National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1869-08-27
Thr Story Trller.
LicinO Tapestry.

The following incident happened
in Bath in the year 49,, and the
lady who narrated it to the writer
was lin those days) a young girl
staying in the house. it was in the
palmy days of Bath, when the now
fallen city rivalled London in bril-
iiancy and dissipation, and when all !
the rich, the gay. and the high-o0rn |
OF England congregated there i'll the |
season and graced the balls and as |
seMblleS. Mrs. Il, once the belle |
of the court Of George Ill, but at
this period gradually retiring from
general society, possessed one of the
largest of the Old houses, and gave
in it entertainments which were the
most popular of the day. She was
celebrated for three thingS-(once
for four, but the tourth-hcr beauty
was of the days gone by)-thcse
things being her fascination, her be
. neyolencc, and Il set of the most
beautiful and matchlcSS amethysts
Her house held tapestried cham
3 berS. The walls Of the one in which
she slept were hung around with de
signs from heathcn mythology, and
the finest picc" in the room was that
which hung over her dressing table.
1t represented PhTobus driving III
the chariot of the sun. The figures
and horses beng litc-sile, it filled up
/. the whole space between the two
windows, and the horses were con
!, ccalcd behind the old fashioned We
G nitiau looking glass, while phUbuS
himself, six feet high, looked down
by day and BY night at his mistress
ut her toilette.
One evening Mrs. Il had IN
unusually large party at home. She
wore all her amcthNStS. On retiring
" to her room, about o'clock III the
morning, she took of her jewels,
: laid thcm on the table, and dismiss
ing the weary maid, intended to put
tnem away herself, but before doing
So. knelt down, as usual, to her de.
votious. While engaged in prayer,
it was Il habit with .lcr to look up
u, ward. and the face of PhWhuS was
. generally her point of sight, as II
- were, and the object on which hcl
eyes most easily rested. On tins
particular night, rs usual, she raiSeo
80 them to phTbUS. What does she
see! Has Rygnalion been at work
Has he flied those duh silk eye
with vital fire Or is she dreaming
K, No. Possessed naturally with won
Ir drrfnl courage and calmucSS, sh'
- continued to move her lips rs if II
silent pr ver, aud never Withdrew
her gaze, and still the eyes looked
down on hers. The light OF he
- candles Shone distinctly on hNln,
orbS. and her good keen sight cha
blcd her, after a cleycrly manage
utS scrutiny to see that the tapcStr
ewes OF phUbuS had been cut on
and that, with her door locked an
w, every servant III bed in their dlStai
ian apartments. and all her jewels lal
out before her. She was no. alone
her room. She silently conclude
her PRAYERS with her face sunk
her hands.
We can well imagine What tho'
prayers must have been. She hhe
there was some one behind the Il
=, pc>tly: she knew that bells al
,,. screams were equally useless, al
4ei> she lay down in her bed as uSu'
lina and waited the issue, her only oml
Kos sion being that she did not put ava
'wc. her Jewels. "lhcy may save Il
ME" she said to herself rs she cl'
ed her ewes. The clock struck Il
Z. before souuG was heard. and TN
the moment arrived, she hedld
rustic, a descent from behind I
tapestry, aud 4 man stood ut Il
dressing table. He took Oft his co
and enc by one secured the JeW'
.<a, beneath his waiStcoat. What Wou
and he his next mevc? Would it be
the bedside or to the window!
- turned aud approached her hedSi'
but by that time she had seen
II. abundance. and again resigned II
self TO the Providence she hAd j
been craving. The man was !
own coachman. Apparently sat
fed by brief glance under bis dt
40 Lantern that he had not disturb
inin her, he quietly unlocked the d'
r. tho The aud left her. For two hours--tl
must have seemed two days
ord, allowed the house to remain u
arch larmcd, her only movement being
q, rclock the door which her llN
Sen. Phmbus had left ajar.
At seven in the morning she =
ury, her bell, and ordered the carrlt
.oOor' round Immediately after hrcaki'
Fair. All this was according to her us
IsGs. custom. On the box was the Il
mct who had cost her rights rest,
most probably all her jewclrI
''' However, she drove off, and W
- straight to the house of ma
trate. "Seizo my coaChman,"
said. "Sccurc him and search !
have been robbed, and | hal
"nrl ""rl think he has had time to diScnc
bcr himself Of the jewels he haS
ken from me.' She was obeyed,
rd, ", She was right. The amcthSsts
4" still about him, aud he gave hin
g" up without q struggle,