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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/35023-8.txt b/35023-8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..872eede --- /dev/null +++ b/35023-8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,6746 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Garrick's Pupil, by Auguston Filon + +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: Garrick's Pupil + +Author: Auguston Filon + +Translator: J. V. Prichard + +Release Date: January 21, 2011 [EBook #35023] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GARRICK'S PUPIL *** + + + + +Produced by Annie McGuire. This book was produced from +scanned images of public domain material from the Google +Print archive. + + + + + + + + + +[Illustration: Book Cover] + + + + +GARRICK'S PUPIL. + + + + +GARRICK'S PUPIL + +By AUGUSTIN FILON + +_Translated by_ +J. V. PRICHARD + +Illustrated + + +[Illustration] + + +CHICAGO +A. C. McCLURG & COMPANY +1893 + + + + +COPYRIGHT, +BY A. C. MCCLURG & CO. +A. D. 1893. + + + + +CONTENTS. + + + CHAPTER PAGE + I. PAINTER AND MODEL 7 + II. A SUPPER AT SIR JOSHUA'S 22 + III. LADY VEREKER'S BOUDOIR 33 + IV. THE BROOKS CLUB 42 + V. A STRANGE EDUCATION 58 + VI. THE HOUSE IN TOTHILL FIELDS 71 + VII. CONFIDENCES 81 + VIII. MR. FISHER'S SUBSTITUTE 97 + IX. MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 106 + X. DEATH TO THE PAPISTS 117 + XI. THE DAY OF DAYS 132 + XII. THE MASQUERADE AT THE PANTHEON 143 + XIII. MOWBRAY'S FOLLY AT CHELSEA 156 + XIV. VAIN QUESTS 171 + XV. SANCTUARY 184 + XVI. GAMES OF DEATH AND CHANCE 194 + XVII. HORACE AND SHAKESPEARE 208 + + + + +CHAPTER I. + +PAINTER AND MODEL. + + +Just as the third hour of the afternoon had sounded from the belfry of +Saint Martin's-in-the-Fields, a hackney coach drew up before the most +pretentious mansion upon the west side of Leicester Fields; and while +the coachman hastened to agitate the heavy door-knocker, a young woman, +almost a child, sprang out upon the pavement without waiting to have the +shaky steps unfolded and lowered for her convenience. Her dust-colored +mantle, disarranged by her rapid movements, revealed a rich costume +beneath; while the dazzled passer-by might have caught a glimpse, amidst +the whiteness of the elevated skirts, of a tiny pair of red satin +slippers and two slender, exquisitely moulded ankles finely clad in +silken hose with embroidered clocks. + +The girl turned and assisted a more aged woman, leaning upon a +crutch-headed cane, to descend. This lady wore the big straw bonnet and +gray gown of the Quaker persuasion,--a rigidly simple costume, which +occasionally is becoming to extreme youth, but rarely enhances maturer +charms. + +It was one of those glorious days of the English springtide when life +seems endurable even to the hapless, grateful even to the invalid. A +bland breeze rustled the branches of the grand old trees which in double +rows framed the open square. Several children were at play upon the +spacious grass-plot, which was intersected by diagonal paths of yellow +sand. The square was silent, and slept in the voluptuous warmth of the +perfect afternoon; but from the north side came the bustle and confusion +that resembled the turmoil of some festival. It was the continuous din +of the two tides of life which here meet and cross each other, the one +surging from Covent Garden and Chancery Lane, the other from Piccadilly +and St. James's. Pedestrians and horsemen, coaches and sedan chairs, +went to make up a glittering, varied hodgepodge, amidst which +flower-girls and newsboys fought their way, together with the venders of +"hot buns." Gentlemen saluted with exaggerated gesture, pressing their +cocked hats to their breasts and affectedly inclining their heads +towards their right shoulder; while the ladies fluttered their fans and +nodded the edifices of flowers and feathers which served in lieu of a +head-dress. The intoxicating odor of iris powder, of benzoin, bergamot, +and patchouli floated upon the air. The beggars leaning against the +railing of the square and the Irish chairmen indolently smoking their +pipes, for whom life is but a spectacle, watched the passage of others' +happiness. A bright, genial sun polished the flanks of the plaster horse +in the centre of the square, upon which rode a prince of the House of +Hanover. It shone upon the head of the gilded cock which served as sign +to Hogarth's old shop, flamed upon the windows of Newton's sham +observatory, glistened upon the roofs, played along the line of +coaches, set tiny mirrors upon the harnesses of the horses, glittered in +the diamonds in the women's ears, and on the swords that clattered +against the men's legs, set a spangle here or a spark there, and bathed +all things in a blaze of light and joy. + +Meanwhile a lackey in a livery embroidered in silver had opened the door +to the two women. + +"Sir Joshua Reynolds?" + +The lackey hesitated, but at the moment Ralph, the painter's +confidential man, appeared upon the steps. + +"Miss Woodville?" he inquired in his turn. + +"Yes," replied the girl. + +"Be good enough to follow me, Miss Woodville"; adding with a smile, "You +are prompt." + +"It is the custom of the theatre. Lean upon my arm, aunt." + +At this moment Miss Woodville was saluted with a "good-morning" uttered +by so strange, so guttural, so piercing a voice that she involuntarily +started. + +"Don't be alarmed," said Ralph; "it is the bird." + +"What bird?" + +"Sir Joshua's parrot. He was in the courtyard, but had to be removed to +the dining-room because he fought with the eagle." + +"An eagle! a parrot! Pray what are they doing here?" + +"They pose. Miss Woodville must have noticed them in more than one of +Sir Joshua's pictures. Oh, we all take our turns in sitting as models to +him. Yesterday I was a shepherd; the day before, a sea-god." + +The good man drew himself up at the recollection of the lofty dignity +with which his master's confidence had invested him. + +Thus chatting, they reached the first floor. Ralph introduced the ladies +into a gallery filled with roughly sketched canvases. He knocked twice +upon the door at the extreme end, but received no response. + +"How deaf the President grows!" he murmured, shaking his head. + +Without further delay he opened the door. + +Miss Woodville and her companion found themselves upon the threshold of +quite a spacious chamber, lighted by a large window facing the north and +nine feet in height. + +The room contained an easel upon which rested a white canvas; near the +easel stood a large mirror; upon a table near by lay the palette, all +ready and fresh, with a row of little paint jars. The model's chair, +raised upon a dais and revolving upon a pivot, was placed next to that +of the painter, and opposite the mirror. About the room several sofas +were arranged. There were no knickknacks; no cluttering; nothing to +offend the sight, unless it was that just about the painter's chair the +floor was black with snuff. + +The man who advanced slowly to meet the strangers, making use of his +maul-stick as a cane, while in the other he carried a silver +ear-trumpet, was none other than Sir Joshua Reynolds himself, the +greatest painter of women that the world has ever known. + +The first impression he made upon his visitors was disappointing, +indefinable. + +That expansive brow which the hair, brushed straightly back, disclosed +did not lack nobility; but the under lip, cleft by a wound and shrunken +in the middle, lent to the mouth an expression at once unpleasant and +strained. The eyes were concealed behind the crystalline glimmer of +spectacles securely attached to the back of the head by broad black +ribbons. The spare, calmly cold figure bore neither the trace of precise +age nor the certainty of sex. At some distance and in obscurity one +would have hesitated to pronounce it as that of a youth or an aged +woman. Perhaps in some way the air of indecision and anxiety was due to +that expression peculiar to those afflicted with deafness whose aim it +is to dissimulate their infirmity. + +He cast upon the old Quakeress a rapid, searching glance; then his eyes +rested complacently upon Miss Woodville; his features, cold to +unpleasantness, softened and became animated. Already had he painted +three thousand portraits, but, far from being weary of his profession, +his enthusiasm for the wonders of the human physiognomy increased each +time that he found himself in the presence of a new model. Each time he +thought, "_This_ will be my _chef-d'oeuvre_!" + +The girl was quickly relieved of her mantle, which Ralph laid aside. She +was dressed in the costume of Rosalind, as she had appeared at Drury +Lane for the first time six months previously,--memorable night! when +she had only to show herself to vanquish and carry by storm the hearts +of all London. + +A wide-brimmed hat of gray felt with plumes, a corsage of rose-pink +taffety embroidered in silver, and a skirt of green velvet closely +plaited--such was the costume. + +The small, childish head, framed in a profusion of chestnut curls, was +illumined by a pair of great brown eyes. With the eye of a connoisseur +Reynolds regarded the delicate complexion, over which ran at the +slightest provocation the rosiest of blushes, and over which every throb +of the heart sent a hint of the tide of life, regarded that brilliant, +mobile glance of the eye, in the depths of which played every +description of piqued curiosity and _naïf_ desire, lost in the riotous +joy of living, of being sweet sixteen, celebrated and beautiful. + +"Sit there, Miss Woodville," said the President of the Royal Academy, +indicating the pivot chair. + +"What! Ought I not to be placed opposite you?" + +"No; rather at my side. We shall both benefit by the arrangement. +Instead of looking at an ugly old painter, you will perceive your own +charming image in the mirror and will smile upon it, while I have my +sketch all done for me." + +The old lady had drawn a roll of bank-notes from her pocket, which she +proceeded carefully to count and re-count. + +"I believe it is the custom," she said. + +Sir Joshua acquiesced in silence with a cold smile. An able accountant +and serious man of business, this President of the Royal Academy! The +price of his portraits was invariably paid him, one half on the occasion +of the first sitting, the remainder on the day that the finished work +was delivered. As to the price, it varied according to the dimension; it +had also varied with the epoch and had increased with the reputation of +the artist. A full-length portrait cost at that time (1780) one hundred +and fifty pounds sterling. + +The Quakeress, therefore, placed upon a table seventy-five pounds in +notes and gold pieces bearing the effigy of George III. As Miss +Woodville was not yet sufficiently wealthy to order a portrait from the +great painter, a group of enthusiastic amateurs had raised the necessary +money in order to decorate the lobby of the theatre with the portrait. + +"Am I permitted to talk?" inquired the girl. + +"As much as you please." + +"Oh, that's good!" she said, drawing a breath of relief; "and may I ask +a question?" + +"Ten, if you see fit." + +"Sir Joshua, why are you making me so deathly white? I look like a +statue." + +Reynolds smiled. + +"What will you say at the next sitting? I shall tint you all in Naples +yellow." + +"Fie!--horrors! Why do you do that?" + +"Ah, that is my little secret! My enemies pretend that I have scraped a +Watteau, others say a Titian, in order to discover the successive layers +of color and surprise the method of these masters. And why should I not? +All means are justifiable so long as one succeeds in imitating life. +Others pretend that I paint on wax. They may say what they please. +Hudson, my master, painted exceedingly well on cheese." + +"On cheese!" exclaimed Miss Woodville with a laugh; "fancy a painting on +cheese!" + +"Exactly so." + +Thereupon ensued a pause, during which the canvas was heard to crack +beneath the pencil, while the old lady's needles clicked where she sat +knitting. Evidently ill at ease, Reynolds fretted upon his chair. At +last he turned towards the Quakeress and courteously remarked, "The time +will hang heavily upon your hands, madam." + +"I have brought my work, and have no end of patience," she replied. + +"That may be; but the first sitting is always tedious. Moreover, I need +to become intimately acquainted with my model, and since Miss Woodville +does not play this evening, I count upon keeping your niece for supper, +if you have no objection. I am to have a few friends here, for whom my +sister will do the honors as hostess,--Mr. Burke, Dr. Johnson, my +charming neighbor, Miss Burney." + +"The author of 'Evelina'! Oh, I long to meet her!" + +"So you see, madam, you may spare yourself a tedious wait, and without +fear leave Miss Woodville in my care. I shall make it my duty to see +that she is returned to you properly escorted." + +Thus politely dismissed, the old lady regretfully arose, but seemed +still to hesitate. + +"Go, aunt, or you will miss the reunion of 'The Favorites of Jesus +Christ,' of whom you are the presiding officer," suggested the younger +lady. + +Whether influenced by this consideration, or whether she found it +difficult to resist the desire which the painter had so delicately +expressed, the Quakeress retired, escorted even to the threshold by Sir +Joshua. + +"Are you aware," he asked, returning to his model, "of my true purpose +in sending this lady away?" + +"In truth, no." + +"Because she constrains you; because she casts a shadow upon your youth +and gayety; in a word, because she prevents you from being yourself." + +"Pray, how could you divine that?" + +"My dear child, I have already deciphered three thousand human visages, +and why should I not have learned to read the soul a little? The lady is +your aunt?" + +"Yes,--at least I have been told to call her so." + +"And your parents?" + +"My mother is dead; I never knew her. My father has travelled for the +past fifteen years in foreign lands; perhaps I shall never see him. +While a mere child I was placed in Miss Hannah More's boarding-school at +Bristol. One day we learned that our mistress was a poetic genius, that +Dr. Johnson himself had deigned to encourage her. You cannot imagine, +Sir Joshua, what a sensation the tidings created among us girls! We all +sighed to compose verse--or to recite. It was discovered that I spoke +rather better than the others. I swear to you that I was possessed of +but one desire,--to appear in costume, to escape from that frightful +gray gown and that horrible Quaker bonnet in which we were all hooded. +One day I was made to declaim before Mr. Garrick. He wished to give me +lessons and make an actress of me. And a few months later I made my +_début_." + +"And a genuine triumph it was! I was there." + +"It was then that I was informed that I had an aunt, a sister of my +mother, and I was forthwith placed in her care, in her guardianship." + +"And she has rigorously acquitted herself of the mission which was +confided to her." + +The child heaved a deep sigh. + +"Ah, Sir Joshua! It is not that she is unkind in any way, but she is my +constant shadow. In the wings, in the greenroom, at the rehearsals, she +is ever at my side, answering questions which are put to me, refusing +invitations, reading letters which are addressed to me, and forcing me +to sing psalms to put to rout the evil thoughts which I find in +Shakespeare!" + +"I see; and you long to be free?" + +"Oh, yes, passionately!" + +"And what use would you make of your liberty?" + +"Oh, I can't fancy. Perhaps I might love virtue if it were not crammed +down my throat." + +"Good!" + +"But you do not know the worst yet." + +"Well?" + +"The worst--is Reuben!" + +"And who may Reuben be?" + +"My cousin, my aunt's son; but he is no Quaker. He belongs to one of +those old, rigid, cruel sects which have been perpetuated in shadow +since the days of the Puritans. He is a fanatic; it would rejoice his +heart to plunge into a sea of papist blood; meanwhile he torments me." + +"Perhaps he loves you?" + +"Yes, according to his light, which surely is not a fair light." + +"And what is the proper method of loving?" + +The girl burst into a coquettish laugh. + +"You ask me more than I can tell, Sir Joshua." + +"Indeed? Pray how, then, can one who is ignorant of the sentiment impart +its faithful presentment to others? How can she communicate an emotion +which finds no echo in her own soul? Who has the ability to teach her to +invest her voice, her gestures, her glance, her very smile, with the +woes and joys of love?" + +"Garrick, I tell you!" + +That name, cast haphazard into their conversation, caused a divergence. + +"Poor Garrick!" exclaimed Reynolds ruefully; "it is scarcely yet a year +since we left him alone in his glory beneath the pavement of +Westminster." + +The mobile countenance of the child actress reflected as a mirror the +sad memory evoked by the artist; a tear glistened upon the lashes of her +beautiful eyes. + +"He was your friend?" she inquired. + +"Oh, yes; one of whom I was very proud." + +"Did you paint his portrait?" + +"Many times. He posed marvellously, and never tormented me as he did one +of my fellow-artists to whom quite unwillingly he had accorded some +sittings." + +"What did he do?" + +"Changed his mask every five minutes, until the poor artist, believing +that he as often had a new model before him, or the devil, perhaps, +flung away his brushes in despair." + +"Garrick once told me," said Esther Woodville, "that the son of a +friend, recently dead, had sought him to complain of some trickery by +which he had been deprived of a portion of his inheritance. A certain +old man, to whom the deceased had intrusted a considerable sum, denied +the trust and refused to make restitution. Do you know what Garrick did? +Arrayed in the attire of the dead, he played the ghost, and played it so +well that the wretch, terrified beyond measure, made confession and +restored the property." + +"I never heard the anecdote; it is curious," said Reynolds, taking a +pinch of snuff. + +He extended the open box to the actress, but she refused it with a +slight grimace. + +"You make a mistake," he said; "this is some 37, Hardham's; our +_élégantes_ prefer it to any other." Then after a brief pause he added, +"Your physiognomy is scarcely less changeable than Garrick's; you have +laughed, you have wept; you have been gay, excited, mournful. Now, of +all these expressions which have chased each other over your charming +face--nay, do not blush; I am an old man--of all these varied +expressions which is the veritable, the dominant one,--the one which +expresses the character of your soul? As long as I fail to discover this +expression in the model, so long is my brush paralyzed. I am obliged to +seek until I find it. I have painted Garrick both in tragedy and comedy; +Admiral Keppel, sword in hand, upon the point of giving the order to +clear the decks for action; Kitty Fisher, at her toilet, since it was +her profession to be beautiful and to please. I have represented +Goldsmith writing the final pages of the 'Vicar' or the sweet verses of +the 'Deserted Village'; Sterne, thinking of poor Maria's suffering or of +the death of Lieut. Lefèvre. His wig was all awry and the rascal wanted +to straighten it. 'Let it be as it is!' I said to him; 'if it is +straight, you are no longer the author of 'Tristram Shandy.' When I +paint a child I give it some playthings; a young mother, I surround her +with her children. Notice this one, for instance--" + +"That is my comrade, Mrs. Hartley." + +"Exactly. She carries her little daughter upon her back and laughs +merrily. Fanciful maternity! There are mythological beauties and modern +beauties. The one will be a nymph and gently rest her limbs upon the +velvet sward in the genial atmosphere of a Grecian landscape; the +other, muffled up to her neck, her muff pressed to her nose, in order +to conceal a mouth that is a trifle expansive, elects to promenade the +denuded paths of her park and leave the imprint of her tiny, fur-clad +feet along the snow. It is the cold, you understand, which lends +brilliancy to the eyes and a rosy tip to the ear; it is the cold that +gives color and life. Thus I strive to place every human being in his or +her favorite attitude, amidst congenial surroundings, beneath the ray +which is best calculated to illumine. And I lie in wait for the divine +moment when the woman exhales all her seduction, the man all the power +of his mind." + +He paused for a moment. + +"Well, and you!" he continued quickly. "I have not found you yet; I have +no hold upon you. I must attempt some subterfuge." + +Thereupon he raised his voice. + +"Frank!--Frank!" + +A masked door, which Esther had not remarked, opened almost immediately +and a young man of perhaps two and twenty years of age appeared upon the +threshold. Miss Woodville uttered a stifled cry and half rose from her +chair. + +"My lord!" she breathed almost inaudibly; "how comes it that--you--" + +"I see how it is!" remarked Sir Joshua; "you are the dupe of a +resemblance. Your gaze is not resting upon Lord Mowbray, but upon my +apprentice, Francis Monday. My dear Frank, be good enough to fall upon +your knees before this fair young woman and look at her as if you adored +her." + +Pallid, mute, with lips tightly compressed, Frank stood motionless. + +"I, Sir Joshua?" he faltered. "You wish me to--" + +"Certainly! Now, then!" + +[Illustration] + +With evident effort the young man slowly advanced as if he were going to +execution. Beads of perspiration pearled upon his brow. Nevertheless, +disturbed though he was, the beauty of his features and the innate +nobility of his person prevented any awkwardness of carriage. With +drooping eyelids he fell upon his knees at the girl's feet, while at the +moment, as if actuated by some invincible power, he raised his glance +full of a desperate passion. Truly, for a timid boy taken unawares, +Frank played the comedy of love like a consummate master. + +A rosy blush suffused Esther's features, entirely irradiating them, as a +summer's sunrise illumines the delicious purity of the dawn. +Astonishment, shame, pleasure, malice, every shade of sentiment was in +an instant born, in an instant expired, fading in a most ravishing +_mélange_. With head slightly inclined, bosom heaving, eyelids +trembling, and lips quivering, her whole being vibrated in unison with +the precipitate throbbing of her heart. + +"Rosalind listening to Orlando's declaration!" exclaimed Sir Joshua. "I +have it! The portrait is assured! I have no further need of you, Frank." + +The young man rose, his eyes still fixed upon Esther; then without a +word he directed his steps towards the masked door which had afforded +him access to the studio and vanished. + +By slow degrees the blush which had invaded the girl's cheeks and brow +faded until not a vestige remained. + + + + +CHAPTER II. + +A SUPPER AT SIR JOSHUA'S. + + +The company assembled in the Reynolds's drawing-room when the artist +entered, leading Miss Woodville by the hand, made such a palaver over +the young actress that it was quite enough to turn her head, had she not +already become accustomed to clamorous triumphs. She found herself in +the arms of three women at once, who emulously cajoled her, while the +men vied with them in paying flattering court. Despite her _aplomb_, +spoiled child that she was, she was becoming quite embarrassed in +responding to all the hand-pressures, the smiling eyes, the gracious +questions, when, fortunately for her, a footman announced supper; and +forthwith the company passed into the dining-room. + +It was just five o'clock, and, being well aware of the rules of the +house, Sir Joshua's guests were all present, even in greater number than +was expected, as was frequently the case. On this account some little +confusion prevailed about the table, where each one seated himself +according to his fancy. There were not enough plates; one person +possessed a fork but no knife, while another was furnished with a knife +minus a fork: but at these gay, free-and-easy reunions such trifles were +passed over with a laugh. The master of the house, whose special delight +it was to chat with his guests, fluttered from one to the other, +ear-trumpet in hand, giving the entertainment not the slightest heed. +Miss Reynolds alone was in despair. + +In point of fact, Miss Reynolds never appeared in any other attitude. A +genuine martyr was Miss Reynolds. Martyr to whom or what? It would be +difficult to explain. Following the example of her brother, she painted, +but, although she was the sister of a great artist, to her profound +surprise her pictures were detestable. Sir Joshua owned a great gilded +coach, upon the panels of which Hayman had painted the Seasons, but he +rarely availed himself of its comforts; instead, he obliged his sister +to drive out in it, and used to send her to the park "for the good of +her health." And the passers-by were astonished to see, shrinking in a +corner of the resplendent equipage, a woman who wept scalding tears. It +was Miss Reynolds, the everlasting martyr. Upon this particular occasion +she exerted herself to the last degree without producing the slightest +effect either upon her guests or her domestics. + +In the midst of the excitement a woman of perhaps thirty years, arrayed +in a peach-bloom gown and a head-dress of lace, quickly approached +Esther. She was beautiful, of slender elegance, with eyes full of fire, +and cheeks of a violent tint; she spoke in a high-pitched key, and +altogether exhibited the assurance of a high-born lady. She promptly +pounced upon the girl and dragged her away with her. + +"Miss Woodville, dear Miss Woodville! I want to be your friend! Sit +here, close to me." + +And she murmured, with a singular mixture of affectation and passion,-- + +"How lovely she is! Do you know, little one, that we shall positively be +obliged to institute a body-guard, like my friends, Lady Coventry and +Lady Waldegrave, who go about everywhere escorted by two officers and a +dozen halberdiers to keep the crowd of their admirers at a distance?" + +Esther leaned towards her neighbor, a man of middle age, whose +extraordinary plainness of feature rendered him in a way sympathetic and +assuring. Of him she inquired the name of the lady who so burned to be +her intimate friend. She learned that it was Lady Vereker, one of the +most pronounced women of the world of the period. In her turn Lady +Vereker hastened to inform Esther in a whisper that her neighbor was Mr. +Gibbon, quite an obscure member of Parliament and a commissioner of +trade. + +"It is said that he has written a great work upon the Romans," added +Lady Vereker maliciously, "but to my thinking he does not look capable +of it." + +In fact, Mr. Gibbon was paying his fair neighbor too assiduous court to +please her ladyship. + +As no introductions were offered at Reynolds's house, in order to avoid +ceremonies of which fashionable persons were more weary than the rest of +the world, Esther knew none of the guests, and would have continued in +ignorance had not Mr. Gibbon named them; and he accompanied each name +with some neat, incisive, mocking little phrase, the secret of which he +had learned during his sojourn in France. + +[Illustration] + +"That great solemn figure is Mr. Burke," he explained. "He is vastly +eloquent; a huge merit in Parliament, but a sad fault at supper. He +shares his solicitude between Miss Burney and his son Richard. He +idolizes the boy and never loses sight of him; notice that at this +moment his arm is about his neck. He makes it his constant boast that +this boy will be a genius. For my part I doubt it. The Phoenix never +repeats himself!" + +"But who is that strange personage seated on the other side of Miss +Burney,--the man with the monstrous head that keeps rolling from +shoulder to shoulder, with the twisted and seamed lips, and with eyes +both of which are never open at the same moment? Why, his face is a +positive grimace! He only succeeds in putting into his mouth half the +contents of his plate; and he does not drink, he precipitates the liquid +into his throat, and the descending nourishment is in a constant +struggle with the ascending words. He disgusts and frightens me, while +at the same time he attracts and interests. I am almost tempted to fall +in love with him!" + +"Brava! There is a portrait which would do credit to our amphitryon. The +man is the one whom Chesterfield dubbed the respectable Hottentot; he is +the dictator of the republic of letters; in a word, it is Dr. Johnson. +That poor man whom you see, with straining eyes and ear bent towards the +Doctor, gathering the lightest word which falls from his lips, and who +will hand him down to posterity some day, is Boswell, his friend, his +fag, and his disciple. The man who is a disciple--a genuine one, I +mean--alone has sounded the depths of human folly. Perhaps it is Boswell +who has taught Johnson to despise men, and it is Boswell who will teach +men to admire Johnson. Now, just beyond Lady Vereker sits Mr. Hanway, +whose profile only is visible." + +"And who is Mr. Hanway?" + +"Very much of a fool in a good sense,--no rare virtue in this isle of +ours. He has written upon finance, peace, war, music, ventilation, the +poor, Canada; upon military diet, the police, prisons, chimney-sweeps, +and God Almighty." + +"Is that all?" asked Esther with a laugh. + +"I believe so, though he is capable of discovering no end of topics, +since his device is, Never despair. He has imported from Persia, where +he encountered infinite dangers, a certain very curious machine,--a +little roof of colored silk extended upon ribs of whalebone, secured in +turn to a rod of iron, and which is carried about at the end of a long +handle as a protection against the rain. It is called an umbrella." + +"What an odd idea!" + +"In order to habituate people to the sight and usage of his instrument, +Hanway selects rainy days for his perambulations, when he can spread +his portable tent. The children throw mud at him and the serving maids +laugh. It is free sport to try to crush his umbrella. They make all +manner of fun of him, but perhaps it is wrong, since the folly of to-day +is the wisdom of to-morrow." + +At last Esther knew all the guests. Mr. Gibbon had named them all, +except one whose name she did not inquire. + +Seated at the extremity of the room, Frank every now and then allowed +his sad, unfathomable eyes to wander towards the girl. Indifferent to +all that was uttered about him, his melancholy contrasted powerfully +with the joyous air which every face wore. Even though she smiled at Mr. +Gibbon's quips and responded to the lively, caressing words of Lady +Vereker, Miss Woodville was conscious of the espionage, and the +sentiment it evoked was not displeasing to her. + +The conversation became general, often rising far above whispered +particularities. War became the topic, and the latest news from America. +It was said that the savages who were fighting with the English had +killed and eaten some American colonists, and not one of the European +generals had raised a hand to stay the barbarity. A caricature, exposed +at Humphrey's, depicted George III. taking part in the frightful orgy +and disputing possession of a bone with an Indian chief. + +"It is horrible!" cried Miss Burney; "our poor king has nothing whatever +to do with it, but how can English gentlemen ally themselves with these +cannibals?" + +The casual mention of Cape Breton in the conversation reminded Mr. Burke +of an anecdote. Every one present lapsed into silence to hear it. + +"Indolent as may be our masters of to-day," he said, "they will never +equal the sloth and ignorance of the late Duke of Newcastle. You cannot +imagine his astonishment when one day some one informed him that Cape +Breton was an island. 'A cape an island!' he exclaimed; 'I am amazed. I +really must tell the king. He will be vastly diverted!' This man would +have sacrificed cities and provinces without so much as a thought. But +what mattered it to him, so long as he was minister!" + +"Our own are not much better than he," remarked one of the guests; "they +have disgraced Admiral Keppel, the only man to-day who is able to sweep +the seas of the French and Spaniards." + +"Bah! Rodney is worth twenty Keppels." + +"Rodney! a blusterer! Have you heard of his adventure with Maréchal de +Biron?" + +"No; what is it?" + +"He had taken refuge from his creditors in France and was dining at the +Marshal's table. 'Ah,' he remarked, 'were it not for my debts I would +return and would destroy your fleet until not one of your vessels +remained.'--'Monsieur,' replied the Maréchal, 'pray do not let that +deter you. Your debts are paid. Go and fight us--if you can!' That was +three years ago; Rodney commands our fleet, thanks to the friendship of +Lord Sandwich, and the naval power of our enemies is still intact!" + +From this grand topic the conversation suddenly changed to the +discussion of worldly amusements upon which the war had had no effect. +They spoke of the last success of Siddons. Upon the queen of tragedy, as +upon Admiral Rodney, there was, although the political question had +amounted to nothing, a confused mixture of opinions which clashed and +provoked comment. + +"She is adorable!" + +"A leaden idol, your Siddons!" + +Next they discussed Pacchierotti, the famous Italian tenor, and his +approaching _début_ in a new _rôle_. Then they spoke of the new books. +Some one at the table mentioned the word "bluestocking." The expression +was a novelty at the time, and created a sensation. + +"Don't allude to bluestockings in my presence!" cried the author of +"Evelina," making a shield of her fan. + +"You a bluestocking!" exclaimed Burke indignantly. "There is no +bluestocking where there is no leaven of pedantry. Now, if it were a +question of poor Mrs. Carpenter." + +"Yes," interposed Gibbon, "the ill-starred lady has translated +Epictetus!" + +"And Mrs. Cholmondeley,--do you give her a place among the +bluestockings?" + +"She's too great a woman for that!" + +"I was at her house yesterday," remarked Miss Burney; "I found her very +affable." + +"Affability," muttered Dr. Johnson, "is the first lieutenant of pride." + +In hot haste Boswell produced his tablets from his pocket in order to +note the aphorism which had fallen from the oracle's lips. + +"I find Mrs. Thrale a worthy person," remarked Gibbon, "and an agreeable +mistress of her house." + +"The wife of a brewer?" inquired Lady Vereker, with just a hint of +disdain in her tone. + +"A most intelligent woman!" retorted Miss Burney; "she has saved her +husband from ruin." + +"But it appears that she has not preserved him from another accident," +replied Lady Vereker languidly. + +The guests were beginning to indulge in a smile, when suddenly Dr. +Johnson's formidable head began to oscillate, while from his chair +emanated a cracking sound of evil augury. Until this moment he had +remained silent, breathing heavily between his closely set teeth as if +trying to imitate the hiss of a saw, meanwhile enveloping his neighbor, +Miss Burney, with a glance of grotesque tenderness in which paternal +interest struggled with love; but at the sarcasm of Lady Vereker against +his friend, Mrs. Thrale, he bridled and assumed his attitude of combat. +"Madam!" he burst forth in a voice of thunder, and there he paused like +Hercules with club poised in air. + +"The bolt is about to fall," whispered Gibbon. + +An atmosphere of apprehension prevailed about the table. Lady Vereker +alone, with an intrepid though somewhat pallid smile, raised her pretty +head with charming effrontery to brave the blow. But it was Fate's +decree that the bolt should not fall, and that the Doctor should not be +heard from that evening. Just at the moment that his lips parted to +avenge the honor of Mrs. Thrale, the door opened to admit Ralph. With a +fluttered air he hastened to his master and whispered a word or two in +his ear. + +Sir Joshua was upon his feet in an instant. + +"Gentlemen," he cried, "great news! It appears that we have calumniated +Rodney! He has completely routed the Spanish fleet under Admiral +Langara. Five vessels are captured; one is blown up and the rest +dispersed! Rodney has washed his hands of one half of his engagement to +Maréchal de Biron. Permit me to propose the health of Admiral Rodney!" + +Naturally Burke, like his friend Reynolds, would have preferred to drink +to the health of Keppel; but patriotism proved more potent than party +spirit. All the guests rose to drink the proposed toast, and the repast +ended as it had begun,--in a sort of joyous tumult. Thereupon they left +the table, and each one went his way in pursuit of pleasure or +business,--Reynolds to the academy, Burke to Parliament; Johnson and +Boswell wended their way to the "Turk's Head," that taproom where +literary folk were wont to meet. Mr. Gibbon offered his arm to Miss +Burney to escort her to her father's house, Dr. Burney, who lived near +by at the head of St. Martin's Street; while Lady Vereker declared that +she would permit no one but herself the pleasure of seeing Miss +Woodville home to her aunt. + +"I shall carry you away!" she said in a decided way which would not have +been out of place upon the lips of a veritable cavalier. + +Her ladyship's little black page, arrayed in a rich Oriental costume of +crimson embroidered in gold, ran before them to lower the carriage +steps. The majestic Hungarian chamberlain doffed his plumed hat and +smote the pavement with his tall cane. The footmen, shaking their great +epaulettes, quickly sprang to their posts and climbed to the back of the +coach. + +Upon entering the warmed and perfumed equipage, Esther descried two +living forms moving about, two bundles of flesh and hair in ribbons, +which sprang upon Lady Vereker. + +"Wait a moment!" said she; "permit me to present you.--Bambino, my +monkey; Spadillo, my favorite dog. The former comes from Barbadoes, the +latter from Vigo. Pray notice that they wear my colors. I adore them +both, and I would refuse to go anywhere, even to Paradise, without +Bambino and Spadillo." + +At that moment the horses started off with much pawing and champing, and +simultaneously the eyes of the two women fell upon Francis Monday, who +stood upon the threshold of the mansion, bowing to them with profound +respect. + + + + +CHAPTER III. + +LADY VEREKER'S BOUDOIR. + + +"He's not bad, that boy," said the _grande dame_, "Miss Reynolds has +often told me how her brother found him in the street." + +"Is it possible?" + +"Yes. It's a queer story, but I have forgotten it. My memory is so +unreliable!" + +"The young man bears a remarkable resemblance to Lord Mowbray," ventured +Esther thoughtfully. + +Lady Vereker started brusquely and faced her companion so far as their +relative positions in the carriage would permit. + +"Are you acquainted with Lord Mowbray?" she demanded. "You have seen +him, spoken with him? He loves you, perhaps?" + +The queries succeeded each other with breathless speed, imperiously +demanding a response; at the same time her ladyship had caught the +girl's hands in her own as if to usurp her, to make her very volition +prisoner. Simple curiosity used no such speech, such gestures. And she +added, pressing Esther's fingers in her clasp:-- + +"The young girl who loves Lord Mowbray is lost!" + +Ere Esther could make any reply a sudden check in the speed of the +horses gave the carriage a violent shock. Miss Woodville uttered a cry +of terror. + +"What is it?" demanded Lady Vereker, lowering one of the windows. + +"Please, your ladyship," replied the footman, touching his plumed hat, +"the torches have frightened your ladyship's horses." + +The two women looked out. The city presented an extraordinary aspect. +Lanterns illuminated the fronts of the shops and the windows of the +Tories, while those of the Whigs, closed, dark, and grim, protested +against the joy of the rival party. Groups of men ran about, cheering +and waving firebrands. Fires of boughs and waste lumber, saturated with +pitch and turpentine, blazed at the street corners, while the children +danced around them and the wayfarers approached to warm themselves; for +a damp night had succeeded the beautiful day. In the dense volumes of +smoke arose the pungent odor of resin and burning grease. The signs, +hanging like iron flags from the long arms which stretched out almost +into the middle of the street, shook in the wind with a rusty rattle and +glittered here and there in the ruddy light. + +"What is the matter?" cried Lady Vereker. "Oh, I recollect! Rodney! They +are celebrating the Admiral's victory." + +In fact, amidst the confused turmoil could be distinguished the name of +Rodney mingled with cries of "Long live the peacemaker!" Indeed, the +majority feared that this success would fail to create confidence in the +ministers and thus prolong the war which they longed to put an end to at +any cost. + +"They say," continued the footman, "that the mob is about to burn Lord +George Germaine and Lord North in effigy." + +"My cousin!" said Lady Vereker with a laugh. "I should like to assist at +that, and I would willingly place the first fagot on the pile!" + +"It would not be prudent to go farther in this direction," said one of +the footmen; "the crowd is very great, and if they were to recognize +your ladyship's livery--" + +"I see how it is," remarked Lady Vereker, still laughing, and turning to +Esther; "the rascals are afraid. Very well; drive home by the shortest +way. I shall be able to keep you a few minutes longer, my dear. Do not +be anxious; a man shall be despatched to inform your friends that you +are safe." + +But Esther was not in the least disturbed. Was she not of that age when +one blesses the slightest adventure that chances to disturb the +monotonous course of every-day life and suddenly produces the +unforeseen? + +[Illustration] + +A few minutes later the two women were seated in one of those tiny, +low-ceiled, over-decorated apartments in which the new instinct of +intimacy and mystery confined the higher classes of the period. Louis +XV. had first set the example of these miniature chambers which best +suited the queens of his left hand. And all over Europe, where France +still set the fashion, although she was the object of attack, every one +strove to make a mystery of life, although in nine cases out of ten +there was no reason for it. There were no longer the spacious galleries +for state pageants, no longer the throne-like beds: but boudoirs round +as nests and muffled in silken hangings; furniture monstrously stuffed, +consoles and pier-tables, and _étagères_ littered with costly nothings. +Upon the walls, pastels and portraits of much-bedecked women, wearing +the same vague, coquettish smile upon their vermilion lips. Not an angle +was visible, and none of the straight-backed chairs which oblige the +body to maintain a respectable position, but easy-chairs everywhere, +into the depths of which one sank with voluptuous deliberation,--nothing +but curves to invite ease and languor. The white woodwork and delicate, +tender tints which had begun to prevail in France had not yet crossed +the Channel. The day of the massive, so to speak, had passed; that of +simplicity had not yet dawned. It was, in short, in the daintiest of +boudoirs that Esther Woodville and her new friend drank tea out of +exquisite Japanese cups. A fire crackled upon the hearth; a jet of water +plashed softly as it fell into its marble basin at the feet of a nymph +whose ideally slender limbs and elegant nudity were scarcely visible in +the semi-obscurity that prevailed,--the image of the mistress of the +house, by the celebrated Roubiliac, if we may credit indiscreet and +envious tongues. A silver lamp shed a mellow radiance upon the dainty +and delicate objects which littered the table,--the _encas_ always ready +for my lady. The entire upper portion of the chamber, the panels painted +by Lautherbourg, the azure ceiling where cupids sported, the marvellous +great Venetian chandelier with its four hundred sparkling crystal +drops,--all remained veiled in shadow, scarcely visible. A sweet but +oppressive perfume, which seemed to exhale from everything, made the +will languid and paralyzed the senses with a delicious stupor. + +Lady Vereker had quitted her place and had taken a seat upon a tabouret +close to Esther. She had captured one of the girl's hands and had +riveted her gaze upon her face. + +"You were saying," she began slowly, "that Lord Mowbray is in love with +you." + +"I said nothing of the kind. It was your ladyship who said so." + +"In the first place, dear, drop 'your ladyship.' My name is Arabella. +Those who love me call me Bella. Call me Bella, and I will call you +Esther." + +"I should not dare presume." + +"Why not?" + +"Such familiarity! and with one of your rank!" + +"Of my age, you mean! A friend of twenty-eight years alarms one of +sixteen, for you are sixteen, I believe." + +"Seventeen," replied Esther with comical dignity. + +"Well, I love you, and I want you to love me. Friendship is the true +sentiment which unites women, the only one which relieves their delicacy +of the fear of wounds, their devotion of treason. Oh, if I could but +spare you some of the griefs of my life!" + +"You have suffered?" + +"Frightfully!" said Bella in a flippant tone which belied the tragic +significance of the word. Then she continued:-- + +"Men are all wretches, but the worst one among them all is perhaps Lord +Mowbray." + +"What has he done?" + +"He has accomplished everything that a man of his age can dream of in +the way of forbidden and perverse actions. First, you must know that the +late Lord Mowbray was the greatest libertine of his time. He was +interested in that famous abbey of Medmonham with Lord Sandwich, Sir +Francis Dashwood, and that abominable John Wilkes, the author of the +'Essay upon Woman,' whose soul is still more hideous than his visage. In +their orgies they parodied the very ceremonies of religion. It is +related that one day--one night, rather--Lord Sandwich administered the +Holy Sacrament to a dog, carrying out the full rites." + +"How horrible!" exclaimed Esther, clasping her hands. + +"Is it not?" murmured Lady Vereker in the same tone; at the same time an +imperceptible smile appeared in the corners of both pairs of lips. + +"But let us leave the father in the abode for which he was certainly +destined, and speak of the son. He has had as his instructor in vice +his own tutor, a Frenchman named Lebeau, who took good care to ruin his +pupil in early life, the better to master him later. It was in company +with this man that he made the tour of Europe, stopping for the most +part in France and Italy. He was but a mere boy when he grossly deceived +the daughter of the clergyman at Mowbray Park. It is said, too, that he +was the instigator and confidant of the first follies of the Prince of +Wales. He is fiercely hated by the king, but especially so by the queen. +He and his friends make it their boast that there is not an +incorruptible woman in existence. Their debauchery differs from that of +their fathers in that it is savored with villany. As formerly, these +young gentlemen, who call themselves Mohawks, walk the streets at night +with blackened faces, quarrel with inoffensive wayfarers, stop women, +strip them and either beat or cast them naked into casks of pitch which +they have placed beneath sheds, and laugh until they drown the cries of +their victims. As for the watchmen, they prick their legs with their +swords, bind them to the door-knockers, and oblige them to light the +scene with their lanterns. These are only their malicious tricks, for +they do worse. More than once they have profited by popular broils, or +by the quarrels which have been common since the beginning of the war, +to carry away young girls, and send a father, a husband, or a +troublesome lover to the shades. It is said that they are responsible +for many a death, and that if one should visit the 'Folly' which Mowbray +possesses near Chelsea, if one were to sound the walls which are riddled +with secret passages, if one should search the cellars which the Thames +is made to inundate at certain hours, perhaps one would find the +explanation of the desperate cries which have been heard by night in the +silence of the country; perhaps one would discover human remains, +skeletons cramped into attitudes which would tell the tale of the +ferocity which had abused their last agony!" + +In speaking thus this strange woman was completely transformed. Lately +so flippant and sceptical, as were the women of her time, who scarcely +ever spoke without an accompanying smile, she had become more tragic +than Siddons. She spoke in a low, swift, sibilant tone close into +Esther's face, filling her with fear, magnetizing her with her dark +glance, and crushing her hands in her grip of iron almost without +knowing it. Esther seemed quite terrified. Thereupon Bella resumed, in a +soft, imploring voice,-- + +"And such is the man who pretends to love you, who perhaps makes your +heart beat at this moment. But I will save you. Your embarrassment, your +emotion, have told me their story. Have done with it all, and cast +yourself upon the bosom of a true friend. Tell me all." + +These final words, which ought to have assured Lady Vereker's victory, +were just the ones which compromised her. Her eyes betrayed an all too +anxious, too passionate desire to learn the truth! Like lightning a +suspicion crossed Esther's mind: Does Lady Vereker love Lord Mowbray? + +"You appear to know him exceedingly well," she said. + +The words were uttered so unexpectedly that for a moment Bella was +thrown off her guard. Her cleverly tinted face concealed her internal +emotions, but a twitching of the lips, a rapid fluttering of the +eyelids, did not escape Esther, who had become all at once dangerously +keen, as is the case of every woman who suspects and wishes to know. + +"She is lying!" thought Esther, though aloud she said:-- + +"Lord Mowbray was present at my _début_. As so many other gentlemen did, +he sent me flowers, verses, and jewels; and--and that is all." + +"She's lying!" thought Lady Vereker in her turn. + +And both were correct. Lady Vereker forbore to tell Esther of the hold +she had once had upon Lord Mowbray--a hold which she had not yet +despaired of regaining, while Esther would not admit to Lady Vereker +that she had rashly replied to one of Lord Mowbray's notes and already +began to find it difficult to defend herself against his assiduities. + +Without being the dupes of each other, but enlightened, the one by the +experiences of life, the other by the precocious instinct of combat, the +_comédienne_ of the fashionable world and the _comédienne_ of the +theatre pressed each other's hands with tender interest and smiled +amiably into each other's eyes. + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + +THE BROOKS CLUB. + + +Eleven o'clock chimed from the tall clock placed opposite the fireplace. +To its faint, silvery tones, which vibrated for some moments upon the +atmosphere of the silent chamber, neighboring clocks, repeating the +hour, seemed to make echo with their melancholy voices. + +"Already eleven o'clock!" exclaimed Esther, starting to her feet. "I +must go; I should be at home at this moment!" + +"The crowd has not yet dispersed," answered Lady Vereker; "listen to +their shouts." + +Lady Vereker's mansion was situated upon Park Lane, at that day a +lonesome part of the town, whither gentlemen were wont to come in the +early morning to cross swords in order to get up an appetite, and +instead frequently succeeded in turning their stomachs inside out. Bella +approached one of the windows. Upon the faint, luminous grayness of the +sky were sketched the outlines of Hyde Park wrapped in profound sleep, +but the glow of the bonfires flushed the southern horizon, and from time +to time savage outcries crossed the calmness of the night. + +"They are delirious over their Rodney," said Bella with a shrug; +"neither a chair nor a coach will be able to pass through St. James's, +and the other side of the Green Park is deserted at this hour; we should +risk being attacked there. Ah, me! how fortunate are common women! They +can go everywhere. But why should we not change our attire? My women +will accommodate us with gowns. _Pardieu!_ that would be charming!" + +Lady Vereker uttered her little oath in French. The idea of the +masquerade pleased her immensely, and without waiting for Esther's +acquiescence she began to put it in execution. + +At the expiration of a quarter of an hour they were equipped as women of +the lower class. + +[Illustration] + +"Esther," exclaimed Lady Bella, "you look like a Soho dressmaker! And I, +Fanchette, what do I look like?" + +"I dare not say," replied the maid; "all that I can assure your ladyship +is that in my gown you are--worse than I." + +"Exactly as I desire to look," replied Lady Vereker with a burst of +laughter at the impertinence. + +Thereupon she started off, taking Esther by the arm, and forbidding even +a footman to follow her. For that matter, her people seemed accustomed +to the strange caprices of their mistress. + +Upon reaching Piccadilly they passed suddenly from the shadow and +silence into the tumult and violent glare of the bonfires. Many a joke +was levelled at them as they passed. One man wearing clerical attire, +and who seemed completely intoxicated, approached them, declaring that +by Jupiter they were deucedly pretty girls and he would have a kiss from +each! In order to escape him the two women ran down St. James Street, +where the crowd separated them from the enterprising clergyman. + +"A churchman!" panted Esther. "Can you believe it?" + +"No, my dear: it was the Duke of Norfolk; he whom they call 'Jockey +Norfolk.' His mania is for disguising himself as a country curate, and +running about town and making a fool of himself. When he is dead-drunk +people profit by his condition to rob him." + +"What a horrible person!" + +"On the contrary, I assure you that when he is sober he is most +amiable." + +In the neighborhood of St. James's the mob grew denser and more +excited. There were beggar-women holding their new-born infants at arms' +length, chairmen, sailors, thieves of all ages, recognizable by their +skulking air and their sly, sharp glances, and finally a sprinkling of +gentlemen, come hither after a good dinner to give vent to their +political passions, or simply to amuse themselves by hustling the women +and making a noise generally. The crowd laughed and vociferated, and +threw stones at the windows of a grand mansion which belonged to one of +the king's ministers. They applauded each successful shot, and howled +over the failures. + +At last all the ministerial windows were broken except one, which +remained intact, protected by two caryatides which advanced like +sentinels, supporting the roof; and against this single window were all +the efforts directed, as if the detested minister were standing behind +the sash, or as if the crushing of that bit of glass were going to cover +the enemies of England with confusion and terminate the war at a blow. + +The assailants excited each other by constantly crying, "Be bold, +Tommy!" "At it again, Jack!" "Pluck up there, old boy!" + +Suddenly a figure bounded from the midst of the crowd, a long arm was +extended, a stone whizzed through the air, and the window so long +protected was shattered, and fell into a thousand pieces. A yell of +triumph burst from a hundred throats, and every eye was turned upon the +hero. He was a great, lank, awkward fellow with a pug-nose, a cold, +impertinent eye, thin lips and blinking eyelids, who testified the +satisfaction in his achievement simply by a fleeting smile of coarse +disdain. + +"Is that you, William?" said Bella to him. "Fine occupation for Lord +Chatham's son!" + +Young William Pitt turned sharply and bent his keen gaze upon the person +who had thus apostrophized him. He recognized her and a swift flush +stained his pallid cheeks. + +"Let me alone," he muttered; "I was only having some fun!" And walking +off, he was soon lost in the crowd. + +"That boy will never be anything but a ne'er-do-well," said Lady Vereker +with a shrug. + +Three years later "that boy" became Prime Minister of England, and such +a Prime Minister as England had never had before him. + +Meanwhile the crowd waxed more turbulent. The ferocity born of pleasure, +the longing to destroy, peculiar to such huge assemblies of Englishmen, +begin to make themselves manifest. + +As there were no more windows to break, what was to be done? + +"Pull down the house!" was the cry. "Get a beam and we will set our +shoulders to it! Here are twenty good men of like mind! No: fetch some +straw and fagots! Set fire to the door! Let us smoke the rats out of +their trap!" + +A score of figures appeared, ghastly, sinister, suggesting pillage. In +the general disorder the libertines grew bolder. The shrieks of women +burst from obscure corners, followed by long, brutal laughter. + +"I am terrified! I feel as if I were going to faint," gasped Esther. + +Although she affected a show of courage, Lady Vereker was beginning to +quail. + +"Indeed, I did very wrong to come here," she said; "let us try to +retrace our steps or gain a side street." + +But it was too late. The mob increased with every moment. The crowds of +new arrivals pressed down upon them, cutting off the retreat of those +who sought to escape the turmoil. + +"I am stifling!" cried Esther wildly, as she lost her footing. + +At this moment a cry arose:-- + +"The Guards! the Guards!" + +The solid earth trembled beneath the gallop of the troop which had just +turned the corner of Pall Mall and were charging up the street. Amidst +the frightful tumult there came a second of silence and stupor, during +which was heard the ring of hoofs as they struck the pavement and the +commands of the officers:-- + +"Right about! Forward! Draw sabres!" + +There was a click of steel and glimmer of blades. An indescribable panic +ensued. The people, of late so buoyant, now mad with terror, rushed +towards the nearest exit--that is, to some place of safety--with such +savage energy and with so formidable an impulse that iron railings were +rent before them. Esther felt herself wrenched from Bella so suddenly +and with such brutal force that it was a miracle that her arm which +encircled Lady Vereker's waist was not left behind her. The human tide +hurled her against a house and would have crushed her against the wall +had not other human bodies intervened and saved her from the violence of +the shock. She found herself at the head of a flight of six stairs +without having set foot upon one of them. A large door stood open before +her. Twenty persons were projected along with her into the interior in +a solid mass, entering the house like an inundation. Esther was saved; +the horrible fear which had paralyzed every nerve was relieved, and her +heart began to beat again. At the same time, through the open door and +high above the desperate cries of those who still struggled in the +street, she heard the ringing voice of an officer commanding a halt. The +Riot Act was being read, and an occasional fragment of the coldly +menacing phrases reached even her ear. + +The place into which Esther had been cast was a spacious vestibule, into +which surged fresh arrivals without ceasing, despite the efforts of the +footmen and of a man who fretted and fumed, and gave useless and +inexecutable orders. This man, the proprietor of the place, was Mr. +Brooks, and the house was the famous club which bore his name. Poor Mr. +Brooks endeavored to confine the crowd to the vestibule, which he was +forced to yield to it, as one yields to a conflagration; but already +under the pressure of the mass Esther had been thrust into a second +antechamber. The air was close and stifling; the situation became +critical, while the second danger threatened to become worse than the +first. + +Suddenly a little door was thrown open, and some one laid hold upon her. +In the next instant the door was closed, and the girl found herself in +the depths of an arm-chair, where she swooned. + +Not entirely, however; she felt in a half-conscious way that some one +slapped her hands and blew in her face. A voice murmured, "Some water! +Cold water, quick!" Then the person left her, for she felt that she was +alone again. Suddenly a great hubbub filled the house. In the street +without, now quite deserted, the cavalry swept by like a whirlwind. +Then all was silence. With eyes closed, and in a state of +semi-consciousness, Esther believed herself alone, when all at once, but +a few steps from her, a word was pronounced in an angry tone. + +"A doublet!" + +Oaths and stifled exclamations accompanied the word. Brought to her +senses by curiosity and apprehension, Esther opened her eyes and beheld +a remarkable spectacle. It was a vast hall lighted by several lamps +suspended from the ceiling. The light, gathered by immense reflectors of +tin, fell full upon a long table placed in the centre of the apartment. +This table was covered with a green cloth crossed with white lines. +Seven or eight men were seated about it, each one having at his side a +bowl full of gold pieces and a small tray bearing a cup of tea, a glass, +and a flask of brandy. They were engaged in a game of faro. + +Nothing could have been more singular than their appearance and attire. +Nearly every man wore a large straw hat to screen his eyes from the +dazzling light, and perhaps to mask his emotions at the same time; but +the most ridiculous part of it was that two or three of the younger +gamesters had seen fit to decorate their hats with flowers and ribbons +after the fashion of the shepherdesses in the opera. Certain persons, +attired with studied refinement, wore leathern cuffs to avoid soiling +the lace at their wrists. God save the mark! They would consent to lose +a castle in the course of an evening, but would hesitate to spoil a pair +of Chantilly ruffles. Others seemed to have lost all respect for +themselves. One young man who sat opposite Esther, a sort of +good-natured athlete, with big, sensual jaws, and whose tanned face, +especially his brow and glance, shone with intelligence and audacity, +was so negligent in his attire that his hairy chest appeared beneath his +open shirt. Another, an older man, wore his coat turned inside out, +through superstitious fancy, as every one was aware; while more than +one, with hands concealed beneath the table, feverishly fingered some +sort of talisman. + +These men appeared to have heard nothing,--neither the cries of the mob, +the invasion of the house, the charge of the Guards, nor the entrance of +a strange woman into the very room where they were playing. What +mattered it all to them? What did it all amount to in comparison with a +doublet? As infatuated as Horace's wise man, the end of the world would +not have interrupted their game. + +Esther felt that her presence was as unperceived as though a charm had +rendered her invisible, like the living being whose terrible fate had +conducted him on board of the phantom ship. Therefore without a qualm of +fear she permitted herself to enjoy the novel scene. + +At this moment the banker's _côteau_ raked in all the stakes, the rare +and fortunate result of drawing two similar cards from his right and +left. + +"Used up!" exclaimed a stout man with a prodigious sigh, his bowl being +empty. In the speaker Esther recognized Stephen Fox, whom she had seen +at Drury Lane. His brother, Charles James, the eminent orator, the man +with the open shirt, gayly smote his shoulder. + +"Shylock will make you a loan," he said; "you have more than a pound of +flesh to offer him as security!" + +Instead of a laugh, Charley's joke was received with a grunt of +approbation. + +One man alone seemed insensible to the incidents of the game. This was a +gentleman of some sixty years, dressed in accordance with the latest +Parisian _mode_. In him Esther recognized George Selwyn, who had been +one of the most amiable, one of the wittiest men of his time, but was +now absorbed and besotted by a passion more potent than that of gaming. + +Up to this time the actress had not seen the banker, whose back was +turned to her and who had not uttered a word. At this moment, however, +the following disdainful words escaped him: "Ten thousand pounds, and no +more! What a shame that I should have played for such low stakes!" + +Esther started at sound of that voice, which she had heard not more than +twice, but which she recognized instantly. It was Lord Mowbray, that +terrible Mowbray, against whose love she had been warned! + +A man entered the room and approached her with a glass of water in his +hand. + +"I see that you are better," he said. "Never mind; drink this to secure +your recovery." + +Esther hesitated. Still fluttered by the discovery which she had just +made, she could not but be mindful of Lady Vereker's warning words. How +many times had she read in romances and journals strange narratives of +young girls being rendered helpless by narcotics! Ought she to drink, to +trust this unknown man? She looked at him, and her perplexity increased. +Another enigma to decipher: a generous sentiment pictured upon an evil +countenance. + +In fact, all the passions seemed to have left their trace upon that +worn, pallid, haggard face. His age was uncertain, his condition +ambiguous; his accent even sounded a note of doubt upon the nationality +of the individual, offering no clew. Was he of middle age or old; valet +or gentleman; English or a foreigner? One surprising thing was that the +hard, bold manner which might well be habitual vanished before an +expression of interest which seemed sincere. As he noted the girl's +hesitation a trace of sadness passed over his coarsened features, almost +ennobling them. + +"I am not thirsty," she said, loath to wound the feelings of one who had +already shown her consideration. + +And he, regaining his accustomed composure, placed the glass upon a +console. + +Softly as Esther had spoken, Lord Mowbray had heard her. He turned and +bent his stupefied gaze upon her. Esther, alone, in the torn garments of +a serving maid, half fainting, in the card-room of the Brooks Club! +Assuredly there was food in plenty for his surprise. What fate had sent +his prey into his very clutches? Fortune, it is said, never comes +single-handed! After the doublet, this fairest flower! And he was just +the man to profit by his luck. + +"Gentlemen," he said, rising as he spoke, "circumstances oblige me to--" + +A cry of indignation interrupted his words, while three or four hands +were placed upon his shoulders, forcibly obliging him to resume his +seat. + +"The game is not over." "We won't permit it!" "Wait until you win +another ten thousand!" "This is not fair!" + +"So be it!" answered Mowbray with a smile; "only permit me to say one +word to Lebeau." + +The man who had brought the glass of water approached upon hearing his +name, and Lord Mowbray hastily whispered a phrase in a foreign tongue in +his ear. Thereupon Lebeau, as we may now call him, returned to the girl. + +"The street is free," he said, "but, now that the Guards have passed, +the disorder may begin again. If you wish to profit by the lull to make +your way home, the minutes are precious. Do you feel strong enough to +walk?" + +"Yes, certainly." + +"Then come." + +Esther rose and obeyed him, this time without hesitation. The momentary +excitement occasioned by the doublet having subsided, the gamblers had +remarked her presence. The glances directed towards her betrayed their +curiosity. Despite her disguise, she might be recognized; consequently +the necessity of escaping as speedily as possible presented itself. But +she did not forget that Lebeau was her guide, the accursed mentor of the +greatest libertine in England. The young lord had whispered to his +former tutor; evidently the hurried words had reference to her. +Therefore she saw the necessity of being upon her guard, ready to fly at +the slightest suspicious movement. Meanwhile her heart beat with fear, +curiosity and, perhaps, with delight; for it must be admitted that she +adored an adventure. + +So they went out. The din of the riot came to them from a distance. The +street was empty; the night was beautiful and calm. The lights in the +lanterns were flickering in their sconces and expiring. The minister's +house with its broken windows was guarded by soldiery. + +[Illustration] + +Preceded by a page who carried a torch, Lebeau took the way towards +Westminster. It seemed marvellous that he should know so well the +location of Miss Woodville's abode. + +"Will it please you to give me your arm?" he asked in a slightly +changed, humble tone. + +She passed her arm within his. Lebeau quickly drew his cocked hat down +over his eyes to conceal his glance, and sustained the young girl with +an almost tender solicitude, but with discretion and respect. + +Thus they walked some distance in silence. At last he began:-- + +"You distrusted me at first." + +She tried to protest, but he added:-- + +"Oh, you were quite right. Be on your guard. Life is full of snares. I +have an intimate acquaintance with my brother man, and I find him bad." + +Was he speaking of mankind in general, or of some one in particular? +Esther was upon the point of inquiring when they halted in Tothill +Street before a low door, upon which Lebeau knocked loudly. + +"Some one is coming," he said; "I hear steps in the garden. You have +escaped a menacing danger. I do not speak of being crushed beneath the +hoofs of the horses; that would be as nothing compared with the other. +You are saved, but the peril may threaten you again at any moment. +However, it does not signify. _You are in my care._" + +With these words he turned upon his heel and vanished just as the door +was thrown open. Esther found herself confronted by the more severe than +anxious face of her cousin Reuben. With his youthful air, his light, +fluffy hair and sombre eyes, he resembled one of those avenging angels +whom the Lord sent to the guilty cities to pronounce their doom when the +hour of repentance had passed and that of retribution had sounded. + +"At last!" he muttered in a bitter tone. + +"Were you alarmed about me? Has not a man been sent here with a message +from Lady Vereker?" + +"Yes," answered Reuben with a derisive sneer; "that woman, whose very +name is a reproach and a scandal, has had the goodness to assure us that +you were in her charge. A strange guardian! Daniel was safer in the +lions' den than Esther Woodville under Lady Vereker's wing!" + +"You have no idea what has happened? All London is insane over Rodney's +victory. They are fighting and breaking windows; the streets are full of +soldiers." + +"But what means this disguise?" + +"I swear to you it was the only means of passing through the crowds." + +"I should be glad to believe you," said Reuben, enveloping her in a +glance of fire. "Oh, Esther! You who bear the predestined name, the +chaste name of the woman who saved the people of God, you who ought to +be as pure as the fountain of Gihon, as fresh as the rose of Sharon!" + +But Esther abbreviated the biblical effusion. + +"I must hasten to relieve my aunt's mind," she said. + +"I have advised her to retire without waiting for you." + +"That was wise. Good night, Reuben." + +"Good night. I am going to pray." + +"And I--am going to bed and to sleep." + +But she did not sleep as readily as she had anticipated. The events of +the day and evening, Sir Joshua's guests, the gamblers at Brooks's with +their shepherd hats, the dangers encountered, her new friend Bella, the +mysterious personage who had, as it seemed, received orders to plan her +ruin, yet had protected her,--all these conflicting subjects created a +tumult in her brain. + +She cogitated upon the singular destiny which had cast her between the +love of a Reuben and that of a Lord Mowbray, between a saint and a +demon. + +And when at last she sank into the unconsciousness of sleep, between +these two personalities, equally imperious and passionate, but actuated +by an opposite sentiment, there glided the pale, melancholy visage of +Francis Monday. + + + + +CHAPTER V. + +A STRANGE EDUCATION. + + +It was late on the following morning ere Lord Mowbray's valet ventured +to enter his lordship's chamber. The daylight fell upon the red and +swollen eyelids of the sleeper, who opened his eyes and uttered an oath. +It was evident that the young nobleman was not in his best humor. + +"Is that you, Oliver?" + +"Yes, my lord." + +"Who is in the antechamber?" + +"Your lordship's tailor, who has come to try on the plum-colored coat +with the jonquil trimmings; the little glove-woman from Piccadilly, who +insists upon a word with your lordship; and Capt. Hackman, who has +already called twice to inquire for your lordship." + +"Let the tailor wait. Tell the Captain that I shall require his services +later, and let him see to it that he brings two fellows of the +determined sort along with him. As for the glove-woman, send her away. +Because one shows these creatures some little attention of an evening +when one is drunk, they think they have rights. Nothing could be more +ridiculous, Oliver." + +"Assuredly not, my lord." + +"Is Lebeau there?" + +"Mons. Lebeau has this instant come in." + +"Ask him to come to me." + +A moment later the former tutor and present factotum of Lord Mowbray +smilingly entered the chamber like a man who expects to receive his +quietus with a bare bodkin and is disposed to make the best of it. + +His lordship addressed him in French. + +"_Eh bien_, Lebeau?" + +"_Eh bien_, my lord? Did you not receive my message by the little page +from Brooks's?" + +"Of course I did, and I was furious at such a mischance. Here had fate +cast her into my very arms, and your cursed bungling let her escape!" + +"Say, rather, the accident of fate, my lord. I was just in the act of +putting the little one into a coach, when a band of ruffians, hotly +pursued by the soldiers, fell upon us and knocked me down. When I +regained my feet, Miss Woodville had vanished, and I was a prisoner in +the hands of the guards. In vain I assured them that I was attached to +your lordship's service. All that I was able to inform you was that I +had failed." + +Lord Mowbray looked his confidant full in the eyes. + +"You are decidedly growing old," he said. + +"That may be." + +"Yes, you are growing old, and worse than that. Your compatriots have it +that when the devil is old he turns hermit. Are you doing likewise? As +God is my judge, Lebeau, I believe you are becoming virtuous." + +Lebeau affected an offended air. + +"My lord," he retorted, "I believe myself above such a suspicion. My +past record answers for me." + +"You are joking, but I am serious. Do you know the thought that has +suggested itself to me, more especially since yesterday?" + +"I cannot fancy, my lord." + +"Well, that you are playing me false!" + +With folded arms, Lebeau calmly regarded the speaker. + +"Playing you false?" he echoed steadily. "For what reason?" + +"That is what I wish to know." + +[Illustration] + +"That would be folly on my part. Have you ever known me to commit +deliberate treason? Does not my livelihood depend upon you? Are not my +pleasures the remnants of yours? Have I not reared you as my own child? +If I love anything in this world, it should assuredly be you." + +"Then why do you oppose my course with Esther, when she loves me and is +ready to yield? I have even feigned to believe you a bungler in order +not to believe you a traitor and unfaithful to me. You, who have +arranged all my intrigues--why do you oppose this one?" + +"I have told you that the affair is full of peril." + +"On account of the cousin Reuben?" + +"Precisely." + +"A psalm-singing hypocrite!" + +"You do not know him. The man has a will of iron, and he loves Esther. +In a different epoch he would have been capable of subverting a +monarchy, and he would set London on fire if his passion, which he +regards as sent from on high, should command him to do it. Young as he +is, there are hundreds of fanatics who follow and obey him, and I advise +Capt. Hackman and his men not to try issues with that legion of fools!" + +"You quite fire me to carry the adventure to the issue at all events." + +"Then may the devil protect your lordship! As for myself, I have +sermonized quite enough for a man of my stamp. In any case, my lord, the +receipts of last night's game must have recompensed you for the +miscalculations of love. In that regard we have another proverb in our +language. When I left the club Fortune seemed to be smiling upon you." + +"Yes, and I continued to win until daybreak. Poor Charles Fox hadn't a +guinea to his name. Moreover, he was hopelessly intoxicated, and, to cap +the climax, had an important speech to deliver to-day. We bound up his +head in cold cloths and left him in a chair as well as could be +expected. I scrupled about ruining him, for it is said that his +furniture will be seized next week; but he does not seem to mind. I won +twenty thousand pounds and remained alone with Lord Stavondale. It was +raining, and we watched the day dawn across the wet windows. I assure +you it is a very ugly sight to see. Stavondale pointed out two drops of +water of about equal density slowly coursing over the pane. 'I will +wager,' he said, 'that _that_ one will touch the sash first.' 'I'll take +you,' said I. 'How much?' said he. 'My night's winnings,' said I. Just +at that moment a devilish drop, which some inequality in the glass +turned from its course, joined Stavondale's drop, which came in with a +rush, and I lost my twenty thousand pounds. What consoled me for my loss +was the novelty of the invention. This racing drops across a window pane +is every whit as amusing as pitting horses against each other at +Newmarket." + +Here chocolate was brought in at the same time with his lordship's +journals. + +"See if there is anything in the papers," he commanded. + +Lebeau glanced through the _Morning Chronicle_ and the _Gentleman's +Magazine_, and several other gazettes of the same description, which +included magazines both matrimonial and sentimental. + +"Let us see," said he; "'In a certain house in the neighborhood of the +Thames--' Your lordship knows that this has reference to the House of +Commons." + +"Pass over politics." + +"Here is a book announced from the pen of Mr. Bryant, the antiquarian, +who is so well informed concerning events from the origin of the world +to the Deluge. Fancy considering nothing of importance _after_ the +Deluge! His work is disposed of in three words,--'Heavy, tiresome, +pedantic.' Cumberland's romance is also treated in three +words,--'Refined, sensible, and tender.'" + +"Pass over literature." + +"The condemned of the week: 'Sarah Hoggs, to be hanged for stealing a +piece of cloth that was spread out to dry; Laurence Williamson, to the +same penalty for having cut down sundry young trees; item, Annie Smith, +to one year's imprisonment for having taken forty shillings in the +presence of witnesses; item, Florence Dunk, to be hanged for having +taken five shillings privately; item, William Morton, to transportation +for having assassinated his father.'" + +"Pass over all that. What society news is there?" + +"'Major T---- has again been detected in cheating at cards; he has been +requested not to appear at Almack's again.'" + +"That's Topham, the editor of the _World_!" exclaimed his lordship. +"Bah! in a week's time he will be back again and everybody will be +shaking hands with him." + +"'Lady B---- has eloped with her husband's groom; his lordship will be +consoled by the society of Mlle. Annette, the little French dancer.'" + +"Is there nothing else?" + +"Nothing but two duels, three abductions, five or six bankruptcies, +several fires, and a charade in verse.--Ah!" + +"Well, what is it?" + +"George Barrington, the gentleman-sharper, has been arrested at +Edinburgh!" + +"Barrington! a charming fellow! I recollect one evening at Ranelagh, +when he showed me how he purloined a snuff-box, and as payment for the +lesson he took my watch. And here he is under lock and key! Poor boy!" + +"You need not pity him. He will plead his cause so eloquently that he +will be acquitted, as he has been many a time." + +"In truth, he is a very Cicero among thieves. And the advertisements?" + +"The alchemist Woulfe announces for sale an elixir which is a panacea +for every malady. Samuel Wollmer will loan money to sons-of-family in +embarrassment. As he is actuated by pure love of humanity, his terms +will be very moderate. Mrs. Cresswell offers false hair, masks, and red +pomade for the lips. Oh, oh! here's a gentleman of middle age who +desires to meet a young lady of good appearance and amiable disposition, +but discreet and lively. He'll find her," added Lebeau gravely. "I am +convinced that his advertisement will be answered." + +During this time Oliver had dressed and prepared his master, and had +tried on the plum-colored coat with the jonquil trimmings. Every trace +of the night's fatigue had disappeared; the fresh hue of early youth +bloomed again upon Lord Mowbray's cheek. As he was about to go out he +gave his final orders to Oliver. + +"You will buy for me 'The Tests of Character'; also, you will ask for +the fashionable romance, 'The Cadenas.' You will inquire about the new +wax which has just been invented by the Prince of Wales; they say it is +marvellous. Now let us go and have a game of bowls, after which we will +take a turn in the fencing-school." + +Lord Mowbray slipped his arm into that of Lebeau, and in this attitude +they went out together, which seemed to announce the return of +confidence and friendly feeling. Mons. Lebeau was an adept in the art of +pleasing, and in order to make good his return to grace he employed all +the resources of his wit, which was by no means of mediocre quality. A +curious fellow was this same Lebeau, who had almost ceased to be a +Frenchman without wholly becoming an Englishman. He had distinguished +himself among the tutors who were furnished to lordlings and who were +termed "bear-keepers." He was clever, knew the world, was "up" in +literature, could recite from the poets, and in case of need was able to +turn a verse as easily as one twirled a snuff-box. He had had a tragedy +produced and hissed off the stage somewhere, for he had tasted the cup +of a man of letters, living by dedications to the great and by writing +homilies for churchmen, rich in skekels but poor in intellect. He would +frequently say, "Had I delivered all the sermons which I have written, I +should be a cardinal." In turn, doctor upon a vessel of the East India +Company, actor, professor of mathematics, courier to an ambassador, +Parisian correspondent to a German prince who boasted thirty-three +subjects, what callings had he not fulfilled? By what sallies had he not +attempted fortune? His life resembled one of those old-fashioned +romances, filled, as it was, with adventures which we should consider +impossible. An event upon which he never cared to enlarge--some sort of +an irregular duel with a personage of dignity--had obliged him to leave +his native land. In a London brothel he had made the acquaintance of the +late Lord Mowbray, who had taken him into his service on condition that +he would procure him something new in the way of emotion. "I am bored +to death," explained his lordship; "amuse me. I have used up every +resource and am used up myself; invent some plan to revive me. Bear in +mind your ability as an author and make my life a poem of delights, an +unedited romance. Instead of committing your fancies to paper, realize +them with my guineas and for my benefit. To begin with, there is my +villa, my 'Folly,' which is being built at Chelsea. Give your orders: +the mason, the painter, the upholsterer will obey you." Lebeau accepted +the engagement and acquitted himself to the perfect satisfaction of his +new patron. + +It was he who first invented those marvellous traps by means of which +the table disappeared after the first course and came up again laid with +a fresh service, which relieved the guests of the espionage of the +attendants. It was he, again, who devised, or revived from ancient +usage, the perfumed rain, the hail of roses; who offered to his master's +friends a _fête_ such as Cleopatra gave, a Trimalcion supper and a +Borgian night festival; who realized for enchanted senses a corner of +the Orient, a dream of the Thousand and One Nights, while the snowflakes +fell and the wintry wind outside swept over the denuded country. And +Lord Mowbray had the satisfaction of saying to those who congratulated +him, "This is a mere nothing." + +His friends in their jealousy often said to him, "Lebeau is robbing +you." Whereupon he would shrug his shoulders and reply, "How can you +expect such a clever fellow not to be a little bit of a swindler?" + +Let us give an example of one of his surprising devices. As Lord Mowbray +was strolling one evening along the Cheyne Walk by the water he was +suddenly seized by three or four ruffians, stripped of his clothing, +bound, gagged, and finally thrown into the river. There he gave all up +for lost, and, believing himself at death's door, fainted away. He +recovered, to find himself at the bottom of a gigantic pie, whence he +emerged, to the profound astonishment of a dozen or more of his friends +who had assembled for supper. + +"What do you think of that for a new sensation, my lord?" inquired +Lebeau modestly. + +"You own no equal!" exclaimed Mowbray enthusiastically. "I would not +part with you for ten thousand pounds!" + +But Lebeau inspired contrary sentiments in poor Lady Mowbray, who saw in +him her husband's evil genius. When he was about she lost all hope of +reclaiming her faithless spouse. A slow fever having succeeded the birth +of her only son, she made no effort to live. Why should she? Her son +would be enticed from her, as her husband had been. The child, as by +some inconceivable hereditary repugnance, avoided her, fled her +caresses. She herself, to her deep mortification, never experienced that +mysterious and potent attachment which eternally binds the existence of +mother and child; and it was under these cruel conditions of life that +Lady Mowbray, overwhelmed with misery, weary of suffering, and longing +for rest, sank into the arms of death. + +She expired unpitied, conjugal love in the higher ranks of society being +regarded as a ridiculous anomaly. However, the cynical joy of Lord +Mowbray, even in that epoch of irony and indifference, caused a shudder +among the less delicate. Henceforth he was in no way hampered. A career +of untrammelled debauchery lay open before him; but an unexpected event +arrested him with ruthless abruptness. He suddenly disappeared, and the +circumstances of his taking-off, at once ignoble and sinister, finally +became known in the social walks where he had been best known. He had +lost his life in attempting to experiment upon himself in the mysterious +sensations which, he was informed, attended the final convulsions of +those doomed to die by hanging. Whether through mismanagement or crime, +the cord had not been cut in time, and Death still guarded his secret +from the one who had essayed to violate it. + +Among the deceased nobleman's papers were found sundry instructions for +the education of his son, among which one doctrine, far worse than +atheism, was drawn up in cold, dry, incisive terms, to suit the custom +of the time. + +"Man," it maintained, "should live in accordance with nature. Now, +nature commands us to flee pain and seek pleasure. Certain philosophers +of antiquity have clearly perceived this truth, and that, too, at an +epoch when the human mind was not yet encumbered and obscured by vain +prejudices. But they have not ventured to demonstrate their theory even +unto the end; they have imagined a substance called the soul, the +tendencies of which are at constant variance with those of the body. +They have arrayed pleasure in the guise of virtue, and have thus opened +the way for the Christian folly. Christianity is the most formidable +opponent of happiness, and during long ages has rendered the world +well-nigh uninhabitable. From infancy we are imbued with the mawkish +doctrines; I, myself, have had the utmost difficulty in relieving myself +of the yoke and I have but imperfectly succeeded. That is why, should I +die before my son has attained his majority, I expressly desire that he +shall grow up without receiving the teachings of any religion +whatsoever. Later he will understand these aberrations when he comes to +a full appreciation of the long series of human errors. Let his mind be +developed, stocked with facts, and ornamented with agreeable +reflections; let him be schooled in all that pertains to bodily exercise +where strength and address are required. By increasing his vigor, his +passions will increase and consequently his relish for life. Let him be +instructed not to govern or struggle with himself, but to follow in all +things the only instinct which can be his certain guide,--that which +attracts man to pleasure. Monsieur Lebeau appears to me a man of the +world and the one best fitted to take charge of this education." + +The will of the dead man was duly accomplished. The young man was reared +in the school of evil and became a curious, experimental subject for his +master. The late Lord Mowbray had been a reclaimed fanatic; after his +own fashion he preached as do nearly all of his compatriots. Lebeau +contented himself with observation, and consigned these observations to +a certain manuscript, written in French, which was entitled: "A Treatise +on Pleasure; or, A Rational Journal of a Young English Nobleman. To be +published one hundred years after my death." + +Lebeau remarked many things; among others these:-- + +"This youth, reared in the very lap of happiness, was not happy. The +pleasure which formed his daily lessons seemed to him stale and forced. +Over and beyond the delights which were multiplied for him and almost +imposed upon him, he dreamed of others to which he could not attain, +thereby proving that the true vocation of man is the unattainable, the +unreal. He was bred according to nature, that is to say, after the +fashion of savages; his joys revolved in the narrow, wretched circle in +which the primitive inhabitants of the globe vegetate. Five or six +thousand years of civilization have delicately undermined, modelled, and +ameliorated this block of confused sensations which we represent. The +thousand constraints which man has imposed upon himself, and his +privations, voluntary or obligatory, not to mention his griefs, have +refined him, perfected his organs of pleasure, increased his faculty of +happiness an hundred-fold. Suppress these constraints, these tests, +these combats, and you leave him but the swift, bestial joys in which +the aborigines, our ancestors, forgot for a moment in the obscurity of +their caverns the frightful misery of their existence. Young Mowbray at +twenty years of age had run the gamut of fallacious love. He had learned +the principles of gallantry and debauchery as one learns Latin; but +never having trembled, wept, nor suffered, he was totally ignorant of +genuine love." + +All at once towards Lebeau, that man of infinite complaisance, he +experienced a sense of secret resistance. It was upon the day when first +he was smitten by the charms of Miss Woodville. A will seemed to +interpose between him and the object of his desire, seeming to say: "All +women, but not _this one_!" + +Was it not sufficient that she had become dearer to him than all +others? + + + + +CHAPTER VI. + +THE HOUSE IN TOTHILL FIELDS. + + +In her turn Esther had been awakened, as she was every morning, by a +sort of dull buzzing, which for a space continued and finally died away. +It was Reuben droning the morning prayers in the lower hall in presence +of his mother and the aged servant, Maud. She raised herself upon her +elbow and glanced about her with an expression of disgust. However, +there was nothing displeasing to the sight about the chamber. To be +sure, the appointments were of the simplest description, and the walls +were bare; but everything exhaled the perfection of neatness and +propriety. The window opened upon extensive meadows, called Tothill +Fields, where some years later rose the quarter known as Pimlico. On +this side no building intercepted the light of day; consequently the +fresh, pure radiance of morning flooded the room, flecking the draperies +and white furniture. But Esther for a long time had indulged herself in +a dream of luxury and grandeur. It seemed to her that each night renewed +for her special benefit the story of Cinderella. During the entire +evening she walked in her glory beneath the fire of glances, like a +little queen, envied, admired, adored, tasting, as an homage more +enduring than the applause of men, the jealousy of her comrades. The +curtain having fallen, the beautiful costume replaced by a modest gown +of some dark stuff, she escaped from the scene of her triumph with her +arm firmly locked in that of Mrs. Marsham. When she awoke in the morning +there was nothing to prevent her from believing that it had all been a +dream, and that she was after all only an ordinary little being destined +to set a good example to her neighbors, and be the joy of some +commonplace, honest husband. What was there in store for her but to +share this insipid existence, take her part in the usual housework, and +listen to the babble of her aunt, who represented simple, tender +devotion, as Reuben was the exponent of the suspicious and fierce kind? +But patience! It would not be long ere emancipation would lend her wings +to escape from this irksome prison. + +More than ever this morning was she disposed to view her surroundings +with a disapproving and dissatisfied eye. When should she have a boudoir +like Lady Vereker's, and a gilded coach, a footman with a plumed hat, a +great nobleman for her husband, subject to her caprices, sighing at her +feet, and breathing soft nothings in the pretty, affected language, +mingled with French, which the heroes in the fashionable plays made use +of? Like Lord Mowbray, she deceived herself on the score of love, but +after a different fashion. He saw in it but the satisfaction of the +senses; she, the triumph of vanity. To be forever and a day the +personage she appeared to be three evenings out of the week, from seven +o'clock until ten; to be in reality ingenuous, anxious, coquettish, and +impassioned; to play the comedy, and play it to the life, amidst men who +were by no means acting; to heave real sighs, shed genuine tears, commit +actual follies,--such was her idea of happiness, which would have been +perverse had it not been childish. + +Scarcely was she dressed ere she received a tender missive from Lady +Vereker which informed her of the result of their evening's frolic. One +of her ladyship's cousins, an officer in the Guards, had rescued her +from her dilemma. For hours she had sought her companion; then she had +gone home, "heaping reproaches upon herself and calling herself every +manner of barbarous name." For she felt in her heart that "she should +never taste of perfect bliss if separated from her incomparable friend, +and that it would be inhuman long to deprive her of her presence." This +jargon, which passed in the fashionable world of that day, was new to +Esther, and she replied in a similar vein, assuring her noble +protectress that, had she listened to the dictates of her heart, she +would have flown to her: but circumstances obliged her to defer the joy +for which she sighed so ardently; the circumstances being a guitar +lesson, a new _rôle_ to study, and a second sitting with Sir Joshua. + +In fact, the guitar master, Mr. O'Flannigan, shortly made his appearance +upon horseback, the animal being as lean and lanky as himself. He was an +Irish gentleman, descended from the kings of his native land. He was +wont to prate of vast domains which had fallen two centuries before his +birth into the hands of the English. Thanks to the revolt of the +American colonies, which Ireland was preparing to imitate, Mr. +O'Flannigan had hopes of regaining his family rights and possessions. +Meanwhile he rambled about London, darned his own stockings, and gave +music lessons. Moreover, he occasionally relieved old Hopkins, the +prompter at Drury Lane Theatre; but whatever he did, he did with innate +nobility and elegance. He could bow with a grace almost equal to that of +any Frenchman, having passed one week of his youth in Paris, "the +capital of elegance and good taste." + +It was averred that, like the majority of his countrymen, he must have +kissed the famous Blarney stone which communicates to the lips which +have pressed it the gift of suave falsehood. But the persons who spoke +in that way were his enemies. And who has not an enemy? Mr. O'Flannigan +possessed his share of those troublesome individuals, although he had +obliged at least three of them to bite the dust. + +"What! Three men stretched upon the ground? Three men killed by you +single-handed?" + +"All of that, miss!" + +His brow clouded at the recollection; he declined to enlarge upon the +subject; whereupon, since no one wished to wound his feelings by +insisting upon details, he would recount the entire dreadful tale even +unto the bitter end. One was an Italian, of the princely house of +Castellamare; he understood the secret thrust, you know,--the famous +secret thrust! Poor man! His death had served no great purpose. To-day +the violets bloom upon his grave. Another was a German baron,--a boor +who, in passing Mr. O'Flannigan, had knocked over his glass of milk with +the tip of his sword and had not known enough to beg his pardon,--a man +so tall and stout that he could not have passed through yonder door; yet +this Colossus had fallen before little O'Flannigan! + +[Illustration] + +"But why renew these cruel memories? It is a frightful thing for a +sensible, philosophic man thus to give the _coup de grâce_ to a +fellow-man! Now, then, Miss Woodville, if you please. One--two--we are +in the key of _fa_." + +One day Mrs. Marsham found O'Flannigan in the midst of explaining to his +pupil the principles of his favorite art. With her left hand upon her +hip, her body proudly curved, her cheeks aglow, and her eyes dancing +with pleasure, Esther attacked and parried imaginary thrusts, while she +poked with a long cane the bony old body of O'Flannigan, who applauded +rapturously, though he rubbed his sides. + +"Are you mad, monsieur?" she cried. "Giving fencing lessons to my +niece!" + +"Madame, I am the humblest of your servants!" + +O'Flannigan performed the sword salute with the cane he held in his +hand, and attempted to deposit a kiss upon the mitten of the Quakeress, +who found herself quite disarmed in spite of herself by such a display +of courtesy and high breeding. + +"Come, come, Monsieur O'Flannigan," she breathed; "suppose you return to +your music." + +"At your command, madame.