IP ?%#
EBL' W* *'?
i t? l1tekary> commercial, agricultural, general and local intelligence.
ff^y?LUME L LANCASTER, C. II, SOUTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY MORNINO, MARCH 4, 1852. numbed .
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J SELECTR!) TILES.'?
iTHE FATE: to
OR, ' ">1
THE LOVER'S REVENGE. ]h
IV,. N*L...,J ? I CO
' chapter i. ,|0
Beware of jealousy : c.n
It is the green-eyed monster,which doth make ,?j
/ The meal it feeds on. Khakspeake.
I Sometimes in the studies of the artists of
may l>e seen copies of an old painting, of loi
I " such, singular power, that once looked up- cu|
on the impression becomes fixed iijm>ii the pli
i mind. Violating; jus it does, the legitimate
province of art, which is to beautify or en- gri
n noble, the natural effect is that of painful nn
, distortion?-an impression of maddening t? ?i
fon-c, which rivits the eye, while the soul
i | writhes with pain if not with disgust. In- wa
k deed, all works at VHrianee with the liar- de?
' monies of our nature are productive of p??i
5 pain, and serve, just in proportion as they my
prevail in (lie public taste, still further to tril
remove the human mind from flint liar- fe'i
luouiotis sphere wliich alouccan insure its din
repoec. The more finely constituted is bur
the organization of the observer, the more ins
profound is its recoil all from departures
j&om the elements of the beautiful ; hence thy
It is, that works in whatever Jino of nit id i
jthey luay be conceived, whieh are crude thy
or distorted?ioUTise ratiier than impas- to 1
? donate?morbid more .hau sentimental? lov<
-excitable instead of enthusiastic?that is, <
partial ami accidental rather than univcr- his
t sal?are at length instinctively rejected by gar
I the human mind nud fall into oblivion, ??><
while tin* simplest exhibition of an harmo- pat!
ntou* truth will Jive forever in the affections tore
of roau? was
A thing of beauty is a joy for over.
e j ne picture to wmrtt we refer repre,
aoiilsa young girl, ?ith a countenance at
y * ouce sweet and impassioned, claused in the
bony arms of a skeleton, locality in the
?nbraoi> ot J><\nih may l? the name. The
eyes of the maiden ex|?ress a dreaniv det
tipftiA?- they arc turned away from, the ol>Mfwie,
and from the ghastly object which
detains tier; tlio fingers yf o:,e h i ml ten- '
derly embrace the skul'., MXt\ tj,o others n?
trifle adth the akinlcK, r'lim,|llt>n t of,
'? ^,0 ^eleton that the nrtis. Shi
bMashibitcri t** t, utm,^t triumph of skill sur
Tbcni m an '^jjtant bearing of the lofty au<
^ triiuphaut pleasure in the lifeless ,4S
j*?'1 4a hj 1 gnmw ecstasy about tlio eye- old
sockets, which rivit the attention, and he
foyL-i* u,s tyynder how the framework of u | or
face can b? made * > expressive; more tlinn for
we fee! that it is a portrait, that the . ha
particular bones of a particular \x*Jy only up
*?ould have beeu w? delineated. And now is
/to the story connected with tlii singular
pruductiuu of urt. co!
Agatha was a poor ballad-singer of w?
Jkjtuu, who appeared every dav at certain (ii
ugl?s of tho (Joiso, and warbfed songs of jei
a wild and impassioned beauty, >u wuich w)
iittrrw bleut the gorgcousnoiw of oriental nil
VitUagfpy with a sweet Italian tenderness,
> and yv'-r? of mournful depth spell-bind- he
iug the liatoau-r. Indeed the w hole nspoct i*c
*oC the gyrh was audi as to arrest tiie olmer- j?r
Wr, fur she tang as if her very soul hung hi
Xjn hurmvouf, and looked from the wells ta
Mftf 'ne/st/auga eye*. Then, too, she was he
fto appealing in her looks, yet so courage- pli
Y oua 111 liur maidenly bearing, that child as ty
he wh, an instiactivo resj?ect pervaded inj
, tlio loob r-oo, and he went his way w ith hi
Ok fervont and unconscious blessing. til
From the rich oiivc huo cf tar check, 1b?
nd a certain kthencMof motion, I Lv that tli
gf4(* fawn-ruii.'friftiii. *UrtU*l, yot wildly sh
and from the dainty accent of an
^ Her sweet Italian dialect, it wn* rumored nd
' that Agatha waa jl4 Moorish blood; but ru
this wa? tlin pile ooujucturv of people who | an
> cared not to inquire into tbo fortunes of a an
? eh?yi-aiDg?r. th
had. boon seen f??r about tlirco years aii
at l?cr mual kUuhI upon th? Corao, sing- to
ing itiAfr mil low tones, and always ha? A:
tiled tbo nameft pink skirt with bodies m
of green, and a slight *arf of green also in
wound around her ldark lock*. W'aa u
d>? privileged to wear the color of the gl
Jfoopbet ? None knew. Those who be- ty
gen to watch the movement* of the girl ed
observed thnt she invariably retired, after be
?vt^jringing her round of ballads, to the ruins th
If
I' the column of Antonine, where she wai
lined l>y a youth, an artist, scarcely old
r than herself. One evening as she reach
I her wonted trysting place, Guido, foi
ins was the young called, met her witli
II angry frown, and turned from her profired
lip with an expression of contempt
The girl placed her slight hand U|k>ii
is shoulder and pushed liiiu back, while
le fixed lier Hashing eyes upon his face
he turned away, and Guido pronounced
Br name. At this sound she sprang to
is arms and covered his cheek with kisses,
ut Guido was still sulien and edent, and
hen she saw how it was, her Moorish
ride returned, and she left him without a
ord.
