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_THE CONTINENTAL MONTHLY:_

DEVOTED TO

LITERATURE AND NATIONAL POLICY.

VOL. I.--JUNE, 1862.--No. VI.

_THE CONSTITUTION AND SLAVERY._

There are two sections of the United States, the Free States and the
Slave States, who hold views widely different upon the subject of
Slavery and the true interpretation of the Constitution in relation to
it. The Southern view, for the most part, is:

1. The Constitution recognizes slaves as strictly property, to her
bought and sold as merchandise.

2. The Constitution recognizes all the territories as open to slavery as
much as to freedom, except in those cases where it has been expressly
interdicted by the Federal Government; and it secures the legal right to
carry slaves into the territories, and any act of Congress, restricting
this right to hold slaves in the territories, is unconstitutional and
void.

3. Slavery is a natural institution, and not to be considered as local
and municipal.

4. The Constitution is simply a compact or league between sovereign
States, and when either party breaks, in the estimation of the other,
this contract, it is no longer binding upon the whole, and the party
that thinks itself wronged has a right, acting according to its own
judgment, to leave the Union.

5. This contract between sovereign States has been broken to such an
extent, by long and repeated aggressions upon the South by the North,
that the slave States who have seceded from the Union, or who may
secede, are not only right in thus doing, but are justified in taking up
arms, to prevent the collection of revenue by the Federal Government.

These ideas are universally repudiated in the free States. It is not my
purpose to discuss the social or moral relations of slavery, but simply
to consider under what circumstances the Constitution originated, and
what was the clear intent of those who adopted it as the organic or
fundamental law of the country. The last assumption taken by the
seceding States grows out of the first four, and therefore it becomes a
question of vital interest, what did the framers of the Constitution
mean? We must remember that while names remain the same, the things
which they represent in time go through a radical change. Slavery is not
the same that it was when the Constitution was formed, nor are the
original slave States the same. If freedom at the North has made great
strides, so also has slavery South. Our country now witnesses a mighty
difference in free and slave institutions from what originally was seen.
The stand-point of slavery and freedom has altogether changed, not from
local legislation, but from natural causes, inherent in these two
diverse states of society. New interests, new relations, new views of
commerce, agriculture, and manufactures now characterize our country. It
will not do then to infer, from the existing state of things, what was
originally the respective condition of the slaveholding and the free
States, or what was in fact the import of that agreement, called the
Constitution, which brought about the Federal Union. The framers of the
Constitution did not reason so much as to what they should do for
posterity as for the generation then living. As fallible men, much as
they would wish to legislate wisely for the future, yet their very
imperfection of knowledge precluded them from knowing fully what fifty
or a hundred years hence would be the development of slavery or freedom.
Their actions must have reference to present wants, and consult
especially existing conditions of society. While they intended that the
Constitution should be the supreme law of the land, yet they wisely put
into the hands of the people the power of amending it at any such time
as circumstances might make it necessary. The question then at issue
between the North and the South is not what the Constitution should
read, not what it ought to be, to come up to the supposed interests of
the country; but what it does read. How is the Constitution truly to be
interpreted? All parties should acquiesce in seeking only to find out
the literal import of the Constitution as originally framed, or
subsequently amended, and abide by it, irrespective altogether of
present interests or relations. The reason is, in no other way can the
common welfare of the country be promoted. If the necessities of the
people demand a change in the Constitution, they can, in a legal way,
exercise the right, always remembering that no republic, no free
institutions, no democratic state of society can exist that denies the
great principle of the rule of the majority. It becomes us, then, in
order that we may come to a right decision respecting the duties that
grow out of our Federal Union, to consider what language the
Constitution makes use of, in relation to slavery, and how was this
instrument interpreted by the framers. The great question is, was
slavery regarded as a political and moral evil, to be restricted and
circumscribed within the States existing under the Constitution, or was
it looked upon as a blessing, a social relation of society, proper to be
diffused over the territories? It can be clearly shown that there was no
such state of feeling, respecting slavery, as to lead the originators of
our Constitution to look upon it as a thing in itself of natural right,
useful in its operation, and worthy of enlargement and perpetuation.
Rather, the universal sentiment respecting slavery, North and South,
was, that as a great moral, social, and political evil, it should be
condemned, and the widely prevalent impression was, that through the
peaceful operation of causes that evinced the immeasurable superiority
of free institutions, slavery would itself die out, and the whole
country be consecrated to free labor. Never did it enter the minds of
the framers of the Constitution, that slavery was a thing in itself
right and desirable, or that it should be encouraged in the territories.
It was looked upon as exclusively local in its character, the creature
of State law, a relation of society that was to be regulated like any
other municipal institution. It is not to be presumed that the authors
of our government would, in the Declaration of Independence, assert the
natural rights of all men to life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness, and then contradict this cardinal principle of the revolution
in the Constitution. They found slavery existing in the Southern States;
they simply left it as it was before the Revolution, with the idea that
in time the local action of the State legislature would do away with the
system. But so far as the extension of slavery was concerned, the
predominant feeling, North and South, was hostile to it. The security
of the country demanded the union of the States under one common
Constitution. The dangers of foreign war, the exhausted finances of the
different States, the evils of a great public debt, contracted during
the Revolution, made it advisable, as soon as the consent of the States
could be got, to have a Constitution that should command security at
home and credit and respect abroad. It was regarded as indispensable for
union, that slavery should be left as it was found in the States. The
thirteen States that first formed our Union under the Constitution, with
the great evils that grew out of war and debt, agreed, for their own
mutual protection, that slavery should be permitted to exist in those
States where it was sanctioned by the local government, as an evil to be
tolerated, not as a thing good in itself, to be fostered, perpetuated,
and enlarged. Seeing that union could not be had without slavery, it was
recognized as an institution not to be interfered with by the free
States; but not acknowledged, in the sense that it was right, a blessing
that, like free labor, should be the normal condition of the whole
people. There was no such indifference to slavery as a civil
institution, as has been asserted. The reason is two-fold: first, the
States could not be indifferent to slavery, if they wished; and
secondly, they could not repudiate, in the Constitution, the Declaration
of Independence. Thus the word 'slave' is not found in the Constitution.
In the rendition of slaves, they simply spoke of persons held to
service, and as union was impossible, if the free States were open to
their escape, without the right being recognized of being returned, this
provision was accordingly made; and yet by the provision that no person
should be deprived of liberty or life, without due process of law, and
that the free citizens of one State, irrespective of color, should have
the same rights, while resident in any other State, as the citizens of
that State, the framers of our Constitution declared, in language most
explicit, the natural rights of all men. The question is not as to the
consistency of their profession and practice, or how they could fight
for their own independence, and yet deny freedom, for the sake of the
Union, to the slaves; but the question is simply whether, in preparing
the Constitution, they intended to engraft upon it the idea of the
natural right of slavery, and recognize it as a blessing, to be
perpetuated and enlarged. The question is simply, whether the
Constitution was designed to be pro-slavery, or whether, like the
instrument of the Declaration of Independence, it was intended to be the
great charter of civil and religious freedom, although compelled, for
the sake of union, not to interfere with slavery where it already
existed? Great stress is put upon that clause enjoining the rendition of
slaves escaping from their masters; but union was impossible without
this provision. The necessity of union was thought indispensable for
protection, revenue, and securing the dearly-bought blessings of
independence. The question with them was not, ought slavery to be
recognized as a natural right, and slaves a species of property like
other merchandise? but simply, shall we tolerate this evil, for the sake
of Union? Thus, as the indispensable condition of union, the provision
was made for the rendition of persons held to labor in the slave States.
Why is the language of the Constitution so guarded as not to have even
the word 'slave' in it, and yet of such a character as not to interfere
with local State legislation upon slavery? Simply to steer between the
Charybdis of no union and the Scylla of the repudiation of the
Declaration of Independence, teaching that all men are born free and
equal, and that all have natural rights, such as life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness. And yet, in the slave States, the interpretation
of the Constitution is such, that the free States are accused of
violating it, unless they acknowledge that it recognizes slavery as a
natural right, and an institution to be perpetuated and enlarged, and
put upon the same level with the blessing of freedom, in the
territories. Slavery virtually must be nationalized, and the
Constitution be interpreted so as to carry it all over the territories
now existing, or to be acquired, or the free States have broken the
Constitution, and the slave States may leave the Union whenever it suits
their pleasure. It is easy to see how time has brought about such a
revolution of feeling and idea respecting slavery. It can be shown that
circumstances have changed altogether the relations of slavery, and
while names have remained the same, the things which they represent have
assumed a radical difference. It can be shown that the introduction of
the cotton-gin, and the increased profits of slave labor, have given an
impetus to the domestic institution that brings with it an entire
revolution of opinion. When slavery was unprofitable to the
slaveholders; when, in the early days of the republic, the number of
slaves was comparatively small; when, all over the country, the veterans
of the Revolution existed to testify to the hardships they endured for
national independence, and eulogize even the help of the negro in
securing it, then slavery was regarded a curse, an evil to be curtailed
and in time obliterated; then the local character of slavery, as the
creature of municipal law, not to be recognized where such law does not
exist, was the opinion universally of the people. But now, with the
growing profits of slavery, with the increase of the power of this
institution, other and far different language is held. Disguise it as we
may, there do exist great motives that have silently yet powerfully
operated within the last thirty or forty years, to change the popular
current of feeling and opinion. Not only have the slave States held the
balance of political power, but the spread of slavery has been gigantic.
The fairest regions of the South have been opened up to the domestic
institution, and Texas annexed, with Louisiana, Arkansas and Florida,
making an immense area of country, to be the nursery of slavery. The
political ascendency of the slave States has ever given to the South a
great advantage, in the extension of their favored institution, and the
result has proved that what our ancestors looked upon as an evil that
time would soon do away with, has grown into a monster system that
threatens to make subservient to it the free institutions of the North.

Slavery has now come to be a mighty energy of disquietude all over the
country, assuming colossal proportions of mischief, and mocking all the
ordinary restraints of law. The question of the present day to be
decided is not whether freedom and slavery shall exist side by side, nor
whether slavery shall be tolerated as a necessary evil; but in reality,
whether freedom shall be crushed under the iron hoof of slavery, and
this institution shall obtain the complete control of the country. It
has been said that the Constitution takes the position of complete
indifference to slavery; but the history of the slave States does not
lead us to infer that they were ever willing that slavery should be
tested by its own merits, or stand without the most persistent efforts
to secure for it the patronage of the Federal Government. Study the
progress of slavery, the last forty years, and none can fail to see that
it has ever aimed to secure first the supreme political control, and
then to advance its own selfish interests, at the expense of free
institutions. The great danger has always been, that while numerically
vastly inferior to the North, slavery has always been an unit, with a
single eye to its own aggrandizement; consequently, the history of the
country will show that so far from the general policy of the government
being adverse to slavery, that policy has been almost exclusively upon
the side of slaveholders. The domestic institution has been ever the pet
interest of the land.

In all that pertains to political power, the slaveholding interests have
been in the ascendant. Even when Lincoln was elected, it was found that
the Senate and House of Representatives, as well as the Judiciary, were
numerically upon the side of slavery, so that he could not, even had it
been his wish, carry out any measure inimical to the South. True, the
South had not the same power as under Buchanan; they could not hope ever
again to wield the resources of government to secure the ascendency of
slavery in Kansas; but for all that, Lincoln was powerless to encroach
upon their supposed rights, even if thus disposed. Is it not, then,
evident, that so far from the slaveholding States holding to the
opinions of the framers of the Constitution, there has been within the
last forty years a mighty change going on in the South, giving to
slavery an essentially aggressive policy, and an extension never dreamed
of by the authors of the Constitution? The ground of the Constitution
respecting slavery, was simply non-interference in the States where it
already existed. It left slavery to be curtailed, or done away with by
the local legislature, but it used language the most guarded, to
preclude the idea that slavery rested upon natural right, and that
slaves, like other property, could be carried into the territories. It
has been said, that the position of the Constitution is that of absolute
indifference, both to freedom and slavery; that it advocated neither,
but was bound to protect both. But how could the Constitution be
indifferent to the very end for which it was made? Was not its great
design to secure the liberty of the country, and promote its highest
welfare? The Constitution simply tolerated the existence of slavery, and
no more. As union was impossible without the provision for the rendition
of persons held to labor, escaping from one state into another, it
simply accommodated itself to an evil that was thought would be
restricted, and in due process of time done away with in the slave
States. To strain this provision to mean that it advocated the natural
right of slavery, and recognized the slave as property, to be sold and
bought like other merchandise, is simply to say that the framers of the
Constitution were the greatest hypocrites in the world, originating the
Declaration of Independence upon the basis of the natural right of all
men to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and yet with full
knowledge and purpose giving the lie to this instrument in the
Constitution. Madison thought it wrong to admit in the Constitution the
idea of property in man. The word 'service' was substituted for
'servitude,' simply because this last encouraged the idea of property.

