CHAPTER II Here's a good world! Knew you of this fair work?
King John.
JULIA MANNERING to MATILDA MARCHMONT
'I must take up the thread of my story, my dearest Matilda, where I brokeoff yesterday.
'For two or three days we talked of nothing but our siege and itsprobable consequences, and dinned into my father's unwilling ears aproposal to go to Edinburgh, or at least to Dumfries, where there isremarkably good society, until the resentment of these outlaws shouldblow over. He answered with great composure that he had no mind to havehis landlord's house and his own property at Woodbourne destroyed; that,with our good leave, he had usually been esteemed competent to takingmeasures for the safety or protection of his family; that, if he remainedquiet at home, he conceived the welcome the villains had received was notof a nature to invite a second visit, but should he show any signs ofalarm, it would be the sure way to incur the very risk which we wereafraid of. Heartened by his arguments, and by the extreme indifferencewith which he treated the supposed danger, we began to grow a littlebolder, and to walk about as usual. Only the gentlemen were sometimesinvited to take their guns when they attended us, and I observed that myfather for several nights paid particular attention to having the houseproperly secured, and required his domestics to keep their arms inreadiness in case of necessity.
'But three days ago chanced an occurrence of a nature which alarmed memore by far than the attack of the smugglers.
'I told you there was a small lake at some distance from Woodbourne,where the gentlemen sometimes go to shoot wild-fowl. I happened atbreakfast to say I should like to see this place in its present frozenstate, occupied by skaters and curlers, as they call those who play aparticular sort of game upon the ice. There is snow on the ground, butfrozen so hard that I thought Lucy and I might venture to that distance,as the footpath leading there was well beaten by the repair of those whofrequented it for pastime. Hazlewood instantly offered to attend us, andwe stipulated that he should take his fowling-piece. He laughed a gooddeal at the idea of going a-shooting in the snow; but, to relieve ourtremors, desired that a groom, who acts as gamekeeper occasionally,should follow us with his gun. As for Colonel Mannering, he does not likecrowds or sights of any kind where human figures make up the show, unlessindeed it were a military review, so he declined the party.
'We set out unusually early, on a fine, frosty, exhilarating morning, andwe felt our minds, as well as our nerves, braced by the elasticity of thepure air. Our walk to the lake was delightful, or at least thedifficulties were only such as diverted us,--a slippery descent, forinstance, or a frozen ditch to cross, which made Hazlewood's assistanceabsolutely necessary. I don't think Lucy liked her walk the less forthese occasional embarrassments.
'The scene upon the lake was beautiful. One side of it is bordered by asteep crag, from which hung a thousand enormous icicles all glittering inthe sun; on the other side was a little wood, now exhibiting thatfantastic appearance which the pine trees present when their branches areloaded with snow. On the frozen bosom of the lake itself were a multitudeof moving figures, some flitting along with the velocity of swallows,some sweeping in the most graceful circles, and others deeply interestedin a less active pastime, crowding round the spot where the inhabitantsof two rival parishes contended for the prize at curling,--an honour ofno small importance, if we were to judge from the anxiety expressed bothby the players and bystanders. We walked round the little lake, supportedby Hazlewood, who lent us each an arm. He spoke, poor fellow, with greatkindness to old and young, and seemed deservedly popular among theassembled crowd. At length we thought of retiring.
'Why do I mention these trivial occurrences? Not, Heaven knows, from theinterest I can now attach to them; but because, like a drowning man whocatches at a brittle twig, I seize every apology for delaying thesubsequent and dreadful part of my narrative. But it must becommunicated: I must have the sympathy of at least one friend under thisheart-rending calamity.
'We were returning home by a footpath which led through a plantation offirs. Lucy had quitted Hazlewood's arm; it is only the plea of absolutenecessity which reconciles her to accept his assistance. I still leanedupon his other arm. Lucy followed us close, and the servant was two orthree paces behind us. Such was our position, when at once, and as if hehad started out of the earth, Brown stood before us at a short turn ofthe road! He was very plainly, I might say coarsely, dressed, and hiswhole appearance had in it something wild and agitated. I screamedbetween surprise and terror. Hazlewood mistook the nature of my alarm,and, when Brown advanced towards me as if to speak, commanded himhaughtily to stand back, and not to alarm the lady. Brown replied, withequal asperity, he had no occasion to take lessons from him how to behaveto that or any other lady. I rather believe that Hazlewood, impressedwith the idea that he belonged to the band of smugglers, and had some badpurpose in view, heard and understood him imperfectly. He snatched thegun from the servant, who had come up on a line with us, and, pointingthe muzzle at Brown, commanded him to stand off at his peril. My screams,for my terror prevented my rinding articulate language, only hastened thecatastrophe. Brown, thus menaced, sprung upon Hazlewood, grappled withhim, and had nearly succeeded in wrenching the fowling-piece from hisgrasp, when the gun went off in the struggle, and the contents werelodged in Hazlewood's shoulder, who instantly fell. I saw no more, forthe whole scene reeled before my eyes, and I fainted away; but, by Lucy'sreport, the unhappy perpetrator of this action gazed a moment on thescene before him, until her screams began to alarm the people upon thelake, several of whom now came in sight. He then bounded over a hedgewhich divided the footpath from the plantation, and has not since beenheard of. The servant made no attempt to stop or secure him, and thereport he made of the matter to those who came up to us induced themrather to exercise their humanity in recalling me to life, than showtheir courage by pursuing a desperado, described by the groom as a man oftremendous personal strength, and completely armed.