--Now, then, mademoiselle; one--two--three. We +are in the key of _sol_!" + +After the Irishman's departure, Esther passed the remainder of the +morning in walking up and down the little garden, studying the charming +_rôle_ of Beatrice in "Much Ado about Nothing," which she was to play in +a few days. Then came the dinner hour, which reunited Mrs. Marsham, her +son Reuben, Esther, and the ancient Maud; since, in accordance with the +usage of the sect, the servants consorted with their masters and sat at +table with them. Moreover, Maud was no ordinary servant. She possessed +the sense of second sight. At certain hours she prophesied and spoke in +a strange tongue which no one understood. "The Spirit is upon her!" they +were wont to say respectfully upon such occasions. Very deaf and +purblind, even with her double vision Maud could not see the spiders' +webs which festooned the ceiling; she could hear "voices," though not +that of her mistress when it called her. Any one in the wide world +except the Marshams would have quickly recognized the inconvenience of +having a vaticinal cook. + +At the dinner-table the dangers which Esther had encountered upon the +preceding night became the topic of conversation. Mother and son +regarded the event from their own standpoints. The former blessed +Providence who had guided the girl through her peril safe and sound; +the latter cursed the malice of the men who had madly risked their lives +in breaking a minister's windows for the glorification of a stupid +soldier. How many there were who would have permitted themselves to be +killed for Rodney, who would not have raised a finger for Christ! Esther +uttered not a word concerning Lord Mowbray; she simply spoke of the +excellent gentleman who had escorted her home. + +"The brave man!" said Mrs. Marsham. "I long to know and thank him." + +"I saw him leaving, or rather flying, like a malefactor," muttered +Reuben. "Would he not have remained to receive our thanks, if he had +thought he deserved them?" + +"Virtue is diffident, my son; her right hand knoweth not what her left +hand doeth." + +Reuben only replied by an imperceptible shrug of his shoulders. The +repast over, Maud returned to her kitchen, where she held forth all +alone for several long hours. Mrs. Marsham installed herself in her +rush-seated chair and adjusted a pair of silver-and-horn spectacles upon +the tip of her nose, the rigid steel mounting of which suggested the +curved arch of some ancient bridge. She selected one of her favorite +books, the "Pilgrim's Progress," or the life of George Fox, which for +thirty years had fascinated her timid, childish imagination. Soon the +regular breathing, like the purring of a great drowsy cat, informed +Esther that her aunt was in Morpheus's arms. Indeed, she had fallen +asleep with an ecstatic smile upon her features. Perhaps she dreamed +that she walked in a fair garden, attended by angels, and that one came +to her, clothed in white raiment, with a lily in his right hand, and +said to her, "Good morrow, my good Mrs. Marsham. How are you? My father +will be rejoiced to see you." And then, stooping, he would gather stars +from the _parterre_ of heaven and arrange them in a bouquet for the +elect; for Mrs. Marsham was frequently favored with such dreams, and +upon awakening she would recount them to her friends as did the +personages in the Old Testament. She was forever searching some +explanation of them, since she considered them in the light of celestial +visions. + +"She sleeps, and is happy," said Reuben in a lowered tone. "Would that I +could find repose!" + +"Why can you not?" asked Esther negligently. + +"Because my heart is troubled by the thought of the iniquities which are +committed in Israel. Sometimes it seems to me that I am a scapegoat, and +that all the sins of England are upon me." + +"Rather a heavy burden, my poor cousin!" + +"Oh, do not laugh, Esther; for it is you who are to be pitied; it is for +you that I weep." + +"For me?" + +"Yes, for you, and because of your fatal beauty." + +"Fatal! I take the compliment from whence it comes, and am charmed to +know that you consider me even passing fair. But pray tell me why my +beauty is fatal." + +"Listen and give heed, Esther. You have read the Holy Scriptures?" + +"Yes." + +"When God imprints upon the face and body of woman a charm which renders +the wisest fools, there is a hidden reason which should be visible if we +would but open our eyes. He has created her for the salvation or the +perdition of a variety of men. Eve worked the ruin of Adam; Bethsheba +unconsciously corrupted the holy king; Delilah delivered Samson over to +his enemies; Salome snatched from Herod's luxury the condemnation of the +Precursor. On the contrary, Ruth exhaled joy and consolation about her; +Esther softened the anger of a terrible king and saved the people of +God; Jabel drove a nail into the temple of Sisera; Judith delivered +Bethulia by cutting off the head of Holofernes. Which will you be, a +Delilah or a Judith?" + +"Neither, I hope. In the first place, pray do not count upon me to cut +off anybody's head. I am a sorry coward, and I have a horror of seeing +blood. The other day I saw a dog with a bleeding paw, and I thought I +should faint." + +"Ah!" exclaimed Reuben bitterly, "better were it to cause the impious to +lose every drop of blood in his veins than to inspire a single evil +thought in the just. I feel within myself that it is a sin to look upon +you; my will totters when for too long a space my eyes have rested upon +those shoulders, that slender form, those brilliant eyes, that bud-like +mouth. Sometimes it seems to me that I would suffer eternal damnation +for you, and that I should find an abominable pleasure in it! How many +times have I prayed God to destroy those adorable features which it has +pleased him to create! Willingly would I obliterate and annihilate +them!" + +"Are you going mad?" cried Esther in alarm. "And yet you say you love +me!" + +"Yes," replied Reuben: "we alone know how to love, because we alone know +how to hate,--we, the sons of the saints whose hearts are full of +bitterness and sorrow. They do not love who live in joy and pleasure. My +love increases with the tears that it causes me to shed, with the +combats that I undergo for you, and, moreover, with the fury that I +experience against those who raise their eyes upon your beauty!" + +Involuntarily he had raised his voice. The old lady awoke with a start. + +"Naughty children!" she murmured querulously. "Quarrelling again?--you +who were born to understand one another, and to be happy!" + + + + +CHAPTER VII. + +CONFIDENCES. + + +Esther succeeded in persuading good Mrs. Marsham that she ought not to +accompany her to her next sitting with Sir Joshua, since the great +painter desired to be alone with his model. The age and eminent +reputation of the President of the Academy removed far from him all +suspicion; consequently there was nothing to be done but to respect his +wishes. Therefore Esther went alone to Leicester Fields in a sedan-chair +borne by a couple of doughty Irishmen; but she could not repress a +movement of impatience upon perceiving Reuben on horseback following her +at a short distance with his sombre glance. When she entered the house +the young man quickly alighted, attached the bridle of his horse to the +railing of the square, and, seating himself upon a bench, fixed his eyes +upon Sir Joshua's door. + +[Illustration] + +"Shadowed!" murmured the girl. + +The desire of deceiving one's jailers, the omnipresent dream of evasion +which ever haunts the prisoner, filled her mind and inclined her to +anger. + +"Bah!" she thought, "my deliverance is close at hand." + +She swiftly mounted the stairs which led to the studio, and was received +by Francis Monday. + +"The President has been unexpectedly summoned to an audience with his +Majesty, who has come in from Kew to St. James's this morning," he +explained. "Be so good as to wait for Sir Joshua, who will return +before long. Shall I request Miss Reynolds to come and keep you +company?" + +"Why disturb her? There are so many curious things here to amuse one! +One might pass a whole day looking about this apartment without being +bored for a moment." + +"So be it!" replied Frank in a slightly tremulous voice. "Shall we look +about together?" + +He forthwith proceeded to show her all the rare objects arranged in +order within their glazed cases, giving her explanations of everything. +There were snuff-boxes, fans of which one was said to be the work of the +poet Pope, and foreign arms brought home by Sir Joshua from a journey in +barbaric lands. Frank also named the originals of the unfinished +portraits which awaited upon their easels the good pleasure of the +painter. + +The door of the adjoining apartment, whence the girl had seen him emerge +upon the preceding day, stood ajar; she quickly glanced within and saw a +quantity of antique casts spread upon large tables, and plaster heads +heaped one upon another. + +"It is there that I paint," he said, "in order that I may always be near +at hand in case Sir Joshua should call me." + +"As yesterday," she said rashly; then, realizing the memory which she +had evoked, she blushed. As for him, he became pale. However, she soon +continued:-- + +"Sir Joshua loves you very dearly." + +"He treats me with an almost paternal kindness; I respect him, and +entertain for him the affection of a son. I owe him all that--" + +"Yes, I know." + +"Ah, but you cannot know all. Perhaps you have been told that I have +been adopted and educated by Sir Joshua, but if you only knew from what +a future of misery and despair he has snatched me, from what a hell he +has saved me!" + +He pronounced these words with so simple, so profound an accent that the +girl, suddenly touched with sympathy, bent her eyes upon him and said:-- + +"Where were you before you knew him, and what did you do?" + +"I lived with the pirates of the Thames, who forced me to learn their +horrible business." + +"But how happened it that you fell into such hands?" + +"I know not. I know neither my birthplace nor my parents. Even my true +age is unknown to me. I have nothing in the world, not even so much as a +name--only a surname; they called me Mishap. Perhaps my parents were +like those wretches. The thought has often come to me, and driven me +almost desperate." + +Esther did not speak, but her eyes assured Frank that she was listening +with deepest interest. + +"We lived in a hovel," he continued, "down by the water, opposite +Greenwich, and sometimes in a half-decayed barge on the river which was +anchored some twenty yards from shore. By day they sent me on land to +beg, and beat me if I returned empty-handed. At low tide I used to +search the mud which the sea left dry when it retired." + +"For what purpose?" + +"To look for things which might have fallen into the water. One found +all sorts of stuff on the bed of the river,--wood, rope, bits of cloth, +and rusty iron. Frequently I encountered fearful things there, such as +human remains, bodies of the unfortunate whose death had been unknown +and would never be avenged." + +"Heavens! what a dreadful business!" + +"You are right: a dreadful business indeed! Those who carry it on are +called mud-larks; yet little do they resemble those tiny voyagers of the +air which sing so proudly, so joyously, which build their nests in the +furrows and soar aloft to heaven's gate. The mud-larks crawl along their +wretched way, sometimes immersed to the knees in the icy slime, and +frequently they fall victims to the fever as the result of their long +searches. Nevertheless, the Thames has engulfed much riches, and +sometimes it gives it back. There have been cases of poor wretches +finding precious jewels there. One summer's day, during a season of +excessive drought, the tide being lower than usual, I espied something +glittering in the rays of the rising sun. I stooped; it was an old gold +piece bearing the effigy of Charles II. Perhaps for a century it had +slept there in the mud." + +After a moment of silence he continued:-- + +"How carefully I wiped it! How I caressed it! How long I contemplated +that little coin! At first I decided that I would show my treasure-trove +to no one. But where could I hide it? I wore neither shoes, stockings, +nor shirt; nothing but an old ragged jacket and trousers without +pockets. When I was permitted to go to bed I slept upon a sack filled +with rags, along with a boy older than myself. I passed the coin from +one hand to the other; I even put it in my mouth beneath my tongue. It +seemed a fortune in my eyes, and I thought that when I went to London I +should be able to buy out the whole town. Yes; ah, but I was way-wise +for my years, and I foresaw what would take place were I to offer my +sovereign for sale as the gentlemen did. The dealer would exclaim, 'Such +as you with a gold piece! You have stolen it!' Forthwith I should be +sent to prison, and from there to the smoky hall of the Old Bailey, +where I had seen many a little thief condemned to twenty or thirty +lashes. I saw myself bound to the terrible wooden bench, black with +human blood; I saw the executioner approach with his awful +cat-o'-nine-tails. My thin knees knocked together as I drew the mental +picture." + +"And what did you do?" + +"I determined to hide my sovereign under a tuft of grass on the river +bank near Deptford. And I went there often to take a peep at it, while I +waited for better days. Alas! there came a great tempest in September; +the river rose and overflowed its banks; my hiding-place, my treasure, +all disappeared!" + +"Poor boy!" + +"All these miseries were as nothing compared with others. The worst +work was that which I was made to do at night. Of foggy evenings our +boat slipped along like a phantom, with the oars muffled in bits of old +wool so that they moved without a sound. Thus we circled about the big +ships at anchor, or prowled around the sleeping warehouses. At such +hours the river belonged to the bandits, to the vagabonds who were +called light-horsemen; they were alone, and sovereign masters there." + +"But what part did you play upon these nocturnal expeditions?" + +"They made me climb up a knotted rope to the bowsprits of the ships, +which they knew to be but poorly guarded by the drunken sailors at that +time of night. From there I would crawl to the deck. Then I would glide +into the storeroom and bring thence a bag of 'sand,' a sack of 'peas,' +or a bottle of 'vinegar,' which is pirate slang for sugar, coffee, and +rum. When I had lowered my booty into the boat moored under the bow, I +would let myself down, my teeth chattering, half dead with fright." + +"Were you aware that you were doing wrong?" + +"No: no one had taught me the difference between good and bad; no one +had ever pronounced in my presence the name of God, unless it was with +the accompaniment of some frightful blasphemy. I was simply aware that +there existed another race of men who waged war upon my masters; that +when the landsmen captured our water-folk they dragged them into a great +black house called Newgate, and from there to a place called Tyburn, +where they set up a gallows. I saw many of my companions hanged there, +for thieves never miss an execution. Have you ever seen a hanging, Miss +Woodville?" + +"Oh, never!" cried Esther shudderingly. + +"You would think it a festival. All along Holborn stagings are set up +for those who wish to see, and tables for the wine-bibbers. The mob +laughs and sings, and jokes the ladies who have hired windows, and who +hide their faces behind their fans. Venders of apples and gin thrust +their handcarts into the thick of the crowd. The mountebanks perform +their tricks and dances as at the fair of Saint Bartholomew, while the +street urchins for half a penny proclaim the complaint against the +doomed man. At last he appears upon a cart drawn by a wretched hack, +which itself seems on its way to slaughter. I have seen certain men in +this plight who were bold and impudent in the face of death, who winked +at the women, and responded to the jeers of the crowd. Yes, I have heard +them try to sing songs, which the mob took up in chorus. But there have +been others!--those who were deaf to everything, deaf even to the +exhorting voice of the clergyman. Quivering like dead animals with every +jolt of the cart, fainting, convulsed, livid, horrible to look upon, +their eyes dilated with terror, they seemed scarcely human, scarcely +living but for the evidence of their fear." + +He paused for an instant, paling at the recollection. "I saw it all," he +pursued, "and knew that after twenty or thirty years of infamy that fate +would be mine. If I refused to obey my masters a few blows of the gasket +very soon got the better of my resistance. To be beaten by the mud-larks +or lashed by the hangman--such was the frightful choice which was +offered me, such the view of life which I enjoyed for eight years. Eight +years! The age of dependence, confidence, and joy! The age which should +know the sweetness of a mother's love and caress!" + +Esther's eyes filled with tears as she grasped poor Frank's hands and +held them in her clasp. + +"Neither have I known a mother," she said; "but I have not suffered as +you have. Those about me were kind enough, and I can smile when I +compare my miseries with yours." + +"One night," continued Frank, "when I refused to play my part in an +expedition with the pirates, one of them in a fit of rage threw me into +the dark river which hissingly closed over my head." + +Esther uttered a cry as though she saw it all, saw with her own eyes the +child plunge headlong into the water. + +"Fortunately I could swim. I knew the river and it seemed less wicked, +less hostile than man. It almost seemed like a mother to me, since it +had rocked me upon its bosom and nourished me for so many years. I +succeeded in gaining the shore, where I wandered about, shivering, until +daybreak. I don't see what prevented my dying, except that such wretches +as I are blessed with more enduring vitality than others. Nevertheless, +I had some terrible trials to bear. For several days I subsisted upon +mouldy crusts floating in the water, cabbage leaves, and other rubbish +which I picked up about the market-places. I devoured these sad repasts +while inhaling the odor of roasts in Cheapside and Fleet Street. Now and +again a charitable gentleman would give me alms without my daring to +solicit it other than with my wretched, famished glances. At night I +slept sometimes in a church porch, sometimes in an abandoned stable, +sometimes under an old wall, which screened me from the wind. One +morning I lay asleep, with a stone for a pillow, in the neighborhood of +Covent Garden, when I was awakened by a strange voice which seemed to +address me. I saw a middle-aged gentleman of modest appearance, with a +kind and venerable air, who stood gazing upon me as he leaned on his +silver-headed cane. This cane and his old-fashioned wig would have +caused me to divine that he was a doctor, had I known the costumes of +the different professions. + +"'My boy,' he said to me, 'what are you doing there? Why are you not at +home at such an hour? Surely your parents must be anxious about you.' + +"I answered him rudely, for I knew no other mode of speech. + +"'I have no home, and no parents.' + +"'What is your name?' + +"'They call me Mishap.' + +"'Well, friend Mishap, I am going to give the lie to your name, for I am +going to take you to the best man in the world.' + +"I rose and followed him. Later I learned that he was Levet, the French +surgeon of the poor, so poor himself that Dr. Johnson had given him an +abiding-place in his house. Thither he led me. The doctor, too, in his +time had suffered from poverty and hunger. In his old age he returned +good for the evil which he had suffered in his youth. His home was, and +still is, a sort of asylum and hospital. With Levet lived Mrs. Williams, +the blind poetess, and the negro Frank, whom the author of 'Rasselas' +treated more as a friend than a servant. These good people gave me a +cordial greeting. They gave me breakfast and made me tell them my story. +For the first time in my life I ate of white bread and listened to +decent language. Then my heart, which lay like a stone in my breast, +melted, and I wept hot tears. They baptized me next day, the good negro +being my humble godfather. To the Christian name of Francis they added, +for want of a family name, the name of the day on which I had been +discovered shivering in my sleep. Some days later, well washed and newly +clothed, with shoes and stockings on my feet, all of which seemed +strange to me and not a little awkward, I accompanied Dr. Johnson to +this house, and in this very room made my first bow to Sir Joshua, who +at the time was painting the portrait of Kate Fisher. I can still see +the pretty creature, who had brought her friend, Mary Summers, with her. +One was all beauty; the other, all wit--component parts of Aspasia. + +"'My dear sir,' said the doctor in his grand, solemn way, 'I have +brought with me a child for Ugolino to eat.' + +"The speech made me shudder, while every one present laughed. Later it +was explained to me that during the intervals between his engagements +Sir Joshua caused an aged street-paver, who had fallen into necessitous +circumstances, but who possessed an expressive head, to sit for him. His +name was White, but one day Mr. Burke, seeing him in the lower hall, +said to Sir Joshua, 'That man would make an admirable Ugolino.' And from +that time he was never called by any other name. It suggested to my +master the idea of making him the centre of a great composition +representing Dante's terrible scene; but it was necessary to find some +children with whom to surround Ugolino. Now you understand the doctor's +joke. 'Here is something for you to do,' remarked Sir Joshua to me, +'which will be easier than working for the mud-larks.' + +"'What must I do?' I inquired. + +"'Remain perfectly quiet, which you may find rather difficult at your +age.' + +"'It could never be difficult for me to obey and please you,' said I. + +"I was given a sort of chamber in the garret, which I still occupy; and +from that day I led the life of those by whom I was surrounded. Living +from morning till evening amidst painting and designing, the desire to +try my hand came to me. I armed myself with a bit of chalk and a slate. +Sir Joshua surprised me in the midst of my occupation, and when I made +an attempt to conceal my sketch, he remarked: 'Do you know upon what and +with what I made my first picture? Upon a scrap of sail-cloth and with a +pot of paint which had been left upon the strand at Plympton by the +boat-painter.' He looked at my sketch, and the result of his examination +was that he sent me to the Royal Academy, which had recently been +opened. There I sketched the faces of all the young women who +represented Dido or Ariadne. My companions blew peas at them until they +made them cry. Then they would clap their hands and pretend that they +had given the models the desired expression. I did not know what they +meant, but when I had filled my sketch-book to the very last page with +Didos and Ariadnes, I respectfully confessed to Sir Joshua that I had +much rather paint trees, flowers, grass, and, more than all, water. My +dear, great river, where I had lived so long, the ever-changeful home of +my infancy!--I am never weary of depicting it, by turns dull as a +leaden disk, brilliant as a mirror of burnished steel, now ruffled and +agitated, now radiant and peaceful, little rural stream that it is at +Hampton Court, arm of the sea at Gravesend, with its perspectives, its +shore life, the ships which fleck its surface, and the seafarers it +bears upon its bosom." + +[Illustration] + +"Then," inquired Esther, "am I to understand that you are happy?" The +young man lowered his eyes and was silent for a moment. + +"I am," he answered, "profoundly grateful to my master for all his +kindness, for the friendship which every one testifies for me, and for +the interest which such men as Mr. Burke and Dr. Johnson take in my +studies. But can I be wholly happy? Nothing can replace the affection of +a mother,--unless it be that of a wife. There is a void in my heart. +Will it ever be filled?" + +So humble, so penetrating was the accent of the poor, lonely fellow at +this moment that Esther was more deeply moved than she had been by the +recital of his boyish sufferings. In her turn her eyes drooped as if, in +the young man's words, something had particularly affected her. + +"Ah!" he murmured, "you are laughing at me now; but, since I began to +speak and you deigned to listen to me, I have told you all. Now I am +going to show you the one who, since my entrance into this house, has +consoled and sustained me in the hours of discouragement and sadness." +And taking her by the hand, he led Esther into his studio, before an +unframed picture, from which he drew aside the drapery which covered it. + +"A portrait! A portrait of a woman!" + +In fact it was the counterfeit presentment of a young woman clothed in +white. The picture was still unfinished. The attire, the accessories, +the background were scarcely indicated; the head alone seemed almost +complete. It was a fine, delicate head, softly illumined by a faint +smile as by a ray of autumnal sunshine, the eyes of a dull blue, +hesitant in glance as though weary of the light,--infinite weariness in +the inclination of the neck and the droop of the shoulders. An +indefinable charm of sorrow and resignation overspread the entire +countenance. The very uncertainty of the sketch lent to it an ethereal, +almost supernatural character, enveloping it in that vague, ideal film +which veils the figures in a dream. + +"Who is this lady?" inquired Esther. + +"She died twenty years ago, and I never saw her in life. I only know +that she is called Lady Mowbray." + +"Lady Mowbray! The mother of young Lord Mowbray whom you resemble so +closely?" + +"The same." + +"But why has the portrait remained unfinished?" + +"The death of the original interrupted the sittings. She knew that she +was doomed and wished to bequeath her portrait to her son; but +apparently no one cared for her or respected her last wish, since the +sketch has never been claimed by the family. It is said that she was +most unhappy, and wept her life away. I am as attached to this portrait +as to a living person. It watches me and smiles upon me; I speak to it +and it responds. How many times have I kissed those poor hands which are +now folded in death! I have wished that my mother might resemble her, +and in my folly I have more than once addressed her by that holy name. +Athwart the space which separates us my heart yearns towards her. What +would I not give to have known and consoled her! What do you think of +such foolishness, Miss Woodville?" + +"I understand you; I assure you that I understand you, and it seems to +me that from to-day I shall no longer be the same, that I shall be less +frivolous, less thoughtless, that I shall regard life with other eyes." + +And turning suddenly she came in contact with an object in the shadow, +which upon being disturbed gave forth a queer sound, like to the click +of _castagnettes_. + +"What is that?" she exclaimed. + +"That is nothing, only a skeleton used in anatomical studies." + +He drew into the light the singular companion, whose arms and legs +projected absurdly every which way. One would have said that it was a +drunken sailor attempting a hornpipe. As if to increase its height a +lace cap with red ribbons, carelessly placed upon its cranium, had +slipped to one side, suggesting the idea of ghostly joviality. Esther +burst into a laugh which she quickly repressed. + +"Poor thing!" she said. "Like us, he has possessed a heart and a brain. +Perhaps he has loved, perhaps they have said he was handsome. Pardon me +that I laughed, poor skeleton!" + +The words of her well-beloved poet recurred to her memory. + +"Do you remember where Hamlet, in the graveyard, holds the jester's +skull in his hands? 'Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know not +how oft. Where be your gibes now? your gambols? your songs? your flashes +of merriment that were wont to set the table on a roar?'" + +"'To what base uses we may return, Horatio!'" added Frank. + +"Yes," she replied; "'Imperial Cæsar, dead and turn'd to clay, might +stop a hole to keep the wind away.'" And she recited the verses which +close the scene. + +Frank listened with a sort of religious tenderness. + +"You love Shakespeare?" he asked. + +"I adore him!" + +Attracted by this new bond of common admiration, they spoke of that +sovereign master of souls, and exchanged the emotions which he had +aroused in their hearts. Hand in hand they wandered, and lost themselves +in that vast, murmurous forest filled with alarms and enchantments, with +refreshing springs and hideous pools, with jocund imps and menacing +monsters, where the fairy flowers of sentiment bloom and fade in the +umbrage of gigantic thoughts, amidst which passes, like a stormy wind, a +tremor of the vague Beyond, the breath of the invisible, unknown world. + +As they conversed thus, seated upon an old sofa between the skeleton and +the portrait of Lady Mowbray, Reynolds entered. For two hours they had +been together. The painter looked at them, and smiled with indulgent +penetration. + +"We have been talking of Shakespeare," Frank explained, slightly ill at +ease. + +Sir Joshua did not believe one word of it. Either he knew not, or he had +forgotten that old age alone requires to _speak_ of love. In youth, love +impregnates every word, insinuates itself into the very gestures, +plunges into the glance, exhales at every pore, saturates the air we +breathe. Then of what import are words? + +"And there is Reuben waiting all this while!" thought Esther suddenly. + +That thought alone re-established all her roguish coquetry in the space +of one second. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. + +MR. FISHER'S SUBSTITUTE. + + +"Mr. Fisher!" + +Thus invoked by his name, the hairdresser who had the honor of attending +the leading artists of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, stopped suddenly +upon the dim staircase which led to the dressing-rooms. + +"Who is it?" he inquired, striving to distinguish the person who had +accosted him. "What do you want? I am in a hurry. Miss Woodville waits. +What! _You_, my lord?" he added as his interlocutor advanced into the +doubtful radiance shed by the argand-lamp upon the upper landing. + +A trifle arrogant at first, with a mingling of poorly dissimulated +nervousness (for courage was not Mr. Fisher's besetting virtue), the +tone of the worthy hairdresser had become obsequious in the extreme. +Lord Mowbray was one of his best clients. + +"Mr. Fisher," said the young nobleman, "you are going straight home and +to bed." + +"I, my lord! Your lordship must surely be jesting. They are waiting for +me up-stairs, and I must--" + +Lord Mowbray barred his further progress. + +"I am not jesting, Mr. Fisher. I can be serious when serious matters are +at stake, and there is nothing more serious than the health of an honest +man like yourself. I tell you that you have a high fever and that you +are going straight to bed, where you will keep warm and let Mrs. Fisher +bring you a ptisan." + +"But I have no fever, and even if I had I should not fail to perform my +duty. And this, a first-night! Why, the king and queen are to honor the +performance with their presence!" + +"Well, let us cut the matter short, Mr. Fisher. Here is somewhat to +sweeten your ptisan." + +With the words a handful of guineas changed hands, the jingle of which +possessed a persuasive virtue all their own; whereupon the hairdresser +began to comprehend that it is sometimes to one's advantage to be +feverish. + +"But, my lord," he faltered, "would you have Miss Woodville go on the +stage with dishevelled hair? Who will take my place?" + +"I will, Fisher." + +"Can your lordship dress a head of hair?" + +"I studied the art in Paris under the celebrated Leonard." + +"Is it so!" + +"Indeed it is. The man who does not know how to dress a woman's hair +misses one of the greatest delights in life. That is why, my dear +friend, your art was the most agreeable to Venus; and Mons. Lebeau, my +tutor, a man-of-the-world, failed not to give me ample instruction." + +"Well, I am flambergasted now!" + +"Make haste to pull yourself together and be off, or you will take more +cold on this staircase. Quick; hand me the comb, the powder, and the +patch-box. Good night, Fisher; take good care of yourself. Devil, man! +You'll find you cannot trifle with a fever." + +A minute later the false hairdresser, having duly knocked at the door +and received permission to enter, walked into a narrow room in which +Miss Woodville was dressing, assisted by a maid, under the watchful +direction of her aunt, Mrs. Marsham. + +"Come, Mr. Fisher," said Esther without looking at the intruder, "we +must make haste or I shall be late. Make me just as pretty as you +possibly can, for the king will be in the audience." + +"I shall do my best, Miss Woodville." + +"But this man is not Fisher!" cried the old lady. + +Esther cast one swift glance at Mowbray, caught the kerchief about her +shoulders, and mechanically plunged her blushing face into the ivory +horn which served to protect her eyes and lashes while her hair was +being powdered. + +The young nobleman respectfully saluted the Quakeress. + +"Mr. Fisher is ill," he exclaimed. + +"Oh, poor Fisher! What ails him?" + +"He has a fever, madam,--a high fever. It would break your heart to hear +the poor man's teeth chatter. So I have come in his place." + +"It is impossible for you to dress my hair!" gasped Esther. + +"Impossible! And why, if you please?" + +"Because--because--why, you cannot, you don't know how!" + +"I have studied under the best masters. It is not for me to disparage +Mr. Fisher; but I venture to say that my touch is more classic than his. +I have worked for the French court." + +"No, no!" breathed Esther with veiled eyes. + +"But, my child," said her aunt in a lowered tone, "you are unreasonable. +This boy appears to know his business; besides, he has worked for the +French court. Moreover, time presses." + +"If Miss Woodville will deign to intrust her head to my care, all will +be well," added the would-be hairdresser. + +Esther saw there was no help for it but to yield. Suffused with blushes +and pouting, though deeply moved, she took her chair before the mirror. + +"What style will it please you this evening,--_capricieuse_ or _tout +amiable_? But I am wrong: a face like yours demands a suitable +accompaniment. Esther Woodville--pardon my liberty of speech--should +have her hair dressed _à la_ Esther Woodville!" + +"Anybody can see at a glance that you came from Paris," interposed Mrs. +Marsham; "you know how to pay compliments. I fear that your talents may +stop there, and that your comb is by no means the equal of your tongue." + +"Madam shall be the judge. By his work is the artist known." + +With a firm, experienced hand he seized the loosened tresses which +overspread the girl's shoulders. Bending above her, inhaling her very +personality, he spoke not, he hardly breathed, overcome by the violence +of his emotions; while she, bending slightly forward, maintained a +strange immobility. A cloud passed before his eyes; his brain reeled. +Could he maintain the mastery of himself sufficiently to play the comedy +to the end? + +All at once a confused turmoil arose from the street below. Mrs. Marsham +pricked up her ears. + +"Can it be the king already?" she exclaimed. + +In order to understand the true import of those two monosyllables, "the +king," for the good lady, we must go back a quarter of a century to the +time when George III., aged sixteen years, still dwelt in Leicester +Fields with his mother, the Dowager Princess of Wales. Never did he pass +through Long Acre on his way to the theatre, of which he was a constant +patron, without casting a timid glance at pretty Sarah Lightfoot, where +she sat at the desk in her father's shop, with her snow-white gown, her +folded kerchief, and her glossy tresses innocent of powder. The young +Quakeress would bend her head with a light blush beneath the mute and +tender contemplation of those big, guileless eyes, undoubtedly more +eloquent than their owner had any idea they were. The royal child would +pause for a moment, and, heaving a sigh, would continue his way with his +unequal, halting gait. + +Long, long ago had his Majesty forgotten Sarah Lightfoot; but Sarah +Lightfoot, the present Mrs. Marsham, had never forgotten his Majesty. +Athwart her dull, peaceful, uneventful existence the charming memory +cast a ray which but increased in brilliancy as the days wore on. She +had never mentioned the subject in the presence of her son, fearing the +disdainful shrug of Reuben's shoulders, and suspecting that he nourished +some vague republican chimera; but she would speak complacently with her +niece of the king's fancy, save that she asked God's pardon for +indulging in such frivolous thoughts. + +This was the reason why, on this particular evening, she had scarcely +noticed Mr. Fisher's substitute, and why she was so attentive to the +sounds in the street. She intended to see the king's arrival, for it +seemed to her that the ovation intended for his Majesty by his loyal +subjects in some remote way touched her. Mowbray knew nothing of these +circumstances, but he confusedly divined that by means of the good +woman's curiosity he might rid himself of her presence. + +"The king?" said he. "Of course it is he; if you wish to see him you +have no time to lose." + +For one moment Esther thought to detain her aunt, but how could she +explain her perturbation without admitting the whole deceit, without +causing a scandal? Then, who would dress her hair? And besides, Peg was +with her. And, moreover, in the depths of her heart had not the young +actress a secret desire to be left with her terrible lover, a wild +longing mingled with fear, like that of the youthful soldier who +anticipates with joy, yet dreads to enter, his first battle. + +Casting aside her wraps the Quakeress quitted the dressing-room with a +lively step, which suggested pretty Sarah Lightfoot rather than sedate +Mrs. Marsham. The hair-dressing advanced rapidly, and although a trifle +unsteady by reason of internal emotion, the young nobleman acquitted +himself with marvellous distinction. + +Although a simpler taste had begun to obtain, the _coiffure_ of a woman +of 1780 was still a remarkably complicated affair; so complicated, in +fact, that certain women, by way of avoiding fatigue or expense, had +their heads dressed only two or three times a week, sometimes only once, +and slept in this heavy, uncomfortable, voluminous rigging, of which +their own hair was assuredly the least important element. False hair +being very costly, the interior of the fragile edifices was often +stuffed with horsehair, and even with hay. In some cases a brace of iron +wire was affixed to the head, upon which flowers, feathers, ribbons, and +jewelry could be firmly attached; and thus the scaffolding frequently +rose to such a height that, if we may credit the caricaturists of the +day, it was necessary to pierce the roofs of the sedan-chairs, and even +of the coaches, in order to accommodate _les élégantes_ in gala costume. + +However, there could be no question of such exaggeration in the case of +a Shakespearean heroine. Of all the poet's creations is not Beatrice the +most fantastic? And was not Esther, of all who had essayed the _rôle_, +the most original in her style of beauty, the most unique in her method +of playing it? That is why Mowbray, clearing all traditions at a single +bound, had given free rein to his fancy. He had lowered the conventional +scaffolding, cut short the tower-shaped _coiffure_. The top of the head +was relieved, while two undulant, billowy masses depended therefrom, +flowing behind the ears, no powder being used, which brought out at once +the delicate contour and exquisite coloring of the face in strong +relief. There was nothing classical nor rococo about it; it was all odd, +novel, and overwhelmingly graceful. Esther had but to cast one glance at +the mirror to be convinced that she had never been more beautiful. + +Mowbray leaned towards the maid and whispered a word in her ear. + +"What is it?" inquired Esther. + +"Nothing," replied Mowbray; "Miss Peg is going in search of some pins +which I require." + +"Peg, I forbid you to leave the room!" + +But the command came too late. Whether Peg had not heard or had seen fit +not to hear, she had quitted the room. Scarcely had the door closed ere +Mowbray stooped and murmured her name. + +She had risen and recoiled across the room. + +"Oh, my lord, this is wrong!" she cried. + +"Mowbray's wish makes wrong right," he replied. "What do you fear,--the +man who loves you to distraction?" + +Resolutely she fixed her eyes on his, striving to read therein, beyond +the disarray of his senses, the true thought which animated him. + +[Illustration] + +"You love me? You have already said the same thing to twenty others,--to +Bella Vereker, for instance!" + +He shrugged his shoulders impatiently. + +"I have never owned a second love! Neither she, nor any one else. You +are my first love, and you shall be the only one!" + +"I do not believe you. You are not telling me truth." + +"Certainly I am," he exclaimed. "You shall be Lady Mowbray in the sight +of God and man, with the reversion of the office which my mother holds +at court." + +This was no illusion! Esther began to weaken, vanity being in reality +her vulnerable point. + +At this moment a heavy knocking sounded upon the door, so resonant, so +brutal that they both trembled. + +"They are about to begin!" cried a voice in the passage. Perhaps it may +seem singular to those who have not experienced similar situations, that +such an incident can save a young girl; that the sentiment of secondary +but immediate duty can brusquely awaken her at the moment that the +notion of primal duty is losing its hold upon her. Esther recovered her +presence of mind upon the instant. + +"I am on in the first scene!" she cried. "Quick, my costume!" + +She threw open the door. The callboy had disappeared, but one of the +company who was to play the part of Hero, already dressed, was just +descending to the greenroom. + +"Are they beginning?" Esther demanded. + +"Not yet." + +"But I have just been called." + +"Who could have done it? Some joke of course. You have a quarter of an +hour yet." + +"But I am alone!" + +"Then I will help you." + +During this dialogue Mowbray made good his escape. The blow had been +struck! Who had struck it at the decisive moment? Who had dared to +snatch his prey from him? Could it be Lebeau? He again! At the thought +Mowbray's face grew dark with hatred. + + + + +CHAPTER IX. + +MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. + + +Slowly the curtain rose. In the great hall of the palace the good Lord +Leonato, sovereign of a fantastic country which only Shakespeare knew, +having at his two sides his daughter Hero and his niece Beatrice, with +all his court about him, receives the messenger who comes to announce +the victory of his troops and their imminent return. + +Such is the spectacle from the auditorium; but the spectacle of the +auditorium, seen from the stage, is otherwise curious; to modern eyes it +would seem like a glimpse of fairyland. + +A myriad candles shed from on high upon four thousand spectators a flood +of soft, white light. The snowy wainscoting relieved with gold, the +toilets of the men and women, the naked shoulders, the diamonds, the +orders,--all seemed to stand forth in relief against the pervading +brilliance. Soft pink, pearl-gray, pigeon-breast, sea-green, pale blue, +violet, faint gold, the clear white of silk, the dull white of satin, +the cream white of old laces, every shade which could reflect the light, +are mingled in one delicious harmony. Through the silence which falls +upon the audience the soft _frou-frou_ of silk and the flutter of fans +are alone audible. Every face is turned towards the stage, attentive, +smiling, already charmed. In that age of extreme sociability one did not +go to the theatre to enjoy individual, egotistical comfort in a corner, +but to share in common a pleasure which increased by the fact that it +was shared. Those were looked for at Drury Lane whom one had met at +Almack's, at the Pantheon, at Ranelagh, those whom one had seen thirty +years earlier at Vauxhall and Marylebone Gardens. + +From a box Prince Orloff displays his gigantic figure, his diamonds, and +his handsome face, which had vanquished a Czarina. It was here that an +adroit pickpocket, only two years before, had failed to relieve him of +his famous snuff-box, valued at a million francs. + +Not far from him Lord Sandwich, the Jemmy Twitcher of the popular song +and the _bête noir_ of all London, appears quite consoled for the tragic +death of his lady-love, Miss Reay, who had been assassinated within the +year by an amorous clergyman. The grim figure of Charles James Fox looms +in the back of another box, the front of which is occupied by the +Duchess of Rutland and the Duchess of Devonshire, the irresistible +Georgiana, who will soon become his election broker and buy up votes for +him (_Honi soit qui mal y pense!_) at the price of a kiss. + +A little farther away, following the circular rank of columns, sit the +inseparable trio, Lady Archer, Lady Buckinghamshire and Mrs. Hobart, the +three wild faro-players whom the Lord Chief Justice menaced with the +pillory, and whom the caricaturist Gillray nailed there for all time. +Lady Vereker has also come to applaud her little friend. In the second +tier of boxes is enthroned Mrs. Robinson, fresh from teaching the Prince +of Wales his first lesson in love. That man, whose fund of small-talk +seems inexhaustible and insolent, but whose intelligent face catches +every eye, is Sheridan, who has become director of Drury Lane by buying +up Garrick's share. At his side lounges the exquisitely languid figure +of a young woman, of late Miss Linley, the singer, now Mrs. Sheridan; +for he has acquired her, thanks to his audacity, having run away with +her in the face and eyes of her family and no end of suitors, while upon +the adventure he has founded a comedy, the success of which is his +wife's dowry. + +In the gallery are seen more _beaux_ than women, the _élégantes_ and +coxcombs, who are still termed _macaronis_, although the word is +beginning to pass out of vogue. Rings, frills, and ruffles, the cut of +coat and waistcoat, the latest suggestion in breeches,--all is with them +a matter of profound meditation, from the buckle upon their shoes to the +tip of their curled heads. Their hair is a mass of snow, conical in +shape, about which floats the odor of iris and bergamot. Sellwyn, +forever dreaming of his little marchioness, sits beside Reynolds, who +holds his silver ear-trumpet towards the stage. Near them is Burgoyne, +who consoles himself for his great military disaster at Saratoga by +writing comedies. He has chosen the better part of the vanquished, which +is to cry louder than anybody else and accuse everybody. For the one +hundredth time he is explaining to Capt. Vancouver that the true author +of the capitulation in America was not he, Burgoyne, who signed it, but +that infernal Lord North, who gave the commands to the Liberal officers +at Westminster in order to be rid of them, and then laughed in his +sleeve at their reverses. + +Before the royal box stand two Guards, armed from head to foot, +immovable as statues. The king in his Windsor uniform, red with blue +facings, his hair bound by a simple black ribbon, toys with a +lorgnette, and leans his great awkward body forward with a curious and +amused air. "Farmer George," though frequently cross and disagreeable, +appears in excellent humor this evening. Undoubtedly his cabbage plants +are doing well, or perhaps he has succeeded in making a dozen buttons +during the day, since the manufacture of buttons and the culture of +vegetables, which he sells to the highest bidder, are his favorite +pastimes. Stiff and straight in her low-cut corsage, a true German in +matters of etiquette, which she imposes with pitiless rigor upon all +about her, little Queen Charlotte amply compensates for the free and +easy habits of her husband by the severity of her mien. With head erect, +though slightly thrown backward, squinting eyes, and pointed chin, +swaying her fan to and fro with a rapid, uncompromising movement, there +is no doubt that the worthy dwarf, who has already given the king +thirteen princes and princesses, is still a most energetic little +person. + +On either side sit the Prince of Wales and Prince Frederick. The former +realizes to the eye the type of the genuine Prince Charming, exquisite +to a degree, but unsatisfactory with all his beauty, freshness and +grace. The delicious envelope lacks soul. Later history will write +against his name, "deceiver, perjurer and bigamist." But he is only +eighteen years of age now, every heart is his, and yonder his first +sweetheart regards him with ardent eyes. He takes no heed of it, +however; in fact, a slight pout of annoyance sullies his otherwise +delightful features. Prince Frederick is heir to the throne of Hanover, +and his father's favorite. The destiny of that blockhead is to be duped +by women, despised by his wife, and whipped by the French,--a fate +which, nevertheless, has not denied him a triumphal statue perched upon +the apex of a column, as though he had been a Trajan, a Nelson, or a +Bonaparte. + +In the shadow of the queen's chair is the tabouret of Lady Harcourt, her +maid-of-honor and friend; while all in a row behind the princes stand +the gentlemen-in-waiting. + +Every one was in his place, including our friend, Mr. O'Flannigan. +Installed in his hole, he held, spread out before him, a large portfolio +containing the precious manuscript of the play, bearing erasures and +corrections in Garrick's own hand. + +A youthful voice, pure and vibrant, is heard, and the silence becomes +still more profound. It is Beatrice who speaks by the mocking lips of +Esther. + +She requests news of Benedick from the messenger who has returned from +the battle, but in the way that one would ask tidings of an enemy. Soon +Benedick himself appears, whereupon begins a remarkable assault of +sarcasm. Both provoke each other and defy love. + +"I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow," she says, "than a man swear +he loves me." + +"God keep your ladyship still in that mind," retorts Benedick, "so some +gentleman or other shall 'scape a predestinate scratched face." + +"Scratching could not make it worse, an' 'twere such a face as yours +were." + +"Well, niece," says the uncle Leonato by and by, "I hope to see you one +day fitted with a husband." + +"Not till God make men of some other metal than earth. Would it not +grieve a woman to be overmastered with a piece of valiant dust, to make +an account of her life to a clod of wayward marl? No, uncle, I'll none; +Adam's sons are my brethren, and truly I hold it a sin to match in my +kindred." And later when they press her she replies:-- + +"He that hath a beard is more than a youth; and he that hath no beard is +less than a man; and he that is more than a youth is not for me; and he +that is less than a man I am not for him." + +Don Pedro, the Prince of Arragon, sportively offers himself. + +"Will you have me, lady?" + +"No, my lord, unless I might have another for working-days; your grace +is too costly to wear every day." + +But, fearing that she has been guilty of an impertinence, she gently +though still pertly excuses herself:-- + +"But I beseech your grace, pardon me; I was born to speak all mirth, and +no matter." + +"Out of question you were born in a merry hour!" + +"No, sure, my lord, my mother cried; but, then, there was a star danced, +and under that was I born." + +"By my troth!" exclaims the Prince, wholly charmed, "a pleasant-spirited +lady!" + +Which was the opinion of all, both on the stage and off. Esther seemed +to have forgotten the danger she had run, the emotion she had +experienced; or, rather, this danger and emotion lent to her eyes and +voice a lively, incisive charm of gayety and extraordinary audacity. She +was the very embodiment of that wit "quick as the greyhound's mouth," +which forms the motive of the play. The quips and cranks of the poet +seemed born upon her lips with the freedom and supreme grace of +improvisation, and if here and there there occur certain rather weak or +coarse sallies, she allowed the audience no time to perceive them. It +was a rain, a very hail-storm which fell upon the heads of Benedick, +Leonato, and Don Pedro, mixed with blinding lightning. With a glance of +the eye she addressed her most trenchant words to Mowbray, whom she +descried standing at the back of the Prince of Wales's chair. But it was +surely no longer against him that she defended herself, since she felt +herself assailed by every one in the theatre. She pitted herself against +the game with elation. She no longer played a part, but was herself; she +was no exceptional creature, but a young English girl of all times, who +accosts love with a mocking air, though with a beating heart, with +defiance upon her lips, backed by a pretty, mutinous insolence and a +belligerent effervescence of words. Upon this battlefield of love, like +her brothers in veritable combats, she had no wish to bite the dust. +Though vanquished, she knows it not. + +There was a genuine sigh, a shudder throughout the auditorium, when +Beatrice, deceived by stratagem and thrown off her guard, bows her head +and gives vent to those charming words:-- + +"'Contempt, farewell! and maiden pride, adieu!'" + +Fate is a strange manipulator of effects! At the moment that she raised +her eyes her glance met that of a young man who stood at the back of the +_parterre_, pallid with emotion; it was Francis Monday! Then they saw +their Beatrice wholly transformed; moved, vibrant, saddened. How well +she understood the grief of her cousin Hero, unjustly suspected by her +bethrothed! Now that she loved, how swiftly her heart divined and +sympathized with the pangs of love! With what a burst of pity, sympathy, +and feminine heroism she cried:-- + +[Illustration] + +"'Oh, that I were a man for his sake! or that I had any friend would be +a man for my sake! But manhood is melted into courtesies, valor into +compliment, and men are only turned into tongue, and trim ones too: he +is now as valiant as Hercules that only tells a lie, and swears it.--I +cannot be a man with wishing, therefore I will die a woman with +grieving.'" + +Then with a short sob she fell upon a chair. Suffering and joy,--she had +traversed the whole domain o'er which woman reigns. Those tears +consecrated the defeat of Beatrice, the triumph of Esther. + +The audience burst into rapturous applause, and when the play was over +the young actress was informed that his Majesty desired to see her. + +Thereupon she was conducted to the royal box, or, rather, to the +reception room which adjoined it. The gentlemen-in-waiting made way for +her, and in the space left vacant, the cynosure of every eye, the young +girl paused for a moment confused. + +"Approach, Miss Woodville," said her Majesty with that German accent +which has been the butt of so many pleasantries. + +Esther advanced a step or two, and then sank in a profound courtesy. + +"Ah! ah! Miss Woodville. Charmed to see you and to congratulate you!" + +It was the king who spoke. He came to her with that inimitable gait, +upon which the circus-clowns of the day wasted study and art in their +attempts to reproduce it, but which in his Majesty was natural. He held +his body bent like a half-moon, the back arched, the legs down to the +knees pressed close together, and the feet wide apart. Being upon the +point of leaving the theatre before the little piece which terminated +the performance, he already held his gloves in one hand, his cane in the +other, and his hat under his arm. Upon reaching the spot where Esther +stood he let fall his gloves. She stooped to pick them up, while he, +wishing to spare her the exertion, dropped his cane; quickly seizing +it, he lost his hold upon his hat. Thereupon ensued a moment of +confusion, which the queen, in an attempt to abridge, made use of by +addressing a compliment to the young artist. + +"You are Garrick's last pupil, I believe," she said, "and perhaps his +best. He would have been happy indeed to have heard you this evening." + +"Eh? what? Garrick?" gasped his Majesty. "Oh, certainly, certainly! She +plays remarkably well. I'm a judge myself: I too have played in +comedy--comedy and tragedy. I used to do Addison's 'Cato,' and not half +badly, they said. But of course one always says that to a prince. Have +you seen 'Cato,' Miss Woodville?" + +"Never, sire." + +"Ah, but it is a fine play! And the tirade, the famous tirade, you +know!" + +And he began to declaim, floundering for words. Again her Majesty +interrupted him, although with every demonstration of respect. + +"Does not your Majesty find that Miss Woodville speaks her Shakespeare +marvellously well?" + +"Eh? what? Shakespeare? Of course!--You love Shakespeare, do you not?" + +"Oh, yes, sire, with all my heart!" + +"That's right; so do I. Nevertheless he has his stupid absurdities. Sad +rubbish, some of it. Persons generally would not venture to admit that +they thought so, but I say it because I say whatever comes into my mind. +I don't care particularly for the French, but I am forced to acknowledge +that their plays are the noblest, most decorous and normal extant. We +also have good authors, such as Coleman, for instance, or Mr. Home, who +wrote 'Douglass.' The whole action of the play passes in twenty-four +hours and in one and the same place. Certain scenes take place in the +castle, others before the castle, and still others behind the castle; +but, in a word, the castle is always there to preserve the unity. That +makes you laugh, young woman!" + +In fact, the king himself laughed too. + +"All the same," he concluded in a paternal tone, "you play like an +angel!" + +"_Au revoir_, Miss Woodville," said the queen; "I take it your Majesty +wishes to be going." + +The audience was at an end, and after a second courtesy Esther backed +herself out of the presence. Upon the threshold her glance met that of +Lord Mowbray, and she thought that upon his arm she might penetrate this +grand world, not as she had just done, for a few moments, but +forever,--forever to hold her place and rank in the charmed circle! + + + + +CHAPTER X. + +DEATH TO THE PAPISTS. + + +There was ever the same contrast between the component parts of Esther's +dual existence: after fairyland the humble, prosaic existence. A few +days after that triumphal evening Esther found herself alone at the end +of the garden, embroidery in hand. The little terrace upon which she had +seated herself was enclosed by a breast-high wall. Above this wall a +trellis covered with vines and climbing plants would have formed on that +side an impenetrable screen, had not large oval apertures been managed +whence a view of the surrounding country could be secured. Laying her +work aside, Esther leaned upon her elbows and took a survey of Tothill +Fields, where several groups of men ran hither and thither with cries, +playing at bowls and football. In the distance a gray veil glimmered +above the river, which, though invisible, could easily be traced. Behind +the roofs of Chelsea Hospital undulated the verdant masses of Battersea +Park. To the right, above the old clock tower of Kensington, the +westering sun was sinking tranquilly to rest. A few yards away a band of +gypsies had encamped for the night. The half-naked children played in +the sun, while the women were hanging out their linen to dry. The old +men, immovable as statues, crouched in the shade, smoked their pipes, +keeping their eyes on their unharnessed horses, which browsed upon the +sparse herbage. + +One of the gypsy women wandered near the terrace, and with a smile +slowly approached Esther. Tall, well-built, with a flat, sun-burned +face, glossy black hair, and bold, piercing eyes of a strange fixity of +glance, and conspicuous by the utter absence of soul in their depths, +she regarded Esther with a curious scrutiny. She leaned her back against +the dry trunk of an old willow and balanced herself, not without a +certain savage grace, which displayed her muscular limbs to advantage +beneath the rags which covered them. + +"A fine day," said she, "for such as cherish love in their hearts." + +"Love! Nonsense!" sneered Esther. + +"She who speaks thus is generally caught in the toils." + +"Can you tell fortunes?" + +"Give me your hand and you shall see." + +"Oh, yes, I know you; you gypsies are all alike. For sixpence you +announce the love of a city clerk; for a shilling, it is a gentleman; +for half a crown, a lord; were one to give you a goldpiece, it would be +a prince!" + +"What would you say," said the woman roughly, "were I to tell your +fortune for nothing? Only beware: I shall tell it, good or bad!--Ah! you +start. You _do_ believe!" + +"Here is my hand," said Esther, moved despite herself. + +But stretch and lengthen her arm as she would, her hand only reached the +gypsy's eyes. + +"Wait!" she cried, and, running lightly round to a little postern gate, +she threw it open, and found herself face to face with the stranger, who +for some moments held the white, tapering fingers in her great, strong, +brown hand. + +[Illustration] + +"Well?" + +"Your life-line is well marked, but it is crossed here." + +"Some danger?" + +"A great crisis." + +"At what epoch?" + +"If I had drawn up your horoscope, I could have told you almost to an +hour. So far as I can see, it will occur before your eighteenth year is +accomplished." + +"I shall be eighteen next Friday!" + +"In that case the hour approaches. Be prepared. I see something else. +Several men love you." + +"How can you see that in my hand?" + +"Child! I am reading your mind at this moment; it is like an open book +to me." + +Esther would have withdrawn her hand, but that she felt it imprisoned as +in a vise. The woman stood erect and rigid before her, her eye vitreous, +with difficulty expelling her breath between her half open lips. At last +she spoke as one in a dream. + +"There are three! One is dressed in black." + +"Reuben!" murmured Esther. + +"The other is a fine gentleman." + +"And the third?" + +"The third! I cannot distinguish his features.--Yes,--now I see +him!--Why, how singular!" + +"Why?" + +"He resembles the second!" + +"Ah!" + +"And he holds in his hand--" + +"What does he hold?" + +"A pencil, I think; yes, he is an artist." + +After a brief pause she resumed,-- + +"Two of these men will soon disappear, but the worthiest will marry you +and you will be a great lady." + +A flash of pride illumined Esther's eyes. + +"Should your prophesy be realized," she said, "seek me out, and I will +give you this ring which you see upon my hand." + +"I do not want your ring; give me rather the handkerchief which you +hold." + +"Why do you wish this valueless thing? Is it that you are my +well-wisher? Do you love me?" + +"I hate you, as I hate all Christians; but I have need, for an +incantation, of an object which has belonged to a virgin." + +As Esther hesitated, the gypsy snatched the filmy tissue from her hand +and fled, vanishing round an angle in the wall like an apparition. + +Considerably disturbed in mind, Esther remained some time motionless +upon the spot where the gypsy had left her. It seemed to her that the +strange creature had exhaled a sort of torpor which she could not shake +off. At last she closed the gate and stepped back. As she did so she +noticed a bit of folded paper lying at her feet and picked it up. +Unfolding it, she read these lines:-- + +"You love me. I feel it, know it. Have confidence in my love and honor. +I long to tear you from the slavery in which you live to dwell with me +in brightness and joy. Go to the Pantheon on Friday next wearing a brown +domino with blue rosettes, and when you hear behind you these words, +'The moon is risen,' directly leave the person who will accompany you +and follow the one who will take your hand. Ir order to assure me that +you consent, send me some article which you have worn. I cannot be +mistaken in the scent of vervain, which you love. While inhaling it, it +will seem as though I inhaled your breath, as though I held my Esther in +my arms." + +No address, no signature. But the origin of the missive was no more +doubtful than its destination. + +"How stupid have I been!" exclaimed the girl. "Of what a farce have I +been the dupe! Here I fancied that I was dealing with a sorceress, and +she turns out to be a common go-between! It was she who dropped this +letter at my feet. Out of doubt she knew its contents. That is why she +snatched my handkerchief, for which she will be well paid;--and all the +while I was wondering at her disinterestedness!" + +With a twinge of vexation she thought that even at that moment Lord +Mowbray probably believed that he held the pledge of his victory. + +"Bah!" she mentally ejaculated; "what matters it? His triumph will be +short-lived, since I will not go to the masquerade on Friday; though I +could go if I wished. Lady Vereker and my theatre companions have wished +to take me there. Reuben has had only one word to say upon the +abominations of the Pantheon, and my aunt, who is afraid of him, has +been only too ready to refuse her permission. But there is nothing to +fear!" + +Just a shade of disappointment and annoyance dimmed this reassuring +thought, but an unexpected incident altered the face of the matter. +Reuben was absent at tea-time. He had scarcely been visible for several +days; he appeared to be wholly absorbed in projects of import, of which +he disclosed no hint to any one. + +"My dear child," said Mrs. Marsham with a touch of embarrassment and +some mystery, "I have undertaken a surprise for you which it is quite +time to reveal. For a long time you have desired to see a masked ball at +the Pantheon, but as I dare not entrust you to the care of so frivolous +a person as your new friend, Lady Vereker, I have decided to take you +there myself." + +"You, aunt!" + +"Why not? To the pure all things are pure, and if my eyes commit the sin +of looking upon evil, I shall at least have the consolation of screening +your innocence from the dangerous spectacle. Moreover, I shall pray +without ceasing, and the Lord will go with us." + +"But we really ought to have a different sort of cavalier." + +"I have thought of that, and have asked Mr. O'Flannigan to serve as our +escort. He is a brave man, as he has amply proved himself to be. We +shall have, in case of an emergency, an intrepid defender. He has +consented, and all that remains is for us to prepare our costumes." + +Good Mrs. Marsham forgot to add that, like her niece, she was dying to +see a masked ball, and that the curiosity which had been devouring her +for years played its little part in the famous "surprise." + +"Above all things," she added, "not a word to Reuben!" + +When at last she found herself alone in her chamber Esther could not but +reflect upon the odd situation which was hurrying on towards a dangerous +result. After all, she was free to go to the Pantheon, and even to wear +a brown domino with blue rosettes, without its leading to anything +culpable. Her heart beat, and she experienced that delicious vertigo +which conducts the great-granddaughters of Eve to the verge of the +abyss. + +What should she do? Of whom ask advice? She had neither mother nor +friend, at least no friend who merited the name. Under similar +circumstances gamblers toss up a goldpiece; bigots open the Scriptures +and the first verse upon which their eyes fall resolves their doubt +after the manner of an oracle. At the moment she was standing before a +table upon which rested a bust of Shakespeare with a vase of flowers, a +sort of offering renewed each day as though it were a domestic altar. A +book-shelf upon the wall contained the works of the great dramatist. In +those pages, so often conned, Esther had learned to think and to feel, +to know mankind, the world, and love. It was her Bible, her book of +books, august and authentic revelation before all others, the repository +of her religion and philosophy. For this reason, struck with a sudden +inspiration, she caught up the volume, which opened of itself to the +first scene of the second act of "All's Well That Ends Well." In the +middle of the page five words seemed to blaze before her stupefied +eyes,-- + +"_By Heaven, I'll steal away!_" + +There was no ambiguity in this response. Esther bowed her head as if +overwhelmed by a fatality. At this moment the memory of Frank crossed +her mind. Again she saw that sweetly sad face with eyes which reproached +her for her treason. She felt an inward anguish; it seemed to her that, +following the example of the pirates of the Thames, whose cruelty she +had so lately condemned, she was casting the poor boy a second time into +the dark abyss that yawned to engulf him. + +But she rose with a sort of rage against the thought. Had Frank ever +spoken a word of love to her? Did she even know that he loved her? + +And her conscience promptly replied,-- + +"Yes, you do know; his eyes have told you!" + +Well, so be it; he did love her; but could she consider a man who +possessed nothing, whose profession earned him scarce a livelihood? +Could she marry her poverty to Frank's misery? She saw herself as if +depicted in two different pictures. Here, wretched, faded before her +time, nursing a puny infant in a garret, bare of even the necessaries of +life. In the companion picture, covered with diamonds and flowers, she +was entering St James's, while the gentlemen-in-waiting bowed before her +and a footman announced, "Lady Mowbray!" + +When Mrs. Marsham inquired, "What will your domino be?" she answered, +"Brown with blue ribbons." + +That same evening aunt and niece set out for Drury Lane as usual, +leaving Maud asleep in the kitchen. The shades of night had begun to +gather about the little house in Tothill Fields,--a calm, balmy night +towards the end of May. The strollers had gone their ways, and the gypsy +camp had emigrated to another of the great tracts of waste land so +numerous at that day in the suburbs of London. Save the distant rumbling +from Westminster naught disturbed the peace of this countrified quarter, +already dozing in the evening silence. Nevertheless, several shadows +flitted along the old wall; men in groups of two and three made their +way noiselessly towards the little postern gate where Esther had +conversed with the gypsy. A lantern placed upon the threshold guided +them towards the narrow entrance veiled in ivy. After a minute or two, +which seemed carefully calculated, a new group followed the one that +preceded it. Once within the garden the men seemed to hesitate, +wandering here and there haphazard in the dense obscurity of the old +trees. Presently Reuben's voice called to them:-- + +"This way, brothers!" + +Thereupon they followed him, descended a stairway of seven or eight +steps, and penetrated a vaulted hall, where they found all those who had +preceded them united. The floor was of well-trodden earth, while the +walls bore numerous traces of mould. There was nothing in the way of +furniture except a few wooden benches, a table at the back, and a single +lamp suspended from the ceiling, the ruddy flame of which flickered with +every gust of air above their heads. + +When the assembly was complete Reuben carefully closed the doors. At +this moment the chamber contained some twenty men. Two among them were +attired in clerical garb, but with that extreme simplicity which marked +the members of dissenting churches. The remainder appeared to be either +shop-keepers or laborers. Some even were in their working clothes, +notably a tanner with his leathern apron, and a butcher with his knife +hanging from his belt. One man only was attired with elegance, although +the tints were sombre. His little narrow head and thin, pale face, +feminine in outline, emerged from an aureole of powdered hair, and were +illumined by a pair of eyes singularly close together, black, +glittering, and hard, and animated by an expression of inquietude. His +companions treated him with marked respect, and seemed to be of one mind +in yielding him first place in everything. They addressed him as "Lord +George"; in fact, he was Lord George Gordon, a Scotch nobleman, who had +begun to attract attention in the House of Commons by his peculiarities. +After a term of years spent in dissipation, folly, and travelling, he +served in the navy, demanded a post of command from the ministry, failed +to obtain it, and suddenly joined the opposition. Again, quite as +brusquely changing his tactics, he put himself at the head of a party of +intolerants who were opposing the repeal of the laws against the +Catholics. + +Lord George Gordon took his place behind the table, with one of the +clergymen upon his right hand and Reuben on his left. + +"Friends," he began in a very sweet and modulated tone, "our host, this +worthy young man, who is animated by the spirit of God,--our friend +Reuben Marsham,--informs me that an indelible memory attaches to this +chamber in which we are met. When the impious Charles Stuart remounted +the throne of which his father had been deprived by the anger of the +Lord, and which the weakness of men had restored to the son, two +fugitives were concealed here, and lived for a considerable time in this +subterranean hall, existed here until, through the information of a +servant, their asylum was discovered. The tyrant's soldiery dragged them +forth, and they lost their heads upon the scaffold, praising God, who +held their rewards in store for them. Shades of the great dead, martyrs +of the holy cause, here do I salute your invisible presence! Be with us! +Inspire, protect us!" + +A tremor passed through the very bones of each auditor. Thereupon the +clergyman took up the word. + +"Since we are assembled for the glory of God and of His Son, let us +first invoke his most holy name, my brothers; let us pray!" + +He fell upon his knees; every man imitated his example with such +unanimous precision that the earth gave forth a dull sound, as when at +the word of command a company of soldiers grounds arms. + +The clergyman intoned in a low voice the psalm beginning, "By the rivers +of Babylon." + +To each verse all present murmured a response, toning their rough, harsh +voices. When the last _amen_ had been pronounced Lord George remarked, +"Friends, none among us is ignorant of our purpose in coming hither +to-night. For the sake of those of us who have not been present at our +previous reunions, I will in brief rehearse the facts. Aided by a +damnable philosophy, impiety has made great progress in our midst, +disguised at present under the new name of tolerance. Thanks to these +circumstances, Rome has reared her head. The great courtesan seeks to +queen it among us with unveiled face and lofty brow. Sons of the saints, +will you permit it?" + +"No!" responded twenty voices. + +"You are aware that a bill has been presented to the House of Commons +annulling the penal laws against the Catholics. I have raised my voice +in protest, but my words have been choked in my throat and I have been +treated as a fool. Both parties are united against us!" + +Varied exclamations greeted these words. + +"Burke is a Jesuit in disguise!" + +"Fox is a scapegrace, a drunkard, a gambler!" + +"Lord North's only thought is to fill his pockets and his stomach!" + +"The Parliament is rotten to the core!" + +"We must appeal to the king!" cried one. + +"I have thought of that," said Lord George, "and I brought him one of +the pamphlets which I have published on the subject. His Majesty +listened to a part of it, and promised to read the rest. That was many +months ago, and still I have no response from him." + +"The king," observed the clergyman upon Gordon's right, "has no power to +interfere in the resolutions of Parliament and in the legal vote." + +"Is he prevented," burst out Reuben impetuously, "when some policy of +his own is at stake, or when he wishes to depose some minister who has +displeased him?" + +Thereupon the tanner boldly advanced. + +"The king is playing us false!" said he. "A while ago he went to dinner +with Lord Petre. Now, do you know who this Lord Petre is? A determined +papist! He is the grand-nephew of that same Father Petre who brought to +the palace in a warming-pan that miller's son whom they presented as the +Prince of Wales, and whom they have since called the knight of Saint +George!" + +"That's neither here nor there." + +"Wait!" continued the tanner with unruffled obstinacy. "When one is the +friend of a papist, one is nigh to becoming a papist. Who knows whether +the king is not already baptized!" + +"It is certain in any case," interrupted Reuben, "that we have only +ourselves to depend upon. Unless we intimidate the House of Commons the +law will be passed." + +"Yes," assented Lord George, "that is the truth. I have given notice +that on Friday I intend to lay our petition before Parliament, and that +I shall have two hundred thousand men to back me. You don't propose to +fail me, do you?" + +"Certainly not!" cried the clergyman. "Each one of us is good for ten +thousand; we will answer for our neighborhoods." + +"Will the Methodists march?" inquired Reuben. + +"Every mother's son of them," replied a voice. "John Wesley has declared +against tolerance." + +"In that case," said Gordon, "success is assured. We will meet at Saint +George's Fields at ten o'clock; there the final arrangements will be +made. Neglect no detail, brothers, which will tend to make our +manifestation imposing, grand, and irresistible. Infiltrate every soul +with the fire which animates you. Let the voice of the people, which is +the voice of God, be heard. For a century pious England has slept, +lulled by the indifference of mechanical practices, mercantile +preoccupations, ambitious intrigues, and worldly pleasures. The sun of +the morrow should shine upon her awakening, and this awakening should be +so sudden, so powerful, as to terrify the enemies of God. Let our warcry +be that of our ancestors, 'To your tents, O Israel!'" + +"Brothers," said the clergyman in his turn, "let us intone the song of +the Hebrews, when God delivered them out of the land of +Egypt,--_Cantemus Domino_!" + +They sang, always _sotto voce_, but the sustained accent of those deep +voices lent to the terrible words their full energy. + +"O God, thou hast crushed thine enemies. The sea has swallowed them up; +they have fallen into the depths like a stone. Thou hast sent thine +anger upon them; it has consumed them like straw. The enemy hath said, I +will pursue them, I will fall upon them, I will share their spoils, I +will slay them with my sword, and I will be master. But thou hast sent +thy breath upon them, and they have been swallowed up as lead in a +raging sea. O Lord, what God is like unto thee!" + +They sang, and a very tempest of enthusiasm whistled among their bowed +heads. A sort of heroic madness raised their commonplace souls quite out +of themselves. They fancied that they felt the spirit of the Lord upon +them; not the God of pity, who blesses and pardons, raises the fallen, +makes the sinner a saint, wipes away tears, heals the wounded, promises +peace to the weary, glory to the humble, love to the forsaken, heaven to +all such as the earth has wounded and made desperate, but a powerful, +jealous, revengeful God, a God who seeks bloody holocausts, and pursues +in the children the sins of the father, in the infant at the breast the +iniquities of vanished generations. + +"The day of glory is at hand!" cried Reuben. "Happy are they who perish +in the combat!" + +"Amen!" was the universal response. + +And with that word they dispersed. + + + + +CHAPTER XI. + +THE DAY OF DAYS. + + +A cloudless sun rose upon the 2d of June, 1780. Before six o'clock a +large crowd filled Saint George's Fields and the neighborhood. A certain +number of the men sought each other and stood in groups as if in +obedience to a previous word of command. They talked together in low +tones and wore a sombre air of resolution. A great number of humble folk +and shop-keepers had come hither at the request of their clergymen, +convinced that they were destined to do a pious work in repulsing the +religious joke of which their fathers had rid themselves; though from +their very bearing it was evident that these worthies were ready to do +more barking than biting. A multitude of the curious surrounded them, +resolved to see the show out, though it should cost them a cracked pate +or two. Occasionally a face betrayed fierce expectation of disorder, a +sort of presentiment of what might occur; but the great day still hung +heavily on their hands, and the men felt that their hour had not yet +come, and that they must leave it to the psalm-singers and idlers to +lead the way. About eleven o'clock Lord George Gordon appeared, and was +received with acclamation. Mounted upon a table, he delivered some words +which were quite lost, but his desperately energetic gestures were seen +and were responded to with cries of "Down with popery!" "Death to the +papists!" + +The leaders passed from place to place endeavoring to enforce order in +this vast assemblage of men animated by such contrasting sentiments, but +scarcely had they turned their backs ere the confusion was renewed. At +last they succeeded in forming four main bodies, which, taking different +ways, crossed the Thames upon three bridges,--Westminster, Blackfriars, +and London Bridge. + +[Illustration] + +At the head of this last column marched Reuben Marsham, whose fine, +menacing face, flashing eyes, and floating yellow locks attracted +universal attention, especially among the women. Men bore before him +several banners upon which was emblazoned the legend, "No popery!" +Behind came a silent phalanx of fanatical sectarians, who ordered their +marching-step to the slow measures of a religious chant. The crowd +followed in clamorous disorder, struggling with a thousand emotions, +like a tempestuous flood-tide sweeping between the walls of the narrow +streets. From the windows and the thresholds of the shops a curious, +amused, but perfectly peaceful horde of people watched the progress of +the procession. + +Here and there a philosopher or practical man would shrug his shoulders, +murmuring, "Fanatics!" or, "Still another working day wasted!" But the +majority sympathized with the object of the expedition, and saluted the +passage of the manifesto with answering cries of "No popery!" + +No effort was made to interfere with the proceedings; not a red-coat nor +an officer of police appeared. What could all the watchmen in +London--those timid, innocent watchmen--have availed against such a +multitude, even though they had been united in one solid troop? As for +the soldiers, they were only called out as a last resort. + +Reuben crossed Ludgate Hill without obstacle, went up Fleet Street, and, +having passed through old Temple Bar, entered the Strand. As a river +receives its affluents, the column constantly grew larger through the +human currents which joined it from the north and swept into it from the +side-streets. In front of houses where well-known Catholics dwelt the +procession would pause while, amidst groans and cries of execration from +the crowd, men slashed the doors with a chalk-mark, which designated the +places for approaching vengeance. + +Having followed the Strand to its end, traversed Charing Cross, and +passed through Whitehall, the procession spread over Westminster Place, +which, despite its somewhat confined dimensions and the buildings which +obstructed it, nevertheless offered a favorable stamping-ground for such +popular displays. The other bodies had already arrived at the +rendezvous, and being united formed an immense, compact mass which +nothing could resist. The crowd, proud of its power, gave voice to a +long acclamation, above which isolated voices were heard, and which +caused every window in Westminster to rattle. + +The afternoon being far advanced, the hour of the meeting approached. +The members of the two assemblies who had not taken time by the forelock +and reached the House of Parliament were recognized as they courageously +tried to penetrate the crowd, were marked out, abused, and beaten; but +the popular hatred was particularly directed against the orators, +ministers, and prelates, who were roundly accused, as they made their +appearance, of betraying the cause of religion and of selling England to +the Pope. With their carriage windows broken, their horses wildly +snorting, their coachmen purple with rage or pallid with fear and +deprived of their whips and reins, their terrified footmen clinging to +the straps behind, the coaches swayed like ships in distress upon this +furious human sea. They cracked and oscillated, until it was quite a +wonder they were not overturned. The unfortunate occupants were torn +from their seats and dragged over the pavements by the legs, arms, and +even by their powdered cues. "Kill them! Drown them!" was the cry. Lord +North, Lord Sandwich, the Archbishop of York, and several others thus +saw imminent death staring them in the face, and escaped it only by +their presence of mind or the energy of their friends. The crowd grew +intoxicated with success, but more particularly with the gin and the +beer which were dispensed in floods by the publicans of the +neighborhood. Who could foretell to what point of excess the affair +would be carried? + +One after another the members of Parliament succeeded in joining their +colleagues. With their frills and ruffles in streamers, soiled with mud +and blood, they bore ample testimony of the violence to which they had +been subjected. Each one regarded the event according to his particular +humor; some laughed and swore, while others, grinding their teeth and +pale with rage, silently wiped their faces where they had been wounded +by the missiles, or their lacerated ears, which dripped blood upon their +fine attire. All these men bore the sword; many had used it; the +majority had risked their lives for a trifle in worldly duels, genuine +tilting scrimmages with bare bodkins. They had no fear of a London +rabble; the instinct of battle, the taste for combat, which is never +quite dormant in the breast of an Englishman, awoke within them. One +very aged member recounted how, sixty years before, the gentlemen of the +Loyal Societies, whom a Jacobite mob of 1720 undertook to prevent from +drinking King George's health, had charged upon the crowd in Cheapside +and Fleet Street and had broken not a few worthless skulls. The +recollection caused the old man's eyes to dance and excited the group of +his more youthful hearers. "What say you if we make an onslaught?" +proposed one of them. + +With brandished canes a dozen of the younger members fell suddenly upon +the multitude and disengaged a friend from his perilous situation. +Several times was this manoeuvre repeated, with visible pleasure on +the part of those who executed it. What sport it was to warm the +rascals' backs! Directly their canes did not suffice, they drew their +swords and let a little blood for the good of their patients. Each time +that this occurred the populace fell back with a howl to give them place +out of respect for their quality, but instantly closed in again more +furious than ever. Soon with that destructive power of crowds it had +broken down the gates which had been closed against them, and had +invaded the courtyard; even now it had surged to the foot of the +staircase. Separated from the insurgents by only a few steps, the +deputies, crowded together in a solid mass, stamped with rage the +vestibule leading to the House. From time to time a member of the +government would come to take a bird's-eye view of the state of affairs, +as a sailor watches the weather, and would then return to the +Treasurer's office and report to his colleagues. + +Nathaniel Wraxall, who had travelled everywhere, conspired with a queen, +risked his head in various countries, and had been mixed up in all the +brawls of his time, stood leaning upon the balustrade, watching the +spectacle with the calmly profound scrutiny of an entomologist at his +microscope. He listened to the remarks, studied the faces, and took +mental notes for the edification of posterity. From time to time he +would draw forth his watch, a beautiful work of art purchased in Paris, +which struck the hours and played the chimes of Dunkirk at noon and +midnight, in order not to make any error in the chronology of the +different phases of the day. If the precincts of Parliament, violated by +Cromwell and his Round-heads, but unassailed unto the present time by +vulgar invasion, were fated to be profaned by the mob, it was important +that Wraxall should be able to state historically at what precise moment +the fact was accomplished. + +At this moment Lord George Gordon, borne in triumph upon the shoulders +of the people, and accompanied by a deafening tumult, mounted the +staircase. He was received with a burst of violent exclamations. His +colleagues apostrophized him, seized him by the arms, and called upon +him to order back the crowd. Without paying the slightest heed, Lord +George, with his eternal smile upon his face and as calm as possible, +very gently remarked:-- + +"By your leave, gentlemen." + +Thereupon they followed him into the hall. With its vaulted ceiling, its +sombre woodwork richly carved, its Gothic ornamentation and fine stained +glass, which represented the story of Adam and Eve, together with that +of the patriarchs and the principal events in the life of Christ, the +ancient chapel of St. Stephen still preserved its religious character. +Therein Parliament had sat for upwards of one hundred and twenty years. +To be sure, it had not echoed the voices of Sir Thomas More and Bacon, +but it had vibrated to the accents of Shaftesbury, of Bolingbroke, and +the elder Pitt, and it still preserved the echoes of those noble +harangues which Voltaire declared worthy of the Roman senate. Just then +the silence which reigned within contrasted strangely with the infernal +tumult outside. At the usual hour prayer had been said, the speaker had +taken his seat, and the mace, that "plaything" of which Cromwell spoke +so disdainfully, had been laid upon the table, which indicated the +official opening of the meeting. The ministers upon their long, +high-backed bench at the right hand of the speaker, the leaders of the +opposition upon the opposite bench, the sergeant-at-arms standing just +beyond the bar, the clerk seated at the table,--every one was at his +post, as tranquil as though nothing out of the common were taking place. + +Lord George Gordon demanded and obtained permission to lay upon the +table a petition from the inhabitants of London who protested against +the favors accorded to the Catholics. + +"Two hundred thousand citizens have accompanied me in order to bear +respectful witness," he said. + +A bitter burst of sneering interrupted him, but Lord George repeated his +phrase,-- + +"In order to bear respectful but firm witness of their immutable, +unreserved devotion to the liberty acquired by their fathers at the cost +of almost superhuman efforts." + +Having pronounced these words he retired, taking special care to salute +the speaker at the exact spot where this formality is expected. + +Again the hall was nearly deserted, the members crowding out into the +vestibule. Gordon reappeared and the vociferations were renewed. The +maledictions and menaces from above were answered by an enthusiastic +clamor from below. The tumult assumed such proportions that a man +speaking in his neighbor's ear and using the whole power of his lungs +was unable to make himself understood. Believing that Gordon was about +to join his friends, they barred his passage. + +"You are a hostage," they said, "and you shall not go out!" + +Lord George made a sign that he had no idea of going; he only desired to +speak a few encouraging words to the crowd. He descended a few steps and +attempted to speak, but all that was heard were such fragments as: +"Cause of God ... generous martyrs ... detestable idolatry ... rights of +the people ... even unto death." + +Finding that his voice failed to prevail against the noise, he returned +to his colleagues; whereupon the multitude prepared to follow him. Then +Col. Gordon, who was a relative of the young lord, but of quite a +different calibre, drew his sword. + +"You see!" he exclaimed. "Now I swear to you, sir, that if one of these +wretches enters here you are a dead man! Before he crosses the threshold +of Parliament I shall have passed my sword through your body!" + +The little sleek, colorless face preserved its slyly evil smile. He +scarcely blinked his eyes before the tempest of furious insults which +burst upon him. + +"The villains!" cried Reuben. "They are going to murder him!" + +Drawing a pistol from his mantle, he was about to rush forward, when the +roll of drums was heard. It was Col. Woodford with a detachment of the +Guards coming to the relief of Parliament. + +The crowd recoiled step by step, without panic or disorder, but with a +dull muttering of hate which presaged a lively resistance. As for the +soldiers, they advanced with precaution, content to occupy the abandoned +ground and to rescue the gates. From all sides a rain of invective +poured upon them, and even stones thrown from a distance fell within the +ranks. + +"Are you going to fight for the Pope now?" cried one; while another +added,-- + +"Is it with the blood of Englishmen that the cardinals' gowns are dyed?" + +The soldiers appeared crestfallen, disgusted with the part they were +obliged to play. These fine fair-weather soldiers, who are rarely sent +to war, relished still less the repression of a riot; and somehow the +rumor passed from mouth to mouth that they were about to revolt, to +refuse to obey their officers. + +Within the Houses of Parliament a sudden change had taken place. If some +of the members rejoiced at the deliverance, others murmured thereat. The +presence of the soldiers in the precincts of the representatives of the +nation seemed to them a violation of the rights of Parliament almost as +grave as had been the vulgar invasion. One phrase, always magical under +such circumstances, circulated among them,--"Breach of privilege." The +danger being passed, or at least avoided, the sentiment of justice +towards and respect for the person of every citizen took its place. +After all, these men who protested against the resolutions of the +legislators were but using their right, albeit in rather buoyant +fashion. Were they going to massacre them? Fists, canes and the flat of +swords did not count, but gunshots were quite another matter! No, no: it +was wiser to save the powder for the Frenchmen. + +Night was closing in upon the field of battle. Their spirits were +beginning to flag, for spirits cannot continue keyed up to a high pitch +forever, and the most critical situations in great popular movements +frequently languish for the reason that they have been too long +sustained. The supper hour was keenly appreciated by every stomach, +especially by those who had given themselves no time for dinner. Judge +Addington profited by these circumstances to make an attempt at +conciliation. + +"Friends," he cried, "give me your word of honor that you will retire +and I will dismiss the soldiers!" + +A burst of applause followed the words. The Guards made ready to beat a +retreat. A louder burst of applause. Considering that they had +manifested their power and given their betters a lesson, the mob slowly +evacuated the neighborhood of Parliament. By degrees the cries grew more +indistinct, and at last Westminster Place was deserted. Both parties +fancied themselves conquerors, and order appeared to be re-established. + +This illusion was of short duration. A few minutes later prolonged +cries, and flames which suddenly burst forth, reddening the heavens, +announced the fact that the true excesses had but just begun. It soon +became known that the populace had attacked the chapel of the Sardinian +ambassador in Duke Street, and still another of the Romish persuasion in +Warwick Street. Benches, pictures, chairs, crucifixes, and +confessionals,--all had been torn down and dragged out of doors, leaving +merely the four walls standing, and a bonfire was made of these +instruments of idolatry. Menaced upon every hand, the Catholics fled in +hot haste, as if London in the midst of the eighteenth century was about +to assist at a Protestant "Saint Bartholomew." + +Thus alarm reigned in one quarter of the town, while joy presided in +another. While the shrieks of death resounded in Duke Street, they were +dancing at the Pantheon! + + + + +CHAPTER XII. + +THE MASQUERADE AT THE PANTHEON. + + +The two women had passed the entire day in arranging their dominos. Only +an occasional echo of the popular disturbance had reached them; and when +they learned that a great crowd had surrounded Parliament, Mrs. Marsham, +who was not easily disquieted, remarked: "That's good! It is the +petition against the papists." And she dismissed the subject from her +mind once and for all. + +As for Esther, a great calm had replaced her agitation of the preceding +evening. The gypsy's prediction, the Shakespearean oracle, together with +the conspiracy of things in general so far as her vanity was concerned, +failed to prevail against the sentiment hidden away in the depths of her +heart. She had arrived at a determination and proposed to abide by it. +She would go to the ball, would have as pleasant a time as she could, +but she would not permit herself to be led away. She would not notice +any such preconcerted signal as "The moon is risen!" She was resolved to +act thus--unless at the last minute, and actuated by some new caprice, +she did exactly the contrary. + +Esther was ready in good time, and Mrs. Marsham, although much slower, +was not behind hand in joining her in the parlor. + +About nine o'clock, shortly after nightfall (for these were the longest +days of the year), the women were startled by a great hubbub at the +door, which resembled the hooting of children. In her curiosity and +impatience Esther hastened to open the door, and discovered to her +amazement, in the midst of a dozen or more boys who were throwing mud at +him, a strange creature dressed like a gentleman but wearing the +enormous head of an ass. The monster, who seemed either blind or +intoxicated, bolted into the garden, slamming the gate behind him. + +"Shut the door, quick!" muttered an indistinct voice which issued from +the snout of the animal. "Can't you see they're hunting me?" + +Mechanically the young girl obeyed, and then the intruder quickly +removed his artificial head and displayed to the women the pale, +haggard, dripping features of their friend, the music teacher. + +"Mr. O'Flannigan!" + +"O'Flannigan himself, astonished that he is still alive to tell the +tale! Did you see those madmen?" + +"Madmen! Why, the eldest was not more than twelve years of age." + +"Are you sure of it?" + +"Of course. But why this ass's head?" + +"Well, they are having a terrible time with the Catholics this evening, +and I thought it wise to be in disguise; and it's all right, since we +are going to a masquerade ball. I hired from the property room at Drury +Lane the ass's head which Bottom wears in the 'Midsummer-Night's Dream.' +It fits me, does it not?" + +"As if it had been made for you!" + +[Illustration] + +"Unfortunately, in passing Charing Cross my chair was stopped and turned +upside down by the populace, and my bearers deserted me like cowards. I +hastily put on my ass's head, but evidently not quickly enough to avoid +being recognized. I took to my heels, and they gave chase, screaming, +'Drown the papist!' and they would have been as good as their threat." + +Esther burst out laughing. + +"Bah! a parcel of children amusing themselves at your expense!" she +said. + +"Yes, children! For that reason I refrained from drawing my sword. Ah, +had I had men to deal with, they would have paid dearly for their +insolence!" + +"You have indeed been magnanimous, Mr. O'Flannigan, which was worthy of +you.