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"By Jove, it's Kennedy!" cried Tankerville, whose artistical eye detected
me through my hirsute and fluttering disguise. "What a picturesque
object!--I congratulate you, old fellow!--easiest and pleasantest way in
the world of making a living!--lose no time about it, but send in your
papers at once!--continue assiduou... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
But it was too late. The last objects that met my view were the ghastly
legs of the Commandant, as he strode through the circle in front of my
Art-exhibition. I saw no more. A soldier is but a mortal man. Rushing to
the nearest cariole,--it was the Commandant's,--I leaped into it, and,
lashing the horse furiously towa... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
But see! a cloud arises in the South. Swiftly it rolls towards us; behind
it there is tumult and alarm. The ground trembles at its approach; the air
is shaken by the bellowing that it covers. Quick! let us stand aside! for,
as the haze is lifted, we can see the hurrying forms of a thousand cattle,
speeding with lowere... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
The head of our swarthy friend is covered with a species of Neapolitan
cap, (let me confess, in a parenthesis, that my ideas of such head-
coverings are derived from the costume of graceful Signor Brignoli in
"Masaniello,") which was once, in all probability, of scarlet hue, but now
almost rivals in color the jet-blac... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
He is a strange individual, this Gaucho Juan. Born in a hut built of mud
and maize-stalks somewhere on the superficies of these limitless plains,
he differs little, in the first two years of his existence, from peasant
babies all the world over; but so soon as he can walk, he becomes an
equestrian. By the time he is f... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
Twenty miles from the _pulpería_ he draws rein, dismounts, wipes his
bloody knife on the grass, and slices off a collop of _charque_, which he
munches composedly for his supper. Very likely this _misfortune_ will make
him a _Gaucho malo_. The _Gaucho malo_ is an outlaw, at home only in the
desert, intangible as the wi... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
A mere _vaqueano_ was General Rivera of Uruguay,--but he knew every tree,
every hillock, every dell, in a region extending over more than 70,000
square miles! Without his aid, Brazil would have been powerless in the
Banda Oriental; without his aid, the Argentinians would never have
triumphed over Brazil. As a smuggler... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
The official trailer is of another stamp. Like his kinsman, the
_vaqueano_, he is a personage well convinced of his own importance; grave,
reserved, taciturn, whose word is law. Such a one was the famous Calébar,
the dreaded thief-taker of the Pampas, the Vidocq of Buenos Ayres. This
man during more than forty years e... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
At another time, we are told, a party of political prisoners, incarcerated
by General Rosas, had contrived a plan of escape, in which they were to be
aided by friends outside. When all was ready, one of the party suddenly
exclaimed,--
"But Calébar! you forget him!"
"Calébar!" echoed his friends; "true, it is useless t... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
The Argentine province of La Rioja embraces vast tracts of sandy desert.
Destitute of rivers, bare of trees, it is only by means of artificial and
scanty irrigation that the peasant can cultivate a narrow strip of land.
Inclosed by these arid wastes lies, nevertheless, a fertile region
entitled the Plains, which, in d... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
This little incident, of so trifling import at the time, was remembered
in after years as an early indication of the ferocious and uncontrollable
_caudillo's_ character. But it was soon eclipsed by the reckless deeds
that followed each other in quick succession between his fifteenth and
twentieth years. He speedily be... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
Doubtless no. Little as the comrades of Maximin imagined that the
truculent Goth was yet to wear the blood-stained purple, little as the
clients of Robespierre dreamed of the vortex toward which he was being
insensibly hurried by the stream of years, did the men, whose names are
thrown out from their obscurity by the ... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
But she had other things in store for him. A number of Spanish officers,
captured by San Martin in Chile, were confined within the same walls.
Goaded to the energy of despair by their sufferings, and convinced that
after all they could die no more than once, the Spaniards rose one day,
broke open the doors of their pr... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
In his native province of La Rioja the mastery had for many years been
disputed by two powerful houses, the Ocampos and the Dávilas, both
descended from noble families in Spain. In the year 1820 the former were
triumphant, and possessed all the authority then wielded in the province.
