33 we space overgrown with short velvet grass, that to live entirely to himself, and by himself, we pitched our camp for a day. We had in a little hut on the river-side) ready to take started from Coblentz in the early morning, a us; two or three ladies and gentlemen were merry party of some thirty individuals. By punted across, and Mr. Alison, with his son and means of waggonettes and such like contrivances, daughter, were about to follow, when two Gerwe had reached a point on the opposite bank of mans, who, from their dress and general appearthe river not far from this spot. Thence we ance, evidently belonged to the mining populahad walked down to the river-side where one of tion of the district, stepped up to my friend the queer flat-bottomed wherries had conveyed and demanded, in their native tongue, to see the us across the Lahn, and at twelve o'clock mid- gentleman who had invited the pic-nic party to day we found ourselves about to encamp, or in this spot. "I am he," replied Mr. Alison, other words pic-nic. The party consisted of Mr. rather surprised. "Then perhaps you will Alison, an English resident of Coblentz, and his instantly hand over five-and-twenty thalers family, Mr. Barton and family-who were doing (three pounds ten shillings) for the use of that the "grand tour"-seven young ladies guarded room.' Mr. Alison replied that he should do by two fierce elderly "duennas," who were sup- no such thing, and in rather strong language posed to instruct them in all the languages and ordered the fellows off. sciences under heaven, three Cambridge undergraduates (a reading party), and a few others of both sexes, who were indebted to Mr. Alison's hospitality for their introduction to the party, among whom I may reckon myself. Not far from our pic-nic ground stood an old and ruinous house, of considerable size, inhabited by no one, save ghosts and jackdaws; but, never theless, containing a large banqueting-hall or ball-room in a tolerable state of preservation. The use of this house had been very graciously granted to our party by the German baron who owned the property in the neighbourhood, and it was understood that a dance in the ancient mansion would close the proceedings of the day. Dinner progressed favourably, amidst a general clatter of knives, forks, and tongues. Pigeonpies, sausage-rolls, sandwiches, cold fowls, a kettle full of hot potatoes, peaches, apricots, grapes and jellies, were quickly demolished, whilst the popping of the corks securing Moselle, and the gurgling of the "Rhein wein" from long-necked bottles, showed that the gentlemen were attentive in that quarter, and formed a pleasant accompaniment to the general confusion. We adjourned to our ball-room. A capital ball-room too, though there was no glass in the windows, but that was so much the better for ventilation. Of course there was no carpet on the floor, but there was a capital oaken pavement; there was also a capital crop of hay sprouting out between the paving-stones, and we noticed that much of the house had been removed, the material doubtless rendering excellent service towards the production of the little hovels of the neighbouring village. Dancing proceeded to the time of a German fiddler, or violinist I should say, whose services had been secured at Coblentz for the occasion. Quadrilles, waltzes, polkas, galops, crowded one upon the other. The two elderly ladies began to cast wistful glances at their young charges, and at last openly declared that they thought it was getting rather late, and that they were afraid we should not reach Coblentz before dark. Acordingly their wishes were acceded to, and we slowly made our way in twos and threes to the ferry-boat, on the river-side. We found our Charon (a morose old fellow, who seemed "You won't pay us!" cried the men; shall see. Heigh! Karl-Bernard-Wilhelm." One seized Alison by the collar, another took his son by both arms, and all, accompanied by other ruffians who had responded to the summons, led off our friends in the direction of the smelting furnace. Miss Alison, meanwhile, had started off with a speed which only fear can give, towards the ferry-boat, and in a few minutes startled us all by her sudden appearance and terrified looks and words. We quickly determined that the ladies, with a strong guard of gentlemen, should cross the river, while five of the party, of whom I was one, should proceed to the rescue of Mr. Alison and his son. We rushed through the wood in the direction Mary Alison had pointed out, breaking brambles, branches, and climbers on our way, and at length found ourselves at the door of the smelting-house. There seemed to be some unusual excitement within, and the sound of Alison's voice was drowned in the clamorous jargon of the savage creatures who surrounded him. The smelting-house was a large square building, with four entrances, sufficient to admit of the passage of a cart and horse; at one end was the furnace, apparently then reducing ore, and blazing with great ferocity; sand was arranged on the floor to receive the molten stream when it should be let out of its prison; and one of the upper doors in the furnace was open, through which the flames could be seen leaping up, mingled with smoke. On entering, we found our friends stripped of their clothes; the son tied to a beam which formed a support to the roof; the father pinioned, and about to be fastened to a chain suspended from a crane, which was probably used for shifting the metal when cast. The Germans, six