horse appeared to be in the act of grasping the bell-rope with his teeth, and thus ringing the bell that swung in the turret above. On inquiring what all this meant, the stranger was told the following story: 2. "A very long time ago, this bell-tower, now mosscovered with age, was erected, and in it was placed a bell, called The Doom-Bell of Ingratitude.' At the time of its erection.a decree was passed by the citizens that any person who should be ungratefully treated by another, might go at once to the tower and ring the bell, and, even if it should be in the night-time, the judges should at once assemble and then and there examine into the charge, and, unheeding title, rank, or wealth, should pronounce a righteous verdict, from which there should be no appeal. 3. "Now it happened, a hundred years ago or more, that a wealthy citizen of the place was pleased and proud to keep a noble steed of rarest beauty. It also happened, once on a time, that, as this man was riding in a forest late at night, he was beset by six mounted robbers, who would have slain him for his money had not his noble steed outstripped his swiftest pursuers and borne his master to a place of safety. Or, as it has been told in rhyme,— 4. "The faithful beast, all white with foam, His grateful lord, who, once at home, A vow he made, and, swearing, sealed: The best of oats the land can yield, Until he turns to clay.' 5. "But the good beast, falling sick at last, grew lame, and stiff, and blind; and then his master, regardless of his vow, sought to sell him for whatever any one would pay ; and when no one would buy, he turned his faithful steed out into the street, on a cold winter's night, to perish of hunger. 6. "The poor animal stood shivering at his master's gate all the long night through; and, when morning brought him no relief, he wandered away through the streets in quest of food, glad when, fumbling, in his blindness, over the frozen ground, a wisp of straw chanced to fall in his way. 7. "During the following night the poor creature-mere skeleton as he was—at the hour of midnight stumbled into the bell-house, and, chancing to grope where the hemp rope hung, in his gnawing hunger he seized the rope with a sudden jerk, when at once the bell above sent forth its loud warning cry,—' In-grat'i-tude! In-grat'i-tude!' which resounded throughout the whole city. 8. "The judges hear the midnight cry— And lift their wondering hands on high They went not back with gibe and joke, To curse the untimely clang: Amazed, they cried, "Twas God that spoke, 9. "At once the rich man was awakened by the officer of the law, and brought before the judges. "He went defiant; but his mood To meekness changed with speed, 10. "He was reminded of the steed's faithful service to Verse 8.-Why "midnight cry"?-Why is the expression, dering hands," used?-Why is the horse called a plaintiff"? him, and of his own base ingratitude; and then the decree of the court was read to him:: "That you, henceforth, your faithful steed And, like a Christian, nurse and feed Till death, for mercy's sake!' 11. The rich man was confounded, ashamed, and humiliated; but the steed was taken home and faithfully cared for thereafter, as long as he lived, while, in the open door-way of the tower, the city fathers raised, in commemoration of the event, the marble statue that so much excited the curiosity of the stranger." 12. "Such," said Mr. Raymond, "is the story of the blind steed and his ungrateful master. I think it is a good story to be read at the next meeting of the 'Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.' I was assured, by the gentleman who told it to me, that the story is a true one, and that the statue of the horse, blind, like the figure of Justice, actually stands there, to this day, in that German town, as if ready to sound, again, the bell's indignant cry of 'Ingrat'i-tude! In-grat'i-tude!'" CHAPTER IX.-OUR FRENCH ACQUAINTANCE. 1. We have occasionally spoken of Mr. Bardou, the "little old Frenchman" who lived with Mr. and Mrs. Raymond at the parsonage. He had spent most of his life in and near Paris, but, as he had outlived his wife and children and the generation with which he had grown up to manhood, he had come over to America to pass his few remaining days with his only surviving relative and her husband in the retirement of Lake-View.. 2. Mr. Bardou was not only a very old gentleman, but he was a gentleman of refined manners and scholarly attainments. Moreover, he was a graduate of the University of Paris; he had been much in public life, and although he lived with his niece's husband, a Protestant divine, and was in sympathy with Christians of every creed, we were told that he still adhered to the Roman Catholic faith, the religion of his youth. 3. At the invitation of Uncle Philip, who had long known and who highly respected him, he was to come up from the village to spend a few days at Wilmot Hall. The young people of our little coterie, it must be confessed, did not anticipate any great pleasure from the company of so aged a person, for, as old age always brings with it a train of infirmities, it seemed but natural that the sunshine of youth should be somewhat clouded by its presence. It might command respect,-yea, veneration, but it seemed even to us older persons that the fading remnant of life could have little sympathy with the activities of the present, and little interest in the developments of human progress in which it could not share. 4. The old gentleman came. He indeed bore the invariable marks of old age: for his eyes were sunken, his cheeks had lost their fulness, and the few snowy locks that were left to him were long and thin; but his hearing was still perfect, and his small features still retained their delicate classic outlines. When he spoke,-and fortunately his English was good,-all seemed to forget his age, for his memory was excellent and he talked of the present; he was familiar with all the living questions of the day, and he entered freely into the hopes and anticipations of the future. He was less a relic of the past than a living link in the chain of humanity. Our young people were quite delighted with their visitor. 5. We were no less surprised at his bodily, than at his mental, activity; for his step was light and elastic; he loved a short walk; he took a fond, but not childish, interest in the amusements of the young; he ate with a good relish, though sparingly and temperately. We learned that he had never used tobacco, and, unlike most Frenchmen, he took no wine at his meals. Is it not here that we find, in his temperate life, the secret of that vigor of both body and mind which he still retains? 6. His greatest charm was the outspoken, but always polite, frankness and intelligence with which he conversed on such casual topics as chanced to come up, and with such freedom from assumed superiority, for one of his age and attainments, that he made every one, even the youngest in our company, feel at perfect ease in his presence. 7. He specially loved to descant upon the pleasures of old age, a topic so unusual, but which he treated so charmingly, that from his conversation I have gathered up many fragments, some of which, as opportunity presents, I have resolved to transfer to the following pages. Many of his "talks" were connected with events, trivial in themselves, which occurred at his humble residence in the environs of Paris. From these talks, as I wrote them down at the time in my diary, I here give a couple of extracts: No. I.-The Young Soldier and Old Age. 1. "One evening," said Mr. Bardou, " as I was returning from my usual walk, I heard some one pronounce my name, when, turning round, I saw a soldier seated on the grassy bank, who arose as I approached and touched his hat. 2. "He proved to be the old schoolmaster's son, who had left us five years before to join the army. He was now returning home, with a full discharge. I was about to give |
