Family Column.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1807, 23 December 1862, Page 4

Family Column.

%O R -.fA CE: SALT 0U N . rt.' ; : • . .[From the Cornhill.'] , „ in three parts. Part ,1.— Early Days, with Grind and ■••-■•' Grinders.— (oontinued.)

I had left' Miss Saltoun a little girl of ten years old, and should'scarcely have recognised her at first sight. ' She.was in bed. I could trace considerable resemblance to Horace in her expressive, and -irregular features.; there was. a .good deal, too, of the same promise of mehjaj^po^er, about, jhe.head, jbut'lt wa's_„sp far,, refitfejd clbwif as to makehei- a wpmah almost handsome,, and certainly attractive in no ordinary^degree,.. Her long bair .lay loose, and in . disorder about the pillowy' her aims were' outside the -.sheets, -which I bbserved'by. the way were?fir.mly. ( swa£Ked and. banded dow.n to.ljhe hed. ", Herjeyej were glistening, and their' expression 'was full of a sort of expectant fear. She' made several Attempts to spring up^but,, Justine' hVeld her forcibly but quietly down. Thgre,' was 'something about it all I thought very /peculiar., 1/ proceeded to feel her' pulse. Oh, that valuable^mihute which is allowed to us, when with watch in hand we have tithe to thinkj if we ohly preserve that absorbed,expression whicb' is" necessary .' , I quickly ran over the'.syinp'tojris in my,mind,.especially the tremulous motion of the bead, and the twitching of the^eyelids." As r sat perfectly still, holding my ''fingers on the wrist, I was aware that I had ' loA*jjf, exceeded the single nainute, and I could feel'.&at M*dlle Justine was watching me. with ill- dissembled anxiety. ! 1 quickly made.up my mipd'.howltq act, ."-'.'. J J .' ";Wfiat fpod "/has/ Miss Saltoui taken ?" I asked in' Eoglish, of Justine, ! She referred' to Miss Saltoun, .who repeated the question r in-. French, whe'tf the maid con descended tb reply in the ! salrie language.— ■ ' <* ; ©b, Very little : for tbe last six weeks, less and'less."' - ! ' [■■■■-■■■ J '''Yes'i and what liquids ?''. (Again her. eye flick Wed). J ' ;i: ', " ; ' ' '•■._'- ' y Mfs ; 3aifou4 replied for her,— "Chiefly sodawafeHVomelimes lemonade. " 'The look of uneasiness Svoreo.ff Justine's. countenance, as M^Sahoun' said this.' :i Now>f two things I ' had gradually, becom e : coiylriciod during these' few minutes; one was that.tbe riamo' of Justine was assumed- for some reas6ii qru'Cber, and that I had known the atte'ricjatit'ih veryl different circumstances as* " Eoiiise ;" -the : dther was, that this being the caffejshe'finderstdbd; English as well as' I did. Gmntiifg tnis,-and that sbfe wad aware Of thy discbverifes^Pshouldhavea'pretty strong hold onher. T • -<'••■■ •/_.'■' - • . IfWalkedld'lhe Window and tried to open/the lower pa'rt^ but found it was nailed fast down. GdbuV Justine, who knew niore about it than ahy : of, us,' had taken the same* view^bf the case 'that presented itself to me. Sh'e-'c'anie forward with some explanation, " Do not^ap6logise- ! Wad'ehioisellei' r ' I : s*aid ;~ " ybu have done' quite riglit: I am aware of your reason:/ : I drew a little writing-table to me, and- b%ari a prescription, and wrote also. a note to a.medical friend on whom . I could" depend, requesting biih to send me instantly a trustworthy nurse. As. I "was thus engaged, Miss Siltoun ,raised : herself gently up and peered over the side of the bed. A nervous tremor ratHihrbugh 'her Whole body,' and h'erTace 1 wore an %Spf ession' of abject terror. ' ' * There iis something black," she said to me. " A' s horrid, ; crawling, twisting ' black thing under toy bed. - y -l wish you could take it away ; it comes to hie constantly j can it be r'eoioved ? it o'light n'bi to be' permitted to stay," she added, cowering' back into her bed; -• * • ' &Be J com forted," I said ; , " I'll h ave it rremMed, f and "the" whole frobni cleared out. I'll seefthat it ! does hot annoy you, Mrs Sstlloun, will you ' be ; so good as -to send off tbese two notes immediately : ; I will wait here 1 until the inesisenger returns! How long did you say it would 'he before Horace will be here? - * '" ' "He cannot come before moming," she answered.