CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
ANECDOTES OF POVERTY, AND EXPERIMENTS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THOSE WHOM ITMAY CONCERN.
His affairs being thus circumstanced, it is not to be supposed that hepassed his time in tranquillity. Every day ushered in new demands andfresh anxiety; for though his economy was frugal, it could not besupported without money; and now not only his funds were drained, butalso his private friends tired of relieving his domestic necessities;nay, they began to relinquish his company, which formerly they hadcoveted; and those who still favoured him with their company embitteredthat favour with disagreeable advice, mingled with impertinent reproof.They loudly exclaimed against the last instance of his friendship forFathom, as a piece of wrong-headed extravagance, which neither hisfortune could afford nor his conscience excuse; and alleged that suchspecimens of generosity are vicious in any man, let his finances be neverso opulent, if he has any relations of his own who need his assistance;but altogether scandalous, not to say unjust, in a person who depends forhis own support on the favour of his friends.
These expostulations did not even respect the beauteous, theaccomplished, the gentle-hearted, the orphan Monimia. Although theyowned her perfections, and did not deny that it would be highlymeritorious in any man of fortune to make her happy, they disapproved ofRenaldo's attachment to the fair beggar, made light of that intimateunion of hearts which subsisted between the two lovers, and which nohuman consideration could dissolve; and some among them, in theconsummation of their prudence, ventured to hint a proposal of providingfor her in the service of some lady of fashion.
Any reader of sensibility will easily conceive how these admonitions wererelished by a young gentleman whose pride was indomitable, whose notionsof honour were scrupulously rigid and romantic, whose temper was warm,and whose love was intense. Every such suggestion was as a dagger to hissoul; and what rendered the torture more exquisite, he lay underobligations to those very persons whose selfish and sordid sentiments hedisdained; so that he was restricted by gratitude from giving vent to hisindignation, and his forlorn circumstances would not permit him torenounce their acquaintance. While he struggled with thesemortifications, his wants grew more and more importunate, and hiscreditors became clamorous.
Fathom, to whom all his grievances were disclosed, lamented his hard hapwith all the demonstrations of sympathy which he could expect to find insuch a zealous adherent. He upbraided himself incessantly as the causeof his patron's distress; took God to witness that he would rather haveperished in gaol than have enjoyed his liberty, had he known it wouldhave cost his dearest friend and benefactor one-tenth part of the anguishhe now saw him suffer; and, in conclusion, the fervency of his affectionglowed to such a degree, that he offered to beg, steal, or plunder on thehighway, for Renaldo's assistance.
Certain it is, he might have recollected a less disagreeable expedientthan any of these to alleviate the pangs of this unhappy lover; for, atthat very period he was possessed of money and moveables to the amount ofa much greater sum than that which was necessary to remove the severestpangs of the Count's misfortune. But, whether he did not reflect uponthis resource, or was willing to let Melvil be better acquainted withadversity, which is the great school of life, I shall leave the reader todetermine. Yet, so far was he from supplying the wants of the youngHungarian, that he did not scruple to receive a share of the miserablepittance which that gentleman made shift to extort from the complaisanceof a few companions, whose countenance he still enjoyed.
Renaldo's life was now become a sacrifice to the most poignant distress.Almost his whole time was engrossed by a double scheme, comprehending hisefforts to render his departure practicable, and his expedients forraising the means of daily bread. With regard to the first, he exertedhimself among a set of merchants, some of whom knew his family andexpectations; and, for the last, he was fain to depend upon theassistance of a few intimates, who were not in a condition to furnish himwith sums of consequence. These, however, gradually dropped off, onpretence of friendly resentment for his indiscreet conduct; so that hefound himself naked and deserted by all his former companions, except onegentleman, with whom he had lived in the most unreserved correspondence,as with a person of the warmest friendship, and the most unboundedbenevolence; nay, he had actually experienced repeated proofs of hisgenerosity; and such were the Count's sentiments of the gratitude, love,and esteem, which were due to the author of these obligations, that hewould have willingly laid down his own life for his interest oradvantage. He had already been at different times accommodated by thisbenefactor with occasional supplies, amounting in the whole to aboutforty or fifty pounds; and so fearful was he of taking any step by whichhe might forfeit the goodwill of this gentleman, that he struggled withunparelleled difficulty and vexation, before he could prevail uponhimself to put his liberality to another proof.
