The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-12-25

which two lovers really would nave utiereu;
1t was clearly not work as to wnlch cotl9
tell my little friend that she might dcpehu
upon it for fame or fortune. when naq M
ished it was obliged to tell mysell lhaI l
could not advise her even 10 publish 1t. Bul
vet | could not say that she had mistaken ilcr
own powers or applied herself 10 prolessloii
beyond her reach. There was grace anu
delicacy in her work which were charming:
Occasionally sae escaped from the trammels OF
grammar, but only so far that it would be
pleasure to point out to her her errors. Ihere
was not word that a young lady shouiu hot
have written; and there was throughout
the whole evident signs OF honest work. we
had six days to think ii over between o'li
completion of the task and her second WISH.
VI.
She came exactly at the hour app0inleu. anu
seated herself at once in the armchair before
lis as soon as the young man had closed inc
door behind him. There had been no gIeal
occasion for nervousness at ner mrse VISIT
and she had then, by an evident ellorl, over
come the difidence incidental 10 mectllls
with stranger. But now she ana not atteLi9'
to conceal her anxiety. "WeIi, sue ' s'l'''
leaning forward, and looking up lnlo oar iace'
with her two hands folded together;
Even though Truth. standing full panopneu
at our elbow had positively demanded IL, we
could not have told her then TO mend ner
stockings and bake her pies and desert, tnc
calling that she had chosen. she was silnpy
Irresistible, and would, we fear, have con-
strained us into fasehOod, had the question
been between falsehood and absolute reproOa-
tion of her work. To have spoken hard,
heart-brcaking words to her, would nave peen
like striking q child when it comes 10 KISS
you. We fear that we were not aosoiuleiy
true at first, and that by that absence Oh tra.n M
we made subsequent pain more more painful ti,oa
"Well," she said, looking up into our lace
" Have YOU read il 2" We told her that we nld
read every word of it. "And it is no good 3
We fear that we began by telling her that IL
certainly was goed,-alter fashion, very goea'
considering her youth and necessary ineHpcLi-
encc, very good indeed. As We sala lilis M s..c
shook her head, and sent out spark or Two
from her ewes. ntimatng her conviction that
excuses or quasi praise founded on her youth
would avail her nothing. "Would anybody
buy il from me?n she asked. No we dld not
think that any publisher would pay her money
for it. "Woud they print 1t Tor me without
costing me anything" Tneh we l9lo heT tllc
nerience: and if, as she had declared to lis be-
tore she was determined to perseverc, she
must try anain, and must learn more OF That
Lesson Of the worlds ways which was so neces-
sary TO those who attempted TO teacn tnaI les
son to Others But shall try again al once,
she said. We shook our head, endeaVorlng 10
shake 1t kindly. "Currer beil y was as oily ; d
The injury which Currer Bell did alter this
fashion was almost equal to that perpetrated
by Jack Sheppard.
She remained with us then for above an hour;
for more than two probably, though the llme
was not specially marked by us and before her
visit was brought to close: she haq lolu Us vi
her engagement with the curate. Indeed, we
believe that the greater part Other little history,
ne hitherto narrated, was made known to us
on that occasion. We asked after her mother
carly in the interview and learned that she
was not on this occasion kept waiting at the
pastrycook's shop. Mary had come alone.
making use of some friendly omnibus, OF
which she had learned the route. When she
told us that she and her mother had como up
TO London solely with the view of forwarding
her views i'm her intended profession. we ven
mred to ask whether it would not be wiser for
them to return to COrnboro', seeing how i'm
probable it was that she would have matter lit
for the press within any short period. Then
she eyplained that they had calculated that
they would be able to live in London for twelve
months, if they spent nothing except on abso-
lutte necessarics The poor girl seemed TO
keen back nothing from u.s. 1--WE have clothes
that will carry us through and we shall be
very careful. came in an omnibus, but shall
walk If YOU will let me come again Then
she asked me for advice. How WAS she to set
about further work with the best chance oi
turning il to account?
II had been altogether the fault of that re-
tired literary gentleman down In the North,
who had obtained what standing he had In the
world of letters by writing about guano and
the cattle plague. Divcstcd OF all rcsponSiblll-
tv and fearing no further trouble TO himself,
he had ycntured to tell this girl that her work
was full of promise. Promise means prob2-
bility, and In this case there was nothing be-
yOnd q most remote chance That she and
her mother should have left their little house
hold goods, and come up TO London on Such
chance, was Il thing terrible to the mind. But
we felt before these two hours were over that
we could not throw her off now. We had be-
come old friends, and there had been that
between us which gave her positive claim
upon our time. She had sat in our armchair,
leaning forward with her elbows on her knees
and her hands stretched out, till We, caught
by the charm Of her unstudied intimacy,
had wheeled around our chair, anu had
placed ourselves, as nearly as the clrcum-
stances would admit, in the same posi-
ton. The magnetism had already begun
TO act upon us. We soon found ourselves
taking 1t for granted that she was to remain
I'm London and begin another book. 1t was
impossible to resist her. Before the Interview
was over, We, who had been convcrsant Win
all these matters before she was born; we,
who had lattcrly come 10 regard our own cdito-
rial fault as being chiefly that Of personal harsh
ness; we, who had rcpu sed aspirant novcstS
Inv the scorc-we had consented to be Il party
20 the creation, If not 10 the actual writing. of
this new book
VII
1t was to be done after this fashion She
was 10 flbricatc plot. ana TO bring it to us.
written on two sides of Il sheet OF letter paper.
On the reverse sides we were to criliclSc this
plot, and prepare cancellations. Then she was
TO make out skeletons OF the men and women
who were afterwards TO be clothed with flesh
and made alive with blood, and covered with
cuiccs. After that she was 10 arrange her
proportions: and ut last, before she began 10
write the story, she was to describe in detail
such part OF it as was to be told IN each chap-
ter On every advancing wavelet ol thc WORK.
we were 10 give her our written REMARKS
All this we promised TO do because OF the
quiver in her lip, and the alternate tear ana
sparkle in her eye Nov that have found
friend feel sure that can do it," she SAID,
as she held our hand tightly before she ielt us;
In about month. during which she had
twice written to us, and twice been answered,
she came with her plot. IL was inc oid STORY,
with some additions and some change. There
was matrimony instead Of death III the END,
and an old amt was brought i'll for the plir-
nose of rclenting and producing an income.
We added a few details, feeling as we did so
that we were the very worst otbotchcrs. We
doubt now whether the old. sad, simple story
was not the better of the two. Then, after
another heightened interview, we sent our
pupil back to create her skeletons. Wnen she
came with the skeletons we were dear friends,
and we had learned TO call her Mary. Then it
was that she first sat al our editorial table and
,urotn , IN lhp ntlrlip IL WAS then