1 files changed, 4362 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/old/13576.txt b/old/13576.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6f747d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/old/13576.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,4362 @@
+The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Poor Gentleman, by Hendrik Conscience
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: The Poor Gentleman
+
+Author: Hendrik Conscience
+
+Release Date: October 2, 2004  [eBook #13576]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE POOR GENTLEMAN***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Audrey Longhurst, Josephine Paolucci, and the Project
+Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team
+
+
+
+THE POOR GENTLEMAN.
+
+by
+
+HENDRIK CONSCIENCE
+
+Author of _The Curse of the Village_, _The Happiness of Being Rich_,
+_Veva_, _The Lion of Flanders_, _Count Hugo of Craenhove_, _Wooden
+Clara_, _Ricketicketack_, _The Demon of Gold_, _The Village Inn-Keeper_,
+_The Conscript_, _Blind Rosa_, _The Amulet_, _The Miser_, _The
+Fisherman's Daughter_, etc.
+
+Translated Expressly for this Edition.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Preface to the American Edition.
+
+
+The story of "THE POOR GENTLEMAN," now given in our language for the
+first time, is one of the series in which M. Conscience has delineated
+various grades of female character in positions of trial. In "The
+Village Innkeeper" he has shown the weaker traits of woman distracted
+between an inborn sense of propriety and a foolish ambition for high,
+life. In the "Conscript" his heroine displays the nobler virtues of
+uncorrupted humble life; and, with few characters, taken from the lowest
+walks, he shows the triumph of honest, straightforward earnestness and
+pertinacious courage, even when they are brought in conflict with
+authority. "The Poor Gentleman" closes the series; and, selecting a
+heroine from the educated classes of his country-people M. Conscience
+has demonstrated how superior a _genuine woman_ becomes to all the
+mishaps of fortune, and how successfully she subdues that imaginary
+_fate_ before which so many are seen to fall.
+
+It would be difficult to describe this remarkable work without analyzing
+the tale and criticizing its personages. This would anticipate the
+author and mar the interest of his story. We must confine ourselves,
+therefore, to general remarks on its structure and characteristics.
+
+_Pontmartin_, the distinguished French _feuilletonist_, says, in one of
+his "Literary Chats," that these simple stories are "pearls set in
+Flemish gold,--a gold which alchemysts seek for in alembics and
+furnaces, but which Conscience has found in the inexhaustible veins of
+nature." "The Poor Gentleman," he remarks, "is a tale of not more than a
+hundred and fifty pages; but I would not give its shortest chapter for
+all the _romances_ I ever read. The perplexed De Vlierbeck--who ought to
+have had Caleb Balderstone for a servant--is one of those characters
+that engrave themselves indelibly on our memory." In every trait and
+detail the author has attained a photographic minuteness; which, while
+it is distinct and sharp, never interferes with that motion, breadth,
+and picturesque effect that impart life and reality to a story. Nor can
+we doubt that it will be read and re-read as long as there is a particle
+of that feeling among us which installed the Vicar of Wakefield, Paul
+and Virginia, the Crock of Gold, the Sketch-book, and the Tales of a
+Traveller, among the heirlooms of every tasteful household. The "Tales
+of Flemish Life" are additions to that rare stock of home-literature
+which is at once amiable and gentle, simple and affectionate, familiar
+and tender, and which meets a quick response from every honest heart and
+earnest spirit.
+
+If it be objected that the stories are too short and sketchy for the
+praise that has been bestowed on them, it may be answered that in their
+translation we have had the best opportunity to observe the skill,
+power, and perception of character which constitute their real merit.
+Simple as they seem, they are written with masterly art. In design,
+elaborateness, tone, and finish, they resemble the works of the Flemish
+School which have made us familiar with the Low Countries and their
+people through the pictures of Ruysdael, Teniers, and Ostade. There is
+scarcely a leaf that does not display some of those recondite or
+evanescent secrets of human nature which either escape ordinary writers,
+or, when found by them, are spread out over volume instead of being
+condensed into a page.
+
+Baltimore, August, 1856.
+
+THE TRANSLATOR.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+
+Near the end of July, 1842, an open _caleche_ might have been seen
+rolling along one of the three highways that lead from the frontiers of
+Holland toward Antwerp. Although the vehicle had evidently been cleaned
+with the utmost care, every thing about it betokened decay. Its joints
+were open, discolored, and weather-beaten, and it swung from side to
+side on its springs like a rickety skeleton. Its patched leathers shone
+in the sunshine with the oil that had been used to freshen them, but the
+borrowed lustre could not hide the cracks and repairs with which they
+were defaced. The door-handles and other parts of the vehicle that were
+made of copper had been carefully polished, and the vestiges of
+silver-plating, still visible in the creases of the ornaments, denoted a
+former richness which had been almost entirely worn out by time and use.
+
+The _caleche_ was drawn by a stout, heavy horse, whose short and
+lumbering gait intimated very clearly that he was oftener employed in
+the plough and cart than in carrying his owner toward the capital.
+
+A peasant-boy of seventeen or eighteen was perched on the driver's seat.
+He was in livery; a tarnished gold band adorned his hat, and brass
+buttons glistened on his coat; but the hat fell over his ears, and the
+coat was so large that the driver seemed lost in it as in a bag. The
+garments had been worn by many of the lackey's predecessors on the box,
+and, in a long series of years, had doubtless passed from coachman to
+coachman till they descended to their present possessor.
+
+The only person in the vehicle was a man about fifty years old. He was
+unquestionably the master of both servant and cabriolet, for his look
+and deportment commanded respect and consideration. With head depressed
+and moody air, he sat motionless and dreamy in his seat till he heard
+the approach of other vehicles, when, suddenly lifting his eyes, he
+would salute the strangers graciously and then instantly relapse into
+his former attitude. A moment's glance at this person was sufficient to
+excite an interest in him. His face, though hard and wrinkled, was so
+regular and noble in its contour, his look so mild and yet so earnest
+and penetrating, his broad brow so clear and lofty, that the most
+careless observer could not doubt that he was endowed with the best
+qualities of human nature. Besides this, there were unquestionable
+indications that he had been a sufferer. If a simple glance at his
+features did not impress one with a conviction of this fact, it was
+confirmed by the fringe of silvery hair that straggled over his temples,
+and the sombre, melancholy fire that glimmered in his eyes like the last
+rays of expiring hope.
+
+His dress was in perfect keeping with his physiognomy. It was of that
+neat and simple style which always characterizes a man of the world who
+is governed by refined and elegant tastes. His linen was spotlessly
+white, his cloth extremely fine, and his well-brushed hat shone smartly
+in the sunshine. Occasionally, as some one passed on the road, he might
+be seen to draw forth a handsome gold snuff-box and inhale a pinch with
+so graceful an air that an observer would be convinced he belonged to
+the highest classes of society. A malicious eye, it is true, might have
+discovered by close inspection that the brush had been too familiar with
+his coat and worn it threadbare, that his silk hat had been doctored to
+preserve its lustre and smoothness, and that his gloves were elaborately
+darned. If an inquisitive critic could have pried into the bottom of the
+vehicle, he would have detected a large crack in the side of the left
+boot, beneath which a gray stocking had been carefully masked with ink.
+Still, all these signs of poverty were so artfully concealed, and his
+dress worn with so careless an air of opulence and ease, that every body
+might have supposed the traveller did not put on better clothes only
+because he had a whim for bad ones.
+
+The _caleche_ had rolled along rapidly for about two hours, when the
+driver suddenly drew up at a small inn on the dike outside of the city
+of Antwerp. The landlady and groom instantly sallied forth, and by their
+profound salutations and civility exhibited their marked respect for a
+well-known stranger.
+
+"It's a fine day, Monsieur Vlierbeck, isn't it?" said the dame; "yet
+it's a trifle warm, however. Don't you think it would be well for the
+high-grounds if we had a sprinkle more of rain, Monsieur Vlierbeck?
+Shall we give the horse some hay, Monsieur Vlierbeck? But stay: I see,
+now, your coachman has brought his hay with him. Will you take anything,
+Monsieur Vlierbeck?"
+
+While the hostess was pouring forth this torrent of questions, Monsieur
+De Vlierbeck got out of the vehicle, and, entering the house, addressed
+the most flattering compliments to the dame about her good looks,
+inquired as to the health of each of her children, and finished by
+apprizing her that he was obliged to be in town instantly. Thereupon,
+shaking her cordially by the hand, yet with a condescending air that
+marked and preserved the distance between them, he gave his orders to
+his lackey, and, with a farewell bow, walked toward the bridge leading
+into the city.
+
+At a solitary spot on the outer rampart Monsieur De Vlierbeck stopped,
+looked round as if to see if any one was observing him, dusted his
+garments, brushed his hat with a handkerchief, and then passed on
+through the Porte Rouge into the city of Antwerp.
+
+As he entered a town where he was likely to find himself constantly an
+object of notice, he assumed a lofty carriage and self-satisfied air,
+which might have deceived any one into the belief that he was the
+happiest man on earth. And yet--alas, poor gentleman!--he was a prey to
+the profoundest agony! He was, perhaps, about to suffer
+_humiliation_,--a humiliation that would cut him to the very heart! But
+there was a being in the world whom he loved better than his life or
+honor,--his only child, his daughter! For her--how frequently had he
+already sacrificed his pride, how frequently had he suffered the pangs
+of martyrdom! Still, so great a slave was he to this passionate love
+that every new endurance, every new trial, raised him in his own
+estimation and exalted his pain into something that ennobled and
+sanctified his very nature!
+
+His heart beat violently as he entered deeper and deeper into the heart
+of the city and approached the house he was about to visit. Soon after
+he stopped at a door, and, as he pulled the bell, his hand trembled
+violently in spite of extraordinary self-control; but as soon as a
+servant answered the summons he became master of himself again.
+
+"Is the notary in?" inquired the old gentleman. The servant replied
+affirmatively, and, showing the visitor into a small room, went to
+apprize his master.
+
+As soon as Monsieur De Vlierbeck was alone, he put his right foot over
+the left to hide the rent in his boot, drew forth the gold snuff-box,
+and made ready to take a pinch.
+
+The notary came in. He was a spare, business-looking man, and was
+preparing to salute his guest graciously, but no sooner did he perceive
+who it was than his face grew dark and assumed that reserved air with
+which a cautious man arms himself when he expects a request which he is
+predetermined to refuse. Instead, therefore, of lavishing on Monsieur De
+Vlierbeck the compliments with which he habitually welcomed his
+visitors, the notary confined himself to a few cold words of recognition
+and then sat down silently in front of him.
+
+Wounded and humbled by this ungracious reception, poor De Vlierbeck was
+seized with a chill and became slightly pale; still, he managed to rally
+his nerves, as he remarked, affably,--"Pray excuse me, sir; but, pressed
+by imperious necessity, I have come once more to appeal to your kindness
+for a small service."
+
+"What is it you wish of me?" answered the notary, tartly.
+
+"I wish you to find another loan of a thousand _francs_ for me,--or even
+less,--secured by a mortgage on my property. I do not want all the money
+at once, but I have especial need of two hundred _francs_, which I must
+ask the favor of you to lend me to-day. I trust you will not deny me
+this trifling loan, which will extricate me from the deepest
+embarrassment."
+
+"A thousand _francs_, on mortgage?" growled the notary; "and who, pray,
+will guarantee the interest? Your property is already mortgaged for more
+than it is worth."
+
+"Oh! you are mistaken, sir," exclaimed Monsieur De Vlierbeck, anxiously.
+
+"Not the least in the world! By order of the persons who have already
+accommodated you with money, I caused your property to be appraised at
+the very highest rates; and the consequence is that your creditors will
+not get back their loans unless it shall sell for an extraordinary
+price. Permit me to say, sir, that you have acted very foolishly: had I
+been in your place, I would not have sacrificed all my fortune, and my
+wife's too, to save a worthless fellow, even though he had been my
+brother!"
+
+De Vlierbeck frowned, as a painful recollection shot through his mind,
+but said nothing, though his hand grasped the golden snuff-box as if he
+would have crushed it.
+
+"By that imprudent act," continued the notary, "you have plunged
+yourself and your child into absolute want; for you can no longer
+disguise it. For ten years--and God knows at what cost--you have been
+able to keep the secret of your ruin; but the inevitable hour is
+approaching, Monsieur De Vlierbeck, when you will be forced to
+surrender every thing!"
+
+De Vlierbeck riveted a look of doubt and agony on the notary as the
+latter continued:--
+
+"I must tell you frankly the condition of your affairs. Monsieur de
+Hoogebaen died during his journey in Germany; his heirs found your bond
+for four thousand _francs_, and have directed me _not_ to renew it. If
+Monsieur Hoogebaen was your friend his heirs certainly are not. During
+ten years you have failed to cancel this debt, and have paid two
+thousand _francs_ interest; so that, for your own sake, it is time the
+transaction should be closed. Four months are still left, Monsieur
+Vlierbeck, before the expiration of--"
+
+"_Only_ four months!" interrupted the poor gentleman, in a distressed
+tone; "_only_ four months, and then--oh, God!"
+
+"Then your property will be sold according to law," said the notary,
+dryly, finishing the sentence. "I can well understand, sir, that this is
+a painful prospect; but, as it is a decree of fate that no one can
+control, you have nothing to do but prepare to receive the blow. Let me
+offer to sell your estate as if you 'were leaving the country.' By that
+means you will escape the mortification of a forced sale."
+
+For several moments Monsieur De Vlierbeck remained silent, his face
+buried in his hands, as if crushed by the notary's advice and
+callousness. At length he replied, calmly but humbly,--
+
+"Your counsel is, perhaps, wise and generous; yet I will not follow it.
+You know that all my sacrifices, my painful life, my constant agony,
+have been patiently endured for the sake of my only child. You alone
+know that all I do has but, one purpose,--a purpose which I hold sacred.
+I have reason to believe that God is about granting the earnest prayer I
+have daily offered for ten years. My daughter is beloved by a rich
+gentleman, whose character I think I may confide in, and his family
+appears to sympathize in all his views. _Four months!_ it is but a short
+time, alas! yet, ought I, by anticipating the legal period of a sale, to
+destroy all my fond hopes? Ought I instantly to welcome misery for
+myself and my child when I see the chance of sure relief from all we
+have suffered?"
+
+"Then you want to _deceive_ these people, whoever they may be? Do you
+not suppose that by such a course of conduct you may make your daughter
+still more wretched?"
+
+At the word "_deceive_" the poor gentleman winced as if stung by an
+adder, while a nervous thrill ran through his limbs and suffused his
+face with a blush of shame.
+
+"_Deceive!_" echoed he, bitterly; "oh, no! but I dare not, by a rash
+avowal of my want, stifle the love that is growing up mutually. Whenever
+it becomes necessary to be decided, I will make a loyal disclosure of my
+condition. If the declaration ruin my hopes I will follow your advice. I
+will sell all I have; I will quit the country and seek in some foreign
+land to maintain myself and my beloved child by teaching." He stopped
+for a moment, as if swallowing his grief, and then continued, in a lower
+tone, half speaking to himself, "And, yet, did I not promise my dear
+wife on her death-bed--did I not promise it on the holy cross--that our
+child should not undergo such a fate? Ten years of suffering--ten abject
+years--have not sufficed to realize my promise; and now, at last, a
+feeble ray of hope struggles into my sombre future--" He grasped the
+notary's hand, looked wildly but earnestly into his eyes, and added, in
+suppliant tones, "Oh, my friend, help me! help me in this last and
+trying effort; do not prolong my torture; grant my prayer, and as long
+as I live I will bless my benefactor, the savior of my child!"
+
+The notary withdrew his hand as he answered, with some embarrassment,
+"Yet, Monsieur De Vlierbeck, I cannot comprehend what all this has to do
+with the loan of a thousand _francs_!"
+
+De Vlierbeck thrust his rejected hand into his pocket as he replied,
+"Yes, sir, it _is_ ridiculous, is it not, to fall so low and to see
+one's happiness or misery depend on things about which other persons may
+laugh? And yet, alas! so it is! The young gentleman of whom I spoke to
+you is to dine with us to-morrow in company with his uncle,--the uncle
+invited himself,--and we have absolutely _nothing to give them!_ Besides
+this, my child needs some trifles to appear decently before the guests,
+and it is probable that the civility will be returned by an invitation
+from them. Our isolation cannot long conceal our want. Sacrifices of all
+kinds have already been made to prevent our being overwhelmed with
+mortification." As he uttered these last words he drew forth his hand
+from his pocket with about two _francs_ in small change, which he held
+exposed on his palm before the notary. "And now, behold," continued he,
+with a bitter smile,--"behold every cent I have in the world; and
+to-morrow rich people are to dine at my house! If my poverty is betrayed
+by any thing, farewell to my child's prospects! For God's sake, my good
+friend, be generous, and help me!"
+
+"A thousand _francs_!" muttered the notary, shaking his head; "I can't
+deceive my clients, sir. What pledge can you give to secure the loan?
+You possess nothing which is not already mortgaged beyond its value."
+
+"A thousand! five hundred! two hundred!" cried De Vlierbeck. "Lend me,
+at least, _something_ to relieve me from this cruel difficulty!"
+
+"I have no disposable funds," replied the notary, coldly. "In a
+fortnight perhaps I may have some; but even then I could promise nothing
+positively."
+
+"Then, for the sake of friendship, I beseech you, lend me some money
+yourself!"
+
+"I could never expect that you would return what I might lend," said
+the notary, contemptuously; "and so it is an _alms_ you ask of me?"
+
+Poor De Vlierbeck trembled on his chair and became pale as ashes; his
+eyes flashed wildly and his brow knotted with frowns. Yet he quickly
+curbed the unwonted agitation, bowed his head, and sighed, resignedly,
+"ALMS! Alas! so be it! let me drink the very dregs of this bitter cup:
+_it is for my child_!"
+
+The notary went to a drawer and took from it some five-franc-pieces,
+which he offered to his visitor. It is difficult to say whether the poor
+gentleman was wounded by the actual receipt of charity, or whether the
+sum was too small to be useful; but, without touching the money, he
+glanced angrily at the silver and fell back in his chair, covering his
+face with his hands.
+
+Just at this moment a servant entered, announcing another visitor; and,
+as soon as the lackey left the apartment, Monsieur De Vlierbeck sprang
+from his chair, dashing away the tears that had gathered in his eyes.
+The notary pointed to the money, which he laid on the corner of the
+table; but the mortified guest turned away his head with a gesture of
+repugnant refusal.
+
+"Pardon my boldness, sir," said he, "but I have now only one favor to
+ask of you"
+
+"And it is--?"
+
+"That you will keep my secret for my daughter's sake."
+
+'Oh, as to that, make yourself easy. You know me well enough to be
+aware of my discretion. Do you decline this trifling aid?"
+
+"Thanks! thanks!" cried the gentleman, pushing away the notary's hand;
+and, trembling as if seized by a sudden chill, he rushed from the room
+and the house without waiting for the servant to open the door.
+
+Utterly overcome by the terrible blow to his hopes, beside himself with
+mortification, with his head hanging on his bosom and his eyes bent
+staringly on the ground, the poor fellow ran about the streets for a
+considerable length of time without knowing what he was about or whither
+he was going. At length the stern conviction of want and duty partially
+aroused him from his feverish dream, and he walked on rapidly in the
+direction of the gate of Borgenhout, till he found himself entirely
+alone among the fortifications.
+
+He had no sooner reached this solitary quarter than a terrible conflict
+seemed to begin within him; his lips quivered and muttered incoherently,
+while his face exhibited a thousand different expressions of suffering,
+shame, and hope. After a while he drew forth from his pocket the golden
+snuff-box, looked long and sadly on the armorial engravings that adorned
+it, and then fell into a reverie, from which he suddenly aroused himself
+as if about taking a solemn resolution. With his eyes intently fixed on
+the box, he began to obliterate the arms with his knife, as he murmured,
+in a voice of tremulous emotion,--
+
+"Remembrancer of my dear and excellent mother, protecting talisman that
+has so long concealed my misery and which I invoked as a sacred shield
+whenever poverty was on the eve of betraying me, last fragment of my
+ancestry, I must bid thee farewell; and--alas! alas!--my own hand must
+profane and destroy thee! God grant that the last service thou wilt ever
+render me may save us from overwhelming humiliation!"
+
+A tear trickled down his wan cheek as his voice became still; but he
+went on with his task of obliteration till every trace of the crest and
+shield disappeared from the emblazoned lid. After this he returned to
+the heart of the town and passed through a number of small and lonely
+streets, glancing eagerly, but askance, at the signs as he passed onward
+in his agitation.
+
+An hour had certainly elapsed in this bootless wandering, when he
+entered a narrow lane in the quarter of Saint Andre and uttered a sudden
+cry of joy as he caught a glimpse of the object for which he was in
+search. His eye lighted on a sign which bore the simple but ominous
+inscription--"SWORN PAWNBROKER." He passed by the door and walked
+rapidly to the end of the lane; then, turning hastily, he retraced his
+steps, hastening or lingering as he noticed any one passing in his
+neighborhood, till at length he crept along the wall to the door, and,
+seeing the thoroughfare almost empty, rushed into the house and
+disappeared.
+
+After a considerable time De Vlierbeck came forth from the
+money-lender's and quickly gained another street. There was a slight
+expression of satisfaction in his eyes; but the bright blush that
+suffused his haggard cheeks gave token of the new humiliation through
+which the sufferer had passed. Walking rapidly from street to street, he
+soon reached a pastry-cook's, where he filled a basket with a stuffed
+turkey, a pie, preserves, and various other smaller equipments for the
+table, and, paying for his purchases, told the cook that he would send
+his servant for the packages. Farther on he bought a couple of silver
+spoons and a pair of ear-rings from a jeweller, and then proceeded on
+his way, probably to make additional acquisitions for the proposed
+entertainment.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+
+In our wild and thorny region of the North a brave and toilsome
+peasantry have long been engaged in victorious conflict with the barren
+sleep to which nature seemed to have condemned the soil. They have
+stirred up the sterile depths and watered them with their sweat; they
+have summoned science and industry to their aid, drained marshes,
+diverted the streamlets that descended toward the Meuse from the
+highlands and put them in circulation through innumerable arteries to
+fatten and enrich the land. What a glorious fight it was of man against
+matter! What a magnificent triumph it has been to convert the unthrifty
+Campine[A] into a fruitful and luxurious region! Indeed, our descendants
+will hardly believe their own eyes when in future times they shall
+behold grass-covered plains, flowery meadows, and fields waving with
+grain, where the lingering patriarchs of our day may point out the sites
+of burning sand-pits and barren moors!
+
+[Footnote A: The Flemings have given the name of _Campine_ to the vast
+uncultivated spaces extending in the north of Belgium from the vicinity
+of Antwerp to Venloo. The improvement of the _Campine,_ undertaken on a
+large scale within some years, has already produced the happiest
+results.]
+
+North of the city of Antwerp, toward the frontiers of Holland, there are
+but few traces of this gradual improvement. It is only along highroads
+that the traveller begins to observe the effect of liberal agriculture
+on the sandy soil, while, farther on toward the heart of the region,
+every thing is still bare and uncultivated. As far as the eye can
+penetrate, nothing is to be seen in that quarter but arid plains thinly
+covered with stunted vegetation, while the horizon is bounded by that
+blue and cloudy line which always marks the limit of a desert. Yet, as
+we journey over these vast spaces, it is impossible not to observe, from
+time to time, that a clear and slender rivulet meanders here and there
+over the moor, and that its verdant banks are studded with vigorous
+plants and thrifty trees; while in many places the hardy sons of toil
+who took advantage of the neighboring water, have opened their lonely
+farms, built comfortable houses, and frequently gathered themselves
+together in neat and thrifty villages.
