The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-12-24

~ papereO, c2rpeteu, anu 1urnlShed, Tor 8 month
but has only been adorned, love, since you en-
tered it, Ii you have no sympathy, sir, 70
such remembrances as these; if you see moth
ing pitiable in my position, taken in connec
ton with my presence here if You canno
enter into my feelings, ard thoroughly under
stand that this is not house, bat shrine
you have only to cay so, and l am quite wilIin,
20 co.
She spoke with the air of martyr-a marty
to nv insensibilty. If she had been the pro
prietor, and had been the intruder, she coule
not have been more mournfully magnanimous
All thls time, too, she never raised her veil
she never raised it, in my presence, from tina
time to this. l have no idea whether she il
young or cid, dark or fair, handsome or ugly
my impression is, that she is in every respect {
finished and perfect Gorgon, but have ne
basis of fact on which can support that disma
idea. A moving mass of Grape and mufflec
voice-that, if you drive me to it, is all know
IN personal point of view, of Mrs. Badgery.
Ever since my irreparable loss, this has been
the shrine Of my pilgrimage and the altar o.
my worship proceeded the voice. "One man
may call himself landlord, and say that he
Will let 1t; another man may call himself q ten
ant and say that he will take it. don't blame
either OF those two men, / don't wish to in
trude on either of those two men only tell
them that this is my home that my heart is
still IN possession, and that no mortal laws,
landlords, or tenants, can ever turn it out. II
you don't understand this, sir; if the hottest
,eehngs that 90 honor to your common nature
have no particular sanctity in your estimation,
pray, do not scruple to say so pray, tell me to
60"
IL don't wish to do anything uncivil, ma am, -
said L. But l am a single man, and am not
sentimental. lMrs. Badgery groaned) No.
pody told me was coming into a shrine when
look this house; nobody warned me, when /
first went over it, that there was Heart in pos-
session. regret to have disturbed your medi.
tations, and l am sorry TO hear that Mr.. Badg.
cry Is dead. That is ell have to say about
1t; and, now, with your kind permission, 1 will
do myself the honor of wishing YOU good morn.
ing, and will go up stairs to look after the fix.
tnres on the second floor"
Could l have given gentler hint than this I?
Gould have spoken more compassionately to a
woman whom sincerely believed to be old and
ugly? Where is the man to be found who can
lay his hand on his heart, and honestly say that
he ever really pitied the sorrows of Gorgon !?
Search through the whole surface of the globe,
and you will discover human phenomena of ali
sorts, but you will not find that man.
To resume. l made her bow, and left her
on the camp-stoo, in the middle of the drawing
room floor, exactly as I had found her. as.
cended to the second floor, walked into the
back room first, and inspected the CRATE. 1t
appeared to be little out of repair, so STOPPED
down to look at it little closer. While was
kneeling over the bars, was violently startled
6y the fall OF one large drop of warm water
from great height, exactly in the middle of o
bald place, which has been widening a great
deal Of late he v
turned on my knees, and looked round. Heaven
and earth the Grape covered woman had fol.
lowed me up stairs-the source from which the
drop of warm water had fallen was no other
than Mrs. Badgery's eye.
-" wish you could contrive not to cry over
the top of my head, ma am" said l.
MY patience was becoming exhausted; and
spoke with considerable asperity. The curly.
headed youth of the present age may not be
able to sympathise with my feelings on this oc
caslon; but my bald brethren know, as we'll as
az .sa, tie taken with the uneusraes I'll tSs
human head.
Mrs. Badgery did not seem to hear me.
When she had dropped the tear, she was stand
ing exactly over me, looking down at the CRATE
and she never stirred an inch after had spo.
ken.
Don't cry over my head, maam," repeat
ed, more irrtably than before.
This was his dressir groom" said Mrs.
Badgery, indulging in n1uffled soliloquy. "He
was singularly particular about his shaving
water. He always liked to have it in q little tin
pot, and he invariably desired that it might be
placed on this hob"
She groaned again, and tapped one side of
the CRATE with the leg of her camp-stoo.
1t had been a woman, or if Mrs. Badgery
had been man, l should now have proceeded
to extremities, and should have INDICATED nv
right to my own house by an appeal to physical
force. UBder existing circumstances, ali that
L could do was to express my indignation by
glance. The glance produced not the slightest
result-and no wonder. Who can look at a
woman with any effect through a Grape veil
retreated into the second floor front room,
and instantly shut the door after me- The next
moment, heard the rus,line of the Grape gar.
ments outside, and the mufl ed voice of Mrs.
badgery, poured lamentably through the key.
hole
DO you mean to make that your bed-room?"
asked the voice On the other side of the door,
"Oh, don't make that your bed.roomi l am
going away directly-but, oh pray, pray let that
one room be sacred Don't sleep there! If
you can possibly help it, don't sleep there!"
opened the window, and looked up and
down the road. IF l had seen policeman
within hail, l should certainly have called him
In. No such person was visible. l shut the
window again, and warned Mrs. Badgery through
the door, IN my sternest tones, not to interfere
with my domestic arrangements.
mean to have my bedstead put up here"
l said; land what is more, mean to sleep
here and what is more, mean to snore here"
Severe, think, that last sentenced 1t COM
niQtniu hnA pol- II
L heard the Grape garments rustling away from
the door; l heard the mufl ed groans going
slowly and solemnly down the stairs again.
In due course of time, also descended to
the ground floor. Had Mrs. Badgery really
left the premises? looked into the front par
lor-empty Back parlor-empty. Any other
room on the ground floor? Yes-a long room
at the end OF the passage. The door was closed
opened 1t cautiously, and peeped in. A faint
scream, and smack of two distractedly .clasped
hands, saluted my appearance. There she was,
again on the camp-stool, again sitting exactly
in the middle of the floor.
Don't, don't look ia in that wayl N cried Mrs.
Badgery, wringing her hands. III could bear
1t In any other room, but can't bear it in this
Every Monday morning, looked out the things
for the wash in this room. He was difficult to
please about his linen; the washerwoman never
put starch enough into his collars to satisfy
him: Oh! how often and often has he popped
his head in here, as you popped yours Just now,
and said, in his amusing way, More starch =
Oh how droll he always was-how very, very
droll in this little dear back room!"
l said nothing. The situation had now got
beyond words. l stood, with the door in nv
hand, lot KING down the passage towards the
garden, and waiting doggedly for Mrs. Badgery
to go out. My plan succeeded. She rose.
sighed, shut up the camp stool, stalked along
the passage, paused on the hall mat, said to her.
self, Sweet, sweet spoil" descended the steps,
groaned along the gravel WALL and a;aannaa.