The constitutional provision for the rendition of slaves was simply a
compromise between union and slavery. Of the two evils of _no union_, or
_no slavery_, it was thought the former was the worse, and consequently
the free States fell in with the measure. But could the patriots of the
Revolution have foreseen the gigantic growth of slavery, and the use
that would have been made of the provision recognizing it, no
consideration would have induced them to adopt a course that has been
prolific of so much misrepresentation and mischief to the country. They
left the suppression of slavery to the States where it existed, but
there was no intention to ingraft the idea of property in man in the
Constitution, or to favor its extension beyond the original slave States
in any way. John Jay, the first Chief-Justice, was preëminently
qualified to judge respecting this. We have his testimony most
explicitly denying the natural right of property in slaves, and
declaring that the Constitution did not recognize the equity of its
extension in the new States or Territories. Who was there more
conversant with the genius of our country than Washington; and yet how
full is his testimony to the evil of slavery; its want of natural right
to support it, and the necessity of its speedy suppression and
abolition? Is it possible that he, himself a slaveholder and an
emancipationist, could utter such sentiments and enforce them by his
example, if he regarded the Constitution as establishing the light of
property in man, and the benefit of the indefinite expansion of slavery
over the country? No, indeed! If we may consider the Constitution in
relation to slaves an inconsistent instrument, we can not prove it an
hypocritical and dishonest one. The hard necessities of the times wrung
out of reluctant patriots the admission of the rendition of slaves, but
they would not by any reasonable construction of language, assert the
natural right of property in slaves, and the propriety or benefit of its
toleration in new States and Territories. It was bad enough to tolerate
this evil in the old slave States, but it would be infamous to hand down
to posterity a Constitution denying the self-evident truths of the
Declaration of Independence. Toleration is not synonymous with approval,
or existence with right. There is a most subtle error in the assumption
of the indifference of the Constitution to freedom and slavery--that it
advocated neither, but protected both. Certainly the framers of the
Constitution were not automatons, or this instrument the accident of the
throw of the dice-box. The great purpose of this instrument was to raise
the revenue, and defend the country. Its end was to protect the
liberties and command the respect of civilized nations. The old
Confederation was to give way to the Federal Constitution. The
independence of the United States had been achieved at a heavy cost. To
say nothing of frontiers exposed, country ravaged, towns burnt, commerce
nearly ruined, the derangement of finances--the pecuniary loss alone
amounted to one hundred and seventy million dollars, two thirds of which
had been expended by Congress, the balance by individual States. The
design of the Constitution was to preserve the fruits of the Revolution,
to respect State sovereignty, and yet secure a powerful and efficient
Union; to have a central government, and yet not infringe upon the local
rights of the States. It will, therefore, be seen that while the subject
of slavery was earnestly discussed, and presented at the outset a great
obstacle to the union of the States, yet it was thought, upon the whole,
best to leave to the slave States the business of doing away with this
great evil in such a manner as in their judgment might best conduce to
their own security and the preservation of the Union.

But no truth of history is more evident than that the authors of the
Constitution regarded slavery as impossible to be sustained upon the
ground of the natural rights of mankind, and deserving of no
encouragement in the Territories, or States hereafter to come into the
Union. It was thought that the best interests of the slave States would
lead them to abolish slavery, and that before many years, the Republic
would cease to bear the disgrace of chattel bondage. It is certainly
proper that the acts and language of the authors of the Constitution,
and those who chiefly were instrumental in achieving our independence,
should be made to interpret that instrument which was the creation of
their own toils and love of country. Because the circumstances of the
present day have brought about a mighty change in the feelings and
opinions of the slave States, it does not follow that the Constitution
in its original intention and spirit should be accommodated to this new
aspect of things. It is easy to get up a theory of the natural right of
slavery, and then say that the Constitution meant that the slave States
should carry slave property just where the free States carry their
property; but when this ground is taken, the Constitution is made, to
all intents, a pro-slavery instrument. It ceases to be the charter of a
nation's freedom, and resolves itself into the most effective agent of
the propagandism of slavery. The transition is easy from such a theory
to the fulfillment of the boast of Senator Toombs, 'that the roll of
slaves might yet be called at the foot of Bunker Hill Monument.' But no
straining of the language of the Constitution can make it mean the
recognition of the natural right of slavery, The guarded manner in which
the provision was made for the rendition of slaves, and all the
circumstances connected with the adoption of the Constitution, show
conclusively that slavery was considered only a local and municipal
institution, a serious evil, to be suppressed and curtailed by the slave
States, and never by the General Government a blessing to be fostered
and extended where it did not exist at the time the Union of the
thirteen States was perfected.

Alexander H. Stephens, Vice-President of the Confederate States, in a
speech at Atlanta, Georgia, said:

     'Jefferson, Madison, Washington, and many others, were tender of
     the word slave, in the organic law, and all looked forward to the
     time when the institution of slavery should be removed from our
     midst as a trouble and a stumbling-block. The delusion could not be
     traced in any of the component parts of the Southern Constitution.
     In that instrument we solemnly discarded the pestilent heresy of
     fancy politicians, that all men of all races were equal, and we
     have made African inequality, and subordination, the chief
     corner-stone of the Southern Republic.'

Here we have the great idea of an essential difference in relation to
the Constitution and slavery existing at the present day South, from
that which did exist at the time of its ratification universally by the
people of the thirteen States. The Vice-President of the Southern
Confederacy frankly admits that slavery is its chief corner-stone; that
our ancestors were deluded upon the subject of slavery; that the ideas
contained in the Declaration of Independence respecting the equality of
all men, and their natural right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness, are only the pestilent heresy of fancy politicians;
consequently that in the Southern Constitution all such trash was
solemnly discarded. Can clearer proof be wanted to show that the
stand-point of slavery and freedom has altogether changed since the days
of Washington? Is it not true that our country at the present day
presents the singular spectacle of two great divisions, one holding to
the Constitution as interpreted by our ancestors North and South, the
other openly repudiating such interpretation? Is it strange, with such a
radical difference existing as to the import of the Constitution upon
the subject of slavery, that we should have such frequent and ever
persistent charges of Northern aggression? If the history of slavery be
kept in mind, it will be seen that it has steadily had its eye upon one
end, and that is national aggrandizement. Thus about two hundred
thousand slaveholders wield all the political power of the South, and
compel all non-slaveholders to acquiesce in their supremacy. But
whatever the South may choose to do, the North is under obligation to
give to slavery nothing more than what is guaranteed in the
Constitution. If more than this is asked for, the North is bound by a
just regard for its own interests and the prosperity of the country to
refuse compliance. It has been seen that even admitting that a State has
a just cause of complaint, or supposing as a matter of fact that the
Constitution is violated, she can not set herself up to be exclusively
the judge in this matter, and leave the Union at her convenience.

The history of our country reveals two memorable cases where the
question was decided that not the State, but the Federal Government was
to be its own judge of what was constitutional, and act accordingly.
First, the case of New-York; secondly, the course taken by Massachusetts
in relation to the Embargo law of 1807, which was believed to be
unconstitutional generally in New-England. In the case of New-York,
there was, as has been said, the surrender of any right to secede from
the Union at her pleasure; while in the Embargo law of 1807, which was
brought up to the Supreme Court for decision, there was the acquiescence
of New-England upon the simple point, who should be the final arbiter in
the dispute. Massachusetts and all New-England assented to a decision of
the Judiciary, not upon the ground that it was right, but that the
Supreme Court had alone the authority to say what was right.

In this case there was a perfect refutation of the whole theory of
secession; that theory falls back upon the idea that the State
government is to be its own judge of what constitutes a violation of the
Constitution, and act accordingly; but the Embargo law of 1807, when
carried up to the Supreme bench, and the way New-England assented to a
decision that was not believed to be in accordance with the
Constitution, is a signal rebuke of the assumption of State sovereignty
when arrayed against the General Government. The all-important question
was not, Was the decision of the Judiciary right, but simply, Who had
the authority to say what was right? Who should submit to that
authority? No person can fail to see in these two cases, under
circumstances so widely different, and with an end proposed in each
directly the reverse of the other, that the point so important to
establish was clearly made out, that the National Government reserves to
itself alone the right to decide as to what should be the course taken
in questions of dispute that arise between the States and the Federal
authority.

It is mournful to see the finest country on the earth--a land peculiarly
blessed with every element of material wealth, a land that has grown
like a giant, and commanded the respect of the world--now in her central
government made an object of contempt, and crippled in her strength by
those very States who should, upon the principle of gratitude for favors
granted, have been the last to leave the Union. While the Government at
Washington has shown the utmost forbearance, they have manifested the
greatest insolence, as well as disregard of the most sacred rights of
the Union. An Absalom the most willful and impetuous of his father's
family, and yet the most caressed and indulged, requites every debt of
parental kindness by seeking through treachery and the prostitution of
all his privileges to raise an insurrection in the household of David,
and turn away through craft the hearts of the people from their rightful
lord. So like Absalom, South-Carolina first unfurls the banner of
treason and war among the sister States, desperately resolved to secure
her selfish aggrandizement even at the price of the ruin of the country,
but like Absalom, also, she is destined to experience a reverse as
ignominious and as fatal.

_A STORY OF MEXICAN LIFE_

VIII.

'My neighbor gazed at the stranger with bewilderment, and remained
speechless. There was, nevertheless, nothing in his outward mien to give
rise to so much emotion. He was a robust and rather handsome fellow, of
about twenty-five, bold, swaggering, and free and easy in his
deportment--a perfect specimen of the race of half-breeds so common in
Mexico. His skin was swarthy, his features regular, and his beard
luxuriant and soft as silk. His eyes were large and black as sloes, his
teeth small, regular, and white as ivory, and his whole countenance,
when in repose, wore an expression which won confidence rather than
excited distrust. But when conversing, there was an indefinable
craftiness in his smile, and a peculiar cunning in the twinkle of his
eye, that often strikes the traveler in Mexico, as pervading all that
class who are accustomed to making excursions into the interior. His
costume, covered with dust, and torn in many places, led me to infer
that he had only just returned from some long journey.

'After waiting, with great politeness, for some few seconds, to allow
Arthur time to address him, and finding he waited in vain, the Mexican
opened the conversation:

''I fear your excellency will scold me for delaying so long on the road;
but how could I help it? I am more to be pitied than blamed--I lost
three horses--at monte--and if it had not been by good luck that the ace
turned up when I staked my saddle and bridle, I should not be here even
now; but the ace won; I bought a fresh horse--and here I am.'

''What success?' inquired Arthur, with a look of intense anxiety; 'did
you bring any?'

''Certainly,' replied Pepito, handing him very unconcernedly a small
package; 'I brought more than you told me, and, in fact, I might have
brought a mule-load if you had wanted so many.'

''Adéle!' cried Mr. Livermore, overcome with delight, as he rushed into
my room, 'Adéle, HE HAS FOUND IT!'

Pepito followed Arthur with his sharp eye, and on beholding Adéle, asked
me, in a low tone:

''Who is that lady, Caballero?'

''I can not say; I myself never saw her until to-day,' said I; and
noticing his gaze riveted on her in apparent admiration, I added:

''Do you think her pretty?'

''Pretty! Holy Virgin! she is lovely enough to make a man risk his
salvation to win her.'

'Feeling that my presence might be one of those superfluities with which
they would gratefully dispense, I was on the point of leaving, when
there was a knock at the door. Again Adéle sought refuge in my room, and
again Arthur advanced to the door:

''Open, it is I,' said a voice from the outside; 'I have come to inquire
after my friend Pepito.'

''Señor,' exclaimed Pepito, 'that must be my compadre, Pedro.'

'On the door being opened, they flew to one another's arms, and gave a
true Mexican embrace.

'The entrance of Pedro, which evidently annoyed Mr. Livermore, awakened
in my mind strange suspicions. I resolved at the earliest opportunity I
had of a private interview with him, to allude to what I had overheard
on the Alameda. In the mean time I would keep an eye on these two
cronies.

''Stand back, Pedro, and let me have a good look at you.'

''_There!_ well, how do you think I look?'

''My dear fellow, you are growing decidedly coarse and fat.'

''Bah! but how do you like my new rig?'

''I can not admire the cut; but, of course, you bought them
ready-made--one could see that with half an eye.'

''Well, Pepito, now that you are once more back in the city, I lack
nothing to make me perfectly happy. You will spend the rest of the day
with me?'

''Of course, my dear fellow.'

''Well, it is about dinner-time; let us be off.'

''Wait till I have first bid adieu to his excellency,' replied Pepito,
turning toward Mr. Livermore. Then advancing a few steps, he whispered a
few words to him, at the same time bowing very low. Arthur unlocked the
drawer of his table and took out a roll of dollars, which he handed to
the Mexican.

''Must you absolutely leave me so soon?' said he.

''Well, Caballero, after so long a journey, a man requires relaxation,
and enjoys a social glass; so, with your permission, I will see you
again to-morrow.'

'This answer was any thing but pleasing to Mr. Livermore, who turned to
me, and addressing me in English, said:

''My dear sir, once more I must trespass on your good-nature. It is
essential to the success of my plans, that these two men should not be
left together. Will you, _can_ you, tack yourself on to them, and keep
close to Pepito until they separate?'

''Your request is as strange as it is difficult of execution; but I will
do my best.'

''Gentlemen,' said I, to the two Mexicans, as we all three were going
down the stairs, 'you were speaking of dining--now I want to visit a
real Mexican _fonda_; I am tired of these French cafés; will you favor
me by taking me to a first-rate house, for I am not acquainted with this
city.'

''If you will accompany us to the Fonda Genovesa, Caballero,' said
Pedro, 'I will warrant you will have no cause to repent it.'

''I am infinitely indebted to you, and shall gladly accept your
guidance.'

'The Fonda Genovesa was certainly one of the vilest establishments I
ever visited, and the dinner was, of course, detestably bad. However, I
treated my two worthies to a couple of bottles of wine, which being to
them a rare luxury, they declared they had fared sumptuously.

''But, look here, Pepito,' said Pedro, 'you have not yet alluded to your
journey. Where have you been all this time?'

''Where have I been? Oh! well, that is a secret.'

''A secret! what, from me, from your compadre Pedro?'