+
+In one of these spots, where meadow-land and pasturage have made
+agriculture profitable, and by the side of an unfrequented road, there
+is a farm of considerable size and value. The massive trees which spread
+their thick shade on every side attest that the spot has been occupied
+and cultivated for several generations. Besides, the ditches which
+surround it, and the stone bridge that leads to the principal gate,
+justify the belief that the estate has some right to be considered a
+lordly demesne. In the neighborhood it is known as GRINSELHOF. The
+entire front of the property is covered by the homestead of the farmer,
+comprising his stables and granges; so that, in fact, every thing in
+their rear is concealed by these edifices as well as by dense thickets
+and hedges which are growing in all the wild luxuriance of nature.
+Indeed, the dwelling of the proprietor was a mystery even to the farmer
+who worked the soil; for its surrounding copses were an impenetrable
+veil to his eyes, beyond which neither he nor his family were ever
+allowed to pass without special permission.
+
+Within this lonely and sacred precinct, buried in foliage, was a large
+house, called THE CHATEAU, inhabited by a gentleman and his daughter,
+who, without a single servant, companion, or attendant, led the lonely
+lives of hermits. The neighbors said that it was avarice or ill-humor
+that induced a person possessed of so beautiful an estate to bury
+himself in such a solitude. The farmer who worked on the property
+carefully avoided all explanations as to the conduct or purpose of the
+proprietor, and sedulously respected the mysterious habits and fancies
+of his master. His business prospered; for the soil was fertile and the
+rent low. Indeed, he was grateful to his landlord, and, every Sunday,
+lent him a horse, which carried him and his daughter, in their
+weather-beaten _caleche_, to the village church. On great occasions the
+farmer's son performed the duty of lackey for the proprietor.
+
+It is an afternoon of one of the last days of July. The sun has nearly
+finished his daily course, and is declining rapidly toward the horizon;
+still, his rays, though less ardent than at noontide, are hot enough to
+make the air close and stifling. At Grinselhof the last beams of the
+setting luminary play gayly over the foliage, gilding the tree-tops with
+sparkling light, while, on the eastern side of the dense foliage, the
+long, broad shadows begin to fall athwart the sward, and prepare the
+groves for the gentle and refreshing breeze that springs up at twilight.
+
+Sadness and gloom hang over the sombre chateau and its grounds; a
+deathlike silence weighs like a gravestone on the desolate scene; the
+birds are songless; the wind is still; not a leaf stirs; and light alone
+seems to be living in that dreary solitude. No one could observe the
+entire absence of noise, motion, and vitality, without being impressed
+with the idea that nature had been suddenly plunged in a deep and magic
+sleep.
+
+Suddenly the foliage at the end of a thicket in the distance is seen to
+stir, while a cloud of twittering birds, frightened from the herbage,
+flies rapidly across the little path, which is immediately occupied by a
+young female dressed entirely in white, who dashes from between the
+branches with a silken net in pursuit of a butterfly. The beautiful
+apparition, with loose and streaming hair, seemed rather to fly than
+run, as her light and rapid steps, full of eagerness and animation,
+scarcely touched the earth while darting after the gaudy insect. How
+graceful she is, as, halting for an instant beneath the coquettish moth,
+she looks up to behold its gold-and-purple wings dancing round her head,
+mocking and playing with its gay pursuer! She thinks she has caught it;
+but, alas! the edge of her net only touched the butterfly's wings, and
+away it dashes, over hedge and copse, far, far beyond her reach! How
+beautiful she is, as, in that golden light, warmed with exercise and
+excitement, her eyes glistening, her lips parted, her graceful arms
+stretched upward, she stands gazing, half pleased, half disappointed,
+after the departing insect, till it is lost in the evening sky! Wind and
+sunshine have slightly tanned her delicate cheeks, but their roses are
+only heightened into the glow of perfect health. Beneath her high and
+polished brow, coal-black eyes shine through long and silken fringes,
+while a chiselled mouth discloses rows of faultless pearls between lips
+which shame the coral! Her stately head is framed in masses of long,
+curling hair; and, as the locks are floated over her ivory shoulders by
+rapid motion, the proud and arching lines of her swan-like neck are
+fully displayed in all their splendor. Her form is lithe and supple, and
+its graceful contour is modestly marked by a snowy dress. As she lifts
+her head and gazes at the sky, a poet might easily fancy her to be some
+fanciful "being of the air," and convert her into the fairy queen of the
+solitary realm!
+
+For a long while this beautiful woman wandered about the paths of the
+lonely garden, seemingly absorbed in reveries of various kinds. At times
+she was gay, at times sad. At length she approached a bed of violets,
+which, from the training of the plants, had evidently, been carefully
+tended, and, observing that they languished under the intense heat of
+the past day, began to grieve over them.
+
+"Alas! my dear little flowers, why did I neglect to water you yesterday?
+You are very thirsty, are you not, my charming pets?"
+
+For a moment or two she was quiet, still gazing at the violets, and
+then continued, in the same dreamy tone:--
+
+"But then, alas! since yesterday my mind has been so disturbed, so
+happy, so--" Her eyes fell, and a blush crimsoned her cheeks, as she
+murmured, softly, "GUSTAVE!"
+
+Motionless as a statue, and absorbed in her enchanting dream, she forgot
+the poor little violets, and, probably, the whole world.
+
+"His image ever, ever before me! his voice ever ringing in my ears! Why
+try to escape their fascination? Oh, God! what is this that is passing
+within me? My heart trembles; sometimes my blood bounds wildly through
+my veins, and then again it creeps and freezes; and yet how happy I am!
+what inexpressible joy fills my very soul!"
+
+She was silent; then, seeming suddenly to rouse herself, she raised her
+head and threw back the thick curls, as if anxious to disembarrass her
+mind of a haunting thought.
+
+"Wait, my dear flowers," said she, smiling, to the violets; "wait a
+moment: I will comfort and refresh you."
+
+With this she disappeared in the grove, and, in a short time, brought
+from it a few twigs and leaves, which she arranged in a little trellis
+over the flower-beds, so as to shadow the violets completely from the
+sun. After this she took a small watering-pot and ran across the grass
+to a basin or tank in the middle of the garden, around which a number
+of weeping-willows drooped their branches into the water. On her arrival
+its surface was perfectly smooth; but hardly had her image been
+reflected in the tank when it appeared to swarm with living creatures.
+Hundreds of gold-fishes, of all colors, swam toward her with their
+mouths gaping from the water, as if the poor little animals were trying
+to speak to her. Holding on by the trunk of the nearest willow, she bent
+gracefully over the pond and tried to fill her watering-pot without
+touching the gold-fish.
+
+"Come, come; let me alone just now," said she, as she carefully avoided
+them; "I haven't time to play with you; I will bring you your dinner
+after a while."
+
+But the fish fluttered around the watering-pot until she withdrew it
+from the tank; and, even after her departure, continued to crowd toward
+the bank she had touched with her foot.
+
+The young lady watered her flowers and replaced the pot gently on the
+ground; then, retiring slowly to the solitary house, she returned after
+a while at the same slow pace, and, throwing some crumbs to the fish,
+began to saunter slowly about the garden-paths, inattentive to every
+thing but her own absorbing thoughts. At length she reached a spot where
+a gigantic catalpa-tree overarched the garden and bent its branches
+almost to the earth. A table and a couple of chairs stood beneath the
+fresh and fragrant shade, and a book, inkstand, and embroidery-frame,
+gave token that the retreat had not long been abandoned by the lady
+herself. She seated herself in one of the chairs, took up the book, then
+the embroidery, let them fall one after another, and finally leaned her
+beautiful head on her hand, like one who is weary in spirit and anxious
+for rest.
+
+For a while her large dreamy eyes were vaguely fixed, as if gazing into
+space; at intervals a smile played around her mouth, and her lips moved
+as if talking with a friend. Occasionally her drooping eyelids closed
+entirely; but the lashes quickly reopened, only to fall more heavily
+than before, till at last a profound sleep or intense reverie seemed to
+get possession of her mind and body.
+
+But did she sleep? There is no doubt that her spirit watched and was
+happy; for a pleasant expression constantly played over her features,
+and, if sometimes it became serious, the joyous look quickly returned
+with all its radiance. She had long been plunged by this happy dream
+into complete forgetfulness of real life, when a noise of wheels and the
+neigh of a horse was heard at the gateway, disturbing the silence of
+Grinselhof. Still the maiden was not aroused.
+
+The old _caleche_ returned from the city, drew up near the stable, and
+the farmer and his wife ran out to salute their master and put up the
+horse. While they were thus engaged, Monsieur De Vlierbeck got out of
+the vehicle and spoke to them kindly, but in a voice so full of sadness
+that both looked at him with astonishment. In fact, the gravity of this
+singular person never abandoned him even in his most affable moods; but
+at that moment his physiognomy indicated a degree of intense depression
+which was by no means habitual. He seemed altogether worn out with
+fatigue, and his eyes, which were commonly so vivacious, drooped, dull
+and languishing, beneath their heavy lids.
+
+The horse was quickly put in the stable, and the young lackey, who had
+already divested himself of his livery, took several baskets and packets
+from the vehicle, carried them into the farm-house, and placed them on
+the table of the antechamber.
+
+"And now, Master John," said De Vlierbeck, approaching the farmer, "I
+shall have need of you. There will be company to-morrow at Grinselhof.
+Monsieur Denecker and his nephew dine here."
+
+The farmer, perfectly stupefied by the announcement and scarcely able to
+believe his own ears, looked at his master with staring eyes and gaping
+mouth, and, after a moment's hesitation, stammered forth,--
+
+"That large, rich gentleman, sir, who sits near you every Sunday at high
+mass?"
+
+"The same, John. Is there any thing surprising in it?"
+
+"And young Monsieur Gustave, who spoke to _mademoiselle_ in the
+churchyard when church was over?"
+
+"The same!"
+
+"Oh, sir, they are such rich people! They have bought all the land
+around Echelpoel. They have at least ten horses in the stable at their
+_chateau_, without counting those they have in town. Their carriage is
+silver from top to bottom."
+
+"I know it; and it is exactly on that account that I desire to receive
+them in a becoming manner. You must be ready; your wife and your son
+also. I shall call you to-morrow morning very early. You will willingly
+lend a hand to help me, won't you?"
+
+"Certainly, certainly, sir; a word from you is enough. I am always happy
+to be able to serve you in any way."
+
+"Thank you for your kindness, John. We understand one another, my worthy
+fellow; and so farewell till to-morrow."
+
+Monsieur De Vlierbeck entered the farm-house, gave some orders to the
+young man in relation to the things he had taken from the vehicle, and,
+passing through the screening grove, walked on to Grinselhof.
+
+As soon as he was out of the farmer's sight his physiognomy assumed a
+more serene expression, and there was a smile on his lips as he cast his
+eyes around in search of some one in the solitude of the garden At a
+turn of the path his eye fell suddenly on the sleeping girl. How
+beautiful she was in her calm repose! The golden twilight covered her
+with its bright reflection, and threw a rosy tint on every thing about
+her. Thick curls strayed in beautiful disorder over her cheeks, and
+snowy flowers, shaken from the catalpa's branches by the evening breeze,
+had fallen around her in profusion. She still dreamed, and the happy
+smile yet rested on her features. De Vlierbeck gazed earnestly at his
+sleeping child, and raised his eyes to heaven as he said,
+tremulously,--"Thanks, Almighty Father! she is happy! Let my martyrdom
+be prolonged; but may all my sufferings render thee compassionate for
+her!"
+
+After this short and ardent ejaculation he threw himself into a chair,
+leaned his arm carefully on the table, and, resting his hand on it,
+remained still as a statue. For a long time he watched his sleeping
+child, while his face seemed to reflect each emotion that flitted across
+the delicate features of the maiden. Suddenly a modest blush overspread
+her brow, and her lips began to articulate. The old gentleman watched
+her narrowly, and, although she had not spoken in connected sentences,
+he caught one of those stray words which often betoken what is passing
+in a dreamer's mind.
+
+"'GUSTAVE!' She dreams of Gustave. May God be propitious to us! Ah, yes,
+my child," exclaimed her father, "open thy heart to hope! Dream, dream;
+for who knows what is in store for us? Yet, no!--let us not destroy
+these happy moments by cold reality! Sleep, sleep! let thy soul enjoy
+the heavenly enchantment of love which it is awakening!"
+
+Monsieur De Vlierbeck continued for a while his quiet observation of the
+sleeper, and then, rising, passed behind her chair and imprinted a long
+kiss on her forehead.
+
+Still half-dreaming, the sleeper slowly opened her eyes; and, the moment
+she perceived who had awakened her, she sprang into her father's arms
+with a bound, and, hanging round his neck, overwhelmed him with
+questions and kisses.
+
+Vlierbeck gently disengaged himself from his daughter's embrace, as he
+remarked, in a tone of raillery,--
+
+"It seems altogether unnecessary, Lenora, to inquire what new beauties
+you have discovered in Vondel's 'Lucifer.' You have not had time, I take
+it for granted, to begin the comparison between this masterpiece of our
+native tongue and Milton's 'Paradise Lost'?"
+
+"Ah! father," murmured Lenora, "my mind is indeed strangely troubled. I
+do not know what is the matter with me; I cannot even read with
+attention."
+
+"Come, Lenora, my child, don't be sad. Sit down: I have something of
+importance to tell you. You do not know why I went to town to-day, do
+you? It was because we are to have company to dinner to-morrow!"
+
+Lenora gazed at her father with an earnest and questioning look.
+
+"It is Monsieur Denecker," continued he:--"the wealthy merchant, you
+know, who sits near me at church and lives at the _chateau_ of
+Echelpoel."
+
+"Oh, yes! I remember him, father; he always speaks to me so kindly, and
+never fails to help me from the carriage when we go to church."
+
+"But your _eyes_ ask, I see, Lenora, whether he is coming _alone_.
+_Another_ person will accompany him, my girl!"
+
+"_Gustave!"_ exclaimed the maiden, involuntarily and blushing.
+
+"Exactly! Gustave will be here," replied Monsieur De Vlierbeck. "Don't
+tremble on that account, Lenora; and don't become frightened because
+your innocent heart may find itself opening to the dawn of new
+sensations. Between us, my child, there can be no secret that my love
+will not discover."
+
+His daughter's eyes looked inquiringly into his own, as if asking an
+explanation of the enigma. But all of a sudden, as if a ray had darted
+unexpectedly into her soul, she threw her arms around the old man's neck
+and hid her face in his bosom.
+
+"Oh, father! beloved father," murmured she, "your kindness is
+unbounded!"
+
+For some moments the old gentleman did not put aside the affectionate
+caresses of his child; but by degrees his expression became gloomy;
+tears started into his eyes, and he said, in broken tones,--
+
+"Lenora, whatever may happen to us in life, thou wilt always love thy
+father thus, wilt thou not?"
+
+"Always, always, father!'
+
+"Lenora, my child," continued he, with a sigh, "thy tender affection is
+my only recompense and happiness here below: never deprive my soul of
+its consolation!"
+
+The sad tone in which these words were uttered touched the maiden's
+heart so deeply that she took her father's hands, without saying a
+syllable, and wept in silence with her head in his bosom.
+
+For a long time they remained thus motionless, absorbed by a feeling
+which was neither joy nor sorrow but seemed to acquire its power and
+mastery by the mingling of these opposite sentiments.
+
+Monsieur De Vlierbeck's expression was the first to change. His features
+became severe as he bent his head downward reproachfully. In truth, the
+strange words that started the tears into his daughter's eyes had
+excited the reflection in his own mind that another person was, perhaps,
+about to share his Lenora's love and probably to separate him from her
+forever. He was ready for every sacrifice, were it even infinitely
+greater, provided it contributed to the happiness of his child; yet the
+very idea of separation caused his heart to bleed at every pore. By
+degrees he stifled this selfish anxiety, and, striving to control
+himself, raised his daughter with a kiss.
+
+"Come, Lenora," said he, "be gay again! Isn't it a happy thing that our
+hearts can sometimes get into the shade after they have been too much in
+the sunshine? Let us go into the house. We have many arrangements to
+make in order to receive our guests becomingly."
+
+Lenora obeyed her father in silence, and followed him slowly, while the
+tears still dropped from her beautiful eyes.
+
+Some hours afterward Monsieur De Vlierbeck might have been seen seated
+in the principal saloon of Grinselhof, near a little lamp, with his
+elbows on the table. The apartment was dark and dreary, for the feeble
+rushlight illuminated but a single spot and cast the distant and lofty
+ceiling into vague obscurity. The flickering flame threw long and sombre
+shadows over the wall, while a line of old portraits in the panels
+seemed to fix their stern and immovable eyes on the table. Amid the
+gloom nothing came out with distinctness but the calm and noble face of
+the poor old gentleman, who sat there, absorbed in his reflections,
+fixed as a statue.
+
+At length, rising from his chair and cautiously walking on tiptoe to the
+end of the room, he stopped and listened at the closed door. "She
+sleeps," said he, in a low voice; and, raising his eyes to heaven,
+added, with a sigh, "may God protect her rest!" Then, returning to the
+table, he took the lamp, and, opening a large safe which was imbedded in
+the wall, he went down on his knees and drew forth some napkins and a
+table-cloth, which he unfolded carefully to see whether they were torn
+or stained. As he refolded the articles one after the other, a smile
+betokened that he was pleased with his examination. Rising from this
+task, he went back to the table, from the drawer of which he took a
+piece of buckskin and whiting. Mashing the latter with a knife-handle,
+he began to rub and polish several silver forks and spoons which were in
+a basket. The salt-cellars and other small articles of table-service,
+which were mostly of the same metal, were all subjected to a similar
+process, and soon glittered brightly in the feeble lamplight.
+
+While he was engaged in this strange work, the soul of the poor old man
+was busy with a thousand conflicting thoughts and recollections. He was
+constantly muttering to himself; and many a tear escaped from his lids
+as he dreamed over the past and repeated the names of the loved and
+lost!
+
+"Poor brother!" ejaculated he; "but one man alone in the world knows
+what I have done for thee, and yet that man accuses me of bad faith and
+ingratitude! And thou, poor brother, art wandering in the icy solitudes
+of America, a prey perhaps to sickness and suffering, while for months
+no kindly look is fixed upon thee in that wilderness where thou earnest
+thy miserable wages! Son of a noble race! thou hast become a slave to
+the stranger, and thy toil serves to amass the fortunes which others are
+to enjoy! My love for thee has made me suffer martyrdom; but, as God is
+my judge, my affection has remained entire,--untouched! May thy soul, O
+brother, feel this aspiration of mine even in the isolation where thou
+art suffering; and may the consciousness of my love be a balm for thy
+misery!"
+
+The poor gentleman was absorbed for some time in painful meditation; but
+after a while his dream seemed over, and he betook himself again to
+work. He placed all the silver utensils side by side on the table, and,
+after carefully counting and examining them, resumed his soliloquy:--
+
+"Six forks! eight spoons! We shall be four at table: it will be
+necessary to be careful; else it will easily be seen something is
+wanting. I think, however, it will do. I must give very precise
+instructions to John's wife, for she is a clever woman, and knows what
+she is about!"
+
+As be uttered the last words he replaced the silver in the basket and
+locked it in the safe; after which he took the lamp, and, leaving the
+saloon on tiptoe, descended through a little door into a large vaulted
+cellar. Here he hunted about for a considerable time amid stacks of
+empty bottles, and at last succeeded in finding what he was in search
+of; but his face became extremely pale as he drew three bottles from the
+sand.
+
+"Good heavens! _only three bottles!_" exclaimed he; "three bottles of
+_table_-wine! and Monsieur Denecker is such a connoisseur of vintages!
+What shall I do if they ask for more when these three bottles are empty?
+I have it! I do not drink, and Lenora drinks very little; so there will
+be _two_ bottles for Monsieur Denecker and _one_ for his nephew! But,
+even at the worst, what is the use of anxiety? Let _luck_ settle it!"
+
+With this De Vlierbeck went into the corners of the cellar, where he
+gathered from the walls a quantity of cobwebs, which he wound
+artistically around the bottles and covered with dust and sand.
+
+On reaching the saloon he went to work with paste and paper to mend some
+rents in the tapestry on the wall; and then, after passing nearly half
+an hour in brushing his clothes and disguising their threadbare spots
+with water and ink, he came back to the table and made preparations for
+a task which was still more singular than any he had hitherto been
+engaged in. Taking from the drawer a silk thread, an awl, and a bit of
+wax, he put his boot on his knees and began to mend the rents in the
+leather with the skill of a cobbler! It will readily be supposed that
+this odd occupation stirred a variety of emotions in the heart of the
+poor gentleman; violent twitches and spasms passed over his face; his
+cheeks became red, then deadly pale; till at last, yielding to a
+passionate impulse, he cut the silk, threw it on the table, and, with
+his hands stretched toward the portraits, cried out, with struggling
+passion,--
+
+"Yes! behold me,--behold me,--ye whose noble blood runs in my veins!
+You, brave captain, who, fighting at the side of Egmont, at St. Quentin,
+gave your life for your country,--you, statesman and ambassador, who,
+after the battle of Pavia, rendered such eminent services to the Emperor
+Charles,--you, benefactor of your race, who endowed so many hospitals
+and churches,--you, proud bishop, who, as priest and scholar, defended
+so bravely your faith and your God,--behold me, all of you, not only
+from that senseless canvas, but from the bosom of God where you are at
+rest! He whom you have seen at the wretched task of mending his boots,
+and who devotes his life to the concealment of his poverty,--he is your
+descendant, your son! If the gaze of his fellow-men tortures him, before
+you at least he is not ashamed of debasing toil! glorious ancestry! you
+have fought the foes of your native land with sword and pen; but I,--I
+have to contend with unmerited shame and mockery, without a hope of
+ultimate triumph or glory; my weary soul sinks under its burden, and the
+world has nothing in store for me but scorn and contempt! And, yet, have
+I ever stained your noble escutcheon? All that I have done is generous
+and honest in the sight of God;--nay, the very fountain-head of my wo is
+love and compassion! Yes, yes!--fix your glittering eyes on me;
+contemplate me in the abyss of poverty where I am fallen! From the
+bottom of that pit I lift my brow boldly toward you, and your silent
+glance does not force me to grovel in the earth with shame! Here, in the
+presence of your noble images, I am alone with my soul, with my
+conscience;--hero, no mortification can touch the being who, as
+gentleman, Christian, brother, and father, has sacrificed himself to
+duty!"
+
+His voice ceased; and for a few moments he stood still in the midnight
+silence, looking at the antique portraits as the last echoes died away
+in the lofty apartment, with his arms stretched toward the pictures as
+if invoking the beings they represented.
+
+"Poor, senseless creature," continued he, after a while, clasping his
+hands and lifting them anew to heaven, "thy soul seeks deliverance in
+dreams! Yes; it is, perhaps, a dream, an illusion! Yet, thanks, thanks
+to the Almighty that allows even a dream to fortify me with courage and
+endurance! Enough: reality once more stares me in the face; and yet I
+defy the mocking spectre which points to ruin and misery!"