- - "Biit surely niy. poor cbild wanders stfangelyy 'Do you^suppase.the fever is infectious ? ; Is not delirium a sign 1 of danger ? ;*'Not necessarily so, my ; dear madam: As to" its^beihg infectious, I cannot pronounce" defi- : nitely fit'this stage: but, decidedly, ho one who has'not'been previously in ateridanceshould be mttchin^thrroom." (I did tbis to preventMisS Sa)tohn J being seen by more eyes than, needful.) " Mdlle Ju&tine looks a little knocked up. '. I have sent /or kfesistance, which I doubt not will, be very acceptable :to /her ; she must require relief; : I- gave her a keen .glance, which she returned/-' with a stare of considerably less 1 peifect effrontery than' before. "With your * permission; Mrs Saltoun, I'll speak tof^irer^' for a 'moment." "Step this waj^ mademoiselle,'* I ' said td her iv French; She followed me, rather unwillingly, into the nextToom;~^Pturnled J s'h£frply round on her as soon as we were out of hearing, and saidabruptly in English : "Now, your young mistitss£/has not got a feveiyyoii know.; .what has shebeen ihthe habit of drinking ?" * J "Je ne comprends, pas' mpnsieur," she rejKeWji" iV ,f jj-'J , -yj y ;; ;';- :- ; K : r '." ; , Tjrepeafed the question, with the same result. " It'goxr don't utiderstandV' I said, very slowly, " I do. Mademoiselle, I understand' that' your na^e'^is ; not r Justine, but Louise; aiid that you spe^'jand 1 EhgHsbf perfectly. Nbv), i ;What bas. 1 your mistress^ been drinking ? 'fjjJl. is ,as.l :had the'hqnour of telling njionsieyr,'^shesaid in.English, perfectly, unabashed ; " tea and soda-rwater or lemonade." .Now on earth there is no race of people who lie.,n)ore audaciously than the French.: tbey attaeh.su little regard to: trutb tbat detection causes tbem no shame 5 and of all liars, perhaps a French' A;b'igaiMs most at : home in this art ; bii£'tߣn stupidity is not among'her faults~and if %h.^B^n , 1 iei;early : .perceive it is to' her j own inlerest ? to fejtrice 'her stejis, she has neither sK|iire : iior"cligiiity to. prevent' her doing so. .ONo^Coui'se,''. I said, J' this won't 'do, I, vfcjll iie^.f9jrm ; Mr^, S,altpun, ; ifyQu .will/ tell the truth'fpr opcej and if you; can't, or won't, I'll gfiyou discharged before I leave this house; \^b.at is it your mistress bas been drinking ?" sl'Moto'Dieti ! que sais-je ?" she was' com-( mencing.. » ■>. -y -■:.-■■■■■. . g'>Sp'eak!Englisb^if you please;" I said. "Ether, eau-de-Cologne, spirits of lavender." ?°^Yesi yis, I know that ; but that is hot all. What, is 'it that she has had that you buy and bftng in qnieliy ?"' I said this on supposition, btttl^sa^.l.had hit on the truth. ,' „ ; 3 since you will have it, monsieur. She ha^JJeen^li^leiill; before, but never so bad as tbjs. l ijHereshe relapsed into, mendacity, and d^filiared hoiw. unwillingly .she had consented to procure. the liquor; how much pain it cost her to' do ao'^with other items exculpatory, which I isterrupted. - '^Hdw^fong- have tbese fits of drinkink ■'. las^AP"^'' ' •'.'. ifil jAlblput .three weeks." ' " now' that will , do. I need not W/se .you/to keep your .own counsel. You must %^:^^J9 u r young /mistress; until the nurse a J|iMSi * Yon have nailed down, the window, I . p_®rseiyed;MtHat was a very happy precaution, ; and;pjrp«es.i that you knew what it :was aU "'% aSfoutiffcflßeep her frona jumping but of bed, il ?»SBible ; and don't leave her for ' an instant, ftfMH.t;,. i.:. :■>.■[■: .: *.f :.■*.__ - ; ■■■„■;•.. J __a_SiSfe_s__&i^rfA*&i&T&fe*Y<f^i*'B_;^-__,_i^- ....

