(Continuing the narrative that began here.)

Part 17.

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Letter the Twenty-Second: Sir George Purvis to Miss Amelia Purvis.

My dear Sister,——

I have returned to Grimthorne. I own I had not expected so soon to desert the Metropolis; but Doctor Albertus must go back to his Workshop, to produce more of the Clockworks for which the demand in London is quite insatiable. When he offered an Invitation to me to accompany him again, I could not refuse. Without the Automaton, what is there to keep me in London?

Here I sit, in that same cold and dark Room, with an infinite Number of Tapers making War upon the Darkness, but with as little Effect as if they were so many Ants ranged against Hannibal’s Elephants. The Chill penetrates to my very Bones, and the one Hand that strays from the Mountain of Bedclothes which I have built—the Hand with which I write—is nearly numb with the Cold. Yet I regret not coming here, for here is the Automaton, and here her Creator; I have left the World of ordinary Men, and partake even now of the World to come. —You see how the Philosophy of Doctor Albertus has affected me.

I promise to write as often as am able, but the Letters may be short. I shall end this one now, and withdraw my Hand from the icy Chill. You shall hear from me to-morrow, or the Day after that; until then,

I remain, &c.

-

Letter the Twenty-Third: Miss Amelia Purvis to Miss Honoria Wells.

My dearest Honoria,——

You must know that our George has been called from London again, and is once more in the inaccessible Wilds of the Country on Business. I am not at all sure that this Business of his is the sort that becomes a Gentleman of good Character. I do not mean that you have any Cause for suspecting him, but only that his Reputation is not well served by this Business of his. I shall not keep from you that George has gone to the Country-house of this Doctor Albertus, whose Automaton is the Talk of London. ’Tis one Thing for a Gentleman to enjoy the Performances of such a Character, and quite another Thing to become his particular and intimate Friend. I tell you these things so that you may exercise you Influence over him; for tho’ I know that George will be ruled by your sound Advice, when once you are his Wife, yet there are some Occasions on which you may wish to anticipate that happy State, and demand forthwith that Obedience which will then be your Due. For tho’ I am his Relation by Blood, yet you will be nearer, as being his Wife, whom he must honor. Farewell then for now. Distance cannot truly Separate two Sisters, whom all the Ties of mutual Affection conspire to bind together;

Wherefore I remain, &c.

-

Continue to Part 18.

(Continuing the narrative that began here.)

Part 16.

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Letter the Twentieth: Sir George Purvis to Miss Amelia Purvis.

My dear Sister,——

’Tis no small Satisfaction to be of Benefit to the Deserving; and so I call myself fortunate in having proved a Friend to the eminent Doctor Albertus. The Success of his Clockworks in the World of Fashion—a Success which he is kind enough to attribute in Part to my Efforts—has allowed him to hire a commodious House in Town, in Place of the small Rooms he occupied previously. He begins to live with the Dignity that is his Due.

Three times in the past Week, Doctor Albertus has exhibited the Automaton here in my House, and my many Friends—how many Friends I have when the Automaton is to be seen!—have attended, and applauded, and given their Commissions to Doctor Albertus for more Clockworks, so that I verily believe the Doctor will soon be as great in Wealth, as he is eminent in Philosophy. He will now move his Demonstrations to his own spacious Drawing-room, tho’ he requests my Assistance still: “For,” says he, “it is through thine Aid that our Automaton has reached the World of Fashion; in a Manner of Speaking, thou hast introduced her into Society, and she owes thee her Gratitude.” Doctor Albertus has, on more than one Occasion, allowed the Automaton to demonstrate her Gratitude in the most delightful Manner, serving us a private Supper after her Exhibition, and responding to my Commands with the same Alacrity with which she responds to the Doctor himself.

I cannot help confessing some Unease, however, at these repeated Exhibitions of the Creature. Her Innocence makes me sensible of the Depravity of even the best Elements of Society, and on many Occasions I have blushed to hear Remarks of the most indecent Character, spoken by the most eminent Gentlemen—nay, and even Ladies—on such subjects as the hidden physical Attributes of the Automaton, and their Resemblance to those of a veritable Female: Remarks which were spoken no more than an Arm’s-length away from her, and in such a voice as she must doubtless hear. I know that she is but a Machine, but (no doubt led by the Speculations of Doctor Albertus) I cannot but think of her as an innocent Soul, who I know can hear, and understand, to some limited Degree; and my Fear, tho’ it be irrational, is that the Exposure to the Corruption of this World, which she must necessarily receive by her constant Mingling among even the best Representatives of it, shall taint that impeccant Purity which is hers by Virtue of her immaculate Generation. Some Moments there are, when I am tempted to believe everything Doctor Albertus has told me about her Soul; and at those Times I wish nothing more than to spirit her away to some remote Fastness, against whose Gates the World cannot prevail, and where we should live in primitive Innocence. But this is Foolishness. The Demonstrations will go on, for they have made the Fortune of Doctor Albertus; and I shall continue to assist at them, for the Privilege of observing the Automaton, and the Friendship of her eminent Creator.