'Hazlewood was conveyed home, that is, to Woodbourne, in safety; I trusthis wound will prove in no respect dangerous, though he suffers much. Butto Brown the consequences must be most disastrous. He is already theobject of my father's resentment, and he has now incurred danger from thelaw of the country, as well as from the clamorous vengeance of the fatherof Hazlewood, who threatens to move heaven and earth against the authorof his son's wound. How will he be able to shroud himself from thevindictive activity of the pursuit? how to defend himself, if taken,against the severity of laws which, I am told, may even affect his life?and how can I find means to warn him of his danger? Then poor Lucy'sill-concealed grief, occasioned by her lover's wound, is another sourceof distress to me, and everything round me appears to bear witnessagainst that indiscretion which has occasioned this calamity.
'For two days I was very ill indeed. The news that Hazlewood wasrecovering, and that the person who had shot him was nowhere to betraced, only that for certain he was one of the leaders of the gang ofsmugglers, gave me some comfort. The suspicion and pursuit being directedtowards those people must naturally facilitate Brown's escape, and Itrust has ere this ensured it. But patrols of horse and foot traverse thecountry in all directions, and I am tortured by a thousand confused andunauthenticated rumours of arrests and discoveries.
'Meanwhile my greatest source of comfort is the generous candour ofHazlewood, who persists in declaring that, with whatever intentions theperson by whom he was wounded approached our party, he is convinced thegun went off in the struggle by accident, and that the injury he receivedwas undesigned. The groom, on the other hand, maintains that the piecewas wrenched out of Hazlewood's hands and deliberately pointed at hisbody, and Lucy inclines to the same opinion; I do not suspect them ofwilful exaggeration, yet such is the fallacy of human testimony, for theunhappy shot was most unquestionably discharged unintentionally. Perhapsit would be the best way to confide the whole secret to Hazlewood; but heis very young, and I feel the utmost repugnance to communicate to hi
m myfolly. I once thought of disclosing the mystery to Lucy, and began byasking what she recollected of the person and features of the man whom wehad so unfortunately met; but she ran out into such a horrid descriptionof a hedgeruffian, that I was deprived of all courage and disposition toown my attachment to one of such appearance as she attributed to him. Imust say Miss Bertram is strangely biassed by her prepossessions, forthere are few handsomer men than poor Brown. I had not seen him for along time, and even in his strange and sudden apparition on this unhappyoccasion, and under every disadvantage, his form seems to me, onreflection, improved in grace and his features in expressive dignity.Shall we ever meet again? Who can answer that question? Write to mekindly, my dearest Matilda; but when did you otherwise? Yet, again, writeto me soon, and write to me kindly. I am not in a situation to profit byadvice or reproof, nor have I my usual spirits to parry them by raillery.I feel the terrors of a child who has in heedless sport put in motionsome powerful piece of machinery; and, while he beholds wheels revolving,chains clashing, cylinders rolling around him, is equally astonished atthe tremendous powers which his weak agency has called into action, andterrified for the consequences which he is compelled to await, withoutthe possibility of averting them.
'I must not omit to say that my father is very kind and affectionate. Thealarm which I have received forms a sufficient apology for my nervouscomplaints. My hopes are, that Brown has made his escape into the sisterkingdom of England, or perhaps to Ireland or the Isle of Man. In eithercase he may await the issue of Hazlewood's wound with safety and withpatience, for the communication of these countries with Scotland, for thepurpose of justice, is not (thank Heaven) of an intimate nature. Theconsequences of his being apprehended would be terrible at this moment. Iendeavour to strengthen my mind by arguing against the possibility ofsuch a calamity. Alas! how soon have sorrows and fears, real as well assevere, followed the uniform and tranquil state of existence at which solately I was disposed to repine! But I will not oppress you any longerwith my complaints. Adieu, my dearest Matilda! 'JULIA MANNERING.'