Venus in Boston.

by George Thompson.

INTRODUCTION

I conceive it to be a prominent fault of most of the tales of fiction that are written and published at the present day, that they are not sufficiently _natural_--their style is too much exaggerated--and in aiming to produce startling effects, they depart too widely from the range of probability to engage the undivided interest of the enlightened and judicious reader. Believing as I do that the romance of reality--the details of common, everyday life--the secret history of things hidden from the public gaze, but of the existence of which there can be no manner of doubt--are endowed with a more powerful and absorbing interest than any extravagant flight of imagination can be, it shall be my aim in the following pages to adhere as closely as possible to truth and reality; and to depict scenes and adventures which have actually occurred, and which have come to my knowledge in the course of an experience no means limited--an experience replete with facilities for acquiring a perfect insight into human nature, and a knowledge of the many secret springs of human action.

The most favorable reception which my former humble productions have met with, at the hands of a kind and indulgent public, will, I trust, justify the hope that the present Tale may meet with similar encouragement. It certainly shall not prove inferior to any of its predecessors in the variety of its incidents or the interest of its details; and as a _romance of city life_, it will amply repay the perusal of all country readers, as well as those who reside in cities.

With these remarks, preliminary and explanatory, I proceed at once to draw the curtain, and unfold the opening scene of my drama.

CHAPTER I

_The blind Basket-maker and his family._

It was a winter's day, and piercing cold; very few pedestrians were to be seen in Boston, and those few were carefully enveloped in warm cloak and great coats, for the weather was of that intense kind that chills the blood and penetrates to the very bone. Even Washington street--that great avenue of wealth and promenade of fashion, usually thronged with the pleasure-seeking denizens of the metropolis--was comparatively deserted, save by a few shivering mortals, who hurried on their way with rapid footsteps, anxious to escape from the relentless and iron grasp of h.o.a.ry winter. And yet on that day, and in that street, there stood upon the pavement directly opposite the "Old South Church," a young girl of about the age of fourteen years, holding in her hand a small basket of fruit, which she offered to every pa.s.ser-by. Now there was nothing very extraordinary in this, neither was there anything very unusual in the meek and pleading look of the little fruit girl, as she timidly raised her large blue eyes to the face of every one who pa.s.sed her--for such humble callings, and such mute but eloquent appeals, are the common inheritance of many, very many of G.o.d's poor in large cities, and do not generally attract any great degree of notice from the careless (and too often unfeeling) children of prosperity;--but there was something in the appearance of the pale, sad girl, as, in her scant attire she shivered in the biting wind, not often met with in the humble disciples of poverty--a certain subdued, gentle air, partaking of much unconscious grace, that whispered of better days gone by.

At length the clock in the steeple of the "Old South" p.r.o.nounced that the dinner hour had arrived--and despite the intense cold, the street soon became alive with people hurrying to and fro; for what weather can induce a hungry man to neglect that important era in the events of the day--his _dinner_? This perfumed exquisite hurried by to fulfil an appointment and dine at Parker's; the more sober and economical citizen hastened on his way to "feed" at some establishment of less pretensions and more moderate prices; while the ma.s.s of the diners-out repaired to appease their hunger at the numerous cheap refectories that abound in the neighborhood. But the poor, forlorn little fruit girl stood unnoticed by the pa.s.sing throng, which like the curtain of a river hurried by, leaving her upon its margin, a neglected, drooping flower.

"Ah," she murmured--"why will they not buy my fruit? I have not taken a single penny to-day, and how can I return home to poor grandfather and my little brother, without food? Good people, could you but see them, your hearts would be softened--." And the tears rolled down her cheeks.

While thus soliloquizing, she had not noticed the approach of a little old man, in a faded, threadbare suit, and with a care-worn, wrinkled countenance. He stopped short when he saw that she was weeping, and in an abrupt, yet not unkind manner, inquired--

"My child, why do you weep?"

