Illustrations of political economy, Volume 1 (of 9)Martineau, Harriet
General
Illustrations of political economy, Volume 1 (of 9)
Martineau, Harriet
Didactic fiction, English; Political fiction, English; Social problems -- Fiction
That morning rose fair and bright as a June morning can be. Mr. Wallace
opened the shutters of his drawing-room, where, with Mr. Bernard, he had
passed the night, arranging plans for their next proceedings, and
writing letters to their partners in London respecting the readiest mode
of closing their concern; and to their law officers, respecting the
redress which they should obtain for the injury done to their property.
The crimson light of the dawn, the glittering of the dew on the shrubs,
and the cheruping of the waking birds, were so beautiful a contrast to
the lamp-light and silence within, that Mr. Wallace felt his spirits
rise at once. They were at once depressed, however, when he saw the
glancing of weapons in the first rays of the sun, and observed that the
furnaces were out, and that all the scene, usually so busy, was as still
as if it had been wasted by the plague. Manly as he was, and well as he
had sustained himself and everybody about him till now, he could not
bear these changes of feeling; and tears, of which he had no reason to
be ashamed, rolled down his cheeks.
“You dread the sending off the prisoners,” said his partner. “So do I;
and the sooner we can get it done the better.”
They therefore went out and saw that their sentinels were properly
refreshed, and that every thing was prepared for their departure as
speedily as might be. No one who walked about the place that morning
could think for a moment that any further violence was to be
apprehended. The most restless spirits were well guarded; and of those
who were at large, all, the injurers and the injured, seemed equally
subdued by sorrow and fear.
Just as the great clock of the works struck eight, a waggon drew up to
the door of the building where the prisoners were confined. In a few
minutes the whole population was on the spot. The soldiers kept a space
clear, and obliged the people to form a half-circle, within which stood
the partners and the commanding officer; and here the relations of each
prisoner were allowed to come as he was brought out. The parting was so
heart-breaking a scene that it was found necessary to shorten it; and
for the sake of the prisoners themselves, it was ordered that they
should only take one farewell embrace. Some took a shorter leave still;
for there were wives and sisters—though not one mother—who would not own
a relation in disgrace, and hid themselves when entreated by the
prisoner to come and say “Farewell.” The entreaty was not in one
instance repeated. A look of gloomy displeasure was all the further
notice taken by the culprit as he mounted to his seat in the waggon.
At length, the last prisoner was brought out; the soldiers formed
themselves round the waggon, and it drove off, amidst a chorus of
lamentation from the crowd. Almost every face was turned to watch it
till it was out of sight; but some few stole into the place which had
lately been a prison, and sank down in the straw to hide their shame and
their tears.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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