As no one made an offer to stand a treat, Mr.
Stewpy redeemed his promise by giving each of
the company a glass of small beer.

The poet drank his down at a swallow, and
having pulled his cap as much over his eyes as his
nose would permit, he wrapped his old camblet
cloak about his person, and stalked out very
grandly.

When I was left alone to my thoughts, I could
not but accuse myself of being a poet, although
I had never dreamed of such a thing before, for I
had been living in a world of hopes and fears,
which none but myself knew of; and I had viewed
myself in situations which the world had never
yet seen me in.

CHAPTER VIII. Gain employment

[figure description] Page 090.[end figure description]

The generosity of my old shipmate had rescued
me from absolute want, and given me a
short respite from death. The means which I
now possessed I was resolved to use with the
greatest prudence, and make one more exertion
to prove my proud cousin a liar, and render myself
worthy of Georgiana De Lancey. I tried
hard to forget her, but without success; I could
sooner have forgotten myself; she was a part
of my existence. She hovered over me in my
dreams at night, and walked by my side through
the day; I heard her voice in every gentle sound,
and I saw her sweet smile in every thing that was
bright and beautiful. The folly and absurdity of
such feelings towards one who knew nothing of
me, and of whom I knew nothing, were apparent
to me, but I could not overcome them. I could
only hope that time and exertion might eradicate
them; I dared not to hope that they would ever
be gratified.

In accordance with my prudent resolutions, I
obtained a cheap boarding house, and in a few

[figure description] Page 091.[end figure description]

days, I chanced to see an advertisement in one of
the morning papers, for a clerk in an office in
South street. I determined to let no opportunity
pass of gaining employment, though it were in
ever so humble a capacity. I had waited upon
Fortune long enough to find that I was not one of
her favorites, and now I meant to depend solely
upon my own exertions.

The advertisement directed applicants for the
situation to apply at the counting room of Marisett
& Co. in South street, between nine and ten
in the morning. So I dressed myself as neatly as
I could, and made my appearance at the appointed
place, as the clock struck nine, determined to be
the first on the list of applicants.

I felt a little nervous, as I went in, and inquired,
with some trepidation, for Mr. Marisett.

One of the clerks who was writing at the nearest
desk, spoke to another clerk, whom he called Mr.
Hopper, and asked if Mr. Marisett had come
down?

“Mr. Marisett is not in the office,” said Mr.
Hopper, addressing himself to me, “but our Mr.
Bargin is in. Have you any business with the
firm?”

“Nothing very particular,” I replied, “I

[figure description] Page 092.[end figure description]

wanted to make application for the clerkship which is
vacant.”

The announcement of my business gained me a
glance from all the other clerks, who looked at
me over their desks.

“O, ah!” said Mr. Hopper, “you will find
our Mr. Bargin in the private office. Perhaps he
can arrange matters with you.”

Mr. Hopper pointed with his pen towards the
door of the private office, and I entered, with my
hat in my hand. It was a neatly carpeted room,
and the walls were hung round with the portraits
of ships. There were three writing desks, with a
broad bottomed mahogany arm chair to each, one
of which was partly filled by a long sided cadaverous
looking gentleman, with his neck confined in
a stiff white cravat; he was very neat in his
dress, and looked as though he had just been taken
out of a bandbox. A pair of green colored
kid gloves, as spotless as a snow drop, lay aside
of a pile of unopened letters, on his desk before
him. As there was no other person in the office,
I supposed, rightly enough, that this was Mr.
Bargin. He looked at me inquiringly, as I entered,
and I told him the object of my visit.

“Very good, sir,” he said, “have the goodness
to take a seat for a few moments.”

[figure description] Page 093.[end figure description]

I sat down, and soon after another gentleman
came in. He addressed Mr. Bargin, as “William,”
and Mr. Bargin called him “Mr. Garvey.”

Mr. Garvey took up the letters which Mr. Bargin
had opened, and glanced over them very
rapidly, apparently imbibing their contents with
as much ease as a mirror reflects an object when
held before it.

Mr. Garvey was a very spare gentleman, and
his hair was very red; his dress was of the very
straitest cut of the straitest of all possible sects,
Hicksite quakers; his coat had neither a superfluous
button, nor a superfluous seam; and no luxurious
linen showed itself above his narrow confined
neck-cloth, to hide the sharp points of his projecting
jaws.

“The cotton market looks well,” said Mr. Garvey.

“Quite so,” replied Mr. Bargin.

“Them sea islands will leave a handsome margin,”
said Mr. G.

“Very much so,” replied Mr. B.

“Who is that?” asked Mr. Garvey, putting his
mouth close to Mr. Bargin's ear, but speaking
loud enough to be heard in the next office.

“Thee wants to apply for the situation, does

[figure description] Page 094.[end figure description]

thee?” said Mr. Garvey, addressing himself to
me.

“Yes, sir,” I replied, rising.

“What house was thee in last?”

“I have never been employed in any counting
house,” I replied.

“What is thy name?”

“Harry Franco.”

“Well, Henry, how old is thee?”

“I am about twenty. But my name is Harry.”

“Thee is particular, Harry, about thy name;
thee shouldst also be particular about thy age. Is
thee just twenty, or more than twenty, or not quite
twenty?”

“A little more than twenty.”

“I should think so. I don't think thee will answer,
but thee can sit down and wait until our John
Marisett comes in; he will arrange with thee.”

Very fortunately Mr. Garvey put no more questions
to me, or if he had, it is probable I should
have given him a reply that would have ruined my
prospects with the house of Marisett & Co.

After Mr. Garvey had left, Mr. Bargin remarked,
that it was the senior partner of the firm who
wanted a clerk, and consequently he preferred
making the engagement himself, otherwise there
would be no necessity for me to wait for him.

[figure description] Page 095.[end figure description]

But I was not kept waiting a great while longer,
for Mr. Marisett came in very soon after Mr. Garvey
went out. He spoke to me before he read one
of his letters, and having asked me one or two unimportant
questions, he said that, although he had
named the hour in his advertisement, he should not
be able to attend to me, and requested me to call
on him again at five o'clock, when he would be at
leisure.

The words and kind manner of Mr. Marisett,
were drops of honey to me, and I left the counting
room with the most agreeable anticipations of success.

Time went wearily with me until five, and just
as the clock struck the appointed hour, I entered
Mr. Marisett's private office, and found him at his
desk alone.

“Ah,” he said, looking at his watch, “there is
nothing like punctuality. Sit down.”

After writing a few minutes, he laid down his
pen, and wheeled round his chair, folded his hands
quietly together, and having paused a moment,
asked me my name, what my former occupation
had been, how long I had been in the city, and
what my age was; but in a manner so kind and
encouraging, that I felt assured there could be
nothing gained by practising the least deception,

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

and so I related to him, as plainly and as shortly
as I could, the particulars of my adventures since I
left my home; the manner in which I got my money
on board the man of war, and the manner in
which I had lost it. I said nothing, however,
about the predictions of my cousin, nor of the
beauty of Georgiana De Lancey.

He listened very patiently to my relation, sometimes
smiling slightly, and sometimes looking very
grave. When I had made an end, he said that
my education and habits had not been exactly of
the right kind, to fit me for the duties which he
should put upon me, if he were to engage me as
his clerk. But as they were very simple, and required
nothing so much as industry and punctuality,
he thought I might discharge them to his satisfaction,
if I chose to devote my whole time to
them.

I assured him that I would not only devote all
my time to his service, but that I would make use of
all the energy of which I was master, to qualify
myself for the duties which he might require of me.

He said that his two partners, and each of the
clerks in his employ, had their respective duties to
perform, and he wanted a clerk to attend to his
own private affairs, and when necessary to assist
in the counting room. Such an employment, he

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

remarked, would afford me an opportunity of acquiring
a knowledge of mercantile affairs, and fit
me for some more important station. He concluded
by saying he would take me on trial for a
month, and at the end of that time, if he was satisfied
with me, and I should be willing to remain with
him, he would make a permanent engagement with
me.

I left the office of Mr. Marisett in an ecstacy of
pleasurable anticipations. The first time I saw him,
I felt my affections drawn out towards him. His
manners were winning and unaffected, and while
his gentleness and apparent good nature inspired
you with confidence, and led you to act without
restraint in his presence, there was a calm dignity
about him which inspired you with respect; indeed,
with me, it amounted to a feeling of awe.

