第4章

类别:其他 作者:Bret Harte字数:20281更新时间:19/01/03 09:28:19
\"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。