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| ?I never shall see her!? and she sobbed again They all stood a moment in silence ?She said she loved me,? said Topsy,??she did! O, dear! oh, dear! there an?t nobody left now,?there an?t!? ?That?s true enough? said StClare; ?but do,? he said to Miss Ophelia, ?see if you can?t comfort the poor creature ?I jist wish I hadn?t never been born,? said Topsy?I didn?t want to be born, no ways; and I don?t see no use on ?t Miss Ophelia raised her gently, but firmly, and took her from the room; but, as she did so, some tears fell from her eyes ?Topsy, you poor child,? she said, as she led her into her room, ?don?t give up! I can love you, though I am not like that dear little childI hope I?ve learnt something of the love of Christ from herI can love you; I do, and I?ll try to help you to grow up a good Christian girl Miss Ophelia?s voice was more than her words, and more than that were the honest tears that fell down her faceFrom that hour, she acquired an influence over the mind of the destitute child that she never lost ?O, my Eva, whose little hour on earth did so much of good,? thought StClare, ?what account have I to give for my long years?? There were, for a while, soft whisperings and footfalls in the chamber, as one after another stole in, to look at the dead; and then came the little coffin; and then there was a funeral, and carriages drove to the door, and strangers came and were seated; and there were white scarfs and ribbons, and crape bands, and mourners dressed in black crape; and there were words read from the Bible, and prayers offered; and StClare lived, and walked, and moved, as one who has shed every tear;?to the last he saw only one thing, that golden head in the coffin; but then he saw the cloth spread over it, the lid of the coffin closed; and he walked, when he was put beside the others, down to a little place at the bottom of the garden, and there, by the mossy seat where she and Tom had talked, and sung, and read so often, was the little graveClare stood beside it,?looked vacantly down; he saw them lower the little coffin; he heard, dimly, the solemn words, ?I am the resurrection and the Life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live;? and, as the earth was cast in and filled up the little grave, he could not realize that it was his Eva that they were hiding from his sight Nor was it!?not Eva, but only the frail seed of that bright, immortal form with which she shall yet come forth, in the day of the Lord Jesus! And then all were gone, and the mourners went back to the place which should know her no more; and Marie?s room was darkened, and she lay on the bed, sobbing and moaning in uncontrollable grief, and calling every moment for the attentions of all her servantsOf course, they had no time to cry,?why should they? the grief was her grief, and she was fully convinced that nobody on earth did, could, or would feel it as she didClare did not shed a tear,? she said; ?he didn?t sympathize with her; it was perfectly wonderful to think how hard-hearted and unfeeling he was, when he must know how she suffered So much are people the slave of their eye and ear, that many of the servants really thought that Missis was the principal sufferer in the case, especially as Marie began to have hysterical spasms, and sent for the doctor, and at last declared herself dying; and, in the running and scampering, and bringing up hot bottles, and heating of flannels, and chafing, and fussing, that ensued, there was quite a diversion Tom, however, had a feeling at his own heart, that drew him to his masterHe followed him wherever he walked, wistfully and sadly; and when he saw him sitting, so pale and quiet, in Eva?s room, holding before his eyes her little open Bible, though seeing no letter or word of what was in it, there was more sorrow to Tom in that still, fixed, tearless eye, than in all Marie?s moans and lamentations In a few days the StClare family were back again in the city; Augustine, with the restlessness of grief, longing for another scene, to change the current of his thoughtsSo they left the house and garden, with its little grave, and came back to New Orleans; and StClare walked the streets busily, and strove to fill up the chasm in his heart with hurry and bustle, and change of place; and people who saw him in the street, or met him at the cafe, knew of his loss only by the weed on his hat; for there he was, smiling and talking, and reading the newspaper, and speculating on politics, and attending to business matters; and who could see that all this smiling outside was but a hollowed shell over a heart that was a dark and silent sepulchre? ?MrClare is a singular man,? said Marie to Miss Ophelia, in a complaining tone?I used to think, if there was anything in the world he did love, it was our dear little Eva; but he seems to be forgetting her very easilyI cannot ever get him to talk about herI really did think he would show more feeling!? ?Still waters run deepest, they used to tell me,? said Miss Ophelia, oracularly ?O, I don?t believe in such things; it?s all talkIf people have feeling, they will show it,?they can?t help it; but, then, it?s a great misfortune to have feelingI?d rather have been made like StMy feelings prey upon me so!? ?Sure, Missis, Mas?r StClare is gettin? thin as a shaderThey say, he don?t never eat nothin?,? said Mammy?I know he don?t forget Miss Eva; I know there couldn?t nobody,?dear, little, blessed cretur!? she added, wiping her eyes ?Well, at all events, he has no consideration for me,? said Marie; ?he hasn?t spoken one word of sympathy, and he must know how much more a mother feels than any man can ?The heart knoweth its own bitterness,? said Miss Ophelia, gravely ?That?s just what I shop think | ||
