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  \"What!morebread?\"saidJohnJenkins,gruffly。\"You’realwaysaskingformoneyforbread。D——nation!Doyouwanttoruinmebyyourextravagance?\"andasheutteredthesewordshedrewfromhispocketabottleofwhiskey,apipe,andapaperoftobacco。

  Emptyingthefirstatadraught,hethrewtheemptybottleattheheadofhiseldestboy,ayouthoftwelvesummers。Themissilestruckthechildfullinthetemple,andstretchedhimalifelesscorpse。Mrs。Jenkins,whomthereaderwillhardlyrecognizeastheoncegayandbeautifulMaryJones,raisedthedeadbodyofhersoninherarms,andcarefullyplacingtheunfortunateyouthbesidethepumpinthebackyard,returnedwithsaddenedsteptothehouse。

  Atanothertime,andinbrighterdays,shemighthaveweptattheoccurrence。Shewaspasttearsnow。

  \"Father,yourconductisreprehensible!\"saidlittleHarrisonJenkins,theyoungestboy。\"Wheredoyouexpecttogowhenyoudie?\"

  \"Ah!\"saidJohnJenkins,fiercely;\"thiscomesofgivingchildrenaliberaleducation;thisistheresultofSabbathschools。Down,viper!\"

  AtumblerthrownfromthesameparentalfistlaidouttheyouthfulHarrisoncold。Thefourotherchildrenhad,inthemeantime,gatheredaroundthetablewithanxiousexpectancy。Withachuckle,thenowchangedandbrutalJohnJenkinsproducedfourpipes,and,fillingthemwithtobacco,handedonetoeachofhisoffspringandbadethemsmoke。\"It’sbetterthanbread!\"laughedthewretchhoarsely。

  MaryJenkins,thoughofapatientnature,feltitherdutynowtospeak。\"Ihavebornemuch,JohnJenkins,\"shesaid。\"ButIpreferthatthechildrenshouldnotsmoke。Itisanuncleanhabit,andsoilstheirclothes。Iaskthisasaspecialfavor!\"

  JohnJenkinshesitated,——thepangsofremorsebegantoseizehim。

  \"Promisemethis,John!\"urgedMaryuponherknees。

  \"Ipromise!\"reluctantlyansweredJohn。

  \"Andyouwillputthemoneyinasavings-bank?\"

  \"Iwill,\"repeatedherhusband;\"andI’LLgiveupsmoking,too。\"

  \"’Tiswell,JohnJenkins!\"saidJudgeBoompointer,appearingsuddenlyfrombehindthedoor,wherehehadbeenconcealedduringthisinterview。\"Noblysaid!myman。Cheerup!Iwillseethatthechildrenaredecentlyburied。\"Thehusbandandwifefellintoeachother’sarms。AndJudgeBoompointer,gazingupontheaffectingspectacle,burstintotears。

  FromthatdayJohnJenkinswasanalteredman。

  NOTITLE。

  ByW——LK——EC——LL——NS。

  PROLOGUE。

  Thefollowingadvertisementappearedinthe\"Times\"ofthe17thofJune,1845:——

  WANTED。——Afewyoungmenforalightgenteelemployment。

  AddressJ。W。,P。O。

  Inthesamepaper,ofsamedate,inanothercolumn:——

  TOLET。——Thatcommodiousandelegantfamilymansion,No。27

  LimehouseRoad,Pultneyville,willberentedlowtoarespectabletenantifappliedforimmediately,thefamilybeingabouttoremovetothecontinent。

  Underthelocalintelligence,inanothercolumn:——

  MISSING。——AnunknownelderlygentlemanaweekagolefthislodgingsintheKentRoad,sincewhichnothinghasbeenheardofhim。Heleftnotraceofhisidentityexceptaportmanteaucontainingacoupleofshirtsmarked\"209,WARD。\"

  Tofindtheconnectionbetweenthemysteriousdisappearanceoftheelderlygentlemanandtheanonymouscommunication,therelevancyofboththeseincidentstothelettingofacommodiousfamilymansion,andthedeadsecretinvolvedinthethreeoccurrences,isthetaskofthewriterofthishistory。

  Aslimyoungmanwithspectacles,alargehat,drabgaiters,andanote-book,satlatethatnightwithacopyofthe\"Times\"beforehim,andapencilwhichherattlednervouslybetweenhisteethinthecoffee-roomofthe\"BlueDragon。\"

  CHAPTERI。

  MARYJONES’SNARRATIVE。

  IamupperhousemaidtothefamilythatliveatNo。27LimehouseRoad,Pultneyville。IhavebeenrequestedbyMr。WilkeyCollings,whichItakesthelibertyofherestatingisagentlemanbornandbred,andhassomeconsiderationforthefeelingsofservants,andisnotaboverewardingthemfortheirtrouble,whichismorethanyoucansayforsomewhoaskquestionsandgetsshortanswersenough,graciousknows,totellwhatIknowaboutthem。Ihavebeenrequestedtotellmystoryinmyownlangwidge,though,beingnoschollard,mindcannotconceive。Ithinkmymasterisabrute。

  Donotknowthathehaseverattemptedtopoisonmymissus,——whichistoogoodforhim,andhowsheevercametomarryhim,heartonlycantell,——butbelievehimtobecapableofanysuchhatrosity。

  Haveheardhimsweardreadfulbecauseofnothavinghisshaving-

  wateratnineo’clockprecisely。Donotknowwhetherheeverforgedawillortriedtogetmymissus’property,although,nothavingconfidenceintheman,shouldnotbesurprisedifhehaddoneso。Believethattherewasalwayssomethingmysteriousinhisconduct。Rememberdistinctlyhowthefamilylefthometogoabroad。Wasputtingupmybackhair,lastSaturdaymorning,whenI

  heardaring。Sayscook,\"That’smissus’bell,andmindyouhurryorthemaster’illknowwhy。\"SaysI,\"Humblythankingyou,mem,buttakingadviceofthemasiscompetenttogiveit,I’lltakemytime。\"Foundmissusdressingherselfandmastergrowlingasusual。

  Saysmissus,quitecalmandeasylike,\"Mary,webegintopackto-

  day。\"\"Whatfor,mem?\"saysI,takenaback。\"What’sthathussyasking?\"saysmasterfromthebedclothesquitesavagelike。\"FortheContinent——Italy,\"saysmissus——\"CanyougoMary?\"Hervoicewasquitegentleandsaintlike,butIknewthestruggleitcost,andsaysI,\"WithYOUmem,toIndia’storridclime,ifrequired,butwithAfricanGorillas,\"saysI,lookingtowardthebed,\"never。\"\"Leavetheroom,\"saysmaster,startingupandcatchingofhisbootjack。\"WhyCharles!\"saysmissus,\"howyoutalk!\"

  affectingsurprise。\"DogoMary,\"saysshe,slippingahalf-crownintomyhand。Ilefttheroomscorningtotakenoticeoftheodiouswretch’sconduct。