The girl looked up through her tears at the stranger, and in a few artless words related her simple story. She was an orphan, and with her little brother, lived with her grandfather. They were very poor, and were wholly dependent upon a small pittance which the grandfather (who was blind) daily earned by basket making, together with the very small profits which she realized by the sale of fruit in the streets. Her grandfather was very ill, and unable to work, and the poor family had not tasted food that day.

"Poor thing!" exclaimed the little old man when she had concluded her affecting narrative. He straightaway began fumbling in his pockets, and it seemed with no very satisfactory result, for he muttered--"The devil!

I have no money--not a copper; bah! I can give you nothing. But hold!

where do you live, my child?"

The girl stated her place of residence, which was in an obscure but respectable section of the city. The little old man produced a greasy memorandum book, and a stump of a pencil, with which he noted down the direction; then, uttering a grunt of satisfaction, but without saying a single word, he resumed his walk, and was soon lost in the crowd.

Evening came, and with it a furious snow-storm. Madly the wind careered through the streets--now fiercely dashing the snow into the faces of such unfortunate travellers as chanced to be abroad in that wild weather--now shaking the roofs of crazy old houses--and now tearing away in the distance with a howl of triumph at its power. The storm fiend was abroad--the elements were at war, and yet in the midst of that furious tumult, the poor fruit girl was toiling on her way towards her humble home. She reached it at last. It was a poor and lowly place, the abode of humble but decent poverty; yet the angel of peace had spread her wings there, and contentment had sat with them at their frugal board.

True, it was but a garret; yet that little family, with hearts united by holy love, felt that to them it was a _home_. And then its little window commanded a distant view of a shining river, and green, pleasant fields beyond; and all day long, in fine weather, the cheerful sunshine looked in upon them, casting a gleam of gladness upon their hearts. It had been a happy home to the blind basket-maker and his grandchildren; but alas!

sickness had laid its heavy hand upon the aged man, and want and wretchedness had become their portion.

The girl entered with a sad heart, for she brought no relief to the hungering and sorrowing inmates of that lowly dwelling. Without saying a word she seated herself at the bed-side of her grandfather, and taking his hand in hers, bedewed it with her tears. The old man turned towards her, and said--

"Thou art weeping, f.a.n.n.y--what distresses thee? Tears are for the aged and the sorrowing--not for the young. Thou hast not brought us food?--well, well; the will of Heaven be done! I shall soon be in the grave, and then thou and Charley--"

"No, no, grandfather, pray don't say so," cried the poor girl, sobbing as if her heart would break--"what should we do without you? Heaven may spare you many happy years. I can work for you, and--"

"So can I, too," rejoined her brother Charley, a lad eight or nine years of age--"and only to-day I got a promise from Mr. Scott the tailor, that I might, when a little older, run of errands for him, and my wages will be a dollar and a half a week--only think how much money I shall earn!"

"Thou art a brave little man," said the grandfather--"but, my children, let us put our trust in G.o.d, and if it is His will that my earthly pilgrimage should end, be it so! Thank Heaven, I owe nothing, and can die at peace with all the world."

It had long been f.a.n.n.y's custom to occupy an hour or so every evening, in reading to her grandfather. But that evening she did not, as usual, draw up the little table, and open the pages of some well-thumbed, ancient volume, to read, for perhaps the twentieth time, of the valorous deeds of some famed knight of the olden time, or mayhap, of the triumphant death of some famed martyr for religion's sake. For alas! the frugal but wholesome meal which had always preceded the reading of those ancient chronicles, was now wanting; and the little family sat listening to the raging of the pitiless storm without and counting the weary moments as they pa.s.sed.

The bell in a neighboring steeple had just told the hour of nine, when, as the echo of that last stroke died away in the distance, a heavy step was heard ascending the stairs that led to their humble apartment. As the sound approached nearer, f.a.n.n.y heard a voice occasionally giving utterance to expressions of extreme irritation and impatience, accompanied by certain sounds indicating that the person, whoever it might be, often stumbled upon the dark, narrow and somewhat dilapidated stair-case. "Blood and bomb-sh.e.l.ls!" exclaimed a voice--"I shall never reach the top, and my shins are broken. The devil! there I go again.