No sooner did the youth see that she
as really gone, than he gave wav to a
oioTit of rage. Perceiving a
>uquot, which she haa ciT.t wide, ho
urned it with hi* heel, and fairly grOtltid
o tritle into the earth; this done, he sat
iig waiting and watching in the lmpc
at she would noon return. The lucid
?rs and the crescent moon hung like
nis in the pure warm atmosphere, and
e night breeze crept softly around the old
in; yet ho was alone. He leaned back
d listened to the echoes of feet ami the
itn of voices as they <!> d in 'he distance,
inking how all moved alert and hopeful,
rred by some glowing consciousness
ut impelled to action, while ho, unccrin
and miserable, had less vitality than
o poi r dog, that faithful through the
y of labor, received a scanty crust of
e beggar, and stretched itself to sleep,
lanv a mendicant moved bv to bis oovt
in a wall, or niche of a temple, there
sleep unharmed in that delirious chute.
and rise at morn to beg the, trilie
at sufficed for existence. A Mill ess in
\ yet content tliey seemed, and lie unnseiously
asked himself why he couiii
t be the same.
u No, no, ! luwe ambition, therefore 1
tinot be content?1 love, therefore am 1
serable."
He had ?poken aloud in the vehemence
his feeling, supposing himself to be a?e;
but a beggar of venerable aspect oepiod
an angle of the column, and he reed
:
" \ <>s, lliv SOU. that is the seer..
of, yet, is your wretchedness better than
* indifference; ami he began in a low
te to improvise.
"U Koine, anient ami b-utiful !?inidy
amongst tlin nations of earth, nneicnt
*|H>iler of the ancient, ami tliyself dcsilotl.
Lo, the inysteriea of his fall, the
vtcries of .lesus?Kreecehath done thee
Irnte, ami the farthest isles brought of:ngs
of wealth ami lteanty. Now the
;/<* of decayed empires, the re<|uieins of
iei.' king*. sound for ever .-unid the ntof
ti>y ancient glory.
' Koin<\ beautiful Koine!?W hat though
temphv perish, thy palaces bo despoil?till
shall these in aftertimes speak of I
gratneas, a?u? send beautiful truths in- i
ittman hearts? thou shalt glow in the
J of acres!"
Juido tossed him u tritlle in rewanl for
easily raised enthuMnsm, and the l>egat
oitee showered up >'? bint the usual
>uiit of blessings liast. ly muttered a
Ler noster, and then gathering his tat<1
robe over his fine picturesque head
i u.wr.n t,..?:,..i .1..?
? r "" iCIIAPTICK
U.
Ho woo'd a bright nnri burning star;
Thine was thu void, the ploom.
The straining eye that follow'd far
His oft-receding plume;
The heart-sick listening, while his steed j
Sent eehoes on the breeze;
The pang?but when did fume take heed
Oi griefs as these. Hf.mass.
S\liou Agatha l?-lt her lover in anger,
we have scon, she tlui dwelling 1
licr mother with a sorrowful heart.?
b in part knev '^hc cause of his d'wploae,
hut, with \,ne natural pride of youth
1 innocp.ee, she would not explain.?
1 did accept a Usjuet tfoin the
w'oiint Julian," said she to herself. ' is
not old enough to be my greatgrandfatli'
and did lie not reward me bountifully
my song, so that 1 could the sooner
ateu to Ciuido; and did he not smile
on me, like an old priest I Surely there
no harm
Hut Agatha forgot to say, that the old
unt called her lM>autiful, and that ho
is one of the richest nobles of Home,
lido could not forget this, and hence his
ilous rage, and the hour of sutfejing
lich he passed by tho column of Antene.
Agatha had I ooti - ..riy thrown upon
T tiVlli r<>tyitirt'is. I.a.r tn.di.o?
-
eu lor mail) ji;: a <;?! of lunacy,
oduced by e;?rl) l?n; t t griefs, which
l Iter incapable of fort thought or prolible
oxen ion. In the infancy and clii'.d>od
c>f Agatlui she bad wandered from
kv to place, receiving alma for her seanaiutcnaucc;
or, when this pailed, sleepg
uway the long hours, till the pangs of
ing?-r drove her <i>rth. It wan at th?-*e
uea that she sung legends of glowing but
irbarie beauty, in a language foreign to
oac about Agatha grew older
e enquired the moaning of *'ic word*
id learned to warble the air, ai^ChtWtl
with the aentiinent; this for a while auaod
the vagrant intellect of the mother
id alio translated the song* into Italian,
id listened with delighted interest to
? voice of tlio child. * rting, tny child,
?g l" the would nay, u it is thy father's
ngue, and moat beautiful ;w and little
gat ha poured her whole soul into the
felody, in Uie joy she folt at seeing the
forest of her mother awakened. Then,
*h?- walked aloiiit, jx-oplo ciwt bright
ancea ujM>n the girl, Mini gave to boauand
innocence wliut suffering had fail1
to eatort. Alan, for humanity I and a
nleon ui>on (kid's beat gift, the sense c#
o beautifbl?a praj er, too, that we grow
i not callous of heart, and lovy the gift; that
we do not open our oars to the tones of
- melody, and close them to the far holier
r cries of distress.