Forgive, I pray, the late Infrequency of my Correspondence; but know that it proceeds from no Diminution of my Affection for you:

For I remain, &c.

-

Letter the Twenty-First: Miss Honoria Wells to Sir George Purvis.

My own beloved George,——

It is not within the Power of our English Tongue to describe the Horror of my Situation. I arose; I walked to the Window; I gazed out, and beheld—O frightful Torture!—the same vast Expanse of Grass and Sheep which I had beheld the Day before, and the Day before that, and an infinite Number of Days before that: The same Expanse of Nothing, unreliev’d by the Sight of my own George on a swift Horse, dashing to rescue me from the unjust and intolerable Imprisonment which I suffer for his Sake.

Each Day that passes is a Torment, because it passes without you. Your Absence is a Knife that twists in my Breast, bleeding me slowly to my Death; could I but see you, however, my Strength would revive at once, and I know I should be filled with the Vigor to follow you wherever you led me, were it to the Indies and back. In short, I die without you; with you I live. Can London’s cold Heart have ensnared you with such unbreakable Bonds, that you cannot escape, and bring me back to Life? I confess, my Beloved,—I shall not hide it from you,—that I have often schemed to escape this Prison in which I am held Captive, and to make my Way to the Capital to join you, tho’ I should have to travel the whole Distance on Foot, exposed to the Dangers of Bandits and wild Beasts. Dangers be d—n’d! Yes, I am not afraid to curse the Distance that parts us. Can you not end your cruel, wicked Business in London, and fly back to her, whose Heart you hold in your Hand? I must see you soon, or die; for Death is better than Life, when Life is not to be endured.

Thus I remain, but for how long I cannot tell, &c.

-

Continue to Part 17.

-

(Continuing the narrative that began here.)

Part 15.

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Letter the Seventeenth: Sir George Purvis to Miss Honoria Wells.

My esteemed Honoria,——

You may be assured that you are always in my Thoughts, and you should not suppose that my temporary Absence from London has in any way diminished my Esteem for you. I have accomplished the Business that took me from the Metropolis, and shall be returning shortly, at which Time I hope to have more News for you. In the Interim, I desire you not to expend any fruitless Anxiety upon me: For I am well, and much the Same, and shall remain

Yours, &c.

-

Letter the Eighteenth: Sir George Purvis to Miss Amelia Purvis.

My dear Sister,——

You will be pleased to learn that I have sent Honoria a Letter filled with Endearments and Apologies for my infrequent Correspondence. I hope my Amendment will give her Satisfaction, and remove those Anxieties which my Silence had produced in her.

I have returned to my House in Town, and Doctor Albertus to his Lodgings; and I find my Life here surprisingly dull, without the Company of the Automaton and her Creator. ’Tis never an easy Thing to take leave of a Friend; and so I have come to regard her, tho’ my rational Mind attempts to perswade me that she is but an Object. Until I was deprived of them, I had no Notion of how much Value I placed on those Hours with her at Grimthorne. This Evening I have eat my Supper alone; and I longed to see the Automaton again, whose graceless Grace made every Supper at Grimthorne a Delight. The Beauty of her Form is pleasing, as a Statue is pleasing; but the Effort with which she moves, and the entire Innocence of her Soul (if I may speak as Doctor Albertus speaks), give her a Charm beyond mere Beauty. For aside from the Automaton I have never seen a Beauty without a Spark of Malevolence in her;—I mean, of course, my own Sister excepted;—and my aged Housekeeper, tho’ she may (for all I know) possess the Innocence of the Automaton, has not the Beauty. Even in the Pursuit of my daily Affairs, the Memory of her comes to me often.

I shall not languish long in Solitude, however; for Doctor Albertus has kindly accepted my Invitation to exhibit his Automaton here this Thursday Evening, and a considerable Number of my Acquaintances will be here to see her. Even the Marquess of H——, who in ordinary Times would barely acknowledge me in the Street, declares that no Consideration could induce him to miss this Demonstration. Farewell, then, for the Moment: When I have more to say, I shall write again, until which Time,

I remain, &c.

-

Letter the Nineteenth: Lord C—— to His Son.

