The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1871-11-10

| The following adventure happened IA
/ Bath, England, many ye,uH ago, and th
/ lady who narrated IL Ia the writer, VAS
ia those days, a young girl staying in thl
house. 1t was in the paimy days o
Bath, when that now falleE, city'Ilyallet
London ia brillianry aud dissipation
and when all the rich, the gay, and th'
hgh-born Of England con gregated ther'
in the season, and glHced the balls ana
assemblies. Mrs. R, once the belle
Of the court of George Lu., bnt al thi,
period gradually retiring from general
society, possessed one Of Z ne largest Of the
old houses, and gave in il entertainments,
which were the most popular Of the
day. She was celebrate 4 for three things
tonce for four, but the fOurth-her beau
TWAS of the days gone by): these
things were her fascin alton, her benevo-
lence, and--a set of L le most matchless
and perfect amethysts Her house con-
tanned tapestried chai nbers. The walls
of the one in which The slept was hung
around with designs from heathen my
thology, and the finest piece in the room
was that which hung over her dressing
table. 1t represented Phabus driving
the chariot of the sRR. The figures and
horses being life-siaa il filed up the
space between the two windows, and the
horses were conc called behind the old
fashioned Venetian looking glass, while
Phmbus himself, six feet high, looked
down by day and by night ON his mis-
tress ut her toilet
One evening Mrs. r. had am mn
usually largo party at home. She wore
all her amehhysts. On retiring 10 her
room. about four O'Clock in the morning,
she took or her jewels, laid them on the
table, and dismissed her weary maid, in
tending tO put them away herself, but
before doing SO knelt down, as usual, 10
say her prayers While engaged ia her
devotions, il was q habit with her 10 look
upward, and the face of Phdsbns was
generally her point Of sight, as il were,
and the object oR which her eyes most
easily rested. On this particular night,
az usual. she raised fier eyes 10 Phmbns.
What does size ssee Has Pygmalon
been at work Has he filed those dull
silk eyes with vital fire Or is she
dreaming ? No Possessed naturally Of
wonderful c0ur &c and calmnesS, she
continued 10 move her lips as il in silent
prayer, and ne'ser once withdrew her
gaze; and still tho eyes looked down upon
hers The high of her candles shoue
distinctly on living orhs. and her good
keen sight enabled her. after a cleverly-
managed scrutiny. % see that the tapes
try eyes OF Pooabus had been cnt ont,
and that. with her door locked, and every
servant in bed in their distant apartments,
and all her jewels spread out before her,
abe was not alone in the room. She con-
clnded her prayers with her face sunk in
her hands. We can well imagine what
those prayers must have been. She
knew there WAS some one behind the
tapestry; she knew that bells and screams
were equally useless and she laid down
in her bed az uf.nnl and waited the issue.
her only omission being that she did net
put away her jewels. They may save
my life" she said 90 herself. aud she
closed her ewes. The clock struck FIVE
before a sour d was heard, ana then the
moment arri'.ed. She heard "A rs,stlr,
descent from behind the tapestry, and
man stood nj her dreSsing-table. He
took off his coat, and one hy one he SEE
cured the jewels beneath his waistcoat
What would be his next move ? Would
il be 10 the bedside or 10 the window ?
He turned and approached her bedside
but by that time she had seen enough.
and again closed her eyes aud resigned
herself Co the Providence whose protec-
tion she had been craving.
The man was her own coachman. Ap-
parently satisfied by a brief glance under
his dark lantern that he had not disturb
cd her, he quietly unlocked the door and
left her. For two hours-they must
have seemed two days-she allowed the
house TO remain unnlnrmed, her only
NOV ement having been taarelock the
door which her living Phmbus had left
aiar. At seven in the morning she rang
the bell, and ordered the carriage round
just after breakfast All this was accord.
ing 10 her usual habits On the box was
the man who had cost her a nights rest
and most probahl, all her jewels How
ever. she drove of she went straight 10
the house Of magistrate.
Seize my coachmnnl said she; se-
cure him and search him. / have been
robbed, and hardly think he has had
time TO disencnmber himself of the jew
els he has taken from me-
She was obcyed, and she was right
The amethysts were still about him. and
he gave himself mp without struggle.