--Now let us set out without further loss of time." + +"But are the streets safe?" queried Mrs. Marsham. + +"I believe it is all over. At least I hear nothing." + +In fact it was the moment of cessation of hostilities when the rioters +evacuated the Palace Yard. + +Without accident a hired carriage conveyed the two women and their +escort to Oxford Road, where the Pantheon was situated. + +The passion for masked balls which had been the delight of the +contemporaries of the first two Georges had received a serious check +about the middle of the century, at the time that Europe was terrified +by the report of earthquakes. London believed herself upon the eve of +experiencing the fate which had befallen Lisbon. Indeed, a prophet +appeared in the streets who announced the destruction of the city upon a +certain date. On the night preceding the fateful day a great part of the +population emigrated and encamped in the open air; but, though the +dreaded event passed without catastrophe, a vague terror prevailed, +paralyzing all sorts of pleasure. From their pulpits the popular +preachers thundered against the vices of the day, and especially against +the abominable license of masked balls. God was about to chastise +England; already was His arm upraised against her. No more masquerades, +or a rain of fire and brimstone would devour the new Babylon; the earth +would yawn and engulf in its entrails the sinners, with their infamous +tinsel and their masks, which hid all their impurities. Thus attired +they would appear before their pitiless Master, and would pass from the +laughter and intoxication of the dance hall straight into the +inexpressible anguish of the last Judgment! + +Thus at one fell swoop the masked balls disappeared. + +By degrees, however, the panic calmed, was forgotten, and in time became +a historic memory. The strong-minded even risked a smile at the +recollection. + +The first time that a purveyor of amusement spoke of resuscitating +masked balls a wag remarked, "He may be going to treat us to an +earthquake!" The proposition met with success, and the whole town +hastened to the _fêtes_ which Teresa Cornelys inaugurated at Carlisle +House in Soho Square. In the first place, the good Cornelys asked no +money; oh, no! If she accepted a little it was devoted to the purchase +of charcoal for the poor of London, who were suffering extremely from +the cold that winter. But the summer came, and still the dances +continued at Carlisle House. The Cornelys explained that her aim was to +encourage business, which was undergoing a crisis. (Business is always +undergoing a crisis!) Nevertheless, the bishops complained loudly of the +liberty which reigned at Madame Cornelys's house; according to them +Carlisle House was a very bad place indeed. + +It was then decided to create a masked ball, access to which should be +refused to persons of questionable reputation, and to which only women +of the fashionable world should be admitted. The Pantheon threw open its +doors on the 27th of January, 1772. On the very first evening Miss +Abington, who occupied a place in the foremost rank of the excluded, +presented herself smilingly at the door, fluttering her fan with a +victorious air. + +"Mademoiselle," faltered the master of ceremonies respectfully, "it is +with the profoundest regret that I am forced to refuse you admittance +to this house. The rule is stringent and--" + +Miss Abington turned and gave a signal, whereupon forty gentlemen in +good order appeared, with drawn swords. The poor master of ceremonies +yielded to number, and Miss Abington made her triumphal _entrée_ to the +ballroom. Through the breach thus opened passed the whole army of vice, +from the princes' favorites to the rovers of Drury Lane. + +The evening was well advanced ere Mrs. Marsham and her niece entered the +great rotunda, both in domino and masked. Upon coming out of the fresh, +sleepy streets through which their coach had jolted them they were dazed +and overwhelmed at finding themselves in the midst of such a furnace and +din. The confusion amounted almost to delirium. The atmosphere was hot, +heavy, and charged with pungent perfumes. The heat was so excessive that +the candles melted and ran down upon such maskers as were not upon the +lookout. Fifteen hundred persons, some intoxicated, others excited by +the stir, the fun, and the noise, talked, laughed, screamed, and +fluttered about; while their feet raised a dust which rose in a cloud +and spread like a fog, enveloping the entire scene. Such was the turmoil +of the crowd that the strident scraping of the violins and the shrill +blasts of the horns were only occasionally heard. + +"This is Bedlam let loose!" remarked Esther. + +"It is hell!" responded Mrs. Marsham, who trembled with emotion and +already regretted having come to such a place. + +Mr. O'Flannigan, who was stifling beneath his ass's head, scarcely +seeing anything and hearing nothing, kept turning from one to the other +of his companions, but he had not counted upon his prominent snout, +which continually struck them in the face unless they dodged quickly. + +Amidst the rout they soon began to distinguish certain details, certain +characteristic figures. A sultana, half-naked beneath her diaphanous +draperies, was borne in a velvet palanquin upon a cardboard elephant, +the legs of which were formed by four stout men, conducted by a +magnificent Mussulman with a long beard and a golden caftan, and with an +enormous ruby in his turban. Two little negroes, one bearing a casket of +perfumes, the other waving a fan of plumes, slipped into the hands of +the gentlemen mysterious bits of paper carefully folded. Upon each of +these was found the address of the merchant in Bond Street who sold East +Indian stuffs at the lowest cash prices, and for whom the masquerades +served as an advertisement. The _cortége_ closed with a group of +odalisques, in the midst of whom a grinning eunuch carried a banner upon +which was inscribed, "Slaves for sale." These odalisques were +perpetually assailed by a band of man-monkeys, who left nothing to be +desired in the way of audacity and effrontery. Next a Friesland +nurse-girl, her head covered with metallic ornaments, gravely carried a +little dog in her arms swaddled like an infant. Then came a personage +half-miller, half-chimney-sweep, one side being white with flour, the +other black with soot. A rigorously straight line divided his forehead, +followed the line of his nose, crossed his mouth and chin, and +apportioned his body into two equal parts. Among the promenaders were to +be seen a dark-lantern, an artichoke, the shaft of a pillar, an +egg-shell, a gigantic spider, and a corpse swathed in his winding-sheet, +carrying his coffin under his arm, which he showed to the ladies with a +gesture of jovial invitation that was received with roars of laughter. +Adam and Eve in flesh-colored tights with a cincture of leaves in +painted paper carried between them a little tree, about the trunk of +which was entwined a remarkable imitation of the serpent. As she passed +along Eve gathered crystallized fruits from the tree and offered them to +the men with a sweetly innocent smile. + +Caricatures of living personages were also seen, and easily recognized +and understood. A mariner's compass which bore a vague resemblance to +George III. held its needle turned towards the north, that is, towards +Lord North, who advanced in the garb of Boreas, having a hideous +cannibal upon his arm,--the symbol of the alliance between the Prime +Minister and the Indians. Another group, formed by a Spaniard, a French +coxcomb dressed in the latest Versailles fashion, and a Virginian +planter (the three enemies united against England at this epoch), fled +before Dame Britannia, who lashed them soundly to the immense delight of +the patriots in the hall. A woman impersonating Intrigue whispered +mysteriously, distributed bags of money and pension certificates, and +wore the national coat-of-arms, on which the horse of Hanover was +represented as kicking the British lion, while she stamped with rage +upon a ragged piece of paper upon which was written in large letters, +"Bill of Rights." Near her the Pope, with mitre on his head, turned +somersaults and juggled with Saint Peter's keys. + +"We had better go above in order to have a bird's-eye view," said Esther +to her aunt. + +So they dragged poor O'Flannigan up to the top of the staircase, +stumbling as he went. + +From the upper floor, leaning upon the velvet railing, they viewed the +spectacle for some time. The great rotunda seemed like the crater of an +active volcano, while the vapor that ascended scorched their cheeks. At +this moment a string of men and women, uttering insane cries, whirled +round and round the hall with ever-increasing velocity. Woe to him who +met them in their mad career! Woe to the one who fell, for he would be +trampled under foot! Carried away by the intoxication of their folly, +they regarded neither decorum nor obstacles, and in their wild sport +lost the very sentiment of their existence as they whirled like gnats +dancing themselves to death in the sunlight. + +The two curious women turned away. Close about them were different +scenes, other phases of pleasure. In adjoining halls, which represented, +according to the fancy of the time, the interiors of Chinese and +Japanese houses, persons seated at tables ate and drank. There were +hungry women among them who greedily devoured pork-pies with prunes; +others who nibbled cakes and sipped whipped cream. Champagne and Rhine +wine flowed in torrents. From obscure corners came the sound of +whispered words, stifled laughter, and the smack of kisses. Elsewhere +the merry-makers made greater exertions, and the supper was changed into +an orgy. Mounted upon a table a young girl of sixteen danced with a +man's cocked hat slipping down over her eyes. Another with dishevelled +hair had thrown herself upon a man's knee, tossed her naked arm about a +second, and was smiling at a third with a glance languid, half +unconscious with wine. Still another, stretched at full length upon a +sofa, slept as tranquilly as if she had been in bed. + +"Come away, quick!" ejaculated Mrs. Marsham, uttering mental anathemas +upon her curiosity. + +At this moment, in an alcove between two pillars, Esther perceived two +persons,--a man and a woman, partially concealed by the draperies. The +remarkable thing about it was that the latter wore a domino exactly +similar to her own,--brown with blue ribbons. The man, leaning towards +her, spoke in low tones, seeming to beseech, to supplicate her; while +she, with a wave of her fan and a shake of the head, said "No" with a +coquettish gesture,--that sort of a "no" which is the preface to and +synonym of "yes." Undoubtedly it was one of those momentary love affairs +which are born and expire by the myriad upon such nights. However, the +cavalier appeared to be more serious than the men about him. The way in +which he pressed one of the little hands which had been entrusted to his +clasp, and sought to plunge his gaze through the openings in the mask to +find the eyes of the unknown, was at once anxious, impassioned, and +sorrowful. For one moment he turned his head, but in that moment Esther +recognized Francis Monday! + +The impression that she experienced was one of more unexpected violence +than she would ever have been able to imagine or foresee. Every drop of +blood in her veins fled to her heart, and her limbs trembled. Being +dragged away by her aunt, she took several steps without knowing whither +she was going. That one moment sufficed to reveal to her the fact that +she loved, and to teach her at one and the same blow that he did not +love her. She had permitted herself to believe his tender words, his sad +glances, and the recital of his early hardships; it had seemed so sweet +to console the lonely orphan. It was for him, without her daring to +frankly confess it even to herself, that she would willingly sacrifice +her dreams of fortune, grandeur, and pleasure! And Frank was a +libertine, after all, like the rest of them; he had never even thought +of her! At the thought her irritation against herself knew no bounds. +The spirit of audacity and adventure, which had often tormented her, +rose imperiously and urged her on, as the spur incites the high-bred +horse. + +"I have had a narrow escape," thought Esther; "a hut, a garret with +_him_, the joy of freezing to death, of starving for bread! That is what +I have been nigh to plighting my troth to,--I, a daughter of +Shakespeare,--I, who was born for a brilliant career, for great _rôles_ +and lofty emotions!--The die is cast: I shall be Lady Mowbray!" + +The two women with their ass-headed cavalier had returned to the foot of +the stairs. All at once a woman flung herself upon O'Flannigan, uttering +so shrill a cry that even amidst the deafening uproar more than thirty +persons turned and paused to witness the scene which was about to take +place. + +"Wretch!" screamed the woman, "is it thus that you desert me, and our +poor children crying for bread?" + +"I!" faltered O'Flannigan, paralyzed with surprise, and well-nigh +strangled by the stranger, who had seized him by his ruffled +shirt-front. + +"Yes, you! While you are promenading here with hussies, whom I should +blush to touch with the tip of my finger, you leave your lawful wife to +the care of the parish!" + +"Madam, there is some mistake! Permit me to say to you, with all the +respect due to your misfortune, that you hold me too tight! You will +tear my ruffles, which belong to the property-room of Drury Lane. I +repeat, there is some mistake!" + +And taking off the ass's head, O'Flannigan revealed his honest face +convulsed with perplexity. The spectators crowded anxiously about them. + +"No, there is no mistake! You are, indeed, my husband, Pat O'Flannigan, +music teacher and prompter to Drury Lane Theatre." + +"Certainly, I am O'Flannigan, music teacher and prompter at Drury Lane, +but as to being your husband, may Heaven confound me if I ever set eyes +on you before!" + +"You have never set eyes on me? You have never set eyes on Molly +MacMurragh, to whom you were married by the priest at Bray, in Ireland? +You have never set eyes on the mother of your six children?" + +Mrs. Marsham loosened her hold upon the unhappy O'Flannigan's arm. + +"Can this be true?" she cried. "Can this woman really be Mrs. +O'Flannigan?" + +"My dear madam, I protest! There is no Mrs. O'Flannigan! This woman is +either a fool or a jade; she has been hired by my enemies!" + +"A fool! a jade! If there is any jade here it is this bold hussy who has +helped herself to other people's belongings, and seduced a married man +from his duty!" + +"Mercy!" gasped Mrs. Marsham in horror. + +"I do not know," cried the woman, "what prevents me from tearing off her +mask, and leaving the marks of my nails upon her as the headsman brands +forgers!" + +She advanced menacingly, and shook her clinched fist in Mrs. Marsham's +face, who feebly cried, "Help! help!" + +A circle had been formed; those who could not see elbowed their +neighbors, or mounted upon chairs, while such exclamations were heard +as-- + +"Two women! They're going to fight! Bravo! Let 'em go!" + +Some one cried out. "I'll wager five to one on the lawful dame!" + +To which came the reply, "I'll take you!" + +Others made sport of O'Flannigan's piteous face. Mrs. Marsham had let go +of Esther's hand, who found herself in the background, and quite +unnoticed. Presently a voice close behind her pronounced these words +very distinctly,-- + +"_The moon is risen!_" + +She trembled in every nerve; her heart beat violently. Her whole future +life depended upon the step she was about to take. In that supreme +moment the pantomime which she had just surprised above stairs shot with +the rapidity of lightning through her mind; again she saw Francis Monday +pressing the hand of the unknown domino and supplicating her with his +eyes. + +"Enough!" thought she. + +She closed her eyes as does one who is about to leap into an abyss. + +A hand seized hers and drew her away, and without a word she followed +her guide. + + + + +CHAPTER XIII. + +MOWBRAY'S FOLLY AT CHELSEA. + + +The situation was becoming critical for poor O'Flannigan and his +companion, when an unexpected ally appeared upon the field of battle, in +the person of the majestic Oriental who had served as the elephant +driver. + +"Look here!" he cried. "This is a shameful farce. This gentleman is +innocent; I'll go bond for him! And as for this brown-skinned Jezebel, +do you not recognize her as the gypsy who told fortunes at Saint +Bartholomew fair, and who has so often been hauled up before the +magistrates in Bow Street?" + +"It's a fact!" explained some one. "It is Rahab, the gypsy queen!" + +"Call the watchmen and let the beggar be taken to prison!" + +From all sides resounded groans of disapproval. "No, no! no police! This +is a joke. Don't do her any harm!" + +But at the words "watchmen" and "prison" the gypsy had folded her tent +and silently stolen away. + +Assisted by his generous auxiliary, O'Flannigan conducted Mrs. Marsham, +suffocating with mortification and rage, to a retired seat in an almost +deserted side-room. There a footman brought her a glass of water, of +which she swallowed half and then proceeded to take a survey of her +surroundings. + +"I shall remember this evening!" she remarked. "The Lord has punished me +for my curiosity as he chastised our mother Eve before me. However," +added the good woman, relieving her mind with a fib, "I wished to give +my niece the pleasure." + +The words suggested the girl. + +"But where is Esther?" she exclaimed. + +"Sure enough!" said O'Flannigan. "What has become of Miss Woodville?" + +Different suppositions were offered. She must have become frightened; +she must have been separated from them by the crowd. + +"But she must be sought! She must be found!" cried Mrs. Marsham. + +"How was she dressed?" inquired the man in the turban. + +Mrs. Marsham described her niece's costume. + +"Useless to search for her. Miss Woodville has been carried off, or, +rather, she has followed her abductor of her own free will. I divined +that all this ridiculous rumpus had but one object,--to daze you and +distract your attention. At the moment that I came to your relief I saw +with my own eyes a brown domino with blue ribbons going towards one of +the doors on the arm of a masked gentleman." + +"Esther! It is impossible, sir!" + +"I beg your pardon, madam. And I can go further: I can give you the name +of her abductor." + +"Who was it?" + +"Lord Mowbray." + +"As you seem to know so much," said O'Flannigan, "pray who are you +yourself? A sorcerer or the devil himself?" + +By way of answer the Oriental removed his false beard. + +"Mr. Fisher!" exclaimed the Quakeress and her cavalier in the same +breath. + +"At your service. This is Prospero's beard in the 'Tempest.'" + +"Well done!" said O'Flannigan. "The Shakespeare accessories have been +largely plundered this evening! But tell us, Fisher, what leads you to +suppose that Lord Mowbray has designs upon Miss Woodville?" + +"I have had proofs enough," replied Fisher mysteriously; "all the proofs +I want, you may believe me." + +The hairdresser considered it unnecessary to say more, or to add that +the proofs in question bore the effigy of his Majesty. + +"Merciful Heaven! what shall I do?" cried Mrs. Marsham wringing her +hands. + +"You had better warn your son," suggested the Irishman. + +The Quakeress quaked with terror. + +"Reuben! He will overwhelm me with reproaches!" + +"Never mind what he says. He is the betrothed of his cousin; he is +energetic and courageous; if any one is capable of snatching the girl +from impending doom, it is he. There is not a moment to be lost." + +"But where shall we find him?" + +"As to that," replied Fisher, "nothing is easier. All day long he has +been at the head of the papal enemies. I must be greatly mistaken if he +is not at this moment engaged in setting fire to the Sardinian chapel." + +It was thereupon decided to place Mrs. Marsham in safety in Fisher's +house, which was near Oxford Road, while the two men went in search of +Reuben. + +The hairdresser had friends everywhere. At the door he received fresh +tidings which confirmed his suppositions. Capt. Hackman, Lord Mowbray's +inseparable companion, had been seen in Oxford Road with a pistol under +each arm. A carriage without armorial bearings, with neutral colored +livery, had been stationed at a short distance. A masked gentleman with +a brown and blue domino upon his arm had come out of the Pantheon. He +had signalled the carriage, which had approached, and the man and woman +had entered it. Thereupon Hackman sprang upon the box, saying to the +coachman, "To Chelsea!" Then the horses set off at full speed towards +the left, narrowly escaping running over people. There was still another +version which a page had to tell. It was the same masked man and the +domino in the same colors; only the affair had taken place at one of the +little side-doors of the Pantheon. Instead of the coach a sedan-chair +had carried off the fugitive towards the right, in the direction of the +city. In affairs of the kind there are always points of difference among +the witnesses. Who was to be believed? Evidently those who had +recognized Hackman and heard the address given to the coachman. It was +towards the "Folly" at Chelsea that Mowbray had undoubtedly taken his +victim. Fisher was an alert and intelligent man. Some minutes later, +divested of his turban, his Persian robe, and his beard, he joined +Reuben in Duke Street. The vandals had achieved their work, and the +crowd of by-standers, lit up by the flames, gloated over the spectacle. +The blazing pile, formed of the ornaments of the chapel, was beginning +to flag for lack of combustibles. + +A horde of children of fourteen or fifteen years of age, having taken +the places of the men, danced about the charred remains, uttering cries +and causing a flame to spring up here and there by administering a kick +to the embers. A transient glow illumined the street, revealing the +faces of terrified women at the windows, and in an obscure corner a +group of the rioters with their hats drawn down over their eyes. Among +them stood Reuben, coldly implacable, watching lest any one should +approach the fire to save or steal anything. + +It was at this moment that Fisher approached him and whispered a few +words in his ear. Reuben started in surprise and rage. + +"Esther carried off by Lord Mowbray! Taken to Chelsea!" he gasped. + +However, he quickly regained his composure and reflected for a moment. + +"Friends," he said in a loud but firm voice, in order to make himself +heard by the thirty or forty men grouped about him, "there is nothing +more to be done here. If we remain longer we shall be hunted down by the +soldiers, of whose approach we have already been warned. Let us +disperse, to meet again within the hour at Chelsea, near the Bun-house. +Thence I will lead you to the assault of a house, the master of which +secretly favors the papists." + +For the time being Reuben was falsifying; but examples in Holy +Scriptures which authorized a pious lie crowded his memory. He also +added in an assured tone, casting an expressive glance upon the band of +pillagers who had given some sign of discontent,-- + +"This house is full of riches. It also contains a young girl prisoner, +one of our own set, whom this villain has seized to make her the toy of +his pleasure. Let us hasten if we hope to arrive in time to save her!" + +These words were received with murmurs of adhesion. The little legion of +disorder divided into groups, set off through the streets that led +westward, and gained the place of rendezvous by different ways. Reuben +accompanied Fisher, who recounted the details of the adventure as they +went along. + +The Bun-house was celebrated at the period for the fabrication of those +somewhat heavy and substantial cakes which still form the traditional +family diet on Good Fridays. In fine weather a goodly company was wont +to wend its way thither for the purpose of eating buns and washing them +down with port. When George III. passed that way, on his way from Kew to +Saint James's, he did not disdain to stop and chat familiarly with +Mistress Hand, the pastry-cook. She must have slept like a log that +night not to have heard the strange assemblage which formed under the +walls of her garden. Reuben found but a few of the fanatical sectarians +whom he had led to Parliament. Weary with the fatigues of the day, +content with having intimidated the representatives of the nation, as +they flattered themselves, and destroyed two of the lairs of idolatry, +they had undoubtedly gone home and to bed. One phrase only in Reuben's +brief harangue had carried the day,--"This house is full of riches!" +Well might he be astonished, for the words had fallen unintentionally +from his lips. But if Reuben remained unmoved, Fisher trembled at sight +of the bandit faces which surrounded him. Seeing them thus, no one +would have suspected that these shady cavaliers were marching to the +defence of menaced innocence. + +All told, they were some forty men armed with pistols, clubs, and +knives. Truly formidable, resolute, ready for anything, accustomed, as +it appeared, to such nocturnal escapades, they marched silently, and +obeyed promptly with some show of discipline. + +"Yonder is the house," said Reuben, "behind those trees. It is best to +form a ring about it so that no one shall escape us." + +"I have been hostler at the Folly," said a red-headed fellow with a +hang-dog look, advancing as he spoke; "there is a breach on the north +side of the wall through which I used to slip every night to join my +sweetheart Peg, who was maid at the Nell Gwynne. If it be your will, I +will conduct you." + +"Lead on!" answered Reuben laconically. + +A few minutes later the troop penetrated the little park and crept +softly in the shadow of the great trees, avoiding the gravelled paths. +The thick sward muffled their footfalls, while a high, warm wind, which +had arisen, rustled the foliage, thus favoring them by masking still +more such sounds as they did make. Occasionally a pebble crackled or a +dead twig snapped beneath their feet, but that was all. For the space of +fifty yards about the house extended an open space. + +"Halt!" whispered Reuben in a prudent tone. + +The house was in complete darkness; it seemed either uninhabited or +wrapped in sleep; however, upon examination Reuben and Fisher discovered +a ray of light which filtered between the closed blinds upon the second +floor. + +"They are there!" thought Reuben, quivering with rage; while aloud he +cried,-- + +"Forward!" + +They obeyed the command with a rush; but undoubtedly some one had been +watching, some one whom they had not perceived. The alarm had been +given, and the heavy oaken door, swinging upon its well-oiled hinges, +closed in their faces. Then from within followed the sound of bolts +being shot into place and of the adjusting of bars. + +A pause ensued, a moment of amazement, and then an outcry of rage +mingled with at least forty oaths. The man who had spoken before, the +former hostler, again ventured to the rescue. + +"Behind the laundry," said he, "there is a pile of lumber, placed there +for the building of a summer house. With one of the rafters we could +force the door." + +Reuben approved the scheme. A few moments later an improvised +battering-ram, borne upon twenty shoulders and skilfully balanced, at +the word of command went crashing against the solid woodwork. At the +third blow a splitting sound was heard. + +"Listen!" cried Fisher. "Some one above is speaking." + +The men, panting, and bathed in perspiration, paused. + +In fact, a window upon the second floor had been suddenly thrown open, +and a man--probably Lord Mowbray--had appeared upon the balcony. Every +eye was raised to him and every tongue hurled some insult at him in the +same breath. With a calm curiosity he regarded the crowd swarming and +howling in the darkness beneath him. + +"Gentlemen," he said, "we are at least a dozen strong here, well armed +and determined to defend ourselves. The first man who sets foot within +this house will pay dearly for his imprudence; but before we resort to +bloodshed, suppose we hold a parley. What is your will with me? Do you +fancy, perhaps, that I am a papist? According to my nurse I am a member +of the Church of England, and I am ready to pronounce in your presence +the test oath or any other oath, to swear by the body of Christ, the +belly of Mahomet, by Belial or Beelzebub." + +This harangue scandalized Reuben's virtuous friends, while it set their +rowdy escort in a roar of laughter. Young Marsham was not slow to +appreciate the _prestige_ which such jocose coolness in the hour of his +peril was giving Mowbray,--a supreme quality in the eyes of an English +mob; therefore he hastened to interpose. + +"You are detaining a young girl here whom you have abducted from her +family," he declared. + +"It is true," answered Lord Mowbray; "there is a young lady here. Do you +wish to see her?" + +"At once! I insist upon it!" + +"I do not understand your last words, but I willingly yield to your +request. Madam, be good enough to show yourself to these gentlemen, who +are nervous about you." + +He turned towards the interior of the chamber and bowing respectfully, +with much grace extended his hand to a woman who stood there, and +assisted her to step out upon the balcony. At the same time he added,-- + +"Hackman, my good fellow, give us some light." + +Capt. Hackman, with a blazing torch in each hand, appeared upon the +balcony in his turn. + +"It is she!" cried Fisher. "I recognize the brown domino and the blue +ribbons! I can swear that it was I who furnished that mask!" + +"Madam," said Mowbray with renewed demonstrations of respect, "are you +here of your own free will?" + +The masked woman gave an affirmative sign. + +"Has any one molested or offended you in any way?" + +She answered by a negative gesture. + +"Esther," cried Reuben, "can it be that you have forgotten--" + +Mowbray quickly interrupted him. + +"Come, come, sir! Is it in so numerous a company as this that one +proceeds to indulge in a family explanation, or gives a curtain lecture +to a young girl? Be good enough to come up here. You will find my house +open to you, but to you alone. I give you my word that if, after some +moments of conversation, you still persist in claiming this young lady, +she shall follow you. On the other hand you must swear to me--" + +"I never swear," said Reuben rudely. + +"There you are wrong," retorted Mowbray courteously; "an oath frequently +eases matters." + +"It is written, 'Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God, in +vain.'" + +"Very well. But promise me at least that, during the time, your men +shall not move or commit any folly." + +"So be it." + +And turning to his companions Reuben added, "If in the space of a +quarter of an hour I do not come out of this house, enter and cut down +with your swords whomsoever you may meet!" + +"An admirable plan," concluded Mowbray, always ironical. + +When Reuben, having been introduced into the enemy's camp under a flag +of truce, had at last reached the apartment upon the second floor, +Mowbray remarked:-- + +"Now, madam, you may unmask." + +The young woman loosened the strings of her mask, and Reuben found +himself in the presence of Bella, Lady Vereker, whose black eyes +regarded him with a singular expression of mingled curiosity and +amusement. + +"You are surprised, sir," resumed Lord Mowbray, "as I was myself an hour +ago. Heaven is my witness that it was not her ladyship whom I supposed I +had carried off; but after all, as the French proverb has it, _Quand le +vin est tiré, il faut le boire_, and an old sweetheart, like old wine, +is best." + +"Insolent fellow!" murmured Lady Vereker, toying with her fan. + +Still Reuben remained sombre and defiant. + +"What assurance have I," he demanded, "that this lady is not your +accomplice?" + +Then her ladyship with feigned anger mingled with raillery, exclaimed:-- + +"I! when I have wished my reputation to protect that of my young +friend!" + +Without pausing to consider this important sacrifice, Marsham +continued:-- + +"And what assurance have I that my cousin is not concealed in some +corner of this accursed house, for it is certain that she has +disappeared?" + +"If she has been carried off, it must have been by the devil," said +Mowbray, "and unfortunately I cannot be held responsible. I freely +consent to your searching the house. I can refuse nothing to so amiable +a man." + +Conducted by Hackman, and accompanied by Fisher and the former hostler, +who knew all the ins and outs of the place, young Marsham visited every +recess of the "Folly." Carrying to a grotesque degree the affected +civility of his patron, the captain preceded them, opening all the +cabinets, the wardrobes and the closets, and even inviting them to +examine nooks scarcely large enough to stow away a hare in. Quite +unmoved by his impertinence, Reuben and his companions sounded the walls +with their sticks. + +"Esther! Esther!" cried Reuben in a loud voice. But there was never a +reply. + +The officious Hackman, who stood aside at every door according to the +rigid rules of French courtesy, showed them the kitchens, the offices, +in fact everything, sparing no detail. He insisted that they should +explore the entire length of the two subterranean passages, one of which +led to the open country, the other to the river bank. + +"Now," he remarked, "you know the house as well as its architect." + +"Well?" inquired Mowbray of young Marsham when he returned from his +fruitless exploration. + +"I have found nothing, my lord," answered Reuben with a tinge of +embarrassment. + +"Then undoubtedly you divine what I expect of you." + +"That I dismiss the men? I was about to do so." He stepped out upon the +balcony and addressed his companions. + +"The young girl whom I sought is not here; at least she is no longer +here. Consequently your presence is no longer required and you may +retire." + +A muttering of evil augury arose from the ranks of the little group. + +"These gentlemen will not go," suggested Mowbray, "until my butler has +given each of them a half-guinea with which to drink my health. It would +be a pity to give such brave fellows so much trouble for nothing." + +A general cheer and cry of "Long live Lord Mowbray!" responded to this +largesse. + +"I knew," continued the young nobleman, "that we should understand each +other. The manner in which you have split my door has given me a high +opinion of your ability in case of an emergency, and it appears that we +should accomplish great results, were I your leader.--Stay! There is, +hard by, the residence of a papist, which ought to be sacked. I have a +mind to lead you thither myself. It is not that I owe the papists any +particular grudge, but I am ready to labor for honor's sake, and for the +love of the art." + +The enthusiastic cries burst forth anew. Reuben could not but feel that +his day was over, and that henceforth Lord Mowbray was the true master +of his men. With a haughty, sullen air he turned towards the door. + +"I reserve my suspicions," he said. "We shall meet again, Lord Mowbray." + +"One moment, if you please. I reproach myself with having concealed +something from you. There is a chamber in this house which has escaped +your examination." + +[Illustration] + +Saying which, he moved a small picture and pressed an invisible button. +One of the panels in the wainscoting shot upward without a sound, like +the curtain of a theatre, revealing a narrow passage. Mowbray led the +way, Reuben following him. After a few steps he found himself in a +circular apartment furnished with extraordinary richness and taste. From +the ceiling fell a rosy radiance, soft, tender, and faint, vaguely +illumining the tapestries with which the walls were draped, upon which +were represented rare subjects derived from Boccaccio. The feet sank +into a rich carpet as into the sward of glades which no human step has +ever pressed. The low rounded furniture seemed fashioned to render the +fall of a body insensible and silent. + +Ere Reuben had had time to cast his glance about the apartment the panel +had fallen into place, leaving no more suggestion of a door than a wall +of polished steel. Mowbray had vanished, and Marsham was alone. In an +excess of rage he flung himself against the wall with all his might, he +scratched it with his nails and beat upon it with his clinched fists. + +Ten feet above his head a peephole opened, in which was framed the +mocking face of Mowbray. + +"You are giving yourself needless exertion," he remarked. "The panel +will defy all your efforts. No one can hear you, and no one will release +you before to-morrow morning. A night of seclusion in so charming a +place is scarcely cruel chastisement enough for your insolence, more +especially as this prison saves you from another. At this moment they +are searching for Reuben Marsham high and low, but truly such a boudoir +as this is preferable to a cell in Newgate. Therefore be resigned, and +seek some means of passing the time. Ah, I forgot. You will find a +venison pie and a bottle of Canary wine upon the table at your +left.--And now, good night!" + +And the peephole closed. + +There was no timepiece in that strange boudoir to mark the flight of the +hours. Naught disturbed the profound silence of the night save the +cracking of the crystal sconces as one after another the candles +expired. At last a feeble ray of the crescent dawn descended from the +vaulted ceiling. In the numerous mirrors, which had reflected many a +festal scene, Reuben caught a glimpse of his own haggard, watchful +face. + + + + +CHAPTER XIV. + +VAIN QUESTS. + + +The preceding events had occurred upon the night of the 2d and 3d of +June. The next day, Saturday, the city was comparatively quiet. + +A feeling of assurance pervaded all classes; once again it was believed +that the riots were over. On Sunday morning several priests ventured to +celebrate mass with closed doors before their little nervous +congregations, who trembled at the slightest sound from outside and +apprehensively watched the doors, thinking of the catacombs without +possessing the courage of the early Christians. But on that same Sunday, +in the afternoon, the disorders began again and increased until +nightfall. On Monday matters were aggravated. + +The blind fury of the rioters augmented with their number. It was now +directed against the wealthy Catholics and such influential personages +as had cast their vote in favor of tolerance. Savile House in Leicester +Fields was assaulted and the proprietor, Sir George Savile, one of the +most enlightened, amiable, and humane men of his time, nearly lost his +reason and his life. The mob broke into the residence of Lord Mansfield, +who escaped, half-naked, with his family, by the rear entrance. They +then built an immense pile of his furniture in the street and set fire +to it. Barnard's Inn and the Langdale distillery in Holborn yielded to +the flames. Several entire districts fell a prey to the insurgent +population. A dome of smoke hung over the city from Leicester Fields to +London Bridge, which by night flared like a vault of flame. + +However, no one seemed moved as yet. Curious idlers flocked to the +scene. Between a game of "quadrille" and a sitting at the magnetizer's, +the fair gamesters, with their idle, foppish escorts, arrived by the +coachful upon the theatre of riot and conflagration. It frequently +chanced that they were set upon and robbed, the men of their purses and +snuff-boxes, the women of their watches and jewels. Sometimes the traces +were cut and the horses sent flying off in terror, while the coach was +tossed upon the blazing pile. Amidst all this the peaceful watchman +passed with slow, methodical gait, appearing to see nothing, quite as if +all were calmness about him, and swinging his sickly little lantern here +and there in the blinding glare of the fires. + +Whether through inertia or policy, magisterial authority moved neither +hand nor foot. Col. Woodford having given his soldiers command to fire +upon the mob, popular exasperation rose to such a degree that he was +obliged to hide himself for several days. While the Guards were leading +their prisoners to Newgate they were assailed with every description of +missile. One of them being wounded in the face and maddened by the sight +of blood, was about to fire upon the crowd, when his captain exclaimed, +"In Heaven's name, do not fire!" Such management as this made the +fortune of the insurrection. + +If any one considered that King George's ministers were cowards who had +lost their heads, he was seriously mistaken. These gentlemen, with +truly British phlegm, listened to the cries of "Death!" raised against +them much in the spirit that Fielding, playing besique behind the scenes +of Drury Lane, lent one ear to the public hissing his plays. The recital +of an eye-witness describes some strange pranks during the sittings of +the Council. He affirms that there was more claret discussed than +resolutions. + +"Though I," said Lord North, indicating his colleague with pretended +terror, "go about armed to the teeth, I am more afraid of Saint John's +pistol than anything else!" Thereupon they ascended to the roof of the +house. Thence they observed the conflagration, noted its phases and +progress, and exchanged conjectures upon the direction of the wind and +upon its probable effects. + +"And now, gentlemen," concluded the minister, "let us return and finish +our wine." + +This government, discredited on account of its external showing, cared +not to assume the odium of an energetic repression. Curious as it may +seem, it was upon the opposition that it sought to shift the +responsibility. It was said that Lord North held an interview with Fox +in the lobby of Drury Lane Theatre. A plenary reunion of the Privy +Council was held under the presidence of the king, which only occurs at +serious crises and in times of great peril to the monarchy. The judges +were convoked in order to pass their opinions upon the course of +procedure to be pursued and to give their advice upon the legal side of +the question. It was Burke, the great Liberal orator, who proposed to +proclaim the martial law. + +In fact, the most alarming tidings were received hour by hour. The Fleet +and Newgate prisons had been forced, and had vomited their prisoners +upon the pavements of London. At Rag Fair and similar localities the +orgy was at its height, the license of the mob unbridled. It was no +longer a question of papism and tolerance: it was a social revolution, +greatest of all misfortunes, which had begun; it was the subversion of +law, the accession of crime. It was reported that a formidable army was +forming for the assault of the Bank of England. Inasmuch as the bank was +the vital centre, the very heart of the country, the ministers awoke +from their lethargy. As if by enchantment several regiments entered +London from all sides and encamped with their cannon in Hyde Park. A +plan had been decided upon for the total annihilation of the revolt. +Lord Amherst mounted his horse, and when by the ruddy light of the +conflagration the aged courtier was seen advancing it was generally +understood that that class of society, until now so disdainfully +indulgent, had taken a hand, and would show itself pitiless in the +defence of its property and life. Soon the firing resounded far and +wide,--at Blackfriars, at Saint George's Fields, near the Mansion House; +the victims lay about in heaps, while the Thames received many corpses +and more than one living sacrifice. + +On that terrible night, during which the horrors of civil war were added +to those of incendiarism, while so many men animated by the spirit of +vengeance and the hope of pillage rushed upon one another, a little band +of kind-hearted folk, moved by so much suffering, patrolled the streets, +bearing relief to the victims. It was Levet, the surgeon of the poor, +who urged them on, and case in hand led that dangerous campaign in the +interest of humanity. + +[Illustration] + +As he trudged along Cheapside with his troop, who carried the litters +and ladders, he recognized Francis Monday walking in the opposite +direction, and called out to him,-- + +"Is that you, Frank?" + +The young man quickly raised his head, perceiving his former savior, +whom he frequently went to see and for whom he cherished a grateful +friendship. + +Perhaps it is time that the young artist's conduct at the Pantheon ball +was explained. + +As must have been already divined, he loved Esther Woodville--loved her +with an exclusive, profound passion which was born on the same day that +the girl made her appearance upon the stage of Drury Lane. Standing in +a corner of the _parterre_, Frank had experienced those devouring +sensations which have disturbed twenty-year-old hearts ever since the +world began. + +The passion which actresses inspire in young men of indigent +circumstances and timid disposition is the most romantic and delightful +of all, since it unites every impossibility and chimera. + +The footlights seem an obstacle which it is impossible to surmount; +possession appears an infeasible, madly absurd dream, the very thought +of which produces vertigo. The unrecognized lover is not jealous of the +comrades who elbow his idol and speak familiarly with her; he does not +even consider the admirer or husband who awaits her behind the scenes. +They find in her but a woman like unto all other women. The mistress of +his heart is in his sight Juliet, Imogen, Ophelia, Desdemona. She +imparts her youth and beauty to the _rôle_, lends poetry and passion to +it. From such a _mélange_ is born a perfectly adorable creature who only +exists for a few hours for the public, but continues to live for the +lover long after the curtain has fallen and when the actress has washed +off her paint and is supping with a hearty appetite. + +In this fashion had Frank loved Miss Woodville until the day that he had +met her face to face in Reynolds's studio. From that moment the young +girl replaced the artist in his mind, and he fell to loving her in +another guise. Their lengthy chat on the day that Sir Joshua was absent +from the studio had for the time being awakened certain hopes in his +heart. Why should he not love her? Why should she not grow to regard +life with his eyes? Little by little, however, without the slightest +event interposing to undeceive him, he realized how poorly calculated +were his modest lot and unceasing struggle with poverty to tempt a +girl reared amidst adulation and covetousness, amidst circumstances +which could not fail to nurture her vanity and her taste for luxury. +Many times had she returned to Sir Joshua's, and each time she had +addressed him some few rapid words, always with a touch of +embarrassment,--annoyed, as he fancied, at the recollection of that hour +of freedom and intimacy, desirous perhaps of effacing it from her +memory. The thought smote him to the heart, and, though accustomed to +the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, resignation came hard. + +Proportionally as the great painter advanced in his work, Frank secretly +copied the portrait of Esther. One morning, while busily engaged at his +task, the source of mingled pleasure and pain, a light chuckling caused +him to start suddenly and turn. + +"You accursed gypsy!" he cried, turning pale with anger, "who permitted +you to enter here? How dare you spy upon me?" + +It was Rahab, who, together with her numerous vocations, joined that of +model, and frequently posed for Sir Joshua. More than once, annoyed at +the procrastination or laziness of his fair clients, the painter had set +the head of some patrician dame or artist upon Rahab's beautiful body, a +genuine living manikin whom he could pose and drape according to his +fancy. Rahab had also consented to pose for Frank; and, although she +professed disdain for Christians, her hard, ironical eyes sometimes +softened as they rested upon the young man. + +To-day she was not stirred by his anger, but with a shrug of her +shoulders remarked:-- + +"Poor boy! She will never be yours." + +"Why not? Tell me, since you pretend to read the future." + +"Because she loves Lord Mowbray." + +And, turning upon her heel, she danced away, humming some gypsy ditty. + +That name filled the boy's soul with discouragement. Lord Mowbray! A +cold-hearted libertine, the most corrupt, 'twas said, of all the Prince +of Wales's new _coterie_. And it was towards him that Esther's heart had +been attracted! And the passing sympathy which he had inspired in her +was due, perhaps, to his resemblance to that man! His grief was +profound; he had experienced nothing akin to it since the day in his +babyhood when he had lost his precious goldpiece. + +Revolving these facts in his mind, he had gone to the Pantheon. Why +should he go to a masquerade? By what sentiment was he actuated? Some +vague desire to console his aching heart by a vulgar adventure? The hope +of meeting Esther there? No: rather that instinct which sometimes impels +the downcast to air their woes in the midst of a crowd. And while he +stood absently watching that wild scene, that dance of fools, a hand was +laid upon his shoulder. + +Rahab again! What would she with him, this compatriot of the Sphinx, +with her fathomless black eyes and enigmatical smile? + +"The one you love is here!" she breathed. + +"What! Esther?" + +"Brown domino with blue ribbons. Seek and you shall find. Is not that +what you say?" + +"Yes; but explain." + +"The moments are precious. In a few minutes Esther will be lost, lost +forever. Hasten, if you wish to save her. In saying this I betray some +one whom I ought to serve, but I am a woman and I pity you." + +He would have questioned her further, but she slipped away and vanished +among the groups of maskers. + +As deeply moved and agitated as he had just been indifferent and +discouraged, Frank traversed the ballroom, searching in every direction +for the domino which had been described to him. All at once he uttered a +stifled cry; he had discovered the object of his quest. He hastened +forward and was at her side in a moment. She was alone, but her eyes, +seen through the openings in her velvet mask, seemed to be anxiously +watching. + +"Esther," he said to her, "a danger menaces you. What it may be I know +not, having only received a hint of it: but permit me to follow your +footsteps that I may watch over and save you; for save you I must in +spite of yourself." + +He had seized the young woman's hand and was pressing it between his +own, without for a moment doubting that the true Esther stood before +him. + +The unknown answered never a word, but yielded her hand to his clasp as +though she derived some pleasure from the contact with this feverish +love. A man approached them and for an instant raised his mask. Frank +recognized him; it was Lebeau, Lord Mowbray's intimate companion. The +young man turned upon him with a menacing air, determined to prevent his +companion from following him. + +"Is your ladyship ready?" inquired Lebeau. + +"Quite ready. Good night, Mr. Monday." + +The voice of Lady Vereker! Frank remained riveted to the spot in +amazement. So, then, the gypsy had tricked him. He left the Pantheon and +gained his lonely garret room, vainly seeking some solution of the +adventure. + +Next day Mr. Fisher did not appear, as was his custom, in order to serve +Sir Joshua. However, the riot had ceased, and to all outward appearance +London had regained her wonted tranquillity. Soon it would be known that +Mr. Fisher had passed the night searching for Miss Woodville, who, +according to report, had been carried off by Lord Mowbray. The accident +was of too common occurrence to arouse spirited comment, especially at +so serious a time. The invasion of Parliament, or what almost amounted +to an invasion, was an affair of far greater importance than the +abduction of an _ingénue_. On this account Ralph, who gayly recounted +the news to the young artist, was stupefied to see him seize his hat and +rush forth into the street. + +Frank hastened directly to Fisher's house, who had at once shut himself +up in prudent reserve; but, pressed by questions and touched by the +young man's emotion, he ended by narrating the night's events and +proposing that he should call upon Mrs. Marsham. The good woman had wept +incessantly and was in a fine frenzy of despair, having fallen from a +state of the most serene confidence into the extreme of despondency. Her +niece abducted; her son lost to sight but sought by justice for the +events of the preceding day, of which she was beginning to comprehend +the importance; her house occupied by soldiers; and even Maud gone, no +one knew whither nor with whom! Such a conglomeration of misfortunes +was indeed enough to disturb the steadiest brain and unseat the best +established optimism. It was amidst such disorder that Frank found her, +ignorant how to solve the problem, and fearing, if she claimed the aid +of the authorities to find her niece, that by the step she should +deliver over her son to his hunters. + +There was no help to be expected from this poor, half-crazed woman; +Fisher had his clients to attend to; while O'Flannigan, believing +himself menaced as a Catholic, remained under cover in his lodgings. +Thrown upon his own resources, Frank registered a mental oath that he +would find Esther, and during those days of terror and battle, +indifferent to the prevailing trouble, insensible to his own danger, he +came and went, passing from the turbulent quarters to the more peaceful +districts, searching the lost clew with impassioned despair. + +From the first day he knew beyond peradventure that Mowbray's "Folly" +was deserted. Thanks to the persuasion that resides in a goldpiece, the +footman who was left in charge of the place found no difficulty in +permitting the young man to enter. He showed him all the secrets of the +house, the subterranean passages, even the boudoir where Reuben had +passed the night. + +"At daybreak," said he to Frank, "the stranger and the young lady were +placed in a berlin, and no one knows whither they went." + +Frank was satisfied by Fisher's recital that "the young lady" could have +been none other than Lady Vereker. It was she who had mystified Mowbray +as she had for a moment deceived him. She, then, was the one to give him +the key to the enigma. He hastened to her residence, but was not +received. Her ladyship was not in town! He recalled the gypsy's words, +who, undoubtedly having been paid by the young nobleman, had played a +part in the comedy. In order to find her he visited every spot where the +gypsies were accustomed to camp,--Blackheath, Hampstead, the fields +adjoining the Edgeware Road and Notting Hill. All in vain! Probably the +members of the tribe had rushed into the thick of the riot which +occupied the heart of the city. + +At last he understood that the gypsy had been but an instrument. As for +Lady Vereker, would she be likely to wish to save Esther or recapture +her lost lover for her own sake? Would she not play her own game? Would +she obey the will of the one who had directed the whole intrigue? It was +then that his thoughts reverted to Lebeau. That mysterious person who +was said to be the purveyor of Lord Mowbray's diversions had always +inspired him with a vague repulsion. Two or three times he had met him, +and each time he had felt annoyance at the piercing glance which the man +had fixed upon him. Still it was he who had approached Lady Vereker at +the Pantheon and had asked,-- + +"Are you ready?" + +Frank began to suspect some shady machination to which Lebeau held the +thread. + +While Lord Mowbray, accompanied by his faithful Hackman, was seen +everywhere, following with the interest of a dilettante the progress of +the riot, Lebeau was invisible. Where was he concealed, and why should +he conceal himself? Was Esther his prisoner, the victim of this +scoundrel in some undiscovered lair? Frank's blood curdled with horror +and rage at the thought. + +It had been reported that at the moment Lord Mowbray's coach had carried +off a masked woman, another young woman similarly attired, and escorted +by a gentleman whose features were not distinguishable, had entered a +sedan-chair which stood in waiting for her at one of the side entrances. +This chair had been borne off rapidly in the direction of the city. +Frank had questioned every chairman he chanced to meet; no one could or +would give him the slightest satisfaction. After three days of fruitless +search in every sense, he was at last forced to avow his impotence, when +he was accosted by Levet, the surgeon. + +"Come with us," said the big-hearted man; "there are Christians to be +succored, lives to be saved, for to-night the devils are loose, and I +know not which are more to be feared, the incendiaries or the soldiers. +Since so many are doing their worst, let us try to accomplish some +little good." + +Without a word Frank followed him. He needed action to lessen his fever, +to make him forget his mortal anxiety. The office which he was about to +fill at Levet's side was rife with peril, but whenever did a desperate +man count the cost of his action? + + + + +CHAPTER XV. + +SANCTUARY. + + +That same night, in a poorly furnished chamber, Esther sat, with bowed +head, and hands clasped in her lap. By her side crouched an aged woman +who mumbled incessantly, mingling wails, maledictions, and +incomprehensible reminiscences of her childhood with fragments of +prayers and scraps of biblical texts. She spoke to herself, never +addressing the girl, who on her part paid her no heed. Esther's +attention was riveted upon the sounds which reached her from the +streets. With every minute the firing of a platoon, the crash of a wall +undermined by the flames, or a savage clamor which rent the air, reached +her ears and made her tremble. + +[Illustration] + +The chamber was situated upon the second floor of a low house at the end +of an alley, apparently deserted by its inhabitants; for there was no +movement of life and no human being in sight. But at sixty paces away, +though invisible, the great artery of Holborn, filled to overflowing +with the howling, maddened crowd, sent a rumor of its infernal tumult to +the two women. No candle burned in the room, but the neighboring glare +from the conflagration of Langdale House illumined every object as +distinctly as though it were noonday. Thus the hours dragged themselves +away in gloomy monotony, notwithstanding the proximity of the confusion +and the fury of human passions in a state of paroxysm. Suddenly Esther +sprang to her feet. + +"Maud," she exclaimed, "the flames are gaining upon us!" + +It was true. From the side of the little court upon which the chamber +looked, the panes of a grated window had burst into fragments, while a +tongue of flame had suddenly darted forth, licking the blackened walls +and casting its lightning athwart the pervading flare. + +"Maud! Maud! Soon it will be no longer safe for us to remain here!" + +"God be praised!" answered the old woman, having raised a vague glance +upon the scene. "He gives the victory unto his saints; it is he who has +cast both horse and rider into the sea!" + +"She is madder than ever," thought Esther; "this night has quite +unseated her reason.--And Mons. Lebeau does not return!" + +What was to be done? What resolution ought to be taken? + +[Illustration] + +The circumstances which had led her into this perilous situation passed +swiftly through her mind. When she had placed her hand in that of the +unknown who had pronounced the preconcerted signal,--"The moon has +risen!"--she immediately experienced a sense of regret at her fault; but +this regret had not been sufficiently potent to arrest in time the +accomplishment of her resolution. She permitted herself to be conducted +to the door where the sedan-chair awaited her. + +"No!" she then exclaimed, "this is enough! I will go no farther!" + +"This is no time for discussion," replied an imperious voice which was +not Lord Mowbray's; "get into the chair, quick!" + +The thought of Frank, whom she was now certain she loved since jealousy +had cast its unerring ray into the depths of her heart--this thought +tortured her. + +"I am lost!" she cried, "lost!" + +"On the contrary, you are saved!" + +And with the words ringing in her ears the chair started. The men almost +ran with it, the result of the masked personage having said something to +them about "paying double." + +In less than a quarter of an hour the chair stopped in an alley-way off +Holborn, and the gentleman, conducting the fugitive into one of the +houses, dismissed the bearers. + +When at last they were alone in the chamber upon the second floor and +the man had succeeded in lighting a candle upon the mantelpiece, Esther +easily recognized him. + +"Mons. Lebeau!" she gasped in surprise. + +"Yes," he replied, "and you are out of all danger here, absolute +mistress of your destiny, since all that I wish is to offer you some +respectful advice." + +"But how could you have known? How could you take the place of another?" + +"That is my secret--at least for the present. It is enough that I have +succeeded. One word which has escaped you has led me to believe that you +will not blame me for my intervention. I await the assurance with +anxiety. Have I been in the wrong to act as I have?" + +"No," she answered after a moment's hesitation, "and I thank you. I do +not love Lord Mowbray, and my folly was as inexcusable as it has been +without consolation." + +An expression of joy illumined Lebeau's withered features. + +"Good!" he said. "But what motive has led you astray for the moment?" + +"Vanity. Lord Mowbray assured me that he wished to make me his wife." + +"His wife! He never dreamed of doing such a thing! Moreover, such a +marriage would have been impossible. But let us speak no more about it." + +"Are you not going to take me back to my aunt, whom I left in such a +ridiculous predicament, and who must be dying with anxiety about me?" + +"The predicament of which you speak must have soon terminated; and as +for her anxiety, it is my duty not to disturb it for the present. Lord +Mowbray has sworn that, by consent or force, he would abduct you this +night, and I am not sure that you would be safe in the house in Tothill +Fields, where there is no one to defend you, not even your cousin +Reuben. These are my humble lodgings, although none of my acquaintances +know of its existence nor the way thither. Rest here for a few hours. +To-morrow, by daylight, we will consider the situation. Be very sure +that Mrs. Marsham will raise no objection, will address you no shadow of +reproach. Your fault will not transpire, since I will tell her that it +was I who brought you here to save you from the peril which menaced your +honor." + +"She knows you, then?" + +"Very well indeed." + +"For some time?" + +"For a very long time." + +After a brief pause he added,-- + +"It was I who brought you, a little child, to her house before you were +confided to the care of the Quakeresses at Bristol." + +"Is it possible!" + +And, impetuously seizing Lebeau's hand, she added:-- + +"Then you knew my parents? O, I beseech you, sir, tell me something of +my mother! Who was she? Do I resemble her? Where did she die, and how?" + +The queries crowded to her lips in an imperative tumult. + +Lebeau's features relaxed in a melancholy smile. + +"Patience!" he replied. "Later I will tell you all. Only know that your +mother was exceedingly beautiful, and that you are her living image. She +too was carried away by excess of emotion and by the thirst of +adventure. There was no one at hand to give her timely warning, and she +paid dearly for her imprudence." + +Esther bowed her head, while a tear glided slowly from her lashes to her +cheek. + +"It was then that your father met her and took pity upon her. She was in +sore need of pity and protection. Her child was born. You are that +child." + +"Alas!" murmured Esther. "But my father--is he still living?" + +"Yes." + +"Why does he not come? Why does he not show himself? I should be so +happy to embrace him!" + +At this moment an extraordinary change took place in Lebeau. His +features, scarred by the battle with life, his dulled eyes, his entire +vulgar face were ennobled with a solemn tenderness. Irresistibly his +arms seemed to open to clasp the girl to his breast. Then they fell at +his sides, and his face resumed its expression of discouragement and +fatigue. + +"Your father would indeed be happy," he said, "and very proud to call +you his daughter; but circumstances prevent. I do not justify his +conduct; far from it. He has committed wrongs, grievous wrongs,--and +even more than that!" + +Esther recoiled from him violently. + +"You are my father's friend, and you calumniate him!" + +Lebeau's only response was a shrug of his shoulders and a sigh. He +turned to the window, and from a convulsive movement of his back Esther +divined that he was weeping. In a moment she was at his side. + +"Pardon me!" she cried, "pardon! You are perhaps the only human being +whose interest in me is not tainted with calculation. You have saved me +from death, you have saved me from shame, and by way of recompense I +accuse and wound you! O, pardon me, my friend!" + +Delightful words to Lebeau's ear! + +"Thank you, my child," he said; "thank you, and good by. It is already +daybreak, and all is calm. Sleep in peace. In a few hours I will +return." + +And Mons. Lebeau hastened away. Left alone, Esther dared not undress in +a house which filled her with forebodings. She threw herself upon the +bed just as she was, clasping in her hand a tiny poignard which had been +Garrick's gift. Tradition had it that the weapon had once belonged to +Sir William Davenant, who pretended to have received it from Ben Jonson. +The latter, while a soldier in Flanders, had purchased it of a Jew who +came from Italy. It was a marvellous bit of Florentine work, and must +have been manufactured towards the close of the fifteenth century. What +had been its history? In what dramas had it taken part? What ferocious +jealousies, what mortal desires, had it served? Had it ever been dyed +in human blood? In whose snowy breast, in whose throbbing heart, had it +been plunged? Considering these fancies, but especially her own destiny, +her imagination in a whirl, our little heroine fell asleep. + +When she awoke she perceived Lebeau, who stood watching her as she +slept, and she heard the clocks chiming high noon. + +"Well?" she demanded. + +"I came from Tothill Fields," he answered; "the house is full of +soldiers come thither to arrest your cousin Reuben, and they are to +remain there, lying in ambush to surprise him upon his return. Your aunt +has not come home, and up to the present time I have been unable to +discover her place of refuge. Old Maud was alone at the mercy of the +soldiers, whom, in her turn, she provoked and insulted. I have brought +her here. She will attend to your wants and will be a companion for you +so long as you are obliged to lie in concealment here, which from +present appearances may be for some time; for the city is still in an +agitated state, and this very disorder singularly favors your admirer's +plans, since he has not lost the hope of taking his revenge." + +Soon after Lebeau departed, promising to return on the morrow with the +latest tidings; but Sunday passed and he did not appear. On Monday a +child brought an unsigned note from him, which ran:-- + +"I cannot come to see you. I am suspected, and every step I take is +shadowed. Have patience until to-morrow." + +The rioting had begun again, and the two women in their sanctuary +listened to the sound of it as it grew each minute more distinct. +Esther slept but little that night. + +Next day affairs assumed an even more threatening aspect. The Langdale +distillery was in flames close by, although the situation of the house +prevented the girl from following the progress of the catastrophe. +Towards evening, when the tumult increased and the firing became +general, her agitation was extreme. The sight of the flames which +enwrapped the neighboring buildings and threatened her refuge put the +finishing touch upon her anxiety. + +"Shall I remain here," she thought, "shut up with this crazy old +creature, who does nothing but sing psalms? Shall I suffer myself to be +burned alive in this strange trap? Mons. Lebeau has forgotten me or else +he cannot come to me. Who knows if he is even alive?" + +She approached the window and looked at the tower of St. Giles, upon +which the clock marked the first hour of a new day. So brilliant was the +flare from the conflagration that Esther could distinguish the delicate +V-shaped shadow which the hands made upon the dial, the slightest detail +in the sculpture about the dial, and even the joining of the masonry. + +She resolved to depart. But where should she go? She knew not; but first +of all it was necessary to escape from the circle of fire which was fast +hemming her in. She put on her mantle and cast a silken handkerchief +over her hair, knotting it under her chin. Then she called Maud, who had +passed into an adjoining chamber. + +But here she found herself in the presence of an unlooked-for +difficulty. The old woman had fallen fast asleep and only responded to +her words, her entreaties and cries by vague mutterings without +awakening in the slightest degree. Esther shook her in desperation and +tugged at her garments, but her girlish strength, depleted by the sense +of her peril, was powerless to arouse the inert mass. + +Perhaps she might secure assistance from outside! She opened the outer +door, and, standing upon the threshold, cried, "Help!" + +All in vain; her voice was lost, incapable of piercing the tumult. She +was scarcely able to hear it herself. No one appeared. The neighboring +houses, deserted as they were, were slowly yielding to the flames, and +no one appeared to think of disputing the ravage. The almost intolerable +heat fairly scorched the girl's eyelids. + +Then she rushed towards Holborn, crossed like a flash the vaulted +arcade, the only exit which opened from that side, and ran into the +highway. + +There she paused, terrified by the spectacle which met her gaze. + + + + +CHAPTER XVI. + +GAMES OF DEATH AND CHANCE. + + +The Langdale establishment, changed into a furnace, belched forth +torrents of fire at every aperture. The roof had fallen, and the flames +ascended free of all impediment in one great sheet, which, being lashed +by the wind at a certain height, curved into an arch and threatened to +deluge the city with a devouring rain. Before the vast blazing pile a +hideous, anomalous mob clad in indescribable rags and tatters, danced +with furious, drunken joy. Several hours earlier the great hogsheads +which had been dragged out of the distillery had been knocked in the +head without ceremony, and every one had drunk his fill. Then the +precious liquids had escaped, forming foaming pools and rippling +rivulets, in which rare old port mingled with malmsey, and gin with +sherry. Along the line of these pools and rivulets a crowd of human +beings of both sexes and all ages, some with their infants in their +arms, crouched upon their hands and knees, stretching their lips to sip +the wine and mud. These were very soon rendered incapable of regaining +their feet and insensible to the brutal passage of fresh bands, who +trampled them under foot, and thus increased the quivering heap. At last +the sparks falling from the lurid heavens ignited this sea of alcohol, +which surged in bluish, spectral waves, enveloping the wretches, +drowning while it set them on fire. The wallowing bodies writhed like +mutilated serpents, the spasmodic convulsions, vain, desperate efforts, +and hoarse cries having in them no semblance to humanity. Thus the most +horrible of deaths fell upon them in the midst of their intoxication, +without so much as sobering them in the moment of dissolution. Meanwhile +the rest, amidst all this horror, continued their demoniacal dance. + +One of these fiends espied Esther. Staggering with open mouth and +outstretched arms, hideous in his bestial carouse, he made two or three +steps towards her. She fled back to the house, which she reached in a +few moments. Upon the threshold stood Lebeau. + +"At last!" she gasped. "I thought I was going mad!" + +"Be calm," he replied. "I have found Mrs. Marsham, and I am going to +take you to her. I know a way, but there is not a moment to be lost. In +less than an hour this house will be reduced to ashes with the rest." + +"But Maud!--she has lost her senses and refuses to follow me." + +Without a word Lebeau hurried into the chamber, where he found the old +woman. During the moment of silence that ensued Esther heard a sound +upon the lower floor of the house. + +"Some one has opened the door!" she cried; "some one is entering below!" + +She thought with terror of the wretch who had followed her, and whom she +had seen stumble over some obstacle and fall heavily to the ground, +whence he was unable to rise. + +Lebeau reappeared in answer to her warning of danger. Too late! Some one +was mounting the stairs, advancing with rapid step, and when at last +the flare of the conflagration fell upon his features through the open +doorway Esther and Lebeau recognized Lord Mowbray. + +The first thought that presented itself to the girl's mind was that she +had been betrayed. + +"Oh!" she cried, bending upon Lebeau a glance of despair and hatred, +"you have ruined me!" + +This fresh shock proved too much for her endurance. Exhausted with +emotion, she fell, striking her head upon the foot of the bed, and lay +there motionless upon the floor. Lebeau sprang to her, raised her in his +arms, and placed her gently upon the bed; then he bent above her pallid +face. + +"Swooned!" he murmured, as if speaking to himself. + +With folded arms Lord Mowbray watched him, following every movement with +an ironical smile. + +"Master Lebeau!" he said, breaking the silence. + +"My lord?" answered Lebeau, turning and facing him, pale but resolute. + +"Do you still deny that you have played me false?" + +"More than ever do I affirm that I have served your lordship +faithfully." + +"By thwarting my plans and robbing me of this girl?" + +"By robbing you of this girl, yes. It was my duty." + +"Your duty? That is the first time I have ever heard the word upon your +lips." + +"That was my fault. After all, my lord, perhaps there is a God." + +"You should have sooner told me so. If you are converted, go join the +hypocrites of your ilk, and leave me. This deserted place, this night of +conflagration and slaughter, this unconscious girl,--all suits me well. +I have a fancy for adventure which has no vulgar tang about it." + +Standing between the bed where Esther lay and young Mowbray, Lebeau did +not move. + +"Excuse me, my lord," he said steadily, "it is you who are to leave. You +will not lay a finger upon this child." + +"Why not?" + +"Because I forbid you." + +"And pray why do you forbid me?" + +"_Because she is my daughter and your sister!_" + +For an instant Mowbray stood transfixed with amazement; then he burst +into a laugh. + +"By my soul!" he exclaimed, "my father was right: you are the most +amusing rascal in the world! Long live Lebeau! No human being but you +could have conceived such an idea. The day that my father awoke in the +bottom of that monster pie, the surprise was good, but it cannot hold a +candle to this one! After this night's affair no one can ever say that +you are degenerating; for your imagination, my dear man, was never so +brilliant. Ask me a hundred pounds, or twice that amount; I will refuse +you nothing. But go away now and let the farce end. I have enough of +it." + +"I shall not go, and this is no farce. I repeat, Esther Woodville is +your sister." + +The young man smiled disdainfully. + +"Would you have me believe that Lady Mowbray--" + +"Lady Mowbray was a saint! May she hear and pardon me!" + +"Amen!" + +"Mock if you will, for you will not mock long. Lady Mowbray had nothing +whatever to do with this affair; moreover, Lady Mowbray was a stranger +to your birth, sir!" + +This time the young nobleman recoiled in rage. + +"Listen to me," said Lebeau authoritatively. + +Esther was beginning to recover a vague consciousness. Athwart the +shadows of her swoon thought began to reassert itself, though doubtful, +timid, misty. Stretched upon the bed, incapable of movement, her eyes +closed, she heard voices without comprehending what they said, without +distinguishing the sense of what was spoken. + +"Twenty-three years ago," continued Lebeau, "two women were _enceintes_ +at the same time, the wife and the mistress of Lord Mowbray, one at his +residence in St. James's, the other in a chamber of his 'Folly' at +Chelsea. The latter was the daughter of a London shop-keeper, whom Lord +Mowbray had abducted from her family, and had concealed as his prisoner. +It was Fate's decree that his lordship should be made a father twice in +one and the same night. He called my attention to your vigor and +vitality when you came into the world. 'Look, Lebeau,' he said to me, +'it is a genuine love-child. See how strong he is, while the other--' +Then a thought occurred to him: why not substitute the illegitimate for +the legitimate child? He hated his wife as he hated all things good and +pure. The thought of rearing the child of a rival charmed him, and he +considered me worthy to execute the change. It was I who bribed the +young nobleman's nurse and placed you in his cradle. When your mother's +health was re-established Lord Mowbray washed his hands of her and the +child whom she believed hers. It was enough for him that the child +should be dispossessed of his fortune and title; he desired that he +should be wretched, deprived of everything. He knew that the family of +his mistress, inflexible as they were in principles, would close their +doors upon the fallen girl and her child. At rest upon this point, he +forbade me to give the sufferers aid, and I disobeyed him." + +"That was the beginning of virtue!" + +"No, sir. I found her beautiful and provided for her. In my turn she +made me a father, but I treated her as though I were a grand gentleman. +I sank to the infamous level of Lord Mowbray. I exposed her to all the +hazards and misery of a wandering life. She became an actress and +travelled from country town to country town, with a troop of mediocre +actors, dragging Lady Mowbray's son along with her, the child whose +position and name you had usurped. She died--almost starving!" + +Lebeau pronounced these final words in a harsh tone of profound woe, +upon which slowly accumulated remorse had set the tinge of indescribable +bitterness. + +"My daughter," he continued after a pause, "I saved from this cruel +existence, provided for her education, and placed her in the home of +honest folk." + +"And the other,--the vagabond, my pretended brother?" + +Beneath Mowbray's apparent irony Lebeau detected his anxiety. + +"His life has been hard, frightfully hard, sir; until the age of ten +years so cruel was it that the recital of his sufferings would touch +any other heart than yours. From one adventure to another he at last +fell into the hands of the Thames pirates, who made a little thief of +him, and reared him for a life of shame and crime." + +"Very much as you reared me." + +"It is true. I merit the reproach and accept it; but while your evil +instincts grew apace, the germ of good developed in your brother. He +fled from those who had marked him for wrong-doing, and was received by +upright persons.--Ah, you would like to know if he still lives? Do you +think me fool enough to deliver him over to your jealousy and +suspicions? No. You now know enough of this business to understand that +you ought not to remain here an instant longer." + +"I have listened to you even unto the end with a patience that +astonishes me. It would appear from this recital that I am under +nameless obligation to you, your _protégé_, your creature. As the king +reigns by the grace of God, I am a nobleman by permission of Mons. +Lebeau, and if I cease to merit his good opinion, I lose everything! +Well," he added, suddenly changing his tone, "I do not care to know how +much truth there is in your story, but I do know that this situation is +no longer tenable. No such man as I am ought to be at the mercy of a +Lebeau, hanging upon his discretion. The surest means of my assuring +myself of your silence is to kill you! And kill you I will!" + +Saying these words, he whipped out his sword and darted upon his former +tutor. + +Esther uttered a feeble cry, but the cry was lost in a frightful crash. +A neighboring wall, undermined by the fire, reeled and fell, striking +upon the roof of the house. A rafter in falling struck the window and +shattered it. A dense, stifling smoke, starred with a myriad sparks, +filled the chamber. + +Meanwhile Lebeau, who had never for an instant lost sight of Mowbray's +movements, had darted backward a pace or two, thus placing a table +between himself and his adversary, at the same time drawing his sword in +his turn. Now they were equally matched. It was he who had first placed +a fencing-foil in the young man's hand, he who had taught him with +infinite patience all the secrets of the French and Italian schools of +fencing. In those very schools had they studied the noble art in +company, not disdaining the lessons of resident masters. They had fenced +together every day for ten years, but had never succeeded in scratching +each other, so easy was it for either to parry the thrusts of the other +and to divine his intentions. However, it was necessary that one of +these two men, who had lived so long together as master and disciple, +almost as father and son, should take the other's life; and each bore +written upon his very eyes the fierce desire, the implacable longing, to +kill. + +It was not a duel, but a combat. Shifting their footing, retreating +precipitately or lunging unexpectedly, profiting by every obstacle, +bending forward until they almost squatted upon the ground, or bounding +into the air, every few moments they would desist, watching each other, +panting, bathed in perspiration, their features rigid as if petrified +with the same mortal intent. The furniture lay about them upset and +broken, and all the while the smoke continued to thicken. It grew +suffocating and darkened the chamber, recently so bright, while at the +same time it altered the character of the combat, which threatened to +become a blind struggle in the dark. Not a word was exchanged; nothing +was audible but the stifled oaths, the short, harsh breathing that +rattled in the throat, the hissing of the crossed swords, that metallic +sound which freezes the marrow in the bones like a death-knell. In the +adjoining chamber old Maud chanted:-- + +"Saul hath slain a thousand, but David hath slain ten thousand! Glory be +to the God of hosts! _Deus Sabaoth! Alleluia!_" + +Outside the house the tumult of the horrible fête had waned and expired +in a vague, distant wail, intermingled with the dying shrieks of the +participants. + +Slowly Esther raised herself upon her elbow; with eyes dilated with +horror she watched the two men as they pursued and evaded each other, +leaping like stags in the ruddy smoke which was neither day nor night. +She fancied herself the dupe of some hideous nightmare. + +Neither of the combatants seemed aware of her presence, since both held +their sight riveted upon the tips of their swords as if their very souls +had passed into the glittering points. But Lebeau was weakening, and he +knew it. His grasp trembled and his sight grew dim from minute to +minute. A cold sweat pearled upon his brow, which he attempted to wipe +away with a swift gesture of his left arm; but the beads grew more +abundant, dripped from his eyebrows to his eyelids, and obscured his +vision. His weary feet struck the furniture; already had he stumbled +once; a sort of vertigo caused surrounding objects to whirl about him. +It was death!... Then in sheer desperation he thrust out blindly. + +Esther saw the two men run each other through, fall almost one on top of +the other, roll heavily over upon the floor, and lie motionless. Again +she lost consciousness, and for a time no sound disturbed the silence of +the chamber save the chanting of the mad woman. + +However, Lebeau raised himself, and strove to collect his ideas and +strength. He was losing great quantities of blood, but the welfare of +Esther was the only clear thought which remained amidst the baleful +giddiness which had invaded his brain. Save Esther! But how? Bear her +away in his arms? He could not do it. Had he even the strength left to +crawl to the stairs, drag himself down and through the alley in search +of help? Yes, there was no alternative. But in the mean time would not +the fire reach her in its swift course? Would not the smoke asphyxiate +the poor child? Stimulated by this alarming thought, the unhappy man +began to drag himself by his bruised and bleeding hands. Every now and +then he was forced to pause, exhausted, fainting, believing that the end +had come. "Esther!"--that name alone revived him. His daughter! his +child! No, he would not leave her to die like that. As for himself, what +mattered it? But _she_, so young, so beautiful,--she, for whom life was +so full of promise! Thus he advanced step by step, lowering himself from +stair to stair amidst the most atrocious agony. + +[Illustration] + +But when he reached the foot of the stairs he discovered that the wind +had closed the door which Lord Mowbray had left open. He stretched out +his hand and tried to raise himself upon his knee. He could not do it. +Horrible mockery! So simple an action,--to raise a latch, thrust open a +door; but he could not do even so much, he who had accomplished such +extraordinary feats! And salvation lay beyond that door, for it seemed +to him--or was it an illusion?--that he caught the sound of voices in +the court. He strove to raise his voice, but no sound issued from his +lips. Then he sank down in an inert mass, his body obstructing the door +which he would have given the last hour of his existence to open! + +Lebeau had not been mistaken; there were voices in the alley-way. +Perhaps, had he been able to attempt one supreme effort, he would have +recognized the voice of his compatriot, the surgeon of the poor, and +that of Francis Monday. + +In fact, they were continuing their work of succoring the unfortunates, +upon which they had been engaged for several hours. They had relieved +more than one wounded sufferer, had snatched from the flames more than +one wretch lying at death's door. They pursued their course like +soldiers of duty and humanity, soiled with blood and mud, their +eyelashes singed, their clothing in disorder. Many times had the flying +bullets grazed them. Many times had they been insulted and menaced. They +had seen one of their number crushed by the fall of a blazing wall, but +their zeal had not been dampened; and it was Frank who, in a sort of +heroic frenzy, now urged on his companions. + +It was rumored in the crowd that behind the flaming ruins of the +Langdale establishment was a group of dwellings, now wrapped in fire, +which had not been evacuated by the inhabitants. + +In seeking a way to reach these unfortunate sufferers, Levet and Frank +had gained the alley-way upon which Lebeau's little house was situated. + +Suddenly Frank paused. + +"Did you hear that?" he exclaimed. + +"What?" + +"I don't know.--A voice--singing--in this house!" + +They held their breath, and the psalmody of old Maud distinctly reached +the ears of the surgeon and his followers. + +"There is someone in there!" cried Levet, "and the roof is already on +fire! They must be raving maniacs!--What ho! Within there!" + +He walked around the house, endeavoring to attract the attention of the +inmates. + +"Can you not see that the fire is gaining upon you?" he cried. "Come +out, quick!" + +But there was no reply, only in the interim of silence they again heard +the old fool's monotonous chanting, the very words even being audible. + +"We must save them at any cost!" exclaimed Levet. "Come, comrades!" + +They tried to force the door, but as it resisted their efforts they +supposed it must be locked. + +"To the window!" said Frank. + +With a blow of his elbow he shattered the glass, and, inserting his hand +through the fracture, adroitly opened the casement. It was one of the +talents taught him by his early instructors, the river thieves. + +Then, springing upon the window ledge, he entered the chamber, followed +by Levet. + +"One dead already!" cried the surgeon. "Great Heaven, it is Lebeau! No, +he still breathes! Hand me a lantern, gentlemen!" + +He was already upon his knees beside the dying man. + +At the name of Lebeau a sudden thought crossed Frank's mind. If the man +he had sought high and low had been found in this sordid retreat, +perhaps he was close upon the solution of the enigma. Hastily he sprang +up the steep steps of the little stairway,--so hastily that he slipped +in the tracks left by Lebeau's bleeding hands. Upon the landing of the +second floor an unexpected enemy lay in wait for him; a jet of smoke and +flame, issuing from the wide-open door, scorched his face and nearly +suffocated him. With his hands upon his eyes he attempted to rush +through, but tripped over a pair of legs extended upon the floor. + +"Still another body!" he thought with horror. + +Upon his knees he felt his way with difficulty up to the face of the +dead. It was Lord Mowbray who lay there upon his back, his hair burned +to a crisp, his features blackened but still set in that last defiant +grimace. + +Frank had seen enough and was about to recoil to the door, when it +seemed to him that in a corner of the chamber he descried a human figure +lying upon a bed. + +Gathering all his energy, he darted thither. + +Esther!--it was she! + +"Help!" he cried; "help! Levet!" + +The surgeon answered the call with several men, but they were arrested +by the terrible current of scorching air which traversed the chamber +from the window to the door. + +"She is dead, and I will die with her!" + +Such was the only thought that filled Frank's distracted brain. In +despair he threw himself upon the bed, murmuring, "Esther, my beloved!" + +And even in that awful moment when his lips touched that still warm +cheek the supreme contact was one of ineffable sweetness. Knotting his +arms about the object of his love, who had not been granted the +opportunity to love him, the poor boy bade farewell to life. + +But simultaneously a voice, scarcely more than a sigh, murmured in his +ear, "Save me!" + +In an instant he was upon his feet. With a vigor of which he would not +have believed himself capable a moment before, he raised the girl in his +arms and sprang with her through the belt of igneous smoke. + + + + +CHAPTER XVII. + +HORACE AND SHAKESPEARE. + + +The sun was already high above the horizon when at last Lebeau opened +his eyes. The brilliant light of dawn, penetrating the chamber where he +lay, wounded his sight, and his heavy eyelids drooped. After a moment he +raised them painfully and perceived the kindly face of the surgeon of +the poor bending above him. + +"Do you recognize me?" he asked. + +The sufferer made an affirmative sign and feebly faltered Levet's name. +Then in a low, indistinct tone he inquired,-- + +"Where am I?" + +"At Dr. Johnson's house. Keep perfectly quiet and all will be well." + +Suddenly memory asserted its sway. + +"Esther!" Lebeau cried, in as eager and anxious a voice as his utter +prostration would permit. + +"Miss Woodville is here. She is alive, having only fainted. There was a +slight abrasion of the flesh behind her ear, probably the result of a +fall; but that will soon disappear. And as for you, my good friend, we +shall soon have you upon your feet again." + +Lebeau moved his eyes in a negative sign, and with a sad smile +murmured,-- + +"My account is settled. Why do you attempt to deceive me? Am I a +coward?" + +A moment later he asked,-- + +"Who saved Esther?" + +"Francis Monday, the foundling, Sir Joshua Reynolds's pupil." + +Levet briefly recounted how the rescue had come about; how old Maud, +whose obstinacy and madness had nearly been the cause of her young +mistress's death, had finally saved her life by her psalm-singing; with +what infinite difficulty they had entered the house and snatched from +the devouring flames three living beings and one corpse. + +"One thing is certain," he concluded, "and that is, that these two +children love each other. It was his future wife whom Frank saved last +night in Holborn, and, though this sad week will leave its mark in ruins +for many a day, it has at least served to make two hearts supremely +happy." + +A profound satisfaction overspread the pallid features of the dying man. + +"Miss Woodville has begged several times to see you. Shall I bring her +to you?" + +Lebeau's face brightened still more. Then he appeared to reflect. Of +course it would have been balm to his departing soul to make himself +known to her, to be a father for one short hour, to go with the pardon +and caress of his child. But would she not repulse him? Would she find +him worthy of her? And after all, was it not better that she should +remain a foundling rather than be known as the child of Lebeau, the +adventurer, the professor and purveyor of vice to the great?--Ah, well! +he would hold his peace, would die without disturbing any one, and leave +her happy. But in any case he must hasten to inform Frank who he was, +and give him the means of establishing his identity. + +"Frank!" he murmured. "I wish to see Frank--to speak with him." + +"You have made sufficient effort for to-day. Rest now; to-morrow you +shall talk with him." + +"To-morrow--I shall not be here. Go--go and find him." + +Without further objection Levet, who understood the true condition of +his patient, left the chamber. In a few moments he reappeared, followed +by Frank and Esther hand in hand. Their faces, radiant with youth and +happiness, clouded with sadness. With bowed heads and faltering steps +they approached the bed. Frank paused upon one side, while Esther sank +upon her knees at the other. + +"Father!" she breathed. + +"Then you heard--" + +"All!" + +The emotion proved too much for the sufferer. He felt his head swim, and +believed that the final vertigo had come. + +"Only one moment!" he murmured, as though demanding respite of the +destructive forces of nature; "Frank must know--" + +"Frank already knows that he is the true Lord Mowbray," whispered +Esther. + +"But the proofs!" pursued Lebeau; "the proofs are necessary. The nurse, +Elizabeth Hughes, still lives--at Bangor--in Wales. She will give all +the necessary evidence.