John Gayther's Garden and the Stories Told Therein

of the country. These were very choice seeds which had been sent to him by a friend abroad, and, consequently, John wanted to get them into the ground as soon as possible. But when he saw e

did not, in fact, form part of the gardener's garden; they belonged to her, and nobody else had anything to say about them. Many things grew there which were not often found in gardens: weeds, for instance, from foreign countries, and some from near-by regions, which the Mistress of the House thought might be made to grow into comely blossoms if they were given the

or when the elder lady came to the garden it was not her habit to bring her daughter with her; and neither of them was likely, on ordin

ikely that he was expected to tell it. But he did not feel at all easy about telling a story to the Mistress of the House. He knew her so well, and the habits of her mind, that he was fully assured if his fancies should blossom too luxuriantly she would ruthlessly pull them up and throw

e that this hearer would be satisfied with them; she would not be likely to give them enough belief to make them interesting. He had a story all ready to tell to the Daughter of the House, for h

he beans were to be planted, the gardener f

ear you tell a very good story, and I want y

air was cool and the view was fine; and there they went: but there was no ne

pectful distance from the two ladies, who wer

elf?" asked the Da

t this time,"

think of people doing the things they tell abo

John has an interesting story abo

'" said he, "and, with the exception of the lady, the principal personage in

tory?" asked the Daughter of the Ho

h his hearers, and he was equal to the occasion. "It has never been printed," said h

ess of the House; "I like a

Jaqui's employer-master, in fact-was Dr. Torquino, an elderly man of much reputation in his town. The doctor expected Jaqui to be his successor, and as the years went on the younger man began to visit patients in good circumstances who fell sick in fine weather. At last Dr. Torquino made a bargain with Jaqui by which the latter was t

ner began

, but was not then occupied-at least, not in the ordinary way. It belonged to Dr. Paltravi, the old doctor's former partner; a somewhat younger man, and married. He had been greatly attached to his wife, and had furnished these rooms to suit

xclaimed the Daug

quino that she was not, but

asked the elder l

for she had a tendency to fall into swoons, and to remain in them, sometimes for many hours, coming out of a trance as lively as before she went into it. Now this disposition had a powerful effect upon her husband, and he studied her very closely, with an interest which almost dev

exclaimed the Daug

id her mother; "

avi had conceived a great scheme, one which he had believed might have immense influence on the happiness of the world. He determined that when his wife next wen

of the House. "That is a very old story, and the thi

on traditions and myths and the vaguest kind of hearsay, and some were no more than the fancies of story-tellers. But the doctor w

ed the Daughter of th

of the spirit of scientific investigation. When everything had been arranged, and the lady had been placed in a large and handsome box which had been designed with great care by her husband and constructed under his careful supervision, she was carried into the little room which had been her boudoir; and there her husband watched and guarded her for nearly a year. In all that time there was not the slightest change in her so far as mortal eye could see, but there came a cha

, and, if he did not, that he would deliver his charge into the hands of some worthy and reliable person. If, at the end of the lady's half-century of inanimation, Paltravi should not make his appearance, on account of having died, (for

ially the little room in the rear, was a great responsibility which he did not desire at all, and of which he would have rid himself if Dr.

s which covered her. She was very beautiful and richly dressed, and seemed as if she were merely asleep. But, in spite of her beauty and the interest which attached to her, he

verything all straight and right so far as the old doctor's possessions were concerned, they were not so well satisfied in regard to the contents of the second floor, some of them thinking the government should have something to say in regard to the property of a man who had been away for forty years; but as Paltravi had made Torquino his heir when he left Florence, and Jaqui had the papers to show, this matte

he had at last been carried to her native town in Lombardy for burial. But nobody knew the name of that town, and there were one or two persons who said she never had been buried, but that her husband had preserved her skeleton, and ha

ere very much interested-extremely so; but they did not in the least believe the lady was alive. They considered the beautiful figure the most admirable specimen of the preservation of the human body after death that they had ever seen, and that Paltravi was entitled to the greatest credit for the success of his experiment. They were anxious to be informed of the methods by which this wonderful result had been obtained.

secutor appeared, who belonged to a fourth class, fortunately not a very

e!" exclaimed the Mi

etter for Jaqui if he had lived in Patagonia. By great bad luck he had overheard one of the scientists who had visited Jaqui talking about what he had seen at his house, and the poet instantly became greatly interested in the

to hurt his body on account of the police. The young man begged, he argued, he insisted, he persisted. All he wanted was to see, just once, the face of the beautiful lady who had been so wonderfully preserved. He visited the unfortunate Jaqui by day and by night; and at last, when Florino solemnly promised that if he should

