CHAPTER XCI
Juliet, left alone, again vented her full heart by tears. Happinessnever seemed within her reach, but to make her feel more severely thehard necessity that it must be resigned. All her tenderest affectionshad been delighted, and her most ardent wishes surpassed, in beingrecognized as his niece by a man of so much worth, honour, andbenevolence as the Admiral; and her heart had been yet more exquisitelytouched, by acknowledged affinity with so sweet a character as that ofLady Aurora; her portion, by the duplicate-codicil, flattered, and gavedignity to her softest feelings;--nevertheless, the cruelty of hersituation was in nothing altered; the danger of the Bishop was still thesame; the same, therefore, was her duty. Even for deliberation sheallowed herself no choice, save whether to confess to the Admiral thedreadful nature of her call to the Continent; or to go thither simply asa thing of course, to join her husband.
For the latter, his approvance was declared; for the former, even hisconsent might be withdrawn: to spare, therefore, to his kind heart theunavailing knowledge of her misery; and to herself the useless conflictsthat might ensue from the discovery; she ultimately decided to set outupon her voyage, with her story and misfortunes unrevealed.
This plan determined upon, she struggled to fortify her mind for itsexecution, by endeavouring to consider as her husband the man to whom,in any manner, she had given her hand; since so, only, she could seek tocheck the disgust with which she shrunk from him as her deadliest foe.She remembered, and even sought to call back, the terrific scruples withwhich she had been seized, when, while striving to escape, she heard himassert that she was his wife, and felt powerless to disvow his claim.Triumphant, menacing, and ferocious, she had fled him withouthesitation, though not completely without doubt; but when she beheldhim seized, in custody,--and heard him call her husband! and saw herselfconsidered as his wife! duty, for that horrible instant, seemed in hisfavour; and, had not Sir Jaspar summoned her by her maiden name, toattend her own nearest relations, all her resistance had been subdued,by an overwhelming dread that to resist might possibly be wrong.
Recollection, also, told her that, at the epoch when, with whatevermisery, she had suffered him to take her hand, no mental reservation hadprepared for future flight and disavowal: she laboured therefore, now,to plead to herself the vows which she had listened to, though she hadnot pronounced; and to animate her sacrifice by the terrour of perjury.
Nevertheless, all these virtuous arguments against her own freedom, wereinsufficient to convince her that her marriage was valid. The violentconstraint, the forced rites, the interrupted ceremony, the omission ofevery religious form;--no priest, no church to sanctify evenappearances;--No! she cried, no! I am not his wife! even were it mywish, even were he all I prize upon earth, still I should fly him tillwe were joined by holier bands! Nevertheless, for the Bishop I meant thesacrifice, and, since so, only, he can be preserved;--for the Bishop Imust myself invite its more solemn ratification!
Satisfied that this line of conduct, while dictated by tender gratitude,was confirmed by severer justice; she would not trust herself again withthe sight of Lady Aurora, till measures were irreversibly taken for herdeparture; and, upon the return of the Admiral from his walk, shecommunicated to him, though without any explanation, her urgent desireto make the voyage with all possible expedition.
The Admiral, persuaded that her haste was to soften the harsh treatmentof a husband who had inveigled her into marriage by flattery andfalsehood, forbore either questions or comments; though he looked at herwith commiseration; often shaking his head, with an expression thatimplied: What pity to have thrown yourself thus away! His high notions,nevertheless, of conjugal prerogative, made him approve and second herdesign; and, saying that he saw nothing gained by delay, but breedingmore bad blood, he told her that he would conduct her to ---- himself,the next morning; and stay with her till he could procure her a properpassage; engaging to present her wherewithal to ascertain for her a goodand hearty reception; with an assurance to her husband, that she should,at any time, have the same sum, only for fetching it in person.
This promising opening to occasional re-unions, gave her, now, morefortitude for announcing to her gentle sister the fixed approachingseparation. But, though these were softening circumstances to theirparting, Lady Aurora heard the decision with despair; and though thediscovery of an uncle, a protector, in so excellent a man as theAdmiral, offered a prospect of solid comfort; still she could dwell onlyupon the forced ties, the unnatural connexion, and the brutal characterto which her unhappy sister must be the victim.
Each seeking, nevertheless, to console the other, though each, herself,was inconsolable, they passed together the rest of the melancholy, yetprecious day; uninterrupted by the Admiral; who was engaged to dine outin the neighbourhood; or even by Mrs Howel; who acquiesced, perforce, tothe pleadings of Lady Aurora; in suffering her ladyship to remain in herown room with Juliet.
They engaged to meet again by daybreak, the next morning, though to meetbut to part. The next morning, however, when summoned to a post-chaiseby the Admiral, the courage of Juliet, for so dreadful a leave-taking,failed; and, committing to paper a few piercingly tender words, shedetermined to write, more at length, all the consolation that she couldsuggest from the first stage.
But when, in speechless grief, she would have felt her little billet inthe anti-room, she found Lady Aurora's woman already in attendance; andheard that Lady Aurora, also, was risen and dressed. She feared,therefore, now, that an evasion might rather aggravate than spareaffliction to her beloved sister; and, repressing her own feelings,entered the chamber.
Lady Aurora, who had scarcely closed her eyes all night, had now, in thefancied security of a meeting, from having placed her maid as asentinel, just dropt asleep. Her pale cheeks, and the movement of sorrowstill quivering upon her lips, shewed that she had been weeping, whenoverpowering fatigue had induced a short slumber. Juliet, in looking ather, thought she contemplated an angel. The touching innocence of hercountenance; the sweetness which no sadness could destroy; the griefexempt from impatience; and the air of purity that overspread her wholeface, and seemed breathing round her whole form, inspired Juliet, for afew moments, with ideas too sublime for mere sublunary sorrow. Sheknelt, with tender reverence, by her side, inwardly ejaculating, Sleepon, my angel sister! Recruit your harassed spirits, and wake not yet tothe woes of your hapless Juliet! Then, placing gently upon her bosomthe written farewell, she softly kissed the hem of her garments, andglided from the room.
She made a sign to the maid, for she had no power of utterance, not toawaken her lady; and hurried down stairs to join the Admiral, attendedby the faithful Ambroise.
She was spared offering any apologies for detaining her uncle, byfinding him preparing to step down to the beach, with a spying glass,without which he never stirred a step; to take a view, before they setoff, of a sail, which his servant, an old seaman, had just brought himword was in sight. He helped her, therefore, into the chaise, beggingher patience for a few minutes.
Juliet was not sorry to seize this interval for returning to theanti-room, to learn whether Lady Aurora were awake; and, by herresignation or emotion, to judge whether a parting embrace would provebaneful or soothing.
As she was re-entering the house, a vociferous cry of 'Stop! stop!'issued from a carriage that was driving past. She went on, desiringAmbroise to give her notice when the Admiral came back; but had not yetreached the gallery, when the stairs were rapidly ascended by two, ormore persons, one of which encircled her in his arms.