+
+"And then to-morrow,--to-morrow!" continued he; "wilt thou not tremble
+beneath the glance of those who seek the secret of thy life? Yes; study
+well thy part; have ready thy mask; go on bravely with thy cowardly
+farce! And now begone; thy nightly task is done;--beg, beg from sleep
+the oblivion of what thou art and of thy threatening future! _Sleep!_ I
+tremble at the very thought of it! Father in heaven, have mercy on us!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+
+At daybreak next morning everybody was busy at Grinselhof. John's wife
+and her serving-maid scoured the corridor and staircase; the farmer
+cleaned his stable; his son weeded the grass from the garden-walks. Very
+early in the day Lenora set matters in order in the dining-room and
+arranged with artistic taste all the pretty things she could find on the
+mantel-piece and tables. There was a degree of life and activity about
+Grinselhof that had not been seen in that solitude for many a year, and
+everybody went to work with alacrity, as if anxious to dispel the gloom
+that hung so long over the lonely dwelling. In the midst of the
+industrious crowd Monsieur De Vlierbeck might be seen moving about with
+words of encouragement and expressions of satisfaction; nor did he
+manifest the slightest symptom of the anxiety that was secretly gnawing
+his heart. A pleasant smile flattered his humble dependants, as he gave
+them to understand that their labors would be greatly honored by the
+approval of his expected guests.
+
+The farmer and his spouse had never seen De Vlierbeck so pleasant and so
+gay; and, as they sincerely loved their master, they were as much
+delighted by his joy as if they had been preparing for a village fair in
+which they were to take part. They never dreamed of pay for their
+generous toil, but derived their most grateful recompense from the
+pleasure they imparted to the hermit and his child.
+
+As soon as the principal preparations were completed, De Vlierbeck
+called his daughter and gave the necessary instructions for the dinner.
+Lenora was to confine herself to drilling the farmer's wife in serving
+the dishes with which she was not familiar. The old cooking-apparatus
+was lighted; wood kindled and crackled in the chimney; coals glistened
+in the grate; and high above the roof-tree, clouds of smoke betokened
+the good cheer that was to adorn the tables. Baskets of game were
+opened; stuffed poultry, savory pasties, and choice viands, were brought
+forth; dishes of green peas, beans, and other vegetables, appeared; and
+the women were speedily in a turmoil of stringing, shelling, cutting,
+washing, and stewing.
+
+Lenora herself did not shun her part in these humble duties, and amused
+her companions by the pleasant chat with which she whiled away the
+hours. The rustics, who had rarely enjoyed an opportunity of seeing her
+so closely or of enjoying a familiar conversation with the beauty, were
+of course delighted with her gay and affable manners; nor could they
+avoid expressing their pleasure when a few notes of a popular song
+happened to drop from Lenora's lips.
+
+The servant-maid instantly rose, and whispered, loud enough to be heard
+by Lenora,--
+
+"Oh, pray, do beg _mademoiselle_ to sing a verse or two of that song! I
+heard it at a distance the other day; and it was so beautiful that, fool
+as I am, I blubbered like a baby for half an hour behind the
+rose-bushes. And yet I think it was rather her sweet voice than the
+words that made me cry."
+
+"Oh, yes! do sing it for us; it would give us so much pleasure! Your
+voice is like a nightingale's; and I remember too, that my poor
+mother--alas! she is long ago in heaven--used to sing me to sleep with
+that blessed song. Pray, sing it for us, _mademoiselle_.
+
+"It's very long,"' said Lenora, smiling.
+
+"But if you only sing averse or two; it is a holiday with us, you know,
+_mademoiselle!_"
+
+"Well," returned Lenora, musingly, "if it will make you happy why should
+I refuse? Listen:--
+
+  "Beside a deep and rapid stream
+  A lonely maiden sat;
+  With sighs her snowy bosom heaved,
+  And tears bedewed the ground!
+
+  "A noble walked along the bank
+  And saw her bitter grief;
+  And, as her tears overflowed his heart,
+  It melted for the maid!"
+
+  'Speak, maiden, speak!' the wanderer cried!
+  'Why moan you here alone?'--
+  'Ah, sir, an orphan-child am I,
+  Whom God alone can save!
+
+  'Ah! seest thou not yon grassy mound
+  There sleeps my mother dear.
+  Behold yon rock, above the flood;
+  There fell my father down!
+
+  'The whirling torrent bore him on;
+  He struggled long in vain;
+  My brother leaped to help his sire,
+  And both together sank!
+
+  'And now I fly our silent hut,
+  Where desolation dwells,
+  To mourn upon this dreary bank,
+  And watch the wave and grave!'
+
+  'No longer grieve,' the stranger said,
+  'Thy heart shall ache no more;
+  A father and a brother too
+  To thee, poor lonely girl, I'll be!'
+
+  "He took her hand; he led her off;
+  In garments rich he clad the maid;
+  Before the altar promised love,
+  And blessed her life in happy home!"[A]
+
+[Footnote A: This simple and popular ballad, known in the Campine as
+_The Orphan_, is sung by all classes to an air which is full of touching
+melody.]
+
+As Lenora was about beginning the last verse of her song De Vlierbeck
+appeared on the sill of the kitchen door, and the peasants instantly
+rose in alarm at the freedom with which they were sitting in the
+presence of their young mistress, listening to her songs; but the poor
+gentleman at once understood the meaning of her action, and with a
+gesture of approval signaled them to be quiet. As the last words died on
+his ear,--"I'm glad to see you amusing yourselves," said he; "but, now
+that the song is ended, I want your services in another quarter, my good
+woman."
+
+Followed by Bess, the farmer's wife, he ascended to the dining-room,
+where the table-cloth was already laid and every thing in order for the
+reception of the dishes. Bessy's son was already there in livery, with a
+napkin over his arm; and De Vlierbeck immediately began to assign them
+their several tasks during the service of dinner, and to repeat and
+drill them in their tasks till he was perfectly satisfied with their
+performances.
+
+The hour for dinner was at length near at hand. Every thing was ready in
+the kitchen, and all were at their posts. Lenora, in full dress and with
+a palpitating heart, lingered in her chamber; while her father, with a
+book which he appeared to be reading, sat beneath the _catalpa_ in the
+garden.
+
+It was about two o'clock when a splendid equipage, drawn by a pair of
+superb English horses, entered the demesne of Grinselhof and drew up in
+front of the portal. De Vlierbeck welcomed his guests courteously, and
+Monsieur Denecker gave orders to the coachman to return precisely at
+five o'clock, as matters of importance required his presence in Antwerp
+before nightfall.
+
+Denecker was a large, stout person, dressed rather extravagantly, but in
+a style of studied carelessness which he evidently regarded as stylish.
+The expression of his face, it must be owned, was rather vulgar, and
+exhibited a compound of cunning and good-nature tempered by
+indifference. But Gustave, his nephew, belonged to an entirely different
+class of persons. His tall figure was graceful and easy, his countenance
+frank and manly, and his whole demeanor denoted refined manners and high
+cultivation. Blue eyes and blonde hair imparted a poetic air to his
+head; but an energetic glance and lofty brow took from it every
+expression of sentimental weakness.
+
+No sooner had De Vlierbeck presented his guests to Lenora, in the
+saloon, than Denecker broke forth in exclamations of undisguised
+admiration--
+
+"How charming, how beautiful she is! and yet so hidden in this
+Grinselhof of yours, Monsieur de Vlierbeck! What a shame, sir! what a
+shame!"
+
+In the mean time Gustave and Lenora had moved off to a short distance
+from the old gentlemen, and were busy in a chat of their own, inaudible
+to the rest but evidently interesting to themselves, for they were
+observed not only to blush but tremble. Denecker, in fact, could not
+help observing the young people's emotion; and, as De Vlierbeck passed
+down the saloon with him, remarked that the young beauty was evidently
+turning his nephew's head. "He talks of her constantly," said he, "and I
+don't know what may come of it; but I give you fair warning, Monsieur De
+Vlierbeck, if you are unwilling to see something more than compliments
+between these children you had better take time by the forelock. It will
+soon be too late to reason with them; for my nephew, with all his calm
+gentleness, is not the man to retreat before difficulties."
+
+De Vlierbeck was secretly delighted by the merchant's counsels, but was
+too wise to display anxiety.
+
+"You are joking, Monsieur Denecker," said he: "I can't think there is a
+particle of danger. They are both young, and there is nothing surprising
+in mutual attraction under such circumstances. There can hardly be any
+thing serious in their intercourse. But, come," added he, aloud; "I
+perceive that dinner is served; and so let us adjourn to the table!"
+Gustave led in the blushing girl, and the elders followed admiringly in
+their rear, while the merchant shook his finger coquettishly at his
+gallant nephew. De Vlierbeck placed Monsieur Denecker opposite him at
+table, and made Gustave the _vis-a-vis_ of Lenora.
+
+Bess brought in the dishes, while her son waited on the guests. The
+viands were prepared with considerable skill, and Denecker took frequent
+occasion to express his satisfaction with their exquisite flavor. In
+truth, he was rather surprised at the sumptuousness of the repast; for
+he had been prepared to expect lenten fare in a household which was
+renowned throughout the neighborhood for its austere economy.
+
+In a short time the conversation became general; and Lenora astonished
+Monsieur Denecker by the extent of her information and the admirable
+style in which she expressed herself and did the honors of the table.
+But, notwithstanding her ease and freedom while conversing with the
+uncle, an observer could not help detecting that she was shy, if not
+absolutely embarrassed, when obliged to reply to some casual remark of
+the nephew. Nor was Gustave more at ease than the maiden. In fact, they
+were both happy at heart because fate had thrown them together; but they
+would have been quite willing to enjoy that delicious silence which in
+love is often more eloquent than in language.
+
+In the mean while De Vlierbeck rattled away, with the ease of a man of
+the world, on all subjects that might interest his guests; yet he
+listened, with equal good manners, to Denecker's conversation, and now
+and then adroitly threw in such hints as allowed him to speak learnedly
+upon commercial matters. The merchant was gratified by his deferential
+civility, and was drawn toward his entertainer by a stronger bond than
+that of mere social politeness.
+
+Indeed, all went on swimmingly, and all were pleased with themselves.
+De Vlierbeck was especially gratified to find that Bess and her boy
+performed their tasks so well, and that the spoons and plates were so
+quickly washed and brought back that it was impossible to notice the
+deficiency of their number. One thing alone began to worry him. He saw
+with pain that while Denecker was busy with his food and chat he was
+equally busy with the wine, and that glass after glass disappeared with
+more rapidity than was agreeable to his supply. Besides this, Gustave,
+who was probably anxious for some excuse to have a word with Lenora upon
+any pretext, constantly asked permission to fill her glass; so that,
+very soon after the soup and meat had been disposed of, the first bottle
+was entirely emptied.
+
+Civility required that it should be immediately replaced; and, as De
+Vlierbeck observed that the more Monsieur Denecker talked the more he
+drank, he thought he might try whether less conversation would not
+moderate the merchant's thirst. But, alas! he was disappointed; for at
+that moment Denecker introduced the topic of wine, and, lauding the
+generous juice of the grape, expressed surprise at the extraordinary
+sobriety of his host. With this he redoubled his attack on the bottle,
+and was in some degree, though less vigorously, seconded by Gustave. De
+Vlierbeck's agony became more and more intense as he saw the rosy fluid
+sink and sink in the second bottle, until at length the last drop was
+drained into the merchant's glass.
+
+"Yes," said Denecker, "your wine is both old and good; but I have
+always found, in tasting liquors, that if we don't change them we lose
+their flavor. I take it for granted that you have a first-rate cellar,
+if I may judge by your first samples; so I propose that we now try a
+bottle of your _Chateau-margaux_; and, if we have time, we can finish
+with a bottle of _hochheimer_. I never drink _champagne_: it is a bad
+liquor for wine-drinkers."
+
+As the last words fell from Denecker, poor De Vlierbeck grew deadly
+pale, as his frightened spirit went rummaging through the cracks and
+crannies of his brain for some inspiration or expedient which might
+extricate him from his deep perplexity.
+
+"_Chateau-margaux?_" inquired he, with a calm smile. "Certainly, sir, if
+you wish it." And then, turning to the lackey,--"John," said he, "bring
+a bottle of _Chateau-margaux_: you will find it in the third cellar on
+the left-hand side."
+
+But the rustic stared at his master with gaping mouth, as if he had been
+addressed in one of the dead languages. Seeing the predicament, and
+mastering it rapidly,--
+
+"Excuse me," said De Vlierbeck, rising; "he would not find it, I fear. I
+will be back in a moment."
+
+Rushing into the kitchen, he seized the third and last bottle and
+descended to the cellar, where he stopped to draw breath and compose
+himself.
+
+"_Chateau-margaux! hochheimer! champagne!"_ exclaimed poor De
+Vlierbeck, "and not another drop of wine in my house but what is in this
+last bottle of claret! What _shall_ I do? what _can_ I do?" continued
+he, as he held the cobwebbed bottle in one hand and stroked his chin
+with the other. "But no matter: there's no time for reflection: the die
+is cast, and may God help me in my need!"
+
+He ascended the stair, entered the dining-room with the corkscrew in the
+last cork, and found that during his absence Lenora had ordered fresh
+glasses on the table.
+
+"This wine," said De Vlierbeck, holding the bottle knowingly to the
+light, "is at least twenty years old, Monsieur Denecker, and I sincerely
+hope it will please your palate." So saying, he filled the glasses of
+uncle and nephew, and gazed anxiously in their faces for the verdict.
+
+Denecker tasted the wine, drop by drop, like an epicure, and, shaking
+his head disappointedly,--
+
+"There's a mistake, doubtless," said he; "for it's the identical wine we
+had before."
+
+De Vlierbeck feigned surprise admirably, tasted the wine in turn, and
+replied,--
+
+"I _believe_ you are right, and that I _have_ made a mistake; yet, as
+the bottle is opened and not bad, suppose we drink it before I make
+another descent to the cellar' There's abundance of time."
+
+"I've no objection," answered the merchant, "provided you help us, so as
+to get through it the quicker." And so the column in the third and last
+bottle diminished more rapidly than its predecessors, till two or three
+glasses alone remained at the bottom to crown the festival.
+
+Poor De Vlierbeck could no longer conceal his agitation. He tried to
+keep his eyes off the fatal bottle; but a sort of fascination drew him
+back to it, and each time with increased anxiety. That dreadful word
+'_Chateau-margaux_' rang in his ears. His face blushed and grew pale,
+and a cold, clammy sweat stood in big beads on his forehead. Yet he felt
+that he had not entirely exhausted his resources, and resolved to fight
+the battle of humiliation to the end. He wiped his brow and cheeks,
+coughed, and turned aside as if about to sneeze. By dint of these
+manoeuvres he continued to conceal his nervousness till Denecker grasped
+the bottle to pour out its last drop. As he clasped the neck, a chill
+seized the hysterical frame of the poor gentleman, a deadly paleness
+overspread his features, and his head fell with a groan against the tall
+back of the chair. Was it in truth a fainting-fit, or did the sufferer
+take advantage of his emotion to play a part and escape the
+embarrassment of his situation?
+
+In a moment the whole party were on their feet, while Lenora screamed
+and ran to her father.
+
+"It's nothing," said De Vlierbeck, striving, after a minute or two, to
+rally himself. "I am faint; the confined air of this room overcame me.
+Let me walk a while in the garden and I will soon be better."
+
+As he said this he staggered to his feet, and, supported by Lenora and
+Gustave, moved toward the garden, followed by Denecker with an
+expression of the deepest concern. A short rest in the open air beneath
+the shade of a noble chestnut-tree quickly restored a faint color to De
+Vlierbeck's cheek and enabled him to tranquillize their anxiety about
+his sudden attack.
+
+"I will rest here a while out of doors," said he, "for fear the fit
+might return; and perhaps a slow walk in the garden might hasten my
+recovery."
+
+"It will do both of us good," answered Denecker; "and, besides, as I
+have to quit you at five o'clock, I don't want to leave Grinselhof
+without seeing its garden. Let us take a turn through your walks, and
+afterward we shall have time enough to finish another bottle."
+
+As he said this he passed Lenora's arm within his own, and, casting a
+coquettish glance at Gustave, began their promenade. By degrees De
+Vlierbeck rallied sufficiently to take part in the chat; and gardening,
+agriculture, sporting, and a hundred different country topics, were
+fully discussed. Lenora recovered her spirits and charmed their
+commercial guest by the mingled charms of her intellectual cleverness
+and innocent gayety. Wild as a deer, she dared him to run a race with
+her, and danced along the paths by his side full of mirth and
+sportiveness. In truth, Denecker was altogether captivated by the
+ingenuous girl, and, as he looked on her radiant face, could not help
+thinking that the future had some happy days in store for his gallant
+nephew. After a while Lenora strayed off in advance with Gustave, while
+the two elders lingered lazily along the path. Gustave was charmed with
+the flowers, the plants, the gold-fish, which Lenora pointed out to him;
+nor was he at all desirous to shorten their delicious flirtation by
+returning to the table. This chimed precisely with the anxiety of De
+Vlierbeck, who employed every stratagem he could conceive to keep his
+guest in the open air. He told stories, repeated jokes, appealed to
+Denecker's commercial knowledge, and even quizzed him a little when he
+found their conversation beginning to flag. In fact, he was rejoicing
+that five o'clock, and, of course, the carriage, were rapidly
+approaching, when Denecker suddenly recalled his nephew from a distant
+quarter of the garden where he was strolling with Lenora.
+
+"Come, Gustave; come," said he; "if you wish to drink a parting glass
+with us let us get in, for the coach will be here in a moment."
+
+De Vlierbeck instantly became pale as a sheet, and, trembling from head
+to foot, stared silently at Denecker, who could no longer restrain his
+surprise at these exhibitions.
+
+"Are you ill, sir?" said he.
+
+"My stomach is a singular one, Monsieur Denecker, and I suffer spasms if
+you even mention _wine!_ It is a strange malady; but--Oh, I hear your
+coach, Monsieur Denecker; and there it is, drawing up, I see, at the
+gateway."
+
+Of course Denecker spoke no more of wine; but, as he could not help
+noticing the alacrity with which De Vlierbeck hailed the prospect of his
+departure, he would have been deeply mortified, if not offended, had not
+the previous hospitality of his host satisfied him of their welcome. He
+thought, perhaps, that he ought to attribute his entertainer's conduct
+to some singular nervous disease which he masked under an antipathy for
+wine; and accordingly he took leave with a warm and friendly farewell.
+
+"I have passed a delightful afternoon with you, Monsieur De Vlierbeck,"
+said he. "We have found ourselves, I am sure, extremely happy in your
+and your daughter's charming society. It is a pleasure added to my life
+to have made your acquaintance; and I hope that further intimacy may
+assure me your friendship. In the mean while, let me thank you from the
+bottom of my heart for your kind reception."
+
+As he finished the sentence, Lenora and Gustave joined them.
+
+"My nephew," continued Denecker, "will confess, as I have done, that he
+has spent few happier hours than those that are just gone. I hope,
+Monsieur de Vlierbeck, that you and your charming daughter will return
+our visit and dine with us. Yet I shall have to ask your pardon for
+postponing the pleasure it will afford us till I return from Frankfort,
+where I am summoned, the day after to-morrow, on urgent business. It is
+probable I may be detained away a couple of months; but if my nephew
+should be allowed to visit you in my absence let me hope he will be
+welcome."
+
+De Vlierbeck reiterated his professions of delight at the new
+acquaintance; Lenora was silent; and Denecker moved off toward the
+coach.
+
+"But the parting glass, uncle!" exclaimed Gustave. "Let us go in for a
+moment and drink it."
+
+"No, no," said Denecker, interrupting him tartly. "I believe we would
+never get hence at all if we listened to you. It is time to be off, and
+I can delay no longer. Adieu!"
+
+Gustave and Lenora exchanged a long and anxious look, full of regret at
+separation and of hope for speedy reunion. In a moment the uncle and
+nephew were in the vehicle and the spirited horses in motion; but, as
+long as the group was in sight at the gate, a couple of white-gloved
+hands might have been seen waving farewells from the coach-window.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+
+A few days after the departure of his uncle, Gustave paid a visit to
+Grinselhof. He was received by Monsieur De Vlierbeck and his daughter
+with their usual kindness, passed the greater part of an afternoon with
+them, and went home at nightfall to the _chateau_ of Echelpoel full of
+delightful recollections and hopes. Either from a fear of disturbing the
+reserved habits of the old gentleman, or from a sense of politeness,
+Gustave did not at first repeat his visits too frequently; but after a
+couple of weeks the extreme cordiality of Vlierbeck dispelled all his
+scruples. The ardent youth no longer resisted an impulse that drew him
+toward the bewitching girl, nor did he allow a single day to roll by
+without passing the afternoon at Grinselhof. The happy hours flew
+rapidly on the wings of love. He strolled with Lenora through the shady
+walks of the old garden, listened to her father's observations on
+science and art, drank in the delicious notes of his loved one's voice
+as it was breathed forth in song, or, seated beneath the flowery and
+spreading catalpa, dreamed the dream of happiness that was in store for
+him with her who was probably soon to become his betrothed.
+
+If the noble and beautiful face of the maiden had won his eye and
+enlisted his feelings the moment he first beheld her in the village
+churchyard, _now_, that he had become familiar with her character, his
+love grew so ardently absorbing that the world seemed sad and dead if
+she were not present to shed the light of her joyous spirit upon every
+thing around him. Neither religion nor poetry could conjure up an angel
+more fascinating than his beloved. Indeed, though God had endowed her
+person with all those feminine graces that adorned the first woman in
+Paradise, he had also lavished on her a heart whose crystalline purity
+was never clouded, and whose generosity burst forth with every emotion
+like a limpid spring.
+
+But in all his interviews, Gustave had never yet been alone with Lenora.
+When he visited her she never left the apartment where she commonly sat
+with her father, unless the old gentleman expressed a wish that they
+should unite in a walk through the garden; and, of course, he had never
+enjoyed an opportunity to breathe the love that was rising to his lips.
+Still, he felt that it was altogether useless to express by words what
+was passing in their hearts; for the kindness, the respect, the
+affection, that shone in everybody's eyes, betokened the feeling which
+united them in a mingled sentiment of attachment and hope.
+
+Though Gustave entertained profound veneration for Lenora's father and
+really loved him as a son, there was something which at times came like
+a cloud betwixt himself and the old gentleman. What he heard outside of
+Grinselhof of De Vlierbeck's extraordinary avarice had been fully
+realized since he became intimate at the house. No one ever offered him
+a glass of wine or beer; he never received an invitation to dinner or
+supper; and he frequently observed the trouble that was taken by the
+master of the house to disguise his inhospitable economy.
+
+Avarice is a passion which excites no other emotion than that of
+aversion or contempt, because it is natural to believe that when so
+degrading a vice takes possession of one's soul it destroys every spark
+of generosity and fills it with meanness. Accordingly, Gustave had a
+long and fearful conflict with himself in order to subdue this
+instinctive feeling and to convince his judgment that De Vlierbeck's
+conduct was only a caprice which did not detract from the native dignity
+of his character. And yet, had the young man known the truth, he would
+have seen that a pang was hidden beneath every smile that flitted over
+the old man's face, and that the nervous shudders which at times shook
+his frame were the results of a suppressed agony that almost destroyed
+him. As he gazed on the happy face of Lenora and steeped his soul in the
+intoxication of her love, he never dreamed that her father's life was a
+prolonged punishment; that, day and night, a terrible future opened its
+vista before him; and that each moment of his existence brought him
+nearer and nearer to a dreadful catastrophe. He had not heard the
+inexorable sentence of the notary:--"Four months more and your bond
+expires, when all you possess in this world will be sold by the officers
+of justice to satisfy your creditors!"