--Elizabeth Hughes--do not forget!" + +He was exhausted with so much speech. His aching eyes had lost their +circumspection. Gropingly his hand sought the fair head of his daughter +and rested there. Then his thoughts fled backward over forty long years. +Again he saw the humble peasant's cot in the mountains of Dauphiné, +whence he had set out to see the world. We saw a dying woman lying upon +her bed,--his mother! Her faltering hand was laid upon his boyish head, +pressing it gently, tenderly. All the remainder of his existence had +vanished; all that remained was the Alpha and Omega; an utter void +united that caress received and this caress given. It was a foretaste of +that world where there is no reckoning of time, where moments are as +ages, where thoughts and acts are lost in one eternal present. + +Entering noiselessly, Levet passed here and there about the room upon +tiptoe. Lebeau realized all that took place, but the power of perception +had abandoned him. + +"Are you there, doctor?" he asked. + +"Yes." + +"Bring them close to me." + +Esther stooped and kissed the brow upon which the dews of death had +begun to gather. + +"We shall meet again, father," she whispered. + +"Perhaps," faltered Lebeau. + +"Did you wish to sleep?" inquired Levet, when the young people had left +the room. + +"No, but I could not die before them. There is no use in saddening their +young lives." + +The surgeon did not attempt to deny the danger. + +"You are a brave man, comrade," he said; "and since you are able to look +death in the eye, do you not wish to make some preparation? There is a +Catholic priest here in the house. Although Dr. Johnson is no friend to +the papists, he has given this man the protection and shelter of his +roof. If you desire to see him I--" + +But Lebeau made a negative sign, while by some singular reaction the +sceptic and philosopher again took possession of his expiring body. + +"Read to me," he said, "the ode of Horace--to Posthumus." + +"Horace's ode to Posthumus!" repeated Levet, scarcely believing that he +had heard aright. + +But he had made no mistake. It was Lebeau's wish that the Horatian ode +should be read to him instead of the prayers for the dying. The aged +surgeon arose and passed into an adjoining apartment, which contained +Dr. Johnson's library. Soon he returned with a large book in his hand, +and seated himself at the bedside. In a slow, impressive voice he began +to read the famous ode, which the dying man accompanied in a low murmur, +punctuating the familiar verses as though he were giving the responses +to a psalm. + +"'_Visendus ater flumine languido_,'" Levet read. + +"'_Cocytus errans_,'" continued Lebeau faintly. + +But when Levet pronounced the fatal words, which typify "the end-all +here," _Linguenda tellus_, he perceived that no response came from the +bed. Quickly he bent above the poor pagan, and placed his hand upon his +heart; finding no answering throb there, with reverent fingers he closed +the eyes of the dead. + + * * * * * + +After a few days London regained her habitual aspect. Blackened ruins; +fragments of walls and roofs, still sheltering emptiness; gaping, +desolate spaces, which had once been human abodes with happy firesides, +about which many generations had been warmed and cheered,--these alone +remained to tell the tale of that four days' madness, of the strange +delirium which had fallen upon the great city. But how many human +remains lay beneath these ruins, which would never be recognized, and +how many corpses had been swallowed by the Thames? One knew not, one +dared not attempt to estimate. Some unfortunate wretches, who confessed +nothing and remembered still less, or, lost to all sense of decency, +accused each other, were hastily tried and hanged. The principal +criminal, he who had loosed the passions of the populace, Gordon, was +already under lock and key in Newgate. Had he been more misguided than +perverse? He was given the benefit of the doubt. His madness, and +perhaps his rank, saved him: but the remarkable fact remains that this +man, who had set fire to London and led to death several hundred human +beings, not to mention the enormous destruction of property of which he +was the cause, was not punished; though a few years later, having +written some insolent lines upon Queen Marie Antoinette, he was thrown +into prison and there languished for the remainder of his days. + +When Reuben at last appeared after a considerable lapse of time, the +events of June, 1780, had begun to be obliterated from the public mind. +Though in no way apprehensive for his personal safety, he seemed pursued +by a memory, haunted by a remorse which it was impossible to evade. +Gloomy and humiliated, he shunned meeting his "brethren," who accused +him of having deserted them in the hour of peril. He made no opposition +to his cousin's marriage, but refused to be present; and on the very day +that the wedding was celebrated he embarked with some emigrants bound +for Canada. Thence later he journeyed to Botany Bay, after which time no +tidings were received from him. It was thought that he preached the +gospel in Australia. Some believed that he was killed and devoured by +cannibals; others pretended that he died at Sydney in extreme old age. + +Lady Vereker, whose name has been assumed out of respect to her family, +continued her disorderly course of life and became a desperate +faro-player, remaining steadfast to her alliance with Lady +Buckinghamshire, Lady Archer, and Mrs. Hobart. She transformed into a +_quatuor_ the ignobly famous trio whom the caricaturist Gillray so +frequently exposed to ridicule and shame in his cruel sketches. + +Mrs. Marsham recovered her peaceful afternoons in which she was wont to +dream those pious dreams which translated her to Paradise, where she +never failed to be received with distinction. Mr. O'Flannigan, the +crisis over, resumed the slaughter of his enemies (in words, be it +understood), and acted as prompter until his own cue came summoning him +from the field of service. Maud never recovered the minimum of sense +with which Heaven had endowed her. In the asylum to which she was +banished she continually narrated the end of the world, which she firmly +believed she had witnessed. + +Thanks to the testimony of Elizabeth Hughes, Frank was able with but +little difficulty to establish claim to his title and possessions. The +king and queen, together with the entire nobility, evinced the deepest +interest in his romantic story and that of his young wife. + +He resolved to destroy the "Folly," which could only serve evil purposes +and recall unpleasant memories. Before its demolition Esther expressed a +wish to see the place which had exerted so strange an influence upon her +life and that of her husband; consequently they visited those haunts +which had never witnessed a pure, upright love,--love as clear as the +day and conscious in its pride. + +It was just one year after Lebeau's death, and a perfect summer's day. +The radiance of an unclouded sun flooded the apartments, to which still +clung an indescribably sensual perfume, the faded hangings, and +licentious pictures. Esther could not disassociate the thought of her +ill-starred mother from this abyss, while Frank evoked the memory of his +mother, the pale, charming being whom Reynolds had sketched, towards +whom his heart had involuntarily yearned. Had not every stone in this +hideous house weighed upon her as heavily as though she had worn it +about her neck? Had not every infidelity which this den of infamy had +witnessed cost her a tear, a pang, humiliation? Thus, hand in hand, they +passed from room to room, oppressed at heart; and they experienced a +sense of infinite relief when at last the doors of the accursed mansion +closed behind them and they saw God's daylight resting upon the meadows +and the mellow cornfields softly swaying in the June breeze. + +At the Bun-house were congregated many Londoners, who had come out to +the country to enjoy this rare day. Sedan-chairs, coaches and horses +held by pages in brilliant livery, formed a picturesque group; while +dogs barked joyously amidst the crowd. The porters and grooms were +grouped about a juggler, who aroused their merriment with his tricks, or +smoked their pipes beneath the ample, pillared veranda of the house. +Within doors some were admiring the silver pitcher presented to Mistress +Hand by Queen Charlotte, or the two leaden grenadiers, with their +German shakos in sugar candy, and uniforms of 1745; while others, seated +about a grass plot beneath elm-trees trained into the shape of vaulted +arches, sipped a dish of tea with one of those famous smoking, piping +hot buns as its accompaniment. These delicate, savory confections had +made the reputation of the house. + +The remaining few had formed a circle about Rahab, the fortune-teller. +Perceiving Frank and Esther among her audience, she impudently +exclaimed,-- + +[Illustration] + +"Ask that pair if I do not tell the truth! It was I who predicted their +happiness." + +"You!" said Esther, amazed at her audacity. "Do you pretend that you +predicted to me--" + +"I told you that you would marry Lord Mowbray. Have I deceived you?" + +Esther smiled and blushed. + +"Give her a trifle," she said to her husband. + +And while the young nobleman emptied his purse into the gypsy's hands, +Garrick's pupil murmured these verses of her favorite poet,-- + + "All yet seems well; and if it end so meet, + The bitter past, more welcome is the sweet." + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Garrick's Pupil, by Auguston Filon + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GARRICK'S PUPIL *** + +***** This file should be named 35023-8.txt or 35023-8.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/3/5/0/2/35023/ + +Produced by Annie McGuire. 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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: Garrick's Pupil + +Author: Auguston Filon + +Translator: J. V. Prichard + +Release Date: January 21, 2011 [EBook #35023] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GARRICK'S PUPIL *** + + + + +Produced by Annie McGuire. This book was produced from +scanned images of public domain material from the Google +Print archive. + + + + + + +</pre> + + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 379px;"> +<img src="images/ill_001.jpg" width="379" height="600" alt="Book Cover" title="" /> +</div> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h1>GARRICK'S PUPIL.</h1> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2>GARRICK'S PUPIL</h2> + +<h2>By AUGUSTIN FILON</h2> + +<h3><i>Translated by</i></h3> + +<h2>J. V. PRICHARD</h2> + +<h3>Illustrated</h3> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 100px;"> +<img src="images/ill_002.jpg" width="100" height="99" alt="" title="" /> +</div> + +<h4>CHICAGO</h4> + +<h4>A. C. McCLURG & COMPANY</h4> + +<h4>1893</h4> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<p class="center"><span class="smcap">Copyright</span>,</p> + +<p class="center"><span class="smcap">By A. C. McClurg & Co</span>.</p> + +<p class="center">A. D. 1893.</p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2>CONTENTS.</h2> + +<div class='center'> +<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary=""> +<tr><td align='right'>I.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_I"><b><span class="smcap">Painter and Model</span></b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align='right'>II.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_II"><b><span class="smcap">A Supper at Sir Joshua's</span></b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align='right'>III.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_III"><b><span class="smcap">Lady Vereker's Boudoir</span></b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align='right'>IV.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_IV"><b><span class="smcap">The Brooks Club</span></b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align='right'>V.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_V"><b><span class="smcap">A Strange Education</span></b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align='right'>VI.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_VI"><b><span class="smcap">The House in Tothill Fields</span></b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align='right'>VII.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_VII"><b><span class="smcap">Confidences</span></b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align='right'>VIII.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII"><b><span class="smcap">Mr. Fisher's Substitute</span></b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align='right'>IX.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_IX"><b><span class="smcap">Much Ado about Nothing</span></b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align='right'>X.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_X"><b><span class="smcap">Death to the Papists</span></b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align='right'>XI.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_XI"><b><span class="smcap">The Day of Days</span></b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align='right'>XII.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_XII"><b><span class="smcap">The Masquerade at the Pantheon</span></b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align='right'>XIII.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII"><b><span class="smcap">Mowbray's Folly at Chelsea</span></b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align='right'>XIV.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV"><b><span class="smcap">Vain Quests</span></b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align='right'>XV.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_XV"><b><span class="smcap">Sanctuary</span></b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align='right'>XVI.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI"><b><span class="smcap">Games of Death and Chance</span></b></a></td></tr> +<tr><td align='right'>XVII.</td><td align='left'><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII"><b><span class="smcap">Horace and Shakespeare</span></b></a></td></tr> +</table></div> + +<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span></p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I.</h2> + +<h3>PAINTER AND MODEL.</h3> + +<p>Just as the third hour of the afternoon had sounded from the belfry of +Saint Martin's-in-the-Fields, a hackney coach drew up before the most +pretentious mansion upon the west side of Leicester Fields; and while +the coachman hastened to agitate the heavy door-knocker, a young woman, +almost a child, sprang out upon the pavement without waiting to have the +shaky steps unfolded and lowered for her convenience. Her dust-colored +mantle, disarranged by her rapid movements, revealed a rich costume +beneath; while the dazzled passer-by might have caught a glimpse, amidst +the whiteness of the elevated skirts, of a tiny pair of red satin +slippers and two slender, exquisitely moulded ankles finely clad in +silken hose with embroidered clocks.</p> + +<p>The girl turned and assisted a more aged woman, leaning upon a +crutch-headed cane, to descend. This lady wore the big straw bonnet and +gray gown of the Quaker persuasion,—a rigidly simple costume, which +occasionally is becoming to extreme youth, but rarely enhances maturer +charms.</p> + +<p>It was one of those glorious days of the English springtide when life +seems endurable even<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> to the hapless, grateful even to the invalid. A +bland breeze rustled the branches of the grand old trees which in double +rows framed the open square. Several children were at play upon the +spacious grass-plot, which was intersected by diagonal paths of yellow +sand. The square was silent, and slept in the voluptuous warmth of the +perfect afternoon; but from the north side came the bustle and confusion +that resembled the turmoil of some festival. It was the continuous din +of the two tides of life which here meet and cross each other, the one +surging from Covent Garden and Chancery Lane, the other from Piccadilly +and St. James's. Pedestrians and horsemen, coaches and sedan chairs, +went to make up a glittering, varied hodgepodge, amidst which +flower-girls and newsboys fought their way, together with the venders of +"hot buns." Gentlemen saluted with exaggerated gesture, pressing their +cocked hats to their breasts and affectedly inclining their heads +towards their right shoulder; while the ladies fluttered their fans and +nodded the edifices of flowers and feathers which served in lieu of a +head-dress. The intoxicating odor of iris powder, of benzoin, bergamot, +and patchouli floated upon the air. The beggars leaning against the +railing of the square and the Irish chairmen indolently smoking their +pipes, for whom life is but a spectacle, watched the passage of others' +happiness. A bright, genial sun polished the flanks of the plaster horse +in the centre of the square, upon which rode a prince of the House of +Hanover. It shone upon the head of the gilded cock which served as sign +to Hogarth's old shop, flamed upon the windows of Newton's sham +observatory, glistened upon the roofs, played<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> along the line of +coaches, set tiny mirrors upon the harnesses of the horses, glittered in +the diamonds in the women's ears, and on the swords that clattered +against the men's legs, set a spangle here or a spark there, and bathed +all things in a blaze of light and joy.</p> + +<p>Meanwhile a lackey in a livery embroidered in silver had opened the door +to the two women.</p> + +<p>"Sir Joshua Reynolds?"</p> + +<p>The lackey hesitated, but at the moment Ralph, the painter's +confidential man, appeared upon the steps.</p> + +<p>"Miss Woodville?" he inquired in his turn.</p> + +<p>"Yes," replied the girl.</p> + +<p>"Be good enough to follow me, Miss Woodville"; adding with a smile, "You +are prompt."</p> + +<p>"It is the custom of the theatre. Lean upon my arm, aunt."</p> + +<p>At this moment Miss Woodville was saluted with a "good-morning" uttered +by so strange, so guttural, so piercing a voice that she involuntarily +started.</p> + +<p>"Don't be alarmed," said Ralph; "it is the bird."</p> + +<p>"What bird?"</p> + +<p>"Sir Joshua's parrot. He was in the courtyard, but had to be removed to +the dining-room because he fought with the eagle."</p> + +<p>"An eagle! a parrot! Pray what are they doing here?"</p> + +<p>"They pose. Miss Woodville must have noticed them in more than one of +Sir Joshua's pictures. Oh, we all take our turns in sitting as models to +him. Yesterday I was a shepherd; the day before, a sea-god."</p> + +<p>The good man drew himself up at the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span> recollection of the lofty dignity +with which his master's confidence had invested him.</p> + +<p>Thus chatting, they reached the first floor. Ralph introduced the ladies +into a gallery filled with roughly sketched canvases. He knocked twice +upon the door at the extreme end, but received no response.</p> + +<p>"How deaf the President grows!" he murmured, shaking his head.</p> + +<p>Without further delay he opened the door.</p> + +<p>Miss Woodville and her companion found themselves upon the threshold of +quite a spacious chamber, lighted by a large window facing the north and +nine feet in height.</p> + +<p>The room contained an easel upon which rested a white canvas; near the +easel stood a large mirror; upon a table near by lay the palette, all +ready and fresh, with a row of little paint jars. The model's chair, +raised upon a dais and revolving upon a pivot, was placed next to that +of the painter, and opposite the mirror. About the room several sofas +were arranged. There were no knickknacks; no cluttering; nothing to +offend the sight, unless it was that just about the painter's chair the +floor was black with snuff.</p> + +<p>The man who advanced slowly to meet the strangers, making use of his +maul-stick as a cane, while in the other he carried a silver +ear-trumpet, was none other than Sir Joshua Reynolds himself, the +greatest painter of women that the world has ever known.</p> + +<p>The first impression he made upon his visitors was disappointing, +indefinable.</p> + +<p>That expansive brow which the hair, brushed straightly back, disclosed +did not lack nobility; but the under lip, cleft by a wound and shrunken<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span> +in the middle, lent to the mouth an expression at once unpleasant and +strained. The eyes were concealed behind the crystalline glimmer of +spectacles securely attached to the back of the head by broad black +ribbons. The spare, calmly cold figure bore neither the trace of precise +age nor the certainty of sex. At some distance and in obscurity one +would have hesitated to pronounce it as that of a youth or an aged +woman. Perhaps in some way the air of indecision and anxiety was due to +that expression peculiar to those afflicted with deafness whose aim it +is to dissimulate their infirmity.</p> + +<p>He cast upon the old Quakeress a rapid, searching glance; then his eyes +rested complacently upon Miss Woodville; his features, cold to +unpleasantness, softened and became animated. Already had he painted +three thousand portraits, but, far from being weary of his profession, +his enthusiasm for the wonders of the human physiognomy increased each +time that he found himself in the presence of a new model. Each time he +thought, "<i>This</i> will be my <i>chef-d'œuvre</i>!"</p> + +<p>The girl was quickly relieved of her mantle, which Ralph laid aside. She +was dressed in the costume of Rosalind, as she had appeared at Drury +Lane for the first time six months previously,—memorable night! when +she had only to show herself to vanquish and carry by storm the hearts +of all London.</p> + +<p>A wide-brimmed hat of gray felt with plumes, a corsage of rose-pink +taffety embroidered in silver, and a skirt of green velvet closely +plaited—such was the costume.</p> + +<p>The small, childish head, framed in a profusion of chestnut curls, was +illumined by a pair of great<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> brown eyes. With the eye of a connoisseur +Reynolds regarded the delicate complexion, over which ran at the +slightest provocation the rosiest of blushes, and over which every throb +of the heart sent a hint of the tide of life, regarded that brilliant, +mobile glance of the eye, in the depths of which played every +description of piqued curiosity and <i>naïf</i> desire, lost in the riotous +joy of living, of being sweet sixteen, celebrated and beautiful.</p> + +<p>"Sit there, Miss Woodville," said the President of the Royal Academy, +indicating the pivot chair.</p> + +<p>"What! Ought I not to be placed opposite you?"</p> + +<p>"No; rather at my side. We shall both benefit by the arrangement. +Instead of looking at an ugly old painter, you will perceive your own +charming image in the mirror and will smile upon it, while I have my +sketch all done for me."</p> + +<p>The old lady had drawn a roll of bank-notes from her pocket, which she +proceeded carefully to count and re-count.</p> + +<p>"I believe it is the custom," she said.</p> + +<p>Sir Joshua acquiesced in silence with a cold smile. An able accountant +and serious man of business, this President of the Royal Academy! The +price of his portraits was invariably paid him, one half on the occasion +of the first sitting, the remainder on the day that the finished work +was delivered. As to the price, it varied according to the dimension; it +had also varied with the epoch and had increased with the reputation of +the artist. A full-length portrait cost at that time (1780) one hundred +and fifty pounds sterling.</p> + +<p>The Quakeress, therefore, placed upon a table seventy-five pounds in +notes and gold pieces<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> bearing the effigy of George III. As Miss +Woodville was not yet sufficiently wealthy to order a portrait from the +great painter, a group of enthusiastic amateurs had raised the necessary +money in order to decorate the lobby of the theatre with the portrait.</p> + +<p>"Am I permitted to talk?" inquired the girl.</p> + +<p>"As much as you please."</p> + +<p>"Oh, that's good!" she said, drawing a breath of relief; "and may I ask +a question?"</p> + +<p>"Ten, if you see fit."</p> + +<p>"Sir Joshua, why are you making me so deathly white? I look like a +statue."</p> + +<p>Reynolds smiled.</p> + +<p>"What will you say at the next sitting? I shall tint you all in Naples +yellow."</p> + +<p>"Fie!—horrors! Why do you do that?"</p> + +<p>"Ah, that is my little secret! My enemies pretend that I have scraped a +Watteau, others say a Titian, in order to discover the successive layers +of color and surprise the method of these masters. And why should I not? +All means are justifiable so long as one succeeds in imitating life. +Others pretend that I paint on wax. They may say what they please. +Hudson, my master, painted exceedingly well on cheese."</p> + +<p>"On cheese!" exclaimed Miss Woodville with a laugh; "fancy a painting on +cheese!"</p> + +<p>"Exactly so."</p> + +<p>Thereupon ensued a pause, during which the canvas was heard to crack +beneath the pencil, while the old lady's needles clicked where she sat +knitting. Evidently ill at ease, Reynolds fretted upon his chair. At +last he turned towards the Quakeress and courteously remarked, "The time +will hang heavily upon your hands, madam."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span></p> + +<p>"I have brought my work, and have no end of patience," she replied.</p> + +<p>"That may be; but the first sitting is always tedious. Moreover, I need +to become intimately acquainted with my model, and since Miss Woodville +does not play this evening, I count upon keeping your niece for supper, +if you have no objection. I am to have a few friends here, for whom my +sister will do the honors as hostess,—Mr. Burke, Dr. Johnson, my +charming neighbor, Miss Burney."</p> + +<p>"The author of 'Evelina'! Oh, I long to meet her!"</p> + +<p>"So you see, madam, you may spare yourself a tedious wait, and without +fear leave Miss Woodville in my care. I shall make it my duty to see +that she is returned to you properly escorted."</p> + +<p>Thus politely dismissed, the old lady regretfully arose, but seemed +still to hesitate.</p> + +<p>"Go, aunt, or you will miss the reunion of 'The Favorites of Jesus +Christ,' of whom you are the presiding officer," suggested the younger +lady.</p> + +<p>Whether influenced by this consideration, or whether she found it +difficult to resist the desire which the painter had so delicately +expressed, the Quakeress retired, escorted even to the threshold by Sir +Joshua.</p> + +<p>"Are you aware," he asked, returning to his model, "of my true purpose +in sending this lady away?"</p> + +<p>"In truth, no."</p> + +<p>"Because she constrains you; because she casts a shadow upon your youth +and gayety; in a word, because she prevents you from being yourself."</p> + +<p>"Pray, how could you divine that?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span></p> + +<p>"My dear child, I have already deciphered three thousand human visages, +and why should I not have learned to read the soul a little? The lady is +your aunt?"</p> + +<p>"Yes,—at least I have been told to call her so."</p> + +<p>"And your parents?"</p> + +<p>"My mother is dead; I never knew her. My father has travelled for the +past fifteen years in foreign lands; perhaps I shall never see him. +While a mere child I was placed in Miss Hannah More's boarding-school at +Bristol. One day we learned that our mistress was a poetic genius, that +Dr. Johnson himself had deigned to encourage her. You cannot imagine, +Sir Joshua, what a sensation the tidings created among us girls! We all +sighed to compose verse—or to recite. It was discovered that I spoke +rather better than the others. I swear to you that I was possessed of +but one desire,—to appear in costume, to escape from that frightful +gray gown and that horrible Quaker bonnet in which we were all hooded. +One day I was made to declaim before Mr. Garrick. He wished to give me +lessons and make an actress of me. And a few months later I made my +<i>début</i>."</p> + +<p>"And a genuine triumph it was! I was there."</p> + +<p>"It was then that I was informed that I had an aunt, a sister of my +mother, and I was forthwith placed in her care, in her guardianship."</p> + +<p>"And she has rigorously acquitted herself of the mission which was +confided to her."</p> + +<p>The child heaved a deep sigh.</p> + +<p>"Ah, Sir Joshua! It is not that she is unkind in any way, but she is my +constant shadow. In the wings, in the greenroom, at the rehearsals,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span> she +is ever at my side, answering questions which are put to me, refusing +invitations, reading letters which are addressed to me, and forcing me +to sing psalms to put to rout the evil thoughts which I find in +Shakespeare!"</p> + +<p>"I see; and you long to be free?"</p> + +<p>"Oh, yes, passionately!"</p> + +<p>"And what use would you make of your liberty?"</p> + +<p>"Oh, I can't fancy. Perhaps I might love virtue if it were not crammed +down my throat."</p> + +<p>"Good!"</p> + +<p>"But you do not know the worst yet."</p> + +<p>"Well?"</p> + +<p>"The worst—is Reuben!"</p> + +<p>"And who may Reuben be?"</p> + +<p>"My cousin, my aunt's son; but he is no Quaker. He belongs to one of +those old, rigid, cruel sects which have been perpetuated in shadow +since the days of the Puritans. He is a fanatic; it would rejoice his +heart to plunge into a sea of papist blood; meanwhile he torments me."</p> + +<p>"Perhaps he loves you?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, according to his light, which surely is not a fair light."</p> + +<p>"And what is the proper method of loving?"</p> + +<p>The girl burst into a coquettish laugh.</p> + +<p>"You ask me more than I can tell, Sir Joshua."</p> + +<p>"Indeed? Pray how, then, can one who is ignorant of the sentiment impart +its faithful presentment to others? How can she communicate an emotion +which finds no echo in her own soul? Who has the ability to teach her to +invest her voice, her gestures, her glance, her very smile, with the +woes and joys of love?"</p> + +<p>"Garrick, I tell you!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span></p> + +<p>That name, cast haphazard into their conversation, caused a divergence.</p> + +<p>"Poor Garrick!" exclaimed Reynolds ruefully; "it is scarcely yet a year +since we left him alone in his glory beneath the pavement of +Westminster."</p> + +<p>The mobile countenance of the child actress reflected as a mirror the +sad memory evoked by the artist; a tear glistened upon the lashes of her +beautiful eyes.</p> + +<p>"He was your friend?" she inquired.</p> + +<p>"Oh, yes; one of whom I was very proud."</p> + +<p>"Did you paint his portrait?"</p> + +<p>"Many times. He posed marvellously, and never tormented me as he did one +of my fellow-artists to whom quite unwillingly he had accorded some +sittings."</p> + +<p>"What did he do?"</p> + +<p>"Changed his mask every five minutes, until the poor artist, believing +that he as often had a new model before him, or the devil, perhaps, +flung away his brushes in despair."</p> + +<p>"Garrick once told me," said Esther Woodville, "that the son of a +friend, recently dead, had sought him to complain of some trickery by +which he had been deprived of a portion of his inheritance. A certain +old man, to whom the deceased had intrusted a considerable sum, denied +the trust and refused to make restitution. Do you know what Garrick did? +Arrayed in the attire of the dead, he played the ghost, and played it so +well that the wretch, terrified beyond measure, made confession and +restored the property."</p> + +<p>"I never heard the anecdote; it is curious," said Reynolds, taking a +pinch of snuff.</p> + +<p>He extended the open box to the actress, but she refused it with a +slight grimace.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span></p> + +<p>"You make a mistake," he said; "this is some 37, Hardham's; our +<i>élégantes</i> prefer it to any other." Then after a brief pause he added, +"Your physiognomy is scarcely less changeable than Garrick's; you have +laughed, you have wept; you have been gay, excited, mournful. Now, of +all these expressions which have chased each other over your charming +face—nay, do not blush; I am an old man—of all these varied +expressions which is the veritable, the dominant one,—the one which +expresses the character of your soul? As long as I fail to discover this +expression in the model, so long is my brush paralyzed. I am obliged to +seek until I find it. I have painted Garrick both in tragedy and comedy; +Admiral Keppel, sword in hand, upon the point of giving the order to +clear the decks for action; Kitty Fisher, at her toilet, since it was +her profession to be beautiful and to please. I have represented +Goldsmith writing the final pages of the 'Vicar' or the sweet verses of +the 'Deserted Village'; Sterne, thinking of poor Maria's suffering or of +the death of Lieut. Lefèvre. His wig was all awry and the rascal wanted +to straighten it. 'Let it be as it is!' I said to him; 'if it is +straight, you are no longer the author of 'Tristram Shandy.' When I +paint a child I give it some playthings; a young mother, I surround her +with her children. Notice this one, for instance—"</p> + +<p>"That is my comrade, Mrs. Hartley."</p> + +<p>"Exactly. She carries her little daughter upon her back and laughs +merrily. Fanciful maternity! There are mythological beauties and modern +beauties. The one will be a nymph and gently rest her limbs upon the +velvet sward in the genial atmosphere of a Grecian landscape; the +other,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> muffled up to her neck, her muff pressed to her nose, in order +to conceal a mouth that is a trifle expansive, elects to promenade the +denuded paths of her park and leave the imprint of her tiny, fur-clad +feet along the snow. It is the cold, you understand, which lends +brilliancy to the eyes and a rosy tip to the ear; it is the cold that +gives color and life. Thus I strive to place every human being in his or +her favorite attitude, amidst congenial surroundings, beneath the ray +which is best calculated to illumine. And I lie in wait for the divine +moment when the woman exhales all her seduction, the man all the power +of his mind."</p> + +<p>He paused for a moment.</p> + +<p>"Well, and you!" he continued quickly. "I have not found you yet; I have +no hold upon you. I must attempt some subterfuge."</p> + +<p>Thereupon he raised his voice.</p> + +<p>"Frank!—Frank!"</p> + +<p>A masked door, which Esther had not remarked, opened almost immediately +and a young man of perhaps two and twenty years of age appeared upon the +threshold. Miss Woodville uttered a stifled cry and half rose from her +chair.</p> + +<p>"My lord!" she breathed almost inaudibly; "how comes it that—you—"</p> + +<p>"I see how it is!" remarked Sir Joshua; "you are the dupe of a +resemblance. Your gaze is not resting upon Lord Mowbray, but upon my +apprentice, Francis Monday. My dear Frank, be good enough to fall upon +your knees before this fair young woman and look at her as if you adored +her."</p> + +<p>Pallid, mute, with lips tightly compressed, Frank stood motionless.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span></p> + +<p>"I, Sir Joshua?" he faltered. "You wish me to—"</p> + +<p>"Certainly! Now, then!"</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> +<img src="images/ill_003.jpg" width="400" height="392" alt="" title="" /> +</div> + +<p>With evident effort the young man slowly advanced as if he were going to +execution. Beads of perspiration pearled upon his brow. Nevertheless, +disturbed though he was, the beauty of his features and the innate +nobility of his person prevented any awkwardness of carriage. With +drooping eyelids he fell upon his knees at the girl's feet, while at the +moment, as if actuated by some invincible power, he raised his glance +full of a desperate passion. Truly, for a timid boy taken unawares, +Frank played the comedy of love like a consummate master.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span></p> + +<p>A rosy blush suffused Esther's features, entirely irradiating them, as a +summer's sunrise illumines the delicious purity of the dawn. +Astonishment, shame, pleasure, malice, every shade of sentiment was in +an instant born, in an instant expired, fading in a most ravishing +<i>mélange</i>. With head slightly inclined, bosom heaving, eyelids +trembling, and lips quivering, her whole being vibrated in unison with +the precipitate throbbing of her heart.</p> + +<p>"Rosalind listening to Orlando's declaration!" exclaimed Sir Joshua. "I +have it! The portrait is assured! I have no further need of you, Frank."</p> + +<p>The young man rose, his eyes still fixed upon Esther; then without a +word he directed his steps towards the masked door which had afforded +him access to the studio and vanished.</p> + +<p>By slow degrees the blush which had invaded the girl's cheeks and brow +faded until not a vestige remained.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span></p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II.</h2> + +<h3>A SUPPER AT SIR JOSHUA'S.</h3> + +<p>The company assembled in the Reynolds's drawing-room when the artist +entered, leading Miss Woodville by the hand, made such a palaver over +the young actress that it was quite enough to turn her head, had she not +already become accustomed to clamorous triumphs. She found herself in +the arms of three women at once, who emulously cajoled her, while the +men vied with them in paying flattering court. Despite her <i>aplomb</i>, +spoiled child that she was, she was becoming quite embarrassed in +responding to all the hand-pressures, the smiling eyes, the gracious +questions, when, fortunately for her, a footman announced supper; and +forthwith the company passed into the dining-room.</p> + +<p>It was just five o'clock, and, being well aware of the rules of the +house, Sir Joshua's guests were all present, even in greater number than +was expected, as was frequently the case. On this account some little +confusion prevailed about the table, where each one seated himself +according to his fancy. There were not enough plates; one person +possessed a fork but no knife, while another was furnished with a knife +minus a fork: but at these gay, free-and-easy reunions such trifles were +passed over with a laugh. The master of the house, whose special delight +it was to chat with his guests, fluttered from one to the other, +ear-trumpet in hand, giving the entertainment<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> not the slightest heed. +Miss Reynolds alone was in despair.</p> + +<p>In point of fact, Miss Reynolds never appeared in any other attitude. A +genuine martyr was Miss Reynolds. Martyr to whom or what? It would be +difficult to explain. Following the example of her brother, she painted, +but, although she was the sister of a great artist, to her profound +surprise her pictures were detestable. Sir Joshua owned a great gilded +coach, upon the panels of which Hayman had painted the Seasons, but he +rarely availed himself of its comforts; instead, he obliged his sister +to drive out in it, and used to send her to the park "for the good of +her health." And the passers-by were astonished to see, shrinking in a +corner of the resplendent equipage, a woman who wept scalding tears. It +was Miss Reynolds, the everlasting martyr. Upon this particular occasion +she exerted herself to the last degree without producing the slightest +effect either upon her guests or her domestics.</p> + +<p>In the midst of the excitement a woman of perhaps thirty years, arrayed +in a peach-bloom gown and a head-dress of lace, quickly approached +Esther. She was beautiful, of slender elegance, with eyes full of fire, +and cheeks of a violent tint; she spoke in a high-pitched key, and +altogether exhibited the assurance of a high-born lady. She promptly +pounced upon the girl and dragged her away with her.</p> + +<p>"Miss Woodville, dear Miss Woodville! I want to be your friend! Sit +here, close to me."</p> + +<p>And she murmured, with a singular mixture of affectation and passion,—</p> + +<p>"How lovely she is! Do you know, little one, that we shall positively be +obliged to institute a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> body-guard, like my friends, Lady Coventry and +Lady Waldegrave, who go about everywhere escorted by two officers and a +dozen halberdiers to keep the crowd of their admirers at a distance?"</p> + +<p>Esther leaned towards her neighbor, a man of middle age, whose +extraordinary plainness of feature rendered him in a way sympathetic and +assuring. Of him she inquired the name of the lady who so burned to be +her intimate friend. She learned that it was Lady Vereker, one of the +most pronounced women of the world of the period. In her turn Lady +Vereker hastened to inform Esther in a whisper that her neighbor was Mr. +Gibbon, quite an obscure member of Parliament and a commissioner of +trade.</p> + +<p>"It is said that he has written a great work upon the Romans," added +Lady Vereker maliciously, "but to my thinking he does not look capable +of it."</p> + +<p>In fact, Mr. Gibbon was paying his fair neighbor too assiduous court to +please her ladyship.</p> + +<p>As no introductions were offered at Reynolds's house, in order to avoid +ceremonies of which fashionable persons were more weary than the rest of +the world, Esther knew none of the guests, and would have continued in +ignorance had not Mr. Gibbon named them; and he accompanied each name +with some neat, incisive, mocking little phrase, the secret of which he +had learned during his sojourn in France.</p> + +<div class="figright" style="width: 270px;"> +<img src="images/ill_004.jpg" width="270" height="400" alt="" title="" /> +</div> + +<p>"That great solemn figure is Mr. Burke," he explained. "He is vastly +eloquent; a huge merit in Parliament, but a sad fault at supper. He +shares his solicitude between Miss Burney and his son Richard. He +idolizes the boy and never loses sight of him; notice that at this +moment<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span> his arm is about his neck. He makes it his constant boast that +this boy will be a genius. For my part I doubt it. The Phœnix never +repeats himself!"</p> + +<p>"But who is that strange personage seated on the other side of Miss +Burney,—the man with the monstrous head that keeps rolling from +shoulder to shoulder, with the twisted and seamed lips, and with eyes +both of which are never open at the same moment? Why, his face is a +positive grimace! He only succeeds in putting into his mouth half the +contents of his plate; and he does not drink, he precipitates the liquid +into his throat, and the descending nourishment is in a constant +struggle with the ascending words. He disgusts and frightens me, while +at the same time he attracts and interests. I am almost tempted to fall +in love with him!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Brava! There is a portrait which would do credit to our amphitryon. The +man is the one whom Chesterfield dubbed the respectable Hottentot; he is +the dictator of the republic of letters; in a word, it is Dr. Johnson. +That poor man whom you see, with straining eyes and ear bent towards the +Doctor, gathering the lightest word which falls from his lips, and who +will hand him down to posterity some day, is Boswell, his friend, his +fag, and his disciple. The man who is a disciple—a genuine one, I +mean—alone has sounded the depths of human folly. Perhaps it is Boswell +who has taught Johnson to despise men, and it is Boswell who will teach +men to admire Johnson. Now, just beyond Lady Vereker sits Mr. Hanway, +whose profile only is visible."</p> + +<p>"And who is Mr. Hanway?"</p> + +<p>"Very much of a fool in a good sense,—no rare virtue in this isle of +ours. He has written upon finance, peace, war, music, ventilation, the +poor, Canada; upon military diet, the police, prisons, chimney-sweeps, +and God Almighty."</p> + +<p>"Is that all?" asked Esther with a laugh.</p> + +<p>"I believe so, though he is capable of discovering no end of topics, +since his device is, Never despair. He has imported from Persia, where +he encountered infinite dangers, a certain very curious machine,—a +little roof of colored silk extended upon ribs of whalebone, secured in +turn to a rod of iron, and which is carried about at the end of a long +handle as a protection against the rain. It is called an umbrella."</p> + +<p>"What an odd idea!"</p> + +<p>"In order to habituate people to the sight and usage of his instrument, +Hanway selects rainy days for his perambulations, when he can spread +his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> portable tent. The children throw mud at him and the serving maids +laugh. It is free sport to try to crush his umbrella. They make all +manner of fun of him, but perhaps it is wrong, since the folly of to-day +is the wisdom of to-morrow."</p> + +<p>At last Esther knew all the guests. Mr. Gibbon had named them all, +except one whose name she did not inquire.</p> + +<p>Seated at the extremity of the room, Frank every now and then allowed +his sad, unfathomable eyes to wander towards the girl. Indifferent to +all that was uttered about him, his melancholy contrasted powerfully +with the joyous air which every face wore. Even though she smiled at Mr. +Gibbon's quips and responded to the lively, caressing words of Lady +Vereker, Miss Woodville was conscious of the espionage, and the +sentiment it evoked was not displeasing to her.</p> + +<p>The conversation became general, often rising far above whispered +particularities. War became the topic, and the latest news from America. +It was said that the savages who were fighting with the English had +killed and eaten some American colonists, and not one of the European +generals had raised a hand to stay the barbarity. A caricature, exposed +at Humphrey's, depicted George III. taking part in the frightful orgy +and disputing possession of a bone with an Indian chief.</p> + +<p>"It is horrible!" cried Miss Burney; "our poor king has nothing whatever +to do with it, but how can English gentlemen ally themselves with these +cannibals?"</p> + +<p>The casual mention of Cape Breton in the conversation reminded Mr. Burke +of an anecdote. Every one present lapsed into silence to hear it.</p> + +<p>"Indolent as may be our masters of to-day,"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> he said, "they will never +equal the sloth and ignorance of the late Duke of Newcastle. You cannot +imagine his astonishment when one day some one informed him that Cape +Breton was an island. 'A cape an island!' he exclaimed; 'I am amazed. I +really must tell the king. He will be vastly diverted!' This man would +have sacrificed cities and provinces without so much as a thought. But +what mattered it to him, so long as he was minister!"</p> + +<p>"Our own are not much better than he," remarked one of the guests; "they +have disgraced Admiral Keppel, the only man to-day who is able to sweep +the seas of the French and Spaniards."</p> + +<p>"Bah! Rodney is worth twenty Keppels."</p> + +<p>"Rodney! a blusterer! Have you heard of his adventure with Maréchal de +Biron?"</p> + +<p>"No; what is it?"</p> + +<p>"He had taken refuge from his creditors in France and was dining at the +Marshal's table. 'Ah,' he remarked, 'were it not for my debts I would +return and would destroy your fleet until not one of your vessels +remained.'—'Monsieur,' replied the Maréchal, 'pray do not let that +deter you. Your debts are paid. Go and fight us—if you can!' That was +three years ago; Rodney commands our fleet, thanks to the friendship of +Lord Sandwich, and the naval power of our enemies is still intact!"</p> + +<p>From this grand topic the conversation suddenly changed to the +discussion of worldly amusements upon which the war had had no effect. +They spoke of the last success of Siddons. Upon the queen of tragedy, as +upon Admiral Rodney, there was, although the political question had +amounted to nothing, a confused mixture<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> of opinions which clashed and +provoked comment.</p> + +<p>"She is adorable!"</p> + +<p>"A leaden idol, your Siddons!"</p> + +<p>Next they discussed Pacchierotti, the famous Italian tenor, and his +approaching <i>début</i> in a new <i>rôle</i>. Then they spoke of the new books. +Some one at the table mentioned the word "bluestocking." The expression +was a novelty at the time, and created a sensation.</p> + +<p>"Don't allude to bluestockings in my presence!" cried the author of +"Evelina," making a shield of her fan.</p> + +<p>"You a bluestocking!" exclaimed Burke indignantly. "There is no +bluestocking where there is no leaven of pedantry. Now, if it were a +question of poor Mrs. Carpenter."</p> + +<p>"Yes," interposed Gibbon, "the ill-starred lady has translated +Epictetus!"</p> + +<p>"And Mrs. Cholmondeley,—do you give her a place among the +bluestockings?"</p> + +<p>"She's too great a woman for that!"</p> + +<p>"I was at her house yesterday," remarked Miss Burney; "I found her very +affable."</p> + +<p>"Affability," muttered Dr. Johnson, "is the first lieutenant of pride."</p> + +<p>In hot haste Boswell produced his tablets from his pocket in order to +note the aphorism which had fallen from the oracle's lips.</p> + +<p>"I find Mrs. Thrale a worthy person," remarked Gibbon, "and an agreeable +mistress of her house."</p> + +<p>"The wife of a brewer?" inquired Lady Vereker, with just a hint of +disdain in her tone.</p> + +<p>"A most intelligent woman!" retorted Miss Burney; "she has saved her +husband from ruin."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span></p> + +<p>"But it appears that she has not preserved him from another accident," +replied Lady Vereker languidly.</p> + +<p>The guests were beginning to indulge in a smile, when suddenly Dr. +Johnson's formidable head began to oscillate, while from his chair +emanated a cracking sound of evil augury. Until this moment he had +remained silent, breathing heavily between his closely set teeth as if +trying to imitate the hiss of a saw, meanwhile enveloping his neighbor, +Miss Burney, with a glance of grotesque tenderness in which paternal +interest struggled with love; but at the sarcasm of Lady Vereker against +his friend, Mrs. Thrale, he bridled and assumed his attitude of combat. +"Madam!" he burst forth in a voice of thunder, and there he paused like +Hercules with club poised in air.</p> + +<p>"The bolt is about to fall," whispered Gibbon.</p> + +<p>An atmosphere of apprehension prevailed about the table. Lady Vereker +alone, with an intrepid though somewhat pallid smile, raised her pretty +head with charming effrontery to brave the blow. But it was Fate's +decree that the bolt should not fall, and that the Doctor should not be +heard from that evening. Just at the moment that his lips parted to +avenge the honor of Mrs. Thrale, the door opened to admit Ralph. With a +fluttered air he hastened to his master and whispered a word or two in +his ear.</p> + +<p>Sir Joshua was upon his feet in an instant.</p> + +<p>"Gentlemen," he cried, "great news! It appears that we have calumniated +Rodney! He has completely routed the Spanish fleet under Admiral +Langara. Five vessels are captured; one is blown up and the rest +dispersed! Rodney<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span> has washed his hands of one half of his engagement to +Maréchal de Biron. Permit me to propose the health of Admiral Rodney!"</p> + +<p>Naturally Burke, like his friend Reynolds, would have preferred to drink +to the health of Keppel; but patriotism proved more potent than party +spirit. All the guests rose to drink the proposed toast, and the repast +ended as it had begun,—in a sort of joyous tumult. Thereupon they left +the table, and each one went his way in pursuit of pleasure or +business,—Reynolds to the academy, Burke to Parliament; Johnson and +Boswell wended their way to the "Turk's Head," that taproom where +literary folk were wont to meet. Mr. Gibbon offered his arm to Miss +Burney to escort her to her father's house, Dr. Burney, who lived near +by at the head of St. Martin's Street; while Lady Vereker declared that +she would permit no one but herself the pleasure of seeing Miss +Woodville home to her aunt.</p> + +<p>"I shall carry you away!" she said in a decided way which would not have +been out of place upon the lips of a veritable cavalier.</p> + +<p>Her ladyship's little black page, arrayed in a rich Oriental costume of +crimson embroidered in gold, ran before them to lower the carriage +steps. The majestic Hungarian chamberlain doffed his plumed hat and +smote the pavement with his tall cane. The footmen, shaking their great +epaulettes, quickly sprang to their posts and climbed to the back of the +coach.</p> + +<p>Upon entering the warmed and perfumed equipage, Esther descried two +living forms moving about, two bundles of flesh and hair in ribbons, +which sprang upon Lady Vereker.</p> + +<p>"Wait a moment!" said she; "permit me to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> present you.—Bambino, my +monkey; Spadillo, my favorite dog. The former comes from Barbadoes, the +latter from Vigo. Pray notice that they wear my colors. I adore them +both, and I would refuse to go anywhere, even to Paradise, without +Bambino and Spadillo."</p> + +<p>At that moment the horses started off with much pawing and champing, and +simultaneously the eyes of the two women fell upon Francis Monday, who +stood upon the threshold of the mansion, bowing to them with profound +respect.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span></p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III.</h2> + +<h3>LADY VEREKER'S BOUDOIR.</h3> + +<p>"He's not bad, that boy," said the <i>grande dame</i>, "Miss Reynolds has +often told me how her brother found him in the street."</p> + +<p>"Is it possible?"</p> + +<p>"Yes. It's a queer story, but I have forgotten it. My memory is so +unreliable!"</p> + +<p>"The young man bears a remarkable resemblance to Lord Mowbray," ventured +Esther thoughtfully.</p> + +<p>Lady Vereker started brusquely and faced her companion so far as their +relative positions in the carriage would permit.</p> + +<p>"Are you acquainted with Lord Mowbray?" she demanded. "You have seen +him, spoken with him? He loves you, perhaps?"</p> + +<p>The queries succeeded each other with breathless speed, imperiously +demanding a response; at the same time her ladyship had caught the +girl's hands in her own as if to usurp her, to make her very volition +prisoner. Simple curiosity used no such speech, such gestures. And she +added, pressing Esther's fingers in her clasp:—</p> + +<p>"The young girl who loves Lord Mowbray is lost!"</p> + +<p>Ere Esther could make any reply a sudden check in the speed of the +horses gave the carriage a violent shock. Miss Woodville uttered a cry +of terror.</p> + +<p>"What is it?" demanded Lady Vereker, lowering one of the windows.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Please, your ladyship," replied the footman, touching his plumed hat, +"the torches have frightened your ladyship's horses."</p> + +<p>The two women looked out. The city presented an extraordinary aspect. +Lanterns illuminated the fronts of the shops and the windows of the +Tories, while those of the Whigs, closed, dark, and grim, protested +against the joy of the rival party. Groups of men ran about, cheering +and waving firebrands. Fires of boughs and waste lumber, saturated with +pitch and turpentine, blazed at the street corners, while the children +danced around them and the wayfarers approached to warm themselves; for +a damp night had succeeded the beautiful day. In the dense volumes of +smoke arose the pungent odor of resin and burning grease. The signs, +hanging like iron flags from the long arms which stretched out almost +into the middle of the street, shook in the wind with a rusty rattle and +glittered here and there in the ruddy light.</p> + +<p>"What is the matter?" cried Lady Vereker. "Oh, I recollect! Rodney! They +are celebrating the Admiral's victory."</p> + +<p>In fact, amidst the confused turmoil could be distinguished the name of +Rodney mingled with cries of "Long live the peacemaker!" Indeed, the +majority feared that this success would fail to create confidence in the +ministers and thus prolong the war which they longed to put an end to at +any cost.</p> + +<p>"They say," continued the footman, "that the mob is about to burn Lord +George Germaine and Lord North in effigy."</p> + +<p>"My cousin!" said Lady Vereker with a laugh. "I should like to assist at +that, and I would willingly place the first fagot on the pile!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span></p> + +<p>"It would not be prudent to go farther in this direction," said one of +the footmen; "the crowd is very great, and if they were to recognize +your ladyship's livery—"</p> + +<p>"I see how it is," remarked Lady Vereker, still laughing, and turning to +Esther; "the rascals are afraid. Very well; drive home by the shortest +way. I shall be able to keep you a few minutes longer, my dear. Do not +be anxious; a man shall be despatched to inform your friends that you +are safe."</p> + +<p>But Esther was not in the least disturbed. Was she not of that age when +one blesses the slightest<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> adventure that chances to disturb the +monotonous course of every-day life and suddenly produces the +unforeseen?</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 387px;"> +<img src="images/ill_005.jpg" width="387" height="400" alt="" title="" /> +</div> + +<p>A few minutes later the two women were seated in one of those tiny, +low-ceiled, over-decorated apartments in which the new instinct of +intimacy and mystery confined the higher classes of the period. Louis +XV. had first set the example of these miniature chambers which best +suited the queens of his left hand. And all over Europe, where France +still set the fashion, although she was the object of attack, every one +strove to make a mystery of life, although in nine cases out of ten +there was no reason for it. There were no longer the spacious galleries +for state pageants, no longer the throne-like beds: but boudoirs round +as nests and muffled in silken hangings; furniture monstrously stuffed, +consoles and pier-tables, and <i>étagères</i> littered with costly nothings. +Upon the walls, pastels and portraits of much-bedecked women, wearing +the same vague, coquettish smile upon their vermilion lips. Not an angle +was visible, and none of the straight-backed chairs which oblige the +body to maintain a respectable position, but easy-chairs everywhere, +into the depths of which one sank with voluptuous deliberation,—nothing +but curves to invite ease and languor. The white woodwork and delicate, +tender tints which had begun to prevail in France had not yet crossed +the Channel. The day of the massive, so to speak, had passed; that of +simplicity had not yet dawned. It was, in short, in the daintiest of +boudoirs that Esther Woodville and her new friend drank tea out of +exquisite Japanese cups. A fire crackled upon the hearth; a jet of water +plashed softly as it fell into<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> its marble basin at the feet of a nymph +whose ideally slender limbs and elegant nudity were scarcely visible in +the semi-obscurity that prevailed,—the image of the mistress of the +house, by the celebrated Roubiliac, if we may credit indiscreet and +envious tongues. A silver lamp shed a mellow radiance upon the dainty +and delicate objects which littered the table,—the <i>encas</i> always ready +for my lady. The entire upper portion of the chamber, the panels painted +by Lautherbourg, the azure ceiling where cupids sported, the marvellous +great Venetian chandelier with its four hundred sparkling crystal +drops,—all remained veiled in shadow, scarcely visible. A sweet but +oppressive perfume, which seemed to exhale from everything, made the +will languid and paralyzed the senses with a delicious stupor.</p> + +<p>Lady Vereker had quitted her place and had taken a seat upon a tabouret +close to Esther. She had captured one of the girl's hands and had +riveted her gaze upon her face.</p> + +<p>"You were saying," she began slowly, "that Lord Mowbray is in love with +you."</p> + +<p>"I said nothing of the kind. It was your ladyship who said so."</p> + +<p>"In the first place, dear, drop 'your ladyship.' My name is Arabella. +Those who love me call me Bella. Call me Bella, and I will call you +Esther."</p> + +<p>"I should not dare presume."</p> + +<p>"Why not?"</p> + +<p>"Such familiarity! and with one of your rank!"</p> + +<p>"Of my age, you mean! A friend of twenty-eight years alarms one of +sixteen, for you are sixteen, I believe."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Seventeen," replied Esther with comical dignity.</p> + +<p>"Well, I love you, and I want you to love me. Friendship is the true +sentiment which unites women, the only one which relieves their delicacy +of the fear of wounds, their devotion of treason. Oh, if I could but +spare you some of the griefs of my life!"</p> + +<p>"You have suffered?"</p> + +<p>"Frightfully!" said Bella in a flippant tone which belied the tragic +significance of the word. Then she continued:—</p> + +<p>"Men are all wretches, but the worst one among them all is perhaps Lord +Mowbray."</p> + +<p>"What has he done?"</p> + +<p>"He has accomplished everything that a man of his age can dream of in +the way of forbidden and perverse actions. First, you must know that the +late Lord Mowbray was the greatest libertine of his time. He was +interested in that famous abbey of Medmonham with Lord Sandwich, Sir +Francis Dashwood, and that abominable John Wilkes, the author of the +'Essay upon Woman,' whose soul is still more hideous than his visage. In +their orgies they parodied the very ceremonies of religion. It is +related that one day—one night, rather—Lord Sandwich administered the +Holy Sacrament to a dog, carrying out the full rites."</p> + +<p>"How horrible!" exclaimed Esther, clasping her hands.</p> + +<p>"Is it not?" murmured Lady Vereker in the same tone; at the same time an +imperceptible smile appeared in the corners of both pairs of lips.</p> + +<p>"But let us leave the father in the abode for which he was certainly +destined, and speak of the son. He has had as his instructor in vice +his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> own tutor, a Frenchman named Lebeau, who took good care to ruin his +pupil in early life, the better to master him later. It was in company +with this man that he made the tour of Europe, stopping for the most +part in France and Italy. He was but a mere boy when he grossly deceived +the daughter of the clergyman at Mowbray Park. It is said, too, that he +was the instigator and confidant of the first follies of the Prince of +Wales. He is fiercely hated by the king, but especially so by the queen. +He and his friends make it their boast that there is not an +incorruptible woman in existence. Their debauchery differs from that of +their fathers in that it is savored with villany. As formerly, these +young gentlemen, who call themselves Mohawks, walk the streets at night +with blackened faces, quarrel with inoffensive wayfarers, stop women, +strip them and either beat or cast them naked into casks of pitch which +they have placed beneath sheds, and laugh until they drown the cries of +their victims. As for the watchmen, they prick their legs with their +swords, bind them to the door-knockers, and oblige them to light the +scene with their lanterns. These are only their malicious tricks, for +they do worse. More than once they have profited by popular broils, or +by the quarrels which have been common since the beginning of the war, +to carry away young girls, and send a father, a husband, or a +troublesome lover to the shades. It is said that they are responsible +for many a death, and that if one should visit the 'Folly' which Mowbray +possesses near Chelsea, if one were to sound the walls which are riddled +with secret passages, if one should search the cellars which the Thames +is made to inundate at certain hours, perhaps<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span> one would find the +explanation of the desperate cries which have been heard by night in the +silence of the country; perhaps one would discover human remains, +skeletons cramped into attitudes which would tell the tale of the +ferocity which had abused their last agony!"</p> + +<p>In speaking thus this strange woman was completely transformed. Lately +so flippant and sceptical, as were the women of her time, who scarcely +ever spoke without an accompanying smile, she had become more tragic +than Siddons. She spoke in a low, swift, sibilant tone close into +Esther's face, filling her with fear, magnetizing her with her dark +glance, and crushing her hands in her grip of iron almost without +knowing it. Esther seemed quite terrified. Thereupon Bella resumed, in a +soft, imploring voice,—</p> + +<p>"And such is the man who pretends to love you, who perhaps makes your +heart beat at this moment. But I will save you. Your embarrassment, your +emotion, have told me their story. Have done with it all, and cast +yourself upon the bosom of a true friend. Tell me all."</p> + +<p>These final words, which ought to have assured Lady Vereker's victory, +were just the ones which compromised her. Her eyes betrayed an all too +anxious, too passionate desire to learn the truth! Like lightning a +suspicion crossed Esther's mind: Does Lady Vereker love Lord Mowbray?</p> + +<p>"You appear to know him exceedingly well," she said.</p> + +<p>The words were uttered so unexpectedly that for a moment Bella was +thrown off her guard. Her cleverly tinted face concealed her internal +emotions, but a twitching of the lips, a rapid fluttering of the +eyelids, did not escape Esther,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> who had become all at once dangerously +keen, as is the case of every woman who suspects and wishes to know.</p> + +<p>"She is lying!" thought Esther, though aloud she said:—</p> + +<p>"Lord Mowbray was present at my <i>début</i>. As so many other gentlemen did, +he sent me flowers, verses, and jewels; and—and that is all."</p> + +<p>"She's lying!" thought Lady Vereker in her turn.</p> + +<p>And both were correct. Lady Vereker forbore to tell Esther of the hold +she had once had upon Lord Mowbray—a hold which she had not yet +despaired of regaining, while Esther would not admit to Lady Vereker +that she had rashly replied to one of Lord Mowbray's notes and already +began to find it difficult to defend herself against his assiduities.</p> + +<p>Without being the dupes of each other, but enlightened, the one by the +experiences of life, the other by the precocious instinct of combat, the +<i>comédienne</i> of the fashionable world and the <i>comédienne</i> of the +theatre pressed each other's hands with tender interest and smiled +amiably into each other's eyes.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span></p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV.</h2> + +<h3>THE BROOKS CLUB.</h3> + +<p>Eleven o'clock chimed from the tall clock placed opposite the fireplace. +To its faint, silvery tones, which vibrated for some moments upon the +atmosphere of the silent chamber, neighboring clocks, repeating the +hour, seemed to make echo with their melancholy voices.</p> + +<p>"Already eleven o'clock!" exclaimed Esther, starting to her feet. "I +must go; I should be at home at this moment!"</p> + +<p>"The crowd has not yet dispersed," answered Lady Vereker; "listen to +their shouts."</p> + +<p>Lady Vereker's mansion was situated upon Park Lane, at that day a +lonesome part of the town, whither gentlemen were wont to come in the +early morning to cross swords in order to get up an appetite, and +instead frequently succeeded in turning their stomachs inside out. Bella +approached one of the windows. Upon the faint, luminous grayness of the +sky were sketched the outlines of Hyde Park wrapped in profound sleep, +but the glow of the bonfires flushed the southern horizon, and from time +to time savage outcries crossed the calmness of the night.</p> + +<p>"They are delirious over their Rodney," said Bella with a shrug; +"neither a chair nor a coach will be able to pass through St. James's, +and the other side of the Green Park is deserted at this hour; we should +risk being attacked there. Ah, me! how fortunate are common women! They<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> +can go everywhere. But why should we not change our attire? My women +will accommodate us with gowns. <i>Pardieu!</i> that would be charming!"</p> + +<p>Lady Vereker uttered her little oath in French. The idea of the +masquerade pleased her immensely, and without waiting for Esther's +acquiescence she began to put it in execution.</p> + +<p>At the expiration of a quarter of an hour they were equipped as women of +the lower class.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 316px;"> +<img src="images/ill_006.jpg" width="316" height="400" alt="" title="" /> +</div> + +<p>"Esther," exclaimed Lady Bella, "you look like a Soho dressmaker! And I, +Fanchette, what do I look like?"</p> + +<p>"I dare not say," replied the maid; "all that I can assure your ladyship +is that in my gown you are—worse than I."</p> + +<p>"Exactly as I desire to look," replied Lady Vereker with a burst of +laughter at the impertinence.</p> + +<p>Thereupon she started off, taking Esther by the arm, and forbidding even +a footman to follow her. For that matter, her people seemed accustomed +to the strange caprices of their mistress.</p> + +<p>Upon reaching Piccadilly they passed suddenly from the shadow and +silence into the tumult and violent glare of the bonfires. Many a joke +was levelled at them as they passed. One man wearing clerical attire, +and who seemed completely intoxicated, approached them, declaring that +by Jupiter they were deucedly pretty girls and he would have a kiss from +each! In order to escape him the two women ran down St. James Street, +where the crowd separated them from the enterprising clergyman.</p> + +<p>"A churchman!" panted Esther. "Can you believe it?"</p> + +<p>"No, my dear: it was the Duke of Norfolk;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> he whom they call 'Jockey +Norfolk.' His mania is for disguising himself as a country curate, and +running about town and making a fool of himself. When he is dead-drunk +people profit by his condition to rob him."</p> + +<p>"What a horrible person!"</p> + +<p>"On the contrary, I assure you that when he is sober he is most +amiable."</p> + +<p>In the neighborhood of St. James's the mob<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span> grew denser and more +excited. There were beggar-women holding their new-born infants at arms' +length, chairmen, sailors, thieves of all ages, recognizable by their +skulking air and their sly, sharp glances, and finally a sprinkling of +gentlemen, come hither after a good dinner to give vent to their +political passions, or simply to amuse themselves by hustling the women +and making a noise generally. The crowd laughed and vociferated, and +threw stones at the windows of a grand mansion which belonged to one of +the king's ministers. They applauded each successful shot, and howled +over the failures.</p> + +<p>At last all the ministerial windows were broken except one, which +remained intact, protected by two caryatides which advanced like +sentinels, supporting the roof; and against this single window were all +the efforts directed, as if the detested minister were standing behind +the sash, or as if the crushing of that bit of glass were going to cover +the enemies of England with confusion and terminate the war at a blow.</p> + +<p>The assailants excited each other by constantly crying, "Be bold, +Tommy!" "At it again, Jack!" "Pluck up there, old boy!"</p> + +<p>Suddenly a figure bounded from the midst of the crowd, a long arm was +extended, a stone whizzed through the air, and the window so long +protected was shattered, and fell into a thousand pieces. A yell of +triumph burst from a hundred throats, and every eye was turned upon the +hero. He was a great, lank, awkward fellow with a pug-nose, a cold, +impertinent eye, thin lips and blinking eyelids, who testified the +satisfaction in his achievement simply by a fleeting smile of coarse +disdain.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Is that you, William?" said Bella to him. "Fine occupation for Lord +Chatham's son!"</p> + +<p>Young William Pitt turned sharply and bent his keen gaze upon the person +who had thus apostrophized him. He recognized her and a swift flush +stained his pallid cheeks.</p> + +<p>"Let me alone," he muttered; "I was only having some fun!" And walking +off, he was soon lost in the crowd.</p> + +<p>"That boy will never be anything but a ne'er-do-well," said Lady Vereker +with a shrug.</p> + +<p>Three years later "that boy" became Prime Minister of England, and such +a Prime Minister as England had never had before him.</p> + +<p>Meanwhile the crowd waxed more turbulent. The ferocity born of pleasure, +the longing to destroy, peculiar to such huge assemblies of Englishmen, +begin to make themselves manifest.</p> + +<p>As there were no more windows to break, what was to be done?</p> + +<p>"Pull down the house!" was the cry. "Get a beam and we will set our +shoulders to it! Here are twenty good men of like mind! No: fetch some +straw and fagots! Set fire to the door! Let us smoke the rats out of +their trap!"</p> + +<p>A score of figures appeared, ghastly, sinister, suggesting pillage. In +the general disorder the libertines grew bolder. The shrieks of women +burst from obscure corners, followed by long, brutal laughter.</p> + +<p>"I am terrified! I feel as if I were going to faint," gasped Esther.</p> + +<p>Although she affected a show of courage, Lady Vereker was beginning to +quail.</p> + +<p>"Indeed, I did very wrong to come here," she<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> said; "let us try to +retrace our steps or gain a side street."</p> + +<p>But it was too late. The mob increased with every moment. The crowds of +new arrivals pressed down upon them, cutting off the retreat of those +who sought to escape the turmoil.</p> + +<p>"I am stifling!" cried Esther wildly, as she lost her footing.</p> + +<p>At this moment a cry arose:—</p> + +<p>"The Guards! the Guards!"</p> + +<p>The solid earth trembled beneath the gallop of the troop which had just +turned the corner of Pall Mall and were charging up the street. Amidst +the frightful tumult there came a second of silence and stupor, during +which was heard the ring of hoofs as they struck the pavement and the +commands of the officers:—</p> + +<p>"Right about! Forward! Draw sabres!"</p> + +<p>There was a click of steel and glimmer of blades. An indescribable panic +ensued. The people, of late so buoyant, now mad with terror, rushed +towards the nearest exit—that is, to some place of safety—with such +savage energy and with so formidable an impulse that iron railings were +rent before them. Esther felt herself wrenched from Bella so suddenly +and with such brutal force that it was a miracle that her arm which +encircled Lady Vereker's waist was not left behind her. The human tide +hurled her against a house and would have crushed her against the wall +had not other human bodies intervened and saved her from the violence of +the shock. She found herself at the head of a flight of six stairs +without having set foot upon one of them. A large door stood open before +her. Twenty persons were projected along with her into the interior in +a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> solid mass, entering the house like an inundation. Esther was saved; +the horrible fear which had paralyzed every nerve was relieved, and her +heart began to beat again. At the same time, through the open door and +high above the desperate cries of those who still struggled in the +street, she heard the ringing voice of an officer commanding a halt. The +Riot Act was being read, and an occasional fragment of the coldly +menacing phrases reached even her ear.</p> + +<p>The place into which Esther had been cast was a spacious vestibule, into +which surged fresh arrivals without ceasing, despite the efforts of the +footmen and of a man who fretted and fumed, and gave useless and +inexecutable orders. This man, the proprietor of the place, was Mr. +Brooks, and the house was the famous club which bore his name. Poor Mr. +Brooks endeavored to confine the crowd to the vestibule, which he was +forced to yield to it, as one yields to a conflagration; but already +under the pressure of the mass Esther had been thrust into a second +antechamber. The air was close and stifling; the situation became +critical, while the second danger threatened to become worse than the +first.</p> + +<p>Suddenly a little door was thrown open, and some one laid hold upon her. +In the next instant the door was closed, and the girl found herself in +the depths of an arm-chair, where she swooned.</p> + +<p>Not entirely, however; she felt in a half-conscious way that some one +slapped her hands and blew in her face. A voice murmured, "Some water! +Cold water, quick!" Then the person left her, for she felt that she was +alone again. Suddenly a great hubbub filled the house. In the street +without, now quite deserted, the cavalry<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span> swept by like a whirlwind. +Then all was silence. With eyes closed, and in a state of +semi-consciousness, Esther believed herself alone, when all at once, but +a few steps from her, a word was pronounced in an angry tone.</p> + +<p>"A doublet!"</p> + +<p>Oaths and stifled exclamations accompanied the word. Brought to her +senses by curiosity and apprehension, Esther opened her eyes and beheld +a remarkable spectacle. It was a vast hall lighted by several lamps +suspended from the ceiling. The light, gathered by immense reflectors of +tin, fell full upon a long table placed in the centre of the apartment. +This table was covered with a green cloth crossed with white lines. +Seven or eight men were seated about it, each one having at his side a +bowl full of gold pieces and a small tray bearing a cup of tea, a glass, +and a flask of brandy. They were engaged in a game of faro.</p> + +<p>Nothing could have been more singular than their appearance and attire. +Nearly every man wore a large straw hat to screen his eyes from the +dazzling light, and perhaps to mask his emotions at the same time; but +the most ridiculous part of it was that two or three of the younger +gamesters had seen fit to decorate their hats with flowers and ribbons +after the fashion of the shepherdesses in the opera. Certain persons, +attired with studied refinement, wore leathern cuffs to avoid soiling +the lace at their wrists. God save the mark! They would consent to lose +a castle in the course of an evening, but would hesitate to spoil a pair +of Chantilly ruffles. Others seemed to have lost all respect for +themselves. One young man who sat opposite Esther, a sort of +good-natured athlete,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span> with big, sensual jaws, and whose tanned face, +especially his brow and glance, shone with intelligence and audacity, +was so negligent in his attire that his hairy chest appeared beneath his +open shirt. Another, an older man, wore his coat turned inside out, +through superstitious fancy, as every one was aware; while more than +one, with hands concealed beneath the table, feverishly fingered some +sort of talisman.</p> + +<p>These men appeared to have heard nothing,—neither the cries of the mob, +the invasion of the house, the charge of the Guards, nor the entrance of +a strange woman into the very room where they were playing. What +mattered it all to them? What did it all amount to in comparison with a +doublet? As infatuated as Horace's wise man, the end of the world would +not have interrupted their game.</p> + +<p>Esther felt that her presence was as unperceived as though a charm had +rendered her invisible, like the living being whose terrible fate had +conducted him on board of the phantom ship. Therefore without a qualm of +fear she permitted herself to enjoy the novel scene.</p> + +<p>At this moment the banker's <i>côteau</i> raked in all the stakes, the rare +and fortunate result of drawing two similar cards from his right and +left.</p> + +<p>"Used up!" exclaimed a stout man with a prodigious sigh, his bowl being +empty. In the speaker Esther recognized Stephen Fox, whom she had seen +at Drury Lane. His brother, Charles James, the eminent orator, the man +with the open shirt, gayly smote his shoulder.</p> + +<p>"Shylock will make you a loan," he said; "you have more than a pound of +flesh to offer him as security!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span></p> + +<p>Instead of a laugh, Charley's joke was received with a grunt of +approbation.</p> + +<p>One man alone seemed insensible to the incidents of the game. This was a +gentleman of some sixty years, dressed in accordance with the latest +Parisian <i>mode</i>. In him Esther recognized George Selwyn, who had been +one of the most amiable, one of the wittiest men of his time, but was +now absorbed and besotted by a passion more potent than that of gaming.</p> + +<p>Up to this time the actress had not seen the banker, whose back was +turned to her and who had not uttered a word. At this moment, however, +the following disdainful words escaped him: "Ten thousand pounds, and no +more! What a shame that I should have played for such low stakes!"</p> + +<p>Esther started at sound of that voice, which she had heard not more than +twice, but which she recognized instantly. It was Lord Mowbray, that +terrible Mowbray, against whose love she had been warned!</p> + +<p>A man entered the room and approached her with a glass of water in his +hand.</p> + +<p>"I see that you are better," he said. "Never mind; drink this to secure +your recovery."</p> + +<p>Esther hesitated. Still fluttered by the discovery which she had just +made, she could not but be mindful of Lady Vereker's warning words. How +many times had she read in romances and journals strange narratives of +young girls being rendered helpless by narcotics! Ought she to drink, to +trust this unknown man? She looked at him, and her perplexity increased. +Another enigma to decipher: a generous sentiment pictured upon an evil +countenance.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span></p> + +<p>In fact, all the passions seemed to have left their trace upon that +worn, pallid, haggard face. His age was uncertain, his condition +ambiguous; his accent even sounded a note of doubt upon the nationality +of the individual, offering no clew. Was he of middle age or old; valet +or gentleman; English or a foreigner? One surprising thing was that the +hard, bold manner which might well be habitual vanished before an +expression of interest which seemed sincere. As he noted the girl's +hesitation a trace of sadness passed over his coarsened features, almost +ennobling them.</p> + +<p>"I am not thirsty," she said, loath to wound the feelings of one who had +already shown her consideration.</p> + +<p>And he, regaining his accustomed composure, placed the glass upon a +console.</p> + +<p>Softly as Esther had spoken, Lord Mowbray had heard her. He turned and +bent his stupefied gaze upon her. Esther, alone, in the torn garments of +a serving maid, half fainting, in the card-room of the Brooks Club! +Assuredly there was food in plenty for his surprise. What fate had sent +his prey into his very clutches? Fortune, it is said, never comes +single-handed! After the doublet, this fairest flower! And he was just +the man to profit by his luck.</p> + +<p>"Gentlemen," he said, rising as he spoke, "circumstances oblige me to—"</p> + +<p>A cry of indignation interrupted his words, while three or four hands +were placed upon his shoulders, forcibly obliging him to resume his +seat.</p> + +<p>"The game is not over." "We won't permit it!" "Wait until you win +another ten thousand!" "This is not fair!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span></p> + +<p>"So be it!" answered Mowbray with a smile; "only permit me to say one +word to Lebeau."</p> + +<p>The man who had brought the glass of water approached upon hearing his +name, and Lord Mowbray hastily whispered a phrase in a foreign tongue in +his ear. Thereupon Lebeau, as we may now call him, returned to the girl.</p> + +<p>"The street is free," he said, "but, now that the Guards have passed, +the disorder may begin again. If you wish to profit by the lull to make +your way home, the minutes are precious. Do you feel strong enough to +walk?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, certainly."</p> + +<p>"Then come."</p> + +<p>Esther rose and obeyed him, this time without hesitation. The momentary +excitement occasioned by the doublet having subsided, the gamblers had +remarked her presence. The glances directed towards her betrayed their +curiosity. Despite her disguise, she might be recognized; consequently +the necessity of escaping as speedily as possible presented itself. But +she did not forget that Lebeau was her guide, the accursed mentor of the +greatest libertine in England. The young lord had whispered to his +former tutor; evidently the hurried words had reference to her. +Therefore she saw the necessity of being upon her guard, ready to fly at +the slightest suspicious movement. Meanwhile her heart beat with fear, +curiosity and, perhaps, with delight; for it must be admitted that she +adored an adventure.</p> + +<p>So they went out. The din of the riot came to them from a distance. The +street was empty; the night was beautiful and calm. The lights in the +lanterns were flickering in their sconces and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span> expiring. The minister's +house with its broken windows was guarded by soldiery.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> +<img src="images/ill_007.jpg" width="400" height="400" alt="" title="" /> +</div> + +<p>Preceded by a page who carried a torch, Lebeau took the way towards +Westminster. It seemed marvellous that he should know so well the +location of Miss Woodville's abode.</p> + +<p>"Will it please you to give me your arm?" he asked in a slightly +changed, humble tone.</p> + +<p>She passed her arm within his. Lebeau quickly drew his cocked hat down +over his eyes to conceal his glance, and sustained the young girl with +an almost tender solicitude, but with discretion and respect.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span></p> + +<p>Thus they walked some distance in silence. At last he began:—</p> + +<p>"You distrusted me at first."</p> + +<p>She tried to protest, but he added:—</p> + +<p>"Oh, you were quite right. Be on your guard. Life is full of snares. I +have an intimate acquaintance with my brother man, and I find him bad."</p> + +<p>Was he speaking of mankind in general, or of some one in particular? +Esther was upon the point of inquiring when they halted in Tothill +Street before a low door, upon which Lebeau knocked loudly.</p> + +<p>"Some one is coming," he said; "I hear steps in the garden. You have +escaped a menacing danger. I do not speak of being crushed beneath the +hoofs of the horses; that would be as nothing compared with the other. +You are saved, but the peril may threaten you again at any moment. +However, it does not signify. <i>You are in my care.</i>"</p> + +<p>With these words he turned upon his heel and vanished just as the door +was thrown open. Esther found herself confronted by the more severe than +anxious face of her cousin Reuben. With his youthful air, his light, +fluffy hair and sombre eyes, he resembled one of those avenging angels +whom the Lord sent to the guilty cities to pronounce their doom when the +hour of repentance had passed and that of retribution had sounded.</p> + +<p>"At last!" he muttered in a bitter tone.</p> + +<p>"Were you alarmed about me? Has not a man been sent here with a message +from Lady Vereker?"</p> + +<p>"Yes," answered Reuben with a derisive sneer;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> "that woman, whose very +name is a reproach and a scandal, has had the goodness to assure us that +you were in her charge. A strange guardian! Daniel was safer in the +lions' den than Esther Woodville under Lady Vereker's wing!"</p> + +<p>"You have no idea what has happened? All London is insane over Rodney's +victory. They are fighting and breaking windows; the streets are full of +soldiers."</p> + +<p>"But what means this disguise?"</p> + +<p>"I swear to you it was the only means of passing through the crowds."</p> + +<p>"I should be glad to believe you," said Reuben, enveloping her in a +glance of fire. "Oh, Esther! You who bear the predestined name, the +chaste name of the woman who saved the people of God, you who ought to +be as pure as the fountain of Gihon, as fresh as the rose of Sharon!"</p> + +<p>But Esther abbreviated the biblical effusion.</p> + +<p>"I must hasten to relieve my aunt's mind," she said.</p> + +<p>"I have advised her to retire without waiting for you."</p> + +<p>"That was wise. Good night, Reuben."</p> + +<p>"Good night. I am going to pray."</p> + +<p>"And I—am going to bed and to sleep."</p> + +<p>But she did not sleep as readily as she had anticipated. The events of +the day and evening, Sir Joshua's guests, the gamblers at Brooks's with +their shepherd hats, the dangers encountered, her new friend Bella, the +mysterious personage who had, as it seemed, received orders to plan her +ruin, yet had protected her,—all these conflicting subjects created a +tumult in her brain.</p> + +<p>She cogitated upon the singular destiny which had cast her between the +love of a Reuben and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> that of a Lord Mowbray, between a saint and a +demon.</p> + +<p>And when at last she sank into the unconsciousness of sleep, between +these two personalities, equally imperious and passionate, but actuated +by an opposite sentiment, there glided the pale, melancholy visage of +Francis Monday.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span></p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V.</h2> + +<h3>A STRANGE EDUCATION.</h3> + +<p>It was late on the following morning ere Lord Mowbray's valet ventured +to enter his lordship's chamber. The daylight fell upon the red and +swollen eyelids of the sleeper, who opened his eyes and uttered an oath. +It was evident that the young nobleman was not in his best humor.</p> + +<p>"Is that you, Oliver?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, my lord."</p> + +<p>"Who is in the antechamber?"</p> + +<p>"Your lordship's tailor, who has come to try on the plum-colored coat +with the jonquil trimmings; the little glove-woman from Piccadilly, who +insists upon a word with your lordship; and Capt. Hackman, who has +already called twice to inquire for your lordship."</p> + +<p>"Let the tailor wait. Tell the Captain that I shall require his services +later, and let him see to it that he brings two fellows of the +determined sort along with him. As for the glove-woman, send her away. +Because one shows these creatures some little attention of an evening +when one is drunk, they think they have rights. Nothing could be more +ridiculous, Oliver."</p> + +<p>"Assuredly not, my lord."</p> + +<p>"Is Lebeau there?"</p> + +<p>"Mons. Lebeau has this instant come in."</p> + +<p>"Ask him to come to me."</p> + +<p>A moment later the former tutor and present factotum of Lord Mowbray +smilingly entered the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span> chamber like a man who expects to receive his +quietus with a bare bodkin and is disposed to make the best of it.</p> + +<p>His lordship addressed him in French.</p> + +<p>"<i>Eh bien</i>, Lebeau?"</p> + +<p>"<i>Eh bien</i>, my lord? Did you not receive my message by the little page +from Brooks's?"</p> + +<p>"Of course I did, and I was furious at such a mischance. Here had fate +cast her into my very arms, and your cursed bungling let her escape!"</p> + +<p>"Say, rather, the accident of fate, my lord. I was just in the act of +putting the little one into a coach, when a band of ruffians, hotly +pursued by the soldiers, fell upon us and knocked me down. When I +regained my feet, Miss Woodville had vanished, and I was a prisoner in +the hands of the guards. In vain I assured them that I was attached to +your lordship's service. All that I was able to inform you was that I +had failed."</p> + +<p>Lord Mowbray looked his confidant full in the eyes.</p> + +<p>"You are decidedly growing old," he said.</p> + +<p>"That may be."</p> + +<p>"Yes, you are growing old, and worse than that. Your compatriots have it +that when the devil is old he turns hermit. Are you doing likewise? As +God is my judge, Lebeau, I believe you are becoming virtuous."</p> + +<p>Lebeau affected an offended air.</p> + +<p>"My lord," he retorted, "I believe myself above such a suspicion. My +past record answers for me."</p> + +<p>"You are joking, but I am serious. Do you know the thought that has +suggested itself to me, more especially since yesterday?"</p> + +<p>"I cannot fancy, my lord."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Well, that you are playing me false!"</p> + +<p>With folded arms, Lebeau calmly regarded the speaker.</p> + +<p>"Playing you false?" he echoed steadily. "For what reason?"</p> + +<p>"That is what I wish to know."</p> + +<div class="figleft" style="width: 357px;"> +<img src="images/ill_008.jpg" width="357" height="400" alt="" title="" /> +</div> + +<p>"That would be folly on my part. Have you ever known me to commit +deliberate treason? Does not my livelihood depend upon you? Are not my +pleasures the remnants of yours? Have I not reared you as my own child? +If I love anything in this world, it should assuredly be you."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Then why do you oppose my course with Esther, when she loves me and is +ready to yield? I have even feigned to believe you a bungler in order +not to believe you a traitor and unfaithful to me. You, who have +arranged all my intrigues—why do you oppose this one?"</p> + +<p>"I have told you that the affair is full of peril."</p> + +<p>"On account of the cousin Reuben?"</p> + +<p>"Precisely."</p> + +<p>"A psalm-singing hypocrite!"</p> + +<p>"You do not know him. The man has a will of iron, and he loves Esther. +In a different epoch he would have been capable of subverting a +monarchy, and he would set London on fire if his passion, which he +regards as sent from on high, should command him to do it. Young as he +is, there are hundreds of fanatics who follow and obey him, and I advise +Capt. Hackman and his men not to try issues with that legion of fools!"</p> + +<p>"You quite fire me to carry the adventure to the issue at all events."</p> + +<p>"Then may the devil protect your lordship! As for myself, I have +sermonized quite enough for a man of my stamp. In any case, my lord, the +receipts of last night's game must have recompensed you for the +miscalculations of love. In that regard we have another proverb in our +language. When I left the club Fortune seemed to be smiling upon you."</p> + +<p>"Yes, and I continued to win until daybreak. Poor Charles Fox hadn't a +guinea to his name. Moreover, he was hopelessly intoxicated, and, to cap +the climax, had an important speech to deliver to-day. We bound up his +head in cold cloths and left him in a chair as well as could be +expected. I scrupled about ruining him, for it is<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span> said that his +furniture will be seized next week; but he does not seem to mind. I won +twenty thousand pounds and remained alone with Lord Stavondale. It was +raining, and we watched the day dawn across the wet windows. I assure +you it is a very ugly sight to see. Stavondale pointed out two drops of +water of about equal density slowly coursing over the pane. 'I will +wager,' he said, 'that <i>that</i> one will touch the sash first.' 'I'll take +you,' said I. 'How much?' said he. 'My night's winnings,' said I. Just +at that moment a devilish drop, which some inequality in the glass +turned from its course, joined Stavondale's drop, which came in with a +rush, and I lost my twenty thousand pounds. What consoled me for my loss +was the novelty of the invention. This racing drops across a window pane +is every whit as amusing as pitting horses against each other at +Newmarket."</p> + +<p>Here chocolate was brought in at the same time with his lordship's +journals.</p> + +<p>"See if there is anything in the papers," he commanded.</p> + +<p>Lebeau glanced through the <i>Morning Chronicle</i> and the <i>Gentleman's +Magazine</i>, and several other gazettes of the same description, which +included magazines both matrimonial and sentimental.</p> + +<p>"Let us see," said he; "'In a certain house in the neighborhood of the +Thames—' Your lordship knows that this has reference to the House of +Commons."</p> + +<p>"Pass over politics."</p> + +<p>"Here is a book announced from the pen of Mr. Bryant, the antiquarian, +who is so well informed concerning events from the origin of the world +to the Deluge. Fancy considering nothing of importance<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> <i>after</i> the +Deluge! His work is disposed of in three words,—'Heavy, tiresome, +pedantic.' Cumberland's romance is also treated in three +words,—'Refined, sensible, and tender.'"</p> + +<p>"Pass over literature."</p> + +<p>"The condemned of the week: 'Sarah Hoggs, to be hanged for stealing a +piece of cloth that was spread out to dry; Laurence Williamson, to the +same penalty for having cut down sundry young trees; item, Annie Smith, +to one year's imprisonment for having taken forty shillings in the +presence of witnesses; item, Florence Dunk, to be hanged for having +taken five shillings privately; item, William Morton, to transportation +for having assassinated his father.'"</p> + +<p>"Pass over all that. What society news is there?"</p> + +<p>"'Major T—— has again been detected in cheating at cards; he has been +requested not to appear at Almack's again.'"</p> + +<p>"That's Topham, the editor of the <i>World</i>!" exclaimed his lordship. +"Bah! in a week's time he will be back again and everybody will be +shaking hands with him."</p> + +<p>"'Lady B—— has eloped with her husband's groom; his lordship will be +consoled by the society of Mlle. Annette, the little French dancer.'"</p> + +<p>"Is there nothing else?"</p> + +<p>"Nothing but two duels, three abductions, five or six bankruptcies, +several fires, and a charade in verse.—Ah!"</p> + +<p>"Well, what is it?"</p> + +<p>"George Barrington, the gentleman-sharper, has been arrested at +Edinburgh!"</p> + +<p>"Barrington! a charming fellow! I recollect one evening at Ranelagh, +when he showed me how he purloined a snuff-box, and as payment for the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> +lesson he took my watch. And here he is under lock and key! Poor boy!"</p> + +<p>"You need not pity him. He will plead his cause so eloquently that he +will be acquitted, as he has been many a time."</p> + +<p>"In truth, he is a very Cicero among thieves. And the advertisements?"</p> + +<p>"The alchemist Woulfe announces for sale an elixir which is a panacea +for every malady. Samuel Wollmer will loan money to sons-of-family in +embarrassment. As he is actuated by pure love of humanity, his terms +will be very moderate. Mrs. Cresswell offers false hair, masks, and red +pomade for the lips. Oh, oh! here's a gentleman of middle age who +desires to meet a young lady of good appearance and amiable disposition, +but discreet and lively. He'll find her," added Lebeau gravely. "I am +convinced that his advertisement will be answered."</p> + +<p>During this time Oliver had dressed and prepared his master, and had +tried on the plum-colored coat with the jonquil trimmings. Every trace +of the night's fatigue had disappeared; the fresh hue of early youth +bloomed again upon Lord Mowbray's cheek. As he was about to go out he +gave his final orders to Oliver.</p> + +<p>"You will buy for me 'The Tests of Character'; also, you will ask for +the fashionable romance, 'The Cadenas.' You will inquire about the new +wax which has just been invented by the Prince of Wales; they say it is +marvellous. Now let us go and have a game of bowls, after which we will +take a turn in the fencing-school."</p> + +<p>Lord Mowbray slipped his arm into that of Lebeau, and in this attitude +they went out together, which seemed to announce the return of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span> +confidence and friendly feeling. Mons. Lebeau was an adept in the art of +pleasing, and in order to make good his return to grace he employed all +the resources of his wit, which was by no means of mediocre quality. A +curious fellow was this same Lebeau, who had almost ceased to be a +Frenchman without wholly becoming an Englishman. He had distinguished +himself among the tutors who were furnished to lordlings and who were +termed "bear-keepers." He was clever, knew the world, was "up" in +literature, could recite from the poets, and in case of need was able to +turn a verse as easily as one twirled a snuff-box. He had had a tragedy +produced and hissed off the stage somewhere, for he had tasted the cup +of a man of letters, living by dedications to the great and by writing +homilies for churchmen, rich in skekels but poor in intellect. He would +frequently say, "Had I delivered all the sermons which I have written, I +should be a cardinal." In turn, doctor upon a vessel of the East India +Company, actor, professor of mathematics, courier to an ambassador, +Parisian correspondent to a German prince who boasted thirty-three +subjects, what callings had he not fulfilled? By what sallies had he not +attempted fortune? His life resembled one of those old-fashioned +romances, filled, as it was, with adventures which we should consider +impossible. An event upon which he never cared to enlarge—some sort of +an irregular duel with a personage of dignity—had obliged him to leave +his native land. In a London brothel he had made the acquaintance of the +late Lord Mowbray, who had taken him into his service on condition that +he would procure him something new in the way of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> emotion. "I am bored +to death," explained his lordship; "amuse me. I have used up every +resource and am used up myself; invent some plan to revive me. Bear in +mind your ability as an author and make my life a poem of delights, an +unedited romance. Instead of committing your fancies to paper, realize +them with my guineas and for my benefit. To begin with, there is my +villa, my 'Folly,' which is being built at Chelsea. Give your orders: +the mason, the painter, the upholsterer will obey you." Lebeau accepted +the engagement and acquitted himself to the perfect satisfaction of his +new patron.</p> + +<p>It was he who first invented those marvellous traps by means of which +the table disappeared after the first course and came up again laid with +a fresh service, which relieved the guests of the espionage of the +attendants. It was he, again, who devised, or revived from ancient +usage, the perfumed rain, the hail of roses; who offered to his master's +friends a <i>fête</i> such as Cleopatra gave, a Trimalcion supper and a +Borgian night festival; who realized for enchanted senses a corner of +the Orient, a dream of the Thousand and One Nights, while the snowflakes +fell and the wintry wind outside swept over the denuded country. And +Lord Mowbray had the satisfaction of saying to those who congratulated +him, "This is a mere nothing."