In person, Mr. Marisett was a little under the
ordinary height; but he was very muscular, and
somewhat inclined to corpulency, although there
was not the slightest approach to grossness; his
complexion was clear and ruddy; his forehead was
high and broad, and as smooth as marble; his
hair was a rich chestnut color; he wore it long and
parted on his forehead; perhaps he was vain of it;
if so, it was a most excusable vanity, for it was
truly a glory even to a head like his. But his

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

most remarkable feature was his mouth; you might
read his whole character in its expression, it was so
sweetly stern, so firm, so gentle. He had a peculiar
manner of compressing his lips, and casting
down his eyes, which, having once seen, you could
never forget.

CHAPTER IX. Contains the particulars of a commercial operation.

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

I entered upon the duties of my new employment
the next morning, with a light heart, but, I
must acknowledge, I found them wearisome
enough at first. Copying mercantile letters is a
dull business, and I was put to nothing more
stirring the first fortnight. Mr. Marisett did not
appear to overlook my writing, bu he contrived
to point out to me all the mistakes I made. As
may be supposed, I was very anxious to please
him, and so I applied myself very closely to my
duties. I sat up half the night, and wrote in my
chamber, that I might handle a pen with ease; I
read the price current every morning that I might
become familiar with the names and prices of merchandize;
I studied McCulloch's Dictionary, and
read all the old letter books in the counting-room,
through. When Mr. Garvey or Mr. Bargin
gave me any thing to do, I strove hard to do
it well, and to do it quick, and although I sometimes
made strange blunders, yet I found I grew
in favor every day. It was not long before the
routine of counting-room transactions became
perfectly familiar to me, and I wondered at my

[figure description] Page 100.[end figure description]

ignorance in not having known how to do what
appeared so perfectly simple and easy.

Mr. Marisett's desk was under my particular
charge, and one part of my duty was to file away
all his private letters in it. One day he requested
me to look for a particular letter among some of
the old files, and while I was searching for it, I
came across one, headed in his own hand, “From
Georgiana;” the sight of the name startled me, and
the blood rushed into my face. Why should it?—
There were many Georgianas in the world.
But it was a name most dear to me, and I could
neither see it written nor hear it spoken without
emotion.

Mr. Marisett had not only left his letters for
me to read, but he had even told me to look
over his old files, that I might become familiar
with the names of his correspondents, and
their places of residence. Why then should I
not read this letter “from Georgiana,” and
satisfy myself as to who Georgiana was? I
had a burning desire to know, and I longed for
an opportunity to do so. One day when Mr.
Marisett was on change, and Mr. Garvey and Mr.
Bargin were out on some business, being alone
in the office, I took down the file which contained
the letter “from Georgiana,” and having searched

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

it out, I was just in the act of taking it from the
bundle, when a slight noise in the outer office
caused me to turn my head, and in so doing I
caught sight of my face in a little glass which
hung opposite to me; I was startled at the guilty
expression it bore, and hurriedly replaced the file
in its pigeon-hole without looking at the letter.
“No,” I said, “I will not betray the confidence
that has been placed in me.” The act itself was
innocent, but the motive was evil. My face
burned with shame at the thought that I had been
guilty of the meanness of wanting to pry into the
private concerns of my benefactor. Even though
the letter had been written by Georgiana De
Lancey herself, what right had I to read it?
Clearly, none. I knew it was not a business letter
from the manner in which it was headed.

Some may think I was over nice, and perhaps
I was; but I felt the guilt, and by a strong effort
overcame the temptation: it was the first, and I
cannot but fear that had I yielded then, I should
at some other time have erred more seriously.

As it was, the letter “from Georgiana” was
sacred in my eyes, and I felt a reverence for the
bundle in which it was filed. But it caused me
many heart-burnings, and sometimes I even regarded
my employer as my rival.

[figure description] Page 102.[end figure description]

At the expiration of my month's probation, Mr.
Marisett offered me a small salary, but told me
he would increase it at the end of the year. I
was too happy to be retained in his service upon
any conditions, to make objections to the smallness
of the salary. The kindness with which
he treated me bound my heart to him. Perhaps
it was a delusion, but I fancied he spoke to me in
a kindlier tone than he did to the other clerks, or
even to his partners. Whether he did or not, I
thought he did, and that caused me to redouble
my exertions to please him, and render myself
useful to him.

Had I known the character of Mr. Marisett,
the reputation which he had gained as a merchant,
and the importance of the situation which I filled,
I should never have had the boldness to apply
for it. Doubtless many were withheld from
making applications for it, out of sheer modesty;
while I, the unfittest person in the world almost,
boldly applied, and was accepted.

The house of Marisett & Co. had been established
more than thirty years, and during that period,
it had stood unmoved through all the revolutions
which had taken place in the mercantile
world. Mr. Marisett was supposed to be immensely
rich, and such was his reputation for

[figure description] Page 103.[end figure description]

shrewdness and honorable dealing, his credit,
both at home and abroad, was without limits. He
had had many partners, all of whom had retired
from the concern with fortunes. His present partners,
Mr. Garvey and Mr. Bargin, had both been
clerks in his employ, and although their characters
were as unlike as their persons, their services were
alike valuable. Mr. Garvey was the senior of
the two; his forte was making a bargain. If he
sold an article, he got more for it than any
one else could, and in his purchases, he always
bought a little under the market. He was noted
as being the best buyer on 'Change. Perhaps
the secret of his success was the peculiar sanctity
of his coat, and his mild and oily thees and thous,
which completely barred all suspicion of sinister
designs out of the minds of those with whom he
bargained What man could suspect another of
mercenary or knavish feelings, who wore horn
buttons on his drab coat, and called every body
by their first names. Mr. Garvey was a Philadelphian
by birth, and he had a becoming contempt
for the vain things of this world; there was
no affectation in his plain coat, nor hypocrisy in
his sentiments. The achievements of art, the revolutions
of fashion, and even the gay trappings of
nature herself, had no allurements for him. Mr.

[figure description] Page 104.[end figure description]

Garvey cared nothing for worldly trifles; his
sole aim was to make money. Mr. Bargin came
from `down-east,' for it somehow or other happens
that you rarely meet with a New Yorker
born; what becomes of all those who are born
here, I know not. He had served a year or two
with a ship broker, when he first came to the
city, and afterwards entered the employ of Mr.
Marisett in about the same capacity, and under
similar circumstances, that I had. In course of
time he was sent to Cuba to attend to some business
for the house, and while there, he gained a
knowledge of Spanish, and on his return to New
York, Mr. Marisett took him into the firm to
supply the place of a partner who had just withdrawn.

His particular duty was to attend to the correspondence,
and to attend to correspondents who
might visit the city in person.

What the exact extent of Mr. Bargin's acquirements
in Spanish were, I had no means of
knowing; but if his conversation in that language
was as limited as it was in his own, his
studies ought not to have engrossed much of his
time; unless a question or an observation called
for a very special answer, he rarely ventured upon
any other reply than, “quite so,” or “very

[figure description] Page 105.[end figure description]

much so,” but then he had a manner of delivering
these wordss, it must be confessed, which impressed
you with an idea that he had said something.
There was one other expression which he
made use of on all occasions, in season and out
of season, whenever he spoke of any person or
thing; it was always, au fait.

The cup of Mr. Bargin's ambition was filled
to the brim; he lived in Broadway, and visited
in Lafayette Place; he wore the genteelest clothes,
and read the most fashionable books; he would
as soon have gone into Chatham street for a coat,
as to have read a book which was not in the fashion;
he had a pew in a fashionable church, and
he eat no longer soup, but potage. Notwithstanding,
Mr. Bargin was a kind hearted gentleman,
and the more I saw of him the better I liked
him.

Although Mr. Garvey had never shown any
decided marks of strong affection for me, yet he
had always treated me with kindly civility; but a
circumstance occurred after I had been in the office
a few months, which drew down upon my head all
the spite which that exemplary friend was blessed
with; and it was no fault of his, that Mr. Marisett
did not kick me out of doors.

A letter was received from a correspondent in

[figure description] Page 106.[end figure description]

a neighboring city, ordering a thousand barrels of
flour to be purchased, at a certain price, and Mr.
Garvey took the letter, and went on change,
where he succeeded in making the purchase, within
the limits.

