CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
THE MYSTERY UNFOLDED--ANOTHER RECOGNITION, WHICH, IT IS TO BE HOPED, THEREADER COULD NOT FORESEE.
The French lady then explained the whole mystery of Monimia's death, as astratagem she had concerted with the clergyman and doctor, in order todefeat the pernicious designs of Fathom, who seemed determined to supporthis false pretensions by dint of perjury and fraud, which they would havefound it very difficult to elude. She observed, that the physician hadactually despaired of Monimia's life, and it was not till after sheherself was made acquainted with the prognostic, that she wrote theletter to Renaldo, which she committed to the care of Madam Clement, withan earnest entreaty, that it should not be sent till after her decease.But that lady, believing the Count had been certainly abused by histreacherous confidant, despatched the billet without the knowledge ofMonimia, whose health was restored by the indefatigable care of thephysician, and the sage exhortations of the clergyman, by which she wasreconciled to life. In a word, the villany of Fathom had inspired herwith some faint hope that Renaldo might still be innocent; and thatnotion contributed not a little to her cure.
The letter having so effectually answered their warmest hopes, inbringing back Renaldo such a pattern of constancy and love, theconfederates, in consequence of his enthusiastic sorrow, had planned thismeeting, as the most interesting way of restoring two virtuous lovers tothe arms of each other; for which purpose the good clergyman had pitchedupon his own church, and indulged them with the use of the vestry, inwhich they now were presented with a small but elegant collation.
Melvil heard this succinct detail with equal joy and admiration. Hepoured forth the dictates of his gratitude to the preservers of hishappiness.--"This church," said he, "shall henceforth possess a doubleshare of my veneration; this holy man will, I hope, finish the charitablework he has begun, by tying those bands of our happiness, which noughtbut death shall have power to unbind." Then turning to that object whichwas the star of his regard, "Do I not overrate," said he, "my interestwith the fair Monimia?" She made no verbal reply; but answered by anemphatic glance, more eloquent than all the power of rhetoric and speech.This language, which is universal in the world of love, he perfectly wellunderstood, and, in token of that faculty, sealed the assent which shehad smiled, with a kiss imprinted on her polished forehead.
In order to dissipate these interesting ideas, which, by being too longindulged, might have endangered his reason, Madam Clement entreated himto entertain the company with a detail of what had happened to him in hislast journey to the empire, and Monimia expressed a desire of knowing, inparticular, the issue of his contest with Count Trebasi, who, she knew,had usurped the succession of his father.
Thus solicited, he could not refuse to gratify their curiosity andconcern. He explained his obligations to the benevolent Jew; related thesteps he had taken at Vienna for the recovery of his inheritance;informed them of his happy rencontre with his father-in-law; of hissister's deliverance, and marriage; of the danger into which his life hadbeen precipitated by the news of Monimia's death; and, lastly, of hisadventure with the banditti, in favour of a gentleman, who, he afterwardsunderstood, had been robbed in the most base and barbarous manner byFathom. He likewise, to the astonishment of all present, and of hismistress in particular, communicated some circumstances, which shallappear in due season.
Monimia's tender frame being quite fatigued with the scene she had acted,and her mind overwhelmed with the prosperous tidings she had heard, afterhaving joined the congratulations of the company, on the good fortune ofher Renaldo, begged leave to retire, that she might by repose recruit herexhausted spirits; and the night being pretty far spent, she wasconducted by her lover to Madam Clement's coach, that stood in waiting,in which also the rest of the company made shift to embark, and werecarried to the house of that good lady, where, after they were invited todine, and Melvil entreated to bring Don Diego and the Jew along withthem, they took leave of one another, and retired to their respectivelodgings in a transport of joy and satisfaction.
