“Three days after Harry’s first letter reached me I received another
announcing the death of Mrs. Bramlett, and informing me that he would
start for Memphis, in company with the two orphans, on the following
Monday, with a view of placing them with their guardian. About two
months after Viola had arrived at her new home, with Mr. Ragland’s
family, I received another long letter from Harry, the perusal of which
caused me much pain; and, as I think it would assist me on with this
history, I will read it now:
“‘Dear Eddie--It is with a heavy heart that I write this
communication, because things are not going on well here by any
means; and I would not distress you with a history of our troubles,
but I know you must learn of them sooner or later. Viola has
changed very much since she arrived here two months ago. She is by
no means like the same girl she was when she came here last fall.
There is a breach between her and me that grows wider every
day--since she became aware of my determination not to place myself
in a situation where the world would be justified in applying the
dishonorable name of fortune-hunter to me. I was alone with Viola
one day in Lottie’s flower garden, happy to be near one I loved so
devotedly. I think I must have lost control of myself--I was so
completely overcome with my passion that I scarcely knew what I was
doing. I think she concluded that I was about to make a declaration
of my love for her, and to make her an offer of marriage. I am sure
I do not know exactly what I did say; but I will try to tell you
the substance of what occurred. She was pinning a rose on my
breast, while her sweet lips were near mine, and I seized her hand
and kissed it.
“‘“Miss Bramlett,” said I, “how beautiful you look to-day. Do you
know that I think you are the most charming girl in the world?”
“‘“How should I know your thoughts, Mr. Wallingford, about
anything, when you are so cold and formal with me? You always talk
to me as if I were a mere stranger, whom you had never met before.”
“‘“Don’t call me Mr. Wallingford, I beseech you; speaking of
coldness, that makes me shiver.”
“‘“It is a poor rule that won’t work both ways; you made it, and
should not now complain of my adopting it.”
“‘“The retort is just, and I have no right to complain; but we are
both getting to be quite formal of late; nevertheless, I may be
permitted to think and speak of your great beauty, I hope, without
offending you.”
“‘“Oh, no offense, I assure you, Mr. Wallingford--I am used to
flattery, and it does not make me vain at all.”
“‘“No doubt you are often annoyed with compliments, but I was only
speaking the honest truth when I said I thought you were the most
beautiful creature I ever saw.”
“‘“Indeed, I am much gratified to know that you don’t think me
ugly. I never saw but one gentleman whom I thought was extra
handsome; but, alas! he has a heart as cold as an iceberg, and is
too proud to be happy.”
‘“I knew in an instant to whom she alluded, and I felt my heart
begin to melt at once.
“‘“May I know the name of this wonderful paragon?’ I inquired, as I
gazed eagerly into her expressive eyes.
“‘“Oh, never mind his name--he is a particular friend of mine,
anyway.”
“‘“Is he nothing more than a friend, Miss Bramlett?”
“‘“If he is, he is too proud to say so. Like Achilles, he wraps
himself up with his cloak of selfishness, and smiles at other
people’s woes.”
“‘I still held her little hand in mine, every now and then pressing
it to my lips.
“‘“Viola, how can you be so cruel, when you know how miserable I
am?”
“‘“I had no idea that you were miserable; pray what has caused it?”
“‘“I love one whose high position places her so far above my humble
sphere that I know she never can be mine.”
“‘“We are all equals in the eyes of God, and the accidents of birth
or fortune should make no difference with us--the worth of the man
should be measured according to his deeds.”
“‘“No doubt your theory is altogether correct, but you know that
the world takes a different view of it”
“‘“A man who strives to please the world in all things may expect
to please himself in none. For my part, I think the world’s a
humbug, and society a tyrant; and the man who worships either will
make himself miserable. I believe it was Mr. Pope, in his ‘Essay on
Man,’ who said,
“‘”‘Honor and shame from no condition rise,
Act well your part, there all the honor lies;
Worth makes the man, and want of it the fellow;
The rest is all but leather and prunella.’”
“‘“Viola, don’t you know that I have been loving you devotedly ever
since we first met?”