Punctuality, promptness, and decision, were as
much a part of Mr. Garvey's existence, as were
his love of money, or his red hair; and were
merchants only machines, and men not accountable
creatures, he had been the best merchant in the
world. But as merchants are men, and as men
have consciences, he was perhaps the worst.

Now Mr. Garvey, as soon as he had purchased
the flour, came immediately back to the counting
room, and not finding Mr. Bargin at his desk, he
sat down at it and wrote a letter to the correspondent,
advising him that the flour had been purchased
according to his directions, and then went
out again to make some other purchases, leaving
the letter lying on Mr. Bargin's desk; and I seeing
it there, and thinking it was intended for the
mail, as it was, took a copy of it, sealed it, and
took it to the post office, together with some private
letters of Mr. Marisett's.

But it so happened, that when Mr. Garvey
went out, he found a packet had just arrived from
Liverpool, bringing some important news

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

respecting the grain market in England, which had
caused flour to advance in price a dollar a barrel.
Here was an opportunity to make an operation,
which would leave a fair margin, too good to be
lost; and Mr. Garvey did not hesitate long, but
immediately determined to keep the thousand barrels
of flour, and write word to the correspondent
that it could not be bought at his limits. When
he returned to the counting room, he found Mr.
Bargin sitting at his desk, writing letters. So he
reached him the letter which contained the order
for the flour, and told him to reply to it, that the
flour could not be purchased at the price named.

Mr. Garvey's thoughts were so much occupied
with the probable profits of the operation he had
just made, that he entirely forgot the letter he had
written. It was the first time his memory had
ever played him false; but the devil loves a laugh
sometimes at the expense of his own, before the
final winding up of their affairs, like an old woman,
who cannot wait for her chickens to be
hatched, before she begins to count them.

A very few days elapsed before the receipt of
these contradictory letters was acknowledged.
The confusion which was caused thereby, may be
imagined by those who are familiar with mercantile
usages. Mr. Garvey made the best apology

[figure description] Page 108.[end figure description]

he could, but Mr. Marisett was deeply mortified;
it was the first transaction that had ever taken
place in connexion with his name, to which the
charge of double dealing, or unfairness, could be
attached.

Mr. Garvey knew who it was that had put the
unfortunate letters into the post office, and hence-forward,
I had to contend against the active exercise
of his ingenuity to get me out of the office;
but Mr. Marisett understood perfectly well the
cause of his partner's animosity to me, and all his
efforts against me were unavailing.

CHAPTER X. The mystery of the suspicious letter cleared up. Meet Georgiana De Lancey at a tea-table.

[figure description] Page 109.[end figure description]

I had studiously avoided prying into the private
relations of Mr. Marisett, and I knew nothing
more about him than that he was a bachelor. I
was afraid to ask, or even to listen to, any thing
concerning his family affairs, lest it should turn
out that the letter “from Georgiana” had some
reference to her, whom I fondly, but foolishly,
called my Georgiana. It was true, there was a
great disparity in the agès of Mr. Marisett and
Miss De Lancey, but I knew that the cupidity of
parents and guardians, had often caused youth
and loveliness to be bound to old age. But I was
not long left in doubt on the subject.

Mr. Marisett had remained at the office unusually
late one afternoon, and when his carriage
came for him, he told me he wanted me to ride
home with him, as he had some papers which he
wanted me to copy at his house.

Mr. Marisett's coachman wore no gold lace
nor yellow gauntlets, like Mr. Dooitt's, but on the
contrary he was dressed very plain, although his

[figure description] Page 110.[end figure description]

clothes fitted him. The carriage also was very
plain, and it bore no coat of arms, neither upon
the panels, nor embroidered upon the hammer-cloth.
Mr. Marisett made no pretensions to high
descent, but rested all his claims to distinction
upon his own merits. But it would have been
better for him to have followed the way of the
world, for his simple habits only gained him the
title of an aristocrat.

It was dark when we reached Mr. Marisett's
house, and when we alighted, he asked me to take
a cup of tea with him before I commenced writing.
Of course, I did not refuse, and very shortly after
I had entered the parlor, tea was announced, and
I followed him out into the tea-room, and took a
seat at the table.

There was no one at the table but Mr. Marisett,
and Mrs. Butler, the housekeeper, but I observed
there was a cup and a plate for another. I heard
a light step in the hall, the door of the tea-room
opened, and a young lady glided gently in; she
turned her face towards me. It was Georgiana
De Lancey.

“My niece, Miss De Lancey, Mr. Franco,” said
Mr. Marisett.

Miss De Lancey made a very slight curtesy,
scarce perceptible, and sat down at the table,

[figure description] Page 111.[end figure description]

opposite to me. I had just taken a cup of tea in my
hand, and was in the act of raising it to my lips,
when she came in, but her sudden appearance
operated on my nerves like an electric shock,
and my cup and saucer slipped from my fingers,
but fortunately without scalding me.

I did not dare either to lift up my eyes or my
saucer again, but employed myself the remainder
of the time that I sat at the table, in picking a
piece of dry toast to pieces. Knowing that Miss
De Lancey could not but take notice of my confusion,
and feeling certain that I made a very
ridiculous appearance in her eyes, by no means
tended to allay my trepidation.

“Mr. Franco,” said Mr. Marisett, “be so good
as to reach the cake to Miss De Lancey.”

I made an attempt to take hold of the cake
basket, but my hand trembled so violently, I was
obliged to withdraw it.

“Never mind me, uncle,” said Miss De Lancey,
“you know I can always take care of myself.”
She smiled gently as she spoke, and
blushed deeply.

Mr. Marisett smiled also, and the old housekeeper
pursed up her lips, and fumbled about her
keys, as if she had suddenly thought of something
of great importance, and then jumped up from

[figure description] Page 112.[end figure description]

the table and whisked out of the room, and returned
again in a few minutes, the end of her nose
looking very red; she sat down, and poured out
a cup of tea for Mr. Marisett, and then bustled
out of the room again. I had the satisfaction of
thinking that she was indulging in a good hearty
laugh at my expense.

I was relieved from my uncomfortable situation
by Mr. Marisett, who told his niece she must
excuse us, as we had some writing to attend to.
I followed him into his private office, and when
he had given me directions about the writing, he
left me alone.

But I tried in vain to write; I could neither
hold a pen in my hand, nor fix my mind upon my
work. I could think of nothing but Georgiana
De Lancey, and as I recalled to mind the ludicrous
situation in which she beheld me, I felt sick
at heart. Whether to be rejoiced or cast down
at finding her the niece of my benefactor, I could
not determine; but there was one healing reflection,
I had no longer any suspicions of finding a
rival in my employer.

“But why should I waste a thought upon one
to whom I had never spoken but once, and then
y accident? Why should I be guilty of the
monstrous folly of indulging in the thought that I

[figure description] Page 113.[end figure description]

loved one, who, I had no reason to believe, had
ever bestowed a thought upon me at all, either
for love or hate. It was probable that she had no
recollection of ever having seen me before she
met me at the tea table, and if she had, what had
I ever said or done to give her a favorable impression
of me? clearly nothing; but, on the
contrary, much to give her an unfavorable impression.
What had we in common? she was
beautiful, oh, how beautiful! and I, I could not
flatter myself with the thought that I was possessed
of even ordinary comeliness; would she
then bestow her loveliness upon my deformity?
She was the niece of the wealthy Mr. Marisett,
and I was his humble clerk; would she bestow
her wealth upon my poverty? But above all,
she was good, pious, holy; and what had I of
holiness, or even akin to goodness? Could I
hope that she would link her purity with my corruption?
What madness, what wickedness, what
worse than wickedness, what foolishness, then, to
think, for one moment, of Georgiana De Lancey,
with any other feelings than such with which we
gaze upon night's white robed queen. As well
might I pine for the lost Pleiad. As well might I
look for popular favor as the reward of virtuous
actions, or hope for any other impossible thing.”

[figure description] Page 114.[end figure description]

I thus reasoned with myself, and although I
made out a very strong case against myself, and
set forth a dozen good reasons, the least of which
was all-sufficient, why I should not love Miss De
Lancey—I still felt that I did love her, and that
most dearly.

Mr. Marisett came in, and finding me with my
face buried in my hands, he asked me if I felt
unwell.

I replied, that I felt badly, which was true
enough.