  Cannotsaywhethermymasterandmissuswereeverlegallymarried。

  Whatwiththedreadfulstateofmoralsnowadaysandthemstoriesinthecirculatinglibraries,innocentgirlsdon’tknowintowhatsocietytheymightbeobligedtotakesituations。Neversawmissus’marriagecertificate,thoughIhavequiteaccidental-likelookedinherdeskwhenopen,andwouldhaveseenit。Donotknowofanyloversmissusmighthavehad。BelieveshehadalikingforJohnThomas,footman,forshewasalwaysspiteful-like——poorlady——

  whenweweretogether——thoughtherewasnothingbetweenus,asCookwellknows,anddarenotdeny,andmissusneedn’thavebeenjealous。HaveneverseenarsenicorPrussianacidinanyoftheprivatedrawers——buthaveseenparegoricandcamphor。Oneofmymaster’sfriendswasaCountMoscow,aRussianpapist——whichI

  detested。

  CHAPTERII。

  THESLIMYOUNGMAN’SSTORY。

  Iambyprofessionareporter,andwriterforthepress。IliveatPultneyville。Ihavealwayshadapassionforthemarvellous,andhavebeendistinguishedformyfacilityintracingoutmysteries,andsolvingenigmaticaloccurrences。Onthenightofthe17thJune,1845,Ileftmyofficeandwalkedhomeward。Thenightwasbrightandstarlight。IwasrevolvinginmymindthewordsofasingularitemIhadjustreadinthe\"Times。\"Ihadreachedthedarkestportionoftheroad,andfoundmyselfmechanicallyrepeating:\"AnelderlygentlemanaweekagolefthislodgingsontheKentRoad,\"whensuddenlyIheardastepbehindme。

  Iturnedquickly,withanexpressionofhorrorinmyface,andbythelightofthenewlyrisenmoonbeheldanelderlygentleman,withgreencottonumbrella,approachingme。Hishair,whichwassnowwhite,waspartedoverabroad,openforehead。Theexpressionofhisface,whichwasslightlyflushed,wasthatofamiabilityvergingalmostuponimbecility。Therewasastrange,inquiringlookaboutthewidelyopenedmildblueeye,——alookthatmighthavebeenintensifiedtoinsanity,ormodifiedtoidiocy。Ashepassedme,hepausedandpartlyturnedhisface,withagestureofinquiry。Iseehimstill,hiswhitelocksblowingintheeveningbreeze,hishatalittleonthebackofhishead,andhisfigurepaintedinreliefagainstthedarkbluesky。

  Suddenlyheturnedhismildeyefulluponme。Aweaksmileplayedabouthisthinlips。Inavoicewhichhadsomethingofthetremulousnessofageandtheself-satisfiedchuckleofimbecilityinit,heasked,pointingtotherisingmoon,\"Why?——hush!\"

  Hehaddodgedbehindme,andappearedtobelookinganxiouslydowntheroad。Icouldfeelhisagedframeshakingwithterrorashelaidhisthinhandsuponmyshouldersandfacedmeinthedirectionofthesupposeddanger。

  \"Hush!didyounothearthemcoming?\"

  Ilistened;therewasnosoundbutthesoughingoftheroadsidetreesintheeveningwind。Iendeavoredtoreassurehim,withsuchsuccessthatinafewmomentstheoldweaksmileappearedonhisbenevolentface。

  \"Why?——\"Butthelookofinterrogationwassucceededbyahopelessblankness。

  \"Why!\"Irepeatedwithassuringaccents。

  \"Why,\"hesaid,agleamofintelligenceflickeringoverhisface,\"isyondermoon,asshesailsintheblueempyrean,castingafloodoflighto’erhillanddale,like——Why,\"herepeated,withafeeblesmile,\"isyondermoon,asshesailsintheblueempyrean——\"

  Hehesitated,——stammered,——andgazedatmehopelessly,withthetearsdrippingfromhismoistandwidelyopenedeyes。

  Itookhishandkindlyinmyown。\"Castingashadowo’erhillanddale,\"Irepeatedquietly,leadinghimupthesubject,\"like——

  Come,now。\"

  \"Ah!\"hesaid,pressingmyhandtremulously,\"youknowit?\"

  \"Ido。Whyisitlike——the——eh——thecommodiousmansionontheLimehouseRoad?\"

  Ablankstareonlyfollowed。Heshookhisheadsadly。\"Liketheyoungmenwantedforalight,genteelemployment?\"

  Hewaggedhisfeebleoldheadcunningly。

  \"Or,Mr。Ward,\"Isaid,withboldconfidence,\"likethemysteriousdisappearancefromtheKentRoad?\"

  Themomentwasfullofsuspense。Hedidnotseemtohearme。

  Suddenlyheturned。

  \"Ha!\"

  Idartedforward。Buthehadvanishedinthedarkness。

  CHAPTERIII。

  NO。27LIMEHOUSEROAD。

  Itwasahotmidsummerevening。LimehouseRoadwasdesertedsavebydustandafewrattlingbutchers’carts,andthebellofthemuffinandcrumpetman。Acommodiousmansion,whichstoodontherightoftheroadasyouenterPultneyville,surroundedbystatelypoplarsandahighfencesurmountedbyachevauxdefriseofbrokenglass,lookedtothepassingandfootsorepedestrianlikethegeniusofseclusionandsolitude。Abillannouncingintheusualtermsthatthehousewastolet,hungfromthebellattheservants’entrance。

  Astheshadesofeveningclosed,andthelongshadowsofthepoplarsstretchedacrosstheroad,amancarryingasmallkettlestoppedandgazed,firstatthebillandthenatthehouse。Whenhehadreachedthecornerofthefence,heagainstoppedandlookedcautiouslyupanddowntheroad。Apparentlysatisfiedwiththeresultofhisscrutiny,hedeliberatelysathimselfdowninthedarkshadowofthefence,andatoncebusiedhimselfinsomeemployment,sowellconcealedastobeinvisibletothegazeofpassers-by。Attheendofanhourheretiredcautiously。

  Butnotaltogetherunseen。Aslimyoungman,withspectaclesandnote-book,steppedfrombehindatreeastheretreatingfigureoftheintruderwaslostinthetwilight,andtransferredfromthefencetohisnote-bookthefreshlystencilledinscription,\"S——T——

  1860——X。\"

  CHAPTERIV。

  COUNTMOSCOW’SNARRATIVE。

  Iamaforeigner。Observe!TobeaforeignerinEnglandistobemysterious,suspicious,intriguing。M。Collinshasrequestedthehistoryofmycomplicitywithcertainoccurrences。Itisnothing,bah!absolutelynothing。

  Iwritewitheaseandfluency。WhyshouldInotwrite?Tralala?

