A Woman at the Wheel

Front matter

VOL. I. BY A. M. TOBYi-- " We touch upon our dead selves, nor ahuu to do it, Being other — Bince we learn our meaning here, To lift the woman's sall'n divinity Upon an even pedestal with man." Tennyson. " As the palm tree standeth so Btraight and so tall. The more the hail beats, the more the rains fall, So love in our hearts shall grow mighty and strong Through crosses, through sorrows, through manifold wrong." Longfellow. IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. I. LONDON HURST AND BLACKETT, PUBLISHERS, 13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET. 1873. Ttie right of Translation ts reserved. LONDON: PRINTED BY MACDONALD AND TUGWKLL, BLENHEIM HOUSE, BLENHEIM STREET. OXFORD STREET.

Chapter I. The Lecturer And His Audience

TN a certain north-western county of Eng- L land, there is a certain green valley, and through this valley there runs a beautiful river, and on the south-eastern bank of this river there stands to this day the queer est old city that ever was looked at. Ages and ages ago — even before the banner of the Cross was lifted — this old city stood within the walls where it is so oddly huddled to-day. Since that time many have been the invaders who stormed this stubborn strong hold, sweeping in bloody conflict through its tortuous streets ; but all that might of c VOL. I. arms or rapacity could do failed to extirpate the industrious population that seemed in digenous to the old city. Whilst the plague was upon them, those who were not strong enough to sight stuck themselves into nooks and corners, or excavated under their houses, and so hid themselves away until such time as the invaders should depart again.

At last, after many generations of turmoil, the dove came with the olive branch in its mouth, and made its nest in this old city ; and then the people that had been scattered came back, and others crept out of the dingy crypts. There was great joy in every heart, and great pride in the brave city, that still held its head up, after all the death-thrusts it had received, and the people bared, as trophies of their endurance, the tombs in which they had lived, and upon the firm foundation of these they built themselves new and stately homes, after their own peculiar ideas. As time rolled on, and generations passed away, sire told son of what had been their pride in the days that were gone. And so the stubborn folk of Cheesepoint — by which name I shall call my old city — stamped their heel upon modern innovation ; and when all was change and advancement elsewhere, they alone stood firm to the traditions of the past, priding themselves in their quaint archi tecture, and in the singular construction of their timber-girt and oddly-inscribed houses.

Outside the business portion of the city, but still within the walls, and facing the broad, pleasant flat of the Rood, there stood, some years ago, a house — one of the quaint est specimens, perhaps, of the old style to be found within that old and quaint place. It was a house of three stories, as it stood in the modern days I write about ; but as the under portion only came to light after the upper had been raised for half-a-dozen centuries, the strange observer could not fail to be instantly struck by the utter dis proportion of one part to another — the b under-story so low and crushed-looking that it seemed as if it were something which required pressing, and had had for this purpose an unwieldly weight laid upon it, from under which a lively imagination would conclude it was always struggling to wrench itself, and in its efforts became dis located in a way that was pitiable to behold — its coins broken, its plastering knocked off, its low door bulged in, and its timber defaced.

Now the stories above did not seem to trouble themselves at all about the condition of this one; rejoicing in a separate existence, they looked tolerably contented, and even comfortable. The woodwork, which twisted and coiled itself through the brick, was painted a clean lead-colour, and the oddly-carved figures and faces that stuck out here and there, and the scrolls, with Scripture texts upon them, were all quite perfect in their way, as were also the dia mond-shaped windows that studded it in many parts. Leading to the upper portion of this house, as a thing quite apart from the under, were a dozen or so of high stone steps, and these brought you to a flat, or row, of about five feet wide. This gallery had of course to be crossed before the regular house-door was come to ; and so narrow and low was the same that an ordinary-sized man had to bend in getting under it ; and if he possessed shoulders of a respectable width, the risk was apparent of rubbing them against either jamb as he entered.

I should mention that fencing off this gallery from the road was a high iron railing, and that a gate of the same height went right across the top of the steps, so that the dwellers in the upper portion were pretty fairly guarded from without. The name which this odd-looking concern had gone by for generations almost countless, was "The Old Carved House," and everybody knew it, and everybody re verenced it as a relic of the brave old times that were gone. It is into this house, reader, I now invite you. The time I choose is the night time—not that I want to hide any of its awkward defects ; for although to-night there is not a spark alight in the heaven, you shall, I promise you, see the Carved House acrain when the Summer sun looks down upon it, lighting up every odd feature of its time-wrinkled face.

