The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-12-24
M S. B A 0 G { R Y.
From Household Words.

7; M S. BA D cry.
| From Household Words.
+, Is there my law in England which will pro
tect me frot, Mrs. Badgery?
j | am a bachelor, and Mrs. Badpery is
widew. LIZ nobody rashly imagine that an
about to resste commonplace grievance, be
cause 1 I'VE suffered the first sentence t.
escape my zen. Ny objection to Mrs. Badger,
Is, not that 4he is too fond of me, but that she ii
too fond OF the memory of her late husband
She has NO attempted to marry me she would
not think marrying me, even if asked her
UNDERSTAND, therefore, if you please, at the ont
set, that n grievance in relation to this widow
lady is g evauce of an entirely new kind.
Let me egin again. am a bachelor of 9
certain ag, have large circle of acquaint
ance; but solemnly declare that the late Mr.
!: Badgery IS never numbered in the list of my
friends. J, never heard of him in my life
never knee that he had left relict; neve,
set eyes o, Mrs. Badgery until one fatal morn
ing when went to see if the fixtures were al
right in N new house.
My new house is in the suburbs of London
looked g it, liked it, took it. Three times ]
visited it ,fore | sent my furniture in-once
with q Il end, once with q surveyor, once BY
myself, to brow sharp eye, as l have already
animated, over the fixtures. The third visit
marked Il fatal occasion on which l first saw
Mrs. Bad cry. A deep interest attaches to
this event and l shall 60 into details in de.
scribing
rang re bell of the garden door, The old
woman al pointed to keep the house answered
IT, l arr tly saw something strange and con-
fused In 1er face and manner. Some men
would haa pondered a little, and questioned her.
am byt ,tnre impetuous and rusher at con.
illusions. Drunk" I eaid to myself and
walked o. into the house perfectly satisfied.
look into the front parlor. Crate all
right, cur ain pole all right, gas chandelier all
right. L ,ooked into the back parlor-ditto,
ditto, dit as we men of business say.
mounted s,he stairs. Blind on back window
opened U +, door OF the front drawing roo Jon i
aud there sitting in the middle of the bare
floor, was large woman on q little camp-stool |
She was \ sessed in the deepest mourning, her
face hidGtSn by the thckest Grape veil / ever
saw, and he was grooming softly to herself in
the desosate solitude of my new unfinished
house. -
What.sid do2 Do? bounced back into
the landS as if had been shot, uttering the
national Exclamation of terror and astonish.
ment: "lullol" land here l particularly
beg, IN Llrenthesis, that the printer follow my
spelling f the word, and not put Hillo, or Hal
los, insts sd, both of which are base compro-
misses W fch represent no sound that ever vet
issued ON any Englishman's lips.) l said
md thar I
upon tht old woman who kept the house. and
said e sllol" again.
She ,derstood the irresistible appeal that /
had ma, to her feelings, and curtesyed, and
looked wards the drawing room, and humbly
hoped It was not startled or put out. /
asked no the crape-covered woman on the
camp-st 81 was, and what she wanted there.
Before le old woman could answer, the soft
groanin In the drawing.room ceased, and a
muhied, oice, speaking from behind the Grape
veil, adj ;essed me reproachfully, and said
p" l al the widow of the late Mr.. Badgery.n
WharNdid / say in answer? Exactly the
words ich, Aatter myself, any other sensible
man in, y situation would have said And what
words re they These two:
Oh?indeed!"
Mr.; Padgery and myself were the last ten.
ants WIS., Inhabited this house," continued the
mufied roice Mr.. Badgery died here" The
voice cs .sed, and the soft groans began again.
1t Wis perhaps not necessary to answer
this b y / did answer it. How? In one
word
"Ha.v
900 house has been long empty" resumed
the voi>., choked by sobs. "Our establish.
ment his been broken up. Being left in re.
duced lrcum stances, I now live in q cottage
near; Dat 1t is not home to me. This is home
Howevef long live, wherever I 90, whatever
change may happen to this beloved house,
nothing scan ever prevent from looking on it as
my hos e. l came here, sir, with Mr.. Badgery
after % honeymoon. All the brief happiness
OF my lie was once contained within these four
walls. Every dear remembrance that fondly
cherish is shut up in these sacred rooms"
Agasy the voice ceased, and again the soft
groans echoed round my empty walls, and oozed
out pal, me down my uncarpeted staircase.
lretscted. Mrs. Badgery's brief happiness
and ds9r remembrances were not included in
the lisstof fixtures. Why could she not take
them csay with herP Why should she leave
them I tered about in the way of my furniture 2
l was ssst thinking how could put this view
OF the sse strongly to Mrs. Badgery, when she
suddes.s left off grooming, and addressed me
once gore.
"Wsgile this house has been empty" she
said, have been in the habit of looking in
from time to time, and renewing my tender as.
sociatSops with the place. / have lived, as ii
were, IA the sacred memories of Mr.. Badgery
and Of the past, which these dear, these price
less rocus call up, dismantled and dusty as they
are at the present moment. 1t has been my
practice to give q remuneration to the attendant
for any slight trouble thatI mightoccasion -
>"Only sixpence, sir" whispered the old wo
man, close at my ear.
Aad to ask nothing in return" continued
Mira. Rsdgery, but the permission to bring my
campMool with me, and to mediate on Mr.
Badgesy in the empty rooms, with every one Of
Wholesome happy thought, or eloquent word
or ter ser action of bis, is 30 sweetly associated
! can%s here on my usual errand to-day. l am
discovered, presume, by the new proprietor
Of the house-disoovered, am quite ready to
admit as an intruder. am willing to 20. 4
you = ,sh it, after hearing my explanation. M,
heart is full, sir; am quite incapable of CON
tsndi, g with you. You would hardly think it
but esm sitting on the spot once occupied b,
our ossoman. l am looking towards the windox
ih WITCH my flower stand once stood. In this
very place, Mr.. Badgery FIRST sat down and
clasped me to his heart when we first came
back from our honeymoon trip. Matilda b.
said, 'your dawingroom has been expensive