Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1855-09-13


places, winding and doubling like fox; tn
:. best topographer in London could not hav
l. followed him. AT last he came to Il YER
} pretty house in the Regents Park-a hous
II ,, evidently inhabited by gentlewoman o
fortune, as well as of taste; for all the ap
pointments were in such perfect keeping, ant
+ there was such wealth of costly simplicity
/. about it as could only belong to both these
e conditions. The broker looked up at the
window AZ he came beneath it, and little
y girl of about fourteen or fifleen-but young
and slight of her age-Ieanng out frou
among the gcraniums, cried, in answer tc
his look, 'Why. Joe, how late you are to,
S nightn
, That sweet voice! The old man used to
, say himself, that he would not exchange its
'Joe' for good fppun' note He nodded
to her afectionately, and carefully scraping
his shoes, opened the door, and went in with
the air Of man who knows that he will be
welcome. He took off his hat and cloak
and put them away In dark corner, and
then, clean and respectable looking, he went
up stairs to the drawing-room
A lady, still beautiful and still young
young at least for the mother of a child of
hfteen-was sitting there, embrodering. -
Surrounded with every luxury and every
beauty in that lone home, like
bird in golden cage-how strange the chance
which had thrown together anything so
graceful as that lady and that old Jew broker.
Yet they We're well acquainted; that they
were even friends for she rose when he en-
tered, and advanced towards him kindly, and
shook hands with him, and drew forward the
best easy chair for him, and petted him as
women only can pet, without any visible
over tact. But all that Joe seemed to wish
for was TO sit little, and watch her as she
bent over her embroidery, and to hear
her say again that she was contented and
happy.
And are you certain, sure you want for
nothing" inquired Joe; nor Miss Margaret,
neither?'
Nothing, Joe, nothing;' and the sweet
lady looked up afectonately, as if she had
spoken to father
That's enough-that is all want NUT
tered Joe; and then he went back into the |
denib of h;r--..I-..-s- 's'o" Z 5'unrfhS
round the room, as if to see that all was
riuht, and to find out where he could alter
and improve. After this had gone on for
short time, Joe Mappin asked for Margaret
in an uncouth way, strangely soitened, like
a mastif partly mesmerised. The lady rang
the bell, and Margaret came. 1t seemed TO
be the usual way in which she was summon
ed when the broker was there, for she came
at once, without giving the servant time to
call her. She also showed the most un-
affected gratitude and love for the old man,
running up to him, and taking his hand, call
ing him Dear Joe, as if she meant it.
And is there nothing that the little lady
wnnts" said Joe, pattlng her head and
smoothing down her curls. Has she gowns
and bonnets enough, lady? for you know she
has but to ask to have.
why, Joe, don't wear such irock in
aweekn said Margaret, laughing; and
vas only last Tuesday that you gave me that
b'auty though had MT yet half worn my
bhe silk
| Joe Mappin drew her between his knees,
aid held her face in his hands. Silver and
pld isn't good enough for you BOTH he
Sid, with almost a passion Of fervor in his
pice; so never stint yourselves for fear OF
ie.
But they both said again that they had all
hey could require, even if they were prin-
ecsses in a fairy tower, Margaret added
and when their assurance had been repeated
ito almost wearlsome number of times, Joe
Mappin was content, and so relapsed into
silence again And there he sat till the last
rays of the sun had gone, and candles had
been brought-they were Of the finest wax,
you may be sure-a peculiar expression of
tenderness on his mastff face, as he was
reading a sweet chapter loving gly-llstenlng
to noble song admiringly. And then, when
muffled up in his greasy old cloak, as he had
come, and hobbling rheumaticaily when he
came near his own quarters.
This then, was the brokers' secret, and
this was its history:
About fifteen years ago, Joe Mappn, al
most an old man even then, was called to
seize the goods of certain Captain Thorn
ton, living at the West End. The Captain
was one of those gay, reckless, loveable
men, who, by dint ofsheer animal magnetism
live for years on credit, and are only brought
to account when it becomes matter of life
and death to some of the poorer creditors
those creditors as sorry for their debtor as
if it were themselves going to the Queens
Bench, and accusing themselves bitterly
the tender-hearted, at least-lor the trouble
they are bringing on him. Joe Mappin, the
hardest of his profession the iron-hearted,
broker, who was believed not to
have single human feeling, even he was
touched by the gallant irankness and gracious
manner of his victim, and as for the wife
that noble, patient, glorious woman, with her
little one in her arms something rose up in
his heart for her which he had never felt in
his life before 1t was an infinite yearning
worship, such as he had read of in the novels
of the libraries he had seized, but which he
had always thought trash, and the mere
of author fools. He felt now, for
the first time, that there was such thing in
the human heart as Love - the love of
beauty, the love of virtue, love for PHYS
sake
Captain Thornton was CARED off to the