You shall see it too when that blessed sunshine shall only seem to mock the darkness and the desola tion that will have spread around and steeped it all within. It is past ten o'clock of a wild, stormy night in early January ; the streets of the city had long been deserted by all wise or good folk, and very few were abroad even of the habitual night prowlers — at least, if they were, they could not be seen. But this may be accounted for by the wretched hazy light emitted from the oil lamps so sparsely scattered through the narrow streets. One, however, was placed on watch by a thoughtful corporation out side the Old Carved House ; and so close was it placed to the gate that, although its light was of the feeblest, it still made clear a broad brass plate inserted between the bars, and upon this plate was cut in plain, bold letters the name and calling of the tenant there located — "Jonathan May, M.D." Now why this Dr. May should have thrown up such a barrier of iron between himself and the world without, might very naturally be a matter of speculation to all wise people, for surely it should be the especial care of a doctor to place himself in a position easily accessible to suffering humanity ; but the owner of the Carved House seemed to have ignored altogether the requirements incidental to the wear and tear of poor human nature, for he not only tolerated the abominable railings, but had, in addition, his gate firmly closed each night at nine o'clock ; making assurance doubly sure by a ponderous and unsightly padlock, which dangled from the hasp.

If I had not the privilege which, thank goodness, is my mysterious right, of sliding through slits and popping through key-holes, we — meaning you and I, reader — might stay " out in the cold " this gusty night, in stead of finding shelter under the roof of Dr. Jonathan May ; so come along through the key-hole, if you will, right to the end of a dimly-lighted hall, where, facing each other, are two massive oaken doors ; wre turn the brass handle of the one to the left, and, lo ! before us is Dr. May and two other people. The apartment into which we thus surrep titiously enter is a pleasant enough room, as it looks to-night, lit up by a couple of thick candles placed side by side upon a centre table, and by a coal fire, whose blazes jump and leap joyously in a wide, old-fashioned grate. It is a spacious enough room, too — that is, as regards its width from wall to wall but, like all the old houses in this very old city, the ceiling was so oppressively low that a tall man would find no difficulty in touching with his finger-tips the huge beams that crossed it in two or three places.

For about two parts up the walls were pan eled in dark, glossy oak ; the other portion was simply white, forming a cheerful contrast to the dark severity beneath. The fittings and furniture was in grim keeping with the age of the room. Indeed, one could readily imagine that the architect and the cabi net-maker must have been contemporaries ; so much in accordance with the house was the fashion of the stiff, ungainly chairs, the huge oval table, the uncompromising hair-cloth of the six-foot sofa, the tall, ghostly-looking book-case, and the queer sorts of orna ments — if ornaments they were — which filled up every spare corner; even the two tall can dlesticks upon the table, with their cumbrous foundations, helped to maintain the harmony of bygone fashion that met the eye every where. But what most particularly arrested attention on entering the study, or, as it really was, the general sitting-room of Dr. May, was the number and variety of chemicals and scientific instruments which lay scattered about.

Upon looking around, in a twinkling the fact impressed itself upon you that the master of the place was a searcher into those mysteries which God spreads around us, to test the wisdom and the genius of man. Besides twisted brasses, Leyden jars, and begrimed caldrons, were other objects which, if they were not suited to enhance the pleasure of a family circle, were emi nently fitted to awaken speculation, and animate study in the mind of the student and the scholar. In a case facing the fireplace was a human skeleton, every bone knit together, from the empty skull clinging to the vertebræ, down to the dangling toes — all was there, in ghastly completeness. On a shelf some yards apart from this wreck of the " great work," were two skulls, with the jaws bound together, and the teeth all white and perfect; set in that saturnine grin which it is so startling to see lingering about this detached wreck of humanity, so long after the spirit had ceased to give it expression.

Great human bones were there, too, not crossed in warning, but lying side by side, and looking dark and bright, as though they had grown polished from frequent handling. To place such grim objects as these in a general sit ting-room seemed an odd whim on the part of the owner of the establishment ; but Dr. May had his own opinion on these matters, and so thoroughly did he inculcate it in the minds of those who occupied that room along with him, that they would just as soon have thought of objecting to the presence of the family Bible, as to these white, dangling bones and brainless skulls. It was hard upon eleven o'clock, yet the doctor had not long returned home, after a day of harassing professional duties. It was not often he was so hard worked, for he had been, of late years, more a theorist than a practitioner, loving the science of medicine, and the unravelling of its infinitesimal mysteries, much better than merely making an honest stand by received opinions, and turn ing them laudably to account, to win at least an average reputation for himself and a fortune for his family.

