Infelice

vigil was ended. Soon after Mr. Lindsay's departure, the lantern above the altar grew dim, then went out, leaving the church in

his paw on her arm, as if to encourage her by mute assurances of faithful guardianship; and even when the v

lantern?" asked Mr. Lindsay, a

you left. Can you find me? or

r, Esau, and hold your torch so that I

t cheerful red light how swiftly the trooping spectres and grim phantoms that had peopled the gloom fled away for ever! What a blessed, comforting atmosph

e your

re, but if you will let me ho

ird? Suppose I have a differ

t apparently without effort,

inst the wall. I am coming down backward,-and if I should miss a round, you must be

himself securely on the ladder, and, drawing the girl to the ledge, took

p your hands tight around m

she clung closely about his neck, an

boured sound of his deep breathing she knew that it cost him great physical exertion; but at last his close

hion on the plank. No!-that is wrong. Turn the torch the other way, so that as he walks, the wind will blow t

Mr. Lindsay laid Regina upon it, threw a blanket over her, and, bidding the s

ughs. Come here, Hero, and walk ahead of us. Now, Regina, you can shut your eyes and imagine you are riding in a palankeen, as the Hindustanee ladies do when they go out for fresh air. The motion is exactly the same, as you will find so

suffering his departure would cause,-the reviving the grief

not try to start, after this dreadful

ait a day to learn the extent of the damage, for I am afraid the hurricane has made sad havoc. Esau tells me th

rsonage, where Hero turned back, dropped the torch at Mr. Lindsay's

ny longer? It must nave scorched h

you?" cried an eager

, mo

ay ran to

ou fin

bringing

-oh, my God!

he is

e. What is the matter? You are

k, Regina, and assur

side of her son, and put her hand on

, and Mr. Lindsay was so good

accompanied by Mr. Hargrove had found it

he added, with a genuine wail, as in the gloo

we need a light. Run

ns were asked until they reached the house, and dep

curred, and superintended the anointing and bi

en cloth saturated with arnica, the former bent her grey head and tenderly kissed the wounded m

me before the storm? Heaven knows that clo

urch, and when she tried t

a breath of air, not twenty minutes before the clou

vous start, and the eager

ery, and, falling down t

did you

cally over the girl's foot, th

ave come home with you, if I had thought the storm w

confusion and anxiety, and rejoiced

een lives lost, as well as steeples blown down, and it is my duty not to leave my people at such a juncture. If it were not for the sailing of the steamer, I would insist on yo

er. Moreover, as my mother goes with me to Boston, it would not be

with him and stay with him as long as you can;

I will write a short note to Pitcairns, and you must explain matt

her bonnet, calling Hannah to follow and receive, some parting injunct

t find you; and now I have no time, except to say good-bye. You will never know how hard

and serve God as well by being a minister

heeks, as, twining her fingers around his, she looked all th

d very benignantly at the aching hear

the plough. I must do my duty, though at bitter cost.

get you? Oh, if I cou

d, drawing her hand across

lease God to let me come home, you may have an opportunity of going back with me to

mother. Oh, it is hard that I must be

nt she sob

are trials ahead of you, my darling, and I wish I could shield you from them, but it seems impossible, and I can only leave you in God's hands praying continually for you. You say you love me nest to your mother. All I ask is, that you will allow no one else, no new frie

se, and as in the church when kneeling before the

ully aware of their presence, the young missionary raised his head, and, placing his hand under Regina's chin, looked long at

very dear to me. Keep her just as she

red, and in a tremu

my darling! My p

ose instantly, a

, and while the tears rolled ov

on, but I feel assured Peyton and Hannah will nurse you faithfully; an

if I could from him? Oh! don't you w

ths of my soul. What shall

l the mother wept un

lled from t

e, E

d to leave the room,

r; and if she suffers much pain, d

e sound of departing steps became inaudible, and when Hannah l

im for all he did for me in the storm! And now I kno

and Mr. Lindsay who had been watching her from the cover

elight, she hel

ank you, and pray for you, an

acket in her han

ighteen. Do not open it before that time, unless I gi

o his heart, and his l

said b

ful in all thing

gravelled walk, followed by the clang of the gate;

entful Sabbath, and marked it with a black stone in the calendar of memory as the day on which she "put away childish things," and began to see life and the world

