Alonzo and Melissa; Or, The Unfeeling Father: An American Tale
Page 39
disappeared 1811ff ... had disappeared That they were part of a gang 1811ff That they were a part of a gang sold at a very extortionate price 1851/70 sold at very extortionate prices struck immense sums of it 1811/51 immense quantities 1870 immense quanties [sic] which had heretofore been only in the open woods 1851 which had therefore ... we recrossed from the mansion. To get over the wall we used ladders of ropes, placing a flat piece of thick board 1811ff the old mansion ... a flat of thick board on touching a spring, it would suddenly fly open 1811ff ... it would fly open so that on emergency we could traverse every apartment 1811ff so that on an emergency ... a beautiful young lady asleep in the only bed in the room 1811ff ... on the only bed in the room to dispossess the fair tenant of premises to which 1851/70 ... of the premises to which As soon as we were prepared, we returned to the mansion 1870 As soon as they were ... exhibiting the person before her in all his horrific appearances 1870 exhibited ... some of the same material being placed in its mouth 1811ff some material being placed in its mouth not having yet stripped off his ghostly habiliments 1870 not having stripped off ... which in the night appears like coals of fire 1851/70 ... looks like ... the generous midshipman, John Brown 1811ff ... Jack Brown as there were several other British prisoners in the jail 1811ff ... in jail put under the hands of a barber, cleaned, furnished with a change of clothes 1870 ... cleansed ... his ship was ordered for America 1870 ... to America went before the magistrates of the town 1870 ... the magistrate of the town planned the structure of their family edifice. [NOTE] See Barometer 109-110. 1811 [FOOTNOTE] See pages 34 and 38. 1851/70 NO FOOTNOTE This intimation according with the ardent wishes of Alonzo, the site 1851/70 This intimation accorded with the ardent wishes of Alonzo. The site Spring, with its verdured fields 1864 verdurous [this difference is on the last page: see above] commencing sprightly, but ending plaintive and melancholy 1870 ... plaintively and melancholy
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Errors and Inconsistencies:
_All corrections were checked against other versions of the text._ If anapparent error is the same in all available versions, or if the correctform was not deducible from the 1851 text alone, it was left unchanged.
Non-Errors
Many spellings were carried over unchanged from the 1804 original, evenif they were archaic by 1851, such as "doat", "choak", "staid" (for"stayed") and others.
"gale": in pre-Beaufort usage, a synonym for "breeze" "ensign": starting rank in the British infantry until 1870 "prim hedge": probably the same as privet hedge, _Ligustrum vulgare_ "Dr. Franklin": Benjamin Franklin received an honorary doctorate from Oxford in 1762
Misprints
the old gentleman thus addressed them [gentlemen] hastily walked the room in much visible agony of mind, [vissible] From them you will be enabled to obtain information [enable] In them we can place the utmost confidence. [In // In at page break] I will call at your father's [you] He arose after a sleepless night [nights] "Your perverseness, Melissa [previous paragraph ends at line-end; paragraph indent missing] ascended in pyramidical columns to the zenith [columns the zenith] which widening, more rapidly advanced [nore] he betook himself to the forest for shelter [be betook] he set out to return [he sat out] he slowly recovered, but [recov-/ed at line break] Omnipotent Controller of vicissitudes! [Controler] Omniscient dispenser of destinies! [dipenser] where every object would be shrouded in crape [he shrouded] Neither did he enquire into Alonzo's prospects [Oeither] now smooth as polished glass [snooth] the woe-worn head of fortune's fugitive [woe-worm] One day she had been with my sister at my father's [" one" (lower case) with letter-width space at page-top] frequently would he burst into tears [frequntly] for mercy and forgiveness [forgivness] he had made an opening large enough [on] no person was therein except the gentleman and servant [therin] he either suspected, or really discovered [on really] All the tender powers of Alonzo's soul [Alonzon's] informed Edgar of all that had happened [hapened] Melissa's sudden and unaccountable removal [Melissa] Vain and presumptuous assurance [presumptous] perhaps you will consider it enthusiasm [peahaps] How ready you gentlemen are, replied Melissa [gentleman] one brother and two sisters, of which my uncle [or which] My aunt knew you [know] Alonzo found by this narrative that [narative] Alonzo then gave Melissa a minute account [Mellissa] they were not prepared to undeceive her father [undecieve] his crops had yielded but a scanty supply [crobs had yeilded] The sun blended its mild lustre [blendid] the spring birds carolled in varying strains [carroled] they put off among the Americans for live stock [American's] thinnest scarlet tiffany [thinest]
Invisible Letters
Here and below, "invisible" means that the letter or punctuation mark isnot present, but there is an appropriately sized blank space.
