It was by careful closeness of mouth on disputable topics, and an assenting non-committalism that would have justly enraged one of the ancient martyrs, that I had maintained my position at Tom Willis' as intimate friend of the family. The habit, however, was fortunate for my present design of spying out the land; and, as I was shown into the parlor where the ladies sat, I put myself into the highest imaginable state of deceitful loveliness.

I assure the reader that it is not for the purposes of this narrative that I have bestowed upon Mrs. Onthank the traits and qualities which she possesses in such notable measure. She speaks through her nose, which is a long one, somewhat pinched in at the base of the nostrils. She dresses in a correct enough old-lady-like guise, though there is always a stain or two, or a rent or two, somewhere visible. Stains and greasespots and holes do really persecute some people, I'm satisfied; they just go after them like enraged bees, and light on them and take possession of them. She wears glasses of a broad and moony gleam, and a band on her forehead with a shiny black jewel of some kinddoubtless of great cost, though it looks like a flat button-in the midst of it; and her hair is of a delicate pepperand-salt color, and is worn in long ringlets, or rather stringlets, whose curl is always wilted, all except a faint writhe. Her eyes are little and sunken, as if her head had been dried too much in baking, and she has a graceful way of waving the said head about, as if her neck were round and white as well as long and slender, instead of the crinkly brown thing it is.

As for Susy Willis, she is a little delicate figure, with golden hair and great mazarine-blue eyes, a little rosy mouth, a skin white until it seems translucent, but radiant with her perfect purity of temperament and health, and a virginal innocence of look that is the true index to her extreme and lovely purity of heart and mind. She wore very delicate light blue robes, about which I can't particularize, because I don't

know; with white lace foams or cloud. lets of some kind at the neck, and divers enhancements that I don't know how to describe; but she seemed to me to combine all the feminine beauties, and none of the defects, of every thing from a fashion-plate up to a lady-angel. But there was a third person to whom Mrs. Onthank proceeded to present me.

"Frow Addlehead von Rosefeld,”— exactly thus it was that Mrs. Onthank enunciated the name and title,-" let me make you acquainted with our intimate friend, Mr. Charles Talcott."

I bowed, and expressed no end of delight; for this was Adelheid von Rosefeld, the great German Woman's-Rights woman, you understand. A year before, I had casually dropped in at a convention of anti-religionists, or "Progressionists" of some kind, where this very person had, at the peak and tip of a gigantic volcano of infuriated scolding against every thing whatever, erupted in a final blaze of fury, by formally charging to the account of the Bible all the alleged tyrannies of man and tortures and abuses of women. And therewith, as Mr. Burke once displayed a dagger in a speech, she drew forth a pocket Bible, shook it aloft, seized it in both hands, tore it violently asunder, and flung it slam-down upon the platform, with a great curse.

That is true, reader. I saw it. However, it was not my plan to stir up any hornets just yet, so I was extremely oily, as I said and expressed my profound satisfaction at enjoying the soci ety of one so widely and favorably known as the energetic and fearless champion, and so forth. She was wonderfully pleased, and fairly laughed with delight at my compliments.

How dumpy and coarse she looked! Her contrast with Susy's symmetrical figure and extremely pure complexion made her seem like a large heathen idol carved out of raw beef. Yet she is no fool at all, and has immense force and courage. Indeed, how could she be a vociferous female atheist without courage? But Susy did not know all this.

Now, the conversation that followed was somewhat thus, after preliminaries: ONTHANK. "I've ben a convincin Susy that she must come out, Mr. Talcott."

MYSELF. "Come out, Mrs. Onthank? Why, she came out successfully five years ago, and the very next season she went in again-married safely out of this troublesome world. What are you going to pull her back for?"

Mrs. Willis laughed and blushed in her pretty, shy way. The red German female seemed to chuckle, as if to intimate that she defied the scoffer.

