i see the wharfinger." he went unhurried along the wharf, and laurel ammidon drew closer to her. "she's not much of a ship either," laurel said, indicating the _rose and rosalie_. "she's built like--like grandfather. they're different now. i went to new york to see the _sea witch_ launched, and she's the tallest vessel afloat, with three standing skysail yards and, ringtail and water sails. she's black and has a gilded dragon for a figurehead; and, although she went out in a gale, got to rio in twenty-five days. i talked to captain waterman, too; he commanded the _natchez_, you know." how the child ran on! "you've studied a lot on, ships," nettie commented. "i know the main truck from a jewel block," laurel replied complacently. "but camilla's a frightful lubber. i should think she'd make uncle gerrit sick. she does me." nettie vollar was seized by the temptation to question laurel about gerrit ammidon, about his wife--anything that touched or concerned him. a wave of emotion swept over her, a loneliness and a desire the cause of which she would not face. she wanted to take laurel's hand in hers, and with the old ponderous comfortable gentleman go up to the serenity of their gardens and wide happy house. she wanted gerrit ammidon to smile at her with his eyes blue like a fair sea... his father was returning. laurel again grasped the large hand and they turned to leave. jeremy ammidon nodded to nettie. nothing remained for her but the place on hardy street; then she saw that the others had stopped and were signaling for her. "captain dunsack... old friend," the elder said abruptly. "stubborn as the devil. no worse than me, though, no worse than me. confounded proud, too. you let me know if there is anything, that is, if you need--" he paused, breathing stormily, glaring at her in an assumed angry impatience. "thank you," she answered, "but there's nothing." what most shocked her on the return home was the manner in which their life callously continued when she felt it should have been shattered by their suffering in edward dunsack's room; yet not so much theirs as her grandfather's. he took his place at the head of the table, the grace went up as loudly as ever above their heads; but in spite of that she saw that the old man suddenly looked infinitely spent. his knife slipped insecurely and scraped against the plate in fumbling and palsied hands. all at once she had a feeling of gazing straight into his heart, and finding--like a burning ruby hidden in earth--such an agony beneath his schooled exterior that she choked thinking about it. nettie wondered what he would do if she put an affectionate arm about his neck and told him of their sympathy. she knew now that her uncle edward had been smoking opium, and that it was a worse vice, more hopeless and destructive, than drink. but she was certain that he'd repel her; he looked on them all, edward dunsack, her mother and herself, as sinful, "degenerate plants." even now, she realized, there was no weakening of his spiritual fibers such as had plainly overtaken his physical being. he had a blasting contempt for the unrighteous flesh. when they had risen from the table, edward dunsack appeared and sinking weakly into a chair demanded a cup of tea. he knew nothing of their discovery, of the fact that they had stood above his revolting insensibility. after the tea he seemed to revive; he lighted a cheroot and said something about going out. it wasn't possible, however; his knees sagged walking the length of the floor; in the sitting room he fell into a leaden apathy. nettie vollar's gaze rested on the volume of the life of the missionary who had died at such an early age on the ã�le de france. the lamplight spread over the depressing mustard yellow paint of the woodwork with its obviously false graining and deepened the blackness of the fireplace. throughout the reading of the scripture edward dunsack never shifted his slumped position; his face, with smudged closed eyes, seemed fixed in a skeptical smile. the hollows of his temples were green. the reading finished, old barzil said: "i wish to speak to edward alone." the latter straightened up. "eh!" he exclaimed. "what?" he resettled his stock and crossed a knee with a show of ease. nettie followed her mother from the room. her last impression was that of a startling resemblance between the young man and old--her uncle's face was as ruined as the other's--between father and son. "i wish he'd go away," her mother surprisingly asserted; "i won't sleep for thinking of him lying there like a corpse." "he'll not," nettie replied, musing; "something is holding him we still don't know of." she had lately begun to realize a great many things of which only a month before she had not been aware--that sudden illuminating grasp of old barzil's inner pain, of her mother's wasted spirit, and the sense that some unguessed potent motive was at the back of her uncle edward's apparently erratic strolling and reiterations. nettie stopped to wonder a little at the change in herself: she was more alive, more included. there were no reasons that she could see why this should be so; never had the present, the entire future, been darker. with her deeper consciousness, too, came an increased shrinking from life, a greater capacity for injury; and there could be no doubt that it was an older nettie vollar who, in her mirror, returned the questioning in the resentful black eyes. no further mention was made of the opium, no hint escaped from the two men of what barzil dunsack had said to his son after the evening reading of the bible. an evidence of the miserable episode was visible for a while in the difficulty of any attempted general conversation; then that died away and everything was seemingly as it had been before. but the rising gayety and widespread public preparations at the approach of the fourth of july made her existence drabber than ever. there was, too, unusual planning, for later in the month president polk was to be in salem. the various military organizations drilled incessantly: the salem light infantry, the mechanic light infantry, the salem cadets and independents and a squad of the salem artillery might be seen at any hour of the morning or early evening smartly marching and countermarching, led by flag's or the salem band. strange constructions of light wood climbed in washington square--the set pieces of the celebrated pyrotechnist secured at a "staggering expense." preliminary strings of firecrackers were exploded by impatient boys and the dawn of the holiday was greeted with a sustained uproar of powder. all this was communicated to nettie in the form of a determination to forget the dreariness of home and for once anyhow be a part of the careless holiday town. edward dunsack opened the day by deprecating what fireworks salem could show and recalling the extravagant art of china in that particular. no one, he said, of the least moment would be abroad in the rabble; and he intended to spend the day over the invoice of a schooner returned from curaã§ao. she was glad of this, for it left her free to get an uninterrupted pleasure from the morning parade, the floats and fantasies, the afternoon drilling in washington square, and see the last colored disk of the fireworks. maybe, she told herself, tying the becoming ribbon of her bonnet beneath a round chin with a lurking dimple, maybe she wouldn't come back home once during the entire day! she ignored, in the rush of her spirits, even her mother's lonely labors: for once they'd have to do without her. nettie took a scarlet merino shawl for the cooler evening, shook forward the little black curls about her face, and hurried away from hardy street. she was swept along in the crowd on essex street until, before the office of the salem _register_, she found a place that commanded the parade. there nettie lost all memory of the dreariness that pressed upon her; she became one of the throng, applauding the members of the east india marine society carrying the palanquin from the museum in native dress, or stood with sentimental tears blurring her vision. the parade ended, and currents of people swept toward dinner; but she stopped at a baker's and got a paper of seed cakes, made in the shape of oak leaves and sat contentedly eating them in the common. the thought of gerritt ammidon, with all the other deeper aspects of her life, was thrust into the back of her consciousness; she was existing as she breathed--without will; the instinctive lighter qualities had her in full possession. she felt that her cheeks were glowing and hummed the refrains of the music she had heard. one by one the military companies marched into the square. she was fascinated by the tall leather helmets and silver straps under severe young lips. the newburyport men were in a new scarlet uniform, that was the boston brass band--it was painted on the bass drum--with the independents; there were the beverly taylor guards. the massed onlookers filled the broad plain. the drilling and countermarching proceeded and the afternoon waned. at the disposal of the spectacle, when for an hour or two washington square was comparatively deserted, when the sun sank lower and lower over the roofs of brown street and the gold haze thickened, turning to blue, nettie became quieter but no less happy. the time sped; never was she conscious of being lonely, by herself in a multitude composed of grouped families and friends. it was all such a beautiful relief to the other constant dwelling on somber and hopeless facts! already people were streaming in under the wooden arched gates for the evening display; already she could see a star in the clear-shining green east. the fireworks, the papers said, were to be in two parts, ending with a bombardment of vera cruz, five hundred feet long, and a series of triumphant arches with full-length portraits in colored lights of celebrated americans. there was a sudden salute of artillery, and a flight of rockets soared upward in long flaming curves, dissolving in showers of liquid emerald and ruby and silver against the night. bengola lights casting a blue glare over the standing mob and farther house fronts were followed by a great peruvian cross, a silvery fountain of water and grand representation of bunker hill monument. with this the first came all too soon to an end, and nettie was folding the shawl about her shoulders when almost the entire ammidon family were upon her.... in an instinctive confusion she saw william ammidon and his wife with their daughters, the old man, jeremy, and gerrit. they stopped before her in an assured, not unkindly inquisitiveness, the girls fresh and bright-faced, with crisp lovely clothes; their mother, in a smart mantle and little bonnet with knots of french flowers, greeted her with a direct question tempered by a smile. william ammidon, smoking, was unconcerned; while gerrit stayed obscured outside the group. "whom are you with, nettie?" rhoda ammidon asked; and when she admitted that she was alone the elder, with visible disapproval, asserted: "that won't do at all in this rough assembly. i must see that you are taken care of." she hesitated, with a slight frown on her handsome brow. "but you will want to see the rest of the fireworks. yes, what you must do is to come over to our steps, the view from there is fairly good, and then some one can walk home with you." they moved resolutely forward, giving nettie vollar no opportunity for protest, the expression of what she might prefer; and, with so many determined minds, she dropped silently into their progress. she was beside rhoda ammidon, the girls trooped on before, and the men--gerrit ammidon--followed. her peace of mind had been broken into a hundred half-formed doubts and acute questions. she wished that she had declined to go with them: the invitation, no, command, had been a criticism, really. now, after so long, it wasn't necessary for them to become suddenly responsible for her. the happiness of the day sank a little, thoughts of her mother and grandfather and uncle edward returned. but, at the same time, she realized that she was near gerrit once more. this made a confusion of her emotions that hid what she most felt about him. it wasn't a proximity that meant anything, however; it had been utterly different when he came to see her before his marriage. yet, just the fact of his being close behind her, and that she would be on the steps at the ammidons' with him, undoubtedly had a power to stir her heart. it brought, like her carefree excursion, a certain momentary glow, a warmth, without relation to what had gone before or might follow; there was the same quality of momentary rest, refreshment, complete and isolated as a jewel in a ring. she didn't analyze it further; but drifted with the vigorous chattering tide of the ammidons. they arrived at the impressive entrance open on a high dim interior. jeremy and william ammidon went in, rhoda lingered while a chair was brought for her, and sidsall and camilla, laurel and janet ranged themselves facing the square. gerrit hung silent in the doorway. "perhaps taou yuen will come down," rhoda ammidon suggested, and nettie's throat was pinched at the possibility of seeing gerrit's chinese wife. but he answered shortly in the negative. taou yuen preferred to stay in her room; the view from her window was better than this. the latter was easily possible, for here the set pieces were almost unintelligible: an impressive beehive could be seen surrounded by swarming golden bees, a pyramid of roman candles discharged their rushes of colored balls and streamers; but the bombardment of vera cruz was a cause of bitter complaint to the children. the fireworks had ceased to have the slightest significance for nettie; she was luxuriating in the suavity of the ammidon steps and company. it seemed to her that an actual air of ease rolled out over her from within. seen from her place of vantage the great throng in the square was without feature, the passersby on pleasant street--as edward dunsack and herself had been--were unimportant. the massive portico and dignified fence, the sense of spaciousness and gardens and lofty formal ceilings, the feeling of fine silks and round clear direct voices, of servants for everything, everyone, transcended in force all her speculations. she was familiar--who wasn't in salem?--with the meaning of the house's name, java head. it was more, quite heaven. thoughts of gerrit winged in and out of her mind like wayward birds. she turned with studied caution and glanced swiftly but intently at as much of his countenance as she could see. her memory vividly supplied the rest. there wasn't another like it--one so clear and compelling to read--in the world. the past in which he had had a part seemed like an impossibly happy dream. she was hardly able to believe that he had been in their sitting room, walked with her in the evening to the grassy edge of the harbor, or held her fingers in his hard cool grasp. now she wondered if he were contented. she couldn't quite decide from glimpses of his face; but something that had nothing to do with vision disturbed her with the certainty that he was troubled. it might mean unhappiness, but she wasn't sure. "now there go the arches!" a young voice exclaimed, "and i just can't see anything. you'd never know at all it was a temple of eight columns. oh, look--there's a number coming out, 'july fourth, seventeen seventy-six.'" a tide of hand clapping swept over the dark masses. "no," laurel continued, "that's salem.... it's washington, no, general taylor." the amazing day, nettie realized, was over, the people flowed back through the gates like a lake breaking in streams from its bank; there was a stir on the steps. looking up she saw that the stars were obscured, and a low rumble of thunder sounded from a distance, a flash lit the horizon. now she must go back, return to hardy street, to her bitter grandfather like an iron statue eaten by rust and storms, to edward dunsack following her with his dragging feet and thin insinuating voice, to her hopeless mother. "it's the powder," she heard, about what she had no conception. rhoda ammidon turned decidedly to her. "it was nice to have you, nettie," she declared; "but we must see about getting you safely home. the carriage would be best since it's threatening rain." she didn't, she replied, want to give them so much bother, she often went on errands after supper, she'd, be all right-"nonsense," mrs. ammidon interrupted impatiently. then gerrit advanced from the doorway. "i'll walk down with her," he said almost roughly. "no need to take the horses out so late." nettie vollar thought that his sister-in-law's mouth tightened in protest, but he gave them no chance for further argument. he descended the steps with a quick grinding tread, and she was forced to hurry through her acknowledgments in order to overtake him. the night at once absorbed them. the air, charged with the fumes of gunpowder and rumbling with low intermittent thunder, was oppressive and disturbing. gerrit's head was exactly opposite her own, and she could see his profile, pale and still, moving on a changing dark background. he walked with the short firm stride men acquire on the unsteady decks of vessels, swinging his arms but slightly. neither spoke. the rain, nettie saw, was hanging off; probably it would not reach salem, washington square was already empty except for a small obscure stir by the scaffolding for the fireworks. a murmur of young voices came from a door on bath street. such minute observations filled her mind; beneath their surface she was conscious of a deep, a fathomless, turmoil. it was a curious sensation, curious because she couldn't tell whether it was happiness or misery. one now exactly resembled the other to nettie vollar. she grasped, however, one difference--it was happiness now, the misery belonged to tomorrow. but suddenly that last unrealized fact--at once immaterial and the most leaden reality of all--lost its weight. the greater freedom she had lately grown into became an absolute indifference, a half willful and half automatic shutting of her eyes to everything but the present, the actuality of gerrit ammidon walking by her side. she wanted him to speak, so that she could discover his thoughts, feelings; yet she was reluctant to have their companionship of silence broken: words, almost all the possible terms she could imagine, would only emphasize the distance between them. she was thinking of one now--a word he had never pronounced, but which she felt had been, however obscurely, at the back of the attention he had paid her: love. it was a queer thing. it seemed to be--everyone agreed that it was--of the greatest, perhaps the first, importance; and yet all sorts of other considerations, some insignificant and others mean and more, yes--cowardly, held it in check, drove it back out of sight, as you might hurriedly shut some shabby object into a closet at the arrival of visitors. "how have you been?" he demanded in the abrupt voice of the expression of his determination to see her home. well enough, she assured him, if he meant her health. he glanced at her with somber eyes. "not altogether," he admitted; "it included your family, things generally." "they are as bad as possible," she told him. she admitted this frankly, a part of her entire surrender to the moment, careless of how it might affect him. "they would be," he muttered savagely. "it's a habit ... here." the "here," she knew, referred to life on shore; his gloomy attitude toward the management and affairs of the land had caused her a great deal of precious laughter. he had revealed a most astonishing ignorance of necessities that she had understood instinctively when hardly more than a child; and this simplicity had, as much as anything, brought her affection for him to life. at the same time she in particular had felt the justice of a great many of his charges. but no one could reasonably hope for the sort of world--a world as orderly and trim as that of a narrow ship--he thought should be brought about by a mere command. nettie wished that it could! she sighed, gazing at him. "then it's no better than before?" he asked, adding, with a descriptive gesture: "the town and people?" "i hardly speak to ten in a year, outside the stores and like that. of course they nod going into church, or a lady, i mean really, your sister-in-law, will say something nice, even do what you saw to-night. though it's the first time anything like that has happened." she caught a repressed bitter oath. "i suppose i'll get used to it," she continued. "no, i won't," she added differently; "never, never, never." "if you were a man now--" he said with an incredible stupidity. she wondered angrily if he'd rather have her a man; there had been a time, nettie reflected, when such a possibility would have stirred him to violent protest. and this brought out the reflection that, while at one time he might have cared for her, now perhaps he was merely sorry for her unhappiness. yes, this must be it. she had a momentary fatal impulse to throw back at him scornfully any such small kindness. she didn't, she told herself, want condescending sympathy. what silenced her was the sudden knowledge that she did; she wanted anything whatsoever from gerrit ammidon. the fact that he had a chinese wife was powerless to alter her feeling in the smallest degree. on the contrary, she was shocked to find that it had increased immensely, it was growing with every minute. she wondered drearily if her stubborn love--the term took its place without remark in the procession of her thoughts--for gerrit didn't, in spite of her protest to the contrary, stamp her as quite bad. perhaps her grandfather was right about them all--her mother and uncle edward and herself, and they were wicked, lost! the energy with which she had combated this charge now faced by the circumstance of her realized affection for a man married to some one else, even chinese, wavered. all the cheerful influences of the day, rising to the supreme tranquil hour on the ammidon porch, sank to dejection; it was like the flight of the rockets. she walked listlessly, her brain was numb; she was terribly tired. gerrit ammidon's head was bent and she was unable to see his expression. he might even have forgotten, by the token of his self-absorbed progress, that she was at his side. "there's going to be a stir in ammidon, ammidon and saltonstone," he said presently, "when my father hears of the new program. everything is turning to the fastest california runs possible. william and james saltonstone want me to take command of a clipper. but i find i'm like my father, nettie; all my experience has been in the east and the china service. i'm used to it. i'd never get on navigating a passenger boat, a packet ship, from boston to san francisco and san francisco to boston. the other's in my blood, too--running the northeast trades to brazil and coming up into the southwest passage winds for the cape of good hope. a long reach nearly to australia and then north again to the indian ocean and southeast trades. "i'm fit for that, for long voyages, a blue-water sailor and all it means; but battering back and forward round the horn with my deck cluttered up by prospectors and shore crews the mates would have to slam into the rigging--!" his exclamation refused every face of such a possibility. she understood his necessity completely; and the brief account of such far happy journeys, safe from everything that salem had come to mean for her, filled her with longing. "i'm beginning to see," he took up again the self-examination, "that i am to blame for a good deal that i've found fault with in others. i mean that i'm a different variety of animal, and, naturally, no judge of the kinds of holes they live in or the way their affairs are managed." "you are worlds better!" she cried. he turned to her, obviously startled, and she held for a long breath his unguarded intense gaze. "not very useful, i am afraid," he replied at last; "not today, anyhow. i belong to a life that is dying, nettie; mark my words, dying if not already dead. and i'm newfangled to my father. it goes as quickly as that." this was a fresh mood to all her knowledge of his impatient arrogance, and one that sent her to him in a passionate unperceived emotion. they had arrived at her home and were waiting aimless and silent. beyond, the gate to the yard was standing open, and nettie saw that his discovery of the fact had occurred at the identical moment of her own. she made an involuntary movement forward and he followed her through to the blurred tangle of bushes and bare trodden earth. mutely they turned to the sod spread at the harbor. the thunder had died away, but pale sheets of reflected lightning hovered at short intervals low in the sky. directly above them stars shone again. the window of the sitting room still bore the illumination of the lamp within; and nettie could picture her mother, with stained and rough hands loose on their wrists, opposite barzil dunsack's gaunt set countenance. "you said something about things as bad as possible." in a level voice she told him about her discovery of edward dunsack unconscious in his black wrap on the bed. "i thought he had died," she repeated almost monotonously; "he had such a yellow gone look." "but that can't be allowed!" he cried. "you mustn't see it. indecent, worse. the beast will have to be removed. no one will hear of his staying about with two women and a fanatical old man." she was afraid that he would go into the house at once and appear with her uncle, very much in the manner of a dog with a rat. her sense of a worldly knowledge, a philosophy of realization, far deeper than his own returned. things couldn't be disposed of in that easy manner; it was probable that they couldn't be disposed of, righted, at all. her mother, with her help, must continue to keep barzil's home: there was no other place for edward dunsack to go. "he won't hurt us," she said vaguely. "it's principally bad for him. then, at first, i didn't know. you get used to so much." he, gerrit ammidon, wouldn't have it, he asserted in a heated return of his familiar dictatorial manner. the fellow would be out of there to-morrow. it was a damned unendurable outrage! she smiled softly and laid a momentary hand on his sleeve. "that's nothing, gerrit; nothing compared to the rest, to me." he frowned down at her out of the gloom. "what am i to do?" she asked. he again cursed salem and the world with which he had proclaimed himself out of date and sympathy. this, while it communicated to her a certain warm comfort, resolved nothing, made no reply to her question. to-morrow offered precisely the same hopeless outlook of yesterday. no answer from gerrit, gerrit married, was possible. she saw that. "i'm not fit to go around on land blubbering and setting tongues to clapping," he declared. "i ought to be locked in my cabin when the ship's in port, and let out only after sail's made again." she heard a slight movement in the grass; and turning sharply caught the vague outline of a man, the thin unsubstantial shape of edward dunsack. he vanished immediately; gerrit, absorbed in bitter thought, had missed him. strangely her uncle only filled her mind with the image of china, the china that had ruined him, and which, too, in the form of a woman, a manchu, had destroyed the hope of any acceptable existence of her own. "great pretensions and idiotic results," he went on; "no ballast. take what your grandfather said to me--nothing in that unexpected or to drive a man off. yet off i go and--" he halted oddly, just as her breath was suspended at the admittance which she was certain must follow. but he fell into another glooming silence. after all, she couldn't expect him to continue that development. a different man might; and nettie wasn't sure of her refusal to listen...to the end. but she was familiar with gerrit's unbending conception of the necessity of truth alone. if he married a woman, yellow, black, anything, he would perform, the obligation to the entire boundary of his promise. good and bad seemed equally united against her. little flashes of resentment struck through her leaden, conviction that all this was useless. "i must be of some use to you." but, nettie realized, there was only one way in which he could help her; only one thing she wanted--could take--from him. she was terrified at the completeness with which love had possessed her, making every other fact and consideration of little interest or importance. suddenly it seemed as if she were being swept by an overwhelming current farther and farther out from safety into a bottomless immensity that would claim her life. "yet," he cried, "if i lift a hand, here, in salem, if i as much as cross the street to speak to you--the clapping tongues! i can do you nothing but harm. though rhoda might--" "i don't want your rhoda!" she interrupted passionately. "i've managed without them all up to now." he raised his arms in a hopeless gesture. "nothing's to be done," she concluded. "i saw that all along; that is, this last time." "it's late," he muttered absently; "you have had a day." he turned mechanically and moved away from the indefinite black rim of the harbor. the lamp in the sitting room had been extinguished, the house was dark. a brief embarrassment seized her as he stood trying vainly to find something confident, even adequate, to say for farewell. and as the stir of his footfalls died away up hardy street the memory of his last futile words mocked her laboring heart. she turned and faced edward dunsack, advancing from an obscurity deeper than the rest. he murmured approvingly, she caught words of commendation and unspeakable reassurance. she hurried away blindly, sick to the inmost depths of her being. the morning, when she had tied her gay bonnet ribbons and started out with the scarlet merino shawl on her arm, seemed to belong to a long, long time ago, to a girl.... the popping of a final string of firecrackers died outside. viii the dejection, the sense of a difference that held from him any comprehension of the vast maze of shore life, persisted as gerrit ammidon walked toward home. it was such an unusual feeling that he was conscious of it; he examined and speculated upon his despondency as if it had been something actually before him. the result of this was a still increased disturbance. he didn't like such strange qualities arbitrarily forcing their way into his being--he had the navigator's necessity for a clear understanding of the combined elements within and without which resulted in a harmonious, or at least predictable, movement. he distrusted all fogs. in a manner the course before him was plain--married to taou yuen, shipmaster in his family's firm, he had simple duties to perform, no part of which included sailing in strange or dangerous waters; yet though this was beyond argument he was still troubled by a great number of unpleasant conditions of mind and obscure pressures. gradually, however, his normal indignation returned, the contempt for a society without perceptible justice, centered principally in what nettie vollar had had from life. this, he assured himself, wasn't because he was in any way involved with her; but because it was such a flagrant case. she was a very nice girl. it was entirely allowable that he should admit that. as a fact, he warmly felt that he was her friend; the past justified, no, insisted on, that at least. he wondered exactly how fond he had been of her--in other words, how near he had come to marrying her. it had been an obvious possibility, decidedly; but the desire had never become actual. no, his feeling for her had never broken the bounds of a natural liking and a desire to secure decent treatment for her. the last had been vain. if his mental searching had ended there it would have presented no difficulties, created no fog; but, unfortunately, there was another element which he admitted with great reluctance, an inborn discomfort. although he had been clear about what had actually happened with nettie there was reasonable doubt that the same limitations had operated with her. briefly she had missed him more than he had realized. he explained this to his sense of innate masculine diffidence by the loneliness of her days. she had missed him....something within whispered that she still did. women, he remembered hearing, were like that. in the light, the possibility, of this he saw that he had done her a great wrong. it had been his damned headlong ignorance of the dangerous quality of life, the irresponsibility of a child with gunpowder. with all this in his mind it seemed doubly imperative that he should do something for her; he owed her, he was forced to admit, more than a mere impersonal consideration. his thoughts returned unbidden to the fact that she--she had liked him. he insisted almost angrily on the past tense, but it surprised him and gave him a perceptible warm glow. nettie was very pleasing: he inferred that she was a creature of deep emotions, affections. at this he shook himself abruptly--such things were not permissible. gerrit felt a swift sense of shame; they injured nettie. his mind shifted to taou yuen. he found her asleep on the day bed she preferred, her elaborate headdress resting above the narrow pillow of black wicker. he could distinguish her face, pallid in the blue gloom, and a delicate, half-shut hand. he was flooded with the intense admiration which increasingly formed his chief thought of her; this, with the obvious racial difference, put her, as it were, on an elevation--a beautifully lacquered vase above his own blundering person. she was calm, serious and good, in the absolute western definitions of those terms; she had her emotions under faultless control. taou yuen should be an ideal wife for any man; she was, he corrected the form sharply. all that he knew of her was admirable; the part which constantly baffled him didn't touch their relationship. it was reasonable to expect small differences between her and salem: at times her calm chilled him by a swift glimpse of utter coldness, at times he would have liked her gravity to melt into something less than ivory perfection; even her goodness had oppressed him. the last hadn't the human quality of, for example, nettie vollar's goodness, colored by rebellion, torn by doubt, and yet triumphing. if he only understood the three religions of china, if he were an intellectual man, gerrit realized, he could have grasped his wife more fully. he was completely ignorant of chinese history, of all the forces that had united to form taou yuen. for instance: he was unable to reconcile her elevated spirit with the "absurd superstitions" that influenced almost her every act--the enormous number of lucky and unlucky days, the coin hung on his bed, the yellow charm against sickness and red against evil spirits; only yesterday she had burnt a paper form representing thunder and drunk its ashes in a cup of tea. she was tremendously in earnest about the evil spirits--they were, she maintained, lurking everywhere, in all shapes and degrees of harm. edward dunsack was possessed, she declared; but he had pointed out that opium was a sufficient explanation of anything evil in him, and that it was unnecessary to look for a more fantastic reason. he lay awake for a comparatively long while, as he had several times lately, divided between his consciousness and the regular breathing of his wife. if the past had brought nettie vollar to depend on him in some slight degree taou yuen did so absolutely: except for him she was lost in a strange world. yet taou yuen didn't seem helpless in the manner of nettie. he had once before thought of the former as finely tempered metal. her transcendent resignation, with its consequent lack of sympathetic contact with the imperfect humanity of--well, nettie, gave taou yuen a dangerous freedom from all that bound salem in comparative safety. he dressed first, as usual, in the morning, while she stirred only enough to get her pipe and tobacco, on the floor at her side. outside, the elms were losing their fresh greenness in the dusty film of midsummer; the square held an ugly litter from the fireworks of last evening. william, too, was about, but he was uncommunicative, his brow scored in a frown. their father, always down before the others, had returned from the inspection of his trees, and was tramping back and forth in the library. the elder seemed unrested by the night, his skin, as rhoda had pointed out, was baggy. "now that the _nautilus_ is afloat again," jeremy ammidon said, "you'll want to be at sea." examining this natural conclusion, gerrit was surprised, startled, to find that it was no longer true. for the first time in his memory he was not anxious to be under sail. this of course was caused by a natural perplexity about taou yuen's comfort and happiness. "i don't know what the firm's plans are for me," he answered cautiously. "there is some talk of taking me out of the china trade for the california runs. i shouldn't like that." jeremy was turning at his secretary, and he stopped to pound his fist on its narrow ledge. "it's that damned griffiths again and his cursed jackknife hull!" he exclaimed. the dark tide suffused his countenance. gerrit studied him thoughtfully: he didn't know just how much william had yet told their father about the sweeping changes taking place in ammidon, ammidon and saltonstone. he did see, however, that it was unwise to excite the old gentleman unduly. "i was saying only yesterday," he put in pacifically, "that you and myself are getting to be old models--" he broke off as william entered the library. the latter evidently grasped at once the subject of their discussion, for he went on in a firm voice somewhat contradicted by a restrained but palpable anxiety: "now, father, this was bound to come up and you must sit down and listen quietly." the elder, on the verge of a tempestuous reply, constrained himself to a painful attention. "it's useless to point out to you the beneficial changes in sea carrying, for you are certain to deny their good and drag out the past. so i am simply forced to tell you that after careful consideration we have decided to line the firm with the events of the day and hold our place in the growing pressure of competition. this may sound brutal, but it was forced on us by the attitude you have adopted. shortly, this is what we intend, in fact are doing: "orders have been placed with george raynes at portsmouth and jackson up in boston for clippers of a thousand and twelve hundred tons and another is almost ready to be launched from curtis' chelsea shipyard. it oughtn't to be necessary to call your attention again to the fact that the _sea witch_ has brought the passage from hong kong to something like three months. the profits of the california trade will be enormous and depend entirely on speed. "i'll admit that this is a big thing, it will cut sharply into our funds--something like a quarter of a million dollars. but, if you will be patient for a little only, i can promise that you'll see astonishing returns. at the same time we have no intention of giving up china and india, but we'll limit ourselves more closely in the nature of the cargoes, practically nothing but tea unbroken from canton to boston. i'll be glad to go into all this in detail at the countinghouse, where we have the statistics and specifications." to gerrit's surprise jeremy ammidon sat quietly at the end of william's speech; he wasn't even looking at them, but had his gaze bent upon the floor. there was a commanding, even impressive, quality in his silence that forced the respect of both his sons. more--it made gerrit overwhelmingly conscious of his affection, his deep admiration, for his father. he recalled the latter's memorable voyage in the little _two capes_--the barque of two hundred and nine tons--into the dangers, so imminent to a master, of uncomprehended waters and thousands of miles with, for the most part, only the sheerest dead reckoning. jeremy ammidon said finally: "if it's done it's done. i used to think there were two ammidons in the firm, not to mention gerrit; but it seems there's only one. a man who has never been to sea." he rose and marched, slower and more ponderous than ever before, to the cupboard where he kept the square bottle of medford rum; there, with trembling hands, he poured himself out a measure. he shut the glass door, but stood for an oppressive space with his back to the room, seeing that old vision of struggle or accomplishment. "i suppose i've been a damned nuisance about the countinghouse for a long time," he pronounced, turning. william rose. "you made it," he said; "it's you. god forgive me if i have been impatient or forgetful of all we owe you." there was a stir of skirts in the doorway, and rhoda entered. "breakfast--" she stopped, and with a quick glance at her husband and gerrit went at once to jeremy ammidon. "they've been bothering you again," she declared, and turned an expression of bright anger on the younger men. "ah, how hard and hateful and blind you are!" she cried. william, with a hopeless gesture, walked from the room. gerrit moved to a window facing the square; but he saw nothing of its sultry yellow-green expanse--he was remembering how as a child, his mother already dead, a nurse had held him up on derby wharf to see his father sweep into port from the long voyage to the east. he caught again the resonant voice, as if sounding from a hold of ribbed oak, the tremendous vigor of the arm that swept him up to a bearded face. he couldn't bring himself to move now and see an old haggard man clinging with tremulous emotion and tears to the sympathy, the strength, of a woman. later in the morning, to his immense relief, jeremy ammidon regained a surprising amount of composure. at first determined never to return to liberty street, toward noon gerrit found him in the hall with his broad hat and wanghee. "i'll just have a slant at those specifications," he remarked. "like as not they've left off the hatch coamings." gerrit suggested, "since it's so hot why don't you have the carriage round?" the other voiced his customary disparagement of that vehicle. "if i see that i'm going to be late for dinner," he added, "i'll get one of the young men to fetch me something. i don't want to give rhoda any trouble." still, on the steps, he lingered, gazing pridefully up at the bulk of the house he had built; his eyes rested on the brass plate, engraved with the words java head, on the dignified white door. "a lot of talk when i had that done," he commented; "people said they'd never heard of it, ought to have my name there for convenience if nothing else. they didn't know. it would take a sailor for that. don't forget to tell rhoda not to wait if i'm late. all those girls of hers get hungry. i expect william consulted laurel about this new move," he ended with a gleam of humor. "she's a great hand for a clipper since she talked to captain waterman." he was down the steps, starting deliberately across the street. there was a last mutter of doubt. the bulky slow figure in yellow chinese silk moved away and gerrit returned to the shadowed tranquillity of the library. more than any other place in the house it bore the impression of his father. he wandered about the room, lost in its associations, stopped in front of the tall narrow walnut bookcase and took out one of the small company of jeremy ammidon's logs, reading disconnectedly in the precise script: "tuesday, december 24. 132 days out. all this day gentle breezes and cloudy. saw kelp, birds, etc. "tacked ship to the eastward under short sail. at daylight made all sail to sw. gentle breezes and clear pleasant weather. saw huge shoals of flying fish." "may 19, 11 days out. hainan in sight, bearing from w by n to nnw. at sunset the breeze died away and hauled off the land. all night light breezes. made all possible sail to the ssw. at the same time set the extremity of hainan which bore nw by n to n. past three chinese vessels steering nne. saw much scum on the water and at 11 a.m. lost sight of land." "november 14, 65 days out. these twenty-four hours commences with variable breezes at west and smooth sea. saw brig steering to the eastward. the land of sumatra bearing sw by w to se by s. tied rips." he returned the log to its resting place with a quiet smile at the last period. it was all incredibly simple--a lost simplicity of navigation and a lost innocent wonder at the mare atlanticum of old fable. neither william nor jeremy ammidon was present for dinner. they were, gerrit concluded, submerged in the effort to bring the changing activities of the firm into the latter's comprehension. his foot was on the stair leading up to his wife, when there was a violent knocking on the front door. it sounded with a startling abruptness in the shut hall, and gerrit instinctively answered without waiting for a servant. the flushed and breathless young man before him was evidently perturbed by his appearance. he stammered: "captain ammidon, you--you must come down to the countinghouse. at once, please!" his thoughts, directed upon his father, gathered into a chilling certainty. "captain jeremy is sick?" he demanded instantly. the hesitation of the other seemed to confirm an infinitely greater calamity. "dead?" he asked again, in a flooding misery of apprehension. the clerk nodded: "in a second, like," he continued. "all we know they were talking in mr. william ammidon's room--one of the boys was out that minute getting the old gentleman some lunch--when we heard a fall, it was quite plain, and mr. saltonstone--" "that will do," gerrit cut him short. he turned into the house, rapidly considering what must follow. he'd go, certainly; but first he must warn rhoda, she would have the girls to prepare.... rhoda had always been exceptionally considerate and fond of jeremy ammidon. he found her at the entrance to her room, and said, "my father is dead." her warm color sank and tears filled her eyes. hurrying over bath street to liberty his grief was held in check by the pressing actualities of the moment. he had time, however, to feel glad that he had spent the morning largely in warm thoughts of the dead man. he passed rapidly into the entrance of the establishment of ammidon, ammidon and saltonstone. immediately on the right there was an open railed enclosure of desks in the center of which a group of clerks watched him with mingled respect and curiosity as he continued to the inner shut space. it was a large light room with windows on charter street. william's expansive flat-topped desk with its inked green baize was on the left, and, under a number of framed sere ships' letters and privateersmen's bonds of the war of 1812, gerrit saw the heavy body extended on a broad wooden bench, a familiar orange bombay handkerchief spread over the face. never in all the memory of his brother had william ammidon been so stricken. as he entered james saltonstone left studying a list hastily scribbled on a half sheet of the firm's writing paper. he nodded silently to gerrit, who advanced to the covered face and lifted the handkerchief. there were still traces of congestion, but a marblelike pallor had taken the place of the familiar ruddy color. something of the heaviness of his old age, the blurring thickness of long inactivity, had vanished, giving his still countenance an expression of vigor, resolution, contradicted by an arm trailing like the loose end of a heavy rope on the floor. william, with a clenched hand on his desk, spoke with difficulty: "you must know this, gerrit; and then i'll ask you never to allude to it again. it might be argued that--that james and i killed him, but absolutely without intention, by accident. gerrit, i loved him more than i took time to know. well, you may or may not have heard that we own two topsail schooners in the opium trade, between india, ningpo and amoy, but you do know how father detested anything to do with the drug. we said nothing to him about this; it seemed necessary, no--permissible. but to-day when we were coming to a peaceable understanding about the new contracts he stumbled over one of the schooner's manifests. mislaid, you see--a clerk! it swept him to his feet in a rage, he couldn't speak, and--and he had walked, it was hot...." gerrit ammidon made no answer; there was nothing to be said. he was shaken by a burning anger at the cupidity, the ugly commercial grasping, to which his father had been sacrificed. a gulf opened between him and his brother and james saltonstone; he was as different from them as the sea was from the land, as the wind-swept deck of the _nautilus_ was from this dry building with its stifling papers and greed. he might be in the service of the firm--gerrit was not incorporated in the partnership--he might carry their cargoes for the multiplication of the profit, but his essential service and responsibility, his life, were addressed to another and infinitely higher and more difficult consummation than the stowed kegs of spanish dollars, the bills of sale. this was composed of the struggle with the immeasurable elements of the seas and winds, the safety of lives, the endless trying of his endurance and will and luck. "now," he spoke with a perceptible bitterness, "you can have your way without interference, without his mixing up your papers or making the blunders of a slow sort of honesty." "i am under no obligation to your judgment or opinion," william replied stiffly. "there are always complications you will never penetrate nor carry. at present your assistance is more necessary than any display of temper." the funeral gathered and ebbed in a long procession of carriages through a sultry noon, the services at the grave concluded by the symbolic dropping of the earth on jeremy ammidon's coffin lowered into the deep narrow clay pit. the large varied throng lingered for a breath, as if unable to take their attention from the raw opening that had absorbed the shipmaster, and then there was a determined and reassuring commonplace murmur, a hurrying away into the vital warmth of the day. the evening was the loveliest summer and the garden of java head could afford: a slow moon disentangled itself from the indigo foliage at the back of the stable and soared with an increasing brilliancy, bathing the sod and summerhouse and poplars, the metallic box borders and spiked flower beds, in a crystal clearness. the ammidons sat about the willow, rhoda with a hand affectionately on her husband's arm, the children--laurel and janet staying without remark long past their accustomed hours for bed--still and white under the blanching moon. gerrit intently studied his wife, taou yuen, in a concentrated manner. she, too, was in white, the chinese mark of sorrow. suddenly in the face of his suffering and memories she had appeared startlingly remote, as if, from standing close beside him, she were moving farther and farther away. the image was made profoundly disconcerting by the fact that they acted without their own accord; it took the aspect of a purely arbitrary phenomenon over which they had no control. at the same time nettie vollar was surprisingly near, actual--he could see every line and shading of her vivid face; he felt the warm impact of her instant sympathy. he had caught a glimpse of barzil dunsack at the funeral; but the other was immediately hidden by the crowd, and gerrit had been unable to discover whether his son and daughter or nettie had accompanied him. his thoughts turned in a score of associations and questions to nettie; but when he found himself trying to picture her exact employment at the present moment he was angrily aroused. he had, he realized, considered nothing else for the past hour, and his preoccupation was growing more intense, personal. he stirred abruptly, and fixed his mind on the imminent changes from his father's death. first the possibility would develop of his becoming a member of the firm; but to this, he silently declared, he would not agree. his gaze rested with a faint underlying animosity on william, seated upright in a somber absorption, and a disparagement of the latter's activities and scale of values. gerrit saw that there must be a pacific legal knot to untangle; the division of jeremy's estate would require time--he had somewhere heard that such affairs often dragged on for a year; and now he was again in a fever of impatience to be away, safe, at sea. he added the more portentous word with the vague self-assurance that it was only the customary expression of his notable ignorance of land; but it echoed with an ominous special insistence in his mind. the _nautilus_, he recalled, was once more afloat, repaired; and a plan occurred to him that seemed to dispose of all his difficulties, even of the distasteful possibility of the california clipper service. he could take the ship as part of his inheritance; and, though ostensibly sailing her in the interest of the firm, make such voyages and ports, carry such cargoes, as his independence dictated. the _nautilus_, with a cargo out of tin and dyes and cotton manufactures, and forty or fifty thousand trade dollars, would represent a sum of nearly two hundred thousand; but as a family they were very rich; he'd have more than that; and bank the remainder intact to the credit of his wife. there were many practical aspects of his marriage that he had not stopped to weigh in its precipitant consummation. the problem, pointed out by rhoda, of his absence from taou yuen on cruise could not be solved with the facility he had taken for granted. it was as impossible to leave her happily here--he was aware of her growing impatience with western habit--as it would be for him to become a contented part of chinese home life; and not only was she uncomfortably cramped and sick on shipboard, but he doubted whether he could persuade his crews to sail with her. superstitious able seamen balked at the presence of even a normal wife aft; and a chinese would be regarded as a sign of certain disaster. he would have to establish her somewhere in the east indies; and he viewed with a new dislike all such tropical settings. his entire life threatened to become an affair of damnable palm trees and oriental stenches. gerrit ammidon broke into a cold sweat at the realization of the far more direct implication that had taken substance in his mind. the thing was going entirely too far! he wondered irritably at the obscure cause for such violent inner agitations. rhoda ammidon with a dim smile rose, gathering her daughters about her, and departed in a pale cloud of muslin. taou yuen, with her murmuring formal politeness, moved away too, leaving the brothers together. whatever sympathetic intercourse they might otherwise have had, whatever shared memories of their boyhood and their father, were made impossible by william's admission of the immediate cause of the elder's death. "the saltonstones are going into boston this fall," william said abruptly. "it is necessary for one of us to live there; and caroline has always had a hankering for wider society. rhoda, i was surprised to learn, wishes to remain here at java head for a year or so anyway. she has a very real affection for the place. but i tell her when the girls are older boston, or perhaps new york, will give them far greater opportunities. sidsall, stranger still, was in tears at the whole thing; she seemed ridiculously upset about leaving." the vision of nettie vollar persisted, bright and disturbing. once he was at sea, gerrit told himself, on the circumscribed freedom of his quarter-deck, he would lose the unsettling fever burning at that instant in his veins. but the memory of long solitary passages with nothing to distract his mind through week upon week after the ship took the trades, when hour upon hour his thoughts turned inward on themselves and reviewed every past act and feeling, made doubtful even that old release. the trouble was that he instinctively avoided any square facing of the difficulty that had multiplied with such amazing rapidity--like a banyan tree--about the present and the shadowed future. this he was forced to admit, but grimly added that there could be only one answer to whatever he might lay bare--the adherence to the single fundamental duty of which he never lost sight. no port was gained by changing blindly from course to course, that way lay the reefs; a man could but keep steadily by the compass. that, at least, was all he could see, propose, for himself, being rather limited and lacking the resources which others of greater knowledge so confidently explored. after breakfast on the following morning he mounted the dignified staircase, with the sweeping railing of red narra wood and high palladian window at the turn, to his wife. in their room he was bathed in a cold sweat of dismay at a sudden detached view of taou yuen in her complete manchu mourning for his father. an unhemmed garment of coarse white hemp hung in ravelings about slippers of sackcloth; what had been an elaborate headdress was hidden under a binding of the bleached hemp; she wore no paint nor flowers; her pins and earrings were pasted with dough, and her expression was drugged with the contemplative fervor of what had evidently been a religious ceremonial. "for the wise old man, for your father," she said. she was exhausted and sank onto the day bed; but almost immediately her hand reached out in the direction of her pipe, and she smiled faintly at him. he clenched his sinewy hands, the muscles of his jaw knotted, as he gazed steadily at the woman, the manchu woman, he had of his own free accord married. it sickened him that, for the drawing of a breath, he had regarded taou yuen with such appalling injustice--injustice, the evil he hated and condemned more than any other. what, in the name of god, was he made of that he could sink so low! "we'll leave here soon," he declared abruptly; "the _nautilus_ will be ready for sea almost any time." he could recognize, from his slight knowledge of her, that taou yuen welcomed the news. "shanghai?" she asked. he nodded. it came over him that he was no longer young. his father had retired from the sea within a few years of his own present age and built java head, the house that was to be a final harbor of unalloyed happiness. no such prospect awaited him; he had one of the premonitions that were more certain than the most solid realities--as long as he lived he must sail in ships, struggling with winds and calms, with currents and cockling and placid seas. well, that was natural, inevitable, what he would have chosen. at the same time he dwelt, with a sensation of loneliness, on the green garden and drawing-room filled in june with the scent of lilacs, on rhoda surrounded by her girls. when the question of the division of jeremy amnudon's estate came up, he was, as he had foreseen, urged to become a partner of the firm; and, when that failed, told that it was his vested duty to continue in his present capacity as a shipmaster in all their interests. he was seated with saltonstone and william in the countinghouse and he could tell from his brother's ill-restrained impatience that the other considered him hardly more than a clumsy-witted, stubborn fool before the mast of the facts of actual life. his gaze, above their heads, rested on the framed pass of the ship _mocha_, one of his father's last commands, over the bench where he had lain dead. it was given by the president, james monroe, in 1818, its white paper seal embossed on the stained parchment. it had an engraving of a lighthouse and spired town on the dark water's edge, and above, a picture of a ship with everything drawing in a fair wind, the upper sails torn off on a dotted wavering line for the purpose of identification with its stub. "no," he told them quietly, "i'll go my own way as i said; with the _nautilus_, if that can be arranged." he rose with a nod of finality, and james saltonstone remarked, "jeremy to the life." gerrit replied, "i'd not ask anything better." through the evening he heard little but the discussion of mr. folk's approaching visit to salem. the president was to leave the train at the beverly depot at three p.m. and be fetched with secretary buchanan and marshal barnes in a barouche with six horses and met at the outskirts of salem by the city authorities. there would be a beverly cavalcade, the city guard was ordered to muster at the armory; while an evening parade at five o'clock and the military ball in franklin hall were to follow. but when the day and occasion actually arrived it was spoiled by a succession of unforeseen mishaps. the train was late and the presidential party in a fever of haste--the procession, hurrying through the massed public-school children and throngs of chestnut street, gave a perfunctory attention to the salutes and short address of the mayor. the president's reply, hardly more than a few introductory phrases, cut short, the barouche was sent plunging over its route with the secretary crying, "drive on! drive on!" and marshal barnes swearing and expectorating in callous profusion. some of the crowd, the ammidons heard, had been knocked down and injured in the pell-mell of the rush. gerrit's countenance showed his contempt of what he held to be a characteristically ludicrous farce. after all, his wishes in regard to the _nautilus_ had been easy of execution, the ship was now his; he was already contracting for a cargo. he had been to see mr. broadrick, his first mate, and the latter was assembling the chief members of the crew. as always at the prospect of sailing he was unsettled, concerned with countless details of departure--like a vessel straining at her last anchor. seated in the library with taou yuen--he had called her aside from her fixed passage to their room from the garden--he was recounting his main plans for the near future, when he became aware of an arrival on the steps outside. he heard a servant's voice, and, immediately after, the woman appeared in the doorway; but she was forced aside by edward dunsack. gerrit's quick resentment flared at such an unmannered intrusion, and he moved ungraciously forward. the servant explained impotently, "i told him i would see--" "yes?" gerrit ammidon demanded. dunsack bowed ceremoniously to taou yuen, then he faced the other. on the verge of speech he hesitated, as if an unexpected development made inadequate whatever he had been prepared to say; then, with a sudden decision, he hurried into an emotional jumble of words. "i can tell you in a breath--nettie was badly hurt in that cursed rabble yesterday. it looks as if she was actually struck by one of the horses. she was unconscious, and then delirious; now she is in her right mind but very weak; and, since she wished to see you, i volunteered to put our pride in my pocket and carry her message." an instant numbing pain compressed gerrit's heart; he felt that, in an involuntary exclamation, he had clearly shown the depth of his dismay. damn the fellow, why had he burst out in this public indecent manner! the situation he had plausibly created, the thing he managed to insinuate, was an insult to them all--to his wife, taou yuen, coldly composed beyond, himself and to nettie. he stood with his level gaze fixed in an enraged perplexity on edward dunsack's sallow countenance, deep sunk on its bony structure, conscious that there was no possibility of a satisfactory or even coherent reply. "something was said about this afternoon," the other added. that period, gerrit realized, was nearly over. but above every other consideration rose the knowledge that he would have to see nettie vollar, badly injured, as she desired. the common humanity of that necessity left him no choice. he turned to taou yuen with a brief formal explanation. a friend, their families had been associated for years, had been hurt and sent for him.... return immediately. he paused, in the act of leaving, at the door of the library, waiting for edward dunsack to join him; but the other had resolutely turned his back upon gerrit. he showed no indication of departure. gerrit ammidon was at the point of an exasperated direction; but that, in the light of dunsack's purpose there, appeared ridiculously abrupt; and confident of his wife's supreme ability to control any situation he continued without further hesitation to the street, hurrying in a mounting anxiety toward the dunsacks'. dwelling on his conduct in the library, at the sudden announcement of nettie's accident, he felt that he had acted in a precipitant if not actually confused way. as a fact, it had all been largely mechanical; his oppression, his dread for nettie, had made everything else dim to see and faint to hear. dunsack's grimacing face, the immobile figure of his wife, the familiar sweep of the room, had been things of no more substance than a cloud between him and the only other reality existing. he had no memory, for instance, of having stopped to secure his hat, but he found it swinging characteristically in a hand. and now even the semblance of reasonable speech and conduct he had managed to command vanished before a panic that all but forced him into a run. the main door of barzil dunsack's house was open on the narrow somber region within; he knocked sharply against the wood at the side and was immediately answered by the appearance of kate vollar. "this is a great kindness, captain ammidon," she told him in her negative voice; "come in here, please." he looked hastily about the formal space into which she led him, expecting to see nettie prostrate, but she was not there. "how is she?" he demanded impatiently. "nettie?" her mother turned as if surprised by an unexpected twist of the situation. "oh, why she'll mend all right, the doctor says; but it will be slow. her arm had an ugly slithering break, and she suffers with it all the time." a pause followed, in which she met his interrogation with a growing mystification. "i suppose edward told you," she ventured finally. the sense of being at a loss was swiftly communicated to him. "your brother said nettie wanted to see me," he returned bluntly. "now, however could edward do a thing like that!" she cried in deep distress. "why, there's no truth to it. i asked him myself to see if you'd kindly stop and give me some advice. what put it in my head was that once your father offered--he told nettie to let him know if there was anything to be done. edward dunsack isn't just right in his head." gerrit was filled with a mingling sense of disappointment, relief that nettie was no worse, and the uncomfortable conviction that he had behaved like an hysterical fool. he, too, but angrily, wondered why dunsack had invented such an apparently pointless lie. probably kate vollar was right, and her brother's wits, soaked in opium, had wandered into a realm of insane fabrications. he composed himself--the first feeling blotting out his other emotions--to meet the deprecating interrogation before him. "i should be glad to do what i could in my father's place." "in a way," she continued, "it's about edward. when he came back from china and decided to stay in salem his father turned all the books over to him; he was to tend to everything in the way of accounts and shipments; and, he said, he would make us all rich in a year or so. but, instead, he has neglected the clerking until we can't tell what's going or coming. edward hasn't--hasn't quite been himself lately," she paused and gerrit nodded shortly. "now we're not wealthy, captain ammidon, we never got more than just enough from our west india trade; but in the last couple of months, with edward like he is and father too old for columns of figuring--he's dreadful forgetful now--not a dollar was made. the schooners are slow, behind the times i guess, we've had to scrape; yet it's been something.... they're both awful hard to do with," she stopped hopelessly. "you must get a reliable man in charge. some one who knows the west india shipping should go over your entire property, decide what is necessary, then borrow the money. we can find that without trouble. i'll make only one condition: that is the complete restraint of your brother. it is known that he has the opium habit, he is a dangerous--" he stopped at the echo of a thin persistent tapping from above. "that's nettie," kate vollar said; "the way she calls me. i'll ask you to excuse me for a minute." when she returned her face bore an unaccustomed flush. "nettie heard you in the hall or through the stovepipe." she spoke doubtfully: "she'd like to see you, but i don't know if it would be right with her in bed. still, i promised i'd tell you." he rose promptly. the woman stood aside at the upper door and he at once saw nettie lying with her vigorous black hair sprawling in a thick twist across the pillow. her face was pinched, it seemed thin, and the brilliancy and size of her eyes were exaggerated. one arm, clumsy and inanimate in splints, was extended over the cotton spread; but with the other hand she was feverishly busy with her appearance. she smiled, a wan tremulous movement that again shut the pain like a leaden casket about his heart. "do go away, mother!" nettie directed kate vollar hovering behind them. "your fidgeting will make me scream." with an incoherent murmur she vanished from the room. the girl motioned toward a chair, and gerrit drew it forward to a table that bore water and a small glass bowl partly covered by a sheet of paper, holding a number of symmetrical reddish-black pills. "opium," nettie told him, following his gaze; "i cried dreadfully with the hurt at first. it's dear, and edward made those from some he had. you know, i watched him roll them right here; it was wonderful how quickly he did it, each exactly alike, two grains." she told him the circumstances of her accident while he sat with his eyes steadily on her face, his hands folded. he was quiet, without visible emotion or speech; but there was an utter tumult, a tumult like the spiral of a hurricane, within him. rebellious feelings, tyrannical desires and thoughts, swept through him in waves of heat and cold. nettie's voice grew weak, the shadows deepened under her eyes, for a little they closed; and but for the faint stir of the coverlet over her heart she was so pallid, so still, that she might have been dead. moved by an uncontrollable fear he bent toward her and touched her hand. her gaze slowly widened, and, turning over her palm, she weakly grasped his fingers. a great sigh of contentment fluttered from her dry lips. "gerrit," she whispered, barely audible. he leaned forward, blinded by his passion for her. he admitted this in an honest self-knowledge that he had refused recognition until now. tender and reassuring words, wild declarations and plans for the future, crowded for expression; nothing else before the immensity of desire that possessed him was of the slightest concern; but not a syllable was spoken. a sharp line was ploughed between his brows; his breath came in short choked gusts, he was utterly the vessel of his longing, and yet an ultimate basic consideration, lost in the pounding of his veins, still restrained him. "i love you, gerrit," nettie said; "i'll never stop till i die." her face and voice were almost tranquil; she seemed to speak from a plane above the ordinary necessities of common existence, as if her pain, burning out her color and vigor and emotions, had given her the privilege of truth. curiously enough when it seemed to him that she had expressed what should have sent him into a single consuming flame he grew at once completely calm. he, too, for the moment, reached her state of freedom from earth and flesh. "i love you, nettie," he replied simply. however, he speedily dropped back into the sphere of actual responsibilities. he saw all the difficulties and hovering insidious shadows in which they might be lost. this, in turn, was pushed aside by the incredulous realization that nettie's life and his had been spoiled by a thing no more important than a momentary flare of temper. if, as might have happened, he had overlooked barzil dunsack's ridiculous tirade, if he had turned into the yard where nettie was standing instead of tramping away up hardy street, everything would have been well. it was unjust, he cried inwardly, for such infinite consequences to proceed from unthinking anger! a great or tragic result should spring from great or tragic causes, the suffering and price measured by the error. he could see that nettie was patiently waiting for him to solve the whole miserable problem of their future; she had an expression of relief which seemed to take a happy issue for granted. none was possible. a baffled rage cut his speech into quick brutal words flung like shot against her hope. "i love you," he repeated, "yes. but what can that do for us now? i had my chance and i let it go. to-day i'm married, i'll be married to-morrow, probably till i die. perhaps that wouldn't stop a man more intelligent--it might be just that--than i am; perhaps he'd go right after his love or happiness wherever or however it offered. there are men, too, who have the habit of a number of women. that is understood to be a custom with sailors. it has never been with me; as i say, maybe i am too stupid. "what in the name of all the heavens would i do with taou yuen?" he demanded. "i can't desert her here, in america, leave her with william. i brought her thousands of miles away from her home, from all she knows and is. if i took her back and dropped her in china it would be murder." an expression of unalloyed dreariness overspread nettie's features. "i wish i had been killed right out," she said. the starkness of the words, of the reality they spoke, flowed over him like icy water; he felt that he was sinking, strangling, in a sea grimmer than any about cape horn. he was continually appalled by the realization that there was no escape, no smallest glimmer, leading from the pit into which they had stumbled. he had the sensation of wanting enormously to go with nettie but was fast in chains that were locked on him by a power greater than his will. "it's no good," his voice was flat. "i don't believe i'll see you again," nettie articulated; "now the _nautilus_ is near ready to sail. i can't stand it," she sobbed; "that last time you went out the harbor just about ended me, but this is worse, worse, worse. i'll--i'll take all the opium." "no, you won't," he asserted, standing, confident that her spirit was too normal, too vitally healthy, for that. his gaze wandered about the room: her clothes were neatly piled and covered by a skirt on a chair; the mirror on her chest of drawers was broken, a corner missing; there was a total absence of the delicate toilet adjuncts of rhoda and taou yuen--only a small paper of powder, a comb and brush, and the washstand with a couple of coarse towels. what dresses she had were hung behind a ridiculously inadequate drapery. she had so little with which to accomplish what, for a girl, was so much. his emotion had retreated, leaving him dull-eyed, heavy of movement. the moment had come for his departure. gerrit stood by the bed. nettie turned away from him, her face was buried in the pillow, the uppermost free shoulder shook. "good-by," he said. there was no answer and he patiently repeated the short tragic phrase. still there was no sound from nettie. there would be none. even the impulse to touch her had died--died, he thought, with a great many feelings and hopes he once had. a fleet surprise invaded him at the absence of any impulse now to protest or indulge in wild passionate terms; he was surprised, too, at the fact that he was about to leave nettie. the whole termination of the affair was bathed in an atmosphere of stale calm, like the air in a ship's hold. gerrit ammidon gazed steadily at her averted head, at the generous line of her body under the coverlet; then, neither hasty nor hesitating in his walk, he left the room. kate vollar met him at the foot of the stair. "you understood," she said, "that i only bothered you because your father... because i was so put on?" "you were quite right," he replied in a measured voice; "it will all be attended to. with the agreement i mentioned." "how they'll take it i don't know." "in some positions," he told her, "certain persons are without any choice. the facts are too great for them. i said nothing to nettie of edward dunsack's reason for my coming," he added significantly. out in the street he stopped, facing toward java head and evening; but, with a quiver of his lips, the vertical bitter line between his drawn brows, he turned and marched slowly, his head sunk, to where the _nautilus_ was berthed. ix seated in the library, placidly waiting for edward dunsack to go, taou yuen studied him briefly. a long or thoughtful survey was unnecessary: the opium was rapidly mastering him. that fact absorbed all the rest. she had an immeasurable contempt for such physical and moral weakness; all the three religions fused in her overwhelmingly condemned self-indulgence; her philosophy, the practical side of lao-tze's teaching, emphasized the utter futility of surrender to the five senses. at the same time he was the subject of some interest: he was an american who had lived in china, and not only on the fringe of the treaty ports--he had penetrated to some extent into the spirit, the life, of things chinese; while she, taou yuen, was amazingly married to gerrit ammidon, was a manchu here, in america. absolutely immobile, her hands folded in her lap, she considered these facts, each in relation to the other: there was wisdom hidden in them for her. if mr. dunsack had retained the ordinary blustering western commercial mind, his knowledge of china confined to the tea houses and streets, he would probably be prosperous and strong to-day. the wisdom lay in this--that here she must remain manchu, chinese; any attempt to become a part of this incomprehensible country, any effort to involve herself in its mysterious acts or thought, would be disastrous. she must remain calm, unassertive, let the eternal tao take its way. edward dunsack looked actually comic: he was staring rudely, with a foolish air of flattery, and breathing in labored gasps--like a coolie who had run miles with a heavy palanquin. then her mind, hardly reacting from immediate objects, returned to the contemplation of the deeper significance of her presence here. bent in on itself her thought twisted like a moonflower vine about the solid fact of gerrit. she realized, of course, that he must have had the past of any healthy honorable man of his age, and that it would have included at least one woman. however, when even the present was an almost complete puzzle his past had been so lost to her that she had not considered it until now. "you must overlook my unceremonious speech," edward dunsack proceeded in creditable chinese. "it was clumsy, but i was deeply affected. it is my niece, you see, who was hurt, and who has a very sad history. then there are some special circumstances. i'd have to explain a great deal before you could understand why she sent for your husband and why he left so hurriedly." "there is nothing you need tell me," taou yuen replied in her slow careful english. "manchu eyes can see as well as american." "a thousand times better." he, too, returned to his native speech. "it is delightful to talk to a truly civilized being. all that would have to be shouted at the women of salem is unnecessary now. you see--you understand the heart of a man." "i understand you," she said impersonally. "i wonder if you do," he speculated. "you ought to see what--how much--i think of you. my brain holds nothing else," he declared in a low intense voice, drawing nearer to her. she had a momentary, purely feminine shrinking from his emaciated shaking frame, the burning eyes in a face dead like a citron; then her placidity returned, the assurance that it was all ordained, that his gestures, the pumping of his diseased heart, had no more individual significance than the movements of a mechanical figure operated by strings, here the strings of supreme fate. she even smiled slightly, a smile not the mark of approval or humor, but an expression of absolute composure. it drove him at once into febrile excitement. "at least i understand you," he cried; "far more than you suppose! you can't impress me with your air of a gautama. i know the freedom of your country. it doesn't shock you to realize that your husband has gone to see a woman he loved, perhaps loves still, and you are not disturbed at my speaking like this." here, she knew, regarding him no more than a shrilling locust, was the center about which for a moment blindly her thoughts of gerrit and herself had revolved. his past--"a woman he loved." but it didn't in the least upset her present peace of mind, her confidence in gerrit. there was a sharp distinction between the eternal, the divine, tao, that which is and must prevail, and the personal tao, subject to rebellion and all the evil of yin; and she felt that her husband's tao was good. out of this she remarked negligently: "after all, you are more ignorant of china than i thought. but, of course, you saw only the common and low side. you have not heard of the books girls are taught from--'the sacred edict' and 'mirror of the heart.' you don't know even the first rule of 'the book of rites,' 'let your face and attitude be grave and thoughtful,' and the second, 'let your steps be deliberate and regular.'" she paused, conveying by her manner that he was already vanishing and that she was relieved. "that would do well enough if you were a scholar, or a bonze," he retorted; "but such innocence in a fashionable woman is a pretense. if you are so pure how can you explain your gold and bracelets and pins, all the marks of your worldly rank? lao-tze taught, 'rich and high but proud brings about its own misfortune.'" he was so close to her now that she caught a faint sickly reek from his body. it seemed to her that she could see his identity, his reason, vanish, replaced by madness in his staring eyes. "i worship you," he murmured. "opium," she spoke disdainfully. "your own tobacco is drugged," he asserted. "but that's not important. i tell you i worship you, the most beautiful person in the world. these fools in salem, even your husband, can't realize one-tenth of your perfection; they can't venerate you as i do. and now that ammidon has gone back to the first, we are free too." "you are a liar," she said with an unexpected colloquial ease. a darker color stained his dry cheeks. "you saw him," he replied. "did he get pale or didn't he? and did he or not rush from the room like a man in a fever? i tell you it's no use pretending with me; say what you please i know how delicate your senses are. i'll tell you this too: it's written in our progression that we should meet here, yes, and be a great deal to each other. it was written in the beginning, and we had been drawing together through a million cycles before gerrit ammidon stumbled across you." taou yuen was surprised by a sudden conviction that a part of this, at least, was so. no living thing, however minute, escaped from the weariness of movement, either ending in final and blessed suspension or condemned to struggle on and on through countless lives of tormenting passion. all had this dignity of hope or despair; all she encountered were humble, impressive or debased in the working of the mighty law. she had been guilty, as this american had pointed out, of dangerous and wrong pride, and she accepted her lesson willingly. there was, however, an annoying conflict between edward dunsack, the example, the impersonal, and edward dunsack making violent profession of his unspeakable desire for her. even the word seemed to soil her; but there was no other. he went recklessly on, trying to increase his advantage: "we're made to be together." "if we are it is because of some great wickedness of mine. if we are, then perhaps i am lost. but it is allowed to resist evil, at least, as far as staying out of its touch is resistance." "nothing can keep you from me," he declared. another short step and his knees would be brushing her gown. a stronger wave of dislike, shrinking, anger, drowned her logical and higher resignation. "it is time for you to go," she said, her voice still even. "never." it seemed to her that she could feel his hot quivering touch and, all her philosophy dropping from her, she rose quickly. "if this were china," she told him, in a cold fury, "you'd be cut up with knives, in the court-yard where i could look on. but even here i can ring for a servant; and when captain ammidon comes back he'll know what to say to you." she could see that the last affected him; he hesitated, drew back, his hanging fingers clasping and unclasping. that, she thought, relieved, would dispose of him. then it was clear that his insanity persisted even in the face of the considerable threat of gerrit's hot pride and violent tempers. "it's our destiny," he repeated firmly in his borrowed faith, at once a little terrifying and a little ridiculous in the alien mold. his lips twitched and his bony forehead glistened in a fine sweat. now, thoroughly roused, she laughed at him in open contempt. "diseased," she cried, "take your sores away! dog licked by dogs. bowl of filth," she was speaking in chinese, in words of one syllable like the biting of a hair whip. edward dunsack gasped, as if actual blows cut him; he stood with one hand half raised, appalled at the sudden vicious rush of her anger. a leaden pallor took the place of his normal sallow coloring, and it was evident that he had difficulty in withstanding the pressure of his laboring heart. he stood between her and the door and she had a premonition that it would be useless to attempt to avoid him or escape. she could, however, call, and some one, there were a score of people about the house, must certainly appear. at that moment she saw a deep change sweep over his countenance, taking place in his every fiber. there was an inner wrenching of edward dunsack's being, a blurring and infusion of blood in his eyes, a breath longer and more agonized than any before, and she was looking closely into the face of an overwhelming hatred. for a moment, she realized, he had even considered killing her with his flickering hands. then that impulse subsided before a sidelong expression of cunning. "with all your manchu attitudes," he mocked her, "yes, your aristocratic pretense of mourning and marks of rank, you are no different from the little pleasure girls. your vocabulary and mind are the same. i was a fool for a while; i saw nothing but your satins and painted face. i forgot you were yellow, i had forgotten that all china's yellow. it's yellow, yellow, yellow and never can be white. i shut my eyes to it and it dragged me down into its slime." his voice was hysterical with an agony of rending spiritual torment and hopeless grief. "it poisoned me little by little, with the smell of its rivers and the cursed smell of its pleasures. then the opium. a year after i had lost my position, everything; and when i came over here it followed me ... in my own blood. even then i might have broken away, i almost had, when gerrit ammidon brought you to salem. you came at a time when i was fighting hardest to throw it all off. you see--you fascinated me. you were all that was most alluring of china, and i wanted you so badly, it all came back so, that i went to the opium to find you." "progression," she said ironically. "perhaps," he muttered. "who knows? i'm finished for this life anyhow. you did that. i can't even keep the books for my father's penny trade." his hands crept rigidly toward her. if they touched her she would be degraded for ever. yet she was incapable of flight, her throat refused the cry which she had been debating; alternate waves of revulsion and stoical resignation passed over her with chills of acute terror. yet she managed to preserve an unstirred exterior; and that, she observed, began to influence him. his loathing was as great as ever; but his vision, that had been fixed in a blaze of fury, broke, avoided her direct scrutiny, her appearance of statue-like unconcern. there was a sound of quick light feet in the hall, the bright voice of one of gerrit's nieces. edward dunsack fell into a profound abstraction: he turned and walked away from her, standing with his back to the room at a window that opened upon the broad green park. he was so weak that he was forced to support himself with a hand on the wall. taou yuen was motionless for a perceptible space, and then moved toward the door in a dignified composure. all this had come from the utter impropriety of the life in america. dunsack glanced at her as she withdrew, and for a moment she saw his fine profile sharp and dark against the light-flooded window. his lips stirred but she heard no sound. then she was on the stair mounting to her room. there mechanically she filled her pipe; but doing this she noticed that her hands were trembling. how lamentably she had failed in the preservation, the assertion, of her superiority, not as a manchu, but in the deeper, the only true sense of the word--in submission. "requite hatred with virtue." she spoke lao-tze's admonition aloud and, in the customary devious channel of her mental processes, her thoughts returned to her early life, her girlhood, so marred by sickness that the emperor had surrendered his customary proprietary right in the daughters of manchu nobles. surrounding the fact of her early suffering, which had kept her out of the active gayety of brothers and sisters, she remembered in the clearest detail her father's house in the north; the later residences in canton and shanghai, even the delightful river gardens of the summer place at soochow, were less vivid. inside the massive tiled stone wall the rooms--there were a hundred at least--faced in squares on the inner courtyard, and were connected by glass enclosed verandas. the reception houses of the front court, the deeply carved wooden platform with its scarlet covering, were of the greatest elegance; they were always astir with the numerous secretaries, the chinese writers and messengers, the _mafoos_ and chair coolies, the servants and blind musicians with the old songs, _the millet's in flower_ and _kuan kuan go to the ospreys_. the side door to the women's apartments, however, opened into a retreat, where her father's concubine, he had but one, trailed like a bird of paradise, and there was the constant musical drip of a fountain in an old granite basin. there, during the years when she was lame, taou yuen mostly stayed. she had been dropped from a palanquin in her sixth year; sharp pains soon after burned in her hip, and the corresponding leg had perceptibly shortened. a great many remedies were tried in vain--burning with charcoal, the application of black plasters, sweating, acupuncture--sticking long needles into the afflicted part. the doctors declared that the five elements of her body--the metal, wood, water, fire and earth, were hopelessly out of equilibrium. her mother had then called necromancers and devil charmers; lucky and unlucky days were explored; strange rites were conducted before her terrified eyes screwed into the determination to show no alarm. a year, perhaps, after they had become resigned to her injury, her father, always a man of the most liberal ideas, had suddenly brought into the garden to see her an english doctor passing through china. against the wailing protests of the women the englishman had been given authority to treat her; and he had caused to be made a thin steel brace, clasping taou yuen's waist and extending in a rigid band down the length of her injured leg. after putting a high shoe on her other foot he had commanded them to keep the brace on her for two years. it was through that period of comparative inactivity that she acquired a habit of reading and thought, a certain grasp of philosophical attitude, common to the higher masculine chinese mind but rare among their women. she had, for instance, later, read laotze's tao-teh-king, and been impressed by his tranquil elevation above the petty ills and concerns of life and the flesh. her father, like all the ruling class, regarded taoism--which had, indeed, degenerated into a mass of nonsense about the transmutation of base metals into gold and the elixir of life--with contempt. but this seemed to her no depreciation of the greatly eminent one or his philosophy of the two taoes. the household, or at least the family, worshipped in the form of confucius; his precepts and admonitions, the sacred _hiao_ or filial submission, the tablets and ancestral piety, were a part of her blood; as was the infinitely fainter infusion of buddhism; yet in her intellectual brooding it was to the tao-teh-king that she returned. she paused to recall that, the brace at last removed, she was practically completely recovered; but the bent, the bracing, given her mind had remained. the colorful pageant of her first marriage, the smaller but splendidly appointed house of her husband--he was extremely intelligent and had honorably passed the examination for licentiate, one of only two hundred successful bachelors out of twenty thousand--and the period following his accidental drowning wheeled quickly through her brain.... only gerrit ammidon was left. she loved him, taou yuen realized, for a quality entirely independent of race: he had more than anyone else she knew the virtues of simplicity and purity announced by chwang-tze as the marks of the true man. "we must become like little children," the old master had written. she had seen this at once in the amazing interview sanctioned by her father-in-law. most women of her class, even widows, would have perished with shame at being exposed to a foreigner. but lu kikwang had expressed her difference from them in the terms of his proposal. his words had been "finely better" although the truth was that her curiosity had always mastered the other and more prudent instincts. yet that alone would not have prostrated her before gerrit ammidon--death was not unthinkable--nor carried her into his strange terrifying ship and stranger life. the love had been born almost simultaneously with her first recognition of his character. now her passion for him was close and jealous. a constant shifting between such humanity and the calm detachment which prefigured heaven was what most convinced her of the truths of lao-tze. all this took body at the announcement of edward dunsack about gerrit and his niece. certainly he might have had an affair; that she dismissed; but the insinuated permanence of this other affection was serious. she would not have believed mr. dunsack for an instant, but, as he had pointed out, gerrit had undoubtedly been upset; he had turned pale and hurried away impolitely. it was by such apparently slight indications that the great inner currents of life were discovered. the fact that chinese officials had more than one wife, or, to speak correctly, concubines in addition, had no bearing with gerrit; such was not the custom with american men. it represented for him, yes--dishonor. she laboriously recalled his every attitude since they had landed in america, and was obliged to admit that he had changed--he was less gay and though his manner was always considerate she recognized a growing impatience beneath his darker calm. her philosophy was again torn in shreds by sharp feminine emotions. she was filled with jealousy and hatred and hurt pride. the clearest expression of his possible discontent had marked his face when he had suddenly come into their room and saw her rising from a prayer for his father. gerrit's lips had been compressed, almost disdainful; at that moment, she knew unerringly, he found her ugly. of course it had been the hideous garments of mourning. she must wear the unhemmed sackcloth and dull slippers, bind her headdress and cover her pins with paste, for a hundred days; and then a second mourning of black or dark blue, and no flowers, for three years. it might well be that by then gerrit, blind to these proprieties, would find her unendurable. suddenly, in the tremendous difficulty of holding him against an entire world, his own and of which she was supremely ignorant, it seemed to her that she needed every possible means, every coral blossom and gold filament and finger of paint, the cunning intoxication of subtle dress and color and perfume. with a leaden sense of guilt, but in a fever of impatience, of haste, she stripped off the coarse hemp for her most elaborate satins, her santal and clover and carmine. when gerrit came in it had grown dark with night, and he explained that he had been busy inspecting the _nautilus'_ spars. she lighted a lamp, then another, all she could find, and studied him unobtrusively. she was shocked at the worn expression of his face; it seemed as if he had aged in the few hours since he had left the library. he was uneasy, silent; and, secretly dismayed, she saw that he was indifferent to her changed appearance, too. taou yuen debated the wisdom of telling him about the painful scene with edward dunsack; against her original intent she decided in the negative. she informed herself that the reason for this was a wish to preserve him, now that they were practically at the day of departure, from an unpleasant duty. but there was an underlying dimly apprehended and far different motive: she was afraid that it would blow into flame a situation that might otherwise be avoided, bring to life a past naturally dying or dead. she saw that he was scarcely aware of her presence in the room, perhaps in his life. a period of resentment followed. "you are dull," she declared, "and i am going down to the garden for entertainment." gerrit nodded. he would, he told her, be along shortly. below she found roger brevard, with the oldest ammidon girl and her mother. roger brevard, she had discovered, was in love with sidsall. the latter, it developed, was to leave shortly for a party; mr. brevard was not going; and, when gerrit's sister-in-law walked across the grass with her daughter the man dropped into an easy conversation with taou yuen. she had a feeling, which she had tried in vain to lose, of the vulgarity, the impropriety of this. yet she recognized that there was none of the former in roger brevard; he resembled quite a little her dead husband, siã©-ngan-kwã¡n; and for that reason she was more at ease with him--in spite of such unaccustomed familiarity--than with anyone else in salem but gerrit. he was, she admitted condescendingly, almost as cultivated as the ordinary chinese gentleman. many of his thoughts, where she could understand their expression, might have come from a study of the sacred kings. at the same time her feminine perception realized that he had a genuine liking for her. "you'll be delighted to leave salem," he said, leaning forward and studying her. "that would not be polite," she answered formally. "you have been so good. but it will give me pleasure to see shanghai again. anyone is happier with customs he understands." "and prefers," he added. "indeed, i'd choose some of your manners rather than ours. you see, you have been at the business of civilization so much longer than the rest of us." "our history begins two thousand years before your christ," she told him; "our language has been spoken without change for thirty-three centuries, as you call them. but such facts are nothing. i would rather hear your non--nonsense," she stumbled over the word. "do you mean that what we call nonsense is really the most important?" "perhaps," she replied. "devotion to the old and dead is greatly necessary yet you smile at it. i didn't mean that, but moons and lovers and music." he cried in protest, "we're terribly serious about those!" "i hear nothing but talk about cargoes and sales and money." "we keep the other under our hats," he instructed her. she was completely mystified, and he explained. "in china," she remarked tentatively, "it is possible for a man to love two women at once, maybe one a little more than the other, but he can be kind and just and affectionate to them both. tell me, is--is that possible with an american?" "no!" he spoke emphatically. "we can love, in the way you mean, only one, perhaps only once. i wouldn't swear to that, but there are simply no exceptions to the first. men are unfaithful, yes; but at a cost to themselves, or because they are incapable of restraint. to be unfaithful in anything is to fail, isn't it? you can lie to yourself as effectively as to anybody else." she fixed a painful attention upon him, but lost at least a half of his meaning. however, one fact was clearer than ever--that edward dunsack had said an evil thing about her husband. "it seems," he went on, "that even spiritual concerns can be the result of long custom." if he was trying to find an excuse for chinese habit she immediately disposed of it. "no," she said, "you are upside down. the spirit is first, the eternal tao, everywhere alike, but the personal spirit is different in you and in us." a sudden dejection seized her--now the difference seemed vaster than anything she had in common with gerrit. a wave of oppressive nostalgia, of confusion and dread, submerged her in a faintly thunderous darkness. she felt everywhere about her the presence of evil and threatening shades. the approach of her husband, his heavy settling into a chair, did nothing to lighten her apprehension. "how soon do we go?" she asked faintly. "in two weeks, with nothing unexpected," he responded without interest or pleasure. it flashed through her mind that he was depressed at leaving salem, that other woman. his present indifference was very far from the manner in which he had first discussed their leaving. yet, even that, she recalled in the light of her present sensitiveness, had been unnaturally abrupt and clothed in a great many loud-sounding words. she told herself arbitrarily that edward dunsack had lied--for the purpose which his conduct afterward made clear--but her very feeling was proof that she believed he had spoken the truth. she was a victim of an uneasy curiosity to see... she made a violent mental effort and recaptured the name--nettie vollar. of course the latter had been the deliberate cause of whatever wickedness had threatened at the return of gerrit with her, taou yuen. she had however no doubt of the extent of this: gerrit was upright, faithful to the necessity roger brevard had explained; all that assaulted her happiness was on an incorporate plane, or, anyhow, in a procession of consequences extending far back and forward of their present lives. but, she recognized, she had no excuse nor opportunity to see nettie vollar. mrs. ammidon, when she heard of the accident, had at once declared her intention of going to the dunsacks' house; still that promised no chance of satisfying her own desire. the least politeness in the world prohibited her from going baldly in and demanding to see the woman. she couldn't, all at once, make convincing a sympathy or impersonal interest entirely contradictory to her insistent indifference. the best she could hope was for them to sail away as quickly as possible; when on the other side of the seas gerrit would probably return to the simplicity of being she had adored. then a trivial and yet serious fear occurred to her--perhaps here, among all these dead-white women, he no longer held her beautiful. the word was his own, or it had been his; he had not repeated it, she realized, twice since they had been in salem. personally, she found the american women entirely undistinguished and dressed in grotesquely ugly and cheap clothes--not unlike paper lanterns bobbing along the ground. their faces were shamelessly bare of paint and their manners would have disgraced the lowest servant in a chinese courtyard. this was natural, from any consideration of the hideous or inappropriate things that surrounded them, and from the complete lack of what she could distinguish as either discipline or reverence. yet gerrit, a part of this, would be unable to share her attitude; she had heard him praise the appearance of women so insipid that she had turned expecting vainly an ironic smile. roger brevard rose and made his bow, the only satisfactory approach to a courteous gesture she had met outside gerrit's occasional half-humorous effort since leaving shanghai. he stirred, muttered a perfunctory phrase, and sank back into obscurity. little quirks of unfamiliar disturbing feeling ran through taou yuen; her mind, it seemed, had become a thing of no importance; all that at one time had so largely ordered her life was superseded by these illogical emotions spreading apparently from her heart. the truth was, she told herself, that--with all her reading and philosophy--she had had little or no experience of actuality: the injury to her hip and quiet life in the gray garden at canton, her protected existence in the women's apartments, whatever she might have learned from them neglected because of the general silliness of their chatter, the formal early marriage, had all combined for the preservation of her ignorance. she regarded herself now with distrust; nothing could have been more unpleasant than the failure of her will, this swamping of her equanimity. she never lost for a moment the image of superiority that should be her perfect example, the non-assertion that was the way of heaven; but her comprehension was like a figure ruthlessly dragged about by an overpowering unreflective force. a sharp hatred of nettie vollar seared her mind and perished in a miserable sense of weakness. against the dark, charged with a confusion of the ten thousand things, she stared wearily and wakeful. she reminded herself again that gerrit would soon be gone from salem, alone with her on the long voyage to china; but he'd return to america, come back to salem; and she knew that he would never bring her westward again. a period of depression followed which seemed to have no immediate connection with gerrit; she had an indefinable feeling of struggling in vain against adversity, of opposition to an implacable power. for a short while after she rose in the morning it appeared that she had regained her self-control, her reason; and a consequent happy relief irradiated her. but when gerrit came up after she had finished her toilet and she saw, from his haggard face, that he too must have been awake, tormented, through the night, a passion of bitterness enveloped her at which all that had gone before turned pale. she could scarcely restrain herself from a noisy wailing accusation, and stood regarding him with a tense unnatural grimace, the result of her effort to preserve propriety. she told herself, at the tempest of vulgar phrases storming through her consciousness, that what edward dunsack had said about her being no better than the tea house girls was true, and she was aghast at the inner treachery capable of such self-betrayal. not a quivering word, however, escaped; she managed a commonplace phrase and turned aside in a trivial pretext of occupation. "i am going into boston with captain dunsack on business connected with his schooners." the girl's grandfather! "very well." she spoke placidly, and with a tempestuous heart watched him stride quickly about the park. she settled herself in a long motionless contemplation, fastening her mind upon the most elevated and revered ideas conceivable. she saw the eternal tao flowing like a great green river of souls, smooth and mighty and resistless; and she willed that she too might become a part of that desirable self-effacement, safe in surrender. men striving to create a tao for personal ends beat out their lives in vain. it was the figure of the river developing, like floating on a deliberate all-powerful tide or struggling impotently against it. later a message came up from mrs. ammidon--she hoped that taou yuen would drive with her that afternoon. she dressed with the most particular care, in blue and dark greens, her shoulders thick with embroidered garlands and silver _shou_, her piled hair ornamented in glittering silver leaves and garnets. she went down when she heard the horses on the street below but the barouche was empty except for the coachman. "mrs. ammidon left a half hour ago," a servant told her; "and sent the carriage back for you." they moved forward, going, she saw, into a part of the town where they seldom drove--the narrow crowded way by the wharves--and, turning shortly into a street that ended abruptly at the water, drew up before a dingy house on her right. the door was open, and they waited, confident that mrs. ammidon would hear the clatter of hoofs and come out; but a far different appeared. she gazed for a silent space at taou yuen seated above her, as if confused by the glittering magnificence. it was probable that gerrit's brother's wife had come there on an errand of charity for the woman was poor, dingy like the house, with a face drawn by suffering and material struggle. "of course you're captain ammidon's wife," she said; "and you are here after mrs. william ammidon. well, she's gone; but she left a message for you. she will be at henry whipple's, the bookseller. after she saw nettie she went right off to send her some things; wouldn't wait for the carriage. a kind-hearted determined body." taou yuen leaned out to command the coachman to drive on; but the other, plainly bent on making the most of a rare opportunity for such a conversation, continued talking in her low resigned way. "i was glad to have her too; nettie gets pretty fretful up there with nobody but me, really. she hasn't been so well, either, since--" here she stopped abruptly, recommenced. "i like to see a person myself of mrs. ammidon's kind. i've been alone all day; father's gone to boston and edward away i don't know where." taou yuen's curiosity to see nettie vollar returned infinitely multiplied; here, miraculously, was an opportunity for her to study the woman who was beyond any doubt an important part of gerrit's past, present--it might be, his future. the men were gone. ... she got resolutely down from the barouche. "take me up to your daughter," she directed quietly. "why, that's very kind, but i don't know--yes, certainly. mind these stairs with your satin skirt; i don't always get around to the whole house." taou yuen saw at once that nettie vollar was far sicker than she had realized: her head lay on the pillow absolutely spent, her brow damply plastered with hair and her eyes enlarged and dull. taou yuen drew a chair forward and sat beside a table with a glass bowl of small dark pills which from a just perceptible odor she recognized as opium. she looked intently, coldly, at the prostrate figure. a flush like match flames burned in nettie vollar's cheeks, and she said in a voice at once weak and sharp: "you're her!" taou yuen nodded slowly, disdainfully. "oh, how could he!" the other exclaimed in what sounded like the thin echo of a passionate cry. "i knew you were chinese, but i never realized it till this minute." as gerrit ammidon's wife had feared she was totally unable to judge a single quality or feature of the girl before her. she looked exactly like all the others she had seen in salem: in order to realize her she needed gerrit's eyes, gerrit's birth. then one fact crept insidiously into her consciousness--here, in a way, was another being who had gerrit ammidon's childlike simplicity. that was the most terrifying discovery she could have made. taou yuen felt the return of the hateful irresistible emotions which had destroyed her self-control. she wanted to hurt nettie vollar in every possible way, to mock her with the fact that she had lost gerrit perhaps never to see him again; she wanted to tell her that she, taou yuen, entirely understood her hopes, efforts, and that they were vain. an utter self-loathing possessed her at the same time, a feeling of imminent danger as if she were walking with willfully shut eyes on the edge of a precipice above a black fatal void. not a trace of this appeared on her schooled countenance; and once more she completely restrained any defiling speech. she deliberately shifted her point of view to another possible aspect of all that confronted her--it might be that this woman was a specter, a _kwei_, bent on gerrit's destruction. such a thing often happened. how much better if nettie vollar had been killed! she studied her with a renewed interest--a fresh question. perhaps the other would die as it was. she was extremely weak; her spirit, taou yuen saw, lay listlessly in a listless body. nettie vollar slightly moved her injured arm, and that little effort exhausted her for a moment; her eyes closed, her face was as white as salt. a further, almost philosophical, consideration engaged taou yuen's mind--this extraordinary occasion, her being with the other alone, nettie vollar's fragility, were, it might be, all a part of the working of the righteous _yang_. in the light of this, then, she had been brought here for a purpose ... the ending of a menace to her husband. she hesitated for a breath--if it were the opposite malignant _yin_ there was no bottom to the infamy into which she might fall. it was a tremendous question. the actual execution of the practical suggestion, from either source, was extremely easy; she had but to lean forward, draw her heavy sleeve across the strained face, hold it there for a little, and nettie vollar would have died of--of any one of a number of reasonable causes. she, taou yuen, would call, politely distressed, for the mother ... very regrettable. gerrit free-perhaps. she had no shrinking from the act itself, nothing that might have been called pity, a few more or less years in a single life were beneath serious consideration; it was the lives to come, the lingering doubt of which power led her on, which restrained and filled her mind. a flicker of rage darted through her calm questioning; her mental processes again faded. with her right arm across the supine body and enveloping the face in her left sleeve a single twist and nettie vollar would choke in a cloud of thick satin made gay with unfading flowers and the embroidered symbol of long life. she felt her body grow rigid with purpose when the sound of a footfall below held her motionless in an unreasoning dread. it was not heavy, yet she was certain that it was not the woman's. a blur of voices drifted up to her, the dejected feminine tone and a thin querulous demand, surprise. taou yuen turned cold as stone: the sensation of oppressive danger increased until it seemed as if she, and not nettie vollar, were strangling. there was a profound stillness, then a shuffling tread on the stair, and edward dunsack entered, entered but stood without advancing, his back against a closed door. even since yesterday he had noticeably wasted, there were muscles of his face that twitched continuously; his hands, it seemed to her, writhed like worms. he said nothing, but stared at her with a fixed glittering vision; all his one time worship--it had been so much--was devoured in the hatred born in the ammidon library. frozen with apprehension she sat without movement; her face, she felt, as still as a lacquered mask. to her astonishment--she had forgotten nettie vollar's existence--a shaken voice from the bed demanded: "uncle edward, what's come over you! don't you see mrs. ammidon! oh--" her speech rose in a choked exclamation. edward dunsack had turned the key and was crossing the room with a dark twisted face, his eyes stark and demented. taou yuen, swung round toward the advancing figure, heard a long fluttering breath behind her. perhaps nettie vollar had died of fright. the terror in her own brain dried up before an overwhelming realization--she had betrayed herself to the principle of evil. she was lost. her thoughts were at once incredibly rapid and entirely vivid, logical: edward dunsack, ruined, in china; herself blinded, confused, destroyed in america. yesterday she had held him powerless with the mere potency of her righteousness; but now she had no strength. there was a loathsome murmur from his dusty lips. he intended to kill her, to mar and spoil her throat, a degradation forbidden by confucius, an eternal disfigurement. this filled her with a renewed energy of horror.... here there was none but a feeble woman to hear her if she called. she rose mechanically, a hand on the table; taou yuen saw nettie vollar's deathly pallid face rolled awkwardly from the pillow, and the bowl of opium. there were twenty or more pills. without hesitation, even with a sense of relief, she swept the contents of the bowl into her palm. the effort of swallowing so many hard particles was almost convulsive and followed with a nauseous spasm. exhausted by mental effort she sank into a chair and a dullness like smoke settled over her. the figure of edward dunsack retreated to an infinite distance. the smoke moved in a great steady volume--the eternal and changeless tao, without labor or desires, without.... hatred requited with virtue ... attracting all honor--mounting higher and higher from the consuming passions, the seething black lives of her immeasurable fall. x although the late afternoon was at an hour when derby street should have been filled by a half-idle throng in the slackening of the day's waterside employments roger brevard found it noticeably empty. in this he suddenly recognized that the street was like the countingroom of the mongolian marine insurance company, the heart of salem's greatness--they were weaker, stilled in a decline that yet was not evident in the impressive body of the town. when he had first taken charge of this branch both salem and it had been of sufficient moment to attract him from new york; the company was insuring boston and new york vessels; the captains had thronged its broad window commanding st. peters and essex streets. now only an occasional shipmaster, holding the old traditions and habits or else retired, sat in the comfortable armchairs with leather cushions drawn up at the coal hearth or expansive in white through the summer. his mind shifted to a consideration of these facts in relation to himself--whether the same thing overtaking the place and marine insurance had not settled upon him too--as he made his way from central wharf, where he had vainly gone for prospective business. his inquiry was reaching a depressing certainty when, passing and gazing down hardy street, he saw the ammidon barouche standing in front of the dunsacks'. roger brevard stopped: the ammidon men, he knew, seldom drove about salem. he had heard of nettie vollar's accident and came to the conclusion that rhoda was within. if this were so, her visit, limited to a charitable impulse, would be short; and thinking of the pleasure of driving with her he turned into the side way. as he approached, the coachman met him with an evident impatience. "no, sir," he replied to brevard's inquiry. "but we were to get mrs. ammidon at the bookstore. mrs. captain gerrit called here for her, but she went inside unexpected. all of an hour ago. i don't like to ask for the lady, but what may be said later i can't think." he had scarcely finished speaking when a woman whom brevard recognized as kate vollar appeared at the door. "oh, mr. brevard!" she exclaimed with an unnaturally pallid and apprehensive face. "i'm glad to find you. please come upstairs with me. why i don't know but i'm all in a tremble. mrs. ammidon went to see nettie, then edward came in, and when he heard who was there he acted as if he were struck dumb and went up like a person afflicted. i waited the longest while and then followed them and knocked. why the door was shut i'd never tell you. but they didn't answer, any of them," she declared with clasped straining hands. "three in the room and not a sound. please--" her voice was suddenly suffocated by dread. "certainly. quarles," he addressed the coachman, "i'll get you to come along. if there is a lock to break it will need a heavier shoulder than mine." mounting the narrow somber stair, followed by the man and kate vollar, he wondered vainly what might have happened. obscurely some of the woman's fear was communicated to him. brevard knocked abruptly on the door indicated but there was no answering voice or movement. he tried the latch: as nettie's mother had found, it was fastened. "quarles," roger brevard said curtly. the coachman stepped forward, braced himself for the shove he directed against the wooden barrier, and the door swept splintering inward. roger advanced first and a grim confusion touched him with cold horror. taou yuen was half seated and half lying across a table beside the bed; he couldn't see her face, but her body was utterly lax. nettie vollar, too, was in a dreadful waxen similitude of death, with lead colored lips and fixed sightless eyes. a slight extraordinary sound rose behind him, and whirling, brevard discovered that it was edward dunsack giggling. he was silent immediately under the other's scrutiny, and an expression of stubborn and malicious caution pinched his wasted sardonic countenance. brevard turned to the greater necessity of the women, and moved taou yuen so that he could see her features. it was evident that she was not, as he had first thought, dead; her breathing was slow and deep and harsh, her pulse deliberate and full; she was warm, too, but her face was suffused by an unnatural blueness and the pupils of her inert eyes were barely discernible. he shook her with an unceremonious vigor, but there was no answering energy; she fell across his arm in a sheer weight of satin-covered body. he moved back in a momentary uncontrollable repulsion when kate vollar threw herself past him onto the bed. "nettie!" she cried, "nettie! nettie!" brevard was chilled by the possibility of an unutterable tragedy, when with a faint suffusion of color the girl gave a gasping sigh. her voice stirred in a terror shaken whisper: "uncle edward, don't! why--don't. oh!" she pressed her face with a long shudder into the pillow. "whatever was it--?" her mother began wildly. brevard caught her shoulder. "not now," he directed; "you'll come downstairs with me. we must have help at once and your daughter quiet." however he was in a quandary--he couldn't trust the woman here, he would have to go immediately for assistance, and yet it was impossible to leave nettie vollar and gerrit's wife alone. "you will have to wait in the room," he decided, turning to quarles. edward dunsack was wavering against a wall; brevard went swiftly up to him. "we'll need you," he said shortly. dunsack maintained his silence and air of stubborn cunning; but, when the other man clasped his incredibly thin arm, he went willingly followed by kate vollar below. there he sat obediently, his judicious detachment broken by a repetition of the thin shocking snigger. "you must be responsible for your brother," roger brevard told the quivering woman. "i'll be back immediately. now that you know nettie's safe you must control yourself. no one should go up--keep everybody out--till you hear from me or the doctor or captain ammidon." what an inexplicable accident or crime, he thought, hurriedly approaching the countinghouse of ammidon, ammidon and saltonstone, the first and nearest of the places to which he must go. he could remember no mark of what had overcome taou yuen. how was dunsack, who was now clearly demented, implicated? what racking thing had nettie vollar seen? in the subsequent exclamatory rush, even on the following morning when roger brevard learned that--poisoned by opium undoubtedly taken by herself--gerrit ammidon's wife had died without regaining consciousness, the greater part of the tragedy became little clearer. no statement could be had from edward dunsack other than a meaningless array of precautionary phrases; and returning in a sliding gait toward hardy street he was put under a temporary restraint. nettie vollar, brevard heard, had relapsed from her injury into a second critical collapse. yet, he told himself, entering the room that was his home in mrs. cane's large square house on chestnut street, that the manchu still absorbed his speculations. it was a pleasant room and a pleasant house with a dignified portico; and his tall windows, back on the right of the second floor, opened on the length of the napiers' garden. brevard sat looking out over a dim leafiness of evening and tried to discipline his thoughts into order and coherence. any dignity of death had been soiled by the ugly mystery of the aspects surrounding the end of taou yuen. he had liked her extremely well, agreeing with rhoda ammidon that, probably, they had never been permitted to know a more aristocratic breeding or greater degrees of purely worldly and mental and personal charm than those of gerrit's wife. his mind grew more philosophical and a perception, yet without base in facts, convinced him that taou yuen had been killed by america. it was a fantastic thought, and he attempted to dismiss it, waiting for more secure knowledge, but it persisted. she had been killed by unfamiliar circumstances, tradition, emotions. in some manner, but how he was unable to disentangle from the pressures of mere curiosity and conjecture, nettie vollar--or rather gerrit's old passing affair with nettie--had entered into the unhappy occurrence. after an hour's vain search he gave up all effort to pierce the darkness until he had actual knowledge--if he ever had, he was forced to add silently. it was possible that the secret might be entirely guarded from the public, even from the closer part he had played and his familiarity with the ammidon family. he was an inmate of their inner garden with its lilac trees and hedged roses in season, the pungent beds of flowers and box, the moonshade of the poplars. roger brevard turned from the consideration of taou yuen to the even more insistent claim of his increasing affection for sidsall. he stopped again both to lament and delight in her youth--another year and he would have unhesitatingly announced his feeling as love to them all. it was that, he admitted to himself almost shyly. the obvious thing was for him to wait through the year or more until the ammidons would hear of a proposal and then urge his desire.... he could see her quite often meanwhile. yes, that was the sensible course, even in the face of his own multiplying years. they were twenty-five more than sidsall's; yet, he added in self-extenuation, he was not definitely snared in middle age; he was still elastic in body and youthful, but for graying hair, in appearance. his birth was eligible from every social consideration; and, though he was not rich, he had enough independently to assure the safety of his wife's future. this did not come entirely, or now even in the larger part, from the mongolian marine insurance company, but took the form of a comparatively small but secure private income. he paused to wonder if it had not been that latter fact which had prevented his being successful--successful, that was, in william ammidon's meaning of the word. he had not made money nor a position of importance among men of affairs. such safety, he decided, was a dangerous possession judged by the standards he was now considering. a few thousand a year for life struck at the root of activity. it induced a critical detached attitude toward life, overemphasized the importance of the cut of a trouser and the validity of pedigree. it was a mistake to dance noticeably well. drifting, together with almost everyone else, he had reached his present position, past forty, by imperceptible degrees, obscurely influenced by the play of what he intrinsically was on circumstances or accident or fate. although he had never done so before, he compared himself with gerrit ammidon. the other's refusal to accept a partnership in the family firm or command a california clipper was known. gerrit and himself were alike in that they apprehended the values of life more clearly than did the ordinary mind or heart. but, in retaliation, the world they differed from curtly brushed them aside. roger brevard could not see that they had made the least mark on the callous normal cruelty or the aesthetic and spiritual blindness of the existence they shared. but it was always possible that something bigger than their grasp of justice or beauty was afoot. he turned from the darkened prospect of the window and his thoughts to the room. without a light he removed his formal street clothes, hanging the coat and waistcoat, folding the trousers in a drawer, with exact care; changing his light boots for fiber slippers he set the former in the row of footgear drawn up like a military review against the wall. though it was quite obscure now, and no one would see him, he paused to brush his slightly disarranged hair, before--tying the cord of his chamber robe--he resumed his seat. the year, he reverted to sidsall, would pass; but, try as he might, he had no feeling of security in the future, however near. it was the present, this sidsall, that filled him with a tyrannical and bitter longing. she was unbelievably beautiful now. against the faintness of his hope, his patience, he saw the whole slow process of the disintegration of marine insurance, and with it his own fatuous insensibility to the decline: that decline with its exact counterpart in himself. salem and he were getting dusty together. he straightened up vigorously in his chair--this would never do. he must wind up his affairs here and return to new york. the tranquil backwater had overpowered him for a time; but, again awake, he would strike out strongly... with sidsall. endless doubt and hope fluctuated within him. voices rose from the napier garden, and from a tree sounded the whirring of the first locust he had noticed that summer. on a noon following he saw the passage of the three or four carriages that constituted the funeral cortã¨ge of taou yuen's entirely private interment. she would be buried of course by christian service: here were none of the elaborate confucian rites and ceremonial; yet--from what taou yuen had occasionally indicated--confucius, lao-tze, the buddha, were all more alike than different; they all vainly preached humility, purity, the subjugation of the flesh. he stopped later in the charter street cemetery and found her grave, the headstone marked: taou yuen a manchurian lady the wife of gerrit ammidon, esq. and the dates. he saw, naturally, but little of the ammidons--a glimpse of rhoda in the carriage and william on charter street; the _nautilus_, ready for sea, continued in her berth at phillips' wharf. fragments of news came to him quoted and re-quoted, grotesquely exaggerated and even malicious reports of the tragedy at the dunsacks'. standing at his high desk in the countingroom of the mongolian marine insurance company, taou yuen's glittering passage through salem already seemed to him a fable, a dream. even sidsall, robustly near by, had an aspect of unreality in the tender fabric of his visions. captain rendell, his spade beard at the verge of filmed old eyes, who was seated at the window, rose with difficulty. for a moment he swayed on insecure legs, then, barely gathering the necessary power, moved out into the street. later, when roger brevard was turning the key on the insurance company for the day, lacy saltonstone stopped to speak in her charming slow manner: "mother of course is in a whirl, with captain ammidon about to marry that nettie vollar, since she is recovering after all, and our moving to boston.... you see i'm there so often it will make really very little difference to me. sidsall is the lucky one, though you'd never know it from seeing her.... i thought you'd have heard--why, to lausanne, a tremendously impressive school for a year. they have promised her london afterward. i would call that a promise, but actually, sidsall--." "doesn't she want to go?" he asked mechanically, all the emotions that had chimed through his being suddenly clashing in a discordant misery. he bowed absently, and hastening to his room softly closed the door and sat without supper, late into the evening, lost in a bitterness that continually poisoned the resolutions formed out of his overwhelming need. he was aghast at the inner violence that destroyed the long tranquility of his existence, the clenched hands and spoken words lost in the shadows over the napiers' garden. he wanted sidsall with a breathless tyranny infinitely sharper than any pang of youth: she was life itself. she didn't want to go, lacy had made that clear; and he told himself that her reluctance could only, must, proceed from one cause--that she cared for him. as he dwelt on this, the one alleviating possibility, he became certain of its truth. he would find her at once and in spite of rhoda and william ammidon explain that his whole hope lay in marrying her. with an utter contempt at all the small orderly habits which, he now saw, were the expression of a confirmed dry preciseness, he left his clothes in a disorderly heap. such a feeling as sidsall's and his, he repeated from the oppressive expanse of his black walnut bed, was above ordinary precautions and observance. then, unable to dismiss the thought of how crumpled his trousers would be in the morning, oppressed by the picture of the tumbled garments, he finally rose and, in the dark, relaid them in the familiar smooth array. in the morning his disturbance resolved into what seemed a very decided and reasonable attitude: he would see rhoda that day and explain his feeling and establish what rights and agreement he could. he was willing to admit that sidsall was, perhaps, too young for an immediate decision so wide in results. the ache, the hunger for happiness sharpened by vague premonitions of mischance, began again to pound in his heart. at the ammidons' it was clear immediately that rhoda's manner toward him had changed: it had become more social, even voluble, and restrained. she conversed brightly about trivial happenings, while he sat listening, gravely silent. but it was evident that she soon became aware of his difference, and her voice grew sharper, almost antagonistic. they were in the formal parlor, a significant detail in itself, and roger brevard saw william pass the door. well, he would soon have to go, he must speak about sidsall now. it promised to be unexpectedly difficult; but the words were forming when she came into the room. there were faint shadows under her eyes, the unmistakable marks of tears. an overwhelming passion for her choked at his throat. she came directly up to him, ignoring her mother. "did you hear that they want me to go away?" she asked. he nodded, "it's that i came to see your mother about." "they know i don't want to," she continued; "i've explained it to them very carefully." "my dear sidsall," rhoda ammidon cut in; "we can't have this. what roger has to say must be for me and your father." the girl smiled at her and turned again to roger brevard. "do you want me to go?" "no!" he cried, all his planning lost in uncontrollable rebellion. "then i don't think i shall." william entered and stood at his wife's shoulder. "you won't insist," sidsall faced them quietly. "ridiculous," her father replied. brevard realized that he must support the girl's bravery of spirit. how adorable she was! but, before the overwhelming superior position of the elder ammidons, their weight of propriety and authority, his determination wavered. "to be quite frank," the other man proceeded, "since it has been forced on us, sidsall imagines herself in love with you, brevard. i don't need to remind you how unsuitable and preposterous that is. she's too young to know the meaning of love. besides, my dear fellow, you're a quarter century her elder. we want sidsall to go to london like her mother, have her cotillions, before she settles into marriage." "they can't understand, roger," sidsall touched his hand. "we're sorry to disappoint them--" "you ought to be made to leave the room," william fumed. "that isn't necessary," rhoda told him. "i am sure roger understands perfectly how impossible it is. you mustn't be hurt," she turned to him, "if i admit that we have very different plans... at least a man nearer sidsall's age." the girl lifted a confident face to him. "you want to marry me, don't you?" she asked. more than any other conceivable joy. but he said this silently. his courage slowly ebbed before the parental displeasure viewing him coldly. "then--" sidsall paused expectantly, a touch of impatience even invaded her manner. "please tell them, roger." "why i have to put up with this is beyond me," william ammidon expostulated with his wife. "it's shameless." roger brevard winced. he tried to say something about hope and the future, but it was so weak, a palpable retreat, leaving sidsall alone and unsupported, that the words perished unfinished. the girl studied him, suddenly startled, and her confidence ebbed. he turned away, crushed by convention, filled with shame and a sense of self-betrayal. a stillness followed of unendurable length, in which he found his attention resting on the diversified shapes of the east india money in a corner cabinet. it was sidsall who finally spoke, slowly and clearly: "forgive me." he recognized that she was addressing her mother and father. from a whisper of skirts he realized that she was leaving the room. without the will necessary for a last glimpse he stood with his head bowed by an appalling sensation of weariness and years. in a flash of self-comprehension, roger brevard knew that he would never, as he had hoped, leave salem. he was an abstemious man, one of a family of long lives, and he would linger here, increasingly unimportant, for a great while, an old man in new epochs, isolated among strange people and prejudices. whatever the cause--the small safety or an inward flaw--he had never been part of the corporate sweating humanity where, in the war of spirit and flesh, the vital rewards and accomplishments were found. soon after he passed gerrit and nettie vollar driving in the direction of the harbor; she was lying back wanly in the ammidon barouche, but her companion's face was set directly ahead, his expression of general disdain strongly marked. a vigorous hand, roger noted, was clasped about nettie's supine palm. she saw him standing on the sidewalk and bowed slightly, but the shipmaster plainly overlooked him together with the rest of salem. the end of summer was imminent in a whirl of yellow leaves and chill gray wind. there was a ringing of bugles through the morning, the strains of military quicksteps, rhythmic tramping feet and the irregular fulmination of salutes. that it was already the day of the annual fall review seemed incredible to roger brevard. he was indifferent to the activities of the common; but when he heard that the _nautilus_ was sailing in the middle of the afternoon he left his inconsequential affairs for phillips' wharf. a small number were waiting on the solid rock-filled reach, the wharfinger's office at its head and a stone warehouse blocking the end, where the _nautilus_ lay with her high-steeved bowsprit pointing outward. the harbor was slaty, cold, and there was a continuous slapping of small waves on the shore. darkening clouds hung low in the west, out of which the wind cut in flaws across the open. the town, so lately folded in lush greenery, showed a dun lift of roofs and stripping branches tossing against an ashy sky. close beside roger stood barzil dunsack, his beard blowing, with kate vollar in a bright red shawl, her skirts whipping uneasily against her father's legs. beyond were the ammidons--william, and rhoda in a deep furred wrap, and their daughters. rhoda waved for him to join them, but he declined with a gesture of acknowledgment. the deck of the _nautilus_ was above his vision but he could see most of the stir of departure. the peremptory voice of the mate rose from the bow, minor directions were issued by the second mate aft, a seaman was aloft on the main-royal yard and another stood at the stage rising sharply from the wharf. gerrit and his wife had not yet arrived, and the pilot, making a leisurely appearance, stopped to exchange remarks with the ammidons. he climbed on board the ship and roger could see his head and shoulders moving toward the poop and mounting the ladder. the wind grew higher, shriller, every moment; it was thrashing among the stays and braces; the man aloft, a small movement against the clouds, swayed in its force. there was a faint clatter of hoofs from derby street, brevard had a fleeting glimpse of an arriving carriage, and gerrit, supporting nettie ammidon, advanced over the wharf. the shipmaster walked slowly, the woman clinging, almost dragging, at his erect strength. they went close by roger: nettie's pale face, her large shining dark eyes, were filled with placid surrender. her companion spoke in a low grave tone, and she looked up at him in a tired and happy acquiescence. the two families joined, and there was a confused determined gayety of farewell and good wishes. out of it finally emerged the captain of the _nautilus_ and the slight figure upon his arm. he wore a beaver hat, and, as they mounted the stage, he was forced to hold it on with his free hand. when the quarter-deck was reached they disappeared into the cabin. "mr. broadrick," the pilot called, "you can get in those bow fasts. send a hawser to the end of the wharf; i'm going to warp out." there was a harsh answering clatter as the mooring chain that held the bow of the _nautilus_ was secured, and a group of sailors went smartly forward with a hemp cable to the end of the wharf's seaward thrust. the _nautilus_ lay on the eastern side, with the wind beating over the starboard quarter, and there was little difficulty in getting under way. strain was kept on the stern and breast fasts while the mate directed: "ship your capstan bars." the capstan turned and the _nautilus_ moved forward to the beat of song. "low lands, low lands, hurrah, my john, i thought i heard the old man say. low lands, low lands, hurrah, my john, we'll get some rum ... ... hurrah, my john. then shake her--" "vast heaving," mr. broadrick shouted. the intimate spectators on phillips' wharf moved out with the ship. gerrit ammidon was now visible on the quarter-deck with the pilot. he walked to the port railing aft and stood gazing somberly back at salem. the stovepipe hat was not yet discarded, and the hand firmly holding its brim resembled a final gesture of contempt. the pilot approached him, there was a brief exchange of words, and the former sharply ordered: "stand by to run up your jib and fore-topmast staysail, mr. broadrick. put two good men at the sheets and see that those sails don't slat to pieces. "on the wharf there--take that stern fast out to the last ringbolt. mr. second mate... get your fenders aboard." the wind increased in a violence tipped with stinging rain. "give her the jib and stay-sail." she heeled slightly and gathered steerage way. roger brevard involuntarily waved a parting salutation. an extraordinary emotion swept over him: a ship bound to the east always stirred his imagination and sense of beauty, but the departure of the _nautilus_ had a special significance. it was the beginning, yes, and the end, of almost the whole sweep of human suffering and despair, of longing and hope and passion, and a reward. "let go the stern fast. steady your helm there." "steady, sir." a mere gust of song was distinguishable against the blast of storm. under the lee of the stone warehouse, on the solidity of the wharf, the land, roger brevard watched the _nautilus_ while one by one the topsails were sheeted home and the yards mastheaded. "a gale by night," somebody said. the ship, driving with surprising speed toward the open sea, was now apparently no more than a fragile shell on the immensity of the stark horizon. the light faded: the days were growing shorter. alone brevard followed the others moving away. kate vollar's red shawl suddenly streamed out and was secured by a wasted hand. just that way, he thought, the color and vividness of his existence had been withdrawn. the end what answer? anna e. dickinson 1868 what answer? chapter i "_in flower of youth and beauty's pride._" dryden a crowded new york street,--fifth avenue at the height of the afternoon; a gallant and brilliant throng. looking over the glittering array, the purple and fine linen, the sweeping robes, the exquisite equipages, the stately houses; the faces, delicate and refined, proud, self-satisfied, that gazed out from their windows on the street, or that glanced from the street to the windows, or at one another,--looking over all this, being a part of it, one might well say, "this is existence, and beside it there is none other. let us dress, dine, and be merry! life is good, and love is sweet, and both shall endure! let us forget that hunger and sin, sorrow and self-sacrifice, want, struggle, and pain, have place in the world." yet, even with the words, "poverty, frost-nipped in a summer suit," here and there hurried by; and once and again through the restless tide the sorrowful procession of the tomb made way. more than one eye was lifted, and many a pleasant greeting passed between these selected few who filled the street and a young man who lounged by one of the overlooking windows; and many a comment was uttered upon him when the greeting was made:-"a most eligible _parti_!" "handsome as a god!" "o, immensely rich, i assure you!" "_isn't_ he a beauty!" "pity he wasn't born poor!" "why?" "o, because they say he carried off all the honors at college and law-school, and is altogether overstocked with brains for a man who has no need to use them." "will he practise?" "doubtful. why should he?" "ambition, power,--gratify one, gain the other." "nonsense! he'll probably go abroad and travel for a while, come back, marry, and enjoy life." "he does that now, i fancy." "looks so." and indeed he did. there was not only vigor and manly beauty, splendid in its present, but the "possibility of more to be in the full process of his ripening days,"--a form alert and elegant, which had not yet all of a man's muscle and strength; a face delicate, yet strong,--refined, yet full of latent power; a mass of rippling hair like burnished gold, flung back on the one side, sweeping low across brow and cheek on the other; eyes "of a deep, soft, lucent hue,- eyes too expressive to be blue, too lovely to be gray." people involuntarily thought of the pink and flower of chivalry as they looked at him, or imagined, in some indistinct fashion, that they heard the old songs of percy and douglas, or the later lays of the cavaliers, as they heard his voice,--a voice that was just now humming one of these same lays:- "then mounte! then mounte, brave gallants, all, and don your helmes amaine; death's couriers, fame and honor, call us to the field againe." "stuff!" he cried impatiently, looking wistfully at the men's faces going by,--"stuff! _we_ look like gallants to ride a tilt at the world, and die for honor and fame,--we!" "i thank god, willie, you are not called upon for any such sacrifice." "ah, little mother, well you may!" he answered, smiling, and taking her hand,--"well you may, for i am afraid i should fall dreadfully short when the time came; and then how ashamed you'd be of your big boy, who took his ease at home, with the great drums beating and the trumpets blowing outside. and yet--i should like to be tried!" "see, mother!" he broke out again,--"see what a life it is, getting and spending, living handsomely and doing the proper thing towards society, and all that,--rubbing through the world in the old hereditary way; though i needn't growl at it, for i enjoy it enough, and find it a pleasant enough way, heaven knows. lazy idler! enjoying the sunshine with the rest. heigh-ho!" "you have your profession, willie. there's work there, and opportunity sufficient to help others and do for yourself." "ay, and i'll _do_ it! but there is so much that is poor and mean, and base and tricky, in it all,--so much to disgust and tire one,--all the time, day after day, for years. now if it were only a huge giant that stands in your way, you could out rapier and have at him at once, and there an end,--laid out or triumphant. that's worth while!" "o youth, eager and beautiful," thought the mother who listened, "that in this phase is so alike the world over,--so impatient to do, so ready to brave encounters, so willing to dare and die! may the doing be faithful, and the encounters be patiently as well as bravely fought, and the fancy of heroic death be a reality of noble and earnest life. god grant it! amen." "meanwhile," said the gay voice,--"meanwhile it's a pleasant world; let us enjoy it! and as to do this is within the compass of a man's wit, therefore will i attempt the doing." while he was talking he had once more come to the window, and, looking out, fastened his eyes unconsciously but intently upon the face of a young girl who was slowly passing by,--unconsciously, yet so intently that, as if suddenly magnetized, a flicker of feeling went over it; the mouth, set with a steady sweetness, quivered a little; the eyes--dark, beautiful eyes--were lifted to his an instant, that was all. the mother beside him did not see; but she heard a long breath, almost a sigh, break from him as he started, then flashed out of the room, snatching his hat in the hall, and so on to the street, and away. away after her, through block after block, across the crowded avenue to broadway. "who is she? where did she come from? _i_ never saw her before. i wonder if mrs. russell knows her, or clara, or anybody! i will know where she lives, or where she is going at least,--that will be some clew! there! she is stopping that stage. i'll help her in! no, i won't,--she will think i am chasing her. nonsense! do you suppose she saw you at the window? of course! no, she didn't; don't be a fool! there! i'll get into the next stage. now i'll keep watch of that, and she'll not know. so--all right! go ahead, driver." and happy with some new happiness, eager, bright, the handsome young fellow sat watching that other stage, and the stylish little lace bonnet that was all he could see of his magnet, through the interminable journey down broadway. how clear the air seemed! and the sun, how splendidly it shone! and what a glad look was upon all the people's faces! he felt like breaking out into gay little snatches of song, and moved his foot to the waltz measure that beat time in his brain till the irate old gentleman opposite, whom nature had made of a sour complexion and art assisted to corns, broke out with an angry exclamation. that drew his attention for a moment. a slackening of speed, a halt, and the stage was wedged in one of the inextricable "jams" on broadway. vain the search for _her_ stage then; looking over the backs of the poor, tired horses, or from the sidewalk,--here, there, at this one and that one,--all for naught! stage and passenger, eyes, little lace bonnet, and all, had vanished away, as william surrey confessed, and confessed with reluctance and discontent. "no matter!" he said presently,--"no matter! i shall see her again. i know it! i feel it! it is written in the book of the fates! so now i shall content me with something"--that looks like her he did not say definitely, but felt it none the less, as, going over to the flower-basket near by, he picked out a little nosegay of mignonette and geranium, with a tea-rosebud in its centre, and pinned it at his button-hole. "delicate and fine!" he thought,--"delicate and fine!" and with the repetition he looked from it down the long street after the interminable line of stages; and somehow the faint, sweet perfume, and the fair flower, and the dainty lace bonnet, were mingled in wild and charming confusion in his brain, till he shook himself, and laughed at himself, and quoted shakespeare to excuse himself,--"a mad world, my masters!"