pointofmytheologicalcareer。WhenthemoneywasgoneIsucceededinobtainingmoreworkfromtimetotime——andthoughthegrindwasstillcruellyhard,Ineveragainlosthope。ThetheologicalschoolwasonBromfieldStreet,andwestudentsclimbedthreeflightsofstairstoreachourclass—rooms。
ThroughlackofproperfoodIhadbecometooweaktoascendthesestairswithoutsittingdownonceortwicetorest,andwithinamonthaftermyexperiencewiththeappreciativegrandmotherI
wasdiscoveredduringoneoftheserestingperiodsbyMrs。Barrett,thesuperintendentoftheWoman’sForeignMissionarySociety,whichhadofficesinourbuilding。Shestopped,lookedmeover,andtheninvitedmeintoherroom,wheresheaskedmeifIfeltill。IassuredherthatIdidnot。Sheaskedagreatmanyadditionalquestionsand,littlebylittle,underthewomanlysympathyofthem,myreservebrokedownandshefinallygotatthetruth,whichuntilthathourIhadsucceededinconcealing。Sheletmeleavewithoutmuchcom—
ment,butthenextdaysheagaininvitedmeintoherofficeandcamedirectlytothepurposeoftheinterview。
``MissShaw,’’shesaid,``Ihavebeentalkingtoafriendofmineaboutyou,andshewouldliketomakeabargainwithyou。Shethinksyouarework—
ingtoohard。Shewillpayyouthreedollarsandahalfaweekfortherestofthisschoolyearifyouwillpromisetogiveupyourpreaching。Shewantsyoutorest,study,andtakecareofyourhealth。’’
Iaskedthenameofmyunknownfriend,butMrs。Barrettsaidthatwastoremainasecret。Shehadbeengivenacheckforseventy—eightdollars,andfromthis,sheexplained,myallowancewouldbepaidinweeklyinstalments。Itookthemoneyverygratefully,andafewyearslaterIreturnedtheamounttotheMissionarySociety;butIneverlearnedtheidentityofmybenefactor。Herthreedollarsandahalfaweek,addedtotheweeklytwodollarsIwasallowedforroomrent,atoncesolvedtheproblemofliving;andnowthatmeal—hourshadameaninginmylife,myhealthimprovedandmyhorizonbrightened。Ispentmostofmyeveningsinstudy,andmySundaysinthechurchesofPhil—
lipsBrooksandJamesFreemanClark,myfavoriteministers。Also,Ijoinedtheuniversity’spraying—
bandofstudents,andtookpartinthemissionary—
workamongthewomenofthestreets。IhadneverforgottenmyearlyfriendinLawrence,thebeautiful``mysteriouslady’’whohadlovedmeasachild,and,inmemoryofher,Isetearnestlyabouttheefforttohelpunfortunatesofherclass。Iwentintothehomesofthesewomen,followedthemtothestreetsandthedance—halls,talkedtothem,prayedwiththem,andmadefriendsamongthem。
SomeofthemIwasabletohelp,butmanywerebeyondhelp;andIsoonlearnedthattheeffectiveworkinthatfieldistheworkwhichisdoneforwomenbefore,notafter,theyhavefallen。
Duringmyvacationinthesummerof1876IwenttoCapeCodandearnedmyexpensesbysubstitutinginlocalpulpits。Here,atEastDennis,Iformedthefriendshipwhichbroughtmeatoncethegreatesthappinessandthedeepestsorrowofthatperiodofmylife。MynewfriendwasawidowwhosenamewasPersisAddy,andshewasalsothedaughterofCaptainPrinceCrowell,thenthemostprominentmanintheCapeCodcommunity——abankpresident,arailroaddirector,andacitizenofwealth,aswealthwasratedinthosedays。WhenIreturnedtothetheologicalschoolintheautumnMrs。AddycametoBostonwithme,andfromthattimeuntilherdeath,twoyearslater,welivedtogether。Shewasimmenselyinterestedinmywork,andthefriendlypartshetookinitdivertedhermindfromthebe—
reavementoverwhichshehadbroodedforyears,whiletomehercomingopenedwindowsintoanewworld。Iwasnolongerlonely;andthoughinmylifewithherIpaidmywaytotheextentofmysmallincome,shegavememyfirstexperienceofanexistenceinwhichcomfortandculture,recreation,andleisurelyreadingwerecheerfulcommonplaces。
ForthefirsttimeIhadsomeonetocomehometo,someonetoconfidein,someonetotalkto,listento,andlove。Wereadtogetherandwenttocon—