From them Facundo received the app... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
Only for a while, however; for the stream did not cease to rise. The flood
that had elevated him alone disregarded his commands. For a few moments he
might maintain his footing upon the fearful peak; and then--
But as yet he is only _Comandante de Campaña_, escorting the rebel Aldao
into San Luis. He took no pains to ... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
His government was simple enough. His two engrossing objects--if objects,
indeed, he may be said to have possessed--were extortion and the
uprooting of the last vestiges of civilization and law; his instruments,
the dagger and the lash; his amusement, the torture of unwitting
offenders; his serious occupation, the shu... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
He was not without--it is impossible that he should have lacked--some of
those instinctive and personal attributes with which almost every savage
chieftain who has maintained so extraordinary an ascendency over his
fellows has been endowed. Sarmiento tells us that he was tall, immensely
powerful, a famous _ginete_ or ... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
Another time, one of his soldiers had been robbed of some trappings, and
no trace of the thief could be discovered. Quiroga ordered the detachment
to file past him, one by one. He stood, himself, with folded arms and
terrible eyes, perusing each man as he passed. At length he darted
forward, pounced upon one of the so... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
Dorrego, meanwhile, was at the head of affairs at Buenos Ayres. Opposed to
the "Unitarianism" of Lavalle and Paz, who would have made of their
country, not a republic "one and indivisible," but a confederation after
the model in the North, Dorrego was chiefly anxious to consolidate his
power in the maritime state of B... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
For nearly two years he divided his time between the provinces of San
Juan, Tucuman, and La Rioja, engaged in the prosecution of his designs,
chief among which was the destruction of Paz, who remained at Córdova,
intending to act only on the defensive. At length, in 1830, he considered
himself sufficiently strong for ... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
In that year, after taking part in a disorderly and fruitless expedition
planned by Rosas to secure the southern frontier against Indian attacks,
he suddenly made his appearance at Buenos Ayres, with a body of armed
satellites, who inspired the newly-seated Dictator--the famous Juan Manuel
de Rosas, who has been alrea... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
In the midst of this perplexity intelligence was received of a
disagreement between the governments of Salta, Tucuman, and Santiago,
provinces of the interior, which threatened to expand into warlike
proceedings. Rosas sent for Quiroga. No one but the hero of La Rioja, he
insinuated, had sufficient influence to bring ... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
At last, Córdova, nearly six hundred miles from his starting-point, was
reached, just one hour after the arrival of the hunted courier. Quiroga
was besought by the cringing magistracy to spend the night in their city.
His only answer was, "Give me horses!" and two hours before midnight he
rolled out of Córdova, having... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
The night at Ojos del Agua was passed sleeplessly enough by the unhappy
Ortiz, but Quiroga was not to be persuaded into ordinary precautions.
Confident in his mastery over the minds of men, he set out unguarded, on
the 18th of February, at break of day. The party consisted of the
chieftain and his trembling secretary,... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
Such were the life, misdeeds, and death of the Terror of the Pampas.
Having in the most rapid and imperfect manner sketched the career of this
extraordinary Fortune's-child, his rise from the most abject condition to
unbridled power, his ferocious rule, and his almost heroic end, we may
surely exclaim, that "nothing i... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
The twenty years are over. Richelieu is dead. The strongest will that ever
ruled France has passed away; and the poor, broken King has hunted his
last badger at St. Germain, and meekly followed his master to the grave,
as he had always followed him. Louis XIII., called Louis Le Juste, not
from the predominance of that... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
But behind all this sport, as in all the annals of the nation, were
mysteries and terrors and crimes. It was the age of cabalistic ciphers,
like that of De Retz, of which Guy Joli dreamed the solution; of
inexplicable secrets, like the Man in the Iron Mask, whereof no solution
was ever dreamed; of poisons, like that d... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
But popular power was not yet developed in France, as it was in England;
all social order was unsettled and changing, and well Mazarin knew it. He
knew the pieces with which he played his game of chess: the king
powerless, the queen mighty, the bishops unable to take a single
straightforward move, and the knights goin... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
What men of that age eclipsed or equalled the address and daring of those
delicate and highborn women? What a romance was their ordinary existence!