--seeing this poor old earth of ours, as people always do, through their own eyes. "god bless ye! and long life to yer honor! and may the blessed virgin give ye the desire of yer heart!" called the irishwoman after him, as he put back the change in her hand and went gayly up the street. "sure, he's somebody's darlint, the beauty! the saints preserve him!" she said, as she looked from the gold piece in her palm to the fair, sunny head, watching it till it was lost in the crowd from her grateful eyes. evidently this young man was a favorite, for, as he passed along, many a face, worn by business and care, brightened as he smiled and spoke; many a countenance stamped with the trade-mark, preoccupied and hard, relaxed in a kindly recognition as he bowed and went by; and more than one found time, even in that busy whirl, to glance for a moment after him, or to remember him with a pleasant feeling, at least till the pavement had been crossed on which they met,--a long space at that hour of the day, and with so much more important matters--bull and bear, rise and fall, stock and account--claiming their attention. evidently a favorite, for, turning off into one of the side streets, coming into his father's huge foundry, faces heated and dusty, tired, stained, and smoke-begrimed, glanced up from their work, from forge and fire and engine, with an expression that invited a look or word,--and look and word were both ready. "the boss is out, sir," said one of the foremen, "and if you please, and have got the time to spare, i'd like to have a word with you before he comes in." "all right, jim! say your say." "well, sir, you'll likely think i'm sticking my nose into what doesn't concern me. 'tain't a very nice thing i've got to say, but if i don't say it i don't know who in thunder will; and, as it's my private opinion that somebody ought to, i'll just pitch in." "very good; pitch in." "very good it is then. only it ain't. very bad, more like. it's a nasty mess, and no mistake! and there's the cause of it!" pointing his brawny hand towards the door, upon which was marked, "office. private," and sniffing as though he smelt something bad in the air. "you don't mean my father!" flame shooting from the clear eyes. "be damned if i do. beg pardon. of course i don't. i mean the fellow as is perched up on a high stool in that there office, this very minute, poking into his books." "franklin?" "you've hit it. franklin,--abe franklin,--that's the ticket." "what's the matter with him? what has he done?" "done? nothing! not as i know of, anyway, except what's right and proper. 'tain't what he's done or's like to do. it's what he is." "and what may that be?" "well, he's a nigger! there's the long and short of it. nobody here'd object to his working in this place, providing he was a runner, or an errand-boy, or anything that it's right and proper for a nigger to be; but to have him sitting in that office, writing letters for the boss, and going over the books, and superintending the accounts of the fellows, so that he knows just what they get on saturday nights, and being as fine as a fiddle, is what the boys won't stand; and they swear they'll leave, every man of 'em, unless he has his walking papers,--double-quick too." "very well; let them. there are other workmen, good as they, in this city of new york." "hold on, sir! let me say my say first. there are seven hundred men working in this place: the most of 'em have worked here a long while. good work, good pay. there ain't a man of 'em but likes mr. surrey, and would be sorry to lose the place; so, if they won't bear it, there ain't any that will. wait a bit! i ain't through yet." "go on,"--quietly enough spoken, but the mouth shook under its silky fringe, and a fiery spot burned on either cheek. "all right. well, sir, i know all about franklin. he's a bright one, smart enough to stock a lot of us with brains and have some to spare; he don't interfere with us, and does his work well, too, i reckon,--though that's neither here nor there, nor none of our business if the boss is satisfied; and he looks like a gentleman, and acts like one, there's no denying that! and as for his skin,--well!" a smile breaking over his good-looking face, "his skin's quite as white as mine now, anyway," smearing his red-flannel arm over his grimy phiz; "but then, sir, it won't rub off. he's a nigger, and there's no getting round it. "all right, sir! give you your chance directly. don't speak yet,--ain't through, if _you_ please. well, sir, it's agen nature,--you may talk agen it, and work agen it, and fight agen it till all's blue, and what good'll it do? you can't get an irishman, and, what's more, a free-born american citizen, to put himself on a level with a nigger,--not by no manner of means. no, sir; you can turn out the whole lot, and get another after it, and another after that, and so on to the end of the chapter, and you can't find men among 'em all that'll stay and have him strutting through 'em, up to his stool and his books, grand as a peacock." "would they work _with_ him?" "at the same engines, and the like, do you mean?" "yes." "nary time, so 'tain't likely they'll work under him. now, sir, you see i know what i'm saying, and i'm saying it to _you_, mr. surrey, and not to your father, because he won't take a word from me nor nobody else,--and here's just the case. now i ain't bullying, you understand, and i say it because somebody else'd say it, if i didn't, uglier and rougher. abe franklin'll have to go out of this shop in precious short order, or every man here'll bolt next saturday night. there! now i've done, sir, and you can fire away." but as he showed no signs of "firing away," and stood still, pondering, jim broke out again:-"beg pardon, sir. if i've said anything you don't like, sorry for it. it's because mr. surrey is so good an employer, and, if you'll let me say so, because i like you so well," glancing over him admiringly,--"for, you see, a good engineer takes to a clean-built machine wherever he sees it,--it's just because of this i thought it was better to tell you, and get you to tell the boss, and to save any row; for i'd hate mortally to have it in this shop where i've worked, man and boy, so many years. will you please to speak to him, sir? and i hope you understand." "thank you, jim. yes, i understand; and i'll speak to him." was it that the sun was going down, or that some clouds were in the sky, or had the air of the shop oppressed him? whatever it was, as he came out he walked with a slower step from which some of the spring had gone, and the people's faces looked not so happy; and, glancing down at his rosebud, he saw that its fair petals had been soiled by the smoke and grime in which he had been standing; and, while he looked a dead march came solemnly sounding up the street, and a soldier's funeral went by,--rare enough, in that autumn of 1860, to draw a curious crowd on either side; rare enough to make him pause and survey it; and as the line turned into another street, and the music came softened to his ear, he once more hummed the words of the song which had been haunting him all the day:- "then mounte! then mounte, brave gallants, all, and don your helmes amaine; death's couriers, fame and honor, call us to the field againe,"-sang them to himself, but not with the gay, bright spirit of the morning. then he seemed to see the cavaliers, brilliant and brave, riding out to the encounter. now, in the same dim and fanciful way, he beheld them stretched, still and dead, upon the plain. chapter ii "_thou--drugging pain by patience._" arnold "laces cleaned, and fluting and ruffling done here,"--that was what the little sign swinging outside the little green door said. and, coming under it into the cosey little rooms, you felt this was just the place in which to leave things soiled and torn, and come back to find them, by some mysterious process, immaculate and whole. two rooms, with folding-doors between, in which through the day stood a counter, cut up on the one side into divers pigeon-holes rilled with small boxes and bundles, carefully pinned and labelled,--owner's name, time left, time to be called for, money due; neat and nice as a new pin, as every one said who had any dealings there. the counter was pushed back now, as always after seven o'clock, for the people who came in the evening were few; and then, when that was out of the way, it seemed more home-like and less shoppy, as mrs. franklin said every night, as she straightened things out, and peered through the window or looked from the front door, and wondered if "abram weren't later than usual," though she knew right well he was punctual as clock-work,--good clock-work too,--when he was going to his toil or hurrying back to his home. pleasant little rooms, with the cleanest and brightest of rag carpets on the floor; a paper on the walls, cheap enough, but gay with scarlet rosebuds and green leaves, rivalled by the vines and berries on the pretty chintz curtains; chairs of a dozen ages and patterns, but all of them with open, inviting countenances and a hospitable air; a wood fire that _looked_ like a wood fire crackling and sparkling on the hearth, shining and dancing over the ceiling and the floor and the walls, cutting queer capers with the big rocking-chair,--which turned into a giant with long arms,--and with the little figures on the mantel-shelf, and the books in their cases, softening and glorifying the two grand faces hanging in their frames opposite, and giving just light enough below them to let you read "john brown" and "phillips," if you had any occasion to read, and did not know those whom the world knows; and first and last, and through all, as if it loved her, and was loath to part with her for a moment, whether she poked the flame, or straightened a chair, or went out towards the little kitchen to lift a lid and smell a most savory stew, or came back to the supper-table to arrange and rearrange what was already faultless in its cleanliness and simplicity, wherever she went and whatever she did, this firelight fell warm about a woman, large and comfortable and handsome, with a motherly look to her person, and an expression that was all kindness in her comely face and dark, soft eyes,--eyes and face and form, though, that might as well have had "pariah" written all over them, and "leper" stamped on their front, for any good, or beauty, or grace, that people could find in them; for the comely face was a dark face, and the voice, singing an old methodist hymn, was no anglo-saxon treble, but an anglo-african voice, rich and mellow, with the touch of pathos or sorrow always heard in these tones. "there!" she said, "there he is!" as a step, hasty yet halting, was heard on the pavement; and, turning up the light, she ran quickly to open the door, which, to be sure, was unfastened, and to give the greeting to her "boy," which, through many a year, had never been omitted. _her_ boy,--you would have known that as soon as you saw him,--the same eyes, same face, the same kindly look; but the face was thinner and finer, and the brow was a student's brow, full of thought and speculation; and, looking from her hearty, vigorous form, you saw that his was slight to attenuation. "sit down, sonny, sit down and rest. there! how tired you look!" bustling round him, smoothing his thin face and rough hair. "now don't do that! let your old mother do it!" it pleased her to call herself old, though she was but just in her prime. "you've done enough for one day, i'm sure, waiting on other people, and walking with your poor lame foot till you're all but beat out. you be quiet now, and let somebody else wait on you." and, going down on her knees, she took up the lame foot, and began to unlace the cork-soled, high-cut shoe, and, drawing it out, you saw that it was shrunken and small, and that the leg was shorter than its fellow. "poor little foot!" rubbing it tenderly, smoothing the stocking over it, and chafing it to bring warmth and life to its surface. her "baby," she called it, for it was no bigger than when he was a little fellow. "poor, tired foot! ain't it a dreadful long walk, sonny?" "pretty long, mother; but i'd take twice that to do such work at the end." "yes, indeed, it's good work, and mr. surrey's a good man, and a kind one, that's sure! i only wish some others had a little of his spirit. such a shame to have you dragging all the way up here, when any dirty fellow that wants to can ride. i don't mind for myself so much, for i can walk about spry enough yet, and don't thank them for their old omnibuses nor cars; but it's too bad for you, so it is,--too bad!" "never mind, mother! keep a brave heart. 'there's a good time coming soon, a good time coming!' as i heard mr. hutchinson sing the other night,--and it's true as gospel." "maybe it is, sonny!" dubiously, "but i don't see it,--not a sign of it,--no indeed, not one! it gets worse and worse all the time, and it takes a deal of faith to hold on; but the good lord knows best, and it'll be right after a while, anyhow! and now _that's_ straight!" pulling a soft slipper on the lame foot, and putting its mate by his side; then going off to pour out the tea, and dish up the stew, and add a touch or two to the appetizing supper-table. "it's as good as a feast,"--taking a bite out of her nice home-made bread,--"better'n a feast, to think of you in that place; and i can't scarcely realize it yet. it seems too fine to be true." "that's the way i've felt all the month, mother! it has been just like a dream to me, and i keep thinking surely i'm asleep and will waken to find this is just an air-castle i've been building, or 'a vision of the night,' as the good book says." "well, it's a blessed vision, sure enough! and i hope to the good lord it'll last;--but you won't if you make a vision of your supper in that way. you just eat, abram! and have done your talking till you're through, if you can't do both at once. talking's good, but eating's better when you're hungry; and it's my opinion you ought to be hungry, if you ain't." so the teacups were filled and emptied, and the spoons clattered, and the stew was eaten, and the baked potatoes devoured, and the bread-and-butter assaulted vigorously, and general havoc made with the good things and substantial things before and between them; and then, this duty faithfully performed, the wreck speedily vanished away; and cups and forks, spoons and plates, knives and dishes, cleaned and cupboarded, mrs. franklin came, and, drawing away the book over which he was poring, said, while she smoothed face and hair once more, "come, abram, what is it?" "what's what, mother?" with a little laugh. "something ails you, sonny. that's plain enough. i know when anything's gone wrong with ye, sure, and something's gone wrong to-day." "o mother! you worry about me too much, indeed you do. if i'm a little tired or out of sorts,--which i haven't any right to be, not here,--or quiet, or anything, you think somebody's been hurting me, or abusing me, or that everything's gone wrong with me, when i do well enough all the time." "now, abram, you can't deceive me,--not that way. my eyes is mother's eyes, and they see plain enough, where you're concerned, without spectacles. who's been putting on you to-day? somebody. you don't carry that down look in your face and your eyes for nothing, i found that out long ago, and you've got it on to-night." "o mother!" "don't you 'o mother' me! i ain't going to be put off in that way, abram, an' you needn't think it. has mr. surrey been saying anything hard to you?" "no, indeed, mother; you needn't ask that." "nor none of the foremen?" "none." "has snipe been round?" "hasn't been near the office since mr. surrey dismissed him." "met him anywhere?" "nein!" laughing, "i haven't laid eyes on him." "well, the men have been saying or doing something then." "n-no; why, what an inquisitor it is!" "'n-no.' you don't say that full and plain, abram. something _has_ been going wrong with the men. now what is it? come, out with it." "well, mother, if you _will_ know, you will, i suppose; and, as you never get tired of the story, i'll go over the whole tale. "so long as i was mr. surrey's office-boy, to make his fires, and sweep and dust, and keep things in order, the men were all good enough to me after their fashion; and if some of them growled because they thought he favored me, mr. given, or some one said, 'o, you know his mother was a servant of mrs. surrey for no end of years, and of course mr. surrey has a kind of interest in him'; and that put everything straight again. "well! you know how good mr. willie has been to me ever since we were little boys in the same house,--he in the parlor and i in the kitchen; the books he's given me, and the chances he's made me, and the way he's put me in of learning and knowing. and he's been twice as kind to me ever since i refused that offer of his." "yes, i know, but tell me about it again." "well, mr. surrey sent me up to the house one day, just while mr. willie was at home from college, and he stopped me and had a talk with me, and asked me in his pleasant way, not as if i were a 'nigger,' but just as he'd talk to one of his mates, ever so many questions about myself and my studies and my plans; and i told him what i wanted,--how hard you worked, and how i hoped to fit myself to go into some little business of my own, not a barber-shop, or any such thing, but something that'd support you and keep you like a lady after while, and that would help me and my people at the same time. for, of course," i said, "every one of us that does anything more than the world expects us to do, or better, makes the world think so much the more and better of us all." "what did he say to that?" "i wish you'd seen him! he pushed back that beautiful hair of his, and his eyes shone, and his mouth trembled, though i could see he tried hard to hold it still, and put up his hand to cover it; and he said, in a solemn sort of way, 'franklin, you've opened a window for me, and i sha'n't forget what i see through it to-day.' and then he offered to set me up in some business at once, and urged hard when i declined." "say it all over again, sonny; what was it you told him?" "i said that would do well enough for a white man; that he could help, and the white man be helped, just as people were being and doing all the time, and no one would think a thought about it. but, sir," i said, "everybody says we can do nothing alone; that we're a poor, shiftless set; and it will be just one of the master race helping a nigger to climb and to stand where he couldn't climb or stand alone, and i'd rather fight my battle alone." "yes, yes! well, go on, go on. i like to hear what followed." "well, there was just a word or two more, and then he put out his hand and shook mine, and said good by. it was the first time i ever shook hands with a white _gentleman_. some white hands have shaken mine, but they always made me feel that they _were_ white and that mine was black, and that it was a condescension. i felt that, when they didn't mean i should. but there was nothing between us. i didn't think of his skin, and, for once in my life, i quite forgot i was black, and didn't remember it again till i got out on the street and heard a dirty little ragamuffin cry, 'hi! hi! don't that nagur think himself foine?' i suspect, in spite of my lameness, i had been holding up my head and walking like a man." in spite of his lameness he was holding up his head and walking like a man now; up and down and across the little room, trembling, excited, the words rushing in an eager flow from his mouth. his mother sat quietly rocking herself and knitting. she knew in this mood there was nothing to be said to him; and, indeed, what had she to say save that which would add fuel to the flame? "well!"--a long sigh,--"after that mr. surrey doubled my wages, and was kinder to me than ever, and watched me, as i saw, quite closely; and that was the way he found out about mr. snipe. "you see mr. snipe had been very careless about keeping the books; would come down late in the mornings, just before mr. surrey came in, and go away early in the afternoons, as soon as he had left. of course, the books got behindhand every month, and mr. snipe didn't want to stay and work overhours to make them up. one day he found out, by something i said, that i understood bookkeeping, and tried me, and then got me to take them home at night and go over them. i didn't know then how bad he was doing, and that i had no business to shield him, and all went smooth enough till the day i was too sick to get down to the office, and two of the books were at home. then mr. surrey discovered the whole thing. there was a great row, it seems; and mr. surrey examined the books, and found, as he was pleased to say, that i'd kept them in first-rate style; so he dismissed mr. snipe on the spot, with six months' pay,--for you know he never does anything by halves,--and put me in his place. "the men don't like it, i know, and haven't liked it, but of course they can't say anything to him, and they haven't said anything to me; but i've seen all along that they looked at me with no friendly eyes, and for the last day or two i've heard a word here and there which makes me think there's trouble brewing,--bad enough, i'm afraid; maybe to the losing of my place, though mr. surrey has said nothing about it to me." just here the little green door opened, and the foreman whom we have before seen--james given as the register had him entered, jim given as every one knew him--came in; no longer with grimy face and flannel sleeves, but brave in all his sunday finery, and as handsome a b'hoy, they said, at his engine-house, as any that ran with the machine; having on his arm a young lady whom he apostrophized as sallie, as handsome and brave as he. "evening,"--a nod of the head accompanying. "miss howard's traps done?" "i wish you wouldn't say 'traps,' jim," corrected sallie, _sotto voce_: "it's not proper. it's for a collar and pair of cuffs, mrs. franklin," she added aloud, putting down a little check. "not proper! goodness gracious me! there spoke snipe! come, sallie, you've pranced round with that stuck-up jackanapes till you're getting spoiled entirely, so you are, and i scarcely know you. not proper,--o my!" "spoiled, am i? thank you, sir, for the compliment! and you don't know me at all,--don't you? very well, then i'll say good night, and leave; for it wouldn't be proper to take a young lady you don't know to the theatre,--now, would it? good by!"--making for the door. "now don't, sallie, please." "don't what?" "don't talk that way." "don't yourself, more like. you're just as cross as cross can be, and disagreeable, and hateful,--all because i happen to know there's some other man in the world besides yourself, and smile at him now and then. 'don't,' indeed!" "come, sallie, you're too hard on a fellow. it's your own fault, you know well enough, if you will be so handsome. now, if you were an ugly old girl, or i was certain of you, i shouldn't feel so bad, nor act so neither. but when there's a lot of hungry chaps round, all gaping to gobble you up, and even poor little snipes trying to peck and bite at you, and you won't say 'yes' nor 'no' to me, how do you expect a man to keep cool? can't do it, nohow, and you needn't ask it. human nature's human nature, i suppose, and mine ain't a quiet nor a patient one, not by no manner of means. come, sallie, own up; you wouldn't like me so well as i hope you do if it was,--now, would you?" mrs. franklin smiled, though she had heard not a word of the lovers' quarrel, as she put a pin in the back of the ruffled collar which sallie had come to reclaim. a quarrel it had evidently been, and as evidently the lady was mollified, for she said, "don't be absurd, jim!" and jim laughed and responded, "all right, sallie, you're an angel! but come, we must hurry, or the curtain'll be up,"--and away went the dashing and handsome couple. abram, shutting in the shutters, and fastening the door, sat down to a quiet evening's reading, while his mother knitted and sewed,--an evening the likeness of a thousand others of which they never tired; for this mother and son, to whom fate had dealt so hard a measure, upon whom the world had so persistently frowned, were more to each other than most mothers and sons whose lines had fallen in pleasanter places,--compensation, as mr. emerson says, being the law of existence the world over. chapter iii "_every one has his day, from which he dates._" old proverb you see, surrey, the school is something extra, and the performances, and it will please clara no end; so i thought i'd run over, and inveigled you into going along for fear it should be stupid, and i would need some recreation." "which i am to afford?" "verily." "as clown or grindstone?--to make laugh, or sharpen your wits upon?" "far be it from me to dictate. whichever suits our character best. on the whole, i think the last would be the most appropriate; the first i can swear wouldn't!" "_pourquoi_?" "o, a woman's reason,--because!" "because why? am i cross?" "not exactly." "rough?" "as usual,--like a may breeze." "cynical?" "as epicurus." "irritable?" "'a countenance [and manner] more in sorrow than in anger.' something's wrong with you; who is she?" "she!" "ay,--she. that was a wise eastern king who put at the bottom of every trouble and mischief a woman." "fine estimate." "correct one. evidently he had studied the genus thoroughly, and had a poor opinion of it." "no wonder." "amazing! _you_ say 'no wonder'! astounding words! speak them again." "no wonder,--seeing that he had a mother, and that she had such a son. he must needs have been a bad fellow or a fool to have originated so base a philosophy, and how then could he respect the source of such a stream as himself?" "sir launcelot,--squire of dames!" "not sir launcelot, but squire of dames, i hope." "there you go again! now i shall query once more, who is she?" "no woman." "no?" "no, though by your smiling you would seem to say so!" "nay, i believe you, and am vastly relieved in the believing. take advice from ten years of superior age, and fifty of experience, and have naught to do with them. dost hear?" "i do." "and will heed?" "which?--the words or the acts of my counsellor? who, of a surety, preaches wisely and does foolishly, or who does wisely and preaches foolishly; for preaching and practice do not agree." "nay, man, thou art unreasonable; to perform either well is beyond the capacity of most humans, and i desire not to be blessed above my betters. then let my rash deeds and my prudent words both be teachers unto thee. but if it be true that no woman is responsible for your grave countenance this morning, then am i wasting words, and will return to our muttons. what ails you?" "i am belligerent." "i see,--that means quarrelsome." "and hopeless." "bad,--very! belligerent and hopeless! when you go into a fight always expect to win; the thought is half the victory." "suppose you are an atom against the universe?" "don't fight, succumb. there's a proverb,--a wise one,--napoleon's, 'god is on the side of the strongest battalions.'" "a lie,--exploded at waterloo. there's another proverb, 'one on the side of god is a majority.' how about that?" "transcendental humbug." "a truth demonstrated at wittenberg." "are you aching for the martyr's palm?" "i am afraid not. on the whole, i think i'd rather enjoy life than quarrel with it. but"--with a sudden blaze--"i feel to-day like fighting the world." "hey, presto! what now, young'un?" "i don't wonder you stare"--a little laugh. "i'm talking like a fool, and, for aught i know, feeling like one, aching to fight, and knowing that i might as well quarrel with the winds, or stab that water as it flows by." "as with what?" "the fellow i've just been getting a good look at." "what manner of fellow?" "ignorant, selfish, brutal, devilish." "tremendous! why don't you bind him over to keep the peace?" "because he is like the judge of old time, neither fears god nor respects his image,--when his image is carved in ebony, and not ivory." "what do you call this fellow?" "public opinion." "this big fellow is abusing and devouring a poor little chap, eh? and the chap's black?" "true." "and sometimes the giant is a gentleman in purple and fine linen, otherwise broadcloth; and sometimes in hodden gray, otherwise homespun or slop-shop; and sometimes he cuts the poor little chap with a silver knife, which is rhetoric, and sometimes with a wooden spoon, which is raw-hide. am i stating it all correctly?" "all correctly." "and you've been watching this operation when you had better have been minding your own business, and getting excited when you had better have kept cool, and now want to rush into the fight, drums beating and colors flying, to the rescue of the small one. don't deny it,--it's all written out in your eyes." "i sha'n't deny it, except about the business and the keeping cool. it's any gentleman's business to interfere between a bully and a weakling that he's abusing; and his blood must be water that does not boil while he 'watches the operation' as you say, and goes in." "to get well pommelled for his pains, and do no good to any one, himself included. let the weakling alone. a fellow that can't save himself is not worth saving. if he can't swim nor walk, let him drop under or go to the wall; that's my theory." "anglo-saxon theory--and practice." "good theory, excellent practice,--in the main. what special phase of it has been disturbing your equanimity?" "you know the franklins?" "of course: aunt mina's son--what's his name?--is a sort of _protã©gã©_ of yours, i believe: what of him?" "he is cleanly?" "a nice question. doubtless." "respectable?" "what are you driving at?" "intelligent?" "most true." "ambitious?" "or his looks belie him." "faithful, trusty, active, helpful, in every way devoted to my father's service and his work." "with sancho, i believe it all because your worship says so." "well, this man has just been discharged from my father's employ because seven hundred and forty-two other men gave notice to quit if he remained." "the reason?" "his skin." "the reason is not 'so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church-door, but it is enough.' of course they wouldn't work with him, and my uncle surrey, begging your pardon, should not have attempted anything so quixotic." "his skin covering so many excellent qualities, and these qualities gaining recognition,--that was the cause. they worked with him so long as he was a servant of servants: so soon as he demonstrated that he could strike out strongly and swim, they knocked him under; and, proving that he could walk alone, they ran hastily to shove him to the wall." "what! quoting my own words against me?" "anglo-saxon says we are the masters: we monopolize the strength and courage, the beauty, intelligence, power. these creatures,--what are they? poor, worthless, lazy, ignorant, good for nothing but to be used as machines, to obey. when lo! one of these dumb machines suddenly starts forth with a man's face; this creature no longer obeys, but evinces a right to command; and anglo-saxon speedily breaks him in pieces." "come, willie, i hope you're not going to assert these people our equals,--that would be too much." "they have no intelligence, anglo-saxon declares,--then refuses them schools, while he takes of their money to help educate his own sons. they have no ambition,--then closes upon them every door of honorable advancement, and cries through the key-hole, serve, or starve. they cannot stand alone, they have no faculty for rising,--then, if one of them finds foothold, the ground is undermined beneath him. if a head is seen above the crowd, the ladder is jerked away, and he is trampled into the dust where he is fallen. if he stays in the position to which anglo-saxon assigns him, he is a worthless nigger; if he protests against it, he is an insolent nigger; if he rises above it, he is a nigger not to be tolerated at all,--to be crushed and buried speedily." "now, willie, 'no more of this, an thou lovest me.' i came not out to-day to listen to an abolition harangue, nor a moral homily, but to have a good time, to be civil and merry withal, if you will allow it. of course you don't like franklin's discharge, and of course you have done something to compensate him. i know--you have found him another place. no,--you couldn't do that? "no, i couldn't." "well, you've settled him somewhere,--confess." "he has some work for the present; some copying for me, and translating, for this unfortunate is a scholar, you know." "very good; then let it rest. granted the poor devils have a bad time of it, you're not bound to sacrifice yourself for them. if you go on at this pace, you'll bring up with the long-haired, bloomer reformers, and then--god help you. no, you needn't say another word,--i sha'n't listen,--not one; so. here we are! school yonder,--well situated?" "capitally." "fine day." "very." "clara will be charmed to see you." "you flatter me. i hope so." "there, now you talk rationally. don't relapse. we will go up and hear the pretty creatures read their little pieces, and sing their little songs, and see them take their nice blue-ribboned diplomas, and fall in love with their dear little faces, and flirt a bit this evening, and to-morrow i shall take ma'm'selle clara home to mamma russell, and you may go your ways." "the programme is satisfactory." "good. come on then." all commencement days, at college or young ladies' school, if not twin brothers and sisters, are at least first cousins, with a strong family likeness. who that has passed through one, or witnessed one, needs any description thereof to furbish up its memories. this of professor hale's belonged to the great tribe, and its form and features were of the old established type. the young ladies were charming; plenty of white gowns, plenty of flowers, plenty of smiles, blushes, tremors, hopes, and fears; little songs, little pieces, little addresses, to be sung, to be played, to be read, just as tom russell had foreshadowed, and proving to be-"just the least of a bore!" as he added after listening awhile; "don't you think so, surrey?" "hush! don't talk." tom stared; then followed his cousin's eye, fixed immovably upon one little spot on the platform. "by jove!" he cried, "what a beauty! as father dryden would say, 'this is the porcelain clay of humankind.' no wonder you look. who is she,--do you know?" "no." "no! short, clear, and decisive. don't devour her, will. remember the sermon i preached you an hour ago. come, look at this,"--thrusting a programme into his face,--"and stop staring. why, boy, she has bewitched you,--or inspired you,"--surveying him sharply. and indeed it would seem so. eyes, mouth, face, instinct with some subtle and thrilling emotion. as gay tom russell looked, he involuntarily stretched out his hand, as one would put it between another and some danger of which that other is unaware, and remembered what he had once said in talking of him,--"if will surrey's time does come, i hope the girl will be all right in every way, for he'll plunge headlong, and love like distraction itself,--no half-way; it will be a life-and-death affair for him." "come, i must break in on this." "surrey!" "yes." "there's a pretty girl." no answer. "there! over yonder. third seat, second row. see her? pretty?" "very pretty." "miss--miss--what's her name? o, miss perry played that last thing very well for a school-girl, eh?" "very well." "admirable room this, for hearing; rare quality with chapels and halls; architects in planning generally tax ingenuity how to confuse sound. now these girls don't make a great noise, yet you can distinguish every word,--can't you?" no response. "i say, can't you?" "every word." tom drew a long breath. "professor hale's a sensible old fellow; i like the way he conducts this school." (mem. tom didn't know a thing about it.) "carries it on excellently." a pause. silence. "fine-looking, too. a man's physique has a deal to do with his success in the world. if he carries a letter of recommendation in his face, people take him on trust to begin with; and if he's a big fellow, like the professor yonder, he imposes on folks awfully; they pop down on their knees to him, and clear the track for him, as if he had a right to it all. bless me! i never thought of that before,--it's the reason you and i have got on so swimmingly,--is it not, now? certainly. you think so? of course." "of course,"--sedately and gravely spoken. tom groaned, for, with a face kind and bright, he was yet no beauty; while if surrey had one crowning gift in this day of fast youths and self-satisfied young america, it was that of modesty with regard to himself and any gifts and graces nature had blessed him withal. "clara has a nice voice." "very nice." "she is to sing, do you know?" "i know." "do you know when?" no reply. "she sings the next piece. are you ready to listen?" "ready." "good lord!" cried tom, in despair, "the fellow has lost his wits. he has turned parrot; he has done nothing but repeat my words for me since he sat here. he's an echo." "echo of nothingness?" queried the parrot, smilingly. "ah, you've come to yourself, have you? capital! now stay awake. there's clara to sing directly, and you are to cheer her, and look as if you enjoyed it, and throw her that bouquet when i tell you, and let her think it's a fine thing she has been doing; for this is a tremendous affair to her, poor child, of course." "how bright and happy she is! you will laugh at me, tom, and indeed i don't know what has come over me, but somehow i feel quite sad, looking at those girls, and wondering what fate and time have in store for them." "sunshine and bright hours." "the day cometh, and also the night,"--broke in the clear voice that was reading a selection from the scriptures. tom started, and willie took from his button-hole just such a little nosegay as that he had bought on broadway a fortnight before,--a geranium leaf, a bit of mignonette, and a delicate tea-rosebud, and, seeing it was drooping, laid it carefully upon the programme on his knee. "i don't want that to fade," he thought as he put it down, while he looked across the platform at the same face which he had so eagerly pursued through a labyrinth of carriages, stages, and people, and lost at last. "there! clara is talking to your beauty. i wonder if she is to sing, or do anything. if she does, it will be something dainty and fine, i'll wager. helloa! there's clara up,--now for it." clara's bright little voice suited her bright little face,--like her brother's, only a great deal prettier,--and the young men enjoyed both, aside from brotherly and cousinly feeling, cheered her "to the echo" as willie said, threw their bouquets,--great, gorgeous things they had brought from the city to please her,--and wished there was more of it all when it was through. "what next?" said willie. "heaven preserve us! your favorite subject. who would expect to tumble on such a theme here?--'slavery; by francesca ercildoune.' odd name,--and, by jove! it's the beauty herself." they both leaned forward eagerly as she came from her seat; slender, shapely, every fibre fine and exquisite, no coarse graining from the dainty head to the dainty foot; the face, clear olive, delicate and beautiful,- "the mouth with steady sweetness set, and eyes conveying unaware the distant hint of some regret that harbored there,"-eyes deep, tender, and pathetic. "what's this?" said tom. "queer. it gives me a heartache to look at her." "a woman for whom to fight the world, or lose the world, and be compensated a million-fold if you died at her feet," thought surrey, and said nothing. "what a strange subject for her to select!" broke in tom. it was a strange one for the time and place, and she had been besought to drop it, and take another; but it should be that or nothing, she asserted,--so she was left to her own device. oddly treated, too. tom thought it would be a pretty lady-like essay, and said so; then sat astounded at what he saw and heard. her face--this schoolgirl's face--grew pallid, her eyes mournful, her voice and manner sublime, as she summoned this monster to the bar of god's justice and the humanity of the world; as she arraigned it; as she brought witness after witness to testify against it; as she proved its horrible atrocities and monstrous barbarities; as she went on to the close, and, lifting hand and face and voice together, thrilled out, "i look backward into the dim, distant past, but it is one night of oppression and despair; i turn to the present, but i hear naught save the mother's broken-hearted shriek, the infant's wail, the groan wrung from the strong man in agony; i look forward into the future, but the night grows darker, the shadows deeper and longer, the tempest wilder, and involuntarily i cry out, 'how long, o god, how long?'" "heavens! what an actress she would make!" said somebody before them. "that's genius," said somebody behind them; "but what a subject to waste it upon!" "very bad taste, i must say, to talk about such a thing here," said somebody beside them. "however, one can excuse a great deal to beauty like that." surrey sat still, and felt as though he were on fire, filled with an insane desire to seize her in one arm like a knight of old, and hew his way through these beings, and out of this place, into some solitary spot where he could seat her and kneel at her feet, and die there if she refused to take him up; filled with all the sweet, extravagant, delicious pain that thrills the heart, full of passion and purity, of a young man who begins to love the first, overwhelming, only love of a lifetime. chapter iv "_'tis an old tale, and often told._" sir walter scott that evening some people who were near them were talking about it, and that made tom ask clara if her friend was in the habit of doing startling things. "should you think so to look at her now?" queried clara, looking across the room to where miss ercildoune stood. "indeed i shouldn't," tom replied; and indeed no one would who saw her then. "she's as sweet as a sugar-plum," he added, as he continued to look. "what does she mean by getting off such rampant discourses? she never wrote them herself,--don't tell _me_; at least somebody else put her up to it,--that strong-minded-looking teacher over yonder, for instance. _she_ looks capable of anything, and something worse, in the denouncing way; poor little beauty was her cat's-paw this morning." "o tom, how you talk! she is nobody's cat's-paw. i can tell you she does her own thinking and acting too. if you'd just go and do something hateful, or impose on somebody,--one of the waiters, for instance,--you'd see her blaze up, fast enough." "ah! philanthropic?" clara looked puzzled. "i don't know; we have some girls here who are all the time talking about benevolence, and charity, and the like, and they have a little sewing-circle to make up things to be sold for the church mission, or something,--i don't know just what; but francesca won't go near it." "democratic, then, maybe." "no, she isn't, not a bit. she's a thorough little aristocrat: so exclusive she has nothing to say to the most of us. i wonder she ever took me for a friend, though i do love her dearly." tom looked down at his bright little sister, and thought the wonder was not a very great one, but didn't say so; reserving his gallantries for somebody else's sister. "you seem greatly taken with her, tom." "i own the soft impeachment." "well, you'll have a fair chance, for she's coming home with me. i wrote to mamma, and she says, bring her by all means,--and mr. ercildoune gives his consent; so it is all settled." "mr. ercildoune! is there no mrs. e.?" "none,--her mother died long ago; and her father has not been here, so i can't tell you anything about him. there: do you see that elegant-looking lady talking with professor hale? that is her aunt, mrs. lancaster. she is english, and is here only on a visit. she wants to take francesca home with her in the spring, but i hope she won't." "why, what is it to you?" "i am afraid she will stay, and then i shall never see her any more." "and why stay? do you fancy england so very fascinating?" "no, it is not that; but francesca don't like america; she's forever saying something witty and sharp about our 'democratic institutions,' as she calls them; and, if you had looked this morning, you'd have seen that she didn't sing the star-spangled banner with the rest of us. her voice is splendid, and professor hale wanted her to lead, as she often does, but she wouldn't sing that, she said,--no, not for anything; and though we all begged, she refused,--flat." "shocking! what total depravity! i wonder is she converting surrey to her heresies." no, she wasn't; not unless silence is more potent than words; for after they had danced together surrey brought her to one of the great windows facing towards the sea, and, leaning over her chair, there was stillness between them as their eyes went out into the night. a wild night! great clouds drifted across the moon, which shone out anon, with light intensified, defining the stripped trees and desolate landscape, and then the beach, and "marked with spray the sunken reefs, and far away the unquiet, bright atlantic plain," while through all sounded incessantly the mournful roar of buffeting wind and surging tide; and whether it was the scene, or the solemn undertone of the sea, the dance music, which a little while before had been so gay, sounded like a wail. how could it be otherwise? passion is akin to pain. love never yet penetrated an intense nature and made the heart light; sentiment has its smiles, its blushes, its brightness, its words of fancy and feeling, readily and at will; but when the internal sub-soiling is broken up, the heart swells with a steady and tremendous pressure till the breast feels like bursting; the lips are dumb, or open only to speak upon indifferent themes. flowers may be played with, but one never yet cared to toy with flame. there are souls that are created for one another in the eternities, hearts that are predestined each to each, from the absolute necessities of their nature; and when this man and this woman come face to face, these hearts throb and are one; these souls recognize "my master!" "my mistress!" at the first glance, without words uttered or vows pronounced. these two young lives, so fresh, so beautiful; these beings, in many things such antipodes, so utterly dissimilar in person, so unlike, yet like; their whole acquaintance a glance on a crowded street and these few hours of meeting,--looked into one another's eyes, and felt their whole nature set each to each, as the vast tide "of the bright, rocking ocean sets to shore at the full moon." these things are possible. friendship is excellent, and friendship may be called love; but it is not love. it may be more enduring and placidly satisfying in the end; it may be better, and wiser, and more prudent, for acquaintance to beget esteem, and esteem regard, and regard affection, and affection an interchange of peaceful vows: the result, a well-ordered life and home. all this is admirable, no doubt; an owl is a bird when you can get no other; but the love born of a moment, yet born of eternity, which comes but once in a lifetime, and to not one in a thousand lives, unquestioning, unthinking, investigating nothing, proving nothing, sufficient unto itself,--ah, that is divine; and this divine ecstasy filled these two souls. unconsciously. they did not define nor comprehend. they listened to the sea where they sat, and felt tears start to their eyes, yet knew not why. they were silent, and thought they talked; or spoke, and said nothing. they danced; and as he held her hand and uttered a few words, almost whispered, the words sounded to the listening ear like a part of the music to which they kept time. they saw a multitude of people, and exchanged the compliments of the evening, yet these people made no more impression upon their thoughts than gossamer would have made upon their hands. "come, francesca!" said clara russell, breaking in upon this, "it is not fair for you to monopolize my cousin will, who is the handsomest man in the room; and it isn't fair for will to keep you all to himself in this fashion. here is tom, ready to scratch out his eyes with vexation because you won't dance with him; and here am i, dying to waltz with somebody who knows my step,--to say nothing of innumerable young ladies and gentlemen who have been casting indignant and beseeching glances this way: so, sir, face about, march!" and away the gay girl went with her prize, leaving francesca to the tender mercies of half a dozen young men who crowded eagerly round her, and from whom tom carried her off with triumph and rejoicing. the evening was over at last, and they were going away. tom had said good night. "you are to be in new york, at my uncle's, clara tells me." "it is true." "i may see you there?" for answer she put out her hand. he took it as he would have taken a delicate flower, laid his other hand softly, yet closely, over it, and, without any adieu spoken, went away. "tom always declared willie was a little queer, and i'm sure i begin to think so," said clara, as she kissed her friend and departed to her room. chapter v "_a breathing sigh, a sigh for answer, a little talking of outward things._" jean ingelow ah, the weeks that followed! people ate and drank and slept, lived and loved and hated, were born and died,--the same world that it had been a little while before, yet not the same to them,--never to seem quite the same again. a little cloud had fallen between them and it, and changed to their eyes all its proportions and hues. they were incessantly together, riding, or driving, or walking, looking at pictures, dancing at parties, listening to opera or play. "it seems to me will is going it at a pretty tremendous pace somewhere," said mr. surrey to his wife, one morning, after this had endured for a space. "it would be well to look into it, and to know something of this girl." "you are right," she replied. "yet i have such absolute faith in willie's fine taste and sense that i feel no anxiety." "nor i; yet i shall investigate a bit to-night at augusta's." "clara tells me that when miss ercildoune understood it was to be a great party, she insisted on ending her visit, or, at least, staying for a while with her aunt, but they would not hear of it." "mrs. lancaster goes back to england soon?" "very soon." "does any one know aught of miss ercildoune's family save that mrs. lancaster is her aunt?" "if 'any one' means me, i understand her father to be a gentleman of elegant leisure,--his home near philadelphia; a widower, with one other child,--a son, i believe; that his wife was english, married abroad; that mrs. lancaster comes here with the best of letters, and, for herself, is most evidently a lady." "good. now i shall take a survey of the young lady herself." when night came, and with it a crowd to mrs. russell's rooms, the opportunity offered for the survey, and it was made scrutinizingly. surrey was an only son, a well-beloved one, and what concerned him was investigated with utmost care. scrutinizingly and satisfactorily. they were dancing, his sunny head bent till it almost touched the silky blackness of her hair. "saxon and norman," said somebody near who was watching them; "what a delicious contrast!" "they make an exquisite picture," thought the mother, as she looked with delight and dread: delight at the beauty; dread that fills the soul of any mother when she feels that she no longer holds her boy,--that his life has another keeper,--and queries, "what of the keeper?" "well?" she said, looking up at her husband. "well," he answered, with a tone that meant, well. "she's thorough-bred. democratic or not, i will always insist, blood tells. look at her: no one needs to ask _who_ she is. i'd take her on trust without a word." "so, then, you are not her critic, but her admirer." "ah, my dear, criticism is lost in admiration, and i am glad to find it so." "and i. willie saw with our eyes, as a boy; it is fortunate that we can see with his eyes, as a man." so, without any words spoken, after that night, both mr. and mrs. surrey took this young girl into their hearts as they hoped soon to take her into their lives, and called her "daughter" in their thought, as a pleasant preparation for the uttered word by and by. thus the weeks fled. no word had passed between these two to which the world might not have listened. whatever language their hearts and their eyes spoke had not been interpreted by their lips. he had not yet touched her hand save as it met his, gloved or formal, or as it rested on his arm; and yet, as one walking through the dusk and stillness of a summer night feels a flower or falling leaf brush his check, and starts, shivering as from the touch of a disembodied soul, so this slight outward touch thrilled his inmost being; this hand, meeting his for an instant, shook his soul. indefinite and undefined,--there was no thought beyond the moment; no wish to take this young girl into his arms and to call her "wife" had shaped itself in his brain. it was enough for both that they were in one another's presence, that they breathed the same air, that they could see each other as they raised their eyes, and exchange a word, a look, a smile. whatever storm of emotion the future might hold for them was not manifest in this sunny and delightful present. upon one subject alone did they disagree with feeling,--in other matters their very dissimilarity proving an added charm. this was a curious question to come between lovers. all his life surrey had been a devotee of his country and its flag. while he was a boy kossuth had come to these shores, and he yet remembered how he had cheered himself hoarse with pride and delight, as the eloquent voice and impassioned lips of the great magyar sounded the praise of america, as the "refuge of the oppressed and the hope of the world." he yet remembered how when the hand, every gesture of which was instinct with power, was lifted to the flag,--the flag, stainless, spotless, without blemish or flaw; the flag which was "fair as the sun, clear as the moon," and to the oppressors of the earth "terrible as an army with banners,"--he yet remembered how, as this emblem of liberty was thus apostrophized and saluted, the tears had rushed to his boyish eyes, and his voice had said, for his heart, "thank god, i am an american!" one day he made some such remark to her. she answered, "i, too, am an american, but i do not thank god for it." at another time he said, as some emigrants passed them in the street, "what a sense of pride it gives one in one's country, to see her so stretch out her arms to help and embrace the outcast and suffering of the whole world!" she smiled--bitterly, he thought; and replied, "o just and magnanimous country, to feed and clothe the stranger from without, while she outrages and destroys her children within!" "you do not love america," he said. "i do not love america," she responded. "and yet it is a wonderful country." "ay," briefly, almost satirically, "a wonderful country, indeed!" "still you stay here, live here." "yes, it is my country. whatever i think of it, i will not be driven away from it; it is my right to remain." "her right to remain?" he thought; "what does she mean by that? she speaks as though conscience were involved in the thing. no matter; let us talk of something pleasanter." one day she gave him a clew. they were looking at the picture of a great statesman,--a man as famous for the grandeur of face and form as for the power and splendor of his intellect. "unequalled! unapproachable!" exclaimed surrey, at last. "i have seen its equal," she answered, very quietly, yet with a shiver of excitement in the tones. "when? where? how? i will take a journey to look at him. who is he? where did he grow?" for response she put her hand into the pocket of her gown, and took out a velvet case. what could there be in that little blue thing to cause such emotion? as surrey saw it in her hand, he grew hot, then cold, then fiery hot again. in an instant by this chill, this heat, this pain, his heart was laid bare to his own inspection. in an instant he knew that his arms would be empty did they hold a universe in which francesca ercildoune had no part, and that with her head on his heart the world might lapse from him unheeded; and, with this knowledge, she held tenderly and caressingly, as he saw, another man's picture in her hand. his own so shook that he could scarcely take the case from her, to open it; but, opened, his eyes devoured what was under them. a half-length,--the face and physique superb. of what color were the hair and eyes the neutral tints of the picture gave no hint; the brow princely, breaking the perfect oval of the face; eyes piercing and full; the features rounded, yet clearly cut; the mouth with a curious combination of sadness and disdain. the face was not young, yet it was so instinct with magnificent vitality that even the picture impressed one more powerfully than most living men, and one involuntarily exclaimed on beholding it, "this man can never grow old, and death must here forego its claim!" looking up from it with no admiration to express for the face, he saw francesca's smiling on it with a sort of adoration, as she, reclaiming her property, said,-"my father's old friends have a great deal of enjoyment, and amusement too, from his beauty. one of them was the other day telling me of the excessive admiration people had always shown, and laughingly insisted that when papa was a young man, and appeared in public, in london or paris, it was between two police officers to keep off the admiring crowd; and," laughing a gay little laugh herself, "of course i believed him! why shouldn't i?" he was looking at the picture again. "what an air of command he has!" "yes. i remember hearing that when daniel webster was in london, and walked unattended through the streets, the coal-heavers and workmen took off their hats and stood bareheaded till he had gone by, thinking it was royalty that passed. i think they would do the same for papa." "if he looks like a king, i know somebody who looks like a princess," thought the happy young fellow, gazing down upon the proud, dainty figure by his side; but he smiled as he said, "what a little aristocrat you are, miss ercildoune! what a pity you were born a yankee!" "i am not a yankee, mr. surrey," replied the little aristocrat, "if to be a yankee is to be a native of america. i was born on the sea." "and your mother, i know, was english." "yes, she was english." "is it rude to ask if your father was the same? "no!" she answered emphatically, "my papa is a virginian,--a virginia gentleman,"--the last word spoken with an untransferable accent,--"there are few enough of them." "so, so!" thought willie, "here my riddle is read. southern--virginia--gentleman. no wonder she has no love to spend on country or flag; no wonder we couldn't agree. and yet it can't be that,--what were the first words i ever heard from her mouth?" and, remembering that terrible denunciation of the "peculiar institution" of virginia and of the south, he found himself puzzled the more. just then there came into the picture-gallery, where they were wasting a pleasant morning, a young man to whom surrey gave the slightest of recognitions,--well-dressed, booted, and gloved, yet lacking the nameless something which marks the gentleman. his glance, as it rested on surrey, held no love, and, indeed, was rather malignant. "that fellow," said surrey, indicating him, "has a queer story connected with him. he was discharged from my father's employ to give place to a man who could do his work better; and the strange part of it"--he watched her with an amused smile to see what effect the announcement would have upon her virginia ladyship--"is that number two is a black man." a sudden heat flushed her cheeks: "do you tell me your father made room for a black man in his employ, and at the expense of a white one?" "it is even so." "is he there now?" surrey's beautiful saxon face crimsoned. "no: he is not," he said reluctantly. "ah! did he, this black man,--did he not do his work well?" "admirably." "is it allowable, then, to ask why he was discarded?" "it is allowable, surely. he was dismissed because the choice lay between him and seven hundred men." "and you"--her face was very pale now, the flush all gone out of it--"you have nothing to do with your father's works, but you are his son,--did you do naught? protest, for instance?" "i protested--and yielded. the contest would have been not merely with seven hundred men, but with every machinist in the city. justice _versus_ prejudice, and prejudice had it; as, indeed, i suppose it will for a good many generations to come: invincible it appears to be in the american mind." "invincible! is it so?" she paused over the words, scrutinizing him meanwhile with an unconscious intensity. "and this black man,--what of him? he was flung out to starve and die; a proper fate, surely, for his presumption. poor fool! how did he dare to think he could compete with his masters! you know nothing of _him _?" surely he must be mistaken. what could this black man, or this matter, be to her? yet as he listened her voice sounded to his ear like that of one in mortal pain. what held him silent? why did he not tell her, why did he not in some way make her comprehend, that he, delicate exclusive, and patrician, as the people of his set thought him, had gone to this man, had lifted him from his sorrow and despondency to courage and hope once more; had found him work; would see that the place he strove to fill in the world should be filled, could any help of his secure that end. why did the modesty which was a part of him, and the high-bred reserve which shrank from letting his own mother know of the good deeds his life wrought, hold him silent now? in that silence something fell between them. what was it? but a moment, yet in that little space it seemed to him as though continents divided them, and seas rolled between. "francesca!" he cried, under his breath,--he had never before called her by her christian name,--"francesca!" and stretched out his hand towards her, as a drowning man stretches forth his hand to life. "this room is stifling!" she said for answer; and her voice, dulled and unnatural, seemed to his strangely confused senses as though it came from a far distance,--"i am suffering: shall we go out to the air?" chapter vi "_but more than loss about me clings._" jean ingelow "no! no, i am mad to think it! i must have been dreaming! what could there have been in that talk to have such an effect as i have conjured up? she pitied franklin! yes, she pities every one whom she thinks suffering or wronged. dear little tender heart! of course it was the room,--didn't she say she was ill? it must have been awful; the heat and the closeness got into my head,--that's it. bad air is as bad as whiskey on a man's brain. what a fool i made of myself! not even answering her questions. what did she think of me? well." surrey in despair pushed away the book over which he had been bending all the afternoon, seeing for every word francesca, and on every page an image of her face. "i'll smoke myself into some sort of decent quiet, before i go up town, at least"; and taking his huge meerschaum, settling himself sedately, began his quieting operation with appalling energy. the soft rings, gray and delicate, taking curious and airy shapes, floated out and filled the room; but they were not soothing shapes, nor ministering spirits of comfort. they seemed filmy garments, and from their midst faces beautiful, yet faint and dim, looked at him, all of them like unto her face; but when he dropped his pipe and bent forward, the wreaths of smoke fell into lines that made the faces appear sad and bathed in tears, and the images faded from his sight. as the last one, with its visionary arms outstretched towards him, receded from him, and disappeared, he thought, "that is francesca's spirit, bidding me an eternal adieu"--and, with the foolish thought, in spite of its foolishness, he shivered and stretched out his arms in return. "of a verity," he then cried, "if nature failed to make me an idiot, i am doing my best to consummate that end, and become one of free choice. what folly possesses me? i will dissipate it at once,--i will see her in bodily shape,--that will put an end to such fancies,"--starting up, and beginning to pull on his gloves. "no! no, that will not do,"--pulling them off again. "she will think i am an uneasy ghost that pursues her. i must wait till this evening, but ah, what an age till evening!" fortunately, all ages, even lovers' ages, have an end. the evening came; he was at the fifth avenue,--his card sent up,--his feet impatiently travelling to and fro upon the parlor carpet,--his heart beating with happiness and expectancy. a shadow darkened the door; he flew to meet the substance,--not a sweet face and graceful form, but a servant, big and commonplace, bringing him his own card and the announcement, "the ladies is both out, sir." "impossible! take it up again." he said "impossible" because francesca had that morning told him she would be at home in the evening. "all right, sir; but it's no use, for there's nobody there, i know"; and he vanished for a second attempt, unsuccessful as the first. surrey went to the office, still determinedly incredulous. "are mrs. lancaster and miss ercildoune not in?" "no, sir; both out. keys here,"--showing them. "left for one of the five-o'clock trains; rooms not given up; said they would be back in a few days." "from what depot did they leave?" "don't know, sir. they didn't go in the coach; had a carriage, or i could tell you." "but they left a note, perhaps,--or some message?" "nothing at all, sir; not a word, nor a scrap. can i serve you in any way further?" "thanks! not at all. good evening." "good evening, sir." that was all. what did it mean?--to vanish without a sign! an engagement for the evening, and not a line left in explanation or excuse! it was not like her. there must be something wrong, some mystery. he tormented himself with a thousand fancies and fears over what, he confessed, was probably a mere accident; wisely determined to do so no longer,--but did, spite of such excellent resolutions and intent. this took place on the evening of saturday, the 13th of april, 1861. the events of the next few days doubtless augmented his anxiety and unhappiness. sunday followed,--a day filled not with a sabbath calm, but with the stillness felt in nature before some awful convulsion; the silence preceding earthquake, volcano, or blasting storm; a quiet broken from maine to the pacific slope when the next day shone, and men roused themselves from the sleep of a night to the duty of a day, from the sleep of generations, fast merging into death, at the trumpet-call to arms,--a cry which sounded through every state and every household in the land, which, more powerful than the old songs of percy and douglas, "brought children from their play, and old men from their chimney-corners," to emulate humanity in its strength and prime, and contest with it the opportunity to fight and die in a deathless cause. a cry which said, "there are wrongs to be redressed already long enough endured,--wrongs against the flag of the nation, against the integrity of the union, against the life of the republic; wrongs against the cause of order, of law, of good government, against right, and justice, and liberty, against humanity and the world; not merely in the present, but in the great future, its countless ages and its generations yet unborn." to this cry there sounded one universal response, as men dropped their work at loom, or forge, or wheel, in counting-room, bank, and merchant's store, in pulpit, office, or platform, and with one accord rushed to arms, to save these rights so frightfully and arrogantly assailed. one voice that went to swell this chorus was surrey's; one hand quick to grasp rifle and cartridge-box, one soul eager to fling its body into the breach at this majestic call, was his. he felt to the full all the divine frenzy and passion of those first days of the war, days unequalled in the history of nations and of the world. all the elegant dilettanteism, the delicious idleness, the luxurious ease, fell away, and were as though they had never been. all the airy dreams of a renewed chivalrous age, of courage, of heroism, of sublime daring and self-sacrifice, took substance and shape, and were for him no longer visions of the night, but realities of the day. still, while flags waved, drums beat, and cannon thundered; while friends said, "go!" the world stood ready to cheer him on, and fame and honor and greater things than these beckoned him to come; while he felt the whirl and excitement of it all,--his heart cried ceaselessly, "only let me see her--once--if but for a moment, before i go!" it was so little he asked of fate, yet too much to be granted. in vain he went every day, and many times a day, in the brief space left him, to her hotel. in vain he once more questioned clerk and servants; in vain haunted the house of his aunt, with the dim hope that clara might hear from her, or that in some undefined way he might learn of her whereabouts, and so accomplish his desire. but the days passed, too slowly for the ardent young patriot, all too rapidly for the unhappy lover. friday came. early in the day multitudes of people began to collect in the street, growing in numbers and enthusiasm as the hours wore on, till, in the afternoon, the splendid thoroughfare of new york from fourth street down to the cortlandt ferry--a stretch of miles--was a solid mass of humanity; thousands and tens of thousands, doubled, quadrupled, and multiplied again. through the morning this crowd in squads and companies traversed the streets, collected on the corners, congregating chiefly about the armory of their pet regiment, the seventh, on lafayette square,--one great mass gazing unweariedly at its windows and walls, then moving on to be replaced by another of the like kind, which, having gone through the same performance, gave way in turn to yet others, eager to take its place. so the fever burned; the excitement continued and augmented till, towards three o'clock in the afternoon, the mighty throng stood still, and waited. it was no ordinary multitude; the wealth, refinement, fashion, the greatness and goodness of a vast city were there, pressed close against its coarser and darker and homelier elements. men and women stood alike in the crowd, dainty patrician and toil-stained laborer, all thrilled by a common emotion, all vivified--if in unequal degree--by the same sublime enthusiasm. overhead, from every window and doorway and housetop, in every space and spot that could sustain one, on ropes, on staffs, in human hands, waved, and curled, and floated, flags that were in multitude like the swells of the sea; silk, and bunting, and painted calico, from the great banner spreading its folds with an indescribable majesty, to the tiny toy shaken in a baby hand. under all this glad and gay and splendid show, the faces seemed, perhaps by contrast, not sad, but grave; not sorrowful, but intense, and luminously solemn. gradually the men of the seventh marched out of their armory. hands had been wrung, adieus said, last fond embraces and farewells given. the regiment formed in the open square, the crowd about it so dense as to seem stifling, the windows of its building rilled with the sweetest and finest and fairest of faces,--the mothers, wives, and sweethearts of these young splendid fellows just ready to march away. surrey from his station gazed and gazed at the window where stood his mother, so well beloved, his relations and friends, many of them near and dear to him,--some of them with clear, bright eyes that turned from the forms of brothers in the ranks to seek his, and linger upon it wistfully and tenderly; yet looking at all these, even his mother, he looked beyond, as though in the empty space a face would appear, eyes would meet his, arms be stretched towards him, lips whisper a fond adieu, as he, breaking from the ranks, would take her to his embrace, and speak, at the same time, his love and farewell. a fruitless longing. four o'clock struck over the great city, and the line moved out of the square, through fourth street, to broadway. then began a march, which whoso witnessed, though but a little child, will remember to his dying day, the story of which he will repeat to his children, and his children's children, and, these dead, it will be read by eyes that shall shine centuries hence, as one of the most memorable scenes in the great struggle for freedom. hands were stretched forth to touch the cloth of their uniforms, and kissed when they were drawn back. mothers held up their little children to gain inspiration for a lifetime. a roar of voices, continuous, unbroken, rent the skies; while, through the deafening cheers, men and women, with eyes blinded by tears, repeated, a million times, "god bless--god bless and keep them!" and so, down the magnificent avenue, through the countless, shouting multitude, through the whirlwind of enthusiasm and adoration, under the glorious sweep of flags, the grand regiment moved from the beginning of its march to its close,--till it was swept away towards the capital, around which were soon to roll such bloody waves of death. meanwhile, where was miss ercildoune? surrey had thought her behavior strange the last morning they spent together. how much stranger, how unaccountable, indeed, would it have seemed to him, could he have seen her through the afternoon following! "what is wrong with you? are you ill, francesca?" her aunt had inquired as she came in, pulling off her hat with the air of one stifling, and throwing herself into a chair. "ill! o no!"--with a quick laugh,--"what could have made you think so? i am quite well, thank you; but i will go to my room for a little while and rest. i think i am tired." "do, dear, for i want you to take a trip up the hudson this afternoon. i have to see some english people who are living at a little village a score of miles out of town, and then i must go on to albany before i take you home. it will be pleasant at tanglewood over the sabbath,--unless you have some engagements to keep you here?" "o aunt alice, how glad i am! i was going home this afternoon without you. i thought you would come when you were ready; but this will do just as well,--anything to get out of town." "anything to get out of town? why, francesca, is it so hateful to you? 'going home! and this do almost as well!'--what does the child mean? is she the least little bit mad? i'm afraid so. she evidently needs some fresh country air, and rest from excitement. go, dear, and take your nap, and refresh yourself before five o'clock; that is the time we leave." as the door closed between them, she shook her head dubiously. '"going home this afternoon!' what does that signify? has she been quarrelling with that young lover of hers, or refusing him? i should not care to ask any questions till she herself speaks; but i fear me something is wrong." she would not have feared, but been certain, could she have looked then and there into the next room. she would have seen that the trouble was something deeper than she dreamed. francesca was sitting, her hands supporting an aching head, her large eyes fixed mournfully and immovably upon something which she seemed to contemplate with a relentless earnestness, as though forcing herself to a distressing task. what was this something? an image, a shadow in the air, which she had not evoked from the empty atmosphere, but from the depths of her own nature and soul,--the life and fate of a young girl. herself! what cause, then, for mournful scrutiny? she, so young, so brilliant, so beautiful, upon whom fate had so kindly smiled, admired by many, tenderly and passionately loved by at least one heart,--surely it was a delightful picture to contemplate,--this life and its future; a picture to bring smiles to the lips, rather than tears to the eyes. though, in fact, there were none dimming hers,--hot, dry eyes, full of fever and pain. what visions passed before them? what shadows of the life she inspected darkened them? what sunshine now and then fell upon it, reflecting itself in them, as she leaned forward to scan these bright spots, holding them in her gaze after other and gloomier ones had taken their places, as one leans forth from window or doorway to behold, long as possible, the vanishing form of some dear friend. looking at these, she cried out, "fool! to have been so happy, and not to have known what the happiness meant, and that it was not for me,--never for me! to have walked to the verge of an abyss,--to have plunged in, thinking the path led to heaven. heaven for me! ah,--i forgot,--i forgot. i let an unconscious bliss seize me, possess me, exclude memory and thought,--lived in it as though it would endure forever." she got up and moved restlessly to and fro across the room, but presently came back to the seat she had abandoned, and to the inspection which, while it tortured her, she yet evidently compelled herself to pursue. "come," she then said, "let us ask ourself some questions, constitute ourself confessor and penitent, and see what the result will prove." "did you think fate would be more merciful to you than to others?" "no, i thought nothing about fate." "did you suppose that he loved you sufficiently to destroy 'an invincible barrier?'" "i did not think of his love. i remembered no barrier. i only knew i was in heaven, and cared for naught beyond." "do you see the barrier now?" "i do--i do." "did _he_ help you to behold it; to discover, or to remember it? did he, or did he not?" "he did. too true,--he did." "does he love you?" "i--how should i know? his looks, his acts--i never thought--o willie, willie!"--her voice going out in a little gasping sob. "come,--none of that. no sentiment,--face the facts. think over all that was said, every word. have you done so?" "i have,--every word." "well?" "ah, stop torturing me. do not ask me any more questions. i am going away,--flying like a coward. i will not tempt further suffering. and yet--once more--only once? could that do harm? ah, god, my god, be merciful!" she cried, clasping her hands and lifting them above her bowed head. then remembering, in the midst of her anguish, some words she had been reading that morning, she repeated them with a bitter emphasis,--"what can wringing of the hands do, that which is ordained to alter?" as she did so she tore asunder her clasped hands, to drop them clinched by her side,--the gesture of despair substituted for that of hope. "it is not heaven i am to besiege!" she exclaimed. "will i never learn that? its justice cannot overcome the injustice of man. my god!" she cried then, with a sudden, terrible energy, "our punishment should be light, our rest sure, our paradise safe, at the end, since we have to make now such awful atonement; since men compel us to endure the pangs of purgatory, the tortures of hell, here upon earth." after that she sat for a long while silent, evidently revolving a thousand thoughts of every shape and hue, judging from the myriads of lights and shadows that flitted over her face. at last, rousing herself, she perceived that she had no more time to spend in this sorrowful employment,--that she must prepare to go away from him, as her heart said, forever. "forever!" it repeated. "this, then, is the close of it all,--the miserable end!" with that thought she shut her slender hand, and struck it down hard, the blood almost starting from the driven nails and bruised flesh, unheeding; though a little space thereafter she smiled, beholding it, and muttered, "so--the drop of savage blood is telling at last!" presently she was gone. it was a pleasant spot to which her aunt took her,--one of the pretty little villages scattered up and down the long sweep of the hudson. pleasant people they were too,--these english friends of mrs. lancaster,--who made her welcome, but did not intrude upon the solitude which they saw she desired. sabbath morning they all went to the little chapel, and left her, as she wished, alone. being so alone, after hearing their adieus, she went up to her room and sat down to devote herself once again to sorrowful contemplation,--not because she would, but because she must. poor girl! the bright spring sunshine streamed over her where she sat;--not a cloud in the sky, not a dimming of mist or vapor on all the hills, and the broad river-sweep which, placid and beautiful, rolled along; the cattle far off on the brown fields rubbed their silky sides softly together, and gazed through the clear atmosphere with a lazy content, as though they saw the waving of green grass, and heard the rustle of wind in the thick boughs, so soon to bear their leafy burden. stillness everywhere,--the blessed calm that even nature seems to feel on a sunny sabbath morn. stillness scarcely broken by the voices, mellowed and softened ere they reached her ear, chanting in the village church, to some sweet and solemn music, words spoken in infinite tenderness long ago, and which, through all the centuries, come with healing balm to many a sore and saddened heart: "come unto me," the voices sang,--"come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and i will give you rest." "ah, rest," she murmured while she listened,--"rest"; and with the repetition of the word the fever died out of her eyes, leaving them filled with such a look, more pitiful than any tears, as would have made a kind heart ache even to look at them; while her figure, alert and proud no longer, bent on the window ledge in such lonely and weary fashion that a strong arm would have involuntarily stretched out to shield it from any hardness or blow that might threaten, though the owner thereof were a stranger. there was something indescribably appealing and pathetic in her whole look and air. outside the window stood a slender little bird which had fluttered there, spent and worn, and did not try to flit away any further. too early had it flown from its southern abode; too early abandoned the warm airs, the flowers and leafage, of a more hospitable region, to find its way to a northern home; too early ventured into a rigorous clime; and now, shivering, faint, near to death, drooped its wings and hung its weary head, waiting for the end of its brief life to come. francesca, looking up with woeful eyes, beheld it, and, opening the window, softly took it in. "poor birdie!" she whispered, striving to warm it in her gentle hand and against her delicate cheek,--"poor little wanderer!--didst thou think to find thy mate, and build thy tiny nest, and be a happy mother through the long bright summer-time? ah, my pet, what a sad close is this to all these pleasant dreams!" the frail little creature could not eat even the bits of crumbs which she put into its mouth, nor taste a drop of water. all her soothing presses failed to bring warmth and life to the tiny frame that presently stretched itself out, dead,--all its sweet songs sung, its brief, bright existence ended forever. "ah, my little birdie, it is all over," whispered francesca, as she laid it softly down, and unconsciously lifted her hand to her own head with a self-pitying gesture that was sorrowful to behold. "like me," she did not say; yet a penetrating eye looking at them--the slight bird lying dead, its brilliant plumage already dimmed, the young girl gazing at it--would perceive that alike these two were fitted for the warmth and sunshine, would perceive that both had been thwarted and defrauded of their fair inheritance, would perceive that one lay spent and dead in its early spring. what of the other? "aunt alice," said francesca a few days after that, "can you go to new york this afternoon or to-morrow morning?" "certainly, dear. i purposed returning to-day or early in the morning to see the seventh march away. of course you would like to be there." "yes." she spoke slowly, and with seeming indifference. it was because she could scarcely control her voice to speak at all. "i should like to be there." francesca knew, what her aunt did not, that surrey was a member of the seventh, and that he would march away with it to danger,--perhaps to death. so they were there, in a window overlooking the great avenue,--mrs. lancaster, foreigner though she was, thrilled to the heart's core by the magnificent pageant; francesca straining her eyes up the long street, through the vast sea of faces, to fasten them upon just one face that she knew would presently appear in the throng. "ah, heavens!" cried mrs. lancaster, "what a sight! look at those young men; they are the choice and fine of the city. see, see! there is hunter, and winthrop, and pursuivant, and mortimer, and shaw, and russell, and, yes--no--it is, over there--your friend, surrey, himself. did you know, francesca?" francesca did not reply. mrs. lancaster turned to see her lying white and cold in her chair. endurance had failed at last. chapter vii "_the plain, unvarnished tale of my whole course of love._" shakespeare "what a handsome girl that is who always waits on us!" francesca had once said to clara russell, as they came out of hyacinth's with some dainty laces in their hands. "very," clara had answered. the handsome girl was sallie. at another time francesca, admiring some particular specimen of the pomps and vanities with which the store was crowded, was about carrying it away, but first experimented as to its fit. "o dear!" she cried, in dismay, "it is too short, and"--rummaging through the box--"there is not another like it, and it is the only one i want." "how provoking!" sympathized clara. "i could very easily alter that," said sallie, who was behind the counter; "i make these up for the shop, and i'll be glad to fix this for you, if you like it so much." "thanks. you are very kind. can you send it up to-morrow?" "this evening, if you wish it." "very good; i shall be your debtor." "well!" exclaimed clara, as they turned away, this is the first time in all my shopping i ever found a girl ready to put herself out to serve one. they usually act as if they were conferring the most overwhelming favor by condescending to wait upon you at all." "why, clara, i'm sure i always find them civil." "i know they seem devoted to you. i wonder why. oh!"--laughing and looking at her friend with honest admiration,--"it must be because you are so pretty." "excellent,--how discerning you are!" smiled francesca, in return. if clara had had a little more discernment, she would have discovered that what wrought this miracle was a friendly courtesy, that never failed to either equal or subordinate. six weeks after the seventh had marched out of new york, francesca, sitting in her aunt's room, was roused from evidently painful thought by the entrance of a servant, who announced, "if you please, a young woman to see you." "name?" "she gave none, miss." "send her up." sallie came in. "bird of paradise" francesca had called her more than once, she was so dashing and handsome; but the title would scarcely fit now, for she looked poor, and sad, and woefully dispirited. "ah, miss sallie, is it you? good morning." "good morning, miss ercildoune." she stood, and looked as though she had something important to say. presently francesca had drawn it from her,--a little story of her own sorrows and troubles. "the reason i have come to you, miss ercildoune, when you are so nearly a stranger, is because you have always been so kind and pleasant to me when i waited on you at the store, and i thought you'd anyway listen to what i have to say." "speak on, sallie." "i've been at hyacinth's now, over four years, ever since i left school. it's a good place, and they paid me well, but i had to keep two people out of it, my little brother frank and myself; frank and i are orphans. and i'm very fond of dress; i may as well confess that at once. so the consequence is, i haven't saved a cent against a rainy day. well," blushing scarlet, "i had a lover,--the best heart that ever beat,--but i liked to flirt, and plague him a little, and make him jealous; and at last he got dreadfully so about a young gentleman,--a mr. snipe, who was very attentive to me,--and talked to me about it in a way i didn't like. that made me worse. i don't know what possessed me; but after that i went out with mr. snipe a great deal more, to the theatre and the like, and let him spend his money on me, and get things for me, as freely as he chose. i didn't mean any harm, indeed i didn't,--but i liked to go about and have a good time; and then it made jim show how much he cared for me, which, you see, was a great thing to me; and so this went on for a while, till jim gave me a real lecture, and i got angry and wouldn't listen to anything he had to say, and sent him away in a huff"--here she choked--"to fight; to the war; and o dear! o dear!" breaking down utterly, and hiding her face in her shawl, "he'll be killed,--i know he will; and oh! what shall i do? my heart will break, i am sure." francesca came and stood by her side, put her hand gently on her shoulder, and stroked her beautiful hair. "poor girl!" she said, softly, "poor girl!" and then, so low that even sallie could not hear, "you suffer, too: do we all suffer, then?" presently sallie looked up, and continued: "up to that time, mr. snipe hadn't said anything to me, except that he admired me very much, and that i was pretty, too pretty to work so hard, and that i ought to live like a lady, and a good deal more of that kind of talk that i was silly enough to listen to; but when he found jim was gone, first, he made fun of him for 'being such a great fool as to go and be shot at for nothing,' and then he--o miss ercildoune, i can't tell you what he said; it makes me choke just to think of it. how dared he? what had i done that he should believe me such a thing as that? i don't know what words i used when i did find them, and i don't care, but they must have stung. i can't tell you how he looked, but it was dreadful; and he said, 'i'll bring down that proud spirit of yours yet, my lady. i'm not through with you,--don't think it,--not by a good deal'; and then he made me a fine bow, and laughed, and went out of the room. "the next day mr. dodd--that's one of our firm--gave me a week's notice to quit: 'work was slack,' he said, 'and they didn't want so many girls.' but i'm just as sure as sure can be that mr. snipe's at the bottom of it, for i've been at the store, as i told you, four years and more, and they always reckoned me one of their best hands, and mr. dodd and mr. snipe are great friends. since then i've done nothing but try to get work. i must have been into a thousand stores, but it's true work is slack; there's not a thing been doing since the war commenced, and i can't get any place. i've been to miss russell and some of the ladies who used to come to the store, to see if they'd give me some fine sewing; but they hadn't any for me, and i don't know what in the world to do, for i understand nothing very well but to sew, and to stand in a store. i've spent all my money, what little i had, and--and--i've even sold some of my clothes, and i can't go on this way much longer. i haven't a relative in the world; nor a home, except in a boarding-house; and the girls i know all treat me cool, as though i had done something bad, because i've lost my place, i suppose, and am poor. "all along, at times, mr. snipe has been sending me things,--bouquets, and baskets of fruit, and sometimes a note, and, though i won't speak to him when i meet him on the street, he always smiles and bows as if he were intimate; and last night, when i was coming home, tired enough from my long search, he passed me and said, with such a look, 'you've gone down a peg or two, haven't you, sallie? come, i guess we'll be friends again before long.' you think it's queer i'm telling you all this. i can't help it; there's something about you that draws it all out of me. i came to ask you for work, and here i've been talking all this while about myself. you must excuse me; i don't think i would have said so much, if you hadn't looked so kind and so interested"; and so she had,--kind as kind could be, and interested as though the girl who talked had been her own sister. "i am glad you came, sallie, and glad that you told me all this, if it has been any relief to you. you may be sure i will do what i can for you, but i am afraid that will not be a great deal, here; for i am a stranger in new york, and know very few people. perhaps--would you go away from here?" "would i?--o wouldn't i? and be glad of the chance. i'd give anything to go where i couldn't get sight or sound of that horrid snipe. can't i go with you, miss ercildoune?" "i have no counter behind which to station you," said francesca, smiling. "no, i know,--of course; but"--looking at the daintily arrayed figure--"you have plenty of elegant things to make, and i can do pretty much anything with my needle, if you'd like to trust me with some work. and then--i'm ashamed to ask so much of you, but a few words from you to your friends, i'm sure, would send me all that i could do, and more." "you think so?" miss ercildoune inquired, with a curious intonation to her voice, and the strangest expression darkening her face. "very well, it shall be tried." sallie was nonplussed by the tone and look, but she comprehended the closing words fully and with delight. "you will take me with you," she cried. "o, how good, how kind you are! how shall i ever be able to thank you?" "don't thank me at all," said miss ercildoune, "at least not now. wait till i have done something to deserve your gratitude." but sallie was not to be silenced in any such fashion, and said her say with warmth and meaning; then, after some further talk about time and plans, went away carrying a bit of work which miss ercildoune had found, or made, for her, and for which she had paid in advance. "god bless her!" thought sallie; "how nice and how thoughtful she is! most ladies, if they'd done anything for me, would have given me some money and made a beggar of me, and i should have felt as mean as dish-water. but now"--she patted her little bundle and walked down the street, elated and happy. francesca watched her out of the door with eyes that presently filled with tears. "poor girl!" she whispered; "poor sallie! her lover has gone to the wars with a shadow between them. ah, that must not be; i must try to bring them together again, if he loves her dearly and truly. he might die,"--she shuddered at that,--"die, as other men die, in the heat and flame of battle. my god! my god! how shall i bear it? dead! and without a word! gone, and he will never know how well i love him! o willie, willie! my life, my love, my darling, come back, come back to me." vain cry!--he cannot hear. vain lifting of an agonized face, beautiful in its agony!--he cannot see. vain stretching forth of longing hands and empty arms!--he is not there to take them to his embrace. carry thy burden as others have carried it before thee, and learn what multitudes, in times past and in time present, have learned,--the lesson of endurance when happiness is denied, and of patience and silence when joy has been withheld. go thou thy way, sorrowful and suffering soul, alone; and if thy own heart bleeds, strive thou to soothe its pangs, by medicining the wounds and healing the hurts of another. a few days thereafter, when miss ercildoune went over to philadelphia, sallie and frank bore her company. she had become as thoroughly interested in them as though she had known and cared for them for a long while; and as she was one who was incapable of doing in an imperfect or partial way aught she attempted, and whose friendship never stopped short with pleasant sounding words, this interest had already bloomed beautifully, and was fast ripening into solid fruit. she had written in advance to desire that certain preparations should be made for her _protã©gã©s_,--preparations which had been faithfully attended to; and thus, reaching a strange city, they felt themselves not strangers, since they had a home ready to receive them, and this excellent friend by their side. the home consisted of two rooms, neat, cheerful, high up,--"the airier and healthier for that," as sallie decided when she saw them. "i believe everything is in order," said the good-natured-looking old lady, the mistress of the establishment. "my lodgers are all gentlemen who take their meals out, and i shall be glad of some company. any one whom friend comstock recommends will be all right, i know." as mrs. healey's style of designation indicated, friend comstock was a quakeress, well known, greatly esteemed, an old friend of miss ercildoune, and of miss ercildoune's father. she it was to whom francesca had written, and who had found this domicile for the wanderers, and who at the outset furnished sallie with an abundance of fine and dainty sewing. indeed, without giving the matter special thought, she was surprised to discover that, with one or two exceptions, the people miss ercildoune sent her were of the peaceful and quiet sect. this bird of brilliant plumage seemed ill assorted with the sober-hued flock. she found in this same bird a helper in more ways than one. it was not alone that she gave her employment and paid her well, nor that she sent her others able and willing to do the same. she found frankie a good school, and saw him properly installed. she never came to them empty-handed; through the long, hot summer-time she brought them fruit and flowers from her home out of town; and when she came not herself, if the carriage was in the city it stopped with these same delightful burdens. sallie declared her an angel, and frank, with his mouth stuffed full, stood ready to echo the assertion. so the heated term wore away,--before it ended, telling heavily on sallie. her anxiety about jim, her close confinement and constant work, the fever everywhere in the spiritual air through that first terrible summer of the war, bore her down. "you need rest," said miss ercildoune to her one day, looking at her with kindly solicitude,--"rest, and change, and fresh air, and freedom from care. i can't give you the last, but i can the first if you will accept them. you need some country living." "o miss ercildoune, will you let me do your work at your own home? i know it would do me good just to be under the same roof with you, and then i should have all the things you speak of combined and another one added. if you only will!" this was not the plan francesca had proposed to herself. she had intended sending sallie away to some pleasant country or seaside place, till she was refreshed and ready to come to her work once more. sallie did not know what to make of the expression of the face that watched her, nor of the exclamation, "why not? let me try her." but she had not long to consider, for miss ercildoune added, "be it so. i will send in for you to-morrow, and you shall stay till you are better and stronger, or--till you please to come home,"--the last words spoken in a bitter and sorrowful tone. the next day sallie found her way to the superb home of her employer. superb it was, in every sense. never before had she been in such a delightful region, never before realized how absolutely perfect breeding sets at ease all who come within the charm of its magic sphere,--employed, acquaintance, or friend. there was a shadow, however, in this house,--a shadow, the premonition of which she had seen more than once on the face of its mistress ere she ever beheld her home; a shadow to which, for a few days, she had no clew, but which was suddenly explained by the arrival of the master of this beautiful habitation; a shadow from which most people would have fled as from the breath of a pestilence, or the shade of the tomb; nay, one from which, but a few short months before, sallie herself would have sped with feet from which she would have shaken the very dust of the threshold when she was beyond its doors,--but not now. now, as she beheld it, she sat still to survey it, with surprise that deepened into indignation and compassion, that many a time filled her eyes with tears, and brought an added expression of respect to her voice when she spoke to these people who seemed to have all the good things that this world can offer, upon whom fortune had expended her treasures, yet-whatever it was, sallie came from that home with many an old senseless prejudice destroyed forever, with a new thought implanted in her soul, the blossoming of which was a noxious vapor in the nostrils of some who were compelled to inhale it, but as a sweet-smelling savor to more than one weary wayfarer, and to that god to whom the darkness and the light are alike, and who, we are told by his own word, is no respecter of persons. "poor, dear miss ercildoune!" half sobbed, half scolded sallie, as she sat at her work, blooming and, fresh, the day after her return. "what a tangled thread it is, to be sure," jerking at her knotty needleful. "well, i know what i'll do,--i'll treat her as if she was a queen born and crowned, just so long as i have anything to do with her,--so i will." and she did. chapter viii "_for hearts of truest mettle absence doth join, and time doth settle._" anonymous it were a vain endeavor to attempt the telling of what filled the heart and soul of surrey, as he marched away that day from new york, and through the days and weeks and months that followed. fired by a sublime enthusiasm for his country; thirsting to drink of any cup her hand might present, that thus he might display his absolute devotion to her cause; burning with indignation at the wrongs she had suffered; thrilled with an adoring love for the idea she embodied; eager to make manifest this love at whatever cost of pain and sorrow and suffering to himself,--through all this the man never once was steeped in forgetfulness in the soldier; the divine passion of patriotism never once dulled the ache, or satisfied the desire, or answered the prayer, or filled the longing heart, that through the day marches and the night watches cried, and would not be appeased, for his darling. "surely," he thought as he went down broadway, as he reflected, as he considered the matter a thousand times thereafter,--"surely i was a fool not to have spoken to her then; not to have seen her, have devised, have forced some way to reach her, not to have met her face to face, and told her all the love with which she had filled my heart and possessed my soul. and then to have been such a coward when i did write to her, to have so said a say which was nothing"; and he groaned impatiently as he thought of the scene in his room and the letter which was its final result. how he had written once, and again, and yet again, letters short and long, letters short and burning, or lengthy and filled almost to the final line with delicate fancies and airy sentiment, ere he ventured to tell that of which all this was but the prelude; how, at the conclusion of each attempt, he had watched these luminous effusions blaze and burn as he regularly committed them to the flames; how he found it difficult to decide which he enjoyed the most,--writing them out, or seeing them burn; how at last he had put upon paper some such words as these:-"after these delightful weeks and months of intercourse, i am to go away from you, then, without a single word of parting, or a solitary sentence of adieu. need i tell you how this pains me? i have in vain besieged the house that has held you; in vain made a thousand inquiries, a thousand efforts to discover your retreat and to reach your side, that i might once more see your face and take your hand ere i went from the sight and touch of both, perchance forever. this i find may not be. the hour strikes, and in a little space i shall march away from the city to which my heart clings with infinite fondness, since it is filled with associations of you. i have again and again striven to write that which will be worthy the eyes that are to read, and striven in vain. 'tis a fine art to which i do not pretend. then, in homely phrase, good by. give me thy spiritual hand, and keep me, if thou wilt, in thy gentle remembrance. adieu! a kind adieu, my friend; may the brighter stars smile on thee, and the better angels guard thy footsteps wherever thou mayst wander, keep thy heart and spirit bright, and let thy thoughts turn kindly back to me, i pray very, very often. and so, once more, farewell." remembering all this, thinking what he would do and say were the doing and saying yet possible in an untried future, the time sped by. he waited and waited in vain. he looked, yet was gratified by no sight for which his eyes longed. he hoped, till hope gave place to despondency and almost despair: not a word came to him, not a line of answer or remembrance. this long silence was all the more intolerable, since the time that intervened did but the more vividly stamp upon his memory the delights of the past, and color with softer and more exquisite tints the recollection of vanished hours,--hours spent in galloping gayly by her side in the early morning, or idly and deliciously lounged away in picture-galleries or concert-rooms, or in a conversation carried on in some curious and subtle shape between two hearts and spirits with the help of very few uttered words; hours in which he had whirled her through many a fairy maze and turn of captivating dance-music, or in some less heated and crowded room, or cool conservatory, listened to the voice of the siren who walked by his side, "while the sweet wind did gently kiss the flowers and make no noise," and the strains of "flute, violin, bassoon," and the sounds of the "dancers dancing in tune," coming to them on the still air of night, seemed like the sounds from another and a far-off world,--listened, listened, listened, while his silver-tongued enchantress builded castles in the air, or beguiled his thought, enthralled his heart, his soul and fancy, through many a golden hour. thinking of all this, his heart well found expression for its feelings in the half-pleasing, half-sorrowful lines which almost unconsciously repeated themselves again and again in his brain:- "still o'er those scenes my memory wakes, and fondly broods with miser care; time but the impression deeper makes, as streams their channels deeper wear." thinking of all this, he took comfort in spite of his trouble. "perhaps," he said to himself, "he was mistaken. perhaps"--o happy thought!--it was but make-believe displeasure which had so tortured him. perhaps--yes, he would believe it--she had never received his letter; they had been careless, they had failed to give it her or to send it aright. he would write her once again, in language which would relieve his heart, and which she must comprehend. he loved her; perhaps, ah, perhaps she loved him a little in return: he would believe so till he was undeceived, and be infinitely happy in the belief. is it not wondrous how even the tiniest grain of love will permeate the saddest and sorest recesses of the heart, and instantly cause it to pulsate with thoughts and emotions the sweetest and dearest in life? o love, thou sweet, thou young and rose lipped cherubim, how does thy smile illuminate the universe! how does thy slightest touch electrify the soul! how gently and tenderly dost thou lead us up to heaven! with surrey, to decide was to act. the second letter, full of sweetest yet intensest love,--his heart laid bare to her,--was written; was sent, enclosed in one to his aunt. tom was away in another section, fighting manfully for the dear old flag, or the precious missive would have been intrusted to his care. he sent it thus that it might reach her sooner. now that he had a fresh hope, he could not wait to write for her address, and forward it himself to her hands; he must adopt the speediest method of putting it in her possession. in a little space came answer from mrs. russell, enclosing the letter he had sent: a kindly epistle it was. he was a sort of idol with this same aunt, so she had put many things on paper that were steeped in gentleness and affection ere she said at the end, "i re-enclose your letter. i have seen miss ercildoune. she restores it to you; she implores you never to write her again,--to forget her. i add my entreaties to hers. she begs of me to beseech you not to try her by any further appeals, as she will but return them unopened." that was all. what could it mean? he loved her so absolutely, he had such exalted faith in her kindness, her gentleness, her fairness and superiority,--in _her_,--that he could not believe she would so thrust back his love, purely and chivalrously offered, with something that seemed like ignominy, unless she had a sufficient reason--or one she deemed such--for treating so cruelly him and the offering he laid at her feet. but she had spoken. it was for him, then, when she bade silence, to keep it; when she refused his gift, to refrain from thrusting it upon her attention and heart. but ah, the silence and the refraining! ah, the time--the weary, sore, intolerable time--that followed! summer, and autumn, and winter, and the seasons repeated once again, he tramped across the soil of virginia, already wet with rebel and patriot blood; he felt the shame and agony of bull run; he was in the night struggle at ball's bluff, where those wondrous harvard boys found it "sweet to die for their country," and discovered, for them, "death to be but one step onward in life." he lay in camp, chafing with impatience and indignation as the long months wore away, and the thousands of graves about washington, filled by disease and inaction, made "all quiet along the potomac." he went down to yorktown; was in the sweat and fury of the seven days' fight; away in the far south, where fever and pestilence stood guard to seize those who were spared by the bullet and bayonet; and on many a field well lost or won. through it all marching or fighting, sick, wounded thrice and again; praised, admired, heroic, promoted,--from private soldier to general,--through two years and more of such fiery experience, no part of the tender love was burned away, tarnished, or dimmed. sometimes, indeed, he even smiled at himself for the constant thought, and felt that he must certainly be demented on this one point at least, since it colored every impression of his life, and, in some shape, thrust itself upon him at the most unseemly and foreign times. one evening, when the mail for the division came in, looking over the pile of letters, his eye was caught by one addressed to james given. the name was familiar,--that of his father's old foreman, whom he knew to be somewhere in the army; doubtless the same man. unquestionably, he thought, that was the reason he was so attracted to it; but why he should take up the delicate little missive, scan it again and again, hold it in his hand with the same touch with which he would have pressed a rare flower, and lay it down as reluctantly as he would have yielded a known and visible treasure,--that was the mystery. he had never seen francesca's writing, but he stood possessed, almost assured, of the belief that this letter was penned by her hand; and at last parted with it slowly and unwillingly, as though it were the dear hand of which he mused; then took himself to task for this boyish weakness and folly. nevertheless, he went in pursuit of jim, not to question him,--he was too thorough a gentleman for that,--but led on partly by his desire to see a familiar face, partly by this folly, as he called it with a sort of amused disdain. folly, however, it was not, save in such measure as the subtle telegraphings between spirit and spirit can be thus called. unjustly so called they are, constantly; it being the habit of most people to denounce as heresy or ridicule as madness things too high for their sight or too deep for their comprehension. as these people would say, "oddly enough," or "by an extraordinary coincidence," this very letter was from miss ercildoune,--a letter which she wrote as she purposed, and as she well knew how to write, in behalf of sallie. it was ostensibly on quite another theme; asking some information in regard to a comrade, but so cunningly devised and executed as to tell him in few words, and unsuspiciously, some news of sallie,--news which she knew would delight his heart, and overthrow the little barrier which had stood between them, making both miserable, but which he would not, and she could not, clamber over or destroy. it did its work effectually, and made two hearts thoroughly happy,--this letter which had so strangely bewitched surrey; which, in his heart, spite of the ridicule of his reason, he was so sure was hers; and which, indeed, was hers, though he knew not that till long afterward. "so," he thought, as he went through the camp, "given is here, and near. i shall be glad to see a face from home, whatever kind of a face it may be, and given's is a good one; it will be a pleasant rememberance." "whither away?" called a voice behind him. "to the 29th," he answered the questioner, one of his officers and friends, who, coming up, took his arm,--"in pursuit of a man." "what's his name?" "given,--christened james. what are you laughing at? do you know him?" "no, i don't know him, but i've heard some funny stories about him; he's a queer stick, i should think." "something in that way.--helloa! brooks, back again?" to a fine, frank-looking young fellow,--"and were you successful?" "yes, to both your questions. in addition i'll say, for your rejoicing, that i give in, cave, subside, have nothing more to say against your pet theory,--from this moment swear myself a rank abolitionist, or anything else you please, now and forever,--so help me all ye black gods and goddesses!" "phew! what's all this?" cried whittlesly, from the other side of his colonel; "what are you driving at? i'll defy anybody to make head or tail of that answer." "surrey understands." "not i; your riddle's too much for me." "didn't you go in pursuit of a dead man?" queried whittlesly. "just that." "did the dead man convert you?" "no, colonel, not precisely. and yet yes, too; that is, i suppose i shouldn't have been converted if he hadn't died, and i gone in search of him." "i believe it; you're such an obstinate case that you need one raised from the dead to have any effect on you." "obstinate! o, hear the pig-headed fellow talk! you're a beauty to discourse on that point, aren't you!" "surrey laughed, and stopped at the call of one of his men, who hailed him as he went by. evidently a favorite here as in new york, in camp as at home; for in a moment he was surrounded by the men, who crowded about him, each with a question, or remark, to draw special attention to himself, and a word or smile from his commander. whatever complaint they had to enter, or petition to make, or favor to beg, or wish to urge, whatever help they wanted or information they desired, was brought to him to solve or to grant, and--never being repulsed by their officer--they speedily knew and loved their friend. thus it was that the two men standing at a little distance, watching the proceeding, were greatly amused at the motley drafts made upon his attention in the shape of tents, shoes, coats, letters to be sent or received, books borrowed and lent, a man sick, or a chicken captured. they brought their interests and cares to him,--these big, brown fellows,--as though they were children, and he a parent well beloved. "one might think him the father of the regiment," said brooks, with a smile. "the mother, more like: it must be the woman element in him these fellows feel and love so." "perhaps; but it would have another effect on them, if, for instance, he didn't carry that sabre-slash on his hand. they've seen him under steel and fire, and know where he's led them." "what is this you were joking about with him, a while ago?" "what! about turning abolitionist?" "precisely." "o, you know he's rampant on the slavery question. i believe it's the only thing he ever loses his temper over, and he has lost it with me more than once. i've always been a rank heretic with regard to cuffee, and the result was, we disagreed." "yes, i know. but what connection has that with your expedition?" "just what i want to know," added surrey, coming up at the moment. "ah! you're in time to hear the confession, are you?" "'an honest confession--'you know what the wise man says." "come, don't flatter yourself we will think you so because you quote him. be quiet, both of you, and let me go on to tell my tale." "attention!" "proceed!" "thus, then. you understand what my errand was?" "not exactly; lieutenant hunt was drowned somewhere, wasn't he?" "yes: fell overboard from a tug; the men on board tried to save him, and then to recover his body, and couldn't do either. some of his people came down here in pursuit of it, and i was detailed with a squad to help them in their search. "well, the naval officers gave us every facility in their power; the river was dragged twice over, and the woods along-shore ransacked, hoping it might have been washed in and, maybe, buried; but there wasn't sight or trace of it. while we were hunting round we stumbled on a couple of darkies, who told us, after a bit of questioning, that darky number three, somewhere about, had found the body of a federal officer on the river bank, and buried it. on that hint we acted, posted over to the fellow's shanty, and found, not him, but his wife, who was ready enough to tell us all she knew. she showed us some traps of the buried officer, among them a pair of spurs, which his brother recognized directly. when she was quite sure that we were all correct, and that the thing had fallen into the right hands, she fished out of some safe corner his wallet, with fifty-seven dollars in it. i confess i stared, for they were slaves, both of them, and evidently poor as job's turkey, and it has always been one of my theories that a nigger invariably steals when he gets a chance. however, i wasn't going to give in at that." "of course you weren't," said the colonel. "did you ever read about the man who was told that the facts did not sustain his theory, and of his sublime answer? 'very well,' said he, 'so much the worse for the facts!'" "come, colonel, you talk too much. how am i ever to get on with my narrative, if you keep interrupting me in this style? be quiet." "word of command. quiet. quiet it is. continue." "no, i said, of course they expect some reward,--that's it." "what an ass you must be!" broke in whittlesly. "hadn't you sense enough to see they could keep the whole of it, and nobody the wiser? and of course they couldn't have supposed any one was coming after it,--could they? "how am i to know what they thought? if you don't stop your comments, i'll stop the story; take your choice." "all right: go ahead." "while i was considering the case, in came the master of the mansion,--a thin, stooped, tired-looking little fellow,--'sam,' he told us, was his name; then proceeded to narrate how he had found the body, and knew the uniform, and was kind and tender with it because of its dress, 'for you see, sah, we darkies is all union folks'; how he had brought it up in the night, for fear of his secesh master, and made a coffin for it, and buried it decently. after that he took us out to a little spot of fresh earth, covered with leaves and twigs, and, digging down, we came to a rough pine box made as well as the poor fellow knew how to put it together. opening it, we found all that was left of poor hunt, respectably clad in a coarse, clean white garment which sam's wife had made as nicely as she could out of her one pair of sheets. 'it wa'n't much,' said the good soul, with tears in her eyes, 'it wa'n't much we's could do for him, but i washed him, and dressed him, peart as i could, and sam and me, we buried him. we wished, both on us, that we could have done heaps more for him, but we did all that we could,'--which, indeed, was plain enough to be seen. "before we went away, sam brought from a little hole, which he burrowed in the floor of his cabin, a something, done up in dirty old rags; and when we opened it, what under the heavens do you suppose we found? you'll never guess. three hundred dollars in bank-bills, and some important papers, which he had taken and hid,--concealed them even from his wife, because, he said, the guerillas often came round, and they might frighten her into giving them up if she knew they were there. "i collapsed at that, and stood with open mouth, watching for the next proceeding. i knew there was to be some more of it, and there was. hunt's brother offered back half the money; _offered_ it! why, he tried to force it on the fellow, and couldn't. his master wouldn't let him buy himself and his wife,--i suspect, out of sheer cussedness,--and he hadn't any other use for money, he said. besides, he didn't want to take, and wouldn't take, anything that looked like pay for doing aught for a 'linkum sojer,' alive or dead. "'they'se going to make us all free, sometime,' he said, 'that's enough. don't look like it, jest yet, i knows; but i lives in faith; it'll come byumby' when the fellow said that, i declare to you, surrey, i felt like hiding my face. at last i began to comprehend what your indignation meant against the order forbidding slaves coming into our lines, and commanding their return when they succeed in entering. just then we all seemed to me meaner than dirt." "as we are; and, as dirt, deserve to be trampled underfoot, beaten, defeated, till we're ready to stand up and fight like men in this struggle." "amen to that, colonel," added whittlesly. "well, i'm pretty nearly ready to say so myself," finished brooks, half reluctantly. chapter ix "_the best-laid schemes o' mice and men gang aft agley._" burns they didn't find jim in the camp of his regiment, so went up to head-quarters to institute inquiries. "given?" a little thought and investigation. "oh! given is out on picket duty." "whereabouts?" the direction indicated. "thanks! we'll find him." having commenced the search, surrey was determined to end it ere he turned back, and his two friends bore him company. as they came down the road, they saw in the distance a great stalwart fellow, red-shirted and conspicuous, evidently absorbed in some singular task,--what they did not perceive, till, coming to closer quarters, they discovered, perched by his side, a tin cup filled with soap-suds, a pipe in his mouth, and that by the help of the two he was regaling himself with the pastime of blowing bubbles. "i'll wager that's jim," said surrey, before he saw his face. "it's like him, certainly: from what i've heard of him, i think he would die outright if he couldn't amuse himself in some shape." "why, the fellow must be a curiosity worth coming here to see." "pretty nearly." surrey walked on a little in advance, and tapped him on the shoulder. down came the pipe, up went the hand in a respectful military salute, but before it was finished he saw who was before him. "wow!" he exclaimed, "if it ain't mr. willie surrey. my! ain't i glad to see you? how _do_ you do? the sight of you is as good as a month's pay." "come, given, don't stun me with compliments," cried surrey, laughing and putting out his hand to grasp the big, red paw that came to meet it, and shake it heartily. "if i'd known you were over here, i'd have found you before, though my regiment hasn't been down here long." jim at that looked sharply at the "eagles," and then over the alert, graceful person, finishing his inspection with an approving nod, and the emphatic declaration, "well, if i know what's what, and i rayther reckon i do, you're about the right figger for an officer, and on the whole i'd sooner pull off my cap to you than any other fellow i've seen round,"--bringing his hand once more to the salute. "why, jim, you have turned courtier; army life is spoiling you," protested the inspected one; protesting,--yet pleased, as any one might have been, at the evidently sincere admiration. "nary time," jim strenuously denied; and, these little courtesies being ended, they talked about enlistment, and home, and camp, and a score of things that interested officer and man alike. in the midst of the confab a dust was seen up the road, coming nearer, and presently out of it appeared a family carriage somewhat dilapidated and worse for wear, but still quite magnificent; enthroned on the back seat a fullblown f.f.v. with rather more than the ordinary measure of superciliousness belonging to his race; driven, of course, by his colored servant. jim made for the middle of the road, and, holding his bayonet in such wise as to threaten at one charge horse, negro, and chivalry, roared out, "tickets!" at such an extraordinary and unceremonious demand the knight flushed angrily, frowned, made an expressive gesture with his lips and his nose which suggestively indicated that there was something offensive in the air between the wind and his gentility, ending the pantomime by finding a pass and handing it over to his "nigger," then--not deigning to speak--motioned him and it to the threatening figure. as this black man came forward, brooks, looking at him a moment, cried excitedly, "by jove! it's sam." "no? hunt's sam?" "yes, the very same; and i suppose that's his cantankerous old master." surrey ran forward to jim, for the three had fallen back when the carriage came near, and said a few sentences to him quickly and earnestly. "all right, colonel! just as you please," he replied. "you leave it to me; i'll fix him." then, turning to sam, who stood waiting, demanded, "well, have you got it?" "yes, massa." "fork over,"--and looking at it a moment pronounced "all right! move on!" elucidating the remark by a jerk at the coat-collar of the unsuspecting sam, which sent him whirling up the road at a fine but uncomfortable rate of speed. "now, sir, what do you want?" addressing the astounded chevalier, who sat speechlessly observant of this unlooked-for proceeding. "want?" cried the irate virginian, his anger loosening his tongue, "want? i want to go on, of course; that was my pass." "was it now? i want to know! that's singular! why didn't you offer it yourself then?" "because i thought my nigger a fitter person to parley with a lincoln vandal," loftily responded his eminence. "that's kind of you, i'm sure. sorry i can't oblige you in return,--very; but you'll just have to turn tail and drive back again. that bit of paper says 'pass the bearer,' and the bearer's already passed. you can't get two men through this picket on one man's pass, not if one is a nigger and t'other a skunk; so, sir, face about, march!" this was an unprepared-for dilemma. mr. v. looked at the face of the "lincoln vandal," but saw there no sign of relenting; then into the distance whither he was anxiously desirous to tend; glanced reflectively at the bayonet in the centre and the narrow space on either side the road; and finally called to his black man to come back. sam approached with reluctance, and fell back with alacrity when the glittering steel was brandished towards his own breast. "where's your pass, sirrah?" demanded jim, with asperity. "here, massa," said the chattel, presenting the same one which had already been examined. "won't do," said jim. "can't come that game over this child. that passes you to fairfax,--can't get any one from fairfax on that ticket. come," flourishing the shooting-stick once more, "move along"; which sam proceeded to do with extraordinary readiness. "now, sir," turning to the again speechless chevalier, "if you stay here any longer, i shall take you under arrest to head-quarters: consequently, you'd better accept the advice of a disinterested friend, and make tracks, lively." by this time the scion of a latter-day chivalry seemed to comprehend the situation, seized his lines, wheeled about, and went off at a spanking trot over the "sacred soil,"--jim shouting after him, "i say, mr. f.f.v. if you meet any 'lincoln vandals,' just give them my respects, will you?" to which as the knight gave no answer, we are left in doubt to this day whether given's commission was ever executed. "there! my mind's relieved on that point," announced jim, wiping his face with one hand and shaking the other after the retreating dust. "mean old scoot! i'll teach him to insult one of our boys,--'lincoln vandals' indeed! i'd like to have whanged him!" with a final shake and a final explosion, cooling off as rapidly as he had heated, and continuing the interrupted conversation with recovered temper and _sangfroid_. he was delighted at meeting surrey, and surrey was equally glad to see once more his old favorite, for jim and he had been great friends when he was a little boy and had watched the big boy at work in his father's foundry,--a favoritism which, spite of years and changes, and wide distinctions of social position, had never altered nor cooled, and which showed itself now in many a pleasant shape and fashion so long as they were near together. they aided and abetted one another in more ways than one. jim at surrey's request, and by a plan of his proposing, succeeded in getting sam's wife away from her home,--not from any liking for the expedition, or interest in either of the "niggers," as he stoutly asserted, but solely to please the colonel. if that, indeed, were his only purpose, he succeeded to a charm, for when surrey saw the two reunited, safe from the awful clutch of slavery, supplied with ample means for the journey and the settlement thereafter, and on their way to a good northern home, he was more than pleased,--he was rejoiced, and said, "thank god!" with all his heart, and reverently, as he watched them away. before the summer ended jim was down with what he called "a scratch"; a pretty ugly wound, the surgeon thought it, and the colonel remembered and looked after him with unflagging interest and zeal. many a book and paper, many a cooling drink and bit of fruit delicious to the parched throat and fevered lips, found their way to the little table by his side. surrey was never too busy by reason of his duties, or among his own sick and wounded men, to find time for a chat, or a scrap of reading, or to write a letter for the prostrate and helpless fellow, who suffered without complaining, as, indeed, they did all about him, only relieving himself now and then by a suppressed growl. and so, with occasional episodes of individual interest, with marches and fightings, with extremes of heat and cold, of triumph and defeat, the long months wore away. these men were soldiers, each in his place in the great war with the record of which all the world is familiar, a tale written in blood, and flame, and tears,--terrible, yet heroic; ghastly, yet sublime. as soldiers in such a conflict, they did their duty and noble endeavor,--jim, a nameless private in the ranks,--surrey, not braver perchance, but so conspicuous with all the elements which fit for splendid command, so fortunate in opportunities for their display, so eminent in seizing them and using them to their fullest extent, regardless of danger and death, as to make his name known and honored by all who watched the progress of the fight, read its record with interest, and knew its heroes and leaders with pride and love. in the winter of '63 jim's regiment was ordered away to south carolina; and he who at parting looked with keen regret on the face of the man who had been so faithful and well tried a friend, would have looked upon it with something deeper and sadder, could he at the same time have gazed a little way into the future, and seen what it held in store for him. four months after he marched away, surrey's brigade was in that awful fight and carnage of chancellorsville, where men fought like gods to counteract the blunders, and retrieve the disaster, induced by a stunned and helpless brain. there was he stricken down, at the head of his command, covered with dust and smoke; twice wounded, yet refusing to leave the field,--his head bound with a handkerchief, his eyes blazing like stars beneath its stained folds, his voice cheering on his men; three horses shot under him; on foot then; contending for every inch of the ground he was compelled to yield; giving way only as he was forced at the point of the bayonet; his men eager to emulate him, to follow him into the jaws of death, to fall by his side,--thus was he prostrated; not dead, as they thought and feared when they seized him and bore him at last from the field, but insensible, bleeding with frightful abundance, his right arm shattered to fragments; not dead, yet at death's door--and looking in. may blossoms had dropped, and june harvests were ripe on all the fields, ere he could take advantage of the unsolicited leave, and go home. home--for which his heart longed! he was not, however, in too great haste to stop by the way, to pause in washington, and do what he had sooner intended to accomplish,--solicit, as a special favor to himself, as an honor justly won by the man for whom he entreated it, a promotion for jim. "it is impossible now," he was informed, "but the case should be noted and remembered. if anything could certainly secure the man an advance, it was the advocacy of general surrey"; and so, not quite content, but still satisfied that jim's time was in the near future, he went on his way. as the cars approached philadelphia his heart beat so fast that it almost stifled him, and he leaned against the window heavily for air and support. it was useless to reason with himself, vain to call good judgment to his counsels and summon wisdom to his aid. this was her home. somewhere in this city to which he was so rapidly hastening, she was moving up and down, had her being, was living and loving. after these long years his eyes so ached to see her, his heart was so hungry for her presence, that it seemed to him as though the sheer longing would call her out of her retreat, on to the streets through which he must pass, across his path, into the sight of his eyes and reach of his hand. he had thought that he felt all this before. he found, as the space diminished between them,--as, perchance, she was but a stone's throw from his side,--that the pain, and the longing, and the intolerable desire to behold her once again, increased a hundred-fold. eager as he had been a little while before to reach his home, he was content to remain quietly here now. he laughed at himself as he stepped into a carriage, and, tired as he was,--for his amputated arm, not yet thoroughly healed, made him weak and worn,--drove through all the afternoon and evening, across miles and miles of heated, wearisome stones, possessed by the idea that somewhere, somehow, he should see her, he would find her before his quest was done. after that last painful rebuff, he did not dare to go to her home, could he find it, till he had secured from her, in some fashion, a word or sign. "this," he said, "is certainly doubly absurd, since she does not live in the city; but she is here to-day, i know,--she must be here"; and persisted in his endeavor,--persisted, naturally, in vain; and went to bed, at last, exhausted; determined that to-morrow should find him on his journey farther north, whatever wish might plead for delay, yet with a final cry for her from the depths of his soul, as he stretched out his solitary arm, ere sinking to restless sleep, and dreams of battle and death--sleep unrefreshing, and dreams ill-omened; as he thought, again and again, rousing himself from their hold, and looking out to the night, impatient for the break of day. when day broke he was unable to rise with its dawn. the effect of all this tension on his already overtaxed nerves was to induce a fever in the unhealed arm, which, though not painful, was yet sufficient to hold him close prisoner for several days; a delay which chafed him, and which filled his family at home with an intolerable anxiety, not that they knew its cause,--_that_ would have been a relief,--but that they conjectured another, to them infinitely worse than sickness or suffering, bad and sorrowful as were these. chapter x "_gentlemen, let not prejudice prepossess you._" izaak walton car no. 14, fifth street line, philadelphia, was crowded. travelling bags, shawls, and dusters marked that people were making for the 11 a.m. new york train, kensington depot. one pleasant-looking old gentleman whose face shone under a broad brim, and whose cleanly drabs were brought into distasteful proximity with the garments of a drunken coal-heaver, after a vain effort to edge away, relieved his mind by turning to his neighbor with the statement, "consistency is a jewel." "undoubtedly true, mr. greenleaf," answered the neighbor, "but what caused the remark?" "that,"--looking with mild disgust at the dirty and ragged leg sitting by his own. "here's this filthy fellow, a nuisance to everybody near him, can ride in these cars, and a nice, respectable colored person can't. so i couldn't help thinking, and saying, that consistency is a jewel." "well, it's a shame,--that's a fact; but of course nobody can interfere if the companies don't choose to let them ride; it's their concern, not ours." "there's a fine specimen now, out there on the sidewalk." the fine specimen was a large, powerfully made man, black as ebony, dressed in army blouse and trousers, one leg gone,--evidently very tired, for he leaned heavily on his crutches. the conductor, a kindly-faced young fellow, pulled the strap, and helped him on to the platform with a peremptory "move up front, there!" to the people standing inside. "why!" exclaimed the old friend,--"do my eyes deceive me?" then getting up, and taking the man by the arm, he seated him in his own place: "thou art less able to stand than i." tears rushed to his eyes as he said, "thank you, sir! you are too kind." evidently he was weak, and as evidently unaccustomed to find any one "too kind." "thee has on the army blue; has thee been fighting any?" "yes, sir!" he answered, promptly. "i didn't know black men were in the army; yet thee has lost a leg. where did that go?" "at newbern, sir." "at newbern,--ah! long ago? and how did it happen?" "fourteenth of march, sir. there was a land fight, and the gunboats came up to the rescue. some of us black men were upon board a little schooner that carried one gun. 