But what cared he for fortune ? He would rather make one step on the road to discovery, clear away the smallest tumuli lying in the path of science, than fill his purse with the honestly earned sovereigns presented to him by grate ful patients. Upon that particular day, however, he had been worked hard ; charity more than love of gain had forced him out ; for it had been, somehow, an unlucky day in the annals of Cheesepoint, many accidents having occurred, and these of a sort which aroused the pity as well as the professional interest of Dr. May, so that, as I have said, he had not long returned ; yet, instead of taking his. ease in the great arm-chair by the fire, he fell, as a matter of course, into his usual habit of delivering his evening lecture, before taking his rest, to his two pupils.

And very imposing and like a lecturer he looked, as he stood there upon the hearthrug, his back to the blazing fire, his head erect, his arms crossed upon his chest, his tall figure swaying backward and for ward, as ever and anon he came down upon his heels, or leant forward upon the tips of his boots, his face illuminated with the light which ever emanates from a soul all awake to the glory of the subject it wishes to in culcate. Now it would take a person of no ordi nary skill in physiognomy to make a correct guess at what manner of man that lecturer was, as he stood there that night upon the hearth-rug. Was he old ? — was he young ? — was he weak of character, or strong as a Goliath ? Look first at the upper part of the face ; see the broad, powerful forehead, the scope there is for the play of the intel lectual faculties, undisfigured by a single seam or wrinkle.

Watch the full dark eye, flashing from under the massive brows, with a light almost distressingly bright, and re concile these features, if you can, with the white, withered face beneath, all drawn and indented, as though the famous kite, whose claws are supposed to fix the dreaded seal upon the face of the celibate, had stamp ed irefully upon this human countenance its ugliest impression of age and care. In this lower portion of the face, too, the strength indicated above was all belied. The small, full-lipped mouth had a weak ness in it, and the jaw and chin were al most feminine in their mould. He wore no beard or moustache, and the thin bordering of whisker was fast bleaching white, al though the hair that fell back upon the collar of his coat in clustering masses was black as ebony ; so that, viewing all the contradictions in his outward man, it would be a very clever person who could tell whether he had seen more than his fortieth or had counted his sixtieth year.

I have said Dr. May lectured — so he did, but to a limited audience of two. Before him, to the right, sat, in one of the stiff, high-backed chairs, a boy of some seventeen years. Looking from the lecturer's face to his, it was easy to trace what the two were to each other ; for here was the same classic head, the broad, thoughtful forehead, indi cating width of mind, the large, dark eyes, so full of searching power and luminous beauty ; but where the symptoms of weak ness began in the elder, there did the like ness to him in the younger cease ; for in stead of feminine lip and small, pointed chin, were features every one of which was as if cast in a mould of steel. The round chin, the iron-bound jaw, the inflexible mouth — who could look upon that young, beardless face, in which the indications of strength and energy of will were so appa rent, and not prophesy for him who owned it a journey undeviatingly glorious in what ever path of life he chose to follow.

The boy sat perfectly still, one elbow resting upon the table near him, his temple in the palm of the upturned hand, whilst his eyes were fixed with calm earnestness upon his father's face. The other auditor, whom we could not but observe with surprise as she sat listen ing with marked attention to a lecture on the science of Medicine, was a beautiful little girl, who could not have seen more than her thirteenth year. This child sat upon a low seat before the fire, near ten o'clock at night, when she should have been out of her first sleep, according to the opinion of all wise matrons, looking up into her father's face, her eyes alight, her lips parted, as if the thirsty little soul were eager to imbibe the draughts of knowledge which his lips were pouring out so liberally. One who did not hear the lecturer, would say that the child must surely be listening to some engrossing nursery fairy-tale, instead of a discourse upon the crude theories of the ancients concerning the arts of healing.

In looking at the boy, her brother, the conclusion would instantly force itself upon you — here is the making of a profound scholar, whose thirst for knowledge it will take a whole ocean of learned lore to ap pease ; and thinking thus, and turning your eyes quickly to the face of the tiny girl, you would perforce transfer these very specula tions to her ; for here — to use a hackneyed phrase — was the softened image of the downy-faced boy — every feature identical, each varying expression — nay, every im pulse, twitching this muscle, or that, seeming to emanate from the same spring of thought. So, to look at the girl, with her peachy bloom and infantile fulness of cheeks and lips, and then, shutting your eyes, turn, after a second, to her brother, you could vol. i. c well bring yourself to imagine you were looking at the same face, five years having elapsed since you saw it before.

