"Do not laugh at that word, Surry. It is the old English term, andEngland is best of all, I think. So Nighthawk came to live with me,and take care of my interests. You know that he has continued to befaithful, and to serve me, and love me, to this moment.
"But in spite of the presence of this true friend, I was still lonely. Icraved life, movement, company--and this I promised myself to secure atthe university of Virginia, to which I accordingly went, spending therethe greater portion of my time until I had reached the age of twenty.Then I returned to Fonthill--only to find, however, that the spot wasmore dreary than before. I was the master of a great estate, but alone;'lord of myself,' I found, like the unhappy Childe Harold, and Randolphof Roanoke after him, that it was a 'heritage of woe.' There was littleor no society in the neighborhood--at least suited to my age--I lived asolitary, secluded, dormant existence; and events soon proved that thislife had prepared my character for some violent passion. A philosophercould have foretold that. Every thing in excess brings on reaction. Thedrunkard may abstain long, but the moment he touches spirit, an orgycommences. Men love, because the time and a woman have come--and thathour and person came all at once to arouse me from my lethargy.
"One day I was inert, apathetic, sluggish in my movements, carelessof all things and all persons around me. On the next I was aroused,excited, with every nerve and faculty strung. I was becoming suddenlyintoxicated, and soon the drunkenness of love had absorbed all thepowers of my being.
"You know who aroused that infatuation, the daughter of George Conway."
XV.
THE STORM.
"At that time she was called Miss Mortimer. The commencement ofour acquaintance was singular. Fate seemed to have decreed that allconnected with our relations should be 'dramatic.'
"One night I was returning at full speed from the house of a gentlemanin the neighborhood, whither I had been to make a visit. The night wasas dark as a wolf's mouth, and a violent storm rushed down upon me, whenI was still many miles from home. I have scarcely ever witnessed a morefurious tempest; the thunder and lightning were fearful, and I pushed myhorse to his utmost speed to reach Fonthill before the torrents of raindrenched me to the skin.
"Well, I had entered the Fonthill woods, a mile or two from the house,and was galloping at full speed through the black darkness which thelightning only occasionally illumined now, when all at once my horsestruck his chest against something. I heard a cry, and then a dazzlingflash showed me a light carriage which had evidently just beenoverturned. I was nearly unseated by the collision, but leaped to theground, and at the same moment another flash showed me the form of alady whom a man was extricating from the broken vehicle. I hastened torender my assistance. The lady was lifted in our arms, and then I aidedin raising the fallen horse, who lay on his side, frightened and kickingviolently.
"Ten minutes afterward I was placed in possession of what the lawyerscall 'the facts of the case.' Mr. Mortimer, of Georgia, was travellinghome from the North, with his sick sister in his carriage, for thebenefit of her health. They had lost their way; the storm had caughtthem; their carriage had overturned in the darkness,--where could Mr.Mortimer obtain lodgings for the night? The condition of his sisterrendered it imperative that they should not continue their journey untilmorning, even if the storm and broken vehicle permitted.
"I listened, and felt a warm sympathy for the poor sick girl--she wasonly a girl of eighteen, and very beautiful. I would gladly have offeredmy own house, but it was still some miles distant, and the youngwoman was so weak, and trembled so violently, that it would plainly beimpossible to conduct her so far on foot. True, my carriage might havebeen sent for her, but the rain was now descending in torrents; beforeit arrived she would be drenched--something else must be thought of. Allat once the idea occurred to me, 'Parson Hope's is only a quarter ofa mile distant.' Mr. Hope was the parson of the parish, and a mostexcellent man. I at once suggested to Mr. Mortimer that his sistershould be conducted thither, and as he assented at once, we halfconducted, half carried the poor girl through the woods to the humbledwelling of the clergyman.
"The good parson received us in a manner which showed his convictionthat to succor the stranger or the unfortunate is often to 'entertainangels unawares.' It is true that on this occasion it was somethinglike a brace of devils whom he received into his mansion! The young ladythrew herself into a seat; seemed to suffer much; and was soon conductedby the parson's old housekeeper--for he was a childless widower--toher chamber in which a fire had been quickly kindled. She disappeared,sighing faintly, but in those few minutes I had taken a good look ather. You have seen her; and I need not describe her. She is still ofgreat beauty; but at that time she was a wonder of loveliness. Slender,graceful, with a figure exquisitely shaped; with rosy lips as artless asan infant's; grand dark eyes which seemed to burn with an inner lightas she looked at you; such was _Miss Mortimer_ at eighteen, when I firstsaw her on that night in the Fonthill woods."
