The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-01-06

see often, without strong feeling of some kind
towards her and, in her present mood, it was
impossible to dislike her. She was a creature
of many phases, and the one which now appear
ed was,
Il "To herself and all, a sweet surprisen
She became as little child "Let me be
child" she would say, "a and begin my life
afresh. Teach me. Blame me when deserve
it. Begin at the beginning with me. have
begun quite wrong and / must pick out my
work well as / can, and do it over again
l never have been properly trained l never
would be. Treat me as you do Jenny dear
Aunt Cora. Say, Constance, Constance don't
be foolish-don't be wilful--be gentle-do as
you would be done by -"
\ In company, she was said, indeed, to be won
d0rfully unchanged, except that she endeavored
I to learn, in imitation of Mrs. Ronaldson and
Clara, to practice more of that general attention
to others, courtesy, or, to speak plainly, kind
ness, in which she had piqued herself upon her
deficiency, which gave some discerning people
| occasion to say that her loss of property had
taken down her pride little; but the dear do
mestic Constance, impetuous and imaginative
| still, yet docile and der-disinterested and
conscientious, yet gay and sportive-graceful
and refined as ever, yet simple and natural, was
something that neither bishop, relations, the
brilliant and naughty Miss Aspenwall, nor the
meek and mute Sister Agnes Alexis, had ever
! dreamed of before.
| Many characters appear to attitudinize all
through life, making tableaus-rirans, more or
less cataleptic or grotesque, of their own or
other peoples beau idea,. A wonderful relief
it would be to them somttimes, if they could get
their own or other peoples leave to spring down
from their fPedestals, be themselves as God
meant them to be, forget themselves and their
posturing, and sit, stand, or walk, as harmless
nature dictates. This freedom and refreshment
was now enjoyed by Constance Satisfied with
loving, she forgot to be imposing; and thus for
the first time became-it happens so sometimes,
when the nature is q fine one-+truly admirable.
She looked at our hero, and no longer thought
or cared whether or not she looked a heroine.
But there are many things in this world less
heroic than devotion and humility.
Between this hero and heroine there was
now but one barrier left. Each wished it away,
| yet neither knew how to throw it down. All
through the week. they walked.
| On Monday afternoon, Constance, who had
remarkable skill in drawing outlines, had been
amusing herself and the children by sketching
the prOfles of different members of the family,
and making them say, aotich was acho Perhaps
it was partly sly device, to give that willy young
person excuse for the study of certain fea-
lures which were, according to her impartial
Judgment, incomparably regular, fine, and no.
bic, and from the contemplation of which her
| eyes had tasted for years.
| There, children, run to the window, and
guess who that is. Now, Herman, it is your
turn. Look straight after them quick, while
they are gone! You are altered, indeed" con-
tinued she, in low voice those lines about
your mouth and brow are new within three
years. They are grave, earnest, commanding,
| powerful. They must have been stern some
times IN conflict, to be so strong when at rest.
Herman, | never supposed before that was
cowardly; but, if you did not love me so,
could find it in me to be afraid Of YOU
Constance, the queen, afraid of her cham
pion ?" said he, smiling and altering his out
line very much, like a very bad sitter as he was,
but his artist did not chide him. "Ariadne
afraid of her panther? Are you afraid of its
faring with you as it did with Paul Pry when
he ventured into the Geological Gardens, and,
said the keeper, Observe this he re tiger-how
tame But he bit Paul Prys finger, who
danced with the pain ?'
| g You absurd youth, no ! / am not afraid of
anything on earth when l see you smile-except
of your laughing at me, of which think there
may be some danger
"There is not. never shall laugh at you,
unless it is for being afraid of so very same and
wellbroken tiger as myself"
'''Nor at my friends 2" t
/ "Not unless they're rery queer. Couldn't
you forgive the infrmity Of human nature, in
i that case, and laugh too ?"
~ do not know" She spoke absently, and
| quite impossible for you to become Roman
/. Catholic?"
! "Quite; but l hope that it is by no means
so for you to cease to be Roman Catholic"
| And shall you wish that" asked she, with
some anxiety and hesitation in her tone, +" if il
goes against my conscience?"
"My dearest love, if it went against your
conscience, what difference could my wishes,
or those of any man, make to you PIP
She clasped her hands, and was Silent for an
instant. Then, planting her little foot more firmly
on the fiowery floor, she resumed "lNone, Her
man. After the example which you set me three
years ago, they ought not, they shoul ID not make
| any. But, oh, / hope God, in his mercy, will re-
member how much weaker am than you, and
never call upon me to choose between my duty
| ar d my-love"
| Amen to that last clause. / shall never
call upon you for such choice, at any rate"
| II thought you would say so. should be
very sorry to apostatize, not only for shame at
such changeableness, but because, thou Oh
there are some things about Catholicism which
are still irksome to me, am sure that it suits
me on the whole, and has done me the greatest
good
| "' Catholicism or Christianity"
| "Why, Herman, you surely would not deny
/ that Catholicism was, at least. one form of
| Christianity, if not the only form!"
II certainly do not deny that the doctrines
of the Romish sect contain certain Infusion of
Christianity, as do the doctrines of other So
called Christian sects."
But, Herman, you are liberal Christian.
iou do not think, do you, that it is Of any con-
good?'
" Yes; do"
You do! Oh Herman. where Is vour
liberality?r '0''
i In ITS place, hope. Do not looks disap-
pointed but listen, dearest Constance. and T
will tell you why think it is of conseouence.
ana OF what consequence think it is If only
they are good, as you say, they will be saved, I
beieve, In spite of their errors of toctrine but
their errors OF doctrine, if they prevail may do
much-it is fearful to consider how much-to
prevent their neighbors from being GOOD. In
the most superstitious and least Christian sects
of Christendom, it is to be hoped that there NAV
be some soldiers of the cross strong Enough to
force their way through all outworks of mans
word, into the full granary of Gods word. and
be fed; but how does it fare with the Test of the
rank and file? The masses of whole sects are.
/ suspect, marked in the private characters Of
most of their members by the characteristics OF
their sectarian creeds, rather than by those OF
! the Christianity which their creeds undertake
I to embody. Those persons, for instance, whose
creeds set forth to them Him after the pattern
of Whose perfection we are hidden 10 be per-
feet, the Father, as Being, one of Whose Chief
| -.