in number, were in a state of great excitement, and seemed to anticipate an excellent joke. It was evidently their intention to hoist our poor friend, by means of the crane, in front of the open door of the furnace, and to roast him, while they watched his struggles from below. It is hardly credible that these ruffians should have contrived such a diabolical outrage on an unoffend ing person; but I write the exact truth, and can only suppose that the men, being free from work that day, had partaken rather too freely when I heard a shot, and almost at the same moment my adversary, who was kneeling on me, dropped the bar from his hand on to my leg, and giving a cry of "Och mein Got!" placed his left arm to his shoulder where a bullet had entered. of their favourite Kirsch," and, maddened by its influence, were acting like demons. We first liberated young Alison, and then proceeded to encounter the men who surrounded his father. Two brawny Germans were soon sprawling on the sandy floor, and each of us was now opposed to his man, for the two had The smell of gunpowder had a wonderful been only temporarily disposed of. Our object effect on all of them, and soon, to my great was to keep the miners from the doorway, in joy, I perceived them skulking off behind the order that Alison might escape, trusting to our-furnace. I quickly gained my legs, and found selves to save ourselves. Our opponents seemed to have no notion of letting us go, and rushed on us with great ferocity. Twice I floored my man, for I found that by keeping him at a respectful distance and practising the English science, I had a great advantage: he, however, nothing daunted, rose from the dust and repeatedly endeavoured to close with me. Once in the grasp of those powerful arms, I knew I should be at their owner's mercy, so I kept wide of them and hit out. I perceived that my friends were adopting a similar course, and I was hoping that we might come to a parley, when I heard a cry from Alison, behind me, and saw him stretched on the ground. A burly miner, with yellow hair and a shaggy beard and moustache of the same colour, stood over him, holding in his hand a bar of iron some three feet long, and as thick as his own arm. I afterwards learnt that my friend had vainly endeavoured to make his way past this fellow, who guarded the doorway, and appeared from his general manner and huge size to be the leader of the party. At last, enraged at the immobility of his opponent, he had launched out a well directed blow at his nose, which staggered him, and served to open a passage for escape. He rushed forward, and turning round to observe the state of affairs, had just time to perceive the fellow raising the iron bar above his head. He held up his arm to break the force of the blow, and remembered nothing else when he told the story. Matters seemed now to be taking a still more desperate turn; for the other miners, perceiving the success which had attended their leader's prowess with the iron "pig," proceeded to help themselves to similar weapons, which lay in a large pile at one corner of the smelting. room, ready for carting. I felt that the only thing to be done, was, to attempt to wrest the bar from my opponent. The man who had stunned Alison was now employed in rifling his pockets, regardless of the blood which streamed from his arm and head. Soon young Alison joined his father on the floor, felled by a fearful blow from one of those same iron bars. In struggling with my man, who was fast getting the better of me, I slipped, stumbled, and fell. I expected to be murdered and robbed, and I had given up hope, our friend Mr. Barton, who had stayed by the river with the ladies, standing at one of the entrances, revolver in hand. Mr. Barton was a cool hand at anything of this sort, and, finding we did not return, had followed our trail: little doubting that the small weapon he had that day purchased at Coblentz would effectually scare the miners. "I didn't think I should make this use of you to-day!" said he, apostrophising the pistol. "But what's this? Is Alison dead? Ah! Only stunned, I see. Pick up father and son, and bring them down to the river. I'll cover your retreat." And then he warned the miners, in the usual style, that the first man who moved might consider himself dead. Slowly we carried poor Alison and his son towards the river: our own limbs almost giving way at each step we took, after the fearful excitement we had gone through. We were all more or less injured; one had a black eye; another was suffering from a severe blow in the back, administered by one of the bars of iron; as for myself, I felt dreadfully shaken by my last fall, and, moreover, was temporarily crippled by a blow on the leg. After crossing the river, we poured cool water on the faces of the injured men, and soon brought them round sufficiently to show us that they were still living. On reaching the main road, which was at some distance from the river, we found the party awaiting us, and we all proceeded back as quickly as circumstances would permit. Mr. Alison was laid up for a month: both the bones in his fore-arm being fractured, and a broad wound six inches in length inflicted on his scalp: he has never since been the man he was. His poor son had an attack of brain fever, the effects of which are still upon him. Large sums of money have been spent in eudeavouring to trace the men who attacked us, but they appear, soon after the occurrence, to have decamped. The Prussian police shirked the business, and declared that the responsibility rested with the government of Nassau, who in their turn referred the matter back to the authorities at Coblentz. Between the two no redress has yet been obtained, nor have the men been captured. This is a specimen of the activity of the local police authorities acting under the direction of the excellent Government! The Right of Translating Articles from ALL THE YEAR ROUND is reserved by the Authors. Published at the Office. No. 26, Wellingtou Street, Strand. Printed by C. WHITING, Beaufort House, Strand. ALL THE YEAR ROUND. A WEEKLY JOURNAL. CONDUCTED BY CHARLES DICKENS. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED HOUSEHOLD WORDS. No. 236.] SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1863. VERY HARD CASH. BY THE AUTHOR OF "IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO MEND." CHAPTER XLIII. ON Alfred's leaving Silverton, Mrs. Archbold was prostrated. It was a stunning blow to her young passion, and left her weary, desolate. [PRICE 2d. him again," she thought. "His power over me is too terrible. Ah, good-by to the peace and Comfort I have been building up! He will scatter them to the winds. He has." She tried not to think of him too much. And, while she was so struggling, Wolf let out that Alfred was to have morphia at dinner the first day; morphia, the accursed drug with which these dark men in these dark places coax the reason away out of the head by degrees, or with a potent dose stupify the victim, then act for applying medical treatment to the doomed wretch. Edith Archbold knew the game, and at the word morphia Pity and Passion rose in her bosom irresistible. She smiled in Dr. Wolf's face, and hated him; and secretly girt herself up to baffle him, and protect Alfred's reason, and win his heart through his gratitude. But she was too strong to lie helpless under disappointed longings. Two days she sat stupified with the heartache; after that she bustled about her work in a fervour of half-crazy restless-surprise, alarm; and make his stupor the ground ness, and ungovernable irritability, quenched at times by fits of weeping. As she wept apart, but raged and tyrannised in public, she soon made Silverton House Silverton Oven, especially to those who had the luck to be of her sex. Then Baker timidly remonstrated: at the first word she snapped him up and said a change would be good for both of them: he apologised; in vain: that very day she closed by letter with Dr. Wolf, who had often invited her to be his "Matron." Her motive, half hidden from herself, was to be anywhere near her favourite. Installed at Drayton House, she waited some days, and coquetted woman-like with her own desires, then dressed neatly, but soberly, and called at Dr. Wycherley's; sent in a note explaining who she was, with a bit of soft sawder, and asked to see Alfred, : She was politely but peremptorily refused. She felt this rebuff bitterly. She went home stung and tingling to the core. But Bitters wholesome be offended pride now allied with strong good sense to wither a wild affection; and, as it was no longer fed by the presence of its object, her wound healed, all but the occasional dull throbbing that precedes a perfect cure. At this stage of her convalescence Dr. Wolf told her in an off-hand way that Mr. Hardie, a patient of doubtful insanity, was coming to his asylum, to be kept there by hook or by crook. (She was entirely in Wolf's confidence, and he talked of these things to her in English.) The impenetrable creature assented outwardly, with no sign of emotion whatever, but one flash of the eye, and one heave of the bosom swiftly suppressed. She waited calmly and patiently till she was alone; then yielded to joy and triumph; they seemed to leap inside her. But this very thing alarmed her." Better for me never to see She received him as I have related, to throw dust in Dr. Wolf's eyes but she acted so admirably that some went into Alfred's. Ah," thought he, "she is angry with herself for her amorous folly; and, with the justice of her sex, she means to spite poor me for it." He sighed; for he felt her hostility would be fatal to him. To give her no fresh offence, he fell into her manner, and treated her with a world of distant respect. Then again, who else but she could have warned him against poison? Then again, if so, why look so cold and stern at him? He cast one or two wistful glances at her; but the artful woman of thirty was impenetrable in public to the candid man of twenty-one. Even her passion could not put them on an equality. That night he could not sleep. He lay wondering what would be the next foul practice, and how he should parry it. He wrote next morning to the Commissioners that two of their number, unacquainted with the previous proceedings of the Board, had been surprised into endorsing an order of transfer to an asylum bearing a very inferior character to Dr. Wycherley's; the object of this was clearly foul play. Accordingly, Dr. Wolf had already tried to poison his reason, by drugging his beer at dinner. He added that Dr. Wycherley had now signed a certificate of his sanity, and implored the Board to inspect it, and discharge him at once, or else let a solicitor visit him at once, and take the requisite steps towards a public inquiry. VOL. X. 236 circulation was weak; and, as medical treatment, hurtful and even dangerous. Finally these keeperesses, with diabolical insolence and cruelty, would bathe twenty patients in this tank, and then make them