XVI.
ACT I.
"An hour after the scene which I have tried to describe, I was athome; and, seated in this apartment, then very different in appearance,reflected deeply upon this romantic encounter with the beautiful girl.
"It was midnight before I retired. I fell asleep thinking of her, andthe exquisite face still followed me in my dreams.
"These few words tell you much, do they not, Surry? You no doubt beginto understand, now, when I have scarcely begun the real narrative, whatis going to be the character of the drama. Were I a romance writer,I should call your attention to the fact that I have introduced mycharacters, described their appearance, and given you an inkling of theseries of events which are about to be unrolled before you. A youngman of twenty is commended to your attention; a youth living in a greatmansion; lord of himself, but tired of exercising that authority;of violent passions, but without an object; and at that very moment,presto! appeared a lovely girl, with dark eyes, rosy lips; whom theyouth encounters and rescues under most romantic circumstances!
"Well, the 'lord of himself' acted in real life as he would have done ina novel. In other words, my dear Surry, I proceeded straightway to fallviolently in love with _Miss Mortimer_; and it is needless to say thaton the next day my horse might have been seen standing at the rack ofthe parsonage. I had gone, you see, as politeness required, to ask howthe young lady felt after her accident.
"She was leaning back in an arm-chair, reading a 'good book,' and lookedcharming. The accident seemed to have greatly shocked the delicateframe of the young creature, but when I entered, she held out her hand,greeting me with a fascinating smile. Mademoiselle was imitated byMonsieur. I mean Mr. Mortimer. I did not fancy the countenance of thatgentleman much. It was dark and forbidden, but his manners were those ofa person acquainted with good society; he thanked me 'with effusion,' asthe French say, for my timely assistance on the night before; and thenhe strolled forth with the good parson to look at the garden, leaving me_tete-a-tete_ with his sister.
"Why lengthen out my story by comment, reflections, a descriptionof every scene, and the progressive steps through which the 'affair'passed? I was in love with Miss Mortimer. She saw it. Her eyes said,'Love me as much as you choose, and don't be afraid I will not love yousoon, in return.' At the end of this interview, which the worthy Mr.Mortimer did not interrupt for at least two hours, I rode home thinkingwith a throb of the heart 'If she will only love me?' Then the throb wassucceeded by a sudden sinking of the same organ. 'But there will be noopportunity!' I groaned, 'doubtless in two or three days she will leavethis part of the country!' A week afterward that apprehension had beencompletely removed. Miss Mortimer was still faint and weak, 'from heraccident.' All her movements were slow and languid. She had not left thegood parson's house, Surry--and what is more she was not going to leaveit! She had learned what she desired to know about me; heard that Iwas a young man of great wealth; and had devised a scheme so singularthat--but let me not anticipate! She proceeded rapidly. In our secondinterview she 'made
eyes at me.' In the third, she blushed and murmured,avoiding my glances, when I looked at her. In the fourth, she blushedmore deeply when I took her hand--but did not withdraw it. In the fifth,the fair head in some manner had come to rest on my shoulder--no doubtfrom weakness. And in a few days afterward the shy, embarrassed, loving,palpitating creature, blushing deeply, 'sunk upon my bosom,' as thepoets say, and murmured, 'How can I resist you?'
"In other words, my dear friend, _Miss Mortimer_ had promised to become_my wife_, and I need not say, I was the happiest of men. I thoughtwith rapture of the bliss I was about to enjoy in having by my side,throughout life, this charming creature. I trembled at the very thoughtthat the accident in the wood might not have happened, and I might neverhave known her! I was at the parsonage morning, noon, and night. Whennot beside _her_ I was riding through the forest at full speed, withbared brow, laughing lips, and shouts of joy--in a word, my dear friend,I was as much intoxicated as ever youth was yet, and fed on froth andmoonshine to an extent that was really astonishing!