She shrieked with sudden horrour and despair, strenuously striving todisengage herself; though persuaded that the only person who would darethus to assail her, was him to whom she was intentionally resigning herdestiny; but her instinctive resistance was short; a voice that spokelove and sweetness exclaimed. 'Miss Ellis! sweet, lovely Miss Ellis! youare, then, my sister!'
'Ah heavens! kind heaven!' cried the delighted Juliet, 'is it you, LordMelbury? and do you,--will you,--and thus
kindly, own me?'
'Own? I am proud of you! My other sister alone can be as dear to me!what two incomparable creatures has heaven bestowed upon me for mysisters! How hard I must work not to disgrace them! And I will workhard, too! I will not see two such treasures, so near to me, and so dearto me, hold down their sweet heads with shame for their brother. Comewith me, then, my new sister!--you need not fear to trust yourself withme now! Come, for I have something to say that we must talk overtogether alone.'
Putting, then, her willing arm within his, he eagerly conducted her downstairs; made her pass by the astonished Ambroise, at whom she nodded andsmiled in the fulness of her contentment, and led her towards the beach;her heart exulting, and her eyes glistening with tender joy; even whileevery nerve was affected, and all her feelings were tortured, by a dreadof quick approaching separation and misery.
'I am come,' cried he, when they were at a little distance from thehouses, 'to take the most prompt advantage of my brotherly character. Ihave travelled all night, not to lose a moment in laying my schemebefore you.'
'What kindness!--Oh my lord!--and where did you hear,--where did SirJaspar's letter reach you?'
'Sir Jaspar?--I have received no letter from Sir Jaspar. I have seen noSir Jaspar!'
'How, then, is it possible you can know--'
'Oh ho! you think you have no friend, then, but Sir Jaspar? And yousuppose, perhaps, that you have no admirer but Sir Jaspar?'
'I am sure, at least, there is no other person to whom I have revealedmy name.'
'Then he must have betrayed it to some other himself, my sweet sister!for 'tis not from him I have had my intelligence. Be less sure,therefore, for the future, of an old man, and trust a younger one morewillingly! However, there is no time now for raillery; a messenger iswaiting the result of our conference. I am fully informed, my precioussister, of your terrible situation; I will not stop now to execrate yourinfernal pursuer, though he will not lose my execrations by the delay! Iknow, too, your sublime resolution to save our dear guardian,--for yoursis ours!--that good and reverend Bishop; and to look upon yourself to betied up, as a bond-woman, till you are formally released form those foulshackles. Do I state the case right?'
'Oh far, far too acurately! And even now, at a moment so blest! I musttear myself away,--by my own will, with whatever horrour!--from thesweetest of sisters,--from you, my kindest brother!--and from the mostbenevolent of uncles, by a separation a thousand times more dreadfulthan any death!'
'Take comfort, sweet sister! take comfort, loveliest Miss Ellis!--for Ican't help calling you Miss Ellis, now and then, a little whilelonger:--I have a plan to make you free! to set you completely atliberty, and yet save that excellent Bishop!--'
'Oh my lord! how heavenly an idea!--but how impossible!'
'Not at all! 'tis the easiest thing in the world! only hear me. Thatwretch who claims you, shall have the portion he demands; the sixthousand pounds; immediately upon signing your release, sending over thepromissory-note of Lord Denmeath, and delivering your noble Bishop intothe hands of the person who shall carry over the money; which, however,shall only be paid at some frontier town, whence the Bishop may comeinstantly hither.'
Struck with rapturous surprize, Juliet scarcely restrained herself formfalling at his feet. She pressed his arm, she kissed the edge of hiscoat, and, while striving, inarticulately, to call for blessings uponhis head, burst into a passion of tears,--though tears of ecstaticjoy,--that nearly deprived her of respiration.
'My sister! my dear sister!' tenderly cried Lord Melbury, 'how ashamedyou make me! Could you, then, expect less? What a poor opinion you haveentertained of your poor brother! I give you nothing! I merely agreethat you shall possess what is your due. Know you not that you areentitled to thirty thousand pounds from our estate? To the same fortunethat has been settled upon Aurora? 'Tis from your own portion, only, mypoor sister, that this six thousand will be sunk.'
'Can you, then, generous, generous Lord Melbury!--can you see thus,without regret, without murmur, so capital a sum suddenly andunexpectedly torn from you?'
'I have not yet enjoyed it, my dear sister; I shall not, therefore, missit. But if I had possessed it always, should I not be paid, ten millionof times paid, by finding such a new sister? I shall be proud to shewthe whole world I know how to prize such a relation. And I will not havethem think me such a mere boy, because I am still rather young, as to beat a loss how to act by myself. I shall not, therefore, consult myuncle, for I am determined not to be ruled by him. I will solemnly bindmyself to pay your whole fortune the moment I am of age. It is my duty,and my pride, and, at the same time, my delight, to spare your delicacy,as well as my own character, and our dear father's memory, any process,or any dispute.'
Then, opening his arms, with design to embrace her, but checking himselfupon recollecting that he might be observed, he animatedly added, 'Yes,my dear father! I will shew how I cherish your memory, by my care ofyour eldest born! by my care of her interests, her safety, and herhappiness!--As to her honour,' he added, with a conscious smile, 'shehas shewn me that she knows how to be its guardian herself!'
The grateful Juliet frankly acknowledged, that both the thought and thewish had frequently occurred to her, of rescuing the Bishop, through herportion, without herself: but she had been utterly powerless to raiseit. She was under age, and uncertain whether her rights might ever beproved: and the six thousand pounds proffered by Lord Denmeath, she waswell aware, would never be accorded but to establish her as an alien.Her generous brother, by anticipating, as well as confirming her claims,alone could realize such a project. With sensations, then, of unmixedfelicity, that seemed lifting her, while yet on earth, into heaven, shewas flying to call for the participation of Lady Aurora, and of heruncle, in her joy; when Lord Melbury, stopping her, said, that all wasnot yet prepared for communication.
'You clearly,' he continued, 'agree to the scheme?'
'With transport!' she cried; 'and with eternal thankfulness!'
Without delay, then, he said, they must appoint a person of trust, whoknew the French language well, and to whom the whole history might beconfided; to carry over the offer, and the money, and to bring back theBishop.
'And I have a friend,' he continued, 'now ready for the enterprize. Oneequally able and willing to claim the Bishop, and to give undoubtedsecurity for the six thousand pounds. Can you form any notion who such aman may be?'
He looked at her gaily, yet with a scrutiny that made her blush. Oneperson only could occur to her; but occurred with an alarming sense ofimpropriety in allowing him such an employment, that instantly dampedher high delight. She dropt her eyes; an unrepressed sigh broke from herheart; but secret consciousness hushed all enquiry into the truth of herconjecture.
In silence, too, for a moment, Lord Melbury contemplated her; struckwith her sudden sadness, and uncertain to what it might be attributed.Affectionately, then, taking her hand, 'I must come,' he cried, 'to thepoint, or my messenger will lose his patience. Proposals of marriage themost honourable have been made to me; such, my dear sister, as merit mybest interest with you. The person is unexceptionable, high in mind,manners, and family, and has long been attached to you--'
Juliet here, with dignity, interrupted him, 'My lord, I will not ask whothis may be; I even beg not to be told. I can listen to no one! Till theBishop is released and safe, I hold myself merely to be his hostage;and, till my freedom, atrociously as it has been violated, shall belegally restored to me, I cannot but feel hurt,--for I will not sayoffended where the intention is so kind, and so pure,--that anyproposals of any sort, and from any person, should be addressed to me!'
