THE MUSTEE; 
 
 OR, 
 
 LOVE AND LIBERTY. 
 
 BY B. F. PRESBURY. 
 
 To hold yoir fSsVdOtn still my heatt im j(>ibre me, 
 Still bid me clutch the charm that lures and flies : 
 
 Ye crowd around ; come, then, hold empire o er me, 
 As from the mist and haze of thought ye rise. 
 
 FAUST, Brooks s Translation. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 SHEPARD, CLARK & BROWN. 
 
 1859. 
 
*?*? 
 
 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1858, Ly 
 
 SHEPARD, CLARK & BROWN, 
 In the Clerk a Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. 
 
 ELECTROTYPED AT THE 
 BOSTON STEEEOTTPE FOUNDRY. 
 
PREFATORY. 
 
 IN fleeting tide among these silent leaves, 
 
 The mystic current of my dreaming flows, 
 
 And, gliding onward, in my soul there glows 
 The hope that o er its deepest murmurs breathes 
 
 A tone which will not tremble to its close, 
 E en when the cloud that dims my country s stars 
 Shall vanish in the holy light it bars. 
 
 Whence are the thoughts that like the morning soar ? 
 
 Thrown up like pearls are they along our shore 
 By the deep waves from some diviner sphere? 
 I know not how within -my heart appear 
 
 The rays now joining the auroral gleam ; 
 
 There seems a spell upon me while I dream, 
 
 And in weird whispers come " You but transmit the beam." 
 
 TACNTON, Oct. 23, 1858. 
 
 1* (5) 
 
THE MUSTEE; 
 
 OR, 
 
 LOVE AND LIBERTY 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 We do not make our thoughts ; they grow in us 
 Like grain in wood. FESTUS. 
 
 " ARE you still feeding on law-calf and sheep ? " inquired 
 Anthony Featherstone, as he entered the office of Brian Park, 
 on returning from a somewhat protracted pleasure excursion. 
 
 " Even so," was the reply of the student. 
 
 " But you are trying the dust of Lyttleton and the bones 
 of Coke once more ! " said Featherstone, with surprise ; " I 
 thought you had studied law, and been called to enter upon 
 its practice." 
 
 " I have so far prepared myself as to be permitted to com 
 mence the practice," replied Park, laying down his book; 
 "but to have thoroughly mastered the voluminous and pro 
 found science, only those who have grown old and continued 
 lovingly constant can lay claim to have done." 
 
 " That may be," said Featherstone ; " yet I do not intend 
 to bend over it as I have hitherto ; for when I was admitted 
 
 (7) 
 
8\ : : TKE \MU.S TEE, OR 
 
 to the bar, I considered that the world was laid open to me 
 far wider than it had been ; and I intend, as I may be able, to 
 look in upon its shows, and taste its various vintage, as well 
 as to climb the steep where laurels grow." 
 
 " You think so, I have no doubt ; and it may be even as you 
 imagine," replied Park. " Still you may behold, also, in the 
 same magic glass, whose rosy pictures fill you with such hope, 
 the shadows of the dangers which follow the votaries. You 
 can see, if you will, how the merest trifle may prevent you 
 from enjoying the one, ill health, which lies in wait there, 
 deprive another of all its charms, while a single misstep, taken 
 within its tempting precincts, shall put the last beyond your 
 aspiring grasp." 
 
 " But to acquire the means for pleasure has been my chief 
 spur throughout all the fagging toil of preparation," urged 
 Featherstone. " Would you have me now, when she begins 
 to appear before and beckon to me, and whisper of reward, 
 pass her by unrecognized ? Do you see any weakness in me, 
 or want of power, that raises this ghost of failure to flit before 
 your eyes ? " 
 
 " Not want of power, certainly," Park replied ; " but econ 
 omy of strength, singleness of purpose, a sleepless devotion to 
 one aim, making continual and untiring shots at one mark, 
 until you have trained every faculty to sight on that centre. 
 Such competitors there are on every shining path ; hence he 
 who desires to ascend must arm himself to meet them ; and, 
 so armed, lie down with his weapon chained to his wrist, and 
 rise up to give it edge, or to acquire new dexterity in its use. 
 Lord Mansfield declined marriage even, that he might reign 
 supremest of chancellors." 
 
 " If I occasionally visit a way-side bower," explained Feath 
 erstone, " it will be only for refreshment or repose ; they can 
 not bind or enervate ; on the word, I shall go forth, nor cast a 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 9 
 
 single lingering glance behind. I do not intend to avoid exer 
 tion or struggle even ; yet I must and will have some change, 
 as constancy appears to me stupid and monotonous." 
 
 " I think that I understand you," replied Park ; " and the 
 better, because what you say of yourself accords with my own 
 observation. But these fair-seeming pleasures take time, and 
 that is the least of what they take their fires consume either 
 strength or heart, goods which none of us can well spare. 
 You smile, as though you thought yourself invulnerable ; and 
 I am aware that your bodily health and constitutional vigor 
 are remarkable ; yet I know, also, the tastes and appetites 
 that must be laid, like weeds, in order that something nobler 
 may spring there something worthy of the gift of life. If 
 you did not like the study of the law, you should not have 
 vowed yourself to it; for it, also, can only be conquered 
 by love; and when one loves, he cannot be easily enticed 
 away." 
 
 " If I had wealth," said Featherstone, " I would not open 
 another law book. Indeed. I never pretended to like the 
 study for itself, but only for what it promised to give. I 
 labored for future reward ; and I supposed that you were 
 doing the same ; though I think I see now where you stand, 
 because I perceive there is a striking agreement between your 
 preaching and practice. Yet we are unlike ; so much so. that 
 we have never come in contact, and therein may be found the 
 reason why we have gone on so smoothly. I look back now 
 and see that you carried off some of the honors of the classes, 
 not because yours was the strongest arm, but by the cunning 
 use of your weapons : and yet, after all, the dexterity was 
 natural to you ; hence it was easily developed, so that you 
 took the appropriate rewards without the toil of many who 
 failed ; and you may continue to take, without exciting either 
 envy or emulation in me, for the world has richer prizes. 
 
10 THEMUSTEE, OR 
 
 1^ 
 
 But you will give me leave to say that it is the fault of men 
 of your cast of mind to see no other course than your own for 
 any man. Yet the most promising rarely walk the path you 
 prescribe." 
 
 " It may be so, and is so frequently," replied Park ; " and 
 observation of it is not without a lesson of wisdom; for if they, 
 the gifted, 
 
 * The primrose path of dalliance tread, 
 
 their fire will grow dim. What has become of the young 
 men who were the bright particular stars when we first went 
 to the university ? Where is A., the wit ? paragraphing for 
 the newspapers. Where is C., the poet? dead of his ex 
 cesses. Where is P., the brilliant debater ? ascended to a 
 desk, in a room with twenty others, at the Custom House ! 
 Now, I do not name these men to jeer at them, but to seriously 
 ask why so much promise was obscured or quenched. Is not 
 the answer obvious ? namely, because they believed in the 
 sufficiency of their genius which fact flings a doubt on the 
 possession. For what is Genius ? certainly not a patent to 
 exempt from application ; but rather to do that with love 
 which all others must bend to as a task : it is to have a pre 
 disposition, by nature, to something great and glorious, so that 
 we can cheerfully pour time and strength, and even life itself, 
 as libations for its approving smile. And if we turn to the 
 wine cup, or the bower of Calypso, of what avail will be the 
 radiant gift, except to make those whom we may meet there 
 the more charmed, and consequently the more persuasive to 
 detain ? Indeed, who that does not soar on its pinion can hear 
 the voices which lure one down ? You will not suspect me of 
 merely playing the preacher in these remarks; on the con 
 trary, you may believe I am seriously aiming to lay open life 
 so that I may realize it unto myself; for I have entered the 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 11 
 
 lists with an unblazoned shield, and see before me the pen 
 nons of the brave and the arms of the mighty." 
 
 " I know that you are ambitious," said Featherstone, " and, 
 if you live long enough, will be likely to accomplish your pur 
 pose, whatever it be ; and you may think it your pursuit of 
 happiness. But do not wrecks lie all along that path also ? 
 Even most of the successful few, who, cutting through every 
 obstacle, at length reach the height, all covered with scars, 
 find only a i barren sceptre in their grasp. Yet, after all, 
 this knowledge does not deter the brave and it is something 
 to have so aspired only the finest of the Alpine peasants 
 become the hunters of the chamois." 
 
 " It is discipline and practice that make their daring suc 
 cessful," replied Park. " I have many times admired the 
 vigor of your arm for a single blow, and have seen the luck 
 less debater stagger before it ; yet you could not follow up 
 and demolish him ; for, relying on native strength, you had 
 neglected the science of offence and defence. Indeed, the 
 wild forces of the mind seldom bear conviction with their 
 exhibition ; while the trained thinker can forge a chain of 
 reasons which shall bind you to the remotest thing. You may 
 struggle against it, but you will only rattle your fetters until a 
 more able mind severs them link from link, and redeems you 
 from the bondage. And, by way of illustration, I have been 
 reading this morning an opinion of our Supreme Court, over 
 ruling a decision of twenty years standing. During that 
 period persuasive advocates have assaulted, flaming declaim- 
 ers have stormed it, in vain ; while now it goes down be 
 fore the scientific approaches of a cold and acute reasoner. 
 Looking upon this, and kindred triumphs, I regard rea 
 soning as a fine art, and one in which it is very difficult 
 to win the highest success, requiring, as it does, that pa- 
 
12 THEMUSTEE, OR 
 
 tience and persistency of thought which only an iron will 
 can enforce. 
 
 " The ablest reasoner of our time, and not surpassed in any, 
 on the facts of a case and the principles of law that could be 
 made to apply to it, came with a poet s gifts from the hand of 
 Nature. Yet he devoted himself with all patience to the art 
 of discipline, until not only the drill was complete, but even 
 the uniform made sober ! In the course of a long life he 
 went down to many great fields, and, although he has given 
 them to the memory of the ages, no man ever saw him call 
 all his reserve into action. Calmly and warily he surveyed 
 the hostile lines, until he had searched out the weak place ; 
 then, on it, he columned up, and bore down, and clove deep, 
 always to fame s wreath, if not to the victor s crown. Yet, 
 throughout all, though endowed with an imagination the most 
 soaring, he seldom took wing whenever he felt the earth firm 
 beneath his feet. Only here and there some high-naming 
 bannered thought outrolled to the sun in the heavens as he 
 broke through his opponent s defences, and swept over the dis 
 puted ground. 
 
 " Though destined to such meridian splendor, dark clouds 
 beset his rising; and even far up the morning only faint 
 gleams of light laced their folds. Still he bore on. And if 
 there were times when he sought for repose in some obscure 
 place, he yet pressed forward when the breath of friendship 
 or the fire of genius rekindled hope so with alternate heat 
 and cold the blades of Damascus were tempered." 
 
 " No one admires the display of such powers more than I 
 do," said Featherstone ; " but, if they are only to be brought 
 out and subdued to use by such long and laborious training, I 
 shall not aspire to their perfect mastery. Others might enjoy 
 it, I could not : he may be an example for you, but not for 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 13 
 
 me. You may continue to pour water on your napkin, and 
 bind it around your forehead to drive away sleep in the still 
 night, while you bend over the pages of your Coke on Lyt- 
 tleton, but I shall look for my pleasure elsewhere ; and, when 
 I find it, help myself at once, for it aggravates me to see any 
 one leave to the chances of to-morrow that which might be 
 tasted to-day." 
 
 " As you have led the conversation back to yourself," said 
 Park, " permit me to say that you appear to have no fixed 
 principle ; at least, your words import that you mean to be 
 governed chiefly by impulse. Now, much of it may be good, 
 I grant ; but some of it will be likely to be wrong, and all of 
 it must be reckless." 
 
 " Well, perhaps it may be so," replied Featherstone ; " and 
 I know you are a different being ; but does it follow that you 
 are a better ? You speak as though you thought your plan 
 proceeded from principle ! Yet I understand it to be nothing 
 more than a system spun from expediency. You may fortify 
 your path with reasons ; but those, too often, can only justify 
 it to yourself. Simply because you have determined to take 
 no step in life without calculating its consequences, must I 
 infer that yours will be a worthier course than mine ? " 
 
 " Safer, perhaps," said Park, smiling. 
 
 " For the time, it may be," said Featherstone ; " yet in the 
 long run well, we shall see. But, by the way, and to 
 change the subject, for I am tired of this, I met your 
 cousin, Mrs. Fardel, at one of the watering places a few days 
 since, though I presume she has returned to the city, as I 
 have received her card for next Wednesday evening ; and 
 may I inquire if you think of wasting an hour in such a 
 way-side bower?" 
 
 " That is my intention now," replied Park, smiling ; " al- 
 2 
 
14 THEMUSTEE, OR 
 
 though, generally, I take no great pleasure in large parties. 
 Yet it is a part of my system, as it pleases you to call it; 
 for one makes the acquaintance of men of business in such 
 places who may be shaped into clients by a grave and taci 
 turn demeanor, which you know is natural to me, with 
 careful and concise remark when you can agree with them 
 in opinion. I look upon this as fair ground, and on it I 
 intend to neglect no opportunity of seed time, however remote 
 may be the prospect of harvest. I suppose, as a matter of 
 course, I shall meet you there." 
 
 " Not in that part of the field," said Featherstone ; " but in 
 the neighborhood you may or at least I have so answered. 
 Yet, your motives have so changed its aspect, I fear I shall 
 not find the pastime and entertainment for which, it seems 
 to me, such displays are intended. I had thought chiefly of 
 dancing and feeding, together with some lively and interest 
 ing chat with youth and beauty, under circumstances so favor 
 able to the display of their charms. But when I think, as 
 your view has made me think, that success in my profession 
 must be won before I can enter to compete for the prizes 
 which are advertised there, (for we are about sure to be told 
 what each one is marked at !) it appears to me it would be 
 only an aggravation to look into the market." 
 
 " Yes ; every thing is bought, though the noblest can only 
 be paid for in kind," replied Park. "And your reflection 
 brings up our starting point, namely, that business must come 
 before pleasure to those who have to strive for themselves ; 
 or else they must so choose that their business shall be their 
 pleasure. Happy is he who has found this last, and all honor 
 wait on him who patiently follows the first." 
 
 " I admit your facts," said Featherstone, " and accept your 
 inferences, and think I see through them as plainly as an- 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 15 
 
 other ; but I do not intend to be a martyr, and may sometimes 
 turn aside for recreation, when I believe it will not seriously 
 interfere with the march." 
 
 " 1 may have my dream, also," replied Park ; " but I shall 
 not attempt to awaken to its realization until the shadows of 
 the night are passed, and a clear and steadily ascending sun 
 assures me of the day." 
 
16 THEMUSTEE, OR 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 " Blood tells." 
 
 THE foregoing interview and conversation occurred in the 
 city of New York, some few years since the precise time 
 being of little consequence now, as it will be made sufficiently 
 apparent before the speakers vanish altogether from our view. 
 
 It is not to sketch the peculiar features of any singular and 
 extraordinary crisis, that I take up the pencil and unroll the 
 canvas: they might have appeared any time within fifty 
 years ; they may have been seen yesterday, they arrest the 
 gaze of the thoughtful to-day ; for the laws which reveal them 
 are still strong in the will and high in the sanction of the 
 makers ; still rejoiced in by thousands who gather ease, lux 
 ury, and indulgence from their partial action. Consequently 
 the elements from which my story evolves have no secret, 
 mystic charm ; for the nation and the world know them by 
 heart ! Yet, from the ocean-like vastness of the subject, there 
 is still many an inlet unvisited, where the explorer may find 
 room and food for meditation, the constructor here and there a 
 relic from which he can reproduce the life long since shrouded 
 in silence. 
 
 It is said that, amid the imperial splendors of her reception 
 by Napoleon III., the Queen of England suggested the en 
 largement of the liberties of his people; perceiving, no 
 doubt, that there must be less antagonism in the ruling of 
 their realms, in order to give their alliance vigor and contin 
 uance ; feeling that there was something disingenuous in their 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 17 
 
 attitude, which would shake the faith of their subjects; 
 knowing, also, that professions of liberty will not be accepted 
 by mankind for whose opinion it has come to be wise for 
 princes to have a decent regard when any who arm in its 
 cause are inclined to absolute rule. If this be a truth of his 
 tory, as it is of eternal logic, it should make us blush for our 
 country, in its present unmistakable tendencies. For these 
 states are not united for the single purpose of a war, but for 
 all the unfolding, continuing influences of peace, and that, too, 
 in the name of Liberty. Consequently, with an emphasis 
 that no tongue can give, a single statute in a single state 
 which is in conflict with this lofty ideal, calls for the most 
 earnest and unceasing fraternal exertions of every disciple of 
 the fathers, of every soldier of freedom, and of every lover of 
 the enduring glory of the Union, until it be erased from the 
 record. 
 
 Such a law far oversweeps its prescribed bounds . If it 
 repel some, it may attract others, thus influencing the opinion 
 and shaping the life of the remotest American. Indeed, one 
 of the young men whose ideas and aims have been laid before 
 you, will not escape its quicksands, although born and nur 
 tured in a free state. But I anticipate. 
 
 Park and Featherstone were both reared east of the Hud 
 son. They had been classmates in college, with the exception 
 of one term that Park passed with the hunters on the prairies, 
 on a plea of health, which he found in the bosom of Nature, 
 our true nurse and teacher. They had also been fellow- 
 students at law during a portion of their reading, and had 
 opened office in the course of the same year in the great mart 
 of our commerce. Sprung of thrifty and forehanded families, 
 yet of an entirely different strain, that of Featherstone 
 being of traders, while Park s was from farmers, their cir 
 cumstances were made easy during their student-days; but 
 2* 
 
18 THEMUSTEE, OR 
 
 the time had arrived when they were expected to take care of 
 themselves. Indeed, they had already so far entered upon the 
 difficult and doubtful struggle, that hope began to venture 
 forth, and catch glimpses of a fair prospect. They were not 
 better educated or deeper read, perhaps, than thousands of 
 others who start in the great cities, and pass on with the crowd ; 
 but they had that intuitive knowledge of men, however it 
 differed in degree and kind, from which the most adroit find it 
 difficult to escape, and in which the mass of mankind place 
 confidence. They both possessed personal attractions also ; yet 
 in these they differed as widely as in their mental constitutions. 
 
 Anthony Featherstone was a little under the medium height, 
 well made, though perhaps a trifle too full for elegance ; and 
 if, to the close and critical observer, his extremities partook of 
 the same fault, he was aware of it, and studied to make them 
 appear comely ; and, to the common eye, he quite accomplished 
 it. In truth, he was particularly careful of the outward man ; 
 favoring bright colors, it might be, too much for the severest 
 taste, although the world s passing glance was a commenda 
 tion. This he saw, and it sufficed, for it was his aim ; but we 
 have raised him into view for a more searching scrutiny. 
 
 The face of this " fine-looking man " so the multitude 
 called him was nearer round than oval, with a certain har 
 mony of features ; yet no single one seeming as if Nature had 
 lingered over it with her cunningly-forming hand. His fore 
 head was ample, though not commanding, and around it flowed 
 hair, black, glossy, and curling. His eyes were of the same 
 dark hue and bright lustre, yet prone rather to enforce than to 
 win. Altogether, he looked resolute and determined, without 
 any striking marks of serene courage or soaring thought. He 
 was free and social, sometimes boisterous, even, laughing easily, 
 though not deeply, yet disclosing such fine teeth in the act as 
 to grace the emotion. If the tone of his voice gave the nice 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 19 
 
 ear a more favorable impression of his lungs than of his heart, 
 it was not without its attractions to many a listener ; for, with 
 in certain limits, he was quick to perceive, and ready to reply, 
 sometimes with wit, and never without force or meaning. He 
 was sensitive to any thing that looked like a question of his 
 power, for he estimated himself at his full worth ; and if he 
 saw but a shadow of impertinence, it opened in him a vein of 
 irony which was hard to parry and difficult to answer. He 
 had other traits also that keep one from being the pet of a 
 coterie, or the plaything of the idle. Full of vigor, though of 
 a carnal type, as if formed for laljor, even muscular exertion, 
 you could not look upon him without being persuaded that he 
 had the capabilities for a man s work, and would do it, if cir 
 cumstances so favored as to draw him away from the shoals of 
 appetite and the rocks of passion. 
 
 Brian Park, whom the multitude thought plain, was of a 
 different make and manifestation. He was much taller than 
 Featherstone, with a smaller frame, and not so robust of mus 
 cle ; paler, also, and with a less roving glance, he passed un 
 measured by any, and unhonored by those who ornament the 
 pavement. Yet closer viewed, his form, though light, was 
 well proportioned and straight as an arrow ; and if, beside 
 some, he seemed like that winged shaft, his port gave you an 
 idea that, however pliantly he might yield to grace and kind 
 ness, it would be difficult for force to move him. His face was 
 long rather than oval, his jaw strong, his chin and lips firm 
 and finished, with hair so brown and soft and long as to subdue 
 the severe and mysterious brow even to gentleness. His eyes 
 were gray, full and prominent, taking silent note of all things, 
 yet without lustre, except when some strong emotion took 
 wing and came flashing up to the light, to disappear on the 
 instant, or to come forth in the felicitous phrase of a master. 
 His smile was pleasing, even warm and winning, although it 
 
20 THEMUSTEE,OR 
 
 rarely overswept all the lines of his thoughtful features. Al 
 together, he seemed formed for repose in a world of agitation, 
 appearing as if action were the exception of his nature, and 
 gaining purity and power in long periods of musing. Not 
 over-fond of solitude, he yet coveted silence, much preferring 
 it to those cheaply minted words which form the chief cur 
 rency of the hours ; and, occasionally, there was something in 
 his expression that showed how little he valued such inter 
 course. This caused him to be thought cold and nnsympa- 
 thizing by the many ; for 
 
 "Your smilers guess not how 
 Beats the strong heart, though less the lips avow." 
 
 He was not a talker, in general society, however much the 
 subject under discussion might interest him, although he some 
 times uttered a pointed and vigorous remark that opened a 
 new view to the discerning. He could also help a good con- 
 verser, or confound a babbler, by the significance of his man 
 ner of listening ; so that Pretension feared him, and even Gay- 
 ety was shy, although he did not always decline her invitations, 
 for she knew his silken hand to be sinewed with steel, and his 
 mind set on something which she saw not nor desired to see, 
 feeling that it was unsuited to her mirth. Still, his heart was 
 full of kindness to the kind ; and if it occasionally led him to 
 join in their light laugh, out of a desire to please, he found it 
 an unnatural or an unaccustomed exercise, making his face 
 ache in the effort, while it rang false to his ear ; hence it soon 
 had an end. But if he found a thoughtful person in that 
 region, he possessed the power to take her into a more charm 
 ing circle, leading her down " through Deva s winding vales, 
 or by the shores of old Romance." 
 
 These two young men had long kept up a kind of compan 
 ionship, and were friendly not friends, certainly, in any 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 21 
 
 high sense of the word, for circumstances threw them together, 
 as circumstances, but above all, development of character, 
 will cause their courses to diverge. They were too unlike, or, 
 more strictly speaking, too unequal, ever to have any fulness of 
 communication. Featherstone s view of life, and his opinion 
 of human nature, tended to make him wary ; for he was gain 
 ing faith in the idea that " men are what they name not to 
 themselves, and trust not to each other." But Park was so 
 constituted as to keep his* own counsel, until he should find in 
 a wife a comprehension and a depth of love such as we 
 sketch in musing, and color in dreams sacred pictures, that 
 fill the heart with yearnings, and strengthen belief in the di 
 vine intimations of our being. They were both men of good 
 habits, as the world gathers the evidence and gives its opin 
 ion. Yet the one could see but little in his own heart to re 
 strain appetite or ambition ; while the other, in the earnest 
 ness with which he pressed forward, may have lost much way 
 side beauty, passing by many a bower of pleasure, with his 
 eye fixed on some shining height, or dreaming of some distant 
 Eden. 
 
 They had already become so much known that business 
 began to seek them; their days of rehearsal were passing 
 away, and the drama of their lives was opening into action. 
 Its every shifting scene was of vital importance to them, and 
 some of the more striking parts may not be without signifi 
 cance to us ; yet they are only types of a host who are con 
 tinually passing from shadow to shadow. The temptations 
 which beset them were not singular, for they have been or 
 ganized into law, sanctioned by custom, or excused by passion, 
 and are as likely to catch us, or ours, in their toils as either of 
 those whose trail we are about to take. 
 
22 THEMUSTEE, OR 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 She spoke, and turned her sumptuous head with eyes 
 Of shining expectation fixt on mine. TENNYSON. 
 
 ON one of those up-town avenues, which are now filled 
 with blocks of brown stone dwellings shaped into beauty and 
 decorated with magnificence by the hand of Labor, and in 
 habited by those who have the cunning art of appropriating 
 the greater share of the proceeds of labor, stood the home 
 that Park and Featherstone had been invited to enter. 
 
 It was a large, square mansion, having a door in the centre, 
 with a piazza and colonnade running along the front and down 
 the sides ; and, sloping away from thence, there was a strip of 
 velvet lawn fringed with flowers. The house was but two 
 stories high, and for that reason it had a look of comfort, 
 seeming to stoop to the passenger in friendly greeting ; and 
 especially so on the evening of the revel, when it was flung 
 open, and every apartment and passage were bright with hos 
 pitable light. This illumination, together with the unclouded 
 rays of the full-orbed moon, so defined the features of the 
 surrounding space, that the birds talked of it in the shrubbery. 
 
 As the favored guests passed into the enclosure, they invol 
 untarily drew a long breath, feeling that there was room for 
 it, or because they had more confidence in the air ; and some 
 of the gentlemen lingered a few moments ere they entered, in 
 homage to that crowning grace of the temperate climes, a 
 luxuriant turf. Not often can cities show it, for the dust of 
 traffic is hostile to its beauty. But when it does look out, green 
 
LOVEANDLIBERTY. 23 
 
 and fresh, how the children press their glad faces against the 
 bars which protect it ! how old men pause upon their canes to 
 contemplate it ! These last, indeed, had hurried by it for half 
 a century ; but as their vigor abated, and their feet grew 
 weary, their greeting or their gaze became more frequent and 
 friendly ; for they mused and meditated that, when art, and 
 wealth, and affection could do no more to arrest their declining 
 steps, Nature, taking them to her bosom, would lay over their 
 forms this her final mantle, renewing it with the tears of each 
 succeeding spring time, and tenderly caressing it into beautiful 
 unfolding through all her loving summers. 
 
 But the repose and pensiveness of the scene were changing. 
 The fashionable hour of reception had fully arrived, and car 
 riages were drawing up before the gates in rapid succession, 
 and muffled forms were rustling past, so that, in the space of 
 half an hour, most of the guests had entered. 
 
 The announcement and the consequent ceremony over, they 
 turned away to give place to others, joining some group of their 
 particular " circle," where they were soon talking of the 
 beauty of the night, the lovely ride of the morning, the opera 
 and the " divine " performers, and the gayety of the season, 
 or on some of the less prominent topics which help to 
 charm the hours. If there were a few who were too much 
 embarrassed, or too diffident, for even that line of conversa 
 tion, there was a table quite loaded with engravings, to which 
 they could turn, and find in them an excuse for silence, or a 
 theme for remark when they should calm their agitation: 
 many of these were the most attractive, as their emotion 
 sprang from the freshness of their presence in the gorgeous 
 arena, and the supposed superiority of steady eyes and disci 
 plined hearts. 
 
 The ladies of maturer years sought out comfortable seats, 
 and those who had son or daughter present though without 
 
24 THEMTTSTEE, OR 
 
 seeming to do so were approvingly, or, it might be, anxiously 
 observing them. 
 
 The elderly gentlemen, some of them thin and yellow with 
 application, disappointment, or dyspepsia, and others full and 
 rosy from contentment, dulness, or digestion, having white 
 locks and moist brows, were grouped together, and gravely 
 discussing the success of old projects and the feasibility of new 
 ones this man s gains and that one s losses ; in fact, taking 
 up the conversation at the point where they left it, at the bank 
 or the insurance office, when they separated to dine. 
 
 Young men shunned that group ; and young ladies only 
 approached it to vainly try to persuade their fathers to mingle 
 in their pleasures ; wondering in their light hearts, as they 
 turned away disappointed, how any one could come to be so 
 indifferent to that which to them was a crown of rejoicing, 
 little dreaming that the attractions of Plutus charm longer 
 than those of Circe, and the seeming cold monosyllables of 
 their fathers speech were the murmurs of their deepest 
 love. 
 
 Featherstone entered amid the press, and moved on with 
 the current to receive and give the same greeting as they ; 
 for ceremony should be faithful to form, in word and smile, 
 that all may feel an equal welcome. Yet, as he was a par 
 ticular acquaintance of the entertainers, he remained near, and 
 took occasion, when the tide ceased to flow in, to give and 
 receive the words of friendship also, in their appropriate mo 
 ments. Mrs. Fardel, indeed, liked Featherstone for the zest 
 with which he entered into every thing, even the lightest 
 amusements, and for a confidence that was seldom abashed. 
 
 On leaving her, he passed down the bright and imposing 
 circles, touching at the various groups, and addressing his ac 
 quaintance in a lively manner and with an assured air, which 
 would have made dull men envious had he not been politic 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 25 
 
 enough to draw them out in passing ; thus giving an impetus 
 which kept them talking for a few moments after he had left, 
 and for which they took credit, fancying it the offspring of 
 their own minds ! as if a windmill could move its arms with 
 out a breeze, or yield that which could nourish, from the mo 
 tion, unless some grain be poured into the hopper. 
 
 Still farther on in the evening, the last of the guests, came 
 Park ; for he had adopted the rule of Mr. Pitt, with regard 
 to parties ; namely, to go late and leave early. He entered 
 with that natural ease which makes so apparent the over- 
 coloring of art, and passed on, amid the gay and glancing 
 groups, without recognizing any one, took his cousin s extended 
 hand, and retained it for a moment, while she looked up to him 
 archly, rallied him on the lateness of the hour, and chided him 
 for being a recluse. 
 
 " Not so much so but your kind invitation gave me pleas 
 ure," said he. 
 
 " Well, your eyes can kindle yet," she replied. " But you 
 must not pore over those dingy books so unremittingly : they 
 will change you to . parchment. It is the amusements of life 
 that keep us young." 
 
 " Keep us smiling, you mean. Yet I have seen smiles 
 which were only the witnesses of a weary and worn-out na 
 ture. I will remain in my closet, and plough my face deep, 
 ere such weeds shall flourish and fade there." 
 
 "Ah! I cannot permit you to moralize now. I require 
 gayety ! In the midst of such waves you must be light as 
 the foam." 
 
 " Then you wish me to be a bubble of the moment ? " 
 
 " Yes ; that is the finest accomplishment of the hour, and 
 one of the most difficult of attainment ; for, like those airy noth 
 ings, you must instantly reflect every light and color, and be 
 as brilliant and changing." 
 3 
 
26 
 
 " But suppose you are before those who have no light or 
 color which it would please them to see reflected ? " 
 
 " What a supposition ! But, in that case, you may float on 
 to a fairer presence. And now I wish to introduce you to 
 some friends." 
 
 The ladies to whom she presented Park were visitors in the 
 house from a distant city, and had that tact, vivacity, and 
 graceful ease, which society cherishes and honors : and gliding 
 into conversation with them, he was borne like a feather on 
 ward, until he wearied of the flash and play, and felt the 
 limits to be oppressive ; for the tendency of his mind, how 
 ever lightly moved, was to sow truth, as the thistle-down, 
 while seeming to wanton with the air, is bearing a seed across 
 the continent. 
 
 From this, however, he was soon relieved by the presenta 
 tion of other persons. As he turned away, Mrs. Fardel took 
 his arm, and, speaking low, said, " I wish you would always 
 be as interesting: you really charmed me. And you must 
 come and dine with us on Sunday, for one of my friends is an 
 heiress, and I think she will just suit you ; I am certain that 
 it would be a capital match. So, if you see a very beautiful 
 young lady here, you must remember that you are engaged." 
 And meeting her husband at the moment, she added, " Love, 
 here is cousin Brian ; and, as he has recently come in, I wish 
 you to see that he does not immediately disappear." 
 
 The dapper little man expressed his pleasure at seeing 
 Park in his house once more, and said, " How singular ! I 
 was thinking of you when we met, as I wish to introduce you 
 to one of our city beauties." 
 
 " You are very kind. Yet I think that I must be excused, 
 as I am shy of extraordinary beauty ; for, unless there goes 
 to it an intellectual strength great enough to perceive that a 
 glittering casket must shrine, a glorious gem, it can bring me 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 27 
 
 nothing but disappointment, not to say disgust ; as, after all, 
 Nature is so economical in her giving, that, where I see the 
 exquisite fashioning of her hand, I doubt the inspiration of 
 the soul." 
 
 " How odd ! " said the host. " But I do not think she can 
 long escape your keen eye ; and, if you happen to change 
 your mind, I will forgive arid present you." 
 
 Park moved on among the bright assemblage, bowing to the 
 persons of his acquaintance, and giving his hand to two or 
 three whom in his heart he honored ; yet saying only the con 
 ventional commonplaces of the hour, as he shrank from dis 
 closing any depth of tenderness to the worldling s smile or 
 sneer. 
 
 At length he joined the gray and faithful votaries of Mam 
 mon ; and entering slowly and carefully into the examination 
 of the projects which they brought forward, the gleam of his 
 intelligence lighted up whatever it touched, disclosing sterling 
 worth or hollow pretension at will. As soon, however, as he 
 saw that he had made the desired impression, and, by it, fully 
 accomplished what he called "the opportune and necessary 
 business of the occasion," he felt at liberty to look around 
 him. 
 
 Moving from point to point, now pausing at the centres of 
 attraction, and now gliding from the circle of the waltzers, 
 he came near a group who were examining a copy of a Ma 
 donna, which had caught some faint rays of the original glory 
 of the master s canvas. 
 
 The knot was formed of four or five young men and a lady. 
 Among them Park noticed Featherstone ; the others were not 
 of his acquaintance, being of that exquisite class whose vanity 
 leads them to nutter around beauty, and chatter of the Rhine 
 voyage or of Italian sunsets, yet have no eye for the Hudson, 
 or for the bannered pomp which follows the dying day over 
 
28 THE MUSTEK, OB 
 
 our western hills. But, in this presence, they entered not into 
 his thoughts ; they were lost in the radiance of beauty ; for, 
 there before him, was one who " once seen becomes a part of 
 sight." 
 
 He had viewed many a vaunted beauty, and dreamed of 
 Eastern bowers and houris charms : but this surpassed his 
 ideal. Rising above the common height, with every line grace 
 fully curved and rounded, and her most fair complexion 
 touched with that luscious mellowness of bloom, which only a 
 peach in its summer ripeness and selectest perfection could 
 approach, she dazzled the eyes and arrested the steps of Park. 
 She was so formed, you might not say this or that was beauti 
 ful, for 
 
 "Each feature into others flowed, 
 As neck and bosom blended." 
 
 To keep the harmony, even the wealth of her dark hair was 
 not displayed, but lay shapely to her perfect head, and coiled 
 in a Grecian knot behind. Her robes were of the purest 
 white, and as she stood with one foot advanced so as to dis 
 close its shape even to the springing arch of the instep, he 
 felt that she wanted nothing but the jewelled sandal to make 
 her the ideal of Athenian perfection. And crowning all her 
 queenly charms, and inspiring her loveliness, her ripe lips 
 were crested with thought, and her eyes were a-flame with 
 meaning, as if a Grace and a Muse were melted and moulded 
 into one. 
 
 As Park came up, Featherstone was lamenting the scarcity 
 of good paintings in America, and concluded by saying, " Yet, 
 after all, it may be well, for it induces men to travel, which 
 may liberalize even more than Art herself. Still, her galleries 
 are among the chief attractions from over the sea ; indeed, 
 who is there who does not hope, some day, to see and enjoy 
 the riches of the European collections ? " 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 29 
 
 " I have had such dreams and such desires," she replied ; 
 * but when I stand beside a picture like this, I am reminded 
 of what one of our profoundest thinkers and most original 
 poets has said 
 
 Why need I galleries, when a pupil s draught 
 After the master s sketch fills and o er-fills 
 My apprehension ? : 
 
 " That may be true, and it probably is the record of a cer 
 tain mood of the mind," said Featherstone. " Yet there are 
 a multitude of pictures among the vast number which the cen 
 turies have sanctioned that one wishes to look upon ; and I 
 hope, at some future time, to try all the charms of their 
 variety." 
 
 " I have no doubt that it might be a pleasing pastime to 
 rove like the bee from flower to flower, seeking for beauties as 
 they search for sweets," she replied. " Yet the long-continued 
 earnestness and devotion of the great artists lead me to hope 
 for some revelation of a deep unity ; it is that, rather than 
 their variety, which would draw me to visit and study their 
 canvas." 
 
 This remark seemed likely, by the way it was received, to 
 change or terminate the conversation, as one or two were 
 turning away, and there was an unmeaning smile on the faces 
 of the others. Yet her eyes had met Park s in the midst of 
 her last reply, as it were appealing from their inapprehension, 
 and appearing to take cheerful confidence from his assenting 
 glance, he turned to seek his entertainer. 
 
 Finding him in a moment, he said, " I have come to claim 
 your promised introduction." 
 
 "Ah, indeed ! Well, I shall be most happy; but you must 
 permit me to find the fair lady first," replied the smiling and 
 assiduous host, as he arose tiptoe and looked around. 
 
 On which motion, Park, slipping his hand within the arm 
 3* 
 
30 THE MUSTEK, OR 
 
 of the searcher, said, " Let me conduct you to her pres 
 ence." 
 
 So, threading the groups, they crossed to the Madonna, be 
 fore which they found her standing quite alone. Drawing 
 near, their entertainer said, " Aurelia, (for he was one of those 
 who like to take their acquaintance by their Christian names,) 
 may I be permitted to disturb your devotions ? " And as she 
 turned upon him with a smile, he continued, " Allow me the 
 pleasure, Miss Vernon, of introducing to yon my friend, Mr. 
 Park. And, as the refreshment room will be Hung open in 
 a few moments, let me persuade you to walk in that direction ; 
 and as you know the way to reach it, Brian, you will excuse 
 me, and do the honors." 
 
 So, with rather an abundance of manner, he took leave, 
 when Park gave his arm to Miss Vernon, and, soon after, they 
 were partaking of ices and the delicious fruits of the mellow 
 autumn. 
 
 They were not long, however, in finding their way back to 
 the vacant parlors, and into the sphere of the Madonna s 
 attraction. 
 
 Looking on the painting with pleasure, and remarking upon 
 it with discrimination, Park at length said, " When I first saw 
 you, Miss Vernon, you were near this picture, and gave ut 
 terance to an idea which so chimed with my own fancy that I 
 made haste to know you." 
 
 " I think I observed you," said she ; " was it not that sug 
 gestion about the unity of art, which closed the conversation, 
 and dissolved the circle ? " 
 
 " Yes, that was the thought," Park replied ; " and it was well 
 and appropriately said in this presence, for the Madonnas are 
 a striking illustration of the truth of the idea, painted, as they 
 have been, by so many limners, and in such different eras, yet 
 all having a family likeness." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 31 
 
 " There is yet a higher unity in the Christs," said Miss Ver- 
 non ; " for the artists have frequently ventured to copy Mary 
 Mother from actual life, but rarely the Saviour ; therefore his 
 features and expression are more uniform, because more purely 
 ideal." 
 
 " It is indeed true of all that I have seen, even to the form 
 and softness of the meekly-flowing hair," replied Park. " In 
 the lone vigils of the great masters, so far sundered both by 
 time and space, there arose upon their vision the same sorrow- 
 exalted soul. Yes, mighty ideas mould the features of men. 
 The stern leaders of the commonwealth of England had a 
 certain resemblance ; and our Pilgrim Fathers as well. They 
 literally set their faces to a great work, so that it entered into 
 their very gait, and modulated all their steps. No artist can 
 ever make us conscious of their indomitable purpose and un 
 flinching aim, unless he traces their thought among fortified 
 features and beneath corrugated brows." 
 
 " It is a pleasure to feel that even the hardest features will 
 change in the fires of the mind and heart, and how all deep 
 things tend to unity," said she. " In brightest hours I some 
 times indulge the dream that I may yet walk those distant 
 halls, which were hallowed by the victories of the pencil for 
 color is life when there was a unity of faith that gave the 
 inspiration." 
 
 " Do you like the studied forms and stately ceremonial of 
 the Roman religion ? " Park inquired. 
 
 " I confess they charm me sometimes, at least away from 
 denunciation," she replied, " particularly when I call to mind 
 through how long and fiercely destructive a period she nursed 
 and fostered and gave shrine to art," 
 
 " Yes, she has done well in some things," said Park, " and 
 must still continue to do, else how could she survive for a 
 single year ? Only the manifestation of a fonder love and a 
 
32 THEMUSTEE, OB 
 
 fuller liberty can cast her out from the hearts of men. Yet, 
 with the deep-blue sky of Rome above me, I should be gazing 
 upward, and would not hesitate to set my foot on the mitre, if 
 I could hope thereby to descry her ancient eagles types of 
 that freedom which, to me, is more desirable than all art, and 
 more vital than any mere form of worship." 
 
 " I believe that these loftiest of human emotions will yet 
 arise above conflict," said she ; " for when I think how august 
 Liberty is, it appears to me that she must have a soul touched 
 with the spirit of adoration." 
 
 " I feel your remark to be true, although the histories of the 
 dead and dying sects do not give it confirmation," he replied. 
 " Indeed, so far otherwise is it, that I see Liberty constantly 
 withdrawing from the old forms, and leaping, with a joyous 
 pulse, into the new. Yet, source of doubt and sorrow as this 
 is to many, I observe how the pinions of Hope have expanded, 
 and with what faith she soars, and take heart for the future." 
 
 The company, at that time, beginning to flow from the re 
 freshment room into the parlors, and many drawing near, their 
 conversation closed. Yet still standing together, while the 
 young and gay were forming to music and gliding around, 
 Park led her to the dance. This finished, having fulfilled her 
 engagements, she declined further invitations, and soon after 
 they moved out through the open casement on to the piazza, 
 and into the soft evening air, it might be to make room for 
 the waltzers, perhaps for other reasons, and walked down 
 the path of flowers, bathing in the mystic, deep-flowing river 
 of their perfume. There the night and the distance-mellowed 
 music gave them tender, pensive thoughts and fond emotions, 
 which, on many a succeeding day in each of our own sad his 
 tories, we have smiled or sighed away, as if they were only 
 vapor, while, in reality, they were the celestial dews which 
 sought to nourish and unfold the heart s holiest blossoms. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 33 
 
 " What a change," said Park ; " and that, too, by a single 
 step into the presence of Night ! " 
 
 " It is indeed a star-bright evening, and one that suggests 
 thoughts far different from On with the dance. It was a 
 feeling that the serene silence was not in unison with his lev 
 ity, which made Festus say 
 
 Heaven, let down thy cloudy lids, 
 And close thy thousand eyes. 
 
 What a personification ! As if the veiling of an eyelash could 
 quench the sidereal fire ! " 
 
 " It is a comprehensive image," replied Park. " And how 
 he tosses the systems asunder in these lines on the final de 
 struction ! 
 
 He shook 
 
 The stars from heaven like rain-drops from a bough ; 
 Like tears they poured adown creation s face. " 
 
 " It does agitate them ; they seem to tremble on their 
 thrones," said she. " What a picture, and in what lightning- 
 like vividness it appears ! " 
 
 " Yes, in similitude he has no superior, either in excellence 
 or affluence," Park replied. " The pages of Festus are 
 strown with gorgeous poetry ; yet as a poem it did not greatly 
 impress me. It is not well constructed; we are not drawn to 
 its conclusions. I see the vision, but not the faculty divine* 
 With all its sparkling spray and sky-ward soaring, it is but a 
 fountain, while Tennyson s Princess is a river ; and though 
 winding amid tropic bloom, and whirling with Orient passion, 
 its deep and onward current is as resistless as the finest strains 
 of the song." 
 
 " I like Festus, " said Aurelia ; " and though it does not 
 strike as a whole, many of the pictures have imperishable 
 beauty, like the evening which is passing. How fresh the air 
 is, and what a charming place, seeming as if life, in such a 
 
34 THEMUSTEE, OR 
 
 home, might flow on fair and bright, as in some happy dream. 
 What a treasure is a little garden ground in the midst of a 
 great city ! Are you fond of flowers ? " 
 
 " Where they are strown so profusely as here, I soon tire 
 of them. Yet when I turn a page of Nature s volume, by 
 running water, or in some gorge of the hills, I see that they 
 are the last touches of the Maker s hand, the perfection of his 
 style. I feel a strange and pleasing surprise whenever I come 
 upon the coy beauties in sequestered places, for there one ap 
 preciates their worth, and no true admirer- can pluck them, 
 seeing how it would devastate the landscape. If they be sev 
 ered from the stalk, how quickly they droop, and fold them 
 selves up, as if shrinking from the touch ! Yes, I may well 
 say that I like flowers, for I have looked upon and reclined 
 among them in wild places, beyond the pioneer s cabin, and 
 passed on my way leaving no soil upon their leaves. But 
 garden blooms do not so affect me ; they appear more familiar, 
 and will touch your hand, as you pass near, caressingly." 
 
 " I have had but little opportunity to be a companion of 
 nature," Aurelia replied ; " yet I can fancy how the floral color 
 might throw a fascinating smile over the stern and rugged fea 
 tures of the wilderness ; and I shall never walk among field- 
 flowers without thinking of their modest grace. But are you 
 not unjust to the pansy in its lowly bed ?" When stooping, 
 she picked two or three that were near, and, placing them 
 amid some of the lanceolate leaves of the sweet-scented ver 
 bena, presented them to Park, saying, " Those will fill a whole 
 house with fragrance, while the wild appeal only to the 
 eye." 
 
 Park received them from her hand with a thrill of pleasure ; 
 and, as they walked on, he selected a rose not one that 
 leaned near, but carefully chosen, and gave it to Aurelia, say 
 ing, " It is the queen of flowers, the first in beauty as in wealth 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 85 
 
 of odor ; and may I venture the hope that it will be as lasting, 
 as a memento, as it is true as an emblem ? " 
 
 Aurelia accepted the flower, and the words which flung a 
 perfume on it, in a silence that was audible with sweet accord. 
 It was one of those moments around which, in long after and 
 perhaps lonely years, sad memory turns to linger and to 
 mourn ; or a happier fate leads fond recollection there to muse 
 over the sweet dawning of a lovely day. They were so 
 moved that both sought to veil their thoughts. Hence, when 
 they resumed conversation, it was of passing things, and, re 
 turning to the house, they parted on the piazza, to join the 
 gay and glittering crowd unobserved. 
 
 It was but a few moments, however, before Park departed, 
 and soon the company took leave. And what a change ! The 
 rooms became silent, the lights burned dim, and then retreated 
 to distant chambers, to at length vanish away just as maternal 
 Night was withdrawing her stars from the warm glances of 
 Morning. 
 
 At that still and most secret hour, Aurelia, in the privacy of 
 her chamber, took the rose from her bosom, and unclasped her 
 snowy robes, which, like fleecy clouds, obscured the heaven, 
 with mingled, if not conflicting emotions, and sighing, said, 
 " 0, would to God that there were but we two in the world ! 
 then I might venture to dream of Eden. Yet I must not, I 
 dare not, without wider search. O that such part should be 
 allotted to me ! but I shall try to enact it, or her frown will 
 visit, and her despair haunt and moan, even among the leaves 
 of the myrtle." 
 
86 THEMUSTEE,OR 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Disguise e en tenderness, if thou art wise ; 
 Brisk confidence still best with woman copes ; 
 Pique her and soothe in turn, soon passion crowns thy hopes. 
 
 BYROX. 
 
 AWAKING early, Park gave the cool hour of the morning 
 to reflection upon the scenes of the night, for the fascinations 
 of congenial thought, made transcendent by the tender glance 
 and queenly grace of beauty, had taken possession of his 
 spirit, and borne it into that aerial .realm where Imagination 
 lays out the paradise and rears the palace, in which we dream 
 of that supremest society a single chosen soul. But all its 
 " cloud-capped towers " toppled and fell before the glance of 
 Day ; and the host of mankind, resuming their march, broke 
 and trampled on buttress and foundation, and Park turned 
 away from the ruin to think of the enchantress. 
 
 So came the questions, " Who is she ? Has she drawn near 
 me for an evening s pastime, to return and forget ? Yet even 
 if she fondly remember the hour, there are barriers between 
 us, there may be lofty ones, which I shall be years in bearing 
 down ; and will she cheer me, while I advance to the onset ? 
 On the course, what thrilling music her voice would be, what 
 reward her smile ! To feel that, by some invisible and celes 
 tial union, another lives in our life, is an inspiring emotion ; 
 under its influence, what might I not accomplish ! Love, 
 indeed, is the ultimate aim of us all ; but I will not idly dream 
 of that which, when we meet again, a glance may determine." 
 
 The house in which Park and Featherstone boarded was 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 87 
 
 presided over by a lady of the name of Summers, a young 
 widow who wore her weeds so coquettishly and lightly, that 
 well nigh the wooing summer air, certainly a sigh from almost 
 any manly heart, could stir the dusky veil, and half reveal the 
 lily arid the rose ; for the coy May time and the fresh June 
 had passed, and July suns are magical in their unfolding in 
 fluences. Indeed, she had quickly recovered from her connu 
 bial bereavement, for she was elastic in form and spirit. 
 There was a deal of wisdom in her smile when things were 
 mentioned concerning which she knew little, but desired to 
 know more, and a corresponding look of unrecognition for 
 those with which she was familiar, yet thought it wise to ig 
 nore. In short, she was good-natured and cunning, petite and 
 pretty, talkative and sly, liking to hear much and willing to 
 communicate something. 
 
 She was born in the city, in a family of that numerous class 
 who claim to have seen better days, and had been taken from 
 a milliner s shop by a middle-aged gentleman of dilapidated 
 constitution and estate, for her skill in fascination. Stimulated 
 by her charms, and urged on by his failing physical and pecu 
 niary means, he sent her a few terms to a finishing school, 
 married her in her twenty-first year, and at twenty-seven she 
 was a widow. Soon after she became so, she consented to 
 take a few friends into her family ; only a " limited number," 
 however, for the reason that her house was small. Yet on 
 this account it was a desirable place, and still more that the 
 rooms were large, one suit of which she reserved for the 
 married, feeling more secure if there was a man of that class 
 near her ; while a lady, thus connected, was in a way of 
 knowledge which is always interesting ; and so, occasionally 
 unburdening herself, sho could exchange commodities to ad 
 vantage. The other chambers of her house were occupied 
 by, or reserved for, single gentlemen ostensibly for the 
 4 
 
38 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 reason that they were better suited to their wants than to 
 those of single ladies, but really, on account of their being 
 able to pay higher prices, and passing less time in the house. 
 
 Mrs. Summers was wont to say of her way of life, when 
 ever she thought it worth while to speak of it, " I was induced 
 to take a few friends to board with me because I felt lonely 
 after the death of my husband, not from any other motive, as 
 I owned the place, and might have lived on the income, had I 
 chosen to rent it : and I continue the practice, partly from 
 habit, but chiefly from having learned that an active life is the 
 most cheerful." 
 
 The truth, however, did not entirely come out in her state 
 ment, as there w r as a mortgage on the estate, and she had 
 taken this way to lift it, and not without some prospect of suc 
 cess. She had no children, and made up her mind in the out 
 set to take none as boarders. Referring to them, she would 
 say, " They are all over the house, and forever into something, 
 and damage furniture and waste food much more than their 
 parents can believe, or for which they would be willing to pay." 
 Consequently, when the suit of rooms became vacant, as they 
 did by removal, or death, or some other act of nature, she 
 Italicized in her notice, " None but those without children need 
 apply." 
 
 The etiquette of her table was very carefully arranged, like 
 many of the class, it being an attempt to make the restraint of 
 the feeble appear like the repose of the great, every thing 
 being reduced to the form and precision of a military drill 
 every thing except the conversation ; and even that, for the 
 most part, was so constrained from its natural life and motion, 
 as to be a manufacture, an imitation, a poor counterfeit ; yet 
 few are so inane as to mistake the spurious metal. Still, form 
 has this virtue, that it tends to impose silence, which Mrs. 
 Summers perceiving, she closely adhered to it among the 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 39 
 
 many, and gave way all the more freely to her pent-up spirits 
 when with the fe\v. 
 
 Our two friends did not appear to be particular favorites of 
 their fellow-boarders, as they had but little to say to them ; 
 for Featherstone was usually busy at table, arid Park was 
 naturally silent, a gift with which few people sympathize, 
 and neither of these characteristics were gratifying to the 
 widow. Yet she wished them to remain, for she saw that they 
 were men of more mark than the others of her household, and 
 sought particularly to please them. On this account, they felt 
 grateful to her, and, after a few months, began to indulge her 
 in conversation, on the departure of the others from table, 
 though not always in her vein ; and seeing that she did not 
 quite understand them, it soon became Featherstone s pleasure 
 to mystify her more deeply whenever he saw opportunity. 
 
 In speaking of them to the married lady, when conferring 
 together, Mrs. Summers would say, " I dread Mr. Park s 
 glance sometimes when I am talking, for it confuses and puts 
 me out, and then he will not say any thing himself. And Mr. 
 Featherstone I do not quite understand, only that he is cer 
 tainly hearty, and appears as though he might be enterprising" 
 emphasizing the concluding word with a smile, as if it had 
 taken on a meaning like that of " occupy," in the days of Dame 
 Quickly ; in which remarks, particularly that on Feather- 
 fr L one, touching his appetite, there was much truth ; notwith 
 standing which he generally eked out his day s rations with a 
 goodly number of oysters in some " saloon." 
 
 On the morning following the party, as Park sat waiting for 
 Featherstone to finish his breakfast, the others having with 
 drawn, there was unusual animation on the countenance of the 
 widow, while she inquired, " How did you like the party last 
 evening, Mr. Featherstone ? " 
 
 " I relished some portion of it," he replied. 
 
40 T H E 
 
 " Did you not enjoy it all ? " inquired she. " I fancied it 
 would be a delightful reunion ; and I hope you will be so kind 
 as to give me, who have withdrawn from the gay world, the 
 pleasure of hearing what particularly impressed you." 
 
 " I should like to give you pleasure," replied Featherstone ; 
 " but in the case to which you refer, as it made no especially 
 delightful impression on me, I am at a loss to know how I can 
 convey such to another ; and you, of course, would not wish 
 me to criticise or disparage that which was so freely given." 
 
 " You do not mean to say, Mr. Featherstone, that you did 
 not enjoy yourself there ! I heard that it was to be a very 
 elegant entertainment." 
 
 " 0, as to the table, that was various and magnificent," he 
 replied. 
 
 " Indeed ! " she emphasized ; yet quickly added, in a softer 
 tone, " but you certainly can tell me who appeared to be the 
 belle of the evening ? " 
 
 " That is dangerous ground," said Featherstone ; " as, by 
 so doing, I might offend many others ; and then, at our next 
 meeting, I should have a cold shoulder served up to me, to the 
 injury of my appetite." 
 
 " That would really be a misfortune ! " retorted she, with a 
 wider meaning in her glance than he had intended to give 
 to his remark. Whereupon she added, " Yet I do not see 
 why you need fear it, unless you suppose that I would repeat 
 your conversation." 
 
 " I have no apprehension of that," he replied. " And were 
 we alone, I should take pleasure in gratifying your desire ; 
 but Park s judgment is so much superior to mine, that I defer 
 to it. You must ask him." 
 
 " If I wished for a legal opinion I think I should," she 
 quickly returned ; " but in fashion and pleasure I thought you 
 more likely to give me information." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 41 
 
 " It is unfortunate to be so misunderstood ; and I have no 
 doubt but that he would be pleased to undeceive you in 
 regard to his tastes ; for he kneels at the shrine, while I only 
 venture into the vestibule." 
 
 Perceiving at what Featherstone was aiming, Park imme 
 diately said, 
 
 " I fancy something must have gone wrong last evening 
 with Mr. Featherstone ; and it may be that I can give the 
 information which he seems to evade, rather for his own 
 amusement than yours." And, thinking over the matter rap 
 idly, it occurred to him that it was a favorable opportunity 
 to sound the widow for any knowledge she might have of the 
 family of the person in whom he had becooyp so suddenly and 
 so deeply interested and not without hope of acquisition, as 
 Mrs. Summers was one of that class who know a little about 
 a multitude of people. With such end in view, he only made 
 this general remark : " The party was a brilliant one ; so 
 much so, indeed, that it was all that the receiver, or even 
 the giver, could desire." Thereupon, as he perceived that 
 Featherstone supposed he would evade or defer the point to 
 which he had turned the inquiry, he immediately added, "And 
 among the beautiful, although I may not have seen all, I ven 
 ture to say that a Miss Vernon was conspicuous. And to this 
 Mr. Featherstone I think, will assent, as I saw him lingering 
 around the vestibule. " 
 
 " I only observed her a moment, as I found that she was a 
 transcendentalist," Featherstone replied. 
 
 " What is that, pray ? " inquired Mrs. Summers. 
 
 " Something which I do not understand, neither am I de 
 sirous to," said Featherstone ; " as it is mystery beyond flesh 
 and blood, and I am not yet ready to part from those." 
 
 " Vernon ? " said the widow, turning to Park. " I once 
 knew a family of that name ; and the old gentleman used to 
 4* 
 
42 THEMUSTEE, OR 
 
 look into our window frequently. They had a daughter Au- 
 relia. Is thafc the name of your beauty ? " 
 
 " I think I heard her so called," replied Park ; " yet I may 
 have misunderstood." 
 
 " Aurelia Vernon ! " said the widow. " Well, I should not 
 be surprised, as she must be twenty years of age now, and she 
 had a bright face then. If it is that family, I remember them. 
 Indeed, I knew much of them formerly, as we lived on the 
 same street. They once had wealth, and consequent station, 
 but lost them without losing their pride ; and if their daugh 
 ter has beauty, hope clings to it, and is leading it to the 
 market. Poor girl ! she has got a difficult part to play. 
 Pray, how was ^he dressed ? " 
 
 " Very perfectly," replied Park. 
 
 " But I mean," said the widow, " what did she wear ? " 
 
 " White," he answered. 
 
 " It is her style of dressing," cried the widow, laughing, 
 " that I wish to know. How perverse you are ! " 
 
 " If you desire me to descend to particulars," replied Park, 
 " I must say that my observation did not extend so far ; be 
 sides, it seems to me that people are well dressed only when 
 particulars are not noticeable, as in a perfect face we do not 
 find peculiar features." 
 
 " You certainly observed whether she wore short sleeves 
 or long, high or low neck ! " said she ; " and what jewels 
 but those she would not be likely to wear, for, if they have 
 any, they are too old-fashioned now to be displayed with any 
 pleasure." 
 
 "I cannot call to mind the particular cut of her dress," 
 replied Park ; " yet your suggestions may help me out, as I 
 have a lingering recollection of very charming flesh ; and, if 
 I saw none, where did I get the impression ? And concern 
 ing gems, I think that she favored them ; but they were of a 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 43 
 
 subdued character, and did not mar the harmony of her toilet 
 a ring wrought up to a perfect hand, clasping a single pearl, 
 and a bracelet of those * tears of the Orient/ set with the same 
 pleasing art, were put to shame upon her arm and finger." 
 
 " Then I venture to say they were borrowed for the occa 
 sion ! " said she. 
 
 " Is that a common custom among ladies ? " questioned Park. 
 
 " Ay," she replied, (" as Mr. Forrest says in the play,) it is 
 common." 
 
 " Did Mr. Vernon amass property, and then have the mis 
 fortune to lose it ? " Park inquired. 
 
 " O, no," she explained ; " had that been the case, he would 
 have returned to business, and tried to rise again, instead of 
 lying idle, or sauntering listlessly along the busy streets. His 
 fortune came by inheritance. Mr. Vernon s father left him a 
 large estate ; but some ten or twelve years since for it was 
 in my school days it was talked of as quite gone. Their 
 horses and carriages disappeared, and, although the house 
 was in some way secured to Mrs. Vernon, their manner of 
 living was entirely changed. Their name was removed from 
 the door, the blinds were closed, and the dust was allowed to 
 gather on them just as if no one dwelt there ; so that it seemed 
 a gloomy place even in the daytime, and in the night it was 
 really dismal. And their daughter, when she returned from 
 school or church, always passed down an arch, and entered 
 into a low door away in the rear. So it is very plain to be 
 seen that it is a condition to which they have never become 
 reconciled ; and you may be sure that hope broods over the 
 beauty of Aurelia, for she is an only child, and dreams 
 that it may yet restore the faded splendor." 
 
 " Are you acquainted with Mrs. Vernon ? " inquired Park. 
 
 " I used to see her occasionally," the widow answered ; " but 
 she is one of those dark, mysterious, unbending women who 
 
44 THEMUSTEE, OB 
 
 silently carry their point, regardless of tears or entreaty. Is 
 it not strange that a mother should think more of money than 
 a father does, as a motive to the marriage of a daughter ? " 
 
 " If we examine their different situations," replied Park, 
 (quite willing, now, to draw the conversation from personal to 
 general,) " and reason from them, it does not appear partic 
 ularly surprising, for man has many resources. His mind 
 gathers vigor as it stretches out to measure the return of 
 voyages, or bends to comprehend the result of speculations, 
 although he have no object but money : while woman is well 
 nigh restricted to spending it ; and, if supplied in profusion, 
 it is apt to lead into fashionable frivolity, which wastes the 
 substance of the mind and perverts the judgment. When a 
 family of this kind fall by mercantile disaster, or sink down 
 through foolish expenditure and display, the husband and father 
 sees before him a wide field for activity, with increasing motive 
 to enter it ; while the wife and mother has but little employ 
 ment save to mourn over the ruins as neither hand nor 
 mind has been trained to the arts of reconstruction. It is 
 this inability to create wealth which makes her over-estimate 
 its consequence, and display so little wisdom in its use. 
 And if she be one of those ladies whose faith and hope 
 are exclusively in * ton, a prevailing religion ! she sighs, 
 and ponders, and looks back. Weak in all things but pride 
 and mortification, such persons have no resource save to 
 dream of the vanished show and the departed pleasure 
 unless they have a child that they can lead to the altar and 
 sacrifice for their restoration. For this reason, if for no other, 
 they should have a more rational education, and a wider arena 
 for their faculties." 
 
 " Woman s rights ! " cried Featherstone. " Yet the day of 
 any material change in their condition is far distant, as the 
 world is not a yielding mass for every dreamer to mould to 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 45 
 
 what fantastic shape he pleases, but keeps its form with tough 
 determination. And, as at present constituted, it will con 
 tinue to play the game of life as it has done, with a very 
 delectable talk, no doubt, of making hearts trumps ! yet always 
 turning up a diamond whenever it be possible, not hesitating 
 to take it from the bottom of the pack, even. How long have 
 you been an advocate of woman s rights, Park ? " 
 
 " Ever since I saw and reflected upon the inevitable ten 
 dencies of the system of her education ; not in schools alone, 
 but in almost every home, where lessons are more deeply im 
 pressed," he replied. " And if those so educated at length 
 come to think and intelligently examine, the most startling 
 revelation of all will be, how entirely dependent they have 
 been taught to live. Whereas all education is but enforced 
 weakness, which does not place in the power of the pupil the 
 means of becoming more independent its long catalogue of 
 accomplishments is only for a lure and a snare. When a 
 worthy development shall be the aim in her training, a wider 
 sphere must come also ; and not only the form and the mind, 
 but every fibre of the affections, will gain strength and grace 
 thereby." 
 
 " Would you have them crowd around the ballot box," asked 
 Featherstone, " and fight for their favorite condidates ? " 
 
 " Do not slander woman by suggesting that she would act 
 like man ! " said Park. " On the contrary, it is my conviction 
 that, if she were to vote, it would so humanize and elevate the 
 electors and the elected, as to arrest the downward tendencies 
 of the nation. If you will but look around, you can see that 
 the associations from which she is excluded do not keep the 
 purity and elevation incident to her presence. And, sneer at 
 it as we may, she is the last hope of freedom ; a mighty force 
 not yet called into complete action ; a power full of heavenly 
 beneficence. Such is her nature that she takes no part in 
 
46 THEMUSTEE, OR 
 
 destruction if she follow, it is to mitigate the woe. Behold 
 her amid the carnage and cries of battle, or where the fever 
 and pestilence more silently slay, and ask, Who among men 
 equals her in self-sacrifice ? Who so resolutely follows the mo 
 nitions of conscience ? Who so calmly takes the path of duty 
 and eternal right, and in a spirit so gentle and devoted, so 
 meek and unwearying ? " 
 
 " I scarcely meant to be serious in what I said," Feather- 
 stone replied ; " and there may be something in your idea : 
 it certainly sounds very well, like all new theories ; yet I 
 should be a little afraid to set it in operation. However, 
 there is no immediate danger ; as the ladies themselves, for 
 the most part, oppose the movement preferring, I have no 
 doubt, to have some one to look up to and lean upon." 
 
 "Yes, indeed, I am sure they do !" said the widow ; " and, 
 after all, it seems to me to be their natural sphere." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 47 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 v 
 
 What are our hopes ? 
 
 Like garlands on Affliction s forehead worn, 
 Kissed in the morning, and at evening torn. 
 
 DAVENPORT. 
 
 RISING from the breakfast table, they left the widow better 
 pleased with them than she had ever been before, and half 
 regretting the sharp replies she had given Featherstone, as 
 she thought of his fresh and rosy face and warm expression, 
 and particularly of the sadly reproachful glance which he gave 
 her at the moment of leaving. But neither Park s conversa 
 tion nor his person interested her enough to be recalled ; his 
 pale and expressive face was beyond her range. 
 
 Turning down Broadway, Park and Featherstone called at 
 the post office, found letters, and passing on to the building in 
 which they had rooms, each retired to his own, to see if any 
 memorandum claimed attention, to learn of the porter if there 
 had been any calls, to peruse their correspondence and the 
 morning papers. Although they found nothing pressing, the 
 day did not pass without business which was received with 
 a thrill of pleasure by them ; for first clients excite the legal 
 aspirant as much as it does the country boy to entrap his first 
 rabbit ; and we might run the parallel still farther, when we 
 reflect how likely both are to be skinned, were it not quite too 
 obvious to require more than a passing allusion. 
 
 In the course of the morning, Park had a call from a gen 
 tleman by the name of McRae, who lived in Greenville, and 
 laid claim to a large estate in that town, of which others were 
 
48 THEMUSTEE, OR 
 
 in possession a case where the evidence relied upon, al 
 though appearing of record, was in language so ambiguous as 
 to require the most careful analysis of a complicated act of 
 conveyance, to be followed by long and laborious investigation 
 of favoring and opposing judicial reasoning and decision. 
 
 Featherstone received a visit from parties who desired him 
 to draw up an agreement, into which they proposed to enter. 
 
 When the occupation of the day was over, and the hour of 
 dining had nearly arrived, Featherstone called at Park s office, 
 that he might have his company in walking to their board 
 ing house. As he entered, he inquired, " How is business 
 this morning ? " 
 
 " It comes slowly round this way, as Coleridge said of 
 spring," replied Park. " I have passed the day in the exam 
 ination of a claim, which I think is promising, quite prom 
 ising. But what have you found which makes you look so 
 conscious of success ? You carry that slender cane as though 
 it were a sceptre ! " 
 
 " Me ! " said Featherstone ; " I have only drawn an agree 
 ment. It is rather an important one, however, and I think it 
 very likely that I have drawn it wrong, as my thoughts were 
 elsewhere : if I have, I hope you will make two or three 
 thousand dollars assaulting or defending it, some day." 
 
 " One would suppose that you were about to retire from the 
 profession," said Park, " if he might judge from your tone and 
 style of remark ! " 
 
 " Have you any rich relations ? " inquired Featherstone. 
 
 " I am not aware of any such connection," said Park ; " or 
 at least none who would be willing to enhance my income so 
 much that I should be likely to find trouble in spending it. 
 Have you found such a one ? " 
 
 " I cannot say precisely what I have found," replied Feath 
 erstone ; " for it lacks the confirmation of death or title deed ; 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 49 
 
 therefore you perceive it can be now only a good intention ; 
 but it looks well, and, as you just said of your case in chancery, 
 is promising, quite promising. It makes its appearance in 
 black on white, also, being in the form of a letter from the 
 Crescent City. So I think it good for a pleasant journey and 
 a gay winter, if not more." 
 
 Upon which, taking a seat, he drew out the letter, and, hand 
 ing it to Park, continued, " If you will oblige me, I should 
 like to have your opinion on the prospect." 
 
 Park took the proffered document, and read, 
 
 " NEW ORLEANS, September 20, 184. 
 
 " Dear Sir : Since my return from the north, I have been 
 revolving in my mind the idea of withdrawing from active 
 business ; and I should like to have you leave your profession, 
 if you are not greatly attached to it, and enter our house, with 
 a view to the succession. I hope, at least, that you will so far 
 entertain the proposition as to come out and pass the winter, 
 and see if the place and the occupation be agreeable to you. 
 If they should not prove so, you can return at your pleasure ; 
 and, whichever you may choose, you will find in me a friend. 
 " With expectations of soon meeting you here, I remain 
 
 " Truly yours, 
 
 "Rurus MERTON. 
 " Anthony Featherstone, Esq., New York." 
 
 " Short, but certainly very promising," said Park, as he re 
 turned the letter. "And I advise you to comply with the 
 terms, which, I have no doubt, you made up your mind to do 
 on the first reading ; merely asking advice, as most men will 
 of their friends, to see how it agrees with their own determina 
 tion ! But who is this Mr. Merton ? He writes as though he 
 was not only an acquaintance, but a connection." 
 5 
 
50 THEMUSTEE, OB 
 
 " He was born in New England," replied Featherstone. 
 tl He used to come to my father s house, occasionally, during 
 my boyhood ; he also called upon me once while I was in 
 college, and I dined with him, at the Astor, this past summer. 
 He was second cousin to my mother, and I believe was partial 
 to her in their early days. But he went south before coming 
 of age, where, engaging in business, he devoted himself to its 
 many cares until he had acquired what he thought a compe 
 tent income for marriage, when he came north to find my 
 mother a bride. Whether she felt any regret for the irre 
 trievable step which she had taken, I never knew. She, 
 however, always welcomed Mr. Merton with sad sweelness ; 
 and I can look back now and see that he was very tender. 
 Indeed, he must have felt that he had no cause to blame her, 
 as they had parted making no declaration ; while he was ab 
 sent long enough, without writing, for her to have obtained a 
 legal separation, had she been his wife. Still, I can see it 
 was on that youthful attachment, more than in any consan 
 guinity, that the favor and kindness flourished, strengthened 
 as it was by occasional visits, and kept in thought by semi 
 annual correspondence. And, although she sleeps in the village 
 cemetery, it seems that the sentiment survives, and now he 
 solicits me to become its recipient. So, the testimony being 
 all in, what do you think of the case ? x 
 
 " It appears to me to be a good one," replied Park. 
 " Hence I believe that you will give it your most careful 
 and skilful attention until you have won it. When do you 
 leave us ?" A . 
 
 " In a few days." 
 
 " That will not only surprise but disappoint Mrs. Sum 
 mers." 
 
 " Why so ? " inquired Featherstone, slightly coloring. 
 
 " Because she has designs upon your heart which absence 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 51 
 
 will frustrate : if you continued near the vestibule, I think you 
 would be drawn to the shrine." 
 
 " Very fair ! Yet not true ; for she replies to me too 
 sharply." 
 
 " With the tongue, but not with the eye ! That sharpness 
 is tfie principal evidence on which I base my opinion, as she 
 is one of those whose emotions quicken their wits. And a 
 little disguise pleases her, as a petted dove pecks at the hand 
 by which it would be caressed." 
 
 In a few moments thereafter, the two lawyers were out and 
 walking up Broadway together. 
 
 The bracing air and the bright sun of the early October, 
 and, above all, the throng of "ladies clad in colors bright," 
 made that broad pavement very attractive ; while the dawning 
 fortunes of Featherstone showed it to him finer than ever, 
 inspiring him to feel as might an ancient Roman, who had 
 just been initiated into that " order " whose talisman was the 
 secret name of the Eternal City. Under this new influence, 
 beauty appeared more beautiful ; the long lines of imposing 
 palaces more accessible; the high-mettled horses, with all 
 their costly caparison and flashing equipage, more desirable ; 
 and even the armorial bearings and blazonry more significant ! 
 for, hitherto, he had felt compelled to resist, and, sometimes, 
 defame their charms ; but, in that hour, his blood was beating 
 high with the vision and the hope of possession. So, feeling 
 the secret ties of union and ultimate fellowship, he was ready 
 to defend the order. 
 
 If Featherstone had been long in training for an Olympic 
 game, it was to enter the arena where strength and skill 
 alone avail ; and if he had dreamed of a victor s wreath, the 
 day of the crowning was far on in time. But now, and 
 swiftly, 
 
 " As from the stroke of the enchanter s wand," 
 
52 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 he beheld a princely charioteer stoop from his triumphal car, 
 to present to his hand the reins of steeds formed for success 
 and foaming for the course. As he thus stood upon the 
 the brink of fruition, there opened a gorgeous prospect 
 making the air more vital and his step more elastic ; while the 
 silent, immeasurable, wide-arching sapphire put on a more 
 friendly aspect, and bent over him as though he had grown 
 precious in nature, or was more worthy of protection ; for we 
 ourselves contain and call forth the colors, sweet as the palpi 
 tations of divinest music, or sombre and sad as the shades 
 with which imagination has touched the woe of eternal gloom. 
 Look where we may, we can see little save the hues of our 
 own spirits. The magical perspectives of the various land 
 scape, night s infinite hosts, with their far-flashing crests, fail 
 never to visit the eye ; but unless some strong emotion flings 
 wide our brazen gates, they pass, and paint no pictures. 
 
 Park, also, had his dream a dream that closed his eyes to 
 all this material splendor. For a spirit hand was playing, 
 where none but he might hearken, the enchanting prelude to 
 the highest harmony of which the heart is capable. There, to 
 its witch-notes, as rose the walls of Thebes to the tones of the 
 lyre of Orpheus, a temple was shaping itself either for a 
 shrine or a sepulchre. And to it a form was drawing near, 
 before which the incense of life will be burned, unless found 
 unworthy or unresponsive. If it be ,so, however fair the en 
 chantress, true strength can lead her forth, and wave her from 
 the sacred place ; while time and aspiration will yield a dearer 
 dweller or a noble recompense one of these, whoso has 
 faith and continuance shall surely win. But full often is the 
 temple closed on the first disappointment, and a house built 
 beside it for the daily life too low for Love to enter. Can 
 there be any wreck so disastrous ? Yet behold the coast ! 
 
 Well may we study the one for whom we rear this struc- 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 53 
 
 ture ; as the riches of our nature must go to form its walls, 
 and Hope may fold her wings within the dome, while, in all 
 meditative hours, Thought wtll lead us down its sunny, or 
 silent, or gloomy aisles, to cheer, to sadden, or to petrify. 
 
 But these introspections and forebodings were not of their 
 mood are not woven among the golden threads of their 
 dreaming. To them it was a high and a lordly hour ; full 
 likely none more charming will they ever behold for they 
 saw not all which we sec, who are gazing when 
 
 " Young Harry Percy s spur was cold." 
 
 At length they came out of their musing ; but it was only to 
 speak of trite and fleeting circumstance, for neither thought of 
 bringing forth the treasures of his meditations. 
 
 Having entered the house, they found that their long con 
 sultation at the office had detained them beyond the dining 
 hour ; consequently they had only Mrs. Summers for company, 
 who smilingly chided them for being late, saying, " Pray, what 
 has happened ? Were it Mr. Park alone, it would not much 
 surprise me. But it is quite new for you, Mr. Featherstone ; 
 so much so that I thought you dining elsewhere." 
 
 " It is an offence, madam," replied he, gravely, " that I shall 
 not be likely to commit again under this roof." 
 
 " I hope you do not think of leaving us, Mr. Featherstone." 
 
 " Such is my intention now." 
 
 " You really astonish me ! And certainly I hope you are 
 not going on account of any thing which was said this morn 
 ing, for I was just beginning to like you." 
 
 " It is not strictly that, but rather in consequence of some 
 thing I learned this morning, I have thought it safest and best 
 soon to change place." 
 
 " Why so ? I am sure I have spoken only in your praise, 
 and if any other in this house has done so, I despise the act 
 5* 
 
54 THEMUSTEE, OR. 
 
 and the doer of it. Is Mr. Park intending to leave also ? " 
 continued she, looking up to that individual. 
 
 " I have not come to a conclusion," replied he, rather orac 
 ularly. 
 
 " Well, certainly, if I ever spoke truth in my life, I do now, 
 when I say I had rather they would all go than you and Mr. 
 Featherstone. Truly, I hope you will not mind what I. said, 
 or be influenced by the idle or envious remarks of others." 
 
 Featherstone, having eaten but a trifle for him, drew back 
 his chair, which the widow observing, said, " I hope, at the 
 least, you will dine with me to-day, Mr. Featherstone." 
 
 " I have dined," he replied. 
 
 "Then it is something more serious than I had feared. 
 Pray tell me what has happened ; is it any thing that I have 
 done?" " 
 
 On this, Featherstone arose from .the table, and moving 
 towards her, inquired, " Will you give me your hand ? " 
 
 She mechanically extended it, and the tears stood in her 
 eyes as she did so. When taking it, he placed some bank 
 bills in the warm and dewy hollow, slightly pressed, and parted 
 with the treasure. 
 
 Observing the money, she said, " Pray, what is all this for ? 
 You owe me but a trifle, and I have no desire to receive that 
 now." 
 
 " I have eaten so light a dinner, and I observed Park did 
 also, that we shall be hungry by ten o clock, and I wish you 
 to get up a very choice supper, about that hour, for us three, 
 at which time I may inform you why I think it due to myself 
 to leave your house." 
 
 " Will you, sure ? " inquired she ; when, seeing his face 
 soften a little, she continued, " do take back this money, and 
 let me provide for you ; now do. It shall be just as nice, and I 
 shall feel so much better. Yes, do ; will you ? " 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 55 
 
 " In tlie evening, I may have an opportunity for explana 
 tion, and, having heard me, if you say that I ought to receive 
 back the money, I will do so. I cannot take it now." 
 
 " Really, I think you are cruel to keep me waiting until 
 that time before you tell me what has given you offence ; why 
 
 cannot you communicate it at once? I long to know . 
 
 Now do give me some hint of it, if it be only a very little." 
 
 Park having stepped into the hall, Featherstone said, " I 
 suppose I might speak it low." 
 
 And drawing near on the word, she rose up to meet him, 
 when, placing his hand lightly on her shoulder, he leaned 
 towards her ear, but succeeded in getting no farther than her 
 lips ! She saw the direction of his glance as he approached, 
 and, if surprised an instant, she sweetly yielded ; so that one 
 would have thought, from her appearance when they sepa 
 rated, that the mystery had been explained to her entire and 
 perfect satisfaction although no word had been spoken or 
 whispered. 
 
 In a few moments after the explanation, the young lawyers 
 left the house, and walked down the street ; and for a time 
 Featherstone s thoughts lingered warmly around the affec 
 tionate widow. But soon, too soon, the opening prospect of 
 fortune fixed his gaze, and took possession of his heart, bear 
 ing it away from the sunny but fluctuating sea of passion in 
 whose foam Aphrodite was forming ; for he knew so little of 
 the regal soul of Love, that he desired, above all, those golden 
 treasures with which he thought every thing besides could be 
 purchased. 
 
 As they proceeded on, they came opposite to a window 
 bright and warlike with swords and sashes ; and Park, drawing 
 Featherstone into the store, requested to see some dirks. 
 
 The attendant having laid them before him, he selected the 
 most beautiful, of the collection, on the blade of which was 
 
56 THEMUSTEE, OR 
 
 blazoned, " I protect." This he presented to Featherstone, 
 saying, "As you are going among a chivalrous people, it is 
 necessary that you be prepared to respond to their courtesy." 
 On receiving it, Featherstone replied, "It is generous and 
 acceptable, and it may be useful ; for a show of it, even, will 
 sometimes make insolence skulk to its kennel." 
 
 Resuming their walk, they soon entered their respective 
 offices, where Park proceeded in the examination of his land 
 case, and Featherstone wrote a letter of thanks and acceptance 
 to Mr. Merton, and then went out to walk, as he was too much 
 elated with the thought of the pleasing change that awaited 
 him for quiet study or calm reflection. When, however, the 
 hour of ten came round, they entered their boarding house 
 together. The widow met them in the hall, and conducted 
 them into the library, where she had spread the table, and 
 made a fire, for the evening air was chilly. After closing the 
 door, she said, as she rang the bell, " Now, isn t this cosy ? " 
 
 Truly it was bright and cheerful. While the well-turned 
 figure of Mrs. Summers was arrayed with particular care 
 indeed, every thing was so neat, and fitting, and graceful, that 
 even her delicate little slipper was an influence ! There was 
 just the slightest touch of cunning in her smile, seeming, 
 somehow, as if she had thought of some sweet way of recon 
 ciliation, though still fearing and hoping for its success. 
 
 "It is not only a pleasing, but a warm reception," said 
 Park, in reply to her question, (for a bright fire was to him 
 one of the most agreeable of things,) " and I think that I shall 
 live with you so long as you will take care of me." 
 
 " What can I say to express my appreciation of your kind 
 ness ? " said Featherstone. 
 
 " Say that you will remain here as long as Mr. Park does, 
 and you shall have every thing to please you." 
 
 " I have placed that out of my power, having gone too far 
 
LOYE AND LIBERTY. 57 
 
 to recede. Yet I must say that I never felt the attractions so 
 strong as at this time." 
 
 " Then why not yield to them ? For I cannot think that 
 you have made it impossible ; I will not believe that you could 
 have been so hasty. Did you expect to find a more congenial 
 place ? " 
 
 But before Featherstone could reply, the servant entered 
 with the supper. And when it was all arranged, even to the 
 removing of the wires from the wine, she said, " I will excuse 
 you from further service, John ; the table may remain as we 
 leave it until morning." John having left the room, she con 
 tinued, " Take seats at the table, gentlemen ; I ought not to 
 have kept you waiting a moment, as you scarcely tasted any 
 thing at dinner." 
 
 Featherstone smiled incredulously on the widow at this 
 idea, and, catching his meaning, she colored, and slyly repaid 
 his glance, while Park, seeing all, appeared not to sec. So, 
 taking a seat, he removed the covers, and helped them to 
 brown and reeking reed-birds the choicest delicacy of the 
 autumnal year. 
 
 But observing that the widow did not eat, Featherstone 
 said, " I shall not soon forget this place and its pleasures, and 
 my chief regret in leaving the city is, that I must part from 
 some in this house." 
 
 " Then it is not us, in particular, but the town, that you are 
 about to depart from ! Well, I do feel relieved. At first, I 
 feared that I had offended in some way ; and then I thought 
 that some one else had you appeared so serious and sen 
 sitive." 
 
 " Not offended, by any means ; you must have misinter 
 preted my sad and ill-suppressed emotions. Indeed, I feared 
 so at dinner ; and I thought of explaining myself more fully 
 but I was too much agitated for utterance. Let me help you 
 to a warm bird." 
 
58 THBMUSTEEjOB 
 
 " If you please." 
 
 " May I have the pleasure of a glass of wine ? " 
 
 " I thank you," said she, and her eyes beamed it more 
 warmly than her words, as she pressed the glass to her lips. 
 " But pray tell me where you are going, and why you must go." 
 
 " I have been invited to New Orleans, to pass the winter, 
 perhaps to find a home there for some years. I have a rel 
 ative in that place, who seems to be desirous to help me to a 
 fortune, and I am bent on examining the prospect, thinking, if 
 it be good, I may grasp the extended hand, and suffer it to 
 lead me." 
 
 " We shall see you in the summer then, unless you intend 
 to quite forsake and forget us." 
 
 " I know so little what my situation will be, that it is diffi 
 cult to say how soon I can visit you ; but 
 
 Do the birds that fly south still remember their nest ? " 
 
 " I think that these will not : so let me help you to another," 
 said Park. " But what do you intend to do with your office ? " 
 
 " I have concluded to give notice on the door that Brian 
 Park, Esq. (office No. 9, next floor below) will take charge of 
 the business during the absence of the subscriber, then lock it, 
 and leave the key with you. In all which laborious duties I 
 
 % 
 
 shall hold the said Park accountable for faithful and diligent 
 performance. And, Mrs. Summers, I call on you to witness 
 that he so promises, and accepts the trust." 
 
 " I shall not forget it ; and, if you must go, I engage that 
 he will attend to it nearly as well as you would." 
 
 " It may be so ; but when I come on, if I find any thing 
 wrong, I shall look to you for satisfaction." 
 
 " I think that I may venture to promise so much," said she, 
 laughing, " if it can be settled as agreeably as was our last 
 misunderstanding." 
 
L V E A N D L I B E R T Y . 59 
 
 Supper being quite over, Park arose, saying, " I am sorry 
 to separate from such pleasant company, but as I have some 
 preparation to make in a matter which is to be heard to-mor 
 row, you will be kind enough to excuse me." 
 
 To this there was remonstrance, and then a parting glass, 
 when kindly wishes mingled with the wine. In a few mo 
 ments, warm smiles lighted him out, and grew more expres 
 sive as he turned away ; knowing which, the sympathizing 
 reader will be pleased to learn that Park closed the door after 
 him, although it must necessarily close the chapter. 
 
60 THEMUSTEE, OR 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Ill-fated race ! the softening arts of peace, 
 Whate er the humanizing Muses teach, 
 The godlike wisdom of the tempered breast, 
 Investigation calm, whose silent powers 
 Command the world these are not theirs. 
 
 THOMSON. 
 
 RUFUS MERTON went to New Orleans, and became a resi 
 dent there, soon after Louisiana was ceded to the United 
 States. He sprang from a family of consideration and wealth 
 in one of the interior New England towns, where, at an early- 
 age, (his father being dead,) he found himself the heir of so 
 much estate as was needful to facilitate his entry into business ; 
 and in the course of years, by skilful management and good 
 fortune, he had become rich. He was endowed by nature 
 with a gentle and kind disposition, and assiduously cultivating 
 friendship, he had also kept his heart open to all the voices of 
 distress, giving relief to many a want-stricken family. If dis 
 aster lowered around any one of his acquaintance, he came at 
 once to avert the dangers of the storm, or, if that exceeded 
 his power, to save him from sinking amid the wreck ; and if 
 he occasionally suffered loss by so doing, it did not throw dis 
 trust over all the future, or harden his soul into selfishness. 
 
 He had left the north (as Featherstone has said) with a 
 feeling towards his cousin, which, had his nature been more 
 bluff and prosaic, would have declared its love ere he de 
 parted. But, through the rich coloring of his deeply-adoring 
 heart, she appeared so pure and priceless", that he felt too poor 
 to ask such high acceptance, and went away to live on the 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 61 
 
 hope of one day returning more worthy of her love. They 
 parted tenderly; yet neither revealed what most they felt; 
 and if vivid recollection did frequently call forth the scene 
 upon a summer s eve, she began to fear that it was a vanish 
 ing dream of fond and fleeting youth the one picture on 
 which we turn to gaze and muse while Memory can hold her 
 lamp to illuminate the scroll. She, indeed, had leisure to re 
 cur to it, and did, even when doubt had dimmed its brightness, 
 and hope found no sweet perspective. But his was an active 
 life, and in it he was apparently absorbed, seeming as if some- 
 thin <* more substantial than a maiden s charms had fixed his 
 
 O 
 
 gaze and filled his aspirations. Yet he hoped and believed in 
 a coming and an appropriate hour, dreaming that, if she loved 
 as he did, she was as cheerfully and hopefully waiting, never 
 once considering that she had not the same sustaining motives, 
 ^such as winning home and station, with daily drinking at the 
 stimulating fountains of success. 
 
 During all this time, he did not dare to write to her, feeling 
 that he could give no adequate expression to his emotions. 
 Neither did he venture to name her in his letters to his sister ; 
 it was too tender a subject even for such exposure. 
 
 So she came to believe that she had faded out of mind, had 
 been forgotten by the long absent and silent lover, and at 
 length yielded to the suit and siege of another. 
 
 About that time Merton, having attained to a degree of in 
 dependence which gave him confidence to declare his love, 
 turned his face homeward, and entered into all the familiar 
 and softening scenes of his boyhood to find his cousin a bride. 
 
 She had been married only a few months to a sharp and 
 thrifty shopkeeper, who so the gossips said was a good 
 match for any body, looking at it, of course, in the ordinary light 
 of trade. So Merton found her wedded and to all appearance 
 she was happy ; consequently he kept his secret, and no one 
 6 
 
62 
 
 dreamed that the cause which occasioned the visit was other 
 than such as turns us all, at times, to the place of our birth. , 
 The valuable articles which he had purchased to present to 
 her, he gave with words which outweighed the gifts, if they 
 were lighter and calmer than they would have been had he 
 found her fondly awaiting his coming. He saw that he had 
 no cause to reproach any one but himself for his loss, and he 
 did not lament it the less when he learned that she parted 
 from the hope of his love with a reluctant heart ; hence he 
 became her true and most tender friend. 
 
 During the summer, Merton met her frequently, and saw 
 her husband also ; and although he found nothing in him to 
 like, he strove to treat him with kindness for her sake. He 
 planned and executed many a little party of pleasure ; now a 
 picnic in some grove, now a drive to points of attraction in 
 the vicinity, and now berrying among the hills : these made 
 the days bright, and winged the hours. So the husband came 
 to feel as Merton paid all attendant expenses that he had 
 not only married a fair and useful wife, but won a rich and 
 liberal relative besides. 
 
 In this manner the warm and genial season fled away ; and, 
 in the early autumn days, Merton bade her farewell, saying, 
 " Dear cousin, if any trouble come near you, I desire that you 
 will let me share it, or prevent it, if it be in my power. I 
 pray that this confidence and this privilege may be mine I 
 should grieve were you to prefer another. May I hope that 
 you will so far remember me ? " 
 
 There were tears in her eyes as she falteringly thanked 
 him, and he released her hand tears that I dare not ana 
 lyze ; for the deepest emotions of her bosom were apparent as 
 he entered his carriage and departed. 
 
 Returning to his adopted city, Merton once more engaged 
 in business with all his former assiduity, and more than his 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 63 
 
 early fellow-feeling; thus seeking to soothe the disappoint 
 ment which had so disarranged his scheme of- life and de 
 stroyed his youthful hope. Still he could not quite forget it ; 
 consequently, clouds of sadness canopied all the hours of his 
 rest, and even his days grew dreary, as time began to reveal 
 the desolation of his heart and fill the void with pain. He 
 had been at home but a few months, when one day, passing 
 through a mart where slaves were sold at public auction, he 
 saw among them a pale quadroon, apparently about twenty 
 years of age, with comely features, shapely person, and modest 
 expression, yet withal a look so woful that it arrested his 
 steps as with a spell. But when she observed him thus stand 
 ing and gazing, as he could not but do, compassionately upon 
 her, her face shone with some faint ray of hope. Thereupon 
 he approached her, and inquired, "Is there any thing that I 
 can do for you ? " 
 
 " If you will only take me from this dreadful place ! " cried 
 she ; and then the tears gushed, and her frame was shaken 
 like a tree that the tempest tosses. 
 
 On this Merton drew near to her, and, when she had com 
 posed herself somewhat, inquired, " Do you wish to return to 
 your friends ? " 
 
 " I have no friends ! " 
 
 " I mean to the place you came from. Where were you 
 born?" 
 
 " In Virginia." 
 
 " Is it not your hope to go back there ? " 
 
 " No, never ! For my mother is dead, and my relatives 
 have cast me out." 
 
 " I understand. They are white, I suppose." 
 
 " Yes," said she, after- another moment of deep agitation. 
 
 " Have you had any useful teaching and instruction ? " 
 
 " I have learned needlework, and know how to keep house." 
 
64 THEMUSTEE, OR 
 
 <( Have you ever kept house ? " 
 
 " I have not ; but my mother did, and she taught me." 
 
 " Can you read and write ? " 
 
 " Yes ; rny fa , my master taught me to write, and in 
 structed me in the English and French languages." 
 
 Merton, not knowing at the moment what further to say, 
 hesitated, and thought of turning away, but at length inquired, 
 " How can I relieve you ? " 
 
 " If you will only have mercy and buy me." 
 
 Seeing that she faltered, he tenderly inquired, "Why do 
 you wish me to become your purchaser ?" 
 
 " Because I believe that you will be kind ; and in that lies 
 my only hope there is nothing more now for me to cling to." 
 Again agitated beyond utterance, she at length continued, " If 
 you will only buy me, I will jlo any thing : it would be easier 
 (Q die for you than to live with some who have questioned me 
 to-day. O, when I think how either one may purchase, and 
 so acquire the power to possess me, I feel it to be hell ! and I 
 see no escape, I know no refuge, but to implore you to save 
 me. O, do not think me too bold ; but see only how I am 
 crushed down and cast out utterly from all protection, with no 
 hope remaining, save the pity of some generous heart." 
 
 Merton had seen the slave markets many times, and ob 
 served the goods which were exposed there ; yet he had 
 passed on without giving the subject much attention, as he 
 wished to avoid it. If feeling thrilled over the abyss for a 
 moment, he drew back with instinctive dread. Beyond this 
 he had not ventured ; as the beings whom he had seen in such 
 places previously, were, for the most part, dark, uncouth, and 
 silent ; perhaps he may have thought that, in the blending 
 series of creation, they were an inferior race, requiring pro 
 tection : what kind of protection that was which he daily saw, 
 strange to say, he had never analyzed. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 65 
 
 But now, when he beheld the outrage by the light of 
 maiden beauty, clothed too with a natural grace and height 
 ened by surrounding woe, revealing the sad story in tears and 
 the pathos of the English tongue, it struck home and deeply 
 moved him ; so, if suffering plead, it is truly of the first con 
 sequence, to most of us, in what form it comes, as well as 
 what boon it craves. If, at that hour of our national conscious 
 ness, she had besought Merton to give her freedom, he would 
 have turned away, sorrowing, it might be, like the young 
 man that came to Jesus by night and was seen no more, as 
 his mind was not prepared for such a stride. But, as she 
 only declared preference, her imploring words found a way to 
 his heart, while they aroused him to action ; for the pressure 
 of the inexorable law was imminent, and only to be met by 
 purchase. This being the case, it will be seen that compli 
 ance with her wish might put off a weight of woe which would 
 be hard to bear, even in the memory of one who had observed 
 only to pass by on the other side. How could he leave her so 
 utterly helpless and despairing, caught, as she was, in the 
 strong net of power, and crying to him through its terrible 
 meshes ? He found her trembling and moaning, like some 
 poor helpless bird that sees a loathsome serpent coiling to the 
 nest of her callow brood, and saw that the hour of her rescue 
 or her doom had come. Thus it was displayed to him. And 
 when he at length came out from a flood of anxious and con 
 tending thoughts and feelings, and said, " Do not weep more ; 
 I will see that something be done for you," hers was not 
 the only heart that rejoiced. With this view he turned to 
 speak with the person who kept the place ; yet his face flushed 
 when he thought how the act would be interpreted by him. 
 He had met the man often indeed, was quite well acquainted 
 with him in the way of business. So, as he came near, the 
 6* 
 
66 THEMUSTEE, OR 
 
 keeper (who had been observing him) said, "Well, Merton, 
 what do you think of her ? " 
 
 " I think that she is to be pitied," he replied. 
 
 " How much ? fifteen or eighteen hundred dollars worth ? 
 But without joking, Merton, if you want her I won t bid 
 against you." 
 