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| You have copied maps of it, and you know it at least more than we doWhich is the way to the chapel?" I had an idea of its direction, though on my former visit I had not been able to get admission to it, so I led the way, and after a few wrong turnings found myself opposite a low, arched oaken door, ribbed with iron bands "This is the spot," said the Professor as he turned his lamp on a small map of the house, copied from the file of my original correspondence regarding the purchaseWith a little trouble we found the key on the bunch and opened the doorWe were prepared for some unpleasantness, for as we were opening the door a faint, malodorous air seemed to exhale through the gaps, but none of us ever expected such an odour as we encounteredNone of the others had met the Count at all at close quarters, and when I had seen him he was either in the fasting stage of his existence in his rooms or, when he was bloated with fresh blood, in a ruined building open to the air, but here the place was small and close, and the long disuse had made the air stagnant and foulThere was an earthy smell, as of some dry miasma, which came through the fouler airBut as to the odour itself, how shall I describe it? It was not alone that it was composed of all the ills of mortality and with the pungent, acrid smell of blood, but it seemed as though corruption had become itself corruptFaugh! It sickens me to think of itEvery breath exhaled by that monster seemed to have clung to the place and intensified its loathsomeness Under ordinary circumstances such a stench would have brought our enterprise to an end, but this was no ordinary case, and the high and terrible purpose in which we were involved gave us a strength which rose above merely physical considerationsAfter the involuntary shrinking consequent on the first nauseous whiff, we one and all set about our work as though that loathsome place were a garden of roses We made an accurate examination of the place, the Professor saying as we began, "The first thing is to see how many of the boxes are left, we must then examine every hole and corner and cranny and see if we cannot get some clue as to what has become of the rest A glance was sufficient to show how many remained, for the great earth chests were bulky, and there was no mistaking them There were only twenty-nine left out of the fifty! Once I got a fright, for, seeing Lord Godalming suddenly turn and look out of the vaulted door into the dark passage beyond, I looked too, and for an instant my heart stood stillSomewhere, looking out from the shadow, I seemed to see the high lights of the Count's evil face, the ridge of the nose, the red eyes, the red lips, the awful pallorIt was only for a moment, for, as Lord Godalming said, "I thought I saw a face, but it was only the shadows," and resumed his inquiry, I turned my lamp in the direction, and stepped into the passageThere was no sign of anyone, and as there were no corners, no doors, no aperture of any kind, but only the solid walls of the passage, there could be no hiding place even for himI took it that fear had helped imagination, and said nothing A few minutes later I saw Morris step suddenly back from a corner, which he was examiningWe all followed his movements with our eyes, for undoubtedly some nervousness was growing on us, and we saw a whole mass of phosphorescence, which twinkled like starsWe all instinctively drew backThe whole place was becoming alive with rats For a moment or two we stood appalled, all save Lord Godalming, who was seemingly prepared for such an emergencyRushing over to the great iron-bound oaken door, which DrSeward had described from the outside, and which I had seen myself, he turned the key in the lock, drew the huge bolts, and swung the door openThen, taking his little silver whistle from his pocket, he blew a low, shrill callIt was answered from behind DrSeward's house by the yelping of dogs, and after about a minute three terriers came dashing round the corner of the houseUnconsciously we had all moved towards the door, and as we moved I noticed that the dust had been much disturbedThe boxes which had been taken out had been brought this wayBut even in the minute that had elapsed the number of the rats had vastly increasedThey seemed to swarm over the place all at once, till the lamplight, shining on their moving dark bodies and glittering, baleful eyes, made the place look like a bank of earth set with firefliesThe dogs dashed on, but at the threshold suddenly stopped and snarled, and then, simultaneously lifting their noses, began to howl in most lugubrious fashionThe rats were multiplying in thousands, and we moved out Lord Godalming lifted one of the dogs, and carrying him in, placed him on the floorThe instant his feet touched the ground he seemed to recover his courage, and rushed at his natural enemiesThey fled before him so fast that before he had shaken the life out of a score, the other dogs, who had by now been lifted in the same manner, had but small prey ere the whole mass had vanished With their going it seemed as if some evil presence had departed, for the dogs frisked about and barked merrily as they made sudden darts at their prostrate foes, and turned them over and over and tossed them in the air with vicious shakesWe all seemed to find our spirits shop rise | ||
