Chapter XXI
"'Tis pleasing to be school'd in a strange tongue By female lips and eyes; that is, I mean When both the teacher and the taught are young, As was the case, at least, where I had been. They smile so when one's right, and when one's wrong They smile still more." BYRON.
M. de Fontanges, aware of the impetuosity and caprice of his wife (atthe same time that he acknowledged her many redeeming good qualities),did not further attempt to thwart her inclinations. His great objectionto her plan was the impropriety of retaining a prisoner whom he wasbound to give up to the proper authorities. He made a virtue ofnecessity, and having acquainted Newton with the wish of Madame deFontanges, requested his parole of honour that he would not attempt toescape, if he was not delivered up to the authorities, and remain sometime at Lieu Desire. Newton, who had no wish to be acquainted with aFrench _cachot_ sooner than it was absolutely necessary, gave thepromise required by M. de Fontanges, assuring him that ingratitude wasnot a part of his character. M. de Fontanges then requested that Newtonwould accept of a portion of his wardrobe, which he would direct to besent to the room that would be prepared for him. This affair beingarranged, Newton made his bow to the lady, and in company with M. deFontanges, retired from the boudoir.
It may be suspected by the reader, that Madame de Fontanges was one ofthose ladies who cared a great deal about having her own way, and verylittle for her husband. As to the first part of the accusation, I canonly observe, that I never yet had the fortune to fall in with any ladywho did not try all she could to have her own way, nor do I conceive itto be a crime. As to the second, if the reader has formed thatsupposition, he is much mistaken. Madame de Fontanges was very muchattached to her husband, and the attachment as well as the confidencewas reciprocal.
It was not, therefore, from any feeling of jealousy that M. de Fontangeshad combated her resolution; but, as we have before observed, from aconviction that he was wanting in his duty, when he did not report thearrival of Newton at the plantation. The wish of Madame de Fontanges todetain Newton was, as she had declared, a caprice on her part, which hadentered her head, to amuse herself by teaching him French. It is truethat had not Newton been remarkably prepossessing in his appearance, theidea would in all probability have never been conceived; but, observingthat he was much above the common class, and wishing to relieve thegeneral monotony of her life by anything which would create amusement,she had formed the idea, which, when combated by her husband, wasimmediately strengthened to a resolution.
Of this Newton received the benefit. An excellent dinner or rathersupper with M. de Fontanges, a comfortable bed in a room supplied withall that convenience or luxury could demand, enabled him to pass a verydifferent night from those which we have lately described.
About twelve o'clock the ensuing day, Newton was summoned by one of theslave girls to the boudoir of Madame de Fontanges. He found her on theottoman, as before. Newton, who had been operated upon by a blackbarber, and was dressed in the habiliments of M. de Fontanges, made amuch more respectable appearance than upon his former introduction.
"Bon jour, monsieur," said the lady.
Newton bowed respectfully.
"Comment vous appelez-vous?"
Newton, not understanding, answered with another bow.
"Le jeune homme n'entends pas, madame," observed Mimi.
"Que c'est ennuyant. Monsieur," said Madame Fontanges, pointing toherself, "moi,--Madame de Fontanges: vous?" pointing to him.
"Newton Forster."
"Nu-tong Fasta--ah, c'est bon; cela commence," said the lady. "Allons,mes enfans, repetez-lui tous vos noms."
"Moi--Mimi," said the girl bearing that name, going up to Newton, andpointing to herself.
"Mimi," repeated Newton, with a smile and nod of his head.
"Moi--Charlotte."
"Moi--Louise."
"Moi--Celeste."
"Moi--Nina."
"Moi--Caroline."
"Moi--Manchette."
"Et moi--Cupidon," finished the little black boy, running up, and thenretreating as fast back into his corner.
Newton repeated all the names, as the individuals respectively introducedthemselves to him. Then there was a pause, during which, at the desire ofMadame de Fontanges, Newton was offered a chair, and sat down.
"Allons, dites-lui les noms de toute la garniture," said Madame deFontanges to her attendants.
"Oui, madame," said Mimi, going up to Newton, and, pointing to the fan inher hand,--"eventail."
"Eventail," repeated Newton, who began to be amused, and who nowrepeated every French word after them.
"Flacon," said Charlotte, showing him the eau-de-Cologne bottle.
"Chaise," cried Louise, holding up a chair.
"Livre," said Nina, pointing to a book.
"Mouchoir," said Caroline, holding up an embroidered handkerchief.
"Montre," followed up Manchette, pointing to her mistress's watch.
"Canape," cried Celeste, pointing to the ottoman.
"Joli garcon," bawled out Cupidon, coming up to Newton, and pointing tohimself.