Lord Melbury, prepared for expostulation, was beginning to reply; butshe solemnly besought him not to involve her in any new conflicts.
She then asked his permission to introduce him to her uncle, AdmiralPowel; whom she desired to join upon the beach.
No, no; he answered; other business, still more urgent, must haveprecedence. And, holding both her hands,
he insisted upon acquainting,her, that it was Mr Harleigh who had been his informant of her historyand situation; and that she was the undoubted and legitimate daughter ofLord Granville; all which he had learnt from Sir Jaspar Herrington. 'AndMr Harleigh has begged my leave,' continued his lordship, smiling,'though I am not, you may think, perhaps, very old for judging of suchmatters; to make his addresses to you.--Now don't put yourself into thatflutter till you hear how he arranged it; for he knows all yourscruples, and reveres them,--or, rather, and reveres you, my sweetsister! for your scruples we both think a little chimerical: don't beangry at that; we honour you all the same for having them: and MrHarleigh seems to adore you only the more. So, I make no doubt doesAurora. And I, too, my dear sister! only I can't see you sacrificed tothem. But Mr Harleigh has found a way to reconcile all perplexities. Hewill save you, he says, in honour as well as in person; for the wretchshall still have the wife whom he married, if he will restore theBishop!'
'What can you mean?'--
'His six thousand pounds, my dear sister! That sum, in full, he shallhave; for that, as Harleigh says, is the wife that he married!'
Smiles now again, irresistibly, forced their way back to the face ofJuliet, as she bowed her full concurrence to this observation.
'Harleigh, therefore,' continued Lord Melbury, 'for this very reason,will go himself to make the arrangement; to the end that, if the wretchrefuses to take the six thousand without you, he may offer a thousand,or two, over: for, enraged as he is to enrich such a scoundrel, he wouldrather endow him with your whole thirty thousand, and, for aught I know,with as much more of his own, than let you fall into his clutches.'
The eyes of Juliet again swam in tears. 'Noble, incomparable Harleigh!'she irresistibly ejaculated; but, checking herself, 'My lord,' she said,'my thanks are still all that I can return to Mr Harleigh,--yet I willnot deny how much I am touched by his generosity. But I haveinsurmountable objections to this proposition; now, indeed, ought I tocast upon any other, the risks of an engagement which honour andconscience make sacred to myself.'
'Poor Harleigh!' said Lord Melbury, 'I have been but a bad advocate, hewill think! You will at least see him?'
'See him?'
'Yes; he came with me hither. 'Twas he descried you first, as you gotout of the post-chaise. He was accompanying me up the stairs: but heretreated. You will surely see him?'
'No, my Lord, no!--certainly not!'
'What! not for a moment? Oh, that would be too barbarous!'
With these words, he ran back to the town.
Juliet called after him; but in vain.
Her heart now beat high; it seemed throbbing through her bosom; but shebent her way towards the beach, to secure her safety by joining heruncle.
She perceived him at some distance, in the midst of a small group;conspicuous from his height, his naval air and equipment, and his longspying glass; which he occasionally brandished, as he seemedquestioning, or haranguing the people around him.
In a minute, she was accosted by the old sailor, who was sent by hismaster to the chaise, in which he supposed his niece to be stillwaiting; to beg that she would not be impatient, because a boat beingjust come in, with a small handful of the enemy, his honour was giving alook at the vessel, to see to its being wind and weather proof, to theend that her ladyship might take a sail in it.
Juliet, though she answered, 'Certainly; tell my uncle certainly;' knewnot what she heard, nor what she said; confused by fast approachingfootsteps, which told her that she could not, now, either by going on orby turning back, escape meeting Harleigh.
Lord Melbury advanced first; and, willing to give Harleigh a moment topress his suit, good humouredly addressed the sailor, with enquiries ofwhat was going forward upon the beach. Harleigh, having made a bow,which her averted eyes had not seen, drew back, distressed andirresolute, waiting to catch a look that might be his guide. But when,from the discourse of the sailor with Lord Melbury, he learnt thearrival of a small vessel form the Continent, which was destinedimmediately to return thither; he precipitately took his lordship by thearm, spoke to him a few words apart, and then flew forward to thestrand.
Juliet, disturbed by new fears, permitted her countenance to makeenquiries which her tongue durst not pronounce; and Lord Melbury, whounderstood her, frankly said, 'He is a man, sister, of ten thousand! Hewill sail a race with you, and strive which shall get in first to savethe Bishop!'
Juliet felt thunderstruck; Harleigh seeking a passage in the very vesselwhich seemed pitched upon by her uncle for her own voyage! That theyshould go together was not to be thought of; but to suffer him to riskbecoming the victim to her promise and her duties, was grief and shameand terrour united! Her eyes affrightedly pursued him, till he enteredinto the group upon the strand; and her perturbation then was soextreme, that she felt inclined to forfeit, by one dauntless stroke, thedelicacy which, as yet, had through life, been the prominent feature ofher character, by darting on, openly to conjure him to return. Buthabits which have been formed upon principle, and embellished byself-approbation, withstand, upon the smallest reflection, every wish,and every feeling that would excite their violation. The idea,therefore, died in its birth; and she sought to compose her disorderedspirits, by silent prayers for courage and resignation.
With the most fraternal participation in her palpable distress, LordMelbury endeavoured to offer her consolation; till the sailor, who hadreturned to the Admiral, came from him, a second time, to desire thatshe would hasten upon the beach, 'to help his honour, please yourladyship,' said the merry tar, with a significant nod, 'to a littleFrench lingo; these mounseers and their wives,--if, behaps, they be'n'tonly their sweethearts; not over and above understanding his honour.'
Juliet moved slowly on: the Admiral, used to more prompt obedience, cameforward to hasten her, calling out, as soon as she was within hearing,'Please to wag a little nimbler, niece; for here are some outlandishgentry come over, that speak so fast, one after t'other; or else all ata time; each telling his own story; or, for aught I can make out, eachtelling the same thing one as t'other; that, though I try my best tounderstand them, not being willing to dash them, I can't make out aboveone word in a dozen, if you take it upon an average, of what they say.However, though it is our duty to hold them all as our native enemies;and I shall never, God willing, see them in any other light; yet itwould be but unchristian not to lend them an hand, when they arechopfallen and sorrowful; and, moreover, consumedly out of cash. So if Ican help them, I see no reason to the contrary; for my enemy indistress is my friend: because why? I was only his enemy to get theupper hand of him.'