certstogether;anditwasduringthiswinterthatI
attendedmyfirsttheatricalperformance。ThestarwasMaryAnderson,in``PygmalionandGalatea,’’
andplayandplayercharmedmesoutterlythatI
sawthemeverynightthatweek,sittinghighinthegalleryandenjoyingtotheutmosttheunfoldingofthisnewdelight。ItwassoglowingapleasurethatIlongedtomakesomereturntothegiverofit;butnotuntilmanyyearsafterward,whenImetMa—
dameNavarroinLondon,wasIabletotellherwhattheexperiencehadbeenandtothankherforit。
Ididnotlongenjoytheglimpsesintomynewworld,forsoon,andmosttragically,itwasclosedtome。InthespringfollowingourfirstBostonwintertogetherMrs。AddyandIwenttoHingham,Massachusetts,whereIhadbeenappointedtempo—
rarypastoroftheMethodistChurch。ThereMrs。
Addywastakenill,andasshegrewsteadilyworsewereturnedtoBostontolivenearthebestavaila—
blephysicians,whoformonthstheorizedoverhermaladywithoutbeingabletodiagnoseit。Atlastherfather,CaptainCrowell,senttoParisforDr。
Brown—Sequard,thenthemostdistinguishedspecial—
istofhisday,andDr。Brown—Sequard,whenhearrivedandexaminedhispatient,discoveredthatshehadatumoronthebrain。Shehadhadagreatshockinherlife——thetragicdeathofherhusbandatseaduringtheirweddingtouraroundtheworld——
anditwasbelievedthatherdiseasedatedfromthattime。Nothingcouldbedoneforher,andshefaileddailyduringoursecondyeartogether,anddiedinMarch,1878,justbeforeIfinishedmytheologicalcourseandwhileIwasstilltemporarypastorofthechurchatHingham。EverymomentIcouldtakefrommyparishandmystudiesIspentwithher,andthoseweresorrowfulmonths。Inherpoor,torturedbraintheideaformedthatI,notshe,wasthesickpersoninourfamilyoftwo,andwhenwewereathometogethersheinsistedthatImustliedownandlethernurseme;thenforhoursshebroodedoverme,tryingtorelievetheagonyshebelievedIwasexperiencing。WhenatlastshewasatpeaceherfatherandItookherhometoCapeCodandlaidherinthegraveyardofthelittlechurchwherewehadmetatthebeginningofourbriefandbeautifulfriendship;andthesubsequentlonelinessIfeltwasfargreaterthananyIhadeversufferedinthepast,fornowIhadlearnedthemeaningofcom—
panionship。
ThreemonthsafterMrs。Addy’sdeathIgrad—
uated。Shehadplannedtotakemeabroad,andduringourfirstwintertogetherwehadspentcount—
lesshourstalkinganddreamingofourEuropeanwanderings。WhenshefoundthatshemustdieshemadeherwillandleftmefifteenhundreddollarsforthevisittoEurope,insistingthatImustcarryouttheplanwehadmade;andduringherconsciousperiodssheconstantlytalkedofthisandmademepromisethatIwouldgo。Afterherdeathitseemedtomethattogowithoutherwasimpossible。Every—
thingofbeautyIlookeduponwouldholdmemoriesofher,keepingfreshmysorrowandemphasizingmyloneliness;butitwasherlastexpresseddesirethatIshouldgo,andIwent。
First,however,Ihadgraduated——cladinabrand—
newblacksilkgown,andwithfivedollarsinmypocket,whichIkeptthereduringthegraduationexercises。Ifeltaspecialsatisfactioninthepos—
sessionofthatmoney,for,notwithstandingthehandicapofbeingawoman,Iwassaidtobetheonlymemberofmyclasswhohadworkedduringtheentirecourse,graduatedfreefromdebt,andhadanewoutfitaswellasafewdollarsincash。
Igraduatedwithoutanyspecialhonors。Pos—
siblyImighthavewonsomeifIhadmadetheeffort,butmygraduationyear,asIhavejustexplained,hadbeenverydifficult。Asitwas,Iwasmerelyagoodaveragestudent,feelingmyisolationastheonlywomaninmyclass,butcertainlynotspurringonmymenassociatesbythedisplayofanybrilliantgifts。Naturally,Imissedagreatdealofclassfellowshipandclasssupport,andthroughoutmyentirecourseIrarelyenteredmyclass—roomwith—
outtheabysmalconvictionthatIwasnotreallywantedthere。Butsomeofthemenweregood—