As for Renaldo, his rapture was still mixed with apprehension, that allhe had seen and heard was no more than an unsubstantial vision, raised bysome gay delirium of a disordered imagination. While his breastunderwent those violent, though blissful emotions of joy and admiration,his friend the Castilian spent the night in ruminating over his owncalamities, and in a serious and severe review of his own conduct. Hecompared his own behaviour with that of the young Hungarian, and foundhimself so light in the scale, that he smote his breast with violence,exclaiming in an agony of remorse:
"Count Melvil has reason to grieve; Don Diego to despair. Hismisfortunes flow from the villany of mankind; mine are the fruit of myown madness. He laments the loss of a mistress, who fell a sacrifice tothe perfidious arts of a crafty traitor. She was beautiful, virtuous,accomplished, and affectionate; he was fraught with sensibility and love.Doubtless his heart must have deeply suffered; his behaviour denotes thekeenness of his woe; his eyes are everflowing fountains of tears; hisbosom the habitation of sighs; five hundred leagues hath he measured in apilgrimage to her tomb; nightly he visits the dreary vault where she nowlies at rest; her solitary grave is his couch; he converses with darknessand the dead, until each lonely aisle re-echoes his distress. What wouldbe his penance, had he my cause! were he conscious of having murdered abeloved wife and darling daughter! Ah wretch!--ah cruel homicide!--whathad those dear victims done to merit such a fate? Were they not evergentle and obedient, ever aiming to give thee satisfaction and delight?Say, that Serafina was enamoured of a peasant; say, that she haddegenerated from the honour of her race. The inclinations areinvoluntary; perhaps that stranger was her equal in pedigree and worth.Had they been fairly questioned, they might have justified, at leastexcused, that conduct which appeared so criminal; or had they owned theoffence, and supplicated pardon--O barbarous monster that I am! was allthe husband--was all the father extinguished in my heart? How shall myown errors be forgiven, if I refused to pardon the frailties of my ownblood--of those who are most dear to my affection? Yet nature pleadedstrongly in their behalf!--My heart was bursting while I dismissed themto the shades of death. I was maddened with revenge! I was guided bythat savage principle which falsely we call honour.
"Accursed phantom! that assumes the specious title, and misleads ourwretched nation! Is it then honourable to skulk like an assassin, andplunge the secret dagger in the heart of some unhappy man, who hathincurred my groundless jealousy or suspicion, without indulging him withthat opportunity which the worst criminal enjoys? Or is it honourable topoison two defenceless women, a tender wife, an amiable daughter, whomeven a frown would almost have destroyed?--O! this is cowardice,brutality, hell-born fury and revenge! Heaven hath not mercy to forgivesuch execrable guilt. Who gave thee power, abandoned ruffian! over thelives of those whom God hath stationed as thy fellows of probation;--overthose whom he had sent to comfort and assist thee; to sweeten all thycares, and smooth the rough uneven paths of life? O! I am doomed tonever-ceasing horror and remorse! If misery can atone for such enormousguilt, I have felt it in the extreme. Like an undying vulture it preysupon my heart;--to sorrow I am wedded; I hug that teeming consort to mysoul;--never, ah! never shall we part; for soon as my fame shall shineunclouded by the charge of treason that now hangs over it, I will devotemyself to penitence and woe. A cold, damp pavement shall be my bed; myraiment shall be sackcloth; the fields shall furnish herbage for my food;the stream shall quench my thirst; the minutes shall be numbered by mygroans; the night be privy to my strains of sorrow, till Heaven, in pityto my sufferings, release me from the penance I endure. Perhaps thesaints whom I have murdered will intercede for my remission."
Such was the exercise of grief, in which the hapless Castilian consumedthe night; he had not yet consigned himself to rest, when Renaldoentering his chamber, displayed such a gleam of wildness and rapture onhis countenance, as overwhelmed him with amazement; for, till thatmoment, he had never seen his v
isage unobscured with woe. "Pardon thisabrupt intrusion, my friend," cried Melvil, "I could no longer withholdfrom your participation, the great, the unexpected turn, which hath thisnight dispelled all my sorrows, and restored me to the fruition ofineffable joy. Monimia lives!--the fair, the tender, the virtuousMonimia lives, and smiles upon my vows! This night I retrieved her fromthe grave. I held her in these arms; I pressed her warm delicious lipsto mine! Oh, I am giddy with intolerable pleasure!"