drink that foul water for their meals. "The dark places of the land are full of horrible cruelty." One day they tanked so savagely that Nurse Eliza, after months of sickly disapproval, came to the new redresser of grievances, and told. While waiting anxiously for the answer, it cost him all his philosophy to keep his heart from eating itself. But he fought the good fight of Reason: he invited the confidences of the quieter mad people, and established a little court, and heard their grievances, and by impartial decisions and good humour won the regard of the moderate patients, and of the attendants, all but three; Rooke, the head keeper, a morose burly ruffian; Hayes, a bilious subordinate, Rooke's shadow; and Vulcan, a huge mastiff that would let nobody but Rooke touch him; he was big as a large What was he to do? He seized the only calf, and formidable as a small lion, though nearly chance of redress; he ran panting with indignatoothless with age. He was let loose in the tion to Mrs. Archbold, and blushing high, said yard at night, and was an element in the Re-imploringly, "Oh, Mrs. Archbold, you used to -" and could say no more straint System; many a patient would have be kind heartedtried to escape but for Vulcan. He was also an invaluable howler at night, and so co-operated with Dr. Wolf's bugs and fleas to avert sleep, that vile foe to insanity and all our diseases, private asylums included. for something rising in his throat. Oh, thank you; then pray send for Nurse Eliza, and hear the cruelties that are being done to the patients within a yard of us." "You had better tell me yourself, if you want Mrs. Archbold laughed a little at his enthusiasm (fancy caring so what was done to a pack of women), and sent for Nurse Eliza. She came, and being questioned told Mrs. Archbold more than she had Alfred. "And, ma'am," said she, whimpering, "they have just been tanking one they had no business to touch; it is Mrs. Dale, her that is so close on her confinement. They tanked her cruel they did, and kept her under water till she was nigh gone. I came away; I couldn't stand it." Alfred treated Mrs. Archbold with a distant respect that tried her hard. But that able woman wore sweetness and unobtrusive kindness, and bided her time. At last he gave her an oppor-me to pay any attention." tunity, and it will be seen whether she took it. "I can't. I don't know how to speak to a lady In Drayton House the keeperesses eclipsed of such things as are done here. The brutes! the the keepers in cruelty to the poorer patients. cowardly she-devils! Oh, how I should like to No men except Dr. Wolf and his assistant had kill them." a pass-key into their department, so there was nobody they could deceive, nobody they held worth the trouble. In the absence of male critics they showed their real selves, and how wise it is to trust that gentle sex in the dark with irresponsible power over females. With unflagging patience they applied the hourly torture of petty insolence, needless humiliation, unreasonable refusals, to the poor madwomen; bored them with the poisoned gimlet, and made their hearts bleeding pincushions. But minute cruelty and wild caprice were not enough for them, though these never tired nor rested; they must vilify them too with degrading and savage names. Billingsgate might have gone to school to Drayton House. Inter alia they seemed in love with a term that Othello hit upon; only they used it not once, but fifty times a day, and struck decent women with it on the face, like a scorpion whip; and then the scalding tears were sure to run in torrents adown their silly, honest, burning cheeks. But this was not all; they had got a large tank in a flagged room, nominally for clean-wretches." liness and cure, but really for bane and torture. For the least offence, or out of mere wantonness, they would drag a patient stark naked across the yard, and thrust her bodily under water again and again, keeping her down till almost gone with suffocation, and dismissing her more dead than alive with obscene and insulting comments ringing in her ears, to get warm again in the cold. This my ladies called "tanking." Alfred was walking about in a fury, and Nurse Eliza, in making this last revolting communication, lowered her voice for him not to hear; but his senses were quick. I think he heard, for he turned and came quickly to them. "Mrs. Archbold, you are strong and bravefor a woman; oh, do go in to them and take them by the throat and shake the life out of them, the merciless, cowardly beasts! Oh that I could be a woman for an hour, or they could be men, I'd soon have my foot on some of the Mrs. Archbold acted Ignition. "Come with me both of you," she said, and they were soon in the female department. Up came keeperesses directly, smirking and curtseying to her, and pretending not to look at Adonis. "Which of you nurses tanked Mrs. Dale ?" said she, sternly. ""Twasn't I, ma'am, 'twasn't I." "Oh fie!" said Eliza to one, “you know you were at the head of it." In the ordinary morning ablutions they tanked She pointed out two as the leaders. The without suffocating. But the immersion of the Archbold instantly had them seized by the others whole body in cold water was of itself a severe-who, with treachery equal to their cowardice, trial to those numerous patients in whom the turned eagerly against their fellow-culprits, to make friends with Power-and inviting all the sensible maniacs who had been tanked, to assist or inspect, she bared her own statuesque