humoredlycordial,andseveralofthemareamongmyfriendsto—day。BetweenmyselfandmyfamilytherestillexistedthebreachIhadcreatedwhenIbegantopreach。WiththeexceptionofMaryandJames,mypeopleopenlyregardedme,duringmytheologicalcourse,asadwellerinouterdarkness,andevenmymother’slovewascloudedbywhatshefelttobemydeliberateandpersistentfloutingofherwishes。
Towardtheendofmyuniversityexperience,how—
ever,anincidentoccurredwhichapparentlychangedmymother’sviewpoint。ShewasnowlivingwithmysisterMary,inBigRapids,Michigan,and,ontheoccasionofoneofmyrareandbriefvisitstothemIwasinvitedtopreachinthelocalchurch。
Here,forthefirsttime,mymotherheardme。
Dutifullyescortedbyoneofmybrothers,sheat—
tendedchurchthatmorninginastateofshiveringnervousness。Idonotknowwhatsheexpectedmetodoorsay,buttowardtheendofthesermonitbecameclearthatIhadnotjustifiedherfears。
Thelookofintenseapprehensionlefthereyes,herfeaturesrelaxedintoplacidity,andlaterinthedayshepaidmethehighestcomplimentIhadyetre—
ceivedfromamemberofmyfamily。
``Ilikedthesermonverymuch,’’shepeacefullytoldmybrother。``Annadidn’tsayanythingabouthell,oraboutanythingelse!’’
Whenwelaughedatthishandsometribute,shehastenedtoqualifyit。
``WhatImean,’’sheexplained,``isthatAnnadidn’tsayanythingobjectionableinthepulpit!’’
AndwiththisrecognitionIwascontent。
BetweenthedeathofmyfriendandmydepartureforEuropeIburiedmyselfintheworkoftheuni—
versityandofmylittlechurch;andasifinanswertothecallofmyneed,MaryE。Livermore,whohadgivenmethefirstprofessionalencouragementI
hadeverreceived,re—enteredmylife。Herhusband,likemyself,waspastorofachurchinHingham,andwheneverhisfinancesgrewlow,ortherewasneedofafundforsomespecialpurpose——conditionsthatusuallyexistinasmallchurch——hisbrilliantwifecametohisassistanceandraisedthemoney,whileherhusbandretiredmodestlytothebackgroundandregardedherwithadoringeyes。Ononeoftheseoccasions,Iremember,whensheenteredthepulpittopreachhersermon,shedroppedherbon—
netandcoatonanunoccupiedchair。Alittlelatertherewasneedofthischair,andMr。Livermore,whosatunderthepulpit,leanedforward,pickedupthegarments,and,withouttheleasttraceofself—
consciousness,heldtheminhislapthroughoutthesermon。Oneofthemembersofthechurch,whoappearedtobeirritatedbytheincident,laterspokeofittohimandadded,sardonically,``Howdoesitfeeltobemerely`Mrs。Livermore’shusband’?’’
InreplyMr。Livermoreflashedonhimoneofhischarmingsmiles。``Why,I’mveryproudofit,’’
hesaid,withtheutmostcheerfulness。``Yousee,I’mtheonlymanintheworldwhohasthatdis—
tinction。’’
Theywereacharmingcouple,theLivermores,andtheydeservedfarmorethantheyreceivedfromaworldtowhichtheygavesofreelyandsorichly。
Tome,astoothers,theyweremorethankind;andIneverrecallthemwithoutadeepfeelingofgrati—
tudeandanequallydeepsenseoflossintheirpassing。
Itwasduringthisperiod,also,thatImetFrancesE。Willard。TherewasagreatMoodyrevivalinprogressinBoston,andMissWillardwastheright—
handassistantofMr。Moody。Toherthatrevivalmusthavebeenmarkedwithastar,forduringitshemetforthefirsttimeMissAnnaGordon,whobecameherlife—longfriendandherbiographer。
Themeetingsalsolaidthefoundationofourfriend—
ship,andformanyyearsMissWillardandIwerecloselyassociatedinworkandaffection。
Onthesecondorthirdnightoftherevival,dur—
ingoneofthe``mixedmeetings,’’attendedbybothwomenandmen,Mr。Moodyinvitedthosewhowerewillingtotalktosinnerstocometothefront。I
