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

post, nom the top Of the house to the bottom
how the invasion was managed, how the su
PRISE was effected, know not but it il ce,
tsiniy the fact, that when my furniture went II
with it.
had some very choice engravings, after tn
OLD masters; and | was first awakened to
consciousness of Mrs. Badgery's presence i
!ne mouse while was hanging up my proc
impression OF Iltisn's Venus over the from
oa.lor nfe place. "Not there" cried the mu
heo voice, imploringly. "His portrait used t
lang mere oh. what priHt-what dread
fui print to put where his dear portrait used :
bel" l turned round in a fury. There sb
was, still mufa ed up in Grape, still carving he
abominable campstool. Before could saw
word In remembrance, six men in preen.bs;z
aprons staggered in with my sideboard. An,
MRS. Badgery suddenly disappeared. Had the
trampied hor under foot, or crushed her in tb
doorway Though not an inhuman man b,
nature, asked myself those questions quit,
composedly. No very long time elapsed be
fore they were practically answered in the mega
ave oy the temperance Of Mrs. Badgery her
ssif, IA perfectly unrufa ed condition of chron
ic grief. = ''' ~
In the course of the day, had my toes trod
den on, was knocked about by nv own firm;
ture, the Blk men in baizs aprons dropped al
sorts OF small articles over me in going up anG
down stairs; but Mrs. Badgery escaped un
scathed. Every time thought she had been turn
ca out OF the house, she proved, on the contra
~ 70 oe grooming close behind me. She wepi
over Mr. Badgery's memory in every room, per.
fectly undisturbed to the last BY the chaotic
confusion of moving in. am not sure, but
MINK sne brought a tin box of sandwiches with
ner, aud celebrated fearful picnic of her own
10 the groves OF my front garden. say am
not sure of this; but ana positively certain
that never entirely got rid of her all day: and
know, to my cost, that she insisted on making
me as well acquainted with Mr.. Badgery's ia.
vorite notions and habits as am with nv own.
IL may interest the reader if report that nv
taste IN carpets is not equal to Mr., Badperv's
that my ideas on the subject of servants wages
are not so generous as Mr.. Badgery's; and that
lgnorantly persisted in placing sofa in a
position which Mr.. Badgery, in his time. con.
sidered to be particularly fitted for an arm.
chair. could go nowhere, look nowhere. do
nothing, say nothing, all that day. without
bringing the widowed incubus in the crane oar.
ments down upon me Immediately. / tried
CIVIL remonstrances, tried rude speeches. I
tried suiky silence-nothing had the least effect
on her. The memory of Mr.. Badgery was the
shieid OF proof with which she warded off nv
hercest attacks. Not till the last article of fur.
niture had been moved in, did lose sight of
her; and even then she had not really left the
house. One of my six men in green.baizs
aprons routed her out of the back-gsrden area.
where she was telling my servants, With floods
OF Tears, OF Mr.. Badgery's virtuous strictness
with his housemaid in the matter of followers.
my admirable man in green baize courageous.
nd oE,,kk L..
her. L gave him half crown on the spot !:
and, if anything happens to him, am readyto
make the future prosperity of his fatheriess
family my own peculiar care.
The next day was Sunday. attended morn.
ing service at my new parish church. A popu.
lar preacher had been announced. and the
onilding was crowded. advanced a little wav
up the nave, and looked to my right. and saw
no room. Before could look to nav left. I felt
o nand laid persusively on my arm. I turned
round--and there was Mrs. Badgerv. with her
pew'door open, solemnly beckonipg me in. The
dozen members Of II the kshiS8 tbs eyes Of
were liked on me. l had no choice INIT IN save
appearances, and accept the dreadful invitation.
There was vacant place next to the door
OF the pew. tried to drop into it, but Mrs.
badgery stopped me. His seat" she whis.
pered, and signed to me to place myself on the
other sde OF her. 1t is unnecessary to saw that
L had to climb over hassOck, and that 7
knocked down all Mrs. Badgery's devotional
books before / succeeded in passing between
her and the front Of the pew. She cried un;rter.
ruttedly through the service; composed her.
self when 1t was over and began to tell me
what Mr.. Badgery's opinions had been on
points OF abstrac, theology. Fortunately there
was great confusion and crowding at the door
OF the church and l escaped at the hazard of
my life by running round the back of the car
riages. l passed the interval between the
service alone in the fields, being deferred
from going home by the lear that Mrs. Badgery
might have got there before me.
Monday came. positively ordered my ser.
wants to let no lady in deep mourning pass
inside the garden door, without first consulting
me. After that, feeling tolerably secure, /
occupied myself in arranging my books and
prints. had not pursued this employment
much more than an hour, when one of the SER
wants burst excitedly into the room, and inform
ed me that lady in deep mourning had been
taken faint, just outside my door, and had re.
quested leave to come in and sit down for a
few moments. ran down the garden path to
bolt the door, and arrived just in time to see it
violently pushed open by an officious and sym.
pathizng crowd. They drew away on either
side as they saw me. There she was, leaning
on the grocers shoulder, with the butchers boy
in attendance, carrying her camp stooll Leaving
my servants to do what they liked with her 1
ran back and locked myself up in my bedroom
When she evacuated the premises some hours
afterwards, l received message of apology,
informing me that this particular Monday was
the cad anniversary of her wedding day, and
that she had been taken faint, in consequence,
at the sight of her lost husbands house.
Tuesday forenoon passed away happily, with.
cut any new invasion. After lunch, thought
would go out and take walk. My garden
door has a sort of peep-hole in it, covered with
q wire grating. As got close to this grating,
thought saw something mysteriously dark
on the outer side of it. 1 bent my head down,
to look through, and instantly found myself
face to face with the Grape veil. Sweet, sweet
spoil" said the mufflsd voice, speaking straight
into my eyes through the grating. The usual
groans followed, and the name of Mr.. Badgery
was plaintively pronounced before could re-
cover myself sufficiently to retreat to the house.
Wednesday is the day on which 1 am writing
this narrative. 1t is not twelve o'clock yet and
there ia every probability that some new form of
sentimental persecution is in store for me before
the evening. Thus far, these lines contain q
perfectly true statement of Mrs. Badgery's con-
duct towards me since entered on the posses
sion of my house and her shrine. What am I
to do? That is the point wish to insist on
what am to do? How am to get away from the
memory Of Mr.. Badgery, and the unappeasable
grief of his disconsolate widow7 Any other
species Of invasion it is possible to resist but
how is a man placed in my unhappy and I'M.
paralleled circumstances to defend himself? /
can't keep dog ready to fly at Mrs. Badgery.
can't charge her at police court with being
fond of the house in which her
husband died. can't set man.traps for q
woman, or prosecute . weeping widow as tres.
passer and q nuisance. am helplessly involved
in tha nnrala inn folda &c M Rad.o..ia ~,