Newspaper Page Text
SiTMTFIMWTOW TTIWTWTO ATW IP A WMWFT?
SwJJ liMMoR M ll ifiirailM 11 IroM aJI A
TKUMS, 5*2,00 per annum, in advance.
Original Rurtnj.
For the Southern Literary Gazette.
TO
, K .|, a rt thou in generous thoughts ami
I deed*,
v m ,blo friend ! Thou scornest those base
arl '’ . .
i t ie ignoble throng so otten win
it | n i ~ig prize. A fallen foe by thee
~ | j|i| ( _his hatred turned to love, —
WM :h t., peace. Thou yieldest up, un
! a.-ked,
I„■ e( |,. :l |o t hopes of youth,—long cherished
hopes,
I | il)V e!i with thy fondest plans of life,
, | )U y ain'.lter’s peace,—content thyself
j'o plant the golden flowers, which other hands,
ithiiikmgly perhaps, shall cull.
Earth’s jioor,
-te.n Oppression’s iron heel trod down,
||, iL . e J to toil, through long and weary
hours,
slaves of wealth, and haughty wealth-born
power, —
- coining, drop by drop, their own best
Id ood,
, buv that pittance mean, mere elothes and
bread, —
v cvri’ tinne ; their wrongs,—their every grief.
y niusie hath thy step, by thresholds low,
\\ ~,L . Want abides. Thy smile, like sunshine,
ii -eatters wide the gioom from lonely homes,
\\ ~ t- lon i the night of Sorrow brooding slept,
L ke sunni-elouds on the sea.
[J*C 11ES JOVRNOT.
iliinjws us jfirut Soaks.
,111-; little black porter.
; a ‘Three Courses and a Dessert, ** Published by H.
Cl. Holm, London.
[IONCLIDED FROM LAST WEEK-]
ihe indignation and amazinent of
I (iiurle- Perry, on seeing his own dead
I UUr r in the trunk, where he had expec
t,.ii to find the fair form of the bloom
ing and lively Isabel Plympton, may
nadlv be imagined. His lirst emotions
l’ wonder at the sight were quickly
.. i,reeded by the deepest regret for the
atli of liis favourite dog: but his
siirrow for the animal was suddenly
extinguished by a most painful feeling
nfmnrtideation, at having been soegre
giniisly duped : at last, rage,—violent
mgovernable rage, seemed to master
ill other passions in his bosom. lie
r;unl like a bedlamite, beat his fore
head, tore his hair, stamped up and
down the room, vowed to sacrifice, not
I only young Fairfax, Patty Wallis, Doc
tor I*l vtutoii, but even Doncaster Dick
I himself; and when his excitement had
readied its highest pitch, he lifted the
dead (log out of the chest, and hurled
it. with all his might, at the head of
Fesar Devalle. The force of the blow
t ew the little Black Porter on the
t, where he lay with the dog sprawl
ing upon him ; and his grimaces and
exclamations for rescue from the ani
mal. appeared so exceedingly ludicrous
to Charles Perry, that the young gen
tleman hurst out into a violent and un-
I controllable fit of laughter, in which
I he was most readily joined by Doneas-
I ter Dick.
Long before the merriment of either
master or man had subsided, Caesar
contrived to extricate himself from the
dig; and after adjusting his disordered
oavat. began to express his deep indig
nation at the insult he had suffered.—
lh intimated, in a tone tremulous with
agitation, but in rather choice terms,
that he should be quite delighted to
know by what law or custom any per
’ m was authorized to hurl the corpse
of a huge mastiff at the head of a citi
zoi of the world ; and why the alarm
i . position of an inoffensive father of
o n children, struggling to escape
! in an animal, which might, for aught
he knew, be alive and rabid, should
exhilarate any gentleman, whose pa
|vnt> or guardians were not cannibals;
‘"'any groom, except a Centaur* “If w*e
■He to be treated in this way,” pursued
he, ‘‘where is the use of tying our hair]
e may as well go about like logs
I, 1 a dream, if gentlemen know nothing
01 liodrophobia, or the philosophy ol
hie human heart. Even the brute cre
ation teaches us many of our social du
kes : the cat washes her face, and even
‘he duck smoothes her feathers, in or
her that she may be known on the pond
11, r “ hat >he is : but if a man is toem
-1 “iiish his exterior, —if we are to dis
1’ ay the character ofour minds by out
ward appearances, and yet be thrown
at, tor sport, like cocks on a Shrove
IncsJay,— why, to speak plainly, the
‘■aiges may as well be turned into a
’’ -pot, and the Arabian deserts be cov
with \\ itney blankets.”
“ lhe short and the long of it is,”
‘aid Dick, “he means, sir, that we
ou -lit to know, lookve, as how a man
‘ties his cravat in a small rosette,
and shows a bit of frill, don’t give or
take horse-plav. That’s mv translation
ot Ins rigmarole, and I’ll lay a crown
‘t * a true one.”
” I suspect it is,” said Perry, “ and
i in sorry, porter, that —”
“-Not a word more,” interrupted
1 |' sar , again suffering his features to
[‘■ax from their state ofgrave restraint
“do his habitual smile ; — “not a word
“Wne, 1 insist: to evince a disposition
t’ make an ample apology, is quite
‘atisfactory from one gentleman to a—
to a—” *
“lo another, you would say, said
Charles.
