Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-11-26
A BLOODY FOOTSTEP
The English Legend that Furnished
Hawthorne With the Plot Of the
"Ancestral FOOtstep."
Its History and the Connections Of ii
With "Septimius FELTON," and
sDr. Grimshawe's Secret"

| In the Atlantic for December is printed the
| FIRST inst alment Of a new and unfinished ro-
nance by Nathaniel Hawthorne, to which
| has been given the name of "The Ancestral
Footstep; Outlines OF an English Romance"
| 1t is known that while Hawthorne was liv-
| ing in England, he visited house called
SmithelPs Hall, near Bolton, in Lancashire
| that he heard from its owner the familiar
| legend of the bloody footstep," and that on
I parting with his hostess, she requested him
| to write ghost story for her house" This
legend bore its first published fruit in Sep
tiDsius Felton,, readers of which will recall the
following words that Hawthorne thus puts
into the mouth of Sybil Dacy:
| [Smithellsl Hall there is bloody footstep i'm
pressed into the doorstep, and rudy, if the
bloody foot had just trodden there; and it is
averred that certain night of the year. and
certain hour of the night, If you go and look at
blood. Some have pretended to say that this ap-
Pearance OF blood was but dew; but can dew red
fnger-tips when you touch it? And that is what
the bloody tootstep will surely do when the ap-
just as it did 800 years ago.
Hawthorne, at the end OF the book, says
he saw with his own eyes" the doorstep
mark; but he suggests that it was "a mere
natural reddish stain in the stone, connected
by superstition with bloody footstep." The
legend forms :he basis of the new Hawthorne
romance. Mr.. Lathrop, the authors sou-in-
law, in predatory note, says that after
"Ssptimus" was published "there remained
certain manuscripts connected with the
scheme of an English story" one of which
"was written in the form of journalized
narrative" while the other was "a more ex-
tended sketch, of much greater bulk, and
without date, but probably produced sew
eral years earlier" The first of these was
the romance now printed in the Atlantic,
the other was "Dr. Grimshawe's Secret"
which Mr.. Julian Hawthorne is about TO
issue in book form through the Osgood
house. All three of these unfinished stories,
therefore, started from the same original
idea. "The Ancestral Footstep" having
been the first in point OF production, and
"Septimus" the first that was published,
having been the last. "The Ancestral Foot
already stated, was carried forward in the
shape OF ga journalized narrative" Thrown
into it,, under date of April 18th, occurs the
following abstract of the authors plot:
The Middleton who emigrated to America more
than 200 years ago had been a dark and moody
young woman for mis- wife. and left a family be-
hind him. In this family a eel tain heirloom had
wilder and stranger with the passing generations
The tradition had lost If 1t ever had, some OF its
connecting Inks. but IL referred to murder, TO
the expulsion Of a brother from the hereditary
house in some strange way, and to bloody foot
STEP %6ica ne mao de impressed into Ine
remonstrance 1t Gas rumored, however, or
vaguely understood, that the expelled brother
was not altogether innocent man, but that
there had been wrong DONE as well as crime COM
mitted insomuch that his reasons were strong
gloomy religious views and to bury himself
In the Western wilderness. These reasons he
had never fully imported to his family,
illusions
which had been treasured up and doubtless en-
larged upon. At last one descendant of the family
determines to go to England with the purpose Of
searching out whatever ground there may be for
these traditions carrying with him certain ancient
county, half in earnest and half in sport of fancy
singular discoveries, all OF whish bring the book
to an end unexpected by everybody and not salts
factory TO the natural yearnings OF novel readers
key TO some family secrets that were still unsolved
and that controlled the des ent OF estates and
him in divers strange and perilous adventures,
and at last it turns out that he himself is the right
full heir to the titles and estate that had passed
into another name within the last half century.
But he respects both feeling that It Is better to
grow in = soil that had been darkened with so
much blood and misfortune as this.