  IamwhatyouEnglishcallcorpulent。Ha,ha!IamapupilofMacchiavelli。Ifinditmuchbettertodisbelieveeverything,andtoapproachmysubjectandwishescircuitously,thaninadirectmanner。Youhaveobservedthatplayfulanimal,thecat。Callit,anditdoesnotcometoyoudirectly,butrubsitselfagainstallthefurnitureintheroom,andreachesyoufinally——andscratches。

  Ah,ha,scratches!Iamofthefelinespecies。Peoplecallmeavillain——bah!

  Iknowthefamily,livingNo。27LimehouseRoad。Irespectthegentleman,——afine,burlyspecimenofyourEnglishman,——andmadame,charming,ravishing,delightful。Whenitbecameknowntomethattheydesignedtolettheirdelightfulresidence,andvisitforeignshores,Iatoncecalleduponthem。Ikissedthehandofmadame。

  IembracedthegreatEnglishman。Madameblushedslightly。ThegreatEnglishmanshookmyhandlikeamastiff。

  Ibeganinthatdexterous,insinuatingmanner,ofwhichIamtrulyproud。Ithoughtmadamewasill。Ah,no。Achange,then,wasallthatwasrequired。Isatdownatthepianoandsang。Inafewminutesmadameretired。Iwasalonewithmyfriend。

  Seizinghishand,Ibeganwitheverydemonstrationofcourteoussympathy。Idonotrepeatmywords,formyintentionwasconveyedmoreinaccent,emphasis,andmanner,thanspeech。Ihintedtohimthathehadanotherwifeliving。Isuggestedthatthiswasbalanced——ha!——byhiswife’slover。That,possibly,hewishedtofly;hencethelettingofhisdelightfulmansion。ThatheregularlyandsystematicallybeathiswifeintheEnglishmanner,andthatsherepeatedlydeceivedme。Italkedofhope,ofconsolation,ofremedy。Icarelesslyproducedabottleofstrychnineandasmallvialofstramoniumfrommypocket,andenlargedontheefficiencyofdrugs。Hisface,whichhadgraduallybecomeconvulsed,suddenlybecamefixedwithafrightfulexpression。Hestartedtohisfeet,androared:\"Youd——dFrenchman!\"

  Iinstantlychangedmytactics,andendeavoredtoembracehim。Hekickedmetwice,violently。Ibeggedpermissiontokissmadame’shand。Herepliedbythrowingmedownstairs。

  Iaminbedwithmyheadboundup,andbeef-steaksuponmyeyes,butstillconfidentandbuoyant。IhavenotlostfaithinMacchiavelli。Tralala!astheysingintheopera。Ikisseverybody’shands。

  CHAPTERV。

  DR。DIGGS’SSTATEMENT。

  MynameisDavidDiggs。Iamasurgeon,livingatNo。9TottenhamCourt。Onthe15thofJune,1854,IwascalledtoseeanelderlygentlemanlodgingontheKentRoad。Foundhimhighlyexcited,withstrongfebrilesymptoms,pulse120,increasing。RepeatedincoherentlywhatIjudgedtobethepopularformofaconundrum。

  Oncloserexaminationfoundacutehydrocephalusandbothlobesofthebrainrapidlyfillingwithwater。Inconsultationwithaneminentphrenologist,itwasfurtherdiscoveredthatalltheorgansweremoreorlessobliterated,exceptthatofComparison。Hencethepatientwasenabledtoonlydistinguishthemostcommonpointsofresemblancebetweenobjects,withoutdrawinguponotherfaculties,suchasIdealityorLanguage,forassistance。Laterinthedayfoundhimsinking,——beingevidentlyunabletocarrythemostordinaryconundrumtoasuccessfulissue。ExhibitedTinct。

  Val。,Ext。Opii,andCamphor,andprescribedquietandemollients。

  Onthe17ththepatientwasmissing。

  CHAPTERLAST。

  STATEMENTOFTHEPUBLISHER。

  Onthe18thofJune,Mr。WilkieCollinsleftarollofmanuscriptwithusforpublication,withouttitleordirection,sincewhichtimehehasnotbeenheardfrom。Inspiteofthecareoftheproof-readers,andvaluableliteraryassistance,itisfearedthatthecontinuityofthestoryhasbeendestroyedbysomeaccidentalmisplacingofchaptersduringitsprogress。Howandwhatchaptersaresomisplaced,thepublisherleavestoanindulgentpublictodiscover。

  NN。

  BEINGANOVELINTHEFRENCHPARAGRAPHICSTYLE。

  ——Mademoiselle,IsweartoyouthatIloveyou。

  ——Youwhoreadthesepages。Youwhoturnyourburningeyesuponthesewords——wordsthatItrace——Ah,Heaven!thethoughtmaddensme。

  ——Iwillbecalm。IwillimitatethereserveofthefestiveEnglishman,whowearsaspottedhandkerchiefwhichhecallsaBelchio,whoeatsbiftek,andcaressesabulldog。Iwillsubduemyselflikehim。

  ——Ha!Poto-beer!Allright——Goddam!

  ——Or,Iwillconductmyselfasthefree-bornAmerican——thegayBrotherJonathan!Iwillwhittlemeastick。Iwillwhistletomyself\"YankeeDoodle,\"andforgetmypassioninexcessiveexpectoration。

  ——Hoho!——wakesnakesandwalkchalks。

  Theworldisdividedintotwogreatdivisions,——Parisandtheprovinces。ThereisbutoneParis。Thereareseveralprovinces,amongwhichmaybenumberedEngland,America,Russia,andItaly。

  NN。wasaParisian。

  ButNN。didnotliveinParis。DropaParisianintheprovinces,andyoudropapartofPariswithhim。DrophiminSenegambia,andinthreedayshewillgiveyouanomelettesoufflee,orapatedefoiegras,servedbytheneatestofSenegambianfilles,whomhewillcallMademoiselle。Inthreeweekshewillgiveyouanopera。

  NN。wasnotdroppedinSenegambia,butinSanFrancisco,——quiteasawkward。

  TheyfindgoldinSanFrancisco,buttheydon’tunderstandgilding。

  NN。existedthreeyearsinthisplace。Hebecamebaldonthetopofhishead,asallParisiansdo。LookdownfromyourboxattheOperaComique,Mademoiselle,andcountthebaldcrownsofthefastyoungmeninthepit。Ah——youtremble!Theyshowwherethearrowsoflovehavestruckandglancedoff。

  NN。wasalsonear-sighted,asallParisiansfinallybecome。ThisisagallantprovisionofNaturetosparethemthemortificationofobservingthattheirladyfriendsgrowold。AfteracertainageeverywomanishandsometoaParisian。

  Oneday,NN。waswalkingdownWashingtonstreet。Suddenlyhestopped。

  Hewasstandingbeforethedoorofamantuamaker。Besidethecounter,atthefartherextremityoftheshop,stoodayoungandelegantlyformedwoman。HerfacewasturnedfromNN。Heentered。

  Withaplausibleexcuse,andseemingindifference,hegracefullyopenedconversationwiththemantuamakerasonlyaParisiancan。

  ButhehadtodealwithaParisian。Hisattemptstoviewthefeaturesofthefairstrangerbythecounterweredeftlycombatedbytheshop-woman。Hewasobligedtoretire。

  NN。wenthomeandlosthisappetite。Hewashauntedbytheelegantbasqueandgracefulshouldersofthefairunknown,duringthewholenight。

  Thenextdayhesaunteredbythemantuamaker。Ah!Heavens!A

  thrillranthroughhisframe,andhisfingerstingledwithadeliciouselectricity。Thefairinconnuewasthere!Heraisedhishatgracefully。Hewasnotcertain,buthethoughtthataslightmotionofherfaultlessbonnetbetrayedrecognition。Hewouldhavewildlydartedintotheshop,butjustthenthefigureofthemantuamakerappearedinthedoorway。

  ——DidMonsieurwishanything?

