“Morning came, and unfortunately for me, I was the first to awaken.  Hastily dressing, I thought I would explore the scene of the late festivity; and so I descended the stairs and entered the silent, deserted drawing-room.  In a few moments, Rebecca herself entered the drawing-room, but partially dressed and wrapped in a crimson shawl.  She had come to remove the pipe.

“‘Why are you up so early, Leah?’ she said confusedly, seeing that I was also in the room.  And then, as she passed hurriedly around the table where the pipe lay, the treacherous fringe of her shawl caught in the delicate antlers of the elk’s head and dragged it from its place upon the table.  It fell to the floor with a crash, and we both looked down in dismay on the wreck at her feet.  A footstep sounded in the hall at that moment, and fearing it was my father, Rebecca said boldly, and with gleaming eye: 

“‘What did you do that for, you wretched child?’

“‘Do what?’ I whispered, overawed.

“’Deny it, if you dare, and I’ll break every bone in your body, you lynx!  What will your father say?’ she continued.  ’Pick up every piece, and go and show it to him.  Say you broke it, and ask his forgiveness!  Do you hear me?’

“I hesitated and trembled.

“‘Dare you disobey me?’ she angrily exclaimed, with menacing gesture.

“‘I am afraid of my father,’ I whispered again, scarcely knowing whether I really did the mischief or not.

“’And well you may be,” she continued fearlessly, seeing that she was gaining the mastery over me; ’but the sooner you seek his forgiveness, the sooner you will obtain it.  Go at once, I tell you.’

“Oh! pity me, Lizzie! pity me, for from that fatal moment, I have been the slave, the serf, of a stronger will—­a will that has withered and crushed out, by slow degrees, the last trace of moral courage that might have beautified and strengthened my character; crushed it out, and left me a cowardly, miserable, helpless girl!  But to return.

“Involuntarily I stooped down, and began to pick up the pieces of the fragile horns, and the eyes of the elk’s head, that lay scattered around upon the soft carpet, really wondering if, indeed, I did break it.

“’Now you have gathered up the pieces, go at once to your father; and mind you tell him you broke it.  Do you hear me?’

“I glided out of the room, away from the presence of the woman who had so cruelly imposed upon my helplessness.  Trembling with fear, and a sense of my supposed guilt, I approached my father, who was by this time comfortably seated in the family sitting-room, reading the morning paper.

“I crept to him and held out the fragments.

“‘The d—­l to pay!  Who broke this?’ he almost shouted in anger.

“‘I did,’ I murmured; and the rest of my story unspoken, my father struck me a blow for the first and last time in his life.  It sent me reeling against a table; the sharp corner struck my forehead and cut a terrible gash.  Here, I will show it to you.  It is plainly visible, and always will be.”