i When tho mother saw that the voice of
Agatha brought all the relief they nced.
ed, she buried herself for weeks and months
i in her poor room, nor went abroad, nl>
though her child brought her the sweetest
. fruits and flowers, and urged her with all
I the dear pleadings of childhood. From
> this cause her health began to decline, so
that she was really unable to move, but
I would sit for hours with folded hands, and
i that helpless smile belonging to the gentler
stages of lunacy upon her lips, regardless
of everything but tho presence of Agatha.
J\<? sooner did she appear than
she caught her in JiOr rius, and held her
to her breast as if at eaeii separation maternal
love were born anew. Tiie^C <W.|
uT.'f moments, with the intervals of soli la- !
ry dteijxJWleiice, made sad havoc u]H>ntho
health of t'nC victem; and now, whep Agatlui
returned from her painful interview
with < initio, she found her mother stretched
upon the couch nearly insensible. 'lhe'
voice of her child roused" her to consciousness,
hut this time there was no hniVt of
emotiou; she put her arms about her
neck, kissed her softly, and patted her
cheek, as if fondling an infant.
" 1 am ill, dear Agatha," she at length
said, "and may leave thee ?t any time.
Let me tell me thee what much concerns
thee."
She opened lft-r hroast, and produced a
small emerald ornament,suspended around
her neck. It was in the shape of a serpent,
exquisitely mounted with gold. She
showed Agatha how t<> turn a screw in
the neck, hv which it appeared to he hollowed
to contain a liquid. Suspending
this around tin* neck of the girl, she continued.
".Nov. listen, child. Some time 1 will
tell the all our story. Ah 1 sweet, will I
sleep now," and she ted l?a"k halt unconscious.
A> she did so, her iguid instinctively
sought the hauhlo in hei' hosojit.
wliieh not finding, sire started tip with an
expression of terror.
" Here, mother, here," said Agatha.
i presenting tlio emerald.
44 Ah ! yes, child, 1 might have died,and
not have revealed the secret. Thou must
hear. In my mv own hunt wo aro taught
loss than women learn here?hut oh ! Agathn,
wo learn to love with an intensity
ami devotion unknown in this place of
false and tickle hearts. Knowledge is the
tomb of love, Agatha, and we who feel
that in one heart is the circle of our existence,
lavish our all of life and love there,
nor care for the wreck that may ensue.?
It was thus I loved thy father. Sweet,
thou art like him?1 will tell the story.
J lie was of noble blood?and I?child,
J child never change thy robe?wear the
I green as most lit. as I will tell thee why
some day, when thou dost return."
I Again she relapsed into silenee, but
j missing the emerald, she started up once
more, and resumed her narrative.
44 In otir land, Agatha, wo talk by flowers,
and learn our little destinies by the
stars. Now, loud not a word. Thou art
a creature of passion?thy every thought
is a lover's impulse, and thy em otAons even
beyond this clime, fervent as it is. It has
been predicted of thee, tlia', thou slialt
CniWA itirt <
? .....in?mil .>1 II .y lover, ctukl, j
l>ut tliv lm hand. N ow r i:?rk ; in in mac- I
quonc thou wilt be in dr a ily peril?they
will take thee to their \ik> prisons, ami I
rack thy tender limbs ; <u,d chains, the
scaffold. and ileath a wait thee. To that '
hour keep thk, wea .-it about thy person
secretly, ami never Mart therefrom. I.ook :
I dear,'tis but a ?<'lr<jp, anil death will he
easy and eertair.."
She drew tl? .$ girl to her Itosoni as she .
spoke, and k? 1 her lips amid shower,
of tears, as rf die hour of parting were iven
then n\ hand. Agatha also clung to !
her neek in tears, for slie saw the ebbing I
pulse of hf.r poor parent, and knew that
she \v;? s dying. All night she bathed ln?r
tmupha, and soothed her faint and ineoliorv
ut visions, lmt, when the day broke,
th*> .spirit had tied.
Agatha knew not that the Ixwly of the
unconfcssed woman was carried to unhallowed
ground; she knew not that she was
looked harshly uj?on by the priest, and
tliat in her grief no one sypathisod; for
except her mother and Clutdo, she had '
lived nearly alone, and knew nothing of
the usages of tlmse nlxmt her. Ouidohad
taught her to kneel at certain indications,
ami to repent prayers to tli? Virgin, in
which slie found comfort; hut then she
thnd learned so much from her lover,
which had Itcon most pleasant to leant,
shnt poor Agrttha, when she knelt, nnd
when she prnyed, knew little of the sanctity
implied therein, and supposed the whole
matter a means of planning him. Had
she in>t stood to Gnfdo for a Madonna,
and did ho not kneel daily before it? and
had she not refused to stand for any other
artist, only because he desired her tiot ?
ami was not everything that pleased Guido
most delightful to herself? Alas ! poor
Agatha's knowledge was slight indeed;
but out of such a soul the combinations of j
even a few thoughts arc infinite?the more I
1 when love only is the suggester, '
CHAPTJCR III.