Chapter II. The Lecture Rudely Interrupted

1~\URING the hour which had elapsed -*--' since the Doctor returned from his last call, he had not been a moment idle. It took him the stereotyped time to get rid of his visiting incumbrances, and to replace them by a threadbare black coat, which he always wore in the evenings, tightly buttoned across his chest. Then the evening meal — to-night much later than usual, for his son and daughter always waited his coming, and the doctor enjoyed his tea, as most abstemious men do. His little housekeeper contrived accordingly to make it the pleasantest meal of the three which he allowed his family, on princ ciples of health, not of economy. This meal put out of sight after the usual half hour, the boy and girl took their seats at either end ofthe hearth-rug ; then the doctor cleared his throat, folded his arms, and commenced the evening lecture. , " We are rather late to-night," he began in a full, low voice.

"To-day we had all practice and no theory." " And were they all very poor people ?" asked the little girl ; " and did they suffer much in the operations ?" "They were all very poor people; and some of the operations were very pretty." " And successful, of course ?" put in the boy. " Successful, of course. Dear me 1 how grateful man should be to those who labour in the wide domain of medical science ! — and yet the world is not grateful ! The trembling creature under the knife of the skilful operator is not grateful, although it has cost the surgeon weary hours of study and toil to save him pangs which the ignorant or the thoughtless would be sure to inflict. The doctor who prescribes a nau seous draught full of healing power, is cer tain to be reviled when the palate is offended. Further, I believe there is no labourer in life's vineyard to whom his hire is given so reluc tantly as to the doctor ; und hence we have these regulations as to fees which are so re pugnant to thebetter feeling of manyamongst us.

Now, weighing all these things, I be lieve that if we did not own some devoted .minds, imbued with the magnitude and nobility of the glorious profession which mends and renovates the disordered temple of the soul, we should dwindle into a mere trade, made up of humbug and quackery !" " But the profession has always been saved from that," said the boy, eagerly. "The earliest ages have had their inspired minds." " I think I traced for you last night," replied his father, "the slow and tortuous course through which the profession toiled in those remote ages to which you allude. Showing as best I could the philosophies which in turn dominated the medical mind, since the days of Hippocrates. Now, drop ping all minor questions, let us follow up last night's discourse. I think we had come down to the seventeenth century, — a glorious epoch !

Here let us stand, then, for a while, and contemplate the flood of light which this era shed upon the world. The mystery of the circulation became half revealed. The discoveries of Harvey, Malpighi, and Ruysch, gave an impetus so powerful that it, roused the brightest intellects of Europe to action. Then followed the great contributor to our enlightenment, morbid 'Anatomy,' Bonet's ' Sepulcretum.'" Here there came a terrific pull at the gate-bell, which effectually shut up the lecturer, caused young Gabriel May to gather his dark brows, and look angrily at the door; whilst his little sister Cherrie sprang from her stool, and caught her father round the waist. " Dear pa," broke out the child, " if it is a ' call ' you must not answer it this night. How cruel they are to want you again, after all your labour to-day !"

"My pet," — and he stooped down and kissed her — " don't be afraid ; perhaps we can settle the matter. Ha ! there it is again. I wonder where's Doherty ? Touch the bell, Gabriel, the fellow must be asleep, or drunk, or " Here a heavy, shuffling step was heard outside, the bolts of the hall-door were with drawn, and a parley ensued. Within the parlour a dead silence was maintained, whilst the eyes of the boy and girl, full of apprehension and love, were fixed upon their father's face. Presently the handle of the door turned, and the close-cropt brown head of Dr. May's solitary man-servant was thrust inside. " It's a call, yer honour," said Con Do herty, in the mellifluous brogue of our western sister. " A call !" repeated the doctor, blankly. " Come inside, and tell me more about it." " Ay, that's it," broke in young Gabriel.

" Just you tell us if it's a bad case, or a case with a fee, or a charity case ; but if it is only a matter of a sovereign, we won't hear of it to-night, shall we, pa?" " No, nor for three," answers the doctor, decisively. " Now tell me, Con, what the messenger says. " Ochl devil a much information he gives," answers the Irishman, jerking his head im patiently upon one side. " I axed him fair an' aisy what was the matter, an' the answer he made me was — ' What's that to you ?' says he. With that I tould him to be off; an' may I never if he didn't poke on the ground for something to fling at me." " Then you came in, of course, and shut the door," said Dr. May, with a relieved, but at the same time angry look. "Well, then, I didn't, master. I just thought I'd give him another chance, an' says I, quiet an' aisy, to him, ' Tell me your business plain an' square ; an' in case you haven't any, be off out o' that, an' don't keep tatherin' there any longer,' says I. An' with that he says, ' I wants the doctor,' says he, ' an if you don't go an' tell him so, you rascally Paddy,' says he, ' I'll paint your mug the colour of your brogues,' says he.