Don Diego was confounded at this declaration, which he considered as theeffects of a disordered brain. He never doubted that Renaldo's grief hadat length overpowered his reason, and that his words were the effects ofmere frenzy. While he mused on this melancholy subject, the Countcomposed his features, and, in a succinct and well-connected detail,explained the whole mystery of his happiness, to the inexpressibleastonishment of the Spaniard, who shed tears of satisfaction, andstraining the Hungarian to his breast, "O my son," said he, "you see whatrecompense Heaven hath in store for those who pursue the paths of realvirtue; those paths from which I myself have been fatally misled by afaithless vapour, which hath seduced my steps, and left me darkling inthe abyss of wretchedness. Such as you describe this happy fair, wasonce my Serafina, rich in every grace of mind and body which nature couldbestow. Had it pleased Heaven to bless her with a lover like Renaldo!but no more, the irrevocable shaft is fled. I will not taint yourenjoyment with my unavailing sighs!"
Melvil assured this disconsolate father, that no pleasure, no avocationshould ever so entirely engross his mind, but that he should still findan hour for sympathy and friendship. He communicated the invitation ofMadam Clement, and insisted upon his compliance, that he might have anopportunity of seeing and approving the object of his passion. "I canrefuse nothing to the request of Count de Melvil," replied the Spaniard,"and it were ungrateful in me to decline the honour you propose. I ownmyself inflamed with a desire of beholding a young lady, whoseperfections I have seen reflected in your sorrow; my curiosity is,moreover, interested on account of that humane gentlewoman, whoseuncommon generosity sheltered such virtue in distress; but my dispositionis infectious, and will, I am afraid, hang like a damp upon the generalfestivity of your friends."
Melvil would take no denial, and having obtained his consent, repaired tothe house of Joshua, whose countenance seemed to unbend gradually into atotal expression of joy and surprise, as he learned the circumstances ofthis amazing event. He faithfully promised to attend the Count at theappointed hour, and, in the meantime, earnestly exhorted him to take somerepose, in order to quiet the agitation of his spirits, which must havebeen violently hurried on this occasion. The advice was salutary, andRenaldo resolved to follow it.
He returned to his lodgings, and laid himself down; but, notwithstandingthe fatigue he had undergone, sleep refused to visit his eyelids, all hisfaculties being kept in motion by the ideas that crowded so fast upon hisimagination. Nevertheless, though his mind continued in agitation, hisbody was refreshed, and he arose in the forenoon with more serenity andvigour than he had enjoyed for many months. Every moment his heartthrobbed with new rapture, when he found himself on the brink ofpossessing all that his soul held dear and amiable; he put on his gayestlooks and apparel; insisted upon the Castilian's doing the same honour tothe occasion; and the alteration of dress produced such an advantageouschange in the appearance of Don Diego, that when Joshua arrived at theappointed hour, he could scarce recognise his features, and complimentedhim very politely on the improvement of his looks.
True it is, the Spaniard was a personage of a very prepossessing mien andnoble deportment; and had not grief, by increasing his native gravity, insome measure discomposed the symmetry of his countenance, he would havepassed for a man of a very amiable and engaging physiognomy. They setout in the Jew's coach for the house of Madam Clement, and were usheredinto an apartment, where they found the clergyman and physician with thatlady, to whom Don Diego and the Hebrew were by Melvil introduced.
Before they had seated themselves, Renaldo inquired about the health ofMonimia, and was directed to the next room by Madam Clement, whopermitted him to go thither, and conduct her to the company. He was notslow of availing himself of this permission. He disappeared in aninstant, and, during his short absence, Don Diego was strangely disturbedThe blood flushed and forsook his cheeks by turns; a cold vapour seemedto shiver through his nerves; and at his breast he felt uncommonpalpitation. Madam Clement observed his discomposure, and kindlyinquired into the cause; when he replied, "I have such an interest inwhat concerns the Count de Melvil, and my imagination is so muchprepossessed with the perfections of Monimia, that I am, as it were,agonised with expectation; yet never did my curiosity before raise suchtumults as those that now agitate my bosom."
He had scarce pronounced these words, when the door, reopening, Renaldoled in this mirror of elegance and beauty, at sight of whom theIsraelite's countenance was distorted into a stare of admiration. But ifsuch was the astonishment of Joshua, what were the emotions of theCastilian, when, in the beauteous orphan, he beheld the individualfeatures of his long-lost Serafina!
