Connecticut western news., 1871-11-03
A Strange Tale.

The following adventure ndppen6eh III Bath, England, many years ago, and the lady who narrated 1t to the writer, was,
 in those days, 8 young girl staying in the house. It was in the palmy days ot Bath, when that now fallen city rivalled London in brilliancy and dissipation; and whensan the rich, the gay, and the highlborn' of England congregated there
 in the season, and graced the balls and I, assemblies, Mrs. R =, once the belle of the court of George IT., 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 fourth-her beau ty-was of the days gone by): these things were her fascination, her benevo- lence, and-a set of the most matchless and perfect amethysts. Her house con- tained tapestried chambers. The walls of the one in which she slept was hung around with designs from heather my thology, and the finest piece in the room was that which hung over her dressing table. It represented Phmbus. driving the chariot ofithe sun. The figures and horses being life-size,, it filled up the space between the two windows, and the horses were concealed behind the old fashioned Venetian 1ooking-glass, while
 Phebus himself six feet high, looked down by day and bynight on his mis- tress at her toilet ssi G'I ..
 One evening Mrs. R. had an un- usually large party at home. She wore all her amethysts. On retiring to her room, about four clock in the morning, she took off 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, to say her prayers While engaged in her devotions, it was a habit with her to look upward, 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 Phpbus.
 What does she see |? Has Pygmalion been at work :? Has. he filed those dull silk eyes with vital fire Z? Or is she dreaming ?. No. 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 upon hers. The light of her. candles shone
 distinctly on living orbs, and her good keen sight enabled her, after cleverly- managed scrutiny, to see that the tapes try eyes of Ponbus had been cut out, and that, with her door locked, and every servantinabed their distant apartments, and all her jewels spread out before her, she was not alone in the room. She con- cluded her prayers with her face sunk in ha-, 1v hot 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 as usual and waited the issue, her only omission being that she did net put away her jewels. ss They may save my ife,S' she said to herself, and she closed her eyes. The clock struck five before a sound was heard, and then the moment arrived She heard rustic, 8 descent from behind the tapestry, and a man stood at her dressing table. He took of his coat, and one by one he se- cured the jewels beneath his waistcoat. What would be his next move? Would it be to- the bedside or to the window |? He turned and approached her bedside but by that time she had seen enough, tllu ttSS{blu C1Ooeo uGI eyes dlIl ICSIgu0u herself to the Providence whose protec- ton sheIhad been craving. 2t"'' X G..
 li"' The. man was her own ceachman. Ap- tpnrently satisfied by atbrief glance under This dark lantern that he had not disturb ed her, he quietly unlocked the, door and t1eft her. For two hours-they must have seemed two days-she allowed the house to remain l1nalarmed, her only ,movemehtH having been to releck the door which, her living Phobus had Jeff ajaf.. At seven. in the morning she rang
 the bell, and ordered the carriage round just after breakfast All this was accord
 ing to her usual habits. Oh the box was
 the man who had cost her nights rest and most probably all her jewels, How
 ever, she drove off; she went straight to
 the house, of, a magistrate. .,.... ....
 "Seize my coachman!' said she ; SC
 cure him and search him. I have beer
 robbed, and I hardly think he has hac
 time to 'disencumber himself of the jew:
 els he has taken from me- "ls ,r.... .
 She was sobeyed, and she was right tThe amethysts were still about him. and
 he gave himself up without a struggle