Dear Boy,

It is common at your Age to take as one’s Models Men who are but a few Years older, whose Majority allows them a wide Plain of Action, but whose Youth seems to place them within the Sphere of one’s Experience. Indeed I have always advised you to do so, and I do not regret my Advice. When it comes to particular Cases, however, I am always willing to admit when my Judgment has been mistaken, whether for the Better or for the Worse. I recall many times having advised you to look to your good Friend Sir George Purvis as a Paradigm of the young Gentleman of the World. I no longer do so. I do not advise you to cut off his Friendship, which I know you would never do whether I advised it or not; but his intimate Association with the curious Doctor Albertus has, in my Estimation, rendered him less an Object for Emulation, and more one of Pity. I do not doubt but that he has his own Motives for granting the eminent Doctor such unrestricted Liberty of Association, among which may be that philosophical Curiosity which I have often praised in him, as being conducive to moral Reflection; but the Fact, whether he knows it or not, is that he has made a publick Spectacle of himself in a Way that is not at all congruent with a good Reputation in the World. It is true that the World of Fashion has of late much resorted to his House in London, and that he has obtained the Society of many with whom he would not otherwise have been acquainted; but upon what Terms? The Report I hear of him is, to speak with the greatest Charity, not uniformly favorable. I believe he is regarded by much of the fashionable World as a kind of stage Performer, whose Performances are admired without his ever being admitted into Equality with his Audience. In a Word, it is not for himself, but for this Automaton, that he has Friends; and he would do well to consider in what Light he will be seen, when the Automaton is forgotten, and the Doctor returned to his Obscurity. You may learn that Lesson from him.

Adieu! I should like you to avoid mentioning this Letter to Sir George, in case the Reports I have heard have been greatly distorted in their Transit across the Channel.

-

Continue to Part 16.

(Continuing the narrative that began here.)

Part 14.

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Letter the Fourteenth: Miss Amelia Purvis to Sir George Purvis.

Dear Brother,——

I know the Regard you have for our Cousin Honoria; but you must have a Care not to keep that Regard to yourself, but to take every Opportunity to make it visible to her. I have received a Letter from her, expressing her Fears that some dreadful Calamity may have befallen you, on Account of the long Interval between Letters from you. I am writing her this Day to inform her that you are well, and that certain Business has taken you out of London; I do not mention Doctor Albertus and his Automaton, because she expressed some seeming Disapproval when last I wrote on that Subject.

I thank you, as always, for your many Letters to me, which I treasure, not only as conveying the latest Intelligence from the Metropolis, but also as bringing my beloved Brother back to me, if only for the Duration of the Letter. I would ask only that you favor Honoria with some Communication as well; and if I have all unwitting been the Cause of your Neglect of her, by my importunate Demands for Correspondence, then I had rather you ceased writing to me altogether, than that you neglected her, who will one Day be your Wife, and who therefore has yet more Claim on your Attention than I have.

Yours &c.

-

Letter the Fifteenth: Miss Amelia Purvis to Miss Honoria Wells.

Dearest Honoria,——

Put your Mind at Ease regarding George. Certain Business, as trivial as it is necessary, has taken him from London; and I know he prefers not to burden you with such Matters. His few Letters to me have been abbreviated as well, and taken up with such family Matters as I thought would be of little Interest or Amusement to you. He promises, however, that he will write to both of us at greater Length when he returns to London. In the Interval, I have nothing to report from here, save that my sisterly Affection for you, whom I already count my own Sister, is undiminished, and that I sincerely wish you could be here, or I there, so that our mutual Society could enliven the dull Weeks of a Season passed in the Country. Believe me, I am ever

Yours, &c.

-

Letter the Sixteenth: Sir George Purvis to Miss Amelia Purvis.

My dear Sister,——

You must forgive the Interval between my Letters. When next you hear from me, I shall be in London again: For Doctor Albertus and I are returning to the Metropolis, he with a Trunk filled with clockwork Toys, which are intended for the many Persons of Quality who gave him Orders; I with no more than I set out with. I shall not be sorry to bid farewell to Grimthorne, a house at once incommodious and mysterious; yet I should be less than honest if I left you with the Impression of any Deficiency in the Hospitality which Doctor Albertus has extended to me: For he has been most gracious, within the Limits of his Power.

You were quite correct in your Admonition to me to write our Cousin more often, and I have begun a Letter to her, which I shall complete before I retire this Evening. As ever, your solicitous Concern for my Interest is more than I merit, but certainly not more than I need; and until that fortunate day, when our Honoria shall undertake the Management of my Affairs, I am happy to rely on your Advice. Enough of this: You may consider me chastened properly, and, if not thoroughly amended, then at least conscious of the Need for Amendment.

