Year: 1861

by faint tEumpings cf the ground with ber
tail, and by certain gatherings of her
ears, which from long habits of intercourse
| understood very well to mean that what
ever my opinion might be she conceded in
it, ..-...


had ordered an omelet and some wine
when I first entered the house, and as ]
now sat waiting for it, | observed that nv
landlord would ever now and then leave
what he was about in tie other room
where I concluded that he was engaged
preparing my mcal-and would come and
peer at me furtively through the glass
doors which connected the room I was in
with that in which be was Once, too,
heard him 90 out. and I felt sure that he
had retired to the stables, to examine more
minutcly the value of my horse.


took it into my head that my landlord
was desperate rogue; that lis business
was not sufficient to support him; that he
had remarked that | was in the possession
of fine and very valuable horse car
riage that would fetch something, and a
quantity of luggage in which there were
probably articles of price. | had other
things of worth about my person, includ-
ing sum OF money. without which could
not be travelling about, as he saw NE from
place to place.


While my mind was amusing itself with
these cheerful reflections, little girl of
about twelve years old, entered the rom
through the glass doors, and, after honor
ing me with long stare, went to the cup
board at the other end of the apartment,
and opening it with bunch of keys which
she brought with her in her hand took
out small white paper packet about four
iEches square, and retired with it by the
way she entered still staring at me so
diligently that, from want of proper atten-
tion to where she was going, she got (I
am happy to state) severe bump against
the door as she passed through it. She
was horrid little girl this, with eyes that
in sinking the necessity of looking straight
at anybody or anything had got at last to
look only at her nose-inding it, probably,
as bad nose as could be met with, and
therefore a congenial companion. She
had, moreover, frizzy and fuey hair, was
excessively dirty, and had a slow, crab
like way of going about without looking
at what she was about, which was very
noisesome and detestable


1t was not long before this young lady
reappeared, bearing in her hand the plate
containing the omelet. which she placed
upon the table without going through the
previous form of laying a cloth. She next
cut an immense piece of bread from a loaf
shaped | Ike ring, and, having clapped
this down upon the dirtiest part of the
table, and having further favored me with
a wiped knife and fork, disappeared to fetch
the wine. When this had been brought,
and some water, the preparations for my
feast were considered complete, and / was
left to eljoy it alone.


l must not omit to mention that this
horrid waiting-maid appeared to excite as
strong an antipathy in the mind of my lit
tie dog as that which my landlord himstl:
had stirred up and l am happy to say
that as the child left the apartment was
obliged to interfere to prevent Nelly from
harrassing her retreating calves.


Gentlemen, an experienced traveller soon
learns that he must eat to support nature:
closing his eyes, ears, and nose to all sug-
gestions. | set'to work then, at the ONE
let with energy, and at tough scur bread
with good will, and had swallowed half a
tumbler of wine and water, when a thought
suddenly occurred to me which caused me
to set the lass down upon the table. ]
had no sooner done this than | raised it
again to my lips, took fresh sip. rolled
it about two or three times, and spat it out
upon the floor But | uttered, as I did
so, in an audible tone, the monosyllable
Pooh


Pooh Nelly, I said, looking down at
my dog who was watching me intensely
with her head on one side-;ooh Nelly,
| repeated, what frantic and inconceivable
nonsense


And what was it that I thus stigmatized!
What was it that had given me pause in
the middle of my draught? What thought
was it that caused NE to set down my
glass with half its contents remaining in
it? 1t was a suspicion, driven swift and
gu oo 40 al allOW lutO IuC lUuei IiuSl e
7cesscs of my soul, that the wine which ]
had just been drinking, and which, contra
~ to my custom, had mingled with wa
ter, was drugged


There was some thoughts which like
noxlous insects, come buzzing back into
one mind as often as we repulse them
We contute them in argument, prove them
illogical, leave them not leg to stand up
on, and yet there they are the next mo-
ment as brisk as bees and stronger Oh
their pins than ever. 1t was just such a
thought as this with which | had to deal
1t was well to say Pooh it was we'll to
remind myself that this was in the nine.
teenth century, that I was not acting a
part in French melodrama, and that such
things as | was thinking of were only
known in romances; it was well to argue
that to set a respectable man down as a
murderer, because he had peculiar colored
eyes and scar upon his cheek, were re-
diculous things to do There seemed tc
be two separate parties within me: one
1 possessed of great powers of argument
and a cool jud dgment; the other, an ira.
tional or opposition party, whose CHIEF
! force consisted in a system of a dogged as
sertion which al the arguments of the ra,