” ou honour me vastly by thiscon
-I''oiisiun, sir; and if ever 1 compose
‘ other cotillon, or Mrs. Devalle pre
", !s me with an eight pledge of our
a,l, ‘Ctioii, your name shall certainly be
lll;i de use of. Gratitude is implanted
fcVe ® in stocks and stones; and the
ae ° ni that is only half munched by
s ’) ille , grows into an oak, and, centuries
ai el \ becomes a ship, in which our cel
‘"'rated breed of pigs is carried to the
I ’ n ‘ quarters of the world. Even my
II ‘ nesake Caesar, the Roman, and llan
the Carthageuian —”
” Exactly.—exactly so,” said Perry,
l: ‘i ling on his heel and biting his lip,
as the recollection of the trick which
tla ‘l been played upon him again flashed
aer, ss his mind.
a £AMM mm&k BMW to mmmm, t m Am Aim sgimis, Aim m mmMx imwMmwsL
“ I bog pardon,” said Caesar, follow
ing him ; “ I don’t think you foresaw,
precisely—”
‘•Well, what, were you going to say?”
inquired Charles, in a tone of impa
tience.
“ I was about to propose, that we
should drown all future animosity in a
bumper; —that is, if you would honour
so humble a member of society as Cte
sar Devalle, by ordering the liquor.—
Shall I execute your commads?”
“ 1 )iek, get some brandy : —I could
drink a glass myself.”
“ I’ll step for a pint or so,” quoth
Ctesar; U 1 am fond of motion :it ex
emplifies the living principle, and—”
“ No more ofyour observations, but
begone,” interrupted Charles. Devail6
made a low bow, and immediately left
the room. ‘‘The fellow’s a fool,” con
tinued Charles, as the Little Black Port
er closed tlie door. “ What say you,
Dick, to all this ?”
“ Why, sir,” replied Dick, “ I don’t
like to be over positive ; but, to me, it
looks rather like a pretty kettle offish.
Moreover, I’ll lay a year’s perquisites
to half a pound, that Mr. Caesar, the
porter, is more rogue than ninny.”
“ What do you mean ? Why do you
wink in that manner !”
“Ah ! I never winks without there,s
a notion or two in my head. A sensi
ble horse don t throw his ears forward,
unless there's something in the wind he
thinks may he worth looking at. 1
can’t make out which way we’ve been
jockied in this form. Where lies the
fault, sir ? —that’s what I want to know.
\\ ho put the dog in the box ? 1 wish
any one would answer that simple ques
tion.”
“So do 1, Dick, with all my heart.”
“\\ ell, then, it’s clear there’s a
screw loose somewhere. I’ll lay my
leg it don’t lie with little Patty. Then
where can it ?”
“ Ay, that’s the point, Dick.”
“ Why, then, if I'm any judge, this
little porter isn t twopence halfpenny
better than he should he. He was a
long while going for the trunk, you'll
reccollect: and when 1 told him that
it was directed to Godfrey Fairfax,
Esquire, ‘Ay, ay !’ says he, taking the
words out of my mouth, ‘Godfrey Fair
lax, Esquire, of Demerary.’ It didn’t
strike me, then ; but it seems rather
oddish to me, now ; and, in my mind,
all the roguery was done ’twixt here
and the wagon-office : I'll bet a guinea
it was.”
“Egad, Dick! you’re generally
right; and there seems some probabil
ity. lint how shall we act ?”
“ Why, sir, 1 recommend that we
should make him drunk, aud pump
him.”
“ But suppose his head should prove
too hard for ours, Dick.”
“ Never fear that, sir; I’ll ring the
changes, so that he shall do double du
ty.”
“You forget, Dick, that all this time
he may be making his escape. Run
down stairs and look after him.”
Dick walked to the door, but re
turned w ithout opening it. “ 1 hear his
hoof on the stairs, sir,” said he: “sharp’s
the word.”
The Little Black Porter now entered
the room, followed by a waiter with a
decanter of brandy, and three glasses.
Bumpers were immediately tilled, and
the Little Black Porter and Dick drank
young Perry’s health: Charles then
emptied his glass: more liquid was
poured out, the littie Black Porter be
gan to talk, and, in a very short time,
the contents of the decanter were con
siderably diminished. Devalle drank,
alternately, and it must be confessed,
“nothing loath,” to Dick and his mas
ter ; and the groom, with much inge
nuity, contrived to make him swallow
at least thrice the quantity that either
he or young Perry took. Caesar’s eyes
gradually grew bright; a slight stutter
was perceptible in his speech ; he un
necessarily used words of considerable
length; and spoke familiarly of persons
far above his own station in life.
“You seem to he acquainted with
nearly all the residents of this neigh
bourhood,” said Charles, drawing the
Little Black Porter to a w indow ; “can
you inform me w ho lives in yonder old
brick house, the window-shutters of
which always appear closed?”
“The owner, sir, “ replied Caesar, “ is
an opulent merchant, old and whimsi
cal, —but age will have its errors; if not
why do we prop a tottering castle, and
patch shoes] Nothing is incompre
hensible if we adopt the doctrines of
analogy; which, as more than one great
writer observes, is an irrefragable proof
that man is endowed with reasoning
powers. The gentleman, whose house
you now see, sir, sleeps by day, and
dines at midnight. Far be it from me
to say that he is wrong : there are quite
enough of us to dance attendance on
the sun ; why should not Luna have
her votaries ] There’s no act of par
liament to make man fall asleep at
eleven precisely ; Spitzbergen does not
lie under the tropics, you know ; and,
perhaps, if 1 had my choice, —for flesh
is grass,—l should prefer that latitude
where it is three months day and three
months night.”
“And why so, Caisar?”