wentdowntheaislewithothers,andfoundaseatnearMissWillard,towhomIwasthenintroducedbysomeonewhoknewusboth。Iworemyhairshortinthosedays,andIhadalittlefurcaponmyhead。ThoughIhadbeenpreachingforseveralyears,Ilookedabsurdlyyoung——fartooyoung,itsoonbecameevident,tointerestMr。Moody。Hewasalreadymovingaboutamongthemenandwomenwhohadrespondedtohisinvitation,andonebyoneheinvitedthemtospeak,passingmeeachtimeuntilatlastIwasleftalone。ThenhetookpityonmeandcametomysidetowhisperkindlythatIhadmisunderstoodhisinvitation。
Hedidnotwantyounggirlstotalktohispeople,hesaid,butmaturewomenwithworldlyexperi—
ence。Headvisedmetogohometomymother,adding,tosoftentheblow,thatsometimeinthefuturewhentherewereyounggirlsatthemeetingIcouldcomeandtalktothem。
Imadenoexplanationstohim,butstartedtoleave,andMissWillard,whosawmedeparting,fol—
lowedandstoppedme。SheaskedwhyIwasgoing,andItoldherthatMr。Moodyhadsentmehometogrow。FrancesWillardhadakeensenseofhumor,andsheenjoyedthejokesothoroughlythatshefinallyconvincedmeitwasamusing,thoughatfirstthehumorofithadescapedme。ShetookmebacktoMr。Moodyandexplainedthesituationtohim,andheapologizedandputmetowork。HesaidhehadthoughtIwasaboutsixteen。AfterthatI
occasionallyhelpedhimintheintervalsofmyotherwork。
ThetimehadcometofollowMrs。Addy’swishesandgotoEurope,andIsailedinthemonthofJunefollowingmygraduation,andtraveledforthreemonthswithapartyoftouristsunderthedirectionofEbenTourgee,oftheBostonConservatoryofMusic。WelandedinGlasgow,andfromtherewenttoEngland,Belgium,Holland,Germany,France,andlastofalltoItaly。Ourcompanyin—
cludedmanyclergymenandanever—to—be—forgottenwidowwhoselight—heartedattitudetowardthemem—
oryofherdepartedspousefurnishedthecomedyofourfirstvoyage。Itbecameapetdiversiontoaskherifherhusbandstilllived,forshealwaysansweredthequestioninthesamemournfulwords,andwiththesamemannerofirrepressiblegaiety。
``Ohno!’’shewouldchirp。``MydeardepartedhasbeeninourHeavenlyFather’shouseforthepasteightyears!’’
Atitsbest,thevacationwithoutmyfriendwastragicallyincomplete,andonlyafewofitsincidentsstandoutwithclearnessacrosstheforty—sixyearsthathavepassedsincethen。Onemorning,Ire—
member,IpreachedanimpromptusermonintheCastleofHeidelbergbeforealargegathering;andalittlelater,inGenoa,Ipreachedaverydifferentsermontoawhollydifferentcongregation。Therewasagospel—shipintheharbor,andoneSaturdaythepastorofitcameashoretoaskifsomeAmericanclergymaninourpartywouldpreachonhisshipthenextmorning。Hewasanold—time,orthodoxPresbyterian,andfromthetipsofhisbroad—soledshoestotheseverepartinthehairabovehissancti—
moniousbrowhelookedthetype。Iwasnotpres—
sentwhenhecalledatourhotel,andmyabsencegavemyfellow—clergymenanopportunitytoplayajokeonthegentlemanfromthegospel—ship。Theyassuredhimthat``Dr。Shaw’’wouldpreachforhim,andthepastorreturnedtohispostgreatlypleased。
Whentheytoldmeofhisinvitation,however,theydidnotaddthattheyhadneglectedtotellhimDr。
Shawwasawoman,andIwasgreatlyelatedbythecomplimentIthoughthadbeenpaidme。
Ourentirepartyofthirtywentouttothegospel—
shipthenextmorning,andwhenthepastorcametomeetus,lankandforbidding,hisausterelipsvainlytryingtocurveintoasmileofwelcome,theyintro—
ducedmetohimastheministerwhowastodeliverthesermon。Hehadjusttakenmyhand;hedroppeditasifithadburnedhisown。Foramo—
menthehadnowordstomeetthecrisis。Thenhestutteredsomethingtotheeffectthatthesituationwasimpossiblethathismenwouldnotlistentoawoman,thattheywouldmobher,thatitwouldbeblasphemousforawomantopreach。Myasso—
ciates,whohadsolight—heartedlyletmeinforthisunpleasantexperience,nowrealizedthattheymustseemethroughit。Theypersuadedhimtoallowmetopreachthesermon。