The Princess Palatine gave refuge to Mme. de Longueville when that alone
saved her from sharing the imprisonment of her brothers Condé and Conti,--
then fled for her own l... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
Then there was Clémence de Maille, purest and noblest of all, niece of
Richelieu and hapless wife of the cruel ingrate Condé, his equal in daring
and his superior in every other high quality. Married a child still
playing with her dolls, and sent at once to a convent to learn to read and
write, she became a woman the ... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
II.
THE FIRST CAMPAIGN.
Grandchild of Henri Quatre, niece of Louis XIII., cousin of Louis XIV.,
first princess of the blood, and with the largest income in the nation,
(500,000 livres,) to support these dignities, Mademoiselle was certainly
born in the purple. Her autobiography admits us to very gorgeous company;
the... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
Lord Mahon ventures to assert, that Gaston, Duke of Orléans, was "the most
cowardly prince of whom history makes mention." A strong expression, but
perhaps safe. Holding the most powerful position in the nation, he never
came upon the scene but to commit some new act of ingenious pusillanimity;
while, by some extraord... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
Her siege of Orléans is perhaps the most remarkable on record. She was
right in one thing; the royal army had not arrived: but it might appear at
any moment; so the magistrates quietly shut all their gates, and waited to
see what would happen.
Mademoiselle happened. It was eleven in the morning when she reached the
Po... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
A crash, and the mighty timbers of the Porte Brûlée yield in the centre.
Aided by the strong and exceedingly soiled hands of her new friends, our
elegant Mademoiselle is lifted, pulled, pushed, and tugged between the
vast iron bars which fortify the gate; and in this fashion, torn,
splashed, and dishevelled generally,... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
Mademoiselle staid a little longer at Orléans, while the armies lay
watching each other, or fighting the battle of Bléneau, of which Condé
wrote her an official bulletin, as being generalissimo. She amused herself
easily, went to mass, played at bowls, received the magistrates, stopped
couriers to laugh over their let... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
Condé and Turenne! The two greatest names in the history of European wars,
until a greater eclipsed them both. Condé, a prophecy of Napoleon, a
general by instinct, incapable of defeat, insatiable of glory, throwing
his marshal's baton within the lines of the enemy, and following it;
passionate, false, unscrupulous, m... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
Time passed on, each moment registered in blood. Mademoiselle went and
came; still the same sad procession of dead and dying; still the same mad
conflict, Frenchman against Frenchman, in the three great avenues of the
Faubourg St. Antoine. She watched it from the city walls till she could
bear it no longer. One final,... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
In a moment she was in the streets again. The first person she met was
Vallon, terribly wounded. "We are lost!" he said. "You are saved!" she
cried, proudly. "I command to-day in Paris, as I commanded in Orléans."
"Vous me rendez la vie," said the reanimated soldier, who had been with
her in her first campaign. On she... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
The Queen and the Cardinal, watching from Charonne, saw their victims
escape them. But the cannon-shots bewildered them all. "It was probably a
salute to Mademoiselle," suggested some comforting adviser. "No," said the
experienced Maréchal de Villeroi, "if Mademoiselle had a hand in it, the
salute was for us." At this... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
At four o'clock that morning she went to rest, weary with these days and
nights of responsibility. Sleep soundly, Mademoiselle, you will be
troubled with such no longer. An ignominious peace is at hand; and though
peace, too, has her victories, yours is not a nature grand enough to grasp
them. Last to yield, last to b... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
Other heroines went into convents, joined the Carmelites, or those nuns of
Port-Royal of whom the Archbishop of Paris said that they lived in the
purity of angels and the pride of devils. Thither went Madame de Sablé
herself, finally,--"the late Madame," as the dashing young abbés called
her when she renounced the wor... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
It is a slight compensation, that this very pettiness makes her chronicles
of the age very vivid in details. How she revels in the silver brocades,
the violet-colored velvet robes, the crimson velvet carpets, the purple
damask curtains fringed with gold and silver, the embroidered _fleurs de
lis_, the wedding-caskets,... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
The tale stands embalmed forever in the famous letter of Madame de Sévigné
to her cousin, M. de Coulanges, written on Monday, December 15, 1670. It
can never be translated too often, so we will risk it again.