“ Why, 1 need not tell you there’s
some difference between a rhinoceros
and a sugar-cane ; and, accordingly, I,
for one, seldom or ever want to go to
sleep, except when under the influence
of a more cheerful cup than 1 usually
take ; in fact, when I’m in a state of
inebriation, which rarely occurs, —for
many mole-hills go to a mountain. But
on the other hand, when 1 do sleep, —
so lovely is nature! —that 1 never
should wake, for three months at least,
1 suspect, —though, of course, 1 never
tried the experiment, —if Mrs. DevalD
did not deluge me with soap-suds. 1
am told that coap contains alkali; and
alkali, to some constitutions, is whole
some ; —for fire, you know, will roast
an ox; —and the custom of bears re
tiring into winter quarters, meets with
my warmest approbation.’
Before Perry and Ciesar returned to
the table, Doncaster Dick had secretly
procured a fresh supply of brandy;
with which Charles plied the Little
Black Porter so vigorously, that Caesar
was soon pronounced by Dick to be
sufficiently intoxicated for their purpose.
Young Perry and the groom then be
gan to draw Caesar’s attention to the
dog; and endeavoured, by dint of
wheedling, threats, and promises, to
elicit from him what bail taken place,
with regard to the trunk while it was
in his possession : but, as the porter
had nothing to confess, all their at
tempts, of course, proved ineffectual;
and Caesar, at last, dropped his head
on his shoulder, and sank into a pro
found sleep.
“ We have overdone it, Dick,” said
Perry ; “ we gave him too much, you
see.”
“ Yes, sir,” replied Dick, “you open
ed too hotly upon him; —that’s clear.
If you had left him to me, I'd have
drawn him as gently as a glove.”
Dick and his master, notwithstand
ing their precaution, had drunk suffi
cient to intoxicate them : they were
ripe for mischief, and heedless of con
sequences. W hen Charles Perry,there
fore, asked Dick what was to be done
with the trunk, it is scarcely a matter
of surprise, that Dick proposed packing
the porter in it, and forwarding it ac
cording to the address on its cover ; or
that Charles, irritated as he felt, and
still suspicious that Ctesar had been a
party to the trick which had been play
ed off upon him, gaily assented to the
proposal. Caesar was lifted into the
box, and the cords securely fastened,
in a very few minutes. Dick then sal
lied forth to ascertain where the ship
lay. lie soon returned with a couple
of Pill boatmen, who informed Charles
that the William and Mary was lying
at Ringroad, and waiting only for the
tide to put to sea: they were just about
to return to Pill, and they undertook,
for a small sum, to carry the chest down
the river in their boat, .and place it
safely on board the vessel before she
sailed.
It will, doubtless, lie recollected that
we left Godfrey Fairfax in a state of
delightful agitation, on the deck of the
W iliiam and Alary, while several ofthe
crew were preparing to hoist his trunk
out of the hold. As soon as it w r as
brought on deck, Godfrey, with tears
of joy glistening in his eyes, fell on
his knees in front of it, and eagerly
unfastened the cords. lie trembled to
find the bolt of the lock already shot
back, and with the most anxious solici
tude, threw up the cover: instead of
the lovely face of Isabel, his eyes fell
on that of the Little Black Porter!—
Uttering a shriek of horror, he leaped
upon his feet, and stood aghast and
speechless for several moments, gazing
on Devalle. The crew crowded round
the chest, and Caesar, who had been
roused by Godfrey’sexclamation,raised
himself, and stared on the various ob
jects by which he was surrounded, —ex-
pressed the utter astonishment he felt
at his novel situation by such strange
contortions of countenance and incohe
rent expressions, that tiic sailors, who
at the first glimpse they had of Caesar,
in the box, were almost as much amaz
ed as the Little Black Porter himself,
began to laugh most heartily. Godfrey
at length, recovered sufficient posses
sion of his faculties to grasp Devalle
bv the throat, and violently exclaim, —
“Villain, explain! What have you
done?”
“ That is precisely what I wish to
know,” replied Ciesar, as soon as he
could disengage himself from young
Fairfax. “ What have 1 done]—Why
do I find myself here? —And where in
the world am I?”
“ In de Bristol Channel,” chuckled
the black cook, who stood tuning a fid
dle by the side of the chest. “ Him
shipped in good order and condition,
aboard de good shipWilliainand Mary.”
“ Consigned, I see,” added a sailor,
“to Godfrey Fairfax, Esquire, of De
merara, —whither we’re bound, direct,
—‘with care this side upwards.’ ”
“Godfrey Fairfax, of Demerara !
consigned to Demerara!” exclaimed
Ceesar, leaping out of the trunk: “Don’t
play with my feelings,—don’t—don't
—don’t! If you are men, don’t trifle
with me your words are poisoned ar
rows to my poor heart.”
“ Massa blackee no runaway slave,
eh?” inquired the cook.
“ Unfortunate wretch that 1 am !”
replied Caesar; “flesh is frail, and li
berty’s wand is a sugar-cane. 1 feel
driven by present circumstances to con
fess, that 1 certainly did escape in the
hold of the Saucy Jane, from Demera
ra, thirty years ago. Fellow-creatures,
do not refund me to my old master: —
I was the property of Mr. Fairfax.”
“Os my father !” exclaimed Godfrey.
“ Miserable me ! His son here, too!”
said Caesar. “ 1 have been kidnapped,
—cheated ! I’m a free man, though;—
a citizen of the world; a housekeeper,
and the father of seven lovely children:
do not deprive them of their paternal
support. Remember, 1 stand upon my
rights: there are laws even for rabbits;
English oak is the offspring of the land
of liberty, and consequently I command
somebody to put me ashore.”