'twasn't a great deal we could do with that, but we did the best we could; and got well peppered in return. this is what it did for me,"--looking down at the stump. "i guess thee is sorry now that thee didn't keep out of it, isn't thee?" "no, sir; no indeed, sir. if i had five hundred legs and fifty lives, i'd be glad to give them all in such a war as this." here somebody got out; the old friend sat down; and the coal-heaver, roused by the stir, lifted himself from his drunken sleep, and, looking round, saw who was beside him. a vile oath, an angry stare from his bloodshot eyes. "ye ----, what are ye doin' here? out wid ye, quick!" "what's the matter?" queried the conductor, who was collecting somebody's fare. "the matther, is it? matther enough! what's this nasty nagur doin' here? put him out, can't ye?" the conductor took no notice. "conductor!" spoke up a well-dressed man, with the air and manner of a gentleman, "what does that card say?" the conductor looked at the card indicated, upon which was printed "colored people not allowed in this car," legible enough to require less study than he saw fit to give it. "well!" he said. "well," was the answer,--"your duty is plain. put that fellow out." the conductor hesitated,--looked round the car. nobody spoke. "i'm sorry, my man! i hoped there would be no objection when i let you in; but our orders are strict, and, as the passengers ain't willing, you'll have to get off,"--jerking angrily at the bell. as the car slackened speed, a young officer, whom nobody noticed, got on. there was a moment's pause as the black man gathered up his crutches, and raised himself painfully. "stop!" cried a thrilling and passionate voice,--"stand still! of what stuff are you made to sit here and see a man, mangled and maimed in _your_ cause and for _your_ defence, insulted and outraged at the bidding of a drunken boor and a cowardly traitor?" the voice, the beautiful face, the intensity burning through both, electrified every soul to which she appealed. hands were stretched out to draw back the crippled soldier; eyes that a moment before were turned away looked kindly at him; a babel of voices broke out, "no, no," "let him stay," "it's a shame," "let him alone, conductor," "we ain't so bad as that," with more of the same kind; those who chose not to join in the chorus discreetly held their peace, and made no attempt to sing out of time and tune. the car started again. the _gentleman_, furious at the turn of the tide, cried out, "ho, ho! here's a pretty preacher of the gospel of equality! why, ladies and gentlemen, this high-flyer, who presumes to lecture us, is nothing but a"-the sentence was cut short in mid-career, the insolent sneer dashed out of his face,--face and form prone on the floor of the car,--while over him bent and blazed the young officer, whose entrance, a little while before, nobody had heeded. spurning the prostrate body at his feet, he turned to francesca, for it was she, and stretched out his hand,--his left hand,--his only one. it was time; all the heat, and passion, and color, had died out, and she stood there shivering, a look of suffering in her face. "miss ercildoune! you are ill,--you need the air,--allow me!" drawing her hand through his arm, and taking her out with infinite deference and care. "thank you! a moment's faintness,--it is over now," as they reached the sidewalk. "no, no, you are too ill to walk,--let me get you a carriage." hailing one that was passing by, he put her in, his hand lingering on hers, lingering on the folds of her dress as he bent to arrange it; his eyes clinging to her face with a passionate, woeful tenderness. "it is two years since i saw you, since i have heard from you," he said, his voice hoarse with the effort to speak quietly. "yes," she answered, "it is two years." stooping her head to write upon a card, her lips moved as if they said something,--something that seemed like "i must! only once!" but of course that could not be. "it is my address," she then said, putting the card in his hand. "i shall be happy to see you in my own home." "this afternoon?" eagerly. she hesitated. "whenever you may call. i thank you again,--and good morning." meanwhile the car had moved on its course: outwardly, peaceful enough; inwardly, full of commotion. the conservative gentleman, gathering himself up from his prone estate, white with passion and chagrin, saw about him everywhere looks of scorn, and smiles of derision and contempt, and fled incontinently from the sight. his coal-heaving _confrã¨re_, left to do battle alone, came to the charge valiant and unterrified. another outbreak of blasphemy and obscenity were the weapons of assault; the ladies looked shocked, the gentlemen indignant and disgusted. "friend," called the non-resistant broad-brim, beckoning peremptorily to the conductor,--"friend, come here." the conductor came. "if colored persons are not permitted to ride, i suppose it is equally against the rules of the company to allow nuisances in their cars. isn't it?" "you are right, sir," assented the conductor, upon whose face a smile of comprehension began to beam. "well, i don't know what thee thinks, or what these other people think, but i know of no worse nuisance than a filthy, blasphemous drunkard. there he sits,--remove him." there was a perfect shout of laughter and delight; and before the irate "citizen" comprehended what was intended, or could throw himself into a pugilistic attitude, he was seized, _sans_ ceremony, and ignominiously pushed and hustled from the car; the people therein, black soldier and all, drawing a long breath of relief, and going on their way rejoicing. everybody's eyes were brighter; hearts beat faster, blood moved more quickly; everybody felt a sense of elation, and a kindness towards their neighbor and all the world. a cruel and senseless prejudice had been lost in an impulse, generous and just; and for a moment the sentiment which exalted their humanity, vivified and gladdened their souls. chapter xi "_the future seemed barred by the corpse of a dead hope._" owen meredith so, then, after these long years he had seen her again. having seen her, he wondered how he had lived without her. if the wearisome months seemed endless in passing, the morning hours were an eternity. "this afternoon?" he had said. "be it so," she had answered. he did not dare to go till then. thinking over the scene of the morning, he scarcely dared go at all. she had not offered her hand; she had expressed no pleasure, either by look or word, at meeting him again. he had forced her to say, "come": she could do no less when he had just interfered to save her insult, and had begged the boon. "insult!" his arm ached to strike another blow, as he remembered the sentence it had cut short. of course the fellow had been drinking, but outrage of her was intolerable, whatever madness prompted it. the very sun must shine more brightly, and the wind blow softly, when she passed by. ah me! were the whole world what an ardent lover prays for his mistress, there were no need of death to enjoy the bliss of heaven. what could he say? what do? how find words to speak the measured feelings of a friend? how control the beatings of his heart, the passion of his soul, that no sign should escape to wound or offend her? she had bade him to silence: was he sufficiently master of himself to strike the lighter keys without sounding some deep chords that would jar upon her ear? he tried to picture the scene of their second meeting. he repeated again and again her formal title, miss ercildoune, that he might familiarize his tongue and his ear to the sound, and not be on the instant betrayed into calling the name which he so often uttered in his thoughts. he said over some civil, kindly words of greeting, and endeavored to call up, and arrange in order, a theme upon which he should converse. "i shall not dare to be silent," he thought, "for if i am, my silence will tell the tale; and if that do not, she will hear it from the throbbings of my heart. i don't know though,"--he laughed a little, as he spoke aloud,--bitterly it would have been, had his voice been capable of bitterness,--"perhaps she will think the organism of the poor thing has become diseased in camp and fightings,"--putting his hand up to his throat and holding the swollen veins, where the blood was beating furiously. presently he went down stairs and out to the street, in pursuit of some cut flowers which he found in a little cellar, a stone's throw from his hotel,--a fresh, damp little cellar, which smelt, he could not help thinking, like a grave. coming out to the sunshine, he shook himself with disgust. "faugh!" he thought, "what sick fancies and sentimental nonsense possess me? i am growing unwholesome. my dreams of the other night have come back to torment me in the day. these must put them to flight." the fancy which had sent him in pursuit of these flowers he confessed to be a childish one, but none the less soothing for that. he had remembered that the first day he beheld her a nosegay had decorated his button-hole; a fair, sweet-scented thing which seemed, in some subtle way, like her. he wanted now just such another,--some mignonette, and geranium, and a single tea-rosebud. here they were,--the very counterparts of those which he had worn on a brighter and happier day. how like they were! how changed was he! in some moods he would have smiled at this bit of girlish folly as he fastened the little thing over his heart; now, something sounded in his throat that was pitifully like a sob. don't smile at him! he was so young; so impassioned, yet gentle; and then he loved so utterly with the whole of his great, sore heart. by and by the time came to go, and eager, yet fearful, he went. it was a fresh, beautiful day in early june; and when the city, with its heat, and dust, and noise, was left behind, and all the leafy greenness--the soothing quiet of country sights and country sounds--met his ear and eye, a curious peace took possession of his soul. it was less the whisper of hope than the calm of assured reality. for the moment, unreasonable as it seemed, something made him blissfully sure of her love, spite of the rebuffs and coldness she had compelled him to endure. "this is the place, sir!" suddenly called his driver, stopping the horses in front of a stately avenue of trees, and jumping down to open the gates. "you need not drive in; you may wait here." this, then, was her home. he took in the exquisite beauty of the place with a keen pleasure. it was right that all things sweet and fine should be about her; he had before known that they were, but it delighted him to see them with his own eyes. walking slowly towards the house,--slowly, for he was both impelled and retarded by the conflicting feelings that mastered him,--he heard her voice at a little distance, singing; and directly she came out of a by-path, and faced him. he need not have feared the meeting; at least, any display of emotion; she gave no opportunity for any such thing. a frankly extended hand,--an easy "good afternoon, mr. surrey!" that was all. it was a cool, beautiful room into which she ushered him; a room filled with an atmosphere of peace, but which was anything but peaceful to him. he was restless, nervous; eager and excited, or absent and still. he determined to master his emotion, and give no outward sign of the tempest raging within. at the instant of this conclusion his eye was caught by an exquisite portrait miniature upon an easel near him. bending over it, taking it into his hands, his eyes went to and fro from the pictured face to the human one, tracing the likeness in each. marking his interest, francesca said, "it is my mother." "if the eyes were dark, this would be your veritable image." "or, if mine were blue, i should be a portrait of mamma, which would be better." "better?" "yes." she was looking at the picture with weary eyes, which he could not see. "i had rather be the shadow of her than the reality of myself: an absurd fancy!" she added, with a smile, suddenly remembering herself. "i would it were true!" he exclaimed. she looked a surprised inquiry. his thought was, "for then i should steal you, and wear you always on my heart." but of course he could speak no such lover's nonsense; so he said, "because of the fitness of things; you wished to be a shadow, which is immaterial, and hence of the substance of angels." truly he was improving. his effort to betray no love had led him into a ridiculous compliment. "what an idiot she will think me to say anything so silly!" he reflected; while francesca was thinking, "he has ceased to love me, or he would not resort to flattery. it is well!" but the pang that shot through her heart belied the closing thought, and, glancing at him, the first was denied by the unconscious expression of his eyes. seeing that, she directly took alarm, and commenced to talk upon a score of indifferent themes. he had never seen her in such a mood: gay, witty, brilliant,--full of a restless sparkle and fire; she would not speak an earnest word, nor hear one. she flung about bonmots, and chatted airy persiflage till his heart ached. at another time, in another condition, he would have been delighted, dazzled, at this strange display; but not now. in some careless fashion the war had been alluded to, and she spoke of chancellorsville. "it was there you were last wounded?" "yes," he answered, not even looking down at the empty sleeve. "it was there you lost your arm?" "yes," he answered again, "i am sorry it was my sword-arm." "it was frightful,"--holding her breath. "do you know you were reported mortally wounded? worse?" "i have heard that i was sent up with the slain," he replied, half-smiling. "it is true. i looked for your name in the columns of 'wounded' and 'missing,' and read it at last in the list of 'killed.'" "for the sake of old times, i trust you were a little sorry to so read it," he said, sadly, for the tone hurt him. "sorry? yes, i was sorry. who, indeed, of your friends would not be?" "who, indeed?" he repeated: "i am afraid the one whose regret i should most desire would sorrow the least." "it is very like," she answered, with seeming carelessness,--"disappointment is the rule of life." this would not do. he was getting upon dangerous ground. he would change the theme, and prevent any farther speech till he was better master of it. he begged for some music. she sat down at once and played for him; then sang at his desire. rich as she was in the gifts of nature, her voice was the chief,--thrilling, flexible, with a sympathetic quality that in singing pathetic music brought tears, though the hearer understood not a word of the language in which she sang. in the old time he had never wearied listening, and now he besought her to repeat for him some of the dear, familiar songs. if these held for her any associations, he did not know it; she gave no outward sign,--sang to him as sweetly and calmly as to the veriest stranger. what else had he expected? nothing; yet, with the unreasonableness of a lover, was disappointed that nothing appeared. taking up a piece at random, without pausing to remember the words, he said, spreading it before her, "may i tax you a little farther? i am greedy, i know, but then how can i help it?" it was the song of the princess. she hesitated a moment, and half closed the book. had he been standing where he could see her face, he would have been shocked by its pallor. it was over directly: she recovered herself, and, opening the music with a resolute air, began to sing:- "ask me no more: the moon may draw the sea; the cloud may stoop from heaven and take the shape, with fold to fold, of mountain and of cape; but, o too fond, when have i answered thee? ask me no more. "ask me no more: what answer should i give? i love not hollow cheek or faded eye; yet, o my friend, i will not have thee die! ask me no more, lest i should bid thee live: ask me no more." she sang thus far with a clear, untrembling voice,--so clear and untrembling as to be almost metallic,--the restraint she had put upon herself making it unnatural. at the commencement she had estimated her strength, and said, "it is sufficient!" but she had overtaxed it, as she found in singing the last verse:- "ask me no more: thy fate and mine are sealed; i strove against the stream and all in vain; let the great river take me to the main; no more, dear love, for at a touch i yield: ask me no more." all the longing, the passion, the prayer of which a human soul is capable found expression in her voice. it broke through the affected coldness and calm, as the ocean breaks through its puny barriers when, after wind and tempest, all its mighty floods are out. surrey had changed his place, and stood fronting her. as the last word fell, she looked at him, and the two faces saw in each but a reflection of the same passion and pain: pallid, with eyes burning from an inward fire,--swayed by the same emotion,--she bent forward as he, stretching forth his arms, in a stifling voice cried, "come!" bent, but for an instant; then, by a superhuman effort, turned from him, and put out her hand with a gesture of dissent, though she could not control her voice to speak a word. at that he came close to her, not touching her hand or even her dress, but looking into her face with imploring eyes, and whispering, "francesca, my darling, speak to me! say that you love me! one word! you are breaking my heart!" not a word. "francesca!" she had mastered her voice. "go!" she then said, beseechingly. "oh, why did you ask me? why did i let you come?" "no, no," he answered. "i cannot go,--not till you answer me." "ah!" she entreated, "do not ask! i can give no such answer as you desire. it is all wrong,--all a mistake. you do not comprehend." "make me, then." she was silent. "forgive me. i am rude: i cannot help it. i will not go unless you say, 'i do not love you.' nothing but this shall drive me away." francesca's training in her childhood had been by a catholic governess; she never quite lost its effect. now she raised her hand to a little gold cross that hung at her neck, her fingers closing on it with a despairing clasp. "ah, christ, have pity!" her heart cried. "blessed mother of god, forgive me! have mercy upon me!" her face was frightfully pale, but her voice did not tremble as she gave him her hand, and said gently, "go, then, my friend. i do not love you." he took her hand, held it close for a moment, and then, without another look or word, put it tenderly down, and was gone. so absorbed was he in painful thought that, passing down the long avenue with bent head, he did not notice, nor even see, a gentleman who, coming from the opposite direction, looked at him at first carelessly, and then searchingly, as he went by. this gentleman, a man in the prime of life, handsome, stately, and evidently at home here, scrutinized the stranger with a singular intensity,--made a movement as though he would speak to him,--and then, drawing back, went with hasty steps towards the house. had willie looked up, beheld this face and its expression, returned the scrutiny of the one, and comprehended the meaning of the other, while memory recalled a picture once held in his hands, some things now obscured would have been revealed to him, and a problem been solved. as it was, he saw nothing, moved mechanically onward to the carriage, seated himself and said, "home!" this young man was neither presumptuous nor vain. he had been once repulsed and but now utterly rejected. he had no reason to hope, and yet--perhaps it was his poetical and imaginative temperament--he could not resign himself to despair. suddenly he started with an exclamation that was almost a cry. what was it? he remembered that, more than two years ago, on the last day he had been with her, he had begged the copy of a duet which they sometimes sang. it was in manuscript, and he desired to have it written out by her own hand. he had before petitioned, and she promised it; and when he thus again spoke of it, she laughed, and said, "what a memory it is, to be sure! i shall have to tie a bit of string on my finger to refresh it." "is that efficacious?" he had asked. "doubtless," she had replied, searching in her pocket for a scrap of anything that would serve. "will this do?" he then queried, bringing forth a coil of gold wire which he had been commissioned to buy for some fanciful work of his mother. "finely," she declared; "it is durable, it will give me a wide margin, it will be long in wearing out." "nay, then, you must have something more fragile," he had objected. at that they both laughed, as he twisted a fragment of it on the little finger of her right hand. "there it is to stay," he asserted, "till your promise is redeemed." that was the last time he had seen her till to-day. now, sitting, thinking of the interview just passed, suddenly he remembered, as one often recalls the vision of something seemingly unnoticed at the time, that, upon her right hand, the little finger of the right hand, there was a delicate ring,--a mere thread,--in fact, a wire of gold; the very one himself had tied there two years ago. in an instant, by one of those inexplicable connections of the brain or soul, he found himself living over an experience of his college youth. he had been spending the day in boston with a dear friend, some score of years his senior; a man of the rarest culture, and of a most sweet and gentle nature withal; and when evening came they had drifted naturally to the theatre,--the fool's paradise it may be sometimes, but to them on that occasion a real paradise. he remembered well the play. it was scott's _bride of lammermoor_. he had never read it, but, before the curtain rose, his friend had unfolded the story in so kind and skilful a manner as to have imbued him as fully with the spirit of the tale as though he had studied the book. what he chiefly recalled in the play was the scene in which ravenswood comes back to emily long after they had been plighted,--long after he had supposed her faithless,--long after he had been tossed on a sea of troubles, touching the seeming decay in her affections. just as she is about to be enveloped in the toils which were spread for her,--just as she is about to surrender herself to the hated nuptials, and submit to the embrace of one whom she loathed more than she dreaded death,--ravenswood, the man whom heaven had made for her, presents himself. what followed was quiet, yet intensely dramatic. ravenswood, wrought to the verge of despair, bursts upon the scene at the critical moment, detaches emily from her party, and leads her slowly forward. he is unutterably sad. he questions her very tenderly; asks her whether she is not enforced; whether she is taking this step of her own free will and accord; whether she has indeed dismissed the dear, old fond love for him from her heart forever? he must hear it from her own lips. when timidly and feebly informed that such is indeed the case, he requests her to return a certain memento,--a silver trinket which had been given her as the symbol of his love on the occasion of their betrothal. raising her hand to her throat she essays to draw it from her bosom. her fingers rest upon the chain which binds it to her neck, but the o'erfraught heart is still,--the troubled, but unconscious head droops upon his shoulder,--he lifts the chain from its resting-place, and withdraws the token from her heart. supporting her with one hand and holding this badge of a lost love with the other, he says, looking down upon her with a face of anguish, and in a voice of despair, "_and she could wear it thus!_" as this scene rose and lived before him, surrey exclaimed, "surely that must have been the perfection of art, to have produced an effect so lasting and profound,--'and she could wear it thus!'--ah," he said, as in response to some unexpressed thought, "but emily loved ravenswood. why--?" evidently he was endeavoring to answer a question that baffled him. chapter xii "_and down on aching heart and brain blow after blow unbroken falls._" boker "a letter for you, sir," said the clerk, as surrey stopped at the desk for his key. it was a bulky epistle, addressed in his aunt russell's hand, and he carried it off, wondering what she could have to say at such length. he was in no mood to read or to enjoy; but, nevertheless, tore open the cover, finding within it a double letter. taking the envelope of one from the folds of the other, his eye fell first upon his mother's writing; a short note and a puzzling one. * * * * * "my dear willie:-"i have tried to write you a letter, but cannot. i never wounded you if i could avoid it, and i do not wish to begin now. augusta and i had a talk about you yesterday which crazed me with anxiety. she told me it was my place to write you what ought to be said under these trying circumstances, for we are sure you have remained in philadelphia to see miss ercildoune. at first i said i would, and then my heart failed me. i was sure, too, that she could write, as she always does, much better than i; so i begged her to say all that was necessary, and i would send her this note to enclose with her letter. read it, i entreat you, and then hasten, i pray you, hasten to us at once. "take care of your arm, do not hurt yourself by any excitement; and, with dear love from your father, which he would send did he know i was writing, believe me always your devoted "mother." * * * * * "'trying circumstances!'--'miss ercildoune!'--what does it mean?" he cried, bewildered. "come, let us see." the letter which he now opened was an old and much-fingered one, written--as he saw at the first glance--by his aunt to his mother. why it was sent to him he could not conjecture; and, without attempting to so do, at once plunged into its pages:- * * * * * "continental hotel, philadelphia, june 27, 1861 "my dear laura:-"i can readily understand with what astonishment you will read this letter, from the amazement i have experienced in collecting its details. i will not weary you with any personal narration, but tell my tale at once. "miss ercildoune, as you know, was my daughter's intimate at school,--a school, the admittance to which was of itself a guarantee of respectability. of course i knew nothing of her family, nor of her,--save as clara wrote me of her beauty and her accomplishments, and, above all, of her style,--till i met mrs. lancaster. of her it is needless for me to speak. as you know, she is irreproachable, and her position is of the best. consequently when clara wrote me that her friend was to come to new york to her aunt, and begged to entertain her for a while, i added my request to her entreaty, and miss ercildoune came. ill-fated visit! would it had never been made! "it is useless now to deny her gifts and graces. they are, reluctantly i confess, so rare and so conspicuous--have so many times been seen, and known, and praised by us all,--that it would put me in the most foolish of attitudes should i attempt to reconsider a verdict so frequently pronounced, or to eat my own words, uttered a thousand times. "it is also, i presume, useless to deny that we were well pleased--nay, delighted--with willie's evident sentiment for her. indeed, so thoroughly did she charm me, that, had i not seen how absolutely his heart was enlisted in her pursuit, she is the very girl whom i should have selected, could i have so done, as a wife for tom and a daughter for myself. "i knew full well how deep was this feeling for her when he marched away, on that day so full of supreme splendor and pain, unable to see her and to say adieu. his eyes, his face, his manner, his very voice, marked his restlessness, his longing, and disappointment. i was positively angry with the girl for thwarting and hurting him so, and, whatever her excuse might be, for her absence at such a time. how constantly are we quarrelling with our best fates! "she remained in new york, as you know, for some weeks after the 19th; in fact, has been at home but for a little while. once or twice, so provoked with her was i for disappointing our pet, i could not resist the temptation of saying some words about him which, if she cared for him, i knew would wound her: and, indeed, they did,--wounded her so deeply, as was manifest in her manner and her face, that i had not the heart to repeat the experiment. "one week ago i had a letter from willie, enclosing another to her, and an entreaty, as he had written one which he was sure had miscarried, that i would see that this reached her hands in safety. so anxious was i to fulfil his request in its word and its spirit, and so certain that i could further his cause,--for i was sure this letter was a love-letter,--that i did not forward it by post, but, being compelled to come to burlington, i determined to go on to philadelphia, drive out to her home, and myself deliver the missive into her very hands. a most fortunate conclusion, as you will presently decide. "last evening i reached the city,--rested, slept here,--and this morning was driven to her father's place. for all our sakes, i was somewhat anxious, under the circumstances, that this should be quite the thing; and i confess myself, on the instant of its sight, more than satisfied. it is really superb!--the grounds extensive, and laid out with the most absolute taste. the house, large and substantial, looks very like an english mansion; with a certain quaint style and antique elegance, refreshing to contemplate, after the crude newness and ostentatious vulgarity of almost everything one sees here in america. it is within as it is without. although a great many lovely things are scattered about of recent make, the wood-work and the heavy furniture are aristocratic from their very age, and in their way, literally perfection. "miss ercildoune met me with not quite her usual grace and ease. she was, no doubt, surprised at my unexpected appearance, and--i then thought, as a consequence--slightly embarrassed. i soon afterwards discovered the constraint in her manner sprang from another cause. "i had reached the house just at lunch-time, and she would take me out to the table to eat something with her. i had hoped to see her father, and was disappointed when she informed me he was in the city. all i saw charmed me. the appointments of the table were like those of the house: everything exquisitely fine, and the silver massive and old,--not a new piece among it,--and marked with a monogram and crest. "i write you all this that you may the more thoroughly appreciate my absolute horror at the final _denouement_, and share my astonishment at the presumption of these people in daring to maintain such style. "i had given her willie's letter before we left the parlor, with a significant word and smile, and was piqued to see that she did not blush,--in fact, became excessively white as she glanced at the writing, and with an unsteady hand put it into her pocket. after lunch she made no motion to look at it, and as i had my own reasons for desiring her to peruse it, i said, 'miss francesca, will you not read your letter? that i may know if there is any later news from our soldier.' "she hesitated a moment, and then said, with what i thought an unnatural manner, 'certainly, if you so desire,' and, taking it out, broke the seal. 'allow me,' she added, going towards a window,--as though she desired more light, but in reality, i knew, to turn her back upon me,--forgetting that a mirror, hanging opposite, would reveal her face with distinctness to my gaze. "it was pale to ghastliness, with a drawn, haggard look about the mouth and eyes that shocked as much as it amazed me; and before commencing to read she crushed the letter in her hands, pressing it to her heart with a gesture which was less of a caress than of a spasm. "however, as she read, all this changed; and before she finished said, 'ah, willie, it is clear your cause needs no advocate.' positively, i did not know a human countenance could express such happiness; there was something in it absolutely dazzling. and evidently entirely forgetful of me, she raised the paper to her mouth, and kissed it again and again, pressing her lips upon it with such clinging and passionate fondness as would have imbued it with life were that possible." here willie flung down his aunt's epistle and tore from his pocket this self-same letter. he had kept it,--carried it about with him,--for two reasons: because it was _hers_, he said,--this avowal of his love was hers, whether she refused it or no, and he had no right to destroy her property; and because, as he had nothing else she had worn or touched, he cherished this sacredly since it had been in her dear hands. now he took it into his clasp as tenderly as though it were francesca's face, and kissed it with the self-same clinging and passionate fondness as this of which he had just read. here had her lips rested,--here; he felt their fragrance and softness thrilling him under the cold, dead paper, and pressed it to his heart while he continued to read:-"before she turned, i walked to another window,--wishing to give her time to recover calmness, or at least self-control, and was at once absorbed in contemplating a gentleman whom i felt assured to be mr. ercildoune. he stood with his back to me, apparently giving some order to the coachman: thus i could not see his face, but i never before was so impressed with, so to speak, the personality of a man. his physique was grand, and his air and bearing magnificent, and i watched him with admiration as he walked slowly away. i presume he passed the window at which she was standing, for she called, 'papa!' 'in a moment, dear,' he answered, and in a moment entered, and was presented; and i, raising my eyes to his face,--ah, how can i tell you what sight they beheld! "self-possessed as i think i am, and as i certainly ought to be, i started back with an involuntary exclamation, a mingling doubtless of incredulity and disgust. this man, who stood before me with all the ease and self-assertion of a gentleman, was--you will never believe it, i fear--_a mulatto_! "whatever effect my manner had on him was not perceptible. he had not seated himself, and, with a smile that was actually satirical, he bowed, uttered a few words of greeting, and went out of the room. "'how dared you?' i then cried, for astonishment had given place to rage, 'how dared you deceive me--deceive us all--so? how dared you palm yourself off as white and respectable, and thus be admitted to mr. hale's school and to the society and companionship of his pupils?' i could scarcely control myself when i thought of how shamefully we had all been cozened. "'pardon me, madam,' she answered with effrontery,--effrontery under the circumstances,--'you forget yourself, and what is due from one lady to another.' (did you ever hear of such presumption!) 'i practised no deceit upon professor hale. he knew papa well,--was his intimate friend at college, in england,--and was perfectly aware who was mr. ercildoune's daughter when she was admitted to his school. for myself, i had no confessions to make, and made none. i was your daughter's friend; as such, went to her house, and invited her here. i trust you have seen in me nothing unbecoming a gentlewoman, as, _up to this time_, i have beheld in you naught save the attributes of a lady. if we are to have any farther conversation, it must be conducted on the old plan, and not the extraordinary one you have just adopted; else i shall be compelled, in self-respect, to leave you alone in my own parlor.' "imagine if you can the effect of this speech upon me. i assure you i was composed enough outwardly, if not inwardly, ere she ended her sentence. having finished, i said, 'pardon me, miss ercildoune, for any words which may have offended your dignity. i will confine myself for the rest of our interview to your own rules!' "'it is well,' she responded. i had spoken satirically, and expected to see her shrink under it, but she answered with perfect coolness and _sang froid_. i continued, 'you will not deny that you are a negro, at least a mulatto.' "'pardon me, madam,' she replied; 'my father is a mulatto, my mother was an englishwoman. thus, to give you accurate information upon the subject, i am a quadroon.' "'quadroon be it!' i answered, angrily again, i fear. 'quadroon, mulatto, or negro, it is all one. i have no desire to split hairs of definition. you could not be more obnoxious were you black as erebus. i have no farther words to pass upon the past or the present, but something to say of the future. you hold in your hands a letter--a love-letter, i am sure--a declaration, as i fear--from my nephew, mr. surrey. you will oblige me by at once sitting down, writing a peremptory and unqualified refusal to his proposal, if he has made you one,--a refusal that will admit of no hope and no double interpretation,--and give it into my keeping before i leave this room.' "when i first alluded to willie's letter she had crimsoned, but before i closed she was so white i should have thought her fainting, but for the fire in her eyes. however, she spoke up clear enough when she said, 'and what, madam, if i deny your right to dictate any action whatever to me, however insignificant, and utterly refuse to obey your command?' "'at your peril do so,' i exclaimed. 'refuse, and i will write the whole shameful story, with my own comments; and you may judge for yourself of the effect it will produce.' "at that she smiled,--an indescribable sort of smile,--and shut her fingers on the letter she held,--i could not help thinking as though it were a human hand. 'very well, madam, write it. he has already told me'-"'that he loves you,' i broke in. 'do you think he would continue to do so if he knew what you are?' "'he knows me as well now,' she answered, 'as he will after reading any letter of yours.' "'incredible!' i exclaimed. 'when he wrote you that, he did not know, he could not have known, your birth, your race, the taint in your blood. i will never believe it.' "'no,' she said, 'i did not say he did. i said he knew _me_; so well, i think, judging from this,'--clasping his letter with the same curious pressure i had before noticed,--'that you could scarcely enlighten him farther. he knows my heart, and soul, and brain,--as i said, he knows _me_.' "'o, yes,' i answered,--or rather sneered, for i was uncontrollably indignant through all this,--'if you mean _that_, very likely. i am not talking lovers' metaphysics, but practical common-sense. he does not know the one thing at present essential for him to know; and he will abandon you, spurn you,--his love turned to scorn, his passion to contempt,--when he reads what i shall write him if you refuse to do what i demand!' "i expected to see her cower before me. conceive, then, if you can, my sensations when she cried, 'stop, madam! say what you will to me; insult, outrage me, if you please, and have not the good breeding and dignity to forbear; but do not presume to so slander him. do not presume to accuse him, who is all nobility and greatness of soul, of a sentiment so base, a prejudice so infamous. study him, madam, know him better, ere you attempt to be his mouth-piece.' "as she uttered these words, a horrible foreboding seized me, or, to speak more truthfully, i so felt the certainty of what she spoke, that a shudder of terror ran over me. i thought of him, of his character, of his principles, of his insane sense of honor, of his terrible will under all that soft exterior,--the hand of steel under the silken glove; i saw that if i persisted and she still refused to yield i should lose all. on the instant i changed my attack. "'it is true,' i said, 'having asked you to become his wife, he will marry you; he will redeem his pledge though it ruin his life and blast his career, to say nothing of the effect an unending series of outrages and mortifications will have upon his temper and his heart. a pretty love, truly, yours must be,--whatever his is,--to condemn him to so terrible an ordeal, so frightful a fate.' "she shivered at that, and i went on,--blaming my folly in not remembering, being a woman, that it was with a woman and her weakness i had to deal. "'he is young,' i continued; 'he has probably a long life before him. rich, handsome, brilliant,--a magnificent career opening to him,--position, ease, troops of friends,--you will ruthlessly ruin all this. married to you, white as you are, the peculiarity of your birth would in some way be speedily known. his father would disinherit him (it was not necessary to tell her he has a fortune in his own right), his family disown him, his friends abandon him, society close its doors upon him, business refuse to seek him, honor and riches elude his grasp. if you do not know the strength of this prejudice, which you call infamous, pre-eminently in the circle to which he belongs, i cannot tell it you. taking all this from him, what will you give him in return? ruining his life, can your affection make amends? blasting his career, will your love fill the gap? do you flatter yourself by the supposition that you can be father, mother, relatives, friends, society, wealth, position, honor, career,--all,--to him? your people are cursed in america, and they transfer their curse to any one mad enough, or generous enough (that was a diplomatic turn), to connect his fate with yours.' "before i was through, i saw that i had carried my point. all the fine airs went out of my lady, and she looked broken and humbled enough. i might have said less, but i ached to say more to the insolent. "'enough, madam,' she gasped, 'stop.' and then said, more to herself than to me, 'i could give heaven for him,'--the rest i rather guessed from the motion of her lips than from any sound,--'but i cannot ask him to give the world for me.' "'will you write the letter?' i asked. "'no.'--she said the word with evident effort, and then, still more slowly, 'i will give you a message. say "i implore you never to write me again,--to forget me. i beseech of you not to try me by any farther appeals, as i shall but return them unopened."' i wrote down the words as she spoke them. 'this is well,' i said when she finished; 'but it is not enough. i must have the letter.' "'the letter?' she said. 'what need of a letter? surely that is sufficient.' "'i do not mean your letter. i mean his,--the one which you hold in your hands.' "'this?' she queried, looking down on it,--'this?' "i thought the repetition senseless and affected, but i answered, 'yes,--that. he will not believe you are in earnest if you keep his avowal of love. you must give him up entirely. if you let me send that back, with your words, he shall never--at least from me--have clew or reason for your conduct. that will close the whole affair.' "'close the whole affair,' she repeated after me, mechanically,--'close the whole affair.' "i was getting heartily tired of this, and had no desire to listen to an echo conversation; so, without answering, i stretched out my hand for it. she held it towards me, then drew it back and raised it to her heart with the same gesture i had marked when she first opened it,--a gesture as i said, of that, which was less of a caress than a spasm. indeed, i think now that it was wholly physical and involuntary. then she handed it to me, and, motioning towards the door, said, 'go!' "i rose, and, infamous as i thought her past deceit, wearied as i was with the interview, small claim as she had upon me for the slightest consideration, i said 'you have done well, miss ercildoune! i commend you for your sensible decision, and for your ability, if late, to appreciate the situation. i wish you all success in life, i am sure; and, permit me to add, a future union with one of your own race, if that will bring you happiness.' "heavens! what a face and what eyes she turned upon me as, rising, she once more pointed to the door, and cried, 'go!' and indeed i went,--the girl actually frightened me. "when i got on to the lawn, i missed my bag and parasol, and had to return for them. i opened the door with some slight trepidation, but had no need for fear. she was lying prostrate upon the floor, as i saw on coming near, in a dead faint. she had evidently fallen so suddenly and with such force as to have hurt herself; her head had struck against an ornament of the bookcase, near which she had been standing; and a little stream of blood was trickling from her temple. it made me sick to behold it. as i looked at her where she lay, i could not but pity her a little, and think what a merciful fate it would be for her, and such as she, if they could all die,--and so put an end to what, i presume, though i never before thought of it, is really a very hard existence. "it was no time, however, to sentimentalize. i rang for a servant, and, having waited till one came, took my leave. "of course all this is very shocking and painful, but i am glad i came. the matter is ended now in a satisfactory manner. i think it has been well done. let us both keep our counsel, and the affair will soon become a memory with us, as it is nothing with every one else. "always your loving sister, "augusta." * * * * * it is better to be silent upon some themes than to say too little. words would fail to express the emotions with which willie read this history: let silence and imagination tell the tale. flinging down the paper with a passionate cry, he saw yet another letter,--the one in which these had been enfolded,--a letter written to him, and by mrs. russell. as by a flash, he perceived that there had been some blunder here, by which he was the gainer; and, partly at least, comprehended it. these two, mother and aunt, fearing the old fire had not yet burned to ashes,--nay, from their knowledge of him, sure of it,--hearing naught of his illness, for he did not care to distress them by any account thereof, were satisfied that he had either met, or was remaining to compass a meeting, with miss ercildoune. his mother had not the courage, or the baseness, to write such a letter as that to which mrs. russell urged her,--a letter which should degrade his love in his own eyes, and recall him from an unworthy pursuit. "very well!" mrs. russell had then said, "it will be better from you; it will look more like unwarranted interference from me; but i will write, and you shall send an accompanying line. let me have it to-morrow." the next morning mrs. surrey was not well enough to drive out, and thus sent her note by a servant, enclosing with it the letter of june 27th,--thinking that her sister might want it for reference. when it reached mrs. russell, it was almost mail-time, and with the simple thought, "so,--laura has written it, after all," she enclosed it in her own, and sent it off, post-haste; not even looking at the unsealed envelope, as mrs. surrey had taken for granted she would, and thus failing to know of its double contents. thus the very letter which they would have compassed land and sea to have prevented coming under his eyes, unwisely yet most fortunately kept in existence, was sent by themselves to his hands. without pausing to read a line of that which his aunt had written him, he tore it into fragments, flung it into the empty grate; and, bounding down the stairs and on to the street, plunged into a carriage and was whirled away, all too slowly, to the home he had left but a little space before with such widely, such painfully different emotions. chapter xiii "_i could not love thee, dear, so much, loved i not honor more._" lovelace just after surrey, for the third time, had passed through the avenue of trees, two men appeared in it, earnestly conversing. one, the older, was the same who had met willie as he was going out, and had examined him with such curious interest. the other, in feature, form, and bearing, was so absolutely the counterpart of his companion that it was easy to recognize in them father and son,--a father and son whom it would be hard to match. "the finest type of the anglo-saxon race i have seen from america," was the verdict pronounced upon mr. ercildoune, when he was a young man studying abroad, by an enthusiastic and nationally ignorant englishman; "but then, sir," he added, "what very dark complexions you americans have! is it universal?" "by no means, sir," was mr. ercildoune's reply. "there are some exceedingly fine ones among my countrymen. i come from the south: that is a bad climate for the tint of the skin." "is it so?" exclaimed john bull,--"worse than the north?" "very much worse, sir, in more ways than one." perhaps robert ercildoune was a trifle fairer than his father, but there was still perceptible the shade which marked him as effectually an outcast from the freedom of american society, and the rights of american citizenship, as though it had been the badge of crime or the strait jacket of a madman. something of this was manifested in the conversation in which the two were engaged. "it is folly, robert, for you to carry your refinement and culture into the ranks as a common soldier, to fight and to die, without thanks. you are made of too good stuff to serve simply as food for powder." "better men than i, father, have gone there, and are there to-day; men in every way superior to me." "perhaps,--yes, if you will have it so. but what are they? white men, fighting for their own country and flag, for their own rights of manhood and citizenship, for a present for themselves and a future for their children, for honor and fame. what is there for you?" "for one thing, just that of which you spoke. perhaps not a present for me, but certainly a future for those that come after." "a future! how are you to know? what warrant or guarantee have you for any such future? do you judge by the past? by the signs of to-day? i tell you this american nation will resort to any means--will pledge anything, by word or implication--to secure the end for which it fights; and will break its pledges just so soon as it can, and with whomsoever it can with impunity. you, and your children, and your children's children after you, will go to the wall unless it has need of you in the arena." "i do not think so. this whole nation is learning, through pain and loss, the lesson of justice; of expediency, doubtless, but still of justice; and i do not think it will be forgotten when the war is ended. this is our time to wipe off a thousand stigmas of contempt and reproach: this"-"who is responsible for them? ourselves? what cast them there? our own actions? i trow not. mark the facts. i pay taxes to support the public schools, and am compelled to have my children educated at home. i pay taxes to support the government, and am denied any representation or any voice in regard to the manner in which these taxes shall be expended. i hail a car on the street, and am laughed to scorn by the conductor,--or, admitted, at the order of the passengers am ignominiously expelled. i offer my money at the door of any place of public amusement, and it is flung back to me with an oath. i enter a train to new york, and am banished to the rear seat or the 'negro car.' i go to a hotel, open for the accommodation of the public, and am denied access; or am requested to keep my room, and not show myself in parlor, office, or at table. i come within a church, to worship the good god who is no respecter of persons, and am shown out of the door by one of his insolent creatures. i carry my intelligence to the polls on election morning, and am elbowed aside by an american boor or a foreign drunkard, and, with opprobrious epithets by law officers and rabble, am driven away. all this in the north; all this without excuse of slavery and of the feeling it engenders; all this from arrogant hatred and devilish malignity. at last, the country which has disowned me, the government which has never recognized save to outrage me, the flag which has refused to cover or to protect me, are in direct need and utmost extremity. then do they cry for me and mine to come up to their help ere they perish. at least, they hold forth a bribe to secure me? at least, if they make no apology for the past, they offer compensation for the future? at least, they bid high for the services they desire? not at all! "they say to one man, 'here is twelve hundred dollars bounty with which to begin; here is sixteen dollars a month for pay; here is the law passed, and the money pledged, to secure you in comfort for the rest of life, if wounded or disabled, or help for your family, if killed. here is every door set wide for you to rise, from post to post; money yours, advancement yours, honor, and fame, and glory yours; the love of a grateful country, the applause of an admiring world.' "they say to another man,--you, or me, or sam out there in the field,--'there is no bounty for you, not a cent; there is pay for you, twelve dollars a month, the hire of a servant; there is no pension for you, or your family, if you be sent back from the front, wounded or dead; if you are taken prisoner you can be murdered with impunity, or be sold as a slave, without interference on our part. fight like a lion! do acts of courage and splendor! and you shall never rise above the rank of a private soldier. for you there is neither money nor honor, rights secured, nor fame gained. dying, you fall into a nameless grave: living, you come back to your old estate of insult and wrong. if you refuse these tempting offers, we brand you cowards. if, under these infamous restraints and disadvantages, you fail to equal the white troops by your side, you are written down--inferiors. if you equal them, you are still inferiors. if you perform miracles, and surpass them, you are, in a measure, worthy commendation at last; we consent to see in you human beings, fit for mention and admiration,--not as types of your color and of what you intrinsically are, but as exceptions; made such by the habit of association, and the force of surrounding circumstances.' "these are the terms the american people offer you, these the terms which you stoop to accept, these the proofs that they are learning a lesson of justice! so be it! there is need. let them learn it to the full! let this war go on 'until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly destroyed.' do not you interfere. leave them to the teachings and the judgments of god." ercildoune had spoken with such impassioned feeling, with such fire in his eyes, such terrible earnestness in his voice, that robert could not, if he would, interrupt him; and, in the silence, found no words for the instant at his command. ere he summoned them they saw some one approaching. "a fine looking fellow! fighting has been no child's play for him," said robert, looking, as he spoke, at the empty sleeve. mr. ercildoune advanced to meet the stranger, and surrey beheld the same face upon whose pictured semblance he had once gazed with such intense feelings, first of jealousy, and then of relief and admiration; the same splendor of life, and beauty, and vitality. surrey knew him at once, knew that it was francesca's father, and went up to him with extended hand. mr. ercildoune took the proffered hand, and shook it warmly. "i am happy to meet you, mr. surrey." "you know me?" said he with surprise. "i thought to present myself." "i have seen your picture." "and i yours. they must have held the mirror up to nature, for the originals to be so easily known. but may i ask where you saw mine? _yours_ was in miss ercildoune's possession." "as was yours," was answered after a moment's hesitation,--surrey thought, with visible reluctance. his heart flew into his throat. "she has my picture,--she has spoken of me," he said to himself. "i wonder what her father will think,--what he will do. come, i will to the point immediately." "mr. ercildoune," said he, aloud, "you know something of me? of my position and prospects?" "a great deal." "i trust, nothing disparaging or ignoble." "i know nothing for which any one could desire oblivion." "thanks. let me speak to you, then, of a matter which should have been long since proposed to you had i been permitted the opportunity. i love your daughter. i cannot speak about that, but you will understand all that i wish to say. i have twice--once by letter, once by speech--let her know this and my desire to call her wife. she has twice refused,--absolutely. you think this should cut off all hope?" ercildoune had been watching him closely. "if she does not love you," he answered, at the pause. "i do not know. i went away from here a little while ago with her peremptory command not to return. i should not have dared disobey it had i not learned--thought--in fact, but for some circumstances--i beg your pardon--i do not know what i am saying. i believed if i saw her once more i could change her determination,--could induce her to give me another response,--and came with that hope." "which has failed?" "which has thus far failed that she will not at all see me; will hold no communication with me. i should be a ruffian did i force myself on her thus without excuse or reason. my own love would be no apology did i not think, did i not dare to hope, that it is not aversion to me that induces her to act as she has done. believing so, may i beg a favor of you? may i entreat that you will induce her to see me, if only for a little while?" ercildoune smiled a sad, bitter smile, as he answered, "mr. surrey, if my daughter does not love you, it would be hopeless for you or for me to assail her refusal. if she does, she has doubtless rejected you for a reason which you can read by simply looking into my face. no words of mine can destroy or do that away." "there is nothing to destroy; there is nothing to do away. thank you for speaking of it, and making the way easy. there is nothing in all the wide world between us,--there can be nothing between us,--if she loves me; nothing to keep us apart save her indifference or lack of regard for me. i want to say so to her if she will give me the chance. will you not help me to it?" "you comprehend all that i mean?" "i do. it is, as i have said, nothing. that love would not be worth the telling that considered extraneous circumstances, and not the object itself." "you have counted all the consequences? i think not. how, indeed, should you be able? come with me a moment." the two went up to the house, across the wide veranda, into a room half library, half lounging-room, which, from a score of evidences strewn around, was plainly the special resort of the master. over the mantel hung the life-size portrait of an excessively beautiful woman. a fine, _spirituelle_ face, with proud lines around the mouth and delicate nostrils, but with a tender, appealing look in the eyes, that claimed gentle treatment. this face said, "i was made for sunshine and balmy airs, but, if darkness and storm assail, i can walk through them unflinching, though the progress be short; i can die, and give no sign." willie went hastily up to this, and stood, absorbed, before it. "francesca is very like her mother," said ercildoune, coming to his side. it was his own thought, but he made no answer. "i will tell you something of her and myself; a very little story; you can draw the moral. my father, who was a virginian, sent my brother and me to england when we were mere boys, to be trained and educated. after his fashion, doubtless, he loved us; for he saw that we had every advantage that wealth, and taste, and care could provide; and though he never sent for us, nor came to us, in all the years after we left his house,--and though we had no legal claim upon him,--he acknowledged us his children, and left us the entire proceeds of his immense estates, unincumbered. we were so young when we went abroad, had been so tenderly treated at home, had seen and known so absolutely nothing of the society about us, that we were ignorant as arabs of the state of feeling and prejudice in america against such as we, who carried any trace of negro blood. our treatment in england did but increase this oblivion. "we graduated at oxford; my brother, who was two years older than i, waiting upon me that we might go together through europe; and together we had three of the happiest years of life. on the continent i met _her_. you see what she is; you know francesca: it is useless for me to attempt to describe her. i loved her,--she loved me,--it was confessed. in a little while i called her wife; i would, if i could, tell you of the time that followed: i cannot. we had a beautiful home, youth, health, riches, friends, happiness, two noble boys. at last an evil fate brought us to america. i was to look after some business affairs which, my agent said, needed personal supervision. my brother, whose health had failed, was advised to try a sea-voyage, and change of scene and climate. my wife was enthusiastic about the glorious republic,--the great, free america,--the land of my birth. we came, carrying with us letters from friends in england, that were an open sesame to the most jealously barred doors. they flew wide at our approach, but to be shut with speed when my face was seen; hands were cordially extended, and drawn back as from a loathsome contact when mine went to meet them. in brief, we were outlawed, ostracised, sacrificed on the altar of this devilish american prejudice,--wholly american, for it is found nowhere else in the world,--i for my color, she for connecting her fate with mine. "i was so held as to be unable to return at once, and she would not leave me. then my brother drooped more and more. his disease needed the brightest and most cheerful influences. the social and moral atmosphere stifled him. he died; and we, with grief intensified by bitterness, laid him in the soil of his own country as though it had been that of the stranger and enemy. "at this time the anti-slavery movement was provoking profound thought and feeling in america. i at once identified myself with it; not because i was connected with the hated and despised race, but because i loathed all forms of tyranny, and fought against them with what measure of strength i possessed. doubtless this made me a more conspicuous mark for the shafts of malice and cruelty, and as i could nowhere be hurt as through her, malignity exhausted its devices there. she was hooted at when she appeared with me on the streets; she was inundated with infamous letters; she was dragged before a court of _justice_ upon the plea that she had defied the law of the state against amalgamation, forbidding the marriage of white and colored; though at the time it was known that she was english, that we were married in england and by english law. one night, in the midst of the riots which in 1838 disgraced this city, our house was surrounded by a mob, burned over us; and i, with a few faithful friends, barely succeeded in carrying her to a place of safety,--uncovered, save by her delicate night-robe and a shawl, hastily caught up as we hurried her away. the yelling fiends, the burning house, the awful horror of fright and danger, the shock to her health and strength, the storm,--for the night was a wild and tempestuous one, which drenched her to the skin,--from all these she might have recovered, had not her boy, her first-born, been carried into her, bruised and dead,--dead, through an accident of burning rafters and falling stones; an accident, they said; yet as really murdered as though they had wilfully and brutally stricken him down. "after that i saw that she, too, would die, were she not taken back to our old home. the preparations were hastily made; we turned our faces towards england; we hoped to reach it at least before another pair of eyes saw the light, but hoped in vain. there on the broad sea francesca was born. there her mother died. there was she buried." it was with extreme difficulty ercildoune had controlled his face and voice, through the last of this distressing recital, and with the final word he bowed his forehead on the picture-frame,--convulsed with agony,--while voiceless sobs, like spasms, shook his form. surrey realized that no words were to be said here, and stood by, awed and silent. what hand, however tender, could be laid on such a wound as this? presently he looked up, and continued: "i came back here, because, i said, here was my place. i had wealth, education, a thousand advantages which are denied the masses of people who are, like me, of mixed race. i came here to identify my fate with theirs; to work with and for them; to fight, till i died, against the cruel and merciless prejudice which grinds them down. i have a son, who has just entered the service of this country, perhaps to die under its flag. i have a daughter,"--willie flushed and started forward;--"i asked you when i began this recital, if you had counted all the consequences. you know my story; you see with what fate you link yours; reflect! francesca carries no mark of her birth; her father or brother could not come inside her home without shocking society by the scandal, were not the story earlier known. the man whom you struck down this morning is one of our neighbors; you saw and heard his brutal assault: are you ready to face more of the like kind? better than you i know what sentence will be passed upon you,--what measure awarded. it is for your own sake i say these things; consider them. i have finished." surrey had made to speak a half score of times, and as often checked himself,--partly that he should not interrupt his companion; partly that he might be master of his emotions, and say what he had to utter without heat or excitement. "mr. ercildoune," he now said, "listen to me. i should despise myself were i guilty of the wicked and vulgar prejudice universal in america. i should be beneath contempt did i submit or consent to it. two years ago i loved miss ercildoune without knowing aught of her birth. she is the same now as then; should i love her the less? if anything hard or cruel is in her fate that love can soften, it shall be done. if any painful burdens have been thrown upon her life, i can carry, if not the whole, then a part of them. if i cannot put her into a safe shelter where no ill will befall her, i can at least take her into my arms and go with her through the world. it will be easier for us, i think,--i hope,--to face any fate if we are together. ah, sir, do not prevent it; do not deny me this happiness. be my ambassador, since she will not let me speak for myself, and plead my own cause." in his earnestness he had come close to mr. ercildoune, putting out his one hand with a gesture of entreaty, with a tone in his voice, and a look in his face, irresistible to hear and behold. ercildoune took the hand, and held it in a close, firm grasp. some strong emotion shook him. the expression, a combination of sadness and scorn, which commonly held possession of his eyes, went out of them, leaving them radiant. "no," he said, "i will say nothing for you. i would not for worlds spoil your plea; prevent her hearing, from your own mouth, what you have to say. i will send her to you,"--and, going to a door, gave the order to a servant, "desire miss francesca to come to the parlor." then, motioning surrey to the room, he went away, buried in thought. standing in the parlor, for he was too restless to sit, he tried to plan how he should meet her; to think of a sentence which at the outset should disarm her indignation at being thus thrust upon him, and convey in some measure the thought of which his heart was full, without trespassing on her reserve, or telling her of the letter which he had read. then another fear seized him; it was two years since he had written,--two years since that painful and terrible scene had been enacted in the very room where he stood,--two years since she had confessed by deed and look that she loved him. might she not have changed? might she not have struggled for the mastery of this feeling with only too certain success? might she not have learned to regard him with esteem, perchance,--with friendship,--sentiment,--anything but that which he desired or would claim at her hands? silence and absence and time are pitiless destructives. might they not? aye, might they not? he paced to and fro, with quick, restless tread, at the thought. all his love and his longing cried out against such a cruel supposition. he stopped by the side of the bookcase against which she had fallen in that merciless and suffering struggle, and put his hand down on the little projection, which he knew had once cut and wounded her, with a strong, passionate clasp, as though it were herself he held. just then he heard a step,--her step, yet how unlike!--coming down the stairs. where he stood he could see her as she crossed the hall, coming unconsciously to meet him. all the brightness and airy grace seemed to have been drawn quite out of her. the alert, slender figure drooped as if it carried some palpable weight, and moved with a step slow and unsteady as that of sickness or age. her face was pathetic in its sad pallor, and blue, sorrowful circles were drawn under the deep eyes, heavy and dim with the shedding of unnumbered tears. it almost broke his heart to look at her. a feeling, pitiful as a mother would have for her suffering baby, took possession of his soul,--a longing to shield and protect her. tears blinded him; a great sob swelled in his throat; he made a step forward as she came into the room. "papa," she said, without looking up, "you wanted me?" there was no response. "papa!" in an instant an arm enfolded her; a presence, tender and strong, bent above her; a voice, husky with crowding emotions, yet sweet with all the sweetness of love, breathed, "my darling! my darling!" as _his_ fair, sunny hair swept her face. even then she remembered another scene, remembered her promise; even then she thought of him, of his future, and struggled to release herself from his embrace. what did he say? what could he say? where were the arguments he had planned, the entreaties he had purposed? where the words with which he was to tell his tale, combat her refusal, win her to a willing and happy assent? all gone. there was nothing but his heart and its caresses to speak for him. silent, with the ineffable stillness he kissed her eyes, her mouth, held her to his breast with a passionate fondness,--a tender, yet masterful hold, which said, "nothing shall separate us now." she felt it, recognized it, yielded without power to longer contend, clasped her arms about his neck, met his eyes, and dropped her face upon his heart with a long, tremulous sigh which confessed that heaven was won. chapter xiv "_the golden hours, on angel wings, flew o'er me and my dearie._" burns the evening that followed was of the brightest and happiest; even the adieus spoken to the soldier who was just leaving his home did not sadden it. they were in such a state of exaltation as to see everything with courageous and hopeful eyes, and sent robert off with the feeling that all these horrible realities they had known so long were but bogies to frighten foolish children, and that he would come back to them wearing, at the very least, the stars of a major-general. whatever sombre and painful thoughts filled ercildoune's heart he held there, that no gloom might fall from him upon these fresh young lives, nor sadden the cheery expectancy of his son. surrey, having carried the first line of defence, prepared for a vigorous assault upon the second. like all eager lovers, his primary anxiety was to hear "yes"; afterwards, the day. to that end he was pleading with every resource that love and impatience could lend; but francesca shook her head, and smiled, and said that was a long way off,--that was not to be thought of, at least till the war was over, and her soldier safe at home; but he insisted that this was the flimsiest, and poorest of excuses; nay, that it was the very reverse of the true and sensible idea, which was of course wholly on his side. he had these few weeks at home, and then must away once more to chances of battle and death. he did not say this till he had exhausted every other entreaty; but at last, gathering her close to him with his one loving arm,--"how fortunate," he had before said, "that it is the left arm, because if it were the other i could not hold you so near my heart!"--so holding her, he glanced down at the empty sleeve, and whispered, "my darling! who knows? i have been wounded so often, and am now only a piece of a fellow to come to you. it may be something more next time, and then i shall never call you wife. it would make no difference hereafter, i know: we belong to each other for time and eternity. but then i should like to feel that we were something more to one another than even betrothed lovers, before the end comes, if come it does, untimely. be generous, dearie, and say yes." he did not give utterance to another fear, which was that by some device she might again be taken away from him; that some cruel plan might be put in execution to separate them once more. he would not take the risk; he would bind her to him so securely that no device, however cunning,--no plan, however hard and shrewd,--could again divide them. she hesitated long; was long entreated; but the result was sure, since her own heart seconded every prayer he uttered. at last she consented; but insisted that he should go home at once, see the mother and father who were waiting for him with such anxious hearts, give to them--as was their due--at least a part of the time, and then, when her hasty bride-preparations were made, come back and take her wholly to himself. thus it was arranged, and he left her. into the mysteries which followed--the mysteries of hemming and stitching, of tucking and trimming, ruffling, embroidering, of all the hurry and delicious confusion of an elegant yet hasty bridal trousseau--let us not attempt to investigate. doubtless through those days, through this sweet and happy whirl of emotion, francesca had many anxious and painful hours: hours in which she looked at the future--for him more than for herself--with sorrowful anticipations and forebodings. but with each evening came a letter, written in the morning by his dear hand; a letter so full of happy, hopeful love, of resolute, manly spirit, that her cares and anxieties all took flight, and were but as a tale that is told, or as a dream of darkness when the sun shines upon a blessed reality. he wrote her that he had told his parents of his wishes and plans; and that, as he had known before, they were opposed, and opposed most bitterly; but he was sure that time would soften, and knowledge destroy this prejudice utterly. he wrote as he believed. they were so fond of him, so devoted to him who was their only child, that he was assured they would not and could not cast him off, nor hate that which he loved. he did not know that his father, who had never before been guilty of a base action,--his mother, who was fine to daintiness,--were both so warped by this senseless and cruel feeling--having seen francesca and known all her beautiful and noble elements of personal character--as to have written her a letter which only a losel should have penned and an outcast read. she did not tell him. being satisfied that they two belonged to one another; that if they were separated it would be as the tearing asunder of a perfect whole, leaving the parts rent and bleeding,--she would not listen to any voice that attempted, nor heed any hand that strove to drive an entering wedge, or to divide them. why, then, should she trouble him by the knowledge that this effort had again been made, and by those he trusted and honored. let it pass. the future must decide what the future must be, meanwhile, they were to live in a happy present. he learned of it, however, before he left his home. finding that neither persuasions, threats, nor prayers could move him,--that he would be true to honor and love,--they told him of what they had done; laid bare the whole intensity of their feeling; and putting her on the one side, placing themselves on the other, said, "choose,--this wife, or those who have loved you for a lifetime. cleave to her, and your father disowns you, your mother renounces, your home shuts its doors upon you, never to open. with the world and its judgment we have nothing to do; that is between it and you; but no judgment of indifferent strangers shall be more severe than ours." a painful position; a cruel alternative; but not for an instant did he hesitate. taking the two hands of father and mother into his solitary one, he said,--"father, i have always found you a gentleman; mother, you have shown all the graces of the christian character which you profess; yet in this you are supporting the most dishonorable sentiment, the most infidel unbelief, with which the age is shamed. you are defying the dictates of justice and the teachings of god. when you ask me to rank myself on your side, i cannot do it. were my heart less wholly enlisted in this matter, my reason and sense of right would rebel. here, then, for the present at least, we must say farewell." and so, with many a heart-ache and many a pang, he went away. as true love always grows with passing time, so his increased with the days, and intensified by the cruel heat which was poured upon it. he realized the torture to which, in a thousand ways, this darling of his heart had for a lifetime been subjected; and his tenderness and love--in which was an element of indignation and pathos--deepened with every fresh revelation of the passing hours. when he came back to her he had few words to speak, and no airy grace of sentence or caress to bestow; he followed her about in a curious, shadow-like way, with such a strain on his heart as made him many a time lift his hand to it, as if to check physical pain. for her, she was as one who had found a beloved master, able and willing to lighten all her burdens; a physician, whose slightest touch brought balm and healing to every aching wound. and so these two when the time came, spite of the absence of friends who should have been there, spite of warnings and denunciations and evil prophecies, stood up and said to those who listened what their hearts had long before confessed, that they were one for time and eternity; then, hand in hand, went out into the world. for the present it was a pleasant enough world to them. surrey had a lovely little place on the hudson to which he would carry her, and pleased himself by fitting it up with every convenience and beauty that taste could devise and wealth supply. how happy they were there! to be sure, nobody came to see them, but then they wished to see nobody; so every one was well satisfied. the delicious lovers' life of two years before was renewed, but with how much richer and deeper delights and blissfulness! they galloped on many a pleasant morning across miles and miles of country, down rocky slopes, and through wild and romantic glens. they drove lazily, on summer noons, through leafy fastnesses and cool forest paths; or sat idly by some little stream on the fresh, green moss, with a line dancing on the crystal water, amusing themselves by the fiction that it was fishing upon which they were intent, and not the dear delight of watching one another's faces reflected from the placid stream. they spent hours at home, reading bits of poems, or singing scraps of love-songs, talking a little, and then falling away into silence; or she sat perched on his knee or the elbow of his chair, smoothing his sunny hair, stroking his long, silky mustache, or looking into his answering eyes, till the world lapsed quite away from them, and they thought themselves in heaven. an idle, happy time! a time to make a worker sigh only to behold, and a benthamite lift his hands in deprecation and despair. a time which would not last, because it could not, any more than apple-blossoms and may flowers, but which was sweet and fragrant past all describing while it endured. some _kindly_ disposed person sent surrey a city paper with an item marked in such wise as to make him understand its unpleasant import without the reading. "come," he said, "we will have none of this; this owl does not belong to our sunshine,"--and so destroyed and forgot it. others, however, saw that which he scorned to read. he had not been into the city since he called at his father's house, and walked into the reception room of his aunt, and been refused interview or speech at either place. "very well," he thought, "i will go from this painful inhospitality and coldness to my paradise"; and he went, and remained. the only letter he wrote was to his old friend and favorite cousin, tom russell,--who was away somewhere in the far south, and from whom he had not heard for many a day,--and hoped that he, at least, would not disappoint him; would not disappoint the hearty trust he had in his breadth of nature and manly sensibility. and so, with clouds doubtless in the sky, but which they did not see,--the sun shone so bright for them; and some discords in the minor keys which they did not heed,--the major music was so sweet and intoxicating,--the brief, glad hours wore away, and the time for parting, with hasty steps, had almost reached and faced them. meanwhile, what was occurring to others, in other scenes and among other surroundings? chapter xv "_there are some deeds so grand that their mighty doers stand ennobled, in a moment, more than kings._" boker it was towards the evening of a blazing july day on morris island. the mail had just come in and been distributed. jim, with some papers and a precious missive from sallie in one hand, his supper in the other, betook himself to a cool spot by the river,--if, indeed, any spot could be called cool in that fiery sand,--and proceeded to devour the letter with wonderful avidity while the "grub," properly enough, stood unnoticed and uncared for. presently he stopped, rubbed his eyes, and re-read a paragraph in the epistle before him, then re-rubbed, and read it again; and then, laying it down, gave utterance to a long whistle, expressive of unbounded astonishment, if not incredulity. the whistle was answered by its counterpart, and jim, looking up, beheld his captain,--coolidge by name,--a fast, bright new york boy, standing at a little distance, and staring with amazed eyes at a paper he held in his hands. glancing from this to jim, encountering his look, he burst out laughing and came towards him. "helloa, given!" he called: jim was a favorite with him, as indeed with pretty much every one with whom he came in contact, officers and men,--"you, too, seem put out. i wonder if you've read anything as queer as that," handing him the paper and striking his finger down on an item; "read it." jim read:-"miscegenation. disgraceful freak in high life. fruit of an abolition war.--we are credibly informed that a young man belonging to one of the first families in the city, mr. w.a.s.,--we spare his name for the sake of his relatives,--who has been engaged since its outset in this fratricidal war, has just given evidence of its legitimate effect by taking to his bosom a nigger wench as _his wife_. of course he is disowned by his family, and spurned by his friends, even radical fanaticism not being yet ready for such a dose as this. however--" jim did not finish the homily of which this was the presage, but, throwing the paper on the ground, indignantly drove his heel through it, tearing and soiling it, and then viciously kicked it into the river. said the captain when this operation was completed, having watched it with curious eyes, "well, my man, are you aware of the fact that that is _my_ paper?" "don't care if it is. what in thunder did you bring the damned copperhead sheet to me for, if you didn't want it smashed? ain't you ashamed of yourself having such a thing round? how'd you feel if you were picked up dead by a reb, with that stuff in your pocket? say now!" coolidge laughed,--he was always ready to laugh: that was probably why the men liked him so well, and stood in awe of him not a bit. "feel? horridly, of course. bad enough, being dead, to yet speak, and tell 'em that paper didn't represent my politics: 'd that do?" jim shook his head dubiously. "what are you making such a devil of a row for, i'd like to know? it's too hot to get excited. 'tain't likely you know anything about willie surrey." "o ho! it is mr. will, then, is it? know him,--don't i, though? like a book. known him ever since he was knee-height of a grasshopper. i'd like to have that fellow"--shaking his fist toward the floating paper--"within arm's reach. wouldn't i pummel him some? o no, of course not,--not at all. only, if he wants a sound skin, i'd advise him, as a friend, to be scarce when i'm round, because it'd very likely be damaged." "you think it's all a copperhead lie, then! i should have thought so, at first, only i know surrey's capable of doing any quixotic thing if he once gets his mind fixed on it." "i know what i know," jim answered, slowly folding and unfolding sallie's letter, which he still held in his hand. "i know all about that young lady he's been marrying. she's young, and she's handsome--handsome as a picture--and rich, and as good as an angel; that's about what she is, if sallie howard and i know b from a bull's foot." "who is sallie howard?" queried the captain. "she? o,"--very red in the face,--"she's a friend of mine, and she's miss ercildoune's seamstress." "ercildoune? good name! is she the _lady_ upon whom surrey has been bestowing his--?" "yes, she is; and here's her photograph. sallie begged it of her, and sent it to me, once after she had done a kind thing by both of us. looks like a 'nigger wench,' don't she?" the captain seized the picture, and, having once fastened his eyes upon it, seemed incapable of removing them. "this? this her?" he cried. "great cã¦sar! i should think surrey would have the fellow out at twenty paces in no time. heavens, what a beauty!" jim grinned sardonically: "she is rather pretty, now,--ain't she?" "pretty! ugh, what an expression! pretty, indeed! i never saw anything so beautiful. but what a sad face it is!" "sad! well, 'tain't much wonder. i guess her life's been sad enough, in spite of her youth, and her beauty, and her riches, and all the rest." "why, how should that be?" "suppose you take another squint at that face." "well." "see anything peculiar about it?" "nothing except its beauty." "not about the eyes?" "no,--only i believe it is they that make the face so sorrowful." "very like. you generally see just such big mournful-looking eyes in the faces of people that are called--octoroons." "what?" cried the captain, dropping the picture in his surprise. "just so," jim answered, picking it up and dusting it carefully before restoring it to its place in his pocket-book. "so, then, it is part true, after all." "true!" exclaimed jim, angrily,--"don't make an ass of yourself, captain." "why, given, didn't you say yourself that she was an octoroon, or some such thing?" "suppose i did,--what then?" "i should say, then, that surrey has disgraced himself forever. he has not only outraged his family and his friends, and scandalized society, but he has run against nature itself. it's very plain god almighty never intended the two races to come together." "o, he didn't, hey? had a special despatch from him, that you know all about it? i've heard just such talk before from people who seemed to be pretty well posted about his intentions,--in this particular matter,--though i generally noticed they weren't chaps who were very intimate with him in any other way." the captain laughed. "thank you, jim, for the compliment; but come, you aren't going to say that nature hasn't placed a barrier between these people and us? an instinct that repels an anglo-saxon from a negro always and everywhere?" "ho, ho! that's good! why, captain, if you keep on, you'll make me talk myself into a regular abolitionist. instinct, hey? i'd like to know, then, where all the mulattoes, and the quadroons, and the octoroons come from,--the yellow-skins and brown-skins and skins so nigh white you can't tell 'em with your spectacles on! the darkies must have bleached out amazingly here in america, for you'd have to hunt with a long pole and a telescope to boot to find a straight-out black one anywhere round,--leastwise that's my observation." "that was slavery." "yes 'twas,--and then the damned rascals talk about the amalgamationists, and all that, up north. 'twan't the abolitionists; 'twas the slaveholders and their friends that made a race of half-breeds all over the country; but, slavery or no slavery, they showed nature hadn't put any barriers between them,--and it seems to me an enough sight decenter and more respectable plan to marry fair and square than to sell your own children and the mother that bore them. come, now, ain't it?" "well, yes, if you come to that, i suppose it is!" "you _suppose_ it is! see here,--i've found out something since i've been down here, and have had time to think; 'tain't the living together that troubles squeamish stomachs; it's the marrying. that's what's the matter!" "just about!" assented the captain, with an amused look, "and here's a case in point. surrey ought to have been shot for marrying one of that degraded race." "bah! he married one of his own race, if i know how to calculate." "there, jim, don't be a fool! if she's got any negro blood in her veins she's a nigger, and all your talk won't make her anything else." "i say, captain, i've heard that some of your ancestors were indians: is that so?" "yes: my great-grandmother was an indian chief's daughter,--so they say; and you might as well claim royalty when you have the chance." "bless me! your great-grandmother, eh? come, now, what do you call yourself,--an injun?" "no, i don't. i call myself an anglo-saxon." "what, not call yourself an injun,--when your great-grandmother was one? here's a pretty go!" "nonsense! 'tisn't likely that filtered indian blood can take precedence and mastery of all the anglo-saxon material it's run through since then." "hurray! now you've said it. lookee here, captain. you say the anglo-saxon's the master race of the world." "of course i do." "of course you do,--being a sensible fellow. so do i; and you say the negro blood is mighty poor stuff, and the race a long way behind ours." "of course, again." "now, captain, just take a sober squint at your own logic. you back anglo-saxon against the field; very well! here's miss ercildoune, we'll say, one eighth negro, seven eighths anglo-saxon. you make that one eighth stronger than all the other seven eighths: you make that little bit of negro master of all the lot of anglo-saxon. now i have such a good opinion of my own race that if it were t'other way about, i'd think the one eighth saxon strong enough to beat the seven eighths nigger. that's sound, isn't it? consequently, i call anybody that's got any mixture at all, and that knows anything, and keeps a clean face,--and ain't a rebel, nor yet a copperhead,--i call him, if it's a him, and her, if it's a she, one of us. and i mean to say to any such from henceforth, 'here's your chance,--go in, and win, if you can,--and anybody be damn'd that stops you!'" "blow away, jim," laughed the captain, "i like to hear you; and it's good talk if you don't mean it." "i'll be blamed if i don't." "come, you're talking now,--you're saying a lot more than you'll live up to,--you know that as well as i. people always do when they're gassing." "well, blow or no blow, it's truth, whether i live up to it or not." and he, evidently with not all the steam worked off, began to gather sticks and build a fire to fry his bit of pork and warm the cold coffee. just then they heard the plash of oars keeping time to the cadence of a plantation hymn, which came floating solemn and clear through the night:- "my brudder sittin' on de tree ob life, an' he yearde when jordan roll. roll jordan, roll jordan, roll jordan, roll, roll jordan, roll!" they both paused to listen as the refrain was again and again repeated. "there's nigger for you," broke out jim, "what'n thunder'd they mean by such gibberish as that?" the captain laughed. "come, given, don't quarrel with what's above your comprehension. doubtless there's a spiritual meaning hidden away somewhere, which your unsanctified ears can't interpret." "spiritual fiddlestick!" "worse and worse! what a heathen you're demonstrating yourself! violins are no part of the heavenly chorus." "much you know about it! hark,--they're at it again"; and again the voices and break of oars came through the night:- "o march, de angel march! o march, de angel march! o my soul arise in heaven, lord, for to yearde when jordan roll! roll jordan, roll jordan, roll jordan, roll." "well, i confess that's a little bit above my comprehension,--that is. spiritual or something else. lazy vermin! they'll paddle round in them boats, or lie about in the sun, and hoot all day and all night about 'de good lord' and 'de day ob jubilee,'--and think god almighty is going to interfere in their special behalf, and do big things for them generally." "it's a fact; they do all seem to be waiting for something." "well, i reckon they needn't wait any longer. the day of miracles is gone by, for such as them, anyway. they ain't worth the salt that feeds them, so far as i can discover." through the wash of the waters they could hear from the voices, as they sang, that their possessors were evidently drawing nearer. "sense or not," said the captain, "i never listen to them without a queer feeling. what they sing is generally ridiculous enough, but their voices are the most pathetic things in the world." here the hymn stopped; a boat was pulled up, and presently they saw two men coming from the sands and into the light of their fire,--ragged, dirty; one shabby old garment--a pair of tow pantaloons--on each; bareheaded, barefooted,--great, clumsy feet, stupid and heavy-looking heads; slouching walk, stooping shoulders; something eager yet deprecating in their black faces. "look at 'em, captain; now you just take a fair look at 'em; and then say that mr. surrey's wife belongs to the same family,--own kith and kin,--you ca-a-n't do it." "faugh! for heaven's sake, shut up! of course, when it comes to this, i can't say anything of the kind." "'nuff said. you see, i believe in mr. surrey, and what's more, i believe in miss ercildoune,--have reason to; and when i hear anybody mixing her up with these onry, good-for-nothing niggers, it's more'n i can stand, so don't let's have any more of it"; and turning with an air which said that subject was ended, jim took up his forgotten coffee, pulled apart some brands and put the big tin cup on the coals, and then bent over it absorbed, sniffing the savory steam which presently came up from it. meanwhile the two men were skulking about among the trees, watching, yet not coming near,--"at their usual work of waiting," as the captain said. "proper enough, too, let 'em wait. waiting's their business. now," taking off his tin and looking towards them, "what d'ye s'pose those anemiles want? pity the boat hadn't tipped over before they got here. camp's overrun now with just such scoots. here, you!" he called. the men came near. "where'd you come from?" one of them pointed back to the boat, seen dimly on the sand. "was that you howling a while ago, 'roll jordan,' or something?" "yes, massa." "and where did you come from?--no, you needn't look back there again,--i mean, where did you and the boat too come from?" "come from mass' george wingate's place, massa." "far from here?" "big way, massa." "what brought you here? what did you come for?" "if you please, massa, 'cause the linkum sojers was yere, an' de big guns, an' we yearde dat all our people's free when dey gets yere." "free! what'll such fellows as you do with freedom, hey?" the two looked at their interrogator, then at one another, opened their mouths as to speak, and shut them hopelessly,--unable to put into words that which was struggling in their darkened brains,--and then with a laugh, a laugh that sounded woefully like a sob, answered, "dunno, massa." "what fools!" cried jim, angrily; but the captain, who was watching them keenly, thought of a line he had once read, "there is a laughter sadder than tears." "true enough,--poor devils!" he added to himself. "are you hungry?" jim proceeded. "i hope massa don't think we's come yere for to git suthin' to eat," said the smaller of the two, a little, thin, haggard-looking fellow,--"we's no beggars. some ob de darkies is, but we's not dem kind,--jim an' me,--we's willin' to work, ain't we, jim?" "jim!" soliloquized given,--"my name, hey? we'll take a squint at this fellow." the squint showed two impoverished-looking wretches, with a starved look in their eyes, which he did not comprehend, and a starved look in their faces and forms, which he did. "come, now, are you hungry?" he queried once more. "if ye please, massa," began the little one who was spokesman,--'little folks always are gas-bags,' jim was fond of saying from his six feet of height,--"if ye please, massa, we's had nothin' to eat but berries an' roots an' sich like truck for long while." "well, why by the devil haven't you had something else then? what've you been doing with yourselves for 'long while'? what d'ye mean, coming here starved to death, making a fellow sick to look at you? hold your gab, and eat up that pork," pushing over his tin plate, "'n' that bread," sending it after, "'n' that hard tack,--'tain't very good, but it's better'n roots, i reckon, or berries either,--'n' gobble up that coffee, double-quick, mind; and don't you open your heads to talk till the grub's gone, slick and clean. ugh!" he said to the captain,--"sight o' them fellows just took my appetite away; couldn't eat to save my soul; lucky they came to devour the rations; pity to throw them away." the captain smiled,--he knew jim. "poor cusses!" he added presently, "eat like cannibals, don't they? hope they enjoy it. had enough?" seeing they had devoured everything put before them. "thankee, massa. yes, massa. bery kind, massa. had quite 'nuff." "well, now, you, sir!" looking at the little one,--"by the way, what's your name?" "'bijah, if ye please, massa." "'bijah? abijah, hey? well, i don't please; however, it's none of my name. well, 'bijah, how came you two to be looking like a couple of animated skeletons? that's the next question." "yes, massa." "i say, how came you to be starved? hai'n't they nothing but roots and berries up your way? mass' george wingate must have a jolly time, feasting, in that case. come, what's your story? out with the whole pack of lies at once." "i hope massa thinks we wouldn't tell nuffin but de truf," said jim, who had not before spoken save to say, "thankee,"--"cause if he don't bleeve us, ain't no use in talkin'." "you shut up! i ain't conversing with you, rawbones! speak when you're spoken to! come, 'bijah, fire away." "bery good, massa. ye see i'se mass' george wingate's boy. mass' george he lives in de back country, good long way from de coast,--over a hundred miles, jim calklates,--an' jim's smart at calklating; well, mass' george he's not berry good to his people; never was, an' he's been wuss'n ever since the linkum sojers cum round his way, 'cause it's made feed scurce ye see, an' a lot of de boys dey tuck to runnin' away,--so what wid one ting an' anoder, his temper got spiled, an' he was mighty hard on us all de time. "at las' i got tired of bein' cuffed an' knocked round, an' den i yearde dat if our people, any of dem, got to de fedral lines dey was free, so i said, 'cum, 'bijah,--freedom's wuth tryin' for'; an' one dark night i did up some hoe-cake an' a piece of pork an' started. i trabbeled hard's i could all night,--'bout fifteen mile, i reckon,--an' den as 'twas gittin' toward mornin' i hid away in a swamp. ye see i felt drefful bad, for i could year way off, but plain enuff, de bayin' of de hounds, an' i knew dat de men an' de guns an' de dogs was all after me; but de day passed an' dey didn't come. so de next night i started off agen, an' run an' walked hard all night, an' towards mornin' i went up to a little house standen off from de road, thinking it was a nigger house, an' jest as i got up to it out walked a white woman scarin' me awfully, an' de fust ting she axed me was what i wanted." "tight slave!" interrupted jim,--"what d'ye do then?" "well, massa, ye see i saw mighty quick i was in for a lie anyhow, so i said, 'is massa at home?' 'yes,' says she,--an' sure nuff, he cum right out. 'hello, nigger!' he said when he seed me, 'whar you cum from? so i tells him from pocotaligo, an' before he could ax any more queshuns, i went on an' tole him we cotched fifty yankees down dere yesterday, an' massa he was so tickled dat he let me go to barnwells to see my family, an' den i said i'd got off de track an' was dead beat an' drefful hungry, an' would he please to sell me suthin to eat. at dat de woman streaked right into de house, an' got me some bread an' meat, an' tole me to eat it up an' not talk about payin,'--'we don't charge good, faithful niggers nothin',' she said,--so i thanked her an' eat it all up, an' den, when de man had tole me how to go, i went right long till i got out ob sight ob de little house, an' den i got into de woods, an' turned right round de oder way an' made tracks fast as i could in dat direcshun." "ho! ho! you're about what i call a 'cute nigger," laughed jim. "come, go on,--this gets interesting." "well, directly i yearde de dogs. dere was a pond little way off; so i tuck to it, an' waded out till i could just touch my toes an' keep my nose above water so's to breathe. presently dey all cum down, an' i yearde mass' george say, 'i'll hunt dat nigger till i find him if takes a month. i'se goin' to make a zample of him,'--so i shook some at dat, for i know'd what mass' george's zamples was. arter while one ob de men says, 'he ain't yere,--he'd shown hisself before dis, if he was,' an' i spose i would, for i was pretty nearly choked, only i said to myself when i went in, 'i'll go to de bottom before i'll come up to be tuck,' so i jest held on by my toes an' waited. "i didn't dare to cum out when dey rode away to try a new scent, an' when i did i jest skulked round de edge ob de pond, ready to take to it agen if i yearde dem, an' when night cum i started off an' run an' walked agen hard's i could, an' den at day-dawn i tuck to anoder pond, an' went on a log dat was stickin' in de water, and broke down some rushes an' bushes enuf to lie down on an' cover me up, an' den i slept all day, for i was drefful tired an' most starved too. next evenin' when it got dark, i went on agen, an' trabblin through de woods i seed a little light, an' sartin dis time dat it was a darkey's cabin, i made for it, an' it was. it was his'n,"--pointing to the big fellow who stood beside him, and who nodded his head in assent. "i had a palaver before he'd let me in, but when i was in i seed what de matter was. he had a sojer dere, a linkum sojer, bad wounded, what he'd found in de woods,--he was a runaway hisself, ye see, like me,--an' he'd tuck him to dis ole cabin an'd been nussin him on for good while. when i seed dat i felt drefful bad, for i knowed dey was a huntin for me yet, an' i tought if de dogs got on de trail dey'd get to dis cabin, sure: an' den dey'd both be tuck. so i up an' tole dem, an' de sojer he says, 'come, jim, you've done quite enuff fur me, my boy. if you're in danger now, be off with you fast as you can,--an' god reward you, for i never can, for all you've done for me.' "'no,' says jim, 'capen, ye needn't talk in dat way, for i'se not goin to budge widout you. you got wounded fur me an' my people, an' now i'll stick by you an' face any thing fur you if it's death hisself!' that's just what jim said; an' de sojer he put his hand up to his face, an' i seed it tremble bad,--he was weak, you see,--an' some big tears cum out troo his fingers onto de back ob it. "den jim says, 'dis isn't a safe place for any on us, an' we'll have to take to our heels agen, an' so de sooner we's off de better.' so he did up some vittels,--all he had dere,--an' gave 'em to me to tote,--an' den before de capen could sneeze he had him up on his back, an' we was off. "it was pretty hard work i kin tell you, strong as jim was, an' we'd have to stop an' rest putty ofen; an' den, jim an' i, we'd tote him atween us on some boughs; an' den we had to lie by, some days, all day,--an' we trabbled putty slow, cause we'd lost our bearing an' was in a secesh country, we knowed,--an' we had nudin but berries an' sich to eat, an' got nigh starved. "one night we cum onto half a dozen fellows skulkin' in de woods, an' at fust dey made fight, but d'rectly dey know'd we was friends, fur dey was some more linkum sojers, an' dey'd lost dere way, or ruther, dey know'd where dey was, but dey didn't know how to git way from dere. dey was 'scaped pris'ners, dey told us; when i yearde where 'twas i know'd de way to de coast, an' said i'd show 'em de way if dey'd cum long wid us, so dey did; an' we got 'long all right till we got to de ribber up by mass' rhett's place." "yes, i know where it is," said the captain. "den what to do was de puzzle. de country was all full ob secesh pickets, an' dere was de ribber, an' we had no boat,--so jim, he says, 'i know what to do; fust i'll hide you yere,' an' he did all safe in de woods; 'an' den i'll git ye suthin to eat from de niggers round,' an' he did dat too, do he couldn't git much, for fear he'd be seen; an' den we, he and i, made some ropes out ob de tall grass like dat we'd ofen made fur mats, an' tied dem together wid some oder grass, an' stuck a board in, an' den made fur de yankee camp, an' yere we is." "yes," said the black man jim, here,--breaking silence,--"we'll show you de way back if you kin go up in a boat dey can rest in, fur dey's most all clean done out, an' de capen's wound is awful bad yit." "this captain,--what's his name?" inquired coolidge. "his name is here," said jim, carefully drawing forth a paper from his rags,--"he has on dis some figgers an' a map of de country he took before he got wounded, an' some words he writ wid a bit of burnt stick just before we cum away,--an' he giv it to me, an' tole me to bring it to camp, fur fear something might happen to him while we was away." "my god!" cried coolidge when he had opened the paper, and with hasty eyes scanned its contents, "it's tom russell; i know him well. this must be sent up to head-quarters, and i'll get an order, and a boat, and some men, to go for them at once." all of which was promptly done. "see here! i speak to be one of the fellows what goes," jim emphatically announced. "all right. i reckon we'll both go, given, if the general will let us,--and i think he will,"--which was a safe guess and a true one. the boat was soon ready and manned. 'bijah, too weak to pull an oar, was left behind; and jim, really not fit to do aught save guide them, still insisted on taking his share of work. they found the place at last, and the men; and taking them on board,--russell having to be moved slowly and carefully,--they began to pull for home. the tide was going out, and the river low: that, with the heavy laden boat, made their progress lingering; a fact which distressed them all, as they knew the night to be almost spent, and that the shores were so lined with batteries, open and masked, and the country about so scoured by rebels, as to make it almost sure death to them if they were not beyond the lines before the morning broke. the water was steadily and perceptibly ebbing,--the rowing growing more and more insecure,--the danger becoming imminent. "ease her off, there! ease her off!" cried the captain,--as a harsh, gravelly sound smote on his ear, and at the same moment a shot whizzed past them, showing that they were discovered,--"ease her off, there! or we're stuck!" the warning came too late,--indeed, could not have been obeyed, had it come earlier. the boat struck; her bottom grating hard on the wet sand. "great god! she's on a bar," cried coolidge, "and the tide's running out, fast." "yes, and them damned rebs are safe enough from _our_ fire," said one of the men. a few scattering shot fell about them. "they're going to make their mark on us, anyway," put in another. "and we can't send 'em anything in return, blast 'em!" growled a third. "that's the worst of it," broke out a fourth, "to be shot at like a rat in a hole." all said in a breath, and the balls by this time falling thick and fast,--a fiery, awful rain of death. the men were no cowards, and the captain was brave enough; but what could they do? to stand up was but to make figure-heads at which the concealed enemy could fire with ghastly certainty; to fire in return was to waste their ammunition in the air. the men flung themselves face foremost on the deck, silent and watchful. through it all jim had been sitting crouched over his oar. he, unarmed, could not have fought had the chance offered; breaking out, once and again, into the solemn-sounding chant which he had been singing when he came up in his boat the evening before:- "o my soul arise in heaven, lord, for to yearde when jordan roll, roll jordan, roll jordan, roll jordan, roll,"-the words falling in with the sound of the water as it lapsed from them. "stop that infernal noise, will you?" cried one of the men, impatiently. the noise stopped. "hush, harry,--don't swear!" expostulated another, beside whom was lying a man mortally wounded. "this is awful! 'tain't like going in fair and square, on your chance." "that's so,--it's enough to make a fellow pray," was the answer. here russell, putting up his hand, took hold of jim's brawny black one with a gesture gentle as a woman's. it hurt him to hear his faithful friend even spoken to harshly. all this, while the hideous shower of death was dropping about them; the water was ebbing, ebbing,--falling and running out fast to sea, leaving them higher and drier on the sands; the gray dawn was steadily brightening into day. at this fearful pass a sublime scene was enacted. "sirs!" said a voice,--it was jim's voice, and in it sounded something so earnest and strange, that the men involuntarily turned their heads to look at him. then this man stood up,--a black man,--a little while before a slave,--the great muscles swollen and gnarled with unpaid toil, the marks of the lash and the branding-iron yet plain upon his person, the shadows of a lifetime of wrongs and sufferings looking out of his eyes. "sirs!" he said, simply, "somebody's got to die to get us out of dis, and it may as well be me,"--plunged overboard, put his toil-hardened shoulders to the boat; a struggle, a gasp, a mighty wrench,--pushed it off clear; then fell, face foremost, pierced by a dozen bullets. free at last! chapter xvi "_ye died to live._" boker the next day jim was recounting this scene to some men in camp, describing it with feeling and earnestness, and winding up the narration by the declaration, "and the first man that says a nigger ain't as good as a white man, and a damn'd sight better'n those graybacks over yonder, well"-"well, suppose he does?"--interrupted one of the men. "o, nothing, billy dodge,--only he and i'll have a few words to pass on the subject, that's all"; doubling up his fist and examining the big cords and muscles on it with curious and well-satisfied interest. "see here, billy!" put in one of his comrades, "don't you go to having any argument with jim,--he's a dabster with his tongue, jim is." "yes, and a devil with his fist," growled a sullen-looking fellow. "just so,"--assented jim,--"when a blackguard's round to feel it." "well, given, do you like the darkies well enough to take off your cap to them?" queried a sergeant standing near. "what are you driving at now, hey?" "o, not much; but you'll have to play second fiddle to them to-night. the general thinks they're as good as the rest of us, and a little bit better, and has sent over for the fifty-fourth to lead the charge this evening. what have you got to say to that?" "bull, for them! that's what i've got to say. any objection?" looking round him. "nary objec!" "they deserve it!" "they fought like tigers over on james island!" "i hope they'll pepper the rebs well!"--"it ought to be a free fight, and no quarter, with them!" "yes, for they get none if they're taken!" "go in, fifty-fourth!" these and the like exclamations broke from the men on all sides, with absolute heartiness and good will. "it seems to me," sneered a dapper little officer who had been looking and listening, "that the niggers have plenty of advocates here." two or three of the men looked at jim. "you may bet your pile on that, major!" said he, with becoming gravity; "we love our friends, and we hate our enemies, and it's the dark-complected fellows that are the first down this way." "pretty-looking set of friends!" "well, they ain't much to look at, that's a fact; but i never heard of anybody saying you was to turn a cold shoulder on a helper because he was homely, except,"--this as the major was walking away, "except a secesh, or a fool, or one of little mac's staff officers." "homely? what are you gassing about?" objected a little fellow from massachusetts; "the fifty-fourth is as fine-looking a set of men as shoulder rifles anywhere in the army." "jack's sensitive about the credit of his state," chaffed a big ohioan. "he wants to crack up these fellows, seeing they're his comrades. i say, johnny, are all the white men down your way such little shavers as you?" "for a fellow that's all legs and no brains, you talk too much," answered johnny. "have any of you seen the fifty-fourth?" "i haven't." "nor i." "yes, i saw them at port royal." "and i." "and i." "well, the twenty-third was at beaufort while they were there, and i used to go over to their camp and talk with them. i never saw fellows so in earnest; they seemed ready to die on the instant, if they could help their people, or walk into the slaveholders any, first. they were just full of it; and yet it seemed absurd to call 'em a black regiment; they were pretty much all colors, and some of 'em as white as i am." "lord," said jim, "that's not saying much, you've got a smutty face." the men laughed, jack with the rest, as he dabbed at his heated, powder-stained countenance. "come," said he, "that's no fair,--they're as white as i am, then, when i've just scrubbed; and some of them are first-raters, too; none of your rag, tag, and bobtail. there's one i remember, a man from philadelphia, who walks round like a prince. he's a gentleman, every inch,--and he's rich,--and about the handsomest-looking specimen of humanity i've set eyes upon for an age." "rich, is he? how do you know he's rich?" "i was over one night with captain ware, and he and this man got to talking about the pay for the fifty-fourth. the government promised them regular pay, you see, and then when it got 'em refused to stick to its agreement, and they would take no less, so they haven't seen a dime since they enlisted; and it's a darned mean piece of business, that's my opinion of the matter, and i don't care who knows it," looking round belligerently. "come, bantam, don't crow so loud," interrupted the big ohioan; "nobody's going to fight you on that statement; it's a shame, and no mistake. but what about your paragon?" "i'll tell you. the captain was trying to convince him that they had better take what they could get till they got the whole, and that, after all, it was but a paltry difference. 'but,' said the man, 'it's not the money, though plenty of us are poor enough to make that an item. it's the badge of disgrace, the stigma attached, the dishonor to the government. if it were only two cents we wouldn't submit to it, for the difference would be made because we are colored, and we're not going to help degrade our own people, not if we starve for it. besides, it's our flag, and our government now, and we've got to defend the honor of both against any assailants, north or south,--whether they're republican congressmen or rebel soldiers.' the captain looked puzzled at that, and asked what he meant. 'why,' said he, 'the united states government enlisted us as soldiers. being such, we don't intend to disgrace the service by accepting the pay of servants.'" "that's the kind of talk," bawled jim from a fence-rail upon which he was balancing. "i'd like to have a shake of that fellow's paw. what's his name, d'ye know?" "ercildoune." "hey?" "ercildoune." "jemime! ercildoune,--from philadelphia, you say?" "yes,--do you know him?" "well, no,--i don't exactly know him, but i think i know something about him. his pa's rich as a nob, if it's the one i mean,"--and then finished sotto voce, "it's mrs. surrey's brother, sure as a gun!" "well, he ought to be rich, if he ain't. as we, that's the captain and me, were walking away, the captain said to one of the officers of the fifty-fourth who'd been listening to the talk, 'it's easy for that man to preach self-denial for a principle. he's rich, i've heard. it don't hurt him any; but it's rather selfish to hold some of the rest up to his standard; and i presume that such a man as he has no end of influence with them!' "'as he should,' said his officer. 'ercildoune has brains enough to stock a regiment, and refinement, and genius, and cultivation that would assure him the highest position in society or professional life anywhere out of america. he won't leave it though; for in spite of its wrongs to him he sees its greatness and goodness,--says that it is _his_, and that it is to be saved, it and all its benefits, for americans,--no matter what the color of their skin,--of whom he is one. he sees plain enough that this war is going to break the slave's chain, and ultimately the stronger chain of prejudice that binds his people to the grindstone, and he's full of enthusiasm for it, accordingly; though i'm free to confess, the magnanimity of these colored men from the north who fight, on faith, for the government, is to me something amazing.'" "'why,' said the captain,--'why, any more from the north than from the south?'" "why? the blacks down here can at least fight their ex-masters, and pay off some old scores; but for a man from the north who is free already, and so has nothing to gain in that way,--whose rights as a man and a citizen are denied,--for such a man to enlist and to fight, without bounty, pay, honor, or promotion,--without the promise of gaining anything whatever for himself,--condemned to a thankless task on the one side,--to a merciless death or even worse fate on the other,--facing all this because he has faith that the great republic will ultimately be redeemed; that some hands will gather in the harvest of this bloody sowing, though he be lying dead under it,--i tell you, the more i see of these men, the more i know of them, the more am i filled with admiration and astonishment. "now here's this one of whom we are talking, ercildoune, born with a silver spoon in his mouth: instead of eating with it, in peace and elegance, in some european home, look at him here. you said something about his lack of self-sacrifice. he's doing 'what he is from a principle; and beyond that, it's no wonder the men care for him: he has spent a small fortune on the most needy of them since they enlisted,--finding out which of them have families, or any one dependent on them, and helping them in the finest and most delicate way possible. there are others like him here, and it's a fortunate circumstance, for there's not a man but would suffer, himself,--and, what's more, let his family suffer at home,--before he'd give up the idea for which they are contending now." "'well, good luck to them!' said the captain as we came away; and so say i," finished jack. "and i,"--"and i," responded some of the men. "we must see this man when they come over here." "i'll bet you a shilling," said jim, pulling out a bit of currency, "that he'll make his mark to-night." "lend us the change, given, and i'll take you up," said one of the men. the others laughed. "he don't mean it," said jim: which, indeed, he didn't. nobody seemed inclined to run any risks by betting on the other side of so likely a proposition. this talk took place late in the afternoon, near the head-quarters of the commanding general; and the men directly scattered to prepare for the work of the evening: some to clean a bayonet, or furbish up a rifle; others to chat and laugh over the chances and to lay plans for the morrow,--the morrow which was for them never to dawn on earth; and yet others to sit down in their tents and write letters to the dear ones at home, making what might, they knew, be a final-farewell,--for the fight impending was to be a fierce one,--or to read a chapter in a little book carried from some quiet fireside, balancing accounts perchance, in anticipation of the call of the great captain to come up higher. through the whole afternoon there had been a tremendous cannonading of the fort from the gunboats and the land forces: the smooth, regular engineer lines were broken, and the fresh-sodded embankments torn and roughened by the unceasing rain of shot and shell. about six o'clock there came moving up the island, over the burning sands and under the burning sky, a stalwart, splendid-appearing set of men, who looked equal to any daring, and capable of any heroism; men whom nothing could daunt and few things subdue. now, weary, travel-stained, with the mire and the rain of a two days' tramp; weakened by the incessant strain and lack of food, having taken nothing for forty-eight hours save some crackers and cold coffee; with gaps in their ranks made by the death of comrades who had fallen in battle but a little time before,--under all these disadvantages, it was plain to be seen of what stuff these men were made, and for what work they were ready. as this regiment, the famous fifty-fourth, came up the island to take its place at the head of the storming party in the assault on wagner, it was cheered from all sides by the white soldiers, who recognized and honored the heroism which it had already shown, and of which it was soon to give such new and sublime proof. the evening, or rather the afternoon, was a lurid and sultry one. great masses of clouds, heavy and black, were piled in the western sky, fringed here and there by an angry red, and torn by vivid streams of lightning. not a breath of wind shook the leaves or stirred the high, rank grass by the water-side; a portentous and awful stillness filled the air,--the stillness felt by nature before a devastating storm. quiet, with the like awful and portentous calm, the black regiment, headed by its young, fair-haired, knightly colonel, marched to its destined place and action. when within about six hundred yards of the fort it was halted at the head of the regiments already stationed, and the line of battle formed. the prospect was such as might daunt the courage of old and well-tried veterans, but these soldiers of a few weeks seemed but impatient to take the odds, and to make light of impossibilities. a slightly rising ground, raked by a murderous fire, to within a little distance of the battery; a ditch holding three feet of water; a straight lift of parapet, thirty feet high; an impregnable position, held by a desperate and invincible foe. here the men were addressed in a few brief and burning words by their heroic commander. here they were besought to glorify their whole race by the lustre of their deeds; here their faces shone with a look which said, "though men, we are ready to do deeds, to achieve triumphs, worthy the gods!" here the word of command was given:-"we are ordered and expected to take battery wagner at the point of the bayonet. are you ready?" "ay, ay, sir! ready!" was the answer. and the order went pealing down the line, "ready! close ranks! charge bayonets! forward! double-quick, march!"--and away they went, under a scattering fire, in one compact line till within one hundred feet of the fort, when the storm of death broke upon them. every gun belched forth its great shot and shell; every rifle whizzed out its sharp-singing, death-freighted messenger. the men wavered not for an instant;--forward,--forward they went; plunged into the ditch; waded through the deep water, no longer of muddy hue, but stained crimson with their blood; and commenced to climb the parapet. the foremost line fell, and then the next, and the next. the ground was strewn with the wrecks of humanity, scattered prostrate, silent, where they fell,--or rolling under the very feet of the living comrades who swept onward to fill their places. on, over the piled-up mounds of dead and dying, of wounded and slain, to the mouth of the battery; seizing the guns; bayoneting the gunners at their posts; planting their flag and struggling around it; their leader on the walls, sword in hand, his blue eyes blazing, his fair face aflame, his clear voice calling out, "forward, my brave boys!"--then plunging into the hell of battle before him. forward it was. they followed him, gathered about him, gained an angle of the fort, and fought where he fell, around his prostrate body, over his peaceful heart,--shielding its dead silence by their living, pulsating ones,--till they, too, were stricken down; then hacked, hewn, battered, mangled, heroic, yet overcome, the remnant was beaten back. ably sustained by their supporters, anglo-african and anglo-saxon vied together to carry off the palm of courage and glory. all the world knows the last fought with heroism sublime: all the world forgets this and them in contemplating the deeds and the death of their compatriots. said napoleon at austerlitz to a young russian officer, overwhelmed with shame at yielding his sword, "young man, be consoled: those who are conquered by my soldiers may still have titles to glory." to say that on that memorable night the last were surpassed by the first is still to leave ample margin on which to write in glowing characters the record of their deeds. as the men were clambering up the parapet their color-sergeant was shot dead, the colors trailing stained and wet in the dust beside him. ercildoune, who was just behind, sprang forward, seized the staff from his dying hand, and mounted with it upward. a ball struck his right arm, yet ere it could fall shattered by his side, his left hand caught the flag and carried it onward. even in the mad sweep of assault and death the men around him found breath and time to hurrah, and those behind him pressed more gallantly forward to follow such a lead. he kept in his place, the colors flying,--though faint with loss of blood and wrung with agony,--up the slippery steep; up to the walls of the fort; on the wall itself, planting the flag where the men made that brief, splendid stand, and melted away like snow before furnace-heat. here a bayonet thrust met him and brought him down, a great wound in his brave breast, but he did not yield; dropping to his knees, pressing his unbroken arm upon the gaping wound,--bracing himself against a dead comrade,--the colors still flew; an inspiration to the men about him; a defiance to the foe. at last when the shattered ranks fell back, sullenly and slowly retreating, it was seen by those who watched him,--men lying for three hundred rods around in every form of wounded suffering,--that he was painfully working his way downward, still holding aloft the flag, bent evidently on saving it, and saving it as flag had rarely, if ever, been saved before. some of the men had crawled, some had been carried, some hastily caught up and helped by comrades to a sheltered tent out of range of the fire; a hospital tent, they called it, if anything could bear that name which was but a place where men could lie to suffer and expire, without a bandage, a surgeon, or even a drop of cooling water to moisten parched and dying lips. among these was jim. he had a small field-glass in his pocket, and forgot or ignored his pain in his eager interest of watching through this the progress of the man and the flag, and reporting accounts to his no less eager companions. black soldiers and white were alike mad with excitement over the deed; and fear lest the colors which had not yet dipped should at last bite the ground. now and then he paused at some impediment: it was where the dead and dying were piled so thickly as to compel him to make a detour. now and then he rested a moment to press his arm tighter against his torn and open breast. the rain fell in such torrents, the evening shadows were gathering so thickly, that they could scarcely trace his course, long before it was ended. slowly, painfully, he dragged himself onward,--step by step down the hill, inch by inch across the ground,--to the door of the hospital; and then, while dying eyes brightened,--dying hands and even shattered stumps were thrown into the air,--in brief, while dying men held back their souls from the eternities to cheer him,--gasped out, "i did--but do--my duty, boys,--and the dear--old flag--never once--touched the ground,"--and then, away from the reach and sight of its foes, in the midst of its defenders, who loved and were dying for it, the flag at last fell. * * * * * meanwhile, other troops had gone up to the encounter; other regiments strove to win what these men had failed to gain; and through the night, and the storm, and the terrific reception, did their gallant endeavor--in vain. * * * * * the next day a flag of truce went up to beg the body of the heroic young chief who had so led that marvellous assault. it came back without him. a ditch, deep and wide, had been dug; his body, and those of twenty-two of his men found dead upon and about him, flung into it in one common heap and the word sent back was, "we have buried him with his niggers." it was well done. the fair, sweet face and gallant breast lie peacefully enough under their stately monument of ebony. it was well done. what more fitting close of such a life,--what fate more welcome to him who had fought with them, had loved, and believed in them, had led them to death,--than to lie with them when they died? it was well done. slavery buried these men, black and white, together,--black and white in a common grave. let liberty see to it, then, that black and white be raised together in a life better than the old. chapter xvii "_spirits are not finely touched but to fine issues._" shakespeare surrey was to depart for his command on monday night, and as there were various matters which demanded his attention in town ere leaving, he drove francesca to the city on the preceding sunday,--a soft clear summer evening, full of pleasant sights and sounds. they scarcely spoke as, hand in hand, they sat drinking in the scene whilst the old gray, for they wished no high-stepping prancers for this ride, jogged on the even tenor of his way. above them, the blue of the sky never before seemed so deep and tender, while in it floated fleecy clouds of delicate amber, rose, and gold, like gossamer robes of happy spirits invisible to human eyes. the leaves and grass just stirred in the breeze, making a slight, musical murmur, and across them fell long shadows cast by the westering sun. a sentiment so sweet and pleasurable as to be tinged with pain, took possession of these young, susceptible souls, as the influences of the time closed about them. in our happiest moments, our moments of utmost exaltation, it is always thus:--when earth most nearly approaches the beatitudes of heaven, and the spirit stretches forward with a vain longing for the far off, which seems but a little way beyond; the unattained and dim, which for a space come near. "darling!" said surrey softly, "does it not seem easy now to die?" "yes, willie," she whispered, "i feel as though it would be stepping over a very little stream to some new and beautiful shore." doubtless, when a pure and great soul is close to eternity, ministering angels draw nigh to one soon to be of their number, and cast something of the peace and glory of their presence on the spirit yet held by its cerements of clay. at last the ride and the evening had an end. the country and its dear delights were mere memories,--fresh, it is true, but memories still, and no longer realities,--in the luxurious rooms of their hotel. evidently surrey had something to say, which he hesitated and feared to utter. again and again, when francesca was talking of his plans and purposes, trusting and hoping that he might see no hard service, nor be called upon for any exposing duty, "not yet awhile," she prayed, at least,--again and again he made as if to speak, and then, ere she could notice the movement, shook his head with a gesture of silence, or--she seeing it, and asking what it was he had to say--found ready utterance for some other thought, and whispered to himself, "not yet; not quite yet. let her rest in peace a little space longer." they sat talking far into the night, this last night that they could spend together in so long a time,--how long, god, with whom are hid the secrets of the future, could alone tell. they talked of what had passed, which was ended,--and of what was to come, which was not sure but full of hope,--but of both with a feeling that quickened their heart-throbs, and brought happy tears to their eyes. twice or thrice a sound from some far distance, undecided, yet full of a solemn melody, came through the open window, borne to their ears on the still air of night,--something so undefined as not consciously to arrest their attention, yet still penetrating their nerves and affecting some fine, inner sense of feeling, for both shivered as though a chill wind had blown across them, and surrey--half ashamed of the confession--said, "i don't know what possesses me, but i hear dead marches as plainly as though i were following a soldier's funeral." francesca at that grew white, crept closer to his breast, and spread out her arms as if to defend him by that slight shield from some impending danger; then both laughed at these foolish and superstitious fancies, and went on with their cheerful and tender talk. whatever the sound was, it grew plainer and came nearer; and, pausing to listen, they discovered it was a mighty swell of human voices and the marching of many feet. "a regiment going through," said they, and ran to the window to see if it passed their way, looking for it up the long street, which lay solemn and still in the moonlight. on either side the palace-like houses stood stately and dark, like giant sentinels guarding the magnificent avenue, from whence was banished every sight and sound of the busy life of day; not a noise, not a footfall, not a solitary soul abroad, not a wave nor a vestige of the great restless sea of humanity which a little space before surged through it, and which, in a little while to come, would rise and swell to its full, and then ebb, and fall, and drop away once more into silence and nothingness. through this white stillness there came marching a regiment of men, without fife or drum, moving to the music of a refrain which lifted and fell on the quiet air. it was the battle hymn of the republic,--and the two listeners presently distinguished the words,- "in the beauty of the lilies christ was born across the sea, with a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me; as he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, while god is marching on." the effect of this; the thousand voices which sang; the marching of twice one thousand feet; the majesty of the words; the deserted street; the clear moonlight streaming over the men, reflected from their gleaming bayonets, brightening the faded blue of their uniforms, illumining their faces which, one and all, seemed to wear--and probably _did_ wear--a look more solemn and earnest than that of common life and feeling,--the combined effect of it all was something indescribably impressive:--inspiring, yet solemn. they stood watching and listening till the pageant had vanished, and then turned back into their room, francesca taking up the refrain and singing the line, "as he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, while god is marching on." surrey's face brightened at the rapt expression of hers. "sing it again, dearie!" he said. she sang it again. "do you mean it?" he asked then. "can you sing it, and mean it with all your heart, for me?" she looked at him with an expression of anxiety and pain. "what are you asking, willie?" he sat down; taking her upon his knee, and with the old fond gesture, holding her head to his heart,--"i should have told you before, dearie, but i did not wish to throw any shadow on the happy days we have been spending together; they were few and brief enough without marring them; and i was certain of the effect it would have upon you, by your incessant anxiety for robert." she drew a long, gasping sigh, and started away from his hold: "o willie, you are not going to--" his arm drew her back to her resting-place. "i do not return to my command, darling. i am to raise a black brigade." "freedmen?" "yes, dearie." "o willie,--and that act just passed!" "it is true; yet, after all, it is but one risk more." "one? o willie, it is a thousand. you had that many chances of escape where you were; you might be wounded and captured a score of times, and come home safe at last; but this!" "i know." "to go into every battle with the sentence of death hanging over you; to know that if you are anywhere captured, anyhow made prisoner, you are condemned to die,--o willie, i can't bear it; i can't bear it! i shall die, or go mad, to carry such a thought all the time." for answer he only held her close, with his face resting upon her hair, and in the stillness they could hear each other's heart beat. "it is god's service," he said, at last. "i know." "it will end slavery and the war more effectually than aught else." "i know." "it will make these freedmen, wherever they fight, free men. it will give them and their people a sense of dignity and power that might otherwise take generations to secure." "i know." "and i. both feeling and knowing this, who so fit to yield and to do for such a cause? if those who see do not advance, the blind will never walk." silence for a space again fell between them. francesca moved in his arm. "dearie." she looked up. "i want to do no half service. i go into this heart and soul, but i do not wish to go alone. it will be so much to me to know that you are quite willing, and bade me go. think what it is." she did. for an instant all sacrifices appeared easy, all burdens light. she could send him out to death unfaltering. one of those sublime moods in which martyrdom seems glorious filled and possessed her. she took away her clinging arms from his neck, and said, "go,--whether it be for life or for death; whether you come back to me or go up to god; i am willing--glad--to yield you to such a cause." it was finished. there was nothing more to be said. both had climbed the mount of sacrifice, and sat still with god. after a while the cool gray dawn stole into their room. the night had passed in this communion, and another day come. there were many "last things" which claimed surrey's attention; and he, wishing to get through them early so as to have the afternoon and evening undisturbed with francesca, plunged into a stinging bath to refresh him for the day, breakfasted, and was gone. he attended to his business, came across many an old acquaintance and friend, some of whom greeted him coldly; a few cut him dead; whilst others put out their hands with cordial frankness, and one or two congratulated him heartily upon his new condition and happiness. these last gave him fresh courage for the task which he had set himself. if friends regarded the matter thus, surely they--his father and mother--would relent, when he came to say what might be a final adieu. he ran up the steps, rang the bell, and, speaking a pleasant word to the old servant, went directly to his mother's room. his father had not yet gone down town; thus he found them together. they started at seeing him, and his mother, forgetting for the instant all her pride, chagrin, and anger, had her arms about his neck, with the cry, "o willie, willie," which came from the depths of her heart; then seeing her husband's face, and recovering herself, sat down cold and still. it was a painful interview. he could not leave without seeing them once more; he longed for a loving good by; but after that first outburst he almost wished he had not forced the meeting. he did not speak of his wife, nor did they; but a barrier as of adamant was raised between them, and he felt as though congealing in the breath of an iceberg. at length he rose to go. "father!" he said then, "perhaps you will care to know that i do not return to my old command, but have been commissioned to raise a brigade from the freedmen." both father and mother knew the awful peril of this service, and both cried, half in suffering, half in anger, "this is your wife's work!" while his father added, with a passionate exclamation, "it is right, quite right, that you should identify yourself with her people. well, go your way. you have made your bed; lie in it." the blood flushed into surrey's face. he opened his lips, and shut them again. at last he said, "father, will you never forego this cruel prejudice?" "never!" answered his mother, quickly. "never!" repeated his father, with bitter emphasis. "it is a feeling that will never die out, and ought never to die out, so long as any of the race remain in america. she belongs to it, that is enough." surrey urged no further; but with few words, constrained on their part,--though under its covering of pride the mother's heart was bleeding for him,--sad and earnest on his, the farewell was spoken, and they watched him out of the room. how and when would they see him again? there was one other call upon his time. the day was wearing into the afternoon, but he would not neglect it. this was to see his old _protã©gã©_, abram franklin, in whom he had never lost interest, and for whose welfare he had cared, though he had not seen him in more than two years. he knew that abram was ill, had been so for a long time, and wished to see him and speak to him a few friendly and cheering words,--sure, from what the boy's own hand had written, that this would be his last opportunity upon earth to so do. thus he went on from his father's stately palace up fifth avenue, turned into the quiet side street, and knocked at the little green door. mrs. franklin came to open it, her handsome face thinner and sadder than of old. she caught surrey's hand between both of hers with a delighted cry: "is it you, mr. willie? how glad i am to see you! how glad abram will be! how good of you to come!" and, holding his hand as she used when he was a boy, she led him up stairs to the sick-room. this room was even cosier than the two below; its curtains and paper cheerfuller; its furniture of quainter and more hospitable aspect; its windows letting in more light and air; everything clean and homely, and pleasant for weary, suffering eyes to look upon. abram was propped up in bed, his dark, intelligent face worn to a shadow, fiery spots breaking through the tawny hue upon cheeks and lips, his eyes bright with fever. surrey saw, as he came and sat beside him, that for him earthly sorrow and toil were almost ended. he had brought some fruit and flowers, and a little book. this last abram, having thanked him eagerly for all, stretched out his hand to examine. "you see, mr. willie, i have not gotten over my old love," he said, as his fingers closed upon it. "whittier? 'in war-time'? that is fine. i can read about it, if i can't do anything in it," and he lay for a while quietly turning over the pages. mrs. franklin had gone out to do an errand, and the two were alone. "do you know, mr. willie," said abram, putting his finger upon the titles of two successive poems, "the waiting," and "the summons," "i had hard work to submit to this sickness a few months ago? i fought against it strong; do you know why?" "not your special reason. what was it?" "i had waited so long, you see,--i, and my people,--for a chance. it made me quite wild to watch this big fight go on, and know that it was all about us, and not be allowed to participate; and at last when the chance came, and the summons, and the way was opened, i couldn't answer, nor go. it's not the dying i care for; i'd be willing to die the first battle i was in; but i want to do something for the cause before death comes." the book was lying open where it had fallen from his hand, and surrey, glancing down at the very poem of which he spoke, said gently, "here is your answer, franklin, better than any i can make; it ought to comfort you; listen, it is god's truth! 'o power to do! o baffled will! o prayer and action! ye are one; who may not strive may yet fulfil the harder task of standing still, and good but wished with god is done!'" "it is so," said abram. "you act and i pray, and you act for me and mine. i'd like to be under you when you get the troops you were telling me about; but--god knows best." surrey sat gazing earnestly into space, crowded by emotions called up by these last words, whilst abram lay watching him with admiring and loving eyes. "for me and mine," he repeated softly, his look fastening on the blue sleeve, which hung, limp and empty, near his hand. this he put out cautiously, but drew it back at some slight movement from his companion; then, seeing that he was still absorbed, advanced it, once more, and slowly, timidly, gently, lifted it to his mouth, pressing his lips upon it as upon a shrine. "for me and mine!" he whispered,--"for me and mine!" tears dimming the pathetic, dying eyes. the peaceful quiet was broken by a tempest of awful sound,--groans and shrieks and yells mingled in horrible discord, blended with the trampling of many feet,--noises which seemed to their startled and excited fancies like those of hell itself. the next moment a door was flung open; and mrs. franklin, bruised, lame, her garments torn, blood flowing from a cut on her head, staggered into the room. "o lord! o lord jesus!" she cried, "the day of wrath has come!" and fell, shuddering and crying, on the floor. chapter xviii "_will the future come? it seems that we may almost ask this question, when we see such terrible shadow._" victor hugo here it will be necessary to consider some facts which, while they are rather in the domain of the grave recorder of historical events, than in that of the narrator of personal experiences, are yet essential to the comprehension of the scenes in which surrey and francesca took such tragic parts. following the proclamation for a draft in the city of new york, there had been heard on all sides from the newspaper press which sympathized with and aided the rebellion, premonitions of the coming storm; denunciations of the war, the government, the soldiers, of the harmless and inoffensive negroes; angry incitings of the poor man to hatred against the rich, since the rich man could save himself from the necessity of serving in the ranks by the payment of three hundred dollars of commutation money; incendiary appeals to the worst passions of the most ignorant portion of the community; and open calls to insurrection and arms to resist the peaceable enforcement of a law enacted in furtherance of the defence of the nation's life. doubtless this outbreak had been intended at the time of the darkest and most disastrous days of the republic; when the often-defeated and sorely dispirited army of the potomac was marching northward to cover washington and baltimore, and the victorious legions of traitors under lee were swelling across the border, into a loyal state; when grant stood in seemingly hopeless waiting before vicksburg, and banks before port hudson; and the whole people of the north, depressed and disheartened by the continued series of defeats to our arms, were beginning to look each at his neighbor, and whisper with white lips, "perhaps, after all, this struggle is to be in vain." had it been attempted at this precise time, it would, without question, have been, not a riot, but an insurrection,--would have been a portion of the army of rebellion, organized and effective for the prosecution of the war, and not a mob, hideous and devilish in its work of destruction, yet still a mob; and as such to be beaten down and dispersed in a comparatively short space of time. on the morning of monday, the thirteenth of july, began this outbreak, unparalleled in atrocities by anything in american history, and equalled only by the horrors of the worst days of the french revolution. gangs of men and boys, composed of railroad _employã©es_, workers in machine-shops, and a vast crowd of those who lived by preying upon others, thieves, pimps, professional ruffians,--the scum of the city,--jail-birds, or those who were running with swift feet to enter the prison-doors, began to gather on the corners, and in streets and alleys where they lived; from thence issuing forth they visited the great establishments on the line of their advance, commanding their instant close and the companionship of the workmen,--many of them peaceful and orderly men,--on pain of the destruction of one and a murderous assault upon the other, did not their orders meet with instant compliance. a body of these, five or six hundred strong, gathered about one of the enrolling-offices in the upper part of the city, where the draft was quietly proceeding, and opened the assault upon it by a shower of clubs, bricks, and paving-stones torn from the streets, following it up by a furious rush into the office. lists, records, books, the drafting-wheel, every article of furniture or work in the room was rent in pieces, and strewn about the floor or flung into the street; while the law officers, the newspaper reporters,--who are expected to be everywhere,--and the few peaceable spectators, were compelled to make a hasty retreat through an opportune rear exit, accelerated by the curses and blows of the assailants. a safe in the room, which contained some of the hated records, was fallen upon by the men, who strove to wrench open its impregnable lock with their naked hands, and, baffled, beat them on its iron doors and sides till they were stained with blood, in a mad frenzy of senseless hate and fury. and then, finding every portable article destroyed,--their thirst for ruin growing by the little drink it had had,--and believing, or rather hoping, that the officers had taken refuge in the upper rooms, set fire to the house, and stood watching the slow and steady lift of the flames, filling the air with demoniac shrieks and yells, while they waited for the prey to escape from some door or window, from the merciless fire to their merciless hands. one of these, who was on the other side of the street, courageously stepped forward, and, telling them that they had utterly demolished all they came to seek, informed them that helpless women and little children were in the house, and besought them to extinguish the flames and leave the ruined premises; to disperse, or at least to seek some other scene. by his dress recognizing in him a government official, so far from hearing or heeding his humane appeal, they set upon him with sticks and clubs, and beat him till his eyes were blind with blood, and he--bruised and mangled--succeeded in escaping to the handful of police who stood helpless before this howling crew, now increased to thousands. with difficulty and pain the inoffensive tenants escaped from the rapidly spreading fire, which, having devoured the house originally lighted, swept across the neighboring buildings till the whole block stood a mass of burning flames. the firemen came up tardily and reluctantly, many of them of the same class as the miscreants who surrounded them, and who cheered at their approach, but either made no attempt to perform their duty, or so feeble and farcical a one, as to bring disgrace upon a service they so generally honor and ennoble. at last, when there was here nothing more to accomplish, the mob, swollen to a frightful size, including myriads of wretched, drunken women, and the half-grown, vagabond boys of the pavements, rushed through the intervening streets, stopping cars and insulting peaceable citizens on their way, to an armory where were manufactured and stored carbines and guns for the government. in anticipation of the attack, this, earlier in the day, had been fortified by a police squad capable of coping with an ordinary crowd of ruffians, but as chaff before fire in the presence of these murderous thousands. here, as before, the attack was begun by a rain of missiles gathered from the streets; less fatal, doubtless, than more civilized arms, but frightful in the ghastly wounds and injuries they inflicted. of this no notice was taken by those who were stationed within; it was repeated. at last, finding they were treated with contemptuous silence, and that no sign of surrender was offered, the crowd swayed back,--then forward,--in a combined attempt to force the wide entrance-doors. heavy hammers and sledges, which had been brought from forges and workshops, caught up hastily as they gathered the mechanics into their ranks, were used with frightful violence to beat them in,--at last successfully. the foremost assailants began to climb the stairs, but were checked, and for the moment driven back by the fire of the officers, who at last had been commanded to resort to their revolvers. a half-score fell wounded; and one, who had been acting in some sort as their leader,--a big, brutal, irish ruffian,--dropped dead. the pause was but for an instant. as the smoke cleared away there was a general and ferocious onslaught upon the armory; curses, oaths, revilings, hideous and obscene blasphemy, with terrible yells and cries, filled the air in every accent of the english tongue save that spoken by a native american. such were there mingled with the sea of sound, but they were so few and weak as to be unnoticeable in the roar of voices. the paving stones flew like hail, until the street was torn into gaps and ruts, and every window-pane, and sash, and doorway, was smashed or broken. meanwhile, divers attempts were made to fire the building, but failed through haste or ineffectual materials, or the vigilant watchfulness of the besieged. in the midst of this gallant defence, word was brought to the defenders from head-quarters that nothing could be done for their support; and that, if they would save their lives, they must make a quick and orderly retreat. fortunately, there was a side passage with which the mob was unacquainted, and, one by one they succeeded in gaining this, and vanishing. a few, too faithful or too plucky to retreat before such a foe, persisted in remaining at their posts till the fire, which had at last been communicated to the building, crept unpleasantly near; then, by dropping from sill to sill of the broken windows, or sliding by their hands and feet down the rough pipes and stones, reached the pavement,--but not without injuries and blows, and broken bones, which disabled for a lifetime, if indeed they did not die in the hospitals to which a few of the more mercifully disposed carried them. the work thus begun, continued,--gathering in force and fury as the day wore on. police stations, enrolling-offices, rooms or buildings used in any way by government authority, or obnoxious as representing the dignity of law, were gutted, destroyed, then left to the mercy of the flames. newspaper offices, whose issues had been a fire in the rear of the nation's armies by extenuating and defending treason, and through violent and incendiary appeals stirring up "lewd fellows of the baser sort" to this very carnival of ruin and blood, were cheered as the crowd went by. those that had been faithful to loyalty and law were hooted, stoned, and even stormed by the army of miscreants who were only driven off by the gallant and determined charge of the police, and in one place by the equally gallant, and certainly unique defence, which came from turning the boiling water from the engines upon the howling wretches, who, unprepared for any such warm reception as this, beat a precipitate and general retreat. before night fell it was no longer one vast crowd collected in a single section, but great numbers of gatherings, scattered over the whole length and breadth of the city,--some of them engaged in actual work of demolition and ruin; others with clubs and weapons in their hands, prowling round apparently with no definite atrocity to perpetrate, but ready for any iniquity that might offer,--and, by way of pastime, chasing every stray police officer, or solitary soldier, or inoffensive negro, who crossed the line of their vision; these three objects--the badge of a defender of the law,--the uniform of the union army,--the skin of a helpless and outraged race--acted upon these madmen as water acts upon a rabid dog. late in the afternoon a crowd which could have numbered not less than ten thousand, the majority of whom were ragged, frowzy, drunken women, gathered about the orphan asylum for colored children,--a large and beautiful building, and one of the most admirable and noble charities of the city. when it became evident, from the menacing cries and groans of the multitude, that danger, if not destruction, was meditated to the harmless and inoffensive inmates, a flag of truce appeared, and an appeal was made in their behalf, by the principal, to every sentiment of humanity which these beings might possess,--a vain appeal! whatever human feeling had ever, if ever, filled these souls was utterly drowned and washed away in the tide of rapine and blood in which they had been steeping themselves. the few officers who stood guard over the doors, and manfully faced these demoniac legions, were beaten down and flung to one side, helpless and stunned whilst the vast crowd rushed in. all the articles upon which they could seize--beds, bedding, carpets, furniture,--the very garments of the fleeing inmates, some of these torn from their persons as they sped by--were carried into the streets, and hurried off by the women and children who stood ready to receive the goods which their husbands, sons, and fathers flung to their care. the little ones, many of them, assailed and beaten; all,--orphans and caretakers,--exposed to every indignity and every danger, driven on to the street,--the building was fired. this had been attempted whilst the helpless children--some of them scarce more than babies--were still in their rooms; but this devilish consummation was prevented by the heroism of one man. he, the chief of the fire department, strove by voice and arm to stay the endeavor; and when, overcome by superior numbers, the brands had been lit and piled, with naked hands, and in the face of threatened death, he tore asunder the glowing embers, and trod them under foot. again the effort was made, and again failed through the determined and heroic opposition of this solitary soul. then, on the front steps, in the midst of these drunken and infuriate thousands, he stood up and besought them, if they cared nothing for themselves nor for these hapless orphans, that they would not bring lasting disgrace upon the city by destroying one of its noblest charities, which had for its object nothing but good. he was answered on all sides by yells and execrations, and frenzied shrieks of "down with the nagurs!" coupled with every oath and every curse that malignant hate of the blacks could devise, and drunken, irish tongues could speak. it had been decreed that this building was to be razed to the ground. the house was fired in a thousand places, and in less than two hours the walls crashed in,--a mass of smoking, blackened ruins; whilst the children wandered through the streets, a prey to beings who were wild beasts in everything save the superior ingenuity of man to agonize and torture his victims. frightful as the day had been, the night was yet more hideous; since to the horrors which were seen was added the greater horror of deeds which might be committed in the darkness; or, if they were seen, it was by the lurid glare of burning buildings,--the red flames of which--flung upon the stained and brutal faces, the torn and tattered garments, of men and women who danced and howled around the scene of ruin they had caused--made the whole aspect of affairs seem more like a gathering of fiends rejoicing in pandemonium than aught with which creatures of flesh and blood had to do. standing on some elevated point, looking over the great city, which presented, as usual, at night, a solemn and impressive show, the spectator was thrilled with a fearful admiration by the sights and sounds which gave to it a mysterious and awful interest. a thousand fires streamed up against the sky, making darkness visible; and from all sides came a combination of noises such as might be heard from an asylum in which were gathered the madmen of the world. the next morning's sun rose on a city which was ruled by a reign of terror. had the police possessed the heads of hydra and the arms of briareus, and had these heads all seen, these arms all fought, they would have been powerless against the multitude of opposers. outbreaks were made, crowds gathered, houses burned, streets barricaded, fights enacted, in a score of places at once. where the officers appeared they were irretrievably beaten and overcome; their stand, were it ever so short, but inflaming the passions of the mob to fresh deeds of violence. stores were closed; the business portion of the city deserted; the large works and factories emptied of men, who had been sent home by their employers, or were swept into the ranks of the marauding bands. the city cars, omnibuses, hacks, were unable to run, and remained under shelter. every telegraph wire was cut, the posts torn up, the operators driven from their offices. the mayor, seeing that civil power was helpless to stem this tide, desired to call the military to his aid, and place the city under martial law, but was opposed by the governor,--a governor, who, but a few days before, had pronounced the war a failure; and not only predicted, but encouraged this mob rule, which was now crushing everything beneath its heavy and ensanguined feet. this man, through almost two days of these awful scenes, remained at a quiet seaside retreat but a few miles from the city. coming to it on the afternoon of the second day,--instead of ordering cannon planted in the streets, giving these creatures opportunity to retire to their homes, and, in the event of refusal, blowing them there by powder and ball,--he first went to the point where was collected the chiefest mob, and proceeded to address them. before him stood incendiaries, thieves, and murderers, who even then were sacking dwelling-houses, and butchering powerless and inoffensive beings. these wretches he apostrophized as "my friends," repeating the title again and again in the course of his harangue, assuring them that he was there as a proof of his friendship,--which he had demonstrated by "sending his adjutant-general to washington, to have the draft stopped"; begging them to "wait for his return"; "to separate now as good citizens"; with the promise that they "might assemble again whenever they wished to so do"; meanwhile, he would "take care of their rights." this model speech was incessantly interrupted by tremendous cheering and frantic demonstrations of delight,--one great fellow almost crushing the governor in his enthusiastic embrace. this ended, he entered a carriage, and was driven through the blackened, smoking scenes of monday's devastations; through fresh vistas of outrage, of the day's execution; bland, gracious, smiling. wherever he appeared, cheer upon cheer rent the air from these crowds of drunken blasphemers; and in one place the carriage in which he sat was actually lifted from the ground, and carried some rods, by hands yet red with deeds of arson and murder; while from all sides voices cried out, "will ye stop the draft, gov'nur?" "bully boy!" "ye're the man for us!" "hooray for gov'nur saymoor!" thus, through the midst of this admiring and applauding crowd, this high officer of the law, sworn to maintain public peace, moved to his hotel, where he was met by a despatch from washington, informing him that five regiments were under arms and on their way to put an end to this bloody assistance to the southern war. his allies in newspaper offices attempted to throw the blame upon the loyal press and portion of the community. this was but a repetition of the cry, raised by traitors in arms, that the government, struggling for life in their deadly hold, was responsible for the war: "if thou wouldst but consent to be murdered peaceably, there could be no strife." these editors outraged common sense, truth, and decency, by speaking of the riots as an "uprising of the people to defend their liberties,"--"an opposition on the part of the workingmen to an unjust and oppressive law, enacted in favor of the men of wealth and standing." as though the _people_ of the great metropolis were incendiaries, robbers, and assassins; as though the poor were to demonstrate their indignation against the rich by hunting and stoning defenceless women and children; torturing and murdering men whose only offence was the color god gave them, or men wearing the self-same uniform as that which they declared was to be thrust upon them at the behest of the rich and the great. it was absurd and futile to characterize this new reign of terror as anything but an effort on the part of northern rebels to help southern ones, at the most critical moment of the war,--with the state militia and available troops absent in a neighboring commonwealth,--and the loyal people unprepared. these editors and their coadjutors, men of brains and ability, were of that most poisonous growth,--traitors to the government and the flag of their country,--renegade americans. let it, however, be written plainly and graven deeply, that the tribes of savages--the hordes of ruffians--found ready to do their loathsome bidding, were not of native growth, nor american born. while it is true that there were some glib-tongued fellows who spoke the language without foreign accent, all of them of the lowest order of democratic ward-politicians, of creatures skulking from the outstretched arm of avenging law; while the most degraded of the german population were represented; while it is also true that there were irish, and catholic irish too,--industrious, sober, intelligent people,--who indignantly refused participation in these outrages, and mourned over the barbarities which were disgracing their national name; it is pre-eminently true,--proven by thousands of witnesses, and testified to by numberless tongues,--that the masses, the rank and file, the almost entire body of rioters, were the worst classes of irish emigrants, infuriated by artful appeals, and maddened by the atrocious whiskey of thousands of grog-shops. by far the most infamous part of these cruelties was that which wreaked every species of torture and lingering death upon the colored people of the city,--men, women, and children, old and young, strong and feeble alike. hundreds of these fell victims to the prejudice fostered by public opinion, incorporated in our statute-books, sanctioned by our laws, which here and thus found legitimate outgrowth and action. the horrors which blanched the face of christendom were but the bloody harvest of fields sown by society, by cultured men and women, by speech, and book, and press, by professions and politics, nay, by the pulpit itself, and the men who there make god's truth a lie,--garbling or denying the inspired declaration that "he has made of one blood all people to dwell upon the face of the earth"; and that he, the all-just and merciful one, "is no respecter of persons." this riot, begun ostensibly to oppose the enforcement of a single law, developed itself into a burning and pillaging assault upon the homes and property of peaceful citizens. to realize this, it was only necessary to walk the streets, if that were possible, through those days of riot and conflagration, observe the materials gathered into the vast, moving multitudes, and scrutinize the faces of those of whom they were composed,--deformed, idiotic, drunken, imbecile, poverty-stricken; seamed with every line which wretchedness could draw or vicious habits and associations delve. to walk these streets and look upon these faces was like a fearful witnessing in perspective of the last day, when the secrets of life, more loathsome than those of death, shall be laid bare in all their hideous deformity and ghastly shame. the knowledge of these people and their deeds was sufficient to create a paralysis of fear, even where they were not seen. indeed, there was terror everywhere. high and low, rich and poor, cultured and ignorant, all shivered in its awful grasp. upon stately avenues and noisome alleys it fell with the like blackness of darkness. women cried aloud to god with the same agonized entreaty from knees bent on velvet carpets or bare and dingy floors. men wandered up and down, prisoners in their own homes, and cursed or prayed with equal fury or intensity whether the homes were simple or splendid. here one surveyed all his costly store of rare and exquisite surroundings, and shook his head as he gazed, ominous and foreboding. there, another of darker hue peered out from garret casement, or cellar light, or broken window-pane, and, shuddering, watched some woman stoned and beaten till she died; some child shot down, while thousands of heavy, brutal feet trod over it till the hard stones were red with its blood, and the little prostrate form, yet warm, lost every likeness of humanity, and lay there, a sickening mass of mangled flesh and bones; some man assaulted, clubbed, overborne, left wounded or dying or dead, as he fell, or tied to some convenient tree or lamp-post to be hacked and hewn, or flayed and roasted, yet living, where he hung,--and watching this, and cowering as he watched, held his breath, and waited his own turn, not knowing when it might come. chapter xix "_in breathless quiet, after all their ills._" arnold a body of these wretches, fresh from some act of rapine and pillage, had seen mrs. franklin, hastening home, and, opening the hue and cry, had started in full chase after her. struck by sticks and stones that darkened the air, twice down, fleeing as those only do who flee for life, she gained her own house, thinking there to find security. vain hope! the door was battered in, the windows demolished, the puny barriers between the room in which they were gathered and the creatures in pursuit, speedily destroyed,--and these three turned to face death. by chance, surrey had his sword at his side, and, tearing this from its scabbard, sprang to the defence,--a gallant intent, but what could one weapon and one arm do against such odds as these? he was speedily beaten down and flung aside by the miscreants who swarmed into the room. it was marvellous they did not kill him outright. doubtless they would have done so but for the face propped against the pillows, which caught their hungry eyes. soldier and woman were alike forgotten at sight of this dying boy. here was a foeman worthy their steel. they gathered about him, and with savage hands struck at him and the bed upon which he lay. a pause for a moment to hold consultation, crowded with oaths and jeers and curses; obscenity and blasphemy too hideous to read or record,--then the cruel hands tore him from his bed, dragged him over the prostrate body of his mother, past the senseless form of his brave young defender, out to the street. here they propped him against a tree, to mock and torment him; to prick him, wound him, torture him; to task endurance to its utmost limit, but not to extinguish life. these savages had no such mercy as this in their souls; and when, once or twice he fell away into insensibility, a cut or blow administered with devilish skill or strength, restored him to anguish and to life. surrey, bewildered and dizzy, had recovered consciousness, and sat gazing vacantly around him, till the cries and yells without, the agonized face within, thrilled every nerve into feeling. starting up, he rushed to the window, but recoiled at the awful sight. here, he saw, there was no human power within reach or call that could interfere. the whole block, from street to street, was crowded with men and boys, armed with the armory of the street, and rejoicing like veritable fiends of hell over the pangs of their victim. even in the moment he stood there he beheld that which would haunt his memory, did it endure for a century. at last, tired of their sport, some of those who were just about abram had tied a rope about his body, and raised him to the nearest branch of an overhanging tree; then, heaping under him the sticks and clubs which were flung them from all sides, set fire to the dry, inflammable pile, and watched, for the moment silent, to see it burn. surrey fled to the other side of the room, and, cowering down, buried his head in his arm to shut out the awful sight and sounds. but his mother,--o marvellous, inscrutable mystery of mother-love!