hrough which her friend had vanished, as it then seemed, for ever, and, finding

u ready to let me c

ause I am too heavy to be carried up and down, and I can get about better

olded if you d

I intend to stay wher

scold you if you wi

Elise gave positive orders that I should sleep in your ro

m as they are. You must not sleep on the floor. Ro

deemed it useless to reprimand or expostulate, as Regina declared herse

utes leaning on his gold-headed cane. As he bade her goodnig

eps soundly, and if I am forced to wake her, I can e

afraid none of us will sleep much to-night. It is a heavy

e aged and infirm than she had ever seen him, his us

room overhead, as he paced to and fro, but when the distant ind

of Hannah's form on the sofa, and knew from the continual turning first on one s

, regretting that the conditions of the gift prohibited her opening it for so many long years, and striving to divest herself of a haunting foreboding that

lhi, Meerut, and Cawnpore were vividly revived among the missionaries to whom Mr. Lindsay was hastening. Deeply interested in the condition of a people whose welfare was so d

eavements which in daylight we partly conquer and put aside, rally and triumph, overwhelming us by the aid of night? Why are the sick always encouraged, and the grief-laden rendered more cheerful by the coming of dawn? Is there some physical or chemical foundation for Figuier's wild dream of reviving sun-worship, by referring all life to t

nt of day. The China geese responded from their corner of the fowlyard, and amid the reveille of the poultry Hannah rose, crept stealthily to the table and extinguished the lamp. Intently listening to every movement, Re

er, and limping to the glass door softly unlocked it, loosened the outside Venetian blinds, and sat down on the steps leading to the garden. Taking off the ba

e instant her wounded foot touched the ground, sharp twinges renewe

ied a spade or short shovel on her shoulder, and had just passed through the gate, leaving it open. Following as rapidly as she dared, in the direction of the iron railing, the chi

d is upon it! Th

ed. Whether shivered by electricity, or subsequently blown down by the fury of the gale, none ever knew; but it appeared to have been twisted off about two feet above the ground, and in its fall smote and shattered the marble angel, which a few hours before

at last she bent her grey head almost to the ground. Lifting some

hought it was tin: it

of God, or the wo

n with a stunning blow, and s

small can, cylindrical in form, and similar in appearance to those generally used for hermetically sealed mushrooms. Upon it se

was a shapeless lu

g into the sky, and in the blended light of moon and day

led as a restless sea around its grey weather-beaten sides. Here and there ancient headstones had been blown down on the mounds they guarded; and one ve

proached the figure crouching over the blasted smoking roots. There was no rustle of grass or leaf as she limped across the dewy turf, but warned by that mysterious magneti

y at the old woman. Her long black hair, loosened and disordered by tossing about all night, hung over her shoulders and gave a weird, almost s

ah Hi

mercy! Who

nd brandished it, with ha

you want to kill me?

e old woman retreated,

re you afr

! Is it yo

coward. Did you real

hadow, and once I was so brave. But what are you doing here?

ized the girl's shoulder, while a scowl of mi

ere I go? Suppose I do choose to come here and say my prayers among the dead, w

ly said your prayers, you would never ha

een a slender weed, and an ashen hue settled upon her wrinkled

had all blown down on you! And you watched me,-you mean to disgrace me,-to

h wild desperate threats? In the first place, I am not afraid to die, and in the

d to hers, and before those wrathful glittering e

omise not to

if you had an ague. When I came here I had no intention of betraying you; I only want

d indeed unable to support her. When she sank down on the stone base of

ave seen me. When I learned you were engaged in a wicked plot, I determined to try to stop you before it was too late. I followed you here, hoping tha

se was a deep groan, and; Hanna

ever injure you, ever

stole the paper. I knew Mr. Hargrove gave her a copy of it, and I only wanted to sell the paper itself to the old General in Europe because I was poor, and had not money enough to stop work. I have not had a happy day since; my conscience has tormented me. I have carried a mountain of lead upon my soul, day and night, and at last when Peleg came, and I was about to get my gold, the Lord

aised her grey head, and gazed incredulously at the pale delicate fac

we are so helpless we can't do any more m

nd how much more

would ever trust me, ev

s, and her haggard wrinkled face was

sed it to injure her; but she is in God's hands, and you ought to be glad that this sin at least was prevented. In a few days you are going away, far out to the west, you say, where we shall probably never see or hear from you again, unless you choose to write us. Until you are gone, I shall keep all t

er, save by drawing the girl closer to her, as if she

mother has a copy; and it would have injured her, if the original paper had been sold. Then you have harmed only yourself. Don't cry, and don't say anything more. Let it al

rein the wan moon waned ghostly, the old woman led the white figure toward the parsonage. When they re

u, Hannah? I

h caught and bore her up, a swift heavy step on

nah? You look ill and frighte

hen I will explain. Don't make a noise, Peleg. I must get her in the hou

ssed forward, eagerly scrutinizing the girl's face; but at this juncture Hero, barking violently, sprang do