ONTHANK. "Oh, shaw! Now, you know very well where I stand on the wimmen question. You're a dretful dodger. You're always a-drivin the devil astound the rump."

[I believe I forgot to observe, that the great Onthank was so full of thought that sometimes her words, in the crowd and hurry of them, exchanged heads and tails, as people do hats at a party, becoming temporarily somewhat disguised, though I believe that the clearness and precision of her ideas was too great to be obscured thereby.]

ONTHANK (continuing). "Around the stump, I mean. My life's ben a failure, because I've never ben able to git hold of any great public interest, sech as I was adapted to manage, nor to show what there was in me."

when her admiring spouse first gazed upon her. (To Susy) Wouldn't you?" Mrs. WILLIS (blushing). "I never can tell whether you are in earnest or in joke, Mr. Talcott." "The illustration was a little jocular, but the thought was perfectly sincere."

MYSELF (in earnest).

Mrs. WILLIS. "I should try to do whatever I saw to be right."

MYSELF. "And it would not frighten you to have death come in the way; would it?"

Mrs. WILLIS. "I think not. I should be afraid of the pain, but I should have no trouble afterward about doing right any more."

The FROW. "Ve do not know vat ve shall geketch after ve die. Also must ve hurry to do all our vurk that is possible vile ve are alive. Let us den be quick, and drample de last dyrant unter our foot. De last enemy is not Death. It is de Men."

MYSELF. Ah, madam, you are as brave and outspoken yet as you were last summer, at the Convention of the Centrifugal Progressionists! Indeed, it is lucky for us men that there are few women as strong and courageous as you."

The FROW (tickled). "You dinks, den, truly, ve can have all ve do choose. to take?"

MYSELF (and very sincerely, too). "I do, indeed, madam. Indeed, I know it. The fact is, the only reason that the women have not already the suffrage all over the United States, is, that they don't want it."

(Now, this suggestion was, at first, very striking and delightful to all three ladies, but, as they chewed upon it, it tasted bitter.)

ONTHIANK. “That's a fact.—Yis, and they'd orter be ashamed of it, too."— (Then, espying the insinuation) "Shaw! we'll make 'em want it!"

MYSELF. "But if you'make them do so, you become the tyrants-don't you? instead of us men, who simply let them be."

Hereupon Mrs. Onthank, acting curiously like a man, began to get vexed

because she couldn't at once see any answer. I did not propose to have her vexed, however, and so I answered myself,

"But, of course, you mean only the force of right reason. Well, Mrs. Onthank, you have thought of this subject a great deal more than I-as you have of all the great subjects. You know, I'm quite too lazy to study them up. If you will find me a lady as attractive as Mrs. Willis, and make me love her as much as Tom does his wife, and then make her believe as you do, I should have either to study the subject, or to yield at once, and let her go on the stage, or kill myself. Shouldn't I?"

ONTHANK. "You'd do jest as Mr. Willis is a-goin to, and let her go on the stage. You're too finicky to kill yourself, and you're too lazy to study any thing but those everlastin' chess. Don't b'lieve you've got go enough in you to make much of a tyrant, that's the fact!"

This rather depreciatory judgment was softened by the old lady's goodnatured manner. At least, she did not mean to be uncivil; and I fear she was no more than truthful. However, the Frow Addlehead pricked up (so to speak) her red cars at the word "chess," somewhat to my surprise.

"Ah, Mr. Tall-coat, you play ze chess?"

MYSELF (with a humility that has often gained me funny experiences). "A little, madam-enough to amuse a friend."

The FROW. "So. I vood like to play a game viz you. I like to set my foot on ze tyrants. I do not find ze gentelmen who can beat me."

And, indeed, the lady spoke, as it were, with the sound of a trumpet, insomuch that I said to myself, Have I really found a lady that can play chess? But I only said I should be most happy to receive even a trampling from her. Another fib. What hoofs! But she was really eager about it; and the other ladies, great votaries of hers, obviously, were instantly almost as eager; so, as there was time enough, the equipage was produced, and the game began.