Corporal Grimsby, thou art an a.s.s, and these stairs are the devil's trap!" And here the luckless unknown paused a moment to breathe, rub his shins, and refresh himself with an emphatic imprecation upon all dark and broken stair-cases in general, but upon _that_ one in particular. At this moment, f.a.n.n.y made her appearance at the landing with a light, and was astonished to behold her new acquaintance of that afternoon, the little old man who had inquired her residence. A most rueful expression sat upon his visage, and he carried upon one arm a huge basket. The friendly light enabled him soon to reach the end of his journey; he entered the little room without ceremony, and depositing his burden upon the table, exclaimed--

"Hark'ee, child, I am an old soldier, am not apt to grumble at trifles, [_illegible word_] and blunderbusses! I never before got into such a snarl.--Mounting the ramparts of the enemy was mere child's play to it!"

Here he began to take out the contents of the basket, meanwhile keeping up a running commentary, during which his countenance wore an expression of the most intense ill-humor, in strange contrast with the evident benevolence of his character and intentions. He found fault with everything which he had brought, although, in truth, the articles were all of excellent quality.

"Here," said he, with a growl of dissatisfaction--"is a pair of chickens--starved, skinny imps, for which I paid double their value to that knave of a poultry merchant--bah! And here are some French rolls, that I'll be sworn are as hard as the French cannon b.a.l.l.s that were thrown at Austerlitz. These vegetables are well enough, and this pastry hath a savory smell, but pistols and cutla.s.ses! this wine _looks_ as sour as General Grouty's face on a grand parade. Let me draw the cork and taste--no, by the nose of Napoleon! it is excellent--fit for the great Frederick himself. Here, child, haste and spread a cloth, for I am hungrier than a Cossack. Powder and shot! we shall have a supper fit for a Field Marshal!"

By this time the eccentric but kind old man had placed upon the table all the materials of an excellent and substantial repast. This done, he turned to the grandfather of f.a.n.n.y, who had listened to his speech with much astonishment, and exclaimed--

"Cheer thee up, old friend, cheer thee up, and pick a bone with us; here, wash the cobwebs from thy throat by a hearty draught from this flask. I am an old soldier, and love all men; I stand on no ceremony; so fall to, fall to!"

Saying this, he seated himself at the table, and having seen that all were duly supplied with a liberal portion of the edibles, commenced the attack with [_illegible word_] truly surprising. Nor were the others at all backward in emulating so good an example. The grandfather, whose illness had mainly been produced by a lack of those little luxuries so essential to the debilities and infirmities of advanced age, after partaking sparingly of what was set before him, felt himself much bettered and refreshed thereby; and f.a.n.n.y, who had dried her tears, and satisfied the cravings of hunger, smiled her grat.i.tude upon the kind provider. Little Charley had already become much attached to "good Corporal Grimsby," who had given him such a nice supper--while the latter gentleman, having finished his meal, drew forth an antiquated pipe, having a Turk's head for the bowl and a coiled serpent for the stem, which having lighted, he proceeded to smoke with much gravity and thoughtfulness. Not a word did he utter, but smoked away in silence, until the clock struck ten; then pocketing his pipe, and depositing the now empty flask and dishes in the basket, he announced his intention of departing. The grandfather was cut short in a grateful acknowledgment of the stranger's kindness, by the abrupt exit of that singular personage, who bolted down stairs with a precipitancy that was truly alarming, scarce waiting for f.a.n.n.y to light him down.

This singular visit was of course the subject of much surprise and conjecture in the little family of the blind basket-maker; but when f.a.n.n.y related how the stranger had accosted her in the street, and inquired her residence, they concluded that he was some eccentric but benevolent person, who had taken that method of contributing to the relief of their wants.

And who was this queer little old man, so shabby and threadbare--so "full of strange oaths,"--so odd in his manner, so kind in his heart--calling himself Corporal Grimsby--who had come forward at that opportune moment to supply a starving family with food? Time will show.