''Even so, my dear Pedro, even so; I have sworn not to mention the
object of my journey nor my destination.'

''Oh! I dare say; but look here, what did you swear by--the holy Virgin
of Guadalupe? No? Well, was it the cross?'

''No, neither by the one nor the other.'

''What is there binding, then? nothing else ought to keep you silent
when _I_ am in question?'

''I pledged my sacred honor.'

''Your sacred honor! Give me your hand, you always were a wag, but you
humbugged me this time, I confess; well, that _is_ a good one--the best
joke I have heard for an age--excellent! well, go on, I am all
attention, all ears.'

''Well, you won't hear much, for I am a man of honor, and bound not to
speak; besides, I received a hundred dollars to keep mum.'

'Pedro for a moment appeared to be in a brown study; at last, gazing
hard at his friend, he said:

''Would two hundred tempt you to speak?'

''If such a proposition were to come from a stranger, I might,
perchance, accept it; but seeing it comes from you--never.'

''Why?'

''Because, when you offer me two hundred dollars for any thing, it must
be worth far more than you offer.'

''Well, now, admit, just as a supposition, that I am interested in this
matter, what harm will it do you, if we both turn an honest penny?'

''That is just the point; but I don't want you to turn ten pennies to my
one.'

''Your scruples, my dear Pepito, display a cautious temperament, and
evince deep acquaintance with human nature; you see through my little
veil of mystery, and I own your sagacity; now I will be honest with
you--with a man like you, lying is mere folly. It is true, I am to have
four hundred dollars if I can find out where you have been. I swear to
you by the holy Virgin of Guadalupe, I am making a clean breast of it.
Now, will you take that amount? Say the word, and I will go and fetch it
right away.'

'This proposition seemed to embarrass the scrupulous Pepito extremely,
and he remained some time lost in thought.

''But, if you only receive four hundred, and give me four hundred, what
the deuce will you make out of such an operation?'

''Trust entirely to your generosity.'

''What! leave me to do what I like! I take you up--by Jupiter! Pedro,
that is a noble trait in your character--I take you up.'

''Then it is a bargain. Will you wait here for me, or would you prefer
to meet me at our usual Monte in the Calle de los Meradores?'

''I prefer the Monte.'

''You will swear on the cross, to relate fully and truly every
particular relating to your journey?'

''Of course--every thing.'

''I will be there in a couple of hours.'

'After his friend's departure, Pepito sat silent; his brow was knit, and
yet a mocking sneer played around his lips; he seemed to be pursuing two
trains of thought at once; suspicion and merriment were clearly working
in his mind.

''This is a droll affair, Caballero; I can't clearly see the bottom of
it'

''There is nothing very unusual in it that I see,' I replied, 'for every
day men sacrifice honor for gold.'

''True, nothing more common, and yet this proposition beats all I ever
met with.'

''In what respect?'

''Why, the interest that these folks who employ Pedro, take in this
journey that I undertook for your friend, Señor Pride.'

''But, if this journey has some valuable secret object in view?'

''Valuable secret!' repeated Pepito, bursting into a fit of laughter;
'Yes, a valuable secret indeed! Oh! the joke of offering four hundred
dollars for what, 'twixt you and me, is not worth a cent. But who can it
be that is behind Pedro, in this matter? He must be some rival doctor,
or else a naturalist, on the same scent.'

''Is Señor Pride,' I inquired, 'a doctor--are you sure of that?'

''Yes--he must be--but I don't know,' exclaimed Pepito; 'I am at my
wits' end. If he is not, I have been working in the dark, and he has
deceived me with a false pretext; I am at a loss--dead beat. But one
thing is plain--I can make four hundred dollars, if I like.'

''And will you betray your employer?' said I indignantly.

''Time enough--never decide rashly, Caballero; I shall
deliberate--nothing like sleeping on important affairs; to-morrow--who
knows what to-morrow may bring forth?'

'So saying, Pepito arose, took his traveling sword under his arm, placed
his hat jauntily on his head, cast an admiring eye at the looking-glass,
and then brushed off some of the dust that still clung to his left
sleeve.

''The smile of Heaven abide with you, Señor,' said he, with a most
graceful bow. 'As for your friend's secret, do not be uneasy about it; I
am not going to meet Pedro to-night. I shall take advantage of his
absence to make a call on my lady-love. Pedro is a good fellow, but
shockingly self-conceited; he fancies himself far smarter than
I--perhaps he is--but somehow I fancy, this time he must be early if he
catches me asleep.'

'On his departure, I paid the bill, which both my friends had
overlooked, then walked out and seated myself on the Alameda, which at
that hour was thronged with promenaders. Isolated, buried in thought, in
the midst of that teeming throng, the various episodes in the drama of
which my mysterious neighbor was the principal character, passed before
my mind. I again and again reviewed the strange events which, by some
freak of fortune, I had been a witness to. What was the basis on which
my friend, with two sets of names, founded his dream of inexhaustible
wealth, this mission he had intrusted to Pepito? What the mission which
the agent laughed at, and which to gain a clue to, others were tempting
him with glittering bribes? And again, why the deceit practiced on
Pepito, by assuming the guise of a doctor? Each of these facts was a
text on which I piled a mountain of speculation.

'Vexed and annoyed at finding myself becoming entangled in this web of
mystery, as well as piqued at my failure to unravel it, I determined to
avoid all further connection with any of the actors; and full of this
resolve, I wended my way homeward, to have a final and decisive
interview with Mr. Livermore.

'The worthy Donna Teresa Lopez confronted me as I entered the inner
door:

''Plenty of news, is there not?' she asked; 'I heard a good deal of
squabbling, last night; that man in the cloak was noisy.'

''Yes; they had an interesting discussion.'

''You can not make me believe that was all. _Discussion_, indeed! When
there is a pretty woman in the case, and two men talk as loudly as they
did, it generally ends in a serious kind of discussion. 'When love stirs
the fire, anger makes the blood boil.' Tell me, now, will they fight
here, in the Señor Pride's room?'

'This question, which Donna Teresa put in the most matter-of-fact sort
of way, staggered me considerably, and confirmed me in the resolution to
avoid the whole business.

''I sincerely trust, Señora, that such an event is not probable. On what
do you base your supposition?'

''There is nothing so very astounding in rivals fighting; but it is all
the same to me. I only asked that I might take precautions.'

''Precautions! what, inform the police?'

''No, no! I thought it might be as well to take down the new
curtains--the blood might spoil them.'

'Need I say I terminated my interview with my hostess, more impressed
with admiration of her business qualities than of her sympathetic
virtues? But let me do the poor woman justice; life is held so cheap,
and the knife acts so large a part in Mexico, that violence and sudden
death produce a mere transient effect.

IX.

'Instead of going to my own apartments, I went direct to Mr.
Livermore's, intending thus to show him that I wished no longer to be
looked upon as the man in the next room.

''We were dying with anxiety to see you,' he said, as I entered; 'walk
into the other room, you will find Adéle there.'

''Well, Mr. Rideau,' said she, with intense anxiety visible on her
countenance, 'what passed between those two men?'

''Little of importance. Pedro offered Pepito four hundred dollars if he
would divulge the particulars of his journey; to which offer Pepito has
acceded. That is about all.'

'I was far from anticipating the effect my answer would produce on my
hearers. They were overwhelmed--thunderstruck. Adéle was the first to
recover.

''Fool! fool that I was,' she exclaimed, 'why did I select in such an
enterprise a man worn down by sickness and disease?'

'The look she cast on Arthur, rapid as it was, was so full of menace
and reproach, that it startled me.

''Well, Arthur,' she said, laying her hand on his arm; 'do you feel ill
again?'

'Roused by the sound of her voice, Arthur placed his hand on his heart,
and mutely plead excuse for the silence which his sufferings imposed on
him.

'As for me, I spoke no word, but mentally consigned my mysterious
neighbors to a distant port, whence consignments never return.

''My dear sir,' I replied at length, 'Pepito's treachery, which appears
so deeply to affect you, is not yet carried into execution, it is only
contemplated. I will give you word for word what transpired.'

'When I had concluded my narrative, to which they listened with
breathless attention, Adéle exclaimed:

''Our hopes are not yet crushed, the case is not utterly desperate; but
alas! it is evident our secret is suspected, if not known. Arthur,' she
continued, 'now is the time to display all our energy. We have some
enemy to dread, as I have long suspected. If we do not at once steal a
march on him, then farewell forever to all our dreams of happiness, of
wealth, or even of subsistence.'

''Sir,' said she, again addressing me; 'your honor alone has kept you in
ignorance of our secret. You could easily have tempted and corrupted
Pepito. We prefer you should learn it from us rather than from an
accidental source. We merely request your word of honor that you will
not use it to your own advantage, without our joint consent, nor in any
way thwart our plans.'

''I am deeply sensible, madame, of the confidence you repose in me; but
I must beg you will allow me to remain in ignorance.'

''You refuse, then, to give us the promise?' exclaimed Adéle, 'I see it
all! you will thwart us; you would preserve your liberty of action
without forfeiting your word.'

'If you had known me longer, such a suspicion would not have crossed
your mind. However, as I have no other means of proving it unjust, I
will give the pledge you desire, I am now ready to hear whatever you
have to communicate.'

'Mr. Livermore resumed the conversation:

''The secret which Adéle imparted to me will, I dare say, appear at
first very extravagant, but before you laugh at it, give me time to
explain. It is the existence of a marvelous opal mine in the interior;
the precise location of which is known to no one save Adéle and myself.'

'In spite of the greatest effort, I could not suppress a smile of
incredulity, at this announcement. Mexico is so full of strange stories
of fabulous mines, that this wondrous tale of opals looked to me like
some new confidence game, and I felt sure my neighbors were duped or
else trying to dupe me.

''Oh! I see you think we are deceived?'

''I admit,' I replied, 'it strikes me as possible that you have been the
victims of some crafty scheme. Did you hear of this mine before or since
your arrival in Mexico?'

''Before we left New-Orleans.'

''And yet it is not known to the natives?'

''It was from a Mexican we had our information.'

''Why did not this Mexican himself take advantage of it?'

''He could not, for he was banished. He is now dead. But what do you
think of these specimens?'

'He took from a drawer ten or twelve opals of rare size and brilliancy.
I examined them with care; they were, beyond all doubt, of very
considerable value. My incredulity gradually gave way to amazement.

''Are you certain these opals really came from the mine of which you
speak?'

''Nothing can be more certain; you saw Pepito hand me a package; you
heard his remark that he could have brought a mule-load; these are a
few of what he did bring.'

''This mine then really exists?' I said, my incredulity giving way to
the most ardent curiosity.

''Really exists! yes, my friend; if you listen, I will dispel all doubt
of that.'

X.

''On arriving in this country, my first step was to procure a guide and
the necessary equipage for reaching the opal mine. Although I felt sure
of its existence, I could not dispel the fear that the story of its
marvelous richness would prove false. Without loss of time, I started;
for to me it was a question of life and death. I had, however, barely
accomplished a third of the journey, when I was prostrated by fever. The
fatigue of traveling in the interior of this magnificent but wretched
country, combined with excitement and anxiety, preyed upon my mind, and
brought on an illness, from which at one time I gave up all hope of
recovering. I was compelled to return to Vera Cruz. The doctors were all
of the opinion that several months of perfect repose would be necessary
before I could undertake another such journey. Several months--oh! how
those words fell on my ears; they sounded like the knell of all my
hopes. A thousand expedients floated through my brain, and in adopting
the course I eventually did, time alone will prove whether I followed
the promptings of a good or evil genius. One evening, I explained to my
attendant that I was a medical man, deeply interested in botanical and
mineralogical discoveries; that my object in undertaking my recent
journey was to collect certain rare herbs and a singular description of
shell. I laid peculiar stress on the herbs, and added in relation to the
shells, that I merely wanted a few specimens, as they were rare in my
country. My attendant at once proffered his services, to go in search of
them. I appeared at first to attach but little importance to his offer;
but as he renewed it whenever the subject was alluded to, I at last
employed him. The mine is situated on the margin of a little brook. One
day's work of an active man will turn the stream into a fresh channel,
and a few inches beneath its bed will be found, mixed with the damp sand
and loam, the shells, which, when polished, form the opal. I gave my
servant the needful information as to localities and landmarks, and
promised him a gratuity of a hundred dollars over and above his wages,
in case he succeeded. Having given him instructions, I retained his
services until I reached this city, where I determined to await his
return, it being more healthy than Vera Cruz. Having selected my
lodgings and given him the pass-word by which alone a stranger could
obtain admittance to me, with an anxious heart I dispatched him on the
mission.

''For three months I had no tidings of him; night and day, I was the
prey of doubt and fear. No words can portray the agony of suspense that
I endured; the hours seemed days, the days months, and the bitterness of
years was crowded into that short interval. At last, thanks be to
heaven, my messenger returned.'

''Do you mean Pepito?' I exclaimed.

''The very man,' replied Arthur; 'his journey was successful. You have
seen the specimens he brought. I was intoxicated with delight; but Adéle
did not share my joy. Nature has given woman a faculty of intuition
denied to man. Alas! Adéle's presentiment has been verified; your
account of the interview between Pepito and his friend proves her fears
were well-grounded.'

''In what way?'

''In _this_ way; it shows we have an enemy who has an inkling of our
secret, and is striving to snatch the prize from us. What course to take
I am at a loss to know. Adéle advises to make sure of Pepito, at any
price.'

''And that strikes me as being your surest if not your only course.'

''Yes, the surest; but how to make _sure_ of him?'

''By outbidding your competitors, and proving to him that in adhering to
you he is best serving his own interests.'

