Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-05-08
a ROMANCE BY B. L. FARJEON,
CHAPTER XVII.
-. vvprpIrxcr OF THE WORLD.


choose my own mode of life. My foretaste
of the worlds ways and of the ways OF
men had not been pleasant, but l was
free man now, and might meet with bet
ter kind of justice.
Wondering little what had become
of my mother, whom | had not seen for
many months, I made my way back to the
forest in which my early life had been
passed. | went first to the hut ; it was
deserted l sought her then, and found
her in Mauvain's fine house. She was
alone no person but herself was within
hail. She asked me for news of Mauvain,
and told her of his peril and escape.
% 1T was noble of him to trust you, she
said.
&c He trusted me because he despised
me he told me as much
&C He has right to despise us; we are
of different make from such as he.'
&c. We are flesh and blood kings are no
more than that.
81 inquired for the servants, and my
mother related to me how, when they
heard that price was set upon Mauvains
head, they fled like rats, loaded with treas
ure. Leontine, of all the men and women
in Mauvain's service, there was not one
who was not thief He had been kind
to them, and they fattened on his generos-
ity in his prosperity they had fawned
upon him, in his downfall they despoiled
him, Such is the value of the service
which waits upon the rich and powerful.
sc The grounds and gardens around the
house, and every room in it, bore token to
the work of spoliation. Trees had been
hacked, fiower-beds trodden down ; the
furniture had been tossed about and much
of it broken glasses were shattered, and
wine had been split on all the floors. So
wanton had been the work of destruction
that hatred must have sprung from the re-
membrance and favors received. Every
step I took showed me new evidence of
mans ingratitude.
"'Ranf,' said /, communing with my
self, sigh not for riches, or power, or
fame. The poor are the best off, and OBJ
security is blessing.
sThe library in which l had spent my
happiest days, had not been spared stat
ues were shattered, pictures defaced, and
books torn from their bindings. This
wasteful wickedness affected me as much
as if my own body had been made to
suffer.
''' Did you help these crawlers, said
to my mother, or look on in silence 2
""'I tried to prevent the destruction,
she replied, and they beat me and threat
ened to burn me. 1 was lucky to escape.
81 asked her what she intended to do
now. She said she would live in the
house unless she were forcibly removed,
and should take care of it till Mauvain
returned.
"sYou think he will return ?
'''Oh, yes. What has happened once
will happen again. And you, Rant, you
will stop with me
eel do not know. What could do
here''
stop and play the lord, she said
ooaxingly, and let me attend on you.
will be your servant
GA fine idea. We will commence at
once tonight will sleep in the bed of
lord
"Shs hobbled away to make Mauvains
room ready for me the fancy tickled her,
for I heard her chuckling to herself.
she waited upon me that night as
though were prince. l gave myself the
airs of one, and she declared that I aped
a great mans manners to perfection.
"'Is is only my hump that blocks the
way said, and few other trifing i'm
projections, such as crooked limbs and odd
features. If you were grand lady, how
would you behave!'
al would stamp upon those beneath
me she cried vehemently. They should
be whipped and starved !
You have wholesome mind. How
happy I ought to be that you are my
mother {
"She followed me to Mauyaln's bed
room with lighted candles, and said, Good
night, nay lord son.. She would have en-
braced me, but put her from me /; had
no feeling of affection for her. Had l
known. Leontine, how it would have been
with her when 1 looked upon her face
again, should have pressed her hand and
have hidden her solemn farewell.
"As L undressed myself for bed 1 felt
m my pocket small phial containing a
liquid I had distilled from the dream
flower
".Csuld a man command his dreams,
l thought, half his life might be passed in
heaven however wretched his lot. The
soldier would dream of conquests, thespoet
of fame, and fools of love.
81 inhaled from the phial, murmuring
again, and fools of love 7 and fell into a
deep sleep. l was haunted by dream of
face. the face of woman, which accom-
panied me in a myriad fantastic and extrav-
agant adventures, wooing me to it, draw
ing me after it by spell to which 1 gladly
Welded, over fields of flowers, through
forests of eternal night, through clouds
and caverns and shining waters, and in the
wild tangle of these fancies, keeping evil
from me and turning me from evil. Not
once did this face present itself clearly to
my imagination, but it was fair and beau
tiful / knew and ever and again In my
dreams came murmur like music, now
sweet and tender, now passionate and wild,
: and fools of love!'
IL awoke in the middle OF the night
GAfE NV