“‘Her head sank down, and she turned her face from me to hide the
tears that were streaming from her eyes. I was crazy with passion;
my brain was on fire. I forgot my pride, I lost my self-possession;
I was, for the time being, raving mad with love; I took her in my
arms and held her against my heart--her head resting on my
shoulder. I would be willing to suffer a long life of pain for an
hour of such joy! but, alas! it could never be. Suddenly I
recollected what I had done--I saw the folly of it--nay, I began to
see the meanness of it, and my cheeks burned with shame. I felt
like a cowardly sneak; I sprang away from Viola.
“‘“Pardon my presumption, Miss Bramlett; upon my honor, I was
joking; I beg you to forgive and forget me; I did not think of the
impropriety of my conduct. Let us be good friends; that is all I
ask, nothing more. I shall go to California. I--I--could have loved
you, Miss Bramlett, under different circumstances; but, as it is, I
must try to forget you; good-by--let us part as friends.”
“‘I took her hand in mine--it was as cold as ice, and her face was
deadly pale; I started to leave her. I had gone about twenty paces
from her, when I heard a groan--such a groan of despair as never
before broke on my ear! It was not loud, but sounded like the knell
of death to me. I hastened back, and found Viola lying on the
ground, apparently dead, her temple stained with blood, that came
from a severe wound which she had received from falling against a
corner of the bench. For a moment I was paralyzed with horror, the
first thought that occurred to my mind being that she had committed
suicide. But Lottie had heard the groan, and came running to
ascertain the cause. She sat down and placed Viola’s head on her
lap, and began to wipe the blood from her temple.
“‘“Bring water--quick, Harry!” said Lottie.
“‘I hastened to the house, seized a bucket of water, and was back
in a moment. Lottie sprinkled Viola’s face and bathed her temples,
and in a short time signs of returning life were appearing. I was
gratified to find that the wound was not serious, and that all
danger was over. I lifted Viola in my arms and carried her to the
house, having my bosom stained with her precious blood. She did not
open her eyes at all while I was carrying her to the house; but I
saw tears falling rapidly from them. I whispered a few words to
Lottie, by way of directing her what course to pursue, as I placed
Viola on a sofa, and fled like a coward from the premises. I know
you will condemn my conduct, and I know I deserve it; but, as God
in Heaven is my judge, I meant to do nothing wrong. My reason was
overthrown by my intense passion. You have been in love yourself,
and can readily understand how love can steal away one’s reason.
Who can love as I love Viola, and then be discreet? Who can retain
his senses when his blood is boiling in his veins and his brain on
fire? I confess my conduct was shameful, disgraceful and cowardly.
I should never have placed myself under the influence of her
charms--I should have kept my love for her a secret, but in her
presence I could not do it. I have sworn a solemn oath that I would
never ask her to marry me while I am penniless and she so rich. I
thought I was right then, and I have never changed my mind. Having
made that resolve, it was criminal in me to act as I did. I think I
shall go to California soon, because I cannot endure the torture
that will be mine if I remain near her. I am foolish enough--call
it vanity, if you please--to think that if I were in California I
might make a fortune in a few years; then I could claim Viola’s
hand without feeling degraded in my own estimation. I never, until
lately, cared to be rich, but now I would make any sacrifice,
endure any hardship, to accumulate wealth.
“‘Viola left our house the next morning after the affair in the
garden, and has never been back any more. The occurrence mentioned
happened two weeks ago, and I must say I have never seen such a
change in any one as has come over Viola. The beautiful rosy tint
has left her fair cheeks, and her disposition seems to have
undergone an unaccountable change. Her conduct is causing her
friends great pain and uneasiness. She treats Lottie with a strange
coldness, and passes me with a dignified bow. She has become
perfectly reckless with her money--seems to be determined to get
rid of it; she does not use it in showy dress or costly jewelry,
but is giving it away to the poor as fast as she can. Her guardian
endeavors to restrain her, but she heeds not his counsel or his
commands. She appears only to study the best and fastest way to get
rid of her money. She says she hates the very name of money, and
that she means to give it all to the poor as soon as it comes into
her hands. Mr. Ragland says her income is very great, but that
within two weeks just passed she has given away one whole year’s
income, and is borrowing more. Of course she can borrow as much as
she pleases, and seems to be determined to use her credit. What is
to be the result of this strange freak God only knows. I wish you
were here, for she might be influenced by you--she always appeared
to like you. Her guardian is greatly distressed at her conduct; he
says it is inexplicable to him. I fear that something awful is
going to happen. You would not think it possible for any one to
undergo such a radical change as she has. Come home as quickly as
you can; you may be able to do something with her. Lottie is
overwhelmed with grief; we are all in despair--her guardian has
given up all hope! Start immediately. I shall leave for California
as soon as you arrive. My uncle has made a great fortune there; he
offers to aid me if I will come, and I shall accept his offer at
once. I must get away from here at all hazards as soon as possible.