''But he is base enough to take bribes from both sides, and betray
each.'

''Oh! that I were a man!' exclaimed Adéle, 'this fellow is the only one
who knows our secret. One man ought not to stand in fear of another.
Only _one_ man crosses your path, Arthur.'

''Unless I murder him, how can he be silenced?'

''_Murder_ him! It is not murder to kill a robber. Were _I_ a man, I
would not hesitate how to act.'

''The anxiety of Pedro,' I said, 'indicates you have an enemy. Have you
any idea who he is?'

''I believe,' said Adéle, 'that I know him.'

''Are you sure there is only one?'

''Why do you ask?' said the woman, fixing her eye upon me as though she
would, in spite of every obstacle, read my inmost thoughts.

''Because I fancy there are _two_, for instance, Brown and Hunt.'

'At the mention of these names Adéle started to her feet, exclaiming:

''On all sides there is treachery. I _demand_, sir, an explanation. What
leads you to associate the name of that firm with this matter? Either
you are our friend or you are not. Speak plainly!'

''Madame, by the merest chance, I overheard Pedro mention those names,
and since you have given me your confidence, I will give you some
information which may put you on your guard, and help to guide your
future plans.'

'I then briefly related the conversations I had overheard between
General Valiente and Pedro, both on the Alameda and in the gaming-house
in the Calle del Arco.

''Now, madame,' I continued, 'let me inquire whether the Mexican from
whom you derived your information, had any connection with this firm?'

''Yes, sir, he knew them,' she replied; then, after a slight pause, she
added: 'We have already told you so much that it would be folly to
conceal the way in which we became acquainted with the existence of this
mine. Soon after my marriage, I met a veteran officer of the Mexican
army, General Ramiro, then living in exile, at New-Orleans. For me he
conceived a paternal affection, and many a time remonstrated with Mr.
Percival, and entreated him to devote himself to his family, and abandon
the course of life which was leading him to ruin. He often spoke of his
desire to return to Mexico, and lived constantly in the hope of the
decree being revoked, which had driven him into exile. One day he
disclosed the chief cause of his desire to return, by revealing the
secret we have imparted to you.'

''Pardon me, madame,' I said, 'but tell me how General Ramiro gained his
information? Exploring for opal mines is hardly part of the duties of a
General, even in Mexico.'

''I was about to explain that,' replied the lady. 'An Indian, convicted
of murdering a monk, some three years previously, was condemned to
death. On being taken, according to Mexican usage, on the eve of
execution, to the confessional, he refused the slightest attention to
the exhortations of the priests, affirming that he had written a letter
to the Governor, which would secure his pardon.

''True enough, a party of dragoons arrived during the night, and took
him away. The letter was addressed to General Ramiro, then acting as
Governor, and contained promises of a revelation of the highest
importance.

''When conducted to the General, the Indian proved, by a host of
details, the existence of an opal mine, which he had accidentally
discovered, and in return for the revelation, demanded a free pardon.'

''I understand, perfectly, madame,' I added, seeing Adéle hesitate.

''I feel,' she said, 'a certain reluctance at this portion of my
narrative, for it forces me to lay bare an act which General Ramiro ever
after regretted, and which--' ''Madame, I will spare you the recital;
the fact is, the General gained the Indian's secret, and
then--unfortunately for the Indian--forgot to fulfill his promise.'

''Alas! sir, you have rightly judged. Two hours after the interview, the
Indian suffered the garrote, and General Ramiro became the sole
possessor of this important secret. I will not attempt to justify my
venerable friend. He sincerely lamented his sin, and retribution
followed him with long, sad years of exile and poverty. We often sat
together for hours, he talking of his wonderful mine, and longing for
his recall to his native land. His enemies, however, held a firm hold of
government, and growing weary of delay, he made overtures to this firm
of Brown and Hunt, through their correspondents in New-Orleans. Being
sadly in want of funds, he was even mad enough to give a hint of some
kind, relative to an opal mine, which was to be worked by them on joint
account.

''Before any definite arrangement was perfected, an event occurred which
is indelibly impressed on my memory. The General, after spending a
portion of the afternoon with us, had returned to his home; and about
eleven at night, a messenger begged my immediate attendance on him. He
had been taken suddenly ill; and my husband, who was cognizant of the
paternal affection the General felt for me, urged me to hasten to his
bedside.

''I found him at the point of death; but my presence seemed to call him
back to life. 'My child,' said he, placing in my hands a very voluminous
letter, 'this is all I have to give you. Farewell, dear child, I am
going. Farewell, forever.' In a few moments he was no more. I returned
home a prey to the most intense grief, and for several days did not
think of opening the letter I had received from my dying benefactor. It
contained the most precise details of the situation of the opal mine,
and advice as to the best means of reaching it.

''So you see, Mr. Rideau,' she added, after a slight pause, 'the secret
is known only to three persons--Arthur, Pepito, and myself. What, under
the circumstances, would you do?'

''I see but one course, madame--prompt action; by this means only can
you hope to succeed. You should start without a day's delay.'

''And Pepito?'

''Take him with you.'

''Your advice would be excellent were it practicable; but the state of
Mr. Livermore's health will not permit him to travel.'

''Oh! never fear, Adéle; your presence and your care will keep me up. I
shall gain strength by change of air and scene.'

'Adéle was, probably, about to protest against such a proof of his
attachment, when she was interrupted by a knock at the door.

''It is Pepito,' said I. My conjecture proved correct. Opening the door,
the Mexican appeared, dressed in a new suit, and evidently not a little
proud of his external improvements. He bowed politely to Mr. Livermore
and myself, and then bending before Adéle, took her hand and raised it
with true Mexican grace, to his lips.

''You arrive, Pepito,' said Adéle, 'at the very moment we are talking
about you.'

'Pepito again bowed to the lady.

''Señora,' said he, 'to please you I would die; to obey you I would kill
myself.'

'The exaggerated tone of Mexican politeness which prompted this reply
did not surprise Adéle, but it brought a smile to her lips.

''I trust my wishes will not lead to such disastrous results,' she
replied. 'The fact is, Señor Pride thinks shortly of undertaking another
journey; and as his health is delicate, we are anxious you should bear
us company. I need not add, the zeal you have already shown, will not
fail to secure our interest in your future welfare.'

''Indeed! does his excellency intend starting very soon? May I be
allowed to ask where is he going?'

''To the same place,' said Arthur.

''Oh! oh! I see; the herbs and shells I brought were not enough to
answer his excellency's purpose; you want more of the shells--eh,
Señor?'

'Yes, a few more,' said Arthur, with a deep sigh, for he felt acutely
the ironical tone which the Mexican assumed.

''Well, what would you say, Señor Pride, if, instead of the few I handed
you, I had brought a sack full--you would not feel angry, would you?'

''Scoundrel! you have not dared to thus deceive me?' exclaimed Mr.
Livermore, starting to his feet and advancing toward Pepito, with an air
of menace.

''Unfortunately, I did not; but you have proved to me what a fool I was,
not to suspect their value. You evidently attach immense importance to
them.'

''Control your temper, Arthur,' said Adéle, in English, 'or you will
ruin every thing.'

''After all,' resumed Pepito, 'it is only a chance deferred, not a
chance lost. With a good horse, I can soon make up for lost time.'

'His tone of defiance annihilated the self-possession even of Adéle;
while as for Arthur, he looked the very picture of despair. I,
therefore, resolved to smooth matters over, and if possible, to bring
Pepito to terms. At first he listened to me very unwillingly, and
answered sulkily and laconically; but wearied at last by my pertinacity,
he suggested that it was scarcely fair play for me to assume to sit as
judge in a cause wherein I was an interested party.'

''You are strangely mistaken, Pepito,' I said, in reply; 'I can swear to
you on my honor, and by the holy Virgin of Guadalupe, that I am not in
any way a party to this transaction; and that its success or its failure
will not affect me to the extent of a real.

''Oh! I beg your pardon, Caballero,' muttered Pepito, on whom my
adjuration by the holy Virgin of Guadalupe, had produced an unexpected
effect. 'In that case I will trust to your advice; I rely on your honor.
Now tell me--I know very well these shells are valuable--how much would
a mule-load be worth--two thousand dollars?'

''Yes, and perhaps more.'

''You speak frankly, like a man!' he exclaimed with delight; 'you don't
seek to take advantage of my ignorance; you are a true gentleman. Tell
me where I could sell these things.'

''You could find no one to buy them in this country; they must be sent
either to Europe or New-York.'

''The devil! that upsets my plans. I know no one in Europe, no one in
New-York; besides, I can neither read nor write; I should be cheated on
all hands. Is there no way to settle this business between ourselves?
Listen, now: I will agree not only to accompany Señor Pride as his
guide, but to do all the work when we arrive at our destination, on
condition that he pays me two thousand dollars for every trip we make.
What do you say to my proposition?'

''That it is Señor Pride who must answer you, not I.'

XI.

'Obeying the injunction laid upon him by Adéle, Mr. Livermore affected
to demur at the high price placed by Pepito on his cooperation, but
finally appeared to yield to our joint solicitation.

''Well, then, the bargain is closed,' said Pepito, smiling. 'Now I can
understand why Pedro was so anxious to have me betray my trust. Oh! how
delighted I am to think he will find I have left him in the lurch.'

''Señor Pepito,' said Adéle, with a most winning smile, 'do you happen
to know a family residing some short distance from this city, who, in
consideration of a liberal compensation, would not object to take a lady
to board with them?'

''I do, Señora, at Toluca.'

''How far is it from here?'

''Twelve or fourteen leagues.'

'' Are you intimate enough with the family to take me there to-morrow,
without previously informing them of my intention?'

''Certainly; the lady I allude to is my sister.'

''Then to-morrow morning early, at seven, say. But Señor Pepito, I had
forgotten to warn you that in escorting me you will run a great danger.'

''Oh! I am not afraid of the robbers on the road; they know me well, and
never molest me.'

''It is not of robbers that I stand in dread.'

''Of what, then?'

''Of a man--an enemy who hates me with a deadly hatred, and who, I fear,
seeks my life.'

''A man--_one_ man--and he seeks your life; well, well, I should like
to meet him face to face,' exclaimed Pepito.

''Then, Señor, you promise to protect me at any risk?'

''Protect you! _yes_,' replied he with vehemence, 'I pledge you my
honor, my body, and my soul. I will face the bravest of the brave, to
defend you from injury.'

''From my heart of hearts I thank you, Pepito,' said Mr. Livermore, 'you
shall find me not ungrateful, and in return for the zeal and devotion
you have shown, two hundred dollars shall be yours, on your return with
tidings of madame's safe arrival.'

''I will at once proceed to secure the necessary equipage, Señor.
Señora, rely on my punctuality; at seven, I shall attend you.'

''Are you related to Señor Pride?' asked Pepito, as we descended the
stairs.

''In no way; I have known him only a few days.'

''Well, Caballero, I own I am enchanted with his wife; I never met a
woman of such matchless beauty, such fascinating manners; why, Señor, if
she said to me, 'Pepito, kill your brother,' and I had a brother, which,
luckily, I have not, I think I should kill him.'

'These words were uttered with so much vehemence, that I deemed it
advisable to turn the conversation.

''It seems strange to me,' said I, 'that you should be so intimate with
Pedro, and yet be ever on the very verge of quarreling with him.'

''Well, it is perhaps astonishing to those who do not know us; but
somehow Pedro is my best, in fact, my only friend. We were brought up in
the same village, and are just like brothers. He is a good sort of
fellow, but is abominably vain and self-conceited; then he is deucedly
overbearing. He has no delicacy for his friend's feelings, and, in fact,
has a thousand failings that no one else but I could tolerate. True, we
have now and then a pretty rough time of it. The two gashes on his left
cheek are mementoes of my regard, and I confess I have two ugly marks,
one on my shoulder, the other on my right breast, which I owe to him.
But what galls me most, he is always talking of his six dead ones, while
I can claim only five; but then my five are all men, while two of his
six are women.'

''Horrible!' I exclaimed.

''Yes, it is not a fair count; but then it shows his insatiable vanity.
Vanity is one of the capital sins; it is hard to tell into what meanness
it may not lead a man.' With this sententious denunciation, the Mexican,
who had clearly misinterpreted my indignant ejaculation, raised his hat,
with an air of extreme politeness, and departed.

'When I again entered Mr. Livermore's apartment, the conversation
naturally turned on Pepito.

''Well, what think you of my cavalier?' said Adéle.

''As you are aware, my acquaintance with him is of but recent date; but
one thing speaks greatly in his favor: he has been for several months
attached to Mr. Livermore's person, both as guide and as attendant while
sick, and he has not attempted, as far as I have heard, either to
assassinate or poison him. This I take to be a striking proof of
meritorious moderation.'

''I fear, Adéle, we are acting imprudently,' said Arthur, 'in intrusting
you to the tender mercies of such an unprincipled scoundrel, a man you
have seen but twice.

''Good heavens! dearest Arthur, would it be less imprudent for that man
Percival to find me here? I shudder to think of ever again meeting him;
and moreover, by flattering this Pepito and pretending to place entire
confidence in him, I shall win him to a devoted submission to my every
wish.'

'After a somewhat protracted but by no means important conversation, I
retired, promising to see them in the morning, previous to Adéle's
departure.

XII.

'Shortly before the appointed hour, Pepito arrived, and announced that
all his preparations had been made. His fair charge quickly made her
appearance, dressed in complete Mexican costume. It suited her
remarkably well, and I was not surprised to observe the intense
admiration with which Pepito gazed upon her, for her beauty was truly
fascinating. Notwithstanding my suspicions of the absence of that inner
spiritual beauty which should adorn all female loveliness, I myself
could scarce resist the spell she exercised on my feelings, even in
spite of my judgment.