The Frow, with great pluck, chose the first move; but her play was most mysterious, insomuch that I at once made up my mind to one of two things: either she was one of those solvers of problems in twenty-seven moves, who don't need to pay any attention to the first half of the game, or she was a goose-a chess-goose, that is. However, I merely used the opportunities she gave me for deploying during the first few moves; for, I said to myself, if I am to be trodden down so ruthlessly, I must try to defer the evil day at least.

Now, I will not annoy you with the details of this parti, memorable though it was; but I may just set down the following introduction, in case any person of a chess turn of mind should light upon this narrative, and should care to see whether the Addlehead Gambit (as I have baptized it) is worth analyzing. The Frow had the black pieces (by choice, because, she said, the men always selected them, and she wouldn't put up with it); and she playing first, we proceeded thus:

There-that will do. Now, my chess friend, you may observe that, while the lady's King looks pretty snug after her ninth move, yet, that you cannot point out any particular plan of operations for which her line of battle is available, unless it be to wait and see if White does not make a blunder; and her pieces are badly cramped; whereas White really commands the whole board, having his forces capitally developed, and, in fact, a very strong position for either attack or defence.

Of no such comparison, however, did the lady seem to take note, but played her own game almost exclusively (as I have seen other ladies do at chess, greatly to their detriment). The open

ing being now pretty well completed, it was time for the fighting to begin; and as I had the opportunity, and could see no just cause nor impediment to the contrary, I pushed my King's Pawn at her King's Knight. Really, I grieve to say it, but that unlucky move of mine was the beginning of sorrows. The poor cavalier found no rest for the sole of his one foot, and, before many moves, I had strangled him up in one corner with my awful pawns, and captivat ed" him. The Frow was highly disgusted.

"Vy do you play zat dirty piece game?" she asked, with sharpness.

MYSELF. "I really beg your pardon, madam; I only thought I could secure a knight, and I thought it would help me win the game to do so. Would you allow me to replace it?"

She did allow me, but we had to revoke three moves before a means could be found of saving the poor fellow's life; and even then he was left dreadfully squeezed, and where he seemed somehow to block up four or five other pieces. The poor Frow could not like my style of play. She said:

"I am not used to play ze piece game. It is for ze profound combinations zat I admire ze chess. Your play is barbarous. You have already ruined ze symmetry of ze game."

MYSELF (with the greatest humility). "I am very much mortified, madam. I never played for symmetry in my life. I play to win, unless I should lose a game on purpose."

The FROW (suspiciously). vould not be so childish?"

"But you

MYSELF. Assuredly not, madam. I would not dream of any thing so disrespectful to you."

In spite of my polite disclaimers, I did almost try to lose the game, but it was of no use. I let her retract moves and strings of moves, until I should think there had been play enough bit off in such ravellings for a dozen games; gave her back piece after piece; and only resisted her purpose on one occasion, when, towards the end of the game, she had become quite muddy in

her intellects, and made a knight's move with queen's rook. I wouldn't have said a word even then, if Mrs. Willis had not herself espied the error, and I was obliged, of course, to point it out in a bland manner.

The end came, almost in spite of me. "Mate in three," I said, at last. The FROW. "Oh, no! I shall take your Queen."

MYSELF. "It is mate on the move, madam, if you do that."

The FROW (after studying a long time). "So-yes. But in dree move? Vell, I have my kink very much gecrowdet here. I believe I have loozed him."

It was I who had crowded her "kink," as she called him. But she could not seem to see that I was the means of her losing at all. She evidently knew that it was not my play, but hers, that had decided. Perhaps it was; Heaven knows I'm not much of a player! Chess requires some executive faculty, and I'm afraid I haven't much more of that than an average woman.

She was extremely displeased, and explained about the "kink," and many other things, at great length, in all of which I diligently helped her, and at last restored her good-humor.