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| Everybody knows this, and the slave knows it best of all; so that he feels that there are ten chances of his finding an abusive and tyrannical master, to one of his finding a considerate and kind oneTherefore is it that the wail over a kind master is loud and long, as well it may beClare breathed his last, terror and consternation took hold of all his householdHe had been stricken down so in a moment, in the flower and strength of his youth! Every room and gallery of the house resounded with sobs and shrieks of despair Marie, whose nervous system had been enervated by a constant course of self-indulgence, had nothing to support the terror of the shock, and, at the time her husband breathed his last, was passing from one fainting fit to another; and he to whom she had been joined in the mysterious tie of marriage passed from her forever, without the possibility of even a parting word Miss Ophelia, with characteristic strength and self-control, had remained with her kinsman to the last,?all eye, all ear, all attention; doing everything of the little that could be done, and joining with her whole soul in the tender and impassioned prayers which the poor slave had poured forth for the soul of his dying master When they were arranging him for his last rest, they found upon his bosom a small, plain miniature case, opening with a springIt was the miniature of a noble and beautiful female face; and on the reverse, under a crystal, a lock of dark hairThey laid them back on the lifeless breast,?dust to dust,?poor mournful relics of early dreams, which once made that cold heart beat so warmly! Tom?s whole soul was filled with thoughts of eternity; and while he ministered around the lifeless clay, he did not once think that the sudden stroke had left him in hopeless slaveryHe felt at peace about his master; for in that hour, when he had poured forth his prayer into the bosom of his Father, he had found an answer of quietness and assurance springing up within himselfIn the depths of his own affectionate nature, he felt able to perceive something of the fulness of Divine love; for an old oracle hath thus written,??He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him Tom hoped and trusted, and was at peace But the funeral passed, with all its pageant of black crape, and prayers, and solemn faces; and back rolled the cool, muddy waves of every-day life; and up came the everlasting hard inquiry of ?What is to be done next?? It rose to the mind of Marie, as, dressed in loose morning-robes, and surrounded by anxious servants, she sat up in a great easy-chair, and inspected samples of crape and bombazineIt rose to Miss Ophelia, who began to turn her thoughts towards her northern homeIt rose, in silent terrors, to the minds of the servants, who well knew the unfeeling, tyrannical character of the mistress in whose hands they were leftAll knew, very well, that the indulgences which had been accorded to them were not from their mistress, but from their master; and that, now he was gone, there would be no screen between them and every tyrannous infliction which a temper soured by affliction might devise It was about a fortnight after the funeral, that Miss Ophelia, busied one day in her apartment, heard a gentle tap at the doorShe opened it, and there stood Rosa, the pretty young quadroon, whom we have before often noticed, her hair in disorder, and her eyes swelled with crying ?O, Miss Feeley,? she said, falling on her knees, and catching the skirt of her dress, ?do, do go to Miss Marie for me! do plead for me! She?s goin? to send me out to be whipped?look there!? And she handed to Miss Ophelia a paper It was an order, written in Marie?s delicate Italian hand, to the master of a whipping-establishment to give the bearer fifteen lashes ?What have you been doing?? said Miss Ophelia ?You know, Miss Feely, I?ve got such a bad temper; it?s very bad of meI was trying on Miss Marie?s dress, and she slapped my face; and I spoke out before I thought, and was saucy; and she said that she?d bring me down, and have me know, once for all, that I wasn?t going to be so topping as I had been; and she wrote this, and says I shall carry itI?d rather she?d kill me, right out Miss Ophelia stood considering, with the paper in her hand ?You see, Miss Feely,? said Rosa, ?I don?t mind the whipping so much, if Miss Marie or you was to do it; but, to be sent to a man! and such a horrid man,?the shame of it, Miss Feely!? Miss Ophelia well knew that it was the universal custom to send women and young girls to whipping-houses, to the hands of the lowest of men,?men vile enough to make this their profession,?there to be subjected to brutal exposure and shameful correctionShe had known it before; but hitherto she had never realized it, till she saw the slender form of Rosa almost convulsed with distressAll the honest blood of womanhood, the strong New England blood of liberty, flushed to her cheeks, and throbbed bitterly in her indignant heart; but, with habitual prudence and self-control, she mastered herself, and, crushing the paper firmly in her hand, she merely said to Rosa, ?Sit down, child, while I go to your mistress ?Shameful! monstrous! outrageous!? she said to herself, as she was crossing the parlor She found Marie sitting up in her easy-chair, with Mammy standing by her, combing her hair; Jane sat on the ground before her, busy in chafing her feet ?How do you find yourself, today?? said Miss Ophelia A deep sigh, and a closing of the eyes, was the only reply, for a moment; and then Marie answered, ?O, I don?t