“ How* can we put you ashore, my
good man ?” asked a fellow in the garb
of an hostler ; “we’re cantering along
at the rate of twelve miles an hour be
fore the wind; and I’ve lost sight of
land this long time.”
“ 1 don't care for that:—a kangaroo
isn’t a cockroach, and I demand my
privileges. Put back the ship, I say ;
I’m here by mistake.”
“ Put back the ship !” repeated the
man in the stableman’s dress ; “don’t
make yourself so disagreeable in com
pany. Do you think every body is to
be turned to the right-about for you?
I’ve got fifteen mules aboard under my
care, and every hour is an object.”
“ My good sir,"’ said Devillc, with a
smile which he deemed irresistible,
“think of my wife and family.”
“Oh, nonsense! think of my mules.”
“ If there were but a being endowed
with the sublime light of reason,among
you,” exclaimed Caesar, I would shew*
by analogy, —yea, 1 would convince
even any muleteer butthisgentleman-”
CHARLESTON. SATURDAY, NOV. 16. 18-50.
“ Now don’t fatigue yourself, nor
put yourself out of the way.” inter
rupted the man whom Caesar designa
ted as the muleteer; “we all know,
that freedom is dear; at least, so
I’ve been told by them that ought to
be dead as a nail upon such things:
therefore it’s only a pleasant trip for
you to Demerara and back. Your old
master won’t take you again.”
“ But lie will,” said Caisar.
“ But lie won’t,” retorted the mule
teer.
“ But he will, I tell you : what is
the use of your saying a bull won’t
gore me through the stomach, when I
know that he will, whether he can or
no ? 1 must lift up my voice, —curse
that fiddle 1 it’s till out of tune,” con
tinued Devalle, snatching the instru
ment from the cook, who was scraping
tin old march upon it: “I shall lift up
my voice, and protest loudly against
this outrage. The downfall of Rome
may be dated from the Sabine occur
rence ; therefore, J warn every body
to restore me at once to my adopted
land. Retract, 1 say,” pursued the
Little Black Porter, almost uncon
sciously tuning the fiddle, and then
handing it back to the cook as he spoke;
“retract, and land me, or you’ll find to
your cast, that Demosthenes didn’t put
pebbles into his mouth for nothing.”
(Yesar, however, was not endowed
with sufficient eloquence to get restored
to “ home, love, and liberty.” lie ap
pealed in vain to the officers of the ship;
they said it was impossible for them to
lie to, and land him ; for night was
coming on—the wind blew a capful—
time was of the utmost importance—
they touched nowhere on the voyage—
and, unwilling as they were to be en
cumbered with him, —Jack in the box,
(as Caesar was already familiarly term
ed.) must positively go with them to
Demerara.
Leaving the Little Black Porter and
Godfrey Fairfax (who scarcely spoke
a dozen words during the first week of
the voyage) on board the William and
Mary, we shall now return to some of
the other characters in our tale.
Firmly believing that he had been
the dupe of Patty, Isabel, and one or
both of his rivals, Squire Perry con
cealed the circumstances which had oc
curred at the Dog and Dolphin : and,
in a few months, to the great joy of
Doctor Plympton, he left the neigh
bourhood entirely. George Wharton’s
affection for Isabel, in the mean time
had become so apparent, that several
good-natured friends alluded to it, at
the Doctor’s table, in such plain terms,
that the old gentleman was, at length,
compelled to notice it. He said noth
ing, however,either to Isabel or George;
but wrote to the young gentleman’s fa
ther, in Jamaica, stating, that, singular
to say, the young people had clearly
fallen in love with each other, in the
opinion of many who were very well
qualified to judge in such matters, al
though, for his own part, he protested
that he could scarcely believe it. “ I
entreat you,” he continued, “not to at
tach any blame to me, on this occasion:
1 have done my duty to your son, who
is as fine a scholar as ever 1 turned out
of hand ; although, I must confess,that,
latterly, his diligence has visibly de
creased. I beseech you, therefore, as
he is sufficiently advanced in the classics
to enter upon the grand stage of life,
instead of suffering him to remain with
me another year, which I believe was
your intention, to send for him at once,
and so blight this unhappy passsion for
my child in its very bud.”
To the Doctor’s astonishment, Mr.
Wharton wrote in reply, that nothing
could give him greater pleasure than an
alliance with so respectable a family as
that of his old friend Plympton ; “that
he highly approved of his son’s choice;
that he was by no means opposed to
early marriages; that he had, by the
same packet, communicated his ideas
as to a settlement, to an able profes
sional gentleman, who would, doubt
less, speedily wait upon the Doctor for
his approval to a draft deed ; and that
the sooner the match was made the
better.
Adam Burdock, the old attorney of
Furnival’s Inn,was the professional gen
tleman alluded to in Mr. Wharton’s
epistle ; and, in a few days after its ar
rival, Doctor Plympton, who found
himself unable to communicate what
had transpired to George and Isabel in
person, made an excuse to come to Lon
don, and thence, by letter, afforded
them the welcome intelligence.
The deeds were prepared w r ith ex
traordinary despatch; and, after an
absence of eleven days only, Doctor
Plympton, accompanied by the attor
ney, returned home. On entering the
parlour, he was rather surprised to find
his own capacious elbow-chair occupied
by a- stranger of very singular appear
ance. After gazing for a moment at
his unknown visitor, who was fast
asleep, he turned to his companion, and
muttered a few incoherent phrases, bv
which the attorney discovered that his
host was extremely anxious to disclaim
all previous acquaintance with the gen
tleman in the chair. The stranger still
slept. lie was attired in a short nan
keen coat and waistcoat, —the latter
lying open from the second button up
ward, evidently to display a frilled and
very full bosomed shirt; black small
clothes, much the worse for wear;
white silk stockings, hanging in bags
about the calves, and exhibiting an ela
borate specimen, from the knee-band
to the instep, of the art of darning:
his hands rested on a fine bamboo, and
his head was embellished with a well
powdered wig : —it was the Little
Black Porter.