  Misfortune!Desperation。NN。purchasedabottleofPrussicacid,asackofcharcoal,andaquireofpinknote-paper,andreturnedhome。Hewrotealetteroffarewelltothecloselyfittingbasque,andopenedthebottleofPrussicacid。

  Someoneknockedathisdoor。ItwasaChinaman,withhisweeklylinen。

  TheseChinesearedocile,butnotintelligent。Theyareingenious,butnotcreative。Theyarecunninginexpedients,butdeficientintact。Inlovetheyaresimplybarbarous。Theypurchasetheirwivesopenly,andnotconstructivelybyattorney。Byofferingsmallsumsfortheirsweethearts,theydegradethevalueofthesex。

  Nevertheless,NN。felthewassaved。HeexplainedalltothefaithfulMongolian,andexhibitedtheletterhehadwritten。Heimploredhimtodeliverit。

  TheMongolianassented。Theracearenotcleanlyorsweet-savored,butNN。felluponhisneck。Heembracedhimwithonehand,andclosedhisnostrilswiththeother。Throughhim,hefeltheclaspedtheclose-fittingbasque。

  Thenextdaywasoneofagonyandsuspense。Eveningcame,butnoMercy。NN。litthecharcoal。But,tocomposehisnerves,heclosedhisdoorandfirstwalkedmildlyupanddownMontgomerySteeet。Whenhereturned,hefoundthefaithfulMongolianonthesteps。

  ——Alllity!

  TheseChinesearenotaccurateintheirpronunciation。Theyavoidther,liketheEnglishnobleman。

  NN。gaspedforbreath。HeleanedheavilyagainsttheChinaman。

  ——Thenyouhaveseenher,ChingLong?

  ——Yes。Alllity。Shecum。Topsideofhouse。

  Thedocilebarbarianpointedupthestairs,andchuckled。

  ——Shehere——impossible!Ah,Heaven!doIdream?

  ——Yes。Alllity,——topsideofhouse。Goodby,John。

  ThisisthefamiliarpartingepithetoftheMongolian。Itisequivalenttoouraurevoir。

  NN。gazedwithastupefiedaironthedepartingservant。

  Heplacedhishandonhisthrobbingheart。Shehere,——alonebeneaththisroof。OHeavens,whathappiness!

  Buthow?Tornfromherhome。Ruthlesslydragged,perhaps,fromhereveningdevotions,bythehandsofarelentlessbarbarian。

  Couldsheforgivehim?

  Hedashedfranticallyupthestairs。Heopenedthedoor。Shewasstandingbesidehiscouchwithavertedface。

  Astrangegiddinessovertookhim。Hesankuponhiskneesatthethreshold。

  ——Pardon,pardon。Myangel,canyouforgiveme?

  Aterriblenauseanowseemedaddedtothefearfulgiddiness。Hisutterancegrewthickandsluggish。

  ——Speak,speak,enchantress。ForgivenessisallIask。MyLove,myLife!

  Shedidnotanswer。Hestaggeredtohisfeet。Asherose,hiseyesfellonthepanofburningcharcoal。Aterriblesuspicionflashedacrosshismind。Thisgiddiness,——thisnausea。Theignoranceofthebarbarian。Thissilence。Omercifulheavens!shewasdying!

  Hecrawledtowardher。Hetouchedher。Shefellforwardwithalifelesssounduponthefloor。Heutteredapiercingshriek,andthrewhimselfbesideher。

  *****

  Afileofgendarmes,accompaniedbytheChefBurke,foundhimthenextmorninglyinglifelessuponthefloor。Theylaughedbrutally,——thesecruelminionsofthelaw,——anddisengagedhisarmfromthewaistofthewoodendummywhichtheyhadcometoreclaimforthemantuamaker。

  Emptyingafewbucketfulsofwateroverhisform,theyfinallysucceededinrobbinghim,notonlyofhismistress,butofthatDeathhehadcovetedwithouther。

  Ah!weliveinastrangeworld,Messieurs。

  FANTINE。

  AFTERTHEFRENCHOFVICTORHUGO。

  PROLOGUE。

  Aslongasthereshallexistthreeparadoxes,amoralFrenchman,areligiousAtheist,andabelievingsceptic;solong,infact,asbooksellersshallwait——saytwenty-fiveyears——foranewgospel;solongaspapershallremaincheapandinkthreesousabottle,I

  havenohesitationinsayingthatsuchbooksasthesearenotutterlyprofitless。

  VICTORHUGO。

  I。

  Tobegoodistobequeer。Whatisagoodman?BishopMyriel。

  Myfriend,youwillpossiblyobjecttothis。Youwillsayyouknowwhatagoodmanis。Perhapsyouwillsayyourclergymanisagoodman,forinstance。

  Bah!youaremistaken;youareanEnglishman,andanEnglishmanisabeast。

  Englishmenthinktheyaremoralwhentheyareonlyserious。TheseEnglishmenalsowearill-shapedhats,anddresshorribly!

  Bah!theyarecanaille。

  Still,BishopMyrielwasagoodman,——quiteasgoodasyou。Betterthanyou,infact。

  OnedayM。MyrielwasinParis。Thisangelusedtowalkaboutthestreetslikeanyotherman。Hewasnotproud,thoughfine-looking。

  Well,threegaminsdePariscalledhimbadnames。Saysone:——

  \"Ah,monDieu!theregoesapriest;lookoutforyoureggsandchickens!\"

  Whatdidthisgoodmando?Hecalledtothemkindly。

  \"Mychildren,\"saidhe,\"thisisclearlynotyourfault。I

  recognizeinthisinsultandirreverenceonlythefaultofyourimmediateprogenitors。Letusprayforyourimmediateprogenitors。\"

  Theykneltdownandprayedfortheirimmediateprogenitors。

  Theeffectwastouching。

  TheBishoplookedcalmlyaround。

  \"Onreflection,\"saidhe,gravely,\"Iwasmistaken;thisisclearlythefaultofSociety。LetusprayforSociety。\"

  TheykneltdownandprayedforSociety。

  Theeffectwassublimeryet。Whatdoyouthinkofthat?You,I

  mean。

  EverybodyremembersthestoryoftheBishopandMotherNezRetrousse。OldMotherNezRetrousesoldasparagus。Shewaspoor;

  there’sagreatdealofmeaninginthatword,myfriend。Somepeoplesay\"poorbuthonest。\"Isay,Bah!