--his mother knelt by the open window, near which hung her boy, and prayed aloud, that he might hear, for the wrung body and passing soul. great god! that such things were possible, and thy heavens fell not! through the sound of falling blows, reviling oaths, and hideous blasphemy, through the crackling of burning fagots and lifting flames, there went out no cry for mercy, no shriek of pain, no wail of despair. but when the torture was almost ended, and nature had yielded to this work of fiends, the dying face was turned towards his mother,--the eyes, dim with the veil that falls between time and eternity, seeking her eyes with their latest glance,--the voice, not weak, but clear and thrilling even in death, cried for her ear, "be of good cheer, mother! they may kill the body, but they cannot touch the soul!" and even with the words the great soul walked with god. * * * * * after a while the mob melted out of the street to seek new scenes of ravage and death; not, however, till they had marked the house, as those within learned, for the purpose of returning, if it should so please them, at some future time. when they were all gone, and the way was clear, these two--the mother that bore him, the elegant patrician who instinctively shrank from all unpleasant and painful things--took down the poor charred body, and carrying it carefully and tenderly into the house of a trembling neighbor, who yet opened her doors and bade them in, composed it decently for its final rest. it was drawing towards evening, and surrey was eager to get away from this terrible region,--both to take the heart-stricken woman, thus thrown upon his care, to some place of rest and safety, and to reassure francesca, who, he knew, would be filled with maddening anxiety and fear at his long absence. at length they ventured forth: no one was in the square;--turned at fortieth street,--all clear;--went on with hasty steps to the avenue,--not a soul in sight. "safe,--thank god!" exclaimed surrey, as he hurried his companion onward. half the space to their destination had been crossed, when a band of rioters, rushing down the street from the sack and burning of the orphan asylum, came upon them. defence seemed utterly vain. every house was shut; its windows closed and barred; its inmates gathered in some rear room. escape and hope appeared alike impossible; but surrey, flinging his charge behind him, with drawn sword, face to the on-sweeping hordes, backed down the street. the combination--a negro woman, a soldier's uniform--intensified the mad fury of the mob, which was nevertheless held at bay by the heroic front and gleaming steel of their single adversary. only for a moment! then, not venturing near him, a shower of bricks and stones hurtled through the air, falling about and upon him. at this instant a voice called, "this way! this way! for god's sake! quick! quick!" and he saw a friendly black face and hand thrust from an area window. still covering with his body his defenceless charge, he moved rapidly towards this refuge. rapid as was the motion, it was not speedy enough; he reached the railing, caught her with his one powerful arm, imbued now with a giant's strength, flung her over to the waiting hands that seized and dragged her in, pausing for an instant, ere he leaped himself, to beat back a half-dozen of the foremost miscreants, who would else have captured their prey, just vanishing from sight. sublime, yet fatal delay! but an instant, yet in that instant a thousand forms surrounded him, disarmed him, overcame him, and beat him down. meanwhile what of francesca? the morning passed, and with its passing came terrible rumors of assault and death. the afternoon began, wore on,--the rumors deepened to details of awful facts and realities; and he--he, with his courage, his fatal dress--was absent, was on those death-crowded streets. she wandered from room to room, forgetting her reserve, and accosting every soul she met for later news,--for information which, received, did but torture her with more intolerable pangs, and send her to her knees; though, kneeling, she could not pray, only cry out in some dumb, inarticulate fashion, "god be merciful!" the afternoon was spent; the day gone; the summet twilight deepening into night; and still he did not come. she had caught up her hat and mantle with some insane intention of rushing into the wide, wild city, on a frenzied search, when two gentlemen passing by her door, talking of the all-absorbing theme, arrested her ear and attention. "the house ought to be guarded! these devils will be here presently,--they are on the avenue now." "good god! are you certain?" "certain." "you may well be," said a third voice, as another step joined theirs. "they are just above thirtieth street. i was coming down the avenue, and saw them myself. i don't know what my fate would have been in this dress,"--francesca knew from this that he who talked was of the police or soldiery,--"but they were engaged in fighting a young officer, who made a splendid defence before they cut him down; his courage was magnificent. it makes my blood curdle to think of it. a fair-haired, gallant-looking fellow, with only one arm. i could do nothing for him, of course, and should have been killed had i stayed; so i ran for life. but i don't think i'll ever quite forgive myself for not rushing to the rescue, and taking my chance with him." she did not stay to hear the closing words. out of the room, past them, like a spirit,--through the broad halls,--down the wide stairways,--on to the street,--up the long street, deserted here, but o, with what a crowd beyond! a company of soldiers, paltry in number, yet each with loaded rifle and bayonet set, charged past her at double-quick upon this crowd, which gave way slowly and sullenly at its approach, holding with desperate ferocity and determination to whatever ghastly work had been employing their hands,--dropped at last,--left on the stones,--the soldiers between it and the mob,--silent, motionless,--she saw it, and knew it where it lay. o woful sight and knowledge for loving eyes and bursting heart! ere she reached it some last stones were flung by the retreating crowd, a last shot fired in the air,--fired at random, but speeding with as unerring aim to her aching, anguished breast, death-freighted and life-destroying,--but not till she had reached her destined point and end; not till her feet failed close to that bruised and silent form; not till she had sunk beside it, gathered it in her fair young arms, and pillowed its beautiful head--from which streamed golden hair, dabbled and blood-bestained--upon her faithful heart. there it stirred; the eyes unclosed to meet hers, a gleam of divine love shining through their fading fire; the battered, stiffened arm lifted, as to fold her in the old familiar caress. "darling--die--to make--free"--came in gasps from the sweet, yet whitening lips. then she lay still. where his breath blew across her hair it waved, and her bosom moved above the slow and labored beating of his heart; but, save for this, she was as quiet as the peaceful dead within their graves,--and, like them, done with the noise and strife of time forever. for him,--the shadows deepened where he lay,--the stars came out one by one, looking down with clear and solemn eyes upon this wreck of fair and beautiful things, wrought by earthly hate and the awful passions of men,--then veiled their light in heavy and sombre clouds. the rain fell upon the noble face and floating, sunny hair,--washing them free of soil, and dark and fearful stains; moistening the fevered, burning lips, and cooling the bruised and aching frame. how passed the long night with that half-insensible soul? god knoweth. the secrets of that are hidden in the eternity to which it now belongs. questionless, ministering spirits drew near, freighted with balm and inspiration; for when the shadows fled, and the next morning's sun shone upon these silent forms, it revealed faces radiant as with some celestial fire, and beatified as reflecting the smile of god. the inmates of the house before which lay this solemn mystery, rising to face a new-made day, looking out from their windows to mark what traces were left of last night's devastations, beheld this awful yet sublime sight. "a prejudice which, i trust, will never end," had mr. surrey said, in bidding adieu to his son but a few short hours before. this prejudice, living and active, had now thus brought death and desolation to his own doors. "how unsearchable are the judgments of god, and his ways past finding out!" chapter xx "_drink,--for thy necessity is yet greater than mine._" sir philip sidney the hospital boat, going out of beaufort, was a sad, yet great sight. it was but necessary to look around it to see that the men here gathered had stood on the slippery battle-sod, and scorned to flinch. you heard no cries, scarcely a groan; whatever anguish wrung them as they were lifted into their berths, or were turned or raised for comfort, found little outward sign,--a long, gasping breath now and then; a suppressed exclamation; sometimes a laugh, to cover what would else be a cry of mortal agony; almost no swearing; these men had been too near the awful realities of death and eternity, some of them were still too near, to make a mock at either. having demonstrated themselves heroes in action, they would, one and all, be equally heroes in the hour of suffering, or on the bed of lingering death. jim, so wounded as to make every movement a pang, had been carefully carried in on a stretcher, and as carefully lifted into a middle berth. "good," said one of the men, as he eased him down on his pillow. "what's good?" queried jim. "the berth; middle berth. put you in as easy as into the lowest one: bad lifting such a leg as yours into the top one, and it's the comfortablest of the three when you're in." "o, that's it, is it? all right; glad i'm here then; getting in didn't hurt more than a flea-bite,"--saying which jim turned his face away to put his teeth down hard on a lip already bleeding. the wrench to his shattered leg was excruciating, "but then," as he announced to himself, "no snivelling, james; you're not going to make a spooney of yourself." presently he moved, and lay quietly watching the others they were bringing in. "why!" he called, "that's bertie curtis, ain't it?" as a slight, beautiful-faced boy was carried past him, and raised to his place. "yes, it is," answered one of the men, shortly, to cover some strong feeling. jim leaned out of his berth, regardless of his protesting leg, canteen in hand. "here, bertie!" he called, "my canteen's full of fresh water, just filled. i know it'll taste good to you." the boy's fine face flushed. "o, thank you, given, it would taste deliriously, but i can't take it,"--glancing down. jim followed the look, to see that both arms were gone, close to the graceful, boyish form; seeing which his face twitched painfully,--not with his own suffering,--and for a moment words failed him. just then came up one of the sanitary nurses with some cooling drink, and fresh, wet bandages for the fevered stumps. great drops were standing on bertie's forehead, and ominous gray shadows had already settled about the mouth, and under the long, shut lashes. looking at the face, so young, so refined, some mother's pride and darling, the nurse brushed back tenderly the fair hair, murmuring, "poor fellow!" the eyes unclosed quickly: "there are no poor fellows here, sir!" he said. "well, brave fellow, then!" "i did but do my duty,"--a smile breaking through the gathering mists. here some poor fellow,--poor indeed,--delirious with fever, called out, "mother! mother! i want to see my mother!" tears rushed to the clear, steady eyes, dimmed them, dropped down unchecked upon the face. the nurse, with a sob choking in his throat, softly raised his hand to brush them away. "mother," bertie whispered,--"mother!" and was gone where god wipes away the tears from all eyes. for the space of five minutes, as jim said afterwards, in telling about it, "that boat was like a meeting-house." used as they were to death in all forms, more than one brave fellow's eye was dim as the silent shape was carried away to make place for the stricken living,--one of whom was directly brought in, and the stretcher put down near jim. "what's up?" he called, for the man's face was turned from him, and his wounded body so covered as to give no clew to its condition. "what's wrong?" seeing the bearers did not offer to lift him, and that they were anxiously scanning the long rows of berths. "berth's wrong," one of them answered. "what's the matter with the berth?" "matter enough! not a middle one nor a lower one empty." "well," called a wounded boy from the third tier, "plenty of room up here; sky-parlor,--airy lodgings,--all fine,--i see a lot of empty houses that'll take him in." "like enough,--but he's about blown to pieces," said the bearer in a low voice, "and it'll be aw--ful putting him up there; however,"--commencing to take off the light cover. "helloa!" cried jim, "that's a dilapidated-looking leg,"--his head out, looking at it. "stop a bit!"--body half after the head,--"you just stop that, and come here and catch hold of a fellow; now put me up there. i reckon i'll bear hoisting better'n he will, anyway. ugh! ah! um! owh! here we are! bully!" if jim had been of the fainting or praying order he would certainly have fainted or prayed; as it was, he said "bully!" but lay for a while thereafter still as a mouse. "given, you're a brick!" one of the boys was apostrophizing him. jim took no notice. "and your man's in, safe and sound"; he turned at that, and leaned forward, as well as he could, to look at the occupant of his late bed. "jemime!" he cried, when he saw the face. "i say, boys! it's ercildoune--robert--flag--wagner--hurray--let's give three cheers for the color-sergeant,--long may he wave!" the men, propped up or lying down, gave the three cheers with a will, and then three more; and then, delighted with their performance, three more after that, jim winding up the whole with an "a-a-ah,--tiger!" that made them all laugh; then relapsing into silence and a hard battle with pain. a weary voyage,--a weary journey thereafter to the northern hospitals,--some dying by the way, and lowered through the shifting, restless waves, or buried with hasty yet kindly hands in alien soil,--accounted strangers and foemen in the land of their birth. god grant that no tread of rebellion in the years to come, nor thunder of contending armies, may disturb their peace! some stopped in the heat and dust of washington to be nursed and tended in the great barracks of hospitals,--uncomfortable-looking without, clean and spacious and admirable within; some to their homes, on long-desired and eagerly welcomed furloughs, there to be cured speedily, the body swayed by the mind; some to suffer and die; some to struggle against winds and tides of mortality and conquer,--yet scarred and maimed; some to go out, as giants refreshed with new wine, to take their places once more in the great conflict, and fight there faithfully to the end. among these last was jim; but not till after many a hard battle, and buffet, and back-set did life triumph and strength prevail. one thing which sadly retarded his recovery was his incessant anxiety about sallie, and his longing to see her once more. he had himself, after his first hurt, written her that he was slightly wounded; but when he reached washington, and the surgeon, looking at his shattered leg, talked about amputation and death, jim decided that sallie should not know a word of all this till something definite was pronounced. "she oughtn't to have an ugly, one-legged fellow," he said, "to drag round with her; and, if she knows how bad it is, she'll post straight down here, to nurse and look after me,--i know her! and she'll have me in the end, out of sheer pity; and i ain't going to take any such mean advantage of her: no, sir-ee, not if i know myself. if i get well, safe and sound, i'll go to her; and, if i'm going to die, i'll send for her; so i'll wait,"--which he did. he found, however, that it was a great deal easier making the decision, than keeping it when made. sallie, hearing nothing from him,--supposing him still in the south,--fearful as she had all along been that she stood on uncertain ground,--mrs. surrey away in new york,--and robert ercildoune, as the papers asserted in their published lists, mortally wounded,--having no indirect means of communication with him, and fearing to write again without some sign from him,--was sorrowing in silence at home. the silence reacted on him; not realizing its cause he grew fretful and impatient, and the fretfulness and impatience told on his leg, intensified his fever, and put the day of recovery--if recovery it was to be--farther into the future. "see here, my man,"--said the quick little surgeon one day, "you're worrying about something. this'll never do; if you don't stop it, you'll die, as sure as fate; and you might as well make up your mind to it at once,--so, now!" "well, sir," answered jim, "it's as good a time to die now, i reckon, as often happens; but i ain't dead yet, not by a long shot; and i ain't going to die neither; so, now, yourself!" the doctor laughed. "all right; if you'll get up that spirit, and keep it, i'll bet my pile on your recovery,--but you'll have to stop fretting. you've got something on your mind that's troubling you; and the sooner you get rid of it, if you can, the better. that's all i've got to say." and he marched off. "get rid of it," mused jim, "how in thunder'll i get rid of it if i don't hear from sallie? let me see--ah! i have it!" and looking more cheerful on the instant he lay still, watching for the doctor to come down the ward once more. "helloa!" he called, then. "helloa!" responded the doctor, coming over to him, "what's the go now? you're improved already." "got any objection to telling a lie?"--this might be called coming to the point. "that depends--" said the doctor. "well, all's fair in love and war, they say. this is for love. help a fellow?" "of course,--if i can,--and the fellow's a good one, like jim given. what is it you want?" "well, i want a letter written, and i can't do it myself, you know,"--looking down at his still bandaged arm,--"likewise i want a lie told in it, and these ladies here are all angels, and of course you can't ask an angel to tell a lie,--no offence to you; so if you can take the time, and'll do it, i'll stand your everlasting debtor, and shoulder the responsibility if you're afraid of the weight." "what sort of a lie?" "a capital one; listen. i want a young lady to know that i'm wounded in the arm,--you see? not bad; nor nothing over which she need worry, and nothing that hurts me much; and i ain't damaged in any other way; legs not mentioned in this concern,--you understand?" the doctor nodded. "but it's tied up my hand, so that i have to get you to say all this for me. i'll be well pretty soon; and, if i can get a furlough, i'll be up in philadelphia in a jiffy,--so she can just prepare for the infliction, &c. comprendy? and'll you do it?" "of course i will, if you don't want the truth told, and the fib'll do you any good; and, upon my word, the way you're looking i really think it will. so now for it." thus the letter was written, and read, and re-read, to make sure that there was nothing in it to alarm sallie; and, being satisfactory on that head, was finally sent away, to rejoice the poor girl who had waited, and watched, and hoped for it through such a weary time. when she answered it, her letter was so full of happiness and solicitude, and a love that, in spite of herself, spoke out in every line, that jim furtively kissed it, and read it into tatters in the first few hours of its possession; then tucking it away in his hospital shirt, over his heart, proceeded to get well as fast as fast could be. "well," said the doctor, a few weeks afterwards, as jim was going home on his coveted sick-leave, "mr. thomas carlyle calls fibs wind-bags. if that singular remedy would work to such a charm with all my men, i'd tell lies with impunity. good by, jim, and the best of good luck to you." "the same to you, doctor, and i hope you may always find a friend in need, to lie for you. good by, and god bless you!" wringing his hand hard,--"and now, hurrah for home!" "hurrah it is!" cried the little surgeon after him, as, happy and proud, he limped down the ward, and turned his face towards home. chapter xxi "_youth on the prow, and pleasure at the helm._" gray jim scarcely felt the jolting of the ambulance over the city stones, and his impatience and eagerness to get across the intervening space made dust, and heat, and weariness of travel seem but as feather weights, not to be cared for, nor indeed considered at all; though, in fact, his arm complained, and his leg ached distressingly, and he was faint and weak without confessing it long before the tiresome journey reached its end. "no matter," he said to himself; "it'll be all well, or forgotten, at least, when i see sallie once more; and so, what odds?" the end was gained at last, and he would have gone to her fast as certain rosinantes, yclept hackhorses, could carry him, but, stopping for a moment to consider, he thought, "no, that will never do! go to her looking like such a guy? nary time. i'll get scrubbed, and put on a clean shirt, and make myself decent, before she sees me. she always used to look nice as a new pin, and she liked me to look so too; so i'd better put my best foot foremost when she hasn't laid eyes on me for such an age. i'm fright enough, anyway, goodness knows, with my thinness, and my old lame leg; so--" sticking his head out of the window, and using his lungs with astonishing vigor--"driver! streak like lightning, will you, to the 'merchants'? and you shall have extra fare." "hold your blab there," growled the driver; "i ain't such a pig yet as to take double fare from a wounded soldier. you'll pay me well at half-price,--when we get where you want to go,"--which they did soon. "no!" said jehu, thrusting back part of the money, "i ain't agoin' to take it, so you needn't poke it out at me. i'm all right; or, if i ain't, i'll make it up on the next broadcloth or officer i carry; never you fear! us fellows knows how to take care of ourselves, you'd better believe!" which statement jim would have known to be truth, without the necessity of repetition, had he been one of the aforesaid "broadcloths," or "officers," and thus better acquainted with the genus hack-driver in the ordinary exercise of its profession. as it was; he shook hands with the fellow, pocketed the surplus change, made his way into the hotel, was in his room, in his bath, under the barber's hands, cleaned, shaved, brushed, polished, shining,--as he himself would have declared, "in a jiffy" then, deciding himself to be presentable to the lady of his heart, took his crutch and sallied forth, as good-looking a young fellow, spite of the wooden appendage, as any the sun shone upon in all the big city, and as happy, as it was bright. he knew where to go, and, by help of street-cars and other legs than his own, he was there speedily. he knew the very room towards which to turn; and, reaching it, paused to look in through the half-open door,--delighted thus to watch and listen for a little space unseen. sallie was sitting, her handsome head bent over her sewing,--frankie gambolling about the floor. "o sis, _don't_ you wish jim would come home?" queried the youngster. "i do,--i wish he'd come right straight away." "right straight away? what do _you_ want to see jim for?" "o, 'cause he's nice; and 'cause he'll take me to the theayter; and 'cause he'll treat,--apples, and peanuts, and candy, you know, and--and--ice-cream," wiping the beads from his little red face,--the last desideratum evidently suggested by the fiery summer heat. "i say, sallie!"--a pause--"won't you get me some ice-cream this evening?" "yes, bobbity, if you'll be a good boy." frankie looked dubious over that proposition. jim never made any such stipulations: so, after another pause, in which he was probably considering the whole subject with due and becoming gravity,--evidently desiring to hear his own wish propped up by somebody else's seconding,--he broke out again, "now, sallie, don't you just wish jim would come home?" "o frankie, don't i?" cried the girl, dropping her work, and stretching out her empty arms as though she would clasp some shape in the air. frankie, poor child! innocently imagining the proffered embrace was for him, ran forward, for he was an affectionate little soul, to give sallie a good hug, but found himself literally left out in the cold; no arms to meet, and no sallie, indeed, to touch him. something big, burly, and blue loomed up on his sight,--something that was doing its best to crush sallie bodily, and to devour what was not crushed; something that could say nothing by reason of its lips being so much more pleasantly engaged, and whose face was invisible through its extraordinary proximity to somebody else's face and hair. frankie, finding he could gain neither sight nor sound of notice, began to howl. but as neither of the hard-hearted creatures seemed to care for the poor little chap's howling, he fell upon the coat-tails of the big blue obstruction, and pulled at them lustily,--not to say viciously,--till their owner turned, and beheld him panting and fiery. "helloa, youngster! what's to pay now?" "wow! if 'tain't jim. hooray!" screeched the youngster, first embracing the blue legs, and then proceeding to execute a dance upon his head. "te, te, di di, idde i-dum," he sang, coming feet down, finally. evidently the bad boy's language had been corrupted by his street _confrã¨res_; it was a missionary ground upon which sallie entered, more or less faithfully, every day to hoe and weed; but of this last specimen-plant she took no notice, save to laugh as jim, catching him up, first kissed him, then gave him a shake and a small spank, and, thrusting a piece of currency into his hand, whisked him outside the door with a "come, shaver, decamp, and treat yourself to-day," and had it shut and fastened in a twinkling. "o jim!" she cried then, her soul in her handsome eyes. "o sallie!"--and he had her fast and tight once more. an ineffable blank, punctuated liberally with sounding exclamation points, and strongly marked periods,--though how or why a blank should be punctuated at all, only blissful lovers could possibly define. "jim, dear jim!" whispering it, and snuggling her blushing face closer to the faded blue, "can you love me after all that has happened?" "come now! _can_ i love you, my beauty? slightly, i should think. o, te, te, di di, idde i-dum,"--singing frank's little song with his big, gay voice,--"i'm happy as a king." happy as a king, that was plain enough. and what shall be said of her, as he sat down, and, resting the wounded leg--stiff and sore yet,--held sallie on his other knee,--then fell to admiring her while she stroked his mustache and his crisp, curling hair, looking at both and at him altogether with an expression of contented adoration in her eyes. frank, tired of prowling round the door, candy in hand, here thrust his head in at the window, and, unfortunately for his plans, sneezed. "mutual-admiration society!" he cried at that, seeing that he was detected in any case, and running away,--his run spoiled as soon as it began. "we are a handsome couple," laughed jim, holding back her face between both hands,--"ain't we, now?" yes, they were,--no mistake about that, handsome as pictures. and merry as birds, through all of his short stay. they would see no danger in the future: jim had been scathed in time past so often, yet come out safe and sound, that they would have no fear for what was to befall him in time to come. if they had, neither showed it to the other. jim thought, "sallie would break her heart, if she knew just what is down there,--so it would be a pity to talk about it"; and sallie thought, "it's right for jim to go, and i won't say a word to keep him back, no matter how i feel." the furlough was soon--ah! how soon--out, the days of happiness over; and jim, holding her in a last close embrace, said his farewell: "come, sallie, you're not to cry now, and make me a coward. it'll only be for a little while; the rebs _can't_ stand it much longer, and then--" "ah, jim! but if you should--" "yes, but i sha'n't, you see; not a bit of it; don't you go to think it. 'i bear'--what is it? o--'a charmed life,' as mr. macbeth says, and you'll see me back right and tight, and up to time. one kiss more, dear. god bless you! good by!" and he was gone. she leaned out of the window,--she smiled after him, kissed her hand, waved her handkerchief, so long as he could see them,--till he had turned a corner way down the street,--and smile, and hand, and handkerchief were lost to his sight; then flung herself on the floor, and cried as though her very heart would break. "god send him home,--send him safe and soon home!" she implored; entreaty made for how many loved ones, by how many aching hearts, that speedily lost the need of saying amen to any such petition,--the prayer for the living lost in mourning for the dead. heaven grant that no soul that reads this ever may have the like cause to offer such prayer again! chapter xxii "_when we see the dishonor of a thing, then it is time to renounce it._" plutarch a letter which sallie wrote to jim a few weeks after his departure tells its own story, and hence shall be repeated here. * * * * * philadelphia, october 29, 1863. dear jim:-i take my pen in hand this morning to write you a letter, and to tell you the news, though i don't know much of the last except about frankie and myself. however, i suppose you will care more to hear that than any other, so i will begin. maybe you will be surprised to hear that frankie and i are at mr. ercildoune's. well, we are,--and i will tell you how it came about. not long after you went away, frank began to pine, and look droopy. there wasn't any use in giving him medicine, for it didn't do him a bit of good. he couldn't eat, and he didn't sleep, and i was at my wits' ends to know what to do for him. one day mrs. lee,--that mr. ercildoune's housekeeper,--an old english lady she is, and she's lived with him ever since he was married, and before he came here,--a real lady, too,--came in with some sewing, some fine shirts for mr. robert ercildoune. i asked after him, and you'll be glad to know that he's recovering. he didn't have to lose his leg, as they feared; and his arm is healing; and the wound in his breast getting well. mrs. lee says she's very sorry the stump isn't longer, so that he could wear a palmer arm,--but she's got no complaints to make; they're only too glad and thankful to have him living at all, after such a dreadful time. while i was talking with her, frankie called me from the next room, and began to cry. you wouldn't have known him,--he cried at everything, and was so fretful and cross i could scarcely get along at all. when i got him quiet, and came back, mrs. lee says, "what's the matter with frank?" so i told her i didn't know,--but would she see him? well, she saw him, and shook her head in a bad sort of way that scared me awfully, and i suppose she saw i was frightened, for she said, "all he wants is plenty of fresh air, and good, wholesome country food and exercise." i can tell you, spite of that, she went away, leaving me with heavy enough a heart. the next day mr. ercildoune came in. how he is changed! i haven't seen him before since mrs. surrey died, and that of itself was enough to kill him, without this dreadful time about mr. robert. "good morning, miss sallie," says he, "how are you? and i'm glad to see you looking so well." so i told him i was well, and then he asked for frankie. "mrs. lee tells me," he said, "that your little brother is quite ill, and that he needs country air and exercise. he can have them both at the oaks; so if you'll get him ready, the carriage will come for you at whatever time you appoint. mrs. lee can find you plenty of work as long as you care to stay." he looked as if he wanted to say something more, but didn't; and i was just as sure as sure could be that it was something about miss francesca, probably about her having me out there so much; for his face looked so sad, and his lips trembled so, i knew that must be in his mind. and when i thought of it, and of such an awful fate as it was for her, so young, and handsome, and happy, like the great baby i am, i just threw my apron over my head, and burst out crying. "don't!" he said,--"don't!" in o, such a voice! it was like a knife going through me; and he went quick out of the room, and downstairs, without even saying good by. well, we came out the next day,--and i have plenty to do, and frankie is getting real bright and strong. i can see mr. ercildoune likes to have us here, because of the connection with miss francesca. she was so interested in us, and so kind to us, and he knows i loved her so very dearly,--and if it's any comfort to him i'm sure i'm glad to be here, without taking frankie into the account,--for the poor gentleman looks so bowed and heart-broken that it makes one's heart ache just to see him. mr. robert isn't well enough to be about yet, but he sits up for a while every day, and is getting on--the doctor says--nicely. they both talk about you often; and mr. ercildoune, i can see, thinks everything of you for that good, kind deed of yours, when you and mr. robert were on the transport together. dear jim, he don't know you as well as i do, or he'd know that you couldn't help doing such things,--not if you tried. i hope you'll like the box that comes with this. mr. robert had it packed for you in his own room, to see that everything went in that you'd like. of course, as he's been a soldier himself, he knows better what they want than anybody else can. dear jim, do take care of yourself; don't go and get wounded; and don't get sick; and, whatever you do, don't let the rebels take you prisoner, unless you want to drive me frantic. i think about you pretty much all the time, and pray for you, as well as i know how, every night when i go to bed, and am always your own loving sallie. * * * * * "wow!" said jim, as he read, "she's in a good berth there." so she was,--and so she stayed. frankie got quite well once more, and sallie began to think of going, but mr. ercildoune evidently clung to her and to the sunshine which the bright little fellow cast through the house. sallie was quite right in her supposition. francesca had cared for this girl, had been kind to her and helped her,--and his heart went out to everything that reminded him of his dear, dead child. so it happened that autumn passed, and winter, and spring,--and still they stayed. in fact, she was domesticated in the house, and, for the first time in years, enjoyed the delightful sense of a home. here, then, she set up her rest, and remained; here, when the "cruel war was over," the armies disbanded, the last regiments discharged, and jimmy "came marching home," brown, handsome, and a captain, here he found her,--and from here he married and carried her away. it was a happy little wedding, though nobody was there beside the essentials, save the family and a dear friend of robert's, who was with him at the time, as he had been before and would be often again,--none other than william surrey's favorite cousin and friend, tom russell. the letter which surrey had written never reached his hand till he lay almost dying from the effects of wounds and exposure, after he had been brought in safety to our lines by his faithful black friends, at morris island. surrey had not mistaken his temper; gay, reckless fellow, as he was, he was a thorough gentleman, in whom could harbor no small spite, nor petty prejudice,--and without a mean fibre in his being. at a glance he took in the whole situation, and insisting upon being propped up in bed, with his own hand--though slowly, and as a work of magnitude--succeeded in writing a cordial letter of congratulation and affection, that would have been to surrey like the grasp of a brother's hand in a strange and foreign country, had it ever reached his touch and eyes. but even while tom lay writing his letter, occasionally muttering, "they'll have a devilish hard time of it!" or "poor young un!" or "she's one in a million!" or some such sentence which marked his feeling and care,--these two of whom he thought, to whose future he looked with such loving anxiety, were beyond the reach of human help or hindrance,--done alike with the sorrows and joys of time. from a distance, with the help of a glass, and absorbing interest, he had followed the movements of the flag and its bearer, and had cheered, till he fainted from weakness and exhaustion, as he saw them safe at last. it was with delight that he found himself on the same transport with ercildoune, and discovered in him the brother of the young girl for whom, in the past, he had had so pleasing and deep a regard, and whose present and future were so full of interest for him, in their new and nearer relations. these two young men, unlike as they were in most particulars, were drawn together by an irresistible attraction. they had that common bond, always felt and recognized by those who possess it, of the gentle blood,--tastes and instincts in common, and a fine, chivalrous sentiment which each felt and thoroughly appreciated in the other. the friendship thus begun grew with the passing years, and was intensified a hundred fold by a portion of the past to which they rarely referred, but which lay always at the bottom of their hearts. they had each for those two who had lain dead together in the streets of new york the strongest and tenderest love,--and though it was not a tie about which they could talk, it bound them together as with chains of steel. russell was with ercildoune at the time of the wedding, and entered into it heartily, as they all did. the result was, as has been written, the gayest and merriest of times. sallies dress, which robert had given her, was a sight to behold; and the pretty jewels, which were a part of his gift, and the long veil, made her look, as jim declared, "so handsome he didn't know her,"--though that must have been one of jim's stories, or else he was in the habit of making love to strange ladies with extraordinary ease and effrontery. the breakfast was another sight to behold. as mary the cook said to jane the housemaid, "if they'd been born kings and queens, mrs. lee couldn't have laid herself out more; it's grand, so it is,--just you go and see;" which jane proceeded to do, and forthwith thereafter corroborated mary's enthusiastic statement. there were plenty of presents, too: and when it was all over, and they were in the carriage, to be sent to the station, mr. ercildoune, holding sallie's hand in farewell, left there a bit of paper, "which is for you," he said. "god protect, and keep you happy, my child!" then they were gone, with many kind adieus and good wishes called and sent after them. when they were seated in the cars, sallie looked at her bit of paper, and read on its outer covering, "a wedding-gift to sallie howard from my dear daughter francesca," and found within the deed of a beautiful little home. god bless her! say we, with mr. ercildoune. god bless them both, and may they live long to enjoy it! that afternoon, as tom and robert were driving, russell, noting the unwonted look of life and activity, and the gay flags flung to the breeze, demanded what it all meant. "why," said he, "it is like a field day." "it is so," answered robert, "or what is the same; it is election day." "bless my soul! so it is; and a soldier to be elected. have you voted?" "no!" "no? here's a nice state of affairs! a fellow that'll get his arm blown off for a flag, but won't take the trouble to drop a scrap of paper for it. come, i'll drive you over." "you forget, russell!" "forget? nonsense! this isn't 1860, but 1865. i don't forget; i remember. it is after the war now,--come." "as you please," said robert. he knew the disappointment that awaited his friend, but he would not thwart him now. there was a great crowd about the polling-office, and they all looked on with curious interest as the two young men came up. no demonstration was made, though a half-dozen brutal fellows uttered some coarse remarks. "hear the damned rebs talk!" said a man in the army blue, who, with keen eyes, was observing the scene. "they're the same sort of stuff we licked in carolina." "ay," said another, "but with a difference; blue led there; but gray'll come off winner here, or i'm mistaken." robert stood leaning upon his cane; a support which he would need for life, one empty sleeve pinned across his breast, over the scar from a deep and yet unhealed wound. the clear october sun shone down upon his form and face, upon the broad folds of the flag that waved in triumph above him, upon a country where wars and rumors of wars had ceased. "courage, man! what ails you?" whispered russell, as he felt his comrade tremble; "it's a ballot in place of a bayonet, and all for the same cause; lay it down." robert put out his hand. "challenge the vote!" "challenge the vote!" "no niggers here!" sounded from all sides. the bit of paper which ercildoune had placed on the window-ledge fluttered to the ground on the outer side, and, looking at tom, robert said quietly, "1860 or 1865?--is the war ended?" "no!" answered tom, taking his arm, and walking away. "no, my friend! so you and i will continue in the service." "not ended;--it is true! how and when will it be closed?" "that is for the loyal people of america to decide," said russell, as they turned their faces towards home. how and when will it be closed? a question asked by the living and the dead,--to which america must respond. among the living is a vast army: black and white,--shattered and maimed, and blind: and these say, "here we stand, shattered and maimed, that the body politic might be perfect! blind forever, that the glorious sun of liberty might shine abroad throughout the land, for all people, through all coming time." and the dead speak too. from their crowded graves come voices of thrilling and persistent pathos, whispering, "finish the work that has fallen from our nerveless hands. let no weight of tyranny, nor taint of oppression, nor stain of wrong, cumber the soil nor darken the land we died to save." note since it is impossible for any one memory to carry the entire record of the war, it is well to state, that almost every scene in this book is copied from life, and that the incidents of battle and camp are part of the history of the great contest. the story of fort wagner is one that needs no such emphasis, it is too thoroughly known; that of the color-sergeant, whose proper name is w.h. carney, is taken from a letter written by general m.s. littlefield to colonel a.g. browne, secretary to governor andrew. from the _new york tribune_ and the _providence journal_ were taken the accounts of the finding of hunt, the coming of the slaves into a south carolina camp, and the voluntary carrying, by black men, ere they were enlisted, of a schooner into the fight at newbern. than these two papers, none were considered more reliable and trustworthy in their war record. almost every paper in the north published the narrative of the black man pushing off the boat, for which an official report is responsible. the boat was a flat-boat, with a company of soldiers on board; and the battery under the fire of which it fell was at rodman's point, north carolina. in drawing the outlines of this, as of the others, i have necessarily used a somewhat free pencil, but the main incident of each has been faithfully preserved. the disabled black soldier my own eyes saw thrust from a car in philadelphia. the portraits of ercildoune and his children may seem to some exaggerated; those who have, as i, the rare pleasure of knowing the originals, will say, "the half has not been told." every leading new york paper, democratic and republican, was gone over, ere the summary of the riots was made; and i think the record will be found historically accurate. the _anglo-african_ gives the story of poor abram franklin; and the assault on surrey has its likeness in the death of colonel o'brien. in a conversation between surrey and francesca, allusion is made to an act the existence of which i have frequently heard doubted. i therefore copy here a part of the "retaliatory act," passed by the rebel government at richmond, and approved by its head, may 1, 1863:-"sec. 4. every white person, being a commissioned officer, or acting as such, who, during the present war, shall command negroes or mulattoes in arms against the confederate states, or who shall arm, train, organize, or prepare negroes or mulattoes for military service against the confederate states, or who shall voluntarily aid negroes or mulattoes in any military enterprise, attack, or conflict in such service, shall be deemed as inciting servile insurrection; and shall, if captured, be put to death." i have written this book, and send it to the consciences and the hearts of the american people. may god, for whose "little ones" i have here spoken, vivify its words. a romance of the republic by l. maria child 1867 to the father and mother of col. r.g. shaw, the early and ever-faithful friends of freedom and equal rights, this volume is most respectfully and affectionately inscribed by the author. part first. chapter i. "what are you going to do with yourself this evening, alfred?" said mr. royal to his companion, as they issued from his counting-house in new orleans. "perhaps i ought to apologize for not calling you mr. king, considering the shortness of our acquaintance; but your father and i were like brothers in our youth, and you resemble him so much, i can hardly realize that you are not he himself, and i still a young man. it used to be a joke with us that we must be cousins, since he was a king and i was of the royal family. so excuse me if i say to you, as i used to say to him. what are you going to do with yourself, cousin alfred?" "i thank you for the friendly familiarity," rejoined the young man. "it is pleasant to know that i remind you so strongly of my good father. my most earnest wish is to resemble him in character as much as i am said to resemble him in person. i have formed no plans for the evening. i was just about to ask you what there was best worth seeing or hearing in the crescent city." "if i should tell you i thought there was nothing better worth seeing than my daughters, you would perhaps excuse a father's partiality," rejoined mr. royal. "your daughters!" exclaimed his companion, in a tone of surprise. "i never heard that you were married." a shadow of embarrassment passed over the merchant's face, as he replied, "their mother was a spanish lady,--a stranger here,--and she formed no acquaintance. she was a woman of a great heart and of rare beauty. nothing can ever make up her loss to me; but all the joy that remains in life is centred in the daughters she has left me. i should like to introduce them to you; and that is a compliment i never before paid to any young man. my home is in the outskirts of the city; and when we have dined at the hotel, according to my daily habit, i will send off a few letters, and then, if you like to go there with me, i will call a carriage." "thank you," replied the young man; "unless it is your own custom to ride, i should prefer to walk. i like the exercise, and it will give a better opportunity to observe the city, which is so different from our northern towns that it has for me the attractions of a foreign land." in compliance with this wish, mr. royal took him through the principal streets, pointing out the public buildings, and now and then stopping to smile at some placard or sign which presented an odd jumble of french and english. when they came to the suburbs of the city, the aspect of things became charmingly rural. houses were scattered here and there among trees and gardens. mr. royal pointed out one of them, nestled in flowers and half encircled by an orange-grove, and said, "that is my home. when i first came here, the place where it stands was a field of sugar-canes; but the city is fast stretching itself into the suburbs." they approached the dwelling; and in answer to the bell, the door was opened by a comely young negress, with a turban of bright colors on her head and golden hoops in her ears. before the gentlemen had disposed of their hats and canes, a light little figure bounded from one of the rooms, clapping her hands, and exclaiming, "ah, papasito!" then, seeing a stranger with him, she suddenly stood still, with a pretty look of blushing surprise. "never mind, mignonne," said her father, fondly patting her head. "this is alfred royal king, from boston; my namesake, and the son of a dear old friend of mine. i have invited him to see you dance. mr. king, this is my floracita." the fairy dotted a courtesy, quickly and gracefully as a butterfly touching a flower, and then darted back into the room she had left. there they were met by a taller young lady, who was introduced as "my daughter rosabella." her beauty was superlative and peculiar. her complexion was like a glowing reflection upon ivory from gold in the sunshine. her large brown eyes were deeply fringed, and lambent with interior light. lustrous dark brown hair shaded her forehead in little waves, slight as the rippling of water touched by an insect's wing. it was arranged at the back of her head in circling braids, over which fell clusters of ringlets, with moss-rose-buds nestling among them. her full, red lips were beautifully shaped, and wore a mingled expression of dignity and sweetness. the line from ear to chin was that perfect oval which artists love, and the carriage of her head was like one born to a kingdom. floracita, though strikingly handsome, was of a model less superb than her elder sister. she was a charming little brunette, with laughter always lurking in ambush within her sparkling black eyes, a mouth like "cupid's bow carved in coral," and dimples in her cheeks, that well deserved their french name, _berceaux d'amour_. these radiant visions of beauty took alfred king so much by surprise, that he was for a moment confused. but he soon recovered self-possession, and, after the usual salutations, took a seat offered him near a window overlooking the garden. while the commonplaces of conversation were interchanged, he could not but notice the floral appearance of the room. the ample white lace curtains were surmounted by festoons of artificial roses, caught up by a bird of paradise. on the ceiling was an exquisitely painted garland, from the centre of which hung a tasteful basket of natural flowers, with delicate vine-tresses drooping over its edge. the walls were papered with bright arabesques of flowers, interspersed with birds and butterflies. in one corner a statuette of flora looked down upon a geranium covered with a profusion of rich blossoms. in the opposite corner, ivy was trained to form a dark background for canova's "dancer in repose," over whose arm was thrown a wreath of interwoven vines and orange-blossoms. on brackets and tables were a variety of natural flowers in vases of sevres china, whereon the best artists of france had painted flowers in all manner of graceful combinations. the ottomans were embroidered with flowers. rosabella's white muslin dress was trailed all over with delicately tinted roses, and the lace around the corsage was fastened in front with a mosaic basket of flowers. floracita's black curls fell over her shoulders mixed with crimson fuchsias, and on each of her little slippers was embroidered a bouquet. "this is the temple of flora," said alfred, turning to his host. "flowers everywhere! natural flowers, artificial flowers, painted flowers, embroidered flowers, and human flowers excelling them all,"--glancing at the young ladies as he spoke. mr. royal sighed, and in an absent sort of way answered, "yes, yes." then, starting up, he said abruptly, "excuse me a moment; i wish to give the servants some directions." floracita, who was cutting leaves from the geranium, observed his quick movement, and, as he left the room, she turned toward their visitor and said, in a childlike, confidential sort of way: "our dear mamita used to call this room the temple of flora. she had a great passion for flowers. she chose the paper, she made the garlands for the curtains, she embroidered the ottomans, and painted that table so prettily. papasito likes to have things remain as she arranged them, but sometimes they make him sad; for the angels took mamita away from us two years ago." "even the names she gave you are flowery," said alfred, with an expression of mingled sympathy and admiration. "yes; and we had a great many flowery pet-names beside," replied she. "my name is flora, but when she was very loving with me she called me her floracita, her little flower; and papasito always calls me so now. sometimes mamita called me _pensée vivace_." "in english we call that bright little flower jump-up-and-kiss-me," rejoined alfred, smiling as he looked down upon the lively little fairy. she returned the smile with an arch glance, that seemed to say, "i sha'n't do it, though." and away she skipped to meet her father, whose returning steps were heard. "you see i spoil her," said he, as she led him into the room with a half-dancing step. "but how can i help it?" before there was time to respond to this question, the negress with the bright turban announced that tea was ready. "yes, tulipa? we will come," said floracita. "is _she_ a flower too?" asked alfred. "yes, she's a flower, too," answered floracita, with a merry little laugh. "we named her so because she always wears a red and yellow turban; but we call her tulee, for short." while they were partaking of refreshments, she and her father were perpetually exchanging badinage, which, childish as it was, served to enliven the repast. but when she began to throw oranges for him to catch, a reproving glance from her dignified sister reminded her of the presence of company. "let her do as she likes, rosa dear," said her father. "she is used to being my little plaything, and i can't spare her to be a woman yet." "i consider it a compliment to forget that i am a stranger," said mr. king. "for my own part, i forgot it entirely before i had been in the house ten minutes." rosabella thanked him with a quiet smile and a slight inclination of her head. floracita, notwithstanding this encouragement, paused in her merriment; and mr. royal began to talk over reminiscences connected with alfred's father. when they rose from table, he said, "come here, mignonne! we won't be afraid of the boston gentleman, will we?" floracita sprang to his side. he passed his arm fondly round her, and, waiting for his guest and his elder daughter to precede them, they returned to the room they had left. they had scarcely entered it, when floracita darted to the window, and, peering forth into the twilight, she looked back roguishly at her sister, and began to sing:- "un petit blanc, que j'aime, en ces lieux est venu. oui! oui! c'est lui même! c'est lui! je l'ai vue! petit blanc! mon bon frère! ha! ha! petit blanc si doux!" the progress of her song was checked by the entrance of a gentleman, who was introduced to alfred as mr. fitzgerald from savannah. his handsome person reminded one of an italian tenor singer, and his manner was a graceful mixture of _hauteur_ and insinuating courtesy. after a brief interchange of salutations, he said to floracita, "i heard some notes of a lively little french tune, that went so trippingly i should be delighted to hear more of it." floracita had accidentally overheard some half-whispered words which mr. fitzgerald had addressed to her sister, during his last visit, and, thinking she had discovered an important secret, she was disposed to use her power mischievously. without waiting for a repetition of his request, she sang:- "petit blanc, mon bon frère! ha! ha! petit blanc si doux! il n'y a rien sur la terre de si joli que vous." while she was singing, she darted roguish glances at her sister, whose cheeks glowed like the sun-ripened side of a golden apricot. her father touched her shoulder, and said in a tone of annoyance, "don't sing that foolish song, mignonne!" she turned to him quickly with a look of surprise; for she was accustomed only to endearments from him. in answer to her look, he added, in a gentler tone, "you know i told you i wanted my friend to see you dance. select one of your prettiest, _ma petite_, and rosabella will play it for you." mr. fitzgerald assiduously placed the music-stool, and bent over the portfolio while miss royal searched for the music. a servant lighted the candelabra and drew the curtains. alfred, glancing at mr. royal, saw he was watching the pair who were busy at the portfolio, and that the expression of his countenance was troubled. his eyes, however, soon had pleasanter occupation; for as soon as rosa touched the piano, floracita began to float round the room in a succession of graceful whirls, as if the music had taken her up and was waltzing her along. as she passed the marble dancing girl, she seized the wreath that was thrown over its arm, and as she went circling round, it seemed as if the tune had become a visible spirit, and that the garland was a floating accompaniment to its graceful motions. sometimes it was held aloft by the right hand, sometimes by the left; sometimes it was a whirling semicircle behind her; and sometimes it rested on her shoulders, mingling its white orange buds and blossoms with her shower of black curls and crimson fuchsias. now it was twined round her head in a flowery crown, and then it gracefully unwound itself, as if it were a thing alive. ever and anon the little dancer poised herself for an instant on the point of one fairy foot, her cheeks glowing with exercise and dimpling with smiles, as she met her father's delighted gaze. every attitude seemed spontaneous in its prettiness, as if the music had made it without her choice. at last she danced toward her father, and sank, with a wave-like motion, on the ottoman at his feet. he patted the glossy head that nestled lovingly on his knee, and drawing a long breath, as if oppressed with happiness, he murmured, "ah, mignonne!" the floating fairy vision had given such exquisite pleasure, that all had been absorbed in watching its variations. now they looked at each other and smiled. "you would make taglioni jealous," said mr. fitzgerald, addressing the little dancer; and mr. king silently thanked her with a very expressive glance. as rosabella retired from the piano, she busied herself with rearranging a bouquet she had taken from one of the vases. when mr. fitzgerald stationed himself at her side, she lowered her eyes with a perceptibly deepening color. on her peculiar complexion a blush showed like a roseate cloud in a golden atmosphere. as alfred gazed on the long, dark, silky fringes resting on those warmly tinted cheeks, he thought he had never seen any human creature so superbly handsome. "nothing but music can satisfy us after such dancing," said mr. fitzgerald. she looked up to him with a smile; and alfred thought the rising of those dark eyelashes surpassed their downcast expression, as the glory of morning sunshine excels the veiled beauty of starlight. "shall i accompany you while you sing, 'how brightly breaks the morning'?" asked she. "that always sings itself into my heart, whenever you raise your eyes to mine," replied he, in a low tone, as he handed her to the piano. together they sang that popular melody, bright and joyful as sunrise on a world of blossoms. then came a tyrolese song, with a double voice, sounding like echoes from the mountains. this was followed by some tender, complaining russian melodies, novelties which mr. fitzgerald had brought on a preceding visit. feeling they were too much engrossed with each other, she said politely, "mr. king has not yet chosen any music." "the moon becomes visible through the curtains," replied he. "perhaps you will salute her with 'casta diva.'" "that is a favorite with us," she replied. "either flora or i sing it almost every moonlight night." she sang it in very pure italian. then turning round on the music-stool she looked at her father, and said, "now, _papasito querido_, what shall i sing for you?" "you know, dear, what i always love to hear," answered he. with gentle touch, she drew from the keys a plaintive prelude, which soon modulated itself into "the light of other days." she played and sang it with so much feeling, that it seemed the voice of memory floating with softened sadness over the far-off waters of the past. the tune was familiar to alfred, but it had never sung itself into his heart, as now. "i felt as i did in italy, listening to a vesper-bell sounding from a distance in the stillness of twilight," said he, turning toward his host. "all who hear rosabella sing notice a bell in her voice," rejoined her father. "undoubtedly it is the voice of a belle," said mr. fitzgerald. her father, without appearing to notice the commonplace pun, went on to say, "you don't know, mr. king, what tricks she can play with her voice. i call her a musical ventriloquist. if you want to hear the bell to perfection, ask her to sing 'toll the bell for lovely nell.'" "do give me that pleasure," said alfred, persuasively. she sang the pathetic melody, and with voice and piano imitated to perfection the slow tolling of a silver-toned bell. after a short pause, during which she trifled with the keys, while some general remarks were passing, she turned to mr. fitzgerald, who was leaning on the piano, and said, "what shall i sing for _you_?" it was a simple question, but it pierced the heart of alfred king with a strange new pain. what would he not have given for such a soft expression in those glorious eyes when she looked at _him_! "since you are in a ventriloqual mood," answered mr. fitzgerald, "i should like to hear again what you played the last time i was here,--agatha's moonlight prayer, from _der freyschütz_." she smiled, and with voice and instrument produced the indescribably dreamy effect of the two flutes. it was the very moonlight of sound. "this is perfectly magical," murmured alfred. he spoke in a low, almost reverential tone; for the spell of moonlight was on him, and the clear, soft voice of the singer, the novelty of her peculiar beauty, and the surpassing gracefulness of her motions, as she swayed gently to the music of the tones she produced, inspired him with a feeling of poetic deference. through the partially open window came the lulling sound of a little trickling fountain in the garden, and the air was redolent of jasmine and orange-blossoms. on the pier-table was a little sleeping cupid, from whose torch rose the fragrant incense of a nearly extinguished _pastille_. the pervasive spirit of beauty in the room, manifested in forms, colors, tones, and motions, affected the soul as perfume did the senses. the visitors felt they had stayed too long, and yet they lingered. alfred examined the reclining cupid, and praised the gracefulness of its outline. "cupid could never sleep here, nor would the flame of his torch ever go out," said mr. fitzgerald; "but it is time _we_ were going out." the young gentlemen exchanged parting salutations with their host and his daughters, and moved toward the door. but mr. fitzgerald paused on the threshold to say, "please play us out with mozart's 'good night.'" "as organists play worshippers out of the church," added mr. king. rosabella bowed compliance, and, as they crossed the outer threshold, they heard the most musical of voices singing mozart's beautiful little melody, "buona notte, amato bene." the young men lingered near the piazza till the last sounds floated away, and then they walked forth in the moonlight,--fitzgerald repeating the air in a subdued whistle. his first exclamation was, "isn't that girl a rose royal?" "she is, indeed," replied mr. king; "and the younger sister is also extremely fascinating." "yes, i thought you seemed to think so," rejoined his companion. "which do you prefer?" shy of revealing his thoughts to a stranger, mr. king replied that each of the sisters was so perfect in her way, the other would be wronged by preference. "yes, they are both rare gems of beauty," rejoined fitzgerald. "if i were the grand bashaw, i would have them both in my harem." the levity of the remark jarred on the feelings of his companion, who answered, in a grave, and somewhat cold tone, "i saw nothing in the manners of the young ladies to suggest such a disposition of them." "excuse me," said fitzgerald, laughing. "i forgot you were from the land of puritans. i meant no indignity to the young ladies, i assure you. but when one amuses himself with imagining the impossible, it is not worth while to be scrupulous about details. i am _not_ the grand bashaw; and when i pronounced them fit for his harem, i merely meant a compliment to their superlative beauty. that floracita is a mischievous little sprite. did you ever see anything more roguish than her expression while she was singing 'petit blanc, mon bon frère'?" "that mercurial little song excited my curiosity," replied alfred. "pray what is its origin?" "i think it likely it came from the french west indies," said fitzgerald. "it seems to be the love-song of a young negress, addressed to a white lover. floracita may have learned it from her mother, who was half french, half spanish. you doubtless observed the foreign sprinkling in their talk. they told me they never spoke english with their mother. those who have seen her describe her as a wonderful creature, who danced like taglioni and sang like malibran, and was more beautiful than her daughter rosabella. but the last part of the story is incredible. if she were half as handsome, no wonder mr. royal idolized her, as they say he did." "did he marry her in the french islands?" inquired alfred. "they were not married," answered fitzgerald. "of course not, for she was a quadroon. but here are my lodgings, and i must bid you good night." these careless parting words produced great disturbance in the spirit of alfred king. he had heard of those quadroon connections, as one hears of foreign customs, without any realizing sense of their consequences. that his father's friend should be a partner in such an alliance, and that these two graceful and accomplished girls should by that circumstance be excluded from the society they would so greatly ornament, surprised and bewildered him. he recalled that tinge in rosa's complexion, not golden, but like a faint, luminous reflection of gold, and that slight waviness in the glossy hair, which seemed to him so becoming. he could not make these peculiarities seem less beautiful to his imagination, now that he knew them as signs of her connection with a proscribed race. and that bewitching little floracita, emerging into womanhood, with the auroral light of childhood still floating round her, she seemed like a beautiful italian child, whose proper place was among fountains and statues and pictured forms of art. the skill of no parisian _coiffeur_ could produce a result so pleasing as the profusion of raven hair, that _would_ roll itself into ringlets. octoroons! he repeated the word to himself, but it did not disenchant him. it was merely something foreign and new to his experience, like spanish or italian beauty. yet he felt painfully the false position in which they were placed by the unreasoning prejudice of society. though he had had a fatiguing day, when he entered his chamber he felt no inclination to sleep. as he slowly paced up and down the room, he thought to himself, "my good mother shares the prejudice. how could i introduce them to _her_?" then, as if impatient with himself, he murmured, in a vexed tone, "why should i _think_ of introducing them to my mother? a few hours ago i didn't know of their existence." he threw himself on the bed and tried to sleep; but memory was too busy with the scene of enchantment he had recently left. a catalpa-tree threw its shadow on the moon-lighted curtain. he began to count the wavering leaves, in hopes the monotonous occupation would induce slumber. after a while he forgot to count; and as his spirit hovered between the inner and the outer world, floracita seemed to be dancing on the leaf shadows in manifold graceful evolutions. then he was watching a little trickling fountain, and the falling drops were tones of "the light of other days." anon he was wandering among flowers in the moonlight, and from afar some one was heard singing "casta diva." the memory of that voice, "while slept the limbs and senses all, made everything seem musical." again and again the panorama of the preceding evening revolved through the halls of memory with every variety of fantastic change. a light laugh broke in upon the scenes of enchantment, with the words, "of course not, for she was a quadroon." then the plaintive melody of "toll the bell" resounded in his ears; not afar off, but loud and clear, as if the singer were in the room. he woke with a start, and heard the vibrations of a cathedral bell subsiding into silence. it had struck but twice, but in his spiritual ear the sounds had been modulated through many tones. "even thus strangely," thought he, "has that rich, sonorous voice struck into the dream of my life," again he saw those large, lustrous eyes lowering their long-fringed veils under the ardent gaze of gerald fitzgerald. again he thought of his mother, and sighed. at last a dreamless sleep stole over him, and both pleasure and pain were buried in deep oblivion. chapter ii. the sun was up before he woke. he rose hastily and ordered breakfast and a horse; for he had resolved the day before upon an early ride. a restless, undefined feeling led him in the same direction he had taken the preceding evening. he passed the house that would forevermore be a prominent feature in the landscape of his life. vines were gently waving in the morning air between the pillars of the piazza, where he had lingered entranced to hear the tones of "buena notte." the bright turban of tulipa was glancing about, as she dusted the blinds. a peacock on the balustrade, in the sunshine, spread out his tail into a great oriental fan, and slowly lowered it, making a prismatic shower of topaz, sapphires, and emeralds as it fell. it was the first of march; but as he rode on, thinking of the dreary landscape and boisterous winds of new england at that season, the air was filled with the fragrance of flowers, and mocking-birds and thrushes saluted him with their songs. in many places the ground was thickly strewn with oranges, and the orange-groves were beautiful with golden fruit and silver flowers gleaming among the dark glossy green foliage. here and there was the mansion of a wealthy planter, surrounded by whitewashed slave-cabins. the negroes at their work, and their black picaninnies rolling about on the ground, seemed an appropriate part of the landscape, so tropical in its beauty of dark colors and luxuriant growth. he rode several miles, persuading himself that he was enticed solely by the healthy exercise and the novelty of the scene. but more alluring than the pleasant landscape and the fragrant air was the hope that, if he returned late, the young ladies might be on the piazza, or visible at the windows. he was destined to be disappointed. as he passed, a curtain was slowly withdrawn from one of the windows and revealed a vase of flowers. he rode slowly, in hopes of seeing a face bend over the flowers; but the person who drew the curtain remained invisible. on the piazza nothing was in motion, except the peacock strutting along, stately as a court beauty, and drawing after him his long train of jewelled plumage. a voice, joyous as a bobolink's, sounded apparently from the garden. he could not hear the words, but the lively tones at once suggested, "petit blanc, mon bon frère." he recalled the words so carelessly uttered, "of course not, for she was a quadroon," and they seemed to make harsh discord with the refrain of the song. he remembered the vivid flush that passed over rosa's face while her playful sister teased her with that tuneful badinage. it seemed to him that mr. fitzgerald was well aware of his power, for he had not attempted to conceal his consciousness of the singer's mischievous intent. this train of thought was arrested by the inward question, "what is it to _me_ whether he marries her or not?" impatiently he touched his horse with the whip, as if he wanted to rush from the answer to his own query. he had engaged to meet mr. royal at his counting-house, and he was careful to keep the appointment. he was received with parental kindness slightly tinged with embarrassment. after some conversation about business, mr. royal said: "from your silence concerning your visit to my house last evening, i infer that mr. fitzgerald has given you some information relating to my daughters' history. i trust, my young friend, that you have not suspected me of any intention to deceive or entrap you. i intended to have told you myself; but i had a desire to know first how my daughters would impress you, if judged by their own merits. having been forestalled in my purpose, i am afraid frankness on your part will now be difficult." "a feeling of embarrassment did indeed prevent me from alluding to my visit as soon as i met you this morning," replied alfred; "but no circumstances could alter my estimate of your daughters. their beauty and gracefulness exceed anything i have seen." "and they are as innocent and good as they are beautiful," rejoined the father. "but you can easily imagine that my pride and delight in them is much disturbed by anxiety concerning their future. latterly, i have thought a good deal about closing business and taking them to france to reside. but when men get to be so old as i am, the process of being transplanted to a foreign soil seems onerous. if it were as well for _them_, i should greatly prefer returning to my native new england." "they are tropical flowers," observed alfred. "there is nothing northern in their natures." "yes, they are tropical flowers," rejoined the father, "and my wish is to place them in perpetual sunshine. i doubt whether they could ever feel quite at home far away from jasmines and orange-groves. but climate is the least of the impediments in the way of taking them to new england. their connection with the enslaved race is so very slight, that it might easily be concealed; but the consciousness of practising concealment is always unpleasant. your father was more free from prejudices of all sorts than any man i ever knew. if he were living, i would confide all to him, and be guided implicitly by his advice. you resemble him so strongly, that i have been involuntarily drawn to open my heart to you, as i never thought to do to so young a man. yet i find the fulness of my confidence checked by the fear of lowering myself in the estimation of the son of my dearest friend. but perhaps, if you knew all the circumstances, and had had my experience, you would find some extenuation of my fault. i was very unhappy when i first came to new orleans. i was devotedly attached to a young lady, and i was rudely repelled by her proud and worldly family. i was seized with a vehement desire to prove to them that i could become richer than they were. i rushed madly into the pursuit of wealth, and i was successful; but meanwhile they had married her to another, and i found that wealth alone could not bring happiness. in vain the profits of my business doubled and quadrupled. i was unsatisfied, lonely, and sad. commercial transactions brought me into intimate relations with señor gonsalez, a spanish gentleman in st. augustine. he had formed an alliance with a beautiful slave, whom he had bought in the french west indies. i never saw her, for she died before my acquaintance with him; but their daughter, then a girl of sixteen, was the most charming creature i ever beheld. the irresistible attraction i felt toward her the first moment i saw her was doubtless the mere fascination of the senses; but when i came to know her more, i found her so gentle, so tender, so modest, and so true, that i loved her with a strong and deep affection. i admired her, too, for other reasons than her beauty; for she had many elegant accomplishments, procured by her father's fond indulgence during two years' residence in paris. he was wealthy at that time; but he afterward became entangled in pecuniary difficulties, and his health declined. he took a liking to me, and proposed that i should purchase eulalia, and thus enable him to cancel a debt due to a troublesome creditor whom he suspected of having an eye upon his daughter. i gave him a large sum for her, and brought her with me to new orleans. do not despise me for it, my young friend. if it had been told to me a few years before, in my new england home, that i could ever become a party in such a transaction, i should have rejected the idea with indignation. but my disappointed and lonely condition rendered me an easy prey to temptation, and i was where public opinion sanctioned such connections. besides, there were kindly motives mixed up with selfish ones. i pitied the unfortunate father, and i feared his handsome daughter might fall into hands that would not protect her so carefully as i resolved to do. i knew the freedom of her choice was not interfered with, for she confessed she loved me. "señor gonsalez, who was more attached to her than to anything else in the world, soon afterward gathered up the fragments of his broken fortune, and came to reside near us. i know it was a great satisfaction to his dying hours that he left eulalia in my care, and the dear girl was entirely happy with me. if i had manumitted her, carried her abroad, and legally married her, i should have no remorse mingled with my sorrow for her loss. loving her faithfully, as i did to the latest moment of her life, i now find it difficult to explain to myself how i came to neglect such an obvious duty. i was always thinking that i would do it at some future time. but marriage with a quadroon would have been void, according to the laws of louisiana; and, being immersed in business, i never seemed to find time to take her abroad. when one has taken the first wrong step, it becomes dangerously easy to go on in the same path. a man's standing here is not injured by such irregular connections; and my faithful, loving eulalia meekly accepted her situation as a portion of her inherited destiny. mine was the fault, not hers; for i was free to do as i pleased, and she never had been. i acted in opposition to moral principles, which the education of false circumstances had given her no opportunity to form. i had remorseful thoughts at times, but i am quite sure she was never troubled in that way. she loved and trusted me entirely. she knew that the marriage of a white man with one of her race was illegal; and she quietly accepted the fact, as human beings do accept what they are powerless to overcome. her daughters attributed her olive complexion to a spanish origin; and their only idea was, and is, that she was my honored wife, as indeed she was in the inmost recesses of my heart. i gradually withdrew from the few acquaintances i had formed in new orleans; partly because i was satisfied with the company of eulalia and our children, and partly because i could not take her with me into society. she had no acquaintances here, and we acquired the habit of living in a little world by ourselves,--a world which, as you have seen, was transformed into a sort of fairy-land by her love of beautiful things. after i lost her, it was my intention to send the children immediately to france to be educated. but procrastination is my besetting sin; and the idea of parting with them was so painful, that i have deferred and deferred it. the suffering i experience on their account is a just punishment for the wrong i did their mother. when i think how beautiful, how talented, how affectionate, and how pure they are, and in what a cruel position i have placed them, i have terrible writhings of the heart. i do not think i am destined to long life; and who will protect them when i am gone?" a consciousness of last night's wishes and dreams made alfred blush as he said, "it occurred to me that your eldest daughter might be betrothed to mr. fitzgerald." "i hope not," quickly rejoined mr. royal. "he is not the sort of man with whom i would like to intrust her happiness. i think, if it were so, rosabella would have told me, for my children always confide in me." "i took it for granted that you liked him," replied alfred; "for you said an introduction to your home was a favor you rarely bestowed." "i never conferred it on any young man but yourself," answered mr. royal, "and you owed it partly to my memory of your honest father, and partly to the expression of your face, which so much resembles his." the young man smiled and bowed, and his friend continued: "when i invited you, i was not aware mr. fitzgerald was in the city. i am but slightly acquainted with him, but i conjecture him to be what is called a high-blood. his manners, though elegant, seem to me flippant and audacious. he introduced himself into my domestic sanctum; and, as i partook of his father's hospitality years ago, i find it difficult to eject him. he came here a few months since, to transact some business connected with the settlement of his father's estate, and, unfortunately, he heard rosabella singing as he rode past my house. he made inquiries concerning the occupants; and, from what i have heard, i conjecture that he has learned more of my private history than i wished to have him know. he called without asking my permission, and told my girls that his father was my friend, and that he had consequently taken the liberty to call with some new music, which he was very desirous of hearing them sing. when i was informed of this, on my return home, i was exceedingly annoyed; and i have ever since been thinking of closing business as soon as possible, and taking my daughters to france. he called twice again during his stay in the city, but my daughters made it a point to see him only when i was at home. now he has come again, to increase the difficulties of my position by his unwelcome assiduities." "unwelcome to _you_" rejoined alfred; "but, handsome and fascinating as he is, they are not likely to be unwelcome to your daughters. your purpose of conveying them to france is a wise one." "would i had done it sooner!" exclaimed mr. royal. "how weak i have been in allowing circumstances to drift me along!" he walked up and down the room with agitated steps; then, pausing before alfred, he laid his hand affectionately on his shoulder, as he said, with solemn earnestness, "my young friend, i am glad your father did not accept my proposal to receive you into partnership. let me advise you to live in new england. the institutions around us have an effect on character which it is difficult to escape entirely. bad customs often lead well-meaning men into wrong paths." "that was my father's reason for being unwilling i should reside in new orleans," replied alfred. "he said it was impossible to exaggerate the importance of social institutions. he often used to speak of having met a number of turkish women when he was in the environs of constantinople. they were wrapped up like bales of cloth, with two small openings for their eyes, mounted on camels, and escorted by the overseer of the harem. the animal sound of their chatter and giggling, as they passed him, affected him painfully; for it forced upon him the idea what different beings those women would have been if they had been brought up amid the free churches and free schools of new england. he always expounded history to me in the light of that conviction; and he mourned that temporary difficulties should prevent lawgivers from checking the growth of evils that must have a blighting influence on the souls of many generations. he considered slavery a cumulative poison in the veins of this republic, and predicted that it would some day act all at once with deadly power." "your father was a wise man," replied mr. royal, "and i agree with him. but it would be unsafe to announce it here; for slavery is a tabooed subject, except to talk in favor of it." "i am well aware of that," rejoined alfred. "and now i must bid you good morning. you know my mother is an invalid, and i may find letters at the post-office that will render immediate return necessary. but i will see you again; and hereafter our acquaintance may perhaps be renewed in france." "that is a delightful hope," rejoined the merchant, cordially returning the friendly pressure of his hand. as he looked after the young man, he thought how pleasant it would be to have such a son; and he sighed deeply over the vision of a union that might have been, under other circumstances, between his family and that of his old friend. alfred, as he walked away, was conscious of that latent, unspoken wish. again the query began to revolve through his mind whether the impediments were really insurmountable. there floated before him a vision of that enchanting room, where the whole of life seemed to be composed of beauty and gracefulness, music and flowers. but a shadow of fitzgerald fell across it, and the recollection of boston relatives rose up like an iceberg between him and fairy-land. a letter informing him of his mother's increasing illness excited a feeling of remorse that new acquaintances had temporarily nearly driven her from his thoughts. he resolved to depart that evening; but the desire to see rosabella again could not be suppressed. failing to find mr. royal at his counting-room or his hotel, he proceeded to his suburban residence. when tulipa informed him that "massa" had not returned from the city, he inquired for the young ladies, and was again shown into that parlor every feature of which was so indelibly impressed upon his memory. portions of the music of _cenerentola_ lay open on the piano, and the leaves fluttered softly in a gentle breeze laden with perfumes from the garden. near by was swinging the beaded tassel of a book-mark between the pages of a half-opened volume. he looked at the title and saw that it was lalla rookh. he smiled, as he glanced round the room on the flowery festoons, the graceful tangle of bright arabesques on the walls, the dancing girl, and the sleeping cupid. "all is in harmony with canova, and moore, and rossini," thought he. "the lady in milton's comus _has_ been the ideal of my imagination; and now here i am so strangely taken captive by--" rosabella entered at that moment, and almost startled him with the contrast to his ideal. her glowing oriental beauty and stately grace impressed him more than ever. floracita's fairy form and airy motions were scarcely less fascinating. their talk was very girlish. floracita had just been reading in a french paper about the performance of _la bayadere_, and she longed to see the ballet brought out in paris. rosabella thought nothing could be quite so romantic as to float on the canals of venice by moonlight and listen to the nightingales; and she should _so_ like to cross the bridge of sighs! then they went into raptures over the gracefulness of rossini's music, and the brilliancy of auber's. very few and very slender thoughts were conveyed in their words, but to the young man's ear they had the charm of music; for floracita's talk went as trippingly as a lively dance, and the sweet modulations of rosabella's voice so softened english to italian sound, that her words seemed floating on a liquid element, like goldfish in the water. indeed, her whole nature seemed to partake the fluid character of music. beauty born of harmonious sound "had passed into her face," and her motions reminded one of a water-lily undulating on its native element. the necessity of returning immediately to boston was alfred's apology for a brief call. repressed feeling imparted great earnestness to the message he left for his father's friend. while he was uttering it, the conversation he had recently had with mr. royal came back to him with painful distinctness. after parting compliments were exchanged, he turned to say, "excuse me, young ladies, if, in memory of our fathers' friendship, i beg of you to command my services, as if i were a brother, should it ever be in my power to serve you." rosabella thanked him with a slight inclination of her graceful head; and floracita, dimpling a quick little courtesy, said sportively, "if some cruel blue-beard should shut us up in his castle, we will send for you." "how funny!" exclaimed the volatile child, as the door closed after him. "he spoke as solemn as a minister; but i suppose that's the way with yankees. i think _cher papa_ likes to preach sometimes." rosabella, happening to glance at the window, saw that alfred king paused in the street and looked back. how their emotions would have deepened could they have foreseen the future! chapter iii. a year passed away, and the early southern spring had again returned with flowers and fragrance. after a day in music and embroidery, with sundry games at battledoor and the graces with her sister, floracita heard the approaching footsteps of her father, and, as usual, bounded forth to meet him. any one who had not seen him since he parted from the son of his early new england friend would have observed that he looked older and more careworn; but his daughters, accustomed to see him daily, had not noticed the gradual change. "you have kept us waiting a little, papasito," said rosabella, turning round on the music-stool, and greeting him with a smile. "yes, my darling," rejoined he, placing his hand fondly on her head. "getting ready to go to europe makes a deal of work." "if we were sons, we could help you," said rosabella. "i wish you _were_ sons!" answered he, with serious emphasis and a deep sigh. floracita nestled close to him, and, looking up archly in his face, said, "and pray what would you do, papa, without your nightingale and your fairy, as you call us?" "sure enough, what _should_ i do, my little flower?" said he, as with a loving smile he stooped to kiss her. they led him to the tea-table; and when the repast was ended, they began to talk over their preparations for leaving home. "_cher papa_, how long before we shall go to paris?" inquired floracita. "in two or three weeks, i hope," was the reply. "won't it be delightful!" exclaimed she. "you will take us to see ballets and everything." "when i am playing and singing fragments of operas," said rosabella, "i often think to myself how wonderfully beautiful they would sound, if all the parts were brought out by such musicians as they have in europe. i should greatly enjoy hearing operas in paris; but i often think, papasito, that we can never be so happy anywhere as we have been in this dear home. it makes me feel sad to leave all these pretty things,--so many of them--" she hesitated, and glanced at her father. "so intimately associated with your dear mother, you were about to say," replied he. "that thought is often present with me, and the idea of parting with them pains me to the heart. but i do not intend they shall ever be handled by strangers. we will pack them carefully and leave them with madame guirlande; and when we get settled abroad, in some nice little cottage, we will send for them. but when you have been in paris, when you have seen the world and the world has seen you, perhaps you won't be contented to live in a cottage with your old papasito. perhaps your heads will become so turned with flattery, that you will want to be at balls and operas all the time." "no flattery will be so sweet as yours, _cher papa_," said floracita. "no indeed!" exclaimed rosa. but, looking up, she met his eye, and blushed crimson. she was conscious of having already listened to flattery that was at least more intoxicating than his. her father noticed the rosy confusion, and felt a renewal of pain that unexpected entanglements had prevented his going to europe months ago. he tenderly pressed her hand, that lay upon his knee, and looked at her with troubled earnestness, as he said, "now that you are going to make acquaintance with the world, my daughters, and without a mother to guide you, i want you to promise me that you will never believe any gentleman sincere in professions of love, unless he proposes marriage, and asks my consent." rosabella was obviously agitated, but she readily replied, "do you suppose, papasito, that we would accept a lover without asking you about it? when _mamita querida_ died, she charged us to tell you everything; and we always do." "i do not doubt you, my children," he replied; "but the world is full of snares; and sometimes they are so covered with flowers, that the inexperienced slip into them unawares. i shall try to shield you from harm, as i always have done; but when i am gone--" "o, don't say that!" exclaimed floracita, with a quick, nervous movement. and rosabella looked at him with swimming eyes, as she repeated, "don't say that, _papasito querido_!" he laid a hand on the head of each. his heart was very full. with solemn tenderness he tried to warn them of the perils of life. but there was much that he was obliged to refrain from saying, from reverence for their inexperienced purity. and had he attempted to describe the manners of a corrupt world, they could have had no realizing sense of his meaning; for it is impossible for youth to comprehend the dangers of the road it is to travel. the long talk at last subsided into serious silence. after remaining very still a few moments, rosabella said softy, "wouldn't you like to hear some music before you go to bed, _papasito mio_?" he nodded assent, and she moved to the piano. their conversation had produced an unusually tender and subdued state of feeling, and she sang quietly many plaintive melodies that her mother loved. the fountain trickling in the garden kept up a low liquid accompaniment, and the perfume of the orange-groves seemed like the fragrant breath of the tones. it was late when they parted for the night. "_bon soir, cher papa_" said floracita, kissing her father's hand. "_buenas noches, papasito querido_" said rosabella, as she touched his cheek with her beautiful lips. there was moisture in his eyes as he folded them to his heart and said, "god bless you! god protect you, my dear ones!" those melodies of past times had brought their mother before him in all her loving trustfulness, and his soul was full of sorrow for the irreparable wrong he had done her children. the pensive mood, that had enveloped them all in a little cloud the preceding evening, was gone in the morning. there was the usual bantering during breakfast, and after they rose from table they discussed in a lively manner various plans concerning their residence in france. rosabella evidently felt much less pleasure in the prospect than did her younger sister; and her father, conjecturing the reason, was the more anxious to expedite their departure. "i must not linger here talking," said he. "i must go and attend to business; for there are many things to be arranged before we can set out on our travels," "_hasta luego, papasito mio_" said rosabella, with an affectionate smile. "_au revoir, cher papa_" said floracita, as she handed him his hat. he patted her head playfully as he said, "what a polyglot family we are! your grandfather's spanish, your grandmother's french, and your father's english, all mixed up in an _olla podrida_. good morning, my darlings." floracita skipped out on the piazza, calling after him, "papa, what _is_ polyglot?" he turned and shook his finger laughingly at her, as he exclaimed, "o, you little ignoramus!" the sisters lingered on the piazza, watching him till he was out of sight. when they re-entered the house, floracita occupied herself with various articles of her wardrobe; consulting with rosa whether any alterations would be necessary before they were packed for france. it evidently cost rosa some effort to attend to her innumerable questions, for the incessant chattering disturbed her revery. at every interval she glanced round the room with a sort of farewell tenderness. it was more to her than the home of a happy childhood; for nearly all the familiar objects had become associated with glances and tones, the memory of which excited restless longings in her heart. as she stood gazing on the blooming garden and the little fountain, whose sparkling rills crossed each other in the sunshine like a silvery network strung with diamonds, she exclaimed, "o floracita, we shall never be so happy anywhere else as we have been here." "how do you know that, _sistita mia_?" rejoined the lively little chatterer. "only think, we have never been to a ball! and when we get to france, papasito will go everywhere with us. he says he will." "i should like to hear operas and see ballets in paris," said rosabella; "but i wish we could come back _here_ before long." floracita's laughing eyes assumed the arch expression which rendered them peculiarly bewitching, and she began to sing,- "petit blanc, mon bon frère! ha! ha! petit blanc si doux! il n'y a rien sur la terre de si joli que vous. "un petit blanc que j'aime--" a quick flush mantled her sister's face, and she put her hand over the mischievous mouth, exclaiming, "don't, flora! don't!" the roguish little creature went laughing and capering out of the room, and her voice was still heard singing,- "un petit blanc que j'aime." the arrival of signor papanti soon summoned her to rehearse a music lesson. she glanced roguishly at her sister when she began; and as she went on, rosa could not help smiling at her musical antics. the old teacher bore it patiently for a while, then he stopped trying to accompany her, and, shaking his finger at her, said, "_diavolessa_!" "did i make a false note?" asked she, demurely. "no, you little witch, you _can't_ make a false note. but how do you suppose i can keep hold of the tail of the air, if you send me chasing after it through so many capricious variations? now begin again, _da capo_" the lesson was recommenced, but soon ran riot again. the signor became red in the face, shut the music-book with a slam, and poured forth a volley of wrath in italian, when she saw that he was really angry, she apologized, and promised to do better. the third time of trying, she acquitted herself so well that her teacher praised her; and when she bade him good morning, with a comic little courtesy, he smiled good-naturedly, as he said, "_ah, malizietta_!" "i knew i should make signor pimentero sprinkle some pepper," exclaimed she, laughing, as she saw him walk away. "you are too fond of sobriquets," said rosa. "if you are not careful, you will call him signor pimentero to his face, some day." "what did you tell me _that_ for?" asked the little rogue. "it will just make me do it. now i am going to pester madame's parrot." she caught up her large straw hat, with flying ribbons, and ran to the house of their next neighbor, madame guirlande. she was a french lady, who had given the girls lessons in embroidery, the manufacture of artificial flowers, and other fancy-work. before long, floracita returned through the garden, skipping over a jumping-rope. "this is a day of compliments," said she, as she entered the parlor, "signor pimentero called me _diavolessa_; madame guirlande called me _joli petit diable_; and the parrot took it up, and screamed it after me, as i came away." "i don't wonder at it," replied rosa. "i think i never saw even you so full of mischief." her frolicsome mood remained through the day. one moment she assumed the dignified manner of rosabella, and, stretching herself to the utmost, she stood very erect, giving sage advice. the next, she was impersonating a negro preacher, one of tulipa's friends. hearing a mocking-bird in the garden, she went to the window and taxed his powers to the utmost, by running up and down difficult _roulades_, interspersed with the talk of parrots, the shrill fanfare of trumpets, and the deep growl of a contra-fagotto. the bird produced a grotesque fantasia in his efforts to imitate her. the peacock, as he strutted up and down the piazza, trailing his gorgeous plumage in the sunshine, ever and anon turned his glossy neck, and held up his ear to listen, occasionally performing his part in the _charivari_ by uttering a harsh scream. the mirthfulness of the little madcap was contagious, and not unfrequently the giggle of tulipa and the low musical laugh of rosabella mingled with the concert. thus the day passed merrily away, till the gilded flora that leaned against the timepiece pointed her wand toward the hour when their father was accustomed to return. chapter iv. floracita was still in the full career of fun, when footsteps were heard approaching; and, as usual, she bounded forth to welcome her father. several men, bearing a palanquin on their shoulders, were slowly ascending the piazza. she gave one glance at their burden, and uttered a shrill scream. rosabella hastened to her in great alarm. tulipa followed, and quickly comprehending that something terrible had happened, she hurried away to summon madame guirlande. rosabella, pale and trembling, gasped out, "what has happened to my father?" franz blumenthal, a favorite clerk of mr. royal's, replied, in a low, sympathizing tone, "he was writing letters in the counting-room this afternoon, and when i went in to speak to him, i found him on the floor senseless. we called a doctor immediately, but he failed to restore him." "o, call another doctor!" said rosa, imploringly; and floracita almost shrieked, "tell me where to _go_ for a doctor." "we have already summoned one on the way," said young blumenthal, "but i will go to hasten him";--and, half blinded by his tears, he hurried into the street. the doctor came in two minutes, and yet it seemed an age. meanwhile the wretched girls were chafing their father's cold hands, and holding sal-volatile to his nose, while madame guirlande and tulipa were preparing hot water and hot cloths. when the physician arrived, they watched his countenance anxiously, while he felt the pulse and laid his hand upon the heart. after a while he shook his head and said, "nothing can be done. he is dead." rosabella fell forward, fainting, on the body. floracita uttered shriek upon shriek, while madame guirlande and tulipa vainly tried to pacify her. the doctor at last persuaded her to swallow some valerian, and tulipa carried her in her arms and laid her on the bed. madame guirlande led rosa away, and the two sisters lay beside each other, on the same pillows where they had dreamed such happy dreams the night before. floracita, stunned by the blow that had fallen on her so suddenly, and rendered drowsy by the anodyne she had taken, soon fell into an uneasy slumber, broken by occasional starts and stifled sobs. rosabella wept silently, but now and then a shudder passed over her, that showed how hard she was struggling with grief. after a short time, flora woke up bewildered. a lamp was burning in the farther part of the room, and madame guirlande, who sat there in spectacles and ruffled cap, made a grotesque black shadow on the wall. floracita started up, screaming, "what is that?" madame guirlande went to her, and she and rosa spoke soothingly, and soon she remembered all. "o, let me go home with _you_" she said to madame "i am afraid to stay here." "yes, my children," replied the good frenchwoman. "you had better both go home and stay with me to-night." "i cannot go away and leave _him_ alone," murmured rosa, in tones almost inaudible. "franz blumenthal is going to remain here," replied madame guirlande," and tulipa has offered to sit up all night. it is much better for you to go with me than to stay here, my children." thus exhorted, they rose and began to make preparations for departure. but all at once the tender good-night of the preceding evening rushed on rosa's memory, and she sank down in a paroxysm of grief. after weeping bitterly for some minutes, she sobbed out, "o, this is worse than it was when mamita died. papasito was so tender with us then; and now we are _all_ alone." "not all alone," responded madame. "jesus and the blessed virgin are with you." "o, i don't know where _they_ are!" exclaimed flora, in tones of wild agony. "i want my papasito! i want to die and go to my papasito." rosabella folded her in her arms, and they mingled their tears together, as she whispered: "let us try to be tranquil, sistita. we must not be troublesome to our kind friend. i did wrong to say we were all alone. we have always a father in heaven, and he still spares us to love each other. perhaps, too, our dear papasito is watching over us. you know he used to tell us mamita had become our guardian angel." floracita kissed her, and pressed her hand in silence. then they made preparations to go with their friendly neighbor; all stepping very softly, as if afraid of waking the beloved sleeper. the sisters had lived in such extreme seclusion, that when sorrow came upon them, like the sudden swoop and swift destruction of a tropical storm, they had no earthly friend to rely upon but madame guirlande. only the day before, they had been so rich in love, that, had she passed away from the earth, it would have made no distressing change in their existence. they would have said, "poor madame guirlande! she was a good soul. how patient she used to be with us!" and after a day or two, they would have danced and sung the same as ever. but one day had so beggared them in affection, that they leaned upon her as their only earthly support. after an almost untasted breakfast, they all went back to the desolated home. the flowery parlor seemed awfully lonesome. the piano was closed, the curtains drawn, and their father's chair was placed against the wall. the murmur of the fountain sounded as solemn as a dirge, and memories filled the room like a troop of ghosts. hand in hand, the bereaved ones went to kiss the lips that would speak to them no more in this world. they knelt long beside the bed, and poured forth their breaking hearts in prayer. they rose up soothed and strengthened, with the feeling that their dear father and mother were still near them. they found a sad consolation in weaving garlands and flowery crosses, which they laid on the coffin with tender reverence. when the day of the funeral came, madame guirlande kept them very near her, holding a hand of each. she had provided them with long veils, which she requested them not to remove; for she remembered how anxiously their father had screened their beauty from the public gaze. a number of merchants, who had known and respected mr. royal, followed his remains to the grave. most of them had heard of his quadroon connection, and some supposed that the veiled mourners might be his daughters; but such things were too common to excite remark, or to awaken much interest. the girls passed almost unnoticed; having, out of respect to the wishes of their friend, stifled their sobs till they were alone in the carriage with her and their old music-teacher. the conviction that he was not destined to long life, which mr. royal had expressed to alfred king, was founded on the opinion of physicians that his heart was diseased. this furnished an additional motive for closing his business as soon as possible, and taking his children to france. but the failure of several houses with which he was connected brought unexpected entanglements. month by month, these became more complicated, and necessarily delayed the intended emigration. his anxiety concerning his daughters increased to an oppressive degree, and aggravated the symptoms of his disease. with his habitual desire to screen them from everything unpleasant, he unwisely concealed from them both his illness and his pecuniary difficulties. he knew he could no longer be a rich man; but he still had hope of saving enough of his fortune to live in a moderate way in some cheap district of france. but on the day when he bade his daughters good morning so cheerfully, he received a letter informing him of another extensive failure, which involved him deeply. he was alone in his counting-room when he read it; and there franz blumenthal found him dead, with the letter in his hand. his sudden exit of course aroused the vigilance of creditors, and their examination into the state of his affairs proved anything but satisfactory. the sisters, unconscious of all this, were undisturbed by any anxiety concerning future support. the necessity of living without their father's love and counsel weighed heavily on their spirits; but concerning his money they took no thought. hitherto they had lived as the birds do, and it did not occur to them that it could ever be otherwise. the garden and the flowery parlor, which their mother had created and their father had so dearly loved, seemed almost as much a portion of themselves as their own persons. it had been hard to think of leaving them, even for the attractions of paris; and now _that_ dream was over, it seemed a necessity of their existence to live on in the atmosphere of beauty to which they had always been accustomed. but now that the sunshine of love had vanished from it, they felt lonely and unprotected there. they invited madame guirlande to come and live with them on what terms she chose; and when she said there ought to be some elderly man in the house, they at once suggested inviting their music-teacher. madame, aware of the confidence mr. royal had always placed in him, thought it was the best arrangement that could be made, at least for the present. while preparations were being made to effect this change, her proceedings were suddenly arrested by tidings that the house and furniture were to be sold at auction, to satisfy the demands of creditors. she kept back the unwelcome news from the girls, while she held long consultations with signor papanti. he declared his opinion that rosabella could make a fortune by her voice, and floracita by dancing. "but then they are so young," urged madame,--"one only sixteen, the other only fourteen." "youth is a disadvantage one soon outgrows," replied the signor. "they can't make fortunes immediately, of course; but they can earn a living by giving lessons. i will try to open a way for them, and the sooner you prepare them for it the better." madame dreaded the task of disclosing their poverty, but she found it less painful than she had feared. they had no realizing sense of what it meant, and rather thought that giving lessons would be a pleasant mode of making time pass less heavily. madame, who fully understood the condition of things, kept a watchful lookout for their interests. before an inventory was taken, she gathered up and hid away many trifling articles which would be useful to them, though of little or no value to the creditors. portfolios of music, patterns for drawings, boxes of paint and crayons, baskets of chenille for embroidery, and a variety of other things, were safely packed away out of sight, without the girls' taking any notice of her proceedings. during her father's lifetime, floracita was so continually whirling round in fragmentary dances, that he often told her she rested on her feet less than a humming-bird. but after he was gone, she remained very still from morning till night. when madame spoke to her of the necessity of giving dancing-lessons, it suggested the idea of practising. but she felt that she could not dance where she had been accustomed to dance before _him_; and she had not the heart to ask rosa to play for her. she thought she would try, in the solitude of her chamber, how it would seem to give dancing-lessons. but without music, and without a spectator, it seemed so like the ghost of dancing that after a few steps the poor child threw herself on the bed and sobbed. rosa did not open the piano for several days after the funeral; but one morning, feeling as if it would be a relief to pour forth the sadness that oppressed her, she began to play languidly. only requiems and prayers came. half afraid of summoning an invisible spirit, she softly touched the keys to "the light of other days." but remembering it was the very last tune she ever played to her father, she leaned her head forward on the instrument, and wept bitterly. while she sat thus the door-bell rang, and she soon became conscious of steps approaching the parlor. her heart gave a sudden leap; for her first thought was of gerald fitzgerald. she raised her head, wiped away her tears, and rose to receive the visitor. three strangers entered. she bowed to them, and they, with a little look of surprise, bowed to her. "what do you wish for, gentlemen?" she asked. "we are here concerning the settlement of mr. royal's estate," replied one of them. "we have been appointed to take an inventory of the furniture." while he spoke, one of his companions was inspecting the piano, to see who was the maker, and another was examining the timepiece. it was too painful; and rosa, without trusting herself to speak another word, walked quietly out of the room, the gathering moisture in her eyes making it difficult for her to guide her steps. "is that one of the daughters we have heard spoken of?" inquired one of the gentlemen. "i judge so," rejoined his companion. "what a royal beauty she is! good for three thousand, i should say." "more likely five thousand," added the third. "such a fancy article as that don't appear in the market once in fifty years." "look here!" said the first speaker. "do you see that pretty little creature crossing the garden? i reckon that's the other daughter." "they'll bring high prices," continued the third speaker. "they're the best property royal has left. we may count them eight or ten thousand, at least. some of our rich fanciers would jump at the chance of obtaining _one_ of them for that price." as he spoke, he looked significantly at the first speaker, who refrained from expressing any opinion concerning their pecuniary value. all unconscious of the remarks she had elicited, rosa retired to her chamber, where she sat at the window plunged in mournful revery. she was thinking of various articles her mother had painted and embroidered, and how her father had said he could not bear the thought of their being handled by strangers. presently floracita came running in, saying, in a flurried way, "who are those men down stairs, rosa?" "i don't know who they are," replied her sister. "they said they came to take an inventory of the furniture. i don't know what right they have to do it. i wish madame would come." "i will run and call her," said floracita. "no, you had better stay with me," replied rosa. "i was just going to look for you when you came in." "i ran into the parlor first, thinking you were there," rejoined floracita. "i saw one of those men turning over mamita's embroidered ottoman, and chalking something on it. how dear papa would have felt if he had seen it! one of them looked at me in such a strange way! i don't know what he meant; but it made me want to run away in a minute. hark! i do believe they have come up stairs, and are in papa's room. they won't come here, will they?" "bolt the door!" exclaimed rosa; and it was quickly done. they sat folded in each other's arms, very much afraid, though they knew not wherefore. "ah!" said rosa, with a sigh of relief, "there is madame coming." she leaned out of the window, and beckoned to her impatiently. her friend hastened her steps; and when she heard of the strangers who were in the house, she said, "you had better go home with me, and stay there till they are gone." "what are they going to do?" inquired floracita. "i will tell you presently," replied madame, as she led them noiselessly out of the house by a back way. when they entered her own little parlor, the parrot called out, "_joli petit diable_!" and after waiting for the old familiar response, "_bon jour, jolie manon_!" she began to call herself "_jolie manon_!" and to sing, "_ha! ha! petit blanc, mon bon frère_!" the poor girls had no heart for play; and madame considerately silenced the noisy bird by hanging a cloth over the cage. "my dear children," said she, "i would gladly avoid telling you anything calculated to make you more unhappy. but you _must_ know the state of things sooner or later, and it is better that a friend should tell you. your father owed money to those men, and they are seeing what they can find to sell in order to get their pay." "will they sell the table and boxes mamita painted, and the ottomans she embroidered?" inquired rosa, anxiously. "will they sell the piano that papa gave to rosa for a birthday present?" asked flora. "i am afraid they will," rejoined madame. the girls covered their faces and groaned. "don't be so distressed, my poor children," said their sympathizing friend. "i have been trying to save a little something for you. see here!" and she brought forth some of the hidden portfolios and boxes, saying, "these will be of great use to you, my darlings, in helping you to earn your living, and they would bring almost nothing at auction." they thanked their careful friend for her foresight. but when she brought forward their mother's gold watch and diamond ring, rosa said, "i would rather not keep such expensive things, dear friend. you know our dear father was the soul of honor. it would have troubled him greatly not to pay what he owed. i would rather have the ring and the watch sold to pay his debts." "i will tell the creditors what you say," answered madame, "and they will be brutes if they don't let you keep your mother's things. your father owed signor papanti a little bill, and he says he will try to get the table and boxes, and some other things, in payment, and then you shall have them all. you will earn enough to buy another piano by and by, and you can use mine, you know; so don't be discouraged, my poor children." "god has been very good to us to raise us up such friends as you and the signor," replied rosa. "you don't know how it comforts me to have you call us your children, for without you we should be all alone in the world." chapter v. such sudden reverses, such overwhelming sorrows, mature characters with wonderful rapidity. rosa, though formed by nature and habit to cling to others, soon began to form plans for future support. her inexperienced mind foresaw few of the difficulties involved in the career her friends had suggested. she merely expected to study and work hard; but that seemed a trifle, if she could avoid for herself and her sister the publicity which their father had so much dreaded. floracita, too, seemed like a tamed bird. she was sprightly as ever in her motions, and quick in her gestures; but she would sit patiently at her task of embroidery, hour after hour, without even looking up to answer the noisy challenges of the parrot. sometimes the sisters, while they worked, sang together the hymns they had been accustomed to sing with their father on sundays; and memory of the missing voice imparted to their tones a pathos that no mere skill could imitate. one day, when they were thus occupied, the door-bell rang, and they heard a voice, which they thought they recognized, talking with madame. it was franz blumenthal. "i have come to bring some small articles for the young ladies," said he. "a week before my best friend died, a frenchwoman came to the store, and wished to sell some fancy-baskets. she said she was a poor widow; and mr. royal, who was always kind and generous, commissioned her to make two of her handsomest baskets, and embroider the names of his daughters on them. she has placed them in my hands to-day, and i have brought them myself in order to explain the circumstances." "are they paid for?" inquired madame. "i have paid for them," replied the young man, blushing deeply; "but please not to inform the young ladies of that circumstance. and, madame, i have a favor to ask of you. here are fifty dollars. i want you to use them for the young ladies without their knowledge; and i should like to remit to you half my wages every month for the same purpose. when mr. royal was closing business, he wrote several letters of recommendation for me, and addressed them to well-established merchants. i feel quite sure of getting a situation where i can earn more than i need for myself." "_bon garçon_!" exclaimed madame, patting him on the shoulder. "i will borrow the fifty dollars; but i trust we shall be able to pay you before many months." "it will wound my feelings if you ever offer to repay me," replied the young man. "my only regret is, that i cannot just now do any more for the daughters of my best friend and benefactor, who did so much for me when i was a poor, destitute boy. but would it be asking too great a favor, madame, to be allowed to see the young ladies, and place in their hands these presents from their father?" madame guirlande smiled as she thought to herself, "what is he but a boy now? he grows tall though." when she told her _protégées_ that franz blumenthal had a message he wished to deliver to them personally, rosa said, "please go and receive it, sistita. i had rather not leave my work." floracita glanced at the mirror, smoothed her hair a little, arranged her collar, and went out. the young clerk was awaiting her appearance with a good deal of trepidation. he had planned a very nice little speech to make; but before he had stammered out all the story about the baskets, he saw an expression in flora's face which made him feel that it was indelicate to intrude upon her emotion; and he hurried away, scarcely hearing her choked voice as she said, "i thank you." very reverently the orphans opened the box which contained the posthumous gifts of their beloved father. the baskets were manufactured with exquisite taste. they were lined with quilled apple-green satin. around the outside of one was the name of rosabella embroidered in flowers, and an embroidered garland of roses formed the handle. the other bore the name of floracita in minute flowers, and the handle was formed of _pensées vivaces_. they turned them round slowly, unable to distinguish the colors through their swimming tears. "how like papasito, to be so kind to the poor woman, and so thoughtful to please us," said rosabella. "but he was always so." "and he must have told her what flowers to put on the baskets," said floracita. "you know mamita often called me _pensée vivace_. o, there never _was_ such a papasito!" notwithstanding the sadness that invested tokens coming as it were from the dead, they inspired a consoling consciousness of his presence; and their work seemed pleasanter all the day for having their little baskets by them. the next morning witnessed a private conference between madame and the signor. if any one had seen them without hearing their conversation, he would certainly have thought they were rehearsing some very passionate scene in a tragedy. the fiery italian rushed up and down the room, plucking his hair; while the frenchwoman ever and anon threw up her hands, exclaiming, "_mon dieu! mon dieu_!" when the violence of their emotions had somewhat abated, madame said, "signor, there must be some mistake about this. it cannot be true. mr. royal would never have left things in such a way." "at your request," replied the signor, "i went to one of the creditors, to ask whether mr. royal's family could not be allowed to keep their mother's watch and jewels. he replied that mr. royal left no family; that his daughters were slaves, and, being property themselves, they could legally hold no property. i was so sure my friend royal would not have left things in such a state, that i told him he lied, and threatened to knock him down. he out with his pistol; but when i told him i had left mine at home, he said i must settle with him some other time, unless i chose to make an apology. i told him i would do so whenever i was convinced that his statement was true. i was never more surprised than when he told me that madame royal was a slave. i knew she was a quadroon, and i supposed she was a _placés_, as so many of the quadroons are. but now it seems that mr. royal bought her of her father; and he, good, easy man, neglected to manumit her. he of course knew that by law 'the child follows the condition of the mother,' but i suppose it did not occur to him that the daughters of so rich a man as he was could ever be slaves. at all events, he neglected to have manumission papers drawn till it was too late; for his property had become so much involved that he no longer had a legal right to convey any of it away from creditors." madame swung back and forth in the vehemence of her agitation, exclaiming, "what _is_ to be done? what _is_ to be done?" the italian strode up and down the room, clenching his fist, and talking rapidly. "to think of that rosabella!" exclaimed he,--"a girl that would grace any throne in europe! to think of _her_ on the auction-stand, with a crowd of low-bred rascals staring at her, and rich libertines, like that mr. bruteman--pah! i can't endure to think of it. how like a satyr he looked while he was talking to me about their being slaves. it seems he got sight of them when they took an inventory of the furniture. and that handsome little witch, floracita, whom her father loved so tenderly, to think of her being bid off to some such filthy wretch! but they sha'n't have 'em! they sha'n't have 'em! i swear i'll shoot any man that comes to take 'em." he wiped the perspiration from his forehead, and rushed round like a tiger in a cage. "my friend," replied madame, "they have the law on their side; and if you try to resist, you will get yourself into trouble without doing the girls any good. i'll tell you what we must do. we must disguise them, and send them to the north." "send them to the north!" exclaimed the italian. "why, they'd no more know how to get there than a couple of kittens." "then i must go with them," replied madame; "and they must be got out of this house before another day; for now that we know of it, we shall be watched." the impetuous italian shook her hand cordially. "you have a brave heart, madame," said he. "i should rather march up to the cannon's mouth than tell them such news as this." the bewildered frenchwoman felt the same dread of the task before her; but she bravely said, "what _must_ be done, _can_ be done." after some further talk with the signor concerning ways and means, she bade him good morning, and sat still for a moment to collect her thoughts. she then proceeded to the apartment assigned to the orphans. they were occupied with a piece of embroidery she had promised to sell for them. she looked at the work, praised the exactness of the stitches and the tasteful shading of the flowers; but while she pointed out the beauties of the pattern, her hand and voice trembled. rosabella noticed it, and, looking up, said, "what troubles you, dear friend?" "o, this is a world of trouble," replied madame, "and you have had such a storm beating on your young heads, that i wonder you keep your senses." "i don't know as we could," said rosa, "if the good god had not given us such a friend as you." "if any _new_ trouble should come, i trust you will try to keep up brave hearts, my children," rejoined madame. "i don't know of any new trouble that _can_ come to us now," said rosa, "unless you should be taken from us, as our father was. it seems as if everything else had happened that _could_ happen." "o, there are worse things than having _me_ die," replied madame. floracita had paused with her thread half drawn through her work, and was looking earnestly at the troubled countenance of their friend. "madame," exclaimed she, "something has happened. what is it?" "i will tell you," said madame, "if you will promise not to scream or faint, and will try to keep your wits collected, so as to help me think what is best to be done." they promised; and, watching her countenance with an expression of wonder and anxiety, they waited to hear what she had to communicate. "my dear children," said she, "i have heard something that will distress you very much. something neither you nor i ever suspected. your mother was a slave." "_our_ mother a slave!" exclaimed rosa, coloring vehemently. "_whose_ slave could she be, when she was papasito's wife, and he loved her so? it is impossible, madame." "your father bought her when she was very young, my dear; but i know very well that no wife was ever loved better than she was." "but she always lived with her own father till she married papa," said floracita. "how then _could_ she be his slave?" "her father got into trouble about money, my dear; and he sold her." "our grandpapa gonsalez sold his daughter!" exclaimed rosa. "how incredible! dear friend, i wonder you can believe such things." "the world is full of strange things, my child,--stranger than anything you ever read in story-books." "if she was only papasito's slave," said flora, "i don't think mamita found _that_ any great hardship." "she did not, my dear. i don't suppose she ever thought of it; but a great misfortune has grown out of it." "what is it?" they both asked at once. their friend hesitated. "remember, you have promised to be calm," said she. "i presume you don't know that, by the laws of louisiana, 'the child follows the condition of the mother.' the consequence is, that _you_ are slaves, and your father's creditors claim a right to sell you." rosabella turned very pale, and the hand with which she clutched a chair trembled violently. but she held her head erect, and her look and tone were very proud, as she exclaimed, "_we_ become slaves! i will die rather." floracita, unable to comprehend this new misfortune, looked from one to the other in a bewildered way. nature had written mirthfulness in the shape of her beautiful eyes, which now contrasted strangely with their startled and sad expression. the kind-hearted frenchwoman bustled about the room, moving chairs, and passing her handkerchief over boxes, while she tried hard to swallow the emotions that choked her utterance. having conquered in the struggle, she turned toward them, and said, almost cheerfully: "there's no need of dying, my children. perhaps your old friend can help you out of this trouble. we must disguise ourselves as gentlemen, and start for the north this very evening." floracita looked at her sister, and said, hesitatingly: "couldn't you write to mr. fitzgerald, and ask _him_ to come here? perhaps he could help us." rosa's cheeks glowed, as she answered proudly: "do you think i would _ask_ him to come? i wouldn't do such a thing if we were as rich and happy as we were a little while ago; and certainly i wouldn't do it now." "there spoke grandpa gonsalez!" said madame. "how grand the old gentleman used to look, walking about so erect, with his gold-headed cane! but we must go to work in a hurry, my children. signor papanti has promised to send the disguises, and we must select and pack such things as it is absolutely necessary we should carry. i am sorry now that tulee is let out in the city, for we need her help. "she must go with us," said flora. "i can't leave tulee." "we must do as we can," replied madame. "in this emergency we can't do as we would. _we_ are all white, and if we can get a few miles from here, we shall have no further trouble. but if we had a negro with us, it would lead to questions, perhaps. besides, we haven't time to disguise her and instruct her how to perform her part. the signor will be a good friend to her; and as soon as we can earn some money, we will send and buy her." "but where can we go when we get to the north?" asked rosa. "i will tell you," said floracita. "don't you remember that mr. king from boston, who came to see us a year ago? his father was papa's best friend, you know; and when he went away, he told us if ever we were in trouble, to apply to him, as if he were our brother." "did he?" said madame. "that lets in a gleam of light. i heard your father say he was a very good young man, and rich." "but papasito said, some months ago, that mr. king had gone to europe with his mother, on account of her health," replied rosa. "besides, if he were at home, it would be very disagreeable to go to a young gentleman as beggars and runaways, when he was introduced to us as ladies." "you must put your pride in your pocket for the present, señorita gonsalez," said madame, playfully touching her under the chin. "if this mr. king is absent, i will write to him. they say there is a man in boston, named william lloyd garrison, who takes great interest in slaves. we will tell him our story, and ask him about mr. king. i did think of stopping awhile with relatives in new york. but it would be inconvenient for them, and they might not like it. this plan pleases me better. to boston we will go. the signor has gone to ask my cousin, mr. duroy, to come here and see to the house. when i have placed you safely, i will come back slyly to my cousin's house, a few miles from here, and with his help i will settle up my affairs. then i will return to you, and we will all go to some secure place and live together. i never starved yet, and i don't believe i ever shall." the orphans clung to her, and kissed her hands, as they said: "how kind you are to us, dear friend! what shall we ever do to repay you?" "your father and mother were generous friends to me," replied madame; "and now their children are in trouble, i will not forsake them." as the good lady was to leave her apartments for an indefinite time, there was much to be done and thought of, beside the necessary packing for the journey. the girls tried their best to help her, but they were continually proposing to carry something because it was a keepsake from mamita or papasito. "this is no time for sentiment, my children," said madame. "we must not take anything we can possibly do without. bless my soul, there goes the bell! what if it should be one of those dreadful creditors come here to peep and pry? run to your room, my children, and bolt the door." a moment afterward, she appeared before them smiling, and said: "there was no occasion for being so frightened, but i am getting nervous with all this flurry. come back again, dears. it is only franz blumenthal." "what, come again?" asked rosa. "please go, floracita, and i will come directly, as soon as i have gathered up these things that we must carry." the young german blushed like a girl as he offered two bouquets, one of heaths and orange-buds, the other of orange-blossoms and fragrant geraniums; saying as he did so, "i have taken the liberty to bring some flowers, miss floracita." "my name is miss royal, sir," she replied, trying to increase her stature to the utmost. it was an unusual caprice in one whose nature was so childlike and playful; but the recent knowledge that she was a slave had made her, for the first time, jealous of her dignity. she took it into her head that he knew the humiliating fact, and presumed upon it. but the good lad was as yet unconscious of this new trouble, and the unexpected rebuke greatly surprised him. though her slight figure and juvenile face made her attempt at majesty somewhat comic, it was quite sufficient to intimidate the bashful youth; and he answered, very meekly: "pardon me, miss royal. floracita is such a very pretty name, and i have always liked it so much, that i spoke it before i thought." the compliment disarmed her at once; and with one of her winning smiles, and a quick little courtesy, she said: "do you think it's a pretty name? you _may_ call me floracita, if you like it so much." "i think it is the prettiest name in the world," replied he. "i used to like to hear your mother say it. she said everything so sweetly! do you remember she used to call me florimond when i was a little boy, because, she said, my face was so florid? now i always write my name franz florimond blumenthal, in memory of her." "i will always call you florimond, just as mamita did," said she. their very juvenile _tête-à-tête_ was interrupted by the entrance of madame with rosa, who thanked him graciously for her portion of the flowers, and told him her father was so much attached to him that she should always think of him as a brother. he blushed crimson as he thanked her, and went away with a very warm feeling at his heart, thinking floracita a prettier name than ever, and happily unconscious that he was parting from her. he had not been gone long when the bell rang again, and the girls again hastened to hide themselves. half an hour elapsed without their seeing or hearing anything of madame; and they began to be extremely anxious lest something unpleasant was detaining her. but she came at last, and said, "my children, the signor wants to speak to you." they immediately descended to the sitting-room, where they found the signor looking down and slowly striking the ivory head of his cane against his chin, as he was wont to do when buried in profound thought. he rose as they entered, and rosa said, with one of her sweetest smiles, "what is it you wish, dear friend?" he dropped a thin cloak from his shoulders and removed his hat, which brought away a grizzled wig with it, and mr. fitzgerald stood smiling before them. the glad surprise excited by this sudden realization of a latent hope put maidenly reserve to flight, and rosa dropped on her knees before him, exclaiming, "o gerald, save us!" he raised her tenderly, and, imprinting a kiss on her forehead, said: "save you, my precious rose? to be sure i will. that's what i came for." "and me too," said flora, clinging to him, and hiding her face under his arm. "yes, and you too, mischievous fairy," replied he, giving her a less ceremonious kiss than he had bestowed on her sister. "but we must talk fast, for there is a great deal to be done in a short time. i was unfortunately absent from home, and did not receive the letter informing me of your good father's death so soon as i should otherwise have done. i arrived in the city this morning, but have been too busy making arrangements for your escape to come here any earlier. the signor and i have done the work of six during the last few hours. the creditors are not aware of my acquaintance with you, and i have assumed this disguise to prevent them from discovering it. the signor has had a talk with tulee, and told her to keep very quiet, and not tell any mortal that she ever saw me at your father's house. a passage for you and madame is engaged on board a vessel bound to nassau, which will sail at midnight. soon, after i leave this house, madame's cousin, mr. duroy, will come with two boys. you and madame will assume their dresses, and they will put on some clothes the signor has already sent, in such boxes as madame is accustomed to receive, full of materials for her flowers. all, excepting ourselves, will suppose you have gone north, according to the original plan, in order that they may swear to that effect if they are brought to trial. when i go by the front of the house whistling _ça ira_, you will pass through the garden to the street in the rear, where you will find my servant with a carriage, which will convey you three miles, to the house of one of my friends. i will come there in season to accompany you on board the ship." "o, how thoughtful and how kind you are!" exclaimed rosa. "but can't we contrive some way to take poor tulee with us?" "it would be imprudent," he replied. "the creditors must be allowed to sell her. she knows it, but she has my assurance that i will take good care of her. no harm shall come to tulee, i promise you. i cannot go with you to nassau; because, if i do, the creditors may suspect my participation in the plot. i shall stay in new orleans a week or ten days, then return to savannah, and take an early opportunity to sail for nassau, by the way of new york. meanwhile, i will try to manage matters so that madame can safely return to her house. then we will decide where to make a happy home for ourselves." the color forsook rosa's cheeks, and her whole frame quivered, as she said, "i thank you, gerald, for all this thoughtful care; but i cannot go to nassau,--indeed i cannot!" "cannot go!" exclaimed he. "where _will_ you go, then?" "before you came, madame had made ready to take us to boston, you know. we will go there with her." "rosa, do you distrust me?" said he reproachfully. "do you doubt my love?" "i do not distrust you," she replied; "but"--she looked down, and blushed deeply as she added--"but i promised my father that i would never leave home with any gentleman unless i was married to him." "but, rosa dear, your father did not foresee such a state of things as this. everything is arranged, and there is no time to lose. if you knew all that i know, you would see the necessity of leaving this city before to-morrow." "i cannot go with you," she repeated in tones of the deepest distress,--"i _cannot_ go with you, for i promised my dear father the night before he died." he looked at her for an instant, and then, drawing her close to him, he said: "it shall be just as you wish, darling. i will bring a clergyman to the house of my friend, and we will be married before you sail." rosa, without venturing to look up, said, in a faltering tone: "i cannot bear to bring degradation upon you, gerald. it seems wrong to take advantage of your generous forgetfulness of yourself. when you first told me you loved me, you did not know i was an octoroon, and a--slave." "i knew your mother was a quadroon," he replied; "and as for the rest, no circumstance can degrade _you_, my rose royal." "but if your plan should not succeed, how ashamed you would feel to have us seized!" said she. "it _will_ succeed, dearest. but even if it should not, you shall never be the property of any man but myself." "_property_!"