When I said that I should not be sorry to leave Grimthorne, I did not wish you to believe that I felt any Regret at having passed this Time here. Indeed, I count it a rare Privilege, both to be the Guest of so eminent a Philosopher as Doctor Albertus, and to observe the Automaton at such Proximity. Tho’ Doctor Albertus is unwilling to subject her to more than an Hour’s Operation each Day, on Account of the Delicacy of her Mechanism; yet in those short Hours I feel as though I have come to know her, almost as a Friend. Doctor Albertus has taught me to command her myself, and ’tis a wonderful Thing, to have such an attentive Domestick. Indeed, Doctor Albertus tells me, That he has had many Inquiries about furnishing such Domesticks to the great Houses of Europe; but as yet he cannot in good Conscience agree, the constant Maintenance of the Machinery being more than any other than himself could attend to.

These Considerations lead me to regard my Time at Grimthorne as happy, notwithstanding the Inconveniences of the House. Tho’ I have passed many Nights here, I cannot dispel the Mystery that hangs over the Place, and the perpetual Gloom of the Days only renders the Nights darker. Indeed, on more than one Occasion, when I was alone in the Day, the Doctor having retreated to the Sanctuary of his Workshop (which I have not seen, the Delicacy of the Work, as Doctor Albertus tells me, requiring absolute Concentration); on more than one Occasion, I say, I have fancy’d I heard that Noise of Clockworks, which disturbed my Rest on my first Night here; yet it was distant, and indistinct, and Reason tells me it must be no more than Wind, or rushing Water. For these Reasons, I say, tho’ my Time here was happy, yet I shall be glad to see London again.

When I have reached London, I shall resume my Correspondence with you. I shall not fail to write to Honoria to-night. Until then,

I remain, &c.

-

Continue to Part 15.

(Continuing the narrative that began here.)

Part 13.

Letter the Twelfth: Sir George Purvis to Miss Amelia Purvis.

My dear Sister,——

I write to fill the Interval, infinite and interminable, between the cold grey Dawn and the first Stirrings of the House: Which is to say, of Doctor Albertus; as for the antient Housekeeper, she rarely appears, nor do I perceive very much Evidence of her Work. Doctor Albertus (so he tells me) reserves these early Hours for his Workshop, wherein he fabricates those mechanicall Toys, or clockwork Contrivances, which the justified Fame of the Automaton has rendered the most desirable Objects in London.

My Sleep was uninterrupted last Night: No Spirits came to rouse me from my Rest, and I do believe that Doctor Albertus was correct in saying, That the Spirits were to be sought in my own febrile Imagination, and not in the House. There is something a little shameful in so easily succumbing to the Inchantments of an antient Pile of Stones and Mortar; and I am resolved no longer to allow Fancy to rule Reason, nor to fear that which I know to be naught but Phantomes spawned from my own Mind.

I shall leave you now, as I hear the heavy Steps of Doctor Albertus without; and my excuse for this abbreviated Letter shall be, That I wish to have more Experience of that remarkable Automaton, so that I may write of it to my dearest Sister. A longer Letter will follow; until which Time, you may believe me

Yours, &c.

-

Letter the Thirteenth: Miss Honoria Wells to Miss Amelia Purvis.

My dearest Amelia,——

I write to ask whether you have heard from our beloved George of late; for I have not heard of him, since some five Weeks ago: Which is a longer Interval than he has yet allowed to pass between Letters. I have moreover had some Correspondence from London, which tells me, That George has not been seen there this Week, and that he has retired into the Country, tho’ which Part of it my Correspondent could not say. I am not by Nature suspicious, but a Fear has crept over me, that some Ill may have befallen George. For well I recollect, that Pirates have abducted Men even in the Heart of the City, as we learn from the exemplary Romance of Inezella, whose Abramo was taken from Sevil by Turks and sold for the Price of a Lemon. ’Tis true, that in the ample Leisure I have, my Thoughts have more Freedom than perhaps is conducive to my Repose: For I invent a thousand imaginary Mishaps, each more dreadful than the last, and see my George abducted, or imprisoned, or murthered; or even, as in the Tale of Rozina, wandering the Earth, with no recollection even of his own Name. But tho’ I perswade myself that there is nothing rational in my Fear, yet my Fear is not thereby extinguished. Wherefore I beg you for whatever News you may have, and subscribe myself

Your trembling but ever-faithful Friend,

Honoria.

-

Continue to Part 14.

(Continuing the narrative that began here.)

Part 12.

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Letter the Eleventh: Sir George Purvis to Miss Amelia Purvis.

My dear Sister,——

I am yet at Grimthorne. As I expressed my firm Resolution to depart the Place in my previous Letter, it would be but reasonable that you should expect some Explanation for my Change of Heart. I have none, except to say, That Doctor Albertus has great Powers of Perswasion, and that, having listened to his reasoned Arguments, I felt more than a little Shame at having so easily given Rein to my Imagination. —But I ought to be truthful in writing to my own Sister: Reason has less Part in my remaining here, than my own Fascination with the Automaton herself: For she is a Phaenomenon unlike any other Thing, or Person,—you see I know not how to speak of her,—that I have encountered, and the mere Observation of her is, in a manner of speaking, an Education in Natural Philosophy.

