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

" "''o Al guisc Oh serpent, and, j
himself with his own poisonous fangs. and tons,
| ing in the uncouth convolutions Of a Wild auonv
The mood she was in made it strike her.
'ls it not an augury, q token for me y, sbs
mlFmufed "Oa, fie upon me for a coward / (,
Yet she dropped more Of the hot wax upon tn.
enatamPed serpent, with his .indietive legend
| and resealed the letter with her own appro
pirate seal, the simple letters,
|. M. #,
In spite Of her firm and defiant disposition
the omen bad impressed and awed her.
She descended the stair, entered the library,
and touched . bell cord To the servant who
answered her ring abe raid r,4 eH
Tell Richard wish to see him"
h'chard, the gardener, an elderly, square
speedily. - Z III
Richard. i wish you to take this note to
mr. u"Dert Congreve; place it in his hands, and
Dr"g me Dack a written answer Go imme
o'ateiy. Here rs money for your expenses
Inc gardener started as if he had been shot
when he heard her mention the name of, Gilbert
Congreve, eyed her inteptly, for q minute, and
then grew deadly pale. Mrs. Fleming remarked
this, and passonately exclaimed:
Aye, you also are an aceomplice. All are
IN the Plot, and knew nothing of it. But ii
shall fail. / will crush it, II / crush MYSELF in
doing it. Will you deliver me this note. Or
shall be compelled to find another messenger.
Richard ~ A 1'-"---~"- O.
"Oh, madam" said Richard, piteously, q this is
terrible. | had hoped so much from this-so
much good to every one-so much happiness.
Have you weighed the matter carefully, madam ?
Considered all that will come from what YOU
are about to do2 know what that is, by your
face-do you know all, Mrs. Fleming?"
90 know all, and have definitely and
conclusively determined"
"God help them, then, and you, too, madam, .
SAID Richard, in solemn Sadness /" for You will
all need it. will give him the note, and bring
back an answer" -
de left the room without another word.
his earnest tones and warning manner
seemed TO Impress Mrs. Fleming very much. a
look Of hesitancy and doubt came over her face.
and 1t is possible that, had the gardener come
back at that instant, she might have recalled
the note. But this passed Immediately away,
and she seemed to forget what had occurred ia
the absorbing virtues of the book she began to
peruse. [.t
what she read was singular for the occasion.
II WAS little allegory Of q poem, by Tennyson,
The Palace of Art" dealing in his subtitle
fashion with spritualities, eighty mystical per-
haps, and morbid--but she read it in her
strange mood, not With any distinct understand
q Dps Ss4 %RssaR b hc bocRs
favorite, in fact, not 90 much for the ne sub
tleties of the poems, as for the wondrous music
OF their rhythm, and the sensuous glow of their
pictures-pictures in which a half drawn feature
tolla q whplo az n al a. a -.
tering leaf recites Q whole Idyl. But ii was
not this surpassing quality of the poet that 40
much attracted Mrs. Fleming. She had taken
up the book to employ her vexed thoughts, she
read on in obedience to one of those singular
phantasies which now and then come over as,
investing words or objects with prophetic
powers--that strange direction of the natural,
inmate superstitieusness of man, which has
given nse to this manner of deriving an sugury
from things having no rational relationship
with tie debated question, which has invested
with t'eir mystic power and wonderful opera.
tivenes, such-logicslly- absurd things as the
SORES Biblice, the !Sptes Trgilianoe, the
Hebrew Bath koi, and other various manifesto.
tons If human credence in the oracular eff.
ciencJof Sortilegy. This blind, irrational meth
cd of disposing perplexities, seemingly 80 pro.
fame its entire reference to chance, ia. in
truth ,simply touching confession of our own
weakness, our own poverty of means for self
susteance in doubt and danger, and, as such,
is soncthing rather to be Landed than repro.
bated 1t is this very feeling that makes the
Chrisan, when sorrows come and troubles
roll, to kneel in humble fashion, and murmur
Oul Father which art in Heavenl" The
powe of altar and oracle, of sacrifice and first.
fruitaof Haruspex and Augur. of Prestess and
Sybilay in this very circumstance of mans sense
of wAknesaoreacting upon mans intuition of
the lhnite. Why it was that Mrs. Fleminp
shout have been seized with that irresistible
curioty to look into the future, and to see
what ould be the revulsion of this present step
upon ,ersslf, we know not, bat, once possessed
with ie desire, there was no other way of graf
ifyinst than Just this. If she were to be di.
rectearuthfuliy to q symbol of the result, then
this lok and this poem suited her purpose
equat as well as any other choice che could
| make She would therefore let the poem de-
| cide4et what should particularly attract her
| MOTTO pronounce the result of her actions i'm
| the psent emergency. 1t was very seldom that
| Mrs.'iemipg INDUCED in such very fantastic
| and rational visions that circumstance Of the
seal Just have impressed her more than she
was Eare. AT any rate, she decided that here
was er Delphi, this Poem the Priestess of
the pod, and in these Vaccination, she was
| to FL the ultimate decree anticipated of the
Fate First the following verse appealed to
her q inner consciousness
'Tek on herself her serpent pride had curled
10 voice, she shrieked in that lone hail.
voice breaks through the stiffness OF this world |
ne deep deep silence all!'" "a
iAiaeain her heart echoed its relationship,
how b knew not, with second verse
Ind death and life she hated equally
And nothing saw, for her despair,
dreadful time DIRE sdful eternity,
10 comfort any where."
| Shiossed the book upon the table, with
sheer But then she thought she would read |
the lend out, and find what more fell upon
her frt. She took the volume again into her
hand leaf had turned, and, of the poem, one
| only rse remained:
| lightly, beautifully built
Finance may return with others there,
| hen have pdrgd my guilt"
| Slid not understand the augury, vet took |
it torself, and in after days, when the meas
ure things was completed, and the ripeness
| of etts became perfect, she remembered. II
| Wn Jasper entered his room that night,
to nhis aching head where dreams might
for hour rest him, he found upoa his dress
| ing1le note from his mother. 1t was an |,
artfnote, this, conceived and written in a Il
spipf duplicity that one would not have be. |,
lievaer guilty of-one she scould not have been
| guibf ct any other moment than this of her 80
into excitement. She asked pardon of her
dea,n, her only pride, hope, joy, for what had
pasl between them in the morning, and
hepprayed, that ne would forgive it to her