Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1881-11-02

a
chairs, II IL true, but then again | might
not, On the whole, things are pretty
equal In this world. May ] ask II you
agree with me. my good sirf Nay, do
not dlssemble ia we'll at times to lot
the heart speak"
While she was holding forth, tho girl
was yainly trying to invest her IN her
garments, hut she fought TO tho best OF
her ability against II, aud then l dis
covered what had almost known from
her speech, that we had 10 deal with q
dangerous and powerful lnnat lS. AZ
first did not know what to do but
finally, seeing that she would soon be
too much for Us. motioned 10 the girl
TO seek some assistance, after which !
tried TO reason with the old woman, but
naturally with small success, a., alter
smiling serenely AT me, when ! nnggeNt'
oil that o carving knife was not tho sort
OF thing any respectable member OF so
ciety should vavs reckleasly about, she
became abusive, used most frantic
Language. and finally strained at tho
sheets which bound her until i expected
to zee them fly apart,
shall never forget that twenty min
ules OF agony that endured during the
girls absence hut at last she returned
with two stalwart policemen, who speed
ily conducted my mad friend to the safe
asylum OF tho workhouse ward, whore
tho following story was told us by the
girl -
~ came up with my aunt from Dor
chester last night, M she received an In
timaton from u lawyer that some little
property had been left her, aud IN her
husband IN q eoachman to Lord Ner'
wood, wc came TO tho news whore he
lives when his lordship Is in town, and
II was not until about four o'clock this
afternoon that sho began TO bo violent,
My aunt has always been eccentric, but
none Of us over saw her like sho was
to-day, or should not have como up with
hor, NY name is Marian Lucas, and sho
is Mrs. James. think the heat Of tho
streets, long abstinence from food, and
the disappointment of discovering there
was no property, and that tho lawyer
had not written at all, must have turned
her brain. However il this gentleman
turning TO me-had not come in when
he did, feel sure ! should havo been
murdered, and, indeed, don't know
what TO do, for do not know soul in
London, and ! darent go back to tho
awful room by myself"
When Marian Lucas had finished her
story she looked toward me, as il she
would be glad OF advice, and at once
volunteered TO take her home with me,
for was sure my mother and sisters
would gladly do their best for her, until
her uncle could be communicated with,
which the parish doctor at once prom
ised to do 80 leaving Mrs. James raw
ing and swearing in tho care of the nur.
ses and doctors, I called cab, aad of
we drove together.
My mother was very good to Marian,
and in tho few days she stayed with us
regular friendship was formed between
us all, for Marian turned out to be edu-
Gated lar beyond her position, and when
Mr.. James came to town and took her
away, she made us promise that / and
one of my sisters would so down to
Dorsetshire and spend the autumn holi
days with her people.
Mrs. James had, in the meantime, be.
come rational again, and was extremely
surprised to find out what she had been
doing but the doctor advised her hus.
band to let her have a years residence
in qualified hands, for he quite expected
return of the attack at any moment.
However, her husband would not hear
of it, and I must confess to seeing the
party depart from the Great Western
station with an intense feeling Of de-
preston, due to the terror I felt at
knowing Marian was again to be under
the same roof as her aunt, for I had to
confess the truth, fallen hopelessly and
desperately in love with her. However,
Marian wrote constantly to my sisters
during the next fortnight, and always
mentioning how well her aunt kept,
soon made mo forget her outrageous
conduct, and in the joy of looking for
ward to seeing Marian once more, I
only longed for the first of September
to come, and quite gave up troubling
over Mrs. JameSs temporary attack of
lunacy.
All this time the extreme acuteness of
hearing from which ] suffered still con-
tinued, although for some days was
almost free from it. At other times I
could hear every little sound, and no.
tice distinctly words and whispers that
often escaped the hearing of those for
whom they were intended but as my
doctor told me that the temporary re-
turn to state of normal hearing indica-
ted change, I became resigned, and
rather amused myself by the converse
tions I perpetually heard, and that was
certainly never intended for me. The
idea to of holiday in the country, car
ried me over the few remaining days of
August heat; and soon I found myself
steaming down into the West of England
with my sister, both OF us rejoiced to
leave: e::behind the glare and dust that
had claimed London for its own, and
made the city very abomination of
desolation.
Although the station was Dorchester,
we found we had to drive some miles
out of the town before reaching our des-
tination, and as it was getting late, and
the big yellow September "hunter's
moon" wailing in dense blue sky, and
a soft white mist lying along the mead
ows spoke of another beautiful day in
the morning, our spirits rose higher,
and by the time we reached the little
village lying silently under the shadow
of the Purbeck Hills, We were almost in
raptures about tho new country through
which we had come, and although our
vehicle was the extremely humble car
rier's cart which shook us up rather con-
siderably, we were quite sorry when our
drive came to an end, and we were de-
posted at the James's.
They lived in quite nice little square
house in the center of the village, and
Marian lived with them, as she was an
orphan, and almost alone in the world,
which fact, think, had made my moth.
er care more about her than she might
have done, for she was pitiful soul,
and given to cosset everybody who came
under her ken.
Mr.. James had been coachman to my