 " What part of the country is she from ? " 
 
 "The Old Dominion, the mother of States; and very 
 probably she is the daughter of statesmen. But here is the 
 bill that came with her ; we indorse what is there set forth ; 
 and for any thing further, you can examine and trust to your 
 own judgment. I must say I fanced the piece when I first 
 saw her, and talked with her about it ; but she told me flatly 
 that she did not want me to buy her. However, there have 
 been a number of others to examine her, for she is a desira 
 ble article, young, handsome, and all that ; yet, as near as I 
 can find out, she has answered them all pretty much in the 
 same fashion." 
 
 Merton looked over the bill, and seeing that, as far as it 
 went, it entirely corresponded with her own account, he 
 returned it into the hand of the vendor, with a sum of money, 
 saying, " I wish you to purchase the girl; and, if the price be 
 reasonable, you may expect something more when I cash 
 the bill." 
 
 When Merton went back to the quadroon, and told her to 
 be comforted, for he had made arrangements with the keeper 
 to become her purchaser, and then passed away to avoid the 
 gaze of the curious, her rigid features melted, her hot eyes 
 overflowed with sweeter waters, and long and refreshingly fell 
 the tearful rain on that heart which was well nigh parched 
 to a desert. 
 
 All that day, in the intervals of business, Merton listened 
 to his better feelings, and was filled with " the low, sad music 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 67 
 
 of humanity," making the walls of exclusion tremble to their 
 fall, as did those of Jericho to the trumpets of Joshua ; so 
 that, in the evening, when he went to the place where he had 
 directed the girl to be conveyed, he was nerved with the con 
 scious strength of one who had resolved to break shackles 
 and clothe a slave with freedom. Feeling that this was her 
 right, he rejoiced that he had the power to give her back the 
 treasure. A swift seeming change ! yet not strange ; for one 
 gust of free thought can dissipate a cloud like this as easily as 
 the westerly wind rolls off the mist from our Atlantic coast. 
 Seeing him enter, she met him as her deliverer ; and, when 
 she had thanked him again and again for his pitying kindness, 
 and had calmed her glad weeping, he opened the high purpose 
 of his heart. 
 
 But her beaming face dipped down into sad shadow as she 
 said, u My home seemed so secure, until recently, that I never 
 realized such a want as freedom ; and although it may be a 
 rock of refuge, it appears like a desolate place. If you give 
 me liberty, where shall I go ? I cannot go home ; I have no 
 home ! Spurned from the house in which I was born by my 
 kindred, would you send me back to their scorning ? " 
 
 " Not to them, but into one of the free states, where you 
 will find friends ; and I will see that you do not want for any 
 thing ; while you are so nearly white that the people may re 
 ceive you without prejudice ; you at least will be secure there, 
 and may be happy." 
 
 But she Jbegan to weep ; for she shrank like a child from all 
 the lofty struggles of life. And how could she else, as the 
 peculiar machinery of law and custom by which she was 
 manufactured, enervates what should be made strong, and 
 develops that which requires control ? Liberty may, indeed, 
 be so utterly trampled out of the mind by the fierce footsteps 
 of oppression, that we shall not only no longer sigh for it, but, 
 
68 THEMUSTEE, OR 
 
 through the weakness which such wrong induces, it will cease 
 to be desirable. Yet not so with the affections, for they are 
 the fire and motion of the soul throbbing with the last 
 pulse of the heart, and going out with the last light of the eye. 
 
 The slave, who had thus been cast forth upon a " sea of 
 troubles," saw amid the billows this outstretched hand ; and, 
 having succeeded in grasping it, who can reproach her for 
 desiring to hold it fast ? or measure the distress which made 
 her say, " All that I desire is to be your servant ; and then 
 you may sell me if I do wrong ; but that I can never do, for 
 my only hope is to be yours. To sell me now, or to send me 
 north, seem to me so alike in their dreary prospect, that I have 
 no wish to choose between them. I may not venture to say 
 how the master feels, but the slave has only one thing to seek 
 in life, which is, to find a kind heart ; so that we come to 
 search and study faces for that single trait. O, how many did 
 I gaze on to-day, without hope, until you came ! and I looked 
 upon no one after you had gone, and I shall never wish to 
 more." 
 
 Thus she spoke, with her bowed head upon her folded arms, 
 and ended sobbing seeming like a beauteous temple shaken 
 to its deep foundations and stripped of all its sacred orna 
 ments ; its pinnacles and heaven-pointing spires all broken ; 
 yet still making a mute appeal to be saved from utter ruin 
 and desecration. 
 
 If Merton gave her room in his heart, when thus invoked, 
 who will severely censure him ? for the wrongs which had so 
 crushed and devastated her, touch the act with the color of 
 virtue an act which may not receive our full approbation, 
 or pass judgment in the final accounting of conscience ; yet it 
 is of the kind that the heart will forever seek to palliate. 
 
 But that was long ago. For, at the period when this story 
 opens, they were living in one of the quiet parts of the city, in 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 69 
 
 a pleasant and spacious house, with many servants at their call. 
 They also had a daughter, eighteen years of age, and formed 
 by nature to be a blessing in any home ; yet appearing there 
 under circumstances which excluded her nearly as much from 
 society, in that proud community, as it would from the most 
 correct circle of Christian New England. For, to say truth, 
 they were not so entirely isolated there as they would be 
 here, as Merton took his friends home frequently to dine ; 
 and Madam (that being the name by which she was known) 
 always presided at the table, and with the ease and elegance 
 which is rarely, if ever, acquired in a single generation. 
 " Blood tells ! " is a phrase which was frequently on the lips 
 of Randolph of Roanoke ; and they who, like him, would 
 trace the current to its parent lake, could see that this quad 
 roon was the daughter of culture, although her limbs were 
 marked with manacles. Never did more graceful attentions, 
 or more gentle voices, make music in any home, than those 
 which charmed the life of Merton. The kindly question and 
 the fond reply, anticipated wants, and meeting eyes beaming 
 with love light, drew him there like a bird to his nest, making 
 it so downy soft and warm that neither heart nor hope ever 
 dreamed of aught beyond. 
 
70 THEMUSTEE, OB 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 How poor a thing is pride ! when all, as slaves, 
 Differ but in their fetters, not their graves. 
 
 DANIEL. 
 
 TURNING another page, we shall see that Merton was not 
 without his troubles. The form of his domestic life furnished 
 a theme for censure precisely in proportion to the value of the 
 qualities which marked and illustrated his course in every 
 other particular. If he did a generous or a noble thing, and 
 it was praised in the presence of the mean, they straightway 
 pointed to the darker spot ; and as he gave them frequent 
 opportunity, so it was often spoken of. If his name was men 
 tioned in connection with any public office, and no man in 
 the state would have filled one more acceptably, some wily 
 demagogue, who was ready to beg, implore, or basely procure 
 a place, would suggest that there might be a reason why the 
 people could not vote for Merton. 
 
 Even when the church asked him to give of his abundance 
 to the building of a temple, they never invited him to bring 
 his family there to worship they shrank from such fearful 
 contamination. Merton, no doubt, saw all this ; saw it as no 
 man else could see it ; yet it did not sour his spirit or stint his 
 charity. 
 
 Neither were these, and their multiform offspring, all. His 
 sister, who had always exercised great influence over him 
 from her superior mental force and persistence, had married a 
 merchant of the city, and, becoming aware of the connection, 
 set her face against it like a flint. Yet, for a time, she made 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 71 
 
 her protest only in coldness of manner and studied reserve. 
 Merton saw the change, but made no comment, although he 
 visited her less frequently. This gave her an opportunity to 
 reproach him for neglect, and allude to its cause ; and so 
 reaching the subject, she did not leave it without expressing a 
 decisive opinion on its merits. 
 
 At first Merton made no reply ; he even smiled amid the 
 storm. This, however, did not dishearten Mrs. Steel. She 
 knew that the judgment of the enlightened world was with 
 her, and that continual dropping wears the rock ; so she con 
 tinued her laudable efforts for her brother s reformation. She 
 misstated that he might correct; she so spoke against his 
 course as to lead him to defend or palliate it, for she felt that 
 in the court of reason she could convict him of wrong. She 
 even sought to tempt him with what she thought "metal more 
 attractive," for she had been educated to loathe " people of 
 color." " Now," said she on one occasion, " if you would only 
 arouse yourself from this hallucination you might marry the 
 lady whose denunciation is the deepest and most frequent. 
 There is Miss E., who always speaks of it as a terrible 
 thing ! and the widow V., who lets no opportunity for allu 
 sion pass by unimproved, calling it horrid and low ! yet, 
 although they are of fashionable families, and have a most 
 surprising estimate of their own worth, either of them will go 
 with you to the altar to-morrow, if you would only say this 
 thing is over." 
 
 When Merton smiled, as he could not but do at his sis 
 ter s enthusiasm, so calculated to fill him with vain hope, 
 she continued, with more emphasis, " I feel sure that, if you 
 will only do as I have said, you may choose between those 
 delicate and exemplary ladies." 
 
 " But my child" interposed Merton ; " what shall I do with 
 her?" 
 
72 THEMUSTEE, OB 
 
 " Is it not a slave s child ? " inquired she. " Were you not 
 fully aware that the laws had fixed her place ? laws which 
 were made on mature deliberation of all the facts and circum 
 stances, by our wisest men, for the well-being of the state." 
 
 " Do you think that course possible to me, even though you 
 recommend it ? " 
 
 " I only indicated the way prescribed by statesmen." 
 
 " Thank God," said Merton, rising from his seat, " that 
 even our law-makers dared not wholly prevent the action of 
 feeling when it possesses the power of wealth ! They left a 
 narrow path where the sunlight may fall ; they did not ven 
 ture to completely overshadow the land with the Upas they 
 cherish. Had they so done, the poisonous tree would, long 
 ago, have been torn up by the roots ! And if it has struck 
 down and found nourishment, and gained strength, and spread 
 wide, the heart deplores it, and every .strong thought tosses 
 and cracks its branches. They may prop them up by enact 
 ments, and grow lethargic in the sickly shade ; yet, though it 
 be very bitter for the bondmen, it drugs only the cup of the 
 masters, who are slowly, but surely, failing through its ener 
 vating influence. But this is ground that I tread reluctantly, 
 and from which I shrink when I behold its vast sweep and 
 multiform obstructions. Still, did I only observe how the sys 
 tem closes up your heart, I should know it to be pernicious. 
 Indeed, any and all laws that seek to stifle whatsoever is gen 
 erous in our natures, have never yet had the seal of the eter 
 nal Lawgiver ; nor can they, for any length of time, meet 
 with human acceptance. Great interests may shape statutes, 
 and banded strength enforce them, to the detriment and sor 
 row of the weak ; but silently, surely, and dreadfully it is 
 heaping up wrath against the day of wrath ! And some future 
 historian, glancing back on our broken or completed course, 
 will write, as all his predecessors have written, amid the 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 73 
 
 wreck of empire, Only that which is just can partake of the 
 life of God. Looking at the deed to which you so often urge 
 me this separation, this desertion by such a light, how 
 can I feel that it would be right ? Will it not increase human 
 suffering ? bring woe, not only to me, for that I would try 
 to bear, but to those who so entirely trust in me ? Mary, 
 whenever I take up this subject, and you may believe that 
 I give it frequent and anxious consideration, I start with 
 the clearest convictions of duty; but soon I hear such lament 
 ing voices that I close the painful contemplation all weakness 
 and irresolution." 
 
 Desiring to lead him to still further confession, she softened 
 her tone, and said, " Dear brother, I would not have believed, 
 from any other lips, that you were so infirm of purpose. Has 
 it come to this, that you think you have so hopelessly entan 
 gled the thread of life that it can run smooth no more ? If 
 so, what a sad mischance that you should have seen her ! " 
 
 " There lies the doubt ! " replied Merton. " That is the 
 problem which I cannot solve ; as I know it was pure kind 
 ness and compassion which led me to her, and detained me to 
 listen to her story, and seek to wave back the furies from her 
 heart. Having so done, I offered her freedom and compe 
 tence ; but, the sense of their value being lost or buried deep 
 under accumulated wrong, she chose rather to cling to me; 
 for she loved me, and was capable of inspiring love did 
 inspire it ; and has kept it glowing and growing ; and God 
 knows it." 
 
 " You shock me, Rufus. Love, pure love, springs only in 
 the bosom of virtue a virtue that can lay its reverent hand 
 on the altar, and raise an untroubled eye to the throne of the 
 Infinite for a blessing on her virgin vows. The law of mar 
 riage I know is right ; it has survived, and shall ! for it is the 
 keystone of the social arch ; and whoever builds on any other 
 7 
 
74 THEMUSTEE, OR 
 
 foundation can rear no sightly structure in which his children 
 shall rejoice." 
 
 " Do you wish me to marry her ? " 
 
 " For Heaven s sake, no ! I desire to erase the blot, not to 
 make it indelible. I would save my daughters from suffering 
 by it ; and you should remember them, too, Rufus." 
 
 " How sensitive you are, Mary ! Do you believe if I loved 
 a woman whose uncle, or brother, or father even, was living 
 as I have done, that it would cause me to change ? " 
 
 " No ; yet it might deter you from approaching her at all. 
 If friends forbear to point to this, the censorious, perhaps 
 envious, world will, sooner or later, make us feel the stigma. 
 If you furnish a quiver of arrows, be sure there will be no 
 lack of expert hands to launch them from their long bows/ 
 though probably not until they have been dipped in the arch 
 er s poison." 
 
 " It may be so. I am aware that there is a large class of 
 persons in every community who, like ink-fish, befoul the 
 waters that they themselves may the more securely escape 
 observation." 
 
 " Do you propose to take advantage of the turbidness of the 
 current ? Is not that a sufficient reason for leaving it ? " 
 
 "I admit that you are right in this matter, Mary, when 
 viewed in the abstract. Yet how little are the feelings dis 
 posed to admit that frost is virtue, if it does appear to pre 
 serve ! Who can make his heart heed such teaching, when 
 reason is but a barrier of ice on which affection breathes, and 
 it is gone ? " 
 
 Time continued to pass without working any material 
 change in Merton. At length, having had a fit of sickness 
 which left him weak in mind as well as body, and seemed 
 in a measure to have impaired his faculties, he became more 
 vulnerable. Seeing the opportunity, Mrs. Steel took up her 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 75 
 
 task with renewed hope, and, approaching him on the side 
 which his condition suggested, said, " I hope your suffering 
 has been for your good ; that it has aroused you to a sense of 
 your sin, and made you resolve to change your course." 
 
 " It is too late too near the close of the voyage, I fear." 
 
 " It is never too late to do well, Rufus." 
 
 " That which you complain of, Mary, will soon be termi 
 nated by the common course of nature. Yet I have resolved 
 that, while I live, I will do all the good I can ; and even after 
 I am gone I shall continue to be kind towards them, if a will 
 in their favor may be so considered." 
 
 " Can you think of such an unblushing exposure as that ? 
 Will you so perpetuate the disgrace ? Thus circumstanced, 
 they will not only claim the connection, but substantiate it 
 the very thing I wish most to avoid. That course would be 
 weakness rather than benevolence ; for of what value, I pray 
 you, can property or liberty be to them, when it is not in the 
 power of man to remove the tinge of servitude from their 
 skin ? I hope that you are not so infatuated as to be deceived 
 by names ! If not, you will perceive that the change which 
 you propose can only take them from labor to consign them to 
 vice. By so doing, you repair no ill that now is, but, on the 
 contrary, are arming temptation with a power superior to that 
 which drew you down ; for there is something in the delicate 
 hand of leisure which can take captive and lead wherever it 
 desires. Does this class of persons ever marry ? You know 
 that they rarely do ; and they cannot, except with the coarse, 
 the rude, or the sordid. Seeing to what a life your fancied 
 kindness, but real weakness, would conduct them, I ask you 
 to pause and reflect before you so act." 
 
 " Would you have me leave them exposed to the rigors of 
 the -law?" 
 
 " Were their case so singular as to be entirely unknown to 
 
76 THE MUSTEK, OB 
 
 the law, it might plead for some special privilege. But the 
 singularity is entirely in your way of viewing it. The law 
 which points out their place, and prescribes their sphere, is not 
 a peculiar oppression ; and to relieve them from its action will 
 awaken hope in the bosoms of many of their class only to end 
 in disappointment, and so you would actually increase suffer 
 ing. Hence, considered in all its bearings, it is an error of 
 judgment to free a slave ; for in removing one from bondage, 
 you awake reflection and excite hopes that may put the lives 
 of many masters in peril. Partial exceptions are dangerous 
 to the public peace, and the legislature should withdraw from 
 the citizen the power of making them. If there is to be any 
 amelioration it should fall equally on all that is the way of 
 wisdom ; only he who moves in that direction is entitled to the 
 name of friend to humanity, or even to the slave." 
 
 " You may be right, Mary ; but to make them free and com 
 fortable is all the reparation that lies in my power, and con 
 science will be satisfied with no less." 
 
 " Conscience ! that is disease, Rufus ! The very first 
 movement of conscience would be to warn you from the error 
 of your way." 
 
 Merton had become singularly open to this mode of attack, 
 and Mrs. Steel pursued him with every pitiless weapon with 
 which she was acquainted. 
 
 At length he so far yielded to her importunity, or his own 
 apprehensions, as to say that he would try to separate from 
 them. 
 
 " Dear brother," replied the proud and correct Mrs. Steel, 
 " it is a noble resolution, and Heaven will help you to keep it ; 
 so, in a little while, we shall see you restored to true happi 
 ness, and accepted by virtuous society." 
 
 " No, I can never see happiness more ! When this tie is 
 severed I shall drift down the dark current alone." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 77 
 
 " Alone, Rufus ! Have I not often urged you to come to 
 me ? and, if you will, you shall find as fair a home as ever 
 was formed by a sister s love. In granting me this boon, you 
 have given me all that I can ever ask at your hands ; indeed 
 it fills my desire. * 
 
 Mrs. Steel artfully assumed that her brother had consented 
 to her utmost wish, knowing that he religiously respected the 
 faintest semblance of a promise ; and Merton made no remon 
 strance against the assumption, as he had no inclination to 
 open the painful subject afresh, to discuss it further, but si 
 lently reviewed his concessions and fixed his position. 
 7* 
 
78 THEMUSTEE, OR 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Men make resolves, and pass into decrees 
 The motions of the mind. With how much ease, 
 In such resolves, doth passion make a flaw, 
 And bring to nothing what was raised to law ! 
 
 CHURCHILL. 
 
 How few can visit the panorama of their past lives with 
 pleasure ! They see too many sad vistas ; too many graves of 
 the gifted and the loved ; too many gloomy spots where bright 
 hopes and high resolves fainted and fell ; and too many long 
 tracts lying bleak and desolate, with here and there a haggard 
 ruin, haunted with upbraiding voices. 
 
 If Merton s last interview with his sister made him sad and 
 sleepless, it spurred him to action. Desiring, first of all, to 
 provide for those who were dependent on him, he called at 
 the office of William Rutledge, Esq., a member of the bar, 
 who, although a much younger man than himself, was yet his 
 long-tried and intimate friend a counsellor in trouble, a com 
 panion in leisure, and conspicuous for excellence in both. 
 
 To a man like Merton, who felt the need of continual 
 sympathy, Rutledge was a treasure, as he could trust him 
 with his open heart indeed, secrets constantly flowed to 
 him, drawn by the spell of his power. It may be that the 
 Indian blood in his veins had marked his mind to receive con 
 fidence, and to keep it with that sacredness which was a charac 
 teristic of the noblest of the aborigines ; for the strain was 
 high, whether you traced the Saxon or the savage current. 
 Almost feminine in the delicacy of his make and the gentleness 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 79 
 
 of his manner, he yet had the falcon cast of countenance, with 
 wing and spirit for the loftiest game, if such darkened along 
 the sky to fling a shadow on his path. -Graceful, powerful, 
 and commanding as these traits made him, still it was his large 
 heart, above all, which gave him to be the legal adviser and 
 daily associate of the generous merchant. 
 
 On entering the office, Merton took his accustomed seat, 
 for he was in the habit of spending some time there every 
 day, and inquired, " Are you at leisure this morning, Mr. 
 Rutledge?" 
 
 " If pleasure be in your mind, such as a ride down to the 
 plantation," replied he, smiling, " I must say no : if business, 
 it is possible I might say yes ; for you look serious enough to 
 be thinking of your last will and testament." 
 
 " It has been the subject of my thoughts, Rutledge, and it 
 is their restlessness which made me seek you so early this 
 morning." 
 
 " I hope you find yourself quite relieved from your late 
 attack, my friend," said Rutledge, laying the smallest hand 
 that ever man had upon the broad shoulder of Merton. 
 
 " Yes, I think I am ; and that, you know, is an important 
 fact to establish, when the testator has distributed his estate in 
 an uncommon and perhaps distasteful form. I know that it is 
 the custom of men who have lived as I do to leave little trace 
 of it on record. Yet, although on some accounts it would be 
 very agreeable to me if I could escape it, I see no way now 
 that it can be done, and carry out what I believe to be my 
 duty. How different is the life we look back upon from the 
 one we looked forward to ! How many things there are, to 
 which we cling, that we would not like to confess on the cor 
 ners of the streets! Still, I may say to you, it tinges my 
 cheek when I imagine that some one, who may take my name 
 and bear it on, will come to examine the disposing record, 
 
80 THEMUSTEEjOR 
 
 and, feeling the stain, blush for me with my blood ! when none 
 can tell the circumstances which might help to excuse me." 
 
 " I am aware haw tender you are on that subject ; but the 
 view which the feeling leads you to take is not quite the true 
 one. I, indeed, look upon it with far different emotions ; for 
 the propensities of our nature will not change, neither will 
 humanity be a reproach. And if there ever come those who 
 can regard a token of reparation in the light you speak of, 
 why may we not fling forward the scorn which would greet 
 them if they breathed it now ? When such persons take your 
 name they will be unworthy to wear it ; though they should 
 mortify their flesh, never so severely, with scourge and fast 
 ing. No ; you may cjaerish a more cheerful hope, and do the 
 deed, believing that generosity and kindness will increase with 
 freedom ; or, at least, that they may continue to characterize 
 great souls when the curtain of green turf shall veil the stage 
 and the actors from our eyes." 
 
 " It may be so ; certainly your words cheer me, and incline 
 me to do in the matter what I believe to be the best that can 
 be done." 
 
 " Your plan has my warm approval," said Rutledge, taking 
 up his pen ; " and I am ready for item first." 
 
 On which, thinking a moment, Merton said, "I give to 
 Anthony Featherstone, Esq., of New York city, attorney at 
 law, on account of the affection I bore his deceased mother, 
 and the esteem in which I hold him, the sum of fifty thousand 
 dollars, to be paid by my executor herein after named. 
 
 " I give to my housekeeper, Madam, and also to her daugh 
 ter, Flora, their freedom ; and I hereby direct my executor, 
 hereinafter named, to take the necessary legal steps to manu 
 mit them as soon as may be after my decease. I also give 
 them, or the survivor of them, the house where they now live, 
 together with the furniture, appurtenances, and provisions in 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 81 
 
 the said house at the period of my decease, to their sole use 
 and benefit. I further give each of them ten thousand dol 
 lars, or the survivor of them twenty thousand dollars, to be 
 paid by my executor, hereinafter named, from my city stocks 
 at their par value the interest or income of which, I hope, 
 may be found sufficient for their comfortable support and 
 maintenance. 
 
 " I give all the rest and residue of my estate, of whatso 
 ever name or nature, to be equally divided, after all just de 
 mands against said estate have been paid, between the children 
 of my sister, Mary Merton Steel, wife of Ward Steel, and the 
 aforesaid Featherstone meaning that each child of my sister 
 Mary shall take equally with the said Featherstone. 
 
 " I hereby name and appoint William Rutledge, Esq., of 
 New Orleans, attorney at law, to be the sole executor of this 
 my last will and testament." 
 
 " I should think," said Rutledge, " that this matter had been 
 shaping itself in your mind for some time, by the fluency of 
 your speech and the forms which your thoughts have taken." 
 
 " You can say nothing more true than that ! " Merton 
 replied. " It has pressed upon me by night and by day ; and 
 when I have executed the instrument, a weight will be re 
 moved which has become painful." 
 
 " In any event I am glad that you have proceeded to action, 
 partly for the reason which you assign, but chiefly because I 
 believe you have done right ; arid I will add that I think it 
 nobly done towards those who can look to you alone for care 
 and comfort, or even protection. Your estate is so ample 
 that your nephews and nieces will scarcely perceive that their 
 legacies have been diminished ; and, besides, their home ex 
 pectations are large ; while this Mr. Featherstone will find 
 himself wealthy and, by the way, I think that I have heard 
 of his mother." 
 
82 THEMUSTEE, OR 
 
 " Yes," replied Her ton, sadly smiling, " I believe that you 
 are acquainted with her story ; such things crowd around an 
 instrument like this, and I am not inclined to resist their 
 influence, although it may seem a weakness." 
 
 "Not to me," said Rutledge. "Although most wills are 
 mere skeletons, I like to see them with some traces of flesh 
 and blood. And with regard to the executor of this instru 
 ment, if he ever come to act as such, he will be found to 
 understand how to take his share of the estate ; yet he may 
 well fear that he shall not get more than he is now receiv 
 ing in two or three sumptuous dinners every week, with 
 other constant friendly attentions and recollections." 
 
 " I shall take care that you do not desire a change then," 
 replied Merton. " Still I hardly have faith to believe that 
 I give as much pleasure as I receive when you dine with 
 us ; if so, I should persuade quite often where now I only 
 invite." 
 
 " How many times have I entered without invitation ? " 
 inquired Rutledge, archly. 
 
 " Never, to my knowledge. Indeed, how could you see 
 ing that you have been requested to come at your liking or 
 your leisure ? " 
 
 " I yield to the truth as to the temptation." 
 
 " Yield still further, then," urged Merton, " so as to favor 
 us by dining there to-day. And take that instrument along 
 when you come, and, if we are free from other company, read 
 it to one or two who are mentioned therein." 
 
 " I have some engagements, yet I think I can find time to 
 draw out the document ; so that you may count on me at half 
 past three o clock ; for the favor you ask is as agreeable to 
 my feelings as to my taste. And in the course of the evening 
 some of our friends may call, whom we can take for witnesses, 
 and so complete the business, if that course will suit you." 
 
LOVE AN ^LIBERTY. 83 
 
 " I see no objection to it, if, as I believe, there be no neces 
 sity for those who sign in such capacity to know the contents 
 of the paper." 
 
 " It is not at all necessary, and not usual ; their signatures 
 are evidence only of your declaration, signing, and sealing." 
 
 " If that be the case, it will be agreeable to me ; as, by so 
 doing, it may be the sooner dismissed from my mind." 
 
 So they separated ; after which Rutledge completed the 
 form of the will, and when the hour of dining came round he 
 entered the house of his friend. 
 
 The cloth having been removed, and the ladies being about 
 to withdraw, Merton said, " I wish you to remain a few mo 
 ments, as Mr. Rutledge has something to read to us." 
 
 After some playful remarks upon the nature of the story, 
 Rutledge drew out a paper, and read the last will of Rufus 
 Merton, to which they listened with feelings of happiness and 
 sadness strangely intermingled. Is it singular that their eyes 
 were wet, when they had to pass by the grave of one so well 
 beloved ere they could have a view of what lay beyond? 
 Yet it did break and scatter the thick darkness which is wont 
 to settle over that solemn mound for such as they revealing 
 a secure path, if it could not bring consolation. They hoped, 
 indeed, in their fond hearts, that the fatal day might be far 
 away, for his life was immeasurably more to them than his 
 estate, as his love had always included it. Still their faces 
 beamed thanks, seeing that he had so generously reached for 
 ward to shield and sustain them, when he could no more raise 
 his protecting hand. 
 
 In the evening friends called, when the instrument was 
 executed, and passed into the hands of the devisor. 
 
 But we have seen that, after all, it was something which 
 Merton felt to be a duty rather than a pleasure ; for it made 
 the wrong that he had done, when he had thus accomplished 
 
84: THEMUSTEE, OR 
 
 all the reparation in his power, to stand out irreparable in its 
 great features ; and privately perusing and meditating over 
 the instrument, noble as it was, it seemed to him only a sol 
 emn acknowledgment of that sad truth. So he looked at it 
 frequently, deeply, sorrowfully, and learned how impossible it 
 was to purchase up the consequences of his acts. Too feeble 
 and self-accusing to look calmly into the future, he communed 
 with the shadows of the past, and tinged them with a gloom 
 not their own. In truth, his mind had become so disordered 
 that he could see nothing of his doing but what appeared to 
 be evil. Even the long charm of his life was " fluttering, 
 faint, and low." 
 
 Madam became alarmed at his depression, and, perceiving 
 that she could do little to alleviate it, she besought him to 
 take a journey. To this he at length gave ear, as the initia 
 tory step in carrying out the promise which his sister had 
 extorted from him ; and, it being the first of June, he made 
 his arrangements to travel north, and pass the summer. On 
 leaving, Merton placed in the hands of Madam ample means 
 to supply every thing which they might desire during a much 
 longer period than his contemplated absence, for he had per 
 suaded himself that he should take up his abode at the St. 
 Charles on his return. This, however, he kept secret, out of 
 kindness towards them rather than from any suspicion of the 
 failure of his own resolution. 
 
 It was in the course of this journey that Merton invited 
 Featherstone to dine with him, and found that he was agree 
 able, vigorous, and capable. Yet he met him but once while 
 away, as he was in constant motion, visiting all the places of 
 fashion, and all the points of interest to a traveller not 
 because he found pleasure in them, but only hoping that they 
 might help him to forget. In this art he did not make prog 
 ress ; for, in consequence of activity, his health was returning, 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 85 
 
 with a feeling of the life that now is ; and although he set his 
 will against the sway of his affections, they continued to gain 
 dominion over him day by day. 
 
 It is sad seeking in the gayety of the crowd, the serenity 
 of art, or the grandeur of nature, when we seek to veil the 
 faces of those who are dear to us, especially when the show 
 is expected to take the place of those we love ! The heart 
 retires from all such chaffering for its gems, and soon grows 
 weary of all outward attraction. 
 
 It was in this mood that Merton turned from the throng to 
 enter the quiet village on the edge of which his youthful love 
 lay buried. As he bent before the headstone of the grave, 
 and read her sculptured name, he was drawn back to early 
 scenes, to meditate on the mysterious frustration of our 
 schemes ; on how rarely we reach that which we seek ; on 
 how different from our plot Fate draws out the tragedy of life. 
 
 So he left the sad place, more perplexed than ever, and 
 aching for sympathy, yet struggling against thoughts of home. 
 As his health had become quite reestablished, go where he 
 would, he found the needle of his soul still pointing painfully 
 southward, swerving, it might be, for a few moments, to some 
 other point, yet finding no rest there. Thus being made to 
 feel, day by day and hour by hour, that, although a voluntary 
 wanderer, he was no less an unhappy exile, the early Septem 
 ber found him on the way to New Orleans. 
 
 When he arrived out, he seemed to be oblivious of the 
 charms of the St. Charles ! and as the shades of evening fell, 
 he entered into that house over the threshold of which, three 
 short months before, he had persuaded himself that he could 
 refrain from passing. So the custom of a lifetime smiles at 
 the impotence of sickly resolution, knowing that it can succeed 
 to power, over far mightier obstacles, well nigh when it pleases. 
 So he felt its summons, and so he yielded. 
 8 
 
86 THEMUSTEE, OR 
 
 Yes ; Merton had come to confession ! and what are they 
 who do not know enough of themselves to follow him with 
 pity ? Truly, the heart of man is a great deep ; and over all 
 its warm and rich latitudes trade winds sigh, and suffer no 
 change of direction ; only the colder and more barren regions 
 are swept by variable and uncertain gales. 
 
 Yet, after a time, the memory of his defeat would steal in 
 to trouble his spirit, and that of his broken promise to re 
 proach him. That these recollections disturbed his repose is 
 sufficiently apparent from the way in which he sought to 
 divert his thoughts into other channels. His letter of invi 
 tation to Featherstone, written almost immediately after his 
 arrival home, is an indication of the unrest of his mind. By 
 this light we can see how the dove of his soul was seeking, in 
 outward activity, far-reaching kindness, and apparent benefit, 
 some peak above the flood to rest upon ; and no doubt it may 
 at length return, on weary wing, with something like the olive 
 of peace ; but it can be only a torn branch, that may never 
 take root beside his door to cast its protecting shade around 
 his hearth. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 87 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Sweet, good night ! 
 
 This bud of love, by summer s ripening breath, 
 May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet. 
 
 SHAKSPEARE. 
 
 A FEW mornings after Merton had received the letter of 
 Featherstone, accepting his invitation, he called into the St. 
 Charles, as was his daily custom ; when, seeing his young rel 
 ative s name on the register, he made inquiry, and, learning 
 that he had arrived late in the night, walked into the reading 
 room to look over the news of the day while awaiting his 
 appearance. 
 
 In a short time, however, Featherstone came in from the 
 breakfast hall, and very cordial and mutually pleasing was 
 their meeting. 
 
 The congratulations being over, Merton remarked, " You 
 must be somewhat wearied, or disturbed at least, by your long 
 journey, and you should take a few days for rest and recrea- 
 ion. Our city has some attractions ; and you will find a 
 pleasant drive down to the Battle-ground, or out to Carrol- 
 ton, or over the shell road to the Lake." 
 
 "I do not feel the need of repose or pastime," replied 
 Featherstone, " as every stage of the travel has been agree 
 able, and without fatigue ; and, if it still be your desire, I 
 prefer to enter immediately into business taking views of 
 the town and its environs as occasional hours of leisure, in 
 the intervals of employment, may afford me opportunity." 
 
 " That shall be as you please. And when you are ready, I 
 
88 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 will introduce you to my associates in business. They know 
 my views, and are expecting you." 
 
 So, without more ceremony, he entered into the commission 
 house ; where, with a mind naturally keen and comprehensive 
 for trade and commerce, and with fine health and firm resolu 
 tion, he soon mastered all the forms, and became familiar with 
 the details, so that, in a comparatively short time, he began 
 to look forward and calculate the prospects and suggest op 
 erations which were received with approbation and sealed 
 with success. If he was skilful to please the members of the 
 " firm," and taught them to feel, in many ways, that he was 
 an acquisition, he was yet sensitive to his own independence, 
 and careful not to defer too pliantly to any, not even to Mer- 
 ton himself; but met him with reasons, and won his respect 
 by making him feel that he also was a man. It is possible he 
 discovered that such a course would best please him ; yet it is 
 extremely doubtful if he would have taken any other, even 
 had it appeared more useful at the moment, for he was 
 shrewd, and observation might have taught him that it was 
 next to impossible to play a part every hour in the day, 
 wherein, if he failed but once, he would be looked upon with 
 distrust. Such disguise is a portion of the daily dress of very 
 many. Yet no man was ever so uncouth of manner, or dog 
 matic in opinion, but his natural habit was the best for special 
 occasions, as well as for common wear being not only more 
 easy, but more becoming even. Certainly, a simpering make- 
 believe is game quite too worthless for the poor arrows of 
 ridicule. 
 
 From the first, Featherstone rendered himself very accept 
 able ; and, while he was unfolding his business talents under 
 the keen and approving observation of the merchants, Merton 
 felt a degree of satisfaction which led him away from looking 
 too curiously into his own condition. In opening a path to 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 89 
 
 affluence for the son of his cousin, he had intended a kind 
 action ; and now he believed it to be a wise one as well : this 
 sent a current of peace to his troubled heart. In fine, judging 
 simply from his appearance, a man of the world might say that 
 he was taking a more healthy view of things ; yet, perhaps, a 
 higher point of observation would have disclosed a different 
 prospect. Be that as it may, he certainly was more recon 
 ciled to his way of life, as he could again trust himself to 
 speak of it. Taking Featherstone to ride one day, as he 
 did frequently after business was over. he said, " It is a 
 great satisfaction to me to see that you are making friends 
 here ; and you have shown such talents for business that we 
 hope you will come to the conclusion to remain with us." 
 
 " I like the place and the employment," replied Featherstone ; 
 " and, if it be for me to decide, the decision is already made." 
 
 " Such being your pleasure, I will take care that it is for 
 your interest also," said Merton. " But let me caution you 
 against applying yourself so closely as you have done ; for 
 much of the year our climate will not sanction it. You should 
 give more hours to rest, and take more frequent recreation. 
 There is little necessity of your returning to the store after 
 dinner, and never so soon as you do. The time which is 
 socially and temperately passed at table is not only the bright 
 est of the day, but is richly repaid in health and length of life. 
 And, speaking of this, I should like to have you dine with me 
 at my house ; but I have hitherto refrained from asking the 
 favor because that, you being from the north, I feared my 
 way of living might hurt your sense of propriety ; therefore 
 I feel bound to give you an idea of it before I go further. 
 You are aware that I am not married ; yet a woman of mixed 
 blood keeps my house, and has for many years, and takes her 
 place at my table, whoever may be the guests in truth, she 
 and her daughter are my family." 
 8* 
 
90 THEMUSTEE, OR 
 
 " I see nothing in the picture to deter me from taking the 
 chair you offer ; on the contrary, I should like to look upon it." 
 
 " If it be every way acceptable, it will be gratifying to me 
 to receive you," said the patron. " So come to-morrow 
 three o clock will be in time." 
 
 Entering the city by the canal, he drove through a street, 
 with shade trees in the centre, and pointed out to Featherstone 
 the place of his residence ; which he looked upon with eager 
 curiosity as they passed by, for he had been fully informed, 
 by more than one, of the elegance and luxury of the abode. 
 
 If rumor had exaggerated his conception so that he saw 
 nothing remarkable in the mere exterior, his mind turned 
 all the more readily to what might be within and especially 
 on the beauty and seclusion of the daughter. 
 
 When, at length, the night had passed, and so much of the 
 day that the time appointed for dining had arrived, punctual 
 to the moment he presented himself at the door and touched 
 the bell, which was answered by Pomp, in full official cos 
 tume, black, with white vest, who, on learning his name, 
 conducted him into the parlor. 
 
 There Merton soon met him, and leading the way to the 
 dining room and the sideboard, proffered every variety of 
 refreshment which that choice piece of furniture could display 
 in the day of its social preeminence. After a few minutes, 
 however, they returned to the parlor, when Madam came 
 down. Calm and self-possessed, she glided easily into the 
 ordinary topics of conversation ; fluent, graceful, and so kindly 
 withal, as to make the guest feel that he was welcome. Every 
 thing was touched with the fairest propriety ; so .much so, that, 
 when the slave placed the tureen upon the table, and Pomp 
 threw wide the doors, and turned to his accustomed place 
 without a word, and drew back her chair, while Featherstone 
 led her to the seat, and was invited to take one by her side,. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 91 
 
 if he had come with the expectation of seeing any thing sin 
 gular, he did not find it, except in unusual deference and 
 friendliness. The entertainment itself was of the first order. 
 In richness, variety, and art, the courses surpassed all that he 
 had seen, and were heightened to their utmost zest by the 
 ministering spirits of the world s vintage, some fresh and 
 sparkling, others sedate with age, and sunned to perfection ; 
 while all the attendant circumstances flowed on with the ease 
 and harmony of a daily custom. 
 
 Agreeable as was every part of the feast to Featherstone s 
 inclination and increasing habit, he yet felt disappointment in 
 not meeting the daughter ; but thought it not wise to inquire 
 the reason, still hoping to see her before the evening had 
 passed away. . 
 
 As the dinner drew to a close, and he found leisure to con 
 template the scene, he felt that he was not only in gentle and 
 cultivated presence, but that every word and glance were 
 tokens of affection. Of that glowing temperament for which 
 her color is celebrated, Madam could be said to have, at that 
 period of her life, only traces of beauty ; and perhaps it was 
 never so remarkable as in many of quadroon blood ; yet her 
 sweet soft voice and yielding grace made it easy to perceive, 
 that, if fascinated by the first notes, you would fain linger for 
 the last strain of the song. And chafed and tossed by the 
 fierce surges of commerce, as Merton must have been in his 
 long career, one could see that there he ever found a placid 
 and sunny haven. 
 
 At the usual hour the horses were drawn up before the 
 door, and, dinner being over, the gentlemen took seats in the 
 carriage for Lake Pontchartrain, one of the most charming 
 of drives, where the soft south wind whispered to the trees, 
 fanned the savanna, and just agitated the susceptible surface 
 of the refreshing water, from the shore of which they gazed 
 
92 THE MUST BE, OR 
 
 on the glory of the departing sun, as he bent over the wave 
 with a lambent glance, and gave its sweet bosom a parting 
 kiss ere he sank to rest. 
 
 It was a clear and serene evening in which they loitered 
 home, while the pale shadows began to flit along the landscape 
 as the full moon came forth to queen the night, and unfold a 
 world of beauty that fills with adoration those who own fealty 
 to her throne. 
 
 When, at length, they drew rein before the eastern entrance 
 to the house, where, the door standing open, the level moon 
 beams had glided in to play with the shadows and turn every 
 thing to picture, and amid which Madam appeared like a 
 fresco, smiling and breathing welcome, Merton felt the night 
 to be his friend ; and Featherstone thought of what he had 
 heard, and read, and dreamed of sunny climes and secluded 
 bowers. 
 
 As they entered, Madam said to Merton, " Some gentlemen 
 wait for you in the dining room." 
 
 On which announcement he passed in, while Featherstone 
 paused to speak with the quadroon. But seeing another lady at 
 that moment quite near him, though in shadow, it arrested his 
 remark, which Madam observing, she said, " Mr. Featherstone, 
 permit me to introduce you to my daughter Flora." 
 
 Being thus called forth, she arose and advanced a step into 
 the moonlight, which flashed from her dark locks, and seemed, 
 to Featherstone s excited imagination, to flow and nestle over 
 all her form, like bees on the fairest and sweetest flower of 
 
 " The gardens of Gul in her bloom." 
 
 Featherstone also advanced, and taking her hand, said, " It 
 gives me pleasure to meet you ; indeed, I hoped to see you at 
 dinner ; and I should like to hear what excuse you can offer 
 for being absent." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 93 
 
 "The time is not suited to my studies," she replied, smiling; 
 " for at that hour I take a lesson in French from one of the 
 Sisters of Charity." 
 
 " Your mother might readily save you the trouble of going 
 from the house for that learning, or at least occasionally ; for 
 I observe that she speaks the language with ease." 
 
 " O, no," said Madam ; " I should be a poor teacher, for I 
 am not always certain of my accent when I pass out of the 
 common phrases of conversation. And Sister Henrietta is a 
 native of Paris, and knows the best usage ; and besides this, 
 which makes her so desirable an instructress, the money that 
 she thus acquires finds its way, like rays from heaven, into 
 the darkest paths of distress." 
 
 " They are a singular class of women," Featherstone re 
 marked ; " and I have read something of the charities of her 
 order ; yet I confess to little interest in their faith, and less in 
 their persons." 
 
 " But Sister Henrietta is a charming person ! " interrupted 
 Flora. 
 
 " There may be exceptions," Featherstone explained. " I 
 hope she has not quite persuaded you into adopting her way 
 of life." 
 
 " She has deeply interested me in herself," Flora replied. 
 " Indeed, I like her so much that I have no wish to close my 
 lessons. There is something so gentle in her ways, so touch 
 ing in her accents, and so pensive in her expression, that I 
 linger near her when I should leave, wishing to hear her 
 story, yet fearing to ask the favor. And yet she makes me 
 sad seeming as if when she spoke, it would be of the loved 
 and the lost ; for she appears as though she awaited some one 
 who is long in corning." 
 
 " Has she youth and beauty ? " inquired Featherstone. 
 
 " I have never thought of them, she is so lovely," replied 
 
94 THE MUSTEK, OB 
 
 Flora, "and has such courage amid the fever such feeling 
 for those who suffer." 
 
 " Then sbe is, probably, trying to escape from disappoint 
 ment in devotion ; or in some desperate hour has been lured 
 to the taking irrevocable vows, which appoint her to a mission 
 beyond teaching French and ministering to the sick being 
 an instrument of that Power, which, seeking for universal 
 dominion, enters every avenue of distress, penetrates every 
 passage to the heart, carrying comforts rather than the cruci 
 fix to the dying parent ; hoping thereby to gain the child that 
 it may enervate the conscience so as to stamp the mind with 
 its opinions ; thus slowly but surely leading back the genera 
 tions to the Roman fold. What work are you reading with 
 her now ? " 
 
 " We finished Corinne to-day, and it made me very melan 
 choly ; while Sister Henrietta s eyes filled with tears over 
 many passages, so that I was ready to believe, had it been 
 possible, in point of time, that she was Corinne herself, only 
 that the sister was more resigned to her fate." 
 
 Madam here asked to be excused, saying that she had 
 engagements for a short time. 
 
 When she had gone, Flora and Featherstone walked to the 
 door, as if simultaneously drawn by the moonlight, which was 
 softly leaving the hall as the orb ascended. 
 
 Standing near, they were silent for a few moments, when 
 Featherstone said, in his softest and most subdued tone, " You 
 must not so wrong me as to be absent when I dine^here again." 
 
 " Is not a night like this more lovely than the day to meet 
 in ? " she inquired, as she looked out on shadow and tree, with 
 the leaves just kissed by the breeze, and saw, bending above 
 them, the sky from which the stars seemed to have withdrawn 
 while Diana walked the heavens and mused of love and 
 lonely fate. 
 
LOVE AND LIBEKTY. 95 
 
 " It is truly a, most charming evening," replied he ; " and 
 to remain in the house is almost wronging the hour ; do you 
 enjoy walking at such times ? " 
 
 " I rarely step out after dark ; yet the calm and brooding 
 beauty of the scene seems to whisper, Come ! " 
 
 " Then I hope you will kindly listen and permit me to go 
 with you." 
 
 On this, with a sweet assenting smile, she disappeared. 
 But, in a few moments, the rustle that had died away in some 
 chamber rose again, and with a folded shawl on her arm and 
 bonnet in hand, she joined Featherstone at the door. He 
 took the garment, and, while she was tying her bonnet, 
 wrapped it gracefully and tenderly around her form, and, 
 taking her hand, drew her arm gently within his as they 
 turned down the quiet street. 
 
 Touched with new and thrilling emotion for he still 
 retained her hand she walked in silence. He, too, felt the 
 power of the spell, and at length said, in a tone accordant 
 therewith, "Your teacher must be a charming person to have 
 so won your heart as she seems to have done." 
 
 " She is gentle and affectionate," said Flora, trembling 
 with the weight of the word. 
 
 " Have you ever loved any other so tenderly ? " 
 
 " Yes ; Oswald lured me from her for a time, until I found 
 that he had married another and left Corinne to mourn," she 
 replied, with ingenuous ardor. " Yet I felt so sad for his loss, 
 seeing how it came, that I could not hate, I could only pity 
 him ! " 
 
 " How deeply you sympathize, to find in books this pulsing 
 life ! Yet only such should look into that mirror, so full of 
 the reflection of the writer s heart, ever yearning for deeper 
 and still deeper experiences of love as though fortune s 
 
96 THEMUSTEE,OB 
 
 height was cold, fame s wreath repulsive, if one chosen eye did 
 not smile on and adore the achiever of them. 
 
 " I know that it is what they call fiction ; yet it seems to 
 me so true ! Do you not think it natural ? " 
 
 " Yes, it is nature, heightened by art and glowing with poetry, 
 such as we hope to find her invested with, such as we will 
 dream we may." 
 
 So concluding, (they having reached the door on their re 
 turn,) he pressed her hand to his lips ; for he was one of those 
 who win through selfish audacity what the generous cannot 
 take even when it seems to be offered ; and whispering adieu, 
 passed out and away, full of the wild emotion which anticipa 
 tion yields to such natures in such hours. 
 
 If he had some doubts how his attentions to the daughter 
 would be received by her parents, they w r ere dissipated when 
 Merton, in the course of the morning meeting him in the 
 counting room alone, said, " Now that you have learned the 
 way to my house, Mr. Featherstone, I hope you will take 
 your dinner there often. I should like to have you come 
 without further ceremony whenever you are so inclined ; and 
 you w T ill find ample room and a friendly welcome. When you 
 cannot make it convenient to dine with us, call up in the 
 evening ; we shall always be glad to see you." 
 
 The friendliness and scope of the invitation were so unex 
 pected to Featherstone that it gave him some embarrassment ; 
 which was certainly a new vein in him, as he expressed his 
 acknowledgments, and spoke of the pleasure of the visit. He, 
 in truth, was thinking more of the opportunity for continuing 
 his attentions to the daughter than of the words of his reply. 
 Cautious at first, he gradually availed himself of Merton s 
 invitation to the full extent ; particularly for the evenings, 
 wherein he took a lively interest in all that gave Flora pleasure 
 or employment. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 97 
 
 So he approached her ; so through the winter he pressed 
 on, assiduously unfolding her affections and gaining her con 
 fidence with all the appliances known to that kind of conquest 
 under the most favorable circumstances. 
 
 But why tell the often-repeated tale that another all- 
 trusting heart had listened to the summons, believing it to be 
 love, when it had no deeper meaning than passion, and 
 yielded the treasure of her affections to one who not only 
 gave no bond, but would be full likely to squander it or toss 
 it among his companions in arms when he marched on ! 
 
 Yet she loved, and, having but little hope besides, she lis 
 tened. Let us not censure, but ask if the fault be not partly 
 ours. Let us remember that the circumstances of her birth, 
 with the inhuman laws and prejudices which beset her race, 
 had not only dimmed alji brighter prospect in that direction, 
 but had left yawning at her feet a fiery gulf, which made this 
 seem a heaven. 
 
 9 
 
98 THEMUSTEE, OR 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Ye who hare known what tis to dote upon 
 A few dear objects, will in sadness feel 
 Such partings break the heart they fondly hope to heal. 
 
 BYRON. 
 
 As the spring advanced, the fact intimated at the close of 
 the last chapter became , known to Merton. At first he 
 was filled with astonishment, and burned as with fire. Then 
 he doubted its possibility ; for he had thought of his daughter 
 only as a child. This roused indignation against Feather- 
 stone. But, when the first lacerating emotions had subsided, 
 he began to see, in the way which they had taken, so strong a 
 likeness to his own indefensible course, that all thought of it 
 recoiled upon himself with the deepest condemnation. So 
 applying the moral, he grew more lenient than ever towards 
 others, and took home to the silence of his own bosom more 
 than he could bear. This unceasing pressure bore down his 
 health, and at length shattered his mind. He walked, as it 
 were, in a cloud which dimmed the light of home, and repelled 
 him from the public places of the city. Even the smile of 
 his acquaintance hurt him ; and if they passed with a serious 
 face, it wounded still deeper. 
 
 His friends saw the effect, and thought his constitution was 
 breaking up. His physician advised a change of air ; to 
 which proposition Merton acceded as he would have accepted 
 medicine from his hand. If thence came the motion, it was 
 business that gave direction to his steps. In truth, its far- 
 stretching threads seemed to draw him away ; as some time 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 99 
 
 during the year a correspondent of their house, who lived in 
 one of the southern cities of Europe, had become insolvent ; 
 and in distributing his assets a valuable real estate had been 
 decreed to them, making it necessary that one of the " firm " 
 should visit the place in order to come into legal possession. 
 
 Towards this Merton came to look, not hopefully, but as the 
 fairest prospect which lay open. When he had settled on his 
 course and made some preliminary arrangements, he invited 
 Featherstone to a private interview. 
 
 That gentleman trembled as the hour of meeting ap 
 proached ; and at one moment, such were his apprehensions, 
 he thought of avoiding it altogether by flight. But having so 
 much at stake, he quickly banished that idea ; and while trying 
 to nerve himself for the emergency Merton entered. Yet he 
 came in so humbly that Featherstone saw, at once, there 
 were no reproaches to fear. Indeed, he seemed like a sup 
 pliant ; for he was thinking how completely the happiness of 
 Flora was in his keeping. Hence he had determined to treat 
 him gently and generously, so that he might not only retain 
 kind recollections of him, but have it in his power to make 
 the path of those easy whom he found it necessary to trust so 
 absolutely to his care. 
 
 Hastening to speak, for he saw that it would be a relief to 
 Featherstone, he said, " I have some thoughts of going 
 abroad soon." 
 
 " I saw by your despatches that such a journey had become 
 necessary," said Featherstone, with something of his usual 
 confidence of tone. 
 
 " At my time of life." resumed Merton, " so long and ad 
 venturous a journey ought to be prefaced with all the forms 
 which one would think it necessary to use if he knew that he 
 should never return. Feeling this to be my true course, I 
 find it incumbent on me to dissolve my connection with the 
 
100 THEMUSTEE, OR 
 
 house of Merton & Co. That, however, will require but little 
 examination, as it is my intention to transfer my entire in 
 terest there to you ; also the house where I live and all it con 
 tains, together with the horses, carriages, and stable. And, 
 as you are a lawyer, I wish you to draw up the titles in the 
 way that will most effectually secure the estate and appurte 
 nances to your sole use and benefit. You can do it without 
 making much stir, which is what I desire most particularly to 
 avoid. Having still other property of value in the city, if, in 
 my communication inviting you here, I awoke expectations 
 which these gifts do not fully realize, I wish you to say so, 
 and you shall have more, as my near relatives have no need 
 of it ; and what I do not give you now, or at some future 
 time, I shall leave for the law to divide." 
 
 " It is ample ! You have most profusely given ! so that 
 my expectations, as my skill in thanks, are far surpassed. 
 But these titles, of which you speak, contemplate my imme 
 diate possession ; would it not be much better for yourself to 
 make a will in my favor? " 
 
 " O, no ! no ! I desire to avoid that instrument altogether," 
 Merton replied, with increased energy. 
 
 " Excuse me if I seem to advise," interposed Featherstone ; 
 " but are you not pruning so deep that you may regret it when 
 you return ? " 
 
 " I think not. And that which I give you I feel to be still 
 my own, with the assurance that it will go on increasing." 
 
 Understanding him too literally, Featherstone inquired, 
 " Do you wish me to give you a bond to that effect ? " 
 
 "I see no occasion for it; for there is a satisfaction in 
 trusting, as well as in giving, which I desire to take. Were 
 this property passing into the keeping of any other, I should 
 have much to say about the final disposition of certain persons, 
 in case I should not return ; but I now yield up that respon- 
 
LOVE AND LIBE>lY, 
 
 sibility, leaving it to rest entirely with you. My feelings with 
 relation to them you surely know, for they must find a voice 
 in your own bosom." The tears stood in his eyes as he fin 
 ished this sentence, and his lips so quivered that there was 
 silence. But in a moment he resumed, saying, "I wish you, 
 also, to take charge of the estate which I reserve, receiving 
 the rents and dividends during my absence, and place the 
 money after my family expenses are paid to my credit in 
 account with my bankers." 
 
 " I will attend to that, and whatever else you desire me 
 to do." 
 
 " Be careful of my family. Use the means in your hands 
 for their comfort. Such is my will, and in nothing do I need 
 a more faithful executor. For the money that it may please 
 them to spend, as well as the property which goes to you, it 
 gives me true pleasure to bestow. The thoughts which such 
 acts form I grow covetous of gathering, hoping that they will 
 help to warm and cheer me, when I sit in the chill shadows 
 of the evening of my days." 
 
 In accordance with the views which Merton had expressed, 
 the deeds and bills were drawn and sanctioned, while he made 
 ready for departure. 
 
 Most of his friends, on hearing of his intention, congratu 
 lated him thinking he would find it an agreeable change, 
 and wished they could see their own way clear. Some few, 
 however, who had viewed enough of the world to know the 
 value of home, said, " That which the traveller deepest learns 
 is the strength of ties long since formed." 
 
 After the interview with Featherstone, Merton called on 
 
 his sister, and, making her acquainted with his intention ot 
 
 visiting Europe, asked her to accompany him, qualifying the 
 
 invitation, however, by adding, " if you will be ready to leave 
 
 9* 
 
THE M U S T E E , OR 
 
 in the course of the week, as I wish to depart at the earliest 
 moment." 
 
 u Are you really in earnest ? Have you truly so decided ? " 
 
 " Yes, Mary ; my preparations are well nigh completed." 
 
 " Well, I am delighted. With your tastes, and situated as 
 you are, I could not have so long resisted the attraction. Do 
 you really desire me to go with you, or is it only a com 
 pliment ? " 
 
 " Can you think that utter loneliness would be so agreeable 
 to me as to make you doubt my sincerity, Mary ? " 
 
 " No, indeed, Rufus. And I should like to go with you, 
 as Europe has long been to me a fond expectancy. Yet I 
 cannot now ; that would be to desert my post in the hour of 
 engagement ; my daughters need my watchful care more than 
 ever. When I get them well settled in life I shall feel my 
 self entitled to a furlough ; and then I hope to have it in my 
 power to see that society which gives tone and fashion to the 
 world. But pray tell me what sends you away in such haste 
 that you can wait for me only one little week ? " 
 
 This question touched him so deeply that for a moment he 
 was unable to reply ; but at length, with constrained accent, 
 he said, " Business calls me. One of our debtors has failed. 
 The presence of one of us is required." 
 
 " I hope it may prove a fortunate loss ! " said she, with a 
 vivacity which sprang from a determination not to notice his 
 depression. * Truly, I wish the failure had occurred long 
 since, if it could then have influenced you to so desirable a 
 step as this. How long do you intend to be absent ? " 
 
 " A year ; perhaps more, if I find any thing to take my 
 attention." 
 
 " How can it be otherwise, among so many attractions ! 
 You have cultivated a taste for the beautiful, and possess the 
 means to purchase. Hence you will not only enjoy the 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 103 
 
 various charms of the works which have become famous, but 
 may search out to hearten the struggle and foster the promise 
 of to-day." 
 
 "Art is serene," Merton replied, "and invites only the 
 calm in spirit to her contemplation. The cares of business 
 and the deep entanglements of life are not the best schools for 
 preparation to enter her presence." 
 
 " Why will you look sadly on that in which all the world 
 hope to find exceeding pleasure, and which many, when they 
 return, harp upon as if it had exalted to something almost 
 supernatural ? It is really sorrowful, and will make me anx 
 ious whenever I think of you. But you have come to tell me 
 what you have done, or intend to do, with that sad business of 
 which we have so many times spoken ? " 
 
 Merton s cheek blanched and quivered, yet he said, " It will 
 soon be over. That which you desired has come, and I am 
 alone." 
 
 " Alone ! Is that kind ? Yet I will not reproach you when 
 you bring me such good news. Is it entirely ended, so that I 
 have nothing to fear ? " ^ 
 
 " I trust so. Desiring to veil it from the public gaze, I 
 have made such disposition of it as, for a long time, will keep 
 it in obscurity." 
 
 " Ah, that limit ! I hope you have not made a will to come 
 forth, like a ghost from a grave, and * frighten us from our 
 propriety ! " 
 
 " Mary, I have listened to you in this matter as much as lay 
 in my power. I wear that here which prays you to be tender 
 while we remain together, and which ought to make you 
 think kindly of me when I am gone." 
 
 Seeing that there was no more to be gained in the direction 
 in which she had so long pressed him, Mrs. Steel immediately 
 changed her tone, and said, " Dear brother, do you imagine 
 
104 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 that I can do otherwise, when I remember what you have 
 sacrificed for me and mine, and when I can see that it was 
 the fulness of your heart which betrayed you ? O Rufus ! 
 would to God that it was as it might have been ! Had you 
 mated yourself worthily, what sweet intercourse we should 
 have had in the many years we have been so near each other ! 
 But that dreadful shadow would always enter along with you 
 and make it cold. Yet I loved to see you come, notwith 
 standing, for your noble nature made me believe in a day of 
 redemption." 
 
 Yielding to the impulse which she had designed to give, 
 and to which his sorrow was so inclined, tears filled his eyes, 
 and hers overflowed at will, for she had power to restrain or 
 command them. 
 
 So softened, when they resumed conversation, they went 
 down to childhood s recollections, to early affection, and to 
 gether, in imagination, visited the home which ancestral en 
 ergy had reared, and a mother s heart had warmed, to talk 
 there of all the treasured past, the while the sister s pride ap 
 peared to J)e vanquished, and the brother s erring love to be 
 cast out, by the presence of these purer spirits. So arises a 
 summer tempest, cooling and purifying the atmosphere for a 
 time ; but the heart, like the sky, soon assumes its wonted as 
 pect, and to-morrow will find Merton and his sister much the 
 same as yesterday. She may, indeed, appear, and perhaps 
 be, less sensitive ; still it will proceed from the fact that the 
 cause of irritation has been removed, while he will change his 
 place, but not the current of his affections ; therefore it is all 
 an outward seeming. 
 
 Beyond mere business arrangements and an occasional 
 pang, Merton kept his own counsel ; for Rutledge, to whom 
 alone he could have unbosomed all, was away on his northern 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 105 
 
 farm ; he had left town some weeks before the thought of 
 separation entered the mind of his friend. 
 
 On the day of Merton s departure he clasped a chain of gold 
 from which was suspended a glittering diamond cross, with 
 rubies to mark the prints of the bloody nails around the 
 neck of Flora, and placing his hand on her brow, silently in 
 voked God to bless her ; when, kissing, they turned away in 
 tears. 
 
 So came the hour for another parting, upon which I do not 
 choose to lift the curtain. That it was full of sad and fearful 
 foreboding, may well be imagined. If he tried to soothe 
 Madam with the hope of soon returning, she feared it was de 
 lusive ; for she knew that he was stricken, and felt that, like 
 the wounded deer, he was turning aside to die. 
 
 Thus Merton left th e city of his adoption, in which he had 
 made go the world said a brilliant fortune. In due time 
 he arrived in New York, melancholy in manner and sad at 
 heart so much so that his travelling companions observed 
 in his conversation an occasional inconsequence, or mental 
 misstep, followed by a wandering on a way in which he seemed 
 lost. And although after a little rest he appeared rational 
 again, as if the aberration was but the weakness or weariness 
 of the moment, still it gave sign that there was some singular, 
 and, at times, overwhelming pressure on his mind. 
 
106 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 0, seek not destined evils to divine, 
 
 Found out at last too soon ! cease here the search ; 
 
 I will impart far better ; will impart 
 
 What makes, when Winter comes, the Sun to rest 
 
 So soon on Ocean s bed his paler brow, 
 
 And Night to tarry so at Spring s return. 
 
 LANDOR. 
 
 THE house in which the Vernons lived had once been a 
 proud mansion. Its broad foundations were laid when there 
 was many a green lawn in the quarter of the city in which it 
 was situated, affording it room to spread out like a pasture 
 oak, so that it bore but little resemblance to the crowded hab 
 itations of the present day, which appear, like trees in a 
 forest, to be stretching up as if to find a purer air and a 
 crown of sunbeams. Although its youth had long passed, and 
 its melancholy days were come, yet it still stoojd firm, and wore 
 a venerable aspect ; and the wide, deep arch of the door-way 
 indicated the generous nature or the private sumptuousness of 
 him who reared the structure for his abode, and bequeathed it 
 to his daughter, an only child and the mother of Aurelia. 
 
 Seen at the period of which Mrs. Summers spoke, the 
 sketch she gave of the habitation did not overshade its gloom. 
 But at this time it had softened somewhat, as one of the upper 
 blinds was quite open, and even the window upraised, for it 
 was a warm and bright afternoon in May. And making it 
 brighter still, within, there appeared a lady seemingly before 
 a mirror for the purpose of imparting the final grace to her 
 apparel (by the way in which she turned, and touched fold 
 and ribbon) ere she passed out to give her wealth of beauty 
 
LOVEAND LIBERTY. 107 
 
 to the public eye, and diffuse a charm which makes the fre 
 quented promenades of a city forever attractive. 
 
 But while she was adjusting her bonnet, the door opened, 
 and Mrs. Vernon entered. Instantly observing her daughter s 
 neat, yet simple, toilet, she rather imperiously inquired, " Why 
 do you not wear a silk ? The people whom you are intending 
 to visit make dress a subject of thought and conversation. 
 Why do you persist in doing what you know I do not wish 
 you to do ? " 
 
 " Do you think that I have no better reason for my choice 
 than simply to oppose you, mother ? " 
 
 " I am sure I don t know what other motive you can 
 have." 
 
 " I am a creature of moods, mother, not mode, only in so 
 far as it pleases me. Besides, I have a particular fancy for 
 this dress to-day, and thought I might venture to indulge it.* 
 
 " I cannot approve of your taste, for, considering the friends 
 you are to visit, it is very unwise. People in our condition 
 should be careful, on such occasions, to dress as richly as pos 
 sible a muslin is too suggestive of our state. But where 
 are your pearls ? " 
 
 " Since you told me that it could not be long before I should 
 be obliged to part with the gems, for something more neces 
 sary, I cannot wear them. * 
 
 "That is silly, /should wear them the oftener. You can 
 not hurt them." 
 
 " If you did not desire their disuse, you should not have 
 mentioned the fact, for you know that I scorn deception." 
 
 " How singular you are ! The ornaments are still ours, and 
 we may never have- to part with them ; at least I shall strug 
 gle to keep my father s wedding gift." 
 
 Perceiving that her mother was about to enter upon a sub 
 ject which she had frequently lectured upon of late, more, 
 
108 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 she thought, than was necessary for instruction, Aurelia 
 chose, half playfully, half satirically, to adhere to one more 
 hackneyed, inasmuch as it was less annoying. Hence she 
 said, " Mother, I value the ornaments quite as highly as you ; 
 though it be now only for their exquisite settings, and the fan 
 cies that flit around when I muse on their antiquity found, 
 as they were, with the remains of the wearer, in the lava- 
 tomb of Pompeii." 
 
 This being a favorite reminiscence of Mrs. Vernon, as it 
 recalled the affluence in which she was reared, she replied, 
 with an eager glance at the jewels, " Yes, your grandfather 
 and I were in a newly-excavated palace of that long-buried 
 city, when a soldier followed us apart, and timidly showing 
 them, named a price which was quickly paid. Time, indeed, 
 had dimmed and corroded the gems, and they were replaced 
 with the choicest that could be procured from the orient. Yet, 
 valuable as they are, my father always prized their perfect 
 mounting far above the pearls. And when he gave them to 
 me, he said, Let them pass down with our blood and it 
 would be one of the sorrows of my life to part with them," 
 
 " I am pleased that my grandfather so regarded the jewels. 
 I like to trace to him my passion for art ; and fancy it stronger 
 for the lineal current. But may they not have taken some 
 baleful charm from the skeleton on which they were found ? " 
 
 " How childish ! I hope you will not encourage such 
 superstitious fancies." 
 
 " Do not ships bring diseases from the Indies, mother ? 
 And when I call to mind what the Pompeians were, may I 
 not be shy of their trinkets ? Yet they are worthy of the 
 best days of Grecian cunning," she continued, taking up the 
 ring. "Observe the indentation of the palm, the vigorous 
 grasp of the veined and manly hand, so life-like in every part, 
 and finished to a nail, as Horace said of Augustus. How 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 109 
 
 many have had joy, in putting it on, which did not last 1 I 
 sometimes fancy that Dido might have worn it when she stood, 
 
 With a willow in her hand, 
 Upon the wild sea banks, and waved her love 
 To come again to Carthage. " 
 
 "I wish you could think of something else besides love, 
 Aurelia." 
 
 " Of what would you prefer that I should think, mother ? " 
 
 " Of that without which it is not respectable, and cannot 
 subsist, if you will make me explain." 
 
 " Mother, I have listened to this lesson many times in def 
 erential silence, hoping that, when you saw it was understood, 
 you would cease. But, seeing no such prospect, I feel im 
 pelled to say, that any further iteration will be more likely to 
 make me wilful than wise." 
 
 " Indeed, Miss Vernon ! But what if I feel it to be my 
 duty to teach until I see that you heed my teaching ? " 
 
 " Do you believe it right, mother, to be continually direct 
 ing my attention to the mere money prizes in this lottery, 
 when you know how much the whole current of glittering life 
 inclines us to overvalue them ? " 
 
 " Are you expecting to meet Mr. Park at Mrs. Fardel s this 
 evening ? " 
 
 " I have no reason for such expectation ; yet, to be frank 
 with you, believing you to be my friend, mother, I cer 
 tainly hope to meet him there." 
 
 " Do you think it dutiful, or becoming, to disregard my most 
 serious admonitions, and seek the society of a person, who, 
 although he may be every thing which you fancy him, has not 
 the means to make you comfortable in a respectable boarding 
 house even ? " 
 
 " Well, mother, he has not invited me to that kind of enter- 
 10 
 
110 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 tainment ; and, if he do, I pledge myself to consult you before 
 I accept the offer." 
 
 " My child, you may some time learn that this is not a light 
 matter, or an ignoble aim, to which I point, although it pleases 
 you to treat it so now ; yet if you live out half your days you 
 will come to think as much of wealth and respectability as she 
 whose advice given solely for your good you so strangely 
 disregard." 
 
 " I fear it, mother from my soul I do ; for I frequently 
 find myself wishing that Mr. Park could add wealth to his 
 gifts and accomplishments ; and I sometimes weigh them 
 even ; yes, put gold over against a glorious nature, coolly 
 trying to estimate the joys of each ! and there are moments 
 when I incline to the gilded side. Is it not a sad con 
 fession ? " 
 
 " I hope it may be a true one. If you do not wish to con 
 tinue to descend the dark way in which we are now walking, 
 you must beware how you get your heart entangled with any 
 thing that may prevent you from leaving it ; and remember, 
 that it is as clear as noonday that your fortune is in your own 
 hands," (this was an allusion to a middle-aged gentleman, of 
 large estate, who evidently desired to purchase her,) " and if 
 you do not take advantage of it you will certainly come to 
 repentance. In this I give you the lesson of experience as 
 well as of observation ; for I have seen youth, and known 
 love, and feel the shadow, and have felt the sun, which you 
 have not ; yet you have it in your power to make it shine 
 once more on our house, if you but resolve on it." 
 
 " Mother, I have said that there are times when I am prone 
 to put my trust in riches ; and I have a taste for luxury in its 
 most voluptuous forms ; for the taint is in our blood and do 
 you think that it requires precept on precept to develop it ? " 
 
 " Do you mean to reproach your parents ? What an un- 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. Ill 
 
 grateful child you are for all our sacrifices that you might 
 learn wisdom and secure your happiness in life ! " 
 
 On this, Aurelia, turning towards the door, said, " I think 
 that it is quite time for me to go ; and on the way I will try 
 to meditate on the happiness which you desire for me." 
 
 As the door closed Mrs. Vernon said, " How few children 
 prove blessings to their parents, or will be guided by their 
 counsels ! " 
 
 If Aurelia, in talking with her mother, had exaggerated, 
 she had truly disclosed, her inclinations, and foreshadowed 
 the future. She was essentially the child of her parents. Of 
 the ruling trait of her mother s mind she had deeply partaken, 
 though veiled and graced by an amenity of manner that came 
 from the paternal line, as well as her more ardent and impas 
 sioned temperament. In her tastes she vibrated to extremes ; 
 now musing of the simple and secluded life of the heart, and 
 now dreaming of the gorgeousness of a queen, and the sceptre 
 of dominion, 
 
 Had she fallen on a time when some Pericles swayed peo 
 ple and state by the authentic supremacy of genius, she would 
 have been drawn to him as was the gifted Aspasia ; and, like 
 her, cared little for the mere " forms and ceremonies " where 
 there was no fear of an imperfect union. So impressible was 
 she v that, in the midst of the art and society which such mas 
 ters gather or create, she would have studied simplicity, and 
 kept their elevation ; and, for the same reason, should circum 
 stances lead her to a barbarian court, she would be likely to 
 sink to their tone, and become ambitious of their gauds and 
 gold. 
 
 Aurelia met three or four other persons of her acquaintance 
 to take tea ; soon after which they sat down to a lively game 
 of whist ; for it was full of conversation, or question and ex 
 clamation, such as "What is the trump?" "Whose lead is 
 
112 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 it ? " " Let me look at the last trick." " I m sure I ve for 
 gotten what suits are out wasn t that your lead ? " " There, 
 you ve trumped the best card ! " " That s a thirteener ! " " Hon 
 ors are easy." . " Excuse me, but I played three " all of 
 which was mingled with considerable by-play and consequent 
 merriment ; so that a game of skill and one of the most 
 intricate in its highest combinations, and requiring the best 
 diplomacy, also, as every glance or motion of your opponents 
 may be weighed in their hands sank nearly down to the 
 blind chance of the die. Evidently whist was the nominal, 
 not the real object for which they had gathered around the 
 table. Late in the evening Park came in, and, of course, was 
 chided by his cousin for delay. The other persons expressed 
 their pleasure at meeting, with the exception of Aurelia, who 
 was nearly silent, 
 
 " But when in turn she gave her hand, I ween 
 Their tender glances met and kissed between." 
 
 Park did not fail to notice her simple attire ; and, with his 
 view of life it was a source of pure enjoyment, for it seemed 
 to him a good omen. So he thought, " Our tastes are alike in 
 this, also ; or she has adopted it to please me ! " which, for 
 the moment, was the sweeter hope. 
 
 Under such influence, he entered with spirit into their con 
 versation, and heightened it with wit, and point, and piquancy, 
 until it moved on a higher plane, to which the company were 
 borne so easily that they were not aware of the change before 
 it began to subside after he had gone. 
 
 As Park and Aurelia walked down the street together, he 
 said, " It has given me pleasure to meet you at my cousin s, 
 and, although she is somewhat frivolous, I am grateful for her 
 kindness, as I just told her." 
 
 " She may be rather busy with trifles, yet she has ready 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 113 
 
 sympathy on all occasions, and is very friendly to me. But 
 what a funny little thing her husband is ! He seems to be 
 her spaniel ; and I fancy that she keeps a ball, and trains him 
 to fetch when they are alone. For he appears to be forever 
 on the watch, and wags round as though he were anxious for 
 you to drop something, so that the play might begin ; and I 
 have indulged him in a handkerchief and a glove two or three 
 times, to his great satisfaction and my amusement. Is it not 
 singular that she should have married such a person ? " 
 
 " It does not much surprise me, \yhen I consider how often 
 the mistake is made by those who have but little discernment, 
 or who close their eyes to consequences ; and my cousin must 
 fall into one or the other of those classes. Yet she had a 
 face which pleased me in my boyish days ; for she had aspi 
 rations, but they have long since gone. Still I have no doubt 
 she had a hope, or rather a hallucination, that marriage with 
 this man would foster her ideal ; as it would bring books, and 
 pictures, and leisure ; yet, instead of fulfilling, it has dissipated 
 the dream." 
 
 " I should think it quite equal to that," said Aurelia ; " in 
 deed, a desert with the Memnon, musical only to the morning, 
 or even the dull Sphinx, would yield more desirable sus 
 tenance and companionship." 
 
 " Yes, the wigwam of some Osceola, it seems to me, would 
 be a stronger temptation ! For truly, a simple life is the most 
 cheerful ; and to have but few wants is wisdom. Pictures are 
 but poor and imperfect copies of that nature which lies open 
 to every seeing eye ; and books, even, are but reflections of 
 our own spirits, more or less dwarfed, deformed, or exaggerated 
 by the reflectors ; while men are great and original in pro 
 portion as they explore the depths without these aids. And 
 that leisure, also, which we so desire, soon becomes a dreary 
 10* 
 
114 THE M U 8 T E E , OR 
 
 vacuity to those whose minds are not the royal instruments on 
 which some Muse lays her inspiring hand." 
 
 " I know that use rarely follows possession ; yet the world 
 is striving for these goods, or something less worthy ; and I 
 confess that they have charms for me, thinking they help to 
 unfold and sustain." 
 
 " It is true that such is our hope and expectation ; yet they 
 will be found to have little value, save as means to an end. 
 I see adequate life only where there is an aim which imparts 
 something of nobility to the countenance. Tried by this test, 
 how many of the proud would be brought low, how many of 
 the humble exalted ! " 
 
 " On so rugged a march, would you shun the things that 
 grace existence, even to the passing by society and friend 
 ship?" 
 
 " I would give but little time and less thought to one, but to 
 the other my heart runs as the rivers to the sea. An equal 
 friend is the true mirror ; and he who finds the treasure has 
 reached the height of fortune, has gained the one human 
 solace, has entered the one earthly haven. When the great, 
 like Greville, find it, all their after seeking is only for offer 
 ings worthy to be laid on its shrine ; and he ceased not at 
 death, even, but made his own epitaph in the praise, and 
 sweet with the name, of Sidney." 
 
 They had reached the end of their walk, and were pausing 
 on the steps of the house, when Park finished the last sen 
 tence ; to which Aurelia made no audible reply, yet he felt 
 that she deeply sympathized and approved. 
 
 So they parted, as they had done on similar occasions ; for 
 Park declined invitations to enter, except when calling for that 
 purpose. 
 
 As her form grew dim in the shadow and then vanished, 
 while the door closed, Park turned away on his homeward 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 115 
 
 walk, and mused of love, and beauty, and high-mated souls ; 
 and said, in his secret spirit, " She is a perfect creature, in 
 mind as in mould ! Ah, had I the fortune and the power, now, 
 which in five years I will wring from the world s reluctant 
 heart, I would lay them at her feet, and make her relations 
 proud of the alliance. But as it is, what would my offering 
 seem, other than a supplication ? Therefore I must strive to 
 lay these sweet sad visions, and learn to labor and to wait." 
 
116 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 What is the worst of woes that wait on age ? 
 What stamps the wrinkle deeper on the brow ? 
 To view each loved one blotted from life s page, 
 And be alone on earth, as I am now. 
 Before the Chastener humbly let me bow, 
 O er hearts divided and o er hopes destroyed. 
 
 BYRON. 
 
 WHEN Merton had embarked for England, his near rela 
 tives felt relieved ; yet, fearing the future, they inquired how 
 they might honorably prolong his absence. Having this 
 chiefly in view, as a new administration had just succeeded 
 to the places of power and favor with which he sympathized, 
 his friends applied to the president to appoint him consul 
 of that city whither business of a more private nature was 
 directing his steps. For this important purpose they appeared 
 with such names and such weight of political reasons, that he 
 bore off the prize from the contending host ; so that, when, 
 after a leisurely journey, he arrived at his place of destination, 
 he found a stately packet awaiting him, closed with the broad 
 seal of his country. 
 
 Reflecting upon this honor, which he supposed came unsolicit 
 ed, he indulged a hope that the chief magistrate was not yet 
 wholly subject to the multitude of office-seekers who beset the 
 steps and besiege the abode of a newly-inaugurated president. 
 
 Having examined and deeply pondered the important mat 
 ter, he was, on the whole, pleased with the appointment ; for , 
 he saw that it might afford some little occupation, and lead 
 persons to call on him whose information might be acceptable, 
 if their society was not such as he would have thought desira- 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 117 
 
 ble at home. Indeed, when we are far from home, one whom 
 we knew only by sight, and passed with indifference in those 
 accustomed walks, comes to us clothed with deep and strange 
 fascination. 
 
 If Merton suspected, from the appearance of the port, that 
 the emoluments of his office would not be large, it was some 
 satisfaction to know that they would come in the form of fees ; 
 therefore he should receive for the actual labor just what the 
 great statesmen of his country had estimated it to be worth. 
 And, on the whole, he felt proud of the freedom of the gov 
 ernment, when he realized how completely they had left him 
 at liberty to entertain all those "fellow-citizens" who might 
 call upon him, without any mercenary taint on the motive ; 
 for the love of giving was deep in his heart so deep, that he 
 received some satisfaction in administering from his own 
 treasury to those national wants which lie beyond the ken of 
 the eagle. 
 
 There, like a valiant man, as he was, he held the post for 
 more than three long years, against all comers. Yet, in that 
 time, it had grown to be exceedingly irksome ; for his spirits 
 had died out, and his flesh had wasted away, making him to 
 appear as though some invisible and sleepless foe had laid 
 siege to the man, and, while sapping and mining all the towers 
 of his strength, was slowly consuming him with famine. The 
 malady of his mind also, was becoming more and more ob 
 servable, so that, at length, he yielded ; but not until there 
 came over him the conviction that it was too late. 
 
 The resignation of his office, however, gave but little relief ; 
 and, feeling that his life was drawing to a close, he journeyed 
 slowly from place to place, finding still some strength for that, 
 as perpetual change had come to be his most soothing potion. 
 
 Moving on, he passed the beautiful and ever-varying land 
 scape with a listless eye, though he would rouse up and take 
 
118 THE M U S T E E , OR 
 
 notice when he caught a glimpse of some bright arm of the 
 Mediterranean. Yet human happiness pleased him more, so 
 that he could not pass, but would order a rest, when, as the 
 sun declined, he saw the healthy and gleeful rustics dancing 
 in the shade. At such times, the children venturing near, the 
 vetturino would take some of the fair and bright, and place 
 them in the carriage, that Merton might kiss and send them 
 away pleased with many a coin to wonder, perhaps for some 
 years, why he prized their lips so highly ; but if they are liv 
 ing now, it is no longer a mystery ; and it may be that this 
 very hour they would give those, and more, for some young 
 peasant s smile. 
 
 So, at length, he reached Naples in the most delightful sea 
 son for that gay city. Taking lodgings in one of the frequented 
 and picturesque parts of the town, he said no more about de 
 parting, but from a pleasant balcony, day after day, he watched 
 the passing crowd, " in pleasing colors dight," and seemed to 
 have become as a little child. His landlord thought him ec 
 centric, and seeing that he was so weak as to need more than 
 a servant s care and attention, he made inquiry into his con 
 dition ; and finding his letters of credit ample, he gave him 
 into the especial charge of his daughter, a graceful brunette of 
 twenty years. He thought her particularly qualified for 
 the office, as she had made quite an acquaintance with 
 the English tongue, in her intercourse with the many visitors 
 to his house from the nations to whom that language is native. 
 Perhaps he had other reasons, which are apt to give alacrity 
 to motion and assiduity to service. 
 
 When she first entered his apartment for he had then 
 been there some days he was gazing, not only intently, but 
 anxiously, into the passing crowd. On hearing her light step 
 near him he looked up, and, seeing the maiden, slowly extended 
 his thin, worn hand, and said, " I have grown weary in watching 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 119 
 
 for you ; I feared that I had been forgotten. But you did not 
 come alone ; where is Madam ? " 
 
 " The mother you speak, say ? " jumbled the girl, though in 
 a tender tone. 
 
 " Yes, I wish her to come to me now, for I have waited very 
 long, and I must go soon. There, it grows dark ! I dare not 
 wait longer, if they do whisper that I promised. I cannot 
 mind it more ; no, never again, never ! " 
 
 On this the maiden went out, and, finding her mother, re 
 lated something of the sick gentleman s conversation and his 
 request. Soon after she entered the chamber, with the .daugh 
 ter, where he still sat by the window, leaning earnestly forth 
 as if to see if any one entered the house. But, on hearing 
 their approach, he turned his face slowly towards them, and, 
 looking on one and on the other with a glance which came 
 nearly to the point of sanity, though the rays soon diverged 
 again, inquired, " Do you wish to shun me, while I am trying 
 so hard to get to you ? Did you fear that I had changed, that 
 I had no desire to see you more ? If any one has told you 
 so he is my enemy ; and if I said it I was false ! O, more 
 than in all beside. Look at these poor hands, and see how 
 they have pined for yours ; and feel how wasted I am because 
 I could think only of you, yet you came not. Did they say 
 that it would hurt your good name ? but I will not ask the 
 reason of your long delay, now that you have so kindly come. 
 Let us eat ; bring meat, bring wine, for now I can grow strong 
 again, hoping to be happy if divided no more." Understand 
 ing something of what he desired, the daughter, procuring it, 
 drew up a small table,, and placed it before him. But he 
 looked on the food listlessly, and at length put it away, saying, 
 " I must have dined before you came, and you need not wait, 
 for you have travelled far ; and I will rest a while." Turn 
 ing away, he closed his eyes a few moments, and leaned as if 
 
120 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 sleeping ; yet soon aroused, and, with a faint smile, said, " I 
 was glad to see that you enjoyed your dinner," although they 
 had not tasted. And, continuing, he said, " Ring, and have 
 what remains taken out. How cold it is ! let Pomp make a 
 fire, for Rutledge, and S , and P will call in this even 
 ing, and we shall want our punch warm. I had begun to 
 think that they would never come again ; no, never ! " 
 
 So pausing, he appeared to fall asleep ; when they glided 
 softly away, leaving him alone. But, soon after they had 
 gone, he roused up and fell to examining the passing people 
 with the same careful scrutiny, though apparently more feeble 
 than before ; and the tears trickled over his worn cheeks as 
 he said, " Ah, it was only a dream ! yet dearer than all wak 
 ing and waiting years ; for I dreamed that I had found them, 
 and that they still loved and believed in me ; but it is all dark, 
 cold, cold ; they will come to me no more, never again ; O, 
 never ! " 
 
 The landlord learned, through his wife, that the sick guest 
 was growing more unwell and weak, and put away nourish 
 ment as though he had forgotten its use, or had lost all incli 
 nation to taste it. Indeed, Merton was fading away ; wan 
 dering down toward the silent realm, the seeming rest, the 
 ever-agitating mystery, where belief shrinks and faith trembles ; 
 yet hope, the eye of the soul, looks beyond and sees a guid 
 ing star. 
 
 On hearing how Mr. Mert^n appeared, the host was re 
 minded of the priest, and kindly sent for him. 
 
 Yearning for peace, and seeing the serene repose of a united 
 church, Merton had, a few months before, entered its fold 
 under the guidance of one of those gentle shepherds, who, in 
 seeking to assuage sorrow, still follow the Master s divinest 
 steps. 
 
 The father whom the landlord summoned was of a different 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 121 
 
 stamp. Yet he quickly came with the implements of his pro 
 fession ; and after a short interview with the publican 
 entering into the presence of the dying man, he found him still 
 sitting in the bay of the window, where, although the evening 
 was somewhat advanced and the street nearly deserted, he 
 continued to gaze into the darkness with the same touching 
 anxiety. But being aroused by the confident approach of the 
 burly priest, Merton looked up, and seeing his sharp eyes and 
 rosy face, for his stop below was to congratulate the land 
 lord in a bottle of his best, which became an item in his 
 (meaning the landlord s) final account, before he ascended to 
 shrive the dying, a bewildered and painful expression flowed 
 out faintly over his wan features while he said, " I thought 
 that I had resigned ; I intended to. Yet, if I am still consul, 
 dinner will be served soon, and I am glad to see some one 
 who looks as though he might enjoy it. Do you prefer craw 
 fish soup ? I see your face is the color of their shells." A 
 faint smile touched his features, but, in a moment, tears oblit 
 erated it, and he continued, " I thought I was going home, and 
 should soon see Madam and Flora. Will they prevent me ? 
 has my kind sister persuaded the president not to allow me to 
 resign ? " 
 
 The priest, who spoke the English tongue, in truth he 
 was born in Ireland, replied, " It is my holy office to teach 
 you to be resigned to the will of Heaven ; and, leading you 
 from the vanities of this life, lay open to your soul the pros 
 pect and the assurance of paradise." 
 
 Merton heeded not his words ; yet, seeing the signs of his 
 calling lying on the stand beside him, he reached out for the 
 rosary, and, fumbling over it long as with a babe s untutored 
 hand, at length he grasped it ; though not to " patter prayer," 
 but to shake the beads gleefully, as with an infant s compre 
 hension. Then, fixing his gaze on the ivory crucifix a mo 
 ll 
 
122 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 ment, he let the rosary fall, and clutched at the cross in the 
 same painful manner. When, after much effort, he had got 
 possession of it, he turned it over and around ; and, having 
 viewed it on all sides, he shook it with seeming dissatisfaction, 
 and putting it away would not notice it more, but closed his 
 eyes and leaned his head against the pillows, as though he was 
 very weary and would fain rest. 
 
 Thus he remained while the high appointed official of Holy 
 Mother Church went through the saving ceremony for the 
 dying, in the faith that he was opening the gates of eternal 
 bliss to this departing spirit! Having finished the mystic 
 rites, he gathered up his emblems, and went down to 
 deepen the purple of his cheek, and kindly help the host to 
 a little more profit, ere the account of the dying guest was 
 closed. 
 
 Yet when morning came, and the tide of life once more 
 flowed in full and flashing current beneath and around, Mer- 
 ton looked out upon it with something like hope resting on his 
 features ; as if he thought that where so many were coming, 
 those he so loved would surely come also. So, through some 
 days, he continued ; for 
 
 " The hull drives on thoxigh mast and sails are gone ; 
 And thus the heart will break, yet brokenly live on." 
 
 The leeches priest and doctor came frequently to look 
 upon the case ; it was nothing but a case, for the generous 
 soul of Merton was already inurned and awaiting the touch of 
 Him who is the resurrection and the life came rather for 
 their profit than his, as they imbibed more than they imparted. 
 If, while they were present, he uttered the names Madam and 
 Flora which seemed to be all that he now remembered 
 they would inquire, " Madam who ? what madam do you de 
 sire to see ? " Yet they were never the wiser ; for these 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 123 
 
 learned men did not call to mind that slaves and kings are 
 known only by their Christian names. 
 
 But this could not last ; and so, at length, as a tender child 
 puts its little arm over the mother s neck when it has drunk 
 its fill and desires to sleep, he turned away from the crowd, 
 and drew his arm around the pillow which supported him, and 
 nestling his cheek into its yielding substance, as though it were 
 a fond, protecting bosom, breathed out his life and his love 
 together. 
 
 When the " maimed rites " of the funeral were concluded, 
 the body consigned to its resting place, and the bills swollen 
 to their utmost limit, the kind and attentive disciple of the 
 apostolic church wrote the following epistle to Featherstone : 
 
 " CITY OF NAPLES, 
 
 " Dear Sir : The painful duty has devolved on me of com 
 municating to you as I learn from your consul at this capital 
 that you are the person whom he desired might be informed 
 if any thing important should happen to him the decease of 
 your relative, Rufus Merton. I hope it will be some consola 
 tion in the midst of your distress to hear that he died without 
 pain, and in the full communion of our Holy Church. He 
 took the sacred symbols with child-like trust, yet, being very 
 weak, we could not have that assurance of his immediate ac 
 ceptance by St. Peter, the blessed, in whose hand are the keys 
 eternally, which we most devoutly desire. Therefore we be 
 seech you, for his sake, that means be supplied to say masses, 
 so he may have that intercession which can appease and ele 
 vate to peace and bliss forevermore. 
 
 " Learning that he was a man highly honored, he having 
 been clothed with office and intrusted with a portion of the 
 power of your great republic, we did not bear his body to one 
 of the city pits, but purchased a place for his burial, so that his 
 
124 THE M US TEE, OR 
 
 weeping country may gather his ashes when they build his 
 monument. 
 
 " If you should have any directions to give, or desire any 
 further information, please address the writer, and your request 
 shall command me. 
 
 " Yours, with the salutations of Holy Church, 
 
 " FATHER BONIFACE. 
 " Anthony Featherstone, Esq., 
 
 " City of New Orleans, U. S. A." 
 
 Thus did the living seek to take profit from the dying ! So 
 passed the sorrow and penance of Merton s spirit ; so found 
 he his rest. 
 
 If, on some future memorial stone, his country chisel his 
 epitaph, it may well read, " Faithful and devoted." If it be 
 done by blood connections, it must be, " Generous and self- 
 sacrificing." If Love be permitted to engrave the letters, it 
 will appear, " Tender and true." But if some correct and 
 spotless nature should stoop to write a word of warning, hu 
 manity could not heed it, and our kind mother Earth would 
 lead her gentle seasons there, to weave over it a veil of per 
 ennial mosses. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 125 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 If trouble come, 0, lie not down in tears ; 
 Be like the mountain pine, whose soaring spears 
 Ne er vanquished were by Winter s icy arms, 
 But fill the tempest with Eolian charms. 
 ANON. 
 
 DURING the four years that had passed since Rufus Merton 
 went forth a sorrowing yet uncomplaining exile, but little 
 change was apparent in those in whom he was chiefly inter 
 ested, except what might happen in many families without 
 particular comment, even from those who take most careful 
 notice of the lives of their neighbors. If Featherstone no 
 longer dined at the house, as formerly, he could plead that, 
 Merton having withdrawn from the partnership, the larger 
 amount of. business which necessarily devolved on him made 
 so long a walk impracticable at such an hour. 
 
 If he came in late at night, as he frequently did, he at first 
 excused himself by explaining the custom of entertaining busi 
 ness friends who visit the city a custom which had come to 
 be considered important to success in trade ; and, no doubt, the 
 manoeuvre overpays the outlay. 
 
 On such occasions and they were frequent he always 
 found Flora watching, with a book for her amusement or her 
 excuse, which she laid down in the earlier days when she 
 heard his step, and rose up with a trembling heart and a tear 
 ful smile to meet him. 
 
 If he remonstrated, as he often did, against this course, she 
 replied fondly or evasively, according to the mood of her ques 
 tioner. Coming in later than usual, yet feeling something of 
 11* 
 
126 THE MUSTEE, OK 
 
 his early kindness, which, being a fever of the blood, had be 
 gun to intermit, he said, " I wish that I knew how to cure you 
 of waiting and watching for me." 
 
 " If I desire to see you as soon as you come, you will not 
 say that you do not approve of it, for you know that I am 
 fond of reading ; and works of imagination, which you some 
 times chide me for liking so well, are only felt in their fulness 
 in night s brooding hours." 
 
 " It sounds very well, my dear ; but I am thinking the book 
 does not get your entire attention, for you wear an anxious 
 face, which I do not wish to see ; it will spoil your beauty 
 some time." 
 
 " May I not think of you when I -hear footsteps, and pause 
 and listen even to learn if they be yours ? " 
 
 " Can you distinguish my step from another s on the street, 
 or must it touch the doorstone first ? " 
 
 " I think I know its measure ; for I am not often deceived, 
 unless I have been hoping long." 
 
 " I doubt whether there is any thing more than the gradual 
 abating of the gait, as I draw near the end of the walk, to 
 guide you ; if so, how do my steps differ from others ? what is 
 the peculiarity ? " 
 
 " It refuses to be described. Yet you know there are many 
 things from which we take intelligence, that no words can 
 convey ; for it is not in our faces alone, or our forms, or our 
 voices, that our individuality appears, but it glances from 
 every motion, and there is a susceptibility which notes a pe 
 culiarity in each person s atmosphere." 
 
 " That is a region which gathers no statistics, only the strik 
 ing coincidence is remembered. But you would never have 
 made my steps a study, if you were not too nervously awaiting 
 their coming ; and that, in time, will steal the color from these 
 sweet lips," he concluded, pressing them to his. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 127 
 
 Twining his black locks around her fingers, Flora pleaded, 
 " Now don t you say any thing more against my sitting up 
 until you come ; for if I retire I cannot sleep, and the pillow 
 muffles my ear so that I cannot hear; and then, if I chance 
 to drowse a moment, I awaken with a start, like one who falls 
 asleep in church." 
 
 " If I were you I would dismiss the thoughts that 60 trouble 
 the night. Yet I suppose you will continue in the way which 
 you have chosen ; and I may try to prevent you from watch 
 ing by coming earlier hereafter." 
 
 Flora did riot trust herself to reply, but kissed him again 
 and again, and clung to him as though from the deep of her 
 heart the mists of fear were climbing up the sky of hope. 
 
 Indeed, Featherstone was not what he had once appeared 
 to her to be ; and, as time moved on, there were not wanting 
 other indications of change for such truth gets various con 
 firmation which came to trouble "the spirit of her dream." 
 They had no true social relation. The circumstances of their 
 connection tended to prevent them from entering into conver 
 sation on the themes which agitate and elevate the human 
 mind. If they continued together for any length of time 
 during the day, he appeared moody, and his tone became hard 
 and his accent unkindly, so that Flora would take refuge in 
 silence ; this made the Sabbath as long as childhood finds it in 
 the house of the grave and formal. Only for moments did he 
 caress ; in truth, what else might be expected of him, when 
 his attachment penetrated no deeper than the passions ? It is 
 doubtful whether a nature like his can ever soar to those 
 heights of love where no cloud of selfishness obscures the in 
 effable heaven ; certainly, on the path which he had taken 
 there was little hope, for how could he be made to see that 
 her way was noblest, and strive humbly to walk therein ? 
 What could curb such a nature into showing any respect for 
 
128 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 one who was subject to him ? No such emotion could reach 
 Featherstone over the wall of circumstance which divided 
 them, for his was not one of those hearts that feel sad when 
 they can give no more ; but, under the most favorable circum 
 stances, it seemed to him enough if he attained to what may 
 be termed delicacy of appetite. Let it not be supposed by 
 this that fe is to be classed with the grosser crowd, " the mob 
 of gentlemen who live at ease." On the contrary, he almost 
 nightly declined the invitations of the " elegants," with whom 
 he associated, to descend to their pleasures ; so that they 
 thought him squeamish, and marked him as peculiar. 
 