Then, turning to Lord Melbury and Harleigh, 'I hope,' he added, 'youwon't think me wanting to my country, if, for the honour of old England,I give these poor half-starved souls a hearty meal of good roast beef,with a bumper of Dorchester ale, and Devonshire cyder? things which Iconclude they have never yet tasted from their births to this hour;their own washy diet of soup meagre and sallad, with which I would notfatten a sparrow, being what they are more naturally born to. And Isha'n't be sorry, I confess, to shew the French we have a littlepoliteness of our own; which, by what I have often taken note, I rathersurmize they hold to be a merchandize of their own monopoly. And so, ifyou all think well of it, we'll tack about, and give them an handsomeinvitation out of hand; for when a person stops to ponder before he doesa good office, 'tis a sign he had full as lieve let it alone.'
Juliet readily complied, though she could not readily speak; but whatwas her perturbation, the next moment, to see Harleigh vehemently breakfrom the group by which he had been surrounded, rush precipitatelyforward to meet them, and, singling out Lord Melbury encircle hislordship in his arms, exclaiming, 'My lord! my dear lord! your sister isfree!--I claim, now, your suffrage!--Her brutal persecutor, convicted ofheading a treasonable conspiracy in his own country, has paid theforfeit of his crimes! These passengers bring the tidings! My lord! mydear lord! your sister is free!'--
Juliet, who heard, as it was meant
that she should hear, this passionateaddress, felt suspended in all her faculties. Joy, in the first instant,sought precedence; but it was supplanted, in another moment, by tearfulincredulity; and she stood motionless, speechless, scarcely consciouswhether she were alive.
An exclamation of 'What's all this?' from the astonished Admiral; and ajuvenile jump of unrestrained rapture from the transported Lord Melbury,brought Harleigh to himself. He felt confounded at the publicity and theabruptness of an address into which his ecstacy had surprized him; yethis satisfaction was too high for repentance, though he forced it tosubmit to some controul.
Suspension of sensibility could not, while there was life, be longallowed to Juliet; and the violence of her emotions, at its return,almost burst her bosom. What a change! her feet tottered; she sustainedher shaking frame against the Admiral; she believed herself in some newexistence! yet it was not unmixed joy that she experienced; there wassomething in the nature of her deliverance repulsive to joy; and theperturbed and tumultuous sensations which rushed into her breast, seemedoverpowering her strength, and almost shattering even her comprehension;till she was brought back painfully to herself, by an abruptrecollection of the uncertainty of the fate of the Bishop; and,shudderingly, she exclaimed, 'Oh if my revered guardian be not safe!'--
The wondering Admiral now, addressing Harleigh, gravely begged to bemade acquainted, in plainer words, with the news that he reported.
Not sorry to repeat what he wished should be fully comprehended,Harleigh, more composedly, recounted his intelligence; dwelling upondetails which brought conviction of the seizure, the trial, and theexecution of the execrable commissary.
Juliet listened with rapt attention; but in proportion as her securityin her own safety became confirmed, her poignant solicitude for that ofthe Bishop increased; and again she exclaimed, 'Oh! if my guardian hasnot escaped!'
The Admiral, turning towards her rather austerely, said, 'You must havehad but a sad dog of a husband, Niece Granville, to think only of an oldpriest, when you hear of his demise! However, to my seeming, though hemight be but a rogue, a husband's a husband; and I don't much uphold awife's not thinking of that; for, if a woman may mutiny against herhusband, there's an end of all discipline.'
Overwhelmed with shame, Juliet could attempt no self defence; but LordMelbury warmly assured the Admiral, that his niece, Miss Granville, hadnever really been married; that a forced, interrupted, and unfinishedlay-ceremony, had mockingly been celebrated; accompanied bycircumstances atrocious, infamous, and cruel: and that the marriagecould never have been valid, either in sight of the church, or of herown conscience.
The Admiral, with avidity and rising delight, sucked in thisvindication; and then whispered to Juliet, 'Pray, if I may make so free,who is this pretty boy, that's got so much more insight into youraffairs than I have? He's a very pretty boy; but I have no great tasteto being put in the rear by him!'
Juliet was beginning to reply, when the Admiral called out, in a tone ofsome chagrin, 'Now we are put off from doing the handsome thing! forhere's the outlandish gentry coming among us before we have invitedthem! And now, you'll see, they'll always stand to it that they have theupper hand of us English in politeness! And I had rather have seen themall at the devil!'
Juliet, looking forward, perceived that they were approached by somestrangers of a foreign appearance; but they detained not her attention;at one side, and somewhat aloof from them, a form caught her eye,reverend, aged, infirm. She started, and with almost agonizedearnestness, advanced rapidly a few steps; then stopt abruptly to renewher examination; but presently, advancing again, called out, 'MercifulHeaven!' and, rushing on, with extended arms, and uncontrolled rapture,threw herself at the feet of the ancient traveller; and, embracing hisknees, sobbed rather than articulated, in French, 'My guardian! mypreserver! my more than father!--I have not then lost you!'
Deeply affected, the man of years bent over, and blessed her; mildly,yet fondly, uttering, in the same language, 'My child! my Juliet!--Do Ithen behold you again, my excellent child!'
Then, helping her to rise, he added, 'Your willing martyrdom is spared,my dear, my adopted daughter! and I, most mercifully! am spared itsbitter infliction. Thanksgiving are all we have to offer, thanksgivingand humble prayers for UNIVERSAL PEACE!'
With anxious tenderness Juliet enquired for her benefactress, theMarchioness; and the Bishop for his niece Gabriella. The Marchioness wassafe and well, awaiting a general re-union with her family; Gabriella,therefore, Juliet assured the Bishop, was now, probably in her reveredmother's arms.
All further detail, whether of her own difficulties and sufferings, orof the perils and escapes of the Bishop, during their long separation,they mutually set apart for future communication; every evil, for thepresent, being sunk in gratitude at their meeting.
Harleigh, who witnessed this scene with looks of love and joy, thoughnot wholly unmixed with suffering impatience, forced himself to standaloof. Lord Melbury, who had no feeling to hide, nor result to fear,gaily capered with unrestrained delight; and the Admiral, impressed withwonder, yet reverence, his hat in his hand, and his head high up in theair, waited patiently for a pause; and then, bowing to the ground,solemnly said, 'Mr Bishop, you are welcome to old England! heartilywelcome, Mr Bishop! I ought to beg your pardon, perhaps, for speaking toyou in English; but I have partly forgot my French; which, not to mincethe matter, I never thought it much worth while to study; little enoughdevizing I should ever meet with a native-born Frenchman who was sohonest a man! For it's pretty much our creed, aboard, though I don'tover and above uphold it myself, except as far as may belong to thesea-service,--to look upon your nation as little better than a clusterof rogues. However, we of the upper class, knowing that we are allalike, in the main, of God's workmanship, don't account it our duty tohold you so cheap. Therefore, Mr Bishop, you are heartily welcome to oldEngland.'
The Bishop smiled; too wise to be offended, where he saw that no offencewas meant.
'But, for all that,' the Admiral continued, 'I can't deny but I had aslieve, to the full, if I had had my choice, that my niece should nothave been brought up by the enemy; yet I have always had a properrespect for a parson, whether he be of the true religion, or only aPapist. I hold nothing narrower than despising a man for his ignorance;especially when it's only of the apparatus, and not of the solid part.My niece, Mr Bishop, will tell you the heads of what I say in your ownproper dialect.'
