New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-18
MISS MILLER.


l.
.Messrs. Hartopp 81 Co. would be glad II on: alr'
| roarton wonld call OH them tomorrow morning.,
the 2sth at 10 o'clock as they nave an lihPol'"N
| commission to place III his nanus: l.. ,n1oteIv
For some seconds 1 gazed AT this note coulpletol1
| hewildered then, jumping from ny chalr Wanou
| n trumphantly over NY head. much 10 Iuc ai"No
nsnI anu as baskiug Craysiy before the fire. 1t was
seldom, indeed that he had seoh Ills 'i'"''
| cited. -, id .Success nj last
| The tables are turning, and work Is coming 10 lhe
| instead of my seeking tOr III: l., 7 ,-os
| 10, he il known TO the inQuirlng reader WaS'
| at the period of which write u young man WIZ
for greater length of time than like 10 ten, hau
been struggling to obtain footing Ia tue aruuou9
nrofessjon OF letters And although, peloto tuso'
Pad "ften appeareu in print yet this was the hrst
| commission had ever had put INTO my hahus. 81
| No wonder that was elated. that i'll my noaVoI i
| ,mooinotinn thought INV fortune was made, aud
that success had indeed come AT las.. III IL, brf
fet like barrister when he obtains ms hst oi IT,
mr. . dnctor when he receives his nTst patleht' lho
| letter had come by the morning ost. ana, ooins
dated Yesterday, it of course maze tine ~ n0 S
| nent for 10. day. Hastily finished my Oreahlas',
! and telling my landlady that might DC ou' '0iio
Poor Dick he looked longinely at me- ne wished
to be taken too; but no. DICK you lruIf
| Heath this morning; there Is s'erher 'ou'i"e''
! afoot. s, .,ot r,v heart heat
somewhat AS was ushered into the presence Oh INC
| principal of the firm OF Hartopp ~ Co'i uuV I,s
pleasant manner soon treasured me- nIu PIod
him but seldom before for though hau Hs',vu
| frrouentlv. offering Ms (which was generally re-
! ircted had scarcely ever seen him personally. &c
| After few preliminary remarks as To my quaaInu
| o.tions for literary work and research Mr. liar-
tom said that although they nad not Deen a9'o 70
use all nearly all the Mss ad nh ,hn ~ Se
what they had seen of my work mad leo them 10 pe
Iieye | could undertake the task they now wisLeu
| executed. ..,..o ,.ho, tbat work was 9.
sufficient to say that II involved large amour oI
yesearcn Mt the reading room of the British Museum
and still further. that great speed was aps0lu!ey
| necessary The Ms must be IN our hah,ls ny ,his
IoU ,vasl at latest and it will 10 well il you eau
bring us portions of 1t every evening as you 20 On
| Can you do this 7 concluded MT. hartopP anu; AZ
he smoke felt that his keen gray eye was TeaaluB
| me like book At that time scarcely knew now
i'm the world was to execute the work put pei9ne
me. had dim idea OF H. ana ,na ths obnct for
| which | had worked aud waited so long was
| within nv renchT Never. SO l SAID boldly that l
| would accept the engagement ana execute 'ho
That is right returned Sir. Hartopp. ! AN
| Glad to hear you say need hardly tel you
sshat if Won satisfy us in this matter, we shall lie
able to otter you other commissions IL wiz lo"u
doubtless. to further engagements' w9c1l uUuO'
n.eded r. sneak of terms, with which, however. l
need not trouble the reader, and ended ny enJoIn-
Ing secry which is OF c"mrss s in the pres
| emf one as we doubt not but that some otncI HIm
is engaged in the same project. ,,,.,,
| When left the publishing house walked mast
ilv IN the Museum and all The way was pulling
nv brains as to the best method OF settling "
work | am wiser now, and having had more OK
nerence | know better how to set about such "a
ssarch Int | was rather nonplussed at that time
Iiow.yer / entered the splendid readin9-l loom OF
the Museum with nrn REORGANIZATION nO' W '0
beaten and soon set to work -. =, =, ain
remember pausug once IN nv search niiu oa Tr