</p> + +<p>His friends in their jealousy often said to him, "Lebeau is robbing +you." Whereupon he would shrug his shoulders and reply, "How can you +expect such a clever fellow not to be a little bit of a swindler?"</p> + +<p>Let us give an example of one of his surprising devices. As Lord Mowbray +was strolling one evening along the Cheyne Walk by the water he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> was +suddenly seized by three or four ruffians, stripped of his clothing, +bound, gagged, and finally thrown into the river. There he gave all up +for lost, and, believing himself at death's door, fainted away. He +recovered, to find himself at the bottom of a gigantic pie, whence he +emerged, to the profound astonishment of a dozen or more of his friends +who had assembled for supper.</p> + +<p>"What do you think of that for a new sensation, my lord?" inquired +Lebeau modestly.</p> + +<p>"You own no equal!" exclaimed Mowbray enthusiastically. "I would not +part with you for ten thousand pounds!"</p> + +<p>But Lebeau inspired contrary sentiments in poor Lady Mowbray, who saw in +him her husband's evil genius. When he was about she lost all hope of +reclaiming her faithless spouse. A slow fever having succeeded the birth +of her only son, she made no effort to live. Why should she? Her son +would be enticed from her, as her husband had been. The child, as by +some inconceivable hereditary repugnance, avoided her, fled her +caresses. She herself, to her deep mortification, never experienced that +mysterious and potent attachment which eternally binds the existence of +mother and child; and it was under these cruel conditions of life that +Lady Mowbray, overwhelmed with misery, weary of suffering, and longing +for rest, sank into the arms of death.</p> + +<p>She expired unpitied, conjugal love in the higher ranks of society being +regarded as a ridiculous anomaly. However, the cynical joy of Lord +Mowbray, even in that epoch of irony and indifference, caused a shudder +among the less delicate. Henceforth he was in no way hampered. A career +of untrammelled debauchery lay open before him;<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> but an unexpected event +arrested him with ruthless abruptness. He suddenly disappeared, and the +circumstances of his taking-off, at once ignoble and sinister, finally +became known in the social walks where he had been best known. He had +lost his life in attempting to experiment upon himself in the mysterious +sensations which, he was informed, attended the final convulsions of +those doomed to die by hanging. Whether through mismanagement or crime, +the cord had not been cut in time, and Death still guarded his secret +from the one who had essayed to violate it.</p> + +<p>Among the deceased nobleman's papers were found sundry instructions for +the education of his son, among which one doctrine, far worse than +atheism, was drawn up in cold, dry, incisive terms, to suit the custom +of the time.</p> + +<p>"Man," it maintained, "should live in accordance with nature. Now, +nature commands us to flee pain and seek pleasure. Certain philosophers +of antiquity have clearly perceived this truth, and that, too, at an +epoch when the human mind was not yet encumbered and obscured by vain +prejudices. But they have not ventured to demonstrate their theory even +unto the end; they have imagined a substance called the soul, the +tendencies of which are at constant variance with those of the body. +They have arrayed pleasure in the guise of virtue, and have thus opened +the way for the Christian folly. Christianity is the most formidable +opponent of happiness, and during long ages has rendered the world +well-nigh uninhabitable. From infancy we are imbued with the mawkish +doctrines; I, myself, have had the utmost difficulty in relieving myself +of the yoke and I have but imperfectly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> succeeded. That is why, should I +die before my son has attained his majority, I expressly desire that he +shall grow up without receiving the teachings of any religion +whatsoever. Later he will understand these aberrations when he comes to +a full appreciation of the long series of human errors. Let his mind be +developed, stocked with facts, and ornamented with agreeable +reflections; let him be schooled in all that pertains to bodily exercise +where strength and address are required. By increasing his vigor, his +passions will increase and consequently his relish for life. Let him be +instructed not to govern or struggle with himself, but to follow in all +things the only instinct which can be his certain guide,—that which +attracts man to pleasure. Monsieur Lebeau appears to me a man of the +world and the one best fitted to take charge of this education."</p> + +<p>The will of the dead man was duly accomplished. The young man was reared +in the school of evil and became a curious, experimental subject for his +master. The late Lord Mowbray had been a reclaimed fanatic; after his +own fashion he preached as do nearly all of his compatriots. Lebeau +contented himself with observation, and consigned these observations to +a certain manuscript, written in French, which was entitled: "A Treatise +on Pleasure; or, A Rational Journal of a Young English Nobleman. To be +published one hundred years after my death."</p> + +<p>Lebeau remarked many things; among others these:—</p> + +<p>"This youth, reared in the very lap of happiness, was not happy. The +pleasure which formed his daily lessons seemed to him stale and forced. +Over and beyond the delights which were multiplied<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> for him and almost +imposed upon him, he dreamed of others to which he could not attain, +thereby proving that the true vocation of man is the unattainable, the +unreal. He was bred according to nature, that is to say, after the +fashion of savages; his joys revolved in the narrow, wretched circle in +which the primitive inhabitants of the globe vegetate. Five or six +thousand years of civilization have delicately undermined, modelled, and +ameliorated this block of confused sensations which we represent. The +thousand constraints which man has imposed upon himself, and his +privations, voluntary or obligatory, not to mention his griefs, have +refined him, perfected his organs of pleasure, increased his faculty of +happiness an hundred-fold. Suppress these constraints, these tests, +these combats, and you leave him but the swift, bestial joys in which +the aborigines, our ancestors, forgot for a moment in the obscurity of +their caverns the frightful misery of their existence. Young Mowbray at +twenty years of age had run the gamut of fallacious love. He had learned +the principles of gallantry and debauchery as one learns Latin; but +never having trembled, wept, nor suffered, he was totally ignorant of +genuine love."</p> + +<p>All at once towards Lebeau, that man of infinite complaisance, he +experienced a sense of secret resistance. It was upon the day when first +he was smitten by the charms of Miss Woodville. A will seemed to +interpose between him and the object of his desire, seeming to say: "All +women, but not <i>this one</i>!"</p> + +<p>Was it not sufficient that she had become dearer to him than all +others?<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span></p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI.</h2> + +<h3>THE HOUSE IN TOTHILL FIELDS.</h3> + +<p>In her turn Esther had been awakened, as she was every morning, by a +sort of dull buzzing, which for a space continued and finally died away. +It was Reuben droning the morning prayers in the lower hall in presence +of his mother and the aged servant, Maud. She raised herself upon her +elbow and glanced about her with an expression of disgust. However, +there was nothing displeasing to the sight about the chamber. To be +sure, the appointments were of the simplest description, and the walls +were bare; but everything exhaled the perfection of neatness and +propriety. The window opened upon extensive meadows, called Tothill +Fields, where some years later rose the quarter known as Pimlico. On +this side no building intercepted the light of day; consequently the +fresh, pure radiance of morning flooded the room, flecking the draperies +and white furniture. But Esther for a long time had indulged herself in +a dream of luxury and grandeur. It seemed to her that each night renewed +for her special benefit the story of Cinderella. During the entire +evening she walked in her glory beneath the fire of glances, like a +little queen, envied, admired, adored, tasting, as an homage more +enduring than the applause of men, the jealousy of her comrades. The +curtain having fallen, the beautiful costume replaced by a modest gown +of some dark stuff, she escaped from the scene of her triumph with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> her +arm firmly locked in that of Mrs. Marsham. When she awoke in the morning +there was nothing to prevent her from believing that it had all been a +dream, and that she was after all only an ordinary little being destined +to set a good example to her neighbors, and be the joy of some +commonplace, honest husband. What was there in store for her but to +share this insipid existence, take her part in the usual housework, and +listen to the babble of her aunt, who represented simple, tender +devotion, as Reuben was the exponent of the suspicious and fierce kind? +But patience! It would not be long ere emancipation would lend her wings +to escape from this irksome prison.</p> + +<p>More than ever this morning was she disposed to view her surroundings +with a disapproving and dissatisfied eye. When should she have a boudoir +like Lady Vereker's, and a gilded coach, a footman with a plumed hat, a +great nobleman for her husband, subject to her caprices, sighing at her +feet, and breathing soft nothings in the pretty, affected language, +mingled with French, which the heroes in the fashionable plays made use +of? Like Lord Mowbray, she deceived herself on the score of love, but +after a different fashion. He saw in it but the satisfaction of the +senses; she, the triumph of vanity. To be forever and a day the +personage she appeared to be three evenings out of the week, from seven +o'clock until ten; to be in reality ingenuous, anxious, coquettish, and +impassioned; to play the comedy, and play it to the life, amidst men who +were by no means acting; to heave real sighs, shed genuine tears, commit +actual follies,—such was her idea of happiness, which would have been +perverse had it not been childish.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span></p> + +<p>Scarcely was she dressed ere she received a tender missive from Lady +Vereker which informed her of the result of their evening's frolic. One +of her ladyship's cousins, an officer in the Guards, had rescued her +from her dilemma. For hours she had sought her companion; then she had +gone home, "heaping reproaches upon herself and calling herself every +manner of barbarous name." For she felt in her heart that "she should +never taste of perfect bliss if separated from her incomparable friend, +and that it would be inhuman long to deprive her of her presence." This +jargon, which passed in the fashionable world of that day, was new to +Esther, and she replied in a similar vein, assuring her noble +protectress that, had she listened to the dictates of her heart, she +would have flown to her: but circumstances obliged her to defer the joy +for which she sighed so ardently; the circumstances being a guitar +lesson, a new <i>rôle</i> to study, and a second sitting with Sir Joshua.</p> + +<p>In fact, the guitar master, Mr. O'Flannigan, shortly made his appearance +upon horseback, the animal being as lean and lanky as himself. He was an +Irish gentleman, descended from the kings of his native land. He was +wont to prate of vast domains which had fallen two centuries before his +birth into the hands of the English. Thanks to the revolt of the +American colonies, which Ireland was preparing to imitate, Mr. +O'Flannigan had hopes of regaining his family rights and possessions. +Meanwhile he rambled about London, darned his own stockings, and gave +music lessons. Moreover, he occasionally relieved old Hopkins, the +prompter at Drury Lane Theatre; but whatever he did, he did with innate<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> +nobility and elegance. He could bow with a grace almost equal to that of +any Frenchman, having passed one week of his youth in Paris, "the +capital of elegance and good taste."</p> + +<p>It was averred that, like the majority of his countrymen, he must have +kissed the famous Blarney stone which communicates to the lips which +have pressed it the gift of suave falsehood. But the persons who spoke +in that way were his enemies. And who has not an enemy? Mr. O'Flannigan +possessed his share of those troublesome individuals, although he had +obliged at least three of them to bite the dust.</p> + +<p>"What! Three men stretched upon the ground? Three men killed by you +single-handed?"</p> + +<p>"All of that, miss!"</p> + +<p>His brow clouded at the recollection; he declined to enlarge upon the +subject; whereupon, since no one wished to wound his feelings by +insisting upon details, he would recount the entire dreadful tale even +unto the bitter end. One was an Italian, of the princely house of +Castellamare; he understood the secret thrust, you know,—the famous +secret thrust! Poor man! His death had served no great purpose. To-day +the violets bloom upon his grave. Another was a German baron,—a boor +who, in passing Mr. O'Flannigan, had knocked over his glass of milk with +the tip of his sword and had not known enough to beg his pardon,—a man +so tall and stout that he could not have passed through yonder door; yet +this Colossus had fallen before little O'Flannigan!</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> +<img src="images/ill_009.jpg" width="400" height="380" alt="" title="" /> +</div> + +<p>"But why renew these cruel memories? It is a frightful thing for a +sensible, philosophic man thus to give the <i>coup de grâce</i> to a +fellow-man!<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> Now, then, Miss Woodville, if you please. One—two—we are +in the key of <i>fa</i>."</p> + +<p>One day Mrs. Marsham found O'Flannigan in the midst of explaining to his +pupil the principles of his favorite art. With her left hand upon her +hip, her body proudly curved, her cheeks aglow, and her eyes dancing +with pleasure, Esther attacked and parried imaginary thrusts, while she +poked with a long cane the bony old body of O'Flannigan, who applauded +rapturously, though he rubbed his sides.</p> + +<p>"Are you mad, monsieur?" she cried. "Giving fencing lessons to my +niece!"</p> + +<p>"Madame, I am the humblest of your servants!"</p> + +<p>O'Flannigan performed the sword salute with the cane he held in his +hand, and attempted to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> deposit a kiss upon the mitten of the Quakeress, +who found herself quite disarmed in spite of herself by such a display +of courtesy and high breeding.</p> + +<p>"Come, come, Monsieur O'Flannigan," she breathed; "suppose you return to +your music."</p> + +<p>"At your command, madame.—Now, then, mademoiselle; one—two—three. We +are in the key of <i>sol</i>!"</p> + +<p>After the Irishman's departure, Esther passed the remainder of the +morning in walking up and down the little garden, studying the charming +<i>rôle</i> of Beatrice in "Much Ado about Nothing," which she was to play in +a few days. Then came the dinner hour, which reunited Mrs. Marsham, her +son Reuben, Esther, and the ancient Maud; since, in accordance with the +usage of the sect, the servants consorted with their masters and sat at +table with them. Moreover, Maud was no ordinary servant. She possessed +the sense of second sight. At certain hours she prophesied and spoke in +a strange tongue which no one understood. "The Spirit is upon her!" they +were wont to say respectfully upon such occasions. Very deaf and +purblind, even with her double vision Maud could not see the spiders' +webs which festooned the ceiling; she could hear "voices," though not +that of her mistress when it called her. Any one in the wide world +except the Marshams would have quickly recognized the inconvenience of +having a vaticinal cook.</p> + +<p>At the dinner-table the dangers which Esther had encountered upon the +preceding night became the topic of conversation. Mother and son +regarded the event from their own standpoints. The former blessed +Providence who had guided<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> the girl through her peril safe and sound; +the latter cursed the malice of the men who had madly risked their lives +in breaking a minister's windows for the glorification of a stupid +soldier. How many there were who would have permitted themselves to be +killed for Rodney, who would not have raised a finger for Christ! Esther +uttered not a word concerning Lord Mowbray; she simply spoke of the +excellent gentleman who had escorted her home.</p> + +<p>"The brave man!" said Mrs. Marsham. "I long to know and thank him."</p> + +<p>"I saw him leaving, or rather flying, like a malefactor," muttered +Reuben. "Would he not have remained to receive our thanks, if he had +thought he deserved them?"</p> + +<p>"Virtue is diffident, my son; her right hand knoweth not what her left +hand doeth."</p> + +<p>Reuben only replied by an imperceptible shrug of his shoulders. The +repast over, Maud returned to her kitchen, where she held forth all +alone for several long hours. Mrs. Marsham installed herself in her +rush-seated chair and adjusted a pair of silver-and-horn spectacles upon +the tip of her nose, the rigid steel mounting of which suggested the +curved arch of some ancient bridge. She selected one of her favorite +books, the "Pilgrim's Progress," or the life of George Fox, which for +thirty years had fascinated her timid, childish imagination. Soon the +regular breathing, like the purring of a great drowsy cat, informed +Esther that her aunt was in Morpheus's arms. Indeed, she had fallen +asleep with an ecstatic smile upon her features. Perhaps she dreamed +that she walked in a fair garden, attended by angels, and that one came +to her, clothed in white raiment, with a lily in his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span> right hand, and +said to her, "Good morrow, my good Mrs. Marsham. How are you? My father +will be rejoiced to see you." And then, stooping, he would gather stars +from the <i>parterre</i> of heaven and arrange them in a bouquet for the +elect; for Mrs. Marsham was frequently favored with such dreams, and +upon awakening she would recount them to her friends as did the +personages in the Old Testament. She was forever searching some +explanation of them, since she considered them in the light of celestial +visions.</p> + +<p>"She sleeps, and is happy," said Reuben in a lowered tone. "Would that I +could find repose!"</p> + +<p>"Why can you not?" asked Esther negligently.</p> + +<p>"Because my heart is troubled by the thought of the iniquities which are +committed in Israel. Sometimes it seems to me that I am a scapegoat, and +that all the sins of England are upon me."</p> + +<p>"Rather a heavy burden, my poor cousin!"</p> + +<p>"Oh, do not laugh, Esther; for it is you who are to be pitied; it is for +you that I weep."</p> + +<p>"For me?"</p> + +<p>"Yes, for you, and because of your fatal beauty."</p> + +<p>"Fatal! I take the compliment from whence it comes, and am charmed to +know that you consider me even passing fair. But pray tell me why my +beauty is fatal."</p> + +<p>"Listen and give heed, Esther. You have read the Holy Scriptures?"</p> + +<p>"Yes."</p> + +<p>"When God imprints upon the face and body of woman a charm which renders +the wisest fools, there is a hidden reason which should be visible if we +would but open our eyes. He has created<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> her for the salvation or the +perdition of a variety of men. Eve worked the ruin of Adam; Bethsheba +unconsciously corrupted the holy king; Delilah delivered Samson over to +his enemies; Salome snatched from Herod's luxury the condemnation of the +Precursor. On the contrary, Ruth exhaled joy and consolation about her; +Esther softened the anger of a terrible king and saved the people of +God; Jabel drove a nail into the temple of Sisera; Judith delivered +Bethulia by cutting off the head of Holofernes. Which will you be, a +Delilah or a Judith?"</p> + +<p>"Neither, I hope. In the first place, pray do not count upon me to cut +off anybody's head. I am a sorry coward, and I have a horror of seeing +blood. The other day I saw a dog with a bleeding paw, and I thought I +should faint."</p> + +<p>"Ah!" exclaimed Reuben bitterly, "better were it to cause the impious to +lose every drop of blood in his veins than to inspire a single evil +thought in the just. I feel within myself that it is a sin to look upon +you; my will totters when for too long a space my eyes have rested upon +those shoulders, that slender form, those brilliant eyes, that bud-like +mouth. Sometimes it seems to me that I would suffer eternal damnation +for you, and that I should find an abominable pleasure in it! How many +times have I prayed God to destroy those adorable features which it has +pleased him to create! Willingly would I obliterate and annihilate +them!"</p> + +<p>"Are you going mad?" cried Esther in alarm. "And yet you say you love +me!"</p> + +<p>"Yes," replied Reuben: "we alone know how to love, because we alone know +how to hate,—we, the sons of the saints whose hearts are full<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> of +bitterness and sorrow. They do not love who live in joy and pleasure. My +love increases with the tears that it causes me to shed, with the +combats that I undergo for you, and, moreover, with the fury that I +experience against those who raise their eyes upon your beauty!"</p> + +<p>Involuntarily he had raised his voice. The old lady awoke with a start.</p> + +<p>"Naughty children!" she murmured querulously. "Quarrelling again?—you +who were born to understand one another, and to be happy!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span></p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII.</h2> + +<h3>CONFIDENCES.</h3> + +<p>Esther succeeded in persuading good Mrs. Marsham that she ought not to +accompany her to her next sitting with Sir Joshua, since the great +painter desired to be alone with his model. The age and eminent +reputation of the President of the Academy removed far from him all +suspicion; consequently there was nothing to be done but to respect his +wishes. Therefore Esther went alone to Leicester Fields in a sedan-chair +borne by a couple of doughty Irishmen; but she could not repress a +movement of impatience upon perceiving Reuben on horseback following her +at a short distance with his sombre glance. When she entered the house +the young man quickly alighted, attached the bridle of his horse to the +railing of the square, and, seating himself upon a bench, fixed his eyes +upon Sir Joshua's door.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> +<img src="images/ill_010.jpg" width="400" height="228" alt="" title="" /> +</div> + +<p>"Shadowed!" murmured the girl.</p> + +<p>The desire of deceiving one's jailers, the omnipresent dream of evasion +which ever haunts the prisoner, filled her mind and inclined her to +anger.</p> + +<p>"Bah!" she thought, "my deliverance is close at hand."</p> + +<p>She swiftly mounted the stairs which led to the studio, and was received +by Francis Monday.</p> + +<p>"The President has been unexpectedly summoned to an audience with his +Majesty, who has come in from Kew to St. James's this morning," he +explained. "Be so good as to wait for Sir<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> Joshua, who will return +before long. Shall I request Miss Reynolds to come and keep you +company?"</p> + +<p>"Why disturb her? There are so many curious things here to amuse one! +One might pass a whole day looking about this apartment without being +bored for a moment."</p> + +<p>"So be it!" replied Frank in a slightly tremulous voice. "Shall we look +about together?"</p> + +<p>He forthwith proceeded to show her all the rare objects arranged in +order within their glazed cases, giving her explanations of everything. +There were snuff-boxes, fans of which one was said to be the work of the +poet Pope, and foreign arms brought home by Sir Joshua from a journey in +barbaric lands. Frank also named the originals of the unfinished +portraits which awaited upon their easels the good pleasure of the +painter.</p> + +<p>The door of the adjoining apartment, whence the girl had seen him emerge +upon the preceding day, stood ajar; she quickly glanced within and saw a +quantity of antique casts spread upon large tables, and plaster heads +heaped one upon another.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span></p> + +<p>"It is there that I paint," he said, "in order that I may always be near +at hand in case Sir Joshua should call me."</p> + +<p>"As yesterday," she said rashly; then, realizing the memory which she +had evoked, she blushed. As for him, he became pale. However, she soon +continued:—</p> + +<p>"Sir Joshua loves you very dearly."</p> + +<p>"He treats me with an almost paternal kindness; I respect him, and +entertain for him the affection of a son. I owe him all that—"</p> + +<p>"Yes, I know."</p> + +<p>"Ah, but you cannot know all. Perhaps you have been told that I have +been adopted and educated by Sir Joshua, but if you only knew from what +a future of misery and despair he has snatched me, from what a hell he +has saved me!"</p> + +<p>He pronounced these words with so simple, so profound an accent that the +girl, suddenly touched with sympathy, bent her eyes upon him and said:—</p> + +<p>"Where were you before you knew him, and what did you do?"</p> + +<p>"I lived with the pirates of the Thames, who forced me to learn their +horrible business."</p> + +<p>"But how happened it that you fell into such hands?"</p> + +<p>"I know not. I know neither my birthplace nor my parents. Even my true +age is unknown to me. I have nothing in the world, not even so much as a +name—only a surname; they called me Mishap. Perhaps my parents were +like those wretches. The thought has often come to me, and driven me +almost desperate."</p> + +<p>Esther did not speak, but her eyes assured Frank that she was listening +with deepest interest.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span></p> + +<p>"We lived in a hovel," he continued, "down by the water, opposite +Greenwich, and sometimes in a half-decayed barge on the river which was +anchored some twenty yards from shore. By day they sent me on land to +beg, and beat me if I returned empty-handed. At low tide I used to +search the mud which the sea left dry when it retired."</p> + +<p>"For what purpose?"</p> + +<p>"To look for things which might have fallen into the water. One found +all sorts of stuff on the bed of the river,—wood, rope, bits of cloth, +and rusty iron. Frequently I encountered fearful things there, such as +human remains, bodies of the unfortunate whose death had been unknown +and would never be avenged."</p> + +<p>"Heavens! what a dreadful business!"</p> + +<p>"You are right: a dreadful business indeed! Those who carry it on are +called mud-larks; yet little do they resemble those tiny voyagers of the +air which sing so proudly, so joyously, which build their nests in the +furrows and soar aloft to heaven's gate. The mud-larks crawl along their +wretched way, sometimes immersed to the knees in the icy slime, and +frequently they fall victims to the fever as the result of their long +searches. Nevertheless, the Thames has engulfed much riches, and +sometimes it gives it back. There have been cases of poor wretches +finding precious jewels there. One summer's day, during a season of +excessive drought, the tide being lower than usual, I espied something +glittering in the rays of the rising sun. I stooped; it was an old gold +piece bearing the effigy of Charles II. Perhaps for a century it had +slept there in the mud."</p> + +<p>After a moment of silence he continued:<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span>—</p> + +<p>"How carefully I wiped it! How I caressed it! How long I contemplated +that little coin! At first I decided that I would show my treasure-trove +to no one. But where could I hide it? I wore neither shoes, stockings, +nor shirt; nothing but an old ragged jacket and trousers without +pockets. When I was permitted to go to bed I slept upon a sack filled +with rags, along with a boy older than myself. I passed the coin from +one hand to the other; I even put it in my mouth beneath my tongue. It +seemed a fortune in my eyes, and I thought that when I went to London I +should be able to buy out the whole town. Yes; ah, but I was way-wise +for my years, and I foresaw what would take place were I to offer my +sovereign for sale as the gentlemen did. The dealer would exclaim, 'Such +as you with a gold piece! You have stolen it!' Forthwith I should be +sent to prison, and from there to the smoky hall of the Old Bailey, +where I had seen many a little thief condemned to twenty or thirty +lashes. I saw myself bound to the terrible wooden bench, black with +human blood; I saw the executioner approach with his awful +cat-o'-nine-tails. My thin knees knocked together as I drew the mental +picture."</p> + +<p>"And what did you do?"</p> + +<p>"I determined to hide my sovereign under a tuft of grass on the river +bank near Deptford. And I went there often to take a peep at it, while I +waited for better days. Alas! there came a great tempest in September; +the river rose and overflowed its banks; my hiding-place, my treasure, +all disappeared!"</p> + +<p>"Poor boy!"</p> + +<p>"All these miseries were as nothing compared<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span> with others. The worst +work was that which I was made to do at night. Of foggy evenings our +boat slipped along like a phantom, with the oars muffled in bits of old +wool so that they moved without a sound. Thus we circled about the big +ships at anchor, or prowled around the sleeping warehouses. At such +hours the river belonged to the bandits, to the vagabonds who were +called light-horsemen; they were alone, and sovereign masters there."</p> + +<p>"But what part did you play upon these nocturnal expeditions?"</p> + +<p>"They made me climb up a knotted rope to the bowsprits of the ships, +which they knew to be but poorly guarded by the drunken sailors at that +time of night. From there I would crawl to the deck. Then I would glide +into the storeroom and bring thence a bag of 'sand,' a sack of 'peas,' +or a bottle of 'vinegar,' which is pirate slang for sugar, coffee, and +rum. When I had lowered my booty into the boat moored under the bow, I +would let myself down, my teeth chattering, half dead with fright."</p> + +<p>"Were you aware that you were doing wrong?"</p> + +<p>"No: no one had taught me the difference between good and bad; no one +had ever pronounced in my presence the name of God, unless it was with +the accompaniment of some frightful blasphemy. I was simply aware that +there existed another race of men who waged war upon my masters; that +when the landsmen captured our water-folk they dragged them into a great +black house called Newgate, and from there to a place called Tyburn, +where they set up a gallows. I saw many of my companions hanged there, +for thieves never miss an execution. Have you ever seen a hanging, Miss +Woodville?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Oh, never!" cried Esther shudderingly.</p> + +<p>"You would think it a festival. All along Holborn stagings are set up +for those who wish to see, and tables for the wine-bibbers. The mob +laughs and sings, and jokes the ladies who have hired windows, and who +hide their faces behind their fans. Venders of apples and gin thrust +their handcarts into the thick of the crowd. The mountebanks perform +their tricks and dances as at the fair of Saint Bartholomew, while the +street urchins for half a penny proclaim the complaint against the +doomed man. At last he appears upon a cart drawn by a wretched hack, +which itself seems on its way to slaughter. I have seen certain men in +this plight who were bold and impudent in the face of death, who winked +at the women, and responded to the jeers of the crowd. Yes, I have heard +them try to sing songs, which the mob took up in chorus. But there have +been others!—those who were deaf to everything, deaf even to the +exhorting voice of the clergyman. Quivering like dead animals with every +jolt of the cart, fainting, convulsed, livid, horrible to look upon, +their eyes dilated with terror, they seemed scarcely human, scarcely +living but for the evidence of their fear."</p> + +<p>He paused for an instant, paling at the recollection. "I saw it all," he +pursued, "and knew that after twenty or thirty years of infamy that fate +would be mine. If I refused to obey my masters a few blows of the gasket +very soon got the better of my resistance. To be beaten by the mud-larks +or lashed by the hangman—such was the frightful choice which was +offered me, such the view of life which I enjoyed for eight years. Eight +years! The age of dependence, confidence, and joy! The age which<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> should +know the sweetness of a mother's love and caress!"</p> + +<p>Esther's eyes filled with tears as she grasped poor Frank's hands and +held them in her clasp.</p> + +<p>"Neither have I known a mother," she said; "but I have not suffered as +you have. Those about me were kind enough, and I can smile when I +compare my miseries with yours."</p> + +<p>"One night," continued Frank, "when I refused to play my part in an +expedition with the pirates, one of them in a fit of rage threw me into +the dark river which hissingly closed over my head."</p> + +<p>Esther uttered a cry as though she saw it all, saw with her own eyes the +child plunge headlong into the water.</p> + +<p>"Fortunately I could swim. I knew the river and it seemed less wicked, +less hostile than man. It almost seemed like a mother to me, since it +had rocked me upon its bosom and nourished me for so many years. I +succeeded in gaining the shore, where I wandered about, shivering, until +daybreak. I don't see what prevented my dying, except that such wretches +as I are blessed with more enduring vitality than others. Nevertheless, +I had some terrible trials to bear. For several days I subsisted upon +mouldy crusts floating in the water, cabbage leaves, and other rubbish +which I picked up about the market-places. I devoured these sad repasts +while inhaling the odor of roasts in Cheapside and Fleet Street. Now and +again a charitable gentleman would give me alms without my daring to +solicit it other than with my wretched, famished glances. At night I +slept sometimes in a church porch, sometimes in an abandoned stable, +sometimes under an old wall, which<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> screened me from the wind. One +morning I lay asleep, with a stone for a pillow, in the neighborhood of +Covent Garden, when I was awakened by a strange voice which seemed to +address me. I saw a middle-aged gentleman of modest appearance, with a +kind and venerable air, who stood gazing upon me as he leaned on his +silver-headed cane. This cane and his old-fashioned wig would have +caused me to divine that he was a doctor, had I known the costumes of +the different professions.</p> + +<p>"'My boy,' he said to me, 'what are you doing there? Why are you not at +home at such an hour? Surely your parents must be anxious about you.'</p> + +<p>"I answered him rudely, for I knew no other mode of speech.</p> + +<p>"'I have no home, and no parents.'</p> + +<p>"'What is your name?'</p> + +<p>"'They call me Mishap.'</p> + +<p>"'Well, friend Mishap, I am going to give the lie to your name, for I am +going to take you to the best man in the world.'</p> + +<p>"I rose and followed him. Later I learned that he was Levet, the French +surgeon of the poor, so poor himself that Dr. Johnson had given him an +abiding-place in his house. Thither he led me. The doctor, too, in his +time had suffered from poverty and hunger. In his old age he returned +good for the evil which he had suffered in his youth. His home was, and +still is, a sort of asylum and hospital. With Levet lived Mrs. Williams, +the blind poetess, and the negro Frank, whom the author of 'Rasselas' +treated more as a friend than a servant. These good people gave me a +cordial greeting. They gave me breakfast and made me tell them my story. +For the first<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span> time in my life I ate of white bread and listened to +decent language. Then my heart, which lay like a stone in my breast, +melted, and I wept hot tears. They baptized me next day, the good negro +being my humble godfather. To the Christian name of Francis they added, +for want of a family name, the name of the day on which I had been +discovered shivering in my sleep. Some days later, well washed and newly +clothed, with shoes and stockings on my feet, all of which seemed +strange to me and not a little awkward, I accompanied Dr. Johnson to +this house, and in this very room made my first bow to Sir Joshua, who +at the time was painting the portrait of Kate Fisher. I can still see +the pretty creature, who had brought her friend, Mary Summers, with her. +One was all beauty; the other, all wit—component parts of Aspasia.</p> + +<p>"'My dear sir,' said the doctor in his grand, solemn way, 'I have +brought with me a child for Ugolino to eat.'</p> + +<p>"The speech made me shudder, while every one present laughed. Later it +was explained to me that during the intervals between his engagements +Sir Joshua caused an aged street-paver, who had fallen into necessitous +circumstances, but who possessed an expressive head, to sit for him. His +name was White, but one day Mr. Burke, seeing him in the lower hall, +said to Sir Joshua, 'That man would make an admirable Ugolino.' And from +that time he was never called by any other name. It suggested to my +master the idea of making him the centre of a great composition +representing Dante's terrible scene; but it was necessary to find some +children with whom to surround Ugolino. Now you understand the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span> doctor's +joke. 'Here is something for you to do,' remarked Sir Joshua to me, +'which will be easier than working for the mud-larks.'</p> + +<p>"'What must I do?' I inquired.</p> + +<p>"'Remain perfectly quiet, which you may find rather difficult at your +age.'</p> + +<p>"'It could never be difficult for me to obey and please you,' said I.</p> + +<p>"I was given a sort of chamber in the garret, which I still occupy; and +from that day I led the life of those by whom I was surrounded. Living +from morning till evening amidst painting and designing, the desire to +try my hand came to me. I armed myself with a bit of chalk and a slate. +Sir Joshua surprised me in the midst of my occupation, and when I made +an attempt to conceal my sketch, he remarked: 'Do you know upon what and +with what I made my first picture? Upon a scrap of sail-cloth and with a +pot of paint which had been left upon the strand at Plympton by the +boat-painter.' He looked at my sketch, and the result of his examination +was that he sent me to the Royal Academy, which had recently been +opened. There I sketched the faces of all the young women who +represented Dido or Ariadne. My companions blew peas at them until they +made them cry. Then they would clap their hands and pretend that they +had given the models the desired expression. I did not know what they +meant, but when I had filled my sketch-book to the very last page with +Didos and Ariadnes, I respectfully confessed to Sir Joshua that I had +much rather paint trees, flowers, grass, and, more than all, water. My +dear, great river, where I had lived so long, the ever-changeful home of +my infancy!—I am never weary of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> depicting it, by turns dull as a +leaden disk, brilliant as a mirror of burnished steel, now ruffled and +agitated, now radiant and peaceful, little rural stream that it is at +Hampton Court, arm of the sea at Gravesend, with its perspectives, its +shore life, the ships which fleck its surface, and the seafarers it +bears upon its bosom."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span></p> + +<div class="figright" style="width: 289px;"> +<img src="images/ill_011.jpg" width="289" height="400" alt="" title="" /> +</div> + +<p>"Then," inquired Esther, "am I to understand that you are happy?" The +young man lowered his eyes and was silent for a moment.</p> + +<p>"I am," he answered, "profoundly grateful to my master for all his +kindness, for the friendship which every one testifies for me, and for +the interest which such men as Mr. Burke and Dr. Johnson take in my +studies. But can I be wholly happy? Nothing can replace the affection of +a mother,—unless it be that of a wife. There is a void in my heart. +Will it ever be filled?"</p> + +<p>So humble, so penetrating was the accent of the poor, lonely fellow at +this moment that Esther was more deeply moved than she had been by the +recital of his boyish sufferings. In her turn her eyes drooped as if, in +the young man's words, something had particularly affected her.</p> + +<p>"Ah!" he murmured, "you are laughing at me now; but, since I began to +speak and you deigned to listen to me, I have told you all. Now I am +going to show you the one who, since my entrance into this house, has +consoled and sustained me in the hours of discouragement and sadness." +And taking her by the hand, he led Esther into his studio, before an +unframed picture, from which he drew aside the drapery which covered it.</p> + +<p>"A portrait! A portrait of a woman!"</p> + +<p>In fact it was the counterfeit presentment of a young woman clothed in +white. The picture was still unfinished. The attire, the accessories, +the background were scarcely indicated; the head alone seemed almost +complete. It was a fine, delicate head, softly illumined by a faint +smile as by a ray of autumnal sunshine, the eyes of a dull blue, +hesitant in glance as though weary of the light,—infinite weariness in +the inclination of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span> the neck and the droop of the shoulders. An +indefinable charm of sorrow and resignation overspread the entire +countenance. The very uncertainty of the sketch lent to it an ethereal, +almost supernatural character, enveloping it in that vague, ideal film +which veils the figures in a dream.</p> + +<p>"Who is this lady?" inquired Esther.</p> + +<p>"She died twenty years ago, and I never saw her in life. I only know +that she is called Lady Mowbray."</p> + +<p>"Lady Mowbray! The mother of young Lord Mowbray whom you resemble so +closely?"</p> + +<p>"The same."</p> + +<p>"But why has the portrait remained unfinished?"</p> + +<p>"The death of the original interrupted the sittings. She knew that she +was doomed and wished to bequeath her portrait to her son; but +apparently no one cared for her or respected her last wish, since the +sketch has never been claimed by the family. It is said that she was +most unhappy, and wept her life away. I am as attached to this portrait +as to a living person. It watches me and smiles upon me; I speak to it +and it responds. How many times have I kissed those poor hands which are +now folded in death! I have wished that my mother might resemble her, +and in my folly I have more than once addressed her by that holy name. +Athwart the space which separates us my heart yearns towards her. What +would I not give to have known and consoled her! What do you think of +such foolishness, Miss Woodville?"</p> + +<p>"I understand you; I assure you that I understand you, and it seems to +me that from to-day I shall no longer be the same, that I shall be less<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></span> +frivolous, less thoughtless, that I shall regard life with other eyes."</p> + +<p>And turning suddenly she came in contact with an object in the shadow, +which upon being disturbed gave forth a queer sound, like to the click +of <i>castagnettes</i>.</p> + +<p>"What is that?" she exclaimed.</p> + +<p>"That is nothing, only a skeleton used in anatomical studies."</p> + +<p>He drew into the light the singular companion, whose arms and legs +projected absurdly every which way. One would have said that it was a +drunken sailor attempting a hornpipe. As if to increase its height a +lace cap with red ribbons, carelessly placed upon its cranium, had +slipped to one side, suggesting the idea of ghostly joviality. Esther +burst into a laugh which she quickly repressed.</p> + +<p>"Poor thing!" she said. "Like us, he has possessed a heart and a brain. +Perhaps he has loved, perhaps they have said he was handsome. Pardon me +that I laughed, poor skeleton!"</p> + +<p>The words of her well-beloved poet recurred to her memory.</p> + +<p>"Do you remember where Hamlet, in the graveyard, holds the jester's +skull in his hands? 'Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know not +how oft. Where be your gibes now? your gambols? your songs? your flashes +of merriment that were wont to set the table on a roar?'"</p> + +<p>"'To what base uses we may return, Horatio!'" added Frank.</p> + +<p>"Yes," she replied; "'Imperial Cæsar, dead and turn'd to clay, might +stop a hole to keep the wind away.'" And she recited the verses which +close the scene.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span></p> + +<p>Frank listened with a sort of religious tenderness.</p> + +<p>"You love Shakespeare?" he asked.</p> + +<p>"I adore him!"</p> + +<p>Attracted by this new bond of common admiration, they spoke of that +sovereign master of souls, and exchanged the emotions which he had +aroused in their hearts. Hand in hand they wandered, and lost themselves +in that vast, murmurous forest filled with alarms and enchantments, with +refreshing springs and hideous pools, with jocund imps and menacing +monsters, where the fairy flowers of sentiment bloom and fade in the +umbrage of gigantic thoughts, amidst which passes, like a stormy wind, a +tremor of the vague Beyond, the breath of the invisible, unknown world.</p> + +<p>As they conversed thus, seated upon an old sofa between the skeleton and +the portrait of Lady Mowbray, Reynolds entered. For two hours they had +been together. The painter looked at them, and smiled with indulgent +penetration.</p> + +<p>"We have been talking of Shakespeare," Frank explained, slightly ill at +ease.</p> + +<p>Sir Joshua did not believe one word of it. Either he knew not, or he had +forgotten that old age alone requires to <i>speak</i> of love. In youth, love +impregnates every word, insinuates itself into the very gestures, +plunges into the glance, exhales at every pore, saturates the air we +breathe. Then of what import are words?</p> + +<p>"And there is Reuben waiting all this while!" thought Esther suddenly.</p> + +<p>That thought alone re-established all her roguish coquetry in the space +of one second.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span></p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII.</h2> + +<h3>MR. FISHER'S SUBSTITUTE.</h3> + +<p>"Mr. Fisher!"</p> + +<p>Thus invoked by his name, the hairdresser who had the honor of attending +the leading artists of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, stopped suddenly +upon the dim staircase which led to the dressing-rooms.</p> + +<p>"Who is it?" he inquired, striving to distinguish the person who had +accosted him. "What do you want? I am in a hurry. Miss Woodville waits. +What! <i>You</i>, my lord?" he added as his interlocutor advanced into the +doubtful radiance shed by the argand-lamp upon the upper landing.</p> + +<p>A trifle arrogant at first, with a mingling of poorly dissimulated +nervousness (for courage was not Mr. Fisher's besetting virtue), the +tone of the worthy hairdresser had become obsequious in the extreme. +Lord Mowbray was one of his best clients.</p> + +<p>"Mr. Fisher," said the young nobleman, "you are going straight home and +to bed."</p> + +<p>"I, my lord! Your lordship must surely be jesting. They are waiting for +me up-stairs, and I must—"</p> + +<p>Lord Mowbray barred his further progress.</p> + +<p>"I am not jesting, Mr. Fisher. I can be serious when serious matters are +at stake, and there is nothing more serious than the health of an honest +man like yourself. I tell you that you have a high fever and that you +are going straight to bed, where<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span> you will keep warm and let Mrs. Fisher +bring you a ptisan."</p> + +<p>"But I have no fever, and even if I had I should not fail to perform my +duty. And this, a first-night! Why, the king and queen are to honor the +performance with their presence!"</p> + +<p>"Well, let us cut the matter short, Mr. Fisher. Here is somewhat to +sweeten your ptisan."</p> + +<p>With the words a handful of guineas changed hands, the jingle of which +possessed a persuasive virtue all their own; whereupon the hairdresser +began to comprehend that it is sometimes to one's advantage to be +feverish.</p> + +<p>"But, my lord," he faltered, "would you have Miss Woodville go on the +stage with dishevelled hair? Who will take my place?"</p> + +<p>"I will, Fisher."</p> + +<p>"Can your lordship dress a head of hair?"</p> + +<p>"I studied the art in Paris under the celebrated Leonard."</p> + +<p>"Is it so!"</p> + +<p>"Indeed it is. The man who does not know how to dress a woman's hair +misses one of the greatest delights in life. That is why, my dear +friend, your art was the most agreeable to Venus; and Mons. Lebeau, my +tutor, a man-of-the-world, failed not to give me ample instruction."</p> + +<p>"Well, I am flambergasted now!"</p> + +<p>"Make haste to pull yourself together and be off, or you will take more +cold on this staircase. Quick; hand me the comb, the powder, and the +patch-box. Good night, Fisher; take good care of yourself. Devil, man! +You'll find you cannot trifle with a fever."</p> + +<p>A minute later the false hairdresser, having duly knocked at the door +and received permission<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span> to enter, walked into a narrow room in which +Miss Woodville was dressing, assisted by a maid, under the watchful +direction of her aunt, Mrs. Marsham.</p> + +<p>"Come, Mr. Fisher," said Esther without looking at the intruder, "we +must make haste or I shall be late. Make me just as pretty as you +possibly can, for the king will be in the audience."</p> + +<p>"I shall do my best, Miss Woodville."</p> + +<p>"But this man is not Fisher!" cried the old lady.</p> + +<p>Esther cast one swift glance at Mowbray, caught the kerchief about her +shoulders, and mechanically plunged her blushing face into the ivory +horn which served to protect her eyes and lashes while her hair was +being powdered.</p> + +<p>The young nobleman respectfully saluted the Quakeress.</p> + +<p>"Mr. Fisher is ill," he exclaimed.</p> + +<p>"Oh, poor Fisher! What ails him?"</p> + +<p>"He has a fever, madam,—a high fever. It would break your heart to hear +the poor man's teeth chatter. So I have come in his place."</p> + +<p>"It is impossible for you to dress my hair!" gasped Esther.</p> + +<p>"Impossible! And why, if you please?"</p> + +<p>"Because—because—why, you cannot, you don't know how!"</p> + +<p>"I have studied under the best masters. It is not for me to disparage +Mr. Fisher; but I venture to say that my touch is more classic than his. +I have worked for the French court."</p> + +<p>"No, no!" breathed Esther with veiled eyes.</p> + +<p>"But, my child," said her aunt in a lowered tone, "you are unreasonable. +This boy appears to know his business; besides, he has worked for the +French court. Moreover, time presses."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span></p> + +<p>"If Miss Woodville will deign to intrust her head to my care, all will +be well," added the would-be hairdresser.</p> + +<p>Esther saw there was no help for it but to yield. Suffused with blushes +and pouting, though deeply moved, she took her chair before the mirror.</p> + +<p>"What style will it please you this evening,—<i>capricieuse</i> or <i>tout +amiable</i>? But I am wrong: a face like yours demands a suitable +accompaniment. Esther Woodville—pardon my liberty of speech—should +have her hair dressed <i>à la</i> Esther Woodville!"</p> + +<p>"Anybody can see at a glance that you came from Paris," interposed Mrs. +Marsham; "you know how to pay compliments. I fear that your talents may +stop there, and that your comb is by no means the equal of your tongue."</p> + +<p>"Madam shall be the judge. By his work is the artist known."</p> + +<p>With a firm, experienced hand he seized the loosened tresses which +overspread the girl's shoulders. Bending above her, inhaling her very +personality, he spoke not, he hardly breathed, overcome by the violence +of his emotions; while she, bending slightly forward, maintained a +strange immobility. A cloud passed before his eyes; his brain reeled. +Could he maintain the mastery of himself sufficiently to play the comedy +to the end?</p> + +<p>All at once a confused turmoil arose from the street below. Mrs. Marsham +pricked up her ears.</p> + +<p>"Can it be the king already?" she exclaimed.</p> + +<p>In order to understand the true import of those two monosyllables, "the +king," for the good lady, we must go back a quarter of a century to the +time when George III., aged sixteen years, still dwelt<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span> in Leicester +Fields with his mother, the Dowager Princess of Wales. Never did he pass +through Long Acre on his way to the theatre, of which he was a constant +patron, without casting a timid glance at pretty Sarah Lightfoot, where +she sat at the desk in her father's shop, with her snow-white gown, her +folded kerchief, and her glossy tresses innocent of powder. The young +Quakeress would bend her head with a light blush beneath the mute and +tender contemplation of those big, guileless eyes, undoubtedly more +eloquent than their owner had any idea they were. The royal child would +pause for a moment, and, heaving a sigh, would continue his way with his +unequal, halting gait.</p> + +<p>Long, long ago had his Majesty forgotten Sarah Lightfoot; but Sarah +Lightfoot, the present Mrs. Marsham, had never forgotten his Majesty. +Athwart her dull, peaceful, uneventful existence the charming memory +cast a ray which but increased in brilliancy as the days wore on. She +had never mentioned the subject in the presence of her son, fearing the +disdainful shrug of Reuben's shoulders, and suspecting that he nourished +some vague republican chimera; but she would speak complacently with her +niece of the king's fancy, save that she asked God's pardon for +indulging in such frivolous thoughts.</p> + +<p>This was the reason why, on this particular evening, she had scarcely +noticed Mr. Fisher's substitute, and why she was so attentive to the +sounds in the street. She intended to see the king's arrival, for it +seemed to her that the ovation intended for his Majesty by his loyal +subjects in some remote way touched her. Mowbray knew nothing of these +circumstances, but he confusedly<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span> divined that by means of the good +woman's curiosity he might rid himself of her presence.</p> + +<p>"The king?" said he. "Of course it is he; if you wish to see him you +have no time to lose."</p> + +<p>For one moment Esther thought to detain her aunt, but how could she +explain her perturbation without admitting the whole deceit, without +causing a scandal? Then, who would dress her hair? And besides, Peg was +with her. And, moreover, in the depths of her heart had not the young +actress a secret desire to be left with her terrible lover, a wild +longing mingled with fear, like that of the youthful soldier who +anticipates with joy, yet dreads to enter, his first battle.</p> + +<p>Casting aside her wraps the Quakeress quitted the dressing-room with a +lively step, which suggested pretty Sarah Lightfoot rather than sedate +Mrs. Marsham. The hair-dressing advanced rapidly, and although a trifle +unsteady by reason of internal emotion, the young nobleman acquitted +himself with marvellous distinction.</p> + +<p>Although a simpler taste had begun to obtain, the <i>coiffure</i> of a woman +of 1780 was still a remarkably complicated affair; so complicated, in +fact, that certain women, by way of avoiding fatigue or expense, had +their heads dressed only two or three times a week, sometimes only once, +and slept in this heavy, uncomfortable, voluminous rigging, of which +their own hair was assuredly the least important element. False hair +being very costly, the interior of the fragile edifices was often +stuffed with horsehair, and even with hay. In some cases a brace of iron +wire was affixed to the head, upon which flowers, feathers, ribbons, and +jewelry could be firmly attached; and thus the scaffolding frequently +rose to such a height that, if<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span> we may credit the caricaturists of the +day, it was necessary to pierce the roofs of the sedan-chairs, and even +of the coaches, in order to accommodate <i>les élégantes</i> in gala costume.</p> + +<p>However, there could be no question of such exaggeration in the case of +a Shakespearean heroine. Of all the poet's creations is not Beatrice the +most fantastic? And was not Esther, of all who had essayed the <i>rôle</i>, +the most original in her style of beauty, the most unique in her method +of playing it? That is why Mowbray, clearing all traditions at a single +bound, had given free rein to his fancy. He had lowered the conventional +scaffolding, cut short the tower-shaped <i>coiffure</i>. The top of the head +was relieved, while two undulant, billowy masses depended therefrom, +flowing behind the ears, no powder being used, which brought out at once +the delicate contour and exquisite coloring of the face in strong +relief. There was nothing classical nor rococo about it; it was all odd, +novel, and overwhelmingly graceful. Esther had but to cast one glance at +the mirror to be convinced that she had never been more beautiful.</p> + +<p>Mowbray leaned towards the maid and whispered a word in her ear.</p> + +<p>"What is it?" inquired Esther.</p> + +<p>"Nothing," replied Mowbray; "Miss Peg is going in search of some pins +which I require."</p> + +<p>"Peg, I forbid you to leave the room!"</p> + +<p>But the command came too late. Whether Peg had not heard or had seen fit +not to hear, she had quitted the room. Scarcely had the door closed ere +Mowbray stooped and murmured her name.</p> + +<p>She had risen and recoiled across the room.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Oh, my lord, this is wrong!" she cried.</p> + +<p>"Mowbray's wish makes wrong right," he replied. "What do you fear,—the +man who loves you to distraction?"</p> + +<p>Resolutely she fixed her eyes on his, striving to read therein, beyond +the disarray of his senses, the true thought which animated him.</p> + +<div class="figleft" style="width: 340px;"> +<img src="images/ill_012.jpg" width="340" height="400" alt="" title="" /> +</div> + +<p>"You love me? You have already said the same thing to twenty others,—to +Bella Vereker, for instance!"</p> + +<p>He shrugged his shoulders impatiently.</p> + +<p>"I have never owned a second love! Neither she, nor any one else. You +are my first love, and you shall be the only one!"</p> + +<p>"I do not believe you. You are not telling me truth."</p> + +<p>"Certainly I am," he exclaimed. "You shall be Lady Mowbray in the sight +of God and man, with the reversion of the office which my mother holds +at court."</p> + +<p>This was no illusion! Esther began to weaken, vanity being in reality +her vulnerable point.</p> + +<p>At this moment a heavy knocking sounded<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span> upon the door, so resonant, so +brutal that they both trembled.</p> + +<p>"They are about to begin!" cried a voice in the passage. Perhaps it may +seem singular to those who have not experienced similar situations, that +such an incident can save a young girl; that the sentiment of secondary +but immediate duty can brusquely awaken her at the moment that the +notion of primal duty is losing its hold upon her. Esther recovered her +presence of mind upon the instant.</p> + +<p>"I am on in the first scene!" she cried. "Quick, my costume!"</p> + +<p>She threw open the door. The callboy had disappeared, but one of the +company who was to play the part of Hero, already dressed, was just +descending to the greenroom.</p> + +<p>"Are they beginning?" Esther demanded.</p> + +<p>"Not yet."</p> + +<p>"But I have just been called."</p> + +<p>"Who could have done it? Some joke of course. You have a quarter of an +hour yet."</p> + +<p>"But I am alone!"</p> + +<p>"Then I will help you."</p> + +<p>During this dialogue Mowbray made good his escape. The blow had been +struck! Who had struck it at the decisive moment? Who had dared to +snatch his prey from him? Could it be Lebeau? He again! At the thought +Mowbray's face grew dark with hatred.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></span></p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX.</h2> + +<h3>MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.</h3> + +<p>Slowly the curtain rose. In the great hall of the palace the good Lord +Leonato, sovereign of a fantastic country which only Shakespeare knew, +having at his two sides his daughter Hero and his niece Beatrice, with +all his court about him, receives the messenger who comes to announce +the victory of his troops and their imminent return.</p> + +<p>Such is the spectacle from the auditorium; but the spectacle of the +auditorium, seen from the stage, is otherwise curious; to modern eyes it +would seem like a glimpse of fairyland.</p> + +<p>A myriad candles shed from on high upon four thousand spectators a flood +of soft, white light. The snowy wainscoting relieved with gold, the +toilets of the men and women, the naked shoulders, the diamonds, the +orders,—all seemed to stand forth in relief against the pervading +brilliance. Soft pink, pearl-gray, pigeon-breast, sea-green, pale blue, +violet, faint gold, the clear white of silk, the dull white of satin, +the cream white of old laces, every shade which could reflect the light, +are mingled in one delicious harmony. Through the silence which falls +upon the audience the soft <i>frou-frou</i> of silk and the flutter of fans +are alone audible. Every face is turned towards the stage, attentive, +smiling, already charmed. In that age of extreme sociability one did not +go to the theatre to enjoy individual, egotistical comfort in a corner, +but to share in common a pleasure<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span> which increased by the fact that it +was shared. Those were looked for at Drury Lane whom one had met at +Almack's, at the Pantheon, at Ranelagh, those whom one had seen thirty +years earlier at Vauxhall and Marylebone Gardens.</p> + +<p>From a box Prince Orloff displays his gigantic figure, his diamonds, and +his handsome face, which had vanquished a Czarina. It was here that an +adroit pickpocket, only two years before, had failed to relieve him of +his famous snuff-box, valued at a million francs.</p> + +<p>Not far from him Lord Sandwich, the Jemmy Twitcher of the popular song +and the <i>bête noir</i> of all London, appears quite consoled for the tragic +death of his lady-love, Miss Reay, who had been assassinated within the +year by an amorous clergyman. The grim figure of Charles James Fox looms +in the back of another box, the front of which is occupied by the +Duchess of Rutland and the Duchess of Devonshire, the irresistible +Georgiana, who will soon become his election broker and buy up votes for +him (<i>Honi soit qui mal y pense!</i>) at the price of a kiss.</p> + +<p>A little farther away, following the circular rank of columns, sit the +inseparable trio, Lady Archer, Lady Buckinghamshire and Mrs. Hobart, the +three wild faro-players whom the Lord Chief Justice menaced with the +pillory, and whom the caricaturist Gillray nailed there for all time. +Lady Vereker has also come to applaud her little friend. In the second +tier of boxes is enthroned Mrs. Robinson, fresh from teaching the Prince +of Wales his first lesson in love. That man, whose fund of small-talk +seems inexhaustible and insolent, but whose intelligent face catches +every eye, is Sheridan, who has become director of Drury Lane by<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span> buying +up Garrick's share. At his side lounges the exquisitely languid figure +of a young woman, of late Miss Linley, the singer, now Mrs. Sheridan; +for he has acquired her, thanks to his audacity, having run away with +her in the face and eyes of her family and no end of suitors, while upon +the adventure he has founded a comedy, the success of which is his +wife's dowry.</p> + +<p>In the gallery are seen more <i>beaux</i> than women, the <i>élégantes</i> and +coxcombs, who are still termed <i>macaronis</i>, although the word is +beginning to pass out of vogue. Rings, frills, and ruffles, the cut of +coat and waistcoat, the latest suggestion in breeches,—all is with them +a matter of profound meditation, from the buckle upon their shoes to the +tip of their curled heads. Their hair is a mass of snow, conical in +shape, about which floats the odor of iris and bergamot. Sellwyn, +forever dreaming of his little marchioness, sits beside Reynolds, who +holds his silver ear-trumpet towards the stage. Near them is Burgoyne, +who consoles himself for his great military disaster at Saratoga by +writing comedies. He has chosen the better part of the vanquished, which +is to cry louder than anybody else and accuse everybody. For the one +hundredth time he is explaining to Capt. Vancouver that the true author +of the capitulation in America was not he, Burgoyne, who signed it, but +that infernal Lord North, who gave the commands to the Liberal officers +at Westminster in order to be rid of them, and then laughed in his +sleeve at their reverses.</p> + +<p>Before the royal box stand two Guards, armed from head to foot, +immovable as statues. The king in his Windsor uniform, red with blue +facings, his hair bound by a simple black ribbon, toys with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span> a +lorgnette, and leans his great awkward body forward with a curious and +amused air. "Farmer George," though frequently cross and disagreeable, +appears in excellent humor this evening. Undoubtedly his cabbage plants +are doing well, or perhaps he has succeeded in making a dozen buttons +during the day, since the manufacture of buttons and the culture of +vegetables, which he sells to the highest bidder, are his favorite +pastimes. Stiff and straight in her low-cut corsage, a true German in +matters of etiquette, which she imposes with pitiless rigor upon all +about her, little Queen Charlotte amply compensates for the free and +easy habits of her husband by the severity of her mien. With head erect, +though slightly thrown backward, squinting eyes, and pointed chin, +swaying her fan to and fro with a rapid, uncompromising movement, there +is no doubt that the worthy dwarf, who has already given the king +thirteen princes and princesses, is still a most energetic little +person.</p> + +<p>On either side sit the Prince of Wales and Prince Frederick. The former +realizes to the eye the type of the genuine Prince Charming, exquisite +to a degree, but unsatisfactory with all his beauty, freshness and +grace. The delicious envelope lacks soul. Later history will write +against his name, "deceiver, perjurer and bigamist." But he is only +eighteen years of age now, every heart is his, and yonder his first +sweetheart regards him with ardent eyes. He takes no heed of it, +however; in fact, a slight pout of annoyance sullies his otherwise +delightful features. Prince Frederick is heir to the throne of Hanover, +and his father's favorite. The destiny of that blockhead is to be duped +by women, despised by his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span> wife, and whipped by the French,—a fate +which, nevertheless, has not denied him a triumphal statue perched upon +the apex of a column, as though he had been a Trajan, a Nelson, or a +Bonaparte.</p> + +<p>In the shadow of the queen's chair is the tabouret of Lady Harcourt, her +maid-of-honor and friend; while all in a row behind the princes stand +the gentlemen-in-waiting.</p> + +<p>Every one was in his place, including our friend, Mr. O'Flannigan. +Installed in his hole, he held, spread out before him, a large portfolio +containing the precious manuscript of the play, bearing erasures and +corrections in Garrick's own hand.</p> + +<p>A youthful voice, pure and vibrant, is heard, and the silence becomes +still more profound. It is Beatrice who speaks by the mocking lips of +Esther.</p> + +<p>She requests news of Benedick from the messenger who has returned from +the battle, but in the way that one would ask tidings of an enemy. Soon +Benedick himself appears, whereupon begins a remarkable assault of +sarcasm. Both provoke each other and defy love.</p> + +<p>"I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow," she says, "than a man swear +he loves me."</p> + +<p>"God keep your ladyship still in that mind," retorts Benedick, "so some +gentleman or other shall 'scape a predestinate scratched face."</p> + +<p>"Scratching could not make it worse, an' 'twere such a face as yours +were."</p> + +<p>"Well, niece," says the uncle Leonato by and by, "I hope to see you one +day fitted with a husband."</p> + +<p>"Not till God make men of some other metal than earth. Would it not +grieve a woman to be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span> overmastered with a piece of valiant dust, to make +an account of her life to a clod of wayward marl? No, uncle, I'll none; +Adam's sons are my brethren, and truly I hold it a sin to match in my +kindred." And later when they press her she replies:—</p> + +<p>"He that hath a beard is more than a youth; and he that hath no beard is +less than a man; and he that is more than a youth is not for me; and he +that is less than a man I am not for him."</p> + +<p>Don Pedro, the Prince of Arragon, sportively offers himself.</p> + +<p>"Will you have me, lady?"</p> + +<p>"No, my lord, unless I might have another for working-days; your grace +is too costly to wear every day."</p> + +<p>But, fearing that she has been guilty of an impertinence, she gently +though still pertly excuses herself:—</p> + +<p>"But I beseech your grace, pardon me; I was born to speak all mirth, and +no matter."</p> + +<p>"Out of question you were born in a merry hour!"</p> + +<p>"No, sure, my lord, my mother cried; but, then, there was a star danced, +and under that was I born."</p> + +<p>"By my troth!" exclaims the Prince, wholly charmed, "a pleasant-spirited +lady!"</p> + +<p>Which was the opinion of all, both on the stage and off. Esther seemed +to have forgotten the danger she had run, the emotion she had +experienced; or, rather, this danger and emotion lent to her eyes and +voice a lively, incisive charm of gayety and extraordinary audacity. She +was the very embodiment of that wit "quick as the greyhound's mouth," +which forms the motive of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span> the play. The quips and cranks of the poet +seemed born upon her lips with the freedom and supreme grace of +improvisation, and if here and there there occur certain rather weak or +coarse sallies, she allowed the audience no time to perceive them. It +was a rain, a very hail-storm which fell upon the heads of Benedick, +Leonato, and Don Pedro, mixed with blinding lightning. With a glance of +the eye she addressed her most trenchant words to Mowbray, whom she +descried standing at the back of the Prince of Wales's chair. But it was +surely no longer against him that she defended herself, since she felt +herself assailed by every one in the theatre. She pitted herself against +the game with elation. She no longer played a part, but was herself; she +was no exceptional creature, but a young English girl of all times, who +accosts love with a mocking air, though with a beating heart, with +defiance upon her lips, backed by a pretty, mutinous insolence and a +belligerent effervescence of words. Upon this battlefield of love, like +her brothers in veritable combats, she had no wish to bite the dust. +Though vanquished, she knows it not.</p> + +<p>There was a genuine sigh, a shudder throughout the auditorium, when +Beatrice, deceived by stratagem and thrown off her guard, bows her head +and gives vent to those charming words:—</p> + +<p>"'Contempt, farewell! and maiden pride, adieu!'"</p> + +<p>Fate is a strange manipulator of effects! At the moment that she raised +her eyes her glance met that of a young man who stood at the back of the +<i>parterre</i>, pallid with emotion; it was Francis Monday! Then they saw +their Beatrice wholly transformed; moved, vibrant, saddened.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span> How well +she understood the grief of her cousin Hero, unjustly suspected by her +bethrothed! Now that she loved, how swiftly her heart divined and +sympathized with the pangs of love! With what a burst of pity, sympathy, +and feminine heroism she cried:—</p> + +<div class="figright" style="width: 277px;"> +<img src="images/ill_013.jpg" width="277" height="400" alt="" title="" /> +</div> + +<p>"'Oh, that I were a man for his sake! or that I had any friend would be +a man for my sake! But manhood is melted into courtesies, valor into +compliment, and men are only turned into tongue, and trim ones too: he +is now as valiant as Hercules that only tells a lie, and swears it.—I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span> +cannot be a man with wishing, therefore I will die a woman with +grieving.'"</p> + +<p>Then with a short sob she fell upon a chair. Suffering and joy,—she had +traversed the whole domain o'er which woman reigns. Those tears +consecrated the defeat of Beatrice, the triumph of Esther.</p> + +<p>The audience burst into rapturous applause, and when the play was over +the young actress was informed that his Majesty desired to see her.</p> + +<p>Thereupon she was conducted to the royal box, or, rather, to the +reception room which adjoined it. The gentlemen-in-waiting made way for +her, and in the space left vacant, the cynosure of every eye, the young +girl paused for a moment confused.</p> + +<p>"Approach, Miss Woodville," said her Majesty with that German accent +which has been the butt of so many pleasantries.</p> + +<p>Esther advanced a step or two, and then sank in a profound courtesy.</p> + +<p>"Ah! ah! Miss Woodville. Charmed to see you and to congratulate you!"</p> + +<p>It was the king who spoke. He came to her with that inimitable gait, +upon which the circus-clowns of the day wasted study and art in their +attempts to reproduce it, but which in his Majesty was natural. He held +his body bent like a half-moon, the back arched, the legs down to the +knees pressed close together, and the feet wide apart. Being upon the +point of leaving the theatre before the little piece which terminated +the performance, he already held his gloves in one hand, his cane in the +other, and his hat under his arm. Upon reaching the spot where Esther +stood he let fall his gloves. She stooped to pick them up, while he, +wishing to spare her the exertion,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span> dropped his cane; quickly seizing +it, he lost his hold upon his hat. Thereupon ensued a moment of +confusion, which the queen, in an attempt to abridge, made use of by +addressing a compliment to the young artist.</p> + +<p>"You are Garrick's last pupil, I believe," she said, "and perhaps his +best. He would have been happy indeed to have heard you this evening."</p> + +<p>"Eh? what? Garrick?" gasped his Majesty. "Oh, certainly, certainly! She +plays remarkably well. I'm a judge myself: I too have played in +comedy—comedy and tragedy. I used to do Addison's 'Cato,' and not half +badly, they said. But of course one always says that to a prince. Have +you seen 'Cato,' Miss Woodville?"</p> + +<p>"Never, sire."</p> + +<p>"Ah, but it is a fine play! And the tirade, the famous tirade, you +know!"</p> + +<p>And he began to declaim, floundering for words. Again her Majesty +interrupted him, although with every demonstration of respect.</p> + +<p>"Does not your Majesty find that Miss Woodville speaks her Shakespeare +marvellously well?"</p> + +<p>"Eh? what? Shakespeare? Of course!—You love Shakespeare, do you not?"</p> + +<p>"Oh, yes, sire, with all my heart!"</p> + +<p>"That's right; so do I. Nevertheless he has his stupid absurdities. Sad +rubbish, some of it. Persons generally would not venture to admit that +they thought so, but I say it because I say whatever comes into my mind. +I don't care particularly for the French, but I am forced to acknowledge +that their plays are the noblest, most decorous and normal extant. We +also have good authors, such as Coleman, for instance, or Mr.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span> Home, who +wrote 'Douglass.' The whole action of the play passes in twenty-four +hours and in one and the same place. Certain scenes take place in the +castle, others before the castle, and still others behind the castle; +but, in a word, the castle is always there to preserve the unity. That +makes you laugh, young woman!"</p> + +<p>In fact, the king himself laughed too.</p> + +<p>"All the same," he concluded in a paternal tone, "you play like an +angel!"</p> + +<p>"<i>Au revoir</i>, Miss Woodville," said the queen; "I take it your Majesty +wishes to be going."</p> + +<p>The audience was at an end, and after a second courtesy Esther backed +herself out of the presence. Upon the threshold her glance met that of +Lord Mowbray, and she thought that upon his arm she might penetrate this +grand world, not as she had just done, for a few moments, but +forever,—forever to hold her place and rank in the charmed circle!<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span></p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X.</h2> + +<h3>DEATH TO THE PAPISTS.</h3> + +<p>There was ever the same contrast between the component parts of Esther's +dual existence: after fairyland the humble, prosaic existence. A few +days after that triumphal evening Esther found herself alone at the end +of the garden, embroidery in hand. The little terrace upon which she had +seated herself was enclosed by a breast-high wall. Above this wall a +trellis covered with vines and climbing plants would have formed on that +side an impenetrable screen, had not large oval apertures been managed +whence a view of the surrounding country could be secured. Laying her +work aside, Esther leaned upon her elbows and took a survey of Tothill +Fields, where several groups of men ran hither and thither with cries, +playing at bowls and football. In the distance a gray veil glimmered +above the river, which, though invisible, could easily be traced. Behind +the roofs of Chelsea Hospital undulated the verdant masses of Battersea +Park. To the right, above the old clock tower of Kensington, the +westering sun was sinking tranquilly to rest. A few yards away a band of +gypsies had encamped for the night. The half-naked children played in +the sun, while the women were hanging out their linen to dry. The old +men, immovable as statues, crouched in the shade, smoked their pipes, +keeping their eyes on their unharnessed horses, which browsed upon the +sparse herbage.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span></p> + +<p>One of the gypsy women wandered near the terrace, and with a smile +slowly approached Esther. Tall, well-built, with a flat, sun-burned +face, glossy black hair, and bold, piercing eyes of a strange fixity of +glance, and conspicuous by the utter absence of soul in their depths, +she regarded Esther with a curious scrutiny. She leaned her back against +the dry trunk of an old willow and balanced herself, not without a +certain savage grace, which displayed her muscular limbs to advantage +beneath the rags which covered them.</p> + +<p>"A fine day," said she, "for such as cherish love in their hearts."</p> + +<p>"Love! Nonsense!" sneered Esther.</p> + +<p>"She who speaks thus is generally caught in the toils."</p> + +<p>"Can you tell fortunes?"</p> + +<p>"Give me your hand and you shall see."</p> + +<p>"Oh, yes, I know you; you gypsies are all alike. For sixpence you +announce the love of a city clerk; for a shilling, it is a gentleman; +for half a crown, a lord; were one to give you a goldpiece, it would be +a prince!"</p> + +<p>"What would you say," said the woman roughly, "were I to tell your +fortune for nothing? Only beware: I shall tell it, good or bad!—Ah! you +start. You <i>do</i> believe!"</p> + +<p>"Here is my hand," said Esther, moved despite herself.</p> + +<p>But stretch and lengthen her arm as she would, her hand only reached the +gypsy's eyes.</p> + +<p>"Wait!" she cried, and, running lightly round to a little postern gate, +she threw it open, and found herself face to face with the stranger, who +for some moments held the white, tapering fingers in her great, strong, +brown hand.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span></p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> +<img src="images/ill_014.jpg" width="400" height="339" alt="" title="" /> +</div> + +<p>"Well?"</p> + +<p>"Your life-line is well marked, but it is crossed here."</p> + +<p>"Some danger?"</p> + +<p>"A great crisis."</p> + +<p>"At what epoch?"</p> + +<p>"If I had drawn up your horoscope, I could have told you almost to an +hour. So far as I can see, it will occur before your eighteenth year is +accomplished."</p> + +<p>"I shall be eighteen next Friday!"</p> + +<p>"In that case the hour approaches. Be prepared. I see something else. +Several men love you."</p> + +<p>"How can you see that in my hand?"</p> + +<p>"Child! I am reading your mind at this moment; it is like an open book +to me."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span></p> + +<p>Esther would have withdrawn her hand, but that she felt it imprisoned as +in a vise. The woman stood erect and rigid before her, her eye vitreous, +with difficulty expelling her breath between her half open lips. At last +she spoke as one in a dream.</p> + +<p>"There are three! One is dressed in black."</p> + +<p>"Reuben!" murmured Esther.</p> + +<p>"The other is a fine gentleman."</p> + +<p>"And the third?"</p> + +<p>"The third! I cannot distinguish his features.—Yes,—now I see +him!—Why, how singular!"</p> + +<p>"Why?"</p> + +<p>"He resembles the second!"</p> + +<p>"Ah!"</p> + +<p>"And he holds in his hand—"</p> + +<p>"What does he hold?"</p> + +<p>"A pencil, I think; yes, he is an artist."</p> + +<p>After a brief pause she resumed,—</p> + +<p>"Two of these men will soon disappear, but the worthiest will marry you +and you will be a great lady."</p> + +<p>A flash of pride illumined Esther's eyes.</p> + +<p>"Should your prophesy be realized," she said, "seek me out, and I will +give you this ring which you see upon my hand."</p> + +<p>"I do not want your ring; give me rather the handkerchief which you +hold."</p> + +<p>"Why do you wish this valueless thing? Is it that you are my +well-wisher? Do you love me?"</p> + +<p>"I hate you, as I hate all Christians; but I have need, for an +incantation, of an object which has belonged to a virgin."</p> + +<p>As Esther hesitated, the gypsy snatched the filmy tissue from her hand +and fled, vanishing round an angle in the wall like an apparition.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></span></p> + +<p>Considerably disturbed in mind, Esther remained some time motionless +upon the spot where the gypsy had left her. It seemed to her that the +strange creature had exhaled a sort of torpor which she could not shake +off. At last she closed the gate and stepped back. As she did so she +noticed a bit of folded paper lying at her feet and picked it up. +Unfolding it, she read these lines:—</p> + +<p>"You love me. I feel it, know it. Have confidence in my love and honor. +I long to tear you from the slavery in which you live to dwell with me +in brightness and joy. Go to the Pantheon on Friday next wearing a brown +domino with blue rosettes, and when you hear behind you these words, +'The moon is risen,' directly leave the person who will accompany you +and follow the one who will take your hand. Ir order to assure me that +you consent, send me some article which you have worn. I cannot be +mistaken in the scent of vervain, which you love. While inhaling it, it +will seem as though I inhaled your breath, as though I held my Esther in +my arms."</p> + +<p>No address, no signature. But the origin of the missive was no more +doubtful than its destination.</p> + +<p>"How stupid have I been!" exclaimed the girl. "Of what a farce have I +been the dupe! Here I fancied that I was dealing with a sorceress, and +she turns out to be a common go-between! It was she who dropped this +letter at my feet. Out of doubt she knew its contents. That is why she +snatched my handkerchief, for which she will be well paid;—and all the +while I was wondering at her disinterestedness!"</p> + +<p>With a twinge of vexation she thought that even<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span> at that moment Lord +Mowbray probably believed that he held the pledge of his victory.</p> + +<p>"Bah!" she mentally ejaculated; "what matters it? His triumph will be +short-lived, since I will not go to the masquerade on Friday; though I +could go if I wished. Lady Vereker and my theatre companions have wished +to take me there. Reuben has had only one word to say upon the +abominations of the Pantheon, and my aunt, who is afraid of him, has +been only too ready to refuse her permission. But there is nothing to +fear!"</p> + +<p>Just a shade of disappointment and annoyance dimmed this reassuring +thought, but an unexpected incident altered the face of the matter. +Reuben was absent at tea-time. He had scarcely been visible for several +days; he appeared to be wholly absorbed in projects of import, of which +he disclosed no hint to any one.</p> + +<p>"My dear child," said Mrs. Marsham with a touch of embarrassment and +some mystery, "I have undertaken a surprise for you which it is quite +time to reveal. For a long time you have desired to see a masked ball at +the Pantheon, but as I dare not entrust you to the care of so frivolous +a person as your new friend, Lady Vereker, I have decided to take you +there myself."</p> + +<p>"You, aunt!"</p> + +<p>"Why not? To the pure all things are pure, and if my eyes commit the sin +of looking upon evil, I shall at least have the consolation of screening +your innocence from the dangerous spectacle. Moreover, I shall pray +without ceasing, and the Lord will go with us."</p> + +<p>"But we really ought to have a different sort of cavalier."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span></p> + +<p>"I have thought of that, and have asked Mr. O'Flannigan to serve as our +escort. He is a brave man, as he has amply proved himself to be. We +shall have, in case of an emergency, an intrepid defender. He has +consented, and all that remains is for us to prepare our costumes."</p> + +<p>Good Mrs. Marsham forgot to add that, like her niece, she was dying to +see a masked ball, and that the curiosity which had been devouring her +for years played its little part in the famous "surprise."</p> + +<p>"Above all things," she added, "not a word to Reuben!"</p> + +<p>When at last she found herself alone in her chamber Esther could not but +reflect upon the odd situation which was hurrying on towards a dangerous +result. After all, she was free to go to the Pantheon, and even to wear +a brown domino with blue rosettes, without its leading to anything +culpable. Her heart beat, and she experienced that delicious vertigo +which conducts the great-granddaughters of Eve to the verge of the +abyss.</p> + +<p>What should she do? Of whom ask advice? She had neither mother nor +friend, at least no friend who merited the name. Under similar +circumstances gamblers toss up a goldpiece; bigots open the Scriptures +and the first verse upon which their eyes fall resolves their doubt +after the manner of an oracle. At the moment she was standing before a +table upon which rested a bust of Shakespeare with a vase of flowers, a +sort of offering renewed each day as though it were a domestic altar. A +book-shelf upon the wall contained the works of the great dramatist. In +those pages, so often conned, Esther had learned to think and to feel, +to know mankind, the world,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span> and love. It was her Bible, her book of +books, august and authentic revelation before all others, the repository +of her religion and philosophy. For this reason, struck with a sudden +inspiration, she caught up the volume, which opened of itself to the +first scene of the second act of "All's Well That Ends Well." In the +middle of the page five words seemed to blaze before her stupefied +eyes,—</p> + +<p>"<i>By Heaven, I'll steal away!</i>"</p> + +<p>There was no ambiguity in this response. Esther bowed her head as if +overwhelmed by a fatality. At this moment the memory of Frank crossed +her mind. Again she saw that sweetly sad face with eyes which reproached +her for her treason. She felt an inward anguish; it seemed to her that, +following the example of the pirates of the Thames, whose cruelty she +had so lately condemned, she was casting the poor boy a second time into +the dark abyss that yawned to engulf him.</p> + +<p>But she rose with a sort of rage against the thought. Had Frank ever +spoken a word of love to her? Did she even know that he loved her?</p> + +<p>And her conscience promptly replied,—</p> + +<p>"Yes, you do know; his eyes have told you!"</p> + +<p>Well, so be it; he did love her; but could she consider a man who +possessed nothing, whose profession earned him scarce a livelihood? +Could she marry her poverty to Frank's misery? She saw herself as if +depicted in two different pictures. Here, wretched, faded before her +time, nursing a puny infant in a garret, bare of even the necessaries of +life. In the companion picture, covered with diamonds and flowers, she +was entering St James's, while the gentlemen-in-waiting bowed before her +and a footman announced, "Lady Mowbray!"</p> + +<p>When Mrs. Marsham inquired, "What will your<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span> domino be?" she answered, +"Brown with blue ribbons."</p> + +<p>That same evening aunt and niece set out for Drury Lane as usual, +leaving Maud asleep in the kitchen. The shades of night had begun to +gather about the little house in Tothill Fields,—a calm, balmy night +towards the end of May. The strollers had gone their ways, and the gypsy +camp had emigrated to another of the great tracts of waste land so +numerous at that day in the suburbs of London. Save the distant rumbling +from Westminster naught disturbed the peace of this countrified quarter, +already dozing in the evening silence. Nevertheless, several shadows +flitted along the old wall; men in groups of two and three made their +way noiselessly towards the little postern gate where Esther had +conversed with the gypsy. A lantern placed upon the threshold guided +them towards the narrow entrance veiled in ivy. After a minute or two, +which seemed carefully calculated, a new group followed the one that +preceded it. Once within the garden the men seemed to hesitate, +wandering here and there haphazard in the dense obscurity of the old +trees. Presently Reuben's voice called to them:—</p> + +<p>"This way, brothers!"</p> + +<p>Thereupon they followed him, descended a stairway of seven or eight +steps, and penetrated a vaulted hall, where they found all those who had +preceded them united. The floor was of well-trodden earth, while the +walls bore numerous traces of mould. There was nothing in the way of +furniture except a few wooden benches, a table at the back, and a single +lamp suspended from the ceiling, the ruddy flame of which flickered with +every gust of air above their heads.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span></p> + +<p>When the assembly was complete Reuben carefully closed the doors. At +this moment the chamber contained some twenty men. Two among them were +attired in clerical garb, but with that extreme simplicity which marked +the members of dissenting churches. The remainder appeared to be either +shop-keepers or laborers. Some even were in their working clothes, +notably a tanner with his leathern apron, and a butcher with his knife +hanging from his belt. One man only was attired with elegance, although +the tints were sombre. His little narrow head and thin, pale face, +feminine in outline, emerged from an aureole of powdered hair, and were +illumined by a pair of eyes singularly close together, black, +glittering, and hard, and animated by an expression of inquietude. His +companions treated him with marked respect, and seemed to be of one mind +in yielding him first place in everything. They addressed him as "Lord +George"; in fact, he was Lord George Gordon, a Scotch nobleman, who had +begun to attract attention in the House of Commons by his peculiarities. +After a term of years spent in dissipation, folly, and travelling, he +served in the navy, demanded a post of command from the ministry, failed +to obtain it, and suddenly joined the opposition. Again, quite as +brusquely changing his tactics, he put himself at the head of a party of +intolerants who were opposing the repeal of the laws against the +Catholics.</p> + +<p>Lord George Gordon took his place behind the table, with one of the +clergymen upon his right hand and Reuben on his left.</p> + +<p>"Friends," he began in a very sweet and modulated tone, "our host, this +worthy young man, who is animated by the spirit of God,—our friend<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span> +Reuben Marsham,—informs me that an indelible memory attaches to this +chamber in which we are met. When the impious Charles Stuart remounted +the throne of which his father had been deprived by the anger of the +Lord, and which the weakness of men had restored to the son, two +fugitives were concealed here, and lived for a considerable time in this +subterranean hall, existed here until, through the information of a +servant, their asylum was discovered. The tyrant's soldiery dragged them +forth, and they lost their heads upon the scaffold, praising God, who +held their rewards in store for them. Shades of the great dead, martyrs +of the holy cause, here do I salute your invisible presence! Be with us! +Inspire, protect us!"</p> + +<p>A tremor passed through the very bones of each auditor. Thereupon the +clergyman took up the word.</p> + +<p>"Since we are assembled for the glory of God and of His Son, let us +first invoke his most holy name, my brothers; let us pray!"</p> + +<p>He fell upon his knees; every man imitated his example with such +unanimous precision that the earth gave forth a dull sound, as when at +the word of command a company of soldiers grounds arms.</p> + +<p>The clergyman intoned in a low voice the psalm beginning, "By the rivers +of Babylon."</p> + +<p>To each verse all present murmured a response, toning their rough, harsh +voices. When the last <i>amen</i> had been pronounced Lord George remarked, +"Friends, none among us is ignorant of our purpose in coming hither +to-night. For the sake of those of us who have not been present at our +previous reunions, I will in brief rehearse the facts. Aided by a +damnable philosophy, impiety<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span> has made great progress in our midst, +disguised at present under the new name of tolerance. Thanks to these +circumstances, Rome has reared her head. The great courtesan seeks to +queen it among us with unveiled face and lofty brow. Sons of the saints, +will you permit it?"</p> + +<p>"No!" responded twenty voices.</p> + +<p>"You are aware that a bill has been presented to the House of Commons +annulling the penal laws against the Catholics. I have raised my voice +in protest, but my words have been choked in my throat and I have been +treated as a fool. Both parties are united against us!"</p> + +<p>Varied exclamations greeted these words.</p> + +<p>"Burke is a Jesuit in disguise!"</p> + +<p>"Fox is a scapegrace, a drunkard, a gambler!"</p> + +<p>"Lord North's only thought is to fill his pockets and his stomach!"</p> + +<p>"The Parliament is rotten to the core!"</p> + +<p>"We must appeal to the king!" cried one.</p> + +<p>"I have thought of that," said Lord George, "and I brought him one of +the pamphlets which I have published on the subject. His Majesty +listened to a part of it, and promised to read the rest. That was many +months ago, and still I have no response from him."</p> + +<p>"The king," observed the clergyman upon Gordon's right, "has no power to +interfere in the resolutions of Parliament and in the legal vote."</p> + +<p>"Is he prevented," burst out Reuben impetuously, "when some policy of +his own is at stake, or when he wishes to depose some minister who has +displeased him?"</p> + +<p>Thereupon the tanner boldly advanced.</p> + +<p>"The king is playing us false!" said he. "A while ago he went to dinner +with Lord Petre.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span> Now, do you know who this Lord Petre is? A determined +papist! He is the grand-nephew of that same Father Petre who brought to +the palace in a warming-pan that miller's son whom they presented as the +Prince of Wales, and whom they have since called the knight of Saint +George!"</p> + +<p>"That's neither here nor there."</p> + +<p>"Wait!" continued the tanner with unruffled obstinacy. "When one is the +friend of a papist, one is nigh to becoming a papist. Who knows whether +the king is not already baptized!"</p> + +<p>"It is certain in any case," interrupted Reuben, "that we have only +ourselves to depend upon. Unless we intimidate the House of Commons the +law will be passed."</p> + +<p>"Yes," assented Lord George, "that is the truth. I have given notice +that on Friday I intend to lay our petition before Parliament, and that +I shall have two hundred thousand men to back me. You don't propose to +fail me, do you?"</p> + +<p>"Certainly not!" cried the clergyman. "Each one of us is good for ten +thousand; we will answer for our neighborhoods."</p> + +<p>"Will the Methodists march?" inquired Reuben.</p> + +<p>"Every mother's son of them," replied a voice. "John Wesley has declared +against tolerance."</p> + +<p>"In that case," said Gordon, "success is assured. We will meet at Saint +George's Fields at ten o'clock; there the final arrangements will be +made. Neglect no detail, brothers, which will tend to make our +manifestation imposing, grand, and irresistible. Infiltrate every soul +with the fire which animates you. Let the voice of the people, which is +the voice of God, be heard. For a century pious England has slept, +lulled by the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span> indifference of mechanical practices, mercantile +preoccupations, ambitious intrigues, and worldly pleasures. The sun of +the morrow should shine upon her awakening, and this awakening should be +so sudden, so powerful, as to terrify the enemies of God. Let our warcry +be that of our ancestors, 'To your tents, O Israel!'"