An Unexplained Mystery [pp. 243-250]

AN UNEXPLAINXED MfYSTERY.
es were relieved and cured at these insti tutions every year. The sick, the lame,
the halt, and the blind, obtained the best
surgical and medical treatment free of
charge; and many indigent patients were
fed and clothed. At Tientsin the Sis ters of Charity not only gave their time
to the instruction of native children,
bringing them up in the ways of truth
* and decency, but devoted themselves,
with heroic self-sacrifice, to the allevia tion of sickness and suffering wherever
their services could be of any avail. No
objection was made by the masses of the
people to the doctrines taught by the
missionaries. As the Abb6 Huc says,
universal toleration on religious subjects
prevails in China; and universal toleration is universal indifference: a fact that
I dope will not be held as applicable to
the growing spirit of toleration manifested in certain cities of the United States,
where men may worship cyprian goddesses, fast horses, the almighty dollar,
dragons, or monkeys, without offending
public sentiment.
J. Ross BROWNE.
AN UNEXPLAINED MYSTERY.
T is a long time ago-more than
twenty years-since the events took
place which I am about to relate to you;
and before I begin, I must tell you that
it can not exactly be called a ghost
story, because, though there was noise
enough in the house for a legion of
ghosts, I never saw one. I could hear
something walking about and passing
through the different rooms, but I never
could see any tiling during the whole
time I remained there.
I was just eighteen, and had only been
married a few months, when, having
nothing particular to detain us at home,
my husband decided to take me for a
pleasure-trip through Normandy.
We went by way of the island of Jersey; and I, who had never been away
from England before, was delighted with
every thing I saw. The weather was
beautiful, though it was the month of
February, and already the violets and
primroses were beginning to peep out,
and the leaves to come on the trees.
We stayed two weeks at St. Helier's,
and there went on board a little smuggling vessel of about forty tons, called
the Prizcess-for there was no better
conveyance in those days-and after being wofully sea-sick for more than twelve
hours, we were landed at Granville. We
only remained a few days at Granville,
which was a small fishing-town, without
any accommodation for visitors. I remember I was very nluch amused watching the women going about in their picturesque costume; and they reminded me
from this, and the peculiar-looking, flat
head-dresses they wore, of "Massaniello," the melodrama which I had once
been taken to see, after having been a
particularly good little girl. Having been
present at very few theatrical performances, this had left a strong impression.
From Granville we went on to Avranches-about a day's journey, as well
as I can remember-and it was in Avranches I found my haunted house.
I can not pretend to describe Avranches, nor do I suppose you would be
particularly interested if I could. It is
enough to say that it was dignified by
the term "city," though it was only like
a large village. It stood on the top of a
hill, and the "diligence" seemed to go
round and round the town on a pretty,
winding road, for I don't know how many
I871.]
243