Year: 1874

lT cannot DC denied that Mrs. ROthcly
loved splcndor; and it cannot be denied
that Mr.. Rothcly knew she did, nor that
many time and oft he had been visited
by suspicion that it was just possible he
had, some time since, been prospcred in
his suit for the lady's hand by the fac,
that he was able to surround her with
this splcndor that she loved.


She was indeed a beautiful woman
quite worthy, one would think, of any.
body's affection, and cmincntly fit to be
surrounded with this splendor that so
plcased her fancy. Knowing that she
was beautiful, she had an innocent
sort Of pleasure in enhancing her beauty
by the appliances of luxury. But aside
from that she derived from them a
different and more exquisite pleasure,
the pleasure which objects of beauty
afford the worshipcrs of beauty she loved
strong lu>tcr> and colors, with a passion
ate delight in them, as she loved music
indeed, and liked to have them within
reach, to cast her eye on soft curves and
pure outlines was to have sensation of
delicious rest; to move in spacious and
lofty rooms seemed to leave her spirit
free to spread its wings unhampcrcd by
remembrance Of cramping wants and
cares; to roll in her cushioned carriage
to the clattcr of the hoofs of swift thor
ing on the clouds! And all this her
husband knew. If her splendid silks
gave first Il satisfaction to her woman $
vanity they gave next a satisfaction to
all her sense of the beautiful in tint and
texture; and if she was pleased that her
jewels were more magnificent than Mrs
tWOr'S Cln 01cO n1On O1 tn
it in her power to contemplate at any
moment the wealth of luster that from,
creations day had been shut into those
drops of concrete light.


MIR. Rothcly was only too happy that,
SO long as Mrs Rothely loved splendor,
the kind fatcs allowed him to give 1t TO
her. She became it well, he used to saw,
and when, one night, he dreamed of see.
ing the angels descending and ascending
Jacobs ladder into heaven, they every
one wore the array in which he had seen
his wife going out to Mrs. Ewer's ball
and, ridiculously as the angels would
have looked to any one else, to him they
looked half divine. 1t did make him
laugh, indeed, when he awokc, to think
he had clad the angels in an endless re.
duplication Of his wifc's ball dress; but
am not sure that he did not in his inmost
heart think it was quite good enough for
them; and indeed he would not have
thought them angels at all if every one
had not had that same enchanting smile
that same heavenly grace, that he found
50 precious in Mrs. Rothcly'


Mr.. Rothcly would have been shocked
at himself if he had known what made
him dream of Jacobs ladder, let alone
the extraordinary and scraphic recurrence
of his wifc's apparition there; but as he
did not worry himself much with psy
Geological science he did not seek fol
any reason, and never suspected that his
dream was due only to the remembrance
of a stormy scene in the gold-room
Why the remembrance Of such scene
should have associated itself with lad
der into heaven rather than into tho
other place nobody knows; nor why al
that silent, shifting throng that in the
patriarch's sleep trod the slant sunbeam:
up and down between the earth and SKY
should have been summoned to his fancy
by the throng of ravcning wolves, except
through the law Of contrasts. But Mr.
Rothclv. walking home very late thai
day, had been fearfully detected; he haC
felt, in fact, US if he were in the wilder
ness and alone, for his reverscs had beer
tremendous, and he dared not speak o.
them to his wife; and he was thinking i
would be too much bliss ON earth if mar
could go home and tell his wife every
thing and have sympathy and comfor
from her; and then he was confOundin!
himself for a sentimental fool to be han
kcring after sympathy when he wanted
credit And thereat he had met his wifi,
coming lightly down the hall stairs,
VISION OF rosy beauty, dark eyes ant
dimpling smiles, and the peach blow dres
and the jewels; and he had felt himsel
to be Il prcsuming simpleton to think 0
sympathy and comfort from such radi
ant creature as that, and had longed t.
take her in his arms, and had feared t
crush her dress, and so had smiled bacl
as she had smiled, and had gone dow
and put her in the carriage and returned
to his lonely house and the endless fig
urcs with which he was always cipherin
on his endless papers and which he nov
began to look over again with a groan


Mr.. Rothely heard the wheels on tn
pavement when his wife came back, an
he was just putting up his papers as sh
entered.


Il saw your light" she said. "What
always those papers-those hateful pa
pcrs! Do you want to kill yourself?
And she came and laid one arm light
over his shoulder.


"Why should it kill me to sit here an
study my calculations till this hour,
he said, "any more than kill you to g
out in the cruel weather and dance ii
the same hour?"