</p> + +<p>"Brothers," said the clergyman in his turn, "let us intone the song of +the Hebrews, when God delivered them out of the land of +Egypt,—<i>Cantemus Domino</i>!"</p> + +<p>They sang, always <i>sotto voce</i>, but the sustained accent of those deep +voices lent to the terrible words their full energy.</p> + +<p>"O God, thou hast crushed thine enemies. The sea has swallowed them up; +they have fallen into the depths like a stone. Thou hast sent thine +anger upon them; it has consumed them like straw. The enemy hath said, I +will pursue them, I will fall upon them, I will share their spoils, I +will slay them with my sword, and I will be master. But thou hast sent +thy breath upon them, and they have been swallowed up as lead in a +raging sea. O Lord, what God is like unto thee!"</p> + +<p>They sang, and a very tempest of enthusiasm whistled among their bowed +heads. A sort of heroic madness raised their commonplace souls quite out +of themselves. They fancied that they felt the spirit of the Lord upon +them; not the God of pity, who blesses and pardons, raises the fallen, +makes the sinner a saint, wipes away tears, heals the wounded, promises +peace to the weary, glory to the humble, love to the forsaken, heaven to +all such as the earth has wounded and made desperate, but a powerful, +jealous, revengeful God,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span> a God who seeks bloody holocausts, and pursues +in the children the sins of the father, in the infant at the breast the +iniquities of vanished generations.</p> + +<p>"The day of glory is at hand!" cried Reuben. "Happy are they who perish +in the combat!"</p> + +<p>"Amen!" was the universal response.</p> + +<p>And with that word they dispersed.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span></p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI.</h2> + +<h3>THE DAY OF DAYS.</h3> + +<p>A cloudless sun rose upon the 2d of June, 1780. Before six o'clock a +large crowd filled Saint George's Fields and the neighborhood. A certain +number of the men sought each other and stood in groups as if in +obedience to a previous word of command. They talked together in low +tones and wore a sombre air of resolution. A great number of humble folk +and shop-keepers had come hither at the request of their clergymen, +convinced that they were destined to do a pious work in repulsing the +religious joke of which their fathers had rid themselves; though from +their very bearing it was evident that these worthies were ready to do +more barking than biting. A multitude of the curious surrounded them, +resolved to see the show out, though it should cost them a cracked pate +or two. Occasionally a face betrayed fierce expectation of disorder, a +sort of presentiment of what might occur; but the great day still hung +heavily on their hands, and the men felt that their hour had not yet +come, and that they must leave it to the psalm-singers and idlers to +lead the way. About eleven o'clock Lord George Gordon appeared, and was +received with acclamation. Mounted upon a table, he delivered some words +which were quite lost, but his desperately energetic gestures were seen +and were responded to with cries of "Down with popery!" "Death to the +papists!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></span></p> + +<p>The leaders passed from place to place endeavoring to enforce order in +this vast assemblage of men animated by such contrasting sentiments, but +scarcely had they turned their backs ere the confusion was renewed. At +last they succeeded in forming four main bodies, which, taking different +ways, crossed the Thames upon three bridges,—Westminster, Blackfriars, +and London Bridge.</p> + +<div class="figright" style="width: 323px;"> +<img src="images/ill_015.jpg" width="323" height="400" alt="" title="" /> +</div> + +<p>At the head of this last column marched Reuben Marsham, whose fine, +menacing face, flashing eyes, and floating yellow locks attracted +universal attention, especially among the women. Men bore before him +several banners upon which was emblazoned the legend, "No popery!" +Behind came a silent phalanx of fanatical sectarians, who ordered their +marching-step to the slow measures of a religious chant. The crowd +followed in clamorous disorder, struggling with a thousand emotions, +like a tempestuous flood-tide sweeping between the walls of the narrow +streets. From the windows and the thresholds of the shops a curious, +amused, but perfectly peaceful horde of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span> people watched the progress of +the procession.</p> + +<p>Here and there a philosopher or practical man would shrug his shoulders, +murmuring, "Fanatics!" or, "Still another working day wasted!" But the +majority sympathized with the object of the expedition, and saluted the +passage of the manifesto with answering cries of "No popery!"</p> + +<p>No effort was made to interfere with the proceedings; not a red-coat nor +an officer of police appeared. What could all the watchmen in +London—those timid, innocent watchmen—have availed against such a +multitude, even though they had been united in one solid troop? As for +the soldiers, they were only called out as a last resort.</p> + +<p>Reuben crossed Ludgate Hill without obstacle, went up Fleet Street, and, +having passed through old Temple Bar, entered the Strand. As a river +receives its affluents, the column constantly grew larger through the +human currents which joined it from the north and swept into it from the +side-streets. In front of houses where well-known Catholics dwelt the +procession would pause while, amidst groans and cries of execration from +the crowd, men slashed the doors with a chalk-mark, which designated the +places for approaching vengeance.</p> + +<p>Having followed the Strand to its end, traversed Charing Cross, and +passed through Whitehall, the procession spread over Westminster Place, +which, despite its somewhat confined dimensions and the buildings which +obstructed it, nevertheless offered a favorable stamping-ground for such +popular displays. The other bodies had already arrived at the +rendezvous, and being united formed an immense, compact mass which +nothing could<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span> resist. The crowd, proud of its power, gave voice to a +long acclamation, above which isolated voices were heard, and which +caused every window in Westminster to rattle.</p> + +<p>The afternoon being far advanced, the hour of the meeting approached. +The members of the two assemblies who had not taken time by the forelock +and reached the House of Parliament were recognized as they courageously +tried to penetrate the crowd, were marked out, abused, and beaten; but +the popular hatred was particularly directed against the orators, +ministers, and prelates, who were roundly accused, as they made their +appearance, of betraying the cause of religion and of selling England to +the Pope. With their carriage windows broken, their horses wildly +snorting, their coachmen purple with rage or pallid with fear and +deprived of their whips and reins, their terrified footmen clinging to +the straps behind, the coaches swayed like ships in distress upon this +furious human sea. They cracked and oscillated, until it was quite a +wonder they were not overturned. The unfortunate occupants were torn +from their seats and dragged over the pavements by the legs, arms, and +even by their powdered cues. "Kill them! Drown them!" was the cry. Lord +North, Lord Sandwich, the Archbishop of York, and several others thus +saw imminent death staring them in the face, and escaped it only by +their presence of mind or the energy of their friends. The crowd grew +intoxicated with success, but more particularly with the gin and the +beer which were dispensed in floods by the publicans of the +neighborhood. Who could foretell to what point of excess the affair +would be carried?<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span></p> + +<p>One after another the members of Parliament succeeded in joining their +colleagues. With their frills and ruffles in streamers, soiled with mud +and blood, they bore ample testimony of the violence to which they had +been subjected. Each one regarded the event according to his particular +humor; some laughed and swore, while others, grinding their teeth and +pale with rage, silently wiped their faces where they had been wounded +by the missiles, or their lacerated ears, which dripped blood upon their +fine attire. All these men bore the sword; many had used it; the +majority had risked their lives for a trifle in worldly duels, genuine +tilting scrimmages with bare bodkins. They had no fear of a London +rabble; the instinct of battle, the taste for combat, which is never +quite dormant in the breast of an Englishman, awoke within them. One +very aged member recounted how, sixty years before, the gentlemen of the +Loyal Societies, whom a Jacobite mob of 1720 undertook to prevent from +drinking King George's health, had charged upon the crowd in Cheapside +and Fleet Street and had broken not a few worthless skulls. The +recollection caused the old man's eyes to dance and excited the group of +his more youthful hearers. "What say you if we make an onslaught?" +proposed one of them.</p> + +<p>With brandished canes a dozen of the younger members fell suddenly upon +the multitude and disengaged a friend from his perilous situation. +Several times was this manœuvre repeated, with visible pleasure on +the part of those who executed it. What sport it was to warm the +rascals' backs! Directly their canes did not suffice, they drew their +swords and let a little blood for the good of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span> their patients. Each time +that this occurred the populace fell back with a howl to give them place +out of respect for their quality, but instantly closed in again more +furious than ever. Soon with that destructive power of crowds it had +broken down the gates which had been closed against them, and had +invaded the courtyard; even now it had surged to the foot of the +staircase. Separated from the insurgents by only a few steps, the +deputies, crowded together in a solid mass, stamped with rage the +vestibule leading to the House. From time to time a member of the +government would come to take a bird's-eye view of the state of affairs, +as a sailor watches the weather, and would then return to the +Treasurer's office and report to his colleagues.</p> + +<p>Nathaniel Wraxall, who had travelled everywhere, conspired with a queen, +risked his head in various countries, and had been mixed up in all the +brawls of his time, stood leaning upon the balustrade, watching the +spectacle with the calmly profound scrutiny of an entomologist at his +microscope. He listened to the remarks, studied the faces, and took +mental notes for the edification of posterity. From time to time he +would draw forth his watch, a beautiful work of art purchased in Paris, +which struck the hours and played the chimes of Dunkirk at noon and +midnight, in order not to make any error in the chronology of the +different phases of the day. If the precincts of Parliament, violated by +Cromwell and his Round-heads, but unassailed unto the present time by +vulgar invasion, were fated to be profaned by the mob, it was important +that Wraxall should be able to state historically at what precise moment +the fact was accomplished.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span></p> + +<p>At this moment Lord George Gordon, borne in triumph upon the shoulders +of the people, and accompanied by a deafening tumult, mounted the +staircase. He was received with a burst of violent exclamations. His +colleagues apostrophized him, seized him by the arms, and called upon +him to order back the crowd. Without paying the slightest heed, Lord +George, with his eternal smile upon his face and as calm as possible, +very gently remarked:—</p> + +<p>"By your leave, gentlemen."</p> + +<p>Thereupon they followed him into the hall. With its vaulted ceiling, its +sombre woodwork richly carved, its Gothic ornamentation and fine stained +glass, which represented the story of Adam and Eve, together with that +of the patriarchs and the principal events in the life of Christ, the +ancient chapel of St. Stephen still preserved its religious character. +Therein Parliament had sat for upwards of one hundred and twenty years. +To be sure, it had not echoed the voices of Sir Thomas More and Bacon, +but it had vibrated to the accents of Shaftesbury, of Bolingbroke, and +the elder Pitt, and it still preserved the echoes of those noble +harangues which Voltaire declared worthy of the Roman senate. Just then +the silence which reigned within contrasted strangely with the infernal +tumult outside. At the usual hour prayer had been said, the speaker had +taken his seat, and the mace, that "plaything" of which Cromwell spoke +so disdainfully, had been laid upon the table, which indicated the +official opening of the meeting. The ministers upon their long, +high-backed bench at the right hand of the speaker, the leaders of the +opposition upon the opposite bench, the sergeant-at-arms<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span> standing just +beyond the bar, the clerk seated at the table,—every one was at his +post, as tranquil as though nothing out of the common were taking place.</p> + +<p>Lord George Gordon demanded and obtained permission to lay upon the +table a petition from the inhabitants of London who protested against +the favors accorded to the Catholics.</p> + +<p>"Two hundred thousand citizens have accompanied me in order to bear +respectful witness," he said.</p> + +<p>A bitter burst of sneering interrupted him, but Lord George repeated his +phrase,—</p> + +<p>"In order to bear respectful but firm witness of their immutable, +unreserved devotion to the liberty acquired by their fathers at the cost +of almost superhuman efforts."</p> + +<p>Having pronounced these words he retired, taking special care to salute +the speaker at the exact spot where this formality is expected.</p> + +<p>Again the hall was nearly deserted, the members crowding out into the +vestibule. Gordon reappeared and the vociferations were renewed. The +maledictions and menaces from above were answered by an enthusiastic +clamor from below. The tumult assumed such proportions that a man +speaking in his neighbor's ear and using the whole power of his lungs +was unable to make himself understood. Believing that Gordon was about +to join his friends, they barred his passage.</p> + +<p>"You are a hostage," they said, "and you shall not go out!"</p> + +<p>Lord George made a sign that he had no idea of going; he only desired to +speak a few encouraging words to the crowd. He descended a few steps and +attempted to speak, but all that was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span> heard were such fragments as: +"Cause of God ... generous martyrs ... detestable idolatry ... rights of +the people ... even unto death."</p> + +<p>Finding that his voice failed to prevail against the noise, he returned +to his colleagues; whereupon the multitude prepared to follow him. Then +Col. Gordon, who was a relative of the young lord, but of quite a +different calibre, drew his sword.</p> + +<p>"You see!" he exclaimed. "Now I swear to you, sir, that if one of these +wretches enters here you are a dead man! Before he crosses the threshold +of Parliament I shall have passed my sword through your body!"</p> + +<p>The little sleek, colorless face preserved its slyly evil smile. He +scarcely blinked his eyes before the tempest of furious insults which +burst upon him.</p> + +<p>"The villains!" cried Reuben. "They are going to murder him!"</p> + +<p>Drawing a pistol from his mantle, he was about to rush forward, when the +roll of drums was heard. It was Col. Woodford with a detachment of the +Guards coming to the relief of Parliament.</p> + +<p>The crowd recoiled step by step, without panic or disorder, but with a +dull muttering of hate which presaged a lively resistance. As for the +soldiers, they advanced with precaution, content to occupy the abandoned +ground and to rescue the gates. From all sides a rain of invective +poured upon them, and even stones thrown from a distance fell within the +ranks.</p> + +<p>"Are you going to fight for the Pope now?" cried one; while another +added,—</p> + +<p>"Is it with the blood of Englishmen that the cardinals' gowns are dyed?"</p> + +<p>The soldiers appeared crestfallen, disgusted<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span> with the part they were +obliged to play. These fine fair-weather soldiers, who are rarely sent +to war, relished still less the repression of a riot; and somehow the +rumor passed from mouth to mouth that they were about to revolt, to +refuse to obey their officers.</p> + +<p>Within the Houses of Parliament a sudden change had taken place. If some +of the members rejoiced at the deliverance, others murmured thereat. The +presence of the soldiers in the precincts of the representatives of the +nation seemed to them a violation of the rights of Parliament almost as +grave as had been the vulgar invasion. One phrase, always magical under +such circumstances, circulated among them,—"Breach of privilege." The +danger being passed, or at least avoided, the sentiment of justice +towards and respect for the person of every citizen took its place. +After all, these men who protested against the resolutions of the +legislators were but using their right, albeit in rather buoyant +fashion. Were they going to massacre them? Fists, canes and the flat of +swords did not count, but gunshots were quite another matter! No, no: it +was wiser to save the powder for the Frenchmen.</p> + +<p>Night was closing in upon the field of battle. Their spirits were +beginning to flag, for spirits cannot continue keyed up to a high pitch +forever, and the most critical situations in great popular movements +frequently languish for the reason that they have been too long +sustained. The supper hour was keenly appreciated by every stomach, +especially by those who had given themselves no time for dinner. Judge +Addington profited by these circumstances to make an attempt at +conciliation.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Friends," he cried, "give me your word of honor that you will retire +and I will dismiss the soldiers!"</p> + +<p>A burst of applause followed the words. The Guards made ready to beat a +retreat. A louder burst of applause. Considering that they had +manifested their power and given their betters a lesson, the mob slowly +evacuated the neighborhood of Parliament. By degrees the cries grew more +indistinct, and at last Westminster Place was deserted. Both parties +fancied themselves conquerors, and order appeared to be re-established.</p> + +<p>This illusion was of short duration. A few minutes later prolonged +cries, and flames which suddenly burst forth, reddening the heavens, +announced the fact that the true excesses had but just begun. It soon +became known that the populace had attacked the chapel of the Sardinian +ambassador in Duke Street, and still another of the Romish persuasion in +Warwick Street. Benches, pictures, chairs, crucifixes, and +confessionals,—all had been torn down and dragged out of doors, leaving +merely the four walls standing, and a bonfire was made of these +instruments of idolatry. Menaced upon every hand, the Catholics fled in +hot haste, as if London in the midst of the eighteenth century was about +to assist at a Protestant "Saint Bartholomew."</p> + +<p>Thus alarm reigned in one quarter of the town, while joy presided in +another. While the shrieks of death resounded in Duke Street, they were +dancing at the Pantheon!<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span></p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII.</h2> + +<h3>THE MASQUERADE AT THE PANTHEON.</h3> + +<p>The two women had passed the entire day in arranging their dominos. Only +an occasional echo of the popular disturbance had reached them; and when +they learned that a great crowd had surrounded Parliament, Mrs. Marsham, +who was not easily disquieted, remarked: "That's good! It is the +petition against the papists." And she dismissed the subject from her +mind once and for all.</p> + +<p>As for Esther, a great calm had replaced her agitation of the preceding +evening. The gypsy's prediction, the Shakespearean oracle, together with +the conspiracy of things in general so far as her vanity was concerned, +failed to prevail against the sentiment hidden away in the depths of her +heart. She had arrived at a determination and proposed to abide by it. +She would go to the ball, would have as pleasant a time as she could, +but she would not permit herself to be led away. She would not notice +any such preconcerted signal as "The moon is risen!" She was resolved to +act thus—unless at the last minute, and actuated by some new caprice, +she did exactly the contrary.</p> + +<p>Esther was ready in good time, and Mrs. Marsham, although much slower, +was not behind hand in joining her in the parlor.</p> + +<p>About nine o'clock, shortly after nightfall (for these were the longest +days of the year), the women were startled by a great hubbub at the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span> +door, which resembled the hooting of children. In her curiosity and +impatience Esther hastened to open the door, and discovered to her +amazement, in the midst of a dozen or more boys who were throwing mud at +him, a strange creature dressed like a gentleman but wearing the +enormous head of an ass. The monster, who seemed either blind or +intoxicated, bolted into the garden, slamming the gate behind him.</p> + +<p>"Shut the door, quick!" muttered an indistinct voice which issued from +the snout of the animal. "Can't you see they're hunting me?"</p> + +<p>Mechanically the young girl obeyed, and then the intruder quickly +removed his artificial head and displayed to the women the pale, +haggard, dripping features of their friend, the music teacher.</p> + +<p>"Mr. O'Flannigan!"</p> + +<p>"O'Flannigan himself, astonished that he is still alive to tell the +tale! Did you see those madmen?"</p> + +<p>"Madmen! Why, the eldest was not more than twelve years of age."</p> + +<p>"Are you sure of it?"</p> + +<p>"Of course. But why this ass's head?"</p> + +<p>"Well, they are having a terrible time with the Catholics this evening, +and I thought it wise to be in disguise; and it's all right, since we +are going to a masquerade ball. I hired from the property room at Drury +Lane the ass's head which Bottom wears in the 'Midsummer-Night's Dream.' +It fits me, does it not?"</p> + +<p>"As if it had been made for you!"</p> + +<div class="figleft" style="width: 305px;"> +<img src="images/ill_016.jpg" width="305" height="400" alt="" title="" /> +</div> + +<p>"Unfortunately, in passing Charing Cross my chair was stopped and turned +upside down by the populace, and my bearers deserted me like cowards. I +hastily put on my ass's head, but evidently<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></span> not quickly enough to avoid +being recognized. I took to my heels, and they gave chase, screaming, +'Drown the papist!' and they would have been as good as their threat."</p> + +<p>Esther burst out laughing.</p> + +<p>"Bah! a parcel of children amusing themselves at your expense!" she +said.</p> + +<p>"Yes, children! For that reason I refrained from drawing my sword. Ah, +had I had men to deal with, they would have paid dearly for their +insolence!"</p> + +<p>"You have indeed been magnanimous, Mr. O'Flannigan, which was worthy of +you.—Now let us set out without further loss of time."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span></p> + +<p>"But are the streets safe?" queried Mrs. Marsham.</p> + +<p>"I believe it is all over. At least I hear nothing."</p> + +<p>In fact it was the moment of cessation of hostilities when the rioters +evacuated the Palace Yard.</p> + +<p>Without accident a hired carriage conveyed the two women and their +escort to Oxford Road, where the Pantheon was situated.</p> + +<p>The passion for masked balls which had been the delight of the +contemporaries of the first two Georges had received a serious check +about the middle of the century, at the time that Europe was terrified +by the report of earthquakes. London believed herself upon the eve of +experiencing the fate which had befallen Lisbon. Indeed, a prophet +appeared in the streets who announced the destruction of the city upon a +certain date. On the night preceding the fateful day a great part of the +population emigrated and encamped in the open air; but, though the +dreaded event passed without catastrophe, a vague terror prevailed, +paralyzing all sorts of pleasure. From their pulpits the popular +preachers thundered against the vices of the day, and especially against +the abominable license of masked balls. God was about to chastise +England; already was His arm upraised against her. No more masquerades, +or a rain of fire and brimstone would devour the new Babylon; the earth +would yawn and engulf in its entrails the sinners, with their infamous +tinsel and their masks, which hid all their impurities. Thus attired +they would appear before their pitiless Master, and would pass from the +laughter and intoxication of the dance hall straight into the +inexpressible anguish of the last Judgment!<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span></p> + +<p>Thus at one fell swoop the masked balls disappeared.</p> + +<p>By degrees, however, the panic calmed, was forgotten, and in time became +a historic memory. The strong-minded even risked a smile at the +recollection.</p> + +<p>The first time that a purveyor of amusement spoke of resuscitating +masked balls a wag remarked, "He may be going to treat us to an +earthquake!" The proposition met with success, and the whole town +hastened to the <i>fêtes</i> which Teresa Cornelys inaugurated at Carlisle +House in Soho Square. In the first place, the good Cornelys asked no +money; oh, no! If she accepted a little it was devoted to the purchase +of charcoal for the poor of London, who were suffering extremely from +the cold that winter. But the summer came, and still the dances +continued at Carlisle House. The Cornelys explained that her aim was to +encourage business, which was undergoing a crisis. (Business is always +undergoing a crisis!) Nevertheless, the bishops complained loudly of the +liberty which reigned at Madame Cornelys's house; according to them +Carlisle House was a very bad place indeed.</p> + +<p>It was then decided to create a masked ball, access to which should be +refused to persons of questionable reputation, and to which only women +of the fashionable world should be admitted. The Pantheon threw open its +doors on the 27th of January, 1772. On the very first evening Miss +Abington, who occupied a place in the foremost rank of the excluded, +presented herself smilingly at the door, fluttering her fan with a +victorious air.</p> + +<p>"Mademoiselle," faltered the master of ceremonies respectfully, "it is +with the profoundest<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span> regret that I am forced to refuse you admittance +to this house. The rule is stringent and—"</p> + +<p>Miss Abington turned and gave a signal, whereupon forty gentlemen in +good order appeared, with drawn swords. The poor master of ceremonies +yielded to number, and Miss Abington made her triumphal <i>entrée</i> to the +ballroom. Through the breach thus opened passed the whole army of vice, +from the princes' favorites to the rovers of Drury Lane.</p> + +<p>The evening was well advanced ere Mrs. Marsham and her niece entered the +great rotunda, both in domino and masked. Upon coming out of the fresh, +sleepy streets through which their coach had jolted them they were dazed +and overwhelmed at finding themselves in the midst of such a furnace and +din. The confusion amounted almost to delirium. The atmosphere was hot, +heavy, and charged with pungent perfumes. The heat was so excessive that +the candles melted and ran down upon such maskers as were not upon the +lookout. Fifteen hundred persons, some intoxicated, others excited by +the stir, the fun, and the noise, talked, laughed, screamed, and +fluttered about; while their feet raised a dust which rose in a cloud +and spread like a fog, enveloping the entire scene. Such was the turmoil +of the crowd that the strident scraping of the violins and the shrill +blasts of the horns were only occasionally heard.</p> + +<p>"This is Bedlam let loose!" remarked Esther.</p> + +<p>"It is hell!" responded Mrs. Marsham, who trembled with emotion and +already regretted having come to such a place.</p> + +<p>Mr. O'Flannigan, who was stifling beneath his ass's head, scarcely +seeing anything and hearing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></span> nothing, kept turning from one to the other +of his companions, but he had not counted upon his prominent snout, +which continually struck them in the face unless they dodged quickly.</p> + +<p>Amidst the rout they soon began to distinguish certain details, certain +characteristic figures. A sultana, half-naked beneath her diaphanous +draperies, was borne in a velvet palanquin upon a cardboard elephant, +the legs of which were formed by four stout men, conducted by a +magnificent Mussulman with a long beard and a golden caftan, and with an +enormous ruby in his turban. Two little negroes, one bearing a casket of +perfumes, the other waving a fan of plumes, slipped into the hands of +the gentlemen mysterious bits of paper carefully folded. Upon each of +these was found the address of the merchant in Bond Street who sold East +Indian stuffs at the lowest cash prices, and for whom the masquerades +served as an advertisement. The <i>cortége</i> closed with a group of +odalisques, in the midst of whom a grinning eunuch carried a banner upon +which was inscribed, "Slaves for sale." These odalisques were +perpetually assailed by a band of man-monkeys, who left nothing to be +desired in the way of audacity and effrontery. Next a Friesland +nurse-girl, her head covered with metallic ornaments, gravely carried a +little dog in her arms swaddled like an infant. Then came a personage +half-miller, half-chimney-sweep, one side being white with flour, the +other black with soot. A rigorously straight line divided his forehead, +followed the line of his nose, crossed his mouth and chin, and +apportioned his body into two equal parts. Among the promenaders were to +be seen a dark-lantern, an artichoke, the shaft of a pillar, an<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span> +egg-shell, a gigantic spider, and a corpse swathed in his winding-sheet, +carrying his coffin under his arm, which he showed to the ladies with a +gesture of jovial invitation that was received with roars of laughter. +Adam and Eve in flesh-colored tights with a cincture of leaves in +painted paper carried between them a little tree, about the trunk of +which was entwined a remarkable imitation of the serpent. As she passed +along Eve gathered crystallized fruits from the tree and offered them to +the men with a sweetly innocent smile.</p> + +<p>Caricatures of living personages were also seen, and easily recognized +and understood. A mariner's compass which bore a vague resemblance to +George III. held its needle turned towards the north, that is, towards +Lord North, who advanced in the garb of Boreas, having a hideous +cannibal upon his arm,—the symbol of the alliance between the Prime +Minister and the Indians. Another group, formed by a Spaniard, a French +coxcomb dressed in the latest Versailles fashion, and a Virginian +planter (the three enemies united against England at this epoch), fled +before Dame Britannia, who lashed them soundly to the immense delight of +the patriots in the hall. A woman impersonating Intrigue whispered +mysteriously, distributed bags of money and pension certificates, and +wore the national coat-of-arms, on which the horse of Hanover was +represented as kicking the British lion, while she stamped with rage +upon a ragged piece of paper upon which was written in large letters, +"Bill of Rights." Near her the Pope, with mitre on his head, turned +somersaults and juggled with Saint Peter's keys.</p> + +<p>"We had better go above in order to have a bird's-eye view," said Esther +to her aunt.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span></p> + +<p>So they dragged poor O'Flannigan up to the top of the staircase, +stumbling as he went.</p> + +<p>From the upper floor, leaning upon the velvet railing, they viewed the +spectacle for some time. The great rotunda seemed like the crater of an +active volcano, while the vapor that ascended scorched their cheeks. At +this moment a string of men and women, uttering insane cries, whirled +round and round the hall with ever-increasing velocity. Woe to him who +met them in their mad career! Woe to the one who fell, for he would be +trampled under foot! Carried away by the intoxication of their folly, +they regarded neither decorum nor obstacles, and in their wild sport +lost the very sentiment of their existence as they whirled like gnats +dancing themselves to death in the sunlight.</p> + +<p>The two curious women turned away. Close about them were different +scenes, other phases of pleasure. In adjoining halls, which represented, +according to the fancy of the time, the interiors of Chinese and +Japanese houses, persons seated at tables ate and drank. There were +hungry women among them who greedily devoured pork-pies with prunes; +others who nibbled cakes and sipped whipped cream. Champagne and Rhine +wine flowed in torrents. From obscure corners came the sound of +whispered words, stifled laughter, and the smack of kisses. Elsewhere +the merry-makers made greater exertions, and the supper was changed into +an orgy. Mounted upon a table a young girl of sixteen danced with a +man's cocked hat slipping down over her eyes. Another with dishevelled +hair had thrown herself upon a man's knee, tossed her naked arm about a +second, and was smiling at a third with a glance<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span> languid, half +unconscious with wine. Still another, stretched at full length upon a +sofa, slept as tranquilly as if she had been in bed.</p> + +<p>"Come away, quick!" ejaculated Mrs. Marsham, uttering mental anathemas +upon her curiosity.</p> + +<p>At this moment, in an alcove between two pillars, Esther perceived two +persons,—a man and a woman, partially concealed by the draperies. The +remarkable thing about it was that the latter wore a domino exactly +similar to her own,—brown with blue ribbons. The man, leaning towards +her, spoke in low tones, seeming to beseech, to supplicate her; while +she, with a wave of her fan and a shake of the head, said "No" with a +coquettish gesture,—that sort of a "no" which is the preface to and +synonym of "yes." Undoubtedly it was one of those momentary love affairs +which are born and expire by the myriad upon such nights. However, the +cavalier appeared to be more serious than the men about him. The way in +which he pressed one of the little hands which had been entrusted to his +clasp, and sought to plunge his gaze through the openings in the mask to +find the eyes of the unknown, was at once anxious, impassioned, and +sorrowful. For one moment he turned his head, but in that moment Esther +recognized Francis Monday!</p> + +<p>The impression that she experienced was one of more unexpected violence +than she would ever have been able to imagine or foresee. Every drop of +blood in her veins fled to her heart, and her limbs trembled. Being +dragged away by her aunt, she took several steps without knowing whither +she was going. That one moment sufficed to reveal to her the fact that +she loved, and to teach her at one and the same blow that he did<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span> not +love her. She had permitted herself to believe his tender words, his sad +glances, and the recital of his early hardships; it had seemed so sweet +to console the lonely orphan. It was for him, without her daring to +frankly confess it even to herself, that she would willingly sacrifice +her dreams of fortune, grandeur, and pleasure! And Frank was a +libertine, after all, like the rest of them; he had never even thought +of her! At the thought her irritation against herself knew no bounds. +The spirit of audacity and adventure, which had often tormented her, +rose imperiously and urged her on, as the spur incites the high-bred +horse.</p> + +<p>"I have had a narrow escape," thought Esther; "a hut, a garret with +<i>him</i>, the joy of freezing to death, of starving for bread! That is what +I have been nigh to plighting my troth to,—I, a daughter of +Shakespeare,—I, who was born for a brilliant career, for great <i>rôles</i> +and lofty emotions!—The die is cast: I shall be Lady Mowbray!"</p> + +<p>The two women with their ass-headed cavalier had returned to the foot of +the stairs. All at once a woman flung herself upon O'Flannigan, uttering +so shrill a cry that even amidst the deafening uproar more than thirty +persons turned and paused to witness the scene which was about to take +place.</p> + +<p>"Wretch!" screamed the woman, "is it thus that you desert me, and our +poor children crying for bread?"</p> + +<p>"I!" faltered O'Flannigan, paralyzed with surprise, and well-nigh +strangled by the stranger, who had seized him by his ruffled +shirt-front.</p> + +<p>"Yes, you! While you are promenading here with hussies, whom I should +blush to touch with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span> the tip of my finger, you leave your lawful wife to +the care of the parish!"</p> + +<p>"Madam, there is some mistake! Permit me to say to you, with all the +respect due to your misfortune, that you hold me too tight! You will +tear my ruffles, which belong to the property-room of Drury Lane. I +repeat, there is some mistake!"</p> + +<p>And taking off the ass's head, O'Flannigan revealed his honest face +convulsed with perplexity. The spectators crowded anxiously about them.</p> + +<p>"No, there is no mistake! You are, indeed, my husband, Pat O'Flannigan, +music teacher and prompter to Drury Lane Theatre."</p> + +<p>"Certainly, I am O'Flannigan, music teacher and prompter at Drury Lane, +but as to being your husband, may Heaven confound me if I ever set eyes +on you before!"</p> + +<p>"You have never set eyes on me? You have never set eyes on Molly +MacMurragh, to whom you were married by the priest at Bray, in Ireland? +You have never set eyes on the mother of your six children?"</p> + +<p>Mrs. Marsham loosened her hold upon the unhappy O'Flannigan's arm.</p> + +<p>"Can this be true?" she cried. "Can this woman really be Mrs. +O'Flannigan?"</p> + +<p>"My dear madam, I protest! There is no Mrs. O'Flannigan! This woman is +either a fool or a jade; she has been hired by my enemies!"</p> + +<p>"A fool! a jade! If there is any jade here it is this bold hussy who has +helped herself to other people's belongings, and seduced a married man +from his duty!"</p> + +<p>"Mercy!" gasped Mrs. Marsham in horror.</p> + +<p>"I do not know," cried the woman, "what prevents me from tearing off her +mask, and leaving<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span> the marks of my nails upon her as the headsman brands +forgers!"</p> + +<p>She advanced menacingly, and shook her clinched fist in Mrs. Marsham's +face, who feebly cried, "Help! help!"</p> + +<p>A circle had been formed; those who could not see elbowed their +neighbors, or mounted upon chairs, while such exclamations were heard +as—</p> + +<p>"Two women! They're going to fight! Bravo! Let 'em go!"</p> + +<p>Some one cried out. "I'll wager five to one on the lawful dame!"</p> + +<p>To which came the reply, "I'll take you!"</p> + +<p>Others made sport of O'Flannigan's piteous face. Mrs. Marsham had let go +of Esther's hand, who found herself in the background, and quite +unnoticed. Presently a voice close behind her pronounced these words +very distinctly,—</p> + +<p>"<i>The moon is risen!</i>"</p> + +<p>She trembled in every nerve; her heart beat violently. Her whole future +life depended upon the step she was about to take. In that supreme +moment the pantomime which she had just surprised above stairs shot with +the rapidity of lightning through her mind; again she saw Francis Monday +pressing the hand of the unknown domino and supplicating her with his +eyes.</p> + +<p>"Enough!" thought she.</p> + +<p>She closed her eyes as does one who is about to leap into an abyss.</p> + +<p>A hand seized hers and drew her away, and without a word she followed +her guide.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span></p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII.</h2> + +<h3>MOWBRAY'S FOLLY AT CHELSEA.</h3> + +<p>The situation was becoming critical for poor O'Flannigan and his +companion, when an unexpected ally appeared upon the field of battle, in +the person of the majestic Oriental who had served as the elephant +driver.</p> + +<p>"Look here!" he cried. "This is a shameful farce. This gentleman is +innocent; I'll go bond for him! And as for this brown-skinned Jezebel, +do you not recognize her as the gypsy who told fortunes at Saint +Bartholomew fair, and who has so often been hauled up before the +magistrates in Bow Street?"</p> + +<p>"It's a fact!" explained some one. "It is Rahab, the gypsy queen!"</p> + +<p>"Call the watchmen and let the beggar be taken to prison!"</p> + +<p>From all sides resounded groans of disapproval. "No, no! no police! This +is a joke. Don't do her any harm!"</p> + +<p>But at the words "watchmen" and "prison" the gypsy had folded her tent +and silently stolen away.</p> + +<p>Assisted by his generous auxiliary, O'Flannigan conducted Mrs. Marsham, +suffocating with mortification and rage, to a retired seat in an almost +deserted side-room. There a footman brought her a glass of water, of +which she swallowed half and then proceeded to take a survey of her +surroundings.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></span></p> + +<p>"I shall remember this evening!" she remarked. "The Lord has punished me +for my curiosity as he chastised our mother Eve before me. However," +added the good woman, relieving her mind with a fib, "I wished to give +my niece the pleasure."</p> + +<p>The words suggested the girl.</p> + +<p>"But where is Esther?" she exclaimed.</p> + +<p>"Sure enough!" said O'Flannigan. "What has become of Miss Woodville?"</p> + +<p>Different suppositions were offered. She must have become frightened; +she must have been separated from them by the crowd.</p> + +<p>"But she must be sought! She must be found!" cried Mrs. Marsham.</p> + +<p>"How was she dressed?" inquired the man in the turban.</p> + +<p>Mrs. Marsham described her niece's costume.</p> + +<p>"Useless to search for her. Miss Woodville has been carried off, or, +rather, she has followed her abductor of her own free will. I divined +that all this ridiculous rumpus had but one object,—to daze you and +distract your attention. At the moment that I came to your relief I saw +with my own eyes a brown domino with blue ribbons going towards one of +the doors on the arm of a masked gentleman."</p> + +<p>"Esther! It is impossible, sir!"</p> + +<p>"I beg your pardon, madam. And I can go further: I can give you the name +of her abductor."</p> + +<p>"Who was it?"</p> + +<p>"Lord Mowbray."</p> + +<p>"As you seem to know so much," said O'Flannigan, "pray who are you +yourself? A sorcerer or the devil himself?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span></p> + +<p>By way of answer the Oriental removed his false beard.</p> + +<p>"Mr. Fisher!" exclaimed the Quakeress and her cavalier in the same +breath.</p> + +<p>"At your service. This is Prospero's beard in the 'Tempest.'"</p> + +<p>"Well done!" said O'Flannigan. "The Shakespeare accessories have been +largely plundered this evening! But tell us, Fisher, what leads you to +suppose that Lord Mowbray has designs upon Miss Woodville?"</p> + +<p>"I have had proofs enough," replied Fisher mysteriously; "all the proofs +I want, you may believe me."</p> + +<p>The hairdresser considered it unnecessary to say more, or to add that +the proofs in question bore the effigy of his Majesty.</p> + +<p>"Merciful Heaven! what shall I do?" cried Mrs. Marsham wringing her +hands.</p> + +<p>"You had better warn your son," suggested the Irishman.</p> + +<p>The Quakeress quaked with terror.</p> + +<p>"Reuben! He will overwhelm me with reproaches!"</p> + +<p>"Never mind what he says. He is the betrothed of his cousin; he is +energetic and courageous; if any one is capable of snatching the girl +from impending doom, it is he. There is not a moment to be lost."</p> + +<p>"But where shall we find him?"</p> + +<p>"As to that," replied Fisher, "nothing is easier. All day long he has +been at the head of the papal enemies. I must be greatly mistaken if he +is not at this moment engaged in setting fire to the Sardinian chapel."</p> + +<p>It was thereupon decided to place Mrs. Marsham<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span> in safety in Fisher's +house, which was near Oxford Road, while the two men went in search of +Reuben.</p> + +<p>The hairdresser had friends everywhere. At the door he received fresh +tidings which confirmed his suppositions. Capt. Hackman, Lord Mowbray's +inseparable companion, had been seen in Oxford Road with a pistol under +each arm. A carriage without armorial bearings, with neutral colored +livery, had been stationed at a short distance. A masked gentleman with +a brown and blue domino upon his arm had come out of the Pantheon. He +had signalled the carriage, which had approached, and the man and woman +had entered it. Thereupon Hackman sprang upon the box, saying to the +coachman, "To Chelsea!" Then the horses set off at full speed towards +the left, narrowly escaping running over people. There was still another +version which a page had to tell. It was the same masked man and the +domino in the same colors; only the affair had taken place at one of the +little side-doors of the Pantheon. Instead of the coach a sedan-chair +had carried off the fugitive towards the right, in the direction of the +city. In affairs of the kind there are always points of difference among +the witnesses. Who was to be believed? Evidently those who had +recognized Hackman and heard the address given to the coachman. It was +towards the "Folly" at Chelsea that Mowbray had undoubtedly taken his +victim. Fisher was an alert and intelligent man. Some minutes later, +divested of his turban, his Persian robe, and his beard, he joined +Reuben in Duke Street. The vandals had achieved their work, and the +crowd of by-standers, lit up by the flames, gloated over<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span> the spectacle. +The blazing pile, formed of the ornaments of the chapel, was beginning +to flag for lack of combustibles.</p> + +<p>A horde of children of fourteen or fifteen years of age, having taken +the places of the men, danced about the charred remains, uttering cries +and causing a flame to spring up here and there by administering a kick +to the embers. A transient glow illumined the street, revealing the +faces of terrified women at the windows, and in an obscure corner a +group of the rioters with their hats drawn down over their eyes. Among +them stood Reuben, coldly implacable, watching lest any one should +approach the fire to save or steal anything.</p> + +<p>It was at this moment that Fisher approached him and whispered a few +words in his ear. Reuben started in surprise and rage.</p> + +<p>"Esther carried off by Lord Mowbray! Taken to Chelsea!" he gasped.</p> + +<p>However, he quickly regained his composure and reflected for a moment.</p> + +<p>"Friends," he said in a loud but firm voice, in order to make himself +heard by the thirty or forty men grouped about him, "there is nothing +more to be done here. If we remain longer we shall be hunted down by the +soldiers, of whose approach we have already been warned. Let us +disperse, to meet again within the hour at Chelsea, near the Bun-house. +Thence I will lead you to the assault of a house, the master of which +secretly favors the papists."</p> + +<p>For the time being Reuben was falsifying; but examples in Holy +Scriptures which authorized a pious lie crowded his memory. He also +added in an assured tone, casting an expressive glance upon the band of +pillagers who had given some sign of discontent,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span>—</p> + +<p>"This house is full of riches. It also contains a young girl prisoner, +one of our own set, whom this villain has seized to make her the toy of +his pleasure. Let us hasten if we hope to arrive in time to save her!"</p> + +<p>These words were received with murmurs of adhesion. The little legion of +disorder divided into groups, set off through the streets that led +westward, and gained the place of rendezvous by different ways. Reuben +accompanied Fisher, who recounted the details of the adventure as they +went along.</p> + +<p>The Bun-house was celebrated at the period for the fabrication of those +somewhat heavy and substantial cakes which still form the traditional +family diet on Good Fridays. In fine weather a goodly company was wont +to wend its way thither for the purpose of eating buns and washing them +down with port. When George III. passed that way, on his way from Kew to +Saint James's, he did not disdain to stop and chat familiarly with +Mistress Hand, the pastry-cook. She must have slept like a log that +night not to have heard the strange assemblage which formed under the +walls of her garden. Reuben found but a few of the fanatical sectarians +whom he had led to Parliament. Weary with the fatigues of the day, +content with having intimidated the representatives of the nation, as +they flattered themselves, and destroyed two of the lairs of idolatry, +they had undoubtedly gone home and to bed. One phrase only in Reuben's +brief harangue had carried the day,—"This house is full of riches!" +Well might he be astonished, for the words had fallen unintentionally +from his lips. But if Reuben remained unmoved, Fisher trembled at sight +of the bandit faces which surrounded him.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span> Seeing them thus, no one +would have suspected that these shady cavaliers were marching to the +defence of menaced innocence.</p> + +<p>All told, they were some forty men armed with pistols, clubs, and +knives. Truly formidable, resolute, ready for anything, accustomed, as +it appeared, to such nocturnal escapades, they marched silently, and +obeyed promptly with some show of discipline.</p> + +<p>"Yonder is the house," said Reuben, "behind those trees. It is best to +form a ring about it so that no one shall escape us."</p> + +<p>"I have been hostler at the Folly," said a red-headed fellow with a +hang-dog look, advancing as he spoke; "there is a breach on the north +side of the wall through which I used to slip every night to join my +sweetheart Peg, who was maid at the Nell Gwynne. If it be your will, I +will conduct you."</p> + +<p>"Lead on!" answered Reuben laconically.</p> + +<p>A few minutes later the troop penetrated the little park and crept +softly in the shadow of the great trees, avoiding the gravelled paths. +The thick sward muffled their footfalls, while a high, warm wind, which +had arisen, rustled the foliage, thus favoring them by masking still +more such sounds as they did make. Occasionally a pebble crackled or a +dead twig snapped beneath their feet, but that was all. For the space of +fifty yards about the house extended an open space.</p> + +<p>"Halt!" whispered Reuben in a prudent tone.</p> + +<p>The house was in complete darkness; it seemed either uninhabited or +wrapped in sleep; however, upon examination Reuben and Fisher discovered +a ray of light which filtered between the closed blinds upon the second +floor.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span></p> + +<p>"They are there!" thought Reuben, quivering with rage; while aloud he +cried,—</p> + +<p>"Forward!"</p> + +<p>They obeyed the command with a rush; but undoubtedly some one had been +watching, some one whom they had not perceived. The alarm had been +given, and the heavy oaken door, swinging upon its well-oiled hinges, +closed in their faces. Then from within followed the sound of bolts +being shot into place and of the adjusting of bars.</p> + +<p>A pause ensued, a moment of amazement, and then an outcry of rage +mingled with at least forty oaths. The man who had spoken before, the +former hostler, again ventured to the rescue.</p> + +<p>"Behind the laundry," said he, "there is a pile of lumber, placed there +for the building of a summer house. With one of the rafters we could +force the door."</p> + +<p>Reuben approved the scheme. A few moments later an improvised +battering-ram, borne upon twenty shoulders and skilfully balanced, at +the word of command went crashing against the solid woodwork. At the +third blow a splitting sound was heard.</p> + +<p>"Listen!" cried Fisher. "Some one above is speaking."</p> + +<p>The men, panting, and bathed in perspiration, paused.</p> + +<p>In fact, a window upon the second floor had been suddenly thrown open, +and a man—probably Lord Mowbray—had appeared upon the balcony. Every +eye was raised to him and every tongue hurled some insult at him in the +same breath. With a calm curiosity he regarded the crowd swarming and +howling in the darkness beneath him.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Gentlemen," he said, "we are at least a dozen strong here, well armed +and determined to defend ourselves. The first man who sets foot within +this house will pay dearly for his imprudence; but before we resort to +bloodshed, suppose we hold a parley. What is your will with me? Do you +fancy, perhaps, that I am a papist? According to my nurse I am a member +of the Church of England, and I am ready to pronounce in your presence +the test oath or any other oath, to swear by the body of Christ, the +belly of Mahomet, by Belial or Beelzebub."</p> + +<p>This harangue scandalized Reuben's virtuous friends, while it set their +rowdy escort in a roar of laughter. Young Marsham was not slow to +appreciate the <i>prestige</i> which such jocose coolness in the hour of his +peril was giving Mowbray,—a supreme quality in the eyes of an English +mob; therefore he hastened to interpose.</p> + +<p>"You are detaining a young girl here whom you have abducted from her +family," he declared.</p> + +<p>"It is true," answered Lord Mowbray; "there is a young lady here. Do you +wish to see her?"</p> + +<p>"At once! I insist upon it!"</p> + +<p>"I do not understand your last words, but I willingly yield to your +request. Madam, be good enough to show yourself to these gentlemen, who +are nervous about you."</p> + +<p>He turned towards the interior of the chamber and bowing respectfully, +with much grace extended his hand to a woman who stood there, and +assisted her to step out upon the balcony. At the same time he added,—</p> + +<p>"Hackman, my good fellow, give us some light."</p> + +<p>Capt. Hackman, with a blazing torch in each hand, appeared upon the +balcony in his turn.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span></p> + +<p>"It is she!" cried Fisher. "I recognize the brown domino and the blue +ribbons! I can swear that it was I who furnished that mask!"</p> + +<p>"Madam," said Mowbray with renewed demonstrations of respect, "are you +here of your own free will?"</p> + +<p>The masked woman gave an affirmative sign.</p> + +<p>"Has any one molested or offended you in any way?"</p> + +<p>She answered by a negative gesture.</p> + +<p>"Esther," cried Reuben, "can it be that you have forgotten—"</p> + +<p>Mowbray quickly interrupted him.</p> + +<p>"Come, come, sir! Is it in so numerous a company as this that one +proceeds to indulge in a family explanation, or gives a curtain lecture +to a young girl? Be good enough to come up here. You will find my house +open to you, but to you alone. I give you my word that if, after some +moments of conversation, you still persist in claiming this young lady, +she shall follow you. On the other hand you must swear to me—"</p> + +<p>"I never swear," said Reuben rudely.</p> + +<p>"There you are wrong," retorted Mowbray courteously; "an oath frequently +eases matters."</p> + +<p>"It is written, 'Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God, in +vain.'"</p> + +<p>"Very well. But promise me at least that, during the time, your men +shall not move or commit any folly."</p> + +<p>"So be it."</p> + +<p>And turning to his companions Reuben added, "If in the space of a +quarter of an hour I do not come out of this house, enter and cut down +with your swords whomsoever you may meet!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span></p> + +<p>"An admirable plan," concluded Mowbray, always ironical.</p> + +<p>When Reuben, having been introduced into the enemy's camp under a flag +of truce, had at last reached the apartment upon the second floor, +Mowbray remarked:—</p> + +<p>"Now, madam, you may unmask."</p> + +<p>The young woman loosened the strings of her mask, and Reuben found +himself in the presence of Bella, Lady Vereker, whose black eyes +regarded him with a singular expression of mingled curiosity and +amusement.</p> + +<p>"You are surprised, sir," resumed Lord Mowbray, "as I was myself an hour +ago. Heaven is my witness that it was not her ladyship whom I supposed I +had carried off; but after all, as the French proverb has it, <i>Quand le +vin est tiré, il faut le boire</i>, and an old sweetheart, like old wine, +is best."</p> + +<p>"Insolent fellow!" murmured Lady Vereker, toying with her fan.</p> + +<p>Still Reuben remained sombre and defiant.</p> + +<p>"What assurance have I," he demanded, "that this lady is not your +accomplice?"</p> + +<p>Then her ladyship with feigned anger mingled with raillery, exclaimed:—</p> + +<p>"I! when I have wished my reputation to protect that of my young +friend!"</p> + +<p>Without pausing to consider this important sacrifice, Marsham +continued:—</p> + +<p>"And what assurance have I that my cousin is not concealed in some +corner of this accursed house, for it is certain that she has +disappeared?"</p> + +<p>"If she has been carried off, it must have been by the devil," said +Mowbray, "and unfortunately I cannot be held responsible. I freely +consent<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></span> to your searching the house. I can refuse nothing to so amiable +a man."</p> + +<p>Conducted by Hackman, and accompanied by Fisher and the former hostler, +who knew all the ins and outs of the place, young Marsham visited every +recess of the "Folly." Carrying to a grotesque degree the affected +civility of his patron, the captain preceded them, opening all the +cabinets, the wardrobes and the closets, and even inviting them to +examine nooks scarcely large enough to stow away a hare in. Quite +unmoved by his impertinence, Reuben and his companions sounded the walls +with their sticks.</p> + +<p>"Esther! Esther!" cried Reuben in a loud voice. But there was never a +reply.</p> + +<p>The officious Hackman, who stood aside at every door according to the +rigid rules of French courtesy, showed them the kitchens, the offices, +in fact everything, sparing no detail. He insisted that they should +explore the entire length of the two subterranean passages, one of which +led to the open country, the other to the river bank.</p> + +<p>"Now," he remarked, "you know the house as well as its architect."</p> + +<p>"Well?" inquired Mowbray of young Marsham when he returned from his +fruitless exploration.</p> + +<p>"I have found nothing, my lord," answered Reuben with a tinge of +embarrassment.</p> + +<p>"Then undoubtedly you divine what I expect of you."</p> + +<p>"That I dismiss the men? I was about to do so." He stepped out upon the +balcony and addressed his companions.</p> + +<p>"The young girl whom I sought is not here; at least she is no longer +here. Consequently your presence is no longer required and you may +retire."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span></p> + +<p>A muttering of evil augury arose from the ranks of the little group.</p> + +<p>"These gentlemen will not go," suggested Mowbray, "until my butler has +given each of them a half-guinea with which to drink my health. It would +be a pity to give such brave fellows so much trouble for nothing."</p> + +<p>A general cheer and cry of "Long live Lord Mowbray!" responded to this +largesse.</p> + +<p>"I knew," continued the young nobleman, "that we should understand each +other. The manner in which you have split my door has given me a high +opinion of your ability in case of an emergency, and it appears that we +should accomplish great results, were I your leader.—Stay! There is, +hard by, the residence of a papist, which ought to be sacked. I have a +mind to lead you thither myself. It is not that I owe the papists any +particular grudge, but I am ready to labor for honor's sake, and for the +love of the art."</p> + +<p>The enthusiastic cries burst forth anew. Reuben could not but feel that +his day was over, and that henceforth Lord Mowbray was the true master +of his men. With a haughty, sullen air he turned towards the door.</p> + +<p>"I reserve my suspicions," he said. "We shall meet again, Lord Mowbray."</p> + +<p>"One moment, if you please. I reproach myself with having concealed +something from you. There is a chamber in this house which has escaped +your examination."</p> + +<div class="figright" style="width: 266px;"> +<img src="images/ill_017.jpg" width="266" height="400" alt="" title="" /> +</div> + +<p>Saying which, he moved a small picture and pressed an invisible button. +One of the panels in the wainscoting shot upward without a sound, like +the curtain of a theatre, revealing a narrow passage. Mowbray led the +way, Reuben following<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span> him. After a few steps he found himself in a +circular apartment furnished with extraordinary richness and taste. From +the ceiling fell a rosy radiance, soft, tender, and faint, vaguely +illumining the tapestries with which the walls were draped, upon which +were represented rare subjects derived from Boccaccio. The feet sank +into a rich carpet as into the sward of glades which no human step has +ever pressed. The low rounded furniture seemed fashioned to render the +fall of a body insensible and silent.</p> + +<p>Ere Reuben had had time to cast his glance about the apartment the panel +had fallen into place, leaving no more suggestion of a door than a wall +of polished steel. Mowbray had vanished, and Marsham was alone. In an +excess of rage he flung himself against the wall with all his might, he +scratched it with his nails and beat upon it with his clinched fists.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span></p> + +<p>Ten feet above his head a peephole opened, in which was framed the +mocking face of Mowbray.</p> + +<p>"You are giving yourself needless exertion," he remarked. "The panel +will defy all your efforts. No one can hear you, and no one will release +you before to-morrow morning. A night of seclusion in so charming a +place is scarcely cruel chastisement enough for your insolence, more +especially as this prison saves you from another. At this moment they +are searching for Reuben Marsham high and low, but truly such a boudoir +as this is preferable to a cell in Newgate. Therefore be resigned, and +seek some means of passing the time. Ah, I forgot. You will find a +venison pie and a bottle of Canary wine upon the table at your +left.—And now, good night!"</p> + +<p>And the peephole closed.</p> + +<p>There was no timepiece in that strange boudoir to mark the flight of the +hours. Naught disturbed the profound silence of the night save the +cracking of the crystal sconces as one after another the candles +expired. At last a feeble ray of the crescent dawn descended from the +vaulted ceiling. In the numerous mirrors, which had reflected many a +festal scene, Reuben caught a glimpse of his own haggard, watchful +face.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span></p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV.</h2> + +<h3>VAIN QUESTS.</h3> + +<p>The preceding events had occurred upon the night of the 2d and 3d of +June. The next day, Saturday, the city was comparatively quiet.</p> + +<p>A feeling of assurance pervaded all classes; once again it was believed +that the riots were over. On Sunday morning several priests ventured to +celebrate mass with closed doors before their little nervous +congregations, who trembled at the slightest sound from outside and +apprehensively watched the doors, thinking of the catacombs without +possessing the courage of the early Christians. But on that same Sunday, +in the afternoon, the disorders began again and increased until +nightfall. On Monday matters were aggravated.</p> + +<p>The blind fury of the rioters augmented with their number. It was now +directed against the wealthy Catholics and such influential personages +as had cast their vote in favor of tolerance. Savile House in Leicester +Fields was assaulted and the proprietor, Sir George Savile, one of the +most enlightened, amiable, and humane men of his time, nearly lost his +reason and his life. The mob broke into the residence of Lord Mansfield, +who escaped, half-naked, with his family, by the rear entrance. They +then built an immense pile of his furniture in the street and set fire +to it. Barnard's Inn and the Langdale distillery in Holborn yielded to +the flames. Several entire<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span> districts fell a prey to the insurgent +population. A dome of smoke hung over the city from Leicester Fields to +London Bridge, which by night flared like a vault of flame.</p> + +<p>However, no one seemed moved as yet. Curious idlers flocked to the +scene. Between a game of "quadrille" and a sitting at the magnetizer's, +the fair gamesters, with their idle, foppish escorts, arrived by the +coachful upon the theatre of riot and conflagration. It frequently +chanced that they were set upon and robbed, the men of their purses and +snuff-boxes, the women of their watches and jewels. Sometimes the traces +were cut and the horses sent flying off in terror, while the coach was +tossed upon the blazing pile. Amidst all this the peaceful watchman +passed with slow, methodical gait, appearing to see nothing, quite as if +all were calmness about him, and swinging his sickly little lantern here +and there in the blinding glare of the fires.</p> + +<p>Whether through inertia or policy, magisterial authority moved neither +hand nor foot. Col. Woodford having given his soldiers command to fire +upon the mob, popular exasperation rose to such a degree that he was +obliged to hide himself for several days. While the Guards were leading +their prisoners to Newgate they were assailed with every description of +missile. One of them being wounded in the face and maddened by the sight +of blood, was about to fire upon the crowd, when his captain exclaimed, +"In Heaven's name, do not fire!" Such management as this made the +fortune of the insurrection.</p> + +<p>If any one considered that King George's ministers were cowards who had +lost their heads, he was seriously mistaken. These gentlemen,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span> with +truly British phlegm, listened to the cries of "Death!" raised against +them much in the spirit that Fielding, playing besique behind the scenes +of Drury Lane, lent one ear to the public hissing his plays. The recital +of an eye-witness describes some strange pranks during the sittings of +the Council. He affirms that there was more claret discussed than +resolutions.</p> + +<p>"Though I," said Lord North, indicating his colleague with pretended +terror, "go about armed to the teeth, I am more afraid of Saint John's +pistol than anything else!" Thereupon they ascended to the roof of the +house. Thence they observed the conflagration, noted its phases and +progress, and exchanged conjectures upon the direction of the wind and +upon its probable effects.</p> + +<p>"And now, gentlemen," concluded the minister, "let us return and finish +our wine."</p> + +<p>This government, discredited on account of its external showing, cared +not to assume the odium of an energetic repression. Curious as it may +seem, it was upon the opposition that it sought to shift the +responsibility. It was said that Lord North held an interview with Fox +in the lobby of Drury Lane Theatre. A plenary reunion of the Privy +Council was held under the presidence of the king, which only occurs at +serious crises and in times of great peril to the monarchy. The judges +were convoked in order to pass their opinions upon the course of +procedure to be pursued and to give their advice upon the legal side of +the question. It was Burke, the great Liberal orator, who proposed to +proclaim the martial law.</p> + +<p>In fact, the most alarming tidings were received hour by hour. The Fleet +and Newgate prisons had been forced, and had vomited their prisoners<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span> +upon the pavements of London. At Rag Fair and similar localities the +orgy was at its height, the license of the mob unbridled. It was no +longer a question of papism and tolerance: it was a social revolution, +greatest of all misfortunes, which had begun; it was the subversion of +law, the accession of crime. It was reported that a formidable army was +forming for the assault of the Bank of England. Inasmuch as the bank was +the vital centre, the very heart of the country, the ministers awoke +from their lethargy. As if by enchantment several regiments entered +London from all sides and encamped with their cannon in Hyde Park. A +plan had been decided upon for the total annihilation of the revolt. +Lord Amherst mounted his horse, and when by the ruddy light of the +conflagration the aged courtier was seen advancing it was generally +understood that that class of society, until now so disdainfully +indulgent, had taken a hand, and would show itself pitiless in the +defence of its property and life. Soon the firing resounded far and +wide,—at Blackfriars, at Saint George's Fields, near the Mansion House; +the victims lay about in heaps, while the Thames received many corpses +and more than one living sacrifice.</p> + +<p>On that terrible night, during which the horrors of civil war were added +to those of incendiarism, while so many men animated by the spirit of +vengeance and the hope of pillage rushed upon one another, a little band +of kind-hearted folk, moved by so much suffering, patrolled the streets, +bearing relief to the victims. It was Levet, the surgeon of the poor, +who urged them on, and case in hand led that dangerous campaign in the +interest of humanity.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span></p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> +<img src="images/ill_018.jpg" width="400" height="383" alt="" title="" /> +</div> + +<p>As he trudged along Cheapside with his troop, who carried the litters +and ladders, he recognized Francis Monday walking in the opposite +direction, and called out to him,—</p> + +<p>"Is that you, Frank?"</p> + +<p>The young man quickly raised his head, perceiving his former savior, +whom he frequently went to see and for whom he cherished a grateful +friendship.</p> + +<p>Perhaps it is time that the young artist's conduct at the Pantheon ball +was explained.</p> + +<p>As must have been already divined, he loved Esther Woodville—loved her +with an exclusive, profound passion which was born on the same day that +the girl made her appearance upon the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span> stage of Drury Lane. Standing in +a corner of the <i>parterre</i>, Frank had experienced those devouring +sensations which have disturbed twenty-year-old hearts ever since the +world began.</p> + +<p>The passion which actresses inspire in young men of indigent +circumstances and timid disposition is the most romantic and delightful +of all, since it unites every impossibility and chimera.</p> + +<p>The footlights seem an obstacle which it is impossible to surmount; +possession appears an infeasible, madly absurd dream, the very thought +of which produces vertigo. The unrecognized lover is not jealous of the +comrades who elbow his idol and speak familiarly with her; he does not +even consider the admirer or husband who awaits her behind the scenes. +They find in her but a woman like unto all other women. The mistress of +his heart is in his sight Juliet, Imogen, Ophelia, Desdemona. She +imparts her youth and beauty to the <i>rôle</i>, lends poetry and passion to +it. From such a <i>mélange</i> is born a perfectly adorable creature who only +exists for a few hours for the public, but continues to live for the +lover long after the curtain has fallen and when the actress has washed +off her paint and is supping with a hearty appetite.</p> + +<p>In this fashion had Frank loved Miss Woodville until the day that he had +met her face to face in Reynolds's studio. From that moment the young +girl replaced the artist in his mind, and he fell to loving her in +another guise. Their lengthy chat on the day that Sir Joshua was absent +from the studio had for the time being awakened certain hopes in his +heart. Why should he not love her? Why should she not grow to regard +life with his eyes? Little by little, however, without the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span> slightest +event interposing to undeceive him, he realized how poorly calculated +were his modest lot and unceasing struggle with poverty to tempt a +girl reared amidst adulation and covetousness, amidst circumstances +which could not fail to nurture her vanity and her taste for luxury. +\Many times had she returned to Sir Joshua's, and each time she had +addressed him some few rapid words, always with a touch of +embarrassment,—annoyed, as he fancied, at the recollection of that hour +of freedom and intimacy, desirous perhaps of effacing it from her +memory. The thought smote him to the heart, and, though accustomed to +the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, resignation came hard.</p> + +<p>Proportionally as the great painter advanced in his work, Frank secretly +copied the portrait of Esther. One morning, while busily engaged at his +task, the source of mingled pleasure and pain, a light chuckling caused +him to start suddenly and turn.</p> + +<p>"You accursed gypsy!" he cried, turning pale with anger, "who permitted +you to enter here? How dare you spy upon me?"</p> + +<p>It was Rahab, who, together with her numerous vocations, joined that of +model, and frequently posed for Sir Joshua. More than once, annoyed at +the procrastination or laziness of his fair clients, the painter had set +the head of some patrician dame or artist upon Rahab's beautiful body, a +genuine living manikin whom he could pose and drape according to his +fancy. Rahab had also consented to pose for Frank; and, although she +professed disdain for Christians, her hard, ironical eyes sometimes +softened as they rested upon the young man.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span></p> + +<p>To-day she was not stirred by his anger, but with a shrug of her +shoulders remarked:—</p> + +<p>"Poor boy! She will never be yours."</p> + +<p>"Why not? Tell me, since you pretend to read the future."</p> + +<p>"Because she loves Lord Mowbray."</p> + +<p>And, turning upon her heel, she danced away, humming some gypsy ditty.</p> + +<p>That name filled the boy's soul with discouragement. Lord Mowbray! A +cold-hearted libertine, the most corrupt, 'twas said, of all the Prince +of Wales's new <i>coterie</i>. And it was towards him that Esther's heart had +been attracted! And the passing sympathy which he had inspired in her +was due, perhaps, to his resemblance to that man! His grief was +profound; he had experienced nothing akin to it since the day in his +babyhood when he had lost his precious goldpiece.</p> + +<p>Revolving these facts in his mind, he had gone to the Pantheon. Why +should he go to a masquerade? By what sentiment was he actuated? Some +vague desire to console his aching heart by a vulgar adventure? The hope +of meeting Esther there? No: rather that instinct which sometimes impels +the downcast to air their woes in the midst of a crowd. And while he +stood absently watching that wild scene, that dance of fools, a hand was +laid upon his shoulder.</p> + +<p>Rahab again! What would she with him, this compatriot of the Sphinx, +with her fathomless black eyes and enigmatical smile?</p> + +<p>"The one you love is here!" she breathed.</p> + +<p>"What! Esther?"</p> + +<p>"Brown domino with blue ribbons. Seek and you shall find. Is not that +what you say?"</p> + +<p>"Yes; but explain."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></span></p> + +<p>"The moments are precious. In a few minutes Esther will be lost, lost +forever. Hasten, if you wish to save her. In saying this I betray some +one whom I ought to serve, but I am a woman and I pity you."</p> + +<p>He would have questioned her further, but she slipped away and vanished +among the groups of maskers.</p> + +<p>As deeply moved and agitated as he had just been indifferent and +discouraged, Frank traversed the ballroom, searching in every direction +for the domino which had been described to him. All at once he uttered a +stifled cry; he had discovered the object of his quest. He hastened +forward and was at her side in a moment. She was alone, but her eyes, +seen through the openings in her velvet mask, seemed to be anxiously +watching.</p> + +<p>"Esther," he said to her, "a danger menaces you. What it may be I know +not, having only received a hint of it: but permit me to follow your +footsteps that I may watch over and save you; for save you I must in +spite of yourself."</p> + +<p>He had seized the young woman's hand and was pressing it between his +own, without for a moment doubting that the true Esther stood before +him.</p> + +<p>The unknown answered never a word, but yielded her hand to his clasp as +though she derived some pleasure from the contact with this feverish +love. A man approached them and for an instant raised his mask. Frank +recognized him; it was Lebeau, Lord Mowbray's intimate companion. The +young man turned upon him with a menacing air, determined to prevent his +companion from following him.</p> + +<p>"Is your ladyship ready?" inquired Lebeau.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Quite ready. Good night, Mr. Monday."</p> + +<p>The voice of Lady Vereker! Frank remained riveted to the spot in +amazement. So, then, the gypsy had tricked him. He left the Pantheon and +gained his lonely garret room, vainly seeking some solution of the +adventure.</p> + +<p>Next day Mr. Fisher did not appear, as was his custom, in order to serve +Sir Joshua. However, the riot had ceased, and to all outward appearance +London had regained her wonted tranquillity. Soon it would be known that +Mr. Fisher had passed the night searching for Miss Woodville, who, +according to report, had been carried off by Lord Mowbray. The accident +was of too common occurrence to arouse spirited comment, especially at +so serious a time. The invasion of Parliament, or what almost amounted +to an invasion, was an affair of far greater importance than the +abduction of an <i>ingénue</i>. On this account Ralph, who gayly recounted +the news to the young artist, was stupefied to see him seize his hat and +rush forth into the street.</p> + +<p>Frank hastened directly to Fisher's house, who had at once shut himself +up in prudent reserve; but, pressed by questions and touched by the +young man's emotion, he ended by narrating the night's events and +proposing that he should call upon Mrs. Marsham. The good woman had wept +incessantly and was in a fine frenzy of despair, having fallen from a +state of the most serene confidence into the extreme of despondency. Her +niece abducted; her son lost to sight but sought by justice for the +events of the preceding day, of which she was beginning to comprehend +the importance; her house occupied by soldiers; and even Maud gone, no +one knew whither nor with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span> whom! Such a conglomeration of misfortunes +was indeed enough to disturb the steadiest brain and unseat the best +established optimism. It was amidst such disorder that Frank found her, +ignorant how to solve the problem, and fearing, if she claimed the aid +of the authorities to find her niece, that by the step she should +deliver over her son to his hunters.</p> + +<p>There was no help to be expected from this poor, half-crazed woman; +Fisher had his clients to attend to; while O'Flannigan, believing +himself menaced as a Catholic, remained under cover in his lodgings. +Thrown upon his own resources, Frank registered a mental oath that he +would find Esther, and during those days of terror and battle, +indifferent to the prevailing trouble, insensible to his own danger, he +came and went, passing from the turbulent quarters to the more peaceful +districts, searching the lost clew with impassioned despair.</p> + +<p>From the first day he knew beyond peradventure that Mowbray's "Folly" +was deserted. Thanks to the persuasion that resides in a goldpiece, the +footman who was left in charge of the place found no difficulty in +permitting the young man to enter. He showed him all the secrets of the +house, the subterranean passages, even the boudoir where Reuben had +passed the night.</p> + +<p>"At daybreak," said he to Frank, "the stranger and the young lady were +placed in a berlin, and no one knows whither they went."</p> + +<p>Frank was satisfied by Fisher's recital that "the young lady" could have +been none other than Lady Vereker. It was she who had mystified Mowbray +as she had for a moment deceived him. She, then, was the one to give him +the key to the enigma. He hastened to her residence, but was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span> not +received. Her ladyship was not in town! He recalled the gypsy's words, +who, undoubtedly having been paid by the young nobleman, had played a +part in the comedy. In order to find her he visited every spot where the +gypsies were accustomed to camp,—Blackheath, Hampstead, the fields +adjoining the Edgeware Road and Notting Hill. All in vain! Probably the +members of the tribe had rushed into the thick of the riot which +occupied the heart of the city.</p> + +<p>At last he understood that the gypsy had been but an instrument. As for +Lady Vereker, would she be likely to wish to save Esther or recapture +her lost lover for her own sake? Would she not play her own game? Would +she obey the will of the one who had directed the whole intrigue? It was +then that his thoughts reverted to Lebeau. That mysterious person who +was said to be the purveyor of Lord Mowbray's diversions had always +inspired him with a vague repulsion. Two or three times he had met him, +and each time he had felt annoyance at the piercing glance which the man +had fixed upon him. Still it was he who had approached Lady Vereker at +the Pantheon and had asked,—</p> + +<p>"Are you ready?"</p> + +<p>Frank began to suspect some shady machination to which Lebeau held the +thread.</p> + +<p>While Lord Mowbray, accompanied by his faithful Hackman, was seen +everywhere, following with the interest of a dilettante the progress of +the riot, Lebeau was invisible. Where was he concealed, and why should +he conceal himself? Was Esther his prisoner, the victim of this +scoundrel in some undiscovered lair? Frank's blood curdled with horror +and rage at the thought.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span></p> + +<p>It had been reported that at the moment Lord Mowbray's coach had carried +off a masked woman, another young woman similarly attired, and escorted +by a gentleman whose features were not distinguishable, had entered a +sedan-chair which stood in waiting for her at one of the side entrances. +This chair had been borne off rapidly in the direction of the city. +Frank had questioned every chairman he chanced to meet; no one could or +would give him the slightest satisfaction. After three days of fruitless +search in every sense, he was at last forced to avow his impotence, when +he was accosted by Levet, the surgeon.</p> + +<p>"Come with us," said the big-hearted man; "there are Christians to be +succored, lives to be saved, for to-night the devils are loose, and I +know not which are more to be feared, the incendiaries or the soldiers. +Since so many are doing their worst, let us try to accomplish some +little good."</p> + +<p>Without a word Frank followed him. He needed action to lessen his fever, +to make him forget his mortal anxiety. The office which he was about to +fill at Levet's side was rife with peril, but whenever did a desperate +man count the cost of his action?<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span></p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV"></a>CHAPTER XV.</h2> + +<h3>SANCTUARY.</h3> + +<p>That same night, in a poorly furnished chamber, Esther sat, with bowed +head, and hands clasped in her lap. By her side crouched an aged woman +who mumbled incessantly, mingling wails, maledictions, and +incomprehensible reminiscences of her childhood with fragments of +prayers and scraps of biblical texts. She spoke to herself, never +addressing the girl, who on her part paid her no heed. Esther's +attention was riveted upon the sounds which reached her from the +streets. With every minute the firing of a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span> platoon, the crash of a wall +undermined by the flames, or a savage clamor which rent the air, reached +her ears and made her tremble.</p> + +<div class="figright" style="width: 332px;"> +<img src="images/ill_019.jpg" width="332" height="400" alt="" title="" /> +</div> + +<p>The chamber was situated upon the second floor of a low house at the end +of an alley, apparently deserted by its inhabitants; for there was no +movement of life and no human being in sight. But at sixty paces away, +though invisible, the great artery of Holborn, filled to overflowing +with the howling, maddened crowd, sent a rumor of its infernal tumult to +the two women. No candle burned in the room, but the neighboring glare +from the conflagration of Langdale House illumined every object as +distinctly as though it were noonday. Thus the hours dragged themselves +away in gloomy monotony, notwithstanding the proximity of the confusion +and the fury of human passions in a state of paroxysm. Suddenly Esther +sprang to her feet.</p> + +<p>"Maud," she exclaimed, "the flames are gaining upon us!"</p> + +<p>It was true. From the side of the little court upon which the chamber +looked, the panes of a grated window had burst into fragments, while a +tongue of flame had suddenly darted forth, licking the blackened walls +and casting its lightning athwart the pervading flare.</p> + +<p>"Maud! Maud! Soon it will be no longer safe for us to remain here!"</p> + +<p>"God be praised!" answered the old woman, having raised a vague glance +upon the scene. "He gives the victory unto his saints; it is he who has +cast both horse and rider into the sea!"</p> + +<p>"She is madder than ever," thought Esther; "this night has quite +unseated her reason.—And Mons. Lebeau does not return!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span></p> + +<p>What was to be done? What resolution ought to be taken?</p> + +<div class="figleft" style="width: 400px;"> +<img src="images/ill_020.jpg" width="400" height="273" alt="" title="" /> +</div> + +<p>The circumstances which had led her into this perilous situation passed +swiftly through her mind. When she had placed her hand in that of the +unknown who had pronounced the preconcerted signal,—"The moon has +risen!"—she immediately experienced a sense of regret at her fault; but +this regret had not been sufficiently potent to arrest in time the +accomplishment of her resolution. She permitted herself to be conducted +to the door where the sedan-chair awaited her.</p> + +<p>"No!" she then exclaimed, "this is enough! I will go no farther!"</p> + +<p>"This is no time for discussion," replied an imperious voice which was +not Lord Mowbray's; "get into the chair, quick!"</p> + +<p>The thought of Frank, whom she was now certain she loved since jealousy +had cast its unerring ray into the depths of her heart—this thought +tortured her.</p> + +<p>"I am lost!" she cried, "lost!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></span></p> + +<p>"On the contrary, you are saved!"</p> + +<p>And with the words ringing in her ears the chair started. The men almost +ran with it, the result of the masked personage having said something to +them about "paying double."</p> + +<p>In less than a quarter of an hour the chair stopped in an alley-way off +Holborn, and the gentleman, conducting the fugitive into one of the +houses, dismissed the bearers.</p> + +<p>When at last they were alone in the chamber upon the second floor and +the man had succeeded in lighting a candle upon the mantelpiece, Esther +easily recognized him.</p> + +<p>"Mons. Lebeau!" she gasped in surprise.</p> + +<p>"Yes," he replied, "and you are out of all danger here, absolute +mistress of your destiny, since all that I wish is to offer you some +respectful advice."</p> + +<p>"But how could you have known? How could you take the place of another?"</p> + +<p>"That is my secret—at least for the present. It is enough that I have +succeeded. One word which has escaped you has led me to believe that you +will not blame me for my intervention. I await the assurance with +anxiety. Have I been in the wrong to act as I have?"</p> + +<p>"No," she answered after a moment's hesitation, "and I thank you. I do +not love Lord Mowbray, and my folly was as inexcusable as it has been +without consolation."</p> + +<p>An expression of joy illumined Lebeau's withered features.</p> + +<p>"Good!" he said. "But what motive has led you astray for the moment?"</p> + +<p>"Vanity. Lord Mowbray assured me that he wished to make me his wife."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span></p> + +<p>"His wife! He never dreamed of doing such a thing! Moreover, such a +marriage would have been impossible. But let us speak no more about it."</p> + +<p>"Are you not going to take me back to my aunt, whom I left in such a +ridiculous predicament, and who must be dying with anxiety about me?"</p> + +<p>"The predicament of which you speak must have soon terminated; and as +for her anxiety, it is my duty not to disturb it for the present. Lord +Mowbray has sworn that, by consent or force, he would abduct you this +night, and I am not sure that you would be safe in the house in Tothill +Fields, where there is no one to defend you, not even your cousin +Reuben. These are my humble lodgings, although none of my acquaintances +know of its existence nor the way thither. Rest here for a few hours. +To-morrow, by daylight, we will consider the situation. Be very sure +that Mrs. Marsham will raise no objection, will address you no shadow of +reproach. Your fault will not transpire, since I will tell her that it +was I who brought you here to save you from the peril which menaced your +honor."</p> + +<p>"She knows you, then?"</p> + +<p>"Very well indeed."</p> + +<p>"For some time?"</p> + +<p>"For a very long time."</p> + +<p>After a brief pause he added,—</p> + +<p>"It was I who brought you, a little child, to her house before you were +confided to the care of the Quakeresses at Bristol."</p> + +<p>"Is it possible!"</p> + +<p>And, impetuously seizing Lebeau's hand, she added:—</p> + +<p>"Then you knew my parents? O, I beseech you, sir, tell me something of +my mother! Who<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span> was she? Do I resemble her? Where did she die, and how?"</p> + +<p>The queries crowded to her lips in an imperative tumult.</p> + +<p>Lebeau's features relaxed in a melancholy smile.</p> + +<p>"Patience!" he replied. "Later I will tell you all. Only know that your +mother was exceedingly beautiful, and that you are her living image. She +too was carried away by excess of emotion and by the thirst of +adventure. There was no one at hand to give her timely warning, and she +paid dearly for her imprudence."</p> + +<p>Esther bowed her head, while a tear glided slowly from her lashes to her +cheek.</p> + +<p>"It was then that your father met her and took pity upon her. She was in +sore need of pity and protection. Her child was born. You are that +child."</p> + +<p>"Alas!" murmured Esther. "But my father—is he still living?"</p> + +<p>"Yes."</p> + +<p>"Why does he not come? Why does he not show himself? I should be so +happy to embrace him!"</p> + +<p>At this moment an extraordinary change took place in Lebeau. His +features, scarred by the battle with life, his dulled eyes, his entire +vulgar face were ennobled with a solemn tenderness. Irresistibly his +arms seemed to open to clasp the girl to his breast. Then they fell at +his sides, and his face resumed its expression of discouragement and +fatigue.</p> + +<p>"Your father would indeed be happy," he said, "and very proud to call +you his daughter; but circumstances prevent. I do not justify his +conduct; far from it. He has committed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span> wrongs, grievous wrongs,—and +even more than that!"</p> + +<p>Esther recoiled from him violently.</p> + +<p>"You are my father's friend, and you calumniate him!"</p> + +<p>Lebeau's only response was a shrug of his shoulders and a sigh. He +turned to the window, and from a convulsive movement of his back Esther +divined that he was weeping. In a moment she was at his side.</p> + +<p>"Pardon me!" she cried, "pardon! You are perhaps the only human being +whose interest in me is not tainted with calculation. You have saved me +from death, you have saved me from shame, and by way of recompense I +accuse and wound you! O, pardon me, my friend!"</p> + +<p>Delightful words to Lebeau's ear!</p> + +<p>"Thank you, my child," he said; "thank you, and good by. It is already +daybreak, and all is calm. Sleep in peace. In a few hours I will +return."</p> + +<p>And Mons. Lebeau hastened away. Left alone, Esther dared not undress in +a house which filled her with forebodings. She threw herself upon the +bed just as she was, clasping in her hand a tiny poignard which had been +Garrick's gift. Tradition had it that the weapon had once belonged to +Sir William Davenant, who pretended to have received it from Ben Jonson. +The latter, while a soldier in Flanders, had purchased it of a Jew who +came from Italy. It was a marvellous bit of Florentine work, and must +have been manufactured towards the close of the fifteenth century. What +had been its history? In what dramas had it taken part? What ferocious +jealousies, what mortal desires, had it served? Had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span> it ever been dyed +in human blood? In whose snowy breast, in whose throbbing heart, had it +been plunged? Considering these fancies, but especially her own destiny, +her imagination in a whirl, our little heroine fell asleep.</p> + +<p>When she awoke she perceived Lebeau, who stood watching her as she +slept, and she heard the clocks chiming high noon.</p> + +<p>"Well?" she demanded.</p> + +<p>"I came from Tothill Fields," he answered; "the house is full of +soldiers come thither to arrest your cousin Reuben, and they are to +remain there, lying in ambush to surprise him upon his return. Your aunt +has not come home, and up to the present time I have been unable to +discover her place of refuge. Old Maud was alone at the mercy of the +soldiers, whom, in her turn, she provoked and insulted. I have brought +her here. She will attend to your wants and will be a companion for you +so long as you are obliged to lie in concealment here, which from +present appearances may be for some time; for the city is still in an +agitated state, and this very disorder singularly favors your admirer's +plans, since he has not lost the hope of taking his revenge."</p> + +<p>Soon after Lebeau departed, promising to return on the morrow with the +latest tidings; but Sunday passed and he did not appear. On Monday a +child brought an unsigned note from him, which ran:—</p> + +<p>"I cannot come to see you. I am suspected, and every step I take is +shadowed. Have patience until to-morrow."</p> + +<p>The rioting had begun again, and the two women in their sanctuary +listened to the sound of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span> it as it grew each minute more distinct. +Esther slept but little that night.</p> + +<p>Next day affairs assumed an even more threatening aspect. The Langdale +distillery was in flames close by, although the situation of the house +prevented the girl from following the progress of the catastrophe. +Towards evening, when the tumult increased and the firing became +general, her agitation was extreme. The sight of the flames which +enwrapped the neighboring buildings and threatened her refuge put the +finishing touch upon her anxiety.</p> + +<p>"Shall I remain here," she thought, "shut up with this crazy old +creature, who does nothing but sing psalms? Shall I suffer myself to be +burned alive in this strange trap? Mons. Lebeau has forgotten me or else +he cannot come to me. Who knows if he is even alive?"</p> + +<p>She approached the window and looked at the tower of St. Giles, upon +which the clock marked the first hour of a new day. So brilliant was the +flare from the conflagration that Esther could distinguish the delicate +V-shaped shadow which the hands made upon the dial, the slightest detail +in the sculpture about the dial, and even the joining of the masonry.</p> + +<p>She resolved to depart. But where should she go? She knew not; but first +of all it was necessary to escape from the circle of fire which was fast +hemming her in. She put on her mantle and cast a silken handkerchief +over her hair, knotting it under her chin. Then she called Maud, who had +passed into an adjoining chamber.</p> + +<p>But here she found herself in the presence of an unlooked-for +difficulty. The old woman had fallen fast asleep and only responded to +her words, her<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span> entreaties and cries by vague mutterings without +awakening in the slightest degree. Esther shook her in desperation and +tugged at her garments, but her girlish strength, depleted by the sense +of her peril, was powerless to arouse the inert mass.</p> + +<p>Perhaps she might secure assistance from outside! She opened the outer +door, and, standing upon the threshold, cried, "Help!"</p> + +<p>All in vain; her voice was lost, incapable of piercing the tumult. She +was scarcely able to hear it herself. No one appeared. The neighboring +houses, deserted as they were, were slowly yielding to the flames, and +no one appeared to think of disputing the ravage. The almost intolerable +heat fairly scorched the girl's eyelids.</p> + +<p>Then she rushed towards Holborn, crossed like a flash the vaulted +arcade, the only exit which opened from that side, and ran into the +highway.