! she exclaimed in the proud gonsalez tone, striving to withdraw herself from his embrace. he hastened to say: "forgive me, rosabella. i am so intoxicated with happiness that i cannot be careful of my words. i merely meant to express the joyful feeling that you would be surely mine, wholly mine." while they were talking thus, floracita had glided out of the room to carry the tidings to madame. the pressure of misfortune had been so heavy upon her, that, now it was lifted a little, her elastic spirit rebounded with a sudden spring, and she felt happier than she had ever thought of being since her father died. in the lightness of her heart she began to sing, "_petit blanc, mon bon frère_!" but she stopped at the first line, for she recollected how her father had checked her in the midst of that frisky little song; and now that she knew they were octoroons, she partly comprehended why it had been disagreeable to him. but the gayety that died out of her voice passed into her steps. she went hopping and jumping up to madame, exclaiming: "what do you think is going to happen now? rosabella is going to be married right off. what a pity she can't be dressed like a bride! she would look so handsome in white satin and pearls, and a great lace veil! but here are the flowers florimond brought so opportunely. i will put the orange-buds in her hair, and she shall have a bouquet in her hand." "she will look handsome in anything," rejoined madame. "but tell me about it, little one." after receiving flora's answers to a few brief questions, she stationed herself within sight of the outer door, that she might ask fitzgerald for more minute directions concerning what they were to do. he very soon made his appearance, again disguised as the signor. after a hurried consultation, madame said: "i do hope nothing will happen to prevent our getting off safely. rosabella has so much spanish pride, i verily believe she would stab herself rather than go on the auction-stand." "heavens and earth! don't speak of that!" exclaimed he, impetuously. "do you suppose i would allow my beautiful rose to be trampled by swine. if we fail, i will buy them if it costs half my fortune. but we shall _not_ fail. don't let the girls go out of the door till you hear the signal." "no danger of that," she replied. "their father always kept them like wax flowers under a glass cover. they are as timid as hares." before she finished the words, he was gone. rosabella remained where he had left her, with her head bowed on the table. floracita was nestling by her side, pouring forth her girlish congratulations. madame came in, saying, in her cheerly way: "so you are going to be married to night! bless my soul, how the world whirls round!" "isn't god _very_ good to us?" asked rosa, looking up. "how noble and kind mr. fitzgerald is, to wish to marry me now that everything is so changed!" "_you_ are not changed, darling," she replied; "except that i think you are a little better, and that seemed unnecessary. but you must be thinking, my children, whether everything is in readiness." "he told us we were not to go till evening, and it isn't dark yet," said floracita. "couldn't we go into papasito's garden one little minute, and take one sip from the fountain, and just one little walk round the orange-grove?" "it wouldn't be safe, my dear. there's no telling who may be lurking about. mr. fitzgerald charged me not to let you go out of doors. but you can go to my chamber, and take a last look of the house and garden." they went up stairs, and stood, with their arms around each other, gazing at their once happy home. "how many times we have walked in that little grove, hand in hand with mamita and papasito! and now they are both gone," sighed rosa. "ah, yes," said flora; "and now we are afraid to go there for a minute. how strangely everything has changed! we don't hear mamita's spanish and papa's english any more. we have nobody to talk _olla podrida_ to now. it's all french with madame, and all italian with the signor." "but what kind souls they are, to do so much for us!" responded rosa. "if such good friends hadn't been raised up for us in these dreadful days, what _should_ we have done?" here madame came hurrying in to say, "mr. duroy and the boys have come. we must change dresses before the whistler goes by." the disguises were quickly assumed; and the metamorphosis made rosa both blush and smile, while her volatile sister laughed outright. but she checked herself immediately, saying: "i am a wicked little wretch to laugh, for you and your friends may get into trouble by doing all this for us. what shall you tell them about us when you get back from nassau?" "i don't intend to tell them much of anything," replied madame. "i may, perhaps, give them a hint that one of your father's old friends invited you to come to the north, and that i did not consider it my business to hinder you." "o fie, madame!" said floracita; "what a talent you have for arranging the truth with variations!" madame tried to return a small volley of french pleasantry; but the effort was obviously a forced one. the pulses of her heart were throbbing with anxiety and fear; and they all began to feel suspense increasing to agony, when at last the whistled tones of _ça ira_ were heard. "now don't act as if you were afraid," whispered madame, as she put her hand on the latch of the door. "go out naturally. remember i am my cousin, and you are the boys." they passed through the garden into the street, feeling as if some rough hand might at any instant seize them. but all was still, save the sound of voices in the distance. when they came in sight of the carriage, the driver began to bum carelessly to himself, "who goes there? stranger, quickly tell!" "a friend. good night,"--sang the disguised madame, in the same well-known tune of challenge and reply. the carriage door was instantly opened, they entered, and the horses started at a brisk pace. at the house where the driver stopped, they were received as expected guests. their disguises were quickly exchanged for dresses from their carpet-bags, which had been conveyed out in madame's boxes, and smuggled into the carriage by their invisible protector. flora, who was intent upon having things seem a little like a wedding, made a garland of orange-buds for her sister's hair, and threw over her braids a white gauze scarf. the marriage ceremony was performed at half past ten; and at midnight madame was alone with _her protégées_ in the cabin of the ship victoria, dashing through the dark waves under a star-bright sky. chapter vi. mr. fitzgerald lingered on the wharf till the vessel containing his treasure was no longer visible. then he returned to the carriage, and was driven to his hotel. notwithstanding a day of very unusual excitement and fatigue, when he retired to rest he felt no inclination to sleep. rosabella floated before him as he had first seen her, a radiant vision of beauty surrounded by flowers. he recalled the shy pride and maidenly modesty with which she had met his ardent glances and impassioned words. he thought of the meek and saddened expression of her face, as he had seen it in these last hurried interviews, and it seemed to him she had never appeared so lovely. he remembered with a shudder what madame guirlande had said about the auction-stand. he was familiar with such scenes, for he had seen women offered for sale, and had himself bid for them in competition with rude, indecent crowds. it was revolting to his soul to associate the image of rosa with such base surroundings; but it seemed as if some fiend persisted in holding the painful picture before him. he seemed to see her graceful figure gazed at by a brutal crowd, while the auctioneer assured them that she was warranted to be an entirely new and perfectly sound article,--a moss rosebud from a private royal garden,--a diamond fit for a king's crown. and men, whose upturned faces were like greedy satyrs, were calling upon her to open her ruby lips and show her pearls. he turned restlessly on his pillow with a muttered oath. then he smiled as he thought to himself that, by saving her from such degradation, he had acquired complete control of her destiny. from the first moment he heard of her reverses, he had felt that her misfortunes were his triumph. madly in love as he had been for more than a year, his own pride, and still more the dreaded scorn of proud relatives, had prevented him from offering marriage; while the watchful guardianship of her father, and her dutiful respect to his wishes, rendered any less honorable alliance hopeless. but now he was her sole protector; and though he had satisfied her scruples by marriage, he could hide her away and keep his own secret; while she, in the fulness of her grateful love, would doubtless be satisfied with any arrangement he chose to make. but there still remained some difficulties in his way. he was unwilling to leave his own luxurious home and exile himself in the british west indies; and if he should bring the girls to georgia, he foresaw that disastrous consequences might ensue, if his participation in their elopement should ever be discovered, or even suspected. "it would have been far more convenient to have bought them outright, even at a high price," thought he; "but after the signor repeated to me that disgusting talk of bruteman's, there could be no mistake that he had _his_ eye fixed upon them; and it would have been ruinous to enter into competition with such a wealthy _roué_ as he is. he values money no more than pebble-stones, when he is in pursuit of such game. but though i have removed them from his grasp for the present, i can feel no security if i bring them back to this country. i must obtain a legal ownership of them; but how shall i manage it?" revolving many plans in his mind, he at last fell asleep. his first waking thought was to attend a meeting of the creditors at noon, and hear what they had to say. he found ten or twelve persons present, some of gentlemanly appearance, others hard-looking characters. among them, and in singular contrast with their world-stamped faces, was the ingenuous countenance of florimond blumenthal. three hundred dollars of his salary were due to him, and he hoped to secure some portion of the debt for the benefit of the orphans. a few individuals, who knew mr. fitzgerald, said, "what, are you among the creditors?" "i am not a creditor," he replied, "but i am here to represent the claims of mr. whitwell of savannah, who, being unable to be present in person, requested me to lay his accounts before you." he sat listening to the tedious details of mr. royal's liabilities, and the appraisement of his property, with an expression of listless indifference; often moving his fingers to a tune, or making the motion of whistling, without the rudeness of emitting a sound. young blumenthal, on the contrary, manifested the absorbed attention of one who loved his benefactor, and was familiar with the details of his affairs. no notice was taken of him, however, for his claim was small, and he was too young to be a power in the commercial world. he modestly refrained from making any remarks; and having given in his account, he rose to take his hat, when his attention was arrested by hearing mr. bruteman say: "we have not yet mentioned the most valuable property mr. royal left. i allude to his daughters." blumenthal sank into his chair again, and every vestige of color left his usually blooming countenance; but though fitzgerald was on tenter-hooks to know whether the escape was discovered, he betrayed no sign of interest. mr. bruteman went on to say, "we appraised them at six thousand dollars." "much less than they would bring at auction," observed mr. chandler," as you would all agree, gentlemen, if you had seen them; for they are fancy articles, a no. 1." "is it certain the young ladies are slaves?" inquired blumenthal, with a degree of agitation that attracted attention toward him. "it _is_ certain," replied mr. bruteman. "their mother was a slave, and was never manumitted." "couldn't a subscription be raised, or an appeal be made to some court in their behalf?" asked the young man, with constrained calmness in his tones, while the expression of his face betrayed his inward suffering. "they are elegant, accomplished young ladies, and their good father brought them up with the greatest indulgence." "perhaps you are in love with one or both of them," rejoined mr. bruteman. "if so, you must buy them at auction, if you can. the law is inexorable. it requires that all the property of an insolvent debtor should be disposed of at public sale." "i am very slightly acquainted with the young ladies," said the agitated youth; "but their father was my benefactor when i was a poor destitute orphan, and i would sacrifice my life to save _his_ orphans from such a dreadful calamity. i know little about the requirements of the law, gentlemen, but i implore you to tell me if there isn't _some_ way to prevent this. if it can be done by money, i will serve any gentleman gratuitously any number of years he requires, if he will advance the necessary sum." "we are not here to talk sentiment, my lad," rejoined mr. bruteman. "we are here to transact business." "i respect this youth for the feeling he has manifested toward his benefactor's children," said a gentleman named ammidon. "if we _could_ enter into some mutual agreement to relinquish this portion of the property, i for one should be extremely glad. i should be willing to lose much more than my share, for the sake of bringing about such an arrangement. and, really, the sale of such girls as these are said to be is not very creditable to the country. if any foreign travellers happen to be looking on, they will make great capital out of such a story. at all events, the abolitionists will be sure to get it into their papers, and all europe will be ringing changes upon it." "let 'em ring!" fiercely exclaimed mr. chandler. "i don't care a damn about the abolitionists, nor europe neither. i reckon we can manage our own affairs in this free country." "i should judge by your remarks that you were an abolitionist yourself, mr. ammidon," said mr. bruteman. "i am surprised to hear a southerner speak as if the opinions of rascally abolitionamalgamationists were of the slightest consequence. i consider such sentiments unworthy any southern _gentleman_, sir." mr. ammidon flushed, and answered quickly, "i allow no man to call in question my being a gentleman, sir." "if you consider yourself insulted, you know your remedy," rejoined mr. bruteman. "i give you your choice of place and weapons." mr. fitzgerald consulted his watch, and two or three others followed his example. "i see," said mr. ammidon, "that gentlemen are desirous to adjourn." "it is time that we did so," rejoined mr. bruteman. "officers have been sent for these slaves of mr. royal, and they are probably now lodged in jail. at our next meeting we will decide upon the time of sale." young blumenthal rose and attempted to go out; but a blindness came over him, and he staggered against the wall. "i reckon that youngster's an abolitionist," muttered mr. chandler. "at any rate, he seems to think there's a difference in niggers,--and all such ought to have notice to quit." mr. ammidon called for water, with which he sprinkled the young man's face, and two or three others assisted to help him into a carriage. another meeting was held the next day, which mr. fitzgerald did not attend, foreseeing that it would be a stormy one. the result of it was shown in the arrest and imprisonment of signor papanti, and a vigilant search for madame guirlande. her cousin, mr. duroy, declared that he had been requested to take care of her apartments for a few weeks, as she was obliged to go to new york on business; that she took her young lady boarders with her, and that was all he knew. despatches were sent in hot haste to the new york and boston police, describing the fugitives, declaring them to be thieves, and demanding that they should be sent forthwith to new orleans for trial. the policeman who had been employed to watch madame's house, and who had been induced to turn his back for a while by some mysterious process best known to mr. fitzgerald, was severely cross-examined and liberally pelted with oaths. in the course of the investigations, it came out that florimond blumenthal had visited the house on the day of the elopement, and that toward dusk he had been seen lingering about the premises, watching the windows. the story got abroad that he had been an accomplice in helping off two valuable slaves. the consequence was that he received a written intimation that, if he valued his neck, he had better quit new orleans within twenty-four hours, signed judge lynch. mr. fitzgerald appeared to take no share in the excitement. when he met any of the creditors, he would sometimes ask, carelessly, "any news yet about those slaves of royal's?" he took occasion to remark to two or three of them, that, signor papanti being an old friend of his, he had been to the prison to see him; that he was convinced he had no idea where those girls had gone; he was only their music-teacher, and such an impetuous, peppery man, that they never would have thought of trusting him with any important secret. having thus paved the way, he came out with a distinct proposition at the next meeting. "i feel a great deal of sympathy for signor papanti," said he. "i have been acquainted with him a good while, and have taken lessons of him, both in music and italian; and i like the old gentleman. he is getting ill in prison, and he can never tell you any more than he has told you. doubtless he knew that madame intended to convey those girls to the north if she possibly could; but i confess i should have despised him if he had turned informer against the daughters of his friend, who had been his own favorite pupils. if you will gratify me by releasing him, i will make you an offer for those girls, and take my chance of ever finding them." "what sum do you propose to offer?" inquired the creditors. "i will pay one thousand dollars if you accede to my terms." "say two thousand, and we will take the subject under consideration," they replied. "in that case i must increase my demands," said he. "i have reason to suspect that my friend the signor would like to make a match with madame guirlande. if you will allow her to come back to her business and remain undisturbed, and will make me a sale of these girls, i don't care if i do say two thousand." "he has told you where they are!" exclaimed mr. bruteman, abruptly; "and let me tell you, if you know where they are, you are not acting the part of a gentleman." "he has not told me, i assure you, nor has he given me the slightest intimation. it is my firm belief that he does not know. but i am rather fond of gambling, and this is such a desperate throw, that it will be all the more exciting. i never tried my luck at buying slaves running, and i have rather a fancy for experimenting in that game of chance. and i confess my curiosity has been so excited by the wonderful accounts i have heard of those nonpareil girls, that i should find the pursuit of them a stimulating occupation. if i should not succeed, i should at least have the satisfaction of having done a good turn to my old italian friend." they asked more time to reflect upon it, and to hear from new york and boston. with inward maledictions on their slowness, he departed, resolving in his own mind that nothing should keep him much longer from nassau, come what would. as he went out, mr. chandler remarked: "it's very much like him. he's always ready to gamble in anything." "after all, i have my suspicion that he's got a clew to the mystery somehow, and that he expects to find those handsome wenches," said mr. bruteman. "i'd give a good deal to baffle him." "it seems pretty certain that _we_ cannot obtain any clew," rejoined mr. ammidon, "and we have already expended considerable in the effort. if he can be induced to offer two thousand five hundred, i think we had better accept it." after a week's absence in savannah and its vicinity, making various arrangements for the reception of the sisters, mr. fitzgerald returned to new orleans, and took an early opportunity to inform the creditors that he should remain a very short time. he made no allusion to his proposed bargain, and when they alluded to it he affected great indifference. "i should be willing to give you five hundred dollars to release my musical friend," said he. "but as for those daughters of mr. royal, it seems to me, upon reflection, to be rather a quixotic undertaking to go in pursuit of them. you know it's a difficult job to catch a slave after he gets to the north, if he's as black as the ace of spades; and all yankeedom would be up in arms at any attempt to seize such white ladies. of course, i could obtain them in no other way than by courting them and gaining their goodwill." mr. bruteman and mr. chandler made some remarks unfit for repetition, but which were greeted with shouts of laughter. after much dodging and doubling on the financial question, fitzgerald agreed to pay two thousand five hundred dollars, if all his demands were complied with. the papers were drawn and signed with all due formality. he clasped them in his pocket-book, and walked off with an elastic step, saying, "now for nassau!" chapter vii. the scenery of the south was in the full glory of june, when mr. fitzgerald, rosa, and floracita were floating up the savannah river in a boat manned by negroes, who ever and anon waked the stillness of the woods with snatches of wild melody. they landed on a sequestered island which ocean and river held in their arms. leaving the servants to take care of the luggage, they strolled along over a carpet of wild-flowers, through winding bridle-paths, where glances of bright water here and there gleamed through the dark pines that were singing their sleepy chorus, with its lulling sound of the sea, and filling the air with their aromatic breath. before long, they saw a gay-colored turban moving among the green foliage, and the sisters at once exclaimed, "tulipa!" "dear gerald, you didn't tell us tulee was here," said rosa. "i wanted to give you a pleasant surprise," he replied. she thanked him with a glance more expressive than words. tulipa, meanwhile, was waving a white towel with joyful energy, and when she came up to them, she half smothered them with hugs and kisses, exclaiming: "the lord bless ye, missy rosy! the lord bless ye, missy flory! it does tulee's eyes good to see ye agin." she eagerly led the way through flowering thickets to a small lawn, in the midst of which was a pretty white cottage. it was evident at a glance that she, as well as the master of the establishment, had done her utmost to make the interior of the dwelling resemble their old home as much as possible. rosa's piano was there, and on it were a number of books which their father had given them. as floracita pointed to the ottomans their mother had embroidered, and the boxes and table she had painted, she said: "our good friend the signor sent those. he promised to buy them." "he could not buy them, poor man!" answered fitzgerald, "for he was in prison at the time of the auction; but he did not forget to enjoin it upon me to buy them." a pleasant hour was spent in joyful surprises over pretty novelties and cherished souvenirs. rosa was full of quiet happiness, and floracita expressed her satisfaction in lively little gambols. the sun was going down when they refreshed themselves with the repast tulipa had provided. unwilling to invite the merciless mosquitoes, they sat, while the gloaming settled into darkness, playing and singing melodies associated with other times. floracita felt sorry when the hour of separation for the night came. everything seemed so fearfully still, except the monotonous wash of the waves on the sea-shore! and as far as she could see the landscape by the light of a bright little moon-sickle, there was nothing but a thick screen of trees and shrubbery. she groped her way to her sleeping-apartment, expecting to find tulee there. she had been there, and had left a little glimmering taper behind a screen, which threw a fantastic shadow on the ceiling, like a face with a monstrous nose. it affected the excitable child like some kind of supernatural presence. she crept to the window, and through the veil of the mosquito-bar she dimly saw the same thick wall of greenery. presently she espied a strange-looking long face peering out from its recesses. on their voyage home from nassau, gerald had sometimes read aloud to them from "the midsummer night's dream." could it be that there were such creatures in the woods as shakespeare described? a closet adjoining her room had been assigned to tulee. she opened the door and said, "tulee, are you there? why don't you come?" there was no answer. again she gave a timid look at the window. the long face moved, and a most unearthly sound was heard. thoroughly frightened, she ran out, calling, "tulee! tulee! in the darkness, she ran against her faithful attendant, and the sudden contact terrified her still more. "it's only tulee. what is the matter with my little one?" said the negress. as she spoke, the fearful sound was heard again. "o tulee, what is that?" she exclaimed, all of a tremble. "that is only jack," she replied. "who's jack?" quickly asked the nervous little maiden. "why, the jackass, my puppet," answered tulee. "massa gerald bought him for you and missy rosy to ride. in hot weather there's so many snakes about in the woods, he don't want ye to walk." "what does he make that horrid noise for?" asked flora, somewhat pacified. "because he was born with music in him, like the rest of ye," answered tulee, laughing. she assisted her darling to undress, arranged her pillows, and kissed her cheek just as she had kissed it ever since the rosy little mouth had learned to speak her name. then she sat by the bedside talking over things that had happened since they parted. "so you were put up at auction and sold!" exclaimed flora. "poor tulee! how dreadfully i should have felt to see you there! but gerald bought you; and i suppose you like to belong to _him_." "ise nothin' to complain of massa gerald," she answered; "but i'd like better to belong to myself." "so you'd like to be free, would you?" asked flora. "to be sure i would," said tulee. "yo like it yerself, don't ye, little missy?" then, suddenly recollecting what a narrow escape her young lady had had from the auction-stand, she hastened with intuitive delicacy to change the subject. but the same thought had occurred to flora; and she fell asleep, thinking how tulee's wishes could be gratified. when morning floated upward out of the arms of night, in robe of brightest saffron, the aspect of everything was changed. floracita sprang out of bed early, eager to explore the surroundings of their new abode. the little lawn looked very beautiful, sprinkled all over with a variety of wild-flowers, in whose small cups dewdrops glistened, prismatic as opals. the shrubbery was no longer a dismal mass of darkness, but showed all manner of shadings of glossy green leaves, which the moisture of the night had ornamented with shimmering edges of crystal beads. she found the phantom of the night before browsing among flowers behind the cottage, and very kindly disposed to make her acquaintance. as he had a thistle blossom sticking out of his mouth, she forthwith named him thistle. she soon returned to the house with her apron full of vines, and blossoms, and prettily tinted leaves. "see, tulee," said she, "what a many flowers! i'm going to make haste and dress the table, before gerald and rosa come to breakfast." they took graceful shape under her nimble fingers, and, feeling happy in her work, she began to hum, "how brightly breaks the morning!" "whisper low!" sang gerald, stealing up behind her, and making her start by singing into her very ear; while rosa exclaimed, "what a fairy-land you have made here, with all these flowers,_pichoncita mia_" the day passed pleasantly enough, with some ambling along the bridle-paths on thistle's back, some reading and sleeping, and a good deal of music. the next day, black tom came with a barouche, and they took a drive round the lovely island. the cotton-fields were all abloom on gerald's plantation, and his stuccoed villa, with spacious veranda and high porch, gleamed out in whiteness among a magnificent growth of trees, and a garden gorgeous with efflorescence. the only drawback to the pleasure was, that gerald charged them to wear thick veils, and never to raise them when any person was in sight. they made no complaint, because he told them that he should be deeply involved in trouble if his participation in their escape should be discovered; but, happy as rosa was in reciprocated love, this necessity of concealment was a skeleton ever sitting at her feast; and floracita, who had no romantic compensation for it, chafed under the restraint. it was dusk when they returned to the cottage, and the thickets were alive with fire-flies, as if queen mab and all her train were out dancing in spangles. a few days after was rosa's birthday, and floracita busied herself in adorning the rooms with flowery festoons. after breakfast, gerald placed a small parcel in the hand of each of the sisters. rosa's contained her mother's diamond ring, and flora's was her mother's gold watch, in the back of which was set a small locket-miniature of her father. their gratitude took the form of tears, and the pleasure-loving young man, who had more taste for gayety than sentiment, sought to dispel it by lively music. when he saw the smiles coming again, he bowed playfully, and said: "this day is yours, dear rosa. whatsoever you wish for, you shall have, if it is attainable." "i do wish for one thing," she replied promptly. "floracita has found out that tulee would like to be free. i want you to gratify her wish." "tulee is yours," rejoined he. "i bought her to attend upon you." "she will attend upon me all the same after she is free," responded rosa; "and we should all be happier." "i will do it," he replied. "but i hope you won't propose to make _me_ free, for i am happier to be your slave." the papers were brought a few days after, and tulee felt a great deal richer, though there was no outward change in her condition. as the heat increased, mosquitoes in the woods and sand-flies on the beach rendered the shelter of the house desirable most of the time. but though fitzgerald had usually spent the summer months in travelling, he seemed perfectly contented to sing and doze and trifle away his time by rosa's side, week after week. floracita did not find it entertaining to be a third person with a couple of lovers. she had been used to being a person of consequence in her little world; and though they were very kind to her, they often forgot that she was present, and never seemed to miss her when she was away. she had led a very secluded life from her earliest childhood, but she had never before been so entirely out of sight of houses and people. during the few weeks she had passed in nassau, she had learned to do shell-work with a class of young girls; and it being the first time she had enjoyed such companionship, she found it peculiarly agreeable. she longed to hear their small talk again; she longed to have rosa to herself, as in the old times; she longed for her father's caresses, for madame guirlande's brave cheerfulness, for the signor's peppery outbursts, which she found very amusing; and sometimes she thought how pleasant it would be to hear florimond say that her name was the prettiest in the world. she often took out a pressed geranium blossom, under which was written "souvenir de florimond "; and she thought _his_ name was very pretty too. she sang moore's melodies a great deal; and when she warbled, "sweet vale of avoca! how calm could i rest in thy bosom of shade, with the friend i love best!" she sighed, and thought to herself, "ah! if i only _had_ a friend to love best!" she almost learned "lalla rookh" by heart; and she pictured herself as the persian princess listening to a minstrel in oriental costume, but with a very german face. it was not that the child was in love, but her heart was untenanted; and as memories walked through it, it sounded empty. tulee, who was very observing where her affections were concerned, suspected that she was comparing her own situation with that of rosa. one day, when she found her in dreamy revery, she patted her silky curls, and said: "does she feel as if she was laid by, like a fifth wheel to a coach? never mind! my little one will have a husband herself one of these days." without looking up, she answered, very pensively: "do you think i ever shall, tulee? i don't see how i can, for i never see anybody." tulipa took the little head between her black hands, and, raising the pretty face toward her, replied: "yes, sure, little missy. do ye s'pose ye had them handsome eyes for nothin' but to look at the moon? but come, now, with me, and feed thistle. i'm going to give him a pailful of water. thistle knows us as well as if he was a christian." jack thistle was a great resource for tulee in her isolation, and scarcely less so for flora. she often fed him from her hand, decorated him with garlands, talked to him, and ambled about with him in the woods and on the sea-shore. the visits of black tom also introduced a little variety into their life. he went back and forth from savannah to procure such articles as were needed at the cottage, and he always had a budget of gossip for tulee. tom's chloe was an expert ironer; and as mr. fitzgerald was not so well pleased with tulee's performances of that kind, baskets of clothes were often sent to chloe, who was ingenious in finding excuses for bringing them back herself. she was a great singer of methodist hymns and negro songs, and had wonderful religious experiences to tell. to listen to her and tom was the greatest treat tulee had; but as she particularly prided herself on speaking like white people, she often remarked that she couldn't understand half their "lingo." floracita soon learned it to perfection, and excited many a laugh by her imitations. tulee once obtained rosa's permission to ride back with tom, and spend a couple of hours at his cabin near "the grat hus," as he called his master's villa. but when mr. fitzgerald heard of it, he interdicted such visits in the future. he wished to have as little communication as possible between the plantation and the lonely cottage; and if he had overheard some of the confidences between chloe and tulee, he probably would have been confirmed in the wisdom of such a prohibition. but tom was a factotum that could not be dispensed with. they relied upon him for provisions, letters, and newspapers. three or four weeks after their arrival he brought a box containing a long letter from madame guirlande, and the various articles she had saved for the orphans from the wreck of their early home. not long afterward another letter came, announcing the marriage of madame and the signor. answering these letters and preparing bridal presents for their old friends gave them busy days. gerald sometimes ordered new music and new novels from new york, and their arrival caused great excitement. floracita's natural taste for drawing had been cultivated by private lessons from a french lady, and she now used the pretty accomplishment to make likenesses of thistle with and without garlands, of tulee in her bright turban, and of madame guirlande's parrot, inscribed, "_bon jour, jolie manon_!" one day rosa said: "as soon as the heat abates, so that we can use our needles without rusting, we will do a good deal of embroidery, and give it to madame. she sells such articles, you know; and we can make beautiful things of those flosses and chenilles the good soul saved for us." "i like that idea," replied flora. "i've been wanting to do something to show our gratitude." there was wisdom as well as kindness in the plan, though they never thought of the wisdom. hours were whiled away by the occupation, which not only kept their needles from rusting, but also their affections and artistic faculties. as the tide of time flowed on, varied only by these little eddies and ripples, gerald, though always very loving with rosa, became somewhat less exclusive. his attentions were more equally divided between the sisters. he often occupied himself with floracita's work, and would pick out the shades of silk for her, as well as for rosa. he more frequently called upon her to sing a solo, as well as to join in duets and trios. when the weather became cooler, it was a favorite recreation with him to lounge at his ease, while rosa played, and floracita's fairy figure floated through the evolutions of some graceful dance. sometimes he would laugh, and say: "am i not a lucky dog? i don't envy the grand bashaw his circassian beauties. he'd give his biggest diamond for such a dancer as floracita; and what is his flower of the world compared to my rosamunda?" floracita, whose warm heart always met affection as swiftly as one drop of quicksilver runs to another, became almost as much attached to him as she was to rosa. "how kind gerald is to me!" she would say to tulee. "papa used to wish we had a brother; but i didn't care for one then, because he was just as good for a playmate. but now it _is_ pleasant to have a brother." to rosa, also, it was gratifying to have his love for her overflow upon what was dearest to her; and she would give him one of her sweetest smiles when he called her sister "mignonne" or "querida." to both of them the lonely island came to seem like a happy home. floracita was not so wildly frolicsome as she was before those stunning blows fell upon her young life; but the natural buoyancy of her spirits began to return. she was always amusing them with "quips and cranks." if she was out of doors, her return to the house would be signalized by imitations of all sorts of birds or musical instruments; and often, when gerald invited her to "trip it on the light, fantastic toe," she would entertain him with one of the negroes' clumsy, shuffling dances. her sentimental songs fell into disuse, and were replaced by livelier tunes. instead of longing to rest in the "sweet vale of avoca," she was heard musically chasing "figaro here! figaro there! figaro everywhere!" seven months passed without other material changes than the changing seasons. when the flowers faded, and the leafless cypress-trees were hung with their pretty pendulous seed-vessels, gerald began to make longer visits to savannah. he was, however, rarely gone more than a week; and, though rosa's songs grew plaintive in his absence, her spirits rose at once when he came to tell how homesick he had been. as for floracita, she felt compensated for the increased stillness by the privilege of having rosa all to herself. one day in january, when he had been gone from home several days, she invited rosa to a walk, and, finding her desirous to finish a letter to madame guirlande, she threw on her straw hat, and went out half dancing, as she was wont to do. the fresh air was exhilarating, the birds were singing, and the woods were already beautified with every shade of glossy green, enlivened by vivid buds and leaflets of reddish brown. she gathered here and there a pretty sprig, sometimes placing them in her hair, sometimes in her little black silk apron, coquettishly decorated with cherry-colored ribbons. she stopped before a luxuriant wild myrtle, pulling at the branches, while she sang, "when the little hollow drum beats to bed, when the little fifer hangs his head, when is mute the moorish flute--" her song was suddenly interrupted by a clasp round the waist, and a warm kiss on the lips. "o gerald, you've come back!" she exclaimed. "how glad rosa will be!" "and nobody else will be glad, i suppose?" rejoined he. "won't you give me back my kiss, when i've been gone a whole week?" "certainly, _mon bon frère_," she replied; and as he inclined his face toward her, she imprinted a slight kiss on his cheek. "that's not giving me back _my_ kiss," said he. "i kissed your mouth, and you must kiss mine." "i will if you wish it," she replied, suiting the action to the word. "but you needn't hold me so tight," she added, as she tried to extricate herself. finding he did not release her, she looked up wonderingly in his face, then lowered her eyes, blushing crimson. no one had ever looked at her so before. "come, don't be coy, _ma petite_," said he. she slipped from him with sudden agility, and said somewhat sharply: "gerald, i don't want to be always called _petite_; and i don't want to be treated as if i were a child. i am no longer a child. i am fifteen. i am a young lady." "so you are, and a very charming one," rejoined he, giving her a playful tap on the cheek as he spoke. "i am going to tell rosa you have come," said she; and she started on the run. when they were all together in the cottage she tried not to seem constrained; but she succeeded so ill that rosa would have noticed it if she had not been so absorbed in her own happiness. gerald was all affection to her, and full of playful raillery with flora,--which, however, failed to animate her as usual. from that time a change came over the little maiden, and increased as the days passed on. she spent much of her time in her own room; and when rosa inquired why she deserted them so, she excused herself by saying she wanted to do a great deal of shell-work for madame guirlande, and that she needed so many boxes they would be in the way in the sitting-room. her passion for that work grew wonderfully, and might be accounted for by the fascination of perfect success; for her coronets and garlands and bouquets and baskets were arranged with so much lightness and elegance, and the different-colored shells were so tastefully combined, that they looked less like manufactured articles than like flowers that grew in the gardens of the nereids. tulee wondered why her vivacious little pet had all of a sudden become so sedentary in her habits,--why she never took her customary rambles except when mr. fitzgerald was gone, and even then never without her sister. the conjecture she formed was not very far amiss, for chloe's gossip had made her better acquainted with the character of her master than were the other inmates of the cottage; but the extraordinary industry was a mystery to her. one evening, when she found floracita alone in her room at dusk, leaning her head on her hand and gazing out of the window dreamily, she put her hand on the silky head and said, "is my little one homesick?" "i have no home to be sick for," she replied, sadly. "is she lovesick then?" "i have no lover," she replied, in the same desponding tone. "what is it, then, my pet? tell tulee." "i wish i could go to madame guirlande," responded flora. "she was so kind to us in our first troubles." "it would do you good to make her a visit," said tulee, "and i should think you might manage to do it somehow." "no. gerald said, a good while ago, that it would be dangerous for us ever to go to new orleans." "does he expect to keep you here always?" asked tulee. "he might just as well keep you in a prison, little bird." "o, what's the use of talking, tulee!" exclaimed she, impatiently. "i have no friends to go to, and i _must_ stay here." but, reproaching herself for rejecting the sympathy so tenderly offered, she rose and kissed the black cheek as she added, "good tulee! kind tulee! i _am_ a little homesick; but i shall feel better in the morning." the next afternoon gerald and rosa invited her to join them in a drive round the island. she declined, saying the box that was soon to be sent to madame was not quite full, and she wanted to finish some more articles to put in it. but she felt a longing for the fresh air, and the intense blue glory of the sky made the house seem prison-like. as soon as they were gone, she took down her straw hat and passed out, swinging it by the strings. she stopped on the lawn to gather some flame-colored buds from a pyrus japonica, and, fastening them in the ribbons as she went, she walked toward her old familiar haunts in the woods. it was early in february, but the warm sunshine brought out a delicious aroma from the firs, and golden garlands of the wild jasmine, fragrant as heliotrope, were winding round the evergreen thickets, and swinging in flowery festoons from the trees. melancholy as she felt when she started from the cottage, her elastic nature was incapable of resisting the glory of the sky, the beauty of the earth, the music of the birds, and the invigorating breath of the ocean, intensified as they all were by a joyful sense of security and freedom, growing out of the constraint that had lately been put upon her movements. she tripped along faster, carolling as she went an old-fashioned song that her father used to be often humming:- "begone, dull care! i prithee begone from me! begone, dull care! thou and i shall never agree!" the walk changed to hopping and dancing, as she warbled various snatches from ballets and operas, settling at last upon the quaint little melody, "once on a time there was a king," and running it through successive variations. a very gentle and refined voice, from behind a clump of evergreens, said, "is this cinderella coming from the ball?" she looked up with quick surprise, and recognized a lady she had several times seen in nassau. "and it is really you, señorita gonsalez!" said the lady. "i thought i knew your voice. but i little dreamed of meeting you here. i have thought of you many times since i parted from you at madame conquilla's store of shell-work. i am delighted to see you again." "and i am glad to see you again, mrs. delano," replied flora; "and i am very much pleased that you remember me." "how could i help remembering you?" asked the lady. "you were a favorite with me from the first time i saw you, and i should like very much to renew our acquaintance. where do you live, my dear?" covered with crimson confusion, flora stammered out: "i don't live anywhere, i'm only staying here. perhaps i shall meet you again in the woods or on the beach. i hope i shall." "excuse me," said the lady. "i have no wish to intrude upon your privacy. but if you would like to call upon me at mr. welby's plantation, where i shall be for three or four weeks, i shall always be glad to receive you." "thank you," replied flora, still struggling with embarrassment. "i should like to come very much, but i don't have a great deal of time for visiting." "it's not common to have such a pressure of cares and duties at your age," responded the lady, smiling. "my carriage is waiting on the beach. trusting you will find a few minutes to spare for me, i will not say adieu, but _au revoir_." as she turned away, she thought to herself: "what a fascinating child! what a charmingly unsophisticated way she took to tell me she would rather not have me call on her! i observed there seemed to be some mystery about her when she was in nassau. what can it be? nothing wrong, i hope." floracita descended to the beach and gazed after the carriage as long as she could see it. her thoughts were so occupied with this unexpected interview, that she took no notice of the golden drops which the declining sun was showering on an endless procession of pearl-crested waves; nor did she cast one of her customary loving glances at the western sky, where masses of violet clouds, with edges of resplendent gold, enclosed lakes of translucent beryl, in which little rose-colored islands were floating. she retraced her steps to the woods, almost crying. "how strange my answers must appear to her!" murmured she. "how i do wish i could go about openly, like other people! i am so tired of all this concealment!" she neither jumped, nor danced, nor sung, on her way homeward. she seemed to be revolving something in her mind very busily. after tea, as she and rosa were sitting alone in the twilight, her sister, observing that she was unusually silent, said, "what are you thinking of, mignonne?" "i am thinking of the time we passed in nassau," replied she, "and of that yankee lady who seemed to take such a fancy to me when she came to madame conquilla's to look at the shell-work. "i remember your talking about her," rejoined rosa. "you thought her beautiful." "yes," said floracita, "and it was a peculiar sort of beauty. she wasn't the least like you or mamita. everything about her was violet. her large gray eyes sometimes had a violet light in them. her hair was not exactly flaxen, it looked like ashes of violets. she always wore fragrant violets. her ribbons and dresses were of some shade of violet; and her breastpin was an amethyst set with pearls. something in her ways, too, made me think of a violet. i think she knew it, and that was the reason she always wore that color. how delicate she was! she must have been very beautiful when she was young." "you used to call her the java sparrow," said rosa. "yes, she made me think of my little java sparrow, with pale fawn-colored feathers, and little gleams of violet on the neck," responded flora. "that lady seems to have made a great impression on your imagination," said rosa; and floracita explained that it was because she had never seen anything like her. she did not mention that she had seen that lady on the island. the open-hearted child was learning to be reticent. a few minutes afterward, rosa exclaimed, "there's gerald coming!" her sister watched her as she ran out to meet him, and sighed, "poor rosa!" chapter viii. a week later, when gerald had gone to savannah and rosa was taking her daily siesta, floracita filled thistle's panniers with several little pasteboard boxes, and, without saying anything to tulee, mounted and rode off in a direction she had never taken, except in the barouche. she was in search of the welby plantation. mrs. delano, who was busy with her crochet-needle near the open window, was surprised to see a light little figure seated on a donkey riding up the avenue. as soon as floracita dismounted, she recognized her, and descended the steps of the piazza to welcome her. "so you have found the welby plantation," said she. "i thought you wouldn't have much difficulty, for there are only two plantations on the island, this and mr. fitzgerald's. i don't know that there are any other _dwellings_ except the huts of the negroes." she spoke the last rather in a tone of inquiry; but flora merely answered that she had once passed the welby plantation in a barouche. as the lady led the way into the parlor, she said, "what is that you have in your hand, my dear?" "you used to admire madame conquilla's shell-work," replied flora," and i have brought you some of mine, to see whether you think i succeed tolerably in my imitations." as she spoke, she took out a small basket and poised it on her finger. "why, that is perfectly beautiful!" said mrs. delano. "i don't know how you could contrive to give it such an air of lightness and grace. i used to think shell-work heavy, and rather vulgar, till i saw those beautiful productions at nassau. but you excel your teacher, my dear miss gonsalez. i should think the sea-fairies made this." four or five other articles were brought forth from the boxes and examined with similar commendation. then they fell into a pleasant chat about their reminiscences of nassau; and diverged from that to speak of the loveliness of their lonely little island, and the increasing beauty of the season. after a while, flora looked at her watch, and said, "i must not stay long, for i didn't tell anybody i was going away." mrs. delano, who caught a glimpse of the medallion inserted in the back, said: "that is a peculiar little watch. have you the hair of some friend set in it?" "no," replied flora. "it is the likeness of my father." she slipped the slight chain from her neck, and placed the watch in the lady's hand. her face flushed as she looked at it, but the habitual paleness soon returned. "you were introduced to me as a spanish young lady," said she, "but this face is not spanish. what was your father's name?" "mr. alfred royal of new orleans," answered flora. "but _your_ name is gonsalez," said she. flora blushed crimson with the consciousness of having betrayed the incognito assumed at nassau. "gonsalez was my mother's name," she replied, gazing on the floor while she spoke. mrs. delano looked at her for an instant, then, drawing her gently toward her, she pressed her to her side, and said with a sigh, "ah, flora, i wish you were my daughter." "o, how i wish i was!" exclaimed the young girl, looking up with a sudden glow; but a shadow immediately clouded her expressive face, as she added, "but you wouldn't want me for a daughter, if you knew everything about me." the lady was obviously troubled. "you seem to be surrounded by mysteries, my little friend," responded she. "i will not ask you for any confidence you are unwilling to bestow. but i am a good deal older than you, and i know the world better than you do. if anything troubles you, or if you are doing anything wrong, perhaps if you were to tell me, i could help you out of it." "o, no, i'm not doing anything wrong," replied floracita, eagerly. "i never did anything wrong in my life." seeing a slight smile hovering about the lady's lips, she made haste to add: "i didn't mean exactly that. i mean i never did anything _very_ wrong. i'm cross sometimes, and i have told some _fibititas_; but then i couldn't seem to help it, things were in such a tangle. it comes more natural to me to tell the truth." "that i can readily believe," rejoined mrs. delano. "but i am not trying to entrap your ingenuousness into a betrayal of your secrets. only remember one thing; if you ever do want to open your heart to any one, remember that i am your true friend, and that you can trust me." "o, thank you! thank you!" exclaimed flora, seizing her hand and kissing it fervently. "but tell me one thing, my little friend," continued mrs. delano. "is there anything i can do for you now?" "i came to ask you to do something for me," replied flora; "but you have been so kind to me, that it has made me almost forget my errand. i have very particular reasons for wanting to earn some money. you used to admire the shell-work in nassau so much, that i thought, if you liked mine, you might be willing to buy it, and that perhaps you might have friends who would buy some. i have tried every way to think how i could manage, to sell my work." "i will gladly buy all you have," rejoined the lady, "and i should like to have you make me some more; especially of these garlands of rice-shells, trembling so lightly on almost invisible silver wire." "i will make some immediately," replied flora. "but i must go, dear mrs. delano. i wish i could stay longer, but i cannot." "when will you come again?" asked the lady. "i can't tell," responded flora, "for i have to manage to come here." "that seems strange," said mrs. delano. "i know it seems strange," answered the young girl, with a kind of despairing impatience in her tone. "but please don't ask me, for everything seems to come right out to you; and i don't know what i ought to say, indeed i don't." "i want you to come again as soon as you can," said mrs. delano, slipping a gold eagle into her hand. "and now go, my dear, before you tell me more than you wish to." "not more than i wish," rejoined floracita; "but more than i ought. i _wish_ to tell you everything." in a childish way she put up her lips for a kiss, and the lady drew her to her heart and caressed her tenderly. when flora had descended the steps of the piazza, she turned and looked up. mrs. delano was leaning against one of the pillars, watching her departure. vines of gossamer lightness were waving round her, and her pearly complexion and violet-tinted dress looked lovely among those aerial arabesques of delicate green. the picture impressed flora all the more because it was such a contrast to the warm and gorgeous styles of beauty to which she had been accustomed. she smiled and kissed her hand in token of farewell; the lady returned the salutation, but she thought the expression of her face was sad, and the fear that this new friend distrusted her on account of unexplained mysteries haunted her on her way homeward. mrs. delano looked after her till she and her donkey disappeared among the trees in the distance. "what a strange mystery is this!" murmured she. "alfred royal's child, and yet she bears her mother's name. and why does she conceal from me where she lives? surely, she cannot be consciously doing anything wrong, for i never saw such perfect artlessness of look and manner." the problem occupied her thoughts for days after, without her arriving at any satisfactory conjecture. flora, on her part, was troubled concerning the distrust which she felt must be excited by her mysterious position, and she was continually revolving plans to clear herself from suspicion in the eyes of her new friend. it would have been an inexpressible consolation if she could have told her troubles to her elder sister, from whom she had never concealed anything till within the last few weeks. but, alas! by the fault of another, a barrier had arisen between them, which proved an obstruction at every turn of their daily intercourse; for while she had been compelled to despise and dislike gerald, rosa was always eulogizing his noble and loving nature, and was extremely particular to have his slightest wishes obeyed. apart from any secret reasons for wishing to obtain money, floracita was well aware that it would not do to confess her visit to mrs. delano; for gerald had not only forbidden their making any acquaintances, but he had also charged them not to ride or walk in the direction of either of the plantations unless he was with them. day after day, as flora sat at work upon the garlands she had promised, she was on the watch to elude his vigilance; but more than a week passed without her finding any safe opportunity. at last gerald proposed to gratify rosa's often-expressed wish, by taking a sail to one of the neighboring islands. they intended to make a picnic of it, and return by moonlight. rosa was full of pleasant anticipations, which, however, were greatly damped when her sister expressed a decided preference for staying at home. rosa entreated, and gerald became angry, but she persisted in her refusal. she said she wanted to use up all her shells, and all her flosses and chenilles. gerald swore that he hated the sight of them, and that he would throw them all into the sea if she went on wearing her beautiful eyes out over them. without looking up from her work, she coolly answered, "why need you concern yourself about _my_ eyes, when you have a wife with such beautiful eyes?"' black tom and chloe and the boat were in waiting, and after a flurried scene they departed reluctantly without her. "i never saw any one so changed as she is," said rosa. "she used to be so fond of excursions, and now she wants to work from morning till night." "she's a perverse, self-willed, capricious little puss. she's been too much indulged. she needs to be brought under discipline," said gerald, angrily whipping off a blossom with his rattan as they walked toward the boat. as soon as they were fairly off, flora started on a second visit to the welby plantation. tulee noticed all this in silence, and shook her head, as if thoughts were brooding there unsafe for utterance. mrs. delano was bending over her writing-desk finishing a letter, when she perceived a wave of fragrance, and, looking up, she saw flora on the threshold of the open door, with her arms full of flowers. "excuse me for interrupting you," said she, dropping one of her little quick courtesies, which seemed half frolic, half politeness. "the woods are charming to-day. the trees are hung with curtains of jasmine, embroidered all over with golden flowers. you love perfumes so well, i couldn't help stopping by the way to load thistle with an armful of them." "thank you, dear," replied mrs. delano. "i rode out yesterday afternoon, and i thought i had never seen anything so beautiful as the flowery woods and the gorgeous sunset. after being accustomed to the splendor of these southern skies, the northern atmosphere will seem cold and dull." "shall you go to the north soon?" inquired flora, anxiously. "i shall leave here in ten or twelve days," she replied; "but i may wait a short time in savannah, till march has gone; for that is a blustering, disagreeable month in new england, though it brings you roses and perfume. i came to savannah to spend the winter with my friends, mr. and mrs. welby; but i have always taken a great fancy to this island, and when they were suddenly called away to arkansas by the illness of a son, i asked their permission to come here for a few weeks and watch the beautiful opening of the spring. i find myself much inclined to solitude since i lost a darling daughter, who died two years ago. if she had lived, she would have been about your age." "i am _so_ sorry you are going away," said flora. "it seems as if i had always known you. i don't know what i shall do without you. but when you go back among your friends, i suppose you will forget all about poor little me." "no, my dear little friend, i shall never forget you," she replied; "and when i come again, i hope i shall find you here." "i felt troubled when i went away the other day," said flora. "i thought you seemed to look sadly after me, and i was afraid you thought i had done something wicked, because i said you wouldn't wish i were your daughter if you knew everything about me. so i have come to tell you my secrets, as far as i can without betraying other people's. i am afraid you won't care anything more about me after i have told you; but i can't help it if you don't. even that would be better than to have you suspect me of being bad." mrs. delano drew an ottoman toward her, and said, "come and sit here, dear, and tell me all about it, the same as if i were your mother." floracita complied; and resting one elbow on her knee, and leaning her cheek upon the hand, she looked up timidly and wistfully into the friendly face that was smiling serenely over her. after a moment's pause, she said abruptly: "i don't know how to begin, so i won't begin at all, but tell it right out. you see, dear mrs. delano, i am a colored girl." the lady's smile came nearer to a laugh than was usual with her. she touched the pretty dimpled cheek with her jewelled finger, as she replied: "o, you mischievous little kitten! i thought you were really going to tell me something about your troubles. but i see you are hoaxing me. i remember when you were at madame conquilla's you always seemed to be full of fun, and the young ladies there said you were a great rogue." "but this is not fun; indeed it is not," rejoined flora. "i _am_ a colored girl." she spoke so earnestly that the lady began to doubt the evidence of her own eyes. "but you told me that mr. alfred royal was your father," said she. "so he was my father," replied flora; "and the kindest father that ever was. rosa and i were brought up like little princesses, and we never knew that we were colored. my mother was the daughter of a rich spanish gentleman named gonsalez. she was educated in paris, and was elegant and accomplished. she was handsomer than rosa; and if you were to see rosa, you would say nobody _could_ be handsomer than she is. she was good, too. my father was always saying she was the dearest and best wife in the world. you don't know how he mourned when she died. he couldn't bear to have anything moved that she had touched. but _cher papa_ died very suddenly; and first they told us that we were very poor, and must earn our living; and then they told us that our mother was a slave, and so, according to law, we were slaves too. they would have sold us at auction, if a gentleman who knew us when papa was alive hadn't smuggled us away privately to nassau. he had been very much in love with rosa for a good while; and he married her, and i live with them. but he keeps us very much hidden; because, he says, he should get into lawsuits and duels and all sorts of troubles with papa's creditors if they should find out that he helped us off. and that was the reason i was called señorita gonsalez in nassau, though my real name is flora royal." she went on to recount the kindness of madame guirlande, and the exciting particulars of their escape; to all of which mrs. delano listened with absorbed attention. as they sat thus, they made a beautiful picture. the lady, mature in years, but scarcely showing the touch of time, was almost as fair as an albiness, with serene lips, and a soft moonlight expression in her eyes. every attitude and every motion indicated quietude and refinement. the young girl, on the contrary, even when reclining, seemed like impetuosity in repose for a moment, but just ready to spring. her large dark eyes laughed and flashed and wept by turns, and her warmly tinted face glowed like the sunlight, in its setting of glossy black hair. the lady looked down upon her with undisguised admiration while she recounted their adventures in lively dramatic style, throwing in imitations of the whistling of _ça ira_, and the tones of the coachman as he sang, "who goes there?" "but you have not told me," said mrs. delano, "who the gentleman was that married your sister. ah, i see you hesitate. no matter. only tell me one thing,--is he kind to you?" flora turned red and pale, and red again. "let that pass, too," said the lady. "i asked because i wished to know if i could help you in any way. i see you have brought some more boxes of shell-work, and by and by we will examine them. but first i want to tell you that i also have a secret, and i will confide it to you that you may feel assured i shall love you always. flora, dear, when your father and i were young, we were in love with each other, and i promised to be his wife." "so you might have been my mamita!" exclaimed floracita, impetuously. "no, not _your_ mamita, dear," replied mrs. delano, smiling. "you call me the java sparrow, and java sparrows never hatch gay little humming-birds or tuneful mocking-birds. i might tell you a long story about myself, dear; but the sun is declining, and you ought not to be out after dusk. my father was angry about our love, because alfred was then only a clerk with a small salary. they carried me off to europe, and for two years i could hear nothing from alfred. then they told me he was married; and after a while they persuaded me to marry mr. delano. i ought not to have married him, because my heart was not in it. he died and left me with a large fortune and the little daughter i told you of. i have felt very much alone since my darling was taken from me. that void in my heart renders young girls very interesting to me. your looks and ways attracted me when i first met you; and when you told me alfred royal was your father, i longed to clasp you to my heart. and now you know, my dear child, that you have a friend ever ready to listen to any troubles you may choose to confide, and desirous to remove them if she can." she rose to open the boxes of shell-work; but flora sprung up, and threw herself into her arms, saying, "my papasito sent you to me,--i know he did." after a few moments spent in silent emotion, mrs. delano again spoke of the approaching twilight, and with mutual caresses they bade each other adieu. four or five days later, floracita made her appearance at the welby plantation in a state of great excitement. she was in a nervous tremor, and her eyelids were swollen as if with much weeping. mrs. delano hastened to enfold her in her arms, saying: "what is it, my child? tell your new mamita what it is that troubles you so." "o, _may_ i call you mamita?" asked flora, looking up with an expression of grateful love that warmed all the fibres of her friend's heart. "o, i do so need a mamita! i am very wretched; and if you don't help me, i don't know what i _shall_ do!" "certainly, i will help you, if possible, when you have told me your trouble," replied mrs. delano. "yes, i will tell," said flora, sighing. "mr. fitzgerald is the gentleman who married my sister; but we don't live at his plantation. we live in a small cottage hidden away in the woods. you never saw anybody so much in love as he was with rosa. when we first came here, he was never willing to have her out of his sight a moment. and rosa loves him so! but for these eight or ten weeks past he has been making love to me; though he is just as affectionate as ever with rosa. when she is playing to him, and i am singing beside her, he keeps throwing kisses to me behind her back. it makes me feel so ashamed that i can't look my sister in the face. i have tried to--keep out of his way. when i am in the house i stick to rosa like a burr; and i have given up riding or walking, except when he is away. but there's no telling when he _is_ away. he went away yesterday, and said he was going to savannah to be gone a week; but this morning, when i went into the woods behind the cottage to feed thistle, he was lurking there. he seized me, and held his hand over my mouth, and said i _should_ hear him. then he told me that rosa and i were his slaves; that he bought us of papa's creditors, and could sell us any day. and he says he will carry me off to savannah and sell me if i don't treat him better. he would not let me go till i promised to meet him in cypress grove at dusk to-night. i have been trying to earn money to go to madame guirlande, and get her to send me somewhere where i could give dancing-lessons, or singing-lessons, without being in danger of being taken up for a slave. but i don't know how to get to new orleans alone; and if i am his slave, i am afraid he will come there with officers to take me. so, dear new mamita, i have come to you, to see if you can't help me to get some money and go somewhere." mrs. delano pressed her gently to her heart, and responded in tones of tenderest pity: "get some money and go somewhere, you poor child! do you think i shall let dear alfred's little daughter go wandering alone about the world? no, darling, you shall live with me, and be my daughter." "and don't you care about my being colored and a slave?" asked floracita, humbly. "let us never speak of that," replied her friend. "the whole transaction is so odious and wicked that i can't bear to think of it." "i do feel so grateful to you, my dear new mamita, that i don't know what to say. but it tears my heart in two to leave rosa. we have never been separated for a day since i was born. and she is so good, and she loves me so! and tulee, too. i didn't dare to try to speak to her. i knew i should break down. all the way coming here i was frightened for fear gerald would overtake me and carry me off. and i cried so, thinking about rosa and tulee, not knowing when i should see them again, that i couldn't see; and if thistle hadn't known the way himself, i shouldn't have got here. poor thistle! it seemed as if my heart would break when i threw the bridle on his neck and left him to go back alone; i didn't dare to hug, him but once, i was so afraid. o, i am so glad that you will let me stay here!" "i have been thinking it will not be prudent for you to stay here, my child," replied mrs. delano. "search will be made for you in the morning, and you had better be out of the way before that. there are some dresses belonging to mrs. welby's daughter in a closet up stairs. i will borrow one of them for you to wear. the boat from beaufort to savannah will stop here in an hour to take some freight. we will go to savannah. my colored laundress there has a chamber above her wash-room where you will be better concealed than in more genteel lodgings. i will come back here to arrange things, and in a few days i will return to you and take you to my northern home." the necessary arrangements were soon made; and when flora was transformed into miss welby, she smiled very faintly as she remarked, "how queer it seems to be always running away." "this is the last time, my child," replied mrs. delano. "i will keep my little bird carefully under my wings." when flora was in the boat, hand in hand with her new friend, and no one visible whom she had ever seen before, her excitement began to subside, but sadness increased. in her terror the poor child had scarcely thought of anything except the necessity of escaping somewhere. but when she saw her island home receding from her, she began to realize the importance of the step she was taking. she fixed her gaze on that part where the lonely cottage was embowered, and she had a longing to see even a little whiff of smoke from tulee's kitchen. but there was no sign of life save a large turkey-buzzard, like a black vulture, sailing gracefully over the tree-tops. the beloved sister, the faithful servant, the brother from whom she had once hoped so much, the patient animal that had borne her through so many pleasant paths, the flowery woods, and the resounding sea, had all vanished from her as suddenly as did her father and the bright home of her childhood. the scenes through which they were passing were beautiful as paradise, and all nature seemed alive and jubilant. the white blossoms of wild-plum-trees twinkled among dark evergreens, a vegetable imitation of starlight. wide-spreading oaks and superb magnolias were lighted up with sudden flashes of color, as scarlet grosbeaks flitted from tree to tree. sparrows were chirping, doves cooing, and mocking-birds whistling, now running up the scale, then down the scale, with an infinity of variations between. the outbursts of the birds were the same as in seasons that were gone, but the listener was changed. rarely before had her quick musical ear failed to notice how they would repeat the same note with greater or less emphasis, then flat it, then sharp it, varying their performances with all manner of unexpected changes. but now she was merely vaguely conscious of familiar sounds, which brought before her that last merry day in her father's house, when rosabella laughed so much to hear her puzzle the birds with her musical vagaries. memory held up her magic mirror, in which she saw pictured processions of the vanished years. thus the lonely child, with her loving, lingering looks upon the past, was floated toward an unknown future with the new friend a kind providence had sent her. chapter ix. rosa was surprised at the long absence of her sister; and when the sun showed only a narrow golden edge above the horizon, she began to feel anxious. she went to the kitchen and said, "tulee, have you seen anything of floracita lately? she went away while i was sleeping." "no, missy," she replied. "the last i see of her was in her room, with the embroidery-frame before her. she was looking out of the window, as she did sometimes, as if she was looking nowhere. she jumped up and hugged and kissed me, and called me 'dear tulee, good tulee.' the little darling was always mighty loving. when i went there again, her needle was sticking in her work, and her thimble was on the frame, but she was gone. i don't know when she went away. thistle's come back alone; but he does that sometimes when little missy goes rambling round." there was no uneasiness expressed in her tones, but, being more disquieted than she wished to acknowledge, she went forth to search the neighboring wood-paths and the sea-shore. when she returned, rosa ran out with the eager inquiry, "is she anywhere in sight?" in reply to the negative answer, she said: "i don't know what to make of it. have you ever seen anybody with floracita since we came here?" "nobody but massa gerald," replied tulee. "i wonder whether she was discontented here," said rosa. "i don't see why she should be, for we all loved her dearly; and gerald was as kind to her as if she had been his own sister. but she hasn't seemed like herself lately; and this forenoon she hugged and kissed me ever so many times, and cried. when i asked her what was the matter, she said she was thinking of the pleasant times when _papasito querido_ was alive. do you think she was unhappy?" "she told me once she was homesick for madame guirlande," replied tulee. "did she? perhaps she was making so many things for madame because she meant to go there. but she couldn't find her way alone, and she knew it would be very dangerous for either of us to go to new orleans." tulee made no reply. she seated herself on a wooden bench by the open door, swinging her body back and forth in an agitated way, ever and anon jumping up and looking round in all directions. the veil of twilight descended upon the earth, and darkness followed. the two inmates of the cottage felt very miserable and helpless, as they sat there listening to every sound. for a while nothing was heard but the dash of the waves, and the occasional hooting of an owl. the moon rose up above the pines, and flooded earth and sea with silvery splendor. "i want to go to the plantation and call tom," said rosa; "and there is such bright moonshine we might go, but i am afraid gerald would be displeased." tulee at once volunteered to bring out thistle, and to walk beside her mistress. both started at the sound of footsteps. they were not light enough for floracita, but they thought it might be some one bringing news. it proved to be the master of the house. "why, gerald, how glad i am! i thought you were in savannah," exclaimed rosa. "have you seen anything of floracita?" "no. isn't she here?" inquired he, in such a tone of surprise, that tulee's suspicions were shaken. rosa repeated the story of her disappearance, and concluded by saying, "she told tulee she was homesick to go to madame." "she surely wouldn't dare to do that," he replied. "massa gerald," said tulee, and she watched him closely while she spoke, "there's something i didn't tell missy rosy, 'cause i was feared it would worry her. i found this little glove of missy flory's, with a bunch of sea-weed, down on the beach; and there was marks of her feet all round." rosa uttered a cry. "o heavens!" she exclaimed, "i saw an alligator a few days ago." an expression of horror passed over his face. "i've cautioned her not to fish so much for shells and sea-mosses," said he; "but she was always so self-willed." "_don't_ say anything against the little darling!" implored rosa. "perhaps we shall never see her again." he spoke a few soothing words, and then took his hat, saying, "i am going to the sea-shore." "take good care of yourself, dear gerald!" cried rosa. "no danger 'bout that," muttered tulee, as she walked out of hearing. "there's things with handsomer mouths than alligators that may be more dangerous. poor little bird! i wonder where he has put her." his feelings as he roamed on the beach were not to be envied. his mind was divided between the thoughts that she had committed suicide, or had been drowned accidentally. that she had escaped from his persecutions by flight he could not believe; for he knew she was entirely unused to taking care of herself, and felt sure she had no one to help her. he returned to say that the tide had washed away the footprints, and that he found no vestige of the lost one. at dawn he started for the plantation, whence, after fruitless inquiries, he rode to the welby estate. mrs. delano had requested the household servants not to mention having seen a small young lady there, and they had nothing to communicate. he resolved to start for new orleans as soon as possible. after a fortnight's absence he returned, bringing grieved and sympathizing letters from the signor and madame; and on the minds of all, except tulee, the conviction settled that floracita was drowned. hope lingered long in her mind. "wherever the little pet may be, she'll surely contrive to let us know," thought she. "she ain't like the poor slaves when _they_'re carried off. she can write." her mistress talked with her every day about the lost darling; but of course such suspicions were not to be mentioned to her. gerald, who disliked everything mournful, avoided the subject entirely; and rosabella, looking upon him only with the eyes of love, considered it a sign of deep feeling, and respected it accordingly. but, blinded as she was, she gradually became aware that he did not seem exactly like the same man who first won her girlish love. her efforts to please him were not always successful. he was sometimes moody and fretful. he swore at the slightest annoyance, and often flew into paroxysms of anger with tom and tulee. he was more and more absent from the cottage, and made few professions of regret for such frequent separations. some weeks after flora's disappearance, he announced his intention to travel in the north during the summer months. rosabella looked up in his face with a pleading expression, but pride prevented her from asking whether she might accompany him. she waited in hopes he would propose it; but as he did not even think of it, he failed to interpret the look of disappointment in her expressive eyes, as she turned from him with a sigh. "tom will come with the carriage once a week," said he; "and either he or joe will be here every night." "thank you," she replied. but the tone was so sad that he took her hand with the tenderness of former times, and said, "you are sorry to part with me, bella rosa?" "how can i be otherwise than sorry," she asked, "when i am all alone in the world without you? dear gerald, are we always to live thus? will you never acknowledge me as your wife?" "how can i do it," rejoined he, "without putting myself in the power of those cursed creditors? it is no fault of mine that your mother was a slave." "we should be secure from them in europe," she replied. "why couldn't we live abroad?" "do you suppose my rich uncle would leave me a cent if he found out i had married the daughter of a quadroon?" rejoined he. "i have met with losses lately, and i can't afford to offend my uncle. i am sorry, dear, that you are dissatisfied with the home i have provided for you." "i am not dissatisfied with my home," said she. "i have no desire to mix with the world, but it is necessary for you, and these separations are dreadful." his answer was: "i will write often, dearest, and i will send you quantities of new music. i shall always be looking forward to the delight of hearing it when i return. you must take good care of your health, for my sake. you must go ambling about with thistle every day." the suggestion brought up associations that overcame her at once. "o how floracita loved thistle!" she exclaimed. "and it really seems as if the poor beast misses her. i am afraid we neglected her too much, gerald. we were so taken up with our own happiness, that we didn't think of her so much as we ought to have done." "i am sure i tried to gratify all her wishes," responded he. "i have nothing to reproach myself with, and certainly you were always a devoted sister. this is a morbid state of feeling, and you must try to drive it off. you said a little while ago that you wanted to see how the plantation was looking, and what flowers had come out in the garden. shall i take you there in the barouche to-morrow?" she gladly assented, and a few affectionate words soon restored her confidence in his love. when the carriage was brought to the entrance of the wood the next day, she went to meet it with a smiling face and a springing step. as he was about to hand her in, he said abruptly, "you have forgotten your veil." tulee was summoned to bring it. as rosa arranged it round her head, she remarked, "one would think you were ashamed of me, gerald." the words were almost whispered, but the tone sounded more like a reproach than anything she had ever uttered. with ready gallantry he responded aloud, "i think so much of my treasure that i want to keep it all to myself." he was very affectionate during their drive; and this, combined with the genial air, the lovely scenery, and the exhilaration of swift motion, restored her to a greater sense of happiness than she had felt since her darling sister vanished so suddenly. the plantation was in gala dress. the veranda was almost covered with the large, white, golden-eyed stars of the cherokee rose, gleaming out from its dark, lustrous foliage. the lawn was a sheet of green velvet embroidered with flowers. magnolias and oaks of magnificent growth ornamented the extensive grounds. in the rear was a cluster of negro huts. black picaninnies were rolling about in the grass, mingling their laughter with the songs of the birds. the winding paths of the garden were lined with flowering shrubs, and the sea sparkled in the distance. wherever the eye glanced, all was sunshine, bloom, and verdure. for the first time, he invited her to enter the mansion. her first movement was toward the piano. as she opened it, and swept her hand across the keys, he said: "it is sadly out of tune. it has been neglected because its owner had pleasanter music elsewhere." "but the tones are very fine," rejoined she. "what a pity it shouldn't be used!" as she glanced out of the window on the blooming garden and spacious lawn, she said: "how pleasant it would be if we could live here! it is so delightful to look out on such an extensive open space." "perhaps we will some time or other, my love," responded he. she smiled, and touched the keys, while she sang snatches of familiar songs. the servants who brought in refreshments wondered at her beauty, and clear, ringing voice. many dark faces clustered round the crack of the door to obtain a peep; and as they went away they exchanged nudges and winks with each other. tom and chloe had confidentially whispered to some of them the existence of such a lady, and that tulee said massa married her in the west indies; and they predicted that she would be the future mistress of magnolia lawn. others gave it as their opinion, that massa would never hide her as he did if she was to be the missis. but all agreed that she was a beautiful, grand lady, and they paid her homage accordingly. her cheeks would have burned to scarlet flame if she had heard all their comments and conjectures; but unconscious of blame or shame, she gave herself up to the enjoyment of those bright hours. a new access of tenderness seemed to have come over fitzgerald; partly because happiness rendered her beauty more radiant, and partly because secret thoughts that were revolving in his mind brought some twinges of remorse. he had never seemed more enamored, not even during the first week in nassau, when he came to claim her as his bride. far down in the garden was an umbrageous walk, terminating in a vine-covered bower. they remained there a long time, intertwined in each other's arms, talking over the memories of their dawning consciousness of love, and singing together the melodies in which their voices had first mingled. their road home was through woods and groves festooned with vines, some hanging in massive coils, others light and aerial enough for fairy swings; then over the smooth beach, where wave after wave leaped up and tossed its white foam-garland on the shore. the sun was sinking in a golden sea, and higher toward the zenith little gossamer clouds blushingly dissolved in the brilliant azure, and united again, as if the fragrance of roses had floated into form. when they reached the cottage, rosa passed through the silent little parlor with swimming eyes, murmuring to herself: "poor little floracita! how the sea made me think of her. i ought not to have been so happy." but memory wrote the record of that halcyon day in illuminated manuscript, all glowing with purple and gold, with angel faces peeping through a graceful network of flowers. chapter x. rosabella had never experienced such loneliness as in the months that followed. all music was saddened by far-off echoes of past accompaniments. embroidery lost its interest with no one to praise the work, or to be consulted in the choice of colors and patterns. the books gerald occasionally sent were of a light character, and though they served to while away a listless hour, there was nothing in them to strengthen or refresh the soul. the isolation was the more painful because there was everything around her to remind her of the lost and the absent. flora's unfinished embroidery still remained in the frame, with the needle in the last stitch of a blue forget-me-not. over the mirror was a cluster of blush-roses she had made. on the wall was a spray of sea-moss she had pressed and surrounded with a garland of small shells. by the door was a vine she had transplanted from the woods; and under a tree opposite was a turf seat where she used to sit sketching the cottage, and tulee, and thistle, and baskets of wild-flowers she had gathered. the sight of these things continually brought up visions of the loving and beautiful child, who for so many years had slept nestling in her arms, and made the days tuneful with her songs. then there was gerald's silent flute, and the silken cushion she had embroidered for him, on which she had so often seen him reposing, and thought him handsome as a sleeping adonis. a letter from him made her cheerful for days; but they did not come often, and were generally brief. tom came with the carriage once a week, according to his master's orders; but she found solitary drives so little refreshing to body or mind that she was often glad to avail herself of tulee's company. so the summer wore away, and september came to produce a new aspect of beauty in the landscape, by tinging the fading flowers and withering leaves with various shades of brown and crimson, purple and orange. one day, early in the month, when tom came with the carriage, she told him to drive to magnolia lawn. she had long been wishing to revisit the scene where she had been so happy on that bright spring day; but she had always said to herself, "i will wait till gerald comes." now she had grown so weary with hope deferred, that she felt as if she could wait no longer. as she rode along she thought of improvements in the walks that she would suggest to gerald, if they ever went there to live, as he had intimated they might. the servants received her with their usual respectful manner and wondering looks; but when she turned back to ask some question, she saw them whispering together with an unusual appearance of excitement. her cheeks glowed with a consciousness that her anomalous position was well calculated to excite their curiosity; and she turned away, thinking how different it had been with her mother,--how sheltered and protected she had always been. she remembered how very rarely her father left home, and how he always hastened to return. she stood awhile on the veranda, thinking sadly, "if gerald loves me as papasito loved mamita, how can he be contented to leave me so much?" with a deep sigh she turned and entered the house through an open window. the sigh changed at once to a bright smile. the parlor had undergone a wondrous transformation since she last saw it. the woodwork had been freshly painted, and the walls were covered with silvery-flowered paper. over curtains of embroidered lace hung a drapery of apple-green damask, ornamented with deep white-silk fringe and heavy tassels. "how kind of gerald!" murmured she. "he has done this because i expressed a wish to live here. how ungrateful i was to doubt him in my thoughts!" she passed into the chamber, where she found a white french bedstead, on which were painted bouquets of roses. it was enveloped in roseate lace drapery, caught up at the centre in festoons on the silver arrow of a pretty little cupid. from silver arrows over the windows there fell the same soft, roseate folds. her whole face was illuminated with happiness as she thought to herself: "ah! i know why everything has a tinge of _roses_. how kind of him to prepare such a beautiful surprise for me!" she traversed the garden walks, and lingered long in the sequestered bower. on the floor was a bunch of dried violets which he had placed in her belt on that happy day. she took them up, kissed them fervently, and placed them near her heart. that heart was lighter than it had been for months. "at last he is going to acknowledge me as his wife," thought she. "how happy i shall be when there is no longer any need of secrecy!" the servants heard her singing as she traversed the garden, and gathered in groups to listen; but they scattered as they saw her approach the house. "she's a mighty fine lady," said dinah, the cook. "mighty fine lady," repeated tom; "an' i tell yer she's married to massa, an' she's gwine to be de missis." venus, the chambermaid, who would have passed very well for a bronze image of the sea-born goddess, tossed her head as she replied: "dunno bout dat ar. massa does a heap o' courtin' to we far sex." "how yer know dat ar?" exclaimed dinah. "whar d' yer git dem year-rings?" and then there was a general titter. rosabella, all unconscious in her purity, came up to tom while the grin was still upon his face, and in her polite way asked him to have the goodness to bring the carriage. it was with great difficulty that she could refrain from outbursts of song as she rode homeward; but gerald had particularly requested her not to sing in the carriage, lest her voice should attract the attention of some one who chanced to be visiting the island. her first words when she entered the cottage were: "o tulee, i am _so_ happy! gerald has fitted up magnolia lawn beautifully, because i told him i wished we could live there. he said, that day we were there, that he would try to make some arrangement with papasito's creditors, and i do believe he has, and that i shall not have to hide much longer. he has been fitting up the house as if it were for a queen. isn't he kind?" tulee, who listened rather distrustfully to praises bestowed on the master, replied that nobody could do anything too good for missy rosy. "ah, tulee, you have always done your best to spoil me," said she, laying her hand affectionately on the shoulder of her petted servant, while a smile like sunshine mantled her face. "but do get me something to eat. the ride has made me hungry." "ise glad to hear that, missy rosy. i begun to think 't want no use to cook nice tidbits for ye, if ye jist turned 'em over wi' yer fork, and ate one or two mouthfuls, without knowing what ye was eatin'." "i've been pining for gerald, tulee; and i've been afraid sometimes that he didn't love me as he used to do. but now that he has made such preparations for us to live at magnolia lawn, i am as happy as a queen." she went off singing, and as tulee looked after her she murmured to herself: "and what a handsome queen she'd make! gold ain't none too good for her to walk on. but is it the truth he told her about settling with the creditors? there's never no telling anything by what _he_ says. do hear her singing now! it sounds as lively as missy flory. ah! that was a strange business. i wonder whether the little darling _is_ dead." while she was preparing supper, with such cogitations passing through her mind, rosa began to dash off a letter, as follows:-"dearly beloved,--i am so happy that i cannot wait a minute without telling you about it. i have done a naughty thing, but, as it is the first time i ever disobeyed you, i hope you will forgive me. you told me never to go to the plantation without you. but i waited and waited, and you didn't come; and we were so happy there, that lovely day, that i longed to go again. i knew it would be very lonesome without you; but i thought it would be some comfort to see again the places where we walked together, and sang together, and called each other all manner of foolish fond names. do you remember how many variations you rung upon my name,--rosabella, rosalinda, rosamunda, rosa regina? how you did pelt me with roses! do you remember how happy we were in the garden bower? how we sang together the old-fashioned canzonet, 'love in thine eyes forever plays'? and how the mocking-bird imitated your guitar, while you were singing the don giovanni serenade? "i was thinking this all over, as i rode alone over the same ground we traversed on that happy day. but it was so different without the love-light of your eyes and the pressure of your dear hand, that i felt the tears gathering, and had all manner of sad thoughts. i feared you didn't care for me as you used to do, and were finding it easy to live without me. but when i entered the parlor that overlooks the beautiful lawn, all my doubts vanished. you had encouraged me to hope that it might be our future home; but i little dreamed it was to be so soon, and that you were preparing such a charming surprise for me. don't be vexed with me, dearest, for finding out your secret. it made me _so_ happy! it made the world seem like paradise. ah! i _knew_ why everything was so _rose_-colored. it was so like _you_ to think of that! then everything is so elegant! you knew your rosamunda's taste for elegance. "but tulee summons me to supper. dear, good, faithful tulee! what a comfort she has been to me in this lonesome time!" * * * * * "now i have come back to the pretty little writing-desk you gave me, and i will finish my letter. i feel as if i wanted to write to you forever, if i can't have you to talk to. you can't imagine how lonesome i have been. the new music you sent me was charming; but whatever i practised or improvised took a solemn and plaintive character, like the moaning of the sea and the whispering of the pines. one's own voice sounds so solitary when there is no other voice to lean upon, and no appreciating ear to listen for the coming chords. i have even found it a relief to play and sing to tulee, who is always an admiring listener, if not a very discriminating one; and as for tom, it seems as if the eyes would fly out of his head when i play to him. i have tried to take exercise every day, as you advised; but while the hot weather lasted, i was afraid of snakes, and the mosquitoes and sand-flies were tormenting. now it is cooler i ramble about more, but my loneliness goes everywhere with me. everything is so still here, that it sometimes makes me afraid. the moonlight looks awfully solemn on the dark pines. you remember that dead pine-tree? the wind has broken it, and there it stands in front of the evergreen grove, with two arms spread out, and a knot like a head with a hat on it, and a streamer of moss hanging from it. it looks so white and strange in the moonlight, that it seems as if floracita's spirit were beckoning to me. "but i didn't mean to write about sad things. i don't feel sad now; i was only telling you how lonely and nervous i _had_ been, that you might imagine how much good it has done me to see such kind arrangements at magnolia lawn. forgive me for going there, contrary to your orders. i did so long for a little variety! i couldn't have dreamed you were planning such a pleasant surprise for me. sha'n't we be happy there, calling one another all the old foolish pet names? dear, good gerald, i shall never again have any ungrateful doubts of your love. "_adios, luz de mes ojos_. come soon to "your grateful and loving "rosa." that evening the plash of the waves no longer seemed like a requiem over her lost sister; the moonlight gave poetic beauty to the pines; and even the blasted tree, with its waving streamer of moss, seemed only another picturesque feature in the landscape; so truly does nature give us back a reflection of our souls. she waked from a refreshing sleep with a consciousness of happiness unknown for a long time. when tom came to say he was going to savannah, she commissioned him to go to the store where her dresses were usually ordered, and buy some fine french merino. she gave him very minute directions, accompanied with a bird-of-paradise pattern. "that is gerald's favorite color," she said to herself. "i will embroider it with white floss-silk, and tie it with white silk cord and tassels. the first time we breakfast together at magnolia lawn i will wear it, fastened at the throat with that pretty little knot of silver filigree he gave me on my birthday. then i shall look as bridal as the home he is preparing for me." the embroidery of this dress furnished pleasant occupation for many days. when it was half finished, she tried it on before the mirror, and smiled to see how becoming was the effect. she queried whether gerald would like one or two of madame guirlande's pale amber-colored artificial nasturtiums in her hair. she placed them coquettishly by the side of her head for a moment, and laid them down, saying to herself: "no; too much dress for the morning. he will like better the plain braids of my hair with the curls falling over them." as she sat, hour after hour, embroidering the dress which was expected to produce such a sensation, tulee's heart was gladdened by hearing her sing almost continually. "bless her dear heart!" exclaimed she; "that sounds like the old times." but when a fortnight passed without an answer to her letter, the showers of melody subsided. shadows of old doubts began to creep over the inward sunshine; though she tried to drive them away by recalling gerald's promise to try to secure her safety by making a compromise with her father's creditors. and were not the new arrangements at magnolia lawn a sign that he had accomplished his generous purpose? she was asking herself that question for the hundredth time, as she sat looking out on the twilight landscape, when she heard a well-known voice approaching, singing, "c'est l'amour, l'amour, l'amour, qui fait le monde à la ronde"; and a moment after she was folded in gerald's arms, and he was calling her endearing names in a polyglot of languages, which he had learned from her and floracita. "so you are not very angry with me for going there and finding out your secret," inquired she. "i _was_ angry," he replied; "but while i was coming to you all my anger melted away." "and you do love me as well as ever," said she. "i thought perhaps so many handsome ladies would fall in love with you, that i should not be your rosa _munda_ any more." "i have met many handsome ladies," responded he, "but never one worthy to bear the train of my rosa regina." thus the evening passed in conversation more agreeable to them than the wittiest or the wisest would have been. but it has been well said, "the words of lovers are like the rich wines of the south,--they are delicious in their native soil, but will not bear transportation." the next morning he announced the necessity of returning to the north to complete some business, and said he must, in the mean time, spend some hours at the plantation. "and rosa dear," added he, "i shall really be angry with you if you go there again unless i am with you." she shook her finger at him, and said, with one of her most expressive smiles: "ah, i see through you! you are planning some more pleasant surprises for me. how happy we shall be there! as for that rich uncle of yours, if you will only let me see him, i will do my best to make him love me, and perhaps i shall succeed." "it would be wonderful if you did not, you charming enchantress," responded he. he folded her closely, and looked into the depths of her beautiful eyes with intensity, not unmingled with sadness. a moment after he was waving his hat from the shrubbery; and so he passed away out of her sight. his sudden reappearance, his lavish fondness, his quick departure, and the strange earnestness of his farewell look, were remembered like the flitting visions of a dream. chapter xi. in less than three weeks after that tender parting, an elegant barouche stopped in front of magnolia lawn, and mr. fitzgerald assisted a very pretty blonde young lady to alight from it. as she entered the parlor, wavering gleams of sunset lighted up the pearl-colored paper, softened by lace-shadows from the windows. the lady glanced round the apartment with a happy smile, and, turning to the window, said: "what a beautiful lawn! what superb trees!" "does it equal your expectations, dear?" he asked. "you had formed such romantic ideas of the place, i feared you might be disappointed." "i suppose that was the reason you tried to persuade me to spend our honeymoon in savannah," rejoined she. "but we should be so bored with visitors. here, it seems like the garden of eden, when adam and eve had it all to themselves, before the serpent went there to make mischief. i had heard father and mother tell so much about magnolia lawn that i was eager to see it." "they visited it in spring, when it really does look like paradise," replied he. "it has its beauties now; but this is not the favorable season for seeing it; and after we have been here a few days, i think we had better return to savannah, and come again when the lawn is carpeted with flowers." "i see your mind is bent upon not staying here," answered she; "and i suppose it _would_ be rather tiresome to have no other company than your stupid little lily bell." she spoke with a pouting affectation of reproach, and he exclaimed, "lily, darling!" as he passed his arm round her slender waist, and, putting aside a shower of pale yellowish ringlets, gazed fondly into the blue eyes that were upturned to his. they were interrupted by the entrance of venus, who came to ask their orders. "tell them to serve supper at seven, and then come and show your mistress to her dressing-room," he said. as she retired, he added: "now she'll have something to tell of. she'll be proud enough of being the first to get a full sight of the new missis; and it _is_ a sight worth talking about." with a gratified smile, she glanced at the pier-glass which reflected her graceful little figure, and, taking his arm, she walked slowly round the room, praising the tasteful arrangements. "everything has such a bridal look!" she said. "of course," replied he; "when i have such a fair lily bell for a bride, i wish to have her bower pearly and lily-like. but here is venus come to show you to your dressing-room. i hope you will like the arrangements up stairs also." she kissed her hand to him as she left the room, and he returned the salute. when she had gone, he paced slowly up and down for a few moments. as he passed the piano, he touched the keys in a rambling way. the tones he brought out were a few notes of an air he and rosabella had sung in that same room a few months before. he turned abruptly from the instrument, and looked out from the window in the direction of the lonely cottage, nothing was visible but trees and a line of the ocean beyond. but the chambers of his soul were filled with visions of rosa. he thought of the delightful day they had spent together, looking upon these same scenes; of their songs and caresses in the bower; of her letter, so full of love and glad surprise at the bridal arrangements she supposed he had made for her, "i really hope lily won't insist upon staying here long," thought he; "for it is rather an embarrassing position for me." he seated himself at the piano and swept his hand up and down the keys, as if trying to drown his thoughts in a tempest of sound. but, do what he would, the thoughts spoke loudest; and after a while he leaned his head forward on the piano, lost in revery. a soft little hand touched his head, and a feminine voice inquired, "what are you thinking of, gerald?" "of you, my pearl," he replied, rising hastily, and stooping to imprint a kiss on the forehead of his bride. "and pray what were you thinking about _me_?" she asked. "that you are the greatest beauty in the world, and that i love you better than man ever loved woman," rejoined he. and so the game of courtship went on, till it was interrupted by a summons to supper. when they returned some time later, the curtains were drawn and candles lighted. "you have not yet tried the piano," said he, as he placed the music-stool. she seated herself, and, after running up and down the keys, and saying she liked the tone of the instrument, she began to play and sing "robin adair." she had a sweet, thin voice, and her style of playing indicated rather one who had learned music, than one whose soul lived in its element. fitzgerald thought of the last singing he had heard at that piano; and without asking for another song, he began to sing to her accompaniment, "drink to me only with thine eyes." he had scarcely finished the line, "leave a kiss within the cup, and i'll not ask for wine," when clear, liquid tones rose on the air, apparently from the veranda; and the words they carried on their wings were these:- "down in the meadow, 'mong the clover, i walked with nelly by my side. now all those happy days are over, farewell, my dark virginia bride. nelly was a lady; last night she died. toll the bell for lovely nell, my dark virginia bride." the bride listened intensely, her fingers resting lightly on the keys, and when the sounds--died away she started up, exclaiming, "what a voice! i never heard anything like it." she moved eagerly toward the veranda, but was suddenly arrested by her husband. "no, no, darling," said he. "you mustn't expose yourself to the night air." "then do go out yourself and bring her in," urged she. "i must hear more of that voice. who is she?" "one of the darkies, i suppose," rejoined he. "you know they all have musical gifts." "not such gifts as that, i imagine," she replied. "do go out and bring her in." she was about to draw the curtain aside to look out, when he nervously called her attention to another window. "see here!" he exclaimed. "my people are gathering to welcome their new missis. in answer to tom's request, i told him i would introduce you to them to-night. but you are tired, and i am afraid you will take cold in the evening air; so we will postpone the ceremony until to-morrow." "o, no," she replied, "i would prefer to go now. how their black faces will shine when they see the glass beads and gay handkerchiefs i have brought for them! besides, i want to find out who that singer is. it's strange you don't take more interest in such a voice as that, when you are so full of music. will you have the goodness to ring for my shawl?" with a decision almost peremptory in its tone, he said, "no; i had rather you would _not_ go out." seeing that his manner excited some surprise, he patted her head and added: "mind your husband now, that's a good child. amuse yourself at the piano while i go out." she pouted a little, but finished by saying coaxingly, "come back soon, dear." she attempted to follow him far enough to look out on the veranda, but he gently put her back, and, kissing his hand to her, departed. she raised a corner of the curtain and peeped out to catch the last glimpse of his figure. the moon was rising, and she could see that he walked slowly, peering into spots of dense shadow or thickets of shrubbery, as if looking for some one. but all was motionless and still, save the sound of a banjo from the group of servants. "how i wish i could hear that voice again!" she thought to herself. "it's very singular gerald should appear so indifferent to it. what can be the meaning of it?" she pondered for a few minutes, and then she tried to play; but not finding it entertaining without an auditor, she soon rose, and, drawing aside one of the curtains, looked out upon the lovely night. the grand old trees cast broad shadows on the lawn, and the shrubbery of the garden gleamed in the soft moonlight. she felt solitary without any one to speak to, and, being accustomed to have her whims gratified, she was rather impatient under the prohibition laid upon her. she rung the bell and requested venus to bring her shawl. the obsequious dressing-maid laid it lightly on her shoulders, and holding out a white nubia of zephyr worsted, she said, "p'r'aps missis would like to war dis ere." she stood watching while her mistress twined the gossamer fabric round her head with careless grace. she opened the door for her to pass out on the veranda, and as she looked after her she muttered to herself, "she's a pooty missis; but not such a gran' hansom lady as turrer." a laugh shone through her dark face as she added, "'t would be curus ef she should fine turrer missis out dar." as she passed through the parlor she glanced at the large mirror, which dimly reflected her dusky charms, and said with a smile: "massa knows what's hansome. he's good judge ob we far sex." the remark was inaudible to the bride, who walked up and down the veranda, ever and anon glancing at the garden walks, to see if gerald were in sight. she had a little plan of hiding among the vines when she saw him coming, and peeping out suddenly as he approached. she thought to herself she should look so pretty in the moonlight, that he would forget to chide her. and certainly she was a pleasant vision. her fairy figure, enveloped in soft white folds of muslin, her delicate complexion shaded by curls so fair that they seemed a portion of the fleecy nubia, were so perfectly in unison with the mild radiance of the evening, that she seemed like an embodied portion of the moonlight. gerald absented himself so long that her little plan of surprising him had time to cool. she paused more frequently in her promenade, and looked longer at the distant sparkle of the sea. turning to resume her walk, after one of these brief moments of contemplation, she happened to glance at the lattice-work of the veranda, and through one of its openings saw a large, dark eye watching her. she started to run into the house, but upon second thought she called out, "gerald, you rogue, why didn't you speak to let me know you were there?" she darted toward the lattice, but the eye disappeared. she tried to follow, but saw only a tall shadow gliding away behind the corner of the house. she pursued, but found only a tremulous reflection of vines in the moonlight. she kept on round the house, and into the garden, frequently calling out, "gerald! gerald!" "hark! hark!" she murmured to herself, as some far-off tones of "toll the bell" floated through the air. the ghostly moonlight, the strange, lonely place, and the sad, mysterious sounds made her a little afraid. in a more agitated tone, she called gerald again. in obedience to her summons, she saw him coming toward her in the garden walk. forgetful of her momentary fear, she sprang toward him, exclaiming: "are you a wizard? how did you get there, when two minutes ago you were peeping at me through the veranda lattice?" "i haven't been there," he replied; "but why are you out here, lily, when i particularly requested you to stay in the house till i came?" "o, you were so long coming, that i grew tired of being alone. the moonlight looked so inviting that i went out on the veranda to watch for you; and when i saw you looking at me through the lattice, i ran after you, and couldn't find you." "i haven't been near the lattice," he replied. "if you saw somebody looking at you, i presume it was one of the servants peeping at the new missis." "none of your tricks!" rejoined she, snapping her fingers at him playfully. "it was _your_ eye that i saw. if it weren't for making you vain, i would ask you whether your handsome eyes could be mistaken for the eyes of one of your negroes. but i want you to go with me to that bower down there." "not to-night, dearest," said he. "i will go with you to-morrow." "now is just the time," persisted she. "bowers never look so pretty as by moonlight. i don't think you are very gallant to your bride to refuse her such a little favor." thus urged, he yielded, though reluctantly, to her whim. as she entered the bower, and turned to speak to him, the moonlight fell full upon her figure. "what a pretty little witch you are!" he exclaimed. "my lily bell, my precious pearl, my sylph! you look like a spirit just floated down from the moon." "all moonshine!" replied she, with a smile. he kissed the saucy lips, and the vines which had witnessed other caresses in that same bower, a few months earlier, whispered to each other, but told no tales. she leaned her head upon his bosom, and looking out upon the winding walks of the garden, so fair and peaceful in sheen and shadow, she said that her new home was more beautiful than she had dreamed. "hark!" said she, raising her head suddenly, and listening. "i thought i heard a sigh." "it was only the wind among the vines," he replied. "wandering about in the moonlight has made you nervous." "i believe i _was_ a little afraid before you came," said she. "that eye looking at me through the lattice gave me a start; and while i was running after your shadow, i heard that voice again singing, 'toll the bell.' i wonder how you can be so indifferent about such a remarkable voice, when you are such a lover of music." "i presume, as i told you before, that it was one of the darkies," rejoined he. "i will inquire about it to-morrow." "i should sooner believe it to be the voice of an angel from heaven, than a darky," responded the bride. "i wish i could hear it again before i sleep." in immediate response to her wish, the full rich voice she had invoked began to sing an air from "norma," beginning, "o, how his art deceived thee!" fitzgerald started so suddenly, he overturned a seat near them. "hush!" she whispered, clinging to his arm. thus they stood in silence, she listening with rapt attention, he embarrassed and angry almost beyond endurance. the enchanting sounds were obviously receding. "let us follow her, and settle the question who she is," said lily, trying to pull him forward. but he held her back strongly. "no more running about to-night," he answered almost sternly. then, immediately checking himself, he added, in a gentler tone: "it is imprudent in you to be out so long in the evening air; and i am really very tired, dear lily. to-morrow i will try to ascertain which of the servants has been following you round in this strange way." "do you suppose any servant could sing _that_?" she exclaimed. "they are nearly all musical, and wonderfully imitative," answered he. "they can catch almost anything they hear." he spoke in a nonchalant tone, but she felt his arm tremble as she leaned upon it. he had never before made such an effort to repress rage. in tones of tender anxiety, she said: "i am afraid you are very tired, dear. i am sorry i kept you out so long." "i am rather weary," he replied, taking her hand, and holding it in his. he was so silent as they walked toward the house, that she feared he was seriously offended with her. as they entered the parlor she said, "i didn't think you cared about my not going out, gerald, except on account of my taking cold; and with my shawl and nubia i don't think there was the least danger of that. it was such a beautiful night, i wanted to go out to meet you, dear." he kissed her mechanically, and replied, "i am not offended, darling." "then, if the blue devils possess you, we will try saul's method of driving them away," said she. she seated herself at the piano, and asked him whether he would accompany her with voice or flute. he tried the flute, but played with such uncertainty, that she looked at him with surprise. music was the worst remedy she could have tried to quiet the disturbance in his soul; for its voice evoked ghosts of the past. "i am really tired, lily," said he; and, affecting a drowsiness he did not feel, he proposed retiring for the night. the chamber was beautiful with the moon shining through its rose-tinted drapery, and the murmur of the ocean was a soothing lullaby. but it was long before either of them slept; and when they slumbered, the same voice went singing through their dreams. he was in the flowery parlor at new orleans, listening to "the light of other days"; and she was following a veiled shadow through a strange garden, hearing the intermingled tones of "norma" and "toll the bell." it was late in the morning when she awoke. gerald was gone, but a bouquet of fragrant flowers lay on the pillow beside her. her dressing-gown was on a chair by the bedside, and venus sat at the window sewing. "where is mr. fitzgerald?" she inquired. "he said he war gwine to turrer plantation on business. he leff dem flower dar, an' tole me to say he 'd come back soon." the fair hair was neatly arranged by the black hands that contrasted so strongly with it. the genteel little figure was enveloped in a morning-dress of delicate blue and white french cambric, and the little feet were ensconced in slippers of azure velvet embroidered with silver. the dainty breakfast, served on french porcelain, was slowly eaten, and still gerald returned not. she removed to the chamber window, and, leaning her cheek on her hand, looked out upon the sun-sparkle of the ocean. her morning thought was the same with which she had passed into slumber the previous night. how strange it was that gerald would take no notice of that enchanting voice! the incident that seemed to her a charming novelty had, she knew not why, cast a shadow over the first evening in their bridal home. chapter xii. mr. fitzgerald had ordered his horse to be saddled at an earlier hour than tom had ever known him to ride, except on a hunting excursion, and in his own mind he concluded that his master would be asleep at the hour he had indicated. before he stretched himself on the floor for the night, he expressed this opinion to the cook by saying, "yer know, dinah, white folks is allers mighty wide awake de night afore dey gits up." to his surprise, however, mr. fitzgerald made his appearance at the stable just as he was beginning to comb the horse. "you lazy black rascal," he exclaimed, "didn't i order you to have the horse ready by this time?" "yes, massa," replied tom, sheering out of the way of the upraised whip; "but it peers like massa's watch be leetle bit faster dan de sun dis ere mornin'." the horse was speedily ready, and tom looked after his master as he leaped into the saddle and dashed off in the direction of the lonely cottage. there was a grin on his face as he muttered, "reckon missis don't know whar yer gwine." he walked toward the house, whistling, "nelly was a lady." "dat ar war gwine roun' an' roun' de hus las' night, jes like a sperit. 'twar dat ar spanish lady," said dinah. "she sings splendiferous," rejoined tom, "an' massa liked it more dan de berry bes bottle ob wine." he ended by humming, "now all dem happy days am ober." "better not let massa hear yer sing dat ar," said dinah. "he make yer sing nudder song." "she's mighty gran' lady, an' a bery perlite missis, an' ise sorry fur her," replied tom. mr. fitzgerald had no sense of refreshment in his morning ride. he urged his horse along impatiently, with brow contracted and lips firmly compressed. he was rehearsing in his mind the severe reprimand he intended to bestow upon rosa. he expected to be met with tears and reproaches, to which he would show himself hard till she made contrite apologies for her most unexpected and provoking proceedings. it was his purpose to pardon her at last, for he was far enough from wishing to lose her; and she had always been so gentle and submissive, that he entertained no doubt the scene would end with a loving willingness to accept his explanations, and believe in his renewed professions. "she loves me to distraction, and she is entirely in my power," thought he. "it will be strange indeed if i cannot mould her as i will." arrived at the cottage, he found tulee washing on a bench outside the kitchen. "good morning, tulee," said he. "is your mistress up yet?" "missy rosy ha'n't been asleep," she answered in a very cold tone, without looking up from her work. he entered the house, and softly opened the door of rosa's sleeping apartment. she was walking slowly, with arms crossed, looking downward, as if plunged in thought. her extreme pallor disarmed him, and there was no hardness in his tone when he said, "rosabella!" she started, for she had supposed the intruder was tulee. with head proudly erect, nostrils dilated, and eyes that flashed fire, she exclaimed, "how dare you come here?" this reception was so entirely unexpected, that it disconcerted him; and instead of the severe reproof he had contemplated, he said, in an expostulating tone: "rosa, i always thought you the soul of honor. when we parted, you promised not to go to the plantation unless i was with you. is this the way you keep your word?" "_you_ talk of honor and promises!" she exclaimed. the sneer conveyed in the tones stung him to the quick. but he made an effort to conceal his chagrin, and said, with apparent calmness: "you must admit it was an unaccountable freak to start for the plantation in the evening, and go wandering round the grounds in that mysterious way. what could have induced you to take such a step?" "i accidentally overheard tom telling tulee that you were to bring home a bride from the north yesterday. i could not believe it of you, and i was too proud to question him. but after reflecting upon it, i chose to go and see for myself. and when i _had_ seen for myself, i wished to remind you of that past which you seemed to have forgotten." "curse on tom!" he exclaimed. "he shall smart for this mischief." "don't be so unmanly as to punish a poor servant for mentioning a piece of news that interested the whole plantation, and which must of course be a matter of notoriety," she replied very quietly. "both he and tulee were delicate enough to conceal it from me." fitzgerald felt embarrassed by her perfect self-possession. after a slight pause, during which she kept her face averted from him, he said: "i confess that appearances are against me, and that you have reason to feel offended. but if you knew just how i was situated, you would, perhaps, judge me less harshly. i have met with heavy losses lately, and i was in danger of becoming bankrupt unless i could keep up my credit by a wealthy marriage. the father of this young lady is rich, and she fell in love with me. i have married her; but i tell you truly, dear rosa, that i love you more than i ever loved any other woman." "you say she loved you, and yet you could deceive her so," she replied. "you could conceal from her that you already had a wife. when i watched her as she walked on the veranda i was tempted to reveal myself, and disclose your baseness." fitzgerald's eyes flashed with sudden anger, as he vociferated, "rosa, if you ever dare to set up any such claim--" "if i _dare_!" she exclaimed, interrupting him in a tone of proud defiance, that thrilled through all his nerves. alarmed by the strength of character which he had never dreamed she possessed, he said: "in your present state of mind, there is no telling what you may dare to do. it becomes necessary for you to understand your true position. you are not my wife. the man who married us had no legal authority to perform the ceremony." "o steeped in falsehood to the lips!" exclaimed she. "and _you_ are the idol i have worshipped!" he looked at her with astonishment not unmingled with admiration. "rosa, i could not have believed you had such a temper," rejoined he. "but why will you persist in making yourself and me unhappy? as long as my wife is ignorant of my love for you, no harm is done. if you would only listen to reason, we might still be happy. i could manage to visit you often. you would find me as affectionate as ever; and i will provide amply for you." "_provide_ for me?" she repeated slowly, looking him calmly and loftily in the face. "what have you ever seen in me, mr. fitzgerald, that has led you to suppose i would consent to sell myself?" his susceptible temperament could not withstand the regal beauty of her proud attitude and indignant look. "o rosa," said he, "there is no woman on earth to be compared with you. if you only knew how i idolize you at this moment, after all the cruel words you have uttered, you surely would relent. why will you not be reasonable, dearest? why not consent to live with me as your mother lived with your father?" "don't wrong the memory of my mother," responded she hastily. "she was too pure and noble to be dishonored by your cruel laws. she would never have entered into any such base and degrading arrangement as you propose. she couldn't have lived under the perpetual shame of deceiving another wife. she couldn't have loved my father, if he had deceived her as you have deceived me. she trusted him entirely, and in return he gave her his undivided affection." "and i give you undivided affection," he replied. "by all the stars of heaven, i swear that you are now, as you always have been, my rosa regina, my rosa _munda_." "do not exhaust your oaths," rejoined she, with a contemptuous curl of the lip. "keep some of them for your lily bell, your precious pearl, your moonlight sylph." thinking the retort implied a shade of jealousy, he felt encouraged to persevere. "you may thank your own imprudence for having overheard words so offensive to you," responded he. "but rosa, dearest, you cannot, with all your efforts, drive from you the pleasant memories of our love. you surely do not hate me?" "no, mr. fitzgerald; you have fallen below hatred. i despise you." his brow contracted, and his lips tightened. "i cannot endure this treatment," said he, in tones of suppressed rage. "you tempt me too far. you compel me to humble your pride. since i cannot persuade you to listen to expostulations and entreaties, i must inform you that my power over you is complete. you are my slave. i bought you of your father's creditors before i went to nassau. i can sell you any day i choose; and, by jove, i will, if--" the sudden change that came over her arrested him. she pressed one hand hard upon her heart, and gasped for breath. he sank at once on his knees, crying, "o, forgive me, rosa! i was beside myself." but she gave no sign of hearing him; and seeing her reel backward into a chair, with pale lips and closing eyes, he hastened to summon tulee. such remorse came over him that he longed to wait for her returning consciousness. but he remembered that his long absence must excite surprise in the mind of his bride, and might, perhaps, connect itself with the mysterious singer of the preceding evening. goaded by contending feelings, he hurried through the footpaths whence he had so often kissed his hand to rosa in fond farewell, and hastily mounted his horse without one backward glance. before he came in sight of the plantation, the perturbation of his mind had subsided, and he began to think himself a much-injured individual. "plague on the caprices of women!" thought he. "all this comes of lily's taking the silly, romantic whim of coming here to spend the honeymoon. and rosa, foolish girl, what airs she assumes! i wanted to deal generously by her; but she rejected all my offers as haughtily as if she had been queen of spain and all the americas. there's a devilish deal more of the spanish blood in her than i thought for. pride becomes her wonderfully; but it won't hold out forever. she'll find that she can't live without me. i can wait." feeling the need of some safety-valve to let off his vexation, he selected poor tom for that purpose. when the obsequious servant came to lead away the horse, his master gave him a sharp cut of the whip, saying, "i'll teach you to tell tales again, you black rascal!" but having a dainty aversion to the sight of pain, he summoned the overseer, and consigned him to his tender mercies. chapter xiii. if flora could have known all this, the sisters would have soon been locked in each other's arms; but while she supposed that rosa still regarded mr. fitzgerald with perfect love and confidence, no explanation of her flight could be given. she did indeed need to be often reminded by mrs. delano that it would be the most unkind thing toward her sister, as well as hazardous to herself, to attempt any communication. notwithstanding the tenderest care for her comfort and happiness, she could not help being sometimes oppressed with homesickness. her boston home was tasteful and elegant, but everything seemed foreign and strange. she longed for rosa and tulee, and madame and the signor. she missed what she called the _olla-podrida_ phrases to which she had always been accustomed; and in her desire to behave with propriety, there was an unwonted sense of constraint. when callers came, she felt like a colt making its first acquaintance with harness. she endeavored to conceal such feelings from her kind benefactress; but sometimes, if she was surprised in tears, she would say apologetically, "i love you dearly, mamita lila; but it is dreadful to be so far away from anybody that ever knew anything about the old times." "but you forget that i do know something about them, darling," replied mrs. delano. "i am never so happy as when you are telling me about your father. perhaps by and by, when you have become enough used to your new home to feel as mischievous as you are prone to be, you will take a fancy to sing to me, 'o, there's nothing half so sweet in life as love's _old_ dream.'" it was beautiful to see how girlish the sensible and serious lady became in her efforts to be companionable to her young _protégée_. day after day, her intimate friends found her playing battledoor or the graces, or practising pretty french romanzas, flowery rondeaux, or lively dances. she was surprised at herself; for she had not supposed it possible for her ever to take an interest in such things after her daughter died. but, like all going out of self, these efforts brought their recompense. she always introduced the little stranger as "miss flora delano, my adopted daughter." to those who were curious to inquire further, she said: "she is an orphan, in whom i became much interested in the west indies. as we were both very much alone in the world, i thought the wisest thing we could do would be to cheer each other's loneliness." no allusion was ever made to her former name, for that might have led to inconvenient questions concerning her father's marriage; and, moreover, the lady had no wish to resuscitate the little piece of romance in her own private history, now remembered by few. it was contrary to mrs. delano's usual caution and deliberation to adopt a stranger so hastily; and had she been questioned beforehand, she would have pronounced it impossible for her to enter into such a relation with one allied to the colored race, and herself a slave. but a strange combination of circumstances had all at once placed her in this most unexpected position. she never for one moment regretted the step she had taken; but the consciousness of having a secret to conceal, especially a secret at war with the conventional rules of society, was distasteful to her, and felt as some diminution of dignity. she did not believe in the genuineness of rosa's marriage, though she deemed it best not to impart such doubts to flora. if mr. fitzgerald should marry another, she foresaw that it would be her duty to assist in the reunion of the sisters, both of whom were slaves. she often thought to herself, "in what a singular complication i have become involved! so strange for me, who have such an aversion to all sorts of intrigues and mysteries." with these reflections were mingled anxieties concerning flora's future. of course, it would not be well for her to be deprived of youthful companionship; and if she mixed with society, her handsome person, her musical talent, and her graceful dancing would be sure to attract admirers. and then, would it be right to conceal her antecedents? and if they should be explained or accidentally discovered, after her young affections were engaged, what disappointment and sadness might follow! but flora's future was in a fair way to take care of itself. one day she came flying into the parlor with her face all aglow. "o mamita lila," exclaimed she, "i have had such a pleasant surprise! i went to mr. goldwin's store to do your errand, and who should i find there but florimond blumenthal!" "and, pray, who is florimond blumenthal?" inquired mrs. delano. "o, haven't i told you? i thought i had told you all about everybody and everything. he was a poor orphan, that papa took for an errand-boy. he sent him to school, and afterward he was his clerk. he came to our house often when i was a little girl; but after he grew tall, papa used to send an old negro man to do our errands. so i didn't see him any more till _cher papa_ died. he was very kind to us then. he was the one that brought those beautiful baskets i told you of. isn't it funny? they drove him away from new orleans because they said he was an abolitionist, and that he helped us to escape, when he didn't know anything at all about it. he said he heard we had gone to the north. and he went looking all round in new york, and then he came to boston, hoping to see us or hear from us some day; but he had about done expecting it when i walked into the store. you never saw anybody so red as he was, when he held out his hand and said, in such a surprised way, 'miss royal, is it you?' just out of mischief, i told him very demurely that my name was delano. then he became very formal all at once, and said, 'does this silk suit you, mrs. delano?' that made me laugh, and blush too. i told him i wasn't married, but a kind lady in summer street had adopted me and given me her name. some other customers came up to the counter, and so i had to come away." "did you ask him not to mention your former name?" inquired mrs. delano. "no, i hadn't time to think of that," replied flora; "but i _will_ ask him." "don't go to the store on purpose to see him, dear. young ladies should be careful about such things," suggested her maternal friend. two hours afterward, as they returned from a carriage-drive, flora had just drawn off her gloves, when she began to rap on the window, and instantly darted into the street. mrs. delano, looking out, saw her on the opposite sidewalk, in earnest conversation with a young gentleman. when she returned, she said to her: "you shouldn't rap on the windows to young gentlemen, my child. it hasn't a good appearance." "i didn't rap to young gentlemen," replied flora. "it was only florimond. i wanted to tell him not to mention my name. he asked me about my sister, and i told him she was alive and well, and i couldn't tell him any more at present. florimond won't mention anything i request him not to,--i know he won't." mrs. delano smiled to herself at flora's quick, off-hand way of doing things. "but after all," thought she, "it is perhaps better settled so, than it would have been with more ceremony." then speaking aloud, she said, "your friend has a very blooming name." "his name was franz," rejoined flora; "but mamita called him florimond, because he had such pink cheeks; and he liked mamita so much, that he always writes his name franz florimond. we always had so many flowery names mixed up with our _olla-podrida_ talk. _your_ name is flowery too. i used to say mamita would have called you lady viola; but violet colors and lilac colors are cousins, and they both suit your complexion and your name, mamita lila." after dinner, she began to play and sing with more gayety than she had manifested for many a day. while her friend played, she practised several new dances with great spirit; and after she had kissed good-night, she went twirling through the door, as if music were handing her out. mrs. delano sat awhile in revery. she was thinking what a splendid marriage her adopted daughter might make, if it were not for that stain upon her birth. she was checked by the thought: "how i have fallen into the world's ways, which seemed to me so mean and heartless when i was young! was _i_ happy in the splendid marriage they made for _me_? from what flora lets out occasionally, i judge her father felt painfully the anomalous position of his handsome daughters. alas! if i had not been so weak as to give him up, all this miserable entanglement might have been prevented. so one wrong produces another wrong; and thus frightfully may we affect the destiny of others, while blindly following the lead of selfishness. but the past, with all its weaknesses and sins, has gone beyond recall; and i must try to write a better record on the present." as she passed to her sleeping-room, she softly entered the adjoining chamber, and, shading the lamp with her hand, she stood for a moment looking at flora. though it was but a few minutes since she was darting round like a humming-bird, she was now sleeping as sweetly as a babe. she made an extremely pretty picture in her slumber, with the long dark eyelashes resting on her youthful cheek, and a shower of dark curls falling over her arm. "no wonder alfred loved her so dearly," thought she. "if his spirit can see us, he must bless me for saving his innocent child." filled with this solemn and tender thought, she knelt by the bedside, and prayed for blessing and guidance in the task she had undertaken. the unexpected finding of a link connected with old times had a salutary effect on flora's spirits. in the morning, she said that she had had pleasant dreams about rosabella and tulee, and that she didn't mean to be homesick any more. "it's very ungrateful," added she, "when my dear, good mamita lila does so much to make me happy." "to help you keep your good resolution, i propose that we go to the athenaeum," said mrs. delano, smiling. flora had never been in a gallery of paintings, and she was as much pleased as a little child with a new picture-book. her enthusiasm attracted attention, and visitors smiled to see her clap her hands, and to hear her little shouts of pleasure or of fun. ladies said to each other, "it's plain that this lively little _adoptée_ of mrs. delano's has never been much in good society." and gentlemen answered, "it is equally obvious that she has never kept vulgar company." mrs. delano's nice ideas of conventional propriety were a little disturbed, and she was slightly annoyed by the attention they attracted. but she said to herself, "if i am always checking the child, i shall spoil the naturalness which makes her so charming." so she quietly went on explaining the pictures, and giving an account of the artists. the next day it rained; and mrs. delano read aloud "the lady of the lake," stopping now and then to explain its connection with scottish history, or to tell what scenes rossini had introduced in _la donna del lago_, which she had heard performed in paris. the scenes of the opera were eagerly imbibed, but the historical lessons rolled off her memory, like water from a duck's back. it continued to rain and drizzle for three days; and flora, who was very atmospheric, began to yield to the dismal influence of the weather. her watchful friend noticed the shadow of homesickness coming over the sunlight of her eyes, and proposed that they should go to a concert. flora objected, saying that music would make her think so much of rosabella, she was afraid she should cry in public. but when the programme was produced, she saw nothing associated with her sister, and said, "i will go if you wish it, mamita lila, because i like to do everything you wish." she felt very indifferent about going; but when mr. wood came forward, singing, "the sea, the sea, the open sea!" in tones so strong and full that they seemed the voice of the sea itself, she was half beside herself with delight. she kept time with her head and hands, with a degree of animation that made the people round her smile. she, quite unconscious of observation, swayed to the music, and ever and anon nodded her approbation to a fair-faced young gentleman, who seemed to be enjoying the concert very highly, though not to such a degree as to be oblivious of the audience. mrs. delano was partly amused and partly annoyed. she took flora's hand, and by a gentle pressure, now and then, sought to remind her that they were in public; but she understood it as an indication of musical sympathy, and went on all the same. when they entered the carriage to return home, she drew a long breath, and exclaimed, o mamita, how i have enjoyed the concert!" "i am very glad of it," replied her friend. "i suppose that was mr. blumenthal to whom you nodded several times, and who followed you to the carriage. but, my dear, it isn't the custom for young ladies to keep nodding to young gentlemen in public places." "isn't it? i didn't think anything about it," rejoined flora. "but florimond isn't a gentleman. he's an old acquaintance. don't you find it very tiresome, mamita, to be always remembering what is the custom? i'm sure _i_ shall never learn." when she went singing up stairs that night, mrs. delano smiled to herself as she said, "what _am_ i to do with this mercurial young creature? what an overturn she makes in all my serious pursuits and quiet ways! but there is something singularly refreshing about the artless little darling." warm weather was coming, and mrs. delano began to make arrangements for passing the summer at newport; but her plans were suddenly changed. one morning flora wished to purchase some colored crayons to finish a drawing she had begun. as she was going out, her friend said to her, "the sun shines so brightly, you had better wear your veil." "o, i've been muffled up so much, i do detest veils," replied flora, half laughingly and half impatiently. "i like to have a whole world full of air to breathe in. but if you wish it, mamita lila, i will wear it." it seemed scarcely ten minutes after, when the door-bell was rung with energy, and flora came in nervously agitated. "o mamita!" exclaimed she, "i am so glad you advised me to wear a veil. i met mr. fitzgerald in this very street. i don't think he saw me, for my veil was close, and as soon as i saw him coming i held my head down. he can't take me here in boston, and carry me off, can he?" "he shall not carry you off, darling; but you must not go in the street, except in the carriage with me. we will sit up stairs, a little away from the windows; and if i read aloud, you won't forget yourself and sing at your embroidery or drawing, as you are apt to do. it's not likely he will remain in the city many days, and i will try to ascertain his movements." before they had settled to their occupations, a ring at the door made flora start, and quickened the pulses of her less excitable friend. it proved to be only a box of flowers from the country. but mrs. delano, uneasy in the presence of an undefined danger, the nature and extent of which she did not understand, opened her writing-desk and wrote the following note:-"mr. willard percival. "dear sir,--if you can spare an hour this evening to talk with me on a subject of importance, you will greatly oblige yours, "very respectfully, "lila delano" a servant was sent with the note, and directed to admit no gentleman during the day or evening, without first bringing up his name. while they were lingering at the tea-table, the door-bell rang, and flora, with a look of alarm, started to run up stairs. "wait a moment, till the name is brought in," said her friend. "if i admit the visitor, i should like to have you follow me to the parlor, and remain there ten or fifteen minutes. you can then go to your room, and when you are there, dear, be careful not to sing loud. mr. fitzgerald shall not take you from me; but if he were to find out you were here, it might give rise to talk that would be unpleasant." the servant announced mr. willard percival; and a few moments afterward mrs. delano introduced her _protégée_. mr. percival was too well bred to stare, but the handsome, foreign-looking little damsel evidently surprised him. he congratulated them both upon the relation between them, and said he need not wish the young lady happiness in her new home, for he believed mrs. delano always created an atmosphere of happiness around her. after a few moments of desultory conversation, flora left the room. when she had gone, mr. percival remarked, "that is a very fascinating young person." "i thought she would strike you agreeably," replied mrs. delano. "her beauty and gracefulness attracted me the first time i saw her; and afterward i was still more taken by her extremely _naïve_ manner. she has been brought up in seclusion as complete as miranda's on the enchanted island; and there is no resisting the charm of her impulsive naturalness. but, if you please, i will now explain the note i sent to you this morning. i heard some months ago that you had joined the anti-slavery society." "and did you send for me hoping to convert me from the error of my ways?" inquired he, smiling. "on the contrary, i sent for you to consult concerning a slave in whom i am interested." "_you_, mrs. delano!" he exclaimed, in a tone of great surprise. "you may well think it strange," she replied, "knowing, as you do, how bitterly both my father and my husband were opposed to the anti-slavery agitation, and how entirely apart my own life has been from anything of that sort. but while i was at the south this winter, i heard of a case which greatly interested my feelings. a wealthy american merchant in new