When Doctor Albertus met me in the Morning, I began, as I told you I would, to express my Intention to Depart; at first, desiring to avoid Offense, without giving my particular Reason; but at length, under his Inquiries, telling him of the Incident in the Night-time, which I have narrated in my previous Letter. At this he laughed, (and you must know, my dear Amelia, that the man’s Laugh is like a Bellow,) and told me, That he was not surprized to hear me say I had seen Spirits, for that he did verily believe that the Abbey was haunted.

I own I had not expected to hear him express such a Belief, and told him as much; whereupon he reply’d, “O but thou misunderstandest me, Sir George; I do not believe that Ghosts or Spirits have any Existence of their own.”

“But is not that what we mean,” I asked him, “when we say that a House is haunted by spirits?”

“Indeed, I have no Doubt but that it is the common Sense of the Word; but thou and I, Sir George, who have more Philosophy in us than the vulgar Peasant, must not limit our Thoughts by the vulgar Speech of Peasants; we must define our Terms with Care, arriving at such Definitions as are most appropriate to the Subjects of our Discourse. Now, when I say that the Abbey is haunted, I mean that it produces such Associations of Perceptions as will readily lead the Mind to imagine Spirits, and many other Things stranger still. Look about thee, Sir George: Behold the Relick of a darkened Age, when Men sought not Philosophy, but referred every Action of Nature to the Activity, either of a Demon, or of an Angel, according as the Occurrence tended to their Detriment, or to their Benefit. This was a House of Monks; which is to say, That it was a Garden, in which the Flowers of Ignorance were as carefully tended, as we might cultivate a rare Tulip. And indeed the greater Mass of Mankind lives yet in that Age of Darkness, meeting the Phaenomena of Nature, not with Philosophy, but with Superstition. And we, who worship at the Altar of Knowledge, and disdain vulgar Superstition, are yet Men, the Children of our Age, and of that Age of popish Ignorance which built this House, and which is not yet so far removed from us, but that we can reach back a few Generations, and touch it: That Darkness, which prevailed in the Days of the Monks, yet dwells within us in a dormant State, ready to be awakened, as the Seed awakes in the Spring. Now, when we plant that Seed of Darkness and Ignorance in such Ground as this, which is (as I have observed already) nothing less than a Garden built for the Cultivation of such Ignorance,—who, Sir George, who can doubt, but that it will sprout, and flourish, and be nearly as fruitfull as it was when the popish Monks of this Place made it their sole Occupation to cultivate Ignorance, and root out Knowledge? Nay, without the constant Working and Exercise of the rational Faculty, the Darkness may overshadow us, and the pure Light of Reason be extinguished, in such a Place as this. But I chuse rather to stand against the Darkness, and overcome it, and strengthen my Reason, as a Soldier is strengthened by Battle; nor do I believe that thou, Sir George, art made of such pliant Stuff, that thou wilt not prevail, when once thou hast set thy Reason against the Unreason of thy Fancies.”

With such Words as these the Doctor attempted to perswade me to regard the Events of the Night as Fancies, and no more; and I owned myself nearly conquered by his Arguments. But the Conquest was completed at Breakfast; for once more we had the Automaton herself to serve us. I find this Creature infinitely delightful: For in her the Attractions of Beauty (for her Face and Form are Works of the greatest Artistry, and worthy of one of our most admired Sculptors) are joined to the superior Enticements of Curiosity. Her Movements are halting and awkward, to be sure; but her Actions betray so much of Intelligence, that I can the more readily believe it, when Doctor Albertus calls her a new Soul, and the Mother of a Race of living Machines. Surely we have too constrained a Notion of Reason, if we deny it to such a Creature as this; and the Purity of her Soul, if I may speak as Doctor Albertus does, makes her a worthy Object of Contemplation, and the Occasion of many fruitfull Conversations with the eminent Doctor, in which I have learned much of his Philosophy. This consideration it was, then, which removed my last Doubts, and determined me to stay at Grimthorne Abbey: For to leave the Abbey, was to leave the Automaton, and my Opportunity of observing that Creature, or Object, which has made a Captive of every Conversation in London.