"I have now to announce to you the most astonishing circumstance, the most
surprising, most marvellous, most t... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
Poor Mademoiselle! Madame de Sévigné was right in one thing,--if it were
not done promptly, it might prove impracticable. Like Ralph Roister
Doister, she should ha' been married o' Sunday. Duly the contract was
signed, by which Lauzun took the name of M. de Montpensier and the largest
fortune in the kingdom, surrender... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
Thus wrecked and wasted, her opportunity past, her career a
disappointment, she leaves us only the passing glimpse of what she was,
and the hazy possibility of what she might have been. Perhaps the defect
was, after all, in herself; perhaps the soil was not deep enough to
produce anything but a few stray heroisms, bri... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
THE SWAN-SONG OF PARSON AVERY.
1635.
When the reaper's task was ended, and the summer wearing late,
Parson Avery sailed from Newbury with his wife and children eight,
Dropping down the river harbor in the shallop Watch and Wait.
Pleasantly lay the clearings in the mellow summer-morn,
And the newly-planted orchards d... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
"In this night of death I challenge the promise of thy Word!
Let me see the great salvation of which mine ears have heard!
Let me pass from hence forgiven, through the grace of Christ, our Lord!
"In the baptism of these waters wash white my every sin,
And let me follow up to Thee my household and my kin!
Open the sea-... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
I enjoy friendships and regards which would satisfy the most fastidious.
Are not the Denslows enormously rich? Is not Dalton a sovereign of
elegance? It was I who gave the fame of these qualities to the world, in
true colors, not flattered. And _they_ know it, and love me. Honoria
Denslow is the most beautiful and tru... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
At eleven, the guests began to assemble. Introductions were almost
needless. Each person was a recognized member of "society." One-half of
the number were women,--many of them young, beautiful, accomplished,--
heiresses, "charming widows," poetesses of real celebrity, and, rarer
still, of good repute,--wives of millio... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
The frescoes and panel-work were a study by themselves, uniting the
classic and modern styles in allegorical subjects. The paintings, selected
by the taste of Dalton, to overpower the darkness of the rooms by
intensity of color, were incorporated with the walls. There were but few
mirrors. At the end of each suite, on... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
When supper was served, the ivory fronts of a cabinet of gems divided
itself in the centre,--the two halves revolving upon silver hinges,--and
discovered a hall of great height and dimensions, walled with crimson
damask, supporting pictures of all the masters of modern art. The dome-
like roof of this hall was of marb... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
"And what may that be?" inquired Dalton, mildly.
"Your guests are too well behaved, too fine, and on their guard; there are
no butts, no palpable fools or vulgarians; and, worse, there are many
distinguished, but no one great man,--no social or intellectual sovereign
of the occasion."
Honoria looked inquiringly at Let... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
All rose instantly at the idea, and we went forward, urged by irresistible
curiosity.
As we drew near the stranger, who was conversing with Honoria and Dalton,
a shudder went through me. It was a thrill of the universal Boswell; I
seemed to feel the presence of "the most aristocratic man of the age."
Honoria introduce... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
"Unannounced."
"That is a part of the singularity."
"His name was not in the published list of arrivals; but he may have left
England incognito. Is a mistake possible?"
"No! there is but one such man in Europe;--a handsomer or a richer does
not live."
"An eye of wonderful depth."
"Hands exquisite."
"Feet, ditto."
"And... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
At a signal, he would advance and present to his master a perfume, a laced
handkerchief, a rose of rubies, a diamond clasp; of many with whom he
spoke the liberal Duke begged the acceptance of some little token, as an
earnest of his esteem. After interchanging a few words with Jeffrey
Lethal,--who dared not utter a sa... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
The sensation did not subside. The music of the waltz invited a renewal of
that intoxicating whirl which isolates friends and lovers, in whispering
and sighing pairs, in the midst of a great assemblage. All the world
looked on, when Honoria Denslow placed her hand upon the shoulder of the
Duke of Rosecouleur, and the ... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
Nalson disappeared.
I was alarmed. If "the Duke" should prove to be an impostor, we were
indeed ruined.
In five minutes,--an hour, it seemed,--Nalson stood before us.
"Is it he?" said Dalton, looking fixedly upon the face of the usher.