orleans became strongly attached to a beautiful quadroon, who was both the daughter and the slave of a spanish planter. her father became involved in some pecuniary trouble, and sold his daughter to the american merchant, knowing that they were mutually attached. her bondage was merely nominal, for the tie of affection remained constant between them as long as she lived; and he would have married her if such marriages had been legal in louisiana. by some unaccountable carelessness, he neglected to manumit her. she left two handsome and accomplished daughters, who always supposed their mother to be a spanish lady, and the wedded wife of their father. but he died insolvent, and, to their great dismay, they found themselves claimed as slaves under the southern law, that 'the child follows the condition of the mother.' a southern gentleman, who was in love with the eldest, married her privately, and smuggled them both away to nassau. after a while he went there to meet them, having previously succeeded in buying them of the creditors. but his conduct toward the younger was so base, that she absconded. the question i wish to ask of you is, whether, if he should find her in the free states, he could claim her as his slave, and have his claim allowed by law." "not if he sent them to nassau," replied mr. percival. "british soil has the enviable distinction of making free whosoever touches it." "but he afterward brought them back to an island between georgia and south carolina," said mrs. delano. "the eldest proved a most loving and faithful wife, and to this day has no suspicion of his designs with regard to her sister." "if he married her before he went to nassau, the ceremony is not binding," rejoined mr. percival; "for no marriage with a slave is legal in the southern states." "i was ignorant of that law," said mrs. delano, "being very little informed on the subject of slavery. but i suspected trickery of some sort in the transaction, because he proved himself so unprincipled with regard to the sister." "and where is the sister?" inquired mr. percival. "i trust to your honor as a gentleman to keep the secret from every mortal," answered mrs. delano. "you have seen her this evening." "is it possible," he exclaimed, "that you mean to say she is your adopted daughter?" "i did mean to say that," she replied. "i have placed great confidence in you; for you can easily imagine it would be extremely disagreeable to me, as well as to her, to become objects of public notoriety." "your confidence is a sacred deposit," answered he. "i have long been aware that the most romantic stories in the country have grown out of the institution of slavery; but this seems stranger than fiction. with all my knowledge of the subject, i find it hard to realize that such a young lady as that has been in danger of being sold on the auction-block in this republic. it makes one desirous to conceal that he is an american." "my principal reason for wishing to consult you," said mrs. delano, "is, that mr. fitzgerald, the purchaser of these girls, is now in the city, and flora met him this morning. luckily, she was closely veiled, and he did not recognize her. i think it is impossible he can have obtained any clew to my connivance at her escape, and yet i feel a little uneasy. i am so ignorant of the laws on this subject, that i don't know what he has the power to do if he discovers her. can he claim her here in boston?" "he could claim her and bring her before the united states court," replied mr. percival; "but i doubt whether he _would_ do it. to claim such a girl as _that_ for a slave, would excite general sympathy and indignation, and put too much ammunition into the hands of us abolitionists. besides, no court in the free states could help deciding that, if he sent her to nassau, she became free. if he should discover her whereabouts, i shouldn't wonder if attempts were made to kidnap her; for men of his character are very unscrupulous, and there are plenty of caitiffs in boston ready to do any bidding of their southern masters. if she were conveyed to the south, though the courts _ought_ to decide she was free, it is doubtful whether they _would_ do it; for, like achilles, they scorn the idea that laws were made for such as they." "if i were certain that mr. fitzgerald knew of her being here, or that he even suspected it," said mrs. delano, "i would at once take measures to settle the question by private purchase; but the presumption is that he and the sister suppose flora to be dead, and her escape cannot be made known without betraying the cause of it. flora has a great dread of disturbing her sister's happiness, and she thinks that, now she is away, all will go well. another difficulty is, that, while the unfortunate lady believes herself to be his lawful wife, she is really his slave, and if she should offend him in any way he could sell her. it troubles me that i cannot discover any mode of ascertaining whether he deserts her or not. he keeps her hidden in the woods in that lonely island, where her existence is unknown, except to a few of his negro slaves. the only white friends she seems to have in the world are her music teacher and french teacher in new orleans. mr. fitzgerald has impressed it upon their minds that the creditors of her father will prosecute him, and challenge him, if they discover that he first conveyed the girls away and then bought them at reduced prices. therefore, if i should send an agent to new orleans at any time to obtain tidings of the sister, those cautious friends would doubtless consider it a trap of the creditors, and would be very secretive." "it is a tangled skein to unravel," rejoined mr. percival. "i do not see how anything can be done for the sister, under present circumstances." "i feel undecided what course to pursue with regard to my adopted daughter," said mrs. delano. "entire seclusion is neither cheerful nor salutary at her age. but her person and manners attract attention and excite curiosity. i am extremely desirous to keep her history secret, but i already find it difficult to answer questions without resorting to falsehood, which is a practice exceedingly abhorrent to me, and a very bad education for her. after this meeting with mr. fitzgerald, i cannot take her to any public place without a constant feeling of uneasiness. the fact is, i am so unused to intrigues and mysteries, and i find it so hard to realize that a young girl like her _can_ be in such a position, that i am bewildered, and need time to settle my thoughts upon a rational basis." "such a responsibility is so new to you, so entirely foreign to your habits, that it must necessarily be perplexing," replied her visitor. "i would advise you to go abroad for a while. mrs. percival and i intend to sail for europe soon, and if you will join us we shall consider ourselves fortunate." "i accept the offer thankfully," said the lady. "it will help me out of a present difficulty in the very way i was wishing for." when the arrangement was explained to flora, with a caution not to go in the streets, or show herself at the windows meanwhile, she made no objection. but she showed her dimples with a broad smile, as she said, "it is written in the book of fate, mamita lila, 'always hiding or running away.'" chapter xiv. alfred r. king, when summoned home to boston by the illness of his mother, had, by advice of physicians, immediately accompanied her to the south of france, and afterward to egypt. finding little benefit from change of climate, and longing for familiar scenes and faces, she urged her son to return to new england, after a brief sojourn in italy. she was destined never again to see the home for which she yearned. the worn-out garment of her soul was laid away under a flowery mound in florence, and her son returned alone. during the two years thus occupied, communication with the united states had been much interrupted, and his thoughts had been so absorbed by his dying mother, that the memory of that bright evening in new orleans recurred less frequently than it would otherwise have done. still, the veiled picture remained in his soul, making the beauty of all other women seem dim. as he recrossed the atlantic, lonely and sad, a radiant vision of those two sisters sometimes came before his imagination with the distinctness of actual presence. as he sat silently watching the white streak of foam in the wake of the vessel, he could see, as in a mirror, all the details of that flowery parlor; he could hear the continuous flow of the fountain in the garden, and the melodious tones of "buena notte, amato bene." arrived in boston, his first inquiry of the merchants was whether they had heard anything of mr. royal. he received the news of his death with a whirl of emotions. how he longed for tidings concerning the daughters! but questions would of course be unavailing, since their existence was entirely unknown at the north. that mr. royal had died insolvent, and his property had been disposed of at auction, filled him with alarm. it instantly occurred to him how much power such circumstances would place in the hands of mr. fitzgerald. the thought passed through his mind, "would he marry rosabella?" and he seemed to hear a repetition of the light, careless tones, "of course not,--she was a quadroon." his uneasiness was too strong to be restrained, and the second day after his arrival he started for new orleans. he found the store of his old friend occupied by strangers, who could only repeat what he had already heard. he rode out to the house where he had passed that never-to-be-forgotten evening. there all was painfully changed. the purchasers had refurnished the house with tasteless gewgaws, and the spirit of gracefulness had vanished. their unmodulated voices grated on his ear, in contrast with the liquid softness of rosabella's tones, and the merry, musical tinkling of floracita's prattle. all they could tell him was, that they heard the quadroons who used to be kept there by the gentleman that owned the house had gone to the north somewhere. a pang shot through his soul as he asked himself whether they remembered his offer of assistance, and had gone in search of him. he turned and looked back upon the house, as he had done that farewell morning, when he assured them that he would be a brother in time of need. he could hardly believe that all the life and love and beauty which animated that home had vanished into utter darkness. it seemed stranger than the changes of a dream. very sad at heart, he returned to the city and sought out a merchant with whom his father had been accustomed to transact business. "mr. talbot," said he, "i have come to new orleans to inquire concerning the affairs of the late mr. alfred royal, who was a particular friend of my father. i have been surprised to hear that he died insolvent; for i supposed him to be wealthy." "he was generally so considered," rejoined mr. talbot. "but he was brought down by successive failures, and some unlucky investments, as we merchants often are, you know." "were you acquainted with him," asked alfred. "i knew very little of him, except in the way of business," replied the merchant. "he was disinclined to society, and therefore some people considered him eccentric; but he had the reputation of being a kind-hearted, honorable man." "i think he never married," said alfred, in a tone of hesitating inquiry, which he hoped might lead to the subject he had at heart. but it only elicited the brief reply, "he was a bachelor." "did you ever hear of any family not legitimated by law?" inquired the young man. "there was a rumor about his living somewhere out of the city with a handsome quadroon," answered the merchant. "but such arrangements are so common here, they excite no curiosity." "can you think of any one who had intimate relations with him, of whom i could learn something about that connection?" "no, i cannot. as i tell you, he never mixed with society, and people knew very little about him. ha! there's a gentleman going by now, who may be able to give you some information. hallo, signor papanti!" the italian, who was thus hailed, halted in his quick walk, and, being beckoned to by mr. talbot, crossed the street and entered the store. "i think you brought a bill against the estate of the late mr. alfred royal for lessons given to some quadroon girls. did you not?" inquired the merchant. having received an answer in the affirmative, he said: "this is mr. king, a young gentleman from the north, who wishes to obtain information on that subject. perhaps you can give it to him." "i remember the young gentleman," replied the signor. "mr. royal did introduce me to him at his store." the two gentlemen thus introduced bade mr. talbot good morning, and walked away together, when mr. king said, "my father and mr. royal were as brothers, and that is the reason i feel interested to know what has become of his daughters." the italian replied, "i will tell _you_, sir, because mr. royal told me you were an excellent man, and the son of his old friend." rapid questions and answers soon brought out the principal features of the sisters' strange history. when it came to the fact of their being claimed as slaves, mr. king started. "is such a thing possible in this country?" he exclaimed. "girls so elegant and accomplished as they were!" "quite possible, sir," responded the signor. "i have known several similar instances in this city. but in this case i was surprised, because i never knew their mother was a slave. she was a singularly handsome and ladylike woman." "how was it possible that mr. royal neglected to manumit her?" inquired the young man. "i suppose he never thought of her otherwise than as his wife, and never dreamed of being otherwise than rich," rejoined the signor." besides, you know how often death does overtake men with their duties half fulfilled. he did manumit his daughters a few months before his decease; but it was decided that he was then too deeply in debt to have a right to dispose of any portion of his property." "property!" echoed the indignant young man. "such a term applied to women makes me an abolitionist." "please not to speak that word aloud," responded the italian. "i was in prison several weeks on the charge of helping off those interesting pupils of mine, and i don't know what might have become of me, if mr. fitzgerald had not helped me by money and influence. i have my own opinions about slavery, but i had rather go out of new orleans before i express them." "a free country indeed!" exclaimed the young man, "where one cannot safely express his indignation against such enormities. but tell me how the girls were rescued from such a dreadful fate; for by the assurance you gave me at the outset that they needed no assistance, i infer that they were rescued." he listened with as much composure as he could to the account of mr. fitzgerald's agency in their escape, his marriage, rosabella's devoted love for him, and her happy home on a paradisian island. the signor summed it up by saying, "i believe her happiness has been entirely without alloy, except the sad fate of her sister, of which we heard a few weeks ago." "what has happened to her?" inquired alfred, with eager interest. "she went to the sea-shore to gather mosses, and never returned," replied the signor. "it is supposed she slipped into the water and was drowned, or that she was seized by an alligator." "o horrid!" exclaimed alfred. "poor floracita! what a bright, beaming little beauty she was! but an alligator's mouth was a better fate than slavery." "again touching upon the dangerous topic!" rejoined the signor. "if you stay here long, i think you and the prison-walls will become acquainted. but here is what used to be poor mr. royal's happy home, and yonder is where madame papanti resides,--the madame guirlande i told you of, who befriended the poor orphans when they had no other friend. her kindness to them, and her courage in managing for them, was what first put it in my head to ask her to be my wife. come in and have a _tête-à-tête_ with her, sir. she knew the girls from the time they were born, and she loved them like a mother." within the house, the young man listened to a more prolonged account, some of the details of which were new, others a repetition. madame dwelt with evident satisfaction on the fact that rosa, in the midst of all her peril, refused to accept the protection of mr. fitzgerald, unless she were married to him; because she had so promised her father, the night before he died. "that was highly honorable to her," replied mr. king; "but marriage with a slave is not valid in law." "so the signor says," rejoined madame. "i was so frightened and hurried, and i was so relieved when a protector offered himself, that i didn't think to inquire anything about it. before mr. fitzgerald made his appearance, we had planned to go to boston in search of you." "of _me_!" he exclaimed eagerly. "o, how i wish you had, and that i had been in boston to receive you!" "well, i don't know that anything better could be done than has been done," responded madame. "the girls were handsome to the perdition of their souls, as we say in france; and they knew no more about the world than two blind kittens. their mother came here a stranger, and she made no acquaintance. thus they seemed to be left singularly alone when their parents were gone. mr. fitzgerald was so desperately in love with rosabella, and she with him, that they could not have been kept long apart any way. he has behaved very generously toward them. by purchasing them, he has taken them out of the power of the creditors, some of whom were very bad men. he bought rosa's piano, and several other articles to which they were attached on their father's and mother's account, and conveyed them privately to the new home he had provided for them. rosabella always writes of him as the most devoted of husbands; and dear little floracita used to mention him as the kindest of brothers. so there seems every reason to suppose that rosa will be as fortunate as her mother was." "i hope so," replied mr. king. "but i know mr. royal had very little confidence in mr. fitzgerald; and the brief acquaintance i had with him impressed me with the idea that he was a heartless, insidious man. moreover, they are his slaves." "they don't know that," rejoined madame. "he has had the delicacy to conceal it from them." "it would have been more delicate to have recorded their manumission," responded mr. king. "that would necessarily involve change of residence," remarked the signor; "for the laws of georgia forbid the manumission of slaves within the state." "what blasphemy to call such cruel enactments by the sacred name of law!" replied the young man. "as well might the compacts of robbers to secure their plunder be called law. the walls have no ears or tongues, signor," added he, smiling; "so i think you will not be thrust in jail for having such an imprudent guest. but, as i was saying, i cannot help having misgivings concerning the future. i want you to keep a sharp lookout concerning the welfare of those young ladies, and to inform me from time to time. wheresoever i may happen to be, i will furnish you with my address, and i wish you also to let me know where you are to be found, if you should change your residence. my father and mr. royal were like brothers when they were young men, and if my father were living he would wish to protect the children of his friend. the duty that he would have performed devolves upon me. i will deposit five thousand dollars with mr. talbot, for their use, subject to your order, should any unhappy emergency occur. i say _their_ use, bearing in mind the possibility that floracita may reappear, though that seems very unlikely. but, my friends, i wish to bind you, by the most solemn promise, never to mention my name in connection with this transaction, and never to give any possible clew to it. i wish you also to conceal my having come here to inquire concerning them. if they ever need assistance, i do not wish them to know or conjecture who their benefactor is. if you have occasion to call for the money, merely say that an old friend of their father's deposited it for their use." "i will solemnly pledge myself to secrecy," answered the signor; "and though secrets are not considered very safe with women, i believe madame may be trusted to any extent, where the welfare of these girls is concerned." "i think you might say rather more than that, my friend," rejoined madame. "but that will do. i promise to do in all respects as the young gentleman has requested, though i trust and believe that his precautions will prove needless. mr. fitzgerald is very wealthy, and i cannot suppose it possible that he would ever allow rosabella to want for anything." "that may be," replied mr. king. "but storms come up suddenly in the sunniest skies, as was the case with poor mr. royal. if mr. fitzgerald's love remains constant, he may fail, or he may die, without making provision for her manumission or support." "that is very true," answered the signor. "how much forecast you yankees have!" "i should hardly deserve that compliment, my friends, if i failed to supply you with the necessary means to carry out my wishes." he put two hundred dollars into the hands of each, saying, "you will keep me informed on the subject; and if mrs. fitzgerald should be ill or in trouble, your will go to her." they remonstrated, saying it was too much. "take it then for what you _have_ done," replied he. when he had gone, madame said, "do you suppose he does all this on account of the friendship of their fathers?" "he's an uncommon son, if he does," replied the signor. "but i'm glad rosabella has such a firm anchor to the windward if a storm should come." mr. king sought mr. talbot again, and placed five thousand dollars in his hands, with the necessary forms and instructions, adding: "should any unforeseen emergency render a larger sum necessary, please to advance it, and draw on me. i am obliged to sail for smyrna soon, on business, or i would not trouble you to attend to this." mr. talbot smiled significantly, as he said, "these young ladies must be very charming, to inspire so deep an interest in their welfare." the young man, clad in the armor of an honest purpose, did not feel the point of the arrow, and answered quietly: "they _are_ very charming. i saw them for a few hours only, and never expect to see them again. their father and mine were very intimate friends, and i feel it a duty to protect them from misfortune if possible." when the business was completed, and they had exchanged parting salutations, he turned back to say, "do you happen to know anything of mr. fitzgerald of savannah?" "i never had any acquaintance with him," replied mr. talbot; "but he has the name of being something of a _roué_, and rather fond of cards." "can the death of floracita be apocryphal?" thought alfred. "could he be capable of selling her? no. surely mortal man could not wrong that artless child." he returned to his lodgings, feeling more fatigued and dispirited than usual. he had done all that was possible for the welfare of the woman who had first inspired him with love; but o, what would he not have given for such an opportunity as fitzgerald had! he was obliged to confess to himself that the utter annihilation of his hope was more bitter than he had supposed it would be. he no longer doubted that he would have married her if he could, in full view of all her antecedents, and even with his mother's prejudices to encounter. he could not, however, help smiling at himself, as he thought: "yet how very different she was from what i had previously resolved to choose! how wisely i have talked to young men about preferring character to beauty! and lo! i found myself magnetized at first sight by mere beauty!" but manly pride rebelled against the imputation of such weakness. "no, it was not mere outward beauty," he said to himself. "true, i had no opportunity of becoming acquainted with the qualities of her soul, but her countenance unmistakably expressed sweetness, modesty, and dignity, and the inflexions of her voice were a sure guaranty for refinement." with visions of past and future revolving round him, he fell asleep and dreamed he saw rosabella alone on a plank, sinking in a tempestuous sea. free as he thought himself from superstition, the dream made an uncomfortable impression on him, though he admitted that it was the natural sequence of his waking thoughts. chapter xv. rosa came out of her swoon in a slow fever accompanied with delirium. tulee was afraid to leave her long enough to go to the plantation in search of tom; and having no medicines at hand, she did the best thing that could have been done. she continually moistened the parched tongue with water, and wiped the hot skin with wet cloths. while she was doing this, tears fell on her dear young mistress, lying there so broken and helpless, talking incoherently about her father and floracita, about being a slave and being sold. this continued eight or ten days, during which she never seemed to recognize tulee's presence, or to be conscious where she was. she was never wild or troublesome, but there were frequent restless motions, and signs of being afraid of something. then such a heavy drowsiness came over her, that it was difficult to arouse her sufficiently to swallow a spoonful of nourishment. she slept, and slept, till it seemed as if she would sleep forever. "nature, dear goddess," was doing the best she could for the poor weak body, that had been so racked by the torture of the soul. three weeks passed before mr. fitzgerald again made his appearance at the lonely cottage. he had often thought of rosa meanwhile, not without uneasiness and some twinges of self-reproach. but considering the unlucky beginning of his honeymoon at magnolia lawn, he deemed it prudent to be very assiduous in his attentions to his bride. he took no walks or drives without her, and she seemed satisfied with his entire devotion; but a veiled singing shadow haunted the chambers of her soul. when she and her husband were occupied with music, she half expected the pauses would be interrupted by another voice; nor was he free from fears that those wandering sounds would come again. but annoyed as he would have been by the rich tones of that voice once so dear to him, his self-love was piqued that rosa took no steps to recall him. he had such faith in his power over her, that he had been daily hoping for a conciliatory note. tom had been as attentive to the invalid as his enslaved condition would admit; but as tulee said very decidedly that she didn't want massa fitzgerald to show his face there, he did not volunteer any information. at last, his master said to him one day, "you've been to the cottage, i suppose, tom?" "yes, massa." "how are they getting on there?" "missy rosy hab bin bery sick, but she done better now." "why didn't you tell me, you black rascal?" "massa hab neber ax me," replied tom. mr. fitzgerald found some food for vanity in this news. he presumed the illness was caused by love for him, which rosa found herself unable to conquer. this idea was very pleasant to him; for it was not easy to relinquish the beautiful young creature who had loved him so exclusively. making a pretext of business, he mounted his horse and rode off; throwing a farewell kiss to his bride as he went. for greater security, he travelled a few moments in another direction, and then sought the sequestered cottage by a circuitous route. tulee was vexed at heart when she heard him, as he came through the woods, humming, "_c'est l'amour, l'amour_"; and when he entered the cottage, she wished she was a white man, that she could strike him. but when he said, "tulee, how is your mistress?" she civilly answered, "better, massa." he passed softly into rosa's room. she was lying on the bed, in a loose white robe, over which fell the long braids of her dark hair. the warm coloring had entirely faded from her cheeks, leaving only that faintest reflection of gold which she inherited from her mother; and the thinness and pallor of her face made her large eyes seem larger and darker. they were open, but strangely veiled; as if shadows were resting on the soul, like fogs upon a landscape. when gerald bent over her, she did not see him, though she seemed to be looking at him. he called her by the tenderest names; he cried out in agony, "o rosa, speak to me, darling!" she did not hear him. he had never before been so deeply moved. he groaned aloud, and, covering his face with his hands, he wept. when tulee, hearing the sound, crept in to see whether all was well with her mistress, she found him in that posture. she went out silently, but when she was beyond hearing she muttered to herself, "ise glad he's got any human feelin'." after the lapse of a few moments, he came to her, saying, "o tulee, do you think she's going to die? couldn't a doctor save her?" "no, massa, i don't believe she's going to die," replied tulee; "but she'll be very weak for a great while. i don't think all the doctors in the world could do poor missy rosy any good. it's her soul that's sick, massa; and nobody but the great doctor above can cure that." her words cut him like a knife; but, without any attempt to excuse the wrong he had done, he said: "i am going to savannah for the winter. i will leave tom and chloe at the plantation, with instructions to do whatever you want done. if i am needed, you can send tom for me." the melancholy wreck he had seen saddened him for a day or two; those eyes, with their mysterious expression of somnambulism, haunted him, and led him to drown uncomfortable feelings in copious draughts of wine. but, volatile as he was impressible, the next week saw him the gayest of the gay in parties at savannah, where his pretty little bride was quite the fashion. at the cottage there was little change, except that chloe, by her master's permission, became a frequent visitor. she was an affectionate, useful creature, with good voice and ear, and a little wild gleam of poetry in her fervid eyes. when she saw rosa lying there so still, helpless and unconscious as a new-born babe, she said, solemnly, "de sperit hab done gone somewhar." she told many stories of wonderful cures she had performed by prayer; and she would kneel by the bedside, hour after hour, holding the invalid's hand, praying, "o lord, fotch back de sperit! fotch back de sperit! fotch back de sperit!" she would continue to repeat in ascending tones, till they rose to wild imploring. tulee, looking on one day, said, "poor missy rosy don't hear nothin' ye say, though ye call so loud." "de good lord up dar, he hars," replied chloe, reverently pointing upward; and she went on with the vehement repetition. these supplications were often varied with methodist hymns and negro melodies, of which the most common refrain was, "o glory! glory! glory!" but whether singing or praying, she made it a point to hold the invalid's hand and look into her eyes. for a long while, the spirit that had gone somewhere showed no signs of returning, in obedience to the persevering summons. but after several weeks had elapsed, there was a blind groping for chloe's hand; and when it was found, tulee thought she perceived something like a little flickering gleam flit over the pale face. still, neither of the nurses was recognized; and no one ever knew what the absent soul was seeing and hearing in that mysterious somewhere whither it had flown. at last, chloe's patient faith was rewarded by a feeble pressure of her hand. their watchfulness grew more excited; and never did mother welcome the first gleam of intelligence in her babe with more thrilling joy, than the first faint, quivering smile on rosa's lips was welcomed by those anxious, faithful friends. the eyes began to resume their natural expression. the fog was evidently clearing away from the soul, and the sunshine was gleaming through. the process of resuscitation was thenceforth constant, though very slow. it was three months after those cruel blows fell upon her loving heart before she spoke and feebly called them by their names. and not until a month later was she able to write a few lines to quiet the anxiety of madame and the signor. a few days before her last ghostly visit to magnolia lawn, she had written them a very joyful letter, telling them of gerald's preparations to acknowledge her as his wife, and make her the mistress of his beautiful home. they received the tidings with great joy, and answered with hearty congratulations. the signor was impatient to write to mr. king; but madame, who had learned precaution and management by the trials and disappointments of a changing life, thought it best to wait till they could inform him of the actual fact. as rosa had never been in the habit of writing oftener than once in four or five weeks, they felt no uneasiness until after that time had elapsed; and even then they said to each other, "she delays writing, as we do, until everything is arranged." but when seven or eight weeks had passed, madame wrote again, requesting an immediate answer. owing to the peculiar position of the sisters, letters to them had always been sent under cover to mr. fitzgerald; and when this letter arrived, he was naturally curious to ascertain whether madame was aware of his marriage. it so happened that it had not been announced in the only paper taken by the signor; and as they lived in a little foreign world of their own, they remained in ignorance of it. having read the letter, mr. fitzgerald thought, as rosa was not in a condition to read it, it had better be committed to the flames. but fearing that madame or the signor might come to savannah in search of tidings, and that some unlucky accident might bring them to speech of his bride, he concluded it was best to ward off such a contingency. he accordingly wrote a very studied letter to madame, telling her that, with her knowledge of the world, he supposed she must be well aware that the daughter of a quadroon slave could not be legally recognized as the wife of a southern gentleman; that he still loved rosa better than any other woman, but wishing for legal heirs to his hereditary estate, it was necessary for him to marry. he stated that rosa was recovering from a slow fever, and had requested him to say that they must not feel anxious about her; that she had everything for her comfort, had been carefully attended by two good nurses, was daily getting better, and would write in a few weeks; meanwhile, if anything retarded her complete recovery, he would again write. this letter he thought would meet the present emergency. his plans for the future were unsettled. he still hoped that rosa, alone and unprotected as she was, without the legal ownership of herself, and subdued by sickness and trouble, would finally accede to his terms. she, in her unconscious state, was of course ignorant of this correspondence. for some time after she recognized her nurses, she continued to be very drowsy, and manifested no curiosity concerning her condition. she was as passive in their hands as an infant, and they treated her as such. chloe sung to her, and told her stories, which were generally concerning her own remarkable experiences; for she was a great seer of visions. perhaps she owed them to gifts of imagination, of which culture would have made her a poet; but to her they seemed to be an objective reality. she often told of seeing jesus, as she walked to and from the plantation. once she had met him riding upon thistle, with a golden crown upon his head. one evening he had run before her all the way, as a very little child, whose shining garments lighted up all the woods. four months after the swift destruction of her hopes, rosa, after taking some drink from tulee's hand, looked up in her face, and said, "how long have i been sick, dear tulee?" "no matter about that, darling," she replied, patting her head fondly. "ye mustn't disturb your mind 'bout that." after a little pause, the invalid said, "but tell me how long." "well then, darling, i didn't keep no 'count of the time; but tom says it's february now." "yer see, missy rosy," interposed chloe, "yer sperit hab done gone somewhar, an' yer didn't know nottin'. but a booful angel, all in white, tuk yer by de han' an' toted yer back to tulee an' chloe. dat ar angel hab grat hansum eyes, an' she tole me she war yer mudder; an' dat she war gwine to be wid yer allers, cause twar de will ob de lord." rosa listened with a serious, pleased expression in her face; for the words of her simple comforter inspired a vague consciousness of some supernatural presence surrounding her with invisible protection. a few hours after, she asked, with head averted from her attendant, "has any one been here since i have been ill?" anxious to soothe the wounded heart as much as possible, tulee answered: "massa gerald come to ask how ye did; and when he went to savannah, he left tom and chloe at the plantation to help me take care of ye." she manifested no emotion; and after a brief silence she inquired for letters from madame. being informed that there were none, she expressed a wish to be bolstered up, that she might try to write a few lines to her old friend. chloe, in reply, whispered something in her ear, which seemed to surprise her. her cheeks flushed, the first time for many a day; but she immediately closed her eyes, and tears glistened on the long, dark lashes. in obedience to the caution of her nurses, she deferred any attempt to write till the next week. she remained very silent during the day, but they knew that her thoughts were occupied; for they often saw tears oozing through the closed eyelids. meanwhile, her friends in new orleans were in a state of great anxiety. mr. fitzgerald had again written in a strain very similar to his first letter, but from rosa herself nothing had been received. "i don't know what to make of this," said madame. "rosa is not a girl that would consent to a secondary position where her heart was concerned." "you know how common it is for quadroons to accede to such double arrangements," rejoined the signor. "of course i am well aware of that," she replied; "but they are educated, from childhood, to accommodate themselves to their subordinate position, as a necessity that cannot be avoided. it was far otherwise with rosa. moreover, i believe there is too much of grandpa gonsalez in her to submit to anything she deemed dishonorable. i think, my friend, somebody ought to go to savannah to inquire into this business. if you should go, i fear you would get into a duel. you know dear floracita used to call you signor pimentero. but mr. fitzgerald won't fight _me_, let me say what i will. so i think i had better go." "yes, you had better go. you're a born diplomate, which i am not," replied the signor. arrangements were accordingly made for going in a day or two; but they were arrested by three or four lines from rosa, stating that she was getting well, that she had everything for her comfort, and would write more fully soon. but what surprised them was that she requested them to address her as madame gonsalez, under cover to her mantuamaker in savannah, whose address was given. "that shows plainly enough that she and fitzgerald have dissolved partnership," said madame; "but as she does not ask me to come, i will wait for her letter of explanation." meanwhile, however, she wrote very affectionately in reply to the brief missive, urging rosa to come to new orleans, and enclosing fifty dollars, with the statement that an old friend of her father's had died and left a legacy for his daughters. madame had, as floracita observed, a talent for arranging the truth with variations. the march of the southern spring returned, wreathed with garlands, and its pathway strewn with flowers. she gave warm kisses to the firs and pines as she passed, and they returned her love with fragrant sighs. the garden at magnolia lawn had dressed itself with jonquils, hyacinths, and roses, and its bower was a nest of glossy greenery, where mocking-birds were singing their varied tunes, moving their white tail-feathers in time to their music. mrs. fitzgerald, who was not strong in health, was bent upon returning thither early in the season, and the servants were busy preparing for her reception. chloe was rarely spared to go to the hidden cottage, where her attendance upon rosa was no longer necessary; but tom came once a week, as he always had done, to do whatever jobs or errands the inmates required. one day tulee was surprised to hear her mistress ask him whether mr. fitzgerald was at the plantation; and being answered in the affirmative, she said, "have the goodness to tell him that missy rosy would like to see him soon." when mr. fitzgerald received the message, he adjusted his necktie at the mirror, and smiled over his self-complacent thoughts. he had hopes that the proud beauty was beginning to relent. having left his wife in savannah, there was no obstacle in the way of his obeying the summons. as he passed over the cottage lawn, he saw that rosa was sewing at the window. he slackened his pace a little, with the idea that she might come out to meet him; but when he entered the parlor, she was still occupied with her work. she rose on his entrance, and moved a chair toward him; and when he said, half timidly, "how do you do now, dear rosa?" she quietly replied, "much better, i thank you. i have sent for you, mr. fitzgerald, to ask a favor." "if it is anything in my power, it shall be granted," he replied. "it is a very easy thing for you to do," rejoined she, "and very important to me. i want you to give me papers of manumission." "are you so afraid of me?" he asked, coloring as he remembered a certain threat he had uttered. "i did not intend the request as any reproach to you," answered she, mildly; "but simply as a very urgent necessity to myself. as soon as my health will permit, i wish to be doing something for my own support, and, if possible, to repay you what you expended for me and my sister." "do you take me for a mean yankee," exclaimed he indignantly, "that you propose such an account of dollars and cents?" "i expressed my own wishes, not what i supposed you would require," replied she. "but aside from that, you can surely imagine it must be painful to have my life haunted by this dreadful spectre of slavery." "rosa," said he earnestly, "do me the justice to remember that i did not purchase you as a slave, or consider you a slave. i expended money with all my heart to save my best-beloved from misfortune." "i believe those were your feelings then," she replied. "but let the past be buried. i simply ask you now, as a gentleman who has it in his power to confer a great favor on an unprotected woman, whether you will manumit me." "certainly i will," answered he, much discomposed by her cool business tone. she rose at once, and placed the writing-desk before him. it was the pretty little desk he had given her for a birthday present. he put his finger on it, and, looking up in her face, with one of his old insinuating glances, he said, "rosa, do you remember what we said when i gave you this?" without answering the question, she said, "will you have the goodness to write it now?" "why in such haste?" inquired he. "i have given you my promise, and do you suppose i have no sense of honor?" a retort rose to her lips, but she suppressed it. "none of us can be sure of the future," she replied. "you know what happened when my dear father died." overcome by that tender memory, she covered her eyes with her hand, and the tears stole through her fingers. he attempted to kiss away the tears, but she drew back, and went on to say: "at that time i learned the bitter significance of the law, 'the child shall follow the condition of the mother.' it was not mainly on my own account that i sent for you, mr. fitzgerald. i wish to secure my child from such a dreadful contingency as well-nigh ruined me and my sister." she blushed, and lowered her eyes as she spoke. "o rosa!" he exclaimed. the impulse was strong to fold her to his heart; but he could not pass the barrier of her modest dignity. after an embarrassed pause, she looked up bashfully, and said, "knowing this, you surely will not refuse to write it now." "i must see a lawyer and obtain witnesses," he replied. she sighed heavily. "i don't know what forms are necessary," said she. "but i beg of you to take such steps as will make me perfectly secure against any accidents. and don't delay it, mr. fitzgerald. will you send the papers next week?" "i see you have no confidence in me," replied he, sadly. then, suddenly dropping on his knees beside her, he exclaimed, "o rosa, don't call me mr. again. do call me gerald once more! do say you forgive me!" she drew back a little, but answered very gently: "i do forgive you, and i hope your innocent little wife will never regret having loved you; for that is a very bitter trial. i sincerely wish you may be happy; and you may rest assured i shall not attempt to interfere with your happiness. but i am not strong enough to talk much. please promise to send those papers next week." he made the promise, with averted head and a voice that was slightly tremulous. "i thank you," she replied; "but i am much fatigued, and will bid you good morning." she rose to leave the room, but turned back and added, with solemn earnestness, "i think it will be a consolation on your death-bed if you do not neglect to fulfil rosa's last request." she passed into the adjoining room, fastened the door, and threw herself on the couch, utterly exhausted. how strange and spectral this meeting seemed! she heard his retreating footsteps without the slightest desire to obtain a last glimpse of his figure. how entirely he had passed out of her life, he who so lately was _all_ her life! the next day rosa wrote as follows to madame and the signor:-"dearest and best friends,--it would take days to explain to you all that has happened since i wrote you that long, happy letter; and at present i have not strength to write much. when we meet we will talk about it more fully, though i wish to avoid the miserable particulars as far as possible. the preparations i so foolishly supposed were being made for me were for a rich northern bride,--a pretty, innocent-looking little creature. the marriage with me, it seems, was counterfeit. when i discovered it, my first impulse was to fly to you. but a strange illness came over me, and i was oblivious of everything for four months. my good tulee and a black woman named chloe brought me back to life by their patient nursing. i suppose it was wrong, but when i remembered who and what i was, i felt sorry they didn't let me go. i was again seized with a longing to fly to you, who were as father and mother to me and my darling little sister in the days of our first misfortune. but i was too weak to move, and i am still far from being able to bear the fatigue of such a journey. moreover, i am fastened here for the present by another consideration. mr. fitzgerald says he bought us of papa's creditors, and that i am his slave. i have entreated him, for the sake of our unborn child, to manumit me, and he has promised to do it. if i could only be safe in new orleans, it is my wish to come and live with you, and find some way to support myself and my child. but i could have no peace, so long as there was the remotest possibility of being claimed as slaves. mr. fitzgerald may not mean that i shall ever come to harm; but he may die without providing against it, as poor papa did. i don't know what forms are necessary for my safety. i don't understand how it is that there is no law to protect a defenceless woman, who has done no wrong. i will wait here a little longer to recruit my strength and have this matter settled. i wish it were possible for you, my dear, good mother, to come to me for two or three weeks in june; then perhaps you could take back with you your poor rosa and her baby, if their lives should be spared. but if you cannot come, there is an experienced old negress here, called granny nan, who, tulee says, will take good care of me. i thank you for your sympathizing, loving letter. who could papa's friend be that left me a legacy? i was thankful for the fifty dollars, for it is very unpleasant to me to use any of mr. fitzgerald's money, though he tells tom to supply everything i want. if it were not for you, dear friends, i don't think i should have courage to try to live. but something sustains me wonderfully through these dreadful trials. sometimes i think poor chloe's prayers bring me help from above; for the good soul is always praying for me. "adieu. may the good god bless you both. "your loving and grateful "rosabella." * * * * * week passed after week, and the promised papers did not come. the weary days dragged their slow length along, unsoothed by anything except tulee's loving care and madame's cheering letters. the piano was never opened; for all tones of music were draped in mourning, and its harmonies were a funeral march over buried love. but she enjoyed the open air and the fragrance of the flowers. sometimes she walked slowly about the lawn, and sometimes tulee set her upon thistle's back, and led him round and round through the bridle-paths. but out of the woods that concealed their nest they never ventured, lest they should meet mrs. fitzgerald. tulee, who was somewhat proud on her mistress's account, was vexed by this limitation. "i don't see why ye should hide yerself from her," said she. "yese as good as she is; and ye've nothin' to be shamed of." "it isn't on my own account that i wish to avoid her seeing me," replied rosa. "but i pity the innocent young creature. she didn't know of disturbing my happiness, and i should be sorry to disturb hers." as the weeks glided away without bringing any fulfilment of fitzgerald's promise, anxiety changed to distrust. she twice requested tom to ask his master for the papers he had spoken of, and received a verbal answer that they would be sent as soon as they were ready. there were greater obstacles in the way than she, in her inexperience, was aware of. the laws of georgia restrained humane impulses by forbidding the manumission of a slave. consequently, he must either incur very undesirable publicity by applying to the legislature for a special exception in this case, or she must be manumitted in another state. he would gladly have managed a journey without the company of his wife, if he could thereby have regained his former influence with rosa; but he was disinclined to take so much trouble to free her entirely from him. when he promised to send the papers, he intended to satisfy her with a sham certificate, as he had done with a counterfeit marriage; but he deferred doing it, because he had a vague sense of satisfaction in being able to tantalize the superior woman over whom he felt that he no longer had any other power. chapter xvi. madame's anxiety was much diminished after she began to receive letters in rosa's own handwriting; but, knowing the laws of georgia, and no longer doubtful concerning fitzgerald's real character, she placed small reliance upon his promise of manumission. "this is another of his deceptions," said she to the signor. "i have been thinking a good deal about the state of things, and i am convinced there will be no security in this country for that poor girl. you have been saying for some time that you wanted to see your beautiful italy again, and i have the same feeling about my beautiful france. we each of us have a little money laid up; and if we draw upon the fund mr. king has deposited, we can take rosabella to europe and bring her out as a singer." "she would have a great career, no doubt," replied the signor; "and i was going to suggest such a plan to you. but you would have to change your name again on my account, madame; for i was obliged to leave italy because i was discovered to be one of the carbonari; and though fifteen years have elapsed, it is possible the watchful authorities have not forgotten my name." "that's a trifling obstacle," resumed madame. "you had better give notice to your pupils at once that you intend to leave as soon as present engagements are fulfilled. i will use up my stock for fancy articles, and sell off as fast as possible, that we may be ready to start for europe as soon as rosa has sufficient strength." this resolution was immediately acted upon; but the fates were unpropitious to madame's anticipated visit to the lonely island. a few days before her intended departure, the signor was taken seriously ill, and remained so for two or three weeks. he fretted and fumed, more on her account than his own, but she, as usual, went through the trial bravely. she tried to compensate rosa for the disappointment, as far as she could, by writing frequent letters, cheerful in tone, though prudently cautious concerning details. fearing that mr. fitzgerald's suspicions might be excited by an apparent cessation of correspondence, she continued to write occasionally under cover to him, in a style adapted to his views, in case he should take a fancy to open the letters. the signor laughed, and said, "your talent for diplomacy is not likely to rust for want of use, madame." even rosa, sad at heart as she was, could not help smiling sometimes at the totally different tone of the letters which she received under different covers. she had become so accustomed to passive endurance, that no murmur escaped her when she found that her only white friend could not come to her, as she had expected. granny nan boasted of having nursed many grand white ladies, and her skill in the vocation proved equal to her pretensions. only her faithful tulee and the kind old colored mammy were with her when, hovering between life and death, she heard the cry that announced the advent of a human soul. nature, deranged by bodily illness and mental trouble, provided no nourishment for the little one; but this, which under happier circumstances would have been a disappointment, called forth no expressions of regret from the patient sufferer. when tulee held the babe before her in its first dress, she smiled faintly, but immediately closed her eyes. as she lay there, day after day, with the helpless little creature nestling in her arms, the one consoling reflection was that she had not given birth to a daughter. a chaos of thoughts were revolving through her mind; the theme of all the variations being how different it was from what it might have been, if the ideal of her girlhood had not been shattered so cruelly. had it not been for that glimmering light in the future which madame so assiduously presented to her view, courage would have forsaken her utterly. as it was, she often listened to the dash of the sea with the melancholy feeling that rest might be found beneath its waves. but she was still very young, the sky was bright, the earth was lovely, and she had a friend who had promised to provide a safe asylum for her somewhere. she tried to regain her strength, that she might leave the island, with all its sad reminders of departed happiness. thinking of this, she rose one day and wandered into the little parlor to take a sort of farewell look. there was the piano, so long unopened, with a whole epic of love and sorrow in its remembered tones; the pretty little table her mother had painted; the basket she had received from her father after his death; floracita's paintings and mosses; and innumerable little tokens of gerald's love. walking round slowly and feebly in presence of all those memories, how alone she felt, with none to speak to but tulee and the old colored mammy,--she, who had been so tenderly cared for by her parents, so idolized by him to whom she gave her heart! she was still gazing pensively on these souvenirs of the past, when her attention was arrested by tom's voice, saying: "dar's a picaninny at de grat hus. how's turrer picaninny?" the thought rushed upon her, "ah, that baby had a father to welcome it and fondle it; but _my_ poor babe--" a sensation of faintness came over her; and, holding on by the chairs and tables, she staggered back to the bed she had left. before the babe was a fortnight old, tom announced that he was to accompany his master to new orleans, whither he had been summoned by business. the occasion was eagerly seized by rosa to send a letter and some small articles to madame and the signor. tulee gave him very particular directions how to find the house, and charged him over and over again to tell them everything. when she cautioned him not to let his master know that he carried anything, tom placed his thumb on the tip of his nose, and moved the fingers significantly, saying: "dis ere nigger ha'n't jus' wakum'd up. bin wake mos' ob de time sense twar daylight." he foresaw it would be difficult to execute the commission he had undertaken; for as a slave he of course had little control over his own motions. he, however, promised to try; and tulee told him she had great confidence in his ingenuity in finding out ways and means. "an' i tinks a heap o' ye, tulee. ye knows a heap more dan mos' niggers," was tom's responsive compliment. in his eyes tulee was in fact a highly accomplished person; for though she could neither read nor write, she had caught the manners and speech of white people, by living almost exclusively with them, and she was, by habit, as familiar with french as english, beside having a little smattering of spanish. to have his ingenuity praised by her operated as a fillip upon his vanity, and he inwardly resolved to run the risk of a flogging, rather than fail to do her bidding. he was also most loyal in the service of rosa, whose beauty and kindliness had won his heart, before his sympathy had been called out by her misfortunes. but none of them foresaw what important consequences would result from his mission. the first day he was in new orleans, he found no hour when he could be absent without the liability of being called for by his master. the next day mr. bruteman dined with his master, and tom was in attendance upon the table. their conversation was at first about cotton crops, the prices of negroes, and other business matters, to which tom paid little attention. but a few minutes afterward his ears were wide open. "i suppose you came prepared to pay that debt you owe me," said mr. bruteman. "i am obliged to ask an extension of your indulgence," replied mr. fitzgerald. "it is not in my power to raise that sum just now." "how is that possible," inquired mr. bruteman, "when you have married the daughter of a boston nabob?" "the close old yankee keeps hold of most of his money while he lives," rejoined his companion; "and mrs. fitzgerald has expensive tastes to be gratified." "and do you expect me to wait till the old yankee dies?" asked mr. bruteman. "gentlemen generally consider themselves bound to be prompt in paying debts of honor." "i'll pay you as soon as i can. what the devil can you ask more?" exclaimed fitzgerald. "it seems to me it's not the part of a gentleman to play the dun so continually." they had already drank pretty freely; but mr. bruteman took up a bottle, and said, "let us drink another glass to the speedy replenishing of your purse." they poured full bumpers, touched glasses, and drank the contents. there was a little pause, during which mr. bruteman sat twirling his glass between thumb and finger, with looks directed toward his companion. all at once he said, "fitzgerald, did you ever find those handsome octoroon girls?" "what octoroon girls?" inquired the other. "o, you disremember them, do you?" rejoined he. "i mean how did that bargain turn out that you made with royal's creditors? you seemed to have small chance of finding the girls; unless, indeed, you hid them away first, for the purpose of buying them for less than half they would have brought to the creditors,--which, of course, is not to be supposed, because no gentleman would do such a thing." thrown off his guard by too much wine, fitzgerald vociferated, "do you mean to insinuate that i am no gentleman?" mr. bruteman smiled, as he answered: "i said such a thing was not to be supposed. but come, fitzgerald, let us understand one another. i'd rather, a devilish sight, have those girls than the money you owe me. make them over to me, and i'll cancel the debt. otherwise, i shall be under the necessity of laying an attachment on some of your property." there was a momentary silence before mr. fitzgerald answered, "one of them is dead." "which one?" inquired his comrade. "flora, the youngest, was drowned." "and that queenly beauty, where is she? i don't know that i ever heard her name." "rosabella royal," replied fitzgerald. "she is living at a convenient distance from my plantation." "well, i will be generous," said bruteman. "if you will make _her_ over to me, i will cancel the debt." "she is not in strong health at present," rejoined fitzgerald. "she has a babe about two weeks old." "you know you have invited me to visit your island two or three weeks hence," replied bruteman; "and then i shall depend upon you to introduce me to your fair rosamond. but we will draw up the papers and sign them now, if you please." some jests unfit for repetition were uttered by the creditor, to which the unhappy debtor made no reply. when he called tom to bring paper and ink, the observing servant noticed that he was very pale, though but a few moments before his face had been flushed. that night, he tried to drown recollection in desperate gambling and frequent draughts of wine. between one and two o'clock in the morning, his roisterous companions were led off by their servants, and he was put into bed by tom, where he immediately dropped into a perfectly senseless sleep. as soon as there was sufficient light, tom started for the house of the signor; judging that he was safe from his master for three hours at least. notwithstanding the earliness of the hour, madame made her appearance in a very few moments after her servant informed her who was in waiting, and the signor soon followed. in the course of the next hour and a half an incredible amount of talking was done in negro "lingo" and broken english. the impetuous signor strode up and down, clenching his fists, cursing slavery, and sending fitzgerald to the devil in a volley of phrases hard enough in their significance, though uttered in soft-flowing italian. "swearing does no good, my friend," said madame; "besides, there isn't time for it. rosabella must be brought away immediately. bruteman will be on the alert, you may depend. she slipped through his fingers once, and he won't trust fitzgerald again." the signor cooled down, and proposed to go for her himself. but that was overruled, in a very kind way, by his prudent wife, who argued that he was not well enough for such an exciting adventure, or to be left without her nursing, when his mind would be such a prey to uneasiness. it was her proposition to send at once for her cousin duroy, and have him receive very particular directions from tom how to reach the island and find the cottage. tom said he didn't know whether he could get away for an hour again, because his master was always very angry if he was out of the way when called; but if mr. duroy would come to the hotel, he would find chances to tell him what to do. and that plan was immediately carried into effect. while these things were going on in new orleans, mrs. fitzgerald was taking frequent drives about the lovely island with her mother, mrs. bell; while rosa was occasionally perambulating her little circuit of woods on the back of patient thistle. one day mrs. fitzgerald and her mother received an invitation to the welby plantation, to meet some northern acquaintances who were there; and as mrs. fitzgerald's strength was not yet fully restored, mrs. welby proposed that they should remain all night. chloe, who had lost her own baby, was chosen to nurse her master's new-born heir, and was consequently tied so closely that she could find no chance to go to the cottage, whose inmates she had a great longing to see. but when master and mistress were both gone, she thought she might take her freedom for a while without incurring any great risk. the other servants agreed to keep her secret, and joe the coachman promised to drive her most of the way when he came back with the carriage. accordingly, she made her appearance at the cottage quite unexpectedly, to the great joy of tulee. when she unwrapped the little black-haired baby from its foldings of white muslin, tulee exclaimed: "he looks jus' like his good-for-nothing father; and so does missy rosy's baby. i'm 'fraid 't will make poor missy feel bad to see it, for she don't know nothin' 'bout it." "yes i do, tulee," said rosa, who had heard chloe's voice, and gone out to greet her. "i heard tom tell you about it." she took up the little hand, scarcely bigger than a bird's claw, and while it twined closely about her finger, she looked into its eyes, so like to gerald's in shape and color. she was hoping that those handsome eyes might never be used as his had been, but she gave no utterance to her thoughts. her manner toward chloe was full of grateful kindness; and the poor bondwoman had some happy hours, playing free for a while. she laid the infant on its face in her lap, trotting it gently, and patting its back, while she talked over with tulee all the affairs at the "grat hus." and when the babe was asleep, she asked and obtained rosa's permission to lay him on her bed beside his little brother. then poor chloe's soul took wing and soared aloft among sun-lighted clouds. as she prayed, and sang her fervent hymns, and told of her visions and revelations, she experienced satisfaction similar to that of a troubadour, or palmer from holy land, with an admiring audience listening to his wonderful adventures. while she was thus occupied, tulee came in hastily to say that a stranger gentleman was coming toward the house. such an event in that lonely place produced general excitement, and some consternation. rosa at once drew her curtain and bolted the door. but tulee soon came rapping gently, saying, "it's only i, missy rosy." as the door partially opened, she said, "it's a friend madame has sent ye." rosa, stepping forward, recognized mr. duroy, the cousin in whose clothes madame had escaped with them from new orleans. she was very slightly acquainted with him, but it was such a comfort to see any one who knew of the old times that she could hardly refrain from throwing herself on his neck and bursting into tears. as she grasped his hand with a close pressure, he felt the thinness of her emaciated fingers. the paleness of her cheeks, and the saddened expression of her large eyes, excited his compassion. he was too polite to express it in words, but it was signified by the deference of his manner and the extreme gentleness of his tones. he talked of madame's anxious love for her, of the signor's improving health, of the near completion of their plan for going to europe, and of their intention to take her with them. rosa was full of thankfulness, but said she was as yet incapable of much exertion. mr. duroy went on to speak of tom's visit to madame; and slowly and cautiously he prepared the way for his account of the conversation between mr. fitzgerald and mr. bruteman. but careful as he was, he noticed that her features tightened and her hands were clenched. when he came to the interchange of writings, she sprung to her feet, and, clutching his arm convulsively, exclaimed, "did he do that?" her eyes were like a flame, and her chest heaved with the quick-coming breath. he sought to draw her toward him, saying in soothing tones, "they shall not harm you, my poor girl. trust to me, as if i were your father." but she burst from him impetuously, and walked up and down rapidly; such a sudden access of strength had the body received from the frantic soul. "try not to be so much agitated," said he. "in a very short time you will be in europe, and then you will be perfectly safe." she paused an instant in her walk, and, with a strange glare in her eyes, she hissed out, "i hate him." he laid his hand gently upon her shoulder, and said: "i want very much that you should try to be calm. some negroes are coming with a boat at daybreak, and it is necessary we should all go away with them. you ought to rest as much as possible beforehand." "_rest_!" repeated she with bitter emphasis. and clenching her teeth hard, she again said, "i hate him!" poor rosa! it had taken a mountain-weight of wrong so to crush out all her gentleness. mr. duroy became somewhat alarmed. he hastened to the kitchen and told chloe to go directly to miss rosa. he then briefly explained his errand to tulee, and told her to prepare for departure as fast as possible. "but first go to your mistress," said he; "for i am afraid she may go crazy." the sufferer yielded more readily to tulee's accustomed influence than she had done to that of mr. duroy. she allowed herself to be laid upon the bed; but while her forehead and temples were being bathed, her heart beat violently, and all her pulses were throbbing. it was, however, necessary to leave her with chloe, who knelt by the bedside, holding her hand, and praying in tones unusually low for her. "i'm feared for her," said tulee to mr. duroy. "i never see missy rosy look so wild and strange." a short time after, when she looked into the room, rosa's eyes were closed. she whispered to chloe: "poor missy's asleep. you can come and help me a little now." but rosa was not in the least drowsy. she had only remained still, to avoid being talked to. as soon as her attendants had withdrawn, she opened her eyes, and, turning toward the babes, she gazed upon them for a long time. there they lay side by side, like twin kittens. but ah! thought she, how different is their destiny! one is born to be cherished and waited upon all his days, the other is an outcast and a slave. my poor fatherless babe! he wouldn't manumit us. it was not thoughtlessness. he _meant_ to sell us. "he _meant_ to sell us," she repeated aloud; and again the wild, hard look came into her eyes. such a tempest was raging in her soul, that she felt as if she could kill him if he stood before her. this savage paroxysm of revenge was followed by thoughts of suicide. she was about to rise, but hearing the approach of tulee, she closed her eyes and remained still. language is powerless to describe the anguish of that lacerated soul. at last the storm subsided, and she fell into a heavy sleep. meanwhile the two black women were busy with arrangements for the early flight. many things had been already prepared with the expectation of a summons to new orleans, and not long after midnight all was in readiness. chloe, after a sound nap on the kitchen floor, rose up with the first peep of light. she and tulee hugged each other, with farewell kisses and sobs. she knelt by rosa's bedside to whisper a brief prayer, and, giving her one long, lingering look, she took up her baby, and set off for the plantation, wondering at the mysterious ways of providence. they deferred waking rosa as long as possible, and when they roused her, she had been so deeply sunk in slumber that she was at first bewildered. when recollection returned, she looked at her babe. "where's chloe?" she asked. "gone back to the plantation," was the reply. "o, i am so sorry!" sighed rosa. "she was feared they would miss her," rejoined tulee. "so she went away as soon as she could see. but she prayed for ye, missy rosy; and she told me to say poor chloe would never forget ye." "o, i'm _so_ sorry!" repeated rosa, mournfully. she objected to taking the nourishment tulee offered, saying she wanted to die. but mr. duroy reminded her that madame was longing to see her, and she yielded to that plea. when tulee brought the same travelling-dress in which she had first come to the cottage, she shrunk from it at first, but seemed to remember immediately that she ought not to give unnecessary trouble to her friends. while she was putting it on, tulee said, "i tried to remember to put up everything ye would want, darling." "i don't want _any_thing," she replied listlessly. then, looking up suddenly, with that same wild, hard expression, she added, "don't let me ever see anything that came from _him_!" she spoke so sternly, that tulee, for the first time in her life, was a little afraid of her. the eastern sky was all of a saffron glow, but the golden edge of the sun had not yet appeared above the horizon, when they entered the boat which was to convey them to the main-land. without one glance toward the beautiful island where she had enjoyed and suffered so much, the unhappy fugitive nestled close to tulee, and hid her face on her shoulder, as if she had nothing else in the world to cling to. * * * * * a week later, a carriage stopped before madame's door, and tulee rushed in with the baby on her shoulder, exclaiming, "_nous voici_!" while mr. duroy was helping rosa to alight. then such huggings and kissings, such showers of french from madame, and of mingled french and italian from the signor, while tulee stood by, throwing up her hand, and exclaiming, "bless the lord! bless the lord!" the parrot listened with ear upturned, and a lump of sugar in her claw, then overtopped all their voices with the cry of "_bon jour, rosabella! je suis enchantée_." this produced a general laugh, and there was the faint gleam of a smile on rosa's face, as she looked up at the cage and said, "_bon jour, jolie manon_!" but she soon sank into a chair with an expression of weariness. "you are tired, darling," said madame, as she took off her bonnet and tenderly put back the straggling hair. "no wonder, after all you have gone through, my poor child!" rosa clasped her round the neck, and murmured, "o my dear friend, i _am_ tired, _so_ tired!" madame led her to the settee, and arranged her head comfortably on its pillows. then, giving her a motherly kiss, she said, "rest, darling, while tulee and i look after the boxes." when they had all passed into another room, she threw up her hands and exclaimed: "how she's changed! how thin and pale she is! how large her eyes look! but she's beautiful as an angel." "i never see missy rosy but once when she wasn't beautiful as an angel," said tulee; "and that was the night massa duroy told her she was sold to massa bruteman. then she looked as if she had as many devils as that mary magdalene massa royal used to read about o' sundays." "no wonder, poor child!" exclaimed madame. "but i hope the little one is some comfort to her." "she ha'n't taken much notice of him, or anything else, since massa duroy told her that news," rejoined tulee. madame took the baby and tried to look into its face as well as the lopping motions of its little head would permit. "i shouldn't think she'd have much comfort in looking at it," said she; "for it's the image of its father; but the poor little dear ain't to blame for that." an animated conversation followed concerning what had happened since tulee went away,--especially the disappearance of flora. both hinted at having entertained similar suspicions, but both had come to the conclusion that she could not be alive, or she would have written. rosa, meanwhile, left alone in the little parlor, where she had listened so anxiously for the whistling of _ça ira_, was scarcely conscious of any other sensation than the luxury of repose, after extreme fatigue of body and mind. there was, indeed, something pleasant in the familiar surroundings. the parrot swung in the same gilded ring in her cage. madame's table, with its basket of chenilles, stood in the same place, and by it was her enamelled snuffbox. rosa recognized a few articles that had been purchased at the auction of her father's furniture;--his arm-chair, and the astral lamp by which he used to sit to read his newspaper; a sewing-chair that was her mother's; and one of flora's embroidered slippers, hung up for a watch-case. with these memories floating before her drowsy eyes, she fell asleep, and slept for a long time. as her slumbers grew lighter, dreams of father, mother, and sister passed through various changes; the last of which was that flora was puzzling the mocking-birds. she waked to the consciousness that some one was whistling in the room. "who is that!" exclaimed she; and the parrot replied with a tempest of imitations. madame, hearing the noise, came in, saying: "how stupid i was not to cover the cage! she is _so_ noisy! her memory is wonderful. i don't think she'll ever forget a note of all the _mélange_ dear floracita took so much pains to teach her." she began to call up reminiscences of flora's incessant mischief; but finding rosa in no mood for anything gay, she proceeded to talk over the difficulties of her position, concluding with the remark: "to-day and to-night you must rest, my child. but early to-morrow you and the signor will start for new york, whence you will take passage to marseilles, under the name of signor balbino and daughter." "i wish i could stay here, at least for a little while," sighed rosa. "it's never wise to wish for what cannot be had," rejoined madame. "it would cause great trouble and expense to obtain your freedom; and it is doubtful whether we could secure it at all, for bruteman won't give you up if he can avoid it. the voyage will recruit your strength, and it will do you good to be far away from anything that reminds you of old troubles. i have nothing left to do but to dispose of my furniture, and settle about the lease of this house. you will wait at marseilles for me. i shall be uneasy till i have the sea between me and the agents of mr. bruteman, and i shall hurry to follow after you as soon as possible." "and tulee and the baby?" asked rosa. "yes, with tulee and the baby," replied madame. "but i shall send them to my cousin's to-morrow, to be out of the way of being seen by the neighbors. he lives off the road, and three miles out. they'll be nicely out of the way there." it was all accomplished as the energetic frenchwoman had planned. rosa was whirled away, without time to think of anything. at parting, she embraced tulee, and looked earnestly in the baby's face, while she stroked his shining black hair. "good by, dear, kind tulee," said she. "take good care of the little one." at philadelphia, her strength broke down, and they were detained three days. consequently, when they arrived in new york, they found that the mermaid, in which they expected to take passage, had sailed. the signor considered it imprudent to correspond with his wife on the subject, and concluded to go out of the city and wait for the next vessel. when they went on board, they found madame, and explained to her the circumstances. "i am glad i didn't know of the delay," said she; "for i was frightened enough as it was. but, luckily, i got off without anybody's coming to make inquiries." "but where are tulee and the baby? are they down below?" asked rosa. "no, dear, i didn't bring them." "o, how came you to leave them?" said rosa. "something will happen to them." "i have provided well for their safety," rejoined madame. "the reason i did it was this. we have no certain home or prospects at present; and i thought we had better be settled somewhere before the baby was brought. my cousin is coming to marseilles in about three months, and he will bring them with him. his wife was glad to give tulee her board, meanwhile, for what work she could do. i really think it was best, dear. the feeble little thing will be stronger for the voyage by that time; and you know tulee will take just as good care of it as if it were her own." "poor tulee!" sighed rosa. "was she willing to be left?" "she didn't know when i came away," replied madame. rosa heaved an audible groan, as she said: "i am so sorry you did this, madame! if anything should happen to them, it would be a weight on my mind as long as i live." "i did what i thought was for the best," answered madame. "i was in such a hurry to get away, on your account, that, if i hadn't all my wits about me, i hope you will excuse me. but i think myself i made the best arrangement." rosa, perceiving a slight indication of pique in her tone, hastened to kiss her, and call her her best and dearest friend. but in her heart she mourned over what she considered, for the first time in her life, a great mistake in the management of madame. * * * * * after tom's return from new orleans, he continued to go to the cottage as usual, and so long as no questions were asked, he said nothing; but when his master inquired how they were getting on there, he answered that missy rosy was better. when a fortnight had elapsed, he thought the fugitives must be out of harm's way, and he feared mr. bruteman might be coming soon to claim his purchase. accordingly he one day informed his master, with a great appearance of astonishment and alarm, that the cottage was shut up, and all the inmates gone. fitzgerald's first feeling was joy; for he was glad to be relieved from the picture of rosa's horror and despair, which had oppressed him like the nightmare. but he foresaw that bruteman would suspect him of having forewarned her, though he had solemnly pledged himself not to do so. he immediately wrote him the tidings, with expressions of surprise and regret. the answer he received led to a duel, in which he received a wound in the shoulder, that his wife always supposed was occasioned by a fall from his horse. when mr. bruteman ascertained that madame and the signor had left the country, he at once conjectured that the fugitive was with them. having heard that mr. duroy was a relative, he waited upon him, at his place of business, and was informed that rosabella royal had sailed for france, with his cousin, in the ship mermaid. not long after, it was stated in the ship news that the mermaid had foundered at sea, and all on board were lost. chapter xvii. while rosabella had been passing through these dark experiences, flora was becoming more and more accustomed to her new situation. she strove bravely to conceal the homesickness which she could not always conquer; but several times, in the course of their travels, mrs. delano noticed moisture gathering on her long black eyelashes when she saw the stars and stripes floating from the mast of a vessel. once, when a rose was given her, she wept outright; but she soon wiped her eyes, and apologized by saying: "i wonder whether a _pensée-vivace_ makes rosa feel as i do when i see a rose? but what an ungrateful child i am, when i have such a dear, kind, new mamita!" and a loving smile again lighted up her swimming eyes,--those beautiful april eyes of tears and sunshine, that made rainbows in the heart. mrs. delano wisely kept her occupied with a succession of teachers and daily excursions. having a natural genius for music and drawing, she made rapid progress in both during a residence of six months in england, six months in france, and three months in switzerland. and as mr. and mrs. percival were usually with them, she picked up, in her quick way, a good degree of culture from the daily tone of conversation. the one drawback to the pleasure of new acquisitions was that she could not share them with rosa. one day, when she was saying this, mrs. delano replied: "we will go to italy for a short time, and then we will return to live in boston. i have talked the matter over a good deal with mr. percival, and i think i should know how to guard against any contingency that may occur. and as you are so anxious about your sister, i have been revolving plans for taking you back to the island, to see whether we can ascertain what is going on in that mysterious cottage." from that time there was a very perceptible increase of cheerfulness in flora's spirits. the romance of such an adventure hit her youthful fancy, while the idea of getting even a sly peep at rosa filled her with delight. she imagined all sorts of plans to accomplish this object, and often held discussions upon the propriety of admitting tulee to their confidence. her vivacity redoubled when they entered italy. she was herself composed of the same materials of which italy was made; and without being aware of the spiritual relationship, she at once felt at home there. she was charmed with the gay, impulsive people, the bright costumes, the impassioned music, and the flowing language. the clear, intense blue of the noonday sky, and the sun setting in a glowing sea of amber, reminded her of her southern home; and the fragrance of the orange-groves was as incense waved by the memory of her childhood. the ruins of rome interested her less than any other features of the landscape; for, like bettini, she never asked who any of the ancients were, for fear they would tell her. the play of sunshine on the orange-colored lichens interested her more than the inscriptions they covered; and while their guide was telling the story of mouldering arches, she was looking through them at the clear blue sky and the soft outline of the hills. one morning they rode out early to spend a whole day at albano; and every mile of the ride presented her with some charming novelty. the peasants who went dancing by in picturesque costumes, and the finely formed women walking erect with vases of water on their heads, or drawing an even thread from their distaffs, as they went singing along, furnished her memory with subjects for many a picture. sometimes her exclamations would attract the attention of a group of dancers, who, pleased with an exuberance of spirits akin to their own, and not unmindful of forthcoming coin, would beckon to the driver to stop, while they repeated their dances for the amusement of the signorina. a succession of pleasant novelties awaited her at albano. running about among the ilex-groves in search of bright mosses, she would come suddenly in front of an elegant villa, with garlands in stucco, and balconies gracefully draped with vines. wandering away from that, she would utter a little cry of joy at the unexpected sight of some reclining marble nymph, over which a little fountain threw a transparent veil of gossamer sparkling with diamonds. sometimes she stood listening to the gurgling and dripping of unseen waters; and sometimes melodies floated from the distance, which her quick ear caught at once, and her tuneful voice repeated like a mocking-bird. the childlike zest with which she entered into everything, and made herself a part of everything, amused her quiet friend, and gave her even more pleasure than the beauties of the landscape. after a picnic repast, they ascended monte cavo, and looked down on the deep basins of the lakes, once blazing with volcanic fire, now full of water blue as the sky it reflected; like human souls in which the passions have burned out, and left them calm recipients of those divine truths in which the heavens are mirrored. as mrs. delano pointed out various features in the magnificent panorama around them, she began to tell flora of scenes in the aeneid with which they were intimately connected. the young girl, who was serious for the moment, dropped on the grass to listen, with elbows on her friend's lap, and her upturned face supported by her hands. but the lecture was too grave for her mercurial spirit; and she soon sprang up, exclaiming: "o mamita lila, all those people were dead and buried so long ago! i don't believe the princess that aeneas was fighting about was half as handsome as that dancing contadina from frascati, with a scarlet bodice and a floating veil fastened among her black braids with a silver arrow. how her eyes sparkled, and her cheeks glowed! and the contadino who was dancing with her, with those long streamers of red ribbon flying round his peaked hat, he looked almost as handsome as she did. how i wish i could see them dance the saltarello again! o mamita lila, as soon as we get back to rome, do buy a tambourine." inspired by the remembrance, she straightway began to hum the monotonous tune of that grasshopper dance, imitating the hopping steps and the quick jerks of the arms, marking the time with ever-increasing rapidity on her left hand, as if it were a tambourine. she was so aglow with the exercise, and so graceful in her swift motions, that mrs. delano watched her with admiring smiles. but when the extempore entertainment came to a close, she thought to herself: "it is a hopeless undertaking to educate her after the new england pattern. one might as well try to plough with a butterfly, as to teach her ancient history." when they had wandered about a little while longer, happy as souls newly arrived in the elysian fields, mrs. delano said: "my child, you have already gathered mosses enough to fill the carriage, and it is time for us to return. you know twilight passes into darkness very quickly here." "just let me gather this piece of golden lichen," pleaded she. "it will look so pretty among the green moss, in the cross i am going to make you for christmas." when all her multifarious gleanings were gathered up, they lingered a little to drink in the beauty of the scene before them. in the distance was the eternal city, girdled by hills that stood out with wonderful distinctness in the luminous atmosphere of that brilliant day, which threw a golden veil over all its churches, statues, and ruins. before they had gone far on their homeward ride, all things passed through magical changes. the hills were seen in vapory visions, shifting their hues with opaline glances; and over the green, billowy surface of the broad campagna was settling a prismatic robe of mist, changing from rose to violet. earth seemed to be writing, in colored notes, with tenderest modulations, her farewell hymn to the departing god of light. and the visible music soon took voice in the vibration of vesper-bells, in the midst of which they entered rome. flora, who was sobered by the solemn sounds and the darkening landscape, scarcely spoke, except to remind mrs. delano of the tambourine as they drove through the crowded corso; and when they entered their lodgings in via delle quattro fontane, she passed to her room without any of her usual skipping and singing. when they met again at supper her friend said: "why so serious? is my little one tired?" "i have been thinking, mamita, that something is going to happen to me," she replied; "for always when i am very merry something happens." "i should think something would happen very often then," rejoined mrs. delano with a smile, to which she responded with her ready little laugh. "several visitors called while we were gone," said mrs. delano. "our rich boston friend, mr. green, has left his card. he follows us very diligently." she looked at flora as she spoke; but though the light from a tall lamp fell directly on her face, she saw no emotion, either of pleasure or embarrassment. she merely looked up with a smile, as she remarked: "he always seems to be going round very leisurely in search of something to entertain him. i wonder whether he has found it yet." though she was really tired with the exertions of the day, the sight of the new tambourine, after supper, proved too tempting; and she was soon practising the saltarello again, with an agility almost equal to that of the nimble contadina from whom she had learned it. she was whirling round more and more swiftly, as if fatigue were a thing impossible to her, when mr. green was announced; and a very stylishly dressed gentleman, with glossy shirt-bosom and diamond studs, entered the room. she had had scarcely time to seat herself, and her face was still flushed with exercise, while her dimples were revealed by a sort of shy smile at the consciousness of having been so nearly caught in her rompish play by such an exquisite. the glowing cheek and the dimpling smile were a new revelation to mr. green; for he had never interested her sufficiently to call out the vivacity which rendered her so charming. mrs. delano noticed his glance of admiration, and the thought occurred, as it had often done before, what an embarrassing dilemma she would be in, if he should propose marriage to her _protégée_. "i called this morning," said he, "and found you had gone to albano. i was tempted to follow, but thought it likely i should miss you. it is a charming drive." "everything is charming here, i think," rejoined flora. "ah, it is the first time you have seen rome," said he. "i envy you the freshness of your sensations. this is the third time i have been here, and of course it palls a little upon me." "why don't you go to some new place then?" inquired flora. "where _is_ there any new place?" responded he languidly. "to be sure, there is arabia petraea, but the accommodations are not good. besides, rome has attractions for me at present; and i really think i meet more acquaintances here than i should at home. rome is beginning to swarm with americans, especially with southerners. one can usually recognize them at a glance by their unmistakable air of distinction. they are obviously of porcelain clay, as willis says." "i think our new england mr. percival is as polished a gentleman as any. i have seen," observed mrs. delano. "he is a gentleman in manners and attainments, i admit," replied mr. green; "but with his family and education, what a pity it is he has so disgraced himself." "pray what has he done?" inquired the lady. "didn't you know he was an abolitionist?" rejoined mr. green. "it is a fact that he has actually spoken at their meetings. i was surprised to see him travelling with you in england. it must be peculiarly irritating to the south to see a man of his position siding with those vulgar agitators. really, unless something effectual can be done to stop that frenzy, i fear southern gentlemen will be unable to recover a fugitive slave." flora looked at mrs. delano with a furtive, sideway glance, and a half-smile on her lips. her impulse was to jump up, dot one of her quick courtesies, and say: "i am a fugitive slave. please, sir, don't give _me_ up to any of those distinguished gentlemen." mr. green noticed her glance, and mistook it for distaste of his theme. "pardon me, ladies," said he, "for introducing a subject tabooed in polite society. i called for a very different purpose. one novelty remains for me in rome. i have never seen the statues of the vatican by torchlight. some americans are forming a party for that purpose to-morrow evening, and if you would like to join them, it will give me great pleasure to be your escort." flora, being appealed to, expressed acquiescence, and mrs. delano replied: "we will accept your invitation with pleasure. i have a great predilection for sculpture." "finding myself so fortunate in one request encourages me to make another," rejoined mr. green. "on the evening following norma is to be brought out, with a new _prima donna_, from whom great things are expected. i should be much gratified if you would allow me to procure tickets and attend upon you." flora's face lighted up at once. "i see what my musical daughter wishes," said mrs. delano. "we will therefore lay ourselves under obligations to you for two evenings' entertainment." the gentleman, having expressed his thanks, bade them good evening. flora woke up the next morning full of pleasant anticipations. when mrs. delano looked in upon her, she found her already dressed, and busy with a sketch of the dancing couple from frascati. "i cannot make them so much alive as i wish," said she, "because they are not in motion. no picture can give the gleamings of the arrow or the whirlings of the veil. i wish we could dress like italians. how i should like to wear a scarlet bodice, and a veil fastened with a silver arrow." "if we remained till carnival, you might have that pleasure," replied mrs. delano; "for everybody masquerades as they like at that time. but i imagine you would hardly fancy my appearance in scarlet jacket, with laced sleeves, big coral necklace, and long ear-rings, like that old contadina we met riding on a donkey." flora laughed. "to think of mamita lila in such costume!" exclaimed she. "the old contadina would make a charming picture; but a picture of the campagna, sleepy with purple haze, would be more like you." "am i then so sleepy?" inquired her friend. "o, no, not sleepy. you know i don't mean that. but so quiet; and always with some sort of violet or lilac cloud for a dress. but here comes carlina to call us to breakfast," said she, as she laid down her crayon, and drummed the saltarello on her picture while she paused a moment to look at it. as mrs. delano wished to write letters, and flora expected a teacher in drawing, it was decided that they should remain at home until the hour arrived for visiting the vatican. "we have been about sight-seeing so much," said mrs. delano, "that i think it will be pleasant to have a quiet day." flora assented; but as mrs. delano wrote, she could not help smiling at her ideas of quietude. sometimes rapid thumps on the tambourine might be heard, indicating that the saltarello was again in rehearsal. if a _piffero_ strolled through the street, the monotonous drone of his bagpipe was reproduced in most comical imitation; and anon there was a gush of bird-songs, as if a whole aviary were in the vicinity. indeed, no half-hour passed without audible indication that the little recluse was in merry mood. at the appointed time mr. green came to conduct them to the vatican. they ascended the wide slopes, and passed through open courts into long passages lined with statues, and very dimly lighted with occasional lamps. here and there a marble figure was half revealed, and looked so spectral in the gloaming that they felt as if they were entering the world of spirits. several members of the party preceded them, and all seemed to feel the hushing influence, for they passed on in silence, and stepped softly as they entered the great palace of art. the torch-bearers were soon in readiness to illuminate the statues, which they did by holding a covered light over each, making it stand out alone in the surrounding darkness, with very striking effects of light and shadow. flora, who was crouched on a low seat by the side of mrs. delano, gazed with a reverent, half-afraid feeling on the thoughtful, majestic looking minerva medica. when the graceful vision of venus anadyomene was revealed, she pressed her friend's hand, and the pressure was returned. but when the light was held over a beautiful cupid, the face looked out from the gloom with such an earnest, childlike expression, that she forgot the presence of strangers, and impulsively exclaimed, "o mamita, how lovely!" a gentleman some little distance in front of them turned toward them suddenly, at the sound of her voice; and a movement of the torch-bearer threw the light full upon him for an instant. flora hid her face in the lap of mrs. delano, who attributed the quick action to her shame at having spoken so audibly. but placing her hand caressingly on her shoulder, she felt that she was trembling violently. she stooped toward her, and softly inquired, "what is the matter, dear?" flora seized her head with both hands, and, drawing it closer, whispered: "take me home, mamita! do take me right home!" wondering what sudden caprice had seized the emotional child, she said, "why, are you ill, dear?" flora whispered close into her ear: "no, mamita. but mr. fitzgerald is here." mrs. delano rose very quietly, and, approaching mr. green, said: "my daughter is not well, and we wish to leave. but i beg you will return as soon as you have conducted us to the carriage." but though he was assured by both the ladies that nothing alarming was the matter, when they arrived at their lodgings he descended from the driver's seat to assist them in alighting. mrs. delano, with polite regrets at having thus disturbed his pleasure, thanked him, and bade him good evening. she hurried after flora, whom she found in her room, weeping bitterly. "control your feelings, my child," said she. "you are perfectly safe here in italy." "but if he saw me, it will make it so very unpleasant for you, mamita." "he couldn't see you; for we were sitting in very deep shadow," replied mrs. delano. "but even if he had seen you, i should know how to protect you." "but what i am thinking of," said floracita, still weeping, "is that he may have brought rosa with him, and i can't run to her this very minute. i _must_ see her! i _will_ see her! if i have to tell ever so many _fibititas_ about the reason of my running away." "i wouldn't prepare any _fibititas_ at present," rejoined mrs. delano. "i always prefer the truth. i will send for mr. percival, and ask him to ascertain whether mr. fitzgerald brought a lady with him. meanwhile, you had better lie down, and keep as quiet as you can. as soon as i obtain any information, i will come and tell you." when mr. percival was informed of the adventure at the vatican, he sallied forth to examine the lists of arrivals; and before long he returned with the statement that mr. and mrs. fitzgerald were registered among the newcomers. "flora would, of course, consider that conclusive," said he; "but you and i, who have doubts concerning that clandestine marriage, will deem it prudent to examine further." "if it should prove to be her sister, it will be a very embarrassing affair," rejoined mrs. delano. mr. percival thought it very unlikely, but said he would ascertain particulars to-morrow. with that general promise, without a knowledge of the fact already discovered, flora retired to rest; but it was nearly morning before she slept. chapter xviii. though flora had been so wakeful the preceding night, she tapped at mrs. delano's door very early the next morning. "excuse me for coming before you were dressed," said she; "but i wanted to ask you how long you think it will be before mr. percival can find out whether mr. fitzgerald has brought rosa with him." "probably not before noon," replied mrs. delano, drawing the anxious little face toward her, and imprinting on it her morning kiss. "last evening i wrote a note to mr. green, requesting him to dispose of the opera tickets to other friends. mr. fitzgerald is so musical, he will of course be there; and whether your sister is with him or not, you will be in too nervous a state to go to any public place. you had better stay in your room, and busy yourself with books and drawings, till we can ascertain the state of things. i will sit with you as much as i can; and when i am absent you must try to be a good, quiet child." "i will try to be good, because i don't want to trouble you, mamita lila; but you know i can't be quiet in my mind. i did long for the opera; but unless mr. fitzgerald brought rosa with him, and i could see her before i went, it would almost kill me to hear norma; for every part of it is associated with her." after breakfast, mrs. delano sat some time in flora's room, inspecting her recent drawings, and advising her to work upon them during the day, as the best method of restraining restlessness. while they were thus occupied, carlina brought in a beautiful bouquet for miss delano, accompanied with a note for the elder lady, expressing mr. green's great regret at being deprived of the pleasure of their company for the evening. "i am sorry i missed seeing him," thought mrs. delano; "for he is always so intimate with southerners, i dare say he would know all about mr. fitzgerald; though i should have been at a loss how to introduce the inquiry." not long afterward mr. percival called, and had what seemed to flora a very long private conference with mrs. delano. the information he brought was, that the lady with mr. fitzgerald was a small, slight figure, with yellowish hair and very delicate complexion. "that is in all respects the very opposite of flora's description of her sister," rejoined mrs. delano. their brief conversation on the subject was concluded by a request that mr. percival would inquire at civita vecchia for the earliest vessels bound either to france or england. mrs. delano could not at once summon sufficient resolution to recount all the particulars to flora; to whom she merely said that she considered it certain that her sister was not with mr. fitzgerald. "then why can't i go right off to the united states to-day?" exclaimed the impetuous little damsel. "would you then leave mamita lila so suddenly?" inquired her friend; whereupon the emotional child began to weep and protest. this little scene was interrupted by carlina with two visiting-cards on a silver salver. mrs. delano's face flushed unusually as she glanced at them. she immediately rose to go, saying to flora: "i must see these people; but i will come back to you as soon as i can. don't leave your room, my dear." in the parlor, she found a gentleman and lady, both handsome, but as different from each other as night and morning. the lady stepped forward and said: "i think you will recollect me; for we lived in the same street in boston, and you and my mother used to visit together." "miss lily bell," rejoined mrs. delano, offering her hand. "i had not heard you were on this side the atlantic." "not miss bell now, but mrs. fitzgerald," replied the fair little lady. "allow me to introduce you to mr. fitzgerald." mrs. delano bowed, rather coldly; and her visitor continued: "i was so sorry i didn't know you were with the vatican party last night. mr. green told us of it this morning, and said you were obliged to leave early, on account of the indisposition of miss delano. i hope she has recovered, for mr. green has told me so much about her that i am dying with curiosity to see her." "she is better, i thank you, but not well enough to see company," replied mrs. delano. "what a pity she will be obliged to relinquish the opera to-night!" observed mr. fitzgerald. "i hear she is very musical; and they tell wonderful stories about this new _prima donna_. they say she has two more notes in the altissimo scale than any singer who has been heard here, and that her sostenuto is absolutely marvellous." mrs. delano replied politely, expressing regret that she and her daughter were deprived of the pleasure of hearing such a musical genius. after some desultory chat concerning the various sights in rome, the visitors departed. "i'm glad your call was short," said mr. fitzgerald. "that lady is a perfect specimen of boston ice." whereupon his companion began to rally him for want of gallantry in saying anything disparaging of boston. meanwhile mrs. delano was pacing the parlor in a disturbed state of mind. though she had foreseen such a contingency as one of the possible consequences of adopting flora, yet when it came so suddenly in a different place, and under different circumstances from any she had thought of, the effect was somewhat bewildering. she dreaded the agitation into which the news would throw flora, and she wanted to mature her own future plans before she made the announcement. so, in answer to flora's questions about the visitors, she merely said a lady from boston, the daughter of one of her old acquaintances, had called to introduce her husband. after dinner, they spent some time reading tasso's aminta together; and then mrs. delano said: "i wish to go and have a talk with mr. and mrs. percival. i have asked him to inquire about vessels at civita vecchia; for, under present circumstances, i presume you would be glad to set out sooner than we intended on that romantic expedition in search of your sister." "o, thank you! thank you!" exclaimed flora, jumping up and kissing her. "i trust you will not go out, or sing, or show yourself at the windows while i am gone," said mrs. delano; "for though mr. fitzgerald can do you no possible harm, it would be more agreeable to slip away without his seeing you." the promise was readily and earnestly given, and she proceeded to the lodgings of mr. and mrs. percival in the next street. after she had related the experiences of the morning, she asked what they supposed had become of rosabella. "it is to be hoped she does not continue her relation with that base man if she knows of his marriage," said mrs. percival; "for that would involve a moral degradation painful for you to think of in flora's sister." "if she has ceased to interest his fancy, very likely he may have sold her," said mr. percival; "for a man who could entertain the idea of selling flora, i think would sell his own northern wife, if the law permitted it and circumstances tempted him to it." "what do you think i ought to do in the premises?" inquired mrs. delano. "i would hardly presume to say what you ought to do," rejoined mrs. percival; "but i know what i should do, if i were as rich as you, and as strongly attached to flora." "let me hear what you would do," said mrs. delano. the prompt reply was: "i would go in search of her. and if she was sold, i would buy her and bring her home, and be a mother to her." "thank you," said mrs. delano, warmly pressing her hand. "i thought you would advise what was kindest and noblest. money really seems to me of very little value, except as a means of promoting human happiness. and in this case i might perhaps prevent moral degradation, growing out of misfortune and despair." after some conversation concerning vessels that were about to sail, the friends parted. on her way homeward, she wondered within herself whether they had any suspicion of the secret tie that bound her so closely to these unfortunate girls. "i ought to do the same for them without that motive," thought she; "but should i?" though her call had not been very long, it seemed so to flora, who had latterly been little accustomed to solitude. she had no heart for books or drawing. she sat listlessly watching the crowd on monte pincio;--children chasing each other, or toddling about with nurses in bright-red jackets; carriages going round and round, ever and anon bringing into the sunshine gleams of gay roman scarfs, or bright autumnal ribbons fluttering in the breeze. she had enjoyed few things more than joining that fashionable promenade to overlook the city in the changing glories of sunset. but now she cared not for it. her thoughts were far away on the lonely island. as sunset quickly faded into twilight, carriages and pedestrians wound their way down the hill. the noble trees on its summit became solemn silhouettes against the darkening sky, and the monotonous trickling of the fountain in the court below sounded more distinct as the street noises subsided. she was growing a little anxious, when she heard soft footfalls on the stairs, which she at once recognized and hastened to meet. "o, you have been gone so long!" she exclaimed. happy, as all human beings are, to have another heart so dependent on them, the gratified lady passed her arm round the waist of the loving child, and they ascended to their rooms like two confidential school-girls. after tea, mrs. delano said, "now i will keep my promise of telling you all i have discovered." flora ran to an ottoman by her side, and, leaning on her lap, looked up eagerly into her face. "you must try not to be excitable, my dear," said her friend; "for i have some unpleasant news to tell you." the expressive eyes, that were gazing wistfully into hers while she spoke, at once assumed that startled, melancholy look, strangely in contrast with their laughing shape. her friend was so much affected by it that she hardly knew how to proceed with her painful task. at last flora murmured, "is she dead?" "i have heard no such tidings, darling," she replied. "but mr. fitzgerald has married a boston lady, and they were the visitors who came here this morning." flora sprung up and pressed her hand on her heart, as if a sharp arrow had hit her. but she immediately sank on the ottoman again, and said in tones of suppressed agitation: "then he has left poor rosa. how miserable she must be! she loved him so! o, how wrong it was for me to run away and leave her! and only to think how i have been enjoying myself, when she was there all alone, with her heart breaking! can't we go to-morrow to look for her, dear mamita?" "in three days a vessel will sail for marseilles," replied mrs. delano. "our passage is taken; and mr. and mrs. percival, who intended to return home soon, are kind enough to say they will go with us. i wish they could accompany us to the south; but he is so well known as an abolitionist that his presence would probably cause unpleasant interruptions and delays, and perhaps endanger his life." flora seized her hand and kissed it, while tears were dropping fast upon it. and at every turn of the conversation, she kept repeating, "how wrong it was for me to run away and leave her!" "no, my child," replied mrs. delano, "you did right in coming to me. if you had stayed there, you would have made both her and yourself miserable, beside doing what was very wrong. i met mr. fitzgerald once on horseback, while i was visiting at mr. welby's plantation; but i never fairly saw him until to-day. he is so very handsome, that, when i looked at him, i could not but think it rather remarkable he did not gain a bad power over you by his insinuating flattery, when you were so very young and inexperienced." the guileless little damsel looked up with an expression of surprise, and said: "how _could_ i bear to have him make love to _me_, when he was rosa's husband? he is so handsome and fascinating, that, if he had loved me instead of rosa, in the beginning, i dare say i should have been as much in love with him as she was. i did dearly love him while he was a kind brother; but i couldn't love him _so_. it would have killed rosa if i had. besides, he told falsehoods; and papa taught us to consider that as the meanest of faults. i have heard him tell rosa he never loved anybody but her, when an hour before he had told me he loved me better than rosa. what could i do but despise such a man? then, when he threatened to sell me, i became dreadfully afraid of him." she started up, as if struck by a sudden thought, and exclaimed wildly, "what if he has sold rosa?" her friend brought forward every argument and every promise she could think of to pacify her; and when she had become quite calm, they sang a few hymns together, and before retiring to rest knelt down side by side and prayed for strength and guidance in these new troubles. flora remained a long time wakeful, thinking of rosa deserted and alone. she had formed many projects concerning what was to be seen and heard and done in rome; but she forgot them all. she did not even think of the much-anticipated opera, until she heard from the street snatches of norma, whistled or sung by the dispersing audience. a tenor voice passed the house singing, _vieni_ _in roma_. "ah," thought she, "gerald and i used to sing that duet together. and in those latter days how languishingly he used to look at me, behind her back, while he sang passionately, '_ah, deh cedi, cedi a me_!' and poor cheated rosa would say, 'dear gerald, how much heart you put into your voice!' o shame, shame! what _could_ i do but run away? poor rosa! how i wish i could hear her sing 'casta diva,' as she used to do when we sat gazing at the moon shedding its soft light over the pines in that beautiful lonely island." and so, tossed for a long while on a sea of memories, she finally drifted into dream-land. chapter xix. while flora was listlessly gazing at monte pincio from the solitude of her room in the via delle quattro fontane, rosabella was looking at the same object, seen at a greater distance, over intervening houses, from her high lodgings in the corso. she could see the road winding like a ribbon round the hill, with a medley of bright colors continually moving over it. but she was absorbed in revery, and they floated round and round before her mental eye, like the revolving shadows of a magic lantern. she was announced to sing that night, as the new spanish _prima donna_, la señorita rosita campaneo; and though she had been applauded by manager and musicians at the rehearsal that morning, her spirit shrank from the task. recent letters from america had caused deep melancholy; and the idea of singing, not _con amore_, but as a performer before an audience of entire strangers, filled her with dismay. she remembered how many times she and flora and gerald had sung together from norma; and an oppressive feeling of loneliness came over her. returning from rehearsal, a few hours before, she had seen a young italian girl, who strongly reminded her of her lost sister. "ah!" thought she, "if flora and i had gone out into the world together, to make our own way, as madame first intended, how much sorrow and suffering i might have been spared!" she went to the piano, where the familiar music of norma lay open before her, and from the depths of her saddened soul gushed forth, "_ah, bello a me ritorno_." the last tone passed sighingly away, and as her hands lingered on the keys, she murmured, "will my heart pass into it there, before that crowd of strange faces, as it does here?" "to be sure it will, dear," responded madame, who had entered softly and stood listening to the last strains. "ah, if all would hear with _your_ partial ears!" replied rosabella, with a glimmering smile. "but they will not. and i may be so frightened that i shall lose my voice." "what have you to be afraid of, darling?" rejoined madame. "it was more trying to sing at private parties of accomplished musicians, as you did in paris; and especially at the palace, where there was such an _élite_ company. yet you know that queen amelia was so much pleased with your performance of airs from this same opera, that she sent you the beautiful enamelled wreath you are to wear to-night." "what i was singing when you came in wept itself out of the fulness of my heart," responded rosabella. "this dreadful news of tulee and the baby unfits me for anything. do you think there is no hope it may prove untrue?" "you know the letter explicitly states that my cousin and his wife, the negro woman, and the white baby, all died of yellow-fever," replied madame. "but don't reproach me for leaving them, darling. i feel badly enough about it, already. i thought it would be healthy so far out of the city; and it really seemed the best thing to do with the poor little _bambino_, until we could get established somewhere." "i did not intend to reproach you, my kind friend," answered rosa. "i know you meant it all for the best. but i had a heavy presentiment of evil when you first told me they were left. this news makes it hard for me to keep up my heart for the efforts of the evening. you know i was induced to enter upon this operatic career mainly by the hope of educating that poor child, and providing well for the old age of you and papa balbino, as i have learned to call my good friend, the signor. and poor tulee, too,--how much i intended to do for her! no mortal can ever know what she was to me in the darkest hours of my life." "well, poor tulee's troubles are all over," rejoined madame, with a sigh; "and _bambinos_ escape a great deal of suffering by going out of this wicked world. for, between you and i, dear, i don't believe one word about the innocent little souls staying in purgatory on account of not being baptized." "o, my friend, if you only _knew_!" exclaimed rosa, in a wild, despairing tone. but she instantly checked herself, and said: "i will try not to think of it; for if i do, i shall spoil my voice; and papa balbino would be dreadfully mortified if i failed, after he had taken so much pains to have me brought out." "that is right, darling," rejoined madame, patting her on the shoulder. "i will go away, and leave you to rehearse." again and again rosa sang the familiar airs, trying to put soul into them, by imagining how she would feel if she were in norma's position. some of the emotions she knew by her own experience, and those she sang with her deepest feeling. "if i could only keep the same visions before me that i have here alone, i should sing well to-night," she said to herself; "for now, when i sing 'casta diva,' i seem to be sitting with my arm round dear little flora, watching the moon as it rises above the dark pines on that lonely island." at last the dreaded hour came. rosa appeared on the stage with her train of priestesses. the orchestra and the audience were before her; and she knew that papa and mamma balbino were watching her from the side with anxious hearts. she was very pale, and her first notes were a little tremulous. but her voice soon became clear and strong; and when she fixed her eyes on the moon, and sang "casta diva," the fulness and richness of the tones took everybody by surprise. "_bis! bis_!" cried the audience; and the chorus was not allowed to proceed till she had sung it a second and third time. she courtesied her acknowledgments gracefully. but as she retired, ghosts of the past went with her; and with her heart full of memories, she seemed to weep in music, while she sang in italian, "restore to mine affliction one smile of love's protection." again the audience shouted, "_bis! bis_!" the duet with adalgisa was more difficult; for she had not yet learned to be an actress, and she was embarrassed by the consciousness of being an object of jealousy to the _seconda donna_, partly because she was _prima_, and partly because the tenor preferred her. but when adalgisa sang in italian the words, "behold him!" she chanced to raise her eyes to a box near the stage, and saw the faces of gerald fitzgerald and his wife bending eagerly toward her. she shuddered, and for an instant her voice failed her. the audience were breathless. her look, her attitude, her silence, her tremor, all seemed inimitable acting. a glance at the foot-lights and at the orchestra recalled the recollection of where she was, and by a strong effort she controlled herself; though there was still an agitation in her voice, which the audience and the singers thought to be the perfection of acting. again she glanced at fitzgerald, and there was terrible power in the tones with which she uttered, in italian, "tremble, perfidious one! thou knowest the cause is ample." her eyes rested for a moment on mrs. fitzgerald, and with a wonderful depth of pitying sadness, she sang, "o, how his art deceived thee!" the wish she had formed was realized. she was enabled to give voice to her own emotions, forgetful of the audience for the time being. and even in subsequent scenes, when the recollection of being a performer returned upon her, her inward excitation seemed to float her onward, like a great wave. once again her own feelings took her up, like a tornado, and made her seem a wonderful actress. in the scene where norma is tempted to kill her children, she fixed her indignant gaze full upon fitzgerald, and there was an indescribable expression of stern resolution in her voice, and of pride in the carriage of her queenly head, while she sang: "disgrace worse than death awaits them. slavery? no! never!" fitzgerald quailed before it. he grew pale, and slunk back in the box. the audience had never seen the part so conceived, and a few criticised it. but her beauty and her voice and her overflowing feeling carried all before her; and this, also, was accepted as a remarkable inspiration of theatrical genius. when the wave of her own excitement was subsiding, the magnetism of an admiring audience began to affect her strongly. with an outburst of fury, she sang, "war! war!" the audience cried, "_bis! bis_!" and she sang it as powerfully the second time. what it was that had sustained and carried her through that terrible ordeal, she could never understand. when the curtain dropped, fitzgerald was about to rush after her; but his wife caught his arm, and he was obliged to follow. it was an awful penance he underwent, submitting to this necessary restraint; and while his soul was seething like a boiling caldron, he was obliged to answer evasively to lily's frequent declaration that the superb voice of this spanish _prima donna_ was exactly like the wonderful voice that went wandering round the plantation, like a restless ghost. papa and mamma balbino were waiting to receive the triumphant _cantatrice_, as she left the stage. "_brava! brava_!" shouted the signor, in a great fever of excitement; but seeing how pale she looked, he pressed her hand in silence, while madame wrapped her in shawls. they lifted her into the carriage as quickly as possible, where her head drooped almost fainting on madame's shoulder. it required them both to support her unsteady steps, as they mounted the stairs to their lofty lodging. she told them nothing that night of having seen fitzgerald; and, refusing all refreshment save a sip of wine, she sank on the bed utterly exhausted. chapter xx. she slept late the next day, and woke with a feeling of utter weariness of body and prostration of spirit. when her dressing-maid giovanna came at her summons, she informed her that a gentleman had twice called to see her, but left no name or card. "let no one be admitted to-day but the manager of the opera," said rosa. "i will dress now; and if mamma balbino is at leisure, i should like to have her come and talk with me while i breakfast." "madame has gone out to make some purchases," replied giovanna. "she said she should return soon, and charged me to keep everything quiet, that you might sleep. the signor is in his room waiting to speak to you." "please tell him i have waked," said rosa; "and as soon as i have dressed and breakfasted, ask him to come to me." giovanna, who had been at the opera the preceding evening, felt the importance of her mission in dressing the celebrated señorita rosita campaneo, of whose beauty and gracefulness everybody was talking. and when the process was completed, the _cantatrice_ might well have been excused if she had thought herself the handsomest of women. the glossy dark hair rippled over her forehead in soft waves, and the massive braids behind were intertwisted with a narrow band of crimson velvet, that glowed like rubies where the sunlight fell upon it. her morning wrapper of fine crimson merino, embroidered with gold-colored silk, was singularly becoming to her complexion, softened as the contact was by a white lace collar fastened at the throat with a golden pin. but though she was seated before the mirror, and though her own spanish taste had chosen the strong contrast of bright colors, she took no notice of the effect produced. her face was turned toward the window, and as she gazed on the morning sky, all unconscious of its translucent brilliancy of blue, there was an inward-looking expression in her luminous eyes that would have made the fortune of an artist, if he could have reproduced her as a sibyl. giovanna looked at her with surprise, that a lady could be so handsome and so beautifully dressed, yet not seem to care for it. she lingered a moment contemplating the superb head with an exultant look, as if it were a picture of her own painting, and then she went out noiselessly to bring the breakfast-tray. the señorita campaneo ate with a keener appetite than she had ever experienced as rosabella the recluse; for the forces of nature, exhausted by the exertions of the preceding evening, demanded renovation. but the services of the cook were as little appreciated as those of the dressing-maid; the luxurious breakfast was to her simply food. the mirror was at her side, and giovanna watched curiously to see whether she would admire the effect of the crimson velvet gleaming among her dark hair. but she never once glanced in that direction. when she had eaten sufficiently, she sat twirling her spoon and looking into the depths of her cup, as if it were a magic mirror revealing all the future. she was just about to say, "now you may call papa balbino," when giovanna gave a sudden start, and exclaimed, "signorita! a gentleman!" and ere she had time to look round, fitzgerald was kneeling at her feet. he seized her hand and kissed it passionately, saying, in an agony of entreaty: "o rosabella, do say you forgive me! i am suffering the tortures of the damned." the irruption was so sudden and unexpected, that for an instant she failed to realize it. but her presence of mind quickly returned, and, forcibly withdrawing the hand to which he clung, she turned to the astonished waiting-maid and said quite calmly, "please deliver _immediately_ the message i spoke of." giovanna left the room and proceeded directly to the adjoining apartment, where signor balbino was engaged in earnest conversation with another gentleman. fitzgerald remained kneeling, still pleading vehemently for forgiveness. "mr. fitzgerald," said she, "this audacity is incredible. i could not have imagined it possible you would presume ever again to come into my presence, after having sold me to that infamous man." "he took advantage of me, rosa. i was intoxicated with wine, and knew not what i did. i could not have done it if i had been in my senses. i have always loved you as i never loved any other woman; and i never loved you so wildly as now." "leave me!" she exclaimed imperiously. "your being here does me injury. if you have any manhood in you, leave me!" he strove to clutch the folds of her robe, and in frenzied tones cried out: "o rosabella, don't drive me from you! i can't live without--" a voice like a pistol-shot broke in upon his sentence: "villain! deceiver! what are you doing here? out of the house this instant!" fitzgerald sprung to his feet, pale with rage, and encountered the flashing eyes of the signor. "what right have _you_ to order me out of the house?" said he. "i am her adopted father," replied the italian; "and no man shall insult her while i am alive." "so _you_ are installed as her protector!" retorted fitzgerald, sneeringly. "you are not the first gallant i have known to screen himself behind his years." "by jupiter!" vociferated the enraged italian; and he made a spring to clutch him by the throat. fitzgerald drew out a pistol. with a look of utter distress, rosa threw herself between them, saying, in imploring accents, "_will_ you go?" at the same moment, a hand rested gently on the signor's shoulder, and a manly voice said soothingly, "be calm, my friend." then, turning to mr. fitzgerald, the gentleman continued: "slight as our acquaintance is, sir, it authorizes me to remind you that scenes like this are unfit for a lady's apartment." fitzgerald slowly replaced his pistol, as he answered coldly: "i remember your countenance, sir, but i don't recollect where i have seen it, nor do i understand what right you have to intrude here." "i met you in new orleans, something more than four years ago," replied the stranger; "and i was then introduced to you by this lady's father, as mr. alfred king of boston." "o, i remember," replied fitzgerald, with a slight curl of his lip. "i thought you something of a puritan then; but it seems _you_ are her protector also." mr. king colored to the temples; but he replied calmly: "i know not whether miss royal recognizes me; for i have never seen her since the evening we spent so delightfully at her father's house." "i do recognize you," replied rosabella; "and as the son of my father's dearest friend, i welcome you." she held out her hand as she spoke, and he clasped it for an instant. but though the touch thrilled him, he betrayed no emotion. relinquishing it with a respectful bow, he turned to mr. fitzgerald, and said: "you have seen fit to call me a puritan, and may not therefore accept me as a teacher of politeness; but if you wish to sustain the character of a cavalier, you surely will not remain in a lady's house after she has requested you to quit it." with a slight shrug of his shoulders, mr. fitzgerald took his hat, and said, "where ladies command, i am of course bound to obey." as he passed out of the door, he turned toward rosabella, and, with a low bow, said, "_au revoir_!" the signor was trembling with anger, but succeeded in smothering his half-uttered anathemas. mr. king compressed his lips tightly for a moment, as if silence were a painful effort. then, turning to rosa, he said: "pardon my sudden intrusion, miss royal. your father introduced me to the signor, and i last night saw him at the opera. that will account for my being in his room to-day." he glanced at the italian with a smile, as he added: "i heard very angry voices, and i thought, if there was to be a duel, perhaps the signor would need a second. you must be greatly fatigued with exertion and excitement. therefore, i will merely congratulate you on your brilliant success last evening, and wish you good morning." "i _am_ fatigued," she replied; "but if i bid you good morning now, it is with the hope of seeing you again soon. the renewal of acquaintance with one whom my dear father loved is too pleasant to be willingly relinquished." "thank you," he said. but the simple words were uttered with a look and tone so deep and earnest, that she felt the color rising to her cheeks. "am i then still capable of being moved by such tones?" she asked herself, as she listened to his departing footsteps, and, for the first time that morning, turned toward the mirror and glanced at her own flushed countenance. "what a time you've been having, dear!" exclaimed madame, who came bustling in a moment after. "only to think of mr. fitzgerald's coming here! his impudence goes a little beyond anything i ever heard of. wasn't it lucky that boston friend should drop down from the skies, as it were, just at the right minute; for the signor's such a flash-in-the-pan, there 's no telling what might have happened. tell me all about it, dear." "i will tell you about it, dear mamma," replied rosa; "but i must beg you to excuse me just now; for i am really very much flurried and fatigued. if you hadn't gone out, i should have told you this morning, at breakfast, that i saw mr. and mrs. fitzgerald at the opera, and that i was singing at them in good earnest, while people thought i was acting. we will talk it all over some time; but now i must study, for i shall have hard work to keep the ground i have gained. you know i must perform again to-night. o, how i dread it!" "you are a strange child to talk so, when you have turned everybody's head," responded madame. "why should i care for everybody's head?" rejoined the successful _cantatrice_. but she thought to herself: "i shall not feel, as i did last night, that i am going to sing _merely_ to strangers. there will be _one_ there who heard me sing to my dear father. i must try to recall the intonations that came so naturally last evening, and see whether i can act what i then felt." she seated herself at the piano, and began to sing, "_oh, di qual sei tu vittima_." then, shaking her head slowly, she murmured: "no; it doesn't come. i must trust to the inspiration of the moment. but it is a comfort to know they will not _all_ be strangers." * * * * * mr. king took an opportunity that same day to call on mr. fitzgerald. he was very haughtily received; but, without appearing to notice it, he opened his errand by saying, "i have come to speak with you concerning miss royal." "all i have to say to you, sir," replied mr. fitzgerald, "is, that neither you nor any other man can induce me to give up my pursuit of her. i will follow her wherever she goes." "what possible advantage can you gain by such a course?" inquired his visitor. "why uselessly expose yourself to disagreeable notoriety, which must, of course, place mrs. fitzgerald in a mortifying position?" "how do you know my perseverance would be useless?" asked fitzgerald. "did she send you to tell me so?" "she does not know of my coming," replied mr. king. "i have told you that my acquaintance with miss royal is very slight. but you will recollect that i met her in the freshness of her young life, when she was surrounded by all the ease and elegance that a father's wealth and tenderness could bestow; and it was unavoidable that her subsequent misfortunes should excite my sympathy. she has never told me anything of her own history, but from others i know all the particulars. it is not my purpose to allude to them; but after suffering all she _has_ suffered, now that she has bravely made a standing-place for herself, and has such an arduous career before her, i appeal to your sense of honor, whether it is generous, whether it is manly, to do anything that will increase the difficulties of her position." "it is presumptuous in you, sir, to come here to teach me what is manly," rejoined fitzgerald. "i merely presented the case for the verdict of your own conscience," answered his visitor; "but i will again take the liberty to suggest for your consideration, that if you persecute this unfortunate young lady with professions you know are unwelcome, it must necessarily react in a very unpleasant way upon your own reputation, and consequently upon the happiness of your family." "you mistook your profession, sir. you should have been a preacher," said fitzgerald, with a sarcastic smile. "i presume you propose to console the lady for her misfortunes; but let me tell you, sir, that whoever attempts to come between me and her will do it at his peril." "i respect miss royal too much to hear her name used in any such discussion," replied mr. king. "good morning, sir." "the mean yankee!" exclaimed the southerner, as he looked after him. "if he were a gentleman he would have challenged me, and i should have met him like a gentleman; but one doesn't know what to do with such cursed yankee preaching." he was in a very perturbed state of mind. rosabella had, in fact, made a much deeper impression on him than any other woman had ever made. and now that he saw her the bright cynosure of all eyes, fresh fuel was heaped on the flickering flame of his expiring passion. her disdain piqued his vanity, while it produced the excitement of difficulties to be overcome. he was exasperated beyond measure, that the beautiful woman who had depended solely upon him should now be surrounded by protectors. and if he could regain no other power, he was strongly tempted to exert the power of annoyance. in some moods, he formed wild projects of waylaying her, and carrying her off by force. but the yankee preaching, much as he despised it, was not without its influence. he felt that it would be most politic to keep on good terms with his rich wife, who was, besides, rather agreeable to him. he concluded, on the whole, that he would assume superiority to the popular enthusiasm about the new _prima donna_; that he would coolly criticise her singing and her acting, while he admitted that she had many good points. it was a hard task he undertook; for on the stage rosabella attracted him with irresistible power, to which was added the magnetism of the admiring audience. after the first evening, she avoided looking at the box where he sat; but he had an uneasy satisfaction in the consciousness that it was impossible she could forget he was present and watching her. the day after the second appearance of the señorita campaneo, mrs. delano was surprised by another call from the fitzgeralds. "don't think we intend to persecute you," said the little lady. "we merely came on business. we have just heard that you were to leave rome very soon; but mr. green seemed to think it couldn't be so soon as was said." "unexpected circumstances make it necessary for me to return sooner than i intended," replied mrs. delano. "i expect to sail day after to-morrow." "what a pity your daughter should go without hearing the new _prima donna_!" exclaimed mrs. fitzgerald. "she is really a remarkable creature. everybody says she is as beautiful as a houri. and as for her voice, i never heard anything like it, except the first night i spent on mr. fitzgerald's plantation. there was somebody wandering about in the garden and groves who sang just like her. mr. fitzgerald didn't seem to be much struck with the voice, but i could never forget it." "it was during our honeymoon," replied her husband; "and how could i be interested in any other voice, when i had yours to listen to?" his lady tapped him playfully with her parasol, saying: "o, you flatterer! but i wish i could get a chance to speak to this señorita. i would ask her if she had ever been in america." "i presume not," rejoined mr. fitzgerald. "they say an italian musician heard her in andalusia, and was so much charmed with her voice that he adopted her and educated her for the stage; and he named her campaneo, because there is such a bell-like echo in her voice sometimes. do you think, mrs. delano, that it would do your daughter any serious injury to go with us this evening? we have a spare ticket; and we would take excellent care of her. if she found herself fatigued, i would attend upon her home any time she chose to leave." "it would be too exciting for her nerves," was mrs. delano's laconic answer. "the fact is," said mrs. fitzgerald, "mr. green has told us so much about her, that we are extremely anxious to be introduced to her. he says she hasn't half seen rome, and he wishes she could join our party. i wish we could persuade you to leave her with us. i can assure you mr. fitzgerald is a most agreeable and gallant protector to ladies. and then it is such a pity, when she is so musical, that she should go without hearing this new _prima donna_." "thank you," rejoined mrs. delano; "but we have become so much attached to each other's society, that i don't think either of us could be happy separated. since she cannot hear this musical wonder, i shall not increase her regrets by repeating your enthusiastic account of what she has missed." "if you had been present at her _début_, you wouldn't wonder at my enthusiasm," replied the little lady. "mr. fitzgerald is getting over the fever a little now, and undertakes to criticise. he says she overacted her part; that she 'tore a passion to tatters,' and all that. but i never saw him so excited as he was then. i think she noticed it; for she fixed her glorious dark eyes directly upon our box while she was singing several of her most effective passages." "my dear," interrupted her husband, "you are so opera-mad, that you are forgetting the object of your call." "true," replied she. "we wanted to inquire whether you were certainly going so soon, and whether any one had engaged these rooms. we took a great fancy to them. what a desirable situation! so sunny! such a fine view of monte pincio and the pope's gardens!" "they were not engaged last evening," answered mrs. delano. "then you will secure them immediately, won't you, dear?" said the lady, appealing to her spouse. with wishes that the voyage might prove safe and pleasant, they departed. mrs. delano lingered a moment at the window, looking out upon st. peter's and the etruscan hills beyond, thinking the while how strangely the skeins of human destiny sometimes become entangled with each other. yet she was unconscious of half the entanglement. chapter xxi. the engagement of the señorita rosita campaneo was for four weeks, during which mr. king called frequently and attended the opera constantly. every personal interview, and every vision of her on the stage, deepened the impression she made upon him when they first met. it gratified him to see that, among the shower of bouquets she was constantly receiving, his was the one she usually carried; nor was she unobservant that he always wore a fresh rose. but she was unconscious of his continual guardianship, and he was careful that she should remain so. every night that she went to the opera and returned from it, he assumed a dress like the driver's, and sat with him on the outside of the carriage,--a fact known only to madame and the signor, who were glad enough to have a friend at hand in case mr. fitzgerald should attempt any rash enterprise. policemen were secretly employed to keep the _cantatrice_ in sight, whenever she went abroad for air or recreation. when she made excursions out of the city in company with her adopted parents, mr. king was always privately informed of it, and rode in the same direction; at a sufficient distance, however, not to be visible to her, or to excite gossiping remarks by appearing to others to be her follower. sometimes he asked himself: "what would my dear prudential mother say, to see me leaving my business to agents and clerks, while i devote my life to the service of an opera-singer?