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


stance recrossed the threshold, and the pale
and CORY ghost of her lost love rose from his
rude couch, and staggered before her. She
tossed her arms wildly above her head, with
all the shrek she did not utter, frozen in her
face he would have fallen at her feet in the
track which his sfresh flowing blood had made
he'd not Sister Mary Peter, with the Quick in
stinct OF her profession, whirled round like a
windmill, caught him, and replaced him on
the settle. Constance followed mechanically
and through the sickness and faintness which
returned upon him, he could hear her mutter
as IT beside herself, ooh, my God / have
killed him, and his wounds bleed afresh at the
presence of his murderess +" He struggled to
rise again but Sister Mary forbade it, with
Doth word and deed. "Constancel~ "Oh,
Hermann She came before him, and took his
! dropping hand. He put hers to his lips. Sister
J Mary guessed something, sympsthized and
covered the little scene from her hostess, whose
attention was luckily distracted for the moment
by the operation of cutting with a knife from
her hands the dough which covered theu,,) by
ne dexterous interposition of her person; but
she could not possibly let this sort of proceed
ing go on. 1t was quite contrary to rule. $50
out, ana see whether the young man has gone
for the doctor, Sister Agnes Alexis" said she.
authoritativey, taking Constance By the arm,
land don't come back here till you're quite
composed The patient must be kept perfect
~ quiet. I'm going to undress him :" and she
put Constance out. cit takes these Young
things some time to get used to the sight Of
blood and be was pretty heavy weight for
her to carry. Mrs. Debbs, if you had a cham.
Der where we could put him to bed before the
doctor comes"
Certipgly, Miss Peter, certingly. Right
this way, ma'am. The best beds all ready pre-
pared. I'll git you my ironing sheet to lift
him on +; and | guess I'd better help you a
SPELL II Miss Alexis is clustered. 'Ttoas some
thing OF a heft for you to fetch 80 fur. Pootty
young man, amt he Hope he'll git over it !;
but he does look dreadful bad, don't he? /
never His eyes is open now. Hope he didn't
hear what l said. Lat he'll git ever it fast
enough, I'll bet.'
Sister Mary locked the door, pocketed the
| Key, and, aided and abetted by her chattering
hostess, very gently and quickly exchanged
Herman's clothes, moistened and stiffaned with
dew and blood, for a coarse, but clean, home.
spun shirt. She then, no other surgeon being
forthcoming, examined his wound, stanched
1t, and bound it up as we'll as she could, which
was not very badly; for she had formerly been
| employed for several months as dresser in
military hospital in Europe. The ball abe
found in Herman's stocking. 1t had extracted
ITSELF and, though it had previously danced a
| good deal In his system, as q ball sometimes
will, she thought that it had spared his bones
and vitais altogether, and that the great loss of
blood would, if he was strong enough to bear it,
be of service in preventing inhamm nation. "pro.
vided he kept perfectly quiet in BODY and mind
and he might be sure that Sister Agnes Alexis
aud she would take the best care they could of
him, and do their part, If he would do his !"
Having delivered herself thus scientifically and
automatically, she look the key from her pocket
requested Mrs. Dobbs, nothing 10th, to take
charge OF her patient for ten minutes or 30, and
to lock the door after her, as she did not wish
hum to be disturbed, and informed him that if
ne stirred before she came back, it would be
at the peril of his life. She then slipped quick.
ly out, reclosed the door, and left him to such
comfort as he could find between his soft
bandages without and his hard struggles with
IN, while he lay, longing to collect all his re.
naming Gts iutQ one sfestu to Iasn ID
compromise, he knew not how grievously, 8" Sis
ter Agnes Alexis"
As Sister Mary Peter expected, she no soon.
er came into the passage, with her little lamp
in her hand, than she came upon her young
colleague. Constance was kneeling in the
dark on the boards, with her hands clasped,
almost knotted, over her heart. She sprang
up, and caught Sister Mary's arm.
&" He is doing very well, nay dear, at present,
at least" said the latter, replying to her speech
less gesture; 4" and now come out with me. L
must ask you -
"And must tell you, Sister, DONE forget
my vow; and if the blessed Virgin and you
will help me, won't break it but must see
him and be with him now and if you try to
part us before be is out of danger, cannot
answer for the consequences. You must
know-no, shall not go away--he might die
we will whsper-your ear. Mr.. Arden, this
gentleman, was my lover; but We quarrelled,
| and parted"
"Whose fault was that2"
Mine. He was as upright and warm and
true lover as woman ever had, only too good
for me. wished to govern him in matters l
knew nothing about and he had too much
| spirit to submit to it, and so we parted.
thought that l had made him cease to love me !;
but see now that have not and know
| that it could have been only despair which
drove him, it did me, to this fatal, fatal place
Now, do not owe him some amends ?-his life,
if nay care can restore him "a happy death,
if-oh, Heaven, have pity on us!-he must die !?
Stay in this house, Sister Mary Stay, and go
in, and let me 60 in with you, and tend him
till he is out Of danger, or out of this weary
world and then will allow you to take me
away with you, wherever you will, to any one
who needs US more. he ia too honorable to
tempt me to break solemn oath, whatever you
may think of me. Stay and be merciful, as you
would have st. Peter show you mercy in your
need shall control myself perfectly before
the people of the house, and him, and every
body else and 30 will he, when you tell him
how much depends upon it |"
Constance hurried through these sentences,
almost in the time of any single one, which
Sister Mary had ever heard from her before. Her
tears of grief terror, and entreaty, flowing as
fast as her words had meanwhile become q
perfect rain, and were rapidly thawing the not
very hard or cold heart of the experienced
elder, who liked bit of romance when she
could honestly come by it, and who, besides, be.
gan to consider, that while getting her out OF
Herman's way by fnesse was under the circum-
stances impossible, any attempt to do so by the
exercise of authority would probably fail, and
also bring about the very exposure of the
novice's feelings, which it was desirable to
avoid. Constance's hitherto resolutely uu.
finching implicit obedience, moreover, had led
the sagacious old lady to apprehend that her
mutiny, if she were ever driven to it, might be
extremely formidable but it also encouraged
her to believe that Constance could still com.
vded she saw it to be worth her while.
Just as Sister Mary Peter showed signs of
wavering, and Sister Agnes Alexis redoubled
accordingly her halfmenacing entreaties, it
happened in her favor that the key clicked in
the lock, and the door opened. Herman, with
the cunning of utter helplessness, had shut his
, eyes and feigned sleep. Mrs. Dobbs, tired Of
silence, and suddenly recollecting that certain
rolls must be turning to bricks in the oven
t stepped forth to seek q substitute. Constance
3 sezing her advantage, flashed in like lightning