To-night, then, I am again in the Room at Grimthorne, the Room which swallows Tapers, and in which every fleeting Fancy in the Night-time takes Form as a Spirit or Ghost; and I own that, as I scribble these few final Lines to you, I question in my Heart why I did not leave this Place as I had intended. Yet I am here, and my Eyes are heavy; Sleep, which fled me last Night, beckons me now. If there are Spirits in this House, I shall beg them to let me rest to-night, and promise to give them more Attention the next Night. I shall write you again on the Morrow: Until which Time,

I remain, &c.

-

Continue to Part 13.

(Continuing the narrative that began here.)

Part 11.

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Letter the Tenth: Sir George Purvis to Miss Amelia Purvis

My dear Sister,——

O blessed Dawn! Tho’ she shewed not her rosy Fingers, but her dull gray Face alone, yet never was I so delighted to greet her! I have passed such a Night as I hope never to pass again.

Yesterday I spent partly in Conversation with Doctor Albertus, and partly in reading alone from the eminent Doctor’s curious Library: For the Doctor left me much on my Own, having (he said) certain Tasks to complete which would not bear Neglect.

These Conversations touched on every Matter, and I should have taken much Delight in recording them for you. I have not long to write, however; I am resolved to see Doctor Albertus as soon as he stirs, and bring him News, which may be as unpleasant for him to hear, as it is for me to deliver. I write to explain my sudden Change of Plans.

When I retired in the Evening, I thought myself better equipped to face the Prospect of another Night in the Abbey: For I had procured a prodigious Supply of Tapers,and moreover had had the Opportunity to grow accustomed to the Place. I brought with me a witty Play from the Library of Doctor Albertus, entitled, Love’s Triumph Delayed; or, the Lost Inheritance, which lightened the Gloom of the Chamber as I read it, and indeed I fell asleep with the Book upon my Chest.

For some time I slept soundly, untroubled by the Dreams and Night-mares of the previous Night; but at a certain Hour I began to imagine, once again, that I heard the Sound of Clockworks, an infinite Number of ’em, drawing nearer and nearer, till the very Bed shook with their Approach. Still my weariness kept me in Slumber, or rather on the very Edge of Waking; but as I fancy’d the Sound receding, I shook off Sleep, and started up, the Book falling on the Floor beside me as I did.

Now I was awake; and the wilfull Draughts having not yet won their inevitable Victory against the Tapers, there was still some Illumination in the Chamber. All was as I remembered it, at least in those Parts of the Room that were not hid in impenetrable Shadow. Yet the Memory of that infernal Cacophony would not leave me, and in the near Darkness I half believed that I had verily heard such a Noise, and that it was not a mere Dream or Fancy. So lively was the Impression it had left that I determined either to lay it to Rest as a Dream, or to discover the Cause of it, if it were a waking Perception.

Throwing the Blankets aside, I set my Feet on the icy stone Floor; and, without pausing to cover my Night-gown, I grasped the nearest Candle and opened the Door to the Hall.

All was Silence, and the only Illumination in the long Hall came from the Candle I held in my Hand: But my eye caught a Movement at the Edge of the Candle-light. Now you must swear, that you will think no less of me, when I tell you that my Heart stopped in my Breast, and that I was frozen to the Spot with Terror: For what I saw, tho’ it was nearly too dark to see anything, was the ghostly Figure of a Woman, dressed all in white, receding from me with silent Steps, if indeed her Feet moved at all, until she vanished in the impenetrable Blackness.

A certain Part of me would have pursued this Spirit, or whatever she might have been; but my Feet would not move, and I stood in the same Place for a Quarter of an Hour until the dripping Wax from the Taper burned my Hand. Then at last I was roused from my Petrification, and I retreated to my Chamber, where you may be assured I spent a sleepless Night.

I am, in most Circumstances, as brave as any other Man; but there is something about this House that would strike Fear into the Heart of Achilles. I have never in my Life been so grateful for the rosy-fingered Dawn as I was this Morning, and I am resolved to tell Doctor Albertus that I must no longer impose upon his Hospitality. This is the Reason for my Letter, with which I inform you that I shall return to London at the earliest Opportunity:

Where I shall have the Honor to remain, &c

-

Continue to Part 12.

(Continuing the narrative that began here.)

Part 10.

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Letter the Ninth: Sir George Purvis to Miss Amelia Purvis.

My dear Sister,——

I have spent my first Night at Grimthorne Abbey; and that it was not also my last, is the strongest possible Testament to the Respect I feel for Doctor Albertus.

This House is not a Place most Men would chuse to live in. The whole Country round about seems blasted by some malignant Power. Nothing grows save some Scraps of Grass interrupted by bare Stones, so that the Land is fit only for grazing a few miserable Sheep. The Sky as I arrived yesterday was overcast with a Sheet of undifferentiated grey Clouds; and so it is to-day as well, so that I begin to believe the Land is never struck by unfiltered Sun-light.