The Bishop answered, that he perfectly understood English.
'I am cordially glad to hear it!' cried the Admiral, holding out hishand to him; 'for that's an item that gives; me at once a good opinionof you! A man can be no common person who has a taste for our sterlingsense, after being brought up to frothy compliments; and therefore, MrBishop, I beg you to favour me with your company to eat a bit of roastbeef with us at our lodging-house; after our plain old English fashion:which, if I should make free to tell you what passes in my mind, I holdto be far wholesomer than your ragouts and fricandos, made up of oil andgrease. But I only drop that as a matter of opinion; every nation havinga right to like best what it can get cheapest. And if the rest of thepassengers are people of a right way of thinking, I beg you to tell themI shall be glad of the favour of their company too.'
The Bishop bowed, with an air of mild satisfaction.
'And I heartily wish you would give me an item, Monsieur the Bishop, howI might behave more handsomely; for, by what I can make out, you havebeen as kind to my niece, as if you had been born on this side theChannel; which is no small compliment to make to one born on t'otherside; and if ever I forget it, I wish I may go to the bottom! a thing weseamen, who understand something of those matters, (smiling,) had fullas lief leave alone.'
He then recommended to them all to stroll upon the sands for a furtherwhet to their appetite; while he went himself to the lodging-house, tosee what could be had for a repast.
CHAPTER XCII
Happy to second the benevolent scheme of the kind-hearted Admiral,
theBishop hastened to his fellow-voyagers with the hospitable invitation.Juliet, in whom every feeling was awake to meet, to embrace, and toshare her delight with Lady Aurora, would have followed; but LordMelbury, to avoid, upon so interesting an occasion, any interruptionfrom Mrs Howel, objected to returning to the hotel; and proposed beingthe messenger to fetch their sister. Juliet joyfully consented, and wentto await them in the beautiful verdant recess, between two rocks,overlooking the vast ocean, with which she had already been so muchcharmed.
No sooner, at this favourite spot, was Juliet alone, than, according toher wonted custom, she vented the fulness of her heart in piousacknowledgements. She had scarcely risen, when again,--though withoutLady Aurora,--she saw Lord Melbury; yet not alone; he was arm in armwith Harleigh. 'My dear new sister,' he gaily cried, 'I go now forAurora. We shall be here presently; but Mr Harleigh is so kind as topromise that he will stand without, as sentinel, to see that no oneapproaches nor disturbs you.'
He was gone while yet speaking.
The immediate impulse of Juliet urged her to remonstrance, or flight;but it was the impulse of habit, not of reason; an instant, and a lookof Harleigh, represented that the total change of her situation,authorized, on all sides, a total change of conduct.
Every part of her frame partook of the emotion with which this suddenconsciousness beat at her heart; while her silence, her unresistingstay, and the sight of her varying complexion, thrilled to the soul ofHarleigh, with an encouragement that he trembled with impatience toexchange for certainty. 'At last,--at last,--may I,' he cried, 'underthe sanction of a brother, presume upon obtaining a hearing with somelittle remittance of reserve? of mistrust?'
Juliet dropt her head.
'Will not Miss Granville be more gracious than Miss Ellis has been? MissGranville can have no tie but what is voluntary: no hovering doubts, nochilling scruples, no fancied engagements--'
A half sigh, of too recent recollection, heaved the breast of Juliet.
'To plead,' he continued, 'against all confidence; to freeze everyavenue to sympathy; to repel, or wound every rising hope! MissGranville, is wholly independent; mistress of her heart, mistress ofherself--'
'No, Mr Harleigh, no!' with quickness, though with gentleness,interrupted Juliet.
Harleigh, momentarily startled, ventured to bend his head below herbonnet; and saw, then, that the blush which had visited, flown, andre-visited her face, had fixed itself in the deepest tint upon hercheek. He gazed upon her in ecstatic silence, till, looking up, and, forthe first time, suffering her eyes willingly to meet his, 'No, MrHarleigh, no!' she softly repeated, 'I am not so independent!' A smilethen beamed over her features, so radiant, so embellishing, thatHarleigh wondered he had ever thought her beautiful before, as sheadded, 'Had I an hundred hearts,--ten thousand times you must haveconquered them all!'
Rapture itself, now, is too cold a word,--or too common a one,--to givean adequate idea of the bliss of Harleigh. He took her no longerreluctant hand, and she felt upon it a burning tear as he pressed it tohis lips; but his joy was unutterable. The change was so great, sosudden, and so exquisite, from all he most dreaded to all he mostdesired, that language seemed futile for its expression: and to look ather without fearing to alarm or offend her; to meet, with the softestassurance of partial favour, those eyes hitherto so coldly averted; tohold, unresisted, the fair hand that, but the moment before, it seemedsacrilege even to wish to touch; so, only, could he demonstrate thefulness of his transport, the fervour of his gratitude, the perfectionof his felicity.
In Juliet, though happiness was not less exalted, pleasure wore thechastened garb of moderation, even in the midst of a frankness that laidopen her heart. Yet, seeing his suit thus authorized by her brother, andcertain of the approbation of the Bishop, and of her uncle, to so equaland honourable an alliance; she indulged her soft propensities in hisfavour, by gently conceding avowals, that rewarded not alone hispersevering constancy, but her own long and difficult forbearance. 'Manyefforts, many conflicts,' she cried, 'in my cruel trials, I havecertainly found harder; but none, none so distasteful, as theunremitting necessity of seeming always impenetrable--where most I wassensitive!'
'By sweetness such as this,' cried Harleigh, 'you would almost persuademe to rejoice at a suspense that has nearly maddened me! Yet,--could youhave conceived the agony, the despair of my mind, at your icy,relentless silence! not once to trust me as a friend! not one moment toconfide in my integrity! never to consult, to commune, to speak, nor tohear!--You smile?--Can it be at the pain you have inflicted?'--
'Oh no, no, no! If I smile, 'tis at the greater pain I have, I trust,averted! While conscious that I might, eventually, be chained toanother, every duty admonished me to resist every feeling!--Yet withhope always, ultimately, before me, I had not the force to utter aword,--a baneful word!--that might teach you to renounce me!--eventhough I deemed it indispensable to my honour to exact a totalseparation. Had I confided to you my fearful secret,--had you yourselfaided the abolition of my shackles, should I not, in a situation sodelicate, so critical, have fixed an eternal barrier between us,--orhave sacrificed the fame of both to the most wounding of calumnies? Ahno! from the instant that my heart interfered,--that I was conscious ofa new motive that urged my wish of liberation,--I have held it my duty,I have felt it my future happiness, to avoid,--to fear,--to fly you!--'
'I was most favoured, then, it seems,' replied Harleigh, with a smile ofrapture, 'when I thought you most inexorable? I must thank you for yourrejections, your avoidance, your implacable, immoveable coldness?'
'Reverse, else, the medal,' cried she, gaily, 'and see whether theimpression will be more to your taste!'
'Loveliest Miss Ellis! most beloved Miss Granville! My own,--at length!at length! my own sweet Juliet! that, and that only can be to my tastewhich has brought me to the bliss of this moment!'