 Flora saw, also, that he was ambitious, that he had not yet 
 reached his aim ; and consequently she felt that sooner or 
 later he was capable of casting off every weight which he 
 thought might retard his rising. And, notwithstanding his 
 usual playfulness and occasional tenderness, she was aware that 
 in no hour of calm and thoughtful joy did he think of her as 
 an attainment, or, when storms lowered, did he turn to her 
 bosom as a haven of rest. Being almost secluded, and having 
 trusted so deeply, she studied her lover in every light in which 
 he presented himself. As they grew intimate, and glimpses 
 of his character more and more frequently came up to view, 
 which threw doubt on the tenure, she fell to examining her 
 security, as a miser might pore over a disputed title to his 
 whole estate. So, at length, she saw all ; and having been 
 endowed by nature with a fortitude of soul which could meet 
 fate, be that fate what it might, she slowly and sadly admitted 
 into her mind the possibility of change. It was from this dis 
 covery that, painfully yet perseveringly, she began to build up 
 in her heart a separate existence, and in time came to enter 
 it with composure, and pray for its continuance. It gave her 
 strength and elevation to go down and muse there ; so that 
 Featherstone saw when she came out as from some myste- 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 129 
 
 rious place, like Numa from the Egerian grotto, to greet his 
 coming that she had a soul which could dwell apart ; an 
 apparition that chastened his manners and imposed a more 
 thoaghtful course on his conversation. Strange to say, this 
 did lot please him ; for, however he might have valued it in 
 anotler, here he had looked only for dalliance ; indeed, he 
 had rever thought of his mode of life as any thing permanent, 
 but ody as an arrangement for a time. 
 
 So yewing the connection, the birth of a son, in the autumn 
 after Morton s departure, did not help to bind their union, but 
 set him ^ harden himself against all its natural influences. 
 He wouldnot permit it to take his Christian name, although 
 the then fo\d girl and doting mother implored him with tears. 
 He would n>t caress it or smile upon it, but turned away as 
 though he lathed the sight, yea, dreaded that sweet bud of 
 life, that hea^nly flower, with capacity of infinite unfolding, 
 which nature l^d committed to his care. 
 
 This was too\jhill a blast for even her affection ; and sor 
 rowing over it l\ig, at length every tear turned to stone, to 
 form a dividing wHl, and shape into a habitation separate from 
 that which Feathostone had promised her ; for she felt the 
 need of a sanctuarywhereto she could take her son, making it 
 not only a holy but \ happy place. 
 
 In this way the chid came to be the hope of Flora, as he 
 was the solace of IVadam, giving her almost constant em 
 ployment during Hertz s long absence, and that too of such 
 a charming nature, it \aved her from many lonely, sad, and 
 desolate thoughts. 
 
 To appearance, Madanhad not greatly changed since Mer- 
 ton s departure. SomethLr O f her flesh, it may be, had gone ; 
 yet, though she saw maiir silent hours, and often wore an 
 introverted eye, she still Rd health and heart. Her chief 
 struggle had been in the par\ng hour ; for she saw in it a con- 
 
130 THE MUSTEE, OB 
 
 viction that he would never more return ; and she felt nearly 
 all that she might have done had she closed his eyes for the 
 grave. Yet there was that in the cause of their separation 
 as she understood it which awoke a resolution to bear. She 
 could not see, as he did, the calamity which had so crushed 
 him ; hence she thought that he had gone forth, partly fcr his 
 health, partly on account of business, and something (f dis 
 satisfaction with his mode of life no more ; for Mertn had 
 kept his sister s torture, and the spectral perturbers of his 
 spirit, veiled from her eyes. 
 
 All communication, too, had closed with his cfeparture. 
 She could not write, because he had made no sucl request ; 
 and if she long cherished a hope of receiving a Better from 
 him, it came not, nor any token of remembrance ;ver reached 
 her from his hand. If Featherstone had knowledge of him, 
 which he rarely received, and then only in relation to business ; 
 for Merton s affections, as in his youth, wen still sacred to 
 their object, it was his humor to withhold i from her ; and, 
 situated as she was, she could not persuad herself to make 
 inquiry in that quarter his bearing towars his child having 
 filled her with distrust and dread. In truti, she did not often 
 see him ; his footsteps being a warning fr the withdrawal of 
 his son, and she always went with him. 
 
 To this the child was not averse, it 7 eing in the nature of 
 the mother, as it was her office, to gi-de and correct, while 
 his grandmother was his companion tfd playmate one in 
 structed, the other amused ; consequently, it is easy to perceive 
 with which he preferred to pass the ^ours. 
 
 Frederick, or Fred, as they alwa S called him, was a bright 
 and high-spirited boy, quick to lear and strong to retain ; and 
 well he might be, if what Tennyon sings be true, that the 
 mother makes us most. He coul- already question curiously, 
 and Fometimes deeply ; while hi most careful and considerate 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 131 
 
 mother, in this particular certainly, never wearied of answer 
 ing, but sought lovingly to bring every thing, towards which 
 his young mind was struggling, down to his comprehension. 
 In this, how few affectionately consider, and so are truly wise ! 
 Yet to those who heed and kindly help these strange inqui 
 rers, it will be no surprising intelligence when I say that this 
 child led Flora into new fields of thought, which could not 
 but give strength to her mind, and frequently filled her with 
 the purest pleasure. 
 
 Such moments the curious child was sure to mark ; and, 
 not feeling the happiness which he saw that she was enjoying, 
 he would inquire, " What do mother see ? Tell Fred what it 
 be, mother." 
 
 But she could not answer ; for she felt that she had ranged 
 into a realm as yet incommunicable to him ; so she kissed 
 him, and pressed down the lids of his unfathomable eyes, 
 which seemed to be straining for comprehension ; drew him to 
 her bosom, called him her darling, her treasure, her precious 
 trust ; sighed, and smiled, and wept, as she was swayed by 
 varying and all-blissful emotion. 
 
 O, a child is a divine gift, a sweet and long-unfolding mys 
 tery ; and she who has one that she can love, and, for the glory 
 of his promise, admire, and beholds a free field spread out 
 before him in which to expand and contend, with a final tri 
 bunal that will consent to crown only the most worthy, has but 
 little left to sigh for, and can nerve herself to step firmly 
 among the burning ploughshares. 
 
 At length Featherstone began to perceive that he was not 
 the all in all which he once had been ; and having no affection 
 for Fred, he naturally grew jealous of him, because he saw 
 that he was the light of Flora s eyes. In this form did his 
 offspring visit his spirit, until he received and entertained the 
 thought and came to look calmly upon it, yea, gloat over it 
 
132 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 that it was in his power to sell the boy whenever he 
 pleased ! He even had it on his tongue s end, two or three 
 times, for utterance, when Flora did not meet him with 
 warmth, although he himself was cold ; yet he suppressed it ; 
 not that he relented through returning tenderness, but because 
 he feared the malediction of Merton. 
 
 Along such a gulf had Featherstone mused and contem 
 plated the prospect for he was naturally exacting and over 
 bearing ; while his uniform success, in all his undertakings, 
 had helped to harden his heart. If fortune had favored him 
 with reverses, and, for a season, made him feel some sad 
 ness and brokenness of spirit, he might have turned to her 
 who would have been quick to perceive, and skilful to pour wine 
 and oil into, his wounds ; the recollection of which would have 
 made him less harsh and ungentle, and touched him, at times, 
 with tender and grateful thoughts. But, as it was, he could 
 talk about his " arrangement " (so he called it) with his asso 
 ciates, and laugh over it, as though it were merely a spring 
 blossom, which would fall to the earth, or wanton with the 
 winds, whenever something more desirable should naturally 
 put forth to flourish in its place. 
 
 It was in such a mood that he received the letter of Father 
 Boniface, communicating the decease of Merton. And if, for 
 a moment, he was startled by the sudden unveiling of the 
 spectre that flits from the grave to visit the guilty, he soon 
 shook it off, as there arose, over all, the thought that the bolts 
 of power had at length descended to his quiver,- arming him 
 to crush what he could not win for it was in him to prefer 
 to subdue or even to devastate a heart, rather than so attract 
 as to be joyfully invited to its throne. 
 
 It \vas not in Featherstone to perceive that Love is the 
 only true, the only absolute ruler the smile beaming from 
 her sacred lips being the noblest guerdon of devoted service. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 133 
 
 He was not awar how every other power curses the possessor, 
 in proportion as he sways it to his own gain, hardening all 
 upon whom it falls, and rousing up resistance irresistible ; 
 while Love melts and moulds, and gives form, and life, and joy 
 to the universe. Love, indeed, is that magic word which 
 welcomes the true possessor to all that heart desires, and all 
 which young-eyed Hope can descry from her mount of vision. 
 12 
 
134 THE MUSTEE, OK 
 
 CHAPTER XIY. 
 
 Let us swear an oath, and keep it with an equal mind, 
 In the hollow Lotos land, to live and lie reclined 
 On the hills like gods together, careless of mankind. 
 
 TENNYSON. 
 
 SOON after Featherstone received the letter of the priest, he 
 enclosed it, with the following note, to the sister of Merton : 
 
 " Dear Madam : I hasten to convey to you the mournful in 
 telligence, which I have just received, of the decease of your 
 brother and my friend ; trusting that you will find, in the 
 attendant priest s account of the concluding scene, some conso 
 lation for the bereavement. 
 
 " I received another favor at the same time from the same 
 place, relating strictly to business, which, whenever it be your 
 desire to hear, your request will receive my attention. 
 
 " Your obedient servant, 
 
 "A. FEATHERSTONE. 
 " Mrs. Mary Merton Steel, 
 Canal Street, No. ." 
 
 It was on Friday morning when this event was communi 
 cated ; and in the church of their faith, on the following 
 Sabbath, the mourners listened to the forms provided for con 
 solation in such sorrow, and were something calmed, if not 
 healed thereby ; for on Monday, Featherstone received a line 
 requesting his presence in the evening. Complying with 
 the terms of the note, he called at the house, and, being 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 135 
 
 ushered into the parlor, in a few minutes Mrs. Steel made 
 her appearance. 
 
 They had never met before ; but the slave having taken his 
 name to his mistress, she advanced to where he remained 
 standing, and said, " I am pleased to see you in my house, 
 Mr. Featherstone ; " when, giving him her hand, she added, 
 " and you have our thanks for your delicate attentions." 
 
 " I am obliged for your kind expressions ; and permit me to 
 hope that the excitement and distress of the hour, in which I 
 received the intelligence, will excuse me for any want of for 
 mality in the way I have presented myself to you." 
 
 " You need have no doubt of your action ; indeed, I esteem 
 it a particular favor ; and, besides, I believe we are related, 
 and ought to have been acquainted before your mother was 
 very dear to me." 
 
 " I have heard her speak warmly of you ; and I should 
 like much to hear you talk of her at some convenient time, as 
 one is always curious to know how his parents appeared and 
 acted in their young days." 
 
 " Your mother was a sweet girl and my friend ; and, 
 although your general resemblance is not striking, inclining to 
 your father most, I think, your hair is precisely like hers, 
 when, in our wild and frolicsome days, we used to race down 
 the hills together, for then it would float in rings on the wind 
 but she too has gone ! " 
 
 Such thoughts and recollections, mingling with her recent 
 grief, clouded her spirit and came down in tears, for Mrs. 
 Steel, though a woman of firmness, had feeling, and indulged 
 emotion when it would not clash with her purpose, but she 
 gave them way without losing self-possession ; so they soon 
 ceased. 
 
 Thereupon Featherstone said, " Shall I read you the letter 
 to which I alluded ? " 
 
136 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 " If you please, as it is something about which I have been 
 not a little anxious ; so much so that I shall find some repose 
 in certainty, whatever the tidings may be." 
 
 Mrs. Steel had supposed that the letter was from her dying 
 brother, and contained his last directions. But it was simply 
 a statement from the American consul at Naples, giving the 
 information that there were some thousands of dollars remain 
 ing in the hands of the bankers of the deceased, which sum 
 was subject to the order of his administrator ; and that his 
 other effects had been sealed up, and would be forwarded by 
 the first ship. 
 
 Having finished the note, Mrs. Steel remarked, "I am 
 sorry to say that it does not give the information I seek, which 
 was not so much concerning property, as of the singular dis 
 tribution of it. If this be all, I am inclined to the opinion 
 that my brother made a will ; indeed it was so rumored. You, 
 however, Mr. Featherstone, I have no doubt, are aware if 
 such be the fact, as I believe he confided in you almost exclu 
 sively, during the last few months of his remaining with us." 
 
 " I think I may fairly infer from the tenor of Mr. Merton s 
 conversation on that point, and from certain dispositions of 
 property which he made before departing, that, if he had ever 
 signed, he did not leave such an instrument, unless he saw fit 
 to do so after sailing for Europe. Was it recently that you 
 heard he had made a will ? " 
 
 " O, no ; it was some time ago ; it was before you came 
 south." 
 
 " If that be the case I think it will never appear." 
 
 " You mentio ned the disposition of property ; did my broth 
 er actually dispose of any of his estate previous to going 
 abroad ? " 
 
 " Some portion of it passed from his hands. He gave me 
 his interest in the commission house and the house where he 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 137 
 
 lived. I remember, also, that he spoke of the remainder of 
 his estate, the rents, interest, and income of which are some 
 fifteen thousand dollars per year, and said it was his inten 
 tion to leave that for the law to divide." 
 
 " You give me great relief; as we were afraid that he had 
 made a will, in which there might appear some strange direc 
 tions and bequests, for my brother was a very singular man. 
 Are you aware what course he finally adopted with regard to 
 manumitting certain persons ? " 
 
 " Do you mean those at the house where he lived ? " 
 
 " My allusion was more particularly to them." 
 
 " He made no such intimation at the time, and could not do 
 any thing afterwards, as every appurtenance of the establish 
 ment passed to me when the titles which he approved were 
 signed." 
 
 " I am rejoiced to hear it, for I believe it safe. Truly, I 
 feel as though it was the finger of Providence which directed 
 his eyes to you, as one worthy to receive benefit at his hands. 
 We feared that he might do something shameful, for he ap 
 peared weak ; but it seems now that he was more considerate 
 than we imagined. He certainly, however, at one period had 
 thoughts of setting them free, and of making the connection 
 conspicuous by giving them property, at which time I pointed 
 out to him not only the folly, but the wickedness, of such a 
 course ; and as he could not meet my objections then, so he 
 appears to have been unable to come to the conclusion, when 
 viewed in all its complex and painful bearings, that such a 
 procedure would be just." 
 
 " I did not suspect such folly in him," chimed in the obse 
 quious listener. 
 
 " Mr. Featherstone, I like charity. I respect philanthropy, 
 if it keep within limits ; yet when it trespasses on disputed 
 ground, and proposes not to change the laws, but to create a 
 12* 
 
138 THE M U S T E E , U II 
 
 class upon which they necessarily frown, and one which, from 
 the nature of their situation, must sink below the slave in 
 moral degradation, I confess that I can see in it nothing but a 
 flattering unction for human weakness." 
 
 " It gives me pleasure to say to you that I entirely coincide 
 with your ideas. But, even if I did not, I should be the last 
 person to disturb a law or an approved custom in a state 
 where I have found such friends and fortune. And I will add, 
 also, that I am averse to change a disease which seems to be 
 in the walls of legislative halls, and which only serves to show 
 our statute books to be the mere wrigglings of small politi 
 cians, like the tracks of snails upon the shore, and with as 
 little intelligence or continuance. In truth, the laws of a state, 
 like the shrouds of a ship, should not be displaced until they 
 have become unsafe ; and even then it should be attempted 
 only in times of calm and security." 
 
 " Mr. Featherstone, had my brother only possessed your 
 natural firmness, or your conservative views, I believe that he 
 might still have been living among us, honored and beloved. 
 It was not that he turned aside, in the thoughtless hours of his 
 youth, into a doubtful path ; that I could forgive ; but that he 
 would continue to walk therein, and at length think of laying 
 it open to the eye of day, was what filled me with astonish 
 ment and dread. Yet it seems he has kindly forborne the 
 stroke, and I pray, as I hope and believe, that our family may 
 find in you a trusty guardian of their honor." 
 
 " If I do not forget how much I owe them, or swerve from 
 my own inclination, I think you can venture to depend up 
 on me." 
 
 " I believe I may ; and I do it with a degree of satisfaction 
 that is difficult of expression. Yet I cannot refrain from say 
 ing that the wealth which nfy brother conveyed to you I see 
 to be worthily bestowed ; so much more worthily than I fear 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 139 
 
 it would have been had you not come among us, that you can 
 not rejoice in the direction it has taken more than I do. In 
 deed, I think that when you know me, and I hope to see you 
 often in my house, you will concede that it was not the desire 
 for his estate which haunted my sleep and clung like a shadow 
 to my thoughts, but the fear that it would become a blot on 
 our name. That was my trouble ; and although it be the 
 hand of affliction which has laid it in its final rest, it appears to 
 me like mockery to express sorrow at the event. "Not that I 
 did not love my brother ; you will not think for a moment 
 that I had not a deep affection for Rufus. All loved him ; for 
 
 His heart had a look southwards, and was open 
 To the whole noon of nature. 
 
 Yet, if I had the power, I could not reanimate his form, so 
 much do I dread the change which might come. You will 
 forgive me, Mr. Featherstone, for expressing myself so freely 
 to you ; but these are my thoughts and feelings, and they would 
 have utterance." 
 
 " You certainly have no cause to crave excuse ; rather is 
 there need of thanks from me, for your ideas and views are 
 lights which help to show me the way ; and thus confirmed 
 and sustained, I shall walk it with celerity and confidence. It 
 is true that, before, I felt free to act, seeing what Mr. Merton 
 gave he gave without conditions ; yet you have supplied mo 
 tives that I had not hitherto considered, and which, I now con 
 fess, seem to me quite sufficient for any emergency incident to 
 the case. Still, I think that I may well claim to have long 
 looked upon this matter in a more reasonable and practical 
 way than very many among whom I was bred are accustomed 
 to do. Abstractly, perhaps, they believe in the right of the 
 people of a state to rule, but deny or decry the practice when 
 it does not coincide with their notions." 
 
140 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 Much elated with the assurance that her long trouble was 
 over, she grew liberal, and replied, " Let us be just to those 
 who hold different views from our own, for I do not think you 
 give them quite fairly. I suppose they would contend that 
 the slaves themselves must have a vote a horrible thought 
 before they would admit that the voice of the people had been 
 heard. Mr. Featherstone, I may say to you, in this connec 
 tion, what I truly believe that slavery cannot be successfully 
 defended on principle ; consequently, principles should never 
 be appealed to by us ; and when they are by .others, we must 
 point to the vastness and complexity of the structure, and the 
 ruin which waits on its overthrow, and lament its introduction, 
 as I do most sincerely. Yet it appears to me inexplicable, as 
 principles are unchanging and eternal, that the universal con 
 science should have been blind to this wrong in its inception, 
 which certainly was the most propitious time to arrest and the 
 only time to prevent it, if such a course were desirable. Does 
 it not seem as if Providence had some great design, some far 
 prospective end, some infinite good, slowly and mysteriously 
 developing ? for as his ways are not our ways, who can search 
 his counsels ! Surely I have sought to measure it, and slavery 
 appears to me to be here like necessity, having the force of a 
 decree of fate; to question it now would be to doubt the wis 
 dom of the divine Ruler, as much as though you denounced 
 the tempest s crash, the sea s wrath, or the earthquake s shock. 
 Kindness, most certainly, we should feel towards every one ; 
 but to think of radically changing the condition of a whole 
 race of men, and that too by the stroke of a pen, seems to be 
 a most delusive dream ! As I stand face to face with this 
 more than Grecian Sphinx, I mark its capacity to devour, yet 
 learn no satisfactory solution of its dread mystery. I, indeed, 
 hear a distant cry of Abolition! but I see no lovely flower 
 en that stalk only after long ages of culture." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 141 
 
 " That is a shriek of the wildest fanaticism ! " interposed 
 Featherstone. 
 
 " I may be deceived," she resumed, " but I believe my ser 
 vants are deeply attached to me, so much so that I doubt if 
 any one of them has ever wished for freedom ; and if I should 
 come to imagine such an act necessary to my happiness, that 
 being generally the spur to manumission, I confess I do not 
 know one among all the number whom I could reasonably 
 hope to be the gainer by the change ! That there are such, I 
 do not doubt ; for I have seen two or three who exalted their 
 chains into glorious ornaments. There is one of that class, 
 now a steward on a river steamboat, who might stand in any 
 presence and compete for the highest favors. And when I 
 was last at the north I saw and heard Douglass ; in form and 
 nerve he looked as though he might have borne his plume vic 
 torious over the proudest Percy that ever splintered a lance 
 on the border ; and when he spoke his voice was so rich, and 
 his imagination so soaring, I could not but bow to the sway of 
 his spirit, as one of the authentic kings of the race. Yet 
 would it be wise to take this evidence as conclusive on the 
 whole subject, concealing the vast mass of the low and im 
 provident? I state these remarkable instances that it may 
 not be supposed I cannot see and feel, while I have before me 
 daily the darker and more difficult side, which I seek to deal 
 with patiently, kindly, and I hope wisely. Still there are 
 p ortents of change which do not escape me ; I am aware that 
 it is growing to be a world question and why is it ? unless 
 Providence is preparing for another step in the deep and won 
 derful design of the world s development. 
 
 " But, Mr. Featherstone, I have detained you longer than 
 I ought ; and I am very much obliged to you for your defer 
 ence, and for giving me so clear a view of your ideas and 
 
142 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 consequent purpose. If you receive any further intelligence, 
 which would be interesting to us, I shall expect to see you ; 
 and if at any other time it pleases you to call, it will be an 
 acceptable attention." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 143 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 They stood aloof, the scars remaining, 
 Like cliffs which have been rent asunder; 
 A dreary sea now flows between. 
 
 COLERIDGE. 
 
 ANTHONY FEATHERSTONE had been in New Orleans some 
 thing more than four years, and in that period, by gift and 
 acquisition, had become rich. That he was a man prone to 
 self-indulgence, and had given way to his passions, almost 
 without thought, except as his ambitious views might help 
 to control or hide, is sufficiently apparent; yet the time of 
 their sway had been too short to form inveterate habits, and 
 he was still young enough to look to change and variety as 
 the spice of life. 
 
 The death of his relative and patron had set him free to 
 apply the power that came by his favor to whatever he might 
 fancy to be for his advantage or pleasure. Hence having 
 no ties to the past, and no settled course for the future, save a 
 desire for the new he will soon shift the scene. In truth, 
 he had quickly resolved to leave New Orleans, for a time, 
 and visit some places and friends at the north ; and, as he 
 prided himself on his decision and rapidity of movement, it 
 was only the fourth day after the interview in the last chap 
 ter, when he had made all his arrangements, and was ready 
 to take the boat for Louisville. 
 
 On the evening previous to the day of his leaving the city, 
 he met some friends, whom he had invited to a sumptuous 
 entertainment in the St. Charles, and, as the viands kept up 
 
144 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 the renown of the house, so the wine kept up the hilarity of 
 the company. Consequently the hour of adjournment got one 
 or two extensions. 
 
 When the generous entertainer and the jovial guests sep 
 arated, with ardent mutual admiration, and many times re 
 peated farewells, Featherstone took a carriage to his house ; 
 not that he thought it might be difficult walking, but because 
 repletion had rendered him inert ; for such orgies exhaust 
 rather than refresh, which is Nature s design in all her 
 gifts, and are generally followed by bad nights and worse 
 mornings. 
 
 Reaching the house, he made his way in, to find Flora 
 awaiting him, as usual ; and as she had changed somewhat in 
 appearance since he first saw her, having lost the sweet 
 rose of youth, which was all that Featherstone had seen to 
 admire, so his treatment of her had changed also. Not 
 that he could not feel, and duly appreciate, intellectual beau 
 ty, when he thought it rightly placed and appropriately exer 
 cised ; but here, and by such a one, and in such relations, it 
 was as unsuited and distasteful to him as it would be to a 
 child to have the round and rosy face of her doll sculptured 
 and paled into a likeness of Socrates. 
 
 A mere girl, brought up in deep seclusion, and talking of 
 the most poetically colored of romances as though it had been, 
 and might be, actual life, when she pleased the taste and 
 stirred the passion of Featherstone, the few years that she 
 had associated with him had been to her a full-leafed tree of 
 knowledge. Under such influence her brow had expanded 
 and elevated its arch ; and if her eyes were less lustrous, they 
 had gained in depth, and "through them emotion came like 
 flame. Neither were her lips the full flowing curves that 
 they once had been, but close knit, like armor ; and the upper 
 one was so curling and flexible that a shadow dwelt above it, 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 145 
 
 which moved in play or menace according to the nature of 
 the thought or feeling which animated it. 
 
 Finding that she could not implicitly lean on her lover, she 
 had been gathering strength to stand alone : reading much 
 and meditating more, she was slowly but surely feeling out 
 her relations to the universe. So came doubts with regard to 
 her connection with Featherstone, and its duration came to 
 fill a heart which love was vacating. Thus she arose to see 
 that he was growing coarse and low, while her upward and 
 unfolding spirit was panting for a purer region. In fine, she 
 had learned that male and female, those mysterious counter 
 parts of nature, so tenderly and so divinely drawn to be one, 
 must be absolutely one, or sever ; aught less is debasing, sin 
 ful, woful. 
 
 Thus had she been musing when Featherstone entered her 
 presence, gorged with food and flushed with wine. Seeing 
 him in such condition, her eyes drooped and filled with tears 
 not drops of fond affection, such as in the earlier days so 
 many times welcomed his coming, but tears of regret, sorrow 
 ful and bitter waters, such as no dead sea can yield. 
 
 Featherstone did not fail to observe her mood, for he was 
 sharp-sighted at such times, and said, " What are you crying 
 for now ? It seems to me that this is something new " (for 
 there had been a dry season). " Do you wish for any thing, 
 that you take up these womanish weapons, hoping to win ? " 
 
 " No," she mildly replied, holding her handkerchief to her 
 face. 
 
 " Are you sick, then ? I see that you are getting to be 
 nothing but skin and bones. What ails you ? Can you tell ? " 
 
 " I do not know that I can," she answered, still grieving ; 
 " only that my life has long been growing sad, so that to think 
 upon it is to be unhappy." 
 
 " Unhappy ! " echoed he ; " what have you to be unhappy 
 13 
 
146 THE MUSTEE, OE 
 
 about ? Is not every thing which appetite or even taste can 
 ask provided and presented, as though you were the minion 
 of fortune ? " 
 
 Flora had suppressed her emotion during this reply ; and 
 turning a calm and penetrating glance upon him, she in 
 quired, " Do you think that such materials can fill the meas 
 ure of life ? Has the heart no hope, no need, beside ? " 
 
 " Is there to be complaint on that score ? Well, this is 
 amusing! Why, I have not remained away from here a 
 single night since I first knew you, if not out of the city ! 
 Come, tell me, am I to be accused and tried for inconstancy 
 or neglect ? " 
 
 " Can frequent presence supply the want of continuous and 
 ever-increasing affection ? " 
 
 " Well, really, this is exquisite ! Why, my lady, my friends 
 actually laugh at me for the singleness of my love ! " 
 
 " I am sorry that you have such friends if those can be 
 called friends who seek to sully things to their own taste by 
 sneering at the unity of love, making their defilement their 
 boast, and insinuating doubts on all virtue. You may smile ; 
 and I can well understand that you think I have fallen too 
 low to talk thus ; but, frail as I am, I can read Byron and 
 scorn his despicable opinion of women ; for, in my soul, I 
 believe that it is not true ; even my eyes refuse to look long 
 on such scarlet robes." 
 
 " I believe it has been admitted that he wrote from expe 
 rience." 
 
 " I do not doubt that ; yet, vain boaster as he is, he sings 
 only of his successes, and heightens those with all the hues of 
 a gorgeous imagination, and the music of the most eloquent 
 numbers ; while he keeps secret the only secrets he ever 
 kept the rebuffs and rebukes that should appear on his page, 
 without which there cannot be full truth in the picture." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 147 
 
 " I should think, by the color of your cheeks, that your 
 health might be better than it was when I came in." 
 
 " It may be for the moment ; but so long as the cause of 
 pain remains, and continues operative, I have little hope of 
 improvement." 
 
 " Ah ! indeed ; have you really any complaint to make 
 against me ? " 
 
 " Yes, I have cause of complaint even against you ! and, if 
 a slave may be permitted to speak, my thoughts are already 
 ripe for utterance." 
 
 " Well, this is very romantic ; but go on I listen." 
 
 " Would it were romantic ; but that dream has gone. Was 
 I wrong in believing that those who love grow more and more 
 to resemble each other, and must I give up my faith in the 
 fond idea because our experience affords no confirmation of 
 the doctrine ? " 
 
 " Do you fancy it in my power to change my nature ? " he 
 inquired sneeringly. 
 
 " That you have been changing and are greatly changed is 
 what I am left to deplore ; for when we first met, only a brief 
 time since if compared with the length of life, you had the 
 power or the art to make your voice soft and touching 
 where is it now ? Your flesh was fair and your expression 
 kindly what has so sadly changed them ? You were ten 
 der and considerate now you are harsh and hasty ; sim 
 ply a thing for your convenience am I regarded Time was 
 when you met me with, what I believed to be, the smile and 
 the kiss of love ; but they vanished long ago. Yet, having 
 hope that these were but the opening bloom, I thought what 
 might the fruit be ; and, may I ask, what is it ? Even the 
 so fair promise is but as dust in my eyes ; and am I ex 
 pected to sit in the dreary waste and think it the garden 
 of life. 
 
148 THE M U S T E E , K 
 
 " Have you found the end of your lecture ? " 
 
 " I will hear you." 
 
 " You are rather emphatic ! otherwise I do not know that 
 I have any particular fault to find with your statement of the 
 matter, as it seems to be a general charge of not coming up 
 to a mere school girl s fancies something which, among 
 people of experience, would be passed with a smile ; but you 
 are so situated I think it well to stoop to reason the case, and 
 so give you a practical view for you have lived so secluded 
 that you have had no opportunity to learti human nature, and 
 particularly the nature of men. And I will say, for your in 
 struction, and once for all, to impress it on your memory, that 
 no rational person expects the things of which you speak are 
 to continue ; they belong to the honeymoon, and naturally 
 wane with it. Therefore these changes, of which you com 
 plain, occur in nine families in ten, and are the contemplated 
 results of years of intimacy ; such years are apt to be a little 
 disenchanting." 
 
 " Then advancing years, to nine in ten, are only steps which 
 lead down to misery, perhaps to hell." 
 
 " Well, if it be so, it will do no good to whine over it. So 
 you had better accept life as you find it, and take a view of 
 things that you may hope to carry into practice ; for all this, 
 of undying affection and what not, is but the vision of poetry." 
 
 " If the poets have brought down from heaven a life more 
 congenial to the heart than that which mortals live, I desire to 
 close my eyes and dream their dream." 
 
 " If you think of dreaming, we had better retire." 
 
 " I do not wish to, now." 
 
 " But I do." 
 
 " If you so choose I presume you can ; at least I will not 
 delay you."" 
 
 " Are you not going with me, when I ask you ? " 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 149 
 
 " Not immediately." 
 
 " You look very much as though you did not intend to come 
 at all." 
 
 " Perhaps I may not ; would you have me, unless it be 
 my wish?" 
 
 " Do you dare to say to me that you do not desire it fur 
 ther?" 
 
 " Does it require courage to say so small a part of what I 
 feel ? " 
 
 " Courage ! " sneered he ; " do you know what you are ? 
 Are you aware that a bill of sale can pass you whenever and 
 wherever I please ? " 
 
 " It may be so ; yet I see nothing in that which can change 
 my sentiments, or prevent me from uttering them." 
 
 " If you undertake to bully me, you will find it rough work 
 before you get over the consequences of it." 
 
 " If I had any still lingering feelings of fondness, such breath 
 might well wither them ! Is it possible you have sunk so low 
 as to think that threats of force can command love, or pass 
 even the border of her dominion ? Strong as you boast your 
 self, and feeble as I know I am, do you believe that, having 
 once been excluded from her realm, you may ever soar her 
 height again ? " 
 
 " You are quite lofty to-night, my queen ! It may be you 
 expect that I shall humble myself before you : perhaps you 
 have deluded yourself into the belief that you have the com 
 mand here ? " 
 
 " I claim no right of yours, I presume to no rule beyond 
 myself; yet this extends so far, that, when I am forced to the 
 sad conviction of misplaced and misused affections, I know 
 no power which can prevent them from returning to my own 
 bosom." 
 
 " This is very fine ; but isn t it rather a small occasion for 
 13* 
 
150 THE M US TEE, OR 
 
 quite so much display ? for I am not aware that I said or did 
 any thing to warrant such a performance. Yet, as it appears 
 to be over, I am willing to let it pass without further notice, 
 for I am fatigued and sleepy. I suppose that you got out of 
 patience in waiting, and I believe I did come in somewhat 
 later than usual ; perhaps I was to blame, but I could not well 
 avoid doing as I did." 
 
 Thereupon, rising up, he continued as he took a light, 
 " Come, let us retire, and you will feel better in the morning." 
 
 " Morning has already dawned on me ; and I hope that I 
 am fully awake : I have had a long dream, but when even 
 a dream grows too distressing, it breaketh sleep ; and mine 
 was such." 
 
 " Do you wish to quarrel with me ? Have you the pre 
 sumption to extend your flurry further ? and that too after I 
 have intimated forgiveness of the past ? " 
 
 " The storm in me is still. I have only been relating the 
 story of its devastation a devastation which, certainly, no rude 
 gust of the same gale can ever revive to bloom or verdure." 
 
 " It does not become me to hear more of this. So now I 
 leave you ; and you can do what you please ; but I give you 
 warning that, if you do not repent, you will come to feel the 
 retribution in every bone of your body." 
 
 " I hope that I have repented." 
 
 " Then why don t you rise up and go with me ? " 
 
 " I have repented that I ever did go ; and in the serene 
 calmness of my soul I see the sign of forgiveness." 
 
 " O, you are getting pious are you ? You had better be 
 come one of the Sisters of Charity ! " 
 
 " If I were free, I know no vocation that would be more 
 soothing to my heart, or could sooner heal its wounds." 
 
 " The devil take me but I will make you feel that you are 
 not free, and never shall be, unless you lower your tone 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 151 
 
 amazingly ! Are you blind ? Yet I have said all that I can 
 say. I stoop no further. I leave you to reflection, commending 
 to you a careful review of your conduct and position ; taking 
 into consideration also that I am your sole judge, having power 
 to cast you as low as the brutes, and your imp along with you, 
 and to bind both to lie there until you lie in the grave." 
 And, closing the door with a jerk, his heavy tread at length 
 died away in his chamber. 
 
 When all was still Flora rose up and took the dirk, which 
 was Park s parting gift to Featherstone, from the mantel 
 piece, where it had long lain as an ornament, and placing.it in 
 her bosom, sought the room in which her child was sleeping ; 
 where, only partially disrobing, she nestled down beside him, 
 and slept the troubled sleep of those who fear a disturbing 
 hand ; but apprehension was her sole visitant that night, as 
 nothing more real came to molest her. Featherstone s sleep 
 was heavy, and stretched far on with the morning. The 
 mosquitoes had ceased their music, and drawn off from his 
 "bar" to seek some deeper shade from the yellow day, when 
 he aroused himself and slowly gathered his scattered senses, 
 so that, recollection having fully mastered the closing scene of 
 the evening, he rose partly up, and looked around to see if 
 there were any signs that Flora had been with him. But 
 there were none to be seen; the bed was marked only by his 
 form ; and no kind hand had even raised the window that he 
 might breathe the morning air. 
 
 So, gathering the evidence and comprehending its import, 
 fiercely, he muttered a curse, and laughed a bitter laugh 
 when, looking at his watch, he arose hastily and hurriedly 
 dressed himself. 
 
 Having made ready for his departure, he completed his ap 
 propriate work by taking the few jewels of value, that lay on 
 Flora s dressing table, which were his gifts, with the diamond 
 
152 THE MUSTEK, OR 
 
 cross that was Merton s, and placing them in his pocket, he 
 drew out a newspaper in which was a notice of his benefac 
 tor s death, and, marking the article, left it in the place of the 
 things he had appropriated. 
 
 Although he took the valuables from the table with some 
 degree of savage satisfaction, yet, when he turned to the latch 
 he lifted it with the stealth of a felon ; and, so descending the 
 stairs, passed out at the open door where, a few years before, 
 the moonlight had fallen so sweetly, and beauty and innocence 
 arose on him so charmingly, without a single lingering glance 
 or parting word, or sorrow for the sullied and trampled bloom. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 153 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 The sea of love that lies before 
 
 He does not calmly, coldly shun ; 
 But guarded walks its sunny shore, 
 
 Until some shining goal be won. 
 
 ANOX. 
 
 BRIAN PARK had so risen in these years, that great ques 
 tions began to feel the grasp of his intellect. Yet he had not 
 won that position, income, and influence, which he felt not 
 only to be desirable but indispensable, before making a formal 
 declaration of his love, and saying to Miss Vernon, the hope 
 of his heart was that she would be his bride ; although he saw 
 himself advancing with sure steps along that upward path. 
 
 Thus, not being declared lovers, there were occasions when 
 they did not quite understand each other ; still there w r as strong 
 sympathy between them, so that they met gladly ; for in many 
 respects they were congenial spirits, and moved to the music 
 of the same chords. 
 
 The nobility of one s nature, with its delicate sense of honor, 
 is frequently in the way of that success which takes the world s 
 applause ; hence that self-control of which Park was so stu 
 dious in his attentions to Aurelia. For he had some respect 
 for the hope or desire of parents ; so that he could not clutch 
 at their fruit, although it might lean to his hand, when a few 
 more months would bring those golden rays which kindly part 
 it from the bough. With such views he rarely called at the 
 dwelling of Miss Vernon : their meetings were at the resi 
 dences of mutual acquaintance, by friendly invitation, or at 
 
154 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 the house of Mrs. Summers, \vho had found opportunity of re 
 newing their acquaintance, and took especial pride and pleasure 
 in having her for a guest. 
 
 Those were thrilling moments, moments not easily obliter 
 ated from the memory, when, on leaving the place where they 
 had passed the evening, he drew her arm within his, while 
 they turned towards the quiet and shadowy street on which 
 Aurelia lived. The fair form so near, yet so sacred and so 
 sweetly trusting, and leaning so softly, yet somehow so magi 
 cally, that it quickens the pulse with the fond whispers of the 
 tender passion, these are forever of the mysteries of creation, 
 which the heart yearns to solve with something of divine ardor. 
 
 Had Park been of the common mould he would have 
 reached betrothal long ago, or separation for the one thought 
 would have swallowed up all others ; making their walks silent 
 until the hope of possession had struggled up to utterance, so 
 to be quenched, or to become the flame that consecrates the 
 altar. But, being more delicately organized, and more widely 
 developed, he could feel this thirst of the soul, and make but 
 far-oiF sign only some tender tone running through the 
 music of his conversation, some loveliest dye, as it were, just 
 tingeing all his thoughts. 
 
 It was a warm night in June when, as they turned away 
 from his home, Park said to Aurelia, " Then you think of 
 leaving us, for a time, to enter into the more exciting life of 
 the watering places ? " 
 
 " Yes, such is my mother s desire ; and I expect to go in 
 company with your cousin, by whose favor we first met do 
 you remember ? " 
 
 Park saw the opportunity, but self-respect curbed him, and 
 whispered, " Wait ! " So he simply replied, " Yes, it was a 
 bright hour," and paused ; when he should have added, " and 
 I can never forget it ; for, from the hope that arose in me, on 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 155 
 
 that evening, come electric messages which have kept my 
 heart, and exalted my ambition." Yet he suppressed this, 
 and what would have inevitably followed thereon ; not that he 
 did not feel it, but because he thought his manner sufficiently 
 demonstrative, until his preparation was more full, and his 
 power" more widely conceded. 
 
 Aurelia had hoped that he might carry the suggestion on 
 even to a declaration ; and, being disappointed, she regretted 
 having made the allusion. So when she took up the conver 
 sation, as she did immediately, she changed the drift of the 
 theme, and said, "I suppose you like the city so well, and 
 have vowed yourself so exclusively to your profession, that 
 you will remain here quite through the summer, as I believe 
 you always have done." 
 
 " I have not thought of going away ; for the chase of what 
 is called pleasure has never attracted me. Besides, the Lady 
 Common Law is a jealous mistress ; consequently, I must 
 win her complete confidence before I shall venture from her 
 side." 
 
 " Do you find the study and the practice of the law so fill 
 the mind as to satisfy ? " 
 
 " Satisfaction, for any length of time, I imagine, is not often 
 found ; yet I think that one of my profession may win it as 
 frequently as those of any other." 
 
 " That I can well believe ; receiving, as it does, the most 
 striking recognition for its long and laborious days, in tri 
 umphal hours, in the world s proud arenas. Whenever I think 
 of the laurelled chiefs of your order, I desire to be a man, that 
 I might try to master the weapons and join the march ; hoping 
 to so cleave my way as, at length, to champion some great cause 
 of the trembling state." 
 
 " Yes, there is something dazzling in its mighty passages at 
 arms ; yet you little dream of the fatigue of the preceding 
 
 
156 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 march, and of the dark and loathsome ways through which 
 it leads, wherein most must tread who reach those bannered 
 lists, so charming to the eye of the distant gazer." 
 
 " Is the practice, then, so repulsive ? I have never heard 
 you complain." 
 
 " Why should I, when it becomes him who resolves to ac 
 complish a purpose to do it cheerfully ? Yet I believe that 
 nothing, save the sanguine heart of youth, can go through it 
 thus ; and even the most hopeful and gifted of the young 
 must often close their eyes to the actual, and dream of the 
 star that shines afar." 
 
 " Are there no soothing circumstances, no pleasures, and no 
 worthy rewards, flowing from the early practice ? " 
 
 " When the novelty of the situation and subject wear off, 
 the initiatory business is not particularly pleasing. It does, 
 indeed, have some relief; it is not a never- varying gloom, like 
 the circles of the Inferno ; for you will sometimes have it in 
 your power to redress a wrong ; yet to-morrow you may be 
 called upon to change sides, and defend it. Then who, for the 
 most part, are the clients ? A really high-minded man feels 
 as though he had committed a blunder, if, by any means, he is 
 compelled to seek his own amid the mazes of courts. There 
 may be, and I know that there are, marked exceptions ; but 
 the general aspect of litigants, even in the civil business, to 
 say nothing of the criminal, does not come up to the average 
 of the race. And when, by your industry, your skill, or your 
 good fortune, you have drawn those around you, they not only 
 take possession of your ear during the progress of the trials, 
 but they haunt you in all the passages of the halls of justice, 
 follow you to your office, to your house, and even waylay you 
 at the corners of the streets ; and that too for no purpose but 
 to ask, " What do ye think about my case, squire ? " a case 
 that, nine times in ten, has had all needful preparation, and to 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 157 
 
 Which the party has been fully admitted ; while the action can 
 not be reached on the trial list in three days, and he knows it ; 
 and he also knows that your attention is due to another mat 
 ter, then in hand." 
 
 " Plow little do we understand, or see even, of the steeps 
 and perplexities of any path except our own ! What tapestry 
 you have hung in the temple of Themis ! Yet I ought to 
 have known, for I see that it must be grouped with the con 
 flicts of the wayward, the wicked, or the unforgiving. Indeed, 
 I should pity you, if I did not think that you had passed 
 through these to less repulsive scenes." 
 
 " Your thought is almost true, in fact ; for a glance back 
 ward is, to me, a sufficient spur to press on. I am like some 
 lone traveller, who, emerging from the forest s gloom, begins to 
 feel the sun that warms the cultivated plains and hill sides, 
 and, in the distance, beholds habitations into which he may 
 enter to find peace, and comfort, and domestic joy. Yes, let 
 me not be unjust or ungrateful; there were alleviations ; there 
 have been many bright hours so mingled in as to soften the 
 shadows ; and this walk, which we have many times taken, 
 shines warmly among them." 
 
 When Park paused, Aurelia did not make an assenting 
 remark. Indeed, her arm rested lighter on his, because in 
 her heart she hoped that he would declare himself further, 
 and feared, if she spoke, or stirred even, that it might inter 
 rupt or lead him away. But he misunderstood her listening 
 silence for want of sympathy ; and, when he resumed the con 
 versation, the feeling had vanished with the subject ; for he 
 said, "I return to that which should more interest you. I 
 have no doubt that you will enjoy your pleasure trip very 
 much, as a great variety of people are to be seen in the places 
 you will visit, the most of which votaries fancy themselves 
 accomplished in something, and no doubt are. If there be 
 14 
 
158 THE M US TEE, OR 
 
 any, on exhibition, who have poor ideas, they may have proud 
 horses ; and a drive with them is sometimes as desirable, and 
 it may be as exhilarating, as to walk with Apollo among the 
 flocks of Adrnetus. You will also meet those who can talk, 
 with some who excel in dancing ; and yet more, who, in many 
 minor ways, may help to amuse ; while well nigh all of them 
 are cunning in putting on apparel, no mean or trivial ac 
 complishment, for a well-dressed company is, to me, as 
 pleasing as a parterre of flowers ; the chief fault being, it soon 
 cloys in the drawing room as in the garden ; so that we seek 
 to return to more serious and dignified nature for strength 
 and repose." 
 
 " You speak of the gay world as though you had passed 
 your life in its precincts, glancing through all its mazes." 
 
 " I have visited there occasionally ; but as the halls are 
 designed only for momentary attraction, so the show is quickly 
 exhausted, if one is disposed to think within its glittering 
 circles." 
 
 " You make me regret that I have consented to go there." 
 
 " Then I have given an impression which I did not intend 
 to give ; as this so fascinating appearance is one of those that 
 we must pass through before we can be entirely free of them. 
 For this reason, if my wish could incline you to choose, you 
 will keep the way that you have chosen ; as there are many 
 lessons to be learned there, perhaps more rapidly than any 
 where else, yet it is to be graduated from, like any other 
 place of learning ; in truth only folly continues on, and takes 
 pride from the slowness of its acquirement, and the length of 
 its matriculation." 
 
 " Although you appear to approve of my going on this ex 
 cursion, still your words make the summer seem long, and 
 divest the places of their attraction ; so that, if I do go, I fear 
 I shall regret it." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 159 
 
 " Then you must forgive them, and call to mind the heat 
 and dust of the city, from which you are about to escape, and 
 take into view that the places where you are to shine for a 
 season are points of observation from which you may catch 
 the varying aspects of surrounding nature, not yet all tamed 
 clown to use. The steep, rising hills, far sweeping and solemn, 
 which wait there to meet you, are still kept mysterious by the 
 shadows of the primeval forest, where something Druid yet 
 haunts and hallows the leafy gloom. There you will behold 
 mountains also, and their broken ridges, with here and there the 
 frowning face of a bold, precipitous rock, its full, antlered front 
 tossed against the sky, as if it had been, that instant, pierced 
 and thrown on its haunches by the far-flying shaft of some 
 mighty hunter ; and, high over these, some heaven-scaling 
 Titans, transfixed for their audacity, yet so great in their 
 chains as to keep silence, and impose it on the gazer. 
 
 " There, too, you will see many a sweet valley, refreshed by 
 the tears and protected by the limbs of those giants bound, 
 with cattle amid the luxuriant green, or standing in the wind 
 ing streams ; while on the plats the mowers swing their scythes 
 in the grass, (which to me is a fascination;) where happy 
 children gather strawberries, or playing with the swaths, 
 shake them to the sunshine ; and, more pleasing still, their 
 white and smiling homes, hushed in the sweet bosoms of 
 orchards. All these make a picture which is taken away on 
 no canvas, and one that fills the mind with peace and tender 
 ness which no poet has sung. But these you will find, and 
 more, profusely strown along most of the line of your journey ; 
 and, if you look on them with a loving heart, they will keep 
 you and teach you their- wisdom ; indeed, I believe that you 
 will not fail to see, and rejoice in, their refreshing and inex 
 haustible sublimity and beauty." 
 
 " I would not for any thing miss them ; and I cannot do so, 
 
160 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 for I shall be looking for your pictures in every vale and hill ; 
 they appear now even, in vivid distinctness, on the distant 
 verge of the horizon." 
 
 " I should be better pleased if you would search for, and 
 study, those which differ from mine ; and, kindly bearing in 
 mind that I remain within the city s circle, remember to re 
 touch them for me when you return." 
 
 " Why need you so confine yourself here ? I wish you 
 would join our party ; and I do not see why you cannot meet 
 us for a little time, before the summer has quite passed, and 
 lead me into the temple, and unfold to my apprehension the 
 mysteries of nature." 
 
 " I should like it ; in truth I am inclined to do so, yet I know 
 that, if I make the attempt, I shall see before me the stern 
 gaze and the restraining hand of the one to which I have 
 vowed myself for many moons. I roamed widely over the 
 earth at one time, but when I made up my mind to look for 
 position and power here, I resolved that I would be lured into 
 no other chase, until I had made them secure. The hope for 
 full communion with Nature has not passed away ; once touched 
 and awakened to a perception of her beauty, we can never 
 forget, or become indifferent ; we leave her presence without 
 fear of change, and return as to a desiring bosom. And I still 
 cherish her features with affectionate memories, although I 
 hide from her face. Yet even here I am not quite excluded 
 from her charms, as my office gives much of the harbor from 
 its windows ; and a glimpse of flashing water sends them to 
 me fresh and vigorous from the Author while a pleasant 
 Sabbath sunrise leads me where the grateful birds pour forth 
 their morning joy. And not in vain, for she soothes, and heals, 
 and continually discloses her enticing beauty to my desires ; 
 making each succeeding cloud-decked sunset seem more lovely 
 than the last, and the stars move intelligible and inspiring 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 161 
 
 teachers of faith, bright messengers from the heavens, their 
 beams are saying, We traverse the infinite space in perfect 
 security; despair not thou of the safety of the soul." 
 
 " You make the visible world appear the most glorious of 
 temples, and fill it with the song of your praise. Indeed, love 
 and faith are religion, penetrating, or rather flowing from, all 
 noble natures natures which the whole army of polemics 
 and dogmatists cannot intimidate by summons, or carry by 
 assault. Yet they have wronged me of some of this natural 
 \vorship, robbed me of these divine smiles of which you so 
 fondly and so charmingly speak, by their leading, by their 
 despairing cry of Pantheism ! but, heeding it no more, I 
 shall look for God in every bush. Still, having seen so little 
 of what we more especially call nature, I feel like one who, 
 pent within dim and cloistered walls, hears a story of knights 
 and tournament, and the wreath which beauty braids and binds 
 around her hero s brow." 
 
 " It is in such a spirit, and with such a hope, that I wish 
 you to go forth ; for then you will drink of the most ancient 
 and sacred wells, and may return whole and refreshed." 
 Taking her hand he retained it a moment, when, saying fare 
 well, he yielded it up and departed. 
 
 Aurelia ascended to her chamber, sad arid troubled ; and, 
 without a glance at the mirror, she took out a faded rose, the 
 rose that was Park s first gift so long ago, and, reclining on 
 the lounge, mused and doubted whether he still kept the leaves 
 and flowers which she had given. At length she said, with a 
 sigh, " No ! men do not preserve such things, and it is weak 
 ness in us to do so. Ambition takes the heart of the gifted, 
 and bears it above the, region of flowers. Yet how he sees 
 and loves nature ! such pictures can be drawn only by a vivid 
 imagination from a full heart and a fine understanding. Ah ! 
 did he so love me, could he be silent ? " 
 14* 
 
162 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 But after a time, having thrown off her bonnet, she rose up, 
 looked in the mirror, carefully smoothed down a stray lock 
 of hair, and returning the flower to the place where it had 
 so long been treasured, slowly disrobed to seek forgetfulness 
 in sleep. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 163 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 The secrets only to be told by fire 
 Starry or beamless, central and extreme, 
 Burn to be born. FESTUS. 
 
 IT was towards the last of July that Anthony Featherstone, 
 having nearly arrived to the end of his journey, turned aside 
 to visit one of those charming places of summer resort, which, 
 in this growing country, are every year increasing in number 
 or beauty. He knew that many of his familiar acquaintance 
 from the Crescent City were there, and, a votary of pleasure 
 now like them, he hastened to participate in their diversions. 
 
 The persons with whom Aurelia was a summer guest were 
 also passing the remainder of the season in the same house at 
 which Featherstone alighted ; and on entering the parlor after 
 dinner, he recognized Mrs. Fardel, the cousin of Park, and re 
 newing the acquaintance, was introduced to Miss Vernon. He 
 was not aware that he had ever seen her before, and could 
 hardly have been made to believe it, so struck was he with 
 the power of her charms ; and from the first moment he de 
 voted himself to her with all the skill of an experienced 
 tactician. 
 
 Soon after his arrival, he was invited to join a party of his 
 southern friends at table ; and as they sat over their wine, he 
 informed them that Merton was dead, and that he inherited ; 
 upon which they filled their glasses, and drank a bumper to 
 the successor s health and happiness. This news was caught 
 up and borne about so rapidly that, before many hours had 
 passed, every person in the house who could be supposed to 
 
164 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 take any interest in it had heard that Mr. Featherstone, the 
 fine-looking and accomplished gentleman from the south, was 
 rich, unmarried, and in every way desirable. 
 
 The watering place, where some of our characters had as 
 sembled, was one of that class which are planned for the 
 amusement of vacant minds people who, if they do not abso 
 lutely hate, have a very mean opinion of their own company, 
 so that they sigh and yawn, from mere dulness, when alone ; 
 people who, being really nothing of themselves, feel that they 
 must go somewhere and form a part of something. As the 
 establishment was arranged, more especially for the wants of 
 such, every hour had its allotted pastime ; they drove, they 
 shot, they bowled, they bathed, they dressed, and they dined, 
 whereon music s voluptuous strains invited to the twining 
 dance, stimulating the blood and blinding the heart with its 
 wily enchantment, so softly poured, so brightly hued, that it 
 seemed the wine of the gods. The rooms, if we except the 
 public ones, were so small and warm that they appeared to 
 frown on all study or retirement. 
 
 Still the place evidently had some powerful attraction, for 
 it had drawn the rich and the gay, and those who follow in 
 their train, from great distances, and in such numbers that the 
 house was full to the roof-tree. 
 
 Aurelia, like so many others in the innocence of a first visit, 
 had taken some books with her, which having received no 
 attention, they, as it were with mortification, had crept away to 
 the very bottom of her trunk. One, however, " The Princess," 
 Park s last gift, had been looked carefully through for marked 
 passages ; but none were found, which making her too sad or 
 too thoughtful to read, that also was closed ; and at length it 
 came to lie undistinguished among the others. And almost 
 the thoughts of former days had gone with the habits ; for her 
 mode of life, with its associations, during those past two months, 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 165 
 
 had tended to fill her mind with the shows of things, obscuring 
 things themselves she being part of an exhibition wherein 
 the accidents of fortune were first in esteem. In a tourna 
 ment the prowess of the knights make glorious the hour ; but 
 this place rather resembled a swift and exciting race, where the 
 horses attract more attention than their riders. At such times, 
 in hearts grown sterile, as they will in low devotions, a pre 
 tender can take a king s honors, and even paraphernalia is 
 bowed down to in a kind of Fetichism. 
 
 That the tone of Aurelia s mind had greatly fallen since 
 leaving home, was quite apparent ; yet it was in full accord 
 with the place and her companions. She might recover when 
 she returned to a calmer sphere ; but then she was in the ma 
 terial and of it. That was certainly an ungenial round for her 
 nature, for light and lively were the hours, with no frown for 
 any thing save serious and soaring thoughts. 
 
 On the other hand, it was no less apparent that Feather- 
 stone s accomplishments all came out there, as though it were 
 their appropriate place. He dressed with care and elegance ; 
 he was a skilful waltzer, a bold rider, a good shot, and quick 
 of perception, possessing a temperament warm and impressible 
 also, with vivacity and point in his remarks on passing things. 
 Before the first evening was over, he had waltzed with the 
 most distinguished ladies in the company, said pleasing things 
 to each, and if to some he spoke with such warmth as made 
 their hearts flutter, he was kindly excused on account of the 
 fire of his southern blood ; if one of the more experienced, 
 however, slightly menaced him with her fan, and said, " I am 
 surprised, Mr. Featherstone ! " he invited her to ride with him, 
 and that appeared to restore her confidence. 
 
 Pie did not notice Aurelia at first, although he entered with 
 alacrity into the dance, but left her to the attentions of others, 
 until he saw by her manner as he passed her with his arm 
 
166 THE M US TEE, OB 
 
 half encircling his partner that she was thinking of the 
 omission, she being too studiedly unobservant of his presence. 
 The chaperon also had similar thoughts, and a furtive glance ; 
 hence, as she stood by Aurelia s side, and saw Featherstone 
 lead his partner to a seat, linger a moment near her, and then, 
 bowing, turn towards them, she murmured, " The new star is 
 drawing near." 
 
 In a brief time Featherstone joined them, and engaging in 
 conversation a few minutes, at length he prayed for the pleas 
 ure, which he had so artfully delayed, in phrase and tone that 
 gave token of the warmth of his nature, and so touched Aure- 
 lia that her acceptance was in accordant form. 
 
 " You must be very fond of waltzing, Mr. Featherstone," 
 said Mrs. Fardel, " as I believe I have seen you with nearly 
 all our choice young ladies, this evening." 
 
 " O, no ; that is an unkind exaggeration. And Miss Ver- 
 non," he continued, turning to that young lady, " you must not 
 listen to her, for I have only danced with three or four at 
 most; and all of them from my adopted state daughters of 
 gentlemen who deign to call me friend ; worthy scions of fam 
 ilies whom I have long known and admired, alike for their 
 charms and their characters." 
 
 " They are pleasing persons, and very rich also," said Mrs. 
 Fardel. 
 
 " As I have but little of either beauty, or grace, or accom 
 plishment, so I seek their presence and their smile ; but the 
 wealth, if it ever visited my thoughts, has ceased to be among 
 my desires." 
 
 " Do you wish me to praise you ? " inquired Mrs. Fardel 
 with a smile. 
 
 " I think it would be sweet from your lips," he replied, 
 bowing. 
 
 But at that moment the notes of a favorite waltz inviting, 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 167 
 
 Featherstone and Aurelia glided into its charmed circles, and 
 yielding to its softly whispered, yet most glowing language, 
 were soon silently and thrillingly listening to a tale more 
 emotional and suggestive than words may hope to breathe ; 
 while, in their united grace and mastery, they fixed the gaze 
 of the company, for they moved the very dream of motion, 
 like the bright rings that play round rocks in flowing streams. 
 At length the music ceasing, he led her to the side of Mrs. 
 Fardel, while speaking warmly of the pleasure she had be 
 stowed ; and, leaving them with kindly compliments, he dis 
 appeared for the night. 
 
 On the next day he took his southern friend to ride, and 
 returning late in the evening he joined the company in the 
 parlor, though only for a short time, and did not dance. 
 
 So, for some weeks, he played his part, not often paying 
 particular attention to Aurelia, yet giving the moments so de 
 voted all the grace and attraction of which he was capable. 
 Assiduous in his attentions to the other belles, and riding with 
 them frequently, he did not extend the invitation to her until 
 she had confidentially remarked on it to Mrs. Fardel, who, of 
 course, on the first opportunity made allusion to it. Still he 
 appeared not to heed it for some days, though more frequently 
 in conversation with them, which led the chaperon to speak of 
 a delightful drive which they had recently taken, when, ap 
 pealing to Miss Vernon, and she assenting to the beauty of the 
 scenery, he asked the favor of her company and guidance. 
 
 It was towards evening when they started on their excursion, 
 and Featherstone soon entered into conversation on the warmth 
 and luxuriance* of the southern clime, and of the princely do 
 mains and generous hospitality of the planter themes so 
 captivating to an imaginative and luxurious nature, and into 
 which his companion passed with quick sympathy, so that be 
 fore they returned he felt that she liked to be near him. Lin- 
 
168 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 gering on the road, the evening was nearly spent when they 
 alighted, and, with well-turned thanks and expressions of re 
 gard, he parted with her and retired to his room. 
 
 Miss Vernon soon retired also ; yet lay long thinking before 
 she slept, and even after, though so much more swiftly and 
 wonderfully that she paused not to reckon with time and space, 
 but oversoaring the present, had vision of the future in what 
 we name a dream. And in that slumber she dreamed that 
 she was married. To whom she knew not ; yet felt that the 
 deed was done ; for around her were the evidences of the at 
 tending ceremony, and some still lingering guests or bride- 
 maids ; to those she appealed and entreated for information, but 
 they turned and vanished. Then she strained her eyes to see 
 something in the shrouding darkness, and so intense was the 
 effort that she caught the outline of a form, and at length traced 
 the lineaments of Park distant, indeed, and not advancing ; 
 whereon, after long waiting, she signed to him, but he heeded 
 it not, which led her to think that he was not the bridegroom. 
 So she looked again, and beheld a form emerge from the black 
 ness, and, passing by Park, come towards her. Full of the in- 
 tensest agitation, she sought to discover the face, and in a mo 
 ment she saw that it was Featherstone s, as, smiling, he drew 
 near her couch. On this she felt an impulse to shrink back, 
 to raise her ami in resistance, and tried to call Park to -her 
 rescue ; but he appeared to be too far off to hear, while a chill 
 shuddered through her veins and her bosom trembled. Then 
 she heard a whisper to be calm and put away her fears, and 
 she knew it to be her mother s voice. Whereon Fcatherstone 
 murmured some tender words, and, taking her hand, leaned 
 over her, when his breath and eyes were so warm that they 
 dispelled the chill which a moment before had seized her ; and 
 still drawing nearer and nearer, he finally pressed his lips to 
 hers so gently that she did not wake. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 169 
 
 In the morning it flashed forth a picture of the memory ; 
 and one so vivid that, on meeting the glance of Featherstone 
 at breakfast, the blood mantled her cheek, and her heart shook 
 with the fear of losing its secret. And when he joined her in 
 the parlor, there was a tenderness in her manner which gave 
 him hope. Is it thus that our inclinations make our fate ; or 
 is there some mysterious leading that dreams should be so sin 
 gularly in favor of the participant ? 
 
 Thereupon, Featherstone became more particular and more 
 tender in his attentions, though still for some days quite as 
 much so to his southern friend. 
 
 At length it was rumored that he was about to leave the 
 place ; and in the evening he waltzed with a number of the 
 ladies, and finally led Miss Vernon to the floor. Long accus 
 tomed to the art, and attuned to the music, on they circled, 
 tasting, sipping, quaffing this most seductive wine even to in 
 toxication ; so that when they paused, and he led her through 
 the press, she clung to his arm as if she could never more 
 leave it ; so much will the wild and pliant impulse of such 
 moments outrun or oversweep discretion. Passing out they 
 walked down the broad piazza, for Aurelia wished for air ; 
 and there, while to its fanning breath they moved, he talked 
 of the fairy scene, the fascinations of the place, the pleasure of 
 such society, and how her presence and kindness had made it 
 an enchanted bower. 
 
 "I am sensitive to the charm of festal splendor," she re 
 plied ; but this seems full of attractions, and will long reign 
 in my recollection." 
 
 " May I hope to be kindly remembered, sometimes, when 
 you call it to mind ? " he tenderly inquired. 
 
 To which question she not audibly replying, he took her 
 consenting hand ; and, turning, they moved down on one of 
 the many shadowy paths together moved in silence, until 
 15 
 
170 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 Featherstone said, " Will you listen to one who can no longer 
 refrain while he speaks of love ? a love that knows no future 
 time, but cries, now ! and trusts its hope, its life, on a word. 
 I have wealth ; it shall lie in all profusion at your feet, and 
 bear you wherever inclination can lead, though my desire will 
 be you, only you ! amid the grandest and loveliest scenes, or 
 in the presence of warmest and divinest art." 
 
 Aurelia whispered something which he did not distinctly 
 hear, and leaned her burning brow against his shoulder. On 
 this Featherstone bent down to catch the accents ; and finding 
 that they crowned his passion, he twined his arms around her, 
 kissed her again and again, and breathed into her ear, as with 
 a breath of fire, how deep, how undying was his love for her. 
 Yet still they clung and murmured in the shadowy circles of 
 the summer night, and ate the lotos to the song of the sirens. 
 When at length she roused herself and whispered that she 
 must return, they clasped hands and kissed, and finally parted 
 as though hope went out with vision. 
 
 In a few moments after they had separated, Featherstone 
 gained his usual composure, looked carefully to his apparel, 
 rearranged his locks, and entered the parlor as though nothing 
 had happened. 
 
 Aurelia sought her chamber, and did not descend even at 
 her usually late breakfast hour. Being missed from the ac 
 customed morning promenade on the piazza, Mrs. Fardel went 
 up to learn the cause ; and as they met, she perceived that 
 something of importance had occurred, and her instincts -lead 
 ing her to the right conclusion, she exclaimed, " Well, this is 
 funny in the extreme ! I hope that it does not make you very 
 weak to have a lover, or quite sick to have an offer % of mar 
 riage ! " 
 
 " Do not, for Heaven s sake, speak so loud," said Aurelia in 
 a suppressed voice. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 171 
 
 " Dear me ! I hope you do not imagine that you can keep 
 it secret here ? Such a thing is perfectly impossible." 
 
 " I wish that I might, even after marriage, for a whole year. 
 There is something coarse in making public proclamation of 
 that which seems so unspeakable." 
 
 " Nonsense ! Come, have the goodness to dress and de 
 scend, for he has already inquired, and so kindly that it induced 
 me to seek you ; and if you do not make your appearance soon, 
 he will think that you are troubled with regrets. But permit 
 me to recommend that you leave your over-anxious face here, 
 and take down your brightest one. Really, if I were to judge 
 from your confusion, I should conclude that you were not more 
 than sixteen." 
 
 They soon after descended ; and, Featherstone joining them, 
 they walked out to take the air, where he moved beside Aure- 
 lia with complete self-assurance, and covered her evident em 
 barrassment and agitated feelings with easy fluency of remark 
 on the topics of the hour. Under such treatment she resumed 
 something of her natural grace of manner and flow of speech, 
 which her attentive friend perceiving, she excused herself, and 
 glided away that they might have a moment alone ; for Feath- 
 erstone s horses were at the door, and he carried a whip in his 
 hand. When Mrs. Fardel had vanished, the lover said, " I 
 began to fear that I should not see you this morning, as I 
 promised, in the early part of last evening, to drive out one of 
 my southern friends ; and you know that one must keep his 
 engagements." 
 
 " Certainly ; I desire you should by all means," she replied. 
 
 On this Featherstone smiled, and gave her so warm a glance 
 that she glowed under it ; and turning away, her eye caught, 
 in the outline of a passing cloud, the features of Park. And 
 so spectral were they that her cheek blanched ; yet she com 
 pressed her lips, for the intoxication of the night had led her 
 
172 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 too far down to recede, if she so desired ; but she had other 
 wise determined. 
 
 Park, in truth, had not been entirely excluded from her 
 thoughts during the night, for deep in her heart he had im 
 pressed his lineaments. Yet she could not help contrasting 
 his circumspection with the ardor of Featherstone, his chas 
 tened tastes with the glitter and garniture of fortune the god 
 to whom her mother prayed, and towards which her own eyes 
 were not infrequently inclined. Besides, one had proposed 
 and the other had not indeed, he might never do it; so 
 calmly did he meet and part from her, so delicate and def 
 erential was his touch. So gentle had been his wooing, also, 
 compared with that of Featherstone, that she began to doubt 
 its genuineness ; that it was intended for no more than polite 
 attention, while enjoying mere intellectual intercourse ; such, 
 at least, was the conclusion to which she came before she slept. 
 
 Then, too, Aurelia thought that she liked Featherstone well 
 enough to marry him. She, at least, had been deeply moved 
 by him ; and it was a brilliant offer, not likely to be declined 
 by any wise person. It must be borne in mind that she saw 
 him not as he really was, but as he appeared in the midst of 
 affluence, and courted by the beautiful and accomplished; 
 while, in intellect and bearing, he was the peer of any man 
 who revolved in the circle of gayety where she encountered 
 him. And let it also be remembered that he was one of those 
 who please many women, if it surprise the gentlemen who 
 most respect them, for he had that kind of "animal magnet 
 ism " which leads to matrimony, not by the lofty and chasten 
 ing steps of admiration, but by the impulse and inclination of 
 passion. From this wild influence Aurelia was not free ; in 
 truth it was a portion of her inheritance, and had something of 
 her secret thought, and at times seized the reins and swayed 
 supreme. Yet there was that in her nature which gave it 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 173 
 
 resistance ; hence the seclusion of the morning, and her em 
 barrassment on meeting Featherstone ; and thence the ner 
 vousness which had conjured up the apparition of Park, and 
 so saddened her spirits as to bring tears to her eyes. 
 
 Seeing the change that came over her, and misinterpreting 
 it, he said, " I hope you are not jealous ! " On which she 
 gave him a look that made him inquire in a less confident 
 tone, " Has any thing happened ? " and, feeling a dread that 
 something of his secret history might have reached her ear 
 since their last meeting, he appeared like a culprit. 
 
 This, however, she did not observe, as her eyes were 
 weighed down with her own secret ; and, wishing to escape 
 further inquiry, she replied, " 0, it is nothing some slight 
 affection that will pass away with a little exercise." 
 
 " Then let me drive you out this morning ; I can arrange it." 
 
 " No, I thank you ; I choose to walk." 
 
 " May I hope that you will accompany me this evening ? " 
 he urged. 
 
 "If it be your pleasure ;" and turning down a shaded path, 
 while Featherstone retraced his steps to join the lady who 
 was to take the seat beside him, in a few moments she heard 
 the carriage dash away. Threading the secluded walk, her 
 agitation increased rather than diminished ; for the features 
 of the landscape, in their sunny repose, as well as the gentle 
 caressings of the morning air, reminded her of Park. And 
 such were her thoughts, that, could he have met her and ten 
 derly encouraged her long-cherished hope, were it necessary, 
 she would have fled with him to the ends of the earth could 
 she but have seen his outstretched hand, she would have clasped 
 it and been safe ; otherwise, too weak for self-sustaining, she 
 is trembling to her fall. 
 
 Although no word had been spoken by any one on that 
 morning, concerning the engagement, loud enough for the 
 15* 
 
174 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 most expert eavesdropper to have heard, while in all com 
 munications the strictest secrecy had been enjoined and most 
 earnestly promised, yet it was apparent, from every glancing 
 eye of the guests who had gathered for dinner, that the event 
 of the season was known to all ; for there 
 
 " Was never secret history 
 But birds did tell it in the bowers." 
 
 "When the ladies had withdrawn from table, one of the 
 friends of Featherstone replenished the glasses, and lifting the 
 wine to his lips, said, with a significant glance at the happy 
 man, " Veni, vidi, vici" 
 
 " Very good ! " said one of the group. " Capital, capital ! " 
 cried another ; while a third set down his glass and tapped his 
 thumb nails together several times, with an air that seemed to 
 say, "My applause is the crown." On which, all laughed; 
 and Featherstone ordered more wine a seemingly appropri 
 ate and acceptable acknowledgment of the compliment. As 
 the Madeira circulated, one said, " When may we expect to 
 receive her in the Crescent ? and what will Anthony do with 
 Cleopatra ? " but, observing Featherstone s brow flush, he im 
 mediately added, " I meant no offence, by Jove, my dear fel 
 low ! It was only a spark of envy, from thinking how beauty 
 seems to rise to your lips, like the beads on your wine." 
 
 Seein" 1 that his delicate associate had no intention other 
 
 O 
 
 than to compliment him, Featherstone filled the glasses, 
 and said, 
 
 " Here s to beauty, young beauty, all over the world ! " 
 
 Tossing off their wine, they poured and drank again ; and one 
 said, as he set down his glass, " That was devilish good ! " 
 
 Whereupon they filled afresh; for, a little confused, they 
 thought the praise was meant for the wine being oblivious 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 175 
 
 with regard to the poetical sentiment. In this way they soon 
 finished the bottle and their cigars, and, rising up, Feather- 
 stone went to prepare for the drive with Aurelia. 
 
 When he had sufficiently cooled his brow, flavored his 
 breath, and carefully arranged his dress, he ordered his 
 horses to the door, and sent a messenger to Miss Vernon. 
 Completing her array, she descended, and, though paler than 
 usual, smiled on those around, while approaching the carriage, 
 as if she were about to ascend the throne of her desire. And 
 having taken her seat with studied composure, she looked at 
 Featherstone with a predetermined expression, as he placed 
 himself beside her, which was calculated to give the observer 
 an impression of fondness. In truth, she did take some satis 
 faction in. the elegant finish of the " turn out," and looked with 
 a degree of pleasure on the proud steeds, as they bounded 
 away, with their steel harnesses flashing to the sun. 
 
 If Featherstone had entertained doubts in the morning, he 
 now felt reassured. Yet it was his whim to avoid conversa 
 tion, for a time, unless she should introduce it. So feeling, he 
 put his horses to their mettle, for three or four miles, over the 
 somewhat rough, wild, and wood-shadowed road which it 
 pleased him to choose. At length, in the thick of the forest, 
 he slackened out the ribbons, and speaking soothingly to his 
 foaming coursers, they immediately dropped into a walk, 
 hanging their heads low to relieve the pain in their necks, 
 champing the bits to ease their aching jaws, and flirting out 
 their muzzles to throw off the slightest pressure of the reins. 
 
 But Aurelia had made her election. And, finding oppor 
 tunity in the course of the day, Mrs. Fardel had so painted 
 the advantages of the alliance as to confirm the opinion. 
 Hence she rose superior to the weakness of the morning, and 
 set her will on carrying out the contract, and that too as 
 speedily as he might propose. Thus prepared for business, 
 
176 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 she was the first to recur to the scene of their last meeting. 
 And so completely had she gained the mastery over herself 
 that she said lightly, even playfully, " I hope that you enjoyed 
 your ride this morning ? " 
 
 " No. I was thinking too much of you," he replied. 
 
 " Did that destroy your pleasure ? " she smilingly inquired. 
 
 " But you appeared so changed, and were so cold." 
 
 Thereupon she told him that she had had much to think of in 
 the dissimilarity of their situations. This led her to speak of 
 the circumstances of her parents, of their broken fortunes, and 
 that being an only child she ought not to be far divided from 
 them. 
 
 To this being anxious to remove every obstacle in the 
 way of his passion he replied, " I have no wish to return 
 to the south, and we will live wherever you think you can be 
 happiest." Thereupon he pleaded for immediate union with 
 all the force that passion could infuse into the phrases of love. 
 
 At length it was concluded, after Aurelia had conferred 
 with her protectress, although the season had not quite closed, 
 to depart for the city within three or four clays ; and Feather- 
 stone determined to leave on the following morning. 
 
 As he was about to say adieu to Aurelia, he clasped a chain 
 around her neck, to which was suspended a jewelled cross, flash 
 ing with the subduing light of diamonds and rubies. So the 
 cross of the mustee which, it will be remembered, he took 
 from tier dressing table with other valuables, on the morning 
 of his departure from New Orleans came again into use. 
 Strange change ! Has it the power to calm this tumultuous 
 heart ? Can it charm away thought, or erase fond recollec 
 tion from this glowing breast ? And, in view of all the cir 
 cumstances, may we not confidently inquire in what particular, 
 either in the splendors of the mind, or in purity of affection, 
 has it been exalted ? 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 177 
 
 In the morning, as Featherstone was departing, Mrs. Fardel 
 appeared, and gently, but very expressively, accosting him, 
 said, " I could not permit you to leave us without a word of 
 congratulation." 
 
 " You are very kind," he warmly replied ; " and I shall re 
 member to be grateful to one who has so helped me haste to 
 the wedding. And permit me to hope that you will so con 
 tinue your good offices as to appear at the time indicated. I 
 shall await your arrival with impatience." 
 
 " You may rest assured that I shall do what I can, as Au- 
 relia is under my protection, and I feel a deep interest in her 
 welfare. She needs just such a husband as I am sure you 
 will make one who can take her into society, and feel proud 
 of the admiration she receives ; for she is too beautiful and 
 too attractive to be lost in mere household dulness and duty. 
 So, if nothing happens to prevent, you shall see us at the time 
 appointed ; indeed I like to lay a train to a wedding, for mar 
 riage is honorable. " Then leaning still nearer and speaking 
 lower, she added, " If you are going to the city you must have 
 a care of yourself, and not fight my cousin Park before we 
 get there to take charge of you. * 
 
 " What reason have you for such a caution ? " he inquired 
 with surprise. 
 
 " O innocence ! " exclaimed she. " As if you did not know, 
 you naughty man ! that you had charmed away a heart from 
 him. But I do not care, for he deserved to lose it, the cold 
 creature ! I have not the least mite of sympathy for him 
 to go shilly-shallying along as he did, thinking that she could 
 wait forever ! Now, I think it is always perfectly ridiculous 
 to do so, and I see that there is more sense in your course ; 
 therefore I wish you joy." 
 
178 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 He jests at scars that never felt a wound. 
 
 SHAKSPEARE. 
 
 As the carriage bore Featherstone away, lie thought of the 
 caution of Mrs. Fardel, and called to mind the incidents of 
 the party at her house, and Park s attentions to Miss Vernon 
 on that occasion, with his conversation the morning after, and 
 felt some elation on thus finding that he had at length carried 
 off one prize from an old and able competitor. 
 
 So, taking his seat in the cars, he went on restoring, touch 
 ing, and coloring the past, bringing out the dimly-seen forms, 
 regrouping the characters in the foreground, himself in the 
 blaze of light and the embrace of beauty, and at length 
 placed the picture where Vanity might gaze upon it in mo 
 ments of leisure. 
 
 Again and again, in the course of his journey, he turned to 
 look on the canvas with a kind of mischievous satisfaction, as 
 he felt more pleasure in gain when he could measure it by 
 the loss of another. 
 
 He had also that coarseness of sentiment, and sense of en 
 joyment in another s mortification, which led him to play prac 
 tical jokes. Hence, as a part of his accidental triumph, yet 
 with no thought of seriously wounding, he resolved on a little 
 amusement with his friend, whenever he should find oppor 
 tunity. 
 
 Entering Park s office soon after his arrival in the city, he 
 was received kindly, though with some surprise that he should 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 179 
 
 come on so late in the season, as lie said, " I thought that you 
 southern gentlemen generally appeared to us in June." 
 
 " It is usual ; and it was not my intention to come north this 
 year, but important changes came to alter my decision. Mer- 
 ton has died, and I have succeeded to a condition wherein I 
 can afford to take my leisure." 
 
 " So the first aim has proved successful ! Yet how do you 
 propose to employ your leisure ? for it is good only in so far 
 as it gives you that choice." 
 
 " I think I shall marry by way of beginning." 
 
 " Well, if love leads, I hold that to be a wise course, so 
 soon as one can see his way clear. But you must have found 
 something very sweet to lead you to so serious a step ! Noth 
 ing less than a sugar estate, I fancy." 
 
 " Very refined ! Yet, to be candid with you, I am intend 
 ing to espouse that Miss Vernon you may remember her 
 whom we met at your cousin s, Mrs. Fardel s ; and I shall be 
 pleased to see you at the wedding." 
 
 " You are very thoughtful ; and I will try to be one of the 
 party." 
 
 " I fancied that would be your pleasure, and we shall be 
 happy to welcome you on the joyous occasion so you may 
 expect due notice of the day and hour. And, by the way, 
 how is the widow ? " 
 
 " O, she is blooming and obliging, and would like to see 
 you, undoubtedly; but come home with me and judge for 
 yourself." 
 
 " No, you must dine with me to-day," replied Featherstone, 
 smiling. 
 
 And, deferring to his wish, they walked out together. 
 
 " How soon do you return south ? " inquired Park, as they 
 ascended the steps of the Astor. 
 
 " That is uncertain. It is a point which I have yielded 
 
180 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 to the inclination of another. You can inquire of the 
 lady." 
 
 " Shall I have the pleasure of her company at dinner ? " 
 
 " Not to-day, but in the course of two or three weeks she 
 will be happy to meet you." 
 
 They had quite a social repast, touching, however, only on 
 the surface of the times, as befitted the place and crowd, until 
 the company in their immediate neighborhood had departed, 
 or gathered into lively groups, when Park, filling the glasses, 
 said, " We will drink, if you please, to the joy of Mrs. Feath- 
 erstone, that is to be." 
 
 Featherstone received the compliment with beck and smile, 
 as he raised his glass, and seemed to have peculiar pleasure 
 while he lingered over his wine. 
 
 In a few moments Featherstone, having replenished the 
 cups, said, " We will drink to the health and happiness of the 
 beautiful Miss Vernon, if you will allow me." 
 
 On this Park touched his lips again to the wine and said, 
 " I think the lady would esteem it so flattering a recollection 
 that I may venture to thank you." 
 
 " You, of course, know best how she would accept the at 
 tention," replied Featherstone, masking his countenance with 
 difficulty; "yet, when you again meet, you may say that I 
 retain a vivid impression of her beauty, and hope to see her 
 married soon, and her husband, that is to be, in Congress." 
 
 To which Park replied, " It will give me pleasure to pre 
 sent your compliments when I have an opportunity. But the 
 political eminence, of which you speak, I am not likely to 
 reach." 
 
 " Why not ? I hear of your triumphs at the bar." 
 
 " The way in which it is usually sought, in these piping 
 times, is not suited to my taste. And, were I elected, I should 
 not like to be publicly instructed in statesmanship ; for, if 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY: 181 
 
 there should be one of the constituency capable of instructing, 
 he would be entitled to the place. Yet only in fearful crises 
 will such hereafter reach it ; it was the terrors of the revolu 
 tion that brought out and elevated the giants who made our 
 senate so august. Those times are passed. Still the slavery 
 question may be so urged as to shake and arouse the people 
 to a recognition of their true leaders once more." 
 
 " Ah ! have you turned abolitionist ? " inquired Featherstone. 
 
 " I love liberty and desire its diffusion. And it is worthy 
 of observation that God has given it to mankind as he does 
 food, so that, if it be justly apportioned, every one may have 
 all he can truly enjoy. Hence, whatever of these is taken 
 from one class in a state not only leaves them to suffer, but 
 makes the taker licentious, to the further and still deeper in 
 jury of both." 
 
 " Do you intend to dissolve the Union as a means to such a 
 result ? " 
 
 " I strike against wrong, however fortified," Park replied. 
 " If the constitution does not foster freedom, it is not what the 
 founders of the government intended, and not what the great 
 body of the American people will demand." 
 
 " Then you propose to destroy that incomparable instrument 
 which gives us such dignity abroad and security at home ? " 
 
 " I propose to inquire if it be not the will of the majority of 
 the American people to have whatever is doubtful in the con 
 stitution construed in faVor of freedom. And I propose yet 
 further, if there be any thing in that instrument which sanc 
 tions tyranny, or throws a shield around the slavery propa 
 gandist in any of our territory, or makes the men of the free 
 states a portion of the police to enforce the local laws of south 
 ern servitude, to do all that lies in my power to present to the 
 country the necessity of taking the prescribed steps for its 
 amendment." 
 
 16 
 
182 * THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 " If you succeed in striking down that pillar the whole fabric 
 will fall, and liberty and order along with it," said Feather- 
 stone. 
 
 "That is to doubt that we have benefited by our insti 
 tutions ; it is to deny the advancing intelligence of the people. 
 If, when overthrown, it be so by endeavoring to eradicate 
 a wrong, I have no fears but something nobler will arise on 
 the broad basis of the Declaration." 
 
 " Then, in a certain contingency, you would side with the 
 destructives ! Do you think that the people of the north, and 
 east, and west, if they are not satisfied with the interpretation 
 of the constitution, will give their votes to change it ? " 
 
 " Most certainly. Their very reverence for its many com 
 manding excellences will lead them to remove whatsoever 
 dims its glory or endangers its perpetuity." 
 
 " When do you expect a two thirds vote in Congress to 
 initiate the measure, and three fourths of the states to rat 
 ify it?" 
 
 " Not soon. Freedom advances slowly ; the future histo 
 rian may count ages between its footprints ; yet the goal will 
 be reached. From darker doubt, through deeper perils, the 
 long processions of our ancestors were called to march by their 
 indomitable love of liberty, until they made the British consti-. 
 tution perfect in its personal protection. The planters are in 
 the position of the feudal lords, yet where are they ? " 
 
 "I care nothing for what may happen ages hence. I go 
 against disturbance now ; for the south will not submit to be 
 instructed, much less controlled, by any other portion of the 
 Union, however strong. They will sooner withdraw from the 
 compact, peaceably if they may, forcibly if they must. They 
 inherit an institution of the fathers more tangible than any 
 which you boast ; therefore, in extremity, it will be more des 
 perately defended." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 183 
 
 " That step, if successful, can yield them no additional secu 
 rity, for a dissolution of the Union will not relieve them from 
 the effect of eternal laws. Do they think thus to escape 
 from the operation of that title to lands which underlies, and 
 eventually overrides, all others, namely, that he shall have 
 who can best occupy ? If they heap dishonor upon labor, do 
 they hope to gather its fruits in peace ? Is it possible for 
 them to bar the spirit of the age from all their borders ? No, 
 arm as they may against these subtle forces, there can be no 
 doubt which will finally prevail. Yet I am so far a conserva 
 tive that I look searchingly at change, and ask for the most 
 minute and mature consideration before it be accepted. But 
 growth will continually demand it, however disturbing or 
 painful may be the process. Before the eagle can have a 
 new beak, says Carlyle, he must beat off the old upon hard 
 rocks. Hence the best sign of the times is the dissatisfaction 
 with existing constitutions and enactments, however Traffic 
 may deplore it ; and he who doubts this may fawn on the 
 people for some selfish purpose, but has no faith in their ca 
 pacity for self-government, and no desire to see Liberty make 
 broader the arches of her Temple." 
 
 " So you are really an abolitionist ! However, it may serve 
 your turn in a local way ; but for any place in the general 
 government, you might as well be a native of Congo. Do 
 you go in for philanthropy in general the amelioration of the 
 condition of criminals, &c. ?" 
 
 " I believe in being merciful ; for man has no mercy so 
 tender as the Infinite Justice. I have learned that kindness 
 alone can win its way tc the soul and elevate it ; all sterner 
 messengers find it rock and leave it adamant. If this 
 be true, and no observing person can deny it, what 
 change must come ! And, in view of it, no man is fit to 
 legislate for this age, or the coming generations, who does 
 
184 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 not feel such impulse at his heart, and strive to give it organ 
 ization." 
 
 " If such service was expected, I fancy that but few men 
 would seek office," said Featherstone, laughing. 
 
 " Office is not to be sought ; the purest motives cannot 
 sanction the solicitation, as beggars do not often preserve their 
 self-respect." 
 
 " If you are so scrupulous as that, I may stand a better 
 chance, if Mrs. Featherstone should persuade me to remain 
 here." 
 
 This recurrence to the prospect of his marriage seemed to 
 fill Featherstone with pleasure, which he strove to conceal. 
 Observing it, Park pleaded an engagement, and in a few mo 
 ments they separated. Yet, while walking down to his office, 
 he thought of the mystery, and came to the conclusion that 
 Featherstone was really about to be married, as he could think 
 of no other prospect which would have so tickled him into 
 continual smiles and laughter. 
 
 As Park moved away, Featherstone turned into the reading 
 room, still hotly smiling ; and taking up a newspaper, he 
 looked upon it and laughed audibly, two or three times, which 
 so attracted attention that he tossed it away and went out, to 
 more freely vent the fun and enjoy the joke. 
 
 On the passage down the river, Aurelia was fitful ; at one 
 moment very gay and then seated apart, gazing silently into 
 the bubbling water. When, however, they reached the pier, 
 and Featherstone came on board, she received him so cor 
 dially that a profound observer would have perceived that she 
 was playing a part. Indeed, when she finally rose up from 
 looking on the fleeting waves, she had so resolved ; and well 
 did she cany it out, in the presence of Featherstone. In this 
 Mrs. Fardel ably assisted her, as she had persuaded Aurelia 
 to remain with her for the few weeks previous to her marriage. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 185 
 
 The neighbors of the Vernons were surprised one morning, 
 soon after the foregoing arrival, to see the windows of their 
 mansion all open, with a throng of painters and other renova 
 tors busy in every part. Mrs. Vernon, too, appeared to have 
 awakened as from years of sleep, for she was listening to 
 suggestions, looking at plans, and giving directions, from 
 morning until night, and seemed to gain new vigor with each 
 succeeding day. 
 
 In the course of two or three weeks these renewers and 
 decorators disappeared, and the furniture began to arrive. 
 During those days the family that lived opposite had many 
 callers, who, as they peered through the closed Venetian 
 blinds, and saw the costly cabinet work which continued to 
 come, aired their recollections of the dark and dismal house, 
 which for years they had known it to be, and wondered, and 
 remarked," and conjectured in this wise, " Who, do you sup 
 pose, has bought Aurelia ? " 
 
 " I have no notion, I m sure ; but I ll warrant that it is some 
 man old enough to have a large estate and a short lease of it." 
 
 " Do see what lovely things he is giving for her ; and pay 
 ing in advance too ! " 
 
 These shrewd and knowing observers were aware that the 
 daughter was their most valuable possession ; and if their 
 tart words are worth little as a judgment, they are valuable as 
 an unconscious, and therefore a true, confession ; for when 
 one speaks of another, it is of the nature and character of the 
 person speaking that we are likely to learn most. 
 
 The old gentleman came out as usual, appearing to give 
 little heed to what was going on within the house. Yet the 
 new influence had not only reached, but penetrated him ; PO 
 that he appeared more fresh and bright ; and instead of 
 emerging and looking out furtively from the back passage, he 
 issued from the front door, and carried his gold-headed cane 
 16* 
 
186 THE MUSTEE, OB 
 
 more frequently under his arm, a? if he were growing stronger 
 day by day. His white locks he had not jet gone to the 
 length of dyeing his hair seemed to be more particularly 
 cared for ; and his skin was deeper colored, whether from an 
 increase of stimulants, or brighter hopes, or both, we will not 
 pause to inquire, as it was a pleasant sight; and when not 
 wrung from the heart of another, or in any way too dearly 
 bought, is like returning sunshine after long lingering mist 
 and cloud. 
 
 The gazers were gfeally surprised at Aurelia s absence 
 during all this preparation ; and the mystery deepened and 
 grew august, when a carriage, with driver and footman in 
 livery, began to draw up before the door, daily, taking Mrs. 
 Vernon out alone, to return alone. 
 
 " What could it mean ? " they looked and asked. 
 
 On this, some of those who had expressed themselves the 
 most confidently with regard to the matrimonial sale, com 
 menced to " hedge " their opinions, by suggesting, " These 
 Vernons are one of the old families, and a great many of the 
 members are rich : perhaps some one has died and left them 
 a fortune." 
 
 " Yes ; or pride of name has induced them to contribute, so 
 as to keep up appearances," said another. 
 
 " Ah, that is not probable," said one of a more selfish 
 turn. " It is far more likely that Mr. Vernon has been ap 
 pointed to some fat office ; and now that I think of it, it 
 appears quite possible, as he has devoted his time, for over 
 twenty years, to reading the newspapers, which are the teach 
 ers of politics, you know. You may depend upon it, he has 
 got hold of the people s money, and they are flourishing away 
 on that. Now, there was Mr. Overdrew and Mr. Bezzlem, 
 both did it ; and their daughters caught rich husbands by the 
 game so now they live at their ease. I declare it always 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 187 
 
 makes me angry when any thing like this reminds me how 
 we had to contribute to it, yet were never so much as invited 
 to the parties which they gave in consequence. And, what is 
 more aggravating than all, they keep up the same style now 
 that they did before they broke." 
 
 " Why shouldn t they, when they prevented any thing from 
 running out which their creditors could lay hand on ? " said 
 the lady of the house. " But you will find, if these Vernons 
 have got hold of money in any way, that the lawyer who 
 used to walk down here with the daughter will discontinue his 
 visits ; for she will carry her case to a higher court. It is 
 mysterious enough now, certainly ; but Aurelia must be along 
 in a few days, and then we shall learn more about it as she 
 will surely drop straws into the current, so that we can see 
 the direction in which it is setting. As for the mother, she is 
 perfectly impenetrable. She enters and alights from her 
 carriage in a way that would lead you to suppose that she had 
 practised it every hour of her life ; and wears her rich ap 
 parel, and reveals as little curiosity, as she would had the ride 
 never been interrupted for a single day." 
 
 At length, under the directing care of Mrs. Vernon, the va 
 rious preparations for the nuptials had been made ; every por 
 tion of the house was in the approved order ; no trace of the 
 past remained. Even a faded rose .had been shaken out, and 
 swept from Aurelia s room, with other litter, by a mother s 
 order ; and if the mandrake shriek when torn from the earth, 
 that rose might well sigh for the one who had so long cherished 
 it ; yet its plaintive spirit passed unheeded, for her ear was in 
 clined to another voice ; and though her heart will yet catch 
 and echo its sad tone, it may then be too late. 
 
188 THE MUST BE, OB 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 All s over then does truth sound bitter, 
 
 As one at first believes ? 
 Hark, tis the sparrow s good-night twitter 
 
 About your cottage eves ! 
 
 BROWNING. 
 
 FEATHERSTONE S business, together with the many duties 
 and pleasures incident to his approaching bridal, so occupied 
 his hours that he had not see*, sufficient leisure to call on 
 Park, had he so wished, since the day on which they had 
 dined together. He, indeed, looked in on the widow Sum 
 mers several times ; but, as she had reasons for keeping the 
 visits to herself, Park did not hear of them. Hence, as no 
 circumstance suggested it, it had not entered his mind for 
 some days, that Featherstone might be still in town, until, one 
 morning about a fortnight after the meeting described, he 
 received the following note, enclosing the usual card for such 
 occasions. 
 
 " WEDNESDAY MORNING. 
 
 " My dear Park : In accordance not only with my promise, 
 but my earnest wishes, I now more formally invite you to be 
 present at my wedding ; which is to take place as you may 
 see by the enclosed card on this day week. You, of course, 
 must not fail to be with us, for Miss Vernon and myself will 
 both feel that we have lost a pleasure if you do not grace the 
 gay occasion with your presence. 
 
 " Yours, truly, 
 
 " A. FEATHERSTONE." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 189 
 
 On first looking at this missive, Park was disposed to treat 
 it as a jest, rude and rough though it was even in that as 
 pect ; but he soon saw that to be altogether too profitless a 
 play for Featherstone to be likely to engage in. Thereupon 
 he turned the card over two or three times and scrutinized it ; 
 read the note again and again, and cross-examined it ; and 
 finally folded it up with the conviction that it was possible. 
 Then, leaning his brow on his hand, he gazed deep and long 
 within him ; and at length a stern, even a pale, thought came 
 up, and spread into every line of his countenance, as if he w r ere 
 putting on some fine armor, all white from the fire of his spirit, 
 to meet the shock of an advancing foe. 
 
 Soon after so arming himself, he was under the necessity of 
 going into court to present a case to a jury ; and never before 
 did he make an argument so clear, so cogent, and so concise. 
 There was no ornament, no finishing touch. His thoughts 
 were molten and moulded into terrible missiles, as statues of 
 bronze have been in great emergencies, which went directly 
 on and overwhelmed whatever he chose to aim at. 
 
 As Park was aware that it was about the time for Aurelia 
 to return, he had walked over to the pier on two or three pre 
 vious evenings, in season to meet the day boats down the 
 Hudson. Yet now, when night came, with opportunity for 
 investigation, he did not turn his steps in that direction, 
 neither did he go down the quiet street which led by her 
 father s house, but up towards his cousin s, where he had first 
 met her, and with whom she had gone forth to revel in sum 
 mer gayety. 
 