An' wid that I made answer that I b'leaved the tip of a brogue w'd do him more good than all the doctors in Cheesepoint. Well, no sooner was the word out o' me than he takes to pokin' again on the ground, so I just shuts the door, an " " I say, there he goes again," said Gabriel May, springing to his feet. " Just tell the scoundrel to be off, or he'll find himself the worse of waiting." In a moment Con had disappeared, and the hall-door was heard to open. Then there came the sounds of a wordy alterca tion, followed quickly by a splash, after which the door was banged to, and the next instant the Irishman, livid with rage, and disfigured by a lump of mud which adhered to his forehead, thrust his face into the study. " What— what is this ?" demanded Dr. May, striding across the room and confront ing his servant.

" Let me see — have you — have you been drinking, sir, and in your in ebriation dared to ill-treat a patient — " " Arrah ! doctor, darlint, don't talk of ill treatment. Just look at the state I'm in. But, by Jabers " and the Irishman clenched his fists — " if he's over ground be this time to-morrow " " Just wait a bit, Con ;" and Gabriel seized his father's heavy walking-stick, and with it firmly clutched in his right hand, was making for the door, when the doctor, stepping forward, laid his hand upon his shoulder and detained him. " Gabriel, my son, you must not go from here. Ha ! there, the gate creaks, the fellow has taken his departure. Some drunken loafer from the horse fair, who, I have no doubt " Rat, tat, tat, tat ! This time not upon the outward gate, but upon the lion face set high up on the doctor's green hall door.

For a full minute there was dead silence, each one looking at the other, angry astonishment in every face. "This," broke out the boy at length, "is too much of a good thing. I won't stand it any longer." And again he was making for the door ; but ere he had time to touch the handle, there was a heavy hand laid upon his shoul der, and a voice of authority he never yet gainsaid sounded in his ear. " Gabriel, you must not interfere in this matter, it is for me to see to." And as he said this, he pushed his little daughter, who was by this time clinging to his waist, gently but firmly from him, and with a flushed face and stern brow strode across the room and out into the hall. Then the key was heard again to turn in the lock, the heavy chain to fall down with a bang, and a moment after the eager expectants inside heard a shuffling noise, as if somebody was being dragged into the hall.

After this followed a laboured breathing, which to their senses marked the progress of a silent but ineffectual struggle without. At last the doctor's voice sounded hard and stern, " Bring here the light, Doherty, that you may all see the housebreaker." And in a moment Con, nothing loath, was at his side, bearing aloft one of the tall can dlesticks, whilst Gabriel followed close with the other. Even little Cherrie, impelled by an aching curiosity, which her fear was not able altogether to subdue, peered out from a cautious opening in the study door upon the novel scene going on in the hall. There, at arm's-length from Dr. May, and lifted almost from the ground by the strong, nervous grasp laid upon his collar, was the housebreaker. And, ye powers ! what a specimen of a desperado he was as he stood there, now perfectly still, but flashing de fiant glances all around him.

Chapter III. The Housebreaker And His Mission

TUST to think of this outrage ! The in " dignity offered, the wanton irreverence and bare-faced daring, in thus attacking singlehanded the residence of one of the most respected men in all Cheesepoint ! To think of these things, I say, and then contrast these deeds with the offender, as he stood there the cynosure of all eyes. I have no doubt, readers, you have ere this jumped to the natural conclusion, that he who has been brought to bay under the light of the two tall tapers, is a massively-built, square-shouldered, beetle browed scoundrel, of at least five-and-twenty ill-spent years. But, if you think this, you are sadly out in your conclusion. A mere stripling is there, whose age, the keenest old bachelor — and these parties are shrewd in this respect — could not suppose to have exceeded fifteen years.

In figure, he was extremely slight and low, even for that age ; but, withal, there was a litheness and pliancy about him which reminded one of a wood-line rod that could be twisted here and there without straining it. As to his face, that was pretty much hidden by a coarse red woollen scarf, twisted loosely about his throat, and going high up, nearly to the cheek bones. One portion of his person was at least fully revealed — a head round and classic as a young Apollo's, crowned by a mass of shiny light-brown curls, that clustered behind, stood out upon the temples, and rippled over a forehead white and beautifully moulded, as if it had been hammered by the inspired chisel of a Foley or a Hogan from a block of speckless marble. For a minute the doctor and his house hold stood perfectly silent gazing upon this intruder, whilst, in the face of each, the expression of indignant anger softened down into one of broad astonishment.