CHAPTER II

_Innocence in the Grip of l.u.s.t._

The day which succeeded the stormy night described in the last chapter, was an unusually fine one. The sun shone clear and bright, and many people were abroad to enjoy the fine bracing air, and indemnify themselves for having been kept within doors on the preceding day. The streets were covered with an ample garment of snow, and the merry music of the sleigh-bells was heard in every direction.

At an early hour, f.a.n.n.y Aubrey (for that was the name of our little heroine,) issued from her dwelling, and taking the sunny side of the streets, resumed her accustomed perambulations, with her basket on her arm. f.a.n.n.y was small for her age, but exceedingly pretty; her eyes were of a dark blue--her hair a rich auburn--her features radiant with the inexpressible charm of youth and innocence. I have said that her air was superior to her condition; in truth, every motion of hers had in it a certain winning grace, and her step was light as a fawn's, although her figure was not without a certain degree of plumpness, which gave ample promise of a speedy voluptuous development. Though plumpness in the female figure is considered to be incompatible with perfect grace, I agree with those who regard it as decidedly preferable to an excessive thinness, though the latter be accompanied with the lightness of a zephyr, and the grace of a sylph.

Dress is sometimes acknowledged to be a sign of character--and the dress of f.a.n.n.y Aubrey certainly indicated the native refinement of her mind--for though poor in material and faded by long use, it was well put on and scrupulously neat--indeed, there was something almost coquettish in the style of her bonnet and the arrangement of her scanty shawl--too scanty, alas! to shield her adequately from the inclemency of the weather.

As she pa.s.sed along the street, her beauty and prepossessing appearance attracted the attention of many gay loiterers, who regard her with various feelings of admiration, pity and surprise that one so lovely should pursue so humble an occupation; nor were there wanting many well-dressed libertines, young and old, who gazed with eyes of l.u.s.tful desire upon the fair young creature, evidently so unprotected and so poor.

Reader, pardon us if for one brief moment we pause to contemplate the black and hideous character of THE SEDUCER. Should the teeming hosts of h.e.l.l's dominions meet in grand convention, amid the mysterious darkness and lurid flames of their eternal abode--should that infernal conclave of murderers, robbers, monsters of iniquity, perpetrators of d.a.m.ning crimes; possessors of black hearts and polluted souls on earth, whose mighty sins had sunk them in that burning pit--should all those lost spirits select from among their number, _one fiend_, the worst of them all, to represent them _all_ on earth--unite within his being _all_ the crimes of which they had collectively been guilty--to show mankind how vast and stupendous have been _all_ the sins perpetrated since the creation of the globe--_that fiend_ could not cast a blacker shadow upon human nature than doth the seducer of female innocence. Oh! if there be one wretch living who deserves to be cast forth from the society of his fellow men--if there be one who deserves to be trod on as a venomous insect, and crushed as the vilest reptile that crawls--it is he who calmly and deliberately sets himself about the h.e.l.lish task of accomplishing the ruin of a weak, confiding woman--and then, having sipped the sweets and inhaled the fragrance of the flower, tramples it beneath his feet. Will not the thunderbolts of Omnipotent wrath shatter the perjured soul of such a villain?

But to resume. f.a.n.n.y Aubrey pursued her walk, and was so fortunate as to escape the insults (except such as were conveyed in glances,) of the many libertines who are ever ready to take advantage of a female in a situation like hers. As she was pa.s.sing a magnificent mansion in a quarter of the city mainly occupied by the residences of the aristocracy, a beautiful young lady alighted from a splendid sleigh, and observing the little fruit girl, beckoned her to approach. f.a.n.n.y modestly complied, and the young lady, with one of the sweetest smiles imaginable selected an orange from her basket, and taking out a purse, presented her with a bright gold coin.

"I have no change, Miss," said f.a.n.n.y, in some confusion.

"Keep the money, my poor girl," rejoined the young lady, with a look of deep compa.s.sion, as a tear of pity dimmed her bright eyes--"I am sure you need it; you are much too pretty for such an employment. If you will try and pa.s.s this way to-morrow at about this time, you may see me again."

Amid f.a.n.n.y's heartfelt thanks, the young lady entered the mansion, and the door was closed.