 Drawing near the mansion, he saw that it was open ; and 
 moving on, he soon heard voices, and those so lively that there 
 seemed to be guests as well as family within. Crossing to the 
 opposite side of the street, and passing by slow and observant, 
 in a moment he distinguished Featherstone s voice, and, there- 
 
190 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 upon, the gay tones of Aurelia in reply ; and they appeared 
 to him gayer than ever. Arrested as by a hand dread and 
 resistless, he stood and heard, not the words, but the note and 
 accent, until the conviction came home to his understanding 
 and went down to his heart, that the myrtle wreath which 
 they were twining would be the crown of her desire that 
 even hope looked not beyond the bridal. 
 
 Well nigh stunned by the truth he had sought, and then 
 shaken by conflicting emotions, he at length curbed his bound 
 ing blood and calmed his throbbing brain so as to think and 
 utter to himself, " Strange infatuation ! Yet not strange ! only 
 in her is it strange. Ah, how far she must have fallen ! for 
 this is steep down, sheer below the venture of my imagination ! 
 There are beasts which manifest a purer sentiment than 
 this can be, and one that will not wither and die so quickly. 
 What a blinding malady is passion ! O, she was a glorious 
 creature ! capable of the crowning things, both in the realm 
 of thought and emotion ; and capable of this also ! It seems 
 but yesterday when I walked in her radiance on the height of 
 life ; and now she has gone where it makes my brain reel to 
 gaze after her ! What is love, if she were free ? yet freely 
 she has chosen, and making choice of flesh, I can leave her 
 to Time, who will strip it to a skeleton. 
 
 " Jfe, indeed, is only working out his own nature a nature 
 that had no entrance, or key, to any secret place in mine. Yet 
 he calls me friend ! and how has he given sign of it ? No ! 
 we were thrown together by circumstances, not drawn by sym 
 pathy ; and have kept up a kind of companionship which was 
 refreshing to neither of us, but had a tendency to harden each. 
 Hence I have seldom met him without wearing a secret 
 cuirass ; and, standing at guard, played only with the muscles 
 of the mind ; yet of this he has taken advantage to thrust at 
 me ! Seeing a blasted heath, he comes to palter with me in 
 a double sense ! " 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 191 
 
 So he turned firmly away ; although his thoughts still vis 
 ited their presence, as he continued, u Had I found her mute, 
 sad, or reluctant, I would have contended even on the last step 
 of the altar; but she prays for no rescue trembles rather at 
 the thought of interruption. Well, it is a severe, though it 
 may be a salutary, lesson ; for I had fondly dreamed that I 
 could fill one heart, and many sweet tokens whispered, this one ; 
 but I see now that they were only light and deceptive appear 
 ances, which kindred flesh has more truly interpreted. Yet, 
 after all, there was something great, as well as captivating, 
 about her ; she was capable of the loftiest moods ; the spirit 
 of thought could take her into regal regions, and bear her up 
 starry spaces, for which nature has given him neither wing 
 nor inclination. If he whistle hqr to his hand, can he smooth 
 her pinions to the perch, or hood her piercing eye ? will she 
 not soar away though her jesses were his heart-strings ? 
 Now they are but thoughtless evening revellers, who drink 
 their fill to awaken to a dismal day ! No sweet peace, no 
 ever-deepening friendship, can spring between their hearts to 
 twine them into a hallowed retreat from the world s rude 
 shocks. Neither will their flame be a continuing fire on the 
 hearth, ever warm, ever cheerful. I can look on its fitful 
 blaze without envy, as I shall yet look upon the ashes without 
 surprise." 
 
 Thus had Park though with a lacerated heart, yet one 
 capable of applying the cautery to its own wounds rea 
 soned himself into his accustomed calmness, so that he entered 
 the house and the presence of the widow, with no visible sign 
 of that which had stirred him so deeply. 
 
 Taking up an evening paper, he seated himself near the 
 table, where Mrs. Summers, with a light-hued dress in her 
 lap, was looking over some laces ; and when she found one 
 which was sufficiently long or short, wide or narrow enough, 
 
192 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 she laid it on to some particular part of the dress, and so held 
 them up to see what the effect might be. 
 
 Park observed what was going on without moving his eyes 
 from the paper ; so he inferred that she had been invited to 
 the wedding, and was busy with preparation for the event. 
 
 At length, after many trials of different varieties of trim 
 ming, while holding the garment in many views, now front, 
 now back, and in changing perspective, she said, " dear ! " 
 and dropped the parts as though she was out of patience in 
 trying to make them take elegant and pleasing form. 
 
 On this Park looked up, and appearing for the first time to 
 notice her occupation, inquired, "Are you preparing to be 
 married, Mrs. Summers ? " 
 
 " I think of going to a wedding ; and I expect to have a 
 delightful time, if I can ever get this dress to suit me." 
 
 " Is the bride, that is to be, an acquaintance of mine ? " 
 
 " Yes, indeed, and a very particular acquaintance, too." 
 
 " As there are so few who bear that relation, you must 
 mean Miss Vernon." 
 
 " I do," she answered, while her keen eye searched him, but 
 found nothing. 
 
 To which Park carelessly replied as he turned to his news 
 paper, " I supposed that to be an old story, as the lover in 
 vited me some twelve or fifteen days since." 
 
 " Has Mr. Featherstone been in town so long ? " she in 
 quired with well-affected surprise. 
 
 " Ay, truly ; I think that I dined with him a fortnight ago 
 to-day." 
 
 " What a strange man you are, Mr. Park, never to tell me ! 
 It seems so odd not to speak of that which could do no harm 
 to any one, and might be a satisfaction or a gratification to 
 many." > . 
 
 " Don t you think secrecy a good quality, Mrs. Summers ? " 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 193 
 
 "Why, what do you mean, Mr. Park?" 
 
 " I mean, if one can read another, would you like to have 
 him read aloud ? " 
 
 " I don t know what you allude to," said she, coloring ; " but 
 you have made a mistake once, and you may again." 
 
 Park smiled, for he was somewhat amused at the keenness 
 of the retort, yet saw no reason for further remark ; while 
 the widow thought him as uninteresting in conversation, as he 
 appeared to be destitute of that warmth of heart which she 
 had seen in Featherstone, and so admired in any one. 
 
 At length the evening for the marriage ceremony came, and 
 the widow Summers, dressed very becomingly, thanks to her 
 own ingenuity, had been set down punctual to the moment, 
 as she was anxious to see all. She hovered very near, during 
 the ceremony, and on the first opportunity for congratulations, 
 she said very softly to the bride, " I have been through it all, 
 and know precisely how you feel ; but you controlled your feel 
 ings perfectly ; there was not the slightest agitation, and I never 
 saw you look so smiling and beautiful before." 
 
 Then turning to one of the bridemaids, and continuing in 
 the $ame half whisper, she said, " How fine-looking Mr. Feath 
 erstone is ! and how perfectly he has caught your southern 
 manner, which is so captivating ! I wish you would persuade 
 him to wear a mustache, it gives one so distinguished an air." 
 
 " They do give a peculiar expression ; they have a kind of 
 chivalrous look, and make one think of knights and deeds in 
 arms." 
 
 " Yes, indeed," said the widow ; " and of the Turks, and of 
 those beautiful creatures who come from Italy to play and 
 sing the operas. And he would be quite like those, if he only 
 had that last touch ; and then it attracts attention, just like a 
 flourish under a name on a subscription list. What a pity that 
 he has none ! " 
 
 17 
 
194 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 "They are very easy of production," said Featherstone, 
 who had heard many of her words, as she had intended them 
 mostly for his ear. 
 
 " What if I object ? " queried Aurelia, playfully. 
 
 " I should say that your objection came too late to be part 
 of our contract." 
 
 " But in so trifling a thing you would not refuse me." 
 
 " Trifling things are not to be insisted upon," he answered 
 with a warm smile, yet in a way to close the conversation. 
 
 If this made Aurelia look sad for an instant, she quickly 
 vibrated to merriment, and seemed to have no serious thought. 
 
 Mrs. Summers was so elated with the attention which she 
 had received, that she felt like patronizing some one ; and see 
 ing a lady of her acquaintance standing alone, she, rather 
 superfluously it might be, excused herself to the group, and 
 joining her, inquired, after the usual compliments of such an 
 evening, " Have you seen the beautiful bridal presents ? " 
 
 " No, I have not ; although I am aware that they are get 
 ting to be the chief attraction of such occasions." 
 
 " Well," said the widow, putting her hand within the arm 
 of her friend, " you must go with me and feast your eyes. 
 Do you know Aurelia ? O, yes, I remember now, you do : 
 what a perfect creature ! and she is a particular friend of 
 mine, and so is Mr. Featherstone, and he is so generous. But 
 they are all generous ; only see what generous friends they 
 have. I do really wish that it had been the custom to give so 
 when we were married don t you ? " 
 
 Her companion, who was rather of a practical turn, replied, 
 "They are pretty costly ventures ; and I have no doubt that 
 many of them will prove to be gifts or losses, which in this 
 class of cases is the same thing. But can you tell me what 
 they intend to do with twenty fish trowels, when one or two 
 are quite sufficient for housekeeping ? " 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 195 
 
 " 0, I noticed that, and have thought it all over. It is just 
 as I should like to have it, were it my case ; for no one will 
 be likely to feel compelled to make more than eighteen or 
 nineteen wedding presents in all their lives ! So they can do 
 these trowels up and deal them out as occasion may require ; 
 and, in that way, they will get every thing else for nothing." 
 
 Here their attention- was diverted to the company, who, 
 gathering densely in the parlors, began to press around the 
 plate and jewelry tables, where they lingered, and silently 
 gazed, as if dazzled and overawed ; or breathed low-mur- 
 mured admiration until their souls seemed small and dim 
 beside the minutest and most feeble gem. Never did golden 
 calf receive more true and heart-felt worship. Yet how few 
 of those who so adored, like the unselfish daughters of Israel, 
 would have devoted their trinkets to the formation of their 
 god ! 
 
 The stillness of the guests during the ceremony, and the 
 low hum and measured words of the first moments of recep 
 tion, had heightened into mirthful sounds from every part of 
 the large and well-filled apartments. The tide of life had 
 ceased to flow towards the bridal group ; and Featherstone, as 
 there was nothing which absolutely required him to stand 
 there longer, abdicated his station to meet his more intimate 
 associates in the refreshment room, where he appeared to be 
 relieved, and grew bright with glad exhilaration, and tarried 
 long. 
 
 The bride still remained on the spot where she had made 
 her vows. And although her beauty was so perfect of outline 
 that even regal apparel could neither lend grace nor improve 
 proportion, yet, like the evening star, she seemed more lovely 
 for the half-veiling vapor. If there was a slight appearance 
 of tension in her features, if her lip was like a bow partly 
 drawn, it was too joyous an hour for any one to analyze for 
 
196 THE M U S T E E , OR 
 
 the cause. If she was profuse in smiles, few saw that they 
 were almost as much a surface quality as the gleam of her 
 gems, and none suspected that her lively remarks were in 
 tended to be a screen rather than an exhibition of her heart. 
 Little as she had heeded it, in that secret place there was a 
 shadow which no outward light could allay, and no turning 
 away of the ear leave its whispers unheard. Such a visitant 
 may be made to rest from troubling, for a time ; it may yield, 
 for a season, to the intoxications of life ; but, when weariness 
 comes, it will arise to haunt the soul, and amid woes, however 
 direful, it will vindicate its preeminence. 
 
 Beside Aurelia stood one of her maids of honor a crea 
 ture fair and young, who listened to the vivacious but fitful 
 conversation of the bride admiringly, for Nature had fashioned 
 her mind, as she had formed her person, in one of her fondest 
 moods. As they stood there, near each other, they presented 
 a fine contrast ; one seemed a garden growth, while the other 
 had the characteristics, and something of the timidity, of the 
 forest flower. One had the full and regular form of the 
 warm-odored pine tree, which we select and place for orna 
 ment, while the other was more like a whispering birch by 
 the brink of some clear and sweetly-secluded water. They 
 were nearly of the same height also ; and, judged from their 
 outline alone, the bride appeared much the stronger; but when 
 you saw their motions and their glances, you would learn that 
 one might bear Diana s bow through all the sylvan scene, 
 while the other was dreaming with Venus in her bower. In 
 keeping with this, the eyes of one had the hue and the light 
 of morning ; those of the other, the darkness of night and the 
 gleam of stars. 
 
 At length, in the midst of their conversation, Park ap 
 peared. He had considered the invitation carefully, even 
 painfully, and came to the conclusion that his absence would 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 197 
 
 be much more likely to cause remark than his presence ; and 
 one of his maxims favored the course, which was " Look 
 fate in the face." 
 
 He was dressed in black, though not specially, for it was 
 the only color in which he felt perfectly at ease, and, con 
 trary to his custom, his coat was buttoned across his chest, 
 as if feeling the necessity of a shield, and making more ap 
 parent his sword-like form. His face was calm and impen 
 etrable as marble; yet he entered with the feelings of one who 
 searches, amid the murder and the moan of the battle field, 
 for a fallen brother. 
 
 It was some relief, as he crossed the apartment, to see that 
 Featherstone was not with the bride ; for he had shown him 
 self coarse. and callous, to say the least; therefore he feared 
 that any words of greeting which he might feel compelled to 
 utter to him would be but a half-subdued echo of his con 
 tempt. With this abatement it was a heavy hour. Yet, bit 
 ter as was his own disappointment, he could feel some pity for 
 the bride ; for he knew that the materials of the marriage 
 would never form a union ; that the deeper-thirst of her na 
 ture could not be long satisfied at this fountain, however it 
 sparkled now. 
 
 As he caught her eye he had a glimpse of her heart, as we 
 behold a landscape in the black night by a flash of lightning ; 
 and as deeper darkness follows thereon, so she shrouded it, 
 for the moment ; and on the next instant, while extending her 
 hand, a smile spread over her features as soft as the light of 
 a serene heaven, and she spoke volubly the commonplaces of 
 the hour. 
 
 But Park s discovery so entirely unlocked for then 
 
 had thrown him into such a tumult that he could not catch 
 
 her tone, and he would strike no other, which seeing, she 
 
 came immediately to his relief by saying, " It gives me pleas- 
 
 17* 
 
198 
 
 ure, Mr. Park, to introduce you to my friend Miss McRae ; 
 and you may take his arm, Annie, to the refreshment room, 
 while I speak to my mother." 
 
 As they turned away, Park felt that her eye was on him, 
 and, raising his, he saw its deep once more open, with a vast 
 space which seemed vacant and lone, yet it instantly closed as 
 before. 
 
 Walking towards the refreshment room, Park tried to think 
 of something that he might say to the lady who accompanied 
 him ; but his thoughts were tumultuous, and would follow 
 only Aurelia. So he was compelled to the simplest form, 
 and inquired, " Do you reside in the city, Miss McRae ? " 
 
 " No, I do not ; though only so far out as Greenville." 
 
 "Ah ! I have a client of your name who lives in^ that town." 
 
 " He is my father ; and I have often heard him speak of 
 you, as he has great hope that you may gain his case." 
 
 " If we can ever get to trial," said Park, glad to take refuge 
 from his feelings in so familiar a topic, " I think we may suc 
 ceed." 
 
 " You must not be too anxious for a decision, for my father 
 has busied himself with it so long, that, when it shall be finally 
 determined, he will feel that his occupation is gone ; therefore 
 I give you full liberty to continue, and continue, to the ex 
 tent of your ingenuity." 
 
 " That, in many cases, would be a valuable privilege ; but 
 in this, as my fee, for the most part, depends on success, I am 
 somewhat anxious to have it concluded ; and I think that I 
 must go out there soon to see what kind of territory I am 
 about to own." 
 
 " My father will be pleased to see you, and point out your 
 domain. I walk over it, with him, almost every pleasant day ; 
 and while he searches for boundaries, I seek for berries or 
 nuts, or stand silent within the gothic cathedral of the woods." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 199 
 
 " You well name the forest thus, having felt the awe that 
 whispers through its arches. When the ancient Germans 
 gave up their sylvan worship, they shaped the rocks of God s 
 house into the form, and traced them to the semblance, of that 
 first temple ; and what of wildness they could not transfer, was 
 a loss of solemnity ; indeed, no work of man s hands can give 
 the thrill and impressiveness of the old woods." 
 
 " Truly, I feel that to be so ; while the scream of a jay, or 
 the chirp of a squirrel, within its solemn aisles, stirs me deeper 
 and makes me more thoughtful than any note of organ or mel 
 ody of chanting." 
 
 They soon after returned to the parlors, when Park, observ 
 ing Mrs. Fardel, left Miss McRae with a group of friends who 
 had gathered around, and joined her. That lady looked a 
 little disturbed on seeing him approach, but quickly command 
 ing herself, she smilingly alluded to the interesting occasion, 
 and said, " Brian, you are getting to be my bachelor cousin. 
 I should think that this would remind you that it was time to 
 turn your thoughts on the subject of marriage. Now, if you 
 had only been with us this summer, I could have introduced 
 you to two beautiful young ladies of fortune ; and, really, 
 I wish that you had been there, for I know you would have 
 liked either one of them well enough to have married her 
 and I have not the slightest doubt but that I could have ar 
 ranged it nicely. Indeed, this to-night is mostly my handi 
 work ; and isn t it a triumph for Aurelia ? " 
 
 " Do you desire my opinion in relation to it ? " inquired 
 Park, in a warning voice. 
 
 " Yes, certainly ; for. you cannot but think it brilliant," she 
 replied, though with a startled air. 
 
 " You may prepare yourself, then, to listen, not to compli 
 ment, but to truth. If there has been a triumph, it was over 
 virtue ; and the brilliancy that you speak of is a consuming 
 
200 T H E 
 
 flame. The world, doubtless, will congratulate her on the 
 apparent success ; yet she seems to me to have been bitten 
 by a tarantula ; and you think her happy because you see the 
 glowing excitement of the insane dance ; but it will pass soon 
 pass utterly ; and when the virus has done its final work, 
 the friends who enticed her to the mournful step may have 
 an opportunity to look upon the consequences of their folly." 
 
 " I hope you do not think that I did it ! " said his surprised 
 cousin. 
 
 " I believe that you laid claim to it a moment since." 
 
 " I did ? I m sure I meant no such thing ! " 
 
 " Why do you seek to evade a confession of the truth ? 
 You are a mercenary match-maker, and have to descend only 
 one step lower to earn the vilest name which I know." 
 
 " "What is that, pray ? I never heard any one talk as you 
 do, Brian, in all my life. I think you are the one who is 
 insane ! What word do you mean ? " 
 
 " Do you wish to hear it or do you fear it ? Yet, in 
 either case, I shall not utter it. But you may consult the 
 dictionary ; and permit me to advise you not to pause in the 
 search until you think that you have found the worst." 
 
 So ending, he turned and left her with a theme for med 
 itation. 
 
 Seeing that some persons were taking leave, Park approached 
 the bridal group ; when, hearing Mrs. Summers say to Aurelia, 
 " I believe that I must bid you good night," he immediately 
 offered her his arm, for he saw in it a fine opportunity to 
 make his escape, which she accepted with evident surprise 
 and pleasure ; maintaining, forever after, that he was one of 
 the most polite and elegant men that she had known, or seen, 
 even in the " higher circles." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 201 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Drain off the soul 
 
 Of human joy ; and make it pain to live 
 And is it then to live ? When such friends part, 
 Tis the survivor dies. My heart, no more ! 
 
 YOUNG. 
 
 IN the course of the day on which Featherstone left his 
 house so like a thief, I say so like, because all that the slave 
 hath belongs by law to the master, Flora went up to the 
 room, and seeing a newspaper spread out over her dressing 
 table, she took it up and, looking upon it, her eye immediately 
 fell on a marked passage a passage relating to the death of 
 Rufus Merton. Reading it, her eyes filled ; not on account 
 of the generous and appreciating spirit of the article, but in 
 unison with the thronging recollections which flowed through 
 her heart ; not one of which but was either grateful or ten 
 der. And long she sat and wept, thinking of that lonely suf 
 ferer so far away, with no soothing voice to revive the fading 
 light of his eye, no loving hand to clasp in his, as he hung 
 over the steep and fearful declivity. 
 
 At length, recovering something of her usual composure, 
 she cut the paragraph from the paper, and having made it 
 secure, her gaze rested a moment on her dressing table ; 
 when, observing some disarrangement there, she examined 
 further, and finding what had been done, came to the conclu 
 sion that Featherstone had gone with the intention of returning 
 no more. Over this she fell into another abyss of thought ; 
 but finally ascended from it, something agitated, yet closing 
 with deep satisfaction. For she knew the fierce determination 
 
202 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 of Featherstone, and his dogged persistence ; and they well 
 nigh dispelled all fears of any further molestation from that 
 quarter, which, in so short a period, had put on horror s shape : 
 whatever else might come, this was a reprieve for which she 
 gave sincere and glad thanks to the Father of mercies. 
 
 So, after a time, she went down to the sitting room, appar 
 ently calm and strong ; and there, continuing her musing, 
 Fred came softly to her side, and looked up into her face 
 inquiringly. On this she took him into her lap, and held him 
 long ; the while frequently pressing him to her heart, and 
 kissing him often, being scarce willing to let him return to 
 his play. And, when she loosed him, he chose to remain 
 away but a moment ; for he would look up from amid his 
 toys, and see something in her expression that drew him again 
 to her side, to be again taken to her bosom. 
 
 It was not long, however, before he fell asleep in her arms ; 
 and then she said to Madam, " I think Mr. Merton " for 
 that was the name which she had been taught to call him, in 
 stead of father " remains abroad a long time, mother ; 
 did he contemplate being absent for such a period when he 
 departed ? " 
 
 " My dear child, I have no expectation of seeing him while 
 I live," replied Madam ; " for although he did not say that he 
 should return no more, still, from the many ways in which 
 intelligence escapes, I had little hope that he would come here 
 again ; while now he has been away so long that I have ceased 
 to watch for him. Indeed, when we parted, I felt that it was 
 final ; so that I followed him to the door feeling each dividing 
 step like a dying groan ; and if I ever see him dead, I know I 
 shall find the same expression on his countenance." 
 
 " Why did he leave, mother, if it so cut him to the heart ?" 
 
 " He had some trouble preying upon him, which he would 
 not disclose. It may be that he thought our way of life 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 203 
 
 wrong, and went forth to avoid it further. That, in truth, was 
 what I suspected for a long time ; yet his sudden and singular 
 departure surprised and astonished me." 
 
 " I imagined, long ago, that it was something more than a 
 desire to see foreign lands, something stronger than the ties 
 of business," said Flora ; " for I knew that his heart was 
 here, as I never heard a tone from him, when he addressed 
 you, which was not the very breath of love." 
 
 " Yes, that is most true ; no coldness or doubt ever came 
 to divide us ; he went out sorrowing went as though he saw 
 no friendly-shining light beyond." 
 
 " Yet he may have found peace, mother ; for when we fol 
 low the monitions of conscience, the sky clears and the heav 
 ens open." 
 
 " It cheers me to hear you speak so, my daughter ; for I 
 believe that you have strength and resolution to carry out 
 your conviction, let it lead where it may ; and I have gathered 
 consolation to myself from observing it." 
 
 " lie, too, may have found rest," suggested Flora. 
 
 " Do you think that he is dead ? " asked Madam, agitated ; 
 for it had looked out from Flora s countenance. " Have you 
 heard any thing ? " 
 
 " There is news of him, from Naples." 
 
 " Is he sick is he suffering ? O, I would have followed 
 him through all the world, had it been in my power. Pray 
 tell me what you have heard." 
 
 " Dear mother, he does not suffer now." 
 
 " Then he is surely dead ! O that I should be so severed 
 from him would that I might have died for him, or closed 
 my eyes with him ! Can those who so loved be forever 
 parted?" 
 
 " In a few brief years years necessary for healing and 
 preparation He who placed us here will call us home." 
 
204 THE 
 
 OR 
 
 " Yes, it can be but a little time ; the hour is not distant." 
 
 "Dear mother," interposed Flora, "we should walk this 
 round of Time with a firm step ; and the thorns which grow 
 there and pierce us will let out life when it is better to die 
 than to live. My path also appears dark, but I shall not 
 shrink from it, for I know that the Father leads me ; and al 
 though that path seems a broken curve, from the clouds which 
 gather around and obscure it, yet I have faith that I can look 
 back, when my course shall be closing, and see a perfect 
 circle." 
 
 " I hope you may, my daughter ; and it relieves some 
 thing of the heavy weight on my heart to know that you 
 so feel ; but I grow weak under it, so that sorrow is rny com 
 panion." 
 
 " It is not well, mother, to be continually counting the beads 
 of woe ; you should rather call to mind how many among us 
 are compelled to grope and toil in infinite darkness ; while we, 
 by favor and education, can lay hold of the thoughts of all the 
 wise, and soar on the hopes of all the righteous." 
 
 Do you call that a blessing, child, which gives us wings 
 only that we may beat them to bleeding against the bars of 
 our prison ? Could I have struck off my chains, might I have 
 reached liberty, do you think that thought, or hope, could have 
 held me back ? No ; I would have followed him, as they say 
 the seal does the songs of the sailors. O, had I been so fa 
 vored as to be with him in his last hours, to have received the 
 last light of his eye, the last sigh of his love, I could have 
 returned to the cotton field, or the cane field, and handled the 
 implements of such hot and exhausting labor, for the remain 
 der of my life, as though they had been the dear memorials 
 of his unchanging heart ; but this sweet and holy gift of na 
 ture has been taken from our race, to make my heart bleed 
 always, and at times rise up in wild defiance." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 205 
 
 * But, dear mother, that terrible bereavement, you know, is 
 at an end now by the will of Mr. Merton." 
 
 " Such provision may be of advantage to you, Flora ; but 
 for me it comes too late." 
 
 " Yet you have told me, mother, that he offered you free 
 dom long ago ! " 
 
 " True, he did ; but then I feared that it would be separa 
 tion ! Do you think I could so much as look at it, when it put 
 on that aspect ? No ! Were it the world, or love, can you 
 believe that I would have paused, for an instant, to try them 
 in the balance ? Why, every morning since his departure I 
 have long looked to the east, but have seen neither waning 
 star nor ascending sun, for I was lost in him." 
 
 " I have seen that yours was a deep bereavement, dear 
 mother ; yet we, who may not know what is best for us, should 
 not look frowningly, or even doubtfully, on the irresistible 
 current which sweeps us on. It is, indeed, hard to be divided 
 from those whom we love ; still, they are strongest who walk 
 alone, for all great achievement is the growth of solitude." 
 
 " That may be true in the development of your life, but, if 
 it ever might have been in mine, I feel it now to be too late. 
 I am like a vine, that, long clinging to the tree which gave it 
 most generous shelter and support, suddenly finds it prone and 
 uprooted ; and finds, also, every tendril of its nature so en 
 twined with the limbs of the fallen, that it feels ashamed of 
 its own greenness, while the leaves of the other are sear and 
 departing and may I not spurn at the flexibility which still 
 keeps me rooted to the earth ? " 
 
 " Mother, if God has fixed his canon against self-slaughter, 
 they break the commandment as surely who nourish a wasting 
 grief as they who strike into their own bosoms, with quick 
 stroke, the gleaming weapon of despair. I know that there 
 may be instances where even that would be a rightful protection 
 18 
 
206 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 from violence. Roman Lucretia was slow with the dagger 
 that could alone have saved her from the lust of Tarquin ; 
 still, for all grief over separation, or the grave, there is nobler 
 and diviner solace. We, indeed, in our youthful days, believe 
 that only in another can we find sweet happiness and con 
 tinuing joy ; yet she who founds on any other rock, than that 
 which the Creator has placed beneath each individual of the 
 myriad race, may come to find herself an intruder or an out 
 cast. I think that there is capacity, in every rational soul, for 
 a charming life within its own peculiar realm ; and the more 
 cultivated it is, the more glorious will be all true companion 
 ship ; no false or unkind one can ever make it desolate, for he 
 will be closed out before he is aware, and triple brass will for 
 ever defy his return." 
 
 " I am proud of your strength, my daughter, and when I 
 look that way I am calm. But, when I retire alone, I enter a 
 gloomy cell, relieved only by a faint light from above ; long, 
 long have its walls been damp and cold, and now it seems 
 drear and desolate. O, can any one think that I ought to con 
 tinue there ? " 
 
 " No, not there, dear mother ; but to my heart you should 
 come, and live for me and my child." 
 
 " Flora, if you knew how much, to me, you resemble 
 your father, you would not desire it ; for I sit and fix my 
 eyes on you until I seem to see him ; yet no tears come, 
 though my aching heart bleeds over this haunting spectre of 
 bereavement ; and, when it vanishes, I have no wish but to fol 
 low it, even were it to enter the grave and descend to torture ! " 
 
 " For moments, for months even, I can conceive of one s 
 being so lost in another ; but for a lifetime, that is the fulness 
 of hope. O, what must that man be who so takes possession 
 of the heart and bears it, as did Douglas that of Bruce towards 
 the Holy Land." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 207 
 
 " Mr. Merton came to my side when I saw something be 
 fore me, glaring on me, which was more dreadful than death 
 to the young ; and he pitied, relieved, and loved me. Thence, 
 for twenty years, he made my life more sweet than any dream 
 which agitates a maiden s bosom, or any hope that genius 
 feels when he is fashioning his thoughts into immortal forms. 
 I would not exchange even the memory of it for all the ex 
 chequers of kings, or all the expectations of the just. I know 
 that love leaps from innumerable thoughtless lips in words, 
 and melts away in kisses, to return no more. But bliss, un 
 speakable and unquenchable, is still a visitant below ; yet it is 
 born only of the union of those great hearts whose affection is 
 so full and perfect that it forms an atmosphere around its object 
 as elastic as the air, and soft and warm as summer sunshine." 
 
 " You have seen, mother, what I have not seen, found what 
 I have not found ; yet I feel that I have acquired strength as I 
 advanced, while you appear to have lost it. Strange is the 
 destiny which takes each of us by the hand, and leads so near, 
 yet so diversely, that my theories weigh nought in your scale, 
 as your experience affords no clew to guide me on my way. 
 Indeed, if we reflect, we shall find that we can have but little 
 help from one another beyond that which is merely tempo 
 rary, for out from each private soul does the chart of its true 
 course unroll ; while the Infinite Father hides the footprints 
 of his children, who have passed over this strand of time, and 
 gone out on the unfathomable deep, as effectually and as wisely 
 as those of ships upon the ocean. It seems to me manifest 
 that he has appointed to each one of us a particular way, with 
 an inclination to walk therein ; and the brave will keep it, let 
 it lead where it may ; at least so life opens on my vision." 
 
 " Such views are not for me," said Madam, mournfully. 
 " I cannot reason upon my loss to weigh what remains j nei 
 ther can I see my way, for my light has gone out." 
 
208 THE MUSTEK, OR 
 
 " Dear mother, all I meant was consolation." 
 " I know and feel it, my child, but when I look for it I can 
 see only a grave." 
 
 So flow despondency s dim tears, 
 Amid the ruins of our years, 
 When the loved one is cold and low, 
 And in the clouds no beaming bow 
 Upbears our hope to where appears 
 The inspiring faith of bards and seers. 
 If death more tenderly endears, 
 Is Love so blind as to deplore 
 The parting from the changeful shore ? 
 Can she not see, within the mind, 
 The wings for deepest heaven designed, 
 And in the storm that darkens o er her day 
 A field to form them for the glorious way ? 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 209 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Riches are oft by guilt and baseness earned, 
 Or dealt by chance to shield a lucky knave, 
 Or throw a cruel sunshine on a fool. 
 
 ARMSTRONG. 
 
 THE levee at New Orleans presents the finest view of a 
 mart of commerce, all open to one sweep of the eye, which 
 the trade of nations has created. Over all that vast and ex 
 tended border of the city, the merchandise and the manufac 
 tures which have arrived, with the staples and produce that 
 are going, those to find their ways to the heart and extremi 
 ties of the continent, on the myriad steamers of the rivers and 
 bays ; and these to go down to the gulf in ships, thence to 
 thread their courses over all the globe, give this strange 
 town in the water an attraction which once drew the merchants 
 to Venice, and, crowning her with riches, helped to nourish 
 that gayety which still sings along the lagunes, and is fast 
 opening into vigor and splendor here. 
 
 Adventurers from a wide region gather to this city ; and 
 among them are found the rude and ignorant, as well as the 
 refined and polished: to the number New England contrib 
 utes many a shameful, as well as many a noble specimen. If 
 you step into the low rum shops to see who poisons and plun 
 ders the sailor, alas ! too often you will find him a Yankee. 
 Yet, if you pass over to the ships, you may mark the same 
 pervading and persistent race, walking their quarter decks and 
 filling their places with undisputed preeminence. 
 
 Bill Frink, the proprietor of one of the aforesaid shops, was 
 18* 
 
210 THE MUST BE, OR 
 
 born in New England, in a family which had been reduced to 
 poverty by drunkenness. So, at the age of thirteen, he be 
 came a bar boy in the village tavern, partly out of pity which 
 the landlord felt for the family, but mostly to work out a debt 
 which his father owed him for drink. He remained there until 
 he was sixteen, at which time he had acquired a stock of knowl 
 edge and of experience that it is full soon at twenty-five to 
 know, if, indeed, it must be known at all. At that period, 
 the keeper of a New Orleans saloon saw his skill, and learning 
 his condition, privately engaged him to go out and mix liquors 
 in his bar. 
 
 Bill s parents had but one child living besides himself 
 they had lost many from want and exposure when he left 
 home, according to his agreement, without giving due notice. 
 The name of that one was Joseph, although at that period of 
 his life Joe was the extent of it it grew afterwards. Joe 
 was a stubbed, shock-headed urchin, of five years standing, 
 who could and would spend half a day beside a mud puddle 
 stoning a frog with exulting satisfaction. 
 
 The mother of these hopefuls had so hard a life of it that it 
 was difficult to tell what she was, or might have been, under 
 less depressing circumstances. As it was, she had a bewil 
 dered look, as though she sat in the shadow of a wilderness 
 which gave no outlet. Yet, in the midst of a weary struggle 
 for daily bread, which was not always successful, she tried 
 hard to fix Joe s attention on the Bible ; and continued, through 
 many years, to read portions of it to him while he stuck pins 
 through flies, or set fire to the flax on her distaff; for he at 
 that age, and indeed long after, would never give his full at 
 tention to any part, except to the account of the plague of 
 frogs in Egypt ; and even that he did not appear to enjoy un 
 less he was allowed to grasp a stone in each hand. 
 
 The drunken father roused up somewhat after Bill disap- 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 211 
 
 peared, and contrived, by a little extra exertion, to steer clear 
 of the poorhouse, although he drifted around in full sight of 
 that port on the lee shore of life, now standing off and now on, 
 with tattered sails, and half swayed up at that, for the remain 
 der of his pilgrimage, which was not destined to be patriarchal. 
 
 Bill continued in his new position in the saloon for two 
 years, looking sharply about him, and managing to save all 
 his own income, with part of his employer s also. At the ex 
 piration of that term he took a small shop, fronting on the 
 levee, and fitted it up for the purpose of selling liquor on his 
 own account. It was not a striking place, except in a bruis 
 ing sense; indeed, it was low, for it is more than twenty 
 years since Bill went out there, having two rooms on the 
 lower floor, with nothing over, only a kind of garret chamber, 
 as the roof alone covered it. 
 
 In this place Bill sold every variety of liquor which was in 
 vogue, or inquired after; although he never purchased any 
 kinds but pure spirits and whiskey. His stock was all native 
 production, except a few drugs and dyewoods which he ob 
 tained of the importers, and which gave color to the statement 
 that his rum, gin, wines, and brandy were all, as he swore they 
 were, from foreign ports, and were the choicest that could be 
 had. This shows his natural aptitude for the business ; and 
 add thereto his stock of jokes, yarns, and anecdotes, which re 
 tained the sailors and loafers that the spirits drew there, of 
 course he prospered. 
 
 As Bill got money, he bought slaves, and set them at work 
 on the levee, lading or unlading vessels, and fed and lodged 
 them in the chamber of his store the only entrance to which 
 was a trap-door opening through the floor, and reached by a 
 ladder, which he took away at night, on closing the shop, ere 
 he turned into his own bunk below. 
 
 Continuing to increase in substance, which he, in common 
 
212 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 with so many others of the ignorant, thought to be position 
 and distinction also, he began to talk to his gaping or boozy 
 audience on politics he having picked up a few cant phrases 
 and hackneyed expressions from the " stumpers." Yet, when 
 he had dealt those out with particular emphasis, and played 
 the part of parrot to his party newspaper, he generally found 
 himself " snagged," for he had few ideas of his own, how 
 ever native to him might be a narrow vein of coarse wit, 
 and so, with an oath, he would end off in this wise : " Gen 
 tlemen, I could talk on them p ints a week, if I on y had words ; 
 but my arely edication was neglected. Now, if they d on y 
 sent me to college, I d have dead beat the man what made the 
 universalist." Bill s education* was limited, for he meant the 
 university. 
 
 Bill Frink was one of that very numerous class who im 
 agine that there is a great deal more in education than there 
 really is ; inasmuch as it never yet gave an idea, and never 
 will. It can only give forms of expression ; the thought to be 
 expressed Nature gives ; and she will continue to be the be- 
 stower of that commodity wherever it is found. He, however, 
 supposed it to have talismanic power ; and, consequently, when 
 he felt that he was able, he wrote a letter to one of the dea 
 cons of the church in his native village containing a check of 
 value, and also the following directions : " I want you to catch 
 my brother Joe, and dress him up, and send him to school, 
 and have him put right through in tip-top style ; for, damn 
 me," (I quote from the record,) " I, Bill Frink, can afford it ! 
 If they ve got any thing ag in havin poor boys, I ll buy their 
 old college, or burn it ! damn me if I don t. Now, what I 
 want o you is, to see as how he s put through right, and you ll 
 git your pay for the job. I reckon it s high time somebody 
 by the name of Frink blowed out ; and I d done it somehow 
 if I d had half a chance ; but I s pose all the pews war jam 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 213 
 
 full ; at any rate, I warn t warned to train in that company ; 
 if they d on y done it, I d beat the man what made the col 
 lege." 
 
 In virtue of these instructions, the boy Joe, being about 
 eleven years of age, was caught, and taken away from the 
 frogs, from stealing birds eggs, and worrying cats, and sent 
 to prepare for college. He was not troubled with home 
 sickness. Finding much better food, and more of it, than he 
 had been accustomed to, he digested well, and was contented. 
 
 Bill continued to come down handsomely, as he expressed 
 it, until he saw Joe settled over a parish although he was 
 rather knocked aback when he found that the educated Frink 
 was going to turn out nothing but a minister. He, however, 
 did not think meanly of the clerical calling in all particulars, 
 as he was in the habit of saying, (Bill was an observer,) " It 
 is the surest dodge to git a woman as is rich for a wife that 
 was ever scared up ; for they hover round, or kneel down all 
 along on the track, and look so solemn, tu, all the time, I swow ! 
 that tis enough to make a feller snort right out in meetin 
 tis, by thunder ! " 
 
 The deacon had given Bill, from time to time, very satis 
 factory accounts of Joe s studies ; for he was pertinacious and 
 plodding, and, consequently, took fair rank as a scholar. He 
 liked, also, to pick over the cinders and sift the ashes of an 
 cient fires, which gave him the notice of some learned doctors, 
 who, particularly favoring dry subjects, spoke of him as a 
 promising young antiquary. Pie was commended by some, 
 too, for independence ; he having a brusk manner to the com 
 mon people, which shallow observers so name, just in propor 
 tion to its rudeness ; but this was in his nature a scar of his 
 origin. 
 
 I -ill Frink was a large and powerfully-made man, standing 
 over six feet, and had been gradually taking on flesh for some 
 
214 THE M US TEE, OR 
 
 years ; so that he looked to weigh two hundred and fifty 
 pounds. Joe, on the contrary, was short which may be 
 traced to the leanness of the larder in his father s house 
 while a child, or to the tightness of his clothes, as his lower 
 limbs appeared to have been cramped by some process. While 
 Bill was a boy there was a more ample supply of cloth and 
 cookery. 
 
 As the elder brother went on prospering in business from 
 year, to year, he, of course, increased his stock of whiskey and 
 negroes, and became the owner of the estate of which, in the 
 outset, he was only the lessee. He raised and extended the 
 building, also, and consequently enlarged his scale of living ; 
 and, among other things, purchased a shining Congo woman 
 to do the cooking, or, in truth, any thing which he might desire 
 her to do. 
 
 Bill aspired, too, in other ways, affecting style and leader 
 ship ; and although, somehow, he could never keep himself 
 quite clean, particularly his big red hands and rosy face, as 
 they were so moist that they caught all the dust which came 
 near, yet he believed in his charms ; for he dressed expen 
 sively, and always in bright colors and large figures ; and 
 wore so many chams and rings withal, that a Californian 
 might have found " good diggings " almost any where on his 
 person. His success led him to take his meals at one of the 
 fashionable hotels, and pass most of the evenings in places of 
 amusement, and much of the night in the saloons, where lie 
 always found a hearty welcome ; for he was open-handed, and 
 when he " treated," which was often, he invited the crowd ; 
 and he meant it too being as active in bringing up the lag 
 gards to the line of the bar as ever Mr. Hackett was in form 
 ing his militia company on the stage. 
 
 At the time when Bill Frink s story began to flow into, and 
 mingle with, the current of this narrative, his gang of negroes 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 215 
 
 were about to discharge the cargo of a vessel belonging to 
 New York, and late from Glasgow. 
 
 Frank Elery, the captain of the ship, was a native of the 
 Old Colony ; and, though still a young man, was every inch a 
 sailor. With square shoulders, full chest, slim waist, straight 
 limbs, and nervous temperament, he seemed formed both for 
 strength and activity ; while the flash of his eye, when aroused, 
 was like a gleaming banner to lead his forces on ; and nature 
 and habit had bestowed on him the full port of command, so 
 that he could govern without severity, and be kind without 
 appearing weak. He had left school, and his father s house, 
 at sixteen years of age, leaving in the minds of all his 
 mates a recollection of his brightness, kindness, courage, and 
 scholarship, to become a child of the ocean. Drawn away 
 from books, and the professional life which his parents had 
 intended, by that restless longing which the Sea awakens in 
 those whom she would entice to her bosom, he went out to 
 enlarge and liberalize his views in the observation of the vari 
 ous and opposite forms and customs of many people, who, it 
 must be conceded, are striving, as best they may, however 
 imperfect the progress or doubtful the result, to come into 
 harmony with eternal right. 
 
 "When Bill Frink went down to go on board Elery s ship, 
 with his gang, for the purpose of breaking bulk, a pair of 
 black, long-eared, powerfully -made dogs stood in the gangway 
 and threatened them, and seemed to be especially spiteful 
 towards the negroes ; although they would not permit Bill 
 himself to pass ; for the crew and officers were all at their 
 breakfast, and the dogs, of course, were on duty as ship- 
 keepers. 
 
 Hearing the music, Captain Elery said to his steward, 
 " Francis, step up and see what kind of game Luff and Trim 
 have opened on." 
 
216 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 Returning, the steward replied, " The stevedore and his 
 men, sir, are here to discharge the ship ; but the dogs won t 
 let em come on board, sir." 
 
 This was what he had supposed ; so, having finished his 
 coffee, he went up on deck, and whistling once, it laid the hair 
 on the dogs, and drew them to his side to leap up with more 
 friendly notes ; when, gently pulling their sleek ears, he said, 
 " To the galley, and speak for your breakfast ! " At this they 
 started off very deliberately for the designated place, and, giv 
 ing one bark, were admitted by the cook, and paid for their 
 watchful care. 
 
 As Frink came over the ship s side, he said, " I reckon 
 you ve got some smart dogs, captain." 
 
 " They will do to keep meat from spoiling," said Elery. 
 
 " I guess they d sooner spile meat if they on y had their 
 own way about it ! " 
 
 " 0, they won t hurt you," said the captain, smiling. 
 
 " In course not. I never knew a man to say any thing else 
 of a dog what he owned. Now, I ll tell you what, captain, I ll 
 bet a thousand dollars that they ll light on ary one of my nig 
 gers and throttle him, at the word l Go ! and we ll settle it on 
 the spot if you ll pay for the boy if they spile him I will, 
 by thunder ! " 
 
 " As that would be no great sport to me, I think I shall not 
 try it ; although I will engage to pay all damage which they 
 may do your men." 
 
 " O, yes ; I s pose they re chained up by about now ! " 
 
 " They are lying round loose, nights, and are apt to hail 
 every thing that heaves in sight, particularly if they attempt 
 to cross our hawse." 
 
 " O, I know by the looks that they re dogs as is dogs ; and 
 I like em all the better for bein up and dressed when any 
 body calls. Where d ye raise em ? " 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 217 
 
 " They were raised in Scotland, and are the sharpestgscented 
 breed in the world." 
 
 " You don t say so ! What ! be they hunters and watchers 
 tu ? " 
 
 " Look at their ears ; the heavier those are, the more per 
 fectly they exclude sound, and, therefore, the more cultivated 
 and keener the nose. An ancestor of these dogs hunted 
 with St. Hubert ; and one of the line tracked Wallace into 
 the fastnesses of the Highlands ; and another led pursuers on 
 the trail of Bruce." 
 
 " Whose niggers were them, I d like to know ? " 
 
 " They were not negroes, but men whom tyrants would have 
 bound with chains, for their love of liberty, and bravely daring 
 to struggle for its blessings." 
 
 " Wai, ye see, I guessed putty clost, if I didn t know but 
 leetle about it. Now, I reckon you must had putty good 
 schoolin ; but I hadn t the first sprinklin . If I on y had that, 
 captain, I d beat the man what made the college I would, 
 by thunder ! But I ve got a brother that ought to be struck 
 clean through with it, for the pickle cost me enough, any now ; 
 and he turned preacher, and is holding forth in Greenville, 
 right near York ; so I guess as how you must know him." 
 
 " I may have seen him, as I have been in the town several 
 times ; though I remember hearing that one of their min 
 isters had gone to Europe." 
 
 " That s him. He writ to me that he could do it without 
 cost, and he was goin to expose the winkin virgin ; and I 
 laughed right out I did, by thunder ! to think he was goin 
 to du it when she on y winked ! But you don t mean to tote 
 them dogs to sea agin, du ye ? " 
 
 " I thought I should take them round home, and have a 
 little sport in hunting foxes, or following the deer, in Plym 
 outh woods." 
 
 19 
 
218 THE M US TEE, OR 
 
 " You^ll find it too hot to hunt hounds when you git there ; 
 it ll be hissin hot it will, by thunder ! So you d better 
 leave em with me, and when you re here you can go out with 
 em jist as ye like. I ll keep em in shape." 
 
 " What will you give me for them ? " 
 
 " Give ! now ye don t ask any thing for dogs, du ye ? " 
 
 " Sometimes ; and we think these worth a trifle." 
 
 " Wai, that beats me ! About what do they vally at, in 
 cash ? " 
 
 " Seeing it is to you, I will sell them for fifty dollars." 
 
 " Is that so ? Now, by thunder ! you don t mean any sich 
 money ! " 
 
 " Yes, certainly ; nothing shorter." 
 
 On this, Frink drew out his wallet, and taking from it a 
 fifty-dollar note, with a five, also, handed them over to the 
 captain. 
 
 But Elery was evidently taken aback, and said, "You 
 do not intend it, do you ? What ! pay such a price for 
 dogs?" 
 
 " Yes ; that s the way I play for tricks." 
 
 " But what is the extra five for ? " 
 
 " For them collars and chains, as I s pose you d like to sell 
 the tacklin with the pair ; and if that s not middlin fair for 
 em, let some body else bid, and p raps I ll raise on em." 
 
 " O, that is ample ; but I was thinking about the dogs, for 
 I believe that I have got attached to them ; and, although you 
 have given me much more than I expected, if you choose to 
 leave them you may now, as I am willing to sacrifice some 
 thing to liking." 
 
 " You re mighty careful of me ! but, the fact is, I ve fell in 
 love with them are dogs tu ; and when that disorder fastens to 
 us we don t care what we pay to cure it we don t, by thun 
 der ! I know I ve forked over rather stout, captain, but I 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 219 
 
 guess I won t take any on it back, onless you re mighty anx 
 ious about it ? " 
 
 " I see that you are drawing out to windward of me, and I 
 suppose you mean to keep your luff ; so all I can ask now is, 
 that they receive good care, and when you wish to part with 
 em let me know it." 
 
 " I ll do that clean up to the handle but what s their 
 names ? " 
 
 " We call them Luff and Trim, The truth is, that while 
 we were becalmed on the coast of Scotland, they chased a 
 buck into the sea which we shot ; and on taking it into the 
 boat they whined to come on board ; and having the wind 
 heavy on the beam, the next day, they slid across deck into 
 the lee scuppers so often that the sailors called on them to 
 luff and trim, to fetch out and the names have stuck to 
 them." 
 
 At night, when they struck off work, Elery loaned Frink 
 his gun for hunting dogs readily follow that instrument 
 and unchaining the bloodhounds, placed the leashes in their 
 owner s hand. But they divined from other appearances that 
 it was something more than a chase that it was a final sepa 
 ration ; and, so feeling, they turned to him with a sadly re 
 proachful expression for such unkindness ; and then Luff laid 
 his muzzle in Elery s hand, while Trim licked it in emulous 
 affection. Yet, as they were his no more, he felt compelled 
 to say, " Go," and they went without hesitation, or ever a look 
 behind ! What their thoughts were we may not know ; but 
 the sailors were sorrowful as they watched their going ; and 
 the captain felt that he had done wrong, in doing violence to 
 their attachment to place and to him ; for, however* fierce their 
 natures were, they had ever strove caressingly for his pref 
 erence, and knew the meaning of his glance by the instinct 
 of love. 
 
220 THE M US TEE, OE 
 
 Some few days after the discharge of the cargo, Captain 
 Elery, meeting Frink in town, inquired how he liked the dogs. 
 
 " O, they re keen as a knife ; I hunted with em yesterday." 
 
 " Did you shoot any thing before them ? " 
 
 " No ; we didn t take no guns." 
 
 " What did they follow ? did you find out ? " 
 
 " Wai, they followed one of my niggers." 
 
 " Run away, I suppose ? " 
 
 " No, by thunder ! they know better than to try that ; we 
 turned one out jist to larn em a lesson in the higher branches." 
 
 " How did they work ? are they promising scholars ? " 
 
 " They performed fust rate : we let the darkie run down 
 into the swamp, arter tellin him, when he heard the hounds, to 
 climb a tree. So, when he was clean out o sight, we led down 
 the dogs and put em on ; and they took the scent right lively, 
 and went whoopin on the track into the swamp, raisin music 
 enough for a country muster, they did, by thunder ! and right 
 arter that we heard the nigger yell ! So we followed like 
 horses, expectin to find him laid out cold ; but he was in a 
 tree arter all the fuss ; though, when the hounds got there, he 
 hadn t clum so high but Trim grabbed him by the heel and 
 tore off a spectable piece. Hows ever, there pears to be 
 nough left now to keep him from fallin over back ards when 
 he looks up." 
 
 " Is it for such a purpose that you wanted my dogs ? Is 
 that the kind of game you intend that they shall follow ? " 
 
 " We s all let em have a leetle amusement, in that are line, 
 once in a while." 
 
 " Do you call that hunting ? are you such a devil as that ? 
 You ve got the bloody heart of a wolf, if that s your game ; 
 and, if you follow it, you ll be pulled down and torn by your 
 own dogs, or something worse." 
 
 " What hurt s that any more n to run down a deer ? They 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 221 
 
 ain t human ; the hounds know their scent from our n as quick 
 as they do a bear s ! That s the way I found out they wan t 
 our kind. And our doctors say it s in their bones, tu ; but I 
 don t know nothin about that, for, you see, I ve no edication ; 
 if I on y had that now, they wouldn t be nowhere. If I d 
 on y been to college I could beat half the Congress men ; I 
 could, by thunder ! " 
 
 " Certainly, I should think you might, judging from the size 
 of your fists." 
 
 " Damn em ! I could lick em with my naked tongue, I 
 know I could ! " - 
 
 " O, I have no doubt of it ! Yet I do not think it would be 
 in good taste ; and I fancy that you would get sick of it before 
 you finished the undertaking, if those whom I have seen are 
 as spotless as the average." 
 
 " Wai, you reckon as how I could du it, don t ye ? " 
 
 " Yes, most certainly ! I have an idea that you are up to 
 any thing in that line." 
 
 " If I d on y been to college I would du it ; I would, by 
 thunder ! " 
 
 " College could only smooth down your tongue, and make 
 your appetite delicate things which would prevent you from 
 doing it so effectually." 
 
 " Now don t, captain ; you spread it on a leetle tu thick ! 
 but you re tip-top ; and I m glad to see somebody who can un 
 derstand Bill Frink, and has some notion what he mought 
 have been, if he d on y gone to college. Come, let s take a 
 drink." 
 
 19* 
 
222 THE M US TEE, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Existence may be borne, and the deep root 
 Of life and sufferance make its firm abode 
 In bare and desolated bosoms ; mute 
 The camel labors with the heaviest load, 
 And the wolf dies in silence. 
 
 BYRON. 
 
 THE spring was fast opening in that southern climate, so 
 that, at the doors of all the places of entertainment, in the 
 passages of the courts and post office, and on the corners of 
 the streets, innumerable bunches of the most perfect roses met 
 the eyes, and, by their fragrance, sweetly solicited the atten 
 tion of every passenger to their beauty, during all those tem 
 perate hours when, glancing through the dew, the silver-footed 
 Morn appeared, or sapphire-sandalled Evening came. 
 
 But trade began to grow languid under the heat of day ; 
 and the waters in the deep gutters were taking on the hue of 
 the forest foliage, the omj|pusly unfolding leaves of the 
 pestilence, warning those denizens, who take their annual 
 flight north, to prepare for migration. 
 
 Among that number was William Rutledge. A few days 
 previous to his departure, to be absent for the summer, some 
 business called him into the Probate Court, where he found 
 Mr. Steel the husband of the late Rufus Merton s sister 
 making application for letters of administration on the deceased 
 brother s estate. 
 
 Having heard his motion, Rutledge said, " Although, may it 
 please the court, I have not been employed to appear in this 
 matter, yet I should like to inquire if all the effects and papers 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 223 
 
 that belonged to Mr. Merton have been received from 
 abroad." 
 
 " We are so assured," Mr. Steel replied ; " and they have 
 also been carefully and thoroughly examined. I say this, be 
 cause the gentleman was a valued friend of the deceased, 
 and may have some ground to suppose that there should be a 
 will among them ; but no such document has been found." 
 
 " It was that of which I was thinking," said Rutledge, ad 
 dressing the court ; " for I have reason to say that he once 
 gave effect to such an instrument ; and, as it can operate no 
 serious delay, I ask that a few days be granted for further 
 search elsewhere." 
 
 " I, certainly, have no objections," replied Mr. Steel, " if 
 the court so direct." 
 
 " Then it may be passed now," said the judge, " and taken 
 up the first thing next week, if you are so disposed, gen 
 tlemen." 
 
 To this proposal they expressed assent, and left the court 
 together. 
 
 On reaching the street, Rutledge inquired, " When did Mr. 
 Merton s papers arrive, Mr. Steel ? " 
 
 " Only four or five days since," he replied. 
 
 " Was there any writing of his that you found, which could 
 throw any light on his condition or his desires, or disclose if 
 he had any anticipations that he was near his end ? " 
 
 " No, not a single line or word ! There was nothing for a 
 memento even, except some hair, a long, black, glossy tress " 
 (it was Madam s,) " which Mrs. Steel thought, indeed was- 
 quite certain, must be a lock of their cousin s, a lady whom he 
 once loved ; and she is having it set in brooches for herself 
 and daughters, as she wishes that some token of mourning 
 should be worn." 
 
 In the course of the following evening Rutledge called at 
 
224 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 the house where Merton had so long lived, and where he him 
 self had so many times been received and entertained so 
 kindly. He found Madam and Flora very glad to see him, 
 although they were evidently depressed and anxious, and par 
 ticularly Madam was so. Yet, after the usual forms of 
 friendly greeting, she said, " It is a long time, Mr. Rutledge, 
 since you were here ; you used to come, once in a while, to 
 to inquire after him ; but I suppose you tired of it, as you 
 found that we could give no information on the subject." 
 
 " It is true that I was disappointed in not hearing from Mr. 
 Merton, either through the post, or you, or any one ; yet this 
 would not have deterred me from paying that attention in 
 which I always found pleasure. But," he continued, looking 
 at Flora, " you appeared to have a nearer friend, in a person 
 who was a stranger to me ; so I ceased to come often ; know 
 ing, however, that if you wished for advice or assistance, in 
 any form, you had a right, as well as a sincere and reiterated 
 request, to send for me ; and I hope that you have so re 
 garded it." 
 
 " We had not forgotten it, Mr. Rutledge," said Madam ; 
 " for we received it as a kindness, and have often thought of 
 its value, as we knew that we might depend upon it. Indeed, 
 Flora and I were talking, this very evening, of sending for 
 you, as we wished for some information concerning the will 
 which you once read to us ; hoping to learn when it would be 
 acted upon." 
 
 " Did Mr. Merton leave any papers here when he went 
 .abroad?" 
 
 " O, yes, many ; there is a trunk quite full, and some in one 
 or two drawers besides," Madam replied. 
 
 " Have you ever looked them over ? " 
 
 " No, I have not, for I could not bear to do so.", 
 
 " Then you do not know whether that will is among them 
 or not ? " 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 225 
 
 " I had no idea that it could be, as I thought it kept in some 
 office when made ; I did not know that he might retain pos 
 session of it." 
 
 " It is not expected that it be left in the office of which you 
 are thinking, until after the decease of the maker ; it ought, 
 however, to be deposited there soon, and for that reason I came 
 to see if I could find it here." 
 
 " We will bring down the things in which he kept his pa 
 pers, and you may examine them." 
 
 Thereupon rising up and taking a light, she said, " Come, 
 Flora," and in a few moments they returned bearing the trunk 
 and drawers. 
 
 Rutledge and the daughter immediately began to look for 
 the desired instrument ; but Madam could hardly be said to 
 render any further assistance, for the first paper which she 
 took up, although of no earthly [consequence then, had Merton s 
 handwriting upon it ; and, by it, her roused thoughts were 
 taken captive and her mind absorbed while the anxious search 
 continued. Through such aperture her heart went out aching 
 with sad and fond recollections, while her tearful, gazing eyes 
 seemed exploring for a lost form, like Orpheus, with hand- 
 shadowed brows, through steep abyss in spectral realm ! Yet 
 her soul bore no musical, immortal hope that could lull to 
 sleep the triune terror, and charm far past the dreadful gate. 
 
 Flora occasionally dropped tears over some awakened recol 
 lection, but made no delay; and Rutledge searched on in 
 silence. 
 
 When they had examined the last sheet in the collection, 
 Rutledge looked up to Flora and said, " Are these all ? " 
 
 " I know of no more," she replied. 
 
 " Are you quite sure ? for it is important that a thorough 
 examination should be made at this time." 
 
 " Mother, are not these all the papers which Mr. Merton 
 left ? " 
 
226 .THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 But seeing she did not heed her question,; for she was still 
 in that mysterious interior world, she continued, " Mother, 
 Mr. Rutledge wishes to know if there are any more papers ? " 
 and Rutledge added, " Yes, if any more remain I should like 
 to see them." 
 
 His unaccustomed voice startled Madam from her reverie, 
 and raised her to the surface ; when, looking out, she said, 
 " Have you found it ? " 
 
 " No, not yet," Rutledge answered ; " and we want you to 
 bring down the rest of his papers." 
 
 " I know of no more, except a letter which he once wrote 
 to me from New York, and that I shall keep as long as I live : " 
 then, hastily pressing her hand to her bosom to feel if it was 
 still safe, she continued, " I could not exchange it for the kind 
 est will that was ever made." 
 
 " Dear mother, we do not wish you to part with that \ all 
 we ask is, if you can think of any other place where he might 
 have laid the will ? " 
 
 " No, I cannot ; I believe that he left no more papers here." 
 
 " May I look through your room, to see if it is there ? " she 
 inquired. 
 
 " You may ; " and giving her the keys, Flora went out. 
 
 When she had gone, Madam said, " I feel that life has near 
 ly closed with me, Mr. Rutledge ; but, if that paper is not 
 found, what must be the fate of my daughter and her dear 
 child ? O, she has one of the sweetest children that ever 
 lived ; and with no one but us feeble women, slaves ourselves, 
 perhaps, to protect ! O, what will become of him ! " 
 
 " But the father of the child," interposed Rutledge ; " I 
 learn that he is wealthy." 
 
 " He has been away many months ; he left us suddenly, and 
 I think that he intends to desert us." 
 
 " Where is he ? " 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 227 
 
 " I believe that he is in New York ; and I should not be 
 surprised if he had married since he left here ; for but you 
 will not allude to it before Flora, as I think that she does not 
 know of it I saw in a newspaper the notice of the marriage 
 of a person of the same name, and as it was longer than usual, 
 and profusely adorned with such phrases as l High life, beauti 
 ful bride, and connubial bliss, I have but little doubt that it 
 related to him." 
 
 "He is a man whom I never saw but once, and for some 
 reason I did not make his acquaintance, so that I have even 
 forgotten his name." 
 
 " Featherstone Anthony Featherstone." 
 
 Rutledge took out his memorandum book and noted the fact, 
 saying, as he placed it back in his pocket, " I expect to be in 
 New York in a few days, and if the gentleman is to be found 
 there, I shall have a few words to say to him." 
 
 " I do not think you will find it an agreeable visit ; indeed, 
 he did not please me at first, although Mr. Merton praised 
 him, and he very soon disclosed traits of character which deep 
 ened that impression." 
 
 " How does your daughter feel towards him ? " 
 
 " She has breathed no word of him to me ; she seems to 
 have the capacity to contain her sorrows ; in truth, her wounds 
 never cried out ; she has the power to bear them in silence, 
 if not to heal them." 
 
 " How have you lived since this Mr. Featherstone left ; 
 that is, permit me to inquire, how are you supported ? " 
 
 " For a time our bills were paid at the counting room ; but 
 it is now some months since they refused to do it further, under 
 his directions." 
 
 " How did he expect that you were to obtain food ? " 
 
 " He ascertained in some way that Mr. Merton had given 
 me some money when he was about to leave us, that we might 
 
228 THE MUSTEE, OB 
 
 have the satisfaction of possessing it, (such were his words,) 
 even if we did not find a use for it ; and his object was to force 
 us to live on that ; but it will last only a very little while longer, 
 although we have guarded it with the strictest care ; and when 
 it is gone, Mr. Rutledge, what can we do ? " 
 
 " If the will be found the court is authorized to make suit 
 able provision for you, until such time as you may receive 
 your legacies." 
 
 " If it be lost, what then can we hope for ? " 
 
 " If that instrument should not come to light, the legal heirs 
 of Mr. Merton are not without consideration and kindness ; 
 they certainly cannot forget, in their abundance, those whom 
 they know that he would have shielded with his life." 
 
 " I have impressions which make that a dark and doubtful 
 prospect." 
 
 " Surely the father of Flora s child will not permit the iron 
 law to take its course." 
 
 " I fear he may ; for he appeared to hate the child, and I 
 think grew more rough and hard to Flora in consequence of 
 its birth. Then he is far away, and none of those around him 
 know our circumstances, so as to look into his face and make him 
 hear our cry for help ; otherwise he will not heed it, as all that 
 he could ever have felt for her must turn to ice at such a distance. 
 Indeed, he never loved ; he is not capable of it ; and if he has 
 married, as I think he has, he will not only cast us off, but be 
 anxious to thrust us out of sight if he find it in his power to 
 do so : of this he is capable." 
 
 " It is possible ; yet I am loath to believe that, when he shall 
 calmly consider from what source he received his fortune, he 
 can act so basely." 
 
 " He may think that he has some cause, as Flora must have 
 seen that he had no love for her ; and there may have been 
 something said which hurt his self-esteem, for he went away 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 229 
 
 very abruptly ; hence, if he have any power over us, he is sure 
 to use it for torture." 
 
 Flora here returned and said, " I can find no other papers 
 in the house, and we may safely say that the will is not here : 
 might not Mr. Merton have taken it with him ? " 
 
 " He was not likely to do so, and I am persuaded that he 
 did not." 
 
 " Have his papers, which he left abroad, been received ? " 
 Flora inquired. 
 
 " I am so informed ; and, further, that there is not only no 
 devise, but no wish or intimation any where expressed with 
 regard to the disposal of his estate ; and I infer from this that 
 he believed he had made ample provision for you, and thought 
 it secure." 
 
 " Where else then are we to search for the instrument ? " 
 inquired Flora. 
 
 " May it not be in Mr. Featherstone s possession ? " Rut- 
 ledge asked. 
 
 On this the blood hummed in Flora s ears, and flashed crim 
 son even to her forehead, as she replied, " It may be." 
 
 " It is my intention to go to New York soon, at which time 
 I shall make it a point to see him ; and as I believe that he 
 must know something of the matter, I may persuade him to 
 disclose it." 
 
 Thereupon, Rutledge arising to depart, Madam inquired, 
 " What day do you think of leaving for the north ? " 
 
 " On Saturday, probably." 
 
 " May we hope to see you again before you go ? " asked 
 Madam. 
 
 " I fear that I shall not find an opportunity ; yet, if I learn 
 any thing more of this business that would profit you to hear, 
 you may depend upon seeing me." 
 
 Drawing back as he spoke, she thanked him for his kind- 
 20 
 
230 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 ness and attention, and replying to liis good night, Flora at 
 tended him into the hall and to the door. On reaching that she 
 said, " Mr. Rutledge, I came out because I desired to say a few 
 words to you from which I would spare my mother s feelings ; 
 for I fear that her own sorrows are more than she can bear. As 
 you have expressed your intention of calling on Mr, Feather- 
 stone, I felt that I could not permit you to do so without in 
 forming you of our relations to each other ; as they are such 
 that, I think I may safely say, neither of us wish to see or 
 speak to each other again. Certainly he can have no de 
 sire to see me, for he, has married since he left here, and I 
 could not meet him as I once did, as my affection for him is 
 gone ; therefore I hope you will make no appeal to his feel 
 ings, as that seems to me a degradation to which I cannot con 
 sent to submit. If there be no will found in our favor, he 
 well knows what were Mr. Merton s views ; and, if he do not 
 heed them, nothing can move him. In truth, under any cir 
 cumstances, I could not pray for mercy at his hands ; rather 
 the most hopeless bondage and the severest tasks than that. 
 Unused as I am to work, I yet have tried to look at all its re 
 pulsive aspects, and I see nothing that should make me tremble, 
 if it were not for my child. O Mr. Rutledge," she continued 
 in tears, " if he must follow me into slavery, O, will you not 
 see, when you return, if there is humanity enough in any or 
 all of those who, while Mr. Merton lived, felt the golden touch 
 of his bounty, to save the last of his blood from chains ? " 
 
 " I shall seek you at once, when I come back to the city ; 
 and, if there has been any disastrous change, you may rely on 
 me to speak and do all I can for you ; but I trust that these 
 clouds will pass, and I shall find you free and kindly cared 
 for. Do not weep," he conjjnued ; " your child has fhe same 
 tender and infinitely-sustaining arm to lean upon without 
 which the mightiest cannot take a step or form a thought." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 231 
 
 " O Mr. Rutledge, I know that you will remember us, for 
 you are kind and good. And you will forgive my momentary 
 weakness, while I glanced down the dark way." 
 
 " Feeling and emotion are not weakness," replied Rutledge, 
 " but springs of action and inspirers of courage." 
 
 So taking leave he thought, as he moved away, " It is, in 
 deed, a gloomy prospect. If the dreaded change come, what 
 a change it must be ! passing from downy ease, dreamy lux 
 ury, and devoted love, to reeking drudgery, squalid pov 
 erty, and rigorous domination ; and this, not only for a year 
 or a life even, but leading down a long line of chained and 
 bleeding generations. Can man so clip, and curb, and crush 
 human aspiration, and not tremble for himself, remembering 
 that sovereign Justice will surely some time arraign him ? Did 
 I say justice ? The conscious, immortal soul, hurt and suffering 
 with the wrong which she has inflicted, will, if not here, yet 
 somewhere in the circle of the ages, seek judgment on herself, 
 and meet the penalty to appease the dreadful recollection ; 
 and even then, when God hath pardoned the sin of breaking 
 down the protecting will, and all the sweet hopes of a fellow- 
 creature, to our lusts, I think I should wander sorrowing 
 through the universe, until I found and won the full forgive 
 ness of the wronged." 
 
232 THE 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Trust not the treason of those smiling looks, 
 Until ye have their guileful trains well tried ; 
 For they are like but unto golden hooks, 
 That from the foolish fish their baits do hide. 
 
 SPENSEK. 
 
 AURELIA S honeymoon was neither bright nor long-con 
 tinued ; it did not ascend the heavens, but, circling far below 
 the zenith, soon began to edge and wane away, and yield its 
 light later and later on the night. Indeed, how could it be 
 otherwise ? as Featherstone s habits seemed to gain power over 
 him, so that he found the club very attractive ; and besides, 
 he was already paying his addresses to a new mistress, in the 
 form of political ambition. 
 
 Still, for a time, the bride derived much pleasure from the 
 happy contentment of her father, and the gratified pride of her 
 mother, as they opened, refreshed and renewed, upon the al 
 tered scene. The wealth had yet other attractions also, or 
 rather distractions such as fine equipage, rich, overflowing 
 wardrobe, and a round of fashionable amusements : these she 
 had to profusion, if not to satiety. 
 
 But if the craving heart be left vacant, how will it at length 
 come to scorn all this, and, it may be, despise the bestower of it, 
 because it would have a delusive vision of something beyond 
 which comes not ! When the ineffable glories of love s young 
 dream have all been bartered for bawbles, to become symbols of 
 withered hopes and frost-nipped affections, the sad recollection 
 does not awaken grateful thoughts, neither does it seem even 
 worldly wise ! Not thus do the birds line their nests in the 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 233 
 
 summer bowers ; not for such gifts do they momently gush 
 forth into joyful song. 
 
 If, when such a sale and purchase are completed, the con 
 tract could always be acquiesced in by the promisors, there 
 certainly might be more decent order in society ; yet dim and 
 dismal clouds would trail across life s morning star, and the 
 music which elevates and glorifies our march would be tranced 
 in every string. The heaven-descended dream of love, like 
 that of liberty, fringes life with divine splendors, making it 
 godlike and worthy of its Author. These two emotions and 
 aspirations of our natures, that count all else as nothing in 
 comparison, that give all and sacrifice all, if need be, show our 
 being and our story to be touched with all the glory with which 
 inspired penmen have blazoned it, either in its origin or its 
 destiny. Indeed, Love and Liberty are pendulums of such 
 sweep that they vibrate from God to God ! Other machinery 
 may mark the revolutions of time on its axis, but these alone 
 beat the progress along its immeasurable orbit. Desperate 
 Sappho leaps from a beetling rock on the Lesbian shore, and 
 the most love-lorn heart that ever sighed to the lyre is still ; 
 and Brutus stabs his bosom friend, and strikes on, in the sacred 
 name of Liberty, until tyranny triumphs, and the sainted as 
 sassin so despairs of the republic that he falls on his own 
 sword ; yet they have borne the world nearer to heaven, and 
 drawn down upon it a warmer smile and a deeper sympathy 
 from the spirits who mark the devotion of a human soul. 
 
 In reality Aurelia had prized the intimacy with a noble mind 
 too highly not to feel its loss ; and being left too frequently 
 to think of it alone, the recollection soon came with a sigh, 
 a regret, and at length a kind of hope ; so that, on one fine 
 afternoon in the opening spring time, she called to see Mrs. 
 Summers. 
 
 The excited widow arose to meet her, saying, " Is it you, 
 20* 
 
234 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 Mrs. Featherstone ? I can scarcely believe my eyes, for I 
 did not hear a carriage stop at the door." 
 
 " I walked down, as I used to do ; and you must give me 
 some tea before I leave." 
 
 " With the greatest pleasure ; but I am afraid that we have 
 nothing which you can eat ; yet if you will only tell me what 
 you would like, I shall be delighted to set it before you, if it 
 can be procured." 
 
 " I have no desire to find any thing more than I used to 
 find." 
 
 " Now, really, I do wish to do something more. If you had 
 only thought to have sent one of your servants to let me know 
 of your intention, or had corne earlier, I would have tried to 
 prepare the best." 
 
 " You are very kind, but truly I came in late to prevent 
 exertion, and surprise you by fulfilling a promise which you 
 may have forgotten." 
 
 " No, indeed ; and you shall have it just as you say, if you 
 really prefer it so. But I do wonder why you did not come 
 down here in your carriage, when you have such elegant 
 horses. I am sure that I would not walk a step if I had 
 them." 
 
 " One cannot always say what they would do, and there 
 may be more pleasure sometimes in walking than in riding ; 
 at least I have found it so." 
 
 " Yes, such is the way of the world ; indeed, I have often 
 noticed that those who keep horses frequently take long walks, 
 and boast of it even, while a great many who do not, because 
 they cannot quite afford it, hide away at home and go out only 
 from necessity." 
 
 " It is even so ; for we sigh after many things which, when 
 obtained, we find to be of little use ; the observer is usually 
 more charmed with them than is the possessor." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 235 
 
 " That is just what you rich folks always say ; you like to 
 disparage the beautiful things you have much better than to 
 part with them. But how beautiful you are ! and what a 
 beautiful dress ! and do let me lay away that love of a shawl 
 where it will not get injured." 
 
 As Mrs. Summers stepped into the hall, she met Park com 
 ing in, and said, in a suppressed voice, " There is some one 
 here whom you used to like to see." 
 u Ah, who may it be ? " he inquired. 
 " Don t you know this bonnet and this cashmere ? " 
 " I am not aware of having made their acquaintance." 
 " I should think that you might see that they are a bride s." 
 On this Park laid aside his hat and outer garment, and en 
 tered the sitting room ; while the widow, having deposited the 
 garment?, slipped softly into the adjoining parlor. 
 
 As he came in, Aurelia arose with a smile to meet him ; 
 and extending her hand, which he took, said, " Do you think 
 that leaving your name at our door once is sufficient excuse 
 for six months absence ?" 
 
 " Have I broken any of the laws of fashion by so doing? " 
 "I had thought," said she with some agitation, "that our 
 intercourse might be entitled to the name and the forms of 
 friendship." 
 
 " Friendship is a rare flower, and one that I have doubts of 
 finding ; for it opens oftenest in the morning of life, and is apt 
 to close in the meridian hour ; yet I begin to see that it 
 would be sweetest and most precious in the evening of our 
 days." 
 
 Aurelia s lips quivered and her eyes gathered moisture, not 
 so much from the words that he had spoken, as from the tone 
 of his voice, which, although not meant to be reproachful, 
 made her feel as do the Swiss when they hear their home 
 songs far away from their mountains. 
 
236 THE M US TEE, OR 
 
 Feeling much moved, she did not trust herself to reply, but 
 turned to the window, and gazed out upon the sombre stones 
 of the adjacent building without noticing, as they were in uni 
 son with her thoughts, and Park took up a book ; so, for a 
 minute or two there was silence. Upon this the widow came 
 in, and seeing them, said, " Plow still you are ! and Mr. Park 
 reading a book ! " 
 
 But the summons to tea mingling with her words, they 
 accepted it as a reprieve, and were soon seated at the 
 table. Yet there was only a thin sprinkling of conversa 
 tion during the sitting, notwithstanding the laudable exer 
 tions of the widow, amid her many apologies for not having 
 any thing tempting to her visitor, as she appeared to have no 
 appetite. 
 
 Park sat but a few moments, though he gave no sign of 
 haste ; yet he arose alone, returned to the sitting room, passed 
 through and left the house. 
 
 Soon after Aurelia entered the room, and finding that 
 Park was not there, she felt relieved, yet grew sad with 
 the thought that he had gone. But, as she saw that it 
 was not from indifference, after a while her spirits arose, 
 and she passed as agreeable an evening with the voluble 
 widow as she had ever done since their acquaintance com 
 menced. 
 
 Having anticipated that there would be a kind of conversation 
 that might require some light work to fill the pauses, or give 
 weight to the themes, Aurelia had taken a purse which was 
 partly knitted, and seemed to be kept for such occasions. On 
 this she leisurely took a stitch, or dropped one, or ravelled 
 down, as though it were Penelope at her loom beguiling 
 her thoughts from the absent Ulysses ; while Mrs. Summers 
 was busy with button-hole stitch on the edge of some white 
 garment, apparently shaped after the style of the Turk. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 237 
 
 As they wrought, they talked of many things ; but mostly 
 of dress, for the widow thought Aurelia an oracle in that, 
 and the bride was willing to indulge her, of what was, of 
 what is, and what probably would be, the prevailing fashion. 
 And they laughed over the border warfare which the 
 widow s work suggested, and which was then raging be 
 tween points and scallops ; and spoke of the powerful sup 
 porters of each, and which appeared to be the victor of the 
 moment ; and how, after all, it mattered little which triumphed, 
 as the plaid was so over them all that it was but a petty strife 
 between clans ; and that, too, for supremacy in a district so 
 obscure as to be known only to minute explorers. 
 
 Thus nine o clock came round, and, shortly after, Aurelia 
 prepared herself; and as she was about to leave with John, 
 the widow s man servant, she said, " I have enjoyed my visit 
 much, and you must return it soon." 
 
 " I am charmed to hear it ; and I should be delighted to 
 do so." 
 
 " Then you must name an early day on which it will be 
 be convenient to come, so that I may be at leisure." 
 
 This arrangement was gladly made ; and it may be easily 
 imagined that there was punctual and delighted compliance, 
 with admiration and praise for every thing which she saw or 
 tasted. 
 
 The profusion and display, and continual round of amuse 
 ment, of their first winter, had failed to fill the heart, of the 
 bride ; and Featherstone had taken no true steps to occupy it 
 himself, if it were in his power to do so. 
 
 The wedding was high tide with him, as it is with so many 
 others, and soon the rocks and shallows became visible, and 
 showed themselves more and more, as the current ran ever 
 lower and lower in its ebb, with no returning flood that ful 
 filled the promise of the first. Hence Aurelia began to feel 
 
238 THE MUSTEE,OB 
 
 alone, and consequently craved excitement ; and, going to a 
 distant church on one evening, some few weeks after her visit 
 to Mrs. Summers, she accidentally met Park there. 
 
 Drawn by the brightness and freshness of the day, to seek 
 for that Sabbath stillness which dwelleth not in cities, Park 
 had crossed on to the island, towards evening, and strolled into 
 the country. There he caught the pensive tone of nature, and 
 mused away the hour, apparently without aim or object to 
 those who were flashing by in their slender vehicles ; yet to 
 him it was a bath most delicious to the sense, most purifying 
 to the man. 
 
 Aroused, at length, by night s flitting shadows, he turned 
 towards the town, through which he had passed ; and, on 
 reaching it, he entered the thronged church of a popular 
 preacher. Pausing at the foot of the aisle, an attendant came 
 and conducted him to a pew, in which there was but one va 
 cant seat ; and settling into the place, which he quite filled, he 
 turned towards the lady at his side to find the eyes of Aurelia 
 upon him ; and they were bright with unexpected pleasure, 
 while the glow of quickened blood was on her cheek. 
 
 Yet, throughout the service, he sat and thought of muta 
 bility and change, the theme of the preacher, and she, 
 who was pressed to his side, was only so mingled up with his 
 meditations as to give keener point and more touching empha 
 sis to the eloquence. 
 
 Aurelia had emotions rather than meditations, for he who 
 was beside her filled the first place in her mind ; while the 
 sermon seemed but a haze of splendor around him, and the 
 tones of the orator only thrilled her to tenderer sentiment 
 towards the paramount object of her thoughts. 
 
 Never before had they been so near, for so long a time ; 
 yet Park felt that there was an impassable chasm between 
 them ; that some moral earthquake had shaken them asunder ; 
 
LOVE A.ND LIBERTY. 239 
 
 and whatever agitation still lingered from the shock, or gloom 
 brooded around, he saw that his habitation was not yet a ruin, 
 although his once most charming prospect was closed up 
 forever. 
 
 She, too, was exquisitely sensible to the proximity, and 
 trembled at every pause in the discourse, through fear that it 
 was about to close. Yet her heart grew thirsty every instant ! 
 like him, who, amid the flames, had a vision of Paradise, and 
 cried out, to one whom he had neglected, for a single drop of 
 water to cool his tongue, all-unmindful of the gulf that 
 divided them. 
 
 When the ceremonies were completed and the crowd gave 
 way, they walked out together ; and Aurelia s carriage being 
 drawn up near the door, Park attended her to it ; on which 
 she said, " May I have your company ? " 
 
 Handing her in, he followed and took a seat beside her. 
 But they rode silently until they reached the ferry, when 
 Park feeling the necessity of some common theme to still his 
 busy fancy, or to " wreak his thoughts upon," inquired, " How 
 were you pleased with the sermon ? " 
 
 " Very much. Were you ? " 
 
 " Yes, I often hear him, and never with more satisfaction 
 than I have received on this evening." 
 
 " It is my first visit to his church," said Aurelia, " but I 
 intend to go frequently for the future, as I enjoyed the hour 
 exceedingly. Yet, don t you think that his tone and manner 
 might be improved?" 
 
 " I know there is a certain roughness about him which 
 strikes one at first as a want of taste ; still I fear that, if it 
 were polished away, ii would diminish the weight of the 
 diamond more than mere smoothness or lustre" of surface 
 could repay." 
 
 " It may be so ; and, after all, one cares little for the 
 
240 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 ungainliness of the motion when every thrust is mortal ; it 
 pleased me much to see him charge into the host with such 
 courage." 
 
 " Yes, he is a knight without fear, however much he may 
 suffer reproach." 
 
 " Of that, no doubt, he will get his full share, as he must 
 wear his beaver up to have so looked into every thing." 
 
 " Yes, that must be very small which escapes his eye, or 
 very subtle that eludes his analysis ; and he is not only a 
 natural artist, but a well-trained one. Observe with what skill 
 he paints, leaving out no minute thing which belongs to the 
 background, even ; whether it be a picture on which the sun 
 light falls, or a view of the vista that opens in the soul to the 
 divine smile ; whether it be a description of a mountain 
 brook at play, now stealing round a sheltering rock, and now 
 laughing from pool to pool in the glance of day, or of mistaken 
 life and the resistless sweep of Time s submerging wave. I 
 like his free speech also, which scouts all conventional shelter, 
 and knows no neutral ground, but marches straight on the am 
 bush of the enemy." 
 
 Emerging from the boat, they moved on in silence once 
 more, until the horses were drawn up at Park s home, when 
 Aurelia inquired, " May I hope to see you at our house soon ? " 
 
 " I intend to call ; yet my engagements are such that it is 
 difficult to say when." 
 
 " Can you not forego some trifle of business in my favor ? 
 You used to do so once." 
 
 But as the footman stood at the open door when she finished, 
 Park arose without replying ; and, holding her hand while 
 saying good night, stepped out with a calm pulse and a heart 
 still loyal to lofty ideas ; and the carriage bore away one who 
 would have been very unhappy, had she not been sustained 
 by a wild and delusive hope. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 241 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 No general gauntlet-gatherer for the weak 
 Against the strong, yet over-scrupulous 
 At lucky junctures ; one who won t forego 
 The after-battle work of binding wounds. 
 
 BROWNING. 
 
 HAVING obtained an appointment with Featherstone, Rut- 
 ledge presented himself at the door of the mansion, and, on 
 giving his name to the servant, was immediately conducted to 
 the library. As he passed in, a gentleman arose, and, advan 
 cing, said, " I believe I received a note from you yesterday." 
 
 " I addressed one to Mr. Featherstone," Rutledge replied. 
 
 " That is my name," said the person ; " take a seat if you 
 please. You are from the south, I think you informed me." 
 
 " I came from New Orleans a few days since." 
 
 " Ah ! Are you from that interesting city ? I resided 
 there once myself for a few years, and a very gay and agree 
 able place I found it. I think that a young man may learn 
 some of the ways of life, and get clear of many of his preju 
 dices, there, sooner and more safely than in any other town 
 with which I am acquainted. I cannot call your countenance 
 to mind, but I presume that I must have met you frequently ; 
 perhaps in the St. Charles, or at the opera." 
 
 " It is possible that we may have met in both of those 
 places, although I have no recollection of seeing you. I, 
 however, knew your friend and relative, Mr. Merton, well, I 
 may say intimately, having been, for many years, his legal ad 
 viser ; and, among other instruments, I drew a will for him, 
 21 
 
242 THE MUST EE, OR 
 
 which he perfected in due form of law ; and it is concerning 
 some of the persons mentioned in that testament, and for 
 whom ample provision was therein made, that I wish to speak 
 with you at this time." 
 
 " I remember hearing that there was such an instrument as 
 you mention; and I recollect that we made very diligent 
 search for it, and very wide inquiry was had, also ; but they 
 all came to nothing. Therefore we arrived at the very natural 
 conclusion that he must have destroyed it; and I can scarcely 
 believe it has turned up since I left ; if so, my agent is sin 
 gularly remiss in not having instructed me. I presume the 
 will was not committed to your care ? " 
 
 " It was not ; and I do not hesitate to say that I think it 
 utterly lost ; not destroyed, however, as you suggest ; unless 
 it were for the purpose of providing still more bountifully for 
 the persons in whose behalf I appear here. Indeed, to have 
 put away that will without feeling that he had, in some form, 
 protected them from want and the inexorable law would have 
 wrung every fibre of his generous nature. He could not 
 have so done ; it did not lie within the range of his power. 
 Were it to have bought bread for his own mouth, he would 
 have contended unto death with the hunger, if thereby he 
 could have saved them. I well remember how deeply he was 
 moved while we were elaborating the provisions for the pro 
 tection and support of those to whom he was bound by the 
 * Higher Law/ and how cheerfully he rose up when they had 
 been drawn out to his liking. On their completion, he took 
 my hand, and said, * Rutledge, come and dine with us to-day, 
 and bring up that document, for I want them to hear you 
 read it. " *. 
 
 " I also knew Mr. Merton, knew him intimately ; and I see, 
 in your account of him, a degree of weakness of which I 
 thought my friend incapable. Certainly, while I was with 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 243 
 
 him, I saw no such trait. Hence I am very naturally led 
 to suppose that a will such as you intimate could not long 
 have survived the making. Had he died a mere youth, it 
 would seem more probable ; but the experience of nearly sixty 
 years of life is apt to harden or reason a man into something 
 less romantic." 
 
 " If there be no will found is it your wish that the law 
 should take its painful course ? " 
 
 " Am I to understand that you appear here as- counsel for 
 those persons ? " 
 
 " I am their friend here and every where ; and no less 
 yours when I say that then, and then only, does wealth appear 
 to be a ministering angel when it gives us the power to make 
 full restitution ; when it smooths the path of one whom we 
 may have tempted to err ; or more omnipotent still, when it 
 melts chains of iron from those who dreamed that they were 
 bound to us by the golden links of love." 
 
 " Mr. Rutledge, when one is willing to meet the facts of a 
 case, allusions or portents, however forcibly or felicitously ap 
 plied, have but little weight ; and I believe that I should do 
 you great injustice if I thought for a moment that I could in 
 struct you in the answer. Yet, as it is not within the rule of 
 the profession for you to rejoin, I shall be under the necessity 
 of doing so myself. You are aware then, in the first place, 
 I have no doubt, that Madam and Flora are quite well edu 
 cated ; sufficiently so, at least, to know the consequences of 
 their own acts ; that Madam s associations with Mr. Merton 
 gave her ease and affluence for more than twenty years, at the 
 expense of his heirs ; and that his death only renders her back 
 to the condition from which he so long raised her. You may 
 say that she has a child, yes, a grandchild if it so please you ; 
 and here there would be good and valid reasons why the heirs 
 of the deceased should do something for their support ; but the 
 
244 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 laws of the Southern States preclude the necessity for such 
 action ; they do more they discountenance it. Certainly, my 
 learned friend knows that such goods are in demand in the 
 Crescent City. Indeed, I was offered a persuasive price for 
 Flora before I left your town ; yet at that time I thought of 
 returning ; but marrying soon after I came north, I concluded 
 to settle here. And, on the part of her child, I see no call for 
 charity, as he is worth fifty dollars at this moment ; for the 
 reason that the law takes entire possession, thus rendering him 
 safe and serviceable. This I believe to be the purport and 
 complexion of your servile regulations ; and if they are not 
 agreeable to you, why not devote yourself to the work of 
 changing them, and so strike at the root of the tree to whose 
 shadow you point ? " 
 
 " Would to God that I could change them, at least so far as 
 to protect the weak. Am I to infer that you estimate these 
 persons simply as property, Mr. Featherstone ? " 
 
 " As to that I have not yet made proclamation. But I will 
 say this much, if you have any desire to purchase, you may do 
 well to see my agent." 
 
 " Mr. Featherstone, if I know aught of myself, I came here 
 out of pure humanity ; came to soften, if not prevent, the fall 
 of those who thought that in strict justice they might look up 
 to you for protection. But I find it to be a delusive dream. 
 Still I feel that I have discharged a duty, and in a way which 
 you will not be likely to forget, whatever may be your course 
 of action. If you yield to right feeling, you will, some time, 
 seek to thank me ; if you take the broader way, the laws of 
 the land, indeed, cannot reach you, either to hinder or hurt ; 
 and you may think that you wear impenetrable armor to all 
 higher commandments, yet the fiery darts of consciepce shall 
 at length rive and penetrate every part to stretch you in the 
 dust. Low as the victims may fall, and chill as is the shadow 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 245 
 
 in which they may be doomed to walk, it will be light and 
 cheerful compared with the woe of him who awakes too late 
 to implore forgiveness on this side the grave. You may 
 harden your heart for a time against their plaint ; but come it 
 will, in the hours of inevitable weakness, or amid the strokes 
 of fortune, dismantling all the towers of your strength, to 
 leave you prone and bleeding among the melancholy ruins 
 of life." 
 
 " You manifest such a philanthropic interest in this matter, 
 Mr. Rutledge, perhaps you had better appeal to Mr. Merton s 
 sister when you return." 
 
 " It is but a few days since I waited upon Mrs. Steel, at 
 which time I learned that the titles to this property were in 
 you ; and I have no doubt as I believe you have none that 
 they were given that you might have the opportunity of reap 
 ing the pleasure which springs from generous deeds. * 
 
 " Your doubts do not disturb me, Mr. Rutledge. It is not 
 my habit to judge hastily ; and all the circumstances of this 
 case which were known to me were duly weighed and consid 
 ered to the maturing of my decision. Now, I believe you 
 have not disclosed any new facts, nor do you pretend that there 
 are any. Therefore, to continue in the forms of your profes 
 sion, how can you expect me to restore it to the docket ? 
 And into that future, to which you point, I have neither time 
 nor inclination to gaze ; and if I had I should not see what 
 you imagine. The practical mind moves on steadily, and 
 sleeps calmly, amid your Gorgons, Hydras, and Chimeras 
 dire !" 
 
 " You may so look upon life now, Mr. Featherstone, as 
 your experience is only of the opening scenes of the drama ; but 
 if you attempt to play out the play, as you have indicated, you 
 will find the hand of fate upon the curtain." 
 
 On the following morning Rutledge was introduced to Park, 
 21* 
 
246 THE M US TEE, OB 
 
 for the purpose of taking his opinion, and retaining him in a 
 matter which had been committed to his care, as suit had been 
 threatened in the city courts. Having laid open the case, and 
 examined the law on which it rested, and the decisions that 
 illustrated it, they soon passed into conversation on the rel 
 ative prosperity of the north and south. 
 
 " I know that nature is on your side, for a fruitful soil is 
 the most permanent wealth," said Park ; " yet it will not be 
 unfolded as in the west, for the just stimulus to labor is 
 wanting." 
 
 " True ; give the Anglo-Saxon liberty to do, with the award 
 of the fruit of his doing, and he will clothe the waste places 
 of the earth with verdure, and build up institutions to protect 
 him in the enjoyment of his possessions." 
 
 " Then you do not think that free society has proved a fail 
 ure here ? " 
 
 " In some things I regard it as eminently successful. The 
 life of republicanism is visible over all your landscape, while 
 the torpor of aristocracy is equally apparent on ours. Yet in 
 one essential particular I should say you had failed, if you 
 were not continually failing ; that is, in not electing your 
 ablest men to office. In this we have kept the nobler and the 
 wiser course." 
 
 " I concede the general truth of that charge. The derelic 
 tion springs, in a measure, from our great prosperity ; this 
 offers opportunity for the unblushing demagogue, or the pos 
 sessor of mere money, to seize that which the people should 
 scorn to bestow on any but the foremost champions of their 
 cause." 
 
 "If you would inculcate that doctrine, and live up to it, 
 you would be incomparable. But as it is, if your institutions 
 breed better men than ours, they are shorn of their influence ; 
 and you have as bad specimens as any that we produce. I 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 247 
 
 called upon one last evening, who can more coolly weigh 
 money and misery than any man born in our latitude. Made 
 wealthy by one of the most generous and gentle of men, he is 
 using the estate to thwart his patron s views and desolate those 
 who trusted in him. This gentleman, whose name was Mer- 
 ton, had a quadroon slave, who, in every thing save form, was 
 to him a wife. By her he had a daughter, who has a son by 
 this Mr. Featherstone ; yet he has not only deserted, but 
 doomed them, and will convert their price into pleasure." 
 
 " I am astonished at the capacity of man for evil," replied 
 Park, " and this is the terrible thing in your laws, that they 
 offer such opportunity to the base. Acting so oppressively 
 towards a class, is there no hope of changing these statutes ? " 
 
 " Not soon ; for power was never vested in a more vigorous 
 or a more united body. Only as it exhausts the soil will 
 slavery recede annexing new territory ere it forsakes the 
 old. Did not the southern border offer centuries of conquest 
 and expansion to the planter, you might put a period to his 
 domination, for the bond of the Union is stronger than the 
 chain of the slave ; but as it is, he will only march on." 
 
 " Do you think there will be nothing gained by agitating 
 this subject ? " 
 
 " Yes, much. It will keep alive the spirit of liberty among 
 yourselves. With us it is failing. We shall lose freedom of 
 speech and of the press ; they will be surrendered to a dread 
 necessity. And you, seeing that there are institutions with 
 which they cannot long coexist, will the more vigilantly guard 
 them." 
 
 " By the same rule the principles cannot coexist in the fed 
 eral constitution. They are antagonistic in their nature, and 
 the knights of each grow fierce in their jousting." 
 
 " Those are only passages at arms within prescribed lists ; 
 the Missouri compromise is a sufficient barrier." 
 
248 THE MUSTEK, OR 
 
 " That will be borne down, or voluntarily withdrawn, on 
 pretext of giving a free field to the combatants. To this step 
 I have no objections. For the mass of the pioneer emigrants 
 to the territories are those who wield the axe, guide the plough, 
 and aim the rifle ; and by the very nature of their honest and 
 hardy occupations, and the consequent simplicity of their lives, 
 they are the indomitable conservators of liberty. Slavery re 
 quires the line of thirty -six thirty, not Freedom ; and if ever 
 southern statesmen are so unwise as to trample it down in 
 their struggle for dominion, they will be outflanked. Yet, in 
 such emergency, the federal court will come to their aid." 
 
 " That can hardly be possible. What are your data for the 
 opinion ? " 
 
 " Knowing that the possessors of disputed power never 
 cease to fortify their position, I have watched the executive 
 and senatorial tendency in the selection of judges, and so 
 studied their characters, that I am satisfied to what conclusion 
 they will come when the question shall be presented. They 
 will yet declare the constitution a pro-slavery instrument." 
 
 " Such a decision would be a greater stigma on the nation 
 than slavery itself." 
 
