The Complete Northanger Horrid Novel Collection (9 Books of Gothic Romance and Horror)

by Eliza Parsons

  "When the mind once deviates from the path of virtue, it soon becomes reconciled to vice; and the habits of life into which I was continually led, began imperceptibly to destroy my natural feelings of rectitude, and to take from depravity the restraints of conscience.

  "From a long course of perpetual and, I may add, guilty indulgences, what had formerly afforded the most serene satisfaction, became tasteless and disgusting; since the most worthy occupations were exchanged for debauchery, and that time, which used formerly to be devoted to the welfare of my family, was divided between the Theatre, the Opera, and the Gaming-house.

  "The Contessa's attachment to the country occasioned her to reside chiefly at the villa; and, as she partook but little of the amusements of Naples, she was for some time spared the uneasiness which a knowledge of my excesses would have inevitably produced. At first she expressed some degree of pleasure at my having found entertainment in society; but when my absences became more frequent, though she forbore reproaches, her countenance sufficiently testified her disapprobation of my conduct.

  "A daughter was now added to our family; after which event my wife was for some weeks so ill that her life was supposed to be in danger, during which time my anxiety was so great that I never quitted her room; but, contrary to my expectation, the disease, when arrived at the crisis, took a favourable turn, and she recovered. My joy at this moment was beyond all bounds; for a sense of her condition had recalled me to reason, and I felt anxious, by convincing her of my affection, to atone for the errors of my past conduct.

  "No sooner was she restored to my wishes, than I received a visit from the Conte de Pietro, who congratulated me on this happy event; and observing that I looked ill, and that too much confinement had injured my health, endeavoured to prevail upon me to accompany him on an excursion to Padua. At first I persisted in rejecting the proposal; but Helena, whose mind was reassured by the attention I had paid her in retirement, and with the tender anxiety I had discovered on her account, prevailed upon me to accept of it, and in a few days we commenced our journey.

  CHAPTER II

  Hark! Waked—from according Lyres the sweet restrain flows

  In symphony divine; from air to air.

  The trembling numbers fly, swift bursts away

  The flow of joy.

  -LANGHORNE

  "Not many days after my arrival in Padua, as I was walking with De Pietro, by the side of the Brenta, our steps were arrested by the tones of a lute, accompanied by a female voice, which breathed such exquisite sweetness that we were unable to move from the spot. Whilst we still continued to listen, in wrapped and silent attention, the strain ceased, the plaintive notes of the instrument died into silence, and, in a few moments, we perceived a gondola, from which the melodious accents proceeded, approaching towards the margin of the river. Anxious to behold the musician and songstress who had possessed such powers of enchantment over us, we still lingered on the banks till the gondoliers rested upon their oars, and we beheld two females come on shore, who were escorted by a young Signor apparently of the middle rank of life.—They were both veiled; but the graceful figure of the younger, for the other seemed to have passed the summer of her days, chiefly attracted our regard. Fancy had portrayed a face not less beautiful than the form to which it belonged; and I was anxious to be assured whether she had not been too profuse of her colouring, when a ruder breeze from the water wafted aside the light texture of her veil, and discovered the original.

  "It was a face that could not be gazed upon with indifference; it did not possess the insipid uniformity of perfect beauty; but there was something in it infinitely more attractive than the most exact harmony of feature could have bestowed, divested of that inexpressible charm, which gave animation and loveliness to the whole. The blush that suffused her cheek, at being thus unexpectedly exposed to the rude gaze of admiration, gave new graces to her person. Having directed her eyes upwards, which were dazzlingly bright, she drew her veil over her face, with a look that expressed somewhat of distress; and taking the arm of her companion, hastened along the banks of the river.

  "The Conte having intimated a desire to follow them to their home, I gladly consented to attend him; and, keeping a respectful distance, we followed slowly behind.

  "Our way lay, for a considerable time, along the borders of the Brenta; and during this pursuit the beautiful Stranger frequently turned, as if to discern whether we were near them; and then, in apparent confusion, hastened her steps, as if anxious to elude our observation.

  "Having ascended the cliff, contrary to our expectation, they took a road which did not lead into the city; and the young Signor that attended them, who appeared to be only a school-boy, having resigned the lute which he had carried for the beautiful songstress, took a contrary direction.

  "Our curiosity was now too much excited to enable us to relinquish a project, whose novelty was attended with so much pleasure; and having proceeded through a vista, we reached the confines of a simple but elegant villa, whose situation was equally secluded and picturesque:—It was seated upon a gentle acclivity; and being nearly surrounded with groves of citron, acacia, and mountain ash, which were tastefully interspersed with a number of variegated shrubs peculiar to the climate of Italy, formed one of the most delightful landscapes we had ever seen.