Doctor Plympton coughed thrice
with considerable emphasis, moved a
chair with unnecessary violence, and
very energetically poked the fire; but
his guest still snored. lie inquired of
the attorney, by a look, what he should
do. Burdock shrugged up his shoul
ders, smiled, and took a seat. Patty
Wallis, who had been busy hitherto in
receiving the luggage from the driver,
now entered the room ; George and
Isabel immediately followed; and the
joyous laugh of the latter at once pro
duced the desired effect on the Little
Black Porter. He was awake and on
his legs in an instant; and. while he
stood bowing and grinning at Isabel
and the Doctor, Patty informed George
who had just returned with Isabel from
a walk, that the strauger knocked at
the door about ten minutes before, in
quired for Miss Plympton, and, on be
ing informed that she was out, but
would probably return within half an
hour, requested permission to wait, as
he had something of importance to
communicate.
Although the presence of his un
known guest was particularly annoying
to him, Doctor Plympton addressed
the Little Black Porter with his usual
suavity, and begged he would resume
his scat. Avery awkward silence of
several moments ensued ; during which
Ctesar took snuff with great self-eoin
placency, brushed away the particles
which had fallen on his frill, threw him
self back in the chair, and seemed to
be proud of the curiosity which he ex
cited.
“My friend I )octor Plympton,” at
length observed the attorney, fixing his
eye on Caeser so firmly —to use his own
expression—that he could not flinch
from it, “ my friend here, sir, would,
doubtless, be happy to know what for
tunate circumstance lie is indebted to
for the honour of your company ?”
“I dare say lie would,” replied Caesar;
“but mv business is with the young
lady.” ’
“ With Isabel Plympton !” exclaim
ed George.
“Ay, sir!” replied the porter; “Cu
pid, the little blind god of hearts, you
know —eh! Doctor? Ha, ha —Well!
who has not been young ? —Cupid and
his bow, and then his son Hy men ! My
toast, when I m in spirits, always is—
May Cupid’s arrows he cut into match
es to light Hymen’s torch, but his bow
never be destroyed in the conflagra
tion.”
“ Come, come, sir! —this is foolery,”
said \\ barton, who seemed to be much
agitated;—“your business at once.”
“Foolery!” exclaimed Ctesar; “I
will not suffer the .dignity of man to
be outraged in my person, remember;
so take warning. Foolery, indeed !
but never mind; time is precious; wis
dom has been rather improperly paint
ed as an old woman with a flowing
beard, and some of us have not long
to live : so, as we are all friends, I will
speak out my business without delay,
provided 1 am honoured with Miss Isa
bel’s permission.”
“ 1 would rather hear it*in private,”
said the young lady.
“Then lam dumb,” quoth Caesar;
“ Venus has sealed my lips with ada
mant.”
“ You are joking, Bell; —surely you
are joking!” exclaimed young Wharton.
“ Decidedly you are, child, —I say,
decidedly,” cried the Doctor.
“ Indeed I am not, father,” replied
Isabel, with a gravity of manner which,
with her, wa almost unprecedented.—
“ If he have aught to say to me, and to
me alone, I will hear it alone, or not at
all.”
“ You see, gentlemen,” said Caesar,
“ I should be very happy—but Venus
has stopped my breath. I have been
always a slave to the sex. Mahomet
went to the mountain; and it is inso
lence in a rushlight to rival the moon.
Do not entreat me, for I’m inflexible.”
“ No one entreats you, man,” said
George : “If Label Plympton, and
such as you, have any private business
with each other, I, for one, will not
trouble you with my presence.”
Young Wharton had no sooner ut
tered these words, than he walked out
of the room.
“Good Heavens!” exclaimed the
Doctor, “1 never saw George so roused.
Sir,” added he,addressing the attorney,
“he’s the quietest creature in existence,
—gentle as a lamb, —meek as a dove ;
bis enemies, if it were possible for one
of his kind disposition to have any,
would say he was even too passive.
I’m quite alarmed; —pray come with
me, —pray do: do assist me, sir, to
soothe him. I’m quite unused to such
events, and scarcely know how to act.
Excuse me, sir, a moment.”
The last words of the Doctor were
addressed, as he drew the attorney out
of the room, to the Little Black Porter.
‘ Don’t mention it, sir,” said Caesar;
“ if we can’t make free, why should
crickets be respected ? And now,
young lady, as we are quite alone—”
“ You come from Godfrey Fairfax,”
interrupted Isabel.
“ Bless my soul!” exclaimed Caesar;
—“ a witch !—the world’s at an end !
But I ascribe it to Cupid. How do
you know—”
“His letter?”
“Yes ; have sou not one from him?”
“ l will not deny that I have ; but l
was only to deliver it on condition—”
“ Don’t talk of conditions; —give it
to me, at once.”
“There it is, then: your commands
are my law. 1 have been a martyr to
my submission to the fair, but I don’t
repent; and, as philosophy and analo
gy both concur—”
“ Not another word,” interrupted
Isabel, “ but leave the house :—go. —
What! Cupid’s messenger and demur ?”
“ Never :—I will fly. Wish for ine,
and Caesar Devalle shall appear. I kiss
your fair fingers.”