 " It may be. But as evils they bear no comparison one 
 is real, the other theoretical. Nevertheless, the fact is inevi 
 table, and the sooner it is solemnly enunciated the better, for 
 then the American people must see on what false courses they 
 have been steered ; and I cherish the hope that the ship is yet 
 stanch enough to breast the gale and draw off from the fatal 
 shore." 
 
 " When that hour comes you will find me an abolitionist," 
 said Rutledge, rising up and walking the room. " In truth, I 
 am now in favor of gradual emancipation, and the preparation 
 which is necessary to make it a benefit. To that timely result 
 I have nothing to object. Deprecating only rash words and 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 249 
 
 rough conflict, I accept the full discussion, hoping thereby that 
 wisdom may unfold the way. For however slavery has af 
 fected the African, it seems to me to be hurtful, in many ways, 
 to the Anglo-Saxon, and therefore dangerous to the nation. 
 It tends to degrade all hand work, and so menaces the repub 
 lic for the dignity of labor is the corner stone of Liberty. 
 Hence I could no more censure a laboring man for being an 
 abolitionist than I would a church member for desiring to pre 
 serve the purity of the communion. Indeed, look at it as we 
 may, slavery has sad prospects. The day of undisturbed pos 
 session has passed. The irresistible diffusion of intelligence 
 rebukes the master, and is making the bondman a conspirator. 
 The institution must recede from the light, or fall. From the 
 very first it has shrunk from the line of the free states ; and 
 an inherent law, which we can neither repeal nor successfully 
 resist, is accelerating its steps." 
 
 " God grant it ! " said Park ; " for as I read history, it 
 seems the most fatal of temptations. Leading to ease, to 
 luxury, and to lust, it has shorn the locks of every nation 
 that has yielded to its embrace. If it reared the pyramids, it 
 caused the sands of the desert to drift around them in de 
 vastating waves ; overwhelming a strength and grandeur the 
 bones and dust of which, as they are slowly exhumed, amaze 
 the mind, and give awe and mystery to the name of Egypt. 
 Where, too, are the sovereign cities which were set like gems 
 in the Scriptures of the Hebrews ? Their kings conquered 
 but to enslave ; and over their ruins some solitary column 
 mourns. So, one after another, it dimmed the starred states 
 of Greece, and finally quenched Rome herself that glorious 
 orb which so long gave law and learning to the world ! " 
 
250 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 4 To bear too tender, or too firm a heart, 
 
 To act a lover s, or a Roman s part 1 
 Is there no bright reversion in the sky 
 For those who greatly think, or bravely die? 
 
 POPE. 
 
 FEATHERSTONE was in frequent correspondence with his 
 partners in New Orleans, the subject of which was the pro 
 viding of means to meet their business engagements, rather 
 than an account of profits; in fact, the traffic had not paid 
 since leaving the management to others. This was owing, in 
 part, to the loss of his sagacity ; but chiefly to the low state 
 of the water in the rivers, which had prevented the crops 
 from coming forward by the boats to market. With such 
 weight on his mind, it was certainly an unfavorable moment 
 to make an appeal to his liberality. The expenses, also, 
 which he had incurred by settling in New York, together 
 with his luxurious mode of living, were surprisingly large ; 
 so that, on looking over the bills, and inquiring of Mrs. 
 Featherstone if such articles had been actually purchased, 
 and at such prices, and receiving, as he generally did, a con 
 cise and affirmative reply, he did not suppress his astonish 
 ment, not to say indignation. Perhaps the want of ready 
 money to meet them caused him to effervesce more than the 
 magnitude of the outlay ; yet that fault he could not well lay 
 at the door of another. 
 
 Environed by such circumstances, and occupied with such 
 thoughts, Featherstone was not charitably disposed indeed, 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 251 
 
 who would be ? To say truth, he had been thinking, the very 
 day on which Rutledge called, how he should " realize ; " and, 
 as he reasoned with a single eye to business, he came to the 
 conclusion which, all things considered, any thrifty trader 
 might namely, that it would hardly be right to draw on the 
 commission house of Featherstone .& Co. So he was com 
 pelled to look elsewhere for the needed funds ; and where 
 would he more naturally turn than to that property for which 
 Rutledge had appeared? especially as it was unproductive, 
 and perhaps deteriorating at least, part of it was of a per 
 ishable nature. 
 
 It may do Featherstone no injury, in this connection, for 
 the same reason that we plead drunkenness in extenuation of 
 murder, to say that he belonged to a class of people who 
 are so lavish on themselves, that, however large their income, 
 they have no means to minister to the wants of others. It 
 has been observed, also, that such persons are apt to become 
 callous, and are liable to that peculiar pride which seems to 
 live entirely on the surface ; and, being so exposed, it is quite 
 likely to get touched, and when touched it winces, for proud 
 flesh is sensitive. Then, too, the only art of healing which 
 they know for such hurts is a counter-irritant ; so they touch 
 back again, and, it may be, with a trifle more of emphasis. 
 Some people may, and I am aware do, denounce this way of 
 proceeding ; but they can scarcely suspect that they are cru 
 sading against a long-prevailing fashion among what are 
 termed the ornaments of society. 
 
 Judging from this trait of his character, perhaps the way in 
 whkh Flora had met Featherstone, in their last interview, 
 might be still remembered, and made his purpose firmer, al 
 though it could not much accelerate action : bills payable gave 
 the impulse, means available determined the selection ; conse 
 quently the appearance of Rutledge had no other effect on 
 
252 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 Featherstone, for the moment, than to hasten the consumma 
 tion of the thing which he desired to avert. 
 
 Soon after Featherstone precipitated himself into matri 
 mony, he wrote to a shrewd acquaintance in New Orleans, 
 an estate broker, constituting him his agent, and, stating to 
 him confidentially all his interests in that city, requested him, 
 particularly, to have an eye to the property in and about the 
 house, and to dispose of certain parts of it when he had 
 opportunity. 
 
 On the next day after the interview with Rut-ledge, he com 
 municated further instructions, to wit : " See if you can find 
 a purchaser for the house, and all the appurtenances and con 
 tents, at thousand dollars ; if not, you may strike down 
 
 towards these figures, ; but on no consideration may 
 
 you descend below this last sum." He further stated, " I have 
 no doubt that the property would bring a better price at pub 
 lic auction, as there are some articles which seem calculated 
 to make the bidding lively and the market buoyant ; but as it 
 might swell to an event, and so get into the newspapers, or 
 become conspicuous enough for Scandal to whet her beak 
 upon, I prefer to avoid that method, as there are relatives in 
 your town who might take offence ; and I would rather make 
 some sacrifice than risk the chance of their displeasure. There 
 is, also, another point which I wish you to take into consider 
 ation ; it is this : I hear a great deal said against dividing such 
 families ; and, although I hold that every admitted feeling will 
 be found a foe to the peculiar institution, if you can do it 
 without loss, you may lump them ; as I like to fall in with 
 public sentiment so far as I can conveniently. 
 
 " Now, I want you to take this matter vigorously in hand, 
 as I must have the funds ; so you see that the terms of the 
 sale are to be cash, or something readily convertible." 
 
 On receiving the above orders, the broker cast about in his 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 253 
 
 mind who there was among his acquaintance and he knew 
 nearly every one in the city who possessed the means for such 
 outlay that would be likely to desire the property. So, at 
 length, fixing upon two or three, he took occasion to see the 
 gentlemen in the course of the day, and broached the subject. 
 
 One of them, a young man who had lately come of age and 
 into possession of a large estate, replied, " I have no objection 
 to looking at the goods, if Fed will go too." 
 
 Thus appealed to, his companion, who was also rich, and 
 recently from Paris, said, " Now, my dear fellow, I have no 
 idea it can amuse me ; it must be doosed tame, I fancy, after 
 what I have seen abroad. Still, Carlo, my dear fellow, if you 
 wish for a sight, I will exert myself to please you ; but you 
 mustn t bore me, my dear fellow." 
 
 " Did you ever know me to, Fed ? besides, you are turning 
 auger now ! " 
 
 " Ah, Carlo, that is mechanical and coarse ; but I admit the 
 augury, and if it do not come true, my dear fellow, we will 
 encore the play." 
 
 " At what hour will you go and take a view ? " inquired the 
 broker. 
 
 " It is very immaterial to me," replied Fed ; " any time 
 now ; then I shall not be bored with the memory that this 
 thing s to do. " 
 
 " No, not by daylight, Fed," cried Carlo ; " let it be after 
 dark, at least." 
 
 " Well, gentlemen," said the broker, " suppose then we fix 
 on eight o clock this evening ; and I will meet you here with 
 a carriage, you know." 
 
 To this they assented. And at the appointed time they met, 
 and rode up to the house together. 
 
 As the season was warm it was near the last of April 
 they found the front door of the house open. Walking in 
 22 
 
254 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 without ceremony, they met Madam in the hall, who, having 
 heard the sound of a carriage, and afterwards voices, was 
 coming forward somewhat hastily to close the door. But see 
 ing that they had already entered in, she paused and said, 
 " Gentlemen, I think that you must have mistaken the 
 house." 
 
 " O, no, Madam ! " replied the broker ; " we are perfectly 
 aware whose house tis, you know once Merton s, now Feath- 
 erstone s, and, perhaps, to-morrow it may belong to one of 
 these gentlemen, you know." 
 
 "I do not know you," said^Madam, "and we have no desire 
 to see strangers." 
 
 " Ah, indeed ! allow me, then, to make your ladyship ac 
 quainted with the agent of Anthony Featherstone, Esq. ; 
 said agent, you know, havin full powers to trade, traffic, sell, 
 and convey, this house and its contents, not exceptin even 
 your sweet self ! " 
 
 But as she stood silent, he continued, " Come, lead the way 
 into the parlor ; for it requires more light than you ve got 
 here to ascertain your value, you know." 
 
 Seeing that the scene could not be avoided, Madam reluc 
 tantly returned to the sitting room, with the gentlemen follow 
 ing close upon her steps. She went sorrowing and thinking of 
 Flora, and of the dreadful day when she herself had stood in 
 the market, and how Merton came and rescued her from 
 distress and doom. 
 
 Flora had been silently expecting such a visit, during some 
 days ; for she had gathered from that fruitless search for the 
 will, and from the manner and words of Rutledge, the con 
 viction that such an event was impending. Being so im 
 pressed, when she heard the voices in the hall, she felt that 
 the crisis was approaching ; and, when the rude speech of the 
 broker fell upon her ear, she rose up and stood upon the 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 255 
 
 hearthstone, pale - but calm, and fixed her piercing glance on 
 the leader of the group as they entered. 
 
 The broker flinched a little under its flash, but, turning to 
 the inspectors, he said, " This is the flower of the family, gen 
 tlemen, and has the reputation of being one of the most 
 beautiful and desirable of her class, you know, and not to be 
 had for money often, either." 
 
 Madam, advancing, took a place beside her daughter, and 
 stood there more agitated and fearful, yet as silent as she. 
 
 Carlo and his elegant friend were there for amusement, 
 rather than with any serious intentions of purchasing ; con 
 sequently they stood like actors who had forgotten their parts, 
 and looked frequently towards^ the door as if they were 
 anxious for a prompter. 
 
 But the broker had called in the way of business, and felt 
 that he had a handsome commission depending on the sale ; 
 so he said to Flora, who still awed them by her bearing, 
 " Don t you feel a leetle higher than usual, to-night ? Now I 
 reckon your flag is rather sarcy, considerin how no nation, not 
 even Hayti, you know, has acknowledged your independence." 
 
 "The nation or the individual," replied Flora, in tones so 
 firm that Fed and Carlo trembled, " that is determined to 
 defend her inherent rights to the last gasp, has but little need 
 of the recognition of power." 
 
 " If you pitch your tune that high," said the broker, 
 " there ll be some mighty sharp notes afore the music is over, 
 you know." 
 
 " And I have no doubt that there will be base ones, also," 
 retorted Flora, " if you stoop to carry out the instructions 
 of your employer, or even if you only follow the inclination 
 of your own nature." 
 
 " Your spite," replied the broker, " can t hurt my reputa- 
 
 MQ, you know. But " 
 
256 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 " No, I should think not ! as your expression shows that no 
 act could add infamy to it ! " said Flora, interrupting. 
 
 u But your owner being absent," continued the broker, " I 
 am bound to say, in the presence of these gentlemen, that he 
 is liberal in his instructions, and more considerate than is usual 
 in such cases, you know." 
 
 " Then he is a coward, as well as a knave," replied Flora, 
 
 " I shall treat him to your opinion," said the broker ; " per 
 haps he may vally it, from an old lover, you know." 
 
 " You will earn my thanks by so doing," said Flora, " and 
 you may say to him, at the same time, that he would not dare 
 to lift a finger, or so much as breathe a rude word in this 
 direction, if Mr. Merton still lived. If, in becoming heir to 
 my father s estate, he has become master of all whom he 
 loved only to crush them, tell him to look for a day of account 
 ing ; tell him if he had only been just for generosity he 
 cannot feel the boon would have so surpassed my expecta 
 tion as to have rolled the blood over me in a flood of shame, . 
 for thinking that I could have so wronged him as to doubt his 
 fealty to so bald a virtue ! And tell him that I know him, 
 know him so well thaC had he shown any disposition less rabid 
 than revenge, it would have overstrode my comprehension, 
 and that I even fear him to be too callous and corrupt for the 
 stings of remorse to torment and terrify into better courses." 
 
 " Gentlemen," said the broker, after a minute so long that 
 the clock seemed to stop after each tick, " we will now go over 
 the house, if you d like to inspect it?" 
 
 " I should like to see the outside of it, doosedly ! " replied 
 Fed. 
 
 " So should I," said Carlo, "and that right soon ! " 
 
 Thereupon, the pleasure-seekers started for the door ; and 
 as the broker turned to follow, he growled to Flora, "The 
 next customer that I bring here, if I don t damn dly mistake, 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 257 
 
 will make you wish you d received these a leetle sweeter, you 
 know!" 
 
 As the surprise party seated themselves in the carriage and 
 drove away, the agent broke the silence, by saying, " Now ye 
 see, gentlemen, what edication does for sich articles the 
 A B C s are rank pison to the institution, you know." 
 
 " It is all a doosed bore, pon honor ! " I give you my 
 word, Carlo, my dear fellow, I never was so deeply bored in 
 my life never ! " 
 
 " Now don t fret at me, Fed ; I wanted to leave as much as 
 you did ; but I couldn t help pitying the girl." 
 
 " I did not see any thing to pity, except my own poor ears ; 
 for the play is a bore any time, a doosed bore, my dear fellow ! 
 our set in Paris, la belle Paris, voted it a bore if she had 
 only sung it, I might have been amused, as that refines and 
 tones down the horrid ranting, my dear fellow it does exces 
 sively ! " 
 
 " It was a little too dramatic, Fed, I must admit ; and then 
 we had no opera glasses to hide behind. What is the matter 
 with her, broker ? " 
 
 " I m a trifle puzzled myself, you know," replied the agent ; 
 " but they have been livin here, considerable of a spell, putty 
 much as they d a mind to, you know, and I ve near about con 
 cluded that the gal has picked up a lover ; her actions kind 
 o let it out, you know." 
 
 " Doosed likely, and very lately too, by the way she gave 
 tongue ! Pon honor, I never was so bored before in my life 
 never ! " 
 
 " She expects some backin from somewhere," said the 
 broker ; " and the lover may have told her how he d buy her 
 when she s put up for sale, you know. There must be some- 
 thin of that sort to make her so uppish and offish, you know ; 
 but I ll teach her that the string of her kite is in my hand ! 
 22* 
 
258 THE MUSTBB, OB 
 
 And, gentlemen, although this has been rather a sink-pocket 
 job to me, you know, still I m most disapp inted on account of 
 its mountin to no great fun for you, you know." 
 
 " It is all a bore, a doosed, horrid bore ! Carlo, my dear 
 fellow, let us alight at the opera ; for I feel nearly broke 
 down under the weight of, you know ! YOU KNOW ! I do, my 
 dear fellow, pon honor ! " 
 
 In a few moments after, the carriage drew up before the 
 French opera house; and our gentlemen alighting, "Bore, 
 doosed bore ! " wandered back, and into the coach, when they 
 disappeared. 
 
 As the driver closed the door and mounted to his seat, the 
 broker said between his teeth, " Of all damn d bores, a squirt 
 who has been three months in Paris is the most sappy ! Now 
 that spooney reckons he s French ! and yit to be a French 
 man is to be a game cock ! while he s nothin but a squab, 
 with the pinfeathers all a hangin to him, you kn ! " 
 
 While the carriage was rolling away from the house of the 
 slaves, Madam went out and closed the street door ; and, 
 when she returned, Flora inquired, " Is there any thing re 
 maining, mother, that you fear to lose ? " 
 
 But as Madam did not reply, Flora continued, " Yet it may 
 be well to shut out even the free air, that we may not hear it 
 sigh around us. Do you think that the worst is to come, 
 mother ? " 
 
 " There can be no after-stroke for me ; but you, O my 
 dear daughter, it may touch you further." 
 
 " Dear mother, weep not for me, fear not for me ; I have 
 measured the height and depth of it, in thought, and have 
 marked out my course. They have but little to fear, mother, 
 M r ho do not fear death." 
 
 Long they communed ; and mournful and low were their 
 words as they wandered through the once sunny, but now 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 259 
 
 waste places, of memory ; and, at length, turned even to the 
 future with no cringing weakness. So, late in the night, they 
 parted with a kiss to their respective chambers. 
 
 Flora retired to weep over her child, and pray for his de 
 liverance, as she lay down beside him and drew his cheek to 
 her bosom ; when, after a time, sleep kindly came to take her 
 from the dim eclipse of hope. It was late in the morning 
 when she arose and went down ; yet seeing no sign of having 
 been preceded by her mother, she ascended to her chamber, 
 touched the door, and called, " Mother ! " 
 
 In a moment after calling again and receiving no answer, 
 she lifted the latch and entered entered to find a breathless 
 stillness ! to find her over-wearied mother taking a secure rest ; 
 for she had passed beyond the oppressor s power, and was cold 
 even to the touch of filial affection. 
 
 Was it a visitation of Providence ? Who can search so deeply 
 as to say that it was not ? although in the centre of the room 
 there stood a brazier containing ashes and some half-consumed 
 charcoals, which revealed the design, as did the lifeless form 
 the successful termination. There, indeed, forever still, lay the 
 hand which had executed ; but the guiding hand ! 
 
 "Son of St. Louis," said a priest of Holy Church who 
 believed in her power to forgive sin over one of the out 
 cast monarchs of France, in his dying moment " Son of St. 
 Louis, ascend to heaven ! " 
 
 " Daughter of a slave," said a layman, who believed in 
 God, when he saw the more than "maimed rites" of this 
 burial, " Daughter of a slave, ascend to the bosom of the In 
 finite Mercy." 
 
260 THE MUSTEE, OB 
 
 CHAPTER XXYI. 
 
 If I stoop 
 
 Into n dark, tremendous sea of cloud, 
 It is but for a time ; I press God s lamp 
 Close to my breast its splendor, soon or late, 
 Will pierce the gloom. BROWNING. 
 
 THE broker was something startled when he learned the 
 fact of Madam s death, and ascertained the probable cause ; 
 but, beyond that, the catastrophe made no sensation, for, her 
 life and society having been limited to the walls of the house, 
 so the mourning was confined there. Even curiosity about 
 the nature of the disease, or the sudden dying, was not awak 
 ened, although a few persons who lived nearest had seen the 
 deceased at the window, or the door, on the previous day, as 
 they were aware that people who are very unwell may make 
 such appearance ; while they could remember that she had 
 long looked sad and worn, so they thought that she might have 
 declined into her grave. Thus a familiar form had passed 
 from their sight, to soon fade out of their memory. 
 
 No enlightened jury was called to investigate the case, and 
 gather and collate the facts, to merge their total ignorance of 
 the cause and motive of the tragic act in the word " insanity," 
 
 which 
 
 " Resolves all doubts so eloquently well." 
 
 In consequence of this pecuniary loss to that portion of 
 Featherstone s estate which had been intrusted to the broker s 
 sagacity, he became anxious to dispose of the residue imme 
 diately fearing that " insanity " might be epidemic, and still 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 261 
 
 further reduce the value of the property. Yet, in urging the 
 sale to a conclusion, he did not forget how sharply he had 
 been bearded by Flora ; and he called it to mind the more 
 readily because that he felt it to be in his power to repay, by 
 finding a purchaser who, he knew, would be disgusting and 
 relentless. And, in this connection, he bethought him that 
 probably Bill Frink might fancy the property, as some time 
 before he had said to him, while drinking together, in reply to 
 a remark which he had made, " Wai, if you git any tasty ar 
 ticle in the yaller line, I d jist like to inspect it." 
 
 Thinking over the matter, he was very soon satisfied that 
 this would suit him, as he believed that he could make it ap 
 pear to be a good investment, at the lowest price named by 
 Featherstone, after deducting the market value of Madam. 
 
 Acting on his thought, he met Bill that day, and, drawing 
 him into one of the saloons, called for drink, and over it talked 
 of the estate on sale. 
 
 When Bill had heard him through, he said, " I reckon as 
 how it tastes a leetle too strong of the money for my use." 
 
 " But you must look at the real estate, you know ; for I 
 think it is worth every picayune he asks for the whole 
 concern." 
 
 " Now don t du that, for I shan t think your woman worth 
 nothin if she ain t high cost ; as, somehow, the vally of every 
 thing seems to me to be in dollars ; and I d like to know how 
 you re goin to reckon it in any other way ? for nothin else 
 has got the vally stomped on to it." 
 
 " Well, that s good enough for another drink ; you are a 
 practical man, Mr. Frink, and I must give in that your way, 
 arter all, is the only practical way of gittin at it ; the gov 
 ernment stamp is the thing, you know." 
 
 " Tis that. But what color s your beauty ? Du she come 
 up putty well to sugar, or run mostly to molasses ? " 
 
262 THE MUST BE, OB 
 
 " She s a mustee, you know," replied the broker. 
 
 " A musty woman ! Du ye call that are a good sort ? " 
 
 " O, yes, they bring the tallest prices, for they re paler than 
 quadroons, you know, and sometimes pass off for white, you 
 know, where there ain t no good judges ; and you ve on y to 
 say that they re Spanish to travel with em or go with em any 
 where ye like, you know." 
 
 " That s handy ; for I mought want to carry a handsome 
 piece up north, sometime or other ; I guess I could come it 
 over em some." 
 
 " It would be slick ; and you d be hard to beat, Bill ; and I 
 reckon she d do you exactly, you know." 
 
 " Wai, if you say so, I ll jist look over the goods, and then 
 if we can hit any where near in figurin , I shouldn t wonder if 
 it s a go." 
 
 "That s the talk, Bill. Will ye take a turn round there 
 this evenin ? " 
 
 " Not I. I takes daylight to du my business in." 
 
 " Well, you be cunnin , Bill. Then s pose we go now ? " 
 
 " Agreed. Off hand s the word, by thunder ! " 
 
 " Them s my sentiments, arter we ve had another smile, 
 you know." 
 
 When they had taken their drink they departed on their 
 errand, caring for no wrong, however deep, if it stood within 
 the clear and complete sanction of the law. 
 
 In all his pleasures Bill had a keen eye to cost ; according 
 ly, when they arrived at the house, he preferred to make a 
 thorough examination of the premises outside before looking 
 at the interior. 
 
 When they had completed that part of the review, they en 
 tered in, and, proceeding up stairs, inspected all the chambers 
 and furniture ; then descending, they went through below in 
 the same manner, until they came to the sitting room ; on 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. li;j3 
 
 reaching which the broker, in a suppressed voice, said, " We 
 shall probably find the woman in here, you know." 
 
 " Wai, she ain t dangerous, is she ? Haven t got her chained 
 up, have ye ? " 
 
 " O nothin o that kind," the broker replied ; but he invol 
 untarily knocked at the door. 
 
 " That s smart now. Du ye own any goods that ye re 
 afeard on ? " when, lifting the latch, he pushed the door wide, 
 and they stalked in, the broker falling to the rear. 
 
 Flora sat with a book in her hand, from which she did not 
 raise her eyes, and Fred stood as though he had approached 
 the door for the purpose of opening it ; but seeing them enter, 
 he backed away towards his mother, though without haste, 
 seeming rather to dislike the appearance of the intruders than 
 to have any fear of them. 
 
 " How d e du, marm ? " said Bill, in a tone of voice which 
 he thought was tender and insinuating. " You live in a fust- 
 rate tenement here, marm ; and tall furniture you ve got tu ; 
 you must have rather a swell go on it. Is that are boy 
 yourn ? " 
 
 But as Flora did not reply, he continued, " Wai, mum s the 
 word ; I understand it, I du ; nough said, marm ; silence says 
 consent ; all right, my duckey ! " and looking round at the 
 same time, he saw the sideboard, and nudging the broker, he 
 stepped up to it, opened, and, taking out a bottle, drew the 
 cork by his teeth with two or three twists of his head, then 
 pressing it to his nose so as to take the odor, he nodded and 
 winked to the broker, and saying, " Here s luck, my leetle 
 beauty," tippled off something of the contents, as a large 
 bunch in his bare red neck moved up and down several times, 
 like the wattles of an old gobbler when he spreads his tail 
 and prates of his domestic consequence. 
 
 Having thus quenched his thirst for the moment, and for- 
 
264 THE MUSTEK, OR 
 
 tified his courage, Bill wiped his mouth with the back of his 
 hand, and, passing the bottle to the broker, drew a chair up 
 beside Flora, and seating himself, said, " Du ye know how to 
 read, marm ? " 
 
 " Yes ; and I believe that gift cannot be stolen or torn 
 from me." 
 
 " That s so. Now du ye s pose, marm, as how ye could 
 larn me some of the higher branches ? for all I lack is edica- 
 tion. I haven t got none o that, nohow ; if I on y had, I could 
 beat the man what made the college. I s pose ye know how 
 to turn out all sorts of fancy things, marm ; can ye du darnin 
 and sich like?" 
 
 " I can, and I am willing to work ; indeed, I would not 
 shrink from the hardest labor, if by it I could support myself 
 and my child." 
 
 The broker had set back the bottle where Bill found it, and 
 thinking the pause opportune and fearing further discussion, 
 said, " If you re ready, Mr. Frink, we ll take leave now." 
 
 " Why, what s your hurry ? I want to du a leetle courtin 
 fast." 
 
 "But I must go, you know, though yon can stay if ye like." 
 
 " Wai, if you re a goin , I s pose I must go along tu," said 
 Bill, grinning. So gathering himself up and saying, " Good 
 day, marm," he shambled out in a gait as unnatural as the 
 tone of his voice had been affected ; for, conscious of his own 
 meanness and of her superiority, he became a lie, hoping 
 thereby to appear more lovely in her eyes a frequent per 
 formance of many other pretenders. 
 
 When they had emerged from the house, and were moving 
 down the street, the broker said, " Well, Mr. Frink, how do 
 matters and things strike ye ? " 
 
 " Putty fair," Bill replied, in his natural manner, which he 
 had then recovered. " The gal is a brick, a reg lar brick, a 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. . 265 
 
 pressed brick, but I don t care any thing about that; and Bill 
 laughed at the conceit, and the broker joined in, as he thought 
 the trade hopeful ; " and she looks smooth enough for any 
 part of a house, and talks as how she was most willin to be 
 stuck in the chimney corner. Yet Bill don t quite swaller it, 
 for it s gammon, by thunder ! for I ll bet she ll cry half the 
 time, if she can t have fifty dollars worth of things a month ; 
 and she ll throw away more gloves in a year or so than I ever 
 had. Now, I don t say, mind ye, as how Bill Frink can t 
 afford it, but I du say he d better buy cheaper colors." 
 
 " If twas cordin to instructions to put this property at pub 
 lic sale, you know, Mr. Frink, I wouldn t ask you or any man 
 to buy it at the figures I ve chalked, you know ; but the owner 
 hasn t yit so instructed." 
 
 "I s pose I can make ye a bid, if that ll du ye any 
 good." 
 
 " I m cornered as to price, you know, Mr. Frink." 
 
 " Sartain ; I reckon I know all about that I ve been 
 there. But I ll give ye now I m goin to make my best 
 offer, and let that be the end on t I ll give ye thou 
 sand dollars, and that ll more than clean me out ; it will, by 
 thunder ! " 
 
 "It s no use to talk, you know, Mr. Frink, onless you 
 come somewhere near my limits so I m afraid we can t 
 trade." 
 
 " Wai, I ll give ye five hundred more, but not another pic 
 ayune ; and Bill Frink s a fool to throw away so much as that 
 on fancy." 
 
 " That s no price, you know ; so you can t want the prop 
 erty much, Mr. Frink." 
 
 " Wai, what du ye say to two hundred and fifty more ? but 
 not another cent, by thunder ! " 
 
 " Mr. Frink, you ve come so near I don t mind namin , pri-* 
 23 
 
266 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 vately, ye know, his price to ye, which is two hundred and 
 fifty more than your last bid, and if you ll toe that are mark 
 the property is yourn." 
 
 To this he soon agreed, although he had offered five hun 
 dred more in the outset than was necessary to become the 
 purchaser ; but the broker saw that he was in for it, and so 
 he stuck him for another thousand. 
 
 In the course of a day or two the papers were drawn, the 
 money paid, and the property conveyed thus Bill Frink 
 became the lawful owner of the house and home of Rufus 
 Merton, and of all his lineal blood. " To what base uses we 
 may return, Horatio ! " 
 
 The business was completed on the premises, when Bill 
 took possession and the keys. Thereupon the broker said to 
 Flora, " You re now, together with the boy, house, &c., you 
 know, the property of Mr. Frink, here present, and I hope 
 you ll have a pleasant time on t." 
 
 On this, Bill grinned, and said, " Ye won t be so kind o 
 lonesome now, marm, as I shall take a turn round here, in 
 the evenin , for a leetle tender talk, and jist to see if you re 
 willin to make yourself useful. You ll love me when ye 
 come to know me all on em du." 
 
 But Flora making no reply, the gentlemen departed. 
 
 The broker was well satisfied with his success ; and Bill 
 felt nicely, for every thing appeared to run smooth, and, as 
 he thought, wore a prosperous look. So he invited the broker 
 to dine with him, and as ho furnished an abundance of liquor, 
 they both drank deeply, and were warmed into a confession of 
 their true natures without disguise yea, with pride; thereby 
 revealing a moral pollution well nigh past hope, as it could be 
 seen that they were already condemned and burning in the 
 fire of a sensual hell. 
 
 In the course of the evening Frink came to his house ; 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 207 
 
 when, fumbling some time with his key, he at length got 
 the door open, and entering, found Flora alone, with a book 
 in her hand, and occupying her usual place in the sitting 
 room. 
 
 Fred had gone to sleep in her arms, some time before, when 
 she had carried him to another room than her own, and laid 
 him in bed without awaking him. She had done this because 
 she was expecting invasion ; and having completed her other 
 preparation, she sat, when Bill came in, sadly but firmly 
 awaiting the assault. 
 
 Frink took a chair, and, seating himself beside Flora, said, 
 " I hope "you re glad to see me, ducky ; ha n t been cryin for 
 me, have ye ? " And, as a fitting conclusion of these ques 
 tions, he put out his arm as though it were his intention to 
 encircle her neck ; at which she drew back, and gave him a 
 glance as sharp as a knife. Feeling the cut, Bill desisted, 
 apparently surprised, and asked, "Ye ain t a goin to act offish, 
 be ye ? Now, I wouldn t, ducky ; for I reckon it won t clu no 
 good, no how, cause I ve bought and paid for ye ; so I guess 
 you re mine, marm, in the tightest kind of a way." 
 
 u Bought me ! you ve bought me ! You may, indeed, 
 have made the poor purchase of this body ; yet I deny, and 
 utterly scorn, the title which you hold for any purpose but 
 labor." 
 
 " Now, don t ye think you d better hold your bosses ? I 
 want ye to understand, I didn t buy ye to work, my duck ! I 
 can git three niggers for what you cost that will du six times 
 more luggin nor you could. So you d sooner go in for scour- 
 in knives than pleasure, would ye ? Wai, you re a good un ! 
 Now, how many new gounds will it take to satisfy ye, my 
 ducky ? Come, say it, for I feel mighty liberal now, and 
 you d better strike while the iron s hot ; so out with it, 
 now, right off, for it makes me kind o savage to wait j and 
 
268 THE MUSTEE, OK 
 
 you ll never find an easier time to git round Bill than 
 now." 
 
 " I have said that I am willing to labor ; and I shall be 
 ready with to-morrow s rising sun to apply myself to any 
 work, however hard, to which you have the power to con 
 demn me." 
 
 " Now, ain t you actin putty considerable tall for so thin a 
 house, marm ? Now, don t fancy you re goin to put Bill 
 Frink off with that sort o stuff! Du ye see any thing green 
 enough about me for squash bugs to eat ? P r aps ye think 
 Bill ain t sharp, and can t guess what the case is ! May be 
 somebody 11 rush in to help ye ! won t ye call im now, if 
 he s round, and would like a lively turn ? Or if ye want to 
 slip out and run, you sh ll have a fair start, for Bill s got two 
 of the sweetest dogs as ever barked on track ; and he s fond 
 o huntin , tu, specially when the game 11 pay now, wouldn t 
 ye like to try it ? " 
 
 To this Flora made no reply ; but rising up, and taking a 
 light, she moved towards the door. 
 
 " Where bouts ye goin now ? ain t off for good, be ye, my 
 beauty ? " 
 
 " I am going to my own room ; for I have too long en 
 dured words against which I have the power of closing my 
 ear." 
 
 " O, wal, that s all right ; we d as good s go to bed now as 
 any time ; " and he straightened up to follow her. 
 
 Turning on him, Flora gave the red and half-intoxicated 
 giant a look which made him quail, for an instant ; but he 
 rallied soon, and said, 
 
 " Go on, my duck don t trouble yourself to wait for me ; 
 go up to the bower ; I ll be round there in time." 
 
 Flora s cheek paled, yet her form visibly dilated, as she 
 moved, silently away, and ascended to her room, with no sign 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 269 
 
 of haste ; and, without closing the door, she placed the lamp 
 on the table, when she paused a moment, as if plunged in 
 thought or hushed with prayer. But the spell was broken 
 by footsteps ; when, looking up, she saw Bill approaching to 
 enter. On which, moving quickly towards him, she thrust 
 her hand into her bosom, when a gleaming dagger flashed 
 across his eye to be poised high and threatening, as she said 
 to the invading miscreant, " Come, if you think it wise ! yet 
 we cannot breathe the air of this room together an instant in 
 peace ! " 
 
 " Ah, ha ! " growled Bill, nothing daunted, as he drew forth 
 a broad, heavy bowie knife ; " that s a game which two on us 
 can play at ! " 
 
 " Then strike ! " cried Flora, as she clutched her left hand 
 into the bosom of her dress and rent it deep down, while she 
 drew towards him. " Strike ! for I prefer your steel to your 
 smile. Strike ! and then I shall be free ! but pass not that 
 door for any other purpose." 
 
 On this, Frink slunk back a step in astonishment, and said, 
 " You don t want to die, du ye ? " 
 
 " Of what value is life, on your terms ? " 
 
 " So you r a ly don t fancy Bill, don t ye ? drather hack 
 away with cold steel, ha ? ready to pitch battle with him 
 well, you be a trump, you be, by thunder ! " 
 
 " I did not draw a weapon to strike you except in extremest 
 need rather my own heart than that ; but this room is sa 
 cred to me, and blood is a cheap defence." 
 
 " Now, if ye mean it, I s pose I can put it off a day or so ; 
 but, let me tell ye, you ll fore better, in the long run, to back 
 down right off, for Bill don t s waller slights easy." 
 
 Yet, as Flora neither made reply nor changed her attitude, 
 he added, " So ye mean to stick to your text to-night, du ye ? 
 If ye du, I won t crowd. But I want ye to understand that 
 23* 
 
270 THE M US TEE, OR 
 
 when Bill comes here ag in, he expects to be better accommo 
 dated ; for if his temper fires up, he s hell ! And he ll let 
 this here go, and call it courtin ; but the next time he comes 
 round, he comes for a weddin or a funeral he will, by 
 thunder ! So he ll say good night now, and hopes it s all 
 pleasant." 
 
 During his talk, Flora closely searched him, and she saw 
 that his brutal purpose and determination were neither ad 
 journed nor abated, for the leer of lust was in his eye, while 
 its smirk spread out over his vulgar visage. She saw, also, 
 that he was desperate, and knew that he was meditating 
 treachery, so that his words of leave-taking were not the 
 snare which he hoped they would be, as he sprang forward 
 and clutched at her wrist, thinking to disarm and overpower 
 her. But, great as was his strength, and swift as was his 
 bound, they did not avail him then ; for she saw the fell 
 thought, when it flashed up from the hell of his passions, 
 and drew back her arm so suddenly that he caught only the 
 keen blade, which laid open the flesh of his hand ; and dart 
 ing .aside at the same instant, she dashed out the light, and, 
 from the midst of the black darkness, cried, " You vile wretch, 
 look to your own life now ! " 
 
 Bill made no answer, but, leaping like a tiger to the place 
 whence the voice appeared to issue, flung wide his arms, and 
 struck out with his weapon ; yet it clove only the air, and all 
 was still. 
 
 Flora, indeed, barely escaped his stroke as she glided 
 noiselessly away, palpitating with dread and loathing. He 
 even had a glimpse of her vanishing form ; and making one 
 more desperate plunge to lay hold of her, he struck a piece 
 of furniture, which threw him heavily to the floor, when his 
 bowie knife broke from his grasp, and bounded, rattling, far 
 beyond his reach. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 271 
 
 After the whirl of blood and brain, which the shock of the 
 fall occasioned, had subsided, he felt that he was still whole, 
 yet lay abject and trembling, because, being weaponless, he 
 was completely in her power. With that thought the beads 
 of sweat gathered thick on his forehead, and his skin tin 
 gled, in twenty places, as though the fatal steel was piercing 
 him. On this, his blood boiled, and his breath came thick, 
 making him to feel all that a dastardly culprit can undergo 
 when the hangman adjusts the cord to his neck, and the 
 waiting coffin arrests his eye, while he listens for the click 
 of that spring which will hurl him over the fathomless pre 
 cipice. 
 
 Yet, after a few moments, finding that he was still alive, 
 Bill began to crawl away, as softly as he could, in what he 
 hoped to be the direction of the door ; but he did not strike 
 it, while every touch against the dead wail gave him a pang ; 
 and, hearing a rustling very near him, he gasped with horror 
 as he jumped aside from the sound. This fortunately threw 
 him before the opening, for he was full of despair, and was 
 as weak as an infant. So he passed out, and went groping 
 on, feeling for the stairs ; when, touching the balustrade un 
 expectedly, he well nigh lost his senses, but recovering in a 
 moment, he hearkened with every hair. Catching alarm once 
 more, he sprang, and, being on the brink of the stairs, went 
 down, carrying most of the balusters along with him half 
 screaming, half groaning as he fell. But, realizing what had 
 happened, he jumped up, on the instant, and overturning two 
 or three chairs, finally reached the front door, and getting it 
 open and himself out, he locked it, to sink down on the step 
 and laugh in very weakness, and think himself a favorite of 
 fortune. 
 
 However, in a few minutes, another feeling came over him, 
 and he said aloud, " Now, how many times will Bill Frink 
 
272 THE 
 
 OB 
 
 stand bein bullied by a woman and a nigger at that ? Will 
 he sneak off ag in ? No, by thunder ! he ll go loaded with 
 arms fust; and he ll be here to-morrow night to make this 
 here house the hottest or the coldest place this side o hell ! " 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 273 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 The tuneful noise the sprightly courser hears, 
 Paws the green turf, and pricks his trembling ears ; 
 The slackened rein now gives him all his speed, 
 Back flies the rapid ground beneath the steed ; 
 Hills, dales, and forests, far behind remain, 
 While the warm scent draws on the deep-mouthed train. 
 
 GAY. 
 
 FROM the open casement above, Flora had heard her mas 
 ter s words, and felt that in the end the battle would be a losing 
 one for her ; felt that it was a field in which heroism itself 
 could have no hope ; felt that there was nothing left to her 
 but flight ; and, although that must be through a multitude of 
 foes, it were better to venture forth, however dark the pros 
 pect, as struggle itself is a reprieve, and on the most forlorn 
 path is sometimes victorious. 
 
 So, having watched Bill go up and out of the street, Flora 
 entered the foom where her child was sleeping, and there 
 prayed the Almighty for his guiding hand through the thick 
 darkness that environed her. 
 
 Still bending over her son, she kissed him, and as he roused 
 to consciousness she said, " Mother is going out to walk ; does 
 her dear little boy wish to go with her ? " 
 
 " It be all dark, mother isn t it ? " 
 
 "My dear child the dark is our best friend now; and it is 
 cool and breezy at this hour, which makes it more pleasant 
 walking than by day." 
 
 " O, I want to go if you be going," said Fred, rising up. 
 
 But a few minutes had elapsed ere she made him ready, 
 when, arraying herself for the adventure, she took a cup and 
 
274 THE MUSTEE, OB 
 
 some bread, with a few other needful things. Then, softly open 
 ing one of the front windows, she gazed over the silent street, 
 and seeing nothing to deter, lifted Fred out, jumped out herself, 
 closed the window, and taking her way towards the lower sub 
 urbs of the city, at length reached the levee, and continued to 
 walk hurriedly on. When daylight appeared, fearing to be 
 questioned by those whom she might meet there, she turned 
 away from the river, and sought the cover of the bordering 
 forest; there, beneath the shade and through occasional tan 
 gled undergrowth, she pressed on, skirting the cultivated ground 
 and following the course of the Mississippi now leading her 
 child and now carrying him, still strong with resolve, if not 
 with hope, and anxious to put space between her and the city 
 from which she had fled. 
 
 In this manner she urged on her steps until the heat and 
 stillness of midday found her so weary that she sat down on a 
 little rising ground, it being sonlewhat less damp than the 
 surrounding country, beneath the shade of a far-spreading, 
 towering live oak, which was curtained dark with long mosses, 
 pendent from every limb, and seeming as if the dryads that 
 dwelt there had dishevelled their locks to veil their charms 
 from mortal eyes. 
 
 During the long march Fred had made no complaint, for 
 Flora watched him carefully through all, and when she thought 
 that he might be weary, took him cheerfully in her arms and 
 carried him on until he desired to get down ; in truth, his at 
 tention had been so taken with novelty, that he found no time 
 to think of himself. As they walked along the child had made 
 inquiry about every thing which he saw in the woods ; yet new 
 objects thronged so thick that he could not wait for answers, 
 and his " O mother, what is that ? " passed with the vision, as 
 he watched the continually unrolling panorama with its ever- 
 new attractions. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 275 
 
 He, however, soon fell asleep after the halt ; and in a little 
 time Flora herself slept, for it seemed a secure place, and she 
 thought it necessary to prepare her for the journey of the 
 night ; so, beneath a large shawl which protected them from 
 the thronging mosquitos, they took their rest. 
 
 Thus, for three or four hours, they found repose. But at 
 length Flora was aroused by sharp notes and the near rust 
 ling of the undergrowth, when, starting up, she saw, and was 
 seen by, some boys who were searching for the young of the 
 mocking-bird, which inhabit those w r oods in great numbers. 
 It was the voices of those birds, now shrill, now mournful, as 
 they darted near and around these devastators of their happi 
 ness, which gave the first warning of danger, and startled 
 Flora from the depths of sleep. The marauding party con 
 sisted of a white boy, of about twelve years of age, with two, 
 apparently, attendant blacks some few years older. 
 
 As they came through the brush, near the tree, they saw 
 the child as well as Flora ; so they gazed curiously for a few 
 moments, but finally passed without question ; and when they 
 were fairly out of sight she lifted up her boy and hurried on. 
 
 In this manner she continued to press forward for more 
 than an hour, when it became so dusk that farther progress 
 was difficult. Then she halted and watched until she thought 
 it nine o clock, for there were occasional dwellings along the 
 course of the river, and masters or overseers might be out in 
 the early evening, who would observe, question, and detain 
 her until duly advertised and claimed. When that hour had 
 fully arrived, she crossed the cleared land, gained the levee, 
 and kept on by the edge of the descending current. 
 
 Where she was going Flora had not paused to consider ; 
 she felt that she must go it might be some mysterious lead 
 ing. She only knew that she was flying from something more 
 dreadful than death ; so that she could look down upon the 
 
276 THE MUSTEE, OK 
 
 dark flood beneath her feet with composure and a feeling of 
 calm trust, for into its silent bosom she might sink, when men 
 should rise up to scourge her back to violation ; even this was 
 to her a hope and a place of refuge. 
 
 The boys, consulting together, soon after returned by the 
 knoll where they had left the fugitives, but finding only the 
 trampled grass, and a few crumbs thereon, they went home ; 
 and the white lad, being the son of a planter, reported to the 
 overseer what he had seen. 
 
 That keen official made but few inquiries before he ordered 
 his horse saddled ; which being brought, his foot was quickly 
 in the stirrup and his spur against the flank ; and, in less than 
 an hour s time, the pavement of the city rang to the tread of 
 his smoking steed. 
 
 Seeking an acquaintance immediately, he spoke of the mat 
 ter, and was directed to the broker, as one who would be most 
 likely to know, or soonest learn, something of the ownership 
 of the fugitives. 
 
 The overseer was not long in finding that person, when he 
 gave the information and his own suspicions. 
 
 " Nearly white, you say she is, with a boy three or four 
 year old. How fur down from here were they scared up ? " 
 
 Between eight and nine miles, I reckon," the overseer 
 replied. 
 
 " What kind o goods did they have on spruce or common 
 lookin ?" 
 
 " I didn t have a sight at them ; and the boys didn t seem 
 to know, for all that they could tell about it was, their clothes 
 were lightish colored, and they had a large light shawl." 
 
 " S pose we cross over to the saloon and take a drink ; and 
 p r aps we may dig out somethin more about it there, you 
 know." 
 
 When they entered Bill Frink was at the bar with his com- 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 277 
 
 rades, and seeing them he called out, " Come on, broker, you re 
 right in time, and jist bring up your friend, tu ; for we ve got 
 to drink all they ve got in these here decanters ; we have, by 
 thunder ! so the more help, the lighter the jag." 
 
 Having emptied their glasses, the broker, taking Bill aside, 
 asked, " How does it go up there how do ye flourish in the 
 tender line ? " 
 
 " O, so so ; she acts a little rusty about startin ; but I guess 
 she ll go well nough arter she gits warm. Come, let s take 
 another drink, for I m fittin to go and court her." 
 
 " What ! haven t you paid her a visit to-day ? you oughter 
 be very tentive at fust, you know." 
 
 " No, by thunder ! I go in for business in the daytime." 
 
 " Was she sweet on ye, last night ? " 
 
 " What s that to you, by thunder ! What the devil be ye 
 so pryin about haven t ye got your pay for her? But 
 come, I m dry ; so let s wet down ag in." 
 
 " Now don t git into a pucker, Bill ; for nothin short of a 
 matter of business could have led me to call ye one side, you 
 know ; and I reckon your woman has stepped out." 
 
 " That would be a swell go ! " exclaimed Frink. " Now I ll 
 bet a hat she hain t ; and I hope she has, for I d like to slip 
 my dogs on her tracks ; I should, by thunder ! Du ye r a ly 
 think she has gone and done that are ? " 
 
 " I guess we d better go and take a squint. There s no 
 knowin what ll they do, you know ; and there s cause to sus 
 picion somethin s broke loose." 
 
 " You hain t seen her sence I bought her have ye ? Now 
 what the devil be ye so kind o private about ? " 
 
 " If we find she s vamosed the ranch, you know, you shall 
 have the whole story." 
 
 " Then I s pose I m bound to go ; and while we re up there 
 we can finish that bottle in the bureau you remember it ? 
 24 
 
278 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 By thunder, what the devil was that ? It tasted like there 
 was tansy in it ; but let s go and git done with the job." 
 
 So the three started off together, white Bill said to those 
 whom he was leaving, " Boys, hold on here for me, for I ll be 
 back in less than no time." 
 
 When they had fully satisfied themselves that neither Flora 
 nor her child were in the house, and Bill had expressed great 
 astonishment and indignation over the wreck of the stair rail, 
 and had slyly recovered his bowie knife, he turned to the 
 broker and inquired, " Now, where the devil is she ? for I 
 s pose you know. O, won t I give her some! Won t she 
 catch it, ha ! by thunder ! " 
 
 " This gentleman, you know," said the broker, indicating his 
 companion by a jerk of his neck, "may give ye a leetle more 
 light on the subject." 
 
 Thus appealed to, the overseer related the facts which had 
 brought him to the city. 
 
 On finishing his account, Bill said, " That s she ; and a right 
 lively hunt we ll have on her tracks to-morrow. Won t she 
 catch it, for she can t git away nohow ; her chain is more nor 
 a thousand miles long, by thunder ! And you desarve well of 
 Uncle Sam, and me tu ; so ye may reckon on your pay, and 
 I ll be down to your coop, with the right sort o company, by 
 seven in the mornin ." 
 
 " That will be in good season," said the overseer, " and you 
 will find me ready to p int out the place where she was seen, 
 and foller the hounds." 
 
 Soon after they separated, Bill went round to three or four 
 of his intimates, and acquainted them with the expected sport ; 
 and they, being eager to participate in it, engaged horses for 
 the coming day. 
 
 When the arrangements were all made, Frink did not return 
 to the saloon, as he had promised, but retired to rest; or 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 279 
 
 rather to labor with a dream, in which prospect and retrospect 
 were strangely mingled. As he sank to slumber, he started 
 off after the hounds with an exulting heart; but soon his 
 horse was flying along the terrible edge of dark and precipi 
 tous rocks, down which, after many times nearly losing his 
 footing, so that the rider was in paroxysms of fright, at length 
 he fell ! But, as they were hurled over the steep, he caught 
 hold of something which seemed to him a balustrade ; yet it 
 was so frail that it flew to splinters in his grasp as he went 
 crashing down, down, down ! until, seeing that he was about 
 to plunge into a yawning chasm whose dizzy deep was alive 
 with serpents, writhing and glowing like flames, he screamed 
 and started, half awake, though not sufficiently to shake off 
 the demon, for it led him, night long, amid recollections and 
 portents which made his hair to stand on end and his flesh 
 to creep. 
 
 By the dawn of day the hunting party were stirring, and, 
 mounting, reached the plantation at the hour appointed, when 
 the boys led them to the knoll where they had seen the 
 fugitives. 
 
 On being shown the ground, which had then well nigh lost 
 all trace of step or pressure, Luff and Trim were led to the 
 spot, and soon made to comprehend what was wanted of them ; 
 so that, after snuffing, whining, and whimpering around a few 
 moments, Trim gave a short, sharp bark as he took up the 
 track, and Luff struck in behind him with a bellow, and Bill 
 shouted, "It s a start!" when the plantation dogs were let 
 loose, and taking the scent, they followed with full voice ; and 
 the horsemen, wheeling in pursuit, galloped down the woods 
 to what they called glorious music. 
 
 The hounds worked slow and were occasionally bothered at 
 wet places, probably because over those spots Flora had carried 
 Fred in her arms. They soon, however, passed out of the 
 
280 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 forest, crossed the cleared field, and mounted on to the levee, 
 down which they followed eight or ten miles, when they once 
 more struck across the clearing nd in among the trees ; but 
 these began to draw nearer the stream, and in many places 
 approached quite to the brink of the water. The hounds grew 
 more and more lively as the scent became fresher, and over 
 that swampy flat led the horses at long distance ; so that Bill 
 called out, " Ride clost ! We shall be on em soon ! If the 
 game don t tree, the fur ll fly ! We must jump down the dogs 
 if they fasten ; I don t want em torn up right off hand ; for I 
 shall feel as if I hadn t got half satisfaction; I shall, by 
 thunder ! " 
 
 It was a strain of high enjoyment to those fiendish hunters, 
 as they pressed on their plunging horses; and Frink s face 
 glowed with ferocious triumph, for he expected, every instant, 
 to hear the despairing screams of his victim. 
 
 His brain so fired with this thought that he fancied he heard 
 a cry, and shouted, " Hark ! " In suddenly checking his 
 headlong course to listen, the overseer tripped his horse, so 
 that he blundered and launched him against the limb of a tree, 
 which caught in the corner of his mouth, and tore his cheek 
 open to his ear. 
 
 Bill laughed, with the rest, as he saw him roll in the mud ; 
 but the" woods were echoing with the full wild joy of the 
 hounds ; so on they dashed again, their steeds foaming and 
 smoking beneath the burning sun, yet as eager in the chase as 
 dog or rider. 
 
 " There ! there ! " shouted Bill ; " the hunt s up ! the 
 hounds are still ! We ll have em, dead or alive, in a few 
 shakes ; we will, by thunder ! Hooraw ! hooraw ! " 
 
 So the riders shouted, " Hooraw ! " and the trees caught up 
 the unfeeling cry, yet more faintly repeated it, and the dogs 
 replied far down through the foliage. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 281 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 Fate made me what I am may make me nothing 
 
 But either that or nothing must I be ; 
 
 I will not live degraded. BYRON. 
 
 As the first signs of approaching day began to pale the 
 eastern stars, the notes of preparation on board of the ships 
 which were ready to depart from New Orleans broke cheer 
 fully on the ear. The rich, deep voices, incident to the full, 
 strong lungs that the great sea gives its votaries, were 
 growing every minute more predominant and decisive, over 
 the echo of the trampled decks and the shrill screams of the 
 blocks, as they swelled up in command or remonstrance, jaggy 
 with oaths and piquant with epithet. 
 
 There, near by, paused the steam-tugs, hoarse, hot, and 
 oppressed in their breathing, and seeming to wait with restless 
 impatience, while grappling to the leviathans which they were 
 to bear down through the passes and set free in the waters of 
 the Gulf. 
 
 Casting the eye aloft, men were to be seen lying out on 
 the yards of the ships ; and top-sails and top-gallantsails were 
 escaping from their gaskets, on three or four, that were about 
 to try their own wings ; for there was a leading breeze from 
 the south, while the vapory fleeces which were rising along 
 the north-west gave indication that it would veer to that quar 
 ter as the day advanced. 
 
 One after another, those vessels sheeted home, filled away, 
 and stretched out into the silent, swift, and turbid current. 
 24* 
 
282 THE MUSTEE, OB 
 
 Who is there in whom a ship does not awaken admiration ? 
 The most perfect are very dreams of beauty, with charms 
 that never cloy ; for still we gaze whenever their white bosoms 
 woo the wind. Even the most uncouth are attractive, when, 
 under a press of canvas, they look to the wind and cleave 
 through the broken ranks of opposing waves, or stagger before 
 the gale and reel amid the billows; while those which are 
 modelled with art, and clothed with grace, leave their pictures 
 in the mind to rise occasionally to sight, on the illimitable sea 
 of memory, long after they have " veiled their high tops lower 
 than their ribs, to kiss their burial." 
 
 The last of the ships which left the levee, on that morning, 
 was one to be remembered long, sharp, and full sparred, 
 she divided the waters without disturbing them, any more than 
 does the fin of a shark as he prowls for his prey. When she 
 swept into view, it could be seen that she was one of those 
 triumphs of naval art which give to the ocean an interest not 
 its own, but akin to that which the beauty of Mary has left in 
 the otherwise gloomy halls of Holyrood. 
 
 As her signal mounted to the main, and unrolled on the 
 breeze, it disclosed her name to be the Muse ; while her ap 
 propriate figure-head was a female form, draped in white and 
 girdled with gold, and in her hand she bore a golden lyre. 
 She seemed a flowing curve in every part, except where the 
 quarter blended with the stern frame, which was slightly 
 rounded and gracefully raked, and decorated with a single 
 wreath of laurel dipped in gold. 
 
 When, under a cloud of canvas, she gathered way, with 
 every thing braced sharp and swayed home, she looked away 
 to the windward of all those which had got off before her, and 
 was overreaching them at the same time revealing to the 
 nautically trained eye that, when her cap was full of wind, 
 she cared but little from what point of the compass it came. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 283 
 
 With the ease and celerity of a pilot boat she glided down, 
 tacking and tacking until nine o clock, when, having made 
 nearly twenty miles, the breeze failed under the heat of the 
 sun, for it was the first of June, so that she scarcely had 
 steerage way in the descending, current. 
 
 The crew of the Muse were hiding in the shadows of the 
 sails, or the bulwarks, from the fierce heat of that southern 
 latitude which crinkled to sight in the air, and seared the 
 flesh like a mist of molten gold ; and the mosses on the 
 mighty oaks, that skirted the river, hung as though they were 
 cast in bronze, although the faintest whisper of the lightest 
 and idlest zephyr has power to agitate them. 
 
 Captain Elery for it was his ship was slowly walking 
 along her quarter-deck, scanning the white clouds, which 
 still continued to float out of the deep blue of the west, 
 glancing, occasionally, over the ship s side at the water, and 
 then aloft, as if at a loss to know where the Muse got her 
 headway. But her skysails towered far above the forest, and 
 met the first advances of that western breeze which the 
 " scud " of the morning had prophesied. 
 
 At length the captain said, " I believe our signal has caught 
 a fair wind, Mr. Jones, though there s not much to brag of 
 yet ; but if I know the quality of those sheep-skins, along 
 the nor -west, we shall have a pelt or two before the day is 
 over." 
 
 " I hope so," replied the mate ; " for I want to steer clear 
 of this mud creek before, night comes on ; as it s so near the 
 color of the land that in the dark you can t tell which is which ; 
 and I don t want to be cast away in a swamp ; give me either 
 land or water ; they re too much mixed up here to suit me. 
 They say that Lafitte, the pirate, used to navigate all through 
 these woods in his craft." 
 
 " Very likely, Mr. Jones ; but then you know that she was 
 
284 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 fore and aft rigged, and so might sheer round the limbs of the 
 trees easier than we can. Yet, under full headway, I think 
 that the Muse could go in any where along here, two or three 
 times her length, easy." 
 
 " That s what I m afraid of, sir ; for, in the dark, we can t 
 see the turns in the river, and if there s a good breeze she ll 
 make a straight wake, and tear her copper half off in plough 
 ing through." 
 
 " And then," said Elery, " when we come to haul her on to 
 the ways in New York, ^ as we should be obliged to do, 
 we might find blackberry bushes, instead of sea-weed, hanging 
 to her bottom. I would as soon be caught with hay seed in 
 my hair, as have em see that ! But hark ! Do you hear that 
 music ? Some devil is out with the hounds this hot morning. 
 Hark ! they re heading this way driving right down on us. 
 What voices they have ! Were it an October day, and the 
 grass all silver with frost, and the leaves all the colors of the 
 rainbow, I should think that I had lost something of the glory 
 of life in being cooped up here. But hear them come they 
 are almost down to us ! Francis, give me my gun ! Some 
 thing will break cover in a moment ! if it s a deer it may 
 take to the water. Get the downfalls of the quarter-boat 
 tackles clear, men, and stand by to lower away ! Mr. Jones, 
 where the devil are you now ? If a loon had squalled, a 
 half a mile off, you would have been tiptoeing the deck, or 
 skulking along under the rail, with your old king s arm, in less 
 than no time ! " . 
 
 " There, there, the bushes move !" cried Jim, one of the 
 men, who had been quietly watching ; " something is break 
 ing cover ! " 
 
 The captain saw the motion, also, and dropping one knee 
 on the stern coop, he brought his eye to bear along the sights 
 of his double-barrel in an instant ; when something did break 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 285 
 
 cover something which brought the captain to his feet, and 
 the but of his gun to the deck, with a ring! for it was a 
 woman, wild and dishevelled, with a child, whom she seemed 
 to bear as though it were but a feather in her grasp ! Spring 
 ing up the levee, some six or seven feet above the level of 
 the land, and two or three higher than the river, she dropped 
 her child, and stretching out her imploring hands towards the 
 ship, she cried, " O, save me ! save me ! Save us from those 
 terrible dogs ; save, O, save my boy ! " 
 
 She ceased ; yet there, upon the bank, she stood with her 
 arms still outstretched to the Muse, as though that winged 
 thing were the last faint hope which then lingered above the 
 grave. 
 
 The captain, gun in hand, leaped into the boat, and, as he 
 did it, called Jim and Jack to follow ; when, " Lower away, 
 men !*" was the order and the work of an instant. Standing 
 in the stern sheets, the tackles having been unhooked, he 
 said, " Now spring to your oars spring ! " 
 
 As the boat swept out from under the shadow of the ship s 
 quarter and headed for the object, Elery turned and said, 
 " Francis, rig the companion ladder ! Mr. Jones, do you hear 
 those dogs ? There, there ! That s Trim, and that s Luff ! 
 I should know their voices among a thousand, by the richness 
 of the metal." 
 
 The next instant the men were resting upon their oars, for 
 the boat had reached the feet of the supplicant. 
 
 Marking, at a glance, the delicacy of her hands and the 
 style and texture of her dress, torn and soiled as it was, Elery 
 said, " Lady, what do you implore at my hands ? " 
 
 " Life ! protection from those terrible dogs, and more terri 
 ble men ! O, do you not hear the fiendish pursuit, and will 
 you not have mercy and save us from death ? " 
 
 " They will not molest you ! They are on the track of some 
 
286 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 wild inhabitant of the woods you have nothing to fear from 
 them." 
 
 " It is my trail which they are following ! It is I and 
 my poor boy whom they are hunting down ! O my God, is 
 there no compassion for the outlawed ? Can you feel no pity 
 for a slave ? " 
 
 " You a slave ? Why, there is not a tar on blue water who 
 is not browner than you are. You a negro ! well, my God, 
 that alters the business ! it puts it beyond my reach, for it is a 
 peculiar institution, and I don t want to burn my fingers with 
 it. You see it is a matter in which somebody, at some time, 
 agreed for me that I should never interfere." And, turning 
 to his men, he added, " It makes my blood boil to say so, but 
 this is something which we are bound not to meddle with ; so 
 back your oars, for we must leave it ; " and, on the word, the 
 boat shot twenty feet from the shore. * 
 
 The next moment, seeing that last earthly hope depart, 
 Flora caught her child to her heart, and raised her eyes far 
 above the tall top-gallants of that stately ship. Silently there, 
 for an instant, she intensely gazed ; then, as if she saw some 
 beckoning finger from out the infinite blue, and obeyed its sum 
 mons, she leaped into the eddying flood and sank from sight. 
 
 The captain stood with his eyes fixed on the spot where 
 she had disappeared, as if paralyzed ; and the men at the 
 oars sat breathless. Then there was a void space, as if time 
 paused, or a minute was stretching to an hour. On this, a 
 shout broke forth from the deck of the ship, not from one 
 alone, but from many ; it was no single thought ; it was the 
 swift, impetuous impulse of all, " Save her!" "Save her!" 
 And the man at the wheel was heard to say, " They d better 
 be quick about it, too, for there s a breeze coming." 
 
 That cry broke the spell ; and dipping their oars into the 
 water, they rested over the spot where she had plunged, but 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 287 
 
 nothing which bore the semblance of humanity was visible ; 
 the strong, eddying current had drawn them under, and in a 
 tide so turbid that it .seemed impossible to see any thing below 
 the surface. 
 
 Yet there they gazed all gazed; how intently, how 
 fearfully they gazed, while slowly pulling the boat down the 
 river ! At length Elery saw something playing in the rings of 
 an eddy ; a bubble or two broke on the surface ; he thrust down 
 his hand, it was the hair of Flora, and in a moment she 
 was drawn into the boat, still pressing her boy to her insen 
 sible bosom. 
 
 In taking them on board, the child s hat and Flora s shawl 
 had fallen off, and lay floating on the surface, which one of the 
 men seeing seized to draw them after, when Elery said, 
 " Throw those things back ! they are chattels ; but I have 
 made up my mind that these forms are not so help me, 
 God!" 
 
 The Muse, during those agitating moments, had forged 
 ahead, for the wind had come fair and was freshening ; yet 
 she was not out of hail, and seeing his ship s name roll full on 
 the breeze, Elery called, "Mr. Jones, strike the signal! I 
 would not have that seen now, by these landsharks, for our 
 best bower, though Hope leaned upon it ! " Then trem 
 blingly unclasping the arms of the mother, and taking away 
 the child, he laid her on her face along the quarter seat of 
 the boat, with her head and neck drooping over the after- 
 thwart. 
 
 Thus leaving her, he took the boy across his arm, and, in 
 clining his chest, the water trickled from his mouth and 
 nostrils. In a moment, as the flow subsided, he pressed the 
 child s nose so as to close the passages, put his lips to his, and 
 went through the action of breathing, three or four times, into 
 the drowned lungs bracing firmly against the breast, when 
 
288 THE M US TEE, OR 
 
 he drew back the air, to start up the natural motion. Then 
 drawing another deep breath from the atmosphere, he repeated 
 the expiration and the pressure again and again, until the boy 
 begain faintly to catch his breath and to whimper; when, 
 opening his eyes, he commenced crying so it became evident 
 that he was safe. 
 
 They had then reached the ship; but as the companion 
 ladder was an impracticable way with one so helpless as Flora, 
 #nd to rig out a chair would cause delay, they immediately 
 hooked the boat to the tackles. Seeing this, as their anxious 
 faces were all bending over the bulwarks, the men sprang to 
 the falls, ere the order to do so was given, and ran the freight 
 up to the cranes with a will. Leaping on to the rail, the in 
 stant that it was within his reach, Elery clasped the lifeless 
 form, and, bearing it to the deck, placed it on the trunk of the 
 cabin ; when, turning to the men who were pressing near, he 
 said, " Fall back, boys ! I want air ; and don t stifle the child, 
 either ! " 
 
 Quickly thereon he proceeded to treat the asphyxia of the 
 mother as he had done that of the son ; and frequently he 
 repeated the action without sign of reviving life, until he be 
 came so exhausted that he thought of calling for assistance. 
 But, as he paused and looked around, they all stood so mute 
 and motionless, and with so despairing an expression, that the 
 yet latent force of his nature was aroused, and he bent with 
 new energy to his method of resuscitation. So working, for a 
 brief time, he thought that he felt a muscle quiver! In a 
 moment there followed a slight shudder of the frame ; then a 
 low gurgle a groan a^ convulsion ! 
 
 The sailors started at the sound, and many of them listened 
 and looked with bright tears coursing down their bronzed 
 cheeks, and the hearts of all were softened and touched with 
 tender compassion. Yet, as she gave fuller signs of life, their 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 289 
 
 feelings changed and their brows knit, for the lion within them 
 was rousing, at thought of an oppressor who could be more 
 dreadful than death. 
 
 Flora had, apparently, lost sensation so soon as to have had 
 no struggle with the King of Terrors ; yet she came back to 
 consciousness slowly, falteringly, and by the gate of pain. 
 
 When Elery felt that she was out of danger, he took her in 
 his arms, and, carrying her below, laid her in the upper berth 
 of one of the starboard state rooms that being the wind 
 ward side ; and spreading some blankets over her, he opened 
 the port, that she might feel the fanning of the westerly breeze ; 
 and telling Francis to watch by her, and call him instantly 
 if he saw any change, he passed out and ascended to the 
 deck. 
 
 25 
 
290 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 Play with your fancies ; and in them behold, 
 Upon the hempen tackle, ship boys climbing ; 
 Hear the shrill whistle, which doth order give 
 To sounds confused ; behold the threaden sails 
 Borne with th invisible and creeping wind. 
 
 SHAKSPEAEE. 
 
 THE first thing which attracted the captain s attention as he 
 reached the deck was the boy, who was lying down in front of 
 the hencoop stirring up the fowls with a belaying pin, and 
 crowing louder than any of them, while his wet clothes were 
 smoking under the fierce rays of the sun. 
 
 But the sailors were all looking at the spot where they 
 had made the rescue, which was then nearly a mile distant. 
 For there, some minutes before, even while they were hoisting 
 the boat to the cranes, the hounds had come to a stand, and, 
 foiled and panting, were awaiting their masters ; though at 
 this moment two or three of them, having slid down the bank, 
 were swimming off from the shore as if attracted by the shawl 
 and hat, which, floating, were still circling around in the eddies 
 of the current. 
 
 " Francis," said Elery, as he turned his eyes that way, 
 " pass me up my spyglass." 
 
 As the steward laid it in the captain s hand, he inquired 
 with a jerk of his neck to the starboard, " How is she ?" 
 
 " She s breathing short, sir, and wheezes some, but I guess 
 she s coming round, sir." 
 
 " I hope so ; but you must keep a sharp lookout." 
 
 On this he raised the glass to his eye, and, having brought 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 291 
 
 it to bear, said, " Yes, these dogs are after that hat and shawl, 
 for I can see where they float, and they are heading for the 
 objects. There, they grab at them it is a shawl ! and they 
 are trying to jerk it from each other as they make for the 
 shore. There stand Luff and Trim, with their tongues hang 
 ing out as long as pump-spouts ! and they are snuffing the air 
 and looking right down towards us as if they knew every tim 
 ber in the Muse by the smell! There come three or four 
 horsemen struggling out of the bushes and up the bank. One 
 is Bill Frink ! which is just what I expected, when I first 
 knew the voices of the hounds. There, they dismount, and 
 pull the dogs out of the water. Now Bill takes the shawl 
 he spreads it out and shows it to the others as though he knew 
 it I can almost hear him swear ! There, he slings it off 
 into the river. Hark ! I believe that I did hear him say, by 
 thunder, then ; or else it was something about going to col 
 lege ! Now he s watching us now he s looking at Luff and 
 Trim as they run down the bank towards us and back again 
 to him he understands ! he s pointing to the ship and speak 
 ing to the others I can certainly hear him swear now ! 
 There, they swing into their saddles and there they go up 
 the levee at a round pace with the dogs stringing along after 
 them." 
 
 The captain closed his glass, and began walking to and 
 fro on his quarter-deck ; and though not fast at first, his pace 
 fell slower and slower, as if his limbs were getting entangled 
 in the thread of his thought. While moving thus, Fred came 
 up softly behind him, and taking hold of the spy-glass, which 
 was poised in the pendent hand of the sailor, closed one eye 
 and squinted at the brass shove an instant, when, discovering 
 nothing that particularly interested him, he danced back, and 
 resumed his performance at the hencoop. 
 
 Elery, however, was too much absorbed to notice the ma- 
 
292 THE MUSTEK, OR 
 
 noeuvre of the boy, or observe the smiles of the sailors. But 
 at length he turned to the mate and inquired, " How fast do 
 you think the Muse can sail, Mr. Jones ? " 
 
 " Well, I believe we have crowded her fifteen knots, sir." 
 
 " Then it shall be done to-day, if we can find wind enough ; 
 and there s a pretty stiff breeze now well on the quarter, and 
 it is pricking on every minute ; but we must pack the canvas 
 on to her ; so put out a whole suit of weather studding-sails 
 aloft, for we must look for most of the wind over the tops of 
 the trees." And turning to the men he added, rather unu 
 sually, as they had overheard the order and were dispersing 
 to the duty, " Now bear a hand, boys, and let s see how quick 
 we can get them on to her." 
 
 As they sprang to the work, Elery said to the man at the 
 wheel, " Tom, keep her as close to the eastern shore as you 
 can, and not get out of the strength of the current ; for this 
 shaggy forest will take all the wind out of our lower sails if 
 we don t give it a wide berth." 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir, " answered the steersman, as he gave her a 
 spoke or two more of weather helm. 
 
 " Francis," said Elery, stepping towards the companion-way, 
 " what time is it below there ? " 
 
 "Ten o clock, sir." 
 
 Then looking up, the captain said, " Lay out, lay out aloft 
 there ! reeve your halliards and rig out your booms be 
 lively!" 
 
 "Ay, ay, sir," came ringing down and echoing from the 
 deck. 
 
 Taking a turn along the quarter, he was soon back by the 
 mizzen rigging, and looking aloft he cried, " Hoist em up ; 
 sway em taught ; that main-topmast studding-sail isn t half 
 up ; " when quickly glancing to the helmsman, he said, " Tom, 
 let her come to a little." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 293 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir, there she comes." 
 
 " Stand ready there, men," said the captain, as he saw her 
 luff; " have your turns all off. There she shakes ! now work 
 lively. There, belay all that. Give the fore a small pull, 
 Mr. Jones, while, you re about it. There, make that fast. 
 Keep her off now, Tom ; there, steady ! Now coil away your 
 rigging, clear the decks, and let her slide." 
 
 As every thing was done that could accelerate the flight 
 and complete the fashion of his ship, Elery walked along by 
 the coop, and, stooping down, took Fred from his play, and held 
 him up in his arms. The boy drew off a little from so strange 
 a face so near his own without his consent, although a warm 
 and heart-felt smile lit up the manly features, and, bracing one 
 of his small fists against the captain s shoulder, while his eye 
 brows drew down and his lips quivered, he asked, with half- 
 reproachful accent, " Where be my mother ? " 
 
 " Do you wish to see her ? " inquired Elery, in a tone of 
 voice so tender and touching that it startled the sailors who* 
 were near, and who knew him only through the decisive em 
 phasis of command. Yet, strange to say, it was a spell of 
 power upon them, more potent for the handling of that ship, 
 in the hour of peril, than aught or all which they had known 
 of him before. 
 
 " Yes, I do," the child replied ; " I want to see her right 
 away." 
 
 " Well, then you may," said Elery ; " and we will go down 
 into the cabin together, and see if we can find her." 
 
 As they turned to descend the stairs, Fred wound his little 
 arms around the neck of the captain, as though he had tested 
 his quality, and felt that he might entirely trust in him. So 
 they went down where the mother lay. 
 
 When they had reached there, Francis, who had continued to 
 keep his watch, stepped softly away, and ascended to the galley. 
 25* 
 
294 THE M U S T E E , OR 
 
 They found Flora in seeming slumber, and apparently free 
 from pain ; and when the child saw her so lying, he relaxed 
 his hold, and, looking on her and then on the captain with a 
 smile, said, in rather a ringing tone, " Mother be asleep." 
 
 But that familiar and heart-opening voice had power to 
 break the spell and unseal the sight ; although, but a few brief 
 moments before, the dread shadow of the eternal curtain was 
 upon it. 
 
 Seeing her closed lids struggle to open, Fred cried, " Moth 
 er, where you been ? " 
 
 On this the eyes of Flora, looking out so bewildered at first, 
 began to gather light, which in an instant flamed into intelli 
 gence, and overflowed her face with a smile. Then came a 
 quivering, and a slight agitation of the muscles, as if the will 
 was once more assuming sway. Thereupon she slowly and 
 feebly lifted up her hands her arms ; when the captain 
 gently laid the child within them, and she drew him to her 
 lips, to her bosom, while Elery, whispering, " You are safe 
 here," stepped out into the cabin ; yet paused a moment there 
 to brush a tear from his cheek, as though it were some weak 
 ness, rather than the evidence of noblest emotions, ere he as 
 cended to his hardy crew. As he came on deck, he cast his 
 eyes aloft, and then looked over the ship s side with evident 
 satisfaction. 
 
 While he stood on the weather quarter, looking at the 
 clouds, Mr. Jones, walking along near him, asked, " What do 
 ye think of them to -gallan -stu n-sail booms, sir ? " 
 
 " O, they re good wood, I believe," Elery replied, turning 
 his eyes on them ; " although they are not quite so straight 
 sticks as I thought they were. They appear to be pointing 
 down river." 
 
 " And it s my guess that they ll be goin there soon if they 
 ain t taken in," the mate followed up with. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 295 
 
 " Perhaps," replied Elery ; " and when they go we ll rig 
 out new ones, for this ship has got to show every rag of can 
 vas to-day which she can carry ; and I want to see those 
 booms break, as then I shall know that we have found all the 
 wind we can use." 
 
 " You ll have that satisfaction shortly, if I m any judge of 
 spruce poles ; for it looks to me as though that fish was a 
 leetle too heavy for the tackle. There, look o that ! see him 
 spring ! " 
 
 " That was rather a screamer of a flaw," the captain re 
 plied, with a half-doubtful smile ; " but it s smooth water, and 
 you will find your neck aching before they snap, if you under 
 take to watch em." 
 
 " But why do ye want to drive her so, sir? " 
 
 " For a number of reasons, Mr. Jones. But chiefly because 
 we have a valuable cargo on board ; and most particularly on 
 account of our having one or two things which were not in 
 season to be entered on the manifest, and therefore they re 
 quire despatch ; for, before the sun goes down to-night, we 
 shall see a high-pressure in hot pursuit of us, or I m no 
 judge of signs. When those horsemen left the spot where we 
 spoiled their sport, they started for New Orleans, with a de 
 termined purpose ; and they will go there in an hour and a 
 half from the time they left, unless they meet a steamer on 
 the way that can do the work, for there are planters along the 
 whole route, and many of them will eagerly give their best 
 horses to the service, which they regard as a common defence. 
 Consequently in two hours from that time, they ll be in our 
 wake at the rate of sixteen or eighteen knots, at which point 
 we may have about forty miles the advantage ; and it is not an 
 inch too much, for by my reckoning she will be so near us at 
 that, before the sun sets, that we can hear her pant ! And if 
 we keep this breeze, or even get more, we shall be able to see 
 
296 THE MUSTEE; OB 
 
 the smoke of her wrath, from aloft, by four o clock. So you 
 perceive that prudence, safety perhaps, says, Carry on, until 
 every thing cracks again ! Then, too, we are loaded just 
 right for sailing, as we are a few inches by the head, and the 
 Muse only drops her quarters, as if crouching to spring, when 
 you press her which brings her about on an even keel, the 
 true condition for great speed." 
 
 Standing by the mizzen rigging the mate having crossed 
 to leeward to clear his mouth and take a fresh quid, where 
 with to ruminate the conjectures of his captain Elery called, 
 " James ! " This was the sailor who had pulled the bow oar 
 in the rescue. 
 
 As James approached, he appeared to be less than twenty 
 years of age, with a fresh and bright countenance, a small and 
 agile body, which was dressed with that careless neatness that 
 makes the sailor s costume the most pleasing of all. 
 
 On his coming quite near, the captain said, in a low voice, 
 " I want you to lend me your best blue jacket, the one with 
 twenty bright buttons on a side, and the trousers to match ; 
 also some shirts, white ones, mind, with a black ribbon 
 to tie the neck, a black belt, and that sennit hat which you 
 made, and take them down to my state room." 
 
 The young sailor turned away with a pleased expression 
 playing over his face, and entering the forecastle, he, in a few 
 minutes, having filled the order more than full, conveyed the 
 clothes to their destination, or, rather, to the place designated. 
 
 Soon thereafter the captain descended ; and, as he passed 
 on to his quarters, he heard a pleasant prattling, that seemed 
 to remind him of something ; on which, he opened his locker 
 of private stores, or the medicine chest, and, taking out a de 
 canter of brandy, poured out a portion ; when, having filled 
 the glass with water, he entered the apartment of his passen 
 gers, and said to Flora, " I have here a draught which I ought 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 297 
 
 to have thought of before ; but, if you can forgive me this 
 time, I will try not to be caught napping on my watch again." 
 
 Flora looked into the countenance of the sailor, so full of 
 generous purpose, and still radiant with the light of a noble 
 deed, as he said this ; but her heart was too full for speech, 
 so that her eyes overflowed, her lips quivered, and her shoul 
 ders heaved ; when, stretching forth her hand, she clasped 
 Elery s iron palm, gauntleted, as it was, by his glorious 
 calling, for any and every emergency, and, burying her 
 face in the pillow, wept aloud. 
 
 The sailor also wept wept silently, wept great drops, like 
 the first of a thunder shower ; and every drop so shed seemed 
 to choke his utterance ; he thought soothing words, but could 
 not say them. 
 
 The child, hearing the sobs of his mother, turned away from 
 the port, where he had been intently watching the flying shore, 
 with all its waving woods, and, nestling down, worked his little 
 arms around her neck, and kissed her cheek again and again 
 in silence. Yet as she appeared not to notice his caresses, he 
 said, " Don t cry, mother ; what be mother crying for ? Don t 
 cry any more, mother." But seeing that she still continued 
 on, with increased rather than diminished emotion, he lifted 
 up his head, and looking at the captain, said, " You kiss 
 mother ! " 
 
 There was high-swelling agitation and awe, even, in that 
 scene, which the child, if he saw, must wait many years to 
 fully feel and appreciate. For notwithstanding Elery s lips 
 had joined hers, so recently and so closely, in the process of 
 resuscitation, that stage had passed now, and they seemed to 
 him as unapproachable as the immaculate stars. 
 
 However, the proposed remedy aroused the weeper. When, 
 withdrawing her hand, she stilled all visible emotion, and, with 
 an expression of countenance such as only great deliverers 
 
298 THE MUSTEE, OB 
 
 can win or appreciate, said, " I thought to thank you " and 
 then the tears flowed again ; yet, in a moment, and with a fal 
 tering voice, she concluded, " but now I fear that I never can. 
 To be a slave no more ! O God ! can it be ? Never again 
 never ! " 
 
 To this the sailor tried to reply tried many times ; and at 
 length he said, " You need not fear for your freedom ; when 
 you are a slave again, I shall be ; and your tears are more 
 expressive than any words they ve swept down on me like 
 a tropic storm. It s the heaviest blow I was ever out in, so 
 that I m completely waterlogged, and don t feel like making a 
 single move to get seaworthy. If the swell rises any higher 
 I believe I shall go under." 
 
 Veiling her eyes, Flora said, " It is so noble, so marvellous, 
 so much more than I dared to hope, that in climbing to thanks 
 I am swept down by tears ; for I am very- weak, and I hope 
 that my deliverer can wait till I am stronger." 
 
 " Yes, forever ! But your weakness it was that thought 
 which led me in here with this brandy and water ; so pray 
 oblige me by rising up and drinking it. I think that it will 
 do you good." 
 
 Flora, after a moment, did as he requested ; but as she 
 swallowed only a part of it, he placed the remainder near the 
 bed, and left her, saying, " I must go on deck now for a short 
 time, and hope to find, on my return, that you have finished 
 the draught." 
 
 As he came up from the cabin, Mr. Jones said to him, " I 
 have just thrown the log, sir, and she s only going eleven 
 knots. I thought she was slipping easier than that." 
 
 " How should she, when her lower sails don t get wind 
 enough to straighten the tacks, except by flaws?" 
 
 " It s more likely to be the muddy water; but I guess she ll 
 keep out o the way of any bloody tug they can start from the 
 city, at that rate." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 299 
 
 " She may yet there s still a long stretch of river ahead ; 
 and, until the Muse takes a white bone of the Gulf in her 
 mouth, I shall spread every pinion for flight. And you must 
 send a man aloft, occasionally, to see if there is a smoke-cloud 
 astern, and after four o clock keep one there." 
 
 Just then, the steward passing from the galley, the captain 
 said, " Francis, what has become of your dinner ? " 
 
 " It has been ready some time, sir. The men have got 
 through a long while ago, sir." 
 
 " Well, you may set it on, now, and we will eat at once." 
 
 " You ve no occasion to say ive" said Mr. Jones, " for I 
 staid my stomach in the caboose more than an hour ago. I 
 don t wait till this time when there s grub cooked and I ve got 
 a jackknife in my pocket." 
 
 To this the captain replied only with a smile ; when, look 
 ing aloft a moment at the booms and skysail masts, leaning 
 like trout rods to the darting, dying beauty of the brooks, 
 and casting a furtive glance over the taffrail, he disappeared 
 from deck. 
 
300 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Twas twilight, and the sunless day went down 
 Over the waste of waters like a veil, 
 Which, if withdrawn, would but disclose the frown 
 Of one whose hate is masked but to assail. 
 
 BYRON. 
 
 SEEING the table spread, as he entered the cabin, and ob 
 serving the child, who had resumed his watch at the port, 
 Elery said, " I want you, my boy, to come to dinner now." 
 And stepping to the door of the state room, he inquired, " Will 
 mother have something to eat also? But and I should have 
 attended to it before you must change your wet Clothes ; 
 and, as we are where female apparel is scarce, you will be 
 under the necessity of accepting something a little different." 
 
 So going into the after state room, he returned in a short 
 time, bringing the suit which the young sailor had furnished, 
 and, laying it down near her, inquired, " Do you feel able to 
 get up now ? " 
 
 Looking at the clothes a moment with evident embarrass 
 ment, Flora replied, " I hope to feel stronger to-morrow." 
 
 " Then you must take dinner, or I fear you will not." 
 
 " I shpuld like something to eat, if you will be kind enough 
 to bring it in to me," said she, with a faint smile ; " and, if you 
 please, you may take Fred to the table." 
 
 The boy stretched out his arms at the word, and Elery, 
 gently receiving, placed him by his side, where he soon felt at 
 home. Thenceforward the past was as nought to the elastic 
 child ; the present was all. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 301 
 
 Having dined, the captain still remained, leading Fred to 
 ask questions, and answering them to his particular satisfac 
 tion and the delight of the mother, who was near enough to 
 hear all, when the man at the mizzen-topmast-head called out, 
 " Smoke astern ! " 
 
 On this announcement, Elery ascended to the deck, yet with 
 out hurry, and hailing the lookout, inquired, " Is it a steam 
 boat ? " 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir," cried the sailor ; " I think I make her out. 
 I believe I see her smoke pipe, sir." 
 
 Thereupon Elery swung into the mizzen rigging, and, going 
 up eight or ten ratlines, looked long and intently. Then, slowly 
 descending to the deck, he walked musingly along the quarter 
 for some time. At length the pitchy billows of smoke from 
 the pipe of the tug caught his eye where he stood, and glan 
 cing up, he said, " Aloft there ! Come down." And, turning 
 to Mr. Jones, he continued, " Thank God that we have got 
 clear of the woods, and night is coming, with clouds to help ; 
 and, do the best they can, it will be dark before they reach us. 
 Yet it will be close work, and they may lay us aboard ; so you 
 must call the men aft, as I have something to say to them." 
 
 When the sailors had gathered near him, Elery said, " I 
 summoned you because it is evident that we are pursued, and 
 in a way which may lead to extra duty. In the rescue of the 
 morning we have broken the laws of this land, and our strain 
 ing sails are witnesses that we desire to interrupt still further 
 their execution. Yet I cannot find it in my heart to back a 
 single cloth of canvas ; on the contrary, I would see it swell 
 to the wind until it can bear no more. And, if that will not 
 save those whom God has committed to our protection, if the 
 pursuers overtake and attempt to grapple, I am for resistance. 
 I have reached that point ; and, if you feel as I do, we will 
 meet them with arms, and defend the fugitives with our lives." 
 26 
 
302 THE MUSTEE, OK 
 
 But observing their eager faces, he added, " Don t shout, 
 boys ; there isn t room here ! wait until we open the Gulf. I 
 see that you are ready to stand by them to the last gasp, and 
 I am with you ; so we must prepare for it by seeing that those 
 four-pounders are well cleaned and loaded ; and, James, you 
 go down with Mr. Jones, and get out the cutlasses, and give 
 them an edge." 
 
 As they went below to attend to the sharpening of the 
 " boarding brands," Flora looked out of her state room for 
 she had heard some of the words of the captain and, seeing 
 the mate take out the weapons, inquired, " Do you apprehend 
 any danger ? " 
 
 To which that officer made answer, " There s a steam-tug 
 comin down, which looks as though we re chased ; and, if she 
 overhauls the Muse, and is sarcy enough to grapple, I rather 
 guess there ll be a leetle bit of a fight." 
 
 By the time that the warlike arrangements were completed, 
 the dimly seen sun had set, and it was growing dark apace 
 for in that latitude the twilight is short. 
 
 At length down came the night, which made visible the 
 flame of the lighthouse on the point of the Pass ; and soon 
 the ship began to feel the motion of the Gulf, and, gracefully 
 bowing to its greeting, seemed to press on more ardently, as if 
 she heard in the voices of the waves the tones of loved 
 companions. 
 
 There, too, right in her wake, grew ever louder and louder 
 the sullen roar and crashing tramp of the swift pursuer, and 
 redder and redder glowed her eyes of fire, out from their 
 iron lids. 
 
 The winds wailed through the cordage of the Muse, but all 
 human sounds were hushed in grim expectancy, as these 
 brothers of yesterday were about to grapple unto death be 
 cause that the Higher Law, having been rudely and wantonly 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 303 
 
 aroused from its embers, had illumined the darkened mind to 
 the assertion of its supremacy. 
 
 On the first intimation of danger Flora had arisen from her 
 couch, disrobed, and put on the young sailor s apparel ; when 
 with the addition of the dirk, which she placed in her belt, 
 and upon the hilt of which her left hand rested she ascended 
 to the deck and stole unobserved, under the protection of the 
 friendly darkness, to the weather quarter and to the captain s 
 side, where he stood watching the wrathful approach of the 
 smoking, panting- foe. 
 
 At that time they had reached so far down as to open the 
 South-west Pass, where the greater rake of the wind, blowing 
 across the current, had set in motion a chopping sea, which 
 the long ship disdained to notice. But when the steamer 
 came ploughing into the " rip," it tossed her like a clam shell ; 
 so it became evident that in a sea way, with the breeze then 
 blowing, she might look for the Muse s tracks in the morning, 
 yet her sheeted form would have glided beyond their vision. 
 
 " She has gained nothing for the last five minutes," said the 
 captain ; " if any thing, we drop her ; but she will smoothen 
 her water shortly, and then she ll come down on us like light 
 ning ! She s not more than three hundred fathoms astern 
 now, and when she strikes over this rip she ll leap nearly 
 that distance ; so have those guns wheeled to the weather 
 quarter, and clear away the ports ; and, Jack, you take charge 
 and direct them. James, you see that a match is ready, and 
 await my orders. Mr. Jones, give out the cutlasses." 
 
 Seeing that the person who stood beside him whom he 
 had taken to be James did not start, he looked round rather 
 sharply, when, discovering that it was Flora, and observing her 
 hand upon her weapon, he said, " Do you get up for this, when 
 you thought yourself too weak to take a seat at table ? " 
 
 " O, I am stronger now, and you must let me stand where 
 
304 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 you stand, and strike when you strike ; for I should scorn my 
 self if I thought that I could shrink from my own battle, be 
 lieving, as I do in my inmost soul, that extreme resistance to 
 their force will be just." 
 
 The sailors heard her ringing words, and there was not one 
 among them all but felt that he would give his life for her, in 
 that impending struggle, as freely as he would drink a glass to 
 her health, when, on leaving the ship, he can gain the license 
 of the shore. 
 
 At that moment, also, there was a slight relief from the 
 strain, as the ship, being in smooth water, was evidently draw 
 ing ahead fast, while the steamer was in the roughest part of 
 the passage. 
 
 But little time elapsed, however, before the tug stood steady 
 on her keel ; and then it became apparent that she was put 
 ting out the uttermost of her strength to close with the chase ; 
 for smoke, like storm clouds, rolled above and to leeward, 
 while the blaze gleamed and darted from the summit of the 
 pipe, as if it were the hand of the Olympian, launching his 
 thunderbolts. So on she rushed, bounding. 
 
 Then, breaking through all the din, arose the fierce barking 
 of enraged dogs ! and Flora clasped the captain s arm, for 
 she knew, as well as he, the voices which so pursued her steps 
 on that terrible morning. Then there came sharp, quick 
 growls, as if they were pulling down their prey ; and then 
 half-choking sounds, seeming as though they ravined blood ! 
 Men, also, were seen rushing down the stairs, and moving 
 swiftly before the fires, and massing together with shoutings 
 and cursings, and springing and striking at the same time, as 
 if they wrenched off the dogs or beat them down ! Yet the 
 boat rushed furiously on, and was within three times her length 
 of the chase. 
 
 " Sight your gun ! " shouted Elery, " and level just above the 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 305 
 
 fires, dead on the boilers ! she comes no nearer without an 
 swering be ready with your match ! " 
 
 On this, he brought his speaking trumpet to his lips, to hail 
 her ; but ere the wild, defiant tones struck their ears, the boat 
 opened midway through all her length, like the yawn of a 
 volcano s crater ! shooting dark masses and myriad fragments 
 high into the air some gleaming red, all tipped with flame ! 
 And rushing after it came a crash, a roar and rolling thunder 
 of explosion, which, cracking the bending booms, and shaking 
 the Muse in every spar and timber, made the " Father of 
 waters " quake in his lowest bed, and flee, trembling, through 
 all his marshy passes ! 
 
 As the last splinters hissed down and were quenched in the 
 flood, to the dazzled eyes and deafened ears of the appalled 
 watchers, the place where, a moment before, the steamer had 
 strode over the sea with steps so mighty, seemed as dark and 
 silent as the grave they could discern no vestige of wreck, 
 hear no voice of any " strong swimmer in his agony." 
 
 Thus shielding the fugitives, and those who gave them " aid 
 and comfort," came the thick bosses of Jehovah s buckler so 
 struck and pierced the dread shaft of the unseen Avenger ! 
 
 To the benumbed ears of the spectators how deep seemed 
 the stillness ! as if Nature had said, " Hush ! " and was lis 
 tening for the footsteps of an earthquake ! Slowly they re 
 covered their sense of hearing, while the waves were heard as 
 if sighing, and the winds moaned as though for the dead and 
 the dying. Long, without speech, without motion, awe-struck 
 and paralyzed, they stood ; for they felt that a weapon mightier 
 and swifter than theirs had transfixed the oppressor in his 
 exultant hour, even at the moment when he was making his 
 swoop on the wave-cleaving quarry. 
 
 Yet on flew the Muse, with a straining pinion ; and, at 
 length, the clouds broke and fled away from the brow of the 
 26* 
 
306 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 night, when the moon came out to welcome and cheer them, 
 and charm their recent terrors into pensive dreams. Then 
 they looked up and saw the serene heaven glancing approval, 
 from its myriad eyes, of their deed and their determination ; 
 while the west wind fanned and calmed their tumultuous 
 pulses : thus the voices of nature, which are always in har 
 mony with great actions, breathed over them a benediction. 
 So sustained, they began to move about, then to speak low to 
 each other, until, after a time, the tones of all came up to their 
 natural pitch ; when they talked of the scenes of the day, the 
 fate of the foe, and the freedom of the sea for the light, on 
 the point of the Pass, was already on the Muse s quarter. 
 
 Soon Elery s voice was heard in command ; when the 
 broken booms and split studding-sails were secured, the yards 
 rounded in, as the ship was running nearly before the wind, 
 the larboard watch called, and the course given. 
 
 There, too, was the lamp of the lighthouse fast sinking in 
 the waves ; and, as Flora stood watching its fading beams, the 
 captain, having completed his directions, came to her side. 
 Seeing where her glance was directed, and observing that she 
 appeared downcast, he inquired, " Are you sad then, after all, 
 with the thought that you re leaving this land ? " 
 
 " O, no ! I was thinking how the word forever is mingled 
 up with the separation ; and what deep and deadly wrong that 
 must be which can change home into the most loathsome and 
 terrible of places ; so that every breath of wind, which helps 
 to waft me from it, seems like the waving of the wing of some 
 protecting angel." 
 
 a I am glad that you feel so ; and I will take a parting 
 glance with you ; for when it vanishes behind the waves to 
 night, on me, too, it sinks forever ! I value my freedom too 
 highly to venture there again." 
 
 " That, indeed, is what I feared. O. you have made a great 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 307 
 
 sacrifice for me and my child, to-day ! and would that* I could 
 express how grateful I feel, or that I could see any way of 
 repaying you." 
 
 lf Is not glory its own meed ? You must not think that we 
 have made a sacrifice ; for, although the port is closed to me 
 and the Muse, I consider it of little account, as the world of 
 commerce is wide, and invites us to traverse every parallel." 
 
 " Truly, I hope and pray that you may not suffer for your 
 devotion to me." 
 
 " Suffer ! Why, you have this day ennobled me in my own 
 esteem. It was your distress which flamed through the dark 
 ness of my understanding, and taught me how full of hell is 
 that law which puts a scourge in the bloody hand, and clothes 
 with irresponsible power the lusts of the oppressor. No ! I 
 would not have this day blotted from my memory, though with 
 it might go all that I could desire to erase from that mysteri 
 ous register." 
 