We talked a while longer, mostly again on the "Wimmen Question," before I departed. It is needless to recall any more of what was said; but I was fully convinced that Mrs. Willis would go on the stage, if her life and health continued. She had made up her mind to it; her restless, talking old mother kept her interested about it. She was unquestionably an excellent reader, and had a fair share of dramatic talent, too, besides a sweet, flexible voice, very charming manners, and exquisite personal beauty; but all that will not suf fice to make an actress, leaving out of view the question of obeying the tyrant.

"I vill put my foot on ze neck of ze tyrant next time," observed the Frow, on my taking leave; and she added, in a complimentary manner, "You are not ze vorst tyrant, Mr. Tall-coat. I like

you very vell. Come and play chess vith me again."

I alleged that it would give me great pleasure, and departed.

It was my full intention to visit the Frow again, with the idea of trying to coax her to help keep Mrs. Willis off the stage; for I confess that I could not devise any more hopeful plan; and my consultations with Willis himself suggested nothing better. We agreed upon one point: that it was not best for him to assert any authority in the matter, and that, if worst came to worst, the least evil for him to choose was his wife's appearance in public, even though accompanied with the usual newspaper "critiques," and their discussions of her talents, her person, her history, her family, and her character.

Poor tyrant! How insufferable, to be fumbled and tumbled, patted or scratched, insulted and abused and lied about, or still more nauseously and quite as falsely praised and flattered, in the "Dramatic Feuilleton" of the city dailies! A sufficiently filthy experience even for a man. But for a man, a gentleman, proud and reserved and sensitive, to stand helplessly by while the "dramatic critics" discussed his wife! I don't think I ever saw any body more utterly wretched; and his perfect inability to help himself was worst of all. He would not even quarrel with Onthank, for fear of troubling Susy. He simply-it is the hardest task of all in such a situation-he simply held his tongue, and was no otherwise than usual, except that he was very quiet and very kind.

Most probably my plan of influencing the Frow would have failed; for, though she could not play chess, she was a very rough, fearless, resolute, indelicate person, and was with all her heart in accord with Onthank. It would have been almost as hopeless as to set David against Jonathan. Nor did I have time to try; for, certain business emergencies suddenly arising, I was obliged to travel away unexpectedly, and remain for some time. I knew, however, that Mrs. Wil

lis was diligently training, under a professional instructor, for the stage, and that the time, place, and circumstances for what Mrs. Onthank called her "debew," were all fixed. Thus it happened that I only returned the day before the awful occasion; and, as it was afternoon, I strolled down to Willis' place of business.

I found him just as I had left him, except that he had really grown pale and thin, and his face had begun to wear one of those fixed expressions that are planted by the continuance of some one strong feeling. It was, on Tom Willis' face, mingled anger and pain; the anger gathered in the lowered brows and the corrugations between them; the pain shown in the drawn and compressed lips. He was obviously extremely nervous and irritable withal, and was using the utmost force of a very powerful will to keep himself steady. So I said as little as possible. He knew very well how thoroughly I sympathized with him; and the fact of sympathy, not the statement of it, is all that such characters want.

He insisted on my going home with him to dinner, and we went accordingly. "It's an hour early," Willis said, "but I want to talk over two or three things with you, and the parlors will be empty."

When we arrived, Willis opened the front door with his latch-key, and, after his invariable manner, very quietly. So it was not until the door was shut again, and we were both within the hall, that a voice in the front parlor was heard to exclaim,

"Law suz! who's that!"
It was Onthank who spoke.

"Hmh!" aspirated Willis, with his mouth shut, and led the way towards the back parlor. As he did so, Mrs. Onthank continued,

" and

"Oh! it's only Mr. Willis; then we could hear that she went on talking. There was obviously some interlocutor.

We entered the further room. Willis drew up two chairs near a window, and we sat down. The rooms communi