[figure description] Page 096.[end figure description]

When I awoke, it seemed as if I had only
slept three minutes. It was day-light, however,
and I felt no inclination to sleep.

I rang the bell, and learned from the servant
that Joshua had been absent a few days, and
was expected this afternoon; that Fortitude was
confined to her chamber with the rheumatism;
and that to-day being my uncle's birth-day,
there was to be a ball, in commemoration of that,
and of the approaching marriage between Mayflower
and Vassal Deane.

Being sufficiently refreshed, I walked out into
the air. The snow-storm which I have commemorated,
had left but few traces: there was,
however, an enormous quantity of snow and
ice still left upon the ground. It was one of
those warm, dissolving days, not uncommon in
the early part of March. A southerly wind,
and a thawing sun, had caused the surface of
the country to glisten; and I heard the

[figure description] Page 097.[end figure description]

twittering of a thousand cheated birds, and the tinkling
of a thousand streams under the prodigious
masses of snow and ice which the winter had
accumulated, and which were now sinking beneath
the sun. The atmosphere was bright
and glorious, the air was flooded with light, as
if there were some magnificent festival in Heaven,
and its supernatural brilliancy blazed
through the sky.

I had not walked far, when I perceived a
small cavalcade making its way to the Hope.
Joshua, attired in a brown wrapper, and furred
boots, an India handkerchief round his neck,
and a bear skin cap on his head, led the procession,
mounted on the reader's acquaintance,
Sleepy Solomon. Mayflower and Deane riding
side by side, completed the party. Joshua, as
the servant told me, had taken it into his wise
head to give a fête, in honour of his own birth-day.
The festivities were to conclude with a
ball and illumination, and he had brought from
town a quantity of squibs and Congreve rockets
for the occasion.

He was a singular figure, as he jolted up and
down upon the gigantic horse. His wrapper,
with one yawning pocket filled to the brim with
the fire-works that were to explode that evening,
and the other stuffed with a brown paper
parcel of passion-flowers, which he had

[figure description] Page 098.[end figure description]

purchased to make Mafy a wreath with, flapped
heavily against his horse's flanks. Under his
arm he clutched a bundle of flannel petticoats,
purchased in town for Aunt Fortitude, and
with one hand he jerked testily his horse's head
at every tormenting jolt, while in the other
fluttered the newspaper, which, with his spectacles
bobbing down to the tip of his nose at
every step, he was most preposterously endeavouring
to read aloud for the edification of the
lovers.

“It is a favourite theory of mine,” said he,
turning back towards his auditors with a sublime
countenance, “that one should accustom
oneself to do as many things at a time as possible.
Cæsar, you know, could read, write, and
dictate to a dozen all at once; — and you see
that I, without pretending to be as great a man
as Cæsar, can rein a restive horse, carry as
many bundles as a baggage-wagon, and read
these proceedings of the General Court, all at
once, while each of you have enough to do to
keep your seats on your horses.”

Just as he concluded this vain-glorious speech,
his horse stumbled heavily in a rut. Joshua
pulling awkwardly at the bridle with one hand,
flapped the paper in his eyes with the other.
The horse, resenting this insult, kicked up his
heels, and Joshua, alarmed, dropped newspaper,

[figure description] Page 099.[end figure description]

bundles, and all, and clung to Solomon's neck
with both hands.

Upon this I advanced from a thicket, picked
up the bundles, and greeted Joshua, who had
already tumbled from his horse, with surprise at
my unexpected apparition. I nodded hastily to
Deane, — avoided Mafy's eye, who was anxiously
seeking to catch mine, and saying I
would meet them all at the house, turned from
the road.

They were not more than four or five miles
from the Hope. The Anisippi, swollen beyond
its limits to a quarter of a mile's breadth, was
still frozen hard, and Joshua had been hitherto
in the habit of riding across the ice, which
shortened the distance a mile. The present
thaw, had, however, lasted so long, that he was
averse to crossing it at present; and, observing
that the ice had already began to look blue and
thin, he advised them all to ride round by the
bridge.

Mayflower, however, at the moment I had
left the party, had ridden rapidly forward alone,
probably wishing to collect herself for the approaching
interview with me.