 Flora strove to reply, but her heart was too full ; which the 
 sailor perceiving, he drew her arm within his, and turning 
 towards the cabin, they descended in silence. On reaching her 
 state-room door she looked up, and, smiling faintly through her 
 tears, gave him her hand, while she whispered a trembling, 
 sweet good night, then vanished to her place of rest ; there, 
 night long, to sink to slumber, from which to be startled and 
 hunted by pursuing dreams, until she awoke to feel herself 
 cradled on the deep, and welcomed by the shouting waves to 
 the wild liberty of the ocean. 
 
308 THE M US TEE, OB 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 Upon the gale she stooped her side, 
 And bounded o er the swelling tide, 
 As she were dancing home. 
 
 SCOTT. 
 
 MORNING came forth in all its beauty over that summer 
 sea, while the unflagging wind still bore the ship gallantly on 
 her course. And when the sun ascended from out the waves, 
 pouring the wine of life from an urn of gold, the glittering 
 tide seemed a libation to the Muse ; for, so far as the eye could 
 range, she was alone on the deep. 
 
 At such times it is a charmed existence ; a life in which 
 the old Sea Kings revelled, and their lineal blood take to it as 
 a child seeks its mother s breast. Of this strain was Elery ; 
 and he was up and walking the deck early, for his beautiful 
 ship had laid hold of his affections, so that he never tired of 
 watching her motions, or perfecting her finish ; every rope s 
 end was fashioned into beauty ; every sail was graceful, and, 
 when spread, swayed exactly to its true place ; while the 
 rake or squaring of every spar and yard yielded obedience 
 and pleasure to his eye. 
 
 He observed every thing which related to her ; not the mi 
 nutest escaped. If there was a rope-yarn on her polished 
 deck, his hand found it ; and if her wood was marred in a 
 single place that he could not reach, you might note him often 
 turning to look over arid down upon it ; and, if he could get 
 near it, you would see him sharpen his knife and pare it away 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 309 
 
 with the tenderest care, as though he were smoothing the 
 locks upon a daughter s brow. 
 
 As the Muse had captivated Elery at first sight with her 
 beauty, so she had kept him by her singular excellence, and 
 even made him proud of her qualities as a sailer. For, in 
 speaking of her, he said, " The ship is not yet launched that 
 can lap her weather quarter on a taught bow-line, or show 
 her the rake of her stern-post when going large." Even a 
 careless eye could not pass her without observing when riding 
 at her anchors ; while here she rose on the sight, a bright con 
 summate flower, as if the waste ocean had unfolded into bloom. 
 
 The morning was far advanced when Flora ascended to the 
 deck, for her late slumbers had been calm and deep, so that 
 she awoke refreshed. When she emerged from the companion- 
 way, she paused to look on the right hand and on the left, as it 
 was the first time in her life in which she had beheld illimit 
 able water ; all around the glad waves were tossing their 
 white caps and laughing in their play, while among them the 
 Muse clove her way with swift and graceful motion, as some 
 queenly beauty glides through the measures of a dance to soft 
 and melodious music. 
 
 " Is this the sea ? " said Flora, as the captain came near 
 her ; " the creature which I imagined to be so full of dread, 
 so wild and savage of feature. Never have I seen the sun 
 ascend so royally the morning, or take such complete posses 
 sion of the world of vision. Then this is the ocean and 
 how gorgeous in its beauty ! I can see now how it inspired 
 Byron to sing so eloquent a song ; and how as a boy he loved 
 to wanton with its breakers and be borne like its bubbles on 
 ward. O, if this be a fair specimen of voyaging, my chief 
 regret will be when I find it drawing to a close." 
 
 " It is a grand picture to a few, though not to many. I 
 foared yon might be hoping (he cruise would soon end." 
 
810 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 " 0, no ; yet I should like to know where we are bound, 
 and when we are likely to arrive." 
 
 " If fortune favor us, the voyage will be completed in the 
 course of ten or twelve days, in the port of New York." 
 
 But observing her face grow thoughtful, and then sad, he 
 resumed, saying, " When I saw you come on deck you seemed 
 full of the joy of the hour and the brightness of the season, 
 and I was glad. Was it a mistake, or have you changed ? " 
 
 " I was thinking," she replied, with a sad smile. 
 
 " I shall not object to that. Yet let me hope that you will 
 not allow any thought of the future to press in and perplex 
 you, for an escape which opened with such striking fortune 
 I do not believe can darkly close." 
 
 " O, it was not the future, but the past, which rose up be 
 fore me ; and, although it can have none other than a sorrow 
 ful reception, I fear that neither the security nor the peace of 
 coming years can wholly charm it away, 
 
 For I am as a weed 
 Torn from a rock, on ocean s foam to sail. " 
 
 "I have imagined that yours was a sad, perhaps a terrible, 
 story ; and you must tell it to me some time. I should like to 
 hear it, and besides it may be some relief to you." 
 
 " It gives me pleasure to feel that one who is entitled, by 
 the circumstances which have placed us near, to know that 
 story, has a right by nature as well ; and, on some suitable 
 occasion, you shall learn all which is mine to communicate 
 in some brooding night, or some stormy day, perhaps, when 
 images of sadness more naturally possess the mind ; but it is 
 too sunny and cheerful now. Pray tell me, is this life on the 
 ocean ? Do you often see such a day as this ? " 
 
 " O, yes, frequently. At this season of the year it is so 
 common that it may continue through the passage as bright 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 811 
 
 and cloudless as to-day ; and you must cheer up and take the 
 enjoyment which it offers. But, by the way, where is Fred ? 
 I have not seen or heard of him this morning." 
 
 " I left him looking out of that little round window, for I 
 could not find his clothes ; and I should think that he had 
 tossed them all out through that place into the water, if my 
 own appropriate apparel had not disappeared also. 1 
 
 " Francis," called the captain. And the steward making 
 his appearance, he inquired, " Do you know any thing of the 
 boy s clothes ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir ; I took them away, and have washed em, sir." 
 
 " Are they dry yet ? " 
 
 " I believe so, sir ; but I was just trying em when you 
 called, sir." 
 
 " That s well ; and take them below as soon as you have 
 them ready. You took away the lady s clothes also, I sup 
 pose : are they dry ? " 
 
 " No, sir ; I hung them in the sun ; there wasn t room in the 
 galley, sir." 
 
 " Well, you will return those, when dry, to the place where 
 you found them." 
 
 "But I starched em, and they ll need ironin , sir." 
 
 " Is that all ? At the time when I noticed them last, they 
 appeared as though some one might have to handle a palrn and 
 needle, for a watch or two, before they would be fit to set again." 
 
 " I can do that too, sir." 
 
 " See, then, that you do not discredit your ship." 
 
 On this Francis turned away, smiling, and disappeared in 
 the galley ; and Flora said, " I am afraid that he will find it a 
 difficult task." 
 
 " It may be ; yet I think he will repair them so that they ll 
 do to spread when we go into port ; and in the mean time you 
 must wear such o-ear as our chests contain." 
 
312 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 To this Flora made no reply, other than to look her thanks 
 and her embarrassment together, as she -turned to follow 
 Francis below for the purpose of dressing her child. 
 
 She soon returned with Fred, who bounded away from the 
 caresses of the captain, after a few moments, to see his old 
 acquaintance in the coop. So Flora sat down upon it to gaze 
 out over the ocean, and Elery, joining her there, said, " I have 
 some books below, if you choose to read ? " 
 
 " O, not now, not to-day ; for this great volume, which is 
 thus open to me, seems more novel and more charming than 
 any book ; it may tire in the perusal ; indeed I have heard that 
 it does, yet I cannot conceive how ! " 
 
 " You talk like a true sailor. In all my cruising I have 
 never felt what is called the monotony of sea life. I cannot 
 read on deck while the ship is under way, for my attention 
 will not stick to the lettered page. I try hard sometimes, but 
 only to find myself lured off by the motion of the vessel, the 
 music of the waters, or the whispers of the winds ; and there 
 is an exhilaration in the air, also, which will not allow me to 
 sit still, but keeps me moving about deck. Yes, you may well 
 prefer this page, for it is more suggestive than any that man 
 has made, and flashes with gems which genius can neither 
 quarry nor polish. Borne up by the breeze and illumined by 
 the sunshine, the waves take captive my eyes, and lead me to 
 hearken to their voices. Yet a first voyage will hardly win 
 one so to view it, and most people will never do so ; for great 
 things improve on acquaintance only to those who can appre 
 ciate them. But do you not dread sea-sickness ? " 
 
 " Never having experienced it, I have not the best knowl 
 edge of its nature ; yet if, as I suspect, the feeling spring in a 
 great measure from fear, I intend not to be infected with it." 
 
 " I have never thought of that as a cause ; still there may 
 be something in the idea, as the way to avoid the disturbance, 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 313 
 
 according to my experience, is to offer no resistance to the 
 motion of the vessel, but go with her, wherever she tumbles, 
 without a thought ; and I suppose, on the whole, one must 
 have no fears in order to do that. Yet I have heard of those 
 whose trouble custom could not alleviate, and no application 
 but the firm earth would effectually compose." 
 
 So passed the hours ; so came to her sight, for the first 
 time, a tropical sunset at sea the most gorgeous picture 
 which Nature displays in the rotunda that bounds our vision ; 
 for it is only there that she unrolls all her banners to welcome 
 the regal orb from his victorious march ; only there that the 
 King of Day, in royal profusion, strows choicest purple and 
 gold over the heavens, as he retires into his pavilion of 
 clouds. 
 
 On the third morning out, there was a cry of " Land, ho ! " 
 and Flora, hearing the words, hastened to the deck, when 
 there it lay, in full view, with the green waves rolling and 
 leaping around, as if to hang their white fringes on the rocks. 
 And, inward from the coast, the pale blue vapor, with which 
 night had clothed hill-side and valley, was rising and vanish 
 ing, or awaiting the touch of the sunbeams to be transmuted 
 into silver and gold. Then, as the mist rolled away or melted 
 into air, the palms the fairest conception of the teeming 
 earth appeared waving their royal branches in the breeze, 
 and seeming a giant race of Indian braves, decorated with 
 their war plumes, and advancing through the fog to look upon 
 the wondrous bird of the deep, as erst their ancestors gazed 
 on the white-winged ships of Columbus. To Flora s mind 
 the scene opened with all the freshness of discovery, while to 
 her eye it gave a most lovely picture ; for the Muse was just 
 at that distance which made it seem 
 
 " A silent isle on which the lovesick sea 
 Dies with faint kisses and a murmured joy." 
 27 
 
314 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 " This," said the captain, as he came to her side," is the 
 most enchanting region that we shall see on the passage." 
 
 " O, there is a sweet witchery as we so approach ! It seems 
 as if coming to meet us. Just see how those waves leap up 
 like dogs in emulous fondness, and touch their lips to the faces 
 of the rocks ! What land is it ? " 
 
 " It is Cuba ; and we are fast opening the Moro. If you 
 will step a little farther to starboard you can see the Havana 
 now, with the ships at their anchors." 
 
 " Which way is starboard ? " 
 
 " Excuse me ; but looking forward, as you do now, it is on 
 your right hand." 
 
 On this she went over to the side indicated, with the sailor, 
 and there lay the white city ; perhaps the most charming 
 winter residence on the globe, to him who wishes to give 
 some time to communion with nature, as well as to luxury and 
 amusement, and loves the sun s smile and the south wind s 
 caresses. 
 
 " Keep her off, now," said Elery, turning, as he had hauled 
 in closer than usual for vessels not intending to enter the 
 port, that Flora might have a full view of the place, " and let 
 her run down by the lay of the land." 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir," replied the helmsman ; " there she goes." 
 
 " Square the yards ; we re running dead afore it." 
 
 When that was done, turning towards Flora, he said, "That 
 studding-sail has rather cut off our prospect. Suppose we 
 walk forward." 
 
 Flora gladly assenting, they went on to the top-gallant-fore 
 castle, where, standing in the shadow of the head sails, while 
 the fresh breeze from the foot of the swelling foresail fanned 
 them, they saw that island which Spain taxes, and the nations 
 covet, set in the flowing girdle of the sea. 
 
 " What golden light floods all the landscape ! " she exclaimed ; 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 315 
 
 " how strange, how beautiful, and how exalted above any 
 which I have viewed, the land appears ! as in all my life I 
 have seen no hill until now." 
 
 " The Lower Mississippi is not the most favored portion of 
 the earth in some particulars," said Elery ; " and I think my 
 self, that this would be more agreeable to live on, or be buried 
 in, than the reeking swamp which is known by the name of 
 Louisiana." 
 
 But catching a glimpse where she stood of the sheeted foam 
 that flashed on the parting waves beneath the Muse s prow, 
 Flora stepped forward, and, leaning over, saw those pearly 
 splendors on which the lover of the sea never tires of gazing. 
 In a few moments she became so absorbed that she reclined 
 by the anchor and said no more. So the sailor left her to 
 gaze on the ocean s charms, the severing sapphire, the crystal 
 and purple foam bells, with the dolphins dividing the sun 
 beams into all beauteous colors as they darted lithely on ; and 
 when filled with these to be borne far away on the wings of 
 her musing. 
 
 Long was the view and sweet the dream, as when she rose 
 up and looked around the island had nearly faded from the 
 horizon that island which we do not need now, and therefore, 
 if wise, could see pass to any or every power in Europe with 
 out a stroke of war or even a breath of diplomacy. Indeed, 
 when it shall become necessary to us, it will matter little who 
 has possession ; we can go and take it ; and not that alone, for 
 when the limits of my country are defined, when she com 
 pletes her coronation robes, every gem of the Antilles will be 
 found on the hem of her purple. 
 
316 THE MUSTEE, OB 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 I will send his ransom, 
 
 And, being enfranchised, bid him come to me; 
 Tis not enough to help the feeble up, 
 But to support him after. 
 
 SHAKSPEAKE. 
 
 FLOKA was fast becoming a lover of the sea ; so that on 
 ward to the close of the voyage, when Fred had retired for 
 the night, she might be seen taking her place by the cathead 
 to watch the flying waves, the seething surge, and the phos 
 phoric flames ; and there, too, on nearly every time of her 
 watching, as if conscious of their admirer s presence, came a 
 shoal of porpoises, playing and snorting, and leaving long trails 
 of fire in the clear blue water, as they darted onward or around 
 in their races with the Muse. 
 
 One evening, when Flora had been looking over the bow 
 some time after the porpoises had closed their wild play, and 
 departed in a direct line for another ship whose dusky form 
 was dimly seen on the horizon s verge, the captain went for 
 ward, and leaning down by her side, said, "I have come, 
 hoping that now you will tell me your story." 
 
 Flora thought of it for a moment, and then, speaking low, 
 so that her words were muffled by the moaning of the solemn 
 sea, she narrated her early life, her love, her sorrow, and her 
 oppression. 
 
 The sailor was startled into exclamation a number of times 
 during the narration ; and when she had fully finished, so that 
 she looked up to his face inquiringly, he said, " It is more than 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 317 
 
 I had imagined, both in light and shade ; in truth, the artist 
 who adds any thing to the human form when he paints a devil, 
 has but little knowledge of man ! " and then, pausing a mo 
 ment, in that diffidence which checks the admiration of the 
 noble, he added, in tones pure from all tinsel of compliment, 
 " and yet more shallow is the idea in drawing the outline of 
 an angel." 
 
 Flora was so struck with the lofty and sympathetic nature 
 of the sailor that she confessed to it in silence ; and for a mo 
 ment her heart inclined to him with the tenderest emotions. 
 
 But soon Elery said, in a low and even an agitated tone, as 
 if he arose from much deeper thoughts, " You have made me 
 a brother by your confidence ; and, now that I have been ad 
 mitted to an acquaintance with the past, let us glance towards 
 the future ; let me tell you my scheme, that which is in my 
 mind for you to do when the voyage has closed. I have a 
 cottage, pleasantly situated in the town of Greenville, not far 
 from the city, which needs attention ; and I want you and 
 Fred to go out and live there, to take care of the fruits and 
 flowers while I am at sea ; for when I sail again I may not 
 return in two years, and, if no one live in it, and no one 
 will unless you do, I shall come home to find the fences 
 carried off, the trees broken down, and all the vines torn from 
 their trellises." 
 
 " Is there any thing that I can find to do there by which I 
 may earn a living ? " 
 
 " The care of the place will pay for the living ; that, of 
 course, is for me to see to and provide for." 
 
 Flora looked at him a moment, searchingly, when she said, 
 " My way of life has been so secluded that I am ignorant in 
 such things, and you must not help to deceive me. If you 
 respect me, as I hope you do, you will not consult your gen 
 erosity, but rather my independence, when, having given me 
 27* 
 
318 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 freedom, you are about to open to me a fairer field and a higher 
 life. I know that I can work, and it is my desire to win my 
 support ; so much so that to point out and help me on that 
 path will be to answer my most constant prayer, and be re 
 membered as the instrument of a guiding and protecting Prov 
 idence. I shall know how to make labor welcome, for I leave 
 that behind me, the memory of which will carry cheerfulness 
 into toil, and link patience to hardship. Indeed, personal lib 
 erty seems a pearl of such price that all beside appears trivial. 
 I would not speak too confidently, seeing that I have accom 
 plished nothing ; yet, if time and circumstance leave me 
 strength and freedom, I hope never to be heard complaining." 
 
 " But you are not strong, and I think that you are not in 
 good health ; although, whenever I inquire, you say you are 
 quite well. Then they who have not been accustomed to work 
 will find any place difficult to fill, however humble it may be ; 
 and female labor is ill paid at the best, for the employments to 
 which woman is restricted are over-full ; consequently desirable 
 situations are not easily obtained, and sewing is said to be 
 wholly unremunerative, unless night and day are devoted 
 to it." 
 
 " I have some skill with my needle, and it is such employ 
 ment that I hope to find." 
 
 " Yes, and keep housed until you lose flesh and spirit, and 
 become so diseased that the green earth shall be unwhole 
 some and the fresh-bracing air a torture ! Do you think I 
 can see that after my bloody cold-heartedness in letting you 
 nearly drown ? " 
 
 " Did I ? I have hardly had time to recur to it." 
 
 " Well, God knows I have ! and I think always what a sav 
 age you must thought me, when I shoved my boat from your 
 bleeding feet, and was deaf to your beseeching prayer. It 
 seems to me now that I could never have approached or spoken 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 319 
 
 to you again, if over that barbarous act there had not opened 
 a prospect for generous purpose ; and nothing can ever recon 
 cile me to myself if you refuse the terms of my redemption. 
 I will seek after no excuse for what I then did, as there can 
 be no semblance of one except in the long catalogue of sub 
 terfuge. Yet this I may say, that, having no connections save 
 those who were in easy circumstances, and being myself al 
 ways in perfect health, and never seeing or suffering ship 
 wreck, and no striking distress ever turning to appeal to me 
 until this came, I had grown incredulous of great calamity. 
 But, at length, I hope that I am awake ; and will you say that 
 I have aroused too late ? I have the means and the desire to 
 place you in a comfortable condition ; and, seeing this as you 
 should see it, how can you close against me the only path by 
 which I hope to return to humanity ? " 
 
 Flora was too much moved to reply ; and observing it, he 
 resumed, saying, " Grant me this and you will give me a mo 
 tive for exertion. Then I can spread my canvas to the winds 
 with a stout heart, and meet the shocks of life with an elastic 
 spirit. The memory of those who have trusted in me will 
 keep me on noble courses, and be as a magnet when all land 
 marks are lost and the stars obscured. This hope, let me im 
 press upon you, is no impulse of the moment; it illumined my 
 soul when I first stood beside you, in the hour of your weeping, 
 with your hand in mine ; and, sheer wreck as I was, it kept 
 me above the waves ! To that, as to a spar, I have clung ; 
 and can you now wrench off my grasp to see me go down in 
 the abyss ? " 
 
 On this Flora scbbod through her tears. " It shall be as 
 you wish ; I am satisfied ; O, how satisfied ! Was it selfish 
 in me to doubt ? How could I believe in such generosity in. 
 a stranger, seeing what I have seen ! Yet how natural, how 
 necessary you make it appear! so that I feel it would be 
 
320 TEE M US TEE, OR 
 
 ungrateful in me to refuse. Still, as the way of payment is 
 all dark before me, your kind words make me both sad and 
 glad ; although I know that it is only adding a trifle more to 
 the weight of obligation ; for the fate from which you snatched 
 my child and me is a mighty debt, not to be thought of now, 
 or ever, without streaming tears, nor whispered save in ben 
 ediction. But that is passed ; while the sentiments which you 
 have expressed to-night shine over the future in clear and 
 cheerful light making the clouds which hung there, and the 
 distress that full likely lurked beneath their folds, to vanish 
 away. It may be all weakness, yet my hear^t presses me to 
 sanction your generous purpose." 
 
 " Say, then, that you accept my proposition, and make me 
 strong again." 
 
 " It shall be as you will ; and O, most thankful am I, to you 
 and to Heaven, that my way is made so smooth before me." 
 
 Reclining there they were silent, silent long ; and in silence 
 the moon in the mid heavens flung around them the wan 
 w r itchery of her beams, while the winds whispered, and the 
 sea half suppressed its moan ; though, after a while, the dull 
 notes of the porpoises were heard, as they came blowing 
 through the swell, to kindle their trails of fire around the 
 softly-moving Muse yet they heeded them not; for they 
 were rapt and gazing into that interior, more august and 
 glorious, world that opens beneath the many-colored bow of 
 hope which is rounded by an Orb, that we cannot behold, on 
 the passing clouds of life. 
 
 At length there were a few murmured words between them, 
 when, rising up, they went to the cabin. And not one among 
 all whom the proud and prosperous envy passed down, that 
 night, either on land or sea, to the realm of dreams, with more 
 chastened spirits, more holy purpose, or more grateful hearts, 
 than did this sailor and this slave. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 321 
 
 The weather continued fine until they were nearly up to 
 Hatteras, when they had a heavy gale, with occasional show 
 ers ; yet Flora, in rubber coat, boots, and sou wester, kept the 
 deck for it was a new scene, and, to her, singularly at 
 tractive. 
 
 The wind was fair, but furious ; so that the Muse had re 
 duced her canvas to a short jacket, showing only double- 
 reefed topsail and foretopmast staysail. The sea was not 
 " wicked," although it ran high ; so that, when the sun broke 
 through the smoke of the Gulf Stream, as it did frequently, 
 flashing on the raving surge, and transforming the waves to 
 emeralds, it became a glorious as well as a thrilling spec 
 tacle. But the sails, which they were occasionally meeting 
 or overtaking, were the crowning charms ; now plunging or 
 rolling deep down, as their courses might be, their bright 
 sheathing gleamed in the sun almost to their keels ; while far 
 out on the slim yards the sailors, handing or reefing, were 
 tossed to the clouds, or bowed to the billows ; and, beneath 
 and around, the brine was all white with the wrath of the 
 warriors of the deep, at seeing their crushed ranks and cloven 
 crests ; yet on and over them rushed and bounded the ships, 
 victorious as Murat when he broke through the hostile horde 
 of mamelukes in the battle of Mount Tabor, thick sprinkled, 
 but only with the blood of his foes. 
 
 Fred had long since become the pet and companion of the 
 sailors, and took his rations in the top-gallant forecastle when 
 ever he chose, which was nearly as often as the hour came 
 round for he was afraid that they would do something which 
 he should not see. From the first day out he had watched 
 the splicing of every rope and halliard, the tying of every knot, 
 and the platting of every rope-yarn ; and in oakum-picking he 
 had come to be at home. But, more fascinating than all these, 
 or aught else, his particular friend James, in his leisure hours, 
 
322 THE MUSTEE, OB 
 
 was rigging a little ship, an exact model of tlie Muse, and 
 upon which the child s heart was set with absorbing admi 
 ration. 
 
 It being a stormy day, James was in the forecastle at work 
 upon his craft, while Fred was closely watching as he set up 
 the royal rigging, rove the braces, and gave the completing 
 touches. At length, putting away his balls of thread and 
 twine, and closing his knife, he held his vessel off at arms 
 distance, and took a careful and pleased survey of the minia 
 ture ; which Fred observing, he inquired, " Be she all done 
 now ? " 
 
 " I believe she is, bub ; her riggin is all on, and set up." 
 
 " But where be her sails ? " 
 
 " O, she isn t launched yet ; it ll be time enough to bend 
 sails then." 
 
 What is launched, Mr. James ? " 
 
 " Floatin on the water, little freshy." 
 
 " Who did you make her for ? " Fred further pressed, lean 
 ing in the sailor s lap and looking up anxiously in his face. 
 
 "I made her for myself," James answered, turning his 
 glance aside. 
 
 " 0, you ve got a great big ship ; and Fred want the little 
 ship he wants it dreffully." 
 
 " I ve had a boy in my eye some time, who, I suppose, must 
 have it, if he wants it as much as I think he does." 
 
 On this Fred s face drooped sorrowfully, while he glanced 
 at the prize ; which James observing, sa4<J, " If you want to 
 see that little boy you must kiss me, and look for him in my 
 eyes. Then you may ask him for the ship, if you think he ll 
 give it to you." 
 
 So encouraged, Fred scrambled into the sailor s lap, kissed 
 him, and looked sharply into his friendly orbs ; when, in an 
 instant, he cried out, " I know who it is ; it is me ! isn t it me ? " 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 323 
 
 The kiss and kindly smile of James were full confirmation 
 of his sight ; and, while straightening his back to slide down 
 from the knee, he said, " I want to go and tell my mother." 
 So off he darted, through the rain, to the quarter deck. Catch 
 ing Flora s hand in both of his, he swung round by that sup 
 port, saying, " I ve got a little ship, mother ! " when, pulling 
 her with fiery impatience, he added, " and I want you to come 
 right away and see it." 
 
 James had kept his eye on Fred, and seeing him leading his 
 mother towards tlieijr quarters, though not very rapidly, as 
 the motion of the ship made their course rather devious, he 
 called out to the men who were lying about, some in their 
 berths and some on chests, " Boys, you d better turn out, for 
 the lady s beating up, and she ll fetch in here with a tack or 
 two more ! " 
 
 On that announcement the sailors hove short quick, catching 
 up and hastily using little looking glasses and combs ; while 
 Jim hurriedly brushed the litter into one corner, with an old 
 shoe, and turned a kid over it. 
 
 It was all pretty rapidly done, however ; for, when Flora 
 and Fred entered, they appeared to be deeply interested in 
 ancient newspapers and tattered books, which last seemed to 
 have done their chief duty as razor strops. 
 
 " There, mother, there tis ! " cried Fred, as he drew her 
 into the forecastle. And looking at James, he asked, " Isn t 
 it mine ? " 
 
 " Of course," replied Jim, smiling ; " I said you might 
 have it." 
 
 " It is very beautiful," said Flora ; " but I am afraid, Fred, 
 that you have been begging for it." 
 
 " I didn t ! did I ? " cried Fred, emphatically. 
 
 " Now tell me," said she, gently, " did you not tease for it a 
 little, a very little ? " 
 
324 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 At that Fred hung his head to one side an instant ; then 
 taking hold of the sailor s hand, and looking up in his face 
 with a smile which was dewy with emotion, he said, " I didn t 
 much, did I?" 
 
 " No, not so much as I wanted you to, as I was finishing it 
 for you." 
 
 " There, mother ! isn t it mine, now ? O, how I wish it had 
 some sails ! " 
 
 To meet that wish, Jack said, " I ll rig him a schooner next 
 voyage." g 
 
 This was the sailor who, having pulled the after oar in the 
 boat, went to the steward, the first day out, it being the 
 wish of the men, and requested him not to send any of the 
 fresh provisions forward, but to save them for the cabin, ex 
 cept when the boy ate in the forecastle, and then some one 
 would come for his mess. 
 
 " You are very kind," said Flora, " but I am afraid that 
 Fred will trouble you, for he is here all the day ; or at least I 
 do not see any thing of him, only for a minute at a time, ex 
 cept at night." 
 
 " We want him here," Jack answered. " It comes near to 
 making men of us, when we see a child who takes a liking to 
 our ways and leans on our hearts ; and, if you can let us 
 have him, we ll adopt him, as the soldiers of Boney did the 
 child of the regiment, calling him the child of the Muse 
 then we ll give our last dollar to school and clothe him." 
 
 By that time the tears were streaming down Flora s cheeks ; 
 when Jim, seeing them, said, " Jack, what do you want to talk 
 about taking away a child from a mother for ? " 
 
 " I didn t mean any hurt ! We d be tender with him. But, 
 if we can t have him, she must let us pay for his clothes and 
 schooling, and send us word by the captain how he gets along. 
 And on the stormy days, when she thinks of the sea, tell him 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 325 
 
 how we loved him ; and let him come on board sometimes, so 
 we can have a look at him. Then I wont be spending all my 
 wages for rum and tobacco, to end in some bloody scrape : 
 and I speak for every sailor here, if it was heart s blood she 
 needed as well as money." 
 
 Under that Flora sank down on a chest, and, with her face 
 buried in her handkerchief, was sobbing aloud. 
 
 More tender than women to a woman s tears, the sailors sat 
 distressed but silent, and half doubted their own nobleness ; 
 when Fred, moving two or three steps towards Jack, said, 
 rather defiantly, " What you been making my mother cry for ? " 
 
 This misapprehension of her champion roused Flora ; and, 
 starting up with recovered strength, she said, " I know that 
 you helped to save me and my child ; and, in that armed and 
 threatening night, I saw that you all were ready to die for me. 
 Then I felt your heroism to be so lofty that I dared not trust 
 myself to speak of it ; while now you have risen so much 
 higher, that neither time nor the grave can efface the memory 
 of your kindness. I should think myself colder than the 
 clods if I did not accept something of your proffered assist 
 ance ; yet I want time and hours of composure before I can 
 decide how much ; for which I have no words ; poor even in 
 thanks, poor in all things save tears." Here she again melted, 
 and gave free way to feeling; but, in a few moments, she 
 stifled down her emotion ; when, taking her child by the hand, 
 she said, " We will go now." 
 
 Fred drew back, however, saying, " No, mother ; I want to 
 stay and see my ship and eat my supper ! Now do let me, 
 mother ; for they want me to, and I want to, dreffully ! " 
 
 Flora smiled on the listening group, as she released Fred s 
 hand and turned to go ; when they said, " God bless you ! " 
 and never did angel bear a nobler or a sincerer prayer up the 
 bending heavens. 
 
 28 
 
326 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 She comes majestic with her swelling sails, 
 The gallant bark ; along her watery way 
 Homeward she drives before the favoring gales ; 
 Now flirting at their length the streamers play, 
 And now they ripple with the ruffling breeze. 
 
 SOUTHEY. 
 
 FLORA awoke early on the following morning, although she 
 arose late ; for her mind was filled with thoughts that charmed 
 like dreams, yet were real as life, and wielded a power which 
 held her long in the circle of their spell. 
 
 When, at length, she ascended to the deck, the sun was lord 
 of the scene ; while the clouds of the broken storm were torn 
 and flying like rent canvas on the breeze. 
 
 The wind, still strong, had veered to the westward ; and, 
 having loosed the courses and boarded the tacks, the men were 
 on the yards shaking the reefs out of the topsails, and, while 
 doing the duty, were talking and laughing in a cheerful and 
 unwonted way. Mr. Jones was speaking freely, and even 
 ventured a joke with the second. mate; while the captain 
 seemed to have stooped down from his quarter deck to be fa 
 miliar with all ; and seeing Flora emerge from the cabin, he 
 greeted her with the phrase of the hour, but more heartily 
 than usual ; when, taking her hand, he shook it cordially, say 
 ing, " You keep your room late on such a morning." 
 
 " It is, indeed, a very fresh and charming morning ; although, 
 to me, it is not more so than many that we have had on the 
 Muse ; and yet there may be something connected with it 
 which I do not see or perceive, for I observe that every one 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 827 
 
 appears exhilarated. You ought to have called me, if there 
 was any thing more strange or beautiful than has been dis 
 played to my view, so that I might have arisen to watch and 
 enjoy it with you." 
 
 " O, you have not lost any thing worth sighing for ; it will 
 be just as good news to you now as it would have been two 
 hours ago, and you will not have so long to wait. We re ex 
 pecting to give our sails a port furl to-night ; we re drawing 
 near the end of the voyage, so that the hills will soon rise up 
 from the sea to welcome us." 
 
 " I like to rejoice with those who rejoice," Flora replied, 
 after a pause ; " yet I have found hearts here that, being more 
 gentle and warm than the summer air, have given me a place 
 of rest and refuge which falls to few, even of the most favored, 
 and one that awakes no wish for change." 
 
 " That is singular ! as, I have no doubt, much of the cheer 
 fulness of the men arises from the opinion that you must have 
 been lonely and uncomfortable here ; while now they imagine 
 a very agreeable relief to be nigh at hand for you." 
 
 " How strangely we are misunderstood ! Do you think 
 there is a face here that I can ever forget ; and the words 
 which I have heard, can they die ? No ; the ship herself is a 
 holy shrine, and sanctified in my heart -as no altar can be. 
 There is not a thing on all her deck that is not burned into my 
 memory, and I shall feel her cradling motions all the days of 
 my life." 
 
 "Neither can we forget! Yet it is near the middle of 
 June ; the time when the green earth is in its glory, and in 
 vites us to eat of its first fruits while the ocean, after all, is 
 but a desert, and the sailor a homeless wanderer on its waste 
 of waters. Even those who think that they love the sea are 
 filled with fonder emotions when their native land looms above 
 it ; and you must not be sorrowful while our gladness is for 
 
328 THE MUSTEB, OR 
 
 you ; as there is not one of us but will lay bare a strong arm 
 to make your path easy and your burden light." 
 
 " It is that which, most of all, oppresses me ; as I know not 
 how to refuse, while I feel that I can never repay. Even 
 the sailors came near to breaking my heart last night with 
 their generous words words which I can neither forget nor 
 repeat." 
 
 On this, as the tears were starting down her cheeks, Elery 
 said, " You have no need to repeat them, as I know their sub 
 stance now ; for Jack came to me, after you had retired, and 
 gave an account of your visit to their quarters in his own 
 graphic manner. He said, The lady came forward with the 
 boy this afternoon to see the ship which Jim had given him ; 
 and while she was there I thought it my duty to speak her, see 
 ing that none of the officers were present, which I did as tender 
 as I could ; for, you see, we liked the boy, and she, you know, 
 we wouldn t mind dying for. Yet, somehow or other, my 
 words struck her like a squall ; when I tried to take em back, 
 and that knocked her on her beam ends ; but the boy showed 
 fight, and she righted. Then, after a minute or so, the clouds 
 appeared to break and roll off, and she smiled on us quite sun- 
 like. There he paused, but soon added, I believe that s all, 
 though I feel as if there was a good deal more of it ; but I 
 only come to speak about the way it was done ; so I can ask 
 you to explain it, and let her know we didn t mean any hurt. 
 
 " This seeming to be the close of his description and apol 
 ogy, for he was turning away, I told him that I would take 
 care that there was no misunderstanding ; when he finished 
 by saying, There s one thing, that I a most forgot, which we 
 want you to navigate for us, if you ll take the con of it. 
 We ve all voted to give what wages may be due us at the end 
 of the voyage to her ; and we d like to have you draw the 
 money from the agent and pay it over." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 329 
 
 " Truly, I hope I am incapable of that ; what, take all 
 and leave them destitute what will they do ? " exclaimed 
 Flora. ; 
 
 " O, they ll ship and go to sea again in a few days, I sup 
 pose." 
 
 " Do you think that I can be thus instrumental in driving 
 them forth to wander on the desert, away from that green 
 earth of which you have so feelingly spoken ? No ; in so 
 doing I should feel as though I had robbed my protectors and 
 benefactors." 
 
 " But would you slight their gift ? I think that might be 
 their interpretation of a refusal. You have had an opportu 
 nity to see something of the sailor s heart and hand, I know ; 
 yet you have not learned how lightly he values money ; and 
 let me say that I believe they take more pleasure in laying 
 their earnings at your feet, in this way, than in all which they 
 have scattered from many a long cruise. So you must not 
 refuse a part of the offer of my men ; and it may be both un 
 wise and unkind to decline any of it, for I think that they 
 consider the money so appropriated that they will never ac 
 cept a dollar of it for their own use, whatever may become of 
 it. However, I can talk the matter over with Jack, and learn 
 what his notions are." 
 
 "I wish you would ; as I feel that it will be ungrateful not 
 to receive some portion of it, and cruel to take all ; so do try 
 to make them see how improvident they are." And, listen 
 ing a moment, she added, " That is Fred s voice where is 
 he ? for I believe that he is calling me." 
 
 "I think he s in the forecas le the sound seems to come 
 from thence." 
 
 As the boy was nowhere in sight on deck, Flora walked 
 forward, when again the word " Mother ! " came tinkling on 
 her ear ; and, glancing up, she saw him looking down and 
 28* 
 
330 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 laughing through the netting of the foretop ; upon which she 
 inquired, " How came you up there, my child ? " 
 
 " Mr. James bring me up ; we be looking for land." 
 
 " Have you found it ? " 
 
 Yes, there it be ! Land, ho ! Land, ho ! " 
 
 " Where away ? " called the captain, who had now joined 
 Flora. 
 
 " Two points on the larboard bow," replied Fred, after a 
 moment. 
 
 The sailors, then making it out from the deck, laughed and 
 cried, " Land, ho ! Land, ho ! " 
 
 Not long after they raised Sandy Hook ; and then a pilot 
 boat, fair as some snowy albatross of the " Stormy Cape," came 
 winging down. But the pilots, knowing the ship and the cus 
 tom of her captain, only inquired after health, and answered 
 the question of news, as their beautiful craft flew across the 
 Muse s quarter ; when, trimming their sheets aft, they stood 
 to the southward, and soon seemed no more than a wreath of 
 foam on the wave. 
 
 As the ship drew on, under a press of canvas, the hills ap 
 peared to be advancing to the very verge of the ocean, where, 
 at length, they stood out bold with their feet in the foam. 
 The gulls were sailing slowly along, and looking into the sea 
 as if searching for something which they had dropped, or 
 swooping down to recover it. Occasionally a land bird shot 
 by on rapid pinion, as though, dwelling among the people, he 
 had caught their unrest ; like the fishermen whom they were 
 passing, whose arms were in constant motion, although no fish 
 nibbled the bait. The scene was getting more and more ani 
 mated every moment. They were entering into the midst of 
 a fleet, overhauling ships, brigs, and schooners ; some natu 
 rally dull, while others, being commanded by old sea-dogs who 
 shy, and fly from land, were under short sail ; for having 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 331 
 
 taken it in at twelve o clock the night before, they had shaken 
 out nothing after. So they went sagging up the passage 
 towards, the port, appearing as though they had blown away 
 their canvas, or sprung half of their spars. 
 
 Yet further on, yachts, steamers, and sailboats were com 
 ing in sight and cleaving the swift tide in every direction. 
 And rising on either hand were green slopes rich in waving 
 grass and grain, with shadowy trees, and cattle upon a thou 
 sand hills ; while the signs of industry were every where 
 around. Even down to the very brink of the brine men were 
 busily gathering the storm-torn tresses of the deep. 
 
 At last the port opened, and lo ! under way, riding at their 
 anchors or lying at the piers, there were a thousand ships dis 
 playing the flags of the nations not in sullen folds and with 
 whispers of defiance, but the true emblems of Peace, the proud 
 tiara of all-conquering Commerce, wide waving over a diver 
 sified landscape, and crowning a varied beauty which no city 
 by the sea surpasses. 
 
 Having been boarded by the customary officers as she came 
 up, and duly permitted to go on, the Muse reached the pier, 
 and made all fast, just as the sun s last beams were soaring 
 from the spires of the city. 
 
 On landing Elery went immediately up town, to make 
 some necessary purchases, as well as to notify the agent of his 
 arrival ; and, returning in the course of two hours, he de 
 scended to the cabin to find Flora- in female costume, which 
 was clean at least, and if you did not scrutinize too closely, 
 quite passable. 
 
 Francis thought so, as he had done his best to repair it ; 
 and, when he saw her arrayed, he was surprised at his own 
 success, so skilfully had she overfolded every imperfection. 
 
 " Well," said the captain, smiling, " are you ready to go 
 ashore ? " 
 
332 THE MUSTEE, OB 
 
 " I am content to remain here or go any where you say ; 
 believing, as I do, that you will take the wisest course." 
 
 "Then I determine that we ride out to the cottage this 
 evening ; and you can leave on short notice, as it will not take 
 you long to pack your trunks." 
 
 " That is very true ; yet I am loaded with obligations which 
 so weigh upon me that I find them difficult to .carry." 
 
 " You are sad," said the sailor, " while my spirits are of the 
 brightest." 
 
 Upon this Flora rose up, and said, " Let us go." 
 
 And the captain, seeing the tears starting from her eyes, 
 drew near her, and whispered, " Do not weep." 
 
 But Flora, looking up in his face, said, softly, " May I not 
 give tears, who have nothing else to give ? " 
 
 " To those who can appreciate their value," Elery tenderly 
 replied, " they are gems which so pay and overpay, that all 
 other tribute seems poor beside them. I see that you cannot 
 away with the thought of your indebtedness to us ; but have 
 you ever considered how much more blessed it is to give than 
 to receive ? You must permit us to enjoy that pleasure 
 now, and the time may come when you can more than re 
 pay it." 
 
 " That is a fancy, a dream, a fond suggestion," said she, 
 rousing, " which I will not look at too closely now, but leave 
 it to shine, though it be only the mirage of a star in the dim 
 heaven of hope. It is cheerful to think, to believe so ; and I 
 dare not frown away so welcome a consoler. Let us go ; but 
 where is Fred ? " 
 
 " We shall find him with the men." 
 
 Thereupon they ascended to the deck ; but it was all silent, 
 not a sailor to be seen, as Francis had told them that the 
 lady was about to leave. So Flora called, " Fred ! " when he 
 came running from forward ; but he came alone. . 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 333 
 
 "Where are all your shipmates, my boy?" inquired the 
 captain. 
 
 " They be away out there," Fred replied, pointing towards 
 the forecastle. " Mr. James, Mr. Jack, and all on em." 
 
 On this, Flora, looking up to the captain, said, " I must see 
 them a moment before I go." 
 
 "I ll speak to them." And going to their quarters he 
 looked in and said, " Come, boys, the lady wishes to say good 
 by to you before she leaves the ship." 
 
 After a moment one of them replied, " You go, Jim ; you 
 and Jack ; we can t we don t know what to say." 
 
 " But she wants you all to come ; and will you refuse a 
 woman her parting wish ? Come, heave ahead !" 
 
 So out they came, for the captain s last words sounded like 
 an order, and followed him to the companion-way, where 
 Flora and her child were standing. 
 
 " Do you think," said Flora, as they gathered around her, 
 " knowing, as I do, that many of you I may never see again, 
 that I could leave the Muse without taking your kind hands 
 and saying farewell ? you who have done so much, O, how 
 much ! for me and my child. I was stripped of all which 
 makes life desirable, and so driven to despair that God alone 
 can know how low and wretched I was ; from which con 
 dition you saved me, to strow my path with peace and 
 plenty. O my friends, I feel the greatness of your ser 
 vice, and I know the set phrases of thanks ; yet I can 
 not say them, as I see that your generous natures shrink 
 from such words only this, that I can never, never for 
 get you." 
 
 Pausing a moment amid her emotions, she gave her hand 
 to each in turn, and, speaking kind things to all, separated, 
 saying, " God bless you." 
 
 Jack, from diffidence or accident, was so situated that he 
 
334 THE MUSTEK, OR 
 
 was the last to receive her hand ; and, while it rested in his, 
 he said, " Mine is a hard hand, but it is strong ; and it will 
 work for you, or fight for you, so long as its strength lasts ; 
 and so says every man of the ship s crew." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 335 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIY. 
 
 His feeling wordes her feeble sense much pleased, 
 And softly sunk into her molten heart : 
 Heart that is inly hurt is greatly eased 
 With hope of thing that may allay her smart ; 
 For pleasing wordes are like to magick art, 
 That doth the charmed snake in slumber lay. 
 
 SPENSEB. 
 
 THE elegant, fashionable, and apparently fascinating atmos 
 phere into which Aurelia, pressed by circumstances or blinded 
 by desire, had chosen to enter, as the one wherein she could 
 most fairly and fully unfold, was striking, chill or stormy, 
 through her heart, and doing its legitimate work upon her 
 nature. 
 
 Had Aurelia expected too much ? If by temperament she 
 was ardent and exacting, she was also capable of the deepest 
 tenderness and the most single devotion ; while Featherstone, 
 as his gloss wore quickly away, showed himself coarse, ca 
 pricious, indifferent, and at length overbearing and tyran 
 nical. 
 
 With a lively faith in the design of nature to throw a never- 
 fading splendor along the path of love, Aurelia could not 
 avoid the conclusion that she had missed the way ; and that 
 too, irretrievably ! She did not dream that she herself was 
 partly in the wrong ; she thought only how fatally she had 
 been deluded. Though deeply moved, she yet had no sorrow 
 for her own sin, but was nursing a rebellious spirit ; so that 
 she soon came to look upon the joy of others with something 
 of displeasure, during the height of which there flashed up full 
 
836 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 many a keen or scornful thought that she did not restrain, 
 and which showed but too clearly the bitterness of her own 
 disappointment. 
 
 And, in truth, she had some cause, although Featherstone 
 had only taken the common course of young men of wealth 
 and leisure, such as keeping a fast horse, and having " fast " 
 friends, and going abroad for pleasure, and coming home to 
 sleep ; which last, however, he did with great quietness when 
 not questioned as to the where, and why, &c. If Aurelia 
 ventured to make such inquiries he thought it an invasion of 
 his prerogative, and answered accordingly, at such times, 
 reflecting more on what he had done for her than of that 
 which he had neglected to do ; and this was so natural to 
 him that he always believed himself to be the aggrieved 
 person. 
 
 When there is bitterness in the heart, opportunities are not 
 wanting to vent it ; so that, if Featherstone had even a whist 
 party at his residence, which often happened, he was likely to 
 be snubbed soon after it was over, on account of the noise of 
 the game, or rated in the morning for the accidental injury 
 and disorder of the room. But not being one of those who 
 take a check of that kind quietly, although aware that he had 
 gone wrong, he would protest ; on which proceeding, after 
 the first burst, Aurelia would restrain herself to silence ; yet 
 that was so unsatisfactory that he would try to spur her on, 
 but with so little success that she usually turned from his 
 fetid breath with more contempt in her motion, or looked at 
 the wreck and soil with more pointed sneers. 
 
 But what need to say more than that love was not there ? 
 Unlike in taste, and dissimilar in aspiration, they had been 
 lured together by false lights, which soon died down, to be 
 kindled no more. He, indeed, cared little, for he had made 
 other arrangements ; but she felt the gathering darkness and 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 337 
 
 the deepening desolation, and turned away into whatever of 
 fashion would amuse or excite, only to find weariness and 
 disgust at last. 
 
 Within such mire there is no wholesome rest, and yet out 
 from it there is no clean path, except for the winged spirit. 
 Ah ! it is then that we turn to other days to recall early hopes, 
 and, it may be, an early lover, with all his kind looks and 
 tender ways, and place him beside the skeleton to which we 
 are chained. That power of contrast will live with memory ! 
 Through her silent halls stalk the spectres of the wronged, to 
 be our secret companions, however defiant or sorrowful their 
 reception. 
 
 It was on a day after one of those social meetings which 
 had been more than hilarious, with a corresponding contempt 
 and consequent imperiousness that Mrs. Featherstone had 
 engaged to take tea with Mrs. Summers. And although, 
 when the hour for the visit arrived, she went forth from her 
 door with a haughty step, she yet approached the plain house 
 of the widow in a pensive mood and with a quickening 
 pulse. 
 
 Mrs. Summers, having provided every thing which she 
 faflcied would please her guest, was on the watch for her 
 coming, and received her with particular and unremitted at 
 tentions, and did not leave her except when the hour for tea 
 had nearly arrived ; then she made excuse and went out. 
 
 Yet Aurelia was not long alone, for in a few moments the 
 door opened, and Park entered. He, however, was not to be 
 taken by surprise, but calmly meeting, as though he had ex 
 pected to see her, he greeted her politely, and, taking a seat, 
 appeared as if in the presence of a client no more ; while 
 he seemed to be waiting for the statement of her case. 
 
 Seeing this, and fully interpreting its meaning, Aurelia in 
 quired, " Have you become so absorbed in your profession that 
 29 
 
338 THE MUSTEK, OR 
 
 you cannot find an evening, or even an hour, for society, or to 
 meet the claims of friendship ? " 
 
 " Men who follow my profession closely," replied Park, 
 "can see little of society, and less of friends. They deal 
 chiefly with enmity, and draw most of their support from it ; 
 indeed, it gives more freely than charity, and will go farther 
 than the heart of kindness ! If you wish to have some one 
 search your ways and study your footprints, so that he may 
 know them among a thousand on the remotest strand, and 
 there, penetrating through all guards to your presence, draw 
 your curtain, and peer in on your sleep, hope it not of Love ; 
 Hate alone can do it." 
 
 " It is painful to hear such truth, and from you. How dif 
 ferent from what you were do you appear ! I cannot believe 
 that there has been such change in you." 
 
 " Have you not changed ? " 
 
 " I hope that it is not in my nature to forget or turn coldly 
 away from a friend and especially the one whom I seemed 
 to esteem the most." 
 
 " Am I to infer that you have the same feeling towards me 
 now as when we used to walk together ? " 
 
 Aurelia sat half reclining, her arm resting on the scroll of 
 the sofa, while her fingers were nervously playing with the cross 
 of the mustee. On this question her head drooped, her eyes 
 were cast down so as to be almost veiled by their long lashes, 
 and a tremor flitted over her features, when her hand wan 
 dered across her brow to shade it more completely, but it could 
 not hide her tears. 
 
 Park saw, and said, " I regret that I have an engagement 
 this evening ; yet the business shall not detain me after nine 
 o clock. If you can remain here until then, I hope you will, 
 as I have a desire to talk with you." 
 
 " I shall wait," she falteringly replied, after a moment, with 
 out raising her eyes. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 339 
 
 There was no further conversation ; and in a few moments, 
 in which Aurelia recovered her composure, the tea bell sum 
 moned, when they arose and met the widow at the dining- 
 room door. She manifested surprise on finding Park with her 
 visitor, and said, "If I had dreamed that old friends were 
 together I would not have called you so soon ; " (she had 
 waited ten minutes past the usual time ;) " but I thought that 
 Mrs. Featherstone was quite alone." 
 
 Park went immediately away, on rising from the table, and, 
 returning at the time named, he entered into conversation with 
 his accustomed ease where there were only two or three per 
 sons, and something of his old playfulness, so that it was after 
 ten o clock when Aurelia arose to go home. 
 
 As the attentive widow daintily touched her guest s collar, 
 seemingly to arrange it, she said, " Shall I speak to John ? " 
 
 But at that moment Aurelia was very busy with her bonnet ; 
 and Park, turning towards the hall, drew on a glove, and 
 taking his hat, said, " It is growing quite warm, and is begin 
 ning to feel like summer." 
 
 " Yes," said the smiling widow, " I think you will find it a 
 warm walk, yet a very pleasant one, I have no doubt." 
 
 " Will you join us ? " Park questioned, rather than invited. 
 
 " I should like to have you do so," said Aurelia, " if it would 
 give you any pleasure." 
 
 " Not this evening, I thank you," replied Mrs. Summers, 
 looking roguish ; " but at some other time I should be de 
 lighted." 
 
 Passing out, they turned up the street, when Aurelia ac 
 cepted Park s arm timidly, yet hopingly. But, as he con 
 tinued silent, she grew fearful, feeling that it was a -pause in 
 which to gather force or fix determination, so that she was not 
 surprised when he said, " In the few moments that I was near 
 you, on the night of your marriage, my heart was busy with 
 
840 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 scenes like this, as I thought that the curtain was falling over 
 them which only sad Memory could raise again ! You, at 
 least, were voluntarily entering a world which I had dreamed 
 was inaccessible to all save the chosen one." 
 
 Aurelia trembled, but replied, " I hope that I did not appear 
 indifferent to you ? " 
 
 " On that point I have no complaint to make. On the con 
 trary, I hold that the mysteries and the music of the heart are 
 for Love s ear alone ; not only in the sunny moments of the 
 bridal days, but throughout every succeeding hour. I, indeed, 
 may not measure the feeling of others, yet I desire all of affec 
 tion, of devotion even, that one can give, to appease my heart, 
 and a true wife can ask no less ! " 
 
 Aurelia clung to his arm in silence, and Park knew by the 
 quick motions of her bosom that she was weeping over the 
 picture. But, continuing his limning, he said, " I had dreamed 
 of such love ; and, although I have been forced to doubt its 
 existence at times, still, in the depths of my soul, I believe in 
 it, and still dare to think that, at some time in life, I shall 
 meet it. It may never come, yet the fond vision shall warm 
 me, and the hope shall keep me ; for I know that God is just, 
 and therefore that no longing of our nature is doomed to con 
 tinuous disappointment, but rather to ineffable fruition." 
 
 " Do not, O, do not, talk thus ! " she faltered imploringly. 
 
 " Have I uttered auglit than what were once the hopes of 
 your own heart ? and why should they come to torture you 
 now, unless it be that the brightest dream which life can enter 
 tain has been bartered a*,vay, or thoughtlessly cast out, to 
 vanish up the sky a forsaking and accusing angel?" 
 
 " O, do not you turn coldly from me, in the hour of my 
 need." 
 
 " If I can help you in any way, you may confide in, and 
 still command, me." 
 
LOYE AND LIBERTY. 341 
 
 i 
 
 Silently she wept, and clung to him, for some space ; then 
 came, falteringly and low spoken, a mournful story, as if of 
 the wiles and glittering scales of a serpent ; and then the 
 cold coil and the fangs ; so that there, where, had she been 
 true to herself, she might have received the rich offering of 
 most chivalrous affection, she came to implore assistance, or 
 move that pity which is akin to love. 
 
 "When she had closed, and Park intimated that he saw 
 nothing in her statement, sorrowful as it was, that would war 
 rant success to the proceedings towards which she looked for 
 relief, she inquired, " Is there then no escape from all this 
 wretchedness ? " 
 
 " We may pity and deplore your situation, but the law has 
 opened no path by which we can penetrate to your rescue. 
 Your husband may reel into your presence ; he may invite the 
 vile into your house, and make night hideous with his orgies ; 
 he may cut you to the heart with the most cruel and insolent 
 words ; but, unless you can show the scars of his violent hand, 
 no official arm can come to your aid." 
 
 " Then would to God that he might strike me, even though 
 it should cripple or disfigure me for life ! But is there no law 
 against this direst counterfeit ? no remedy at this stage of the 
 fell disease ? " 
 
 " There is none pointed out, except it be the gentlest for 
 bearance or the sweetest submission," replied Park. 
 
 " If it be so, then there is nothing left to me but to steel my 
 heart against all feeling, and, meeting taunt with taunt, bring 
 on a crisis which may rend my chains. And 0, when that 
 hour shall come, which is now the height of my hope, life will 
 stretch out a desert before me ! Even you shun, and scorn 
 ready to forsake." Here she was interrupted by her weeping ; 
 yet, with an effort, she resumed, saying, " My other woes burn 
 29* 
 
342 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 and madden ; but this prospect is full of tears ; it is more than 
 I can bear." 
 
 " Did you not voluntarily raise the curtain on that view ? " 
 
 " Might not your indifference " 
 
 But here her voice choked, and she leaned on him, so that 
 he stooped to support her, (as they were in the arch of the 
 doorway,) and said, with deep agitation, "Aurelia, can any 
 reproach rest upon me, in your mind, in connection with this 
 woe ? Have I not suffered enough, but this must come also ? 
 O, there was a time, when, if I could have seen that you de 
 sired 
 
 To say your sorrows in this bosom/ 
 
 or your joys, it would have opened like a city s gates to the 
 one who had saved it from desolation, while strewing all gar 
 lands beneath your feet ! but that time has gone down the un- 
 returning tide." 
 
 " 0," said she, still leaning upon him, " there was a time 
 when I would have given my life for one hour of the bliss of 
 those words ! " 
 
 On this, Park gently disengaged himself, and said, " Did I 
 turn away from you while there was hope ? If, of late, I 
 have avoided your presence, it was that I might go aside to 
 meet my sorrow in secret places for I had shrined you in 
 my inmost heart; and wheft you were so suddenly and so 
 astonishingly torn away, think you that I did not grieve and 
 mourn over the slain love ? O Aurelia ! how have you 
 wronged both yourself and me ! wronged, too, in a way in 
 which no reparation may come ; so that all words of tender 
 ness between us can now be only weakness and folly. Let us, 
 then, here close the theme, as if it were a sepulchre even 
 though I bury within its damp, cold gloom the sweetest and 
 the saddest of all mortal memories." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 343 
 
 Aurelia was so shaken with this that Park bent tenderly 
 over, and was about to put his arm around her, when, startled 
 by Featherstone s ascending the steps, he turned away unrec 
 ognized ; while the wife received the husband with the com 
 posure and bearing, of Juno the protectress. 
 
344 THE MUSTEE, OB 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 The trees were interwoven wild, 
 And spread their boughs enough about 
 To keep both sheep and shepherd out, 
 
 But not a happy child. 
 
 MKS. DROWNING. 
 
 IN the soft summer time a Sabbath in a country town like 
 Greenville has peculiar charms ; the long, quiet hours of the 
 morning seem to be filled with the spirit of peace ; the hum 
 and the moan of labor are all hushed to sleep in the bosom .of 
 a day of rest ; and the sun appears to rise up and stoop over 
 the village with all that fond, ineffable tenderness which the 
 great masters of the pencil have given to " Mary Mother " 
 while she gazes on her wondrous child. And behold how 
 still the leaves, the grass, and the blossoms lie, while they 
 drink the dew which falls every night, a miracle of manna, 
 for their sustenance ! How grateful the odor, as if the air was 
 filled with the ascending souls of flowers ! and how dear, how 
 emotional, the calls of the trusting birds which build their 
 homes, and tell the tale of their loves, beneath the shelter 
 ing windows ! 
 
 On such days, when all outward things are so touched with 
 inimitable beauty as to woo the glance, and angels have so 
 swung their censers through the heavens as to make it a lux 
 ury to breathe, who does not feel that Nature is our mother, 
 and that her smile will unfold, in the bosom of a loyal child, 
 a yearning after the Divine ? 
 
 Flora, having arisen early, had drunk deeply of the over 
 flowing fountains of the morning light, to be sweetly refreshed 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 345 
 
 and made so joyful, by its influence, that her emotions and 
 thoughts were praise and thanksgiving. Yet, arnid this de 
 licious musing, the duties of the hour had been so heeded and 
 cared for that the table was set with plates for three, while 
 " the sober berry s juice " sent an inviting odor out through 
 the doorway and beyond the vine-clad portico. 
 
 Hark ! It was just the faintest step, and the gate was very 
 carefully opened ; yet not so softly but that a quick and wait 
 ing ear caught the scarce perceptible sound ; when the lis 
 tener, rising up, met the gentle approacher at the door, 
 where, with smiles and friendly words, she welcomed him be 
 neath the portal. 
 
 They walked in together, and, as the captain was about to 
 take a seat, Flora said, rather archly, " You ought to taste 
 some of yon cherries fresh from the trees they are sweet 
 est in the morning." But, seeing that he was a little doubtful 
 about going, she continued, " Now do go, if only to please me, 
 and you shall have breakfast in a few minutes." 
 
 Elery, then comprehending, went forth, smiling, into the 
 spacious and pleasant enclosure. There he found Fred, who, 
 having become familiar with every nook and corner, came 
 quickly to take the sailor s extended hand, that he might enact 
 the proud showman to the happy owner. 
 
 " I ll show you my hens I ve got some hens ! they be all 
 black, with white caps on their heads. Where did they come 
 from ? " 
 
 "How should I know?" 
 
 " O, you know my mother says you do ; " and the sunny 
 smile that flowed and rippled over his bright face, as he looked 
 up to Elery, was rich in remuneration. 
 
 Having shown those, he took the sailor to see a bird s nest. 
 But, as the bright eye of the bird shone over its rim, they 
 kindly turned away to visit every part of the garden where 
 
346 THE MUSTEB, OR 
 
 nook, or thicket, or flower had struck the boy s fancy. Then 
 he pressed him to eat of all the kinds of fruit, whether ripe 
 or green, and especially each large and beautiful cherry 
 which hung within his reach. 
 
 Soon Flora walked down the path, and, seeing them, she 
 came beneath the shadow of the tree to receive the cherries, 
 which the sailor gathered, as though it were her natural office. 
 He, also, was equally pleased, for manly strength knows no 
 deeper charm than to wait on a lovely woman who accepts 
 the service with grace and kindness. After a few moments, 
 however, they loitered, talking, into the cottage and to break 
 fast, where Fred claimed the eggs only that he might have 
 the pleasure of giving them away. 
 
 Speaking of the cherries that were on the table, Flora said, 
 " These are not so excellent as those I intended to set before 
 you, for, seeing that there were larger and more richly-colored 
 ones near the top of the tree, I lifted Fred on to the first branch, 
 telling him to climb up and throw them down on the grass, 
 and you know that he can hold his weight any where with 
 one hand ; besides, you said that I must encourage him to climb, 
 which he did, while I continued picking, and thought no 
 more of him until I heard him cry out, Land, ho ! as loud as 
 he could shout. Whereupon, I ordered him down very quick 
 ly, fearing that he would raise the neighborhood. So you 
 have not been treated to the choicest this morning, because 
 Fred was a naughty boy." 
 
 On this the child looked a little embarrassed, and said, " Mr. 
 James told me to say so." 
 
 " Well, he told you right, Fred ; and you may say it, when 
 you are on board ship, every time that you can see it," re 
 plied the sailor. 
 
 " I wish I was there now, if I can t speak out loud here ! " 
 But meeting the serious glance of his mother, he slid down 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 347 
 
 from his chair, and, coming round, climbed into her lap to draw 
 her ear down to his lips and whisper, " I want you to go too, 
 mother." 
 
 " What ! " cried Flora, kissing him, "leave this beautiful place, 
 where my dear child has every thing that a mother can wish ? " 
 
 " I wish I had my ship," Fred uttered, ruefully. 
 
 " You shall have her this evening," said the sailor. 
 
 " May I ? O, good ! " cried he, now full of expectation. 
 
 So glided the hour, like some fair, flowing stream just rip 
 pling to a breath of air ; thus Flora was agitated as she con 
 trasted the past and the present. 
 
 Before they separated from the table the bells in all the 
 church towers rang out their sonorous song of good will to 
 men a type and far-off echo of the eternal harmony ! So, 
 indeed, it seemed to them as it arose on the free air, and 
 chimed around their contented nook ; while to all it was a 
 peaceful voice, sounding along the hushed aisles of the Sabbath, 
 and bearing joy to hearts which were true to themselves, as 
 well as a summons to the indifferent, to join in the universal 
 praise. Upon it there began to be a stir in the street, where 
 many a grave face and formal tread, and many a gay ribbon 
 and elastic step, were going up to the temple ; and who may 
 dare to say which was the more acceptable offering ? for is not 
 gladness the most grateful aroma of thanksgiving ? Is not 
 the happiness of the creature the design and the hope of the 
 Creator ? 
 
 On arising from breakfast Elery and Fred retired to a rural 
 seat in the garden, where, having finished her morning duties, 
 Flora soon joined them ; and, finding the shade of the trees 
 more inviting than the shelter of the roof, there most of the 
 day was passed, where they could catch glimpses of that flash 
 ing sapphire dome which suggests the eternal temple, and 
 disposes the soul to worship. 
 
348 THE MUST BE, OR 
 
 Gentle and cordial was their converse. Yet, after a time, 
 when the day was declining, Flora said, " I saw that you 
 brought out some books ; let me go in and get one, and you 
 will read to me." 
 
 " If such be your wish, I should like the first volume of 
 Landor." This was a work which Elery had taken up in a 
 bookstore in Glasgow on his last voyage, and was so struck 
 with the passages at which he glanced that he purchased it. 
 
 "When she returned he selected the Imaginary Conversation 
 between Brooke and Sidney, and read ; and then that between 
 Marcus Tullius and Quinctus Cicero strains of great and 
 humanizing thought, in periods formed like diamonds, and fin 
 ished to the translucency of that polished gem. 
 
 Pardon me, indulgent reader, if I linger long around this 
 home of charity in a tender spirit, for to me it is a holy 
 place ; and I know of none where the grace of the All-giver 
 has more manifestly descended. Peace dwells here and kind 
 ness aboundeth ; while that love of which Plato dreamed is 
 binding up a wounded heart and pouring its cheerful light on 
 the path of the desolate. So Flora often thought, and the re 
 flection was as a precious balsam to her hurts ; while the pres 
 ence of the benefactor poured it afresh, and the warm, low 
 breathings of outward nature so heightened the charm and 
 winged the passing hours that the day vanished ere they were 
 aware. 
 
 It was one of those evenings of dark and crimson clouds, 
 as if there had been battle in the heavens ; and Nature, bear 
 ing the sun like a bleeding paladin to his pavilion, came with 
 the pale twilight to mourn his dying, followed by the weeping 
 shadows of night a sadly solemn funeral procession moving 
 along the landscape. This touched them with a melancholy 
 which is sweeter than mirth, making them feel the worth of 
 friendship, if not the witchery of love. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 849 
 
 Fred appeared weary after tea ; but, rousing up as with a 
 new thought, and running to the sailor, he said, " Now where 
 be my ship ? " 
 
 " O, she s not far off," and, going out, he returned with her 
 in a few minutes. It was a pleasant sight, for those who were 
 looking on, to see how full the child s glad heart was, and ob 
 serve how he hovered near, and many times spelled her name, 
 for Muse was lettered along her quarter, and touched her 
 tenderly, as if fearing to hurt her. Yet, after a time, be 
 coming satisfied with handling, he asked to have the model 
 raised to the mantel-piece, which was done ; and never did 
 ancient Roman place among his Lares a more significant 
 object of worship than was that ship for that cottage. 
 
 Flora s eyes moistened when she saw the vessel ; partly in 
 sympathy with her boy, but chiefly because it called to mind a 
 scene with which it was associated in her memory the scene 
 of the visit to the sailors quarters. Whereupon she said, " I 
 hope, Captain Elery, that my friends consented to keep a por 
 tion of that money." 
 
 " No, not a dollar ; you could not force them to take it." 
 
 " Strange self-forgetfulness ! What will they do ? " 
 
 " O, they are not troubled ; and, really, I think that they 
 
 may be gainers by the gift. Certainly I am, for they ve all 
 
 taken a month s advance and shipped with me for Europe. 
 
 And I m very glad to inform you, also, that through their 
 
 means you re now part owner of the Muse, as I have taken 
 
 the liberty to buy a thirty-second portion of the ship on your 
 
 account." When handing her some bank bills, he continued, 
 
 " And there is the balance of the fund, which I hope you will 
 
 use as freely as it was given. I made the purchase without 
 
 consulting you, because I thought it necessary to attend to 
 
 the business when I had a good offer ; and I inform you 
 
 of it now, thinking that I may not have another opportunity 
 
 30 
 
350 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 very soon, as OUT craft will be ready for sea to-morrow 
 night." 
 
 On hearing this, Flora leaned her brow upon her hand, and 
 the tears flowed in silence ; and long they sat in that prayer 
 ful stillness, without speech, yet perfectly intelligent of each 
 other, as though every breath had been a whispered word. 
 At length Fred gave signs of sleeping ; so that, after a while, 
 Flora rose up, and taking the child, laid him in his bed. 
 
 On coming out, Elery arose to meet her ; and, taking her 
 hand, drew her arm within his, saying, " Let us walk in the 
 garden." 
 
 Silently they moved over the path many times, while the 
 soft south wind fanned them and calmed their pulses ; and, 
 when the waves of emotion had something subsided, Flora 
 said, softly, " Are you really going away so soon ? " 
 
 " Such are the orders. And, on the whole, I like the ra 
 pidity of the move, as business is good, and we want our ship 
 to make money, so that you can have every thing which may 
 contribute to your comfort." 
 
 " Have you any idea that I can ever be more happy than I 
 am now ? O, how this contrasts with what was ! Even in the 
 light of day I gaze from the window, I look from the door, 
 for proof that I am not dreaming; and when I awake in the 
 veiling darkness, it is long before I can believe in the glorious 
 translation, so beautiful and so blessed is the land to which 
 you have led me." 
 
 " If you could know how much protecting you has blessed 
 and exalted us, I think that you would see how all the mate 
 rial aid which we have rendered is as nothing in our sight. 
 Can you still imagine that you are greatly indebted to us, be 
 cause such is the way of the world that they only name as a 
 gift what they can clutch in their hands ? Yet one would 
 think that even the sordid might see that there are more glo- 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 351 
 
 rious givers than Astor could be ; when in his own counting 
 house there was a clerk who fused in his fiery heart the vic 
 tory of Botzaris into song, and gave it to mankind among 
 whom it will live, and be loved, long after the last vestige of 
 the fortune or the munificence of his employer shall have dis 
 appeared. You, also, have given us the most ennobling voy 
 age that we shall ever behold ; and the memory of it will help 
 to guide and keep us in all coming time. The earth, by its in 
 fluence, has become more charming, and the sea more musical ; 
 while the stars shine brighter and awaken thoughts which 
 they stirred not before. Hereafter I shall walk the Muse s 
 deck, in the night s solemn stillness, amid pleasing recollec 
 tions, and bear up against the furies of the storm, or, if it 
 must needs be, go down into the ocean s bosom, with a more 
 undaunted heart and a serener faith. Is it not something to 
 have achieved all this from one action ; and will you not let 
 us make some poor return for it ? " 
 
 It was many seconds before Flora could reply ; but at length 
 she said, " It is well. You have laid it open as I never saw 
 it before, showing me how the charm of the gift reflects upon 
 the giver ; so that I feel it to be God s doing. He it is who 
 touches right giving, and right receiving, with the hues of 
 heaven, and breathes over them the same blessing. Indeed, 
 I now see so clearly that I question no further, but accept the 
 obligation cheerfully; and you may say to my generous friends, 
 I receive their gift in something of the spirit in which it was 
 offered ; as your words have exalted me to feel, for the mo 
 ment at least, like one who has bestowed great benefits. To 
 morrow did you say?" 
 
 " Yes, if the wind be fair, we shall go down the harbor in 
 the evening, and perhaps put immediately to sea. But the 
 months will quickly glide away, so that I shall soon be out 
 here again ; and, in the mean time, I want you, out of kind- 
 
352 THE M US TEE, OR 
 
 ness to me, to take every comfort which money can procure. 
 This is what I most earnestly desire ; and, when I meet 
 you at your door once more, I hope to see you looking as 
 if you had found pleasure in complying with my wishes. Will 
 you try to remember it, Flora ? " 
 
 " O, how can I forget ? " she faltered. 
 
 When feeling the motion of her grief, he said, as he gently 
 pressed her arm to his side, " Do not weep." 
 
 Looking up in his face, she replied, softly, " You will not 
 deny me the tears of gratitude, for they unfold the heart 
 as the dew the flowers ; " but noticing his wet eyes, she con 
 tinued, " nor chide me for partaking of a luxury in which you 
 indulge yourself so freely ! " 
 
 The sailor brushed the drops from his cheeks as he moved 
 towards the street, where, taking her hand, he whispered, 
 " Farewell," when the gate closed softly, the door swung si 
 lent, and he was gone. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 353 
 
 CHAPTER XXXYI. 
 
 Alas ! our young affections run to waste 
 Or water but the desert ; whence arise 
 But weeds of dark luxuriance, tares of haste, 
 Rank at the core, though tempting to the eyes ; 
 Flowers, whose wild odors breathe but agonies, 
 And trees whose gums are poison ; such the plants 
 Which spring beneath her steps as Passion flies 
 O er the world s wilderness, and vainly pants 
 For some celestial fruit, forbidden to our wants. 
 
 BYRON. 
 
 ALTHOUGH the changes of time are sure and unremitting, 
 they yet come so softly that they give no shock, and leave 
 scarcely a perceptible trace in passing; it is passion that 
 ploughs and disappointment that harrows. Under such influ 
 ences the queenly beauty of Aurelia began to grow dim and 
 fade ; even her voice was losing its music and becoming harsh : 
 thus the silent Arachnes, that spin unrestingly in the brain, 
 were clothing her with a new and a repulsive garment, which 
 all the trappings of wealth could not hide nor its gems adorn. 
 
 It would have been surprising if Park had not seen so 
 disenchanting a change. Yet, at first, he looked upon it 
 w r ith doubt and misgiving, though there came times when 
 it struck him with amazement. Then, in thought, he would 
 go down through all the past, and finding no trait of it 
 there, he would say, " It cannot be." But when next they 
 met, in the company of others, up would come the fact. So 
 the vividness and certainty of present impression began to 
 assert their power, causing to spring up in his heart, slowly, 
 reluctantly, yet completely, the conviction that he had not only 
 30* 
 
354 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 met with no loss, but some friendly Guiding Hand had led 
 him bleeding from the path of danger. Thus, one by one, the 
 silken fillets that bound Park to Aurelia were broken, as it 
 were by a breath ; and if it made him sad to see them sever, 
 he at length rose up free, with a heart enlarged for humanity 
 and a new-born hope for the future. He could then meet her 
 as he met the world. She had taken her place among ac 
 quaintance, perhaps clients. Thenceforward she could be 
 little more to him than a fact of human experience, to come 
 forth on the tide of his thought to thrill or illustrate discourse. 
 
 " Well, it was singular," said Park to himself, when even 
 the scar had disappeared. " I have had a narrow escape 
 how different she is from what I thought her ! " But this, 
 though a view which we are inclined to take, it being the 
 only consolation that may be left us, is not kindly done, and 
 more, it is not often just ; for we are such creatures, and such 
 victims of circumstance, that we cannot say what one might 
 have been under other influences. Indeed, it must be evident 
 to the discerning that had Aurelia wedded Park instead of 
 Featherstone, she would have unfolded into all womanly excel 
 lence, and those who knew her intimately would have wondered 
 at the continuance of her beauty, while seeing many an occasion 
 to commend her love-overflowing heart, her sweet, low voice, 
 and night-long vigils by the couch of the sick and suffering. 
 Truly, it was a sad misstep which she had taken amid that 
 thoughtless revel; entering upon a path rosy to the sight, but 
 thorny to the sense, where the air soon blighted her one 
 season, even in its spring time; and thereon had followed 
 the nipping frosts that deepened ever more into winter with 
 its desolating blasts. 
 
 Park, having got his Mcftae case referred, was before the 
 referees. They had been in session some days in the town of 
 Greenville; and, it being the pleasant autumn season, the 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 355 
 
 gentlemen were disposed to hear the testimony leisurely, and 
 view the premises frequently ; so that it was rather an agree 
 able diversion when compared with a trial in the city courts. 
 
 Mrs. Featherstone was also in the village, passing a few 
 weeks with a relative. She had chosen that time because she 
 took an interest in the pending arbitration, as it concerned her 
 friend and bridemaid Annie McRae. She, however, saw Park 
 occasionally, at some social meetings on account of the court. 
 And, on one evening, as the case was drawing near its close, 
 he walked down the street, when accidentally meeting her 
 by the steps of the house in which she was visiting, he talked 
 with her a moment, and, accepting her invitation, went in. It 
 was not long, however, before he inquired for Mrs. Howard, 
 when she came down. In a few minutes after, Miss McRae 
 and a Miss Graves came in, and they had scarcely entered into 
 conversation before the bell rang and the Rev. Joseph Frink 
 was introduced. He was somewhat squat in figure, and still 
 shock-headed, as when a boy, with features which indicated 
 pugnacity rather than nobleness of purpose. And having re 
 cently returned from Europe, where he had only added to his 
 coarseness and self-conceit, he entered with the assurance 
 which this circumstance is apt to give to persons of his stamp. 
 
 If it made Park smile to see so much sounding brass, it 
 aroused Aurelia to ring a few changes on him, as she knew 
 that her cousin, and, indeed, most of the parish, thought him a 
 great man. And, as he had not talked two minutes- before he 
 mentioned Europe, she, knowing their prejudices, inquired, 
 " How did you like the opera ? " 
 
 Mr. Frink, thinking to please her, and caring little for the 
 opinion of those members of his church who thought it a du 
 bious clerical taste, replied, with evident pleasure, " It was 
 capital ! O, it was magnificent ! You can know but little 
 of the scope or of the art and appointments of the mu- 
 
356 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 sical drama unless you witness the performance in Paris or 
 Milan." 
 
 Slightly annoyed by the inopportune calls, Aurelia felt mis 
 chievous. And knowing that the parson had talked of his 
 travels until they had become a bore, even to his friends, she 
 said, " I should like to hear your adventures on the Desert, 
 and your description of the Holy City." 
 
 Delighted with the compliment, the reverend traveller 
 was just branching off, and had mentioned Egypt, which 
 seemed like sand in his mouth, and from which he would have 
 passed on to Jerusalem by a route more tedious than that of 
 the children of Israel, when Miss Graves cunningly changed 
 his course by inquiring, " Have you seen the Spanish lady, 
 since you spoke to me about her, Mr. Frink ? " 
 
 This being a subject on which he was inquisitive, he dropped 
 the other, and bluntly replied, " No ! Have you heard any 
 thing new ? " 
 
 " Mrs. Featherstone and I met her and the boy in a store 
 this afternoon." 
 
 " Well, how does her color correspond with the report in 
 circulation ? " 
 
 " She seems to me more Moor than Spaniard ; and I believe 
 that there is negro blood in her veins. She is much bleached, 
 I admit, yet there are certain indelible marks which cling 
 longer than their skin. She has a peculiarly indescribable 
 something in the eye that I never saw a white person with, or 
 a colored one without. You may observe their finger nails, 
 also, and hers still retain the sign, and you will find them 
 marked with the unmistakable color which the sun of Africa 
 engenders, and which neither clime nor circumstance can 
 wholly obliterate." 
 
 " Perhaps she dyes her nails with henna," Park suggested. 
 " It may be that she has escaped from some Eastern seraglio, 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 
 
 as the corsair bore the favorite from the blazing palace of the 
 pacha." 
 
 " She would have reigned in the sultan s, though like 
 Lolah she was dusk as India ! " said Aurelia. " And I should 
 like much to hear the story of her life, for she is gentle yet 
 strong, and has passed through that which develops character. 
 Hearing so many conjectures about her, since I came here, I 
 observed her attentively, and, whoever she is, she is no ordinary 
 person. Her eyes have the serenity of truth itself, and her 
 lips the firmness to utter it in any presence ; while there is 
 something in her carriage which reveals that, in extremity, she 
 would front her foe with the heroism of Saragoza s maid. 
 Did you visit Spain, in your travels, Mr. Frink ? " 
 
 " O, no ! no interest attaches to her institutions, com 
 paratively ; and she has no facilities of conveyance, so that, 
 when one gets into her midst, he could not guess how long 
 it might take him to finish her ; and that is likely to be 
 looked to by one who did the pictures of the Dresden Gal 
 lery in a day ! " On this he swept his eye around the circle, 
 as though he waited only to be crowned. 
 
 Taking the meaning of his expression, Park said, " You 
 must read the works of art with singular facility ! for to that 
 hall Raphael has given the infant Jesus and the peerless Mother, 
 on which canvas there is more Christianity than in all the 
 wreck and relics of Jerusalem. Do you find nothing interest 
 ing in Spain ? I could not see the Pyrenees and turn away 
 from them. The very name of Iberia thrills me, for around 
 it cluster the shades of Roman armies slain, and consuls led 
 captive ! Even her still seclusion has a charm that would 
 lead me to linger with her muleteers through all the storied 
 land. And where, down so many ages, has the blood of a 
 nation flowed in such gallant and courageous current, adorned 
 with knights and ladies who have inspired IKT ballads to 
 
358 THEMUSTEE, OR 
 
 be the best in the world ; while their rent and ruined pal 
 aces, all tenantless though they are, would touch my heart 
 like holy .places. And if the Spaniard had not made his 
 country glorious, if it were not immortal in the smile of Cer 
 vantes, the Briton has consecrated the Peninsula every vale 
 and mount are vocal with the bugles of Wellington." 
 
 " You must have been in Spain and staid a long time," 
 said Frink. 
 
 " Yes, a very long time ; for I was with Scipio when he 
 gave up the captive maid, and went with Columbus when he 
 sought the assistance of the queen ! " 
 
 " Any body can travel in that way ! " said the parson in a 
 tone that savored of contempt for such ideal visitors. " But 
 I have been on the banks of the Jordan, and brought home 
 some bottles of the water ! " 
 
 " That is something for which I have no thirst ; as I hold it 
 to be the initiatory stage of superstition, a link in that chain 
 which weighs down so many nations, and chafes and scars 
 well nigh every heart." 
 
 " I think that impious ! for we use it to baptize with." 
 
 " I may be, in your judgment. Yet to so use it, is to lay 
 the foundation for the worship of the wood of the cross." 
 
 This being too sacred ground for Mr. Frink to venture fur 
 ther upon with so profane a person, he made no reply. Or it 
 might be that he saw, in a tray of cake and fruit, with which 
 a waiter was entering, matter more worthy of his attention, 
 as his digestive powers were still conspicuous among his 
 faculties ; yet in their exercise he had no sympathy with the 
 plain and homely, any more than he had with those classes of 
 his parishioners. 
 
 During the repast, Annie, taking a seat beside Aurelia, 
 inquired, " Did you speak to the person whom they call the 
 Spanish lady?" 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 359 
 
 " No, I did not ; but Miss Graves found an excuse to do so, 
 in asking her to join your sewing circle." 
 
 " Did she accept the invitation ? " 
 
 " No. And it would have given you pleasure to have ob 
 served the manner of her declining, for the grace of her 
 utterance I cannot convey." 
 
 " I desire to see her particularly since she has so im 
 pressed you ! " 
 
 " Then why do you not call on her ? Were I living here, 
 I certainly would gain her acquaintance, if possible." 
 
 " I have thought of it, and now I am impatient to know her." 
 
 The edibles being disposed of, the parson withdrew ; and, 
 soon after, Miss Graves and Annie took leave. 
 
 As they walked away together, Miss Graves inquired, " Are 
 you much acquainted with Mr. Featherstone ? " 
 
 " A very little ; I have seen him only a few times." 
 
 " I hear that their union is not quite a perfect one." 
 
 " I do not see how it could be. Yet an unhappy marriage 
 is an unspeakable thing ; no vulture at the heart of Prome 
 theus had so sharp a beak, or tore with such untiring talons." 
 
 " I do not think that she desires our pity, as her manner 
 discloses her to be rather defiant than sorrowful, and her old 
 lover is still attentive." 
 
 " He is here attending to my father s lawsuit." 
 
 " Perhaps she may be prosecuting a suit here ; at least, 
 marriage does not appear to have changed the current of her 
 feeling, or called home all her tender glances." 
 
 " If Aurelia has found disappointment in marriage, my 
 heart could bleed for her. But I have no sympathy for the 
 idea that she finds in Mr. Park any thing but a friend." 
 
 " I have not said that she does." 
 
 " You certainly made such insinuations ; and they are among 
 the most hurtful of weapons." 
 
360 THE MUSTEE, OB 
 
 Having then reached her father s gate, they separated; 
 and, entering, she found him looking at plans and deeds ; upon 
 which he rose up, and met her with a smile and a kiss, for he 
 had been musing of success. 
 
 Soon after the visitors had gone, Mrs. Howard having with 
 drawn, Park said, " You must have been quite taken by the 
 lady of the cottage, as they name her." 
 
 " Yes, she pleased me much. Yet the child took my atten 
 tion more, for he reminded me of Mr. Featherstone ; not that 
 their features particularly resemble, but their air and motion 
 are similar." 
 
 " How old is the boy ? " 
 
 " Four or five years, I should think ; and I wish that you 
 could see him walk across the store as I did ; the likeness was 
 in every joint ! " 
 
 " I presume it was nothing more than one of those fancies 
 which sometimes beset us, and may be traced to their causes ; 
 you were probably thinking of your husband shortly before." 
 
 " That, certainly, was not the cause ; for no person was, and 
 no one could have been, farther from my thoughts." 
 
 " Then you think the lady remarkable both for mind and 
 beauty?" 
 
 " Yes, she really awed me by her manner, and pleased me 
 as I listened to her replies to Miss Graves ; for the words 
 which she used were suited to the size of the thought con 
 veyed, while her accent was native, and her pronunciation pure. 
 Then, too, her features are fine, and so plastic as to herald and 
 heighten her ideas. Even her color is scarcely an objection, 
 as she is not so dark as many a northern brunette ; but then 
 their brown lies on the surface, while hers seems to strike up 
 through, as Titian and Nature paint. And, over all, there is 
 a veil of mystery, as if there were some romance in her story 
 that may not be told. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 361 
 
 1 Yet who can keep in semblance long, 
 Or hide the key note of their song, 
 Or hope to mask in mourning weeds, 
 When glances tell love s secret beads ? " 
 
 Thereupon the conversation gradually died away, and they 
 sat near each other, some minutes, in silence. Aurelia, in 
 truth, paused through agitation ; and Park liked to sit so, not 
 thinking it necessary to be always talking or listening, if with 
 discerning friends ; yet he found such pleasure in congenial 
 companions, that, when at leisure, he sought to be near one ; 
 this, indeed, was healthful to his nature. 
 
 At length, however, he arose to go, (they had been sitting 
 in the back parlor, which connected with the front by sliding 
 doors that were drawn partly back, and through which the 
 visitors had entered,) and giving her his hand they moved on 
 slowly together, when she said, "Why must you leave me 
 now ? " Seeing that he hesitated, she pressed as though she 
 would retain his hand ; and, turning, he suffered himself to 
 be led to a sofa by her bewitching fingers, which were warm, 
 agitated, and even convulsive ; yet his thrilled to no emotion, 
 warmed to no kindred pulse, were only passive and resigned ; 
 so that, in a few moments after they were seated in the dusky 
 silence, she suddenly released her clasp of the lifeless thing, 
 when it slowly slid down by her side. Yet, in an instant, she 
 sighed over the loss ! for she felt as if her last wild hope was 
 taking its departure. With that thought tears came ; and 
 then a deep hysterical sob ; when Park turned quickly 
 towards her, and leaned so near that her head drooped in very 
 weakness, or recklessness, upon his breast. On this he invol 
 untarily drew his arm around to support her ; but, her heart 
 beating against it as though it would leap through her heaving 
 bosom, he divined the nature of her excitement, and drawing 
 31 
 
362 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 off, said, " You must calm yourself, or I shall be obliged to 
 consign you to the care of Mrs. Howard." 
 
 These words, spoken in a subdued but determined tone, and 
 glittering all over with frost, transformed Aurelia to the cold 
 ness and rigidity of marble ; and, starting up, she stood 
 gazing at him as if petrified. 
 
 This swept painfully over Park s feelings ; and, taking her 
 icy hand, he said, tenderly, " Aurelia, will you permit me to 
 be your friend ? " 
 
 " Friend ! " gasped she ; and then laughing a bitter laugh, 
 she caught away her fingers, again to regret it fearfully for 
 she was at direst strife with herself. 
 
 " Yes, friend ! " replied Park ; " it is too late for aught 
 more. Think you that the love which was carelessly cast 
 away can revive and return again ? " 
 
 " Am I alone to blame that it was so lost to me ? " 
 
 " Is any part of the fault mine ? for you seem as if you 
 thought so." 
 
 " Was it not wrong to leave me so long in doubt of your 
 affection, so surrounded as you must have known me to be ? 
 yet I scorn all explanation. Friends ! do you think that we 
 can befriends ? No, never ! Where the fire of love has been 
 spurned, and its ashes scattered, only hate can spring up ! " 
 and turning away she paced the apartment in tearless silence. 
 
 Park sat a few moments amid conflicting emotions ; but at 
 length, rising up, he drew near to her, and gently inquired, 
 " Shall I go now ? " 
 
 On this she came so close to him that he felt the breath of 
 her words, and the despair of her heart, as she said, " Do you 
 wish to part with me forever ? " And then, " O Heaven, that 
 I should still question ! " 
 
 Park hesitated, while some sad drops of pity came ; but, in 
 a moment, he calmly replied, "That shall be as you choose."* 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 
 
 " Then it is my pleasure that you go ; " and on the word he 
 departed. 
 
 Intense as was the gleam in Aurelia s eyes when she ut 
 tered those inevitably conclusive words, still more intense was 
 the torture that followed thereon. Foiled, slighted, mortified 
 to the utmost extremity, she threw herself upon the sofa, and 
 spurned at the bitter and sickening thoughts which boiled 
 up in her seething brain, and rolled burning through her re 
 bellious heart. And full deeply, ay, pitiably, did she learn, in 
 that hour, what many a beautiful, but falsely-aspiring creature 
 has found, and many a one will yet find that love is its own 
 most fearful and most desolating avenger. 
 
364 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 Bear welcome in your eye, 
 
 Your hand, your tongue : look like the innocent flower, 
 But be the serpent under it. SHAKSPEAKE. 
 
 ON the following morning, the Rev. Mr. Frink called at the 
 village hotel and inquired for Mr. Park. Mr. Frink had the 
 politeness to call upon all distinguished strangers who visited 
 Greenville, although they did not come with the expectation 
 of such a favor. 
 
 In a moment the servant who received the order, returning, 
 said, " The gentleman is in ; " and Mr. Frink followed him to 
 the room. 
 
 On being shown in, and seeing Park busy with his. papers, 
 he made an elaborate apology for the interruption, yet with 
 the air of one who thinks his company the amplest remunera 
 tion. And drumming a moment on the arm of the chair in 
 which he had seated himself, he added, " I have just received 
 a letter from my brother in New Orleans, which I wish to lay 
 before you, as therein he requests that I should see some New 
 York lawyer and employ him to look after the matter." 
 
 " What is the nature of the business ? " inquired Park, with 
 cold civility. 
 
 " It appears that he has lost two slaves, a woman and a boy, 
 both of them nearly white the mother being about twenty- 
 three, and the child four or five years of age. He believes 
 that they escaped on a ship bound to New York, and probably 
 are somewhere in this vicinity. He suspects so, because they 
 formerly belonged to a man who lives in your city ; and he sup- 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 365 
 
 poses that they would naturally flee to him, as he is the father 
 of the child. The names of the fugitives are Flora and Fred." 
 
 " Does your brother communicate the name of the previous 
 owner ? " 
 
 " I find that he cannot remember, exactly ; but he thinks 
 his first name is Anthony, and his last, Fetter- something, 
 and what, he don t know." 
 
 " Fetter ! do you say ? " 
 
 " Yes ; that is all I can make of it." 
 
 " The last syllable may be * son, " suggested Park ; " or, at 
 least, it would be appropriate. Let me look at the letter, if 
 you please." 
 
 " It is written so badly that I am ashamed to show it. He 
 used to do such things very well ; but it seems that he undertook 
 to chase the fugitives on a steamer, and was blown up in the 
 scrape, losing an eye and parts of both hands ; and this is the 
 first business which he has been able to do since the accident." 
 
 " Does he give any particular instructions, or directions ? " 
 
 " Nothing special ; the whole letter is very indefinite. He 
 simply wishes to have the matter looked after, and he will pay 
 well to do which, I may add that he is abundantly able." 
 
 " I think you must let me have the letter if I am to exam 
 ine the affair with any reference to action." 
 
 " Well, I have no great objection, if you will observe se 
 crecy with regard to the whole thing ; for no one here knows 
 that I have such a brother, and I prefer that they should not." 
 
 Park took the proffered letter, and, placing it in his green 
 bag, said, " I will peruke it when I am more at leisure." 
 
 Mr. Frink inferred, from this remark, that it was time for 
 him to depart ; and, rising up, he said, " There are one or two 
 public institutions in town, Mr. Park, which it would give me 
 pleasure to show you, if you can find time to visit them." 
 
 " I am obliged to you ; but I expect to close my business 
 31* 
 
366 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 here on to-morrow, and thereupon must leave immediately for 
 the city." 
 
 " I hope we shall see you out here often, now that you have 
 made our acquaintance. We think we have a very beautiful 
 town, and we know that we have some of the solid men." 
 
 "And some of the showmen, too, from appearances," added 
 Park. 
 
 " They do not belong to my parish. I have taken such fre 
 quent opportunity to preach against the vanity of riches as to 
 keep down the ostentatious spirit among my flock." 
 
 " Then, I suppose, you find such preaching popular ; and I 
 have no doubt that, as they have no means for indulgence, the 
 majority of your hearers like to see the more fortunate under 
 going the penalty of success." 
 
 Feeling that his secret motives were rather too obvious to 
 his examiner, (for no huckster in the town coveted money or 
 the power which it confers more than he, so that all he could 
 feel of love, even, appeared, from his proceedings, to be a kind 
 of legal attachment to secure an estate,) the parson thought it 
 best to withdraw without further remark on the subject ; so 
 he bowed himself out with a smile which was meant to be 
 friendly, yet it spread out into obsequiousness until his face 
 appeared flabby, if not foolish. 
 
 On leaving the hotel, Mr. Frink turned towards the cottage 
 to make another call ; for he was not slow of suspicion, or 
 without curiosity, and sometimes indulged in them to an ex 
 cess which was reprehensible. Arriving there, he gave quite 
 an emphatic notice of the event, as he was a trifle peremp 
 tory ; and on Flora opening the door, he bowed slightly, and 
 said, " I am a minister of the gospel in this place, and thought 
 it my duty to call upon you to inquire how you felt with re 
 gard to religion." 
 
 So announcing himself, Flora invited him to walk in. 
 
 \ 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 367 
 
 Accepting a seat, he looked around a moment, as if taking an 
 inventory, whereupon he said, " You have rather a snug place 
 here, madam ; much better than a great many of the lower 
 classes find, and such as would make them thankful. Do you 
 think that we are usually filled with so lively a sense of God s 
 manifold blessings as is becoming such frail and perishing 
 creatures ? " 
 
 " I desire to be." 
 
 " No doubt, we all do ; yet how make it manifest, unless 
 we attend divine service ? The meeting-house is the place set 
 apart and dedicated to worship ; and, short-sighted as we are, 
 we may see that there can be no offering if the gift be not 
 laid upon the altar." 
 
 "I have heard the glad tidings that there would come a 
 time when every heart should be an altar." 
 
 " Certainly, it is so written. But I am an ordained inter 
 preter of that word, and I say that the time has not yet come ; 
 and until it does come, the meeting-house is the place ; that is 
 the peaceful fold, aside from which there is no safety, for wild 
 beasts rage without." 
 
 " It would ill become me to controvert the opinion of one 
 who has beervset apart to the sacred office. Yet I have seen 
 two or three gathered together, in so kindly a spirit, as to 
 hallow the place of their meeting leading me to the conclu 
 sion that it is man who sanctifies the temple, not the temple 
 the man." 
 
 " You speak of that meeting, madam, with too evident pleas 
 ure to have it stand to you for merit, at your final accounting. 
 Sorrow here is the sign of joy hereafter ; pleasure in this life 
 is only the foreshadowing of punishment beyond the grave." 
 
 " I fear that I shall never be able to comprehend such a 
 scheme ; and to hear it urged would not help me to find out 
 God, or strengthen my trust in his divine providence." 
 
368 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 "Do you wisli to be classed with infidels by the whole 
 Christian world ? " inquired Frink, while he darkly frowned. 
 
 " I see nothing in a name capable of leading me to do that 
 which conscience does not call on me to perform." 
 
 " Well, I have done my duty," said the parson, who in re 
 ality did not wish her to come to his church ; for if she was 
 " colored," as to him she appeared to be, it was extremely 
 doubtful if his society would allow her to sit among them. 
 " But if you choose so perilous a course for yourself, you ought 
 to send your boy to our Sunday school, and have him brought 
 up in the way that he should go." 
 
 " I thank you, for I think that he would like it ; and it 
 would be agreeable to me to have him attend ; indeed, I should 
 have sent him before had it been requested." 
 
 " Then you must have him ready by nine o clock on the 
 next Lord s day, and I will see that some one calls for him 
 Miss Graves, probably, as on her way to the school she passes 
 by here." 
 