The story begins abruptly, as il the author
had not yet decided in what precise form he
would cast its opening pages. The central
figure is young man named Aiddiston. the
American descendant of the old English
family, who has gone to England in search of
the family home. He soon finds himself in
a certain mansion, the guest of an old gen.
tleman who has invited him 10 dinner. The
extracts that follow, thosgh taken from va
rious parts of the story, and comprising but
a fraction of it, will be sufficiently clear
when il is remembered that the scene of the
events rem aims practically unchanged.
He prepared himself to go down to dinner
with his host He found him alone at table,
which was placed in dark old room mod
ernized with every English comfort, and the
pleasant spectacle of table spread with the
whitest of napery and the Brightest of glass
and china The impressionable aud sympa-
| thetic character of Middleton answered to
lhe kindness of his host; and by the time
| the meal was concluded, the two were con-
| versing with almos: as much zest and friend.
ship as il they were similar in age, even
| fellow-countrymen, and had known one an
dher all their lifetime. Middleton's
| secret, it may be supposed, came often to
the tip of his tongue; but still he kept il
within, from q natural repugnance TO bring
out the one romance OF his life. The talk,
however, necessarily ran much upon topics
among which this one would have come in
without any extra attempt to introduce it.
"Ihis decay of old families" said the mas
fer, sis much greater than would appear on
he surface of things We have such re-
luctRnce TO part with them that we are con-
tentto see them continued by any fiction,
through any indirections, rather than to dis
pense with old names. In your country,
suppose, there rs no such reluctance; you
are willing that one generation should blot
out all that preceded il, and be itself the
newest and only age of the world"
mot quite So" answered Middleton; cat
any rate, if there be such feeling in the
people at large, doubt whether, even in
England, those who fancy themselves pos
ssssed OF claims to birth cherish them more
as treasure than we do. 1t is, of course,
thousand times more difficult for US TO keep
alive a name among thousand difficulties
sedulously thrown around ii by our institu-
tions than for you to do, where your institu-
tions are anxiously calculated to promote the
contrary purpose. 1t has occasionally struck
me, however, that the ancient lineage might
often be found in America for a family
which has been compelled to prolong itself
here through the female line and through
alien stocks" "Indeed, my young friend"
said the master, "if that be the case / should
like to speak further with you upon it, for,
can assure you, there are sometimes vicissi-
tudes in old families that make me grieve TO
think that a man cannot be made for the
OCCASION
All this while The young lady at the table
had remained almost silent, and Middleton
had only occasionally been remIDueQ oil ner
by the necessity of performing some of those
offices which put people at a table under
Christian necessity of recognizing ons an
other. He was 10 say the truth, somewhat
interested in her, yet not strongly attracted
by the neutral tint OF her dress and the
neutral character of her manners. She did
did BOT seem to be Handsome, although, with
her face full before him, he had not quite
made up his mind on this point. =
April 9th, Tuesday. 1t was with de-
lightful feeling of release from ordinary
rules that Middleton found himself brought
into this connection with Alice; and be only
hoped that this play-day Of his life might
last long enough 10 rest him from all he had
suffered. In The enjoyment Of mis- position
he almost forgot the pursuit that occupied
him, nor might he have remembered for a
long space if, one evening, Alice herself had
not alluded 10 il. e1ou are wasting pre-
cious days." she suddenly said. "Why do
you not renew your qnest7p TO what do
you allude7" said Middleton, in surprise.
isWhat object do you suppose me to hsve?"
Alice smiled, nay, laughed oufright "You
suppose yourself to be perfect mystery, no
doubt" she replied. "But do not I know
you-have not 1 known you loBg-ss the
holder Of the talisman, the owner OF the
mysterious cabinet that contains the blood
stained secret?"
"Nay, Alice, this is certainly 8 strange
coincidence that you should knew even thus
much OF foolish secret that makes me en-
ploy this little holiday time, which have
stolen out of 3 weary life, In wlld-goose
chase. But, believe me, you allude 10 mat
ters that are more a mystery 10 me than my
l.