MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 MRS. MAKY J. HOLMES, 
 
 ,,HOH OF "THE HOMESTEAD ON THE HILL SIDE-," 
 BIVBRS," "TEMPEST AND SUNSHINK," TO. 
 
 NEW YORK : 
 ON, 25 1 
 1858. 
 
 0. M. SAXTON, 25 PARK ROW.
 
 
 ENTERED, according to Act of Congress, In the year one thousand eight hundred 
 and fifty-seven, 
 
 BY MILLER, OUTON & Co., 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern 
 District of New York.
 
 TO 
 
 MY MOTHER, 
 
 Who, more than any one else, will be interested in a story 
 which has in it so much of my childhood and early home, 
 
 THIS WORK 
 
 is affectionately dedicated by her Daughter 
 
 MARY. 
 
 2068118
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 IN this story of MEADOW BROOK there is, I am aware, 
 nothing very startling or wonderful ; but it has the merit, at 
 least, of containing more truth than books of the same 
 character usually possess. From this, however, the reader 
 is not to infer that I have made myself the heroine ; for 
 though the early home, the childhood, and childish experi- 
 ence of " Rosa Lee " are mostly my own while more than 
 one whiskered young man will recognize the little girl of 
 thirteen, at whom he once made faces from behind his desk 
 as the " schoolma'am " the similarity extends no further. 
 
 The fickle Mr. Clayton and his haughty bride, the unfor- 
 tunate Herbert, the disappointed Ada, the proud Southern 
 planter, and the gentle, bright-haired Jessie, are intended to 
 represent different varieties of American character, and are 
 such as many of us have met in our intercourse with the 
 world. For my portrayals of Georgia life, I am indebted to
 
 v PREFACE. 
 
 a friend, who recently spent two years in that State, ar>& 
 whose graphic descriptions of what she there saw have been 
 to me of much service. 
 
 Believing that the world loves better to read of the prob- 
 able than of the improbable, I have tried to be natural; and 
 if, by this means, but one friend is added to the number I 
 now possess, I shall feel that my labor has not been in 
 vain. 
 
 M. J H. 
 
 BOCKPORT, N. Y., 1857.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 I. Childhood, 9 
 
 II. Thanksgiving, 22 
 
 III. Cousin Hill, 89 
 
 IV. The Schoolmistress, 52 
 
 V. Pine Hill, 60 
 
 VI. Doctor Clayton's Visit, 80 
 
 VII. Dell Thompson's Party, i .... 88 
 
 VIII. Close of School in Pine District, 100 
 
 IX. Pro and Con, 105 
 
 X. Mrs. Dr. Clayton, . Ill 
 
 XI. Boston, 116 
 
 XII. Ada Montrose, . 185 
 
 XIII. The Flight, 149 
 
 XIV. Ten Thousand Dollars, 156 
 
 XV. The Old Homestead, . . . 1T4 
 
 XVI. "Out West," 1T9 
 
 XVII. The Dark Man, 192 
 
 XVIII. The Death of the Drunkard, 200 
 
 XIX. The Death of the Righteous, M4
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 XX. Going South, 218 
 
 XXI. Uncle Dick, "... 286 
 
 XXII. Ada, 255 
 
 XXIII. Dr. Clayton, . . . .. 278 
 
 XXIV. The Crisis, 296 
 
 XXV. The Angel of the Pines SOT 
 
 XXVI. Return, 818 
 
 XXVII. Light, 895 
 
 XXVIII. The Chase, 885 
 
 XXIX. Human Nature 860 
 
 XXX. " The Southern Planter's Northern Bride," 854 
 
 XXXI. Sunny Bank, 858 
 
 XXXII. November 25th, 8T8
 
 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 CHILDHOOD. 
 
 FAB away among the New England hills stands a large, 
 old fashioned farm-house, around whose hearth-stone not 
 many years agone, a band of merry, noisy children played, 
 myself the merriest, noisiest of them all. It stood upon 
 an eminence overlooking a broad strip of rolling meadow- 
 land, at the extremity of which was the old gjrgy rock, 
 where the golden rod and sassafras grew, where tt^greeu 
 ivy crept over the crumbling wall, and where, under the 
 shadow of the thorn-apple tree, we built our play-houses, 
 drinking our tea from the acorn saucers, and painting our 
 dolls' faces with the red juice of the poke berries, which 
 grew there in great abundance. 
 
 Just opposite our house, and across the green meadow, 
 was a shady grove, where, in the spring-time, the singing 
 birds made their nests, and where, when the breath of 
 winter was on the snow-clad hills, Lizzie, Carrie, and I, and 
 our taller, stronger brothers dragged our sleds, dashing 
 1* o
 
 10 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 swiftly down the steep hill, and away over the ice-covered 
 valley below. Truly, ours was a joyous childhood, and 
 ours a happy home ; for never elsewhere fell the summer's 
 golden sunlight so softly, and never was music sweeter than 
 was the murmur of the dancing water-brook which ran past 
 our door, and down the long green lane, losing itself at last 
 in the dim old woods, which stretched away to the west- 
 ward, seeming to my childish imagination the boundary 
 line between this world and the next. 
 
 In the deep shadow of those woods I have sat alone for 
 many an hour, watching the white, feathery clouds as they 
 glimmered through the dense foliage which hung above 
 my head, and musing, I scarcely knew of what. Strange 
 fancies filled my brain and oftentimes, as I sat there in the 
 hazy light of an autumnal after roon, there came and 
 talked with me myriads of little people, unseen, it is true, 
 but still real to me, who knew and called them all by name. 
 There, on a mossy bank, beneath a wide-spreading grape- 
 vine, with the running brook at my feet, I felt the first long- 
 ings for fame, though I did not thus designate it then. I 
 only kiMjiW that I wanted a name which should live when I 
 was gJHe a name of which my mother should be proud. 
 It had been to me a day of peculiar trial. At school every- s 
 thing had gone wrong. Accidentally I had discovered that 
 I possessed a talent for rhyming; and so, because I preferred I 
 filling my slate with verses, instead of proving on it that | 
 four times twenty were eighty, and .that eighty, divided by i 
 twenty, equalled four, my teacher must needs find fault \v 
 me, calling me "lazy," and compelling me to sit between 
 two hateful boys, with warty hands, who for the remainder 
 of the afternoon amused themselves by sitting inconve- 
 niently near to me, and by telling me how big my eyes and 
 feet were. I hardly think I should now mind that mode of
 
 CHILDHOOD. 11 
 
 punishment, provided I could choose the boys, but 1 did 
 then, and in the worst of,, humors, I started for home, where 
 other annoyances awaited me. Sally, the housemaid, 
 scolded me for upsetting a pan of milk on her clean pantry 
 shelf, calling me " the carelessest young one she ever saw," 
 and predicting that " I'd one day come to the gallus if I 
 didn't mend my ways." 
 
 Juliet, my oldest sister, scolded me for wearing without 
 her consent her shell side-comb, which, in climbing through 
 a hole in the plastering of the schoolhouse, I accidentally 
 broke. Grandmother scolded me for mounting to the top 
 of her high chest of drawers to see what was in them ; and 
 to crown all, when, towards sunset, I came in from a romp 
 in the barn, with my yellow hair flying all over my face, my 
 dress burst open, my pantalet split from the top downward, 
 and my sun-bonnet hanging down my back, my mother re- 
 proved me severely, telling me I was " a sight to behold." 
 This was my usual style of dress, and I didn't think any one 
 need interfere ; so, when she wondered if there ever was 
 another such child, and bade me look at myself in the glass, 
 asking if " I didn't think I was a beautiful object," my heart 
 came up in my throat, and with the angry response that 
 " I couldn't help my looks I didn't make myself," P|(Rrted 
 through the door, and running down the. long lane to the 
 grape-vine, my favorite resort, I threw myself upon the 
 ground, and burying my face in the tall grass, wept bit- 
 terly, wishing I had never been born, or, being born, that 
 the ban of ugliness were not upon me. 
 
 Mother doesn't love me, I thought nobody loves me ; 
 and then I wished that I could die, for I had heard that the 
 first dead of a family, no matter how unprepossessing' l'iey 
 had been in life, were sure to be the best beloved in the 
 memory of the living. To die, then, that I might be loved.
 
 12 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 v 
 
 was all I asked for, as I lay there weeping alone, and think- 
 ing in my childish grief that never before was a girl, nine 
 summers old, so wretched as myself. And then, in my ima- 
 gination, I went through with a mental rehearsal of my own 
 obsequies, fancying that I was dead, but still possessing the 
 faculty of knowing all that passed around me. 
 
 With an involuntary shudder, I crossed my hands upon 
 my bosom, stretched my feet upon the mossy bank, and 
 closed my eyes to the fading sunlight, which I was never to 
 see again. I knew they would lay me in the parlor, and on 
 my forehead I felt the gentle breeze as it came through the 
 open window, lifting the folds of the muslin curtain which 
 shaded it. Throughout the house was a deep hush, and in 
 my mother's voice there was a heartbroken tone, which I 
 had never heard before, and which thrilled me with joy, for 
 it said that I was loved at last. Then I thought how lonely 
 they would be as day by day went and came, and I came no 
 more among them. " They will miss the little ugly face," 1 
 said, and on my cheek my own hot tears fell as I thought 
 how Lizzie would mourn for me in the dark night time, 
 weeping that I was not by her side, but sleeping in a nar- 
 row coffin, which I hoped would be a Jiandsome one with 
 satin hangings, as I had seen at the funeral of a rich neigh- 
 bor's fair young bride. I did not want them to strew my 
 pillow with roses as they did hers for I knew they would 
 not accord with my thin, plain face. In the distance I 
 heard the sound of the tolling bell, and I saw the subdued 
 expression on the faces of my school companions as they lis- 
 tened breathlessly, counting at last the nine quick strokes, 
 which would tell to a stranger that 'twas only a child who 
 was gone. 
 
 Then came the funeral, the roll of wheels, the tread of 
 many feet, the 1mm of voices, the prayer, the hymn, in which
 
 CHILDHOOD. l:l 
 
 I longed to join, but dared not for appearances' sake, and 
 then, one by one, they stole up for a last farewell, lifting my 
 baby brother and bidding him look upon the sister he would 
 never know save by the grassy mound where they would tell 
 him she was buried. I knew when Lizzie bent over me by 
 the convulsive sob and burning kiss which she pressed upon 
 my lips, and divining her inmost thoughts, I fancied she wa? 
 wishing that no harsh word had ever passed between us 
 In my heart I longed to tell her how freely I forgave her, 
 but ere I had time to do so, she stepped aside, while an 
 older, a wrinkled hand was laid upon my forehead, and my 
 aged grandmother murmured, " Poor little Rosa, far better 
 that I should die, than that she, so young, should be laid in 
 the lonesome grave." 
 
 Instantly the dark grave loomed up before me, so dark 
 and dreary that I shrank from being put there. I could not 
 die ; I was afraid to sleep with the silent dead. I would 
 far rather live, even though I lived unloved forever. And 
 then, softly in my ear, a spirit friend whispered, " Be great 
 and good get to yourself a name of which they shall bo 
 proud make them love you for your deeds, rather than 
 your looks, and when, in the future, strangers shall ask con- 
 cerning you, ' Who is she V let it be their pride to answer, 
 ' My daughter,' or ' My sister.' " Older and wiser heads 
 than mine would have said it was Ambition, which thus 
 counselled with me, but I questioned her not of her name. 
 I only knew that her words were sweet and soothing, and I 
 treasured them in my heart, pondering upon them until I 
 fell asleep, unconscious that the daylight was fast declining, 
 and that the heavy dew was falling upon my uncovered 
 head. 
 
 Meantime at home many inquiries were being made con- 
 cerning my whereabouts, and when, at last, night came on,
 
 14 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 and I was still away, my oldest brother was sent in quest 
 of me down the long lane where I was last seen by Lizzie, 
 who had attempted to follow me, but had desisted through 
 fear of being called a tag. I was just dreaming that the 
 trumpet of fame was sounding forth my name, when, alas ! 
 I awoke to find it was only brother Charlie, making the 
 woods resound with " Rosa Lee ! Where are you ? Why 
 don't you answer ?" | 
 
 Of course I was disappointed, who wouldn't be ? and 
 in a fit of obstinacy I determined not to reply, but to make 
 him think I was lost then see how he'd feel ! But on this 
 point I was not to be gratified, for failing of finding me in 
 the lane, he made straight for the grape-vine, where he 
 stumbled over me as I lay, this time feigning sleep, to see 
 what he would do. Seizing me by the shoulder, he 
 exclaimed, " You are a pretty bird, scaring us out of a 
 year's growth. Mother'll scold you well for this." 
 
 But he was mistaken, for mother's manner towards me 
 was greatly changed. The torn pantalet and the chewed 
 bonnet-strings were all forgotten, and in the kindest tone 
 she asked, " If I were not cold, and why I went to sleep on 
 the grass." There were tears in my eyes, but I winked hard 
 and forced them back, until Lizzie brought rue a piece of 
 custard pie (my special favorite) which, she said, " she had 
 saved for me, because she knew how much I loved it." 
 
 This was too much, and sitting down in Carrie's little 
 chair, I cried aloud, saying in reply to the oft-repeated 
 question as to what ailed me, that"! didu't know, onlv 
 I was so glad." 
 
 " Hystericky as a witch," was Sally's characteristic com- 
 ment on my strange behavior, at the same time she sug- 
 gested that I be put to bed. 
 
 To this I ro ide no objection, and pushing aside the pie,
 
 CHILDHOOD. 16 
 
 which, to Lizzie's disappointment, I could not eat, I went to 
 my room, a happier, and I believe, a better girl ; so much 
 influence has a kind word or deed upon a desponding-, sensi- 
 tive child. That night I was tired and restless, turning 
 uneasily upon my pillow, pushing Lizzie's arm from my 
 neck, because it kept me from breathing, and lying awake 
 until I heard the long clock in grandma's room strike the 
 hour of twelve. Then I slept, but dreamed there was a 
 heavy pain in my head, which made me moan in my sleep, 
 and that mother, attracted by the sound, came to my side, 
 feeling my pulse, and saying, " What ails you, Rosa ?" 
 " There was nothing ailed me," I said ; but in the morning 
 when I awoke, the pain was still there, though I would not 
 acknowledge it, for scarcely anything could tempt me to 
 stay away from school ; so at the usual hour I started, but 
 the road was long and wearisome, and twice I sat down to 
 rest, leaning my forehead upon the handle of my dinner- 
 basket, and wondering why the smell of its contents made 
 me so sick. Arrived at school, everything seemed strange, 
 and when Maria, the girl who shared my desk, produced a 
 love-letter from Tom Jenkins, which she had found on my 
 side of the desk, and in which he made a formal offer of 
 himself, frecks and all, I did not even smile. Taking my 
 book, I attempted to study, but the words ran together, the 
 objects in the room chased each other in circles, the little 
 Abecedarian, shouting the alphabet at the top of his voice, 
 sounded like distant thunder, and when at last the teacher 
 called for our class in " Colburu," she seemed to be a great 
 wny off, while between her and me was a gathering dark- 
 ness which soon shut out every object from my view. 
 
 Fur a few moments all was confusion, and when at last 
 ray faculties returned I was lying on the recitation bench, 
 my head resting in the teacher's lap, while my hair and
 
 1 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 dress were so wet that I fancied I'd been out in a drenching 
 shower. Everybody was so kind and spoke so softly to me 
 that, with a vague impression that something had happened, 
 I began to cry. Just then, father, who had been sent for, 
 appeared, and taking me in his arms, started for home, 
 while Lizzie followed with the basket and my sunbonnet, 
 which looked sorry and drooping like its owner. At the 
 door father asked of mother, who met us, " Where shall I 
 put her ?" but ere she could reply, I said, "On grand- 
 mother's bed." 
 
 And there, among the soft pillows and snowy linen on 
 which I had often looked with almost envious eyes, and 
 which now seemed so much to rest me, I was laid. Of the 
 weary weeks which followed, I have only a confused recol- 
 lection. I know that the room was darkened as far as pos- 
 sible, and that before the window at the foot of the bed, 
 grandma's black shawl was hung, one corner being occa- 
 sionally pinned back when more light was needed. After 
 a while it seemed to me that it was Lizzie, instead of 
 myself who was sick, and the physician said she had a fever, 
 which had been long coming on, but was undoubtedly 
 hastened by her sleeping on the wet grass in the night. 
 And so we all trod softly about the house, speaking in 
 whispers, and lifting the door-latches carefully, while Lizzie, 
 with my cap and night dress on, lay all day long in bed, 
 never speaking, never moving, except when the long clock 
 in the corner struck off the hour ; then she would moan as 
 if in pain, and once when somebody, who looked like Lizzie, 
 but was still I, Kosa, stole on tiptoe to her side, with a 
 bouquet of flowers, which Maria had brought, she put her 
 arms around my neck, and pointing to the clock, whispered, 
 "It keeps saying 'She's dead'! 'She's dead'! She's 
 dead !' Won't you tell it to be still ?"
 
 CHILDHOOD. 17 
 
 Then we knew that it disturbed her, and so the old clock 
 was stopped, a thing which grandma said " had not been in 
 fifty odd years," except the time when grandpa died, and 
 then, with the going out of his life, the clock itself ran 
 down. All the night through the lamp burned upon the 
 table where stood the vials, the Dover powders, and the 
 cups, while Lizzie, with her great blue eyes so much like 
 mine, wide open, lay watching the flickering shadows on the 
 wall, counting the flowers on the paper bordering, wonder- 
 ing if there ever were blue roses, and thinking if there were 
 that they must smell as the dinner did beneath the chestnut 
 tree. 
 
 At last, when the family were wearied out with watching, 
 the neighbors were called in, and among them our school- 
 teacher, who seemed to tread on air, so light and noiseless 
 were her footsteps ; and Lizzie, when she saw how kind she 
 was, wondered she had not loved her better. Then came 
 other watchers equally kind with Miss Phillips, but 
 possessing far less tact for nursing ; and even now I have a 
 vivid remembrance of their annoying attempts "to fix me 
 BO I'd be more comfortable." Was I lying in a position 
 satisfactory to myself, I must be lifted up, my pillows 
 shaken, turned over, and my head placed so high that my 
 chin almost touched nay chest. Did I fall into a little doze, 
 I must rouse up to tell whether I were asleep or not, and 
 did I get into a sound slumber, I must surely wake enough 
 to say whether I wanted anything. 
 
 Again, I fancied that another beside Lizzie was sick, 
 for in mother's room, contiguous to mine, there was a low 
 hum of voices, agoing in and out, a careful shutting of the 
 door, and gradually I got the impression that Jamie, my 
 beautiful baby brother, was connected with all this, for I 
 heard them talk of scarlet fever, and it's going hard with
 
 18 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 him. But I had 110 desire or power to ask the why or 
 wherefore ; and so time wore on, until there came a day 
 when it seemed that the reverie beneath the grape-vine was 
 corning true. There was the same roll of wheels, the tread 
 of many feet, and through the closed doors I heard a mourn- 
 ful strain, sung by trembling voices, while from afar, I 
 caught the notes of a tolling bell. I was much alone that 
 day, and once, for more than an hour, there was no one 
 with me excepting grandma, who frequently removed her 
 spectacles to wipe the moisture which gathered upon them. 
 
 From that day I grew worse, and they sent to Spencer 
 for Dr. Lamb, who, together with Dr. Griffin, held a 
 council over me, and said that I must die. I saw mother 
 when they told her. She was standing by the window, from 
 which the black shawl had been removed, for nothing 
 disturbed the little girl now, and the window was wide 
 open, so that the summer air might cool the burning head, 
 from which the matted yellow hair had all been shorn. 
 She turned pale as death, and with a cry of anguish, pressed 
 her hand upon her side ; but she did not weep. I wondered 
 at it then, and thought she cared less than Lizzie, who sat 
 at the foot of the bed, sobbing so loudly that the fever 
 burned more fiercely in my veins, and the physician said 
 it must not be ; she must leave the room, or keep quiet. 
 
 It was Monday, and a few hours afterward, as Sally 
 was passing the door, grandma handed her my dirty, 
 crumpled sun-bonnet, bidding her wash it and put it awsty. 
 Sally's voice trembled as she replied, " No, no, leave it as 
 it is, for when she's gone, nothing will look so much like 
 her as that jammed bonnet with its chewed up strings." 
 
 A gush of tears was grandma's only answer, and after I 
 got well, I found the bonnet carefully rolled up in a sheet 
 of clean white paper and laid away in Sally's drawer.
 
 CHILDHOOD. 19 
 
 There were days and nights of entire unconsciousness, and 
 then with the vague, misty feeling of one awakening from 
 a long, disturbed sleep, I awoke again to life and reason. The 
 windows of my room were closed ; but without, I heard the 
 patter of the September rain, and the sound of the autumnal 
 wind as it swept past the house. Gathered at my side 
 were my father, mother, brothers, sisters, grandmother ; 
 and all, as my eye rested upon their faces, I thought, 
 were paler and more careworn than when I last looked 
 upon them. Something, too, in their dress disturbed me ; 
 but, before I could speak, a voice which I knew to be Dr. 
 Griffin's, said " She is better she will live." 
 
 From my mother's lips there broke another cry not like 
 that which I had heard when they told her I must die 
 but a cry of joy, and then she fell fainting in my father's 
 arms. I never doubted her love for me again, but in bitter- 
 ness of spirit, I have many a time wept that I ever dis- 
 trusted her, my blessed mother. 
 
 The fourth day after the crisis I was alone with Lizzie, 
 whom, for a long time, I importuned to give me a mirror that 
 I might see myself once more. Yielding at length to my 
 entreaties, she handed me a small looking-glass, a wedding* 
 gift to my grandmother, and with the consoling remark, 
 that " I wouldn't always look so,tf awaited the result. I am 
 than I was then, but even now I cannot repress a 
 
 ile as I bring before my mind the shorn head, the wasted 
 face with high cheek-bones, and the big blue eyes, in which 
 there was a look of "crazy Sal," which met my view. With 
 the angry exclamation, " They'll hate me worse than ever, 
 I'm so ugly," I dashed the mirror upon the floor, break- 
 ing it in a thousand pieces. Lizzie knew what I meant, 
 and twining her arms about my x neck, she said, " Don't 
 talk so, Rosa ; we love you dearly, and it almost killed us 
 
 that 
 smile
 
 20 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 when we thought you couldn't live. You know big men 
 never cry, and pa the least of all. Why, he didn't shed a 
 tear when lit " 
 
 Here she stopped suddenly, as if on a forbidden subject, 
 but soon resuming the conversation, she continued, "But 
 the day Dr. Lamb was here and told us you would die, 
 he was out under the cherry tree by our play-house, and 
 when Carrie asked him if you'd never play there any more, 
 he didn't answer, but turned his face towards the barn, and 
 cried so hard and so loud, that grandma came out and 
 pitied him, smoothing his hair just like he was a little boy. 
 Brother Charlie, too, lay right down in the grass, and said 
 he'd give everything he'd got if he'd never called you 
 'bung-eyed,' nor made fun of you, for he loved you best 
 of all. Then there was poor Jamie kept calling for 
 Yosa'" 
 
 Here Lizzie broke down entirely, saying, "I can't tell 
 you any more, don't ask me." 
 
 Suddenly it occurred to me that I had neither seen nor 
 heard little Jamie, the youngest of us all, the pet and 
 darling of our household. Rapidly my thoughts traversed 
 the past, and in a moment I saw it all. " Jamie was dead." 
 I did not need that Lizzie should tell me so. I knew it 
 was true, and when the first great shock was over, I ques- 
 tioned her of his death, how and when it occurred, 
 seems that I was at first taken with scarlet fever, whi<3 
 soon assumed another form, but not until it had communi- 
 cated itself to Jamie, who, after a few days' suffering, had 
 died. I had ever been his favorite, and to the last he had 
 called for me to come ; my grandmother, with the supersti- 
 tion natural to her age, construing it into an omen that I 
 was soon to follow him. 
 
 Desolate and dreary seemed the house ; and when I was
 
 CHILDHOOD. 21 
 
 able to go from room to room, oh ! how my heart ached as 
 I missed the prattle of our baby-boy. Away to the garret, 
 where no one could see it, they had carried his empty 
 cradle, but I sought it out ; and as I thought of the soft, 
 brown curls I had so often seen resting there, and would 
 never see again, I sat down by its side and wept most 
 bitterly. The withered, yellow leaves of autumn were 
 falling upon his grave ere I was able to visit it, and at its 
 head stood a simple stone, on which was inscribed, " Our 
 Jamie." As I leaned against the cold marble, and in fancy 
 saw by its side what had well-nigh been another mound, 
 and another stone, bearing upon it the name of " Rosa," 
 I involuntarily shuddered ; while from my heart there went 
 up a silent thanksgiving, that God, in his wise Providence, 
 had ordered it otherwise. 
 
 From that sickness I date a more healthful state of mind 
 and feeling, and though I still shrunk from any allusion to 
 my personal appearance, I never again doubted the love 
 of those who had manifested so much solicitude for me 
 when ill, and who watched over me so tenderly during the 
 period of my convalescence, which was long and wearisome, 
 for the snows of an early winter lay upon the frozen 
 ground, ere I was well enough to take my accustomed 
 place in the old brown schoolhouse at the foot of the long 
 hill.
 
 22 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THANKSGIVING. 
 
 THANKSGIVING ! How many reminiscences of the olden 
 time does that word call up, when sons and daughters, they 
 who had wandered far and wide, whose locks, once brown 
 and shining with the sunlight of youth, now give tokens 
 that the autumnal frosts of life are falling slowly upon 
 them, return once more to the old hearth-stone, and, for 
 a brief space, grow youug again amid the festive scenes 
 of Thanksgiving Day. To you, . who, like me, drew your 
 first breath among the New England hills, and who have 
 strayed away from your early home, in the busy world in 
 which you are now mingling, comes there not occasionally 
 pleasant memories of the olden time, when with eager haste 
 you hied you back to the roof-tree which sheltered your 
 infancy ? And though, perchance, the snows of many a 
 winter may have drifted across the graves of the 
 haired man you called your father, and the 
 woman who bore the blessed name of mother, can you not 
 recall them to mind, as when with tears of joy and words 
 of love, they welcomed their children home, thanking God 
 that as yet not one of their household treasures was missing ? 
 And if, after the lapse of years, there came a time when 
 the youngest of you all was gone, when the childish prattle 
 yon loved so well to hear was hushed, when through the
 
 THANKSGIVING. 23 
 
 house was no more heard the patter of little, busy feet, 
 when there was naught left of the lost one, save a curl of 
 golden hair, or a tiny shoe, soiled and bent, but looking still 
 so much like him who wore it once, that you preserve it as 
 your choicest treasure : if, I say, there came to you a time 
 like this, do you not remember how, amid all the social 
 cheer, there was still an aching void, which nothing around 
 you could fill ? 
 
 But lest I make this chapter too sad, I shall not speak of 
 our feelings as we missed our baby brother, for they who 
 have lost from their fireside an active, playful child, under- 
 stand far better than I can describe, the loneliness, the long- 
 ing for something gone, which becomes almost a part of 
 their being, although at times they may seem to forget. 
 Children's grief is seldom as lasting as that of mature years; 
 and hence it is not strange if I sometimes forgot my sorrow 
 in the joyous anticipation of Thanksgiving Day, which was 
 then to me but another name for plum puddings, chicken 
 pies, meeting dresses, morocco shoes, city cousins, a fire in 
 the parlor, and last, though not least, the privilege of sit- 
 ting at the first table, and using grandma's six tiny silver 
 spoons, with the initials of her maiden name, " P. S." marked 
 upon them. 
 
 On such occasions my thoughts invariably took a leap 
 backward, and looking at grandma's wrinkled face and 
 whito, shining hair, I would wonder if she ever were yoiur.r 
 like me; and if, being young, she swung on gates or climbed 
 trees, and walked the great beams, as I did. Then, with 
 another bound, my thoughts would penetrate the future, 
 when I, a dignified grandmother, should recline in my arm- 
 chair, stately and stiff, in my heavy satin and silver gray, 
 wiiile my oldest son, a man just my father's size, should ren- 
 der me all the homage and respect due to one ofjiiy age.
 
 24 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 By myself, too, I had several times tried on grandma's 
 clothes, spectacles, cap and all; and then, seated in her chair, 
 with the big Bible in my lap, I had expounded scripture to 
 the imaginary children around me, frequently reprimanding 
 Rosa for her inattention, asking her what " she thought 
 would become of her, if she didn't stop wriggling so in her 
 chair, and learn 'the chief end of man.'" Once, in the 
 midst of my performance, grandma herself appeared, and as 
 a natural consequence, I was divested of my fixings in a 
 much shorter space of time than it had taken me to don 
 them. From that day up to the period of my illness, I verily 
 believe grandma looked upon me as " given over to hardness 
 of heart and blindness of mind." 
 
 But I am wandering from my subject, which was, I be- 
 lieve, the Thanksgiving succeeding Jamie's death and my 
 own recovery from sickness. For this occasion great prepara- 
 tions were made, it being confidently expected that my fa- 
 ther's brother, who lived in Boston, would be with us, to- 
 gether with his wife, a lady whose reputation for sociability 
 and suavity of manners was, with us, rather below par. She 
 was my uncle's second wife, and rumor said that neither 
 himself nor his home were as comfortable as they once had 
 been. From the same reliable source, too, we learned that 
 she breakfasted in her own room at ten, dined at three, 
 made or received calls until six, went to parties, soirees, or 
 the theatre in the evening, and seldom got to bed until 
 two o'clock in the morning; a mode of living which was pro- 
 nounced little better than heathenish by grandma, who had 
 lung been anxious for an opportunity of "giving Charlotte 
 Ann a piece of her mind." 
 
 Mother, who was more discreet, very wisely advised her 
 not to interfere with the arrangements of her daughter-in- 
 law. " It would do no good," she said, "and might possi-
 
 THANKSGIVING. 25 
 
 bly make matters worse." Unlike most old people, grandma 
 was* not very much set Jn her own way, and to mother's 
 suggestion, she replied that " Mebby she shouldn't say any- 
 thing 'twould depend on how many airs Charlotte put on." 
 
 To me the expected visit was a sore trial ; for, notwith- 
 standing my cheeks and neck were rounder and fuller than 
 they had ever been, my head, with its young crop of short, 
 stiff hair, was a terrible annoyance, and more than once I 
 had cried as I saw in fancy the derisive smile with which 
 my dreaded Aunt Charlotte was sure to greet me. At last 
 sister Anna, who possessed a great deal of taste in such 
 matters, and who ought to have been a milliner, contrived 
 for the " picked chicken," as she called me, a black lace cap, 
 which fitted me so well, and was so vastly becoming, that I 
 lost all my fears, and child-like, began to count tffe days 
 which must elapse before I could wear it. 
 
 Meantime, in the kitchen there was a loud rattling of 
 dishes, a beating of eggs, and calling for wood, with which 
 to heat the great brick oven, grandma having pronounced 
 the stove unfit for baking a Thanksgiving dinner. From the 
 cornfield, behind the barn, a golden pumpkin, four times 
 larger than my head and about the same color, was ga- 
 thered, and after being brought to the house, was pared, 
 cut open, scraped, and sliced into a little tin kettle with a 
 copper bottom, where for hours it stewed and sputtered, fill- 
 ing the atmosphere with a faint, sickly odor, which I think 
 was the main cause of the severe headache I took to bed 
 with me. Mother, on the contrary, differed from me, she 
 associating it in some way with the rapid disappearance of 
 the raisins, cinnamon, sugar, and so forth, which, in sundry 
 brown papers, lay open upon the table. She was gene- 
 rally right when she made up her mind, so I shall not 
 dispute the point, for, let the cause have beenwhat it 
 2
 
 26 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 would, it was a very sick little girl which, the night before 
 Thanksgiving, was put early to bed by Sally, who remarked, 
 as she undressed me, that " I was slimpsy as a rag, and she 
 wouldn't wonder if I had a collapse," adding, as she tucked 
 the clothes around me, that " if I did, it would be mighty 
 apt to go hard with me." 
 
 The next morning, just as the first grey streaks of daylight 
 were appearing in the east, I awoke, finding, to my great 
 joy, that my headache was gone. Rising upon my elbow 
 and leaning far out of bed, I pushed aside the striped cur- 
 tain which shaded the window, and looking out upon the 
 ground below, saw, to my utter dismay, that it was covered 
 with snow. To me there is nothing pleasant in a snow 
 storm, aT snow bank, or a snow cloud ; and when a child, I 
 used to think that with the fall of the first flake, there came 
 over my spirits a chill, which was not removed until the 
 spring-time, when, with its cause, it melted away : and even 
 now, when, with my rubber boots, I dare brave any drift, 
 not more than five feet four inches high, I cannot say that I 
 have any particular love for snow; and as from my window 
 I watch the descent of the feathery flakes, I always feel an 
 irresistible desire to make at them wry faces, my favorite 
 method of showing my dislike. On the morning of which I 
 have spoken, I vented my displeasure in the usual way, and 
 then I fell into a deep sleep, from which I was at last awak- 
 ened by the loud shouts of my brothers, who, in the meadow 
 across the road, were pelting each other with balls, occa- 
 sionally rolling over in* the pure, white snow, which they 
 hailed as au old and well loved friend. 
 
 Not long after breakfast was over Anna, commenced 
 dressing Lizzie and Carrie, and as she had herself to beau- 
 tify before the arrival of the train which was to bring my 
 uncle md aunt, it is not surprising that she hurried rather
 
 THANKSGIVING. 27 
 
 faster then was wholly agreeable to the little girls, who 
 could see no good cause for such haste, even if Herbert 
 Laugley, my aunt's son and a youth of seventeen, was to 
 accompany her. I, however, who was older, read things 
 differently, and when Anna pulled Lizzie's curly hair, and 
 washed Carrie's nose up instead of down, until they both 
 cried, and when she herself stood before the glass a whole 
 half hour, arranging just in front of her cars two spit curls, 
 sometimes called " beau catchers," I shrugged my shoulders, 
 wondering if she thought a city boy would care for her. 
 
 The morning train from Boston was due about ten o'clock, 
 and as Meadow Brook did not then boast a daily omnibus, 
 it was necessary that some one should be at the depot in 
 order to meet our expected guests. In New England it is 
 almost an unheard-of thing for an entire family to remain 
 away from church on Thanksgiving Day, but considering all 
 the circumstances, it was, on this occasion, decided ortho- 
 dox for us to do so, and accordingly at nine o'clock father 
 and old sorrel started for the depot, which was distant 
 about two and a half miles. Long and wearisome to us 
 children was that waiting for his return; for stiff and prim, 
 as starched white aprons, best gowns, and hemstitched 
 pantalets could make us, we sat in a row like so many 
 automatons, scarcely daring to move, lest we should displace 
 some article of dress. In the best chamber, the room which 
 Aunt Charlotte was to occupy, a cheerful wood fire was 
 burning, and at least a dozen times did grandma go up 
 there to see if all were right, now smoothing the clean,' 
 linen pillow-case, now moving the large easy-chair a little 
 more to the centre of the room, and again wiping from the 
 mirror some imaginary specks of dust. 
 
 As she was coming down the twelfth time, the sound of 
 sleigh-bells took us all to the window, where, instead of the
 
 28 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 costly furs and rich velvet wrappings of Aunt Charlotte, we 
 saw the coarse plaid shawl and dark delaine hood of Aunt 
 Betsey, while at her side was the shaggy overcoat and seal- 
 skin cap of her better half, Uncle Jason. This worthj 
 couple, good enough in their way, lived in Union, about 
 nine miles from Meadow Brook, where, for the last ten 
 years, they had been in the habit of spending Thanksgiving, 
 without ever seeming to think it possible for them to return 
 the compliment. Although we had never seen Aunt 
 Charlotte, we knew full well that there was nothing in com- 
 mon between her and Aunt Betsey, and after a long consul- 
 tation it had been decided not to invite the latter, who, as 
 it proved, did not deem an invitation necessary. 
 
 Uncle Jason was my father's half brother, and the step- 
 son of grandma, who, the moment she saw them was 
 actually guilty of the exclamation, " Good Lord ! what 
 sent them here ?" Before any of us could reply, the door 
 burst open, and the loud, boisterous laugh of Uncle Jason 
 greeted our ears, intermingled with the squeaky tones of 
 Aunt Betsey, who, addressing my mother, said, " How d'ye 
 dew, Fanny. You pretty well ? I s'pose you're lookin' for 
 us, though you didn't send us no invite ? Jason kinder 
 held off about comin', but I telled him 'twas enough sight 
 easier to eat dinner here than to cook it to hum." 
 
 With as good a grace as she could possibly assume, 
 mother returned her greeting, and then, taking her into her 
 own bedroom, asked her to remove her bonnet, at the same 
 time telling her she was expecting Uncle Joseph and Aunt 
 Charlotte from Boston. 
 
 " Xow, you don't say it," exclaimed Aunt Betsey, 
 stopping for a moment in the adjustment of her cap, the 
 fashion of which was wonderful, having been devised by her- 
 self, as were all her articles of dress. " Now, dew tell if that
 
 THANKSGIVING. 29 
 
 puckerin' thing is a comin' ! How nipped up we shall 
 have to be ! I'm so glad I wore this gown 1" she continued, 
 looking complacently at her blue and white plaid, the skirt 
 of which was very short and scanty, besides being trimmed 
 at the bottom with two narrow ruffles. 
 
 With her other peculiarities Aunt Betsey united that of 
 iealousy, and after getting herself warm, and looking round, 
 as was her custom, she commenced with, " Now, if I won't 
 give up a fire in the parlor chamber. I s'pose Charlotte's 
 too good to pull off her things in the bedroom, as I do. 
 Wall, it's the luck of some to be born with a silver spoon in 
 their mouth." 
 
 Grandma, who was the only person present except myself, 
 made no answer, and after a moment Aunt Betsey con- 
 tinued, " Now I think on't, Miss Lee (she never addressed 
 her as " mother," for, from the first, a mutual dislike had 
 existed between them), now I think on't, Miss Lee, mebby 
 Fanny meant to slight me." 
 
 " Fanny never slighted anybody," was grandma's reply, 
 while her polished knitting-needles rattled with a vengeance. 
 
 " Wall, I guess she thought Jo's wife and I wouldn't 
 hitch bosses exactly, but the land knows that I don't care 
 the snap of my finger for her. I'm as good as anybody, if 
 I don't keep a hired maid and have a carpet on every 
 floor." 
 
 Here she was interrupted by the sound of horses' feet, and 
 rising up, grandma said, " I guess they've come. Will, you 
 go and meet them ?" 
 
 " Not I; I'm the last one to creep, I can tell you," was 
 Aunt Betsey's reply, while grandma and I quitted the room, 
 leaving her sitting bolt upright, with her feet on the fender 
 and her lips pursed up as they always were when she was 
 indignant.
 
 80 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 Uncle Joseph, Aunt Charlotte, Herbert Laugley, had all 
 come, and as the latter leaped upon the ground aud I 
 caught a sight of his tall, slender figure, I involuntarily 
 exclaimed, ," Long-legs," a cognomen, which he ever after 
 retained in our family. Shaking down his pants, he went 
 through with a kind of shuffle not wholly unlike the High- 
 land fling, ending his performance by kissing his hand to 
 the group of noses pressed close against the window-pane. 
 
 " I shall like him," was my mental comment, as I turned 
 from him towards the bundle of clothes which Uncle Joseph 
 lifted from the sleigh and deposited upon the steps, and 
 which we supposed to be our dreaded aunt. 
 
 " This is perfectly horrible," were the first words which 
 issued from under the folds of her veil ; but to what she re- 
 ferred I never knew. 
 
 We all knew and loved Uncle Joseph, aud for his sake 
 my mother conquered whatever of prejudice she felt towards 
 his wife, who returned her cordial welcome with the extreme 
 end of her forefinger, saying, when asked to sit down, " I'll 
 go to my room immediately, if you please." 
 
 " Speak to the children first," suggested my uncle, and 
 with a muttered, "It doesn't matter," the haughty lady 
 bowed coldly to us, as one by one we were presented. 
 
 When it came my turn, her small, black eyes rested 
 longer upon me, and the faintest derisive smile imaginable 
 curled the corners of her mouth. I knew that either my 
 cap or my face had provoked that smile, and with tears in 
 my eyes I was turning away, when Herbert Langley caught 
 me in his long arms, exclaiming, " And so, this is Rosa, the 
 poetess, I mean to call you little '^Crop-head,' may I ?" 
 
 He referred, I suppose, to a letter which I had once writ- 
 ten in rhyme to my Uncle Joseph, but before I could frame 
 any reply, his mother said, scornfully, " Don't be flattered,
 
 THANKSGIVING. 81 
 
 child Herbert calls everything poetry that rhymes. He'll 
 learn to discriminate better as he grows older," and with a 
 stately sweep she left the room, saying, as she reached the 
 rather steep and narrow stair-case, " Dear me how funny 
 it's like mounting a ladder." 
 
 While she was making her toilet we had an opportunity 
 of learning something of Herbert, who, whether he were so 
 or not, seemed much pleased with everything around him. 
 Occasionally, however, I doubted his sincerity, for when 
 Aunt Betsey was presented to him, he appeared quite as 
 much delighted with her as with anything else, drawing his 
 chair closely to her side, and asking her numberless ques- 
 tions about the best modes of making cheese and raising 
 chickens, while all the time there was a peculiarly quizzical 
 expression in his eyes, which were dark and very handsome, 
 saving that the lids were too red to suit my ideas of beauty. 
 To Anna and her spit-curls he took kindly, and ere his lady 
 mother made her appearance a second time he had put his 
 arm around her twice, telling her she should come to Boston 
 sometime and go to school. A rustle of silk upon the stairs 
 announced the descent of Aunt Charlotte, and with her nose 
 slightly elevated, ready for any emergency, she entered the 
 parlor, where she was introduced to Aunt Betsey, who, 
 courtesying straight down, " hoped to see her well," adding, 
 that she " s'posed she'd come to the country to see how poor 
 folks lived." 
 
 Falling back into the rocking-chair which Anna brought 
 for her, Aunt Charlotte made no particular reply, save an 
 occasional attack upon her hartshorn. Aunt Betsey, how- 
 ever, nothing daunted, endeavored to engage her in conver- 
 sation by asking if " she knew Liza Ann Willcott, a tailoress 
 girl, that boarded with a Miss Johnson, who used to live in, 
 ;i, but who now livod in Boston."
 
 82 MEADOW BKOOK. 
 
 Frowning majestically, Aunt Charlotte replied that she 
 had not the honor of Miss Willcott's acquaintance, where- 
 upon Aunt Betsey advised her to make it by all means, 
 assuring her that " Liza Ann was a first rate girl, and that 
 Miss Johnson was the best kiad of a neighbor, always wil- 
 lin' to lend, or do a good turn " 
 
 Here, with a haughty toss of her head, Aunt Charlotte 
 turned away and began talking in a low tone to Herbert, he 
 being the only one who, she seemed to think, was at all 
 worth noticing. It is strange how much constraint one per- 
 son can sometimes throw over a room full. On this occa- 
 sion, had an ogress suddenly alighted in our midst, we could 
 not have been more silent or less at ease than we were with 
 that Boston lady, sitting there so starched and stiff, her fat 
 hands folded one over the other, and the tips of her satin 
 gaiters just visible from beneath the ample folds of her rich 
 silk dress. Even Uncle Joseph, whose genial nature usually 
 shed so much sunlight over our circle, was grave and re- 
 served, rarely venturing a remark, or, if he did, glancing at 
 his wife to see if she approved it. Uncle Jason, who pain- 
 fully felt his own awkwardness, sat tipped back in his chair 
 against the wall, with his feet on the rounds, while his fin- 
 gers kept time to a tune, which he was evidently whistling 
 to himself. Glad were we all when finally called to dinner, 
 the savory smell of which had long been whetting our appe- 
 tites. 
 
 " \Vliat ! dinner so soon ?" said Aunt Charlotte, consult- 
 ing her gold watch, which pointed to half-past two. " I 
 don't believe I can force down a mouthful." 
 
 But, spite of her belief, she did manage to make way with 
 the contents of her well-filled plate, which was passed back 
 a second time to be replenished. So eager were we all to 
 serve her that we partially forgot Aunt Betsey, who, aftei-
 
 THANKSGIVING. 33 
 
 waiting awhile for a potato, at last arose, and reaching 
 half-way across the table, secured one for herself ; saying, 
 by way of apology, that " she believed in looking out for 
 Number One, for if she didn't nobody else would." 
 
 So incensed was she with what she termed our neglect, 
 that the moment dinner was over she insisted upon going 
 home, saying, as she bade us good-bye, that "when she 
 went again where she wasn't wanted, she gussed she should 
 know it ;" and adding, while two big tears dropped from the 
 end of her nose, that " she never s'posed she should be so 
 misused by folks that she'd done so much for." 
 
 The sight of her tears brought forth answering ones from 
 me, for, with all her peculiarities, I loved Aunt Betsey, and 
 I remembered that when sickness and death were among us, 
 she had left her own home to stay with us, ministering as 
 far as she was able to our comfort. Many a night had she 
 watched with me, and though she invariably placed the lamp 
 so that its rays glared full in my face, though she slept three- 
 fourths of the time, snoring so loudly as to keep me awake, 
 and though at the slightest change for the worse in my symp- 
 toms she always routed the whole household, telling them, 
 "Rosa was dyin' now, if she ever was," thereby almost 
 frightening me to death, I knew that she meant well, and in 
 my heart I liked her far better than I did my Boston aunt, 
 who, after bidding her sister-in-law good-bye, went back to 
 the parlor, saying to her husband in a tone loud enough for 
 us to hear, "What a vulgar creature ! Did you notice her 
 hands ? Why, they are as coarse and black as a servant 
 girl's." 
 
 " And she's none the worse for that," interposed grandma, 
 warming up in the defence of her son's wife. " She has now 
 and then an odd streak, but on the whole she's better than 
 they'll average." 
 
 2*
 
 84 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 After this, Aunt Charlotte relapsed into silence, which 
 she did not break uutil she overheard Herbert proposing to 
 Anna a ride on the morrow. Then she roused up, and while 
 her little black eyes snapped, she said, " I am going home 
 to-morrow afternoon, and so are you. Consequently, 
 there'll be no time for a ride." 
 
 In a twinkling, Herbert's thumb and finger went up to hi? 
 nose, a gesture which I did not then understand, but it 
 struck me disagreeably, and had also the effect of silencing 
 Aunt Charlotte, who made no further remark on the subject 
 until they chanced to be alone, when I, who was in the hall, 
 heard her say, " What can induce you to talk so much with 
 that raw country girl 1 Your city friends would laugh well 
 if they knew it." 
 
 Consigning his " city friends " to the care f of the old gen- 
 tleman supposed to preside over the lower regions, Herbert 
 walked off in quest of the " raw country girl," by whose side 
 he sat the remainder of the evening, talking to her so low 
 that Lizzie whispered to me her private opinion that " they 
 were courting." 
 
 The next morning Aunt Charlotte did not appear at break- 
 fast, it being so much earlier than her usual hour of rising 
 that she felt wholly unequal to the task. Accordingly, 
 though we did not wait, the table did until ten o'clock, 
 when, pale and languid, she ctime down, seeming much dis- 
 turbed to find that Herbert had coaxed Anna into going 
 with him to call on Aunt Betsey, to whom he had taken 
 quite a fancy, and who had asked him to visit her "if ho 
 didn't feel too smart." 
 
 Darting an angry glance at her husband, she said, " How 
 could you suffer it T' asking at the same time if there was a 
 hotel on the road. Being told that there was one at Union 
 and another half-wav between that and Meadow Brook, she
 
 THANKSGIVING. 85 
 
 seemed more disturbed than ever, eating little or no breakfast, 
 and announcing her intention of staying over that day, or, 
 at all events, until Herbert returned. Seating herself at the 
 window, she watched and waited, while the hours crept on 
 and the clock in grandma's room struck four ere the head 
 of " old Sorrel " was visible far down the road. Then with 
 an eagerness wholly incomprehensible to me, she started up, 
 straining her eyes anxiously in the direction of the fast ap- 
 proaching cutter. As it came nearer we all observed some- 
 thing rather singular in the position of Herbert, who seemed 
 lying almost across Anna's lap, while she was driving ! 
 
 " Merciful Heavens ! it's as I feared !" was Aunt Char- 
 lotte's exclamation, as she sank upon the lounge, moaning 
 bitterly, and covering her face with the cushion, that she 
 might not see the disgrace of her only son for Herbert was 
 drunk ! 
 
 Lifting him out, my father and uncle laid him upon the 
 settee in the sitting-room, just where little Jamie had been 
 laid, and my mother, as she looked upon the senseless in- 
 ebriate resting where once had lain the beautiful, inanimate 
 form of her youngest born, thought how far less bitter was 
 her cup of sorrow than was that of the half fainting woman, 
 who would rather, far rather, her boy had died with the dew 
 of babyhood upon his brow than to have seen him thus de- 
 based and fallen. 
 
 The story was soon told, my uncle supplying all points 
 which Anna could not. It seems that early in life Herbert 
 had acquired a love for the wine and porter which daily 
 graced his mother's dinner-table. As he grew older his taste 
 increased for something stronger, until now nothing save 
 brandy could satisfy the cravings of his appetite. More 
 than once had he been brought home in a state of entire 
 unconsciousness, for ho was easily intoxicated, it usually
 
 86 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 taking but one glass to render him perfectly foolish, while a 
 second was generally sure to finish the work. These drunk- 
 en fits were always followed by resolutions of amendment, 
 and it was now so long since he had drank that his mother 
 began to have strong hopes of his reform, but these, alas ! 
 were now dashed to the ground. Unfortunately, Uncle 
 Jason had offered the young man a glass of cider, which im- 
 mediately awoke in its full vigor his old love for ardent 
 spirits. Just across the road, creaking in the November 
 wind, hung the sign of the " Golden Fleece," and in that di- 
 rection, soon after dinner, Herbert bent his steps, taking 
 down at one time a tumbler two thirds full of raw brandy. 
 This made him very talkative and very affectionate, inso- 
 much that he kissed Aunt Betsey, who, as soon as she could, 
 started him for home. When the half-way house, called in 
 opposition to its neighbor " Silver Skin," was reached, Herbert 
 insisted upon stopping and taking another glass, which ere 
 long rendered him so helpless that Anna was obliged to take 
 charge of Sorrel herself, while her companion fell asleep, 
 leaning his head upon her shoulder and gradually sinking 
 lower and lower until he rested in her lap. 
 
 All that night he remained in the sitting-room, which in 
 the morning presented so sorry and disgusting an appear- 
 ance that when Aunt Charlotte for the hundredth time 
 wished she had never come to Meadow Brook, our whole 
 family mentally responded a fervent Amen. Herbert, when 
 fully restored to consciousness, seemed heartily ashamed of 
 himself, crying like a girl, and winding his arms around his 
 mother's neck so affectionately that I did not blame hei 1 
 when she forgave him and wiped away her tears. 
 
 She might not have had much faith in his sincerity could 
 sue have heard his conversation with Anna, whom he man- 
 aged to withdraw from the family to the recess of a distant
 
 THANKSGIVING. 37 
 
 window. Alone with her, his manner changed, and with 
 flashing eyes, he charged it to his mother, who, he said, first 
 taught him to love it by allowing him, when a little boy, to 
 drink the bottom of the wine glasses after dinner. 
 
 " And if I fill a drunkard's grave," said he, " she will be 
 to blame ; Hit," he added, as he saw Anna involuntarily 
 shudder, "it shall not be. I am reform. I will reform, and 
 you must help me do it." 
 
 Anna looked wonderingly at him, while he continued, tak- 
 ing her hand and removing from it a plain gold ring, which 
 grandma had given her on her fifteenth birthday, " You 
 must let me wear this as a talisman to protect me from evil. 
 Whenever I am tempted I shall look at it and be saved." 
 
 Anna hesitated awhile, but the soft, handsome eyes of 
 Herbert Langley had woven around her a spell she could 
 not break, and at last she consented, receiving from him in 
 return a diamond ring, which he told her was worth two 
 hundred dollars. When this became known to mother 
 she very wisely insisted on Anna's returning it, and together 
 with the note explaining the why and the wherefore it went 
 back to its owner, who immediately replied by a letter, the 
 contents of which were carefully kept from us all. The ef- 
 fect, however, was plainly visible ; for, from the time of its 
 receipt we lost uur merry, light-hearted sister, and in her place 
 there moved among us a sober, listless girl, whom grandma 
 called foolish, and whom Charlie pronounced " lovesick." 
 
 Herbert's letter was soon answered, but when Anna re- 
 quested my father to put it in the P. 0. he refused, telling 
 her " she should not correspond with such a drunken dog." ^ 
 Possibly it was wrong in him thus to address her, for kind 
 words and persuasive arguments might have won her to 
 reason, but now a spirit of opposition was roused " Herbert 
 was wronged misunderstood "-so Anna thought, and the
 
 88 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 letter which father refused to take, was conveyed by other 
 hands, a postscript longer than the letter itself being first 
 added. 
 
 After this there was no more trouble. Anna wrote re- 
 gularly to Herbert, who promptly responded ; his missives 
 always being directed to one of Anna's schoolmates, who 
 was just romantic enough to think her companion persecuted ! 
 Gradually I was let into the secret, and was occasionally 
 employed to carry Anna's notes to and from the house of her 
 friend. I did not then consider the great wrong I was do- 
 ing, but since I have shed many a bitter tear to think that 
 I in any way helped to work my sister's ruin.
 
 COUSIN WILL. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 N 
 
 COUSIN WILL. 
 
 IF so far as the golden Californian land this book of 
 mine shall reach, it may, perchance, fall into the hands of 
 some who, from their number, can select the veritable hero, 
 the " Cousin Will " of my story. If so, I would ask them 
 to think as leniently as possible of his faults, herein 
 recorded, for the inoustached Will of California, whose 
 generous conduct wins the love of all, is hardly the same 
 wild, mischievous boy, who once kept our home in a per- 
 petual state of excitement. 
 
 The tears were scarcely yet dried, which he had shed 
 over his mother's coffin, when he came to us, and in one 
 corner of his green, oval trunk, there lay a tress of soft 
 brown hair, which he had severed from that mother's head, 
 lie was the son of my mother's only sister, who, on her 
 death-bed had committed him to the guardianship of my 
 father, asking him to deal gently with her wayward boy, 
 for beneath his faulty exterior there lay a mine of excel- 
 lence, which naught save words of love could fathom. 
 
 Without meaning to be so, perhaps, my father was a stern 
 
 reserved man, never seeking the confidence of his childrc^ 
 
 real characters he did not understand. It is true he 
 
 Iovv.,1 us provided for all our wants, and, as far as possible, 
 
 strove to make vf&what the children of a New England
 
 40 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 Presbyterian deacon ought to be ; but he seldom petted us, 
 and if Carrie, with her sunny face and chestnut curls, some- 
 times stole up behind him and twined her chubby arms 
 around his neck, he seemed ashamed to return her caress 
 unless they were alone. Brother Charlie he looked upon as 
 almost incorrigible, but if he found it hard to cope with his 
 bold, fun-loving spirit, it was tenfold more difficult for him 
 to tame the mischievous Will, whom scarcely any one could 
 manage, but who, strange to say, was a general favorite. 
 
 It was night when he reached Meadow Brook, and I was 
 in bed, but through the closed doors I caught the sound of 
 his voice, and in an instant I experienced a sensation of 
 delight, as if in him I should find a kindred spirit. I could 
 not wait until morning before I saw him, and, rising softly, I 
 groped my way down the dark stairway to a knot-hole, 
 which had more than once done me service when sent from 
 the room while my mother and her company told something 
 I was not to hear ! He was sitting so that the light of the 
 lamp fell full upon his face, which, with its high, white 
 brow, hazel eyes, and mass of wavy hair, seemed to me the 
 most beautiful I had ever seen. Involuntarily I thought of 
 my own plain features, and saying to myself, " He'll never 
 like me, never," I crept back to bed, wondering if it were true 
 that homely little girls made sometimes handsome women. 
 
 The next morning, wishing to produce as favorable 
 an impression as possible, I was an unusually long time 
 making my toilet trying on ^ne dress after another, and 
 finally deciding upon a white, cfltybric, which I never wore 
 except to church, or on some similar occasion. Giving an 
 extra brush to my hair, which had grown out darker and so 
 very curly that Charley called me " Snarly-pate," I started 
 for the breakfast-room, where the family were already 
 assembled. 
 
 tami
 
 COUSIN WILL. 41 
 
 " What upon earth has the child got on ?" was grandma's 
 exclamation as she looked at me, both over and under her 
 glasses, while mother bade me " go straight back and 
 change my dress," asking " why I had put on my very- 
 best ?" 
 
 " Settin' her cap for Bill, I guess," suggested Charlie, who, 
 boy-like, was already on terms of great intimacy with his 
 cousin. 
 
 More angry than grieved, I went back to my room, where 
 I pouted for half an hour or more. Then, selecting the 
 worst looking dress I had, I again descended to the dining- 
 room where Charlie presented me to Will, telling him at 
 the same time " to spare all comments on my appearance, 
 as it made me madder than a March hare to be called 
 
 Ugly." 
 
 " I don't think she's ugly. Anyway / like her looks," 
 said Will, smiling down upon me with those eyes which 
 have since made many a heart beat as mine did then, for 
 'twas the first compliment of the kind I had ever received. 
 
 Will had always lived in the city, and now, anxious to 
 see the lions of the country at once, he proposed to Charlie 
 a ramble over the farm, inviting me to accompany them, 
 which I did willingly, notwithstanding that Charlie mut- 
 tered something about ' not wanting a gal stuck along." 
 
 In the pasture we came across " old Sorrel," whom Will 
 said he would ride as they did in a circus, if Charlie would 
 only catch him. This was an easy task, for Sorrel, suspect- 
 ing no evil, came up to us quite readily, when Will, leaping 
 upon his back, commenced whooping and hallooing so 
 loudly that Sorrel's mettle was up, and for nearly an hour 
 he ran quite as fast as his rider could wish. But circus 
 riding was not Sorrel's forte, and he probably grew dix/.y, 
 for he at length stumbled and fell, injuring his fore foot in
 
 42 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 some way, so that, to our dismay, we fouud he was unable 
 to walk without a great effort. 
 
 " Je-mi-my ! Won't the old gentleman rare I" said 
 Charlie, who was never very choice of his language. 
 
 Will, on the contrary, seemed more concerned for the 
 horse, bringing water in his hat, and bathing the fast-swel- 
 ling limb of the poor animal, who appeared to be grateful 
 for the kindness. Charlie proposed that we should keep it 
 a secret, but to this Will would not listen, and in a plain, 
 straightforward way he confessed what he had done, and 
 father, who saw that Sorrel was temporarily injured, for- 
 gave him, for he could not resist the pleading of Will's 
 dark eyes. 
 
 This was his first day's adventure the next one was a 
 little different. Finding a cow in the lane, he tried the ex- 
 periment of milking, succeeding so well that when at night 
 Sally came in with her half filled pail, she declared that 
 " Line-back was drying up, for she'd only given a drop or 
 so." For this and numerous other misdemeanors Will also 
 received absolution, but when on the second Sabbath after 
 his arrival he and Charlie both were missed from church, 
 whither they had started a full half hour before the rest of 
 our family, father grew fidgety, holding his hymn book 
 wrong side up, and sitting, instead of standing, during the 
 prayer, a thing he was never known to do before. He was 
 very strict in the observance of the fourth commandment, 
 as indeed were most of the citizens of Meadow Brook, it be- 
 ing an almost State Prison offence to stay away from church 
 on the Sabbath, or speak above a whisper until after sun- 
 set. 
 
 By the way, I think it a mistake, this converting the Sab- 
 bath into a day so much to be dreaded by the youthful, fan- 
 loving members of the family, who are not yet old enough
 
 COUSIN WILL. 48 
 
 to see the propriety of having in reserve a Sunday face, as 
 well as a Sunday gown. I would not have that sacred day 
 profaned, but I would have it divested of that glooni with 
 which it is too often associated in the child's mind. I would 
 have everything connected with it as cheerful and pleasant 
 as possible, and in these days of Sabbath schools and Sab- 
 bath school-books, it seems an easy matter to make it " The 
 day of all the week the best." I well remember one rainy 
 Sunday, when the whole family were obliged to remain at 
 home, the younger ones reciting the Catechism to grandma, 
 committing to memory and repeating to mother ten verses - 
 of the fifth chapter of Matthew, and then being compelled 
 sit up stiff and straight while father read to us a long meta- 
 physical sermon, which he interspersed and lengthened out 
 with remarks of his own, among which was the consoling one 
 that " Heaven was one eternal Sabbath." 
 
 This was too much for Charlie, whose mind, instead of 
 dwelling on the words of the good divine, was sadly wander- 
 ing towards a nest of young white pigs, only that morning 
 born. Turning towards me with a most rueful face, he whis- 
 pered, " Darned if I'll go there. I'll. run away first." 
 
 Of course I laughed aloud how could I help it ; and on 
 my saying- that " Charlie made me," we were both ordered 
 from the room in disgrace, which latter we bore manfully 
 Oharlie going straight to his pigs, while I stole up garret to 
 a big candle-box, where, on one of my old dresses, lay sleep- 
 ing six beautiful kittens. 
 
 But I am wandering from my subject, which was the time 
 when Will and Charlie were missing from church, and when, 
 to his utter astonishment, father learned that they had gone 
 to fiie consecration of a Roman Catholic church, which had 
 iy been erected a little out of the village, on an ernt- 
 n<",!ro, where its white cross could be seen from every point.
 
 44 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 Against the Catholics as a religious denomination my fa- 
 ther was prejudiced, and when he ascertained that his son, 
 born of orthodox parents, and baptized in the orthodox 
 faith, had not only run away to their church, but had also 
 paid twenty-five cents, the price of admission, he was a good 
 deal excited, and for a deacon showed considerable tem- 
 per. It was, of course, Will's doings, he having coaxed 
 Charlie to go by telling him of the wonderful sights there 
 were to be seen. 
 
 At a late hour they came home, loitering around the barn 
 a long time before they ventured into the presence of my 
 father, whom my grandmother had somewhat appeased by 
 telling him that " boys must sow their wild oats sometime, 
 and it wasn't best to be too strict with 'em, for it only made 
 'em act worse," adding that " the Catholics were not the 
 worst folks in the world, and they had just as much right to 
 their form of worship as we bad to ours." This in a measure 
 mollified him, and consequently the two boys only received 
 a long lecture, and were debarred the privilege of going to 
 the village, except on Sundays, for three weeks, a punish- 
 ment which annoyed Will exceedingly. But nothing conld 
 subdue him, and the moment the three weeks had expired 
 ho was as ready for mischief as ever. For a long time the 
 coming of a Circus had been heralded by flaming handbills 
 in red and yellow, one of which Will plastered onto our 
 great barn door, from which conspicuous post it was removed 
 by my father, who conscientiously turned his back upon men 
 and women riding on their heads, declaring it an outrage 
 upon all rules of propriety, and denouncing circuses and cir- 
 cus-going people as utterly low and vulgar. Thus from my 
 earliest remembrance had I been taught, and still my heart 
 would throb faster, whenever, with the beat of the drum 
 and the sound of the bugle, the long procession swept past
 
 COUSIN WILL. 45 
 
 our door, and more than once had I stolen to the top of the 
 hill, whence could be seen the floating banner and swaying 
 canvas, watching from afar the evil I dared not approach. 
 
 Great, then, was my surprise, when, on the morning of 
 the eventful day, Will suggested that Charlie, John, Lizzie, 
 and I should run away in the evening and visit the " doings," 
 as he called it. I was shocked that he should propose my go- 
 ing to such a place. " It was low and vulgar," I told him, 
 " and no one went there but loafers and rowdies." 
 
 But he assured me that I was mistaken, saying that " some 
 of our most respectable people attended ;" and then he won- 
 dered " how I was ever to know anything unless I once in a 
 while went to a circus, or a theatre, or something. It was 
 perfectly ridiculous," he said, " for father to keep us so cooped 
 up at home. Nobody else did so. There was Lawyer 
 Smith's daughter, and Judge Brown's niece in Albany, who 
 always went, and if it didn't hurt them, it wouldn't me." 
 
 Thus Will reasoned, persuading me at last ; and just at 
 dark, Lizzie and I, on pretence of going to bed early, went 
 to our room, dressed ourselves in our best, I donning the 
 white cambric, which I had worn on the first day of Will's 
 arrival, and then when we were ready, got out upon the 
 roof of the wood-shed, which came up under our window, 
 .descending thence by means of a ladder which Will and 
 Charlie brought from the barn. I had the utmost confidence 
 in Will, and yet as I drew near the tent, and saw the rab- 
 ble, whose appearance fully equalled my father's description, 
 I wished myself away. Just then the band inside struck up, 
 and giving rny fears to the winds, I pressed forward, once 
 involuntarily turning ray head aside, as I heard a man near 
 the door exclaim, " Deacon Lee's children, as I live 1 Is the 
 world coming to an end ?" 
 
 Instantly my face flushed, for I felt that injustice was done
 
 46 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 to my father, and my first impulse was to exonerate h'/a 
 from all blame by explaining that we had run away ; but ere 
 I could do so Will pulled me along, and in a moment we 
 were in the close, heated atmosphere of the vast arena, 
 where were congregated more than a thousand people, of all 
 ages and conditions. I was confounded, for it seemed to me 
 that each and every one was pointing towards us the finger 
 of scorn, and never since have I felt so wholly degraded and 
 ashamed as I did at the moment of my first entrance to a 
 circus ' 
 
 We had been but a short time seated, when Will, who 
 had divined my feelings, nudged my elbow, and pointing 
 towards a group just entering, said, " See, there's 'Squire 
 Talbot, his wife and daughter, Dr. Griffin, and lots more 
 of Meadow Brook aristocracy. Now, aint you glad you 
 came ? 
 
 It was as he said, and as I saw the above mentioned 
 individuals, some of them professors of religion, and all of 
 them people of the first standing in town, I can scarcely tell 
 how I felt. It was a sensation of mingled pleasure, bewilder- 
 ment, and pei'plexity. Could it be that, after all, my father 
 was wrong, that he was too strict with us, debarring us 
 from innocent amusements, for if it were proper for members 
 of the church to frequent such places, why was it not for 
 me ? Now, I can answer promptly that my father was 
 right, wholly right, but J was puzzled then, and gradually 
 I began to care less for being there, and to have less fear 
 of what father would say when he found it out. I was 
 growing very brave, entrenching myself behind the bad 
 example of those who little suspected the harm their pre- 
 sence was doing. Father did not know the ways of the 
 world, I thought, but after being enlightened by me, I was 
 sure he would become a convert at once, and possibly at
 
 COUSIN WILL. 47 
 
 the next circus he would be in attendance, but from this 
 last idea I involuntarily shrank, thinking I could never 
 respect him again, were he guilty of such a thing. 
 
 I enjoyed it vastly, all except the'riding of the girl, who 
 1 fancied had on her little sister's dress, and when she came 
 out I looked for a place where to hide my head ; but hearing 
 the spectators cheer louder than ever, I cast furtive glances 
 at those around me, discovering to my amazement that they 
 seemed more delighted with her than with anything else ; 
 while, to crown all, I heard Will telling a young man, that 
 " she was a splendid rider, that he never saw but one who 
 could beat her, and that was a girl in Albany." Then 
 turning to Lizzie, he asked if she would not like to ride in 
 that way ? 
 
 With an involuntary shudder I threw my arm around my 
 sister, as if to protect her from what I felt would be worse 
 than a thousand deaths. Gradually there was dawning 
 upon my mind the suspicion that a circus after all was not 
 exactly the school for pure young girls, and I felt that not 
 all the wealth of the Indies could tempt me to fill the post 
 that that rider did. Towards the other actors I was more 
 lenient, thinking that if ever I joined the circus, I should 
 surely be the down, whose witty speeches amused me greatly, 
 for I did not then know that they were all made up before- 
 hand, and that what he said to us to-day he would say to 
 others on the morrow. Mile. Glaraine was just finishing 
 up her performance by riding around the circle without 
 other support than the poising of one foot on a man's 
 shoulder, when who should appear but our father ! 
 
 He had missed Will and 'Charlie from family prayers, and 
 had traced them as far as the pavilion, where the fee- 
 receiver demanded a quarter ere he would allow him to 
 enter. It was in vain that father tried to explain matters,
 
 48 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 saying, "he never attended a circus in his life, and what 
 was more never should ; he'd only come for two boys who 
 had run away." 
 
 The doorkeeper was incorrigible ; "he'd seen just as honest 
 looking men," he said, " who were the greatest cheats in 
 the world, and if father wanted to go in, he could do so by 
 paying the usual fee ; if not, he must budge." 
 
 Finding there was no alternative, father yielded, and then 
 made his way into the tent, scanning with his keen grey 
 eyes the sea of faces until he singled out Charlie, who was 
 so absorbed in stamping and hallooing at Mile. Glaraine's 
 leaping through a hoop, that he never dreamed of father's 
 presence until a rough hand was laid upon his shoulder, and 
 a stern voice demanded of him why he was there ? 
 
 Perfectly thunderstruck, Charlie' started to his feet with 
 the exclamation of " Je-ru-sa-lem /" but before he could make 
 any explanation father discovered Lizzie and me. 'Twas 
 the first suspicion he had of our being there, and now, 
 when he saw us, he turned pale, and reeled as if smitten by 
 a heavy blow. Had he felled me to the earth it would have 
 hurt me less than did the expression of his face and the 
 tones of his voice, as he said, " You, too, Rosa ! I never 
 thought you would thus deceive me." 
 
 I began to cry aloud ; so did Lizzie, and in this way we 
 made our exit from the circus, followed by Charlie, John, 
 and Will, the latter of whom, the moment we were in the 
 open air, began to take the blame all to himself, saying, as 
 was very true, that we never would have thought of going 
 but for him, and suggesting that he alone should be 
 punished, as he was the one most in fault. I thought 
 this was very magnanimous in Will, and I looked up in 
 father's face to see how it affected him, but the moonlight 
 was obscure, and I could discover nothing, though the hand
 
 COUSIN WILL. 49 
 
 that held mine trembled violently. I presume he thought 
 that in this case corporal punishment would be of no avail, 
 for we received none, but iu various ways were we made 
 to feel that we had lost the confidence of the family. For 
 four long weeks we were each night locked into our rooms, 
 while for the same length of time we were kept from school, 
 Lizzie and I reciting our lessons to our mother, while Will, 
 Charlie, and John, to use their own words, " worked from 
 morning until night, like niggers." 
 
 But the worst part of it all was the temporary disgrace 
 which our act of disobedience brought upon father. A half 
 drunken fellow, who saw him enter the tent, and who knew 
 that we were there, hurried away to the village with the 
 startling intelligence that "Deacon Lee and all his family 
 were at the circus." 
 
 The news spread like wildfire, gathering strength in its 
 progress, until by the time it reached us it was a current 
 report that not only was father at the circus, but grandma 
 too ! This was more than the old lady could bear. Sixty- 
 nine years had she lived without ever having had a word 
 breathed against her morals, and now, just as her life's sun 
 was setting, to have such a thing laid to her charge was 
 too much, and she actually worried herself into a fever, 
 which confined her to the house for several weeks. 
 
 After this adventure it became a serious question in 
 father's mind as to what he should do with Will, who kept 
 our heretofore quiet household in a state of perpetual 
 excitement. Nothing seemed to have the least effect upon 
 him save the mention of his mother, and that for the time 
 being would subdue him, but when temptation came, he 
 invariably yielded, and Charlie, who was an apt scholar, 
 was pretty sure to follow where his wild, dashing cousin 
 led. There was scarcely any boyish vice to which Will 
 3
 
 50 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 was not more or less addicted, and " Deacon Lee's sons," 
 who had often been held up as patterns for their companions, 
 began soon to prove the old adage true, that " evil com- 
 munications corrupt good manners." 
 
 John learned to handle an oath quite fluently, while 
 Charlie was one Sunday morning discovered playing euchre 
 with Will on the hay loft, where they kept their cards 
 hidden. But all this was nothing compared to the night 
 when both the boys were brought home so intoxicated that 
 neither of them was able to stand alone or speak ! They 
 had been to a " raising," where the brandy bottle circulated 
 freely, Will, as a matter of course, drinking from the begin- 
 ning. Charlie, however, hesitated until they taunted him 
 with " being afraid of the old deacon," daring him " to 
 drink and be a man." Then he yielded, and with fiendish plea- 
 sure the crowd gathered around, urging him on, until he was 
 undeniably drunk; after which they chuckled with delight as 
 they wondered what the " blue Presbyterian " would say. 
 We were sitting down to supper when they brought him 
 home, and the moment mother saw him, she darted forward, 
 exclaiming, " Is he dead ? Tell me, is my boy dead ?" 
 
 " Yes, dead drunk" answered the man, with a cold, 
 ironical sneer at her distress. 
 
 He was used to it, for of five noble sons who once called 
 him their father, four slept in a drunkard's grave, and the 
 fifth had far better have been there than the wreck he was. 
 My father had risen from his seat, but at the words " he is 
 drunk," he dropped upon the floor as if scathed with the 
 lightning's stroke. You who think it a light matter the 
 holding of the wine-cup to the lips of your neighbor's child 
 you should have seen my father that night, as moan after 
 moan of anguish came from his pale lips, while the great 
 drops of perspiration stood thickly upon his forehead and
 
 COUSIN WILL. 51 
 
 about his mouth. The effect it had upon him was terri- 
 ble ; crushing him to the earth, and weaving in among his 
 hitherto brown locks more than one thread of silver. Once 
 when Charlie was with me, I heard him in the barn, praying 
 that the promise of a covenant God might be remembered 
 towards him, and that his son might yet be saved. Charlie's 
 feelings were touched, and dropping on his kuees at my side 
 he made a solemn vow that never again should ardent 
 spirits of any kind pass his lips ; and God, who heard that 
 vow mingled with my father's prayer, registered it in 
 Heaven, and from that day to this, amid all the temptations 
 which come to early manhood, it has been unbroken. 
 
 Not thus easily could Will be reached. His was the 
 sorrow of a day, which passed away with the coming of 
 to-morrow's sun, and after a long consultation, it was 
 decided that he should go to sea, and the next merchant- 
 man bound for the East Indies, which sailed from Boston, 
 bore on its deck, as a common sailor, our cousin Will, who 
 went from us reluctantly, for to him there was naught but 
 terror, toil, and fear in " a life on the ocean wave." But 
 there was no other way to save him, they said, and so with 
 bitter grief at our hearts, we bade adieu to the wayward 
 boy, praying that God would give the winds and waves 
 charge concerning him, and that no danger might befall him 
 when afar on the rolling billow.
 
 62 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE SCHOOLMISTRESS. 
 
 OF the many thousand individuals destined to become 
 the purchasers of a copy of this work, a majority have 
 undoubtedly been, or are still teachers, and of these many 
 will remember the time when they fancied that to be 
 invested with the dignity of a teacher was to secure the 
 greatest amount of happiness which earth can bestow. 
 Almost from my earliest remembrance it had been the one 
 great subject which engrossed my thoughts, and frequently, 
 when strolling down the shady hill-side which led to our 
 schoolhouse, have I fancied myself the teacher, thinking 
 that if such were really the case, my first act should be the 
 chastisement of half a score or more boys, who were in the 
 daily habit of annoying me in various ways. Every word 
 and action of my teacher, too, was carefully noted and laid 
 away against the time, when I should need them, and which 
 came much sooner than I anticipated ; for one rainy mor- 
 ning when Lizzie and I were playing in the garret, I over- 
 heard my father saying there was a chance for Rosa to 
 teach school. 
 
 " What, that child !" was my mother's exclamation, but 
 ere he could reply, " the child " had bounded down two 
 pair of stairs, and stood at his elbow, asking, " Who is it ?
 
 THE SCHOOLMISTRESS. 53 
 
 Where is it ? And do you suppose I can get a cer- 
 tificate ?" 
 
 This last idea damped my ardor somewhat, for horrible 
 visions came up before me, of the " Abbreviations " and 
 " Sounds of the Vowels," in both of which I was rather 
 deficient. 
 
 " You teach school 1 You look like it I" said my sister 
 Juliet. " Why, in less than three days, you'd be teetering 
 with the girls, if indeed you didn't climb trees with the 
 boys." 
 