 " I will do so with pleasure, as it relieves my mind from a 
 point that has pressed upon it." And asking to be excused a 
 moment, as she performed her own domestic duties, she 
 passed out of the room. 
 
 Fred had baen sitting very quietly in a little chair during 
 the interview, with a small book in his hand, the pictures of 
 which appeared to take his attention ; yet he had not failed to 
 note the expression of his mother s and the parson s faces, 
 and draw his conclusions. Turning to him, Mr. Frink said, 
 " Charley, you are to come to my Sunday school next Sab 
 bath morning, and we will try to have you know some 
 thing." 
 
 "I know something now, and my name ain t Charley, 
 neither." 
 
 " What do you know, Fred ? " 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 369 
 
 " I know my mother don t like you ! " 
 
 " How do you know that, saucebox ? " 
 
 " O, cause she don t look as she does when somebody else 
 is here." 
 
 " Who else Comes here ? " insinuated Frink, sinking his 
 voice. 
 
 " I shan t tell you, for I don t like you a bit ! " 
 
 "Do not like me ! Come here and see what a pretty thing 
 I have in my pocket ; " and his voice was very wheedling. 
 
 " No. I don t want a single thing you ve got ! " 
 
 Seeing that he could draw nothing more out of the child, 
 the reverend inquisitor drew up to the centre table, and made 
 an examination of Flora s books. There was not a volume 
 among them but what came from some gifted poet, or some 
 earnest and able inquirer ; yet he found Byron, and put on a 
 sanctified face ; Carlyle, and seemed touched with fears ; 
 
 E , and trembled with apprehension ; P , and grew 
 
 scarlet with holy indignation ! And as Flora returned on 
 the moment, he said, " You have some very dangerous books 
 here, madam ! and when I think of the awful responsibility 
 which attaches to my sacred office, I must say wicked, ex 
 tremely wicked books ! " 
 
 " Indeed ; I was not aware of it ; which of them have that 
 reputation ? " 
 
 So called upon, the reverend censor named them over with 
 decisive emphasis. 
 
 Whereon Flora inquired, " Are you confident that you are 
 quite just to those authors ? " 
 
 " Yes, most certainly ; for I have read every word which 
 they have written ; hence I know what I am condemning, 
 and I say that no person can read them without being 
 stained and corrupted, or led into fearful, if not fatal, error 
 thereby." 
 
370 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 " Have they stained and corrupted, or led you into error ? " 
 
 This was so unexpected a turn, that Frink glared at her, 
 while the blood flushed over his face ; but at length he said, 
 " With ministers of the- gospel it is different. They expect to 
 make great sacrifices, even their lives, if need be, for the sal 
 vation of souls. Therefore they are compelled, as it were, 
 by Him who appointed them to the holy office, to examine 
 this food for the mind, as the mother tastes of the cup ere she 
 allows it to touch the lips of her child." 
 
 " I may not venture to reason with one so learned ; yet it 
 seems to me the principle on which you would exclude those 
 works from the people is the same as that which induces the 
 Catholic priesthood to withhold the Bible from the examina 
 tion of mankind." 
 
 " No, madam, you are entirely wrong : for those which I 
 speak against are bad books, while the Bible is a perfect and 
 holy one." 
 
 Seeing that he had thus made an adroit escape out of the 
 dilemma in which he had placed himself, by the habit of loose 
 statement he had run into from rarely hearing or heeding a 
 reply, he added, " This is an enlightened age, madam ; women 
 are presuming on an equality with men ; but they will find that 
 presumption is always a long way ahead of fact, They have 
 no colleges yet ; and how can they hope for any thing great 
 until they have the institutions of learning which create it ? 
 I have no intellectual or spiritual graces that were not the 
 growths or the gifts of my alma mater. When can they hope 
 for such an incomparable mother ? They may be nursed by 
 an ordinary one, some day ; but when they do we shall cease 
 to protect them, and entering our field as rivals they will learn 
 what life is. Now, we watch to supply their every want and 
 gratify their every desire, for we have generously bound our 
 selves by law to do it. If, however, they persist in pursuing 
 
LOYE AND LIBERTY. 371 
 
 the rebellious course, they will finally have to contend with us 
 for every thing." 
 
 " You are speaking of something to which I have given no 
 thought ; but is not your argument a defence of slavery also, 
 in that it offers Protection as an equivalent for, or something 
 superior to, Right ? " 
 
 " Slavery, madam ? I denounce slavery ! Slavery is im 
 moral, and I am a teacher of morals. No, madam, the la 
 borer is worthy of his hire ; if the servant earns money, he 
 wants it ; if I earn money, I want it ; while it grinds both him 
 and me, and all who have to toil as I do, to see the masters 
 dashing out with splendid equipage, and rolling and revelling 
 in luxury. And they would do well to remember, while it 
 should be some consolation to all who mark their ways, and 
 are free from their sin, that Dives and Lazarus exchanged 
 circumstances when they changed worlds. I have denied 
 myself molasses, madam, because it seems to me so like the 
 the blood of the poor African ; " and again he appeared as 
 though he waited to be crowned ; but as Flora did not con 
 descend to do it, he turned and departed. 
 
 Immediately on reaching his bachelor apartments he lighted 
 a choice cigar, without thinking that the leaves of the weed 
 resembled the negro s skin, and were the product of his toil, 
 for he loved tobacco as well as he ever did any thing ; in 
 deed, while inhaling the spirit, and puffing off the cloud, he 
 had the air and look of a devotee in the presence of his 
 idol. After the narcotic and poisonous plant had sufficient 
 ly soothed his restless and craving nerves, he wrote the fol 
 lowing answer to Bill s letter : 
 
 " GREENVILLE, October , 184 . 
 
 " Dear Brother : I received yours of the twenty-fourth this 
 morning, and immediately gave the business into the charge 
 
372 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 of a distinguished lawyer belonging to the city, one being 
 providentially with us, who will give careful attention 
 to it. 
 
 " I have just returned from a kind of parochial call on a 
 woman and child, who have been living here in a very pretty 
 vine-clad cottage for some time, and they closely coincide 
 with your description of the runaways. The only difficulties 
 in the way which I can see and I have looked at the matter 
 sharply are, they appear too delicate and are too well bred 
 for the class. But I know nothing about the case, although 
 I believe that the boy s name is Fred, and I enjoin that no 
 such idea shall ever be intimated, for you will see that, situ 
 ated as I am, I can have none but the most secret connection 
 with it. 
 
 " I hope you did not own the steamer that blew up in the 
 pursuit ; and I am sorry that you got disfigured by the acci 
 dent. Your doctor s bill must cut deep ; if you were only a 
 clergyman now, you would escape without charge. 
 
 " Your grateful brother, 
 
 "Jos. FRINK. 
 
 " William Frink, Esq., 
 
 " New Orleans." 
 
 In the course of the evening of that day, the Rev. Mr. 
 Frink called again at Park s room, and said, "I took occa 
 sion, after I left you this morning, to look in at the cottage 
 of which we were speaking last evening ; and, on close ex 
 amination, I am inclined to the opinion that Miss Graves s 
 conclusion is nearly right with regard to the negro blood, 
 as they appear to me to be tainted with it ; and they seem 
 to tally almost precisely with my brother s description of those 
 whom he has lost." 
 
 " If they should be identified as the same persons, what do 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 373 
 
 you propose to have done ? " inquired Park, with severe ac 
 cent and a severer glance. 
 
 " I believe it pertains to your profession, rather than mine, 
 to answer that question, Mr. Park," replied Frink, with the" 
 look of a scared cur. 
 
 " Do you desire that an arrest be made and a trial had ? " 
 
 ; I do not wish to have any thing to say on those points ; 
 but I can write to my brother, and get his instructions." 
 
 "As that will probably be his course, I also wish to have 
 nothing to do with the points. I cannot think my profession 
 is under any obligation to commit a crime against humanity if 
 it be sanctioned by statute ; while " 
 
 " O, no, no, certainly not ! " cried the parson, interrupting. 
 
 " While I thought that it belonged to your high calling," 
 Park resumed, " to assuage sorrow ; to let even the prisoner 
 go free, who may be supposed to have broken a law which 
 was enacted or promulgated for the well-being of society; 
 and how imich more those desolated ones whom the iron hand 
 has crushed down to the grade of beasts of burden ! Do you 
 imagine yourself to be a teacher or even a disciple of Him 
 who went about doing good ? or of that One who struck 
 with death those followers who gave only a moiety of their 
 money to the common charity can you believe that record 
 and not tremble ? " 
 
 " Have I done any thing wrong ? Nothing was farther from 
 my intentions." 
 
 " No, O, no ! you are too cowardly to do wrong ; you only 
 suggest, you only subborn the deed." 
 
 " I do not desire that you should take hold of the matter, 
 and I am sorry that I spoke to you about it at all ; which I 
 should not have done, had not my brother, to whom I am un 
 der deep obligations, written me concerning it. I moved at 
 32 
 
374 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 his suggestion entirely ; and if you will return me the letter 
 it shall be destroyed." 
 
 " Most willingly ! But, if there should be any attempt to 
 molest these persons, I shall inquire whose hand directed the 
 iniquity. So you will bear in mind that, touching every por 
 tion of this discovery, I here place a seal upon your lips, which 
 you are forbidden to rnar even by a breath." 
 
 " I never wish to speak of the affair again, and I hope that 
 you will not ; in fact, I believe you are bound, in honor, to that 
 course ; communications to counsel being among the secret 
 things of the law." 
 
 " Are you a client, or only a prowling witness ? To such I 
 shall make no promise other than this : that I hold you re- 
 sponsible for the safety of those persons, against all the arts of 
 the kidnapping species." 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Frink said no more ; but, placing the elegant 
 letter of his brother Bill in his pocket, took leave without 
 alluding to the public institutions in the village, or putting on 
 the smile of the morning. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 875 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 Who knows the joys of friendship ? 
 
 The trust, security, and mutual tenderness,. 
 
 The double joys, where each is glad for each ? 
 
 HOWE. 
 
 THE bright season had just glided by, in which the hectic 
 flush of the forest foliage betokens the dying year. The 
 leaves were brown and sere, and went rustling down the 
 breeze, or crackled beneath the feet ; their life going out in an 
 articulate monition of decay, as they joined the melancholy 
 and myriad wrecks of summer beauty. 
 
 It was one of those autumn evenings when the frowning, 
 cold, gray cloud-bank hangs along the east, waiting for the 
 sun to depart ere it climb up to blot out the stars, and send 
 forth its winds with whispers of winter. Yet these intimations 
 of change, these meanings of the desolated year, are lessons of 
 sympathy which are not all lost upon the air, but help to 
 develop kindness and deepen friendship, thus favoring the 
 growth and glory of man ; so that, while the earth s pulse is 
 still, it would seem as if the spirit of Nature turned in deeper 
 and quicker current to the nurture and unfolding of her con 
 summate flower. 
 
 Mr. McRae had won his case ; and, having thus completely 
 established his claim to a large and valuable estate, many, 
 who had taken their titles from others and built upon the land, 
 were coming to him to clear the encumbrance ; and being gen 
 erously dealt with, they were thankful, while he was more 
 than usually serene and contented. Annie, also, was happy 
 
376 THE M U S T E E , OR 
 
 in her father s smile, and rejoiced in his liberality ; for her 
 heart was kind, so that it overflowed with sympathy towards 
 those who suffered by the award of the law. 
 
 The cottage of Elery stood upon the property which had 
 been in dispute, that being the reason why it sold so low 
 when he became the purchaser, although the sailor was not 
 aware of it, and Annie, fearing that the lady who lived 
 there might hear of the change to her alarm or distress even, 
 said to her father, while tying her bonnet, " I am going out to 
 pass an hour or two ; " when, folding a shawl around her, she 
 left him to his evening newspaper and pleasant musings. 
 
 It was but a few moments after, that she passed through the 
 cottage gate, and, upon her summons, Flora opened the door. 
 Seeing, by the light shining from the sitting room, that it 
 was a young lady who stood before her, she said, " Will you 
 walk in ? " 
 
 " I thank you ; it would give me pleasure ; " and, following 
 her to the room, she found a cheerful fire on the hearth, which 
 sang down the moan of the winds, and seemed to greet her 
 with warm and inviting smiles. There was something in the 
 tone of the reply to the invitation which touched the heart 
 of Flora, and called forth her sweetest expression. Observ 
 ing this, Annie added, while taking the proffered seat, " I came 
 in to see if we can be friends may I take off my bonnet ? " 
 
 Flora s eyes filled with tears, for Annie s face was so full of 
 tender and entreating interrogation, that it more completely 
 opened her heart than is common to the longest course of trust 
 and confidence ; and she replied, " You have, indeed, taken 
 me by surprise ; for I did not dream that what I most needed 
 was so near. A stranger in a strange land can hardly hope 
 for that which is usually the slow growth of many years ; and 
 yet you lead me to believe in its possibility." 
 
 " Then let us accept the opportunity by trusting at once 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 377 
 
 with that unreserve which becomes those who have faith in 
 friendship. For I, too, need a friend ; as there come to my 
 mind ideas, hopes, and aspirations which I cannot reveal to 
 my father, although he studies to make home dear and lif 
 delightful to me, yet I long to breathe them to some one who 
 will receive them with tenderest sympathy. Have you never 
 experienced such feelings and emotions ? " 
 
 So agitated and quickened to confession, Flora said, " My 
 life has been one of great vicissitude. I have seen some of 
 the darkest as well as some of the brightest days that ever 
 blackened or illumined the path of mortal. I have been cast 
 down, so it seems to me now, only to make my deliver 
 ance the more glorious ; while impressing on my heart the 
 infinite tenderness and the sustaining power of Him who 
 leads us. 
 
 " I was tenderly nurtured by parents who were united by 
 the ties of love ; and, amid all the appliances of wealth, I was 
 exalted by education to an acquaintance with the works of the 
 great masters of thought. Yet thereupon I sank beneath a 
 tyranny which made its first advances in whispers of affec 
 tion, until I was not only sold as a slave, but bowled down 
 the hill of heaven as low as to the fiends. Then my deliv 
 erer came ; and such a deliverer ! I had seen kindness be 
 fore ; I had heard and read of sublime devotion, stars of glory 
 all ; yet this was as the sun in the heavens. I cannot, even 
 now, make it other than seeming. I try to tread back on my 
 own steps, when it appears to be some romantic and wonderful 
 path, enchanted and brought down to earth by the gorgeous 
 imagination of genius." 
 
 Thrilled to silence, Annie at length said, " We do, indeed, 
 sometimes read of such exalted action ; but it must be the 
 height of life to have so realized it in the devotion of one." 
 
 There were more. One, certainly, was preeminent ; still, 
 32* 
 
378 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 many were deeply devoted with their great hearts and hands 
 as open as the day even to their own destitution ! and not 
 only for the occasion, for a week, a month, but even to this 
 hour and beyond ; so that I taste it in my daily food, yes, in 
 the air I breathe for I had ceased to breathe, and they re 
 stored me." 
 
 " You will not pause there : such glimpses only make me 
 more impatient for your story ; so that I may venture along 
 the course, to see if it were possible for me to rise up as you 
 have done : truly the difficult way is always the noblest ; and 
 dangers bravely met crown the brow once and forever." 
 
 At this point, Fred came timidly up to Annie, and put his 
 hand softly in hers. She looked down on his sweet, upturned 
 face, and, perceiving his desire, took him into her lap, accepted 
 his kiss, and so tenderly returned it that he nestled near her, 
 yet still kept his eyes fixed on hers : while encircling him with 
 a gentle arm, she gave ear to the narrative of the mustee, 
 in which she comprehended all, excepting names, from her 
 school days with the Sisters of Charity to the hour when she 
 arrived in the village where she was speaking. 
 
 Annie listened with lively sympathy, with tears, and with 
 silence ; and when the fugitive made a close of the tale, their 
 eyes met, beaming with deep trust, but thrilling agitation ; for 
 the sea heaves high long after the storm has subsided. Si 
 lently clasping hands, they sat until calmness came, with smiles 
 and words in the soft, low tones of returning serenity; on 
 which Annie said, "I hope that you will continue to live 
 among us." 
 
 u I desire to ; yet it is all uncertain, as rny home here hangs 
 on one life, which the sea is liable to take any hour, and may 
 have taken ere this." 
 
 " I trust in brighter hopes ; but if any change threaten, if 
 any trouble come, will you confide in me, that I may share the 
 pain ? " 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 379 
 
 Flora pressed Annie s hand, and replied, " My heart opens 
 to your touch as if you possessed a charm by which to 
 enter it." 
 
 " Then you must give me room there ; and what is mine 
 shall be thine, and that which is thine shall be mine ; and if, 
 perchance, this door should close against you, my father s 
 house will open to you and this little boy as freely as to 
 me ; or if, by any vicissitude, we become poor, we can take a 
 school together, and win that independence which we now 
 enjoy as a favor." 
 
 Fred having sunk to sleep in Annie s arms, Flora took him, 
 without awaking, to his place of rest. On her return, Annie 
 said, " You have not told me where your deliverer is, or even 
 how old he is." 
 
 " I do not know his age," Flora replied, smiling ; " in truth, 
 I have never thought of it before ; but he cannot be much 
 older than I am ; and he is on the way from Europe." 
 
 " Do you expect to see him when he arrives ? " 
 
 " Soon after, I have no doubt." 
 
 " I hope he will not remain long, to keep me away from 
 you ; for I found you, and you are mine." 
 
 " But he found me first, and may set up the claim of pri 
 ority." 
 
 " Well, he shall not have you if I can help it." 
 
 " I do not think that he will contend with you ; but, on the 
 contrary, I believe that he would like to see you, and I wish 
 him to do so very much." 
 
 " I am not quite certain that I desire to see him, for he is 
 a hero; and they generally expect so much deference, so 
 much worship, even, that they harden me into brass." 
 
 " It is not so with the hero of my story ; he humbles him 
 self even to me, and disparages his deeds so that they may 
 appear of a less shining order. He insists that he is the great 
 
380 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 gainer, in that it has given sobriety to his thoughts, and eleva 
 tion to his life. Yet, at first, I suspected that it was only said 
 to lift from me some weight of obligation ; but, on perceiving 
 my idea, he bore it away as the flood bears whatever resists 
 its sweep. I had, indeed, many times heard and read of the 
 generosity of sailors ; and I found them all and more than I 
 had been led to believe. Still I cannot help thinking that the 
 crew of the Muse, with regard to me, caught something of 
 their self-devoting spirit from the chivalry of their leader ; as 
 in the most memorable actions it is always the case, so that 
 Leonidas appears to be alone in Thermopylae, and the sin 
 gle arm of Paul Jones seems to conquer the Serapis. 
 
 " Then, how dark it was and what light flows over me 
 now ! I seem to have been driven out to pass from conflict 
 to triumph. Even the fierce voices of the dogs grow mellow 
 and musical as they recede ; and the thunder crash that closed 
 all reverberates in the distance like a morning gun which 
 ushers in the day of freedom. Then came my first view of 
 the ocean, and a ship in her glory ; and I was spell-bound 
 when I saw her casting great gems of sapphire from her, as 
 though she spurned the gifts that would delay her flight. I 
 even fancied, as I observed and was swayed by the motion of 
 her career, that she had feeling for me, and flew on rejoicing 
 that she was free, as well as the instrument of freedom. Not 
 Columbus, when he bore home the offering of a new world, 
 felt his heart more elate than was mine. The summer winds 
 caressed me, the foam leaped up and kissed me." 
 
 " How differently trouble appears when it has passed ! " 
 Annie remarked ; " and how danger changes its aspect when 
 we look back upon its torn banner and trampled form ! how 
 it consecrates the life that we have lived, and arms us for the 
 conflicts which may come ! I desire never to forget that the 
 fire which burns, is, at the same moment, testing and purifying, 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 381 
 
 as the darkness that broods over many a human path is there 
 only to form the background of a hero s picture." 
 
 Soon after, they rose up, and, standing near, they appeared 
 of the same height, and strikingly alike in form, which they 
 noticed with smiles and kindly words ; and as they walked, 
 with their arms intertwined, their motions seemed the same. 
 
 So crossing and recrossing the room, Annie, at length, said, 
 " I came here, this evening, to see if I might do you a favor, 
 or be of service in any way ; and lo ! you have given me the 
 story of an Olympic struggle, with a triumph such as no 
 wreathed Grecian has won ! laid open before me a volume of 
 inspiring life for which I must ever remain a debtor ! and is 
 there no opportunity to make some poor return ? " 
 
 " Have you not given me such friendship as to melt my 
 heart and pour it into yours ? so that I have no words to say 
 how dear you have grown to me, Annie, (if you will allow me 
 to call you so ;) and whenever, hereafter, it may please you to 
 pass within my gate, 
 
 There is an eye will mark 
 Your coming, and look brighter when you come. 
 
 They continued walking without further speech, for their 
 mutual understanding appeared to be complete ; and when it 
 is, presence satisfies, a touch can heal, and glances are revela 
 tions. Under the influence of friendship, for so brief a time, 
 the cottage had changed from a quiet and secure, into a charm 
 ing nook, where these two, together twined, seemed like the 
 bright rings of some eddy wreathing and circling there, away 
 from the surging current of life. As they thus moved through 
 the silence, they heard approaching feet, then the bell ; and, 
 while advancing to the door as they had walked, the latch was 
 raised, and the sailor entered entered with kind words and 
 a cordial "reeting. 
 
382 THE MUSTEE, OB 
 
 Passing on to the lighted room, Flora said, " This is my 
 friend Annie, Captain Elery ; and she has borne the relation 
 so long that she knows all about me, and thinks she has 
 learned much of you." 
 
 "You must be cautious, Captain Elery," said Annie, smiling, 
 " how you believe in the picture, as she colors skilfully." 
 
 " Yes, I will be on my guard ; and I owe her a little in 
 credulity, for she was a stubborn doubter, even of me." 
 
 " You may forgive her that, for she believes in you now, 
 heart and soul." 
 
 In the first tones and glances of these freshly-meeting na 
 tures Flora caught their fine accord. Instinctively she felt 
 that some divine influence was mingling the subtler elements 
 of a new creation, and, foreseeing the Paradise, on the moment 
 she closed whatever of dream her own heart may have been 
 indulging, and resolved at once to become its devoted guar 
 dian. Full of this generous purpose she quickly replied, 
 " That is true, Annie, for my confidence is entire, like that of 
 a sister s, and I trust that I shall be found equal to a sister s 
 devotion. Indeed, that is my relation, by virtue of which I 
 am mistress of this house and do the honors ; so that if you 
 will have the kindness to be seated, and inform me what re 
 freshment you would prefer, I will try to procure it." 
 
 As she had directed her closing sentence to Elery, he re 
 plied, " Fruit is usually my first thought when I reach shore. 
 Have ycu any?" 
 
 " Yes, and some which grew on your own plantation, and 
 for that reason will have a sweeter taste." 
 
 Thereupon she brought out both pears and peaches ; and, 
 placing them before her guests, she said, " The pears I think 
 you will approve ; and if the peaches are not what they were 
 at the time when I gathered them, you may reproach yourself, 
 for they have been waiting and pining for some one." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 383 
 
 Annie helped herself, saying, "I believe that I am fairly 
 entitled to a part of these, as my father has a claim on the 
 land where they grew." 
 
 " Is this Miss McRae ? " inquired Elery. And gathering 
 his answer from her smile and arch expression, he continued, 
 " I heard before I came out of the city, that the case had gone 
 in your father s favor ; do you imagine he ll bear down very 
 hard on me ? " 
 
 " I fancy he may, if I tell him how luscious the pears are, 
 and how long the peaches keep." 
 
 " But will you take such unkind advantage of the evidence 
 which we have furnished against ourselves ? " 
 
 On this Annie took one of the largest of the pears from the 
 dish, saying, " I will take this home to him, that he may taste 
 and be able to judge of their value." 
 
 Touched with her humor, Elery selected another, which 
 was more perfect, and, handing it to Annie, said, " Take this 
 one to your father, also ; and say, when you present it, if 
 you will do me the favor, - that Frank Elery intends to call 
 upon him, some time in the course of a week, for the purpose 
 of perfecting his title to the cottage." 
 
 " It may be more for your interest to choose a small and 
 hard one to send him, as I think that you will be surprised 
 when you learn the terms of settlement." 
 
 " Perhaps so ; but I purchased the estate at a low price, 
 and you may say to him that the more a thing costs the higher 
 some people value it." 
 
 " If that be your method of estimation, we will try to have 
 you hold this place in particular regard." And, rising up, 
 she proceeded to arrange her shawl and bonnet, saying, " I 
 suppose my father is listening for my step ; so, my friend," 
 (here she took Flora s hand,) " I must leave you now." 
 
 " May I hope to see you again to-morrow ? " inquired Flora. 
 
384 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 "I know not how to refuse." And, turning to the captain, 
 she added, " Then we ar*e to have the pleasure of seeing you 
 at our house soon, I think you promised." 
 
 " Yes, very soon ; if you will allow me to act as convoy ; " 
 when, taking his hat, they passed out together. As they 
 moved up the street, he said, " The pleasure of this evening 
 has been beyond my anticipation, and chiefly because I saw 
 that Flora had found a friend in you." 
 
 " I am sad with thinking how much more I have found 
 than I can give," Annie replied. " She is a treasure ; and I 
 thank you from my heart for bringing her so near me." 
 
 " You cannot be more pleased with her than she appears to 
 be with you, or than I am in finding that she has so fully con 
 fided in you." 
 
 " I admire her ; for she is at once a mirror and a picture ; 
 now revealing my own hidden features, and now charming me 
 with the depth and meaning of her own. Then, too, what a 
 history is hers ! Indeed, you did generously, you did nobly, 
 in so rescuing her ; and I honor the sailors, every one, for 
 their continuing kindness and devotion. I long to see the 
 ship even that bore her so gallantly away ; for she speaks of 
 her as a thing endued with life and capable of feeling." 
 
 " The Muse is all that she gives her out to be ; but you 
 must be cautious with regard to her praise of us, for we could 
 have done no less ; it did not rise above the line of duty." 
 
 " It may be so ; for, with the noble, duty is a sublime 
 height ; it was all that Nelson asked, when he gave his last 
 signal to the breeze, for he knew that it would call forth the 
 utmost strength of the sailor s arm and heart," 
 
 " To have done well, even in one thing, will rift the clouds 
 so that hope may shine on the storm which wrecks us. 
 Would that I had had many such favorable opportunities, that 
 I might feel more worthy of your commendation." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 385 
 
 " You must not deny or disparage your deeds, or I shall 
 persuade Flora to let me proclaim their excellence." 
 
 " I object to that ; and your generous praise is equal to my 
 ambition, while it gives me new motive for exertion." 
 
 Having reached her father s door, they soon separated with 
 mutual esteem and a kind good night. 
 
 Returning to the cottage the sailor found Flora seated by 
 the bright blaze of the replenished fire, with a large easy 
 chair near her, evidently placed there for one expected. Ac 
 cepting it without ceremony, he said, " I am very glad to see 
 you looking so well ; for in thinking of you I feared that you 
 might have found life here not quite as you had hoped. Yet 
 if I could have known that you had won such a friend as Miss 
 McRae, the gloom which seemed to surround your abode 
 would have melted in sunshine." 
 
 " She is truly a lovely person," Flora replied ; " and pos 
 sesses one of those natures which make us feel, at the first 
 meeting, that we have known them long so quick of sym 
 pathy are nearly related souls." 
 
 "I hope to meet her here often. I should have known 
 from your appearance that you had found something valuable 
 during my absence, and I wish you to enjoy it. Indeed, there 
 is nothing more pleasing to me than the friendship of thought 
 ful women ; men do not so trust each other only a woman 
 can twine thoroughly into their confidence." 
 
 " Yes, in friendship as in religion we must give all ; to keep 
 back a part of the price is as fatal to one as to the other." 
 
 " I know that any reserve springs from just so much lack 
 of affinity. But how is Fred ? " 
 
 " Dreaming sweetly, I have no doubt, as he fell asleep in 
 Annie s arms." 
 
 " You must take him into the city while we are in port, and 
 see your friends on board of the Muse." 
 33 
 
386 
 
 " It would give me a great satisfaction to do so, and Fred 
 would be delighted." 
 
 "If you thought she would like it, you might ask Miss 
 McRae to accompany you ; and, should she incline to go, you 
 can take the cars some afternoon only let us know of it the 
 day before." 
 
 " I fancy that she will be pleased with the idea. And now 
 I want to hear something of my old acquaintance the ocean, 
 and my friends the sailors." 
 
 " The men are much as you left them ; they kindly remem 
 ber you, and that memory has greatly contributed to the suc 
 cess of the voyage ^ and the sea is the same dark-frowning, 
 bright-glancing, storm-tossing, or tenderly-caressing creature 
 as ever, I suppose, yet she awakens recollections now that give 
 her a new grace, as they touch life with fairer and more at 
 tractive hues, or unseal and elevate my vision to behold them." 
 
 Flora s tearful smile was a confession that she could not 
 gainsay his words, for she saw that his glance was clearer, his 
 bearing higher, and his manner more refined and equal ; he 
 was, indeed, receiving his reward. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 387 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 You have seen 
 
 Sunshine and rain at once ; those happy smiles 
 That played on her ripe lips seemed not to know 
 What guests were in her eyes. 
 
 SHAKSPEARE. 
 
 AT the request of the Rev. Mr. Frink, Miss Graves called 
 at the cottage to take Fred to the Sunday school. 
 
 Flora had made her child ready early, for he felt much 
 pleased with the idea of going, as he had watched the prettily 
 dressed children on many previous Sabbath mornings while 
 they passed by, and wished to join them in their pleasant 
 walk ; so that, although he did not like the appearance of 
 Miss Graves, he kissed his mother, and looked back with a 
 proud smile as he took the teacher s hand at the gate. 
 
 If Fred was an object of curiosity to those who observed 
 him on the way, he became much more so when he entered 
 the school room, as most of the teachers and many of the older 
 scholars had heard the doubt touching the purity and conse 
 quent respectability of his blood. 
 
 But the child shrank from their prying gaze, and seeing 
 no friendly face among them all, he began to cry ; on which 
 they turned away to their respective classes. Yet one fair 
 girl, near his own age, who sat beside him, was touched with 
 pity, and gently took his hand in hers ; and, as he looked up, 
 smiling through his tears, kissed him, and whispered, " Don t 
 you cry." 
 
 Upon this, the mob having dispersed, Fred dried his eyes ; 
 
THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 and the rest of the hour wore quietly away, while many a 
 timid yet sweet glance played between the children a heaven 
 sent lesson for the morning. When the school was over, Miss 
 Graves permitted the friendly girl to conduct Fred home, as 
 she, with her gossips, had come to the conclusion that his 
 blood showed the servile taint ; and she feared that she might 
 lose caste herself if seen with him any more ; for society in 
 Greenville was fastidious on the point of color, a cloud on the 
 skin being worse than one on the reputation, inasmuch as it is 
 more difficult to hide. 
 
 As the children went out, they locked hands and walked 
 along the street looking at objects, about which they talked so 
 musically that a Scotch terrier, that lay sunning himself at 
 Annie s door, sprang up with sympathizing eyes, and came 
 frisking playfully around them, as if desiring to share their 
 happiness. Thus they went on until they had nearly reached 
 the cottage, when they met a brother of the little girl, a boy 
 about twelve years old, who said, hotly, " Let go my sister s 
 hand, you young nigger, you ! you re a smart darkie ! trying to 
 play white folks, be ye ? Scat ! " and giving his sister a cuff, 
 she fled towards home, crying. On this the dog grabbed him 
 by the seat of his trousers, and took most of it with him up 
 the street ; while Fred darted into the house, as he would not 
 have done had he been any where near the young ruffian s 
 size and age. 
 
 Flora was taken by surprise at his sudden appearance, be 
 cause she had supposed the teacher would keep him through 
 the morning worship ; she saw, also, that he was flushed and 
 seemed angry. So kneeling down before him ; she untied his 
 hat, and, while smoothing back his locks, inquired, " What is 
 the matter with my little boy ? " 
 
 " Nothing ! " yet instantly he inquired, " Mother, what is 
 nigger ? " 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 389 
 
 " It means dark colored, or black." 
 
 " It don t ! I know it don t ! and I never ll go to that old 
 school again, you see f I do ! " 
 
 " My child, has any one applied that word to you ? " 
 
 " Yes ! and I know who he is, and I ll fling a stone at him 
 the next time he comes by here, y6u see if I don t ! " 
 
 " My dear little boy will be wicked if he does that." 
 
 " Then I want to be wicked ! and I will be when I m big 
 enough ! "When shall I be big enough, mother ? " 
 
 Flora made no further reply, but, taking him into her lap, 
 soothed him with caresses ; and, in a little time, he became as 
 bright and playful as ever ; yet the battle of his life had com 
 menced in that morning s skirmish. 
 
 In the evening, Annie called ; and, receiving cordial wel 
 come from Flora, Fred came to bask in her smile, as the lilies 
 in the pond open their fragrant bosoms to the morning sun. 
 Taking him in her arms, the adventure of the school all flowed 
 out under her tender questioning. Whereupon she said, 
 " You must never go there again, but come to me ; and I will 
 try to teach you lessons more in keeping with the spirit of 
 Christ. Love and Devotion are his apostles : relying on their 
 aid, I hope to lead you kindly and gently in the way of learn 
 ing, so that you will like to study, and, may be, love your 
 teacher." 
 
 " I ll do any thing you want me to when I ve flung a stone 
 at that boy." 
 
 " He is quite too mean for you to notice." 
 
 " Is he ? " inquired Fred, rousing up to a new view. 
 
 " Yes, indeed he is ! and I, certainly, will not notice him 
 until he says that he is sorry for what he said to you." 
 
 " Then I won t! cause I want to do just like you do." 
 
 " I believe that you are entitled to be his teacher," Flora 
 33* 
 
390 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 smilingly remarked, "as your method appears to be very 
 successful." 
 
 " He felt that he had been unjustly treated, so much so that 
 to deny him any redress was still deeper to wrong him. I 
 have pointed out what seems to me a better way of recovering 
 his self-respect which an impelling necessity urges and 
 goads us to regain." 
 
 " But are you not cultivating pride when you give him the 
 impression that this boy is beneath his attention ? " 
 
 " The sooner he learns that generous actions elevate, and 
 that mean ones degrade him, the better it will be for him and 
 for society. I know how you yearn after equality under the 
 law, and since I listened to your story I desire it exceed 
 ingly. Yet so long as nobleness and meanness of purpose 
 coexist, so long there will continue to be a higher and a lower, 
 by divine sanction. Who went with Fred to Sunday school ? " 
 
 " A lady called for him, whose name I do not know ; but the 
 same person, some days since, met me in one of the shops, and 
 invited me to join a sewing circle." 
 
 "Then it must have been Miss Graves." 
 
 " There was another person with the one I allude to at that 
 time, she wore a diamond cross, which attracted my at 
 tention." 
 
 " That was Mrs. Featherstone, a lady from the city ; she is 
 an old friend of mine, and once very lovely ; but now greatly 
 changed, and I fear by marriage ; for she united herself to a 
 man who appeared to me to be repulsive, although many 
 called him handsome." 
 
 " Poor creature, I pity her from my heart. Indeed, I felt, 
 the moment that I looked into her face, that there was some 
 thing preying upon her, and now I can see the vulture." 
 
 As the hour of leave-taking came round, and Annie arose 
 for that purpose, Flora said, " I think of going into the city, 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 391 
 
 and on board of the Muse, some afternoon this week: have 
 you any desire to go with me ? " 
 
 " I should like to see the ship very much ; yet I am afraid 
 that I might be an unexpected guest." 
 
 " I will promise that you shall be a welcome one, if it be 
 your pleasure to accompany us." 
 
 " On what day do you think of making the excursion ?" 
 
 " You may suit yourself in any day after to-morrow." 
 
 " Tuesday, if it be fair, will please me, as it is the next 
 one," said Annie, smiling. Thus the friends parted without 
 separating ; for each had become a shrined presence to the 
 other, filling the once lonely hours with soft, sweet music, 
 making the cares of the day cheerful, and attuning to fullest 
 harmony the evening hours. 
 
 When the friends went into the city and down to the Muse, 
 they were met, at the carriage steps, by one who was on the 
 watch for them ; and leading the way directly to the cabin, 
 Flora followed to the door and preceded him down. 
 
 But a ship being a new sight to Annie, she paused to look 
 at the long and polished deck, the shining capstan, and then 
 aloft to her tall and tapering spars, with their intricate cordage, 
 so sinewy and symmetrical ; but, at length, yielding to Flora s 
 repeated call, she went down ; not, however, without observing 
 the home feeling which seemed to animate Fred. 
 
 As he came on board, he ran aft to take hold of the wheel 
 and strain at the spokes to port the helm ; but as it was hard 
 to the larboard, he found it difficult to move. Yet, feeling 
 that Annie s eyes were upon him, he looked it over know 
 ingly, for a moment, then turned to make an examination of 
 the hencoop ; but finding it empty, he cast a glance aloft, 
 took hold of some of the halliards quite familiarly, and gayly 
 skipping forward, disappeared in the top-gallant forecastle. 
 
 When Annie went below, Flora showed her the beautiful 
 
392 THE MUSTEK, OR 
 
 home that she once dwelt in ; and observing the hat which 
 she had worn still hanging where she had left it, and remark 
 ing upon it, the captain replied, " You were the last occupant 
 of the room, and Francis chooses to keep the things as you 
 arranged them. The sailors, also, look upon it as a kind of 
 shrine ; and it is a salutary one, for under its influence they 
 have become neater, more sober, and more capable ; while 
 Jack and James will soon be officers Jack goes out second 
 mate when we sail again." 
 
 " Where are they all ? " Flora inquired. 
 
 " They are in the forecas le, and I ll venture to say Fred 
 has found them before this time." 
 
 " I ve no doubt of that ! Annie and I are going to seek 
 them, also." 
 
 " The steward expects to see you soon, as he has some fruit 
 and other refreshments in ^waiting," interposed Elery. . 
 
 " He is very kind, but I wish to see the sailors first ; and, 
 if you are willing, I shall ask them to come and partake of it 
 with us." 
 
 "I think you may do so, as they provided it," said he, 
 smiling. 
 
 Ascending to the deck, the ladies moved forward, when 
 Fred, seeing them advancing, ran out to conduct them on ; and, 
 as they came near, Flora saw that the room was clean and 
 bright, as if prepared for their reception. Whereupon mem 
 ory flashed another picture before her mind ; so that, when 
 she stepped over the threshold, her heart beat as though she 
 was about to enter into the presence and receive audience 
 of kings. 
 
 The sailors arose with warm and honest smiles to welcome 
 her. Taking the hand of each, though not without tears, she 
 called them her friends, her protectors, her deliverers ; and 
 turning to Annie, whose eyes were overflowing-, find cln^ping 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 393 
 
 her hand, she continued, saying, " This lady is also my friend, 
 being true and noble, as you are ; and I have told her of your 
 generous sacrifice for the forlorn and destitute." 
 
 " Yes, and it is one of the most heroic of stories ! " said 
 Annie. " Your treatment of Flora and her child has made 
 me love the ocean, because it seems to foster whatever is glo 
 rious in the soul." 
 
 After a moment of silence, Jack came near, and placed 
 something in Flora s hand ; when she, observing that it was 
 money, said, " O, no, no ! " and sank down on a seat, trying 
 to restrain her tears. 
 
 To the words and the action Jack replied, " We re sorry to 
 hurt your feelings, but it s not half what we feel to be your 
 due ; for we ve all got three suits to our spars, where we had 
 one before we saw you, and shot enough in the locker to bal 
 last and trim with when we spread em." 
 
 " O that I could do something for you ! " cried Flora. 
 
 "You ve done every thing you ve given us all we ve got! 
 for most on us had nearly sunk \^en we saw that you felt for 
 us and believed in us, which, somehow, makes us better, so 
 that we re trying to right up and be men." 
 
 " You are men ! " said Annie ; " men fit to stand among the 
 most worthy ; and it is the fulness of your humanity which 
 so overpowers her." 
 
 On this Flora, through her subsiding emotion, said, " It is 
 so, indeed ; and, for all your giving, I can hope to make no 
 return. Yet I am persuaded that a more bountiful One has 
 given his blessing, and that shall calm me." When rising, 
 she continued, " I would not, my friends, that you should ever 
 forget me or my child ; but let me pray you still to retain some 
 memory of yourselves. I should rather die than have either 
 of you suffer on account of your charities to me." 
 
 " You needn t have any fears about us," replied Jack ; " we 
 
394 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 could ride at our anchors if we liked, but we d sooner be 
 under way." 
 
 " Then I wish you to get under way now," said Flora, 
 " and go with us down in the cabin to partake of something 
 which you have provided." 
 
 On this proposition Jack s sails appeared to shiver, and 
 turning to his shipmates, he saw that they were all braced 
 sharp, as though it was a head flaw. So he replied, " This 
 is our place ; we shouldn t feel at home aft ; and the captain 
 mightn t like it." 
 
 " He will, most certainly, like it ; for we told him what we 
 intended to do, and he was almost as much pleased at the idea 
 as we were." But they appearing still to hold back, Flora 
 continued, " Are you afraid to sail under my convoy ? " 
 
 " Not if you ve got that dirk with you which you mounted 
 to repel boarders/ Jack replied. 
 
 "Come," said Flora, smiling, "you cannot deny me this 
 favor after having given me so much." 
 
 Thereupon Jack made sail slowly ; when, one after another, 
 the rest tripped their anchors and drifted out after him, though 
 not exactly in the wake of the convoy ; for half of them fell 
 to leeward of the mainmast, while some kept broad off, until 
 they reached the scuppers, and then went sounding along 
 under easy way. 
 
 Flora and Fred led the fleet, while Jack manoeuvred to fall 
 behind Annie. But, seeing it, she said, " Do you intend to 
 desert one who desires your company ? " 
 
 The tone of her voice, more than her words, drew Jack up 
 alongside again ; when he said, " We want you to talk over her 
 to take part of our wages, for somehow it makes the work 
 lighter, and the watching pleasanter, when we feel that it 
 is bringing in something which may cheer them as cares 
 for us." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 895 
 
 " I will truly I will ; for she loves you all like brothers ; 
 and it is your generosity alone which so melts her to tears." 
 
 " Somehow we do get a heavy sea on when she comes for- 
 ard ; but it has washed out the fo cas le ; and we want you to 
 thank her for t, for we re rough, and don t know how." 
 
 " There is no need that you should make use of words 
 where you are known by heart yet I will do as you 
 wish." 
 
 On entering the cabin, as they did in advance, for Flora 
 paused to bring up the rear, Jack was quite as much at 
 his ease as though he had been standing upon his mother s 
 sanded floor on the Cape. And as they -came into the pres 
 ence of the captain, he looked upon them as though he thought 
 that Annie had made a conquest ; while her beauty was so 
 heightened by the emotion of the hour, and her manner so 
 subdued by heart-felt sympathy, that he became filled with 
 her radiance, to be " saddened by heavenly doubts." 
 
 Throwing off her bonnet to wait upon the sailors, which 
 she did with easy attention, while speaking such words as 
 made them feel it to be a sister s voice, her brown glossy 
 hair, in which there was no slightest ripple, lay like a shadowy 
 jut around her temples, relieving their proportions as though 
 wreathed by an artist, yet appearing as careless as nature ; 
 while the occasion deepened her color and breathing, as well 
 as the whole expression of her flexible and perfect form at 
 least so she seemed to the master of the Muse ; and never 
 again can he enter that cabin without feeling something of the 
 spirit of her presence. 
 
 Flora moved among the crew in generous rivalry, and Fred 
 was not outdone by either ; yet he only shouted " Land, ho ! " 
 twice, with the captain s permission, and much to the amuse 
 ment of the sailors. 
 
 When the entertainment was over, they separated, as once 
 
396 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 before they had done, and, entering a carriage with the cap 
 tain, took the road to Greenville. 
 
 On reaching the cottage, in the dusk of the early evening, 
 Elery said, " I wish you to introduce me to your father to 
 night, Miss McRae, if you will do me the favor." 
 
 " Yes, do, Annie ; and then I can have tea prepared on 
 your return." 
 
 " It will give me pleasure so to oblige both of you," said 
 Annie, smiling. 
 
 As they turned up the street, Flora said, " Now remember 
 that I shall await your coming." 
 
 " That will meet^ my wish," replied the captain ; " so you 
 shall be obeyed, if I have any influence, or any of the art of 
 persuasion." 
 
 They found Mr. McRae with the evening news ; and, when 
 the introduction was over, Annie excused herself and left 
 them. Thereupon Elery said, "I have called on you, Mr. 
 McRae, for the purpose of arranging with regard to the cot 
 tage." 
 
 " I have been expecting you," he replied, smiling ; " there 
 fore I drew out the deed a day or two since." 
 
 " How much is the consideration ? " inquired Elery, taking 
 out his purse. 
 
 " You will find it there stated," he answered, while handing 
 him the title. 
 
 Elery opened the paper, and finding it written, " For broth 
 erly kindness," said, " But " 
 
 When Mr. McRae interrupted him, with " You must not 
 object to a little from my abundance, when you have so hero 
 ically given ; for my daughter has revealed the story to me ; 
 and, since that time, whenever I look out of my window, your 
 cottage seems to be the sunniest spot in the landscape ; and I 
 wish to keep it so." 
 
LOVE AND LIBEIITY. 397 
 
 " I shall try to Lave it continue a bright place ; yet, as you 
 mean the benefit for her, I accept it, with thanks, in her 
 name ; and it gives me pleasure to see that she has found 
 friends here." 
 
 " The benefit will reach her, I have no doubt," said Mr. 
 McRae, as Elery arose to go. " Yet, if any thing more be 
 needed, we desire to be especially remembered ; and whenever 
 it may please you to call on us, we shall be glad to see you." 
 
 Thanking him for his courtesy, the sailor invited him to 
 visit his ship, and took leave. 
 
 On this Annie came tripping down the stairs to join him ; 
 and, opening the library door, said, " I am engaged out to tea, 
 father, and do not expect to return until nine or ten o clock." 
 " Very well, my daughter, that may be as you please." 
 As they passed out of the gate Elery said, " That pear, 
 which I sent by you the other evening, must have been very 
 persuasive, or else the bearer of it was so." 
 
 " I hope not in a way to displease you. Indeed, you must 
 permit us to take a share in your good work ; for, while it 
 makes my father more cheerful and more dear to me, it has 
 given a joy to life which I had not found before." 
 
 " I did not mention it to chide. As you desire it, so I would 
 have it ; for I see that you shape your course by the stars." 
 
 " How could I else, when your deeds lead me to look so 
 high?" 
 
 Having then reached the cottage, they entered to find tea 
 awaiting, to be accompanied and followed by bright and cheer 
 ful conversation, which was just agitated by those charming 
 emotions that rise to perfection only in the glances of friend 
 ship and love. 
 
 When the evening had thus swiftly sped, and Elery was re 
 turning with Annie, he remarked, " I think you rather devoted 
 yourself to my men to-day." 
 34 
 
398 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 " I like them, and particularly the one with whom I came 
 to the cabin. I never felt the full meaning of the phrase, 
 1 heart of oak/ until I stood beside him. The Muse, too, is 
 a beauty ; so her captain has reason to be proud ; and I con 
 fess to having passed one of the richest days of my life this 
 day. Yet how little did I dream it ! It is a new revelation. 
 Look there, above us, how deep, how glorious is night ! still 
 I think, as I gaze, that the human heart is deeper and more 
 glorious than the universe, for I have seen that to-day which 
 outshines the stars." 
 
 Though they walked slowly they soon reached the door 
 where Elery bade her good night with a thrilling, but a silent 
 heart, for he saw that his hour had not yet come as her free 
 and soaring speech gave sign that no master emotion had 
 awoke to lay chains on her tongue, and break like stormy 
 waves upon the shores of fear and hope. 
 
 Well could he wait while they passed many pleasant and 
 ripening hours together in the cottage and at her father s 
 house, seeing that his presence brightened, if his partings 
 did not sadden, ere the Muse once more went forth to bear 
 her lyre over the waves. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 399 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 Hath vice a 
 
 Charter got, that none must rise, but such, who 
 Of the devil s faction are ? The way to 
 Honor is not evermore the way to 
 Hell : a virtuous man may climb. 
 
 SIR W. DAVENANT. 
 
 FEATHERSTONE had closed up his business relations with 
 New Orleans, drawn home his capital, and embarked it in 
 other operations ; which, if they appeared too adventurous to 
 some, were generally attended with success, while they fur 
 nished him a pleasing and well nigh necessary excitement. 
 
 Being ambitious of political distinction, he aspired to a seat 
 in Congress, and had been for some time moving to accom 
 plish that purpose. When the day for the meeting of the 
 nominating convention to fill that office drew near, such exer 
 tions were made, and such means used, that most of those who 
 made influence in assemblies of that kind assured him that he 
 would be the nominee. Yet there were one or two who feared 
 and expressed their doubts, as it was the time when the ques 
 tion of slavery began to heave and surge, and threaten to 
 sunder the great political organizations, although they, like 
 the others, were conservative men, and loudly professed the 
 Union, because it is dear to every American heart. These 
 politicians worked for Featherstone with a will ; for, on being 
 called out at the rooms of the " Union Club," he had said, 
 "It appears to me, gentlemen, that we are approaching an 
 important crisis, one which for a long time must shape the 
 course of this nation, and determine whether wisdom or fanati- 
 
400 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 cism shall guide her ; yet I hold that the chart by which we 
 are bound to navigate is as plain as the way is safe. I need 
 not speak, in your presence, of the large interests which not 
 only rest upon, but are inextricably inwoven with, the peculiar 
 institution ; or of the source of that prosperity which enables 
 the southern planter to be patriarchal in his hospitality and 
 princely in his expenditure thus infusing life-blood into all 
 the veins of trade and commerce, as well as gayety and tone 
 into all our places of pleasure. Neither will I pause to pic 
 ture to you the desolation which must stalk over that fair and 
 fertile region if the tie which holds the ignorant and improvi 
 dent negro under the supervision of intelligent and considerate 
 masters should be cut asunder. I forbear, also, to open the 
 view beyond, where appear indignity, violence, lust, and mur 
 der, pursuing our own race and kindred. I forbear, because 
 any appeal to the feelings, while adjusting this question, should 
 be discountenanced, for the reason that truth is a pearl to be 
 sought after only in clear waters. 
 
 " It was a saying of Pitt that all great questions are simple ; 
 and if examined, as it should be, strictly with regard to its 
 practical operations and issues, this subject is a striking illus 
 tration of the doctrine, as there are but two or three points 
 which rise into the clear, cool atmosphere for the light of rea 
 son to rest upon. These I shall examine in as few words as 
 possible, as I desire to be understood. 
 
 " I say then, in the first place, that negro slavery in the 
 United States has benefited the bondmen. Any man may 
 see, if he will, that the African is better off in this country, as 
 a slave, than he ever was in any situation in his own. In 
 deed, no one can show the facts that will shake this position, 
 if he search back to the days of Jugurtha, or even to the 
 pictures which represent the different races of men on the 
 walls of the exhumed temples and palaces of old Egypt. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 401 
 
 Such being the historical view, uniform and unchanged, until 
 modern civilization stepped in to prevent their mutual destruc 
 tion and turn them to use, it seems to me entirely to dispose 
 of the question of condition ; for we are not to compare or 
 contrast their state with ours, a common error, but with 
 that of their own race in their native land, if we are seeking 
 truth. 
 
 "This being conceded, there remains "a single question of 
 policy, namely, the return or surrender of the fugitive ; and 
 when I say that they want him, while we do not, than which 
 there is nothing more manifest, so that even the blindest may 
 perceive it, if he will but think of their social position amongst 
 us, it appears to me that I have indicated the only reason 
 able course to pursue amid the fanatical noise of the hour. 
 
 "These two points, the comparative condition, and the 
 necessary laws to preserve their improved state or enlarge the 
 sphere of their usefulness, are the sum of the whole matter. 
 And the question now is, Shall this great system of peaceful 
 life and binding law be sacrificed to morbid feeling, or be 
 used for the purposes of agitation ? the chief effects of which 
 will be to float light and worthless things on the surface for ^i 
 time, and make the waters opaque to him who would search 
 their depths. I know not what course may seem wisest to 
 others, but as for me, I shall oppose the counsels of such 
 leaders, and seek to quench their torch ere they have accom 
 plished their incendiary purpose." 
 
 Park was one of the delegates to the convention whose suf 
 frages Featherstone had prepared the way to take. When a 
 nominating committee had been packed to that end, and while 
 they were out on the responsible duty, there came from va 
 rious parts of the hail a call for Park. He had seen no occa 
 sion to take any conspicuous place in the proceedings hitherto, 
 but sat with rather a sad countenance, apparently wrapped in 
 34* 
 
402 THE MUSTEB, OB 
 
 meditation. As the echoes of the call subsided, he arose with 
 an expression of form and face which hushed the assembly, 
 and said, " Mr. President : If I believed it in my power to 
 give direction to the thought or higher elevation to the action 
 of this assembly, I should respond to the call with a more 
 cheerful spirit ; but I am aware that a warning voice rarely 
 receives a welcome, although it be ever the province of wis 
 dom to take of the passing hour some security for the future. 
 Yet, from conscious strength, we are so little accustomed to 
 forearm for any emergency, however momentous, that the 
 alarmist is usually treated as either weak or designing. Still I 
 -feel that I cannot shrink from such office, however I may suf 
 fer thereby in your estimation. 
 
 " In following out the duty that thus devolves upon me, I 
 can direct your attention to no new thing, but only to the more 
 complete development of one which, having had many years 
 of existence, is growing ever more impatient of question and 
 belligerent of nature and are we always to fall back before 
 it ? I know that this has been, and still is, by some among 
 us, held to be hallowed ground ; but I can no longer respect 
 veil that only conceals from the most careless glance that 
 there is a struggle going on between Slavery and Freedom in 
 this country which will shake the continent ; and that they 
 have been, and are, and must be forever, foes. Gentlemen 
 may cry, Peace ! and close their eyes to every thing but mer 
 chandise ; yet the issue is already joined, and all our future 
 will be but a prolonged or an adjourned trial, until one or the 
 other party shall march on victorious. Do gentlemen see any 
 signs of forbearance ? Are not the concessions and compro 
 mises which we have made cited as precedents and reasons 
 for granting more ? Therefore does it not become us to pause 
 and inquire where this shameful retreat is to end ? As for me, 
 although amid sad forebodings I must say it, I see no ram- 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 403 
 
 part in the distance save the human breast, and that is ours 
 to-day. 
 
 " I know not how others feel ; but shame comes over me 
 when I hear it intimated that we are to yield to threats or ac 
 quiesce in encroachment ; yet if it must be so for a time, while 
 the men of the day lead us far from truth, we shall rise again 
 and struggle back, through peril and with glory, to the old 
 traditions ; for the people of this nation love liberty. And is 
 there any worth in any thing which can be offered in exchange 
 for her gems ? Do we not all hold them too sacred to allow of 
 their being weighed, or even rudely breathed upon, where they 
 glitter in the crown of the Union ? If we may not speak of 
 the constitution without reverence, how much more ought we 
 to regard the spirit of freedom, which is its glory ! Yet that 
 spirit is a subtile essence, which no constitution fcas succeeded 
 in retaining, for any length of time, in all its original purity 
 and fulness ; arid great as is the one which was formed for us, 
 and profoundly grateful as we are for the gift, what can they 
 who shall follow us across the stage find of our enacting, I will 
 not say to enlarge, but to preserve their work ? while we know 
 that the framers of that instrument had ideas of freedom 
 which they could not embody, although they died in the faith 
 that their time would come. Yet where are their prophesies ? 
 Is there any sign that the day of their fulfilment is ad 
 vancing ? 
 
 " Be not deceived ; shrink not from the exigencies of the 
 hour : on the past no man can repose in peace ; for it is in 
 the nature of Tyranny to encroach. Therefore there is yet to 
 be many a convulsive distribution of power, and many a pain 
 ful cremation of the phoenix, ere political institutions take that 
 final form in which all the children of men can rejoice. I 
 hear a voice from the clouds, which lower around, summoning 
 us to duty, imploring us to put our talent of liberty into circu- 
 
404 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 lation, so that, when the Master cometh, he may receive his 
 own with increase. Such only will be found to have been 
 faithful servants of Him and the people." 
 
 Here the nominating committee entered, and reporting the 
 name of Anthony Featherstone, Esq., it was put to vote and 
 confirmed, in the convention, by two majority. On the an 
 nouncement of the result the president said, " I am instructed 
 that there is some other business to come before us, whenever 
 gentlemen are ready." 
 
 The excitement of the members, on the vote being declared, 
 gave Park an opportunity to depart without special observa 
 tion ; and when he had gained the street lie turned down 
 towards the residence of Featherstone, which was not far off. 
 It being a long time since he had called at that gentleman s 
 mansion, although he still continued to return his saluta 
 tion, whenever they casually met, he thought he would avail 
 himself of that opportunity to give him some timely instruc 
 tion, as he felt sure of finding him at home, ready to receive 
 the committee, who would soon come to surprise him with the 
 fact of his nomination, and praying his acceptance. So think 
 ing, he arrived at the house ; and, on inquiry, the servant 
 signified that Featherstone was at leisure, and, leading on, 
 ushered the orator into the presence of the nominee. 
 
 " Ah ! " said the political aspirant, as he arose with his 
 blandest smile and advanced a step, " I thought you were at 
 the convention, Mr. Park ; I believe I saw your name among 
 the delegates ? " 
 
 " I left their place of meeting a few moments since." 
 
 " Have they made a nomination so soon ? " inquired Feath 
 erstone, looking at his watch ; " if so, it must have been done 
 on the first ballot." 
 
 " It was so done ; and they nominated Anthony Feather- 
 stone, Esq." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 405 
 
 " That is an unexpected honor ; and I am at a loss to find 
 what should fix their hopes on me. Yet, on reflection, I think 
 that it must be because there is a great question pending, the 
 bearings, circumstances, and details of which, they know, are 
 familiar to me." 
 
 But as Park made no reply or appeared about to do so, 
 while his manner and expression were puzzling and porten 
 tous, Featherstone asked, rather dryly, " Am I to understand 
 that you were delegated to notify me of the action of the con 
 vention ? " 
 
 " I hold no place by their appointment ; neither did I come 
 here to declare their preference ; but simply to say to you 
 that, when a committee does appear to signify the action of 
 that body, you are to decline the nomination." 
 
 The audacity of this direction stunned Featherstone for an 
 instant ; but recovering, he inquired, while feeling that some 
 terror hung over him like the sword of Damocles, " Do you 
 call this interference a friendly service ? " 
 
 " I came here to perform a stern act of duty, to accomplish 
 an aim of sovereign justice," said Park, with piercing coldness 
 of. accent. Yet softening his glance, he added, "But, now 
 that you so remind me, I see it to be the height of friendship 
 also, if thereby you will be counselled and curb your career." 
 
 " When I wish for advice in this matter, I may call you in," 
 said Featherstone, while all the lawless acts of his life were 
 tumultuous in his memory ; " but until I do, you would do 
 well to shun the office." 
 
 " I came here," replied Park, while his lip curled, " neither 
 to advise nor persuade, because I knew that such mild appli 
 cations would avail nothing ; but to direct. I appear here for 
 Flora and her child ; and in their names I protest against 
 your temerity in attempting to represent a free people after 
 having sold your own blood into bondage." 
 
406 THE M US TEE, OR 
 
 " It is all a cursed lie ! " Featherstone hastily declared. 
 
 " That," said Park, (as Featherstone s answer, although it 
 denied, implied a knowledge of, the facts,) " is a blackguard s 
 last defence, and worthy of you and your cause. I came 
 here not only to save our politics from a still deeper stain, but 
 to prevent the press from proclaiming the history of your 
 relation to those persons ; which it shall do to-morrow, if you 
 venture to accept their offer." 
 
 "What can be done?" inquired the candidate, cowering 
 under the stroke ; " if you will name it, I may take it into con 
 sideration." 
 
 " Seek out those whom you have so foully wronged ; then, 
 when you have made the fullest restitution in your power, you 
 shall have their forgiveness, and, what you consider of vastly 
 more value, my silence." 
 
 "If you will bring me to them," said he, brightening up 
 Avith the feeling that he was surmounting the obstacles, " and 
 stand out of my way in this matter, I will do any thing that 
 you can say is reasonable." 
 
 " Not that length ! for this nomination must be declined, 
 under any circumstances, as you are unfit for the post." 
 
 " Then," said Featherstone, his face flaming with passion 
 and his lip quivering, " they and you may go to hell ! " 
 
 " As the committee must be near here, I give place," said 
 Park, turning to go ; " but you will decline the honor they 
 offer, for the same reason which compelled Cassar to put away 
 the proffered crown, after he had trampled on liberty." 
 
 On this the candidate s features overspread with spite, as 
 his mouth overflowed with impotent curses ; and Park left 
 him to rage alone. Featherstone was still savage, almost 
 frantic, when the committee were shown in, so that he received 
 them strangely. And on their declaring the object of the 
 visit, he replied, " The nomination of the convention is as 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 407 
 
 unexpected as it was unsought : more pressing interests per 
 suade me to decline the honor I cannot accept ! " Thus 
 far the formulary, when his passions mastered him, and he 
 cried, " Curse politics ! a curse is on the purchased paths to 
 office ! and if the state were falling in ruins now, / could 
 laugh : but you may go and tell your convention that I shall 
 pay no more to accomplish it. Then they will laugh ; for 
 they know that moneyed fools are becoming more numerous and 
 more liberal in their offers to those who finger the dice of 
 every important election. So tell them to go on loading 
 and palming with all their devilish cunning, for they are the 
 quick curse of the country ! " and, starting wildly up he strode 
 across the room. 
 
 But the committee still lingering as if in doubt, though 
 really they were fixed with amazement, he turned upon them, 
 saying, " Are you not answered ? have I not been sufficiently 
 explicit for your understandings?" Thereupon they huddled, 
 and took wing, like a covey under the eye of a marksman. 
 So gaining the street and returning to the hall, the convention 
 was immediately called to order to hear their report. 
 
 This accomplished, the chairman was appealed to, who, 
 rising, said, " Your committee have waited on Mr. Feather- 
 stone, the nominee, and acquainted him with the honor which 
 this body had conferred ; but he peremptorily declined being a 
 candidate." 
 
 " I think that there must be some mistake ! " ejaculated one 
 of the members, without rising in his place, while many others 
 looked what he declared. 
 
 " Order ! " cried the president. " Is there no probability, 
 Mr. Chairman, of Mr. Featherstone s acceptance ? " 
 
 " Your committee have no doubt of the matter," the chair 
 man replied ; " they believe it to be one of the fixed facts." 
 
 This final announcement struck many with surprise, and a 
 
408- THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 certain few with blank astonishment. It drew the delegates 
 from their seats, around the committee, to hear Featherstone s 
 precise words, which being many times repeated, it at length 
 grew to be the conviction that the man was insane. Then 
 there followed brief consultations between a particular few, 
 with low-spoken, but decisive words, out of which set came a 
 motion to adjourn for the " wire pullers " were thrown into 
 confusion, they having provided against no such catastrophe. 
 
 That course, however, did not appear to give general satis 
 faction, although it might be very desirable to some. This 
 being observed by one of the more active members, he arose 
 and said, "Mr. President: I think that I give utterance to the 
 prevailing sentiment of this body by objecting to any form of 
 separation, until the purpose for which we are here convened 
 be accomplished ; or, at least, still further sought to be . 
 Therefore, I now move that we proceed to ballot once more, 
 and with the single aim of the public good. With that high 
 object full before me, and in order to stimulate the action of 
 every man who hears me, I nominate to the consideration of 
 this assembly Brian Park, Esq.," (cheers) "a man, Mr. 
 President, that even you need not blush to honor ; a man 
 worthy to take any place to which we have the power to call 
 him ; a man who loves that liberty which we all so loudly 
 profess ; one, also, whom God has clothed with the ability and 
 the courage which become a champion. And, closing our 
 eyes to every thing save the glory of our country, let us give 
 our standard to his hand ; then, though the night be dark, 
 the morning will meet it still waving, the breeze find every 
 fold floating free." 
 
 Immediately on the conclusion of the member s remarks, the 
 motion to adjourn was loudly called for ; which, being put, was 
 voted down. 
 
 Then they proceeded to ballot, though not without two or 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 409 
 
 three attempts to take the business from the hands of the con 
 vention at large, and turn it over to a packed committee. But 
 the time for that stale manoeuvre had passed ; for the mem 
 bers, many of them, had shaken oif the common lethargy, and 
 were breaking away from the routine of such occasions, so that 
 they seemed to be in earnest, as if feeling their purpose to be 
 worthy of their energies. Thus armed, they carried it through 
 successfully ; and when the vote was declared, it was found 
 that Park had twenty majority. 
 
 On leaving Featherstone, Park had gone to his office, sup 
 posing that the business of the convention would be postponed. 
 But, on being notified of his nomination, he again appeared in 
 the assembly. 
 
 Thereupon, the many knots of delegates sundered, and each 
 resuming his seat, the murmur fell ; and amid the silence Park 
 slowly arose, as if weighed down by the burden of his thoughts, 
 and said, 
 
 " Mr. President, and Gentlemen : I thank you for your suf 
 frages. I honor you for the noble impulse of liberty and 
 humanity from which they sprung. I hail it as an omen of 
 the wide" awakening which is to come. I perceive by it that 
 the patriotic heart still throbs quickly at thought of peril to 
 freedom. I see the thrill and the fire which beget republics. 
 They fill me with the highest hope ; yet I cannot permit them 
 to blind me to the actual condition of public sentiment. I am 
 persuaded that the people do not yet sympathize with the 
 ideas which I^have expressed, and you have so generously 
 approved ; and if so, how can I be a representative, in any 
 popular or powerful ense of the word ? I know that there 
 are gentlemen who think Congress is the fitting arena in which 
 to agitate and form public opinion. I have come to a different 
 conclusion. I believe it to be a place for deliberation for 
 the full expression and final trial of that opinion ere it take 
 35 
 
410 THE MUSTEE, OB 
 
 the form of law. This being my conviction, how can I meet 
 your wishes ? If I yield, it will be through love of place or 
 ambition of distinction ; and no good could come of the mis 
 sion it would be without success and without honor. No ; 
 the representative of the truths which I have uttered must 
 wait until the people are thoroughly aroused to their vital im 
 portance. He should enter those wide-echoing halls only as 
 the foremost wave of an in-heaving ocean, grand in its up 
 rising, and irresistible in its might. Though the signs of that 
 flood are faint, its hour will yet come. In the mean time, the 
 broad waters are to be troubled, and that, too, by far other 
 hands than such as are clutching at Ambition s ladder. Our 
 rulers are to be confronted, and their proclivities proclaimed 
 to the people. This is a sad task ; yet, like Hamlet in laying 
 open her crime to his mother, 
 
 We must be cruel only to be kind. 
 
 Nothing but the supremest devotion to the good of the coun- 
 try can sanction this course ; and he who enters upon it will 
 accomplish little unless lie put aside all seeming private ad 
 vantage. 
 
 " So understanding the nature of the office to which you 
 would elevate me, I must oppose your voices until a more 
 auspicious day. Would that such day had already arrived ! 
 But my words and your friendly reception of them are only a 
 far-off sign of the advancing dawn. To the advent of that 
 morning I henceforward devote myself, in socjal converse, in 
 primary meetings, in lycenm halls, and through the press 
 these are the cradles and schools of great national questions : 
 it is there that the hand is formed which is greater than the 
 throne itself, and to which it must yield the sceptre, or, at 
 length, be crushed." 
 
 This address caused those who had cast their votes against 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 411 
 
 Park, and who were not yet dwarfed and hardened into 
 "hacks," to blush that they had so done. There were some, 
 however, who received it with a sneer, and assailed it with 
 ridicule. So there were a certain few, that had heard Feath- 
 erstone s conversations on the subject of the nomination, and 
 knew something of the amount of money which he had lav 
 ished to gain it, who gathered into a knot by themselves, and 
 discussed him, only to become more puzzled, so as to end in 
 the word " Fool ! " 
 
 " And a green one at that," remarked one. " Who ever 
 heard of any thing so verdant ? He ought never to be in 
 vited to the public crib again ; he evidently prefers grass. I 
 think he d like to work out Nebuchadnezzar s sentence." 
 
 " You may be right," replied another ; " yet perhaps he 
 declines because his taste is too delicate for cabbage." 
 
 An hour after the departure of the committee Aurelia en 
 tered the apartment where Featherstone still sat, with his 
 elbows on the table, and his hands in his hair, glowering at 
 something in the air which seemed to concentrate his senses, 
 although it was invisible to all other eyes. When, however, 
 in an instant, he became conscious of her presence, he started 
 up and growled out, " Is there no room in this house where I 
 can be alone ? " 
 
 " Nothing could be more agreeable to me," she replied, " if 
 you will only give notice what place you have selected for 
 your meditations." 
 
 But as she continued to advance quite nonchalantly towards 
 the table, where he stood in rather a theatrical attitude of defi 
 ance, which she, however, did not appear to observe, he 
 blurted out, with increasing emphasis, "What do you want 
 here?" 
 
 " At least one thing which I do not find a gentleman." 
 
 " That is something which an intruder should have no 
 expectation of finding." 
 
412 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 " Can I be an intruder in any part of this, my mother s 
 house, because you, for the moment, may have entered there?" 
 
 " Your mother s house ! More tomb than house wherein 
 you were half buried among the bones and dust of departed 
 splendor. I wish that I could change it back to the condition 
 in which I found it, just to see how you would plead, and 
 weep, and caress for its restoration." 
 
 " My dear, you cannot wish for that change more than 
 I do, so that you vanish with the other gewgaws! Then 
 Hope might once more return, though never again in my heart 
 can she hold high festival. Do you dream that the gold and 
 crimson of the decorator s loom, with all the upholsterer s cun 
 ning, can compensate for the lost radiance of her wing ? " 
 
 " Indeed, one would imagine, from your tone and manner, 
 that you thought yourself foully wronged in my having sur 
 rounded you with every luxury, while elevating you and your 
 house to the circles of fashion ; and permit me humbly to beg 
 your pardon for so doing, hoping to gain it by confessing, as 
 I do now, the sincerest sorrow over the foolish act." 
 
 "If your sorrow and supplication could restore, I should 
 accept them with joy and thanksgiving, as the prelude to 
 divinest harmony." 
 
 " Restore what ? " sneered he, with venomous expression 
 " the poverty, the gloom, the intense longing for wealth and 
 station, and the apparent passion ? " 
 
 " Truly, it is a painful catalogue, but one that you, above 
 all, should have spared me ; although, when I reflect upon what 
 you are, I am not surprised to hear it. Cold, coarse, and cal 
 lous, you have chilled or blighted every tendril of my nature 
 which turned to you, until my heart scorned the direction : so 
 that through you, it has become a ruin, and its once bright 
 world lies desolate, in all which you have deceived me past the 
 expression of words wronged me beyond reparation ; even 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 413 
 
 my peace of mind, which the lowliest and loneliest may keep, 
 has gone, like the lost Pleiad, to be seen no more." 
 
 " This is rich repayment for all that I have expended on 
 you. Yet it is some consolation to hear you confess how the 
 gilded harness chafes, especially when I call to mind its 
 strength, and the power that lies in my hand to curb you at 
 will ! Hence you may find abusive words a little too expensive 
 for common use, although they appear to be as plenty as pen 
 nies were scarce before I was inveigled into giving you relief. 
 I wish to God that I might be poor, for a time, just for the 
 enjoyment it would afford me to look at you, when you saw 
 the gaunt spectres of want and squalor returning." 
 
 " From my soul I desire it, as all my surroundings now cry 
 out and reproach me ; and yet for still other reason, it would 
 so cover you with the contempt and forgetfulness of the 
 world that I might feel some touch of pity for what I now 
 despise." 
 
 " I have heard enough of this impotent railing," cried Feath- 
 erstone, turning livid ; " and if it does not cease at once, we 
 will see if power can do any thing to suppress it. So leave 
 this room instantly ! " 
 
 " I defy the power to which you appeal as deeply as I scorn 
 the possessor of it. And if I have abstained from expressing 
 my thoughts hitherto, be assured that it was not from any fear, 
 but because I took counsel of Prudence ; to her persuasions I 
 listen no more, as you are not capable of distinguishing be 
 tween forbearance and cowardice. Neither will your empha 
 sis, nor your bluster, move me from any room in this house 
 until it be my pleasure to go. Yet, having finished the lesson 
 for the day, I prefer to leave you, so that you may the more 
 thoroughly digest it, my dear." When, taking the book which 
 she had come to seek from the table, she quietly, leisurely, 
 and with a slight smile even, turned away and left him. 
 35* 
 
414 THE M US TEE, OR 
 
 But seeing that she was passing out without closing the 
 door, and having been on the very verge of violence, Feather- 
 stone sprang forward with an oath, and threw the leaf against 
 her so swiftly that she fell heavily to the floor ; whereupon he 
 locked it with a jerk, and returned to his meditations. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 415 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 Yet, freedom ! yet thy banner, torn, but flying, 
 Streams like the thunder storm against the wind ; 
 Thy trumpet voice, though broken now and dying, 
 The loudest still the tempest leaves behind ; 
 Thy tree hath lost its blossoms ; and the rind, 
 Chopped by the axe, looks rough and little worth; 
 But the sap lasts, and still the seed we find 
 Sown deep, even iu the bosom of the north ; 
 So shall a better spring less bitter fruit bring forth. 
 
 BYRON. 
 
 FEATHERSTONE S ambition had been struck low by the fear 
 of disclosure, and thus all his proud hopes were suddenly 
 baffled. He looked to the thick cloud which had so swiftly 
 swept around him, but no ray of consolation penetrated it, 
 neither could he discern any break in its folds for future 
 outlet. 
 
 Then recoiling on the past, he felt deeply mortified that he 
 had gone so far with the influential politicians ; for he saw that 
 they looked upon him as if they deemed his course to be in 
 explicable. And if at any time he met either of the members 
 of the committee who waited upon him on that momentous 
 occasion, he was put to burning shame that he should have so 
 lost self-control in their presence. Neither was he without 
 chagrin whenever he thought of the amount of money that he 
 had expended to purchase disgrace. Ah! how often, as it 
 sickened his mind, did he cry, " Fool ! " to himself, with an 
 indescribable loathing. Such sharp thoughts and haunting 
 memories as these must be laid or overlaid. 
 
 Yet shaken as he was, it wrought no change in his scale of 
 value, so that he desired, first of all, to make up his pecuniary 
 
416 THE M U S T E E , OR 
 
 loss ; and hope sent him to the brokers board, where he had 
 been before with some success ; but, entering without the same 
 coolness and caution, he found the results adverse ; so much 
 so, indeed, that he became alarmed, and made an oath with 
 himself and Fortune that, if she would only lead him back to 
 whence he started, he would venture there no more. On this 
 vow the luck seemed to take a favorable turn, so that he came 
 nearly up to the point of departure ; but then he fell back once 
 more. Soon, however, it took another turn, and he rose again ; 
 whereon followed other fluctuations, until, after tossing upon a 
 most agitated sea for many months, he saw himself winner. 
 Yet at that stage he paused only to reply to the monitor 
 which whispered of his pledge, with some sophistry about not 
 meaning to swear to stop there, " That, of course, I intended 
 to include the cursed electioneering expenses ! " and, after a 
 stormy voyage, he at length rounded that point ; where, for a 
 few days, he rested secure. Thereon came back the old, dis 
 tasteful thoughts and sickening memories, with an increased 
 craving for excitement, which his late habit had engendered. 
 Neither did his friends fail to tempt him with brilliant pros 
 pects, while reminding him of his judgment and skill, so that 
 he began to fancy that his success had come through knowl 
 edge that experience made the path safe. Consequently he 
 entered again into the play, with varying fortunes, yet ever 
 higher stakes, until, secreting what he could of his property, 
 he left his high-minded and adroit associates in the game with 
 a taint upon his credit, that being thought less disgraceful than 
 an empty treasury. 
 
 When Featherstone had cooled off, so that he was capable 
 of reflecting upon his condition, he concluded to recommence 
 the practice of the law; and, making known his determina 
 tion, his friends procured him .the appointment of United 
 States Commissioner for New York as the crisis of eighteen 
 hundred and fifty had just passed. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 417 
 
 That crisis wherein Liberty took a backward step, even 
 while leaning upon the arm of our mightiest statesman the 
 one who, through many years, had laid his hand upon these 
 jarring states, whenever he pleased, and composed them to 
 silence, if not to harmony, in the name of the constitution. 
 Had he stood adverse to the fugitive slave act, it were bar 
 rier all sufficient against the encroachment ; but he gave his 
 great genius to its support, twining his large thoughts into, 
 what he held to be, a bond of union, and therefore his most 
 glorious wreath ; and long, indeed, will it survive to lie upon 
 the coffin of that measure, and draw the pilgrim to its tomb. 
 
 It was that statute which Featherstone had been selected 
 to assist in executing ; and it was thought to be a judicious 
 appointment, as he appeared to be well qualified to carry it 
 through. Besides, he had been unfortunate ; and those who 
 have the power of naming to office are apt to take such fact 
 into their kind consideration; so that most of the places in 
 their gift are filled with persons who have not succeeded in 
 other things a trait of charity in them which has not yet 
 had its due attention and applause. 
 
 The enactment of the fugitive law drew men from the far 
 south to visit us; and among them came Bill Frink. The 
 day, almost the hour, on which Bill arrived, he went out to 
 Greenville ; not because he was particularly desirous to see 
 his brother, but rather on account of something which he 
 noted in a letter of his, although he had afterwards received 
 one from him that seemed to have been written with a view to 
 counteract or do away with the impression made by the first. 
 
 Entering the town a little before sunset, Bill left his horse 
 in a stable, where, by inquiring, he was directed to Joe s res 
 idence ; and, on reaching it, a summons brought Joe himself. 
 
 When the short brother opened the door, he looked up and 
 down, and then up again to the long one. But, as a thumb 
 
418 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 and three fingers were gone from his left hand, with two from 
 his right, while all one side of his face was ploughed up into red 
 ridges, in the midst of which there was a scar for an eye, Joe 
 did not recognize him, and said, rather surlily, " Did you 
 inquire for me. sir ? " 
 
 " Yes, boy, I did that. But you look as how you d like to 
 blow me up ag in ; yit I reckon once 11 du for Bill Frink." 
 
 " Come in," said Joe, giving him his hand, while growing 
 red ; " come in, and do not talk so loud ; there is a person 
 sick in the house." 
 
 As he entered, Bill said, " Then the boy Joe didn t know 
 his brother ha? P r aps he s lost some of his beauty, but 
 he s tough yit." 
 
 Hurrying him into his room, and closing the door, the 
 parson replied, "You ought to be thankful that it was no 
 worse ; you are a monument of God s sparing mercy." 
 
 "Now, hadn t ye better call it a fragment? But I ll re 
 member your sentiment, and tell it to one o my bloody nig 
 gers when I ve lathered him within an inch of his life ; I will, 
 by thunder ! " 
 
 " It is a very fearful thing to die," said the parson, pro 
 fessionally. 
 
 " Du ye never kill any frogs nowadays, Joe ? " 
 
 " I hope that I have changed from my sinful courses, since, 
 by divine aid, I put off the depraved nature of a child." 
 
 " If that s so, what be all these ere chunks of stone for on 
 this shelf? " 
 
 " Those are the memorials of the sacred places which I 
 visited while abroad." 
 
 " Now, is that what ye call comin home with a pocket full 
 o rocks ; or be ye afeard ye s all forgit em ? " said Bill, nudg 
 ing Joe with his thumb. 
 
 " No, I can never forget them ; for they are very great 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 419 
 
 helps to religion, with many. I have occasion to explain and 
 discourse upon them, nearly every day, to some one of my flock. 
 Even those Oriental pipes have a kind of devotional odor." 
 
 " Wai, I shouldn t wonder, for I bow down a leetle in that 
 are way myself : but then I guess I ll take one of these ere 
 cigars, as I s pose it ll amount to about the same thing, some 
 how." 
 
 " Yes, help yourself, and pass the box ; I think that it may 
 do me good to join you." 
 
 As the brother complied with the request, Joe exclaimed, 
 " What a hand you have got, Bill ! " 
 
 " It ain t quite so slick a flipper to swim with as it used to 
 be ; but I rather guess Bill can keep his head out o water 
 with it some time longer yit." And lighting his cigar, he drew 
 a chair near to an open window, and looking out, said, " A real 
 handsome place you ve got here. Whose house is that are ? " 
 
 " An odd old stick by the name of McRae lives there." 
 
 "Rich, I reckon?" said Bill, trying to wink with his 
 blind eye. 
 
 " Yes, he has over much of this world s goods ; yet he never 
 comes to meeting to manifest his thankfulness strange that 
 he does not think what must become of him ! " 
 
 " What cottage is that are down yender, with the pole- 
 beans a runnin all over the front on t ? " 
 
 " Some widow s, I think ; but I do not know her name - 
 she does not attend my meeting." 
 
 " Has that old McRae got any gals ? " inquired Bill, with 
 a grin. 
 
 " He has one daughter, and she is an only child." 
 
 " Now, why ain t you a firin up arter her ? If you don t 
 git married some time or other, I reckon as how I s all have 
 to ; for it s tu good blood to let run out so ; tis, by thunder ! " 
 Then, having finished his cigar, he took out a small flask, and, 
 holding it towards Joe, said, " Will ye smile ?" 
 
420 THE M US TEE, OB 
 
 To which invitation the parson, with a motion and look of 
 disgust, replied, "I do not desire to take poison; the Lord 
 deliver me from that sum of all wickedness." And lighting 
 another cigar, he poured the fumes around him while appear 
 ing, and probably feeling, as though he had been caught up 
 into the clouds, far above this sinful world. 
 
 Hearing him through, Bill carried the bottle to his own 
 mouth, and trying to come the wink, which was a failure, he 
 grinned once more, and said, " Ye look to me as though ye 
 carried round a distillery of your own, Joe ; now, don t ye 
 keep the worm putty full ? But I d say jist so, if I was in 
 your place ; I would, by thunder ! So, here s luck ! " Then 
 the bunch in his throat moved up and down many times, like 
 a polite person bowing in a numerous and rapidly arriving 
 company ; so that, when he drew the " willow " away from his 
 mouth, and shook it at his ear, he looked sorry. 
 
 As it grew dark, Bill, getting up, said, " I reckon it s time 
 for me to be ridin back to York." 
 
 " You make* me a short visit," said Joe, with a pleasure that 
 he could not quite conceal. 
 
 " 0, ye needn t hope to dodge me so ; for I m comin out 
 here next Sunday to hear ye spout. I wants to see what col 
 lege can du for a Frink." 
 
 So they separated ; and, when the door closed between them, 
 the Rev. Mr. Frink felt elated and relieved ; for he had trem 
 bled at the recollection of the "seal" of Park, when Bill 
 spoke of the cottage, and feared, during every minute of his 
 stay afterwards, that something would lead to the subject 
 again. 
 
 Yet, while Bill was moving down the street, he said to 
 himself, " O, no, don t know her ! hasn t heard her name ! 
 P r aps I ve found a Frink what ain t for s archin into sich 
 things p r aps I haven t we ll take a squint jist out o 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 421 
 
 cur osity." So, turning down a lane, he reached the side of 
 the cottage garden, where, finding a place through which he 
 could pass without much difficulty, he entered ; and seeing a 
 light shining from the rear window of the house, he cautiously 
 approached to find it half curtained, so that he could see no 
 one therein with any distinctness, although the shadow of a 
 female form moved frequently across the screen. 
 
 Withdrawing a few paces, he seized the limbs of a tree in 
 his broken claws, and drew himself up to the point from which 
 Fred had cried, " Land, ho ! " where, with a sense of suffoca 
 tion, he saw Flora, with a knife in her hand, preparing the 
 evening meal, and a boy sitting by the fire. Gazing there, 
 half breathless, he heard the door open ; and then a man 
 stepped out, who, walking down, paused to glance up into the 
 tree in which Bill watched ; but, apparently seeing nothing 
 unusual, he passed on and looked at other trees. 
 
 While the person was away Bill felt for his bowie knife, 
 saying to himself, " P r aps old Frink is treed at last ; but 
 they can t take him alive no how, by thunder ! though he ll 
 lay low for a minute, and let them bark fust ; " when, looking 
 up, he saw a young lady, with a bonnet on, come into the 
 kitchen, who spoke to Flora and kissed Fred. Upon which 
 the mustee opened the door, and, peering out into the dark, 
 said, " Where are you ? I want yon a moment" 
 
 The person called replied, " I am corning ; " when, walk 
 ing up, he again paused by the tree on which Frink was 
 perched ; and, spreading open the low, hanging branches, 
 looked up into the foliage but turning away soon, he entered 
 the house and closed the door. 
 
 Upon this, Bill descended from his observatory in haste 
 
 and trepidation, and scrambling through the live fence, he 
 
 stumbled over a rock into the road, thus meeting it face to 
 
 face ; but thinking that he had the worst of it in the encounter, 
 
 36 
 
422 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 he gathered himself up, and, while muttering curses, limped 
 away as fast as possible to the stable, and, mounting his horse, 
 took the road to the city. When he was well out of the vil 
 lage, he drew forth his flask, and, tipping off what remained of 
 the contents, said, " Old Bill knows a leetle somethin if he 
 hasn t been to college ; and I guess his scent is putty good 
 yit : at any rate he don t knock under to ministers in that are 
 line, no how, by thunder ! " 
 
 On reaching the city, Bill had a social glass or two, but 
 retired quite sober, for he felt that the business of the morrow 
 required that he should be cool and wary. When he arose, 
 however, he made it his first business to call on Mr. Mixer, of 
 the bar ; and after he had taken his somewhat late breakfast, 
 and made that gentleman another call, he beckoned to the 
 landlord, inquired for a United States commissioner, and 
 was directed to the office of Mr. Featherstone, as the hotel 
 keeper had some of that lawyer s cards and one of his notes 
 of hand. 
 
 Finding Featherstone alone, Bill intimated the nature of 
 his business, and, ascertaining that the commissioner was 
 ready to act, said, " Now if ye undertake this ere job, squire, I 
 want ye to draw your papers with all your might ; for I ex 
 pect there ll be some flutterin and floppin afore I git em 
 back into the cage. And I know about how the thing s to be 
 worked myself, as I talked it all over with my lawyer afore I 
 took up the track ; so, to start with, my name s Bill Frink, 
 from New Orleans ; and when you ve writ that are down I ll 
 tell ye some more." 
 
 Having minuted the name and residence, Featherstone said, 
 " Now their names/ 
 
 " The servants names (he said how I d as goods call em 
 servants, while I was round here) is Flora and Fred, woman 
 and child, and a most white at that ; but, allowin they be nig- 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 423 
 
 f 
 
 gers, I want ye to understand that they re jist the highest 
 priced color in the market. Who ye lookin at ? why don t 
 ye put down them are names ? ye goin to try to remember 
 em ? " 
 
 Recovering from his surprise, Featherstone wrote down the 
 names, and inquired, in an indifferent tone, " Are the fugitives 
 in the city ? " 
 
 " O, they re within your beat, squire ; and p r aps that s 
 .enough for ye to larn now; but Bill has seen em, and seen 
 em flouishin ; and he kind o aches to git a pull at their roots, 
 cause he wants to transplant em to a hotter climate, so they ll 
 bloom out arlier." 
 
 " It may be that, when we have caused them to be arrested, 
 there will be an effort, on the part of the fanatics, to purchase 
 their freedom." 
 
 " They ain t for sale ; as they re particular favorites in my 
 family, and they d be enough sight better on t there, cause we 
 all liked em ever so much, and was terrible sorry when they 
 left ; and I was cooped up in my room a mighty long spell on 
 account on t. I tell ye, squire, when master and servant part 
 in that are way, they re both apt to feel bad afore it s over. 
 You men here, in the cold north, have no notion how strong 
 we re linked to one nother. Now ye see, squire, its goin to 
 cost me a heap o money to git them things back a sight more 
 nor any smart judge will prize em at ; and why du I go it, if 
 tain t for their good ? " 
 
 " How long have you been the owner of the fugitives, Mr. 
 Frink?" 
 
 " I ve owned em jist long enough to git mighty fond on em, 
 and not long enough to forgit what they cost." 
 
 " Who was their previous owner ? " 
 
 " Du ye mean previous afore, squire ? " 
 
 " Yes, the last owner before you." 
 
424 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 "There, squire, that s the very thing I d like to worm out 
 I should, by thunder ! But, any how, the rascal what jewed 
 me hails from this here city, and he helped em to run, for 
 they d never dug off so if somebody hadn t told em. Now, 
 ye see, if I can once git em home, I can coax her to tell me 
 who twas ; and when I find out, I shall come on here ag in, 
 and p r aps I may want ye to defend me ag in the law ; for I 
 shall mount him ! I shall tumble down on him like a thousand 
 o brick I shall, by thunder ! Ye may be sure on t, squire, 
 for Bill allers pays what he owes. I want ye to understand 
 that he s considered about as ready a settler as you can scare 
 up any where, or any how." 
 
 " Have you any persons with you who can identify the 
 property ? " 
 
 " How, squire ? " 
 
 "I say," explained Featherstone, "is there any one here 
 who knows the fugitives ? " 
 
 " 0, yes, we ve got a large invoice jist arriv, and they re at 
 the house I stop at tu ; and one on em s name is Rutledge, a 
 lawyer ; and another s a flash chap they call Carlo, and he 
 ain t a dog nuther. And they re both from Orleans, and will 
 back up hard for the good o their country. They re Uncle 
 Sam s folks, you may bet on t, by thunder ! " 
 
 " What is the age of the woman ? " 
 
 " Wai, I reckon she s about five or six and twenty ye 
 may call her that much, and resk it, squire ; and the boy s 
 twixt five and six and I guess them s all the p ints that 
 want explainin , squire." 
 
 " I believe that you have given me all the important facts." 
 
 " I should ruther guess as how I had ; and now I d like to 
 know when I can have them papers." 
 
 " I can leave them at your hotel as soon as they are drawn 
 out which will be before the sun sets, certainly." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 425 
 
 " Wai, that 11 be arly enough ; for I likes night work, any 
 how, cause I want to put these ere tender claws round em 
 while they re sleepin ; then when they wakes up there 11 
 be such a lovin meetin of old cronies as ye don t often light 
 on ; and mebby she ll be so anxious to go back to her coop 
 that I shan t ask for no more o your help. But ye needn t 
 look so scared, squire, for here s your ten dollars." 
 
 As Featherstone took the proffered fee, Bill said, " Now I 
 shall expect ye to propel jist as strong, squire, as though ye 
 hadn t got it." So, going out, he went over to his hotel to 
 make another call on Mr. Mixer ; and being pleased with his 
 flow of spirits he remained with him until dinner time. At 
 that hour, feeling the thing to be going gayly on, he called for 
 a bottle of wine at the table, and had a very pleasant time, all 
 by himself. 
 
 On coming out of the hall he saw a person whom he thought 
 an acquaintance ; and, feeling quite talkative, he gave him a 
 little nearer look, when, putting out his fragment of a hand, 
 he said, " How are ye, Captain Elery ? " 
 
 Elery took the two fingers which Bill offered, and, looking 
 at him, said, "Your hail is familiar, but I don t know the 
 craft. What may be your name and port ? " 
 
 " I don t wonder ye can t make her out, for she was blown 
 up arter you saw her, and they couldn t find all the pieces ; so 
 we had to patch her up without em ; but I guess Bill Frink 
 is seaworthy yet." 
 
 " Is that a fact ? why, you look as though you had been 
 filibustering with Lopez ! Then this is all there is left of the 
 sharp who outwitted me in a dog trade, is it? Come into 
 the parlor, and tell me how those hounds turned out ! You 
 must have had some exciting chases with them before this 
 time ? " 
 
 " Say one, and bet high on it," Bill replied. " I never had 
 36* 
 
426 THE MUSTEE , OR 
 
 on y one right arnest hunt with them are clogs ; but that 
 was a ripper ! and they died game they did, by thun 
 der ! " 
 
 " How was it ? " inquired Elery, as they took seats. 
 
 " Wai, it was this way : you see I d bought a light-colored 
 darkie, for fun, you understand, and she sot out to run. 
 So we found her tracks, and them dogs, O, they took em 
 beautiful ! and never lost em once in the whole hunt ; but 
 when we reckoned as how we had em sure, we broke out o 
 the bush right on to the levee, and there them hounds was, 
 fetched up all a stan in ! " 
 
 "Had she jumped overboard?" asked Elery, apparently 
 astonished. 
 
 " No ; they d got onto a damned abolition ship ; and though 
 they d sailed more nor a half a mild away, them dogs snuffed 
 em that fur ; and I guess they heard me swear tu. Then we 
 rode back to Orleans, and took a tug and blazed away arter 
 em like thunder ; and afore night we made em out ; and then 
 we strained every peg to overhaul her, but she sailed like a 
 pirate. So, ye see, it was dark as a nigger s pocket afore we 
 fetched her ; and then we couldn t quite, for it grew rough ; 
 but we piled in the pine knots and the rosum, and we d have 
 jumped. right on to her in three minutes, if them hounds 
 hadn t broke loose. They d been a whinin a most all the 
 way, for, ye see, they smelt niggers -and rushed bellerin 
 for ard and down stairs, where they throttled the ingineer 
 and a fireman ; and afore we could break up the row, any 
 way, the b iler bu st ; and a most all on us as went up, ye see, 
 didn t come down ag in on y in pieces ; and them dogs went 
 under, tu, in the scrape, and so I lost em." 
 
 " It must have been rather a rough time ; and you were 
 lucky not to get both of your binnacle lamps put out." 
 
 " It dowst one, and kind o joggled down the wick of t other 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 427 
 
 a leetle, I reckon ; but not quite fur enough to stop me from 
 spyin her last night, any how." 
 
 "But you don t mean to say that she is any where in this 
 region ! " 
 
 " If I didn t climb a tree and peak into her nest last night, 
 you may sell me for a nigger ; and while I was thar, the man 
 what lives with her I guess twas him, for they seemed kind 
 o thick bolted out and squinted up where I was, and I felt 
 for my knife. But arter a minute or so he hauled off, and 
 staid till she hollered to him. And when he come back he 
 give my roost another s arch, and then turned away jist as if 
 he was arter his gun ; so I dumb right down and left. But 
 I want ye to understand Bill ain t bluffed off so. He ll see 
 her ag in to-night, and then he ll have the papers what ll knock 
 her hand and pile tu, or else he ll give in that he don t know 
 nothin about cards." 
 
 " What do you intend to do with her ? " 
 
 "Du with her!" echoed Bill, holding out his hands; "I 
 want to see if I can cut meat enough out on her to mend them 
 things." 
 
 " Would you punish her for loving and seeking liberty ? 
 You should remember that you are a republican, and that she 
 may have aspired after the privileges of the free, by seeing 
 what a blessing they were to you. Would you stifle the hope 
 of freedom in one who had so learned it ? " * 
 
 " O, no ; but I may cut her up a leetle for takin away my 
 freedom. Ye see, I was shet up a most tu long by her freak, 
 and p r aps I didn t enjoy it particular. Now, captain, shouldn t 
 ye love to go out and jist help me corner her ? It ll be fun ; 
 it will, by thunder ! " 
 
 "About what time do you intend to take the castle and 
 ^cize the goods?" 
 
 " Wai, not till arter midnight ; for, ye see, I want the town 
 
428 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 to git still ; and ye know we can t go on with the case, here, 
 afore mornin , any how." 
 
 " I think that would be rather a late hour for me ; yet I 
 may conclude to go, for I believe that I could take her so easy 
 that you would be surprised when you found it done." 
 
 " I want ye to understand I m some at that ; and I asked ye 
 to go along jist cause I d like for ye to see how I work in that 
 sort o harness." 
 
 " Well, if I fall in with you in the course of the evening 
 you may rely on me to do any thing in the case that any man 
 ought to do ; and, on the whole, I think that I shall go." 
 
 " That s the talk ; and we ll have a rum time when we git 
 round her." 
 