"There was absolutely nothing to oppose our marriage. My old guardian,it is true, shook his head, and suggested inquiries into the family,position, character, etc., of the Mortimers; I was young, wealthy, heirof one of the oldest families, he said, and sharpers might deceive me.But all I heard was the word 'sharpers'--and I left my guardian,whose functions had ceased now, in high displeasure at his unworthyimputations. That angel a sharper! That pure, devoted creature, guiltyof deception! I fell into a rage; swore never to visit my guardianagain; and returning to the parsonage urged a speedy consummation of ourmarriage.
"The fair one was not loth. She indicated that fact by violentlyopposing me at first, but soon yielded. When I rode home that night Ihad made every arrangement for our union in one month from that time.
"So much for Act I., Surry!"
XVII.
THE WILL.
Mohun had commenced his narrative in a mild voice, and with anexpression of great sadness upon his features. As he proceeded, however,this all disappeared; gradually the voice became harsh and metallic,so to describe it, and his face resumed that expression of cynicalbitterness which I had observed in him on our first meeting. As hereturned thus, to the past, all its bitterness seemed to revive; memorylashed him with its stinging whip; and Mohun had gone back to his "firstphase,"--that of the man, stern, implacable, and misanthropic.
After uttering the words, "So much for Act I., Surry!" he paused. Amoment afterward, however, he resumed his narrative.
"What I am now going to tell you is not agreeable to remember, mydear Surry, and I shall accordingly relate every thing as briefly aspossible. I aim only to give you a clear conception of the tragedy. Youwill form your own opinion.
"I was impolite enough in introducing _Miss Mortimer_ to you, at theparsonage, to describe that young lady as a 'devil.' No doubt the termshocked you, and yet it conveyed something very like the exact truth. Ideclare to you that this woman was, and is still, a marvel to me, a mostcurious study. How could she be such as she was? She had the lips ofan infant, and the eyes of an angel. Was it not strange that, underall that, she should hide the heart of a born devil? But to continue mynarrative.
"The month or two which elapsed between my engagement and my marriagewas not an uninterrupted dream of bliss. The atmosphere was strangelydisturbed on more than one occasion. Mademoiselle was frequently absentfrom the parsonage when I arrived, taking long walks with Monsieur, herbrother; and when she returned from these excursions, I could see a verystrange expression on her countenance as she looked at me. Occasionallyher glance was like those lurid flashes of lightning which you may haveseen issue from the depths of a black cloud. Her black eyes were thecloud--admire the simile!--and I assure you their expression at suchmoments was far from agreeable. What to make of it, I knew not. I amnot constitutionally irritable, but on more than one occasion I felt astrange angry throb of the heart when I encountered those glances.
"Mademoiselle saw my displeasure, and hastened at once to soothe anddissipate it. The dark flash was always succeeded by the most brilliantsunshine; but, even in moments of her greatest apparent abandon, I wouldstill meet suddenly, when she did not think I was looking at her, thesombre glance which appalled me.
"In spite of this strange phenomenon, however, the young girl possessedunbounded influence over me. I could not resist her fascinations,and was as wax in her hands. She took a charming interest in all thatconcerned me; painted the blissful future before us, in all the colorsof the rainbow; and declared that the devotion of her whole life wouldnot be sufficient to display 'her gratitude for my magnanimity inwedding a poor girl who had nothing but her warm love to offer me.'
"'That is more than enough,' I said, charmed by her caressing voice. 'Ihave few relations, and friends--you are all to me.'
"'And you to me!' she said. Then she added, with a sort of shudder, 'butsuppose you were to die!'
"I laughed, and replied:--
"'You would be well provided for, and find yourself a gay young widowwith hundreds of beaux?'
"She looked at me reproachfully.
"'Do you think I would ever marry again?' she said. 'No! I would takeour marriage ring, and some little souvenir connected with you, leaveyour fine house, and go with my brother to some poor home in a foreigncountry, where the memory of our past happiness would be my solace!'
"I shook my head.
"'You will not do that,' I said, 'you will be the mistress of all myfortune, after my death!'
"'Oh, no!' she exclaimed.