 This climbing was undeniably a failing of mine, there 
 being scarcely a tree on the farm on whose topmost limbs I 
 hadn't at some time or other been perched ; but I was older 
 now. I was thirteen two days before, and so I reminded Juliet, 
 at the same time begging of father to tell me all about it. 
 It appeared that he had that day met with a Mr. Randall, 
 the trustee of Pine District, who was in quest of a teacher. 
 After learning that the school was small, father ventured to 
 propose me, who, he said, " was crazy to keep school." 
 
 " A dollar a week is the most we can give her," returned 
 Mr. Randall, '" and if you'll take up with that, mebby we'll 
 try her. New beginners sometimes do the best." 
 
 So it was arranged that I was to teach fifteen weeks for 
 four dollars per month and board round at that ! Boarding 
 round ! How many reminiscences do these two words recall 
 to those who, like myself, have tried it, and who know that 
 it has a variety of significations. That sometimes it is only 
 another name for sleeping with every child in the family 
 where your home for one week may chance to be for how 
 can you be insensible to the oft-repeated whisper, " / shall 
 sleep with her to-night ma said I might ;" and of " ma's " 
 audible answer, " Perhaps, sis, she don't want you to." 
 
 If "sis" is a clean, chubby-looking little creature, you do
 
 54 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 want her; but if, as it not unfrequcntly happens, she is just the 
 opposite, I draw a blank which almost every coun- 
 try teacher in the land can fill, merely saying that there is 
 no alternative. "We have got the district to please and we 
 must do it some way or other. 
 
 Again, "boarding round" means a quiet, cozy spot, 
 where everything is so pleasant and cheerful, where the 
 words are so kind and the smile of welcome so sweet, that 
 you feel at once at home, and wish, oh, how you do wish, 
 you could stay there all the summer long ; but it cannot 
 be ; the time of your allotted sojourn passes away, and 
 then with a sigh, if indeed you can repress a tear, you 
 gather up your combs, brushes, and little piece of em- 
 broidery, to which some spiteful woman has said " you 
 devote more time than to your school," and putting them in 
 your sachel, depart for another home, sometimes as plea- 
 sant as the one you are leaving, sometimes not. 
 
 But of these annoyances I knew nothing, and when Mr. 
 Randall came to see me. calling me Miss Lee, and when I 
 was really engaged, my happiness was complete. In a 
 country neighborhood every item of news, however slight, 
 spreads rapidly, and the fact that I was to teach soon 
 became generally known, creating quite a sensation, and 
 operating differently upon different natures. Oue old gen- 
 tleman, who, times innumerable, had held me on his knee, 
 feeding my vanity with flattery, and my stomach with sweet- 
 meats, was quite as much delighted as I, declaring, " he al- 
 ways knew I was destined to make something great." 
 
 Dear old man I When the snows of last winter were high 
 piled upon the earth, they dug for him a grave in the frozen 
 ground, and in the world where now he lives, he will not 
 know, perhaps, that I shall never fulfill his prophecy. 
 
 Aunt Sally Wright, who, besides managing her own af-
 
 THE SCHOOLMISTRESS. 55 
 
 fairs, kept an eye on her neighbors', and who looked upon 
 me as a " pert, forward piece," gave her opinion freely. 
 " What ! That young one keep school ! Is Deacon Lee 
 crazy ? Ain't Rose stuck up enough now ? But never 
 mind. You'll see she won't keep out more'n half her time, 
 if she does that." 
 
 Aunt Sally was gifted with the power of telling fortunes 
 by means of tea-grounds, and I have always fancied she 
 read that prediction in the bottom of her big blue cup, for 
 how could she otherwise have known what actually happened! 
 Ere long the news reached Pine District, creating quite an 
 excitement, the older people declaring " they'd never send 
 to a little girl," while the juvenile portion of the inhabitants 
 gave a contemptuous whistle or so in honor of the school 
 ma'am elect. Mrs. Capt. Thompson, who boasted the big- 
 gest house, handsomest carpet and worst boy in Pine Hill, 
 was wholly incredulous, until she one day chanced to meet 
 with Aunt Sally, who not only confirmed it, but also kindly 
 gave her many little items touching my character as a " wild, 
 romping minx, who was no more qualified for a teacher than 
 for the Queen of England," citing as proof of what she said, 
 that only the year before she had seen me " trying to ride 
 on a cow." 
 
 Mrs. Capt. Thompson, who was blessed with an over- 
 whelming sense of propriety, was greatly shocked, saying 
 " she'd always thought Mr. Randall knew just enough to 
 hire a child," and consoling herself with the remark that " it 
 was not at all probable I'd get a certificate." 
 
 On this point I was myself a little fearful. True, I had 
 been " sent away " to school, and had been flattered into the 
 belief that I possessed far more book knowledge than I did ; 
 but this, I knew, would avail me nothing with the formid- 
 able committee who held my destiny in their hands. They
 
 6 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 were unbiased in my favor, and had probably never heard 
 of me, as they lived in an adjoining town. But " where 
 there's a will there's a way," and determining not to fail, I 
 ransacked the cupboard, where our school-books were kept, 
 bringing thence Olney's Geography, Colburn's Arithmetic, 
 History of the United States, Grammars, etc., all of which were 
 for days my constant companions, and I even slept with one 
 or more of them under my pillow, so that with the earliest 
 dawn I could study. Whole pages of Geography were com- 
 mitted to memory, all the hardest problems in Colburn were 
 solved, a dozen or more of compound relatives were parsed and 
 disposed of to ^satisfaction at least, and I was just begin- 
 ning to feel strong in my own abilities, when one Monday 
 morning news was brought us that at three o'clock that af- 
 ternoon all who were intending to teach in the town 
 
 of S were to meet at the house of the Rev. Mr. Parks, 
 
 then and there to be questioned of what they knew and what 
 they didn't know. This last referred to me, for now that the 
 dreaded day had come, I felt that every idea had suddenly left 
 me, while, to increase my embarrassment, I was further in- 
 formed that as there had the year previous been some trouble 
 among the School Inspectors, each of whom fancied that the 
 other did not take his share of the work, the town had this 
 year thoiight to obviate the difficulty by electing nine ! 
 
 O'ne was bad enough, but at the thought of nine men in 
 spectacles my heart sank within me, and it was some time 
 ere I could be persuaded to make the trial. In the midst 
 of our trouble, Aunt Sally, whose clothes oil Monday morn- 
 ings were always swinging on the line before light, and who 
 usually spent the afternoon of that day in visiting, came in, 
 and after learning what was the cause of my flushed cheeks, 
 said, by way of comforting me, that "she didn't wonder an 
 atom if I felt streaked, for 'twant no ways likely I'd pass !"
 
 THE SCHOOLMISTRESS. 57 
 
 This roused my pride, and with the mental comment that 
 " I'd pass for all her," I got myself in readiness, Juliet 
 lending me her green veil, and Anna her fine pocket hand- 
 kerchief, while mother's soft warm shawl was wrapped loving- 
 ly about me, and Lizzie slipped into my pocket the Multipli- 
 cation Table, which she thought I might manage to look at 
 slily in case of an emergency. On our way father com- 
 menced the examination by asking me the length of the 
 Mississippi, but I didn't know as it had a length, and in des- 
 pair he gave up his questioning. 
 
 Oh, how sombre and dreary seemed the little parlor into 
 which we were ushered by the servant, who, on learning our 
 business, looked rather doubtfully at me, as much as to say, 
 " You surely can't be one of them ?" In a short time the 
 parlor was filled, the entire nine being there. Not one was 
 absent, and in a row directly opposite, they sat, some tipped 
 back in a lounging attitude, some cutting their finger nails 
 with their penknives, while others sat up stiff and stern, the 
 whole presenting a most formidable appearance. There 
 were eight or ten candidates present, and unfortunately for 
 me, I was seated at what I called the foot of the class. It 
 seemed that the most of them were acquainted, and as I was 
 almost the only stranger present, it was but natural that 
 they should look at me rather more that I liked. My pan- 
 talets evidently attracted their attention, but by dint of 
 drawing up my feet and pushing down my dress I hoped to 
 hide my short-comings. 
 
 When, at last, the examination commenced, I found, to my 
 great delight, that Geography was the subject introduced, 
 and my heart beat high, for I thought of the pages I could 
 repeat and ardently longed for a chance to display ! Un- 
 fortunately for me they merely questioned us from the map, 
 and breathlessly I awaited my turn. At length the young 
 3*
 
 58 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 lady who sat next to nie was asked " What two rivers 
 unite and form the Ohio ?" I looked at her sidewise. The 
 bloom deepened on her cheek, and I was sure she had for- 
 gotten. Involuntarily I felt tempted to tell her, but did 
 not, and Mr. Parks, looking inquiringly at me, said, " Per- 
 haps the next one can. Ahem !" 
 
 He caught sight of my offending pantalets, and thinking 
 me some child who had come with her sister, was about to 
 pass me by. But I was not to be slighted in that way, par- 
 ticularly when I knew the answer ; so, with the air of one 
 who, always at the foot, accidently spells a word right and 
 starts for the head, I spoke out loud and distinctly " Alle- 
 ghany and Monongahela," glancing at my father just in time 
 to catch a nod of encouragement. 
 
 " The Nine " were taken by surprise, and instantly three 
 pair of eyes with glasses and six pair without glasses were 
 brought to bear upon me. For reasons best known to 
 themselves, they asked me a great variety of questions, all 
 of which I answered correctly, I believe ; at least they made 
 no comment, and were evidently vastly amused with their 
 new specimen, asking me how old I was, and exchanging 
 smiles at my reply, " Thirteen, four weeks ago to-day." One 
 of my fellow-teachers, who sat near me, whispered to her 
 next neighbor, " She's older than that, I know ;" for which 
 remark Pve never quite forgiven her. Arithmetic was the 
 last branch introduced, and as mathematics was rather ray 
 forte, I had now no fears of failing but I did ! A ques- 
 tion in Decimals puzzled me, and coloring to my temples, I 
 replied " I don't know," while two undeniable tears dropped 
 into my lap. 
 
 " Never mind, sis," said one of the nine. " You know 
 most everything else, and have done bravely." 
 
 T was as sure of my certificate then as T was fifteen min-
 
 THE SCHOOLMISTRESS. 59 
 
 utes afterwards, when a little slip of paper was given me, 
 declaring me competent to teach a common school. 1 
 thought it was all over, and was adjusting mother's shawl 
 and tying on Juliet's veil, when they asked me to write 
 something that they might see a specimen of my penman- 
 ship. Taking the pen, I dashed off with a flourish " Rosa 
 Lee," at which I thought they peered more curiously than 
 need be and one of them, Dr. Clayton, a young man, and a 
 handsome one, too, said something about its being " very 
 poetical." He hadn't seen the negro song then. 
 
 The shadows of evening had long since fallen when we 
 stopped at our door, where we found mother anxiously 
 waiting for us. Very wistfully she looked in my face ere she 
 asked the important question. 
 
 " Yes, I've got one," said T, bounding from the buggy, 
 " and I'd like to be examined every day, it's such fun." 
 
 "Didn't you miss a word ?" asked Juliet. 
 
 " Oh, I'm so glad 1" cried Lizzie. 
 
 " Feel big, don't you ?" suggested Charlie, while Anna in- 
 quired " if I'd lost her pocket-handkerchief !"
 
 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 PINE HI LL. 
 
 Ere long, exaggerated rumors reached Meadow Brook of the 
 very creditable manner in which I had acquitted myself at the 
 examination, whereupon Aunt Sally Wright was quite taken 
 aback. Soon rallying, however, she had recourse to her 
 second prediction, which was that " I should not teach more 
 than half the summer out." Perhaps I wrong the old lady, 
 but I cannot help thinking that the ill-natured stories con- 
 cerning myself, which she set afloat at Pine Hill, were in a 
 great measure the cause of her prophecy being fulfilled. 
 Never before, to my knowledge, had she visited at Capt. 
 Thompson's, but now she spent an entire day there, bring- 
 ing back to us the intelligence that John Thompson, a boy 
 just one year my se;iior, was going to stay at home that 
 summer, as " Miss Cap'n Thompson hadn't no idee I could 
 teach him." 
 
 Added to this was the comforting assurance, that " Cap'n 
 Thompson was hoppin' mad because Mr. Randall had hired me 
 in preference to his sister Dell, who had herself applied for the 
 school." This, as I afterwards learned, was the secret of 
 the dislike which, from the first, the Thompsons entertained 
 for me. They had no daughter, but the captain's half sister 
 Dell had lived with him ever since his marriage, and between
 
 PINE HILL. 61 
 
 her and their hopeful son John, the affections of himself and 
 wife were nearly equally divided. 
 
 Dell Thompson was a proud, overbearing girl, about 
 eighteen years of age, who esteemed herself far better than 
 her neighbors, with whom she seldom associated, her ac- 
 quaintances living mostly at what was failed " the Centre " 
 of the town. It seems that she had applied for the summer 
 school, but remembering that she had once called him 
 a " country clown and his wife ignorant and vulgar," Mr. 
 Randall had refused her and accepted me. Notwithstand- 
 ing that the people of Pine Hill generally disliked the 
 Thompsons, there was among them a feeling of dissatisfac- 
 tion when it became known that I was preferred to Dell, 
 who, they thought, would have given tone, and character to 
 the school, for " it wasn't every big lug who would stoop to 
 teach." 
 
 Of this state of affairs I was fortunately ignorant, and 
 never do I remember a happier morning than that on which 
 I first took upon myself the responsibilities of a teacher. By 
 sunrise, the little hair trunk, which grandma lent me, was 
 packed and stood waiting on the door-step, where I had 
 carried it, thinking thus to accelerate the movements of my 
 father, who did not seem to be in any particular hurry, tell- 
 ing me, " he'd no idea that school would be commenced before 
 we got there 1" Grandma had suggested the propriety of 
 letting down my dresses, a movement which I warmly 
 seconded, but mother said " No, she did not like to see lit- 
 tle girls dressed like grown up women ;" so, in my new plaid 
 gingham and white pantalets, I waited impatient!} 7 until the 
 clock struck seven, at which time father announced himself 
 ready. 
 
 " When will you come home ?" asked mother, as she fol- 
 lowed me to the gate.
 
 62 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 " In three weeks," was my reply, as I bounded into the 
 buggy, which soon moved away. 
 
 Pine Hill is not-at all remarkable for its beautiful scene- 
 ry, and as old Sorrel trotted leisurely along, down one 
 steep hill and up another, through a haunted swamp, where 
 a man had once, to his great terror, seen his departed wife, 
 and over a piece of road, where the little grassy ridges said, 
 as plain as grassy ridges could say, that the travel- 
 lers there were few and far between, my spirits low- 
 ered a little. But, anon, the prospect brightened, and 
 in the distance we saw the white walls of Capt. Thompson's 
 residence gleaming through the mass of evergreens which 
 surrounded it. This, however, soon disappeared, and for a 
 mile or more my eye met with nothing save white birches, 
 grey rocks, green ferns, and blackberry bushes, until sudden- 
 ly turning a corner, we came to a halt before one of those 
 slanting-roofed houses so common in New England. It was 
 the home of Mr. Randall, and it was there that I was to 
 board the first week. In the doorway, eating bread and 
 molasses, were his three children, who, the moment they saw 
 us, set up a shout of " somebody's come. I guess it's tho 
 school-ma'am !" and straightway they took to their heels as 
 if fleeing from the presence of a tigress. 
 
 After a moment, the largest of them ventured to return, 
 and his example was soon followed by the other two, the 
 younger of whom, after eyeing me askance, lisped out, "Don 
 Thompthon thays he aint afraid of you ; he can lick you 
 like dunchr !" 
 
 This was a pleasant commencement, but I smiled down 
 upon the little boy, patting his curly head, while father 
 inquired for Mrs. Randall, who, we learned, was sweeping 
 the schoolhouse. Leaving the hair trunk, which was used 
 by the children for a horse ere we left the yard, we again
 
 PINE HILL. 63 
 
 set forward, and soon reached our place of destination, 
 which, without shade-tree or ornament of any kind, stood 
 half-way up a long, sunny hill, commanding a view of 
 nothing save the weathercock of Captain Thompson's barn, 
 which was visible across the orchard opposite. We found 
 Mrs. Randall enveloped in a cloud of dust, her sleeves rolled 
 up, and her head covered by a black silk handkerchief. 
 
 " The room wasn't fit for the pigs," she said, " and ought 
 to have been cleaned, but somehow nobody took any interest 
 in school this summer, and I'd have to make it answer." 
 
 I didn't care particularly for the room, which, in truth, 
 was dirty and disagreeable enough, but the words " no- 
 body took any interest this summer," affected me unplea- 
 santly, for iu them I saw a dim foreshadowing of all that 
 ensued. Father, who was in a hurry, soon left me, bidding 
 me " be a good girl, and not get to romping with the 
 scholars." From the window 1 watched him until he dis- 
 appeared over the sandy hill, half wishing, though I would 
 not then confess it, that I and the little trunk were with 
 him. I was roused from my reverie by Mrs. Randall, who, 
 for some time, had been looking inquisitively at me, and 
 who now said, " Ain't you but thirteen ?" 
 
 "No, ina'rn," I answered. 
 
 "Wall," she returned, "it beats all how much older you 
 look. I should s'pose you was" full sixteen, if not more. 
 But it's all iu your favor, and I guess you'll be more likely 
 to suit the deestrict, though they're afraid you havn't any 
 government, and they're terrible hard to suit. So, if 1's 
 you," she continued, " I'd hold a pretty tight rein at first. 
 I give you full liberty to whip my young ones if they don't 
 behave.' They know better than to complain at home." 
 
 Involuntarily I glanced at the clump of alders which 
 grew near the house, and it they were somewhat diminished
 
 6-1 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 ere my reign was o*er, the "Deestrict" owed it to Mrs. 
 Randall's suggestion. After sitting awhile, she arose to go, 
 telling me " she should expect me at night," arid then I was 
 alone. I looked at my watch ; it was half-past eight, and 
 not a scholar yet. This was widely different from Meadow 
 Brook, where, by seven, the house was generally filled with 
 children, hallooing, quarrelling over seats, and watching 
 eagerly for the first sight of " the new schoolma'arn." Here 
 the tables were turned, and "the schoolina'ani " was watch- 
 ing for her scholars ! 
 
 Suddenly a large bumble-bee came buzzing in, and alight- 
 ed on a window opposite. Like Sir Thomas the Good, in 
 the Ingoldsby Legends, I have a passion for capturing 
 insects, especially whitefaced bumble-bees, and now I felt 
 strongly inclined to mount the desks in pursuit of the 
 intruder, but -the thought " What if the scholars should 
 detect me ?" prevented, and, to this day, I have never 
 known whether that bumble-bee had a white, face, or be- 
 longed to the class of colored brethren ! Ten minutes of 
 nine, and I began to grow fidgety. I should have been 
 more so, had I known how much is sometimes said about 
 teachers not keeping their hours. Five minutes of nine, 
 and round the corner at the foot of the hill appeared a 
 group of children, while from another direction came others, 
 shouting for those in advance to " wait," which they did, 
 and the whole entered the house together. A few of the 
 girls made a slight obeisance, while the boys laughed, and 
 throwing down their books in a very consequential manner, 
 looked distrustfully at me. My age had preceded me, and 
 in many of these childish hearts there was already a spirit 
 of rebellion. 
 
 Here I would speak against the impropriety of discussing 
 a teacher's faults in the presence of pupils, who will
 
 PINE HILL. 65 
 
 discover them soon enough. Many a teacher sfhrts disad- 
 vantageously because of some idle tale, which may or may 
 not be true, but which, borne on the wings of gossip, 
 reaches its place of destination, and is there thoughtlessly 
 canvassed in the hearing of children, who thus become 
 prejudiced against a person they have never seen, and whom 
 they otherwise might have liked. In my case, the fault was 
 my age, which had evidently been discussed in the neigh- 
 borhood ; for, on opening my desk, I found inscribed upon 
 the lid, in a bold schoolboy style, " Rosa Lee, aged 13," 
 to which was appended, in a more delicate hand, "Ancient 
 very 1" 
 
 Taking my India-rubber, I erased it while 
 were settling the matter of seats, which, stran^ 
 they did without disputing. Then there ensued" 
 silence, and the eyes of all present turned inquiringl 
 me, while, with sundry flourishes with my silver pencil, I 
 proceeded to take down upon a big sheet of foolscap the 
 names, ages, and " what studies do you intend to pursue ?" 
 of my pupils. After much talking and arranging, the 
 school was organized ; but the first morning dragged heavily, 
 and when 12 o'clock came, and I drew from my sachel the 
 uice ginger snaps which mother had made, the sight of 
 them, or the taste, or something else, choked me so much 
 that I was obliged to wink hard, and count the rows of 
 trees in the orchard opposite twice, ere I could answer the 
 question addressed to me by one of the little girls. 
 
 In the rear of the house was a long strip of dense woods, 
 and wishing to be alone and out of sight of the sports in 
 which I felt I must not join, I took my bonnet and wandered 
 thither. Seating myself upon a mossy log, I tried to fancy 
 that I was at home beneath the dear old grape-vine, the 
 faintest rustle rf whose broad green leaves would, at that
 
 <56 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 moment, b*ve been to me like the sweetest music. But it 
 could not be. I was a schoolmistress Miss Lee, they 
 called me, and on my brow the shadows of life were thus 
 early making their impress. Slowly to me dragged the 
 hour which always before had been so short, and when at 
 last I took my way back to school, it seemed that in that 
 short space I had lived an age. Often since, when I have 
 looked upon young teachers hastening to their task, I've 
 pitied them, for I knew full well how long and wearisome 
 would be their first day's labor. 
 
 As I approached the schoolhouae I saw that something 
 was the matter, for the scholars were greatly excited, and 
 with voices raised to the highest pitch, were discussing 
 S ^^||B of importance. Thinking that my presence 
 would -perhaps restrain them from such noisy demonstra- 
 tions", I hastened forward, but the babel rather increased 
 than diminished, and it was with difficulty that I could 
 learn the cause of the commotion. George Randall was 
 crying, while a little apart from him stood two boys, one of 
 them apparently fourteen and the other twelve. They were 
 strangers to me and instinctively I felt that they were in 
 some way connected with the disturbance ; and that the 
 larger and more important looking was John Thompson, a 
 surmise which proved to be correct. 
 
 It seemed that Isaac Ross, one of the new corners, had 
 some weeks before selected for himself a corner seat, which, 
 as he was not present in the morning, had been taken by 
 George Randall, who knew nothing of Isaac's intentions, 
 and who now refused to give it up. A fight was the result, 
 the most of the scholars taking sides with George, while 
 Isaac was urged on and encouraged by John Thompson, 
 who, though not a pupil, had come up " to see how he liked 
 the schoolnia'am ' As a matter of course an appeal was
 
 PIXE HILL. 67 
 
 made to me, to know " if George hadn't the best right to 
 the seat," 
 
 Perhaps I was wrong, but I decided that he had, at the 
 same time asking Isaac " if he were coming to school." 
 
 " I ain't goin' to do anything else," said he, glancing 
 towards John, who, with a wicked leer at me, knocked off 
 one of the little boys' hats and then threw it up in the 
 air. 
 
 What would have ensued next I do not know, for at that 
 moment Captain Thompson rode round the corner and 
 called to his son, who, with mock deference, bowed politely 
 to me and walked away. Disagreeable as Isaac Ross 
 appeared in the presence of John Thompson, I found that 
 when left to himself he was quite a different boy, and 
 though he at first manifested some reluctance to taking 
 another seat, he at last yielded the point, and for the 
 remainder of the day conducted himself with perfect pro- 
 priety. 
 
 On the whole, the afternoon passed away rather plea- 
 santly, and at night, when school was out, I started for my 
 boarding-place quite contented with teachers generally, and 
 myself in particular. In passing the different houses which 
 stood upon the road-side, I demeaned myself with the 
 utmost dignity, swinging my short dress from side to side in 
 imitation of a Boston lady who had once taught in our dis- 
 trict, and whose manner of walking I greatly admired ! 
 From the window of Captain Thompson's dwelling I caught 
 a glimpse of two faces, which were hastily .withdrawn, but 
 I felt sure that from behind the curtains they were 
 scanning my appearance, and I remember lowering my 
 .1 a little, just to tantalize them ! But when at last I 
 ver the hill and out of sight, oh, how glad I was to 
 be " Kosa Lee '' again, free to pluck the sweet, wild flowers,
 
 68 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 to watch the little fishes in the running brook, or even to 
 chase a white-faced bumble-bee if I liked. 
 
 About fifty rods from Mr. Randall's stands one of those 
 old-fashioned, gable-roofed houses, so common in some parts 
 of New England, and here, at the time of which I am 
 speaking, lived Mrs. Ross, the mother of Isaac, or Ike, as he 
 was familiarly called. I had never met the lady, but as I 
 approached the house and saw a tall, square-shouldered 
 woman leaning on the gate, I naturally thought that it 
 might be she; and on this point I was not long left in 
 doubt, for the moment I came within speaking distance, she 
 called out, " How dy' do, Miss Lee I s'pose 'tis ? You 
 pretty well ? I'm Miss Ross, Isick's mother. He telled me 
 that he had some fuss about a seat that he picked out 
 more'n a month ago, and thinks he orto have. I don't 
 never calkerlate to take sides with my children, 'cause I've 
 kept school myself, and I know how bad 'tis, but I do 
 hate to have Isick git a miff again the schoolma'am on 
 the first start, and if I's you I'd let him have the seat 
 instead of George Randall, for uiebby folks'll say you're par- 
 tial to George, bein' that his father's committee-man, and 
 I've kept school enough to know that partiality won't do." 
 
 As well as I could, I explained the matter to her, telling 
 her I wished to do right, and meant to as far as I knew 
 how. 
 
 " I presume you do," said she, " or I shouldn't a' taken 
 the liberty to speak to you. I knew you's young, and I felt 
 afeard you didn't know what an undertakin' it was to teach 
 the young idee how to s/iute. The schoolrna'ams have 
 always thought a sight of me, and generally tell me all their- 
 troubles, so I know jest how to take their part when the 
 rest of the folks are again 'em. Was Susan Brown to 
 school ? But e-he wasn't though, I know she wasn't,"
 
 PINE HILL. 69 
 
 I replied that there was a little girl present of that name, 
 and my companion continued : " Now I'll give up, if Miss 
 Brown has come round enough to send, when she was so 
 dreadfully opposed to your teaching you've heerd about it, 
 I s'pose ?" 
 
 I answered that "I didn't know that any one had opposed 
 me except Mrs. Thompson." 
 
 " Oh, yes," said she, assuming an injured look and tone. 
 " Everybody knows about that, and there's some sense in 
 their beiu' mad, for 'twas plaguy mortifyin' to Dell to offer 
 to teach and be rejected by Mr. Randall, a man that none 
 of the Thompsons would wipe their old shoes on, and then, 
 'tisn't every big bug that will stoop to teach, for you know 
 'tain't considered fust cut." 
 
 " No, I didn't know it," and so I said, but she assured me 
 of the fact, quoting as authority, both Mrs. Thompson and 
 Dell, who, I found, were her oracles in everything. After a 
 time I brought her back to Mrs. Brown, whose husband, she 
 said, was gone to sea, and who had herself applied for the 
 school. 
 
 " But between you and me," she added, speaking in a 
 whisper, " it's a mighty good thing that she didn't get it, 
 for she ain't the likeliest person that ever was, and nobody 
 under the sun would have sent to her. Isick shouldn't a' 
 gone a single day, for her morals is very bad. She used to 
 belong to the Orthodox Church, but they turned her out for 
 dancin' at a party, and when she lived in Wooster she 
 jined the 'Piscopals, who, you know, let their members cut 
 up all sorts' but, land sakes ! how I'm talkin'! You must 
 not breathe a word I say, for I rna^e it a pint not to slan- 
 der my neighbors, and if everybody minded their own 
 business as well as I do, there wouldn't be so much back- 
 bitiu' as there is. And that makes me think I've half
 
 70 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 a mind to caution you but no, I guess I won't mebV) 
 you'll tell on't." 
 
 Of course my curiosity was roused, and of course I said 
 I wouldn't tell; whereupon she proceeded to inform me that 
 Mrs. Randall was a very talkin' woman, and I must be 
 pretty careful in her presence. " You can tell me anything 
 you wish to," said she, " for I'm a master hand to keep a 
 secret; but Miss Randall is forever in hot water. She and 
 Miss Brown are hand in glove, and both on 'em turn up 
 their noses at Miss Thompson and Dell, who never pretend 
 to make anything of 'em. I'm considerable intimate at the 
 Captain's, and I know all about it. Dell is smart as a steel 
 trap, and it's a pity she's took such a dislike to you." 
 
 " I don't think she ought to blame me," said I, " for I 
 didn't know as she wanted the school " 
 
 " 'Tain't that altogether," resumed Mrs. Ross, again speak- 
 ing in a whisper. " 'Tain't that altogether, and if you'll 
 never lisp a word on't I'll tell you the hull story." 
 
 I gave the required promise, and then Mrs. Ross proceed- 
 ed to inform me that Dell was jealous of me." 
 
 " Jealous !" I exclaimed. " How can that be ?" 
 
 " You remember Dr. Clayton, don't you ?" said she. 
 
 " Yes, I remember him, but what has he to do with Miss 
 Thompson's being jealous of me !" 
 
 '' Why," returned Mrs. Ross, " Dell's kinder settin' her 
 cap for him, and I guess he's a snickerin' notion after her. 
 Any way he comes there pretty often. Well, he was there 
 the week after the examination, and told 'em about you. 
 He said you was bright as a new guinea, and had better 
 larnin' than half the teachers, and then you had such a 
 sweet name Rose he liked it. You orto have seen how 
 mad Dell was at you after he was gone. I don't b'lieve 
 she'll ever git over it."
 
 PINE HILL. 71 
 
 Here Ike called out that " the Johnny-cake was burnt 
 blacker than his hat/' and forthwith Mrs. Ross started for 
 the house, first bidding me " keep dark," and telling me she 
 hoped " I wouldn't be partial to Mr. Randall's children, for 
 they needed lickin' if ever young ones did they warn't 
 brought up like Isick, who was governed so well at home 
 that he didn't need it at school." 
 
 I was learning to read the world's great book fast very 
 fast and with a slightly heavy heart I turned away, paus- 
 ing once while Mrs. Ross, from the doorstep, called to me, 
 saying, that " she guessed I'd better give Isick the seat to- 
 morrow, seeiii' his heart was set on't." 
 
 I found Mrs. Randall waiting to receive me in a clean 
 gingham dress and apron, with her round, good-humored face 
 shining as if it had been through the same process with the 
 long line of suow-vvhite linen, which was swinging in the 
 clothes-yard. The little hair trunk had been removed to the 
 " best room," which was to be mine. The big rqpking-chair 
 was brought out for me, the round tea table, nicely spread, 
 stood in the centre of the floor, and Mrs. Randall hoped I 
 would make myself at home, and put up with her own rough 
 ways if I could. To be sure, she didn't have things quite as 
 nice as Mrs. Captain Thompson, but she did as well as she 
 knew how. Dear Mrs. Randall ! how my heart warmed to- 
 wards her ; and as I took my seat at the table, and she 
 helped me to a larger slice of pure white honeycomb than I 
 had ever before been allowed to eat at one time, I felt that I 
 would not exchange her house for a home at Capt. Thompson's. 
 
 Without any intention of revealing what Mrs. Ross had 
 imparted to me, I still felt a great curiosity to know Mrs. 
 Randall's opinion of her ; so, after a time, I ventured to 
 speak of my having seen her, and to ask when and where she 
 taught school. With a merry laugh, Mrs. Randall replied,
 
 72 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 " I wonder, now, if she's made your acquaintance so soon ! 
 She told you, I suppose, to come to her with all your trou- 
 bles, for she knew just how to pity you, as she'd been a 
 schoolma'am herself." 
 
 My flushed checks betrayed the fact that Mrs. Randall 
 had guessed rightly, and after a moment she continued : 
 " Her keeping school amounts to this. When she was a girl, 
 a friend of hers who was teaching wanted to go away for 
 two days, and got Miss Ross, then Nancy Sinedly, to take her 
 place, and that's the long and short of her experience. She's 
 a meddlesome woman, and makes more trouble in the Dis- 
 trict than anybody else. She tried to make Miss Brown 
 think she was misused, because we wouldn't hire her instead 
 of you, who applied first, and for a spell, I guess Miss Brown 
 was a little sideways, but she's a" sensible woman and has got 
 all over it." 
 
 I was about to tell her of the trouble between George and 
 Ike, when she anticipated me by saying, " George says he 
 and Ike Ross^ about a seat, and I've hired him to give it 
 up peaceably, for if Miss Ross gets miffed in the beginning, 
 there's no knowing what kind of a row she'll raise, and you 
 are so young I feel kinder tender of you." 
 
 If there were tears in my eyes, they were not tears of 
 grief, and if I was pleased with Mrs. Randall before, I liked 
 her ten times better now, for I saw 4n her a genuine sincer- 
 ity which convinced me she was my friend indeed. To be 
 sure, she was rather rough and unrefined, but her heart was 
 right, and in her treatment of me, she was always kind and 
 considerate, making ample allowance for my errors and 
 warmly defending me when she thought I was misused. If 
 in every District there were more like Mrs. Randall, the 
 teacher's lot would not be one half so hard to bear as often- 
 times it is.
 
 PI.VE HILL. 78 
 
 When I awoke next morning I heard the large rain- 
 drops pattering against the window, and on pushing aside 
 the curtain, I saw that the dark heavy clouds betokened a 
 dull rainy day. Involuntarily, I thought of the old garret at 
 home, where on such occasions we always resorted, " raising 
 Cain generally," as Sally said, and when, with umbrella, blank- 
 et-shawl, and overshoes, I started for school, I looked and felt 
 forlorn indeed. Raining as it was, it did not prevent Mrs. 
 Ross from coming out with the table-spread over her head, 
 to tell me that " though she never warn't an atom particu- 
 lar, and never meant to interfere with teachers, as she knew 
 just what it was, she did hope I'd give Isick the seat, and 
 not be partial to George Randall." 
 
 I replied that "I'd see to it," and was hurrying along, 
 when she again stopped me to know " what I'd got in my 
 dinner basket that was good." 
 
 Afterwards I found it to be one of her greatest peculiari- 
 ties, this desire to know what her neighbors had to eat, and 
 I seldom passed her door that she did not inquire of me con- 
 cerning the " kind of fare " I had at the different places 
 where I boarded. When I reached the schoolhouse, I 
 found George Randall transferring his books to another part 
 of the room, at the same time telling Isaac " he could have the 
 disputed seat if he wanted it." 
 
 With the right kind of training and influence Isaac Ross 
 would have been a fine boy, for there were in his disposition 
 many noble traits of character, and when he saw how read- 
 ily George gave up the seat, he refused to take it, saying, 
 " he didn't care a darn where he sat one place was as good 
 as another." 
 
 That day was long and dreary enough. Not more than 
 half the children were there, and I found it exceedingly tire- 
 some and monotonous, sitting in that bard, splint-bottomed 
 
 4 '
 
 74 MEADOW BKOOK. 
 
 chair, and telling Emma Fitch and Sophia Brown, for the 
 hundredth time, that the round letter was " 0" and the crooked 
 one " S." The scholars, too, began to grow noisy, and to ask 
 me scores of useless questions. Their lessons were half 
 learned, and if I made a suggestion, I was quickly informed 
 that their former teacher, Sally Daram, didn't do so. Even 
 little Emma Fitch, when I bade her keep her eyes on the 
 book instead of letting them wander about the room, lisped 
 out that " Thally Danim let her look off ;" a fact I did not 
 dispute when I found that she had been to school all winter 
 without learning a single letter by sight, though she could 
 repeat the entire alphabet forward and back and be all the 
 while watching a squirrel on the branches of the tree which 
 grew near the window. 
 
 Before night a peculiar kind of sickness, never dangerous, 
 but decidedly disagreeable, began to creep over me, and 
 had it not been for the mud, I should probably have footed 
 it to Meadow Brook, where alone could be found the cure 
 for my disease. Just before school was out a little boy 
 cried to go home, and this was the one straw too many. 
 Hastily dismissing the scholars, I turned towards the win- 
 dow and my tears fell as fast as did the rain in the early 
 morning. 
 
 " The schoolma'am's cryin,' she is. I saw her," circu- 
 lated rapidly among the children, who all rushed back to 
 ascertain the truth for themselves. 
 
 " I should think she would cry," said one of the girls to 
 her brother. "You've acted ugly enough to make any- 
 body cry, and if you don't behave better to-morrow, Jim 
 Maxwell, I'll tell mother !" 
 
 After the delivery of this speech, the entire group moved 
 away, leaving me alone ; and sure am I there was never 
 a more homesick child than was the one, who, with lu-r
 
 PINE HILL. 75 
 
 head lying upon the desk, sat there weeping in that low, 
 dirty schoolroom, on that dark, rainy afternoon. Where 
 now was all the happiness I had promised myself in teach- 
 ing ? Alas ! it was rapidly disappearing, and I was just 
 making up my mind to brave the ridicule of Meadow 
 Brook, and give up my school at once, when a hand was 
 laid very gently on. my shoulder, and a voice partially 
 familiar said, " What's the matter, Rose ?" 
 
 So absorbed was I in my grief, that 1 had not heard the 
 sound of footsteps, and with a start of surprise I looked up 
 and met the serene, handsome eyes of Dr. Clayton, who 
 stood at my side ! He had been to visit a patient, he said, 
 and was on his way home, when, seeing the door ajar, he 
 had come in, hoping to find me there, " but I did not expect 
 this," he continued, pointing to the tears on my cheek. 
 "What is the matter? Don't the scholars behave well, 
 or are you homesick ?" 
 
 At this question I began to cry so violently, that the 
 doctor, after exhausting all his powers of persuasion, finally 
 laid his hand soothingly on ray rough, tangled curls, ere I 
 could be induced to stop. Then, when I told him how dis- 
 appointed I was, how I wished I had never tried to teach, 
 and how I meant to give it up, he talked to me so kindly, 
 so brotherlike, still keeping his hand on my shoulder, where 
 it had fallen when I lifted up my head, that I grew very 
 calm, thinking I could stay in that gloomy room forever, 
 if he were only there ! He was, as I have said before, very 
 .*adsorae, and his manner was so very fascinating, and his 
 treatment of me so much like what I fancied Charlie's would 
 be, were he a grown up man and I a little girl, that I 
 began to like him very, very much, thinking then that my 
 feeling for him was such as a child would entertain fr a 
 father, for I had heard that he was twenty-seven, and be-
 
 16 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 tween that and thirteen there was, in my estimation, an 
 impassable gulf. 
 
 " I wish I had my buggy here," he said at last, after 
 consulting his watch, which pointed to half past-five, "I 
 wish I had my buggy here, for then I could carry you home. 
 You'll wet your feet, and you ought not to walk. Suppose 
 you ride in my lap ; but no," he added, quickly, "you'd 
 better not, for Mrs. Thompson and Mother Ross would 
 make it a neighborhood talk." 
 
 There was a wicked look in his eye as he said this, and 
 I secretly wondered if he entertained the same opinion of 
 Dell, that he evidently did of her sister. Al length, shak- 
 ing my hand, he bade me good-bye, telling me that the 
 Examining Committee had placed me and my school in his 
 charge, and that he should probably visit me officially on 
 Thursday of the following week. Like a very foolish child, 
 I watched him until a turn in the road hid him from view, 
 and then, with a feeling I could not analyze, I started for 
 my boarding-place, thinking that if I gave up my school I 
 should wait until after Thursday. 
 
 In the doorway, with her sleeves rolled up above her 
 elbows, and her hair, as she herself said, "at sixes and 
 sevens," was Mrs. Ross, who, after informing me that "it 
 had been a desput rainy day," asked, " if I knew whether 
 Dr. Clayton had been to Captain Thompson's ?" 
 
 There was no reason why I should blush at this question, 
 but I did, though my suubonnet fortunately concealed the 
 fact from my interrogator, who, without waiting for an 
 answer, continued, " He drove past here about fifteen minutes 
 ago, and I guess he's been sparkin' Dell." 
 
 It must have been an evil spirit surely which prompted my 
 reply that " he had been at the schoolhouse with me." 
 
 " How you talk ! Isick never said a word about it 1"
 
 PIXE HILL. 77 
 
 was Mrs. Ross's exclamation, the blank expfrgssion of her 
 face growing still m^Pe blank when I told her that he did 
 not come until the scholars were gone. 
 
 " You two been there all sole alone since four o'clock ! 
 I'll give up now ! I hope Dell Thompson won't find it out, 
 for she's awful slandersome ; but," she added, coming to the 
 gate, and speaking in a whisper, "I'm glad on't, and mebby 
 she'll draw in her horns, if she finds that some of the under 
 crust, as she calls 'em, can be noticed by Dr. Clayton as 
 well as herself." 
 
 Equivocal as this compliment was, it gratified me, and 
 from that moment I felt a spirit of rivalry towards Dell 
 Thompson. Still, I did not wish her to know of Dr. Clay- 
 ton's call, and so I said to Mrs. Ross, who replied, " You 
 needn't be an atom afeard of my tattlin'. I know too well 
 what 'tis to be a schoolmarm, and have the hull Deestrict 
 peekin' at you. So if you've anything you want kept, I'm 
 the one ; for I can be still as the grave. Did the doctor 
 say anything about Dell, but he didn't, I know, and 'taint 
 likely he said anything about anybody." 
 
 I replied, that he talked with me about my school, and 
 then as I heard the clock strike six I walked along. Look- 
 ing back, as I entered Mr. Randall's gate, I saw Mrs. Ross's 
 old plaid shawl and brown bonnet disappearing over the 
 hill as fust as her feet could take them, but I had no 
 suspicion that her destination was Captain Thompson's ! 
 I did not know the world then as well as I do now, and 
 when the next morning I met Dell Thompson, who stared 
 at me insolently, while a haughty sneer curled her lip, 
 I had no idea that she was jealous of me, little Rosa 
 Lee, whose heart was lighter, and whose task seemed far 
 easier on account of Dr. Clayton's past and promised 
 visit.
 
 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 came at last, and very joyfully I started 
 home .gjffoot, feeling not at all bumened with the compli- 
 ments ofmy patrons or the esteem of my pupils. Oh, what 
 a shout was raised at the shortness of my three weeks, as 
 I entered our sitting-room ! All laughed at me, except my 
 mother. She was not disappointed, and when I drew Car- 
 rie's little rocking-chair to her side, and told her how hard 
 my head was aching, she laid her soft hand caressingly upon 
 my brow, and gently smoothing my short curls, bathed my 
 forehead in camphor until the pain was gone. Had there 
 been no one present but our own family, I should probably 
 have cried ; but owing to some untoward circumstance, Aunt 
 Sally Wright was there visiting that afternoon, and as a 
 teacher I felt obliged to maintain my dignity before her 
 prying eyes. Almost her first salutation to me was, "Wall, 
 Rosa, so you've grown old since you left home ?" 
 
 " I do not understand what you mean," I answered. 
 
 " Why, I mean," said she, " that somebody told me that 
 Mrs. Greeu told them, that Major Pond's wife told her, that 
 Mary Downes said, that Nancy Rice heard Miss Cap'n 
 Thompson say that you told Dr. Clayton you was sixteen!" 
 
 I knew that the subject of my age had not come up 
 between me and the doctor, but it was useless to deny a 
 story so well authenticated, so I said" nothing, and Aunt 
 Sally continued ; " They do 'say you thrash 'em round about 
 right," while mother asked " who Dr. Clayton was ?" 
 
 "Why, he's a young pill-peddler, who's taken a shine to 
 Rosa, and staid with her alone iu the schoolhouse until pitch 
 dark" said Aunt Sally, her little green eyes twinkling with 
 the immense satisfaction she felt. 
 
 Greatly I marvelled as to the source whence she obtained 
 the information, which so greatly exceeded the truth ; and 
 considering that no one knew of the doctor's call but Mrs.
 
 PINE HILL. 79 
 
 Ross, it really was a wonder ! She was proceeding with 
 her remarks, when wPwere summoned to the supper table, 
 where green tea had so good an effect upon her, that by the 
 time she was blowing Ar third cup, she began to unbeud, 
 repeating to me several complimentary remarks which she- 
 said came from Mrs. Ross. By this I knew that she had 
 Pine Hill as well as Meadow Brook upon her hands, and, in- 
 deed, 'twas strange how much Aunt Sally did manage to 
 attend to at once ; for, besides keeping her son's wife con- 
 tinually fretted, and her daughter constantly quarrelling 
 with her husband, by her foolish interference; there was 
 scarcely a thing transpired in the neighborhood in which she 
 did not have a part. Not a marriage was in prospect, but 
 she knew something bad of both parties ; not a family jar 
 occurred in which she did not have a finger. Not a man 
 owed more than he was worth, but she had foreseen it from 
 the first in the extravagance of his wife. But everybody in 
 Meadow Brook knew Aunt Sally, and it was a common say- 
 ing, that " her tongue was no slander ;" so I did not feel as 
 much annoyed as I otherwise should at her spiteful remarks, 
 which continued with little intermission until dark, when, 
 gathering up her snuff-box, knitting, and work-bag, she 
 started for home. 
 
 The next day was the Sabbath, and if at church, I did 
 now and then cast a furtive glance at the congregation, to 
 see if they were looking at me because I was a " school- 
 ma'am," it was a childish vanity, which J have long since 
 forgiven, as I trust my reader will do. Among the audi- 
 ence was our minister's young bride, and when, after church, 
 he introduced her to me, saying to her, " This is Rose, who, 
 I told you, was only thirteen and teaching school," I felt 
 quite reconciled to my lot, and thought that after all, it 
 was an honor to bo a teacher.
 
 80 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 DR. CLAYTON'S VISIT. 
 
 VERY slowly passed the days of my second week, for my 
 mind was constantly dwelling upon the important Thursday, 
 which came at last, and, with more than usual care, I 
 dressed myself for school, sporting a pale blue and white 
 muslin, which mother said I must wear only on great occa- 
 sions. And this, to me, was a great occasion; and if, for 
 want of a better mirror, I at noon went down to a clear 
 spring in the woods, and there gave a few smoothing touches 
 to my toilet, it was a weakness of which, in a similar way, 
 many an older female has been guilty. On my return to the 
 schoolhouse, I requested one of the larger girls to sweep the 
 floor as clean as she possibly could, while two or three of 
 the boys were sent after some green boughs to hang over 
 the windows. 
 
 " I'll bet we are going to have company ; I thought so 
 this moruing when I see the schoolma'am all dressed up," 
 whispered one to another and after a time, Jim Maxwell's 
 sister ventured to ask me, not who was coming, but " how 
 many." 
 
 With a blush, I replied, " Nobody but Dr. Clayton," won- 
 dering why his name should cleave so to the roof of my 
 mouth ! In a few minutes, the fact that Dr. Clayton was 
 coming was known both indoors and out, and when I saw
 
 DR. CLAYTON'S VISIT. 81 
 
 how fast John Thompson took himself home, after learning 
 the news, I involuntarily felt as if some evil were impending 
 a presentiment which proved correct, for not long after 
 school commenced, there came a gentle rap at the outer 
 door, which caused a great straightening up among the 
 scholars, and brought me instantly to my feet, for I sup- 
 posed, of course, he had come. What, then, was my sur- 
 prise when, instead of him, I met -a haughty-looking young 
 lady, who, frowning majestically upon me, introduced her- 
 self as " Miss Thompson," saying she had come to visit the 
 school. 
 
 I had never before had so good a view of her, and now, 
 when I saw how dignified she appeared, and that there 
 really was in her manner something elegant and refined, I 
 not only felt myself greatly her inferior, but I fancied that 
 Dr. Clayton would also observe the difference between us 
 when he saw us together. After offering her the seat of 
 honor my splint-bottomed chair I proceeded with my 
 duties as composedly as possible, mentally hoping that the 
 doctor would come soon. She probably divined my 
 thoughts, for once, when I cast a wistful glance over the 
 long hill, she said, " You seem to be constantly on the look- 
 out. Are you expecting any one ?" 
 
 Involuntarily my eyes sought hers, but I quailed beneath 
 their quizzical expression, and scarcely knowing what I said, 
 replied, " Xo, ma'am," repenting the falsehood the moment 
 it was uttered, and half-resolving to confess the truth, when 
 she rejoined, " Oh, I thought you were," while at the same 
 moment a little girl, who had been asleep, rolled from her 
 seat, bumping her head, and raising such an outcry that, for 
 a time, I forgot what I had said, and when it again recurred 
 to me I thought it was too late to rectify it. It was the 
 second falsehood I remembered telling, and it troubled me 
 4*
 
 82 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 greatly. Turn it which way I would it was a lie still, and 
 it smote heavily upon my conscience. Slowly the afternoon 
 dragged on, but it brought no Dr. Clayton ; and when, at a 
 quarter of four, I called up my class of Abecedarians to read, 
 what with the lie and the disappointment, my heart was so 
 full that I could not force back all the tears which struggled 
 so fiercely for egress ; and when it came Willie Randall's 
 turn to read, two or three large drops fell upon his chubby 
 hand, and, looking in my face, he called out in a loud, dis- 
 tinct voice "You're cryin', you be 1" 
 
 This, of course, brought a laugh from all the scholars, in 
 which I was fain to join, although I felt greatly cha- 
 grined that I should have betrayed so much weakness before 
 Dell Thompson, who, in referring to it when school was out, 
 said, " she supposed I wanted to see my mother, or some- 
 body !" 
 
 The sarcastic smile which dimpled the corners of her 
 mouth angered me, and when, at last, I was alone, my long 
 pent-up tears fell in copious showers. It is my misfortune 
 never to be able to cry without disfiguring my face, so that 
 it is sometimes almost hideous to look upon ; and now, as I 
 slowly walked home, I carefully kept my parasol lowered, so 
 that no one should see me. But I could not elude the vigi- 
 lance of Mrs. Ross, who, as usual, was at her post in the 
 doorway. Although I knew she was a dangerous woman, I 
 rather liked her, for there was, to me, something winning in 
 her apparent friendliness, and we had come to be quite inti- 
 mate, so much so that I usually called there on my way to 
 or from school ; but now, when she bade me come in, I de- 
 clined, which act brought her at once to the gate, where she 
 obtained a full view of my swollen features. 
 
 " Laws a mercy 1" she exclaimed, " what's up now ? 
 Why, you look like a toad. What's the matter ?"
 
 DR. CLAYTON'S VISIT. 88 
 
 " Nothing much," I said, and this was all she could solicit 
 from me. 
 
 That night she called at Mr. Randall's, and after sitting 
 awhile, asked me " to walk a little piece with her." I saw 
 there was something on her mind, and conjecturing that it 
 might have some connection with me, I obeyed willingly, 
 notwithstanding Mrs. Randall's silent attempts to keep me 
 back. Twitching my sleeve when we were outside the gate, 
 Mrs. Ross asked if " it were true that I cried because Dr. 
 Clayton didn't come as he promised ?" 
 
 " Why, what do you mean ?" I said. To which she replied, 
 by telling me that after I left her, she just ran in to Cap'n 
 Thompson's a minute or two, when, who should she find 
 there but Dr. Clayton, and when Dell told him she'd been to 
 visit the school, he said, " Ah, indeed, I was intending to do 
 so myself this afternoon, but I was necessarily detained by a 
 very sick patient." 
 
 " ' That explains why she cried so,' said Dell, and then," 
 continued Mrs. Ross, "she went on to tell him how you 
 looked out of the winder, and when she asked you if you ex- 
 pected anybody, you said ' No,' and then at last you cried 
 right out in the school." 
 
 "The mean thing!" I exclaimed. "Did she tell Dr. 
 Clayton all that ?" 
 
 "Yes, she did," answered Mrs. Ross ; "and it made my 
 blood bile to hear her go on makin' fun of you, that is, kind- 
 er makiu' fun." 
 
 " And the doctor, what did he say ?" I asked. To which she 
 replied, " Oh, he laughed, and said it was too bad to disap- 
 point you, if it affected you like that, but he couldn't help 
 it." 
 
 1 hardly knew at which I was most indignant, Dr. Claytou 
 or Dell, and when I laid my aching head on my pillow, my
 
 84 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 last thoughts were, that "if Dr. Clayton ever did come to 
 school I'd let him know I didn't care for him he might have 
 Dell Thompson and welcome !" 
 
 I changed my mind, however, when early the next after- 
 noon, the gentleman himself appeared to vindicate his cause, 
 saying he was sorry that he could not have kept his appoint- 
 ment, adding, as he finally relinquished my hand, "You had 
 company, though, I believe, and so, on the whole, I am glad 
 1 was detained, for I had rather visit you alone." 
 
 Much as I now esteem Dr. Clayton, I do not hesitate to 
 say that he was then a male flirt, a species of mankind which 
 I detest. He was the handsomest, most agreeable man I 
 had ever seen, and by some strange fascination, he possessed 
 the power of swaying me at his will. This he well knew, 
 and hence the wrong he committed by working upon my 
 feelings. Never passed hours more agreeably to me than 
 did those of that afternoon. And I even forgot that I was 
 to go home that night, and that in all probability father 
 would come for me as soon as school was out, thus prevent- 
 ing the quiet talk alone with Dr. Clayton, which I so much 
 desired : so when, about four o'clock, I saw the head of old 
 Sorrel appearing over the hill, my emotions were not parti- 
 cularly pleasant, and I wished I had not been so foolish as to 
 insist upon going home every week. The driver, however, 
 proved to be Charlie, and this in a measure consoled me, for 
 he, I knew, was good at taking hints, and would wait for me 
 as long as I desired ; so I welcomed him with a tolerably 
 good grace, introducing him to Dr. Clayton, who addressed 
 him as Mr. Lee, thereby winning his friendship at once and 
 forever ! 
 
 When school was out and the scholars gone, I commenced 
 
 making preparations for my departure, shutting down the 
 
 ? and piling away books, slowly and deliberately,
 
 DR. CLAYTON'S VISIT. 85 
 
 while Charlie, who seemed in no hurry, amused himself by 
 whipping at the thistle-tops which grew near the door. At 
 last Dr. Clayton, turning to him, said, " And so you have 
 come to carry your sister home, when I was promising my- 
 self that pleasure ?" 
 
 Charlie glanced at my face, and its expression, doubtless, 
 prompted his answer, " You can do so now, if you choose, 
 for I like to ride alone." 
 
 Of course I disclaimed against such au arrangement, but 
 my objections were overruled, and almost before I knew what 
 I was doing, I found myself seated in Dr. Clayton's covered 
 buggy, with him at my side. Telling Charlie " not to be 
 surprised if he did not see us until sunset," he drove off in a 
 different direction from Meadow Brook, remarking to me that 
 " it was a fine afternoon for riding and he meant to enjoy it." 
 
 I hardly know whether he had any object in passing Capt. 
 Thompson's, but he certainly did so, bowing graciously and 
 showing his white teeth to Dell, who, from a chamber win- 
 dow, looked haughtily down upon me, and as I afterwards 
 learned, made fun of my pink sun-bonnet and little yellow 
 dotted shawl. The sight of her naturally led him to speak 
 of her, and much to my surprise, he asked me how I liked 
 her ! I could not answer truthfully and say " very well;" so 
 I replied that " I hardly knew her. She was very fine look- 
 ing, and I presumed she was very intelligent and accom- 
 plished." 
 
 " You arc a good-hearted little girl, Rose," said he, " to 
 speak thus of her. Do you suppose she, would do the same 
 by y<m if asked a similar question ?" 
 
 " Oh, no," I answered, eagerly, " she couldn't say I was 
 fine looking. Nobody ever said that." 
 
 " If I should tell you that I think you better looking than 
 Dell Thompson, what would you say ?" he asked, looking
 
 86 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 under my bonnet, while, with glowing cheeks, I turned my 
 head away, and replied, " I am sure you would not mean it. 
 I know I am ugly, but I do not care so much about it now 
 as I used to." 
 
 There was a silence for some minutes, and when he spoke 
 again, it was of faces, which, without regularity of features 
 or brilliancy of complexion, still had an expression exceed- 
 ingly pleasing and attractive. " I do not say yours is such 
 a face," said he, " for I never flatter ; but I do say, and I 
 mean it, too, that I like your looks far better than I do Miss 
 Thompson's. 
 
 If I had cried then, as I wished to, I should have done a 
 most foolish thing ; but by a strong effort of the will, I 
 forced down my tears, and changing the conversation, com- 
 menced talking on subjects quite foreign to Dell Thompson, 
 or good looks. I found Dr. Clayton a most agreeable com- 
 panion, and ere the close of that ride, he was " all the 
 world " to me. In short, I suppose I was as much in love as 
 a child of thirteen can well be, and when we at last reached 
 home and I introduced him to my mother and sisters, I 
 blushed like a guilty thing, stealing out of the room as soon 
 as possible, and staying out for a long time, although I want- 
 ed so much to be back there with him. 
 
 " Catched a beau, hain't you ? and a handsome one, too 1" 
 said Sally, applying her eye to the key-hole and thus obtain- 
 ing a view of his face. 
 
 Tommy Trimmer, a little boy, five years of age, who lived 
 near by, and who chanced to be there, overheard her, and 
 when Dr. Clayton, who was very fond of children, coaxed 
 him into his lap, he asked, pointing to me, " Be you Rosa's 
 beau ? Sally said you was 1" 
 
 The doctor laughed aloud, referring Tommy to me for an 
 answer, and telling him " it was just as I said."
 
 DR. CLAYTON'S VISIT. 87 
 
 "Rose is altogether too young to be riding round with 
 beaux. It will give her a bad name," said grandma, when 
 at last the doctor was gone. 
 
 No one made any answer until Lizzie, who was more of 
 my way of thinking, said, " You must have had beaux early, 
 grandma, for you wasn't quite fifteen when you were mar- 
 ried ; I saw it so in the Bible !" 
 
 Of course, grandma had nothing to offer in her own 
 defence, save the very correct remark, that " girls now-a- 
 days were not what they were when she was young;" and 
 here the conversation ceased.
 
 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 DELL THOMPSON'S PARTY. 
 
 ONE day, about three weeks after the commencement of 
 my school, I was surprised by a call from Dell Thompson, 
 who, after conversing awhile, very familiarly, astonished 
 me with an invitation to visit her the next afternoon. "She 
 was going to have a few of her friends from the village," she 
 said, " Dr. Clayton with the rest." 
 
 Here she looked at me and I looked out of the window, 
 while she continued, " You'll come, I suppose." 
 
 I replied that I would, after which she departed, leaving 
 me in a perfect state of bewilderment. I invited to Captain 
 Thompson's, with Dell's fashionable friends ! What could 
 it mean, and what should I wear ? This last was by far 
 the more important question ; for I knew that the people 
 of the village were noted for their fine dress, and I, of 
 course, could not compete with them in point of elegance. 
 Dr. Clayton too, I had heard, was rather fastidious in 
 his ideas of a lady's dress, and my heart sank within me as 
 I mentally enumerated the articles of my scanty wardrobe, 
 finding therein nothing which I deemed fit for the occasion, 
 save a white dotted muslin, which was now lying soiled and 
 wrinkled at the bottom of my trunk. It is true, I had a 
 blue and white lawn, neatly made and quite becoming, but 
 my heart was set upon the muslin, and so when Mrs. Ros,
 
 DELL THOMPSON'S PARTY. 89 
 
 with whom I was that week boarding, offered to wash and 
 iron it, I accepted the proffered kindness. 
 
 The next morning, when I passed Captain Thompson's, I 
 observed a great commotion in and around the house. The 
 blinds were thrown back, and through Ijae parlor windows 
 I caught sight of brooms and dusters, while at intervals 
 during the day, the scholars brought me tidings of cake, 
 jellies, and ice-cream, said to be in progress. At precisely 
 four o'clock I dismissed school, and taking a short cut 
 across the fields, soon reached my boarding-place, where I 
 found Mrs. Ross bending over the ironing-table with a face 
 flushed, and indicative of some anxiety. 
 
 " I never see nothin' beat it," she began, holding down 
 her hot iron and thereby making a slightly yellow spot on 
 the dress. " I never see uothin' beat it, how this gown pes- 
 ters me. It must be poor stuff, or somethiu', but mebby 
 it'll look better on you," she continued, as she gave it a 
 finishing touch, and then held it up to view. 
 
 And, indeed, it was sorry-looking enough; some places 
 being wholly destitute of starch, while others were rough 
 and stiff as a piece of buckram. Common sense told me 
 to wear the blue, but I had heard Dr. Clayton say that 
 nothing became a young girl so well as white, and so I 
 determined to wear it. It would look better on me, I 
 thought, and with all the eagerness of a child I commenced 
 inv toilet, discovering to niy great dismay that I had neither 
 shoes nor stockings fit to wear with a muslin dress. The 
 wci'k previous I had taken my best ones home, where I had 
 purposely left them, not thinking it possible for me to need 
 them. Hero then was a dilemma, out of which Mrs. Ross 
 at last helped me, by offering to lend the articles which I 
 lacked; an offer which I gladly accepted. Her stockings 
 were rather coarse, having been knit by herself, but they
 
 90 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 possessed the virtue of being white, and clean, and would 
 have answered rny purpose very well, had it not been for 
 the slippers, which were far too long for me, and showed 
 almost the whole of my foot. Besides that, I found it rather 
 difficult keeping them on, until Mrs. Ross suggested the pro- 
 priety of stuffing the toes with cotton ! This done, I donned 
 the muslin dress, which seemed to me much shorter than 
 when I had last worn it, inasmuch as I had the painful con- 
 sciousness of being all feet, whenever I glanced in that 
 direction. 
 
 But Mrs. Ross said " I looked mighty crank," at the 
 same time fastening on my low-necked waist her glass 
 breast-pin, which she pronounced, "just the checker." 
 " You orto have some gloves to wear when you get there," 
 said she, as she saw me drawing on my brown ones, " and I 
 b'lieve I've got the very thing," she continued, bringing 
 from the depths of the bureau-drawer a pair of white cotton 
 mitts, fancifully embroidered on the back with yellow and 
 blue. These she bade me " tuck in my bosom until I got 
 there, and on no account to lose 'em, as she had 'em before 
 she was married 1" 
 
 Thus equipped, I started for Captain Thompson's, reach- 
 ing there just as the clock was striking Jive, and finding, to 
 my surprise, that I was not only the first arrival, but 
 that neither Mrs. Thompson nor Dell had yet commenced 
 dressing ! Fearing I had mistaken the day, I questioned 
 the servant-girl who answered my ring, and who assured me 
 that I was right, while at the same time, she conducted me 
 to the chamber above, where, in the long mirror, I obtained 
 a full-length view of myself, feet and all ! My first 
 impulse was to laugh, my second to cry, and to the latter I 
 finally yielded. No one came near me I heard no one 
 sa\v no one, until in light flowing muslin, white silk hose,
 
 DELL THOMPSON'S PARTY. 91 
 
 and the tiniest of all tiny French slippers, Dell Thompson 
 sailed into the room, starting with well-feigned surprise 
 when she saw me, asking how long I had been there, and 
 what was the matter. 
 
 Without considering what I was doing, I told her unre- 
 servedly about the shoes and stockings, pointing to my pea- 
 cock feet as proof of what I said. With all her faults, there 
 was enough of the woman about Dell to inspire her with a 
 feeling of pity for me, and after forcing back the laugh she 
 could not well help, she said kindly, " Your shoes are rather 
 large, but I think, perhaps, I can remedy the difficulty." 
 
 At the same time she started to leave the room. What 
 new impulse came over her, I never knew ; but sure am I 
 that something changed her mind, for, when nearly at the 
 door, she suddenly paused, saying ; " I know, though, you 
 can't wear my slippers, so it's of no use trying the experi- 
 ment :" adding, as she saw how my countenance fell, " I 
 wouldn't mind it if I were you. Nobody'll notice it, unless 
 it is Dr. Clayton, who, I believe, admires small ankles and 
 little feet ; but you don't care for him, he's old enough to 
 be your father, and, besides that, he thinks you perfect, any 
 way.'' 
 
 Her words and manner annoyed me, and for a moment I 
 debated in my own mind the propriety of leaving at once, 
 but I had not seen Dr. Clayton since he carried me home, 
 'and so I finally concluded to remain, thinking that I would 
 keq> my seat, and on no account stir when he was looking 
 at me. After coming to this conclusion, I ventured to ask 
 Dell where the rest of the company were, and was told that 
 they were not invited until evening. 
 
 " Until evening," I repeated ; " then' I guess I'll go before 
 they come, for I shall be afraid to walk home alone." 
 
 " There's a good moon," said she ; adding, " You must
 
 92 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 not leave, on any account, for that will spoil all the plea- 
 sure " she said -fun I now think she meant ; but I could 
 not fathom her then, and I never dreamed that she had 
 invited me there merely to show me up before her fashion- 
 able friends, and make light of me in the estimation of Dr. 
 Clayton. 
 
 " Come clown to the parlor," she said at last, after 
 arranging for the third time the heavy braids of her black, 
 beautiful hair ; and following her, I soon stood in the pre- 
 sence of Mrs. Thompson, a tall, dark, haughty looking 
 woman, who, half arising from the sofa, bowed stiffly, mut- 
 tering a few words of welcome as Dell introduced me. 
 
 Dropping into the first seat, a large willow chair near 
 the door, I tried to act natural, but I could not ; for turn 
 which way I would, I felt that a pair of large black eyes 
 were upon me, scanning me from my head to my feet ; and 
 when her linen cambric handkerchief went up to her mouth, 
 apparently to stifle a cough, I was certain that it also 
 smothered a laugh, which I suppose my rather singular 
 appearance called forth. Right glad was I when both the 
 ladies found an excuse for leaving the parlor, though I did 
 find it rather tiresome sitting there alone until the shades 
 of evening began to fall. 
 
 At last, when it was nearly dark, I ventured out upon 
 the long piazza, where I had not been long, when a gentle- 
 man on horseback galloped into the yard, and in a moment 
 I recognized Dr. Clayton's voice, as he gave his horse to the 
 keeping of Capt. Thompson's hired man. Hastily retreat- 
 ing to the parlor, I had just time to seat myself in a corner 
 where I thought I should attract the least attention, when 
 he entered the rooih with Dell, whose hand I am sure 
 he held until he saw me ; then quickly dropping it, he 
 advanced to my side, greeting me kindly, and once, when
 
 DELL THOMPSON 8 PARTY. 93 
 
 Dell's back was towards us, whispering softly ; " I am so 
 glad to fiud you here. I was afraid the party would prove 
 a bore." 
 
 Just then we heard the sound of fast comings-heels, and 
 in a moment there came round the corner a long open omni- 
 bus, drawn by four horses, and densely crowded with young 
 people of both sexes, all seemingly shouting and laughing 
 with all their might. I was not much used to the ways of 
 the world then, and having been taught that it was not 
 lady-like to be either rude or boisterous, I wondered greatly 
 that well-bred people should conduct themselves so badly : 
 a species of wonder, by the way, in which I now occe,sion- 
 ally indulge. Bounding out, and adjusting their light, flow- 
 ing robes, the young ladies went tripping up the stairs, still 
 talking, laughing, and screaming so loudly, that once I 
 started up, exclaiming, " Why, what is the matter ! 
 
 With a peculiar smile, Dr. Clayton laid his hand on my 
 head in a very fatherly way, saying ; " My little girl hasn't 
 yet learned that in order to be refined, she must be rough 
 and boisterous, and I hope she never will, for it is refreshing 
 to find occasionally something feminine and natural." 
 
 By this time the guests were assembled in the parlor, and 
 when I saw how tastefully they were dressed, and how much 
 at ease they appeared, I began to wish myself anywhere but 
 there. One by one they were presented to me, I at first 
 keeping my seat ; but when Dr. Clayton whispered to me to 
 stand up, I did so, bending my knees a little, so as to make 
 my dress longer, and thus partially hide my feet ! But this 
 could not be done, and like two backgammon boards they 
 set out at right angles, with the wads of cotton lying up, 
 round and hard. The young ladies had undoubtedly 
 received a description of me, for they inspected me closely, 
 glancing the while mischievously at Del 1 , who seemed to be
 
 94 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 in her element ; asking me if I were not tired ; telling me i 
 looked so, and adding, aside, but loud enough for Dr. Clay- 
 ton and myself to hear " I should think she would be, for 
 she's been here ever since five o'clock. I hadn't even com- 
 menced dressing !" 
 
 " Is it possible ?" said one ; while another exclaimed, 
 " How green ! but I suppose it's her first introduction into 
 society, and she knows no better." 
 
 This conversation was probably not intended for me, but 
 I heard it all, and with much bitterness at my heart I turned 
 away to hide my tears, involuntarily drawing nearer to Dr. 
 Clayton, as if for protection. But, for some reason or other, 
 he did not appear now as he did when we were alone ; then 
 he was all" 'kinu ness and attention, while he now evidently 
 avoided me; seeming slightly annoyed when any of his 
 acquaintance teased him about me, as I more than once 
 heard them doing. In his nature, as in every other man's, 
 there were both good and bad qualities, and they now 
 seemed warring with each other ; the former chiding him for 
 deserting me when I stood so much in need of his attention, 
 and the latter shrinking from anything which would incur 
 the ridicule of his companions. 
 
 At last, as if his good genius had conquered, he suddenly 
 broke away from a group of girls, and crossing over to 
 where I was standing, offered me his arm, telling me " I must 
 stir round and be more sociable." 
 
 I looked down at my feet, so did be, and for an instant 
 there was a flush on his face ; but it passed 08", and with a 
 word of encouragement, he led me towards the music-room, 
 where Dell Thompson was unmercifully pounding a five 
 hundred dollar piano, which groaned and shrieked under 
 the infliction, while the bystanders, who had insisted upon 
 her playing, were all talking together, seemingly intent upon
 
 DELL THOMPSON'S PARTY. 95 
 
 seeing which could make the most noise, they or the instru- 
 ment. 
 
 " Do you play, Miss Lee ?" was asked me by half a dozen 
 or more. 
 
 I had taken lessons two quarters, and I could play a few 
 dancing tunes, marches, etc., and so I said, whereupon they 
 insisted upon my favoring them with Money Musk, as they 
 wanted to dance, and none of them could perform anything 
 as old fashioned as that. I looked at Dr. Clayton, who, in 
 a low tone, asked, "Are you sure you can get through with 
 it?" 
 
 There was doult in the tones of his voice which touched 
 my pride, and without deigning him an answer I took my 
 seat, resolving to do my best. The set was soon formed, 
 Dr. Clayton dancing with Dell Thompson, who remarked as 
 he led her away " I suppose we shall have a rare perform- 
 ance." 
 
 Something, I am sure, must have inspired me, for nevei 
 before did I play so well ; keeping perfect time, and striking 
 every note distinctly. My audience were evidently both 
 surprised and pleased, for they called for piece after piece, 
 until my list was exhausted, when one of the gentlemen, 
 more thoughtful than the ladies, suggested the possibility 
 of my being tired. 
 
 " Perhaps she dances, too. Ask her, Bob," said a young 
 lady, while Dell eagerly rejoined, " Ob, yes, do ; but Bob 
 was forestalled by Dr. Clayton, who, for several minutes, 
 had stood by my side, complimenting my playing, and who 
 now asked me to be his partner in the next cotillon, his 
 cousin having volunteered to take my place at the piano. 
 
 In my excitement I forgot my shoes, forgot everything, 
 save that Dr. Clayton's eye was looking down upon me, that 
 my hand was resting in his, and ere I was aware of it, I
 
 96 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 found myself upon the floor. I was perfectly familiar with 
 the changes of the cotillon, but at my right was John 
 Thompson ; who, when it came his turn to swing with me, 
 refused to take my hand, treating me with such marked 
 insolence that I became confused, and made several mis- 
 takes, at which he laughed contemptuously. Besides this, 
 my big shoes incommoded me; and at last, in the midst of the 
 promenade, one of them dropped off, the cotton-ball rolled 
 out, I tripped, lost my balance, and after one or two head- 
 long plunges, fell flat at the feet of Dr. Clayton, who stood 
 aghast with surprise and mortilication. It was ludicrous 
 enough, I know ; but I do not think there was any necessity 
 for the loud roar which was raised over my mishap ; and 
 burning with shame aud vexation, I gathered myself up, and 
 fled from the room ; but not until I heard Dell Thompson 
 say, as she picked up the shoe and passed it to Dr. Clayton, 
 " It is ilrs. Ross's ; she hadn't any of her own, which she 
 thought suitable, and so she borrowed." 
 
 " That accounts for the cotton-wad," said John, dealing 
 said wad a kick that sent it bounding past me. 
 
 Rushing up the stairs, I found my shawl and bonnet ; and 
 then, without a word to any one, started for home, minus 
 my shoe, which I entirely forgot in my excitement. I had 
 scarcely got outside the gate when the sound of a footstep 
 caused me to look around, and I saw Dr. Clayton, his hat 
 in one hand and Mrs. Ross's slipper in the other. This 
 last he passed to me, and then without a word drew my 
 arm within his, and for a time we walked on in silence, while 
 I cried as if my heart would break. Coming at last to an 
 old oak tree, under which a rude bench had been con- 
 structed, he bade me sit down ; and placing himself by my 
 side, asked me, " What was the matter ?" 
 
 " You know well enough what's the matter," I said
 
 DELL THOMPSON'S PARTY. 97 
 
 angrily, struggling to rise ; but his arm was strong, and he 
 held me fast, while he tried to quiet me, and in this he soon 
 succeeded, for he possessed over me a power which I could 
 not resist. 
 
 Gradually, as I grew calm, I told him all ; how I believed 
 that Dell Thompson had invited me only to ridicule me, 
 how she had asked me to come in the afternoon, and then 
 made fun of me for doing so ; while her companions called 
 me green; and that in the absence of my own slip- 
 pers I had worn those of Mrs. Ross ; thereby meeting with 
 the worst catastrophe of all ; to wit, the falling flat in the 
 dance 1 
 
 Here I broke down entirely, and cried out aloud ; while 
 the doctor, after one or two hearty laughs at my distress, tried 
 again to comfort me, asking me what I cared for Dell 
 Thompson's ridicule. "She wasn't worth minding," he 
 said, " and no one who knows her would attach any import- 
 ance to her remarks." 
 
 "But what makes her treat me so ?" I asked ; " I never 
 harmed her." 
 
 " For a time the doctor said nothing ; but the arm, which 
 all the time had encircled my waist, drew me still closer to 
 his side, while he at last replied, "she is jealous of you 
 jealous because she thinks I like the little Rose better than 
 I do her." 
 
 " And it's very foolish in her to think so," I exclaimed. 
 
 Again the doctor was silent, but by the light of the full 
 moon I saw that there was a curious train of thought pass- 
 ing through his mind, but it did not manifest itself in words; 
 for when he again spoke, it was merely to reply, "Yes, very 
 foolish ;" then, after another pause, he added, " and still 
 I know of no reason why I should like her best do you ?" 
 
 "Yes," I answered quickly, "there are many reasons. 
 5
 
 98 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 She is handsome ; I am homely. She is graceful ; I am 
 awkward. She is rich ; I am poor " 
 
 " She is artificial ; you are truthful ;" said he, interrupt- 
 ing me, while, without paying any heed to this remark, 
 I continued, " she is a young lady, and I am a little girl 
 only thirteen." 
 
 " I wish you were older, Rose," said he, " and had seen 
 a little more of the world." 
 
 Then followed a long conversation in which much was 
 said, which had far better been left unsaid ; for I was 
 a warm-hearted, impulsive child, believing that I to him 
 was what he was to me. And still he did not once commit 
 himself, nor in what he said was there aught which could 
 possibly have been construed into an avowal of anything 
 save friendship, which was the theme upon which he rang 
 many a change. Alas, for such friendships ! They are 
 dangerous to one's peace of mind, particularly if told be- 
 neath an old oak tree, with the silvery moonlight shining- 
 down upon you, and the soft summer air gently moving the 
 green leaves above your head. How long we sat there 1 
 do not know ; but I was the first to propose going, telling 
 him they would miss him at the party, and wonder at his 
 absence. 
 
 "Let them wonder then," said he ; "I have no intentio 
 of returning to the house. It would be intolerable after 
 this pleasant chat with you, so I shall just get my horse and 
 go quietly home." 
 
 I did not then know that he had not sufficient courage to 
 brave the jokes and jeers which he knew were sure to greet 
 him, should he return to Captain Thompson's. Neither did 
 I know that with his fashionable friends he would scarcely 
 dare defend me ; nor that when John Thompson once, in * 
 his presence, imitated the way in which I stumbled and fell, . 

 
 DELL THOMPSON'S PARTY. 99 
 
 Ae joined in the laugh which followed; saying, though as if 
 in apology, " that it was too bad to make fun of me, for I 
 was quite a nice little girl." 
 
