Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1869-07-28
Living Tapestry.


Bath in the year 179-, and the lady who
narrated it to the writer was(in those days.
young girl staying in the house. 1t was
in the palmy days of Bath, when the now
fallen city rivalled London in brilliancy,
and dissipation, and when all the rich,
the gay, and the high-born of England
congregated there in the season and gra-
ced the balls and assemblies. Mrs. -,
once the bells of the court of George Ill,
but at this period gradually retiring from
general society, possessed one of the larg
est of the old houses, and gave in it enter
tainments which were the most popular of
the day. She was celebrated for three
things-(onee for four, but the fourth
her beauty-was of the days gone by,)-
these things being her fascination, her
henevolence, and-a set of the most beau
tiful and matchless amethysts. Her house
of the. one in which she slept were hung
around with designs from heather my
thology. and the finest piece in the room
was that which hung over her dressing
table. 1t represented Phebus driving in
the chariot of the sun. The figures and
horses being life size, it filed up the whole
space between the two windows, and the
horses concealed behind the old-fashioned
Venetian looking-glass while Phoebus
himself, six feet high, looked down by day
and by night at his mistress at her toll
ette.
One evening Mrs. r. - had an un-
usually large party at home. She wore
all her amethysts. On retiring to her
room, about four O'Clock in the morning,
she took off her Jewels, laid them on the
table and dismissing the weary maid,
intended to put them away herself. but,
before doing so, knelt down, as usual, to
her prayers. While engaged in her devo-
tions it was habit with her to look up
ward, and the face of Phebus was
generally her point of sight, as it were,
and the object on which her eyes most
easily rested. On this particular night,
as usual, she raised her eyes to Phebus.
What does she see ? Has he filed those
dull silk eyes with vital fire? Or is she
dreaming No. Possessed naturally
with wonderful courage and calmness, she
continued to move her lips as if in silent
prayer, and never withdrew her gaze,
and still the eyes looked down upon hers.
on living orbs, and her good keen sight
enabled her, after cleverly managed
scrutiny, to see that the tapestry-eyes of
Phebus had been cut out, and that, with
her door locked and every servant in bed
In their distant apartments, and all her
jewels spread out before her, she was not
alone in her room. She silently concluded
her prayer with her face sunk down in her
hands.
We can well imagine what those pray
ers must have been. She knew there was
some one behind the tapestry she knew
that bells and screams were equally use
less, and she lay down in her bed as usual,
and waited for the issue, her only omission
being that she did not put her jewelry
away. They may save my life" she
said to herself, and she closed her eyes.
The clock struck FIVE before a sound was
heard, and the moment arrived. She
heard q rustic, descent from behind the
tapestry, and man stood at her dressing
table. He took off his coat, and one by
one secured the jewels beneath his waist
coat. What would be his next move
Would it be to the bedside, or to the win
dow ? He turned and approached the
bedside, but by that time she had seen
enough and again resigned herself to the
Providence she had Just been craving.
The man was her own coachman. Appa-
rently satisfied with brief glance under
his dark lantern that he had not disturbed
her, he quietly unlocked the door and left
her. For two hours-they must have
seemed two days-she allowed the house
to remain unalarmed, her only movement
being to relock the door which her living
Phebus had left ajar.
At seven in the morning she rang her
bell, and ordered the carriage round i'm
mediately after breakfast. All this was
according to her usual habits. On the
box was the man who had cost her a
nights rest, and most probably all her
jewelry. However she drove off; she
went straight to the house of a magistrate.
+" Seize my coachman," she said /; secure
him aud search him. / have been robbed,
and | hardly think he has had time to
disencumber himself of the jewels he has
taken from me-" She was obeyed, and
she was right. The amethysts were still
about him, and he gave himself up without
struggle.