A very foolish, fond old man.?8ni?ii*i??
1
The night after the scene which wr have
dowril?ed, < rtiido went a* usual t>< tho Cor?o
with a single blossom, as had la-en hia
wont, for tho bodice of Agatha. The lover*
were poor indeed, hut theac simple
tokens ofjove were to them of priceless
value; and C.uido well knew that poor |
Agatha, despite of her pride, would bo
heavy and taint of heart did ahe suppose
me really estranged from her. He htirt(
ric?l from plnee to place where alio was
most likely to bo seen,"but no Agatha waa
there. It was now his turn to sutler nil
he had imagined for her, nnd he hurried
to her dwelling, tilled with remorse and a
love, tho depths of which were unknown
to himself till now.
Nothing could 1)3 luoro touching than
the scene presented. Agatha had strewn
flowers over her dead mother, and was
kneeling hy her side, weeping and siugl
ing low chants, and hy turns exhausting
| her little stocks of prayers learned from
her lover, and then breakhe forth into the
most passionate expressions, of 'grief. It
was n blending of Christian' ajld oriental
usages, harmonious only bemuse the natural
utterance of a young and fervent
heart.
At the sight of her lover, poor Agatha
cast herself upon hip bosom, forgetful of
the present, and, in the excess of coiillieting
emotions, she fainted. Half-delirious
as was the meeting of the lately estranged
lovers, perhaps those moments of jkttoet
union were the* nearest approach to
happiness allotted to mortals. It was
Certainly the last awarded to these, and
poor Agatha sat hour after hour-clasped
in the arms of (juido, forgetful of the past
thoughtless of the future, with nothing hut
the dreamy consciousness of hoing hlest in
tin* present. Alas! that the waking of
love should bo always to sorrow?often to
do'pair.
That night, when Agatha removed her
dross for th" night, the emerald snake upon
her bosom recalled her t<> all the horrors
of the future. Simple-hearten as she
was, ignorant of all counteracting sources
of thought, she never once doubted the
truth of the prediction, hut yielded to it as
to an uneo?<|Ueral)le fate. She to cause
the death of tluido!?the thought was
madias*. She dwelt upon it tilltohcr affrighted
vision the most terrible con tingencos
.seemed realities, and every impulse of
her own sweet, loving heart grow deadly
aad distorted, fluido, the true Cuido, receded
from lier into asublimo majesty, an
angelic nobh lie ; and forbearane ; v. hi!'
she, unhappy .girl, grew fiendish and inai!*n:Wt
in her own eyes.
She p g-sf 1 the night with these images
floating helbro her. and when hoV lover re
turned in t!ic in >mi.. g. who was tossing in j
the delirium of lever." NviJi manly ton-1
dcrm-ss Uuido conveyed her Jo a coiuV"t 1
where she wolf hi have all the care an 1 j
promotion whiel: a helplcs* un<l fiienllc-- i
inai.len required. The good sinters <li 1 all
that gentle care could ?lo to relieve her
HUticrings, aiul shortly she was ahle totmdcrstaml
her situation,ami prepaae for the
future, ller course in this way was ma?lc
easier l?y the vigilance of the sisterhood,
who, iimling how deplorably ignorant was
file poor girl in all spiritual matters, set
themselves at once to the task of conversion.
A gatha, tra< table ami afic.-tinnate,fouml
no h'liculty in >uh>ptyig all (,'hri tian usages,
jfjai she >ul nutted to baptism as
well as to other rites, with a readiness
that quite charmed her lover ami delightoil
the nuns. Still (Juido wits far from
being happv. From the time of her recovery
he h."<l observed an abstraction
ami coldness on the part of Agatha, which
surprised as much as it grieved him; for
her look and tone were so sadly tender
that he felt assured her heart was unchanged.
To all his inquiries she answ ered
only w ith a flood of tears ami the sim!>lo
words: "Ho not ask me, (iuido; 1
ova you, but I am most miserable."
At length <Iuido besought the abbess
to ascertain, if p- ??-ib|e, the cause of the
young girl's grief, ami Agatha, glad to J
dishurtheii her mind, withheld nothing J
hut the secret of the i-iii 'vdil this 1 - '
necessary to her own preservation from
horrible tortures at a she unhesitatingly
believed must come, slio instinctively
reserved it m her communication.?