Whatever his thoughts might have been about
my ill feelings, he asked me no more questions,
but told me to lay aside my paper, and wait
until the next evening before I finished my writing.
I was glad enough to be relieved, and made
the best of my way back to my boarding house,
where I shut myself up in my chamber, and tormented
myself the remainder of the night, in trying
to dismiss Georgiana De Lancey from my
mind.

In the morning, I dressed myself with unusual
care, and thought, when my toilet was made, that
I never looked half as bad before. At night, I
rode home with Mr. Marisett again, and on entering
the parlor, I found Miss De Lancey sitting

[figure description] Page 115.[end figure description]

by the fireside. I succeeded in saying, `good evening,
' and in taking a seat without any accident;
but I felt so dreadfully embarrassed, I was at a
loss what disposition to make of my legs or my
hands. As I was not a visiter, I supposed it was
not expected of me to join in the conversation;
so I remained at a respectful distance, silently enjoying
the music of Miss De Lancey's voice, as
she replied to the playful sallies of her uncle.
She was dressed very plain, as if jealous of an
ornament, lest it should divide the attention which
her loveliness had a right wholly to claim. As I
gazed upon her, and my ear drank in the soft
tones of her voice, I wondered at my stupidity in
not having discovered before, how beautiful she
really was.

At the tea table I had command over myself,
and drank two cups of tea without giving Mrs.
Butler occasion to leave the table once. I even
ventured to leave the table before Mr. Marisett,
and made a bow to Miss De Lancey as I went
out of the room. I went directly into the private
office, and commenced upon the writing which
Mr. Marisett had given me to do the night before,
and I wrote so steadily, that before he came in, I
had finished it.

He appeared well pleased with my

[figure description] Page 116.[end figure description]

performance, and said he had no farther use for me
then. I took my hat, and was about to withdraw,
when he called me to him.

“Harry,” he said, “have you got a good
boarding house?”

“It is a cheap one,” I replied.

“Are you much attached to the people?”

“Not much,” I replied; “Mrs. Mixen and her
daughters have been very kind to me.”

“Ah, widows and their daughters are sometimes
very pleasant; it would not be at all surprising,
if you were attached to them. I was going to
propose to you to take a room in my house, as I
shall have frequent occasion for you during these
long evenings; if you choose to do so, it will save
you the price of your board, and add to your usefulness
to me. Mrs. Butler will see that you are
well taken care of, and it will be your own fault if
you do not feel yourself at home. There is my
library which you will find always open, and you
may amuse yourself there when you are at liberty.”

If I had been asked to name the thing which
I should esteem above all others, it would have
been that I might be allowed to live under the
same roof, and eat at the same table, with Georgiana
De Lancey.

But I restrained my joy as well as I could, and

[figure description] Page 117.[end figure description]

thanked Mr. Marisett with dissembled moderation,
for his kind offer. I told him I would consider of
the matter, and give him an answer in the morning.

“Oh, very well,” he replied, “you are at liberty
to act as you please, and I would not have
you to make any sacrifices on my account.”

I thanked him again for his kindness, and bade
him good night.

When I got into the street, I ran with all my
might, until I reached my boarding house, when
as soon as I recovered my breath, I gave my landlady
notice that I should leave her house the next
day, and proceeded immediately to pack up my
clothes, an operation which required but a short
space of time.

In the morning, I told Mr. Marisett, as soon as
he came down, that I had concluded to accept his
offer, and would remove my trunk to his house
immediately. I was afraid to delay a day, lest
some accident might interfere, to prevent what I
wished for so anxiously.

CHAPTER XI. Is short, and of no great importance.

[figure description] Page 118.[end figure description]

The room which Mrs. Butler assigned me was
in the third story; it was better furnished, and
more commodious, than any I had ever occupied;
and the first night I lay in it, I could hardly sleep
for thinking of the great change which had taken
place in my condition. What a variety of lodging
place I had slept in during the past few
months. The fore castle of a ship; the unsheltered
pampas of South America; the berth deck
of a man of war; the topmost pigeon hole of a
genteel boarding house; a bench on the Battery;
the marble stairs of the University; and now I
was sleeping, or rather should be sleeping, beneath
the same roof with Georgiana De Lancey!
I dared not trust myself to anticipate what the next
few months might bring forth.

As Mr. Mar sett's house was a long way up
town, I was obliged to take my dinner at an eating
house, and there being a young gentleman in
the counting room, to whom all the clerks appealed
for information, in all matters relating to high life
and the fashions, I got him to recommend me to a

[figure description] Page 119.[end figure description]

fashionable restaurateur, for I was anxious to
avoid all the places where I should be likely to
meet any of my former associates and acquaintances,
for I had taken a great dislike to drummers,
and speculators, and even to poets. I meant, if
possible, henceforth to associate with none but
respectable people.

Mr. Wycks, that was the name of the fashionable
clerk, said he would introduce me, with a
great deal of pleasure, to a first-rate establishment,
kept on the Parisian plan, which he patronised
himself. This was an eating-house in the neighborhood
of Wall street, kept by two yellow gentlemen,
who chose to call themselves “Smith, Brothers.”
Their gentility was beyond dispute, for
one had been a servant in the family of a French
importer, and the other had been second steward
on board of a Havre packet. The red and yellow
window curtains, the dirty gilding about the
eating-room, the greasy wall, the marble top tables,
and the bill of fare, constituted its claim to
the title of Parisian; but if these were insufficient,
the fare and the prices fully established its claim
to this distinction. After I had eaten my dinner,
I put the bill of fare in my pocket. I will give a
copy of it for the benefit of those who may be

[figure description] Page 120.[end figure description]

ambitious to live genteely, and who may have the
means, but lack the art. Here it is:

It may not be improper for me to mention that
I dined on bif au naturel and pomme de terre a
la maitre d' hotel, a dish which bore a striking
resemblance to beef and potatoes.

I was convinced from the observations which
I made in this genteel eating-house, and in some
other places of equal pretensions, that to be

[figure description] Page 121.[end figure description]

genteel was to be thoroughly vulgar. So I very
shortly withdrew my patronage from the “Brothers
Smith,” and having found out a quiet little nook,
kept by a window, whose only daughter waited
upon the customers, I got my dinner there, and
had the satisfaction of eating my food well-cooked,
and of hearing it called by its right name.

CHAPTER XII. Georgiana's Conversion.

[figure description] Page 122.[end figure description]

A fortnight had passed away since I had
been an inmate of Mr. Marisett's house, and although
I had sat opposite to Miss De Lancey at
table, twice a day, I had not exchanged a word
with her. Indeed, I hardly dared to look towards
her, and yet I felt that my admiration of her increased
every day; and every time I saw her, she
appeared lovelier than when I saw her before.
If I heard her foot upon the stairs, or in the hall,
as she tripped lightly by the door, it made the
blood rush impetuously through my veins, and
when she spoke, the sound of her voice thrilled
through my whole frame.

Mrs. Butler, the housekeeper, had an only son
at sea, and for his sake she paid me a thousand
little attentions, which I had been a stranger to
since I left my own home. Whenever she found
me alone, she would sit and talk about her “dear
boy,” her “poor child,” while the tears ran down
her cheeks, and she would tell me how much I
resembled him, and how happy she would be if
she could see him but for one minute, only one

[figure description] Page 123.[end figure description]

minute, just long enough to kiss him, and bless
him.

One evening I was writing in Mr. Marisett's
private office alone, the door opened softly, and
Mrs. Butler walked in.

“Do you hear the wind, Mr. Franco?” she
asked, “hark! how the rain beats against the
windows. O my poor boy!”

“My dear madam,” I said, “have you any
reason to believe that your son is on the coast?”

“I do not know where he is,” she replied,
sobbing, “but he is at sea, and I never hear the
wind, but I think he is exposed to it, and every
blast goes right to my heart.”

“But my good Mrs. Butler,” I replied, “perhaps
at this moment your son is sailing over a sea
scarcely rippled by the wind, and heneath a sky
as blue and as bright as, as, Miss De Lancey's
eyes.”

I spoke before I was aware, and blushed as the
words escaped my lips. But Mrs. Butler's
thoughts were suddenly diverted from her son
by my answer.

“Ah!” she said, “her eyes are blue and bright.”

I sighed involuntarily.

She shook her head, and exclaimed. “Take
care.”

[figure description] Page 124.[end figure description]

“However,” I said, “her eyes may be black, or
gray, for aught that I know; she never looks at
me.”