No reply.
"Speak the truth; you need not be afraid."
"I cannot tell, Sir."
"Nonsens... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
"But he had three millions."
"Nominally. This palace has actually sunk his income."
"Madness!"
"Wisdom, if you will listen."
"I am all attention."
"The use of money is to create and hold power. Denslow was certain of the
popular and county votes; he needed only the aristocratic support, and the
A---- people would have... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
"Rather rough,--ha, De Vere? What have _I_ done? Am I an ass because I
know nothing of pictures? Come, Dalton, you are harsh with your old
friend."
"Denslow, I have told you a thousand times never to concede position."
"Yes, but this is a duke, man,--a prince!"
"This from you? By Jove, De Vere, I wish you and I could ... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
"That is my work," exclaimed Dalton, unconsciously.
"Not _all_, I think."
"I mean the combinations,--the effect. But see! Honoria will again accept
the Duke's invitation. He is coming to her. Let us prevent it."
He slipped away; and I, remaining at my post of observation, saw him, an
instant later, passing quickly acr... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
Opposite the entrance there was a picture of a woman seated on a throne,
behind which stood a demon whispering in her ear and pointing to a
handsome youth in the circle of the courtiers. The design and color were
in the style of Correggio. Denslow stood close behind me. In advance were
Honoria, Dalton, and the Duke, w... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
"But will you tell us by what accident this copy happened to be in Italy?"
asked Dalton.
"You will remember," replied the Duke, coldly, "that at Paris, noticing
your expressions of admiration for the picture, which you had seen in my
English gallery, I gave you a history of its purchase at Bologna by
myself. I sent my... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
"Bah! You are like the politicians, who mistake accidents for principles.
But even you are talking, while this pernicious foreigner is acting. See!
they have left the gallery, and the crowd of fools is following them. You
cannot stem such a tide of folly."
"I deny that they are fools. Why does that sallow wretch, Leth... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
"My opinion is," said Lethal, holding out his crooked forefinger like a
claw, "that this _soi-disant_ duke--what the deuse is his name?"
"Rosecouleur," interposed Adonaïs, in a tone of society.
"Right,--Couleur de Rose is an impostor,--an impostor, a sharper.
Everything tends that way. What an utter sell it would be!"... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
"Gambler!" said the same female voice, in a conclusive tone.
There was a general soft laugh. Everybody was pleased. All admired, hated,
and envied the Duke. It was settled beyond a doubt that he was an
impostor,--and that the Denslows were either grossly taken in, or were
"selling" their friends. In either case, it wa... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
"But the valet, Rêve de Noir?"
"The Duke had a valet of that name who attended him, and who may, for
aught I know, have resembled this one; but probability is against
concurrent resemblances. There is also an original of the picture in the
Duke's gallery; in fact, the artist, as was not unusual in those days,
painted ... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
"I warrant you, these people know it is our last night," said Dalton; "and
see what a use they make of us! Denslow's rich wines poured away like
water; everything soiled, smeared, and overturned; our entertainment, at
first stately and gracious as a queen's drawing-room, ending, with the
loss of _prestige_, in the rio... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
Dalton, in saying this, with a manner free from suspicion or excitement,
fixed his eyes upon the Duke's.
"You seem to have no faith in either men or women," responded the rich
barytone voice of his Highness, the dark upper lip disclosing, as before,
the row of square, sharp, ivory teeth.
"Little, very little," respond... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
An exclamation of surprise from all present, except the Duke, followed
this announcement.
"And so," continued Dalton, "it may be with this ring, which now seems to
be the one I gave the Duke at Rome, but to-morrow may be different."
As he spoke, Dalton gave back the ring to the Duke, who received it with
his usual gra... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
"What is all this, Honoria?"
"That his Highness is a wizard," she said, with a forced laugh, glancing
at Dalton.
"Will his Highness do us the honor to lay aside the mask, and appear in
his true colors?" said Dalton, returning Honoria's glance with an
encouraging look.
"Gentlemen," said the Duke, haughtily, "I am your ... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
The Duke smiled again. He stretched out his hand toward Honoria, and she
slept. It was the work of an instant.
"I have seen that before," said Dalton.