under any pretence whatsoever. It as much as ber life and -your place are worth put together"

. I administered the proper medicines, and by the tiniei that the: nurse (a vigilant, reserved lodkitig ibdividual)made her appearance, I had the. satisfaction of. finding that my patient appeared inclined to sleep, and that the frightfully irritable state of tbe nervous system showed "symptoms of submitting to the remedies. '•

i Horace arrived early tbe next morning, and I found him in tbe room with his mother when I paid my visit. I shook hands with him, and, of course; my first inquiry was whether Miss Saltoun had slept.. It was real relief to me when- 1 received an answer in the affirmative; i underthe circumstances I naturally attributed 1 the utmost importance to the fact. "Excuse me, Paul," Horace broke in, "but I think you must be mad, if, as I am told, Emily has a fever, and' you are prescribing mor-pbia,-brandy, and ammonia." I tried to'iaugh, but it was a very poor attempt, for Mrs. Saltoun was looking anxiously and nervously from one to the; other. " I'm open to correction, Horace. However, she appears to be better ; and^ we will have a consultation." I took his •. arm, and we went out together. " You have not awakened her, have you ?" - "No, not I," he replied ;"I only just saw her, without disturbing her in the slightest degree. I tasted the medicines, which struck me as very- oddly chosen for this particular case;" and he fixed on me an angry and suspicious eye. s How. was Ito break the painful truth to the poor fellow ? I durst hot dissemble : indeed it could have answered no good. purpose, so I said at once, "Horace, it is better that, you should know the fact, tt is not a fever under which your sister is suffering, it is a slight, attack of delirium tremens ;"and I proceeded to give him the substance of what I had extracted from Justine. He whitened visibly, as I spoke, and bis knitted .brows and twitching lips testified how terribly.be was shaken. "That . fatal madness!" he gasped, and the drops of . perspiration stood on his forehead. «' Of course, the first thing is to discharge Justine. But I dare not tell my mother ; it would kill her. And yet how to account for it ? Do you think I can conceal the worst part ofthe affair ?" .

" I'll tell you my plan," I said ; " and after you have heard it, take it or not, as you think advisable. Justine is hot a conscientious mdi.' vidua!; but she lias plenty both of pluck and firmness, with a keen eye to her own interest, and is. very diificult to deceive. She alone knows of this sad weakness ; except the nurse— and her silence I'll undertake to' secure. Of course the fewer that are aware of it the better. Make it to ber advantage to serve you faithfully and . discreetly ; double, . or, if needs be, treble her wages, and tell her that you will pay her at. that rate so long as she keeps' silence, and your sister keeps her health. Impress upon heithatif another attack of the same kind even threatens to appear, .she wilL be turned off forthwith, and without any recommendation." Horace fell in at once with my proposal ; requesting me, however, to . make the hecessary treaty with Justine, since, fiom my being not quite, unacquainted with her forpier. history, I had" the greater chanOe of influence. She agreed without making any objection or testifying any surprise. .- . *• You understand, Louise, that you, and ypu only, are, responsible/ I'm quite sure tbat, with your quickness and penetration, Miss Saltoun will never be able to obtain spirits without your knowing of it, and I am confident tbat your good fe.eling a§.,a woman will, induce you to assist with, all your might Mr Saltoun's efforts to rescue his sister from such a melancholy fate; for tbat , she "-will be liable to seek to indulge the. craving from time to time I do not doubt. Besides, Louise, letting alone your affection for your mistress " (Louise put on a sentimental air at tbis.polnt), "it is obviously to your advantage to do so."

She, assumed her natural manner again, and even exchanged glances which announced tbat we understood each other.

." No,, she had no objection.. As to bonU de cceur— she did not^know; Miss Saltoun had always' been, very kind, and a benefactress to her, Yes, she would undertake the task. Three times her old salary, that was 1,500 francs. Yes, she' would' certainly undertake it, and if danger appeared, she would instantly communicate with me or Mr' Horace.""