My first View of the Abbey was not of the House, but of the Tower of the antient Abbey Church adjacent. This Church is a ruin, but the Walls still stand to a considerable Height; and the Tower, intact but for the Top of it, can be seen from an Eminence in the Road at least a League away. No Trees impede the View, and more of the House discovered itself as I approached. On the Outside it appears to be very little altered from the Time of the Popish Monks. It must, however, have been better kept when it was a religious House: For the weighty Gothick Pile must require a full Complement of Laborers to keep it from falling into Dilapidation, and it is apparent that but little Labor has been expended on it for many Years.

The Warmth of the Welcome I received from Doctor Albertus could not entirely dispel the Cold which penetrates every Corner of the Edifice. Doctor Albertus lives an eremitical Life indeed when he is in the Country: For, aside from one ancient Housekeeper, he appears to have no other Servants; and as there are, in my Observation, no Houses for a Mile round about, he must receive very few Visitors. Such Solitude must be conducive to his Work, but he shewed evident Delight at having a Companion for the Evening.

Our Supper was modest Fare, but it was the Manner of Service that was remarkable: For the Automaton herself served us, nor could we have asked for any more attentive Domestick. Her Movements were as halting and awkward as ever; but not a Dish was dropped. Doctor Albertus remarked, That in Times to Come, every Household might well be served by such Domesticks, which require neither Food nor Drink, and which expect no Pay for their Labor.

“From Time immemorial, Sir George (quoth he), Men have served Men, at certain Times willingly, but far more often unwillingly. And in very Truth there is little Difference between the two Cases. Mistake it not: A Man is a Slave, whether he serve in Perpetuity, or whether he serve for a Term; whether he be compelled, or whether he be paid; for just so long as he serves another, he is a Slave, and he must either resent the Slavery, or be something less than a Man.

“Now, as long as there is Labor to be done, so long must there be Laborers; but why must the Laborers be Men? Must the Sweat of our Brows ever be the Price of our Subsistence? Would it not be a much better Thing, if the Race of Men were freed from all degrading Work?”

“Yet the vast Numbers of Laborers (I reply’d) must have some Occupation, must they not? For without their accustomed Labor, would they not be Idle? And would not such Idleness be their Ruin?”

“But thou art idle, Sir George (quoth he), art thou not? Thine Idleness has not been thy Ruin. On the Contrary, that same Idleness has been the Cause or Occasion of thine Accomplishments. Do not mistake me: I do not suppose that the uneducated Millions of Laborers shall be idle’d at once, and left to find their own Way; for thou know’st, and I know, that they would waste themselves in squalid Amusements, and descend into Filth, and Crime, and Immorality. But their Children are as malleable as yours will be, Sir George: They are, in a Manner of Speaking, blank Tables, on which can be writ whatsoever we desire. You received a Form of Education, which depended on your Idleness; by which I mean your freedom from the Necessity of menial Labor, which if course is no Idleness at all, but rather the Occasion of your Accomplishments, which occupy your Time as entirely as the Labors of the meanest Farm-hand occupy his.

“Now, suppose for the Moment, That these Children of Laborers should be educated, not in manual Labor, but as you were educated, in Art, and Letters, and Philosophy, and all those Things which elevate us above the Class of Laborers. Would they not be like us? And with a million more Men of Learning, a million Philosophers, would not the Earth be a more rational Place? Let the Labor be done by Machines whose Purpose is Labor; and let Men be free’d to be Men; which is to say, Creatures capable of Improvement, and the most noble Thoughts, given only that they should be exempt from menial Labor.”

In such Wise we discoursed for the greater Part of an Hour; but as much as I desired to hear the Opinions of the eminent Doctor, I betrayed all the Signs of that Fatigue, which is natural after so long a Journey over such uncultivated Country. Doctor Albertus, perceiving as much, postponed our Conversation until the Morrow, and shewed me to my Room, leaving me quite alone, as it appeared, in one entire Wing of the House.

My Room in the Abbey was cold, with unpredictable Draughts, and a Damp no Fire could dispel; and tho’ I was prodigal with Doctor Albertus’ Candles, yet the Irregularity of the Room defy’d their Light. No Matter where I placed the Tapers, most of the Room seemed doomed to languish in Shadow. The Ceiling was so high that no Light reached it, save that a few Scraps of antient Gilding dimly reflected the Flames, like Stars in the Firmament. It seemed to all Appearances that the Walls ascended infinitely into the nocturnal Heavens. In such Circumstances, ’twas no small Feat to sleep at all; but, on the other Hand, Wakefulness was an intolerable Burden. At last I fell into a fitfull Slumber, filled with strange Visions and Night-mares.