  "Having arrived within a few paces of a gate, leading into a kind of shrubbery, which seemed to be a private entrance, the laws of politeness would have compelled us to recede, had not the necessity of this conduct been prevented by a trifling occurrence:

  "A snake, which had concealed itself in the grass, had assailed the ankle of the youngest Signora, and the alarm this circumstance occasioned was so excessive, that I had no sooner flown to her assistance, and accomplished her release from this venomous attack, than she fell senseless in my arms. A rivulet that wandered among the recesses of the shade, inclosing this sylvan retreat, supplied us with water, and soon afterwards, to my unspeakable satisfaction, she recovered.

  "When this was effected, the elder lady abounded in the most eloquent expressions of gratitude, whilst the young one thanked me rather with her looks than with her words.

  "Having supported the fair invalid into the mansion, we were ushered into a room genteelly, but not expensively furnished, where we were courteously accommodated with seats; and when the alarm was dispelled that this little accident had produced, had the consolation of seeing the countenance of the interesting stranger animated with smiles, and sparkling with intelligence. She called me her deliverer; and when addressing herself to me, there was a bewitching softness in her eyes, a fascination in her voice and manners, that would have warmed a heart less susceptible than mine. In those moments even Helena was forgot; and, as the Conte steadfastly observed my emotions, there was an air of triumph in his countenance when I adverted to the incident that had obtained for us the gratification we desired, which did not escape my notice.

  "Laurentina, which was the name of the syren, at the desire of Signora Bairdiella, who was her aunt, presented us with some fruit, the produce of her garden; and then, at our joint solicitation, took her lute, which she again touched with exquisite expression, and performed some of the finest Italian compositions with inimitable grace and sweetness.

  "The hours flew so rapidly away that it was late before we departed; which we could not prevail upon ourselves to accelerate without requesting permission to repeat our visit at a more convenient season.

  "In this we succeeded; and so well availed ourselves of this indulgence, that not a day passed in which we did not repair together, or severally, to the villa of Salazzar.

  "Laurentina possessed wit, sentiment, and tenderness—every thing I valued most, and least expected to find united with such youth and beauty; and was apparently so much interested in my appearance, and so much flattered by my attentions and conversation, that I felt unusually delighted in her presence. Every interview tended to increase her partiality in my favour, as well as to convince me th
at my attachment to her person and accomplishments was become too powerful for resistance, and that her society was necessary to my happiness, if not to my existence.

  "After about a fortnight's residence in the city, the Conte de Pietro discontinued his visits to the villa; observing with a sarcastic smile, at which I was not so much offended as I ought to have been, that though Laurentina was as beautiful as an angel, he was too much my friend to endeavour to deprive me of so inestimable a jewel; then assuring me that if I continued the siege, she would not long continue inexorable. He proceeded to inform me of some traits in the character of her aunt, Signora Bairdiella, particularly that of avarice, which might eventually prove favourable to my wishes; and of some hints which he had received from a native of Padua respecting the conduct of Laurentina. They were of a nature to encourage hope, and I felt still more elevated at the discovery. "The ascendancy over me that the Conte possessed, was increased by a more powerful attraction than what had hitherto cemented our affections—from the infatuated regard which my own vanity and susceptibility, as much as her own art and loveliness had made me experience for Laurentina.

  "When under the dominion of passion we are insensible to the influence of reason, Vice, on a nearer acquaintance, loses her deformity; and the mind abating in its vigour, and being no longer able to resist the force of temptation, finally espouses her cause.

  "Having given a thousand imaginary perfections to the object of my admiration, of which I could not easily divest her, the enterprise in which I had engaged, on a transient survey appeared to me more difficult than it eventually proved, which the extreme innocence of Laurentina's looks and manners contributed to increase, at the same time that it established the affection I had conceived for her on a firmer basis.

  "The unbounded hospitality with which I had been treated by Signora Bertola, ever since the commencement of our acquaintance, aided by the respectful politeness that accompanied her attentions, were circumstances favourable to my wishes; particularly as I had never imposed myself upon her niece as an unmarried man, and she was too much a woman of the world to mistake the warm addresses of the lover, for the temperate assiduity of the friend.

  "Having some reason to believe, from what I had heard from De Pietro, that she would not oppose my designs upon her beautiful dependant, I requested an audience with her in private; and, after avowing my passion for Laurentina, proposed a handsome addition to her own fortune, with a considerable settlement upon her niece, on her consent to accompany me to Naples. I lamented that it was not in my power to offer her my hand; but did not neglect to assure her that unremitting attention should be paid to her desires, since the affection her merit had excited would find its chief gratification in ensuring her felicity.

  "At first she objected to the proposition with a degree of earnestness, which, considering what was past, and the report I had heard previous to this declaration, filled me with surprise and consternation; but the largeness of my offers eventually silenced her scruples, and she promised to exert her influence in my cause.

  "I did not long suffer the tortures of suspense; but the conditions were such that, if I had not proceeded too far to recede, would have recalled me to the path of rectitude: they were, that if, during the lifetime of Laurentina, I should be left in a state of widowhood, I was to repair her injured reputation by making her Contessa della Croisse, should I have no reason to suspect her fidelity.