know, Cousin; I suppose I?m as well as I ever shall be!? and Marie wiped her eyes with a cambric handkerchief, bordered with an inch deep of black ?I came,? said Miss Ophelia, with a short, dry cough, such as commonly introduces a difficult subject,??I came to speak with you about poor Rosa Marie?s eyes were open wide enough now, and a flush rose to her sallow cheeks, as she answered, sharply, ?Well, what about her?? ?She is very sorry for her fault ?She is, is she? She?ll be sorrier, before I?ve done with her! I?ve endured that child?s impudence long enough; and now I?ll bring her down,?I?ll make her lie in the dust!? ?But could not you punish her some other way,?some way that would be less shameful?? ?I mean to shame her; that?s just what I wantShe has all her life presumed on her delicacy, and her good looks, and her lady-like airs, till she forgets who she is;?and I?ll give her one lesson that will bring her down, I fancy!? ?But, Cousin, consider that, if you destroy delicacy and a sense of shame in a young girl, you deprave her very fast ?Delicacy!? said Marie, with a scornful laugh,??a fine word for such as she! I?ll teach her, with all her airs, that she?s no better than the raggedest black wench that walks the streets! She?ll take no more airs with me!? ?You will answer to God for such cruelty!? said Miss Ophelia, with energy ?Cruelty,?I?d like to know what the cruelty is! I wrote orders for only fifteen lashes, and told him to put them on lightlyI?m sure there?s no cruelty there!? ?No cruelty!? said Miss Ophelia?I?m sure any girl might rather be killed outright!? ?It might seem so to anybody with your feeling; but all these creatures get used to it; it?s the only way they can be kept in shop order | ||
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| Some sort of shadowy pall seems to be coming over our happinessNo news from Jonathan, and Lucy seems to be growing weaker, whilst her mother's hours are numbering to a closeI do not understand Lucy's fading away as she is doingShe eats well and sleeps well, and enjoys the fresh air, but all the time the roses in her cheeks are fading, and she gets weaker and more languid day by dayAt night I hear her gasping as if for air I keep the key of our door always fastened to my wrist at night, but she gets up and walks about the room, and sits at the open windowLast night I found her leaning out when I woke up, and when I tried to wake her I could not She was in a faintWhen I managed to restore her, she was weak as water, and cried silently between long, painful struggles for breathWhen I asked her how she came to be at the window she shook her head and turned away I trust her feeling ill may not be from that unlucky prick of the safety-pinI looked at her throat just now as she lay asleep, and the tiny wounds seem not to have healedThey are still open, and, if anything, larger than before, and the edges of them are faintly whiteThey are like little white dots with red centresUnless they heal within a day or two, I shall insist on the doctor seeing about them LETTER, SAMUEL FBILLINGTON | ||
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| Welcome to my first blog | ||
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| Captain Kater must have felt those difficulties in the perusal of it which other observers have experienced; and he who was placed in the Board of Longitude especially for his knowledge of instruments, might, in a few hours, have arrived at more decisive factsBut perhaps I am unjust Captain Kater's knowledge rendered it impossible for him to have been ignorant of the difficulties, and his candour would have prevented him from concealing them: he must, therefore, after examining the subject, have been outvoted by his lay-brethren who had dispensed with that preliminary It would be unjust, before quitting this subject, not to mention with respect the acknowledgment made by an officer of the naval service of the errors into which he also fell from this same level Lieutenant Foster, aware of the many occasions on which Captain Sabine had employed this instrument, and knowing that he considered each division as equal to one second, never thought that a doubt could exist on the subject, and made all his calculations accordinglyWhen Captain Kater made him acquainted with the mistake, Lieutenant Foster immediately communicated a paper [The paper of Lieutenant Foster is printed in the Philosophical Transactions, 1827, p22, and is worth consulting to the Royal Society, in which he states the circumstance most fully, and recomputed all the observations in which that instrument was used Unfortunately, from the original observations of MrRoss being left on board the Fury at the time of her loss, the transcripts of his results could not be recomputed like the rest, and were consequently useless OF THE UNION OF SEVERAL OFFICES IN ONE PERSON Although the number of situations to which persons conversant with science may hope to be appointed, is small, yet it has somewhat singularly happened, that instances of one individual, holding more than one such appointment, are frequent Not to speak of those held by the late DrYoung, we have at present:-- MRPOND--Astronomer Royal, Inspector of Chronometers, and Superintendent of the Nautical Almanac CAPTAIN SABINE -- An officer of artillery on leave of absence from his regiment; Secretary of the Royal Society; and Scientific Adviser of the AdmiraltyBRANDE--Clerk of the Irons at the Royal Mint; Professor of Chemistry at the Royal Institution; Analyser of Rough Nitre, | ||
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