Tin' advice of tlio nbbc-s was death to the
hopes of Guido. She impressed in the
most earnest manner upon the mind of
Agatha the n<v<*ssity of her making vows,
sis tin only means of <-scaping crime; for
it lots never been the policy of Koine to
suppress superstition, of whatever kind,
but rather to dir.vt if into channels subservient
to the Church. The girl nowfound
herself no match for the many influences
brought to boar ujk>ii her. The
steady exercises of i tower by the abbess,
t!ie prayeis and exhortation* of priest.-., be- 1
wildered and deadened her faculties, and
she had nothing to oppose to them but!
her own instinctive love of freedom, and
.that heartfelt repugnance to pursuits and
ceremonies which she neither loved nor
understood. Added to this, the melancholy
Ouido haunted the passages of the eonvent
with his pale, sad looks, till the girl
was half mad with grief and terror.
fu the inaonwlii'e, the old Count Julian |
nh >*ed the song of the pretty balhul-girU
and sought far and wide to ascertain Let-,
fat?*. At length ho traced her residence
to the convent, and hastened to hold an
ilttcrvicw with the abbess. Tint latter at
ouco detected the opportunity for em k'h
iii^ m r omor. r>nc av.eu much upon the I
purity and beauty of Agatha, and the J
ry it would bo to the cln"-^ to have. elK.i,
a laUib fob'cu bojica'.l, its care, one who
nercaftcr to rival St. Cecilia herself
in her beauty of voice, and the rant
devotion of her inspired melody. The old
count was rich and crafty, but no match
for the organized craft of the abbess with
her newly awakened oovetouMtees and the
I object or barter in her power. Sho dila
lat<sl u|?on the position of Agatha a* u
| candidate for vow*?of the future hopoa
of the Church?elic even dwelt with path"*
upon the devotion <?f Guido", who resign*
d her with a breaking heart as a dtttj
to Heaven only, but who would lx? frantic
to *?e her other than one of the sisters.
The result waa, the count, old and luxurious,
agreM to lay large donation* upon
the altar of the Virgin, provided she would
grant hint the possession of a young and
lovely wife; and the predictions of Agatha, I
an<l the sufferings of Guido, were to be
disjK>se<l of as they well might. <
It was a difficult task to bring the girl I
to the required view of the matter ; but I
the abbess was practised in every shade of I
human emotion, and skillful in curbing and <
diverting it. Besides, the subject was so :
slowly and insidiously worked into the 1
mind of Agatha, that she found herself 1
moving in a prescribed channel, uneonsci- <
oils how or why. CJuido was entirely ex- i
eluded from her presence as an improper
subject for one so soon to become the bride >
of lleaven. If at any time the poor girl, i
remembering his love, his tenderness and J
his devotion, and his last agonised look of I
despair, sought the presence of the abbess '
with frantic entreaties for fivedsm, the 1
calm, gentle abbess soothed her tenderly, 1
told of the glory and triumph of the soul i
in spurning the cries of the sensual affee- I :
tion, and tin-;:, Icndiug her to (Ik- organ '
(for Agatha learned music almost 1 ?v in- :
stinct,) she listened while Agatha pound s
deep unearthly melody that even the nuns, <
cold ns they had grown, and dead to love, t
felt themselves glowing with strange enio- i
tions, which they mistook for religiousIcr- <
vour.
IV '
C'UAt'TKU l \ . s
Had we never hived so wildly, '
Had we never level so Mindly;
Never met or new r parted.
We hud ne'er heat broken In* rted. I
IU-r'.v. s
Time, while it did not change the heart 1
of Agatha, gave room for many intlucnci-s i
to have their force upon her character? 1
instruction, too, did its oflh-e of enlarging I
her sphere of thought; hut despondence, 1
the growth of an unconscious despair, did c
more to hring on the result so much de- t
sired by the abbess. After months and 'I
months of untiring ell'ort to bring the victini
ready lbr the sacralicc, it was public- |
Iv known that the old t'ount .Julian was d
to wed the beautiful ballad- it g r I Rome. t
Aft. r tlic ordinary prepar. 'ions d an-i'. !- ii
cd hv wealth and luxury, the details < ;' \
which belong rather to the list of an tip- <
holsterer than to the purport s of Ai\, the r
city palace of tlic Honiau was got in r< ad- a
mess for the reception of the bride.
In all this g >geous display, poor Aga- i
tint felt no interc.-f. TTeronlv mental os- i
clnmaii'cu was, " I shall lie live?I shall v
not he the dentil cf ' :".i ' g; Mitelinie*1 j
thoughts ot another kind WOtuJ tale' i.i }
distinct shapes, and she would say, 'Sure I
ly tin* good oM Julian will die with no
harm from me I but I h aven preserve him i]
shoul.l h" rouse the soineUiing, 1 know not
what, whirh makes him so odious to mo. t
Ami tlion she would kneel to the Virgin,
and pray with an impassioned fervour, by
which she hojnd to e-onpe fnuii clinic, i
and Iki able to endure the . .oiling t'uture. ;
\\ e have said she took no int 'Te.-t iri j i
the arrangements of the princely man -i.-n
over which she was to preside. Then
wits one room whieli she stipulated should !
he sacred to herself, uuprotam .1 bv any i
toot hut her own. Into this the girl threw t
all tin* gorgeotisness of her oriental fancy in
decorations at onets delicate and sump- s
tiious. Hose-colour and pearl, the dain- I
tiest alabaster, and items that grew as it r
were out of the harmonies of light and i :
shade, maile tliis room at once southing I*
and exciting to the sensi-s. Id? n. that r
htvathe of the fir-; creation of \c . bin!- , <
of sad and rich melody, and wan r steal- j
ing with a light fla-!t into \. .- of peatlv ' ,
whiteness, filled the mind, not with i.nn- j ,
ges of Might, hut those of mournful ten-'
''.Orttosr, w 11the verging of a p ing seems | J
to hallow the -w. tin ? of . iij-?yni- i t.