The Little Black Porter perpetrated
a bow in his best style, and closed the
front door behind him, as Doctor
Plympton returned to the parlour.
“ He’s very obstinate —George is,”
said the Doctor; “I can’t account for
it; —he won’t come in. But where’s
the gentleman of colour ?”
“ Gone, father.”
“ Gone!”
“Yes, his business with me was brief,
you see.”
“ That may be ; but I assure you,
Bell, I do not feel exactly satisfied with
you. I should like to know—”
“ Ask me no questions to-night, pa
pa : 1 am not well, and I wish to retire.
If you will permit me to go to my
room at once, I will dutifully answer
any thing you please in the morning.”
“ Well, go, my lov e ; —go, and God
bless you! but it’s very mysterious for
all that.”
Isabel retired, and, in a short time,
the attorney, followed by George
Wharton, entered the parlour. They
found the Doctor walking to and fro,
with his arms folded across his breast,
and evidently absorbed in thought.—
Their appearance roused him from his
reverie: he advanced, very earnestly
shook hands with both of them, and
asked pardon for his want of urbanity;
as an excuse for which, he protested,
with ludicrous solemnity, that he scarce
ly knew whether he was walking on
his head or his heels. “My pupil,
too,” he continued, looking at young
Wharton, but addressing the attorney,
“ I regret to perceive, still clothes his
countenance in the frowns of displea
sure.”
“ Isabel is occupied in privately con
ferring somewhere with our new friend,
I presume,” said George.
“ No, child—not at all,” replied the
Doctor, with affected calmness; “she
is gone to her room : one of her old
attacks of head-ache has occurred, and
we may not expect to see her again for
the remainder of the evening. The
gentleman of colour had departed be
fore my return to the parlour.”
“ It would have been as well, 1 think,
if you had not quitted it,” said young
Wharton, angrily : “ I remember the
time when you made Miss Plympton
a close prisoner, and would sutler none
but the inmates of your own house to
speak to her, in order that she should
not hold any communication with a
young gentleman of respectable family
who was well known in the neighbour
hood : now, you leave her with a stran
ger of the most suspicious appearance,
who boldly tells you that he lias pri
vate business with her, which she re
fuses to hear even in your presence!
Hut of course, Miss Plympton acquaint
ed you with the purport of his visit.”
“ No Georg.e, I declare she did not,”
said the Doctor, with great humility.
“What, sir! did she refuse when you
insisted ?”
“ 1 did not insist,” replied Doctor
Plympton ; “ I did not insist, for she
told me beforehand that she would an
swer no questions till the. morning,—or
something to that effect.”
“ You astonish me !”
“ I confess that I was staggered my
self : —but what could Ido ? She has
grown out of her girlhood like a dream;
and for the first time in her life, to my
apprehension my child stood as a wo
man before me. Her look, her tone,
her posture, and, above all, the expres
sion of her eye-brow, reminded me so
strongly, on a sudden, of her majestic
mother, that all my energies w'ere sus
pended : the dead seemed to be raised
from the grave, and I was awed before
her. But a truce to this : it will not
occur again. 1 was taken by surprise;
and, by-the-by, George, on reflection, 1
feel compelled to observe, that it is im
possible that 1 should submit to the
dictatorial air which you thought fit to
assume a few months since. Remem
ber, sir, who you are, and what I am;
or rather, perhaps, what I was; for tru
ly, 1 feel that 1 am not the man 1 re
collect myself to have been : —that,
however, is no excuse for you.”
“ On the contrary, sir,” said George,
affectionately taking the old man’s hand,
“it adds to my offence.”
“ You do not mean to convey, that
you are conscious of any visible symp
toms of my being unequal to my for
mer self, —do you?”
“By no means,sir; but—”
“ Well, well! once more, enough of
this. Let us think of our respectable
guest, to whom 1 owe a thousand apolo
gies, and order supper. Let us post
pone all that’s unpleasant until the
morning; when, 1 have no doubt, this
affair will prove to be a little farce, at
which we shall all heartily laugh. The
gentleman of colour is, doubtless, an
itinerant vender of some of those num
berless absurdities for the toilet or the
work-box, which run away with a great
portion of every girl’s pocket-money.
The idea did not strike me before, but
l am almost persuaded that 1 am cor
rect in my supposition ; and doubtless,
Isabel, piqued at your warmth, —which
really almos f electrified me, —deter-
mined to punish you, by affecting to be
serious and making a mystery of the
affair. Retaliate, George, by sleeping
soundly to-night, and looking blithe
and debonair, as the young Apollo new
ly sprung from his celestial couch, to
morrow morning.”
In spite of the Doctor’s occasional
attempts to infuse some portion of gaie
ty into the conversation that ensued, a
deep gloom reigned in his little parlour
during the remainder of the evening.
Very shortly after the removal of the
cloth from the supper-table, the old at
torney, much to the satisfaction of the
Doctor and George, retired to his bed
room, and they immediately followed
his example.