  BishopMyrielboughtsixbunchesofasparagus。Thisgoodmanhadonecharmingfailing;hewasfondofasparagus。Hegaveherafrancandreceivedthreesouschange。

  Thesouswerebad,——counterfeit。WhatdidthisgoodBishopdo?Hesaid:\"Ishouldnothavetakenchangefromapoorwoman。\"

  Thenafterwards,tohishousekeeper:\"Nevertakechangefromapoorwoman。\"

  Thenheaddedtohimself:\"Forthesouswillprobablybebad。\"

  II。

  Whenamancommitsacrime,societyclapshiminprison。Aprisonisoneoftheworsthotelsimaginable。Thepeopletherearelowandvulgar。Thebutterisbad,thecoffeeisgreen。Ah,itishorrible!

  Inprison,asinabadhotel,amansoonloses,notonlyhismorals,butwhatismuchworsetoaFrenchman,hissenseofrefinementanddelicacy。

  JeanValjeancamefromprisonwithconfusednotionsofsociety。Heforgotthemodernpeculiaritiesofhospitality。SohewalkedoffwiththeBishop’scandlesticks。

  Letusconsider:candlestickswerestolen;thatwasevident。

  SocietyputJeanValjeaninprison;thatwasevident,too。Inprison,Societytookawayhisrefinement;thatisevident,likewise。

  WhoisSociety?

  YouandIareSociety。

  Myfriend,youandIstolethosecandlesticks!

  III。

  TheBishopthoughtso,too。Hemeditatedprofoundlyforsixdays。

  OnthemorningoftheseventhhewenttothePrefectureofPolice。

  Hesaid:\"Monsieur,havemearrested。Ihavestolencandlesticks。\"

  TheofficialwasgovernedbythelawofSociety,andrefused。

  WhatdidthisBishopdo?

  Hehadacharmingballandchainmade,affixedtohisleg,andworeittherestofhislife。

  Thisisafact!

  IV。

  Loveisamystery。

  Alittlefriendofminedowninthecountry,atAuvergne,saidtomeoneday:\"Victor,Loveistheworld,——itcontainseverything。\"

  Shewasonlysixteen,thissharp-wittedlittlegirl,andabeautifulblonde。Shethoughteverythingofme。

  Fantinewasoneofthosewomenwhodowronginthemostvirtuousandtouchingmanner。ThisisapeculiarityofFrenchgrisettes。

  YouareanEnglishman,andyoudon’tunderstand。Learn,myfriend,learn。CometoParisandimproveyourmorals。

  Fantinewasthesoulofmodesty。Shealwaysworehigh-neckdresses。High-neckdressesareasignofmodesty。

  FantinelovedTholmoyes。Why?MyGod!Whatareyoutodo?Itwasthefaultofherparents,andshehadn’tany。Howshallyouteachher?Youmustteachtheparentifyouwishtoeducatethechild。Howwouldyoubecomevirtuous?

  Teachyourgrandmother!

  V。

  WhenTholmoyesranawayfromFantine,——whichwasdoneinacharming,gentlemanlymanner,——Fantinebecameconvincedthatarigidsenseofproprietymightlookuponherconductasimmoral。

  Shewasacreatureofsensitiveness,——andhereyeswereopened。

  Shewasvirtuousstill,andresolvedtobreakofftheliaisonatonce。

  Sosheputupherwardrobeandbabyinabundle。Childasshewas,shelovedthemboth。ThenleftParis。

  VI。

  Fantine’snativeplacehadchanged。

  M。Madeline——anangel,andinventorofjetwork——hadbeenteachingthevillagershowtomakespuriousjet。

  Thisisaprogressiveage。ThoseAmericans,——childrenoftheWest,——theymakenutmegsoutofwood。

  I,myself,haveseenhamsmadeofpine,inthewigwamsofthosechildrenoftheforest。

  Butcivilizationhasacquireddeceptiontoo。Societyismadeupofdeception。EventhebestFrenchsociety。

  Stilltherewasonesincereepisode。

  Eh?

  TheFrenchRevolution!

  VII。

  M。Madelinewas,ifanything,betterthanMyriel。

  M。Myrielwasasaint。M。Madelineagoodman。

  M。Myrielwasdead。M。Madelinewasliving。

  Thatmadeallthedifference。

  M。Madelinemadevirtueprofitable。Ihaveseenitwritten:——

  \"Bevirtuousandyouwillbehappy。\"

  WheredidIseethiswritten?InthemodernBible?No。IntheKoran?No。InRousseau?No。Diderot?No。Wherethen?

  Inacopy-book。

  VIII。

  M。MadelinewasM。leMaire。

  Thisishowitcameabout。

  Foralongtimeherefusedthehonor。Onedayanoldwoman,standingonthesteps,said:——

  \"Bah,agoodmayorisagoodthing。

  \"Youareagoodthing。

  \"Beagoodmayor。\"

  Thiswomanwasarhetorician。Sheunderstoodinductiveratiocination。

  IX。

  WhenthisgoodM。Madeline,whomthereaderwillperceivemusthavebeenaformerconvict,andaverybadman,gavehimselfuptojusticeastherealJeanValjean,aboutthissametime,Fantinewasturnedawayfromthemanufactory,andmetwithanumberoflossesfromsociety。Societyattackedher,andthisiswhatshelost:——

  Firstherlover。

  Thenherchild。

  Thenherplace。

  Thenherhair。

  Thenherteeth。

  Thenherliberty。

  Thenherlife。

  Whatdoyouthinkofsocietyafterthat?Itellyouthepresentsocialsystemisahumbug。

  X。

  ThisisnecessarilytheendofFantine。Thereareotherthingsthatwillbestatedinothervolumestofollow。Don’tbealarmed;

  thereareplentyofmiserablepeopleleft。

  Aurevoir——myfriend。

  \"LAFEMME。\"

  AFTERTHEFRENCHOFM。MICHELET。

  I。

  WOMENASANINSTITUTION。

  \"Ifitwerenotforwomen,fewofuswouldatpresentbeinexistence。\"Thisistheremarkofacautiousanddiscreetwriter。

  Hewasalsosagaciousandintelligent。

  Woman!Lookuponherandadmireher。Gazeuponherandloveher。

  Ifshewishestoembraceyou,permither。Remembersheisweakandyouarestrong。

  Butdon’ttreatherunkindly。Don’tmakelovetoanotherwomanbeforeherface,evenifshebeyourwife。Don’tdoit。Alwaysbepolite,evenshouldshefancysomebodybetterthanyou。

  Ifyourmother,mydearAmadis,hadnotfanciedyourfatherbetterthansomebody,youmighthavebeenthatsomebody’sson。Considerthis。Alwaysbeaphilosopher,evenaboutwomen。

  Fewmenunderstandwomen。Frenchmen,perhaps,betterthananyoneelse。IamaFrenchman。

  II。

  THEINFANT。

  Sheisachild——alittlething——aninfant。

  Shehasamotherandfather。Letussuppose,forexample,theyaremarried。Letusbemoralifwecannotbehappyandfree——theyaremarried——perhaps——theyloveoneanother——whoknows?