This created a laugh, and then the lesson was continued. Every articlein the room was successively pointed out to Newton, and he was obligedto repeat the name; and afterwards the articles of their dress wereresorted to, much to his amusement. Then, there was a dead stand:--thefact is that there is no talking with noun substantives only.
"Ah! mon Dieu! il faut envoyer pour Monsieur de Fontanges," cried thelady; "va le chercher, Louise."
M. de Fontanges soon made his appearance, when the lady explained to himtheir dilemma, and requested his assistance. M de Fontanges laughed, andexplained to Newton, and then, by means of his interpretation, connectedsentences were made, according to the fancy of the lady, some of whichwere the cause of great merriment. After an hour, the gentlemen madetheir bows.
"I think," observed M. de Fontanges, as they walked away, "that if youreally are as anxious to learn our language as madame is to teach you,you had better come to me every morning for an hour. I shall have greatpleasure in giving you any assistance in my power, and I trust that in avery short time, with a little study of the grammar and dictionary, youwill be able to hold a conversation with Madame de Fontanges, or evenwith her dark-complexioned page."
Newton expressed his acknowledgments, and the next day he received hisfirst lesson; after which he was summoned to support the theory bypractice in the boudoir of Madame de Fontanges. It is hardly necessaryto observe that each day increased the facility of communication.
For three months Newton was domiciled with Monsieur and MadameFontanges, both of whom had gradually formed such an attachment to him,that the idea of parting never entered their heads. He was now a verytolerable French scholar, and his narratives and adventures were to hisbenefactors a source of amusement, which amply repaid them for thetrouble and kindness which they had shown to him. Newton was, in fact, ageneral favourite with every one on the plantation, from the highest tothe lowest; and his presence received the same smile of welcome at thecottage of the slave as at the boudoir of Madame de Fontanges.
Whatever may have been the result of Newton's observations relative toslavery in the English colonies, his feelings of dislike insensibly woreaway during his residence at Lieu Desire; there he was at leastconvinced that a slave might be perfectly happy. It must be acknowledgedthat the French have invariably proved the kindest and most considerateof masters, and the state of bondage is much mitigated in the islandswhich appertain to that nation. The reason is obvious: in France, thereis a _bonhommie_, a degree of equality, established between thedifferent grades of society by universal politeness. A French servant isfamiliar with his master at the same time that he is respectful: and themaster, in return, condescends to his inferior without forgetting theirrelative positions. This runs through society in general: and as no onecan well be polite without some good-nature (for politeness, frivolousas it may appear, is a strong check upon those feelings of self
ishnesstoo apt to be indulged in), it leads to a general feeling of good-willtowards others. This has naturally been practised by Frenchmen whereverthey may be; and the consequence is that the slaves are treated withmore consideration, and, in return, have warmer feelings of attachmenttowards their owners than are to be found in colonies belonging to othernations. Newton perceived and acknowledged this, and, comparing thecondition of the people at Lieu Desire with that of most of thepeasantry of Europe, was unwillingly obliged to confess that the formerwere in every respect the more fortunate and the more happy of the two.
One morning, soon after Newton had breakfasted with M. de Fontanges, andhad been summoned to the boudoir, a letter was brought in. It was fromthe governor to M. de Fontanges, stating that he had heard with greatsurprise that M. de Fontanges concealed an English prisoner in hishouse, and desiring that he might be immediately sent up tohead-quarters. That there might be no delay or refusal, a corporal,accompanied by two file of men, brought down the intimation to theplantation.
Newton was in the very middle of a long story, Madame de Fontanges onthe ottoman, and her attendants collected round her, seated on thefloor--even Cupidon had advanced from his corner to withinhalf-distance, his mouth and eyes wide open, when M. de Fontangesentered the boudoir, with anxiety and chagrin expressed in hiscountenance.
"Qu'est-ce qu'il y a, mon ami?" said Madame de Fontanges, risinghastily, and running up to her husband.
M. de Fontanges answered by putting the governor's letter into hiswife's hands.
"Ah! les barbares!" cried Madame de Fontanges; "est-il possible? PauvreMonsieur Nutong! On l'amene au cachot."
"Au cachot!" cried all the coloured girls at a breath and bursting intotears--"Oh, ciel!"