"Not as we see it," responded his Highness. "Rêve de Noir, less light!"
The room was dark in a moment. Over the head of Honoria appeared a cloud,
at first black, and so... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
MYRTLE FLOWERS
Since Love within my heart made nest,
With the fond trust of brooding bird,
I find no all-embracing word
To say how deeply I am blest.
Though wintry clouds are in the air
And the dead leaves unburied lie,
Nor open is the violet's eye,
I see new beauty everywhere.
I walk beneath the naked trees... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
After passing through some long rips and by a large island, we reached an
interesting part of the river called the Pine-Stream Dead-Water, about six
miles below Ragmuff, where the river expanded to thirty rods in width and
had many islands in it, with elms and canoe-birches, now yellowing, along
the shore, and we got ... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
We all landed at once. My companion reloaded; the Indian fastened his
birch, threw off his hat, adjusted his waistband, seized the hatchet, and
set out. He told me afterward, casually, that before we landed he had seen
a drop of blood on the bank, when it was two or three rods off. He
proceeded rapidly up the bank and... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
When afterward I asked an Indian at the carry how much taller the male
was, he answered, "Eighteen inches," and made me observe the height of a
cross-stake over the fire, more than four feet from the ground, to give
me some idea of the depth of his chest. Another Indian, at Oldtown, told
me that they were nine feet hi... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
Here, just at the head of the murmuring rapids, Joe now proceeded to skin
the moose with a pocket-knife, while I looked on; and a tragical business
it was,--to see that still warm and palpitating body pierced with a
knife, to see the warm milk stream from the rent udder, and the ghastly
naked red carcass appearing fro... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
After supper, the moon having risen, we proceeded to hunt a mile up this
stream, first "carrying" about the falls. We made a picturesque sight,
wending single-file along the shore, climbing over rocks and logs,--Joe,
who brought up the rear, twirling his canoe in his hands as if it were a
feather, in places where it w... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
But, on more accounts than one, I had had enough of moose-hunting. I had
not come to the woods for this purpose, nor had I foreseen it, though I
had been willing to learn how the Indian manoeuvred; but one moose killed
was as good, if not as bad, as a dozen. The afternoon's tragedy, and my
share in it, as it affected ... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
With these thoughts, when we reached our camping-ground, I decided to
leave my companions to continue moose-hunting down the stream, while I
prepared the camp, though they requested me not to chop much nor make a
large fire, for fear I should scare their game. In the midst of the damp
fir-wood, high on the mossy bank,... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
Is it the lumberman, then, who is the friend and lover of the pine, stands
nearest to it, and understands its nature best? Is it the tanner who has
barked it, or he who has boxed it for turpentine, whom posterity will
fable to have been changed into a pine at last? No! no! it is the poet; he
it is who makes the truest... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
On entering the lake, where the stream runs southeasterly, and for some
time before, we had a view of the mountains about Katadn,
(_Katahdinauquoh_ one says they are called,) like a cluster of blue fungi
of rank growth, apparently twenty-five or thirty miles distant, in a
southeast direction, their summits concealed b... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
As we approached the log-house, a dozen rods from the lake, and
considerably elevated above it, the projecting ends of the logs lapping
over each other irregularly several feet at the corners gave it a very
rich and picturesque look, far removed from the meanness of weather-
boards. It was a very spacious, low buildin... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
The cellar was a separate building, like an ice-house, and it answered for
a refrigerator at this season, our moose-meat being kept there. It was a
potato-hole with a permanent roof. Each structure and institution here was
so primitive that you could at once refer it to its source; but our
buildings commonly suggest n... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
There was the usual long-handled axe of the primitive woods by the door,
three and a half feet long,--for my new black-ash rule was in constant
use,--and a large, shaggy dog, whose nose, report said, was full of
porcupine quills. I can testify that he looked very sober. This is the
usual fortune of pioneer dogs, for t... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
We had designed to go on at evening up the Caucomgomoc, whose mouth was a
mile or two distant, to the lake of the same name, about ten miles off;
but some Indians of Joe's acquaintance, who were making canoes on the
Caucomgomoc, came over from that side, and gave so poor an account of the
moose-hunting, so many had be... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
We lodged here this Sunday night in a comfortable bed-room, apparently the
best one; and all that I noticed unusual in the night--for I still kept
taking notes, like a spy in the camp--was the creaking of the thin split
boards, when any of our neighbors stirred.