  Butsheknowsnothingofthis;sheisaninfant——asmallthing——atrifle!

  Sheisnotlovelyatfirst。Itiscruel,perhaps,butsheisred,andpositivelyugly。Shefeelsthiskeenlyandcries。Sheweeps。

  Ah,myGod,howsheweeps!Hercriesandlamentationsnowarereallydistressing。

  Tearsstreamfromherinfloods。ShefeelsdeeplyandcopiouslylikeM。AlphonsedeLamartineinhisConfessions。

  Ifyouarehermother,Madame,youwillfancyworms;youwillexamineherlinenforpins,andwhatnot。Ah,hypocrite!you,evenYOU,misunderstandher。

  Yetshehascharmingnaturalimpulses。Seehowshetossesherdimpledarms。Shelookslonginglyathermother。Shehasalanguageofherown。Shesays,\"googoo,\"and\"gaga。\"

  Shedemandssomething——thisinfant!

  Sheisfaint,poorthing。Shefamishes。Shewishestoberestored。Restoreher,Mother!

  Itisthefirstdutyofamothertorestoreherchild!

  III。

  THEDOLL。

  Sheishardlyabletowalk;shealreadytottersundertheweightofadoll。

  Itisacharmingandelegantaffair。Ithaspinkcheeksandpurple-blackhair。Sheprefersbrunettes,forshehasalready,withthequickknowledgeofaFrenchinfant,perceivedsheisablonde,andthatherdollcannotrivalher。MonDieu,howtouching!Happychild!Shespendshoursinpreparingitstoilet。

  Shebeginstoshowhertasteintheexquisitedetailsofitsdress。

  Shelovesitmadly,devotedly。Shewillpreferittobonbons。Shealreadyanticipatesthewealthofloveshewillhereafterpouroutonherlover,hermother,herfather,andfinally,perhaps,herhusband。

  Thisisthetimetheanxiousparentwillguidethesefirstoutpourings。ShewillreadherextractsfromMichelet’sL’Amour,Rousseau’sHeloise,andtheRevuedesdeuxMondes。

  IV。

  THEMUDPIE。

  Shewasintearsto-day。

  Shehadstolenawayfromherbonneandwaswithsomerusticinfants。Theyhadnosesintheair,andlarge,coarsehandsandfeet。

  Theyhadseatedthemselvesaroundapoolintheroad,andwerefashioningfantasticshapesintheclayeysoilwiththeirhands。

  Herthroatswelledandhereyessparkledwithdelightas,forthefirsttime,hersoftpalmstouchedtheplasticmud。Shemadeagracefulandlovelypie。Shestuffeditwithstonesforalmondsandplums。Sheforgoteverything。Itwasbeingbakedinthesolarrays,whenmadamecameandtookheraway。

  Sheweeps。Itisnight,andsheisweepingstill。

  V。

  HERFIRSTLOVE。

  Shenolongerdoubtsherbeauty。Sheisloved。Shesawhimsecretly。Heisvivaciousandsprightly。Heisfamous。HehasalreadyhadanaffairwithFinfin,thefilledechambre,andpoorFinfinisdesolate。Heisnoble。SheknowsheisthesonofMadamelaBaronneCouturiere。Sheadoreshim。

  Sheaffectsnottonoticehim。Poorlittlething!Hippolyteisdistracted——annihilated——inconsolableandcharming。

  Sheadmireshisboots,hiscravat,hislittlegloveshisexquisitepantaloons——hiscoat,andcane。

  Sheofferstorunawaywithhim。Heistransported,butmagnanimous。Heiswearied,perhaps。SheseeshimthenextdayofferingflowerstothedaughterofMadamelaComtesseBlanchisseuse。

  Sheisagainintears。

  ShereadsPauletVirginie。Sheissecretlytransported。Whenshereadshowtheexemplaryyoungwomanlaiddownherliferatherthanappearendeshabilletoherlover,sheweepsagain。TastefulandvirtuousBernardinedeSt。Pierre!——thedaughtersofFranceadmireyou!

  Allthistimeherdollisheadlessinthecabinet。Themudpieisbrokenontheroad。

  VI。

  THEWIFE。

  Sheistiredoflovingandshemarries。

  Hermotherthinksit,onthewhole,thebestthing。Asthedayapproaches,sheisfoundfrequentlyintears。Hermotherwillnotpermittheaffiancedonetoseeher,andhemakesseveralattemptstocommitsuicide。

  Butsomethinghappens。Perhapsitiswinter,andthewateriscold。Perhapstherearenotenoughpeoplepresenttowitnesshisheroism。

  Inthiswayherfuturehusbandissparedtoher。ThewaysofProvidenceareindeedmysterious。Atthistimehermotherwilltalkwithher。Shewillofferphilosophy。Shewilltellhershewasmarriedherself。

  Butwhatisthisnewandravishinglightthatbreaksuponher?Thetoiletandweddingclothes!Sheisinanewsphere。

  Shemakesoutherlistinherowncharmingwriting。Hereitis。

  Leteverymotherheedit。*

  *****

  *****

  Sheismarried。Onthedayafter,shemeetsheroldlover,Hippolyte。Heisagaintransported。

  *ThedelicatereaderwillappreciatetheomissionofcertainarticlesforwhichEnglishsynonymesareforbidden。

  VII。

  HEROLDAGE。

  AFrenchwomannevergrowsold。

  MARYMCGILLUP。

  ASOUTHERNNOVEL。

  AFTERBELLEBOYD。

  WITHANINTRODUCTIONBYG。A。S——LA。

  INTRODUCTION。

  \"Willyouwritemeup?\"

  ThescenewasnearTempleBar。ThespeakerwasthefamousrebelMaryMcGillup,——ayounggirloffragileframe,andlong,lustrousblackhair。Imustconfessthatthequestionwasapeculiarone,and,underthecircumstances,somewhatpuzzling。ItwastrueIhadbeenkindlytreatedbytheNortherners,and,thoughprejudicedagainstthem,wastosomeextentunderobligationstothem。ItwastruethatIknewlittleornothingofAmericanpolitics,history,orgeography。ButwhendidanEnglishwritereverweighsuchtrifles?Turningtothespeaker,Iinquiredwithsomecautiontheamountofpecuniarycompensationofferedforthework。