--an opera-singer, too, who has twice been on the verge of being sold as a slave, and who has been the victim of a sham marriage!" but though such queries jostled against conventional ideas received from education, they were always followed by the thought: "my dear mother has gone to a sphere of wider vision, whence she can look down upon the merely external distinctions of this deceptive world. rosabella must be seen as a pure, good soul, in eyes that see as the angels do; and as the defenceless daughter of my father's friend, it is my duty to protect her." so he removed from his more eligible lodgings in the piazza di spagna, and took rooms in the corso, nearly opposite to hers, where day by day he continued his invisible guardianship. he had reason, at various times, to think his precautions were not entirely unnecessary. he had several times seen a figure resembling fitzgerald's lurking about the opera-house, wrapped in a cloak, and with a cap very much drawn over his face. once madame and the signor, having descended from the carriage, with rosa, to examine the tomb of cecilia metella, were made a little uneasy by the appearance of four rude-looking fellows, who seemed bent upon lurking in their vicinity. but they soon recognized mr. king in the distance, and not far from him the disguised policemen in his employ. the fears entertained by her friends were never mentioned to rosa, and she appeared to feel no uneasiness when riding in daylight with the driver and her adopted parents. she was sometimes a little afraid when leaving the opera late at night; but there was a pleasant feeling of protection in the idea that a friend of her father's was in rome, who knew better than the signor how to keep out of quarrels. that recollection also operated as an additional stimulus to excellence in her art. this friend had expressed himself very highly gratified by her successful _début_, and that consideration considerably increased her anxiety to sustain herself at the height she had attained. in some respects that was impossible; for the thrilling circumstances of the first evening could not again recur to set her soul on fire. critics generally said she never equalled her first acting; though some maintained that what she had lost in power she had gained in a more accurate conception of the character. her voice was an unfailing source of wonder and delight. they were never weary of listening to that volume of sound, so full and clear, so flexible in its modulations, so expressive in its intonations. as the completion of her engagement drew near, the manager was eager for its renewal; and finding that she hesitated, he became more and more liberal in his offers. things were in this state, when mr. king called upon madame one day while rosa was absent at rehearsal. "she is preparing a new aria for her last evening, when they will be sure to encore the poor child to death," said madame. "it is very flattering, but very tiresome; and to my french ears their '_bis! bis_!' sounds too much like a hiss." "will she renew her engagement, think you?" inquired mr. king. "i don't know certainly," replied madame. "the manager makes very liberal offers; but she hesitates. she seldom alludes to mr. fitzgerald, but i can see that his presence is irksome to her; and then his sudden irruption into her room, as told by giovanna, has given rise to some green-room gossip. the tenor is rather too assiduous in his attentions, you know; and the _seconda donna_ is her enemy, because she has superseded her in his affections. these things make her wish to leave rome; but i tell her she will have to encounter very much the same anywhere." "madame," said the young man, "you stand in the place of a mother to miss royal; and as such, i have a favor to ask of you. will you, without mentioning the subject to her, enable me to have a private interview with her to-morrow morning?" "you are aware that it is contrary to her established rule to see any gentleman, except in the presence of myself or papa balbino. but you have manifested so much delicacy, as well as friendliness, that we all feel the utmost confidence in you." she smiled significantly as she added: "if i slip out of the room, as it were by accident, i don't believe i shall find it very difficult to make my peace with her." alfred king looked forward to the next morning with impatience; yet when he found himself, for the first time, alone with rosabella, he felt painfully embarrassed. she glanced at the fresh rose he wore, but could not summon courage to ask whether roses were his favorite flowers. he broke the momentary silence by saying: "your performances here have been a source of such inexpressible delight to me, miss royal, that it pains me to think of such a thing as a last evening." "thank you for calling me by that name," she replied. "it carries me back to a happier time. i hardly know myself as la señorita campaneo. it all seems to me so strange and unreal, that, were it not for a few visible links with the past, i should feel as if i had died and passed into another world." "may i ask whether you intend to renew your engagement?" inquired he. she looked up quickly and earnestly, and said, "what would you advise me?" "the brevity of our acquaintance would hardly warrant my assuming the office of adviser," replied he modestly. the shadow of a blush flitted over her face, as she answered, in a bashful way: "excuse me if the habit of associating you with the memory of my father makes me forget the shortness of our acquaintance. beside, you once asked me if ever i was in trouble to call upon you as i would upon a brother." "it gratifies me beyond measure that you should remember my offer, and take me at my word," responded he. "but in order to judge for you, it is necessary to know something of your own inclinations. do you enjoy the career on which you have entered?" "i should enjoy it if the audience were all my personal friends," answered she. "but i have lived such a very retired life, that i cannot easily become accustomed to publicity; and there is something i cannot exactly define, that troubles me with regard to operas. if i could perform only in pure and noble characters, i think it would inspire me; for then i should represent what i at least wish to be; but it affects me like a discord to imagine myself in positions which in reality i should scorn and detest." "i am not surprised to hear you express this feeling," responded he. "i had supposed it must be so. it seems to me the _libretti_ of operas are generally singularly ill conceived, both morally and artistically. music is in itself so pure and heavenly, that it seems a desecration to make it the expression of vile incidents and vapid words. but is the feeling of which you speak sufficiently strong to induce you to retire from the brilliant career now opening before you, and devote yourself to concert-singing?" "there is one thing that makes me hesitate," rejoined she. "i wish to earn money fast, to accomplish certain purposes i have at heart. otherwise, i don't think i care much for the success you call so brilliant. it is certainly agreeable to feel that i delight the audience, though they are strangers; but their cries of '_bis! bis_!' give me less real pleasure than it did to have papasito ask me to sing over something that he liked. i seem to see him now, as he used to listen to me in our flowery parlor. do you remember that room, mr. king?" "do i _remember_ it?" he said, with a look and emphasis so earnest that a quick blush suffused her eloquent face. "i see that room as distinctly as you can see it," he continued. "it has often been in my dreams, and the changing events of my life have never banished it from my memory for a single day. how _could i_ forget it, when my heart there received its first and only deep impression. i have loved you from the first evening i saw you. judging that your affections were pre-engaged, i would gladly have loved another, if i could; but though i have since met fascinating ladies, none of them have interested me deeply." an expression of pain passed over her face while she listened, and when he paused she murmured softly, "i am sorry." "sorry!" echoed he. "is it then impossible for me to inspire you with sentiments similar to my own?" "i am sorry," she replied, "because a first, fresh love, like yours, deserves better recompense than it could receive from a bruised and worn-out heart like mine. i can never experience the illusion of love again. i have suffered too deeply." "i do not wish you to experience the _illusion_ of love again," he replied. "but my hope is that the devotion of my life may enable you to experience the true and tender _reality_" he placed his hand gently and timidly upon hers as he spoke, and looked in her face earnestly. without raising her eyes she said, "i suppose you are aware that my mother was a slave, and that her daughters inherited her misfortune." "i am aware of it," he replied. "but that only makes me ashamed of my country, not of her or of them. do not, i pray you, pain yourself or me by alluding to any of the unfortunate circumstances of your past life, with the idea that they can depreciate your value in my estimation. from madame and the signor i have learned the whole story of your wrongs and your sufferings. fortunately, my good father taught me, both by precept and example, to look through the surface of things to the reality. i have seen and heard enough to be convinced that your own heart is noble and pure. such natures cannot be sullied by the unworthiness of others; they may even be improved by it. the famous dr. spurzheim says, he who would have the best companion for his life should choose a woman who has suffered. and though i would gladly have saved you from suffering, i cannot but see that your character has been elevated by it. since i have known you here in rome, i have been surprised to observe how the young romantic girl has ripened into the thoughtful, prudent woman. i will not urge you for an answer now, my dear miss royal. take as much time as you please to reflect upon it. meanwhile, if you choose to devote your fine musical genius to the opera, i trust you will allow me to serve you in any way that a brother could under similar circumstances. if you prefer to be a concert-singer, my father had a cousin who married in england, where she has a good deal of influence in the musical world. i am sure she would take a motherly interest in you, both for your own sake and mine. your romantic story, instead of doing you injury in england, would make you a great lioness, if you chose to reveal it." "i should dislike that sort of attention," she replied hastily. "do not suppose, however, that i am ashamed of my dear mother, or of her lineage; but i wish to have any interest i excite founded on my own merits, not on any extraneous circumstance. but you have not yet advised me whether to remain on the stage or to retire from it." "if i presumed that my opinion would decide the point," rejoined he, "i should be diffident about expressing it in a case so important to yourself." "you are very delicate," she replied. "but i conjecture that you would be best pleased if i decided in favor of concert-singing." while he was hesitating what to say, in order to leave her in perfect freedom, she added: "and so, if you will have the goodness to introduce me to your relative, and she is willing to be my patroness, i will try my fortune in england. of course she ought to be informed of my previous history; but i should prefer to have her consider it strictly confidential. and now, if you please, i will say, _an revoir_; for papa balbino is waiting for some instructions on matters of business." she offered her hand with a very sweet smile. he clasped it with a slight pressure, bowed his head upon it for an instant, and said, with deep emotion: "thank you, dearest of women. you send me away a happy man; for hope goes with me." when the door closed after him, she sank into a chair, and covered her face with both her hands. "how different is his manner of making love from that of gerald," thought she. "surely, i can trust _this_ time. o, if i was only worthy of such love!" her revery was interrupted by the entrance of madame and the signor. she answered their inquisitive looks by saying, rather hastily, "when you told mr. king the particulars of my story, did you tell him about the poor little _bambino_ i left in new orleans?" madame replied, "i mentioned to him how the death of the poor little thing afflicted you." rosa made no response, but occupied herself with selecting some pieces of music connected with the performance at the opera. the signor, as he went out with the music, said, "do you suppose she didn't want him to know about the _bambino_?" "perhaps she is afraid he will think her heartless for leaving it," replied madame. "but i will tell her i took all the blame on myself. if she is so anxious about his good opinion, it shows which way the wind blows." the señorita rosita campaneo and her attendants had flitted, no one knew whither, before the public were informed that her engagement was not to be renewed. rumor added that she was soon to be married to a rich american, who had withdrawn her from the stage. "too much to be monopolized by one man," said mr. green to mr. fitzgerald. "such a glorious creature belongs to the world." "who is the happy man?" inquired mrs. fitzgerald. "they say it is king, that pale-faced puritan from boston," rejoined her husband. "i should have given her credit for better taste." in private, he made all possible inquiries; but merely succeeded in tracing them to a vessel at civita vecchia, bound to marseilles. to the public, the fascinating _prima donna_, who had rushed up from the horizon like a brilliant rocket, and disappeared as suddenly, was only a nine-days wonder. though for some time after, when opera-goers heard any other _cantatrice_ much lauded, they would say: "ah, you should have heard the campaneo! such a voice! she rose to the highest d as easily as she breathed. and such glorious eyes!" chapter xxii. while rosabella was thus exchanging the laurel crown for the myrtle wreath, flora and her friend were on their way to search the places that had formerly known her. accompanied by mr. jacobs, who had long been a steward in her family, mrs. delano passed through savannah, without calling on her friend mrs. welby, and in a hired boat proceeded to the island. flora almost flew over the ground, so great was her anxiety to reach the cottage. nature, which pursues her course with serene indifference to human vicissitudes, wore the same smiling aspect it had worn two years before, when she went singing through the woods, like cinderella, all unconscious of the beneficent fairy she was to meet there in the form of a new mamita. trees and shrubs were beautiful with young, glossy foliage. pines and firs offered their aromatic incense to the sun. birds were singing, and bees gathering honey from the wild-flowers. a red-headed woodpecker was hammering away on the umbrageous tree under which flora used to sit while busy with her sketches. he cocked his head to listen as they approached, and, at first sight of them, flew up into the clear blue air, with undulating swiftness. to flora's great disappointment, they found all the doors fastened; but mr. jacobs entered by a window and opened one of them. the cottage had evidently been deserted for a considerable time. spiders had woven their tapestry in all the corners. a pane had apparently been cut out of the window their attendant had opened, and it afforded free passage to the birds. on a bracket of shell-work, which flora had made to support a vase of flowers, was a deserted nest, bedded in soft green moss, which hung from it in irregular streamers and festoons. "how pretty!" said mrs. delano. "if the little creature had studied the picturesque, she couldn't have devised anything more graceful. let us take it, bracket and all, and carry it home carefully." "that was the very first shell-work i made after we came from nassau," rejoined flora. "i used to put fresh flowers on it every morning, to please rosa. poor rosa! where _can_ she be?" she turned away her head, and was silent for a moment. then, pointing to the window, she said: "there's that dead pine-tree i told you i used to call old man of the woods. he is swinging long pennants of moss on his arms, just as he did when i was afraid to look at him in the moonlight." she was soon busy with a heap of papers swept into a corner of the room she used to occupy. they were covered with sketches of leaves and flowers, and embroidery-patterns, and other devices with which she had amused herself in those days. among them she was delighted to find the head and shoulders of thistle, with a garland round his neck. in rosa's sleeping-room, an old music-book, hung with cobwebs, leaned against the wall. "o mamita lila, i am glad to find this!" exclaimed flora. "here is what rosa and i used to sing to dear papa when we were ever so little. he always loved old-fashioned music. here are some of jackson's canzonets, that were his favorites." she began to hum, "time has not thinned my flowing hair." "here is dr. arne's 'sweet echo.' rosa used to play and sing that beautifully. and here is what he always liked to have us sing to him at sunset. we sang it to him the very night before he died." she began to warble, "now phoebus sinketh in the west." "why, it seems as if i were a little girl again, singing to papasito and mamita," said she. looking up, she saw that mrs. delano had covered her face with her handkerchief; and closing the music-book, she nestled to her side, affectionately inquiring what had troubled her. for a little while her friend pressed her hand in silence. "o darling," said she, "what a strange, sad gift is memory! i sang that to your father the last time we ever saw the sunset together; and perhaps when he heard it he used to see me sometimes, as plainly as i now see him. it is consoling to think he did not quite forget me." "when we go home, i will sing it to you every evening if you would like it, mamita lila," said flora. her friend patted her head fondly, and said: "you must finish your researches soon, darling; for i think we had better go to magnolia lawn to see if tom and chloe can be found." "how shall we get there? it's too far for you to walk, and poor thistle's gone," said flora. "i have sent mr. jacobs to the plantation," replied mrs. delano, "and i think he will find some sort of vehicle. meanwhile, you had better be getting together any little articles you want to carry away." as flora took up the music-book, some of the loose leaves fell out, and with them came a sketch of tulee's head, with the large gold hoops and the gay turban. "here's tulee!" shouted flora. "it isn't well drawn, but it _is_ like her. i'll make a handsome picture from it, and frame it, and hang it by my bedside, where i can see it every morning. dear, good tulee! how she jumped up and kissed us when we first arrived here. i suppose she thinks i am dead, and has cried a great deal about little missy flory. o, what wouldn't i give to see her!" she had peeped about everywhere, and was becoming very much dispirited with the desolation, when mr. jacobs came back with a mule and a small cart, which he said was the best conveyance he could procure. the jolting over hillocks, and the occasional grunts of the mule, made it an amusing ride; but it was a fruitless one. the plantation negroes were sowing cotton, but all mr. fitzgerald's household servants were leased out in savannah during his absence in europe. the white villa at magnolia lawn peeped out from its green surroundings; but the jalousies were closed, and the tracks on the carriage-road were obliterated by rains. hiring a negro to go with them to take back the cart, they made the best of their way to the boat, which was waiting for them. fatigued and disconsolate with their fruitless search, they felt little inclined to talk as they glided over the bright waters. the negro boatmen frequently broke in upon the silence with some simple, wild melody, which they sang in perfect unison, dipping their oars in rhythm. when savannah came in sight, they urged the boat faster, and, improvising words to suit the occasion, they sang in brisker strains:- "row, darkies, row! see de sun down dar am creepin'; row, darkies, row! hab white ladies in yer keepin'; row, darkies, row!" with the business they had on hand, mrs. delano preferred not to seek her friends in the city, and they took lodgings at a hotel. early the next morning, mr. jacobs was sent out to ascertain the whereabouts of mr. fitzgerald's servants; and mrs. delano proposed that, during his absence, they should drive to the pines, which she described as an extremely pleasant ride. flora assented, with the indifference of a preoccupied mind. but scarcely had the horses stepped on the thick carpet of pine foliage with which the ground was strewn, when she eagerly exclaimed, "tom! tom!" a black man, mounted on the seat of a carriage that was passing them, reined in his horses and stopped. "keep quiet, my dear," whispered mrs. delano to her companion, "till i can ascertain who is in the carriage." "are you mr. fitzgerald's tom?" she inquired. "yes, missis," replied the negro, touching his hat. she beckoned him to come and open her carriage-door, and, speaking in a low voice, she said: "i want to ask you about a spanish lady who used to live in a cottage, not far from mr. fitzgerald's plantation. she had a black servant named tulee, who used to call her missy rosy. we went to the cottage yesterday, and found it shut up. can you tell us where they have gone?" tom looked at them very inquisitively, and answered, "dunno, missis." "we are missy rosy's friends, and have come to bring her some good news. if you can tell us anything about her, i will give you this gold piece." tom half stretched forth his hand to take the coin, then drew it back, and repeated, "dunno, missis." flora, who felt her heart rising in her throat, tossed back her veil, and said, "tom, don't you know me?" the negro started as if a ghost had risen before him. "now tell me where missy rosy has gone, and who went with her," said she, coaxingly. "bress yer, missy flory! _am_ yer alive!" exclaimed the bewildered negro. flora laughed, and, drawing off her glove, shook hands with him. "now you know i'm alive, tom. but don't tell anybody. where's missy rosy gone." "o missy," replied tom, "dar am heap ob tings to tell." mrs. delano suggested that it was not a suitable place; and tom said he must go home with his master's carriage. he told them he had obtained leave to go and see his wife chloe that evening; and he promised to come to their hotel first. so, with the general information that missy rosy and tulee were safe, they parted for the present. tom's communication in the evening was very long, and intensely interesting to his auditors; but it did not extend beyond a certain point. he told of rosa's long and dangerous illness; of chloe's and tulee's patient praying and nursing; of the birth of the baby; of the sale to mr. bruteman; and of the process by which she escaped with mr. duroy. further than that he knew nothing. he had never been in new orleans afterward, and had never heard mr. fitzgerald speak of rosa. at that crisis in the conversation, mrs. delano summoned mr. jacobs, and requested him to ascertain when a steamboat would go to new orleans. flora kissed her hand, with a glance full of gratitude. tom looked at her in a very earnest, embarrassed way, and said: "missis, am yer one ob dem ab-lish-nishts dar in de norf, dat massa swars 'bout?" mrs. delano turned toward flora with a look of perplexity, and, having received an interpretation of the question, she smiled as she answered: "i rather think i am half an abolitionist, tom. but why do you wish to know?" tom went on to state, in "lingo" that had to be frequently explained, that he wanted to run away to the north, and that he could manage to do it if it were not for chloe and the children. he had been in hopes that mrs. fitzgerald would have taken her to the north to nurse her baby while she was gone to europe. in that case, he intended to follow after; and he thought some good people would lend them money to buy their little ones, and, both together, they could soon work off the debt. but this project had been defeated by mrs. bell, who brought a white nurse from boston, and carried her infant grandson back with her. "yer see, missis," said tom, with a sly look, "dey tinks de niggers don't none ob 'em wants dare freedom, so dey nebber totes 'em whar it be." ever since that disappointment had occurred, he and his wife had resolved themselves into a committee of ways and means, but they had not yet devised any feasible mode of escape. and now they were thrown into great consternation by the fact that a slave-trader had been to look at chloe, because mr. fitzgerald wanted money to spend in europe, and had sent orders to have some of his negroes sold. mrs. delano told him she didn't see how she could help him, but she would think about it; and flora, with a sideway inclination of the head toward her, gave tom an expressive glance, which he understood as a promise to persuade her. he urged the matter no further, but asked what time it was. being told it was near nine o'clock, he said he must hasten to chloe, for it was not allowable for negroes to be in the street after that hour. he had scarcely closed the door, before mrs. delano said, "if chloe is sold, i must buy her." "i thought you would say so," rejoined flora. a discussion then took place as to ways and means, and a strictly confidential letter was written to a lawyer from the north, with whom mrs. delano was acquainted, requesting him to buy the woman and her children for her, if they were to be sold. it happened fortunately that a steamer was going to new orleans the next day. just as they were going on board, a negro woman with two children came near, and, dropping a courtesy, said: "skuse, missis. dis ere's chloe. please say ise yer nigger! do, missis!" flora seized the black woman's hand, and pressed it, while she whispered: "do, mamita! they're going to sell her, you know." she took the children by the hand, and hurried forward without waiting for an answer. they were all on board before mrs. delano had time to reflect. tom was nowhere to be seen. on one side of her stood chloe, with two little ones clinging to her skirts, looking at her imploringly with those great fervid eyes, and saying in suppressed tones, "missis, dey's gwine to sell me away from de chillen"; and on the other side was flora, pressing her hand, and entreating, "don't send her back, mamita! she was _so_ good to poor rosa." "but, my dear, if they should trace her to me, it would be a very troublesome affair," said the perplexed lady. "they won't look for her in new orleans. they'll think she's gone north," urged flora. during this whispered consultation, mr. jacobs approached with some of their baggage. mrs. delano stopped him, and said: "when you register our names, add a negro servant and her two children." he looked surprised, but bowed and asked no questions. she was scarcely less surprised at herself. in the midst of her anxiety to have the boat start, she called to mind her former censures upon those who helped servants to escape from southern masters, and she could not help smiling at the new dilemma in which she found herself. the search in new orleans availed little. they alighted from their carriage a few minutes to look at the house where flora was born. she pointed out to mrs. delano the spot whence her father had last spoken to her on that merry morning, and the grove where she used to pelt him with oranges; but neither of them cared to enter the house, now that everything was so changed. madame's house was occupied by strangers, who knew nothing of the previous tenants, except that they were said to have gone to europe to live. they drove to mr. duroy's, and found strangers there, who said the former occupants had all died of yellow-fever,--the lady and gentleman, a negro woman, and a white baby. flora was bewildered to find every link with her past broken and gone. she had not lived long enough to realize that the traces of human lives often disappear from cities as quickly as the ocean closes over the tracks of vessels. mr. jacobs proposed searching for some one who had been in mr. duroy's employ; and with that intention, they returned to the city. as they were passing a house where a large bird-cage hung in the open window, flora heard the words, "_petit blanc, mon bon frère! ha! ha_!" she called out to mr. jacobs, "stop! stop!" and pushed at the carriage door, in her impatience to get out. "what _is_ the matter, my child?" inquired mrs. delano. "that's madame's parrot," replied she; and an instant after she was ringing at the door of the house. she told the servant they wished to make some inquiries concerning signor and madame papanti, and monsieur duroy; and she and mrs. delano were shown in to wait for the lady of the house. they had no sooner entered, than the parrot flapped her wings and cried out, "_bon jour, joli petit diable_!" and then she began to whistle and warble, twitter and crow, through a ludicrous series of noisy variations. flora burst into peals of laughter, in the midst of which the lady of the house entered the room. "excuse me, madame," said she. "this parrot is an old acquaintance of mine. i taught her to imitate all sorts of birds, and she is showing me that she has not forgotten my lessons." "it will be impossible to hear ourselves speak, unless i cover the cage," replied the lady. "allow me to quiet her, if you please," rejoined flora. she opened the door of the cage, and the bird hopped on her arm, flapping her wings, and crying, "_bon jour! ha! ha_!" "_taisez vous, jolie manon_," said flora soothingly, while she stroked the feathery head. the bird nestled close and was silent. when their errand was explained, the lady repeated the same story they had already heard about mr. duroy's family. "was the black woman who died there named tulee?" inquired flora. "i never heard her name but once or twice," replied the lady. "it was not a common negro name, and i think that was it. madame papanti had put her and the baby there to board. after mr. duroy died, his son came home from arkansas to settle his affairs. my husband, who was one of mr. duroy's clerks, bought some of the things at auction; and among them was that parrot." "and what has become of signor and madame papanti?" asked mrs. delano. the lady could give no information, except that they had returned to europe. having obtained directions where to find her husband, they thanked her, and wished her good morning. flora held the parrot up to the cage, and said, "_bon jour, jolie manon_!" "_bon jour_!" repeated the bird, and hopped upon her perch. after they had entered the carriage, flora said: "how melancholy it seems that everybody is gone, except _jolie manon_! how glad the poor thing seemed to be to see me! i wish i could take her home." "i will send to inquire whether the lady will sell her," replied her friend. "o mamita, you will spoil me, you indulge me so much," rejoined flora. mrs. delano smiled affectionately, as she answered: "if you were very spoilable, dear, i think that would have been done already." "but it will be such a bother to take care of manon," said flora. "our new servant chloe can do that," replied mrs. delano. "but i really hope we shall get home without any further increase of our retinue." from the clerk information was obtained that he heard mr. duroy tell mr. bruteman that a lady named rosabella royal had sailed to europe with signor and madame papanti in the ship mermaid. he added that news afterward arrived that the vessel foundered at sea, and all on board were lost. with this sorrow on her heart, flora returned to boston. mr. percival was immediately informed of their arrival, and hastened to meet them. when the result of their researches was told, he said: "i shouldn't be disheartened yet. perhaps they didn't sail in the mermaid. i will send to the new york custom-house for a list of the passengers." flora eagerly caught at that suggestion; and mrs. delano said, with a smile: "we have some other business in which we need your help. you must know that i am involved in another slave case. if ever a quiet and peace-loving individual was caught up and whirled about by a tempest of events, i am surely that individual. before i met this dear little flora, i had a fair prospect of living and dying a respectable and respected old fogy, as you irreverent reformers call discreet people. but now i find myself drawn into the vortex of abolition to the extent of helping off four fugitive slaves. in flora's case, i acted deliberately, from affection and a sense of duty; but in this second instance i was taken by storm, as it were. the poor woman was aboard before i knew it, and i found myself too weak to withstand her imploring looks and flora's pleading tones." she went on to describe the services chloe had rendered to rosa, and added: "i will pay any expenses necessary for conveying this woman to a place of safety, and supplying all that is necessary for her and her children, until she can support them; but i do not feel as if she were safe here." "if you will order a carriage, i will take them directly to the house of francis jackson, in hollis street," said mr. percival. "they will be safe enough under the protection of that honest, sturdy friend of freedom. his house is the depot of various subterranean railroads; and i pity the slaveholder who tries to get on any of his tracks. he finds himself 'like a toad under a harrow, where ilka tooth gies him a tug,' as the scotch say." while waiting for the carriage, chloe and her children were brought in. flora took the little ones under her care, and soon had their aprons filled with cakes and sugarplums. chloe, unable to restrain her feelings, dropped down on her knees in the midst of the questions they were asking her, and poured forth an eloquent prayer that the lord would bless these good friends of her down-trodden people. when the carriage arrived, she rose, and, taking mrs. delano's hand, said solemnly: "de lord bress yer, missis! de lord bress yer! i seed yer once fore ebber i knowed yer. i seed yer in a vision, when i war prayin' to de lord to open de free door fur me an' my chillen. ye war an angel wid white shiny wings. bress de lord! 't war him dat sent yer.--an' now, missy flory, de lord bress yer! ye war allers good to poor chloe, down dar in de prison-house. let me gib yer a kiss, little missy." flora threw her arms round the bended neck, and promised to go and see her wherever she was. when the carriage rolled away, emotion kept them both silent for a few minutes. "how strange it seems to me now," said mrs. delano, "that i lived so many years without thinking of the wrongs of these poor people! i used to think prayer-meetings for slaves were very fanatical and foolish. it seemed to me enough that they were included in our prayer for 'all classes and conditions of men'; but after listening to poor chloe's eloquent outpouring, i am afraid such generalizing will sound rather cold." "mamita," said flora, "you know you gave me some money to buy a silk dress. are you willing i should use it to buy clothes for chloe and her children?" "more than willing, my child," she replied. "there is no clothing so beautiful as the raiment of righteousness." the next morning, flora went out to make her purchases. some time after, mrs. delano, hearing voices near the door, looked out, and saw her in earnest conversation with florimond blumenthal, who had a large parcel in his arms. when she came in, mrs. delano said, "so you had an escort home?" "yes, mamita," she replied; "florimond would bring the parcel, and so we walked together." "he was very polite," said mrs. delano; "but ladies are not accustomed to stand on the doorstep talking with clerks who bring bundles for them." "i didn't think anything about that," rejoined flora. "he wanted to know about rosa, and i wanted to tell him. florimond seems just like a piece of my old home, because he loved papa so much. mamita lila, didn't you say papa was a poor clerk when you and he first began to love one another?" "yes, my child," she replied; and she kissed the bright, innocent face that came bending over her, looking so frankly into hers. when she had gone out of the room, mrs. delano said to herself, "that darling child, with her strange history and unworldly ways, is educating me more than i can educate her." a week later, mr. and mrs. percival came, with tidings that no such persons as signor and madame papanti were on board the mermaid; and they proposed writing letters of inquiry forthwith to consuls in various parts of italy and france. flora began to hop and skip and clap her hands. but she soon paused, and said, laughingly: "excuse me, ladies and gentlemen. mamita often tells me i was brought up in a bird-cage; and i ask her how then can she expect me to do anything but hop and sing. excuse me. i forgot mamita and i were not alone." "you pay us the greatest possible compliment," rejoined mr. percival. and mrs. percival added, "i hope you will always forget it when we are here." "do you really wish it?" asked flora, earnestly. "then i will." and so, with a few genial friends, an ever-deepening attachment between her and her adopted mother, a hopeful feeling at her heart about rosa, tulee's likeness by her bedside, and madame's parrot to wish her _bon jour_! boston came to seem to her like a happy home. chapter xxiii. about two months after their return from the south, mr. percival called one evening, and said: "do you know mr. brick, the police-officer? i met him just now, and he stopped me. 'there's plenty of work for you abolitionists now-a-days,' said he. 'there are five southerners at the tremont, inquiring for runaways, and cursing garrison. an agent arrived last night from fitzgerald's plantation,--he that married bell's daughter, you know. he sent for me to give me a description of a nigger that had gone off in a mysterious way to parts unknown. he wanted me to try to find the fellow, and, of course, i did; for i always calculate to do my duty, as the law directs. so i went immediately to father snowdon, and described the black man, and informed him that his master had sent for him, in a great hurry. i told him i thought it very likely he was lurking somewhere in belknap street; and if he would have the goodness to hunt him up, i would call, in the course of an hour or two, to see what luck he had.'" "who is father snowdon?" inquired mrs. delano. "he is the colored preacher in belknap street church," replied mr. percival, "and a remarkable man in his way. he fully equals chloe in prayer; and he is apt to command the ship buzzard to the especial attention of the lord. the first time i entered his meeting, he was saying, in a loud voice, 'we pray thee, o lord, to bless her majesty's good ship, the buzzard; and if there's a slave-trader now on the coast of africa, we pray thee, o lord, to blow her straight under the lee of the buzzard.' he has been a slave himself, and he has perhaps helped off more slaves than any man in the country. i doubt whether garrick himself had greater power to disguise his countenance. if a slaveholder asks him about a slave, he is the most stolid-looking creature imaginable. you wouldn't suppose he understood anything, or ever _could_ understand anything. but if he meets an abolitionist a minute after, his black face laughs all over, and his roguish eyes twinkle like diamonds, while he recounts how he 'come it' over the southern gentleman. that bright soul of his is a jewel set in ebony." "it seems odd that the police-officer should apply to _him_ to catch a runaway," said mrs. delano. "that's the fun of it," responded mr. percival. "the extinguishers are themselves taking fire. the fact is, boston policemen don't feel exactly in their element as slave-hunters. they are too near bunker hill; and on the fourth of july they are reminded of the declaration of independence, which, though it is going out of fashion, is still regarded by a majority of the people as a venerable document. then they have whittier's trumpet-tones ringing in their ears,- "'no slave hunt in _our_ borders! no pirate on _our_ strand! no fetters in the bay state! no slave upon _our_ land!'" "how did mr. brick describe mr. fitzgerald's runaway slave?" inquired flora. "he said he was tall and very black, with a white scar over his right eye." "that's tom!" exclaimed she. "how glad chloe will be! but i wonder he didn't come here the first thing. we could have told him how well she was getting on in new bedford." "father snowdon will tell him all about that," rejoined mr. percival. "if tom was in the city, he probably kept him closely hidden, on account of the number of southerners who have recently arrived; and after the hint the police-officer gave him, he doubtless hustled him out of town in the quickest manner." "i want to hurrah for that policeman," said flora; "but mamita would think i was a very rude young lady, or rather that i was no lady at all. but perhaps you'll let me _sing_ hurrah, mamita?" receiving a smile for answer, she flew to the piano, and, improvising an accompaniment to herself, she began to sing hurrah! through all manner of variations, high and low, rapidly trilled and slowly prolonged, now bursting full upon the ear, now receding in the distance. it was such a lively fantasia, that it made mr. percival laugh, while mrs. delano's face was illuminated by a quiet smile. in the midst of the merriment, the door-bell rang. flora started from the piano, seized her worsted-work, and said, "now, mamita, i'm ready to receive company like a pink of propriety." but the change was so sudden, that her eyes were still laughing when mr. green entered an instant after; and he again caught that archly demure expression which seemed to him so fascinating. the earnestness of his salutation was so different from his usual formal politeness, that mrs. delano could not fail to observe it. the conversation turned upon incidents of travel after they had parted so suddenly. "i shall never cease to regret," said he, "that you missed hearing la señorita campaneo. she was a most extraordinary creature. superbly handsome; and do you know, miss delano, i now and then caught a look that reminded me very much of you. unfortunately, you have lost your chance to hear her. for mr. king, the son of our boston millionnaire, who has lately been piling up money in the east, persuaded her to quit the stage when she had but just started in her grand career. all the musical world in rome were vexed with him for preventing her re-engagement. as for fitzgerald, i believe he would have shot him if he could have found him. it was a purely musical disappointment, for he was never introduced to the fascinating señorita; but he fairly pined upon it. i told him the best way to drive off the blue devils would be to go with me and a few friends to the grotta azzura. so off we started to naples, and thence to capri. the grotto was one of the few novelties remaining for me in italy. i had heard much of it, but the reality exceeded all descriptions. we seemed to be actually under the sea in a palace of gems. our boat glided over a lake of glowing sapphire, and our oars dropped rubies. high above our heads were great rocks of sapphire, deepening to lapis-lazuli at the base, with here and there a streak of malachite." "it seems like aladdin's cave," remarked flora. "yes," replied mr. green; "only it was aladdin's cave undergoing a wondrous 'sea change.' a poetess, who writes for the papers under the name of melissa mayflower, had fastened herself upon our party in some way; and i suppose she felt bound to sustain the reputation of the quill. she said the nereids must have built that marine palace, and decorated it for a visit from fairies of the rainbow." "that was a pretty thought," said flora. "it sounds like 'lalla rookh.'" "it was a pretty thought," rejoined the gentleman, "but can give you no idea of the unearthly splendor. i thought how you would have been delighted if you had been with our party. i regretted your absence almost as much as i did at the opera. but the blue grotto, wonderful as it was, didn't quite drive away fitzgerald's blue devils, though it made him forget his vexations for the time. the fact is, just as we started he received a letter from his agent, informing him of the escape of a negro woman and her two children; and he spent most of the way back to naples swearing at the abolitionists." flora, the side of whose face was toward him, gave mrs. delano a furtive glance full of fun; but he saw nothing of the mischief in her expressive face, except a little whirlpool of a dimple, which played about her mouth for an instant, and then subsided. a very broad smile was on mr. percival's face, as he sat examining some magnificent illustrations of the alhambra. mr. green, quite unconscious of the by-play in their thoughts, went on to say, "it is really becoming a serious evil that southern gentlemen have so little security for that species of property." "then you consider women and children _property_?" inquired mr. percival, looking up from his book. mr. green bowed with a sort of mock deference, and replied: "pardon me, mr. percival, it is so unusual for gentlemen of your birth and position to belong to the abolition troop of rough-riders, that i may be excused for not recollecting it." "i should consider my birth and position great misfortunes, if they blinded me to the plainest principles of truth and justice," rejoined mr. percival. the highly conservative gentleman made no reply, but rose to take leave. "did your friends the fitzgeralds return with you?" inquired mrs. delano. "no," replied he. "they intend to remain until october, good evening, ladies. i hope soon to have the pleasure of seeing you again." and with an inclination of the head toward mr. percival, he departed. "why did you ask him that question?" said flora. "are you afraid of anything?" "not in the slightest degree," answered mrs. delano. "if, without taking much trouble, we can avoid your being recognized by mr. fitzgerald, i should prefer it, because i do not wish to have any conversation with him. but now that your sister's happiness is no longer implicated, there is no need of caution. if he happens to see you, i shall tell him you sought my protection, and that he has no legal power over you." the conversation diverged to the alhambra and washington irving; and flora ended the evening by singing the moorish ballad of "xarifa," which she said always brought a picture of rosabella before her eyes. the next morning, mr. green called earlier than usual. he did not ask for flora, whom he had in fact seen in the street a few minutes before. "excuse me, mrs. delano, for intruding upon you at such an unseasonable hour," said he. "i chose it because i wished to be sure of seeing you alone. you must have observed that i am greatly interested in your adopted daughter." "the thought has crossed my mind," replied the lady; "but i was by no means certain that she interested you more than a very pretty girl must necessarily interest a gentleman of taste." "pretty!" repeated he. "that is a very inadequate word to describe the most fascinating young lady i have ever met. she attracts me so strongly, that i have called to ask your permission to seek her for a wife." mrs. delano hesitated for a moment, and then answered, "it is my duty to inform you that she is not of high family on the father's side; and on the mother's, she is scarcely what you would deem respectable." "has she vulgar, disagreeable relations, who would be likely to be intrusive?" he asked. "she has no relative, near or distant, that i know of," replied the lady. "then her birth is of no consequence," he answered. "my family would be satisfied to receive her as your daughter. i am impatient to introduce her to my mother and sisters, who i am sure will be charmed with her." mrs. delano was embarrassed, much to the surprise of her visitor, who was accustomed to consider his wealth and social position a prize that would be eagerly grasped at. after watching her countenance for an instant, he said, somewhat proudly: "you do not seem to receive my proposal very cordially, mrs. delano. have you anything to object to my character or family?" "certainly not," replied the lady. "my doubts are concerning my daughter." "is she engaged, or partially engaged, to another?" he inquired. "she is not," rejoined mrs. delano; "though i imagine she is not quite 'fancy free.'" "would it be a breach of confidence to tell me who has been so fortunate as to attract her?" "nothing of the kind has ever been confided to me." answered the lady. "it is merely an imagination of my own, and relates to a person unknown to you." "then i will enter the lists with my rival, if there is one," said he. "such a prize is not to be given up without an effort. but you have not yet said that i have your consent." "since you are so persistent," rejoined mrs. delano, "i will tell you a secret, if you will pledge your honor, as a gentleman, never to repeat it, or hint at it, to any mortal." "i pledge my honor," he replied, "that whatever you choose to tell me shall be sacred between us." "it is not pleasant to tell the story of flora's birth," responded she; "but under present circumstances it seems to be a duty. when i have informed you of the facts, you are free to engage her affections if you can. on the paternal side, she descends from the french gentry and the spanish nobility; but her mother was a quadroon slave, and she herself was sold as a slave." mr. green bowed his head upon his hand, and spoke no word. drilled to conceal his emotions, he seemed outwardly calm, though it cost him a pang to relinquish the captivating young creature, who he felt would have made his life musical, though by piquant contrast rather than by harmony. after a brief, troubled silence, he rose and walked toward the window, as if desirous to avoid looking the lady in the face. after a while, he said, slowly, "do you deem it quite right, mrs. delano, to pass such a counterfeit on society?" "i have attempted to pass no counterfeit on society," she replied, with dignity. "flora is a blameless and accomplished young lady. her beauty and vivacity captivated me before i knew anything of her origin; and in the same way they have captivated you. she was alone in the world, and i was alone; and we adopted each other. i have never sought to introduce her into society; and so far as relates to yourself, i should have told you these facts sooner if i had known the state of your feelings; but so long as they were not expressed, it would scarcely have been delicate for me to take them for granted." "very true," rejoined the disenchanted lover. "you certainly had a right to choose a daughter for yourself; though i could hardly have imagined that any amount of attraction would have overcome _such_ obstacles in the mind of a lady of your education and refined views of life. excuse my using the word 'counterfeit.' i was slightly disturbed when it escaped me." "it requires no apology," she replied. "i am aware that society would take the same view of my proceeding that you do. as for my education, i have learned to consider it as, in many respects, false. as for my views, they have been greatly modified by this experience. i have learned to estimate people and things according to their real value, not according to any merely external accidents." mr. green extended his hand, saying: "i will bid you farewell, mrs. delano; for, under existing circumstances, it becomes necessary to deny myself the pleasure of again calling upon you. i must seek to divert my mind by new travels, i hardly know where. i have exhausted europe, having been there three times. i have often thought i should like to look on the oriental gardens and bright waters of damascus. everything is so wretchedly new, and so disagreeably fast, in this country! it must be refreshing to see a place that has known no changes for three thousand years." they clasped hands with mutual adieus; and the unfortunate son of wealth, not knowing what to do in a country full of noble work, went forth to seek a new sensation in the slow-moving caravans of the east. a few days afterward, when flora returned from taking a lesson in oil-colors, she said: "how do you suppose i have offended mr. green? when i met him just now, he touched his hat in a very formal way, and passed on, though i was about to speak to him." "perhaps he was in a hurry," suggested mrs. delano. "no, it wasn't that," rejoined flora. "he did just so day before yesterday, and he can't always be in a hurry. besides, you know he is never in a hurry; he is too much of a gentleman." her friend smiled as she answered, "you are getting to be quite a judge of aristocratic manners, considering you were brought up in a bird-cage." the young girl was not quite so ready as usual with a responsive smile. she went on to say, in a tone of perplexity: "what _can_ have occasioned such a change in his manner? you say i am sometimes thoughtless about politeness. do you think i have offended him in any way?" "would it trouble you very much if you had?" inquired mrs. delano. "not _very_ much," she replied; "but i should be sorry if he thought me rude to him, when he was so very polite to us in europe. what is it, mamita? i think you know something about it." "i did not tell you, my child," replied she, "because i thought it would be unpleasant. but you keep no secrets from me, and it is right that i should be equally open-hearted with you. did you never suspect that mr. green was in love with you?" "the thought never occurred to me till he called here that first evening after his return from europe. then, when he took my hand, he pressed it a little. i thought it was rather strange in such a formal gentleman; but i did not mention it to you, because i feared you would think me vain. but if he is in love with me, why don't he tell me so? and why does he pass me without speaking?" her friend replied: "he deemed it proper to tell me first, and ask my consent to pay his addresses to you. as he persisted very urgently, i thought it my duty to tell him, under the seal of secrecy, that you were remotely connected with the colored race. the announcement somewhat disturbed his habitual composure. he said he must deny himself the pleasure of calling again. he proposes to go to damascus, and there i hope he will forget his disappointment." flora flared up as mrs. delano had never seen her. she reddened to the temples, and her lip curled scornfully. "he is a mean man!" she exclaimed. "if he thought that i myself was a suitable wife for his serene highness, what had my great-grandmother to do with it? i wish he had asked me to marry him. i should like to have him know i never cared a button about him; and that, if i didn't care for him, i should consider it more shameful to sell myself for his diamonds, than it would have been to have been sold for a slave by papa's creditors when i couldn't help myself. i am glad you don't feel like going into parties, mamita; and if you ever do feel like it, i hope you will leave me at home. i don't want to be introduced to any of these cold, aristocratic bostonians." "not all of them cold and aristocratic, darling," replied mrs. delano. "your mamita is one of them; and she is becoming less cold and aristocratic every day, thanks to a little cinderella who came to her singing through the woods, two years ago." "and who found a fairy godmother," responded flora, subsiding into a tenderer tone. "it _is_ ungrateful for me to say anything against boston; and with such friends as the percivals too. but it does seem mean that mr. green, if he really liked me, should decline speaking to me because my great-grandmother had a dark complexion. i never knew the old lady, though i dare say i should love her if i did know her. madame used to say rosabella inherited pride from our spanish grandfather. i think i have some of it, too; and it makes me shy of being introduced to your stylish acquaintance, who might blame you if they knew all about me. i like people who do know all about me, and who like me because i am i. that's one reason why i like florimond. he admired my mother, and loved my father; and he thinks just as well of me as if i had never been sold for a slave." "do you always call him florimond?" inquired mrs. delano. "i call him mr. blumenthal before folks, and he calls me miss delano. but when no one is by, he sometimes calls me miss royal, because he says he loves that name, for the sake of old times; and then i call him blumen, partly for short, and partly because his cheeks are so pink, it comes natural. he likes to have me call him so. he says flora is the _göttinn der blumen_ in german, and so i am the goddess of blumen." mrs. delano smiled at these small scintillations of wit, which in the talk of lovers sparkle to them like diamond-dust in the sunshine. "has he ever told you that he loved _you_ as well as your name?" asked she. "he never said so, mamita; but i think he does," rejoined flora. "what reason have you to think so?" inquired her friend. "he wants very much to come here," replied the young lady; "but he is extremely modest. he says he knows he is not suitable company for such a rich, educated lady as you are. he is taking dancing-lessons, and lessons on the piano, and he is studying french and italian and history, and all sorts of things. and he says he means to make a mint of money, and then perhaps he can come here sometimes to see me dance, and hear me play on the piano." "i by no means require that all my acquaintance should make a mint of money," answered mrs. delano. "i am very much pleased with the account you give of this young blumenthal. when you next see him, give him my compliments, and tell him i should be happy to become acquainted with him." flora dropped on her knees and hid her face in her friend's lap. she didn't express her thanks in words, but she cried a little. "this is more serious than i supposed," thought mrs. delano. a fortnight afterward, she obtained an interview with mr. goldwin, and asked, "what is your estimate of that young mr. blumenthal, who has been for some time in your employ?" "he is a modest young man, of good habits," answered the merchant; "and of more than common business capacity." "would you be willing to receive him as a partner?" she inquired. "the young man is poor," rejoined mr. goldwin; "and we have many applications from those who can advance some capital." "if a friend would loan him ten thousand dollars for twenty years, and leave it to him by will in case she should die meanwhile, would that be sufficient to induce you?" said the lady. "i should be glad to do it, particularly if it obliges you, mrs. delano," responded the merchant; "for i really think him a very worthy young man." "then consider it settled," she replied. "but let it be an affair between ourselves, if you please; and to him you may merely say that a friend of his former employer and benefactor wishes to assist him." when blumenthal informed flora of this unexpected good-fortune, they of course suspected from whom it came; and they looked at each other, and blushed. mrs. delano did not escape gossiping remarks. "how she has changed!" said mrs. ton to mrs. style. "she used to be the most fastidious of exclusives; and now she has adopted nobody knows whom, and one of mr. goldwin's clerks seems to be on the most familiar footing there. i should have no objection to invite the girl to my parties, for she is mrs. delano's _adoptée_, and she would really be an ornament to my rooms, besides being very convenient and an accomplished musician; but, of course, i don't wish my daughters to be introduced to that nobody of a clerk." "she has taken up several of the abolitionists too," rejoined mrs. style. "my husband looked into an anti-slavery meeting the other evening, partly out of curiosity to hear what garrison had to say, and partly in hopes of obtaining some clew to a fugitive slave that one of his southern friends had written to him about. and who should he see there, of all people in the world, but mrs. delano and her _adoptée_, escorted by that young clerk. think of her, with her dove-colored silks and violet gloves, crowded and jostled by dinah and sambo! i expect the next thing we shall hear will be that she has given a negro party." "in that case, i presume she will choose to perfume her embroidered handkerchiefs with musk, or pachouli, instead of her favorite breath of violets," responded mrs. ton. and, smiling at their wit, the fashionable ladies parted, to quote it from each other as among the good things they had recently heard. only the faint echoes of such remarks reached mrs. delano; though she was made to feel, in many small ways, that she had become a black sheep in aristocratic circles. but these indications passed by her almost unnoticed, occupied as she was in earnestly striving to redeem the mistakes of the past by making the best possible use of the present. part second. chapter xxiv. an interval of nineteen years elapsed, bringing with them various changes to the personages of this story. a year after mr. fitzgerald's return from europe, a feud sprang up between him and his father-in-law, mr. bell, growing out of his dissipated and spendthrift habits. his intercourse with boston was consequently suspended, and the fact of flora's existence remained unknown to him. he died nine years after he witnessed the dazzling apparition of rosa in rome, and the history of his former relation to her was buried with him, as were several other similar secrets. there was generally supposed to be something mysterious about his exit. those who were acquainted with mr. bell's family were aware that the marriage had been an unhappy one, and that there was an obvious disposition to hush inquiries concerning it. mrs. fitzgerald had always continued to spend her summers with her parents; and having lost her mother about the time of her widowhood, she became permanently established at the head of her father's household. she never in any way alluded to her married life, and always dismissed the subject as briefly as possible, if any stranger touched upon it. of three children, only one, her eldest, remained. time had wrought changes in her person. her once fairy-like figure was now too short for its fulness, and the blue eyes were somewhat dulled in expression; but the fair face and the paly-gold tresses were still very pretty. when she had at last succeeded in obtaining an introduction to flora, during one of her summer visits to boston, she had been very much captivated by her, and was disposed to rally mr. green about his diminished enthusiasm, after he had fallen in love with a fair cousin of hers; but that gentleman was discreetly silent concerning the real cause of his disenchantment. mrs. delano's nature was so much deeper than that of her pretty neighbor, that nothing like friendship could grow up between them; but mrs. fitzgerald called occasionally, to retail gossip of the outer world, or to have what she termed a musical treat. flora had long been mrs. blumenthal. at the time of her marriage, mrs. delano said she was willing to adopt a son, but not to part with a daughter; consequently, they formed one household. as years passed on, infant faces and lisping voices came into the domestic circle,--fresh little flowers in the floral garland of mamita lila's life. alfred royal, the eldest, was a complete reproduction, in person and character, of the grandfather whose name he bore. rosa, three years younger, was quite as striking a likeness of her namesake. then came two little ones, who soon went to live with the angels. and, lastly, there was the five-year-old pet, lila, who inherited her father's blue eyes, pink cheeks, and flaxen hair. these children were told that their grandfather was a rich american merchant in new orleans, and their grandmother a beautiful and accomplished spanish lady; that their grandfather failed in business and died poor; that his friend mrs. delano adopted their mother; and that they had a very handsome aunt rosa, who went to europe with some good friends, and was lost at sea. it was not deemed wise to inform them of any further particulars, till time and experience had matured their characters and views of life. applications to american consuls, in various places, for information concerning signor and madame papanti had proved unavailing, in consequence of the signor's change of name; and rosabella had long ceased to be anything but a very tender memory to her sister, whose heart was now completely filled with new objects of affection. the bond between her and her adopted mother strengthened with time, because their influence on each other was mutually improving to their characters. the affection and gayety of the young folks produced a glowing atmosphere in mrs. delano's inner life, as their mother's tropical taste warmed up the interior aspect of her dwelling. the fawn-colored damask curtains had given place to crimson; and in lieu of the silvery paper, the walls were covered with bird-of-paradise color, touched with golden gleams. the centre-table was covered with crimson, embroidered with a gold-colored garland; and the screen of the gas-light was a gorgeous assemblage of bright flowers. mrs. delano's lovely face was even more placid than it had been in earlier years; but there was a sunset brightness about it, as of one growing old in an atmosphere of love. the ash-colored hair, which flora had fancied to be violet-tinged, was of a silky whiteness now, and fell in soft curls about the pale face. on the day when i again take up the thread of this story, she was seated in her parlor, in a dress of silvery gray silk, which contrasted pleasantly with the crimson chair. under her collar of honiton lace was an amethystine ribbon, fastened with a pearl pin. her cap of rich white lace, made in the fashion of mary queen of scots, was very slightly trimmed with ribbon of the same color, and fastened in front with a small amethyst set with pearls. for fanciful flora had said: "dear mamita lila, don't have _every_thing about your dress cold white or gray. do let something violet or lilac peep out from the snow, for the sake of 'auld lang syne.'" the lady was busy with some crochet-work, when a girl, apparently about twelve years old, came through the half-opened folding-doors, and settled on an ottoman at her feet. she had large, luminous dark eyes, very deeply fringed, and her cheeks were like ripened peaches. the dark mass of her wavy hair was gathered behind into what was called a greek cap, composed of brown network strewn with gold beads. here and there very small, thin dark curls strayed from under it, like the tendrils of a delicate vine; and nestling close to each ear was a little dark, downy crescent, which papa called her whisker when he was playfully inclined to excite her juvenile indignation. "see!" said she. "this pattern comes all in a tangle. i have done the stitches wrong. will you please to help me, mamita lila?" mrs. delano looked up, smiling as she answered, "let me see what the trouble is, rosy posy." mrs. blumenthal, who was sitting opposite, noticed with artistic eye what a charming contrast of beauty there was between that richly colored young face, with its crown of dark hair, and that pale, refined, symmetrical face, in its frame of silver. "what a pretty picture i could make, if i had my crayons here," thought she. "how gracefully the glossy folds of mamita's gray dress fall over rosa's crimson merino." she was not aware that she herself made quite as charming a picture. the spirit of laughter still flitted over her face, from eyes to dimples; her shining black curls were lighted up with a rope of cherry-colored chenille, hanging in a tassel at her ear; and her graceful little figure showed to advantage in a neatly fitting dress of soft brown merino, embroidered with cherry-colored silk. on her lap was little lila, dressed in white and azure, with her fine flaxen curls tossed about by the motion of riding to "banbury cross." the child laughed and clapped her hands at every caper; and if her steed rested for a moment, she called out impatiently, "more agin, mamma!" but mamma was thinking of the picture she wanted to make, and at last she said: "we sha'n't get to banbury cross to-day, lila blumen; so you must fall off your horse, darling, and nursey will take you, while i go to fetch my crayons." she had just taken her little pet by the hand to lead her from the room, when the door-bell rang. "that's mrs. fitzgerald," said she. "i know, because she always rings an _appoggiatura_. rosen blumen, take sissy to the nursery, please." while the ladies were interchanging salutations with their visitor, rosa passed out of the room, leading her little sister by the hand. "i declare," said mrs. fitzgerald, "that oldest daughter of yours, mrs. blumenthal, bears a striking resemblance to the _cantatrice_ who was turning everybody's head when i was in rome. you missed hearing her, i remember. let me see, what was her _nomme de guerre_? i forget; but it was something that signified a bell, because there was a peculiar ringing in her voice. when i first saw your daughter, she reminded me of somebody i had seen; but i never thought who it was till now. i came to tell you some news about the fascinating señorita; and i suppose that brought the likeness to my mind. you know mr. king, the son of our rich old merchant, persuaded her to leave the stage to marry him. they have been living in the south of france for some years, but he has just returned to boston. they have taken rooms at the revere house, while his father's house is being fitted up in grand style for their reception. the lady will of course be a great lioness. she is to make her first appearance at the party of my cousin, mrs. green. the winter is so nearly at an end, that i doubt whether there will be any more large parties this season; and i wouldn't fail of attending this one on any account, if it were only for the sake of seeing her. she was the handsomest creature i ever beheld. if you had ever seen her, you would consider it a compliment indeed to be told that your rosa resembles her." "i should like to get a glimpse of her, if i could without the trouble of going to a party," replied mrs. blumenthal. "i will come the day after," rejoined mrs. fitzgerald, "and tell you how she was dressed, and whether she looks as handsome in the parlor as she did on the stage." after some more chat about reported engagements, and the probable fashions for the coming season, the lady took her leave. when she was gone, mrs. delano remarked: "mrs. king must be very handsome if she resembles our rosa. but i hope mrs. fitzgerald will not be so injudicious as to talk about it before the child. she is free from vanity, and i earnestly wish she may remain so. by the way, flora, this mr. king is your father's namesake,--the one who, you told me, called at your house in new orleans, when you were a little girl." "i was thinking of that very thing," rejoined mrs. blumenthal, "and i was just going to ask you his christian name. i should like to call there to take a peep at his handsome lady, and see whether he would recollect me. if he did, it would be no matter. so many years have passed, and i am such an old story in boston, that nobody will concern themselves about me." "i also should be rather pleased to call," said mrs. delano. "his father was a friend of mine; and it was through him that i became acquainted with your father. they were inseparable companions when they were young men. ah, how long ago that seems! no wonder my hair is white. but please ring for rosa, dear. i want to arrange her pattern before dinner." "there's the door-bell again, mamita!" exclaimed flora; "and a very energetic ring it is, too. perhaps you had better wait a minute." the servant came in to say that a person from the country wanted to speak with mrs. delano; and a tall, stout man, with a broad face, full of fun, soon entered. having made a short bow, he said, "mrs. delano, i suppose?" the lady signified assent by an inclination of the head. "my name's joe bright," continued he. "no relation of john bright, the bright englishman. wish i was. i come from northampton, ma'am. the keeper of the mansion house told me you wanted to get board there in some private family next summer; and i called to tell you that i can let you have half of my house, furnished or not, just as you like. as i'm plain joe bright the blacksmith, of course you won't find lace and damask, and such things as you have here." "all we wish for," rejoined mrs. delano, "is healthy air and wholesome food for the children." "plenty of both, ma'am," replied the blacksmith. "and i guess you'll like my wife. she ain't one of the kind that raises a great dust when she sweeps. she's a still sort of body; but she knows a deal more than she tells for." after a description of the accommodations he had to offer, and a promise from mrs. delano to inform him of her decision in a few days, he rose to go. but he stood, hat in hand, looking wistfully toward the piano. "would it be too great a liberty, ma'am, to ask which of you ladies plays?" said he. "i seldom play," rejoined mrs. delano, "because my daughter, mrs. blumenthal, plays so much better." turning toward flora, he said, "i suppose it would be too much trouble to play me a tune?" "certainty not," she replied; and, seating herself at the piano, she dashed off, with voice and instrument, "the campbells are coming, oho! oho!" "by george!" exclaimed the blacksmith. "you was born to it, ma'am; that's plain enough. well, it was just so with me. i took to music as a newfoundland pup takes to the water. when my brother sam and i were boys, we were let out to work for a blacksmith. we wanted a fiddle dreadfully; but we were too poor to buy one; and we couldn't have got much time to play on't if we had had one, for our boss watched us as a weasel watches mice. but we were bent on getting music somehow. the boss always had plenty of iron links of all sizes, hanging in a row, ready to be made into chains when wanted. one day, i happened to hit one of the links with a piece of iron i had in my hand. 'by george! sam,' said i, 'that was do.' 'strike again,' says he. 'blow! sam, blow!' said i. i was afraid the boss would come in and find the iron cooling in the fire. so he kept blowing away, and i struck the link again. 'that's do, just as plain as my name's sam,' said he. a few days after, i said, 'by george! sam, i've found sol.' 'so you have,' said he. 'now let _me_ try. blow, joe, blow!' sam, he found re and la. and in the course of two months we got so we could play old hundred. i don't pretend to say we could do it as glib as you run over the ivory, ma'am; but it was old hundred, and no mistake. and we played yankee doodle, first rate. we called our instrument the harmolinks; and we enjoyed it all the more because it was our own invention. i tell you what, ma'am, there's music hid away in everything, only we don't know how to bring it out." "i think so," rejoined mrs. blumenthal. "music is a sleeping beauty, that needs the touch of a prince to waken her. perhaps you will play something for us, mr. bright?" she rose and vacated the music-stool as she spoke. "i should be ashamed to try my clumsy fingers in your presence, ladies," he replied. "but i'll sing the star-spangled banner, if you will have the goodness to accompany me." she reseated herself, and he lifted up his voice and sang. when he had done, he drew a long breath, wiped the perspiration from his face with a bandana handkerchief, and laughed as he said: "i made the screen of your gas-light shake, ma'am. the fact is, when i sing _that_, i _have_ to put all my heart into it." "and all your voice, too," rejoined mrs. blumenthal. "o, no," answered he, "i could have put on a good deal more steam, if i hadn't been afraid of drowning the piano. i'm greatly obliged to you, ladies; and i hope i shall have the pleasure of hearing you again in my own house. i should like to hear some more now, but i've stayed too long. my wife agreed to meet me at a store, and i don't know what she'll say to me." "tell her we detained you by playing to you," said mrs. blumenthal. "o, that would be too much like adam," rejoined he. "i always feel ashamed to look a woman in the face, after reading that story. i always thought adam was a mean cuss to throw off all the blame on eve." with a short bow, and a hasty "good morning, ladies," he went out. his parting remark amused flora so much, that she burst into one of her musical peals of laughter; while her more cautious friend raised her handkerchief to her mouth, lest their visitor should hear some sound of mirth, and mistake its import. "what a great, beaming face!" exclaimed flora. "it looks like a sunflower. i have a fancy for calling him monsieur girasol. what a pity mr. green hadn't longed for a musical instrument, and been too poor to buy one. it would have done him so much good to have astonished himself by waking up a tune in the harmolinks." "yes," responded mrs. delano, "it might have saved him the trouble of going to arabia petraea or damascus, in search of something new. what do you think about accepting mr. bright's offer?" "o, i hope we shall go, mamita. the children would be delighted with him. if alfred had been here this morning, he would have exclaimed, 'isn't he jolly?'" "i think things must go cheerfully where such a sunflower spirit presides," responded mrs. delano. "and he is certainly sufficiently _au naturel_ to suit you and florimond." "yes, he bubbles over," rejoined flora. "it isn't the fashion; but i like folks that bubble over." mrs. delano smiled as she answered: "so do i. and perhaps you can guess who it was that made me in love with bubbling over?" flora gave a knowing smile, and dotted one of her comic little courtesies. "i don't see what makes you and florimond like me so well," said she. "i'm sure i'm neither wise nor witty." "but something better than either," replied mamita. the vivacious little woman said truly that she was neither very wise nor very witty; but she was a transparent medium of sunshine; and the commonest glass, filled with sunbeams, becomes prismatic as a diamond. chapter xxv. mrs. green's ball was _the_ party of the season. five hundred invitations were sent out, all of them to people unexceptionable for wealth, or fashion, or some sort of high distinction, political, literary, or artistic. smith had received _carte blanche_ to prepare the most luxurious and elegant supper possible. mrs. green was resplendent with diamonds; and the house was so brilliantly illuminated, that the windows of carriages traversing that part of beacon street glittered as if touched by the noonday sun. a crowd collected on the common, listening to the band of music, and watching the windows of the princely mansion, to obtain glimpses through its lace curtains of graceful figures revolving in the dance, like a vision of fairy-land seen through a veil of mist. in that brilliant assemblage, mrs. king was the centre of attraction. she was still a rose royal, as gerald fitzgerald had called her twenty-three years before. a very close observer would have noticed that time had slightly touched her head; but the general effect of the wavy hair was as dark and glossy as ever. she had grown somewhat stouter, but that only rendered her tall figure more majestic. it still seemed as if the fluid art, whose harmonies were always flowing through her soul, had fashioned her form and was swaying all its motions; and to this natural gracefulness was now added that peculiar stylishness of manner, which can be acquired only by familiar intercourse with elegant society. there was nothing foreign in her accent, but the modulations of her voice were so musical, that english, as she spoke it, seemed all vowels and liquid consonants. she had been heralded as la señorita, and her dress was appropriately spanish. it was of cherry-colored satin, profusely trimmed with black lace. a mantilla of very rich transparent black lace was thrown over her head, and fastened on one side with a cluster of red fuchsias, the golden stamens of which were tipped with small diamonds. the lace trimming on the corsage was looped up with a diamond star, and her massive gold bracelets were clasped with, diamonds. mr. green received her with great _empressement_; evidently considering her the "bright particular star" of the evening. she accepted her distinguished position with the quietude of one accustomed to homage. with a slight bow she gave mr. green the desired promise to open the ball with him, and then turned to answer another gentleman, who wished to obtain her for the second dance. she would have observed her host a little more curiously, had she been aware that he once proposed to place her darling floracita at the head of that stylish mansion. mrs. king's peculiar style of beauty and rich foreign dress attracted universal attention; but still greater admiration was excited by her dancing, which was the very soul of music taking form in motion; and as the tremulous diamond drops of the fuchsias kept time with her graceful movements, they sparkled among the waving folds of her black lace mantilla, like fire-flies in a dark night. she was, of course, the prevailing topic of conversation; and when mr. green was not dancing, he was called upon to repeat, again and again, the account of her wonderful _début_ in the opera at rome. in the midst of one of these recitals, mrs. fitzgerald and her son entered; and a group soon gathered round that lady, to listen to the same story from her lips. it was familiar to her son; but he listened to it with quickened interest, while he gazed at the beautiful opera-singer winding about so gracefully in the evolutions of the dance. mr. king was in the same set with his lady, and had just touched her hand, as the partners crossed over, when he noticed a sudden flush on her countenance, succeeded by deadly pallor. following the direction her eye had taken, he saw a slender, elegant young man, who, with some variation in the fashion of dress, seemed the veritable gerald fitzgerald to whom he had been introduced in the flowery parlor so many years ago. his first feeling was pain, that this vision of her first lover had power to excite such lively emotion in his wife; but his second thought was, "he recalls her first-born son." young fitzgerald eagerly sought out mr. green, and said: "please introduce me the instant this dance is ended, that i may ask her for the next. there will be so many trying to engage her, you know." he was introduced accordingly. the lady politely acceded to his request, and the quick flush on her face was attributed by all, except mr. king, to the heat produced by dancing. when her young partner took her hand to lead her to the next dance, she stole a glance toward her husband, and he saw that her soul was troubled. the handsome couple were "the observed of all observers"; and the youth was so entirely absorbed with his mature partner, that not a little jealousy was excited in the minds of young ladies. when he led her to a seat, she declined the numerous invitations that crowded upon her, saying she should dance no more that evening. young fitzgerald at once professed a disinclination to dance, and begged that, when she was sufficiently rested, she would allow him to lead her to the piano, that he might hear her sing something from norma, by which she had so delighted his mother, in rome. "your son seems to be entirely devoted to the queen of the evening," said mr. green to his cousin. "how can you wonder at it?" replied mrs. fitzgerald. "she is such a superb creature!" "what was her character in rome?" inquired a lady who had joined the group. "her stay there was very short," answered mrs. fitzgerald. "her manners were said to be unexceptionable. the gentlemen were quite vexed because she made herself so inaccessible." the conversation was interrupted by la campaneo's voice, singing, "_ah, bello a me ritorno_." the orchestra hushed at once, and the dancing was suspended, while the company gathered round the piano, curious to hear the remarkable singer. mrs. fitzgerald had long ceased to allude to what was once her favorite topic,--the wonderful resemblance between la señorita's voice and a mysterious voice she had once heard on her husband's plantation. but she grew somewhat pale as she listened; for the tones recalled that adventure in her bridal home at magnolia lawn, and the fair moonlight vision was followed by dismal spectres of succeeding years. ah, if all the secret histories and sad memories assembled in a ball-room should be at once revealed, what a judgment night it would be! mrs. king had politely complied with the request to sing, because she was aware that her host and the company would be disappointed if she refused; but it was known only to her own soul how much the effort cost her. she bowed rather languidly to the profuse compliments which followed-her performance, and used her fan as if she felt oppressed. "fall back!" said one of the gentlemen, in a low voice. "there is too great a crowd round her." the hint was immediately obeyed, and a servant was requested to bring iced lemonade. she soon breathed more freely, and tried to rally her spirits to talk with mr. green and others concerning european reminiscences. mrs. fitzgerald drew near, and signified to her cousin a wish to be introduced; for it would have mortified her vanity, when she afterward retailed the gossip of the ball-room, if she had been obliged to acknowledge that she was not presented to _la belle lionne_. "if you are not too much fatigued," said she, "i hope you will allow my son to sing a duet with you. he would esteem it such an honor! i assure you he has a fine voice, and he is thought to sing with great expression, especially '_m'odi! ah, m'odi_!'" the young gentleman modestly disclaimed the compliment to his musical powers, but eagerly urged his mother's request. as he bent near the _cantatrice_, waiting for her reply, her watchful husband again noticed a quick flush suffusing her face, succeeded by deadly pallor. gently moving young fitzgerald aside, he said in a low tone, "are you not well, my dear?" she raised her eyes to his with a look of distress, and replied: "no, i am not well. please order the carriage." he took her arm within his, and as they made their way through the crowd she bowed gracefully to the right and left, in answer to the lamentations occasioned by her departure. young fitzgerald followed to the hall door to offer, in the name of mrs. green, a beautiful bouquet, enclosed within an arum lily of silver filigree. she bowed her thanks, and, drawing from it a delicate tea-rose, presented it to him. he wore it as a trophy the remainder of the evening; and none of the young ladies who teased him for it succeeded in obtaining it. when mr. and mrs. king were in the carriage, he took her hand tenderly, and said, "my dear, that young man recalled to mind your infant son, who died with poor tulee." with a heavy sigh she answered, "yes, i am thinking of that poor little baby." he held her hand clasped in his; but deeming it most kind not to intrude into the sanctum of that sad and tender memory, he remained silent. she spoke no other word as they rode toward their hotel. she was seeing a vision of those two babes, lying side by side, on that dreadful night when her tortured soul was for a while filled with bitter hatred for the man she had loved so truly. mrs. fitzgerald and her son were the earliest among the callers the next day. mrs. king happened to rest her hand lightly on the back of a chair, while she exchanged salutations with them, and her husband noticed that the lace of her hanging sleeve trembled violently. "you took everybody by storm last evening, mrs. king, just as you did when you first appeared as norma," said the loquacious mrs. fitzgerald. "as for you, mr. king, i don't know but you would have received a hundred challenges, if gentlemen had known you were going to carry off the prize. so sly of you, too! for i always heard you were entirely indifferent to ladies." "ah, well, the world don't always know what it's talking about," rejoined mr. king, smiling. further remarks were interrupted by the entrance of a young girl, whom he took by the hand, and introduced as "my daughter eulalia." nature is very capricious in the varieties she produces by mixing flowers with each other. sometimes the different tints of each are blended in a new color, compounded of both; sometimes the color of one is delicately shaded into the other; sometimes one color is marked in distinct stripes or rings upon the other; and sometimes the separate hues are mottled and clouded. nature had indulged in one of her freaks in the production of eulalia, a maiden of fifteen summers, the only surviving child of mr. and mrs. king. she inherited her mother's tall, flexile form, and her long dark eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair; but she had her father's large blue eyes, and his rose-and-white complexion. the combination was peculiar, and very handsome; especially the serene eyes, which, looked out from their dark surroundings like clear blue water deeply shaded by shrubbery around its edges. her manners were a little shy, for her parents had wisely forborne an early introduction to society. but she entered pleasantly enough into some small talk with fitzgerald about the skating parties of the winter, and a new polka that he thought she would like to practise. callers began to arrive rapidly. there was a line of carriages at the door, and still it lengthened. mrs. king received them all with graceful courtesy, and endeavored to say something pleasing to each; but in the midst of it all, she never lost sight of gerald and eulalia. after a short time she beckoned to her daughter with a slight motion of her fan, and spoke a few words to her aside. the young girl left the room, and did not return to it. fitzgerald, after interchanging some brief remarks with mr. king about the classes at cambridge, approached the _cantatrice_, and said in lowered tones: "i tried to call early with the hope of hearing you sing. but i was detained by business for grandfather; and even if you were graciously inclined to gratify my presumptuous wish, you will not be released from company this morning. may i say, _au revoir_?" "certainly," she replied, looking up at him with an expression in her beautiful eyes that produced a glow of gratified vanity. he bowed good morning, with the smiling conviction that he was a great favorite with the distinguished lady. when the last caller had retired, mrs. king, after exchanging some general observations with her husband concerning her impressions of boston and its people, seated herself at the window, with a number of harper's weekly in her hand; but the paper soon dropped on her lap, and she seemed gazing into infinity. the people passing and repassing were invisible to her. she was away in that lonely island home, with two dark-haired babies lying near her, side by side. her husband looked at her over his newspaper, now and then; and observing her intense abstraction, he stepped softly across the room, and, laying his hand gently upon her head, said: "rosa, dear, do memories trouble you so much that you regret having returned to america?" without change of posture, she answered: "it matters not where we are. we must always carry ourselves with us." then, as if reproaching herself for so cold a response to his kind inquiry, she looked up at him, and, kissing his hand, said: "dear alfred! good angel of my life! i do not deserve such a heart as yours." he had never seen such a melancholy expression in her eyes since the day she first encouraged him to hope for her affection. he made no direct allusion to the subject of her thoughts, for the painful history of her early love was a theme they mutually avoided; but he sought, by the most assiduous tenderness, to chase away the gloomy phantoms that were taking possession of her soul. in answer to his urgent entreaty that she would express to him unreservedly any wish she might form, she said, as if thinking aloud: "of course they buried poor tulee among the negroes; but perhaps they buried the baby with mr. and mrs. duroy, and inscribed something about him on the gravestone." "it is hardly probable," he replied; "but if it would give you satisfaction to search, we will go to new orleans." "thank you," rejoined she; "and i should like it very much if you could leave orders to engage lodgings for the summer somewhere distant from boston, that we might go and take possession as soon as we return." he promised compliance with her wishes; but the thought flitted through his mind, "can it be possible the young man fascinates her, that she wants to fly from him?" "i am going to eulalia now," said she, with one of her sweet smiles. "it will be pleasanter for the dear child when we get out of this whirl of society, which so much disturbs our domestic companionship." as she kissed her hand to him at the door, he thought to himself, "whatever this inward struggle may be, she will remain true to her pure and noble character." mrs. fitzgerald, meanwhile, quite unconscious that the flowery surface she had witnessed covered such agitated depths, hastened to keep her promise of describing the party to mrs. delano and her daughter. "i assure you," said she, "la señorita looked quite as handsome in the ball-room as she did on the stage. she is stouter than she was then, but not so; 'fat and forty' as i am. large proportions suit her stately figure. as for her dress, i wish you could have seen it. it was splendid, and wonderfully becoming to her rich complexion. it was completely spanish, from the mantilla on her head to the black satin slippers with red bows and brilliants. she was all cherry-colored satin, black lace, and diamonds." "how i should like to have seen her!" exclaimed mrs. blumenthal, whose fancy was at once taken by the bright color and strong contrast of the costume. but mrs. delano remarked: "i should think her style of dress rather too _prononcé_ and theatrical; too suggestive of fanny elsler and the bolero." "doubtless it would be so for you or i," rejoined mrs. fitzgerald. "mother used to say you had a poet lover, who called you the twilight cloud, violet dissolving into lilac. and when i was a young lady, some of my admirers compared me to the new moon, which must, of course, appear in azure and silver. but i assure you mrs. king's conspicuous dress was extremely becoming to her style of face and figure. i wish i had counted how many gentlemen quoted, 'she walks in beauty like the night' it became really ridiculous at last. gerald and i called upon her this morning, and we found her handsome in the parlor by daylight, which is a trying test to the forties, you know. we were introduced to their only daughter, eulalia,--a very peculiar-looking young miss, with sky-blue eyes and black eyelashes, like some of the circassian beauties i have read off. gerald thinks her almost as handsome as her mother. what a fortune that girl will be! but i have promised ever so many people to tell them about the party; so i must bid you good by." when the door closed after her, flora remarked, "i never heard of anybody but my mamita who was named eulalia." "eulalia was a spanish saint," responded mrs. delano; "and her name is so very musical that it would naturally please the ear of la señorita." "my curiosity is considerably excited to see this stylish lady," said flora. "we will wait a little, till the first rush of visitors has somewhat subsided, and then we will call," rejoined mrs. delano. they called three days after, and were informed that mr. and mrs. king had gone to new orleans. chapter xxvi. strange contrasts occur in human society, even where there is such a strong tendency toward equality as there is in new england. a few hours before queen fashion held her splendid court in beacon street, a vessel from new orleans called "the king cotton" approached long wharf in boston. before she touched the pier, a young man jumped on board from another vessel close by. he went directly up to the captain, and said, in a low, hurried tone: "let nobody land. you have slaves on board. mr. bell is in a carriage on the wharf waiting to speak to you." having delivered this message, he disappeared in the same direction that he came. this brief interview was uneasily watched by one of the passengers, a young man apparently nineteen or twenty years old. he whispered to a yellow lad, who was his servant, and both attempted to land by crossing the adjoining vessel. but the captain intercepted them, saying, "all must remain on board till we draw up to the wharf." with desperate leaps, they sprang past him. he tried to seize them, calling aloud, "stop thief! stop thief!" some of his sailors rushed after them. as they ran up state street, lads and boys, always ready to hunt anything, joined in the pursuit. a young black man, who was passing down the street as the crowd rushed up, saw the yellow lad race by him, panting for breath, and heard him cry, "help me!" the crowd soon turned backward, having caught the fugitives. the black man hurried after, and as they were putting them on board the vessel he pushed his way close to the yellow lad, and again heard him say, "help me! i am a slave." the black man paused only to look at the name of the vessel, and then hastened with all speed to the house of mr. willard percival. almost out of breath with his hurry, he said to that gentleman: "a vessel from new orleans, named 'the king cotton,' has come up to long wharf. they've got two slaves aboard. they was chasing 'em up state street, calling out, 'stop thief!' and i heard a mulatto lad cry, 'help me!' i run after 'em; and just as they was going to put the mulatto lad aboard the vessel, i pushed my way close up to him, and he said, 'help me! i'm a slave.' so i run fast as i could to tell you." "wait a moment till i write a note to francis jackson, which you must carry as quick as you can," said mr. percival. "i will go to mr. sewall for a writ of _habeas corpus_" while this was going on, the captain had locked the fugitives in the hold of his vessel, and hastened to the carriage, which had been waiting for him at a short distance from the wharf. "good evening, mr. bell," said he, raising his hat as he approached the carriage door. "good evening, captain kane," replied the gentleman inside. "you've kept me waiting so long, i was nearly out of patience." "i sent you word they'd escaped, sir," rejoined the captain. "they gave us a run; but we've got 'em fast enough in the hold. one of 'em seems to be a white man. perhaps he's an abolitionist, that's been helping the nigger off. it's good enough for him to be sent back to the south. if they get hold of him there, he'll never have a chance to meddle with gentlemen's property again." "they're both slaves," replied mr. bell. "the telegram i received informed me that one would pass himself for a white man. but, captain, you must take 'em directly to castle island. one of the officers there will lock 'em up, if you tell them i sent you. and you can't be off too quick; for as likely as not the abolitionists will get wind of it, and be raising a row before morning. there's no safety for property now-a-days." having given these orders, the wealthy merchant bade the captain good evening, and his carriage rolled away. the unhappy fugitives were immediately taken from the hold of the vessel, pinioned fast, and hustled on board a boat, which urged its swift way through the waters to castle island, where they were safely locked up till further orders. "o george, they'll send us back," said the younger one. "i wish we war dead." george answered, with a deep groan: "o how i have watched the north star! thinking always it pointed to a land of freedom. o my god, is there _no_ place of refuge for the slave?" "_you_ are so white, you could have got off, if you hadn't brought _me_ with you," sobbed the other. "and what good would freedom do me without you, henny?" responded the young man, drawing his companion closer to his breast. "cheer up, honey! i'll try again; and perhaps we'll make out better next time." he tried to talk hopefully; but when yellow henny, in her boy's dress, cried herself to sleep on his shoulder, his tears dropped slowly on her head, while he sat there gazing at the glittering stars, with a feeling of utter discouragement and desolation. that same evening, the merchant who was sending them back to bondage, without the slightest inquiry into their case, was smoking his amber-lipped meerschaum, in an embroidered dressing-gown, on a luxurious lounge; his daughter, mrs. fitzgerald, in azure satin and pearls, was meandering through the mazes of the dance; and his exquisitely dressed grandson, gerald, was paying nearly equal homage to mrs. king's lambent eyes and the sparkle of her diamonds. when young fitzgerald descended to a late breakfast, the morning after the great party, his grandfather was lolling back in his arm-chair, his feet ensconced in embroidered slippers, and resting on the register, while he read the boston courier. "good morning, gerald," said he, "if it be not past that time of day. if you are sufficiently rested from last night's dissipation, i should like to have you attend to a little business for me." "i hope it won't take very long, grandfather," replied gerald; "for i want to call on mrs. king early, before her rooms are thronged with visitors." "that opera-singer seems to have turned your head, though she is old enough to be your mother," rejoined mr. bell. "i don't know that my head was any more turned than others," answered the young man, in a slightly offended tone. "if you call to see her, sir, as mother says you intend to do, perhaps she will make _you_ feel as if you had a young head on your shoulders." "likely as not, likely as not," responded the old gentleman, smiling complacently at the idea of re-enacting the beau. "but i wish you to do an errand for me this morning, which i had rather not put in writing, for fear of accidents, and which i cannot trust verbally to a servant. i got somewhat chilled waiting in a carriage near the wharf, last evening, and i feel some rheumatic twinges in consequence. under these circumstances, i trust you will excuse me if i ask the use of your young limbs to save my own." "certainly, sir," replied gerald, with thinly disguised impatience. "what is it you want me to do?" "two slaves belonging to mr. bruteman of new orleans, formerly a friend of your father, have escaped in my ship, 'the king cotton,' the oldest, it seems, is a head carpenter, and would bring a high price, bruteman values them at twenty-five hundred dollars. he is my debtor to a considerable amount, and those negroes are mortgaged to me. but independently of that circumstance, it would be very poor policy, dealing with the south as i do, to allow negroes to be brought away in my vessels with impunity. besides, there is a heavy penalty in all the southern states, if the thing is proved. you see, gerald, it is every way for my interest to make sure of returning those negroes; and your interest is somewhat connected with mine, seeing that the small pittance saved from the wreck of your father's property is quite insufficient to supply your rather expensive wants." "i think i have been reminded of that often enough, sir, to be in no danger of forgetting it," retorted the youth, reddening as he spoke. "then you will perhaps think it no great hardship to transact a little business for me now and then," coolly rejoined the grandfather. "i shall send orders to have these negroes sold as soon as they arrive, and the money transmitted to me; for when they once begin to run away, the disease is apt to become chronic." "have you seen them, sir," inquired gerald. "no," replied the merchant. "that would have been unpleasant, without being of any use. when a disagreeable duty is to be done, the quicker it is done the better. captain kane took 'em down to castle island last night; but it won't do for them to stay there. the abolitionists will ferret 'em out, and be down there with their devilish _habeas corpus_. i want you to go on board 'the king cotton,' take the captain aside, and tell him, from me, to remove them forthwith from castle island, keep them under strong guard, and skulk round with them in the best hiding-places he can find, until a ship passes that will take them to new orleans. of course, i need not caution you to be silent about this affair, especially concerning the slaves being mortgaged to me. if that is whispered abroad, it will soon get into the abolition papers that i am a man-stealer, as those rascals call the slaveholders." the young man obeyed his instructions to the letter; and having had some difficulty in finding captain kane, he was unable to dress for quite so early a call at the revere house as he had intended. "how much trouble these niggers give us!" thought he, as he adjusted his embroidered cravat, and took his fresh kid gloves from the box. * * * * * when mr. blumenthal went home to dine that day, the ladies of the household noticed that he was unusually serious. as he sat after dinner, absently playing a silent tune on the table-cloth, his wife touched his hand with her napkin, and said, "_what_ was it so long ago, florimond?" he turned and smiled upon her, as he answered: "so my fingers were moving to the tune of 'long, long ago,' were they? i was not conscious of it, but my thoughts were with the long ago. yesterday afternoon, as i was passing across state street, i heard a cry of 'stop thief!' and i saw them seize a young man, who looked like an italian. i gave no further thought to the matter, and pursued the business i had in hand. but to-day i have learned that he was a slave, who escaped in 'the king cotton' from new orleans. i seem to see the poor fellow's terrified look now; and it brings vividly to mind something dreadful that came very near happening, long ago, to a person whose complexion is similar to his. i was thinking how willingly i would then have given the services of my whole life for a portion of the money which our best friend here has enabled me to acquire." "what _was_ the dreadful thing that was going to happen, papa?" inquired rosa. "that is a secret between mamma and i," he replied. "it is something not exactly suitable to talk with little girls about, rosy posy." he took her hand, as it lay on the table, and pressed it affectionately, by way of apology for refusing his confidence. then, looking at mrs. delano, he said: "if i had only known the poor fellow was a slave, i might, perhaps, have done something to rescue him. but the abolitionists are doing what can be done. they procured a writ of _habeas corpus_, and went on board 'the king cotton'; but they could neither find the slaves nor obtain any information from the captain. they are keeping watch on all vessels bound south, in which mr. goldwin and i are assisting them. there are at least twenty spies out on the wharves." "i heartily wish you as much success as i have had in that kind of business," replied mrs. delano with a smile. "o, i do hope they'll be rescued," exclaimed flora. "how shameful it is to have such laws, while we keep singing, in the face of the world, about 'the land of the free, and the home of the brave.' i don't mean to sing that again; for it's false." "there'll come an end to this some time or other, as surely as god reigns in the heavens," rejoined blumenthal. * * * * * two days passed, and the unremitting efforts of mr. percival and mr. jackson proved unavailing to obtain any clew to the fugitives. after an anxious consultation with samuel e. sewall, the wisest and kindest legal adviser in such cases, they reluctantly came to the conclusion that nothing more could be done without further information. as a last resort, mr. percival suggested a personal appeal to mr. bell. "rather a forlorn hope that," replied francis jackson. "he has named his ship for the king that rules over us all, trampling on freedom of petition, freedom of debate, and even on freedom of locomotion." "we will try," said mr. percival. "it is barely possible we may obtain some light on the subject." early in the evening they accordingly waited upon the merchant at his residence. when the servant informed him that two gentlemen wished to see him on business, he laid aside his meerschaum and the courier, and said, "show them in." captain kane had informed him that the abolitionists were "trying to get up a row"; but he had not anticipated that they would call upon him, and it was an unpleasant surprise when he saw who his visitors were. he bowed stiffly, and waited in silence for them to explain their business. "we have called," said mr. percival, "to make some inquiries concerning two fugitives from slavery, who, it is said, were found on board your ship, 'the king cotton.'" "i know nothing about it," replied mr. bell. "my captains understand the laws of the ports they sail from; and it is their business to see that those laws are respected." "but," urged mr. percival "that a man is _claimed_ as a slave by no means proves that he _is_ a slave. the law presumes that every man has a right to personal liberty, until it is proved otherwise; and in order to secure a fair trial of the question, the writ of _habeas corpus_ has been provided." "it's a great disgrace to massachusetts, sir, that she puts so many obstacles in the way of enforcing the laws of the united states," replied mr. bell. "if your grandson should be claimed as a slave, i rather think you would consider the writ of _habeas corpus_ a wise and just provision," said the plain-speaking francis jackson. "it is said that this young stranger, whom they chased as a thief, and carried off as a slave, had a complexion no darker than his." "i take it for granted," added mr. percival, "that you do not wish for a state of things that would make every man and woman in massachusetts liable to be carried off as slaves, without a chance to prove their right to freedom." mr. bell answered, in tones of suppressed anger, his face all ablaze with excitement, "if i could choose _who_ should be thus carried off, i would do the commonwealth a service by ridding her of a swarm of malignant fanatics." "if you were to try that game," quietly rejoined francis jackson, "i apprehend you would find some of the fire of '76 still alive under the ashes." "a man is strongly tempted to argue," said mr. percival, "when he knows that all the laws of truth and justice and freedom are on his side; but we did not come here to discuss the subject of slavery, mr. bell. we came to appeal to your own good sense, whether it is right or safe that men should be forcibly carried from the city of boston without any process of law." "i stand by the constitution," answered mr. bell, doggedly. "i don't presume to be wiser than the framers of that venerable document." "that is evading the question," responded mr. percival. "there is no question before us concerning the framers of the constitution. the simple proposition is, whether it is right or safe for men to be forcibly carried from boston without process of law. two strangers _have_ been thus abducted; and you say it is your captain's business. you know perfectly well that a single line from you would induce your captain to give those men a chance for a fair trial. is it not your duty so to instruct him?" a little thrown off his guard, mr. bell exclaimed: "and give an abolition mob a chance to rescue them? i shall do no such thing." "it is not the abolitionists who get up mobs," rejoined francis jackson. "garrison was dragged through the streets for writing against slavery; but when yancey of alabama had the use of faneuil hall, for the purpose of defending slavery, no abolitionist attempted to disturb his speaking." a slight smile hovered about mr. percival's lips; for it was well known that state street and ann street clasped hands when mobs were wanted, and that money changed palms on such occasions; and the common rumor was that mr. bell's purse had been freely used. the merchant probably considered it an offensive insinuation, for his face, usually rubicund from the effects of champagne and oysters, became redder, and his lips were tightly compressed; but he merely reiterated, "i stand by the constitution, sir." "mr. bell, i must again urge it upon your conscience," said mr. percival, "that you are more responsible than the captain in this matter. your captains, of course, act under your orders, and would do nothing contrary to your expressed wishes. captain kane has, doubtless, consulted you in this business." "that's none of your concern, sir," retorted the irascible merchant. "my captains know that i think southern gentlemen ought to be protected in their property; and that is sufficient. i stand by the constitution, sir. i honor the reverend gentleman who said he was ready to send his mother or his brother into slavery, if the laws required it. that's the proper spirit, sir. you fanatics, with your useless abstractions about human rights, are injuring trade, and endangering the peace of the country. you are doing all you can to incite the slaves to insurrection. i don't pretend, to be wiser than the framers of the constitution, sir. i don't pretend to be wiser than daniel webster, sir, who said in congress that he; would support, to the fullest extent, any law southern gentlemen chose to frame for the recovery of fugitive slaves." "i wish you a better conscience-keeper," rejoined francis jackson, rising as he spoke. "i don't see, my friend, that there's any use in staying here to talk any longer. there's none so deaf as those that _won't_ hear." mr. percival rose at this suggestion, and "good evening" was exchanged, with formal bows on both sides. but sturdy francis jackson made no bow, and uttered no "good evening." when they were in the street, and the subject was alluded to by his companion, he simply replied: "i've pretty much done with saying or doing what i don't mean. it's a pity that dark-complexioned grandson of his couldn't be carried off as a slave. that might, perhaps, bring him to a realizing sense of the state of things." chapter xxvii. a few days past the middle of the following may, a carriage stopped before the house of mr. joseph bright, in northampton, and mrs. delano, with all the blumenthal family, descended from it. mr. bright received them at the gate, his face smiling all over. "you're welcome, ladies," said he. "walk in! walk in! betsey, this is mrs. delano. this is mrs. bright, ladies. things ain't so stylish here as at your house; but i hope you'll find 'em comfortable." mrs. bright, a sensible-looking woman, with great moderation of manner, showed them into a plainly furnished, but very neat parlor. "o, how pleasant this is!" exclaimed mrs. blumenthal, as she looked out of one of the side-windows. the children ran up to her repeating: "how pleasant! what a nice hedge, mamma! and see that wall all covered with pretty flowers!" "those are moss-pinks," said mrs. bright. "i think they are very ornamental to a wall." "did you plant them?" inquired rosa. "o, no," said mr. bright, who was bringing in various baskets and shawls. "that's not our garden; but we have just as much pleasure looking at it as if it was. a great southern nabob lives there. he made a heap o' money selling women and children, and he's come north to spend it. he's a very pious man, and deacon of the church." the children began to laugh; for mr. bright drawled out his words in solemn tones, and made his broad face look very comical by trying to lengthen it. "his name is stillham," added he, "but i call him deacon steal'em." as he passed out, rosa whispered to her mother, "what does he mean about a deacon's selling women and children?" before an answer could be given, mr. bright reappeared with a bird-cage. "i guess this is a pretty old parrot," said he. "yes, she is quite old," replied mrs. delano. "but we are all attached to her; and our house being shut up for the summer, we were unwilling to trust her with strangers." the parrot, conscious of being talked about, turned up her head sideways, and winked her eye, without stirring from the corner of the cage, where she was rolled up like a ball of feathers. then she croaked out an english phrase, which she had learned of the children, "polly wants a cacker." "she shall have a cracker," said good-natured mr. bright; and rosa and little lila were soon furnished with a cracker and a lump of sugar for poll. in a short time they were summoned to tea; and after enjoying mrs. bright's light bread and sweet butter, they saw no more of their host and hostess for the evening. in the morning the whole family were up before the hour appointed for breakfast, and were out in the garden, taking a look at the environments of their new abode. as mrs. blumenthal was walking among the bushes, mr. bright's beaming face suddenly uprose before her, from where he was stooping to pluck up some weeds. "good morning, ma'am," said he. "do hear that old thief trying to come paddy over the lord!" as he spoke, he pointed his thumb backward toward deacon stillham's house, whence proceeded a very loud and monotonous voice of prayer. mrs. blumenthal smiled as she inquired, "what did you mean by saying he sold women and children?" "made his money by slave-trading down in carolina, ma'am. i reckon a man has to pray a deal to get himself out of that scrape; needs to pray pretty loud too, or the voice of women screaming for their babies would get to the throne afore him. he don't like us over and above well, 'cause we're abolitionists. but there's betsey calling me; i mustn't stop here talking." mrs. blumenthal amused her companions by a repetition of his remarks concerning the deacon. she was much entertained by their host's original style of bubbling over, as she termed it. after breakfast she said: "there he is in the garden. let's go and talk with him, florimond." and taking her parasol, she went out, leaning on her husband's arm. "so you are an abolitionist?" said mr. blumenthal, as they stopped near their host. mr. bright tossed his hat on a bush, and, leaning on his hoe, sang in a stentorian voice: "i am an abolitionist; i glory in the name.--there," said he, laughing, "i let out _all_ my voice, that the deacon might hear. he can pray the loudest; but i reckon i can sing the loudest. i'll tell you what first made me begin to think about slavery. you see i was never easy without i could be doing something in the musical way, so i undertook to teach singing. one winter, i thought i should like to run away from jack frost, and i looked in the southern papers to see if any of 'em advertised for a singing-master. the first thing my eye lighted on was this advertisement:-"ran away from the subscriber a stout mulatto slave, named joe; has light sandy hair, blue eyes, and ruddy complexion; is intelligent, and will pass himself for a white man. i will give one hundred dollars' reward to whoever will seize him and put him in jail.' "'by george!' said i, 'that's a description of _me_. i didn't know before that i was a mulatto. it'll never do for me to go _there_.' so i went to vermont to teach. i told 'em i was a runaway slave, and showed 'em the advertisement that described me. some of 'em believed me, till i told 'em it was a joke. well, it is just as bad for those poor black fellows as it would have been for me; but that blue-eyed joe seemed to bring the matter home to me. it set me to thinking about slavery, and i have kept thinking ever since." "not exactly such a silent thinking as the apothecary's famous owl, i judge," said mrs. blumenthal. "no," replied he, laughing. "i never had the quaker gift of gathering into the stillness, that's a fact. but i reckon even that 'pothecary's owl wouldn't be silent if he could hear and understand all that betsey has told me about the goings-on down south. before i married her, she went there to teach; but she's a woman o' feeling, and she couldn't stand it long. but, dear me, if i believed deacon steal'em's talk, i should think it was just about the pleasantest thing in the world to be sold; and that the niggers down south had nothing 'pon earth to do but to lick treacle and swing on a gate. then he proves it to be a divine institution from scripture, chapter and verse. you may have noticed, perhaps, that such chaps are always mighty well posted up about the original designs of providence; especially as to who's foreordained to be kept down. he says god cussed ham, and the niggers are the descendants of ham. i told him if there was an estate of ham's left unsettled, i reckoned 't would puzzle the 'cutest lawyer to hunt up the rightful heirs." "i think so," rejoined mr. blumenthal, smiling; "especially when they've become so mixed up that they advertise runaway negroes with sandy hair, blue eyes, and ruddy complexion." "when the deacon feels the ground a little shaky under him," resumed mr. bright, he leans on his minister down in carolina, who, he says, is a northern man, and so pious that folks come from far and near to get him to pray for rain in a dry time; thinking the prayers of such a godly man will be sure to bring down the showers. he says that man preached a sermon that proved niggers were born to be servants of servants unto their brethren. i told him i didn't doubt that part of the prophecy was fulfilled about their serving their _brethren_; and i showed him the advertisement about sandy hair and blue eyes. but as for being servants of _servants_, i never heard of slaveholders serving anybody except--a chap whose name it ain't polite to mention before ladies. as for that preacher, he put me in mind of a minister my father used to tell of. he'd been to a wedding, and when he come home he couldn't light his lamp. after trying a long spell he found out that the extinguisher was on it. i told the deacon that ministers down south had put an extinguisher on their lamp, and couldn't be expected to raise much of a light from it to guide anybody's steps." "some of the northern ministers are not much better guides, i think," rejoined mr. blumenthal. "just so," replied his host; "'cause they've got the same extinguisher on; and ain't it curious to see 'em puffing and blowing at the old lamp? i get 'most tired of talking common sense and common feeling to the deacon. you can't get it into him, and it won't stay on him. you might as well try to heap a peck o' flax-seed. he keeps eating his own words, too; though they don't seem to agree with him, neither. he maintains that the slaves are perfectly contented and happy; and the next minute, if you quote any of their cruel laws, he tells you they are obliged to make such laws or else they would rise and cut their masters' throats. he says blacks and whites won't mix any more than oil and water; and the next minute he says if the slaves are freed they'll marry our daughters. i tell him his arguments are like the kilkenny cats, that ate one another up to the tip o' their tails. the deacon is sensible enough, too, about many other subjects; but he nor no other man can saw straight with a crooked saw." "it's an old saying," rejoined blumenthal, "that, when men enter into a league with satan, he always deserts them at the tightest pinch; and i've often observed he's sure to do it where arguments pinch." "i don't wonder you are far from being a favorite with the deacon," remarked flora; "for, according to your own account, you hit him rather hard." "i suppose i do," rejoined mr. bright. "i'm always in earnest myself; and when i'm sure i'm in the right, i always drive ahead. i soon get out o' patience trying to twist a string that ain't fastened at nary end, as an old neighbor of my father used to say. i suppose some of us abolitionists _are_ a little rough at times; but i reckon the coarsest of us do more good than the false prophets that prophesy smooth things." "you said mrs. bright had been a teacher in the south. what part of the south was it?" inquired mrs. blumenthal. "she went to savannah to be nursery governess to mrs. fitzgerald's little girl," replied he. "but part of the time she was on an island where mr. fitzgerald had a cotton plantation. i dare say you've heard of him, for he married the daughter of that rich mr. bell who lives in your street. he died some years ago; at least they suppose he died, but nobody knows what became of him." flora pressed her husband's arm, and was about to inquire concerning the mystery, when mrs. delano came, hand in hand with rosa and lila, to say that she had ordered the carriage and wanted them to be in readiness to take a drive. they returned to a late dinner; and when they rose from a long chat over the dessert, mr. bright was not to be found, and his wife was busy; so further inquiries concerning mr. fitzgerald's fate were postponed. mr. blumenthal proposed a walk on round hill; but the children preferred staying at home. rosa had a new tune she wanted to practise with her guitar; and her little sister had the promise of a story from mamita lila. so mr. blumenthal and his wife went forth on their ramble alone. the scene from round hill was beautiful with the tender foliage of early spring. slowly they sauntered round from point to point, pausing now and then to look at the handsome villages before them, at the blooming peach-trees, the glistening river, and the venerable mountains, with feathery crowns of violet cloud. suddenly a sound of music floated on the air; and they stood spell-bound, with heads bowed, as if their souls were hushed in prayer. when it ceased, mr. blumenthal drew a long breath, and said, "ah! that was our mendelssohn." "how exquisitely it was played," observed his wife, "and how in harmony it was with these groves! it sounded like a hymn in the forest." they lingered, hoping again to hear the invisible musician. as they leaned against the trees, the silver orb of the moon ascended from the horizon, and rested on the brow of mount holyoke; and from the same quarter whence mendelssohn's "song without words" had proceeded, the tones of "casta diva" rose upon the air. flora seized her husband's arm with a quick, convulsive grasp, and trembled all over. wondering at the intensity of her emotion, he passed his arm tenderly round her waist and drew her closely to him. thus, leaning upon his heart, she listened with her whole being, from the inmost recesses of her soul, throughout all her nerves, to her very fingers' ends. when the sounds died away, she sobbed out: "o, how like rosa's voice! it seemed as if she had risen from the dead." he spoke soothingly, and in a few minutes they descended the hill and silently wended their way homeward. the voice that had seemed to come from another world invested the evening landscape with mystical solemnity. the expression of the moon seemed transfigured, like a great clairvoyant eye, reflecting light from invisible spheres, and looking out upon the external world with dreamy abstraction. when they arrived at their lodgings, flora exclaimed: "o mamita lila, we have heard such heavenly music, and a voice so wonderfully like rosa's! i don't believe i shall sleep a wink to-night." "do you mean the aunt rosa i was named for?" inquired her daughter. "yes, rosen blumen," replied her mother; "and i wish you had gone with us, that you might have an idea what a wonderful voice she had." this led to talk about old times, and to the singing of various airs associated with those times. when they retired to rest, flora fell asleep with those tunes marching and dancing through her brain; and, for the first time during many years, she dreamed of playing them to her father, while rosabella sang. the next morning, when the children had gone out to ramble in the woods with their father, her memory being full of those old times, she began to say over to the parrot some of the phrases that formerly amused her father and rosabella. the old bird was never talkative now; but when urged by flora, she croaked out some of her familiar phrases. "i'm glad we brought _pauvre manon_ with us," said mrs. blumenthal. "i think she seems livelier since she came here. sometimes i fancy she looks like good madame guirlande. those feathers on her head make me think of the bows on madame's cap. come, _jolie manon_, i'll carry you out doors, where the sun will shine upon you. you like sunshine, don't you, manon?" she took the cage, and was busy fastening it on the bough of a tree, when a voice from the street said, "_bon jour, jolie manon_!" the parrot suddenly flapped her wings, gave a loud laugh, and burst into a perfect tornado of french and spanish phrases: "_bon jour! buenos dias! querida mia! joli diable! petit blanc! ha! ha_!" surprised at this explosion, mrs. blumenthal looked round to discover the cause, and exclaiming, "_oh ciel_!" she turned deadly pale, and rushed into the house. "what _is_ the matter, my child? inquired mrs. delano, anxiously. "o mamita, i've seen rosa's ghost," she replied, sinking into a chair. mrs. delano poured some cologne on a handkerchief, and bathed her forehead, while she said, "you were excited last night by the tune you used to hear your sister sing; and it makes you nervous, dear." while she was speaking, mrs. bright entered the room, saying, "have you a bottle of sal volatile you can lend me? a lady has come in, who says she is a little faint." "i will bring it from my chamber," replied mrs. delano. she left the room, and was gone some time. when she returned, she found mrs. blumenthal leaning her head on the table, with her face buried in her hands. "my child, i want you to come into the other room," said mrs. delano. "the lady who was faint is the famous mrs. king, from boston. she is boarding on round hill, and i suppose it was her voice you heard singing. she said she had seen a lady come into this house who looked so much like a deceased relative that it made her feel faint. now don't be excited, darling; but this lady certainly resembles the sketch you made of your sister; and it is barely possible--" before she could finish the sentence, flora started up, and flew into the adjoining room. a short, quick cry, "o floracita!" "o rosabella!" and they were locked in each other's arms. after hugging and kissing, and weeping and laughing by turns, mrs. king said: "that must have been madame's parrot. the sight of her made me think of old times, and i said, '_bon jour, jolie manon_! your back was toward me, and i should have passed on, if my attention had not been arrested by her wild outpouring of french and spanish. i suppose she knew my voice." "bless the dear old bird!" exclaimed flora. "it was she who brought us together again at last. she shall come in to see you." they went out to bring in their old pet. but _jolie manon_ was lying on the floor of her cage, with eyes closed and wings outstretched. the joyful surprise had been too much for her feeble old nerves. she was dead. chapter xxviii. "so you _are_ alive!" exclaimed rosa, holding her sister back a little, and gazing upon her face with all her soul in her eyes. "yes, very _much_ alive," answered flora, with a smile that brought out all her dimples. "but do tell me," said rosa, "how you came to go away so strangely, and leave me to mourn for you as if you were dead." the dimples disappeared, and a shadow clouded flora's expressive eyes, as she replied: "it would take a long while to explain all that, _sistita mia_. we will talk it over another time, please." rosa sighed as she pressed her sister's hand, and said: "perhaps i have already conjectured rightly about it, floracita. my eyes were opened by bitter experiences after we were parted. some time i will explain to you how i came to run to europe in such a hurry, with madame and the signor." "but tell me, the first thing of all, whether tulee is dead," rejoined flora. "you know madame was always exceedingly careful about expense," responded rosa. "mrs. duroy was willing to board tulee for her work, and madame thought it was most prudent to leave her there till we got established in europe, and could send for her; and just when we were expecting her to rejoin us, letters came informing us that mr. and mrs. duroy and tulee all died of yellow-fever. it distresses me beyond measure to think of our having left poor, faithful tulee." "when we found out that mr. fitzgerald had married another wife," replied flora, "my new mamita kindly volunteered to go with me in search of you and tulee. we went to the cottage, and to the plantation, and to new orleans. everybody i ever knew seemed to be dead or gone away. but madame's parrot was alive, and her chattering led me into a stranger's house, where i heard that you were lost at sea on your way to europe; and that tulee, with a white baby she had charge of, had died of yellow-fever. was that baby yours, dear?" rosa lowered her eyes, and colored deeply, as she answered: "that subject is very painful to me. i can never forgive myself for having left tulee and that poor little baby." flora pressed her sister's hand in silence for a moment, and then said: "you told me madame and the signor were alive and well. where are they?" "they lived with us in provence," replied rosa. "but when we concluded to return to america, the signor expressed a wish to end his days in his native country. so mr. king purchased an estate for them near florence, and settled an annuity upon them. i had a letter from madame a few days ago, and she writes that they are as happy as rabbits in clover. the signor is getting quite old; and if she survives him, it is agreed that she will come and end her days with us. how it will delight her heart to hear that you are alive! what a strange fortune we have had! it seems that mr. king always loved me, from the first evening that he spent at our house. do you remember how you laughed because he offered to help us if ever we were in trouble? he knew more about us then than we knew about ourselves; and he afterward did help me out of very great troubles. i will tell you all about it some time. but first i want to know about you. who is this new mamita that you speak of?" "o, it was wonderful how she came to me when i had the greatest need of a friend," answered flora. "you must know that she and papasito were in love with each other when they were young; and she is in love with his memory now. i sometimes think his spirit led her to me. i will show you a picture i have made of papasito and mamita as guardian angels, placing a crown of violets and lilies of the valley on the head of my new mamita. when i had to run away, she brought me to live with her in boston; and there i met with an old acquaintance. do you remember florimond blumenthal?" "the good german boy that papasito took such an interest in?" inquired rosa. "to be sure i remember him." "well, he's a good german boy now," rejoined flora; "and i'm mrs. blumenthal." "is it possible?" exclaimed rosa. "you look so exactly as you did when you were such a merry little elf, that i never thought to inquire whether you were married. in the joy of this sudden meeting, i forgot how many years had passed since we saw each other." "you will realize how long it has been when you see my children," rejoined flora. "my oldest, alfred royal, is fitting for college. he is the image of _cher papa_; and you will see how mamita lila doats upon him. she must have loved papasito very much. then i had a daughter that died in a few days; then i had my rosen blumen, and you will see who she looks like; then some more came and went to the angels. last of all came little lila, who looks just like her father,--flaxen hair, pink cheeks, and great german forget-me-nots for eyes." "how i shall love them all!" exclaimed rosa. "and you will love our eulalia. i had a little alfred and a little flora. they came to us in provence, and we left their pretty little bodies there among the roses." the sisters sat folded in each other's arms, their souls wandering about among memories, when mr. blumenthal returned from his long ramble with the children. then, of course, there was a scene of exclamations and embraces. little lila was shy, and soon ran away to take refuge in mamita's chamber; but rosen blumen was full of wonder and delight that such a grand, beautiful lady was the aunt rosa of whom she had heard so much. "mamita lila has stayed away all this time, out of regard to our privacy," said flora; "but now i am going to bring her." she soon returned, arm in arm with mrs. delano. mr. blumenthal took her hand respectfully, as she entered, and said: "this is our dear benefactress, our best earthly friend." "my guardian angel, my darling mamita," added flora. mrs. king eagerly stepped forward, and folded her in her arms, saying, in a voice half stifled with emotion, "thank god and you for all this happiness." while they were speaking together, flora held a whispered consultation with her husband, who soon went forth in search of mr. king, with strict injunctions to say merely that an unexpected pleasure awaited him. he hastened to obey the summons, wondering what it could mean. there was no need of introducing him to his new-found relative. the moment he entered the room, he exclaimed, "why, floracita!" "so you knew me?" she said, clasping his hand warmly. "to be sure i did," he answered. "you are the same little fairy that danced in the floral parlor." "o, i'm a sober matron now," said she, with a comic attempt to look demure about the mouth, while her eyes were laughing. "here is my daughter rosa; and i have a tall lad, who bears two thirds of your regal name." the happy group were loath to separate, though it was only to meet again in the evening at mr. king's lodgings on round hill. there, memories and feelings, that tried in vain to express themselves fully in words, found eloquent utterance in music. day after day, and evening after evening, the sisters met, with a hunger of the heart that could not be satisfied. their husbands and children, meanwhile, became mutually attached. rosen blumen, richly colored with her tropical ancestry and her vigorous health, looked upon her more ethereal cousin eulalia as a sort of angel, and seemed to worship her as such. sometimes she accompanied her sweet, bird-like voice with the guitar; sometimes they sang duets together; and sometimes one played on the piano, while the other danced with lila, whose tiny feet kept time to the music, true as an echo. not unfrequently, the pretty little creature was called upon to dance a _pas seul_; for she had improvised a dance for herself to the tune of yankee doodle, and it was very amusing to see how emphatically she stamped the rhythm. while the young people amused themselves thus, flora often brought forward her collection of drawings, which rosa called the portfolio of memories. there was the little fountain in their father's garden, the lonely cottage on the island, the skeleton of the dead pine tree, with the moon peeping through its streamers of moss, and thistle with his panniers full of flowers. among the variety of foreign scenes, mrs. king particularly admired the dancing peasants from frascati. "ah," said flora, "i see them now, just as they looked when we passed them on our beautiful drive to albano. it was the first really merry day i had had for a long time. i was just beginning to learn to enjoy myself without you. it was very selfish of me, dear rosa, but i was forgetful of you, that day. and, only to think of it! if it had not been for that unlucky apparition of mr. fitzgerald, i should have gone to the opera and seen you as norma." "very likely we should both have fainted," rejoined rosa, "and then the manager would have refused to let la campaneo try her luck again. but what is this, floracita?" "that is a group on monte pincio," she replied. "i sketched it when i was shut up in my room, the day before you came out in the opera." "i do believe it is madame and the signor and i," responded rosa. "the figures and the dresses are exactly the same; and i remember we went to monte pincio that morning, on my return from rehearsal." "what a stupid donkey i was, not to know you were so near!" said flora. "i should have thought my fingers would have told me while i was drawing it." "ah," exclaimed rosa, "here is tulee!" her eyes moistened while she gazed upon it. "poor tulee!" said she, "how she cared for me, and comforted me, during those dark and dreadful days! if it hadn't been for her and chloe, i could never have lived through that trouble. when i began to recover, she told me how chloe held my hand hour after hour, and prayed over me without ceasing. i believe she prayed me up out of the grave. she said our mamita appeared to her once, and told her she was my guardian angel; but if it had really been our mamita, i think she would have told her to tell me you were alive, mignonne. when alfred and i went south, just before we came here, we tried to find tom and chloe. we intend to go to new bedford soon to see them. a glimpse of their good-natured black faces would give me more pleasure than all the richly dressed ladies i saw at mrs. green's great party." "very likely you'll hear tom preach when you go to new bedford," rejoined flora, "for he is a methodist minister now; and chloe, they say, is powerful in prayer at the meetings. i often smile when i think about the manner of her coming away. it was so funny that my quiet, refined mamita lila should all at once become a kidnapper. but here is rosen blumen. well, what now, mignonne?" "papa says lila is very sleepy, and we ought to be going home," replied the young damsel. "then we will kiss good night, _sistita mia_?" said mrs. blumenthal; "and you will bring eulalia to us to-morrow." on their return home, mr. bright called to them over the garden fence. "i've just had a letter from your neighbor, mrs. fitzgerald," said he. "she wants to know whether we can accommodate her, and her father, and her son with lodgings this summer. i'm mighty glad we can say we've let all our rooms; for that old mr. bell treats mechanics as if he thought they all had the small-pox, and he was afraid o' catching it. so different from you, mr. blumenthal, and mr. king! you ain't afraid to take hold of a rough hand without a glove on. how is mrs. king? hope she's coming to-morrow. if the thrushes and bobolinks could sing human music, and put human feeling into it, her voice would beat 'em all. how romantic that you should come here to joe bright's to find your sister, that you thought was dead." when they had courteously answered his inquiries, he repeated a wish he had often expressed, that somebody would write a story about it. if he had been aware of all their antecedents, he would perhaps have written one himself; but he only knew that the handsome sisters were orphans, separated in youth, and led by a singular combination of circumstances to suppose each other dead. chapter xxix. when the sisters were alone together, the next day after dinner, flora said, "rosa, dear, does it pain you very much to hear about mr. fitzgerald?" "no; that wound has healed," she replied. "it is merely a sad memory now." "mrs. bright was nursery governess in his family before her marriage," rejoined flora. "i suppose you have heard that he disappeared mysteriously. i think she may know something about it, and i have been intending to ask her; but your sudden appearance, and the quantity of things we have had to say to each other, have driven it out of my head. do you object to my asking her to come in and tell us something about her experiences?" "i should be unwilling to have her know we were ever acquainted with mr. fitzgerald," responded mrs. king. "so should i," said flora. "it will be a sufficient reason for my curiosity that mrs. fitzgerald is our acquaintance and neighbor." and she went out to ask her hostess to come and sit with them. after some general conversation, flora said: "you know mrs. fitzgerald is our neighbor in boston. i have some curiosity to know what were your experiences in her family." "mrs. fitzgerald was always very polite to me," replied mrs. bright; "and personally i had no occasion to find fault with mr. fitzgerald, though i think the yankee schoolma'am was rather a bore to him. the south is a beautiful part of the country. i used to think the sea-island, where they spent most of the summer, was as beautiful as paradise before the fall; but i never felt at home there. i didn't like the state of things. it's my theory that everybody ought to help in doing the work of the world. there's a great deal to be done, ladies, and it don't seem right that some backs should be broken with labor, while others have the spine complaint for want of exercise. it didn't agree with my independent new england habits to be waited upon so much. a negro woman named venus took care of my room. the first night i slept at the plantation, it annoyed me to see her kneel down to take off my stockings and shoes. i told her she might go, for i could undress myself. she seemed surprised; and i think her conclusion was that i was no lady. but all the negroes liked me. they had got the idea, somehow, that northern people were their friends, and were doing something to set them free." "then they generally wanted their freedom, did they?" inquired flora. "to be sure they did," rejoined mrs. bright. "did you ever hear of anybody that liked being a slave?" mrs. king asked whether mr. fitzgerald was a hard master. "i don't think he was," said their hostess. "i have known him to do very generous and kind things for his servants. but early habits had made him indolent and selfish, and he left the overseer to do as he liked. besides, though he was a pleasant gentleman when sober, he was violent when he was intoxicated; and he had become much addicted to intemperance before i went there. they said he had been a very handsome man; but he was red and bloated when i knew him. he had a dissipated circle of acquaintances, who used to meet at his house in savannah, and gamble with cards till late into the night; and the liquor they drank often made them very boisterous and quarrelsome. mrs. fitzgerald never made any remark, in my presence, about these doings; but i am sure they troubled her, for i often heard her walking her chamber long after she had retired for the night. indeed, they made such an uproar, that it was difficult to sleep till they were gone. sometimes, after they had broken up, i heard them talking on the piazza; and their oaths and obscene jests were shocking to hear; yet if i met any of them the next day, they appeared like courtly gentlemen. when they were intoxicated, niggers and abolitionists seemed always to haunt their imaginations. i remember one night in particular. i judged by their conversation that they had been reading in a northern newspaper some discussion about allowing slaveholders to partake of the sacrament. their talk was a strange tipsy jumble. if mr. bright had heard it, he would give you a comical account of it. as they went stumbling down the steps, some were singing and some were swearing. i heard one of them bawl out, 'god damn their souls to all eternity, they're going to exclude us from the communion-table.' when i first told the story to mr. bright, i said d---their souls; but he said that was all a sham, for everybody knew what d---stood for, and it was just like showing an ass's face to avoid speaking his name. so i have spoken the word right out plain, just as i heard it. it was shocking talk to hear, and you may think it very improper to repeat it, ladies; but i have told it to give you an idea of the state of things in the midst of which i found myself." mrs. king listened in sad silence. the mr. fitzgerald of this description was so unlike the elegant young gentleman who had won her girlish love, that she could not recognize him as the same person. "did mr. fitzgerald die before you left?" inquired flora. "i don't know when or how he died," replied mrs. bright; "but i have my suspicions. out of regard to mrs. fitzgerald, i have never mentioned them to any one but my husband; and if i name them to you, ladies, i trust you will consider it strictly confidential." they promised, and she resumed. "i never pried into the secrets of the family, but i could not help learning something about them, partly from my own observation, and inferences drawn therefrom, and partly from the conversation of venus, my talkative waiting-maid. she told me that her master married a spanish lady, the most beautiful lady that ever walked the earth; and that he conveyed her away secretly somewhere after he married the milk-face, as she called mrs. fitzgerald. venus was still good-looking when i knew her. from her frequent remarks i judge that, when she was young, her master thought her extremely pretty; and she frequently assured me that he was a great judge 'ob we far sex.' she had a handsome mulatto daughter, whose features greatly resembled his; and she said there was good reason for it. i used to imagine mrs. fitzgerald thought so too; for she always seemed to owe this handsome nelly a grudge. mr. fitzgerald had a body-servant named jim, who was so genteel that i always called him 'dandy jim o' caroline.' jim and nelly were in love with each other; but their master, for reasons of his own, forbade their meeting together. "finding that nelly tried to elude his vigilance, he sold jim to a new orleans trader, and the poor girl almost cried her handsome eyes out. a day or two after he was sold, mr. fitzgerald and his lady went to beaufort on a visit, and took their little son and daughter with them. the walls of my sleeping-room were to be repaired, and i was told to occupy their chamber during their absence. the evening after they went away, i sat up rather late reading, and when i retired the servants were all asleep. as i sat before the looking-glass, arranging my hair for the night, i happened to glance toward the reflection of the bed, which showed plainly in the mirror; and i distinctly saw a dark eye peeping through an opening in the curtains. my heart was in my throat, i assure you; but i had the presence of mind not to cry out or to jump up. i continued combing my hair, occasionally glancing toward the eye. if it be one of the negroes, thought i, he surely cannot wish to injure _me_, for they all know i am friendly to them. i tried to collect all my faculties, to determine what it was best to do. i reflected that, if i alarmed the servants, he might be driven to attack me in self-defence. i began talking aloud to myself, leisurely taking off my cuffs and collar as i did so, and laying my breastpin and watch upon the table. 'i wish mr. and mrs. fitzgerald were not going to stay so long at beaufort,' said i. 'it is lonesome here, and i don't feel at home in this chamber. i sha'n't sleep if i go to bed; so i think i'll read a little longer. 