I hastened back,, made known my success, and counselled him earnestly to stay, with bis sister until she recovered.

u And then,, tell her Horace, that you know what the nature of her malady .was, and what has occasioned' it. Tell, her what you have told rae about other members of your family, so that she may feel that you are not without sympathy for . her— that she docs not stand alone — and that above all, ; you understand the struggles that are before. her, and that you are prepared to stand by her to assist her in them. Don't, say a word about my' having seen her in this state ; enlist, her pride, as well as bei- fe^is,"on her own bebalf; and if you can procure ber .some ,female. friendship,, arid'.sboieiy of her own sex, it would be very advisable 5 ."

" You are right; solitude does engender tbe craving.; whether, it.be due to counter-excite-ment, or the dread. of shame, mixing in society tends to check it". r '".',. , ; . . I.hairdiy.like to think of that interview between the brother and. sister! How must it come. fron? a man and a gentleman to,a wo.man — arid that woman his sister! Yet they were both, to some extent fellow sufferers ; though he, forwarhed by his fatlieV, had also been, forearmed. BujTlpok'at.it how one will,, it'must have been a saddening and.humbling interview. He had such a natural. generosity and tact, that ITelt sure he would seek to break the intelligence to her with all tenderness,, and so save her from hei own reflections under that terrible reaction which invariably follows these attacks. I believe that in all this he, perfectly succeeded ; and, as one consequence,' Emily recovered rapidly. A, week after, Horace put into my' hand a letter containing a proposal which So exactly coincided with my own earnest desires that lat once resigned my naval appointment. I warmly thanked Horace, pd very naturally askedbiha about his prospects. He gave vent to a most' uproarious laugh, and then subsided into total silence. I regarded bim attentively. "You have something to tell, I suppose, Horace, when you have done your internal reflections."

" Well, Paul, don't you feel that. I should think of settling ?'.'.'' " Taking a wife, you mean, I suppose ; ' why, it is what we all hope for, Horace ; andi suppose to no man is a wife more necessary tban a doctor."

I was rather surprised ; though perhaps I had upright to be. He. lay down on the sofa, lit hiscigar with great deliberation, emitted sotnemouthfuls of smoke, and then the secret came out.

, " Well, I'm.engaged to be married, old boy : congratulate me,"

I burst out laughing and said, " Not till I know who to.''

: ' "To Cecile O.twayi ' It is not a bad niatch in a worldly point of view : though, you know, that need not'be a desideratum with me; and it's all I'c'ould wish in every other way." ." Do. you mean the daughter of Mr Otway of the firm 'Otwaya^d;. Kennedy,' .East India people?" ' * . "The very one. Do you know her ?"

"Know her I— l think Ido know liei 1 ."

"Then/'; hastily interrupted Horace, "if you know her, of course you admire her : at least, if you don't, you need not say it ; though I should like to hear your opinion," he continued, with a lover's usual logic.

"I . remember admiring her," I said, cautiously. _ . . .

" I met her some time ago, you must know, Paul, before you were in England, and was struck immediately. I know you won't suspect me of coxcombry ; indeed such an uncouth fellow as I am has no right to entertain certain delusive notions ofthe sort; but she showed me a certain preference. Mr Otway appeared so well inclined towards me that a few day's ago — before I came down here, mark you — I proposed, and was accepted. Now, I want to consult you on one point. Do. you. think this unb?ppy secret about my sister's illness will ooze out?"

" No," I replied. "It has not, and need not do so. Your mother has cot the faintest suspicion. Justine will, for her own sake, hold her tongue. /There only remain you and I." " Well, now,-we will suppose that safe. Now I waut your candid opinion, as an honourable man. Ought I— ris it my duty to acquaint Miss Otway with it ? i "I don't see the slightest reason why you should. 'It concerns your sister uot yourself ; it would be an unkind step as regards her, and an unnecessary one as respects yourself." " You really think so', Paul ?" "I do, indeed, Horace."

" Good ! then henceforth let it not be named between us. . You don't know what a load you have taken from my mind by giving me this assurance." A pause followed.