</p> + +<p>There she paused, terrified by the spectacle which met her gaze.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span></p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI"></a>CHAPTER XVI.</h2> + +<h3>GAMES OF DEATH AND CHANCE.</h3> + +<p>The Langdale establishment, changed into a furnace, belched forth +torrents of fire at every aperture. The roof had fallen, and the flames +ascended free of all impediment in one great sheet, which, being lashed +by the wind at a certain height, curved into an arch and threatened to +deluge the city with a devouring rain. Before the vast blazing pile a +hideous, anomalous mob clad in indescribable rags and tatters, danced +with furious, drunken joy. Several hours earlier the great hogsheads +which had been dragged out of the distillery had been knocked in the +head without ceremony, and every one had drunk his fill. Then the +precious liquids had escaped, forming foaming pools and rippling +rivulets, in which rare old port mingled with malmsey, and gin with +sherry. Along the line of these pools and rivulets a crowd of human +beings of both sexes and all ages, some with their infants in their +arms, crouched upon their hands and knees, stretching their lips to sip +the wine and mud. These were very soon rendered incapable of regaining +their feet and insensible to the brutal passage of fresh bands, who +trampled them under foot, and thus increased the quivering heap. At last +the sparks falling from the lurid heavens ignited this sea of alcohol, +which surged in bluish, spectral waves, enveloping the wretches, +drowning while it set them on fire. The wallowing bodies writhed<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span> like +mutilated serpents, the spasmodic convulsions, vain, desperate efforts, +and hoarse cries having in them no semblance to humanity. Thus the most +horrible of deaths fell upon them in the midst of their intoxication, +without so much as sobering them in the moment of dissolution. Meanwhile +the rest, amidst all this horror, continued their demoniacal dance.</p> + +<p>One of these fiends espied Esther. Staggering with open mouth and +outstretched arms, hideous in his bestial carouse, he made two or three +steps towards her. She fled back to the house, which she reached in a +few moments. Upon the threshold stood Lebeau.</p> + +<p>"At last!" she gasped. "I thought I was going mad!"</p> + +<p>"Be calm," he replied. "I have found Mrs. Marsham, and I am going to +take you to her. I know a way, but there is not a moment to be lost. In +less than an hour this house will be reduced to ashes with the rest."</p> + +<p>"But Maud!—she has lost her senses and refuses to follow me."</p> + +<p>Without a word Lebeau hurried into the chamber, where he found the old +woman. During the moment of silence that ensued Esther heard a sound +upon the lower floor of the house.</p> + +<p>"Some one has opened the door!" she cried; "some one is entering below!"</p> + +<p>She thought with terror of the wretch who had followed her, and whom she +had seen stumble over some obstacle and fall heavily to the ground, +whence he was unable to rise.</p> + +<p>Lebeau reappeared in answer to her warning of danger. Too late! Some one +was mounting the stairs, advancing with rapid step, and when at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></span> last +the flare of the conflagration fell upon his features through the open +doorway Esther and Lebeau recognized Lord Mowbray.</p> + +<p>The first thought that presented itself to the girl's mind was that she +had been betrayed.</p> + +<p>"Oh!" she cried, bending upon Lebeau a glance of despair and hatred, +"you have ruined me!"</p> + +<p>This fresh shock proved too much for her endurance. Exhausted with +emotion, she fell, striking her head upon the foot of the bed, and lay +there motionless upon the floor. Lebeau sprang to her, raised her in his +arms, and placed her gently upon the bed; then he bent above her pallid +face.</p> + +<p>"Swooned!" he murmured, as if speaking to himself.</p> + +<p>With folded arms Lord Mowbray watched him, following every movement with +an ironical smile.</p> + +<p>"Master Lebeau!" he said, breaking the silence.</p> + +<p>"My lord?" answered Lebeau, turning and facing him, pale but resolute.</p> + +<p>"Do you still deny that you have played me false?"</p> + +<p>"More than ever do I affirm that I have served your lordship +faithfully."</p> + +<p>"By thwarting my plans and robbing me of this girl?"</p> + +<p>"By robbing you of this girl, yes. It was my duty."</p> + +<p>"Your duty? That is the first time I have ever heard the word upon your +lips."</p> + +<p>"That was my fault. After all, my lord, perhaps there is a God."</p> + +<p>"You should have sooner told me so. If you<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span> are converted, go join the +hypocrites of your ilk, and leave me. This deserted place, this night of +conflagration and slaughter, this unconscious girl,—all suits me well. +I have a fancy for adventure which has no vulgar tang about it."</p> + +<p>Standing between the bed where Esther lay and young Mowbray, Lebeau did +not move.</p> + +<p>"Excuse me, my lord," he said steadily, "it is you who are to leave. You +will not lay a finger upon this child."</p> + +<p>"Why not?"</p> + +<p>"Because I forbid you."</p> + +<p>"And pray why do you forbid me?"</p> + +<p>"<i>Because she is my daughter and your sister!</i>"</p> + +<p>For an instant Mowbray stood transfixed with amazement; then he burst +into a laugh.</p> + +<p>"By my soul!" he exclaimed, "my father was right: you are the most +amusing rascal in the world! Long live Lebeau! No human being but you +could have conceived such an idea. The day that my father awoke in the +bottom of that monster pie, the surprise was good, but it cannot hold a +candle to this one! After this night's affair no one can ever say that +you are degenerating; for your imagination, my dear man, was never so +brilliant. Ask me a hundred pounds, or twice that amount; I will refuse +you nothing. But go away now and let the farce end. I have enough of +it."</p> + +<p>"I shall not go, and this is no farce. I repeat, Esther Woodville is +your sister."</p> + +<p>The young man smiled disdainfully.</p> + +<p>"Would you have me believe that Lady Mowbray—"</p> + +<p>"Lady Mowbray was a saint! May she hear and pardon me!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Amen!"</p> + +<p>"Mock if you will, for you will not mock long. Lady Mowbray had nothing +whatever to do with this affair; moreover, Lady Mowbray was a stranger +to your birth, sir!"</p> + +<p>This time the young nobleman recoiled in rage.</p> + +<p>"Listen to me," said Lebeau authoritatively.</p> + +<p>Esther was beginning to recover a vague consciousness. Athwart the +shadows of her swoon thought began to reassert itself, though doubtful, +timid, misty. Stretched upon the bed, incapable of movement, her eyes +closed, she heard voices without comprehending what they said, without +distinguishing the sense of what was spoken.</p> + +<p>"Twenty-three years ago," continued Lebeau, "two women were <i>enceintes</i> +at the same time, the wife and the mistress of Lord Mowbray, one at his +residence in St. James's, the other in a chamber of his 'Folly' at +Chelsea. The latter was the daughter of a London shop-keeper, whom Lord +Mowbray had abducted from her family, and had concealed as his prisoner. +It was Fate's decree that his lordship should be made a father twice in +one and the same night. He called my attention to your vigor and +vitality when you came into the world. 'Look, Lebeau,' he said to me, +'it is a genuine love-child. See how strong he is, while the other—' +Then a thought occurred to him: why not substitute the illegitimate for +the legitimate child? He hated his wife as he hated all things good and +pure. The thought of rearing the child of a rival charmed him, and he +considered me worthy to execute the change. It was I who bribed the +young nobleman's nurse and placed you in his cradle. When your mother's<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span> +health was re-established Lord Mowbray washed his hands of her and the +child whom she believed hers. It was enough for him that the child +should be dispossessed of his fortune and title; he desired that he +should be wretched, deprived of everything. He knew that the family of +his mistress, inflexible as they were in principles, would close their +doors upon the fallen girl and her child. At rest upon this point, he +forbade me to give the sufferers aid, and I disobeyed him."</p> + +<p>"That was the beginning of virtue!"</p> + +<p>"No, sir. I found her beautiful and provided for her. In my turn she +made me a father, but I treated her as though I were a grand gentleman. +I sank to the infamous level of Lord Mowbray. I exposed her to all the +hazards and misery of a wandering life. She became an actress and +travelled from country town to country town, with a troop of mediocre +actors, dragging Lady Mowbray's son along with her, the child whose +position and name you had usurped. She died—almost starving!"</p> + +<p>Lebeau pronounced these final words in a harsh tone of profound woe, +upon which slowly accumulated remorse had set the tinge of indescribable +bitterness.</p> + +<p>"My daughter," he continued after a pause, "I saved from this cruel +existence, provided for her education, and placed her in the home of +honest folk."</p> + +<p>"And the other,—the vagabond, my pretended brother?"</p> + +<p>Beneath Mowbray's apparent irony Lebeau detected his anxiety.</p> + +<p>"His life has been hard, frightfully hard, sir; until the age of ten +years so cruel was it that the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span> recital of his sufferings would touch +any other heart than yours. From one adventure to another he at last +fell into the hands of the Thames pirates, who made a little thief of +him, and reared him for a life of shame and crime."</p> + +<p>"Very much as you reared me."</p> + +<p>"It is true. I merit the reproach and accept it; but while your evil +instincts grew apace, the germ of good developed in your brother. He +fled from those who had marked him for wrong-doing, and was received by +upright persons.—Ah, you would like to know if he still lives? Do you +think me fool enough to deliver him over to your jealousy and +suspicions? No. You now know enough of this business to understand that +you ought not to remain here an instant longer."</p> + +<p>"I have listened to you even unto the end with a patience that +astonishes me. It would appear from this recital that I am under +nameless obligation to you, your <i>protégé</i>, your creature. As the king +reigns by the grace of God, I am a nobleman by permission of Mons. +Lebeau, and if I cease to merit his good opinion, I lose everything! +Well," he added, suddenly changing his tone, "I do not care to know how +much truth there is in your story, but I do know that this situation is +no longer tenable. No such man as I am ought to be at the mercy of a +Lebeau, hanging upon his discretion. The surest means of my assuring +myself of your silence is to kill you! And kill you I will!"</p> + +<p>Saying these words, he whipped out his sword and darted upon his former +tutor.</p> + +<p>Esther uttered a feeble cry, but the cry was lost in a frightful crash. +A neighboring wall, undermined by the fire, reeled and fell, striking +upon<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span> the roof of the house. A rafter in falling struck the window and +shattered it. A dense, stifling smoke, starred with a myriad sparks, +filled the chamber.</p> + +<p>Meanwhile Lebeau, who had never for an instant lost sight of Mowbray's +movements, had darted backward a pace or two, thus placing a table +between himself and his adversary, at the same time drawing his sword in +his turn. Now they were equally matched. It was he who had first placed +a fencing-foil in the young man's hand, he who had taught him with +infinite patience all the secrets of the French and Italian schools of +fencing. In those very schools had they studied the noble art in +company, not disdaining the lessons of resident masters. They had fenced +together every day for ten years, but had never succeeded in scratching +each other, so easy was it for either to parry the thrusts of the other +and to divine his intentions. However, it was necessary that one of +these two men, who had lived so long together as master and disciple, +almost as father and son, should take the other's life; and each bore +written upon his very eyes the fierce desire, the implacable longing, to +kill.</p> + +<p>It was not a duel, but a combat. Shifting their footing, retreating +precipitately or lunging unexpectedly, profiting by every obstacle, +bending forward until they almost squatted upon the ground, or bounding +into the air, every few moments they would desist, watching each other, +panting, bathed in perspiration, their features rigid as if petrified +with the same mortal intent. The furniture lay about them upset and +broken, and all the while the smoke continued to thicken. It grew +suffocating and darkened the chamber, recently so bright, while at the +same time it altered<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span> the character of the combat, which threatened to +become a blind struggle in the dark. Not a word was exchanged; nothing +was audible but the stifled oaths, the short, harsh breathing that +rattled in the throat, the hissing of the crossed swords, that metallic +sound which freezes the marrow in the bones like a death-knell. In the +adjoining chamber old Maud chanted:—</p> + +<p>"Saul hath slain a thousand, but David hath slain ten thousand! Glory be +to the God of hosts! <i>Deus Sabaoth! Alleluia!</i>"</p> + +<p>Outside the house the tumult of the horrible fête had waned and expired +in a vague, distant wail, intermingled with the dying shrieks of the +participants.</p> + +<p>Slowly Esther raised herself upon her elbow; with eyes dilated with +horror she watched the two men as they pursued and evaded each other, +leaping like stags in the ruddy smoke which was neither day nor night. +She fancied herself the dupe of some hideous nightmare.</p> + +<p>Neither of the combatants seemed aware of her presence, since both held +their sight riveted upon the tips of their swords as if their very souls +had passed into the glittering points. But Lebeau was weakening, and he +knew it. His grasp trembled and his sight grew dim from minute to +minute. A cold sweat pearled upon his brow, which he attempted to wipe +away with a swift gesture of his left arm; but the beads grew more +abundant, dripped from his eyebrows to his eyelids, and obscured his +vision. His weary feet struck the furniture; already had he stumbled +once; a sort of vertigo caused surrounding objects to whirl about him. +It was death!... Then in sheer desperation he thrust out blindly.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span></p> + +<p>Esther saw the two men run each other through, fall almost one on top of +the other, roll heavily over upon the floor, and lie motionless. Again +she lost consciousness, and for a time no sound disturbed the silence of +the chamber save the chanting of the mad woman.</p> + +<p>However, Lebeau raised himself, and strove to collect his ideas and +strength. He was losing great quantities of blood, but the welfare of +Esther was the only clear thought which remained amidst the baleful +giddiness which had invaded his brain. Save Esther! But how? Bear her +away in his arms? He could not do it. Had he even the strength left to +crawl to the stairs, drag himself down and through the alley in search +of help? Yes, there was no alternative. But in the mean time would not +the fire reach her in its swift course? Would not the smoke asphyxiate +the poor child? Stimulated by this alarming thought, the unhappy man +began to drag himself by his bruised and bleeding hands. Every now and +then he was forced to pause, exhausted, fainting, believing that the end +had come. "Esther!"—that name alone revived him. His daughter! his +child! No, he would not leave her to die like that. As for himself, what +mattered it? But <i>she</i>, so young, so beautiful,—she, for whom life was +so full of promise! Thus he advanced step by step, lowering himself from +stair to stair amidst the most atrocious agony.</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> +<img src="images/ill_021.jpg" width="400" height="306" alt="" title="" /> +</div> + +<p>But when he reached the foot of the stairs he discovered that the wind +had closed the door which Lord Mowbray had left open. He stretched out +his hand and tried to raise himself upon his knee. He could not do it. +Horrible mockery! So simple an action,—to raise a latch, thrust open<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span> a +door; but he could not do even so much, he who had accomplished such +extraordinary feats! And salvation lay beyond that door, for it seemed +to him—or was it an illusion?—that he caught the sound of voices in +the court. He strove to raise his voice, but no sound issued from his +lips. Then he sank down in an inert mass, his body obstructing the door +which he would have given the last hour of his existence to open!</p> + +<p>Lebeau had not been mistaken; there were voices in the alley-way. +Perhaps, had he been able to attempt one supreme effort, he would have +recognized the voice of his compatriot, the surgeon of the poor, and +that of Francis Monday.</p> + +<p>In fact, they were continuing their work of succoring the unfortunates, +upon which they had been engaged for several hours. They had relieved +more than one wounded sufferer, had snatched from the flames more than +one wretch lying at<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span> death's door. They pursued their course like +soldiers of duty and humanity, soiled with blood and mud, their +eyelashes singed, their clothing in disorder. Many times had the flying +bullets grazed them. Many times had they been insulted and menaced. They +had seen one of their number crushed by the fall of a blazing wall, but +their zeal had not been dampened; and it was Frank who, in a sort of +heroic frenzy, now urged on his companions.</p> + +<p>It was rumored in the crowd that behind the flaming ruins of the +Langdale establishment was a group of dwellings, now wrapped in fire, +which had not been evacuated by the inhabitants.</p> + +<p>In seeking a way to reach these unfortunate sufferers, Levet and Frank +had gained the alley-way upon which Lebeau's little house was situated.</p> + +<p>Suddenly Frank paused.</p> + +<p>"Did you hear that?" he exclaimed.</p> + +<p>"What?"</p> + +<p>"I don't know.—A voice—singing—in this house!"</p> + +<p>They held their breath, and the psalmody of old Maud distinctly reached +the ears of the surgeon and his followers.</p> + +<p>"There is someone in there!" cried Levet, "and the roof is already on +fire! They must be raving maniacs!—What ho! Within there!"</p> + +<p>He walked around the house, endeavoring to attract the attention of the +inmates.</p> + +<p>"Can you not see that the fire is gaining upon you?" he cried. "Come +out, quick!"</p> + +<p>But there was no reply, only in the interim of silence they again heard +the old fool's monotonous chanting, the very words even being audible.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span></p> + +<p>"We must save them at any cost!" exclaimed Levet. "Come, comrades!"</p> + +<p>They tried to force the door, but as it resisted their efforts they +supposed it must be locked.</p> + +<p>"To the window!" said Frank.</p> + +<p>With a blow of his elbow he shattered the glass, and, inserting his hand +through the fracture, adroitly opened the casement. It was one of the +talents taught him by his early instructors, the river thieves.</p> + +<p>Then, springing upon the window ledge, he entered the chamber, followed +by Levet.</p> + +<p>"One dead already!" cried the surgeon. "Great Heaven, it is Lebeau! No, +he still breathes! Hand me a lantern, gentlemen!"</p> + +<p>He was already upon his knees beside the dying man.</p> + +<p>At the name of Lebeau a sudden thought crossed Frank's mind. If the man +he had sought high and low had been found in this sordid retreat, +perhaps he was close upon the solution of the enigma. Hastily he sprang +up the steep steps of the little stairway,—so hastily that he slipped +in the tracks left by Lebeau's bleeding hands. Upon the landing of the +second floor an unexpected enemy lay in wait for him; a jet of smoke and +flame, issuing from the wide-open door, scorched his face and nearly +suffocated him. With his hands upon his eyes he attempted to rush +through, but tripped over a pair of legs extended upon the floor.</p> + +<p>"Still another body!" he thought with horror.</p> + +<p>Upon his knees he felt his way with difficulty up to the face of the +dead. It was Lord Mowbray who lay there upon his back, his hair burned +to a crisp, his features blackened but still set in that last defiant +grimace.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></span></p> + +<p>Frank had seen enough and was about to recoil to the door, when it +seemed to him that in a corner of the chamber he descried a human figure +lying upon a bed.</p> + +<p>Gathering all his energy, he darted thither.</p> + +<p>Esther!—it was she!</p> + +<p>"Help!" he cried; "help! Levet!"</p> + +<p>The surgeon answered the call with several men, but they were arrested +by the terrible current of scorching air which traversed the chamber +from the window to the door.</p> + +<p>"She is dead, and I will die with her!"</p> + +<p>Such was the only thought that filled Frank's distracted brain. In +despair he threw himself upon the bed, murmuring, "Esther, my beloved!"</p> + +<p>And even in that awful moment when his lips touched that still warm +cheek the supreme contact was one of ineffable sweetness. Knotting his +arms about the object of his love, who had not been granted the +opportunity to love him, the poor boy bade farewell to life.</p> + +<p>But simultaneously a voice, scarcely more than a sigh, murmured in his +ear, "Save me!"</p> + +<p>In an instant he was upon his feet. With a vigor of which he would not +have believed himself capable a moment before, he raised the girl in his +arms and sprang with her through the belt of igneous smoke.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span></p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII"></a>CHAPTER XVII.</h2> + +<h3>HORACE AND SHAKESPEARE.</h3> + +<p>The sun was already high above the horizon when at last Lebeau opened +his eyes. The brilliant light of dawn, penetrating the chamber where he +lay, wounded his sight, and his heavy eyelids drooped. After a moment he +raised them painfully and perceived the kindly face of the surgeon of +the poor bending above him.</p> + +<p>"Do you recognize me?" he asked.</p> + +<p>The sufferer made an affirmative sign and feebly faltered Levet's name. +Then in a low, indistinct tone he inquired,—</p> + +<p>"Where am I?"</p> + +<p>"At Dr. Johnson's house. Keep perfectly quiet and all will be well."</p> + +<p>Suddenly memory asserted its sway.</p> + +<p>"Esther!" Lebeau cried, in as eager and anxious a voice as his utter +prostration would permit.</p> + +<p>"Miss Woodville is here. She is alive, having only fainted. There was a +slight abrasion of the flesh behind her ear, probably the result of a +fall; but that will soon disappear. And as for you, my good friend, we +shall soon have you upon your feet again."</p> + +<p>Lebeau moved his eyes in a negative sign, and with a sad smile +murmured,—</p> + +<p>"My account is settled. Why do you attempt to deceive me? Am I a +coward?"</p> + +<p>A moment later he asked,—</p> + +<p>"Who saved Esther?"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Francis Monday, the foundling, Sir Joshua Reynolds's pupil."</p> + +<p>Levet briefly recounted how the rescue had come about; how old Maud, +whose obstinacy and madness had nearly been the cause of her young +mistress's death, had finally saved her life by her psalm-singing; with +what infinite difficulty they had entered the house and snatched from +the devouring flames three living beings and one corpse.</p> + +<p>"One thing is certain," he concluded, "and that is, that these two +children love each other. It was his future wife whom Frank saved last +night in Holborn, and, though this sad week will leave its mark in ruins +for many a day, it has at least served to make two hearts supremely +happy."</p> + +<p>A profound satisfaction overspread the pallid features of the dying man.</p> + +<p>"Miss Woodville has begged several times to see you. Shall I bring her +to you?"</p> + +<p>Lebeau's face brightened still more. Then he appeared to reflect. Of +course it would have been balm to his departing soul to make himself +known to her, to be a father for one short hour, to go with the pardon +and caress of his child. But would she not repulse him? Would she find +him worthy of her? And after all, was it not better that she should +remain a foundling rather than be known as the child of Lebeau, the +adventurer, the professor and purveyor of vice to the great?—Ah, well! +he would hold his peace, would die without disturbing any one, and leave +her happy. But in any case he must hasten to inform Frank who he was, +and give him the means of establishing his identity.</p> + +<p>"Frank!" he murmured. "I wish to see Frank—to speak with him."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span></p> + +<p>"You have made sufficient effort for to-day. Rest now; to-morrow you +shall talk with him."</p> + +<p>"To-morrow—I shall not be here. Go—go and find him."</p> + +<p>Without further objection Levet, who understood the true condition of +his patient, left the chamber. In a few moments he reappeared, followed +by Frank and Esther hand in hand. Their faces, radiant with youth and +happiness, clouded with sadness. With bowed heads and faltering steps +they approached the bed. Frank paused upon one side, while Esther sank +upon her knees at the other.</p> + +<p>"Father!" she breathed.</p> + +<p>"Then you heard—"</p> + +<p>"All!"</p> + +<p>The emotion proved too much for the sufferer. He felt his head swim, and +believed that the final vertigo had come.</p> + +<p>"Only one moment!" he murmured, as though demanding respite of the +destructive forces of nature; "Frank must know—"</p> + +<p>"Frank already knows that he is the true Lord Mowbray," whispered +Esther.</p> + +<p>"But the proofs!" pursued Lebeau; "the proofs are necessary. The nurse, +Elizabeth Hughes, still lives—at Bangor—in Wales. She will give all +the necessary evidence.—Elizabeth Hughes—do not forget!"</p> + +<p>He was exhausted with so much speech. His aching eyes had lost their +circumspection. Gropingly his hand sought the fair head of his daughter +and rested there. Then his thoughts fled backward over forty long years. +Again he saw the humble peasant's cot in the mountains of Dauphiné, +whence he had set out to see the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span> world. We saw a dying woman lying upon +her bed,—his mother! Her faltering hand was laid upon his boyish head, +pressing it gently, tenderly. All the remainder of his existence had +vanished; all that remained was the Alpha and Omega; an utter void +united that caress received and this caress given. It was a foretaste of +that world where there is no reckoning of time, where moments are as +ages, where thoughts and acts are lost in one eternal present.</p> + +<p>Entering noiselessly, Levet passed here and there about the room upon +tiptoe. Lebeau realized all that took place, but the power of perception +had abandoned him.</p> + +<p>"Are you there, doctor?" he asked.</p> + +<p>"Yes."</p> + +<p>"Bring them close to me."</p> + +<p>Esther stooped and kissed the brow upon which the dews of death had +begun to gather.</p> + +<p>"We shall meet again, father," she whispered.</p> + +<p>"Perhaps," faltered Lebeau.</p> + +<p>"Did you wish to sleep?" inquired Levet, when the young people had left +the room.</p> + +<p>"No, but I could not die before them. There is no use in saddening their +young lives."</p> + +<p>The surgeon did not attempt to deny the danger.</p> + +<p>"You are a brave man, comrade," he said; "and since you are able to look +death in the eye, do you not wish to make some preparation? There is a +Catholic priest here in the house. Although Dr. Johnson is no friend to +the papists, he has given this man the protection and shelter of his +roof. If you desire to see him I—"</p> + +<p>But Lebeau made a negative sign, while by some singular reaction the +sceptic and philosopher again took possession of his expiring body.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span></p> + +<p>"Read to me," he said, "the ode of Horace—to Posthumus."</p> + +<p>"Horace's ode to Posthumus!" repeated Levet, scarcely believing that he +had heard aright.</p> + +<p>But he had made no mistake. It was Lebeau's wish that the Horatian ode +should be read to him instead of the prayers for the dying. The aged +surgeon arose and passed into an adjoining apartment, which contained +Dr. Johnson's library. Soon he returned with a large book in his hand, +and seated himself at the bedside. In a slow, impressive voice he began +to read the famous ode, which the dying man accompanied in a low murmur, +punctuating the familiar verses as though he were giving the responses +to a psalm.</p> + +<p>"'<i>Visendus ater flumine languido</i>,'" Levet read.</p> + +<p>"'<i>Cocytus errans</i>,'" continued Lebeau faintly.</p> + +<p>But when Levet pronounced the fatal words, which typify "the end-all +here," <i>Linguenda tellus</i>, he perceived that no response came from the +bed. Quickly he bent above the poor pagan, and placed his hand upon his +heart; finding no answering throb there, with reverent fingers he closed +the eyes of the dead.</p> + +<hr style='width: 45%;' /> + +<p>After a few days London regained her habitual aspect. Blackened ruins; +fragments of walls and roofs, still sheltering emptiness; gaping, +desolate spaces, which had once been human abodes with happy firesides, +about which many generations had been warmed and cheered,—these alone +remained to tell the tale of that four days' madness, of the strange +delirium which had fallen upon the great city. But how many human +remains lay beneath these ruins, which would never be recognized, and +how many corpses had been swallowed by the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span> Thames? One knew not, one +dared not attempt to estimate. Some unfortunate wretches, who confessed +nothing and remembered still less, or, lost to all sense of decency, +accused each other, were hastily tried and hanged. The principal +criminal, he who had loosed the passions of the populace, Gordon, was +already under lock and key in Newgate. Had he been more misguided than +perverse? He was given the benefit of the doubt. His madness, and +perhaps his rank, saved him: but the remarkable fact remains that this +man, who had set fire to London and led to death several hundred human +beings, not to mention the enormous destruction of property of which he +was the cause, was not punished; though a few years later, having +written some insolent lines upon Queen Marie Antoinette, he was thrown +into prison and there languished for the remainder of his days.</p> + +<p>When Reuben at last appeared after a considerable lapse of time, the +events of June, 1780, had begun to be obliterated from the public mind. +Though in no way apprehensive for his personal safety, he seemed pursued +by a memory, haunted by a remorse which it was impossible to evade. +Gloomy and humiliated, he shunned meeting his "brethren," who accused +him of having deserted them in the hour of peril. He made no opposition +to his cousin's marriage, but refused to be present; and on the very day +that the wedding was celebrated he embarked with some emigrants bound +for Canada. Thence later he journeyed to Botany Bay, after which time no +tidings were received from him. It was thought that he preached the +gospel in Australia. Some believed that he was killed and devoured by +cannibals; others<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span> pretended that he died at Sydney in extreme old age.</p> + +<p>Lady Vereker, whose name has been assumed out of respect to her family, +continued her disorderly course of life and became a desperate +faro-player, remaining steadfast to her alliance with Lady +Buckinghamshire, Lady Archer, and Mrs. Hobart. She transformed into a +<i>quatuor</i> the ignobly famous trio whom the caricaturist Gillray so +frequently exposed to ridicule and shame in his cruel sketches.</p> + +<p>Mrs. Marsham recovered her peaceful afternoons in which she was wont to +dream those pious dreams which translated her to Paradise, where she +never failed to be received with distinction. Mr. O'Flannigan, the +crisis over, resumed the slaughter of his enemies (in words, be it +understood), and acted as prompter until his own cue came summoning him +from the field of service. Maud never recovered the minimum of sense +with which Heaven had endowed her. In the asylum to which she was +banished she continually narrated the end of the world, which she firmly +believed she had witnessed.</p> + +<p>Thanks to the testimony of Elizabeth Hughes, Frank was able with but +little difficulty to establish claim to his title and possessions. The +king and queen, together with the entire nobility, evinced the deepest +interest in his romantic story and that of his young wife.</p> + +<p>He resolved to destroy the "Folly," which could only serve evil purposes +and recall unpleasant memories. Before its demolition Esther expressed a +wish to see the place which had exerted so strange an influence upon her +life and that of her husband; consequently they visited<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span> those haunts +which had never witnessed a pure, upright love,—love as clear as the +day and conscious in its pride.</p> + +<p>It was just one year after Lebeau's death, and a perfect summer's day. +The radiance of an unclouded sun flooded the apartments, to which still +clung an indescribably sensual perfume, the faded hangings, and +licentious pictures. Esther could not disassociate the thought of her +ill-starred mother from this abyss, while Frank evoked the memory of his +mother, the pale, charming being whom Reynolds had sketched, towards +whom his heart had involuntarily yearned. Had not every stone in this +hideous house weighed upon her as heavily as though she had worn it +about her neck? Had not every infidelity which this den of infamy had +witnessed cost her a tear, a pang, humiliation? Thus, hand in hand, they +passed from room to room, oppressed at heart; and they experienced a +sense of infinite relief when at last the doors of the accursed mansion +closed behind them and they saw God's daylight resting upon the meadows +and the mellow cornfields softly swaying in the June breeze.</p> + +<p>At the Bun-house were congregated many Londoners, who had come out to +the country to enjoy this rare day. Sedan-chairs, coaches and horses +held by pages in brilliant livery, formed a picturesque group; while +dogs barked joyously amidst the crowd. The porters and grooms were +grouped about a juggler, who aroused their merriment with his tricks, or +smoked their pipes beneath the ample, pillared veranda of the house. +Within doors some were admiring the silver pitcher presented to Mistress +Hand by Queen Charlotte, or the two leaden grenadiers, with their<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span> +German shakos in sugar candy, and uniforms of 1745; while others, seated +about a grass plot beneath elm-trees trained into the shape of vaulted +arches, sipped a dish of tea with one of those famous smoking, piping +hot buns as its accompaniment. These delicate, savory confections had +made the reputation of the house.</p> + +<p>The remaining few had formed a circle about Rahab, the fortune-teller. +Perceiving Frank and Esther among her audience, she impudently +exclaimed,—</p> + +<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;"> +<img src="images/ill_022.jpg" width="400" height="366" alt="" title="" /> +</div> + +<p>"Ask that pair if I do not tell the truth! It was I who predicted their +happiness."</p> + +<p>"You!" said Esther, amazed at her audacity. "Do you pretend that you +predicted to me—"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span></p> + +<p>"I told you that you would marry Lord Mowbray. Have I deceived you?"</p> + +<p>Esther smiled and blushed.</p> + +<p>"Give her a trifle," she said to her husband.</p> + +<p>And while the young nobleman emptied his purse into the gypsy's hands, +Garrick's pupil murmured these verses of her favorite poet,—</p> + +<p> +<span style="margin-left: 21em;">"All yet seems well; and if it end so meet,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 21em;">The bitter past, more welcome is the sweet."</span><br /> +</p> + + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Garrick's Pupil, by Auguston Filon + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GARRICK'S PUPIL *** + +***** This file should be named 35023-h.htm or 35023-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/3/5/0/2/35023/ + +Produced by Annie McGuire. 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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: Garrick's Pupil + +Author: Auguston Filon + +Translator: J. V. Prichard + +Release Date: January 21, 2011 [EBook #35023] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GARRICK'S PUPIL *** + + + + +Produced by Annie McGuire. This book was produced from +scanned images of public domain material from the Google +Print archive. + + + + + + + + + +[Illustration: Book Cover] + + + + +GARRICK'S PUPIL. + + + + +GARRICK'S PUPIL + +By AUGUSTIN FILON + +_Translated by_ +J. V. PRICHARD + +Illustrated + + +[Illustration] + + +CHICAGO +A. C. McCLURG & COMPANY +1893 + + + + +COPYRIGHT, +BY A. C. MCCLURG & CO. +A. D. 1893. + + + + +CONTENTS. + + + CHAPTER PAGE + I. PAINTER AND MODEL 7 + II. A SUPPER AT SIR JOSHUA'S 22 + III. LADY VEREKER'S BOUDOIR 33 + IV. THE BROOKS CLUB 42 + V. A STRANGE EDUCATION 58 + VI. THE HOUSE IN TOTHILL FIELDS 71 + VII. CONFIDENCES 81 + VIII. MR. FISHER'S SUBSTITUTE 97 + IX. MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 106 + X. DEATH TO THE PAPISTS 117 + XI. THE DAY OF DAYS 132 + XII. THE MASQUERADE AT THE PANTHEON 143 + XIII. MOWBRAY'S FOLLY AT CHELSEA 156 + XIV. VAIN QUESTS 171 + XV. SANCTUARY 184 + XVI. GAMES OF DEATH AND CHANCE 194 + XVII. HORACE AND SHAKESPEARE 208 + + + + +CHAPTER I. + +PAINTER AND MODEL. + + +Just as the third hour of the afternoon had sounded from the belfry of +Saint Martin's-in-the-Fields, a hackney coach drew up before the most +pretentious mansion upon the west side of Leicester Fields; and while +the coachman hastened to agitate the heavy door-knocker, a young woman, +almost a child, sprang out upon the pavement without waiting to have the +shaky steps unfolded and lowered for her convenience. Her dust-colored +mantle, disarranged by her rapid movements, revealed a rich costume +beneath; while the dazzled passer-by might have caught a glimpse, amidst +the whiteness of the elevated skirts, of a tiny pair of red satin +slippers and two slender, exquisitely moulded ankles finely clad in +silken hose with embroidered clocks. + +The girl turned and assisted a more aged woman, leaning upon a +crutch-headed cane, to descend. This lady wore the big straw bonnet and +gray gown of the Quaker persuasion,--a rigidly simple costume, which +occasionally is becoming to extreme youth, but rarely enhances maturer +charms. + +It was one of those glorious days of the English springtide when life +seems endurable even to the hapless, grateful even to the invalid. A +bland breeze rustled the branches of the grand old trees which in double +rows framed the open square. Several children were at play upon the +spacious grass-plot, which was intersected by diagonal paths of yellow +sand. The square was silent, and slept in the voluptuous warmth of the +perfect afternoon; but from the north side came the bustle and confusion +that resembled the turmoil of some festival. It was the continuous din +of the two tides of life which here meet and cross each other, the one +surging from Covent Garden and Chancery Lane, the other from Piccadilly +and St. James's. Pedestrians and horsemen, coaches and sedan chairs, +went to make up a glittering, varied hodgepodge, amidst which +flower-girls and newsboys fought their way, together with the venders of +"hot buns." Gentlemen saluted with exaggerated gesture, pressing their +cocked hats to their breasts and affectedly inclining their heads +towards their right shoulder; while the ladies fluttered their fans and +nodded the edifices of flowers and feathers which served in lieu of a +head-dress. The intoxicating odor of iris powder, of benzoin, bergamot, +and patchouli floated upon the air. The beggars leaning against the +railing of the square and the Irish chairmen indolently smoking their +pipes, for whom life is but a spectacle, watched the passage of others' +happiness. A bright, genial sun polished the flanks of the plaster horse +in the centre of the square, upon which rode a prince of the House of +Hanover. It shone upon the head of the gilded cock which served as sign +to Hogarth's old shop, flamed upon the windows of Newton's sham +observatory, glistened upon the roofs, played along the line of +coaches, set tiny mirrors upon the harnesses of the horses, glittered in +the diamonds in the women's ears, and on the swords that clattered +against the men's legs, set a spangle here or a spark there, and bathed +all things in a blaze of light and joy. + +Meanwhile a lackey in a livery embroidered in silver had opened the door +to the two women. + +"Sir Joshua Reynolds?" + +The lackey hesitated, but at the moment Ralph, the painter's +confidential man, appeared upon the steps. + +"Miss Woodville?" he inquired in his turn. + +"Yes," replied the girl. + +"Be good enough to follow me, Miss Woodville"; adding with a smile, "You +are prompt." + +"It is the custom of the theatre. Lean upon my arm, aunt." + +At this moment Miss Woodville was saluted with a "good-morning" uttered +by so strange, so guttural, so piercing a voice that she involuntarily +started. + +"Don't be alarmed," said Ralph; "it is the bird." + +"What bird?" + +"Sir Joshua's parrot. He was in the courtyard, but had to be removed to +the dining-room because he fought with the eagle." + +"An eagle! a parrot! Pray what are they doing here?" + +"They pose. Miss Woodville must have noticed them in more than one of +Sir Joshua's pictures. Oh, we all take our turns in sitting as models to +him. Yesterday I was a shepherd; the day before, a sea-god." + +The good man drew himself up at the recollection of the lofty dignity +with which his master's confidence had invested him. + +Thus chatting, they reached the first floor. Ralph introduced the ladies +into a gallery filled with roughly sketched canvases. He knocked twice +upon the door at the extreme end, but received no response. + +"How deaf the President grows!" he murmured, shaking his head. + +Without further delay he opened the door. + +Miss Woodville and her companion found themselves upon the threshold of +quite a spacious chamber, lighted by a large window facing the north and +nine feet in height. + +The room contained an easel upon which rested a white canvas; near the +easel stood a large mirror; upon a table near by lay the palette, all +ready and fresh, with a row of little paint jars. The model's chair, +raised upon a dais and revolving upon a pivot, was placed next to that +of the painter, and opposite the mirror. About the room several sofas +were arranged. There were no knickknacks; no cluttering; nothing to +offend the sight, unless it was that just about the painter's chair the +floor was black with snuff. + +The man who advanced slowly to meet the strangers, making use of his +maul-stick as a cane, while in the other he carried a silver +ear-trumpet, was none other than Sir Joshua Reynolds himself, the +greatest painter of women that the world has ever known. + +The first impression he made upon his visitors was disappointing, +indefinable. + +That expansive brow which the hair, brushed straightly back, disclosed +did not lack nobility; but the under lip, cleft by a wound and shrunken +in the middle, lent to the mouth an expression at once unpleasant and +strained. The eyes were concealed behind the crystalline glimmer of +spectacles securely attached to the back of the head by broad black +ribbons. The spare, calmly cold figure bore neither the trace of precise +age nor the certainty of sex. At some distance and in obscurity one +would have hesitated to pronounce it as that of a youth or an aged +woman. Perhaps in some way the air of indecision and anxiety was due to +that expression peculiar to those afflicted with deafness whose aim it +is to dissimulate their infirmity. + +He cast upon the old Quakeress a rapid, searching glance; then his eyes +rested complacently upon Miss Woodville; his features, cold to +unpleasantness, softened and became animated. Already had he painted +three thousand portraits, but, far from being weary of his profession, +his enthusiasm for the wonders of the human physiognomy increased each +time that he found himself in the presence of a new model. Each time he +thought, "_This_ will be my _chef-d'oeuvre_!" + +The girl was quickly relieved of her mantle, which Ralph laid aside. She +was dressed in the costume of Rosalind, as she had appeared at Drury +Lane for the first time six months previously,--memorable night! when +she had only to show herself to vanquish and carry by storm the hearts +of all London. + +A wide-brimmed hat of gray felt with plumes, a corsage of rose-pink +taffety embroidered in silver, and a skirt of green velvet closely +plaited--such was the costume. + +The small, childish head, framed in a profusion of chestnut curls, was +illumined by a pair of great brown eyes. With the eye of a connoisseur +Reynolds regarded the delicate complexion, over which ran at the +slightest provocation the rosiest of blushes, and over which every throb +of the heart sent a hint of the tide of life, regarded that brilliant, +mobile glance of the eye, in the depths of which played every +description of piqued curiosity and _naif_ desire, lost in the riotous +joy of living, of being sweet sixteen, celebrated and beautiful. + +"Sit there, Miss Woodville," said the President of the Royal Academy, +indicating the pivot chair. + +"What! Ought I not to be placed opposite you?" + +"No; rather at my side. We shall both benefit by the arrangement. +Instead of looking at an ugly old painter, you will perceive your own +charming image in the mirror and will smile upon it, while I have my +sketch all done for me." + +The old lady had drawn a roll of bank-notes from her pocket, which she +proceeded carefully to count and re-count. + +"I believe it is the custom," she said. + +Sir Joshua acquiesced in silence with a cold smile. An able accountant +and serious man of business, this President of the Royal Academy! The +price of his portraits was invariably paid him, one half on the occasion +of the first sitting, the remainder on the day that the finished work +was delivered. As to the price, it varied according to the dimension; it +had also varied with the epoch and had increased with the reputation of +the artist. A full-length portrait cost at that time (1780) one hundred +and fifty pounds sterling. + +The Quakeress, therefore, placed upon a table seventy-five pounds in +notes and gold pieces bearing the effigy of George III. As Miss +Woodville was not yet sufficiently wealthy to order a portrait from the +great painter, a group of enthusiastic amateurs had raised the necessary +money in order to decorate the lobby of the theatre with the portrait. + +"Am I permitted to talk?" inquired the girl. + +"As much as you please." + +"Oh, that's good!" she said, drawing a breath of relief; "and may I ask +a question?" + +"Ten, if you see fit." + +"Sir Joshua, why are you making me so deathly white? I look like a +statue." + +Reynolds smiled. + +"What will you say at the next sitting? I shall tint you all in Naples +yellow." + +"Fie!--horrors! Why do you do that?" + +"Ah, that is my little secret! My enemies pretend that I have scraped a +Watteau, others say a Titian, in order to discover the successive layers +of color and surprise the method of these masters. And why should I not? +All means are justifiable so long as one succeeds in imitating life. +Others pretend that I paint on wax. They may say what they please. +Hudson, my master, painted exceedingly well on cheese." + +"On cheese!" exclaimed Miss Woodville with a laugh; "fancy a painting on +cheese!" + +"Exactly so." + +Thereupon ensued a pause, during which the canvas was heard to crack +beneath the pencil, while the old lady's needles clicked where she sat +knitting. Evidently ill at ease, Reynolds fretted upon his chair. At +last he turned towards the Quakeress and courteously remarked, "The time +will hang heavily upon your hands, madam." + +"I have brought my work, and have no end of patience," she replied. + +"That may be; but the first sitting is always tedious. Moreover, I need +to become intimately acquainted with my model, and since Miss Woodville +does not play this evening, I count upon keeping your niece for supper, +if you have no objection. I am to have a few friends here, for whom my +sister will do the honors as hostess,--Mr. Burke, Dr. Johnson, my +charming neighbor, Miss Burney." + +"The author of 'Evelina'! Oh, I long to meet her!" + +"So you see, madam, you may spare yourself a tedious wait, and without +fear leave Miss Woodville in my care. I shall make it my duty to see +that she is returned to you properly escorted." + +Thus politely dismissed, the old lady regretfully arose, but seemed +still to hesitate. + +"Go, aunt, or you will miss the reunion of 'The Favorites of Jesus +Christ,' of whom you are the presiding officer," suggested the younger +lady. + +Whether influenced by this consideration, or whether she found it +difficult to resist the desire which the painter had so delicately +expressed, the Quakeress retired, escorted even to the threshold by Sir +Joshua. + +"Are you aware," he asked, returning to his model, "of my true purpose +in sending this lady away?" + +"In truth, no." + +"Because she constrains you; because she casts a shadow upon your youth +and gayety; in a word, because she prevents you from being yourself." + +"Pray, how could you divine that?" + +"My dear child, I have already deciphered three thousand human visages, +and why should I not have learned to read the soul a little? The lady is +your aunt?" + +"Yes,--at least I have been told to call her so." + +"And your parents?" + +"My mother is dead; I never knew her. My father has travelled for the +past fifteen years in foreign lands; perhaps I shall never see him. +While a mere child I was placed in Miss Hannah More's boarding-school at +Bristol. One day we learned that our mistress was a poetic genius, that +Dr. Johnson himself had deigned to encourage her. You cannot imagine, +Sir Joshua, what a sensation the tidings created among us girls! We all +sighed to compose verse--or to recite. It was discovered that I spoke +rather better than the others. I swear to you that I was possessed of +but one desire,--to appear in costume, to escape from that frightful +gray gown and that horrible Quaker bonnet in which we were all hooded. +One day I was made to declaim before Mr. Garrick. He wished to give me +lessons and make an actress of me. And a few months later I made my +_debut_." + +"And a genuine triumph it was! I was there." + +"It was then that I was informed that I had an aunt, a sister of my +mother, and I was forthwith placed in her care, in her guardianship." + +"And she has rigorously acquitted herself of the mission which was +confided to her." + +The child heaved a deep sigh. + +"Ah, Sir Joshua! It is not that she is unkind in any way, but she is my +constant shadow. In the wings, in the greenroom, at the rehearsals, she +is ever at my side, answering questions which are put to me, refusing +invitations, reading letters which are addressed to me, and forcing me +to sing psalms to put to rout the evil thoughts which I find in +Shakespeare!" + +"I see; and you long to be free?" + +"Oh, yes, passionately!" + +"And what use would you make of your liberty?" + +"Oh, I can't fancy. Perhaps I might love virtue if it were not crammed +down my throat." + +"Good!" + +"But you do not know the worst yet." + +"Well?" + +"The worst--is Reuben!" + +"And who may Reuben be?" + +"My cousin, my aunt's son; but he is no Quaker. He belongs to one of +those old, rigid, cruel sects which have been perpetuated in shadow +since the days of the Puritans. He is a fanatic; it would rejoice his +heart to plunge into a sea of papist blood; meanwhile he torments me." + +"Perhaps he loves you?" + +"Yes, according to his light, which surely is not a fair light." + +"And what is the proper method of loving?" + +The girl burst into a coquettish laugh. + +"You ask me more than I can tell, Sir Joshua." + +"Indeed? Pray how, then, can one who is ignorant of the sentiment impart +its faithful presentment to others? How can she communicate an emotion +which finds no echo in her own soul? Who has the ability to teach her to +invest her voice, her gestures, her glance, her very smile, with the +woes and joys of love?" + +"Garrick, I tell you!" + +That name, cast haphazard into their conversation, caused a divergence. + +"Poor Garrick!" exclaimed Reynolds ruefully; "it is scarcely yet a year +since we left him alone in his glory beneath the pavement of +Westminster." + +The mobile countenance of the child actress reflected as a mirror the +sad memory evoked by the artist; a tear glistened upon the lashes of her +beautiful eyes. + +"He was your friend?" she inquired. + +"Oh, yes; one of whom I was very proud." + +"Did you paint his portrait?" + +"Many times. He posed marvellously, and never tormented me as he did one +of my fellow-artists to whom quite unwillingly he had accorded some +sittings." + +"What did he do?" + +"Changed his mask every five minutes, until the poor artist, believing +that he as often had a new model before him, or the devil, perhaps, +flung away his brushes in despair." + +"Garrick once told me," said Esther Woodville, "that the son of a +friend, recently dead, had sought him to complain of some trickery by +which he had been deprived of a portion of his inheritance. A certain +old man, to whom the deceased had intrusted a considerable sum, denied +the trust and refused to make restitution. Do you know what Garrick did? +Arrayed in the attire of the dead, he played the ghost, and played it so +well that the wretch, terrified beyond measure, made confession and +restored the property." + +"I never heard the anecdote; it is curious," said Reynolds, taking a +pinch of snuff. + +He extended the open box to the actress, but she refused it with a +slight grimace. + +"You make a mistake," he said; "this is some 37, Hardham's; our +_elegantes_ prefer it to any other." Then after a brief pause he added, +"Your physiognomy is scarcely less changeable than Garrick's; you have +laughed, you have wept; you have been gay, excited, mournful. Now, of +all these expressions which have chased each other over your charming +face--nay, do not blush; I am an old man--of all these varied +expressions which is the veritable, the dominant one,--the one which +expresses the character of your soul? As long as I fail to discover this +expression in the model, so long is my brush paralyzed. I am obliged to +seek until I find it. I have painted Garrick both in tragedy and comedy; +Admiral Keppel, sword in hand, upon the point of giving the order to +clear the decks for action; Kitty Fisher, at her toilet, since it was +her profession to be beautiful and to please. I have represented +Goldsmith writing the final pages of the 'Vicar' or the sweet verses of +the 'Deserted Village'; Sterne, thinking of poor Maria's suffering or of +the death of Lieut. Lefevre. His wig was all awry and the rascal wanted +to straighten it. 'Let it be as it is!' I said to him; 'if it is +straight, you are no longer the author of 'Tristram Shandy.' When I +paint a child I give it some playthings; a young mother, I surround her +with her children. Notice this one, for instance--" + +"That is my comrade, Mrs. Hartley." + +"Exactly. She carries her little daughter upon her back and laughs +merrily. Fanciful maternity! There are mythological beauties and modern +beauties. The one will be a nymph and gently rest her limbs upon the +velvet sward in the genial atmosphere of a Grecian landscape; the +other, muffled up to her neck, her muff pressed to her nose, in order +to conceal a mouth that is a trifle expansive, elects to promenade the +denuded paths of her park and leave the imprint of her tiny, fur-clad +feet along the snow. It is the cold, you understand, which lends +brilliancy to the eyes and a rosy tip to the ear; it is the cold that +gives color and life. Thus I strive to place every human being in his or +her favorite attitude, amidst congenial surroundings, beneath the ray +which is best calculated to illumine. And I lie in wait for the divine +moment when the woman exhales all her seduction, the man all the power +of his mind." + +He paused for a moment. + +"Well, and you!" he continued quickly. "I have not found you yet; I have +no hold upon you. I must attempt some subterfuge." + +Thereupon he raised his voice. + +"Frank!--Frank!" + +A masked door, which Esther had not remarked, opened almost immediately +and a young man of perhaps two and twenty years of age appeared upon the +threshold. Miss Woodville uttered a stifled cry and half rose from her +chair. + +"My lord!" she breathed almost inaudibly; "how comes it that--you--" + +"I see how it is!" remarked Sir Joshua; "you are the dupe of a +resemblance. Your gaze is not resting upon Lord Mowbray, but upon my +apprentice, Francis Monday. My dear Frank, be good enough to fall upon +your knees before this fair young woman and look at her as if you adored +her." + +Pallid, mute, with lips tightly compressed, Frank stood motionless. + +"I, Sir Joshua?" he faltered. "You wish me to--" + +"Certainly! Now, then!" + +[Illustration] + +With evident effort the young man slowly advanced as if he were going to +execution. Beads of perspiration pearled upon his brow. Nevertheless, +disturbed though he was, the beauty of his features and the innate +nobility of his person prevented any awkwardness of carriage. With +drooping eyelids he fell upon his knees at the girl's feet, while at the +moment, as if actuated by some invincible power, he raised his glance +full of a desperate passion. Truly, for a timid boy taken unawares, +Frank played the comedy of love like a consummate master. + +A rosy blush suffused Esther's features, entirely irradiating them, as a +summer's sunrise illumines the delicious purity of the dawn. +Astonishment, shame, pleasure, malice, every shade of sentiment was in +an instant born, in an instant expired, fading in a most ravishing +_melange_. With head slightly inclined, bosom heaving, eyelids +trembling, and lips quivering, her whole being vibrated in unison with +the precipitate throbbing of her heart. + +"Rosalind listening to Orlando's declaration!" exclaimed Sir Joshua. "I +have it! The portrait is assured! I have no further need of you, Frank." + +The young man rose, his eyes still fixed upon Esther; then without a +word he directed his steps towards the masked door which had afforded +him access to the studio and vanished. + +By slow degrees the blush which had invaded the girl's cheeks and brow +faded until not a vestige remained. + + + + +CHAPTER II. + +A SUPPER AT SIR JOSHUA'S. + + +The company assembled in the Reynolds's drawing-room when the artist +entered, leading Miss Woodville by the hand, made such a palaver over +the young actress that it was quite enough to turn her head, had she not +already become accustomed to clamorous triumphs. She found herself in +the arms of three women at once, who emulously cajoled her, while the +men vied with them in paying flattering court. Despite her _aplomb_, +spoiled child that she was, she was becoming quite embarrassed in +responding to all the hand-pressures, the smiling eyes, the gracious +questions, when, fortunately for her, a footman announced supper; and +forthwith the company passed into the dining-room. + +It was just five o'clock, and, being well aware of the rules of the +house, Sir Joshua's guests were all present, even in greater number than +was expected, as was frequently the case. On this account some little +confusion prevailed about the table, where each one seated himself +according to his fancy. There were not enough plates; one person +possessed a fork but no knife, while another was furnished with a knife +minus a fork: but at these gay, free-and-easy reunions such trifles were +passed over with a laugh. The master of the house, whose special delight +it was to chat with his guests, fluttered from one to the other, +ear-trumpet in hand, giving the entertainment not the slightest heed. +Miss Reynolds alone was in despair. + +In point of fact, Miss Reynolds never appeared in any other attitude. A +genuine martyr was Miss Reynolds. Martyr to whom or what? It would be +difficult to explain. Following the example of her brother, she painted, +but, although she was the sister of a great artist, to her profound +surprise her pictures were detestable. Sir Joshua owned a great gilded +coach, upon the panels of which Hayman had painted the Seasons, but he +rarely availed himself of its comforts; instead, he obliged his sister +to drive out in it, and used to send her to the park "for the good of +her health." And the passers-by were astonished to see, shrinking in a +corner of the resplendent equipage, a woman who wept scalding tears. It +was Miss Reynolds, the everlasting martyr. Upon this particular occasion +she exerted herself to the last degree without producing the slightest +effect either upon her guests or her domestics. + +In the midst of the excitement a woman of perhaps thirty years, arrayed +in a peach-bloom gown and a head-dress of lace, quickly approached +Esther. She was beautiful, of slender elegance, with eyes full of fire, +and cheeks of a violent tint; she spoke in a high-pitched key, and +altogether exhibited the assurance of a high-born lady. She promptly +pounced upon the girl and dragged her away with her. + +"Miss Woodville, dear Miss Woodville! I want to be your friend! Sit +here, close to me." + +And she murmured, with a singular mixture of affectation and passion,-- + +"How lovely she is! Do you know, little one, that we shall positively be +obliged to institute a body-guard, like my friends, Lady Coventry and +Lady Waldegrave, who go about everywhere escorted by two officers and a +dozen halberdiers to keep the crowd of their admirers at a distance?" + +Esther leaned towards her neighbor, a man of middle age, whose +extraordinary plainness of feature rendered him in a way sympathetic and +assuring. Of him she inquired the name of the lady who so burned to be +her intimate friend. She learned that it was Lady Vereker, one of the +most pronounced women of the world of the period. In her turn Lady +Vereker hastened to inform Esther in a whisper that her neighbor was Mr. +Gibbon, quite an obscure member of Parliament and a commissioner of +trade. + +"It is said that he has written a great work upon the Romans," added +Lady Vereker maliciously, "but to my thinking he does not look capable +of it." + +In fact, Mr. Gibbon was paying his fair neighbor too assiduous court to +please her ladyship. + +As no introductions were offered at Reynolds's house, in order to avoid +ceremonies of which fashionable persons were more weary than the rest of +the world, Esther knew none of the guests, and would have continued in +ignorance had not Mr. Gibbon named them; and he accompanied each name +with some neat, incisive, mocking little phrase, the secret of which he +had learned during his sojourn in France. + +[Illustration] + +"That great solemn figure is Mr. Burke," he explained. "He is vastly +eloquent; a huge merit in Parliament, but a sad fault at supper. He +shares his solicitude between Miss Burney and his son Richard. He +idolizes the boy and never loses sight of him; notice that at this +moment his arm is about his neck. He makes it his constant boast that +this boy will be a genius. For my part I doubt it. The Phoenix never +repeats himself!" + +"But who is that strange personage seated on the other side of Miss +Burney,--the man with the monstrous head that keeps rolling from +shoulder to shoulder, with the twisted and seamed lips, and with eyes +both of which are never open at the same moment? Why, his face is a +positive grimace! He only succeeds in putting into his mouth half the +contents of his plate; and he does not drink, he precipitates the liquid +into his throat, and the descending nourishment is in a constant +struggle with the ascending words. He disgusts and frightens me, while +at the same time he attracts and interests. I am almost tempted to fall +in love with him!" + +"Brava! There is a portrait which would do credit to our amphitryon. The +man is the one whom Chesterfield dubbed the respectable Hottentot; he is +the dictator of the republic of letters; in a word, it is Dr. Johnson. +That poor man whom you see, with straining eyes and ear bent towards the +Doctor, gathering the lightest word which falls from his lips, and who +will hand him down to posterity some day, is Boswell, his friend, his +fag, and his disciple. The man who is a disciple--a genuine one, I +mean--alone has sounded the depths of human folly. Perhaps it is Boswell +who has taught Johnson to despise men, and it is Boswell who will teach +men to admire Johnson. Now, just beyond Lady Vereker sits Mr. Hanway, +whose profile only is visible." + +"And who is Mr. Hanway?" + +"Very much of a fool in a good sense,--no rare virtue in this isle of +ours. He has written upon finance, peace, war, music, ventilation, the +poor, Canada; upon military diet, the police, prisons, chimney-sweeps, +and God Almighty." + +"Is that all?" asked Esther with a laugh. + +"I believe so, though he is capable of discovering no end of topics, +since his device is, Never despair. He has imported from Persia, where +he encountered infinite dangers, a certain very curious machine,--a +little roof of colored silk extended upon ribs of whalebone, secured in +turn to a rod of iron, and which is carried about at the end of a long +handle as a protection against the rain. It is called an umbrella." + +"What an odd idea!" + +"In order to habituate people to the sight and usage of his instrument, +Hanway selects rainy days for his perambulations, when he can spread +his portable tent. The children throw mud at him and the serving maids +laugh. It is free sport to try to crush his umbrella. They make all +manner of fun of him, but perhaps it is wrong, since the folly of to-day +is the wisdom of to-morrow." + +At last Esther knew all the guests. Mr. Gibbon had named them all, +except one whose name she did not inquire. + +Seated at the extremity of the room, Frank every now and then allowed +his sad, unfathomable eyes to wander towards the girl. Indifferent to +all that was uttered about him, his melancholy contrasted powerfully +with the joyous air which every face wore. Even though she smiled at Mr. +Gibbon's quips and responded to the lively, caressing words of Lady +Vereker, Miss Woodville was conscious of the espionage, and the +sentiment it evoked was not displeasing to her. + +The conversation became general, often rising far above whispered +particularities. War became the topic, and the latest news from America. +It was said that the savages who were fighting with the English had +killed and eaten some American colonists, and not one of the European +generals had raised a hand to stay the barbarity. A caricature, exposed +at Humphrey's, depicted George III. taking part in the frightful orgy +and disputing possession of a bone with an Indian chief. + +"It is horrible!" cried Miss Burney; "our poor king has nothing whatever +to do with it, but how can English gentlemen ally themselves with these +cannibals?" + +The casual mention of Cape Breton in the conversation reminded Mr. Burke +of an anecdote. Every one present lapsed into silence to hear it. + +"Indolent as may be our masters of to-day," he said, "they will never +equal the sloth and ignorance of the late Duke of Newcastle. You cannot +imagine his astonishment when one day some one informed him that Cape +Breton was an island. 'A cape an island!' he exclaimed; 'I am amazed. I +really must tell the king. He will be vastly diverted!' This man would +have sacrificed cities and provinces without so much as a thought. But +what mattered it to him, so long as he was minister!" + +"Our own are not much better than he," remarked one of the guests; "they +have disgraced Admiral Keppel, the only man to-day who is able to sweep +the seas of the French and Spaniards." + +"Bah! Rodney is worth twenty Keppels." + +"Rodney! a blusterer! Have you heard of his adventure with Marechal de +Biron?" + +"No; what is it?" + +"He had taken refuge from his creditors in France and was dining at the +Marshal's table. 'Ah,' he remarked, 'were it not for my debts I would +return and would destroy your fleet until not one of your vessels +remained.'--'Monsieur,' replied the Marechal, 'pray do not let that +deter you. Your debts are paid. Go and fight us--if you can!' That was +three years ago; Rodney commands our fleet, thanks to the friendship of +Lord Sandwich, and the naval power of our enemies is still intact!" + +From this grand topic the conversation suddenly changed to the +discussion of worldly amusements upon which the war had had no effect. +They spoke of the last success of Siddons. Upon the queen of tragedy, as +upon Admiral Rodney, there was, although the political question had +amounted to nothing, a confused mixture of opinions which clashed and +provoked comment. + +"She is adorable!" + +"A leaden idol, your Siddons!" + +Next they discussed Pacchierotti, the famous Italian tenor, and his +approaching _debut_ in a new _role_. Then they spoke of the new books. +Some one at the table mentioned the word "bluestocking." The expression +was a novelty at the time, and created a sensation. + +"Don't allude to bluestockings in my presence!" cried the author of +"Evelina," making a shield of her fan. + +"You a bluestocking!" exclaimed Burke indignantly. "There is no +bluestocking where there is no leaven of pedantry. Now, if it were a +question of poor Mrs. Carpenter." + +"Yes," interposed Gibbon, "the ill-starred lady has translated +Epictetus!" + +"And Mrs. Cholmondeley,--do you give her a place among the +bluestockings?" + +"She's too great a woman for that!" + +"I was at her house yesterday," remarked Miss Burney; "I found her very +affable." + +"Affability," muttered Dr. Johnson, "is the first lieutenant of pride." + +In hot haste Boswell produced his tablets from his pocket in order to +note the aphorism which had fallen from the oracle's lips. + +"I find Mrs. Thrale a worthy person," remarked Gibbon, "and an agreeable +mistress of her house." + +"The wife of a brewer?" inquired Lady Vereker, with just a hint of +disdain in her tone. + +"A most intelligent woman!" retorted Miss Burney; "she has saved her +husband from ruin." + +"But it appears that she has not preserved him from another accident," +replied Lady Vereker languidly. + +The guests were beginning to indulge in a smile, when suddenly Dr. +Johnson's formidable head began to oscillate, while from his chair +emanated a cracking sound of evil augury. Until this moment he had +remained silent, breathing heavily between his closely set teeth as if +trying to imitate the hiss of a saw, meanwhile enveloping his neighbor, +Miss Burney, with a glance of grotesque tenderness in which paternal +interest struggled with love; but at the sarcasm of Lady Vereker against +his friend, Mrs. Thrale, he bridled and assumed his attitude of combat. +"Madam!" he burst forth in a voice of thunder, and there he paused like +Hercules with club poised in air. + +"The bolt is about to fall," whispered Gibbon. + +An atmosphere of apprehension prevailed about the table. Lady Vereker +alone, with an intrepid though somewhat pallid smile, raised her pretty +head with charming effrontery to brave the blow. But it was Fate's +decree that the bolt should not fall, and that the Doctor should not be +heard from that evening. Just at the moment that his lips parted to +avenge the honor of Mrs. Thrale, the door opened to admit Ralph. With a +fluttered air he hastened to his master and whispered a word or two in +his ear. + +Sir Joshua was upon his feet in an instant. + +"Gentlemen," he cried, "great news! It appears that we have calumniated +Rodney! He has completely routed the Spanish fleet under Admiral +Langara. Five vessels are captured; one is blown up and the rest +dispersed! Rodney has washed his hands of one half of his engagement to +Marechal de Biron. Permit me to propose the health of Admiral Rodney!" + +Naturally Burke, like his friend Reynolds, would have preferred to drink +to the health of Keppel; but patriotism proved more potent than party +spirit. All the guests rose to drink the proposed toast, and the repast +ended as it had begun,--in a sort of joyous tumult. Thereupon they left +the table, and each one went his way in pursuit of pleasure or +business,--Reynolds to the academy, Burke to Parliament; Johnson and +Boswell wended their way to the "Turk's Head," that taproom where +literary folk were wont to meet. Mr. Gibbon offered his arm to Miss +Burney to escort her to her father's house, Dr. Burney, who lived near +by at the head of St. Martin's Street; while Lady Vereker declared that +she would permit no one but herself the pleasure of seeing Miss +Woodville home to her aunt. + +"I shall carry you away!" she said in a decided way which would not have +been out of place upon the lips of a veritable cavalier. + +Her ladyship's little black page, arrayed in a rich Oriental costume of +crimson embroidered in gold, ran before them to lower the carriage +steps. The majestic Hungarian chamberlain doffed his plumed hat and +smote the pavement with his tall cane. The footmen, shaking their great +epaulettes, quickly sprang to their posts and climbed to the back of the +coach. + +Upon entering the warmed and perfumed equipage, Esther descried two +living forms moving about, two bundles of flesh and hair in ribbons, +which sprang upon Lady Vereker. + +"Wait a moment!" said she; "permit me to present you.--Bambino, my +monkey; Spadillo, my favorite dog. The former comes from Barbadoes, the +latter from Vigo. Pray notice that they wear my colors. I adore them +both, and I would refuse to go anywhere, even to Paradise, without +Bambino and Spadillo." + +At that moment the horses started off with much pawing and champing, and +simultaneously the eyes of the two women fell upon Francis Monday, who +stood upon the threshold of the mansion, bowing to them with profound +respect. + + + + +CHAPTER III. + +LADY VEREKER'S BOUDOIR. + + +"He's not bad, that boy," said the _grande dame_, "Miss Reynolds has +often told me how her brother found him in the street." + +"Is it possible?" + +"Yes. It's a queer story, but I have forgotten it. My memory is so +unreliable!" + +"The young man bears a remarkable resemblance to Lord Mowbray," ventured +Esther thoughtfully. + +Lady Vereker started brusquely and faced her companion so far as their +relative positions in the carriage would permit. + +"Are you acquainted with Lord Mowbray?" she demanded. "You have seen +him, spoken with him? He loves you, perhaps?" + +The queries succeeded each other with breathless speed, imperiously +demanding a response; at the same time her ladyship had caught the +girl's hands in her own as if to usurp her, to make her very volition +prisoner. Simple curiosity used no such speech, such gestures. And she +added, pressing Esther's fingers in her clasp:-- + +"The young girl who loves Lord Mowbray is lost!" + +Ere Esther could make any reply a sudden check in the speed of the +horses gave the carriage a violent shock. Miss Woodville uttered a cry +of terror. + +"What is it?" demanded Lady Vereker, lowering one of the windows. + +"Please, your ladyship," replied the footman, touching his plumed hat, +"the torches have frightened your ladyship's horses." + +The two women looked out. The city presented an extraordinary aspect. +Lanterns illuminated the fronts of the shops and the windows of the +Tories, while those of the Whigs, closed, dark, and grim, protested +against the joy of the rival party. Groups of men ran about, cheering +and waving firebrands. Fires of boughs and waste lumber, saturated with +pitch and turpentine, blazed at the street corners, while the children +danced around them and the wayfarers approached to warm themselves; for +a damp night had succeeded the beautiful day. In the dense volumes of +smoke arose the pungent odor of resin and burning grease. The signs, +hanging like iron flags from the long arms which stretched out almost +into the middle of the street, shook in the wind with a rusty rattle and +glittered here and there in the ruddy light. + +"What is the matter?" cried Lady Vereker. "Oh, I recollect! Rodney! They +are celebrating the Admiral's victory." + +In fact, amidst the confused turmoil could be distinguished the name of +Rodney mingled with cries of "Long live the peacemaker!" Indeed, the +majority feared that this success would fail to create confidence in the +ministers and thus prolong the war which they longed to put an end to at +any cost. + +"They say," continued the footman, "that the mob is about to burn Lord +George Germaine and Lord North in effigy." + +"My cousin!" said Lady Vereker with a laugh. "I should like to assist at +that, and I would willingly place the first fagot on the pile!" + +"It would not be prudent to go farther in this direction," said one of +the footmen; "the crowd is very great, and if they were to recognize +your ladyship's livery--" + +"I see how it is," remarked Lady Vereker, still laughing, and turning to +Esther; "the rascals are afraid. Very well; drive home by the shortest +way. I shall be able to keep you a few minutes longer, my dear. Do not +be anxious; a man shall be despatched to inform your friends that you +are safe." + +But Esther was not in the least disturbed. Was she not of that age when +one blesses the slightest adventure that chances to disturb the +monotonous course of every-day life and suddenly produces the +unforeseen? + +[Illustration] + +A few minutes later the two women were seated in one of those tiny, +low-ceiled, over-decorated apartments in which the new instinct of +intimacy and mystery confined the higher classes of the period. Louis +XV. had first set the example of these miniature chambers which best +suited the queens of his left hand. And all over Europe, where France +still set the fashion, although she was the object of attack, every one +strove to make a mystery of life, although in nine cases out of ten +there was no reason for it. There were no longer the spacious galleries +for state pageants, no longer the throne-like beds: but boudoirs round +as nests and muffled in silken hangings; furniture monstrously stuffed, +consoles and pier-tables, and _etageres_ littered with costly nothings. +Upon the walls, pastels and portraits of much-bedecked women, wearing +the same vague, coquettish smile upon their vermilion lips. Not an angle +was visible, and none of the straight-backed chairs which oblige the +body to maintain a respectable position, but easy-chairs everywhere, +into the depths of which one sank with voluptuous deliberation,--nothing +but curves to invite ease and languor. The white woodwork and delicate, +tender tints which had begun to prevail in France had not yet crossed +the Channel. The day of the massive, so to speak, had passed; that of +simplicity had not yet dawned. It was, in short, in the daintiest of +boudoirs that Esther Woodville and her new friend drank tea out of +exquisite Japanese cups. A fire crackled upon the hearth; a jet of water +plashed softly as it fell into its marble basin at the feet of a nymph +whose ideally slender limbs and elegant nudity were scarcely visible in +the semi-obscurity that prevailed,--the image of the mistress of the +house, by the celebrated Roubiliac, if we may credit indiscreet and +envious tongues. A silver lamp shed a mellow radiance upon the dainty +and delicate objects which littered the table,--the _encas_ always ready +for my lady. The entire upper portion of the chamber, the panels painted +by Lautherbourg, the azure ceiling where cupids sported, the marvellous +great Venetian chandelier with its four hundred sparkling crystal +drops,--all remained veiled in shadow, scarcely visible. A sweet but +oppressive perfume, which seemed to exhale from everything, made the +will languid and paralyzed the senses with a delicious stupor. + +Lady Vereker had quitted her place and had taken a seat upon a tabouret +close to Esther. She had captured one of the girl's hands and had +riveted her gaze upon her face. + +"You were saying," she began slowly, "that Lord Mowbray is in love with +you." + +"I said nothing of the kind. It was your ladyship who said so." + +"In the first place, dear, drop 'your ladyship.' My name is Arabella. +Those who love me call me Bella. Call me Bella, and I will call you +Esther." + +"I should not dare presume." + +"Why not?" + +"Such familiarity! and with one of your rank!" + +"Of my age, you mean! A friend of twenty-eight years alarms one of +sixteen, for you are sixteen, I believe." + +"Seventeen," replied Esther with comical dignity. + +"Well, I love you, and I want you to love me. Friendship is the true +sentiment which unites women, the only one which relieves their delicacy +of the fear of wounds, their devotion of treason. Oh, if I could but +spare you some of the griefs of my life!" + +"You have suffered?" + +"Frightfully!" said Bella in a flippant tone which belied the tragic +significance of the word. Then she continued:-- + +"Men are all wretches, but the worst one among them all is perhaps Lord +Mowbray." + +"What has he done?" + +"He has accomplished everything that a man of his age can dream of in +the way of forbidden and perverse actions. First, you must know that the +late Lord Mowbray was the greatest libertine of his time. He was +interested in that famous abbey of Medmonham with Lord Sandwich, Sir +Francis Dashwood, and that abominable John Wilkes, the author of the +'Essay upon Woman,' whose soul is still more hideous than his visage. In +their orgies they parodied the very ceremonies of religion. It is +related that one day--one night, rather--Lord Sandwich administered the +Holy Sacrament to a dog, carrying out the full rites." + +"How horrible!" exclaimed Esther, clasping her hands. + +"Is it not?" murmured Lady Vereker in the same tone; at the same time an +imperceptible smile appeared in the corners of both pairs of lips. + +"But let us leave the father in the abode for which he was certainly +destined, and speak of the son. He has had as his instructor in vice +his own tutor, a Frenchman named Lebeau, who took good care to ruin his +pupil in early life, the better to master him later. It was in company +with this man that he made the tour of Europe, stopping for the most +part in France and Italy. He was but a mere boy when he grossly deceived +the daughter of the clergyman at Mowbray Park. It is said, too, that he +was the instigator and confidant of the first follies of the Prince of +Wales. He is fiercely hated by the king, but especially so by the queen. +He and his friends make it their boast that there is not an +incorruptible woman in existence. Their debauchery differs from that of +their fathers in that it is savored with villany. As formerly, these +young gentlemen, who call themselves Mohawks, walk the streets at night +with blackened faces, quarrel with inoffensive wayfarers, stop women, +strip them and either beat or cast them naked into casks of pitch which +they have placed beneath sheds, and laugh until they drown the cries of +their victims. As for the watchmen, they prick their legs with their +swords, bind them to the door-knockers, and oblige them to light the +scene with their lanterns. These are only their malicious tricks, for +they do worse. More than once they have profited by popular broils, or +by the quarrels which have been common since the beginning of the war, +to carry away young girls, and send a father, a husband, or a +troublesome lover to the shades. It is said that they are responsible +for many a death, and that if one should visit the 'Folly' which Mowbray +possesses near Chelsea, if one were to sound the walls which are riddled +with secret passages, if one should search the cellars which the Thames +is made to inundate at certain hours, perhaps one would find the +explanation of the desperate cries which have been heard by night in the +silence of the country; perhaps one would discover human remains, +skeletons cramped into attitudes which would tell the tale of the +ferocity which had abused their last agony!" + +In speaking thus this strange woman was completely transformed. Lately +so flippant and sceptical, as were the women of her time, who scarcely +ever spoke without an accompanying smile, she had become more tragic +than Siddons. She spoke in a low, swift, sibilant tone close into +Esther's face, filling her with fear, magnetizing her with her dark +glance, and crushing her hands in her grip of iron almost without +knowing it. Esther seemed quite terrified. Thereupon Bella resumed, in a +soft, imploring voice,-- + +"And such is the man who pretends to love you, who perhaps makes your +heart beat at this moment. But I will save you. Your embarrassment, your +emotion, have told me their story. Have done with it all, and cast +yourself upon the bosom of a true friend. Tell me all." + +These final words, which ought to have assured Lady Vereker's victory, +were just the ones which compromised her. Her eyes betrayed an all too +anxious, too passionate desire to learn the truth! Like lightning a +suspicion crossed Esther's mind: Does Lady Vereker love Lord Mowbray? + +"You appear to know him exceedingly well," she said. + +The words were uttered so unexpectedly that for a moment Bella was +thrown off her guard. Her cleverly tinted face concealed her internal +emotions, but a twitching of the lips, a rapid fluttering of the +eyelids, did not escape Esther, who had become all at once dangerously +keen, as is the case of every woman who suspects and wishes to know. + +"She is lying!" thought Esther, though aloud she said:-- + +"Lord Mowbray was present at my _debut_. As so many other gentlemen did, +he sent me flowers, verses, and jewels; and--and that is all." + +"She's lying!" thought Lady Vereker in her turn. + +And both were correct. Lady Vereker forbore to tell Esther of the hold +she had once had upon Lord Mowbray--a hold which she had not yet +despaired of regaining, while Esther would not admit to Lady Vereker +that she had rashly replied to one of Lord Mowbray's notes and already +began to find it difficult to defend herself against his assiduities. + +Without being the dupes of each other, but enlightened, the one by the +experiences of life, the other by the precocious instinct of combat, the +_comedienne_ of the fashionable world and the _comedienne_ of the +theatre pressed each other's hands with tender interest and smiled +amiably into each other's eyes. + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + +THE BROOKS CLUB. + + +Eleven o'clock chimed from the tall clock placed opposite the fireplace. +To its faint, silvery tones, which vibrated for some moments upon the +atmosphere of the silent chamber, neighboring clocks, repeating the +hour, seemed to make echo with their melancholy voices. + +"Already eleven o'clock!" exclaimed Esther, starting to her feet. "I +must go; I should be at home at this moment!" + +"The crowd has not yet dispersed," answered Lady Vereker; "listen to +their shouts." + +Lady Vereker's mansion was situated upon Park Lane, at that day a +lonesome part of the town, whither gentlemen were wont to come in the +early morning to cross swords in order to get up an appetite, and +instead frequently succeeded in turning their stomachs inside out. Bella +approached one of the windows. Upon the faint, luminous grayness of the +sky were sketched the outlines of Hyde Park wrapped in profound sleep, +but the glow of the bonfires flushed the southern horizon, and from time +to time savage outcries crossed the calmness of the night. + +"They are delirious over their Rodney," said Bella with a shrug; +"neither a chair nor a coach will be able to pass through St. James's, +and the other side of the Green Park is deserted at this hour; we should +risk being attacked there. Ah, me! how fortunate are common women! They +can go everywhere. But why should we not change our attire? My women +will accommodate us with gowns. _Pardieu!