 We found Mrs. Ross sitting up for me, sleeping in her 
 chair, while the tallow candle at her side had burned and 
 spluttered away, until the black, crisped wick was longer 
 than the candle itself. 
 
 " Lordy massy! doctor, is that you ?" she exclaimed, rub- 
 bing open her eyes and hooking up her dress, which, for 
 comfort, she had loosened. " I thought, mebby, you'd beau 
 Rosa home. Come in and stay a spell. I'd as lief you'd 
 spark it awhile in t'other room as not !" 
 
 But the doctor had no idea of doing anything so marked 
 as that ; and with a whispered good night to me, and an au- 
 dible one to Mrs. Ross, he departed ; just as the good lady 
 asked me, loud enough for him to hear, <f if I'd dirtied her 
 stockings, lost her mitts, or broken her breastpin ?"
 
 100 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 CLOSE OF SCHOOL IN PINE DISTRICT. 
 
 WHETHER Dr. Clayton cared for me or not, he exerted 
 his influence in my behalf, plainly telling John Thompson 
 that he ought to be ashamed to annoy me as he did; and 
 dropping a few hints to Mrs. Thompson, who now tried to 
 restrain her son ; so that after the party, hostilities in that 
 quarter nearly ceased. But the ball was in motion, and 
 could not well be stopped ; for what the Thompsons now 
 lacked, the rest of the District made up. It was the general 
 impression, I believe, that the scholars had learned nothing 
 save a few pieces of poetry ; and that I had done nothing 
 but whip, scold, and cry. To all these accusations I plead 
 guilty ; and when Mr. Randall, one day, proposed to me to 
 bring my labors to a close, I replied that ' ' nothing could 
 please me better," though there was a tremor in my voice as 
 I thought how the people of Meadow Brook would laugh. 
 Mr. Randall, probably, divined my thoughts, for he quickly 
 rejoined, " The weather is gettin' so hot that the youngsters 
 need a vacation. Mebby, in the fall, when it is cooler, we 
 shall have you back." 
 
 And so it was settled that school should close the next 
 week on Saturday, and that on Friday I should have an 
 examination ! This, to a teacher in Western New York, may 
 seem strange ; but those who have taught in that part of
 
 CLOSE OF SCHOOL IN FIXE DISTRICT. 101 
 
 New England where I did, know that such a thing cannot 
 well be avoided. No matter how small the school, or how 
 inefficient the teacher may be, an examination must be held, 
 or you at once lose caste ; the people unanimously declaring 
 you to be ashamed of showing how little your pupils have 
 learned. In my case, I was rather anxious than otherwise 
 for an opportunity to show off ; for I was sure my scholars 
 would acquit themselves creditably. I well knew they 
 could stand up and repeat " verses," the multiplication table, 
 the names of the fourteen counties of Massachusetts, and 
 tell who made them, and where the sun rose, louder and 
 faster than any other seventeen children in town ! I confi- 
 dently expected all the parents and friends to be there, and 
 as my own wardrobe was rather scanty, I coaxed my sister 
 Anna, who, though several years my senior, was still not 
 much taller than myself, to let me wear her new black silk ! 
 It was my first appearance in a long dress, and it troubled 
 me greatly; but by dint of holding it up, as ladies do now-a- 
 days, I succeeded in getting to the schoolhouse, where I 
 found my pupils arrayed in their best; Ike Ross having in 
 his shirt bosom the selfsame glass breastpin which I had 
 sported at Dell Thompson's party. Not wishing the spec- 
 tators to lose any of the exercises, I sat in grim silence, 
 awaiting their arrival : but my waiting was all in vain ; for, 
 with the exception of Mrs. Randall and Dr. Clayton, the 
 latter of whom came in the capacity of Inspector, not a sin- 
 gle individual was present 1 Not a parent not a friend, 
 nor a foe and still, if the examination had not been held, 
 those who stayed away would have ridiculed me, and voted 
 my school even a worse failure than they did. So much for 
 consistency. Parents, I think, are not sufficiently aware of 
 the great good their occasional presence in the schoolroom 
 will do, both to teacher and scholar; the latter of whom will
 
 102 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 almost invariably study harder and strive to have better 
 lessons, if there is a prospect of their father or mother's 
 hearing them recite ; while the former, feeling that an inte- 
 rest is taken in them, will also be incited to fresh efforts for 
 the improvement of those committed to their charge. 
 
 But not thus thought the people of Pine Hill. Satis- 
 fied that an examination wag going on, they stayed at 
 home, expressing their surprise when they heard that no- 
 body was there, wondering what it meant, and saying 
 " folks ought to be ashamed for not going 1" As if to make 
 amends for their neglect, Dr. Clayton, in his closing re- 
 marks, said some very complimentary things concerning my 
 school, which he bade the children repeat to their parents ; 
 and such is human nature, that, when I had received my 
 Eight Dollars, and was gone, the District, in speaking of 
 me, said, " I wasn't the worst teacher, after all." 
 
 About four o'clock, there came up a thunder shower, 
 which caused both Mrs. Randall and the scholars to hasten 
 home. Dr. Clayton, on the contrary, was in no hurry. 
 " It was, perhaps, the last opportunity he would have of 
 seeing me," he said, " and he meant to improve it." 
 
 It was not very far to Meadow Brook I thought, and so 
 I at last ventured to say. 
 
 " I know that," he replied ; " but people might talk were 
 I to call on you, and I do not wish to do anything which 
 will affect you unpleasantly." 
 
 " I don't care what folks say," arose to my lips, but its 
 utterance was prevented by a flash of lightning and a thun- 
 der crash, which made me shriek aloud, while I covered my 
 face with my hands. 
 
 I shall not describe the way which Dr. Clayton took to 
 calm my fright, for all who have passed through a similar 
 experience can imagine it ; but the remembrance of that
 
 CLOSE OF SCHOOL IN PINE DISTRICT. 103 
 
 thunder-storm lingered in my memory long after I had for- 
 gotten the night when I sat with him in the soft moonlight 
 beneath the old oak tree. When the storm had ceased and 
 the sun was again shining on the tree-tops at the west, he 
 left me, placing on my hand at parting a little gold ring, on 
 which was inscribed, simply, " Rose." 
 
 " It was the gift of friendship," he said " nothing more ;" 
 and he wished me to wear it " for the sake of the few plea- 
 sant hours we had spent together." 
 
 I suppose it was wrong in me to accept it. I thought so 
 then, but I could not refuse it ; and remembering the fate of 
 the one sent by Herbert Langley to Anna, I resolved upon 
 keeping it a secret, and only wearing it when I was alone. 
 For a long time I sat in the deserted schoolroom, while the 
 damp air, which came through the open window, fell upon 
 my uncovered neck and arms, nor was I reminded of the 
 lapse of time until it began to grow dark around me ; then 
 hastily throwing on my things, I started for Mr. Randall's, 
 wetting my feet, for I had no rubbers with me. As the re- 
 sult of this, when I awoke next morning I was conscious of 
 a pain in my head, a soreness in my throat, and an aching of 
 my back, quite as unexpected as it was disagreeable. I had 
 taken a violent cold, and Mrs. Randall, when she saw how 
 pale I was and how faint I appeared, said I must not go to 
 school. George, she said, would go and tell the scholars, 
 and I must stay there until my father came for me at night, 
 as had been arranged the week before. To this plan I 
 finally yielded, and all the day long I hovered over the fire, 
 which, in the little sitting-room, was kindled for my comfort. 
 
 At night, when my father came for me, I was almost too 
 weak to stand alone ; but the excitement of riding imparted 
 to me an artificial strength, which wholly deserted me the 
 moment I reached home, and for many days I kept my bed.
 
 lOt MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 attended by Dr. Clayton, who accidently heard of my illness, 
 and who came daily to see me. Grandma, who was some- 
 thing of a iiur.se, proposed several times that he be dismissed, 
 saying, he only made me worse, for I was always more fever- 
 ish and restless after one of his visits ! But the doctor, to 
 whom she one day made the suggestion, said he should 
 not leave me until I was well, and when she asked him how 
 he accounted for my rapid pulse and flushed cheeks, when- 
 ever he was present, he very gravely replied, that "possibly 
 my heart might be affected the symptoms seemed much like 
 it," adding, as he saw the look of concern on grandma's face, 
 " but I think I can cure that, don't you, Rose ?" turning to 
 me, and taking my hand to see how fast my pulse did beat ! 
 
 After this, grandma made no further objections to his 
 visits. " If Eose had the heart disease, and he could cure 
 it, he ought to do so !" 
 
 But, alas ! for the heart disease, which feeds upon the smile 
 of one who, when sure that he holds it in his grasp, casts it 
 from him, as children do a long coveted toy, of which they 
 have grown weary.
 
 PRO AND CON. 105 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 PRO AND CON. 
 
 ON a pleasant May morning, in the spring succeeding the 
 events narrated in the last chapter, the door of Dr. Clay- 
 ton's office was locked against all iutruders. The shutters 
 were closed ; while within, with his feet upon a table and his 
 hands clasped over his head, the doctor himself was revolv- 
 ing the all-important question whether it were better 
 to offer himself at once to Dell Thompson " and have it done 
 with," or to wait a few years for a little girl, who had re- 
 cently crossed his pathway, leaving on his memory footprints 
 he could not easily efface. For the benefit of any young 
 men who may be similarly situated, we give a portion of his 
 reasoning, as follows : 
 
 " Now, I am as positive as a man need be that I can 
 have either of them for the asking ; therefore, in a case 
 which involves the happiness of one's whole life, it behooves 
 me to consider the matter well. To be sure, if I follow the 
 bent of my inclination, I am decided at once ; but then, mar- 
 riages of convenience sometimes prove just as pleasant as 
 those of pure love ; and so I'll go over with the pros and cons 
 of both, deciding upon the one which has the most of the 
 former 1 
 
 " First, then, there's Rose, a most beautiful name. Only 
 think how refreshing it would be after riding ten or twelve 
 5*
 
 106 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 miles, visiting farmer Stubbs or widow Grubbs, to know 
 there was a Rose watching for your return. Yes, her name 
 is in her favor." 
 
 Here the hands came down from the head, and wrote one 
 pro against the name of Rose, after which they resume their 
 former position, and the doctor goes on with his soliloquy : 
 
 " She is frank, artless, unassuming, means what she says 
 in short, she is perfectly natural, and I always feel refreshed 
 after a talk with her." (Makes pro number 2.) "Then 
 she is so wholly unselfish in her affection for me loves me 
 so devotedly sees no fault in me whatever thinks me 
 handsome, I dare say, and all that." 
 
 Here glancing at himself in a little mirror opposite, and 
 smoothing his shining moustache, the doctor waxes eloquent 
 on said Rose's supposed admiration for him, writing down, 
 in the heat of his excitement two pros, making in all four ! 
 Verily, Rosa Lee, your prospect of becoming Mrs. Dr. Clay- 
 ton is" brightening fast. But to proceed : 
 
 " She is smart, intelligent, talented, writes poetry and, 
 with proper training, would perhaps make a distinguished 
 writer. Were I sure on this point, I should not hesitate ; 
 but you can't tell what these precocious children will make ; 
 frequently they come to a stand-still.'' 
 
 And here, to make the matter sure, he writes against her 
 name one pro for what she possibly may be, and one con for 
 what she probably will not be ! 
 
 " Then I love her better than anything else in the known 
 world. I do, that's a fact ; but she's young only four- 
 teen and before she's old enough to marry she may change 
 forty times, and that would kill me dead." 
 
 Puts dow none pro for his own love, and one am for RosVs 
 possible inconstancy. 
 
 "But she is poor or, her father, they say, is worth
 
 PRO AND CON. 107 
 
 only about $5,000 ! He already has nine children, and 
 there's time enough for three or four more : thirteen into 
 Jive thousand makes Long Division, a rule I never fancied ; 
 too poor altogether 1" 
 
 And against Rose's name there is con No. 3, long and 
 black, with the shadow of her four unborn brothers, who, by 
 the way, never came in for a share of the $5,000. 
 
 " Then her family connections, I do not suppose, are such 
 as would add anything to my influence. Good, respectable 
 people, no doubt, but not known in the world like the Hun- 
 gerfords, Dell Thompson's maternal relatives. To be sure, 
 I once heard Rose speak of an uncle who resides in Boston, 
 but I dare say he's some grocer or mechanic, living on a 
 back street ; while Dell's uncle, from the same city, must be 
 a man of wealth and importance, judging by the figure his 
 wife cuts when she visits the captain." 
 
 Here Dell received a pro for the Hungerford blood flow- 
 ing in her veins, while Rose had a con for the want of said 
 Hungerford blood. 
 
 " Dell, too, has $10,000 of her own, or rather will have, 
 when her grandmother dies ; and there are not many young 
 men who can jump into that fortune every day. Yes, 
 $10,000 is a decided temptation." 
 
 And lest Rose, who already numbered six, should come 
 out in the majority, three long marks were put down against 
 the $10,000 to be inherited at the death of a grandmother, 
 whose name Dell bore. 
 
 " Then Dell has an air, which shows at once what she is, 
 and no man need be ashamed of her in any place." (Mark 
 No. 5.) "Then, again, she's handsome decidedly so 
 such beautiful eyes ! such small feet ! and curls !" 
 
 Here :i vague remembrance of certain long shoes, with 
 wads of on' ton, rersus French slippers and silken hose, arose
 
 108 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 before the man of the world, resulting in a pro for the slip- 
 pers, and a con for the cotton ! 
 
 "But Dell is deceitful high-tempered artificial selfish 
 superficial- and all that ! The other picture suits me best, 
 or would, were it not for the Huugerford blood, and the 
 $10,000. Let me see how it foots up : Six pros for Dell, 
 and the same number for Rose." 
 
 Here was a dilemma ; but anon he remembered how awk. 
 wardly the last mentioned young lady looked, when she fell 
 at his feet and this decides the matter. He is sensitive 
 to ridicule, very, and he could not endure the sneering 
 remarks which an avowed attachment to her might call forth 
 from the world of fashion ; so he crosses one of the pros 
 which he had written against her name, when he thought 
 how much she admired him and then it stands, Dell 6; 
 Rose 5 ! 
 
 Thus was the die cast. Alas ! for the young girl, who, 
 that same spring morning, stole away to her accustomed 
 haunt, the old grape-vine, whose swelling buds were not an 
 unfit symbol of the bright hopes now springing in her glad 
 heart. As she sits there alone, with the running brook at 
 her feet, she thinks of him who has grown so strongly into 
 her love ; and though, in words, he has never said so, by 
 ten thousand little acts he has told her that her affection 
 was returned, and for his sake she wishes she was older. 
 He has wished so too, in her presence, many a time ; but as 
 that cannot be, she resolves to spend the season of her child- 
 hood in making herself what she knows he would wish her 
 to be, were she to share his lot in life ; and then, when the 
 lapse of years shall have ripened her into womanhood, she 
 thinks how she can, without shame, put her hand in his, and 
 go forth into the world satisfied, though it brought hex 
 naught but care, if he were only with her.
 
 PRO AND CON. 109 
 
 Alas, for thee, Rosa ! A few miles to the southward, and 
 the same sun which now shines softly down on you, looks in 
 through a richly curtained window, and its golden rays fall 
 on the queenly form of your rival ; who, with a look of exulta- 
 tion on her finely cast features, listens to the words she has 
 long waited to hear, and which have now been spoken; 
 while he, of whom you dream, bends gently over her, his 
 own his letrothed ! And still, in the very moment of his 
 triumph, there comes up before him a pale, childish face, 
 which, with its dreamy eyes of blue, looks reproachfully upon 
 him. But pride and ambition weave together a veil with 
 which hides the image from his view, bidding him for- 
 get that any other save the peerless Dell, e'er stirred the 
 fountain of his love. 
 
 # # # * * * 
 
 Would it be well for us always to know what is passing 
 in the minds of our friends, whether present or absent ? I 
 think not ; and still, could Rosa Lee have known what had 
 transpired, methinks she would not have darted away so 
 quickly as she did, when told that Dr. Clayton was coming 
 through the gate one afternoon, about six weeks after his 
 engagement with Dell. Why she ran, she could not tell, 
 except it were, as her brother Charlie said, that " gals 
 always run off and spit on their hair, when they saw their 
 beaux coming." 
 
 Homely as this expression is, there was in this case some 
 truth in it ; for, though Rose did not spit upon her hair, 
 she went to her room and brushed it, winding one or two 
 of the rougher curls about her finger, then taking from its 
 hiding-] )lace the ring, his gift, she placed it upon her finger, 
 and with heightened color went down to greet the doctor, 
 who Iiad come to make his farewell visit for, four weeks 
 from that night, Dell Thompson would be his wife. Long
 
 J10 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 had he debated the propriety of seeing Rose again, con- 
 science bidding him leave her aloiie, while inclination cla- 
 mored loudly for one more quiet talk with her, one more 
 walk by moonlight, one more look into her childish face, 
 and then he would leave her forever ; never again suffering 
 a thought of her to come between him an-d the bride of his 
 choice. 
 
 And for this purpose he had come ; but when he saw how 
 joyfully Rose met him, and how the bloom deepened on her 
 usually pale cheek, his heart misgave him, and for the first 
 time, he began to realize the wrong he had done her. But 
 it was now too late to remedy it, he thought ; and as if bent 
 upon making matters still worse, he asked her to accompany 
 him in a walk down the green lane, to the haunts he knew 
 she loved the best, and where they had more than once been 
 before. Oh, that walk ! how long it lingered in the 
 memory of Rose, for never before had the doctor's manner 
 been so marked, or his words so kind as when together they 
 sat upon the moss-grown bank, beneath the spreading vine, 
 while he talked to her of the past, of the happiness he had 
 experienced in her society, and which he said would be 
 one of the few green spots, to which, in the years to come, he 
 should look back with pleasure. Then drawing her so 
 closely to him that her head almost rested upon his shoulder, 
 he asked of her the privilege of " once kissing her before 
 they parted " he did not say forever, but the rustling 
 leaves and the murmuring brook whispered it in her car as 
 she granted his request, shuddering the while, and wondering 
 at the strangeness of his manner. Possibly he. had it in 
 his rniudtfo tell her, but if so, he found himself unequal to the 
 task, and he left her without a word of the coming event, 
 of which she had not the slightest suspicion.
 
 MRS. DR. CLAYTOX. Ill 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 MRS. DR. CLAYTON. 
 
 ALTHOUGH Meadow Brook and Pine District were distant 
 from each other only four or five miles, there was between 
 the two neighborhoods but little communication ; and this, 
 added to the fact that Aunt Sally Wright was confined to 
 her bed, was undoubtedly the reason why the news of the 
 approaching nuptials did not reach us until the week before 
 the time appointed for them to take place. It was a warm 
 sultry day in July, that Aunt Sally, who was now con- 
 valescent, sent us word that she would visit us that after- 
 noon, if it was perfectly convenient ; the little girl who 
 brought the message, adding that " Miss Wright said Miss 
 Lee needn't put herself out an atom, as she wan't a bit 
 particular what she ett." 
 
 Of course it was convenient, and about one o'clock she 
 came, talkative and full of news as ever. I was suffering 
 from a severe headache, which, during the morning, had kept 
 me confined to the bed ; but knowing how much Aunt Sally 
 would have to tell, and feeling curious to hear it all, I went 
 down to the sitting-room, where her first exclamation was, 
 " Now do tell what makes you look so down in the mouth ?" 
 
 I was about to tell her of my headache, when she pre- 
 i me by continuing " But law! it's no wonder, seem' 
 you've lost the doctor slick and clean."
 
 112 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 A dim foreshadowing of the truth came over me, but with 
 a strong effort, I controlled my feelings, and in a very indif- 
 ferent manner, asked her what she meant. 
 
 " Now I'll give up," said she, " if you hain't heerd on't. 
 Why, it's in everybody's mouth. They are to be married 
 next Thursday night, at nine o'clock ; and the dress is white 
 satin, with a veil that comes most to the floor." 
 
 " Who is to be married ?" asked Anna, eagerly, her 
 interest all awakened by the mention of white satin and lace 
 veils. 
 
 " Why, Dr. Clayton and Dell Thompson ;" returned Aunt 
 Sally. " They was published last Sunday ; Andy Slosson 
 see it himself and told me. They are goin' first out to 
 York State, to see them great Falls, arid then they are goin' 
 to live in Boston, boardin' at some of them big taverns ; and 
 Dell has got six bran new gowns a-purpose to wear to 
 breakfast." 
 
 Here Aunt Sally paused for breath, while Anna asked 
 who was invited, and if it was to be a large wedding. 
 
 " I don't know how large," said Aunt Sally, " but it's 
 pretty likely all the upper crust'll be there. / hain't been 
 invited, 'cause they think I'm sick, I s'pose, but goodness 
 alive ! look at Rosa !" she continued, pointing towards me, 
 who, weary and faint, had lain my head upon the window- 
 stool. 
 
 " She's got the sick headache," said Anna, while Lizzie, 
 with a delicate tact, for which in my heart I blessed her, 
 came up to me, saying, " I don't believe you are able to sit 
 up ; I'd go to bed." 
 
 Glad of any excuse to be alone, I left the room, going to 
 my chamber, where I wept myself to sleep. When I awoke 
 the sun had set, but I heard the voices of the family below, 
 and once when I thought I caught the sound of Dr.
 
 MRS. DR. CLAYTON. 118 
 
 Clayton's name, I involuntarily stopped my ears to shut out 
 the sound. A moment after, the door of my room was 
 softly opened, and Carrie came stealing in on tiptoe. 
 Learning that I was awake, she advanced towards me, hold- 
 ing to view a note, which she said had been left there for 
 me by Captain Thompson's hired man, and was an invitation 
 to the wedding ! It was still sufficiently light for me to see, 
 and leaning upon my elbow, I read on a card, that Mrs. 
 Thompson would be " at home " from eight to eleven on the 
 evening of the 25th, while in the corner were the names of 
 " Dr. Clayton and Dell Thompson." 
 
 There was no longer a shadow of hope ! it was all true, 
 and he had insulted me with an invitation to witness his 
 marriage with another ! I did not know then, as I after- 
 wards did, that the invitation was purposely sent by Dell to 
 annoy me ! For a moment I forgot my headache in my 
 anger, but ere long it returned in all its force, and if the 
 next day my headache continued wi|,h unabated severity, it 
 was not without a sufficient cause, for sleepless nights are 
 seldom conducive to one's health. Of course I did not 
 attend the wedding, which was said to have been a brilliant 
 affair ; the bride and the table looking beautifully, while the 
 bridegroom, it was rumored, was pale and nervous, making 
 the responses in a scarcely audible tone of voice. 
 
 The next morning, between eight and nine o'clock, as I 
 was on my way to school, I met the travelling carriage 
 of Capt. Thompson, which was taking the newly married 
 couple to the ddpot. John was driving, while on the back 
 seat, with his arm partly around his bride, was the doctor. 
 My first impulse was not to look at them, but this act pride 
 forbade, and very civilly I returned the nod of Dell, and the 
 polite bow of the doctor, whose face turned crimson when he 
 saw me. A moment more, and a turn of the road hid them
 
 1U MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 from my view ; then seating myself upon a large flat stone, 
 beneath a tree, where were the remains of a- play-house built 
 by my own hands only the autumn before, I cried out loud, 
 thinking myself the most wretched of beings, and wondering 
 if ever any one before had such trouble as I ! As nearly as 
 I am able to judge, I was taking my first lesson in lovesick- 
 mss a kind of disease which is seldom dangerous, but, like 
 the toothache, very disagreeable while it lasts. At least I 
 found it so, and for weeks I pined away with a kind of sen- 
 timental melancholy, which now appears to me wholly fool- 
 ish and ridiculous ; for were I indeed the wife of Dr. Clayton, 
 instead of Rosa Lee, this book would undoubtedly never 
 have been written ; while in place of bending over the ink- 
 stand this stormy morning, as I am doing, I should probably 
 have been engaged in washing, dressing, scolding, and cuff- 
 ing three or four little Claytons, or in the still more laudable 
 employment of darning the socks and mending the trousers (a 
 thing, by the way, which I can't do) of said little Claytons' 
 sire ; who, by this time, would, perhaps, have ceased to call 
 me " his Rose," bestowing upon me the less euphonious title 
 of " .she," or " my woman ?" 
 
 But not thus did I reason then. I only knew that I had 
 lost him and was very unhappy. Many a long walk I took 
 alone in the shadowy woods, singing to myself snatches of 
 love-songs, particularly the one containing the following : 
 
 " I have not loved lightly 
 
 I'll think of thee yet, 
 And I'll pray for thee nightly. 
 Till life's sun is set." 
 
 " Somehow, too, I got the impression that my heart was 
 
 all broken to pieces ; and this fact satisfactorily settled, I 
 
 to take a melancholy pleasure in brooding over my
 
 MRS. DR. CLAYTON. 115 
 
 early death, and thinking how Dr. Clayton would feel, when 
 he heard the sad news ! Almost every week I was weighed, 
 feeling each time a good deal chagrined to find that I was 
 not losing flesh as fast as a person in a decline would natur- 
 ally do. In this state of affairs, I one day came across a 
 little sketch of Hannah More, in which her early disappoint- 
 ment was described, and forthwith I likened myself to her, 
 and taking courage from her example, I finally concluded 
 that if I could not have the doctor I could at least write for 
 the newspapers, and some day I might perhaps be able to 
 make a book. This, I thought, would amply atone for my 
 loss an opinion which I hold still, for if ever I do see my- 
 self in a book, and the reviews let me alone, which, in consi- 
 deration of all I have suffered, I am sure they will do, I shall 
 consider it a most fortunate circumstance that Dell's 
 $10,000, in prospect, proved a stronger temptation than my 
 father's $5,000 divided by thirteen !
 
 116 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 BOSTON. 
 
 THE bridal party had returned from the Falls, and after 
 spending a week or more at Capt. Thompson's the doctor 
 took down his sign, boxed up his books, pills, powders, and 
 skeleton, which some called his Anatomy, while Dell packed up 
 her six morning gowns with hosts of other finery, and then 
 one day in August they started for Boston ; where the doc- 
 tor hoped for a wider field of labor, fully expecting to be 
 aided by the powerful influence of Mr. Marshall, his wife's 
 uncle, whose high station in the city he never once doubted. 
 For this opinion he had, as the world goes, some well found- 
 ed reasons ; for not only did Dell often quote " my Aunt 
 Marshall of Boston," but the lady herself also managed to 
 impress the people of Pine District with her superiority over 
 them, and her great importance at home. Notwithstanding 
 that she frequently spent several weeks at Capt. Thompson's, 
 she still could not endure the country " the people were so 
 vulgar 'twas so dull there, and no concerts, no operas, no 
 theatres, no star actors, no parties, and more than all, no 
 dear, delightful old Common, with its shaded walks and vel- 
 vet grass." 
 
 Of course Dr. Clayton, in thinking of her city home, fan- 
 cied to himself a princely mansion on Beacon street, over- 
 looking the " dear, delightful old Common," and it is scarcely
 
 BOSTON. 117 
 
 more than natural that his heart expanded with some lit- 
 tle degree of pride, as he saw in contemplation the dinner 
 parties, evening parties, soirees, etc., which he confidently 
 expected to attend at said princely mansion. At first he had 
 entertained a faint hope that he might possibly board with 
 his new uncle ; but this idea was instantly repelled by his 
 wife, who did not seem so much inclined to talk of her " city 
 Aunt " as formerly. So it was decided that they should for 
 a time take rooms at the Tremout. 
 
 It was a dark, rainy night when they arrived, and as it 
 was cold for the season, their rooms seemed cheerless and 
 dreary, while, to crown all, the bride of six weeks w.as un- 
 deniably and decidedly out of temper ; finding fault with 
 everything, even to her handsome husband, who fidgeted and 
 fussed, brought her the bottle of hair oil instead of cologne, 
 stepped on her linen travelling dress with his muddy boot, 
 spit in the grate instead of the spit-box, breathed in her face 
 when he knew how she disliked tobacco, thought of Rosa 
 Lee, and wondered if she were ever cross ("nervous" Dell 
 called it), thought not, and almost wished no, didn't wish 
 anything, but as an offset thought of the $10,000, asked Dell 
 how old her grandmother was, received for an answer, " I 
 don't know and I don't care ;" after which he went down stairs 
 and regaled himself with a cigar until informed that supper 
 was ready. Ate all alone, Dell refusing to go down found 
 her in tears on returning to his room, was told that she 
 " was homesick, and wished she'd never come." He began 
 to wish so too, but said " she'd feel better by and by." Sat 
 for an hour or more cross-legged listening to the rain, and 
 wondering if there was a cure for nervousness ; finally went 
 to bed and dreamed of Rosa Lee and the moonlight night, 
 when they sat under the old oak tree, and of the thunder- 
 storm when he gave her the little gold ring.
 
 118 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 The next morning Mrs. Doctor Clayton was all smiles, and 
 when, with her handsome eyes, shining hair, and tasteful 
 wrapper, she descended to the breakfast-room, she attracted 
 much attention, and more than one asked who she was, as 
 they turned for a second glance. Nothing of this escaped 
 the doctor, and with a glow of pride he forgot the vexa- 
 tious of the night previous, and gave vent to a mental pshaw ! 
 as he thought of his dream; for well he knew that the little 
 plain-faced Rosa could not compare with the splendid wo- 
 man at his side. Breakfast being over, he ventured to sug- 
 gest the possibility of their soon receiving a call from her aunt; 
 but Dell hastily replied, that such a thing was hardly proba- 
 ble, as her Aunt had her own affairs to attend to, and would 
 not trouble herself about them. The doctor's hands went 
 into his pockets, and his eyes went over inquiringly to his 
 wife, who continued speaking rapidly, as if it were a painful 
 duty which she felt compelled to perform. 
 
 " I don't know where you got the idea that Uncle Mar- 
 shall is such a great man not from me, certainly. But got 
 it you have, and it's time you knew the truth. He is a 
 good, honest man, I dare say, and respectable, too; but he is 
 not one of the ton, by any means. Why, he's nothing more 
 nor less than a tailor, and earns his bread from day to 
 day." 
 
 " But his wife" interrupted the doctor " how happens 
 it that she supports so much style ?" 
 
 " Oh, that's easily accounted for," returned Dell. " They 
 have no children she is fond of dress, and spends all she 
 can get for that purpose. She was an apprentice girl and 
 learned her trade in my uncle's shop, and it is said, some- 
 times helps him now when he is pressed hard." 
 
 " Why did you never tell me this before ?" asked the doc- 
 tor, his brow growing thoughtful.
 
 BOSTON. 119 
 
 " And why should I tell you ?" answered Dell. " What 
 did I suppose you cared whether he were a prince or a tailor. 
 You married me, I hope, for myself, and not for my rela- 
 tions." 
 
 The doctor thought of the ten thousand dollars just in 
 time to force down the answer which sprang to his lips, and 
 which was far better to be unuttered ; so, in its place, he 
 asked, " Where do they live ?" 
 
 " On a back street, some distance from here," said Dell ; 
 adding, that their house, though small, was pleasant and 
 neatly furnished. " It is well enough in the country to have 
 a city Aunt on which to jJimne one's self," she continued, 
 laughingly; " but here, where she is known, I do not intend 
 having much intercourse with her, for a physician and tailor 
 will, of course, occupy entirely different positions. How- 
 ever, I must treat her, at first, with a show of politeness, 
 and if you are so disposed, we'll go round there and call this 
 morning." 
 
 The doctor made no objections, and ere long they were walk- 
 ing over the stony pavement towards B street, which, as 
 
 Dell had said, was rather out of the way. The house, how- 
 ever, at which they stopped, was a pleasant little cottage, 
 with a nicely-kept yard in front, while the parlor, into which 
 they were shown, was quite tasefully furnished. Mrs. Mar- 
 shall herself answered their ring, appearing greatly surprised 
 when she saw them, but not more so than Doctor Clayton, 
 who would never have recognized the dashing lady of Pine 
 District in the plain-looking woman, who, in a cheap calico 
 wrapper, unbrushed hair, and checked apron, now sat before 
 him his Aunt. And yet he could not help thinking her far 
 more agreeable than he had ever seen her before. The truth 
 was, that Mrs. Marshall was one of those weak-minded wo- 
 men who, being nothing at home, strove to make amends by
 
 120 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 "making believe" abroad; assuming everything in the latter 
 and nothing in the former condition. Consequently, she, 
 who in the country was proud and overbearing, affecting 
 ignorance of the most trivial matters, was, at home, a com- 
 paratively quiet, domestic woman; doing her own work, and, 
 aside from being a little jealous and envious of her more for- 
 tunate neighbors, generally minding her own business. 
 
 After the first flutter of meeting the doctor was over, she 
 became herself again, and set about entertaining them to the 
 best of her ability, inviting them to stay with her to dinner, 
 and urging as an inducement, that she was going to have 
 " peaches and cream for dessert." But Dell rather haughtily 
 declined, whereupon her aunt asked " when she would come 
 round and spend the day ?" saying, " she must do so before 
 long, or they might not be in that house." 
 
 " Not be in this house ! Why not ?" asked Dell ; and 
 Mrs. Marshall replied, " Why, you know, we have always 
 rented it of Mr. Lee, and he talks of selling it." 
 
 Instantly the doctor thought of Rosa, and involuntarily 
 repeated the name" Lee Lee " 
 
 " Yes," said Mrs. Marshall. " He has a brother in Mea- 
 dow Brook, whom you may know." 
 
 " Is he wealthy ?" asked the doctor. 
 
 " Why, ye-es, I s'pose so," said Mrs. Marshall, hesitat- 
 ingly, as if unwilling to admit what she could not deny. 
 " He lives in a big house on Beacon street keeps his car- 
 riage and they say the curtains in the front parlor cost a 
 thousand dollars, and there are only two windows either." 
 
 Here she cast a deprecating glance towards her own very 
 prettily embroidered muslin curtains, which probably cost 
 about a hundredth part of that sum. Soon after, the newly 
 married pair arose to go, the doctor feeling, in spite of 
 himself, a little uncomfortable, though at what he hardly
 
 BOSTON. 121 
 
 knew; for he would not acknowledge to himself that he was 
 at all disappointed because Dell's uncle was a tailor instead 
 of a millionaire, or because Rose's uncle lived on Beacon 
 street, and sported curtains which cost a thousand dollars. 
 This did not in the least affect Dell. She was his wife, and 
 as such he would love and cherish her, ministering as far as 
 possible to her wants, and overlooking the faults which ho 
 knew she possessed. Thus reasoned his better nature as he 
 rode home, unconscious that the object of his thoughts was 
 at that very moment misconstruing his silence into disap- 
 pointment, and writing against him bitter things in her 
 heart. 
 
 It was a peculiarity of Dell's to get angry when people 
 least expected it, and then to sulk until such time as she 
 saw fit to be gracious; so when they reached the Treraont, 
 the doctor was astonished to find her past speaking ; neither 
 could he by any amount of coaxing elicit a word from her 
 for more than an hour. At the end of that time, however, 
 her pent-up wrath exploded ; and, in angry tones, she 
 accused him of feeling sorry that he had married her, 
 because her uncle didn't prove to be a great man as he had 
 
 " I saw it all in your face when we were in the omnibus," 
 said she; "it is of no use for you to deny it," adding, as she 
 burst into tears, " but you cannot regret your marriage 
 more than I do mine, and you needn't feel so smart either, 
 for your father was a poor shoemaker in Maine, and when 
 you went to college yon rang the bell in part payment of 
 your tuition." 
 
 This was a phase of married life for which the doctor was 
 
 wholly unprepared, and during the first part of his wife's 
 
 speech he stood confounded, but by the time she had 
 
 finished, his mind was pretty well made up to box her ear? ' 
 

 
 122 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 This, however, he did not do, though he bade her " shut up 
 her head," repenting the harsh words the moment they were 
 uttered, and having manliness enough to tell her so. Wind- 
 ing his arm around her, he talked to her calmly and 
 rationally until she came out of her pet, and agreed " to 
 make up." This process we leave to the imagination of the 
 reader, only suggesting that no one who saw the handsome, 
 loving pair, which half an hour after went down to dinner, 
 would have dreamed of the dark cloud which had so recently 
 lowered on their matrimonial horizon. 
 
 ****** 
 
 Here, wishing the doctor success in procuring patients, 
 we leave them for a time, while we go back to Mea- 
 dow Brook, where our house was one day thrown into 
 a state of unusual excitement by the arrival of a letter 
 from Aunt Charlotte, which contained an invitation for 
 Anna and myself to spend the remainder of the autumn and 
 the whole of the coming winter with her in the city. 
 " Rosa," she wrote, " could go to school, while Anna would 
 be introduced into society." 
 
 Of course we were greatly surprised, wondering what had 
 come over our haughty aunt, who, as the reader will 
 recollect, once spent a Thanksgiving with us. She must have 
 changed, we thought, or else there was some mistake about 
 the invitation. But this could not be, for there it was in 
 black and white, written evidently in all sincerity, while 
 added to it- was a postscript from Uncle Joseph, who also 
 joined in the request. That, if nothing more, proved that 
 the invitation was genuine, for there was no mistaking 
 my uncle's peculiar handwriting, and it only remained t^r 
 as to decide whether we would accept or not, Anna and 
 myself said " Yes," at once, and after a grave deliberation 
 in grandma's room, the same conclusion was also reached by
 
 BOSTON. 123 
 
 my parents, who, after giving us abundance of good advice, 
 (not a word of which I heard, as I was wondering if I 
 should ever meet the doctor and Dell), enjoined it upon 
 Anna, first, never to dance at the parties which she might 
 sometimes attend ; second, never to wear her dresses 
 indecently low, as some of the city girls did ; and third, not 
 to flirt with Herbert Langley. For this last injunction they 
 probably fancied there was little need, it being now five 
 years since she had seen him, and as they knew nothing of 
 the perfumed, gilt-edged notes which lay hidden in her work- 
 box, they very naturally supposed she had forgotten him. 
 I thought so, too, for hers was the last letter, which had 
 been unanswered for many months, and Anna, I knew, was 
 far too proud to care for one who had forgotten her. 
 
 Occasionally we had heard of him through others, and it 
 was always the same story, viz., that he was going down to 
 a drunkard's grave, as fast as daily drams and weekly sprees 
 could carry him ; but if these reports produced any effect 
 upon Anna, it was impercept ; ble. She was now twenty 
 years of age, and was a fair, delicate looking girl, whom 
 some called proud, others cold, and a few selfish; but this last 
 I deny, for though she might appear so to strangers, there 
 was not in our whole family, if I except brother Charlie, one 
 who would sacrifice more of their own comfort for that of 
 another than would my sister Anna ; neither was there one 
 whom I loved better, for though she was six years my 
 senior, she always treated me as one nearer her own age, 
 while I looked up to her as my oracle, thinking that what- 
 ever she did must necessarily be right. 
 
 When it was decided that we were to go, the next 
 important, and to me, most delightful task, was the looking 
 over and fixing up of our wardrobes, which kept us busy 
 for some time. As Anna was to go into society, she of
 
 124 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 course had nearly all the new things, and much as I loved 
 her, I must confess to a feeling of envy when I saw the 
 black silk, blue merino, crimson and brown delaine, etc., 
 which were purchased for her, while I was put off with 
 her old dresses, " made over as good as new," but when 
 I too, was presented with a blue merino by Charlie, who 
 was now a clerk in one of the Meadow Brook stores, 
 all my bad feelings left me, and with great alacrity I 
 assisted in the preparations. 
 
 It was a lovely day late in October, that old Sorrel 
 stood at the door ready to convey us to the depot. This 
 was the first time I had really left home, and when I saw 
 the tears in my mother's eyes, and the trembling of 
 grandma's whole body; when Juliet held me so long to her 
 bosom; when Lizzie and Carrie stole from me a hasty kiss, 
 and then ran off to hide their grief ; when Charlie and John, 
 who were both clerks, came down to the depot to bid us 
 good-bye, affecting to be very manly, notwithstanding that 
 their chins quivered; and when, last of all, my father's fervent 
 " God bless you, my children," resounded in my ears, I began 
 to have a faint idea of the bitterness there is in parting, be 
 it but for a few months. As we expected, we found our 
 uncle's carriage at the depot in Boston, and ere long we had 
 reached his house in Beacon street. 
 
 I remember the thrill of delight which I experienced, 
 when first I entered my Aunt Charlotte's stylish house, and 
 felt that it was to be my home, at least for a time. Every- 
 thing was in perfect order, and for an instant I looked 
 around me in silent wonder, almost forgetting to reply to 
 the greeting of my aunt, who, in heavy brocade and long 
 blue streamers depending from her head, met us kindly and 
 hoped we were well. She had changed since last I saw her, 
 but it was more the work of care than of time. She was
 
 BOSTON 125 
 
 much thinner, and the crow-tracks around her eyes were 
 now decidedly deep-cut wrinkles, while her hair was here 
 and there streaked with more than one silver thread. 
 
 My uncle was still the same good-humored, pleasant man, 
 a little afraid of his wife, it may be, but evidently master of 
 his own house. I glanced around for Herbert, but he was 
 not there, and when, on Anna's account more than my own, 
 I asked for him, I was told that he was down street, but 
 would soon be home. Einging a bell, rny aunt bade the* 
 girl who appeared, "show the young ladies to their 
 rooms," which proved to be a large airy chamber with a bed- 
 room, dressing-room, and closet adjoining. After a hasty 
 toilet we again returned to the parlor, where we found a 
 tall, richly dressed young man, whom I should never have 
 recognized as Herbert Langley. He was much altered from 
 when I last saw him : there was a deep flush on his cheeks, 
 which had reached even to his nose ; while the eyes I had 
 once thought so handsome were watery and unsteady in 
 their movement. On the whole, however, he was still what 
 some would call good-looking. He was sitting with his back 
 to the door, but at the sound of our footsteps he turned 
 around, and coming towards us, welcomed us most cordially 
 to Boston, calling us " cousins," and claiming a cousin's pri- 
 vilege of kissing us me once, and Anna three times, if not 
 four. 
 
 She was a little piqued at his neglect in answering her last 
 letter, and wishing to show proper resentment, she drew 
 back rather haughtily, as if wondering how he dare " tako 
 such liberties." This he readily perceived, and instant ly 
 assuming an air quite as indifferent as her own, he turned 
 towards me, hardly noticing her again, though it was easy 
 to see that the reserve of both was merely affectation. That 
 evening he was gone until nine o'clock, and when he entered
 
 .26 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 the parlor, I noticed on the face of my aunt the same anx- 
 ious expression which I remembered having seen there, when 
 from our sitting-room window, she watched his return. But 
 he was perfectly sober, and with a sigh of relief, she resumed 
 her work ; while he, coming round to my side, startled me by 
 saying that " he had just met with a friend of mine Dr. 
 Clayton." 
 
 " Where did you see him ?" asked Anna, while I bent 
 lower over the book I was reading ; for that name had still 
 a power to move me strongly. 
 
 " Why," answered Herbert, " Tom Wilson, an old school- 
 mate of mine, boards at the Tremont, where he is now ly- 
 ing very sick. All the old physicians have given him up, 
 and so he has employed this Dr. Clayton, who, it seems, has 
 been at the same hotel for six weeks or more. I called on 
 Tom this evening, and while I was there Dr. Clayton came 
 in. In the course of our conversation he spoke of Meadow 
 Brook, and then, as a matter of course, I said there were 
 now in our family two young ladies from that place. When 
 I mentioned Rosa's name, he turned almost as white as Toin 
 himself, and if she were not so young, I should be inclined to 
 think there was something between them. What do you 
 say, coz ?" 
 
 Here Anna came to my aid, saying, " Why, he's a mar- 
 ried man, and his wife is with him at the Tremont." 
 
 "The dickens he is !" said Herbert, looking a little puz- 
 zled. Then turning to his mother, he added, " Mother, you 
 ought to call on this Mrs. Clayton, for if she is an acquaint- 
 ance of Anna and Rosa, they will very naturally wish to see 
 her occasionally." 
 
 " She needn't call for me," said I, quickly. 
 
 "Nor for me, for I don't know her," rejoined Anna, while 
 with a haughty toss of her head, Aunt Charlotte replied, that
 
 BOSTON. 127 
 
 " her circle of acquaintances was quite large enough now, 
 and she'd no idea of extending it by taking in people about 
 <vhoni she knew nothing." 
 
 I know it was very wrong in me, but I could not help 
 straightening up a little in my chair as I wondered what the 
 proud Dell Thompson would say if she knew that the de- 
 spised Rosa Lee was living as an equal in a family which 
 looked down upon her and her husband as nobodies. I was 
 roused from my reverie by my aunt's asking Herbert in a 
 low tone, " how Ada was to-night," and glancing towards 
 him, I fancied that said Ada, whoever she might be, was 
 to him not a very pleasant subject just then, for his brow 
 darkened visibly, while he replied, " I never once thought to 
 inquire, but I dare say she's no worse, or she would have 
 sent for you post haste." 
 
 There was a moment's silence, and then my aunt again 
 spoke, " Herbert, I wish you'd do better. You know how 
 lonely she is, and how much she must necessarily feel your 
 neglect." 
 
 " Fudge !" was his answer, as he folded his hands over 
 his head, and leaning back in his chair, looked straight into 
 the astral lamp. 
 
 That night, when Anna and I were alone in our room, the 
 former sat for a time in deep thought, saying, when I at 
 last told her the clock was striking eleven, " I wonder who 
 Ada is !" 
 
 / wondered so, too, and my interest was not at all dimin- 
 ished when the next morning, at the breakfast table, Aunt 
 Charlotte said to her son, " Herbert, I shall be busy this 
 morning making arrangements about a school for Rosa, 
 and I wish you'd go in and see Ada, will you ?'' 
 
 " Yes, yes, I will," said he, rather impatiently, adding, 
 " and if I don't find her any better, I mean to assume the
 
 128 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 responsibility of discharging that old superanuated greeny 
 who attends her, a;.d install Dr. Clayton in his place. I took 
 quite a fancy to him, and Fin going to give him my patron- 
 age !" 
 
 " Oh, I wish you would 1" I exclaimed involuntarily ; for 
 in spite of the wrong he had done me, I cherished no feeling 
 of animosity towards him. 
 
 Then, again, I had heard that it was sometimes very difiL 
 cult for a young physician to obtain much practice in a 
 strange place with no one to help him, and I thought, per- 
 haps, Herbert's " patronage " might be of some avail. 
 
 " I see," said Herbert laughingly, " there has been 
 something, and though he is a married man, you still feel an 
 interest in him, and want him to succeed ; all right, and I'll 
 do what I can to help him ; for I verily believe he'll get Tom 
 on his legs agaiu in spite of what the temperance folks say 
 about his blood's being all turned into whisky I" 
 
 At these words a shadow passed over Aunt Charlotte's 
 face, but it was soon chased away by the next remark of 
 Herbert, which was, " Ain't you glad, mother, I reformed 
 before I got to be as bad as Tom ? Why, girls (addressing 
 Anna and me), I haven't drank a drop since since how 
 long is it mother, since I left off" drinking he could not 
 say, so he finally added, " left off imbibing occasionally ?" 
 
 There was a look of happiness on that mother's face, as 
 she replied, " Almost a year." 
 
 Yes, 'twas almost a year since her son had tasted ardent 
 spirits, and had she not good reasons for thinking he would 
 never fall again ? Assured of this fact, how proud she 
 would have been of her only boy; for, aside from this great 
 error, he possessed many noble, generous qualities; and dur- 
 ing my stay in Boston, I found that, in spite of his well- 
 known habits, he was a pretty general favorite. Oh, how
 
 BOSTON. 129 
 
 lovingly my aunt looked after him when he went out, and 
 how earnestly she watched him when he came in, and all 
 the while she was tempting him beyond what most men 
 could bear; for regularly on her dinner table appeared either 
 porter, champagne, or madeira, one taste of which would 
 set him all on fire. But, unfortunately, she belonged to that 
 class of fashionable people who deem the wine-bottle a ne- 
 cessary appendage to the dinner table, and if, in the sequel, 
 her sou should fill a drunkard's grave, would there bo any 
 just cause why, in her anguish, she should murmur at Pro- 
 vidence for having dealt with her thus harshly ? Ought she 
 not rather to blame herself for having thus daily tempted 
 him to sin by placing before him what she well knew was 
 gure to work his ruin ? 
 
 But to our story. We were at dinner when Herbert came 
 in from his morning ramble, and taking his accustomed seat 
 at the table, he said to his mother, " I called on Ada as you 
 desired, and found her sitting up in a rose-colored dressing- 
 gown, which she thinks very becoming to her, I know, fo? 
 she sat directly opposite the mirror, and I should not dare 
 tell how many times I caught her casting admiring glances 
 at herself." 
 
 Aunt Charlotte frowned, while Herbert, turning to me, 
 continued " Miss Montrose is so much better that I don't 
 believe I can patronize your doctor in that quarter, but I'll 
 do something for him break my leg, may be or have the 
 delirium tremeus." 
 
 This species of jesting seemed to be a kind of mania with 
 Herbert, for almost every day of his life he referred to his 
 former habit of drinking, greatly to the annoyance of hia 
 mother, who, on the occasion just mentioned, turned slightly 
 pale, while Anna looked down upon the carpet and sighed. 
 Thinking this as favorable an opportunity for making iuqui-
 
 ISO MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 Ties concerning Ada Montrose as I should have, I asked 
 Herbert who she was. His mother's lips moved as if she 
 would answer the question, but ere she could speak, Herbert 
 replied, " She's a Georgia lady, a great coquette, who is 
 spending the winter here with a fortieth cousin. Some call 
 her handsome, and I believe mother thinks her beautiful, but 
 if Anna paid as much attention to her toilet and dressed as 
 elegantly as Ada Montrose, she would, in my opinion, look 
 far better." 
 
 'Twas the first compliment he had paid Anna since our 
 arrival, and it brought a bright flush to her usually marble 
 cheek; for Herbert Langley possessed a strange power over 
 my sister, which she did not try to resist. I fancied that 
 my aunt was not quite pleased with Herbert's comparing 
 Miss Montrose to Anna, but ere she could frame any answer, 
 he asked us if we would like to attend the theatre that even- 
 ing. Notwithstanding my father's hostility to circuses, I did 
 not remember having heard him say much against theatres, 
 and so I answered quickly, " Oh, yes, Anna, let's go. I 
 want to see what they do." 
 
 And so, with my aunt's permission, it was settled that we 
 should go, and at the usual hour I found myself in the Na- 
 tional Theatre, which was densely crowded, for a celebrated 
 actress appeared that night for the last time in Boston. 
 Perfectly bewildered, I followed Herbert and Anna to my 
 uncle's box, which commanded a fine view of the stage, and 
 then, when I became a little accustomed to the glare of 
 lights and the hum of voices, which in some degree reminded 
 me of that never-to-be-forgotten circus of Cousin Will me- 
 mory, I ventured to look over the sea of faces, half starting 
 from any seat as I recognized among the crowd Dr. Clay- 
 ton and his wife, the latter appearing to be looking at us 
 through what I thought resembled the dice boxes of a back-
 
 BOSTON, 131 
 
 gammon board tied together, but which I soon learned was 
 an opera-glass. The doctor was paler and thinner than 
 when I last saw him, and it was with more than one pang 
 that I watched him as, from time to time, he cast a glance 
 of pride at the splendid-looking woman at his side, who 
 attracted considerable attention, and at whom, in the course 
 of the evening, more than one glass was levelled. 
 
 Ere long my attention was diverted from them to a tall, 
 dark, and rather peculiar-looking gentleman, who entered 
 the box at our right. Sinking into a seat, he abandoned 
 himself apparently, to his own thoughts, which could not 
 have been very pleasant; for his forehead, which was high 
 and white, seemed at times to be one mass of wrinkles, while 
 his eyes, large, black, and deepset in his head, alternately 
 flashed with anger and vexation. I am not much of a phy- 
 siognomist, but there was in the face of the stranger some- 
 thing which at once attracted and riveted my attention. 
 He was not handsome, like Dr. Clayton nay, I am not sure 
 but many would call him ugly, but I did not ; and, somehow, I 
 felt certain that no girl of fourteen had ever wept over his 
 fickleness, for he looked the soul of honor and integrit}*. 
 Gradually, too, as the play proceeded, the expression which 
 I had at first observed passed away; his dark eyes lighted 
 up; and when, at last, a bright smile broke over his face, I 
 pronounced him far better looking than the doctor, who was 
 fast losing ground in my good opinion. 
 
 The play was the " Lady of Lyons," and though I was 
 familiar with the story, I seemed now to hear it for the first 
 time; so fully did I enter into the feelings of the heroine, 
 Pauline, whose distress I could not believe was feigned. 
 All was real to me; and I can now scarcely repress a smile, 
 as I recall to mind how I must have looked, standing 
 there with flushed cheeks, clasped hands, staring eyes, and
 
 132 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 lips slightly apart, drinking in every word of the actress. 
 Once Auna pulled my dress, whispering to me, "Do sit 
 down, Kosa ; they aro all looking at you, and Mrs. Clayton 
 is laughing and pointing you out to her husband." 
 
 " I didn't care for Dell Thompson, or the doctor either," 
 and so I said, while at the same time I glanced towards the 
 stranger, whose eyes were fixed upon me with an expression 
 I could not fathom. 
 
 He was not making fun of me, I was sure of that ; but as 
 if there were a magnetic influence in his look, which I could 
 not resist, I dropped into my seat, and remained motionless 
 until the closing scene, where, with a piercing shriek, Pau- 
 line rushed into the arms of her husband. Then there came 
 over me the same sensation which I had experienced years 
 before in the old schoolhouse at Meadow Brook. Every- 
 thing grew dark around me, and with a faint cry I fell across 
 Anna's lap. I was not entirely unconscious, for I have a 
 dim remembrance of being led from the heated room, the 
 close atmosphere of which had probably helped to bring on 
 my faintness. The cool air outside revived me in a measure, 
 but it was the mesmeric touch of two large, warm hands 
 which fully restored to me my faculties, and, looking up, I 
 saw bending over me the gentleman in whom I had been so 
 much interested. Dr. Clayton, too, was there, looking wor- 
 ried and anxious, but instinctively leaving me to the care of 
 the stranger, who seemed to know exactly what to do. 
 
 " You are better now, I think," said he, gazing down npou 
 we with his deep black eyes, and adding, with the same 
 
 peculiar smile I had before observed, " Miss 's acting 
 
 .seldom receives so genuine a compliment as this. I imagine 
 she ought to feel flattered." 
 
 At this moment a loud stamping and hallooing came to 
 juy ear, a.nd, pulling Anna's shawl, Herbert exclaimed,
 
 BOSTON. 1S3 
 
 " Come, let's go in again ; they are calling back the dancing- 
 girl, and I wouldn't miss it for anything. Come, Rose, you 
 want to see it all, and we'll stand right by the door." 
 
 I felt perfectly well, and started to follow him, when 
 something in the stranger's face arrested me, for it seemed 
 to say, " I wouldn't go." But he did not speak, and bow- 
 ing to me very politely, he walked away, while I went after 
 Herbert and Anna, reaching them just in time to witness a 
 part of Mile. Lisette's dance, which seemed to me a good 
 deal like the performance of the Circus girl, only " a little 
 more so ;" and I felt certain that Cousin Will, had he been 
 there, would have pronounced her superior even to the 
 boasted Albany girl ! 
 
 When at last it was over, and we were again leaving the 
 room, Dr. Clayton, as if seeing me for the first time, offered 
 me his hand, and in a low tone expressed to me his pleasure 
 that I was to be in the city during the winter ; adding, as 
 he cast a furtive glance towards his wife, " You'll come and 
 see me often, won't you ; for I am very lonely ?" 
 
 For an instant I felt a thrill of pride, to know that there 
 was yet aught in me which could interest him, but 'twas only 
 for a moment, and then there came up before me thoughts 
 of the stranger, and owing to some unknown influence, 
 which I shall not attempt to explain, the doctor's power 
 over me was from that moment at an end ; and though I 
 still liked him, it was as I would like any friend who evinced 
 a regard for me. 
 
 Of the stranger I often thought, wondering who he was 
 and whence he came ; but no one knew, and all that I could 
 learn was, that Herbert saw him the next morning standing 
 on the steps of the Revere House, and chancing the same 
 afternoon to Lc at the Wortvsior di : }iut, he y.iw him CHUT 
 the cars bound for Albany, and heard from one of the
 
 134 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 bystanders that he was a Georgian, and had probably come 
 to Boston after " a runaway nigger .'" Being a true born 
 daughter of freedom-loving Massachusetts, this intelligence 
 of course had the effect of cooling my ardor somewhat, and 
 wishing in my heart that every one of his negroes would run 
 away, I banished him for a time from my mind. 
 
 After many inquiries, and much consultation with her par- 
 ticular friend Mrs. Ashley, my aunt at last decided to send 
 
 me to Madam 's school ; while Anna, after a two weeks' 
 
 siege with dress-makers, was introduced into society, where, 
 if she was not a reigning belle, she was* at least a favorite ; 
 and more than once I heard the most flattering compliments 
 bestowed upon her, while it was thought to be " a pity that 
 her sister was so plain and unpretending in her appear- 
 ance !"
 
 ADA MONTROSE. 135 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 ADA MONTROSE. 
 
 AUNT CHARLOTTE, Anna, and myself were sitting in the 
 parlor one morning, about four weeks after our arrival in 
 Boston, when the door-bell rang, and the servant ushered iu 
 a youug lady, who I readily guessed was Ada Montrose, for 
 there was about her an air of languor, as if she bad just 
 arisen from a sick bed. All doubt on this point was soou 
 settled by my aunt's exclaiming, as she hastened to greet her, 
 " Why, Ada, my child, this is a surprise. How do you do ?" 
 
 The voice which answered was, I thought, the sweetest 
 and most musical I had ever heard, and yet there was in it 
 something which made me involuntarily shudder. I do not 
 know that I believe in presentiments, but sure I am that the 
 moment I heard the tones of Ada Montrose's voice, and 
 looked upon her face, I experienced a most disagreeable 
 sensation, as if, in some way or other, she would one day 
 cross my path. She was beautiful so beautiful, that it 
 seemed impossible to detect a single fault either in her fea- 
 tures or complexion, though there was in the former an 
 expression which made me feel, when her eyes were fixed 
 upon me, much as the bird must when charmed by the rat- 
 tlesnake. Do what I would, I could not rid myself of the 
 idea that she was my evil genius, though how in any way she, 
 a proud southern belle, could ever affect me, a plain school.
 
 13(5 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 girl of fourteen, was difficult to tell. She was, as I after- 
 wards learned, twenty-two years of age, but being rather 
 diminutive in size, and affecting a great deal of childish sim- 
 plicity, she passed for four or five years younger ; and, 
 indeed, she herself gave her age as eighteen looking up to 
 Anna, who was really two years her junior, as a very ancient, 
 matronly sort of person, who was supposed to remember as 
 far back as the flood. 
 
 Divesting herself of her warm wrappings, which she left 
 upon the floor, and shaking out her long curls, she informed 
 my aunt that she had come to spend the day, saying, by way 
 of apologizing for not having sent her word, that " she had 
 ventured to come without an invitation, she felt herself so 
 perfectly at home." 
 
 Of course Aunt Charlotte was delighted, and after assur- 
 ing her of the fact, she suddenly remembered our presence, 
 and introduced us to the lady as " Mr. Lee's nieces from the 
 country." Not an instant did the large brownish black eyes 
 rest on me, for I was of little importance compared with 
 Anna, who the Thursday night previous had made her first 
 appearance in society, where her sweet face and fresh, un- 
 studied manners had produced something of a sensation, 
 which had undoubtedly reached the ear of the reigning 
 belle. What her thoughts were as she scanned my sister 
 from head to foot, I do not know ; but as I watched her, I 
 fancied I could detect an expression of mingled scorn and 
 surprise that one so unassuming should awaken an interest 
 in those who were accustomed to pay her homage. When 
 she had satisfied herself with Anna's personal appearance, 
 she gave me a hasty glance, and then drawing from her reti- 
 cule a fanciful mat which she was crotcheting, she leaned 
 back among the soft cushions of her chair, and commenced 
 talking to my aunt in a very artless, childish manner, never
 
 ADA MOXTROSE. 187 
 
 noticing us in the least, except once when she asked me to 
 pull the bell rope, which was much nearer to her than me. 
 Several times I fancied she seemed to be listening for something, 
 and when at last I heard Herbert's voice in the hall and saw 
 the deepening flush on her cheek, I was sure that she felt 
 more than a common interest in him. 
 
 la his usual good-natured, off-hand way he entered the 
 room, tossing into my lap a letter from brother Charlie, and 
 telling Anna that her beau hadn't yet written ; then, as his 
 eye fell upon Ada, he started back in evident surprise. Soon 
 recovering himself, however, he said, as he took the little 
 snowflake of a hand, which she offered him 
 
 " Why, Ad, who knew you were here ?" 
 
 " Not you, or you would have come sooner, I reckon ;" 
 said she, looking up in his face in a confiding kind of way, 
 which brought a frown to Anna's brow. 
 
 " Maybe I shouldn't have come so soon," he replied laugh- 
 ingly, at the same time stealing a sidelong glance at Anna. 
 
 " Here, sit right down by me," said Miss Montrose, as she 
 saw him looking for a seat. " I want to scold you for not 
 calling on me oftener when I was sick. You don't know how 
 neglected I felt. Why didn't you come, hey ?" 
 
 And she playfully pulled his hair, allowing her hand to re- 
 main some time among his wavy locks. This was a kind of 
 coquetry entirely new to me, and I looked on in amazement, 
 while Anna, more disturbed than she was willing to acknow- 
 ledge, left the room. When she was gone, Ada said, letting 
 her hand fall from Herbert's head to his arm, " Tell me, is 
 that the Lee girl, who attracted so much attention at Mrs. 
 G 's party ?" 
 
 There was a look of gratified pride ou Herbert's face as he 
 answered, "Yes the same don't you think her pretty ?" 
 
 They had probably forgotten my presence Ada UK
 
 138 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 tainly had, or else she did not care ; for she replied, " Pret- 
 ty enough for some tastes I suppose, but she lacks polish 
 and refinement. Is she at all related to you ?" 
 
 " My step-father's niece, that's all," replied Herbert, while 
 Ada quickly rejoined in a low tone, " Then, of course, / 
 shan't have to cousin her." 
 
 " Probably not," was Herbert's answer, which I interpret- 
 ed one way and Ada another. 
 
 Her next remark was a proposal that Herbert should that 
 afternoon take her out to ride ; but to this he made some objec- 
 tion ; whereupon she pretended to be angry, leaning back on 
 the sofa and muttering that " she didn't believe he cared a bit 
 for her, and he might as well confess it at once." 
 
 Here the dinner bell rang, and offering his arm to the 
 pouting beauty, Herbert led her to the dining-room, where 
 she was soon restored to good humor by my aunt, who lav- 
 ished upon her the utmost attention, humoring every whim, 
 and going so far as to prepare for her four different cups of 
 black tea, which had been ordered expressly for her, and to 
 which she objected as being too hot, or too o^Mlf too weak 
 or too strong. It took but a short time to show that she 
 was a spoiled baby, good natured only when atl the attention 
 was lavished upon her, and when her wishes were paramount 
 to all others. 
 
 Dinner being over, Herbert did not, as was his usual cus- 
 tom, return to the parlor ; but taking his hat he went out 
 into the street, in spite of his mother's whispered effort to 
 key? him at home. This, of course, vexed the little lady, and 
 after thrumming a few notes upon the piano, she announced 
 her intention of returning home, saying that " she wished 
 she had not come." At this moment the door bell rang, and 
 some young ladies came in to call upon Anna. They seemed 
 surprised at finding Ada there, and after inquiring for her
 
 ADA MOXTROSE. 189 
 
 v ^altb, one of them said, " Do tell us Ada, who that gen- 
 tleman was that came and went so slyly, without our ever 
 seeing him ? Mrs. Cameron says he was from Georgia, and 
 that is all we know about him. Who was he ?" 
 
 Ada started, and turning slightly pale, replied, " What do 
 you mean ? I've seen no gentleman from Georgia. Where 
 was he ? and when was he here ?" 
 
 " As much as three weeks or more ago," returned Miss 
 Marvin. " He stopped at the Revere House, and Mrs. Cam- 
 eron, who boards there, got somewhat acquainted with 
 him." 
 
 " Mrs. Cameron 1" repeated Ada, turning alternately red 
 and white. " And pray what did she say ?" 
 
 I fancied there was a spice of malice in Miss Marvin's na- 
 ture ; at least, she evidently wished to annoy Ada, for she 
 replied, " She said he was ugly looking, though quite dis- 
 tingue ; that he came in the afternoon, while she was in the 
 public parlor talking with a lady about you and your engage- 
 ment with Mr. Langley !" 
 
 " The hateful old thing !" muttered Ada, while Anna 
 turned white as marble, and Miss Marvin continued " When 
 the lady had gone he begged pardon for the liberty, but 
 asked her if she knew you. Of course, she told him she did, 
 and gave him any further information which she thought 
 would please him." 
 
 "Of course she did the meddling widow !" again inter- 
 rupted Ada ; after which Miss Marvin proceeded " Mrs. 
 Cameron didn't mean to do anything wrong, for how could she 
 ii'ui-s- that 'twould affect him in any way to know you were 
 engaged ?" 
 
 A she told him I >vas engaged ! It isn't so. I ain't," 
 exclaimed Ada, while the angry tears dropped from her 
 glittering eyes.
 
 140 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 " What does that mean then ?" asked Miss Marvin, laugh- 
 ingly, pointing at the ring on Ada's finger. 
 
 Her first impulse was to wreuch it from her hand and cast 
 it from her, but she remembered herself in time, and growing 
 quite calm, as if to attribute her recent agitation to a differ- 
 ent cause, she said ; "I wish people would attend to their 
 own affairs, and let mine alone. Suppose I am engaged 
 is that a reason why Mrs. Cameron should discuss the 
 matter with strangers ? But what else did she say ? And 
 where is the gentleman now ?" 
 
 " Gone home," answered Miss Marvin, glancing mis- 
 chievously at her companions. " He went the next morning, 
 and she said he looked very much disturbed, either at your 
 illness or your engagement, the former probably, and that 
 is why I think it strange that he didn't stop to see you ; 
 though maybe he did." 
 
 " No, he didn't," chimed in Miss Marvin's sister, " for 
 don't you know she said he went to the theatre ?" 
 
 All this time my interest in the unknown Georgian had 
 been increasing, and at this last remark I forgot myself 
 entirely, and started forward, exclaiming, " Yes, he was 
 there, I saw him and spoke with him too." 
 
 The next moment I sank back upon the ottoman, abashed 
 and mortified, while Ada gave me a withering glance, and 
 said scornfully, " You spoke to him 1 And pray, what did 
 you say ?" 
 
 An explanation of what I said, would, I knew, oblige me 
 to confess the fainting fit, of which I was somewhat 
 ashamed, and so I made no reply ; nor was any expected, 
 I think, for without waiting for my answer, Ada said to 
 Miss Marvin, " Mrs. Cameron, of course, learned his name, 
 even if she had to ask it outright." 
 
 " Yes, she made inquiries of the clerk, who wouldn't take
 
 ADA MONTROSE. 141 
 
 the trouble of looking on the book, bat said he believed it 
 was Field, or something like that," returned Miss Marvin. 
 
 As if uncertainty were now made sure, Ada turned so 
 white that in some alarm her young friends asked what they 
 should do for her ; but she refused their offers of aid, saying, 
 " it was only the heat of the room, and she should soon feel 
 better." 
 
 " And is it the heat of the room which affects you, Miss 
 Lee ?" asked one of the girls, observing for the first time the 
 extreme pallor of Anna's face. 
 
 " Only a headache," was her answer, as she pressed her 
 hand upon her forehead. 
 
 She was fearfully pale, and I knew it was no common 
 thing which had thus moved her, and when not long after- 
 wards the young ladies left us, I was glad, for I felt that 
 both she and Ada needed to be alone. The moment they 
 were gone Anna left the parlor, while I, frightened by the 
 agonized expression of her face, soon followed her ; but the 
 door of our room was locked, and it was in vain I called on 
 her to admit me, for she only answered in a voice choked 
 with tears, " Go away, Rosa ; I would rather be alone." 
 
 So I left her and returned to the parlor, where I found 
 Ada weeping passionately, while my aunt, who had not 
 been present during the conversation which had so affected 
 her, was trying in vain to learn the cause of her grief. 
 
 " Nothing much," was all Ada would say, except that 
 " she wanted to go borne." 
 
 In the midst of our excitement, Herbert came in. He 
 had repented of his ungracious refusal to ride with Ada, 
 and now the carriage stood at the door, but she refused, 
 saying petulantly, when urged by my aunt to go, that " if 
 she couldn't ride when she wanted to, she wouldn't ride at 
 all."
 
 142 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 " Where's Anna ? she'll go, I know," said Herbert, glanc- 
 ing around the room, and adding in a low tone, which 
 reached my ear only, " and I'd far rather she would." 
 
 When I explained to him that she had a headache, and 
 did not wish to be disturbed, he exclaimed, " What ails all 
 the girls to-day. Anything the matter with you, Rose ? 
 If there isn't, put on your bonnet and I'll show you the 
 city, for I am resolved upon riding with somebody." 
 
 As my aunt made no objection, I was soon ready and 
 seated by the side of Herbert, in the light vehicle, which he 
 drove himself. I think he exerted himself to be agreeable, 
 for I never saw him appear so well before, and in my heart 
 I did not blame my poor sister for liking him, as I was sure 
 she did, while at the same time I wondered how he could 
 fancy Ada Montrose. As if divining my thoughts, he turned 
 suddenly towards me and said, " Rosa, how do you like 
 Ada ?" 
 
 Without stopping to reflect, I replied promptly, " Not at 
 all." 
 
 " Frankly spoken," said he, and then for several minutes 
 he was silent, while I was trying to decide in my own mind 
 whether or not he was offended, and I was about to ask 
 him, when he turned to me again, saying, "We are 
 engaged did you know it ?" 
 
 I replied that I had inferred as much from the conver- 
 sation which I had heard between her and Miss Marvin, 
 saying further, for his manner emboldened me, that " I was 
 surprised, for I did not think her such an one as he would 
 fancy." 
 
 " Neither is she," said he, again relapsing into silence. 
 At last, rousing up, he continued, " I must talk to some- 
 body, and as you seem to be a sensible girl, I may as well 
 make a clean breast, and tell you all about it. Ada came
 
 ADA MONTROSE. 143 
 
 up here from Georgia last spring, and the moment mother 
 saw her, she picked her out for her future daughter-in-law. 
 I don't know why it is, but mother has wanted me to get 
 married ever since I began to shave. I believe she thinks 
 it will make me steady ; but I am steady enough now, for 
 I haven't drank a drop in almost a year. I should though, 
 if Ada Montrose was my wife. But that's nothing to the 
 point. Mother saw her and liked her. I saw her, and 
 liked her well enough at first, for she is beautiful, you know, 
 arid every man is more or less attracted by that. They say, 
 too, that she is wealthy, and though I would as soon marry 
 a poor girl as a rich one, provided I liked her, I shall not 
 deny but her money had its influence with me, to a certain 
 extent. And then, too, it was fun to get her away from the 
 other young men who flocked around her, like bees round 
 a honey jar. But, to make a long story short, we got 
 engaged Heaven only knows how ; but engaged we were, 
 
 and then " Here he paused, as if nearing a painful 
 
 subject, but soon resuming the thread of his story, he con- 
 tinued ; " And then I stopped writing to Anna, for I would 
 not be dishonorable. Do you think she felt it ?" 
 
 The question was so unexpected, that I was thrown quite 
 off my guard, and replied, " Of course, she did ; who 
 wouldn't feel mortified to have their letters unanswered ? " 
 
 " 'Twas wrong, I know," said he. " I ought to have been 
 man enough to tell her how it was, and I did begin more 
 than a dozen letters, but never finished them. Do you 
 think Anna likes me now, or could like me, if I was not 
 engaged, and she knew I'd never get drunk again ?" 
 
 Could he have seen her when first she learned that his 
 affections were given to another, he would have been suffi- 
 ciently answered, but he did not, and it was not for me, 
 I thought, to enlighten him ; so I replied evasively, after
 
 144 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 which he continued, " As soon as I was engaged to Ada, 
 she began to exact so much attention from me, acting so 
 silly, and appearing so ridiculous that I got sick of it, and 
 now my daily study is how to rid myself of her; but I believe 
 I've commenced right. Can I make a confidant of you, 
 and feel sure you'll not betray me to any one, unless it is 
 Anna?" 
 
 I hardly knew how to answer, for if it was anything 
 wrong which he meditated, I did not wish to be in the 
 secret, and so I told him ; but it made no difference, for he 
 proceeded to say, " I shall never marry Ada Montrose, 
 never ; neither would it break her heart if I shouldn't for 
 she's more than half tired of me now." 
 
 I thought of the dark stranger, and felt that he was 
 right, but I said nothing, and he went on ; " Sometimes I 
 thought I'd go up to Meadow Brook, tell Anna all about 
 it, ask her to marry me, and so settle the matter at once ; 
 but then I did not know but she might have grown up raw, 
 awkward, and disagreeable, so I devised a plan by which 
 I could find out. Mother would burn her right hand off 
 I believe, to save me from a drunkard's grave, and when I 
 wish to win her consent to any particular thing, all I have 
 to do is to threaten her with the wine cup." 
 
 " Oh, Herbert 1 how can you ?" I exclaimed, for I was 
 inexpressibly shocked. 
 
 " It's a way I've got into," said he, laughing at my rueful 
 face. " And when I suggested that Anna should spend the 
 winter here, I hinted to the old lady that if she didn't 
 consent, I'd go off with a party of young men on a hunting 
 excursion. Of course she yielded at once, for she well knew 
 that if I joined my former boon companions, I should fall. 
 
 " And so we are indebted to you for our winter in Bos- 
 ton," said I, beginning to see things in a new light.
 
 ADA MONTROSE. 145 
 
 "Why no, not wholly," he answered ; " mother consented 
 much easier than I supposed she would. The fact is, she's 
 changed some since she was at Meadow Brook. She's joined 
 the Episcopal Church, and though that in my estimation 
 don't amount to much, of course, she has to do better, for it 
 wouldn't answer for a professor to put on so many airs." 
 
 As the daughter of a deacon, I felt it incumbent upon 
 me to reprove the thoughtless young man, but it did no 
 good, for he proceeded to say, " It's all true, and there's 
 only one denomination who are sincere in what they profess, 
 and that's the Methodist. They carry their religion into 
 their whole life, while the Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and 
 Baptists sit on different sides of the fence, and quarrel like 
 fun about High Church and Low, Old School and New, 
 close communion and open communion, and all that sort of 
 thing. I tell you, Rose, if I am ever converted and mother 
 thinks I will be I shall be a roaring Methodist, and ride 
 the Circuit at once 1" 
 
 I was unused to the world, and had never heard any one 
 speak thus lightly of religion ; but I knew not what to say, 
 so I kept silence, while he continued, "But I am rambling 
 from my subject. ^Mother is a different woman, if she does 
 read her prayers ; and as she has never known a word about 
 my writing to Anna, she consented to her coming, without 
 much trouble, saying she would try to make it pleasant for 
 her, and proposing that you too should accompany her, 
 and go to school. You can't imagine how delighted I was 
 to find Anna what she is, and from the moment I met her in 
 the parlor, Ada Montrose's destiny, so far as I am concerned, 
 was decreed ; that is, if I can secure your sister; and I think 
 I shall have no difficulty in so doing, for notwithstanding her 
 affected coolness, it is easy to see that I am not indifferent 
 to her." 
 
 7
 
 146 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 It was in vain for me to argue that he was Joing Ada a 
 great wrong, for he insisted upon saying that he was not. 
 " She hadn't soul enough," he said, " to really care for any 
 one, and even if she had, he would far rather commit suicide 
 at once, than be yoked to her for life ; she was so silly, so 
 fawning, so flat !" 
 
 It was nearly dark when we reached home, and as the 
 lamps were not yet lighted in the parlor, I went immediately 
 to my room, where I found Anna lying upon the sofa, with 
 her face buried in the cushions. I knew she was not asleep, 
 though she would not answer me, until I had thrice repeat- 
 ed her name. Then lifting up he^r head, she turned towards 
 me a face as white as ashes, while she said, motioning to a 
 little stool near her, " Sit down by me, Rosa, I must talk to 
 some one, or my heart will break." 
 