, more than this, he declared he had never dreamed of features so lovely. For a time it interested Jaqui to listen to the rhapsodies and observe the exaltation of the fool-poet, but he soon had enough of this amorous insanity, and prepared to close the box. Then Flor

npleasant for him to bring the whole affair into court, and Florino knew this as well as he did. After a short time the poet tried a new line of tactics, and endeavored to persuade Jaqui that it was his duty to revive the lady; when this idea once got well into the head of the young man he became a worse lunatic than before. Jaqui attemp

him immediately from the description which Torquino had given of him. He was now nearly seventy years old, but he was in good health and vigor; his

re he came back to his home and his wife. Science was a great thing, but the love of a man for a woman such as he loved was still greater; and when he heard of the death of Dr. Torquino he had instantly made up his mind he would n

ieve him of all the perplexing responsibility and misery which her possession had caused him. As he

the revivification of the lady in the box. Jaqui was so glad to be rid of her that he willingly u

ut into the town, and was fortunate enough to engage as maid a young girl who was the daughter of the woman who had been his wife's maid forty years before. Then it was decided that this girl, having been well instructed as to what was expected of her, should be the first to see the lady when she should revive; and that after

of brave men," remarked t

daughter. "What would I not give to be the first

y," answered the Mistress of the House. "B

heart swelling with emotion, he could see no reason why she should not imagine she had fallen asleep forty minutes before instead of forty years. The two doctors went to work, speaking seldom and in whispers, their faces pale and their hearts scarcely beating, so intense was their a

y; the blood slowly circulated; there was a little quiver about the lips-Donna Paltravi was alive! Her husband,

se, "I hope he did not die. That would h

s excitement giving him the strength of a giant, took the i

o glad he did," said she; "I was actually beginning to be afrai

to heart. It implied a little lack of faith in his dramat

he, "Jaqui partly closed the door, and

id the Mistress of the House;

her eyes and gazed for a few minutes at the ceiling; after which she turned her head upon the cushion of the couch, and in a clear, soft voice called out, 'Rita!' This was the name of the girl now in waiting, as it had been the name of her mother, and she instantly appeared from the adjoining

them; he knew her favorite wine, and had given Rita her instructions. Without delay the maid brought the refreshments, and in a few minutes the lady was sitting on the couch,

d succeeded in getting Rita to dress as her mother had dressed; but he did not remember these things as accurately as his wife rem

and in full possession of her senses

aqui were very glad to take some wine, fo

stood the heart of woman, and knew very well that the grea

sent for immediately. This greatly disturbed Jaqui, and he turned pale again. If he could have had his own way at that moment he would have put the lady back in her box and locked the door of the little room. He di

e maid; 'she is very impatient

d, Jaqui follo

said the Mistress of the House. "The hero of that story was a soldier who had been preserved in a dried

it belongs to the same class as mine,-of course you know all stories are arranged in classes,-but th

that," said the Mistress of t

tly at the gardener; the conviction was forcing itself upon her that John

he found it had changed. In color it was not as lifelike as it had been in the box. She was pale, and somewhat excited. 'My maid tells me

tle, 'you will excuse the intrusion of a strang

said the Mistre

erception. 'Oh,' she exclaimed, 'and I not know it!' Then she stopped and looked steadfastly at Jaqui. 'I see,' she said slowly;

xpression of great happiness; her color returned; and she looked almost as handsome as when she had been lying in the box.

y much afraid to speak the truth; 'in fact,

es you are wearing, sir! Does everybody dress in that way now, or is it only doctors? I am sure I must have been asleep for a good while, and that I

appened; she had not been shocked; she understood; and, above everything else, she longed to see him! After all these forty year

er, "we will pass over

ell indeed!" the Mistress of

s is a breathless point in the story. I have worked i

e. He had a high regard for the

e Jaqui was surprised to see Dr. Paltravi re?nter the room he had so recently left in all the wild excitement of an expectant

s afraid of that!" exclaime

it out. But it is too dreadful. John Gayther, don't you think you have made a mistake? If you were

could not have happened in any other way, and I think if

she did not regard him as some strange old man. She had recognized him instantly. His form, his features, his carriage were perfectly familiar to her. She had known them all in her young dark-haired husband of forty years before; and here was that same hu

ng her to be the wife of a miserable old man just ready to totter into the grave. But she would not be his wife. She vowed she would have nothing to do with him. He had deserted her; he had treated

e. "I have no sympathy with her. Instead of upbraiding him she ought to ha

not believe the Pope could have separated them. T

nd declared she would have nothing to do with him; and so the unhappy man told Jaqui he was going back to Milan, where he had been living, and would trouble his wife no more. Then up jumped Jaqui in a terrible state of mind. Was he never to get rid of

time, some arrangement could be made; but now he must go. He had been ordered to leave, and he must do so. It had not been two days since Paltravi and Jaqui had met, but already it seeme

d industry, and she enjoyed her new world very much indeed. The news of her revivification spread abroad rapidly, for such a thing could not be concealed; and many people came to se

eaceful life. Now whether the priest had a right to say this I will not take it on myself to say; but he did say it: and so Jaqui did not feel called upon to interfere with the courtship of the fool-poet. He decided that as soon as possible he would go away from t

o young people got on famously together, although there was now a duenna as well as a maid on the second floor. Jaqui was greatly comforted. He spent a good deal of his spare time going about Florence looking for a desirable house with two floors. The cour