  \"Sir!\"shesaid,drawingherfragileformtoitsfullheight,\"youinsultme,——youinsulttheSouth。\"

  \"Butlookyehere,d’yesee——thetin——theblunt——theready——thestiff;youknow。Don’tyesee,wecan’tdowithoutthat,youknow!\"

  Itshallbecontingentonthesuccessofthestory,\"sheansweredhaughtily。\"Inthemeantimetakethispreciousgem。\"Anddrawingadiamondringfromherfinger,sheplaceditwitharollofMSS。

  inmyhandsandvanished。

  AlthoughunabletoprocuremorethanL12s。6d。fromanintelligentpawnbrokertowhomIstatedthecircumstancesandwithwhomIpledgedthering,mysympathieswiththecauseofadowntroddenandchivalrouspeoplewereatonceenlisted。IcouldnothelpwonderingthatinrichEngland,thehomeoftheoppressedandthefree,ayoungandlovelywomanlikethefairauthorofthosepagesshouldbeobligedtothuspawnherjewels——hermarriagegift——forthemeanstoprocureherbread!WiththeexceptionoftheEnglisharistocracy,——whomuchresemblethem,——IdonotknowofaclassofpeoplethatIsomuchadmireastheSouthernplanters。

  MayIbecomebetteracquaintedwithboth!

  Sincewritingtheabove,thenewsofMr。Lincoln’sassassinationhasreachedme。ItisenoughformetosaythatIamdissatisfiedwiththeresult。Idonotattempttoexcusetheassassin。YettherewillbemenwhowillchargethisactuponthechivalrousSouth。Thisleadsmetorepeataremarkoncebeforemadebymeinthisconnectionwhichhasbecomejustlycelebrated。Itisthis:——

  \"Itisusual,incasesofmurder,tolookforthecriminalamongthosewhoexpecttobebenefitedbythecrime。InthedeathofLincoln,hisimmediatesuccessorinofficealonereceivesthebenefitofhisdying。\"

  IfherMajestyQueenVictoriawereassassinated,whichHeavenforbid,theonemostbenefitedbyherdeceasewould,ofcourse,behisRoyalHighnessthePrinceofWales,herimmediatesuccessor。

  Itwouldbeunnecessarytostatethatsuspicionwouldatoncepointtotherealculprit,whichwouldofcoursebehisRoyalHighness。

  Thisislogic。

  ButIhavedone。AfterhavingthusstatedmyopinioninfavoroftheSouth,IwouldmerelyremarkthatthereisOnewhojudgethallthings,——whoweigheththecausebetweenbrotherandbrother,——andawardeththeperfectretribution;andwhoseultimatedecisionI,asaBritishsubject,haveonlyanticipated。

  G。A。S。

  CHAPTERI。

  EveryreaderofBelleBoyd’snarrativewillrememberanallusiontoa\"lovely,fragile-lookinggirlofnineteen,\"whorivalledBelleBoydindevotiontotheSoutherncause,andwho,likeher,earnedtheenviabledistinctionofbeinga\"rebelspy。\"

  Iamthat\"fragile\"youngcreature。AlthoughonfriendlytermswiththelateMissBoyd,nowMrs。Hardinge,candorcompelsmetostatethatnothingbutourcommonpoliticspreventsmefromexposingtheungenerousspiritshehasdisplayedinthisallusion。

  Tobedismissedinasingleparagraphafteryearsof——ButI

  anticipate。Toputupwiththisfeebleandforcedacknowledgmentofservicesrenderedwouldbeaconfessionofacravenspirit,which,thankGod,though\"fragile\"andonly\"nineteen,\"Idonotpossess。Imaynothavethe\"bloodofaHoward\"inmyveins,assomepeople,whomIshallnotdisgracemyselfbynaming,claimtohave,butIhaveyettolearnthattheraceofMcGillupeveryetbrookedslightorinsult。IshallnotsaythatattentionincertainquartersseemstohaveturnedSOMEPEOPLE’Sheads;northatitwouldhavebeenmoredelicateifcertainfolkshadkeptquietonthesubjectoftheircourtship,andtherejectionofcertainoffers,whenitisknownthattheirforwardconductwasallthatprocuredthemahusband!Thankheaven,theSouthhassomedaughterswhoareabovesuchbaseconsiderations!Whilenothingshalltemptmetorevealthepromisestoshareequallythefameofcertainenterprises,whichweremadebyonewhoshallnowbenameless,Ihavedeemeditonlyjusttomyselftoputmyownadventuresuponrecord。Iftheyarenotequaltothoseofanotherindividual,itisbecause,though\"fragile,\"myeducationhastaughtmetohavesomeconsiderationforthetruth。Iamdone。

  CHAPTERII。

  IwasborninMissouri。MydislikefortheNorthernscumwasinherent。Thiswasshown,atanearlyage,intheextremedistasteIexhibitedforWebster’sspelling-book,——theworkofawell-knownEasternAbolitionist。Icannotbetoogratefulfortheconsiderationshownbymychivalrousfather,——agentlemanoftheoldschool,——whoresistedtothelastanattempttointroduceMitchell’sAstronomyandGeographyintothepublicschoolofourdistrict。WhenIstatethatthissameMitchellbecameafterwardahirelinghelotintheYankeeArmy,everyintelligentreaderwillappreciatethepropheticdiscriminationofthistruesonoftheSouth。

  IwaseightyearsoldwhenIstruckthefirstblowforSouthernfreedomagainsttheNorthernTyrant。Itishardlynecessarytostatethatinthisinstancetheoppressorwasapale,overworkedNewEngland\"schoolmarm。\"TheprincipleforwhichIwascontending,Ifelt,however,tobethesame。Resentinganaffrontputuponme,Ionedayheavedarock*attheheadoftheVandalschoolmistress。Iwasseizedandoverpowered。MypenfaltersasI

  reachtheclimax。Englishreaderswillnotgivecredittothissickeningstory,——thecivilizedworldwillavertitshead,——butI,MaryMcGillup,waspubliclySPANKED!