'Turning to Pepito, with a smile, she inquired gayly, 'Well, Señor, how
do you like my change of costume?'

'The Mexican replied merely by putting his hand on his heart, and bowing
almost reverentially.

'Having given Mr. Livermore an affectionate embrace, she exclaimed, in a
firm, determined voice: 'Let us be off: time is precious.'

'It had been arranged that I should accompany them until they were out
of the city. I therefore left Mr. Livermore alone, and followed the two
travelers. On reaching the street, Adéle took the Mexican's arm; but as
they turned the corner of one of the streets running into the Cathedral
Square, I noticed that she raised her hood and lowered the veil attached
to it. Surprised at this apparently uncalled-for act of caution, I
inquired the reason.

''Do you not see Mr. Percival?' she exclaimed, in Spanish.

''Who is he? Is that the man you said you dreaded? that
melancholy-looking man, who is walking so moodily ahead of us?'
exclaimed Pepito. 'I must have a good look at him.'

''Be cautious, I beseech you; if he sees me, all is lost.'

''Fear nothing, I will be discreet; I only want to get one good look at
him.' So saying, Pepito increased his speed, and was soon walking beside
the unconscious Percival.

'In a few minutes, Pepito turned suddenly down a narrow street, into
which we followed, and there we found a carriage awaiting us.

''Señora, I shall know your enemy among a thousand,' was Pepito's
remark, on again offering Adéle his arm, to assist her in entering the
vehicle.

'We were soon safely out of the city, and taking advantage of the first
returning carriage we met, I returned with it, Adéle thanked me with
much apparent gratitude for my past services, and begged me to devote as
much of my leisure as possible to cheering and advising her dear Arthur.

'On my return, I found him pacing his chamber with intense anxiety, and
evidently prostrated by the excitement he had undergone.

''Well, what news?' said he, almost gasping for breath.

''Adéle is beyond the reach of danger.'

''You met no one?'

''No one.'

''Heaven be praised; and yet I feel a presentiment I shall never see her
again--never.'

''Pshaw! love is always timorous; it delights in raising phantoms.'

''This is no phantom; death is a reality, and, mark my words, on earth
we shall meet no more.'

'Overcome by the violence of his emotions, he buried his face in his
hands, and gave way to an outburst of Intense grief. Yielding, finally,
to my reiterated entreaties, he threw himself upon his bed, and, as I
had some private business to settle, I left him to the care of our
officious hostess, who was only too happy to find one on whom she could
display her self-acquired knowledge of the healing art.

'The next day, Arthur, though still feeble, was able to walk about his
apartments. Toward dusk, a letter arrived from Adéle. She announced her
safe arrival at Toluca, spoke in terms of praise of Pepito's devotion
and attention, and expressed herself agreeably surprised at the
hospitality she had received from his sister. The receipt of this letter
produced a marked improvement in my patient's health. In a postscript,
reference was made to an accident which had happened to poor Pepito, who
was prevented from being the bearer of this letter, by having sprained
his ankle. This would retard his return to the city for a day or two;
nevertheless, she begged her 'dear Arthur' not to be uneasy, as even
this delay, annoying as it was, might prove of advantage, as it would
give him time to recover from the effects of the excitement of the past
few days.

'After Adéle's departure, I again fastened up the door of communication,
and although I saw him at least once every day, to some extent I carried
out my determination of ceasing to be on such intimate terms with Mr.
Livermore. I fell back into my former course of life, and yet I felt a
certain envy of the colossal fortune upon which he had, as it were,
stumbled. Though I sincerely wished my poor sick neighbor might succeed
in his enterprise, I gradually grew restless and morose. The opal-mine
became a painful and distasteful topic of conversation, and as Arthur
invariably adverted to it in some way or other, I by degrees made my
visits of shorter and shorter duration.

'In vain I strove to divert my mind from this one absorbing idea. I
visited the theatres, attended cock-pits and bull-fights, in the hope
that the excitement would afford me relief from the fascinating spell:
but it was useless, I was a haunted man.

'One night, returning from the opera, at about ten o'clock, I was
stopped by a large crowd at the corner of the Calle Plateros. From an
officer near me, I ascertained that a foreigner, believed to be a
heretic, had been stabbed, and was either dead or dying.

'The next morning, in the _Diario de Gobierno_, which Donna Teresa
brought up with my chocolate, I learned that 'at about ten on the
previous night, an American, named Percival, recently arrived from
New-Orleans, was murdered in the Calle Plateros.' His watch and purse
were missing; it was therefore inferred that robbery and not revenge had
prompted the foul deed.

'I instantly summoned Donna Teresa, and requested her to take the paper,
which I marked, to Mr. Livermore; and as soon as my breakfast was over,
I hastened to make my usual call. I found him looking very sombre.

''God is my witness!' he exclaimed, the instant I entered the room,
'that I did not seek this poor unfortunate man's death; but it relieves
Adéle from all fear. Have you heard any details of the event?'

''I have not; but assassination is not so rare here that you need be
under any fear about it. No suspicion can possibly attach to you.'

''I have no fear, for I know my own innocence; but it is inexplicable to
me. Poor Percival! he could have had no enemy in the city.'

''Doubtless he was murdered for his money and his watch; but have you
heard from Toluca?'

''Yes, and Adéle informs me that I may expect Pepito in the course of
the day. So I shall not delay my departure beyond to-morrow, perhaps
to-night. But there is some one at the door; doubtless it is Pepito.'

'Mr. Livermore opened the door; but instead of Pepito it was his friend,
Pedro, who entered.

''My presence surprises you, Caballero,' said Pedro, drawing a long
sigh; 'but alas! I have bad news.'

'What! bad news? speak, speak, quick!' exclaimed Arthur, turning
deadly pale.

'Pedro, before deigning to answer, drew forth a very soiled rag, which
served him as a handkerchief, and proceeded to rub his eyes with no
little vigor, a pantomime which was intended no doubt to convey the idea
of tears having dimmed his eyes.

''Alas! Excellency,' said he at length, in a lugubrious tone; 'poor
Pepito is in sad trouble.'

''Have you been fighting again? Have you killed him?' I exclaimed.

''Killed him? _I_ kill him!' he repeated indignantly; 'how can you
imagine such an outrage, Caballero? Kill my best friend! No, Señor; but
poor Pepito has been pressed into a military company. To-morrow, they
will uniform him and march him off to some frontier regiment.'

''Is there no way of buying him off?' inquired Arthur.

''Nothing more easy, Caballero. You have simply to write to the General
who commands the department, and state that Pepito is attached to your
person, as a personal attendant, and that will suffice to set him at
liberty. They never press people in service.'

'Mr. Livermore lost no time in following Pedro's advice. As soon as the
letter was handed to him, the latter waved it in triumph over his head,
and rushed forth to effect the deliverance of his dear compadre, Pepito.

'The impressment of Pepito surprised me, for I had not heard of their
taking any body who had reached the dignity of a pair of inexpressibles,
and the luxury of a pair of shoes. The Indians in the neighborhood of
the capital, besotted by drink and misery, almost naked, and living or
rather burrowing in caves, were usually the only victims of the
recruiting sergeant. However, as the letter given by Arthur to Pedro
could be of no use to the latter, I saw no reasonable ground to doubt
the story.

'As it seemed probable that Mr. Livermore would shortly leave the city,
I accepted his invitation, and promised to return and dine with him at
five o'clock, adding that I hoped then to meet Pepito, and receive from
him a full account of his adventures since we had parted.

XIII.

'About three o'clock, I returned home. I had ensconced myself, book in
hand, in my rocking-chair, when groans which seemed to proceed from Mr.
Livermore's room, attracted my attention. I listened at the door, and my
fears were realized. The groans were assuredly uttered by my neighbor. I
rushed into his room, and as I crossed toward his bed, a fearful
spectacle met my gaze.

'Lying across the bed, his face livid, every muscle in motion, a prey to
the most violent convulsions, I saw my unfortunate fellow-countryman. No
sooner, however, did the noise of my entrance fall upon his ear, than he
summoned strength enough to rise, and seizing a pistol that was beside
him, pointed it at me.

''Ah! it is you?' said he, lowering his weapon, and falling back, 'you
have arrived just in time to see me die.'

''Take courage, my friend; for heaven's sake, be of good cheer. It is
only one of your usual attacks, and will pass off; there is no danger.'

''No danger!' repeated the unfortunate sufferer, biting the sheet and
striving to stifle the cry which agony drew from him; 'no danger? why, I
am poisoned!'

''Poisoned! you must be mad,' I exclaimed: but without loss of time, I
summoned Donna Lopez, and sent instantly for a doctor, who fortunately
lived within a few doors of our house.

'Once more alone with Arthur, I inquired, during a momentary cessation
of his sufferings:

''What reason have you for thinking you are poisoned?'

''I am _sure_ of it,' he replied. 'About an hour since, I received a
visit from the Mexican General who is superintendent of the recruiting
service. He desired me to give him certain explanations relative to
Pepito, which, of course, I did. It was very warm, and he asked for a
glass of iced water. I offered him some claret to mix with it, and, at
his request, joined him in the drink. But a few moments elapsed after I
had taken my draught, when I felt a weakness steal over me; my eyelids
grew heavy, my knees gave way, and an intolerable heat burned my veins.
I was compelled to sit down upon my bed. At that moment, the General
changed his tone, and imperiously demanded the key of my desk. 'I do not
want your money,' he said, 'but I must have the papers relative to the
opal-mine.' I can not express the effect these words produced upon me.
'To deal frankly with you,' continued the General, 'you are poisoned,
and the Indian poison that is now coursing through your veins has no
antidote. Ten minutes, and your strength will begin to fail; two hours,
and your earthly career will end. If you do not at once give me your
keys, I shall force the lock.' These words, which he doubtless thought
would crush me, filled me with boundless rage, and for a few moments
revived my sinking energies. I started to my feet, and seized my
revolver.'

'''The devil! it seems the dose was not strong enough,' exclaimed my
assassin, taking flight; 'but I will return, be sure of that.''

'The doctor soon arrived. At the first glance at the patient, he knit
his brow, and his countenance became overcast.

''How long have you been ill?' he inquired.

''I was poisoned, about an hour since.'

''Ah! you know you have been poisoned?'

''Yes, doctor, and also the man who poisoned me. Tell me, I beseech you,
how long I have to live? Speak! you need have no fear; I am prepared for
the worst.'

'The doctor hesitated, and then said: 'I fear, my dear sir, another hour
is all you can hope for.'

''I thank you, doctor, for your frankness. No antidote, then, can save
me?'

''None. The poison you have taken, which the Indians call '_Leche de
palo_,' is deadly. Your present sufferings will soon cease, and
gradually you will sink, peacefully and painlessly, into the sleep of
death.'

''Send instantly, then, for a magistrate. I at least will be revenged on
my murderer,' said Arthur, 'let me at once make my statement.'

''You will only be wasting your dying moments,' interposed the doctor;
'day after day, I am called upon to witness the ravages of this
insidious poison, but never yet has the scaffold punished the assassin.
My dear friend, think not of your murderer; eternity is opening to
receive you; in its solemn presence, mere human vengeance shrinks into
utter nothingness.'

''Doctor, you speak wisely as well as kindly. Poor Adéle,' murmured
Arthur, and his eyes closed, though his lips still moved.

'After the doctor's departure, I sent to the American Legation, urgently
requesting some official to return with my messenger. I took a chair
beside the bed, while Donna Teresa knelt in the adjoining room, and
prayed and sobbed with much fervor. In a short while, Arthur rallied
from the stupor into which he had fallen. His features became calm, his
breathing regular though feeble, and the tranquil, almost happy,
expression of his eye made me for a time half doubt the fearful
prediction of the physician.

''Do you feel better?' I inquired.

''Much much; I am in no pain.'

''Let us hope, then, for the best. I will send for another doctor.'

''No, that would be useless. My lower extremities are swelling, and I
can feel the hand of death clutching at my vitals. The doctor was
right; death is not racking me with torture, it is gently embracing me.
But I want your assistance; sit down.'

'I resumed my seat, and Arthur continued, in a feeble tone, but
perfectly calm:

''How mean a thing is life! Good God! so mean, that at this moment I can
not explain to my own soul why man should cling to it. What do we meet
during our short career? Deceit, hypocrisy, and treachery. Ah! death
reveals the hollowness of life.'

''My dear friend, you are exhausting yourself. Did you not say you wanted
my assistance? Rely on my zeal, my fidelity, and my discretion.'

''Rely on you! How can I tell? You are only a man; perhaps avaricious and
treacherous as your fellow-mortals. No matter; though you should
forswear yourself; I, at least, will do what is right. Feel beneath my
pillow, there is a key; take it, open my desk. In the small drawer on
the left is a package of letters. Have you them? Good. Next to that
there is a sealed letter. Now, read aloud the direction on each.'

''Papers to be burnt after my death,' said I, obeying his injunction.

''Well, what do you intend doing with them?'

''Can you for one moment doubt?' I replied.

'What if I should tell you they contain the entire secret of my
opal-mine!'

'I made no reply; but struck a match against the wall, and setting them
on fire, resumed my seat.

''I could hardly have believed it; but you still have Pepito; from him
you hope to learn the secret,' said the dying man.

''Shall I bind myself by an oath not to seek him?'

''No; I leave you at liberty. Act as you think best. I burned those
papers because they were bought with blood, for no other reason.'

