The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-12-09

| In the lougiy vale beneath?
l There opal clouds It's beauty wreaihe
| The heavens that see il straight fling down
Il f1heis striped ranbows, for It's n;
| And its abasemenl speaks in thunder,
| With such voice, that all men wonder,
And the rooted earth d-ih shake,
And an answering murmor make.
| 'WouIdst thou be so hghg .i.o
4 Bow in charity t
70 The hnmblest near thee
4 ! hose who need, yet fear theei
4 Then shall clouds, If they surraand, .t-
Bni adorn. v ih rsinbows wned,
| Thy heaysn-wsiched, plenieoas, bounteouslif life;
Aronnri Thy pa'h shall feel a thrill
| While with grand unearthiv voice
Thy leng-mnie being bids rejoice
| The heavenly Shepherds painting focks,
| That beat along the thirsty rocks,
And, even in thy sadd-st hours,
| Thy Tears revive Gods dropping aowers'
| had time only to glance at the first words
then; for was wanted to play Magical Music
on the piano for the children. When they were
gone, L stood under chandelier, and read the
whole, once, twice, thrice 1t surprised and
puzzled me, and gave me glimpse of myself
such as had never had before. / had no OBJ
lection 20 being told that was proud Il think
we are many of us more vain Of our faults than
of our virtues, Hermann Just as the courtiers
overlooked Prince Nosey's pretty other features
and said to him, 1t is a most princely and be-
coming thing to have Sc huge a nosel' Satan
says to us, 1t is most becoming thing, and a
proof OF a peculiarly noble nature, to have so
1astidious sensitiveness, reserve so invincible
haughtiness so unapproachable, and so sover-
eign contempt for all those less favored by
birth, fortune, and education, than ourselves
In short arrogance quickness of temper, and
exclusiveness, are the indisputable patent OF
inherent nobility and, as with his royal high
| ness, so 1t Is with us: until we acknowledge
our blemlshes to be blemishes, we cannot be
| freed from them; and that is the reason, sup
pose, why so many of us carry them with us
into the other world, and, When it is too late,
when our tleshly DISCUSSES are stripped of, be-
hold ourselves, and are beheld by others, ugly
hends.) However, there was rather different
view from mine taken here of my pet pecca-
| dillo. Gold selfinvolved thankless T. II
those little adjectives were intended for me, /
thought them specimens Of pretty plain speak,
ing; and 1t was not every one from whom
was disposed to take them in good part Then,
careless and hurried as the versifcation was.
| there was a suggestion in the last stanza which
startled me like hidden door suddenly opened
| before me, through the blank stone wall of my
future, showing me long solemn vista, lighted
from above; and at its end lay paradise. While
L read, and wondered, and pondered, the bish-
OPP, who had been present in his most genial
mood all the evening, merry making and making
merry, like playful shepherd among the little
lambs of his flock, spoke at my elbow:
The answer of the oracle? Cannot you
make it out?'
Its words, but not its meaning, nor its
author. Can you help me, sir ? said l.
| de took it from me, and slowly read it to
himself So this came to you'll he said at
length. A coincidence as your enlightened
Protestants would say. What superstitious
old Catholic like me would rather call provi-
| dencel'
You have seen it before? p
Certainly; l wrote it, he replied, with the
utmost frankness. |, came in at twilight. to
make arrangements for the magic lantern as
promised Mrs. Ronaldson, and found her in
! perplexity about the fortunes -
Which l promised to furnish, and for
got -
He bowed and went on, That fact she did
not think 1t necessary to mention accept
your candid confession as your penance, and
sbsolve you. wrote the required number,
and this among them -
And thought Of me?'
have often thought ofyou lately, and with
much sohcitude and sympathy You do not
complain but it is the duty of the physician OF
the soul, as well as the physician of the BODY.
to learn to interpret the dumb signs of speech.
less suffering. My skill has seldom been SO
batiied as in the study of your case. 1t cannot
be common one, for you are not common
woman. Without some aid from you, / shall
never, begin to fear, understand it. Of thus
much am certain girl as you are, you are
passing, alone and in silence, through grief and
despair which might drive strong man mad
and am also sure that if you would allow me-
l could relieve and save you because the holy
church has balm for every wound However
IT had known that these verses were to fall to
! your share, | might certainly have toned them
down to advantage. Flat and shallow" youl
stateliness is anything but that; / must have
been thinking of the river, rather than of you
when wrote it. had no right to say anything
OF the sort to you. / was hurried, and had Just
come from the confessional, and forgotten tc
lay aside the trick of plain speaking; and, in
short, you will forget the unlucky scrawl, will
\ you not, and forgive an old friend for an unin
territorial, acknowledged, and deplored offence?
SAID he, with touching humility, crushing the
paper to a ball in his hand, and taking aim
with it at the fire.
No cried l, springing forward to inter
cept them, cannot find it in nv heart to
waste things so precious as forgiveness and for
getfulness. | will neither pardon an imaginary
offence, nor forget prophecy so far above my
hopes or deserts. Right? you have a right
TO say anything to me that I need to hear or
II you have not, | will give you one Speak
] plainly to me; l can bear it. Faulty may be-
must be, but not weak-or, at least, not alto
gether weak for, as you have seen, or / would
not have told you, know how to suffer, and to
suffer IN silence Flatterers are many; friends are
few. Probe my heart, if you will-but gently
Tor Its wounds have ranked long, and satisfy
| yourself that they are incurable. will endeavoI
to welcome the pain, for the sake of the charity
/ which prompts you to infict it.
He paused and considered Then he said
When can / see you? 1t is too late to begin
anything tonight
Name your own time. All times are alike
\ to me now
Poor childl No, will not To know
when was coming would only make You ner.
vous. Let me call when / can. / shall be
! particularly busy all this week, but perhaps in
the course of the next, or the week after. /
may find you dissngaged. If you are not you
can send me away again. You are not at all
subject TO sudden illness? p
| Not at all
If you should be i'll, or meet with any dan.
gerous accident you would not fail to send for
me instantly p
There is no one on whose sympathy and
support should more confidently rely
Nor any ons to whose rescue l should
hasten so anxiously. Send after me, wherever
l am. | shall leave word at my house, when
ever leave it, where am going, until have
seen you again
He was SO very kind and solicitous about
me, that he found time to call the very next
morning. Not expecting him, / was sitting
here alone, in doleful consultation with die
tonary and grammar, trying hstlessly to puz-
zle out page or two of Cicero de Senectute.
had learned little Latin at school; and had