Southern Argus. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1834-1842, 1840-01-21

shown him that love and tenderness which from
the wretched moment Of his birth he had new
or known, that he should have taught HIM to
hate his own parent and execrate his very
name, that he should now know and feel all
this sad triumph in the recollection, was gaIl
and madness to the usurer's heart. The dead
boys love for Nicholas and the attachment Of
Nicholas to him, was insupportable agony.
The picture of his death-bed. with Nicholas at
his side tending and supporting him, and he
breathing out his thanks and expiring in his
arms, when he would have had them mortal
enemies and hating each other to the last,
drove him frantic. He CRASHED his teeth and
smote the air, and looking wildly round, with
eye which CLEANED through the darkness, cri-
cd alo nd:
I" am trampled down and ruined The
wretch told me true. The night has come.
Is there no way to rob them of further triumph
and spurn theirmercy and compassion! Is there
no devil to help me %
Swiftly there glidud again into his brain the
figure he had raised that night. 1t seemed to
lie before him. The head was covered now.
So it was when he first saw it. The rigid, up
turned, marble feet, he remembered we'll
Then came before him the pale and trembling
relatives who had told their tale upon the m
quest-the shrieks ofwomen--the silent dread
Os men-the CONSERVATION and disquiet-the
victory achieved by that heap of clay which
with one motion Gifts hand had let out the life
and made thus stir among them
He spoke no more, but after pause softly
CROPPED his way out of the room, and up the
echomg stairs--up to the top--to the front gar
ret-where he closed the door behind him and
remained
1t was mere lumber room now, but it yet
contained an old dismantled bedstead the one
on which his son had slept, for no other had
ever been there. He avoided it hastily, and
sat down as far from it as he could.
The weakened glare of the lights in the
street below, SHINING through the window
which had no blind or curtain to intercept it,
was enough to show the character ofthe room,
though not sufficiently fully to reveal the va
rious articles of lumber, old corded trunks and
broken furniture, which We're scattered about.
It had shelving roof high in one part, and at
another descending almost to the floor. 1t was
towards the highest part that Ralph directed
his eyes, and upon it he kept them fixed
steadily for some minutes, when he arose, and
dragging thither an old chest ugpS5n which he
had been seated. -HRN6dnted upon it, and felt
along tx. The Wall above his head with both
hands. At length they touched large iron
hook fImly driven into one Of the beams.
At that moment he was interrupted by a loud
knocking at the door below. After little
hesitation he opened the window, and deman-
ded who it was.
"Iwant Mr.. Nickleby," replied voice.
"What with him!
"That's not Mr.. Nickleby's voice, surely"
was the reioinder.
1t was not like it; but it was Ralph who
spoke, and so he sad.
The voice made answer that the twin bro
theirs wished to know whether the man. whom
he had seen that night was to be detained, and
that although it was now midnight they had
sent, IN their anxiety to do right.
"Yes," said Ralph, "detain him till to-mor-
row; then let them bring him here-him and
my nephew-and come themselves, and be sure
that Twill be ready to receive them.'
" At what hour asked the voice.
"At any hour" replied Ralph, fiercely. ain
the afternoon, tell them. At any hour-at any
minute-all times will be alike to me-"
He listened to the mans retreating footsteps
until the sound had passed, and then gazing up
into the sky saw, or thought he saw, The same
black cloud that had seemed to follow him
home, and which now appeared to hover over
the house.
a know its meaning now," he muttered,
sand the restless nights, the dreams, and why
have quailed of late-all pointed to.this. Oh
if men by selling their own souls could ride
rampant for term for how short term would
barter mine tonight"
The sound Of deep bell came along the
wind. One.
"Lie on!' cried the usurer; "with your
iron tongue ring merrily for births that make
expectants writhe, and marriagesth that are made
in hell, and toll ruefully for the dead whose
shoes are worn already. Call men TO prayers
who are godly because not found out, and ring
chimes for the coming in of every year that
brings Ibis cursed world nearer to its end. No
bell or book for me; throw me on dunghl,
and let me rot there to infect the air."
With wild look around, in which frenzy,
hatred and despair were horribly mingled, he
shook his clenched hand at the sky above him,
which was still dark and threatening, and
closed the window.
| The ram and hail battered against the glass,
the chimneys quaked- and rocked; the crazy
easement ratified with the wind as though an
impatient hand inside were striving to burst it
open. But no hand was there, and it opened
no more.
"How's this!" cries one, 'ihe gentlemen
say they can't make anybody hear, and have
been trying these two hours.'
"And yet he came home last night" said
another, sfor he spoke to somebody out of that
window up stairs.
They were alittIe knot of men, and the win
dow being mentioned went out in the road to
look up at it. This occasioned their observing
that the house was still close shut, as the house,
keeper had said she had left IT on the previous
night, and led to a great many suggestions,
| which terminated in two or three of the bodest
getting round to the back and so entering by a
window, while the others remained outside in
impatient expectation.
They looked into all the rooms below, OPEN
| ing the shutters as they went to admit the ia
ding light; and still finding nobody, and eve-
rything quiet and in its place, doubted whether
they should 90 farther. One man, however,
remarklng that they had not been into the
garnet, and that it was there he had been last
seen, they agreed to look there too. and went
up softly, for the mystery and silence made
them timid.
After they had stood for an instant on the
landing eyeing each other, he who had pro-
posed their carrying the search so far turned
the handle of the door, and pushing it open
looked through the chink, and fell back direct
| ly.
Its very odd," he whispered, she's hiding
behind the door look!
They pressed forward to see, but one among
them thrusting the others aside with loud
exclamation, drew clasp knife from his pock-
ct, and dashing into the room cut down the
body.
He had torn a rope from one of the old
trunks and hung himself on an iron hook imme-
4 II l. - Al.