At otic end of the room was a massive i ,
:n - e I -1 1 -
^ni\?'ii eunaui. iiii -u iTn llf i;r I p- ' j"
oi? lifting tliin tln? observer found himself I
in front of a single w indow with its antii^io
blazonrv, IxMieath which was a crucifix.
a missal upon a grey cushion, nud :t ,
heavy stono vase tilled with water. There |
was no luxury within this sacred circle? ,
the spot nearest to (Jod to a stiff ring humau
heart, was left nearest to the simplicity
of J. sas?with nothing tod tract the (
mind from its great ori- -- for succour and
" i
mercy.
The Lridal \vu> i>i:i.?-.-'.y i ven for Uouua, i
and the guests among the ii< li? >t and most
powerful in the world. The dance and
?ong carried their intoxicating spells deep 1 '
into the (ton!, and genius and 1 eauly'
threw their graces over the nia-sos of ma *
terial which must l?e eoimnoii and dull, or
revolting without the aid of such. The f
bride, with her starting and unearthly ; >
beauty, her eyes, that seemed to turn away ; '
from nil before her, searching into the vast! '
and unknown?even the bride wnsunmisvj '
ed in the glowing revel that left each to <
his own sphere of attraction. '
As the night wore on he : night this . '
room of enchant ment. (Tiding ov. r the1
silken floor, she paused in fruit l' a mirror,
and stood as if for tlio first time in l.cr 1
life conscious of her own marvoUon* be rat '
tv. She turned from : tO*i,iO ?she lifted
her glossy curl.*-?r?ut not a shade of ;
van;'.j crossed her face, (hi the contrary
i she raisoil her two hands and spread the i
| palms towards the mirror, as if she push
I *.,? Iivi.-xn nnny nun .ill cji]iri1?l(ill <>1 ?IH- 1
| gust. Sho tItcu t?>ok the massive circlets j
trout her arms And unclaapftl the diamond .
necklace; ns alio <H?l*o?hc threw forth the
emerald snake front her lioaoin, which .
was attaclied hy n small chain to the necklace.
Hero a shadow ujmmi the glass caused ,
her to turn round?it was tbecmyit. One '
fierce expression of rage crossed Iter hrow,
fearful in one ao young, ami then she lifted
the curtain of tho oratory, -leaving the
necklace upon tho trijHM', Ix-uenth the mirror.
lite ??U1 count wa* not to la* terrified by
the frown* of a girl entirely in hir power,
ami quietly amused himself in in?p,-cting j
the graces of the exquisite room which !
Ik; now saw for the first time. Attracted
hy something extraneous amid the hri<la!
diamonds of Agatha, he bent himself t<
the examination, Holding the emerahl to
the light, for the gem was both rare and
beautiful, lie perceived it had been hollowed
;md contained something foreign to it
elf. With idle and half-doting curiosity,
lie turned the trinket from side to side, till
lie found the screw, which turning; he held
the li'juid to his nose, and finally touched
t with the tij> of his tongue.
The revel continued in the palace till
nearly the dawn of day when the mustering
of coaches and th clang of servants
*avo intimations of'departure. The guests
looked in vain for the bridal pair, to tenh.*r
the courtcsis of the occasion, .hats
ivere not wanting, and the familiar < halenges
of those nrivilcL'cil at all tim.s m?l
low I'wli-s Ironi the excib meats of jnirt li
mil tin- funiesof w inc. A >11 j? ran from
ooni to room oalliiijr forthccouut. They
isecnded tin- staircase and 11 rcadefl the
uuiptuous ro-. ins, jjrowinj; more Ik?M at
aeh step. Tliey at length penetrated to
he boudoir of Agatha. There slretcln d
tpon tin' floor was the lifeless body ot" tin;
rouut, still grasping the jewels of the bride.
Suspicion?indignation, at once took
In- place of of pity, and thi'V began a noiv
search for the strange being whom the
omit had so tratimly wefhlcd. Lifting
h.* mi l nin, the object of their s-aivb was
kneeling villi motionless eyes ami rigid
iuilis before the crueifiv, tipoti whi !t was
usp, tided the picture wo describe'! at tie*
cgiimingof nut- talc, 'i lie guests con Id not
nistnko the portrait of Agatha; and that
>fthe (' nit Julian, notwitlcthkii:?o* its
udeous disgui.v.\ was no ! es palpable.-?
low came the singular work there ot; the
rue: fix of the Saviour??what eoithl be
!; obj.-el of so strung" a represi-ntati. :i
"lie guests were lost in wonder at the set tic.