A considerable pause ensued. [s in "ensued" invisible] the thousand various birds [final s invisible] Here all was solemn and silent [s in "was" invisible] Its appearance was tall and robust, wrapped in a tattered white robe [a in "and", r in "robe" invisible] By the fate of war, he replied [r in "war" invisible] he was worn to a skeleton [spacing in this line is ambiguous; the word "a" may be either missing or invisible] I find by your father's letters that [final t invisible] they projected scenes of connubial bliss [t in "they" invisible] reflected in the glassy lake [l in "lake" invisible]
Punctuation
"For far beyond the pride and pomp of power, [" invisible] A soft and silent shower had descended; [; invisible] Melissa was silent. [. missing or invisible] the same enquiry respecting you. [. missing or invisible] you are melancholy. [. invisible] It would, he said, be a delicate point [first , invisible] "In our present dilemma, said Alonzo, what is proper to be done?" [said Alonzo what] "It is difficult to determine, replied Melissa [" missing] "The world is before you, answered Vincent [" missing] alternately humming a tune, and impudently staring at Alonzo [, invisible] My mother and Edgar ardently strove [and Edgar, ardently] "I would advise you, said he [" missing or invisible] Melissa seated herself at the window. [at the window."] "Unfeeling and impertinent intruder, retorted Alonzo, [intruder?] "Well, thou hast wonderful courage, child [Well, thou hast] perhaps they were still open. [. invisible] "If you will allow me to name the place, said he [" missing] but that she must still be there. [be there..] alternately in the house and the enclosure [alternately, in] at the seat of her uncle, Col. W. D-- [her uncle. Col.] "Blue trembling billows, topp'd with foam," [" missing or invisible] grave of my Melissa?" [" missing or invisible] when we were seated she thus addressed me: [_no punctuation at end of paragraph_] "Henry, you know that to promote your peace [" invisible] though made in the presence of heaven." [" missing] Candour and correct reason must have answered yes. [. invisible] "Hallo, messmate! what, scudding under bare poles [" missing] "Thy case, said he, is a little critical [Thy case said he] when we will see what can be done." [be done.'] by which you may return to your own country." [. invisible] it is possible I have been undesignedly accessory [have been,] "A person with whom I am acquainted [" missing or invisible] if Col. D----, (Melissa's uncle) [. missing] "On my return from the inn [" missing] though slowly, yet surely, disperse [yet surely.] their eyes spoke sympathy, and they parted. [. missing or invisible] intrinsically _good for nothing_." [" missing or invisible] keep our cousin Melissa in countenance." [" missing or invisible] a few months after the melancholy tidings arrived [, invisible] leaving Alfred, their only child, then an infant, [_second comma invisible, but word-spacing suggests "Alfred, their only child then, an infant"_] "Melissa, said he, I find [Melissa said he] your father's, at Vincent's, and at Mr. Simpson's [Mr Simpson's] as I have before informed you. [informed you."] proceeded immediately to his father's. [. missing or invisible] they wel
comed Alonzo, whom they had given up as lost [Alonzo. whom] "We were school-mates, he replied, and [he replied and] which my bosom must ever retain; but being separated [; invisible] they were generally informed of Alonzo's reasons [reason,s] the celebration at her father's. [. missing or invisible] The others, though they pursued them, got off. [, invisible] and for such measures we were amply prepared." [amply prepared.] The man enquired to what town they were to go, which [, invisible] They immediately set out for the aforesaid town ["They]