New York: Its Upper Ten and Lower Million — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
New York: Its Upper Ten and Lower Million
John Stuart Mill · en
That forth from the womb of the present chaos, a nobler era will be
born, no one can doubt, who feels the force of these four words,
'_there is a God_.' And that the present age with its deification of
the money power, is one of the basest the world ever saw, cannot be
disproved, although it may be bitterly denied. There is something
pitiful in the thought that a world once deemed worthy of the tread of
Satan, is now become the crawling ground of Mammon.
CHAPTER V.
MARY, CARL, CORNELIUS.
Leaving Frank to writhe alone in her agony, Nameless and Mary pursued
their way through the dark streets, as the morning drew near. They
arrived at length, in front of that huge mansion, in Greenwich street,
which once the palace of ease and opulence, was now, from the garret to
the cellar, the palace of rags, disease and poverty. How Mary's heart
thrilled as she led Nameless through the darkness up the marble stairs!
A few hours since she went down those stairs, with death in her heart.
Now her husband, risen from the grave was on her arm, hope was in her
heart, and--although dark and bitter cold, and signs of poverty and
wretchedness were all around her,--the future opened before her mental
vision, rosy and golden in its hues of promise.
At the head of the stairway, on the fourth story Mary opened a door,
and in the darkness, led Nameless across the threshold.
"My home!" she whispered, and lighted the candle, which hours ago, in
the moment of her deepest despair, she had extinguished.
As the light stole around the place, Nameless at a glance beheld the
miserable garret, with its sloping roof walls of rough boards, and
scanty furniture, a mattress in one corner, a sheet-iron stove, a
table, and in the recess of the huge garret window an old arm-chair.
"This your home!" he ejaculated and at the same time beheld the
occupant of the arm-chair,--in that man prematurely old, his skeleton
form incased in a loose wrapper, his emaciated hands resting on
the arms, and one side of his corpse-like face on the back of the
chair,--he after a long pause, recognized the wreck of his master,
Cornelius Berman.
"O, my master!" he cried in a tone of inexpressible emotion, and
sank on his knees before the sleeping man, and pressed his emaciated
hand reverently to his lips. "Is it thus I find you!" and profoundly
affected, he remained kneeling there, his gaze fixed upon that
countenance, which despite its premature wrinkles, and dead apathetic
expression, still bore upon its forehead,--half hid by snow-white
hair,--some traces of the intellect of Cornelius Berman.