Such were the first rude beginnings of a town. They spok... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
I warned all young people off the premises when I began my notes referring
to old age. I must be equally fair with old people now. They are earnestly
requested to leave this paper to young persons from the age of twelve to
that of four-score years and ten, at which latter period of life I am sure
that I shall have at ... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
Thirst belongs to humanity, everywhere, in all ages; but that white-pine
pail and that brown mug belong to me in particular; and just so of my
special relationships with other things and with my race. One could never
remember himself in eternity by the mere fact of having loved or hated any
more than by that of having... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
I should like to make a few intimate revelations relating especially to my
early life, if I thought you would like to hear them.
[The schoolmistress turned a little in
her chair, and sat with her face directed partly towards me.--Half-
mourning now;--purple ribbon. That breastpin she wears has _gray_ hair in
it; her m... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
I said I should like to tell you some things, such as people commonly
never tell, about my early recollections. Should you like to hear them?
Should we _like_ to hear them?--said the schoolmistress;--no, but we
should _love_ to.
[The voice was a sweet one, naturally, and had something very pleasant in
its tone, just t... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
I was afraid of ships. Why, I could never tell. The masts looked
frightfully tall,--but they were not so tall as the steeple of our old
yellow meeting-house. At any rate, I used to hide my eyes from the sloops
and schooners that were wont to lie at the end of the bridge, and I
confess that traces of this undefined ter... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
----Yes, children believe plenty of queer things. I suppose all of you
have had the pocket-book fever when you were little?--What do I mean? Why,
ripping up old pocket-books in the firm belief that bank-bills to an
immense amount were hidden in them.--So, too, you must all remember some
splendid unfulfilled promise of... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
I have been led away from what I meant the portion included in these
brackets to inform my readers about. I say, then, most of the boarders had
left the table about the time when I began telling some of these secrets
of mine, all of them, in fact, but the old gentleman opposite and the
schoolmistress. I understand why... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
The great Destroyer, whose awful shadow it was that had silenced me, came
near me,--but never, so as to be distinctly seen and remembered, during my
tender years. There flits dimly before me the image of a little girl,
whose name even I have forgotten, a schoolmate, whom we missed one day,
and were told that she had d... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
And since I am talking of early recollections, I don't know why I
shouldn't mention some others that still cling to me,--not that you will
attach any very particular meaning to these same images so full of
significance to me, but that you will find something parallel to them in
your own memory. You remember, perhaps, ... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
Yes, and there was still another sound which mingled its solemn cadences
with the waking and sleeping dreams of my boyhood. It was heard only at
times,--a deep, muffled roar, which rose and fell, not loud, but vast,--a
whistling boy would have drowned it for his next neighbor, but it must
have been heard over the spac... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
There are sweet voices among us, we all know, and voices not musical, it
may be, to those who hear them for the first time, yet sweeter to us than
any we shall hear until we listen to some warbling angel in the overture
to that eternity of blissful harmonies we hope to enjoy.--But why should I
tell lies? If my friends... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
The second of the ravishing voices I have heard was, as I have said, that
of another German woman.--I suppose I shall ruin myself by saying that
such a voice could not have come from any Americanized human being.
----What was there in it?--said the schoolmistress,--and, upon my word,
her tones were so very musical, th... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
----I wish you could once hear my sister's voice,--said the
schoolmistress.
If it is like yours, it must be a pleasant one,--said I.
I never thought mine was anything,--said the schoolmistress.
How should you know?--said I.--People never hear their own voices,--any
more than they see their own faces. There is not even... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 | |||
I think the above is the longest speech of this young fellow's which I
have put on record. I do not like to change his peculiar expressions, for
this is one of those cases in which the style is the man, as M. de Buffon
says. The fact is, the young fellow is a good-hearted creature enough,
only too fond of his jokes,--... | The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 02, No. 09, July, 1858: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics | Various | ['en'] | 15 | {'American periodicals'} | PG10079 |
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