With blushing tenderness, Juliet then confessed, that at the moment ofhis first generous declaration, following the summer-house scene withElinor, she had felt pierced with an aggravated horrour of her namelessties, that had nearly burst her heart asunder.
With minute retrospection, then, enjoying even every evil, and findingmotives of congratulation from every pain that was past, they mutuallyrecapitulated their feelings, their conjectures, their rising andprogressive partiality, since the opening of their acquaintance. Onecircumstance alone was tinted with regret,--'Elinor?' cried Juliet, 'Oh!how will Elinor bear to hear of this event!'
'Fear her not!' he returned. 'She has a noble, though, perhaps, amasculine spirit, and she will soon, probably, think of this affair onlywith pique and wonder,--not against me, for she is truly generous; butagainst herself, for she is candid and just. She has always internallybelieved, that perseverance in the honour that she has meant to shew me,must ultimately be victorious; but, where partiality is not desired, itcan only be repaid, by man to woman as by woman to man, from weakness,or vanity. Gratitude is all-powerful in friendship, for friendship maybe earned; but love, more wilful, more difficult, more capricious,--lovemust be inspired, or must be caught. When Elinor, who possesses many ofthe finest qualities of the mind, sees the fallacy of her new system;when she finds how vainly she would tread down the barriers of customand experience, raised by the wisdom of foresight, and established,after trial, for public utility; she will return to the habits ofsociety and common life, as one awakening from a dream in which she hasacted some strange and improbable part.--'
A sound quick, but light, of feet here interrupted the _tete a tete_,followed by the words, 'My sister! my sister!' and, in less than aminute, Lady Aurora was in the arms of Juliet. 'Ah!' she cried, 'You arenot, then, gone! dear--cruel sister!--yet you could quit me, and quit mewithout even a last adieu!'
'Sweetest, most amiable of sisters!' cried the happy Juliet; 'can youwonder I could not take leave of you, when that leave was, I feared, tosunder us for life? when I thought myself destined to exile, slavery,and misery? Could I dare imagine I was so soon to be restored to you?
Could I presume to hope that from anguish so nearly insupportable, I wasdestined to be elevated,--every way!--to the summit of all I canconceive of terrestrial happiness!'
The grateful Harleigh, at these words, came forward to present himselfto Lady Aurora; who learnt with enchantment the purposed alliance; notalone from the prospect of permanent happiness which it opened to hersister, but also as a means to overcome all possible opposition, on thepart of Lord Denmeath, to a public acknowledgment of relationship.
Juliet, who, in the indulgence of sentiments so long and so imperiouslycurbed, found a charm nearly as fascinating as that which their avowalcommunicated to Harleigh, began now, with blushing animation, to recountto her delightedly listening Aurora, the various events, the unceasingobligations, which had formed and fixed her attachment.
A tale which, like this, had equal attraction to the speaker and to thehearers, had little chance to be brief: it was not, therefore, faradvanced, when they were joined by Lord Melbury; who, gathering fromLady Aurora the situation of affairs, bounded, wild as a young colt,with joy.
The minutes, now, were lengthening unconsciously to hours, when thevarious narratives and congratulations were interrupted by a loud'Halloo!' followed by the appearance of the old sailor.
'Please your honours,' said the worthy tar, 'master begins to be afeardyou've as good as forgot him: he's been walking upon the beach,alongside the old French parson, till one foot is plaguely put to it towag afore t'other. Howsomever, he'd scorn to give up to a Frenchman, tothe longest day he has to live; more especialsome to a parson; you maytake Jack's word for that!'
The happy party now hastened to the strand; but there perceived neitherthe Bishop nor the Admiral. The sailor, slily grinning at theirsurprize, told them, with a merry nod, and a significant leer, that hewould shew them a sight that would make them stare amain; which was noother than an honest Englishman, sitting, cheek by jowl, beside aFrenchman; as lovingly as if they were both a couple of Christians,coming off the same shore.
He then led them to a bathing-machine; in which the Admiral was civilly,though with great perplexity, labouring to hold discourse with theBishop.
The impatient Harleigh besought Lord Melbury to be his agent, with theguardian and the uncle of his lovely sister. Lord Melbury joyfullycomplied. The affair, however momentous, was neither long nor difficultto arrange. The Bishop felt an implicit trust in the known judgment andtried discretion of his ward; and the Admiral held that a female, as theweaker vessel, could never properly, nor even honourably, make thevoyage of life, but under the safe convoy of a good husband.
Harleigh, therefore, was speedily summoned into the machine; hisproposals were so munificent, that they were applauded rather thanapproved; and, all descending to the beach, the Bishop took one hand,and the Admiral another, of the blushing Juliet, to present, withtenderest blessings, to the happy, indescribably happy Harleigh.
Juliet, then, had the unspeakable delight of presenting her brother andher sister to her uncle, and to the Bishop. The Admiral, nevertheless,could not resist taking his niece apart, to tell her, that, if he hadbut had an insight into her being in such a hurry for a husband, heshould have made free to speak a good word for a young sea-captain ofhis acquaintance; a lad for whom he had a great goust, and who would besure to make his way to the very top; since, already, he had had theluck, while bravely fighting, in two different engagements, to see histwo senior officers drop by his side: by which means he had arrived athis promotion of first lieutenant, and of captain. And if, which waslikely enough, God willing, he should meet with such another good turnin a third future engagement, he bid fair for being a Commodore in theprime of his days. 'And then, my dear,' he continued, 'when he had beenupon a long distant station; or when contrary winds, or the enemy, hadstopt his letters, so that you could not guess whether the poor lad werealive or dead; think what would have been your pride to have read, allo' the sudden, news of him in the Gazette!'
This regret, nevertheless, operated not against his affection, nor hisbeneficence, for, returning with her to the company, he solemnlyannounced her to be his heiress.
'One thing, however, pertaining to this business,' he cried, 'devilishlyworks me still, whether I will or no'. That oldish gentlewoman, who wastaking upon her to send my Niece Granville before the justice! Who isshe, pray? I should not be sorry to know her calling; nor, moreover,what 'tis puts her upon acting in such a sort.'
Lord Melbury and Lady Aurora endeavoured to offer some excuse, saying,that she was a relation of their uncle Denmeath.
'Oh, if that be the case,' cried he, holding his head high up in theair, 'I shall make no scruple to let her a little into my way ofthinking! It's a general rule with me, throughout life, to tell peopletheir faults; because why? There are plenty of people to tell them theirgood qualities; in the proviso they have got any; or, in the t'othercase, to vamp up some, out of their own heads, that serve just as wellfor ground-work to a few compliments; but as to their faults, not a soulwill give 'em a hint of one of them. They'll leave them to be 'ticedstrait to the devil, sooner than call out Jack Robinson! to save them.'