  "This promise was to be delivered to Signora Bairdiella in writing;—I complied, but shuddered as I penned it. The image of my Helena was presented to my imagination at the moment when I was going to desert her; the meek, the unoffending innocence of her conduct, her purity, her tenderness, the unaffected graces of her person appeared as rising up in judgment against me, and staggered my resolution. But one empassioned look from the insidious Laurentina, one word from her, uttered in the tremulous accents of genuine affection, were sufficient to silence the eloquent pleadings of reason, and to stifle the impulses of virtue and compassion.

  "The time now drew near in which we were to quit Padua, and already had I received several letters from my wife which gently chided my absence; and having previously taken lodgings for Laurentina, in one of the principal streets in the city, for her immediate reception, we proceeded towards Naples. With a heart not much at ease, I placed my fair favourite in her new situation, and repaired to the villa.

  "Those who have lost that calm dignity of mind that accompanies conscious rectitude, will only form an adequate idea of my feelings. When I met those artless expressions of unalterable regard which marked the deportment of Helena, I felt a sensation of anguish at that moment more keen than I had ever experienced, and would have given worlds to have regained that integrity of soul which I was now capable of estimating—that internal satisfaction which is the offspring of uncorrupted virtue. Reflection now became torture; and, unable to escape from it whilst thus exposed to its influence, I fought to bury it in dissipation.

  "The conversation of Helena could only bestow a charm on minds serene and angel-like as her's; and what had formerly so largely contributed to my happiness, now became my aversion; I felt my inferiority, and wished to hide it from all, and even from myself.

  "My time was now chiefly divided between Laurentina and the Conte de Pietro; for the former I took a house in one of the squares, which was furnished with much expense and magnificence suitable to her taste and inclination.

  "To conceal Laurentina from the knowledge of the Contessa, was a matter which was attended with but little difficulty; since her mind was too pure for suspicion and jealousy, and it was easy for a less able dissembler than myself to deceive her. Independent of this, I had also an experienced assistant in the Conte, who frequently, in her presence, delivered a lecture upon the wise government of wives; in which there was something so smart, and yet so unoffending, that it was impossible not to be pleased with him.

  "But when my absences became still more frequent, the mild dejection of her looks testified her uneasiness at my conduct, whilst I was compelled to hide the pang of distress and the stingings of remorse, under an affected appearance of gaiety.

  "When nearly two years had elapsed, I found my expenses were so materially increased, having also lost many considerable sums at the gaming-table, that I began to be seriously alarmed. Laurentina, under a character which she had artfully assumed for the accomplishment of my destruction, disguised many of her sex's frailties: she was passionately fond of equipage and show, and was not only elegant, but magnificent in her attire. The profusion of jewels she demanded were adequate to the expenses of my household; and finding that my situation was becoming desperate, I hinted the affair to De Pietro, who advised me to forsake Laurentina.

  "Though from the uneasy sensations I had experienced ever since the commencement of my folly, a separation would assuredly have been desirable; but there appeared a degree of cruelty in this method of proceeding which I could not immediately reconcile to my feelings. The Conte anticipated my meaning, and took some pains to convince me, that amours of that kind did not require that delicacy of sentiment which I believed to be requisite; for having made a settlement upon the Signora, her person and accomplishments, he added, would easily procure her another lover; and she might possibly be a gainer by the change.

  "The idea of her encouraging the addresses of another, my passion was not sufficiently cooled to reflect upon without emotion, and I replied, with some warmth, that I did not believe it possible that the affections of Laurentina could be transferred; and having been the means of wounding her reputation, I considered myself indisputably bound to protect her. The Conte regarded me with a look of surprise and dissatisfaction, and then asked, with an assumed gravity of appearance, whether I did not suppose Laurentina had other admirers, who were equally favoured with her attention?—I was too much irritated by this question not to betray somewhat of anger; and assured him, with a degree of impetuosity too natural to my character, that nothing less than ocular demonst
ration should convince me that she ever admitted any other visitors.

  "The violence of my emotions during this discourse, too plainly evinced that I was still the slave of an unfortunate attachment; and De Pietro, with his usual address, finding the subject was a painful one, endeavoured to change it; but that which he introduced was foreign to my heart, and I could not join in it.

  "When again alone, I began to reflect upon my situation with redoubled energy; and, after much consideration, resolved immediately to visit Laurentina, and to inform her, that the immense sums she had squandered, threatened me with the most serious consequences; and that it was necessary for her sake, as well as for my own, that new measures should be adopted.

  "Thus determined, I was hastening to execute my design when, having arrived within a few steps of the door, I was agreeably surprised on meeting with my old travelling companion, Signor Berlotte, who expressed much pleasure at this unexpected event.

  "He had not been many hours in the city; and having been informed at Venice, where he was detained some time on business of an important nature, that I had quitted Naples, he had not yet, he added, extended his enquiries respecting my present place of residence; but as it was now his intention to remain some months in that city, his happiness, he assured me, would be materially augmented by my society.