Probably Viola would recover her former gay and lively feelings if
I were away. If her entire fortune were now under her control she
would give it away in a month. She is annoyed with many suitors,
but she gives none of them any encouragement; in fact, they
complain that she does not even treat them respectfully.
“‘Lottie joins me in love to you, and also in the hope that you
will come home soon after this letter reaches you. Dear Lottie is
quite low spirited since Viola has quit visiting us, and nothing
but your presence here can revive her. It is useless to tell you
how much Lottie loves you, because you have known that all the
time. She is a dear, darling sister. God bless her, she will make
you a good wife.
“‘Hoping to see you at home very soon, I am,
“‘Yours truly,
“‘HARRY WALLINGFORD.’
“Within twenty-four hours after the receipt of that letter I was on my
way home, and although I was being hurried on at the rate of forty miles
an hour, I felt as if I were going at a snail’s pace. When I arrived at
home I of course went to see Lottie before talking with any one else. I
found my darling all that heart could wish. She was more beautiful, more
charming in my eyes than ever. The large, dreamy blue eyes were swimming
in tears of joy as I held her to my glad heart, and I saw a look of love
that satisfied me that I was the possessor of a treasure of great value.
I lingered by my darling’s side until late at night. Every little
trifling incident was described--the days of old were alluded to and
discussed, while the present and future came in for a full share.
Harry’s case was adverted to, and plans suggested by which we hoped to
be able to bring about a reconciliation between Viola and him. Old Bob
was dead, and had been honored with a grave in Lottie’s flower garden.
Old Roderick was alive, and in splendid humor for talking when Lottie
and I called to see him at his headquarters.
“‘Ah, ha! here we are, Lottie! Eddie’s in New York!’ screamed the old
parrot, as he jumped down on Lottie’s shoulders.
“‘Ah, ha! here we come, my boy!’ exclaimed Dr. Dodson, as he met me at
the door and gathered me by both shoulders, holding me square before
him, and gazing into my face with his kind, keen eyes, first drawing me
close to him, then pushing me back, as if inspecting some article he
intended to purchase. ‘Ah, ha! here we are, my boy, all right! You’ve
come out wonderfully; much taller, much better looking; don’t look so
green--more polish--not such a booby now, are you, my boy?’
“I did not have time to answer his questions; he pitched them in so
thickly and rapidly that I could not have put a word in edge-wise.
“‘Glad to see you home again, my boy! plenty of work to do, lots of
patients on hand; you can dive in, you see, right away. Been to see
Lottie? Yes, of course you have! had to see her before you came to me.
Oh, you sly rascal! had to go to her first, eh? Well, well, well, such
is life, you know! I was a fool once myself, when I was young! We are
all fools when in love! I was in love with Dolly when she was young;
Heaven bless her! I think I am in love with her yet! There, go in, my
boy, and see her; she is crazy to see you. Ah, ha! my boy, here we go!’
“Then he shoved me in the house, calling at the top of his voice:
“‘Here, Dolly, our old boy has come at last! hug him first, then scold
him roundly for going to see Lottie before coming to see us. Ah, ha! yes
he did, a good-for-nothing rascal! Lottie is making a fool of him! Fact
is, she is making a fool of herself, also! Well, well, old woman, we
were young once, ourselves! you know how it is, yourself!’