“Perhaps she dont?” said Mrs. Butler, in a
tone meant to imply, perhaps she does. “Poor
girl!” continued Mrs. Butler, “she never hears
the wind blow, I dare say, without a beating
heart.”

“What, has she a friend at sea?” I asked,
while a jealous pang shot through my heart.

“Ah, no,” replied Mrs. Butler; “her father
was lost at sea, and her mother died in consequence,
of a broken heart. But Miss Georgy is
well enough off. She has got enough to make
herself independent, and anybody who may be
lucky enough to get her, besides.”

“Miss De Lancey is a very serious young lady,
is she not?”

“O, very. But she was not always so. Once
she was quite gay, but soon after she came from
boarding school, she got religion, and since then,
she has been very serious. I don't know how it
happens, but young people didn't have a concern
of mind when I was a young lady, as often as
they do now. And yet I do know how it happened
with Miss Georgy, too; and I must say, it

[figure description] Page 125.[end figure description]

was the strangest way of being converted, I ever
heard of in my born days.”

“Indeed! and how did it happen?”

“It happened thus. Her uncle is very fond of
pictures, so much so, that he paid enough for one
old painting, to make me comfortable for life.
Well, there is a young artist in the city, whose
pictures pleased Mr. Marisett so much, that he
gave him an order to paint a picture of a certain
size, to be hung up in a particular spot in the parlor,
which was left vacant, for you have observed
that there is not now a vacant spot left.”

“Yes, I had observed that the walls are well
covered, or rather that they are all covered.”

“You needn't have corrected yourself, for you
must acknowledge they are well covered. But to
proceed, Mr. Marisett not only gave the painter
the choice of a subject, but he allowed him to name
his own price for the picture when it was finished.
When it was brought home and hung up, the
dear, good man, was so well pleased with it, he
made the painter a present of a beautiful gold
watch, besides paying him the price agreed upon.”

“Which picture is it?” I asked; for I had
been particularly struck with a holy family, which
hung in a conspicuous place in the parlor.

[figure description] Page 126.[end figure description]

“It is the large picture facing the hall door as
you enter the parlor,” replied Mrs. Butler.

“I thought so.”

“Did you? Isn't it lovely! It represents the
infant Savior lying on a bed, while the mother lifts
up the covering to show him to the young baptist,
who is kneeling at his feet. What a wonderful
expression there is in the full black eye of the little
John. Such tenderness, such grief, such intelligence!
And yet you only catch a glimpse of it
too; it is not turned full upon you. What a
wonderful art, that can give a little daub of blueish
paint the power to break up the frozen fountain of
tears in a living creatures breast. And the little
sufferer's feet have been wounded by the hard
sand in the desert; and his tender back has been
scorched by the hot sun; the hairy girdle about
his loins, too, did you ever see any thing like it
before; the hairs stick out from the canvass, the
light glistens among them, and I always fancy I
see them move when a draught of wind sweeps
over the pictures. The poor little dear has fed
upon locust and wild honey; you can see it in his
looks. I never look upon it but I think of my
poor Charles, who is at sea, poor soul. Ah!
did you hear that gust of wind?”

“It was only a slight puff. But what

[figure description] Page 127.[end figure description]

connexion was there between this beautiful picture, and
Miss De Lancey's conversion?”

“O, I quite forgot what I commenced talking
about,” said Mrs. Butler. “Why, Miss Georgia
was affected by the picture, more sensibly than
any one else. She was fond of reading, and having
no companion of her own age, she was a
good deal alone, and much of her time she spent
in the parlor. One day, I went in suddenly, and
there I found her on her knees before the picture,
with the tears streaming from her eyes, and the
Bible open at her side. Why, Miss Georgiana, I
said, what in the world is the matter with you?
`O! Mrs. Butler,' she said, `I am so wicked,
I cannot help it.' My dear child, I replied, how
can you talk so. Your uncle would be highly offended,
if he were to hear you say such dreadful
things of yourself. Do, my love, hush up, it is awful.
`My uncle is not my judge,' she said, still
sobbing, and raising her eyes to the picture.
Soon after this, she commenced going to the chapel,
and in course of time, she was admitted to
the communion; she has continued very constant
in her attendance at her meeting, and there is no
end to what she does for the poor. I do think, if
ever there was a real christian, Miss Georgy is
one.”

[figure description] Page 128.[end figure description]

“Did her uncle oppose her joining the chapel?”
I asked.

“Why, Mr. Marisett, you know, is the loveliest
man in the world; isn't he a perfect gentleman?
Of course he approves of every thing that is just
and proper; but he was very proud of Georgiana,
she was his only sister's only child, and she
was highly accomplished; he did say to me, in
confidence, that he thought it was a great pity for
her to join any society that would in a measure
prevent her accomplishments from being seen;
however, he says, Mrs. Butler, there is nothing becomes
a woman, after all, half so well as piety.”

“And I think so too;” I said, for I could not
but remember how surpassingly beautiful Georgiana
had appeared to me, when kneeling in
prayer, by the side of the sick woman's bed in the
Five Points.

“Why, yes,” said Mrs. Butler, slowly, “it is
quite interesting. But young ladies were not so
presuming in such matters when I was a young
lady, as they are now.”

Just at this moment, a carriage stopped in front
of the house, and Mrs. Butler bustled out of the
office, and left me alone to my thoughts.

CHAPTER XIII. Love and Religion.

[figure description] Page 129.[end figure description]

The next Sabbath, after the conversation with
Mrs. Butler, related in the last chapter, I went in
the morning to the chapel where Miss De Lancey
worshipped. It may be supposed, very justly,
that my only object in going, was to see her. I
had not been in a church of any kind, excepting
the Cathedral at Buenos Ayres, since I left my
native village. And old Doctor Slospoken, our
domine at home, who had regularly put his congregation
to sleep every morning, for almost half
a century, was the sole idea of a preacher in my
mind.

The officiating minister at this place, gave me
a new idea of a preacher, if he did nothing more.
He allowed no one to close an eye, who sat under
the droppings of his voice. He was a tall spare
man, with high cheek bones, gray eyes, large and
protuberant, a high broad forehead, a mouth remarkably
expressive of firmness, and peculiar
from the upper teeth projecting very much over the
lower ones. His manner was very startling, at
least it was to me, and yet there was neither rant nor

[figure description] Page 130.[end figure description]

affectation about him; but his voice was soft and
clear, although his words were harsh; his statements
were so plain, and there was such a positiveness
in his assertious, that it was impossible to
hear him without becoming somewhat interested in
what he was saying. However, I did not go to
be preached to; I had another object in view, and
having sought her out, the preacher's words
fell on a deaf ear.

Georgiana appeared to listen with great attention
to the preacher, and during the prayer she
meekly bowed her head It was enough for me
that she was there; the preacher, the place, and
the people, were all sanctified by her presence, and
made holy. When the plate was handed round,
I put into it all the money I had in my pocket,
and would very freely have given more if I could.

When the sermon was closed, and the benediction
pronounced, the minister requested all the
church, and such of the congregation as were disposed,
to assemble in the lecture room adjoining
the chapel. As Georgiana went in, I waited until
all had gone in who seemed disposed, and then I
entered myself, and took a seat near the door.

It was a dull cold day, and a mixture of snow
and hail was falling; the wind was high, and it
beat against the windows of the room in which we

[figure description] Page 131.[end figure description]

were assembled, and howled in the open court in
front. The ceiling of the room was low, and the
walls were dusky with smoke; the windows were
few and small, and the glass being covered with
frost, they admitted but little light; a large black
stove in the centre of the lecture room sent forth
more smoke than heat, and added by its cheerless
aspect to the uncomfortable and dreary appearance
of the room, and every thing in it.

The assemblage was large, and for a short
time there was a dead silence, broken only by an
occasional groan, or a long drawn sigh.

Presently, the minister stood up behind a plain,
unpainted desk, and looked upon the people with
a severe frown. It was not an easy matter for a
stranger to decide whether it was pity or contempt,
which caused him to knit his eyebrows together,
and compress his lips as though some
mighty truth was struggling for an outlet.

“I have called you together,” he said, after a
long pause, “for the express purpose of keeping
you from your dinners, and I trust I shall succeed
in thawing out some of your icy hearts.”