The terrible troth spread and soon the
>abi<e was llironged, not onlv with tin- ile
ami cut i'a.s,but v ith lln'olla prs of the
'bttreli. 'L ie- Is - iv of the eoUlit v. ,.s laid
a tin; state amid 11 parapln in.i'.ia of t!i"
nidal. a'id po< I A- itli I, liaif dead, was
oii\e\( <1 to (], ? (? !! . ( f the l:i"|tii.-iti-n.?
:b-4 was at tir-t bev.ilder. d and silent, 'out
s tbo lcvr-es of ber si,nation gradually
rok" ujx ti lo r mind, tin- native ? n.-rg\ of
i?-r character r turned. Left to 1. ro
tin* action of ber own v.ill, le v mnutn r
va? so linn, so .ii--t 1, that i-v-a le r
udm-.s v.< re awed.
Siho demanded of what si 10 v.:.- accused,
" h'ftlie death < !' ike Count Julian.''
"Torture, n - prescribed for ttio obstP
nle c(.;itv;i!i'V I:t of eliltle."
"Cannot the victim have p. iishe-1 from
>t Jut e hi ?, mi 1 the < !it;tvli heap) ..
The judges beheld a now ] base in the
natter, < 1.1*1* > w civ exchanged?- priest^
\ robes stirred in tlio silence,and reverent
owls wore turned a way from tin' i|tic.?ioncr.
At length the principal inquisitor!
pok : "Sikh is the More", of the Church,
lu ll is its unw illingness to cut a mcmh?r
.11" in tlio freshness of life, from hop.-s of
ummdment l.y the notion ofalm s.penancc
itid prayer, that slie is willing to spare
ven the life of the guilty, provided she
cceive prop, r nidations to secure its good
iliiees."
" 1 In- \v. ..i;h of tie ( o at i< mine,'"
' litmii: 1 tlio u'.tl, with a'! Si* r fa :ities
itnde Keen l.y the terrors ef her position,
ital the hope* of tl.r iudeed^die
vas not certain of the fact, so much had
lie Ix.-Ii led l.y tlio tihbess; "I eaildisuise
of it at my will, aid buy e\. in prion
roin tortur.
"The t hnsvh i- nr tin tvifii!," , p..ti.h
.l the iu.jiiisit"Then
know tl.at ! am intioc ut. T!i"
ount died by poi-a n neeideutallv taken
>v himself;" and she told the storv of the
liiertild.
Tlio judg fr? v "el s verelv up . i ' . r.
1! . ! magic an 1 poison ! thou art open
o the s 'Vire f l.eieilii hi . f .l?--> i't...-.i.
. .. .... .. i ji*" v innvii
ipoii more than one count."
"S?? ho it." ivsjiondod the girl. "I cm
?ut die, hihI Iii'c is misery."
Her frame shook and she burst into
ears. Tbcro was 1:0 pity in the stern
aces of those hard nicu. at tlx* helpless
frit f of the lone girl.
They only communed with cm-h other
?s t?* the best menu* of securing t!ic
vcaltli ot the count to t* Church. The
leath of Aretha Wullld h ave the estate
o oth< r heir . uiul i uly a moity wouhl
find its way into its coffers, in tho?hnpe
>f pay for ina- i s for the soul of the doiul,
while if might easily !?f <-cured by the in?!r?m"ftnlitv
of the wife.
Agatha lifted her l:ea<l. "Give tlx;
tncmld, which wn??!io gift of tuv m .tlx r:
jive me lit" frfcilom, and ail that was
pOUnt.lulian's is yours."
The judge* talked with trembling eiv
rji rnesa; this was beyond tlx ir ospecta
tions; tlioy presented a paper, which six
signed in silence.
" Daughter," said the judge, "we aceep
thv conditions, at the same time wo agrci
to do that which tliou hast forgott* n to as]
?we will snv masses daily for the soul o
the deceased."
Agatha eared no whether this wa
spoken in the candour of Christian* love
or the severity of sarc asm. She only srtv
that she would ho free?that she shotth
learn the fate of Guido?should hr< nth
tlx* air of heaven once more, and go am
coino in the blessed sunshine unhindemi
save hy her lover. The prediction wa
verified??!>#> was now five to live?t
bleu*?to comfort <?uido?to tell him nl
and tell him nlie forgave the terrible pi<
ture, which *ho felt bo only could pit
duce.
Grasping the proffered emerald, an
i.1 I' ilJL JJ JU 11 It
1 j easting her mantilla over her head, she
1 ' liurrscd from the prison. She went from
? place?she sought the studio of Ouido.?
? Alas ! it well-nigh broke her heart to se?
I i the disorder that now marked this.spot*
o*ne tin-embodiment of taste. A blossom,
the last she had given Gtiido at the crate
of the convent, lay in a fold of paper besido
; a picture by llaphael, which Agatha remembered
lie regarded with religious ven'
oration. Tliopaletto and brushes lay upI
on the fl.mr as if they had fallen unconj
seious'.y from tin- hands of the artist. A
piece of faded ribbon, once hers, was tied
; to the palette. There was a Into broken,
and an alabaster vase, shattered by the
i candle which bad exhausted itself within'
i With trembling hands she raised the cov|
er from the picture upon the easel. There,
tin re p? or (iuido had atoned for therci
vengeful net of the one ho had conveyed
f to her oratory.