"'Oh, yes!' I responded, laughing; 'and, to make every thing certain, Iam going to draw up my will this very day, leaving you every thing whichI possess in the world.'
"Her face suddenly flushed.
"'How can you think of such a thing!' she said. 'I did not know how muchyou loved me!'
"You will understand, my dear Surry, that those words did not change myresolution. When I left her I went home, and wrote the will in due form,and on my next visit she asked, laughing, if I had carried out my absurdresolution.
"'Yes,' I said, 'and now let us talk of a more interesting affair--ourmarriage!'
"She blushed, then turned pale, and again I saw the strange luridglance. It disappeared, however, in an instant, and she was all smilesand fascinations throughout the remainder of the day. Never had I beenso happy."
XVIII.
THE MARRIAGE.
"As the day of our marriage approached," continued Mohun, "I saw morethan once the same singular expression in the lady's eyes, and I confessit chilled me.
"She seemed to be the prey to singular moods, and fits of silence. Shetook more frequent and longer walks with Mortimer than before. When theyreturned from these walks and found me awaiting them at the parsonage,both would look at me in the strangest way, only to quickly withdrawtheir eyes when they caught my own fixed upon them.
"I longed to speak of this curious phenomenon to some one, but hadno friend. My best friend, Nighthawk, was alienated from me, andMademoiselle had been the cause. From the first moment of ouracquaintance, Nighthawk had seemed to suspect something. He did notattempt to conceal his dislike of Mortimer and the young lady. Why wasthat? I could not tell. Your dog growls when the secret foe approachesyou, smiling, and, perhaps, Nighthawk, my faithful retainer, hadsomething of the watch dog in him.
"Certain it is that he had witnessed my growing intimacy with MissMortimer, with ill-concealed distaste. As I became more and moreattentive, he became almost sour toward me. When I asked him the meaningof his singular deportment, he shook his head--and then, with flushedcheeks and eyes, exclaimed: 'do not marry this young person, sir!something bad will come of it!' When he said that, I looked at him withhaughty surprise--and this sentiment changed in a few moments to coldanger. 'Leave this house,' I said, 'and do not return until you havelearned how to treat me with decent respect!' He looked at me for amoment, clasped his hands, opened his lips--seemed about to burst forthinto passionate entreaty--but all at once, sha
king his head, went out insilence. I looked after him with a strange shrinking of the heart. Whatcould he mean? He was senseless!--and I mounted my horse, galloped tothe parsonage, was received with radiant smiles, and forgot the wholescene. On the next day Nighthawk did not return--nor on the next. I didnot see him again until the evening of the day on which I was married.
"To that 'auspicious moment' I have now conducted you, my dearSurry. The morning for my marriage came. I say 'the morning'--for my'enchantress,' as the amatory poets say, had declared that she detestedthe idea of being married at night; she also objected to company;--wouldI not consent to have the ceremony performed quietly at the parsonage,with no one present but her brother and the excellent parson, Hope,and his old housekeeper? Then she would belong to me--I could do asI pleased with her--take her to Fonthill, or where I chose--she onlybegged that I would allow her to embark on the ocean of matrimony,with no one to witness her blushes but myself, her brother, the oldhousekeeper, and the good minister!
"I consented at once. The speech charmed me, I need not say--and I wasnot myself unwilling to dispense with inquisitive eyes and laughingwitnesses. Infatuated as I was, I could not conceal from myself that mymarriage was a hasty and extremely 'romantic' affair. I doubted whetherthe old friends of my father in the neighborhood would approve of it;and now, when Mademoiselle gave me a good excuse to dispense with theirpresence, I gladly assented, invited no one, and went to my weddingalone, in the great family chariot, unaccompanied by a single friend orrelative.
"Mademoiselle met me with a radiant smile, and her wedding dress ofwhite silk, made her look perfectly charming. Her lips were caressing,her eyes melting, but all at once, as she looked at me, I saw the colorall fade out of the rosy lips of the lady; and from the great dark eyesdarted the lurid flash. A chill, like that of death smote me, I know notwhy, but I suppressed my emotion. In ten minutes, I was standing beforethe excellent clergyman, the young lady's cold hand in mine--and we wereduly declared man and wife.
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