+
+Two of those fatal months had already expired!
+
+If Monsieur De Vlierbeck appeared to encourage the young man's love, it
+was not alone in consequence of his sympathy with his feelings. No: the
+_denouement_ of his painful trial was to be developed within a defined
+period; and, if it proved inauspicious, there was nothing but dishonor
+and moral death for himself and child! Destiny was about to decide
+forever whether he was to come out victorious from this ten years'
+conflict with poverty, or whether he was to fall into the abyss of
+public contempt! These were the feelings that induced him to conceal his
+true position more carefully than ever, and, while he watched over the
+lovers like a guardian spirit, made him do nothing to check the rapid
+progress of their passion.
+
+As the time of his uncle's return approached, the two months seemed to
+Gustave to have flown by like a pleasant dream; and, although he felt
+sure that his relative would not oppose the union, he foresaw that he
+would not be allowed hereafter to spend so much of his time away from
+business. Indeed, the very idea that he might be obliged to pass
+considerable periods without seeing Lenora made him look for his
+uncle's return with any thing but delight.
+
+One day he contrived to whisper his fears and anticipations to Lenora,
+and, for the first time since their acquaintance, saw tears gathering in
+her eyes. The girl's emotion touched his heart so sensibly that he
+ventured timidly to take her hand, and held it in his for a long time
+without uttering a word. De Vlierbeck, who had overheard the remark,
+tried to comfort him, but his words did not seem to produce the desired
+effect; and, after a short time, Gustave rose abruptly and took leave,
+though his usual time of departure had not yet arrived. Lenora read in
+his expression that some sudden revolution had occurred in her lover's
+mind, for his eyes glistened with extraordinary animation. She strove
+eagerly to retain him by her side; but he resisted her appeal
+pleasantly, and declared that nothing should unveil his secret till the
+following day, when he would return to Grinselhof. De Vlierbeck,
+however, was more familiar with the world than his daughter; and,
+imagining that lie had penetrated the mystery of Gustave's conduct, many
+a pleasant dream hovered that night around his pillow.
+
+As the usual hour of Gustave's visit approached next day, De Vlierbeck's
+heart beat high with hope; and when the visitor appeared, clad with
+unusual neatness and care, the old gentleman welcomed him with more than
+ordinary warmth. After the compliments of the day had been paid to his
+ladylove, Gustave expressed a desire for a few moments' conversation
+with her father, who led him into an adjoining cabinet and seated
+himself by his side.
+
+"What is it you wish of me, my young friend?" said he, kindly.
+
+Gustave was silent for a moment, as if endeavoring to rally his ideas,
+and then spoke out in a manly way:--
+
+"I am about, my dear sir, to speak to you in regard to a matter that
+concerns my happiness; and, no matter what may be your decision, I am
+sure, from your kindness upon all occasions, that you will pardon my
+boldness. I can hardly imagine that the feeling--the irresistible
+feeling--I have entertained for Lenora from the first moment I saw her,
+has escaped your penetrating eye. I ought probably to have asked your
+consent long ago, before she obtained so complete a dominion over my
+heart; but I have always secretly encouraged the belief that you read my
+soul and wore not displeased with my motives."
+
+Gustave was silent, awaiting the hoped-for words of encouragement; but
+De Vlierbeck only looked at him with a gentle smile, and gave no other
+indication of his pleasure. A motion of the hand, as if he wished the
+lover to go on with his conversation, was the only sign he made in
+reply,
+
+Gustave's resolution began to ebb at this discouraging by-play; but,
+summoning all his energy for another attack, he continued:--
+
+"Yes, sir, I have loved Lenora from my first sight of her; but what was
+then a spark is now a flame. Don't think it is her loveliness alone that
+bewitched me. She might indeed enchant the most insensible of mankind;
+but I found a far more glorious treasure in the angelic heart of your
+daughter. Her virtue, the immaculate purity of her soul, her gentle and
+magnanimous sentiments,--in a word, the prodigal gifts of mind and body
+which God has lavished on her,--have increased my admiration to love, my
+love to absolute idolatry! How dare I conceal my emotion from you any
+longer? I cannot live without Lenora; the very thought of even a short
+temporary separation from her overwhelms me with despair. I long to be
+with her every day, every hour; I long to hear her voice and read my
+happiness in her eloquent eyes! I know not what may be your decision;
+but, believe me, if it shall be adverse to my hopes, I shall not long
+survive the blow. If your decree separate, me from my beloved Lenora,
+life will no longer have a charm for me!"
+
+Gustave uttered his romantic rhapsody--the rhapsody of most lovers--with
+that genuine emotion which bespoke his sincerity, and touched the heart
+of De Vlierbeck so deeply that he grasped his hand and implored him to
+be calm.
+
+"Don't tremble so, my young friend," said the old gentleman. "I know
+very well that you love Lenora, and that she is not insensible to your
+affection for her. But what have you to propose to me?"
+
+Gustave replied, dejectedly,--"If I still doubt your approval, after all
+the marks of esteem you have given me, it is because I fear you do not
+consider me worthy the happiness I have sought. I have no ancestral tree
+whose roots are buried in the past; the good deeds of my forefathers do
+not shine in history; the blood that runs in my veins comes from a
+common stock."
+
+"Do you think," said De Vlierbeck, interrupting him, "that I was
+ignorant of all this from the first day of our acquaintance? No Gustave;
+no matter what your lineage may be, your own heart is generous and
+noble; and, had it not been so, I would never have esteemed and treated
+you as my son."
+
+"And so," exclaimed Gustave, catching at the last words with a burst of
+joyous impatience, "you don't refuse me Lenora's hand?--you will
+interpose no objection, provided my uncle gives his consent?"
+
+"No," replied De Vlierbeck; "I shall not refuse it to you. On the
+contrary, it will give me unbounded happiness to intrust the fate of my
+only child to your keeping. And yet there is an obstacle of which you
+have no idea."
+
+"An obstacle!" exclaimed Gustave, growing pale;--"an obstacle between
+Lenora and me?"
+
+"Be silent a moment," said De Vlierbeck, "and listen to the explanation
+I shall give you. You think, Gustave, I suppose, that Grinselhof and
+all its dependencies belong to us? It is not so: we are penniless. We
+are poorer far than the peasant who rents our farming-land and lives
+yonder at the gate!"
+
+Gustave looked doubtingly at De Vlierbeck, with so incredulous a smile
+that the poor gentleman blushed, and trembled like an aspen.
+
+"I see you do not believe me," continued he; "I see it in your smile and
+look. Like the rest of them, you think me a miser, hiding my wealth and
+starving my child and myself to amass riches,--a wretch who sacrifices
+every thing for money,--a vagabond whom all ought to fear and despise!"
+
+"Oh, pardon me, pardon me, sir!" interrupted Gustave, moved by the
+excitement of the old man "I think nothing of the kind! My veneration
+for you is unbounded!"
+
+"Nay, don't be frightened at my words, young man," continued De
+Vlierbeck, in a calmer tone. "I make no accusations against you,
+Gustave. I only saw in your incredulous smile that I had succeeded in
+masking my poverty even from you, and in making you suppose that my
+economy was avarice. But it is needless for me to give you any further
+explanation just now. Let it suffice you to know that what I say is
+strictly, honestly true. I possess nothing,--nothing!"
+
+"And now," added he, after a moment's silence on both sides, "let me
+give you a piece of advice. Go home to-day without seeing Lenora;
+examine your soul calmly, and see whether there are no secret emotions
+that may make you change your present views; let a night pass, and if,
+to-morrow, Lenora, poor as you now know her to be, is still dear to
+you,--if you still think you can be happy with her and can make her
+happy,--seek your uncle and ask his consent. Here is my hand: if the day
+shall ever come when I can offer it as a father's, it will be the
+happiest of my life!"
+
+Although the revelation made by Monsieur De Vlierbeck was astonishing to
+Gustave, the solemn tone in which he announced it convinced the lover of
+its truth. He was silent for a moment; but soon a spark of enthusiasm
+began to glisten in his eye and light up his face, as he exclaimed,--
+
+"How can you ask me if I shall continue to love Lenora now that I know
+her to be poor? It will be happiness enough for me to receive her as a
+wife, to be bound to her by the eternal bonds of love, to be forever
+within her reach, and to receive my happiness from her look and voice!
+What delight it will be for me to protect her and know that I have the
+privilege of working for her! Palace or hovel; riches or poverty, all
+are equally indifferent to me, provided her presence animates the spot!
+A night's reflection, Monsieur De Vlierbeck, cannot change my
+resolution. Grant me Lenora's hand, and I will thank you on my knees for
+the priceless gift!"
+
+"And suppose I do," replied the old gentleman; "generosity and
+constancy are natural to the ardent character of youth:--but your
+uncle?"
+
+"My uncle!" murmured Gustave, with evident grief; "that is true; I need
+his consent. All I possess or ever shall possess in the world depends on
+his affection for me. I am the orphan son of his brother. He adopted me
+as his child and has overwhelmed me with kindness. He has the right to
+decide my lot in life, and I must obey him."
+
+"And do you think that he, a merchant, who probably places a very high
+value on money, because experience has taught him its value, will say,
+like you, 'Palace or hovel, poverty or wealth, it makes no difference'?"
+
+"Alas! I know not, Monsieur De Vlierbeck," said Gustave, droopingly.
+"But my uncle is so good to me--so extraordinarily good--that I may
+rightly hope for his consent. He will return to-morrow. When I embrace
+him I will declare all my wishes. I will say my comfort, my happiness,
+my life, depend on his consent. I know that he loves Lenora sincerely;
+for, before his departure, he even seemed to encourage my pretensions to
+her hand. Your disclosures will undoubtedly surprise him; but my prayers
+will conquer: believe it!"
+
+Monsieur De Vlierbeck rose, to put an end to the conversation.
+
+"Well, ask your uncle's consent," said he; "and, if your hopes are
+realized, let him come here and consult about the marriage. Whatever
+may be the issue of this affair, Gustave, you at least have always
+behaved toward us with the delicacy of a generous youth. My esteem and
+friendship shall always be yours. Go now; quit Grinselhof this time
+without seeing Lenora, for you ought not to meet her until this affair
+is settled. I will tell her myself whatever I think proper for her to
+know."
+
+Half pleased, half sad,--his heart divided between joy and
+anxiety,--Gustave bade farewell to Lenora's father and returned to
+Echelpoel.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+
+On the afternoon of the following day Monsieur De Vlierbeck was seated
+in his parlor, his head resting on his hand. He seemed plunged in
+profound thought, for his eyes were fixed on vacancy and his face
+exhibited by turns contentment and hope, inquietude and anxiety.
+
+Occasionally Lenora came into the apartment, and, seeming unusually
+restless, wandered about from spot to spot, arranging and rearranging
+the little fancy articles upon the tables, looking out of the window
+into the garden, and at last running down-stairs suddenly as if she were
+pursued. No one who saw her could doubt that she was nervously anxious
+about something; yet her expression was one of joy and hope. Had she
+been able to penetrate her father's mind and behold the various emotions
+that excited it, she would not perhaps have been so gay and blithesome;
+but poor De Vlierbeck restrained himself with his habitual care in her
+presence, and smiled at her impatience as if he too were confident of
+approaching happiness.
+
+At length, tired of running about, Lenora seated herself by her father
+and fixed her clear and questioning gaze on his face.
+
+"Don't be so excited, my good child," said he. "We shall know nothing
+to-day; but we may, perhaps, to-morrow. Moderate your joy, my daughter;
+if it please Heaven to decide against your hope in this matter your
+grief will be more easily conquered."
+
+"Oh, no, father!" stammered Lenora; "God will grant my prayer; I feel it
+in my heart. Don't be astonished, father, that I am full of joy, for I
+think I see Gustave speaking to his uncle. I hear what he says, and
+Monsieur Denecker's replies; I see him embrace Gustave and give his
+consent! Who can doubt, father, that I ought to hope, when I know that
+Monsieur Denecker loved me and was always kind?"
+
+"Would you be very happy, Lenora," asked De Vlierbeck, with a smile, "if
+Gustave were betrothed to you?"
+
+"Never to leave him!" cried Lenora,--"to love him,--to be the happiness
+of his life, his consolation, his joy,--to enliven the solitude of
+Grinselhof by our love!--ah! that, father, would be delight indeed; for
+then there would be two of us to contribute to the pleasures of your
+life! Gustave would have more skill than I to chase away the grief that
+sometimes clouds your brow; you could walk, talk, or hunt with him; he
+would venerate and love you as a son and watch you with the tenderest
+care; his only thought on earth would be to make you happy, because he
+knows that your happiness is mine; and I--I, father, will recompense him
+for his devotion by the gratitude of my heart, and love. Oh, yes, dear
+father! we shall live together in a paradise of contentment!"
+
+"Ingenuous girl!" exclaimed De Vlierbeck, with a sigh; "may the Lord
+hear your prayer! But the world, my child, is governed by laws and
+customs of which you are altogether ignorant. A wife must follow her
+husband wherever he goes. If Gustave shall select another residence you
+must follow him and console yourself gradually at the separation from
+your father. Under other circumstances, parting might be painful; but
+solitude will not sadden me if I know you are happy, my child."
+
+The startled maiden looked at her father with surprise as he uttered
+these words; and, as he finished, her head fell heavily on her breast
+and tears streamed silently from her eyes. Monsieur De Vlierbeck took
+her hand tenderly as he said, in faltering words,--
+
+"I feared, Lenora, that I would make you sad; but you must become
+accustomed to the idea of our separation."
+
+Lenora raised her head quickly as she replied, in a firm and resolute
+manner, "What! could Gustave ever dream of our separation? To leave you
+at Grinselhof passing your days in seclusion while I and my husband were
+in the world in the midst of festivity? I should not have an instant's
+rest, wherever I might be; conscience would cry aloud in my heart,
+'Ungrateful and insensible child, thy father is abandoned to suffering
+and solitude!' Yes, I love Gustave; he is dearer to me than life itself,
+and I receive his hand as a blessing from God; but if he should say to
+me, 'Abandon your father!'--if he left me no choice except you or
+him,--I would close my eyes and reject him! I should be sad; I should
+suffer; perhaps even I should die; but, father dear, I would die in your
+arms!"
+
+She bent down her head for a moment as if oppressed by a dreadful
+thought; but, raising her large eyes, liquid with tears, she fixed them
+on her father, as she added,--
+
+"You doubt Gustave's affection for you; you imagine him capable of
+filling your life with sorrow,--of separating me from you! Oh, father,
+you do not know him; you do not know how much he respects and loves you;
+you do not comprehend the warmth of his generous and loving heart!"
+
+De Vlierbeck bent over his child and impressed a kiss on her forehead,
+as he was about to utter some words of consolation, when suddenly Lenora
+sprang from his arms and pointed eagerly to the window, as if listening
+to approaching sounds.
+
+The noise of wheels and the clatter of horses on the road soon gave
+Monsieur De Vlierbeck to understand why his daughter had been so
+startled. His face assumed a more animated expression, and, descending
+hurriedly, he reached the door as Monsieur Denecker alighted from his
+coach.
+
+The merchant seemed in exceedingly good humor; he grasped De Vlierbeck's
+hand, expressing his delight at seeing him once more. "How goes it with
+you, my old friend? It seems that rogue, my nephew, has taken advantage
+of my absence." And, although De Vlierbeck ushered him into the saloon
+with all the formality imaginable, Denecker slapped him familiarly on
+the shoulder, and continued,--
+
+"Well! well! we were good friends from the beginning; and now I
+understand we are to be regular gossips:--at least I hope so. That scamp
+hasn't bad taste, I must confess. He would have to make a long search
+before he found a handsomer or more amiable woman than Lenora. Look you,
+Monsieur De Vlierbeck, we must have a wedding frolic that people will
+talk of twenty years hence!"
+
+By this time they had got into the saloon and taken their seats; but De
+Vlierbeck, nervous as he was, had considerable doubt as to the tone of
+Denecker's remarks, and whether he was jesting or serious.
+
+"It seems," continued Denecker, assuming a graver tone, "that Gustave is
+madly impatient for this union, and begs me to hasten it. I have taken
+compassion on the young fellow and left all the business of our house
+topsy-turvy to-day to arrange matters with you. He tells me you have
+given your consent. That was kind of you, sir. I thought a great deal of
+this affair during my journey, for I had observed that Cupid's arrows
+had gone clean through and through the boy; yet I had fears about your
+consent. Inequality of blood, old-fashioned ideas, might perhaps
+interfere."
+
+"And so Gustave told you that I consented to his marriage with Lenora?"
+said the old gentleman, paying no attention to Monsieur Denecker's
+remarks.
+
+"Did he deceive me, sir?" said Denecker, with surprise.
+
+"No; but did he communicate something else to you, which ought to strike
+you as of equal importance?"
+
+Denecker threw back his head with a laugh, as he replied,--
+
+"What nonsense you made him believe! But, between us two, that passes
+for nothing. He tells me that Grinselhof don't belong to you and that
+you are _poor_! I hope, Monsieur De Vlierbeck, you have too good an
+opinion of my sense to imagine I have the least faith in such a story?"
+
+A shudder passed over the poor gentleman's frame. Denecker's
+good-humored familiarity had made him believe that he knew and credited
+all, and nevertheless responded to his nephew's hopes; but the last
+words he heard taught him that he must again go over the sad recital of
+his misfortunes.
+
+"Monsieur Denecker," said he, "do not entertain the least doubt, I beg
+you, in regard to what I am about to say. I am willing instantly to
+consent that my daughter shall become your nephew's wife; but I solemnly
+declare that I am poor,--frightfully poor!"
+
+"Come, come!" cried the merchant; "we knew long, long ago that you were
+mightily fond of your money; but when you marry your _only_ child you
+must open your heart and your purse, my dear sir, and portion her
+according to your means. They say--pardon me for repeating it--that you
+are _a miser_; but what a shame it would be to let your only daughter
+leave your house unprovided for!"
+
+Poor De Vlierbeck writhed on his chair as Denecker poured forth his
+incredulous jokes. "For God's sake, sir," cried he, "spare me these
+bitter remarks. I declare, on the word of a gentleman, that I possess
+_nothing_ in the world!"
+
+"Well!" cried the merchant, taking no heed of his remarks, and with a
+mocking smile, "come; let us cipher the matter out on the table. You
+suppose, perhaps, that I have come here to ask some great sacrifice of
+you: but no, De Vlierbeck, thank God, I have no occasion to be so close
+in my calculations. Yet a marriage is a thing to which there are always
+two parties, and it is just that each should bring something into the
+common stock."
+
+"Oh, God! oh, God!" muttered the poor gentleman, as he clenched his
+hands convulsively.
+
+"I propose to give my nephew one hundred thousand francs," continued
+Denecker; "and if he wants to continue in business my credit will be
+worth as much more to him. I have no wish that Lenora's portion shall
+equal his. Your high birth, and especially your character, will make up
+what is wanting in her fortune; but what say you to the half,--fifty
+thousand francs? You will consent to that, or I am much mistaken. What
+say you? Is it a bargain?"
+
+Pale and trembling, De Vlierbeck sat riveted to his chair; but at last,
+in a low, melancholy voice,--
+
+"Monsieur Denecker," said he, "this conversation kills me. I beg you to
+stop this infliction. I repeat that I possess _nothing_; and, since you
+force me to speak before you apprize me of your own intentions, know
+that Grinselhof and its dependencies are mortgaged beyond their value!
+It is useless to inform you of the origin of these debts. Let it suffice
+to repeat that I tell the truth; and I beg you, without going further,
+now that you are informed of the state of my affairs, to declare frankly
+what are your designs as to your nephew's marriage."
+
+Although this declaration was made with that feverish energy which ought
+to have satisfied Denecker of its truth, it nevertheless failed to
+convince him. A degree of surprise displayed itself on the merchant's
+face; but he continued his observations in the same incredulous tone:--
+
+"Pardon me, De Vlierbeck, but it is impossible to believe you. I did not
+think you were so hard in a bargain. Yet be it so: every man has his
+weakness; one is too miserly, another too prodigal. Now, for my part, I
+confess that I am extremely anxious to spare Gustave the anxiety of
+delay. Give your daughter twenty-five thousand francs, with the
+understanding that the amount of her portion is to remain a secret; for
+I don't want to be laughed at. Twenty-five thousand francs!--you cannot
+say it is too much;--in fact, it is a trifle that will hardly pay for
+their furniture. Be reasonable, my good sir, and let us shake hands on
+it!"
+
+De Vlierbeck said nothing; but, rising abruptly from the table, opened a
+closet with a trembling hand, and, taking from it a package of papers,
+threw them on the table.
+
+"There!" said he; "read; convince yourself."
+
+Denecker took up the papers and began to examine them. As he went on,
+the expression of his face gradually changed, and at times he raised
+his head and looked upward, as if in deep thought. After he had been
+engaged for some time in this disagreeable task, De Vlierbeck
+recommenced the conversation in a tone of cutting irony:--
+
+"Ah! you would not believe me, sir. Well, let your determination be
+founded on those papers alone. It is right you should know every thing;
+for I have determined never again to be tortured. Besides the evidences
+of debt which are before you, I owe a bill of exchange for four thousand
+francs, which I cannot pay! You see now, Monsieur Denecker, that I am
+worse than poor, for I have debts!"
+
+"Alas! it is but too true," said the stupefied merchant; "you have
+indeed nothing! I see by these documents that my notary is also yours;
+and, although I spoke to him of your fortune, he left me unadvised, or,
+I should rather say, in error."
+
+De Vlierbeck breathed more freely, for he felt as if a rock had fallen
+from his breast. His face resumed its ordinary calmness; and, seating
+himself, he continued:--
+
+"Now, sir, if you have no longer any reason to doubt my poverty, let me
+ask what are your intentions."
+
+"My intentions?" replied the merchant; "my intentions are that we shall
+remain as good friends as we were before; but, as to the marriage, that
+of course falls to the ground. We will speak no more about it. What were
+_your_ calculations, Monsieur De Vlierbeck? I think I am just beginning
+to see a little clearly into this matter! You imagined, I suppose, that
+you would make a good business out of it and sell your merchandise as
+high as possible!"
+
+"Sir," exclaimed De Vlierbeck, bounding from his chair in rage, "speak
+respectfully of my daughter! Poor or rich, do not dare to forget who she
+is!"
+
+"Don't get angry! don't get angry! Monsieur De Vlierbeck. I have no
+desire to insult you. Far from it. Had your enterprise succeeded I would
+probably have admired you; but _finesse_ against _finesse_ always makes
+a bad game! Permit me to ask, since you are so touchy on the point of
+honor, if you have acted a very honorable part in courting my nephew and
+allowing his passion to absorb him?"
+
+De Vlierbeck bowed his head to conceal the blush that suffused his aged
+cheeks; nor did he awake from his painful stupor till the merchant
+recalled him by the single word,--
+
+"Well?"