Withdeepreluctancethepastorfinallyacceptedmeandthesituation;butwhenthemomentcametointroduceme,hedevotedmostofhistimetoheartfeltapologiesformypresence。HeexplainedtothesailorsthatIwasawoman,andfervidlyassuredthemthathehimselfwasnotresponsibleformyappearancethere。Witheverywordheut—
teredheputabrickinthewallhewasbuildingbe—
tweenmeandthecrew,untilatlastIfeltthatI
couldnevergetpastit。Iwasveryunhappy,verylonely,veryhomesick;andsuddenlythethoughtcametomethatthesemen,notwithstandingtheirsulleneyesandforbiddingfaces,mightbelonelyandhomesick,too。Idecidedtotalktothemasawomanandnotasaminister,andIcamedownfromthepulpitandfacedthemontheirownlevel,look—
ingthemoverandmentallyselectingthehardestspecimensofthelotasthespecialobjectsofmyappeal。Oneoldfellow,wholookedlikeapiratewithhisred—rimmedeyes,weather—beatenskin,andfimbriatedface,grinnedupatmeinsuchsardonicchallengethatIwalkeddirectlyinfrontofhimandbegantospeak。Isaid:
``Myfriends,IhopeyouwillforgeteverythingDr。Blankhasjustsaid。ItistruethatIamaminister,andthatIcameheretopreach。ButnowIdonotintendtopreach——onlytohaveafriendlytalk,onatextwhichisnotintheBible。Iamveryfarfromhome,andIfeelashomesickassomeofyoumenlook。Somytextis,`Blessedarethehome—
sick,fortheyshallgohome。’’’
InmysummersatCapeCodIhadlearnedsome—
thingaboutsailors。Iknewthatintheinprepos—
sessingcongregationbeforemethereweremanyboyswhohadrunawayfromhome,andmenwhohadlefthomebecauseoffamilytroubles。Italkedtotheyoungmenfirst,tothosewhohadforgottentheirmothersandthoughttheirmothershadfor—
gottenthem,andItoldofmyexperienceswithwaiting,heavy—heartedmotherswhohadsonsatsea。Someheadswentdownatthat,andhereandthereIsawaboygulp,buttheoldfellowIwaspar—
ticularlyanxioustomovestillgrinnedupatmelikeamaliciousmonkey。ThenItalkedofthesailor’swife,andofherdoubleburdenofhomemakingandanxiety,andsoonIcouldpickoutsomeofthehus—
bandsbytheirsoftenedfaces。Butstillmyoldmangrinnedandsquinted。LastofallIdescribedthewhalerswhowereabsentfromhomeforyears,andwhocamebacktofindtheirchildrenandtheirgrandchildrenwaitingforthem。ItoldhowIhadseenthem,inourNewEnglandcoasttowns,covered,asashipiscoveredwithbarnacles,bygrandchildrenwhorodeontheirshouldersandsatastrideoftheirnecksastheywalkeddownthevillagestreets。Andnowatlastthesneerleftmyoldman’slooselips。
Hehadgrandchildrensomewhere。Hetwistedun—
easilyinhisseat,coughed,andfinallytookoutabigredhandkerchiefandwipedhiseyes。Theepisodeencouragedme。
``WhenIcamehere,’’Iadded,``Iintendedtopreachasermonon`TheHeavenlyVision。’NowI
wanttogiveyouaglimpseofthatinadditiontothevisionwehavehadofhome。’’
Iendedwithabitofthesermonandaprayer,andwhenIraisedmyheadtheoldmanofthesar—
donicgrinwasstandingbeforeme。
``Missus,’’hesaidinahuskywhisper,``I’dliketoshakeyourhand。’’
Itookhishardoldfist,andthen,seeingthatmanyoftheothersailorswerebeginningtomovehospitablybutshylytowardme,Isaid:
``Iwouldliketoshakehandswitheverymanhere。’’
Atthewordstheysurgedforward,andtheaffairbecameareception,duringwhichIshookhandswitheverysailorofmycongregation。Thenextdaymyhandwasswollenoutofshape,forthesailorshadgrippeditasiftheywerehaulingonahawser;buttheexperiencewasworththediscomfort。Thebestmomentofthemorningcame,however,whenthepastoroftheshipfacedme,goggle—eyedandmar—
veling。
``Iwouldn’thavebelievedit,’’wasallhecouldsay。``Ithoughtthemenwouldmobyou。’’
``Whyshouldtheymobme?’’Iwantedtoknow。
``Why,’’hestammered,``becausethethingisso——so——unnatural。’’
``Well,’’Isaid,``ifitisunnaturalforwomentotalktomen,wehavebeenlivinginanunnaturalworldforalongtime。Moreover,ifitisunnatural,whydidJesussendawomanoutasthefirstpreach—
er?’’