''Bought with blood?' I exclaimed.

''Yes; ten months ago, General Ramiro died at New-Orleans, by
poison--poison administered by Adéle. Do you wonder life has lost all
charm for me? Oh! life is the bitterness, not death.'

'His voice momently grew fainter. I leaned closer, to catch his fading
tones, till he ceased to speak. I gazed intently at his glassy eyes; the
lids closed for a moment, then partially opened, the jaw fell, and he
was no more.'

'I know not how long I had stood beside his lifeless body, pondering
over the uncertainty of life, and the mystery of death, and the
conflicting presentiments he had uttered: that he should live to achieve
success, yet die without again seeing her who had lured him to his
wretched end, when the door of the chamber suddenly opened, and five or
six dragoons entered, accompanied by an officer in undress uniform.

''What! you here, General?' I exclaimed.

''Why not?' was the cool reply, 'I am in search of a deserter named
Pepito, who, I was informed, was concealed here. I see he is not here;
but doubtless by searching among the papers contained in this desk, I
shall find some clue to him.'

''Your search, General, will be fruitless. The unfortunate young man
whose corpse lies here, instructed me, before he expired, to burn all
the papers in his possession, and I have obeyed his injunctions.'

''Curses on his infernal obstinacy!' exclaimed General Valiente, 'but
look you, Señor, I tell you I will search this desk.'

''By what right?'

''By the right of might.'

'Taking my stand in front of the desk, I was protesting against the
lawless act of violence, when the Secretary of the American Legation
fortunately arrived. Finding his plans defeated, Valiente, with
commendable prudence, decided on beating a retreat, and with his
followers, took rather an abrupt departure.

'The ordinary formalities of attaching the seals of the Legation having
been performed, and having secured a faithful person to take charge of
the remains of the unfortunate Livermore, I sallied forth to make
arrangements to leave, as soon as possible, for Toluca.

The first person I met was Pedro. It is impossible to express the horror
I felt of this villain. My hand was on my weapon before he had reached
my side.

''Have you heard the news, Caballero?' said he, in a low, mysterious
tone.

''No.'

''I was not fortunate enough to release Pepito; when I arrived with his
master's letter, he had already escaped from the barracks.'

''Tell me frankly, Pedro, did not General Valiente send you, this
morning, for that letter?'

''Why? What makes you ask?' inquired Pedro, quite disconcerted by the
abruptness of my question.

''Because Señor Pride is dead, and General Valiente has twice been to
his rooms.'

''Dead! Señor Pride dead!' echoed Pedro, in unfeigned astonishment.
'Caballero, I must be off.' And he instantly turned away, and was soon
lost to my sight.

'Before another hour had passed I was on horseback and on the way to
Toluca. The road was infested by gangs of robbers, but my pockets were
empty, and my brain was full, so I gave those gentry not even a passing
thought. The evening was fast closing in, and as the shadows gathered
round me, the tragic event which I had just witnessed gradually receded
from my mind. As I journeyed on, it grew more and more distant, until at
last it faded into a dim memory of the past; and through the long miles
of my lonely ride there went before me the glorious vision of an
opal-mine of untold wealth--an opal-mine without an owner--a countless
fortune, untold riches, waiting to fall into my hands.

XIV.

'It was past midnight when I reached Toluca. As it was too late to call
on Adéle, I alighted at a tavern, where I passed the night, pacing my
chamber, and not closing my eyes. Soon after daybreak I sought the house
of Pepito's sister; and notwithstanding the earliness of the hour, found
Mrs. Percival standing at one of the windows.

''You here, Mr. Rideau!' she exclaimed, with surprise, on seeing me.
'How did you find my retreat?'

''I was told of it by Mr. Livermore.'

''Ah! 'tis he who sent you.'

''Alas! not so, madame.'

''Alas!--you say, alas! What do you mean? Have you ill news?'

''I have, indeed, madame.'

''Arthur is dead!' she cried. 'I know he is dead! But, tell me, I
entreat you, tell me all. How--when did this happen?'

'I gave her a detailed account of Arthur's death, to which she listened
with rapt attention.

''This opal-mine, like the Golden Fleece, brings misfortune to all who
seek it,' she said, when I had finished, 'Poor Arthur! I loved him
fondly, devotedly; and his image will live forever in my heart. But at
such a crisis it is worse than folly--it is madness to waste time by
giving way to grief. Reason teaches us to bow before the inevitable. It
is idle to repine at the decrees of Fate. I am alone, now--alone,
without a friend or a protector. No matter; I have a stout heart, and
the mercy of Providence is above all. But to business: After the death
of Mr. Livermore, what became of the papers?'

''I burned them before his death, in obedience to his injunctions.'

''You burned them! I will not believe it!' she exclaimed, in a loud
voice, and with a penetrating glance.

'I felt the blood rush to my face; she noticed my anger, and at once
added, in milder tone:

''Pardon me! pardon me! I knew not what I said; I am well-nigh crazy; I
do believe you, I do indeed; forgive me, and think of the despair to
which the loss of those papers reduces me. I have no copy, and with them
my secret perishes. I am ruined--ruined irretrievably. The mine is
known now only to Pepito!'

''Then, madame, on him you must hereafter rely.'

''Explain to me, pray, how could Arthur, on his dying-bed, have been
guilty of so cruel, so mean an act? How could he despoil the woman who
had trusted him, and leave her not only forlorn, but destitute?'

'This question embarrassed me, and I was conning an answer, when Adéle
resumed:

''Let no false delicacy restrain you; speak out, Mr. Rideau; adversity
has taught me endurance, if not courage.'

''Since, madame, you absolutely extort it from me, I must admit that a
few moments before he expired, Mr. Livermore--'

''Speak out, plainly; I beg of you, conceal nothing.'

''Well, madame, the words he used were: 'I destroy these papers because
they were bought with blood. Ten months ago General Ramiro died, at
New-Orleans, by poison--poison administered by Adéle!''

''Poor Arthur! what agony he must have suffered--he must have been
delirious. O Arthur! why was I not beside you? Poor Arthur!' As she
uttered these words, she raised her streaming eyes to heaven; her lips
moved as if in prayer, and a deadly pallor overspread her countenance.

'In a short time her fortitude returned, and turning toward me, she
said, in a voice which betrayed no emotion:

''Let us turn from the past and look at the present. Difficulties
surround and threaten to overwhelm me. Before I can determine how they
are to be met, I have a proposition to make to you, Mr. Rideau, to which
I must have an immediate answer. Will you become my partner in this
business?'

''Have you enough confidence in me?'

''I have; and for this reason: you have not sought to meddle in this
matter, but from the outset have striven to shun it; you have not
obtruded yourself, but been drawn into it in spite of your wishes. Do
you accept my proposition? Yes, or no?'

''I accept,' I replied, moderating my joyful feelings as well as I
possibly could.

''Such being your decision, what course do you advise?'

''Immediate action, for minutes are precious.'

''I foresee we shall agree perfectly. To-day my host purposes starting
for the capital; I shall accompany him. If you return without delay, the
remainder of the day will suffice to prepare for the journey, and
to-morrow we will start for the opal-mine.'

''But where shall I meet you, madame?'

''At the Hotel de las Diligencias.'

''And where shall I find Pepito?'

''At a tavern near the Barrier del Nino Perdido. But you will not, if
you please, inform him of my address. For--well, it is an unpleasant
matter to mention--but this Pepito seems to be--'

''Desperately in love with you.'

''I hardly meant that--but his attentions are too oppressive to be quite
agreeable.'

''I fully understand you, madame. May I inquire if you have had any
tidings of Mr. Percival?'

''Do not, I beg, Mr. Rideau, allude to that painful topic--all feelings
of resentment are hushed in the grave.'

''What! have you heard of his assassination?'

'' Yes; the news reached me yesterday; I read it in the newspaper.'

'I shortly afterward took my leave--the last words of my new copartner
being:

''At five, then, at the Hotel de las Diligencias. Be sure you are
punctual.'

'Arrived in Mexico, my first thought was to seek for Pepito. Following
the directions given me by Mrs. Percival, I soon found him; and
repeating to him a portion of the interview I had with the lady, I
finished by proposing to take the place of Mr. Livermore in the bargain
that had been made between them.

''I ask nothing better,' was the reply. 'Here are my terms--two thousand
dollars the very day we return to Mexico, and I to hold the shells till
you hand over the money. That is fair, is it not?'

''Quite. When shall I see you again?'

''At eight to-night, on the Cathedral steps.'

'Hastening home, I devoted the rest of the day to preparing for my
journey, and a little before five started for the Hotel de las
Diligencias. Mrs. Percival had not yet arrived. Twice again I called,
but still in vain. The evening gradually wore away, and at eight I paced
the Cathedral Square, and for an hour loitered around the steps; but
Pepito, also, failed to keep the rendezvous.

'As the next day was Sunday, I felt assured the most likely place to
find Pepito, would be the bull-ring. On reaching it, I found a crowd
assembled near one of the entrances, and pushing my way through, I
beheld Pepito lying on the ground weltering in his blood. I rushed to
him, and kneeling down, raised him in my arms.

''Ah! it is you, Señor,' said he, in a feeble tone. 'This is Pedro's
work, but it was his last; for I have killed the traitor.'

''Pepito, tell me, for Heaven's sake, where did you find the shells?'I
inquired; for avarice and cupidity reigned, I am ashamed to own,
paramount within my breast.

''Those shells? In the plains of Chiapa--three days' journey from the
sea--near the little river--in a brook--Ah! glory to God! here comes a
priest!'

'At this moment a fat Franciscan friar pressed through the crowd.

''Absolution, padre! absolution!' cried Pepito, to whom the sight of the
friar brought back new life.

''Patience, my son, patience! I am very late--very late--and I must not
be detained. Wait a little--and after the sports of the day are over, I
will return.'

''But, padre, I shall be dead!'

''Well, then, be quick!'

''I have only two sins on my conscience: I have not attended mass for
three weeks.'

''That is sad! very sad! Well, what next?'

''Three days ago I stabbed an Inglez--a heretic.'

''Well, my dear son, your sins are venial sins; I absolve you.'

''Pepito, how did that dagger come into your hands?' I exclaimed, for I
was astonished to see in his belt the dagger I had lost on the night
when Adéle took refuge in my room.

''From my dear--Adéle.'

''And the _Inglez_--the heretic you stabbed--who was he?'

''Her husband--she wished it--promised to be mine--and I obeyed. But,
stand back--I want air--air.'

'I turned away my head, sickened at the fearful revelation. When I again
looked, my eyes fell on a corpse. I snatched the dagger, which was still
wet with Pedro's blood, from his belt, and hurried almost frantic to the
Hotel de las Diligencias. Mrs. Percival had been waiting for me about
two hours.

'The violent emotions which raged within me must have been portrayed on
my countenance, for on my entering the apartment, she started back in
dismay.

''Mrs. Percival,' said I, striving to master the repulsive feeling which
the mere sight of her excited, 'Pepito has, within the past hour, been
murdered.'

''Murdered!' she repeated. 'And the secret--'

''Is dead--for _you_--forever! Madame, that infernal mine has for years
been driving you to the blackest crime! It is time that the bait fell
from the devil's hook.'

''What do you mean by this altered tone?'

''I mean, madame, that, thanks to Heaven, your crimes have been revealed
to me. Shall I enumerate the list of your victims--General Ramiro,
Arthur Livermore, Edward Percival, your husband, and last of all,
Pepito? Your path, since you have sought this mine, is marked at every
step by treachery and crime. The boldest heart must shudder to look at
the ghastly procession led on by the General you poisoned.'

'''Tis false! God help me, 'tis false!'

''False--_is_ it false--that three days since your husband was murdered
at your instigation, by Pepito? Stay--hear me! Look at this dagger! did
you not steal it from my room and give it to Pepito to perpetrate the
crime? Madame, pause, ere you dare to swear it is false.'

'She trembled, and falling on her knees, exclaimed:

''My God! my God! forgive me!'

''It is not, madame, for erring man to limit the infinite mercy of
Heaven; but for such crimes as yours there must be a fearful
retribution. Farewell; may you go and sin no more.'

'I left the room, but in a few moments heard a piercing shriek; and
rushing back, found the wretched woman extended on the floor in the
agonies of death. She had picked up the dagger which I had thrown away,
and stabbed herself to the heart.

'And the opal-mine?'

'I meant, at first, to leave the Nibelungen Hoard alone; but time tames
all things except the love of gold. I went there; it was rich, but not
inexhaustible. You have all had proof that I am neither poor nor
parsimonious; but neither am I extravagant. I have all that I want--a
cottage at Newport, a neat house in the Rue de la Paix, stocks, and real
estate. The opal-mine started me; I have kept myself going very well
ever since.

'Gentlemen, my tale is ended. I am sorry it has proved so long, and am
grateful to you all for the attentive hearing you have given me. I have
been constantly looking round expecting to detect some one of you
falling into a gentle slumber; I therefore feel really flattered at
finding you all still awake.'

'But what became of the child that Percival was seeking?' shouted one.

'Did you ever find out any thing about Adéle's previous history?' asked
another.

'And look here, Rideau, what did you--?'

'Gentlemen, take pity on me; while I have been spinning this long yarn,
you have been smoking and imbibing; I am very willing to join you in
both; but to-night I am tired out. The next time we meet, I shall be
delighted to tell you what particulars I learned on my return to New
Orleans, relative to Adéle and her poor orphan child; but no more
to-night.'

