New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-10-28
THE HOUSE IN THE MIRROR.


heaven and earth. The storm carrying on wiz
sport round the house, shaking the windows peat
ing against the thick walls and n1nurng N te fdr
hollow tones in the chimneys. 1t was nlgnu mi III
warm, cosy, substantial indoor Comfort anu '"'"
resolved TO make it. 1877 s s+;,l q
At the period of which am writing was was SUN d
vonn~ nan and was practising successfully as a
doctor in town in the West of England @ ny
large busy county town Mn and somersetshre
was unmarried and was living WIN al Lor I,,
keeper and one servant-glr, VINO beIow With conf
niacent Snhmission because the ml-blndnesS ana
deafness of the good lady made VIII VIZ gI
swain he butchers hoy IN the scuIlery not only
lie Int easy On the evening III question
had come in what we medical men call healtmly
1ta nd was now sitting costly by the blazing
Spe i'm nv diningroOm, with glass OF good claIet
on the little round table at my SIDE. sno ,-;,,,
NV Thoughts went wandering to and ho lazlly,
now resting upon some of the most interesting cases
among my patients, now fluttering around pretty
picture of my only sister and her first baby, which
her letter, received this morning from India had
called up; now sIrayng into the stable to ylSlt my
bay horse-a new purchase, W ich tiattered myself
did no small honor to my Judgment in horse-fesh.
Gradually, however, all these subjects OF pleasant
reflection slipped into mass and got confusedly
mixed together. i found myself gazing, without
feeling the least surprised, at odd vision, winch
showed me my sister mounted on my pet bay win
the baby in her arms, who. instead of BABY race,
had the face of my neighbor and patient, old Mr.,
Spicer the grocer and soon after that was sunk III
peaceful slumber where no dream even came 10
disturb me. -,
How long slept do not exactly know, but l
recoect woke with start, reused by the clock on
the chimney piece, which had peculiarly ringing,
clear sound striking eight. sat upright with JERK
and locke around with that vaguely uncon1OrtaDle
feeling which often follows sudden waking. HT
glance happened to wander up to the mirror which
was over the chimney-pece. w by was III that as
cazed at it, uttered low exclamation, and then
Shut nv eyes, thinking that sleep must still be re-
taininG its power over me- and that must be
dreaming strange, fantastic dreamT :.
But no, certainly was nos dreaming Ior tnele ~
steadily as might upon the mirror with all my
wakefn faculties concentrated upon IT III eager
earnestness il was still there. looked away, ana
fastened my look, for minute or more, upon my
mothers picture which hung over the sideb0ard.
Then my ewes were allowed TO return to the glass
but this manGuvre was useless also-lt would not
20. do what would.
though it's appearance there in the mirror over my
dining room chimney piece, was remarkable ana
startling enough, to say the least OF IT, In the
middle of the glass, which i'll its other parts re-
fected simply and naturally the commonplace, OBJ
iects in the room, chairs and tables ana WINDOW
curtains. there appeared small Dnl NlH.uIn JUS
very pretty house, its front covered on one side
with green creepcr, which was spanged Win
starry white blossoms, and on the other. WIN
fresc0 such as had heard desert bed as existing Oh
the walls of houses in Italy, where had never
been-a freseO representing an old woman altIlng
with basket of oranges at her feet There were
four windows, two upstairs, two down; exactly
over each other; they were all hall shaded WIN
the right hand side, was slightly open p the
garden there ran a broad gravel walk with SOFT
fresh turf. Gemmed with lOWer-DcdS on cltn'I sue
of it, The Enclosure was fenced round WITH a
rather high wooden paling ana III one corner OF 1t
there stood a summer house Wtb 9ualhtiy
shaped roof that had something OF paG3da 9Doul
il. Over the whole there was spread soit SilNeTy
light as though bright, full moon was shining