Having explained to his church the benevolent
feelings which had caused him to call them together,
he turned to a middle aged man, who sat
near, and told him to pray. The man did as he

[figure description] Page 132.[end figure description]

was told, and knelt down, and prayed very loud,
and very long; but he did not appear to give entire
satisfaction to the pastor, who kept nudging
and whispering in the ear of the suppliant, “pray;
why don't you pray, brother Jones, pray! PRAY”
Brother Jones increased the loudness of his voice
at each nudge of his pastor, but to little purpose;
for he had no sooner pronounced amen, than his
spiritual leader jumped up, and reproved him for
not praying with more spirit; “such a prayer as
that,” he said, “is no prayer at all, but a mere
mockery.” He also made some other remarks
which I do not feel disposed to repeat.

When he sat down, a pale young man stood up
in a dark corner of the lecture room, and after
hemming two or three times, said, in a faint, tremulous
voice, that he thought no man had a right
to criticize another's prayer; that, to his mind, it
appeared right for a man to pray to his Marker,
and not to his minister; and that if there was a
holy spot upon earth, it was that on which the
christian knelt in prayer, within the holy precints
of which no mortal should intrude. He was about
to make another remark, when the preacher interrupted
him.

“O, brother Smith! brother Smith! Is it possible
that you can throw yourself down right at

[figure description] Page 133.[end figure description]

the threshold of the church, for sinners to stumble
over your body down into hell! O!”

The pale faced young man made no reply to
this reproof of his pastor, but knelt down and buried
his face in his pocket handkerchief. The
preacher then proceeded to call out the names of
his people, who rose as they were called; and
having received a reproof for some alleged
transgression, they sat down again, and followed
the example of brother Smith. When he called
the name of Georgiana De Lancey, the blood
tingled in my veins to hear the name of her,
whom I regarded as but little less than a divinity,
spoken with so little reverence.

Georgiana stood up in her place, and answered
softly, “here.”

“Is it true, Georgiana,” said the preacher,
“can it be true, that you said you did not want to
attend the morning prayer meeting, because it
was held at four o'clock?”

“I did,” replied Georgiana.

“O! O! Oh! And did you say that you
could pray in your chamber at that hour as well
as you could in the lecture room?”

“Yes.”

“What levity! what obduracy! what blindness
of heart!” he exclaimed, rolling up his eyes

[figure description] Page 134.[end figure description]

devoutly; “your heart is harder than the nether
millstone. I shall never be able to bring about a
revival as long as there is such worldly mindedness
among us. Sit down, Georgiana. Now let
all who intend, from this hour, to renounce all the
follies and vanities of the world, kneel down,
while I pray for their souls.” Nearly every one
present kneeled down, but I was rejoiced to perceive
that Georgiana kept her seat. For my own
part, I did not care to be singled out as an obdurate
sinner; so I sat down, and looked as penitent
as I could. The prayer was accompanied by
a perfect whirlwind of sighs and groans, and
when it was completed, a man with light gray
eyes, a long nose, and a brown wig, came and
sat down by my side, and whispering in my ear,
asked me if I was a christian.

I was at a loss for an answer to so pointed a
question, but I replied, “I hope so.”

“What makes you hope so?”

“I don't know, exactly.”

“Don't know? are you an American?”

“Yes.”

“How do you know?”

“I was born in America.”

“Then if you are a christian, you have been
born into Christ's kingdom; is it so?”

[figure description] Page 135.[end figure description]

I shook my head.

“Come forward, then, and sit upon the anxious
seat, and have your soul prayed for.”

I thanked him, but refused.

“Do come, do, only to please me, do; I am
sure you will get a hope.”

But I persisted in my refusal, and he left me,
and commenced operations upon a little boy who
was soon prevailed upon to take a seat upon the
anxious bench.

After another prayer and another exhortation,
the pastor very considerately let his people go home,
probably highly satisfied with the reflection, that
their dinner would be either spoiled or cold, if
they got any at all.

The sleet which had fallen was frozen hard,
and the steps of the chapel and the side-walk in
the street, was slippery as glass. I stood at the
door of the lecture-room, and when Georgiana
came out I offered her my arm. She could not
refuse it, for it would have been impossible for her
to have walked alone without falling, and she would
not allow the carriage to be sent for her on a Sunday.
It was the happiest moment of my life when
I felt her hand resting on my arm, and I blessed
the hard-hearted pastor for gaining me this happiness
by keeping his people from their dinners.

[figure description] Page 136.[end figure description]

As the distance from home was long, and the
walking slippery, Georgiana had frequent occasion
to cling with both hands to my arm for support;
and notwithstanding her seriousness when
we left the chapel, she laughed outright two or
three times before we reached home. But whenever
either of us made a misstep, she would take
occasion to remark, that we all stood upon slippery
places, and unless we leaned upon the outstretched
arm of one who was mighty to save, we
should be sure to fall and perish.

The wind was piercing cold, but I felt it not;
a warm and thrilling delight pervaded my whole
frame. When we reached home, we found Mr.
Marisett dozing in the parlor, and Mrs. Butler in
the dining-room with some dinner kept nice and
warm for us by the grate.

Georgiana retired, for a few minutes, to her
chamber, and when she returned, we sat down to
the dinner-table together, Mrs. Butler sitting by
the fire. But I could scarce swallow a mouthful,
and Miss De Lancey eat very sparingly.

I have remarked before that every time I saw
Miss De Lancey, she appeared lovelier than before;
and at this time she did appear more exceedingly
beautiful than ever; whether it was
owing to the peculiar dress which she wore, to

[figure description] Page 137.[end figure description]

the exercise she had taken in the keen air, or to
my own excited feelings, I know not; but her eyes
beamed with a deeper blue, her cheeks appeared
more ruddy, and her hair of a more golden hue;
even her voice sounded more musical, and her
movements were more graceful than ever. As
soon as she had finished her dinner, she retired
into the parlor, and left me sitting at the table.

“Why, Mr. Franco,” said Mrs. Butler, “why
didn't you wait on Miss Georgy into the parlor?”

“Would it have been proper, Mrs. Butler?”
I asked.

“Proper! I am surprised at you; to be sure it
would.”

“I am very sorry, I hope she will not think me
very unmannerly.”

“She will forgive you, I dare say.”

“Do you think so?” I said sighing.

“I guess you would think so too, if you knew
all that I know. But a still tongue is a wise one.”
And so saying Mrs. Butler sailed out of the dining
room, leaving me to conjecture as many delightful
things as I chose, and to magnify to the extent
of its capability the share of bliss which had already
fallen to my lot.

The next day I dined at home; it was an unusual
occurrence, and I deemed it a good omen.

[figure description] Page 138.[end figure description]

I sat opposite to Georgiana, and felt unspeakably
happy.

“How does it happen, Mrs. Butler,” said Mr.
Marisett, “that you never give us any appledumplings?
It is a long time since I have seen
any on the table.”

Mrs. Butler made no reply, but I obseved she
colored slightly, and her eyes filled with tears.

“Eh, Mrs. Butler,” continued Mr. Marisett;
“are apple dumplings out of fashion, or how
is it.”

“My poor Charles,” said Mrs. Butler, wiping
the tears from her eyes, “was always so fond of
dumplings, I can never endure to see them while
he is away, poor boy! I could not sit at table
where they were, without thinking of him. It is
very silly of me, but I hope you will excuse me.”

“Well, well, say no more about it,” replied Mr.
Marisett, “but when your Charles comes home,
which I hope may be soon, we will then be treated
to some dumplings.”

That evening, the kind old lady came into the
office where I was writing alone, and as usual, began
to talk about her son, her dear boy. She knew
I had been a sailor, and she wanted to ask me if
there was any probability of her darling child
ever getting any of his favorite dumplings at sea.

[figure description] Page 139.[end figure description]

I told her I had never seen them served up on ship
board myself, but that plumb puddings were very
common, and I had no doubt her son Charles got
his fill of that luxury, at least once a week. This
piece of information seemed to give the good old
lady great satisfaction.

As usual, when she spoke of her absent boy,
she was very communicative, and I thought she
would never cease. And from speaking of him,
she very naturally branched off into the subject of
his father, her first husband. “Ah!” she exclaimed,
“there never was such a man as poor,
dear Captain Bowhorn.”

“Captain Bowhorn, did you say?”

“Yes, my husband, my first husband. I dare
say you have heard of him, for he was beloved
by every body.”