What maxims of delicacy will not the dire calls of necessity infringe!Reduced to the alternative of applying once more to that beneficencewhich had never failed him, or of seeing Monimia starve, he chose thefirst, as of two evils the least, and intrusted Fathom with a letterexplaining the bitterness of his case. It was not without trepidationthat he received in the evening from his messenger an answer to thisbillet; but what were his pangs when he learned the contents! Thegentleman, after having professed himself Melvil's sincere well-wisher,gave him to understand, that he was resolved for the future to detachhimself from every correspondence which would be inconvenient for him tomaintain; that he considered his intimacy with the Count in that light;yet, nevertheless, if his distress was really as great as he haddescribed it, he would still contribute something towards his relief; andaccordingly had sent by the bearer five guineas for that purpose; butdesired him to take notice, that, in so doing, he laid himself under somedifficulty.
Renaldo's grief and mortification at this disappointment wereunspeakable. He now saw demolished the last screen betwixt him and theextremity of indigence and woe; he beheld the mistress of his soulabandoned to the bleakest scenes of poverty and want; and he deeplyresented the lofty strain of the letter, by which he conceived himselftreated as a worthless spendthrift and importunate beggar. Though hispurse was exhausted to the last shilling; though he was surrounded withnecessities and demands, and knew not how to provide another meal for hisfair dependent, he, in opposition to all the suggestions and eloquence ofFathom, despatched him with the money and another billet, intimating, inthe most respectful terms, that he approved of his friend's new-adoptedmaxim, which, for the future, he should always take care to remember; andthat he had sent back the last instance of his bounty, as a proof howlittle he was disposed to incommode his benefactor.
This letter, though sincerely meant, and written in a very serious mood,the gentleman considered as an ungrateful piece of irony, and in thatopinion complained to several persons of the Count's acquaintance, whounanimously exclaimed against him as a sordid, unthankful, and profligateknave, that abused and reviled those very people who had generouslybefriended him, whenever they found it inconvenient to nourish hisextravagance with further supplies. Notwithstanding these accumulatedoppressions, he still persevered with fortitude in his endeavours todisentangle himself from this maze of misery. To these he was encouragedby a letter which about this time he received from his sister, importing,that she had good reason to believe the real will of her father had beensuppressed for certain sinister views; and desiring him to hasten hisdeparture for Hungary, where he would still find some friends who wereboth able and willing to support his cause. He had some trinkets left;the pawnbroker's shop was still open; and hitherto he made shift toconceal from Monimia the extent of his affliction.
The money-broker whom he employed, after having amused him with a varietyof schemes, which served no other purpose than that of protracting hisown job, at length undertook to make him acquainted with a set of moniedmen who had been very venturous in lending sums upon personal security;he was therefore introduced to their club in the most favourable manner,after th
e broker had endeavoured to prepossess them separately, withmagnificent ideas of his family and fortune.--By means of thisanticipation he was received with a manifest relaxation of that severitywhich people of this class mingle in their aspects to the world ingeneral; and they even vied with each other in their demonstrations ofhospitality and respect; for every one in particular looked upon him as ayoung heir, who would bleed freely, and mortgage at cent. per cent.
Renaldo, buoyed up with these exterior civilities, began to flatterhimself with hopes of success, which, however, were soon checked by thenature of the conversation; during which the chairman upbraided one ofthe members in open club for having once lent forty pounds upon slightsecurity. The person accused alleged, in his own defence, that theborrower was his own kinsman, whose funds he knew to be sufficient; thathe had granted his bond, and been at the expense of insuring his life forthe money; and, in conclusion, had discharged it to the day with greatpunctuality. These allegations were not deemed exculpatory by the restof the assembly, who with one voice pronounced him guilty ofunwarrantable rashness and indiscretion, which, in time coming, mustundoubtedly operate to the prejudice of his character and credit.