 Taking the seat, I listened while she told me how much 
 she had loved Herbert Langley how she had struggled to 
 overcome that love when she thought he had slighted 
 her, and how when she saw him daily in his own home, 
 it had returned upon her with all its former strength, 
 until there came to her the startling news that he was en- 
 gaged to another. " I cannot stay here," said she. " I am 
 going home. I have written to mother see," and she 
 pointed to a letter which lay upon the table, and which she 
 bade me read. It was a strange, rambling thing, saying 
 that " she should die if she staid longer in Boston, and that 
 she was coming back to Meadow Brook." 
 
 " You can't send this, Anna," said I, at the same time 
 tossing it into the grate, where a bright coal fire was burn- 
 ing. 
 
 At this bold act of mine she expresed no emotion what- 
 ever, but simply remarked, " I can write another or go with- 
 out writing."
 
 ADA MONTROSE. HT 
 
 " And you indeed love Herbert so much ?" I said. 
 
 " Better than my life and why shouldn't I ?" she replied. 
 " He is all that is noble and good." 
 
 " Suppose he proves to be a drunkard ?" I queried, look- 
 ing her steadily in the face, while she answered simply, 
 " And what then ? Would that be harder to endure than 
 a life without him ?" 
 
 I know not whether the spirit of prophecy was upon me, 
 or whether I felt a dim foreshadowing of my sister's wretch- 
 ed future, but from some cause or other, I proceeded to pic- 
 ture to her the sorrows of a drunkard's home and the utter 
 degradation of a drunkard's wife, while she listened shud- 
 deringly, saying when I had finished, " God save me from 
 such a fate !" 
 
 There was the sound of footsteps in the hall, and Her- 
 bert's voice was heard at the door, asking for admittance. 
 He had often visited us in our room, and now, without con- 
 sulting Anna's wishes, I bade him enter, going out myself 
 and leaving them alone. What passed between them I 
 never knew, but the supper table waited long for Herbert, 
 and was finally removed, my aunt thinking he had gone out, 
 " to see Ada, perhaps," she said, and then she asked me how 
 I liked her, telling me she was to be Herbert's wife, and that 
 she hoped they would be married early in the spring. 
 
 I made her no direct reply, for I felt I was acting a dou- 
 ble nay, a treble part, in being thus confided in by three, 
 but I could not well help it, and I hoped, by betraying 
 neither party, to atone in a measure for any deceit I might 
 be practising. After that night there was a great change in 
 Anna, who became so lively and cheerful that nearly all ob- 
 served it, while Herbert's attentions to her, both at home 
 and abroad, were so marked as to arouse the jealously of 
 Ada, who, while she affected to scorn the idea of being sup-
 
 148 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 planted by " that awkward Lee girl," as she called her, 
 could not wholly conceal her anxiety lest " the Lee girl " 
 should, after all, win from he*.* her betrothed husband. 
 Something of this she told my aunt, who, knowing nothing 
 of the true state of affairs, and having the utmost confi- 
 dence in her son's honor, laughed at her fears, telling her 
 once in my hearing, though she was unaware of my proxim- 
 ity, that, " however much Herbert might flirt with Anna, he 
 had been too well brought up to think of marrying one so 
 far beneath him." 
 
 " But he does think of it I most know he does," persist- 
 ed Ada, beginning to cry ; " and I wish you'd send her home, 
 won't you ?" 
 
 I did not hear my aunt's reply, but with Ada, my own 
 heart echoed, " send her home," for much as I liked Herbert, 
 I shrank from the thought of committing my gentle sister's 
 happiness to his keeping, and secretly I resolved upon writ- 
 ing to my father and acquainting him with the whole ; but, 
 alas ! I deferred it from day to day, until it was too late.
 
 THE FLIGHT. 149 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE FLIGHT. 
 
 ONE bright morning about the middle of January, Her- 
 bert announced his intention of going to Worce ler with 
 Anna, who, he said, wished to visit the Lunatic Asylum, and 
 as a young physician of his acquaintance had just commenced 
 practising there, it would be a good opportunity for them 
 to go over the building. To this my aunt made no objec- 
 tion, merely proposing that Ada, too, should go. Afterwards 
 I remembered the peculiar look in Herbert's eye, as he re- 
 plied " Oh fie ! mother, Ada's nerves are not strong enough 
 to endure it. She can go with me some other time." 
 
 Accordingly, when breakfast was over, Anna went up to 
 her room to make the necessary preparations for her ride, 
 while I stood by and gave her whatever assistance she needed. 
 I observed that every article which belonged to her was put 
 in its proper place, but I gave it no further heed, though I 
 did wonder why she kissed me so often, turning back even 
 after she had reached the door to bid me another good-bye. 
 Slowly the day passed away and night came on, dark, cold, 
 and stormy. Even now, as I write, I can recall to mind the 
 gloom which pervaded my spirits, as I listened to the sound 
 of the sleet and hail, which drove past the window, where I 
 had watched so long for their return. Seven, eight, nine, 
 ten, was rung from more than one church dome, and then
 
 150 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 we gave them up, for the shrill whistle of the last train on 
 which they would be likely to come, ha 1 long since sounded 
 in our ears. 
 
 " They must have stayed somewhere ; don't you think 
 so ?" said my aunt, addressing her husband, who, manlike, 
 was not in the least alarmed, but sat conning his evening 
 paper, nearer asleep than awake. 
 
 " Of course they have," said he, looking up at his wife's 
 inquiry. " I wouldn't come in this storm, if I were in their 
 places." 
 
 That night I watered my pillow with tears, scarcely 
 knowiup why I wept, save that I felt oppressed with a sense 
 of desolation, as if Anna was gone from me forever. The 
 next day came and went, but it brought no tidings of the 
 missing pair, and half unconscious of what she was doing, 
 my aunt went from room to room, sometimes weeping and 
 again brightening up, as she enumerated the many things 
 which might have prevented their return. At evening, Ada 
 came in, and my aunt immediately began urging her to 
 spend the night. This she did willingly, seeming very anx- 
 ious concerning the absence of Herbert, and feeling, I was 
 sure, a little suspicious that I might know more of his 
 whereabouts than I chose to tell, for once, when we were 
 alone, she turned towards me and very haughtily asked, if 
 " I had any idea where they were ?" 
 
 " None, whatever," said I, and she continued 
 
 " Has it never occurred to you that this Anna Lee mani- 
 fested altogether too marked a preference for a gentleman 
 whom she knew to be engaged ?" 
 
 " The preference was mutual," I replied. " Herbert liked 
 Anna, and Anna liked Herbert." 
 
 " And they have gone off to consummate that liking by a 
 marriage," interrupted .\da.
 
 THE FLIGHT. 151 
 
 "I do not know that they have," I returned ; "but such 
 a termination of affairs would not surprise me." 
 
 She was very pale, and there were tears in her eyes, but 
 I thought they arose more from a sense of mortification than 
 from any real love which she bore for Herbert Langley, and 
 so I did not pity her as I should otherwise have done. The 
 next morning at breakfast both she and my aunt (par- 
 ticularly the latter) looked weary and worn, as if neither 
 had slept at all during the night. My uncle, on the con- 
 trary, seemed to be unmoved. He probably had an opinion 
 of his own, but whatever it was he kept it to himself, merely 
 saying that if the eastern mail brought no letter he would 
 go in quest of them himself. I knew I could not study in 
 my present excitement, and so I asked permission to remain 
 at home. Stationing myself at the window, I watched anx- 
 iously for the return of Herod, who, as usual, had been sent 
 to the office. He came at last, bringing his pocket full of 
 letters, two of which were for me, one postmarked Meadow 
 Brook, and the other Albany ! With a trembling hand I 
 tore open the latter, which was in my sister's handwriting. 
 Glancing at the signature, my fears were confirmed, for there 
 stood the name of " Anna Langley " in Herbert's bold dash- 
 ing hand ! 
 
 " She had refused to write it thus," he said, in a post- 
 script, " and so he had done it for her." 
 
 The letter contained no apology from either for what they 
 had done, but merely informed me of the fact that instead 
 of stopping in Worcester, they had gone straight on to Al- 
 bany, which they reached about six o'clock, going to the 
 Delevau House, where in less than an hour they were 
 husband and wife ; Herbert's old comrade, Tom Wil- 
 son, accompanying them, and being a witness of the 
 ceremony. What affected me more unpleasantly than all
 
 152 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 the rest, was the derisive manner in which Herbert spoke of 
 Ada. 
 
 " Give her niy love," he said, " and tell her not to feel too 
 badly. I'd like well enough to marry her, too, but under 
 the present laws a man can't have two wives, unless he joins 
 the Mormons. Maybe I shall do that sometime, and then 
 I'll remember her !" 
 
 Of his mother he wrote differently, and though there was 
 no cringing, no acknowledgment of wrong, he spoke of her 
 kindly and respectfully, saying, " he hoped she would love 
 his Anna for his sake." 
 
 Of course I could not tell Ada what he said of her, nei- 
 ther was it necessary, for guessing the truth from my face, 
 she came up softly behind ine, and looking over my shoulder, 
 read every word until she came to the message intended for 
 her. Then stamping her little foot, she exclaimed passion- 
 ately, " The villain, to insult me thus 1 As if J, sprung from 
 the best blood in Georgia, would stoop to become a rival of 
 that low-born country girl. No ! By this act Herbert 
 Langley has shown that he is all unworthy of me, and I 
 rejoice in my escape, while I give him much joy with his 
 highly refined and polished bride." 
 
 All my Lee temper, which is considerable, was roused, and 
 turning towards the lady, I exclaimed, " My sister, Miss 
 Montrose, is as good as you, aye, or as Herbert Langley 
 either, and the news of her marriage with him will carry 
 sorrow to our home at Meadow Brook, where they will say 
 she has literally thrown herself away." 
 
 " Very likely," returned Ada, sarcastically. " It is quite 
 probable that a poor laborer will object to his daughter's 
 marrying into one of the first families in Boston." 
 
 " He isn't a poor laborer," I replied, " and even if he 
 were, he would object to his daughter's marrying a drunkard,
 
 THE FLIGHT. 153 
 
 for such Herbert Langley has been and such he will bo 
 again." 
 
 A deep groan came from the white lips of my aunt, and 
 for the first time since Ada's outbreak, I remembered that 
 she was there. She did not reprove me angrily, but in 
 trembling tones she said, " Rose, Herbert is my child, my 
 boy, and it becomes not a girl of your age to speak thus of 
 him in the presence of his mother." 
 
 I was humbled, and winding my arms about her neck, I 
 asked forgiveness for the harsh words I had spoken ; and 
 she forgave me, for she meant to do right, and if sometimes 
 she erred, it was owing more to a weakness of the flesh than 
 an unwillingness of the spirit. In the midst of our excite- 
 ment Tom Wilson was ushered in. He had returned in the 
 same train which brought the letter, and had come to give 
 us any further information which we might be desirous of 
 knowing. 
 
 " When will Herbert come home ?" was my aunt's first 
 question, her whole manner indicating how much interest she 
 felt in the answer. 
 
 " Not very soon," returned Tom. " He is tired of the 
 city, he says, and besides that he wishes to avoid the un- 
 pleasant remarks his elopement will necessarily occasion." 
 
 " More like he wishes to avoid introducing his bride into 
 society, which he knows has no wish to receive her," muttered 
 Ada. 
 
 Tom paid no attention to this spiteful speech, but contin- 
 ued. " He has drawn his money from the Bank, and 
 
 with it he intends purchasing a farm in the western part of 
 New York." 
 
 " An admirable plan," again interrupted Ada. " That 
 Lee gill is just calculated for a farmer's wife." 
 
 Taken alone t^cre was nothing particularly disagreeable 
 7*
 
 154 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 in the three words " that Lee girl ;" but spoken by Ada 
 Montrose they sounded insultingly, and every time she uttered 
 them, 1 i'elt my blood boil, for /, too, was a Lee girl, and I 
 was sure she included me in the same contemptuous category. 
 As Herbert had said, I did not think the disappointment 
 would break her heart. She was too angry for that, and I 
 believe now, as I did then, that most of her feeling arose 
 from the mortification of knowing that a " poor country 
 girl," as she called Anna, was preferred to herself. For half 
 an hour or more Tom Wilson and my aunt conversed to- 
 gether, she asking him at least a dozen times " if he did 
 not think Herbert could be induced to return." At last, 
 with quivering lips and flushed cheeks, as if it cost her pride 
 a great effort, she said, " Of course I mean Anna, too, when 
 I speak of Herbert's return. She is his wife, you say, and 
 though I might, perhaps, wish it otherwise, it cannot now be 
 helped, and if he only would come back to me, I should love 
 her for his sake." 
 
 In my heart I blessed her for these words, and mentally 
 resolved to leave no argument untried, which might bring 
 the fugitives back. But it could not be. Herbert was de- 
 cided, he said. He meant to be a farmer and live in the 
 country, adding what he knew would silence his mother 
 sooner than aught else he could say, " that temptations for 
 him to drink were far greater in the city than in the country, 
 and it was for this reason partly that he preferred living in 
 the latter place." 
 
 And so my aunt yielded the point ; but from the day of 
 her son's desertion, there was in her a perceptible change. 
 Far oftener was she found in the house of prayer, and les; 
 frequently was she seen in places of amusement, while more 
 than once I heard her in secret asking that her wayward boy 
 might be shielded from the great temptation. Alas ! for
 
 THE FLIGHT. 165 
 
 thee, poor Herbert Langley, sleeping in thine early grave ! 
 There were prayers enough, methinks, to save thee ; for at the 
 old Meadow Brook home, thou wert remembered in the early 
 morn, and not forgotten when at eve, my father knelt him 
 down to pray. Why, then, didst thou fall ere thy sun had 
 reached the meridian of manhood ? Was it because in thine 
 early training there was an error which no after exertions 
 could repair ? We answer, Yes. The fault was there, and 
 little know they what they do, who set before their sons the 
 poisonous cup, and bid them, by their own example, drink 
 and die. How many young men, from the higher walks of 
 life, now sleeping in the dishonored grave of a drunkard, 
 might at this moment be filling some honorable position, had 
 it not been for the wine or beer drinking habit acquired in 
 childhood by their own firesides, and at their father's table ? 
 Look to it, then, you around whose hearthstones promising 
 sons are gathered, and if in the coming years you would es- 
 cape the sleepless nights, the bitter tears, and the broken 
 hearts of those whose children walk in the path, which, 
 sooner than all others, leadeth down to death, teach them, 
 both by precept and by practice, to " touch not, taste not, 
 handle not," for therein alone lieth safety.
 
 1S6 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS. 
 
 EARLY in March, as I was one Saturday morning seated 
 with my aunt in her pleasant, cozy sewing-room, a little boy 
 brought me a note from Dell Clayton, in w-hich she requested 
 me, if possible, to spend the afternoon with her. She was 
 sick, she wrote, unable to sit up, and what was worse than 
 all, she was homesick and unhappy ! Her aunt, she said, 
 was out of the city, and as she had no acquaintance, she 
 thought the sight of a familiar face would do her good. 
 
 Aunt Charlotte, to whom I handed the note, consented to 
 my going, and immediately after dinner, which that day was 
 served at an earlier hour than usual, I started. Long and 
 daily walks have always been to me a luxury, and so, though 
 I had been but a few months in Boston, I was tolerably well 
 acquainted with most of its localities, and had no trouble in 
 finding the once stylish, but now rather dilapidated and gloomy 
 looking block, in one part of which Dr. Clayton was keeping 
 house. Since the night when I met him at the theatre, I 
 had never seen him, and all that I knew of him was that he 
 had left the Tremont. Subsequently, however, I heard the 
 whole history of their proceedings partly from the doctor, 
 partly from Dell, and partly from other sources, and as a re- 
 cital of it may not be wholly uninteresting to my readers, I 
 will give it before proceeding witli a description of my call.
 
 TEN" THOUSAND DOLLARS. 167 
 
 It seems that boarding at the Treraont was rather too ex- 
 pensive for a physician, whose patients were not so numer- 
 ous as to be troublesome, and several times had the 
 doctor proposed returning to his old place in Sturbridge, 
 where everything was cheaper ; but to this Dell objected, 
 for she well knew it would be an admission that they could 
 not succeed in Boston, and against this her pride revolted. 
 " People at home," she reasoned, " would never know how 
 matters really were, and as long as she could keep up an ap- 
 pearance of gentility and upper-ten-dom with her former 
 friends, she should do so," preferring, like many others, al- 
 most absolute want in the city, to plenty in the country. 
 From this, the reader is not to infer that the doctor was ex- 
 tremely poor ; for when he first went to Boston he was 
 worth about fifteen hundred dollars, which, in a country vil- 
 lage, with a prudent wife, would have surrounded him with 
 all the comforts of life, besides leaving him with something 
 for that " rainy day," about which everybody blessed with a 
 careful grandmother has heard more or less. 
 
 In the city, of course, it needed a great deal of money to 
 keep up the kind of style upon which Dell insisted, and 
 which, after all, was far from satisfying her it was so much 
 inferior to the elegance she saw around her ; and as check 
 after check of the doctor's little hoard was drawn from the 
 bank to meet their expenses, while but few would get sick, 
 or being so would send for him, his heart sank within him, 
 and without really meaning to do so, he began to wonder 
 " when that old grandmother would die !" Finding that lie 
 could not much longer pay the -jiiormous bills, which were pre- 
 sented to him weekly at the Tremont, he decided at last upon 
 housekeeping, and exercising in this case his own judgment, 
 in spite of the tears, sulks, and remonstrances of his wife, lie 
 hired a house in an obscure street, where the rents were much
 
 153 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 lower than in the more fashionable part of the city. Very 
 neatly he fitted it up, going rather beyond his means, it is 
 true, but depending a great deal upon the fast failing health 
 of Grandmother Barton, to set all things right. 
 
 Everything was at last arranged, and with that comfort- 
 able feeling which other men have experienced in similar 
 circumstances, he took his seat for the first time at his own 
 table, forgetting in his happiness that the smiling, handsome 
 face of the lady opposite, in blue merino morning gown and 
 clean white linen collar, had ever worn any look save that 
 which now sat upon it. Breakfast was hardly over, when 
 the door bell rang violently and a man appeared telling the 
 doctor that his services were required immediately by the 
 wealthy Mrs. Archer, who lived in an adjoining street, and 
 who owned the entire block in which he lived. 
 
 Mrs. Archer belonged to that class of people who are al- 
 ways dying, first with one fancied disease and then with an- 
 other, in the end, however, living much longer than those 
 whose business it is to minister to their wants. Being freak- 
 ish and whimsical, she seldom employed the same physician 
 longer than a year, but during that time a man with limited 
 wants was sure of a livelihood, for his services were required 
 every day, and the remuneration for the same was so prompt 
 and liberal as to make her patronage much sought after, parti- 
 cularly by new practitioners. Having taken a violent fancy 
 to Dr. Clayton when he bargained with her for the house, 
 she had decided henceforth to employ him, if on trial he 
 proved to be all she wished. 
 
 The doctor was well aware of her peculiarities, and for 
 several days past had indulged a faint hope that she 
 might favor him with a call. This she had now done, and 
 very eagerly he prepared to visit her. As he readied his 
 gate, he was met by a boy who brought a telegraphic
 
 TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS. 159 
 
 dispatch from Wilbraham, saying that Grandma Barton was 
 dead ! Yes, the old lady was gone, and Dell was undoubted- 
 ly the heiress of ten thousand dollars at least, and probably 
 more, for her grandmother bore the reputation of being mi- 
 serly, and rumor said that twice ten thousand was nearer the 
 actual sum of her possessions. To ascertain the truth as 
 soon as possible was the doctor's great desire, and as the 
 next train bound for the east started in about two hours, he 
 decided to go at once, though the funeral was not to take 
 place for two or three days. 
 
 Suddenly Mrs. Archer's message occurred to him, but 
 matters were now changed he was a rich man, and as such 
 Mrs. Archer's patronage was not of vital importance. Still 
 it would hardly do to slight her, and rather unwillingly he 
 bent his steps towards her dwelling.' When there he ap- 
 peared so abrupt and absent-minded, telling her there was 
 nothing whatever the matter with her as he could see, that 
 the good lady was wholly disgusted, and the moment he was 
 gone, she dispatched the servant for another physician, who, 
 possessing more tact, and not having recently come into the 
 possession of a fortune., told her with a grave, concerned 
 look, that " he never saw anything like her case it really 
 baffled his skill, though he thought he could cure her, and it 
 would give him pleasure to try." 
 
 Of course he was employed, and just as Dr. Clayton and 
 Du'.l were stepping into the omnibus, which took them to the 
 depot, a note was handed to the former, saying his services 
 were no longer needed by Mrs. Archer. Without giving it 
 a thought, the doctor crushed the note into his pocket, and 
 ! iir.ii springing into the carriage, took his seat by Dell, to whom 
 lie was unusually attentive, for she had risen in his estima- 
 tion full l?,'n thousand dollars' worth, and what man, for that 
 sum of money, would not occasionally endure a cross look, or
 
 160 .MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 a peevish word ! Not the doctor most certainly ; and when 
 on reaching the depot, they found that the cars would not 
 leave for half an hour or more, he could not resist her en- 
 treaties to go with her to a jeweller's, on street, where 
 
 the day before she had seen " such a beautiful set of cam- 
 eos, earrings, bracelet, and pin to match then, too, they 
 were so cheap, only $50. She knew he would buy them !" 
 
 'Twas in vain for him to say that he had not fifty dollars 
 for she replied, that " he could take it from the bank and 
 replace it when she got her fortune ;" adding, " I'll give 
 you a hundred in place of it : so gratify me this once, that's 
 a dear, good man." 
 
 Of course, the dear good man was persuaded as many 
 an other dear good man has been, and will be again by a 
 coaxing woman. The cameos were bought, and in the best 
 of humor the young couple took their seats in the cars, 
 which were soon bearing them swiftly towards the house of 
 death. Very pleasant were the doctor's reflections as the 
 train sped on over valley and plain : he was a fortunate, 
 happy man, and if when they paused at the Meadow Brook 
 station he thought for an instant of the girl Rosa Lee, her 
 memory was to him like an idle dream, which had passed 
 away in the golden beams of day. Arrived at Wilbraham 
 d6pot, they took a carriage for the village, which is about 
 two miles or more from the railroad. 
 
 The old brown shutters of the large wooden building, 
 where Mrs. Barton had lived and died, were closed, and 
 about the house there was no sign of life. But this was 
 hardly different from what it had been during the old lady's 
 life, for she was one who lived mostly within herself, seldom 
 seeing company, though always sure to go whenever she was 
 invited. Exceedingly penurious, she stinted her household 
 to the last degree of endurance, and denied herself even the
 
 TEX THOUSAND DOLLARS. 161 
 
 comforts of life, while her last request had been that her 
 body might be suffered to remain in her sleeping-room, so 
 as not to litter the parlor, or wear the carpet ! 
 
 At the head of the family was Mabel Warrener, a poor 
 young girl, who for the three years had lived with Mrs. 
 Barton in the capacity of half waiting-maid, half companion, 
 and to her the neighbors now looked for directions. Anx- 
 ious to pay all due deference to the wishes of her late mis- 
 tress, Mabel at first said, " Let the body remain where it is ;" 
 but when she reflected that " the fashionable Mrs. Clayton 
 from Boston," with her proud husband (for so were they 
 considered), would probably be there, she changed her mind, 
 and the deceased was carried into the dark, damp parlor, 
 where a fire had not been kindled for more than a year. 
 The same was also true of the chamber above, which was 
 designed for the doctor and his lady, the latter of whom 
 shivered as she entered it, rather haughtily bidding Mabel, 
 who accompanied her, " to make a fire there as soon as pos- 
 sible, for she was not accustomed to cold rooms, and should 
 freeze to death." 
 
 Very meekly Mabel complied, not only with this requisi- 
 tion, but with fifty others from the same source ; for Dell, 
 thinking she was now mistress of the house, took upon her- 
 self many airs, ordering this, that and the other, until the 
 neighbors, quite disgusted, left poor Mabel alone, with the 
 exception of the deaf old woman, who ruled in the kitchen 
 as cook. The morning following the arrival of the doctor, 
 Capt. Thompson, wife, and son came out from Sturbridge to 
 attend the funeral ; for though they were in no way con- 
 nected with Mrs. Barton, they knew her well, and wished to 
 pay her this last tribute of respect. Then, too, Mrs. Thomp- 
 son was very desirous of seeing Dell, who was now an 
 heiress, and as such entitled to attention. Long they
 
 162 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 talked together concerning the future, Dell telling how she 
 meant " to fix up the old rookery for a summer residence," 
 and inviting her sister-in-law to spend as much time with 
 her as she possibly could. The cameos were next duly 
 inspected, admired, tried on, and then the two went down 
 to the room below, and turning back the thin muslin which 
 shaded the face of the dead, gazed upon the pinched, stony 
 features which seemed so much to reproach them for their 
 cold-hearted selfishness, in thus planning ways and means by 
 which to spend her hoarded wealth even before she was 
 buried from their sight. 
 
 That afternoon there was heard a tolling bell, and a long 
 procession moved slowly to the churchyard, where the words 
 " ashes to ashes dust to dust," and the sound of the hard 
 frozen earth, rattling upon the coffin-lid, broke the solemn 
 stillness, but disturbed not the rest of those, who, hence- 
 forth, would be the fellow-sleepers of her now committed to 
 the grave. When the party of mourners had returned to 
 the house, the doctor began to speak of the necessity there 
 was for his returning immediately to the city, at the same 
 time hinting to Capt. Thompson that " if there was a witi. 
 he would like to see it." 
 
 Mabel Warrener, who was supposed to know more thai 
 any one else concerning Mrs. Barton's affairs, was called h 
 and questioned, she replying that " her mistress, one day, 
 about two weeks before her death, had said to her that if, 
 after her death, any inquiry should be made concerning her 
 will, it could be found in the private drawer of her secre- 
 tary, where was also a letter for Mrs. Clayton. Both of 
 these were brought out, and with her handkerchief over her 
 eyes, Dell listened while Capt. Thompson read aloud the 
 astounding fact that the entire possessions of Mrs. Barton, 
 amounting to $15,000, were given to MABEL WARRENER,
 
 TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS. 163 
 
 who, having had no suspicion whatever of the fortune in 
 store for her, fainted away, and was borne from the room, 
 as was also Dell ; while the doctor, it was confidently 
 asserted, went out behind the woodshed and actually vomited, 
 so great was his disappointment ! Soon rallying, however, 
 both he and his wife declared it a fraud, accusing the still 
 unconscious Mabel of treachery, and it was not until the law- 
 yer who had drawn the will was produced, that they could 
 be convinced." Suddenly remembering her letter, Dell broke 
 it open and found therein the reasons for this most unac- 
 countable freak. Always peculiar and naturally jealous, 
 Mrs. Barton had felt piqued that she was not invited to 
 Dell's wedding, which, considering that she was spending the 
 summer in Albany at the time when it took place, was not 
 very remarkable. Then, too, she was not consulted, and she 
 didn't believe in doctors, they killed more than they cured ; 
 but the head and front of the offence seemed to be that 
 instead of hiring two or three rooms and keeping house in a 
 small, economical way, they boarded at the Tremont, where 
 Dell had nothing to do but " to change her dress, eat, sleep, 
 and laze" so the letter ran " and she (Mrs. Barton) would 
 not suffer a penny of her money to go for the support of 
 such extravagance : she preferred giving it to Mabel War- 
 reuer, who was; a prudent, saving girl, and would take care 
 of it ; while the paltry doctor would spend it for cigars, 
 fast horses, patent leather boots, and all sorts of fool- 
 cries." 
 
 The letter ended with an exhortation to Dell to " go to 
 work and earn her own living, as her grandmother had 
 done before her." 
 
 The doctor's reflections, as he rode back to Boston, were 
 not of the most enviable nature ; and who can wonder if 
 he was rather tt.sty towards his wife, who retorted so
 
 164 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 angrily as to bring on quite a sharp quarrel, which \vas 
 prevented from being heard by the roar of the machinery ; 
 and if at Meadow Brook he did think again of Rosa Lee, 
 half fancying that 5,000 divided by 13, if shared with her, 
 might be preferable to nothing divided by nothing, shared 
 with Dell ; who can blame him ? Not /, most certainly- 
 Wasn't he terribly disappointed ? Hadn't he just lost 
 $15,000, to say nothing of a patient, whose patronage would 
 have insured him a living for at least a year, besides intro- 
 ducing him into a broader field of practice ; and if the 
 cameo earrings were rather becoming to the dark hair and 
 black eyes of his wife, did that in any way compensate him 
 for the fifty dollars which stood on the Cr. side of his 
 bank-book ? Still, I see no good reason why, after their 
 arrival home at a late hour of the night, they should sit up 
 for more than an hour in a cold, cheerless room, telling each 
 other the one that she wished she had never married him, 
 for " he alone stood in the way of her inheritance ;" while 
 the other replied, that " but for her extravagance he should 
 now have had $1,500 in the bank instead of five hundred." 
 
 Wretched couple 1 Their history is like that of many 
 others, who marry without a particle of love, or at most, 
 only a passing fancy. Had Dell chosen, she could in time 
 have won the affection of her husband, but being naturally 
 selfish and exacting, she expected from him every attention; 
 while in return she seldom gave him aught save cross looks 
 and peevish words, complaining that he did not treat her 
 now ag he once had done. As long as the doctor had a 
 fortune in expectancy, he bore his wife's ill humor tolerably 
 well, but now that hope was gone, his whole being seemed 
 changed, and Dell was not often obliged to quarrel alone. 
 ' At last, broken in spirits, and being really sick, she had 
 sent for me, as I have before stated. I found her in bed,
 
 TEX THOUSAND DOLLARS. 165 
 
 propped up on pillows, her shining hair combed back, and 
 her large black eyes seeming blacker than ever, from con- 
 trast with her colorless cheek. All her old haughtiness was 
 gone, and the moment she saw me she stretched her arms 
 towards me, and bursting into tears, exclaimed, " Oh, Rose, 
 I am so glad you have come. I was afraid you wouldn't, 
 for I knew your aunt was very aristocratic, and I thought 
 she might not be willing to have you visit poor, obscure 
 people like us." 
 
 There was much of bitterness in the last part of this 
 speech, and it grated harshly upon my feelings ; but it was 
 like her, I knew, and she had only judged my aunt by what 
 she well knew she should herself be in a similar position ; so 
 I took no notice of it, save to assure her that Aunt Char- 
 lotte was perfectly willing I should come, while at the same 
 time I expressed my sorrow at finding her so unwell, and 
 asked " what was the matter." 
 
 " Oh, nothing much," said she. " I have no particular 
 disease, unless it be one of the mind, and that you know is 
 not easily cured." 
 
 I made no answer to this ; but after a moment's silence, 
 I ventured to inquire for her husband. Instantly there came 
 a bright glow to her cheek, as she replied, " Oh, he is as well 
 as could be expected, considering his terrible disappoint- 
 ment." 
 
 Of course I asked what disappointment, whereupon she 
 proceeded to narrate a part of what I have already told to 
 my readers, withholding nearly all the points wherein she had 
 been to blame, and dwelling with apparent delight upon the 
 faults of her husband, who, she protested, was wholly selfish 
 and avaricious. " I know," said she, " why he married me ; 
 'twas for the sake of the few dollars he thought my grand- 
 mother would leave me, and now being disappointed in that,
 
 166 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 he cares no more for me than he does for you no, nor half 
 so much, for he always preferred you to me, and I wish I 
 had let you have him, for you liked him, I know, better than 
 I did." 
 
 As she said this, she looked me steadily in the face, as if 
 to read my inmost soul. I felt provoked, for I now thought 
 of my former affection for the doctor as something of which 
 was a littk ashamed, and I did not much like to be reminded 
 of it by his wife. So I ventured to say that " whatever I 
 might once have felt for her husband, it was all over now, 
 and I could think of no greater misfortune than that of be- 
 ing his wife !" 
 
 Now, I should know better than to speak thus to any wo- 
 man concerning her husband, for however much she may talk 
 against him herself, she certainly has no desire or expectation 
 that her listener will agree with her. On this occasion, Dell 
 grew angry at once, telling me " I needn't speak so lightly 
 of her husband he was good enough for anybody," while at 
 the same time she muttered something about " sour grapes 1" 
 
 I was taken quite aback, and remained silent, until she at 
 last said, laughingly, " I don't wish to quarrel with you, 
 Rose. Pardon any ill humor I may have manifested. I get 
 nervous and fidgety staying here alone so much." 
 
 " Is not the doctor with you sometimes ?" I inquired. 
 
 '' Oh, yes ; once in a great while," said she ; " but he can 
 bear the atmosphere of any other sick room better than 
 mine. So he's off hunting up patients, I suppose. I tell 
 him he gets his living that way, and a poor living it bids 
 fair to be. Between you and me, Rose," she continued, 
 growing excited, "he is shiftless, if you know what that 
 means, and we are worth to-day just as much as we ever 
 shall be." 
 
 I felt that she wronged him, and told her so, at the same
 
 TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS. 167 
 
 time enumerating his many good qualities, while she list- 
 ened, evidently better pleased than when I had spoken light- 
 ly of him. In the midst of our conversation there was a 
 familiar step in the hall, and a moment after the doctor him- 
 self entered the room. He looked care-worn and haggard ; 
 but at the sight of me, whose presence surprised him, his face 
 quickly lighted up, and there was much of his olden manner 
 as he took my hand and expressed his pleasure at finding me 
 there. 'Twas but a for moment, however, for catching the eye 
 of his wife, he became almost instantly reserved, and seating 
 himself near a window, he pretended to be much occupied 
 with a book, which I accidentally discovered was wrong side 
 up ! It was strange how much waiting-upon Dell suddenly 
 needed. Heretofore she had been very quiet, saying she did 
 not wish for anything, but now that he was there, her pil- 
 lows must be turned, her head must be bathed, the window 
 must be open and then shut, while with every other breath, 
 she declared him to be " the awkwardest man she ever saw," 
 saying once, " she didn't wonder he had no more practice if 
 he handled all his patients as roughly as he did her." 
 
 After this unkind speech,' the doctor made no farther at- 
 tempt to please her, but left her side and returned to his 
 seat by the window. Ere long the supper bell rang. I had 
 not supposed it was so late, and starting up announced my 
 intention of going home, but to this neither the doctor nor 
 Dell would listen, both of them insisting upon my staying to 
 tea ; she, because she felt that common civility required 
 it, and he, because he really wished it. Once out of her 
 sight, he was himself again, and playfully drawing my arm 
 within his, he led me to the dining-room, placing me at the 
 head of the table, where Dell was accustomed to sit, while 
 he took the seat opposite. As we 'sat there thus, I shall not 
 gay that there came to ray mind no thought of what might
 
 168 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 have been, but I can say, and truthfully too, that such 
 thoughts brought with them naught of pain ; for though 
 Dr. Clayton had once possessed the power of swaying me at 
 his will, that time had gone by, and he was to me now only 
 a friend, whom I both liked and pitied, for I knew he was 
 far from being happy. Once, when I handed him his second 
 cup of tea, he said, smiling upon me, " It makes me very 
 happy to see you there in that seat." 
 
 I made no answer ; and, as if thinking he had said what 
 he ought not, he immediately changed the conversation, and 
 began to question me of my studies, etc., asking me among 
 other things, if I went to dancing school. Instantly I re- 
 membered Mrs. Ross's slippers with the little wads of cotton, 
 and I laughed aloud. It seems his thoughts took the same 
 direction, for he, too, laughed so loudly that when we re- 
 turned to Dell's room, s'he rather pettishly inquired what we 
 found to amuse us so much, saying " she hadn't seen the 
 doctor look so pleased since since, well, since grandma's 
 death," she finally added, at the same time glancing at him 
 to witness the effect of her words. 
 
 He turned very white about the mouth, and I am quite 
 certain I heard the word " thunder /" At all events, his 
 eyes flashed angrily upon the provoking woman, who again 
 inquired at what we were laughing. When I told her, she 
 too laughed, saying, " Oh, yes, I remember it well, and have 
 sometimes thought that I owe my present position to that 
 awkward misstep of yours." 
 
 " I am very glad I fell, then," said I, rather impatiently, 
 while I threw on my hood and shawl, preparatory to going 
 home. 
 
 "Hadn't you better call an omnibus for her ?" asked Dell 
 of her husband, who was putting on his overshoes. 
 
 " I am going round with her myself," he answered. " I
 
 TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS. 169 
 
 have a patient on the way," and he hurried from the room 
 ere she could say anything further. 
 
 It was a beautiful moonlight night, and as I took his arm 
 I r< 'ailed the time when once before we had walked thus to- 
 ge^ '. I think he remembered it too, for he asked ine 
 " if 1 ever visited Pine District ?" 
 
 " Not often," I replied ; and he continued to say, that " not- 
 withstanding that it was little more than a year and a half 
 since he" first saw me there, it seemed to him an age," adding ; 
 " and it is not strange neither, for I have passed through many 
 trials since then." 
 
 To this I made no reply, and ere long he proceeded to 
 speak further of himself, and of his disappointment, first with 
 regard to his business, and next with regard to his domestic 
 ralations, which he gave me to understand were not parti- 
 cularly happy. Very delicately and carefully he handled 
 the latter subject, speaking not one half so harshly of Dell 
 as she had spoken of him. Still I felt that he had no right 
 thus to speak to me, and so I told him. 
 
 " I know it, Rose," he returned. " I know it all ; but 
 for this once you must hear me, and I will never trouble you 
 again. I committed a great error in marrying one, while 
 my heart belonged to another stay," he continued, as I was 
 about to interrupt him. " You must hear me out. It is not 
 of my love for that other that I would speak ; but, Rose, I 
 would know how far I have wronged you. Did you love 
 me, and had I asked you to share my home, when at a suit- 
 able age, would you have done so ?" 
 
 He was very pale, and the arm on which my hand was 
 resting, trembled violently, but grew still when he heard my 
 answer, which was, " I did love you, but 'twas a childish 
 love and quickly passed away. And were you now free as 
 you once were, I could lie to you nothing save a friend." 
 S
 
 170 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 There was a mixture of disappointment and pleasure on 
 his face ; but lie replied, " I am glad that it is so, and shall 
 now feel happier, for the hardest part of all was the thought 
 that possibly you, too, might suffer." 
 
 " Not at all,' 7 I answered, adding, " it would be foolish 
 to break my heart for one man, when there are so many in 
 the world." 
 
 This I said with bitterness, for I remembered the tune 
 when I had wept in the shadowy woods of Meadow Brook, 
 and if for a moment I experienced a feeling of satisfaction in 
 knowing that what / suffered then, he was suffering now, I 
 can only plead woman's nature as an apology. 'Twas but 
 for a moment, however, and then, casting off all such feel- 
 ings, I spoke to him kindly of his wife, telling him he could 
 be happy with her if he tried, and that if he were not, it was 
 probably as much his fault as hers. Brighter days, too, 
 would come, I said, when his practice would not be limited 
 to three patients, one of whom was too poor to pay, and an- 
 other was already convalescent, while the third was in the 
 last stages of her disease, and would need his services but a 
 few days longer. 
 
 " You are my good angel, Rose," said he, when at last we 
 reached my uncle's door, " and your words inspire me with 
 courage. Come and see us often, for the sight of you does 
 me good, and God knows how much I stand in need of sym 
 pathy. Farewell." 
 
 He pressed my hand, and hastily raising it to his lips, 
 turned away, dreading, as I well knew, a return to the sick- 
 room, where naught would greet him save reproachful com- 
 plaints, and where the dark eyes, which had first won his 
 admiration, would flash angrily upon him. In the hall, I 
 stood for a time, pondering in my mind some way by which 
 I could assist him, and I even thought of feigning sickness
 
 TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS. 171 
 
 myself for the sake of adding another patient to his list I 
 But this, I knew, he would easily detect, and possibly he 
 might misconstrue my motive for so doing, and this project 
 was abandoned, and I entered the parlor in quest of my 
 aunt, who, I learned from one of the servants, was in her 
 own room, suffering from a severe headache. She had tak- 
 en a violent cold, which, by the next morning, had developed 
 itself into a species of influenza, at that time prevailing in 
 the city. Added to this was a general debility and prostra- 
 tion of the nerves, brought on by her recent trouble and 
 anxiety concerning Herbert. 
 
 My uncle, who was always alarmed when she was ill, 
 wished for medical advice ; but to this she objected, as Dr. 
 Mott, the family physician, was absent, and she knew of no 
 other, whom she dare trust. Instantly I thought of Dr. 
 Clayton. If she could be prevailed upon to employ him, I 
 knew she would like him, for / could testify to his extreme 
 kindness in a sick-room, and good nursing was what she most 
 needed. When I suggested that he should be called, she at 
 first refused ; but before night, being much worse, she con- 
 sented, and never had I experienced a moment of greater 
 happiness than when I hastened to the kitchen with a mes- 
 sage for John, who was to go immediately for Dr. Clayton. 
 Then taking my uncle aside, I explained to him the strait- 
 ened circumstances of the young physician, hinting to him, 
 that prompt remuneration for his services would undoubted- 
 ly be acceptable. 
 
 " Yes, yes, I understand," said he ; " you want me to 
 pay him to-day." 
 
 Here we were interrupted by the ringing of the door-bell. 
 Dr. Clayton had come, and the result was as I had hoped. 
 My aunt was greatly pleased he was so kind and gentle, 
 humoring all her fancies, and evincing withal so much judg-
 
 172 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 raent and skill, that she felt confidence in his abilities ; and 
 when he was gone, expressed herself as preferring him even 
 to Dr. Mott, " who," she said, " was getting old and cross." 
 
 As he was leaving the house, my uncle placed in his hand 
 a five dollar bill, whereupon the doctor turned very red, and 
 asked if he were not expected to call again. 
 
 " Certainly, certainly," said my uncle, who, manlike, 
 hadn't the least bit of tact ; " keep coming until Charlotte 
 is well. I only paid you for this call to please Rosa." 
 
 Instead of the displeased, mortified look, which I expected 
 to see on the doctor's face, there was an expression of deep 
 gratitude, as he turned his eyes towards me ; and I thought 
 there was a moisture in them, which surprised me, for I did 
 not then know how much that five dollars was needed : it 
 being the exact amount requisite for the payment of the 
 girl, who refused .to remain with them another day unless 
 her wages were forthcoming. To such straits are people, 
 apparently in easy circumstances, sometimes reduced. 
 
 For more than a week my aunt was confined to her room, 
 while the doctor came regularly, always staying a long time, 
 and by his delicate attentions winning golden laurels from 
 his patient, who was far better pleased with him than with 
 the fussy old man, who, being always in a hurry, only stop- 
 ped for a moment, while he looked at her tongue, felt her 
 pulsfy and recommended blistering and bleeding, with a dose of 
 calomel, neither of which Dr. Clayton believed to be a saving 
 ordinance,, and indispensable to the comfort and recovery of 
 his patients. By this, I do not mean anything derogatory 
 to the good old custom of tormenting folks to death before 
 their time, but having a faint remembrance of certain blis- 
 ters, which, together with cabbage haves and the tallowed 
 rags, once kept me in a state of torture for nearly a week, 
 to say nothing of the sore mouth, the loose teeth, and the
 
 TEX THOUSAND DOLLARS. 173 
 
 tightly-bandaged arm, I cannot help experiencing a kind of 
 nervous tremor at the very mention of said prescriptions. 
 
 Dr. Clayton's attendance upon my aunt was a great bene- 
 fit to him, as, through its means, he be* ame known to seve- 
 ral of the higher circle, who began to employ him, so that 
 by the last of May, the time when I left Boston for Meadow 
 Brook, he had quite a large practice. For some reason or 
 other, Mrs. Archer, too, sent for him again ; and as he had 
 now no ten thousand dollars in prospect, he succeeded in 
 pleasing the whimsical lady, thereby securing her patronage 
 for a year at least. Here, for a time, I leave him, while I 
 go back to the dear old home at Meadow Brook, over which 
 a shadow, dark and heavy, was brooding.
 
 IT4 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE OLD HOMESTEAD. 
 
 " MEADOW BROOK Station ! Stop five minutes for refresh- 
 ments 1" shouted the conductor, and alighting from the noisy, 
 crowded cars, I stood once more in my own native town, 
 gazing with a feeling of delight upon the sunny hills, dotted 
 over with the old-fashioned gable-roofed houses, and upon 
 the green, grassy meadow, through which rolled the blue 
 waters of the Chicopee. I had not stood thus long, when a 
 broad hand was laid upon my shoulder, and the next instant 
 my arms were around the neck of my father, who, I thought, 
 had changed much since last I saw him ; for his face was 
 thin and pale, while threads of silver were scattered through 
 his soft, brown hair. 
 
 It was the loss of Anna, I fancied ; and when we at last 
 were seated in the buggy, and on our way home, I hastened 
 to speak of her, and to tell him of the favorable report we 
 heard of Herbert. But naught which I said seemed to rouse 
 him ; and at last I, too, fell into the same thoughtful mood, 
 in which even old Sorrel shared, for he moved with his head 
 down, scarcely once leaving the slow, measured walk he had 
 first assumed. When, at last, we reached the hill-top, from 
 which could be seen the Homestead, with its maple trees in 
 front, and long row of apple trees, now in full bloom, in the
 
 THE OLD HOMESTEAD. 176 
 
 rear, I started up, exclaiming, " Home, sweet home ! It 
 never looked half so beautiful to me before." 
 
 In a moment, however, I checked myself ; for my father 
 groaned aloud, while his face grew whiter than before. 
 
 " What is it, father," I asked ; "are they sick, or dead ?" 
 
 " Neither, neither," he replied, at the same time chirrup- 
 ing to old Sorrel, who pricked up his ears, and soon carried 
 us to the door of our house, where I was warmly greeted by 
 all. 
 
 And still there was in what they said and did an air of 
 melancholy which puzzled me ; and when I was alone with 
 Lizzie, I asked her the cause why they looked so sad ? Burst- 
 ing into tears, she replied, " This is not our home any lon- 
 ger. We must leave it, and go, we don't know where to 
 the poor-house, 'pa sometimes says, when he feels the worst, 
 and then grandma cries so hard oh, it's dreadful !" 
 
 " And why must we leave it ?" I asked ; and Lizzie 
 answered, " Pa has signed notes for Uncle Thomas, who has 
 failed, and now the homestead must be sold to pay his 
 debts and they so proud, too I" 
 
 It was as Lizzie had said. Uncle Thomas Harding was 
 my mother's brother, who lived in Providence, in far greater 
 style, it was said, than he was able to support. Several 
 times had Aunt Harding visited us, together with her two 
 daughters, Ellon and Theodosia. They were proud, haughty 
 girls, and evidently looked upon us, their country ccusins, 
 with contempt ; only tolerating us, because it was pleasant 
 to tare some place in the country where to while away a 
 few weeks, which, in the heated, dusty city, would other- 
 wise hang heavily upon their hands. On such occasions 
 they made themselves perfectly at home, and somehow or 
 other managed to have my mother feel that she was really 
 indebted to them for the honor they conferred upon her, by
 
 176 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 calling her Aunty, by appropriating to themselves the 
 greater portion of the house, by skimming the cream from 
 the pans of milk, by eating up the pie she had saved for us, 
 children when we came hungry and cross from school, and 
 by keeping old Sorrel constantly in the harness, or under the 
 saddle. 
 
 In return for all this, they sometimes gave us an old 
 collar, a silk apron, a soiled ribbon, or broken parasol 
 and once, when my parents visited them, they sent us a 
 trunk full of rubbish, among which was Fielding's " Tom 
 Jones !" This my grandmother cautiously took from the 
 trunk with the tongs and threw into the fire, thereby cre- 
 ating in me so great a desire for a knowledge of its con- 
 tents, that, on the first occasion which presented itself, I 
 gratified my curiosity, feeling, when I had done so, that my 
 grandmother was right in disposing of the volume as she 
 did. Dear old lady ! her aversion to everything savoring 
 of fiction was remarkable, and when not long since a certain 
 medium informed me that she, my grandmother, was greatly 
 distressed to learn that I had so far degenerated as to be 
 writing a look, I thought seriously of giving up my project 
 at once, and should probably have done so, had not another 
 medium of still greater power than the first received a com- 
 munication, stating that, after due reflection, my grand- 
 mother had concluded that " I might continue the story 
 called Meadow Brook, provided I showed off my Aunt 
 Harding and her two daughters in their true character." 
 So, as a dutiful child, it becomes me to tell how my ^her, 
 who was warmly attached to my Uncle Thomas, lent linn 
 money from time to time, and signed notes to the amount of 
 several thousand dollars, never once dreaming that in the 
 end he would be ruined, while my uncle, influenced by his 
 more crafty wife, managed in some unaccountable way to
 
 THE OLD HOMESTEAD. 177 
 
 maintain nearly the same style of living as formerly; and if 
 his proud daughters ever felt the ills of poverty, it was cer- 
 tainly not apparent in the rich silks and costly furs which 
 they continued to sport. 
 
 It was a terrible blow to us all, but upon no one did it 
 fall so heavily as upon my father, crushing him to the earth, 
 and rendering him nearly as powerless as is the giant oak 
 when torn from its parent bed by the wrathful storm. The 
 old homestead was endeared to him by a thousand hallowed 
 associations. It was the home of his boybood, and around 
 the cheerful fires, which years ago were kindled on its spa- 
 cious hearthstone, he had played with those who long since 
 had passed from his side, some to mingle in the great drama 
 of life, and others to that world where they number not by 
 years. There, too, in his early manhood had he brought his 
 bride, my gentle mother, and on the rough bark of the tow- 
 ering maples, by the side of his own and his brothers' names, 
 were carved those of his children, all save little Jamie, who 
 died ere his tiny fingers had learned the use of knife or ham- 
 mer. No wonder, then, that his head grew dizzy and his 
 heart sick as he thought of leaving it forever ; and when at 
 last the trying moment came, when with trembling hand he 
 signed the deed which made him homeless, who shall deem 
 him weak, if he laid his weary head upon the lap of his aged 
 mother and wept like a little child ? 
 
 A small house in the village was hired, and after a few 
 weeks' preparation, one bright June morning, when the 
 flowers we had watched over and tended with care were in 
 bloom, when the robins which, year after year had returned 
 to their nests in the maple tree, were singing their sweetest 
 songs, and when the blue sky bent gently over us, we bade 
 adieu to the spot, looking back with wistful eye until every 
 trace of our home had disappeared. Farewell forever to
 
 ITS MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 thee, dear old homestead, where now other footsteps tread 
 and other children play than those of " auld lang syne." 
 The lights and shadows of years have fallen upon thee since 
 that summer morn, and with them have come changes to 
 thee as well as to us. The maple, whose branches swept 
 the roof above my window, making oft sad music when 
 tuned by the autumn wind, has been cut away, and the 
 robins, who brought to us the first tidings of spring, have 
 died or flown to other haunts. " The moss-covered bucket 
 which hung in the well" has been removed ; the curb, whose 
 edges were worn by childish hands, is gone ; while in place 
 of the violets and daisies which once blossomed on the 
 grassy lawn, the thistle and the burdock now are growing, 
 and the white rose bush by the door, from whence they 
 plucked the buds which strewed the coffin-bed of our baby 
 brother, is dead. Weeds choke the garden walks, and the 
 moss grows green and damp on the old stone wall. Even 
 the brook which ran so merrily past our door has been stop- 
 ped in its course, and its sparkling waters, bereft of free- 
 dom, now turn the wheel of a huge saw-mill, with a low and 
 sullen roar. All is changed, and though memory still turns 
 fondly to the spot which gave me birth, I have learned to 
 love another home, for where my blessed mother dwells, 'tis 
 surely home to me. By her side there is, I know, a vacant 
 chair, and in her heart a lonely void, which naught on earth 
 can fill ; but while she lives, and I know that there is in the 
 world for me a mother and a mother's love, can I not feel 
 that I have indeed a home, though it be not the spot where 
 first she blessed me as her child ?
 
 'OUT WEST." 179 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 "OUT WEST." 
 
 WHAT a train of conflicting ideas do those two words often- 
 times awaken, bringing up visions of log cabins, ladder stairs, 
 wooden latches, fried hominy and maple sugar, to say nothing 
 of the hobgoblins in the shape of bears, rattlesnakes, wolves, 
 and " folks who don't know anything ;" the latter being 
 universally considered the "staple production" of every 
 place bearing the name of " out West." Even western New 
 York, with her hundreds of large and flourishing villages, 
 her well cultivated farms, her numerous schools, her edu- 
 cated, intelligent people, and her vast wealth, is looked 
 upon with distrust by some of her eastern neighbors, because, 
 forsooth, her boundaries lie farther towards the setting sun, 
 and because she once bore the .title of " way out west in 
 the Genesees." 
 
 Of course I speak only from observation and personal 
 experience ; for at Meadow Brook, ten years ago, many fears 
 were expressed lest Anna should miss the society to which 
 she had been accustomed ; and when after the sale of the 
 homestead, she wrote, asking me to come and live with 
 her, I hesitated, for to me it seemed much like burying 
 myself from the world, particularly as she chanced to 
 mention that the schoolhouse was a log one, and that there 
 were in the neighborhood several buildings of the same
 
 180 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 material. Never having seen anything of the kind, I could 
 not then understand that there is often in a log house far 
 more comfort and genuine happiness than in the stateliest 
 mansion which graces Fifth Avenue or Beacon street ; and 
 that the owners of said dwellings are frequently worth their 
 thousands, and only wait for a convenient opportunity to 
 build a more commodious and imposing residence. 
 
 At last, after many consultations with my parents, I 
 concluded to go, and about the middle of November I again 
 bade adieu to Meadow Brook ; and in company with a 
 friend of my father, who was going West, I started for 
 Eockland, N. Y., which is in the western part of Ontario 
 county, and about fourteen miles from Canandaigua, at 
 which place Herbert was to meet me. I had never before 
 been west of Springfield, and when about sunset I looked 
 out upon the delightful prospect around Albany, I felt a 
 thrill of delight mingled with a feeling of pain, for I began 
 to have a vague impression that possibly Massachusetts, 
 with all her boasted privileges, could not outrival the 
 Empire State. It was dark, and the night lamps were 
 already lighted when we entered the cars at Albany; for we 
 were to ride all night. In front of us was an unoccupied 
 seat, which I turned towards me for the better accommo- 
 dation of my band-box, which contained my new bonnet ; 
 and I was about settling myself for a nap, when a gentle- 
 man and lady came in, the latter of whom stopping near 
 us, said, " Here, Richard, is a vacant seat. These folks 
 can't of course expect to monopolize two ;" at the same 
 time she commenced turning the seat back, to the great 
 peril of my bonnet, which, as it was made in Boston, I 
 confidently expected would be the envy and fashion of all 
 Eocklaud ! 
 
 I was sitting with my hand over my eyes, but at the
 
 " OUT WEST." 181 
 
 sound of that voice I started, and, looking up, saw before 
 me Ada Montrose, and with her the "dark gentleman" 
 who had so much interested me at the theatre. Instantly 
 throwing my veil over my face, for I had no wish to be 
 recognized, I watched him with a feeling akin to jea- 
 lousy, while he attended to the comfort of his companton f 
 who demeaned herself towards him much as she had 
 done towards Herbert Langley. All thoughts of sleep had 
 left me, and throughout the entire night I was awake, 
 speculating upon the probable relation in which he stood 
 to her : and once when it suddenly occurred to me that 
 possibly they were married, the tears actually started to my 
 eyes. 
 
 As the hours sped on, he said to her a few low spoken 
 words, whereupon she laid her head upon his shoulder, as 
 if that were its natural resting-place, while he threw his 
 arm around her, bidding her " sleep if she could." Of 
 course she was his wife, I said, and with much of bitterness 
 at my heart, I turned away and watched the slowly-moving 
 lights of the canal-boats, discernible on the opposite side of 
 the Mohawk, along whose banks we were passing. Whether 
 Ada liked her pillow or not, she clung to it pertinaciously 
 until it seemed to me that her neck must snap asunder, 
 while with a martyr's patience he supported her, dozing 
 occasionally himself, and bending his head so low that his 
 glossy black hair occasionally touched the white brow of 
 the sleeping girl. 
 
 "Bride and grojm," I heard a rough-looking man mutter, 
 as he passed them in quest of a seat, and as this confirmed 
 my fears, I again turned towards the window, which I 
 opened, so that the night-air might cool rny burning cheeks. 
 
 That night I made up my mind to be an "old maid.'' 
 Nobody would ever want me I knew, I was so hoim-Iy ;
 
 182 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 and with calm resignation I thought how much good I 
 would do in the world, and how I would honor the sister- 
 hood ! Very slowly the morning light came struggling in 
 through the dirty windows, rousing the weary passengers, 
 who, rubbing their red-rimmed eyes, looked around to see 
 who their companions were. It was nearly noon when we 
 reached Canandaigua, and so carefully had I kept my face 
 hidden from view that Ada had no suspicion whatever of 
 my presence. At Canandaigua I took leave of my com- 
 panion, and stepping out upon the platform in front of the 
 depot, looked anxiously around for Herbert, but he was 
 not there. Thinking he would soon be there, I found my 
 way to the public parlor, which for few moments I occupied 
 alone. I had just removed my dusty bonnet, and was 
 brushing my tangled hair, when the door opened, and I 
 stood face to face with Ada Montrose, who started back, 
 and for a moment evidently debated the propriety of recog- 
 nizing me. Thinking she might do just as she pleased, I 
 simply nodded, as I would to any stranger, and went on 
 with my toilet, while throwing herself upon the sofa, she 
 exclaimed, " Dear me, how tired I am ! Do you live here ?" 
 
 " Of course not," I answered ; " I am on my way to visit 
 my sister Anna, whom you perhaps remember." 
 
 She turned very red, and replied by asking if I were in 
 the train which had just passed. 
 
 "Yes," I answered; " I occupied the seat directly behind 
 you and your husband is it not ?" 
 
 I felt that I must know the truth, and hence the rather 
 impertinent question, which, however, did not seem to dis- 
 please her in the least. Affecting to be a little embarrassed, 
 she said, " Not my husband yet. He came on to Boston 
 to accompany me home, and wishing to see a friend of his, 
 who lives here, we have stopped over one train."
 
 "OUT WEST." 183 
 
 I know not why it was, but her words gave me comfort ; 
 while at the same time the state of single-blessedness 
 appeared to me far less attractive than it had a few hours 
 before ! I was on the point of asking her about my aunt, 
 when the door again opened and there stood before us a 
 slovenly-looking man, attired in a slouched hat, muddy 
 pantaloons, grey coat, and huge cow-hide boots. So com- 
 plete was the metamorphosis that neither of us recognized 
 him, until he had exclaimed, as his eye fell upon Ada, 
 " Good Heavens, Ade ! How came you here ?" Then we 
 knew it was Herbert Langley I 
 
 So astonished was I that it was some time ere I found 
 voice to return his rather noisy greeting. Try as he would, 
 he could not conceal the fact that he was rather discon- 
 certed at being seen by Ada in such a plight, and after a 
 little he stammered out an apology, saying he was a farmer 
 now, and lived in the country, and of course could not be 
 expected to dress as he used in the city. This, I knew, was 
 no excuse, and I trembled lest he might be changed in more 
 points than one. 
 
 " How is your wife, Mrs. Langley?" asked Ada, in a mock- 
 ing, deferential tone. 
 
 Instantly the whole expression of Herbert's face was 
 changed, and there was a look of tenderness and pride in his 
 eyes as he advanced towards Ada, and whispered in her ear 
 something which I did not understand. Whatever it was, it 
 made her blush, as she replied rather sneeringly, " Of course 
 I congratulate you." 
 
 It has always been my misfortune to be rather stupid in 
 some matters, and I had not the least idea what either of 
 them meant, or why Herbert was to be congratulated. 
 I'o^sibly I might have asked an explanation, but just then 
 the town clock struck the hour of one, and turning towards
 
 184 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 me, he said, it was time we were on our way, for the fall 
 rains had made the roads almost impassable, and he was 
 afraid we should not reach home before dark. " So put on 
 your things quick," he added. " The carriage is all ready." 
 
 This last he said laughingly, for the carriage proved to be 
 a long lumber wagon, such as is seldom found in Massa- 
 chusetts, or at least, / had never seen one like it before, and 
 it became a serious question in my mind as to how I was 
 expected to enter it, there being no possible way of doing 
 so, save by climbing over the wheels, which were reeking 
 with mud. Herbert seemed to enjoy my embarrassment, 
 for he asked me if " I didn't think I could step from 
 the ground into the box," a distance of several feet ? I 
 was soon relieved from my difficulty by the porter, who 
 placed before me some wooden steps, on which I mounted 
 safely, and seated myself in the large arm-chair, which, with 
 its warm buffalo-robes, was .really more comfortable than 
 the old-fashioned one-horse wagons of New England, 
 though I did not think so then; and when the spirited horses, 
 at a crack from Herbert's whip, sprang forward, while I, 
 losing my balance, pitched over backward, I began to cry, 
 wishing in my heart that I was back in Meadow Brook. 
 
 It was a cold, raw, autumnal day. The roads, as Herbert 
 had said, were horrible ; and as we ploughed through the 
 thick mud, which, in some places was up to the wheel hubs, 
 I took, I believe, my first lesson in genuine home-sickness, 
 which, in my opinion, is about as hard to bear as love-sick- 
 ness ! Indeed, I think they fed much alike the latter 
 being, perhaps, a very little the worse of the two 1 It was 
 in vain that Herbert pointed out to me the many handsome 
 farmhouses which we passed, expatiating upon the richness 
 and fertility of the soil, and telling me how greatly superior 
 in everything New York was to New England. I scarcely
 
 " OUT WEST." 185 
 
 heard him, for even though in all Massachusetts there was 
 naught save the rocky hills, and sterile plains, it was my 
 home, and from that spot the heart cannot easily be 
 weaned. 
 
 Rocklaud is a large, wealthy town, embracing within its 
 limits more than the prescribed rule of six miles square, 
 while scattered through it are two or three little villages, 
 each bearing a distinct name, by which they are known 
 abroad. First, there was Laurel Hill, famed as the resi- 
 dence of certain families who were styled -proud and aristo- 
 cratic to say nothing of their being Episcopalians, which 
 last fact was by some regarded as the main cause of their 
 haughtiness. Next came the " Centre," with its group of 
 red houses, and its single spire, so tall, so straight, and so 
 square, that it scarce needed the lettering over the entrance 
 to tell to the stranger that Presbyterians worshiped 
 there. Lastly came Flattville, by far the largest village 
 in Rockland, and the home 'of all the isms in the known 
 world. To the south of Flattville is a small lake, 
 renowned for its quiet beauty, and the picturesque wildness 
 of its shores. Bounded on three sides by high hills, its 
 waters sleep calmly in the sunlight of summer, or dash 
 angrily upon the sandy beach, when moved by the chill 
 breath of winter. 
 
 On the brow of one of the high hills which overlook the 
 Honeoye, and so near to it that the sweep of the waves can 
 be distinctly heard in a clear, still night, stood the home of 
 my sister. It was a huge, wooden building, containing 
 rooms innumerable, while even the basement was large 
 enough to accommodate one or more families. Being the 
 first frame house erected in the town, it was of course 
 looked upon with considerable interest, and as if to make it 
 still more notorious, it bore the reputation of being haunted,
 
 188 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 and by some of the neighbors was called the "Haunted 
 Castle." 
 
 Years before, when the country was new, it was a sort of 
 public-house, and a young girl was said to have been mur- 
 dered there, and buried in the cellar, from whence she was 
 afterwards removed and thrown into the lake. For the 
 truth of this story there was no proof, save the fact, that in 
 the dark cellar there was a slight excavation, supposed to 
 have been the grave of the ill-fated lady. All this Herbert 
 very kindly told me, as we rode leisurely along, saying, when 
 I asked if he believed it, " Believe it ! No ! Of course 
 not. To be sure, it's the squeakiest old rattle-trap of a 
 house that I ever saw ; and were I at all superstitious, I 
 could readily believe it haunted, particularly when the 
 wind blows hard. But you are not frightened ; are you ?" 
 he asked, looking in my face, which was very pale. 
 
 I hold that there is in every human breast a dread of the 
 supernatural, and though I do not by any means believe in 
 ghosts, I would certainly prefer not to live in a house where 
 they are supposed to dwell. Still, I dared not tell Herbert 
 so, and, consequently, I only laughed at the idea of a 
 haunted house, saying, it was very romantic. It was after 
 sunset when we at last turned into the long avenue, shaded 
 on either side by forest maples, which the first proprietor of 
 the place had suffered to remain ; and as my eye fell upon 
 the large, dark building, which Herbert said was his house, 
 I involuntarily shuddered, for to me it seemed the very spot 
 of all others which goblins would choose for their nightly 
 revels. The wind -was blowing from the west, and as I fol- 
 lowed Herbert up to the door, my ear caught a dull, moan- 
 ing sound, which caused me to quicken my footsteps, while 
 I asked, in some trepidation, what it was. 
 
 " That ? Oh, that's the roar of the lake. Don't
 
 " OUT WEST." 187 
 
 how near it is to us, directly at the foot of the hill ?" and he 
 pointed out to me the broad sheet of water, just discernible 
 in the gathering darkness. 
 
 A sudden gust of wind swept past me, and again I caught 
 the low murmur. There was something human in the tone, 
 and though for three years I almost daily heard that sound, 
 I could never fully rid myself of the impression that it was 
 the spirit of the murdered maiden which thus, to the swell- 
 ing waves, complained of the crime long unpunished. 
 
 " Come this way, Rose," said Herbert, as I entered the 
 narrow "entry" so common in old-fashioned houses; and fol- 
 lowing him, I was soon ushered into a large square room, 
 where a bright wood fire was blazing, casting a somewhat 
 cheerful aspect over the sombre, wainscoted walls of an- 
 cient make. 
 
 In one corner of the room was a bed, and on it lay Anna, 
 who, the moment she saw me, uttered a cry of joy. 
 
 " Have you told her ?" she asked of Herbert, when the 
 first pleasure of our meeting was over. 
 
 He replied in the negative, whereupon she brought up 
 from under a pile of pillows, coverlets, blankets and sheets, 
 a little tiny, red-faced, wrinkled thing, to which she said I 
 was Aunt I I knew, then, why Ada congratulated Herbert, 
 and mentally chiding myself for my stupidity, I took the 
 bundle of cambric and flannel in my arms, while Anna said, 
 " \\ r e call him Jamie Lee, and we think he looks like you. 
 Isn't he a beauty ?" 
 
 He did look like me, and knowing that, I wondered at 
 Anna's question ; but where is the young mother who thinks 
 her first born baby homely ? though his nose be flat his 
 foiehead low and his mouth extend from ear to ear ! Not, 
 Anna, most certainly. He was her baby and Herbert's, and to 
 her partial eyes he was beautiful, even though he did resem-
 
 188 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 ble me, whom but one person had ever called pretty. As 
 for myself, I hardly knew whether to be pleased with my 
 new relative or not. Babies, particularly little tiny ones, 
 had never been my special delight, but on this occasion, feel- 
 ing that some demonstration was expected from me, I kissed 
 my little nephew, who returned my greeting with a wry face, 
 and an outcry so loud that Anna, in great alarm lest he was 
 " going into a fit," summoned from the kitchen, where she 
 was enjoying a quiet smoke, Aunty Matson, who boasted of 
 having washed and dressed two hundred and fifty babies, 
 and who confidently expected to do the same service for two 
 hundred and fifty more ere her life's sun was set. 
 
 Wearied with my ride, I asked permission to retire early; 
 whereupon Dame Matson volunteered to show me the way 
 to my room. Up the narrow stairs, which creaked at every 
 step, and on through one gloomy room after another, she 
 led me until, at last, we came to a chamber, lighter and 
 more airy, which, she said, my sister had papered, painted, 
 and fitted up for me ; adding, as she set the candle upon the 
 table and closed the window, " You ain't afraid of spooks 
 nor nothiu' ?" 
 
 " Spooks" was to me a new word, and in some surprise I 
 asked what she meant. 
 
 " Now, du tell," she replied, seating herself upon the foot 
 of the bed. " Now, du tell a body where you was brought 
 up, that you don't know what a spook is I Why, it's a sperrit 
 a ghost and this house, they say, is full on 'em. But I 
 don't b'lieve a word on't. S'posin' a gal was murdered near 
 forty years ago, 'tain't likely she haunts the place yet, and 
 then, too, she warn't none of the best of girls, I guess, from 
 what I've heard my mother say." 
 
 The wind was blowing hard, and as Dame Matsou uttered 
 these last words, the door, which she had left ajar, came to-
 
 "OUT WEST." 189 
 
 gether with a bang, while from the lake I heard again the 
 wailing cry, which, this time, had in it an angry tone, as if 
 the maiden were indignant at the wrong done her by the old 
 dame, whose eyes seemed to expand and grow blacker at 
 the sound. Overcome as I was with fatigue, I could not 
 sleep ; and for hours I lay awake, listening to the rain as it 
 fell upon the roof, and to the howling wind, which, indeed, 
 produced the most unearthly noises I had ever heard. At 
 last, however, nature could no longer endure, and I fell into 
 a deep slumber, from which I did not awake until the sun was 
 high up in the heavens, and preparations were going for- 
 ward in the kitchen for dinner, which was served exactly at 
 twelve. Greatly refreshed, I was ready to laugh at my 
 fears of the night previous ; and with childish joy, I explored 
 every nook and corner of the old castle ; finding many a rat- 
 hole, which threw some light on the sounds over my head, 
 which I had likened to the trampling of horses. 
 
 It took but a few days for me to discover that Herbert 
 was exceedingly popular at Breeze Hill, as the neighborhood 
 in which he lived was called. His free, social manners had 
 won for him many friends, and made him almost too much 
 of a favorite. At least, I used to think so, during the long 
 winter evenings, when Anna sat with her baby upon her 
 lap, listening for the footsteps of her husband, who, at some 
 neighbor's fireside, was cracking the merry joke, and quaffing 
 the sparkling cider ; which, at Breeze Hill, was considered 
 essential to hospitality. Gradually, too, as the winter wore 
 on, my sister's eye took the anxious expression I had so 
 often seen in my Aunt Charlotte ; and sometimes, when he 
 stayed from her longer than usual, she would steal down to 
 the foot of the long Avenue, and there, alone, would wait 
 and listen for her husband's coming ; while the spirit from 
 the lake would whisper sadly in her ear of the darkness
 
 190 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 and desolation hovering near. And all this time Herbert 
 professed to be strictly temperate ; and when, about the 
 middle of March, a travelling lecturer held forth in the old 
 log schoolhouse, thundering his anathemas against the use 
 of all spirituous liquors, Herbert was the most zealous 
 of all his listeners, and at the close of the lecture, arose 
 himself and addressed the assembly, pouring out such a tide 
 of eloquence as astonished the audience, who rent the air 
 with shouts of " Langley forever !" 
 
 Knowing this, I was greatly surprised, after our return 
 home, to see the young orator go up to the sideboard and 
 drink off, at one draught, a goblet of the porter which had 
 been ordered for Anna ! She saw it, too, and for an instant 
 her face was pressed against that of her sleeping boy ; and 
 when next the lamp-light fell upon it, I saw there traces of 
 tears, while a faint smile played around her mouth, as she 
 said, " I am afraid, Herbert, your audience would hardly 
 think your theory and practice agree, could they see you 
 now." 
 
 The words were ill-timed ; for they awoke the young 
 man's resentment, and with a flushed brow he retorted an- 
 grily, that " if porter were good for her, it was for him ; he 
 saw no difference betweeen a drinking woman and a drink- 
 ing man ; except, indeed, that the former was the most 
 despicable." 
 
 The next morning, the bottles of porter were gone from 
 the sideboard ; but out in the orchard, where the grass of 
 an early spring was.just starting into life, they lay shattered 
 in a hundred pieces. Would, oh, would that she, the wife 
 of little more than a year, could thus easily have broken the 
 habits of him she loved better than her life. But it could 
 not be ; and all through the bright spring days she drooped, 
 and faded, and struggled hard to keep from me the fatal
 
 " OUT WEST/' ivi 
 
 truth ; and when the warm breath of summer was over all 
 the land ; when the robins' song was heard in the maple 
 trees ; and the roses blossomed by the open door, they 
 brought no gladness to her heart ; no love-light to her eye, 
 save when she looked upon her baby ; now a playful, hand- 
 some child, the pet and idol of the house. 
 
 At last, Aunt Charlotte wrote to me, asking to be assured 
 of her son's safety ; and then poor Anna begged me not to 
 tell that the wine-cup was his companion at morn ; his so- 
 lace at noon, and his comfort at night. Yielding to her 
 entreaties, I answered evasively ; and thus the shock, when 
 it came to that mother's heart, was harder far to bear, from 
 the perfect security she had felt. At Meadow Brook, too, 
 they little dreamed how their absent daughter wept and 
 prayed over her fallen husband, who, day after day, made 
 rapid strides down the road to death ; for, on her bended 
 knees, Anna implored me to keep her shame a secret yet a 
 little longer ; and with this request I also complied, doing 
 whatever I could to smooth the thorny pathway she was 
 treading.
 
 l3 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE DARK MAN. 
 
 THE long summer days had merged into autumn, whose 
 hazy breath floated like a misty veil over the distant hills. 
 Slowly and noiselessly the leaves were dropping one by one 
 from the maple trees, strewing the withered grass with 
 a carpet of gorgeous hue. The birds had sung their fare- 
 well song to their summer nests, and were off for a warmer 
 clime; while here and there busy hands and feet were seen 
 gathering in the autumnal stores. 
 
 On Herbert's farm, however, there was a look of decay. 
 The yellow corn and golden pumpkins were yet in the field; 
 the apples lay in heaps upon the ground; the gates swung 
 loosely in the wind ; while the horses, uncared for and unfed, 
 neighed piteously in their stalls as if asking why they 
 were thus neglected. Alas 1 their master was a drunk- 
 ard. Anna was a drunkard's wife ; and mine a drunk- 
 ard's home ! It was no longer a secret there, and the 
 old men shook their heads, while the young men sighed to 
 think how he had fallen. Night after night we sat up for 
 him, my sister and I lifting him from the threshold across 
 which he would fall, and bearing him to his bed, where we 
 would lay him beside his innocent sou, whose blue eyes 
 often opened with wonder at being thus disturbed. A 
 night's debauch was always followed by a day of weakness 
 and debility, in which he was incapable of exertion, and so
 
 THE DARK MAN. 198 
 
 everything seemed on the verge of ruin, when he suddenly 
 conceived the idea of advertising for an efficient man, who 
 would take the entire charge of affairs and relieve him from 
 all care. 
 
 About this time I went back to Meadow Brook for a few 
 weeks to be present at the bridal of my oldest sister. Anna, 
 too, was urged to accompany me, but she declined, extort- 
 ing from me a promise that if it were possible I would not 
 divulge the real state of things. " Tell them I am happy 
 and do not regret what I have done," said she, as she fol- 
 lowed me down to the gate. 
 
 " And would that be true ?" I asked, looking her in the 
 face. 
 
 For an instant she hesitated, while her pale cheeks flushed 
 and the tears started to her eyes ; then glancing at little 
 Jamie, whom she held in her arms, she answered, "Yes, it 
 would be true. I do not regret it. I had rather be Her- 
 bert's wife as he is, than not to have been his wife at all." 
 
 Ah, who can fathom the depths of woman's love, and 
 what punishment shall be sufficient for him who wan- 
 tonly tramples upon it. Thus I thought as I turned away 
 from my sister, pondering upon her words long after I 
 reached the cars, and wondering if I should ever love as she 
 did. Involuntarily the doctor rose up before me a drunkard, 
 and I his wife, and from my inmost soul I answered, " rather 
 death than that 1" Then, though I blushed as I did so, 
 I fancied myself the wife of " the dark man," and he a 
 drunkard. " Yes, I could bear that," I said, and as if to 
 make the old adage true, that a certain individual is always 
 near when we are talking about him, the car door opened 
 and the subject of my meditations stood before me I 
 There was no mistaking him. The same tall, manly form, 
 the piercing eyes, the coal black hair and the same deep 
 
 y
 
 194 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 cut between the eyebrows. I knew him in a moment, and 
 an exclamation of surprise escaped my lips, which, how- 
 ever, was lost by the rush of the cars. The seats were 
 nearly all occupied, and as he passed down the aisle, my 
 readers, I trust, will pardon me, if I did gather up the skirt 
 of my dress and take my travelling bag upon ray lap, while 
 I myself sat nearer to the window, looking out in order to 
 hide my face, which I thought possibly might not attract 
 him! 
 
