eeling
is intense pity for the man who has dealt us so severe a blow; who made
my dear father bow his gray head, and shed such bitter tears.

The moon is rising still higher now, and people are hurrying to the
grand Meeting, where the state of the country is to be discussed, and
the three young men bow and hurry off, too. Later, at eleven o'clock,
Miriam and I are up at Lydia's waiting (until the boat comes) with Miss
Comstock who is going away. As usual, I am teasing and romping by
turns. Harry suddenly stands in the parlor door, looking very grave,
and very quiet. He is holding father's stick in his hand, and says he
has come to take us over home. I was laughing still, so I said, "Wait,"
while I prepared for some last piece of folly, but he smiled for the
first time, and throwing his arm around me, said, "Come home, you
rogue!" and laughing still, I followed him.

He left us in the hall, saying he must go to Charlie's a moment, but to
leave the door open for him. So we went up, and I ran in his room, and
lighted his gas for him, as I did every night when we went up together.
In a little while I heard him come in and go to his room. I knew
nothing then; but next day, going into mother's room, I saw him
standing before the glass door of her armoir, looking at a black coat
he had on. Involuntarily I cried out, "Oh, don't, Hal!" "Don't what?
Isn't it a nice coat?" he asked. "Yes; but it is buttoned up to the
throat, and I don't like to see it. It looks--" here I went out as
abruptly as I came in; that black coat so tightly buttoned troubled me.

He came to our room after a while and said he was going ten miles out
in the country for a few days. I begged him to stay, and reproached him
for going away so soon after he had come home. But he said he must,
adding, "Perhaps I am tired of you, and want to see something new. I'll
be so glad to get back in a few days." Father said yes, he must go, so
he went without any further explanation.

Walking out to Mr. Davidson's that evening, Lydia and I sat down on a
fallen rail beyond the Catholic graveyard, and there she told me what
had happened. The night before, sitting on Dr. Woods's gallery, with
six or eight others who had been singing, Hal called on Mr. Henderson
to sing. He complied by singing one that was not nice.[2] Old Mr.
Sparks got up to leave, and Hal said, "I hope we are not disturbing
you?" No, he said he was tired and would go home. As soon as he was
gone, his son