M. de Fontanges then explained to Newton the order which he hadreceived. Newton replied that he had had no right to expect otherwise onhis first landing on the island; that he had incurred a heavy debt ofgratitude to them for having preserved him so long from a prison; andthat the remembrance of their kindness would tend to beguile the tedioushours of captivity (from which it may appear that Newton, in point ofexpressing himself, was half a Frenchman already). He then kissed thehand of Madame de Fontanges, tried to console the little slave girls,who were all _au desespoir_, patted Cupidon on the head, by way offarewell, and quitted the boudoir, in which he had passed so many happyhours. When he was outside, he again expressed his obligations to M. deFontanges, who then stated his determination to call upon his brother,the governor, and try to allieviate the hardships of his lot as much aswas possible. In less than an hour, Newton, in company with his host,was on the road to Basse Terre, leaving the corporal and his two file ofmen to walk back as fast as they could; the corporal having sufficient_savoir vivre_ not to refuse the pledge of the governor's brother forthe safe delivery of the prisoner.
It was not until late in the evening that they arrived at Basse Terre,when they immediately proceeded to the house of the governor, and wereadmitted to his presence.
The governor, who had been much displeased at the circumstance of Newtonhaving remained so long on the island, was more pacified when M. deFontanges explained to him the way in which he had been made prisoner,and the hardships which he had previously endured. M. de Fontangesaccounted for his long detention at Lieu Desire by stating the realfact, viz., the pertinacity of Madame de Fontanges; which, although itmight have been considered a very poor argument in England, had its dueweight in a French colony.
The governor entered into conversation with Newton, who detailed to himthe horrors of the shipwreck which he had undergone. The narrativeappeared to affect him much. He told Newton that under suchcircumstances he could hardly consider him as a prisoner, and would takethe first opportunity of releasing him, and would accept his parole fornot quitting the island. Newton returned his thanks for so muchcourtesy, and withdrew in company with M. de Fontanges.
"Monsieur le Marquis has much sympathy for those who have beenshipwrecked," observed Monsieur de Fontanges, after they had quitted theroom. "Poor man! he lost his wife, a beautiful young woman, and his onlychild, a little girl, about seven years back, when they were proceedinghome in a vessel bound to Havre. The vessel has never been heard of since,and he has never recovered the loss."
"In what year was it?" inquired Newton.
"In the autumn of the year--"
"There were many vessels wrecked on our coast during that dreadfulwinter," replied Newton; "I myself, when in a coaster, picked up severalarticles belonging to a French vessel. I have them in my possessionnow;--they are of some value."
"What did they consist of?" inquired Monsieur de Fontanges.
"A large trunk, containing the wearing apparel of a female and a child:there were also several orders of knighthood, and some jewels; but Ihardly know what they were, as it is some time since I have looked atthem."
"How strange that you could find no clue to discover the names of theparties!"
"There were French letters," replied Newton, "which I could not read;they were only signed by initials, which did not correspond with themarks on the linen belonging to the lady, although the surname mighthave been the same as that of the child."
"Do you recollect the initials?"
"Perfectly well: the marks on the lady's apparel were L.C., that on thelinen of the infant J.F."
"Mon Dieu! mon Dieu!" cried Monsieur de Fontanges; "then it may indeedhave been the apparel of the Marquise de Fontanges. The linen must havebeen some marked with her maiden name, which was Louise de Colmar. Thechild was christened Julie de Fontanges, after her grandmother. My poorbrother had intended to take his passage home in the same vessel, hissuccessor being hourly expected; but the frigate in which the newgovernor had embarked was taken by an English squadron, and my brother wasforced to remain here."
"Then the property must undoubtedly belong to the marquis," repliedNewton: "I only wish I could have been able to assure him that his wifeand child were equally safe; but that I am afraid is impossible, asthere can be no doubt but that they were all lost. Do you mean tocommunicate what I have told you to the marquis?"
"By no means: it will only tear open a wound which has but partiallyhealed. If you will send me all the particulars when you return I shallfeel much obliged, not that the effects are of any consequence. Themarquise and her child are undoubtedly lost; and it could be noconsolation to my brother to ascertain that a trunk of their effects hadbeen saved."
Here the conversation dropped, and was never again renewed.
Newton was heartily welcomed again at Lieu Desire, where he remainedthree weeks, when a note from the governor informed him that a cartelwas about to sail.
It was with mutual pain that Newton and his kind friends took theirfarewell of each other. In this instance M. de Fontanges did notaccompany him to Basse Terre, but bade him adieu at his own door.Newton, soon after he was on the road, perceived that M. de Fontangeshad acted from a motive of delicacy, that he might not receive thethanks of Newton for two valises, well furnished, which overtook Newtonabout a quarter of a mile from the plantation, slung on each side of ahorse, under the guidance of a little negro, perched on the middle.Newton made his acknowledgments to the governor for his kindconsideration, then embarked on board of the _Marie Therese_ schooner,and in three days he once more found himself on shore in an Englishcolony; with which piece of information I conclude this chapter.