 " Is this seat occupied, miss ?" said a heavy voice, which 
 seemed to come from some far off region. 
 
 " No, sir," I answered, timidly, without venturing to turn 
 my head, until I felt myself uncomfortably crowded ; then I 
 looked around, and behold ! the dark stranger was sitting 
 behind me near the door, while at my side was a man of 
 mammoth dimensions, with immense moustaches, watery eyes, 
 and a brandy breath flavored with tobacco ! 
 
 I wanted to cry, and should probably have done so, had 
 not my companion immediately commenced a conversation by 
 asking " if I had come very far, and where I was going ?" 
 
 He was exceedingly loquacious, and for several hours 
 plied me with questions as to my own name my parents 
 my grand-parents my brothers my sisters our standing 
 in the world our religion our politics, and our opinion 
 of spiritualism, of which last he was a zealous advocate. 
 At length just as it was growing dark, he gathered up his 
 huge proportions, and to my great joy bade me adieu, ex- 
 pressing his regret at leaving me, and also assuring me that 
 I would one day be a medium, which assumption he based 
 upon the fact of my having admitted that sometimes when 
 falling away to sleep I started suddenly and awoke. This, 
 he said, was a spirit shock, and would in the end lead to 
 great results.
 
 THE DARK MAH. 195 
 
 About nine o'clock we stopped for refreshments, and on 
 re-e'ntering the cars, I found to my joy that the dark 
 stranger's seat was appropriated by a son of Erin, who 
 seemed nowise inclined to surrender it, inasmuch as he 
 had with him his wife, baby, and bundle. This time the 
 fates were propitious, for after looking around him awhile, 
 the stranger asked permission to sit by me, sayiug he should 
 not discommode me more than two or three hours, as by that 
 time he hoped to reach his journey's end, a remark which 
 gave me more pain than pleasure, for every nerve thrilled 
 with joy at being thus near to one who, though an entire 
 stranger, possessed for me a particular attraction. It was 
 quite dark where we sat, and the night lamp burned but 
 dimly, so he did not once obtain a full view of my face. He 
 proved a most agreeable and attentive companion, opening 
 and shutting the window just as often as I evinced an in- 
 clination to have him, holding my sachel in bis lap ; placing 
 his own travelling trunk at my feet for a footstool, and 
 offering me his fur-lined overcoat for a pillow; besides ex- 
 pressing many fears that I would take cold whenever the 
 window was open. At almost every station, too, he asked 
 " if I wished for anything," but I did not, except indeed to 
 know whether he was yet the husband of Ada Montrose, 
 and to obtain that information I would have given almost 
 anything. At last I hit upon the following expedient. He 
 made some remark about the country through which we 
 were passing, and I replied by saying that " I believed it 
 was not the first time he had been over that road, as, if I 
 mistook not, I saw him in the cars with his wife the year 
 before." 
 
 The wrinkle in his forehead grew deeper, and his face 
 Gushed as he said quickly, " I do not remember of mertin<j; 
 you before, though I was here last fall, but not with my
 
 196 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 wife, for I have none. It was my ward, Miss Mon- 
 trose." 
 
 Nothing could have given me more satisfaction than this 
 announcement, for if Ada were his ward, it explained, in a 
 measure, his attentions to her ; and as I cast stolen glances 
 at him, I felt more and more convinced that there could be 
 no affinity between him and the haughty, imperious girl to 
 whom he was guardian. It seemed to me a very short time 
 ere he arose, and offering me his hand, said he must go, 
 adding, " We shall undoubtedly meet again, as I occasion- 
 ally travel this way." 
 
 Yes, we should meet again. I felt sure of that, though 
 how and where I could not tell. 
 
 It was nearly noon of the next day when I reached 
 Meadow Brook, where I found my father at the de*p6t, 
 waiting to receive me. Very kindly he greeted me, inquir- 
 ing eagerly after Anna and her boy, his grandson, whom he 
 expressed a strong desire to see. " But I never shall," he 
 said sadly, as he walked slowly beside me up the long hill 
 which led to the village. Of Herbert he spoke not a word, 
 though my mother and my sisters did, asking me numberless 
 questions, some of which I answered, while the others I 
 managed to evade, keeping them ignorant of the existing 
 state of things. 
 
 I found them all busied with the preparations for Juliet's 
 wedding, which took place within a week after my return, 
 I officiating as bridesmaid, while the groomsman was none 
 other than my old enemy, JOHN THOMPSON, now a tall young 
 man of eighteen, and cousin to Juliet's husband. When 
 first the plan was suggested to me I refused, for I bore him 
 no good will ; but my objections were overruled by Juliet, 
 who told me how much he had improved, and that I would 
 find him very agreeable, which was indeed true. He was
 
 THE DARK MAN. 197 
 
 very polite and attentive, referring laughingly to the " freaks 
 of his boyhood," as he termed them, while at the same time 
 he laid his hand upon his chin, caressing the beard which 
 was there only in imagination, and even apologizing to me 
 in a kind of off-hand way for his conduct of three years 
 before. Of course I forgave him, and we are now the best 
 of friends. So much for childish prejudices. 
 
 In the course of the evening I asked him about the doc- 
 tor, and was told that he was still in Boston, and doing 
 remarkably well. " And do you know," said John, " he 
 imputes his success to you ! I verily believe he thinks you 
 a perfect angel ! Any way, I know he likes you better than 
 he does Dell, for he told me so in plain English, and I don't 
 blame him either ; the way she cuts up is enough to kill any 
 man. Why, if I were in his place, I'd get a divorce from 
 her at once, and offer myself to you !" 
 
 "I wouldn't have him," said I, quickly. 
 
 " Nor me either ? Wouldn't you have me ?" asked John, 
 playfully. 
 
 " No, I wouldn't," was my reply ; whereupon he laughed 
 heartily, saying "he was glad he knew my sentiments before 
 he committed himself ;" and there the conversation ended. 
 
 After Juliet had left us for her new home, in an adjoining 
 town, there ensued at our house a season of lonely quiet, in 
 which we scarcely knew whether to laugh or to cry. There is 
 always something sad in the giving up of a daughter to the 
 care of another, and so my parents found it, particularly my 
 father, who, broken in spirit and feeble in health, was unu- 
 sually cast down. He could hardly suffer me to leave his 
 sight for a moment, and still he seemed to take special plea- 
 sure in finding fault with whatever I did. Nothing pleased 
 him, and gradually there returned upon me with its full 
 force the olden fancy of ray childhooi, that / was not loved
 
 198 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 like the rest. It was a most bitter thought, wringing my 
 heart with a keener anguish than it had ever done before ; 
 and once, the very day before the one set for my return to 
 Rockland, my pent up feelings burst forth, and in angry 
 tones I told him "it was useless for me to try to please 
 him he didn't love me and never had and I was glad that 
 the morrow would find me away, where he would no longer 
 be troubled with my presence, which was evidently so disa- 
 greeable to him." 
 
 He made me no answer, but a fearful look of sorrow, 
 which will haunt me to my dying day, passed over his thin, 
 white face, and his hand, which was hard and brown with 
 toil for me, was raised beseechingly as if to stay the angry 
 torrent. Oh, how I repented of my harshness then, but I 
 did not tell him so ; I would wait till morning, and then, 
 ere I left, I would seek the forgiveness, without which I well 
 knew I should be wretched, for something told me that 
 never in this world should we meet again. 
 
 Next, morning when I awoke, the sun was shining 
 brightly in at my window, and hurrying on my clothes, I 
 descended to the dining-room. In silence we gathered 
 around the breakfast table, and then I saw that my father 
 was absent. " Where was he ?" I asked, and was told that 
 having business in Southbridge, a town several miles distant, 
 he had left early, telling my mother to bid me good-bye for 
 him. All my good resolutions were forgotten, and again I 
 said hastily, " I think he might at least have bidden me 
 good-bye himself, and you may tell him so." 
 
 " Hush, Rose, hush," said my mother. " Your father isn't 
 the man he was before we left our old home. He is broken 
 down, and it may be you have seen him for the last 
 time." 
 
 " It is hardly probable," I answered, and with a swelling
 
 THE DARK MAN. 199 
 
 heart I bade my mother adieu ; but I left no message which 
 would tell my father how much I repented of my rash- 
 ness. 
 
 Upon his grave the tall grass is growing howling storms 
 have swept across it wintry snows have been piled upon 
 it the summer's mellow sunlight has fallen around it 
 flowers have blossomed and faded changes have come to 
 us all and still I have never ceased to regret that last inter- 
 view with my father, or to mourn over my distrust of his 
 love for me.
 
 200 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE DEATH OF THE DRUNKARD. 
 
 DURING my journey back to Rockland, I did not again 
 meet with the stranger, although I looked for him at every 
 station, and when at last I stepped from the cars at Canan- 
 daigua, I must confess to a feeling of disappointment. I 
 had expected Herbert to meet me, but he was not there. 
 I was just wondering what I should do in case he failed to 
 come, when my attention was attracted towards a tall, 
 athletic-looking young man, who was inspecting my trunk, 
 which stood upon the platform. Fearful lest my best 
 clothes should be carried off before my very face, I started 
 quickly forward, demanding what he was doing with my 
 baggage. 
 
 The stranger stood up, and fixed upon me a pair of sin- 
 gularly handsome, hazel eyes, which had in them an expres- 
 sion so penetrating that I quailed beneath them ; while at 
 the same time there swept over me a strange, undefined 
 feeling as if somewhere in a dream, perchance, I had met 
 that glance before. 
 
 " Are you Miss Lee ?" he asked, and the tones of his 
 voice thrilled me like an echo of the past. 
 
 I replied in the affirmative ; and without once taking his 
 eyes from my face, he said, " I am Henry Watson, Mr.
 
 THE DEATH OF THE DRUNKARD. 201 
 
 Langley's hired man. He sent me for you, and the wagon 
 is at the other door." 
 
 Mechanically I followed him to the place designated, and 
 then, as if I had been a feather, he took me in his arms and 
 placed me in the wide chair, wrapping the buffalo-robes 
 around me, and in various ways seeing that I was com- 
 fortable. He did not seem to me like a hireling, for his 
 language was good, his manners gentlemanly, and ere we 
 were half-way to Breeze Hill I was very much prepossessed 
 in his favor, except, indeed, that he would look at me so 
 much. He was quite talkative, asking me of my parents, 
 of my brothers, and appearing much gratified when I told 
 him how well Charlie was doing as clerk in a dry goods ' 
 store in Worcester. 
 
 " And Mr. Langley is only your cousin by marriage ?" he 
 said at last. " Have you any other male cousins ?" he 
 asked. 
 
 " I had a boy cousin once," I said, " but he is probably 
 dead, for we have not heard from him in six long years." 
 
 Forgetful that Mr. Watson was to me an entire stranger, 
 I very briefly told him the story of " Cousin Will," who re- 
 turned not with the vessel which bore him away, and who 
 had deserted the ship at Calcutta. For many days they 
 searched for him in vain, and at last left him alone in that 
 far-off land, where he had probably met an early death. 
 
 " He must have been a wild boy, and I dare say you felt 
 relieved to be rid of him," said Mr. Watson, who had 
 appeared deeply interested in my story. 
 
 "Yes, he was wild," I replied, "but I liked him very, 
 vei'y much, and cried myself sick when he went away." 
 
 Again the stranger's eyes fell upon me with a look I could 
 not fathom. I grew uneasy, and was not sorry when about 
 sunset we turned into the long, shady avenue which led up 
 9*
 
 202 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 to the house. As if by magic, a wondrous change had been 
 wrought in my absence ; for everything around the building 
 wore an air of neatness and thrift, which betokened that 
 there was now a head to manage and direct. Herbert, too, 
 was perfectly sober, while Anna's face was far happier than 
 when I last saw her. The cause of this she explained to 
 me the first moment we were alone. Herbert had signed 
 the pledge ! Had become a sober man, and all through 
 the exertions of Mr. Watson, whom she pronounced an 
 angel in disguise. And, truly, his influence over Herbert 
 was wonderful ; for never did an anxious mother watch 
 over her sickly child more carefully than Mr. Watson 
 watched over his employer, shielding him from temptation, 
 and gently leading him in the path of rectitude ; until the 
 wine-flush on his cheek gave way to a hue of health ; the 
 redness of his eyes was gone, and conscious of the victory 
 he had achieved, he stood forth again in all the pride of his 
 manhood, sober, virtuous, and happy. 
 
 Such was the state of things, when, early in April, we 
 received invitations to attend a wedding party at the house 
 of Judge Perkins, whose broad acres and heavy purse of gold 
 had purchased for him a fair young girl, just his eldest 
 daughter's age ! It was to be a splendid affair, for all the 
 elite of Rockland were bidden, and, as a matter of course, / 
 forthwith commenced looking over my wardrobe, and declar- 
 ing I hud nothing to wear ! Anna, on the contrary, did 
 not seem at all interested, and when I questioned her for 
 her indifference, she replied, "What if they have wine, and 
 Herbert should drink ?" 
 
 " They wouldn't have wine," I told her, for Judge Perkins 
 was a staunch temperance man, and it was not probable 
 that he would do anything so inconsistent with his profes- 
 sion.
 
 THE DEATH OF THE DRUNKARD. 20;: 
 
 After a time she became convinced that her fears were 
 groundless, and began with me to anticipate the expected 
 pleasure. Henry Watson was not invited, but he carried 
 us to the door, going himself to the hotel to wait until we 
 were ready to return. Just as he was leaving us he whis- 
 pered a few words to Herbert, who replied, gaily, " Never 
 fear for me. Judge Perkins isn't the man to throw tempta- 
 tion in my way." 
 
 " Ah, would it had been so ! Would that the sparkling- 
 champagne, the ruby wine, and the foaming ale had not 
 graced that marriage feast, for then, perchance, one. grave 
 at least would not have been made so soon, nor the widow's 
 weeds worn by my sister ere the bloom of youth had faded 
 from her brow. 
 
 I saw her cheek pale as we entered the supper-room, but 
 when amid the din and uproar which succeeded the drawing of 
 the corks, Herbert stood firm to his pledge, refusing to drink, 
 though urged to do so, the color came back to her face, and her 
 eye proudly followed her husband, whose easy manners made 
 him a favorite, and who, with ready tact, moved among the 
 guests, doing far more towards their entertainment than the 
 master of the house himself. He was standing near the bride, a 
 beautiful young creature, with a sunny face and radiant 
 smile. Diamonds were wreathed in her shining curls, and 
 shone upon her snowy arms, while the costly veil almost 
 swept the floor, and enveloped her slight form like a misty 
 cloud. Very affable and polite had she been to Herbert, 
 and now as he approached her, she took from the table two 
 goblets of wine, and passing one to him, said, " Mr. Laiigley, 
 I am sure, will not refuse to drink with me, the bride ?" 
 
 To refuse would have seemed uncourteous ; and so, with a 
 hasty glance at his wife, he drank the health of the lovely 
 woman, who, in an angel's guise, unconsciously tempted him
 
 204 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 to ruin. Involuntarily, Anna gasped as if for breath, while 
 she started quickly forward to stay the rash act ; but she 
 was too late, and with a faint moan of anguish, she turned 
 away to hide her tears. One taste awoke the slumbering 
 demon, and set his veins on fire ; and when at midnight Mr 
 Watson came for us, he took the insensible man in his arms 
 and placed him in the wagon, beside the weeping wife, 
 whose fond hopes were now wrecked for ever. 
 
 From that time Herbert made no further attempt at re- 
 form, but night after night, came reeling home, sometimes 
 singing a bacchanalian song, and again rending the air with 
 curses, until at last poor Anna learned to tremble at the sound 
 of his footsteps; for he daily grew more and more violent and 
 unmanageable, defying every one save Mr. Watson, who 
 possessed over him a singular power. Thus the spring and 
 summer passed away, and when the autumn came few would 
 have recognized the once handsome Herbert Langley in the 
 bloated creature, who, weak and feeble, lay all day long in 
 bed, begging for " brandy more brandy" to fan the flame 
 which was feeding upon his vitals. Sometimes in his fits of 
 frenzy he would spring upon the floor, and shriek for us to 
 save him from the crawling serpents, which, with forked 
 tongues and little green eyes, hissed at him from all parts 
 of the room. Again he would say that the spirit of the 
 murdered maiden was before him, whispering to him unut- 
 terable things concerning the drunkard's home beyond the 
 grave, while goblins of every conceivable form beckoned 
 him to come and join their hideous dance. 
 
 Once, when he was more quiet than usual, he said to me, 
 " Rose, do you remember what I once told you about my 
 mother's joining the church and reading her prayers ?" 
 
 I replied in the affirmative, and he continued "Do you 
 know I'd give the world, were it mine, if I could hear her
 
 THE DEATH OF THE DRUNKARD. 205 
 
 pray for me once more. It would cool my scorching brain, 
 and if I dare pray for myself, I know I should be healed ; 
 but I cannot, for the moment I attempt it, there are legions 
 of imps who flit and grin before my face, while one, larger 
 and more unseemly than the rest, shouts in my ears, ' LOST, 
 LOST, TO ALL ETERNITY !' there look, don't you hear it ?" and, 
 shivering with fright, he covered his head with the bedclothes. 
 
 But I heard nothing save the heaving swell of the waves, 
 and the sullen roar of the lake, which came in through the 
 open window, seeming to his disordered imagination an ac- 
 cusing spirit from another world. At last looking up timid- 
 ly and speaking low, as if fearful of being overheard, he said, 
 " Is there a Prayer Book in the house ?" 
 
 I answered in the affirmative. Raising himself upon his 
 elbow, and glancing fearfully around, he continued, " Bring 
 it quick, while they are away, and put it under my pillow. 
 Who knows but it may operate like a spell !" 
 
 I complied with his request, and brought the book, which 
 he placed under his head, saying, " There now I can pray, 
 and God won't let them mock me, will he, think ?" 
 
 I could only weep as he folded his long white hands one 
 over the other, and said reverently the prayer taught him 
 years and years before, commencing with 
 
 "Now I lay me down to sleep," etc. 
 
 As if the words, indeed, had a soothing power, he almost 
 instantly fell into a deep sleep, from which he awoke re- 
 freshed, and better than he had been for several days. They 
 said he could not live ; and though it was a painful task, An- 
 na wrote to his mother apprising her of his danger, and bid- 
 ding her hasten, if she would see him again. 
 
 During the few remaining weeks of his life he was subject 
 tj strange fancies. For a time the Prayer Book beneath
 
 206 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 his pillow had the effect of keeping him comparatively quiet ; 
 but, anon, it lost its power, and one day he awoke with a 
 fearful shriek. The imps, as he called them, had again re- 
 turned, and were mockingly taunting him with the victory 
 he vainly imagined he had obtained. 
 
 " Keep off, ye devils I" he shouted, drawing the volume 
 from beneath his pillow, and holding it to view. " Keep 
 off ; for, see, this book is full of prayers, which my mother 
 has said. My mother ! Do you hear ? Ha ! They laugh 
 at the idea, and well they may. Had she learned to pray 
 sooner, I might not have been the vile thing that I am. But 
 she taught me to drink. She set the example ; so go to her 
 with those horrid faces, besmeared with the smoke of the pit." 
 
 There was a bitter groan, and then the wretched woman, 
 his mother, fell half fainting upon a chair. She had just ar- 
 rived, and eager to see her boy, had entered the room in 
 time to hear what he said. He knew her in a moment, and 
 starting upright in bed, exclaimed, " Woman, look this is 
 your work the result of your example. There was a time, 
 long ago how long ago it seems but there was a time, 
 I say, when I loathed the very smell of the liquors, which 
 daily graced our table. By little and by little that loathing 
 was overcome. You drank and called it good ; and what 
 one's mother says is true. So I, too, tasted and tasted again 
 until here I am, Herbert Laugley, husband of Anna Lee, 
 ruined body and soul body and soul 1 What do you say 
 to that, mother ?" 
 
 He sank back upon the bed exhausted; while Aunt Char- 
 lotte, who had swooned entirely away, was taken from the 
 room. The shock was too great for her, and for two clays she 
 did not again venture into his presence. The next time, how- 
 ever, that she saw him, his mood had changed, and winding 
 his feeble arms around her neck, he wept like a child, asking
 
 THE DEATH OF THE DRUNKARD. 207 
 
 her to take from his heart the worm which was knawing 
 there. Oh, how I pitied the heart-broken woman ! for 
 I well knew she would gladly have lain down her life could 
 that have saved her son. For three days longer he lingered, 
 and then there came the closing scene, which haunted me 
 for months. 
 
 He had been restless during the night, muttering incoher- 
 ently, and occasionally striking at the fancied shapes which 
 surrounded him ; but towards morning he grew more violent, 
 and at last with a shriek which chilled my blood, he sprang 
 from the bed, and pointing towards the window, whispered, 
 " Hark ! Don't you hear it ? music from the, infernal re- 
 gions ! They are come, every demon of them, for me. It's 
 a grand turnout. There 1 Don't you see them with their 
 flaming eyes looking through the windows, and that shriv- 
 eled hag, whose hair is curling snakes ! See ! She beckons 
 me with her bony claws, and says I am to be her son. Do 
 you hear that mother ? Her son ! Go back !" he shouted, 
 leaping towards the window. " You don't get me this time. 
 I won't die yet. Give me the Prayer Book, and let me hurl 
 it at her head that'll settle her, I reckon." 
 
 He would have gone through the window, had not Mr. 
 Watson taken him in his arms and borne him back to the 
 bed, where he held him fast, soothing him as best he could 
 by assuring him there were no such unearthly objects in the 
 room as he supposed. 
 
 " I know it," said Herbert, for a moment comparatively 
 rational. " I know what it is. It is DELIRIUM TREMEXS, and 
 I know what causes it, too ; shall I tell you ?" 
 
 Mr. Wai son nodded, and Herbert continued : " Cider, 
 leer, wine, brandy DEATH : that's the programme which 
 keeps the fire of hell eternally burning. Where is my boy 
 Anna's boy and mine ?" he asked after a pause.
 
 208 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 " Do you wish to see him," asked Mr. Watson. 
 
 " See him ? Yes. I want to do one good deed before I 
 die. I would kill him murder my only child, and send him 
 to Heaven, where rumsellers never go where women, with 
 witching eyes and luring words, never tempt men to drink. 
 Bring him in : why do you loiter ?" turning to Anna. " Is 
 it that you would have him live to be the wreck I am to 
 curse the mother who bore him and the day he was born 1 
 Bring him quick, I tell you, for time hastens, and in the dis- 
 tance I hear the clank of the hag's footsteps." 
 
 " Oh, Herbert, Herbert, my poor husband," was all Anna 
 could say, as she wound her arms around his neck and laid 
 her colorless cheek against his fevered brow. 
 
 In a moment he grew calm, and drawing her to his bosom, 
 his tears fell like rain upon her face, while he called her his 
 " wounded dove," and asked her forgiveness for all he had 
 made her suffer. " You will live with mother when I am 
 gone," he said. " You and Jamie. God forbid that I should 
 harm our beautiful boy ; but I would see him once more. 
 Don't be afraid," he added, as he 'saw her hesitate. " I will 
 not hurt him." 
 
 Disengaging herself from her husband's embrace, Anna 
 glided from the room, to which she soon returned, leading 
 little Jamie, now two years of age. Very lovingly the dying 
 man looked upon his son, and then laying his shaking hand 
 upon the golden curls, he said, " God keep you, my boy, 
 from being what I am ; and if a drunkard's blessing can he 
 of any avail, you have mine, my precious, precious child." 
 
 " Would you like to kiss him ?" asked Aunt Charlotte ; to 
 which he replied, " No, no ; I am too polluted to touch 
 aught so pure. But take him away," he continued, growing 
 excited. " Take him away, for the demon on my pillow is 
 again whispering of murder."
 
 THE DEATH OF THE DRUNKARD. 209 
 
 Hastily the wondering child was taken from the room, 
 and then Herbert fell into a disturbed slumber, in which he 
 seemed to be holding converse with beings of another world, 
 inquiring of them if they had enough to drink, and chiding 
 the rich man for asking water, when he might as well call 
 for brandy !" 
 
 About noon he awoke and inquired for me. With some 
 trepidation I approached him, for his eyes were those of a 
 madman ; but he meditated no harm, and only asked if I 
 supposed that the Prayer Book laid upon the outside of his 
 pillow, where the hag could see it, would have the effect of 
 keeping her away." 
 
 " Perhaps so," I said, at the same time placing it so that 
 his heavy brown hair fell partially on it. 
 
 " Now, will some one pray mother, you ?" and his eyes 
 turned imploringly towards the half crazed woman, who 
 essayed to pray for the departing spirit. 
 
 " That'll do that'll do," he exclaimed, interrupting her. 
 " It's of no use spending your breath for me. It's too late 
 too late so the hag says, and she's coming again, with 
 myriads on myriads of fiends ; but they can't hurt me as 
 long as this is here," and his hand clutched convulsively for 
 the book which lay beside him. 
 
 " The hymn book the hymn book bring that too," he 
 gasped, while a cold perspiration stood thickly upon his 
 forehead. 
 
 It was brought and placed on the opposite side of his 
 head. 
 
 " 'Twon't do 'twon't do," he sobbed. " All the hymns 
 Dr. Watts ever wrote can't help me, for they come nearer 
 and nearer, as wolves hover round their prey. Is there 
 no help, no escape ?" he cried, with the energy of despair ; 
 adding, as a sudden look of joy lit up his ghastly features,
 
 210 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 " Yes the BIBLE ! Strange I have not thought of that 
 before. The Bible will keep them at bay. Bring it, Anna, 
 quick, for they are almost here." 
 
 She obeyed ; aud grasping the word of God eagerly in 
 his hands, he laughed aloud, saying, " Now, do your worst, 
 ye fiends incarnate. The Bible will save me." 
 
 There was a moment of perfect silence ; and then, with a 
 groan so full of anguish that I involuntarily stopped my ears 
 to shut out the fearful sound, the Bible was loosed from the 
 clammy hands, which for a brief instant fought fiercely in 
 the empty air, and then dropped lifeless at his side. 
 
 HERBERT WAS DEAD ! 
 * * * * * * 
 
 At the foot of the garden, near the long avenue where 
 the shadow of the maple trees would fall upon his grave, 
 and the moan of the lake be always heard, we buried him ; 
 aud then, the broken-hearted Anna, widowed thus early, 
 went back to her accustomed duties, performing each one 
 quietly and gently, but without a smile upon her white, 
 stony face, or a tear in her large mournful blue eyes. Aunt 
 Charlotte, too, utterly crushed and wretched, went back to 
 her city home, having first won a promise from Anna that 
 in the autumn she would follow her. And then we were 
 left alone with our great sorrow, wholly dependent, as it 
 were, upon Mr. Watson, for support and counsel. 
 
 There had always been about him a mystery I could not 
 fathom, aud greatly was I surprised when one evening, a week 
 after Herbert's death, he asked me to go with him to his 
 room, as there was something he wished to tell me. I com- 
 plied with his request, and was soon seated in the large 
 willow chair near the table on which lay many works of our 
 best authors, for he possessed a taste for literature, and de- 
 voted all his leisure moments to study. Drawing a seat to my
 
 THE DEATH OF THE DRUXKARD. 211 
 
 side, he said, taking my hand in his, " Rosa, what do you 
 think I am going to tell you ?" 
 
 I tried to wrest my hand from his grasp, for the unwonted 
 liberty angered me. But he held it fast, smiling at my 
 fruitless endeavors, and after a moment continued : " Why 
 do you try to remove your hand from mine ? I have held it 
 many a time, and I have a right so to do a cousin's right 
 Look at me, Rosa, don't you know me ?" 
 
 Involuntarily I started to rny feet, gazing earnestly upon 
 him, then with a cry of joy I threw my arms around his 
 neck, exclaiming, " Cousin Will ! Cousin Will .'" 
 
 It was indeed he, come back to us when we had thought 
 of him as dead. A few words will suffice to tell his story. 
 Perfectly disgusted with sea life, he had deserted at Cal- 
 cutta, where he kept himself secreted until the vessel sailed. 
 But it was not his wish to remain there long, and the first 
 time an English ship was in port he offered to work his pas- 
 sage to Liverpool. The offer was accepted, and while we 
 were mourning over his supposed death he was threading 
 the smooky streets of London, doing sometimes one thing 
 and sometimes another, but always earning an honest liveli- 
 hood. 
 
 " Never, for a moment," said he, "did I forget your 
 family, but I have fancied they were glad to be rid of me, 
 and hence my silence. When at last I returned again to 
 Xc\v York, I went one day to a reading-room, where I 
 accidentally came across Mr. Langley's advertisement, and 
 something prompted me to answer it in person. If I had 
 ever heard of him before, I had forgotten it ; consequently I 
 neither recognized him nor his wife, who has changed much 
 since I saw her ; but when I accideutly heard them speak 
 of " Rosa," and " Meadow Brook," my curiosity was roused, 
 and I became aware of the relationship existing between
 
 212 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 us. Why I have kept it a secret so long I can hardly tell, 
 except that there was about it, to me, a kind of pleasing 
 excitement, and then, too, I fancied that Mr. Langley would 
 not so well bear restraint and direction from me if he sup- 
 posed me an interested party ; but he has gone, and con- 
 cealment on that score is no longer necessary. I have told 
 you my story, Rosa, and now it is for you to say whether 
 I am again received and loved as the " Cousin Will " of 
 olden time. 
 
 He was a big, tall man, six feet two inches high, while I 
 was a young girl scarcely yet seventeen; but notwithstand- 
 ing all this, I threw my arms around his sun-burnt neck 
 and kissed his sun-burnt cheek as I had often done before. 
 This was my answer, and with it he was satisfied. 
 
 After leaving his room I went directly to my sister, to 
 whom I repeated the strange story I had heard. She was 
 pleased and gratified, but her faculties were too much be- 
 numbed for her to manifest any particular emotion, though 
 as time wore on I could see how much she leaned upon him 
 and confided in his judgment. It seemed necessary for her 
 to remain in Rockland through the summer, and as she 
 would not consent to my leaving her, I was rather com- 
 pelled to stay; although almost weekly there came to us 
 letters from home urging our return, and at last, near the 
 middle of September, we one day received a letter from 
 Charlie, which, owing to some delay, had been on the 
 road two whole weeks. In it he wrote that our father had 
 failed rapidly within a few days and we must come quickly if 
 we would again see him alive, adding that he talked almost 
 constantly of Rose, asking if they thought she would come." 
 
 Oh, how vividly I recalled the past, remembering with 
 anguish the harsh words I had uttered when last I saw him. 
 It was true I had once written, imploring pardon for my fault,
 
 THE DEATH OF THE DRUNKARD. 218 
 
 and Lizzie, who auswered my letter, had said " Father bade 
 me say that you were freely forgiven ;" but still I felt that I 
 could not let him die until I had heard my forgiveness from 
 his own lips. It was impossible for Anna to accompany me, 
 and, as William would not leave her, I started alone, my 
 heart filled with many dark forebodings, lest I should be too 
 late.
 
 214 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE DEATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS. 
 
 ALL around the house was still ; while within, the children 
 and the neighbors trod softly as they went from room to 
 room, and their faces wore an anxious, troubled look, as 
 if they already felt the presence of the shadow hovering 
 near. The heavy brass knocker was muffled, and the deep- 
 toned churchbell across the way no longer told the hours of 12 
 and 9, for at each stroke the sick man had turned upon his 
 pillow, and moaned as if in pain. So when the Sabbath 
 came the people went up unsummoned to the house of God, 
 where they reverently prayed for him, who was passing 
 from their midst, and who, ere another week rolled round, 
 would be " where congregations ne'er break up, and Sab- 
 baths never end." 
 
 For many days he had lain in a kind of stupor from which 
 nothing roused him save the rush of the engine as it swept 
 across the meadow at the foot of the hill. Then he would 
 start up, asking eagerly if " they had come, Anna, Rose, 
 and Jamie." Much he talked of the absent ones, and as 
 day by day went by and still they came not, he wept like a 
 little child, as he said to his wife, " I shall never see them 
 more." 
 
 "And if you do not," she asked, "what shall I tell 
 them ?"
 
 THE DEATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS. 215 
 
 For a time he lay as if her qustion \vas unheard then 
 opening his eyes he answered, "Tell Anna, my stricken one, 
 that there is for her a balm in Gilead ; that whom the 
 Lord loveth he chasteneth, and though the waters through 
 which she is passing be deep and troubled, they shall not 
 overflow, for the everlasting arms are beneath her." 
 
 "And Rosa, have you no message for her?" asked my 
 mother as he ceased speaking. 
 
 " Oh, Rosa, Rosa," he answered quickly, "Tell her tell 
 her everything but not here not in this room. She thinks 
 I do not love her, and when she comes and finds me gone, 
 go with her to my grave. She will believe you if you teff 
 her there how dear she was to me, and how, through the 
 long weary nights before I died, I wept and prayed for her 
 that she might one day meet me in the better land. I 
 never meant to love one child more than another, but if I 
 did tell her she was my pride, the one on whom I doted. 
 She thought me cold and unfeeling, because I stayed not to 
 bid her adieu that morning. Ah, she did not know that 
 with the first dawn of day I stole up to her chamber to 
 look on her once more for the last, last time. There were 
 tears on her cheek, I kissed them away ; tell her that, and 
 perchance her heart will soften towards her poor old 
 father." 
 
 From that time he sank rapidly, and one bright Septem- 
 tember day, near the hour of sunset, it was told in Meadow 
 Brook that he was dying. On such occasions, in a small 
 country village, the liveliest sympathy is felt ; and now 
 those who knew and loved him spoke to each other softly 
 arid low, while even the little children ceased their noisy 
 play upon the common, and with a timid, curious glance 
 towards the open windows of the sick room, hastened home, 
 where they kept closely at their mother's side, wondering
 
 216 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 asking of her what death was, and if she were sure that he, 
 the dying one, would go to Heaven. 
 
 Meantime, the sun was almost set, and as its last golden 
 rays fell upon the face of the sufferer, a radiant smile lit up 
 his features, and he exclaimed aloud, " 'Tis the glorious HgLt 
 of the Eternal shining down upon me. Do not weep, 
 mother. We shall not be parted long," he continued, as he 
 felt upon his forehead a tear from the grey-haired, wrinkled 
 woman, ou whose bosom his head was pillowed, just as it 
 had been, long, long ago, when first a tender babe he lay in 
 tha,t mother's arms. To her it seemed not long, and yet 
 it was fifty years since he was lent to her, and now, when 
 God would have his own again, she said submissively, " Thy 
 will be done." Once before had a great sorrow fallen upon 
 her, leaving her henceforth to walk alone, and then her soul 
 had well-nigh fainted beneath the blow, for she was younger 
 far by many years. But now she was old, and already she 
 heard the roar of the deep dark river on whose very banks 
 she stood, and down whose swift current her first-born was 
 floating ; so she stifled her own grief, for, as he had said, she 
 knew it would not be long ere they met again. 
 
 " Where is Fanny ?" he asked, and his arms closed fondly 
 around his wife. 
 
 It mattered not that time and care had dimmed the lustre 
 of her eye, and robbed her cheek of its girlish bloom ; to 
 him she was beautiful still, for through weal and woe she 
 had been faithful to her marriage vow, and now the bitterest 
 pang of all was the leaving her alone. 
 
 " The God of the widow and the fatherless watch over 
 and keep you all so that at the last, when I ask for my 
 children, there shall not one be missing," he said, as his arms 
 unclosed, and then, with a low, wailing moan, the mother 
 bent over the white face of her son, so that the wife might
 
 THE DEATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS. 217 
 
 not see the fearful change which had come upon it, for my 
 father was dead ! 
 
 You who have kept with me while I described the death 
 scene of the unfortunate Herbert, and of my sainted father, 
 can you not do you not say, " Let me die the death of the 
 righteous, and let my last end be like his ?" 
 
 Lonely and desolate was the home at which I arrived one 
 day too late, for they had buried him, and there was naught 
 left to me of my father save the lock of hair which they 
 severed from his head as he lay in the coffin. Yes, he was 
 gone ; but so long as life and being endure, so long shall fond 
 remembrances of him linger in my memory, and if at the 
 last I meet him in the better world, will it not be in a 
 measure the blessed influence of his dying message, which 
 has led the wanderer there ? 
 
 10
 
 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 GOING SOUTH. 
 
 AFTER the first shock of our sorrow was over, the question 
 arose as to what we were to do in future for our support. 
 Grandma was already old, while mother was not so young 
 as she had been once, and neither could do much towards 
 their own maintenance, which necessarily would devolve 
 upon us their children. It had ever been a pet project of 
 mine to go South as a teacher, and when one day in looking 
 over a Boston paper I accidentally came across the adver- 
 tisement of a Georgia lady, Mrs. A. D. Lansing, who wished 
 for a private governess, I resolved at once to apply for the 
 situation, greatly fearing lest I might be too late. 
 
 I was not, however ; for after waiting impatiently for a 
 few weeks, I received a letter from the lady herself, who, 
 after enumerating the duties I was expected to perform and 
 the branches I was to teach, added, in a P. S. : "Before 
 making any definite arrangements with Miss Lee, Mrs. Lan- 
 sing wishes to be informed if, either by her friends or herself, 
 she is considered pretty, as a person of decidedly ordinary 
 looks will be preferred." 
 
 " Spiteful, jealous old thing !" exclaimed Lizzie, who was 
 looking over my shoulder, " I wouldn't stir a step." 
 
 But I thought differently. My curiosity was roused to
 
 GOING SOUTH. 219 
 
 know the cause of her strange freak ; and then, too, six 
 hundred dollars per year would amply atone for any little 
 peculiarities in my employer. So I answered her letter 
 forthwith, assuring her that neither my friends nor myself 
 had ever been guilty of calling me pretty in short, I was 
 decidedly homely, and trusted that on that point at least I 
 should please her. 
 
 " What a fib, Rosa," said Charlie, when I told him what 
 I had written. " You know you are not homely. You used 
 to be, I'll admit ; but you are far from being so now. To be 
 sure, you are not what many would call handsome, but you 
 are decidedly good-looking. You've got handsome eyes, 
 splendid hair (and he pulled one of my short, thick curls by 
 way of adding emphasis to his words) and your complexion 
 is not one half so sallow and muddy as it used to be. 
 Depend upon it, this ' Mrs. Angeline Delafield Lansing, of 
 Cedar Grove ' will think you have deceived her." 
 
 " Nonsense !" I replied, seating myself at the piano, which 
 was now my constant companion, Mrs. Lansing having 
 written that she was very particular about music. 
 
 Xow, to tell the truth, I was not very much of a per- 
 former, but looking upon the South very much as I did 
 upon the far West, I fancied that a small amount of showy 
 accomplishments would pass for the real coin. Still I deter- 
 mined to play as well as possible, and so week after week I 
 practised, until, when I had nearly given up all hopes of 
 ever hearing from the lady again, I one day received a letter 
 
 bearing the W post-mark, and containing a check on a 
 
 Boston bank for money sufficient to defray my expenses. 
 There were also a few hastily written lines, saying that 
 " Mrs. Lansing considered our engagement as settled, but 
 she should not expect me until the latter part of April, as 
 she could not immediately get rid of her present governess,
 
 220 MEADOW BROOK. , 
 
 a painted, insipid creature from New York, and the veriest 
 humbug in the world." 
 
 "A sweet time you'll have of it with madam," said 
 Charlie, " and ouce for all I advise you to give up going. 
 Why, only think, April there is hotter than pepper, and of 
 course you'll take the fever and die." 
 
 But I was not to be persuaded. The " sunny South " had 
 for me a peculiar fascination ; and then, too, there was 
 another reason which, more than all others, prompted me to 
 go. Georgia was the home of the dark man, as I called 
 him, and though there was hardly a probability of my ever 
 meeting him there, such a thing was still possible, and like 
 Longfellow's Evangeline, who, on the broad Mississippi, felt 
 that each dip of the oar carried her nearer to her lost 
 Gabriel, so each day I felt a stronger and stronger convic- 
 tion that somewhere in the southern land I should find him. 
 
 In the meantime, Anna had been with us for a few 
 weeks, but greatly changed from the Anna of former times. 
 Listlessly she moved from room to room never smiling, 
 never weeping, and seldom speaking unless she were first 
 addressed. To her, everything was dark, deep night, and 
 such a gloom did her presence cast over us all, that though 
 we would gladly have kept her with us, we still felt relieved 
 when she left us for a home in Boston, where little Jamie 
 soon became the idol of his grandmother, whose subdued 
 cheerfulness had ere long a visible effect upon Anna. Cousin 
 Will, too, had visited us, and after spending a short time 
 had sailed with brother John for California, promising him- 
 self a joyous future, when he should return with money suffi- 
 cient to purchase the old homestead, which he said should 
 be mother's as long as she lived. 
 
 It was a cold, dark, snowy morning in the latter part of 
 April, when I at last started on my journey. The surface
 
 GOIXG SOUTH. 221 
 
 of the ground was frozen hard, the trees were leafless and 
 bare, while but few green things gave token that spring was 
 with us. It is uot strange, then, that I almost fancied 
 myself in another world, when after a prosperous sea voyage 
 I one morning went on shore at Charleston, and first 
 breathed the soft, balmy air of the South. Dense and green 
 was the foliage of the trees, while thousands of roses and 
 flowering shrubs filled the air with a perfume almost sicken- 
 ing to the senses. From Charleston to Augusta was a weari- 
 some ride, for the cars were crowded and dirty, and there 
 was to me nothing remarkably pleasing in the long stretches 
 of cypress swamps and pine barrens through which we 
 passed. 
 
 It was late in the evening when we reached the town of 
 
 C , from whence I was to proceed to "W , by stage. 
 
 It was a most beautiful night ; and for hours I watched 
 the soft moonlight as it glimmered among the trees which 
 lined either side of the narrow road, and whose branches 
 often swept against the windows of our lumbering vehicle. 
 
 It was long after sunrise when we arrived at W , but 
 
 so thickly wooded is the country around, that I obtained 
 not a single glimpse of the town until I suddenly found 
 myself "thar," as the driver said, dismounting and opening 
 the door of our prison-house. The hotel into which I was 
 ushered, would, perhaps, compare favorably with our coun- 
 try taverns at the North ; but at each step I took, I felt 
 a more and more painful consciousness that home, my home, 
 was far away. 
 
 After shaking the dust from my travelling-dress, and 
 slaking my thirst from the big gourd shell (my special 
 delight), which hung by the side of a bucket of cool water 
 which stood on a little stand in the parlor, I inquired for 
 some one who would tnkc In Mrs. Lansing my card, and
 
 222 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 thus apprise her of my arrival. The landlord immediately 
 summoned a bright, handsome mulatto boy, who, after 
 receiving my orders, and favoring me with a sight of his 
 ivories, started off bare-headed, and for that matter bare- 
 bodied too, for Cedar Grove, which the landlord pointed 
 out to me in 'the distance, and which, with its dense sur- 
 roundings of trees, looked to me delightfully cool and pleas- 
 ant. After waiting rather impatiently for an hour or more, 
 a large, old-fashioned carriage, drawn by two rather poor- 
 looking horses, stopped before the door. It belonged to 
 Mrs. Lansing ; and the footman, jumping down from the 
 rack behind, handed me a note, in which the lady begged 
 me to come directly to her house, saying she was herself 
 indisposed, or she would have come down to meet me, and 
 also adding, that if I would excuse her she would rather 
 not see me until supper-time, when she hoped to feel 
 better. 
 
 At the extremity of Main street, we turned in at a pon- 
 derous gate, and after passing through two or three fields 
 or lawns, stopped at last in front of Cedar Grove, which 
 stood upon a slight eminence overlooking the town. In 
 perfect delight I gazed around me, for it seemed the 
 embodiment of my childish dreams, and involuntarily I 
 exclaimed, " This is indeed the sunny, sunny South." It 
 was very beautiful, that spacious yard and garden, with 
 their winding walks on which no ray of sunlight fell, so 
 securely were they shaded, by the cedar and the fir, the 
 catalpa, the magnolia, and the fig tree, most of them seen 
 now by me for the first time in all their natural beauty, 
 reminded one so forcibly of Eden. The house itself was 
 a large, square building, surrounded on three sides by a 
 piazza, which I afterwards found was the family sitting- 
 room ; it being there that they congregated both morning
 
 GOING SOUTH. 223 
 
 and evening. The building had once been white, but the 
 paint was nearly all worn off, and it now presented a rather 
 dilapidated appearance, with its broken shutters and decayed 
 pillars, round which vines and ivy were twining. The floors 
 within were bare, but scrupulously clean ; while the rooms 
 lacked the costly furniture I had confidently expected to 
 see. 
 
 ^carctly was I seated in the parlor, when I heard a sweet, 
 childish voice exclaim, " She's in thar she is," while at the 
 same time a pair of soft, blue eyes looked through the 
 crevice of the door, and then were quickly withdrawn, their 
 owner laughing aloud as if she had accomplished some 
 daring feat, and calling out, " I seen her, Hal I did. And 
 she don't look cross neither. You dassu't peek in thar, 
 dast you ?" 
 
 They were my future pupils, I was sure ; and already my 
 heart warmed towards them, particularly her with the 
 silvery voice, and I was just thinking of going out to find 
 them, when I heard a light footstep on the stairs, and the 
 next moment a tall, dark-eyed girl, apparently fourteen or 
 fifteen years of age, entered the room, introducing herself 
 as Miss Lina Lansing, and welcoming me so cordially that 
 I felt myself at once at home. 
 
 " Mother," said she, " is indisposed, as I believe she wrote 
 you, and has sent me to receive you, and ask what you 
 would like." 
 
 I had scarcely slept a moment the night previous, so I 
 replied, that if convenient, I would go immediately to my 
 room. Ringing the bell, she summoned to the room a short, 
 dumpy mulatto, whom she called Cressy, and who, she said, 
 was to 1)0 my attendant. Following her up the stairs, I was 
 ushered into a large, airy chamber, which, though not 
 furnished with elegance, still contained everything for my
 
 224 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 comfort, even to a huge feather-led , the sight of which made 
 me wipe the perspiration from my face. 
 
 " Shall I wash missus' feet first, or comb her har," asked 
 the negress, pouring a pitcher of water into a small bathing 
 tub. 
 
 This was entirely new to me, who had always been accus- 
 tomed to wait upon myself, so I declined her offers of assist- 
 ance, telling her, " I preferred being alone, and could do 
 everything for myself which was necessary." 
 
 " Laws, missus !" she answered, rolling the whites of her 
 eyes, " 'taint no ways likely you can bresh and 'range all 
 dat ar har," pointing to my thick and now somewhat 
 tangled curls. " Why, Miss Lina's straighter dan a string, 
 an' I'll be boun' she never yet tache a comb to it herself." 
 
 With some difficulty I convinced the African that her 
 services were not needed, and staring at me as if I had 
 been a kind of monstrosity, she left the room, the door of 
 which I bolted against any new intruder. The windows 
 of my chamber looked out upon the garden, where now 
 were blossoming roses and flowers of every possible hue 
 and form. A little to the right, and about a quarter of a 
 mile away was, another building, larger and more imposing 
 than that of Mrs. Lansing, while a great deal of taste seemed 
 to be displayed in the arrangement of the grounds. As 
 nearly as I could judge, , it stood upon a little hill, for the 
 trees appeared to rise regularly one above the other, the 
 fir and the cedar forming the outer boundary ; while, as I 
 afterwards learned, the inner rows consisted of the graceful 
 magnolia, the wide-spreading catalpa, the beautiful china 
 tree, and the persimmon, whose leaves in the autunju wear 
 a most brilliant hue, and present so fine a contrast to the 
 dark green of the pine and the fir. Very, very pleasant 
 it looked to me, with its white walls just discernible amid
 
 GOING SOUTH. 225 
 
 the dense fo.iage which surrounded it, and for a long time 
 I stood gazing towards it wondering whose home it was, 
 and if the inmates were as happy as it seemed they might 
 be. 
 
 At last, faint with the fatigue of my journey and the odor 
 of the flowers, which, from the garden below, came in at the 
 open window, I threw myself upon the lounge (feather bed 
 looking altogether too formidable) and was soon fast asleep, 
 dreaming of Meadow Brook, of the white house on the hill, 
 and of the dark man, who, I thought, told me that it should 
 one day be my home. When at last I awoke, the sun was 
 no longer shining in at my windows, for it was late in the 
 afternoon, and the fiercest heat of the day was past. 
 Springing up, I commenced dressing with some trepidation, 
 for I expected to meet the mistress of the house at supper- 
 tune. My toilet was nearly completed when I heard in the 
 hall the patter of childish feet, while a round, bright eye 
 was applied to the key-hole. It was the same which had 
 looked at me in the parlor, and anxious to see its owner, I 
 stepped out of the door just as a fairy creature with golden 
 curls started to run away. I was too quick for her, how- 
 ever, and catching her in my arms, I pushed back the clus- 
 tering ringlets from her brow, and gazing into her sunny 
 face, asked her name. 
 
 Raising her white, waxen hand, she did for me the office 
 I had done for her, viz. pushed back my curls, and looking 
 in my face, answered, " Ma says it's Jessica, but Lina, Hal, 
 and Uncle Dick call me Jessie, and I like that a heap the 
 best. You are our new governess, ain't you ?" 
 
 She was singularly beautiful, and yet it was not so much 
 the regularity of her features, nor the clearness of her com- 
 plexion which made her so. It was the light which shone in 
 her lustrous blue eyes, which gave her the expression of an an- 
 10*
 
 226 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 gel, for such she was an angel in her southern home, which, 
 without her would have been dark aud cheerless. Her 
 brother, whom she called Hal, was three years older, and 
 not nearly so handsome. He was very dark, and it seemed 
 to me that I had seen a face like his before ; but ere I 
 could remember where, a faint voice from the piazza, which 
 faced the east and was now quite cool, called out, " Halbert, 
 Halbert, come here." 
 
 " That's ma," said Jessie, getting down from my arms. 
 " That's ma come and see her," and following her, I soon 
 stood in the presence of Mrs. Lansing, who was reclining 
 rather indolently in a large willow chair, while at her back 
 was a uegress half asleep, but appearing wide awake whenever 
 her mistress moved. 
 
 She was a chubby, rosy-cheeked woman, apparently thirty- 
 five years of age. Her eyes were very black, and she had a 
 habit of frequently shutting them, so as to show off the long, 
 fringed eyelashes. On the whole/ 1 thought, she was quite 
 prepossessing in her appearance, an opinion, however, which 
 I changed ere long ; for by the time I reached her, there 
 was a dark cloud on her brow, evidently of displeasure or of 
 disappointment. Still she was very polite, offering me her 
 jewelled hand, and saying, "Miss Lee, I suppose. You are 
 welcome to Georgia ;" then, after an instant, she added, 
 "You don't look at all like I thought you would." 
 
 I was uglier than she expected, I presumed, and the tears 
 started to my eyes as I replied, " I wrote to you that I was 
 very plaiu, but after a little I shall look better ; I am tire-.l 
 now with travelling." 
 
 A strange, peculiar smile flitted over her face, while she 
 intently regarded me as if to assure herself of my sanity. I 
 was puzzled, and in my perplexity I said something about 
 returning home, if my looks were so disagreeable. "Thev
 
 GOING SOUTH. 227 
 
 were used to me there, and didu't mind it," I said ; at the 
 same time leaning my head against the vine-wreathed pil- 
 lars, I sobbed aloud. Lithe as a kitten, little Jessie sprang 
 up behind me, and winding her arms around my neck, asked 
 why I cried. 
 
 " Did ma make you cry ?" she said. " Uncle Dick says 
 she makes all the governesses cry." 
 
 "Jessica, Jessica, get down this moment," said the lady. 
 " I did not intend to hurt Miss Lee's feelings, and do not 
 understand how I could have done so. She is either acting 
 a part, or else she strangely misunderstands me." 
 
 I never acted a part in my life, and, somewhat indignant, 
 I wiped away my tears and asked " what she meant." 
 
 There was the same smile on her face which I had noticed 
 before, as she said, " Do you really think yourself ugly ?" 
 
 Of course I did. I had never thought otherwise, for 
 hadn't I been told so ever since I was a child no larger than 
 Jessie, and the impression thus early received had never 
 been eradicated. Thug I answered her, and she believed 
 me, for she replied, " You are mistaken, Miss Lee, for how- 
 ever plain you might have been in childhood, you are not 
 so now. Neither do I understand how with those eyes, that 
 hair aiid brow, you can think yourself ugly. I do not be- 
 lieve you meant to deceive me, but, to tell the truth, I am 
 disappointed ; but that cannot now be helped, and we'll 
 make the best of it." 
 
 Perfectly astonished, I listened to her remarks, giving her 
 the credit of meaning what she said, and for the first time 
 in my life, I felt as I suppose folks must feel who think they 
 are handsome ! After this little storm was over, she evi- 
 dently exerted herself to be agreeable for a few moments, 
 and then rather abruptly asked me how old T was. 
 
 " Xot (|iiiif ci^liiron !" she repeated in some surprise.
 
 228 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 " Why I supposed you were twenty-five at least ! Don't you 
 think she looks older than Ada ?" turning to Lina, who an- 
 swered quickly, "Oh, no, mother, nothing like as old. Why, 
 I shouldn't think her over seventeen at the most." 
 
 Now among my other misfortunes I numbered that of 
 " looking old as the hills," so I didn't care particularly for 
 what they said, though it struck me as rather singular that 
 Mrs. Lansing should thus discuss me in my presence ; but 
 this thought was lost in the more absorbing one as to 
 who the Ada could be of whom she had spoken. Pos- 
 sibly it was Ada Montrose, though I ardently hoped 
 to the contrary, for well I knew there was no hap- 
 piness for me where she was. Thinking it would be on a 
 par with the questions put to me, I was on the point of ask- 
 ing who Ada was, when we were summoned to supper, which 
 consisted mostly of broiled chickens, strong coffee, iced milk, 
 egg bread, and hoecakes, if I except the row of sables who 
 grouped themselves around the table, and the feather girl, 
 whose efforts to keep awake amused me so much that I al- 
 most forgot to eat. We were nearly through when a hand- 
 some mulatto boy entered and handed a letter to his mis- 
 tress, which she immediately opened, holding it so that the 
 address could be read by Halbert, who, after spelling it 
 out, exclaimed, " That's from Uncle Dick, I know !" 
 
 " Is he coming home ?" asked Jessie, dropping her knife 
 and fork, while even Lina, who seldom evinced much 
 interest in anything, roused up and repeated the question 
 which Jessie had asked. 
 
 " Yes. He is in New York now," said Mrs. Lansing ; 
 " and will be here in a week." 
 
 " Good !" exclaimed Halbert. 
 
 " Oh, I'm right glad," said Jessie, while Liua asked if 
 Ada was witli him.
 
 GOING SOUTH. 229 
 
 " No," returned Mrs. Lansing. " She is still in Paris 
 with her cousin, and will not return until autumn." 
 
 " I'm glad of that," said Lina, to which Hal rejoined) 
 " And so am I. She's so proud and stuck up, I can't bear 
 her." 
 
 " Children, children," spoke Mrs. Lansing, rather sternly, 
 at the same time rising from the table. 
 
 It was not yet sunset ; and a? soon as we were again 
 assembled upon the piazza, Halbert and Jessie, who were 
 never still, asked permission to " run up to Uncle Dick's, 
 and tell the servants he was coming home." 
 
 Mrs. Lansing made no objection; and then they proposed 
 that I should accompany them. Feeling that a walk would 
 do me good, I turned towards Mrs. Lansing, for her consent. 
 It was given, of course ; but had I known her better I 
 should have detected a shade of displeasure on her face. 
 
 " You had better go too," said she to Lina; but Lina was 
 too listless and indolent, and so we went without her, little 
 Jessie holding my hand, and jumping instead of walking. 
 
 " Eva's mighty lazy," said she, at last ; " don't you 
 think so !" 
 
 " Who's lazy ?" I asked ; and she replied 
 
 " 'Thar, I done forgot again, and called her Eva. Her 
 name is Evangeline, and we used to call her Eva, until 
 mother read a bad book that had little Eva in it, and then 
 she called her Lina." 
 
 " 'Twan't a bad book, neither," exclaimed Halbert, stop- 
 ping suddenly ; " Uncle Dick said 'twan't ; but it made 
 mother mad, I tell you, and now when ^he gets rarin' he 
 calls her Mrs. St. Clare.'' 
 
 I needed no one to tell me that it was " Uncle Tom," to 
 \\hic;: he referred, but I said nothing except to chide the 
 children for their negro language.
 
 230 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 " I know we talk awful," said Jessie, brushing her curls 
 from her eyes. "Uncle Dick says we do, but I mean to 
 learn better. I don't talk half like I used to." 
 
 I could not help smiling in spite of myself upon the little 
 creature bounding and frisking at my side. Uncle, Did; 
 seemed to be her oracle, and after looking around to make 
 sure that no one heard me, I asked " who he was ?" 
 
 " Why, he's Uncle Dick," said she ; " the bestest uncle , 
 in the world ;" while Halbert added, " He's got a heap 
 of money, too ; and once, when ma thought I was asleep, I 
 heard her tell Lina, that if he didn't get married it would 
 be divided between us, and I should have the most, 'cause 
 I'm named after him, Richard Halbert Delafield Lansing, and 
 and they call me Hal, for short. I told Uncle Dick what 
 mother said, and I tell you, he looked blacker'n a nigger ; 
 and somehow, after that he took to ridin' and foolin' with 
 Ada, wonderfully." 
 
 As yet everything with me was comparatively conjecture. 
 I did not know positively that the Unde Dick of the chil- 
 dren was the " dark man " of Rosa Lee ; but the answer to 
 my next question would decide it, and half tremblingly was 
 it put. " Who is this Ada. What is her other name ?" 
 
 " Ada Montrose, and she lives with us. Uncle Dick is 
 her guardian," said Halbert, throwing a bit of dirt at the 
 negro boy who accompanied us, and who returned the 
 young gentleman's salute with interest. 
 
 I was satisfied, and did not wish to hear any more. I 
 should meet him again, and tinged as my tcmpera^ut is with 
 a love of the marvellous, I could not help believing that 
 Providence had led me there. By this time we had readied 
 " Sunny Bank," as it was very appropriately called, and 
 never before had I seen so lovely a spot. The gr 
 which were very spacious, were surrounded on all sides by a
 
 GOING SOUTH. 281 
 
 hedge of the beautiful Cherokee rose, and, unlike those of 
 Cedar Grove, were laid out with perfect taste and order, 
 Mr. Delafield, as 1 afterwards learned, had spent much time 
 at the North, and in the arrangement of his house and 
 grounds, he had not only imitated, but far surpassed the 
 style of the country seats which are so often found within a 
 few miles of our eastern cities. For this he was in a 
 measure indebted to Dame Nature, who at the South scatters 
 her favors with a lavish hand, sometimes beautifying and 
 adorning objects far better than the utmost skill of mail 
 could do. The gate at the entrance of Sunny Bank was a 
 huge wooden structure, having for its posts two immense 
 oak trees, around whose trunks the graceful ivy twined, and 
 then hung in fanciful festoons from several of the lower 
 branches. 
 
 As I had supposed, the house itself stood upon a slight 
 elevation, and the walk which led up to it was bordered on 
 either side by the mock orange, whose boughs, meeting over- 
 head, formed an effectual screen from the rays of the sun. 
 The building, though fashioned in the same style as that of 
 Mrs. Lansing, was much larger, and had about it a far more 
 stylish air. Much of the furniture had been brought from 
 Now York, Halbert said ; adding that " all the floors were 
 covered with matting in the summer, and elegant Turkey 
 carpets io the winter." 
 
 In the rear of the house were the cabins of the negroes, 
 who were lounging idly about, some on the ground, some in 
 the doors, and some stretched at full length upon the bnck 
 of the piazza, evidently enjoying the cool evening breeze. 
 hi of us, they roused up a little, and when Ilalijert, 
 after announcing that I was Miss Lee, the new govc- 
 further informed them that their master was coining home in 
 a fw\v (1-iys, they instantly gathered round us, evim-:
 
 232 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 much joy as to astonish me, who had heretofore looked 
 upon a southern slaveholder as a tyrant greatly dreaded by 
 his vassals. 
 
 " You must like Mr. Delafield very much," I ventured to 
 remark to one old lady, whose hair was white as wool. 
 
 " Like Mass'r Richard !" said she, rolling up her eyes. 
 " Lor' bless you, miss, like don't begin to 'spress it. Why, 
 I farly worships him ; for didn't I tend him when he was 
 a nussin' baby ? and hain't these old arms toted him 
 more'n a million of miles ?" 
 
 Here her voice was drowned by the others, all of whom 
 united in declaring him the " berry best rnass'r in Georgy." 
 This did not, of course, tend in any way to diminish the in- 
 terest which I felt in the stranger ; and, ere I was aware of 
 it, I found myself anticipating his return almost as anx- 
 iously as the negroes themselves. 
 
 It was dark when we reached Cedar Grove ; and as there 
 was company in the parlor, I went immediately to my room. 
 I had not been there long, however, when a servant was sent 
 up, saying, that " Mrs. Lansing wished me to come down 
 and play." 
 
 This was an ordeal which I greatly dreaded ; for, from 
 what I had seen of Mrs. Lansing, I knew she would criticise 
 my performance closely ; and fearing inability to acquit my- 
 self at all creditably, I trembled violently as I descended to 
 the parlor, which was nearly full of visitors. 
 
 " Miss Lee, ladies," said Mrs. Lansing, at the same time 
 motioning towards the music-stool as the seat I was expected 
 to occupy. 
 
 There was a film before my eyes as I took my post and 
 nervously turned over the leaves of a music-book ; which, 
 by the way, was wrong side up, though I didn't know it 
 then ! I have heard much of stage fright, and sure am I.
 
 GOING SOUTH. 233 
 
 that never did poor mortal suffer more from an attack of 
 that nature than did I during the few moments that I sat 
 there, trying to recall something familiar, something which 
 I knew I could play. At last, when the patience of the 
 company seemed nearly exhausted, I dashed off at random, 
 playing parts of two or three different tunes, changing the 
 key as many times, using the loud pedal when I should have 
 used the soft, and at last ending with the most horrid dis- 
 cord to which my ears ever listened. The audience were, 
 undoubtedly, thunderstruck, for they spoke not for the space 
 of a minute ; and, with a feeling of desperation, I was about 
 to make a second effort, hoping thereby to retrieve my cha- 
 racter, when Mrs. Lansing said, in a cold, sarcastic voice, 
 " That will do, Miss Lee ; we are perfectly satisfied." Then, 
 turning to a haughty-looking young lady who sat by the 
 window, she continued : " Come, Miss Porter ; you cer- 
 tainly can't refuse to favor us, now." 
 
 With a very consequential air, for which I could not 
 blame her, Miss Porter took my place, and, without any ap- 
 parent effort, killed my poor performance outright ; for she 
 executed admirably some of the most difficult music. When 
 she had finished, the ladies rose to go, Mrs. Lansing follow- 
 ing them to the door, and whispering (I know she did) 
 something about " her being humbugged again." 
 
 When she returned to the room, I stole a glance at 
 her face, whicli was very red, and indicative of any- 
 thing but good-will towards me. I felt the hot tears rising, 
 but when, with a bang, she closed the piano, and turning 
 towards me, demanded " how long I had taken music les- 
 sons," I forced them back, and answered promptly, " five 
 quarters.'' 
 
 " Only five quarters !" she repeated, in evident amaze- 
 ment. " Why, Lina lias taken three years, and she wouldn't
 
 234 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 consider herself competent to teach, even were she poor, and 
 obliged to do so." 
 
 The latter part of this speech I did not fancy ; for even 
 if a person is poor, and obliged to work, they do not often 
 like to be taunted with it ; at least, J didn't, but I couldn't 
 help myself. I was at the mercy of Mrs. Lansing, who pro- 
 ceeded to say, that " she had often been deceived by North- 
 ern teachers, who thought to palm themselves off for better 
 scholars than they really were ; and now she had almost 
 come to the conclusion that they were not so well educated 
 as the majority of Southern girls." 
 
 "I, at least, never intended to deceive you," said I ; "I 
 told you in my letter that I was not an accomplished musi- 
 cian, and still you consented to employ me." 
 
 Here I broke down entirely, and wepl passionately, telling 
 her, in broken sentences, that " however mortifying it would 
 be, I was willing to go back, if she wished it." 
 
 At this point, little Jessie, who all the time had been pre- 
 sent, came to my side, and winding her arms around my 
 neck, said, " You sha'n't go home. We like you, Hal and 
 me, and you sha'n't go shall she, Hal ?" 
 
 Thus appealed to, Hal took up my cause, which he 
 warmly defended ; telling his mother " she made every go- 
 verness cry, and told them they didn't know anything, when 
 they did, for Uncle Dick said so, and he knew ; and that, as 
 for music, Miss Lee played a heap better than Liua, because 
 she played something new something he never heard be- 
 fore." 
 
 "Nor any one else," muttered Mrs. Lansing, while Hal 
 continued, " Uncle Dick says, the best teachers sometimes 
 don't play at all, and Miss Lee sha'n't go home." 
 
 Very faintly, I repeated my willingness to do so, if Mrs. 
 Lansing thought best ; to which she replied, " I will deal
 
 GOING SOUTH. 235 
 
 fairly with you, Miss Lee. I am disappointed in your musi- 
 cal abilities, and if I find that your are deficient in other 
 things, I shall be obliged to dismiss you ; but for a few 
 days I will keep you oa trial." 
 
 " Uncle Dick won't let you send her away, I know," said 
 Hal ; and this, I am inclined to think, determined her upon 
 getting rid of me before his return. 
 
 Still, I was ostensibly upon trial, and whoever has been 
 in a similar situation, will readily understand that I could 
 not, of course, do myself justice. With Mrs. Lansing's pry- 
 ing eyes continually upon me, I really acted as though I 
 were half-witted ; and by the close of the second day, I my- 
 self began to doubt the soundness of my mind, wondering 
 why the folks at home had never discovered my stupidity. 
 Continual excitement kept my cheeks in a constant glow, 
 while the remainder of my face was quite pale, and several 
 times, in their mother's presence, the children told me " how 
 handsome I was !" This annoyed her and on the morning 
 of the third day, she informed me that she would defray my 
 expenses back to Massachusetts, where I could tell them I 
 was too young to suit her ; adding, that I might as well go 
 the next morning. This was a death-blow to my hopes ; 
 and so violent was the shock, that I could not even weep. 
 Hal and Jessie were furious, declaring I should not go ; and 
 when I convinced them that I must, they insisted upon my 
 teaching that day, at all events. 
 
 To this I consented ; and as Mrs. Lansing had now no 
 object in watching me, she absented herself from the school- 
 room entirely, leaving me to do as I pleased. The conse- 
 quence was, that my benumbed faculties awoke again to life, 
 everything which, for the last ten days, I seemed to have 
 forgotten, came back to me ; while even the children no- 
 ticed how differently I appeared
 
 MEADOW BROOK 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 UNCLE DICK. 
 
 THE day was drawing to a close. The children's lessons 
 were over, the last I was to hear. Their books were piled 
 away awaiting the arrival of my successor, and at my re- 
 quest I was left in the schoolroo'm alone alone with my 
 grief, which was indeed bitter and hard to bear, for I knew 
 that injustice had been done me, and most keenly I felt the 
 mortification of returning home in disgrace. Very beauti- 
 ful to me seemed that fair south land of which I had dreamed 
 so oft, and I felt that I could not leave it. 
 
 Through the open window I heard the shouts of the chil- 
 dren, but I did not heed them, nor observe that throughout 
 the entire house there seemed to be an unusual commotion. 
 An hour went by, and then in the hall I heard the voice of 
 Jessie, and the words she uttered sent an electric thrill 
 through my nerves, and brought me to my feet, for they 
 were, " Come this way, Uncle Dick. I reckon she's in the 
 schoolroom." 
 
 The next moment he stood before me, the dark man, scan- 
 ning me curiously, but still without anything like rudeness in 
 his gaze. 
 
 " Uncle Dick's come. This is him," said Jessie, leading 
 him towards the spot where I stood. 
 
 A bright beautiful smile broke over his strongly marked
 
 UNCLE DICK. 237 
 
 features, and I felt as if a gleam of sunlight had shone for 
 an instant over my pathway. Taking my hand in his, he 
 bade Jessie leave us, as he wished to see me alone. She 
 started to obey, but ere she reached the door, she turned 
 back and asking him to stoop down, whispered in his ear, 
 loudly enough for me to hear, " I want you to like her." 
 
 " Of course I shall," he replied, and again that smile broke 
 over his face. 
 
 I did not expect him to recognize me, for with the excep- 
 tion of the night at the theatre he had never fairly seen my 
 features, and still I was conscious of a feeling of disappoint- 
 ment when I saw that he evidently had no suspicion of ever 
 having met me before. When I spoke, however, and he 
 heard the sound my voice, he started and looked me more 
 fully in the face ; but whatever his thoughts might have 
 been, he seemed to be satisfied that he was mistaken, and 
 seating himself at my side, he commenced conversing with 
 me as familiarly as if he had known me all my life. Gradu- 
 ally our conversation turned upon books, and ere I was 
 aware of it I passed through what I now know to have 
 been a pretty thorough examination of all the branches 
 which Mrs. Lansing had wished me to teach, but so adroitly 
 was the whole thing managed that it seemed like a quiet, 
 pleasant talk, though I did wonder at his asking so many 
 questions. French was the last subject discussed, and hero 
 I was at fault, for my pronunciation I well knew was bad, 
 although Mr. Delafield, who was himself a fine French 
 scholar, told me it was quite as good as the majority of the 
 Americans who had neither lived in Paris, nor had the ad- 
 vantage of a native teacher. 
 
 " You play, I believe. I would like to hear you," he said 
 at last, laying his hand on my shoulder, as if he would lead 
 me to the parlor.
 
 38 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 Instantly the blood rushed to my face, for since the night 
 of my disgrace I had not touched the piano, neither did I 
 wish to again. So I tried to excuse myself, and when he 
 insisted, I finally said, with my eyes full of tears, " Please 
 excuse me, sir, for I can't play. I failed before your sister, 
 and I shall do the same before you." 
 
 " No you won't," he replied, at the same time drawing my 
 arm within his and leading me towards the door. " You 
 have nothing to fear, Miss Lee, and if you acquit yourself half 
 as creditably here as you have elsewhere, I shall be satisfied." 
 
 A faint perception of the truth began to dawn upon me, 
 and I looked up at him so earnestly that he stopped and 
 smiling down upon me, said, " You have taught a district 
 school in New England, I believe ?" 
 
 "Yes, sir," I answered. 
 
 " And you were examined, of course ?" 
 
 " Yes, sir, and got a certificate, too," I said eagerly. 
 
 " I presume you did," he continued, " and if necessary I 
 can give you another, for I have been doing nothing more or 
 less than trying to find out how much you know. As I have 
 before hinted, I am perfectly satisfied, and unless you leave 
 from choice, you will remain at Cedar Grove." 
 
 He spoke as one having full authority to do as he pleased, 
 and I instinctively felt that though nominally Mrs. Lansing 
 was mistress there, he, in reality, was the leader, the head, 
 whose bidding every one obeyed. The change from utter 
 despondency to almost perfect happiness, was too great, 
 withdrawing my hand from his arm, I sat clown upon 
 stairs and cried like a child, while he stood, looking down 
 upon me and thinking, I dare say, that I was a very foolish 
 girl. At last, when I thought his patience was nearly ex- 
 hausted, I wiped my eyes, and starting up, said, " You have 
 rne very happy, Mr. Delafield, for I could not have
 
 UXCLE DICK. 289 
 
 borne the disgrace as being sent home as incompetent. I 
 can play for you now, or for Mrs. Lansing either." 
 
 And the result proved that I was right, for I exceeded my 
 own expectations, and was astonished at myself. 
 
 " Angeline," said he, in a slightly commanding voice, as 
 that lady looked curiously in at the door, " Angeline, come 
 here ;" and she crossed over to his side, where he detained 
 her by placing his arm around her waist. 
 
 For a moment then I wavered, for though I could not see, 
 I could feel the haughty gaze of the large black eyes, which 
 I knew were bent upon me. 
 
 " You have clone well, Miss Lee," he said, when at last I 
 arose from the instrument, at the same time playfully touch- 
 ing my cheeks, which were burning with feverish excite- 
 ment. 
 
 That night, after I had retired to my room, Halbert and 
 Jessie came to the door, requesting permission to come in. 
 I admitted them, when Jessie, jumping into my lap, said, 
 " Oh, I'm so glad you are going to stay. Hal says so." 
 
 "Yes," put in Hal, "Uncle Dick told me that you 
 mustn't be sent away, for you were a heap better scholar 
 than she had represented you to be." 
 
 " Perhaps it will not be as Mr. Delafield says," I re- 
 marked ; and Hal quickly rejoined, " Yes it will ; ma does 
 just what he tells her to do ; and then, too, he pays the 
 governess, for I heard him say so, and he told her if you 
 
 dismissed 'twas the last one he'd hire. And he said 
 nust treat you better than she did Miss Rawson, for you 
 were very young, and little things hurt your feelings, and 
 when Ada came home, she mustn't domineer over you, for 
 he wouldn't allow it. Oh, I like Uncle Dick. Don't you ?" 
 The moonlight was streaming across the floor, but it did 
 not reveal the blush which deepened on my cheek as I
 
 240 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 faintly answered "Yes," bidding him at the same time not 
 to tell of it, for I began to feel afraid of the boy's loquacity. 
 That night I dreamed of " Uncle Dick," whose name was the 
 last which sounded in my ears when I fell asleep, and the 
 first of which I thought when I awoke in the morning. As 
 I was dressing, I heard little Jessie on the piazza, singing in 
 her childish way, "/love Uncle Dick, I do, and so does Hal, 
 and so does Mis-ses Lee I" 
 
 " Who told you that, Pussy ?" asked a voice which I 
 recognized as Mr. Delafield's, and very nervously I listened 
 for Jessie's answer, which was, " Oh, I know she does. Hal 
 asked her didn't she like you, and she said she did." 
 
 " Rather early to avow a preference, I think. I shouldn't 
 wonder if a Miss Rawson performance were to be enacted a 
 second time," said another voice, which I knew to be that 
 of Mrs. Lansing, who had joined her brother upon the 
 piazza. 
 
 " Angeline," said Mr. Delafield, somewhat sternly, "don't 
 be foolish. If Halbert asked Miss Lee if she liked me, 
 wasn't it the most natural thing in the world for her to say 
 ' Yes.' I do wish you'd rid yourself of the impression that 
 every girl who looks at me is in love with me, or that I am 
 in love with every lady to whom I choose to be polite." 
 
 " Do you think Miss Lee pretty ?" asked Mrs. Lansing, 
 without paying any attention to his last remark. 
 
 Up to this point I could not well help overhearing their 
 conversation, for I was arranging my hair before the mioM| 
 which stood near the window ; but now there was no looPI 
 any necessity for my remaining there, and I resolutely 
 walked away, though I would have given much to have 
 heard his answer. He had gone home when I went down to 
 the breakfast-room, where I found Mrs. Lansing, who 
 greeted me rather coldly, and appeared slightly embarrassed.
 
 UNCLE DICK. 241 
 
 I had purposely donned my travelling dress, for though Mr. 
 Delafield had said I was to stay, I felt that she too must do 
 the same ere I had a right to remain. The sight of my 
 dress seemed to annoy her, for it brought to her cheeks two 
 bright red spots which grew deeper all the while we were at 
 breakfast. When it was over, and the children had gone 
 out, I very composedly asked her " how long before the 
 stage would call for me." 
 
 Turning her flashing black eyes upon me, she said, " Do 
 you mean to insult me, Miss Lee ? The stage has been gone 
 an hour. I supposed you knew you were to remain." 
 
 " Mr. Delafield intimated as much," I answered ; " but 
 my engagement was with you, not him, and until I hear from 
 you that I am expected to stay, I do not of course feel at 
 liberty to do so." 
 
 She brightened up perceptibly, and after saying something 
 about Richard's meflUling in her affairs, replied, " I presume 
 you were embarrassed when you first came, and so could not 
 appear to advantage ; and as my brother thinks you are a 
 tolerably fair scholar, I have decided to keep you." 
 
 I bowed in acquiescence, and she continued. " There is 
 something, however, which I must first say to you ; but as 
 this is not the proper place, you will go with me to my 
 room." 
 