around thinking how like II was 10 searching LOT
needle in n rick of hay. Here is the information
Teoume-somew hele-if only can get clcw 10 ~
| But hour after hour passed. made no progress"
| IN i
| tanned a clew and not long atterward dlscoVeteo
tine old magazine III which one oil the papers ioi
Rnt when this result was obtained the ring of Tho
| gong warned nic that further Work must DC posI
poned o.night, for the hour OF cio1lnR had @
deI arted with a heavy heart The hrsl day wa
gone aud | had scarcely made DeelhhihR'
should have liked to have been alle 10 take IN
batch of Ms. this first night, but could not &c so
| Wand Mr. UaTtOpp I've disappointed and annoyed
| Had light and permission been Forthcoming coui'
have worked on all night -. $500. $500. nm,
| Early the next morning ] was at my post ant
was soon able to make progress. MADE c0pIou
nutes and was able to obtain certain Valuable III
PERHAPS IT was this success that caused me u
raise my head and think OF rost-and lunch Ah'
as did 50 my heart thrilled with vague sense o
| Measure Sitting at the seat next To mine wa
a youpQ lady whom had often previously noticed
| in the room and with whose lace was very "a
mjljar but with whom had never yet exchanged I
word whose name knew pot and near whom un
| til now, had never even sat -,
! IA said lust now had noticed her frequently
|
much AS liked to frequent this place lol It's owl
sake il was yet deaIer to me from the fact ina
,ometlmes | saw there a graceful inquire WIN
; grave gentle intellectual face, patiently working
| and sometimes-quite by accident OF course-liit
ing starry eyes to mine as We passed. QUO ahotner
consult books of reference! -
And at last This divine dainse was sitting at tn
! desk next my own, and could admire inc Peauti
fuI profile the classic pose OF the head, the toI
6 hair l. 1utied in 'front.' anu the neat, quiet, some
what aesthetic but by no means ioohsh or do"u
dress. One could see at once thnt she was COZ
sciOus that aesthetic IDEAS are reay very S ~
full in themselves when not pursued TOO 1aT anu 10
foOshly.
However the clock struck and was remnde
that had time TO lose. Hastily putin III
nnners together, prepared TO 20 out for hall a
hour for lunch Suddenly thought struck me
Was 1T safe to leave those precious papers there OK
posed They might be taken, or some one mi IN
| come in INV absence and read them, ana so steal
e | march on me. But ridiculed the Idea rs soon a
it occurred to mo- Pshaw whoever heara Oh any
nnr interfering with anothers books, or papers,
9 desk in the British Museum reading-room: Jus
q AZ much as every OHIO instinctlvely oDeys the ua
written law which there obtains, that no one Is |
sneak above whisper, SO Ito one ever interfere
with anOthers desk. Ill.,. f ,,, ,iod r Ia,
a | r,d 10 lunch. and soon engaged III tine plea'
| anter Thought of how ] could obtain an lntrOduC
u ton to INV starry eyed young msthete
OF course although cur desks iGr or 'nG lG da ye wel
| America for all that could say 10 her. Detwee
= us was the in INVISIBLE but very real ana poweLit
n barrier of conventional proprety and though
e near. vet was far! And then the time had II
h time for thinking even of the matter. Inc woI,
: in hand must be done, and quickly, too, II wonl
. be successful. as ! meant TO be, and u would II
u quire all my thought.
y ResoIuteiy Daulshng my fair esthete from m
l. mind therefore, hurricdly fiji ished my lunch an
% | returned TO the reading room.
II But when reached my seat ana was abont !
resume my occupation. uttered AN exclamation
| horror, and stood like suddenly struck int
! stone for glance revealed to me my precious Nj
l. | was gone!
For one minute 81 ared before me like one str
, | pe6ed. felt as tho.gh had been stunned by
Z L he hack of he nhnir