Isabel appeared at the breakfast-table
the next merning ; but her usual gaiety
had vanished: she looked pale and
thoughtful, and when addressed, she
replied only in monosyllables. George
Wharton was sullen, and the Doctor
could not avoid betraying his uneasi
ness: he several times made such ob
servations as he thought would infalli
bly force Isabel into an elucidation of
the mysteries of the preceding evening;
but she was proof against them all, and
maintained an obstinate silence on the
subject. Under the pretence of shew
ing the beauties of his pleasure-ground,
Doctor Plympton drew the attorney,
who was breakfasting with the most
perfect professional non chalance , from
his chocolate and egg, to one of the
windows; and there briefly, but pa
thetically, laid open the state of his
mind. “ I declare,” said he, “ I am
nearly deprived of my reasoning facul
ties with amazement, at the conduct of
Bell and the son of your respected cli
ent. So complete a metamorphosis
has never occurred since the cessation
of miracles. Each of them is an al-
THIRD VOLUME—NO. 29 WHOLE NO 129.
tered being, sir; they are the antipodes
of what they were; and 1 assure you,
it alarms, —it unnerves me. George,
who used to be as bland as Zephyr, and
obedient as a gentle child, either sits
morose, or blusters, as you saw him
hist night, like a bully. And Bell, who
indulged almost to an excess in the in
nocent gaieties of girlhood, is turned
into marble : no one would believe, to
look at her now, that she had ever
smiled. She has lost her laugh, which
used to pour gladness into my old heart,
and is quite as dignified and almost as
silent as some old Greek statue. How
do you account for this ?”
“ Sir,” replied Burdock, whose choco
late was cooling; “makeyourselfquite
easy : such changes are no novelties to
me; they must be attributed to the
business of the day : —the execution
of a deed of settlement, in contempla
tion of a speedy marriage, is an awful
event to those who have never gone
through the ceremony before. I have
witnessed hysterics at a pure love
match. even when it was seasoned with
money in profusion on both sides.”
The attorney now strode back to his
seat, and began his capital story rela
tive to the Great cause of Dukes and
Driver. The Doctor reluctantly re
turned to the table, and seemed to
listen to his guest; but his mind was
occupied on a different s tbject; and
when the cloth was removed, and the
attorney’s tale concluded,he was scarce
ly conscious that he had breakfasted,
and knew no more of the merits of the
case, than Beaufidel, who sat on a foot
stool, looking ruefully at his mistress,
and evidently disappointed at not hav
ing been favoured with his usual por
tion of smiles and toast.
Immediately after breakfast, Burdock
produced, from the recesses of his bag,
the marriage settlement, and in a clear
and distinct manner, proceeded to read
over its contents, —occasionally pausing
to translate its technical provisoes into
common sense, and enjoining the young
people boldly to mention any objec
tions that might strike them to the
language of the deed, so as to afford him
an opportunity of explaining them
away as they occurred. In the course
ot a couple of hours, he had gone
through the drudgery of perusing half
a-dozen skins of parchment; and the
gardener and Patty were called in to
witness the execution of thedeed by the
young couple, and Doctor Plympton
and Adam Burdock as trustees to the
settlement.
It wasa moment of interest:—George
and the Doctor advanced to lead Isabel
to the table ; she started from her chair
as they approached, hurried towards
the deed, and snatched the pen which
the attorney gallantly offered for her
use. lie guided her hand to the seal,
against which she w as to set her name;
but the pen rested motionless on the
parchment. After a moment’s pause,
the attorney looked up : Isabel’s face,
which had previously been exceedingly
pale, was now of a deep crimson; her
lips quivered ; her eyes were fixed, ap
parently, upon some object that had ap
peared at the door of the room ; and
relinquishing her hold of the pen, she
faintly articulated,“Forgive me,George,
—Father, forgive me, —but I cannot
do it!”
Following the direction of her eyes,
Burdock turned round while Isabel was
speaking, and, to his surprise,beheld the
Little Black Porter, who stood bowing
and grinning at the door.
George Wharton said a few words
to encourage Isabel, and supported her
with his arm ; and her father, with
clasped hands, repeated, in a sorrowful
tone, “ Cannot do it!”
“ No, —no,” said Isabel; “ never, fa
ther, —never ; —while he lives and
loves me.”
“ He, child ! Whom mean you ?” ex
claimed the old man.
“ Godfrey Fairfax,” replied Isabel,
tremulously.
Her head dropped on her shoulder
as she spoke ; but though she was evi
dently fainting, George withdrew his
hand from her waist, with an exclama
tion of deep disgust; and she would
have sunk on the floor, had not the Lit
tle Black Porter, who had been gadu
ally advancing, now sprung suddenly
forward, and, pushing young Wharton
aside, received her in his arms. The
attention of George and the Doctor had
been so riveted on Isabel, that they
were not aware of Devalle’s presence
until this moment. George no sooner
beheld him, than he rushed out of the
room ; the astonished Doctor stagger
ed to a chair ; and the two servants, in
stead of assisting their mistress, stood
motionless spectators of the scene. —
Burdock alone seemed to retain perfect
possession of his senses : he request
ed the gardener to fetch the usual re
storatives, and gently reproached Pat
ty for her neglect.
While Patty, who now became very
alert and clamorous, relieved the Little
Black Porter trom the burthen which
he willingly supported, the attorney
suggested to Doctor Plympton, the
propriety of obtaining possession of a
ietter, the end of which was peeping
out of Isabel’s bosom, before she re
covered ; but the Doctor sat, heedless
of his remark, gazing at his pale and
inanimate child. Burdock, therefore,
without loss of time, moved cautiously
towards Isabel, and without being de
tected even by the waiting-maid, drew
the letter forth. At that instant Isa
bel opened her eyes, and gradually re
covered her senses. She intimated
that she was perfectly aware of what
Burdock had done ; and, after request
ing that the letter might be handed to
her father, with the assistance of Patty
she retired from the room.
The Little Black Porter was follow
ing Isabel and Patty as closely as pos
sible, and had already placed one foot
outside the door, when Doctor Plymp
ton peremptorily ordered him to come
back. Devalle returned bowing very
obsequiously; and when he had ar
rived within a pace or two of the Doc
tor’s chair, with a strange mixture of
humility and impudence, he inquired
what were the honoured gentleman s
commands.
