Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-08-13

fell like bullock beneath the axe. and spet
up to my bed-chamber with all the noseless
ness and celerity of bird. 1t was who
locked the door this time, and piled the wash.
stand, two band-boxes and chair against it
with the speed Of lightning.
Was Mrs. B. out of her mind with terror
that at such an hour as that she should in.
dulge in paroxysm of mirth?
" Good heavens ~ cried, be calm, nv
love, there certainly arc burglars in the
house."
"My dear Henry she answered, laughing
so that the tears quite stood In her eyes, II
am very sorry ! tried to call you back, for
when | sent you down stairs, 1 quite forgot
that this was the morning upon which had
ordered the sweeps
One of those gentlemen was at that mo-
ment lying underneath with his skull fractur
ed, and it cost me fifteen pounds to get it
mendod, besides the expense of new dining
room carpet
1t is but fair to state the primary cause to
Which all Mrs. b. alarms, and by conse-
quence, my own little personal inconvenience
are mainly owing Mrs. BIS mamma was
one of the last admirers of tho " Old Manor
House and Mysteries of the Castle " school Of
literature, and her daughters were brought up
her own faith-that Mrs Radcliffe was a
painter OF nature, as it appears on earth :;
and that Mr. Matthew Lewis had been let
into the secret Of what was going on--as they
say at st. Stephen s." in another place .
So nervous, indeed did my respected mother
ln-law contrivc to make herself throughout
her Lifetime, by the perusal of these her IA
vorite books, that it was rumored that she
married each Of her four husbands at least as
much f1om dissemination to be without
protector during the long watches of the
night, as from any other cause.
Mrs. B. herself was haunted, in her earlier
years, with the very unpleasant notion that
she was what l believe tie Germans call a
doppelganger that there was duplicate
of her going about the world at the same
time, and that some day or other, or night,
they would have distressing meeting. And,
moreover, at last they did so, and in the fol-
lowing manner
Her mamma was residing for few days
at Kenswick, supping full of horrors in the
German division Mr.. Southey's library,
every evening, and enjoying herself, doubt
less, after her own peculiar fashion, when she
suddenly felt ill, or thought she was falling,
and sent post-chaise express, to fetch her
daughter, Mrs. B. who happened to be stay
ing at that time with some friends at PEN
iieu' lhc loiS mountain TOdU was Dy no
means good one and it may be easily i'm
agjned that nothing but filial duty would have
induced my doppelganger to have started
sure to be fine moonlight night-and alone,
too. Mrs. b., however, being warm and
went off to sleep very soon, like
any boulder, nor did she wake until the
chaise had skirted Ullswater, and was within
q few miles of home.
She had looked carefully under both seats,
and even into the side pockets of the carriage
before starting; to make sure that there was
no other passenger ; and yet there was now
a form sitting on the opposite cushions-a
female form, muffled up in much clothing,
but with n face pale in the moonlight, with
eys half shut yet with look OF baggard
in them, steadily fixed upon her
own.-It was herself l. M~e. D.
double! The dreadful hour was come. The
poor girl closed her eyelids to keep out the
horrid sight, and tried to reason with her
self upon the impossibility of the thing being
really there, but in vain.
She had been thoroughly awake, she was
sure; the vision was not the offspring of
distempered brain, for she felt collected, nay,
almost calm. Venturing to steal another
look at it. there it still sat. peering, with
half-shut eyes, into her face, with the same
curious anxiety as before. Not even when
they rumbled over Keswick stones, nor until
she felt herself being lifted out in the post
boys arms, did she trust to look forth again.
The carriage she had just quilted was empty.
- There was something sitting there-man,"
'aid she, solemnly, pointing the vacant cush-
ions. " Yes, miss, replied he, pointing to
L huge package on the ground beside them,
- promised to bring it on for poor man, a
at Pooley Bridge, and seeing
that you were asleep when We stopped there,
made bold to put it upon the opposite seat.
hope it did not inconvenience you, Miss. 1t
was only looking-gass and as know
pretty young ladies don't object to seeing
themselves in looking glasses, turned its
tace towards you.'