The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1869-12-17
BIDDEFORD, Me-, FRIDAY

own. Glorious, glorisus privilege /! Ant
how is it earncdp All. my friends, yO,
may spare yourselves the useless inquiry
We are the only people who can earn it
for we are the only people who are al
ways right.
In the case of my misguided aunt, thu
form which pious perseverance was mex
to take revealed itself to me plainl!
enough. .....
Preparation by clerical friends had fail
ed. owing to Lady Verinder's own reluc
tance. Preparation by books had failed
owing to the doctors infidel obstinacy.
So be it! What was the next thing Il
try? The next thing to try was-Prepa
ration by Little Notes. In other. words,
the books themselves having been sen
back, select extracts from the books cop
led by different hands, and all addressed
rs letters to my aunt, were, some to bt
sent by post, and some to be distributed
about the house on the plan had adopt
ed on the previous day. AS letters they
would excite no suspicion ; rs letters they
would bc opcncd-and once opened
might be read. Some of them l wrote
myself. Dear aunt may ! ask your Mt.
tention to few lines p etc. Dear aunt,
| was readiug last night, and l chanced
on the following passage, etc. Other let.
ters were written for me, by my valued
fellow workers, tho sisterhoOd ut the Moth
er's-Small. Clothes. Dear Madam, par.
don the interest taken in you by u true,
though humble, friend Dear Madam,
may serious person surprise you by say
ing few cheering wordsp Using these
and other similar forms of courteous ap-
peal, we rcintroduced all my precious pas
sages under q form which not even the
doctors watchful materialism could sus.
pcct, Before the shades of evening had
closed around us had "a dozen awaken
ing books. Six / made immediate ar.
rangcments for sending through the post,
and six | kept In my pocket for personal
distribution in the house the next day.
Soon after two o'clock i was again or
the field of pious conflict, addressing more
kind inquiries to Samuel mt Lady Vcrin
dcr's door.
Myaunt had had bad night. She wa.
again in the room in which had witness
cd her Will, resting on the sofa, and try.
ing to get little sleep. said l would
wait in the library, on the chance of see
ing her. In the fervor of my zeal TO dis.
| tribute the letters. ii never occurred to mt
to inquire about Rachel. The house w;I
quiet, and it was past the hour mt which
the musical performance began. Itook Il
for granted that she and her party Of pleas
ure-scckcrs (Mr. Godfrey, alas! includcd)
were all at the concert, and eagerly de-
voted myself to my good work, while
time and opportunity were still ut my owr
disposal. r.....
NV aunt's correspondence of the morn
ing-including the six awakening letters
which had posted Overnight-was lying
unopened on the library table. She had
evidently not felt herself equal to dealing
with u large mass of lettcrs-and she
might be daunted by the number of them
II she entered the library later in the day
I put one of my second set of'siH. letters
on the chimney-piece by itself; .leavinS:i'
to attract her curiosity, by means OF its
solitary position, apart from the rest. a
second letter put purposely on the tlool
I'm the breakfast-room. The first servant
who went i'm after me would conclude my
aunt had dropped 1t, and would be special.
| ly careful to restore II to her. The fiel,
thus sown on the basement story, l ran
lightly up stairs to scatter my mcrcics next
over the drawing-room floor.
Just rs entered the front-room heard
Ia double knock Mt the street-,loor-a soft
iluttering, considerate little knock. Be-
fore could think of slipping back to the
library (in which / was supposed to bt
waiting) the active young footman was In
the hall, answering the door. 1t mattere,
little. rs thought. In my aunt's state oi
health visitors in general were not admit
ted. To NV horror and amazement the
performer of the soft little knock proved
to be an exception to general rules. sam
uel's voice below me (aftcr apparently
answering some questions which l did no,
hear) said, unmistakably, Up stairs. Il
you please, SIR Tho next moment
heard footsteps-a mans footstcps-ap
lroaching the drawing-room floor. Who
could this favored male visitor be AL
most as soon rs asked myself tho qies.
ton the answer occurred to Inc. Who
conid il be but the doctor? -.
In the case of any other visitor should
have allowed myself obc discovered In
the drawing.room. There would have
been nothing out OF the common in my
having got tired of the library, and hay'
ing gone up stairs for change. But my
own sclf-rcspect stood in the way OF my
meeting the person who had insulted mt
by sending me back my books. l slipped
into the little third room. which l have
mentioned rs communicating with the
back drawing-room, and dropped the cur
tains which closed the open doorway. II
| only waited there for minute or two
the usual result in such cases would take
place. That is to say, the doctor would
be conducted to his patients room.
waited minute or two, and more
than minute or two. hear,i the visitor
walking rcstlcssly backward and forward
also heard him talking to himself.
even thought recognized the voice. Had
| l made mistake? Was il not the doc
tor. but somebody else? Mr.. Briff, fol
instancep No! an rlnerring instinct tolt
me it was not Mr.. Bruff. Whoever he
was. he was still talking to himself.
parted the heavy curtains the least little
morsel in the world, and listened.
The words heard were, I'll do II to-
dayr And the voice that spoke them was
Mr.. Godfrey Ablcwhites.
CHAPTER V.
Ny hand dropped from the curtain
But don't suppose-oh, don't suppose
that Tho dre.,df,l e,,,har,., ssn,cnt of my