+
+"Ah!" stammered De Vlierbeck, "have mercy on me! Love for my child,
+probably, led me astray. God endowed her with all the gifts that can
+adorn a woman. I hoped that her beauty, the purity of her soul, the
+nobility of her blood, were treasures quite as precious as gold!"
+
+"That is to say, for a gentleman, perhaps; but not for so common a
+person as a merchant," interrupted Monsieur Denecker, with a sneer.
+
+"Don't reproach me with having _courted_ your nephew," continued De
+Vlierbeck. "That is a word that wounds me deeply; for it is unjust.
+Their attachment was reciprocal and in every way unstudied. I thanked
+God daily in my prayers that he had cast in our path a savior for my
+child:--yes, a savior, I say; for Gustave is an honorable youth, who
+would have made her happy not so much by money as by his noble and
+generous character. Is it then so great a crime for a father who has
+unfortunately become poor to hope that his child should escape want?"
+
+"Certainly not," replied the merchant; "but every thing is in _success_;
+and in that respect, Monsieur De Vlierbeck, your enterprise has been
+unfortunate. I am a man who examines his goods twice before he buys, and
+it is difficult to pass apples on me for lemons!"
+
+This heartless, trafficking slang tortured the unfortunate bankrupt to
+such a degree that he arose from his seat in a passion and began to pace
+the apartment.
+
+"You have no consideration for my misfortunes, sir," said he. "You
+pretend that I designed deceiving you; but was it _you_ who discovered
+my poverty? Are you not free to act as you please, after the disclosures
+that I have voluntarily given you? And let me remark, sir, that if I
+listen humbly to your reproaches--if I even acknowledge my fault--the
+sense of manhood is not dead in my soul. You talk of 'merchandise' and
+'goods,' as if you came here to buy something! You allude to my Lenora,
+do you? All your wealth, sir, could not purchase her! and, if love is
+not powerful enough in your eyes to obliterate the pecuniary inequality
+between us, know that I am a De Vlierbeck, and that name, even in
+poverty, weighs more than all your money!"
+
+During this explosion his face kindled with indignation and his eyes
+shot forth their fiery rays upon the merchant, who, alarmed by the loud
+words and animated gestures of De Vlierbeck, regarded him with an air of
+stupefaction from the other side of the apartment.
+
+"Good God, sir," said he at last, "there is no need of so much violence
+and loud talk! Each of us remains where he is; each keeps what he has,
+and the affair is at an end. I have but one request to make of you, and
+it is that you will never again receive my nephew,--or else--"
+
+"Or else?" interrupted De Vlierbeck, passionately; "do you _dare_ to
+threaten me?" But, restraining himself almost instantly, he continued,
+with comparative calmness, "Enough! Shall I call Monsieur Denecker's
+carriage?"
+
+"If you please," replied the merchant. "We cannot do business together,
+it seems; but that is no reason why we should become enemies."
+
+"Well! well! we will stop short of that, sir. But this conversation
+annoys me; it must end!" And, so saying, he led Monsieur Denecker to the
+door and bade him farewell abruptly. Be Vlierbeck returned to the
+parlor, fell into his chair and covered his brow with both hands, as a
+heavy groan burst from his breast, which heaved with almost hysterical
+emotion. For a long time he remained silent and motionless; but soon his
+hands fell heavily on his knees, a deathly paleness overspread his face,
+and the room whirled around the heart-broken man.
+
+Suddenly he heard footsteps in the chamber above, and, rousing himself
+by a strong effort, "Oh, God! my poor child!" cried he; "my poor
+Lenora! She comes! my punishment is not yet complete! I must break the
+heart of my own child; I must tear from it all its hopes, blot out its
+dream, behold it withered up with grief! Oh that I could escape this
+dreadful disclosure! Alas! What to say to her? how to explain it?"
+
+A bitter smile contracted his lips as he continued, with bitter
+irony:--"Ah! hide thy suffering, old man; rally thy strength; take
+courage! If thy heart is torn and bleeding,--if despair devours thy
+soul,--oh, smile, still smile! Yes! your life has been a continual
+farce! Yet, miserable abortion that thou art, what canst thou do but
+submit, yield without a fight, and bow thy neck to the yoke like a
+powerless slave? Begone, rebellious feeling! Be silent, and behold thy
+child!"
+
+Lenora opened the door and ran to her father, her questioning eyes fixed
+on his with a look of hope. All of poor De Vlierbeck's efforts to
+disguise his suffering were unsuccessful, and Lenora soon read in his
+face that he was a prey to some overwhelming sorrow. As he still
+obstinately kept silence, she began to tremble, and asked, with feverish
+impatience,--
+
+"Well, father,--well,--have you _nothing_ to say to me?"
+
+"Alas! my child," said he, sighing, "we are not happy. God tries us with
+heavy blows. Let us bow before the will of the Almighty."
+
+"What do you mean? what is there to fear?" said Lenora, beside herself.
+"Speak, father! Has he _refused_ his consent?"
+
+"He has refused it, Lenora!"
+
+"Oh, no! no!" cried the maiden; "it is impossible!"
+
+"Refused it, because he possesses millions and we--nothing!"
+
+"It is true, then? Gustave is hopelessly lost to me!--lost to me
+forever!
+
+"Hopelessly!" echoed the father.
+
+A sharp cry escaped Lenora as she tottered to the table and fell on it,
+weeping bitterly.
+
+De Vlierbeck arose and stood above his sobbing daughter, and, joining
+his uplifted hands, exclaimed, in suppliant tones,--
+
+"Oh, pity me, pity me, Lenora! In that fatal interview I have suffered
+all the torments that could rack the heart of a parent; I have drunk the
+dregs of shame; I have emptied the cup of humiliation; but all, all are
+nothing in comparison with thy grief! Calm yourself, child of my love;
+let me see the sweet face I so love to look on; let me regain my lost
+strength in thy holy resignation! Lenora! my head swims; I shall die of
+despair!"
+
+As he uttered these words he sank heavily into a chair, overpowered by
+emotion. The sound of his fall seemed instantly to recall Lenora to
+herself, and, dashing the tears from her eyes, she leaned her head on
+his shoulder to listen and assure herself that he had not fainted.
+
+"Never to see him more! to renounce his love forever! to lose the
+happiness I dreamed of! Alas! alas!"
+
+"Lenora! Lenora!" exclaimed her father, entreatingly!
+
+"Oh, beloved father," sobbed the poor girl, "to lose Gustave _forever_!
+The dreadful thought overwhelms me! While I am near you I will bless God
+for his kindness; but my tears overpower me; oh! let me weep, let me
+weep, I beseech you!"
+
+De Vlierbeck pressed his daughter more closely to his heart, and
+respected her affliction in silence.
+
+The stillness of death reigned throughout the apartment, while they
+remained locked in each other's arms until the very excess of grief
+relaxed their embrace and opened their hearts to mutual consolation.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+
+Four days after Denecker had refused his consent to the marriage, a
+hired carriage might have been Been drawing up carefully in a screen of
+wood that bordered a by-road about half a league from Grinselhof. A
+young man got out of it, and, giving directions to the coachman to await
+him at a neighboring inn, walked briskly across the moor toward the old
+_chateau_. As soon as Grinselhof began to loom up over the trees, he
+moved cautiously along behind the hedges and thickets, as if seeking to
+avoid observation; and then, stealing across the bridge, he opened the
+gate, passed through the dense copse that surrounded the house, and
+entered the garden.
+
+The first object that greeted his sight was Lenora, seated at her table
+beneath the well-known catalpa, with her head resting on the board,
+evidently absorbed in sorrow. Her back was turned toward him as he
+approached; and, although he advanced with the utmost caution, the
+sound of his footsteps disturbed her in the intense silence of the spot,
+and she leaped to her feet, while the name of Gustave broke in surprised
+accents from her lips. She was evidently anxious to escape into the
+house; but her lover threw himself on his knees, and, grasping her hand,
+poured forth a passionate appeal:--
+
+"Listen to me, Lenora! listen to me! If you fly and refuse me the
+consolation of telling you with my last farewell, all I have suffered
+and all I hope, I will either die here at your feet, or I will go hence
+forever, a broken-hearted wanderer over the face of the earth! Listen to
+me! listen to me! Listen to me, Lenora, my sister, my beloved, my
+betrothed! By our pure and holy love, I beseech you not to repulse me!"
+
+Though Lenora trembled in every limb, her features assumed an expression
+of wounded pride, as she answered, with cold decision,--
+
+"Your boldness surprises me, sir! You are indeed a daring man, to appear
+again at Grinselhof after your uncle's insulting conduct to my father!
+He is ill in bed; his soul is crushed by the outrage. Is this the reward
+of all my affection for you?"
+
+"Oh, God! oh, God! Lenora, do I hear _you_ accuse me? Alas! what have I
+done, and what could I prevent?"
+
+"There is nothing, sir, any longer, in common between us," said the
+girl. "If we are not as rich as you, the blood that runs in our veins
+cannot suffer by comparison. Arise! begone! I will see you no more!"
+
+"Mercy! pity!" exclaimed Gustave, lifting his clasped hands toward her;
+"mercy, Lenora, for I am innocent!"
+
+The maiden dashed away the tears that began to start in her eyes, and,
+turning her back on him, was about to depart.
+
+"Cruel, cruel!" exclaimed Gustave, in broken tones. "Can you leave me
+without a farewell?--without a word of consolation? Will you remain
+insensible to my grief and deaf to my prayers? 'Tis well; I will submit
+to my lot, for _you_ have decided it! You, Lenora, my love, have
+sentenced me! I forgive you: be happy on earth without me, and farewell
+forever!"
+
+As he uttered those words his strength seemed utterly to fail him, and,
+sinking into the chair which Lenora had quitted, his head and arms fell
+lifeless on the table.
+
+The determined girl had made a few steps in her retreat to the house,
+when she suddenly halted on hearing the agonized tones of Gustave's
+farewell and the sudden sound of his fall on the table. As she glanced
+backward at the convulsed frame of her lover, a spasm that denoted the
+violent conflict between duty and affection passed over her beautiful
+face; and, as her heart appeared gradually to conquer in the fight, the
+tears began to pour in showers from her eyes. Step by step and slowly
+she retraced the path to the table, and leaning over the sufferer, took
+one of his hands tenderly in hers:--
+
+"Are we not wretched, Gustave? Are we not wretched?"
+
+At the touch of that gentle hand and the sound of that beloved voice,
+life seemed once more to stir in his veins, and, raising his eyes
+languidly to hers, he gazed mournfully into them as he half said, half
+sighed,--
+
+"Lenora, dear Lenora, have you come back to me? Have you taken pity on
+my agony? You do not _hate_ me, do you?" "Is a love like ours
+extinguished in a day?" returned Leonora, with a sigh.
+
+"Oh, no, no!" cried Gustave aloud; "it is eternal! Is it not eternal,
+Lenora, and omnipotent against every ill as long as the hearts beat in
+our bosoms?"
+
+Lenora bowed her head and cast down her eyes.
+
+"Do not imagine, Gustave," said she, solemnly, "that our separation
+causes me less grief than it does you; and, if the assurance of my love
+can assuage the pangs of absence, let it strengthen and encourage you.
+My lonely heart will keep your image sacred in its holiest shrine; I
+will follow you in spirit wherever you go, and I will love you till
+death shall fill up the gulf that separates us. We shall meet again
+above, but never more on earth."
+
+"You are mistaken, Lenora," cried Gustave, with a feeble expression of
+joy; "you are mistaken! There is still hope; my uncle is not
+inexorable, and his compassionate heart must yield to my despair."
+
+"That may be," replied Lenora, in sad but resolute tones; "that may be,
+Gustave; but my father's honor is inflexible. Leave me, Gustave; I have
+already disobeyed my father's orders too long, and slighted my duty in
+remaining with a man who cannot become my husband. Go now; for, if we
+should be surprised by some one, my poor, wretched father would die of
+shame and anger."
+
+"One moment more, beloved Lenora! Hear what I have to tell you. My uncle
+refused me your hand; I wept, I besought him, but nothing could change
+his determination. In despair I was transported beyond myself; I
+rebelled against my benefactor; and, treating him like an ungrateful
+wretch, I said a thousand things for which I begged his pardon on my
+knees when reason resumed her empire over my excited soul. My uncle is
+goodness itself to me: he pardoned my sin; but he imposed the condition
+that I should instantly undertake a journey with him to Italy, which he
+has long designed making. He idly hopes that travel may obliterate your
+image from my mind; but think not, Lenora, that I can ever forget you! A
+sudden thought flashed through my fancy, and I accepted his terms with a
+secret joy. For months and months I will be alone with my uncle; and,
+watching him ever with the love and gratitude I feel for all his
+kindness, I will gradually wear away his objections, and, conquering his
+heart, return, my love, to place the bridal wreath upon your brow, and
+claim you, before the altar of God, as the companion of my choice!"
+
+For an instant a gentle smile overspread the maiden's face, and her
+clear, earnest gaze was full of rapture at the vision of future
+happiness; but the gleam disappeared almost as quickly as it arose, and
+she answered him, with bitter sadness,--
+
+"Alas! my dear friend, it is cruel to destroy this last hope of your
+heart; and yet I must do it. Your uncle might consent; but my father--"
+
+She faltered for an instant.
+
+"Your father, Lenora? Your father would pardon all and receive me like a
+long-lost son."
+
+"No, no; believe it not, Gustave; for his honor has been too deeply
+wounded. As a Christian he might pardon it; but as a gentleman he will
+never forget the outrage."
+
+"Oh, Lenora, you are unjust to your father. If I return with my uncle's
+consent, and say to him, 'I will make your child happy; give her to me
+for my wife; I will surround her path with all the joys a husband has
+ever bestowed on woman;'--if I tell him this, think you he will deny
+me?"
+
+Lenora cast down her eyes.
+
+"You know his infinite goodness, Gustave," said she. "My happiness is
+his only thought on earth; he will thank God and bless you."
+
+"Yes, yes; he _will_ consent," continued Gustave, with ardor; "and all
+is not lost. A blessed ray lightens our future, and let it rekindle your
+hope, beloved of my heart! Yield not to grief; let me go forth on this
+dreary journey, but let me bear along with me the assurance that you
+await my return with trust in God. Remember me in your prayers; utter my
+name as you stray through these lonely paths which witnessed the dawn of
+our love and where for two months I drained the cup of perfect bliss.
+The knowledge that I am not forgotten by you will sustain my heart and
+enable me to endure the pangs of separation."
+
+Lenora wept in silence. Her lover's eloquence had extinguished every
+spark of her pride; and the rebellious heart which so lately was ready
+to cast off its rosy fetters had no longer a place for any thing but
+love and sadness. Gustave saw that he had conquered.
+
+"I go, Lenora," said he, "strong in your affection. I quit my country
+and my loved one with a confident hope. Whatever may happen to me, I
+will never be downcast. You will think of me daily, Lenora, will you
+not?"
+
+"Alas! I have promised my father that I will forget you!" sobbed the
+maiden, as her hand trembled in his.
+
+"_Forget_ me!" exclaimed Gustave. "_Can_ you force yourself to forget
+me?"
+
+"No, Gustave; NO!" said she, firmly, fixing her large eyes on him with
+an intense and lingering gaze. "No: for the first time in my life I
+will disobey my father. I feel that I have net the strength to keep my
+idle word. I cannot forget you: till the last hour of my life I will
+love you; for it is my fate, and I cannot resist."
+
+"Thanks, thanks, a thousand thanks, Lenora!" exclaimed Gustave, in a
+transport. "Thy tender love strengthens me against destiny. Beloved of
+my heart, rest here under the guardian eye of God. Thy image will follow
+me in my journey like a protecting angel; in joy and grief, by day and
+night, in health and sickness, thou, Lenora, wilt ever be present to me!
+This cruel separation wounds my heart beyond expression; but duty
+commands, and I must obey. Farewell, farewell!"
+
+He wrung her hands convulsively, and was gone.
+
+"Gustave!" sobbed the poor girl, as she sank on the chair and allowed
+the pent-up passion of her soul to burst forth in tears.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+
+Leonora secretly cherished in her heart the hope of a happy future; but
+she did not hesitate to inform her father of Gustave's visit. De
+Vlierbeck heard her listlessly, and gave no other reply but a bitter
+smile.
+
+From that day Grinselhof became sadder and more solitary than ever. The
+old gentleman might generally be seen seated in an arm-chair, resting
+his forehead on his hand, while his eyes were fixed on the ground or on
+vacancy. The fatal day on which the bond fell due was perhaps always
+present to his mind; nor could he banish the thought of that frightful
+misery into which it would plunge his child and himself. Lenora
+carefully concealed her own sufferings in order not to increase her
+father's grief; and, although she fully sympathized with him, no effort
+was omitted on her part to cheer the old man by apparent contentment.
+She did and said every thing that her tender heart could invent to
+arouse the sufferer from his reveries; but all her efforts were in vain:
+her father thanked her with a smile and caress; but the smile was sad,
+the caress constrained and feeble.
+
+If Lenora sometimes asked him, with tears, what was the cause of his
+depression, he adroitly managed to avoid all explanations. For days
+together he wandered about the loneliest paths of the garden, apparently
+anxious to escape the presence even of his daughter. If she caught a
+glimpse of him at a distance, a fierce look of irritation was
+perceptible on his face, while his arms were thrown about in rapid and
+convulsive gesticulations. If she approached him with marks of love and
+devotion, he scarcely replied to her affectionate words, but left the
+garden to bury himself in the solitude of the house.
+
+An entire month--a month of bitter sadness and unexpressed suffering on
+both sides--passed in this way; and Lenora observed with increased
+anxiety the rapid emaciation and pallor of her father, and the
+suddenness with which his once-lively eye lost every spark of its wonted
+vivacity. It was about this time that a slight change in the old
+gentleman's conduct convinced her that a secret--and perhaps a terrible
+one--weighed on his heart. Every day or two he went to Antwerp in the
+_caleche_, without informing her or any one else of the object of his
+visit. He came back to Grinselhof late at night, seated himself at the
+supper-table silent and resigned, and, persuading Lenora to go to bed,
+soon went off to his own chamber. But his daughter was well aware that
+he did not retire to rest; for during long hours of wakefulness she
+heard the floor creak as he paced his apartment with restless steps.
+
+Lenora was brave by nature, and her singular and solitary education had
+given her a latent force of character that was almost masculine. By
+degrees the resolution to make her father reveal his secret grew in her
+mind. And, although a feeling of instinctive respect made her hesitate,
+a restless devotion to the author of her being gradually overcame all
+scruples and emboldened her for the enterprise.
+
+One day Monsieur De Vlierbeck set off very early for town. The morning
+wore away heavily; and, toward the afternoon, Lenora wandered wearily
+about the desolate house, with no companion but her sad reflections. At
+length she entered the apartment where her father usually studied or
+wrote, and, after a good deal of hesitation, in which her face and
+gestures displayed the anxiety of her purpose, opened the table-drawer,
+and saw in it, unrolled, a written document. The paleness of death
+overspread her countenance as she perused the paper and instantly closed
+the drawer. After this she left the apartment hastily, and, returning to
+her chamber, sat down with hands clasped on her knees and eyes fixed on
+the floor in a stare of wild surprise.
+
+"_Sell Grinselhof!_" exclaimed she. "Sell Grinselhof! Why? Monsieur
+Denecker insulted my father because we were not rich enough for him.
+What is this secret? and what does it all mean? If it should be _true_
+that we are beggars! Oh, God! does a ray of light penetrate my mind? is
+this the solution of the enigma and the cause of my father's
+depression?"
+
+For a long time she remained motionless in her chair, absorbed in
+reverie; but gradually her face brightened, her lips moved, and her eyes
+glistened with resolution. As she was endeavoring to fight bravely
+against misfortune, she suddenly heard the wheels of her father's
+_caleche_ returning to Grinselhof. She ran down instantly to meet him;
+and as he drew up at the door she perceived the poor sufferer buried in
+a corner of the vehicle, apparently deprived of all consciousness; and,
+when he descended from the vehicle and she saw his expression
+distinctly, the deadly pallor that covered his haggard cheeks almost
+made her sink to the earth with anxiety. Indeed, she had neither heart
+nor strength to utter a word to him; but, standing aside in silence, she
+allowed the old man to enter the house and bury himself as usual in his
+chamber.
+
+For some minutes she stood on the door-sill, undecided as to what she
+should do; but by degrees her brow and cheeks began to redden, and the
+light of resolution shone in her moistened eyes.
+
+"Ought the feeling of respect to restrain me longer?" said she to
+herself; "shall I let my father die without an effort? No! no! I must
+know all! I must tear the worm from his heart; I must save him by my
+love!"
+
+Without a moment's further delay, she ran rapidly through three or four
+chambers, and came to the apartment where her father was seated with his
+elbows resting on the table and his head buried in his hands. Throwing
+herself on her knees at his feet, and with hands raised to him in
+supplication,--
+
+"Have mercy on me, father!" exclaimed she; "have mercy on me, I beseech
+you on my knees; tell me what it is that distresses you! I must know why
+it is that my father buries himself in this solitude and seems to fly
+even from his child!"
+
+"Lenora! thou last and only treasure that remainest to me on earth,"
+replied De Vlierbeck, in a broken voice, with despair in his wild
+gaze,--"thou hast suffered, dreadfully, my child, hast thou not? Rest thy
+poor head in my bosom. A terrible blow, my child, is about to fall on
+us!"
+
+Lenora did not seem to pay any attention to these remarks, but,
+disengaging herself from her father's embrace, replied, in firm and
+decided tones,--
+
+"I have not come here, father, for consolation, but with the unalterable
+determination to learn the cause of your suffering. I will not go away
+without knowing what misfortune it is that has so long deprived me of
+your love. No matter how much I may venerate you and respect your
+silence, the sense of duty is greater even than veneration. I must--I
+_will_--know the secret of your grief!"
+
+"Thou deprived of thy father's love?" exclaimed De Vlierbeck,
+reproachfully and with surprise;--love for thee, my adored child, is
+precisely the secret of my grief. For ten years I have drained the
+bitter cup and prayed the Almighty to make you happy; but, alas! my
+prayers have always been unheard!"
+
+"Shall I be unhappy, then?" asked Lenora, without betraying the least
+emotion.
+
+"Unhappy, because of the misery that awaits us," replied her father.
+"The blow that is about to fall on our house destroys all that we
+possess. We must leave Grinselhof."
+
+The last words, which plainly confirmed her fears, seemed for a moment
+to appall the girl; but she repressed her feelings, and answered him,
+with increased courage,--
+
+"You are not dying this slow death because ill-fortune has overtaken
+_you_, my father; I know the unconquerable force of your character too
+well for that. No! your heart is weak and yielding because _I_ have to
+partake your poverty! Bless you, bless you, for your affection! But,
+tell me, father, if I were offered all the wealth of the world on
+condition that I would consent to see you suffer for a single day, what
+think you I would answer?"
+
+Dumb with surprise, the poor man looked proudly at his daughter, and a
+gentle pressure of her hand was his sole reply.
+
+"Ah!" continued she, "I would refuse all the treasures of earth and meet
+poverty without a sigh. And you, father,--if they offered you all the
+gold of America for your Lenora, what would you do?"
+
+"How can you ask, child?" exclaimed her father; "do we sell our hearts'
+blood for gold?"