The Doctor had entirely laid aside
his usual suavity of deportment, and,
in a loud voice, accompanied with vio
lent gesticulation, he thus addressed
the ever-smiling object of his wrath: —
“ Thou fell destroyer of my peace! —
what art thou] Art thou Incubus,
Succubus, or my evil spirit? Who
sent thee ? In what does thy influence
over my child consist? Why am I
tortured by thy visitation I—Speal—Speak—
explain to me —unfold thy secret —or
I shall forget my character, and do I
know not what.”
“Pray be moderate, my dear friend,”
said Burdock, interposing his person
between the Doctor and Devalle.
“Ay, ay,—that is wisely said, —pray
be moderate, my dear friend,” repeat
ed Devalle ; “we are all like the chaff
which we blow away with the breath
of our own nostrils. Be calm —be
calm : let us be rational, and shew our
greatest attribute. A man that is a
slave to passion, is worse than a negro
on a plantation : he’s a wild beast. I
don’t wish to be rude, for life is short;
and more than one great man has been
cut off by a cucumber ; but I must ob
serve, that a passionate gentleman is
very likely to make holes in his man
ners.—What says our legal friend ?
Caesar Devalle"! will feel honoured in
being permitted utterly to abandon him
self to the good gentleman's opinion.
Arbitration against argument always
has my humble voice : and if a man
wishes to get well through the world,
civility is the best horse he can ride.”
“ If your observations are addressed
to me,” aid the attorney, “they are un
welcome. Restrict your discourse to
plain answers to such questions as I
shall put to you. Now’ attend: —did
you deliver this letter last night to Miss
Plympton ?”
“ Why does the gentleman ask ?”
“ 1 suspect you did.”
“Avow or deny it, sirrah! at once,”
exclaimed the Doctor.
“ Oh, pardon me, there, ,£ replied
Devalle; “we are all men : the cat ex
pects to be used after its kind ; and if
a man is to be treated like a dog, he
may as well bark, and wear a tail at
once. I can bear a blow as well as
most people, from a blackguard ; but,
with gentlemen, I expect a certain be
hav our. Resentment is found in the
breast of a camel; and there is no
doubt but that man is endowed with
feelings:—if not, why do we marry?”
“ Well, my good friend,” said the at
torney, changing his manner entirely
from that which he had adopted in his
first category, “ perhaps you may be
right: we will not dispute the points
you have raised ; but you must allow
that Doctor Plympton has some ex
cuse for being warm. Appearances are
strong ; but 1 doubt not you will, as an
honest man, unequivocally answer us,
and clear them up.”
“ Oh, sir,” replied Devalle, “lam
yours devotedly: ask me no questious;
for 1 do not like to have what I know
tugged out of my conscience by an at
torney, like jaw-teeth with nippers, or
corks from a bottle by a twisting screw;
for l have a large family, and am more
than fifty years old. I will tell you
frankly, that I did give Miss that let
ter: I was sent on a special mission
with it to her from Demerara. I went
out in the same ship with Mr. Godfrey
Fairfax: on landing, we found that his
father Mid just died, and left him heir
to all; then, as flesh is grass, he sent
me back at once with orders—if Miss
was not married—to give her his billet
doux. That’s the truth: 1 confess it
freely, for it’s useless to deny it; and
our heads will lie low r enough a hun
dred years hence. Perhaps you will
not take it uncivil in me to say, that
you would have found all that I have
said, and more, in fewer words, if, in
stead ofcalling me sirrah, and so forth,
you had perused Mr. Godfrey’s letter.
Excuse me, but the philosopher could
notread the stars until somebody told
him tc buy a telescope. I am for civil
ity, mutual improvement and wisdom
all over the world. And now, gentle
men,T hope you will permit me to re
tire. I must find my wife and family:
I have not made a single inquiry for
them yet; though they occupy all my
waking thoughts, and are the dramatis
persona: of my little dreams. I hum
bly withdraw, but shall soon be in the
neighbourhood again,—for locomotion
is salubrious ; and, if this present match
with Miss be not strangled, I hope-to
have the honour of seeing you in
church, in order, humble as I am, to
forbid the banns. Y'ou would not
smile, perhaps, if it occurred to your
recollection, as it does into mine, that
lions have been emancipated by mice,
and more than one hero has been
choked by a horsebean. It is for these
reasons. 1 apprehend, judging from anal
ogy, —a doctrine I reverence, —that cat
tle pasturing on a common or warren,
abhor rabbit-burrows, and we, our
selves, detest and exterminate scor
pions and wasps.—Gentlemen, your
most humble and very devoted ser
vant Caesar Devalle.”
With his usual multitude of obei
sances, the Little Black Porter now
left Doctor Plymptonand the attorney
to peruse the love-letter of Godfrey’
Fairfax to Isabel. It abounded with
professions of the most passionate at
tachment ; the deepest regret was ex
pressed at the writer’s present inabili
ty to return to England ; but he vowed
to fly to Isabel, on the wings of love,
early in the ensuing summer, if she still
considered his hand worthy of her ac
ceptance! lie stated, that he was una
ble to solve the mystery of her escape
from the trunk: he feared that some
thing unpleasant had happened, but
clearly exonerated his fond, confiding
Isabel from having borne any share in
the base plot which had evidently been
played off against him.
1 hese allusions to the affair of the
trunk, were beyond Doctor PI ymptons 1
comprehension ; Burdock, however, ob
tained a tolerably clear insight to
the circumstances from Isabel, Patty,
George Wharton, and Caesar DevallS,