Agatha beheld a portrait of herself, softened
to angelic sweetness, the eyes tixod
upon licr lover, hoth sublimated, ethcreal!
iy.<d, and floating upward into an atmosi
phere of purity, while beneath and around
I were hideous and distorted shapes, faintly
i gleaming through the black and gloomv
i masses of the fore-ground. The tears fell
fast from beneath her lids as she gazed,
t and murmured, " Poor, poor, (Juido!"
A heavy sigh, which was rather a groan
| caused her to turn, and t iuido stood be
fore her; but so wan, so changed, heseem'
ed but the shadow of the once beautiful
a id impassioned youth. To throw liorI
s if into his arms, to tell in 1 lurried accents
j tiiat sii'1 was free to poverty, to love, to
j flnido. was the lirst impulse of the devoted
girl.
| < Mir str rv is done?for whenever did a
! i..... i _ . i ?
.. ?. i, n>j?\f\it wusieu him ?icsj>nirinjr,
! tail t?> rc\ive under tin* breathings of love
and hojiel <?uido called tin' picture,
J which lie had found means to convoy to
i her oratory, believim; her to l>e l?asc and
! sordid. "Tiik F.ovKit's Kf.vknof. and
he I'.-.i-ne! to multiply copies of it, till
he .*.?; ! the count should he covered with
! iid u - throughout Komc. Hut the sitij
efle eopv sutlici'd.
t Wait on Yourself.
A correspondent of the Now \ ork Trii
I'Mi .dle.din:; to th incessant complaints
j?i tie <;:dic"Uy of rioeurinij itotkI sonants
! stives tin* following hints to those who are
| alllietcd in this way;
hirst, then: i >id you ever try to help
i yuui vll i it.. > 1 am sure you never tbund
vourjcltas ehecrtuUv waited on, nor, ever
I hold it for a ?;. <?! rule, if not cArried
i \tr< iih's, that 110 man or woman should
all ujH.il niH'tli! r to do that which he or
j she can just as well do, and has just as
much time to do, as any other person.
What eiidlo source of fret tin ^ and scolding *
I of cross i<i< k.-i and cross words,of squnbhles
i in the kitchen, and of ihult-lindinyf nt the
| dinner tahic,< f domestic hi rile in every deI
partinent of many a household, would the
' ...I.. r i i ?
i una i UR* rilllUVC J
If you, my worthy Sir, had started fur
voureounting room :i few minutes sooner
t!ie other morning, instead of stretching
yours-<-!f before t no lire, with your newsI
paper andscgar, until the Inst minute,you
j would have time to go round ? few squares
! ntul choose for yourself n tendor turkey,
| in-tend of the old patriarch of the flock
\rhicli y< ur servant bought for you that
I day. Von \\< uld not then have had such
i a tedious time of earring, wearing out your
i j..-.ti<until y? u eame near cursing aloud
j at farmer, maiketman, servant, cook, and
| housekeeper, and that before your young
chiidren, l><>ides s plash ig the gravy on
i even* thing around.
And you, inv good ladv.whcn you had
; those grand folks at <'.inner the last week;
I and had heen telling the ladio what a
! < I l:> v,-h: lied pudding the cook
1 had promised them, would not have been
I oblige I to l.!u>b like a basket-full of beets,
| when you found too late, (for it bad l>ecn
i sent to every one at table,) that the sauce
had been sweetened with saltan ] dace of loaf
ug. r. You need not have Unshed so, 1
) say. it" y u luul spent an hour in the kitehen
| iii place of yawning over a stupid novel
tiio \vlu?lo forenoon, complaining of ennui
\ and half tired of your life for the want of
viie tiling to do.
" lUit wliat have I to do with cooking
dinners?" you aPbwer l>olli in one breath,
j it is a plain, from the little domestic incii
dent ju-t alluded to, that you have a great
' deal to do with such matters. Hut 1 see
' where th trouble is*. You arc a little
above giving your ] i rsonnl attention to
.iiieh stn.'.U nuutcr*. Hut, look you friend,
J that is . impiy ridiculous. Above attend .
. nig > > ?>ur o\v,i health, cmi -* and hap*
; , pines.-Away with sueli absurdity.
| Grant that thcro are small matters, yet
they 11 ake up human life. As the ocean
. is formed of drops and as the mountains
. are but grains of and piled up in masses,
. so do these sinnll nnd overy day matters
make up the sum total of our existence,
t (.riant too. that you have plenty of money
,> to hire otliers to do them: yet w ho w ill #
i do another's work as well as his own?
,f Few or Lone, at least, not for hire.
How many "?* palo cheek would glow
s wiihjienlth: how many a constitution,
', enervated if not ruined hy idleness and
v dissipation, would be reinvigorated, could
i i thoso chains of ignoble sloth nil)I of eon''
toinntible,Wcspicnblo nride bo broken from
1 the limbs of tho children of wanlth and
I, ease! Thou, too, might tho oppressed
s nnd over-worked son* and daughter* of
o toil hud n little respite from their incessant
1, lalxirs; a little time for social enjoyment:
5- and thus becoming conscious of tho rights
>- and the dignity of human nature, he., tlio
better qualified and fitted to act well their
d part in whatever station they are placed.
.