+
+"And so," continued the girl, "our Maker has left us that which is
+dearest to us both in this world; why then should we mourn when we ought
+to be grateful for his compassionate care? Take heart once more, dear
+father; no matter what may be our future lot,--should we even be forced
+to take refuge in a hovel,--nothing can harm us as long as we are not
+separated!"
+
+Smiles, astonishment, admiration, and love, by turns flitted over the
+wan features of the poor old man, who seemed altogether unnerved and
+disconcerted by the painful _denouement_. At length, after some moments
+of unbroken silence, he clasped his hands, and, gazing intensely into
+her eyes through his starting tears--
+
+"Lenora, Lenora! my child!" he exclaimed, "thou art not of earth--thou
+art an angel! The unselfish grandeur of thy soul unmans me completely!"
+
+She saw she had conquered. The light of courage was rekindled again in
+her father's eye, and his lofty brow was lifted once more under the
+sentiment of dignity and self-devotion that struggled for life in his
+suffering heart. Lenora looked at him with a heavenly smile, and
+exclaimed, rapturously,
+
+"Up! up! father; come to my arms; away with grief! United in each
+other's love, fate itself is powerless in our presence!"
+
+Father and daughter sprang into each other's arms, and for a long while
+remained speechless, wrapped in a tender embrace; then, seating
+themselves with their hands interlocked, they were silent and absorbed,
+as if the world and its misery were altogether forgotten.
+
+"A new life--a new and refreshing current of blood--seems to have been
+suddenly poured into my veins," said Monsieur De Vlierbeck. "Alas,
+Lenora, what a sinner I have been! how wrong I was not to divulge all!
+But you must pardon me, beloved child; you must pardon me. It was the
+fear of afflicting you--the hope of finding some means of rescue, of
+escape--that sealed my lips. I did not know you, my daughter; I did not
+know the inestimable treasure that God in his mercy had lavished on me!
+But _now_ you shall know all; I will no longer hide the secret of my
+conduct and my grief. The fatal hour has come; the blow I desired to
+ward off is about to fall and cannot be turned aside! Are you prepared,
+dear child, to hear your father's story?"
+
+Lenora, who was delighted to behold the calm and radiant smile that
+illuminated the face of her heart-broken parent, answered him instantly,
+in caressing tones,--
+
+"Pour all your woes into my heart, dear father, and conceal nothing. The
+part I have to perform must be based on complete knowledge of every
+thing; and you will feel how much your confidence relieves your burdened
+soul."
+
+"Take, then, your share of suffering, daughter," replied De Vlierbeck,
+"and help me to bear my cross! I will disguise nothing. What I am about
+to disclose is indeed lamentable; yet do not tremble and give way at the
+recital, for, if any thing should move you, it must be the story of a
+father's torture. You will learn now, my child, why Monsieur Denecker
+has had the hardihood to behave toward us as he has done."
+
+He dropped her hand, but, without averting his eager gaze from her
+anxious eyes, continued:--
+
+"You were very young, Lenora, but gentle and loving as at present, and
+your blessed mother found all her happiness centered in your care and
+comfort. We dwelt on the lands of our forefathers; nothing disturbed the
+even tenor of our simple lives; and, by proper economy, our moderate
+income sufficed to support us in a manner becoming our rank and name.
+
+"I had a younger brother, who was endowed with an excellent heart, but
+generous to a fault and somewhat imprudent. He lived in town, and
+married a lady of noble family who was no richer than himself. She was
+showy in her tastes and habits, and, I fear, induced him to increase his
+revenue by adventurous means. There can be no doubt that he speculated
+largely in the public funds. But probably you do not understand what
+this means, my child. It is a species of _gambling_, by which a man may
+in a moment gain millions; and yet it is a game that may, with equal
+rapidity, plunge him into the depths of misery and reduce him as if by
+magic to the condition of a beggar.
+
+"At first, my brother was remarkably successful, and established himself
+in town in a style of living that was the envy of our wealthiest
+citizens. He came to see us frequently, bringing you, who were his
+godchild, a thousand beautiful presents, and lavished his affection with
+testimonials of kindness which were proportioned to his fortune. I spoke
+to him often about the dangerous character of his adventures, and
+endeavored to convince him that it was unbecoming a gentleman to risk
+his property upon the hazards of an hour; but, as continued success
+emboldened him more and more, the passion for gambling made him deaf to
+all my appeals, all my advice.
+
+"At last the evil hour came! The luck which had so long favored him
+became inconstant; he lost a considerable portion of his gains, and saw
+his fortune diminishing with every venture. Still, courage did not fail
+him; but, on the contrary, he seemed to fight madly against fate, with
+the idle hope of forcing fortune to turn once more in his favor. But,
+alas, it was a fatal delusion!
+
+"One night--I tremble as I recall it--I was in my chamber and nearly
+ready to retire; you were already in bed, and your mother was saying her
+prayers on her knees beside your little couch. A tremendous storm raged
+without: hail beat in torrents against the windows, and the wind howled
+in the chimneys and swayed the trees as if it was about to blow down the
+house. The violence of the tempest began to make me somewhat anxious,
+when suddenly the door-bell was pulled and the sound of horses heard at
+the gate. In a moment the summons was answered by one of our
+servants,--for we kept two then,--and a female rushed into the room,
+throwing herself in tears at my feet. It was my brother's wife!
+
+"Trembling with fright, I of course hastened to raise her; but she
+clung to my knees, begging my assistance, imploring me, by every
+passionate appeal she could think of, to save her husband's life, and
+convincing me by her sobs and distraction that some frightful calamity
+was impending over my brother!
+
+"Your mother joined me eagerly in my efforts to calm the sufferer, and
+by degrees we managed to extract the cause of her singular conduct and
+unseasonable visit. My brother--alas!--had lost all he possessed, and
+even more! His wife's story was heart-rending; but its conclusion filled
+us with more anxiety for her husband than his losses; for, overcome by
+the certainty of a dishonored name, haunted by the reflection that law
+and justice would soon overtake him, my poor brother had made an attempt
+upon his life! The hand of God had providentially guided his wife to the
+apartment, where she surprised him at the fatal moment and snatched the
+deadly instrument from his grasp! He was then locked up in a room; dumb,
+overcome, bowed down to the earth, and guarded by two faithful friends.
+If any one on earth could save him, it was surely his brother!
+
+"Such was the wild appeal of my wretched sister-in-law, who, heedless of
+the stormy night, had thrown herself into a coach and fled to me,
+through the tempest, as her only hope for their salvation. There she was
+at my feet, bathed in tears, sobbing, screaming, beseeching me to
+accompany her to town. _Could I--did I_--hesitate? Your tender mother,
+who saw at once the frightful condition of the family, and sympathized
+as woman's heart alone can do with human misery, eagerly implored me not
+to lose a moment. 'Save him, save him!' exclaimed she; 'spare nothing: I
+will consent to every thing you may think proper to do or sacrifice!'
+
+"We flew back to town through the storm and darkness. You grow pale,
+Lenora, at the very thought of it, for it was indeed frightful, and you
+can never know the impression it made on me: these whitened
+hairs--whitened before their time--are the records of that terrible
+night! But let me continue.
+
+"It is needless to describe the wild despair in which I found my
+brother, or to tell you how long I had to wrestle with his spirit in
+order to force a ray of hope into his soul. There was but one means by
+which we could save his honor and life; but--oh God!--at what a
+sacrifice! I was obliged to pledge all my property as security for his
+debts. Nothing could be spared; our ancestral manor-lands, your mother's
+marriage-portion, your moderate dowry,--all were ventured with the
+certainty that the greater part would unquestionably be lost! On these
+hard conditions my brother's honor might be saved; and, if that could be
+rescued, he was willing to renounce the determination to escape shame by
+death. I must in justice say that it was not he who demanded the
+sacrifice from me: on the contrary, he did not suppose that I could or
+would make it; but I was satisfied in my mind that if I did not settle
+his affairs, at all hazards, he would execute his criminal project
+against his life. And yet--and yet, my child--_I hesitated!_"
+
+"Father!" exclaimed Lenora, "_you did not refuse!_"
+
+A happy smile beamed on his face as he met the questioning glance of his
+daughter and answered, firmly,--
+
+"I loved my brother, Lenora; but I loved _you_, my only child, much
+more. The sacrifice demanded of me by his creditors insured misery for
+your mother and for you!"
+
+"Oh, God! oh, God!" sobbed Lenora.
+
+"On one side my heart was distracted by this dreadful thought, while on
+the other I was assailed by the despair that was present in the
+bankrupt's chamber; but generosity conquered in the awful trial, and at
+daylight I sought out the principal creditors and signed the documents
+that saved a brother's life and honor but gave up my wife and child to
+want."
+
+"Thank God!" gasped Lenora, as if she had been relieved from a horrible
+nightmare. "Bless you, bless you, father, for your noble, generous
+conduct!"
+
+She rose from her seat, and, passing her arms around his neck, gave him
+a glowing kiss with as much solemnity as if she had been anxious to
+endue this mark of love with all the fervor and sacredness of a
+benediction.
+
+"Ah! but canst thou bless me, my child," said he, with eyes foil of
+gratitude, "for an act that should implore thy pardon?"
+
+"_My_ pardon, father!" exclaimed Lenora, with surprise on all her
+features. "Oh, had you done otherwise, what would I not have suffered in
+doubting the goodness of my parent's heart! Now, now, I love you more
+than ever! _Pardon you_, father? Is it a crime to save a brother's life
+when it is in your keeping?"
+
+"Alas, Lenora, the world does not reason thus, and never forgives us for
+the guilt of poverty. Reduced to that, we suffer humiliations which any
+one may observe in the lives of multitudes of our nobles. Yes; society
+regards poverty as a crime, and it treats us like outcasts. Our equals
+avoid us in order not to be confounded in our misery; while peasants and
+tradesmen laugh at our misfortune as if it was a sort of agreeable
+revenge. Happy, happy they to whom heaven has given an angel to pour
+comfort and consolation into their hearts in hours of want and
+dejection! But listen, my child!
+
+"My brother was saved, and I concealed most carefully the assistance I
+had been to him; he left the country and went with his wife to America,
+where, ever since, he has worked hard and gained hardly enough to
+support a miserable existence. His wife died during the voyage. And, as
+to ourselves, we no longer possess any thing; for Grinselhof and our
+other lands were mortgaged for more than they were worth. Besides this,
+I was forced to borrow from a gentleman of my acquaintance four thousand
+_francs_ upon my bond.
+
+"When your mother heard of the sacrifices to which I was forced to
+submit, she made no reproaches; at first she fully approved my conduct.
+But very soon we became necessarily subjected to privations under which
+your mother's strength declined, till, without a sigh or complaint, she
+began to fade away slowly from earth. It was a dreadful situation; for,
+to conceal our ruin and save our ancestral name from contempt, we were
+forced to part with the last ounce of our silver to pay the interest on
+our debts. Gradually our horses and servants disappeared; the paths that
+led to our neighbors soon became grass-grown; and we declined all social
+invitations, so as to avoid the necessity of returning the compliment. A
+rumor about us began to spread through the village and among the noble
+families that had formerly been on terms of intimacy with us; and
+scandal declared that _avarice_ had driven us to a life of meanness and
+isolation! We joyously accepted the imputation, and even the coldness
+with which our holiday friends accompanied it; it was a veil with which
+society thought proper to cover us, and beneath its folds our poverty
+was safe from scrutiny.
+
+"But I am approaching scenes, my child, the recollection of which almost
+unnerves me. My story has reached the most painful moment of my life,
+and I beseech you to hear me calmly.
+
+"Your poor mother wasted away to a skeleton; her sunken-eyes were
+hardly visible in their deep sockets; a livid pallor suffused her
+cheeks. As I saw her fading,--fading,--the wife whom I had loved more
+than life,--as I gazed on those death-struck features and saw the fatal
+evidences each day clearer and clearer,--I became nearly mad with
+despair and grief."
+
+Lenora shuddered with emotion as her breast heaved convulsively under
+the sobs she strove to repress. Her father stopped a moment, almost
+overcome by the recital; but, rallying his courage quickly, he forced
+himself to go on with his sad recollections:--
+
+"Poor mother! she did nothing but weep! Every time she looked at her
+child--her dear little Lenora--tears filled her eyes. Thy name was
+always on her lips, as if she were forever addressing a prayer for thee
+to God in heaven! At last the dreadful hour arrived when she heard the
+Almighty's voice summoning her above. The clergyman performed the
+services for the dying; and you, my child, had been taken from her arms
+and sent out of the house. It was midnight, and I was alone with her
+whose icy lips had already imprinted on mine their last sad kiss. My
+heart bled. Oh, God! how wretched--how wretched--were those parting
+hours! My beloved wife lay there before me as if already a corpse, while
+the tears yet trickled down her hollow cheeks and she strove to utter
+your name with her expiring breath. Kneeling beside her, I implored
+God's mercy for her passing hour, and kissed away the sweat of agony
+that stood upon her brow. Suddenly I thought I perceived an effort to
+speak, and, bending my ear to her lips, she called me by name, and said,
+'It is over, my love, it is over; farewell! It has not pleased the
+Almighty to assuage my dying hour, and I go with the conviction that my
+child will suffer want and wretchedness on earth!'
+
+"I know not what my love inspired me to say in that solemn moment; but I
+called God to witness that you _should_ escape suffering, and that your
+life should be happy! A heavenly smile illuminated her eyes, and she
+believed my promise. With an effort, she lifted her thin hands once more
+round my neck and drew my lips to hers. But soon those wasted arms fell
+heavily on the bed;--my Margaret was gone;--thy mother was no more!"
+
+De Vlierbeck's head fell on his breast. Lenora's bosom heaved
+convulsively as she took his hand without uttering a word; and, for a
+long time, nothing was heard in that sad confessional but the sobs of
+the maiden and the sighs of her heart-broken father.
+
+"What I have yet to say," continued the poor gentleman, "is not so
+painful as what I have already told you: it concerns only myself.
+Perhaps it would be better if I said nothing about it; but I need a
+friend who possesses all my confidence and can sympathize with me
+thoroughly in all I have undergone for the last ten years.
+
+"Listen, then, Lenora. Your mother was no more; she was gone;--she who
+was my last staff in life! I remained at Grinselhof alone with you, my
+child, and with my promise,--a promise made to God and to the dead! What
+should I do to fulfil it? Quit my hereditary estate? wander away seeking
+my fortune in foreign lands, and work for our mutual support? That would
+not do, for it would have devoted you at once to the chances of a
+wretched uncertainty. I could not think of such a course with any degree
+of satisfaction; nor was it till after long and anxious reflection that
+a ray of hope seemed to promise us both a happy future.
+
+"I resolved to disguise our poverty more carefully than ever, and to
+devote my time to the most elaborate cultivation of your mind. God made
+you beautiful in face and person, Lenora; but your father was anxious to
+initiate you into the mysteries of science and art, and, while he
+endowed you with a knowledge of the world, to make you virtuous, pious,
+and modest. I desired to make you an accomplished woman, and I hoped
+that the nobility of your blood, the charms of your beauty, the
+treasures of your heart and intellect, would compensate in society for
+the portion that was denied you. Thus was it, my child, that I thought
+in time, you would make a suitable alliance which would restore you to
+the position you hold by birth. For ten years, Lenora, this has been my
+occupation and my hope. What I had forgotten or never learned, I studied
+at night to teach you next morning; I labored hard that I might not only
+instruct you wisely but that you might acquire easily; and, at the same
+time, I strove by every honest means to conceal from you every thing
+that could give a hint or cause a suspicion by which your life might be
+shadowed. Oh, Lenora,--shall I confess it?--I have suffered hunger and
+undergone the most cruel privations; I have passed half my nights
+mending my clothes, working in the garden, studying and practising in
+the dark, so as to hide our poverty from you and the world. But all that
+was nothing; in the silence of night I was not forced to blush before
+any one. By day I had to encounter all kinds of insults, and, with a
+bleeding heart, swallow affront and humiliation."
+
+Lenora looked at her father with eyes moistened by compassion. De
+Vlierbeck pressed her hand, and continued:--
+
+"Be not sad, Lenora; if the Lord's hand inflicted deep wounds with every
+blow, he bestowed a balm which cured them. One little smile of thy
+gentle face was sufficient to make me pour forth an ejaculation to
+Heaven: you, you at least were happy, and in your happiness I saw the
+fulfilment of my promise!
+
+"At length I thought that God himself had thrown in our path one who
+would save you from threatening danger. A mutual inclination arose
+between Gustave and you, and a marriage seemed the natural consequence.
+Under these circumstances I apprized Monsieur Denecker, during his last
+visit, of the deplorable condition of my affairs; but no sooner did I
+make the disclosure than he peremptorily refused his consent to the
+union. As if this terrible blow, which withered all my hopes, had not
+been sufficient to overwhelm me, I learned, almost at the same time,
+that the friend who loaned me four thousand francs, with the right to
+renew my obligation to him every year, had died in Germany, and that his
+heirs demanded the payment of the debt! I ran all over town, rapped at
+every friendly door, ransacked heaven and earth in my despair, to escape
+this last ignominy; but all my efforts were fruitless. To-morrow,
+perhaps, a placard will be stuck on the door of Grinselhof, announcing
+the sale not only of our estate but also of our furniture and of every
+trifling object that memory and association have rendered dear to us.
+Honor requires that we shall surrender, to public sale, every thing of
+the least value to pay our debts. If fate were kind enough to allow us
+to satisfy every creditor it would be a great consolation, my child, in
+our misery. Does not this fatal history break your heart?"
+
+"Is that all which makes you despond, father? Have you no other grief?
+Does your heart conceal no other secret from me?" asked Lenora.
+
+"None, my child. You know every thing."
+
+"I can very well understand," replied Lenora, gravely, "that others
+would consider a blow like this as a frightful misfortune; but how can
+it affect us? You even appear calm. Why, father, do you, like me, appear
+indifferent to the inexorable decree of fate?"
+
+"Because you have inspired me with courage and confidence, Lenora;
+because your love is restored to me fully after a long constraint;
+because you let me hope that you will not be unhappy. I know what you
+want to say, noble child, whom God has given me as a shield against
+every ill! Well, I will encounter ruin without bowing my head, and
+submit with resignation to the hand of God! Alas!" continued he, sadly,
+"who can tell what sufferings are yet in store for us? We may be forced
+to wander about the world,--to seek an asylum far from those we know and
+love,--to earn our daily bread by the labor of our hands! Oh, Lenora,
+you know not how bitter is the bread of misery,--of poverty!"
+
+The maiden shuddered as she saw the cloud falling once more like a
+curtain over her father's face. She grasped his hand tenderly, and,
+fixing her gaze intently on his, said, in beseeching tones,--
+
+"Oh, father! let not the happy smile that just now lighted your features
+depart from them again! Believe me, we shall still be happy. Fancy
+yourself in the position that awaits us: and what do you see in it so
+frightful? I have skill to do all that woman can do; and then your
+instructions have made me able to instruct others in the arts and
+sciences you have taught me. I shall be strong and active enough for
+both of us, and God will bless my labor. Behold us, father, peacefully
+at home, with tranquil hearts and always together in our neat apartment:
+we will love one another, set misfortune at defiance, and live together
+in the heaven that our common sacrifice has made! Oh, it seems to me,
+father, that the true happiness of our lives is only beginning! How can
+you still give yourself up to despair when pleasure is in store for
+us,--a pleasure such as few upon earth are permitted to enjoy?"
+
+Monsieur De Vlierbeck looked at his daughter with rapture. Those
+enthusiastic but gentle tones had so touched his heart, that noble
+courage had inspired him with so much admiration, that tears of joy
+filled his eyes. With one hand he drew Lenora to his bosom, and, placing
+the other on her forehead, he looked to heaven with religious fervor. A
+silent prayer, a blessing on his child, an outpouring of thankfulness,
+arose from his heart, like the sacred flame from an altar, toward the
+throne of Him who had bestowed that angelic child!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+
+A few days afterward, as De Vlierbeck had predicted, the public sale of
+all their property was inserted in the papers and placarded over the
+city and neighborhood. The affair made some noise, and every one was
+astonished at the ruin of a person whom they considered rich and
+miserly.
+
+As the sale was stated to be in consequence of his departure from the
+country, the gossips would have been unable to discover the genuine
+motive if the news had not come from Antwerp that De Vlierbeck had
+resolved to pay his debts and was wretchedly poor. The cause of his
+misfortune--that is to say, his liability for his brother--was known,
+though all the circumstances were not fully understood.
+
+As soon as the publication was made, the poor old gentleman led, if
+possible, a more retired life than ever, in order to avoid explanations.
+Resigned to his fate, he quietly awaited the day of sale; and, although
+his feelings often strove to master his resolution, the constant care
+and encouragement of his noble-hearted daughter enabled him to encounter
+the fatal hour with a degree of pride.
+
+In the mean while he received a letter from Gustave at Rome, containing
+a few lines for his child. The young man declared that absence from
+Lenora had only increased his affection, and that his only consolation
+was the hope of future union with her by the bonds of marriage. But in
+other respects the letter was not encouraging. He said with pain that
+all his efforts to change his uncle's determination had, up to that
+time, been fruitless. De Vlierbeck did not conceal from Lenora that he
+no longer had a hope of her union with Gustave, and that she ought to
+strive against this unhappy love in order to escape from greater
+disappointment. Indeed, since her father's poverty had become publicly
+known, Lenora was convinced that duty commanded her to renounce every
+hope; yet she could not help feeling pleased and strengthened by the
+thought that Gustave still loved her, and that he, whose memory filled
+her heart, dreamed of her in his distant home and mourned her absence.
+
+She kept her promises to him faithfully. How often did she pronounce his
+name in the solitude of that garden! How often did she sigh beneath the
+catalpa, as if anxious to trust the winds with a message of love to
+other lands! In her lonely walks she repeated his tender words; and
+often did she stop musingly at some well-remembered spot where he had
+blessed her with a tender word or look.
+
+But poor De Vlierbeck was obliged to undergo additional pain; for, as if
+every misfortune that could assail him was to be accumulated at that
+moment on his devoted head, he received from America the news of his
+brother's death! The unfortunate wanderer died of exhaustion in the
+wilderness near Hudson's Bay. The poor gentleman wept long and bitterly
+for the loss of a brother whom he tenderly loved; but he was soon and
+roughly turned aside to encounter the catastrophe of his own fate.
+
+The day of sale arrived. Early in the morning Grinselhof was invaded by
+all sorts of people, who, moved by curiosity or a desire to purchase,
+overran every nook and corner of the house, examining the furniture and
+estimating its value.
+
+De Vlierbeck had caused every thing that was to be sold to be carried
+into the most spacious apartments, where, aided by his daughter, he
+passed the entire preceding night in dusting, cleaning, and polishing
+the various articles, so that they might prove more attractive to
+competitors. He had no personal interest in this labor; for, his funded
+property having been sold some days before at great loss, it was certain
+that the sale of all his remaining possessions would not exceed the
+amount of his debts. It was a noble sentiment of honor and probity that
+compelled him to sacrifice his rest for his creditors, so as to diminish
+as much as he could the amount of their losses. It was clear that De
+Vlierbeck did not intend to prolong his stay at Grinselhof after the
+sale; for among the articles to be offered were the only two bedsteads
+in the house, with their bedding, and a large quantity of clothes
+belonging to him and his daughter.