Most of these Fancies were forgot the Moment I woke: But one of ’em stuck with me, and even now, in the Light of Day, or the perpetual Gloom that passes for Day at Grimthorne, I am half perswaded that it was not a fanciful Night-mare at all. In the Stygian Blackness of my Chamber, I heard a Sound which I could not at once put a Name to. It seemed to draw nearer, and as it grew louder methought it was the sound of Clockworks clacking and hissing and grinding, as tho’ all the Clockworks in the World had come together and wound themselves up.

This morning the grey Light has slowly entered the Chamber, and dispelled the nocturnal Visions; and as I write, the unreasonable Terrors of the Night have vanished, and I am of a far more sanguine Disposition. You will forgive me, dearest Amelia, for the Length of this Letter; for my Excuse, I can only say, That your Companionship, even in Imagination, makes the Gloom more bearable;

Wherefore I remain, &c.

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Continue to Part 11.

(Continuing the narrative that began here.)

Part 9.

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Proceed to Part 10.

(Continuing the narrative that began here.)

Part 8.

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Letter the Eighth: Sir George Purvis to Miss Amelia Purvis.

My dear Sister,——

’Tis a Marvel indeed how quickly Gossip penetrates from one End of the Country to the Other, and I do verily question whether you will not already have heard whatever News I might convey to you before my Letter reaches you. You are aware, as I know, that the Automaton has occupied the Tongues of the Gossips, and the Pens of the Wits, from one End of London to the other: But it appears that the Reach of her Influence extends far beyond the Town. I say so, for that I have had the Privilege of welcoming the eminent Doctor Albertus and his Automaton as Guests in my own Drawing-room, where a Number of my Acquaintances, and their Acquaintances, and the Acquaintances of those Acquaintances, assembled to observe the Demonstration; so that I feared the Walls might burst like an old Sack with the unaccustomed Pressure of so many Guests. In Conversation with one of whom, I learned that he had travelled from York expressly to see the Automaton, who, he informs me, is as well known in the North, as she is in the Metropolis. Such is the Swiftness of Rumor, who is not without Reason represented with Wings in the antique Writers.

The Mania for the Automaton has only grown in the Days since I wrote you, and I am given to understand, That a Ballad-opera, whose Subject is Doctor Albertus thinly veiled under another Name, will be acted at one of the Theaters. Such is the Extent of the popular Fascination with this new Phenomenon.

For Reasons which I shall reveal to you presently, I anticipate writing you a great deal on the Subject of the Automaton. I will not, therefore, narrate in Detail the Demonstration of the Automaton given to my Guests, for it was much like the previous Exhibition; but I must own that I almost pitied the poor Creature. Reason tells me that she is Clockwork and no more; but a Machine that so much resembles a human Female, must of Necessity evoke that Sympathy, which any Man of good Will feels for a Member of his own Race. To be exhibited as a Curiosity in a Room filled with such a Multitude, must necessarily be grievous to any Creature of a sensible Nature; and, tho’ Reason tells me that the Automaton has no such Sensibility, yet Reason is not always my Master.

Such Sympathy as I felt, was augmented in the Hour after the Departure of my Guests. It was very late, for the Guests were much pleased with the Entertainment; and many of them placed Orders with Doctor Albertus for such clockwork Contrivances as they desired him to manufacture, so that I suppose he must have left a much richer Man than he arrived. When the last Guest had departed, Doctor Albertus remained, and was pleased to give me the Privilege of a private Demonstration. At this Time I was able to examine the Automaton in more Detail, and I must tell you, That her Resemblance to a Woman, tho’ far from perfect, is yet much to be admired, and shews the Hand of an Artist of unusual Skill. Her Movement, however, is awkward in the Extreme; and Doctor Albertus frankly admits that there is much Work to be done before she resembles a living Being in that Regard. Yet the halting Uncertainty of her Steps, and the graceless Motions of her Arms and Head, have a certain Charm of their own; and it pleased me immensely when Doctor Albertus directed his Creation to perform a Courtesy to me, and she obeyed forthwith, tho’ it nearly ended in a Tumble which doubtless would have been detrimental to the Mechanism.

It is not to be wondered at that Doctor Albertus was as much pleased with the Success of the Demonstration as the Guests were, and in Gratitude he has asked me to pay him a Visit at his Country-house. As I have no pressing business in London, I have accepted his kind Invitation, and in a few Days will depart for Grimthorne Abbey, where the eminent Doctor has taken up Residence, and has established his Manufactory of Clockworks. It is a Privilege to be admitted into the Confidence of such a Man as the Doctor; and you may trust that I shall not neglect my promised Duty to you. Expect, my dear Amelia, that I shall be sending Letters as frequently from Grimthorne as from London;

For I shall ever remain, &c.

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Continue to Part 9.