 I complied with her request, and closing the door, she 
 began with a long preamble as to the proper way for a 
 klady to conduct herself in the presence of gentlemen, 
 Illy those who were every way her superiors. " For 
 instance," said she, " there's my brother Richard, who is 
 rather noted for his familiar, affectionate manner towards 
 the ladies. As long as he confines himself to his equals I do 
 not so much mind it, but when he lavishes his attentions 
 upon my governesses, I think it wrong, for he might, you 
 1 1
 
 242 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 know, raise hopes which of course could never be realized 
 Now, Miss Rawson was a very silly girl who thought her- 
 self beautiful, and ere I was aware of it she was deeply in 
 love with Richard. Of course, he cared nothing for her, 
 even if he did play with and caress her. It is his way, and 
 he means nothing by it. Then, too, Miss Rawson was 
 rather handsome, and Richard has always been a passionate 
 'admirer of beauty. He used to say, when he was younger, 
 that he never could love a woman who was not beautiful, 
 and I've sometimes thought that the sight of a pretty face 
 .completely upset him. For this reason I prefer having a 
 plain-looking governess. Miss Rawson was far too pretty, 
 and after my trouble with her I determined to employ none 
 but ugly ones. This is why I wrote to you concerning your 
 personal appearance, which is, I am sorry to say, so much 
 more prepossessing than I had reason to suppose. Still I 
 do not apprehend any difficulty, provided you are always 
 reserved and distant in Richard's presence, and decline any 
 attentions he may occasionally offer you. Miss Montrose, 
 of whom you have heard us speak, will probably be home 
 this summer, and then his time will be occupied with her. I 
 do not think he will ever marry any one, but if he does, it 
 will undoubtedly be Ada. I won't detain you longer," she 
 added, as she saw me try to suppress a yawn ; "I won't 
 detain you any longer than to warn you once more against 
 being as silly as Miss Rawson was the foolish thing only 
 think of it, my governess in love with my brother, 
 Delafield!" 
 
 It was very absurd, I thought ; and mentally rel 
 ing not to fall into a like error, I repaired to the school- 
 room, where in due time I was joined by the children, little 
 Jessie bringing me a beautiful bouquet, which she said 
 " Uncle Dick had arranged for me." 
 
 resort
 
 UNCLE DICK. 248 
 
 Feeling anxious to please Mrs. Lansing, my first impulse 
 was to send the flowers back, but upon second thoughts, I 
 concluded that this would not come under the head of 
 " attentions," and so all the morning they stood in the tiny 
 vase, which Halbcrt brought to hold them, all except one 
 rose-bud which Jessie selected from the group, and twined 
 among my curls. This at the dinner-table attracted the 
 watchful eye of my employer, who, without any apparent 
 motive, casually remarked upon its beauty, saying, " It 
 looked like a species of rose which grew in her brother's 
 garden," and adding that " she did not know as there were 
 any of that kind on her grounds." 
 
 I blushed crimson, while Jessie answered, " It didn't 
 grow here. Uncle Dick brought it to her with a heap 
 more." 
 
 Casting upon me a frowning glance, Mrs. Lansing said> 
 " Seems to me you have forgotten the conditions on which 
 I kept you." 
 
 This was the first I had heard of conditions; but so 
 anxious was I to retain my situation, that I resolved to 
 please her at all hazards, and stammering ont that " Jessie 
 it in my hair," I tore it from among my curls and threw 
 it upon the floor. Then, as soon as dinner was over, I went 
 up to the school-room, and removing the bouquet from the 
 vase, threw that too, from the window. Very woudcringly, 
 little Jessie looked up in my face, asking " why I did it," 
 
 ' I didn't love flowers." 
 ry, very much," I answered; " but your mother don't 
 ic to keep them." 
 
 That afternoon he came to visit us " officially," he said, 
 and when I saw his winning manner, and how much of sun- 
 shine he brought with him, I did not wonder that one as 
 susceptible as Miss Rawson was represented to be, should
 
 244 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 have fallen in love with him. But with me it was different, 
 I had been warned against his pleasant, affectionate ways; 
 and so, when in conversing with me and Lina, he threw his 
 arm aronncl her waist and laid his hand carelessly upon my 
 shoulder, I moved quickly away, while I was sensible of a 
 deepening flush upon my face. He seemed puzzled, and for 
 an instant looked inquiringly at me, as if to ask a reason 
 for my conduct. He was showing Lina a book of engrav- 
 ings, and after a while called me to look at a picture which 
 he thought was particularly fine. I complied with his 
 request, and wishing to see more, took a seat at his side, 
 when either purposely, or from force of habit, he threw his 
 arm across the back of my chair. The action reminded me 
 of Dr. Clayton, and I was feeling somewhat annoyed, when 
 looking up, I met the haughty eyes of Mrs. Lansing, who 
 was passing the door, and had stopped to look in. This of 
 course embarrassed me, and hardly knowing what I did, I 
 said rather angrily, " You will oblige me, Mr. Delafield, by 
 taking your arm from my chair. It does not look well." 
 
 " Certainly," said he, instantly removing it ; "I was not 
 before aware that it was there," and a very peculiar smile 
 was perceptible about his mouth, as he, too, caught sight of 
 his sister, who, with an approving nod for me, passed on. 
 
 I could have cried with vexation, for I feared he would 
 think me very prudish, and I knew well enough that his 
 familiarity was only the promptings of an unusually kind 
 and affectionate nature. After staying a few inomjflttk 
 longer, he arose to go, saying as he turned towardsjHBI 
 " Jessie gave you my flowers, I suppose." 
 
 " Yes sir," I replied, while my face again grew scarlet. 
 " They were beautiful, and I thank you very much." 
 
 " I am glad to hear it," he continued, looking me steadily 
 in my eyes. " I thought perhaps, you did not like them
 
 UNCLE DICK. 245 
 
 when I found them on the walk, withered and dried by the 
 sun." 
 
 I was trying to think what to say by way of apology for 
 thus treating his gift, when little Jessie came to my relief, 
 by saying, " She didn't like to throw 'em away, but ma 
 didn't want her to keep 'em." 
 
 " Ah, yes. " I understand it now," said he, adding in an 
 undertone, as he shook my hand, in accordance with the 
 southern custom of bidding good-bye : "I hope, Miss Lee, 
 you will exercise your own judgment in such trivial matters 
 as that." 
 
 That night I cried myself to sleep, half wishing I had 
 never come to Cedar Grove, for I knew Mrs. Lansing- 
 would prove an exacting, unreasonable mistress ; and when 
 Ada came home, my situation, I thought, would be anything 
 but agreeable ; while, worse than all the rest, was the fear 
 that I had displeased Mr. Pelafield, and appeared very 
 ridiculous in his eyes. Supposing he had put his arm on my 
 chair, was that any reason why I should get angry and 
 speak to him as I did ? It was his way, and as he had said, 
 he was not himself aware of what he was doing. Of course, 
 then, he would think me very foolish, and would ever after 
 treat me with coolness and indifference. How then was I 
 surprised, when the next morning, in the presence of his 
 sister, he handed me a much larger and handsomer bouquet 
 than the one of the preceding day, saying, as he did so, " I 
 W|pt you to keep this and not throw it away, as you did my 
 Wer one." 
 
 Mrs. Lansing's "face, which had been unusually placid and 
 serene, now looked cloudy and disturbed ; but she said 
 nothing; neither did she ever again maku any allusion to 
 the flowers which so frequently came to me from Sunny 
 Bank One reason for this might have been that she was
 
 246 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 otherwise perfectly satisfied with the conduct of her brother, 
 which, by the way, was not wholly satisfactory to me ! It 
 is true, he was very polite, very kind ; but there was about 
 him a reserve which I could not understand, for after that 
 little affair in the school-room, he never treated me with 
 the same familiarity which marked his deportment towards 
 the other young ladies, who came to the house. He did not 
 like me, I said, and the thought that I was disagreeable to 
 him made me very unhappy. To be sure, he was almost con- 
 stantly at Cedar Grove, where he spent most of the time in 
 the school-room, " superintending us," he told his sister, who, 
 believing me rather inefficient, made no objection to his 
 supposed supervision of Liua's studies. He did not often 
 talk much to me, but I frequently met the earnest gaze of 
 his piercing dark eyes, particularly when little Jessie sat in 
 my lap, listening to my instructions; and once when Herbert 
 asked him for " a copy," something beginning with " R," 
 he wrote " Rosa Lee, Meadow Brook, Massachusetts." 
 Still he disliked me I was sure of that ; and though I did 
 not then know why it was, the impression that I was to him 
 an object of aversion made me unhappy, and almost every 
 day I cried, while Mrs. Lansing more than once told me 
 that " she did not believe the South agreed with me, for I was 
 not half so plump and rosy as when I first came." 
 
 About this time, too, a Miss Dean, from the village, who 
 had evinced quite a liking for me, told me, confidentially, 
 that Mr. Delaficld and Ada were certainly engaged ; 
 ing, that "it was sometimes sickening to see them together 
 a fact I could not doubt, knowing him as I did, and re- 
 membering Ada's demeanor towards Herbert when they 
 were engaged. From the same source, too, I learned that 
 Mr. Montrose and the elder Mr. Delafield had been warm 
 friends ; and that the latter, who died when both Mrs.
 
 Ui.CLE DICK. 247 
 
 Lansing and Richard were quite young, had committed 
 them to the care of Mr. Montrose, who was to them the 
 kindest of fathers until the time of his death, which occurred 
 a few years after Mrs. Lansing's marriage, when Richard 
 was just of age. To his guardianship, therefore, as to that 
 of a brother, had Mr. Montrose left his daughter, then a 
 beautiful girl of seventeen ; and since that time she had lived 
 with Mrs. Lansing, who, though she appeared to love the 
 young orphan, still opposed her marriage with her brother ; 
 not from any aversion to Ada, but because she did not wish 
 Richard to marry at all, as in case he did not, his property 
 would, in all probability, fall to her children, she being the 
 only heir. When I asked her why Mr. Delafield was worth 
 so much more than Mrs. Lansing, she replied, that the elder 
 Mr. Delafield, in his will, had left two-thirds of his property 
 to his son, bequeathing the other ,third to his daughter, 
 whose husband had wasted nearly the whole in his extrava- 
 gant manner of living. Cedar Grove, too, she said, was 
 mortgaged to Richard for more than it was worth, and it 
 was wholly owing to his forbearance and extreme generosity 
 that Mrs. Lansing was enabled to support her present style 
 of living. This, she said, aside from Mrs. Lansing's hope 
 that her children would one day inherit her brother's wealth, 
 was a sufficient reason why she wished him to remain a 
 bachelor, as the presence of a wife at Sunny Bank would, in 
 nil probability, lessen his liberality towards herself. Miss 
 Dean, who seemed to be well posted, also told me that, in 
 'case Mrs. Lansing saw her brother was determined to marry, 
 she would, of course, prefer that he should marry Ada, who 
 was quite a favorite, inasmuch as she had money of her own, 
 and was connected with one of the first families in South 
 Carolina. 
 
 All this I believed, and when I saw how anxious Mrs. 
 

 
 248 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 Lansing appeared for Ada's return, and how much interest 
 Mr. Dclaficld, too, seemed to take in her, I felt sure that 
 matters were at last amicably arranged, and that, for onoe, 
 rumor was right in saying that Sunny Bank would, in the 
 autumn, be graced by the presence of a mistress. Latterly, 
 Mr. Delafield had been making some repairs, and only a few 
 days before, when I chanced to be there with Jessie, he had 
 taken me through his library into a little, pleasant, airy 
 room, which he was fitting up with great elegance. 
 
 " This," said he, laughingly, " I design as the boudoir of 
 Mrs. Delafidd, when I shall be fortunate enough to boast 
 such an appendage to my household; and as a woman's taste 
 is supposed to be superior to that of men, I want your 
 opinion. How do you like it ? Do you think it would suit 
 my wife, if I had one ?" 
 
 Of course he meant Ada, and in fancy I saw her reclining 
 upon the luxurious lounges, or gazing out upon the vine- 
 wreathed piazza, and wealth of flowers, which greeted my 
 view when I looked from the large bay window. For an 
 instant I dared not trust my voice to speak, and when at 
 last I did so, I am sure it must have trembled, for he came 
 to my side and looked me earnestly iu the face, while he 
 smiled at my answer. 
 
 " It ought to suit her, unless her home heretofore has 
 been Paradise." 
 
 After that I had not the least doubt of his engagement 
 with Ada, and I began seriously to think of going back to 
 Meadow Brook to take charge of a select school, which was 
 about to be opened there. I had now been iu Georgia about 
 four months, and one night I went down to the pleasant 
 summer-house at the foot of the garden. It was a beautiful 
 moonlight night and the air was almost oppressive with the 
 sweet fragrance of the flowers. Why I went there I hardly
 
 UXCLE DICK. 249 
 
 know, only I fancied I could better make up my mind as to 
 my future course, if I were alone and in the open air. " No- 
 body likes me here," I said to myself, as I took a 
 seat within the arbor, " nobody but Halbert and Jessie. 
 Mrs. Lansing is freaky and cross. Lina, selfish and 
 indifferent, while Mr. Delafield thinks only of Ada's re- 
 turn, which I so much dread, and to be rid of meeting her, 
 I will go home before she comes." So I decided that on 
 the morrow, I would make known my determination to Mrs. 
 Lansing, who I fancied would be glad, while Mr. Delafield 
 would not be affected either way. / was nothing to him 
 he, was nothing to me so I reasoned, and then I made plans 
 for the future, just as other maidens of eighteen have done, 
 when their heart was aching with a jjpvy pain, whose cause 
 they did not understand. I should never marry that was 
 a settled point I should teach school all my days, and by 
 the time I was twenty-five (it seemed a great way off then) I 
 should have a school of my own, " LEE SEMINARY" I would- 
 call it, and I had just completed the arrangement of the 
 grounds, which somehow bore a strong resemblance to those 
 of Sunny Bank, when I was roused from my reverie by the 
 sound of a footstep, and in a moment Mr. Delafield stood at 
 the entrance of the summer-house. He evidently did not 
 expect to find me there, for he started back at first, and then, 
 hoping he did not intrude, came to my side, saying, " A 
 penny for your thoughts, Miss Lee, provided they are not 
 as gloomy as your face would indicate." 
 
 " You can have them for nothing," I returned, elevating my 
 eyebrows, and drawing down the corners of my mouth as if 
 I felt that in some way he had injured me. 
 
 " Your are blue to-night, and have been so for several 
 days. What is the matter ?" he asked, at the same time 
 throwing his arms around my waist with his olden familiarity. 
 11*
 
 250 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 Quickly remembering himself, however, he withdrew it, 
 saying as he did so, " I beg your pardon, Miss Lee. I am 
 so in the habit of taking such liberties, that I forgot my- 
 self !" and he moved off a little distance. I could have cried 
 with vexation, for though it might have been improper, I 
 was peifectly willing to sit there with his arm around me ! 
 It might have dispelled all idea of the "LEE SEMINARY" of 
 which I was to be Principal ! But he gave me no such op- 
 portunity, and folding his arms as if to keep them in their 
 place, he continued, "But tell me, Miss Lee, what is the 
 matter. You do not seem yourself?" 
 
 It was perfectly proper for me to tell him, I thought, and 
 very deliberately I unfolded to him my plan of returning 
 home within a weekffcf Mrs. Lansing were willing, which I 
 was sure she would be, as she had never been quite satisfied 
 with my acquirements. When I had finished speaking, I 
 turned towards him, not to see what effect my words had 
 produced, for I had not the most remote idea that he would 
 care. Great then was my surprise, when I saw the blank 
 expression of his face, which looked darker than ever. 
 Starting np, he walked two or three times rapidly across the 
 little arbor, and then resuming his seat, said gently, " Have 
 you been unhappy here, Miss Lee ?" 
 
 I could hardly repress my tears as I told him how much 
 I liked the south land, and how I should hate to leave it. 
 
 " Why then do you do so?" he asked; and I answered 
 " I can do more good at home ; nobody likes me here." 
 
 He came nearer to my side, as he said, " Nobody likes 
 you 1 oh, Rose, there is one at least who more than 
 likes" 
 
 It was the first time he had ever called me Rose, and it 
 thrilled me with an indefinable emotion ; but so impressed 
 was I with the idea of his engagement with Ada, that I
 
 UNCLE DICK. 251 
 
 never dreamed of interpreting his words, as 1 now think he 
 meant I should ; and ere he could say more, I interrupted 
 him with, " Yes little Jessie loves me, I know, and when I 
 think of her, I would fain stay." 
 
 Still nearer to me he came, as he said, " And think you 
 Jessie is the only one who loves you ?" 
 
 If ever Mrs. Lansing's belief that I was non compos men- 
 tis was verified, it was then ; for with the utmost stupidity 
 I answered, " Why, no ; Halbert likes me, but both he and 
 Jessie will forget me when I am gone, and learn to love 
 another." 
 
 I think he was quite disgusted ; for with a slight gesture 
 of impatience he changed his manner, and in a very business- 
 like way began to reason the case jptth me, urging a great 
 many reasons why I should not leave ; the most potent 
 one with me, being the fact that he wanted me to stay " he 
 would miss me very much," 'he said, " for he liked my 
 society it was a pleasure to talk with me, for he was sure 
 I meant what I said ; I was natural truthful so different 
 from most of the young ladies (of course he excepted Ada), 
 and then, too, it seemed as if he had known me always, or 
 at least, had met me before, for my voice was familiar." 
 
 I could not tell him of our meeting in Boston, but I saw 
 no harm in reminding him of the night, when for a few 
 hours I was his travelling-companion, and so to his last 
 remark, I answered, " We have met before, in the cars 
 between Utica and Albany." 
 
 In some surprise he looked earnestly at me a moment, 
 and then said, " Is it possible ? Why have you never 
 mentioned it before ?" 
 
 " Because, sir," I replied, " I did not suppose you would 
 remember me." 
 
 Ue appeared thoughtful for a time, and then again, look-
 
 252 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 ing closely at me, said, "I did not, I believe, get a glimpse 
 of your features then, and still it seems as if I had seen 
 them before or something like them. At all events, I 
 sometimes dream of a childish face, which must resemble 
 you as you were a few years ago." 
 
 Once I half determined to remind him of the little girl 
 who fainted at the theatre ; but ere I did so, he continued, 
 " When I met you in the cars, if I mistake not, you spoke 
 of Miss Montrose. Did you ever see her ? but of course 
 not," he added, ere I had time to reply. I cannot tell why 
 I shrank from acknowledging my slight acquaintance with 
 Ada, but I did, and for a moment I said nothing ; then 
 thinking it would be wrong to give him a false impression, I 
 said, "I "can hardly say that I am acquainted with Miss 
 Montrose ; but I havPtaet her several times at my uncle's 
 in Boston, where I spent the winter, four years ago." 
 
 Again he bent forward as if to scan my face, while he 
 replied, " Indeed ! Were you in Boston then ? It is 
 strange Ada never spoke of you, or you of her before. 
 Was there a misunderstanding between you ?" 
 
 "Oh, no," I answered quickly; "she was a fashionable 
 young lady, and I a mere school-girl ; so, of course, we 
 knew but little of each other." 
 
 "What was your uncle's name?" he inquired; and I 
 answered " Lee," noticing the while, how the shadow which 
 had settled upon his face at the mention of Boston, passed 
 gradually away. 
 
 For a moment he was silent, and then rather abruptly, he 
 asked, " Did you like her ?" 
 
 I remembered the time when Dr. Clayton had asked me a 
 similar question concerning Dell Thompson, and now, as then, 
 I answered evasively, that " I hardly knew her she was 
 very beautiful and accomplished."
 
 UNCLE DICK. 258 
 
 Here he interrupted me by saying, " I did not ask if you 
 thought her beautiful. I asked if you liked her." 
 
 I felt a little annoyed, for I thought he had no right thus 
 to question me, and forgetting that she was to be his wife, 
 I replied, " No sir, I did not like her. Neither do I think 
 she liked me, or my sister who was with me; and this is one 
 reason why I wish to leave before her return." 
 
 I supposed he would be offended at hearing me speak 
 thus of her, but he was not ; he merely smiled as he 
 answered, " Ada has many faults, I know, but I do not 
 believe your situation will be less pleasant on account of her 
 presence. If it is, just state the case to me. I am compe- 
 tent to manage it, I believe ; besides that, it is uncertain 
 how long she will remain at Cedar Grove." 
 
 He commenced plucking at the green vine-leaves which 
 grew above my head, while I turned my face away to hide 
 my emotions ; for of course, when Ada left Cedar Grove, it 
 would be as his bride, I thought, and was surprised when 
 he continued, " The cousin with whom she is travelling in 
 Europe, has won from her a half promise that she will spend 
 next winter with her in New Orleans, and if so she will 
 leave in October ; so you see, she can't annoy you long; 
 and now you must promise me not to leave us unless she 
 prove perfectly disagreeable." 
 
 There is not, I believe, the least coquetry in my nature, 
 and I replied frankly that I would stay. 
 
 " You have made me very happy, Miss Lee," said he, 
 rising up and laying his hand upon my head, just as a 
 f',if/n'f might caress his child, for he was thirty-one and I. 
 was eighteen ! 
 
 That night I pondered long upon what he had said, 
 recalling every word and look, and at hist, when a ray of 
 light faintly glimmered upon my lefn^rd intdkct, I hid my
 
 254 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 face in the pillow, lest the moonlight, which shone around 
 me, should read thereon the secret thought which I scarcely 
 dared to harbor for a moment. Could it be possible that 
 he loved me, and but that for my unaccountably stupid 
 blunder in thrusting first Jessie and then Halbert in his face, 
 he would have told me so I But no it was impossible. He 
 was probably engaged to Ada. She was beautiful and rich 
 / was homely and poor. It could not be. And then, my 
 reader, did I first awake to the consciousness of how much I 
 loved him ; and how, when he was wedded to another, the 
 world would be to me naught but a dreary blank. Anon, I 
 remembered my former affection for Dr. Clayton, and then I 
 grew calm. I had outgrown that, I said, and in all proba- 
 bility I should outlive this, my second heart-trouble. So, 
 falling back upon the " Lee Seminary " as something which 
 was to comfort me in my lone pilgrimage, I fell asleep and 
 dreamed that Mr. Delafield's children, amounting in all to 
 a dozen, were every one placed under my special charge !
 
 ADA. 265 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 SHE was now daily expected, the vessel in which she had 
 sailed having landed at New York, and numerous prepa- 
 rations in honor of her arrival were in progress at Cedar 
 Grove, where she was evidently regarded as a person of 
 consequence. The best chamber in the house was appro- 
 priated for her use ; Mr. Delafield himself taking much 
 interest in the arrangement of its furniture, and bringing 
 over each morning fresh bouquets of flowers, which, in costly 
 vases, adorned the apartment. Every one seemed anxious 
 and expectant, save Jessie and Halbert, the former of whom 
 did not wish her to come, as she took up so much of " Uncle 
 Dick's " time, while the latter openly avowed his dislike, 
 saying, he wished she'd stay in Europe always. 
 
 As for myself, though there was no particular reason why 
 I should do so, I dreaded her arrival, and when at last, 
 word came to the school-room that she was in the parlor, 
 and the children must come down to see her, I stole out 
 into the garden, in order that I might put off the interview 
 with her as long as possible. I knew I must meet her at 
 the supper-table, and so after a time I went up to my room 
 to dress, donning a plain white muslin, which I had often 
 been told became me better than aught else I could wear. 
 Before ray toilet was finished, little Jessie came in and
 
 2S6 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 insisted upon twining among my curls a few simple buds, 
 which, she said, looked " mighty nice," adding, as she stepped 
 back a pace or two to witness the effect, " I thiuk you are 
 a heap prettier than Ada; but Uncle Dick don't, 'cause I 
 asked him, and he said ',0f course Ad was the hand 
 somest.' Hal says how he's her beau, and I reckon he is, 
 for he kissed her like fury !" 
 
 " He kisses everybody, don't he ?" I asked ; and she 
 replied, 
 
 " Mighty nigh everybody but you. I never seen him kiss 
 you, and when I asked him why, he "said you wouldn't let 
 him won't you ?" 
 
 " It wouldn't be proper," I said, smiling down upon the 
 little fairy, who, poised on one foot, was whirling in circles, 
 and then looking up into my face, with her soft dreamy 
 eyes. 
 
 At that moment the supper bell rang, and bounding away, 
 she left me alone. For full five minutes I waited trying to 
 summon sufficient courage to go down, and at last chiding 
 myself for my weakness, I started for the dining-room. My 
 footsteps were light, as they evidently were not aware of my 
 approach, for they were talking of me, and as I reached the 
 door, I heard Jessie, who was giving Ada a description of 
 her teacher, say, " Why she's the properest person in the 
 world, for she won't even let Uncle Dick kiss her." 
 
 " Somewhat different from Miss Rawson," said Ada, join- 
 ing in the general laugh ; at the same time lifting her large, 
 languid eyes, she saw me, and started slightly, I fancied, as 
 she recognized me. 
 
 She had changed since I saw her last, and her face now 
 wore a weary, jaded look, while the dark circle beneath her 
 eyelids told of late hours and heated rooms. 
 
 " Miss Lee Miss Montrose," said Mrs. Lansing, and the
 
 ADA. 257 
 
 proud Ada bowed haughtily to the humble governess, who 
 with heightened color took her accustomed seat at the 
 table. 
 
 " You have seen each other before, I believe," said Mr. 
 Delafield, looking curiously at both of us, while Mrs. Lansing, 
 in much surprise, exclaimed, " Seen each other ! Where, 
 pray ?" 
 
 I waited for Ada to answer, and after staring at me a 
 moment, she replied, quite indifferently, " Miss Lee's face 
 does seem familiar, and if I mistake not, I met her once or 
 twice, in Boston " and this was all she said, if I except a 
 glance, half entreating, half threatening, which she threw at 
 me from beneath her long, drooping eyelashes. This glance 
 I did not then understand, but I now know it to have been 
 prompted by a dread lest I should tell of her engagement 
 with Herbert Langley, and thus betray her to Mr. Delafield, 
 to whom, it seems, she had positively denied the whole, solemn- 
 ly assuring him that there had never been between them any- 
 thing more serious than a mere friendly acquaintance. When, 
 therefore, she saw me, her fears were awakened, and know- 
 ing that I had her secret in my possession, she looked upon 
 me with suspicion and dislike, while I, wholly unconscious of 
 her feelings, had not the least intention of ever speaking of 
 the past, unless circumstances should render it necessary. 
 But of this she was not aware, and that night, in the pri- 
 vacy of her room, she communed with herself as to the 
 best means of counteracting anything which I might say 
 concerning her conduct in Boston, deciding at last that the 
 surest way of accomplishing her object was to brand me as 
 u person whose word could not be trusted ! And this she 
 deemed an easy task, inasmuch as no one there had ever 
 seen or heard of me before. Strange, too, as it may seem, 
 there was mingled witli her distrust of me a slight shade of
 
 259 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 jealously lest Mr. Delafield should in any way notice me. 
 True, I was a poor obscure girl, earning my daily bread, and 
 on no point could 1 compete with her save one, and that was 
 age, I being, as she well knew, eight or nine years her ju- 
 nior. To be old and unmarried was with her almost a crime, 
 and as year after year passed on, leaving her still Ada Mon- 
 trose, her horror of single blessedness increased, while at 
 the same time she seemed to look upon those much younger 
 than herself as almost her enemies, especially if they came 
 between her and Mr. Delafield, who, as the world goes, was 
 at the age of thirty-one more likely to choose a girl of 
 eighteen than one of twenty-seven. This, then, was my 
 fault. I was young and had also in my possession a secret 
 which she did not wish to have divulged, for well she knew that 
 one as upright and honorable as Mr. Delafield would despise 
 a woman who could stoop to a falsehood as she had done. 
 
 " No, it shall not be 1" said she, as she sat alone in her 
 room with her face resting upon her hands ; " it shall not be ! 
 I will thwart her and she shall never triumph over me, as did 
 her pale-faced sister, but for whom I might now have borne 
 the title of Mrs. instead of trembling lest some one should 
 ask how old I am !" And the proud belle felt a pang of envy 
 towards my poor widowed sister whose heart was buried in 
 the grave of her unfortunate husband. 
 
 Not that she (Ada) had ever cared particularly for Her- 
 bert Langley, but women of the world sometimes bestow 
 thnir hand where the heart cannot be given, and thus 
 might she have done had not circumstances prevented, for 
 she had then no hope of ever winning her guardian. 
 
 Here, ere we proceed farther, it may be well to relate 
 briefly her past history, going back to the time when on 
 his death-bed her father had not only given her to the 
 charge of Mr. Delafield, but had also made a request that, if
 
 ADA. 269 
 
 it were consistent with his feelings, Richard would one day 
 make her his wife. As we have said elsewhere, Mr. Delafield 
 was a great admirer of beauty, and when he looked upon 
 the exceedingly lovely face of the youthful Ada, and thought 
 of her as a lonely orphan, his heart was touched, and he 
 found no difficulty in promising to protect her, and also to 
 make her his wife, if, upon a more intimate acquaintance, 
 he found her all he could wish her to be. That he did not 
 find her thus was proved by the fact that nearly ten years 
 had elapsed since her father's death, and she was Ada Mon- 
 trose still, while he, as he grew older, seemed less likely to 
 find any one who fully came up to his standard of excellence, 
 beauty, in reality, now being of minor importance, notwith- 
 standing his sister's assertion that he would never marry 
 one who had not a pretty face. 
 
 Upon this point, however, Ada had some doubts ; for if 
 beauty were what he desired, she still possessed it to an un- 
 common degree, and it did not seem to move him in the least. 
 Rumor, indeed, said they were on the eve of marriage, but she 
 knew better, for never yet had he really told her in earnest 
 that he loved her. It is true that years before, when she 
 first came a weeping orphan to Cedar Grove, he had devot- 
 ed himself to her entirely, feeling, perhaps, a little proud of his 
 ward, to whom he sometimes talked of love, or hinted vague- 
 ly of the time when she would be his bride, as they wander- 
 ed together beneath the whispering pines, which grew around 
 his home, and once, when she was in Boston, he had actu- 
 ally made up his mind to offer himself immediately and take 
 her to Sunny Bank as its mistress. To this resolution he 
 was urged by her cousin, a strong-minded woman, who, in 
 visiting at Cedar Grove, had labored to impress upon him 
 the sense of the duty he owed not only to her father but to 
 Ada herself, who was represented as loving him devotedly,
 
 260 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 and who was said to have made a vow never to marry un- 
 less it were her guardian. Very artfully, too, did Mrs. John- 
 son insinuate that her illness, of which they had heard, had 
 its origin in " hope deferred which niaketh the heart sick." 
 
 The knowledge that a beautiful girl loves you nay, is 
 dying for you, is sufficient, I suppose, to touch the feelings 
 of men less susceptible to female charms than Richard Dela- 
 field, and acting upon the impulse of the moment, he started 
 off without, however, leaving any word as to his destination. 
 Arrived in Boston, he went to the Revere House, where, as 
 we know, he casually heard of Ada's engagement with Her- 
 bert Langley. To say he was not disappointed would hard- 
 ly be just, for his self-pride was touched in knowing that 
 Ada had given her affections to another, and that other not 
 a very worthy object, if the word of his gossiping informer 
 was to be trusted. Too much displeased even to see her, he 
 had left the city immediately, declaring that he would never 
 again think of marriage with any one. 
 
 As the reader will remember, Ada heard of him through 
 one of her acquaintance, and from something her cousin had 
 written, she half guessed the nature of his visit. According- 
 ly on her return to Georgia she several times in his presence 
 laughingly referred to the gossiping story, which, she said, 
 some of the Bostonians got up concerning her and a million- 
 aire, positively denying it, and wishing people would let her 
 alone ! But all this was to no purpose. Mr. Delafield's 
 impulse had subsided, and though his manner towards her 
 was always kind, affectionate, and brotherly, he never spoke 
 to her of love or marriage, except sometimes to ask her teas- 
 ingly if " if they were not both of them almost old enough to 
 get married." 
 
 Still she did not despair, for of his own accord he had ac- 
 companied her and her cousin to Europe, whither he had
 
 ADA. 261 
 
 always intended to go, and though he had left them some 
 months before, Mrs. Johnson was willing to leave Paris, where 
 Ada's beauty attracted much attention from the polite 
 Frenchmen, she would not believe he was at all weary of 
 her, but rather, as he had said, that his business required his 
 immediate return to America. 
 
 Latterly Mrs. Lansing had in a measure espoused her 
 cause, and knowing, as she did, of the recent repairs at Sun- 
 ny Bank, said by Richard to be for the benefit of his bride, 
 she began again to entertain sanguine hopes of eventually 
 becoming Mrs. Delafield, provided the governess did not, by 
 her foolish tattling, mar her prospects. 
 
 Such, then, was the state of affairs when I was the bur- 
 den of Ada's thoughts, as she sat alone in her room on the 
 first night after her return home. For a time she mused 
 with her face in her hands, then lifting up her head and 
 throwing back the silken tresses, which fell over her brow, 
 she gazed long and earnestly at herself in the opposite mir- 
 ror. 
 
 " Yes, I am fading," she said at last, " and each year my 
 chance for winning him grows less, and if this Lee girl should 
 tell, it would take from me every shadow of hope but it 
 shall not be. I can prevent her foolish tattling from doing 
 me harm, and I will." 
 
 Then the better nature of Ada Montrose whispered to her 
 of the great wrong she was meditating against a poor, de- 
 fenceless girl, who as yet had never injured her, and for 
 a moment she wavered. 
 
 " If I only knew she would never tell," said she ; " but 
 she will, accidentally if not intentionally. Low-bred people 
 like her are always bold, and as she becomes better acquainted 
 with me, she may possibly say something to rae about Her- 
 bert in the presence of Mr. Delafield, who will question her,
 
 262 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 perhaps, and thus learn the whole. So I'll be pixjpared, 
 She's nothing but a poor governess, and my word will be 
 preferred to hers, provided I first give her the character of 
 a deceiver." 
 
 On awaking next morning her resolution was partially 
 shaken, and might, perhaps, have been given up entirely, if, 
 in looking from her window, she had not seen a sight which 
 awoke within her the demon jealousy, by whose aid she could 
 do almost anything. The governess had arisen early, as was 
 her usual custom, and gone forth into the garden, where she 
 came unexpectedly upon Mr. Delafield, who, after expressing 
 his pleasure at meeting her, very quietly drew her arm 
 within his own, and then walked with her several times 
 through the garden, casting often admiring glances towards 
 the drooping figure at his side, who, trembling lest the Argus 
 eyes of Mrs. Lansing were upon her, would fain have been 
 left alone. All this Ada saw, and as she thought how dif- 
 ferent was his manner towards Rose from what it had ever 
 been towards her, a sudden light flashed upon her. She had 
 not lived twenty-seven years for nothing, and like Dickeu's 
 woman with the " mortified bonnet," she knew the signs, 
 and with a sinking heart, she exclaimed, " Is it possible that 
 he loves her ?" 
 
 The thought was maddening, and now strengthened ten- 
 fold in her purpose of working the young girl evil, she went 
 forth into the garden to meet them, nodding coldly to Rosa, 
 and bestowing her sweetest smile upon her guardian, who 
 wound his arm around her waist and playfully kissed her fore- 
 head a liberty he would not dare to have taken with Rose, 
 who, thinking that of course she was not wanted, made an 
 effort to withdraw her hand. But Mr. Delafield's arm was 
 strong, and he pressed it closely to his side, at the same time 
 giving her a look which bade her stay, notwithstanding that
 
 ADA. 2C3 
 
 Ada two or three times hinted to her the propriety of 
 going. 
 
 " Why don't you ask Miss Lee about your Boston 
 friends ?" said Mr. Delafield, when they had taken a few 
 turns in silence. 
 
 Ada tossed her head scornfully, and replied, " I don't 
 think I had any acquaintances in common with Miss Lee, 
 unless, indeed, it were her old aunty ;" and with a little hate- 
 ful laugh she leaned across Mr. Delafield, and asked, " How 
 is she ? Richard, you would like to know." 
 
 I was provoked at her manner, but I answered civilly that 
 my aunt was well, adding, as one would naturally do, " Her- 
 bert Laugley, I suppose you know, is dead." 
 
 The news was unexpected, and coming as it did, it pro- 
 duced upon her a singular effect, blanching her cheek to a 
 marble whiteness, while her lips quivered spasmodically. Mr. 
 Delafield was startled, and stopping short, demanded of her 
 what was the matter. 
 
 " Oh, nothing much," she answered, recovering her com- 
 posure, and pressing her hand upon her side, " nothing but 
 an ugly pain, which is gone now. I have felt it often late- 
 ly," and her face looked as unruffled and innocent as if she 
 really thought it was the truth she had uttered. 
 
 1 knew she told a falsehood, but Mr. Delafield did not, and 
 leading her to the summer-house, which was near, bade her 
 sit down, while he made minute inquiries concerning the 
 pain, asking how long since she first felt it, and saying he 
 would speak to Dr. Matson the first time he came to Cedar 
 Grove, adding that a Ulster, he presumed, would help it ! 
 
 " Oh, mercy !" she exclaimed, again growing pale. " You 
 make too serious a matter of it." 
 
 But he did not think so he was very tender of her, as 
 a brother would be of his orphaned sister ; and knowing that
 
 264 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 her mother had died of consumption, he watched narrowly 
 for the first indications of that disease in her. Just then 
 little Jessie came bounding down the walk, saying that 
 " breakfast was ready," and leading her by the hand, I re- 
 turned to the house, followed by Mr. Delafield and Ada, the 
 latter of whom made some remark concerning my gait, which 
 she pronounced " wholly Yankee, and countrified." 
 
 " And graceful," rejoined Mr. Delafield, at the same time 
 telling her he did not like to hear one female speak dispar- 
 agingly of another. 
 
 Ada bit her lip with vexation, and when she took her seat 
 at the table, she was evidently not in the best of humors. At 
 Mrs. Lansing's invitation her brother remained to breakfast, 
 and I could not perceive that he was any more polite to the 
 beautiful lady in elegant French muslin on his right, than he 
 was to the plain-looking girl in a shilling calico on his left. 
 Indeed, if there was a difference, it was in favor of the lat- 
 ter, with whom he conversed the most, addressing her as if 
 she had at least common sense, while towards Ada he always 
 assumed the trifling, bantering manner which he seemed to 
 think was suited to her capacity. 
 
 Breakfast being over, I started for my room, accidentally 
 dropping upon the stairs a handkerchief, which had been 
 given me by Anna, and which had her name " Anna Lee " 
 marked in the corner. In honor of Ada's return, there was 
 no school that day, and as the morning advanced and the 
 heat in my chamber grew oppressive, I went with my book 
 to the sitting-room, and took a seat by an open window, 
 where I soon became so absorbed in reading as not to ob- 
 serve Mrs. Lansing and Ada, who came out upon the piazza 
 and sat down quite near me, but still in such a position that 
 neither of us could see the other. After a time they were 
 joined by Mr. Delafield, and then for a moment I thought
 
 ADA. 265 
 
 of stealing quietly away, but thinking my remaining there 
 could do no harm, I resumed my book and forgot my neigh- 
 bors entirely, until my attention was roused by the sound 
 of my own name. 
 
 It was Mrs. Lansing who spoke, and she asked, " What 
 kind of folks are those relatives of Miss Lee ?" 
 
 " Oh, about so so" answered Ada, and Mrs. Lansing con- 
 tinued, " And she was then at school ?' ; I believe. 
 
 " At school /" repeated Ada, apparently in much surprise. 
 " Mercy, no ! Why, she was a grown up woman, as much as 
 twenty-two or twenty-three years old." 
 
 " There, I thought so," answered Mrs. Lansing, who the 
 reader will remember had, at my first introduction, taken me 
 to be twenty-five. " I thought she must be more than 
 eighteen, didn't you, Richard ?" 
 
 " Eighteen .'" repeated Ada. " It isn't possible she calls 
 herself eighteen. She dare not do it in my presence. Why, 
 she had been a teacher, I don't know how long, and, besides 
 that, 'twas said that she had once been engaged to a Dr. 
 Clayton, who, for some reason, jilted her, and was then a 
 married man as much as thirty years old. Eighteen, indeed. 
 I'd like to hear her say so." 
 
 I was confounded, but supposing she had mistaken me 
 for Anna, my first impulse was to go out and tell her so, but 
 fearing lest she should think I had intentionally listened, my 
 second thought was to go away where I could hear nothing 
 further, and then, when Mrs. Lansing questioned me, as 
 I felt sure she would, I fancied it would be an easy matter 
 to exonerate myself from the falsehood Ada had put upon 
 me. I had reached the hall, and was half-way up the stairs, 
 when Mr. Delafield, who had arisen and was walking back 
 "and forth on the piazza, espied mf\ and called me back. 
 
 There was a troubled look on his face, and fixing his 
 12
 
 266 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 piercing black eyes upon me as if he would read my inmost 
 thoughts, he said with something of bitterness in the tones 
 of his voice, " I did think I had found one, female who, on all 
 occasions, spoke the truth ; but if what Ada has said is 
 true, I am mistaken ; though why you (and his hand involun- 
 tarily clutched my arm) or any other woman should stoop 
 to a falsehood, or seek to deny her age, be she a hundred or 
 less, is a secret which Heaven knows, perhaps, but I do not." 
 
 I felt my face flush with indignation, and turning towards 
 Ada, who, not having expected a scene like this, was very 
 pale, I said, " It is not necessary, Miss Montrose, for you to 
 repeat what you have asserted concerning me, for I accident- 
 ally overheard it, arid I thank Mr. Delafield for giving me 
 an opportunity to exonerate myself from the charge you are 
 pleased to bring against me." 
 
 "Been listening," muttered Mrs. Lansing. 
 
 " Silence, Augeliue. Go on, Rose," interrupted Mr. Dela- 
 field, in a voice which we both obeyed, she resuming her 
 needlework, while I continued, " I had taken my seat by 
 the open window ere you and Miss Montrose came out here, 
 and not thinking it necessary to leave, I remained, without, 
 however, hearing a word of your conversation until I caught 
 the sound of my name. Then, indeed, my senses were sharp- 
 ened, and I heard Miss Montrose's statement, which I am 
 sure she would never have made were she not laboring un- 
 der a mistake." 
 
 Here Ada, who was not in the least prepared for the oc- 
 casion, began to stammer out something about " letting the 
 matter drop she did not wish to harm me, and had said 
 what she did inadvertently, without ever dreaming of 
 making trouble. She didn't see why Richard wished to 
 make it such a serious matter, for she was sure she didn't 
 care whether I were forty or eighteen."
 
 ADA. 26? 
 
 " Bat / care," he said, grasping my arm still tighter, " I 
 care to have justice done. I have supposed Miss Lee to be 
 frauk, ingenuous and truthful, and if what you assert is true, 
 she is the reverse, and should suffer accordingly, while on 
 the contrary if she be innocent, she shall have an opportu- 
 nity of proving herself so." 
 
 By this time Ada had collected her scattered senses, and 
 resolving to brave the storm she had raised, replied, " Cer- 
 tainly, Misc Lee has a right to clear herself if she can, and 
 prove that she is really Rose instead of Anna Lee." 
 
 " Rose instead of Anna ! What do you mean ?" thundered 
 Mr. Delafield, while 1 was too much astonished to speak. 
 
 Ada was not very deep, and in all her plotting she had 
 never thought how easy it would be for me to prove the 
 falsity of her assertion by writing home ; so with the utmost 
 coolness she replied, " I mean this : there were two Lee 
 girls living at the house of their uncle where I occasionally 
 visited : one was Anna, a young lady of twenty-two or twenty- 
 three, the other was Rose, a school-girl of fourteen or fifteen. 
 The oldest of these two I have every reason to believe stands 
 before us at least this, which I found upon the stairs, 
 would indicate as much," and she held to view the haudker 
 chief which I had dropped and had not missed. 
 
 Glancing at the name, Mrs. Lansing said, " I have ob- 
 served a similar mark upon several of her garments, and 
 rather wondered at it." 
 
 This was true, for Anna had dealt generously with me, 
 giving me many of her clothes, some of which bore her full 
 name, while others had merely the initials. I was about to 
 tell of this, when Mr. Delafield prevented me by asking if I 
 could prove that I was what I represented myself to be, and 
 that I was a mere school-girl when I saw Miss Moutrose in 
 Boston.
 
 268 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 " Yes, sir, I can," I answered firmly ; " by writing home, 
 I can prove it, if in no other way. But Miss Montrose 
 kuows better than to confound me with Anna, whom she 
 surely has reason for remembering." 
 
 Fearful lest her darling secret was about to be divulged, 
 Ada roused up and in a tone of angry defiance, answered, 
 " Yes, I have reason for remembering you, for you did me 
 good service by taking off my hands a worthless, drunken 
 fellow, about whom the Bostonians were annoying me. I 
 thank you for it, Miss Lee, and only wonder how you could 
 suppose I would forget you. I recognized you the moment 
 we met at the table, but I did not then dream of your call- 
 ing yourself eighteen when you are certainly twenty-six /" 
 
 I was confounded and remained speechless, while with re- 
 newed strength my accuser continued, "Perhaps you will 
 deny having been a teacher at that time, when according to 
 your statement you were only fourteen." 
 
 " No," I answered, " I do not deny that ; I had taught, 
 but I was only thirteen when I did so, as any one at home 
 will testify." 
 
 " Thirteen ! how improbable !" exclaimed Mrs. Lansing, 
 while Ada continued, "And what of your engagement with 
 Dr. Clayton. I heard it from the lips of your aunt ; but 
 perhaps she told me a falsehood ?" and she looked malicious- 
 ly at me, while with a stamp of his foot Mr. Delafield said 
 sternly, " Ada, you have no right to question her of that." 
 
 " But I am glad she did," I said, " for as I live, I have 
 never been engaged to any man." 
 
 " Nor in love with one either ? Will you say you were 
 never in love with Dr. Clayton ?" persisted Ada. 
 
 It was a cruel question, but I could not deny it, and I re- 
 mained silent, while I cowered beneath the burning gaze of 
 Mr. Delafield, who still held me fast, but who now loosened
 
 ADA. 269 
 
 his hold, and slightly pushing me from him, leaned against 
 the pillar, with folded arms, and dark, lowering brow, while 
 Mrs. Lansing and Ada exchanged glances of triumph. They 
 had by my silence gained a partial advantage over me, but 
 as long as I felt the clasp of Mr. Delafield's hand, I was 
 strong to defy them. Now, however, that had failed me, 
 and girl-like I began to cry, telling them " they could easily 
 test the whole matter by writing either to Boston or 
 Meadow Brook." 
 
 This alternative had not occurred to Ada before, but now 
 she readily saw how easily I could prove my innocence, and 
 as she met Mr. Delafield's inquiring glance, she turned very 
 pale and laid her hand upon her side as if the pain had re- 
 turned. 
 
 " Rose," said Mr. Delafield, " you would hardly wish for 
 me to write to Meadow Brook were you guilty, and as you 
 seem willing that we should do so, I am inclined to hope that 
 Ada may be mistaken. Come, stand by me (and reaching 
 out his hand he drew me to his side) and tell me all the 
 particulars of your acquaintance with Miss Mont-rose, and 
 also about that sister with whom you are confounded, and 
 you (turning to the other ladies) are not to speak, until she 
 is through, when Ada can make any correction or explana- 
 tion necessary." 
 
 It was an act of justice which I owed to myself, I knew, 
 and wiping my eyes, I was about to commence, when Ada, 
 rising up, said mockingly, " With the Hon. Judge's permis- 
 sion I will leave, as I do not wish to hear the falsehoods 
 which I am sure will be uttered." 
 
 Again Mr. Delafield's long arm was extended, and catch- 
 ing Ada, as she was passing, he drew her to his side, where 
 he held her firmly, saying, " It looks suspicious, Ada, that 
 you are not willing to hear Miss Leo's defence. You have,
 
 210 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 either by mistake or design (the former, I hope), preferred 
 against her serious charges, and you must listen to her expla- 
 nation. Commence," he added, looking down upon me, and 
 in a linn, unfaltering manner I told both my story and that 
 of Anna, who, I said, had eloped with Herbert Langley and 
 was now a broken-hearted widow, living with his mother in 
 Boston. 
 
 At this part of my narrative Ada's hand was pressed con- 
 vulsively on her side, while with parted lips and pale cheeks 
 she leaned forward, looking at me anxiously ; but when she 
 saw that I did not speak of her ever having been engaged 
 to Herbert, the color came back to her face, and with a sigh 
 of relief she listened more composedly, nodding assent when 
 I referred her to our meeting at the depot at Canandaigua, 
 and faintly admitting that " she might have been mistaken. 
 I looked so much like Anna that 'twas not impossible." 
 
 This I knew was false, but I did not contradict her, and 
 proceeded with my story, until suddenly recollecting the in- 
 cident at the theatre, I turned to Mr. Delafield and asked 
 " if he remembered it ?" 
 
 He thought a moment, and then the arm, which had grad- 
 ually been winding itself about my waist, clasped me to his 
 side, while he exclaimed, " Remember it ? Perfectly, and you 
 are that little girl. They called you Rose ; and this is 
 why your face has puzzled me so much. I see it all now. 
 You are innocent, thank Heaven," and the hand, which, 
 heretofore, had held Ada fast, now rested caressingly upon 
 my head and parted back my curls, as he said, more to him- 
 self than to me, " and you have remembered me all this time." 
 Then, turning towards Ada, he said sternly, " We will hear 
 you now." 
 
 Ada was caught in her own snare. She had thought to 
 prevent me from doing her injury by branding me as a liar,
 
 ADA. 271 
 
 and now that I was proved innocent, it filled her with con- 
 fusion, aud she remained silent until Mrs. Lansing came to 
 her aid by saying, " I do not think Ada meant to do wrong ; 
 she probably mistook Rose for her sister, hence the blunder." 
 
 This gave Ada courage, and crossing over to me, she took 
 my hand, begging my forgiveness and saying " she had been 
 mistaken she certainly did not mean to do me so great a 
 wrong, and she hoped I would forget it and try to look upon 
 her as my friend, for such she would henceforth be." 
 
 I was not quite verdant enough to credit all that Ada 
 said ; but I replied I was willing to forgive her, and when 
 she asked permission to kiss me, so that the reconciliation 
 might be perfect, I offered no resistance, though I did not 
 return the compliment, for whi<-h I think Mr. Delafield felt 
 gratified at least I read as much in his face. During the 
 progress of my story Ada had alternately turned red and 
 white, particularly at the points where I touched upon Her- 
 bert. This did not escape the observation of Mr. Delafield, 
 and suspecting more than Ada thought he did, he half seri- 
 ously, half playfully asked her " why she had evinced so 
 much feeling whenever Mr. Langley's name was mentioned." 
 
 Instantly the color left her face, which wore a livid hu.\ 
 and her hand went up to her side as if the cause of her agi- 
 tation were there, while with a half stifled moan, she said, 
 " Oh, oh ! the pain 1" 
 
 Of course Mrs. Lansing asked what she meant, and Ad;i, 
 in answering her, managed to dwell so long upon " the hor- 
 rid pain, which she feared would become chronic," that Mr. 
 Delafield could not reasonably expect an answer to his ((na- 
 tion. Still, I think, lie was not satisfied, and when I saw 
 the mischievous look in his eye, as he told her " she mutt 
 certainly be blistered" I fancied that he, coo, understood her 
 as I did.
 
 272 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 That afternoon we were again assembled upon the piazza, 
 Mrs. Lansing, Ada, aud myself, the former nodding in her 
 large willow chair, while the latter sat upon a little stool at 
 my feet, and with her elbow upon my lap was looking up 
 into my face with the childish simplicity she knew so well 
 how to assume. She was just asking me to assure her 
 again of my forgiveness when Mr. Delafield joined us, and 
 coming up behind me leaned over my chair, while he hand- 
 ed to Ada a little oblong package, saying, " I was in the 
 village just after dinner, and seeing the Dr. I asked him 
 about your pain. As I expected, he prescribed a blister, and 
 at my request he prepared one, which you are to apply at 
 night when you go to bed !" 
 
 I could not see him, but I absolutely pitied poor Ada, 
 who began to realize that the way of the transgressor is 
 hard. The tears started to her eyes, while with a look of 
 dismay, she exclaimed, " Oh, Richard, how could you ? I 
 never was blistered in my life. It will kill me. I can't do 
 it," and she cried aloud. 
 
 Very gently, Mr. Delafield soothed her, telling her that 
 so far from " killing her/ 7 it would certainly " cure her," he 
 knew it would, and he insisted upon her trying it. At last, 
 as an idea, perfectly natural, under the circumstances, 
 dawned upon her mind, she looked up very submissively 
 at him and said, " To please you, I'll try it ; though the 
 remedy, I think, is worse than the disease." 
 
 I hardly know whether he had any faith in her words 
 / certainly had not, and when next morning she came down 
 to breakfast in a loose wrapper, with a very languid look, I 
 could not bring myself to ask her concerning the blister, 
 which the livelong night had drawn nicely on the back of 
 the fircboard, in her room ! As I expected, Mr. Delafield 
 soon made his appearance, and after inquiring how his pre-
 
 ADA. 278 
 
 scriptioa worked, and if it had pained her much, he said, 
 looking towards neither of us, " How would you like to ride 
 on horseback with me out to Mr. Parker's plantation ? I 
 have business there, and do not wish to go alone." 
 
 " Oh, charming !" exclaimed Ada, jumping up and 
 clapping her hands in a manner but little suited to a 
 blistered side ; " that will be grand, and I can wear my 
 new riding-dress, which fits so nicely." 
 
 " Why, Ada, what do you mean ?" said Mr. Delafield, 
 with great gravity. " My invitation was intended for Miss 
 Lee. You can't, of course, think of riding on horseback 
 with a blister. You must have forgotten it !" and his keen 
 eyes rested upon her face with a deeper meaning than she 
 could fathom. 
 
 She turned very red, and for an instant, I think, half 
 resolved to acknowledge the deception she was practising. 
 But Richard Delafield was one who despised a falsehood, 
 and she dared not confess to him her error, so she turned 
 away, saying with a feigned indifference which illy accorded 
 with the expression of her face, " Surely, I forgot all 
 about it." 
 
 Alone in her room, however, she shed tears of anger and 
 mortification as she saw us ride off together, and tli< uglit 
 of the happiness from which she was debarred by a 
 fancied blister, which had never come in contact with her 
 flesh. But whether it drew upon her side or the fircboard, 
 it in a measure wrought the desired cure, for seldom again 
 did Ada attempt to deceive her guardian. Would it not be 
 well if more of our modern young ladies should be blistered 
 for the same disease that afflicted Ada Montrose. 
 
 It was nearly dark when we returned, and Mrs. Lansing 
 12*
 
 274 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 and Ada were in their accustomed places upon the piazza, 
 the latter holding an open letter whicK she had that after- 
 noon received from her cousin Mrs. Johnson, who was 
 spending some time in Mobile, and who wished Ada to join 
 her there, before going on to New Orleans. They were 
 evidently discussing the matter, and when we came up, Ada 
 handed the letter to Mr. Delafield, bidding him read it and 
 tell her what to do. Hastily running it over, he said, " Go, 
 by all means : you have never seen Mobile, and it will be a 
 good opportunity." 
 
 " But I have been thinking of giving up my visit to New 
 Orleans," she continued in a kind of beseeching tone; "Mrs. 
 Lansing had rather I'd remain with her this winter." 
 
 It was not so dark as to prevent me from seeing the 
 expression of Mr. Delafield's face, and I fancied the propo- 
 sition did not altogether please him. She evidently thought 
 so too, for rather pettishly she added, " but if you wish to 
 be rid of me, of course I'll go." 
 
 " Ada ! How foolish !" he said, sternly. " I've often 
 heard you express a desire to spend a winter in New 
 Orleans, and now that an opportunity is presented, I think 
 you had better accept it. I shall be there a part of the 
 time, perhaps all," he added ; and then / turned away lest 
 my face should betray what was passing within. 
 
 " And will you go with rne to Mobile ?" Ada asked of 
 him, as a child would ask her father. 
 
 " Certainly," he answered ; " I do not propose letting 
 you go alone. But how is that side ? I'd almost forgotten 
 to ask." 
 
 " It has pained me a good deal," said she, "but Martha 
 dressed it nicely this afternoon, and it feels much better. 
 I'm so glad you made me apply it, now the worst is over, 
 for I believe it will do me good !"
 
 ADA.. 275 
 
 She spoke with every appearance of candor, and much as 
 it surprised him, Mr. Delafield was, I thought, partially, if 
 not wholly, convinced that what she said was true, and that 
 he had suspected her of more than she deserved; for his 
 manner towards her changed, and as if trying to make 
 amends, he devoted himself to her entirely for the remainder 
 of the evening, telling her where they would go when they 
 were in New Orleans, and laying many plans for her plea- 
 sure. Once in his zeal he thoughtlessly threw his arm 
 around her waist, but she instantly shrank back, saying, 
 don't don't you hurt 1" 
 
 This convinced him thoroughly, and I slept and woke twice 
 that night ere the sound of their voices ceased upon the 
 piazza, where their long interview was kept in countenance 
 by Mrs. Lansing, who sat up until he left, and then patting 
 Ada's cheek, told her she thought "her prospects were 
 brightening." 
 
 I thought so, too, and there was a shadow on my heart, 
 when I saw how much they were together during the few 
 weeks which elapsed before her departure for Mobile. It is 
 true he was still kind to me as of old ; and whenever he 
 found that Ada, by word or look, had slighted me, he 
 always managed to let her know how much he disapproved 
 her conduct, so that in his presence she was usually polite, 
 though she could not quite conceal the fact that I was to 
 her an object of dislike. 
 
 It was nearly the middle of October, when Ada finally 
 left us for Mobile, accompanied by Mr. Delafield, who, in 
 bidding us good-bye, said we need not be surprised if he did 
 not return in several weeks. I consider it to be my misfor- 
 tune that my face generally betrays all I feel, and with his 
 physiognomic powers he could not fail to see the effect 
 which hi* words produced upon me, for well T knew how
 
 276 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 lonely Cedar Grove would be without him ; and when after 
 he was gone, little Jessie climbed into my lap, and laying 
 her head upon my shoulder wished " Uncle Dick never 
 would go away," I mentally responded to the wish. The 
 whole household seemed more or less affected ; Mrs. 
 Lansing was cross ; Lina careless ; Halbert fretful ; and 
 Jessie unhappy while I began to be haunted with my 
 old project of returning home ; and I should, perhaps, 
 have proposed it to Mrs. Lansing, had it not been that, at 
 the close of the fifth day, we were greatly surprised at Mr. 
 Pelafield's unexpected return. He didn't like Mobile, he 
 said, and would much rather be at home. 
 
 Numerous were the questions asked by Mrs. Lansing con- 
 cerning Ada and the pain in her side, which last, Mr. 
 Delafield said, had left her entirely, owing, he believed, to 
 the timely application of the blister. He was deceived, I 
 thought, and I must confess to a slight feeling of grati- 
 fication at an occurrence which thoroughly convinced him 
 of his mistake. One night, a few days after his return, old 
 Hagar, his head cook, came over to Cedar Grove, groaning 
 with rheumatism, which she termed " a misery in her 
 back." Lina, to whom her complaints were made, listened 
 a while, and then opening an old paper-box which stood 
 under the table, drew forth a plaster, which she said she 
 " had done found in Miss Ada's room, on t'other side the 
 fire-board, oncet when she was clarin' the fire-place." 
 
 As Ada was gone she thought there was no harm in 
 appropriating it to herself, which she accordingly did, 
 laying it carefully away until it should be needed. The 
 recital of Hagar's aches and pains reminded her of it, so she 
 urged it upon the old uegress, assuring her it must be good, 
 or white folks would never use it ! With many thanks 
 hobbled home, applied her piaster, and went to bed !
 
 ADA. 277 
 
 But, alas! for the expected relief, which came only in burning 
 sensations and stinging pains, eliciting many a groan from 
 the poor old lady, who heroically bore it until morning, 
 when she found herself unable to perform her accustomed 
 duties. 
 
 For a long time Mr. Delafield waited for his breakfast, 
 which was at last served up by Hagar's daughter, who gave 
 such a deplorable account of her mother's condition that the 
 moment breakfast was over he went himself to the cabin, 
 where he found the old lady moaning over her blistered 
 back, which she said, " was a heap harder to bar than the 
 rheumatics." 
 
 A few words explained the whole, for Hagar never con- 
 cealed aught from her master, and so she gave the history 
 of her plaster, which now lay upon the hearth in the ashes, 
 where she had thrown it. Quick as thought the truth burst 
 upon Mr. Delafield, who laughed so long and loud, that Aunt 
 Hagar, thinking that he was making light of her misfor- 
 tunes, began to cry, saying she " never thought Mars'r 
 Richard would poke fun at her misery." 
 
 " Neither am I making fun of you," said he, adding fur- 
 ther, by way of atoning for his error, that for the remainder 
 of the week she should be freed from all household service, 
 and devote her whole time, if she liked, to her aching 
 back. 
 
 This had the effect of restoring Aunt Hagar to good 
 humor, and in the midst of her thanks, Mr. Delafield re- 
 turned slowly to the house, thinking that when a habit of 
 deception is once firmly fixed, it required more to cure it 
 lhar. a blister applied to the fire-board !
 
 278 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 DR. CLAYTON. 
 
 RAPIDLY, and to me very happily, did the winter pass 
 away, for it was enlivened by the presence of Mr. Delafield, 
 who was with us so often, that it became at last a serious 
 debate among the blacks as to whether Cedar Grove or 
 Sunny Bank were really his home. More than once, too, 
 was it whispered in the village, that little Rosa Lee, plain 
 and unassuming as she was, had stirred in the heart of the 
 " stern old bachelor " a far deeper feeling than Ada Mon- 
 trose had ever been capable of awakening. And sometimes 
 she, foolish child that she was, thought so too, not from any- 
 thing he said, neither from anything which he did ; indeed, 
 it would have been hard for her to tell why her heart some- 
 times beat so fast when he was near, for though his manner 
 was always kind and considerate, he never spoke to her of 
 love never appeared as he had once done in the summer- 
 house, when she gave him such silly answers ! 
 
 And still, occasionally, Rosa dared to hope that her love 
 was returned, else why did each clay find him at her side 
 where he lingered so long, saying to her but little, but 
 watching her movements, and listening to her words, as he 
 would not have done had she been to him an object of in- 
 difference. Not naturally quick to read human nature, Mrs. 
 Lansing was wholly deceived by her brother's cold exterior,
 
 DR. CLAYTON. 279 
 
 an ! novcr dreaming how in secret he worshiped the humble 
 girl .she called her governess, she left them much together. 
 Why then did he never speak to her of the passion which 
 had become a part of his being ? Simply because he, too, 
 was deceived. Once, indeed, he had essayed to tell her of 
 his love, and dreading lest his affection should not be re- 
 turned, he was the more ready to construe her evasive re- 
 plies into a belief that it was indeed as he feared 
 Then, too, her shy, reserved manner, while it made him 
 prize her all the more, disheartened him; for not thus was 
 he accustomed to being treated, and with that jealousy 
 which seems to be the twin sister of love, he ofttimes thought 
 he read aversion and distrust, wheu there was, on Rosa's 
 part, naught save a fear lest he should discover her secret, 
 and despise her for it. Added to this was the remembrance 
 of what Ada had said concerning her former engagement 
 with Dr. Clayton. True, Rosa had denied the engagement, 
 but when charged with having loved him she had remained 
 silent ; thus proving the story correct. And if she loved 
 him when a child, was it not probable that she loved him 
 still, married man though he was. He had heard of such 
 things, or, at least, he had read of them in books, and for 
 many days Mr. Delafield's brow was literally tied up in 
 knots, while he tried to solve the question as to " whether, 
 having loved once and been deceived, Rosa Lee could love 
 again." 
 
 At last he decided that possibly she could, and his mind 
 was fully made up to talk with her upon the subject, when 
 an unexpected arrival blasted his hopes at once, and dark- 
 coed the glimmering sunlight which was dawning upon his 
 horizon. It was a dark, rainy night, toward the last of 
 April, that I sat with the family in the pleasant little sitting- 
 room. As usual, Mr. Delafield was \vit.h us, and this even-
 
 280 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 ing be was reading aloud from Longfellow's wonderful poem. 
 He was just in the midst of Hiawatha's wooing, and I fan- 
 cied there was in the tones of his voice a softer cadence as 
 he read, 
 
 " Hand in hand they went together, 
 Through the woodland and the meadow, 
 Left the old man standing lonely 
 At the doorway of his wigwam, 
 Heard the falls of Minnehaha 
 Calling to them from the distance, 
 Crying to them from afar off, 
 Fare thee well, oh, Laughing Water." 
 
 Scarcely had the last words left his lips when a heavy 
 tread upon the piazza and a loud ringing of the bell startled 
 us, for it was not often that we were favored with visitors 
 on such a night as this. Zillah, the colored girl, hastened 
 to the door where she found a stranger, who, stepping into 
 the hall, asked, "if Miss Rosa Lee lived there." 
 
 Starting from my chair, I turned very white, for I recog- 
 nized the voice of Dr. Clayton, who the next moment stood 
 before me ! I forgot the past forgot that he had been my 
 lover forgot that Richard Delafield's eyes were upon me 
 forgot every thing except that he had come from dear New 
 England had breathed the air of my native hills had 
 heard the sound of my mother's voice and had brought 
 me undoubtedly tidings of that mother's welfare. Springing 
 forward with a cry of joy I took his extended hand, nor 
 shrank away when, with unwonted tenderness, he stooped 
 to kiss my lips, low whispering as he did so, " Dear Rosa." 
 
 Then, indeed, I blushed, for I knew he had no right to 
 call me thus, but the next moment it was forgotten, and 
 with something of pride in my manner, I presented him to 
 Mrs. Lansing and Mr. Delafield, the latter of whom greeted 
 him rather coldlv, and after a few words of common cour-
 
 DR. CLAYTON. 281 
 
 tesy, bade us good night, but not until he had learned what, 
 until that moment, was news to ine, viz. that Dell Clayton 
 had been dead nearly six months ! As he passed me on 
 his way out, he said so low that no one else could hear him, 
 " Fare thee well, oh, Laughing Water," referring to the line 
 he had last read. There was a deep scowl upon his dark 
 face, and as I gazed upon him, I could not help wondering 
 if it were thus the old man looked, when from his lonely 
 wigwam door lie watched the departing footsteps of his 
 daughter. 
 
 " Come again to-morrow, uncle Dick," said little Jessie, 
 following him into the hall ; but he made her no answer, 
 save his accustomed good-bye kiss, and I soon heard his 
 heavy tread as he strode down the winding walk and out 
 into the open field, muttering to himself, as I afterwards 
 learned : 
 
 " And she will follow where he leads her, 
 Leaving all things for the stranger." 
 
 Yes, Mr. Delafield was jealous terribly jealous of Dr. 
 Clayton, the nature of whose business he readily divined, 
 though I did not, and nothing was further from my mind 
 than the thought that he intended honoring me with a 
 chance of becoming Mrs. Clayton 2d. And yet it was 
 this alone which had brought him to Georgia, he taking 
 the precaution to send on in advance a letter, in which he 
 had made known his wishes, and asked for a return of the 
 affection which, for five long years, he said, had never 
 known one moment of abatement, even though another had 
 slept upon his bosom as his wife. But she was gone, and in 
 her place, he would see blooming, he said, the Rose he had 
 loved so long. Owing to some detention, this letter had 
 failed to reach me, hence I was wholly unprepared for the 
 scene which followed when, at last we were left alone.
 
 282 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 Well skilled in the signs, Mrs. Lansing had purposely 
 retired, not long after her brother's departure, while I, 
 suspecting nothing, made no objection when Dr. Clayton 
 took his seat upon the sofa at my side. I was talking to 
 him of Anna, and from speaking of her, and poor Herbert's 
 death, it was an easy transition to Dell, of whom he spoke 
 kindly, nay, even affectionately, as he told me of her last 
 days ; how much she suffered, and how gentle she became, 
 never chiding him, in the least, for a thing unskillfully done, 
 but seeming satisfied with everything, and loving him at 
 last with a love which, had it been earlier born, would have 
 shed happiness over his comparatively cheerless life. Then 
 he told me of the little child, not yet three years old, whom 
 he had called "Rosa Lee," and gently pushing back my 
 curls, and gazing down into my face, he said, " It is a fancy 
 of mine, perhaps, but I love to think she looks like you, 
 who should have been her mother." 
 
 With all my stupidity, I understood him then, and blush- 
 ing crimson, I moved away to the end of the sofa, while he 
 continued, "What did you think of my letter? You re- 
 ceived it, I suppose ?" 
 
 I had received no letter, and so I said ; whereupon he 
 proceeded to tell me its contents, a part of which the reader 
 already knows. Utterly confounded and powerless to move, 
 I sat motionless, while, with his arm around me, he went 
 over with the past, recalling to my mind, with a vividness 
 which made it seem real again, the time when first he had 
 found me weeping in the sombre old schoolroom, away to 
 the northward ; the night when, with the soft moonbeams 
 falling around us, we sat together beneath the tall oak tree, 
 while I laid before him my childish griefs ; and, lastly, the 
 many pleasant hours we had whiled away together, listening 
 to the sound of the running brook, which ran past the twin-
 
 DR. CLAYTON. 283 
 
 ing grape-vine, whose broad leaves had rustled above our 
 heads. 
 
 " On these occasions, Rose," said he, " did nothing ever 
 tell you how much you were beloved ?" 
 
 " Yes," I answered bitterly, my woman's nature rousing 
 up as I remembered the times to which he referred. " Yes, 
 arid what did it avail me, even though I was beloved ? 
 Ambition proved the stronger attraction of the two, and 
 you wedded another. You, who, now that other has gone, 
 would talk again to me of love ; but Rosa Lee is no longer 
 a child to be deceived, and you mistake her strangely, if 
 you fancy you can cast her off and take her up again at 
 will." 
 
 Here, overcome with emotion, I burst into tears. My 
 words and manner misled him, for in them he saw only 
 resentment for his former treatment ; and this inspired him 
 with hope that the feeling I once cherished for him could 
 again be nourished into life. Very tenderly, then, he talked 
 to me, and, as I listened, a numbness crept over my heart, 
 for I knew he was in earnest now, and I felt that it was not 
 the Dr. Clayton of old the fickle, selfish man of the world 
 with whom I had to deal, but Dr. Clayton purified, and 
 made better by the trials through which he had passed a 
 noble, true-hearted, and upright man who now laid at my 
 feet the love which I knew had always been mine. Very 
 earnestly he implored forgiveness for the wrong he once had 
 done me, saying that for it he had been terribly punished, 
 inasmuch as he had suffered far more than I. And still he 
 breathed no word of censure against his erring wife, who, 
 he said, was perhaps more sinned against than sinning, and 
 who, when the last great agony was upon her, had whis- 
 pered in his ear, as her white, clammy hand rested on the 
 flowing curls of little Rose, " Her mother, I know, will be
 
 284 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 she whose name she bears, and I am willing it should be 
 so." 
 
 " And was she not right ?" he continued, drawing me 
 closer to his side. " Will you not be the angel of my home, 
 the mother of my child ?" 
 
 And then again he told me how much I had been loved ; 
 how he had striven in vain to cast me from his heart, when 
 it was madness and sin to keep me there ; and how, when 
 his horizon had been darkest with want and care, there was 
 still in the distance a ray of sunlight, the remembrance of 
 me, which had kept his soul from fainting. And now that it 
 was right for him to speak to me of love, would I not listen 
 and give him an opportunity to atone for the wrong he had 
 once done me ? He paused for my reply. There was silence 
 in the room, and I counted each pulse of my beating heart 
 as it throbbed with the intensity of my excitement. 
 
 " Will not my darling answer me ?" he said, and I felt 
 his breath upon my cheek, his lips upon my brow. 
 
 Not thus could I sit and tell him what duty bade me say. 
 So I moved away, and standing up before him, I said, 
 slowly, and distinctly, " Dr. Clayton, I loved you once, but 
 the time has gone by, the love has died out, and I would 
 not awaken it if I could." 
 
 There was a firmness in my manner, a decision in the 
 tones of my voice, which startled him more than what I 
 said, and with a faint cry he too arose, and coming to 
 my side, said, " God forgive you, Rose, for the cruel words 
 you have uttered, but you cannot be in earnest." 
 
 And then, with the firelight flickering over his pale face, 
 he plead with me "to think again, to revoke what I had 
 said, and not to send him away utterly hopeless and 
 wretched. The love I had felt for him once, though chilled 
 and dormant now, icould bloom again, for he could bring it
 
 DR. CLAYTON. 285 
 
 back to life, and I must be his ; he could not live without 
 me. I need not decide then, that night," he said, " he 
 would give me time," and again he pressed for my answer, 
 which was the same as before ; for, much as I pitied him, 
 there was between us a dark shadow, and the substance of 
 that shadow bore the form and features of Richard Ddafield ! 
 
 Sinking into a chair, he laid his head upon the table, 
 while, burying my face in the cushions of the sofa, I wept 
 bitterly, stealing occasional glances towards the bowed 
 form which, in its despair, gave no sign of life. There was 
 no acting there, for it was the grief of a strong man which I 
 saw. Without, the storm had ceased ; the wind had died 
 away, and the rain no longer beat against the casement ; 
 but within, there raged a wilder storm of human passions, 
 and as it swept over me in its full force, I cried, mentally, 
 " Ought I thus to deal with him ? I loved him once, per- 
 haps I could do so again. I would at least try." And, 
 rising up, I glided noiselessly to his side. He did not hear 
 me, and, for a time, I stood gazing down upon him, while I 
 thought of all he had suffered, and of his love for me, which 
 I could not doubt. The shadow no longer stood between 
 us ; it was gone, and, strengthened by its absence, I laid 
 my hand upon his shoulder. He shuddered as if it had 
 been a serpent's touch, but when I whispered in his ear, 
 " Look up, I have something to tell you," he raised his 
 head, disclosing to my view a face over which years seemed 
 to have passed since last I had looked upon it. 
 
 " I will try," I said, " but give me one day for reflection, 
 and to-morrow night you shall have your answer." 
 
 As the clouds are dispersed by the soft rays of the sun, so 
 the shadows passed from his brow at my words, and clasp- 
 ing me in his arms he wept over me, as Heaven grant I may 
 never see man weep again.
 
 28ft MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 The fire on the hearth had long since gone out. The 
 lamp was burning dimly, and the moon-beams came faintly 
 in through an eastern window ere I bade him good night, 
 and sought the solitude of my room, where my resolution al- 
 most instantly gave way, for the shadow was there, and in 
 its presence I felt I would rather die than wed a man I did 
 not love. 
 
 " Oh, for a female friend with whom to counsel in my 
 need," I said, as I nervously paced the room. 
 
 I thought of Mrs. Lansing. She was a woman she 
 had been kind to me of late, and after a few moments' reflec- 
 tion I determined to ask her advice. This being settled, I 
 fell into a disturbed sleep, from which I did not wake until 
 the bell was ringing for breakfast. I met him at the table, 
 and my heart beat fast when I saw how anxiously he 
 scanned my haggard face. 
 
 " You are sick this morning," he said, when at last we 
 were alone. 
 
 Taking my hand he felt my quickened pulse, and con- 
 tinued, " This must not be. Calm yourself down, for I would 
 not wish you to answer me under all this excitement." 
 
 Soon after this he left me, going down to the hotel where 
 
 he had first stopped on his arrival at W . As soon as 
 
 he was gone I sought an interview with Mrs. Lansing, to 
 whom I confided the whole story of my former love for Dr. 
 Clayton, and of my feelings now, asking her to tell me as a 
 friend what I should do. I did not dare look her in the face 
 while I was talking, and when I had finished I waited with 
 downcast eyes for her answer, which was characteristic of a 
 woman who had never known what love was, save as she felt 
 it for her children. 
 
 " Do ! Why, marry him of course. I should not hesitate 
 a moment, for 'tis not every girl in your circumstances who
 
 DR. CLAYTON. 28T 
 
 has an offer like that. He seems to be a perfect gentleman, 
 is certainly very fine looking is refined, polished, highly 
 educated, and has a good profession. What more can you 
 desire ?" 
 
 "Love for him," I replied; and she continued, " Pshaw ! 
 That will come soon enough, depend upon it. There are 
 many happy marriages where one of the parties had at first 
 no particular affection for the other, as I myself can testify. 
 I respected Mr. Lansing, when I married him, but I did not 
 love him, and our union was, I am confident, far happier 
 than three-fourths of those where love is the ruling motive, 
 for in nine cases out of ten they grow sick of each other as 
 faults and peculiarities are brought to light, of whose exis- 
 tence they had never dreamed. Take your own case for an 
 example. Suppose you had married Dr. Clayton when you 
 fancied him so much, you would undoubtedly have been dis- 
 gusted with him by this time, whereas, now that you know 
 he is fallible, you can safely link year destiny with his, feel- 
 ing sure that in good time the love you once had for him 
 will return." 
 