 On this they separated. 
 
 It was not long before Bill went down to call on his friend 
 Mixer. But, after a time, feeling refreshed by his social ways, 
 he returned to the office, where, on inquiry, he found his 
 papers, and requested the host to send out for an officer. 
 
 When that person came, Bill made him acquainted with his 
 business, and thereupon they agreed to meet at eleven o clock, 
 and go on the expedition. Then, as a matter of politeness, 
 Bill invited the officer into the bar room, and to the acquaint 
 ance of that spirit which enters in to charm, yet all too fre 
 quently remains to defile or to destroy. How apparently 
 kind, but how deplorable in consequence, to those who lack 
 self-control and have constitutional proclivities to its abuse ! 
 How many a glorious eye has it dimmed, how many a noble 
 form has it cast down, until it seemed a mercy when the grave 
 opened to shroud them from averted eyes ! 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 429 
 
 CHAPTER XLII. 
 
 While amid the world s delights, 
 How warm soe er we feel a moment among them, 
 We find ourselves, when the hot blast hath blown, 
 Prostrate, and weak, and wretched, even as I am. 
 
 FESTUS. 
 
 IT was nearly sunset when Elery parted from Bill ; and, 
 going out of the hotel, he took his Way immediately to the 
 Muse. 
 
 As he reached the head of the slip in which his ship lay, 
 he met Jack, who was then second mate, dressed up, and 
 hailed him with, " Where are you bound ? " 
 
 " No where in particular, sir ; only a short cruise." 
 
 " Then lay to here, a minute, while I speak to Francis." 
 So leaving, he went rapidly on board. But, before Jack had- 
 got well seated on the cap-log, he returned, and, without pans- 
 ing, said, " Come with me." 
 
 As they turned up street, Jack fell into the captain s wake ; 
 on which Elery said, " Draw up alongside ; for I have some 
 thing to tell you." 
 
 So Jack hauled out and came up abreast, when Elery said, 
 " The man who claims to own Flora and her child is on here for 
 the purpose of forcing them back into slavery." 
 
 " Who ? Bill Frinkj What can he do on that tack ? " 
 
 " He can do much ; for he has discovered where they are 
 by some means ; and a law has been enacted which will be a 
 bloody weapon in such hands. Now, what I want of you is, 
 to follow the devil, and stick to him through the night ; and 
 contrive to keep him in the city, if possible. But be sure and 
 
430 THE M US TEE, OR 
 
 track him close, as I shall reckon on your arm ; so you must 
 take horses when he takes horses, and keep within striking dis 
 tance, as we may meet on the road." 
 
 Having arrived nearly to the hotel, Elery, pointing to the 
 building, added, " Frink is in there. He has only one eye, 
 and parts of both hands are gone ; for, you know, he has 
 been blown up since you saw him ; but you can easily make 
 him out." 
 
 " If that s his course I ll overhaul him, and hold the weather 
 gage, too, or I ll never steer another trick." 
 
 " He s a keen one," said Elery, as he left Jack ; " so you 
 must keep a sharp lookout." 
 
 " I ll try to lay along on his blind side," replied the sailor. 
 Soon after he entered the bar room of the hotel, where Frink 
 was drinking and getting noisy. Calling for a glass himself, 
 he took a seat by one of the marble tables, and, taking up a 
 newspaper, appeared to be busy with his own affairs. Yet his 
 thoughts were of Bill and those whom he was hunting down ; 
 consequently his eye would frequently seek and fix sharply 
 upon him, to turn away with -a feeling of defiance or disgust, 
 though Bill did not notice it, as he was in his element, being 
 surrounded by the " suckers " who usually hang about drink 
 ing places to pander to the vices, and sponge their living from 
 the careless prodigality of the intoxicated. 
 
 But there was one who had kept partly clear of the revel 
 although he stood in the group and seemed of them 
 whose business it was to observe and infer. This was the 
 officer ; and, drawing Bill one side, into an adjoining apart 
 ment, he said, " I am afraid that your affair is slipping through 
 your fingers, and we had better be moving at once if you wish 
 to succeed." 
 
 " I s pose ye reckon I m gittin drunk ; but you ll find me all 
 the sharper for that are ; ye will, by thunder ! " 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 431 
 
 " I think you are watched, and may be outwitted." 
 
 " Who in hell dares to dog me ? Show me the man, and I ll 
 give him a lively whirl ! " 
 
 * I can show you, if you will try to keep quiet, and have not 
 already disturbed him. I have been observing him ever since 
 he called for liquor, which he has not drank a drop of, but sits 
 looking over a newspaper ; and if you will slyly notice him, 
 you must come to my conclusion." 
 
 But Jack was awake as well as the officer ; and, seeing the 
 movement, he caught enough of the conversation to learn that 
 the outside of the house might be the safest, besides being 
 equally good for his purpose ; for if Frink remained it was 
 well, and if he came out he could be as easily distinguished, 
 and more quickly followed. 
 
 Consequently, when they returned, Jack had gone ; and, on 
 going up to the table, they found his glass empty. There 
 upon Bill laughed at the officer, and said, " Ye see he swal- 
 ler d his rum afore he left ; and I m dry ; so I reckon I ll take 
 a smile with you on this ere." 
 
 " But there is the place where he poured his liquor," per 
 sisted the officer, looking under the table ; " so I am now cer 
 tain that he was watching you, and, hearing some of your 
 loud words, thought it best to escape from scrutiny ; therefore, 
 if you wish to accomplish your purpose, you haven t a minute 
 to lose." 
 
 At length Bill perceived that it might be so ; and, turning 
 to two or three, who appeared to be his particular admirers, 
 said, " Gentlemen, I ve got to be off, a few hours, on a leetle 
 scout ; but, if you ll jist hold on here till I git back, we ll have 
 one of the times ; we ll set em high ; we will, by thunder ! " 
 
 On this, the persons addressed having signified that he 
 would find them on hand for any thing, Bill and the officer 
 went out ; and, taking a hackney coach, Frink, speaking low 
 
432 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 to the driver as he closed the door, said, " To Greenville ; and 
 stir lively now, if ye want double pay for the job." 
 
 The horses were fresh and fleet, and, so stimulated, the 
 driver put them to their work. But the noise of the rapid 
 motion seemed to lull Bill, so that his neck became limber 
 very soon after they started, and pointed his hat lower, lower, 
 lower towards one window, when, with a loud snore, he re 
 coiled and brought the hat to bear lower, lower, lower on the 
 opposite port ; then the discharge and rebound were such that 
 he surged back and doubled into one corner of the carriage ; 
 where, for more than an hour, he kept up the fire seemingly 
 without aim or object, other than to burn his powder. After 
 a while, however, he appeared to be using smaller cartridges, 
 or else his ammunition had become damp, although no water 
 was ever allowed near the magazine, so that, at length, it 
 merely fizzling out, he awoke. Yet it took him some time to 
 call into order all his drunken and somnolent senses ; but 
 when he did, finally, arouse them, the remaining minutes of 
 the ride were devoted to arrangements. 
 
 " I wish we had another man along," said Bill ; " two is 
 hardly help enough without we can ketch her nappin , for 
 she ll use cold steel." 
 
 " You may keep out of her reach, if you have any fears, 
 after you have pointed her out to me," replied the officer. 
 
 Arriving on the edge of the village, Bill checked the coach, 
 when the driver drew up to the side of the road, a few rods 
 from the corner of the street on which the cottage stood ; and, 
 as they were alighting, Frink said, " Don t leave your team, 
 skipper ; for we s all be back in a few shakes with a woman 
 and child, and p r aps we may be in a tearin hurry." 
 
 When Elery parted from Jack he procured a barouche and 
 pair, and took the reins and the road, at a round pace, for 
 Greenville. But before he reached the place the horses 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 433 
 
 became wearj, and required so much urging as to make a 
 dark prospect for a speedy return; yet he cheered himself 
 with the thought that there was ample time, as Bill would 
 not leave until nearly midnight. So thinking, he slowly 
 turned the corner, and drove under a shed which was attached 
 to a store that stood there ; when, walking out and approach 
 ing the cottage, he saw Annie just coming through the gate 
 way, and greeting her, said, " I am very glad to find you here, 
 Miss McRae." 
 
 " And so late, too ! I was just going home," she replied. 
 
 " But I wish you to return to Flora a moment, if it be 
 late." 
 
 " Why, what has happened that can so change your voice ? " 
 
 " Not much has, yet much may happen, and that soon our 
 friends must fly ; for the hunters are once more on their trail, 
 and are intending to take them from this house before 
 morning." 
 
 " Is there no method of protecting them here ? " 
 
 "No, neither she nor all who sympathize with her can 
 openly face this foe with any hope of victory ; for he comes 
 in the name of the law." 
 
 " What a loyal people we are, to so respect enactments ! 
 Still, in that spirit, when reform shall come, lies the hope of 
 duration." 
 
 " True. Yet how hard to forbear a blow, even when we 
 know that what has its foundation on reason is wisest, surest, 
 and most fatally overthrown by the same weapon. Will you 
 come in with me and break the news to Flora ? " . 
 
 " Yes ; in with you and away with you, any where you 
 wish, if I can help to save or cheer them." 
 
 " We will see ; yet you must not come near danger." 
 
 As they ascended the steps Flora came to the door, for she 
 had recognized their voices ; and, ushering them in, said, " I 
 37 
 
434 THE M US TEE, OR 
 
 had given up the idea of seeing you before another night ; 
 yet I am very glad you have come, for we were sad ; and it 
 seemed as though the wind sought to make us more so it 
 has sounded, all the evening, as if it mourned for something, 
 or strove to utter a warning." 
 
 " It was mourning over our separation," said Annie, when 
 the tears started to her eyes and sorrow overspread her face. 
 
 Through this, the fugitive perceived it all ; and, looking up 
 to the captain, she inquired, " Must it be has the hour 
 come ? " 
 
 " I fear that this is no longer a place of refuge. So the 
 sooner we leave it the safer we may be. I will take Fred out 
 to the carriage, and you collecting only such things as are 
 really necessary come down to the store with Annie ; when 
 we will soon learn if the Muse can still afford you a secure 
 shelter." 
 
 But a few minutes elapsed before they were all under the 
 shed, when Annie said, " I must go with you, for I can do 
 something ; and I would rather meet what you meet, be it 
 what it may, than remain here inactive to imagine the worst." 
 
 " I have strong arms, near the invader, which will strike 
 home if the hour of need come," interposed Elery ; " while 
 you can do good service here, and we may gather force from 
 the thought that you, at least, are safe. You shall learn some 
 thing of the night by the morning s mail ; and, if it be in my 
 power, I will see you before nine o clock in the evening. 
 Hark ! " And listening, he heard a carriage rapidly ap 
 proaching, .which, in a moment, drew up just beyond the store, 
 when he added, in a whisper, " Go round on the other side of 
 the carriage quick ! " 
 
 As they stood there, close and silent in the dense darkness, 
 two men came up ; and one of them, halting, said, " Here s a 
 pair of horses ; he s ahead of you ; hold on while I cut the 
 harnesses." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 435 
 
 " Keep still can t ye ! " was the reply, in a voice that both 
 the fugitive and Elery knew to be Frink s. " That s the house ; 
 don t ye see the glim through the winder ? they haven t run, 
 and if they re gittin ready to, we ll sly back and give the 
 leather a rippin . Come on ! " 
 
 The officer, in the mean time, had approached so near that 
 he caught the faint outlines of female forms ; but, on the 
 instant, something cried through his heart that he was made 
 to shield and cherish such : so his eyes grew dim ; and, turn 
 ing, he followed Frink. Yes, it was the quick impulse of an 
 Anglo-Saxon soul ; an instinct that may save the race from 
 the fate of all which have gone before for gentleness to 
 woman is the undying glory of her knights, the grace of their 
 deeds, the perfume of their memories. 
 
 In another minute Jack came stealthily after ; but a low- 
 spoken word from the captain arrested and turned him under 
 the shed. 
 
 " This is close work," said Elery ; " and we must make for 
 your carriage, Jack : these horses have broken down." 
 
 " But my horses are no match for theirs ; we had to run to 
 keep way with their trot. And if we pass their carriage the 
 driver will see us ; so, as soon as he could make signal, we 
 should be chased and overhauled. " I don t mind that though, 
 if you say the word, for we shall be two to two if they lay us 
 alongside." 
 
 " Then there is nothing left for us but to seize their car 
 riage ; which I think can be done, if we go boldly to the work ; 
 and you must go with us a little way, Jack, so the coachman 
 may see that there are two men." 
 
 "We can do it! and if the driver makes any fuss I ll 
 straighten him and take the helm," said Jack. 
 
 & 
 
 " Come, Annie, let me help you into this barouche ; and, 
 when you hear us start, drive up by the cottage to your 
 
436 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 father s house, so that the sound of these wheels may prevent 
 their hearing ours." Pressing her hand in the friendly dark 
 ness, Elery felt a tear fall upon his, which thrilled him with 
 emotion as deep as that which shook Conrad, when he saw the 
 single drop of blood on the forehead of Gulnare, and by it 
 he was drawn to her as strongly as that repelled the corsair ; 
 yet he whispered, " Adieu ; and, whatsoever happens, we can 
 never forget you." 
 
 Flora and Annie exchanged a kiss in silence. So parting, 
 the fugitives stole out by the store, and approached the car 
 riage of Frink at a quick pace. But, as they were entering 
 with all confidence, the driver inquired, "Where s the big 
 man ? " 
 
 " He will be following us soon," replied Elery ; " there is 
 another coach in waiting, just back, to bring up the rear ; so 
 now for the city. You drove well coming out, and you shall 
 have ten dollars extra if you reach Trinity Church in an hour 
 and a half." 
 
 On this the driver, mounting his box, drew rein without 
 further question. And while he was turning his horses Elery 
 softly opened the door, saying to Jack, " You must take your 
 own carriage now and contrive some way to mislead or deceive 
 them, if they undertake to pursue ; and be sure to dog 
 Frink, if he reach the city to-night, wherever he goes, and 
 baffle him if possible." 
 
 Jack got out unobserved by the driver, and away whirled 
 the fugitives ; while, as he was passing to his own carriage, he 
 heard the barouche rattling up the street. 
 
 When Bill and the officer went on, they entered the cottage 
 yard and cautiously reconnoitred. But discovering no one 
 through the lighted windows, they tried the front door ; when, 
 finding it unfastened, (for Annie had intended to return, for the 
 purpose of putting out the lights and locking up,) they ven- 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 437 
 
 tured in, and closed it after them. Yet before they had exam 
 ined far, a carriage drove by, when Bill said, " There ! some- 
 thin s on the move ; you watch here arid I ll see where it 
 goes to." 
 
 And getting out as fast as he was able to do from a dim 
 and strange place, he rushed up the street after the barouche, 
 overtaking just as it reached Mr. McRae s house. Annie 
 saw him, as she alighted, and, entering within the gate, 
 said, " Do you wish for any thing of me, sir ; or have you 
 come to cut the harnesses of my horses, and so fulfil your 
 threat ? " 
 
 Frink saw at once that he had been overreached, and that 
 there was no moment to lose ; yet, wishing to turn away the 
 apparent suspicion, he replied, " I was lookin round <r the 
 hotel ; will ye be good enough to show me whereabouts tis ? " 
 
 But at that moment Mr. McRae (he having heard the 
 carriage and voices) came to the door and said, " Annie, what 
 is it?" 
 
 " A person inquiring for a public house, father." 
 
 " I can show it to him by going a few steps. Be still, Teas 
 er ! " he added, addressing a small Scotch terrier, that had 
 followed him out, and was growling at the stranger through 
 the fence. 
 
 Bill, however, beginning to fear that he might be entrapped, 
 while, at best, it would take him from his purpose and his 
 course, was on, the point of leaving as Mr. McRae opened the 
 gate to join him ; so that, when Annie said, " Do not go, 
 father, for he deserves to be in prison ;" he broke into a run 
 down the street ; and the dog, diving between his master s 
 legs through the partly open gate, darted away barking at his 
 heels, and, as he reached the cottage, fastened to his ankle. 
 On this, drawing a revolver, Bill dealt the dog a blow with the 
 breech that sent him rolling into the gutter, and a bullet by his 
 37* 
 
438 THE MUSTEE, OB 
 
 own ear through the rim of his hat ; the report of which shot 
 called a number of white-robed forms to the adjacent win 
 dows ; but they saw nothing, for Frink had entered the house, 
 where, seizing hold of the officer, he said, " They ve cut ; and 
 we must run afore they raise the town, for it ll be hotter nor a 
 hornet s nest ; it will, by thunder ! " 
 
 Thereupon Bill opened the back door very cautiously, 
 as the terrier had recovered his senses and was barking furi 
 ously at the front, when, getting out, they retreated through 
 the garden and across the field to the main road. 
 
 As they jumped over the fence into the street, half breath 
 less, and looked up and down, and down and up, Bill said, 
 huskily, " Where the devil s our carriage ? " 
 
 " I|pnust be that we ve got on to the wrong street ! " replied 
 the officer. 
 
 Then they moved quickly down towards the corner, listen 
 ing and looking in every direction. Having reached it, Bill 
 said, " Tis the right road, for here s the store which we turned 
 round ; there tu s the shed where we saw them hosses, and 
 there s the cottage up there : don t ye hear that damned dog 
 at the gate ? Our cart has left, ye may bet your life on that ; 
 and it s more nor an even thing that they re in it. That s my 
 notion ; tis, by thunder ! But you hold on here and see if 
 any thing s movin , while I go down to that are stable and git 
 somethin to chase em with we ll give em a hot run yit, by 
 thunder ! " and going rapidly down to it, he knocked on the 
 window two or three times, with emphasis. 
 
 The stable boy, rousing up, inquired, " What s broke ? " 
 
 " My carriage and the hosses have run, so I want to 
 hire." 
 
 " We hain t got none in." 
 
 " But you ve got some saddle hosses." 
 
 " I guess not ; cause we hain t got on y one." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 439 
 
 " Wai, let s look at him ; and here s a handful o change for 
 ye." On this, the door was soon opened ; when Bill, entering, 
 gave him the silver, and said, " I must raise a hoss to go to 
 York, right off." 
 
 " He s a tip-top one," replied the boy, pointing to a stall ; 
 " but ye ll have to ask Mr. McKy, what owns him, fore I can 
 let him go." 
 
 " Where bouts is he ? " 
 
 " O, he lives more nor a quarter of a mild from this." 
 
 " Wai, you go and see him bout it, and here s a dollar for 
 ye." While holding the note towards him, he inquired, " Ye 
 don t know who lives in the cottage next to the store on the 
 corner out here, du ye ? " 
 
 " No, sir-ee ! but I guess Captain Elery owns it, for he goes 
 there several times frequently. I knows it, cause he puts his 
 hoss up here, and gives me a shillin ." 
 
 He having taken the proffered money, and started on the 
 expedition, Bill proceeded to bridle and saddle the horse, for 
 he had no time to wait ; and mounting, whip in hand, he rode 
 up to the officer, and said, " Here s all I could raise, and I 
 cribbed this ; so you must go to the stable and settle for t, and 
 come by the next train, for I m on their tracks ; they re takin 
 to water, but I s all fetch em." 
 
 Then, drawing rein, he rode off towards the city at a kill 
 ing pace, yet plying the whip whenever the horse slackened 
 speed, or he grew impatient ; for every thing had passed so 
 rapidly that he thought there was still a chance of overtaking 
 the fugitives. Thus, for an hour, he galloped, as the horse 
 had remarkable strength and power of endurance. Seeing 
 how fleetly he was borne on, Bill began to take more hope, so 
 that he dared to look at the facts ; and, at length, he said, 
 between his teeth, " Then Elery s the chap ! and I, like a 
 bloody fool, let him worm the whole on t out on me ! Yes, I 
 
440 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 outwitted him in a dog trade p r aps he magines he s squared 
 that are count now ; but Bill Frink s arter him for another 
 reck nin , by thunder ! If I on y had some o the right sort o* 
 dogs, now, I d feel sure on em and we ll have a law to use 
 sich, yit ; yes, right here in York State, or any wheres we 
 want to hunt em, cause it s one of our rights ; and when we 
 southerners set out for t they ll allow it in course they will, 
 them doughfaces ! But what s that ? a coach ? " 
 
 True, it was a carriage ; and Bill curbed his horse s speed 
 that he might get his wind before the pursuit was discovered. 
 But, absorbed by his pleasant meditations, he had approached 
 so near that Jack, who was on the watch, caught the tramp of 
 the advancing foeman, and, observing his manoeuvre from the 
 window, shouted to the coachman to drive on. 
 
 As Jack expected, the rider drew rein and rushed after ; 
 and when he came near, so he saw that it was Frink, the 
 sailor thrust his head out of the window, and cried to the 
 driver, " Keep ahead of that horseman, any how ! Crack on, 
 with all your might I ll pay for spars and riggin ! " 
 
 But Bill s horse surged on at a tremendous pace. So, as 
 he came up nearly abreast of the carriage, Jack drew his 
 head in, and, throwing off his >coat, sat down on the back seat 
 in his shirt sleeves. Thereupon, tying a bright handkerchief 
 around his head, he doubled up one of the cushions of the 
 coaeh and held it in his arms, so that when Frink had readied 
 a point where he could look in, as they dashed by one of the 
 street lamps, he felt certain that he had seen a woman and a 
 child ; and, being satisfied that it was the party he sought, he 
 slackened speed and fell behind, feeling that he had them 
 where they could not escape. 
 
 The watchful driver favored his horses also ; yet they still 
 pressed on at a gallop, for nearly two miles, with exhausting 
 force. But, as they neared the corner of Canal Street, Jack 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 441 
 
 discovered that they were coming up with the fugitives ; and 
 Elery, hearing the rush, looked out ; so that for an instant he 
 and Frink were face to face. At the moment, Jack, having 
 resumed his coat, thrust his body far out of the window, and 
 shouted, " Down Canal to the North River ! " and round 
 whirled the carriage, while Bill reined after it hotly, seeing 
 nothing and hearing nothing besides. 
 
 Down that broad pavement they sped, for some minutes, at 
 a dead run ; but before they reached the river the horses were 
 completely blown, so that they sank into a trot, and, at length, 
 to a panting, weary walk, as they turned, by Jack s orders, 
 towards the Battery. Then Bill, dismounting, led his horse, 
 that he might the more quickly recover his wind, and be the 
 better rested when the struggle should again commence. But 
 the reason for flight pressed no further, as Jack felt satisfied 
 that, ere this, the fugitives must have reached the Muse. Con 
 sequently, as they were passing St. John s Park, beneath the 
 shadow of the bordering chestnuts, Jack checked the coach ; 
 when, with his coat on his arm, he jumped out, and, keeping 
 in the shade, faced the horseman, saying, " You ve chased me 
 long enough, without showing your colors, to be a bloody pi 
 rate. So now train out your guns, or try to board, if you feel 
 like it ! " 
 
 Upon this, Bill looked at him, and then into the empty car 
 riage, in utter amazement, but said no word. 
 
 Observing him, Jack declared further, "If it s the craft 
 you re after, you may speak the man at the wheel, as my 
 cruise is up. But if you want any thing of me, come and take 
 it, or clear the coast." 
 
 Yet Bill looked once more into the carriage, and, raising the 
 cushions, felt of the seats carefully. Having thus made sure 
 that it was empty, he gazed at the driver, and then at Jack ; 
 upon which, putting his arm through the bridle rein, he walked 
 
442 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 up the street without speaking, but with his eye over his shoul 
 der, until he felt at safe distance ; when, mounting his horse, 
 he turned a corner and disappeared. 
 
 Paying the coachman, Jack moved quickly away, and gain 
 ing a post of observation before Frink arrived at his hotel, as 
 he had to find a stable for his horse, saw him approach and go in. 
 A few minutes after Bill entered, Jack observed a man cau 
 tiously emerge from the same doorway, apparently disguised ; 
 for, although the night was warm, he was wrapped in a Span 
 ish cloak so closely that but little of his face was visible; 
 noting which, the sailor was not surprised to see him turn slyly 
 round the first corner and peer frequently out, as though he 
 was an impatient watcher. 
 
 When Bill entered the house, he passed immediately to the 
 bar room, where, though it Was after midnight, he found his 
 friends awaiting his return, and extremely glad to see him. 
 Calling them at once to the bar, he said, " I never was so bone 
 dry in all my born days. I m parched clean through and 
 through ; my tongue feels as how. it had been salted, and 
 hung up on a nail a month, if not more." 
 
 " I noticed that it was getting corned pretty fast before you 
 left us," said one of his familiars. 
 
 "Wai, you ain t very mealy-mouthed about it, any how. 
 But I m ready for ye now ; so let s take another horn. Now, 
 one more. Now let s give em a bumper." Upon this Frink s 
 face began to glow, while his spirits arose with the other 
 spirits, (for he had been nearly in a state of collapse, so that, 
 for some time, he had had a taste of his own dust on his tongue,) 
 when he said, " I m ripe for any thing now, boys. Corne, let s 
 go out and rile em." As there was no dissent from that 
 proposition, but a cordial response, rather, they drank again, 
 and sallied forth in quest of adventures the true knights- 
 errant of their order. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 443 
 
 As they turned up the street, Jack took their course, just 
 keeping them in view; while he saw that the man in the 
 cloak was stealthily pursuing, also. This person was Feather- 
 stone ; but why he had been seeking Frink for hours, and 
 painfully watching to dog him now, he would have found dif 
 ficult of explanation only that he was restless and appre 
 hensive, with a dread of to-morrow, which sleep refused to 
 veil. He did not seek his pillow, for he knew that it had no 
 charm sufficient for repose. Poppy and mandragora had sud 
 denly ceased to lull his soul. Even Oblivion, in whose dark 
 waters he had boastingly trusted, was so shrunken as to ex 
 pose the ghastly shapes which lay in its bed ; and some of the 
 portentous shadows arose and stalked near : these, perhaps, 
 he hoped to lay by making swift his judgment against the 
 fugitives and delivering them over to woe. But whatever his 
 thought, or hope, or purpose might be, we are left to conjec 
 ture ; ascertaining this alone, that he could not resist the de 
 sire to watch and follow Frink. May it not have been an 
 inevitable consequence the mysterious and irresistible tie of 
 Fate that only the tears of contrition and forgiveness can 
 dissolve ? 
 
 It was not long before Bill and his friends turned into a nar 
 row, cross street, when, moving down a number of blocks, 
 they halted before a weather-stained house, where, listening a 
 moment, one said, " It s all right ! " for he heard a fiddle sound 
 ing its merry invitation down through the open entry, while 
 the heads of the gay dancers could be seen as they flitted past 
 the dingy windows. 
 
 So Bill and his retinue, entering without ceremony, mounted 
 up a long and steep flight of stairs, and, opening the hall door, 
 strode through the dancers up to the bar in the further corner 
 of the room. On reaching that barrier between flesh and 
 spirit, Bill threw his hat to the floor and stamped upon it. 
 
444 
 
 Then jerking the fiddler from the counter, on which he was 
 perched, he tossed him in among the company, and said, "I 
 want this here crowd o rum-heads to stagger up and drink 
 with me." When, taking out his pocket book, and slapping it 
 down on the counter, he added, " And I guess there s rhino 
 enough in there to buy ye all out ; I du, by thunder ! " 
 
 With this elegant and comprehensive call the company 
 seemed to be delighted. So, breaking from the figures, they 
 flocked around the new comers ; and, while striving to make 
 themselves particularly agreeable to Bill, they watched him 
 with especial interest when he opened his pocket book, and 
 did not fail to observe to what place he returned it. 
 
 In a few moments, after they had imbibed their many named 
 and variously colored mixtures, Bill tossed the musician up to 
 his old perch, and, while taking a partner, said, " Come on, 
 boys ! let s have an old-fashin fore and arter a reg lar 
 break down ! So, fiddler, I want ye to grease your elbow, 
 and put it to us with all your might, and I ll fork over a dol 
 lar, slap ; I will, by thunder ! " 
 
 To it they went * and before the dance was over Jack en 
 tered the room and took a seat unobserved ; for those who 
 were not on the floor were watching the performers with lively 
 interest, and uttering words of encouragement or warning 
 whenever either of them appeared to falter or flag. 
 
 Theirs was no listless loitering to dreamy music, but a 
 wildly exhausting dance, and long continued; for the fiddler 
 had a nervous arm, and worked it to the utmost. Swiftly 
 they wove the figures, all glowing with exertion, and the sweat 
 flew in large, oily drops, as they had no time to mop it from 
 their fiery faces. Yet still came the flying notes on ever 
 swifter pinion, and on rushed the reel, until, at length, one 
 after another, the Bacchantes broke away from the fascina 
 tion of the fiddler, and sank into seats from sheer exhaustion. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 445 
 
 Giving only a brief breathing time, Bill called the com 
 pany once more to drink with him, and Jack came forward 
 among the crowd, and filled a glass. But Bill, happening to 
 observe him, as his eye was sharp for such manosuvres, 
 saw that he slyly poured away what he pretended to drink. 
 So he turned to the bar keeper and said, " Boss, you ve got 
 one customer here who s either a cold water squirt or a spy ; 
 and now he s got to drink a bumper, or I ll put him out ; I 
 will, by thunder ! " 
 
 " Go it, captain," replied . the bully ; " I ll back ye ; and if 
 there s goin to be a fight, I want to be counted in." 
 
 Thereupon Bill caught up a decanter, and, pouring out a 
 tumbler full of some red liquid, imported spirit, probably, 
 like his own, shoved the glass on the counter towards Jack, 
 saying, " Now, give us a toast that ll tickle the ladies ; and 
 leave no heel-tap arter it, or I ll spile your mug ! " 
 
 But, seeing that Jack did not incline to obey, he continued, 
 " You d better down with it cussed quick ; " and, scrutinizing 
 him a little more closely, Bill added, " Who in hell be ye ? 
 doggin me ha ? " 
 
 On this Jack drew back a step, while his well-knit form 
 dilated, his lips set, and his eyes flashed. 
 
 Seeing the signs of determined resistance, and feeling the 
 disdain of the sailor, Bill knew him for a foe, and sprang for 
 him. But, on the instant, he received a blow which staggered 
 him, for Jack was master of the art, and lithe as a tiger. 
 Yet while his left hand was flying in with a " finisher," it was 
 caught by the bully, so as to break the blow. This gave Bill 
 time to recover, and to fling his brawny arms around his an 
 tagonist. Yet, at the moment of closing, Jack took him by 
 the throat, with his right hand, so as to make the machinery 
 whistle under the pressure. On that there came a struggle 
 which made the floor shake, while the women shrieked and 
 38 
 
.446 THE M US TEE, OK 
 
 sprang to keep clear of the vortex. But Frink, by his su 
 perior height and giant weight, could lift Jack off his footing; 
 so that, through all the whirling, noise, and dust, he was slowly 
 bearing him towards the stairway. Yet the sailor s strong 
 fingers were feeling well nigh around Bill s windpipe, where 
 the whistling had subsided, while his swollen face was turning 
 from red to black. One eye, also, seemed about to leave the 
 socket, and the scarred form of the other looked like the head 
 of a mud-turtle half drawn under its shell. Bill felt it to be 
 a desperate moment. Still, although he had gained nothing 
 for a few seconds, he was already near the door ; which see 
 ing, he made a heavy surge as a last effort, wherein he suc 
 ceeded in catching his shoulder against the edge of the door 
 casing, and by it, as with a lever, he was slowly but surely 
 twisting the sailor over the very brink of the stairs. The 
 next instant they were wrapped in darkness ; for either the 
 great vibration or nefarious design had turned off the gas. 
 On this Frink felt a hand in his pocket, and knew that his 
 money and papers were gone, which was his last intellection,- 
 except the oppression of mortal fear ; for the same murderous 
 and determined hand clutched his ankle, (on the very spot 
 where Teaser had imprinted a warning,) and pitched him back 
 wards down the steep descent, whither he tumbled with a 
 hurtle and a crash, while Jack was still fastened to his throat, 
 and pressed to his broad and shielding chest. 
 
 As they struck at the bottom, Bill s arms burst apart ; 
 when Jack, bewildered and lost for a moment, found himself 
 still clinging to the throat, which he let go with difficulty, as 
 his fingers had stiffened into that form. Yet, feeling satisfied 
 that his watching was at an end, at least for the remainder of 
 the night, he rose up, went out and away, taking with him 
 some severe bruises and a broken arm. 
 
 Following the party to the house, Featherstone had lingered 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 447 
 
 watching in the neighborhood until he heard the noise of the 
 struggle ; when, supposing that they were arresting the fugi 
 tives, (for it was in such a place that he believed they would 
 be found, this being his idea of their life,) he rushed in and 
 half way up the stairs, where he encountered the descending 
 combatants to be thrown stunned and bleeding to the floor. 
 
 When the watchmen came in, as they did in a few minutes, 
 to examine the wreck and make inquiry, they were informed 
 by some of the inmates, that the men were fighting, and fell 
 down stairs together. 
 
 So it seemed from appearances ; and those were all they 
 had to judge from, as Bill s friends had hid, to slip away slyly 
 after the officers had gone. Indeed, they could have no sus 
 picion of any other hand in the work, as the pair, where they 
 lay, were a pictorial illustration of the narrative, for they 
 were in close proximity, while both were bleeding and insen 
 sible. Thus Featherstone and Frink had met, at last, upon 
 an appropriate and congenial field; from which they were 
 borne off, in the same cart, to that receptacle whereto is 
 nightly gathered the scum which darknes-s floats to light. 
 
448 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XLIII. 
 
 Deep, deep, are loving eyes, 
 
 Flowed with naphtha fiery sweet; 
 And the point is paradise, 
 
 Where their glances meet. 
 
 R. W. EMERSON. 
 
 THE fugitives were agitated, for the moment, when they 
 heard the rush of the carriage and saw the horseman, though 
 they soon perceived how Jack was misleading their pursuer, 
 and opening them a safe path to the Muse. So they had no 
 further immediate apprehension for themselves, but, on reach 
 ing the ship, they anxiously awaited the arrival of the sailor. 
 
 At length he came, with his arm in a sling, as he had 
 stopped on the way and had the broken bone set. And, 
 while he is telling them his story, let us return to those whom 
 we have left, in more painful and fearful uncertainty, at 
 Greenville. 
 
 When Bill broke away so suddenly from Mr. McRae s at 
 tentions, and ran down the street with the dog in chase, Annie 
 communicated to her father, in few words, what had happened 
 to her friends at the cottage. 
 
 " Why did you not fly to me at once ?/ he inquired with 
 unwonted emphasis. " Had you done so, I would have gone 
 with them through danger to safety or to death." 
 
 " I had no time to think of it. Mr. Elery scarcely told us 
 what was threatening before they were gone. And even then 
 it was a narrow chance, as the hunters stood close beside us, 
 during nearly a minute, while we were under the store shed ; 
 where one of them, seeing these horses and suspecting flight, 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 449 
 
 proposed to cut the harnesses ; and, had the other assented to 
 the act we should certainly have been discovered ; on which 
 there would have been bloody resistance, or Flora must have 
 been taken. It was a thrilling moment." 
 
 " How came Mr. Elery to seize their horses ?" 
 
 " For the reason that these had given out, and having 
 learned from the sailor that they would certainly be overtaken 
 if his were used. So there seemed to be no way but to de 
 ceive their driver ; which they did, apparently with ease, 
 as I heard the carriage turning in a minute after they 
 left me." 
 
 " Then they have escaped for the time, certainly, and per 
 haps entirely ; for the taking of those horses was a stroke of 
 fortune which waits not on the doomed. Yet. these men will 
 make a struggle to overtake them ; so I shall do what I can 
 to thwart their purpose ; and it may be of no small importance 
 to drive down to the stable to prevent their getting any thing 
 to follow with, there at least these horses must go there for 
 the night." 
 
 " I will go with you, father ; and when we return we can 
 stop at the cottage to close it up." But as they were passing 
 out, Annie, startled by a suddenly awakening echo, cried, 
 " Hark ! " when listening an instant, she continued, " It is the 
 tramp of a horse. He is galloping towards the city ; they are 
 certainly pursued, and we are too late ! " 
 
 At that moment the stable boy came running up, and said, 
 " Mr. McRy, there s a man down to the stable says as how 
 he wants your hoss to go to York." 
 
 " Why do you come to me on that errand, when you know 
 I don t lend him ? " 
 
 " Cause the gen leman ask me to ; but I ll go and tell him 
 how he can t have him, no how. He s a reg lar ole fire 
 works, he is ! " 
 
 38 * 
 
450 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 " I will see the man myself. So you may get into the car 
 riage, Jerry, and drive us down to the stable." 
 
 As they passed by the cottage, Jerry, wishing to dispel the 
 silence or make himself agreeable, said, " Ole Blazes asked 
 me who lived here, and I said as how I didn t know ; but I 
 told him whose twas, cause I guess he wants to buy it he s 
 got lots o money ! " 
 
 " How idly, how unwittingly a great misfortune may be 
 brought to fall ! This is dreadful ; for it is the clew ! It 
 comes, too, from where we least expected it so falls a shaft 
 of Fate." And turning to Jerry, she added, " You ! how 
 came you to know who owned it ? " 
 
 " My eye ! Jest as if I couldn t smell out that are ! I knows 
 Captain Elery jest like a mice." 
 
 " Drive on ! " said Mr. McEae. " Something may yet be 
 done." 
 
 In a few moments they reached the stable ; when the offi 
 cer, who stood in the doorway, stepped to one side for the 
 carriage to pass in. But before Mr. McRae alighted, he 
 caught sight of the vacant stall, and inquired, hastily, " Where 
 is my horse ? " 
 
 " He was right there where he belongs, when I -went out 
 o here to go up to your house ; that s sartain true ! " 
 
 " Is this the person who sent you to me, Jerry ? " 
 
 " No, sir, ee ! he was enough sight bigger, and one of his 
 eyes was bunged out, teau ! " 
 
 " Then my horse has been stolen," said the owner, em 
 phatically. 
 
 On this the stranger came forward, and stated, " I am au 
 thorized to pay for the ride to the city, or the horse, which 
 ever you choose." 
 
 " Who are you ? " inquired Mr. McRae, with increasing 
 excitement. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 451 
 
 " I belong in town, and am an officer of the law." 
 
 " Then it would have been better for you to have remained 
 there, than come out here to connive at a robbery." 
 
 " Sir, I took no part in the transaction." 
 
 " Then how came you by your instructions to settle with 
 me?" 
 
 " The person communicated to me what he had done, and 
 what he wished me to do, as he rode past me, on the corner 
 above." 
 
 " In that case, it was your duty to cry stop thief, imme 
 diately, or take the consequences of being an aiding and 
 abetting party. Yet, criminal as that is, it sinks into utter 
 insignificance when compared to the wickedness for which you 
 came here prowling in darkness to deprive a feeble mother 
 and her tender child of their freedom, the most sacred right 
 under heaven. You cannot know what it is to have a wife, a 
 child, who, leaning upon you trustfully, look up to you for 
 support in a way that opens the heart, and keeps alive a sense 
 of God s infinite mercy in the soul." 
 
 " I looked upon it only in the light of business ; I thought 
 not of the wrong until I came near it," replied the officer, 
 his eyes suffusing and his lip quivering as he continued, 
 " Yes, I have a daughter who is dying, it may be, this very 
 hour and a wife watching over her wasted form. While it 
 was my hope, out of this night s transactions, to bear home 
 some things which are needful some delicacy that might win 
 a kindly smile to their loving eyes." 
 
 Before the officer had ceased speaking, Mr. McRae s in 
 dignation was gone ; for his words, but above all his tone and 
 accent, had the life of truth. And Annie was so roused by 
 the light which not only softened but transfigured the picture, 
 that she said, " What a conflict is life, and how many lie 
 wounded ! so that, rend the veil where we may, we are full 
 
452 THE MUSTEE, OB 
 
 likely to gaze on some tearful sorrow, or some aching heart. 
 O, how dangerous it is to judge, seeing how little we can 
 know of the motive or even the way of another ! Indeed, most 
 of our opinions, touching such things, are random arrows that 
 may hurt the innocent." 
 
 " I was hasty, and you will forgive me the condemnation ; 
 for I see that you are a man," apologized Mr. McRae. " So 
 I wish you to come home and pass the night at my house, and 
 try to forget my words in my deeds." 
 
 " I feel your kindness, but I must be with them before 
 morning," replied the officer, still more moved by their gen 
 erous sentiments ; " and I believe there is a train passes near 
 here at twelve o clock which will take me to the city." 
 
 " There is one due at that hour," said Annie ; " yet you will 
 have time to go home with us and remain some minutes. In 
 deed, I desire you to do so very much." 
 
 Upon this, moving out together, they walked up to the 
 cottage and closed it ; and, while passing on, Annie inquired 
 of the officer, " Do you think they will be overtaken ? " 
 
 " If they are both travelling the same road it may depend 
 on the power of your horse. Yet, after all, what can he do 
 alone, except to follow and to watch ? and in that, probably, 
 he will be out-generalled, as he was here, for he is heavy and 
 headstrong with liquor." 
 
 They soon after entered the house ; and there, under the 
 opening influence of pitying kindness, the officer told of long 
 sickness and suffering, such as cry for redress in many a city 
 room, although the gay and thoughtless passer by hears never 
 the faintest whisper of woe. In consequence of this, Annie 
 filled a basket with fruits and delicacies, and things more sub 
 stantial than they, which she learned were needed ; and when 
 he was about to take leave, Mr. McRae laid some money in 
 his hand. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 453 
 
 But the officer shrank from it, saying, " That is something 
 which I have never done, and I feel that I cannot now ; yet 
 your kindness to me and mine I shall never forget." And 
 the tears glistened in his eyes as if to show that, however 
 want might have stricken him, he had kept the gems of his 
 nature. 
 
 " But," interposed Mr. McRae, " I wish to have you search 
 for my horse, and that will help to repay you." 
 
 " I will take it upon me to find your horse, if you want me 
 to do so. and charge whatever the service may be worth." 
 
 " Certainly, I desire you to attend to it as much as I respect 
 your feelings," said Mr. McRae. And thus they separated 
 having become dear to each other by friendly offices, notwith 
 standing their singular and sinister meeting. 
 
 (On the next day but one for he had some difficulty in 
 finding him the officer came with the horse. At which time 
 Annie received touching thanks from the dying girl and the 
 fond mother ; and learning their residence, she went there, 
 and helped to smooth a sufferer s pillow, and soothe the sor 
 row of the mourners.) When the officer had gone, Annie 
 said, " Were I not so agitated with thoughts of them, I should 
 be very happy now ; for the oil and wine which we pour into 
 the wounds of another, become light and gladness to the 
 soul." 
 
 " True, true ! " And walking the room, he at length added, 
 " I have been thinking, my daughter, how fluently and thought 
 lessly we denounce ; for our friends had taken that man s 
 horses in the same way in which he took mine, while you 
 were equally aiding and abetting, after which I applauded the 
 deed. 
 
 O wad some power the giftie gie us 
 To see oursels as ithers see us ! 
 
 Indeed, /need such a mirror, whoever else can do without it. 
 
454 THE MUSTEE, OB 
 
 And as for our friends, so many things have fallen in their 
 favor that I trust they will escape ; I think we may hope for 
 the best." 
 
 Leaving her father, Annie retired to her chamber, to be 
 alone rather than with any hope of sleep ; for her thoughts 
 and her heart were out on the road, now leading her into dark 
 ambush, now on to the very edge of fierce encounter, where 
 she saw the flying fugitives turn to bleed or fall, or be taken 
 captive ; and she could not choose between them, which to save. 
 
 But, at length, through the tumult of her hopes and fears, 
 came love s morning star ; and she prayed for him in whose 
 arm, under God, Flora was hoping and trusting : so passing 
 into her heart, he was shrined in holiest secrecy. 
 
 To allay the sweet trouble which now possessed her, she 
 closed her eyes, and gentle Slumber came and led her 
 towards the realm of Sleep; whither she glided, dreaming 
 as Genius .dreams, when before his inspired vision there passes 
 some form, which, if wooed to his canvas in all its heavenly 
 color and proportion, will range it in that regal line to whose 
 sovereign sway we yield, joyfully, forevermore. 
 
 But not long was she so lapped in Elysium. Soon awaken 
 ing, morning seemed to come loitering with slow steps up the 
 steep east ; and the mail train appeared to idle on its way. 
 Yet, after long watching and listening, there was a whispering, 
 a buzzing, a panting ; when straight out of a gorge of the hills, 
 like the swoop of an engle, the locomotive came screaming 
 down the ringing rail, bearing brief tidings of safety, over 
 which father and daughter rejoiced and were exceeding glad. 
 
 Many times on that day did Annie look through the note 
 alone, although she knew it by heart, and gaze upon it long ; 
 yet still returned it to lie within her bosom s snowy veil. 
 
 In the course of the morning Annie walked down to the 
 cottage, and seeing no appearance of its having been further 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 455 
 
 invaded, she opened the door and passed in where she 
 found all things as they had been left at the moment of 
 flight. On this, she gradually moved out of the fearful and 
 shadowy apprehensions which had so suddenly darkened the 
 present and trailed down the future, so that sh e received Elery 
 at the gate, in the evening, with a smile, and something of the 
 brightness of hope playing on the surface of the flood of her 
 feelings, as she said, " It is kind of you to come." 
 
 " It is what I ventured to promise," replied he, taking her 
 hand ; " and I hope that you have not been anxious for their 
 safety to-day." 
 
 " Not since receiving your letter ; that, indeed, was a great 
 relief to us, although I saw there was peril which you did not 
 mean to tell me. Was the danger so great as we feared ? " 
 
 " We did not come to actual conflict ; yet, at one moment, 
 only a sword s length divided us. But your friend Jack thinks, 
 though he avoids the confession, that the bolts fell thick where 
 he gave battle ; for he has a broken arm, and is so bruised as 
 not to be able to get off ship, or even look aloft, to-day." 
 
 So, entering the house together, he told her the story as he 
 had gathered it from the lips of the sailor. 
 
 On his finishing the relation, Annie said, " What a night he 
 must have had ! and what service he has rendered us ! Truly, 
 I so honor courage, that, sometimes, I can see no virtue in 
 aught beside ; for it is the spring of all high achievement, and 
 has led the forlorn hope in all Freedom s advances. What 
 power for change lies in a single resolute soul ! And Jack is 
 as generous as he is brave ! O, how Flora has won you all 
 to be her champions ! " 
 
 " Has she not enlisted you also?" he inquired with a smile. 
 
 " Yes, I cheerfully confess it, for she has singular power. 
 What self-control is hers, except when she sees a generous 
 action ! Then, we were friends by nature, and have so en- 
 
456 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 tirely confided in each other, from the first, that it will be 
 painful to separate. Are there no means which we can take 
 to shield and keep her here ? " 
 
 " Not here, I think. Yet we shall watch the clouds for a 
 few days ; as they, in a great measure, will determine what 
 course, and where." 
 
 " If it be not dangerous to her, we must meet before she 
 takes flight again." 
 
 " You may, unless there should be some sudden alarm ; but 
 for a few days it would be safer for me to be your messenger." 
 
 " Will you come frequently, and let me know all ? " 
 
 " If you wish me to do so, it will be my thought throughout 
 the day, and the charm of the evening, unless some unfriendly 
 stroke should fall to prevent my coming. Yet, if I dared to 
 hope that you would welcome me for my own sake, I should 
 think of it with a freer spirit. This is no new thought ; but 
 one that sprang to my lips almost at our first meeting ; yet it 
 has been awed back, until this moment, through fear of wound 
 ing where I adored. But now, seeing something before me 
 which may divide us long, I cannot part from jou, and take 
 aught of peace along with me, without speaking of affection 
 of love, even." And pausing, like some high-swept wave ere 
 it breaks, he tremblingly added, " Tell me, dear Annie, may I 
 hope?" 
 
 On this, Annie s low-veiled eyes were slowly raised to his, 
 as they stood together in the recess of the window, and, with 
 quick-beating heart and heightened color, as though his deep- 
 breathed tones had thrilled congenial chords, she replied, " Love 
 is an infinite word ; a fiower so divine that it made me trem 
 ble when I saw it unfolding. Yet hope seeks no more than 
 yon " 
 
 At this point the sentence was interrupted by a sob, and 
 finished with a kiss love s first, soft, fearful, tearful kiss ; 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 457 
 
 one that leaves melting eyes and " music vows " far behind, 
 while it fills the heart with rapture to become a sainted emo 
 tion within the shrine and amid the incense of Memory. 
 Then, speaking low, Elery said, " I can never hope, dear 
 Annie, to mate you in amenity of manner, culture, or grace of 
 utterance ; and, in all things, I fear that I shall fall far below 
 you ; but I am thine, and thou art mine a thought which 
 runs the circle of the heavens." 
 
 On this he drew her nearer, that he might hear her reply ; 
 but it melted on her lips, 
 
 "The moth s kiss first the bee s kiss now ! " 
 
 ******* 
 
 After this, they met nightly, and the dividing day seemed 
 a long separation. But their conversation, deeply interesting 
 as they found it, was too frequently broken to appear intelli 
 gible in conse cutive record, without the tones, glances, and 
 appliances which made it so to them. Hence, as there are so 
 few whose memory or imagination cannot supply those, the 
 interviews are passed over with the full conviction that not 
 only the appropriate words, but all that can give them music 
 and emotion, will be profusely furnished by every appreciating 
 reader. And yet they gave utterance to feelings, on one even 
 ing, which, as they appear to have more thought than usually 
 pertains to such scenes, may not be unworthy of note. On 
 the occasion referred to, Elery said, " Tell me, dear Annie, 
 when you first loved me." 
 
 " I do not know ; for we love sooner and deeper than we 
 are aware. Yet as I look back, by the light of such hours as 
 these, I learn how Flora s story filled me with the hope of 
 meeting you. And then, having met and parted, I had sad, 
 sweet, half-formed thoughts while musing alone ; and you were 
 39 
 
458 THE MUSTEE, OB 
 
 so mingled with them, that soon I could not help desiring to 
 see you oftener than you came." 
 
 " Yet I feared that you were treating me kindly on Flora s ac 
 count ; and even when I began to hope it were otherwise, I dared 
 not speak ; for I thought that, if there were any suddenness 
 in declaring my feelings, you would look upon me as one who 
 could have but narrow ideas of the infinite consequence." 
 
 " When we know one, as striking events and near observa 
 tion have revealed your heart to mine, if we do not love soon, 
 it seems to me that no after time can awaken the emotion." 
 
 " True ; and, as I think of the circumstances which opened 
 our acquaintance, I believe that Heaven, by its manifest lead 
 ing, designed that we should meet to love, and take the watch 
 of life together. So, through shine and gloom, we will keep 
 the deck, for my heart asks only that and thee." 
 
 " So my heart replies ; and we will shape our course by the 
 stars, bearing on a flame as pure and lustrous as* theirs." 
 
 " Yes ; and as intense," Elery added. " I know not, indeed, 
 how love may appear to others, but to me it opens out in 
 finitely ; so that I feel it to be that irresistible attraction which 
 not only gave me form, but determines my orbit. It is the 
 one cry of iny nature, the one longing of my soul. Without 
 it fame wears no attractive wreath, the saint no glory. Such 
 was love s dream, traced with all gorgeous and tender colors, 
 by fairy pencils, on the dissolving curtains of sleep. And now 
 it is a dream no more, but real as lip to lip can impress it." 
 
 " The world floats by me as a little thing, and the heavens 
 are near. Look there ! " said she, pointing up ; " see how the 
 stars smile on us ! arid the music of their first song is audible 
 through all the passages of my heart. Do you hear it ? " 
 
 " I cannot quite," replied he, kissing her ; " and I shall 
 not let you so turn away from me, even to gaze after the 
 infinite." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 459 
 
 " Do you think I can have such a wish ? when to love and to 
 be loved appear to me to be the hope and the crown of life ? 
 when it is my undying faith that two full according hearts 
 make the charm and the music of existence, while memory 
 lives, or aspiration continues ? " 
 
 I may no more of bliss disclose, 
 Or paint the peace of their repose ; 
 And o er the deeper mystery 
 E en Song itself must silent be. 
 
460 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 
 I was the victim of circumstances. NAPOLEON. 
 
 FRINK and Featherstone being still unconscious, when, un 
 loaded at the watch house, a member of the healing profession 
 was called in. On examination, Featherstone was found to 
 have a broken nose, with some severe contusions ; while his 
 front teeth were generally among the missing. Yet, on the 
 whole, he was not so dangerously wounded but that, by ad 
 ministering the proper restoratives, he, in the course of an 
 hour, so far recovered his senses as to be able to make out 
 where he was, and, consequently, ask to be taken home. 
 
 On this, the one who had him in charge curtly replied, 
 " The doctor advises that you hold on here." 
 
 " But I do not choose to remain," interposed Featherstone. 
 
 " Wai, ole Pill said you might wander a leetle ; but you 
 can t go out o here ; so your best way is not to git fractious 
 about it, or I shall be under the painful necessity of ironin 
 
 you." 
 
 " I say, Smasheyes," hailed a rosy-looking covey, who had 
 been picked up in the early part of the night for trying to 
 quench his thirst in the gutter, or mop it dry with his clothes, 
 " if ye let him do it, you ll be ironed by a flat." 
 
 " I should like to know for what I am detained ? " inquired 
 Featherstone. 
 
 " On y to settle for the leetle amusement you had with the 
 fancy last night. The fiddler says how you owe him a dollar, 
 though he allows that it was ole One-eye who promised it ; 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 461 
 
 yet he reckons as how it makes no difference which on ye 
 called for the music, as you and he were tight friends ; for the 
 last he saw on ye you was a huggin of each other." 
 
 At this point Featherstone had so far recovered that his 
 wounds began to become painful. So he felt of his mouth and 
 for his teeth, and then he touched his nose carefully, as well 
 as many other protuberances of his face and head, when his 
 hand visited the more remote parts of his frame that were 
 complaining. After which he inquired, rather dismally, " How 
 was all this done ? " 
 
 " They du say you stared a leetle tu much for safety." 
 
 From this Featherstone thought it possible that he might 
 have been observed, while watching the house, by some of the 
 inmates, and was knocked down stairs for attempting to enter. 
 So he inquired, " Have you the person who committed the 
 assault in custody ? " 
 
 " 0, yes ; he s hard and fast ; and you shall have an early 
 ticket to appear ag in him ; and I guess you ll win, for you 
 look as how you d had a prize fight, and they du say you got 
 the best on t." 
 
 " But I do not wish to make complaint, or prosecute the 
 matter in any form." 
 
 " O, now you re tu forgivin ; you must prosecute ; the scales 
 of justice 11 grow rusty if ye don t. Your proposition is lib 
 eral, I know, but you oughter be a leetle hard once in a while 
 for the sake of keepin our free institutions a workin , and to 
 help grease the law machinery." 
 
 Perceiving that he must wait until he could speak with some 
 higher official, Featherstone straightened partly up, and limped 
 along to a small looking-glass which hung in the room, to see 
 how he appeared, as he was not quite able to make out the 
 new geography of his face by feeling. For both eyes had 
 gone into full mourning, while his nose looked like a " long 
 39* 
 
462 THE M US TEE, OR 
 
 red," only more crooked, as the end of it was pointed round 
 toward his left ear. And imparting additional novelty, and so 
 heightening the effect of the whole phiz, his gashed upper lip 
 had swelled out and turned up, as if surveying the recent al 
 terations, or else fearing to fall into the cavity which was oc 
 casioned by the sudden departure of the teeth. 
 
 Having satisfied himself with looking, though it took him 
 some time, Featherstone tied his handkerchief over the new 
 and tender developments as well as he could, and, pulling his 
 cloak around him, hobbled to a bench in the dimmest corner, 
 where he waited in silence for the morning. 
 
 The examination of Frink disclosed such a condition that 
 the surgeon ordered him to be immediately removed to the 
 hospital. When there, he was found to have one shoulder 
 badly broken, the scalp laid open across the back of the head, 
 directly under which there was an indentation of the skull, 
 although exhibiting no actual fracture. Yet he did not appear 
 to be in immediate danger of dying, as he breathed with but 
 little difficulty, notwithstanding his big throat was marked with 
 a hand which might have been gauntleted with steel, for it 
 left the blue wherever it had touched. 
 
 The surgeons proceeded to set the shoulder as well as they 
 were able to do under the circumstances, and dressed the 
 wound on the occiput. Yet they could say nothing definite as 
 to the result, for they had no means of knowing the injury 
 which the brain might have received, and time alone could 
 determine it. Such, at least, was the information that James 
 obtained, he having gone forth immediately on Jack s return 
 and communicated to the fugitives. 
 
 When morning came, one of the officers, with whom Feath 
 erstone had some acquaintance, looked in. But seeing that 
 he did not recognize him, the prisoner called him near, and 
 made known his name, with his desire to leave immediately. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 463 
 
 He also entered some complaint touching his unwarrantable 
 detention, and finished with allusions to the "great anxiety 
 which it would cause his family. To which the officer po 
 litely replied, " I hold no authority to permit you to leave, yet 
 I have no doubt but that you can easily establish your inno 
 cence. And as to the witnesses, of course the government 
 will call the inmates of the house, as well as the watchmen 
 who found you ; and if you wish to have any others in court 
 you may give me their names, and they shall be subpoenaed, 
 if they can be found." 
 
 " But what am I charged with?" he inquired impatiently. 
 
 " I understand the allegation to be, that you quarrelled with 
 a gentleman from the south, whom you seriously injured by 
 throwing him down stairs." 
 
 " Did you learn the name of the person ? " 
 
 " I heard it, but it has escaped me." And turning to the 
 man who had Featherstone in charge, he said, " Do you re 
 member the name of the southerner?" 
 
 " I don t think I eclzactly got it; but it sounded sunthin like 
 Chink, or Shrink ; at any rate it began with the same letter. 
 But any how, they allowed he was a large man with on y one 
 eye, and looked as how he d lit a number o duels with broad 
 swords, as one side of his face was all hacked up, and most of 
 his fingers was chopped off." 
 
 The rumor of so bloody a battle soon passed from the pur 
 lieus to the Park, with the usual exaggerations ; yet with 
 quite as much truth, perhaps, as the facts came from the wit 
 nesses in the court of inquiry. 
 
 Before the examination took place, it was known to the 
 southern men, who were tarrying at the hotel from which Bill 
 sallied, that one of their influential fellow-citizens had been 
 seriously if not fatally injured. The circumstance naturally 
 drew them together ; and, while thus standing, an officer 
 
464 THE MUSTEE, OB 
 
 came in, who, knowing at a glance from what quarter of the 
 country they were, approached, and hearing some of their 
 words, said, " As the gentleman of whom you are speaking is 
 unable to appear in court, or give any account of himself, I 
 wish to find some person who will go and identify him." 
 
 Thereupon one of the group inquired, " Whom have they 
 rested for the act ? " 
 
 " The man what did it was found in the same house, and 
 made part of the same heap ; he s a lawyer here by the name 
 of Featherstone." 
 
 Rutledge, who was one of the number, hearing this, said, 
 " I will go, if I can be of any service ; and I may be, as I knew 
 Frink." 
 
 Upon this, Carlo remarked, (for he has been to Paris since 
 we last saw him,) " I might go if you could promise me any 
 amusement ; although Monsieur Frink was not one of our set." 
 
 The officer, however, replied, " I believe one will be suffi 
 cient." 
 
 Soon after, he and Rutledge went out together ; and making 
 the visit and returning to court, they took a seat beside the 
 attorney to communicate the name and residence of the in 
 jured man, so that he might complete his papers. 
 
 On the case being called, Featherstone was conducted into 
 court ; and, when the complaint had been read and the plea 
 entered, the attorney for the government put the woman on 
 the stand who had officiated as Bill s partner in the fore and 
 after. 
 
 That lady being sworn, and having stated her name, the at 
 torney said to her, " Now, my good woman, I want you to go 
 on and communicate to the honorable court what you know 
 about the sad transaction at your house on last night." 
 
 " At the ball, do you mean ? " inquired she. 
 
 " I wish, Fidelia, to have you begin at the beginning of the 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 465 
 
 
 
 quarrel between the prisoner now at the bar and Mr. Frink 
 giving all the melancholy circumstances up to the murderous 
 end." 
 
 On this the counsel for the accused interposed, and, address 
 ing the court, said, "I think my learned brother goes far, 
 much farther, he himself must be aware, than the facts in the 
 case will warrant, when he calls this misfortune a murder." / 
 
 " I believe, may it please your honor, that the learned coun 
 sel is right ; and, when he is, I can think of no rarer pleasure 
 than to acknowledge it. Yet he will readily perceive that the 
 exciting nature of the transaction is calculated to work upon 
 the feelings ; and that on such occasions we use words without 
 being conscious of their full legal import ; therefore, if the 
 court please, I will restate my question in a form which I hope 
 will be free of all objection. Now, Miss Fidelia I believe 
 that is your name." 
 
 " My name is Fidelia Constant." 
 
 "Well now, Miss Fidelia Constant, we wish you to make 
 known to the honorable court what was done in your house by 
 the prisoner at the bar, relative to the assault upon Mr. Frink." 
 And turning to the counsel, that gentleman bowed graciously, 
 seeming to say, " Your language, now, my learned brother, is 
 within the rule ; " while the highly intelligent and carefully 
 cultivated spectators appeared to be astonished and delighted 
 at such a display of legal acumen. 
 
 " Go on now, Fidelia," said the attorney. 
 
 " I can t, for I didn t understand what you asked me." 
 
 Here the court interposed, saying, " I will put the question. 
 Witness, did you see the fight in your house last night ? " 
 
 " Yes, I did ; for it was so near I couldn t help it." 
 
 " Go on then and tell how it happened," said the judge ; 
 and thereupon he looked down on the voters, and they looked 
 up to him, as though he had untied the gordian knot, 
 
466 THE MUSTEE, OB 
 
 * 
 
 " I had been dancing with the big man from the south " 
 
 commenced Fidelia. 
 
 " Does the witness, Mr. Attorney," inquired the court, in 
 terrupting, " refer to the party who is alleged to have been 
 injured ? " 
 
 " Yes, your honor." 
 
 " You may go on, now, witness," said the court. 
 
 "We had been dancin ," again commenced Fidelia, "and 
 were restin , for it was so very warm, or hot, as you may 
 say " 
 
 "I submit," said the counsel, interrupting, "that the ther 
 mometer would be the best evidence of the warmth of the 
 weather." 
 
 " Miss Fidelia," said the attorney, " you need not state any 
 thing concerning the temperature of the atmosphere." 
 
 " I should like to know how I can say any thing about re 
 freshment if you won t let me tell why I took it." 
 
 " We do not wish to hear any thing concerning the refresh 
 ment," said the attorney, gently ; " for that may be objection 
 able matter." 
 
 " You needn t be afeard of my tellin any thing o that 
 kind." 
 
 " I mean that the inquiry is not material," explained the 
 attorney, " and that it might lead to something irrelevant or 
 impertinent." 
 
 " I should like to know what you say that for," sharpened 
 up .the witness. " I say I haven t said a word which looks 
 like bein irreverent or impertinent ; so there ! " 
 
 " O, no, Fidelia, certainly you have not," replied the at 
 torney, soothingly. " You misapprehend me ; I only mean to 
 say that any thing relative to the refreshment could have no 
 bearing on the case." 
 
 " Wai, then, I can t tell any thing about it ; for it broke out 
 at the refreshment," 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 467 
 
 " What broke out ? " inquired the court, impatiently. 
 
 " Why, the rumpus," replied Fidelia. 
 
 " How did it break out ? " the court followed up with. 
 
 " Wai, you see, it was very warm, and the southern planter 
 and I, with a number of others, had been dancin ; so we 
 was quite fatigued, as you may say, and we was very much 
 fatigued, when he, very perlitely, as you may say, gin us an 
 invite to take some refreshment." 
 
 At this point, the counsel interrupted with the inquiry, 
 " Was the prisoner present while you were dancing ? " 
 
 " To tell you the plain truth, I don t think he was ; for I 
 didn t see him and I ve got nothin agin him but the rumpus 
 he kicked up." 
 
 " Then, may it please your honor," delivered the counsel, 
 with appropriate emphasis and gesticulation, " I submit that 
 this testimony, so far as it has gone, is wholly and totally 
 inadmissible." 
 
 " Certainly ; no principle of evidence is more clear than 
 that," decreed the judge. And turning, he said, " Witness, 
 when did you first see the prisoner at the bar ? or rather, at 
 what stage of last night s performance did he come in ? " 
 
 " I believe he slipped in while we was pertakin of the re 
 freshment, as you may say." 
 
 " What did he do then ? " inquired the court. 
 
 " He wouldn t do nothin ; he wouldn t even taste no refresh 
 ment ; and the southern gentleman urged him to give a senti 
 ment for us, but he wouldn t do nothin on y fight, as you 
 may say." 
 
 " Now, Miss Fidelia," said the attorney, wooingly, " tell us 
 how it was." 
 
 " Wai, I will, if they ll let me. My partner in the dance, 
 the gentleman planter from the south, that I spoke about afore, 
 the one who asked us all to take refreshment, on account of 
 
468 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 the extreme heat, as you may say, and I shouldn t have 
 taken it if it hadn t been so warm and muggy, for I never 
 does ; so, as we were goin up, or while we stood round the 
 refreshment, I will not swear sartainly which, the man came 
 up and " 
 
 " What man ? " inquired the counsel, interrupting. 
 
 " Why, the man that rowed so, and scared us e en a most 
 to pieces, as you may say." 
 
 " Well, go on," said the attorney, smiling at the counsel. 
 
 " I don t know whereabouts I was." 
 
 " You, testifying, with the oath of God upon you, against 
 the life of a fellow-creature," exclaimed the counsel, with be 
 coming vehemence, " say now that you do not know where 
 you were ! " 
 
 " I disremembered whereabouts I was in the story, as you 
 may say ; for you keep a tryin to put me aout all the time." 
 
 " You had got where i the man came up ; those are the 
 words, as I have them among my minutes," suggested the 
 court ; " do they agree with yours, gentlemen ? " 
 
 " Yes, your honor, they do with mine," replied the attorney. 
 
 " I have them," said the counsel, reading, " i the man came 
 in a very material difference, I submit." 
 
 " Well, witness, how was it ? " inquired the judge. 
 
 " I said up ; for I didn t see him come in," replied she ; 
 " and you told rne to tell on y what I saw with my own eyes." 
 
 "What did he do when he came up ?" the attorney in 
 quired. 
 
 " Is not that leading ? " queried the counsel. 
 
 But Fidelia had got out of patience ; so, reddening, she 
 raised her voice, saying, " He wouldn t do nothin till he drew 
 back and struck my partner, the planter. Then he clinched 
 him; and, my stars, how they twisted, and squirmed, and 
 wriggled ! and all the whole time the southerner was workin 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 469 
 
 towards the door, a tryin to git away ; and I pitied him so I 
 didn t know what to do ; and while I was a tryin to think 
 how to stop the squabble, the lights was dowst out by the jig- 
 glin , as you may say ; and the next thing I heard " 
 
 " Witness," said the counsel, sharply, " you are not to relate 
 what you heard." 
 
 " I will not press the inquiry further with Miss Fidelia," 
 said the attorney, " as I have ample testimony with regard 
 to the conclusion of the affray." And turning to the coun 
 sel, he added, curtly, as beseems such irreconcilable foes, " She 
 is your witness." 
 
 " You say," said the counsel, taking up the cross-examina 
 tion, "that your name is Fidelia Constant where were you 
 lorn?" 
 
 " I can t remember ; and you say you don t want hearsay 
 evidence." 
 
 "Miss or Mrs. Fidelia Constant, are you a married 
 woman ? " 
 
 " It s none o your business, you good-for-nothin ! " 
 
 " Witness ! you must answer the questions of counsel," 
 ruled the court, " unless, by so doing, you will criminate 
 yourself." 
 
 " But you said, on y a minute ago, how I mustn t tell a single 
 word on y about the fight ; and I ain t agoin to." 
 
 " If you address the court in that manner," threatened the 
 judge, " I shall be under the necessity of punishing you for 
 contempt." 
 
 " I haven t said how I felt any contempt for ye ; and I 
 guess I ve got a right to think jest what I please, as much as 
 other folks." 
 
 Seeing that the judge did not know, between his dignity 
 and his popularity, what course to pursue, the adroit counsel 
 said, " I pray the court to forbear ; as I prefer to waive any 
 40 
 
470 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 further inquiry in that direction, rather than see this creature 
 suffer for her ignorance of the reverence due to the bench." 
 
 " It is a matter of great doubt, with the court, whether it 
 has a right to withhold its hand," the " bench " delivered, after 
 due deliberation. " Yet it will so far yield to the prayer of 
 counsel, as to stay proceedings pending the examination." 
 
 " Miss or Mrs. Fidelia," resumed the counsel, " what kind 
 of refreshment were you taking when this fight, as you say, 
 commenced ? " 
 
 " Don t you believe the fight begun when I swore it did ? " 
 
 " Woman," replied the counsel, " you are here to answer 
 questions, not to ask them. What kind of refreshment was 
 that ? I repeat." 
 
 " What kind of refreshment ? " she echoed. 
 
 " Yes, that was my question, precisely ! " replied the coun 
 sel, standing sidewise to her, with his ear leaned towards her, 
 while looking round very wisely on the spectators ; " and I 
 think it is pretty evident to all of us that you understood it 
 at first." 
 
 On this she said, meekly, " There was a number o kinds of 
 refreshment." 
 
 " I ve no doubt of that ; but what kind did you take ? " 
 
 " Me ? " 
 
 " Yes, you" 
 
 " I took most a tumbler full o water, with a leetle mite o 
 gin not enough to hurt a muskeeter, as you may say." 
 
 " Was it what they call a gin sling, or a gin toddy, or a gin 
 cocktail ? " 
 
 " I don t know nothin about it ; and nobody but you would 
 be mean enough to ask me ; so there ! " 
 
 " What did your partner in the fore and after take ? " 
 
 " He took the same kind I did." 
 
 " How do you know that fact ? " questioned the counsel. 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 471 
 
 " Cause he said he would, out o compliment to me ; and I 
 turned it out myself from the same decanter ; that s how." 
 
 " You took quite a fancy to your accomplished partner 
 didn t you ? " 
 
 " Yes, I did ; for he was a perlite man a great sight more 
 so than you be." 
 
 " You disliked the man that he pitched into ? " queried the 
 counsel. 
 
 " She has not said that he pitched into him," interposed 
 the attorney. " She testified that the injured man was trying 
 to get away." 
 
 " Miss or Mrs. Fidelia, do you know what Mr. Frink came 
 to your house for, on last evening ? " 
 
 " Come to our house for ? " echoed Fidelia, while the spec 
 tators, and most of the attendant lawyers, leaned forward as if 
 fearing to lose a single word. 
 
 " Yes," replied the counsel, while surveying the crowd, " that 
 is what I asked, precisely ! " 
 
 Thereupon, the attorney arose, and, addressing the court, 
 said, " I feel it to be my duty, as an officer of the government, 
 to interpose here ; for I belive that there are some limits, even 
 to a cross examination. And if law be instituted for the pro 
 tection of society, as I hold it to be, then those who are called 
 to the high places of its administration should see that its 
 sanctuary is kept pure ; in this view, if in no other, I appre 
 hend that this honorable court will assert its power, and check 
 the inquiry." 
 
 " I do not see the relevancy of the question," declared the 
 court. 
 
 " May it please your honor," responded the counsel, rising, 
 " suppose Frink told this woman that his bones were aching 
 for a fight, and that he should hurt somebody if he wasn t 
 held. Moreover, I propose to show your honor, by compe- 
 
472 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 tent and unimpeachable testimony, that this same southern 
 planter and gentleman went to her house ripe for a row with 
 any body ; and that he had one, too, of his own raising." 
 
 " Then you are not under the necessity of making the in 
 quiry of this witness," the court remarked. 
 
 " I did it, your honor, because I thought that it would save 
 time. But under the direction of the court I will not press it 
 further. The witness may step down." 
 
 On this Fidelia smiled around as she moved towards her 
 seat, when the counsel, looking up suddenly, said, " There is 
 one question which I omitted if the court will allow me." 
 Receiving a nod from the quarter addressed, he turned to the 
 witness, and added, " Miss Constant, will you step back once 
 more ? only for a moment." 
 
 She having taken the stand again, he inquired, " Do you 
 see the man here with whom Mr. Frink had the quarrel ? " 
 
 " No ! I ve been a lookin , every minute a most, to see him 
 come in." 
 
 " What made you expect that ? " 
 
 " Cause you said the prisoner was at the bar. So I looked 
 round for it, and though I didn t see none, I knew by your 
 appearance there must be one somewheres about ; and I nat- 
 erally s posed he was in it." 
 
 " Then you say, on your oath," emphasized the counsel, 
 " that the man there, with the cloak and bandage on, is not 
 the one who rowed ? " 
 
 " I guess not ; though he s so bundled up I won t say sar- 
 tain ; but if he ll take off his winter harness, and that are 
 bloody dud, I can tell better." 
 
 " Mr. Featherstone," said his counsel, " will you have the 
 goodness to lay aside your outer garment, and remove your 
 handkerchief from your face a moment, only a moment ? " 
 
 When the prisoner had slowly from reluctance or pain 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY 473 
 
 done as was requested, Fidelia, looking at him closely, said, 
 " It ain t him no more n nothin at all, for that man had brown 
 hair and no whiskers, as you may say. But my sakes ! he 
 looks like a blue Monday ! " 
 
 " We do not wish for any of your comparisons, witness," 
 cried the counsel. 
 
 " Wai, I say he does ; he looks as though he was an egg 
 plant, and had been trod on by an elephant. O my ! how he 
 squelched him ! He saw the elephant some where last night, 
 I know he did. My sakes ! " 
 
 As this testimony put a new face on the matter, Feather- 
 stone tied up his again. Thereupon the government placed 
 other witnesses on the stand, who corroborated Fidelia in the 
 fact of identity that being the only point on which they were 
 questioned. 
 
 Then the attorney called the officer who had Feathers tone 
 in charge through the night, and who was among the first on 
 the field of action, and helped to gather up the wounded, to 
 state what he knew of the matter in hearing. To which he 
 replied, " I found Mr. Featherstone, the prisoner at the bar, 
 at the bottom of the stairs with Frink, any way. How they 
 got there I won t pretend to say ; on y they were piled clost, 
 and peared as how they must have lost their understandin 
 nigh about the same place and time, while their mugs looked 
 as if they had a whole hod of brick in their hats when they 
 dove." 
 
 At this point the prisoner arose, and, removing his muffler, 
 said, with very imperfect and seemingly painful articulation, 
 " If the court will indulge me, I can explain the circumstance 
 of which I am the victim." 
 
 After a few moments of deliberation the honorable court 
 graciously assented to the proposition, although it was out of 
 the approved course. For the experience of judges goes to 
 40* 
 
474 THE MUSTEK, B 
 
 show that, when the government has failed to prove the guilt 
 charged, the prisoner does better to rest satisfied, even though 
 he be entirely innocent of the particular offence, rather than 
 take the stand himself, and thus expose the whole course of 
 his life to unpleasant or curious questions. 
 
 Yet Featherstone, availing himself of the permission, said, 
 " In the course of last evening I happened to be passing the 
 house mentioned by the witnesses, and, hearing outcries, 
 rushed in to see if I could render any assistance. But I had 
 only ascended part way up a flight of stairs, when I suppose 
 that I was struck with something, as I can remember nothing 
 further. To which I will add, that I did not see Mr. Frink in 
 that house last night, or any time, or quarrel with any person 
 there, or elsewhere, to my "knowledge." 
 
 On this, Mr. Rutledge, who had remained in the court room, 
 drew his chair near to the attorney, and, talking with him in 
 whispers a moment, that officer turning inquired, " Mr. Feath 
 erstone, have you any acquaintance with William Frink, Esq., 
 of New Orleans ? " 
 
 " I have met a person by that name." 
 
 " Yes, I am aware of that ; as you have just told us that 
 you suppose you met him on the stairs last night. But allow 
 me to ask you, Mr. Featherstone, if you transacted any busi 
 ness with him yesterday ? " 
 
 "I did." 
 
 " What was the nature of that business, if you will indulge 
 me?" 
 
 " As I acted in the capacity of counsel, I am bound not to 
 disclose it." 
 
 " Mr. Featherstone, are you a commissioner for the execu 
 tion of the Fugitive Slave Act ? " 
 
 " I hold an appointment which makes it my duty to enforce 
 that statute if properly applied to." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 475 
 
 " Have you taken any action, under that law, within the past 
 twenty-four hours ? " 
 
 "I have no right to answer such question." 
 
 " Under certain circumstances that is true, Mr. Commis 
 sioner. But I will now put you a question which I know Mr. 
 Featherstone has a right, if he has the inclination, to answer, 
 namely: does Mr. Frink claim any of your blood as his 
 property ? " 
 
 Thereupon Featherstone, turning to the judge, inquired 
 fiercely, " Am I a witness or a prisoner ? or by what warrant 
 am I now held in this court ? " 
 
 " As Mr. Featherstone volunteered to explain," said the at 
 torney, addressing the bench, " we presumed that he might be 
 anxious to clear up the whole mystery. Therefore I will ask 
 the volunteer, Have you, or have you not, issued process which 
 you knew at the time of issuing was intended to tear your own 
 child from freedom, to consign him to bitter and life-long 
 bondage ? " 
 
 " You, Mr. Attorney, are the mere tool of another in these 
 insinuations ; therefore you are beneath my notice. But I am 
 fully aware from whence the questions emanated, and they 
 will not be answered on demand. I shall take my own time, 
 and place, and manner of replying ; yet they shall be re 
 sponded tOj to the entire satisfaction of one of us at least." 
 
 " If I am the one to whom this person addresses his threat," 
 said Rutledge, rising, and in a tone and with a port that 
 thrilled the court, " he may learn that I am not to be turned 
 from my purpose by the menace of a miscreant. Consequent 
 ly, if the attorney chooses to place me on the stand, I will re 
 late this fiend s history until he shall crouch at my feet like a 
 whipped cur, and howl there for mercy ; unless it be that he 
 is as insensible to honor as to justice, as reckless of reputation 
 as of retribution." 
 
 
476 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 Featherstone bent before this, as a snag bows to the wild 
 sweep of the Mississippi s current, while the bitterest mortifi 
 cation and the direst hate entered into his heart to join all the 
 other fell passions and emotions there, and so complete the hell 
 of his bosom. 
 
 At length the court broke the silence by saying, " Gentle 
 men, however mystery may darken around another, in connec 
 tion with the last night s, or any transactions, or wherever 
 suspicion may attach, it is our office to see that it is legally 
 presented to us before we proceed to the investigation ; we 
 cannot try two cases at once. So, Mr. Clerk, let Mr. Feath 
 erstone be discharged from custody ; for it is plain that he is 
 not guilty of the offence set forth in the complaint." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 477 
 
 CHAPTER XLV. 
 
 I the world s volume 
 Our Britain seems as of it, but not in it ; 
 In a great pool, a swan s nest. 
 
 SHAKSPEARE. 
 
 BILL FRINK continued without mental restoration, though 
 physically he was healing fast, for he seemed to have that 
 vitality which enables the snake to move his body long after 
 his head has been crushed, and sometimes even to so far re 
 store it as to answer most of the purposes or wants of his 
 crawling life. 
 
 On hearing of the catastrophe, the Rev. Mr. Frink hastened 
 in to visit his brother, but by no effort could he rouse him to 
 recognition or recollection, for he appeared to have very little 
 notion of any thing. So the divine was obliged to seek else 
 where for the information that he most desired, and inquired 
 for Bill s pocket book and papers of the attendants and of the 
 superintendent, of the officers of the law, and of the landlord, 
 saying to each on receiving their negative, " It is very strange 
 that no one should know any thing of them, as I am certain 
 that my brother had a large sum of money with him, for he 
 was rich, and never travelled without it." 
 
 Finding no solution of the mystery elsewhere, the Rev. 
 Joseph ventured to visit the house in which the unfortunate 
 accident happened, for the purpose of making the same in 
 quiry. On being shown in, he was very politely received by 
 Fidelia, which attention, it must be stated for the sake of the 
 clergyman s moral character, he returned with a contemptuous 
 stare, and a rebukeful snuffing of the air, as it was redolent of 
 
478 THE MUSTEE, OB 
 
 that class of stimulants against which he had elected to point 
 his cannon. The examination, however, was well nigh fruit 
 less, as he found nothing except materials for a sermon, which 
 he thought, and therefore we may think, was a " most lame 
 and impotent conclusion." 
 
 Flora and Fred continued on board the Muse, where, al 
 though somewhat confined to her cabin for a few days, they 
 were secure and happy ; as Elery had frequent and sure 
 intelligence of the condition of Frink, and the opinion was 
 daily gaining confirmation that he would never entirely re 
 cover his senses. 
 
 Annie had been in the city and on board of the ship with 
 her lover, where she passed a day and the night with Flora ; 
 at which time she gave her the outline of a story that delighted 
 her exceedingly, and helped to make her more joyful than she 
 had seemed for many a day. 
 
 They talked of impending changes, also, with Elery ; as it 
 was thought not to be safe for the fugitives to return to the 
 cottage. But, before any thing was determined, Mr. McRae 
 was taken into council, who, after weighing the doubts and 
 considering the circumstances which would continue, for a 
 time at least, to disturb them here, like all true men, still lov 
 ing his fatherland, advised the United Kingdom. To this 
 conclusion Annie was not averse, and talked to Elery of the 
 prospect with a smile and -with a hope. 
 
 After deep and anxious reflection Flora said, " Although I 
 dearly love the land of my fathers, I see that I must leave it 
 for a season, and it may be forever ; because that, under ex 
 isting circumstances, prejudices, and laws, my boy cannot rise 
 up and be a man in the country of his birth ; therefore I desire 
 to pass within the protecting folds of the 4 meteor flag of 
 England." 
 
 On hearing Flora so speak of her place of refuge, Elery was 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 479 
 
 sad ; for he loved his country with the passion of a sailor who 
 seeks to bear her barred ensign in peace or war in the van of 
 nations. But, looking to the constellated stars which floated 
 from his main, he saw and confessed the cloud, yet hopefully 
 believed that it would pass away and leave them unsullied, 
 for he thought that he beheld signs of a wind from the north 
 west. So he acquiesced in the necessity of a " flight into 
 Egypt," (so he called it,) until tnat auspicious breeze should 
 drive back the fogs of the gulf from the sky of the pilgrims. 
 
 Rutledge, also, was consulted; for Flora, having noticed 
 his name among the arrivals at the hotels, told Elery how 
 truly he had been her friend. So the sailor invited him on 
 board his ship, where he and the daughter of Merton met, 
 with mingled sadness and rejoicing ; after which he became a 
 frequent visitor while the Muse remained in port, seeing and 
 admiring Annie; and at length he parted from them with 
 kindly words and tokens, and bright assurances for the future. 
 
 Mr. McEae had many times talked of visiting the land of 
 the Thistle, and Annie had fondly mused the while, 
 
 By heather glade or hazel shade, 
 
 In gloomy gorge or lonely dell, 
 With spots by raid or Genius made 
 
 A glorious tale to tell. 
 
 The change which awaited their friends brought up the sub 
 ject more earnestly and more frequently, until they were per 
 suaded to leave their house in the care of Teaser and a faith 
 ful domestic, and take passage with the fugitives. 
 
 Out on the ocean Annie and Jack walked the Muse s deck 
 many a night hour, while the larboard watch was on duty, 
 for he was mate and James was second, where she listened 
 to the story of his early days, followed by storm and peril on 
 every sea ; and he inhaled gentleness, grace, and enthusiasm 
 
480 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 from her speech ; so each felt and feels the worth of the other. 
 Fred stuck closely to James, and believed in him ; and, mount 
 ing on to every spar and yard of the ship with him, held himself 
 ready to shout " Land, ho ! " whenever it should heave in sight; 
 while Flora was the favorite of all, and rendered herself more 
 dear, if possible, than ever. 
 
 There, too, by day and by night, a slender but active form 
 was often seen beside the captain, walking or seated, and talk 
 ing low, as if their world and wish were within whispering 
 distance ; while the father smiled upon it as though it were all 
 his own, and turned back in fond memory to an earlier day. 
 
 At length Fred had found his* opportunity to shout " Land, 
 ho ! " and the Muse was in port, and the party in Scotland. 
 There, within sight of Stirling s towers, in an ancestral man 
 sion of the MeRae s, they had gathered among gentle kindred 
 and friends, where Elery and Annie were wedded. 
 
 Saddened with excess of feeling, the lovers gave their hands 
 and made their vows. Yet, after those thrilling and solemn 
 moments, and the bright and touching congratulations, they 
 could hardly be called the centre of attraction ; for the sea 
 voyage, or contentment of mind, had rounded the mustee s 
 form to more than its maiden fulness, so that at twenty-seven 
 she seemed more charming of outline than ever, while Thought 
 had wrought her features into his own perfect expression. 
 And as she stood amid the fair beauties of that land, infinite 
 in her variety, her large, dark eyes now dim with emotion, 
 now on fire with intelligence, revealing her to be Oriental in 
 temperament as in hue, she so. filled the imagination with a 
 gorgeous vision of the dim East, as to eyoke the clime of Ind, 
 with its dusk gold, its tawny lions, and its atmosphere with the 
 crimson tinge - those, as it were, the phantom pageant, and 
 this the befitting canopy of a queen who won the enthusiastic 
 admiration of all. 
 
LO.VE AND LIBERTY. 481 
 
 When the guests had departed, and the evening was draw 
 ing to a close, Flora took the hand of her deliverer, and, with 
 smiles and tears, said, " I feel now that I have paid something 
 of my immense debt, for without me you might never have 
 met Annie, or meeting passed unknowing and unknown." 
 
 " Do you think so ? " inquired he, with a playful smile ; but 
 he immediately added, with a thrill of emotion in his utterance, 
 " Yes, my friend, you have paid and overpaid, for it was your 
 fiery trial that exalted me to this. You, indeed, are free." 
 
 And Annie whispered, " I am sure, dear Flora, I could 
 never have loved Frank so entirely and so admiringly if he 
 had not done you such glorious service." 
 
 As they were standing near the open lattice, Elery, point 
 ing to the stars, said, " Hush ! /hear them singing now." But 
 Annie touched him, and met his glance with eyes pleading for 
 silence on that theme, for she thought it a reminiscence too 
 sacred for even Flora s ears. 
 
 O Love ! he who comes to thee with so leal a heart may well 
 hear a strain of music from beyond the stars more sweetly 
 entrancing than that which they chant when a new world joins 
 their shining choir ; for they, to the expanse of heaven, are 
 but as glowworms amid a meadow s green. 
 
 A week, and Annie had gazed on the charming scenes 
 through which the Wizard of the North evermore leads the 
 Lady of the Lake. Yet though standing on the consecrated 
 spot where 
 
 " His chain of gold the king unstrung, 
 The links o er Malcolm s neck he flung, 
 Then gently drew the glittering band, 
 And laid the clasp on Ellen s hand," 
 
 she felt no envy for the daughter of the Douglas ! It is not 
 for her to mourn that the glittering mail, the waving plumes, 
 the rush of the barbed steeds athwart the ringing lists, the 
 41 
 
482 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 splintering lance, and clashing steel are dull and silent all, for 
 she knows that generosity and valor still live, and are glowing 
 in full knightly puissance in a heart devotedly her own. 
 
 Through many a green valley, by many a hoary summit, 
 they travelled in that storied land, quickening their recollec 
 tions and expanding their hearts by contact with the ruins 
 which beauty, heroism, and love have consecrated ; and 
 
 " For which the palace of the present hour 
 Must yield its pomp, and wait till ages are its dower." 
 
 Then, in one of the verdant vales of England, by the brink of 
 bright water, wherein Fred sails the schooner which Jack has 
 given him, in an ancient and picturesque cottage the party 
 found repose. 
 
 There Flora will wait a more auspicious hour to return to 
 her country. Strong in security, happy in rare friendship, 
 happiest of all in the promise of her child, she looks back on 
 the dangers which she has passed with silent and fervent 
 thanksgiving, and forward with serene hope and trust. 
 
 As the friends sat together in the evening twilight, previous 
 to the morning of their separation, talking of past hours and 
 future prospects, Elery remarked, " I have seen care-worn and 
 hunger-wasted faces here, such as never meet me in the States, 
 
 where 
 
 Plenty leaps 
 To laughing life with her redundant horn. 
 
 Yet, I confess, I shall feel more satisfaction in aiding the mind 
 of Fred to unfold here, in a country where color cannot de 
 press or close against him the gates of learning, or the field of 
 
 war, where 
 
 His spur may lance his courser s flank, 
 Before proud chiefs of princely rank, 
 
 or bar him from the great heights of her free debate ; but 
 rather is he invited to all ; there to contend for the palm with 
 the sons of kings and of genius." 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 483 
 
 "Yes," said Annie, "the moral sense of this people is such 
 that to have been a slave is a title to consideration." 
 
 " But look to Ireland, to India," suggested Elery. 
 
 " That is the work of the government," said Mr. McRae ; 
 "and whatever of wrong is therein, the heart of England 
 grieves over it, and will not always suffer it ; for she has 
 achieved a way to the throne, where she utters words of warn 
 ing, or of menace, as freely and as fearlessly as did the proph 
 ets in the presence of the kings of Judah. Even emancipation 
 was carried by a few brave lances, bearing down on serried 
 ranks which were fortified with the appliances of the mer 
 chant, and armed with the remonstrances of the planter. So it 
 will ever be with wrong, however embattled, before the Ithu- 
 riel spear of conscience." 
 
 Those were cheering thoughts to Flora, and she said, 
 " Where freedom is the most sacredly guarded, there is my 
 country. O, may the time soon come when that hope will 
 lead me to my native land and to you ; " and this was the ear 
 nest prayer of all. 
 
 So, on the morrow, they parted from the fugitives to embark 
 
 " Once more upon the waters ! yet once more ! " 
 and sunny was their voyage, and soon they heard 
 
 " The watch-dog s honest bark 
 Bay deep-mouthed welcome as they drew near home." 
 
484 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 CHAPTER XLYI. 
 
 But now tis past, 
 And the spell closes with its silent seal. 
 
 BYRON. 
 
 RUFUS MERTON S sister has nearly accomplished the impor 
 tant work which she had laid out for herself, before visiting 
 Europe; namely, the marriage of her daughters for the 
 eldest has espoused " Fed," and the other is affianced to 
 Carlo ; both men of such wealth as to be above any useful 
 employment ; and their tastes will lead them to bring up their 
 children on the same course, so that they must, at length, 
 strike the rocks of poverty ; to go under, or awake to swim 
 for their lives, and acquire new vigor in the struggle. 
 
 Bill Frink has been placed under guardianship, and put to 
 board in a hospital for the insane. He has entirely recovered 
 his bodily health, but of reason he has only just enough to be 
 unreasonable, with so much of memory as to think that the 
 institution wherein he is confined is a college, and such still- 
 lingering aspiration that he pores, hour on hour, over a child s 
 story book, as though he imagined it would conduct him into 
 that armory where he had supposed that poets and orators 
 found the shining panoply in which they took captive all human 
 hearts, and conquered Time, and chained him to their tri 
 umphal chariots. He, indeed, never heard and, if he had, 
 it was not in his nature to comprehend how the mother 
 of Achilles ascended to the gods to obtain even the material 
 armor for her son ; how much more those polished and far- 
 flaming arms which invest heroes with the power to overthrow 
 and rebuild creeds and institutions ! 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 485 
 
 Even Bill s reverend brother has been subdued, and conse 
 quently improved, as fear is a salutary potion for such natures. 
 When forced to think, as he is, sometimes, that Park may 
 hear of the circumstances which, probably, caused the fugitives 
 to flee, he trembles. Still he can learn nothing that was done 
 by his brother to molest them, although he has made many a 
 cautious but palpitating inquiry; he only knows the coinci 
 dence, and gropes around in darkness and doubt. 
 
 Were it not that Bill s hand may yet appear in it, he would 
 be glad that they were gone, let it be to what place soever ; 
 for he could not always bring himself to speak kindly of Flora, 
 and of Fred he frequently said, " He was the sauciest boy I 
 ever saw ; and he will surely come to some untimely and 
 terrible end." Yet we hope that the child may not suffer 
 from his opinion ; for he likes his school, and reverences his 
 kind and skilful teacher, while he overflows with love for his 
 mother and her friends. On such paths the hand of Heaven 
 may lead him clear of this pious malediction at least let us 
 so trust ; for it has been aforetime predicted, by similar proph 
 ets, of those on whom it came not to pass. 
 
 Mrs. Fardel peruses the dictionary frequently, yet she can 
 not quite satisfy herself which word, among a few, Park in 
 tended to apply to her ; and this leads her to think of Aurelia ; 
 while both considerations have tended to abate something of 
 her zeal in mercenary match-making. 
 
 The mansion of the Vernons appears to be fading back 
 into the gloom in which we found it. The dress of the old 
 gentleman has become worn and faded, his step short and un- 
 elastic, so that he leans more heavily on his staff as he comes 
 out of the back passage, where, pausing on the sidewalk, and 
 seeming to have no aim, or being unable to determine which 
 way to move, he gazes now on vacancy, now upon the ground. 
 
 Mrs. Vernon has again retired to the gloomy region in the 
 41* 
 
486 THE MUSTEE, OR 
 
 rear as only her economy and skill can maintain the house 
 hold. There, industriously but silently, she meets the exi 
 gencies of the hour. Her form does not bend to the weight, 
 neither does her pride ; although the light of her life is paling, 
 so that her atmosphere grows wintry, and hope sinks below 
 the horizon, while night is steadily encroaching with clouds 
 that leave no star. 
 
 Aurelia has obtained a divorce from Featherstone for cru 
 elty, with alimony almost too meagre to spin therefrom the 
 slender thread of subsistence ; for if he had property, he 
 managed to sequester it from her as effectually as from his 
 creditors. So her insane dance is ended ; and if she still lin 
 ger in the dreary house, so haunted with sorrowful thoughts 
 and recollections, it is some consolation to know that he who 
 tempted her to the measure can no more drag her to the floor. 
 If her beauty has faded with her woes, or her garments, the 
 world cares not indeed, observes not ; for she dropped out of 
 their memories when she fell from their sphere ; and she 
 knows not yet where to turn for repose, or hope, or consola 
 tion, but sits in the shadow and accuses Fate. A colony of 
 spiders have taken possession of the deep recesses of the 
 doorway, and stretched their gossamer nets across the entrance 
 where she once passed so often and so gorgeous with the gar 
 niture of Fortune ; for they have run a cord to her cham 
 ber window, and frequently look in upon her listlessness or 
 her despair, to return to their spinning, their snaring, and their 
 feasting, with an instinct of security for many a future day. 
 
 Featherstone, since his night adventure, which had such 
 color of suspicion that it left a stain, has gradually lost what 
 little practice he had of the better sort, and is sinking into a 
 defender of drunkenness, rowdyism, and petty larceny, in the 
 court where he last appeared. Yet he visits Mrs. Summers 
 occasionally, for she still sees something in him to like, and 
 
LOVE AND LIBERTY. 487 
 
 discredits whatever is said against him ; so that even he is not 
 without a friend. 
 
 Though Park is no longer young, he still dreams of love, 
 and is worthy of the tenderest flame that ever filled the eye of 
 beauty with divine light. In him are unsounded depths of 
 affection. His sympathy with the weak, the wronged, and the 
 suffering, is only the overflow of an inexhaustible fountain, 
 which gathers volume as he advances in years. He keeps the 
 course which he pointed out to the convention, alike regardless 
 of sneers, ridicule, and denunciation ; for great names cheer, 
 a stout heart arms, and bright hopes lead him. He joyfully 
 accepts every call to plead against human bondage before the 
 sovereign people; and, in so doing, has taken the tribute of 
 tears and admiration from many of the gifted and graceful of 
 the land. His lofty spirit thirsted for these springs, and they 
 are sweet to his soul. Thus animated, he is sowing the seeds 
 of a glorious harvest ; and though he may not be among the 
 reapers, his name will kindle their enthusiasm and inspire 
 their songs. 
 
THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY