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change in their fortunes. Well, God be thanked for making him
sensible, in his old age, and before it became too late, of what he
owe d to society and his neighbours. It is late, but not too late,
-nd I pray that no evil consequences may follow the present change
for the better in his disposition/’
How can it, mamma?”
“Oh! I don’t know; but change is an awful thing always,even
when it happens for the better, and there is always some evil fol
lowing in the footsteps of what is good. We must only hope and
pray, and leave it all to heaven.”
CHAPTER XIV.
WHICH AUGURS AX AFFAIR OF BOARS!
It is the tendency of all revolutions, when they once fairly begin
to precipitate themselves with fearful rapidity. The impetus once
given, and the car rolls onward, with a growing head of steam.
The development is as eager as light in its progress, from the mo
ment when the germinating principles begin to be active. It will
be admitted that the transitive steps were soon overcome, in the
overthrow of the ancient prejudices between the Bulmer and Bon
neau families. Major Bulmer was a man of locomotive tempera
ment, who could not well arrest himself in his own movement,
having once begun it. Scarcely had he returned home, and re
ported what he had done, than he hurried to the library, in order
to prepare billets of invitation for Madame Agnes-Theresa, and
the fair Paula, to his proposed Golden Festival at Christmas.
These performances were not so easy. Every precaution had to
be taken by which to avoid offending the amour propre of the
old lady and re-awakening her ancient prejudices. Twenty notes
were begun, and were dismissed, because of some unlucky word or
phrase. I was finally called in to the consultation, and required
to prepare an epistle, possessing all the accuracy of a law paper,
with all the blandness of a billet doux. Some hours were spent
in devices, and doubts, and arguments, and objections, and quiddi
ties, and quoddities, in order that we might not chafe rabidities and
oddities. The work was done at length, but there was still a
shaking of the head, on the part of the Major and Miss Bulmer,
ns to certain words, and dots, and consonants; and it was finally
decreed that Ned should decide as to which, of half a dozen epistles,
should be sent. The groat, final consultation was held in his
chamber, —and he decided, —and w T e may suppose with judgment,
concerning the result. The billets were sent, for the old lady and
her grand-daughter ; and before an answer could be receh ed, Miss
bulmer, —a most benevolent and gentle soul as ever lived, took
the carriage and drove over to Madame Girardin, in order, if need
he, to smooth over difficulties and overcome objections; at all
events, to add her eloquence to that of her brother, to persuade
th“ parties to acceptance. But, before her arrival, the discussion
IJ,I< I taken place between the old lady and the grand-daughter.
“Well, Paula,” quoth she, “wonders will never cease. Mhat
do )'ou think ? Here is an invitation to me,— to me,— to spend
Christmas day and night at Bulmer Barony. And here is a note
to yourself, I suppose, to the same effect.”
THE GOLDEN CHRISTMAS.
And the old lady read her billet aloud, and then required the
) oung one to re-read it, and to read her own.
“ Atkl now what do you say, my child. Don’t you think it very
surprising ?”
U 1 don’t see an y thing to surprise us, mamma. I confess it’s
only what I expected, after the Major’s visit yesterday.”
“ W ell! these sudden changes are very awful. No one can tell
w hat is to happen. I declare they make me quite nervous. Major
Bulmer has never been on friendly terms with our family, but I
think him a very worthy man, and I should be very sorry if anj”
thing evil was to occur. I knew r once of a person who w r as a great
sinner, a very wicked man, who swore like a trooper, and drank
like a dragoon horse; who was a! wav-. r‘Yi'VToHin? with somebody,
and fighting and lawring with his neighbours; who all at once be
came converted from his evil ways, renounced his bad habits,
joined himself to the church, became really pious, and suddenly
died of apoplexy onty a month after he had become religious.”
“ That was surely better than if he had died before becoming
so. I don’t think the change for the better, in his character, pro
duced the change in his body for the worse; or that the danger to
his life was the consequence of the improvement in his morals.
It inav be that certain changes in his physical condition, of which
he was better conscious than anybody else, brought about the
change of heart within him; and, fortunately for him, brought it
about soon enough for his spiritual safety. I don’t see why you
should infer anything unfavourable to Major Bulmer’s health, in
consequence of the improved feeling which he shows towards us.”
“ I don’t know, m) r child; there’s no telling. It’s all a myste
ry ; but I have my fears. I’m dubious that he is not altogether
so sound of body after that accident.”
“ Whv. mother, he w r alks as erect as ever.”
“Oh ! that’s owing to his pride. These Buhners were always
so. My poor brother used to say that if they were dying, they’d
still carry their heads up, and would draw on their boots and put
on their spurs as for a journey. But, what’s to be done, my child,
about these invitations ?”
“ Oh! w r e must accept them, mamma, as a matter of course.”
“ I don’t see that, Paula.”
“ Surely, mamma, if Major Bulmer makes the first advances to
reconciliation, you are not going to show a less Christian spirit than
he.”
“ There is something in that, my dear, but —•”
“ Let the but alone, mamma. It properly belongs to the Bull
family.”
J
The old lady laughed.
“So it does, my child, so it does; that is very well said ;
but —”
“ Again, mamma! Now let me give you a sufficient reason for
acceptance, “ri ou would not have me go alone, and I must be
there, you know, as the whole neighbourhood will be present, and
you would not have it appear that I was slighted, or that I had
shown myself too little of a Christian to accept the overtures of a
family between which and ours so long a feud has existed. ou
must accept the invitation, and go for my sake.”
yy e ip m y dear, for your sake 1” replied the indulgent dame,
concealing, under the expression of her desire to gratify the dam
sel’s wishes, some hankering tastes and curiosity of her own. The
great object had thus been, safely and easily attained when Miss
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