 I knew there was some truth in this argument, but it failed 
 to convince me, and I remained silent until Mrs. Lansing 
 startled me with, " You do not of course love another ?" 
 
 I was taken by surprise, and without a thought of the re- 
 salt, I answered " I do." 
 
 " And that other ?" she continued, fixing her eyes upon 
 me. 
 
 I know not what possessed me, but a power I could not 
 resist impelled me to answer, " Is your brother." 
 
 She did not send me from her presence with scorn and 
 loathing as I thought she would. Nay, she did not even 
 speak, but for a time stood mute with astonishment. As I 
 now recall that scene, I understand her better, and I know
 
 288 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 that the truth, just as it was, dawned upon her mind, and 
 suggested the falsehood which she uttered. 
 
 Coming closely to me, she said, " I cannot see why it is 
 that all my governesses have fallen in love with my brother, 
 yet such is the case. I did think, Miss Lee, that you were 
 an exception, but I find I am mistaken, which surprises me 
 greatly, inasmuch as he has never paid you the slightest at- 
 tention, and even if he had, I do not understand how you 
 could think him in earnest. For years the" world has looked 
 upon his union with Ada as sure, and though for certain 
 reasons I have sometimes opposed it, I am anxious for it 
 now, and it is well that I am, for I suppose it is a settled 
 thing." 
 
 I held my breath for fear I should lose a single word of 
 what she should say next. Perhaps she was unused to false- 
 hoods. Be that as it may, her voice trembled slightly and 
 ehe spoke hurriedly as she said, " They are engaged, and 
 have been ever since she went to Mobile, and they will pro- 
 bably be married next autumn; hence, you see that the love 
 you have presumed to feel for him would be useless, even 
 were you his equal." 
 
 She started to leave me, but turned back while she said, 
 " I trust that what I have told you will be kept a secret, 
 for Richard does not wish to have the matter discussed." 
 
 I nodded assent, and the next moment I was alone with 
 my sorrow, which was far easier to bear now that uncertain- 
 ty was made sure. So long as there remained a lingering 
 hope that my love for Mr. Delafield might possibly be recip- 
 rocated, I shrunk in horror from marrying another. But 
 now that hope was swept away, for I never thought of 
 doubting Mrs. Lansing's word, and a kind of torpor crept 
 over me, suspending for a time both my judgment and my 
 will.
 
 DR. CLAYTON. 289 
 
 " I will marry Dr. Clayton," I said, and with that deci- 
 sion came a feeling of gratified pride as I thought I should 
 thus prove to Richard how little I cared for him ! 
 
 Ah, I knew not then that the heart I coveted enshrined 
 no image save that of " Rosa Lee," for whom Richard Dela- 
 field would almost have lain down his life, so great was the 
 love he bore her. He had readily divined the object of the 
 stranger's visit, and the thought that it might be successful 
 was terrible. All the night long he, too, had been sleepless, 
 pacing the length and breadth of his spacious halls and mur- 
 muring occasionally as, peering out into the darkness, he 
 saw the glimmering light from the windows of Cedar Grove, 
 " Oh, Rose, Rose, how can I give you up !" 
 
 Perhaps I am superstitious, but I cannot help fancying 
 that as often as these words rang out on the midnight air, 
 the shadow was over and around me. But alas! it faded and 
 I was left to do the rash act I meditated. With the coming 
 of morn Mr. Delafield grew calm, for he had resolved upou 
 an interview with Rosa Lee, who, if it were not too late, 
 should know how much he loved her, and perhaps (his 
 heart thrilled with joy as he thought it), perhaps she might 
 yet be won from that fancy of her childhood. But first he 
 would if possible, learn from his sister how far matters had 
 progressed. He had seldom imparted to her his secrets, but 
 he would speak to her now, for he could not keep silent. 
 
 She was seated at her work in her own room, when he 
 entered, and with a feeling of alarm at his pale, haggard 
 face, she started up, asking if he were ill. Motioning her 
 aside, he said, abruptly, " It's of no use, Angelina, to de- 
 ceive you longer. I love Rosa Lee, and if it were not for 
 this accursed doctor, I should tell her so at once. Do you 
 know aught of his attentions ? Has he come to seek her 
 for his wife ?" 
 
 13
 
 290 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 Mrs. Lansing had now a double part to perform. The 
 falsehood she had told to Rosa, made it necessary that she 
 should tell another to her brother, which she did more 
 readily, for her proud nature revolted at the thoughts of 
 receiving her governess as her sister-in-law. So, thinking 
 any means excusable which would prevent so disgraceful a 
 catastrophe, she answered with well feigned surprise, " I am 
 astonished at you, brother astonished that a Delafield 
 should stoop so low as to think of wedding a girl like Rosa 
 Lee. You cannot, I think, be in earnest ; but if you are, I 
 am rejoiced that I have it in my power to tell you there is 
 no hope. I have just left Miss Lee, who has made me her 
 confident, asking if I thought it would be contrary to all 
 rules of propriety for her to marry Dr. Clayton so soon after 
 the death of his wife. It seems he has always preferred her, 
 and could you have heard her tell how much she loved him, 
 I am sure you would have no hope of winning her, even were 
 she your equal." 
 
 The wicked woman paused, trembling at her own wicked- 
 ness; while her brother, burying his face in his hands, groaned 
 aloud. It was an hour of bitter trial, for Rosa Lee alone 
 had touched his heart, and could he give her up just as he 
 had found how dear she was to him ? For a time the selfish 
 nature of the man prevailed, and then there came a moment 
 of calmer reflection : if Rose loved another, would it be 
 right for him to mar her happiness by intruding upon her 
 his affection ? Should he not rather rejoice in knowing that 
 she was happy with the man she had chosen, and if, hence- 
 forth, the world to him was dark and cheerless, might he 
 not occasionally gather a gleam of comfort from knowing 
 that no shadow was across her pathway 1 Thus he reasoned, 
 and when his sister ventured at last to say, " You will not 
 be foolish enough to talk with her," he answered, " No no
 
 DR. CLAYTON. 291 
 
 of coarse not ;" then, with no visible sign of the fierce 
 storm which had swept over him, save the extreme pallor of 
 his face, he arose, and with a firm tread went back to his 
 home, unconscious of the tear-wet eyes which followed his 
 retreating footsteps, as from her window Rosa Lee watched 
 him with a despairing heart and benumbed faculties. 
 
 Not again that day was Cedar Grove gladdened by his 
 presence, and when next morning he came as was his wont, 
 I was the betrothed of Dr. Clayton, who, with joy beaming 
 in every look, sat by my side, talking to me of the pleasure 
 we should experience in our projected European tour, for we 
 were to visit the Old World, and he wished our marriage to 
 be consummated at once, so we could sail the last of June. 
 In a measure I had dealt candidly with him, frankly ac- 
 knowledging that the love I had felt for him in childhood 
 was gone, but saying, as was true, that I respected him 
 yes, liked him, and if he was satisfied with that, I would be 
 unto him a faithful wife, hoping that the affection of former 
 years might ere long awake again in my heart. And he was 
 content to take me thus, blessing me for the utterance of 
 words which had made him so happy. 
 
 Involuntarily I shrank from him, for I knew I was unde- 
 serving of such devotion, and my conscience smote me for 
 withholding from him the knowledge of my love for Richard 
 Delafield. But that was a secret I could not reveal, so I 
 kept it to myself, and with a kind of apathetic indifference 
 listened while he depicted in glowing colors the joyous fu- 
 ture which he saw before him when I should be indeed his 
 wife. He was going to New Orleans on business, which 
 would detain him for three or four weeks, and on his return 
 ho asked that the ceremony might be performed, and I go 
 with him to Meadow Brook as his bride. 
 
 " No, not so soon," I exclaimed. " Leave me my freedom
 
 292 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 a little longer ;" but he only smiled as he waived aside 
 every objection and won from me a promise that if Mrs. 
 Lansing were willing, we would be married there as soon as 
 he should return from New Orleans, whither he would start 
 the next night. 
 
 Either by design or accident, Mrs. Lansing herself at that 
 moment entered the room, apologizing for the intrusion by 
 saying she wanted a book which lay upon the piano. Hav- 
 ing secured the volume, she was about leaving, when, glanc- 
 ing at the doctor, she playfully remarked upon the happy 
 expression of his face, saying, she should judge his suit was 
 progressing, and adding that he had her good wishes for his 
 success. Emboldened by her familiarity, Dr. Clayton at once 
 preferred to her his wish that we might be made one under 
 the shadow of her roof ; we would make no trouble, he 
 said, as we wished for no display, simply a quiet ceremony 
 at which no one should be present save herself, her children, 
 and her brother ! 
 
 At the mention of him I started as if smitten by a heavy 
 blow, for I thought, " I cannot in his presence give myself 
 to another ;" and I used all the arguments of which I was 
 mistress to induce Dr. Clayton to defer our marriage until 
 we reached Meadow Brook. But to this neither he nor 
 Mrs. Lansing would listen. Glad, that I was thus out of 
 her way, the latter seemed unusually kind, offering to give 
 me a bridal party as a " testimony of her respect." Thus 
 was I silenced, while they arranged the matter as they 
 pleased, it being finally decided that the wedding was to 
 take place immediately after the doctor's return, as he had 
 first proposed. So overcome and bewildered was I with the 
 exciting scenes through which I had passed, that, strange 
 as it may seem, I slept soundly that night, dreaming to- 
 wards day-break that I stood on the deck of a noble vessel,
 
 DR. CLAYTON. 293 
 
 gazing upon a most glorious sunset, which, however, had 
 less charms for me than did the man at my side, whom I 
 ^called my husband, and whom I loved again as I had done 
 long ago, when with my face buried in the grass beneath 
 the old grape-vine I had wept over his inconstancy. 
 
 With the remembrance of that dream still haunting me, 
 it was quite natural that I should in the morning meet Dr. 
 Clayton with more cordiality of manner than I had yet 
 evinced towards him. Quickly perceiving the change, he 
 said, as he kissed my brow, " My Rose is learning to love 
 me, I see." 
 
 And for a brief moment I, too, fancied that he was right 
 that I should love him nay, that I was beginning to lote 
 him, when suddenly in the doorway appeared the form of 
 one, the very sight of whom curdled my blood for an instant 
 and then sent it bounding through my veins ! It was Mr. 
 Delafield. He had nerved himself to see me, to stand face 
 to face with his rival, and bravely did he meet the trial, 
 bowing courteously to Dr. Clayton and smiling kindly down 
 upon me as he bade me good morning. I glanced at him 
 once and saw that his eyes were riveted upon the plain band 
 of gold, which encircled my fourth finger, confirming the 
 truth of what he had just heard from his sister. At last, as 
 if he would test his strength to the utmost, he took my 
 hand and said, as he slowly twirled the ring, which was 
 rather large, " And so you are going from us ?" 
 
 I could not answer, nor was it needful that I should, for 
 without waiting a reply he placed my hand in that of Dr. 
 Clayton, and continued, " As a brother commits a dear 
 sister to the care of another, so commit I to your care my 
 Northern Rose, charging you to watch tenderly over her, 
 for 'tis not every one who winneth such a treasure." 
 
 This was all he said ; the next moment he was gone, and
 
 294 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 when, Dr, Clayton, drawing me to his side, told me how he 
 would treasure up the words of my friend ; I involuntarily 
 shrank away, for the shadow was again around me, and turn 
 which way I would, it whispered to me of another love 
 another heart, which I fain would have called my own. 
 
 That night Dr. Clayton left us, and the very morning 
 after his departure we were surprised by the appearance of 
 Ada, who came unexpectedly to us all. " She was tired of 
 living with that old fidgety Mrs. Johnson," she said, " and 
 would rather come home." Much as Mrs. Lansing liked 
 Ada, she would rather she had stayed away until I was 
 gone, for she was in constant dread lest the falsehood she 
 had told me concerning her brother's engagement should in 
 some way be betrayed. But there was no help for it, and 
 as one sin always calls for another, so she must now conjure 
 up something with which to meet the emergency. Accord- 
 ingly, Ada was told that " somehow or other I had received 
 the impression that she was engaged to Mr. Delafield, and 
 that it was as well to let me think so ; for though I pro- 
 bably liked Dr. Clayton well enough, she (Mrs. Lansing) 
 fancied that I liked her brother better, and that if I 
 supposed there was the slightest chance of winning him, I 
 would not hesitate to discard the doctor." 
 
 Very readily Ada fell in with the views of Mrs. Lansing, 
 who proposed further that they should continually ring in 
 my ears the praises of my affianced husband, of whose 
 virtues Ada was supposed to have heard from Mrs. Lansing; 
 while at the same time, I was to be interested as much as 
 possible in the preparations for my wedding, which was to 
 be quite a grand affair, and to which many of the village 
 people were to be invited. And so the days wore on, 
 during which I could hardly be said to exist, so little did I 
 realize what was passing around me. I dared not think,
 
 DR. CLAYTON. 295 
 
 for if I did, the tumult of thought which crowded upon me 
 seemed turning my brain to fire, and when each morning I 
 awoke from an unrefreshing slumber, it was always with the 
 thought, " What is it ? This load which oppresses me so ?' 
 then, as the stern reality came up before me, I would 
 bury my face in the pillow and ask that I might die, and 
 thus escape the living death which awaited me, and which 
 was now but a week or two in the distance.
 
 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 THE CRISIS. 
 
 IT was the night before the one appointed for the bridal, 
 and in the solitude of her chamber, a young girl wept in the 
 utter hopelessness of despair. At the morrow's early dawn he 
 would be there to claim her as his bride," and though he was 
 noble and good, there was in her heart no answering chord 
 of love, and she knew that without such love their union 
 would be unholy. Earnestly, and with many tears had she 
 striven to awaken again the deep affection she had felt for 
 him in the time gone by, but it could not be, and shudder- 
 ingly she thought of the long weary years when she should 
 be an unloving wife, bearing a crushed and aching heart, 
 wherein was enshrined the memory of one, of whom it would 
 soon be a sin to think. 
 
 On the table at her side lay her bridal dress, the gift of 
 Richard Delaficld, who, without a shadow on his; brow, or a 
 wavering in the tones of his voice, had asked her to accept 
 it as a token of the esteem he should ever feel for her ! 
 Alas, poor Rose, as your tears fell like rain upon the 
 orange wreath which seemed to mock your woe, how little 
 did you dream of the anguish it cost the donor to say to 
 you the words he did, or that your sorrow was naught com- 
 pared to his, for you could weep, while to him this privilege
 
 THE CRISIS. 297 
 
 was denied, and his was the hard task of enduring in silence 
 the burning pain which no tear-drop came to moisten. 
 
 Slowly the hours of night wore away, and as the moon 
 rose higher and higher in the heavens, her rays fell upon 
 the bowed form of Rosa, who, with clasped hands and 
 bloodless cheeks, sat just where first we saw her praying 
 weeping thinking, and praying again, until at last there 
 came over her troubled spirit, a calm, which ere long, 
 resolved itself into a fixed determination. " She would tell 
 him all how she loved Richard Delafield, and how, though 
 that love were hopeless, she could not call another her hus- 
 band." And he would release her she knew he would. 
 " But if he should not ?" seemed whispered in her ear. For 
 an instant her heart stood still, and then she answered 
 aloud, " I will not do this great wickedness and sin against 
 both God and man." 
 
 It was strange how calm this resolution made her. 
 Rising up from the crouching posture she had assumed in 
 the first abandonment of her grief, she walked to the open 
 window, where she stood gazing out upon the starry sky, 
 until at last, sick and faint with the sweet perfume of the 
 night air, she turned away, and shuddering, she knew not 
 why, sought her pillow. It was now the first of June, and 
 in that southern clime the air was already hot, sultry, and 
 laden with disease. For two weeks a fearful epidemic, 
 whose nature the oldest physicians did not understand, had 
 been raging in the towns adjoining, and many who in the 
 morning rose up full of life and vigor, were in the evening 
 no longer numbered among the living, so rapid was the 
 work of death. In great alarm the terrified inhabitants had 
 fled from place to place, but the destroyer was on their 
 track and the " brain fever," as it was termed, claimed 
 then/ for its victims. 
 
 13*
 
 298 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 As yet, there had been no cases in W , but the people 
 
 were in daily dread of its arrival, and a feeling of gloom 
 pervaded the village. Mrs. Lansing, on the contrary, 
 the ugh usually alarmed, even at the mention of a conta- 
 gious disease, expressed no fear, and went on with the pre- 
 parations for the party, unconscious of the dark cloud 
 hovering near. But when on the morning succeeding the 
 night of which we have spoken, she heard, in passing Rosa's 
 door the sound of some one talking incoherently, while at 
 the same time a negro girl came rushing out, exclaiming, 
 " The Lord help us young Miss has now got the brain 
 fever, and gone ravin' mad," she fled in wild alarm to the 
 farthest extremity of the building, and gathering her 
 frightened children together, with Ada, around her, she 
 called to the terrified servants from the window, bidding 
 them go for her brother and tell him as he valued his life 
 not to venture near the infected room, but to hasten with 
 all speed to her. And there, trembling, weeping, and 
 wringing her hands in fear, the selfish, cold-hearted woman 
 stayed, while parched with fever and thirst, the suffering girl 
 lay moaning in her pain ; now asking for water to cool her 
 burning bi^ain, and again clasping her thin, white hands 
 convulsively upon her brow, as if to still its agonized 
 throbbing?:. 
 
 But one there was who did not forget. In her excitement 
 Mrs. Lansing failed to notice the absence of little Jessie, who 
 going fearlessly to the bedside of her beloved teacher, gently 
 bathed the aching head, and adminstered the cooling draught, 
 while with childish love she kissed the ashen lips, and smoothed 
 back the long tresses which floated over the pillow. In the hall 
 below there was the sound of footsteps, and the bridegroom's 
 voice was heard, asking for his bride, but his check blanched 
 to a marble whiteness when told that she was dying in the
 
 THE CRISIS. 299 
 
 chamber above. In a moment he had her in his arms his 
 precious Rose dying dying he believed, for he, too, had 
 heard of the strange disease, and he thought there was no 
 hope. With a bitter cry, he bent over the unconscious girl, 
 who knew him not, for the light of reason was obscured and 
 darkness was upon her vision. 
 
 " Can nothing be done ? Is there no help ?" he ex- 
 claimed wildly, and little Jessie, awed by his grief, answered, 
 as she laid her soft, white hand on Rosa's forehead, " God 
 can kelp her, and maybe Uncle Dick can. I mean to go for 
 him," and gliding noiselessly from the room, she was soon on 
 her way to Sunny Bank, looking, with her golden curls float- 
 ing over her bare white shoulders, as is she were indeed an 
 angel of merc^. 
 
 Alone in his library sat Richard Delafield, his arms rest- 
 ing upon the table, and his face buried in his hands. All the 
 night long he had sat there thus, musing sadly of the future 
 when she. would be gone, and he should be alone. Why had 
 she crossed his path that little, humble girl, and why had 
 he been permitted to love her so madly, or to dream of a 
 time when he could call her " his own, his Rose, his wife." 
 Again and again he repeated those words to himself, and 
 then as he thought whose she would be when another sun 
 should have set, he groaned aloud, and in despairing tones 
 cried out, " How can I give her up !" 
 
 The sun had risen, and, struggling through the richly cur- 
 tained window, fell upon his bowed head, but he did not 
 heed it. He was sleeping at last, and iu his dreams another 
 than Dr. Clayton had claimed Rose for his bride, even 
 Death, and without a tear he laid her in her coffin, and bu- 
 ried her where the soft sighing cedar and the whispering pine
 
 300 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 would overshadow her grave. From that dream he was 
 roused by Jessie, who shrieked in his ear, " Wake, Uncle 
 Dick, and come. Miss Lee is dying with the fever, and there 
 is nobody to help her." 
 
 For a time the selfish part of Richard Delafield's nature 
 gained the ascendant, and he said aloud, " Thank God ! 
 Rather thus than the bride of another." 
 
 Still this feeling did not prevent him from action, and with 
 a firm step and composed manner he went with Jessie to 
 Cedar Grove, going immediately to Rosa's chamber, where, 
 for a moment, he stood appalled at the scene before him. 
 She had fearfully changed since last he saw her, for the dis- 
 ease had advanced with rapid strides, and now utterly in- 
 sensible, and white as the wintry snow, she lay with her 
 head thrown back, and her lips apart, while her hands ner- 
 vously picked at the bed-clothes around her ! Many a time 
 had Dr. Clayton heard that this was a sure omen of death, 
 and though he had ever laughed at it as an old woman's 
 whim, he shuddered now as he saw it in her, and bowing his 
 head upon the pillow, he wept like a child. For a moment 
 Richard Delafield stood gazing upon the apparently dying 
 girl and the weeping man, who seemed wholly incapable of 
 action ; then rousing himself, he went in quest of the black 
 women, commanding them in a voice they dared not disobey 
 to come at once to the sick-room. He had heard that 
 nothing but violent and continual perspiration had as yet 
 been of any avail in such extreme cases, and calmly giving 
 orders to that effect, he himself assisted while the hemlock 
 and the bottles of hot water were applied, then, administer- 
 ing a powerful tonic, he bade Jessie go for her mother, while 
 he took his station at the bedside to watch the result. 
 
 Quieted in a measure by the cool demeanor of his com- 
 panion, Dr. Clayton, too, arose, and after hurriedly pacing
 
 THE CRISIS. 301 
 
 the room, resumed his post, and there on each side of Rose 
 they stood, those two men, the one with his fair handsome 
 face stained with tears, praying earnestly that she might 
 live ; while the other, with dark, lowering countenance and 
 wrinkled brow, stood with folded arms, and firmly com- 
 pressed lips, struggling to subdue the evil passion which 
 whispered, " Let her die ! There will be a comfort in weep- 
 ing over her grave, and knowing that she sleeps there in all 
 her maiden purity." 
 
 In the meantime Jessie had been missed, and a servant dis- 
 patched to find her. But this the woman failed to do as she 
 was then at Sunny Bank, and Mrs. Lansing was about ven- 
 turing to go in quest of her, when she appeared with her 
 uncle's message, saying, " she knew Miss Lee was dying, she 
 looked so dreadfully." 
 
 " Jessie child," screamed the affrighted Mrs. Lansing, 
 shrinking from the little girl as if she had been, a loathsome 
 thing, " Have you been there in the room ?" 
 
 Without any attempt at concealment, Jessie told .what she 
 had done, and when her mother exclaimed, " Yon are a 
 dead child," she answered fearlessly, " I am not afraid to 
 die." 
 
 Just then the uegro, who had been sent to the village for 
 the family physcian, returned, bringing the news that the 
 fever had broken out there the night before, and that in one 
 family two were already dead, while a third was thought to 
 be dying. In the utmost dismay, Mrs. Lansing now announce 1 
 her intention of leaving the place at once and fleeing for safe- 
 ty to her brother's plantation, which was distant about twelve 
 miles. 
 
 " And leave Miss Lee alone ? oh, mother !" said Jessie, 
 beginning to cry, while Halbert, frightened as he was, ro 
 monstnited against the unfeeling desertion.
 
 302 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 But M"s. Lansing was determined " she couldn't help her 
 at all if she stayed," she said. " And the colored women 
 would do all that was necessary ; it wasn't like leaving her 
 alone with Dr. Clayton, for there were a dozen able-bodied 
 females in the house to wait upon her." 
 
 " And if she dies ?" suggested Jessie ; but her mother 
 would not hear to reason, and urged on by Ada, who was 
 no less frightened than herself, she ordered out the travel- 
 ling carriage, which soon stood before the door. 
 
 She would fain have had her brother accompany her, but 
 she knew it was useless to propose it Still she would see 
 him before she went, and her waiting-maid was sent to bring 
 him. 
 
 " I'll go. Let me go," said Jessie, and ere her mother 
 could detain her, she was half way there. 
 
 Entering the room on tiptoe, she gave her uncle her 
 mother's message, and then stealing up to Rose, wound her 
 arms round her neck, and laying her soft, warm cheek caress- 
 ingly against the white, thin face of her teacher, wept 
 her last adieu. They would never, never meet again, for 
 ere the summer flowers were faded, one would be safely in 
 the bosom of the Good Shepherd, who would lead her in 
 green pastures, and beside the still waters of the better 
 land. 
 
 " Bury her under the tall magnolia, a little ways from 
 father," was Jessie's last injunction to Dr. Clayton, whose 
 tears burst forth afresh, for not till then had he thought 
 how he must leave her alone in that far south land many 
 miles away from her native hills, and that to him would bo 
 denied the solace of weeping over her early grave. 
 
 It was in vain that Mr. Delafield attempted to dissuade
 
 THE ( RISIS. 303 
 
 his sister from going. She \vould not listen, for their lives, 
 she said, were all endangered by remaining in town, and as 
 several other families were going to leave, she should follow 
 their example then bidding him hasten to them the moment 
 Rose was dead, she entered her carriage and was driven 
 rapidly away, followed by Ilalbert and two or three negroes 
 on horseback. Unfeeling as this proceeding seemed to 
 Richard, he still experienced a sensation of relief at the ab- 
 sence of the family, and thinking they would probably be 
 safer at "The Pines" than at Cedar Grove, he returned to 
 the chamber above, where Rose still lay, in the same death- 
 like unconsciousness, perfectly still save when a movement 
 of the head, or a faint moan, told how she suffered. Every- 
 thing had been done for her which could be done, and now 
 there was naught for them to do but to wait and watch, 
 which they did in perfect silence Dr. Clayton, with his 
 head bowed upon the pillow, while Mr. Delafield leaned 
 against the wall, with compressed lips, and eyes dark as 
 midnight, fastened upon the white, still face before him. 
 
 The clock in the hall struck the hour of eleven, and then, 
 with a feeble moan, the sick girl withdrew her hand from 
 beneath the covering, and when the stern man took it within 
 his own he forced back an exclamation of joy, for it was 
 moist with perspiration ! There was hope, and his first im- 
 pulse, was to tell the good news to his companion, but the 
 u.Miion, which all the morning he had hugged to his bosom, 
 whispered, " not now let him suffer yet a little longer !" 
 Soon, however, casting this thought aside as unworthy of 
 him, lie said, "Look up, Dr. Clayton, she is better. She 
 may live. See!" and lifting the damp hair from her 
 brow, he pointed to the dewy drops which stood thickly 
 upon it. 
 
 " Thank Heaven !" was Dr. Clayton's exclamation, and
 
 304 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 bending down, he said, " Rose, my precious Rose she will 
 live, and you have saved her," he continued advancing to- 
 wards the dark statue, whose hand he pressed to his lips. 
 " To you the credit is due, for you worked when despair had 
 rendered me powerless to do, but now I am strong. I am 
 myself again, and if I have aiiy skill it shall be exerted in 
 her behalf." 
 
 There was a curl on Richard Delafield's lip a blur before 
 his eyes, and an icy chill at his heart, which prevented him 
 from answering. Bitter were the thoughts which crowded 
 upon him, and which he strove to put away. If she lived, 
 would it not be in a measure owing to the efficient means he 
 had employed and why should he wish to save her ? Would 
 he not rather see her dead ? It was an evil spirit which 
 counselled with him thus, but ere long the noble nature of 
 Richard Delafield conquered, and when at last her eyes un- 
 closed, and turned towards Dr. Clayton, whose name she 
 breathed, asking for her bridal dress, he looked on calmly 
 while his rival kissed her again and again, telling her she 
 should yet wear it and be his bride, but when he saw how 
 she shuddered at these words, feebly answering, " No, no. 
 Have they not told you that I cannot be your bride, for 
 another has come between us ?" a thrill of joy ran through his 
 frame, but soon passed away as he thought it was merely the 
 vagary of a disordered mind. 
 
 All that day and night they stood over her, applying the re- 
 medies said to be most efficient in cases of the kind, and 
 when the next morning came she was unquestionably better, 
 though still in great danger from a tendency of the disease 
 to the lungs, which, however, was less to be feared than its re- 
 turn to the brain. Very carefully and tenderly they watched 
 her, and had not Mr. Delafield been blinded by her supposed 
 love for another, he must have seen how much more readilv
 
 THE CRISIS. 805 
 
 she took things from him than from Dr. Clayton, following 
 him with her eyes whenever he moved away, and seeming 
 much more quiet when he was at her side. By the close of 
 the third day she was nearly free from the brain fever, but 
 much fear was felt by Dr. Clayton lest it should assume the 
 typhoid form, which it did ere long, and then for three 
 .weeks she raved in wild delirium, driving Richard Delafield 
 from her presence, shuddering when he came near, and beg- 
 ging of Dr. Clayton, whom she called her brother Charlie, 
 " to send the black man with his ugly face away." 
 
 This state of affairs was almost intolerable to Richard, 
 who, if he had loved Rose before, felt that she was tenfold 
 dearer to him now, and so, though he dared not come in her 
 sight when awake, he watched by her when she slept, stand- 
 ing over her hour after hour, and enduring with almost 
 superhuman strength the care which Dr. Clayton could 
 hardly be said to share, so absorbed was he in grief at 
 the thoughts of losing her at last. Thus the days wore 
 on until her frenzy abated, and she sank into a state of 
 apathy from which nothing could rouse her, not even the 
 sight of Richard Delafield, from whom she no longer shrank, 
 but for whom she seemed to have conceived a kind of pity, 
 asking him sometimes " if he hated her because she did not 
 love him, and telling him how hard she had tried to do so, 
 but could not, and that he must go away and leave her 
 alone !" And all this while it never occurred to him that 
 she fancied he was Dr. Clayton, though he did marvel at her 
 never mentioning her affianced husband, in whose arms she 
 would fall asleep, and whose hand she would kiss, calling 
 him Charlie, and asking if he had come to carry her 
 home. 
 
 Matters were in this state when one day, towards the 
 dusk of evening, he was surprised by the 'appearance of
 
 806 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 Halbert, who said that the cholera had broken out at the 
 Pines, and he must come immediately, adding further, that 
 his mother and Ada had both had it, that several of the 
 blacks were dead, and that the man, who two days before 
 had been sent to Cedar Grove, had died upon the road. 
 Greatly alarmed for the safety of his people, Mr. Delafield 
 started at once for the Pines, whither, in another chapter, 
 we will follow him.
 
 THE ANGEL OF THE PINES. 807 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 THE ANGEL OP THE PINES. 
 
 THE unexpected arrival of their master's sister and her 
 cortege at " The Pines," as Mr. Delafield's plantation was 
 called, produced quite a sensation among the blacks, who 
 hastened to receive their guests with many demonstrations 
 of joy, rather more affected than real, for Mrs. Lansing was 
 not very popular with them. Halbert and Jessie, on the 
 contrary, were general favorites among the servants, who 
 thought them little less than angels, particularly Jessie, 
 who, with her sweet, young face, laughing eyes, and wavy 
 hair, flitted like a sunbeam from cabin to cabin, asking 
 after this old Aunty, or that old Uncle, and screaming with 
 delight when in one hut she found three, lahies, all of an age, 
 and belonging to the same mother, who boasted of having 
 given to her master " fifteen as likely girls and boys as there 
 were in Georgy." 
 
 As yet the triplets had no names, but the arrival of the 
 family suggested a new idea to Hannah, who, seating her- 
 self by Jessie, proposed that they be called, " Richard 
 Delafield, Ada Montrose, and Jessie Lansing." 
 
 With the first and last the little girl was well pleased, 
 but she objected to the middle name, and taking one of the 
 infants upon her lap, she told the story of her beloved 
 teacher, who was dying at Cedar Grove, and asked that
 
 SOS MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 the child she held might be called for her. So, baptized 
 by Jessie's tears, which fell like rain upon its dark and 
 wrinkled face, the babe was christened " Rosa Lee." 
 
 The house which Mrs. Lansing termed her country resi- 
 dence (for she always spoke of her brother's possessions as 
 her own), was a large, double log building, containing 
 nothing very elegant in the way of furniture, but still pre- 
 senting an air of neatness and comfort ; for Aunt Dinah, 
 who had charge of it, prided herself upon keeping it neat 
 and clean, as her master was likely to come upon her at any 
 time without warning, and she liked to impress him with 
 her rare qualifications as housekeeper. With Mrs. Lansing, 
 however, she was less pleased, but still as the sister of 
 " Mars'r Richard," she was entitled to consideration, and 
 now in high turban, and all the dignity of her position, the 
 old lady bustled about from room to room, jingling her keys, 
 kicking the dogs, cuffing the woolly pate of any luckless wight 
 who chanced to be in her way, and occasionally stooping 
 doWu to kiss little Jessie, who, being of rather a domestic 
 turn, followed her from place to place, herself assisting in 
 spreading the supper table, which, with its snowy cloth, corn 
 cake, iced milk, hot coffee, and smoking steaks, soon pre- 
 sented a most inviting aspect. 
 
 Relieved of their fears and thinking themselves beyond 
 the reach of danger, Mrs. Lansing and Ada gave them- 
 selves up to the enjoyment of the hour, talking and laughing 
 gaily, without a thought of the sick girl they had left 
 behind, and who that night was to have been a bride. 
 Once, indeed, when after sunset they were assembled upon 
 the rude piazza, Ada spoke of her, wondering if she were 
 dead, and how long it would be ere Dr. Clayton would 
 marry another ! Such is the world, to which Ada formed 
 no exception, for how often do we hear the future com-
 
 THE ANGEL OF THE PINES. 309 
 
 panion of a broken-hearted man selected, even before the 
 wife of his bosom is removed forever from his sight ! 
 
 For a long time Mrs. Lansing sat there with Ada and 
 her children, talking on indifferent subjects and occasionally 
 congratulating herself that they were beyond reach of the 
 fever, unless, indeed, Jessie had contracted it by her foolish 
 carelessness ! On her lap rested the little golden head of 
 the child, who was humming snatches of "The Happy 
 Land," a favorite song which her uncle had taught her, and 
 which she had often sung with her teacher, asking numerous 
 questions concerning the better world, where 
 
 " Saints in glory stand, 
 Bright, bright as day," 
 
 and wondering if, when she died, Jesus would take her there 
 to sing, 
 
 "Worthy is our Saviour King." 
 
 Very naturally, now, her thoughts reverted to her gover- 
 ness, and as she listened to the whispering wind sighing 
 through the trees, she fancied it was the voice of Rose bid- 
 ding her, " come to the Happy Land." Sweet little Jessie, 
 it was the voices of angel, children, which you heard thus 
 calling through the pines ; for from their shining ranks one 
 beauteous form was missing, and they would fain allure it 
 back to its native sky. 
 
 Come I now to the saddest part of my story. Beneath the 
 evergreens of the sunny South is a little mound, over which 
 the shining stars keep watch, and the cypress spreads its 
 long green boughs, while the children of the plantation, 
 dark browed though they are, tread soft'y near that grave, 
 which they daily strew with flowers, speaking in low tones 
 of " the Angel of the Pines," as they term the fair young
 
 S10 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 girl, who passed so suddenly from their midst. It was now 
 nearly five weeks since Mrs. Lansing had fled from the 
 pestilence which walked at noonday, and though it had in 
 a measure abated in the village, there were still frequent 
 cases, and she would not have deemed it safe to return, 
 even if typhoid fever, which she feared nearly as much, had 
 not been in her own house. So there was no alternative 
 but to stay, uncomfortable though she was, for the weather 
 was intensely hot, and she missed many of the luxuries of 
 her home. Still it was healthy there, and this in a measure 
 reconciled her to remain. Occasionally, it is true, she heard 
 rumors of the cholera, on some distant plantation, but it 
 seldom visited the pine regions it would not come there ; 
 she was sure of that ; and secure in this belief, she rested in 
 comparative quiet, while each day the heat became more 
 and more intense. The sun came up red, fiery, and heated 
 like a furnace ; the clouds gave forth no rain ; the brooks 
 were dried up ; the leaves withered upon the trees, while 
 the air was full of humming insects, which at night fed upon 
 their helpless, sleeping victims. 
 
 At the close of one of these scorching, sultry days, Mrs. 
 Lansing and Ada sat upon the piazza, panting for a breath 
 of pure, cool air. At the side of each stood a negro girl, 
 industriously fanning their mistresses, who scolded them as 
 if they were to blame, because the air thus set in motion 
 was hot and burning as the winds which blow over the 
 great desert of Sahara. As they sat there thus, an old 
 man came up from the negro quarters, saying " his woman 
 done got sick wid the cramps," and he wished " his mistis 
 jest come down see her." 
 
 But Mrs. Lansing felt herself too languid for exertion of 
 any kind, and telling Uncle Abel that she herself was fully as 
 sick as his wife, who was undoubtedly feigning, she sent him
 
 THE ANGEL OF THE PINES. 811 
 
 back with a sinking heart to the rude cabin, where his old 
 wife lay, groaning aloud whenever the cramps, as she termed 
 them, seized her. Scarcely, however, had he entered the 
 low doorway, when a fairy form came flitting down the nar- 
 row pathway, her white dress gleaming through the dusky 
 twilight, and her golden hair streaming out behind. It was 
 little Jessie, who, from her crib, had heard her mother's 
 refusal to accompany Uncle Abel, and, stealing away unob- 
 served, she had come herself to see Aunt Chloe, with whom 
 she was quite a favorite. 
 
 Unaccustomed as Jessie was to sickness, she saw at a 
 glance that this was no ordinary case, and, kneeling down 
 beside the negress, who lay upon the floor, she took her 
 head upon her lap, and gently pushing back, beneath the 
 gay turban, the matted, grizzly hair, she asked where the 
 pain was. 
 
 " Bress de sweet chile," answered Chloe, "you can't 
 tache me with the pint of a cambric needle whar 'tain't, 
 and seems ef ebery jint in me was onsoderin' when de cramp 
 is on." 
 
 As if to verify the truth of this remark, she suddenly bent 
 tip nearly double, and rolling upon her face, groaned aloud. 
 At this moment a negro, who had gained some notoriety 
 among his companions as a physician, came in, and after 
 looking a moment at the prostrate form of Chloe, who was 
 now vomiting freely, he whispered a word which cleared 
 the cabin in a moment, for the mention of cholera had a 
 power to curdle the blood of the terrified blacks, who fled 
 to their own dwellings, where they cried aloud, and pray- 
 ing, some of them, "that de Lord would have mercy on 
 'em, and take somebody else to kingdom come, ef he must 
 have a nigger anyway." 
 
 Utterly fearless, Jessie stayed by, and when John, or as he
 
 312 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 was more familiarly known, " Doctor," proposed going for 
 her mother, she answered, " No, no ; Uncle Abel has been 
 for her once, but she won't come ; and if she knows it is 
 cholera, she'll take me away." 
 
 This convinced the " Doctor," who proceeded to put in 
 practice the medical skill which he had picked up at inter- 
 vals, and which was considerable for one of his capacity. 
 By this time, a few of the women, more daring than the 
 rest aud curious to know the fate of their companion, ven- 
 tured near the door, where they stood gazing wonderiugly 
 upon the poor old creature, who was fast floating out upon 
 the broad river of death. It was a most violent attack, 
 and its malignity was increased by a quantity of unripe 
 fruit which she had eaten that morning. 
 
 " Will somebody make a pra'r ?" she said, feebly, as she 
 felt her life fast ebbing away. " Abel, you pray for poor 
 Chloe," and her glassy eyes turned beseechingly towards her 
 husband, who was noted at camp-meetings for praying the 
 loudest and longest of any one. 
 
 But his strength had left him now, and kissing the shriv- 
 elled face of his dying wife, he said, " 'Scuse me, Chloe ; de 
 spcrrit is willin', but de flesh part is mighty weak and 
 shaky like. Miss Jessie, you pray !" he continued, as the 
 child came to his side. 
 
 "Yes, honey, pray," gasped Chloe ; and, kneeling down, 
 the little girl began the Lord's Prayer, occasionally inter- 
 spersing it with a petition that " God would take the depart- 
 ing soul to heaven." 
 
 "Yes, dat's it," whispered Chloe ; " dat's better dan all 
 dem fine words 'bout kingdom come and daily bread ; dey'll 
 do for white folks, but God bress old Chloe, de thing for 
 niggers to die on." 
 
 " Sing, honey, sing," she said, at last ; and. mingled with
 
 THE ANGEL OF THE PINES. 313 
 
 the lamentations of the blacks, there arose on the evening 
 air the soft notes of the Happy Land, which Jessie sang, 
 bending low towards Chloe, who, when the song was ended, 
 clasped her in her arms, and calling her " a shining angel," 
 went, we trust, to the better land, where bondage is un- 
 known, and the slave is equal to his master. 
 
 Loud and shrill rose the wail of the negroes, increasing 
 in violence when it was known that into another cabin the 
 pestilence had entered, prostrating a boy, who, iu his agony, 
 called for Jessie and mas'r Richard, thinking they could 
 save him. Late as it was, Mrs. Lansing, Ada, and Lina, 
 were still upon the piazza, which was far more comfortable 
 than their sleeping-room, where they supposed both Halbert 
 and Jessie were safely in bed. They were just thinking of 
 retiring, when suddenly the midnight sMllness was broken 
 by a cry so shrill that Mrs. Lansing started to Ijer feet, ask- 
 ing what it was. 
 
 From her couch by the open door, Aunt Dinah arose, and 
 going out a few rods, listened to the sound, which seemed 
 to come from the negro quarters, whither, at her mistress's 
 command, she bent her steps. But a short time elapsed ere 
 she returned with the startling news that, " the cholera was 
 thar that Chloe was dead, and another one had got it and 
 was vomucking all over the night-dress of Miss Jessie, who 
 was holdin' his head." 
 
 Wholly overcome with fright, Mrs. Lansing fainted, and 
 was borne to her room, where, for a time, she remained 
 unconscious, forgetful of Jessie, who stayed at the quarters 
 long after midnight, ministering to the wants of the sick, 
 of which, before morning, there were five, while others 
 showed symptoms of the rapidly spreading disease. As 
 soon as Mrs. Lansing returned to consciousness, she sent for 
 Jessie, who canic rductanlly. receiving her mother's reproof 
 14
 
 314 MEADOW BKOOK. 
 
 in silence, and falling away to sleep as calmly as if she had 
 not just been looking upon death, whose shadow was over 
 and around her. 
 
 Early the next morning, a man was sent in haste to 
 Cedar Grove, which he never reached, for the destroyer 
 met him on the road, and in one of the cabins of a neigh- 
 boring plantation, he died, forgetting, in the intensity of 
 his sufferings, the errand on which he had been sent ; and 
 as those who attended him knew nothing of Mrs. Lansing's 
 being at the Pines, it was not until the second day after the 
 appearance of the cholera that she learned the fate of her 
 servant. In a state bordering almost upon distraction, she 
 waited for her brother, shuddering with fear whenever a 
 new case was reported to her, and refusing to visit the suf- 
 ferers, although among them were some who had played 
 with her iif childhood ; and one, an old grey-haired man, 
 who had saved her from a watery grave, when on the 
 Savannah Eiver she had fallen overboard. But there was 
 no place for gratitude in her selfish heart, and the miserable 
 creatures were left to die alone, uncheered by the presence 
 of a pale face, save little Jessie, who won her mother's 
 reluctant consent to be with them, and who, all the day 
 long, went from cabin to cabin, soothing the sick and dying 
 by her presence, and emboldening others by her own intre- 
 pidity. 
 
 Towards sunset, Mrs. Lansing herself was seized with the 
 malady, and with a wild shriek, she called on Ada to help 
 her ; but that young lady was herself too much intimidated 
 to heed the call, and in an adjoining room she sat with 
 camphor at her nose and brandy at her side, until a fierce, 
 darting pain warned her that she, too, was a victim. No 
 longer afraid of Mrs. Lansing, she made no resistance when 
 borne to the same apartment, where for hours they lay,
 
 THE ANGEL OF THE PINES. 315 
 
 bemoaning the fate which had brought them there, and 
 trembling as they thought of the probable result. 
 
 On Mrs. Lansing's mind there was a heavy load, and once, 
 when the cold perspiration stood thickly upon her face, she 
 ordered Jessie and Dinah from the room, while she confessed 
 to Ada the sin of which she had been guilty in deceiving 
 both her brother and Rose. 
 
 " It was a wicked falsehood," said she, " aud if you sur- 
 vive me, you must tell them so, will you ?" 
 
 Ada nodded in token that she would, and then, thiuking 
 her own conscience might be made easier by a similar con- 
 fession, she told how she had thought to injure Rose in Mr. 
 Delafield's estimation, and also of the blister, which had 
 drawn on Hagar's back instead of her own 1 This done, 
 the two ladies felt greatly relieved, and as the cholera in 
 their case had been induced mostly by fear, it began ere 
 long to yield to the efficient treatment of Diuah, who to her 
 housekeeping qualities added that of being a skillful nurse. 
 Towards morning they were pronounced decidedly better, 
 and as Jessie was asleep and Dinah nodding in her cliuii', 
 Mrs. Lansing lifted her head from her pillow, saying to Ada, 
 " If you please, you needn't tell what. I told you last night, 
 when I thought I was going to die 1" 
 
 Ada promised to be silent, and after winning a similar 
 promise from Mrs. Lansing, they both fell asleep, nor woke 
 again until the sun was high up in the heavens. So much 
 for a sick-bed repentance 1 
 
 That day was hotter and more sultry than any which had 
 preceded it ; and about the middle of the afternoon little 
 Jessie came to Dinah's side and laying her head upon her 
 lap complained of being both cold and tired. Blankets were 
 wrapped around her, but they brought to her no warmth, 
 for her blood was chilled by approaching death, and when
 
 816 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 at dusk* the negroes asked why she came not among them, 
 they were told that she was dying ! With streaming eyes 
 they fell upon their knees, and from those humble cabins 
 there went up many a fervent prayer for God to spare the 
 child. But it could not be ; she was wanted in heaven ; and 
 when old Uncle Abel, who had also been ill, crept on his 
 hands and knees to her bedside, calling upon her name, she 
 did not know him, for unconsciousness was upon her, and in 
 infinite mercy she was spared the pain usually attendant up- 
 on the disease. 
 
 Almost bereft of reason and powerless to act, Mrs. Lan- 
 sing sat by her child, whose life was fast ebbing away. In 
 a short time all the negroes, who were able, had come to 
 the honse, their dark faces stained with tears and expressive 
 of the utmost concern, as they looked upon the little girl, 
 who lay so white and still, with her fair hair floating 
 over the pillow and her waxen hands folded upon her 
 bosom. 
 
 " Sing to me, Uncle Dick," she said, at last, " sing of the 
 Happy Land not far away ;" but Uncle Dick was not there, 
 and they who watched her were too much overcome with 
 grief to heed her request. 
 
 Slowly the hours wore on, and the spirit was almost home, 
 when again she murmured, " Sing of the Happy Land ;" 
 and as if in answer to her prayer, the breeze, which all the 
 day long had been hushed and still, now sighed mournfully 
 through the trees, while a mocking-bird in the distance 
 struck up his evening lay ; and amid the gushing melody of 
 that wondrous bird of song and the soft breathing notes of 
 the whispering pines, little Jessie passed to the " Happy 
 Land," which to those who watched the going out of her 
 short life, seemed, indeed, " not far away." 
 
 " With a bitter cry the bereaved mother fell upon her
 
 THE ANGEL OF THE FIXES. 317 
 
 face and wept aloud, saying, in her heart, " My God, my 
 God, why have I thus been dealt with ?" 
 
 In the distance was heard the sound of horses' feet, and 
 ere long her brother was with her, weeping as only strong 
 men weep, over the lifeless form which returned him no an- 
 swering caress. She had beeu his idol, and for a moment he, 
 too, questioned the justice of God in thus afflicting him. 
 
 " Jessie is gone, Rosa is going, and I shall be left alone," 
 he thought. " What have I done to deserve a chastisement 
 like this ?" 
 
 Soon, however, he grew calmer, and saying, " It is well;" 
 he tenderly kissed the lips and brow of the be'autiful child, 
 who seemed to smile on him even in death ; then going out 
 among his people, he comforted them as best he could, drop- 
 ping more than one tear to the memory of those who they 
 told him were dead, and who numbered eight in all. At a 
 short distance from the house was a tall cypress where Jes- 
 sie had often sported, and where now was a play-house, built 
 by her hands but a few days before. There, by the light 
 of the silvery moon, they made her a grave, and when the 
 sun was up, its rays fell upon the pile of earth which hid 
 from view the sunny face and soft blue eyes of Jessie, " the 
 Angel of the Pines."
 
 818 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 RETURN. 
 
 FOR nearly a week after Jessie's death, Mr. Delafield re- 
 mained at the Pines, doing whatever he could for the com- 
 fort of his servants, and as at the end of that time the dis- 
 ease had wholly dissappeared, he returned to Cedar Grove, 
 accompanied by his sister and Ada, who had learned by sad 
 experience that the dangers from which we flee, are often- 
 times less than those to which we go. They found Rose bet- 
 ter, but still quite low, and as the fever had not entirely 
 left her, neither Mrs. Lansing nor Ada ventured near her 
 room, but shut themselves in their own apartment, where 
 the former received the sympathy of her friends, which in 
 this case was truly sincere, for Jessie was universally be- 
 loved and the tidings of her death carried sorrow to many 
 hearts. 
 
 Over Dr. Clayton a change had come. The hopeful, 
 happy expression of his face was gone, and in its place was 
 a look of utter hopelessness which at first roused Richard's 
 fears lest Rose should be worse, and in much alarm he asked 
 if it were so* 
 
 " No, no," answered the doctor, while a shadow of pain 
 passed over his handsome features ; "she will live." 
 
 Then hurrying to the window he looked out to hide his 
 tears from him whom he knew to be his rival, and who, now
 
 RETURN. 819 
 
 that he was unobserved, bent over the sleeping Rose, kiss- 
 ing her wasted cheek and mourning for her as he thought 
 how she would weep when she learned the fate of her favo- 
 rite. Oh, could he have known the whole, how passionately 
 would he have clasped her to his bosom and held her there 
 as his own, his darling Rose ! But it was not yet to be, and 
 he must bide his time. 
 
 She had seemed greatly relieved at his absence, and on 
 the second day after his departure, she called Dr. Clayton 
 to her side, fancying him to be her brother Charlie. Tak- 
 ing his hands in hers, she told him the whole story of her 
 trials ; how she had tried to bring back the old affection of 
 her childhood, but could not because of the love she had for 
 Richard Delafield. 
 
 " Oh, Charlie," she exclaimed, " he would forgive me, I 
 know, if he knew how much I suffered during those terrible 
 days, when I thought of giving my hand without my heart. 
 The very idea set my brain on fire and my head has ached, 
 oh, so hard since then, but it's over now, for I conquered at 
 last, and on the night before the wedding, I resolved to tell 
 him all, how I could not and would not marry him. But a 
 dark cloud, which seemed like the rushing of mighty waters, 
 came over me, and I don't know where I am, nor what has 
 happened, only he has been here, hanging like a shadow over 
 my pillow, where sat another shadow tenfold blacker, which 
 he said was death ; but grim and hideous as it was, I pre- 
 ferred it to a life with him, when my whole soul was given 
 to another. He, too, was here occasionally, and in his pre- 
 sence the shadow grew less and less, while his voice called 
 me back from the deep darkness in which I was groping. 
 Once, when I was almost home, so near that I heard the 
 song which little Jamie sings Jamie, who died so long ago 
 he laid his cool hand upon my forehead, which was wet
 
 320 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 with the waters of the rolling river, and I heard him say to 
 some one, ' Look up ; she is better, she will live.' The next 
 moment he was gone, but I struggled with the waves and 
 floated back to the shore, where, though I could not see 
 him, his hand was stretched out to save me, and for a time 
 he stood between me and Dr. Clayton, who, when he thought 
 nobody heard him, whispered in my ear, ' my bride my 
 own.' But from my inmost soul I answered, ' Never, never,' 
 while I looked again towards the river which is still in 
 sight, though slowly receding from view." 
 
 She paused a moment and then continued : " When I am 
 dead, Charlie, you must tell him how it was, and ask him to 
 forgive and think with pity of poor little Rose, who would 
 have loved him if she could. If he will not listen if he 
 still persists in marrying me, tell him I would rather die ten 
 thousand deaths than wed a man I do not love, and then his 
 pride will come to his aid. But not a word of this to Mr. 
 Delafield, Charlie, never let him know how I loved him. My 
 affection is not returned, and he would despise me would 
 never visit my grave or think with pity of one who died so 
 far away from home." 
 
 Then followed a message for the loved ones of Meadow 
 Brook, but this Dr. Clayton did not hear. Perfectly para- 
 lyzed, he had listened to her story untrl his reason seemed in 
 danger of leaving him, and long ere she had finished he 
 kuew he must give her up but not to death ; and as Rich- 
 ard Delafield had done, so he, in this his hour of bitter trial, 
 felt how much rather he would see her in her coffin than the 
 wife of another. Then in his ear the tempter whispered, 
 " Why need these things be ? She is not yet out of danger. 
 A little relaxation of care on your part, and Richard Dela- 
 field will never call her his." 
 
 Only for a moment, however, did Dr. Clayton listen, and
 
 RETURN. 321 
 
 then laying his head upon the pillow beside that of Rose, 
 who, wearied with her story, had fallen asleep, he wept as 
 he had never wept before, not even when he saw creeping 
 over her the shadow of death. Turn which way he would, 
 there was nanght before him save the darkness of despair ; 
 and as wave after wave broke over him, his mind went back- 
 ward to the time when she might have been his when he 
 could have gathered her to his bosom and in piteous ac- 
 cents he cried aloud, " My punishment is greater than I can 
 bear." 
 
 But as the fiercest storm soonest expends its fury, so he 
 ere long grew calm and capable of sober, serious thought. 
 Rosa Lee was very dear to him, and to have possessed her 
 love, he would have given almost everything ; but as that 
 could not be, ought he to stand in the way of her happi- 
 ness ? He knew she was deceived, for he remembered many 
 things he bad seen in Mr. Delafield, which, though he had 
 not thought of it then, convinced him now that her affection 
 was reciprocated ; and should he not tell her so, and at the 
 same time disclose to Richard the true state of affairs ? 
 Rosa's quiet, unobtrusive, and rather reserved manner had 
 misled Richard, no doubt, or he would long ere this have 
 declared his love. 
 
 " Yes, God helping me, I will do right," he said aloud, 
 clasping his hands over his feverish brow. " I will watch 
 by her until his return, and then committing her to his care 
 I will leave her forever." 
 
 Thei'e was a movement at his side Rose was dreaming, 
 and she uttered the name of Richard, while, with a shiver, 
 the doctor stopped his ears and shut out the hated sound. In 
 a moment she awoke and asked for water. It was brought, 
 but he no longer supported her in his arms no longer 
 smoothed back the tangled curls from her brow, or kissed 
 14*
 
 322 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 her white lips. " She is not mine, and it were wrong to ca- 
 ress her now," he thought, and his tears fell upon her face 
 as he laid her gently back upon the pillow. Wonderingly 
 she gazed upon him, and lifting her hand, wiped his tears 
 away, asking why he wept. 
 
 " Heaven help me from going mad," he exclaimed aloud, 
 as he walked to the window, where for a long time he stood, 
 trying to school himself for the part he was to act. 
 
 He succeeded at last, and never did a tender brother 
 watch more carefully over a darling sister than did he over 
 her during the few days which elapsed ere Mr. Delafield's 
 return. He was alone with her when he came, and with 
 comparative calmness he greeted his rival, who, as we have 
 before stated, was surprised at the change in his looks. 
 
 That night, in the solitude of his chamber the doctor penned 
 two letters ; one for Rose and the other for Richard. In sub- 
 stance, the contents of each were much the same, for he told 
 them all he had heard from Rose, and how, though it broke 
 his heart to do so, he had given her up. " Deal very, very 
 gently with her," he wrote to Mr. Delafield, " for never was 
 there a purer, gentler being, or one more worthy of your 
 love than she. Then take her, and when your cup is over- 
 flowing with happiness, think sometimes of one, who, hence- 
 forth will be a lonely, wretched man." 
 
 The letters being written he put them away until such 
 time as he should need them. Once he thought to talk with 
 Richard face to face, but this he felt he could not do ; so one 
 morning about a week after the return of the family to Ce- 
 dar Grove, and when Rose was out of danger, he pressed a 
 burning kiss upon her forehead, and placing the letters on 
 the little dressing bureau where they would attract the imme- 
 diate attention of Mr. Delafield, who, he knew would soon 
 lie there, he went in quest of Mrs. Lnnsing, whom he bade
 
 RETURN*. 323 
 
 good-bye as composedly as if no inward fire were consuming 
 him. In much surprise, she asked why he left them so ab- 
 ruptly, and he replied, " something which has recently come 
 to my knowledge makes it necessary for me to go." 
 
 " You will of course return ere long for Miss Leef con- 
 tinued the lady, who had no suspicion of the truth. 
 
 " If /do not come I shall send her brother as soon as she 
 is able to be moved," said he. " She does not know that I 
 am going, for she would not understand me if I told her, so 
 I leave it with you to tell her when you think she will com- 
 prehend it." 
 
 Then leaving a few directions as to how she must be treat- 
 ed, he hurried away, never looking back, and turning into a 
 side street when in the distance he saw Mr. Delafield coming 
 towards him. Half an hour afterward and the puffing en- 
 gine, which now each day thundered into town, was bearing 
 him away from a place whither he had coine^for a bride, and 
 from which he bore only a crushed and aching heart. 
 Scarcely had he left Rose's chamber when a colored woman 
 entered it to " set it to rights " as was* her daily custom 
 She was near-sighted, and going up to the dressing-bureau, 
 carelessly brushed off the letter directed to Richard ! Fall- 
 ing behind the bureau, it lay concealed from view, while the 
 negress proceeded with her duties, unconscious of the mis- 
 chief she had done ! 
 
 In great surprise Richard heard of Dr. Clayton's sudden 
 departure. " There must be something wrong," he thought, 
 though what he did not know. Going up to Rosa's chamber, 
 he found her still asleep. The room was in order the servant 
 gone, and on the bureau lay the letter which soon caught 
 his attention. Glancing at the superscription he saw it 
 was for Rose, and thinking to keep it safely until she corfid un- 
 derstand its contents, he placed it in his pocket ; then taking a
 
 324 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 book, he sat by her bedside nntil she awoke. She was ap- 
 parently better, but an unnatural brightness of her eyes told 
 that her iniiid was still unsettled. So he said nothing to 
 her concerning the doctor's desertion, but himself ministered 
 to her wants. 
 
 In the course of a few days Mrs. Lansing was induced to 
 visit her. This she did more willingly, for Rose had loved her 
 little Jessie ; she would weep bitterly when she knew she 
 was dead ; and the proud nature of the haughty woman gave 
 way to the softer feelings, which often prompts a mother to 
 take a deeper interest in whatever was once dear to a lost, 
 a precious child. So casting aside her nervous fear, she at 
 last went frequently to the sick-room, her own white, deli- 
 cate hands sometimes arranging the tumbled pillow or hold- 
 ing the cooling draught to the lips of her formerly despised 
 governess despised, not for anything which she had done, 
 but because it was hers to labor for the bread she ate.
 
 LIGHT. 825 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 IT was early morning. The windows of my room were 
 open, admitting the fresh, cool air, which had been purified 
 by one of those terrific thunder storms, so common in a 
 southern clime. For many weeks I had lain there in a state 
 of unconsciousness, save at intervals when I had a dreamy 
 realization of what was transpiring around me. The physi- 
 cian who was called in Dr. Clayton's stead had more than 
 once hinted of continued insanity, citing similar cases which 
 had come under his observation ; but in spite of his opinion, 
 I, that bright August morning, awoke from a refreshing 
 sleep, with perfectly restored faculties. At first I thought I 
 was alone, for there was a deep stillness in the room, and 
 from the hall below I distinctly heard the ticking of the 
 clock, reminding me of the time, years ago, when once be- 
 fore I had hovered between life and death. Now, as then, I 
 experienced the delicious feeling of returning health, but I 
 missed the familiar faces of my friends, and as I thought 
 how far I was from home, and all who loved me, I said aloud, 
 " I am alone, alone." 
 
 " Not alone, Rosa, for / am with you," answered a deep 
 voice near, and the next moment the dark form of Richard 
 Dt-lafield bent over me. 
 
 Eiigcrly scanning my face, he said, " Do you know me ?"
 
 326 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 " Yes," I answered. " Mr. Delafield." Then as a dim re- 
 membrance of the past came over me, I lifted my head and 
 looked around the room for one who I knew had not long 
 since been there. 
 
 Divining my thought, he said very gently, as if the an- 
 nouncement would of course give me pain, " He is not here, 
 Eosa. He was obliged to go home, but I dare say he will 
 soon return meantime I will take care of you. Don't feel 
 so badly," he continued, as tears of genuine, joy at Dr. Clay- 
 ton's absence gathered in my eyes. 
 
 I could not tell him the truth, and when I next spoke it 
 was to ask him concerning my illness, how long it had been, 
 etc. 
 
 After telling me all that he thought proper, he took the 
 letter from his pocket, and said, " Dr. Clayton left this for 
 you. Have you strength to read it now ?" 
 
 " Yes, yes," I replied eagerly, at the same time stretching 
 out my hand to take it. 
 
 There was a blur upon my eyes as I read, and I pitied Dr. 
 Clayton, who had thus laid bare to me his wretchedness, but 
 mingled with this was a feeling of relief to know that I was free. 
 He told me what he had written to Mr. Delafield, and when 
 I came to that portion of the letter, I involuntarily uttered 
 an exclamation of delight, while I glanced timidly towards 
 him. But he made no sign. The letter which would have 
 explained all was safely lodged behind the bureau, and with 
 a gloomy brow he watched me while I read, interpreting my 
 emotions into the satisfaction he naturally supposed I would 
 feel in hearing from my lover. With me the revulsion was 
 too great, for I fancied I saw in the expression of his face 
 contempt for one who had presumed to love him, and bursting 
 into tears, I cried and laughed alternately, while he tried to 
 soothe me ; but I would not be comforted by him he hated
 
 LIGHT. 327 
 
 me, I knew, and very pettishly I told him at last " to let me 
 alone and go away I was better without him than with 
 him," I said, " and he would oblige me by leaving the 
 room." 
 
 The next moment I repented my harshness, which I knew 
 had caused him pain, for there was a look of sorrow upon his 
 face as he complied with my request. But I was too proud 
 to call him back, and for the next half hour I cried and fret- 
 ted alone, first at him for making Dr. Clayton think he loved 
 me when he didn't, secondly, at Dr. Clayton for meddling 
 with what didn't concern him, and lastly, at myself, for be- 
 ing so foolish as to care whether anybody loved me or not ! 
 At the end of that time Richard came back. The cloud had 
 disappeared, and very good-hum oredly he asked " if I had 
 got over my pet, and if I wanted anything." 
 
 I did not, but wishing to make amends for my former ill- 
 humor, I asked him to shut the windows, which he did, open- 
 ing them again in less than five minutes, and fanning me furi- 
 ously, I was " so hot aud fidgety." For several hours he 
 humored all my whims and caprices, and then, as he saw I 
 was tiring myself out, he began to exercise his authority 
 over me, telling me once, I l^member, " to lie still and be- 
 have, or I would make myself worse !" 
 
 Intimidated by his voice and manner, I sank down among 
 my pillows, nor stirred again until I awoke from a sweet 
 sleep into which I had fallen. This time he was gone, but 
 Mrs. Lansing was with me, aud the tones of her voice seemed 
 unusually kind as she addressed me. Richard again came 
 ..ring a beautiful bouquet, which he presented to me 
 " as a peace offering," he said, " for having scolded me so in 
 the mo; 
 
 Before night I was so much better that Ada, Lina, and Hal- 
 bert came in to see me, each expressing their pleasure at mv
 
 328 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 convalescence. But one there was who came not to greet 
 me, and at whose absence I greatly marvelled. She had 
 ever been the first to meet me in the morning, and the last tc 
 leave me at night. Why, then, did she tarry now, when I 
 wished so much to see her ? Alas, I did not know that 
 never again would her home be gladdened by the sunshine 
 of her presence, for it was Jessie whom I missed Jessie for 
 whom I longed straining my ear to catch the sound of her 
 ringing laugh, or bounding footsteps. 
 
 At last, as the day wore on and she did not come, I asked 
 for her and why she stayed so long away. 
 
 Wringing her hands, Mrs. Lansing exclaimed, " Tell her, 
 Richard, I cannot. It will kill me. Oh, Jessie, Jessie !" 
 
 But I had no need for further knowledge. I saw what I 
 had not before observed, viz., the mourning garments of 
 those around me, and in tears of anguish, I cried, " My darl- 
 ing is dead 1" 
 
 " Yes, Jessie is dead," answered Richard. " We shall 
 never see her again, for she is safe in the Happy Land, of 
 which you so often told her." 
 
 I could not weep. My sorrow was too great for tears, 
 and covering my face I thought for a long, long time. " Why 
 was it," I asked myself, " that always when death had hovered 
 near me, I had been spared, and another taken," for, as in 
 the case of Jessie, so had it been with brother Jamie they 
 had died, while I had lived, and with a fervent thanksgiving 
 to Heaven, which had dealt thus mei 'fully with me, I prayed 
 that it might not be in vain. 
 
 Gradually, as I could bear it, k*. Delafield told me the 
 sad story how she had hung fearlessly over my pillow when 
 all else had deserted me how she hau come for him and 
 how naught but her mother's pere'^Dtory commands had 
 taken her from my side. As he talked, there came back to
 
 LIGHT. 329 
 
 me a vague recollection of a fairy form, a seraph I thought it 
 to have been, which, when the dark river was running fast at 
 my feet, had hovered near, whispering to me words of love, 
 and bidding some one bury me beneath the tall magnolia. 
 Then he told me how she had stood like a ministering spirit 
 by the rude conch of the poor African?, who, with their dy- 
 ing breath, had blessed her, calling her " The Angel of the 
 Pines." From her head he himself had shorn her beautiful 
 shining curls, one of which he gave to me, and which I prize 
 as my most precious treasure ; for often as I look upon it, I 
 see again the little gleeful girl, my " Georgia rose," who, for 
 a brief space, dwelt within her fair southern home, and was 
 then transplanted to her native soil, where now she blooms, 
 the fairest, sweetest flower of all which deck the fields of 
 heaven. 
 
 The shock of her death very naturally retarded my recov- 
 ery, and for many weeks more was I confined to my room. 
 About the middle of October, Charlie, whose coming I had 
 long expected, arrived, bringing to me the sad news that 
 death had again entered our household, that by my father's 
 and Jamie's grave was another mouud, and at home another 
 vacant chair, that of my aged grandmother, whose illness, 
 he said, had prevented him from coming to me sooner, add- 
 ing further that they had purposely kept her sickness 
 from me, fearing the effect it might have. Of Dr. Clay- 
 ton he could tell me but little. He had not visited 
 Meadow Brook at all, but immediately after his return to 
 Boston, he had written to them, saying I was out of danger, 
 and Charlie must go for me as soon as the intense heat of 
 summer was over. This was all they knew, though with 
 woman's ready tact, both my mother and my sisters conjec- 
 tured that something was wrong, and Charlie's first question 
 after telling me what he did, was to inquire into the existing
 
 330 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 state of affairs between me and the doctor, and if it were my 
 illness alone which had deferred the marriage. 
 
 " Don't ask me now," I replied, " not until we are far 
 from here, and then I will tell you all." 
 
 This silenced Charlie, and once when Mr. Delafield ques- 
 tioned him concerning Dr. Clayton, and why he, too, did 
 not come for me, he replied evasively, but in a manner cal- 
 culated still further to mislead Mr. Delafield, who had no 
 suspicion of the truth, though he fancied there was something 
 wrong. In the meantime he was to me the same kind 
 friend, ministering to all my wants, and with a lavish gener- 
 osity procuring for me every delicacy, however costly it 
 might be. 
 
 One day Charlie, with his usual abruptness, said to me, 
 " Rose, why didn't you fall in love with Mr. Delafield. I 
 should much rather have him than a widower ?" 
 
 The hot blood rushed to my cheeks as I replied quickly, 
 " He is engaged to Miss Montrose. They were to have been 
 married this fall, Mrs. Lansing said, but the marriage is, I 
 presume, deferred on account of their recent affliction. At 
 least I hear nothing said of it." 
 
 " If I am any judge of human nature," returned Charlie, 
 "Mr. Delafield cares far more for you than for Miss Mon- 
 tross, even if they are engaged. But then you are poor, 
 while she is rich, and that I suppose makes the difference." 
 
 I knew Mr. Delafield too well to suspect him of mercenary 
 motives in marrying Ada, and so I said, " He loved her, of 
 course, and it was natural that he should, for though she had 
 some faults, he probably saw in her enough of good to over- 
 balance the bad." 
 
 And still I could not help thinking that, as Charlie had 
 
 is attentions to me were far more lover-like than they 
 
 were towards her. But then I fancied that his kindness
 
 LIGHT. 331 
 
 was prompted by the pity which he felt for me, a young girl 
 so far from home. Thus the days wore on, leaving me de- 
 ceived and him deceived, while the letter still lay behind 
 the bureau ! 
 
 At last the morning dawned on which I was to say good- 
 bye to the scenes I loved so well. I was to leave the " sun- 
 ny South," with its dark evergreens, its flowering vines, its 
 balmy air. I was to leave him, who, ere the next autumn 
 leaves were falling, would take to his beautiful home a bride. 
 Then I thought of little Jessie's grave, which I had not 
 seen, and on which my tears would never fall, and taking 
 from its hiding-place the tress of shining hair, I wept over 
 that my last adieu. It was later than usual when Mr. Dela- 
 field appeared, and as he came in I saw that he was very 
 pale. 
 
 " Are you sick ?" I asked, as he wiped the perspiration 
 from his face. 
 
 " No, no," he hurriedly answered ; at the same time cross- 
 ing over to a side table, he poured out and drank two large 
 goblets of ice water. 
 
 Then resuming his former seat near me, he took my hand, 
 and looking me earnestly in my face, said, " Rose, shall I 
 ever see you here again ?" 
 
 Before I could answer, Ada chimed in, " Of course we 
 shall. Do coax the doctor to bring you here sometime, and 
 let us see how you bear the honors of being madam 1" 
 
 Instantly the earnest look passed away from Mr. Dela- 
 field's face, and was succeeded by a scow), which remained 
 until the carriage which was to take me to the depot was 
 announced. Then the whole expression of his countenance 
 changed, and for a brief instant my heart thrilled with joy, 
 for I could not mistake the deep meaning of his looks as he 
 bent over me and whispered his farewell.
 
 332 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 " God bless you, Rose," he said. " My Rose I once hoped 
 to call you. But it cannot be. Farewell !" 
 
 There was one burning kiss upon my lips, and the next mo- 
 ment he was gone. 
 
 " Are you going to the depot ?" asked his sister, as he 
 was leaving the room. 
 
 " No, no, ao," he replied, and then as Charlie again bade 
 me come, I rose bewildered to my feet, hardly realizing when 
 Mrs. Lansing, Ada and Lina bade me adieu. 
 
 Halbert went with me in the carriage, and together with 
 Charlie looked wondcringly at me, as I unconsciously repeat- 
 ed in a whisper, " My Rose I once hoped to call you. It is 
 Ada who stands in the way," I said to myself, and covering 
 my face with my veil, I wept as I thought of all I had lost 
 when Richard Delafield offered his heart to another. He did 
 love me. I was sure of that, but what did it avail me. He 
 was too honorable to break his engagement with Ada, so 
 henceforth I must walk alone, bearing the burden of an ach- 
 ing heart. 
 
 " Oh, I have loved you so much," said Halbert, winding 
 his arms about my neck "loved you as I shall never love 
 another teacher," and the boy's tears flowed fast as he bade 
 me good-bye. 
 
 One parting glance at Cedar Grove, one last lingering 
 look at Sunny Bank, one thought of Jessie's grave, and then 
 the hissing engine shot out into the woods, leaving them all 
 behind. Leaning back on Charlie's arm and drawing my 
 veil over my face, I thought how impossible it was- that I 
 should ever visit that spot again.
 
 LIGHT. 333 
 
 In the meantime a far different scene was being enacted 
 in the apartment I had just vacated. Scarcely had the 
 whistle of the engine died away in the distance, when a troup 
 of blacks, armed with boiling suds and scrubbing-brushes, 
 entered my changer for the purpose of cleaning it. They 
 had carried from it nearly every article of furniture, and 
 nothing remained save the matting and the bureau, the lat- 
 ter of which they were about to remove when they were sur- 
 prised at the unexpected appearance of Mr. Delafield, who 
 could not resist the strong desire which he felt to stand once 
 more in the room where Rose had spent so many weary 
 weeks. For a moment the blacks suspended their employ- 
 ment, and then Linda, who seemed te be leading, took hold 
 of the bureau, giving one end of it a shove towards the cen- 
 tre of the room. The movement dislodged the long lost let- 
 ter, which, covered with dirt and cobwebs, fell upon the 
 floor, at her feet. She was the same woman who, weeks be- 
 fore, had carelessly knocked off the letter, which she now- 
 picked up and handed to Mr. Delafield, saying, as she wiped 
 off the dirt, " It must have laid thar a heap of a while, and 
 now I think ou't. 'pears like ever so long ago, when I was bresh- 
 iu' the bureau, I hearn somethin' done drap, but I couldn't 
 find uothin', and it must have been this." 
 
 Glancing at the superscription, and recognizing the hand- 
 writing of Dr. Clayton, Mr. Delafield broke the seal, and 
 read ! From black to white from white to red from red to 
 speckled and from speckled back again to its natural color, 
 grew his face as he proceeded, while his eyes grew so dazzling- 
 ly bright with the intensity of his feelings that the negroes, 
 who watched him, whispered among themselves that he 
 " must be gwine stark mad." 
 
 His active, quick-seeing n^id took in the meaning of each 
 sentence, and even before he had finished the letter he un-
 
 834 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 derstood everything just as it was why Rose had appeared 
 so strangely when she read Dr. Clayton's letter to herself, and 
 realized perfectly what her feelings must have been as day 
 after day went by and he still " made no sign." 
 
 " But she is mine now, thank Heaven ! and nothing shall 
 take her from me," he exclaimed aloud, unmindful of the 
 presence of the negroes, who, confirmed in their impression 
 of his insanity, looked curiously after him as he went down 
 the stairs, down the walk, and out into the street, proceed- 
 ing with rapid strides towards the depot.
 
 THE CHASE. 385 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 THE CHASE. 
 
 THE railroad which passed through W was only 
 
 a branch of the main route leading to Charleston, and con- 
 sequently there were but two passenger trains each way per 
 day ; and as Mr. Delafield's great object now was to reach 
 Charleston before the boat in which Rose was to sail should 
 leave the landing, it seemed impossible for him to wait until 
 night, for not until then was the next train due. Suddenly 
 he remembered that the express train left Augusta about 
 four o'clock P. M. It was now ten, and he could easily reach 
 it in time for the cars, provided there had been no change 
 in the time table. To ascertain this, therefore, he hastened 
 to the depot, where to his dismay he learned that the train 
 left Augusta at two. 
 
 But with him to will was to do. Flying rather than 
 walking back to his house, he called out Bill, his coachman, 
 startling him with the inquiry as to whether it would be 
 possible, with his best horses, a span of beautiful dappled 
 greys, which were valued at a thousand dollars, to drive to 
 Augusta in less than four hours. 
 
 Besides being naturally lazy and unwilling for exertion of 
 any kind, Bill was also remarkably tender of said greys, who 
 were his pride, and whom he had named Fred and Ferd. On 
 hearing his master's inquiry, therefore, he looked perfectly
 
 886 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 aghast, and diving both hands into his matted wool, by way 
 of illustration undoubtedly, replied, " Mighty tough scratching 
 I can tell you, mars'r. Them ponies hain't been driv, only 
 what I've ex'cized 'em for health, for better'n a month, and 
 to run 'em as I'd hev to run 'em, would kill 'em stone dead. 
 No, mars'r, can't think oii't for a minit," and as if this were 
 conclusive, and his word the law, Bill stuffed his hands into 
 his bagging trousers, and was walking quietly away, when Mr. 
 Delafield stopped him, saying, " I shall try it at all events. 
 So get out the carriage immediately, and mind you are not 
 over five minutes doing it. Ask some one to help you, if 
 necessary ho, Jack," and he called to a ragged mulatto 
 boy who was doing nothing, and bade him assist Bill in har- 
 nessing the horses. 
 