  *NOTE,BYG。A。S。——IntheSouthwest,anystonelargerthanapeaistermed\"arock。\"

  CHAPTERIII。

  Butthechaoticvortexofcivilwarapproached,andfelldestruction,oftenprocrastinated,broodedinstorm。*AstheEnglishpeoplemayliketoknowwhatwasreallytheoriginoftherebellion,Ihavenohesitationingivingthemthetrueandonlycause。Slaveryhadnothingtodowithit,althoughtheviolationoftheDeclarationofIndependence,inthedisregardbytheNorthoftheFugitiveSlaveLaw,**mighthaveprovokedalessfierypeoplethantheSouthrons。AttheinceptionofthestrugglealargeamountofSouthernindebtednesswasheldbythepeopleoftheNorth。Toforcepaymentfromthegenerousbutinsolventdebtor——toobtainliquidationfromtheSouthernplanter——wasreallythesoullessandmercenaryobjectofthecravenNortherners。LetthecommonpeopleofEnglandlooktothis。Lettheimprovidentliteraryhack;thestarvedimpecuniousGrubStreetdebtor;thenewspaperfrequenterofsponging-houses,rememberthisintheircriticismsofthevileandslavishYankee。

  *Imakenopretensiontofinewriting,butperhapsMrs。Hardingecanlayoverthat。O,ofcourse!M。McG。

  **TheDeclarationofIndependencegrantstoeachsubject\"thepursuitoflife,liberty,andhappiness。\"Afugitiveslavemaybesaidtopersonify\"life,liberty,andhappiness。\"Hencehispursuitisreallylegal。Thisislogic。G。A。S。

  CHAPTERIV。

  TheroastingofanAbolitionist,byagreatlyinfuriatedcommunity,wasmyfirsttasteofthehorrorsofcivilwar。Heavens!WhywilltheNorthpersistinthisfratricidalwarfare?TheexpulsionofseveralUnionrefugees,whichsoonfollowed,nowfairlyplungedmybelovedStateintheseethingvortex。

  Iwassittingatthepianooneafternoon,singingthatstirringrefrain,sojustlycelebrated,butwhichacravenspirit,unworthyofEngland,hasexcludedfromsomeofherprincipalrestaurants,andwasdwellingwithsomeenthusiasmonthefollowingline:——

  \"Huzza!shespurnstheNorthernscum!\"

  whenafragmentofthatscum,clothedinthatdetestableblueuniformwhichisthesymbolofoppression,enteredtheapartment。

  \"Ihavethehonorofaddressingthecelebratedrebelspy,MissMcGillup,\"saidtheVandalofficer。

  InamomentIwasperfectlycalm。Withtheexceptionofslightlyexpectoratingtwiceinthefaceoftheminion,Ididnotbetraymyagitation。Haughtily,yetfirmly,Ireplied:——

  \"Iam。\"

  \"Youlookedasifyoumightbe,\"thebrutereplied,asheturnedonhisheeltoleavetheapartment。

  InaninstantIthrewmyselfbeforehim。\"Youshallnotleaveherethus,\"Ishrieked,grapplinghimwithanenergywhichnoone,seeingmyfrailfigure,wouldhavebelieved。\"Iknowthereputationofyourhirelingcrew。Ireadyourdreadfulpurposeinyoureye。Tellmenotthatyourdesignsarenotsinister。Youcameheretoinsultme,——tokissme,perhaps。Yousha’n’t,——younaughtyman。Goaway!\"

  TheblushofconsciousdegradationrosetothecheekoftheLincolnhirelingasheturnedhisfaceawayfrommine。

  InaninstantIdrewmypistolfrommybelt,which,inanticipationofsomesuchoutrage,Ialwayscarried,andshothim。

  CHAPTERV。

  \"Thyfortewaslesstoactthanspeak,Maryland!

  Thypoliticswerechangedeachweek,Maryland!

  WithNorthernVandalsthouwastmeek,Withsympathizersthouwouldstshriek,Iknowthee——O,’twaslikethycheek!

  Maryland!myMaryland!\"

  Aftercommittingtheactdescribedintheprecedingchapter,whicheveryEnglishreaderwillpardon,Iwentupstairs,putonacleanpairofstockings,and,placingaroseinmylustrousblackhair,proceededatoncetothecampofGeneralsPriceandMosbytoputtheminpossessionofinformationwhichwouldleadtothedestructionofaportionoftheFederalArmy。DuringagreatpartofmyflightIwasexposedtoarunningfirefromtheFederalpicketsofsuchcoarseexpressionsas,\"Goit,SallyReb,\"\"Dustit,myConfederatebeauty,\"butIsucceededinreachingthegloriousSoutherncampuninjured。

  InaweekafterwardsIwasarrested,byalettredecachetofMr。

  Stanton,andplacedintheBastile。Britishreadersofmystorywillexpresssurpriseattheseterms,butIassurethemthatnotonlythesearticlesbuttumbrils,guillotines,andconciergerieswereinactiveuseamongtheFederals。Ifsubstantiationberequired,IrefertotheCharlestonMercury,theonlyreliableorgan,nexttotheNewYorkDailyNews,publishedinthecountry。

  AttheBastileImadetheacquaintanceoftheaccomplishedandelegantauthorofGuyLivingstone,*towhomIpresentedacuriouslycarvedthigh-boneofaUnionofficer,andfromwhomIreceivedthefollowingbeautifulacknowledgment:——

  \"Demoiselle:——ShouldIeverwinhametomyaincountrie,ImakemineavowtoenshrineinmyreliquairethiselegantbijouterieandofferingofLaBelleRebelle。Nay,methinksthisfractionofman’sanatomyweresomecompensationfortheriblostbythe’grandoldgardener,’Adam。\"

  *TherecentconductofMr。Livingstonerendershimunworthyofmynotice。HisdisgustingpraiseofBelleBoyd,andcompleteignoringofmyclaims,showtheartfulnessofsomefemalesandpuppyismofsomemen。M。McG。

  CHAPTERVI。

  ReleasedatlastfromdurancevileandplacedonboardofanEriecanal-boat,onmywaytoCanada,Iforamomentbreathedthesweetsofliberty。PerhapstheintervalgavemeopportunitytoindulgeincertainreverieswhichIhadhithertosternlydismissed。HenryBreckinridgeFolair,aconsistentcopperhead,captainofthecanal-

  boat,againandagainpressedthatsuitIhadsooftenrejected。

  Itwasalovelymoonlightnight。Wesatonthedeckoftheglidingcraft。Themoonbeamandthelashofthedriverfellsoftlyontheflanksoftheoffhorse,andonlythesurgingofthetow-ropebrokethesilence。Folair’sarmclaspedmywaist。Isufferedittoremain。Placinginmylapasmallbutnotungratefulrollofcheckerberrylozenges,hetooktheoccasiontorepeatsoftlyinmyearthewordsofamottohehadjustunwrapped——withitsgracefulcoveringofthetissuepaper——fromasugaralmond。Theheartofthewickedlittlerebel,MaryMcGillup,waswon!

  ThestoryofMaryMcGillupisdone。Imighthaveaddedthejournalofmyhusband,HenryBreckinridgeFolair,butasitreferschieflytohisfreights,andascheduleofhispassengers,Ihavebeenobliged,reluctantly,tosuppressit。

  ItisduetomyfriendstosaythatIhavebeenrequestednottowritethisbook。Expressionshavereachedmyears,thereverseofcomplimentary。Ihavebeentoldthatitspublicationwillprobablyinsuremybanishmentforlife。Beitso。IfthecauseforwhichI

  laboredhavebeensubserved,Iamcontent。

  LONDON,May,1865。

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