quieting, and Jaqui went to see Florino. He found the fool-poet in a fit of the doleful dumps. At first the young man refused to talk: but, when Jaqui pressed him, he admitted that he had not quarrelled with the lady; that she did not know why he was staying away; that he had received several notes from her, and that

did he now endeavor to bring them together. But Florino would listen to no reason, and at last, when driven to bay, he declared he would not marry an old woman-that Donn

or more, and the moment his eyes fell upon her he saw that Florino was right. She was growing old! He spent some time with her, but as she did not allude to any change in herself, of course he did not; but just as he was leaving he made a casual remark about Fl

d! Her natural development had been arrested by artificial influences, but as these influences had ceased to operate, there could be no reason to doubt that nature

after they have been buried a long time, presented a perfectly natural appearance, but which crumbled into dust when exposed to the

happened in other cases, but in this instance the life of youth remained

at this is real life, and that it is a story wi

the other, "and I b

is surprise, that she was not the vain and frivolous woman he had supposed her to be, but was, in reality, very sensible and intelligent. She talked very well about

f the House smiled, bu

the gardener, "he soon

enough," said the M

ough or not," cried her da

ng mind that which ought to be rose high above thoughts of what was l

e same house with him, glad to see him whenever he chose to visit her. It was all as clear as daylight, and it was not long before he was in suc

, "that although his action was natural enough,

e this blooming middle-aged lady look like the old woman she really was. But love is a powerful antidote to reason, and this was the first time Jaqui had ever been in love. When he thought of it at all, he persuaded himself that it did not matter

ld gentleman in Milan. No matter what the others were doing, or what they were t

"but, don't you see, this is real lif

ltravi became very much attached to him. He could not fail to see this, and as he was a man of method, he declared to himself one day that upon the next day, at the first moment he could find the

s sick in his bed, and greatly longed to see his friend Jaqui. The letter concluded with the earnest request that Jaqui should not tell Donna Paltravi where he was going, or

" said the Daughter of the House.

who could not expect any further happiness in this life, and who must die before very long anyhow, owing to his age and misfortunes, should choose to leave the world at this time, it would not only be a good thi

the first place, he asked him to take charge of the lady's fortune and administer it to her advantage; and secondly, he desired that he would marry her. 'If I die knowing that the dear woman who was once my wife is to marry you,' said the sick man, 'and thus be protected and cared for, I shall leave this world grateful and happy. I can never do anythin

Daughter of the House, very sever

ght get ahead of Jaqui and marry Donna Paltravi; and he urged his friend not to stay with him, where he could be of no service, but to go back to Florence and prepare to marry Donna Paltravi when she shou

writing. She hoped nothing had occurred which would interfere with the very agreeable sentiments which appeared to be springing up between them. This disturbed state of mind was very bad for a lady in the physical condition of Donna

him; but for a moment he was startled. This lady was really very

!" said the Daugh

onversation greatly interested him; and now that his conscience came to the assistance of his affection (for he was doing exactly what Dr. Paltravi desi

f a sneer had appeared on the face of th

ose marriage to her, and he did not intend to offer himself. He was very willing to marry a middle-aged lady, but he did not wish to espouse an old one-at least, an old one who looked her age; and that Donna Paltravi was going to look her full age in a very short time Jaqui had now no doubt whate

i, please," interrupted

e he would have supposed such a thing impossible, but now a certain sympathy for Florino rose in his hea

n weeping but was quite composed now. 'Farewell, my friend,' said she. 'I know what is happening to me, and I know what is happening to you. It will be well for you to stay away for

sappointment he would feel when he heard that Donna Paltravi was not to have the kind guardianship he had planned for her, the old doctor would be grieved to the soul when he heard his wife had lost the youth he had taken from her, but which he had expected to return in full measure. What made it wors

try to deceive or in any way to mislead the old man, who, although in sad bodily condition, still preserved his acuteness of mind. Jaqui had to tell him everything, and he began with Florino and ended with himself, not omitting to tell how

you believe she will continue to do so until she appea

at is what I said, and

avi, jumping out of bed, 'she shall be my wife,

, involuntarily springing to her feet. "I

me to that, miss,"

arry again?" asked the

d lived in forty days. If they had been together all the time they could not have loved each other more than they did now. To her eyes, so suddenly matured, there appeared a handsome, stately old gentleman seventy years of age; to his eyes, from which the vi

And he now gave no thought to what she had done, remembering how young she was when she did it. They were as ha

ked the Mistres

her box. He looked no further for a smaller house which should contain but two floors; he was as glad to stay where he was as the

rved to be happy," said t

s, this is a story about re

that where realities are concerned

House, rising from her seat; "but it seems to me that while

dener; "it may have been that during the story I some

the two walked out of the garden, "don't you

her mother replied. "I have noticed that gardeners g

much," said the young lady, "and I have a strange feeling that he has a

said the elder lady, "he w

ORY IS

RESS OF

IS C

T AND