“I once had a shipmate named Bowhorn, but
he was quite young. I thought he might have
been a relation of yours. His name was Jeremiah.”

“Why, that is my child's name,” almost
shrieked out the old lady. “His name is Charles
Jeremiah.”

Sure enough, a few more questions and answers,
established the fact very clearly, that Mrs.
Butler's darling Charles, and my old shipmate
Jerry, were one and the same person.

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The joy of the old house-keeper, when she
found I had actually sailed in the same ship with
her boy, was unbounded. She hung upon my
neck, and wept aloud; she kissed me again and
again, and laughed and wept by turns. And I
was scarcely less affected, for Jerry had been my
best friend, and the last act of kindness he had
shown me, had enabled me to obtain the situation
which I now held. I was rejoiced to have an opportunity
of repaying his kindness to me, by attentions
to his mother.

From this time forth, my prospects brightened.
Every indication in my favor which the old hous-keeper
perceived, either in Mr. Marisett or his
niece, was faithfully reported to me, and I have
every reason to believe, that she was not backward
in speaking well of me to them. Many
months did not elapse, before Georgiana knew that
I loved her, and I knew that she loved me; although
we had neither spoken a word of love to
the other. The sympathies which attract souls,
made in the beginning for each other, are secret;
they do not show themselves by corresponding actions
in those they affect, and often they only
know of their existence, who are affected by them.
It was so with us.

CHAPTER XIV. Encounter my Cousin at a party.

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Time flew past me now on purple wings, or
rather he bore me with him through a sunny sky.
Each day, and each hour, brought with it some
peculiar pleasure. I was constantly receiving
some now proof of confidence from Mr. Marisett,
and some new evidence of kindly regard from
Georgiana De Lancey. My duties in the counting
room had become so familiar, that their performances
ceased to be either irksome or laborious.
At home, so I called Mr. Marisett's house,
Mrs. Butler was untiring in her endeavors to add
to my comforts by innumerable little attentions,
which women only can bestow.

I had studiously avoided all public places, and
even shunned Broadway, from fear of encountering
my cousin. It is true, my condition was immensely
bettered since I saw him last, but still I
was only a humble clerk, and while I felt conscious
of being in a station inferior to him, I
could not exult in his presence. The thought of
bursting upon his envious sight with the all-lovely
Georgiana leaning upon my arm, was intoxicating

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to my senses; the bare idea made me reel and
stagger with excessive delight; it was a happiness
too great even for reflection. I could not dwell
upon it.

It happened about this time that a distant relation
of Mr. Mrisett's, Mrs. Brown, the wife of one
of the firm of Brown & Smith, cotton brokers,
gave a large party, and very much to my surprise
I received a card, for I had never seen the lady. It
was the first invitation I had ever received in my
life to a party, and I was quite beside myself with
joy, for Georgiana was to be there. I was wholly
unprepared for the event, and the first thing I did
was to purchase a bottle of Cologne water, and a
box of bear's grease; the next was to consult
with Jack Gauntlet, the fashionable young gentleman
in the counting-room of Marisett & Co.,
about the particular costume proper for such an
occasion, and according to his directions, I furnished
myself with a pair of morocco pumps, and
black silk stockings, a white cravat, and a linen
cambric pocket handkerchief; my wardrobe was
already supplied with the other requisites. Jack
said there would be no dancing, because Mr.
Brown was pious, but that there would be any
quantity of thrumming on the piano, and scandal

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by the wholesale, besides sugar kisses, and phillippinas.

The cards were sent round almost a week before
the party took place; it was for Thursday
night, and I thought it would never come; but
one after the other, Monday, Tuesday, and
Wednesday, hobbled away, and the sun of—of
Thursday—set at last. I dressed myself early, and
that I might be sure of being neither too soon nor
too late, I stationed myself on the opposite side
of the street, a few doors from Mr. Brown's house,
and when I thought that about one half the guests
had arrived, I crossed over, and bustled up the
steps, as though I had come in a great hurry.

Georgiana went early in the afternoon, by particular
request from Mrs. Brown. I forgot to
mention that Mrs. Butler, observing the uncommon
pains I was at in dressing myself, offered to
loan me her broach; it was ornamented with her
first husband's initials in front, and a lock of his
hair on the back, very curiously worked to represent
a weeping willow, but I declined wearing a
gem of such value, as it could not be replaced if
I lost it, and she, I dare say, was glad that I refused
it.

Mrs. Brown's house was brilliantly illuminated
with a sperm candle in each side light, and two

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in the fan light over the door. I pulled the bell,
and the door was instantly opened by a tall black
man, in a white apron, who took my cloak and
hat, and left me to make what disposition of myself
I chose. There were two or three young
men standing in the hall, apparently waiting for
some one possessed of more courage than themselves
to lead the way into the parlor; the door
stood a-jar, and I boldly pushed it open and walked
in, leaving it to ehance to direct my footsteps.
But my heart beat terribly, notwithstanding, although
I had an idea that the secret of good
manners was to appear perfectly unconcerned,
and to speak civilly to any one near me. I knew
Mr. Brown, and I cast my eyes round upon the
company assembled, with the hope of seeing him,
but he caught sight of me before I saw him, and
very kindly took me by the arm, and walked me
through the folding doors, and introduced me to
Mrs. Brown, who, after a moment's conversation,
took my arm, and introduced me to Miss Green,
a very tall young lady, dressed in white satin, and
with a large bunch of cammelias in her hand. As
there was a vacant chair by her side, I sat down,
anticipating a taste of the scandal which Jack
Gauntlet had prepared me for. I looked over to
the opposite side of the room, and there sat

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Georgiana De Lancey and my cousin by her side, in
close conversation with her. I immediately
turned my head as if I had not observed them,
and made an attempt to speak to Miss Green, but
for the life of me, I could not open my lips. She
appeared very anxious for me to say something,
and smiled in anticipation of what I might utter.
But in spite of my having previously arranged in
my mind a very smart speech, in case I should be
introduced to a young lady, I could not command
a word. So I offered my arm to Miss Green, and
asked her to promenade round the room; she
caught it with eagerness, as though she considered
me a windfall; and well she might, for she was
tall, and yellow, and thin, and she had contrived,
with a strange perversity of taste, to dress herself
in such a manner as to magnify all her blemishes.
But had she been beautiful as the Paphian queen,
or any other beauty who never had an existence,
it would have been all the same to me. I was so
overcome at seeing my cousin seated by the side
of Georgiana, that I had no eyes for any thing
beside. I felt sick and dizzy; I could see nothing
distinctly, and a strange sound was buzzing in my
ears. Fortune seemed to make use of me expressly
as a set-off to my cousin; whenever I met
him I was sure to suffer by comparison with him.

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As I passed through the folding doors with the
tall Miss Green clinging to my arm, I could not
help turning my head to look at him, when my
eye met his, and I quickly averted it. I fancied
there was a sneer upon his lip, and that Georgiana
was smiling at something he had said. Perhaps
it was some contemptuous remark about me. I
grew faint at the thought. The simperings of
Miss Green sounded in my ear like dismal howlings.
By some manœuvre, I know not how, I got
away from my long companion, and succeeded in
reaching the piazza at the back of the house; the
night air was cold, and I soon revived; but my
feelings were too much excited, to allow of my
reappearing in the parlor. So I took my hat and
cloak, and hurried back to my chamber.

CHAPTER XV. Letters from Home.

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Let not the reader think, because I have so
long omitted to make mention of my parents, that
I had forgotten them. Not so; my affection for
them and my sister was undiminished.

As soon as I made an engagement with Mr.
Marisett, I wrote to my father, informing him of
the change in my prospects, and by return of
mail, I received the three following letters:

(From my father.)

My dear Boy,

I was happy to hear from you again, and
to learn that you had obtained a situation to your
mind. I hope you will so conduct yourself in it
as to merit the approbation of your employer. I
know the house of Marisett well; I had dealings
with them before the embargo.

From the great length of time which had elapsed
since you left home, without our having heard
a word about you, your mother began to grow
very uneasy on your account, although I told
her it was extremely indecorous in her, and

[figure description] Page 148.[end figure description]

assured her that I had no doubt you were doing
well, and that we should see you some time or
other.