_THE RED, WHITE, AND BLUE._

  Red was the lightning's flashing,
    And down through the driving rain,
  We saw the red eyes dashing
    Of the merciless midnight train;
  Soon many crowded together,
    Under the lamp's red glow,
  But I saw one figure only--
    Ah! why did I tremble so?
  The eyes that gazed in the darkness
    After the midnight train,
  Are red with watching and weeping,
    For it brings none back again.
  Clouds hang in the west like banners,
    Red banners of war unfurled,
  And the prairie sod is crimson
    With the best blood of the world.

  White faces are pressed to the window,
    Watching the sun go down,
  Looking out to the coming darkness,
    That covers the noisy town.
  White are the hands, too, and quiet,
    Over the pulseless breast;
  No more will the vision of parting
    Disturb the white sleeper's rest.
  Over sleeper, and grave, and tombstone,
    Like a pitying mantle spread,
  The snow comes down in the night-time,
    With a shy and noiseless tread.

  Blue smoke rolls away on the north-wind,
    Blue skies grow dusk in the din,
  Blue waters look dark with the shadow
    That gathers the world within.
  Rigid and blue are the fingers
    That clutch at the fading sky;
  Blue lips in their agony mutter:
    'O God! let this cup pass by.'
  Blue eyes grow weary with watching;
    Strong hands with waiting to do;
  While brave hearts echo the watchword:
    'Hurrah! for the Red, White, and Blue.'

_MACCARONI AND CANVAS._

IV.

THE FAIR AT GROTTO FERRATA.

No matter how well and hearty you may be, if you are in Rome, in summer,
when the _scirócco_ blows, you will feel as if convalescent from some
debilitating fever; in winter, however, this gentle-breathing south-east
wind will act more mildly; it will woo you to the country, induce you to
sit down in a shady place, smoke, and 'muse.' That incarnate essence of
enterprise, business, industry, economy, sharpness, shrewdness, and
keenness--that Prometheus whose liver was torn by the vulture of cent
per cent--eternally tossing, restless DOOLITTLE, was one day seen
asleep, during bank hours, on a seat in the Villa Madama. The _scirócco_
blew that day: Doolittle fell.

At breakfast, one morning in the latter part of the month of March,
Caper proposed to Roejean and another artist named Bagswell, to attend
the fair held that day at Grotto Ferrata.

'What will you find there?' asked Roejean.

'Find?--I remember, in the _Bohemian Girl_, a song that will answer
you,' replied Caper; 'the words were composed by the theatrical poet
Bunn':

  'Rank, in its halls, may not find
  The calm of a happy mind;
      So repair
      To the Fair,
  And they may be met with there.'

'Unsatisfactory, both the grammar and the sentiment,' said Bagswell; 'it
won't work; it's all wrong. In the first place, rank, in its hauls,
_may_ find the calm of a happy mind: for instance, the captain of a
herring-smack may find the calm of a very happy mind in his hauls of No.
1 Digbys; more joy even than the fair could afford him. Let us go!'

Bagswell was a 'funny' Englishman.

They went--taking the railroad. Dashing out of the station, the
locomotive carried them, in half an hour, to the station at Frascati,
whirling them across the Campagna, past long lines of ruined or
half-ruined and repaired aqueducts; past Roman tombs; past _Roma
Vecchia_, the name given to the ruins of an immense villa; landing them
at the first slope of the mountains, covered at their base with
vineyards, olive and fruit-trees, and corn-fields, while high over them
gleamed glistening white snow-peaks.

The walk from Frascati to the Grotto, about three miles, was beautiful,
winding over hills through a fine wood of huge old elms and plane-trees.
In the warm sun-light, the butterflies were flitting, while the
road-side was purple with violets, and white and blue with little
flowers. From time to time, our three artists had glimpses of the
Campagna, rolling away like the ocean, to dash on Rome, crowned by St.
Peter's; the dome of which church towers above the surrounding country,
so that it can be seen, far and wide, for thirty miles or more. The road
was alive with walkers and riders; here a dashing, open carriage, filled
with rosy English; there a _contadino_, donkey-back, dressed in
holiday-suit, with short-clothes of blue woolen, a scarlet waistcoat,
his coarse blue-cloth jacket worn on one shoulder, and in his brown,
conical-shaped hat, a large carnation-pink. Then came more of the
country-people, almost always called _villani_, (hence our word,
villains!) These poor villains had sacks on their backs, or were
carrying in their hands--if women, on their heads--loads of bacon, sides
of bacon, flitches of bacon, hams, loaves of bread, cheese, and very
loud-smelling _mortadella_; which they had bought and were bringing away
from the fair.

'There was one task,' said Roejean, 'that Hercules declined, and that
was eating that vile _mortadella_. He was a strong man; but that was
stronger. Wait a moment, till I fill a pipe with caporal, and have a
smoke; for if I meet another man with that delicacy, I shall have to
give up the Grotto--unless I have a pipe under my nose, as
counter-irritant.'

The three artists tramped along gayly, until they approached the town,
when they assumed the proud, disdainful mood, assuring spectators that
they who wear it are of gentle blood, and are tired of life and weary of
traveling around with pockets filled with gold. They only looked coldly
at the pens filled with cattle for sale; long-horned, mouse-colored oxen
were there; groups of patient donkeys, or the rough-maned,
shaggy-fetlocked, bright-eyed small horses of the Campagna; countless
pigs, many goats; while above all, the loud-singing jackasses were
performing at the top of their lungs. Here were knots of country-people,
buying provisions or clothing; there were groups of carriages from Rome,
which had rolled out the wealthy _forestieri_ or strangers, drawn up by
the way-side, in the midst of all sorts and kinds of hucksters. The road
leading to the church, shaded by trees, was crowded with country-people,
in picturesque costumes, busily engaged in buying and selling hams,
bacon, bacon and hams, and a few more hams. Here and there, a
cheese-stand languished, for pork flourished. Now a copper-smith exposed
his wares, chief among which were the graceful-shaped _conche_ or
water-vessels, the same you see so carefully poised on the heads of so
many black-eyed Italian girls, going to or coming from so many
picturesque fountains, in--paintings, and all wearing such brilliant
costumes, as you find at--Gigi's costume-class. Then came an ironmonger,
whose wares were all made by hand, even the smallest nails; for
machinery, as yet, is in its first infancy around Rome. At this stand,
Roejean stopped to purchase a pallet-knife; not one of the regular,
artist-made tools, but a thin, pliable piece of steel, without handle,
which experience taught him was well adapted to his work. As usual, the
iron-man asked twice as much as he intended to take, and after a sharp
bargain, Roejean conquered. Then they came to a stand where there were
piles of coarse crockery, and some of a better kind, of classical shape.

Caper particularly admired a beautiful white jug, intended for a
water-pitcher, and holding about two gallons. After asking its price, he
offered a quarter of the money for it; to Bagswell's horror, the
crockery-man took it, and Caper, passing his arm through the handle, was
proceeding up the road, when Bagswell energetically asked him what he
was going to do with it.

'Enter Rome with it, like Titus with the _spolia opima_,' replied Caper.

'Oh! I say, now,' said the former, who was an Englishman and an
historical painter; 'you aren't going to trot all over the fair with
that old crockery on your arm. Why, God bless me, they'll swear we are
drunk. There comes the Duchess of Brodneck; what the deuce will she
say?'

'Say?' said Caper, 'why, I'll go and ask her; this is not court-day.'

Without another word, with water-pitcher on arm, he walked toward the
Duchess. Saluting her with marked politeness, he said:

'A countryman of yours, madame, has objected to my carrying this _objet
de fantaisie_, assuring me that it would occasion remarks from the
Duchess of Brodneck. May I have the good fortune to know what she says
of it?'

'She says,' replied the lady, smiling and speaking slowly and quietly;
'that a young man who has independence enough to carry it, has
confidence enough to--fill it.' She bowed, and passed on, Caper politely
raising his hat, in acknowledgment of the well-rounded sentence. When he
returned to Bagswell, he found the historical painter with eyes the size
of grape-shot, at the sublime impudence of the man. He told him what
she had said.

'Upon my honor, you Americans have a face of brass; to address a duchess
you don't know, and ask her a question like that!'

'That's nothing,' said Caper, 'a little experience has taught me that
the higher you fly, in England, the nearer you approach true politeness
and courtesy. Believe me, I should never have asked that question of any
Englishwoman whose social position did not assure me she was
cosmopolitan.'

'Come,' said Bagswell, 'come, after such an adventure, if there is one
drop of any thing fit to drink in this town, we'll all go and get
lushy.'

They went. They found a door over which hung a green branch. Good wine
needs no bush, therefore Italian wine-shops hang it out; for the wine
there is not over good. But as luck was with our three artists, in the
shop over the door of which hung the green bough, they found that the
_padrone_ was an old acquaintance of Roejean; he had married and moved
to Grotto Ferrata. He had a barrel of Frascati wine, which was bright,
sparkling, sweet, and not watered. This the _padrone_ tapped in honor of
his guests, and at their urgent request, sat down and helped empty a
couple of bottles. Moreover, he told them that as the town was
overcrowded, they would find it difficult to get a good dinner, unless
they would come and dine with him, at his private table, and be his
guests; which invitation Roejean accepted, to the tavern-keeper's great
joy, promising to be back at the appointed time.

Our trio then sauntered forth to see the fair. Wandering among the
crowded booths, they came suddenly on a collection of _Zingare_, looking
like their Spanish cousins, the _Gitañas_. Wild black eyes, coarse black
locks of hair, brown as Indians, small hands, small feet--the Gipsies,
children of the storm--my Rommani pals, what are you doing here? Only
one woman among them was noticeable. Her face was startlingly handsome,
with an aquiline nose, thin nostrils, beautifully-arched eyebrows, and
eyes like an eagle. She was tall, straight, with exquisitely-rounded
figure, and the full drapery of white around her bosom fell from the
shoulders in large hanging sleeves; over her head was thrown a crimson
and green shawl, folded like the _pane_ of the _ciociare_, and setting
off her raven-black hair and rich red and swarthy complexion.

Roejean stood entranced, and Caper, noticing his rapt air, forbore
breaking silence; while the gipsy, who knew that she was the admiration
of the _forestieri_, stood immovable as a statue, looking steadily at
them, without changing a feature.

'_Piu bellisima che la madonna!_' said Roejean, loud enough for her to
hear. Then turning to Caper, 'Let's _andiammo_,' (travel,) said he,
'that woman's face will haunt me for a month. I've seen it before; yes,
seen her shut up in the Vatican, immortal on an old Etruscan vase.
Egypt, Etruria, the Saracen hordes who once overrun all this Southern
Italy, I find, every hour, among live people, some trace of you all; but
of the old Roman, nothing!'

'You find the old Roman cropping out in these church processions,
festivals, shrines, and superstitions, don't you?' asked Caper.

'No! something of those who made the seal, nothing of the impression on
the wax remains for me. Before Rome was, the great East was, and shall
be. The Germans are right to call the East the Morning-Land; thence came
light.... The longer you live along the wave-washed shore of the
Mediterranean, the more you will see what a deep hold the East once had
on the people of the coast. The Romans, after all, were only opulent
tradesmen, who could buy luxuries without having the education to
appreciate them. So utterly did they ignore the Etruscans, who made them
what they were, that you seek in vain to find in Roman history any thing
but the barest outline of the origin of a people so graceful and
refined that the Roman citizen was a boot-black in comparison to one of
them. The Saracens flashed light and life, in later days, once more into
the Roman leaven. What a dirty, filthy page the whole Gothic middle-age
is at best! It lies like a huge body struck with apoplexy, and only
restored to its sensual life by the sharp lancet, bringing blood, of
these same infidels, these stinging Saracens. Go into the mountains back
of us, hunt up the costumes that still remain, and see where they all
come from--the East. Look at the crescent earrings and graceful twisted
gold-work, from--the East. All the commonest household ware, the
agricultural implements, the manner of cooking their food, and all that
is picturesque in life and religion--all from the East.'

'Strikes me,' quoth Caper, 'that this question of food touches my
weakest point; therefore, let us go and dine, and continue the lecture
at a more un-hungry period. But where is Bagswell?'

'He is seeking adventures, of course.'

'Oh! yes, I sec him down there among the billy-goats; let's go and pick
him up, and then for mine host of the Green Bough.'

Having found Bagswell, our trio at once marched to the Green Bough,
which they saw was filled to overflowing with country-people, eating and
drinking, sitting on rough benches, and stowing away food and wine as if
in expectation of being very soon shipwrecked on a desert island, where
there would be nothing but hard-shell clams and lemons to eat. The
landlord at once took the trio up-stairs, where, at a large table, were
half-a-dozen of his friends, all of the cleanly order of country-people,
stout, and having a well-to-do look that deprecated any thing like
famine. A young lady of twenty and two hundred, as Caper summed up her
age and weight, was evidently the cynosure of all eyes; two other
good-natured women, of a few more years and a very little less weight,
and three men, made up the table. Any amount of compliments, as usual,
passed between the first six and the last three comers, prefacing every
thing with desires that they would act without ceremony; but Caper and
Roejean were on a high horse, and they fairly pumped the spring of
Italian compliments so dry, that Bagswell could only make a squeaking
noise when he tried the handle. This verbifuge of our three artists put
their host into an ecstasy of delight, and he circulated all round,
rubbing his hands and telling his six friends that his three friends
were _milordi_, in very audible whispers, _milordi_ of the most genial,
courtly, polite, complimentary, cosmopolitan, and exquisite description.

After all this, down sat our trio, and for the sake of future ages which
will live on steam-bread, electrical beef, and magnetic fish, let us
give them the bill of fare set before them:

ALL THE WINE THEY COULD DRINK.

