Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-08-22
A Midnight Drama.
BY EDWARD BELLAMY.

W lldI u SlSll WIS ILilI' uOG lOlSJS DuI
profound and eloquent at once of an old
grief and u fresh perpleXity. Bob Withers,
the gentleman in his shirt sleeves before
the mirror, had heaved that sigh every
night for ten years, simultaneously with
the act of removing from his head the fine
chestnut wig which conceals the almost
complete destiution of the natural cover
ing. The grief is therefore an old one, but
an element of perpleXity has mingled with
this nightly sigh more lately-namely,
since having wooed and won Angie Nc
Lane in his wig, he has been screwing up
his courage to the point of evealing to her
that it is wig, us he feels in fairness he
ought to do. He has put it off, and put it
of, never finding just the right opporluni-
ty for the confession until now the we'd
ding is but month off, and the task seems
harder, more impossible than ever. He is
ut present spending a couple of days at the
house of the McI4anes in tine country, with
the view of getting acquainted with the
family. For the sake OF enjoying unalloy-
ed the pleasure of Angles society for this
short time, he has compromised with his
conscience by resolving at once on leaving
to write to her and tell the truth, and by
no means to procraslinne further.
Meantime the process of getting ac-
quainted with the family does not get on
very prosperously. Bob is n poor match
from the paternal point of view, and II Bit
ter disappointment to the McI4anes. Moth
ing but Angles resolute character could
have exhorted the grudging consent which
their engagement had at length received.
The family consisted, besides Angie, of her
father and mother, and two brothers, John
and George. Mr.. McI.ane kept his room,
being confirmed invalid. John, strong
wlled and arrogant in temper, ruled the
family with rod of iron-George being
kinder tempered, but of much less strength
of character. Angie was the only member
IF the family whom John could not rule,
and she carried the point of her engage
ment against his bitter opposition. Mrs.
McIane was II mere shuttlecock between
John and Angie, receiving an impulse
from one which lasted till the other got
hold of her. John had accepted the en-
gagement with IN exceedingly bad grace,
and made scarcely decent pretense Of
concealng from Bob his contempt and hos
tilitv, and his desire to find any preteXt
for forcing quarrel This was particular
ly unpleasant and demoraliZing to Bob, be-
cause the injury to his own self-respect by
the seuso Of the tacit deceit he was guilty
of us to his wig left him unable TO meet
Johns overbearing insolence with the
quiet dignity he would have liked to as
sumo.
After going to bed he lay awake Il couple
of hours thinking over these embarrassing
circumstances, and the delightful fact of
Angles love, to which they were offsets
In the course of his tossings he became
aware that his seal ring was not on his fin
fer, and instantly remembered that, after
using it for Il forfeit in pror-game that
evening, he had forgotten to replace it.
VeXatun at his cnrelessness Instantly
made him wide awake. The ring must be
on the library table. If not, then he knew
not where; and if there, il might be tilch-
ed by servant in the morning. Associa-
tions made it invaluable, and he found
himself so uneasy about its safety that he
could not sleep. Perhaps the best Thing
he could do was to quietly step down stairs
in his stockings without disturbing any
body, and make sure about it. He knew
that he could, even in the dark, steer his
way straight to the library. In this sleep.
less, excited state of mind the slight linge
of adventure in his plan had an attraction.
Jumping out of bed he put on II part OF
his clolhes, and, softly opening the door OF
the room, went across the hail and down
the stairs to the ground floor. 1t was
quite dark, but he found his way easily,
having good topographic instinct. From
the low hall he entered the dining room,
and from that the library. The sea-coal
fire in the CRATE was still hickering bright
ly Illuminating the sumptuously furnished
room with faint, soft glow of peculiarly
rich effect.
There on the table his ring glillered in
the litlul freight, and, as he slipped it on
his finger, he felicitated himself on his sue
cesslui enterprise. The room was SO
charmingly cozy that he felt it would be a
sin not to linger awhile. So throwing him
self on u sofa before the CRATE, he fell into
delightful reverie.
just there, in that chair, Angie had sal
during the evening, and there he pictured
her again, finally going aud leaning over
it in caressing attitude, iondly cheating
himself Over there had sat Mrs. McLane,
and the chair back ut once transtxed him
with two critical eyes, till he was fain to
look away. The brothers were there, and
there
Bob chuckled with cozy sense of sur
Righteousness us he thought how they
would stare could they see hin. now. The
subtitle pleasure of clandestine things is
doubtless partly the cxaggeraton of the
personality which takes place as the pres
sure of other minds is Withdrawn. To
persons of Bob's sensitive mental atmos-
phere that pressure is painful when such
minds are hostile, and often irksome when
they are friendly, if not in perfect accord.
SO that now it was with positively volup-
tuous sensation that his personality ex-
panded till it filled and felt the whole
| room.
The fire burned and busily flew the shut.
ties ef his fancy, weaving once again the
often varied patterns of the future. Those
shuttles had little leisure nowadays, for all
the web must be unravelled and rewoven,
that through ii might run the golden thread
of Angles love. How rarely did 1t light
up the fabric, before so dull and dark!
The bronze mantle clock sounded with
silvery tinkle the hour of two, but the
sonnd fell evidently uuheaded on the ear