“The next morning I sought an interview with Harry, and was deeply
pained to see the change that had taken place in his appearance. His
face was very pale, his cheeks appeared to be sunken, and his general
appearance indicated great mental anguish. The lively smile that used to
light up his handsome face in the days of old was absent now. He greeted
me kindly, but the tone of his voice made me shiver; it was so
melancholy that it startled me.
“‘How is she now?’ I inquired, alluding, of course, to Viola.
“‘Worse all the time--growing more reckless,’ said he, with a mournful
shake of the head. ‘For Heaven’s sake, go see her at once.’
“‘Why not go yourself?’ I asked; ‘you could have more influence with her
than all the men in the world.’
“‘No, no! I dare not go near her. My senses always forsake me when I am
in her presence; I must go away from Memphis immediately.’
“‘Nonsense! why must you go away? Why not discard this foolish pride,
and marry her and be happy?’
“‘If that is the only advice you have to offer, we will let the subject
drop; my mind is settled on that question, and it must not be mentioned
any more.’
“‘The money is mine,’ Viola would reply to Mr. Ragland’s remonstrances
regarding the reckless manner in which she was squandering it, ‘and why
should I not do with it as I please? Who has any right to say when and
how I shall use it? Who has any right to dictate to me on that subject?
This hateful fortune has been my bane, and I mean to rid myself of it as
soon as possible! Are there not thousands of poor people in this city
who need money? Are there not thousands who toil the live-long day and
then go to bed at night hungry? Yes, yes, you know it! Well, I mean to
give all my money to them, and hire myself out to work as a governess,
if I can; and if I can’t do that, I’ll wash or sew; nay, I’ll serve as
chamber-maid at a hotel, before I’ll keep this hateful money! Has it not
already ruined my hopes of happiness forever? Has it not surrounded me
with false friends? Has it not overflowed me with a brigade of brainless
fortune-hunters whose silly twaddle about love makes me sick? This
accursed gold drives true friends from me, and attracts about me a host
of senseless flatterers, whose very presence is hateful to me.’
“There was no boisterous bluster about her manner--no outburst of
passion--but a quiet, determined expression was indelibly impressed on
her features. It did not require a Solomon to tell me that Harry was
responsible for all this; it was as plain as the sun at noontide. What
should I do next? was the question that naturally presented itself to
me. Should I sit down, fold my hands and quietly wait for the grand
smash-up which would be sure to come unless something was done to
prevent it; or should I put forth all my energies to save two young
hearts from utter ruin? I was deeply impressed with the magnitude of the
situation, yet at a loss to know what course to pursue in order to
change it. Having pondered over the matter until I was half sick and
badly puzzled, in a spirit of desperation I broached the subject to
Viola.
“‘Harry is going to California,’ I said to her; ‘we are all greatly
distressed about it, and you might prevent it if you would try.’
“‘And pray, Mr. Demar, tell me what I have to do with the movements of
Mr. Wallingford?’
“‘I thought you might not wish him to go,’ I said, timidly.
“‘Indeed, Mr. Demar! let me assure you that Mr. Wallingford’s plans are
in no respect of interest to me. He may go to Jerusalem--if he thinks it
will promote his happiness--or to California, or to Hindostan, or to the
North Pole, or anywhere else; what is it to me? I am just now engaged in
attending to my own business, and I imagine that Mr. Wallingford is
pursuing the same line of policy; I am sure I wish him success in all
his undertakings.’
“‘Don’t you know that pride is drawing both of you apart? Stop, I
beseech you, before it is too late! Send a message to Harry by me--let
me tell him you wish to see him.’
“‘I have no message to send him; why should I wish to see him? Achilles
must occupy his lofty tent and let Greece bleed at every vein. When
Patroclus is dead, then he may condescend to take the field!’
“As she uttered those words she was pacing the floor rapidly, back and
forth while a strange fire flashed from her pretty eyes. She moved like
a queen, and I saw the signs of intense passion disturbing her bosom.
The truth is, she was hard pressed for courage to keep from exposing her
love for Harry.
“‘Give me that rose you have on your throat,’ I said, ‘and let me tell
Harry you sent it to him.’