His feelings are not to be described. The fond parent, whose affectionshoots even to a sense of pain, feels not half such transport, when heunexpectedly retrieves a darling child from the engulfing billows ordevouring flame. The hope of Zelos had been totally extinguished. Hisheart had been incessantly torn with anguish and remorse, upbraiding himas the murderer of Serafina. His, therefore, were the additionaltransports of a father disburdened of the guilt of such enormoushomicide. His nerves were too much overpowered by this suddenrecognition, to manifest the sensation of his soul by external signs. Hestarted not, nor did he lift an hand in token of surprise; he moved notfrom the spot on which he stood; but, riveting his eyes to those of thelovely phantom, remained without motion, until she, approaching with herlover, fell at his feet, and clasping his knees, exclaimed, "May I yetcall you father?"
This powerful shock aroused his faculties; a cold sweat bedewed hisforehead; his knees began to totter; he dropped upon the floor, andthrowing his arms around her, cried, "O nature! O Serafina! MercifulProvidence! thy ways are past finding out." So saying, he fell upon herneck, and wept aloud. The tears of sympathetic joy trickled down hersnowy bosom, that heaved with rapture inexpressible. Renaldo's eyespoured forth the briny stream. The cheeks of Madam Clement were not dryin this conjuncture; she kneeled by Serafina, kissed her with all theeagerness of maternal affection, and with uplifted hands adored the Powerthat preordained this blessed event. The clergyman and doctor intimatelyshared the general transport; and as for Joshua, the drops of truebenevolence flowed from his eyes, like the oil on Aaron's beard, while heskipped about the room in an awkward ecstasy, and in a voice resemblingthe hoarse notes of the long-eared tribe, cried, "O father Abraham! sucha moving scene hath not been acted since Joseph disclosed himself untohis brethren in Egypt."
Don Diego having found utterance to his passion, proceeded in thisstrain: "O my dear child! to find thee thus again, after our last unhappyparting, is wonderful! miraculous! Blessed be the all-good, myconscience. I am not then the dire assassin, who sacrificed his wife anddaughter to an infernal motive, falsely titled honour? though I am moreand more involved in a mystery, which I long to hear explained."
"That shall be my task," cried Renaldo, "but first permit me to imploreyour sanction to my passion for the incomparable Serafina. You alreadyknow our mutual sentiments; and though I own the possession of suchinestimable worth and beauty would be a recompense that infinitelytranscends the merit I can plead, yet, as it hath been my good fortune toinspire her with a mutual flame, I hope to reap from your indulgencehere, what I could not expect from my own desert; and we presentourselves, in hope of your paternal assent and benediction."
"Were she more fair and good and gentle than she is," answered theCastilian, "and to my partial observation nought e'er appeared on earthmore beauteous and engaging, I would approve your title to her heart, a
ndrecommend you to her smiles, with all a father's influence and power.Yes, my daughter! my joy on this occasion is infinitely augmented by theknowledge of those tender ties of love that bind thee to this amiableyouth; a youth to whose uncommon courage and generosity I owe my life andmy subsistence, together with the inexpressible delight that now revelsin my bosom. Enjoy, my children, the happy fruits of your reciprocalattachment. May Heaven, which hath graciously conducted you through alabyrinth of perplexity and woe, to this transporting view of blissfuldays, indulge you with that uninterrupted stream of pure felicity, whichis the hope, and ought to be the boon of virtue, such as yours!"
So saying, he joined their hands, and embraced them with the most cordiallove and satisfaction, which diffused itself to every individual of thecompany, who fervently invoked the Almighty Power, in behalf of thisenraptured pair. The tumult of these emotions having a little subsided,and the Castilian being seated betwixt Renaldo and his beauteous bride,he politely bespoke the indulgence of Madam Clement, begging she wouldpermit him to demand the performance of the Count's promise, that hemight be forthwith made acquainted with those circumstances of his ownfate which he was so impatient to learn.
The lady having assured him, that she and all the company would takepleasure in hearing the recapitulation, the Spaniard, addressing himselfto Melvil, "In the name of Heaven!" said he, "how could you supplant thatrival, who fell a sacrifice to my resentment, after he had bewitched theheart of Serafina? for, sure, the affection he had kindled in her breastmust have long survived his death," "That rival," replied the Count,"who incurred your displeasure, was no other than Renaldo." With thesewords, he applied to one eye a patch of black silk provided for thepurpose, and turning his face towards Don Diego, that gentleman startedwith astonishment, crying, "Good Heaven! the very countenance of Orlando,whom I slew! this is still more amazing!"