Your cousin, I hear, has been fortunate in his
speculations; he is a great credit to his parents;
he is a fine gentlemanly fellow, and as you will
probably meet him in New York, I hope you will
try to model yourself after him. Your mother
and sister, I suppose, will urge you to come
home, but you know that business must be attended
to. Don't make any sacrifices for the
sake of coming home. Many of your young acquaintances
have been married, some have died,
and all are doing well.

Enclosed I send you a small draft, which you
are at liberty to use according to your discretion.
&c. &c.

H. France.

My yearning affections shrunk within me as I
read my father's letter. His allusions to my
cousin made the blood boil within me, and I vowed
to myself never to return home until my prospects
were at least equal to his. I could not
think that my father intended to taunt me with
my cousin's superiority; but in effect he did so,
and I could hardly refrain from tearing his letter

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to pieces. The draft enclosed was the most incomprehensible
part of the letter; it was for five
hundred dollars. By what means he had procured
this amount of money, I could not imagine.

The letter from my mother was as follows:

Dear, DEAR Harry,

Is it true that my dear boy is alive and
well! O, Harry, I have read your letter over and
over; and your poor sister has read it, and cried
over it, and prayed over it. I put it under my
pillow when I lay down at night, that I may be
able to press it to my lips when I wake in the
morning. Your father tells me it is weak in me
to do so, but it is a weakness caused by the
strength of my love for you. O, Harry, my dear
boy, I have had such dreams about you! but
they were only dreams, and I will not distress you
by relating them. Let us give thanks to our
heavenly Father for all his mercies. When we
received your letter, it was my wish to return
thanks publicly through Doctor Slospoken; but
your father would not give his consent. What
the neighbors all thought, I cannot say. But my
dear Harry, why did you not come home? to
your own home? Do not think, my dear child,

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that you will be more welcome to your home and
your mother's heart, if you bring the wealth of
the Indies with you. If you be covered with
jewels your mother will not see them, and if you
be clothed in rags, she will only see her child.

From your affectionate mother,

S. Franco.

“P. S. Enclosed is a ten dollar bill; it is all
the money I have now; your father tells me he
has sent you more.

“Once more good bye; and that our heavenly
Father may bless you, is the heartfelt prayer of
my dear son's affectionate mother,

“S. F.

“N. B. Come home immediately.”

The other letter was from my sister; it read
thus:

“My DEAR Brother,

Your letter has made us all happy; how
happy I cannot express; for we had mourned for
you as one that was dead. I cannot, in a letter,
relate to you all that has been said and done since
we heard from you; but may be assured we
have been almost beside ourselves with joy, and
all our talk has been, Harry, Harry, Harry.

“There have been great changes in our village

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since you left. There have been great speculations
going on, and father has been offered a great
price for our garden, which has been laid out into
building lots, with a street running right
through my flower beds, which is to be called
Franco avenue. There are no houses built upon
the street yet, but the ground plan has been most
beautifully lithographed, and hung up in our parlor,
in a gilt frame. Our house is newly painted,
and is to be called the mansion house; a company
have agreed to purchase it, and convert it into a
hotel. They have already paid fifty dollars to
make the bargain binding. Father can get as
much money as he wants from a new bank which
has been set up here. Every body has grown
rich, and our cousin, they say, has made a splendid
fortune in New York, by selling his father's
orchard for building lots. He cuts a great dash
when he comes home, but I am certain that you,
dear brother, will outshine him, when you come
home, which I hope will be soon. Don't disappoint
us, and do let us know when we may expect
you.

“From your affectionate sister,

“Mary Franco.

“P. S. I have promised you to a young lady
whose father has just made a large fortune.”

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How cold, cheerless, and benumbing is the affection
of a man, even though he be your father,
when contrasted with the warm, pure, and overflowing
affections of a woman. The letters of
my mother and sister were balmy to my soul;
they contained expressions which I could treasure
up in my heart. But my sister's letter was
full of pleasant news which excited my hopes to
the highest degree. The mansion house and
Franco street sounded very well, and I repeated
them over a dozen times. The allusions to my
cousin gave additional strength to my ambition
to excel him He had received his property from
his father, but I had thus far received no assistance
from mine, and it would be a proud boast
if I could succeed in raising myself to a level
with him, by my own exertions. I resolved to
try; and if I should ever succeed in gaining the
hand of Georgiana De Lancey, on what an exalted
eminence would the possession of her alone
place me; how proudly I could then look down
on my cousin, and with what feelings of envy
would he regard one whom he had pretended to
despise.

Thoughts like these haunted me continually;
they nerved me to persevere in my duties, and
solaced me when I was weary or dejected.

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The first interruption to my bright dreams, was
that which occurred at Mrs. Brown's party,
When I went home, I met Mrs. Butler in the hall;
she was surprised at seeing me return so soon. I
told her I felt unwell.

“Dear soul,” said the good woman, “let me
warm your bed, and give you some boneset tea.”

I thanked her for her kindness, but refused it.
My malady was not one that could be affected by
a warming pan, nor by that best of all herbs,
boneset. I went up to my chamber and spent the
remainder of the night in tossing upon the bed,
striving in vain to dispel the apparition of Georgiana
De Lancey, with my cousin seated by her
side.

In the morning Mrs. Butler told me that when
Georgiana came home, she asked particularly
about me, and that she appeared alarmed when
she heard I was unwell. This intelligence revived
me; to know that Georgiana had expressed
any anxiety on my account, made my heart leap
with pleasure. I went down to the counting-room,
feeling happier than I ever felt before.

CHAPTER XVI. A Crisis. Making love.

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Georgiana was punctual in the observance of
all her religious duties, and constant in her attendance
at the chapel, and I never failed to accompany
her there whenever I was at liberty. But
the oftener I went there, the more I disliked the
place. At first, it was hallowed, in my estimation,
by her presence, but as the religious meetings
which she attended engrossed so much of her time,
I began to fear that they would estrange her from
me altogether. I hated them heartily, and my
aversion increased, because I was obliged to keep
it within my own bosom; I was afraid to discover
it either by words or actions, for fear of offending
her.

One evening I was startled by seeing my cousin
at a prayer meeting; he sat directly in front of
Georgiana, where she could not but observe him,
and he joined in all the exercises with seeming devotion.
I could not but regard him with feelings
of disgust, for I knew his sole purpose was to attract
the attention of Georgiana. Ever after, he
was sure to make his appearance whenever she was
present at a meeting.

[figure description] Page 155.[end figure description]

My cousin was handsome in his person, and
pleasing in his manners, when he wished to please,
at least so people said, but to me he appeared the
impersonation of all that was vile and hideous.
The object of his pretended sanctity could not be
mistaken, and I was dreadfully alarmed, lest he
should succeed in gaining the affections of Georgiana
by his hypocrisy. It is true, I had good
cause for believing she loved me, but she had
never told me so, nor plighted her faith to me; if
she had, I could never have felt a jealous pang.
But it was one of the peculiarities of the faith she
professed, that it was sinful for christians to be
yoked together with unbelievers, and her pastor
had publicly announced that he would in no case
unite such together in the everlasting bonds. And
knowing the purity of her mind, her devotedness
to the faith she professed, and her strong sense of
duty, I could not hope that, for my sake, she
would do violence to her conscience. I would
gladly, for her sake, have joined myself to any
society, or made a profession of any religious belief,
but I could not for a moment entertain the
thought of practising deceit towards her; and as
to any actual change taking place in my feelings,
I did not regard it within the reach of possibility.

One Sunday evening she was prevented by the

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rain from going to meeting. I found her sitting
in the parlor with the bible open before her. Her
uncle was in his private office, where he usually
spent his Sabbath evenings; and the state of the
weather precluded the possibility of visiters; I
exulted in the hope of spending an evening uninterruptedly
with her.

The weather was cold — it was March — and
the fire burned bright and cheerful in the grate,
and the mellow light from a Sevres shade imparted
a rich and softened hue to every thing around.
The walls were hung with the loveliest creations
of the art of all arts, and angelic faces and limbs
of matchless beauty seemed gazing and reaching
from frames of burnished gold, like cherubim
peering through a halo of glory. Georgiana
herself was a picture of living beauty, showing
forth more of grace and loveliness than any of
the fair faces which seemed to look down upon
her as if enamored of her charms.

I sat down by the little table on which her bible
was placed, and was greeted by her with a
smile and a blush.

“O! Mr. Franco,” she said, after a short
pause, “do you know what high and holy
pleasure we are capable of receiving from this
blessed book?”

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