Lady Aurora was now advancing with a gentle supplication; but, takingoff his hat, and making her a low bow, he declined hearing her; saying,'Though it may rather pass for a hint than a compliment, to come outwith the plain truth to a young lady, I must make free to observe, thatI never let my complaisance get the upper hand of my sincerity; becausewhy? My sincerity is for myself; 'tis my honour! and whereby I keep myown good opinion; but my complaisance is for my neighbours; serving onlyto coax over the good opinion of others. For which reason, though I amas glad as another man of a good word, I don't much fancy turning out ofmy way for it. I hold it, therefore, my bounden duty, to demand a parleywith that oldish gentlewoman; and the more so, abundantly, for her beinga person of quality; for if she's better born, and better bred than herneighbours, she should be better mannered. For who the devil's thebetter for her birth and breeding, if they only serve to make her fancyshe has a right to be impudent? If we don't take care to drop a word ortwo of advice, now and then, to persons of that sort, you'll see, beforelong, they won't let a man sit down in their company, under a lord!'
Then, enquiring her name, he sent his honest sailor to request anaudience of her for the uncle of the Honourable Miss Granville; adding,with a significant smile, 'Harkee, my boy! if she says she don't knowsuch a person, tell her, one Admiral Powel will have the honour tointroduce him to her! And if she says she does not know Admiral Powelneither, tell her to cast an eye upon the Gazette of the month ofSeptember this very day twelve years!'
To tranquillize Lady Aurora, Lord Melbury preceded the sailor to prepareMrs Howel for the interview; but he did not return, till a summons tothe repast was assembling the whole company in the lodging-house. Hethen related that he had found his uncle Denmeath already arrived, andthat he had acquainted both him and Mrs Howel with the situation ofaffairs.
The Admiral now ordered the dinner to be kept warm, while he whetted, hesaid, his goust for it; and then sped to the combat; bent upon fightingas valiantly for the parental fortune of his niece with one antagonist,as for what was due to her wounded dignity with the other.
The party, however, was not long separated; Lord Denmeath, confounded byintelligence so easily authenticated, of the duplicate-codicil,protested that he had never designed that the portion should bewithheld; and Mrs Howel, stung with rage and shame at this positivediscovery of the family, the fortune, and the protection to which theyoung woman, whom she had used so ignominiously, was entitled, receivedthe reprimands and admonitions of the Admiral in mortified silence.
Nothing, when once 'tis understood, is so quickly settled as business.Lord Denmeath, having given the name of his lawyer, broke up theconference, and quitted Teignmouth; Mrs Howel, confused, offended, andgloomy, was not less eager to be gone; though the Admiral would gladlyhave detained her, to listen to a few more items of his opinions. LadyAurora, forced to accompany her uncle, softly w
hispered Juliet, in anaffectionate parting embrace, 'My dearest sister, ere long, will give anew and sweet home to her Aurora!'
This, indeed, was a powerful plea to favour the impatience of Harleigh;a plea far more weighty than one urged by the Admiral; that she would bemarried without further parleying, lest people should be pleased to takeit into their heads, that she had been the real wife of that scoundrelcommissary, and was forced, therefore, to go through the ceremony ofbeing his widow.
Called, now, to the kind and splendid repast, the Admiral insisted thatJuliet should preside at his hospitable board; where, seated between herrevered Bishop and beloved brother, and facing her generous uncle, andthe man of her heart, she did the honours of the table to the enchantedstrangers, with glowing happiness, though blended with modest confusion.
When the desert was served, the joyous Admiral, filling up a bumper ofale, and rising, said, 'Ladies and gentlemen, I shall now make free topropose two toasts to you: the first, as in duty bound, is to the Kingand the Royal Navy. I always put them together; because why? I hold ourKing to be our pilot, without whom we might soon be all aground; and, inlike manner, I hold us tars to be the best part of his majesty's ship'scompany; for though old England, to my seeming, is at the top of theworld, if we tars were to play it false, it would soon pop to thebottom. So here goes to the King and the Royal Navy!'
This ceremony past; 'And now, gentlemen and ladies,' he resumed, 'as Imortally hate a secret; having taken frequent note that what ought notto be said is commonly something that ought not to be done; I shall makebold to propose a second bumper, to the happy espousals of theHonourable Miss Granville; who, you are to know, is my niece; with avery honest gentleman, who is at my elbow; and who had the kindness totake a liking to her before he knew that she had a Lord on one side,and, moreover, an Admiral on t'other for her relations; nor yet that shewould have been a lady in her own right, if her father had not taken thelong journey before her grandfather.'
This toast being gaily drunk by every one, save the blushing Juliet, theAdmiral sent out his grinning sailor, with a bottle of port, to repeatit with the postilions.
'Monsieur the Bishop,' continued the Admiral, 'there's one remark whichI must beg leave to make, that I hope you won't think unchristian;though I confess it to be not over and above charitable; but I havealways, in my heart, owed a grudge to my Lord Granville, though hislordship was my brother-in-law, for bringing up his daughter in foreignparts; whereby he risked the ruin of her morals both in body and soul.Not that I would condemn a dead man, who cannot speak up in his owndefence, for I hold nothing to be narrower than that; therefore, MrBishop, if you have any thing to offer in his behalf, it will look verywell in you, as a parson, to make the most of it: and, moreover, givegreat satisfaction both to my niece, the Honourable Miss Granville, andto this young Lord, who is her half brother. And I, also, I hope, as agood Christian, shall sincerely take my share thereof.'
'An irresistible, or, rather, an unresisted disposition to procrastinatewhatever was painful,' answered the Bishop, in French, 'was the originand cause of all that you blame. Lord Granville always persuaded himselfthat the morrow would offer opportunity, or inspire courage, for aconfession of his marriage that the day never presented, nor excited;and to avow his daughter while that was concealed, would have been adisgrace indelible to his deserving departed lady. This from year toyear, kept Miss Granville abroad. With the most exalted sentiments, thenicest honour, and the quickest feelings, my noble, however irresolutefriend, had an unfortunate indecision of character, that made him wastein weighing what should be done, the time and occasion of action. Couldhe have foreseen the innumerable hardships, the endless distresses, fromwhich neither prudence nor innocence could guard the helpless offspringof an unacknowledged union, he would either, at once and nobly, haveconquered his early passion; or courageously have sustained and avowedits object.'
'It must also be considered,' said Harleigh, while tears of filialtenderness rolled down the cheeks of Juliet, and started into the eyesof Lord Melbury, 'that, when my Lord Granville trusted his daughter to aforeign country, his own premature death was not less foreseen, thanthe political event in which her property and safety, in common withthose of the natives, were involved. That event has not operated morewonderfully upon the fate and fortune, than upon the minds andcharacters of those individuals who have borne in it any share; and who,according to their temperaments and dispositions, have received its newdoctrines as lessons, or as warnings. Its undistinguishing admirers, ithas emancipated from all rule and order; while its unwilling, yetobservant and suffering witnesses, have been formed by it to fortitude,prudence, and philosophy; it has taught them to strengthen the mind withthe body; it has animated the exercise of reason, the exertion of thefaculties, activity in labour, resignation in endurance, andcheerfulness under every privation; it has formed, my Lord Melbury, inthe school of refining adversity, your firm, yet tender sister! it hasformed, noble Admiral, in the trials, perils, and hardships of astruggling existence, your courageous, though so gentle niece!--And forme, may I not hope that it has formed--'
He stopt; the penetrated Juliet cast upon him a look that supplicatedsilence. He obeyed its expression; and her mantling cheek, dimpling withgrateful smiles, amply recompensed his forbearance.