Hewaivedadiscussionofthatquestionbyinvit—
ingusalltohiscabintodrinkwinewithhim——andaswewere``totalabstainers,’’itseemedasun—
naturaltoustohavehimofferuswineasawoman’spreachinghadseemedtohim。
ThenextEuropeanincidentonwhichmemorythrowsahigh—lightwasouraudiencewithPopeLeoXIII。AstherewereseveraldistinguishedAmericansinourparty,aprivateaudiencewasar—
rangedforus,andfordaysbeforethetimeappointedwenervouslyrehearsedtheetiquetteoftheoc—
casion。WhenwereachedtheVaticanweweremarchedbetweenrowsofSwissGuardstotheThroneRoom,onlytolearntherethatweweretobereceivedintheTapestryRoom。HerewefoundaveryimpressiveassemblageofcardinalsandVaticanofficials,andwhilewewerestilllostinthebeautyofthepicturetheymadeagainsttheroom’ssuperbbackground,theapproachofthePopewasannounced。Everyoneimmediatelyknelt,exceptafewpersonswhotriedtoshowtheirdemocracybystanding;butIamsurethateventheseindividualsfeltathrillwhentheslight,exquisitefigureappearedatthedoorandgaveusageneralbenediction。ThenthePopepassedslowlydowntheline,offeringhishandtoeachofus,andradiatingacharmsograciousandsohumanthatfewfailedtorespondtotheappealofhisengagingpersonality。TherewasnothingfleshlyaboutLeoXIII。Hisbodywassofrail,sowraithlike,thatonealmostexpectedtoseethroughitthemagnificenttapestriesonthewalls。
Butfromthemomentheappearedeveryeyeclungtohim,everythoughtwasconcentrateduponhim。
ThiseffectIthinkhewouldhaveproducedevenifhehadcomeamongusunrecognized,forthroughthethinshellthathouseditshonethesteadyflameofawonderfulspirit。
IhadpreviouslyremarkedtomyfriendsthatkissingthePope’sringaftersomanyotherlipshadtoucheditdidnotappealtomeashygienic,andthatIintendedtokisshishandinstead。Whenmyop—
portunitycameIkeptmyword;butafterIhadkissedthevenerablehandIremainedkneelingforaninstantwithbowedhead,alittleaghastatmydaring。ThegentleFatherthought,however,thatIwaswaitingforaspecialblessing。Hegaveittomegravelyandpassedon,andIdevotedthenextfewhourstoungodlycrowingovertheassoci—
ateswhohadreceivednosuchindividualatten—
tion。
InVeniceweattendedthegreatfetecelebratingthefirstvisitofKingHumbertandQueenMar—
gherita。ItwasalsothefirsttimeVenicehaden—
tertainedaqueensincetheItalianunion,andthesea—queenoftheAdriaticoutdidherselfinthegor—
geousnessandthebeautyofherpreparations。TheGrandCanalwaslikeaflowingrainbow,reflectingthebrilliantdecorationsoneveryside,andatnightthemoonlight,themusic,thechimingchurch—bells,thecoloredlanterns,thegayvoices,thelappingwatersagainstthesidesofcountlessgondolasmadetheexperienceseemlikeadreamofanewandun—
believablybeautifulworld。Fortythousandper—
sonsweregatheredintheSquareofSt。MarkandinfrontofthePalace,andIrecallaprettyincidentinwhichthegraciousQueenandalittlestreeturchinfigured。Thesmall,raggedboyhadcreptasclosetotheroyalbalconyashedared,andthen,unobserved,hadclimbeduponeofitspillars。Atthemomentwhenasuddenhushhadfallenonthecrowdthisinfant,overcomebypatriotismandaglimpseoftheroyalladyonthebalconyabovehim,suddenlypipedupshrillyinthesilence。``LonglivetheQueen!’’hecried。``LonglivetheQueen!’’
ThegraciousMargheritaheardthechildishvoice,and,amusedandinterested,leanedoverthebal—