She did not hear Joshua's advice, and thinking
the ice strong enough to support an army,
she touched her pony with the whip, and dashed
on to it. She was already half-way across,

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before she heard their expostulations. Suddenly,
all perceived that the ice in the centre looked
very thin, and we stood, waiting breathlessly
for the issue. It began to tremble. It was too
late to recede; to rush rapidly forward, was
her only chance. She hesitated, — she checked
her horse, — the ice began to heave and sink
in a wide undulating circle; it was already too
late, — the horse became frightened and restive,—
refused to obey the whip, — backed, reared,
and then stood shivering from head to foot.
Again the ice bent fearfully, — and the stream
was heard curdling distinctly below, — the whole
frozen sheet of the river swayed back again to
its level, — again the horse started forward, —
the ice sunk again, deeper than ever, — deeper
and deeper still, — then a crashing sound throughout
the whole surface, and then it broke into
a hundred pieces, and rider and horse were
seen struggling in the liberated waves. A cry
of horror burst from every mouth. Mayflower
clung almost senseless to the horse's neck. He
swam blindly and desperately forward. The
broken cakes of ice clogged across his path. In
an instant he reached a point, where the river,
making a rapid bend, was suddenly compressed
into a narrower and deeper current. Here the
violence of the torrent had long before swept
away the ice, which bound it only in the

[figure description] Page 101.[end figure description]

depths of winter. Mafy lost all command of
herself, and fell from the horse. All this was
the work of an instant.

At the first bursting of the ice, I had sprung
to her assistance, and thrown myself, half frantic,
into the waves. She was borne up awhile
by her dress. The current whirled her round
and round, and hurried her rapidly down. I
swam madly after her, — I gained upon her, —
the bend in the river and a thicket of elder
bushes hid her from my sight. On the other
side of the thicket, the stream became very
narrow. Deane, whose coolness and self-possession,
had never for a moment deserted him,
had galloped round to this point, dismounted,
seized a rail from a Virginia fence, and standing
on the bank, waited a few seconds. The
current bore her straight towards him; another
instant, and she would have been swept away;
he thrust the rail dexterously before her, —
she grasped it with the convulsive clutch of
a dying person,—she touched the brink. Deane,
leaning forward, seized her in his arms, and
drew her upon the bank of the river without
wetting the soles of his feet. They gathered
round her, seeking by various means to revive
her. In the meantime I was drowning.

In the confusion of the moment, I had been
forgotten. Joshua had seen me spring into the

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river. “Uncas! my boy!” shouted he, in
agony. There was no answer. A death-like
silence succeeded. I had sunk for a moment,
cramped with the cold, and exhausted with my
frantic exertions. I rose close to the ice; I
grasped it feebly with both hands; they were
slipping; — in an instant, I should have sunk,
and been borne under, when Deane, perceiving
my situation, rushed to my assistance, and
caught me by the arm. I exerted myself with
my remaining strength, and he succeeded in
dragging me out. I tottered to the bank, and
sank down exhausted. I recovered, however,
almost instantly. I had been chilled and half
frozen; but my frame was vigorous, and in a
few minutes I was able to stand. They were
all bent upon resuscitating Mafy.

A long time she lay, pale and rigid as a
beautiful statue. They chafed her temples, and
did every thing customary on such occasions,
with but little success. At last, Joshua, who
had heard of burnt feathers, and was a subscriber
to the Humane Society, determined on
lighting the plumes of her bonnet, and burning
them under her nose. He extracted his tinder-box,
and began composedly to strike a light.
Crack! crack! crack! — A tremendous explosion
succeeded. A Catherine's wheel whizzed out of
his pocket, and the camlet wrapper was a sheet

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of flame. A spark had fallen among his fire-works,
and they exploded a few hours too soon.
Deane, who was to be the hero of every scene
that day, caught up the flannel petticoats, which
lay providentially near, and wrapping them
round Joshua, hugged him closely in his arms.
The old gentleman lost his equilibrium, and
they fell, and rolled together on the ground.
The fire was extinguished, and no harm was
done; but their faces were blackened by the
smoke, and they presented a most absurd appearance
as they sprawled together on the earth,
locked together in a close embrace, and enveloped
in the graceful drapery of the red petticoats.

In the meantime, I had hung over Mafy,
despairing; forgetting all that was past, and
seeing only that she, who was dearer to me
than life, lay dying before my eyes. I chafed
her temples, — I pressed her to my heart, — I
kissed her pale mouth, her forehead, her eyes.
When suddenly, — perhaps benefited by the various
applications which had been tried, or perhaps
aroused from her torpor by the discharge
of Joshua's artillery, — she half unclosed her
eyes, and stretching her arms faintly towards
me, she murmured, “God bless you, dearest
Vassal,” and closed them again.