This was a bitter declaration to the young Count, who neverthelessendeavoured to improve the footing he had gained among them, by courtingtheir company, conforming to their manners, and attentively listening totheir discourse. When he had cultivated them with great assiduity forthe space of some weeks, dined at their houses upon pressing invitations,and received repeated offers of service and friendship, believing thatthings were now ripe for the purpose, he, one day, at a tavern to whichhe had invited him to dinner, ventured to disclose his situation to himwhose countenance was the least unpromising; and as he introduced thebusiness with a proposal of borrowing money, he perceived his eyessparkle with a visible alacrity, from which he drew a happy presage.But, alas! this was no more than a transient gleam of sunshine, which wassuddenly obumbrated by the sequel of his explanation; insomuch, that,when the merchant understood the nature of the security, his visage wasinvolved in a most disagreeable gloom, and his eyes distorted into a mosthideous obliquity of vision; indeed, he squinted so horribly, thatRenaldo was amazed and almost affrighted at his looks, until he perceivedthat this distortion proceeded from concern for a silver tobacco boxwhich he had laid down by him on the table, after having filled his pipe.As the youth proceeded to unfold his necessities, the other becamegradually alarmed for this utensil, to which he darted his eyes askancein this preternatural direction, until he had slyly secured it in hispocket.
Having made this successful conveyance, he shifted his eyes alternatelyfrom the young gentleman to the broker for a considerable pause, duringwhich he in silence reproached the last for introducing such a beggarlyvarlet to his acquaintance; then taking the pipe from his mouth, "Sir,"said he, addressing himself to the Count, "if I had all the inclinationin the world to comply with your proposal, it is really not in my power.My correspondents abroad have remitted such a number of bad bills oflate, that all my running cash hath been exhausted in supporting theircredit. Mr. Ferret, sure I am, you was not ignorant of my situation; andI'm not a little surprised that you should bring the gentleman to me onbusiness of this kind; but, as the wise man observes, Bray a fool in amortar, and he'll never be wise." So saying, with a most emphatic glancedirected to the broker, he rung the bell, and called for the reckoning;when, finding that he was to be the guest of Renaldo, he thanked himdrily for his good cheer, and in an abrupt manner took himself away.
Though baffled in this quarter, the young gentleman would not despair;but forthwith employed Mr. Ferret in an application to another of thesociety; who, after having heard the terms of his commission, desired himto tell his principal, that he could do nothing without the concurrenceof his partner, who happened to be at that time in one of our Americanplantations. A third being solicited, excused himself on account of anoath which he had lately taken on the back of a considerable loss. Afourth being tried, made answer, that it was not in his way. And a fifthcandidly owned, that he never lent money without proper security.
Thus the forlorn Renaldo tried every experiment without success, and nowsaw the last ray of hope extinguished. Well-nigh destitute of presentsupport, and encompassed with unrelenting duns, he was obliged to keepwithin doors, and seek some comfort in the conversation of his charmingmistress, and his faithful friend; yet, even there, he experienced theextremest rigour of adverse fate. Every rap at the door alarmed him withthe expectation of some noisy tradesman demanding payment. When heendeavoured to amuse himself with drawing, some unlucky feature of theoccasional portrait recalled the image of an obdurate creditor, and madehim tremble at the work of his own hands. When he fled for shelter tothe flattering creation of fancy, some abhorred idea always started upamidst the gay vision, and dissolved the pleasing enchantment.--Even theseraphic voice of Monimia had no longer power to compose the anxioustumults of his mind. Every song she warbled, every tune she played,recalled to his remembrance some scene of love and happiness elapsed; andoverwhelmed his soul with the woful comparison of past and present fate.He saw all that was amiable and perfect in woman, all that he held mostdear and sacred upon earth, tottering on the brink of misery, withoutknowing the danger of her situation, and found himself unable to preventher fall, or even to forewarn her of the peril; for as we have alreadyobserved, his soul could not brook the thought of communicating thetidings of distress to the tender-hearted Monimia.