down upon it. A yellow CLEAN, as OF lamp pu'u,
inc within stole through the open window, and
mingled with the white rays without
laid my fingers on my pulse. was i eolng last
into raging fever My pulses were as steady Us
they were when rose that morning after night
sound sleep. tested my brain by going through go
in my mind all the symptoms ana features III GIN
cnlt and perplexing case which had been lately
under NV care; my mind acted as cGolIN ana
calmly and regularly as 1t had ever done; Lrlgal"
to myself several passages oil poetry nom ~
authors in different languages tLe% came a' '''GhS
and easily to my tongue as II lfid been l5''ulnS
them from q printed book. gaZed aloul', anu
fxed my eyes ON various objects IN the room 10 see
whethe should be subjected to other optical Illus
ions: bat in all other points my eyes were as reason
obie os tbey usually were they showed me nothing
but the familiar chairs and table, ana me WtIlI
known pattern of the paper on the wall. men
looked back at the InnTor. Inc mousse WAS sun
Had been reading lately description of such
house or had lately seen anywhere a picture Ilkt
~ Tithrr of these things might possibly have left
a vivid impression OF my mind which HllGlH nave
accounted for the strange dclusloh WAS n ~
however able to TcCOlIcCl, search my memory IL
would that a book painting had brought such
house and garden before my Thoughts: l was
naturally neither eXcitabc nor imaginative; IL
decd | was generally regarded by everyone VINO
knew me and by myself into the bargain, as one OF
a. rnc.t mosaic rational beings in the world. My
fnc,i In never before played me the smallest trick
d~nI9 i'', rde home worn ont with watching by
sicl-l,ed on the darkest night even ID tii9 many
painful scenes full of death ana gloom through
which nv professional life had led me III me aus
sectng-rooIn in the scyerest operation my mann
had always been as steady as II J were peenhg ~
orange All this made the present lncompIeHehsibie
vision vet more utterly mcXplcable., De'lu'N'
even while gazed at IT, fnGT lat i, ' n drp
airy condition of body and nllnd throughout NY
very commonplace, very busy history. ,,., -. I,o
mirror =? wondered. With hurried hand J. rang
the bell 10 test this point and summoned my h9HSe
keeper who generally herself waited on me- lh'H
good lady's name was Mrs Irlckey IL Is u common
DevOnshirc name, let IT be AT once uHdeI3loou ny
tGosc Who are not aware of the fact. and * IN 40
way meant hint at any unpleasant pioclEItl'' 81
understandable whims on the worthy dame - part A:
She was as honest and supplemented woman as
ever handled bunch Of keys.
Mrs Trickey have rung for you to ask you to
dOa very simple thing" sand hesitathgy, now ihal
She was present, scarcely knowing how to begin;
Tor frt if | Ike out plainly, my honsekccpcr
must Infaliibiv think that ! had suddenly taken
leave OF my senses. 81; 90, I;I Nc
Trickcy in true Deyonshire fashion;
"MrS. Trckey, will y9n please LOOK III tHT gicr
abruptly, not knowing how else 10 ma out "h'I
wanted to discover. 49,. IL, q,
cried Mrs Tricky, with toss OF her mead, winch
was 80 energetic it almost dlscOmpOsed lhe sun
+ nnst he mentioned here that Mrs. Tricky had
lived with my mother when was boy, ana thai
with her still continued Master fIcd, ih"ngh an
The world besides knew me as Frederick HcalhcOtc
Esq, surgeon. . ~ -, r ..,, go ;.,.,,l+
nor even a Joke" | replied hnmDly. 1ancIed
something Was wrong in the reflection OF the glass
perhaps susan has not busted II AZ she should. WIZ
you please look into ii with your experienced eyes
Mrs. Tricky ~ .. - t..
was in hopes that this last implied compliment
would have prOpitatcd the houscecPcI ipt' "ppaI-
entity il had such effect, for after SNORT SP'c
ton of the mirror she said tartly:
The glass be right enough so lar as 90 see I;
this be Just one Of your items, Master Fred
But Mrs Trickey, do please tell me what you see
when YOU look into it," exclaimed, seeing that
must be explicit if ! wanted TO gam iuII ccI-
tanty the matter.