+
+Very early in the day Lenora went to the farm-house, where she remained
+until all was over. At ten o'clock the saloon was full of people. Nobles
+and gentlefolks of both sexes were mixed up with brokers and second-hand
+dealers who had come to Grinselhof with the hope of getting bargains.
+Peasants might be seen talking together, in low voices, with surprise at
+Do Vlierbeck's ruin; and there were even some who laughed openly and
+joked as the auctioneer read the terms of sale!
+
+As the salesman put up a very handsome wardrobe, De Vlierbeck himself
+entered the apartment and mingled with the bidders. His appearance
+caused a general movement in the crowd; heads went together and men
+began to whisper, while the bankrupt was stared at with insolent
+curiosity or with pity, but by the greater part with indifference or
+derision. Yet, whatever malicious feeling existed in the assembly, it
+did not last long; for the firm demeanor and imposing countenance of De
+Vlierbeck was never on any occasion more instinct with that dignity
+which inspires respect. He was poor; fortune had struck him a cruel
+blow; but in his manly look and calm features there beamed a brave and
+independent soul which misfortune itself had been unable to crush.
+
+The auctioneer went on with the sale, assisted in his description of
+the various articles by Monsieur De Vlierbeck, who informed the bidders
+of their origin, antiquity, and value. Occasionally some gentleman of
+the neighborhood, who, in better days, had been on good terms with
+Lenora's father, approached him with words of sympathy; but he always
+managed to escape adroitly from these indiscreet attempts at
+consolation. Whenever it was necessary for him to speak, he showed so
+much self-command and composure that he was far above the idle
+_compassion_ of that careless crowd; yet if his countenance was calm and
+dignified, his heart was weighed down by absorbing grief. All that had
+belonged to his ancestors--articles that were emblazoned with the arms
+of his family and had been religiously preserved as heirlooms for
+several centuries--were sold at contemptible rates and passed into the
+hands of brokers. As each historical relic was placed on the table or
+held up by the auctioneer, the links of his illustrious race seemed to
+break off and depart. When the sale was nearly over, the _portraits_ of
+the eminent men who had borne the name of De Vlierbeck were taken down
+from the walls and placed upon the stand. The first--that of the hero of
+St. Quentin--was knocked off to a dealer for little more than three
+francs! In the sale of this portrait, and the laughable price it
+brought, there was so much bitter irony that, for the first time, the
+agony that had been so long torturing De Vlierbeck's heart began to
+exhibit its traces in his countenance. No sooner had the hammer fallen,
+than, with downcast eyes and a sigh that was inaudible even to his
+nearest neighbor, the stricken nobleman turned from the crowd and left
+the saloon, so as not to witness the final sacrifice of the remaining
+memorials that bound him to his race.
+
+The sun was but an hour or two above the horizon. A deathlike silence
+had taken the place of the noise, bustle, and vulgarity that ruled at
+Grinselhof during the morning; the solitary garden-walks were deserted,
+the house-door and gate were closed, and a stranger might have supposed
+that nothing had occurred to disturb the usual quiet of the spot.
+Suddenly the door of the dwelling opened, and two persons appeared upon
+the sill; one, a man advanced in life, the other, a pale and serious
+woman. Each carried a small package and seemed ready for travel. Lenora
+was dressed in a simple dark gown and bonnet, her neck covered by a
+small square handkerchief. De Vlierbeck was buttoned up to the chin in a
+coarse black greatcoat, and wore a threadbare cap whose large visor
+nearly masked his features. Although it was evident that the homeless
+travellers had literally stripped themselves of all superfluities and
+had determined to go forth with the merest necessaries of decency, there
+was something in the manner in which they wore their humble costumes
+that distinctly marked their birth and breeding. The old man's features
+were not changed; but it was difficult to say whether they expressed
+pleasure, pain, or indifference. Lenora seemed strong and resolute,
+although she was about to quit the place of her birth and separate
+herself, perhaps forever, from all she had loved from infancy,--from
+those aged groves beneath whose shadows the dawn of love first broke
+upon her heart,--from that remembered tree at whose feet the timid
+avowal of Gustave's passion had fallen on her ear. But a sense of duty
+possessed and ruled her heart. Reason in her was not overmastered by
+sensibility; and, when she saw her father tottering at her side, all her
+energy was rallied in the effort to sustain him.
+
+They did not linger at the door, but, crossing the garden rapidly,
+directed their steps toward the farm-house, which they entered to bid
+its occupants farewell. Bess and her servant-maid were in the first
+apartment below.
+
+"Mother Bess," said Monsieur De Vlierbeck, calmly, "we have come to bid
+you good-by."
+
+Bess stared a moment anxiously at the travellers, and, lifting her apron
+to her eyes, left the apartment; while the servant-maid leaned her head
+against the window-frame and began to sob as if her heart would break.
+In a short time Bess returned with her husband, whom she had found in
+the barn.
+
+"Alas! is it true, sir," said the farmer, in a stifled voice,--"is it
+true that you are going to leave Grinselhof, and that, perhaps, we shall
+never see you again?"
+
+"Come, come, mother Bess," said the poor bankrupt, as he took and
+pressed her hand; "don't weep on that account; you see we bear our lot
+with resignation."
+
+Bess raised her head, threw her eyes once more over the humble dress of
+her old master, and began to cry so violently that she could not utter a
+word. Her husband strove manfully to repress his emotion; and, after an
+effort or two, addressed Monsieur De Vlierbeck in a manly way:--
+
+"May I ask the favor of you, sir, to let me say a word or two to you in
+private?"
+
+De Vlierbeck entered the adjoining room, where he was followed by the
+farmer, who shut the door carefully.
+
+"I hardly dare, sir," said he, "to mention my request; but will you
+pardon me if it displeases you?"
+
+"Speak out frankly, my friend," returned De Vlierbeck, with a smile.
+
+"Look you, sir," stammered the tender-hearted laborer. "Every thing that
+I have earned I owe to you. I had nothing when I married Bess; and yet,
+with your kindness, we have managed to succeed. God's mercy and your
+favor have made us prosperous; while you, our benefactors, have become
+unfortunate and are forced to wander away from their home,--God knows
+where! You may be forced to suffer privations and want; but that must
+not be: I would reproach myself as long as I live. Oh, sir!" continued
+he, as his voice faltered and his eyes filled with tears, "all that I
+have on earth is at your service!"
+
+De Vlierbeck pressed the hard hand of the rustic with a trembling grasp,
+as he replied,--
+
+"You are a worthy man indeed, and I am, happy that it was once in my
+power to protect and serve you; but I cannot accept your offer, my
+friend: keep what you have earned by the sweat of your brow, and do not
+concern yourself for our future fate, for, with God's help, we shall
+find means to live."
+
+"Oh, sir," said the farmer, beseechingly, and clasping his hands in an
+attitude of entreaty, "do not reject the trifle I offer you;"--he opened
+a drawer and pointed to a small heap of silver.--"See!" said he; "that
+is not the hundredth part of the good you have done us. Grant me this
+favor, I beseech you: take this money, sir; and if it spare you a single
+suffering or trial I shall thank God for it on my knees!"
+
+Tears streamed down the wan and wrinkled cheeks of the poor gentleman as
+he replied,--
+
+"Thanks! thanks! my friend; but I must refuse it. All persuasion is
+useless. Let us leave this room!"
+
+"But, sir," cried the farmer, in astonishment, "where do you intend to
+go? Tell me, for God's sake!"
+
+"I cannot," replied Monsieur De Vlierbeck, "for I don't know myself;
+and, even if I did, prudence would make me silent."
+
+Uttering these words, he returned to the other room, where he found
+everybody in tears. He saw at once that for his own sake as well as his
+daughter's he must end these trying scenes; and accordingly, in a firm
+voice, he told her it was time to be gone. There were a few more tender
+and eager pressures of hands, a few more farewells, a few last looks at
+the old homestead and its surroundings, and the bankrupt pair sallied
+forth with their bundles, and, passing the bridge just at sunset,
+departed on foot across the desolate moor.
+
+It is hard to bid farewell and quit the spots with which, even in a
+summer's journey, we have formed agreeable associations: but harder far
+it is to bid adieu forever to the home of our ancestors and the haunts
+of our youth. This dreadful trial was passing in De Vlierbeck's heart.
+From a distant point on the road where the domain of Grinselhof was
+masked by thickets, the wanderer turned his eyes once more in the
+direction of the old _chateau_. Big tears stood in his eyes and slowly
+rolled down his hollow cheeks as he stood there, silent and motionless,
+with clasped hands, gazing into vacancy. But night was rapidly falling
+around the wayfarers; and, recalling him to consciousness with a kiss,
+Lenora gently drew her father from the spot till they disappeared in the
+windings of the wood.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+
+Monsieur De Vlierbeck had not been gone a week, when a letter addressed
+to him from Italy reached the village post-office. The carrier inquired
+of Farmer John where the old proprietor of Grinselhof had fixed his
+residence; but neither from him, the notary, nor any one else in the
+neighborhood, could he discover the bankrupt's retreat. The same fate
+awaited three or four other letters which followed the first from Italy;
+and, indeed, nobody bothered himself any more about the wanderers except
+the peasant, who every market-day pestered the country-folks from every
+quarter with questions about his old master. But no one had seen or
+heard of him.
+
+Four months passed slowly by, when one morning a handsome post-chaise
+stopped at the door of our old acquaintance the notary and dropped a
+young gentleman in travelling-costume.
+
+"Where's your master?" said he impatiently to the servant, who excused
+the notary under the plea of his present engagement with other visitors,
+but invited the stranger to await his leisure in the parlor.
+
+The youth was evidently disconcerted by the delay; for he paced the
+apartment with rapid strides and seemed altogether absorbed by some
+anxiety or disappointment which made him extremely restless. The
+notary's visitors seemed to be either very tedious clients or engaged in
+very important business; for more than half an hour elapsed before that
+functionary made his appearance. He came into the room ceremoniously,
+prepared to measure his words and reception by his visitor's rank; but
+no sooner did he perceive who it was than his calculating features
+relaxed into a professional smile, and he advanced rapidly toward
+Gustave with outstretched hands.
+
+"How are you, how are you, my dear sir?" said he. "I have been expecting
+you for several days, and I am really happy to see you at last. I am
+greatly flattered by the confidence you are disposed to place in me, and
+am ready, whenever you please, to devote myself to your affairs.
+By-the-way, I suppose there is a will?"
+
+A shadow passed over Gustave's brow and his face became serious as he
+took a portfolio from his overcoat and drew forth a package of papers.
+
+"I am pained, sir, at your loss," said the notary. "Your excellent uncle
+was my friend, and I deplore his death more than that of any one else.
+It pleased God that he should die far away from his home. But such,
+alas! is man's fate. We must console ourselves by the reflection that we
+are all mortal. Your uncle was _very_ fond of you, and I suppose you
+have not been forgotten in his last moments?"
+
+"You may see for yourself," said Gustave, as he placed the package on
+the table.
+
+The notary ran his eyes over the papers, and, as he perused them, his
+face exhibited by turns surprise and satisfaction.
+
+"Permit me," said he, "to congratulate you, Monsieur Gustave; these
+documents are all in order and unassailable. Heir of all his fortune! Do
+you know, sir, that you are more than a _millionaire_?"
+
+"We will speak of that another time," said Gustave, interrupting him
+rather sharply. "I called on you to-day to ask a favor."
+
+"You have but to name it, sir."
+
+"You were the notary of Monsieur De Vlierbeck?"
+
+"I was."
+
+"I heard from my uncle that Monsieur De Vlierbeck had become very poor.
+I have reasons for desiring that his misfortunes may not be prolonged."
+
+"Sir," said the notary, "I presume that you intend to do him an act of
+kindness; and, in truth, it could not be bestowed on a worthier man, for
+I know the cause of his ruin and sufferings. He was a victim of
+generosity and honor. He may have carried these virtues to imprudence
+and even to madness; but he deserved a better fate."
+
+"And now, sir," said Gustave, "I want you to let me know, with the
+least amount of details possible, what I can do to assist De Vlierbeck
+without wounding his pride. I know the condition of his affairs; for my
+uncle told me all about them. Among other debts there was a bond for
+four thousand francs, which belongs to the heirs of Hoogebaen: I want
+that bond _immediately_, even if I have to pay four times as much as it
+is worth."
+
+The notary stared at Gustave without replying.
+
+"You seem disconcerted by my demand," said Gustave, somewhat anxiously.
+
+"Not exactly," returned the notary; "but I do not altogether understand
+your emotion, although I fear the news I must impart will affect you
+painfully. If my anticipations are correct I have cause to be sorry for
+you, sir!"
+
+"Explain yourself," cried Gustave, alarmed; "explain yourself, sir! Has
+death been at Grinselhof? Is my last hope destroyed?"
+
+"No, no," replied the notary, quickly; "don't tremble so; they both
+live, but they have been stricken by a great misfortune."
+
+"Well? well?" exclaimed Gustave, with questioning eagerness, rising from
+his chair.
+
+"Be calm, be calm, sir," said the notary, soothingly; "sit down and
+listen; it is not so terrible as you may perhaps think, since fortune
+enables you to soften their misery."
+
+"Oh, God be thanked!" cried Gustave. "But let me beg you to hasten your
+disclosures, for your slowness racks me!"
+
+"Know, then," continued the notary, "that during your absence the bond
+in question fell due. For many months De Vlierbeck made unavailing
+efforts to find money to honor it at maturity; but all his property was
+mortgaged, and no one would assist him. In order to escape the
+mortification of a forced sale, De Vlierbeck offered every thing at
+public auction, even down to his furniture and clothes! The sale
+produced about enough to pay his debts, and everybody was satisfied by
+the honorable conduct of De Vlierbeck, who plunged himself into absolute
+beggary to save his name."
+
+"And so he lives in the _chateau_ of his family only as a tenant?"
+
+"No; he has left it."
+
+"And where does he reside, then? I want to see him instantly."
+
+"I do not know."
+
+"How?--you do not know?"
+
+"Nobody knows where he dwells: he left the province without informing
+any one of his designs."
+
+"Alas!" cried Gustave, with profound emotion, "and is it so? Shall I be
+forced to live longer without them?--without knowing what has become of
+them? Can you give me no hint or clue to their residence? Does nobody,
+nobody know where they are?"
+
+"Nobody," replied the notary. "The evening after their sale De Vlierbeck
+left Grinselhof on foot and crossed the moor by some unknown road: I
+made efforts to discover his retreat, but always without success."
+
+As this sad news was imparted to Gustave he grew deadly pale, trembled
+violently, and covered his forehead with his clasped hands, as if
+striving to conceal the big tears that ran from his eyes. What the
+notary first told him of De Vlierbeck's misfortunes had wounded his
+sensibility, though he was less struck by that recital, because he had
+already become partially aware of the poor gentleman's embarrassment;
+but the certainty that he could not _immediately_ discover his beloved
+Lenora and snatch her from want overwhelmed him with the bitterest
+anguish.
+
+The notary fixed his eyes on the young man, shrugged his shoulders, and
+regarded him with an expression of pity.
+
+"You are young, sir," said he, "and, like most men at your time of life,
+exaggerate both pain and pleasure. Your despair is unfounded; for it is
+easy in our time to discover people whom we want to find. With a little
+money and diligence we may be sure, in a few days, to discover Monsieur
+De Vlierbeck's retreat, even if he has gone abroad to a foreign country.
+If you are willing to charge me with the pursuit I will spare neither
+time nor trouble to bring you satisfactory news."
+
+Gustave stared hopefully at the notary as he grasped his hand and
+replied, with a smile of gratitude,--
+
+"Oh, render me that inestimable service, sir! Spare no money; ransack
+heaven and earth if it is necessary; but, in God's name, let me know,
+and let me know _soon_, where De Vlierbeck and his daughter are hidden.
+It is impossible for me to describe the sufferings of my heart or the
+ardor of my desire to find them. Let me assure you that the first good
+news you bring will be more grateful to my soul than if you had restored
+me to life."
+
+"Fear nothing, sir," answered the notary. "My clerks shall write letters
+of inquiry this very night in every direction. To-morrow morning early I
+will be off to Brussels and secure assistance from the public offices.
+If you authorize me to spare no expense the secret will disclose
+itself."
+
+"And I," said Gustave,--"I will put the numerous correspondents of our
+house under contribution, and nothing shall be omitted to detect their
+refuge, even if I have to travel over Europe."
+
+"Be of good cheer, then, Monsieur Gustave," said the notary; "for I
+doubt not we shall soon attain our end. And, now that you are assured of
+my best services, I will be gratified if you allow me to speak to you a
+moment quietly and seriously. I have no right to ask what are your
+intentions, and still less the right to suppose that those intentions
+can be any thing else than proper in every respect. May I inquire if it
+is your design to marry Mademoiselle Lenora?"
+
+"That is my irrevocable determination," replied the young man.
+
+"Irrevocable?" said the notary. "Be it so! The confidence which your
+venerable uncle was always pleased to repose in me, and my position as
+notary of the family, impose on me the duty of setting before you coolly
+what you are about to do. You are a _millionaire_; you have a name which
+in commerce alone represents an immense capital. Monsieur De Vlierbeck
+is penniless; his ruin is generally known; and the world, justly or
+unjustly, looks askance at a ruined man. With your fortune, with your
+youth and person, you may obtain the hand of an heiress and double your
+income!"
+
+Gustave listened to the first words of this calculating essay with
+evident impatience; but he soon turned away his eyes and began to fold
+up the papers and put them in his portfolio. As the notary finished, he
+answered, quickly,--
+
+"Well, well, I suppose you have done your duty, and I thank you; but we
+have had enough of that. Tell me who owns Grinselhof now?"
+
+The man of business appeared considerably disconcerted by the
+contemptuous interruption of his visitor; yet he strove to conceal his
+mortification by a sorry smile, as he replied,--
+
+"I see, sir, that you have taken a firm stand and will do as you please.
+Grinselhof was bought in by the mortgagees, for the price offered was
+below its value."
+
+"Who lives there?"
+
+"It is uninhabited. No one goes to the country in winter."
+
+"Can it be bought from its present proprietor?"
+
+"Certainly. I am authorized to offer it to any one for the amount of the
+mortgages."
+
+"Then Grinselhof belongs to _me!_ Be kind enough to inform the owners of
+it at once!"
+
+"Very well, sir. Consider Grinselhof as your property from this moment.
+If you wish to visit it you will find the keys at the tenant's house."
+
+Gustave took his hat and made ready to go, and, as he did so, pressed
+the notary's hand with evident cordiality:--
+
+"I am tired and need repose, for I feel somewhat overcome by the sad
+news you have given me. May God help you in your efforts to fulfil your
+promises! My gratitude will surpass all you can imagine. Farewell till
+to-morrow!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+
+Spring, gentle spring, had thrown aside the funeral garb of winter, and
+earth awoke again to vigorous life. Grinselhof reappeared in all the
+splendor of its wild, natural scenery; its majestic oaks displayed
+their verdant domes, its roses bloomed as sweetly as of old,
+elder-blossoms filled the air with delicious odor, butterflies fluttered
+through the garden, and every thicket was vocal with the song of birds.
+
+Nothing seemed changed at Grinselhof: its roads, its paths, were still
+deserted, and sad was the silence that reigned in its shadows. Yet
+immediately around the house there was more life and movement than
+formerly. At the coach-house two grooms were busy washing and polishing
+a new and fashionable coach; while the neigh of horses resounded from
+the stable. A trim waiting-maid stood on the door-sill laughing and
+joking with the lackeys, and a respectable old butler looked knowingly
+on the group.
+
+Suddenly the clear silvery ring of a bell was heard from the parlor, and
+the waiting-maid ran in, exclaiming, "Good Heavens! there's Monsieur
+ringing for his breakfast, and it is not ready yet!"
+
+A few moments afterward she was seen mounting the staircase with a rich
+silver salver covered with breakfast-things; and, entering the parlor,
+she placed them silently on a table before a young gentleman who seemed
+entirely absorbed by his own thoughts, and then instantly left the room
+without a word.
+
+The young man began his meal with a careless, indifferent air, as if he
+either had no appetite or did not know what he was about. The furniture
+of the apartment in which he sat presented odd and striking contrasts
+to an observer. While some of the articles were remarkable for the
+richness and elegance of their modern style, there were chairs, tables,
+and cabinets whose sombre hue and elaborate carving denoted an antiquity
+of several centuries. On the walls were numerous pictures, dimmed by
+smoke and time, encased in frames that had lost half their ornaments and
+gilding. These were portraits of warriors, statesmen, priests, and
+prelates. In the dim corners of the canvas armorial bearings of the
+house of De Vlierbeck might be seen, and many of the articles of
+furniture were embellished with the same blazonry.
+
+We were told a while ago that a public sale at Grinselhof had dispersed
+among a crowd of competitors every thing that belonged to Monsieur De
+Vlierbeck. How has it come to pass that these portraits have returned to
+their old nails on walls which they seemed to have abandoned forever?
+
+The listless youth rose from the table, walked slowly about the room,
+stopped, looked mournfully at the portraits, recommenced his walk, and
+approached an antique casket placed on a bracket in the corner. He
+opened it with apparent indifference and took out some simple
+jewelry,--a pair of ear-rings and a coral necklace. He gazed long at
+these objects as he held them in his hand; a few tears fell on them, a
+deep sigh escaped from his bosom, and he then replaced the jewels in
+their casket.
+
+Quitting the room, he descended to the court. Waiters and servant-maids
+saluted as he passed: he acknowledged their civility by a silent nod and
+went forth to the most secluded parts of the garden. Stopping at the
+foot of a wild chestnut-tree, he threw himself on the ground, where he
+sat long in moody reverie until aroused by the ringing voice of Bess,
+who approached him with a book in her hand:--
+
+"Here, sir, is a book which Mademoiselle Lenora used to read. My goodman
+went yesterday to market, where he found the farmer who bought it at the
+sale. After market was over John accompanied the peasant home, and would
+not leave him till he had bought the book back again. I suppose it is an
+excellent book, as Mademoiselle used to love it so; and neither gold nor
+silver could ever get it from me if it wasn't for you, sir. Husband says
+it is called LUCIFER'!"
+
+While she was running on, Gustave seized the book eagerly and ran over
+its pages without paying attention to what she said. "Thank you, thank
+you for your kind attention, mother Bess!" said he. "You can't think how
+happy I am whenever I find any thing that belonged to your mistress. Be
+assured that I will never forget your goodness." After offering this
+expression of his thanks to the farmer's wife he opened the book again
+and began to read without heeding her further. But the good woman did
+not go away, and soon interrupted him with a question:--
+
+"May I ask, sir, if you have any news yet of our young lady?"
+
+Gustave shook his head. "Not the least scrap of news, mother Bess. My
+search has been fruitless."
+
+"That is unlucky, sir. God knows where she may be and what she is
+suffering. She told me before she went away that she meant to work for
+her father; but one must have learned to work very early in life to earn
+a living by one's hands. My heart almost breaks when I think of it.
+Perhaps that good, sweet young lady is reduced to work for other people
+and labors like a slave to get a mouthful of bread! I have been a
+servant, sir, and I know what it is to work from morning until night for
+others. And she,--she who is so beautiful, so clever, so kind! Oh, sir,
+it is terrible! I can't help crying like a child, thinking of her
+miserable life!"
+
+Gustave was overcome by the simple eloquence of the poor woman, and
+remained silent.
