Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

acquired new gloom from the contrast it afforded to the gleam of expectation produced by the apothecary's last note and bulletin.

"Is Mr. Sniggs coming here?" said I to the boy, when I had sufficiently recovered my composure to speak.

"Ees, Zur," said the boy; "he be a-laying Master Tom out, I think; and when he ha done that, Doctor says he'll step up and tell ye all about it."

The combination of ideas which flashed into my mind; the association of the painful duty, of which the groom spoke so carelessly, with Sniggs's subsequent visit to Ashmead, and my continued dread of the infection, made me shudder; and I could have killed the fellow for having been so communicative upon a point so painful. He evidently saw nothing in his narrative calculated to excite any particular sensation on my part. His feelings were purely animal; and if it be true, as the naturalists tell us, that animal feeling is proportionably more or less acute according to the size of the animal itself, it is likewise

equally true that mental sensibility decreases, in the exact ratio of enlightenment and civilization.

Shakspeare's doctrine, most beautiful to inculcate, infers no difference between the dying pains of a giant and those of a beetle; and if we have successfully controverted that humane opinion, we may surely be allowed to doubt whether the loss of a parent, child, or friend, equally affects the educated and refined portion of society and the rude, unlearned, and coarser classes of which my west-country rustic was one. I saw no sign of sorrow or of sympathy about him: he knew the boy was dead, and he knew that he must be buried so did I; but wifh me the certainty of both events did not blunt the edge of their severity.

I dismissed the groom from further parlance, and returned to Harriet, who seemed less surprised than I expected when I announced the catastrophe. Tears started into her eyes; but she was too ingenuous and too artless to conceal from me the fact that her distress was occasioned

rather by the anticipation of what might be the consequences of the boy's death as connected with me, than by the event itself.

"What a thing to happen at such a time!" said she," and to happen from the thoughtlessness or carelessness of the people to whose special care he was confided."

"Upon that point, Harriet," I replied, "it is not worth while to waste a thought; it may or may not be that which has produced this result; but, after all, nobody could have foreseen that a boy of his age would, under the circumstances, have done so mad a thing: that, however, is over and past recal, and the less said about it the better; for, if Cuthbert once heard of it, the fate of the unhappy Sniggs and his wife would Let us consider what is now to be done: I suppose my original intention had better be put into execution-I had better start for Bath and break the affair to Cuthbert myself?"

be sealed.

"I don't know," said Harriet; "Papa always says, never be the bearer of bad news."

"Yet," said I, "it is impossible to write this history-what can I-what ought I to do ?"

"Consult papa," said Harriet; "the stories which he tells of himself in early life justify you in applying to him. He never was at a loss-"

"True," said I; "but then he never was placed in such an extraordinary predicament, How I wish, my dear girl, that Cuthbert had not met me at Gosport, and that you and I had gone" gone

"Where," said Harriet-for the sound sense of a woman always prevails" where should we have gone to?-to a place which he had left and then we should have had to come

.

[ocr errors]

"Bock again," said I, "as the Scotchman

said when his leg was over the man's wall-that's true; and bad as things look, my girl, I will still cling to my creed, and say everything is for the best. I'll go

66

go-

"

"That will be for the worst," said Harriet;

you

have never left me since we were married

[blocks in formation]

"Psha!" said I. "An affair of three days, or four at most."

"Yes," said Harriet, "the time seems short; but only recollect what is to happen during that period: what events are to be told-what effects to be produced; your brother, if left to himself, would, I have no doubt, be as reasonable as he is, I believe, affectionate; but worked upon by active, artful people, depend upon it, my dear Gilbert, the whole thing will be misrepresented and

"I am quite aware of that," said I; " but the question to be considered is, whether my personal presence and a vivá voce description of what has happened would not conduce more to his tranquillisation than a letter: the letter, recollect, would be open to the review and criticism of the whole crew-Mrs. Brandyball leading the van. If I go, I am there myself to explain, and describe, and modify. I had better

go."

I saw that Harriet still thought I had better However, considering that during my

not.

« ZurückWeiter »