“‘No, no! I might offend this proud Greek! Let him enjoy his god-like
pride! Why should he be disturbed by others’ woes? Do you remember the
first lines of the “Iliad”?
“Achilles’ wrath to Greece, the direful spring
Of woes unnumbered, heavenly goddess sing.”
I am no goddess, but I mean to write a song, and sing the proud man’s
praise until his great deeds done in the heart-crushing business shall
resound throughout the land. You had better marry Lottie, Mr. Demar,
without delay; she is his sister, you know, and might catch the
inspiration, and learn to despise common people.’
“‘Miss Bramlett, for Heaven’s sake don’t talk that way! You know how
Lottie loves you--she would go any length to serve you. Harry worships
you, and all will go well if you will only give him a little kind
message.’
“‘I can only repeat what I have already said. I have no message for Mr.
Wallingford.’
“I left her with heavy feelings weighing on my mind. Time rolled on, we
all rolled on too--or rather drifted on toward our fate. At the end of
six months matters were not improved, but had continued to grow worse.
Lottie was as true to me as the needle to the pole; not a wave of
misunderstanding ever crossed the calm sea of our happiness; all my
spare moments were spent by her side. We were too happy to look into the
dim future, but we drank in the sweet pleasure of the present, little
dreaming of the great cloud of woe that was gathering over our heads,
soon to burst on us with all its fury. Shortly after the
misunderstanding between Harry and Viola he had fallen ill, and for six
weeks his life seemed to be ebbing away slowly; but, thanks to Doctor
Dodson’s skill and Lottie’s nursing, the vital spark was kept in the
body until nature came to the rescue. His illness caused him to postpone
his trip to California at least until fall, and we were encouraged to
hope that we should be able to get him to abandon the trip entirely. I
still clung to the idea that he and Viola would not drift apart forever.
“Viola never visited Lottie after the trouble with Harry. I saw her
about four weeks after Harry was taken ill. I was not prepared to look
for or expect such a change as was visible in her appearance; she
presented a perfect picture of despair--her beautiful eyes had a
languid, listless look in them that told plainly how she was suffering.
Was this the beautiful, gay little girl that I had heard Lottie call the
lively little cricket? Was it possible that one could change in that way
in so short a time? I could scarcely believe the evidence of my own
eyes. When I informed her that Harry was very ill, and that we all
thought he was going to die, she started, gazed wildly at me for a
moment, then burst into tears.
“‘I was in hopes I would go first,’ she said, ‘but I can follow him
soon; there will be no money up there to keep us apart.’
“When I repeated her very words to him he was deeply affected, which
increased my hopes of a reconciliation. He was greatly changed in many
respects, and I thought the prospects of an understanding were
brightening. The time was near at hand when I was to go to Philadelphia
again to take my last course before receiving my diploma. Mr. Rockland
had at last consented that Lottie and I should be married when I
returned. During the summer Viola contracted a large number of debts,
after having exhausted her cash income. Her guardian was very greatly
annoyed and embarrassed by the demands of the creditors, and was
threatening to resign his office as guardian. The trustees in New York
were complaining of the continuous calls made on them for money, and had
promptly refused to encourage such extravagance. I must, however, do
Viola the justice to say that she did not squander the money where it
would do no good, but was distributing it among the worthy poor people
of the city. I was invited, one day, to go with her on a visit among the
suffering people who were the recipients of her bounty, and, before I
had finished the visit, I had occasion to change the unfavorable opinion
I had formed in regard to her conduct. She went about the matter in a
business-like manner; interrogated a family, ascertained what was needed
to make them comfortable, gave an order on a merchant for the articles,
and passed on to the next family, repeating the same good work there. I
saw large numbers of ragged children clinging to her skirts and pressing
kisses on her hands, while sickly mothers were praying for Heaven’s
richest blessings to fall on the dear angel who had kept their children
from starving. As I witnessed those affecting scenes, I was more
inclined to indorse Viola’s course than I was to condemn it.
“The first of October found me again in Philadelphia, hard at work and
full of bright hopes as to the future--reading Lottie’s sweet letters of
love, and thinking of the happy day that was soon to make her my wife.