Litchfield enquirer., 1875-10-28

sing nm to nave gone out for a morning walk. although Dinah declared the street door had not been heard to shut since her early rising, I waited some time, and then sent to his room. Dinah returned with the announcemeut that St. Mark and all his belongings had gone.
 In anything but a peaceful frame of mind, l sat down at my lonely breakfast table-which was always laid, so far as china and silver went, the night before,- and mechanically poured the coffee.
 As was trying to help myself to sugar the frequency of which indulgence on my part had been remarked by my late visitor-I became suddenly conscious of a portentOus lump in the bowl-nothing less than three-cornered note, which read as follows
 Miss DRAPER I can never forgive my self for the last two days, which yet are, and must always be, the most delightful memory of my life. dare not ask you to pardon my despicable offence (the na- tnre of which can but hope will always be concealed from you); but now that the only atonement possible to me is to withdraw from your hospitality precious hospitality he had written, but labori- ously erased the adjectivel, Ipray you to remember as leniently as possible your miserably repentant
 SUNDAY VISITOR"
 I turned it up and I turned it down I gazed into the milk-pitcher and into the coffee pot in frantic pursuit of further communications from my incoherent cor respondent. Wild terrors as to the possi- ble color and dimensions of his mysteri- ous offence swept over me. Wolves in sheep's clothing, fascinating impostors, and insinuating burglars were not abso- lutely unknown, even in those days. And yet, when D1nah, forgetting her admira- tion, proceeded to count the spoons, and search the closets, and lay over the bureau drawers, resented the aspersion, as if the fugitive had not been an inexplicabIe enigma to myself.
 My father and sister did not return un. til Tuesday afternoon. Fanny came up alone from the station, saying that papa had gone around by the post-o office. He was very late in coming home, and it ap- peared that he had found a long epistle from Mir Charles, which had sent him down to Mir. -'s counting room for consultation with his parishiOner and con- fidential adv1ser.
 The cross examination to which I sub- mltted in St Marks behalf, was intolera- ble. So closely dId papa press his inqui- ries that-Heavenf forgive me - actually began, for the first time, to suspect him of clerical jealousy.
 Well, Bertha, you seem to have been as much bewitched as the rest of the peo- pie with the new preacher"
 "He preached two of the best sermons I ever heard from that pulpit, respond ed pertly. .r
 ''John the Baptist's magnimity was his subject in the morning." Mir. said. "How did he treat 1t ?'
 gave remarkably full report, for me :: and my undutiful doubt of my father was rebuked by the heartiness with which he exclaimed now and then Capital P' Admirably put P "Andover, Princeton. and New Haven combined couldn't in- prove upon that" etc., etc, and finally Ut is great pity that his ministerial ca- reer is likely to be so brief
 Papa was also unnaturally curious as to domestic affairs during Mir. Cnarles's stav and when incidentally chanced to men, tion that he hadn't seemed specially at home at the family altar, I regret to say that Dr. Draper went of in an exceedingly jolly fit of laughter, highly unbecoming to his cloth and the subject, and stubbornIy refused to explain himself, although Fam ny joined her entreaties to mine. Neither would he vouchsafe word in regard to the contents of the letter he had received. except to say at last
 ''I am astonished that you at least, Der tha, should urge me to betray what the gentleman himself begs me particularly to keep from you. But I will preserve the letter for you and if you are as ea- ger about it, say twenty years from now, you shall read it.'
 read 1t before twenty weeks were over but not until had ceased to have much curiosity in regard to the subject, although l still preserve the article.
 There was little need of fathers caution- ary suggestion, that we should not intro duce Mir. Charles's name in general con- for Fanny had only heard of him through my guarded report, and I was quite too sensitive in the matter to do more than parry as quickly as possible any chance allusion to the eioquent preacher.
 As am not writing sensational novel perhaps the burden of St. Marks letter, and the head and front of his offending. had better be revealed at this point.
 ''BosToN, May -, 1S5-. REV. DB. DRAPER,
 LOWELL, MAss.
 ''MY DEAR SIR have the miserable confession to make to you, that have stolen into your pulpit and your home on IT Azn1 ugly facts, and leave it to your welI-known charity to discern the very slightly exten- hating circumstances attending them. Business called my friend Drury to Bos- ton on Saturday last, and. as we were walking down Washington street together he suddenly fell upon the sidewalk in a dead faint. I had him carried at once to the Marlboro and called physician, who after careful examination, declared the attack to be owing to inadequate and intense mental apphca- ton.
 ''Again and again he lost but, whenever he rallied, he was painfully agitated by the thought of the breach of his engagement with yourself, and his eff fort to devise some remedy. l assured him that I would find a substitute, and SCut bO P1sCCC HI buC CASYp WucLc, as he suggested, might find or hear of some available man. made three at- tempts in vain but. when I reported this to my friend, It excited him so dangerous Iy, that determined that whatever hap pened, he should be at ease on that score. 90 l -sallied out again on my quest. But it was by that time so late on Saturday that everybody was engaged, or otherwise put of reach, and I turned away from Dr. Kirk's door with such despair in my face, that that sympathetic divine said: '.It real ly seems, as if you would have to go your self"
 '.Now, this instigation of the arch-adver- sary- would have taken no root, had not met the physician in the office of the hotel IS returned, and learned that his patient vas so intensely apprehensive as to the result of this, my last effort in his behalf, that he must be treasured at all hazards. pr the consequences might be fatal to the Over-wrOught brain and spent body. only of this, we went up to his room together, and had the satisfaction of seeing his frenzy abate as declared . It is all right. there's 8 frst-rate fellow