'Gentlemen, both,' said the Admiral, 'I return you my hearty thanks forletting me into this insight of the case. And if I were to give you, inreturn, a little smattering of what passed in my own mind in those days,I can't deny but I should have been tempted, often enough, to out withthe whole business, if I had not been afraid of being jeer'd for mypains; a thing for which I had never much taste. Many and many a time Iused to muse upon it, and say to myself, My sister was married;honourably married! And I,--for I was but a young man then to what I amnow,--a mere boy; and I, says I to myself, am brother-in-law to a lord!Yet I was too proud to publish it of my own accord, because of his beinga lord! for, if I had, the whole ship's company, in those days, mighthave thought me little better than a puppy.'
The repast finished, the pleased and grateful guests separated. Harleighset off post for London and his lawyer; and the Bishop and Lord Melbury,gladly accepted an invitation from the Admiral to his country-seat nearRichmond, of which, with the greatest delight, he proclaimed his niecemistress.
But short, here, was her reign. Harleigh was speedily ready: and hiscause, seconded by Lady Aurora and the Admiral, could not be pleaded invain to Juliet; who, in giving her hand where she had given her wholeheart; in partaking the name, the mansion, the fortune, and the fate ofHarleigh; bestowed and enjoyed such rare felicity, that all she hadendured seemed light, all she had performed appeared easy, and evenevery woe became dear to her remembrance, that gradually andprogressively, though painfully and unsuspectedly, had contributed to soexquisite and heartfelt a union.
Her own happiness thus fixed, her first solicitude was for her guardianand preserver the Bishop; whom, with her sympathizing Harleigh, sheattended to the Continent. There she was embraced and blessed by herhonoured benefactress, the Marchioness; there, and not vainly, shestrove to console her beloved Gabriella; and there, in the elegantsociety to which she had owed all her early enjoyments, she prevailedupon Harleigh to remain, till it became necessary to return to theirhome, to present, upon his birth, a new heir to the enchanted Admiral.
A rising family, then, put an end to foreign excursions; but the dearestdelight of Harleigh was seeking to assemble around his Juliet her firstfriends.
Lady Aurora had hardly any other home than that of her almost adoredsister, till she was installed in one, with an equal and amiablepartner, upon the same day that Lord Melbury obtained the willing handof the lively, natural, and feeling Lady Barbara Frankland.
Sir Jaspar Herrington, to whom Juliet had such essential obligations,became, now that all false hopes or fanciful wishes were annihilated,her favourite guest. He still saw her with a tenderness which hesecretly, though no longer banefully nourished; but transferred to herrapt
urously attentive children, the histories of his nocturnalintercourse with sylphs, fairies, and the destinies; while, ever awaketo the wishes of Juliet, he rescued the simple Flora from impendingdestruction, by portioning her in marriage with an honest vigilantfarmer.
Scarcely less welcome than the whimsical Baronet to Juliet, nor lesshappy under her roof, was the guileless and benevolent Mr Giles Arbe;who there enjoyed, unbroken by his restless, adroit, and worldly cousin,his innocent serenity.
Juliet sought, too, with her first power, the intuitively virtuous DameFairfield; whose incorrigible husband had briefly, with the man of thehut, paid the dread earthly penalty of increased and detected crimes.
Harleigh placed a considerable annuity upon the faithful, excellentAmbroise; to whose care, soon afterwards, he committed the meritoriouswidow, and her lovely little ones, by a marriage which ensured to themthe protection and endearments of a kind husband, and an affectionatefather.
Even Mr Tedman, when Harleigh paid him, with high interest, his threehalf-guineas, was invited to Harleigh Hall; where, with no small pride,he received thanks for the first liberality he had ever prevailed withhimself to practise.
No one to whom Juliet had ever owed any good office, was by herforgotten, or by Harleigh neglected. They visited, with gifts andpraise, every cottage in which the Wanderer had been harboured; andHarleigh bought of the young wood-cutters, at a high price, their dogDash; who became his new master's inseparable companion in his garden,fields, and rides.
But Riley, whose spirit of tormenting, springing from bilious illhumour, operated in producing pain and mischief like the most confirmedmalevolence; Ireton, whose unmeaning pursuits, futile changes, andcareless insolence, were every where productive of disorder, save in hisown unfeeling breast; and Selina, who, in presence of a higher or richeracquaintance, ventured not to bestow even a smile upon the person whom,in her closet, she treated, trusted, and caressed as her bosom friend;these, were excluded from the happy Hall, as persons of mindsuncongenial to confidence; that basis of peace and cordiality in socialintercourse.
But while, for these, simple non-admission was deemed a sufficient markof disapprobation, the Admiral himself, when apprized of the adventuresof his niece, insisted upon being the messenger of positive exile tothree ladies, whom he nominated the three Furies; Mrs Howel, Mrs Ireton,and Mrs Maple; that he might give them, he said, a hint, as it behoved agood Christian to do, for their future amendment, of the reasons oftheir exclusion. All mankind, he affirmed, would behave better, if thegood were not as cowardly as the bad are audacious.
To spare at least the pride, though he could not the softer feelings ofElinor, Harleigh thought it right to communicate to her himself, byletter, the news of his marriage. She received it with a consternationthat cruelly opened her eyes to the false hopes which, howeverdisclaimed and disowned, had still duped her wishes, and played upon herfancy, with visions that had brought Harleigh, ultimately, to her feet.Despair, with its grimmest horrour, grasped her heart at thisself-detection; but pride supported her spirit; and Time, the healer ofwoe, though the destroyer of life, moderated her passions, inannihilating her expectations; and, when her better-qualities foundopportunity for exertion, her excentricities, though always what weremost conspicuous in her character, ceased to absorb her whole being. Yetin the anguish of her disappointment, 'Alas! alas!' she cried, 'mustElinor too,--must even Elinor!--like the element to which, with thecommon herd, she owes, chiefly, her support, find,--with that herd!--herown level?--find that she has strayed from the beaten road, only todiscover that all others are pathless!'
Here, and thus felicitously, ended, with the acknowledgement of hername, and her family, the DIFFICULTIES of the WANDERER;--a being who hadbeen cast upon herself; a female Robinson Crusoe, as unaided andunprotected, though in the midst of the world, as that imaginary hero inhis uninhabited island; and reduced either to sink, through inanition,to nonentity, or to be rescued from famine and death by such resourcesas she could find, independently, in herself.
How mighty, thus circumstanced, are the DIFFICULTIES with which a FEMALEhas to struggle! Her honour always in danger of being assailed, herdelicacy of being offended, her strength of being exhausted, and hervirtue of being calumniated!
Yet even DIFFICULTIES such as these are not insurmountable, where mentalcourage, operating through patience, prudence, and principle, supplyphysical force, combat disappointment, and keep the untamed spiritssuperiour to failure, and ever alive to hope.
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