arms, and, ably aided, soon plunged the offenders, screaming, crying, and whining, like spaniel bitches whipped, under the dirty water. They swallowed some, and appreciated their own acts. Then she forced them to walk twice round the yard with their wet clothes clinging to them, hooted by the late victims. to me when anything grieves you; and let me be the agent of your humanity." She said this so charmingly he was surprised into kissing her fair hand; then blushed, and thanked her warmly. Thus she established a chain between them. When he let too long elapse without appealing to her, she would ask his advice about the welfare of this or that patient; and so she cajoled him by the two foibles she had discerned in him-his vanity and his humanity. "There," said Alfred, "let that teach you men will not own hyenas in petticoats for women." Besides Alfred, there were two patients in Poor Alfred took all the credit of this per- Drayton House who had never been insane; a formance; but in fact, when the Archbold in-young man, and an old woman; of whom anon. vited him to bear a hand, he showed the white feather. "I won't touch the blackguardesses," said he, haughtily, turning it off on the score of contempt. "You give it them! Again! again! Brava!" Mosaic retribution completed, Mrs. Archbold told the nurses if ever "tanking" recurred she would bundle the whole female staff into the street, and then have them indicted by the Commissioners. These virtuous acts did Edith Archbold for love for a young man. Whether mad women or sane women pregnant, or the reverse, were tanked or not, she cared at heart no more than whether sheep were washed or no in Ettrick's distant dale. She was retiring with a tender look at Alfred, and her pulse secretly unaccelerated by sheep-washing of she-wolves, when her grateful favourite appealed to her again: "Dear Mrs. Archbold, shall we punish and not comfort? This poor Mrs. Dale!" There were also three ladies and one gentleman, who had been deranged, but had recovered years ago. This little incident, Recovery, is followed in a public asylum by instant discharge; but, in a private one, Money, not Sanity, is apt to settle the question of egress. The gentleman's case was scarce credible in the nineteenth century: years ago, being undeniably cracked, he had done what Dr. Wycherley told Alfred was a sure sign of sanity; i.e. he had declared himself insane: and had even been so reasonable as to sign his own order and certificates, and so imprison himself illegally, but with perfect ease; no remonstrance against that illegality from the guardians of the law! When he got what plain men call sane, he naturally wanted to be free, and happening to remember he alone had signed the order of imprisonment, and the imaginary doctor's certificates, he claimed his discharge from illegal confinement. Answer: "First obtain a legal order for your discharge." On this he signed an order for his discharge. "That is not a legal order." "It is as legal as the order on which I am here." Granted; but, legally or not, the asylum has got you; the open air has not got you. Possession is ninety-nine points of Lunacy law. Die your own illegal prisoner, and let your kinsfolk eat your land, and drink your consols, and bury you in a pauper's shroud. All that Alfred could do for these victims was to promise to try and get them out some day, D.V. But there was a weak-minded youth, Francis Beverley, who had the honour to be under the protection of the Lord Chancellor. Now a lunatic or a Softy protected by that functionary is literally a lamb protected by a wolf, and that wolf ex-officio the cruelest cunningest old mangler and fleecer of innocents in Christendom. Chancery lunatics are the richest class, yet numbers of them are flung among pauper and even criminal lunatics, at a few pounds a year, while their committees bag four-fifths of the money that has been assigned to keep the patient in comfort. The Archbold could have boxed his ears. "Dear boy," she murmured tenderly, "you teach us all our duty." She visited the tanked one, found her in a cold room after it, shivering like ague, and her teeth chattering. Mrs. Archbold had her to the fire, and got her warm clothes, and a pint of wine, and probably saved her life and her child's-for love of a young man. Why I think Mrs. Dale would otherwise have left this shifting scene, Mrs. Carey, the last woman in her condition they tanked and then turned into a flagged cell that only wanted one frog of a grotto, was found soon after moribund; on which they bundled her out of the asylum to die. She did die next day, at home, but murdered by the asylum; and they told the Commissioners she died through her friends taking her away from the asylum too soon. The Commissioners had nothing to do but believe this, and did believe it. Inspectors, who visit a temple of darkness, lies, cunning, and hypocrisy, four times a year, know mighty little of what goes on there the odd three Unfortunately the protection of the Chancellor hundred and sixty-one days, five hours, forty-extends to Life and Reason, as well as Fleece; eight minutes, and fifty-seven seconds.* "Now, Alfred," said Mrs. Archbold, "I can't be everywhere, or know everything; so you come * Arithmetic of my boyhood. I hear the world revolves some minutes quicker now. with the following result: In public asylums about forty per cent are said to be cured. In private ones twenty-five per cent at least; most of them poorish. Of Chancery Lunatics not five per cent. |