The words stabbed me to the heart. I had

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forgotten every thing but her danger, — every
thing but my despair, — every thing, but my
still unchecked and undiminished love. The
words recalled my awful, hopeless state; they
recalled my vow of revenge. I commanded myself
instantly, — called the attention of the rest
to Mafy's improved situation, — said that I would
hurry to the house for assistance, and then
mounted one of the horses, that I might get
home and change my dress.

In the meantime a litter of rails was formed,
and Mayflower, nearly resuscitated, was borne,
with the assistance of some labourers, slowly towards
the Hope.

Mafy did not recover from the effects of this
adventure till the next day. During all this
time, with the exception of a long interview
with Joshua, in which we decided I should
immediately leave America to complete my education,
I kept myself locked up in my room.
The ball was put off till the next evening, and
Joshua, who had never suspected the love passages
betwixt Mafy and myself, had insisted
upon my opening the dance with her. Not a
soul had ever known of our engagement, or of
its termination; and as for me, I would have
died a thousand deaths rather than have divulged
it to a human being. This night I determined
to act; I determined to be joyous and

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happy. It is only the effort in such cases that
is painful. Chain down your heart for a moment,
and it will lie still in its fetters. Swallow
the first throb of your agony, and you
may dance on the grave of your mother. But
mistake not your feigned and frantic merriment
for joy. The serpent shrinks and coils itself
away, but only to meditate a new and more
venomous attack. Think not that you have
wrestled with your anguish till you have destroyed
it. It is a cowardly foe, and slinks
away when it is attacked; but wait only till
you are quiet or exhausted, or asleep, and see
if it does not return with a legion of fiends at
its back.

I entered the drawing-room — the company
were assembled — the fiddles were playing — all
was ready. I approached Mayflower — she was
pale and trembling. I looked her steadily in
the face, and my eye did not quail, nor my
lip tremble, nor my cheek blanch, nor my voice
falter, as I said, — “Believe me, dearest Mafy,
no one more sincerely sympathises with your
happiness than I. No one more entirely admires
the man of your choice than I. No one
knows or loves him better. Do not distress
yourself for the abrupt termination of our little
flirtation. Believe me that I was but too glad
to be released from my vows, even with a little
wound to my vanity. It was but a boyish

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affair. I was young and foolish, and had already
repented my rashness. Thank God! you
have saved me from its consequences.”

Mayflower looked anxiously in my eyes;
she seemed puzzled, and half vexed. She
ventured, however, to allude to the events of
yesterday, and began to express her gratitude
for my efforts in her behalf. I begged her,
rather peremptorily, I believe, not to mortify
me by recurring to so ridiculous a topic, and
then I began to caper. I was the whole evening
in extravagant spirits, and said innumerable
good things, which I have, unfortunately, forgotten.

I announced to every one that I was going
to leave the country in two or three days. I
was delighted with my success, and determined
to leave the room now that the ball was near
its conclusion, and I was at the height of my
gaiety and indifference. As I turned toward
the door, I felt some one touch my arm; it
was Mayflower. She addressed me with a quivering
lip.

“And will you leave your home, perhaps for
ever, without saying one kind word of forgiveness
to one who will weary Heaven with prayers
for your welfare?”

I turned — I gave her one look of hate —
quenchless, unforgiving hate, and then I turned
on my heel, and left the place.

[figure description] Page 107.[end figure description]

I occupied myself two or three hours after I
left the room, in assorting and burning my
papers. I wrote two or three letters. It was at
last three o'clock in the morning. The ball
had long been over. The house was still as
death. I descended and walked a long time
upon the terrace. The night was calm and
bright. I looked upon the stars, and communed
long and deeply with myself. I felt
like one entranced. A strange and inexplicable
tranquillity filled my soul. I endeavoured to
analyse my feelings, but became bewildered in
the attempt. Suddenly an awful resolution
seemed to force itself against my own will upon
me. It was the thought of self-destruction. I
fought against it, but in vain. The resolution
had fixed itself upon my heart, and I felt that
my struggles were impotent against it. Still,
however, I was perfectly calm. It seemed that I
was impelled onward by an irresistible fate.
As I gazed upon the stars, it seemed that I
could read my terrible destiny in their bright
and mysterious rays. I abandoned myself to
an idea which I felt powerless to contend
with. I felt that I had but a few days to
live, and that strength would be given me to
bear up through the remaining scenes of my
short existence. I retired to my chamber at
last, and slept calmly as a child.

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