The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-11-04


lHot enforced TO aek her consent. In this time
she thought It possible she might come to view
matters IN Different light, or some Unforeseen
event might effect such change in the cir
cumstances as would eventuate in complets
and perfect happiness to all, which sbe fer
vently hoped and prayed, for, God knew. he,
happiness consisted entirely in seeing Jasper
happy, and all her aims were for his nro6t b;s
emolument.
FINALLY, she was expecting visit from her
lawyer, daily; and as it was time Jasper should
know something about the affairs of an estate
all OF which would one day be his, would he (ii
ne had no other pressing engagements) wait for
day or two at the Hall, in order to confer with
the legal gentleman, when he should arrive, as
ne was so much more competent to elucidate
the whole complexion of affairs, than her moor
self, who never had, nor expected to have. anv
business tact or talent And she hoped. never
never, never again would she and her son find
occasion to differ upon any point. great or
tr,hing. She had wept to think of twas weep
ing now. And she was ever his most fond. p,bst
afectionate, most devoted mother.
Jasper did not know what to make of this
letter. The style was unlike his mother. 1t
Tconcealed something. he thought. Then he
condemned himself for harborinp such an idea
daring second, looking upon it as fiction of
his distempered fancy; or, perhaps his mother
might have been too nervous to preserve her
wonted serenity, and this had affected a STYLE
usually so clear and straightforward. Thus ex
planning to himself what perplexed him. he
went to sleep happier man by far than he had
respected to be for q long time.
In the morning, however, that absurd ;dea
of insincerity, that the note was not what II
should have been, came into his mind again !;
nor was it possible for him, by any effort of
will, however strong, to rid himself of notion
which he at the same time deemed 90 unrea.
sonably nonsensicsl. Unquestionably the no.
ton aoas very absurd, mere dyspeptic phan.
tasy, morbid hypochondriacism, such as some
times series rs when our liver is torpid or our
digestion disturbed-when viewed from Jas
per's standpoint, which only took into consid
eration the maternal element in her nature :
but, posaibly, one likewise experimenting TO
this the demands of the soomaniy nature, which
were, to the impartial observer, equally entitled
with those others to be considered, would not
have found this supposed within wham of Jas
per so entirely devoid of reason and plausible.
ity. For, sad as it is TO reflect upon, in all
women the earthly, relative, hedged ,oomanly
element is equally strong with the heavenly,
divine, absolute, impartial, maternal element.
They are wont to disguise the fact from them.
selves by saying they act for the boys benefit,
temporal or eternal. But il is not so; the bow
is merely the instrument, the stalking horse,
under cover of which they carry out their de.
signs, satisfy their prejudiees, cater to their
narrow little likes and dialikes. Thank God |
ia such matters, womans art is equal to wo-
mans selfish littleness, and that she Is thus able
to conceal it from us. Thank God, also, that
woman's nobility is grand enough, a thousand
fold, to redeem her from tho contamination of
this one blot, her healthiness perfect enough to
keep her safe from the spread of this moral
ulcer.
| When Jasper and his mother met at the
breaklast-table, no one could have detected any
symptoms ofthe struggle they had gone through
each preserving conventional calmness and
courtesy admirable to behold. Admirable /
Moths is miserable worlds talk Pitiful to
Witness rather, pitiful in the extreme, that pas
sion 30 intense should be capable of assuming
such impenetrsble mask of deceptive calmness
r. --s-A--he3 II, LIZ -->,:~- c-i.,---,---
to the matter"
/ And she replied:
al thank you, my son let us not refer to
the topic again"
I. Nor did they.
In two days and a half, Richard returned.
having accomplished his mission. He handed
Mrs. Fleming a note, which she crumpled in
her hand, unread, and Richard fancied she
trembled as she thanked him, before going to
her own room. But old men have queer no
tons sometimes, for which they cannot readily
assign reasons-not that they are the less OBJ
stinately and whimsically tenacious of them on
that account, however. In her own room, hay
ing first let the curtain fall over the window
the glare of light was unnecessarily great. she
thought-Mrs. Fleming read the note. 1t was
few brief lines, in fair, bold hand
What you apprehend need giue you no fur.
her alarm. soN see that your wishes are
complied aOith. GILBERT CoNGREvE."
That was all.
Yet it seemed enough to illumine her face
with smile of triumph smile, however, that
was as evanescent rs it was vivid. What i'm
scrutable beings women are, to be sure Why
was it that, after that smile, treading in its
steps, chasing after it in its lines, came a look
of the bitterest anguish Why was it that this
Queen Of selfpossession, this regal wearer of
velvet and diamonds, smote jewelled hand,
clcnched in most ungraceful fashion, repeatedly
against that decorous breast that never hesved-
in company but the sdmiring observer pas
tured his love of the graceful upon the contem-
plation thereof-smote twice, and thrice, and
many times, that hand, sceptre- bearing, against
that breast, ruby crowned? Why was it that
the eye was peopled with that painful look of
profound supplication for relief from an agony
too powerful to be endured? Why died there
away, in q cadence of low ullulatons, over those
lips 80 capable of scorn. that moan that horrible
nightmare moan? Why was it, oh woman |
heart, strangest OF mysteries that man has to
deal with, and, in his bungling way, make sense
was it that, ere the little note found |
place in her escritoire, under lock and kew, |
those quivering, moaning lips pressed passion, |
ate kisses upon the inane paper?
Thy eyes are very keen, old gardener, though |
dost need spectacles to detect the canker that |
is eating the heart out of thy purple passion |
Hover, with the cross over its perfumed breast. |
There is the sad wisdom of experience in OBJ |
servant old age, though his back be crooked |
with STOPPING, and his fingers horny with labor. |
Life to thee is a book, which, if thou canst not |
read for myself, thou hast so often heard read |
In some OF its pages, that thou hast them by |
heart and can give chapter and verse of with |
sad facility. All, my reader, the pain of age |
abides not in its lumbago, it's weak ewes. it's
its drivel, but in it's memories.
it's want of power to forget, its inevitable recoy,
milton of cause and sequence, based upon fore.
gone parallelisms. Let Cato pirate, but the
lime to die is just when we have accomplished,
ere we need to look back. Let us pray, all of
ls, that we may be Marshal Saxes, Admiral
Nelson's, and die during our Trafalgars, after
bur Fontenoys.
A day or two after this, Jasper learned from
lis mother that she no longer expected her
awyer; he had written her a note. to saw thai
business would detain him for a month She
Intended in the course of week or ten days to
20 to the Springs would he accompany her,
u had he a previous engagement He replied,
hat ne wished TO make a visit Of day or two,
visit which it was necessary for him to make
It this time; but, after that, he would be at