The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1861-08-26
GREAT
Expeditions
ny CHARLES DICKENS.

she shook her heal again.
her hcrc2" ''' VI '''''
Brought her here"
''Wll you tell me how that came about"
She answered in a low whisper and with great
caution: ~ hal been shut up in these 10 jn, A
long time Il don't know how long; YOU know
what time the clocks keep hero. when | told
him that wanted little girl ~ rear and love.
and save from my fate. | had inst seen him
when ! sent for him 90 lay this place waste for
me, having read Of him in the newspapers bcfo-c
l and the world parted. lie told me that hc
would look about him for such am orphan child.
One night he brought her here 9slccp, and call
cd her E~tclla."
"Mighi tex her age them
"TwO or three She herself knows nothing
Tut that she was lett an orphan and adopted
mr."
SO convinced I was Of that woman's being her
mother, that wanted no cvl lcnco ~ establish
the fact In my own mind. Bat to any mini. /
thought, the connection here was clear and
straight.
What more could hope to do bv prolon ding
the interview ! had succe 'dcl in ichhlfof llcr.
bort, Miss llayisham had told me all she knew
OF Estella, had said and done what | could TO
ease her mind No matter with what other
words We parted; we parted.
Twilight was closing in when | went ,wn
stairs into the natural air. / called 10 the wo-
man who had opened the gate when / entered
that would not trouble her just vet, but would
walk round tn, place before leaving. For had
n prcsentimcnt ,hat | should never be th,r,
again, and felt that the dying light was SUIT
cd TO my last v'w Of it,
by the wilde ness OF casks that had walked
on long ago Ed on which tho rain Of years hal
fallen since, iottng them in many places, and
ieaNlnR MIN allure swamp- AMI pIOls OF water
upon those nat stood ON end inulo my way to
the ruined GARDEN. went all round It; roun1by
the corner where Herbert and had fought our
battle; round 10y the paths whore E.t,lla aud |
had walked. So cold, so lonely. 80 drcary alll
=, Taking the brewery on my way back, raised
tho rusty latch ola little door Mt tho garden ond
o. II, and Walked through. ! was going out at
The opposite dOOr-not easy to open now, for the
damp wood had started and sWccd and the him
ges were yielding, and the threshold was cncum-
bered with growth Of lungus-whcn / turned
my head 10 look back. childish association
revived with wonderful force IN tho moment of
the slight action and tincied that | saw Miss
iiayishnin hanging to the bcIm. Sostrong was
leinpicssiOn that | stood under the beam shud-
iring from head to foot before knew it was a
lcy-thuugh to be sure was there IN AN in
tlni.
Tho moumiulness Of the place an time. AMI
1tgrcat terror Of this illusion, though il was
bt tnomcniary, caused me to feel AN indcscriba-
pie awe, ~ came out between the open wooden
gates where h1d once wrung my HAIR after E.-
Iella had wrnng my heart. Passing ON into tho
front courtyard, hcsitat,d whether to call the
woman to let me ont al the locked gate of which
she had the key or iirst to go up stairs and As
sun myself that Nil. II 81 sham was o. safe and
wen ~ had lief, her. took the latter course
and went up
looked INTO the room where hal left her.
and ! saw her seated in the ragged chair upo1
the hearth close TO the fc with her back toward |
me.
In the moment when was Withdrawing nv |
head 20 uuittlls 1
hEht sptmg up. In the same moment saw her |
running at me, shrckiug with II whitl of fire |
blazing all about her, and -uarin, ut least n,
many feet above her head rs she was feet
high.
had a doubc-carci ,rcat-coa on. AMI over
my arm another thick coat. That | got them
OFT, closed with her, threw her down. ami rot
them over llcI; that dragged the great cloth
from tbs table tor the sumo purpose, and with il
dragged down the hoapul rrttciinrss ia the midst
ana all the ugly things that sheltered thcrr that
We were on the ground struggling like desperate
enemies, and that the closer ] covered her the
more wildly shr -hriekod aud tried to free her.
sell; that this occurred knew through ;i,i. ..;,
suit, but not through ANYTHING
or knew did. knew mot - hN w ,"u re-
that We were ON thc.& rRga AM nnii I"I IaSH
iTnt6c ma,uor b, the great table, and
q, patcnos If finder vet alight wcru floating in
the smoky air which n moment ago hal been
her faded bridal dress.
Then | looked round aud saw the disturbed
beetles and spiders running away over the floor,
and the servants coming in with GREATNESS cries
at the door. still held her orihly down with
all my strength, like "a prisoner who might cs-
cape; and ! doubt il even knew who she was,
or why she had struggled, or that she had been
in flames, or that the flame, were out, until |
raw the patches Of tind'r that had been her gar
ments no longer alight but falling in a black
shower around US.
She was insensihlc and was afraid to have |
her moved or even touched. Assistance was |
sent for, and held her until it came, as il UNI
reasonably iancicd U think d,d) that IT | let |
her 80 the fire would bre.l, out again and con-
sumo her When ! got up, on thc surgeons |
coming Ia her with other ljd, | was astOuishcd |
10 sec that both my hands were burned for |
had no knowledge OF it through The sense VI feel
ing.
On examination il was pronounced that she |
had received serious hurts, but that they Of thom-
selves were far from hopeless; the danger lay,
however, mainly in the nervous shock. by the
surgeons directions her bed was carried into that
room and laid upon the great table, which hap
pened to lie well suited to the dressing OF her ill.,
iuries. When saw her again, AN hour after
ward, she lay indeed whore hal seen her strike
her stick, and had heard her say that she would
lie one day.
Though every vestige of her dress was burned
Us they told me, she still had something Of her
old CHASTITY bridal appearance Tor they hd COW
cred her 70 the throat with white cotton wool aud
rs she lay with a white sheet loo,clv everything
that, the phantom air Of som thing that had been
and was changed wa, still upon her.
found, on questioning the servants that Is
tella WIS in Paris and got 4 promise from the
surgeon that he would write u her hy the next
post. Miss IIavi,hams imily ! took upon my
self intending to communicate with Mr.. Mat
thew Pocket only, and Lave linn to do rs he
IiLat ulanut N a. Ili- Hid
day, through Herbert, as soon rs ! returned to
town.
There was a stage that evening when he spoke
colectedy Of what had happ ned, though wltha
certain terrible vvacity. Toward midnight she
BEGAN TO wander in her speech, and after that it
gradually set in that she said lnuumcrlhlo times
In a low solemn voice, "What have ! dunr.'
and then, "When she first came, meant 10 save
her from misery like mine" And then, Take
the pencil and write under my name, i forgive
her
She never changed the order OF these thrac
sentences, hut she sometimes left out a word in
one or other Of them; never passing in an ther
word but always led' M q bl uh, AMI going Oh
70 the next word.
As ! could do no service there, and as | holi
nearer home that pressing reason Tor anxiety
and fear which even her wnlcrlngs could 40
drive out Of my mind, ! decided In the course
of the night that | would retnrn 10y the earl,
morning coach walking ON mile or So, an !
being taken up clear Of the town. A. about lN
O'Clock in the morning. therefore, leaned over
her and touched her lips with nine, Just u, me!