The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-07-07
A Night of Terror.

pened in Bath, in the year 49,, and
the lady who narrated it TO the writer
was IN those days a young girl staying
IN the house. 1t was in the palmy days
OF Bath, when that city rivaled London
in brilliancy and dissipation, and when
all the rich, the gay and the high-born
OF England congregated there in season
and graced the balls and assemblies.
Mrs. R, once the belle of the
court of George ILL.,, but at this period
gradually retiring from general society,
possessed one of the largest o. the old
houses, and gave in it entertainments
which were the most popular of the day.
She was celebrated for three things
(once FOUR but the fourth-her beauty
Was of the days gone by) these things
were her fascination, her benevolence,
and-a set OF the most beautiful anne
thysts.
Her house contained tapestried cham
bers. The walls of the one in which
she slept were hung around with designs
from heather mythology, and the finest
piece in the room was that hung over
her dressing table 1t represented Ph@-
bus driving the chariot OF the sun. The
figures and horses being life size, it filled
up the whole space between the win
dows and the horses were concealed
behind the high, old-fashioned Venetian
looking. glass while Phpbus. himself
six feet high, looked down by night and
day upon his mistress at her toilet.
One evening Mrs. RI had an I'M
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 all her jewels, laid them on
the table, and dismissed the weary maid,
intending TO put them away herself. but
before doing SO knelt down, as usual, to
her prayers. While engaged in her de-
votions, it was habit with her TO look
upwards, and the face of Phoebus 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 Pygmalion
been here to work Has he filled those
dull eyes with vital fire? Or is she
dreaming? Nay. Possessed naturally of
wonderful courage and calmness, she
continued to move her lips as if in silent
prayer, and never once withdrew her
gaze, and still the eyes looked down on
hers. The light of her candles shone
distinctly on liquid, living orbs, and her
good, keen sight enabled her, after a
cleverly managed scrutiny, to see that
the tapestry eyes of Phpbus had been
cut out, and that, with her door locked
and the servants in bed in their distant
apartments, and all her Jewels spread
out before her, she was not alone in her
room.
She concluded her prayers with her
face in her hands. We can all imagine
what those last prayers must have been!
She knew there was some one behind
that tapestry; she knew that the bells
and screams were equally useless, and
she lay down in her bed as usual, and
waited the issue, her only omission
being that she did not put away her
jewels. "They may save my life" said
she to herself and she closed her eyes.
The clock struck five before a sound
was heard, and then the moment ar
rived. She heard a rustic, a descent from
behind the tapestry, and man stood at
her dressing table. He took of his coat,
and one by one he secured the Jewels
beneath his waistcoat. What would be
his next move? Would it be to her
bedside, or the door, or window? He
turned and approached her bedside;
but by that time she had seen enough,
and again closed her eyes. resignng
herself to the Providence whose protec-
ton she had just been cravino. The
man was her coachman.
Apparently satisfied by brief glance
under his dark lantern that he had not
disturbed her, he quietly unlocked her
door and left her. For two hours-they
must have seemed days-she allowed
the house to remain unbalanced, her
only movement having been to relock
the door which her living Phubus had
left ajar. At in the morning she rang
her bell, and ordered the carriage round
Immediately after breakfast. All this
was according to her usual habits. On
the box was a man who had cost her
nights rest, and most prabably all her
Jewels. However, she drove off; she
went straight to the house of a magis-
trate.
"Seize my coachman," said she; "se-
cure him and search him. | have been
robbed, and / can 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 up without struggle. All he
said was, . wish now that had killed
her. | meant to do it only she was so
good hadn the heart"
1t is most probable that after this
exciting episode the tapestry Of that
bed -chamber was remorselessly con-
demned, and the eyeless Phnbus was
consigned to oblivion.