 Rolling his white eyes in utter astonishment at what 
 seemed to him the folly of his master, Bill began to expostu- 
 late, " Lor, mars'er, you kill" 
 
 " Silence, and do as I bid you," said Mr. Delafield, in a 
 tone which Bill thought best to obey, and sauntering off to 
 the stables, he brought out the ponies, who pranced and 
 pawed the ground, while he admired their flowing manes 
 and smooth shining coats. 
 
 Then seeing Jack standing near, ready to help, he haugh- 
 tily ordered him away, saying, " Nobody but myself is fit to 
 tache these critters. They'd know in a miuit if a low-lived 
 nigger like you came a near. 
 
 Nothing loth, Jack walked off, while Bill proceeded lei- 
 surely to harness the beautiful animals, talking to them as if 
 they were intelligent beings, and telling them, " never to 
 fear they wan't a gwine to be druv to Gusty in two hours, 
 and no sich thing. Bill sot on the box, and 'twas nothin' to 
 mars'r, who was lollin on the cushions inside." 
 
 At this point he was startled by the voice of Mr. Dela-
 
 THE CHASE. 337 
 
 field, who, having hastily packed a few articles in his port- 
 manteau, and written a line to his sister, had come out to 
 superintend in person the movements of his servant, whose 
 peculiarities he perfectly understood. 
 
 " So ho," said he, " you mean to cheat me do you ?" at the 
 same time signifying his intention of having the horse go as 
 fast as he liked. 
 
 " The Lord help Fred and Ferd then, for Bill can't," was 
 the mental ejeculation of the negro as he saw the fire in his 
 master's eye and knew he must be obeyed. 
 
 Still he managed to be as slow as possible, insisting that 
 " Ferd allus had to drink two buckets and a half, or he 
 wan't wuth a dime," adding in a conciliatory tone, that " with 
 two buckets and a half in him he'd run like lightnin'." 
 
 Very impatiently Mr. Delaficld waited for the disappear- 
 ance of the requisite amount of water, consulting his watch, 
 counting the minutes, and at last remarking that it took 
 Ferd a wonderful while to drink. 
 
 " That's 'case he's sich a 'strordinary beast every way," 
 answered Bill, who for some little time had been holding an 
 empty bucket to the horse's mouth. 
 
 He was going to replenish a third time when his master 
 ordered him back, telling him he could wait no longer ; with 
 another glance at his watch, he entered the carriage, while 
 Bill, loudly lamenting the half bucket, without which Ferd 
 would surely die, mounted the box, where he spent quite a 
 while in comfortably disposing of his long, lank limbs and in 
 adjusting his palmleaf hat. 
 
 " Go on, you rascal," shouted Mr. Delafield, beginning to 
 lose his temper ; and gathering up the reins, Bill whistled to 
 the spirited animals, who dashed off at a far greater speed 
 than their driver thought was at all conducive to their well 
 being. 
 
 15
 
 338 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 " Hold on dar, Ferd ! Stop dat foolin', will you, Fred 1 
 Easy dar, both on you, for you come mighty nigh histin' me 
 off de box !" 
 
 This last was said quite loud for the benefit of Mr. Dela- 
 field, who, pei'ceiving that, their speed had slackened, for 
 they were well trained and readily obeyed Bill's voice, call- 
 ed out, " Drive faster, I tell you. Give them the ribbons, 
 and let them run." 
 
 " Lor' a'mighty," answered Bill, now coming to a dead 
 halt in order that his master might be better impressed with 
 what he said. " You don't understand hoss flesh. At this 
 rate you kills 'em in less than no time. Ferd never 'ill stan' 
 it with them two buckets of water, 'case you see how shakin' 
 him up dis way dey'll get bilin' hot and nobody can live 
 with bilin' water in 'em." 
 
 Provoked as he was, Mr. Delafield could not repress a 
 smile at the subterfuges of Bill to spare his horses, but he 
 bade him drive on, saying, however, that he need not drive 
 them at the top of their speed immediately, as they would 
 be more likely to give out, " but after a mile or two," he 
 continued, " put them through with the whip if necessary." 
 
 " Lor' mars'r," answered Bill from the box, without mov- 
 ing an inch, " I never tache them with a whip in de world. 
 Fred would jump clar out of his skin. All dey want to 
 make 'em kill deyselves is a loose rein and a whistle so." 
 
 Suiting the action to the word, he whistled long and loud, 
 whereupon the horses started forward as if a volley of artil- 
 lery had been fired at their heels, while mingled with the 
 roll of the wheels, Mr. Delafield heard the distressed Bill, 
 saying. " Whoa, dar, Ferdinand, can't you whoa when I tell 
 you. Think of the bilin' water, and keep easy. Come Fred- 
 eric, you set him a 'xaraple. That's a good boy, no 'casiou- 
 for all dis hurry, if we misses one train we catches another.
 
 THE CHASE. 589 
 
 All de same thing. We ain't chasin' a run-away gal',' as I 
 knows of." 
 
 After a little he succeeded in stopping them, and for the 
 next ten or fifteen minutes they proceeded on rather lei- 
 surely, and Bill was beginning to think his master had come 
 to his senses, when he was startled with the stern command, 
 " Let them run now as fast as they will. Don't check them 
 at all until we reach the depot." 
 
 Accordingly, for a mile or so the horses rushed on at head- 
 long speed, Bill sympathizing with them deeply and mentally 
 promising himself " to tend 'em mighty keerful to pay ft>r this." 
 
 At last, when he thought it safe to do so, he held them in, 
 taking the precaution, however to say aloud, " Get along 
 dar, Ferd none your lazy tricks here when mars'r's in sich 
 a hurry. Can't you get along dar, I say. An' you Fred, 
 wake up yer bones to de merits of de case." 
 
 But if in this way he thonght to deceivfc the resolute man 
 inside he was mistaken. Perceiving that their speed was 
 considerably slackened, and hearing Bill loudly reproach the 
 horses for their laziness, Mr. Delafield softly opened the car- 
 riage door, and leaning out, learned the cause of the delay. 
 Bolt upright upon the box, with his brawny feet firmly bracexl 
 against the dash-board so as to give him more power, sat 
 Bill, clutching the reins with might and main, for the horses' 
 mettle was up and it required his entire strength to keep 
 them from running furiously ! All this time, too, the cun- 
 ning negro kept chiding them for their indolence in moving 
 so slowly !" 
 
 " Bill," said Mr. Delafield, sternly, " stop the carriage in- 
 stantly." 
 
 " Lord a massy, mars'r," exclaimed the frightened Bill. 
 " You almost skeered me off de box. Ferd won't get along 
 no how. I tells him and I tells him how you'r in de hurry
 
 340 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 don't you mind how I keeps telling him to get along, I 
 reckons he wants dat t'other half bucket of water." 
 
 " I understand you perfectly," said Mr. Delafield, alight- 
 ing from the carriage, and to the utter astonishment of Bill, 
 mounting the box and taking the reins in his own hands. " I 
 understand your tricks, and for the rest of the way I shall 
 drive myself !" 
 
 Rolling his eyes wildly in their sockets, the crest fallen 
 Bill folded his arms and resigned the horses to their fate, 
 saying mentally, " I shall war mournin' for 'em, I shall, 
 and he may help hisself." 
 
 Over rough and stony places over smooth and sandy 
 roads over hills, over plains through the woods, through 
 the swamps, and through the winding valleys, on they sped 
 like lightning, the excited horses covered with foam, their 
 driver stern, silent and determined, vtfhile poor Bill, with the 
 perspiration streaming down his shining face, kept up a con- 
 tinued expostulation, " Now, mars'r, for de dear Lord's sake, 
 stop 'em 'fore dey draps down dead. Look at de white 
 specks all over Ferd's back he'll never stau' it without 
 dat t'other half bucket. You kills 'em sartiu, and dar goes 
 a thousand dollars, smack and clean." 
 
 But Bill's entreaties were all in vain, and his distress was 
 at its height, when fortunately his thoughts were diverted 
 in another Channel. At a sudden turn of the road a gust of 
 wind lifted the old palinlcaf from his woolly head, and car- 
 ried it far away. " Now, dear Mars'r," said Bill, laying his 
 hand on that of Mr. Delafield, "you'll sartin let 'em breathe 
 while I picks up my hat, 'case you see how'll you look 
 gwine into town wid a barheaded nigger. In de Lord's 
 name, stop," he continued, as he saw in his master no signs 
 of relenting. 
 
 Glancing over his shoulder Mr. Delafield saw the hat away
 
 THE CHASE. 841 
 
 over the fields, and quietly taking a bill from his pocket and 
 placing it in the negro's hand, he replied ; " That will buy 
 you five such hats." 
 
 " Yes, but de hosses, lor* a mighty, de bosses !" exclaimed 
 Bill almost frantically, " Don't you see Ferd is gwiiie to 
 gin out ?" 
 
 Mr. Dehi field feared so, too, and more to himself than to 
 his servant, he said, " perhaps the cars will be behind time, 
 they usually are." 
 
 Without considering the consequences, Bill answered, " No 
 they won't ; case I hear how they hired a tariu' Yankee for 
 an engine, and he drives all afore him gits ahead of de 
 time and all dat." 
 
 The next minute he repented a speech whose disastrous 
 effects he foresaw, and he was about to deny it as a fabrica- 
 tion of his own brain, when his master, who really saw signs 
 of lagging in the nervous, fiery Ferd, said, " Bill, you have 
 a peculiar whistle with which you spur up the horses 
 make it now ; Ferd has run himself almost down." 
 
 "De Lord have massy on us," groaned Bill, wiping away 
 a tear ; then, as Mr. Delafield repeated his order, he said, in 
 a whining tone, " Can't, mars'r, no how ; case you see my 
 throat is dreffle sore, ridiu' barheaded so in the breeze 
 which you kicks up can't, no how." 
 
 " But you must," persisted Mr. Delafield. 
 
 Bill still refused, until at last, as they approached the town, 
 they heard a heavy, rumbling sound. It was the roll of cars 
 in the distance, and starting up, Mr. Delafield seized the 
 negro by the shoulder and in thunder tones called out, 
 " Whistle." 
 
 " Lord, mars'r I will, I will," gasped Bill, terrified at. the 
 fiery gleam of his master's eye, and from his mouth there 
 issued a most unearthly sound, which mingled with the
 
 842 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 shriek of the fast coming engine, urged on the jaded horses 
 to one more desperate effort. 
 
 A few more mad plunges and they reached the depot, 
 covered with foam and frothing at the mouth, just as the 
 train was moving slowly away. With one pitying farewell 
 glance at his dying greys, Mr. Delafield exclaimed, " Cut 
 the harness instantly," and then with a bound sprung upon 
 the platform, which he reached just as Bill called after him 
 in mournful accents, " Ferd's dead, mars'r, Ferd is," while, 
 mingled with the roar of the machinery he caught the faint 
 echo of something about " t'other half bucket of water !" 
 
 But little cared he for that. Rosa Lee was to be over- 
 taken, and to accomplish this, he would willingly have sacri- 
 ficed every horse of which he was owner, even were they 
 twice as valuable as the dappled greys. 
 
 So, wishing him a successful journey, and leaving him on 
 the same seat with a Yankee peddler, who saw him when he 
 ame up and "guessed he was after a runaway nigger," we 
 return for a moment to Bill, who with tears streaming from 
 his eyes, Thatched the struggles of Fred until the noble ani- 
 mal was dead, bringing him water which he vainly coaxed 
 him to drink, while the bystanders, who crowded around, 
 asked him innumerable questions as to why they drove so 
 fast and where his master was going. 
 
 To the first Bill could not reply, but to the last he prompt- 
 ly answered, as he patted the remains of the departed Fer- 
 dinand, " Gwiue to the devil, in course ! Whar you spect a 
 white man to go, what treats hosses in dis kind of style, 
 won't let 'em hev all the water dey wants and drives 'em till 
 dey draps dead in der tracks." 
 
 The story of the half bucket was duly rehearsed, Bill 
 firmly believing that if Ferd had drank it, he would undoubt- 
 edly have lived " dis minit and been as spry as a cricket."
 
 THE CHASE. 848 
 
 But now he's dead and Fred, too," continued the negro, as 
 the latter ceased to move. " Sich another span of bosses, 
 that ain't in all Georgy," and laying his black face upon the 
 neck of the insensible Ferd, the negro cried like a child. 
 
 " There is one comfort, at least, my boy," said a gentle- 
 manly looking man, who stood near and who knew Mr. Dela- 
 field, " your horses didn't suffer, for they were too much 
 excited." 
 
 This in a measure consoled Bill, who, wiping his eyes, 
 asked what he was to do with them, saying he " never could 
 dig thar grave." 
 
 " My negroes shall do it for you," answered the stranger, 
 and in a short time several stalwart men were busy in an 
 adjacent field making a grave for the dappled greys, which 
 they carefully buried, while on a stump, with his head rest- 
 ing on his knees, sat Bill as chief mourner. 
 
 " I wish I knew a prar," he whispered to himself, " for if 
 ever bosses 'sarvcd it they do ;" but the rude African had 
 never prayed since he was a little child, and thinking himself 
 too old to begin now, he rose up from the stump, just ,as his 
 companions, having finished their task, were beginning to 
 ridicule his bare head, telling him he must have an unkind 
 master, judging from his own appearance and the sad 
 fates of the horses, while one of them advised him to run 
 away. 
 
 This was touching Bill in a tender point, for though he 
 had loved the horses much, he loved his master more, and he 
 would not hear him censured ; accordingly he retorted petu- 
 lantly that thar warn't a better master in all Georgy than 
 mars'r Dick, nor a richer one neither, and 'twan't nobody's 
 business if he killed five hundred horses he could afford 
 it 'twan't as though he was poor and owned nothin' but 
 a few low trash like the 'Gusty niggers !"
 
 344 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 This insinuation the " Gusty niggers," chose to resent as 
 an insult, and a regular negro fight ensued, in which Bill, 
 being the weaker party, came oft' rather badly beaten, his 
 face being scratched in several places, while his pants 
 received a huge rent, which in no wise tended to improve his 
 personal appearance. Matters being at last amicably adjust- 
 ed, the victorious party returned home, while Bill, who had 
 frequently been in Augusta with his master, wended his way 
 to a hatter's shop, where he soon made himself the owner 
 of a second-hand beaver, which at his request was orna- 
 mented by a weed of crape as a badge of mourning for his 
 favorite steeds. Then seeing that the carriage was safely 
 stowed away, he started on foot for home, stopping at the 
 negro quarters of almost every plantation to relate his won- 
 derful adventures. As he was perfectly trusty and faithful, 
 he was always allowed to carry a pass by his good natured 
 master and thus he found no difficulty in his journey, which 
 he took quite leisurely, never reaching Sunny Bank until the 
 close of the second day after the one on which he had left 
 it. 
 
 In the meantime Mr. Delafield, with closely knit brows 
 and compressed lip, his usual look when he was in deep 
 thought, sat musing of the time when Rosa Lee would be his 
 wife, while at his side the Yankee peddler, with his basket of 
 essence carefully stowed under the seat, was casting curious ^ 
 glances at his companion, whose history he was desirous of 
 knowing. But there was something in Mr. Delafield's appear- 
 ance which forbade familiaiity, so for once the loquacious 
 Yankee was silent. 
 
 They were now about half way between Augusta and 
 Charleston and going at great speed, when suddenly at a 
 short curve there was a violent commotion the passen- 
 rerfl were pitched forward and backward, while the engine
 
 THE CHASE. 345 
 
 plunged down a steep embankment, throwing the train 
 from the track and dragging after it the baggage 
 car, which in some way became detached from the 
 rest. The new "Yankee engineer" was a daring, reckless 
 fellow, who at the North had been discharged for careless- 
 ness. and had come to try his fortune at ttie South. Fortu- 
 nately no one was seriously hurt except Mr. DelaSeld, whose 
 injuries were simply mental, as he knew this accident would 
 probably detain them for many hours. In a perfect storm 
 of excitement he stalked up aud down the track, asking the 
 conductor every few minutes how long it would probably be 
 before they could go on, and at last growing so dark in his 
 face that the Yankee, after looking over his essence basket 
 and finding but few of his bottles broken, ventured to say, 
 " Now, Squire, don't git mad at a feller for askin' a sassy 
 question, but I raley du want to know if there aint a little 
 atom of black blood in you ?" 
 
 " Very likely," answered Mr. Delafield ; while the Yankee, 
 now that the ice was broken, continued to ply him with 
 questions, .which, though very annoying to the haughty 
 Southerner, tended to relieve in a measure the tediousness 
 of waiting. 
 
 The sun had long been set and the stars were shining 
 brightly ere they were able to proceed, and it was after mid- 
 night when they at last reached Charleston. Driving 
 immediately to the landing, Mr. Delafield to his great joy 
 found that the steamer bound for New York still lay at the 
 wharf and would not start until morning. But was Rosa 
 Lee on board ? That was a question which puzzled him, and 
 as there was no way of satisfying himself until morning, he 
 sat down in one of the state rooms and rather impatiently 
 awaited the dawn of day. 
 
 15
 
 346 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 The hurry the confusion and the excitement of starting 
 was over. We were out npou the deep blue sea, and from 
 the window. of my state-room I watched the distant shore 
 as it slowly receded from view, and felt that I was leaving 
 the land of sunlight and of flowers. Notwithstanding the 
 fatiguing journey of the previous day, I was better this 
 morning fhan I had been for many months before, for I had 
 slept quietly through the night. 
 
 An hour or two after breakfast Charlie came to me with 
 a very peculiar expression on his face and asked me to go 
 upon deck, saying the fresh breeze would do me good. I 
 consented willingly, and throwing on my shawl and a 
 simple Leghorn flat which had been of much service to 
 me at Cedar Grove, and which Mr. Delafield had often said 
 was very becoming, I went out with Charlie, who led me to 
 the rear of the boat, where he said we were not so liable to 
 be disturbed. Seating me upon a small settee he asked to 
 be excused for a few moments, saying I should not be long 
 alone. The motion of the boat produced a slight dizziness 
 in my head, and leaning my elbow upon the arm of the set- 
 tee I shaded my eyes with my hand and sat lost in thought 
 until I heard the sound ^f a footstep. 
 
 " It was Charlie," I said, so I did not look up, even when 
 he sat down by my side and wound his arm around me, 
 wrapping my shawl closer together, oh, so gently ! " Charlie 
 is very tender of me since my sickness," I thought, and 
 much I loved that he should thus caress me. It thrilled me 
 strangely, bringing back to my mind the night when I sat 
 in the vine-wreathed ar^or, where I should never sit again. 
 
 For a moment there was perfect silence and I could hear 
 the beating of Charlie's heart. Then leaning forward and 
 removing my hand from my eyes, he pressed a kiss upon my 
 lips and whispered as he did so, "My own Rose .'"
 
 THE CHASE. 847 
 
 Once, when I was apparently dying, the sound of that 
 voice had called me back to life, and now with a cry of joy 
 I sprang to my feet and turning round, stood face to face 
 with Richard Ddafidd, who, stretching his arms towards me, 
 said, " Come to my bosom, Rose. Henceforth it is your 
 resting-place." 
 
 The shock was too much for me in my weak state. A 
 faintness stole over me, and if I obeyed his command, it was 
 because I could not help it ! " 
 
 When I returned to consciousness, Richard's arms were 
 around me, and my head was resting upon his bosom, while 
 he whispered to me words which I leave to the imagination, 
 as I dare not give them to the world, lest he ( Uncle Dick I 
 call him) should be angry in his way, and I have learned 
 to be a very little afraid of him since that morning when 
 on board the steamer Delphine we sat and talked together 
 of the past. 
 
 Wonderingly I listened while he told me how long he had 
 loved me how once he had thought to tell me of his love, 
 but the manner in which I answered his leading question 
 disheartened him, for he feared his affection was not returned 
 how it had filled his heavt with bitter grief when he saw 
 me about to marry another how his sister had deceived 
 him or he should have spoken to me then and how in a 
 moment of temptation when he stood over my pillow he had 
 asked that I might die, for he would far rather that death 
 should be his rival than a fellow man. Then as he thought 
 how near I had been to the dark valley he shudderinyly 
 drew me closer to his side and told me how he had wondeml 
 at Dr. Clayton's leaving me so abruptly and how sometimes 
 when a ray of hope was beginning to dawn upon him, it had 
 been chilled by my manner, which he now understood. 
 
 "Yon cfinaot conceive," said ho in conclusion, "what my
 
 348 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 feelings were yestcr morn when I bade you adieu, nor yet 
 can you comprehend the overwhelming delight I experienced 
 when I read that letter aud felt that you would at last be 
 mine." 
 
 When he had ceased to speak I took up the story and 
 told him of all my own feelings, aud that nothing would ever 
 have induced me to think for a moment of becoming Dr. 
 Clayton's wife, but the belief that he was engaged to 
 Ada, a story which I told him his sister affirmed when I 
 went to her for counsel. 
 
 " And so Angeline played a double part," said he, sighing 
 deeply ; " I never thought she could be guilty of so much de- 
 ception, though I have always known she was averse to my 
 marrying any one." 
 
 Of Ada he said that never for a moment had he been en- 
 gaged to her. " She is tome like a sister, " said he, " and though 
 I know she has many faults, I am greatly attached to her, for 
 we have lived together many years. She was committed to 
 my care by her father and I shall always be faithful to my 
 trust. And if, dear Rose, in the future, circumstances should 
 render it necessary for her to live with us, shall you object ? 
 She cannot harm you now." 
 
 He had talked to me much of his love, but, not a word 
 before had he said of my sharing his home at Sunny Bank, 
 so I rather coquettishly answered, " You talk of my living 
 with you as a settled matter, and still you have not asked 
 me if I would." 
 
 A shadow for a moment darkened his face, and then with 
 a very quizzical expression he made me a formal offer of 
 himself and fortune, asking me pointedly if I wouid accept 
 it and aud, well, of course, I did what my readers knew 
 I would do when I first told them of the dark man at the 
 theatre I said yes, and promised to return with him to
 
 THE CHASE. 349 
 
 Sunny Bank as soon as my health would permit, which he 
 was positive would be in a very few weeks, for he should be 
 my daily physician, aud " love, he said, would work mira- 
 cles." 
 
 Thus you see we were engaged Richard and I !
 
 8fiO MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 HUMAN NATURE. 
 
 THE sun had set on Cedar Grove, and together on the 
 broad, airy piazza sat Mrs. Lansing and Ada, rather impa- 
 tiently waiting for Richard, whom they had not seen since he 
 left them so abruptly in the morning. Greatly relieved at 
 the absence of one whom she had in a measure dreaded as a 
 rival, Ada began to hope that the conquest of her guard- 
 ian would now be a comparatively'easy matter, and as she 
 knew the effect which a pretty face and a becoming dress 
 had upon him, she had spent a great deal of time upon this 
 evening's toilet, and looked unusually young and handsome 
 in her pale blue tissue, with her soft curls falling over her 
 white uncovered neck. 
 
 That day she had talked a long time with Mrs. Lansing, 
 who had not only expressed her willingness to receive her as 
 a sister, but had also promised to do whatever she could to 
 forward the matter. Believing Mrs. Lansing to have far 
 more influence over her brother than she really had, Ada 
 began to entertain hopes of soon becoming a bride, and when 
 she thought no one could see her, actually wrote upon a 
 card, " Mr. and Mrs. R. Delafield," just to see how it would 
 look ! It looked well, she thought, and smoothing from her 
 brow a frown which had been caused by her finding among
 
 HUMAN NATURE. 851 
 
 her waving tresses a long white hair, she went down to the 
 piazza to await Richard's coming. 
 
 " He has not been here since morning, and I am sure he'll 
 come to-night. You know he has latterly been a most con- 
 stant visitor," remarked Mrs. Lansing. 
 
 " Yes, bat possibly the attraction which kept him so much 
 here is gone," faintly suggested Ada. 
 
 " Fie !" returned Mrs. Lansing, with a toss of her head. 
 " I know Richard better than that, and though he may at one 
 time have felt a slight interest in Miss Lee, I am positive 
 'tis nothing serious, or lasting. Only think of it, Richard 
 Delafield marry my governess, a poor schoolmistress! What 
 would his fashionable acquaintance in Augusta and Charles- 
 ton say, setting aside our friend^ in Xew Orleans 1" 
 
 And on the proud woman's face there was a sneer at the 
 very idea of her brother's thus disgracing himself. 
 
 " Hark ! I do believe he's coming," said Ada, as she heard 
 approaching footsteps, and she had just time to adjust her 
 skirts gracefully when there stood before her, not Mr. Dela- 
 field, but the servant to whom had been intrusted the note 
 for Mrs. Lansing. 
 
 This the negro had entirely forgotten until it was recalled 
 to his mind by the continued absence of his master, whose 
 return they had confidently expected before night. Taking 
 the note from his hand, Mrs. Lansing hastily glanced at its 
 contents, and then, with an exclamation of surprise, handed 
 it to Ida, who turned deathly pale as she saw her new-born 
 hopes crushed at once and forever ; and if HQW she clasped 
 her hand upon her side, the action was not feigned, for a 
 p-ii/i, which blistering could not heal, was indeed there the 
 pain of wounded pride at seeing a humble, obscure girl 
 preferred to herself. For several minutes not a word was 
 spoken, and then Mrs. Lansing, who knew it would not be
 
 352 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 politic to quarrel with her brother, said, " I am astouished 
 at Richard's proceedings, but I suppose there is no help for 
 it, and we may as well make the best of it. Miss Lee ain't 
 the worst girl in the world. She had many friends in the 
 village was well educated, and with a few lessons from us 
 on some points of etiquette she may do very well." 
 
 " Us" angrily retorted Ada. "When I teach Dick 
 Delafield's wife etiquette I shall be older than I am now." 
 
 "And that you would not care to be ;" said Mrs. Lansing, 
 a little sarcastically. 
 
 She was a woman, who, if essential to her own interest, 
 could turn with every breeze, and though she was not 
 pleased with her brother's choice, she did not deem it advi- 
 sable to provoke his anger by quarrelling about it. for when 
 once roused, but few could cope with his resolute, deter- 
 mined spirit. Then, too, Rosa Lee was yielding and generous, 
 and would not object even if her husband should bestow 
 half his fortune upon his sister; so after all it might be better 
 to have her the mistress of Sunny Bank than one like Ada, 
 who was more selfish and wanted everything for herself. 
 Thus Mrs. Lansing -reasoned, coming at last to feel quite 
 amiably disposed towards Rosa Lee, whom she fully intended 
 to manage in her own way, and she was about making up 
 her mind to write a kind, sisterly letter to said Rosa, when 
 her attention was attracted by a loud sobbing, and looking 
 round she saw Ada weeping violently. 
 
 As well as she could love any one, Ada had loved her 
 guardian, and the knowledge that he was now lost to her, 
 overcame her for a time, and covering her face with her hands, 
 she cried aloud. Mrs. Lansing had never really loved 
 in her life, so she could not appreciate the feeling, and she 
 made no effort to soothe the weeping girl who that night 
 wet her pillow with bitter tears, and who next morning
 
 HUMAN NATURE. 853 
 
 looked weary, pale and old, as she languidly took her seat 
 at the breakfast table. Still Ada was not one to love very 
 deeply, and as on this occasion her pride was touched rather 
 than her heart, she ere long grew calm, and with Mrs. Lan- 
 sing wisely resolved to make the best of it. Then, too, there 
 arose the very natural desire to conceal from Richard that 
 she had ever cared for him, and to do this she thought she 
 must pretend to be pleased with his choice. Accordingly 
 when Mrs. Lansing wrote to her brother, Ada inclosed a 
 gilt-edged note, in which she congratulated him upon his 
 intended marriage, telling him she had foreseen it from the 
 first, and ended by sending her love to " Rose." Thus, be- 
 cause she thought it would be for her interest, did Mrs. 
 Lansing deem it best to change her tactics, while Ada was 
 too proud to evince any open hostility, though in her heart 
 she hated the future bride and lamented the fatality which 
 had decreed that she should be rivalled by " both of those 
 Lee girls."
 
 854 MEADOW BKOOK. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 "THE SOUTHERN PLANTER'S NORTHERN BRIDE." 
 
 OVER the New England hills the hazy light of a most 
 glorious Indian Summer was shining, while the forest trees, 
 in their gorgous array of crimson and gold, lifted their tall 
 heads as proudly as if they heard not in the distance the 
 voice of coming sorrows, and the sighing of winter winds. 
 The birds had flown to their southern home where I fondly 
 hoped to meet them, for I was to be a bride Richard's 
 bride and the day for my bridal had come. We had been 
 everywhere Richard and I all over the old Meadow 
 Brook farm, sacred to me for the many hallowed associations 
 which clustered around it, and very, very dear to him be- 
 cause it was my childhood's home. So he told me when we 
 stood for the last time beneath the spi'eading grape-vine, 
 and I pointed out to him the place where years before 
 I had lain in the long green grass and wept over the fickle- 
 ness of one who was naught to me now, save a near 
 friend. 
 
 Together we had sat in the old brown schoolhouse, he 
 in the big arm chair, and I but no matter where / sat 
 when I told him of the little romping girl with yellow hair, 
 who had there first learned to con the alphabet and to trace 
 ou the gaily colored maps the boundary lines of Georgia, lit- 
 tle dreaming that her home would one day be there. Then
 
 "THE SOUTHERN 1 PLANTER'S NORTHERN BRIDE." 35.5 
 
 when I showed him the bench where I had lain when the 
 faintuess came over me, he wound his arm closer around me, 
 though wherefore I do not know. Together too, we had 
 gone over the old farmhouse, he lingering longest in the 
 room where I was born, and when he thought I didn't see 
 him, gathering a withered leaf from the rose bush which grew 
 beneath the window, and which I told him I had planted 
 when a little girl. 
 
 Every woman, young and old, in the neighborhood and 
 in the village had seen him, either face to face or from be- , 
 hind the folds of a muslin curtain, some calling him " black 
 and ugly,'' while others pronounced him " splendid," and all I 
 believe united in saying that, " Rosa Lee had done wonders, 
 considering she had no great amount of beauty to do it 
 with !" 
 
 Once, when a remark like this came to Richard's ear he 
 smiled quietly and said, " Rosa Lee is beautiful to me, for 
 though her face may lack perfect regularity of features and 
 brilliancy of complexion, she has beauty of a higher order, a 
 beauty of the mind, which is seen in her laughing blue eyes 
 and sunny smile." 
 
 Tli us you see, my reader, that Richard thought I was 
 handsome, while strange as it may seem there were others 
 who said so too, and even I was sensible of a thrill of pride, 
 such as I suppose conscious beauties feel, when I stood up be- 
 fore the mirror and saw how well I looked in my bridal dress 
 ' of satin and lace his gift, but not the same which he had 
 purchased for me some months before. At first I had pro- 
 posed wearing the one intended for Dr. Clayton's bride, but 
 Richard would not suffer it, so I gave it to Lizzy, who, as 
 soon as John Thompson was of age, which would be in Jan- 
 uary, would probably have need of it .' This same John 
 was to be our groomsman and much be amused Richard by
 
 356 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 telling him of the tall, hateful boy who had once been a ter- 
 ror to a little schoohna'am thirteen years of age, who now> 
 with a heightened bloom upon her cheek and a strange light 
 in her eye, stood waiting the summons to the parlor below. 
 It came at last and as I laid my hand on Richard's arm he im- 
 printed a kiss upon my lips, " the last," he said, " he should 
 ever give to Rosa Lee," 
 
 Of what came next I have only a faint remembrance. 
 There was a rustling of satin upon the narrow staircase, 
 down which Lizzie and I w r ent a little in advance of Richard 
 and John Thompson, the latter of whom said something in 
 a low tone about hoops and the space they occupied ! this 
 remark shocked me inexpressibly, but Richard didn't seem to 
 mind it at all. As we passed the front door, the cool uight 
 wind (for it was evening) blew over my face, reminding me 
 of the South, it was so soft and balmy. When we entered 
 the parlor, I was conscious of a goodly number of eyes fixed 
 upon me, and as I crossed over to a vacant spot under the 
 looking glass I heard more than one say in a whisper, " Isn't 
 she pretty ?** meaning Lizzie, I suppose ! Then a man, whom 
 I recognized as the new Episcopal clergyman (I believe I've 
 never said that Richard was an Episcopalian) stood up be- 
 fore us and said something about " You Richard and You 
 Rose," after which Richard placed a ring upon my finger 
 squeezing my hand a very little as he did so. Then follow- 
 ed a short prayer, in which I fancied the minister made a 
 mistake in our names, inasmuch as he spoke of Isaac and Rc- 
 lecca instead of Richard and Rose! This being done I 
 glanced at the bridegroom. There was no scowl upon his 
 ibrehead now, and I could see the light shining out all over 
 his face, as he bent down and gently whispered "my 
 wife /" 
 
 This dispelled the clouds at once, and as guest after guest
 
 "THE SOUTHERN PLANTER'S NORTHERN BRIDE." 857 
 
 crowded around, offering their congratulations, while Charlie 
 and Johu Thompson vied with each other in repeating my 
 new name, I began to realize that I was no longer Rosa Lee, 
 but Mrs. Richard Ddafidd.
 
 868 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 SUNNY BANK. 
 
 FOB a few days we lingered at my mother's fireside, and 
 then, with the fall of the first snow-flake, we left for our 
 southern home ; Richard promising my mother, who was 
 loth to give me up, that when the summer birds came back 
 and roses were Homing again by th,e door, he would bring 
 his Rose to breathe oue more the air of her native hills. 
 We stopped at New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and 
 Washington, and it was not until the holidays were passed 
 that we landed at last at Charleston and took the cars for 
 W which we reached about dark. 
 
 With a loud cry of joy, Bill, who was waiting for us, wel- 
 comed back his master, and then almost crushing my fin- 
 gers in his big black hand, said, with a sly wink, which he 
 meant should be very expressive, " I know, now what mass'r 
 kill dem bosses for 1" at the same time making some apology 
 for the really sorry looking animals he was compelled to 
 drive in the place of the deceased Ferdinand and Frederic. 
 As we drove through the town I could not help contrasting 
 my present feelings with those of the year before, when I 
 thought I was leaving it forever. Then, weary, sick and 
 wretched, I had looked through blinding tears towards 
 Sunny Bank, which was now my home, while at my side, 
 with his arm around me, was its owner my husband.
 
 SUNNY BANK. 359 
 
 " You tremble, Rose," said he, as we drew near the house, 
 and he bade me be .calmer, saying the meeting between my- 
 Belf and his sister would soon be over. 
 
 But it was not that which I dreaded. It was the presenta- 
 tion to his servants, to whom I bore the formidable relation 
 of mistress, and for whose good opinion I cared far more 
 than I did for that of the haughty Mrs. Lansing. Some- 
 thing like this I said to Richard, who assured me that his 
 household would love me because I was his wife, if for no 
 other reason, and thus I found it to be. As we drove into 
 the yard, we were surprised at seeing the house brilliantly 
 lighted, while through the open windows forms of many per- 
 sons were seen moving to and fro. 
 
 In a displeased tone of voice Richard said, " It is Angel- 
 ine's work, and I do not like it, for you need rest, and are 
 too much fatigued to see any one to-night, but I suppose it 
 cannot be avoided. Ho, Bill," he called to the driver, " who 
 is here ?" 
 
 " Some de quality," answered Bill, adding that " Miss 
 Angeliue done 'vite 'em to see de bride." 
 
 " She might at least have consulted my wishes," said 
 Richard, while my heart sank within me at being obliged to 
 meet strangers in my jaded condition. 
 
 Mrs. Lansing, it seems, had in her mind a new piano for 
 Lina, their present one being rather old fashioned, and as the 
 surest means of procuring one she thought to please her bro- 
 ther by noticing his bride. So, in her zeal, she rather over- 
 did the matter, inviting to Sunny Bank many of the villagers, 
 some of whom were friendly to me and some were not, 
 though all, I believe, felt curious to see how the " Plebeian 
 Yankee" (thus Ada termed me) would demean herself as 
 the wife a southern planter. 
 
 Dusky faces, with white shining eyes, peered round the
 
 380 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 corner of the building as the carriage stopped before the 
 door, and more than one whisper reached me. " Cat's she 
 de new Miss, dat marsVs liftin' so keerfully." 
 
 Upon the piazza stood Mrs. Lansing, her face wreathed in 
 smiles, while at her side, in flowing white muslin, were Ada 
 and Lina, the former of whom sprang gaily down the steps, 
 and with well feigned joy threw herself into the arms of her 
 guardian, who, after kissing her affectionately, presented her 
 to me, saying, " Will Ada be a sister to my wife ?" 
 
 " Anything, for your sake," answered Ada, with rather 
 more emphasis on your than was quite pleasing me. 
 
 Mrs. Lansing came next, and there was something of hau- 
 teur in her manner as she advanced, for much as she desired 
 to please her brother, she was not yet fully prepared to meet 
 me as an equal. But Richard knew the avenue to her heart, 
 and as he placed my hand in hers, he said, " For the sake of 
 Jessie you will love my bride, I am sure." 
 
 It was enough ; Jessie was forgotten by many who had 
 wept bitterly when first they heard the sad news of her 
 death, but in the mother's heart there was an aching void, 
 and as if the gentle, blue-eyed child were pleading for me 
 from her little grave, the proud woman's eyes were moist 
 
 with tears as she said, " Yes, for Jessie's sake do I 1 " 
 
 she paused, for with that sacred name upon her lips even she 
 could not utter a falsehood and say, " I love you," so she 
 qualified it, and after a moment continued, " I will learn to 
 love you, Rose, for such I know would be our angel Jessie's 
 wish." 
 
 From Lina I expected no demonstration. She was too sel- 
 fish, too listless to care for any one, so when she coolly shook 
 my hand and called me Mrs. Delafield, I was quite satisfied, 
 particularly as the next moment Halbert caught me round 
 the neck, shouting out a noisy, but genuine welcome to his
 
 SUKSY BANK. 361 
 
 " Aunt Rose," and telling me "he was mighty lad I'd come 
 back to stay for good." 
 
 " You have quite a party," said Richard to his sister as 
 we entered the spacious hall, I shrinking behind him so as to 
 hide myself from the curious eyes which I knew were scan- 
 ning my dusty travelling dress. 
 
 " Only a few friends, who I thought would be glad to 
 meet Miss Lee I beg pardon your wife," she hastily 
 added as she saw the gathering frown upon his brow. 
 
 With a look in his eye which made her quail, he said, 
 " Xever make that mistake again, Angeliue." (And she 
 never did !) "Rose is too much exhausted to appear in the 
 parlor to-night," he continued, as we entered my room 
 our room the pleasant, tasteful apartment, which I once 
 thought had been fitted up for Ada. " You ought to have 
 had more tact than to invite company on the first night of 
 my arrival when you must have known how weary Rose 
 would be. She don't look like herself, so pale and way- 
 worn," he continued, himself removing my bonnet and ten- 
 derly stroking my aching head. 
 
 Nothing would please Ada better than to present me just 
 as I was, pale and jaded, with dark rims beneath my eyes, 
 induced by the severe headache from which I was really 
 suffering. It would show her own charms to greater advan- 
 tage, she thought, as she glanced at an opposite mirror and 
 saw the contrast between us. 
 
 " Oh, Richard," she said pleadingly, " pray don't object to 
 her going down, it wouldn't be polite, and then they are all 
 dying to see her." 
 
 " Why then didn't they, some of them, improve the ppor- 
 ttinity when she was here before, and on show every day," 
 said Richard, moodily. 
 
 And Ada, forgetting herself, answered in a low tone, 
 16
 
 $62 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 " Why, that's plain enough, Mrs. Richard Delafield is a very 
 different personage from Miss Lee, gov " 
 
 Ada!" sternly interposed my husband, "Never a remark 
 like that in my presence." 
 
 " Why, Uncle Dick," said Ada, smothering her anger and 
 winding her white arms around his neck, "how you 
 frighten me. I didn't mean anything, only I do want Rose 
 to go down, so much, can't you, dear ?" and she turned 
 towards me. 
 
 With her, I felt that it would hardly be polite to refuse, 
 so I replied that " after a cup of tea and half an hour's rest, 
 I would try to do so." 
 
 Supper was brought to our room, the servant almost 
 touching her knees to the floor, so low was her obeisance to 
 the " New Miss." As I have once before remarked, my head 
 was aching dreadfully/ and as I looked at the soft, downy 
 pillows which lay piled upon the snowy bed in the adjoining 
 room, I thought how much rather I would throw myself 
 among them, than join the gay company below. But it 
 could not be, and with something like tears in the sound of 
 my voice, I asked Richard to send up my trunks." 
 
 Closely inspecting me for a moment, he answered. " There 
 is no necessity for you to dress. You look well enough just 
 as you are, and you must not fatigue yourself any more. I 
 shall get you excused in a little while, and sometime after 
 you are thoroughly rested, Angeline shall give a large party 
 at hei* own house, where you'll have an opportunity to dis- 
 play all the 'fixins,' " and he laughed, thinking, I suppose, 
 he had said something smart. 
 
 My dress was a dark blue merino, trimmed on the basque 
 and sleeves with black velvet. It fitted neatly, and was, 1 
 knew, unusually becoming ; so after arranging my curls and 
 donning a clean linen collar, I took my husband's arm and
 
 SUNNY BANK. 3J3 
 
 went down to the drawing-room, where I found aboat forty 
 people assembled. With a few of them I was already 
 acquainted, while the majority were only known to me by 
 sight ; for though I had often seen them at Cedar Grove, ' 
 they had not thought it worth their while to notice a mere 
 governess. Now, however, as Ada had said, matters were 
 changed, and Richard Dclafield's wife could not be slighted 
 with impunity. Consequently I was for a time overwhelmed 
 with compliments and attention ; some with whom I had 
 never before spoken, expressing their delight at seeing me 
 back again, while others said that a bride was just what 
 was wanting to give eclat to the winter gaieties. 
 
 Close to my side kept Ada, assuming a kind of patronizing 
 manner and answering for me whenever she thought the 
 conversation beyond my depth. Of course she threw me 
 quite in the shade, and in a measure she had her reward, for 
 
 she, as well as I, heard a lady, a stranger in W , say, 
 
 " How 1 much more beautiful Miss Montrose is than the bride. 
 I wonder Mr. Delafield did not prefer her." 
 
 There was a look of exultation on Ada's face as her eyes 
 met mine, but it passed away as we heard the answer made 
 by Miss Porter, a lady whom Ada thought exceedingly 
 aristocratic. " Yes," said she, " Miss Montrose is rather 
 pretty, but she is fading fast, and I suppose Mr. Ddafield 
 preferred the freshness of youth to the decay of beauty, and 
 for my part, I approve his choice, and think her a very 
 pretty little creature." 
 
 I glanced at my husband he, too, heard the remark and 
 it pleased him, I knew, while Ada crossed over to the oppo- 
 site side of the room and I saw her no more, for Richard 
 soon asked for me to be excused ; a request which the com- 
 pany readily granted, saying, " I must of course be tired." 
 
 It was late when Richard came up to our room, and I saw
 
 364 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 in a moment that something was the matter, for his face 
 wore the dark, hard look it sometimes did when he was dis- 
 turbed. I did not then ask the cause of his annoyance, but 
 afterwards I learned that the moment the guests were gone, 
 Ada, whose feelings were a good deal ruffled, not only at 
 the attention I had received, but also at the remark of 
 Miss Porter, commenced censuring my husband for having 
 suffered me to appear in the drawing-room in my travelling 
 dress. " 'Twas an insult to the company," she said, " and 
 they could excuse it on no other grounds save the supposi- 
 tion that I was entirely ignorant of etiquette in any form. 
 I didn't blame her so much," said she, " for I suppose 
 she didn't know any better, but I was astonished at 
 you." 
 
 Ada had quite forgotten herself, or else she mis- 
 understood the man with whom she had to deal. Very 
 quietly he listened, but the storm was gathering within, and 
 when she had. finished, it burst upon her with a vengeance; 
 he bidding her never again, either in his presence or the 
 presence of any one, say aught disparagingly of his wife. 
 " Her actions shall not be questioned by you," said he, " and 
 you shall treat her with deference, for in every respect she 
 is your superior, save that of age, and there, I admit, you 
 have the advantage." 
 
 This decided the matter at once, for Ada was afraid of 
 him, and though she could not conceal her dislike from me, 
 she was in his presence always kind, considerate and some- 
 times even affectionate in her demeanor towards me, coming 
 at last to call him " Uncle Dick," in imitation of Albert, 
 and me "Aunt Rose," particularly if there were any stran- 
 gers present. 
 
 The morning following my arrival I was formally pre- 
 sented to the servants, who received me with many
 
 SUNNY BANK. 865 
 
 demonstrations of joy, the older portion " bressin' de Lord 
 they had lived to see Mars'r Richard look so happy and 
 peart like as he did with the new Miss." Only one eyed me 
 at all askance, and that was Aunt Hagar, the housekeeper, 
 who saw in me a rival one who would henceforth wear 
 jingling at her belt the huge bunch of keys, which for so 
 long a time had been to her a badge of honor. Then, too, 
 the old lady, like my other new relatives, had some fears 
 " that Miss Rose didn't 'long to the quality, and that Mars' r 
 Richard had done histed hisself down a peg or so by marry- 
 in' one who was brought up in de free states, whar dar warn't 
 nary nigger to fotch 'em a drink of water or fan when de 
 sun was roastiu' hot." 
 
 With a look of injured dignity, which made the steeple of 
 a turban on her head tremble, she undid from her waist the 
 bunch of keys, and offering them to me, said, " I 'spects these 
 are yourn now." 
 
 I drew back, for to me there was nothing pleasing in the 
 idea of being disturbed every time a lump of sugar, a piece 
 of coal, or a pan of flour was wanted, so I said, " If my 
 husband is willing I'd rather you'd keep them yourself, as I 
 know you are trusty," 
 
 Hagar's face bi ightened perceptibly and I am induced to 
 think she forgot in a measure my misfortune in having been 
 born in a free state! At all events I have not now a more 
 devoted servant than Hagar, who declares me to be a " per- 
 fect lady," and who has more than once ventured the treason- 
 able remark, that " if all de Free State folks is like Miss Rose, 
 she'll be boun' she'd like to live thar !" Regularly each 
 morning she comes to me and asks " what Miss would like for 
 dinner," and regularly each morning " Miss " answers, " Dear 
 me, Hagar, I don't know ; get what you like :" feeling 
 confident the while tha f Mic programme is already made out
 
 866 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 and that any material suggestion from me would be super- 
 fluous. So much for mistress and slave. 
 
 With his usual generosity, my husband made all of the 
 negroes presents in honor of his marriage ; offering for Bill's 
 acceptance a silver watch, which he had purchased for him 
 in Charleston. Taking the timepiece in his hand, Bill exam- 
 ined it attentively, held it to his ear, put it in his pocket, 
 looked at the key, and then handing it back to his master, 
 said, " no 'fence, mars'r, but if you please thar's somethiu' 
 I'd like better." 
 
 " Very well, what is it ?" asked Richard ; and Bill answered, 
 " Why, you see, Mars'r, how dem bosses, Fred and Ferd, has 
 never had proper 'spect showed to thar memory. To be 
 sure, I wars a weed on my hat and I 'fused to gine in de 
 dance fodder night, but that's nothin'. Ferd had too high 
 blood in him to keer for an ole nigger's mournin', and what 
 I wants is for you to paint de stable black, and that I reckons 
 will show 'em proper 'tention. What do you say, Miss 
 Hose ?" 
 
 As the horses had fallen in my cause, I readily espoused 
 Bill's project for the novelty of the thing, if nothing else ; 
 and should any one of my readers visit Sunny Bank, whicli 
 I wish they may, they will see the stables wearing a hue 
 as dark as Bill himself, who has now a pair of iron-greys, 
 which he calls " Richard" and " Rose," notwithstanding 
 that both are of the masculine gender. These, particularly 
 the latter, are the pride of Bill's heart, and when the year 
 of mourning has expired, he intends, he says, to have the 
 stable painted "yaller," that being the color of a young 
 girl who has lately made sad havoc with his affections ! 
 
 Here I may as well say that Mrs. Lansing managed until 
 she procured the desired piano, which came in company with 
 another, a much nicer one, on the front of which was
 
 SUNNY BANK. . 807 
 
 inscribed " Rose, from her tousband." In return for her 
 brother's gift, Mrs Lansing made a large party, where I 
 had an opportunity of wearing my bridal dress, together 
 with a costly set of diamonds, which I found upon my table, 
 when I went up to make my toilet. It did not need the 
 simple word " Richard" on a bit of paper to tell me whence 
 they came, and the tears started to my eyes when I thought 
 how kind he was, while I was conscious of a glow of pride, 
 when I saw little Rosa Lee, flashing with diamonds, which 
 encircled her arms and neck, and shone among the curls of 
 her hair. Bertha, my tasteful waiting maid for I am get- 
 ting quite southernized pronounced me beautiful, as she 
 gave the finishing stroke to my toilet, while one, for whose 
 judgment I cared still more, and who all the time had been 
 conning his evening paper, apparently oblivious to the pre- 
 sence of white satin, point lace, orange flowers and diamonds, 
 responded, " Yes, Bertha, your young mistress is beautiful." 
 
 Dress does make a vast deal of difference in one's looks, 
 and if that night two-thirds of the three hundred particular 
 friends, whose hands I shook, pronounced me " beautiful, 
 handsome, charming, lorely," and all that, it was owing 
 chiefly, I think, to the fitness of my robes, and the brilliancy 
 of my diamonds. These last were the subject of much 
 remark, they being the finest which had ever been worn in 
 
 W , Ada very good-naturedly saying, "she hoped my 
 
 good fortune wouldn't quite turn my head !" 
 
 Mrs. Lansing's party was followed by many more, and ere 
 I was aware of it Mrs. Richard Delafield was quite a belle 
 what she said, what she did, and what she wore being pro- 
 nounced au fait by the fashionables of W . Upon all 
 
 this Ada looked jealously ; never allowing an opportunity to 
 pass without speaking slightingly of me, though always care- 
 ful that Richard should not know of it. In his presence she
 
 868 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 was vastly kind, sitting at my feet, calling me " Aunty," 
 and treating me as if I had been twenty years her senior. 
 At first she spent much more of her time at Sunny Bank 
 than was at all agreeable to me, and I was not sorry when a 
 little incident occurred which in a measure tended to keep 
 her away. She had always been in the habit of treating 
 my husband with a great show of affection, and now that he 
 was, as she said, " an old married man," she seemed to think 
 it no matter how much she caressed him. Even I dared not 
 seat myself upon his knee as cooly as she would, and her 
 temerity troubled me, particularly as I knew it was annoying 
 to him. This I must have manifested in some way, for one 
 morning, when as usual she entered our room without knock- 
 ing, and perched herself on Eichard's knee, he pushed her 
 off, saying, half in earnest, half in jest, " Don't act so foolish, 
 Ada, you make me sick, for now that I have Eose to pet 
 me I can easily dispense with your caresses, which are rather 
 too much of a good thing." 
 
 Ada was angry, and with a little hateful laugh, she said, 
 turning to me, "jealous, I suppose, and have read your bet- 
 ter-half a lecture on propriety. When / marry, I trust I 
 shall have faith enough in my husband's love for me, not to 
 care even if he does chance to look at some one else." 
 
 I knew Eichard would vindicate my cause, so I remained 
 silent while he answered, " You do Eose injustice, for never 
 have we exchanged a word concerning the manner you have 
 assumed towards me, and which I should suppose your own 
 sense of propriety would condemn. Were you my wife, 
 'twould be different.' 
 
 " Your wife," interrupted Ada, with bitter scorn, " I am 
 not your wife, thank fortune, neither did I ever aspire to be, 
 and I have yet to see the man whom 1 would for a moment 
 think of marry inar."
 
 SUNNY BANK. 869 
 
 There was not the slightest cause for this speech, but Ada 
 was angry; and, as if to exasperate her still more, Richard 
 coolly asked, " Didn't you think of marrying Herbert Lang- 
 ley when you engaged yourself to him ?" 
 
 He had heard the whole story at Meadow Brook, but this 
 was the first time he had hinted it to Ada, who turned very 
 pale and without another word left the room, going back to 
 Cedar Grove, where for three weeks she pouted and cried 
 alternately. At the end of that time, however, she conclud- 
 ed it better to " make up 5" so she wrote a note to us both, 
 asking my pardon for her rudeness and begging my husband 
 to forgive her for the many falsehoods she had told concerning 
 her engagement with Herbert, which she now frankly con- 
 fessed. Of course we forgave her, and as she was not one 
 who remembered anything long, she soon began to visit us 
 as of old, though she no longer sat on my husband's knee, 
 or wound her arms around his neck. His rebuke did her 
 good, and she profited by it, while the fact that he was fully 
 aware of the deception she had practised tended to humble 
 her, and on rainy days, when Richard was necessarily away 
 from home, I found her quite an agreeable companion. 
 
 Thus the winter and spring passed away, and my mother's 
 letters began to grow urgent for my return, but for varions 
 reasons Richard did not think it advisable for me to under 
 take so long a journey, and as Sunny Bank was all the world 
 to me, I very cheerfully consented to wait until another 
 season ere I visited my New England home. About this 
 time I was again seized with my olden desire for authorship, 
 induced in a measure by my knowing how much Mrs. Lan- 
 sing reverenced anything which savored of a book-writer. 
 To be an authoress, then, and make her proud to own me us 
 her sister, was a subject over which I grew pale and " ner- 
 vous," Richard said, while the negroes called me "fidgety'' 
 16*
 
 870 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 and wondered " what done ailded Miss Rose." At last, after 
 many wakeful nights and .restless days, after sick headaches, 
 nervous headaches, and all kind of headaches, the plan was 
 marked out for a story. / would be the heroine myself and 
 give to the world as much of my history as I thought proper, 
 and if I failed if no railroad, steamboat, or stagecoach 
 passenger ever pointed me out as " the woman who wrote that 
 book," or if my publishers "respectfully declined" another 
 bearing my signature, I thought I should still have the 
 satisfaction of knowing I had tried to benefit the world, and 
 I felt almost sure that in Meadow Brook at least there were 
 people stupid enough to buy my book and possibly to like 
 it, just because little Rosa Lee, who used to climb fences 
 and hunt hen's eggs with them in her childish days, had 
 written it. So, one sunny morning in June, when my hus- 
 band had left me to be gone for two weeks, I shut myself 
 up in my room, donned a loose wrapper, tucked back my 
 curls, opened my writing desk, took out a quire of foolscap, 
 and had just written " MEADOW BROOK," when the bell rang 
 and Bertha announced " a lady in the parlor." With a 
 deep sigh, as I thought how " WE writers disliked to be dis- 
 turbed," I arranged my curls, resumed my cambric morning 
 gown, and went down to receive my visitor, telling her that 
 I was very well, that the weather was very warm, that I 
 expected to be very lonely without my husband, that her 
 bonnet was very pretty, that I didn't think negroes as annoy- 
 ing and hateful as she did, after which she took her leave ; 
 and I went back to my room, this time locking the door 
 and writing the first chapter of rny book before the bell rang 
 for dinner. 
 
 To Bertha I imparted my secret, reading to her each page 
 as I wrote it, and though she was not, perhaps, the most 
 appreciating auditor one could have, she was certainly the
 
 SUXNY BANK, 371 
 
 most attentive and approving. It is true she objected to 
 my describing myself as such a homely ciiild. " Jest tell 
 de truffe and douc wid it," she said ; whereupon I assured 
 her that I had told the truth, and then she suggested that 
 in order to make amends for my ugliness I should represent 
 myself as having been " peart like and smart." So, if the 
 reader thinks I have made myself too precocious, the fault 
 is chargeable to Bertha, for I did it to please her ! 
 
 For two weeks I wrote, scarcely allowing myself a 
 moment's rest, and Bertha, who, when she saw how it wore 
 upon me, began at last to expostulate. " Thar wasn't no 
 ' casion," she said, " to kill myself, when thar was heaps 'o 
 niggers kickin' round under foot, and if miss 'sisted ort 
 writin' a book, why didn't she make some deni lazy critters 
 do it for her 1" 
 
 At the end of two weeks Richard returned, asking me as 
 he looked in my face " what was the matter, and how I had 
 spent my time ?" 
 
 Before I could answer, Bertha, who was quite incensed 
 against my book, said, "she's done writin' aspellin' book, or 
 something and sits up 'most all night. I tell her how 'twill 
 kill her, but she pay no 'tention !" 
 
 The secret was out, and with many blushes I plead guilty, 
 and producing my manuscript, watched Richard while he 
 read it. Over the first chapter, where he thought I was 
 going to die, he cried or that is, tears came to his eyes ; 
 the third he skipped partially, the next entirely, and the next 
 and the next (I hope the reader has not done likewise) ; but 
 1 when he found Dr. Clayton he read every word, his forehead 
 tying itself up in knots, which, however, cleared away the 
 moment he came upon himself at the theatre, though I 
 believe he didn't feel much conmplimentcd by my description 
 of his personal appearance !
 
 372 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 There, just as he was introduced, the story ended, and for 
 tunate was it for me that it did so, for he declared I should 
 not write another word after I got through with him ; and I 
 promised that I wouldn't, mentally resolving that it should 
 be some time before I reached that point. This then, my 
 reader, is the reason why I said no more of him, when first 
 I presented him to your notice, but left him for a while in 
 mystery. I knew Richard was anxious to hear what did 
 become of himself, and I fancied that if I wrote considerable 
 before I said anything very definite of him, he would be more 
 likely to let me finish the book, as he would not wish me to 
 waste so much paper for nothing ! And the sequel proved 
 that I was right. Regularly each day I wrote, Richard 
 always stopping me the moment he thought I was tired, and 
 invariably breaking me off in the wrong place, so if there 
 should be any parts of my story which do not join together 
 smoothly, you may know it was there that Richard took my 
 pen from my hand, or hid the inkstand. 
 
 Towards the middle of August, invitations came for us to 
 attend a large wedding in Charleston. I was exceedingly 
 anxious to go, having heard much of the bride, who was a 
 distant relative of my husband, and though both he and Mrs. 
 Lansing raised every conceivable objection to my leaving 
 home, I adroitly put aside all their arguments, and ere Rich- 
 ard fully realized that he had been coaxed into doing some- 
 thing he had fully determined not to do, we were rattling 
 along in a dusty Charleston omnibus towards one of the 
 largest hotels, where rooms had been engaged for us. The 
 morning after our arrival, I went into the public parlor, * 
 mid as I seated myself at the piano I saw jnst across the room, 
 near an open window, a quiet, intelligent-looking lady, ap- 
 parently twenty-six or twenty-seven years of age, and near 
 licr sporting upon the carpet, was a beautiful little girl,
 
 SUNNY BANK. 8T8 
 
 with flowing curls and soft dark eyes, which instantly riveted 
 my attention, they were so like something I had seen before. 
 
 At the sound of the music she came to ray side, listening 
 attentively, and when I had finished, she laid one white, 
 chubby hand on ray lap and the other on the keys, saying, 
 " please play again, Rose like to hear you." 
 
 " And so your name is Rose ?" I answered, " Rose what ?" 
 
 " Rosa Lee Clayton, and that's my new ma," she replied, 
 pointing towards the lady, whose usually pale cheek was for 
 an instant suffused with a blush such as brides only wear. 
 
 I knew now why I had felt interested in the child. It was 
 the father which I saw looking at me through the eyes of 
 brown, and taking the little creature in my arms, I was 
 about to question her of her sire, when an increasing glow 
 on the lady's cheek and a footstep in the hall told me he was 
 coming 1 
 
 The next moment he stood before me, Dr. Clayton ! his 
 face perfectly unruffled and wearing an expression of con- 
 tent, at least, if not perfect happiness. I was conscious of 
 a faintness stealing over me, but by a strong effort I shook 
 it off, and rising to my feet, I offered him my hand, which 
 he pressed, saying, "This is indeed a surprise, Rose I beg 
 your pardon, Mrs. Delafield, I suppose ?" 
 
 I nodded in the affirmative, and was about to say some- 
 thing more, when another footstep approached, and my hus- 
 band's tall figure darkened the doorway. For an instant 
 they both turned pale, and Dr. Clayton grasped the piano 
 nervously ; but the^ shock soon passed away, and then as 
 friend meets friend after a brief separation, so met these 
 two men, who but the year before had watched together 
 over my pillow, praying, the one that 1 mighUlive, and the 
 other that I might die. 
 
 Wondering!)' the little girl looked up into her father's
 
 874 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 face, and pulling the skirt of my dress, said, " Who is the 
 lady, pa ? with the pretty curls so much like mine ?" 
 
 Never before, I believe, did I like Dr. Clayton as I did at 
 that moment when I saw the deep tenderness which broke over 
 his features as he took his daughter in his arms, and pressing 
 his lips to her forehead, answered, " It is Rosa Lee, my child, 
 the lady for whom you were named." 
 
 "Don't you love her, pa ? Jdo," she asked, stretching her 
 little fat arms towards me. 
 
 I glanced at my husband his brow was dark as midnight. 
 I looked at Dr. Clayton, there was a slight quivering of his 
 lips, while his wife was pale as a water lily, and then I burst 
 into a merry laugh, in which the gentlemen soon joined, 
 though it would have puzzled us all to have told at what we 
 were laughing. 
 
 After a few words of explanation as to why we were 
 there, Dr. Clayton suddenly remembered himself, and lead- 
 ing me towards the lady, introduced her as " My wife, Mrs. 
 Cla} 7 ton." She had been living in Florida with a cousin, at 
 whose house they were married, about two weeks before, and 
 they were now on their way to Boston, stopping for a few days 
 in Charleston to see the city. I found her a very quiet, sen- 
 sible woman, but as different from Dell Thompson, or Rosa 
 Lee, as a person well could be, and I was wondering to my- 
 self how it was possible for a man to love so many people 
 of opposite temperaments, when she said something about 
 New England, and I asked if she were ever there. 
 
 " Oh, yes," she answered, " I was born there, in Wilbra- 
 ham, Mass. I was living with the grandmother of the first 
 Mrs. Clayton at the time of her death." 
 
 In a moment it all came to me ; Dell had told me of Maid 
 Warrener, who had inherited her grandmother's fortune, and 
 now she sat there before me, Mrs. Clayton 2d. Surely the freaks
 
 SUXNY BANK. 375 
 
 of fortune are wonderful ! Naturally refined and intelligent, 
 Mabel had employed a part of her money in giving herself 
 a good education, graduating at Mount Holyoke Female 
 Seminary, and going thence back to her home in Wilbrahain, 
 which she had fitted up with much taste, and where she \vas 
 living when Dr. Clayton met her on his return from Georgia. 
 Of her then he only thought as of a pleasant, agreeable wo* 
 man ; but when time, absence, and my marriage had soft- 
 ened the keenness of his disappointment, he often found his 
 thoughts wandering towards the fair Mabel, who, upon in- 
 quiry, he learned had gone to Florida. Rose needed a .;_ 
 mother, and he needed a wife ; so, after an interchange of 
 letters, he one morning started with his little girl for the 
 " laud of flowers," where neither sickness, nor death, nor 
 yet a Richard Delafield, came between him and his bride. 
 They seemed very happy, for after a little Dr. Clayton re- 
 covered his equanimity, and appeared perfectly natural. 
 
 Not a word, however, did he say of the past, or in any 
 way allude to Georgia, except once when he asked me if I 
 did not think Rose, resembled Jessie in a measure. I had 
 thought of the same thing, though Rosa's eyes were darker 
 and her hair more of a chestnut brown. She was a sweet 
 little creature, and if anything could have reconciled me to 
 being the wife of Dr. Clayton, it would have been the fact 
 that she was my daughter. But as I contrasted the two 
 men, as my eye fell on Dr. Clayton's handsome face and cur- 
 ly locks, and then rested on the dark features and raven hair 
 of Richard, I felt that in him there was more of the true, the 
 noble man, and my heart warmly approved me for the choice I 
 had made. 
 
 Nearly all the morning we sat there talking on indifferent 
 subjects, and when dinner was over, Mrs. Clayton came to
 
 878 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 my room, staying a long time, and gaining fast in my good 
 opinion, when I saw how kind and friendly she was. She 
 had heard the whole story, for she told me so, holding little 
 Kose upon her lap and smoothing her silken curls. 
 
 " We cannot all love the same person," she said in con- 
 clusion ; " and I am so glad you refused him, for otherwise 
 be would not have been my husband ;" and her quiet eyes 
 lighted up with a look of happiness which plainer than words 
 could express told me that she had brought to Dr. Clay- 
 ton no divided affections. 
 
 At the making of my toilet for the wedding she was pre- 
 sent, aiding Bertha greatly by her own tasteful suggestions, 
 and when at last I was dressed with perfect childish simpli- 
 city, she ran for her husband " to come and see if I didn't 
 look pretty." 
 
 " Mrs. Delafield was always pretty to me," was the doc- 
 tor's answer, and that was all he said. 
 
 They were to leave early next morning before I would be 
 up, and so when the carriage was announced, we went to bid 
 them good-bye. 
 
 " May I kiss your wife ?" asked the doctor of my husband, 
 as he held my hand. 
 
 " Certainly, sir," answered Richard, " an even exchange 
 is always fair," and- instead of once, he kissed the blushing- 
 Mabel twice, which of course gave Dr. Clayton liberty to do 
 the same by me. 
 
 Suddenly remembering something which I had left in my 
 room, I went up for it, and on my way back glanced into 
 the parlor, occupied by Dr. Clayton. He was seated upon the 
 sofa by the side of his wife, around whose waist his arm was 
 affectionately thrown, while partly on his lap and partly 
 upon that of her step-mother was little Rose, her long eye-
 
 SUNNY BANK. 87*7 
 
 lashes drooping sleepily over her eyes of brown. It was a 
 beautiful tableau, and whenever I think of Dr. Clayton now, 
 it is as I last saw him, happy and contented, for he has not 
 only won a most excellent wife, but also secured that $10,000 
 after all I
 
 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 NOVEMBER 25lH. 
 
 DEAR READER, 
 
 Just one year ago to-night the orange wreath and bridal 
 veil were twined among my curls, and with a loving heart I 
 stood up before the man of God and took upon myself the 
 vows, which made me Richard's forever. The orange flowers 
 are faded now, and the bridal veil looks soiled and worn ; 
 but the sunlight of happiness which shone upon me when 
 first he called me his wife has grown brighter and brighter 
 as each day has unfolded to me some new virtue which I 
 knew not that he possessed when, he became my husband. 
 
 No shadow, however slight, has ever fallen between us, 
 for though he has a fiery temper and an indomitable will, 
 they are both under perfect control, and so much confidence 
 have I in his love for me, that should I ever in any way come 
 in collision with his temper or his will, I have faith to believe 
 I could bend the one and subdue the other. Every comfort 
 and luxury which affection can dictate or money procure has 
 been gathered around me, until my home seems to me a 
 second paradise. 
 
 The fervid heat of summer has passed, and the hazy light 
 which betokens the fall of the leaf has come. On the north- 
 ern hills, they sa^, the November snows have already fallen, 
 but we are still basking in the soft sunlight of a most glori-
 
 NOVEMBER 25TH. 879 
 
 ous autumn ; and as I write, the south wind comes in through 
 the open window, whispering to me of the fading flowers, 
 whose perfume it gathered as it floated along. Just oppo- 
 site me, in a willow chair, with her head buried in a towering 
 turban of royal purple, sits Juno, a middle aged woman, 
 nodding to the breeze, which occasionally brushes past her 
 so fast that she lazily opens her eyes, and with her long-heeled 
 foot gives a jog to the rosewood crib, wherein lies sleeping a 
 little tiny thing which was left here five weeks ago to-day. 
 Oh, how odd and funny it seemed when Richard first laid on 
 my arm a little bundle of cambric and lace, and whispered 
 in my ear, " Would you like to see our baby ?" She is a 
 great pet, and should this book never reach so far as Geor- 
 gia, Mrs. Lansing, I am sure, will like me all the same, for 
 her words and manner have been very kind since the morn- 
 ing when I said to Richard, " We will call our baby Jessie." 
 
 So Jessie was she baptized, Mrs. Lansing's tears falling 
 like rain on the face of the unconscious child, which she 
 folded to her bosom as tenderly as if it had indeed been her 
 own lost Jessie come back to her again. Upon Ada the 
 arrival of the stranger produced a novel effect, overwhelm- 
 ing her with such a load of modesty that she kept out of 
 Richard's way nearly two weeks, and never once came to see 
 me until I was sitting up in my merino morning gown, which 
 she had embroidered for me herself. Ada has a very nice 
 sense of propriety 1 
 
 But little more remains for me to say, and that I must say 
 briefly. I am determined to finish my story, and as my hus- 
 band for the first time since my illness has left me alone for 
 an hour or two, I am improving the opportunity, having first 
 bribed Bertha to bring me my writing materials, by promis- 
 ing her a dress which she has long coveted. 
 
 The royal purple turban by the window has become some-
 
 880 MEADOW BROOK. 
 
 what displaced by the strong west wind, and now wide 
 awake, begins to grumble at " Miss Rosy's impudence, in 'xer- 
 tin' herself to write trash which is of no kind o' count, and 
 which no human will ever read." 
 
 I hope her prediction is a false one, for I have lately con- 
 ceived the idea of devoting the entire proceeds of this book 
 to the benefit of Rosa Lee," who, of course, has no part in 
 the $10,000 which her father has married I 
 
 There is a rustling in the crib the baby is waking, and 
 at my request Juno brings her to me, saying as she lays her 
 on my lap, " She's the berry pictur' of t'other Jessie," and 
 as her soft blue eyes unclose and my hand rests on her curly 
 hair which begins to look golden in the sunlight, I, too, 
 think the same, and with a throbbing heart I pray the 
 Father to save her from the early death which came to our 
 lost darling " Jessie, the angel of the Pines." 
 
 ROSE DELAFIELD. 
 
 FINIS.
 
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 RECOLLECTIONS OF A LIFETIME, 
 
 OR 
 
 MEN AND THINGS I HAVE SEEN IN EUBOPE AND AMEBICA. 
 
 BY S. G. GOODRICH, 
 
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 u-dS-al
 
 A Curious and Interesting Work. 
 , THE LIFE, TRAVELS, LABORS AND WRITINGS 
 
 OF 
 
 L O R E JST Z O DOW; 
 
 INCLUDING HIS SINGULAR AND ERRATIC 
 
 WANDERINGS IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 
 
 TO WHICH 18 ADDED H18 
 
 CHAIN JOURNEY FROM BABYLON TO JERUSALEM J DIALOGUE BETWEEN CURIOUS 
 
 AND SINGULAR ; HINTS ON THE FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY, ETC.; AND THE 
 
 VICISSITUDES OR JOURNEY OF LIFE, AND SUPPLEMENTAL REFLECTIONS, 
 
 BY PEGGY DOW. 
 
 Complete in One Volume, 507 pp. 8vo. Price, Stamped 
 Cloth, $1 75 ; Embossed Morocco, $2 00. 
 
 . 
 
 Sinca the days of George Whitfield, it has not fallen to the lot of 
 another minister of the gospel to enjoy so great and wide-spread a 
 celebrity as that' of the late LORENZO Dow. In England and Ireland, 
 in the United States and the Canadas, there are probably few persons 
 now living who have reached adult age, to whom his name is not fa- 
 miliar. There is not a state in our Union that he has not visited, and 
 there ia scarcely a town in the older States in which he has not beeD 
 listened to by hundreds, if not thousands, of the present generation. 
 
 It is hardly possible that one who attracted so much of the publii 
 attention during his life should soon cease to be an object of interest 
 Many among those who have listened to his public teachings, as well 
 as those who know himonly by reputation, would doubtless begratifiea 
 to possess the means of forming a true estimate of the character of the 
 man the causes of his singularities, the secret of his influence, and the 
 peculiar bent and power of his mind. It is to gratify this desire that 
 the present edition of his collected works is given to the public. His 
 Journal, which comprises the history of his life to his fortieth year, will 
 suggest to an attentive reader a clew to the enigma which his appar- 
 ently mysterious conduct often presented. 
 
 The intellectual endowments of Lorenzo Dow were far from contemp- 
 tible. He had great natural shrewdness, great firmness, and invincible 
 energy and perseverance. His advantages of early education were 
 small, and he seems never to have attained the power of treating a 
 subject methodically, or of pursuing a course of consecutive reasoning. 
 Still there are many valuable observations for the conduct of life in his 
 writings, and a vein of homely good sense and sound morality pervades 
 them all. He considered the press next to the pulpit for usefulness 
 and therefore, as he says, he "collected the quintessence" of his wri 
 tings for the benefit of posterity. 
 
 MILLER, ORTON & CO., Publishers, 
 
 25 Park Row, New York, and 107 Genesee-st., Auburn.
 
 MAGMFIIEM WORK OF BISTORT. 
 
 .4 W'/iolt library in Ittlf! 
 r*Mt SI 1,OOO12O7 Pagres-7O Iais-7OO J nzr 
 
 HISTORY OF ALL NATIONS. 
 
 FROM THE EARLIEST PERIOD TO THE PRESENT TIME J 
 OR, 
 
 IN WHICH THB 
 
 HISTORY OF EVERT NATION, ANCIENT AND MODERN, 
 
 IS SEPARATELY GIVEN. 
 
 BY S. G. GOODRICH* 
 
 Consul to Paris, and Author of several Works qf History, Parley's Tale*, etts. 
 
 It contains 1207 pages, royal octavo, and is illustrated by 70 Maps and 700 Engraving* 
 bound in imitation Turkey morocco. 
 
 Invariable retail price, $6,00 In one volume; $8,00 in two volumes. 
 
 The same, full gilt edge and aides, $8,00 in one volume; $10,00 in two vota. 
 
 %* It is believed that the above work, by Mr. Goodrich, will be very acoepUoi* 
 to the American public. It is the result of yean of toil and labor, assisted In his re- 
 searches by several scholars of kuuwn ability, and has been gotten up at a great ex- 
 pense by the proprietors. No pains have been spared In the execution of the Illustra- 
 tions and Maps, which are entirely new, and prepared by tho distinguished author 
 esrpresnly for the work. Indeed, all the other historical writings of Mr. Goodrlcti 
 sink into insignificance, when compared with this, the result uf his riper and uiatiirci 
 years. It is admitted that One llnmJreil IMlars could not purchase thesamo r A 
 for in any other shape: and the publisher* confldently expect that. In eonslil suliim 
 of the nrei literary value of the work, the large suiii es]H>iided In prepnrip . It for Hi* 
 prtvos, and the exceedingly moderate price at which it U offered, that it *ill bo favor- 
 Uy received by every lover of good books. 
 
 MILLER, ORTON & CO., Publishers, 
 
 25 Park Row, New York, and 107 Genesee-st, Anburn
 
 THRILLING ADVENTURES 
 
 BY LAND AND SEA; 
 
 BEING 
 
 gfnwha&I* facts fr0m ^tttftantir jstonms, 
 
 EDITED BY J. O. BRAYMAN. 
 
 " Wherein I spoke of most disastrous chances, 
 Of moving accidents by flood and field." 
 
 501 pp. 12M10,, Illustrated, Muslin, Price $1 25. 
 
 The object of the present compilation is to form a readable and in- 
 structive volume a volume of startling incident and exciting adven- 
 ture, which shall interest all minds, and by its attractions beget a 
 thirst for reading with those who devote their leisure hours to things 
 hurtful to themselves and to community. 
 
 " How sleep the brave who ink to rest, 
 By all their country's wishes blest! " 
 
 gctte of ^mmnm crws, 
 
 FROM THE 
 
 COMMENCEMENT OF THE REVOLUTIONARY STRUGGLE, 
 
 TO THE 
 
 CLOSE OF THE MEXICAN WAR; 
 
 WITH 
 
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 
 
 BY J. O. BRAYMAN. 
 500 pp. 12mo,, Illustrated, Muslin. Price $1 25. 
 
 Our design has been to place upon permanent record a continuous account of the 
 u Daring Deeds" of the heroes of our country to form a bok of attractive and popu- 
 lar reading to embalm in the memory of the American people, the sacrifices, the patri- 
 otism, the valor and the sufferings and dangers of those to whom we aro indebted for 
 the achievement and preservation of our freedom. 
 
 MILLER, ORTON & CO., Publishers, 
 
 25 Park Row, New York, and 107 Genesee-st., Auburn
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY 
 
 Los Angeles 
 This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. 
 
 SEP 24 1984
 
 A 000036465 3
 
 \ I *.