+
+"And then to think," continued Bess, "she might now be so happy! that
+she might again become mistress of Grinselhof, where she was born and
+grew up! that her father might pass his old days in quietness, and that
+they are now wandering about the world poor, sick, abandoned outcasts!
+Oh, sir, it is sad to know that our benefactors are unhappy, and to be
+able to do nothing for them but pray to God and hope for his mercy!"
+
+The simple-minded woman, without meaning it, had touched some tender
+strings in Gustave's heart; and, as she saw the silent tears coursing
+their way down his cheeks, she said, entreatingly,--
+
+"Oh, pardon me, sir, for having grieved you so by my talk! but my heart
+is full, and my feelings force their way without knowing it. If I have
+done wrong, I am sure you are too kind to be angry with me for loving
+our young lady so much and bemoaning her misfortune. Have you no orders
+for me to-day, sir?"
+
+She was about to go, as Gustave raised his downcast eyes and,
+restraining his tears, exclaimed,--
+
+"I--angry with you, mother Bess?--and angry, too, because you show
+affection for our poor Lenora? Oh, no, no! On the contrary, I bless you
+for it with all my heart! The tears you betrayed from my heart have done
+me good; for I am very unhappy. Life is a burden; and if God, in his
+mercy, would take me away from earth, I would gladly die. All hope of
+seeing her again in this world is gone. Perhaps she is awaiting me in
+the next!"
+
+"Oh, sir! sir! how you talk!" cried the peasant-woman, in alarm. "No!
+no! that cannot be!"
+
+"You grieve, my good woman, and shed tears for her," continued Gustave,
+without heeding the interruption; "but don't you see how _my_ soul must
+be consumed with despair? Alas! for months and months I have implored
+God for the happiness of seeing her once more! I overcame all obstacles
+to our marriage, and I became almost mad with joy and impatience as I
+flew like lightning to the home where I left her; and then my only
+recompense, my only consolation, was to find her _gone_ and the house of
+her fathers a wilderness!--to know, alas! that she is poor, and,
+perhaps, languishing in want!--to know that my noble-hearted and beloved
+Lenora sinks under the weight of misfortune, and yet to be able to do
+nothing to relieve her!--to be condemned to count in powerless despair
+her days of affliction, and not even to be sure that suffering has not
+killed her!"
+
+A profound silence followed this complaining outburst, and the
+peasant-woman, with her head bent to the earth, sympathized with him
+truly, till, after a few moments, she attempted to console the sufferer
+in her simple way:--
+
+"Oh, sir, I understand only too well how much you endure! And yet why
+despair? Who knows but we may receive some news of our dear young lady
+when we least expect it? God is good; he will hear our prayers; and our
+joy for her return will make us forget all our grief!"
+
+"Oh that your prophecy might be realized, my good woman! But seven
+months have already gone since they departed. During three of them a
+hundred persons have been employed in seeking the wanderers. They have
+been sought for in every direction, and not the slightest intelligence
+has been obtained; not a trace, not the least sign that they are even
+alive! My reason tells me not to despair; but my heart magnifies my ills
+and cries aloud that I have lost her!--lost her forever!"
+
+He was about quitting the garden, when a noise attracted his attention
+as he pointed toward the road leading to the _chateau_.
+
+"Listen! Don't you hear something?" cried he.
+
+"It is the gallop of a horse," answered Bess, without comprehending why
+the noise so much startled her master.
+
+"Poor fool!" said the young man to himself; "why am I so startled by the
+passing of a horseman?"
+
+"But see! see! he is coming into the avenue!" cried Bess, with
+increasing interest. "Oh, God! I am sure it is a messenger with news!
+Heaven grant it may be good!"
+
+As she said this the rider passed through the gate at full gallop, and,
+drawing rein at the door they had just reached, took a letter from his
+pocket and handed it to the master of Grinselhof:--
+
+"I come," said he, "from your notary, who ordered me to deliver you this
+letter without a moment's delay."
+
+Gustave broke the seal with a trembling hand, while Bess, smiling with
+hope, followed all her master's movements with staring eyes.
+
+As he read the first lines the anxious youth grew pale; but as he went
+on a tremor ran through all his limbs, till with a hysterical laugh and
+clasped hands he exclaimed,--
+
+"Thanks! thanks! Oh, God! she is restored to me!"
+
+"Oh, sir, sir," cried Bess, "is it good news?"
+
+"Yes! yes! rejoice with me! Lenora lives! I know where she is!" answered
+Gustave, half mad with delight, running into the house and calling all
+the servants. "Quick! quick! Have out the travelling-carriage and the
+English horses! My trunk! my cloak! Quick! fly!"
+
+He carried forth with his own hands a number of things that were
+necessary for the journey. His fleetest horses were attached to the
+vehicle; and, although they strained their bits and pawed the ground as
+if impatient for the road, the postillion lashed them fiercely as they
+dashed through the gateway.
+
+In a moment, and almost as if by magic, the coach was on the road to
+Antwerp and hidden from the staring crowd by a cloud of dust.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+
+Suppose that we too take a trip in fancy to Nancy, in France, in search
+of poor De Vlierbeck and his daughter. Let us wind through an immense
+number of narrow streets in the quarter known as the Old Town and at
+last halt at the door of an humble cobbler. This is the place. Pass
+through the shop, mount the staircase; another story yet; open that
+door, and here we are.
+
+Every thing indicates poverty; but order and neatness preside over the
+room. The curtains of the little bed are white as snow, the stove is
+polished with black-lead till it shines, and the floor is sanded in
+Flemish style. Mignonette and violets bloom in a box on the window-sill,
+and a bird chirps in its cage above them. A young woman sits in front of
+the window; but she is so intent on the linen she is sewing that no
+other sound is heard in the silent room but that made by the motion of
+her hands as they guide the needle. She is dressed in the plainest
+garments; yet they are cut and put on so gracefully that one may declare
+at a glance she is a lady.
+
+Poor Lenora! And this was what fate had in store for thee! To hide thy
+noble birth under the humble roof of a mechanic; to seek a refuge from
+insult and contempt far from thy childhood's home; to work without
+relaxation; to fight against privation and want, and to sink at last
+into shame and poverty, heart-broken by despair! Misery, doubtless, has
+cast a yellow tinge upon thy cheeks and stolen its radiance from thy
+glance. But no! thank God, it is not so! Thy heroic blood has
+strengthened thee against fate, and thy beauty is even more ravishing
+than of old! If a cloistered life has chastened thy roses, their tender
+bloom has only become more touching. Thy brow has grown loftier and
+purer; thine eyes still glisten beneath their sweeping lashes; and that
+well-remembered smile still hovers around thy coral lips!
+
+Suddenly Lenora stopped working. Her hands rested on the work in her
+lap, her head bent forward, her eyes were riveted dreamily on the
+ground, and her soul, wandering perhaps to other lands, seemed to
+abandon itself on the current of a happy reverie. After a while she
+placed the linen she had been sewing on a chair and got up slowly.
+Leaning languidly on the window-frame, she gathered a few violets,
+played with them a while, and then looked abroad at the sky over the
+roof-tops, as if longing to breathe once more the fresh air and enjoy
+the spring. Soon her eyes fixed themselves compassionately on the bird
+that hopped about its cage and ever and anon struck its bill against the
+wires as if striving to get out.
+
+"Why dost thou want to leave us, dear little bird?" said she, softly.
+"Why dost thou wish to be gone, dear comforter of our sadness? Sing
+gayly to-day; father is well again, and life is once more a pleasure.
+What is it makes thee flutter about so wildly and pant in thy cage? Ah!
+is it not hard, dear little one, to be captive when we know there are
+joy and freedom in the open air?--when we are born in the fields and
+woods?--when we know that _there_ alone are independence and liberty.
+Like thee, poor bird, I am a child of nature; I too have been torn from
+my birthplace; I too bemoan the solitudes where my childhood was passed!
+But has a friend or lover been snatched from thee--as from me--forever?
+Dost thou grieve for something more than space and freedom? Yet why do I
+ask? Thy love-season has come round again, has it not? and love is the
+greatest blessing of thy little life! I understand thee, poor bird! I
+will no longer be thy fate! Fly away, and God help you! Begone, and
+enjoy the two greatest blessings of life! Ah, how thou singest as thy
+wings bear thee away,--away to the sky and woods! Farewell! farewell!"
+As she uttered these last words Lenora opened the cage-door and released
+the bird, which darted away like an arrow. After this she resumed her
+work and sewed on with the same zeal as before, till aroused by the
+sound of footsteps on the staircase.
+
+"It is father! God grant he may have been lucky to-day!"
+
+Monsieur De Vlierbeck entered the room with a roll of paper in his hand,
+and, throwing himself languidly into a chair, seemed altogether worn out
+with fatigue. He had become very thin; his eyes were sunk in their
+sockets, his cheeks were pale, and his whole expression was changed and
+broken. It was very evident that sickness or depression, or perhaps
+both, had made fearful ravages on his body as well as spirits.
+
+The poor old gentleman was wretchedly clad. It was evident that he had
+striven as formerly to conceal his indigence, for there was not a stain
+or grain of dust on his garments; but the stuff was threadbare and
+patched, and all his garments were too large for his shrunken limbs.
+
+Lenora looked at him a moment anxiously. "You do not feel ill, father,
+do you?"
+
+"No, Lenora," replied he; "but I am very wretched."
+
+Lenora said nothing, but embraced him tenderly and then knelt down with
+his hand in hers.
+
+"Father," said she, "it is hardly a week since you were ill in bed: we
+prayed to God for your restoration, and he listened to our prayers; you
+are cured, dear father, and yet you give way anew at the first
+disappointment. You have not been successful to-day, father? I see it in
+your face. Well, what of it? Why should it interfere with our happiness?
+We have long learned how to fight against fate. Let us be strong and
+look misery in the face with heads up: courage is wealth; and so, father
+dear, forget your disappointment. Look at me. Am I sad? do I allow
+myself to be downcast and despairing? I suffered and wept enough when
+you were ill; but, now that you are well again, come what may, your
+Lenora will always thank God for his goodness!"
+
+The poor old man smiled feebly at the courageous excitement of his
+daughter.
+
+"Poor child!" said he; "I understand very well how you strive to appear
+strong in order to keep me up. May heaven repay your love, dear angel
+whom God has given me! your word and smile control me so completely that
+I may say a part of your soul passes with them into mine. I came home
+just now quite heart-broken and half crazy with despair; but you, my
+child, have restored me to myself again."
+
+"That's right, father," said she, rising from her knees and sitting down
+on a chair close beside him; "come, father, tell me now all your
+adventures to-day, and afterward I will tell you something that will
+make you laugh."
+
+"Alas, my child! I went to Monsieur Roncevaux's academy to resume my
+English lessons; but during my sickness an Englishman was put in my
+place: we have lost our best bit of bread."
+
+"Well, how is it about Mademoiselle Pauline's German lesson?"
+
+"Mademoiselle Pauline has gone to Strasburg and will not come back
+again. You see, Lenora, that we are losing every thing at once; so, have
+I not cause to be anxious and downcast? This news seems to overcome you,
+my child, strong as you are!"
+
+In truth, Lenora was somewhat appalled by the dejecting words; but her
+father's remark restored her self-possession, and she replied, with a
+forced smile,--
+
+"I was thinking, father, of the pain these dismissals gave you, and they
+really annoyed me Yet there are some things that ought to make me happy
+to-day. Yes, father, I have some good news for you!"
+
+"Indeed? You astonish me!"
+
+Lenora pointed to the chair.
+
+"Do you see that linen?" said she. "I have a dozen fine shirts to make
+out of it; and when they are done there are as many more waiting for me.
+They pay me good wages, and I think, from what they say, that in time
+there will be something better in store for me. But as yet that is only
+a hope,--only a hope."
+
+De Vlierbeck seemed particularly struck by the last remark of his
+daughter, as he looked at her anxiously.
+
+"Well! well! what is it that makes you so happy and hopeful?" said he.
+
+Lenora took up her sewing again and went busily to work.
+
+"You wouldn't guess it in a week, father! Do you know who gave me this
+work? It is the rich lady who lives in the house with a court-yard, at
+the corner of our street. She sent for me this morning, and I went to
+her while you were abroad. You are surprised, father; are you not?"
+
+"I am, indeed, Lenora. You are speaking of Madame De Royan, for whom you
+were employed to embroider those handsome collars. How does she come to
+know you?"
+
+"I really don't know. Perhaps the person who gave me her collars to
+embroider told her who worked them: she must have spoken to her about
+your illness and our poverty, for Madame De Royan knows more of us than
+you imagine.'
+
+"Heavens! She does not know--"
+
+"No! she knows nothing about our _name_ or from whence we came."
+
+"Go on, Lenora; you excite my curiosity. I see you want to teaze me
+to-day!"
+
+"Well, father, if you are tired I will cut my story short. Madame De
+Royan received me with great kindness, complimented me on my embroidery,
+asked me some questions about our misfortunes, and consoled and
+encouraged me generously. 'Go, my child!' said she, as she gave me the
+linen; 'work with a good will and be prudent: I will protect you. I have
+a great deal of sewing to do,--enough for two months at least. But that
+would not be enough; I mean to recommend you to all my friends, and I
+mean to see that you are paid for your work in such a way that your
+father and yourself shall be above want.' I took her hand and kissed it,
+for I was touched by the delicacy with which she give me _work_ and not
+_alms_! Madame De Royan understood me, and, laying her hand kindly on my
+shoulder, 'Keep up your spirits, Lenora,' said she; 'the time will come
+when you must take apprentices to help you, and so by degrees you will
+become mistress of a shop.' Yes, father, that's what she said; I know
+her words by heart."
+
+With this she sprang to her father, embraced him, and added, with
+considerable emotion,--
+
+"What say you to it, father? Is it not good news? Who knows what may
+come to pass? Apprentices,--a shop,--a store,--a servant: you will keep
+the books and buy our goods, I will sit in the room and superintend the
+workwomen! How sweet it is to be happy and to know that we owe all to
+the work of our hands! Then, father, your promise will indeed be
+fulfilled, and then you may pass your old days happily."
+
+There was a look of such extreme serenity in Monsieur De Vlierbeck's
+face, an expression of such vivid happiness was reflected from his
+wrinkled cheeks, that it was evident he had allowed his daughter's story
+to bewitch him into entire forgetfulness. But he soon found it out, and
+shook his head mournfully at the enchantress:--
+
+"Oh! Lenora, Lenora, you witch! how easily have you managed to seduce
+me! I followed your words like a child, and I really believed in the
+happiness you promised. But let us be serious. The shoemaker spoke to me
+again about the rent, and asked me to pay it. We still owe him twenty
+francs, do we not?"
+
+"Yes, twenty francs for rent, and about twelve francs to the grocer:
+that's all. When the shirts are done we will give my wages on account to
+the shoemaker, and I know he will be satisfied. The grocer is willing to
+give us longer credit. I received two francs and a half for my last
+work. You see very well, father, that we are still quite rich, and
+before a month is over will be out of debt entirely."
+
+Poor De Vlierbeck seemed quite consoled; and a gleam of fortitude shone
+in his black eyes as he approached the table, unrolling the paper he had
+brought with him on his return.
+
+"I have something to do too, Lenora. Professor Delsaux gave me some
+pieces of music to copy for his pupils, which will give me four francs
+in a couple of days. And now be quiet a while, my dear child; my nerves
+are so shattered that if we talk I shall make mistakes and spoil the
+paper."
+
+"I may sing, father; may I not?"
+
+"Oh, yes; that won't annoy me: your song will please my ear without
+distracting my attention."
+
+The old gentleman went on writing, while Lenora, with a rich and joyous
+voice, repeated all her songs and poured forth her heart in melody. She
+sewed meanwhile diligently, and, from time to time, glanced at her
+father to see whether the cloud had fallen again over his face and
+spirit.
+
+They had been a considerable time engaged with their several
+occupations, when the parish clock struck; and, putting down her work
+hastily, Lenora took a basket from behind the stove and prepared to go
+out. Her father looked up with surprise as he said,--
+
+"What! _already_, Lenora?"
+
+"It has just struck half-past eleven, father."
+
+Without making any other remark, De Vlierbeck bent his head again over
+the music-paper and continued his task.
+
+Lenora soon returned from her walk with her basket full of potatoes and
+something else tied up in a paper, which she hid beneath a napkin. Then,
+pouring some water in a pot which she placed beside her chair, she began
+to sing, and threw in the potatoes as she peeled them. After this she
+kindled a fire in the stove and set the pot of potatoes to boil. After
+the fire burned well she put a skillet, with a little butter and a good
+deal of vinegar, over the coals.
+
+Up to this moment her father had not looked up nor intermitted his work;
+he saw her getting dinner ready every day, and it was seldom that any
+variety of food appeared on their table. But, hardly had the potatoes
+begun to boil, when an agreeable perfume was diffused through the
+chamber. De Vlierbeck glanced up from his writing, a little
+reproachfully, as he exclaimed,--
+
+"What! meat on Friday, my child? you know very well we must be
+economical."
+
+"Don't be angry, father," answered Lenora; "the doctor ordered it."
+
+"You are trying to deceive me, are you not?"
+
+"No, no; the doctor said you required meat at least three times a week,
+if we could get it; it will do you more good than any thing else in
+restoring your strength."
+
+"And yet we are in debt, Lenora!"
+
+"Come, come, father, let our debts alone, everybody will be paid and
+satisfied. Don't trouble yourself about them any more: I'll answer for
+them all. And now be so good as to take your papers off of the table, so
+that I can lay the cloth."
+
+De Vlierbeck got up and did as he was asked. Lenora covered the
+deal-boards with a snowy napkin and placed on it two plates and a dish
+of potatoes. It was indeed an humble table, at which all was extremely
+common; yet every thing was so neat, fresh, and savory, that a rich man
+might have sat down to it with appetite. They took their places and
+asked a blessing on the meal; but, before the prayer was finished,
+Lenora started suddenly and interrupted her father. With eyes staring
+toward the door and head leaned forward, she listened eagerly, motioning
+her father with her hand to be silent.
+
+There was a sound of footsteps and voices on the staircase, and, as they
+approached, Lenora thought she recognised the tones. She bounded to the
+door with a sharp cry, and, closing it, leaned against the boards to
+prevent any one from entering.
+
+"For God's sake, child, what are you afraid of?" cried her father.
+
+"GUSTAVE! GUSTAVE!" whispered Lenora, with pale and quivering lips. "He
+is there! he is there! I hear him. Take away that table quickly. Of all
+the world he is the last who should see our misery!"
+
+De Vlierbeck's face grew dark, his head became erect and fierce, and his
+eyes flashed with their ancient fire. Advancing silently to his
+daughter, he drew her from the door. Lenora fled to a corner of the
+room, and covered her face, which was red with mortification.
+
+Suddenly the door opened, and a young man rushed into the chamber with
+an exclamation of joy as he advanced, open-armed, toward the trembling
+girl, whom he would have pressed to his breast had not the hand and look
+of her father arrested his steps.
+
+For a moment he stood like one stupefied, glancing from the wretched
+board to the miserable dress of the old man and his daughter. The sight
+affected the intruder, for he covered his eyes as he exclaimed, in
+subdued and despairing tones, "Oh, God! has it come to this?"
+
+But he did not allow himself to remain long under the influence either
+of his feelings or of her father, and, advancing anew to Lenora, seized
+and pressed both her hands ardently.
+
+"Oh! look at me, Lenora! Let me see if thy heart has preserved the
+memory of our love!"
+
+Lenora's eyes met his at once and with affection. It was a look that
+completely revealed her pure and constant soul.
+
+"Oh, happiness!" cried Gustave, enthusiastically; "thou art still my
+dear and tender Lenora! Thank God, no power on earth can ever separate
+me again from my betrothed! Receive, receive the kiss of our union!"
+
+He stretched his arms toward her. Lenora, trembling with agony and
+happiness, stood downcast and blushing, as if awaiting the solemn kiss;
+but, before Gustave could accomplish the act, De Vlierbeck was by his
+side, and, grasping his hand, held him motionless.
+
+"Monsieur Denecker," said her father, severely, "have the goodness to
+moderate your transports. We are certainly glad to see you once more;
+but neither you nor I can forget what we are. Respect our poverty!"
+
+"What do you say?" cried Gustave. "_What you are_! You are my
+friend,--my father. Lenora is my betrothed! Oh heaven! why look at me so
+reproachfully?"
+
+He seized the hand of Lenora again, and, drawing her toward her father,
+rapidly continued:--
+
+"Listen! My uncle died in Italy and left me heir of all his property. He
+commanded me on his death-bed to marry Lenora. I have searched heaven
+and earth to find you. I have suffered for many months all the torture
+that a nature like mine can endure; and at length I have discovered you!
+I have come, sir, to ask the reward of my suffering. I lay my fortune,
+heart, and life at your feet; and, in exchange, I implore the happiness
+of leading Lenora to the altar. Grant me that favor, O my _father_!
+Grinselhof awaits you. I bought it for you. Every thing is there again.
+The portraits of your ancestors are in their places on the wall, and
+every thing that was dear to you is restored. Come! let me watch your
+old days, your declining years, with the veneration of a son! let me
+make you happy again;--oh, how happy!"
+
+The old man's expression did not change, yet a tear moistened his eye.
+
+"Ah!" continued Gustave, "nothing on earth can again separate me from
+her,--not even a father's power; for I feel that God himself has given
+her to me! Yet pardon me, father, for my rashness, and bestow your
+benediction!"
+
+De Vlierbeck seemed to have utterly forgotten the young man and his
+transports; for he stood with clasped hands and eyes raised to heaven,
+as if addressing his Maker in fervent prayer. At length his words began
+to be heard distinctly:--
+
+"Oh, Margaret! Margaret! rejoice on the bosom of God. My promise is
+fulfilled;--thy child will be happy!"
+
+Gustave and Lenora stood before him hand in hand; and, as he threw his
+arms around the young man,--
+
+"May Heaven bless you for your love!" continued he. "Make my child
+happy. She is your wife!"
+
+"Gustave, Gustave,--_my husband!_" exclaimed Lenora, as they threw
+themselves into each other's arms, and the first kiss of love--the
+first consecrated kiss--was exchanged on the breast of that happy
+father, who wept over and blessed his children.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+And now, gentle reader, I must inform you that I have had my own reasons
+for concealing the situation and even the true name of the _chateau_ of
+DE VLIERBECK. None of you will, therefore, ever know where Gustave and
+Lenora dwell. I know Monsieur and Madame Denecker intimately, and have
+taken many a walk around Grinselhof with two charming little children
+and their venerable _grandfather_. I have often beheld the beautiful
+picture of peace, love, and domestic happiness that is seen in that old
+house beneath the grim ancestral portraits or in the fresh air under the
+trees. I will not say who told me the story of this family. Let it
+suffice that I know all the persons who have played a part in it, and
+that I have often chatted with Farmer John and Dame Bess while they
+poured forth their gossip about "The Poor Gentleman" and his trials.
+
+
+
+***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE POOR GENTLEMAN***
+
+
+******* This file should be named 13576.txt or 13576.zip *******
+
+
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/3/5/7/13576
+
+
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+https://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at https://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at https://www.gutenberg.org/about/contact
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit https://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including including checks, online payments and credit card
+donations.  To donate, please visit:
+https://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     https://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
+