'i looked round on the table and chairs, and added: 'there, now! i've left my book down stairs, and must go for it.' i went down to the parlor and locked myself in. a few minutes afterward i saw a dark figure steal across the piazza; and, unless the moonlight deceived me, it was dandy jim. i wondered at it, because i thought he was on his way to new orleans. of course, there was no sleep for me that night. when the household were all astir, i went to the chamber again. my watch and breastpin, which i had left on purpose, were still lying on the table. it was evident that robbery had not been the object. i did not mention the adventure to any one. i pitied jim, and if he had escaped, i had no mind to be the means of his recapture. whatever harm he had intended, he had not done it, and there was no probability that he would loiter about in that vicinity. i had reason to be glad of my silence; for the next day an agent from the slave-trader arrived, saying that jim had escaped, and that they thought he might be lurking near where his wife was. when mr. and mrs. fitzgerald returned, they questioned nelly, but she averred that she had not seen jim, or heard from him since he was sold. mr. fitzgerald went away on horseback that afternoon. the horse came back in the evening with an empty saddle, and he never returned. the next morning nelly was missing, and she was never found. i thought it right to be silent about my adventure. to have done otherwise might have produced mischievous results to jim and nelly, and could do their master no good. i searched the woods in every direction, but i never came upon any trace of mr. fitzgerald, except the marks of footsteps near the sea, before the rising of the tide. i had made arrangements to return to the north about that time; but mrs. fitzgerald's second son was seized with fever, and i stayed with her till he was dead and buried. then we all came to boston together. about a year after, her little daughter, who had been my pupil, died." "poor mrs. fitzgerald!" said flora. "i have heard her allude to her lost children, but i had no idea she had suffered so much." "she did suffer," replied mrs. bright, "though not so deeply as some natures would have suffered in the same circumstances. her present situation is far from being enviable. her father is a hard, grasping man, and he was greatly vexed that her splendid marriage turned out to be such a failure. it must be very mortifying to her to depend upon him mainly for the support of herself and son. i pitied her, and i pitied mr. fitzgerald too. he was selfish and dissipated, because he was brought up with plenty of money, and slaves to obey everything he chose to order. that is enough to spoil any man." rosa had listened with downcast eyes, but now she looked up earnestly and said, "that is a very kind judgment, mrs. bright, and i thank you for the lesson." "it is a just judgment," replied their sensible hostess. "i often tell mr. bright we cannot be too thankful that we were brought up to wait upon ourselves and earn our own living. you will please to excuse me now, ladies, for it is time to prepare tea." as she closed the door, rosa pressed her sister's hand, and sighed as she said, "o, this is dreadful!" "dreadful indeed," rejoined flora. "to think of him as he was when i used to make you blush by singing, '_petit blanc! mon bon frère_!' and then to think what an end he came to!" the sisters sat in silence for some time, thinking with moistened eyes of all that had been kind and pleasant in the man who had done them so much wrong. chapter xxx. if young fitzgerald had not been strongly inclined to spend the summer in northampton, he would have been urged to it by his worldly-minded mother and grandfather, who were disposed to make any effort to place him in the vicinity of eulalia king. they took possession of lodgings on round hill in june; and though very few weeks intervened before the college vacation, the time seemed so long to gerald, that he impatiently counted the days. twice he took the journey for a short visit before he was established as an inmate of his grandfather's household. alfred blumenthal had a vacation at the same time, and the young people of the three families were together almost continually. songs and glees enlivened their evenings, and nearly every day there were boating excursions, or rides on horseback, in which mr. and mrs. king and mr. and mrs. blumenthal invariably joined. no familiarity could stale the ever fresh charm of the scenery. the beautiful river, softly flowing in sunlight through richly cultivated meadows, always seemed to mr. blumenthal like the visible music of mendelssohn. mr. king, who had been in germany, was strongly reminded of the rhine and the black forest, while looking on that wide level expanse of verdure, with its broad band of sparkling silver, framed in with thick dark woods along the river-range of mountains. the younger persons of the party more especially enjoyed watching mill river rushing to meet the connecticut, like an impatient boy let loose for the holidays, shouting, and laughing, and leaping, on his way homeward. mrs. delano particularly liked to see, from the summit of mount holyoke, the handsome villages, lying so still in the distance, giving no sign of all the passions, energies, and sorrows that were seething, struggling, and aching there; and the great stretch of meadows, diversified with long, unfenced rows of stately indian corn, rich with luxuriant foliage of glossy green, alternating with broad bands of yellow grain, swayed by the breeze like rippling waves of the sea. these regular lines of variegated culture, seen from such a height, seemed like handsome striped calico, which earth had put on for her working-days, mindful that the richly wooded hills were looking down upon her picturesque attire. there was something peculiarly congenial to the thoughtful soul of the cultured lady in the quiet pastoral beauty of the extensive scene; and still more in the sense of serene elevation above the whole, seeing it all dwindle into small proportions, as the wisdom of age calmly surveys the remote panorama of life. these riding parties attracted great attention as they passed through the streets; for all had heard the rumor of their wealth, and all were struck by the unusual amount of personal beauty, and the distinguished style of dress. at that time, the empress eugenie had issued her imperial decree that all the world should shine in "barbaric gold,"--a fashion by no means distasteful to the splendor-loving sisters. long sprays of scotch laburnum mingled their golden bells with the dark tresses of eulalia and rosen blumen; a cluster of golden wheat mixed its shining threads with flora's black curls; and a long, soft feather, like "the raven down of darkness," dusted with gold, drooped over the edge of mrs. king's riding-cap, fastened to its band by a golden star. even mrs. fitzgerald so far changed her livery of the moon as to wear golden buds mixed with cerulean flowers. mrs. delano looked cool as evening among them in her small gray bonnet, with a few violets half hidden in silver leaves. old mr. bell not unfrequently joined in these excursions. his white hair, and long silky white beard, formed a picturesque variety in the group; while all recognized at a glance the thoroughbred aristocrat in his haughty bearing, his stern mouth, his cold, turquoise eyes, and the clenching expression of his hand. mrs. king seemed to have produced upon him the effect gerald had predicted. no youthful gallant could have been more assiduous at her bridle-rein, and he seemed to envy his grandson every smile he obtained from her beautiful lips. both he and mrs. fitzgerald viewed with obvious satisfaction the growing intimacy between that young gentleman and eulalia. "capital match for gerald, eh?" said mr. bell to his daughter. "they say king's good for three millions at least,--some say four." "and eulalia is such a lovely, gentle girl!" rejoined mrs. fitzgerald. "i'm very fond of her, and she seems fond of me; though of course that's on account of my handsome son." "yes, she's a lovely girl," replied the old gentleman; "and gerald will be a lucky dog if he wins her. but her beauty isn't to be compared to her mother's. if i were emperor of france, and she were a widow, i know who would have a chance to become empress." but though mrs. king lived in such an atmosphere of love, and was the object of so much admiration, with ample means for indulging her benevolence and her tastes, she was evidently far from being happy. flora observed it, and often queried with her husband what could be the reason. one day she spoke to mr. king of the entire absence of gayety in her sister, and he said he feared young mr. fitzgerald painfully reminded her of her lost son. flora reflected upon this answer without being satisfied with it. "it doesn't seem natural," said she to her husband. "she parted from that baby when he was but a few weeks old, and he has been dead nearly twenty years. she has eulalia to love, and a noble husband, who worships the very ground she treads on. it don't seem natural. i wonder whether she has a cancer or some other secret disease." she redoubled her tenderness, and exerted all her powers of mimicry to amuse her sister. the young folks screamed with laughter to see her perform the shuffling dances of the negroes, or to hear her accompany their singing with imitations of the growling contra-fagotto, or the squeaking fife. in vain she filled the room with mocking-birds, or showed off the accomplishments of the parrot, or dressed herself in a cap with a great shaking bow, like madame guirlande's, or scolded in vociferous italian, like signor pimentero. the utmost these efforts could elicit from her sister was a faint, vanishing smile. mr. king noticed all this, and was pained to observe that his wife's sadness increased daily. he would not himself have chosen young fitzgerald as a suitor for his daughter, fearing he might resemble his father in character as he did in person; but he was willing to promote their acquaintance, because the young man seemed to be a favorite with his lady, and he thought that as a son-in-law he might supply the loss of her first-born. but, in their rides and other excursions, he was surprised to observe that mrs. king assiduously tried to withdraw mr. fitzgerald from her daughter, and attach him to herself. her attentions generally proved too flattering to be resisted; but if the young man, yielding to attractions more suited to his age, soon returned to eulalia, there was an unmistakable expression of pain on her mother's face. mr. king was puzzled and pained by this conduct. entire confidence had hitherto existed between them. why had she become so reserved? was the fire of first-love still smouldering in her soul, and did a delicate consideration for him lead her to conceal it? he could not believe it, she had so often repeated that to love the unworthy was a thing impossible for her. sometimes another thought crossed his mind and gave him exquisite torture, though he repelled it instantly: "could it possibly be that his modest and dignified wife was in love with this stripling, who was of an age suitable for her daughter?" whatever this mysterious cloud might be that cast its cold shadow across the sunshine of his home, he felt that he could not endure its presence. he resolved to seek an explanation with his wife, and to propose an immediate return to europe, if either of his conjectures should prove true. returning from a solitary walk, during which these ideas had been revolving in his mind, he found her in their chamber kneeling by the bedside, sobbing violently. with the utmost tenderness he inquired what had grieved her. she answered with a wild exclamation, "o alfred, this _must_ be stopped!" "_what_ must be stopped, my dear?" said he. "gerald fitzgerald _must_ not court our daughter," she replied. "i thought it would please you, dearest," rejoined he. "the young man has always seemed to be a favorite of yours. i should not have selected him for our eulalia, for fear the qualities of his father might develop themselves in him; but you must remember that he has not been educated among slaves. i think we can trust to that to make a great difference in his character." she groaned aloud, and sobbed out: "it _must_ be stopped. it will kill me." he sat down by her side, took her hand, and said very gravely: "rosa, you have often told me i was your best friend. why then do you not confide to me what it is that troubles you?" "o, i cannot! i cannot!" she exclaimed. "i am a guilty wretch." and there came a fresh outburst of sobs, which she stifled by keeping her face hidden in the bedclothes. "rosa," said he, still more gravely, "you _must_ tell me the meaning of this strange conduct. if an unworthy passion has taken possession of you, it is your duty to try to conquer it for your own sake, for my sake, for our daughter's sake. if you will confide in me, i will not judge you harshly. i will return to europe with you, and help you to cure yourself. tell me frankly, rosa, do you love this young man?" she looked up suddenly, and, seeing the extreme sadness of his face, she exclaimed: "o alfred, if you have thought _that_, i _must_ tell you all. i do love gerald; but it is because he is my own son." "your son!" he exclaimed, springing up, with the feeling that a great load was lifted from his heart. he raised her to his bosom, and kissed her tearful face again and again. the relief was so sudden, that for an instant he forgot the strangeness of her declaration. but coming to his senses immediately, he inquired, "how can it be that your son passes for mrs. fitzgerald's son? and if it be so, why did you not tell me of it?" "i ought to have told you when i consented to marry you," she replied. "but your protecting love was so precious to me, that i had not the courage to tell you anything that would diminish your esteem for me. forgive me, dearest. it is the only wrong i have ever done you. but i will tell you all now; and if it changes your love for me, i must try to bear it, as a just punishment for the wrong i have done. you know how mr. fitzgerald deserted me, and how i was stricken down when i discovered that i was his slave. my soul almost parted from my body during the long illness that followed. when i came to my senses, i humbled myself to entreat mr. fitzgerald to emancipate me, for the sake of our unborn child. he promised to do it, but he did not. i was a mere wreck when my babe was born, and i had the feeling that i should soon die. i loved the helpless little thing; and every time i looked at him, it gave me a pang to think that he was born a slave. i sent again and again for papers of manumission, but they never came. i don't know whether it was mere negligence on the part of mr. fitzgerald, or whether he meant to punish me for my coldness toward him after i discovered how he had deceived me. i was weak in body, and much humbled in spirit, after that long illness. i felt no resentment toward him. i forgave him, and pitied his young wife. the only thing that bound me to life was my child. i wanted to recover my strength, that i might carry him to some part of the world where slavery could not reach him. i was in that state, when madame sent mr. duroy to tell me mr. fitzgerald was in debt, and had sold me to that odious mr. bruteman, whom he had always represented to me as the filthiest soul alive. i think that incredible cruelty and that horrible danger made me insane. my soul was in a terrible tempest of hatred and revenge. if mr. fitzgerald had appeared before me, i should have stabbed him. i never had such feelings before nor since. unfortunately chloe had come to the cottage that day, with mrs. fitzgerald's babe, and he was lying asleep by the side of mine. i had wild thoughts of killing both the babies, and then killing myself. i had actually risen in search of a weapon, but i heard my faithful tulee coming to look upon me, to see that all was well, and i lay down again and pretended to be asleep. while i waited for her to cease watching over me, that frightful mood passed away. thank god, i was saved from committing such horrible deeds. but i was still half frantic with misery and fear. a wild, dark storm was raging in my soul. i looked at the two babes, and thought how one was born to be indulged and honored, while the other was born a slave, liable to be sold by his unfeeling father or by his father's creditors. mine was only a week the oldest, and was no larger than his brother. they were so exactly alike that i could distinguish them only by their dress. i exchanged the dresses, alfred; and while i did it, i laughed to think that, if mr. fitzgerald should capture me and the little one, and make us over to mr. bruteman, he would sell the child of his lily bell. it was not like me to have such feelings. i hope i was insane. do you think i was?" he pressed her to his heart as he replied, "you surely had suffering enough to drive you wild, dearest; and i do suppose your reason was unsettled by intensity of anguish." she looked at him anxiously, as she asked, "then it does not make you love me less?" "no, darling," he replied; "for i am sure it was not my own gentle rosa who had such feelings." "o, how i thank you, dear one, for judging me so charitably," said she. "i hope it was temporary insanity; and always when i think it over, it seems to me it must have been. i fell asleep smiling over the revenge i had taken, and i slept long and heavily. when i woke, my first wish was to change the dresses back again; but chloe had gone to the plantation with my babe, and mr. duroy hurried me on board the boat before sunrise. i told no one what i had done; but it filled me with remorse then, and has troubled me ever since. i resolved to atone for it, as far as i could, by taking the tenderest care of the little changeling, and trying to educate him as well as his own mother could have done. it was that which gave me strength to work so hard for musical distinction; and that motive stimulated me to appear as an opera-singer, though the publicity was distasteful to me. when i heard that the poor little creature was dead, i was tormented with self-reproach, and i was all the more unhappy because i could tell no one of my trouble. then you came to console and strengthen me with your blessed love, and i grew cheerful again. if the changeling had been living at the time you asked me to marry you, i should have told you all; but the poor little creature was dead, and there seemed to be no necessity of confessing the wrong i had done. it was a selfish feeling. i couldn't bear the thought of diminishing the love that was so precious to my wounded heart. i have now told you all, dear husband." "your excuse for concealment is very precious to my own heart," he replied. "but i regret you did not tell me while we were in europe; for then i would not have returned to the united states till i was quite sure all obstacles were removed. you know i never formed the project until i knew mr. fitzgerald was dead." "the american gentleman who informed you of his death led me into a mistake, which has proved disastrous," rejoined she. "he said that mrs. fitzgerald lost her husband and son about the same time. i was not aware of the existence of a second son, and therefore i supposed that my first-born had died. i knew that you wanted to spend your old age in your native country, and that you were particularly desirous to have eulalia marry in new england. the dread i had of meeting my child as the son of another, and seeming to him a stranger, was removed by his death; and though i shed tears in secret, a load was lifted from my heart. but the old story of avenging furies following the criminal wheresoever he goes seems verified in my case. on the day of mrs. green's ball, i heard two gentlemen in the revere house talking about mr. bell; and one of them said to the other that mrs. fitzgerald's second son and her daughter had died, and that her oldest son was sole heir to mr. bell's property. my first impulse was to tell you all; but because i had so long concealed my fault, it was all the more difficult to confess it then. you had so generously overlooked many disagreeable circumstances connected with my history, that i found it extremely painful to add this miserable entanglement to the list. still, i foresaw that it must be done, and i resolved to do it; but i was cowardly, and wanted to put off the evil day. you may remember, perhaps, that at the last moment i objected to attending that ball; but you thought it would be rude to disappoint mrs. green, merely because i felt out of spirits. i went, not dreaming of seeing my son there. i had not looked upon him since the little black, silky head drooped on my arm while i exchanged the dresses. you may partly imagine what i suffered. and now he and eulalia are getting in love with each other; and i know not what is to be done. when you came in, i was praying for strength to seek your counsel. what _can_ we do, dear? it will be a great disappointment for you to return to europe, now that you have refitted your father's house, and made all your arrangements to spend the remainder of our days here." "i would do it willingly," he replied, "if i thought it would avail to separate gerald and eulalia. but a voyage to europe is nothing now-a-days, to people of their property. i believe he loves the dear girl; and if he did not, my reputed millions would prevent his grandfather and his mother from allowing him to lose sight of her. if we were to build a castle on the top of mount himalaya, they would scale it, you may depend. i see no other remedy than to tell gerald that eulalia is his sister." "o, i cannot tell him!" exclaimed she. "it would be so dreadful to have my son hate me! and he _would_ hate me; for i can see that he is very proud." in very kind and serious tones he replied: "you know, dear rosa, that you expressed a wish the other day to go to the catholic church in which your mother worshipped, because you thought confession and penance would be a comfort. you have wisely chosen me for your confessor, and if i recommend penance i trust you will think it best to follow my advice. i see how difficult it would be to tell all your own and your mother's story to so young a man as gerald, and he your own son. i will tell him; and i need not assure you that you will have a loving advocate to plead your cause with him. but his mother must know why he relinquishes eulalia, when he has had so much reason to think himself in favor both with her and her parents. gerald might tell her the mere external facts; but she could appreciate and understand them much better if told, as they would be told, by a delicate and loving woman, who had suffered the wrongs that drove her to madness, and who repented bitterly of the fault she had committed. i think you ought to make a full confession to mrs. fitzgerald; and having done that, we ought to do whatever she chooses to prescribe." "it will be a severe penance," she rejoined; "but i will do whatever you think is right. if i could have all the suffering, i would not murmur. but gerald will suffer and eulalia will suffer. and for some weeks i have made you unhappy. how sad you look, dear." "i am a very happy man, rosa, compared with what i was before you told me this strange story. but i am very serious, because i want to be sure of doing what is right in these difficult premises. as for gerald and eulalia, their acquaintance has been very short, and i don't think they have spoken of love to each other. their extreme youth is also a favorable circumstance. rochefoucault says, 'absence extinguishes small passions, and increases great ones.' my own experience proved the truth of one part of the maxim; but perhaps gerald is of a more volatile temperament, and will realize the other portion." "and do you still love me as well as you ever did?" she asked. he folded her more closely as he whispered, "i do, darling." and for some minutes she wept in silence on his generous breast. chapter xxxi. that evening young fitzgerald was closeted two or three hours with mr. king. though the disclosure was made with the utmost delicacy and caution, the young man was startled and shocked; for he inherited pride from both his parents, and he had been educated in the prejudices of his grandfather. at first he flushed with indignation, and refused to believe he was so disgraced. "i don't see that you are disgraced, my young friend," replied mr. king. "the world might indeed so misjudge, because it is accustomed to look only on externals; but there is no need that the world should know anything about it. and as for your own estimate of yourself, you were mr. fitzgerald the gentleman before you knew this singular story, and you are mr. fitzgerald the gentleman still." "i am not so much of a philosopher," rejoined the young man. "i shall not find it easy to endure the double stain of illegitimacy and alliance with the colored race." mr. king regarded him with a friendly smile, as he answered: "perhaps this experience, which you find so disagreeable, may educate you to more wisdom than the schools have done. it may teach you the great lesson of looking beneath the surface into the reality of things, my son. legally you are illegitimate; but morally you are not so. your mother believed herself married to your father, and through all the vicissitudes of her life she has proved herself a modest, pure, and noble woman. during twenty years of intimate acquaintance, i have never known her to indulge an unworthy thought, or do a dishonorable action, except that of substituting you for mr. fitzgerald's legal heir. and if i have at all succeeded in impressing upon your mind the frantic agony of her soul, desolate and shockingly abused as she was, i think you will agree with me in considering that an excusable offence; especially as she would have repaired the wrong a few hours later, if it had been in her power. with regard to an alliance with the colored race, i think it would be a more legitimate source of pride to have descended from that truly great man, toussaint l'ouverture, who was a full-blooded african, than from that unprincipled filibuster called william the conqueror, or from any of his band of robbers, who transmitted titles of nobility to their posterity. that is the way i have learned to read history, my young friend, in the plain sunlight of truth, unchanged by looking at it through the deceptive colored glasses of conventional prejudice. only yesterday you would have felt honored to claim my highly accomplished and noble-minded wife as a near relative. she is as highly accomplished and noble-minded a lady to-day as she was yesterday. the only difference is, that to-day you are aware her grandmother had a dark complexion. no human being can be really stained by anything apart from his own character; but if there were any blot resting upon you, it would come from your father. we should remember, however, that he who made man can alone justly estimate man's temptations. for myself, i believe that mr. fitzgerald's sins were largely attributable to the system of slavery under which he had the misfortune to be educated. he loved pleasure, he was rich, and he had irresponsible power over many of his fellow-beings, whom law and public opinion alike deprived of protection. without judging him harshly, let his career be a warning to you to resist the first enticements to evil; and, as one means of doing so, let me advise you never to place yourself in that state of society which had such a malign influence upon him." "give me time to think," rejoined the young man. "this has come upon me so suddenly that i feel stunned." "that i can easily imagine," replied his friend. "but i wish you to understand distinctly, that it depends entirely upon mrs. fitzgerald and yourself to decide what is to be done in relation to this perplexing affair. we are ready to do anything you wish, or to take any position you prescribe for us. you may prefer to pass in society merely as my young friend, but you are my step-son, you know; and should you at any time of your life need my services, you may rely upon me as an affectionate father." that word brought cherished hopes to gerald's mind, and he sighed as he answered, "i thank you." "whatever outward inconveniences may arise from this state of things," resumed mr. king, "we prefer to have them fall upon ourselves. it is of course desirable that you and my daughter should not meet at present. your vacation has nearly expired, and perhaps you will deem it prudent to return a little sooner than you intended. we shall remain here till late in the autumn; and then, if circumstances render it necessary, we will remove eulalia to cuba, or elsewhere, for the winter. try to bear this disappointment bravely, my son. as soon as you feel sufficiently calm, i would advise you to seek an interview with your mother. her heart yearns for you, and the longer your meeting is deferred, the more embarrassing it will be." while this conversation was going on in the parlor, the two mothers of the young man were talking confidentially up stairs. the intense curiosity which mrs. fitzgerald had formerly felt was at once renewed when mrs. king said, "do you remember having heard any one singing about the house and garden at magnolia lawn, the first evening you spent there?" "indeed i do," she replied; "and when i first heard you in rome, i repeatedly said your voice was precisely like that singer's." "you might well be reminded of it," responded mrs. king, "for i was the person you heard at magnolia lawn, and these are the eyes that peeped at you through the lattice of the veranda." "but why were you there? and why did you keep yourself invisible?" inquired mrs. fitzgerald. rosa hesitated a moment, embarrassed how to choose words to convey the unwelcome facts. "my dear lady," said she, "we have both had very sad experiences. on my side, they have been healed by time; and i trust it is the same with you. will it pain you too much to hear something disparaging to the memory of your deceased husband?" mrs. fitzgerald colored very deeply, and remained silent. "nothing but an imperious necessity would induce me to say what i am about to say," continued mrs. king; "not only because i am very reluctant to wound your feelings, but because the recital is humiliating and painful to myself. when i peeped at you in your bridal attire, i believed myself to be mr. fitzgerald's wife. our marriage had been kept strictly private, he always assuring me that it was only for a time. but you need not look so alarmed. i was not his wife. i learned the next morning that i had been deceived by a sham ceremony. and even if it had been genuine, the marriage would not have been valid by the laws of louisiana, where it was performed; though i did not know that fact at the time. no marriage with a slave is valid in that state. my mother was a quadroon slave, and by the law that 'a child follows the condition of the mother,' i also became a slave." "_you_ a slave!" exclaimed mrs. fitzgerald, with unfeigned astonishment. "that is incredible. that goes beyond any of the stories abolitionists make up to keep the country in agitation." "judging by my own experience," rejoined mrs. king, "i should say that the most fertile imagination could invent nothing more strange and romantic than many of the incidents which grow out of slavery." she then went on to repeat her story in detail; not accusing mr. fitzgerald more than was absolutely necessary to explain the agonized and frantic state of mind in which she had changed the children. mrs. fitzgerald listened with increasing agitation as she went on; and when it came to that avowal, she burst out with the passionate exclamation: "then gerald is not my son! and i love him so!" mrs. king took her hand and pressed it gently as she said: "you can love him still, dear lady, and he will love you. doubtless you will always seem to him like his own mother. if he takes an aversion to me, it will give me acute pain; but i shall try to bear it meekly, as a part of the punishment my fault deserves." "if you don't intend to take him from me, what was the use of telling me this dreadful story?" impatiently asked mrs. fitzgerald. "i felt compelled to do it on eulalia's account," responded mrs. king. "ah, yes!" sighed the lady. "how disappointed he will be, poor fellow!" after a brief pause, she added, vehemently: "but whatever you may say, he is _my_ son. i never will give him up. he has slept in my arms. i have sung him to sleep. i taught him all his little hymns and songs. he loves me; and i will never consent to take a second place in his affections." "you shall not be asked to do so, dear lady," meekly replied mrs. king. "i will, as in duty bound, take any place you choose to assign me." somewhat disarmed by this humility, mrs. fitzgerald said, in a softened tone: "i pity you, mrs. king. you have had a great deal of trouble, and this is a very trying situation you are in. but it would break my heart to give up gerald. and then you must see, of course, what an embarrassing position it would place me in before the world." "i see no reason why the world should know anything about it," rejoined mrs. king. "for gerald's sake, as well as our own, it is very desirable that the secret should be kept between ourselves." "you may safely trust my pride for that," she replied. "do you think your father ought to be included in our confidence," inquired mrs. king. "no indeed," she replied, hastily. "he never can bear to hear my poor husband mentioned. besides, he has had the gout a good deal lately, and is more irritable than usual." as she rose to go, mrs. king said: "then, with the exception of eulalia, everything remains outwardly as it was. can you forgive me? i do believe i was insane with misery; and you don't know how i have been haunted with remorse." "you must have suffered terribly," rejoined mrs. fitzgerald, evading a direct answer to the question. "but we had better not talk any more about it now. i am bewildered, and don't know what to think. only one thing is fixed in my mind: gerald is _my_ son." they parted politely, but with coldness on mrs. fitzgerald's side. there had arisen in her mind a double dislike toward mrs. king, as the first love of her husband, and as the mother of the elegant young man who was to her an object of pride as well as fondness. but her chagrin was not without compensation. mrs. king's superior wealth and beauty had been felt by her as somewhat overshadowing; and the mortifying circumstances she had now discovered in her history seemed, in her imagination, to bring her down below a level with herself. she and gerald sat up late into the night, talking over this strange disclosure. she was rather jealous of the compassion he expressed for mrs. king, and of his admiration for her manners and character; though they mutually declared, again and again, that they could realize no change whatever in their relation to each other. the wise words of mr. king had not been without their effect on gerald. the tumult of emotions gradually subsided; and he began to realize that these external accidents made no essential change in himself. the next morning he requested an interview with mrs. king, and was received alone. when he entered, she cast upon him a hesitating, beseeching look; but when he said, "my mother!" she flew into his arms, and wept upon his neck. "then you do not hate me?" she said, in a voice choked with emotion, "you are not ashamed to call me mother?" "it was only yesterday," he replied, "that i thought with pride and joy of the possibility that i might some day call you by that dear name. if i had heard these particulars without knowing you, they might have repelled me. but i have admired you from the first moment; i have lately been learning to love you; and i am familiar with the thought of being your son." she raised her expressive eyes to his with such a look of love, that he could not refrain from giving her a filial kiss and pressing her warmly to his heart. "i was so afraid you would regard me with dislike," said she. "you can understand now why it made me so faint to think of singing '_m'odi! ah, m'odi_!' with you at mrs. green's party. how could i have borne your tones of anguish when you discovered that you were connected with the borgias? and how could i have helped falling on your neck when you sang '_madre mia_'? but i must not forget that the mother who tended your childhood has the best claim to your affection," she added mournfully. "i love her, and always shall love her. it cannot be otherwise," rejoined he. "it has been the pleasant habit of so many years. but ought i not to consider myself a lucky fellow to have two such mothers? i don't know how i am to distinguish you. i must call you rose-mother and lily-mother, i believe." she smiled as he spoke, and she said, "then it has not made you so _very_ unhappy to know that you are my son?" his countenance changed as he replied: "my only unhappiness is the loss of eulalia. that disappointment i must bear as i can." "you are both very young," rejoined she; "and perhaps you may see another--" "i don't want to hear about that now," he exclaimed impetuously, moving hastily toward the window, against which he leaned for a moment. when he turned, he saw that his mother was weeping; and he stooped to kiss her forehead, with tender apologies for his abruptness. "thank god," she said, "for these brief moments of happiness with my son." "yes, they must be brief," he replied. "i must go away and stay away. but i shall always think of you with affection, and cherish the deepest sympathy for your wrongs and sufferings." again she folded him in her arms, and they kissed and blessed each other at parting. she gazed after him wistfully till he was out of sight. "alas!" murmured she, "he cannot be a son to me, and i cannot be a mother to him." she recalled the lonely, sad hours when she embroidered his baby clothes, with none but tulee to sympathize with her. she remembered how the little black silky head looked as she first fondled him on her arm; and the tears began to flow like rain. but she roused in a few moments, saying to herself: "this is all wrong and selfish. i ought to be glad that he loves his lily-mother, that he can live with her, and that her heart will not be made desolate by my fault. o father of mercies! this is hard to bear. help me to bear it as i ought!" she bowed her head in silence for a while; then, rising up, she said: "have i not my lovely eulalia? poor child! i must be very tender with her in this trial of her young heart." she saw there was need to be very tender, when a farewell card was sent the next day, with a bouquet of delicate flowers from gerald fitzgerald. chapter xxxii. the next morning after these conversations, mrs. blumenthal, who was as yet unconscious of the secret they had revealed, was singing in the garden, while she gathered some flowers for her vases. mr. bright, who was cutting up weeds, stopped and listened, keeping time on the handle of his hoe. when flora came up to him, she glanced at the motion of his fingers and smiled. "can't help it, ma'am," said he. "when i hear your voice, it's as much as ever i can do to keep from dancing; but if i should do that, i should shock my neighbor the deacon. did you see the stage stop there, last night? they've got visitors from carolina,--his daughter, and her husband and children. i reckon i stirred him up yesterday. he came to my shop to pay for some shoeing he'd had done. so i invited him to attend our anti-slavery meeting to-morrow evening. he took it as an insult, and said he didn't need to be instructed by such sort of men as spoke at our meetings. 'i know some of us are what they call mudsills down south,' said i; 'but it might do you good to go and hear 'em, deacon. when a man's lamp's out, it's better to light it by the kitchen fire than to go blundering about in the dark, hitting himself against everything.' he said we should find it very convenient if we had slaves here; for northern women were mere beasts of burden. i told him that was better than to be beasts of prey. i thought afterward i wasn't very polite. i don't mean to go headlong against other folks' prejudices; but the fact is, a man never knows with what impetus he _is_ going till he comes up against a post. i like to see a man firm as a rock in his opinions. i have a sort of a respect for a _rock_, even if it _is_ a little mossy. but when i come across a _post_, i like to give it a shaking, to find out whether it's rotten at the foundation. as to things in general, i calculate to be an obliging neighbor; but i shall keep a lookout on these carolina folks. if they've brought any blacks with 'em, i shall let 'em know what the laws of massachusetts are; and then they may take their freedom or not, just as they choose." "that's right," replied mrs. blumenthal; "and when you and the deacon have another encounter, i hope i shall be near enough to hear it." as she walked away, tying up her bouquet with a spear of striped grass, she heard him whistling the tune she had been singing. when she returned to the parlor, she seated herself near the open window, with a handkerchief, on which she was embroidering mrs. delano's initials. mr. bright's remarks had somewhat excited her curiosity, and from time to time she glanced toward deacon stillham's grounds. a hawthorn hedge, neatly clipped, separated the two gardens; but here and there the foliage had died away and left small open spaces. all at once, a pretty little curly head appeared at one of these leafy lunettes, and an infantile voice called out, "you're a bob-o-lith-o-nitht!" "do come here, mamita lila, and see this little darling," said flora, laughing. for a moment she was invisible. then the cherub face came peeping out again; and this time the little mouth was laughing, when it repeated, "you're a bob-o-lith-o-nitht." "isn't it amusing to hear such an infant trying to abuse us with a big mouthful of a word, to which she attaches no meaning?" said mrs. delano. flora beckoned with her hand, and called out, "come in and see the bobolithonithts, darling." the little creature laughed and ran away. at that moment, a bright turban was seen moving along above the bushes. then a black face became visible. flora sprang up with a quick cry, and rushed out of the room, upsetting her basket, and leaving balls and thimble rolling about the floor. placing her foot on a stump, she leaped over the hedge like an opera-dancer, and the next moment she had the negro woman in her arms, exclaiming: "bless you, tulee! you _are_ alive, after all!" the black woman was startled and bewildered for an instant; then she held her off at arm's length, and looked at her with astonishment, saying: "bless the lord! is it you, missy flory? or is it a sperit? well now, _is_ it you, little one?" "yes, tulee; it is i," she replied. "the same missy flory that used to plague your life out with her tricks." the colored woman hugged and kissed, and hugged and kissed, and laughed and cried; ever and anon exclaiming, "bless the lord!" meanwhile, the playful cherub was peeping at joe bright through another hole in the hedge, all unconscious how pretty her little fair face looked in its frame of green leaves, but delighted with her own sauciness, as she repeated, "you're a bob-o-lith-o-nitht! you're a bob-o-lith-o-nitht!" when he tried to kiss her, she scampered away, but soon reappeared again to renew the fun. while this by-play was going on, a white servant came through the deacon's grounds, and said to tulee, "mrs. robbem wants you to come to her immediately, and bring laura." "i must go now, darling," said tulee, clasping flora's hand with a warm pressure. "come again quickly," said flora. "as soon as i can," she replied, and hurried away with her little charge. when mr. bright offered his hand to help mrs. blumenthal over the hedge, he burst into a hearty laugh. "wasn't it funny," said he, "to hear that baby calling us bob-o-lith-o-nithts? they begin education early down south. before the summer is out she'll be talking about the cuth o' ham, and telling the story of onethimuth. but they've found a mare's nest now, mrs. blumenthal. the deacon will be writing to his carolina friends how the massachusetts ladies hug and kiss niggers." flora smiled as she answered: "i suppose it must seem strange to them, mr. bright. but the fact is, that black woman tended me when i was a child; and i haven't seen her for twenty years." as soon as she entered the house, she explained the scene to mrs. delano, and then said to her daughter: "now, rosen blumen, you may leave your drawing and go to aunt rosa, and tell her i want to see her for something special, and she must come as soon as possible. don't tell her anything more. you may stay and spend the day with eulalia, if you like." "how many mysteries and surprises we have," observed mrs. delano. "a dozen novels might be made out of your adventures." the hasty summons found mrs. king still melancholy with the thought that her newly found son could be no more to her than a shadow. glad to have her thoughts turned in another direction, she sent rosen blumen to her cousin, and immediately prepared to join her sister. flora, who was watching for her, ran out to the gate to meet her, and before she entered the house announced that tulee was alive. the little that was known was soon communicated, and they watched with the greatest anxiety for the reappearance of tulee. but the bright turban was seen no more during the forenoon; and throughout the afternoon no one but the deacon and his gardener were visible about the grounds. the hours of waiting were spent by the sisters and mrs. delano in a full explanation of the secret history of gerald fitzgerald, and mrs. king's consequent depression of spirits. the evening wore away without any tidings from tulee. between nine and ten o'clock they heard the voice of the deacon loud in prayer. joe bright, who was passing the open window, stopped to say: "he means his neighbors shall hear him, anyhow. i reckon he thinks it's a good investment for character. he's a cute manager, the deacon is; and a quickster, too, according to his own account; for he told me when he made up his mind to have religion, he wasn't half an hour about it. i'd a mind to tell him i should think slave-trading religion was a job done by contract, knocked up in a hurry." "mr. bright," said flora, in a low voice, "if you see that colored woman, i wish you would speak to her, and show her the way in." the sisters sat talking over their affairs with their husbands, in low tones, listening anxiously meanwhile to every sound. mr. and mrs. king were just saying they thought it was best to return home, when mr. bright opened the door and tulee walked in. of course, there was a general exclaiming and embracing. there was no need of introducing the husbands, for tulee remembered them both. as soon as she could take breath, she said: "i've had _such_ a time to get here! i've been trying all day, and i couldn't get a chance, they kept such watch of me. at last, when they was all abed and asleep, i crept down stairs softly, and come out of the back door, and locked it after me." "come right up stairs with me," said rosa. "i want to speak to you." as soon as they were alone, she said, "tulee, where is the baby?" "don't know no more than the dead what's become of the poor little picaninny," she replied. "after ye went away, missy duroy's cousin, who was a sea-captain, brought his baby with a black nurse to board there, because his wife had died. i remember how ye looked at me when ye said, 'take good care of the poor little baby.' and i did try to take good care of him. i toted him about a bit out doors whenever i could get a chance. one day, just as i was going back into the house, a gentleman o'horseback turned and looked at me. i didn't think anything about it then; but the next day, he come to the house, and he said i was mr. royal's slave, and that mr. fitzgerald bought me. he wanted to know where ye was; and when i told him ye'd gone over the sea with madame and the signor, he cursed and swore, and said he'd been cheated. when he went away, missis duroy said it was mr. bruteman. i didn't think there was much to be 'fraid of, 'cause ye'd got away safe, and i had free papers, and the picaninny was too small to be sold. but i remembered ye was always anxious about his being a slave, and i was a little uneasy. one day when the sea-captain came to see his baby, he was marking an anchor on his own arm with a needle and some sort of black stuff; and he said 't would never come out. i thought if they should carry off yer picaninny, it would be more easy to find him again if he was marked. i told the captain i had heard ye call him gerald; and he said he would mark g.f. on his arm. the poor little thing worried in his sleep while he was doing it, and missis duroy scolded at me for hurting him. the next week massa duroy was taken with yellow-fever; and then missis duroy was taken, and then the captain's baby and the black nurse. i was frighted, and tried to keep the picaninny out doors all i could. one day, when i'd gone a bit from the house, two men grabbed us and put us in a cart. when i screamed, they beat me, and swore at me for a runaway nigger. when i said i was free, they beat me more, and told me to shut up. they put us in the calaboose; and when i told 'em the picaninny belonged to a white lady, they laughed and said there was a great many white niggers. mr. bruteman come to see us, and he said we was his niggers. when i showed him my free paper, he said 't want good for anything, and tore it to pieces. o missy rosy, that was a dreadful dark time. the jailer's wife didn't seem so hard-hearted as the rest. i showed her the mark on the picaninny's arm, and gave her one of the little shirts ye embroidered; and i told her if they sold me away from him, a white lady would send for him. they did sell me, missy rosy. mr. robbem, a caroliny slave-trader bought me, and he's my massa now. i don't know what they did with the picaninny. i didn't know how to write, and i didn't know where ye was. i was always hoping ye would come for me some time; and at last i thought ye must be dead." "poor tulee," said rosa. "they wrote that mr. and mrs. duroy and the black woman and the white baby all died of yellow-fever; and we didn't know there was any other black woman there. i've sent to new orleans, and i've been there; and many a cry i've had, because we couldn't find you. but your troubles are all over now. you shall come and live with us." "but i'm mr. robbem's slave," replied tulee. "no, you are not," answered rosa. "you became free the moment they brought you to massachusetts." "is it really so?" said tulee, brightening up in look and tone. then, with a sudden sadness, she added: "i've got three chil'ren in carolina. they've sold two on 'em; but they've left me my little benny, eight years old. they wouldn't have brought me here, if they hadn't known benny would pull me back." "we'll buy your children," said rosa. "bless ye, missy rosy!" she exclaimed. "ye's got the same kind heart ye always had. how glad i am to see ye all so happy!" "o tulee!" groaned rosa, "i can never be happy till that poor little baby is found. i've no doubt that wicked bruteman sold him." she covered her face with her hands, and the tears trickled through her fingers. "the lord comfort ye!" said tulee, "i did all i could for yer poor little picaninny." "i know you did, tulee," she replied. "but i am _so_ sorry madame didn't take you with us! when she told me she had left you, i was afraid something bad would happen; and i would have gone back for you if i could. but it is too late to talk any more now. mr. king is waiting for me to go home. why can't you go with us to-night?" "i must go back," rejoined tulee. "i've got the key with me, and i left the picaninny asleep in my bed. i'll come again to-morrow night, if i can." "don't say if you can, tulee," replied mrs. king. "remember you are not a slave here. you can walk away at mid-day, and tell them you are going to live with us." "they'd lock me up and send me back to caroliny, if i told 'em so," said tulee. "but i'll come, missy rosy." rosa kissed the dark cheek she had so often kissed when they were children together, and they parted for the night. the next day and the next night passed without a visit from tulee. mr. and mrs. bright, who entered into the affair with the liveliest interest, expressed the opinion that she had been spirited away and sent south. the sisters began to entertain a similar fear; and it was decided that their husbands should call with them the following morning, to have a talk with mr. and mrs. robbem. but not long after breakfast, tulee stole into the back door with the cherub in her arms. "o missy flory," said she, "i tried to get here last night. but missis robbem takes a heap o' care o' me." she said this with a mischievous smile. "when we was at the astor house, she locked up my clothes in her room, 'cause new york was such a dreadful wicked place, she was 'fraid they'd be stole; and she never let me out o' her sight, for fear the colored waiters in the hotel would be impudent to me. last night she sent me away up into the cupola to sleep, 'cause she said i could have more room there. and when i'd got the picaninny asleep, and was watching for a chance to steal away, she come all the way up there very softly, and said she'd brought me some hot drink, 'cause i didn't seem to be well. then she begun to advise me not to go near the next house. she told me abolitionists was very bad people; that they pretended to be great friends to colored folks, but all they wanted was to steal 'em and sell 'em to the west indies. i told her i didn't know nothing 'bout abolitionists; that the lady i was hugging and kissing was a new orleans lady that i used to wait upon when we was picaninnies. she said if you had the feelings southern ladies ought to have, you wouldn't be boarding with abolitionists. when she went down stairs i didn't dare to come here, for fear she'd come up again with some more hot drink. this morning she told me to walk up street with the picaninny; and she watched me till i was out o' sight. but i went round and round and got over a fence, and come through massa bright's barn." mr. and mrs. king came in as she was speaking; and she turned to them, saying anxiously, "do you think, massa, if i don't go back with 'em, they'll let me have my chil'ren?" "don't call me massa," replied mr. king, "i dislike the sound of it. speak to me as other people do. i have no doubt we shall manage it so that you will have your children. i will lead home this pretty little tot, and tell them you are going to stay with us." with bonbons and funny talk he gained the favor of tot, so that she consented to walk with him. tulee often applied her apron to her eyes, as she watched the little creature holding by his finger, and stepping along in childish fashion, turning her toes inward. when she disappeared through the deacon's front door, she sat down and cried outright. "i love that little picaninny," sobbed she. "i've tended her ever since she was born; and i love her. she'll cry for tulee. but i does want to be free, and i does want to live with ye, missy rosy and missy flory." mrs. robbem met mr. king as soon as he entered her father's door, and said in a tone of stern surprise, "where is my servant, sir?" he bowed and answered, "if you will allow me to walk in for a few moments, i will explain my errand." as soon as they were seated he said: "i came to inform you that tulee does not wish to go back to carolina; and that by the laws of massachusetts she has a perfect right to remain here." "she's an ungrateful wench!" exclaimed mrs. robbem. "she's always been treated kindly, and she wouldn't have thought of taking such a step, if she hadn't been put up to it by meddlesome abolitionists, who are always interfering with gentlemen's servants." "the simple fact is," rejoined mr. king, "tulee used to be the playmate and attendant of my wife when both of them were children. they lived together many years, and are strongly attached to each other." "if your wife is a southern lady," replied mrs. robbem, "she ought to be above such a mean yankee trick as stealing my servant from me." her husband entered at that moment, and the visitor rose and bowed as he said, "mr. robbem, i presume." he lowered his head somewhat stiffly in reply; and his wife hastened to say, "the abolitionists have been decoying tulee away from us." mr. king repeated the explanation he had already made. "i thought the wench had more feeling," replied mr. robbem. "she left children in carolina. but the fact is, niggers have no more feeling for their young than so many pigs." "i judge differently," rejoined mr. king; "and my principal motive for calling was to speak to you about those children. i wish to purchase them for tulee." "she shall never have them, sir!" exclaimed the slave-trader, fiercely. "and as for you abolitionists, all i wish is that we had you down south." "differences of opinion must be allowed in a free country," replied mr. king. "i consider slavery a bad institution, injurious to the south, and to the whole country. but i did not come here to discuss that subject. i simply wish to make a plain business statement to you. tulee chooses to take her freedom, and any court in massachusetts will decide that she has a right to take it. but, out of gratitude for services she has rendered my wife, i am willing to make you gratuitous compensation, provided you will enable me to buy all her children. will you name your terms now, or shall i call again?". "she shall never have her children," repeated mr. robbem; "she has nobody but herself and the abolitionists to blame for it." "i will, however, call again, after you have thought of it more calmly," said mr. king. "good morning, sir; good morning, madam." his salutations were silently returned with cold, stiff bows. a second and third attempt was made with no better success. tulee grew very uneasy. "they'll sell my benny," said she. "ye see they ain't got any heart, 'cause they's used to selling picaninnies." "what, does this mr. robbem carry on the deacon's old business?" inquired mr. bright. "yes, massa," replied tulee. "two years ago, massa stillham come down to caroliny to spend the winter, and he was round in the slave-pen as brisk as massa robbem, counting the niggers, and telling how many dollars they ought to sell for. he had a dreadful bad fever while he was down there, and i nursed him. he was out of his head half the time, and he was calling out: 'going! going! how much for this likely nigger? stop that wench's squalling for her brat! carry the brat off!' it was dreadful to hear him." "i suppose he calculated upon going to heaven if he died," rejoined mr. bright; "and if he'd gone into the kingdom with such words in his mouth, it would have been a heavenly song for the four-and-twenty elders to accompany with their golden harps." "they'll sell my benny," groaned tulee; "and then i shall never see him again." "i have no doubt mr. king will obtain your children," replied mr. bright; "and you should remember that, if you go back south, just as likely as not they will sell him where you will never see him or hear from him." "i know it, massa, i know it," answered she. "i am not your master," rejoined he. "i allow no man to call me master, and certainly not any woman; though i don't belong to the chivalry." his prediction proved true. the deacon and his son-in-law held frequent consultations. "this mr. king is rich as croesus," said the deacon; "and if he thinks his wife owes a debt to tulee, he'll be willing to give a round sum for her children. i reckon you can make a better bargain with him than you could in the new orleans market." "do you suppose he'd give five thousand dollars for the young niggers?" inquired the trader. "try him," said the deacon. the final result was that the sum was deposited by mr. king, to be paid over whenever tulee's children made their appearance; and in due time they all arrived. tulee was full of joy and gratitude; but mr. bright always maintained it was a sin and a shame to pay slave-traders so much for what never belonged to them. of course there were endless questions to be asked and answered between the sisters and their faithful servant; but all she could tell threw no further light on the destiny of the little changeling whom she supposed to be rosa's own child. in the course of these private conversations, it came out that she herself had suffered, as all women must suffer, who have the feelings of human beings, and the treatment of animals. but her own humble little episode of love and separation, of sorrow and shame, was whispered only to missy rosy and missy flory. chapter xxxiii. the probability that the lost child was alive and in slavery was a very serious complication of existing difficulties. thinking it prudent to prepare gerald's mind for any contingencies that might occur, mr. king proceeded immediately to boston to have a conference with him. the young man received the news with unexpected composure. "it will annoy lily-mother very much," said he, "and on that account i regret it; but so far as i am myself concerned, it would in some respects be a relief to me to get out of the false position in which i find myself. grandfather bell has always grumbled about the expense i have been to him in consequence of my father's loss of fortune, and of course that adds to the unpleasantness of feeling that i am practising a fraud upon him. he is just now peculiarly vexed with me for leaving northampton so suddenly. he considers it an unaccountable caprice of mine, and reproaches me with letting eulalia slip through my fingers, as he expresses it. of course, he has no idea how it cuts me. this state of things is producing a great change in my views. my prevailing wish now is to obtain an independent position by my own exertions, and thus be free to become familiar with my new self. at present, i feel as if there were two of me, and that one was an impostor." "i heartily approve of your wish to rely upon your own resources," replied mr. king; "and i will gladly assist you to accomplish it. i have already said you should be to me as a son, and i stand by my word; but i advise you, as i would an own son, to devote yourself assiduously to some business, profession, or art. never be a gentleman of leisure. it is the worst possible calling a man can have. nothing but stagnation of faculties and weariness of soul comes of it. but we will talk about _your_ plans hereafter. the urgent business of the present moment is to obtain some clew to your missing brother. my conscientious wife will suffer continual anxiety till he is found. i must go to new orleans and seek out mr. bruteman, to ascertain whether he has sold him." "bruteman!" exclaimed the young man, with sudden interest. "was he the one who seized that negro woman and the child?" "yes," rejoined mr. king. "but why does that excite your interest?" "i am almost ashamed to tell you," replied gerald. "but you know i was educated in the prejudices of my father and grandfather. it was natural that i should be proud of being the son of a slaveholder, that i should despise the colored race, and consider abolition a very vulgar fanaticism. but the recent discovery that i was myself born a slave has put me upon my thoughts, and made me a little uneasy about a transaction in which i was concerned. the afternoon preceding mrs. green's splendid ball, where i first saw my beautiful rose-mother, two fugitive slaves arrived here in one of grandfather's ships called 'the king cotton.' mr. bruteman telegraphed to grandfather about them, and the next morning he sent me to tell captain kane to send the slaves down to the islands in the harbor, and keep them under guard till a vessel passed that would take them back to new orleans. i did his errand, without bestowing upon the subjects of it any more thought or care than i should have done upon two bales of cotton. at parting, captain kane said to me, 'by george, mr. fitzgerald, one of these fellows looks so much like you, that, if you were a little tanned by exposure to the sun, i shouldn't know you apart.' 'that's flattering,' replied i, 'to be compared to a negro.' and i hurried away, being impatient to make an early call upon your lady at the revere house. i don't suppose i should ever have thought of it again, if your present conversation had not brought it to my mind." "do you know whether mr. bruteman sold those slaves after they were sent back?" inquired mr. king. "there is one fact connected with the affair which i will tell you, if you promise not to mention it," replied the young man. "the abolitionists annoyed grandfather a good deal about those runaways, and he is nervously sensitive lest they should get hold of it, and publish it in their papers." having received the desired promise, he went on to say: "those slaves were mortgaged to grandfather, and he sent orders to have them immediately sold. i presume mr. bruteman managed the transaction, for they were his slaves; but i don't know whether he reported the name of the purchaser. he died two months ago, leaving his affairs a good deal involved; and i heard that some distant connections in mississippi were his heirs." "where can i find captain kane?" inquired mr. king. "he sailed for calcutta a fortnight ago," rejoined gerald. "then there is no other resource but to go to new orleans, as soon as the weather will permit," was the reply. "i honor your zeal," said the young man. "i wish my own record was clean on the subject. since i have taken the case home to myself, i have felt that it was mean and wrong to send back fugitives from slavery; but it becomes painful, when i think of the possibility of having helped to send back my own brother,--and one, too, whom i have supplanted in his birthright." * * * * * when mr. king returned to northampton, the information he had obtained sent a new pang to the heart of his wife. "then he _is_ a slave!" she exclaimed. "and while the poor fellow was being bound and sent back to slavery, i was dancing and receiving homage. verily the furies do pursue me. do you think it is necessary to tell mrs. fitzgerald of this?" "in a reverse of cases, i think you would feel that you ought to be informed of everything," he replied. "but i will save you from that portion of the pain. it was most fitting that a woman should make the first part of the disclosure; but this new light on the subject can be as well revealed by myself." "always kind and considerate," she said. "this news will be peculiarly annoying to her, and perhaps she will receive it better from you than from me; for i can see that i have lost her favor. but you have taught me that it is of more consequence to _deserve_ favor than to _have_ it; and i shall do my utmost to deserve a kindly estimate from her." "i confess i am somewhat puzzled by this tangle," rejoined her husband. "but where there is both the will and the means to repair a wrong, it will be strange if a way cannot be found." "i would like to sell my diamonds, and all my other expensive ornaments, to buy that young man," said she. "that you can do, if it will be any gratification to you," he replied; "but the few thousands i have invested in jewels for you would go but little way toward the full remuneration i intend to make, if he can be found. we will send the young people out of the way this evening, and lay the case before a family council of the elders. i should like to consult blumenthal. i have never known a man whose natural instincts were so true as his; and his entire freedom from conventional prejudices reminds me of my good father. i have great reliance also on mrs. delano's delicate perceptions and quiet good sense. and our lively little flora, though she jumps to her conclusions, always jumps in a straight line, and usually hits the point." as soon as the council was convened, and the subject introduced, mrs. blumenthal exclaimed: "why, florimond, those slaves in 'the king cotton' were the ones you and mr. goldwin tried so hard to help them find." "yes," rejoined he; "i caught a hasty glimpse of one of the poor fellows just as they were seizing him with the cry of 'stop thief!' and his italian look reminded me so forcibly of the danger flora was once in, that i was extremely troubled about him after i heard he was a slave. as i recall him to my mind, i do think he resembled young fitzgerald. mr. percival might perhaps throw some light on the subject; for he was unwearied in his efforts to rescue those fugitives. he already knows flora's history." "i should like to have you go to boston with me and introduce me to him," said mr. king. "that i will do," answered blumenthal. "i think both mr. bell and mrs. fitzgerald would prefer to have it all sink into unquestioned oblivion; but that does not change our duty with regard to the poor fellow." "do you think they ought to be informed of the present circumstances?" inquired mr. king. "if i were in their position, i should think i ought to know all the particulars," replied he; "and the golden rule is as good as it is simple." "mrs. fitzgerald has great dread of her father's knowing anything about it," responded rosa; "and i have an earnest desire to spare her pain as far as possible. it seems as if she had a right to judge in the premises." mrs. delano took mr. blumenthal's view of the subject, and it was decided to leave that point for further consideration. flora suggested that some difficulties might be removed by at once informing eulalia that gerald was her brother. but mrs. delano answered: "some difficulties might be avoided for ourselves by that process; but the good of the young people is a paramount consideration. you know none of them are aware of all the antecedents in their family history, and it seems to me best that they should not know them till their characters are fully formed. i should have no objection to telling them of their colored ancestry, if it did not involve a knowledge of laws and customs and experiences growing out of slavery, which might, at this early age, prove unsettling to their principles. anything that mystifies moral perceptions is not so easily removed from youthful minds as breath is wiped from a mirror." "i have that feeling very deeply fixed with regard to our eulalia," observed mr. king; "and i really see no need of agitating their young, unconscious minds with subjects they are too inexperienced to understand. i will have a talk with mrs. fitzgerald, and then proceed to boston." mrs. fitzgerald received the announcement with much less equanimity than she had manifested on a former occasion. though habitually polite, she said very abruptly: "i was in hopes i should never be troubled any more with this vulgar subject. since mrs. king saw fit to change the children, let her take care of the one she has chosen. of course, it would be very disagreeable to me to have a son who had been brought up among slaves. if i wished to make his acquaintance, i could not do it without exciting a great deal of remark; and there has already been too much talk about my husband's affairs. but i have no wish to see him. i have educated a son to my own liking, and everybody says he is an elegant young man. if you would cease from telling me that there is a stain in his blood, i should never be reminded of it." "we thought it right to inform you of everything," rejoined mr. king, "and leave you to decide what was to be done." "then, once for all," said she, "please leave gerald and me in peace; and do what you choose about the other one. we have had sufficient annoyance already; and i never wish to hear the subject mentioned again." "i accept your decision," replied mr. king. "if the unfortunate young man can be found, i will educate him and establish him in business, and do the same for him in all respects that you would have done if he had been your acknowledged heir." "and keep him at a distance from me," said the perturbed lady; "for if he resembles gerald so strongly, it would of course give rise to unpleasant inquiries and remarks." the gentleman bowed, wished her good morning, and departed, thinking what he had heard was a strange commentary on natural instincts. mr. percival was of course greatly surprised and excited when he learned the relation which one of the fugitives in "the king cotton" bore to mr. bell. "we hear a good deal about poetical justice," said he; "but one rarely sees it meted out in this world. the hardness of the old merchant when mr. jackson and i called upon him was a thing to be remembered. he indorsed, with warm approbation, the declaration of the reverend gentleman who professed his willingness to send his mother or brother into slavery, if the laws of the united states required it." "if our friend mr. bright was with us, he would say the lord took him at his word," rejoined mr. blumenthal, smiling. an earnest discussion ensued concerning the possibilities of the case, and several days were spent in active investigation. but all the additional light obtained was from a sailor, who had been one of the boat's crew that conveyed the fugitives to the islands in the harbor; and all he could tell was that he heard them call each other george and henry. when he was shown a colored photograph, which gerald had just had taken for his rose-mother, he at once said that was the one named george. "this poor fellow must be rescued," said mr. king, after they returned from their unsatisfactory conference with the sailor. "mr. bell may know who purchased him, and a conversation with him seems to be the only alternative." "judging by my own experience, your task is not to be envied," rejoined mr. percival. "he will be in a tremendous rage. but perhaps the lesson will do him good. i remember francis jackson said at the time, that if his dark-complexioned grandson should be sent into slavery, it might bring him to a realizing sense of the state of things he was doing his utmost to encourage." the undertaking did indeed seem more formidable to mr. king than anything he had yet encountered; but true to his sense of duty he resolved to go bravely through with it. chapter xxxiv. the old merchant received mr. king with marked politeness; for though he suspected him of anti-slavery proclivities, and despised him for that weakness, he had great respect for a man whose name was as good as gold, and who was the father of such an eligible match as eulalia. after some discursive conversation, mr. king said, "i am desirous to tell you a short story, if you will have patience to listen to it." "certainly, sir," replied the old gentleman. his visitor accordingly began by telling of mr. royal's having formed one of those quadroon alliances so common in new orleans; of his having died insolvent; and of his two handsome octoroon daughters having been claimed as slaves by his creditors. "what the deuce do you suppose i care about his octoroon daughters?" interrupted mr. bell, impatiently. "i wasn't one of his creditors." "perhaps you will take some interest in it," rejoined mr. king, "when i tell you that the eldest of them was married to mr. gerald fitzgerald of savannah, and that she is still living." "do you mean the mr. fitzgerald who married my daughter lily?" inquired he. "i do mean him," was the response. "it's false," vociferated mr. bell, growing almost purple in the face. "no, sir, it is not false," replied mr. king. "but you need not be so much excited. the first marriage did not render the second illegal; first, because a sham ceremony was performed to deceive the inexperienced girl; and secondly, because, according to the laws of the south, any marriage with a slave, however sanctified by religious forms, is utterly void in law." "i consider such a law a very wise provision," replied the merchant. "it is necessary to prevent the inferior race from being put on an equality with their superiors. the negroes were made to be servants, sir. _you_ may be an advocate for amalgamation, but i am not." "i would simply ask you to observe that the law you so much approve is not a preventive of amalgamation. mr. fitzgerald married the daughter of the quadroon. the only effect of the law was to deprive her of a legal right to his support and protection, and to prevent her son from receiving any share of his father's property. by another southern law, that 'the child shall follow the condition of the mother,' her son became a slave." "well, sir, what interest do you suppose i can take in all this?" interrupted the merchant. "it's nothing to me, sir. the south is competent to make her own laws." mr. king begged his attention a little longer. he then proceeded to tell how mr. fitzgerald had treated the octoroon, at the time of his marriage with miss bell; that he had subsequently sold her to a very base man, in payment of a debt; that she, terrified and bewildered by the prospect of such a fate, had, in a moment of frantic revenge, changed her babe for his daughter's; and that consequently the gerald he had been educating as his grandson was in fact the son of the octoroon, and born a slave. "really, sir," said mr. bell, with a satirical smile, "that story might sell for something to a writer of sensation novels; but i should hardly have expected to hear it from a sensible gentleman like yourself. pray, on whose testimony do you expect me to believe such an improbable fiction?" "on that of the mother herself," replied mr. king. with a very contemptuous curl of his lip, mr. bell answered: "and you really suppose, do you, that i can be induced to disinherit my grandson on the testimony of a colored woman? not i, sir. thank god, i am not infected with this negro mania." "but you have not asked who the woman is," rejoined mr. king; "and without knowing that, you cannot judge candidly of the value of her testimony." "i don't ask, because i don't care," replied the merchant. "the negroes are a lying set, sir; and i am no abolitionist, that i should go about retailing their lies." mr. king looked at him an instant, and then answered, very calmly: "the mother of that babe, whose word you treat so contemptuously, is mrs. king, my beloved and honored wife." the old merchant was startled from his propriety; and, forgetful of the gout in his feet, he sprung from his chair, exclaiming, "the devil!" mr. king, without noticing the abrupt exclamation, went on to relate in detail the manner of his first introduction to miss royal, his compassion for her subsequent misfortunes, his many reasons for believing her a pure and noble woman, and the circumstances which finally led to their marriage. he expressed his conviction that the children had been changed in a fit of temporary insanity, and dwelt much on his wife's exceeding anxiety to atone for the wrong, as far as possible. "i was ignorant of the circumstance," said he, "until the increasing attraction between gerald and eulalia made an avowal necessary. it gives me great pain to tell you all this; but i thought that, under a reverse of circumstances, i should myself prefer to know the facts. i am desirous to do my utmost to repair the mischief done by a deserted and friendless woman, at a moment when she was crazed by distress and terror; a woman, too, whose character i have abundant reason to love and honor. if you choose to disinherit gerald, i will provide for his future as if he were my own son; and i will repay with interest all the expense you have incurred for him. i hope that this affair may be kept secret from the world, and that we may amicably settle it, in such a way that no one will be materially injured." somewhat mollified by this proposal, the old gentleman inquired in a milder tone, "and where is the young man who you say is my daughter's son?" "until very recently he was supposed to be dead," rejoined mr. king; "and unfortunately that circumstance led my wife to think there was no need of speaking to me concerning this affair at the time of our marriage. but we now have reason to think he may be living; and that is why i have particularly felt it my duty to make this unpleasant revelation." after repeating tulee's story, he said, "you probably have not forgotten that last winter two slaves escaped to boston in your ship 'the king cotton'?" the old merchant started as if he had been shot. "try not to be agitated," said mr. king. "if we keep calm, and assist each other, we may perhaps extricate ourselves from this disagreeable dilemma, without any very disastrous results. i have but one reason for thinking it possible there may be some connection between the lost babe and one of the slaves whom you sent back to his claimant. the two babes were very nearly of an age, and so much alike that the exchange passed unnoticed; and the captain of 'the king cotton' told gerald that the eldest of those slaves resembled him so much that he should not know them apart." mr. bell covered his face and uttered a deep groan. such distress in an old man powerfully excited mr. king's sympathy; and moving near to him, he placed his hand on his and said: "don't be so much troubled, sir. this is a bad affair, but i think it can be so managed as to do no very serious harm. my motive in coming to you at this time is to ascertain whether you can furnish me with any clew to that young man. i will myself go in search of him, and i will take him to europe and have him educated in a manner suitable to his condition, as your descendant and the heir of your property." the drawn expression of the old merchant's mouth was something painful to witness. it seemed as if every nerve was pulled to its utmost tension by the excitement in his soul. he obviously had to make a strong effort to speak when he said, "do you suppose, sir, that a merchant of my standing is going to leave his property to negroes?" "you forget that this young man is pure anglo-saxon," replied mr. king. "i tell you, sir," rejoined mr. bell, "that the mulatto who was with him was his wife; and if he is proved to be my grandson, i'll never see him, nor have anything to do with him, unless he gives her up; not if you educate him with the prince royal of france or england. a pretty dilemma you have placed me in, sir. my property, it seems, must either go to gerald, who you say has negro blood in his veins, or to this other fellow, who is a slave with a negro wife." "but she could be educated in europe also," pleaded mr. king; "and i could establish him permanently in lucrative business abroad. by this arrangement--" "go to the devil with your arrangements!" interrupted the merchant, losing all command of himself. "if you expect to arrange a pack of mulatto heirs for _me_, you are mistaken, sir." he rose up and struck his chair upon the floor with a vengeance, and his face was purple with rage, as he vociferated: "i'll have legal redress for this, sir. i'll expose your wife, sir. i'll lay my damages at a million, sir." mr. king bowed and said, "i will see you again when you are more calm." as he went out, he heard mr. bell striding across the room and thrashing the furniture about. "poor old gentleman!" thought he. "i hope i shall succeed in convincing him how little i value money in comparison with righting this wrong, as far as possible. alas! it would never have taken place had there not been a great antecedent wrong; and that again grew out of the monstrous evil of slavery." he had said to the old merchant, "i will see you again when you are calmer." and when he saw him again, he was indeed calm, for he had died suddenly, of a fit produced by violent excitement. chapter xxxv. a few weeks after the funeral of mr. bell, gerald wrote the following letter to mr. king:-"my honored and dear friend,--lily-mother has decided to go to europe this fall, that i may have certain educational advantages which she has planned for me. that is the only reason she assigns; but she is evidently nervous about your investigations, and i think a wish to be out of the country for the present has had some effect in producing this decision. i have not sought to influence her concerning this, or the other important point you wot of. my desire is to conform to her wishes, and promote her happiness in any way she chooses. this it is my duty as well as my pleasure to do. she intends to remain in europe a year, perhaps longer. i wish very much to see you all; and eulalia might well consider me a very impolite acquaintance, if i should go without saying good by. if you do not return to boston before we sail, i will, with your permission, make a short call upon you in northampton. i thank rose-mother for her likeness. it will be very precious to me. i wish you would add your own and another; for wherever my lot may be cast, you three will always be among my dearest memories." "i am glad of this arrangement," said mr. king. "at their age, i hope a year of separation will prove sufficient." the rose-mother covered the wound in her heart, and answered, "yes, it is best." but the constrained tone of the letter pained her, and excited her mind to that most unsatisfactory of all occupations, the thinking over what might have been. she had visions of her first-born son, as he lay by her side a few hours before chloe carried him away from her sight; and then there rose before her the fair face of that other son, whose pretty little body was passing into the roses of provence. both of them had gone out of her life. of one she received no tidings from the mysterious world of spirits; while the other was walking within her vision, as a shadow, the reality of which was intangible. mr. king returned to boston with his family in season for gerald to make the proposed call before he sailed. there was a little heightening of color when he and eulalia met, but he had drilled himself to perform the part of a polite acquaintance; and as she thought she had been rather negligently treated of late, she was cased in the armor of maidenly reserve. both mr. and mrs. king felt it to be an arduous duty to call on mrs. fitzgerald. that lady, though she respected their conscientiousness, could not help disliking them. they had disturbed her relations with gerald, by suggesting the idea of another claim upon his affections; and they had offended her pride by introducing the vulgar phantom of a slave son to haunt her imagination. she was continually jealous of mrs. king; so jealous, that gerald never ventured to show her the likeness of his rose-mother. but though the discerning eyes of mr. and mrs. king read this in the very excess of her polite demonstrations, other visitors who were present when they called supposed them to be her dearest friends, and envied her the distinguished intimacy. such formal attempts at intercourse only increased the cravings of rosa's heart, and mr. king requested gerald to grant her a private interview. inexpressibly precious were these few stolen moments, when she could venture to call him son, and hear him call her mother. he brought her an enamelled locket containing some of his hair, inscribed with the word "gerald"; and she told him that to the day of her death she would always wear it next her heart. he opened a small morocco case, on the velvet lining of which lay a lily of delicate silver filigree. "here is a little souvenir for eulalia," said he. her eyes moistened as she replied, "i fear it would not be prudent, my son." he averted his face as he answered: "then give it to her in my mother's name. it will be pleasant to me to think that my sister is wearing it." * * * * * a few days after gerald had sailed for europe, mr. king started for new orleans, taking with him his wife and daughter. an auctioneer was found, who said he had sold to a gentleman in natchez a runaway slave named bob bruteman, who strongly resembled the likeness of gerald. they proceeded to natchez and had an interview with the purchaser, who recognized a likeness between his slave bob and the picture of gerald. he said he had made a bad bargain of it, for the fellow was intelligent and artful, and had escaped from him two months ago. in answer to his queries, mr. king stated that, if bob was the one he supposed, he was a white man, and had friends who wished to redeem him; but as the master had obtained no clew to the runaway, he could of course give none. so their long journey produced no result, except the satisfaction of thinking that the object of their interest had escaped from slavery. it had been their intention to spend the coldest months at the south, but a volcano had flared up all of a sudden at harper's ferry, and boiling lava was rolling all over the land. every northern man who visited the south was eyed suspiciously, as a possible emissary of john brown; and the fact that mr. king was seeking to redeem a runaway slave was far from increasing confidence in him. finding that silence was unsatisfactory, and that he must either indorse slavery or be liable to perpetual provocations to quarrel, he wrote to mr. blumenthal to have their house in readiness for their return; an arrangement which flora and her children hailed with merry shouts and clapping of hands. when they arrived, they found their house as warm as june, with flora and her family there to receive them, backed by a small army of servants, consisting of tulee, with her tall son and daughter, and little benny, and tom and chloe; all of whom had places provided for them, either in the household or in mr. king's commercial establishment. their tropical exuberance of welcome made him smile. when the hearty hand-shakings were over, he said to his wife, as they passed into the parlor, "it really seemed as if we were landing on the coast of guinea with a cargo of beads." "o alfred," rejoined she, "i am so grateful to you for employing them all! you don't know, and never _can_ know, how i feel toward these dusky friends; for you never had them watch over you, day after day, and night after night, patiently and tenderly leading you up from the valley of the shadow of death." he pressed her hand affectionately, and said, "inasmuch as they did it for you, darling, they did it for me." this sentiment was wrought into their daily deportment to their servants; and the result was an harmonious relation between employer and employed, which it was beautiful to witness. but there are skeletons hidden away in the happiest households. mrs. king had hers, and tom and chloe had theirs. the death of mr. bell and the absence of mrs. fitzgerald left no one in boston who would be likely to recognize them; but they knew that the fugitive slave act was still in force, and though they relied upon mr. king's generosity in case of emergency, they had an uncomfortable feeling of not being free. it was not so with tulee. she had got beyond mount pisgah into the canaan of freedom; and her happiness was unalloyed. mr. king, though kind and liberal to all, regarded her with especial favor, on account of old associations. the golden hoops had been taken from her ears when she was in the calaboose; but he had presented her with another pair, for he liked to have her look as she did when she opened for him that door in new orleans, which had proved an entrance to the temple and palace of his life. she felt herself to be a sort of prime minister in the small kingdom, and began to deport herself as one having authority. no empress ever had more satisfaction in a royal heir than she had in watching her benny trudging to school, with his spelling-book slung over his shoulder, in a green satchel mrs. king had made for him. the stylishness of the establishment was also a great source of pride to her; and she often remarked in the kitchen that she had always said gold was none too good for missy rosy to walk upon. apart from this consideration, she herself had an oriental delight in things that were lustrous and gayly colored. tom had learned to read quite fluently, and was accustomed to edify his household companions with chapters from the bible on sunday evenings. the descriptions of king solomon's splendor made a lively impression on tulee's mind. when she dusted the spacious parlors, she looked admiringly at the large mirrors, the gilded circles of gas lights, and the great pictures framed in crimson and gold, and thought that the temple of solomon could not have been more grand. she could scarcely believe mrs. delano was wealthy. "she's a beautiful lady," said she to flora; "but if she's got plenty o' money, what makes her dress so innocent and dull? there's missy rosy now, when _she_'s dressed for company, she looks like the queen of shebee." one morning tulee awoke to look out upon a scene entirely new to her southern eyes, and far surpassing anything she had imagined of the splendor of solomon's temple. on the evening previous, the air had been full of mist, which, as it grew colder, had settled on the trees of the common, covering every little twig with a panoply of ice. a very light snow had fallen softly during the night, and sprinkled the ice with a feathery fleece. the trees, in this delicate white vesture, standing up against a dark blue sky, looked like the glorified spirits of trees. here and there, the sun touched them, and dropped a shower of diamonds. tulee gazed a moment in delighted astonishment, and ran to call chloe, who exclaimed, "they looks like great white angels, and ise feared they'll fly away 'fore missis gits up." tulee was very impatient for the sound of mrs. king's bell, and as soon as the first tinkle was heard she rushed into her dressing-room, exclaiming, "o, do come to the window, missy rosy! sure this is silver land." rosa was no less surprised when she looked out upon that wonderful vision of the earth, in its transfigured raiment of snow-glory. "why, tulee," said she, "it is diamond land. i've seen splendid fairy scenes in the theatres of paris, but never anything so brilliant as this." "i used to think the woods down south, all covered with jess'mines, was the beautifullest thing," responded tulee; "but, lors, missy rosy, this is as much handsomer as solomon's temple was handsomer than a meetin'-house." but neither the indoor nor the outdoor splendor, nor all the personal comforts they enjoyed, made this favored band of colored people forgetful of the brethren they had left in bondage. every word about john brown was sought for and read with avidity. when he was first taken captive, chloe said: "the angel that let peter out o' prison ha'n't growed old an' hard o' hearing. if we prays loud enough, he'll go and open the doors for old john brown." certainly, it was not for want of the colored people's praying loud and long enough, that the prisoner was not supernaturally delivered. they did not relinquish the hope till the 2d of december: and when that sad day arrived, they assembled in their meeting-house to watch and pray. all was silent, except now and then an occasional groan, till the hands of the clock pointed to the moment of the martyr's exit from this world. then tom poured forth his soul in a mighty voice of prayer, ending with the agonized entreaty, "o lord, thou hast taken away our moses. raise us up a joshua!" and all cried, "amen!" chloe, who had faith that could walk the stormiest waves, spoke words of fervent cheer to the weeping congregation. "i tell ye they ha'n't killed old john brown," said she; "'cause they _couldn't_ kill him. the angel that opened the prison doors for peter has let him out, and sent him abroad in a different way from what we 'spected; that's all." chapter xxxvi. through the following year, the political sky grew ever darker with impending clouds, crinkled with lightning, and vocal with growlings of approaching thunder. the north continued to make servile concessions, which history will blush to record; but they proved unavailing. the arrogance of slaveholders grew by what it fed on. though a conscientious wish to avoid civil war mingled largely with the selfishness of trade, and the heartless gambling of politicians, all was alike interpreted by them as signs of northern cowardice. at last, the sumter gun was heard booming through the gathering storm. instantly, the air was full of starry banners, and northern pavements resounded with the tramp of horse and the rolling of artillery wagons. a thrill of patriotic enthusiasm kindled the souls of men. no more sending back of slaves. all our cities became at once cities of refuge; for men had risen above the letter of the constitution into the spirit of the declaration of independence. gerald and his lily-mother arrived in new york to find the social atmosphere all aglow. under its exciting influence, he wrote to mr. king:-"yesterday, i informed you of our arrival; and now i write to tell you that they are forming a regiment here to march to the defence of washington, and i have joined it. lily-mother was unwilling at first. but a fine set of fellows are joining,--all first-class young gentlemen. i told lily-mother she would be ashamed to have me loiter behind the sons of her acquaintance, and that mr. seward said it was only an affair of sixty days. so she has consented. i enclose a letter to rose-mother, to ask her blessing on my enterprise, which i am quite sure i shall have, together with your own." thus, with the unreflecting exhilaration of youth, gerald went forth to the war, as light of heart as if he had been joining a boat-race or a hunting excursion; so little did he comprehend that ferocious system of despotism which was fastening its fangs on free institutions with the death-grapple of a bloodhound. for the next two months, his letters, though hurried, were frequent, and always cheerful; mostly filled with trifling gossipings about camp-life, and affectionate remembrances to those he had left behind. at last, mr. king received one of graver import, which ran thus:-"i have met with a strange adventure. a number of us were on picket duty, with orders to keep a sharp lookout. we went pacing back and forth on our allotted ground, now passing under the shadow of trees, now coming out into the moonlight. i walked very erect, feeling myself every inch a soldier. sometimes i cast scrutinizing glances into groups of shrubbery, and sometimes i gazed absently on the sparkling potomac, while memory was retracing the events of my life, and recalling the dear ones connected with them. just as i reached a large tree which formed the boundary of my prescribed course, the next sentinel, whose walk began where mine ended, approached the same tree, and before he turned again we met face to face for an instant. i started, and i confess to a momentary feeling of superstition; for i thought i had seen myself; and that, you know, is said to be a warning of approaching death. he could not have seen me very plainly, for i was in shadow, while he for an instant was clearly revealed by the moonlight. anxious to be sure whether i had seen a vision or a reality, when i again approached the tree i waited for him; and a second time i saw such a likeness of myself as i never saw excepting in the mirror. he turned quickly, and marched away with military promptitude and precision. i watched him for a moment, as his erect figure alternately dipped into shadow and emerged into light. i need not tell you what i was thinking of while i looked; for you can easily conjecture. the third time we met, i said, 'what is your name?' he replied, 'george falkner,' and marched away. i write on a drumhead, in a hurry. as soon as i can obtain a talk with this duplicate of myself, i will write to you again. but i shall not mention my adventure to lily-mother. it would only make her unhappy." another letter, which arrived a week after, contained merely the following paragraph on the subject that interested them most:-"we soldiers cannot command our own movements or our time. i have been able to see g.f. but once, and then our interview was brief. he seemed very reserved about himself. he says he came from new york; but his speech is southern. he talks about 'toting' things, and says he 'disremembers,' i shall try to gain his confidence, and perhaps i shall be able to draw him out." a fortnight later he wrote:-"i have learned from g.f. that the first thing he remembers of himself is living with an old negress, about ten miles from new orleans, with eight other children, of various shades, but none so white as himself. he judges he was about nine years old when he was carried to new orleans, and let out by a rich man named bruteman to a hotel-keeper, to black boots, do errands, &c. one of the children that the old negress brought up with him was a mulatto named henriet. the boys called her hen, he said. he used to 'tote' her about when she was a baby, and afterward they used to roll in the mud, and make mud-pies together. when hen was twelve years old, she was let out to work in the same hotel where he was. soon afterward, mr. bruteman put him out to learn the carpenter's trade, and he soon became expert at it. but though he earned five or six dollars a week, and finally nine or ten, he never received any portion of it; except that now and then mr. bruteman, when he counted his wages, gave him a fip. i never thought of _this_ side of the question when i used to hear grandfather talk about the rights of slaveholders; but i feel now, if this had been my own case, i should have thought it confounded hard. he and hen were very young when they first begun to talk about being married; but he couldn't bear the thoughts of bringing up a family to be slaves, and they watched for an opportunity to run away. after several plans which proved abortive, they went boldly on board 'the king cotton,' he as a white gentleman, and she disguised as his boy servant. you know how that attempt resulted. he says they were kept two days, with hands and feet tied, on an island that was nothing but rock. they suffered with cold, though one of the sailors, who seemed kind-hearted, covered them with blankets and overcoats. he probably did not like the business of guarding slaves; for one night he whispered to g.f., 'can't you swim?' but george was very little used to the water, and hen couldn't swim at all. besides, he said, the sailors had loaded guns, and some of them would have fired upon them, if they had heard them plunge; and even if by a miracle they had gained the shore, he thought they would be seized and sent back again, just as they were in boston. "you may judge how i felt, while i listened to this. i wanted to ask his forgiveness, and give him all my money, and my watch, and my ring, and everything. after they were carried back, hen was sold to the hotel-keeper for six hundred dollars, and he was sold to a man in natchez for fifteen hundred. after a while, he escaped in a woman's dress, contrived to open a communication with hen, and succeeded in carrying her off to new york. there he changed his woman's dress, and his slave name of bob bruteman, and called himself george falkner. when i asked him why he chose that name, he rolled up his sleeve and showed me g.f. marked on his arm. he said he didn't know who put them there, but he supposed they were the initials of his name. he is evidently impressed by our great resemblance. if he asks me directly whether i can conjecture anything about his origin, i hardly know how it will be best to answer. do write how much or how little i ought to say. feeling unsafe in the city of new york, and being destitute of money, he applied to the abolitionists for advice. they sent him to new rochelle, where he let himself to a quaker, called friend joseph houseman, of whom he hired a small hut. there, hen, whom he now calls henriet, takes in washing and ironing, and there a babe has been born to them. when the war broke out he enlisted; partly because he thought it would help him to pay off some old scores with slaveholders, and partly because a set of rowdies in the village of new rochelle said he was a white man, and threatened to mob him for living with a nigger wife. while they were in new york city, he and henriet were regularly married by a colored minister. he said he did it because he hated slavery and couldn't bear to live as slaves did. i heard him read a few lines from a newspaper, and he read them pretty well. he says a little boy, son of the carpenter of whom he learned his trade, gave him some instruction, and he bought a spelling-book for himself. he showed me some beef-bones, on which he practises writing with a pencil. when he told me how hard he had tried to get what little learning he had, it made me ashamed to think how many cakes and toys i received as a reward for studying my spelling-book. he is teaching an old negro, who waits upon the soldiers. it is funny to see how hard the poor old fellow tries, and to hear what strange work he makes of it. it must be 'that stolen waters are sweet,' or slaves would never take so much more pains than i was ever willing to take to learn to spell out the bible. sometimes i help g.f. with his old pupil; and i should like to have mrs. blumenthal make a sketch of us, as i sit on the grass in the shade of some tree, helping the old negro hammer his syllables together. my new york companions laugh at me sometimes; but i have gained great favor with g.f. by this proceeding. he is such an ingenious fellow, that he is always in demand to make or mend something. when i see how skilful he is with tools, i envy him. i begin to realize what you once told me, and which did not please me much at the time, that being a fine gentleman is the poorest calling a man can devote himself to. "i have written this long letter under difficulties, and at various times. i have omitted many particulars, which i will try to remember in my next. enclosed is a note for rose-mother. i hold you all in most affectionate remembrance." soon after the reception of this letter, news came of the defeat at bull run, followed by tidings that gerald was among the slain. mr. king immediately waited upon mrs. fitzgerald to offer any services that he could render, and it was agreed that he should forthwith proceed to washington with her cousin, mr. green. they returned with a long wooden box, on which was inscribed gerald's name and regiment. it was encased in black walnut without being opened, for those who loved him dreaded to see him, marred as he was by battle. it was carried to stone chapel, where a multitude collected to pay the last honors to the youthful soldier. a sheathed sword was laid across the coffin, on which mrs. fitzgerald placed a laurel wreath. just above it, mrs. king deposited a wreath of white roses, in the centre of which eulalia timidly laid a white lily. a long procession followed it to mount auburn, with a band playing beethoven's funeral march. episcopal services were performed at the grave, which friends and relatives filled with flowers; and there, by the side of mr. bell, the beautiful young man was hidden away from human sight. mr. king's carriage had followed next to mrs. fitzgerald's; a circumstance which the public explained by a report that the deceased was to have married his daughter. mrs. fitzgerald felt flattered to have it so understood, and she never contradicted it. after her great disappointment in her husband, and the loss of her other children, all the affection she was capable of feeling had centred in gerald. but hers was not a deep nature, and the world held great sway over it. she suffered acutely when she first heard of her loss; but she found no small degree of soothing compensation in the praises bestowed on her young hero, in the pomp of his funeral, and the general understanding that he was betrothed to the daughter of the quatro-millionnaire. the depth of mrs. king's sorrow was known only to him who made the heart. she endeavored to conceal it as far as possible, for she felt it to be wrong to cast a shadow over the home of her husband and daughter. gerald's likeness was placed in her chamber, where she saw it with the first morning light; but what were her reveries while she gazed upon it was told to no one. custom, as well as sincere sympathy, made it necessary for her to make a visit of condolence to mrs. fitzgerald. but she merely took her hand, pressed it gently, and said, "may god comfort you." "may god comfort you, also," replied mrs. fitzgerald, returning the pressure; and from that time henceforth the name of gerald was never mentioned between them. after the funeral it was noticed that alfred blumenthal appeared abstracted, as if continually occupied with grave thoughts. one day, as he stood leaning against the window, gazing on the stars and stripes that floated across the street, he turned suddenly and exclaimed: "it is wrong to be staying here. i ought to be fighting for that flag. i _must_ supply poor gerald's place." mrs. delano, who had been watching him anxiously, rose up and clasped him round the neck, with stronger emotion than he had ever seen her manifest. "_must_ you go, my son?" she said. he laid his hand very gently on her head as he replied: "dearest mamita, you always taught me to obey the voice of duty; and surely it is a duty to help in rescuing liberty from the bloody jaws of this dragon slavery." she lingered an instant on his breast then, raising her tearful face, she silently pressed his hand, while she looked into those kind and honest eyes, that so strongly reminded her of eyes closed long ago. "you are right, my son," murmured she; "and may god give you strength." turning from her to hide the swelling of his own heart, alfred saw his mother sobbing on his father's bosom. "dearest mamma," said he, "heaven knows it is hard for me. do not make it harder." "it takes the manhood out of him to see you weep, darling," said mr. blumenthal. "be a brave little woman, and cheerfully give your dearest and best for the country." she wiped her eyes, and, fervently kissing alfred's hand, replied, "i will. may god bless you, my dear, my only son!" his father clasped the other hand, and said, with forced calmness: "you are right, alfred. god bless you! and now, dear flora, let us consecrate our young hero's resolution by singing the battle song of korner." she seated herself at the piano, and mrs. delano joined in with her weak but very sweet voice, while they sang, "father! i call on thee." but when they came to the last verse, the voices choked, and the piano became silent. rosen blumen and lila came in and found them all weeping; and when their brother pressed them in his arms and whispered to them the cause of all this sorrow, they cried as if their hearts were breaking. then their mother summoned all her resolution, and became a comforter. while their father talked to them of the nobility and beauty of self-sacrifice, she kissed them and soothed them with hopeful words. then, turning to mrs. delano, she tenderly caressed her faded hair, while she said: "dearest mamita, i trust god will restore to us our precious boy. i will paint his picture as st. george slaying the dragon, and you shall hang it in your chamber, in memory of what he said to you." alfred, unable to control his emotions, hid himself in the privacy of his own chamber. he struck his hand wildly against his forehead, exclaiming, "o my country, great is the sacrifice i make for thee!" then, kneeling by the bed where he had had so many peaceful slumbers, and dreamed so many pleasant dreams, he prayed fervently that god would give him strength according to his need. and so he went forth from his happy home, self-consecrated to the cause of freedom. the women now had but one absorbing interest and occupation. all were eager for news from the army, and all were busy working for the soldiers. chapter xxxvii. when mr. king returned from his mournful journey to washington, he said to his wife: "i saw george falkner, and was pleased with him. his resemblance to poor gerald is wonderful. i could see no difference, except a firmer expression of the mouth, which i suppose is owing to his determined efforts to escape from slavery. of course, he has not gerald's gracefulness; but his bearing seemed manly, and there was no obvious stamp of vulgarity upon him. it struck me that his transformation into a gentleman would be an easy process. i was glad our interview was a hurried one, and necessarily taken up with details about gerald's death. it seems he carried him off in his own arms when he was wounded, and that he did his utmost to stanch the blood. gerald never spoke after the bullet struck him, though he pressed his hand, and appeared to try to say something. when he opened his vest to dress the wound, he found this." rosa looked at it, groaned out, "poor gerald!" and covered her face. it was the photograph of eulalia, with the upper part shot away. both remained for some time with their heads bowed in silence. after a while, mr. king resumed: "in answer to mr. green's inquiries concerning the mutilated picture, i replied that it was a likeness of my daughter; and he answered that he had heard a marriage was thought of between them. i was glad he happened to say that, for it will make it seem natural to george that i should take a lively interest in him on gerald's account. the funeral, and alfred's departure for the army, have left me little time to arrange my thoughts on that subject. but i have now formed definite plans, that i propose we should this evening talk over at blumenthal's." when the sisters met, and the girls had gone to another room to talk over their lessons, and imagine what alfred was then doing, mr. king began to speak of george falkner. rosa said: "my first wish is to go to new rochelle and bring home henriet. she ought to be educated in a degree somewhat suitable to her husband's prospects. i will teach her to read and write, and give her lessons on the piano." "i think that would prove too much for your finely attuned musical nerves," rejoined her husband. "do you suppose you are going to make _all_ the sacrifices?" responded she, smiling. "it isn't at all like you to wish to engross everything to yourself." "rosa has a predilection for penance," remarked flora; "and if she listens daily to a beginner knocking the scales up hill and down hill, i think it will answer instead of walking to jerusalem with peas in her shoes." "before i mention my plans, i should like to hear your view of the subject, blumenthal," said mr. king. his brother-in-law replied: "i think rosa is right about taking charge of henriet and educating her. but it seems to me the worst thing you could do for her or her husband would be to let them know that they have a claim to riches. sudden wealth is apt to turn the heads of much older people than they are; and having been brought up as slaves, their danger would be greatly increased. if henriet could be employed to sew for you, she might be gratified with easy work and generous wages, while you watched over her morals, and furnished her with opportunities to improve her mind. if george survives the war, some employment with a comfortable salary might be provided for him, with a promise to advance him according to his industry and general good habits. how does that strike you, mamita?" "i agree perfectly with you," rejoined mrs. delano. "i think it would be far more prudent to have their characters formed by habits of exertion and self-reliance, before they are informed that they are rich." "it gratifies me to have my own judgment thus confirmed," said mr. king. "you have given the outlines of a plan i had already formed. but this judicious process must not, of course, deprive the young man of a single cent that is due to him. you are aware that mr. bell left fifty thousand dollars to his grandson, to be paid when he was twenty-two years of age. i have already invested that sum for george, and placed it in the care of mr. percival, with directions that the interest shall be added to it from that date. the remainder of mr. bell's property, with the exception of some legacies, was unreservedly left to his daughter. i have taken some pains to ascertain the amount, and i shall add a codicil to my will leaving an equal sum to george. if i survive mrs. fitzgerald, the interest on it will date from her decease; and i shall take the best legal advice as to the means of securing her property from any claims, by george or his heirs, after they are informed of the whole story, as they will be whenever mrs. fitzgerald dies." "you are rightly named royal king," rejoined mr. blumenthal, "you do things in such princely style." "in a style better than that of most royal kings," replied he, "for it is simply that of an honest man. if this entanglement had never happened, i should have done as much for gerald; and let me do what i will, eulalia will have more money than is good for her. besides, i rather expect this arrangement will prove a benefit to myself. i intend to employ the young man as one of my agents in europe; and if he shows as much enterprise and perseverance in business as he did in escaping from slavery, he will prove an excellent partner for me when increasing years diminish my own energies. i would gladly adopt him, and have him live with us; but i doubt whether such a great and sudden change of condition would prove salutary, and his having a colored wife would put obstructions in his way entirely beyond our power to remove. but the strongest objection to it is, that such an arrangement would greatly annoy mrs. fitzgerald, whose happiness we are bound to consult in every possible way." "has she been informed that the young man is found?" inquired mrs. delano. "no," replied mr. king. "it occurred very near the time of gerald's death; and we deem it unkind to disturb her mind about it for some months to come." * * * * * the next week, mr. and mrs. king started for new york, and thence proceeded to new rochelle. following the directions they had received, they hired a carriage at the steamboat-landing, to convey them to a farm-house a few miles distant. as they approached the designated place, they saw a slender man, in drab-colored clothes, lowering a bucket into the well. mr. king alighted, and inquired, "is this mr. houseman's farm, sir?" "my name is joseph houseman," replied the quaker. "i am usually called friend joseph." mr. king returned to the carriage, and saying, "this is the place," he assisted his lady to alight. returning to the farmer, he said: "we have come to ask you about a young colored woman, named henriet falkner. her husband rendered service to a dear young friend of ours in the army, and we would be glad to repay the obligation by kindness to her." "walk in," said the quaker. he showed them into a neat, plainly furnished parlor. "where art thou from?" he inquired. "from boston," was the reply. "what is thy name?" "mr. king." "all men are called mister," rejoined the quaker. "what is thy given name?" "my name is alfred royal king; and this is my wife, rosa king." "hast thou brought a letter from the woman's husband?" inquired friend joseph. "no," replied mr. king. "i saw george falkner in washington, a fortnight ago, when i went to seek the body of our young friend; but i did not then think of coming here. if you doubt me, you can write to william lloyd garrison or wendell phillips, and inquire of them whether alfred r. king is capable of deceiving." "i like thy countenance, friend alfred, and i think thou art honest," rejoined the quaker; "but where colored people are concerned, i have known very polite and fair-spoken men to tell falsehoods." mr. king smiled as he answered: "i commend your caution, friend joseph. i see how it is. you suspect we may be slaveholders in disguise. but slaveholders are just now too busy seeking to destroy this republic to have any time to hunt fugitives; and when they have more leisure, my opinion is they will find that occupation gone." "i should have more hope of that," replied the farmer, "if there was not so much pro-slavery here at the north. and thee knows that the generals of the united states are continually sending back fugitive slaves to bleed under the lash of their taskmasters." "i honor your scruples, friend joseph," responded mr. king; "and that they may be completely removed, we will wait at the metropolitan in new york until you have received letters from mr. garrison and mr. phillips. and lest you should think i may have assumed the name of another, i will give you these to enclose in your letter." he opened his pocket-book and took out two photographs. "i shall ask to have them sent back to me," replied the farmer; "for i should like to keep a likeness of thee and thy rosa. they will be pleasant to look upon. as soon as i receive an answer, friend alfred, i will call upon thee at the metropolitan." "we shall be pleased to see you, friend joseph," said rosa, with one of her sweetest smiles, which penetrated the quaker's soul, as sunshine does the receptive earth. yet, when the carriage had rolled away, he harnessed his sleek horses to the wagon, and conveyed henriet and her babe to the house of a friend at white plains, till he ascertained whether these stylish-looking strangers were what they professed to be. a few days afterward, friend joseph called at the metropolitan. when he inquired for the wealthy bostonian, the waiter stared at his plain dress, and said, "your card, sir." "i have no card," replied the farmer. "tell him friend joseph wishes to see him." the waiter returned, saying, "walk this way, sir," and showed him into the elegant reception-room. as he sat there, another servant, passing through, looked at him, and said, "all gentlemen take off their hats in this room, sir." "that may be," quietly replied the quaker; "but all _men_ do not, for thee sees i keep mine on." the entrance of mr. king, and his cordial salutation, made an impression on the waiters' minds; and when friend joseph departed, they opened the door very obsequiously. the result of the conference was that mr. and mrs. king returned to boston with henriet and her little one. tulee had proved in many ways that her discretion might be trusted; and it was deemed wisest to tell her the whole story of the babe, who had been carried to the calaboose with her when mr. bruteman's agent seized her. this confidence secured her as a firm friend and ally of henriet, while her devoted attachment to mrs. king rendered her secrecy certain. when black chloe saw the newcomer learning to play on the piano, she was somewhat jealous because the same privilege had not been offered to her children. "i didn't know missy rosy tought thar war sech a mighty difference 'tween black an' brown," said she. "i don't see nothin' so drefful pooty in dat ar molasses color." "now ye shut up," rejoined tulee. "missy rosy knows what she's 'bout. ye see mr. fitzgerald was in love with missy eulaly; an' henret's husban' took care o' him when he was dying. mr. king is going to send him 'cross the water on some gran' business, to pay him for 't; and missy rosy wants his wife to be 'spectable out there 'mong strangers." henriet proved good-natured and unassuming, and, with occasional patronage from tulee, she was generally able to keep her little boat in smooth water. when she had been there a few months mr. king enclosed to mrs. fitzgerald the letters gerald had written about george; and a few days afterward he called to explain fully what he had done, and what he intended to do. that lady's dislike for her rival was much diminished since there was no gerald to excite her jealousy of divided affection. there was some perturbation in her manner, but she received her visitor with great politeness; and when he had finished his statement she said: "i have great respect for your motives and your conduct; and i am satisfied to leave everything to your good judgment and kind feelings. i have but one request to make. it is that this young man may never know he is my son." "your wishes shall be respected," replied mr. king. "but he so strongly resembles gerald, that, if you should ever visit europe again, you might perhaps like to see him, if you only recognized him as a relative of your husband." the lady's face flushed as she answered promptly: "no, sir. i shall never recognize any person as a relative who has a colored wife. much as i loved gerald, i would never have seen him again if he had formed such an alliance; not even if his wife were the most beautiful and accomplished creature that ever walked the earth." "you are treading rather closely upon _me_, mrs. fitzgerald," rejoined mr. king, smiling. the lady seemed embarrassed, and said she had forgotten mrs. king's origin. "your son's wife is not so far removed from a colored ancestry as mine is," rejoined mr. king; "but i think you would soon forget her origin, also, if you were in a country where others did not think of it. i believe our american prejudice against color is one of what carlyle calls 'the phantom dynasties.'" "it may be so," she replied coldly; "but i do not wish to be convinced of it." and mr. king bowed good morning. a week or two after this interview, mrs. fitzgerald called upon mrs. king; for, after all, she felt a certain sort of attraction in the secret history that existed between them; and she was unwilling to have the world suppose her acquaintance had been dropped by so distinguished a lady. by inadvertence of the servant at the door, she was shown into the parlor while henriet was there, with her child on the floor, receiving directions concerning some muslin flounces she was embroidering. upon the entrance of a visitor, she turned to take up her infant and depart. but mrs. king said, "leave little hetty here, mrs. falkner, till you bring my basket for me to select the floss you need." hetty, being thus left alone, scrambled up, and toddled toward mrs. king, as if accustomed to an affectionate reception. the black curls that clustered round her yellow face shook, as her uncertain steps hastened to a place of refuge; and when she leaned against her friend's lap, a pretty smile quivered on her coral lips, and lighted up her large dark eyes. mrs. fitzgerald looked at her with a strange mixture of feelings. "don't you think she's a pretty little creature?" asked mrs. king. "she might be pretty if the yellow could be washed off," replied mrs. fitzgerald. "her cheeks are nearly the color of your hair," rejoined mrs. king; "and i always thought that beautiful." mrs. fitzgerald glanced at the mirror, and sighed as she said: "ah, yes. my hair used to be thought very pretty when i was young; but i can see that it begins to fade." when henriet returned and took the child, she looked at her very curiously. she was thinking to herself, "what _would_ my father say?" but she asked no questions, and made no remark. she had joined a circle of ladies who were sewing and knitting for the soldiers; and after some talk about the difficulty she had found in learning to knit socks, and how fashionable it was for everybody to knit now, she rose to take leave. chapter xxxviii. the months passed on, and brought ever-recurring demands for more soldiers. mr. king watched the progress of the struggle with the deepest anxiety. one day, when he had seen a new regiment depart for the south, he returned home in a still more serious mood than was now habitual to him. after supper, he opened the evening transcript, and read for a while. then turning to his wife, who sat near him knitting for the army, he said, "dear rosabella, during all the happy years that i have been your husband, you have never failed to encourage me in every good impulse, and i trust you will strengthen me now." with a trembling dread of what was coming, she asked, "what is it, dear alfred." "rosa, this republic _must_ be saved," replied he, with solemn emphasis. "it is the day-star of hope to the toiling masses of the world, and it _must_ not go out in darkness. it is not enough for me to help with money. i ought to go and sustain our soldiers by cheering words and a brave example. it fills me with shame and indignation when i think that all this peril has been brought upon us by that foul system which came so near making a wreck of _you_, my precious one, as it has wrecked thousands of pure and gentle souls. i foresee that this war is destined, by mere force of circumstances, to rid the republic of that deadly incubus. rosa, are you not willing to give me up for the safety of the country, and the freedom of your mother's race?" she tried to speak, but utterance failed her. after a struggle with herself, she said: "do you realize how hard is a soldier's life? you will break down under it, dear alfred; for you have been educated in ease and luxury." "my education is not finished," replied he, smiling, as he looked round on the elegant and luxurious apartment. "what are all these comforts and splendors compared with the rescue of my country, and the redemption of an oppressed race? what is my life, compared with the life of this republic? say, dearest, that you will give me willingly to this righteous cause." "far rather would i give my own life," she said. "but i will never seek to trammel your conscience, alfred." they spoke together tenderly of the past, and hopefully of the future; and then they knelt and prayed together. some time was necessarily spent in making arrangements for the comfort and safety of the family during his absence; and when those were completed, he also went forth to rescue liberty from the jaws of the devouring dragon. when he bade farewell to flora's family, he said: "look after my precious ones, blumenthal; and if i never return, see to it that percival carries out all my plans with regard to george falkner." eight or ten weeks later, alfred blumenthal was lying in a hospital at washington, dangerously wounded and burning with fever. his father and mother and mrs. delano immediately went to him; and the women remained until the trembling balance between life and death was determined in his favor. the soldier's life, which he at first dreaded, had become familiar to him, and he found a terrible sort of excitement in its chances and dangers. mrs. delano sighed to observe that the gentle expression of his countenance, so like the alfred of her memory, was changing to a sterner manhood. it was harder than the first parting to send him forth again into the fiery hail of battle; but they put strong constraint upon themselves, and tried to perform bravely their part in the great drama. that visit to his suffering but uncomplaining son made a strong impression on the mind of mr. blumenthal. he became abstracted and restless. one evening, as he sat leaning his head on his hand, flora said, "what are you thinking of, florimond?" he answered: "i am thinking, dear, of the agony i suffered when i hadn't money to save you from the auction-block; and i am thinking how the same accursed system is striving to perpetuate and extend itself. the republic has need of all her sons to stop its ravages; and i feel guilty in staying here, while our alfred is so heroically offering up his young life in the cause of freedom." "i have dreaded this," she said. "i have seen for days that it was coming. but, o florimond, it is hard." she hid her face in his bosom, and he felt her heart beat violently, while he talked concerning the dangers and duties of the time. mrs. delano bowed her head over the soldier's sock she was knitting, and tears dropped on it while she listened to them. the weight that lay so heavily upon their souls was suddenly lifted up for a time by the entrance of joe bright. he came in with a radiant face, and, bowing all round, said, "i've come to bid you good by; i'm going to defend the old flag." he lifted up his voice and sang, "'tis the star-spangled banner, o long may it wave!" flora went to the piano, and accompanied him with instrument and voice. her husband soon struck in; and rosen blumen and lila left their lessons to perform their part in the spirit-stirring strain. when they had sung the last line, mr. bright, without pausing to take breath, struck into "scots wha hae wi' wallace bled," and they followed his lead. he put on all his steam when he came to the verse, "by our country's woes and pains, by our sons in servile chains, we will drain our dearest veins, but they _shall_ be free!" he emphasized the word _shall_, and brought his clenched hand down upon the table so forcibly, that the shade over the gas-light shook. in the midst of it, mrs. delano stole out of the room. she had a great respect and liking for mr. bright, but he was sometimes rather too demonstrative to suit her taste. he was too much carried away with enthusiasm to notice her noiseless retreat, and he went on to the conclusion of his song with unabated energy. all earnestness is magnetic. mr. and mrs. blumenthal, and even the children, caught his spirit. when the song ended, mr. blumenthal drew a long breath, and said: "one needs strong lungs to accompany you, mr. bright. you sang that like the tramp of a regiment." "and you blazed away like an explosion of artillery," rejoined he. "the fact is," replied blumenthal. "the war spirit pervades the air, and i've caught it. i'm going to join the army." "are you?" exclaimed mr. bright, seizing his hand with so tight a grip that it made him wince. "i hope you'll be my captain." mr. blumenthal rubbed his hand, and smiled as he said, "i pity the rebel that you get hold of, mr. bright." "ask your pardon. ask your pardon," rejoined he. "but speaking of the tramp of a regiment, here it goes!" and he struck up "john brown's hallelujah." they put their souls into it in such a manner, that the spirit of the brave old martyr seemed marching all through it. when it came to a conclusion, mr. bright remarked: "only to think how that incendiary song is sung in boston streets, and in the parlors too, when only little more than a year ago a great mob was yelling after wendell phillips, for speaking on the anniversary of john brown's execution. i said then the fools would get enough of slavery before they'd done with it; and i reckon they're beginning to find it out, not only the rowdies, but the nabobs that set 'em on. war ain't a blessing, but it's a mighty great teacher; that's a fact. no wonder the slavites hated phillips. he aims sure and hits hard. no use in trying to pass off shams upon _him_. if you bring him anything that ain't real mahogany, his blows'll be sure to make the veneering fly. but i'm staying too long. i only looked in to tell you i was going." he glanced round for mrs. delano, and added: "i'm afraid i sung too loud for that quiet lady. the fact is, i'm full of fight." "that's what the times demand," replied mr. blumenthal. they bade him "good night," and smiled at each other to hear his strong voice, as it receded in the distance, still singing, "his soul is marching on." "now i will go to mamita," said flora. "her gentle spirit suffers in these days. this morning, when she saw a company of soldiers marching by, and heard the boys hurrahing, she said to me so piteously, 'o flora, these are wild times.' poor mamita! she's like a dove in a tornado." "_you_ seemed to be strong as an eagle while you were singing," responded her husband. "i felt like a drenched humming-bird when mr. bright came in," rejoined she; "but he and the music together lifted me up into the blue, as your germans say." "and from that height can you say to me, 'obey the call of duty, florimond'?" she put her little hand in his and answered, "i can. may god protect us all!" then, turning to her children, she said: "i am going to bring mamita; and presently, when i go away to be alone with papa a little while, i want you to do everything to make the evening pleasant for mamita. you know she likes to hear you sing, 'now phoebus sinketh in the west.'" "and i will play that nocturne of mendelssohn's that she likes so much," replied rosen blumen. "she says i play it almost as well as aunt rosa." "and she likes to hear me sing, 'once on a time there was a king,'" said lila. "she says she heard _you_ singing it in the woods a long time ago, when she hadn't anybody to call her mamita." "very well, my children," replied their mother. "do everything you can to make mamita happy; for there will never be such another mamita." * * * * * during the anxious months that followed mr. blumenthal's departure, the sisters and their families were almost daily at the rooms of the sanitary commission, sewing, packing, or writing. henriet had become expert with the sewing-machine, and was very efficient help; and even tulee, though far from skilful with her needle, contrived to make dozens of hospital slippers, which it was the pride of her heart to deliver to the ladies of the commission. chloe added her quota of socks, often elephantine in shape, and sometimes oddly decorated with red tops and toes; but with a blessing for "the boys in blue" running through all the threads. there is no need to say how eagerly they watched for letters, and what a relief it was to recognize the writing of beloved hands, feeling each time that it might be the last. mr. king kept up occasional correspondence with the officers of george falkner's company, and sent from time to time favorable reports of his bravery and good habits. henriet received frequent letters from him, imperfectly spelled, but full of love and loyalty. two years after mr. king left his happy home, he was brought back with a colonel's shoulder-strap, but with his right leg gone, and his right arm in a sling. when the first joy of reunion had expressed itself in caresses and affectionate words, he said to rosa, "you see what a cripple you have for a husband." "i make the same reply the english girl did to commodore barclay," she replied; "'you're dear as ever to me, so long as there's body enough to hold the soul,'" eulalia wept tears of joy on her father's neck, while flora, and rosen blumen, and lila clasped their arms round him, and tulee stood peeping in at the door, waiting for her turn to welcome the hero home. "flora, you see my dancing days are over," said the colonel. "never mind, i'll do your dancing," she replied. "rosen blumen, play uncle's favorite waltz." she passed her arm round eulalia, and for a few moments they revolved round the room to the circling music. she had so long been called the life of the family, that she tried to keep up her claim to the title. but her present mirthfulness was assumed; and it was contrary to her nature to act a part. she kissed her hand to her brother-in-law, and smiled as she whirled out of the room; but she ran up stairs and pressed the tears back, as she murmured to herself, "ah, if i could only be sure florimond and alfred would come back, even mutilated as he is!" chapter xxxix. another year brought with it what was supposed to be peace, and the army was disbanded. husband and son returned alive and well, and flora was her young self again. in the exuberance of her joy she seemed more juvenile than her girls; jumping from husband to son and from son to husband, kissing them and calling them all manner of pet names; embracing mrs. delano at intervals, and exclaiming, "o mamita, here we are all together again! i wish my arms were long enough to hug you all at once." "i thank god, my child, for your sake and for my own," replied mrs. delano. she looked at alfred, as she spoke, and the affectionate glance he returned filled her heart with a deep and quiet joy. the stern shadow of war vanished from his face in the sunshine of home, and she recognized the same gentle expression that had been photographed on her memory long years ago. when the family from beacon street came, a few minutes later, with welcomes and congratulations, alfred bestowed a different sort of glance on his cousin eulalia, and they both blushed; as young people often do, without knowing the reason why. rosen blumen and lila had been studying with her the language of their father's country; and when the general fervor had somewhat abated, the girls manifested some disposition to show off the accomplishment. "do hear them calling alfred _mein lieber bruder_," said flora to her husband, "while rosa and i are sprinkling them all with pet names in french and spanish. what a polyglot family we are! as _cher papa_ used to say. but, florimond, did you notice anything peculiar in the meeting between alfred and eulalia?" "i thought i did," he replied. "how will brother king like it?" she asked. "he thinks very highly of alfred; but you know he has a theory against the marriage of cousins." "so have i," answered blumenthal; "but nations and races have been pretty thoroughly mixed up in the ancestry of our children. what with african and french, spanish, american, and german, i think the dangers of too close relationship are safely diminished." "they are a good-looking set, between you and i," said flora; "though they _are_ oddly mixed up. see eulalia, with her great blue eyes, and her dark eyebrows and eyelashes. rosen blumen looks just like a handsome italian girl. no one would think lila blumen was her sister, with her german blue eyes, and that fine frizzle of curly light hair. your great-grandmother gave her the flax, and i suppose mine did the frizzling." this side conversation was interrupted by mr. king's saying: "blumenthal, you haven't asked for news concerning mrs. fitzgerald. you know mr. green has been a widower for some time. report says that he finds in her company great consolation for the death of her cousin." "that's what i call a capital arrangement," said flora; "and i didn't mean any joke about their money, either. won't they sympathize grandly? won't she be in her element? top notch. no end to balls and parties; and a coat of arms on the coach." "the news made me very glad," observed rosa; "for the thought of her loneliness always cast a shadow over my happiness." "even _they_ have grown a little during the war," rejoined mr. king. "nabob green, as they call him, did actually contribute money for the raising of colored regiments. he so far abated his prejudice as to be willing that negroes should have the honor of being shot in his stead; and mrs. fitzgerald agreed with him. that was a considerable advance, you must admit." they went on for some time talking over news, public and private; not omitting the prospects of tom's children, and the progress of tulee's. but such family chats are like the showers of manna, delicious as they fall, but incapable of preservation. the first evening the families met at the house in beacon street, mr. blumenthal expressed a wish to see henriet, and she was summoned. the improvement in her appearance impressed him greatly. having lived three years with kindly and judicious friends, who never reminded her, directly or indirectly, that she was a black sheep in the social flock, her faculties had developed freely and naturally; and belonging to an imitative race, she readily adopted the language and manners of those around her. her features were not handsome, with the exception of her dark, liquid-looking eyes; and her black hair was too crisp to make a soft shading for her brown forehead. but there was a winning expression of gentleness in her countenance, and a pleasing degree of modest ease in her demeanor. a map, which she had copied very neatly, was exhibited, and a manuscript book of poems, of her own selection, written very correctly, in a fine flowing hand. "really, this is encouraging," said mr. blumenthal, as she left the room. "if half a century of just treatment and free schools can bring them all up to this level, our battles will not be in vain, and we shall deserve to rank among the best benefactors of the country; to say nothing of a corresponding improvement in the white population." "thitherward is providence leading us," replied mr. king. "not unto us, but unto god, be all the glory. we were all of us working for better than we knew." * * * * * mr. king had written to george falkner, to inform him of a situation he had in store for him at marseilles, and to request a previous meeting in new york, as soon as he could obtain his discharge from the army; being in this, as in all other arrangements, delicately careful to avoid giving annoyance to mrs. fitzgerald. in talking this over with his wife, he said: "i consider it a duty to go to marseilles with him. it will give us a chance to become acquainted with each other; it will shield him from possible impertinences on the passage, on henriet's account; and it will be an advantage to him to be introduced as my friend to the american consul, and some commercial gentlemen of my acquaintance." "i am to go with you, am i not?" asked rosa. "i am curious to see this young man, from whom i parted, so unconscious of all the strange future, when he was a baby in tulee's arms." "i think you had better not go, dear," he replied; "though the loss of your company will deprive me of a great pleasure. eulalia would naturally wish to go with us; and as she knows nothing of george's private history, it would be unwise to excite her curiosity by introducing her to such a striking likeness of gerald. but she might stay with rosen blumen while you go to new york and remain with me till the vessel sails. if i meet with no accidents, i shall return in three months; for i go merely to give george a fair start, though, when there, i shall have an eye to some other business, and take a run to italy to look in upon our good old friends, madame and the signor." the journey to new york was made at the appointed time, in company with henriet and her little one. george had risen to the rank of lieutenant in the army, and had acquired a military bearing that considerably increased the manliness of his appearance. he was browned by exposure to sun and wind; but he so strongly resembled her handsome gerald, that rosa longed to clasp him to her heart. his wife's appearance evidently took him by surprise. "how you have changed!" he exclaimed. "what a lady you are! i can hardly believe this is the little hen i used to make mud pies with." she laughed as she answered: "you are changed, too. if i have improved, it is owing to these kind friends. only think of it, george, though mrs. king is such a handsome and grand lady, she always called me mrs. falkner." mrs. king made several appropriate parting presents to henriet and little hetty. to george she gave a gold watch, and a very beautiful colored photograph of gerald, in a morocco case, as a souvenir of their brief friendship in the army. mr. king availed himself of every hour of the voyage to gain the confidence of the young man, and to instil some salutary lessons into his very receptive mind. after they had become well acquainted, he said: "i have made an estimate of what i think it will be necessary for you to spend for rent, food, and clothing; also of what i think it would be wise for you to spend in improving your education, and for occasional amusements. i have not done this in the spirit of dictation, my young friend, but merely with the wish of helping you by my greater experience of life. it is important that you should learn to write a good commercial hand, and also acquire, as soon as possible, a very thorough knowledge of the french language. for these you should employ the best teachers that can be found. your wife can help you in many ways. she has learned to spell correctly, to read with fluency and expression, and to play quite well on the piano. you will find it very profitable to read good books aloud to each other. i advise you not to go to places of amusement oftener than once a fortnight, and always to choose such places as will be suitable and pleasant for your wife. i like that young men in my employ should never taste intoxicating drinks, or use tobacco in any form. both those habits are expensive, and i have long ago abjured them as injurious to health." the young man bowed, and replied, "i will do as you wish in all respects, sir; i should be very ungrateful if i did not." "i shall give you eight hundred dollars for the first year," resumed mr. king; "and shall increase your salary year by year, according to your conduct and capabilities. if you are industrious, temperate, and economical, there is no reason why you should not become a rich man in time; and it will be wise for you to educate yourself, your wife, and your children, with a view to the station you will have it in your power to acquire. if you do your best, you may rely upon my influence and my fatherly interest to help you all i can." the young man colored, and, after a little embarrassed hesitation, said: "you spoke of a fatherly interest, sir; and that reminds me that i never had a father. may i ask whether you know anything about my parents?" mr. king had anticipated the possibility of such a question, and he replied: "i will tell you who your father was, if you will give a solemn promise never to ask a single question about your mother. on that subject i have given a pledge of secrecy which it would be dishonorable for me to break. only this much i will say, that neither of your parents was related to me in any degree, or connected with me in any way." the young man answered, that he was of course very desirous to know his whole history, but would be glad to obtain any information, and was willing to give the required promise, which he would most religiously keep. mr. king then went on to say: "your father was mr. gerald fitzgerald, a planter in georgia. you have a right to his name, and i will so introduce you to my friends, if you wish it. he inherited a handsome fortune, but lost it all by gambling and other forms of dissipation. he had several children by various mothers. you and the gerald with whom you became acquainted were brothers by the father's side. you are unmixed white; but you were left in the care of a negro nurse, and one of your father's creditors seized you both, and sold you into slavery. until a few months before you were acquainted with gerald, it was supposed that you died in infancy; and for that reason no efforts were made to redeem you. circumstances which i am not at liberty to explain led to the discovery that you were living, and that gerald had learned your history as a slave. i feel the strongest sympathy with your misfortunes, and cherish a lively gratitude for your kindness to my young friend gerald. all that i have told you is truth; and if it were in my power, i would most gladly tell you the _whole_ truth." the young man listened with the deepest interest; and, having expressed his thanks, said he should prefer to be called by his father's name; for he thought he should feel more like a man to bear a name to which he knew that he had a right. * * * * * when mr. king again returned to his boston home, as soon as the first eager salutations were over, he exclaimed: "how the room is decorated with vines and flowers! it reminds me of that dear floral parlor in new orleans." "didn't you telegraph that you were coming? and is it not your birthday?" inquired his wife. he kissed her, and said: "well, rosabella, i think you may now have a tranquil mind; for i believe things have been so arranged that no one is very seriously injured by that act of frenzy which has caused you so much suffering. george will not be deprived of any of his pecuniary rights; and he is in a fair way to become more of a man than he would have been if he had been brought up in luxury. he and henriet are as happy in their prospects as two mortals well can be. gerald enjoyed his short life; and was more bewildered than troubled by the discovery that he had two mothers. eulalia was a tender, romantic memory to him; and such, i think, he has become to our child. i don't believe mrs. fitzgerald suffered much more than annoyance. gerald was always the same to her as a son; and if he had been really so, he would probably have gone to the war, and have run the same chance of being killed." "ah, alfred," she replied, "i should never have found my way out of that wretched entanglement if it had not been for you. you have really acted toward me the part of divine providence. it makes me ashamed that i have not been able to do anything in atonement for my own fault, except the pain i suffered in giving up my gerald to his lily-mother. when i think how that poor babe became enslaved by my act, i long to sell my diamonds, and use the money to build school-houses for the freedmen." "those diamonds seem to trouble you, dearest," rejoined he, smiling. "i have no objection to your selling them. you become them, and they become you; but i think school-houses will shine as brighter jewels in the better world." here flora came in with all her tribe; and when the welcomes were over, her first inquiries were for madame and the signor. "they are well," replied mr. king, "and they seem to be as contented as tabbies on a wilton rug. they show signs of age, of course. the signor has done being peppery, and madame's energy has visibly abated; but her mind is as lively as ever. i wish i could remember half the stories she repeated about the merry pranks of your childhood. she asked a great many questions about _jolie manon_; and she laughed till she cried while she described, in dramatic style, how you crazed the poor bird with imitations, till she called you _joli petit diable_" "how i wish i had known mamma then! how funny she must have been!" exclaimed lila. "i think you have heard some performances of hers that were equally funny," rejoined mrs. delano. "i used to be entertained with a variety of them; especially when we were in italy. if any of the _pifferari_ went by, she would imitate the drone of their bagpipes in a manner irresistibly comic. and if she saw a peasant-girl dancing, she forthwith went through the performance to the life." "yes, mamita," responded flora; "and you know i fancied myself a great musical composer in those days,--a sort of feminine mozart; but the _qui vive_ was always the key i composed in." "i used to think the fairies helped you about that, as well as other things," replied mrs. delano. "i think the fairies help her now," said mr. blumenthal; "and well they may, for she is of their kith and kin." this playful trifling was interrupted by the sound of the folding-doors rolling apart; and in the brilliantly lighted adjoining room a tableau became visible, in honor of the birthday. under festoons of the american flag, surmounted by the eagle, stood eulalia, in ribbons of red, white, and blue, with a circle of stars round her head. one hand upheld the shield of the union, and in the other the scales of justice were evenly poised. by her side stood rosen blumen, holding in one hand a gilded pole surmounted by a liberty-cap, while her other hand rested protectingly on the head of tulee's benny, who was kneeling and looking upward in thanksgiving. scarcely had the vision appeared before joe bright's voice was heard leading invisible singers through the tune "hail to the chief," which alfred blumenthal accompanied with a piano. as they sang the last line the striped festoons fell and veiled the tableau. then mr. bright, who had returned a captain, appeared with his company, consisting of tom and chloe with their children, and tulee with her children, singing a parody composed by himself, of which the chorus was:- "blow ye the trumpet abroad o'er the sea, columbia has triumphed, the negro is free! praise to the god of our fathers! 'twas he, jehovah, that triumphed, columbia, through thee." to increase the effect, the director of ceremonies had added a flourish of trumpets behind the scenes. then the colored band came forward, hand in hand, and sang together, with a will, whittier's immortal "boat song":- "we own de hoe, we own de plough, we own de hands dat hold; we sell de pig, we sell de cow; but nebber _chile_ be sold. de yam will grow, de cotton blow, we'll hab de rice an' corn: o, nebber you fear, if nebber you hear de driver blow his horn!" all the family, of all ages and colors, then joined in singing "the star-spangled banner"; and when mr. king had shaken hands with them all, they adjourned to the breakfast-room, where refreshments were plentifully provided. at last mr. bright said: "i don't want to bid you good night, friends; but i must. i don't generally like to go among boston folks. just look at the trees on the common. they're dying because they've rolled the surface of the ground so smooth. that's just the way in boston, i reckon. they take so much pains to make the surface smooth, that it kills the roots o' things. but when i come here, or go to mrs. blumenthal's, i feel as if the roots o' things wa'n't killed. good night, friends. i haven't enjoyed myself so well since i found old hundred and yankee doodle in the harmolinks." the sound of his whistling died away in the streets; the young people went off to talk over their festival; the colored troop retired to rest; and the elders of the two families sat together in the stillness, holding sweet converse concerning the many strange experiences that had been so richly crowned with blessings. a new surprise awaited them, prepared by the good taste of mr. blumenthal. a german liederkrantz in the hall closed the ceremonies of the night with mendelssohn's "song of praise." 