". When are.you to be married?" I demanded with a countenance, T fear, not so congratulatory as he expected. He looked a little cast down.

" I have no right to hurry the thing on, you see; and she' is very reserved. Some people might fancy she was cold, but to me she is the tery incarnation of feminine purity t"

A good deal more he added in the same strain, before we parted for the night. The upshot of the business appeared to be, tbat after a rather short acquaintance, Horace was an engaged man. I was not astonished at his success, with the daughter of even so wealthy a man as Mr Otway was reputed to be, for already he was named as a most rising man, with every chance of a brilliant future in bis profession.; .and his. remarkable powers of wit and illustration distinguished him, even in general society, from bis fellows.. My acquaintance with both father and daughter chanced thus. Mr Otway had a connection with some of the foreign mercantile houses, and frequently made voyages in person. On one of these occasions he and his daughter were passengers on board the ship to which I had the honour of being junior surgeon, and I had watched tbat. young .lady's proceedings with a good deal of amusement. I remember her a very elegant young woman, with a pair of steely-blue eyes, fair hair, a' singular purity of complexion-^-which,' l suspected, had to do for. purity of purpose, and a cat-like grace and steal thiness of movement. One drawback I must add — she possessed a certain thinness and sharpness in 1 the quality of 'ber.vbicei' which cou'd be unpleasant occasionally, when she spoke and was ill-pleased, and which certainly forbadO her ever to attempt to increase, the number of her charms ,by the aid of song. , These were tbe most noticeable features of her personnel; as to the rest- I am not often unchaiilable — but I knew that she bad been engaged once or twice, and tbat a good many young men considered themselves exceedingly ill-treated by her, If Horace were to marry, I wished heartily that he had selected some one of whom I had formed a less unfavorable opinion. But advice is rarely taken, even when asked for, in such affairs.

A few months glided rapidly away, and witnessed our taking possession of our respective positions, I obtained my diploma,, and was established as resident physician at Grange, while Horace stood before the world as the accepted lover of the wealthy Miss Ot« way. She used her power a little mercilessly ; he was literally harnessed to the wheels of. her chariot, and everywhere graced her triumph. Thus Horace had to appear in a triple character — a. devoted lover, an active surgeon, a popular lecturer ; not to count tbat she also expected him to shine in society. He rose early, and arranged for his morning lecture to his piivate pupils; tben he saw a large number of outpatients, made his rounds — where, as his fame extended, he had frequently to perform difficult and delicate surgical operations — then to his evening lecture again. After a hasty dinner, he would repair to some scientific or medical meeting, and reada brilliant and effective paper prepared heaven knows when ; from wh ich h e proceeded to attend Miss Otway to a ball, or the opera, or wherever that young lady cbose to be seen with hira; and once there — owing, perbaps to tbe presenc of the object of his affections, the excitement of company, and bis variable spirits — he was unsparing of his apparently never-flagging powers, was applauded, admired, and quoted. This gratified hisimpulsive nature, as it exhausted his energies: and at two br three a.m., more or less jaded, he would snatch a few hours' sleep, until his multifarious duties again summoned him. But tbat he sould, a3 I said before, sleep almost at will, he must have given way under it.

I may be accused of judging Mis 3 Otway a little harshly, but the result will bear me guiltless. I heard of Horace frequently, and directly from him occasionally. More tban once 1 met them both at different houses, and had full opportunity to verify my opinion. Miss Otway's manner towards him was, to my mind, very cold ; and if her smile was bright, it had' also that heartless, set, expression, which bears about as much relation to a warm heart as the flame. of a spirit-lamp does to a coal fire. However, he always spoke of her with the utmost generosity* lamenting only that he could net prevail on her to fix the marriage for a definite day ; but added jtbat he should be unreasonable indeed to complain, for that their house and table were always open to him ; that ne never went without receiving a hearty welcome from Mr Otway, and that Cecile's manner was in private all a lover could wish for. Indeed, if a day passed without their seeing each other, the next was sure to bring him a summons: and 1 knew quite, well what a pile of tiny three cornered pink-tinted notes he had treasured up. .•"-..•

(To be continued.)