Maccaroni (_fettucia_) a la Milanese--dish two feet in diameter, one
foot and a half high.

Mutton-chops, with tomato-sauce, (_pomo d'oro._)

Stewed celery, with Parmesan cheese.

Stewed chickens.

Mutton-chops, bird-fashion, (_Uccélli di Castrato._ They are made of
pieces of mutton rolled into a shape like a bird, and cooked, several at
a time, on a wooden spit. They are the _kibaubs_ of the East.)

Baked pie of cocks' combs and giblets.

Roasted pig, a twelve-pounder.

Roast squashes, stuffed with minced veal.

Apples, oranges, figs, and _finocchio_.

_Crostata di visciola_, or wild-cherry pie, served on an iron plate the
size of a Roman warrior's shield; the dish evidently having been one
formerly.

MORE WINE!

The stout young lady rejoicing in the name of Angelucia, or large angel,
was fascinated by Roejean's conversational powers and Caper's
attentions; the rest of the company, perfectly at ease on finding out
that the _milordi_ were not French--Roejean turning American to better
please them--and that they were moreover full of fun, talked and laughed
as if they were brother Italians. A jollier dinner Caper acknowledged he
had never known. One of the Italians was farmer-general for one of the
Roman princes; he was a man of broad views, and having traveled to Paris
and London, came home with ultra-liberal sentiments, and to Bagswell's
astonishment, spoke his mind so clearly on the Roman rulers, that our
Englishman's eyes were slightly opened at the by no means complimentary
expressions used toward the wire-workers of the Papal government. One
Italy, and Rome its capital, was the only platform our princely farmer
would take, and he was willing to stake his fortune, a cool one hundred
thousand scudi, on regenerated Italy.

Conversation then fell on the fair; and one of the Italians told several
stories which were broad enough to have shoved the generality of English
and American ladies out of the window of the room. But Angelucia and the
two wives of the stout gentlemen never winked; they had probably been to
confession that morning, had cleared out their old sins, and were now
ready to take in a new cargo. In a little while Roejean sent the waiter
out to a café, and he soon returned with coffee for the party, upon
which Caper, who had the day before bought some Havana cigars of the man
in the Twelve Apostles, in the piazza Dódici Apostoli, where there is a
government cigar-store for the sale of them, passed them around, and
they were thoroughly appreciated by the diners. The farmer-general gave
our three artists a hearty invitation to visit him, promising them all
the horses they could ride, all the wine they could drink, and all the
maccaroni they could eat. The last clause was inserted for Roejean's
benefit, who had played a noble game with the grand dish they had had
for dinner, and at which Angelucia had made great fun, assuring Roejean
he was Italian to the heart, _e piu basso_.

Then came good-by, and our artists were off--slowly, meditatively, and
extremely happy, but, so far, quite steady. They walked to the
castellated monastery of San Basilio, where in the chapel of Saint Nilus
they saw the celebrated frescoes of Domenichino, and gazed at them
tranquilly and not quite so appreciatingly as they would have done
before dinner. Then they came out from the gloom and the air heavy with
incense of the chapel to the bright light and lively scenes of the fair,
with renewed pleasure. They noticed that every one wore in the hat or in
the lappel of the coat, if men--in their hair or in their bosom, if
women, artificial roses; and presently coming to a stand where such
flowers were for sale, our trio bought half-a-dozen each, and then
turned to where the crowd was thickest and the noise greatest. Three or
four donkeys loaded with tin-ware were standing near the crowd, when one
of them, ambitious of distinction, began clambering over the tops of the
others in an insane attempt to get at some greens, temptingly displayed
before him. Rattle, bang! right and left went the tins, and in rushed
men and women with cudgels; but donkey was not to be stopped, and for
four or five minutes the whole fair seemed gathered around the scene,
cheering and laughing, with a spirit that set Caper wild with
excitement, and induced him to work his way through the crowd and
present one old woman who had finally conquered the donkey, with two
large roses, an action which was enthusiastically applauded by the
entire assembly.

'Bravo! bravo! well done, O Englishman!' went up the shout.

A little farther on they came to a large traveling van, one end of which
was arranged as a platform in the open air. Here a female dentist, in a
sea-green dress, with her sleeves rolled up and a gold bracelet on her
right arm, held in both hands a tooth-extractor, bound round with a
white handkerchief--to keep her steady, as Caper explained, while she
pulled a tooth from the head of a young man who was down in front of
her on his knees. Her assistant, a good-looking young man, in very white
teeth and livery, sold some patent toothache drops: _Solo cinque
baiocchi il fiasco, S'gnore_.

Caper having seen the tooth extracted, cried, '_Bravissima!_' as if he
had been at the opera, and threw some roses at the _prima donna
dentista_, who acknowledged the applause with a bow, and requested the
Signore to step up and let her draw him out. This he declined, pleading
the fact that he had sound teeth. The _dentista_ congratulated him, in
spite of his teeth.

'But come!' said Bagswell; 'look at that group of men and women in
Albano costume; there is a chance to make a deuced good sketch.'

Two men and three women were seated in a circle; they were laughing and
talking, and cutting and eating large slices of raw ham and bread, while
they passed from one to another a three-gallon keg of wine, and drank
out of the bung. As one of the hearty, laughing, jolly, brown-eyed girls
lifted up the keg, Caper pulled out sketch-book and pencil to catch an
outline sketch--of her head thrown back, her fine full throat and breast
heaving as the red wine ran out of the barrel, and the half-closed,
dreamy eyes, and pleasure in the face as the wine slowly trickled down
her throat. One of the men noted the artist making a _ritratto_, and
laughing heartily, cried out: 'Oh! but you'll have to pay us well for
taking our portraits!' And the girl, slowly finishing her long
draught, looked merrily round, shook her finger at the artist, laughed,
and--the sketch was finished. Then Caper taking Roejean's roses, went
laughingly up to the girl with brown eyes and fine throat, in Albano
costume, and begged that she would take the poor flowers, and putting
them next her heart, keep them where it is forever warm--'as the young
man on your left knows very well!' he concluded. This speech was
received amid loud applause and cheers, and thanks for the roses and an
invitation to take a pull at the barrel. Caper waved them _Adio_, and as
our trio turned Rome-ward from the fair, the last things he saw as he
turned his head to take a farewell look, were the roses that the Italian
girl had placed next her heart.

THE TOMBOLA.

The exceedingly interesting amusement known as the Tombola is nothing
more than the game of Loto, or _Lótto_, 'Brobdignagified,' and played in
the open air of the Papal States, in Rome on Sundays, and in the
Campagna on certain saints' days, come they when they may.

The English have made holiday from holy day, and call the Lord's day
Sunday; while the Italians call Sunday Lord's day, or _Domenica_. Their
way of keeping it holy, however, with tombolas, horse-races, and
fire-works, strikes a heretic, to say the least, oddly.

The Roman tombola should be seen in the Piazza Navona democratically; in
the Villa Borghese, if not aristocratically at least middle
classically, or bourgeois-istically.

In the month of November, when the English drown themselves, and the
Italians sit in the sun and smile, our friend Caper, one Sunday morning,
putting his watch and purse where pick-pockets could not reach them,
walked with two or three friends down to the Piazza Navona, stopping, as
he went along, at the entrance of a small street leading into it, to
purchase a tombola-ticket. The ticket-seller, seated behind a small
table, a blank-book, and piles of blank tickets, charged eleven
_baiocchi_ (cents) for a ticket, including one _baioccho_ for
registering it. We give below a copy of Caper's ticket:

     No. 17 D'ORDINE, LETTERA C.

     CARTELLA DA RITENERSI DAL GIUOCATORE.

     8      12      32      87      60
    20       4      76      30      11
    45       3      90      55      63

The numbers on this ticket the registrar filled up, after which it was
his duty to copy them in his book, and thus verify the ticket should it
draw a prize.

The total amount to be played for that day, the tombola being for the
benefit of the Cholera Orphans, was one thousand scudi, and was divided
as follows:

    Terno,.................... $50
    Quaterno,................. 100
    Cinquina,................. 200
    Tombola,.................. 650
                            -------
                             $1000

How many tickets were issued, Caper was never able to find out; but he
was told that for a one thousand dollar tombola the number was limited
to ninety thousand.

The tickets, as will be seen above, are divided into three lines, with
five divisions in each line, and you can fill up the fifteen divisions
with any numbers running from one to ninety, that you may see fit.
Ninety tickets, with numbers from one to ninety, are put in a revolving
glass barrel, and after being well shaken up, some one draws out one
number at random, (the slips of paper being rolled up in such manner
that the numbers on them can not be seen.) It is passed to the judges,
and is then read aloud, and exposed to view, in conspicuous figures, on
a stand or stands; and so on until the tombola is won or the numbers all
drawn.

Whoever has three consecutive figures on a line, beginning from left
hand to right, wins the _Terno_; if four consecutive figures, the
_Quaterno_; if five figures, or a full line, the _Cinquina_; and whoever
has all fifteen figures, wins the Tombola. It often happens that several
persons win the _Terno_, etc., at the same time, in which case the
amount of the _Terno_, etc., is equally divided among them. These public
tombolas are like too many thimble-rig tables, ostensibly started for
charitable objects, and it is popularly whispered that the Roman
nobility and heads of the Church purchase vast numbers of these tickets,
and never fill them up; but then again, they are not large enough for
shaving, and are too small for curl-papers; besides, six hundred and
fifty _scudi_! Whew!

The Piazza Navona, bearing on its face, on week-days, the most terrible
eruptions of piles of old iron, rags, paintings, books, boots,
vegetables, crockery, jackdaws, contadini, and occasional dead cats,
wore on the Sunday of the tombola--it was Advent Sunday--a clean,
bright, and even joyful look. From many windows hung gay cloths and
banners; the three fountains were making Roman pearls and diamonds of
the first water; the entire length (seven hundred and fifty feet) and
breadth of the square was filled with the Roman people; three bands of
military music played uncensurable airs, since the public censor
permitted them; and several companies of soldiers, with loaded guns,
stood all ready to slaughter the _plebe_. It was a sublime spectacle.

But the curtain rose; that is to say, the tombola commenced. At a raised
platform, a small boy, dressed in black, popularly supposed to be a
cholera orphan, rolled back his shirt-cuffs--he had a shirt--plunged his
hand into the glass barrel, and produced a slip of paper; an assistant
carried it to the judges--one resembled Mr. Pecksniff--and then the
crier announced the number, and, presto! on a large blackboard the
number appeared, so that every one could see it.

Caper found the number on his ticket, and was marking it off, when a
countryman at his side asked him if he would see if the number was on
his ticket, as he could not read figures. Caper accordingly looked it
over, and finding that it was there, marked it off for him.

'_Padrone mio_, thank you,' said the man, evidently determined, since he
had found out a scholar, to keep close by him.

'Seventeen!' called out the tombola-crier.

'C----o!' said the contadino, with joy in his face; 'seventeen is always
my lucky number. My wife was seventeen years old when I married her. My
donkey was killed by the railroad cars the other day, and he gave just
seventeen groans before he died. I shall have luck to-day.'

We refrain from writing the exclamation the contadino prefaced his
remarks with, for fear the reader might have a good Italian
dictionary--an article, by the way, the writer has never yet seen.
Suffice it to say, that the exclamations made use of by the Romans, men
and women, not only of the lower but even the middling class, are of a
nature exceedingly natural, and plainly point to Bacchic and Phallic
sources. The _bestémmia_ of the Romans is viler than the blasphemy of
English or Americans.

It happened that the countryman had a seventeen on his ticket, and Caper
marked it off, at the same time asking him how much he would take for
his pantaloons. These pantaloons were made of a goat's skin; the long
white wool, inches in length, left on and hanging down below the knees
of the man, gave him a Pan-like look, and with the word tombola,
suggested the lines of that good old song--save the maledictory part of
it:

  'Tombolin had no breeches to wear,
  So he bought him a goat's skin, to make him a pair.'

These breeches were not for sale; they were evidently the joy and the
pride of the countryman, who had no heart for trade, having by this time
two numbers in one line marked off, only wanting an adjoining one to win
the _terno_.

'If you were to win the _terno_, what would you do with it?' Caper asked
him.

'_Accidente!_ I'd buy a barrel of wine, and a hog, and a--'

'Thirty-two!' shouted the crier.

'It's on your paper,' said Caper to him, marking it off; 'and you've won
the _terno_!'

The eyes of the man gleamed wildly; he crossed himself, grasped the
paper, and the next thing Caper saw was the crowd dividing right and
left, as the excited owner of the goat-skin breeches made his way to the
platform. When he had climbed up, and stepping forward, stood ready to
receive the _terno_, the crowd jeered and cheered the _villano_, making
fine fun of his goat-skin, and not a little jealous that a _contadino_
should take the money out of the city.

'It's always so,' said a fat man next to Caper, 'these _villani_ take
the bread out of our mouths; but _ecco_! there is another one who has
the _terno_; blessed be the Madonna, there is a third! Oh! _diavolo_,
the _villano_ will only have one third of the _terno_; and may he die of
apoplexy!'

A vender of refreshments passing along, the fat man stopped him, and
purchased a _baioccho's_ worth of--what?

Pumpkin-seeds! These are extensively eaten in Rome, as well as the seeds
of pine-cones, acorns, and round yellow chick-peas; these supply the
place occupied by ground-nuts in our more favored land.

There is this excitement about the tombolas in the Piazza Navona, that
occasionally a panic seizes the crowd, and in the rush of people to
escape from the square, some have their pockets picked, and some are