_ that would be charming!" + +Lady Vereker uttered her little oath in French. The idea of the +masquerade pleased her immensely, and without waiting for Esther's +acquiescence she began to put it in execution. + +At the expiration of a quarter of an hour they were equipped as women of +the lower class. + +[Illustration] + +"Esther," exclaimed Lady Bella, "you look like a Soho dressmaker! And I, +Fanchette, what do I look like?" + +"I dare not say," replied the maid; "all that I can assure your ladyship +is that in my gown you are--worse than I." + +"Exactly as I desire to look," replied Lady Vereker with a burst of +laughter at the impertinence. + +Thereupon she started off, taking Esther by the arm, and forbidding even +a footman to follow her. For that matter, her people seemed accustomed +to the strange caprices of their mistress. + +Upon reaching Piccadilly they passed suddenly from the shadow and +silence into the tumult and violent glare of the bonfires. Many a joke +was levelled at them as they passed. One man wearing clerical attire, +and who seemed completely intoxicated, approached them, declaring that +by Jupiter they were deucedly pretty girls and he would have a kiss from +each! In order to escape him the two women ran down St. James Street, +where the crowd separated them from the enterprising clergyman. + +"A churchman!" panted Esther. "Can you believe it?" + +"No, my dear: it was the Duke of Norfolk; he whom they call 'Jockey +Norfolk.' His mania is for disguising himself as a country curate, and +running about town and making a fool of himself. When he is dead-drunk +people profit by his condition to rob him." + +"What a horrible person!" + +"On the contrary, I assure you that when he is sober he is most +amiable." + +In the neighborhood of St. James's the mob grew denser and more +excited. There were beggar-women holding their new-born infants at arms' +length, chairmen, sailors, thieves of all ages, recognizable by their +skulking air and their sly, sharp glances, and finally a sprinkling of +gentlemen, come hither after a good dinner to give vent to their +political passions, or simply to amuse themselves by hustling the women +and making a noise generally. The crowd laughed and vociferated, and +threw stones at the windows of a grand mansion which belonged to one of +the king's ministers. They applauded each successful shot, and howled +over the failures. + +At last all the ministerial windows were broken except one, which +remained intact, protected by two caryatides which advanced like +sentinels, supporting the roof; and against this single window were all +the efforts directed, as if the detested minister were standing behind +the sash, or as if the crushing of that bit of glass were going to cover +the enemies of England with confusion and terminate the war at a blow. + +The assailants excited each other by constantly crying, "Be bold, +Tommy!" "At it again, Jack!" "Pluck up there, old boy!" + +Suddenly a figure bounded from the midst of the crowd, a long arm was +extended, a stone whizzed through the air, and the window so long +protected was shattered, and fell into a thousand pieces. A yell of +triumph burst from a hundred throats, and every eye was turned upon the +hero. He was a great, lank, awkward fellow with a pug-nose, a cold, +impertinent eye, thin lips and blinking eyelids, who testified the +satisfaction in his achievement simply by a fleeting smile of coarse +disdain. + +"Is that you, William?" said Bella to him. "Fine occupation for Lord +Chatham's son!" + +Young William Pitt turned sharply and bent his keen gaze upon the person +who had thus apostrophized him. He recognized her and a swift flush +stained his pallid cheeks. + +"Let me alone," he muttered; "I was only having some fun!" And walking +off, he was soon lost in the crowd. + +"That boy will never be anything but a ne'er-do-well," said Lady Vereker +with a shrug. + +Three years later "that boy" became Prime Minister of England, and such +a Prime Minister as England had never had before him. + +Meanwhile the crowd waxed more turbulent. The ferocity born of pleasure, +the longing to destroy, peculiar to such huge assemblies of Englishmen, +begin to make themselves manifest. + +As there were no more windows to break, what was to be done? + +"Pull down the house!" was the cry. "Get a beam and we will set our +shoulders to it! Here are twenty good men of like mind! No: fetch some +straw and fagots! Set fire to the door! Let us smoke the rats out of +their trap!" + +A score of figures appeared, ghastly, sinister, suggesting pillage. In +the general disorder the libertines grew bolder. The shrieks of women +burst from obscure corners, followed by long, brutal laughter. + +"I am terrified! I feel as if I were going to faint," gasped Esther. + +Although she affected a show of courage, Lady Vereker was beginning to +quail. + +"Indeed, I did very wrong to come here," she said; "let us try to +retrace our steps or gain a side street." + +But it was too late. The mob increased with every moment. The crowds of +new arrivals pressed down upon them, cutting off the retreat of those +who sought to escape the turmoil. + +"I am stifling!" cried Esther wildly, as she lost her footing. + +At this moment a cry arose:-- + +"The Guards! the Guards!" + +The solid earth trembled beneath the gallop of the troop which had just +turned the corner of Pall Mall and were charging up the street. Amidst +the frightful tumult there came a second of silence and stupor, during +which was heard the ring of hoofs as they struck the pavement and the +commands of the officers:-- + +"Right about! Forward! Draw sabres!" + +There was a click of steel and glimmer of blades. An indescribable panic +ensued. The people, of late so buoyant, now mad with terror, rushed +towards the nearest exit--that is, to some place of safety--with such +savage energy and with so formidable an impulse that iron railings were +rent before them. Esther felt herself wrenched from Bella so suddenly +and with such brutal force that it was a miracle that her arm which +encircled Lady Vereker's waist was not left behind her. The human tide +hurled her against a house and would have crushed her against the wall +had not other human bodies intervened and saved her from the violence of +the shock. She found herself at the head of a flight of six stairs +without having set foot upon one of them. A large door stood open before +her. Twenty persons were projected along with her into the interior in +a solid mass, entering the house like an inundation. Esther was saved; +the horrible fear which had paralyzed every nerve was relieved, and her +heart began to beat again. At the same time, through the open door and +high above the desperate cries of those who still struggled in the +street, she heard the ringing voice of an officer commanding a halt. The +Riot Act was being read, and an occasional fragment of the coldly +menacing phrases reached even her ear. + +The place into which Esther had been cast was a spacious vestibule, into +which surged fresh arrivals without ceasing, despite the efforts of the +footmen and of a man who fretted and fumed, and gave useless and +inexecutable orders. This man, the proprietor of the place, was Mr. +Brooks, and the house was the famous club which bore his name. Poor Mr. +Brooks endeavored to confine the crowd to the vestibule, which he was +forced to yield to it, as one yields to a conflagration; but already +under the pressure of the mass Esther had been thrust into a second +antechamber. The air was close and stifling; the situation became +critical, while the second danger threatened to become worse than the +first. + +Suddenly a little door was thrown open, and some one laid hold upon her. +In the next instant the door was closed, and the girl found herself in +the depths of an arm-chair, where she swooned. + +Not entirely, however; she felt in a half-conscious way that some one +slapped her hands and blew in her face. A voice murmured, "Some water! +Cold water, quick!" Then the person left her, for she felt that she was +alone again. Suddenly a great hubbub filled the house. In the street +without, now quite deserted, the cavalry swept by like a whirlwind. +Then all was silence. With eyes closed, and in a state of +semi-consciousness, Esther believed herself alone, when all at once, but +a few steps from her, a word was pronounced in an angry tone. + +"A doublet!" + +Oaths and stifled exclamations accompanied the word. Brought to her +senses by curiosity and apprehension, Esther opened her eyes and beheld +a remarkable spectacle. It was a vast hall lighted by several lamps +suspended from the ceiling. The light, gathered by immense reflectors of +tin, fell full upon a long table placed in the centre of the apartment. +This table was covered with a green cloth crossed with white lines. +Seven or eight men were seated about it, each one having at his side a +bowl full of gold pieces and a small tray bearing a cup of tea, a glass, +and a flask of brandy. They were engaged in a game of faro. + +Nothing could have been more singular than their appearance and attire. +Nearly every man wore a large straw hat to screen his eyes from the +dazzling light, and perhaps to mask his emotions at the same time; but +the most ridiculous part of it was that two or three of the younger +gamesters had seen fit to decorate their hats with flowers and ribbons +after the fashion of the shepherdesses in the opera. Certain persons, +attired with studied refinement, wore leathern cuffs to avoid soiling +the lace at their wrists. God save the mark! They would consent to lose +a castle in the course of an evening, but would hesitate to spoil a pair +of Chantilly ruffles. Others seemed to have lost all respect for +themselves. One young man who sat opposite Esther, a sort of +good-natured athlete, with big, sensual jaws, and whose tanned face, +especially his brow and glance, shone with intelligence and audacity, +was so negligent in his attire that his hairy chest appeared beneath his +open shirt. Another, an older man, wore his coat turned inside out, +through superstitious fancy, as every one was aware; while more than +one, with hands concealed beneath the table, feverishly fingered some +sort of talisman. + +These men appeared to have heard nothing,--neither the cries of the mob, +the invasion of the house, the charge of the Guards, nor the entrance of +a strange woman into the very room where they were playing. What +mattered it all to them? What did it all amount to in comparison with a +doublet? As infatuated as Horace's wise man, the end of the world would +not have interrupted their game. + +Esther felt that her presence was as unperceived as though a charm had +rendered her invisible, like the living being whose terrible fate had +conducted him on board of the phantom ship. Therefore without a qualm of +fear she permitted herself to enjoy the novel scene. + +At this moment the banker's _coteau_ raked in all the stakes, the rare +and fortunate result of drawing two similar cards from his right and +left. + +"Used up!" exclaimed a stout man with a prodigious sigh, his bowl being +empty. In the speaker Esther recognized Stephen Fox, whom she had seen +at Drury Lane. His brother, Charles James, the eminent orator, the man +with the open shirt, gayly smote his shoulder. + +"Shylock will make you a loan," he said; "you have more than a pound of +flesh to offer him as security!" + +Instead of a laugh, Charley's joke was received with a grunt of +approbation. + +One man alone seemed insensible to the incidents of the game. This was a +gentleman of some sixty years, dressed in accordance with the latest +Parisian _mode_. In him Esther recognized George Selwyn, who had been +one of the most amiable, one of the wittiest men of his time, but was +now absorbed and besotted by a passion more potent than that of gaming. + +Up to this time the actress had not seen the banker, whose back was +turned to her and who had not uttered a word. At this moment, however, +the following disdainful words escaped him: "Ten thousand pounds, and no +more! What a shame that I should have played for such low stakes!" + +Esther started at sound of that voice, which she had heard not more than +twice, but which she recognized instantly. It was Lord Mowbray, that +terrible Mowbray, against whose love she had been warned! + +A man entered the room and approached her with a glass of water in his +hand. + +"I see that you are better," he said. "Never mind; drink this to secure +your recovery." + +Esther hesitated. Still fluttered by the discovery which she had just +made, she could not but be mindful of Lady Vereker's warning words. How +many times had she read in romances and journals strange narratives of +young girls being rendered helpless by narcotics! Ought she to drink, to +trust this unknown man? She looked at him, and her perplexity increased. +Another enigma to decipher: a generous sentiment pictured upon an evil +countenance. + +In fact, all the passions seemed to have left their trace upon that +worn, pallid, haggard face. His age was uncertain, his condition +ambiguous; his accent even sounded a note of doubt upon the nationality +of the individual, offering no clew. Was he of middle age or old; valet +or gentleman; English or a foreigner? One surprising thing was that the +hard, bold manner which might well be habitual vanished before an +expression of interest which seemed sincere. As he noted the girl's +hesitation a trace of sadness passed over his coarsened features, almost +ennobling them. + +"I am not thirsty," she said, loath to wound the feelings of one who had +already shown her consideration. + +And he, regaining his accustomed composure, placed the glass upon a +console. + +Softly as Esther had spoken, Lord Mowbray had heard her. He turned and +bent his stupefied gaze upon her. Esther, alone, in the torn garments of +a serving maid, half fainting, in the card-room of the Brooks Club! +Assuredly there was food in plenty for his surprise. What fate had sent +his prey into his very clutches? Fortune, it is said, never comes +single-handed! After the doublet, this fairest flower! And he was just +the man to profit by his luck. + +"Gentlemen," he said, rising as he spoke, "circumstances oblige me to--" + +A cry of indignation interrupted his words, while three or four hands +were placed upon his shoulders, forcibly obliging him to resume his +seat. + +"The game is not over." "We won't permit it!" "Wait until you win +another ten thousand!" "This is not fair!" + +"So be it!" answered Mowbray with a smile; "only permit me to say one +word to Lebeau." + +The man who had brought the glass of water approached upon hearing his +name, and Lord Mowbray hastily whispered a phrase in a foreign tongue in +his ear. Thereupon Lebeau, as we may now call him, returned to the girl. + +"The street is free," he said, "but, now that the Guards have passed, +the disorder may begin again. If you wish to profit by the lull to make +your way home, the minutes are precious. Do you feel strong enough to +walk?" + +"Yes, certainly." + +"Then come." + +Esther rose and obeyed him, this time without hesitation. The momentary +excitement occasioned by the doublet having subsided, the gamblers had +remarked her presence. The glances directed towards her betrayed their +curiosity. Despite her disguise, she might be recognized; consequently +the necessity of escaping as speedily as possible presented itself. But +she did not forget that Lebeau was her guide, the accursed mentor of the +greatest libertine in England. The young lord had whispered to his +former tutor; evidently the hurried words had reference to her. +Therefore she saw the necessity of being upon her guard, ready to fly at +the slightest suspicious movement. Meanwhile her heart beat with fear, +curiosity and, perhaps, with delight; for it must be admitted that she +adored an adventure. + +So they went out. The din of the riot came to them from a distance. The +street was empty; the night was beautiful and calm. The lights in the +lanterns were flickering in their sconces and expiring. The minister's +house with its broken windows was guarded by soldiery. + +[Illustration] + +Preceded by a page who carried a torch, Lebeau took the way towards +Westminster. It seemed marvellous that he should know so well the +location of Miss Woodville's abode. + +"Will it please you to give me your arm?" he asked in a slightly +changed, humble tone. + +She passed her arm within his. Lebeau quickly drew his cocked hat down +over his eyes to conceal his glance, and sustained the young girl with +an almost tender solicitude, but with discretion and respect. + +Thus they walked some distance in silence. At last he began:-- + +"You distrusted me at first." + +She tried to protest, but he added:-- + +"Oh, you were quite right. Be on your guard. Life is full of snares. I +have an intimate acquaintance with my brother man, and I find him bad." + +Was he speaking of mankind in general, or of some one in particular? +Esther was upon the point of inquiring when they halted in Tothill +Street before a low door, upon which Lebeau knocked loudly. + +"Some one is coming," he said; "I hear steps in the garden. You have +escaped a menacing danger. I do not speak of being crushed beneath the +hoofs of the horses; that would be as nothing compared with the other. +You are saved, but the peril may threaten you again at any moment. +However, it does not signify. _You are in my care._" + +With these words he turned upon his heel and vanished just as the door +was thrown open. Esther found herself confronted by the more severe than +anxious face of her cousin Reuben. With his youthful air, his light, +fluffy hair and sombre eyes, he resembled one of those avenging angels +whom the Lord sent to the guilty cities to pronounce their doom when the +hour of repentance had passed and that of retribution had sounded. + +"At last!" he muttered in a bitter tone. + +"Were you alarmed about me? Has not a man been sent here with a message +from Lady Vereker?" + +"Yes," answered Reuben with a derisive sneer; "that woman, whose very +name is a reproach and a scandal, has had the goodness to assure us that +you were in her charge. A strange guardian! Daniel was safer in the +lions' den than Esther Woodville under Lady Vereker's wing!" + +"You have no idea what has happened? All London is insane over Rodney's +victory. They are fighting and breaking windows; the streets are full of +soldiers." + +"But what means this disguise?" + +"I swear to you it was the only means of passing through the crowds." + +"I should be glad to believe you," said Reuben, enveloping her in a +glance of fire. "Oh, Esther! You who bear the predestined name, the +chaste name of the woman who saved the people of God, you who ought to +be as pure as the fountain of Gihon, as fresh as the rose of Sharon!" + +But Esther abbreviated the biblical effusion. + +"I must hasten to relieve my aunt's mind," she said. + +"I have advised her to retire without waiting for you." + +"That was wise. Good night, Reuben." + +"Good night. I am going to pray." + +"And I--am going to bed and to sleep." + +But she did not sleep as readily as she had anticipated. The events of +the day and evening, Sir Joshua's guests, the gamblers at Brooks's with +their shepherd hats, the dangers encountered, her new friend Bella, the +mysterious personage who had, as it seemed, received orders to plan her +ruin, yet had protected her,--all these conflicting subjects created a +tumult in her brain. + +She cogitated upon the singular destiny which had cast her between the +love of a Reuben and that of a Lord Mowbray, between a saint and a +demon. + +And when at last she sank into the unconsciousness of sleep, between +these two personalities, equally imperious and passionate, but actuated +by an opposite sentiment, there glided the pale, melancholy visage of +Francis Monday. + + + + +CHAPTER V. + +A STRANGE EDUCATION. + + +It was late on the following morning ere Lord Mowbray's valet ventured +to enter his lordship's chamber. The daylight fell upon the red and +swollen eyelids of the sleeper, who opened his eyes and uttered an oath. +It was evident that the young nobleman was not in his best humor. + +"Is that you, Oliver?" + +"Yes, my lord." + +"Who is in the antechamber?" + +"Your lordship's tailor, who has come to try on the plum-colored coat +with the jonquil trimmings; the little glove-woman from Piccadilly, who +insists upon a word with your lordship; and Capt. Hackman, who has +already called twice to inquire for your lordship." + +"Let the tailor wait. Tell the Captain that I shall require his services +later, and let him see to it that he brings two fellows of the +determined sort along with him. As for the glove-woman, send her away. +Because one shows these creatures some little attention of an evening +when one is drunk, they think they have rights. Nothing could be more +ridiculous, Oliver." + +"Assuredly not, my lord." + +"Is Lebeau there?" + +"Mons. Lebeau has this instant come in." + +"Ask him to come to me." + +A moment later the former tutor and present factotum of Lord Mowbray +smilingly entered the chamber like a man who expects to receive his +quietus with a bare bodkin and is disposed to make the best of it. + +His lordship addressed him in French. + +"_Eh bien_, Lebeau?" + +"_Eh bien_, my lord? Did you not receive my message by the little page +from Brooks's?" + +"Of course I did, and I was furious at such a mischance. Here had fate +cast her into my very arms, and your cursed bungling let her escape!" + +"Say, rather, the accident of fate, my lord. I was just in the act of +putting the little one into a coach, when a band of ruffians, hotly +pursued by the soldiers, fell upon us and knocked me down. When I +regained my feet, Miss Woodville had vanished, and I was a prisoner in +the hands of the guards. In vain I assured them that I was attached to +your lordship's service. All that I was able to inform you was that I +had failed." + +Lord Mowbray looked his confidant full in the eyes. + +"You are decidedly growing old," he said. + +"That may be." + +"Yes, you are growing old, and worse than that. Your compatriots have it +that when the devil is old he turns hermit. Are you doing likewise? As +God is my judge, Lebeau, I believe you are becoming virtuous." + +Lebeau affected an offended air. + +"My lord," he retorted, "I believe myself above such a suspicion. My +past record answers for me." + +"You are joking, but I am serious. Do you know the thought that has +suggested itself to me, more especially since yesterday?" + +"I cannot fancy, my lord." + +"Well, that you are playing me false!" + +With folded arms, Lebeau calmly regarded the speaker. + +"Playing you false?" he echoed steadily. "For what reason?" + +"That is what I wish to know." + +[Illustration] + +"That would be folly on my part. Have you ever known me to commit +deliberate treason? Does not my livelihood depend upon you? Are not my +pleasures the remnants of yours? Have I not reared you as my own child? +If I love anything in this world, it should assuredly be you." + +"Then why do you oppose my course with Esther, when she loves me and is +ready to yield? I have even feigned to believe you a bungler in order +not to believe you a traitor and unfaithful to me. You, who have +arranged all my intrigues--why do you oppose this one?" + +"I have told you that the affair is full of peril." + +"On account of the cousin Reuben?" + +"Precisely." + +"A psalm-singing hypocrite!" + +"You do not know him. The man has a will of iron, and he loves Esther. +In a different epoch he would have been capable of subverting a +monarchy, and he would set London on fire if his passion, which he +regards as sent from on high, should command him to do it. Young as he +is, there are hundreds of fanatics who follow and obey him, and I advise +Capt. Hackman and his men not to try issues with that legion of fools!" + +"You quite fire me to carry the adventure to the issue at all events." + +"Then may the devil protect your lordship! As for myself, I have +sermonized quite enough for a man of my stamp. In any case, my lord, the +receipts of last night's game must have recompensed you for the +miscalculations of love. In that regard we have another proverb in our +language. When I left the club Fortune seemed to be smiling upon you." + +"Yes, and I continued to win until daybreak. Poor Charles Fox hadn't a +guinea to his name. Moreover, he was hopelessly intoxicated, and, to cap +the climax, had an important speech to deliver to-day. We bound up his +head in cold cloths and left him in a chair as well as could be +expected. I scrupled about ruining him, for it is said that his +furniture will be seized next week; but he does not seem to mind. I won +twenty thousand pounds and remained alone with Lord Stavondale. It was +raining, and we watched the day dawn across the wet windows. I assure +you it is a very ugly sight to see. Stavondale pointed out two drops of +water of about equal density slowly coursing over the pane. 'I will +wager,' he said, 'that _that_ one will touch the sash first.' 'I'll take +you,' said I. 'How much?' said he. 'My night's winnings,' said I. Just +at that moment a devilish drop, which some inequality in the glass +turned from its course, joined Stavondale's drop, which came in with a +rush, and I lost my twenty thousand pounds. What consoled me for my loss +was the novelty of the invention. This racing drops across a window pane +is every whit as amusing as pitting horses against each other at +Newmarket." + +Here chocolate was brought in at the same time with his lordship's +journals. + +"See if there is anything in the papers," he commanded. + +Lebeau glanced through the _Morning Chronicle_ and the _Gentleman's +Magazine_, and several other gazettes of the same description, which +included magazines both matrimonial and sentimental. + +"Let us see," said he; "'In a certain house in the neighborhood of the +Thames--' Your lordship knows that this has reference to the House of +Commons." + +"Pass over politics." + +"Here is a book announced from the pen of Mr. Bryant, the antiquarian, +who is so well informed concerning events from the origin of the world +to the Deluge. Fancy considering nothing of importance _after_ the +Deluge! His work is disposed of in three words,--'Heavy, tiresome, +pedantic.' Cumberland's romance is also treated in three +words,--'Refined, sensible, and tender.'" + +"Pass over literature." + +"The condemned of the week: 'Sarah Hoggs, to be hanged for stealing a +piece of cloth that was spread out to dry; Laurence Williamson, to the +same penalty for having cut down sundry young trees; item, Annie Smith, +to one year's imprisonment for having taken forty shillings in the +presence of witnesses; item, Florence Dunk, to be hanged for having +taken five shillings privately; item, William Morton, to transportation +for having assassinated his father.'" + +"Pass over all that. What society news is there?" + +"'Major T---- has again been detected in cheating at cards; he has been +requested not to appear at Almack's again.'" + +"That's Topham, the editor of the _World_!" exclaimed his lordship. +"Bah! in a week's time he will be back again and everybody will be +shaking hands with him." + +"'Lady B---- has eloped with her husband's groom; his lordship will be +consoled by the society of Mlle. Annette, the little French dancer.'" + +"Is there nothing else?" + +"Nothing but two duels, three abductions, five or six bankruptcies, +several fires, and a charade in verse.--Ah!" + +"Well, what is it?" + +"George Barrington, the gentleman-sharper, has been arrested at +Edinburgh!" + +"Barrington! a charming fellow! I recollect one evening at Ranelagh, +when he showed me how he purloined a snuff-box, and as payment for the +lesson he took my watch. And here he is under lock and key! Poor boy!" + +"You need not pity him. He will plead his cause so eloquently that he +will be acquitted, as he has been many a time." + +"In truth, he is a very Cicero among thieves. And the advertisements?" + +"The alchemist Woulfe announces for sale an elixir which is a panacea +for every malady. Samuel Wollmer will loan money to sons-of-family in +embarrassment. As he is actuated by pure love of humanity, his terms +will be very moderate. Mrs. Cresswell offers false hair, masks, and red +pomade for the lips. Oh, oh! here's a gentleman of middle age who +desires to meet a young lady of good appearance and amiable disposition, +but discreet and lively. He'll find her," added Lebeau gravely. "I am +convinced that his advertisement will be answered." + +During this time Oliver had dressed and prepared his master, and had +tried on the plum-colored coat with the jonquil trimmings. Every trace +of the night's fatigue had disappeared; the fresh hue of early youth +bloomed again upon Lord Mowbray's cheek. As he was about to go out he +gave his final orders to Oliver. + +"You will buy for me 'The Tests of Character'; also, you will ask for +the fashionable romance, 'The Cadenas.' You will inquire about the new +wax which has just been invented by the Prince of Wales; they say it is +marvellous. Now let us go and have a game of bowls, after which we will +take a turn in the fencing-school." + +Lord Mowbray slipped his arm into that of Lebeau, and in this attitude +they went out together, which seemed to announce the return of +confidence and friendly feeling. Mons. Lebeau was an adept in the art of +pleasing, and in order to make good his return to grace he employed all +the resources of his wit, which was by no means of mediocre quality. A +curious fellow was this same Lebeau, who had almost ceased to be a +Frenchman without wholly becoming an Englishman. He had distinguished +himself among the tutors who were furnished to lordlings and who were +termed "bear-keepers." He was clever, knew the world, was "up" in +literature, could recite from the poets, and in case of need was able to +turn a verse as easily as one twirled a snuff-box. He had had a tragedy +produced and hissed off the stage somewhere, for he had tasted the cup +of a man of letters, living by dedications to the great and by writing +homilies for churchmen, rich in skekels but poor in intellect. He would +frequently say, "Had I delivered all the sermons which I have written, I +should be a cardinal." In turn, doctor upon a vessel of the East India +Company, actor, professor of mathematics, courier to an ambassador, +Parisian correspondent to a German prince who boasted thirty-three +subjects, what callings had he not fulfilled? By what sallies had he not +attempted fortune? His life resembled one of those old-fashioned +romances, filled, as it was, with adventures which we should consider +impossible. An event upon which he never cared to enlarge--some sort of +an irregular duel with a personage of dignity--had obliged him to leave +his native land. In a London brothel he had made the acquaintance of the +late Lord Mowbray, who had taken him into his service on condition that +he would procure him something new in the way of emotion. "I am bored +to death," explained his lordship; "amuse me. I have used up every +resource and am used up myself; invent some plan to revive me. Bear in +mind your ability as an author and make my life a poem of delights, an +unedited romance. Instead of committing your fancies to paper, realize +them with my guineas and for my benefit. To begin with, there is my +villa, my 'Folly,' which is being built at Chelsea. Give your orders: +the mason, the painter, the upholsterer will obey you." Lebeau accepted +the engagement and acquitted himself to the perfect satisfaction of his +new patron. + +It was he who first invented those marvellous traps by means of which +the table disappeared after the first course and came up again laid with +a fresh service, which relieved the guests of the espionage of the +attendants. It was he, again, who devised, or revived from ancient +usage, the perfumed rain, the hail of roses; who offered to his master's +friends a _fete_ such as Cleopatra gave, a Trimalcion supper and a +Borgian night festival; who realized for enchanted senses a corner of +the Orient, a dream of the Thousand and One Nights, while the snowflakes +fell and the wintry wind outside swept over the denuded country. And +Lord Mowbray had the satisfaction of saying to those who congratulated +him, "This is a mere nothing." + +His friends in their jealousy often said to him, "Lebeau is robbing +you." Whereupon he would shrug his shoulders and reply, "How can you +expect such a clever fellow not to be a little bit of a swindler?" + +Let us give an example of one of his surprising devices. As Lord Mowbray +was strolling one evening along the Cheyne Walk by the water he was +suddenly seized by three or four ruffians, stripped of his clothing, +bound, gagged, and finally thrown into the river. There he gave all up +for lost, and, believing himself at death's door, fainted away. He +recovered, to find himself at the bottom of a gigantic pie, whence he +emerged, to the profound astonishment of a dozen or more of his friends +who had assembled for supper. + +"What do you think of that for a new sensation, my lord?" inquired +Lebeau modestly. + +"You own no equal!" exclaimed Mowbray enthusiastically. "I would not +part with you for ten thousand pounds!" + +But Lebeau inspired contrary sentiments in poor Lady Mowbray, who saw in +him her husband's evil genius. When he was about she lost all hope of +reclaiming her faithless spouse. A slow fever having succeeded the birth +of her only son, she made no effort to live. Why should she? Her son +would be enticed from her, as her husband had been. The child, as by +some inconceivable hereditary repugnance, avoided her, fled her +caresses. She herself, to her deep mortification, never experienced that +mysterious and potent attachment which eternally binds the existence of +mother and child; and it was under these cruel conditions of life that +Lady Mowbray, overwhelmed with misery, weary of suffering, and longing +for rest, sank into the arms of death. + +She expired unpitied, conjugal love in the higher ranks of society being +regarded as a ridiculous anomaly. However, the cynical joy of Lord +Mowbray, even in that epoch of irony and indifference, caused a shudder +among the less delicate. Henceforth he was in no way hampered. A career +of untrammelled debauchery lay open before him; but an unexpected event +arrested him with ruthless abruptness. He suddenly disappeared, and the +circumstances of his taking-off, at once ignoble and sinister, finally +became known in the social walks where he had been best known. He had +lost his life in attempting to experiment upon himself in the mysterious +sensations which, he was informed, attended the final convulsions of +those doomed to die by hanging. Whether through mismanagement or crime, +the cord had not been cut in time, and Death still guarded his secret +from the one who had essayed to violate it. + +Among the deceased nobleman's papers were found sundry instructions for +the education of his son, among which one doctrine, far worse than +atheism, was drawn up in cold, dry, incisive terms, to suit the custom +of the time. + +"Man," it maintained, "should live in accordance with nature. Now, +nature commands us to flee pain and seek pleasure. Certain philosophers +of antiquity have clearly perceived this truth, and that, too, at an +epoch when the human mind was not yet encumbered and obscured by vain +prejudices. But they have not ventured to demonstrate their theory even +unto the end; they have imagined a substance called the soul, the +tendencies of which are at constant variance with those of the body. +They have arrayed pleasure in the guise of virtue, and have thus opened +the way for the Christian folly. Christianity is the most formidable +opponent of happiness, and during long ages has rendered the world +well-nigh uninhabitable. From infancy we are imbued with the mawkish +doctrines; I, myself, have had the utmost difficulty in relieving myself +of the yoke and I have but imperfectly succeeded. That is why, should I +die before my son has attained his majority, I expressly desire that he +shall grow up without receiving the teachings of any religion +whatsoever. Later he will understand these aberrations when he comes to +a full appreciation of the long series of human errors. Let his mind be +developed, stocked with facts, and ornamented with agreeable +reflections; let him be schooled in all that pertains to bodily exercise +where strength and address are required. By increasing his vigor, his +passions will increase and consequently his relish for life. Let him be +instructed not to govern or struggle with himself, but to follow in all +things the only instinct which can be his certain guide,--that which +attracts man to pleasure. Monsieur Lebeau appears to me a man of the +world and the one best fitted to take charge of this education." + +The will of the dead man was duly accomplished. The young man was reared +in the school of evil and became a curious, experimental subject for his +master. The late Lord Mowbray had been a reclaimed fanatic; after his +own fashion he preached as do nearly all of his compatriots. Lebeau +contented himself with observation, and consigned these observations to +a certain manuscript, written in French, which was entitled: "A Treatise +on Pleasure; or, A Rational Journal of a Young English Nobleman. To be +published one hundred years after my death." + +Lebeau remarked many things; among others these:-- + +"This youth, reared in the very lap of happiness, was not happy. The +pleasure which formed his daily lessons seemed to him stale and forced. +Over and beyond the delights which were multiplied for him and almost +imposed upon him, he dreamed of others to which he could not attain, +thereby proving that the true vocation of man is the unattainable, the +unreal. He was bred according to nature, that is to say, after the +fashion of savages; his joys revolved in the narrow, wretched circle in +which the primitive inhabitants of the globe vegetate. Five or six +thousand years of civilization have delicately undermined, modelled, and +ameliorated this block of confused sensations which we represent. The +thousand constraints which man has imposed upon himself, and his +privations, voluntary or obligatory, not to mention his griefs, have +refined him, perfected his organs of pleasure, increased his faculty of +happiness an hundred-fold. Suppress these constraints, these tests, +these combats, and you leave him but the swift, bestial joys in which +the aborigines, our ancestors, forgot for a moment in the obscurity of +their caverns the frightful misery of their existence. Young Mowbray at +twenty years of age had run the gamut of fallacious love. He had learned +the principles of gallantry and debauchery as one learns Latin; but +never having trembled, wept, nor suffered, he was totally ignorant of +genuine love." + +All at once towards Lebeau, that man of infinite complaisance, he +experienced a sense of secret resistance. It was upon the day when first +he was smitten by the charms of Miss Woodville. A will seemed to +interpose between him and the object of his desire, seeming to say: "All +women, but not _this one_!" + +Was it not sufficient that she had become dearer to him than all +others? + + + + +CHAPTER VI. + +THE HOUSE IN TOTHILL FIELDS. + + +In her turn Esther had been awakened, as she was every morning, by a +sort of dull buzzing, which for a space continued and finally died away. +It was Reuben droning the morning prayers in the lower hall in presence +of his mother and the aged servant, Maud. She raised herself upon her +elbow and glanced about her with an expression of disgust. However, +there was nothing displeasing to the sight about the chamber. To be +sure, the appointments were of the simplest description, and the walls +were bare; but everything exhaled the perfection of neatness and +propriety. The window opened upon extensive meadows, called Tothill +Fields, where some years later rose the quarter known as Pimlico. On +this side no building intercepted the light of day; consequently the +fresh, pure radiance of morning flooded the room, flecking the draperies +and white furniture. But Esther for a long time had indulged herself in +a dream of luxury and grandeur. It seemed to her that each night renewed +for her special benefit the story of Cinderella. During the entire +evening she walked in her glory beneath the fire of glances, like a +little queen, envied, admired, adored, tasting, as an homage more +enduring than the applause of men, the jealousy of her comrades. The +curtain having fallen, the beautiful costume replaced by a modest gown +of some dark stuff, she escaped from the scene of her triumph with her +arm firmly locked in that of Mrs. Marsham. When she awoke in the morning +there was nothing to prevent her from believing that it had all been a +dream, and that she was after all only an ordinary little being destined +to set a good example to her neighbors, and be the joy of some +commonplace, honest husband. What was there in store for her but to +share this insipid existence, take her part in the usual housework, and +listen to the babble of her aunt, who represented simple, tender +devotion, as Reuben was the exponent of the suspicious and fierce kind? +But patience! It would not be long ere emancipation would lend her wings +to escape from this irksome prison. + +More than ever this morning was she disposed to view her surroundings +with a disapproving and dissatisfied eye. When should she have a boudoir +like Lady Vereker's, and a gilded coach, a footman with a plumed hat, a +great nobleman for her husband, subject to her caprices, sighing at her +feet, and breathing soft nothings in the pretty, affected language, +mingled with French, which the heroes in the fashionable plays made use +of? Like Lord Mowbray, she deceived herself on the score of love, but +after a different fashion. He saw in it but the satisfaction of the +senses; she, the triumph of vanity. To be forever and a day the +personage she appeared to be three evenings out of the week, from seven +o'clock until ten; to be in reality ingenuous, anxious, coquettish, and +impassioned; to play the comedy, and play it to the life, amidst men who +were by no means acting; to heave real sighs, shed genuine tears, commit +actual follies,--such was her idea of happiness, which would have been +perverse had it not been childish. + +Scarcely was she dressed ere she received a tender missive from Lady +Vereker which informed her of the result of their evening's frolic. One +of her ladyship's cousins, an officer in the Guards, had rescued her +from her dilemma. For hours she had sought her companion; then she had +gone home, "heaping reproaches upon herself and calling herself every +manner of barbarous name." For she felt in her heart that "she should +never taste of perfect bliss if separated from her incomparable friend, +and that it would be inhuman long to deprive her of her presence." This +jargon, which passed in the fashionable world of that day, was new to +Esther, and she replied in a similar vein, assuring her noble +protectress that, had she listened to the dictates of her heart, she +would have flown to her: but circumstances obliged her to defer the joy +for which she sighed so ardently; the circumstances being a guitar +lesson, a new _role_ to study, and a second sitting with Sir Joshua. + +In fact, the guitar master, Mr. O'Flannigan, shortly made his appearance +upon horseback, the animal being as lean and lanky as himself. He was an +Irish gentleman, descended from the kings of his native land. He was +wont to prate of vast domains which had fallen two centuries before his +birth into the hands of the English. Thanks to the revolt of the +American colonies, which Ireland was preparing to imitate, Mr. +O'Flannigan had hopes of regaining his family rights and possessions. +Meanwhile he rambled about London, darned his own stockings, and gave +music lessons. Moreover, he occasionally relieved old Hopkins, the +prompter at Drury Lane Theatre; but whatever he did, he did with innate +nobility and elegance. He could bow with a grace almost equal to that of +any Frenchman, having passed one week of his youth in Paris, "the +capital of elegance and good taste." + +It was averred that, like the majority of his countrymen, he must have +kissed the famous Blarney stone which communicates to the lips which +have pressed it the gift of suave falsehood. But the persons who spoke +in that way were his enemies. And who has not an enemy? Mr. O'Flannigan +possessed his share of those troublesome individuals, although he had +obliged at least three of them to bite the dust. + +"What! Three men stretched upon the ground? Three men killed by you +single-handed?" + +"All of that, miss!" + +His brow clouded at the recollection; he declined to enlarge upon the +subject; whereupon, since no one wished to wound his feelings by +insisting upon details, he would recount the entire dreadful tale even +unto the bitter end. One was an Italian, of the princely house of +Castellamare; he understood the secret thrust, you know,--the famous +secret thrust! Poor man! His death had served no great purpose. To-day +the violets bloom upon his grave. Another was a German baron,--a boor +who, in passing Mr. O'Flannigan, had knocked over his glass of milk with +the tip of his sword and had not known enough to beg his pardon,--a man +so tall and stout that he could not have passed through yonder door; yet +this Colossus had fallen before little O'Flannigan! + +[Illustration] + +"But why renew these cruel memories? It is a frightful thing for a +sensible, philosophic man thus to give the _coup de grace_ to a +fellow-man! Now, then, Miss Woodville, if you please. One--two--we are +in the key of _fa_." + +One day Mrs. Marsham found O'Flannigan in the midst of explaining to his +pupil the principles of his favorite art. With her left hand upon her +hip, her body proudly curved, her cheeks aglow, and her eyes dancing +with pleasure, Esther attacked and parried imaginary thrusts, while she +poked with a long cane the bony old body of O'Flannigan, who applauded +rapturously, though he rubbed his sides. + +"Are you mad, monsieur?" she cried. "Giving fencing lessons to my +niece!" + +"Madame, I am the humblest of your servants!" + +O'Flannigan performed the sword salute with the cane he held in his +hand, and attempted to deposit a kiss upon the mitten of the Quakeress, +who found herself quite disarmed in spite of herself by such a display +of courtesy and high breeding. + +"Come, come, Monsieur O'Flannigan," she breathed; "suppose you return to +your music." + +"At your command, madame.--Now, then, mademoiselle; one--two--three. We +are in the key of _sol_!" + +After the Irishman's departure, Esther passed the remainder of the +morning in walking up and down the little garden, studying the charming +_role_ of Beatrice in "Much Ado about Nothing," which she was to play in +a few days. Then came the dinner hour, which reunited Mrs. Marsham, her +son Reuben, Esther, and the ancient Maud; since, in accordance with the +usage of the sect, the servants consorted with their masters and sat at +table with them. Moreover, Maud was no ordinary servant. She possessed +the sense of second sight. At certain hours she prophesied and spoke in +a strange tongue which no one understood. "The Spirit is upon her!" they +were wont to say respectfully upon such occasions. Very deaf and +purblind, even with her double vision Maud could not see the spiders' +webs which festooned the ceiling; she could hear "voices," though not +that of her mistress when it called her. Any one in the wide world +except the Marshams would have quickly recognized the inconvenience of +having a vaticinal cook. + +At the dinner-table the dangers which Esther had encountered upon the +preceding night became the topic of conversation. Mother and son +regarded the event from their own standpoints. The former blessed +Providence who had guided the girl through her peril safe and sound; +the latter cursed the malice of the men who had madly risked their lives +in breaking a minister's windows for the glorification of a stupid +soldier. How many there were who would have permitted themselves to be +killed for Rodney, who would not have raised a finger for Christ! Esther +uttered not a word concerning Lord Mowbray; she simply spoke of the +excellent gentleman who had escorted her home. + +"The brave man!" said Mrs. Marsham. "I long to know and thank him." + +"I saw him leaving, or rather flying, like a malefactor," muttered +Reuben. "Would he not have remained to receive our thanks, if he had +thought he deserved them?" + +"Virtue is diffident, my son; her right hand knoweth not what her left +hand doeth." + +Reuben only replied by an imperceptible shrug of his shoulders. The +repast over, Maud returned to her kitchen, where she held forth all +alone for several long hours. Mrs. Marsham installed herself in her +rush-seated chair and adjusted a pair of silver-and-horn spectacles upon +the tip of her nose, the rigid steel mounting of which suggested the +curved arch of some ancient bridge. She selected one of her favorite +books, the "Pilgrim's Progress," or the life of George Fox, which for +thirty years had fascinated her timid, childish imagination. Soon the +regular breathing, like the purring of a great drowsy cat, informed +Esther that her aunt was in Morpheus's arms. Indeed, she had fallen +asleep with an ecstatic smile upon her features. Perhaps she dreamed +that she walked in a fair garden, attended by angels, and that one came +to her, clothed in white raiment, with a lily in his right hand, and +said to her, "Good morrow, my good Mrs. Marsham. How are you? My father +will be rejoiced to see you." And then, stooping, he would gather stars +from the _parterre_ of heaven and arrange them in a bouquet for the +elect; for Mrs. Marsham was frequently favored with such dreams, and +upon awakening she would recount them to her friends as did the +personages in the Old Testament. She was forever searching some +explanation of them, since she considered them in the light of celestial +visions. + +"She sleeps, and is happy," said Reuben in a lowered tone. "Would that I +could find repose!" + +"Why can you not?" asked Esther negligently. + +"Because my heart is troubled by the thought of the iniquities which are +committed in Israel. Sometimes it seems to me that I am a scapegoat, and +that all the sins of England are upon me." + +"Rather a heavy burden, my poor cousin!" + +"Oh, do not laugh, Esther; for it is you who are to be pitied; it is for +you that I weep." + +"For me?" + +"Yes, for you, and because of your fatal beauty." + +"Fatal! I take the compliment from whence it comes, and am charmed to +know that you consider me even passing fair. But pray tell me why my +beauty is fatal." + +"Listen and give heed, Esther. You have read the Holy Scriptures?" + +"Yes." + +"When God imprints upon the face and body of woman a charm which renders +the wisest fools, there is a hidden reason which should be visible if we +would but open our eyes. He has created her for the salvation or the +perdition of a variety of men. Eve worked the ruin of Adam; Bethsheba +unconsciously corrupted the holy king; Delilah delivered Samson over to +his enemies; Salome snatched from Herod's luxury the condemnation of the +Precursor. On the contrary, Ruth exhaled joy and consolation about her; +Esther softened the anger of a terrible king and saved the people of +God; Jabel drove a nail into the temple of Sisera; Judith delivered +Bethulia by cutting off the head of Holofernes. Which will you be, a +Delilah or a Judith?" + +"Neither, I hope. In the first place, pray do not count upon me to cut +off anybody's head. I am a sorry coward, and I have a horror of seeing +blood. The other day I saw a dog with a bleeding paw, and I thought I +should faint." + +"Ah!" exclaimed Reuben bitterly, "better were it to cause the impious to +lose every drop of blood in his veins than to inspire a single evil +thought in the just. I feel within myself that it is a sin to look upon +you; my will totters when for too long a space my eyes have rested upon +those shoulders, that slender form, those brilliant eyes, that bud-like +mouth. Sometimes it seems to me that I would suffer eternal damnation +for you, and that I should find an abominable pleasure in it! How many +times have I prayed God to destroy those adorable features which it has +pleased him to create! Willingly would I obliterate and annihilate +them!" + +"Are you going mad?" cried Esther in alarm. "And yet you say you love +me!" + +"Yes," replied Reuben: "we alone know how to love, because we alone know +how to hate,--we, the sons of the saints whose hearts are full of +bitterness and sorrow. They do not love who live in joy and pleasure. My +love increases with the tears that it causes me to shed, with the +combats that I undergo for you, and, moreover, with the fury that I +experience against those who raise their eyes upon your beauty!" + +Involuntarily he had raised his voice. The old lady awoke with a start. + +"Naughty children!" she murmured querulously. "Quarrelling again?--you +who were born to understand one another, and to be happy!" + + + + +CHAPTER VII. + +CONFIDENCES. + + +Esther succeeded in persuading good Mrs. Marsham that she ought not to +accompany her to her next sitting with Sir Joshua, since the great +painter desired to be alone with his model. The age and eminent +reputation of the President of the Academy removed far from him all +suspicion; consequently there was nothing to be done but to respect his +wishes. Therefore Esther went alone to Leicester Fields in a sedan-chair +borne by a couple of doughty Irishmen; but she could not repress a +movement of impatience upon perceiving Reuben on horseback following her +at a short distance with his sombre glance. When she entered the house +the young man quickly alighted, attached the bridle of his horse to the +railing of the square, and, seating himself upon a bench, fixed his eyes +upon Sir Joshua's door. + +[Illustration] + +"Shadowed!" murmured the girl. + +The desire of deceiving one's jailers, the omnipresent dream of evasion +which ever haunts the prisoner, filled her mind and inclined her to +anger. + +"Bah!" she thought, "my deliverance is close at hand." + +She swiftly mounted the stairs which led to the studio, and was received +by Francis Monday. + +"The President has been unexpectedly summoned to an audience with his +Majesty, who has come in from Kew to St. James's this morning," he +explained. "Be so good as to wait for Sir Joshua, who will return +before long. Shall I request Miss Reynolds to come and keep you +company?" + +"Why disturb her? There are so many curious things here to amuse one! +One might pass a whole day looking about this apartment without being +bored for a moment." + +"So be it!" replied Frank in a slightly tremulous voice. "Shall we look +about together?" + +He forthwith proceeded to show her all the rare objects arranged in +order within their glazed cases, giving her explanations of everything. +There were snuff-boxes, fans of which one was said to be the work of the +poet Pope, and foreign arms brought home by Sir Joshua from a journey in +barbaric lands. Frank also named the originals of the unfinished +portraits which awaited upon their easels the good pleasure of the +painter. + +The door of the adjoining apartment, whence the girl had seen him emerge +upon the preceding day, stood ajar; she quickly glanced within and saw a +quantity of antique casts spread upon large tables, and plaster heads +heaped one upon another. + +"It is there that I paint," he said, "in order that I may always be near +at hand in case Sir Joshua should call me." + +"As yesterday," she said rashly; then, realizing the memory which she +had evoked, she blushed. As for him, he became pale. However, she soon +continued:-- + +"Sir Joshua loves you very dearly." + +"He treats me with an almost paternal kindness; I respect him, and +entertain for him the affection of a son. I owe him all that--" + +"Yes, I know." + +"Ah, but you cannot know all. Perhaps you have been told that I have +been adopted and educated by Sir Joshua, but if you only knew from what +a future of misery and despair he has snatched me, from what a hell he +has saved me!" + +He pronounced these words with so simple, so profound an accent that the +girl, suddenly touched with sympathy, bent her eyes upon him and said:-- + +"Where were you before you knew him, and what did you do?" + +"I lived with the pirates of the Thames, who forced me to learn their +horrible business." + +"But how happened it that you fell into such hands?" + +"I know not. I know neither my birthplace nor my parents. Even my true +age is unknown to me. I have nothing in the world, not even so much as a +name--only a surname; they called me Mishap. Perhaps my parents were +like those wretches. The thought has often come to me, and driven me +almost desperate." + +Esther did not speak, but her eyes assured Frank that she was listening +with deepest interest. + +"We lived in a hovel," he continued, "down by the water, opposite +Greenwich, and sometimes in a half-decayed barge on the river which was +anchored some twenty yards from shore. By day they sent me on land to +beg, and beat me if I returned empty-handed. At low tide I used to +search the mud which the sea left dry when it retired." + +"For what purpose?" + +"To look for things which might have fallen into the water. One found +all sorts of stuff on the bed of the river,--wood, rope, bits of cloth, +and rusty iron. Frequently I encountered fearful things there, such as +human remains, bodies of the unfortunate whose death had been unknown +and would never be avenged." + +"Heavens! what a dreadful business!" + +"You are right: a dreadful business indeed! Those who carry it on are +called mud-larks; yet little do they resemble those tiny voyagers of the +air which sing so proudly, so joyously, which build their nests in the +furrows and soar aloft to heaven's gate. The mud-larks crawl along their +wretched way, sometimes immersed to the knees in the icy slime, and +frequently they fall victims to the fever as the result of their long +searches. Nevertheless, the Thames has engulfed much riches, and +sometimes it gives it back. There have been cases of poor wretches +finding precious jewels there. One summer's day, during a season of +excessive drought, the tide being lower than usual, I espied something +glittering in the rays of the rising sun. I stooped; it was an old gold +piece bearing the effigy of Charles II. Perhaps for a century it had +slept there in the mud." + +After a moment of silence he continued:-- + +"How carefully I wiped it! How I caressed it! How long I contemplated +that little coin! At first I decided that I would show my treasure-trove +to no one. But where could I hide it? I wore neither shoes, stockings, +nor shirt; nothing but an old ragged jacket and trousers without +pockets. When I was permitted to go to bed I slept upon a sack filled +with rags, along with a boy older than myself. I passed the coin from +one hand to the other; I even put it in my mouth beneath my tongue. It +seemed a fortune in my eyes, and I thought that when I went to London I +should be able to buy out the whole town. Yes; ah, but I was way-wise +for my years, and I foresaw what would take place were I to offer my +sovereign for sale as the gentlemen did. The dealer would exclaim, 'Such +as you with a gold piece! You have stolen it!' Forthwith I should be +sent to prison, and from there to the smoky hall of the Old Bailey, +where I had seen many a little thief condemned to twenty or thirty +lashes. I saw myself bound to the terrible wooden bench, black with +human blood; I saw the executioner approach with his awful +cat-o'-nine-tails. My thin knees knocked together as I drew the mental +picture." + +"And what did you do?" + +"I determined to hide my sovereign under a tuft of grass on the river +bank near Deptford. And I went there often to take a peep at it, while I +waited for better days. Alas! there came a great tempest in September; +the river rose and overflowed its banks; my hiding-place, my treasure, +all disappeared!" + +"Poor boy!" + +"All these miseries were as nothing compared with others. The worst +work was that which I was made to do at night. Of foggy evenings our +boat slipped along like a phantom, with the oars muffled in bits of old +wool so that they moved without a sound. Thus we circled about the big +ships at anchor, or prowled around the sleeping warehouses. At such +hours the river belonged to the bandits, to the vagabonds who were +called light-horsemen; they were alone, and sovereign masters there." + +"But what part did you play upon these nocturnal expeditions?" + +"They made me climb up a knotted rope to the bowsprits of the ships, +which they knew to be but poorly guarded by the drunken sailors at that +time of night. From there I would crawl to the deck. Then I would glide +into the storeroom and bring thence a bag of 'sand,' a sack of 'peas,' +or a bottle of 'vinegar,' which is pirate slang for sugar, coffee, and +rum. When I had lowered my booty into the boat moored under the bow, I +would let myself down, my teeth chattering, half dead with fright." + +"Were you aware that you were doing wrong?" + +"No: no one had taught me the difference between good and bad; no one +had ever pronounced in my presence the name of God, unless it was with +the accompaniment of some frightful blasphemy. I was simply aware that +there existed another race of men who waged war upon my masters; that +when the landsmen captured our water-folk they dragged them into a great +black house called Newgate, and from there to a place called Tyburn, +where they set up a gallows. I saw many of my companions hanged there, +for thieves never miss an execution. Have you ever seen a hanging, Miss +Woodville?" + +"Oh, never!" cried Esther shudderingly. + +"You would think it a festival. All along Holborn stagings are set up +for those who wish to see, and tables for the wine-bibbers. The mob +laughs and sings, and jokes the ladies who have hired windows, and who +hide their faces behind their fans. Venders of apples and gin thrust +their handcarts into the thick of the crowd. The mountebanks perform +their tricks and dances as at the fair of Saint Bartholomew, while the +street urchins for half a penny proclaim the complaint against the +doomed man. At last he appears upon a cart drawn by a wretched hack, +which itself seems on its way to slaughter. I have seen certain men in +this plight who were bold and impudent in the face of death, who winked +at the women, and responded to the jeers of the crowd. Yes, I have heard +them try to sing songs, which the mob took up in chorus. But there have +been others!--those who were deaf to everything, deaf even to the +exhorting voice of the clergyman. Quivering like dead animals with every +jolt of the cart, fainting, convulsed, livid, horrible to look upon, +their eyes dilated with terror, they seemed scarcely human, scarcely +living but for the evidence of their fear." + +He paused for an instant, paling at the recollection. "I saw it all," he +pursued, "and knew that after twenty or thirty years of infamy that fate +would be mine. If I refused to obey my masters a few blows of the gasket +very soon got the better of my resistance. To be beaten by the mud-larks +or lashed by the hangman--such was the frightful choice which was +offered me, such the view of life which I enjoyed for eight years. Eight +years! The age of dependence, confidence, and joy! The age which should +know the sweetness of a mother's love and caress!" + +Esther's eyes filled with tears as she grasped poor Frank's hands and +held them in her clasp. + +"Neither have I known a mother," she said; "but I have not suffered as +you have. Those about me were kind enough, and I can smile when I +compare my miseries with yours." + +"One night," continued Frank, "when I refused to play my part in an +expedition with the pirates, one of them in a fit of rage threw me into +the dark river which hissingly closed over my head." + +Esther uttered a cry as though she saw it all, saw with her own eyes the +child plunge headlong into the water. + +"Fortunately I could swim. I knew the river and it seemed less wicked, +less hostile than man. It almost seemed like a mother to me, since it +had rocked me upon its bosom and nourished me for so many years. I +succeeded in gaining the shore, where I wandered about, shivering, until +daybreak. I don't see what prevented my dying, except that such wretches +as I are blessed with more enduring vitality than others. Nevertheless, +I had some terrible trials to bear. For several days I subsisted upon +mouldy crusts floating in the water, cabbage leaves, and other rubbish +which I picked up about the market-places. I devoured these sad repasts +while inhaling the odor of roasts in Cheapside and Fleet Street. Now and +again a charitable gentleman would give me alms without my daring to +solicit it other than with my wretched, famished glances. At night I +slept sometimes in a church porch, sometimes in an abandoned stable, +sometimes under an old wall, which screened me from the wind. One +morning I lay asleep, with a stone for a pillow, in the neighborhood of +Covent Garden, when I was awakened by a strange voice which seemed to +address me. I saw a middle-aged gentleman of modest appearance, with a +kind and venerable air, who stood gazing upon me as he leaned on his +silver-headed cane. This cane and his old-fashioned wig would have +caused me to divine that he was a doctor, had I known the costumes of +the different professions. + +"'My boy,' he said to me, 'what are you doing there? Why are you not at +home at such an hour? Surely your parents must be anxious about you.' + +"I answered him rudely, for I knew no other mode of speech. + +"'I have no home, and no parents.' + +"'What is your name?' + +"'They call me Mishap.' + +"'Well, friend Mishap, I am going to give the lie to your name, for I am +going to take you to the best man in the world.' + +"I rose and followed him. Later I learned that he was Levet, the French +surgeon of the poor, so poor himself that Dr. Johnson had given him an +abiding-place in his house. Thither he led me. The doctor, too, in his +time had suffered from poverty and hunger. In his old age he returned +good for the evil which he had suffered in his youth. His home was, and +still is, a sort of asylum and hospital. With Levet lived Mrs. Williams, +the blind poetess, and the negro Frank, whom the author of 'Rasselas' +treated more as a friend than a servant. These good people gave me a +cordial greeting. They gave me breakfast and made me tell them my story. +For the first time in my life I ate of white bread and listened to +decent language. Then my heart, which lay like a stone in my breast, +melted, and I wept hot tears. They baptized me next day, the good negro +being my humble godfather. To the Christian name of Francis they added, +for want of a family name, the name of the day on which I had been +discovered shivering in my sleep. Some days later, well washed and newly +clothed, with shoes and stockings on my feet, all of which seemed +strange to me and not a little awkward, I accompanied Dr. Johnson to +this house, and in this very room made my first bow to Sir Joshua, who +at the time was painting the portrait of Kate Fisher. I can still see +the pretty creature, who had brought her friend, Mary Summers, with her. +One was all beauty; the other, all wit--component parts of Aspasia. + +"'My dear sir,' said the doctor in his grand, solemn way, 'I have +brought with me a child for Ugolino to eat.' + +"The speech made me shudder, while every one present laughed. Later it +was explained to me that during the intervals between his engagements +Sir Joshua caused an aged street-paver, who had fallen into necessitous +circumstances, but who possessed an expressive head, to sit for him. His +name was White, but one day Mr. Burke, seeing him in the lower hall, +said to Sir Joshua, 'That man would make an admirable Ugolino.' And from +that time he was never called by any other name. It suggested to my +master the idea of making him the centre of a great composition +representing Dante's terrible scene; but it was necessary to find some +children with whom to surround Ugolino. Now you understand the doctor's +joke. 'Here is something for you to do,' remarked Sir Joshua to me, +'which will be easier than working for the mud-larks.' + +"'What must I do?' I inquired. + +"'Remain perfectly quiet, which you may find rather difficult at your +age.' + +"'It could never be difficult for me to obey and please you,' said I. + +"I was given a sort of chamber in the garret, which I still occupy; and +from that day I led the life of those by whom I was surrounded. Living +from morning till evening amidst painting and designing, the desire to +try my hand came to me. I armed myself with a bit of chalk and a slate. +Sir Joshua surprised me in the midst of my occupation, and when I made +an attempt to conceal my sketch, he remarked: 'Do you know upon what and +with what I made my first picture? Upon a scrap of sail-cloth and with a +pot of paint which had been left upon the strand at Plympton by the +boat-painter.' He looked at my sketch, and the result of his examination +was that he sent me to the Royal Academy, which had recently been +opened. There I sketched the faces of all the young women who +represented Dido or Ariadne. My companions blew peas at them until they +made them cry. Then they would clap their hands and pretend that they +had given the models the desired expression. I did not know what they +meant, but when I had filled my sketch-book to the very last page with +Didos and Ariadnes, I respectfully confessed to Sir Joshua that I had +much rather paint trees, flowers, grass, and, more than all, water. My +dear, great river, where I had lived so long, the ever-changeful home of +my infancy!--I am never weary of depicting it, by turns dull as a +leaden disk, brilliant as a mirror of burnished steel, now ruffled and +agitated, now radiant and peaceful, little rural stream that it is at +Hampton Court, arm of the sea at Gravesend, with its perspectives, its +shore life, the ships which fleck its surface, and the seafarers it +bears upon its bosom." + +[Illustration] + +"Then," inquired Esther, "am I to understand that you are happy?" The +young man lowered his eyes and was silent for a moment. + +"I am," he answered, "profoundly grateful to my master for all his +kindness, for the friendship which every one testifies for me, and for +the interest which such men as Mr. Burke and Dr. Johnson take in my +studies. But can I be wholly happy? Nothing can replace the affection of +a mother,--unless it be that of a wife. There is a void in my heart. +Will it ever be filled?" + +So humble, so penetrating was the accent of the poor, lonely fellow at +this moment that Esther was more deeply moved than she had been by the +recital of his boyish sufferings. In her turn her eyes drooped as if, in +the young man's words, something had particularly affected her. + +"Ah!" he murmured, "you are laughing at me now; but, since I began to +speak and you deigned to listen to me, I have told you all. Now I am +going to show you the one who, since my entrance into this house, has +consoled and sustained me in the hours of discouragement and sadness." +And taking her by the hand, he led Esther into his studio, before an +unframed picture, from which he drew aside the drapery which covered it. + +"A portrait! A portrait of a woman!" + +In fact it was the counterfeit presentment of a young woman clothed in +white. The picture was still unfinished. The attire, the accessories, +the background were scarcely indicated; the head alone seemed almost +complete. It was a fine, delicate head, softly illumined by a faint +smile as by a ray of autumnal sunshine, the eyes of a dull blue, +hesitant in glance as though weary of the light,--infinite weariness in +the inclination of the neck and the droop of the shoulders. An +indefinable charm of sorrow and resignation overspread the entire +countenance. The very uncertainty of the sketch lent to it an ethereal, +almost supernatural character, enveloping it in that vague, ideal film +which veils the figures in a dream. + +"Who is this lady?" inquired Esther. + +"She died twenty years ago, and I never saw her in life. I only know +that she is called Lady Mowbray." + +"Lady Mowbray! The mother of young Lord Mowbray whom you resemble so +closely?" + +"The same." + +"But why has the portrait remained unfinished?" + +"The death of the original interrupted the sittings. She knew that she +was doomed and wished to bequeath her portrait to her son; but +apparently no one cared for her or respected her last wish, since the +sketch has never been claimed by the family. It is said that she was +most unhappy, and wept her life away. I am as attached to this portrait +as to a living person. It watches me and smiles upon me; I speak to it +and it responds. How many times have I kissed those poor hands which are +now folded in death! I have wished that my mother might resemble her, +and in my folly I have more than once addressed her by that holy name. +Athwart the space which separates us my heart yearns towards her. What +would I not give to have known and consoled her! What do you think of +such foolishness, Miss Woodville?" + +"I understand you; I assure you that I understand you, and it seems to +me that from to-day I shall no longer be the same, that I shall be less +frivolous, less thoughtless, that I shall regard life with other eyes." + +And turning suddenly she came in contact with an object in the shadow, +which upon being disturbed gave forth a queer sound, like to the click +of _castagnettes_. + +"What is that?" she exclaimed. + +"That is nothing, only a skeleton used in anatomical studies." + +He drew into the light the singular companion, whose arms and legs +projected absurdly every which way. One would have said that it was a +drunken sailor attempting a hornpipe. As if to increase its height a +lace cap with red ribbons, carelessly placed upon its cranium, had +slipped to one side, suggesting the idea of ghostly joviality. Esther +burst into a laugh which she quickly repressed. + +"Poor thing!" she said. "Like us, he has possessed a heart and a brain. +Perhaps he has loved, perhaps they have said he was handsome. Pardon me +that I laughed, poor skeleton!" + +The words of her well-beloved poet recurred to her memory. + +"Do you remember where Hamlet, in the graveyard, holds the jester's +skull in his hands? 'Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know not +how oft. Where be your gibes now? your gambols? your songs? your flashes +of merriment that were wont to set the table on a roar?'" + +"'To what base uses we may return, Horatio!'" added Frank. + +"Yes," she replied; "'Imperial Caesar, dead and turn'd to clay, might +stop a hole to keep the wind away.'" And she recited the verses which +close the scene. + +Frank listened with a sort of religious tenderness. + +"You love Shakespeare?" he asked. + +"I adore him!" + +Attracted by this new bond of common admiration, they spoke of that +sovereign master of souls, and exchanged the emotions which he had +aroused in their hearts. Hand in hand they wandered, and lost themselves +in that vast, murmurous forest filled with alarms and enchantments, with +refreshing springs and hideous pools, with jocund imps and menacing +monsters, where the fairy flowers of sentiment bloom and fade in the +umbrage of gigantic thoughts, amidst which passes, like a stormy wind, a +tremor of the vague Beyond, the breath of the invisible, unknown world. + +As they conversed thus, seated upon an old sofa between the skeleton and +the portrait of Lady Mowbray, Reynolds entered. For two hours they had +been together. The painter looked at them, and smiled with indulgent +penetration. + +"We have been talking of Shakespeare," Frank explained, slightly ill at +ease. + +Sir Joshua did not believe one word of it. Either he knew not, or he had +forgotten that old age alone requires to _speak_ of love. In youth, love +impregnates every word, insinuates itself into the very gestures, +plunges into the glance, exhales at every pore, saturates the air we +breathe. Then of what import are words? + +"And there is Reuben waiting all this while!" thought Esther suddenly. + +That thought alone re-established all her roguish coquetry in the space +of one second. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. + +MR. FISHER'S SUBSTITUTE. + + +"Mr. Fisher!" + +Thus invoked by his name, the hairdresser who had the honor of attending +the leading artists of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, stopped suddenly +upon the dim staircase which led to the dressing-rooms. + +"Who is it?" he inquired, striving to distinguish the person who had +accosted him. "What do you want? I am in a hurry. Miss Woodville waits. +What! _You_, my lord?" he added as his interlocutor advanced into the +doubtful radiance shed by the argand-lamp upon the upper landing. + +A trifle arrogant at first, with a mingling of poorly dissimulated +nervousness (for courage was not Mr. Fisher's besetting virtue), the +tone of the worthy hairdresser had become obsequious in the extreme. +Lord Mowbray was one of his best clients. + +"Mr. Fisher," said the young nobleman, "you are going straight home and +to bed." + +"I, my lord! Your lordship must surely be jesting. They are waiting for +me up-stairs, and I must--" + +Lord Mowbray barred his further progress. + +"I am not jesting, Mr. Fisher. I can be serious when serious matters are +at stake, and there is nothing more serious than the health of an honest +man like yourself. I tell you that you have a high fever and that you +are going straight to bed, where you will keep warm and let Mrs. Fisher +bring you a ptisan." + +"But I have no fever, and even if I had I should not fail to perform my +duty. And this, a first-night! Why, the king and queen are to honor the +performance with their presence!" + +"Well, let us cut the matter short, Mr. Fisher. Here is somewhat to +sweeten your ptisan." + +With the words a handful of guineas changed hands, the jingle of which +possessed a persuasive virtue all their own; whereupon the hairdresser +began to comprehend that it is sometimes to one's advantage to be +feverish. + +"But, my lord," he faltered, "would you have Miss Woodville go on the +stage with dishevelled hair? Who will take my place?" + +"I will, Fisher." + +"Can your lordship dress a head of hair?" + +"I studied the art in Paris under the celebrated Leonard." + +"Is it so!" + +"Indeed it is. The man who does not know how to dress a woman's hair +misses one of the greatest delights in life. That is why, my dear +friend, your art was the most agreeable to Venus; and Mons. Lebeau, my +tutor, a man-of-the-world, failed not to give me ample instruction." + +"Well, I am flambergasted now!" + +"Make haste to pull yourself together and be off, or you will take more +cold on this staircase. Quick; hand me the comb, the powder, and the +patch-box. Good night, Fisher; take good care of yourself. Devil, man! +You'll find you cannot trifle with a fever." + +A minute later the false hairdresser, having duly knocked at the door +and received permission to enter, walked into a narrow room in which +Miss Woodville was dressing, assisted by a maid, under the watchful +direction of her aunt, Mrs. Marsham. + +"Come, Mr. Fisher," said Esther without looking at the intruder, "we +must make haste or I shall be late. Make me just as pretty as you +possibly can, for the king will be in the audience." + +"I shall do my best, Miss Woodville." + +"But this man is not Fisher!" cried the old lady. + +Esther cast one swift glance at Mowbray, caught the kerchief about her +shoulders, and mechanically plunged her blushing face into the ivory +horn which served to protect her eyes and lashes while her hair was +being powdered. + +The young nobleman respectfully saluted the Quakeress. + +"Mr. Fisher is ill," he exclaimed. + +"Oh, poor Fisher! What ails him?" + +"He has a fever, madam,--a high fever. It would break your heart to hear +the poor man's teeth chatter. So I have come in his place." + +"It is impossible for you to dress my hair!" gasped Esther. + +"Impossible! And why, if you please?" + +"Because--because--why, you cannot, you don't know how!" + +"I have studied under the best masters. It is not for me to disparage +Mr. Fisher; but I venture to say that my touch is more classic than his. +I have worked for the French court." + +"No, no!" breathed Esther with veiled eyes. + +"But, my child," said her aunt in a lowered tone, "you are unreasonable. +This boy appears to know his business; besides, he has worked for the +French court. Moreover, time presses." + +"If Miss Woodville will deign to intrust her head to my care, all will +be well," added the would-be hairdresser. + +Esther saw there was no help for it but to yield. Suffused with blushes +and pouting, though deeply moved, she took her chair before the mirror. + +"What style will it please you this evening,--_capricieuse_ or _tout +amiable_? But I am wrong: a face like yours demands a suitable +accompaniment. Esther Woodville--pardon my liberty of speech--should +have her hair dressed _a la_ Esther Woodville!" + +"Anybody can see at a glance that you came from Paris," interposed Mrs. +Marsham; "you know how to pay compliments. I fear that your talents may +stop there, and that your comb is by no means the equal of your tongue." + +"Madam shall be the judge. By his work is the artist known." + +With a firm, experienced hand he seized the loosened tresses which +overspread the girl's shoulders. Bending above her, inhaling her very +personality, he spoke not, he hardly breathed, overcome by the violence +of his emotions; while she, bending slightly forward, maintained a +strange immobility. A cloud passed before his eyes; his brain reeled. +Could he maintain the mastery of himself sufficiently to play the comedy +to the end? + +All at once a confused turmoil arose from the street below. Mrs. Marsham +pricked up her ears. + +"Can it be the king already?" she exclaimed. + +In order to understand the true import of those two monosyllables, "the +king," for the good lady, we must go back a quarter of a century to the +time when George III., aged sixteen years, still dwelt in Leicester +Fields with his mother, the Dowager Princess of Wales. Never did he pass +through Long Acre on his way to the theatre, of which he was a constant +patron, without casting a timid glance at pretty Sarah Lightfoot, where +she sat at the desk in her father's shop, with her snow-white gown, her +folded kerchief, and her glossy tresses innocent of powder. The young +Quakeress would bend her head with a light blush beneath the mute and +tender contemplation of those big, guileless eyes, undoubtedly more +eloquent than their owner had any idea they were. The royal child would +pause for a moment, and, heaving a sigh, would continue his way with his +unequal, halting gait. + +Long, long ago had his Majesty forgotten Sarah Lightfoot; but Sarah +Lightfoot, the present Mrs. Marsham, had never forgotten his Majesty. +Athwart her dull, peaceful, uneventful existence the charming memory +cast a ray which but increased in brilliancy as the days wore on. She +had never mentioned the subject in the presence of her son, fearing the +disdainful shrug of Reuben's shoulders, and suspecting that he nourished +some vague republican chimera; but she would speak complacently with her +niece of the king's fancy, save that she asked God's pardon for +indulging in such frivolous thoughts. + +This was the reason why, on this particular evening, she had scarcely +noticed Mr. Fisher's substitute, and why she was so attentive to the +sounds in the street. She intended to see the king's arrival, for it +seemed to her that the ovation intended for his Majesty by his loyal +subjects in some remote way touched her. Mowbray knew nothing of these +circumstances, but he confusedly divined that by means of the good +woman's curiosity he might rid himself of her presence. + +"The king?" said he. "Of course it is he; if you wish to see him you +have no time to lose." + +For one moment Esther thought to detain her aunt, but how could she +explain her perturbation without admitting the whole deceit, without +causing a scandal? Then, who would dress her hair? And besides, Peg was +with her. And, moreover, in the depths of her heart had not the young +actress a secret desire to be left with her terrible lover, a wild +longing mingled with fear, like that of the youthful soldier who +anticipates with joy, yet dreads to enter, his first battle. + +Casting aside her wraps the Quakeress quitted the dressing-room with a +lively step, which suggested pretty Sarah Lightfoot rather than sedate +Mrs. Marsham. The hair-dressing advanced rapidly, and although a trifle +unsteady by reason of internal emotion, the young nobleman acquitted +himself with marvellous distinction. + +Although a simpler taste had begun to obtain, the _coiffure_ of a woman +of 1780 was still a remarkably complicated affair; so complicated, in +fact, that certain women, by way of avoiding fatigue or expense, had +their heads dressed only two or three times a week, sometimes only once, +and slept in this heavy, uncomfortable, voluminous rigging, of which +their own hair was assuredly the least important element. False hair +being very costly, the interior of the fragile edifices was often +stuffed with horsehair, and even with hay. In some cases a brace of iron +wire was affixed to the head, upon which flowers, feathers, ribbons, and +jewelry could be firmly attached; and thus the scaffolding frequently +rose to such a height that, if we may credit the caricaturists of the +day, it was necessary to pierce the roofs of the sedan-chairs, and even +of the coaches, in order to accommodate _les elegantes_ in gala costume. + +However, there could be no question of such exaggeration in the case of +a Shakespearean heroine. Of all the poet's creations is not Beatrice the +most fantastic? And was not Esther, of all who had essayed the _role_, +the most original in her style of beauty, the most unique in her method +of playing it? That is why Mowbray, clearing all traditions at a single +bound, had given free rein to his fancy. He had lowered the conventional +scaffolding, cut short the tower-shaped _coiffure_. The top of the head +was relieved, while two undulant, billowy masses depended therefrom, +flowing behind the ears, no powder being used, which brought out at once +the delicate contour and exquisite coloring of the face in strong +relief. There was nothing classical nor rococo about it; it was all odd, +novel, and overwhelmingly graceful. Esther had but to cast one glance at +the mirror to be convinced that she had never been more beautiful. + +Mowbray leaned towards the maid and whispered a word in her ear. + +"What is it?" inquired Esther. + +"Nothing," replied Mowbray; "Miss Peg is going in search of some pins +which I require." + +"Peg, I forbid you to leave the room!" + +But the command came too late. Whether Peg had not heard or had seen fit +not to hear, she had quitted the room. Scarcely had the door closed ere +Mowbray stooped and murmured her name. + +She had risen and recoiled across the room. + +"Oh, my lord, this is wrong!" she cried. + +"Mowbray's wish makes wrong right," he replied. "What do you fear,--the +man who loves you to distraction?" + +Resolutely she fixed her eyes on his, striving to read therein, beyond +the disarray of his senses, the true thought which animated him. + +[Illustration] + +"You love me? You have already said the same thing to twenty others,--to +Bella Vereker, for instance!" + +He shrugged his shoulders impatiently. + +"I have never owned a second love! Neither she, nor any one else. You +are my first love, and you shall be the only one!" + +"I do not believe you. You are not telling me truth." + +"Certainly I am," he exclaimed. "You shall be Lady Mowbray in the sight +of God and man, with the reversion of the office which my mother holds +at court." + +This was no illusion! Esther began to weaken, vanity being in reality +her vulnerable point. + +At this moment a heavy knocking sounded upon the door, so resonant, so +brutal that they both trembled. + +"They are about to begin!" cried a voice in the passage. Perhaps it may +seem singular to those who have not experienced similar situations, that +such an incident can save a young girl; that the sentiment of secondary +but immediate duty can brusquely awaken her at the moment that the +notion of primal duty is losing its hold upon her. Esther recovered her +presence of mind upon the instant. + +"I am on in the first scene!" she cried. "Quick, my costume!" + +She threw open the door. The callboy had disappeared, but one of the +company who was to play the part of Hero, already dressed, was just +descending to the greenroom. + +"Are they beginning?" Esther demanded. + +"Not yet." + +"But I have just been called." + +"Who could have done it? Some joke of course. You have a quarter of an +hour yet." + +"But I am alone!" + +"Then I will help you." + +During this dialogue Mowbray made good his escape. The blow had been +struck! Who had struck it at the decisive moment? Who had dared to +snatch his prey from him? Could it be Lebeau? He again! At the thought +Mowbray's face grew dark with hatred. + + + + +CHAPTER IX. + +MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. + + +Slowly the curtain rose. In the great hall of the palace the good Lord +Leonato, sovereign of a fantastic country which only Shakespeare knew, +having at his two sides his daughter Hero and his niece Beatrice, with +all his court about him, receives the messenger who comes to announce +the victory of his troops and their imminent return. + +Such is the spectacle from the auditorium; but the spectacle of the +auditorium, seen from the stage, is otherwise curious; to modern eyes it +would seem like a glimpse of fairyland. + +A myriad candles shed from on high upon four thousand spectators a flood +of soft, white light. The snowy wainscoting relieved with gold, the +toilets of the men and women, the naked shoulders, the diamonds, the +orders,--all seemed to stand forth in relief against the pervading +brilliance. Soft pink, pearl-gray, pigeon-breast, sea-green, pale blue, +violet, faint gold, the clear white of silk, the dull white of satin, +the cream white of old laces, every shade which could reflect the light, +are mingled in one delicious harmony. Through the silence which falls +upon the audience the soft _frou-frou_ of silk and the flutter of fans +are alone audible. Every face is turned towards the stage, attentive, +smiling, already charmed. In that age of extreme sociability one did not +go to the theatre to enjoy individual, egotistical comfort in a corner, +but to share in common a pleasure which increased by the fact that it +was shared. Those were looked for at Drury Lane whom one had met at +Almack's, at the Pantheon, at Ranelagh, those whom one had seen thirty +years earlier at Vauxhall and Marylebone Gardens. + +From a box Prince Orloff displays his gigantic figure, his diamonds, and +his handsome face, which had vanquished a Czarina. It was here that an +adroit pickpocket, only two years before, had failed to relieve him of +his famous snuff-box, valued at a million francs. + +Not far from him Lord Sandwich, the Jemmy Twitcher of the popular song +and the _bete noir_ of all London, appears quite consoled for the tragic +death of his lady-love, Miss Reay, who had been assassinated within the +year by an amorous clergyman. The grim figure of Charles James Fox looms +in the back of another box, the front of which is occupied by the +Duchess of Rutland and the Duchess of Devonshire, the irresistible +Georgiana, who will soon become his election broker and buy up votes for +him (_Honi soit qui mal y pense!_) at the price of a kiss. + +A little farther away, following the circular rank of columns, sit the +inseparable trio, Lady Archer, Lady Buckinghamshire and Mrs. Hobart, the +three wild faro-players whom the Lord Chief Justice menaced with the +pillory, and whom the caricaturist Gillray nailed there for all time. +Lady Vereker has also come to applaud her little friend. In the second +tier of boxes is enthroned Mrs. Robinson, fresh from teaching the Prince +of Wales his first lesson in love. That man, whose fund of small-talk +seems inexhaustible and insolent, but whose intelligent face catches +every eye, is Sheridan, who has become director of Drury Lane by buying +up Garrick's share. At his side lounges the exquisitely languid figure +of a young woman, of late Miss Linley, the singer, now Mrs. Sheridan; +for he has acquired her, thanks to his audacity, having run away with +her in the face and eyes of her family and no end of suitors, while upon +the adventure he has founded a comedy, the success of which is his +wife's dowry. + +In the gallery are seen more _beaux_ than women, the _elegantes_ and +coxcombs, who are still termed _macaronis_, although the word is +beginning to pass out of vogue. Rings, frills, and ruffles, the cut of +coat and waistcoat, the latest suggestion in breeches,--all is with them +a matter of profound meditation, from the buckle upon their shoes to the +tip of their curled heads. Their hair is a mass of snow, conical in +shape, about which floats the odor of iris and bergamot. Sellwyn, +forever dreaming of his little marchioness, sits beside Reynolds, who +holds his silver ear-trumpet towards the stage. Near them is Burgoyne, +who consoles himself for his great military disaster at Saratoga by +writing comedies. He has chosen the better part of the vanquished, which +is to cry louder than anybody else and accuse everybody. For the one +hundredth time he is explaining to Capt. Vancouver that the true author +of the capitulation in America was not he, Burgoyne, who signed it, but +that infernal Lord North, who gave the commands to the Liberal officers +at Westminster in order to be rid of them, and then laughed in his +sleeve at their reverses. + +Before the royal box stand two Guards, armed from head to foot, +immovable as statues. The king in his Windsor uniform, red with blue +facings, his hair bound by a simple black ribbon, toys with a +lorgnette, and leans his great awkward body forward with a curious and +amused air. "Farmer George," though frequently cross and disagreeable, +appears in excellent humor this evening. Undoubtedly his cabbage plants +are doing well, or perhaps he has succeeded in making a dozen buttons +during the day, since the manufacture of buttons and the culture of +vegetables, which he sells to the highest bidder, are his favorite +pastimes. Stiff and straight in her low-cut corsage, a true German in +matters of etiquette, which she imposes with pitiless rigor upon all +about her, little Queen Charlotte amply compensates for the free and +easy habits of her husband by the severity of her mien. With head erect, +though slightly thrown backward, squinting eyes, and pointed chin, +swaying her fan to and fro with a rapid, uncompromising movement, there +is no doubt that the worthy dwarf, who has already given the king +thirteen princes and princesses, is still a most energetic little +person. + +On either side sit the Prince of Wales and Prince Frederick. The former +realizes to the eye the type of the genuine Prince Charming, exquisite +to a degree, but unsatisfactory with all his beauty, freshness and +grace. The delicious envelope lacks soul. Later history will write +against his name, "deceiver, perjurer and bigamist." But he is only +eighteen years of age now, every heart is his, and yonder his first +sweetheart regards him with ardent eyes. He takes no heed of it, +however; in fact, a slight pout of annoyance sullies his otherwise +delightful features. Prince Frederick is heir to the throne of Hanover, +and his father's favorite. The destiny of that blockhead is to be duped +by women, despised by his wife, and whipped by the French,--a fate +which, nevertheless, has not denied him a triumphal statue perched upon +the apex of a column, as though he had been a Trajan, a Nelson, or a +Bonaparte. + +In the shadow of the queen's chair is the tabouret of Lady Harcourt, her +maid-of-honor and friend; while all in a row behind the princes stand +the gentlemen-in-waiting. + +Every one was in his place, including our friend, Mr. O'Flannigan. +Installed in his hole, he held, spread out before him, a large portfolio +containing the precious manuscript of the play, bearing erasures and +corrections in Garrick's own hand. + +A youthful voice, pure and vibrant, is heard, and the silence becomes +still more profound. It is Beatrice who speaks by the mocking lips of +Esther. + +She requests news of Benedick from the messenger who has returned from +the battle, but in the way that one would ask tidings of an enemy. Soon +Benedick himself appears, whereupon begins a remarkable assault of +sarcasm. Both provoke each other and defy love. + +"I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow," she says, "than a man swear +he loves me." + +"God keep your ladyship still in that mind," retorts Benedick, "so some +gentleman or other shall 'scape a predestinate scratched face." + +"Scratching could not make it worse, an' 'twere such a face as yours +were." + +"Well, niece," says the uncle Leonato by and by, "I hope to see you one +day fitted with a husband." + +"Not till God make men of some other metal than earth. Would it not +grieve a woman to be overmastered with a piece of valiant dust, to make +an account of her life to a clod of wayward marl? No, uncle, I'll none; +Adam's sons are my brethren, and truly I hold it a sin to match in my +kindred." And later when they press her she replies:-- + +"He that hath a beard is more than a youth; and he that hath no beard is +less than a man; and he that is more than a youth is not for me; and he +that is less than a man I am not for him." + +Don Pedro, the Prince of Arragon, sportively offers himself. + +"Will you have me, lady?" + +"No, my lord, unless I might have another for working-days; your grace +is too costly to wear every day." + +But, fearing that she has been guilty of an impertinence, she gently +though still pertly excuses herself:-- + +"But I beseech your grace, pardon me; I was born to speak all mirth, and +no matter." + +"Out of question you were born in a merry hour!" + +"No, sure, my lord, my mother cried; but, then, there was a star danced, +and under that was I born." + +"By my troth!" exclaims the Prince, wholly charmed, "a pleasant-spirited +lady!" + +Which was the opinion of all, both on the stage and off. Esther seemed +to have forgotten the danger she had run, the emotion she had +experienced; or, rather, this danger and emotion lent to her eyes and +voice a lively, incisive charm of gayety and extraordinary audacity. She +was the very embodiment of that wit "quick as the greyhound's mouth," +which forms the motive of the play. The quips and cranks of the poet +seemed born upon her lips with the freedom and supreme grace of +improvisation, and if here and there there occur certain rather weak or +coarse sallies, she allowed the audience no time to perceive them. It +was a rain, a very hail-storm which fell upon the heads of Benedick, +Leonato, and Don Pedro, mixed with blinding lightning. With a glance of +the eye she addressed her most trenchant words to Mowbray, whom she +descried standing at the back of the Prince of Wales's chair. But it was +surely no longer against him that she defended herself, since she felt +herself assailed by every one in the theatre. She pitted herself against +the game with elation. She no longer played a part, but was herself; she +was no exceptional creature, but a young English girl of all times, who +accosts love with a mocking air, though with a beating heart, with +defiance upon her lips, backed by a pretty, mutinous insolence and a +belligerent effervescence of words. Upon this battlefield of love, like +her brothers in veritable combats, she had no wish to bite the dust. +Though vanquished, she knows it not. + +There was a genuine sigh, a shudder throughout the auditorium, when +Beatrice, deceived by stratagem and thrown off her guard, bows her head +and gives vent to those charming words:-- + +"'Contempt, farewell! and maiden pride, adieu!'" + +Fate is a strange manipulator of effects! At the moment that she raised +her eyes her glance met that of a young man who stood at the back of the +_parterre_, pallid with emotion; it was Francis Monday! Then they saw +their Beatrice wholly transformed; moved, vibrant, saddened. How well +she understood the grief of her cousin Hero, unjustly suspected by her +bethrothed! Now that she loved, how swiftly her heart divined and +sympathized with the pangs of love! With what a burst of pity, sympathy, +and feminine heroism she cried:-- + +[Illustration] + +"'Oh, that I were a man for his sake! or that I had any friend would be +a man for my sake! But manhood is melted into courtesies, valor into +compliment, and men are only turned into tongue, and trim ones too: he +is now as valiant as Hercules that only tells a lie, and swears it.--I +cannot be a man with wishing, therefore I will die a woman with +grieving.'" + +Then with a short sob she fell upon a chair. Suffering and joy,--she had +traversed the whole domain o'er which woman reigns. Those tears +consecrated the defeat of Beatrice, the triumph of Esther. + +The audience burst into rapturous applause, and when the play was over +the young actress was informed that his Majesty desired to see her. + +Thereupon she was conducted to the royal box, or, rather, to the +reception room which adjoined it. The gentlemen-in-waiting made way for +her, and in the space left vacant, the cynosure of every eye, the young +girl paused for a moment confused. + +"Approach, Miss Woodville," said her Majesty with that German accent +which has been the butt of so many pleasantries. + +Esther advanced a step or two, and then sank in a profound courtesy. + +"Ah! ah! Miss Woodville. Charmed to see you and to congratulate you!" + +It was the king who spoke. He came to her with that inimitable gait, +upon which the circus-clowns of the day wasted study and art in their +attempts to reproduce it, but which in his Majesty was natural. He held +his body bent like a half-moon, the back arched, the legs down to the +knees pressed close together, and the feet wide apart. Being upon the +point of leaving the theatre before the little piece which terminated +the performance, he already held his gloves in one hand, his cane in the +other, and his hat under his arm. Upon reaching the spot where Esther +stood he let fall his gloves. She stooped to pick them up, while he, +wishing to spare her the exertion, dropped his cane; quickly seizing +it, he lost his hold upon his hat. Thereupon ensued a moment of +confusion, which the queen, in an attempt to abridge, made use of by +addressing a compliment to the young artist. + +"You are Garrick's last pupil, I believe," she said, "and perhaps his +best. He would have been happy indeed to have heard you this evening." + +"Eh? what? Garrick?" gasped his Majesty. "Oh, certainly, certainly! She +plays remarkably well. I'm a judge myself: I too have played in +comedy--comedy and tragedy. I used to do Addison's 'Cato,' and not half +badly, they said. But of course one always says that to a prince. Have +you seen 'Cato,' Miss Woodville?" + +"Never, sire." + +"Ah, but it is a fine play! And the tirade, the famous tirade, you +know!" + +And he began to declaim, floundering for words. Again her Majesty +interrupted him, although with every demonstration of respect. + +"Does not your Majesty find that Miss Woodville speaks her Shakespeare +marvellously well?" + +"Eh? what? Shakespeare? Of course!--You love Shakespeare, do you not?" + +"Oh, yes, sire, with all my heart!" + +"That's right; so do I. Nevertheless he has his stupid absurdities. Sad +rubbish, some of it. Persons generally would not venture to admit that +they thought so, but I say it because I say whatever comes into my mind. +I don't care particularly for the French, but I am forced to acknowledge +that their plays are the noblest, most decorous and normal extant. We +also have good authors, such as Coleman, for instance, or Mr. Home, who +wrote 'Douglass.' The whole action of the play passes in twenty-four +hours and in one and the same place. Certain scenes take place in the +castle, others before the castle, and still others behind the castle; +but, in a word, the castle is always there to preserve the unity. That +makes you laugh, young woman!" + +In fact, the king himself laughed too. + +"All the same," he concluded in a paternal tone, "you play like an +angel!" + +"_Au revoir_, Miss Woodville," said the queen; "I take it your Majesty +wishes to be going." + +The audience was at an end, and after a second courtesy Esther backed +herself out of the presence. Upon the threshold her glance met that of +Lord Mowbray, and she thought that upon his arm she might penetrate this +grand world, not as she had just done, for a few moments, but +forever,--forever to hold her place and rank in the charmed circle! + + + + +CHAPTER X. + +DEATH TO THE PAPISTS. + + +There was ever the same contrast between the component parts of Esther's +dual existence: after fairyland the humble, prosaic existence. A few +days after that triumphal evening Esther found herself alone at the end +of the garden, embroidery in hand. The little terrace upon which she had +seated herself was enclosed by a breast-high wall. Above this wall a +trellis covered with vines and climbing plants would have formed on that +side an impenetrable screen, had not large oval apertures been managed +whence a view of the surrounding country could be secured. Laying her +work aside, Esther leaned upon her elbows and took a survey of Tothill +Fields, where several groups of men ran hither and thither with cries, +playing at bowls and football. In the distance a gray veil glimmered +above the river, which, though invisible, could easily be traced. Behind +the roofs of Chelsea Hospital undulated the verdant masses of Battersea +Park. To the right, above the old clock tower of Kensington, the +westering sun was sinking tranquilly to rest. A few yards away a band of +gypsies had encamped for the night. The half-naked children played in +the sun, while the women were hanging out their linen to dry. The old +men, immovable as statues, crouched in the shade, smoked their pipes, +keeping their eyes on their unharnessed horses, which browsed upon the +sparse herbage. + +One of the gypsy women wandered near the terrace, and with a smile +slowly approached Esther. Tall, well-built, with a flat, sun-burned +face, glossy black hair, and bold, piercing eyes of a strange fixity of +glance, and conspicuous by the utter absence of soul in their depths, +she regarded Esther with a curious scrutiny. She leaned her back against +the dry trunk of an old willow and balanced herself, not without a +certain savage grace, which displayed her muscular limbs to advantage +beneath the rags which covered them. + +"A fine day," said she, "for such as cherish love in their hearts." + +"Love! Nonsense!" sneered Esther. + +"She who speaks thus is generally caught in the toils." + +"Can you tell fortunes?" + +"Give me your hand and you shall see." + +"Oh, yes, I know you; you gypsies are all alike. For sixpence you +announce the love of a city clerk; for a shilling, it is a gentleman; +for half a crown, a lord; were one to give you a goldpiece, it would be +a prince!" + +"What would you say," said the woman roughly, "were I to tell your +fortune for nothing? Only beware: I shall tell it, good or bad!--Ah! you +start. You _do_ believe!" + +"Here is my hand," said Esther, moved despite herself. + +But stretch and lengthen her arm as she would, her hand only reached the +gypsy's eyes. + +"Wait!" she cried, and, running lightly round to a little postern gate, +she threw it open, and found herself face to face with the stranger, who +for some moments held the white, tapering fingers in her great, strong, +brown hand. + +[Illustration] + +"Well?" + +"Your life-line is well marked, but it is crossed here." + +"Some danger?" + +"A great crisis." + +"At what epoch?" + +"If I had drawn up your horoscope, I could have told you almost to an +hour. So far as I can see, it will occur before your eighteenth year is +accomplished." + +"I shall be eighteen next Friday!" + +"In that case the hour approaches. Be prepared. I see something else. +Several men love you." + +"How can you see that in my hand?" + +"Child! I am reading your mind at this moment; it is like an open book +to me." + +Esther would have withdrawn her hand, but that she felt it imprisoned as +in a vise. The woman stood erect and rigid before her, her eye vitreous, +with difficulty expelling her breath between her half open lips. At last +she spoke as one in a dream. + +"There are three! One is dressed in black." + +"Reuben!" murmured Esther. + +"The other is a fine gentleman." + +"And the third?" + +"The third! I cannot distinguish his features.--Yes,--now I see +him!--Why, how singular!" + +"Why?" + +"He resembles the second!" + +"Ah!" + +"And he holds in his hand--" + +"What does he hold?" + +"A pencil, I think; yes, he is an artist." + +After a brief pause she resumed,-- + +"Two of these men will soon disappear, but the worthiest will marry you +and you will be a great lady." + +A flash of pride illumined Esther's eyes. + +"Should your prophesy be realized," she said, "seek me out, and I will +give you this ring which you see upon my hand." + +"I do not want your ring; give me rather the handkerchief which you +hold." + +"Why do you wish this valueless thing? Is it that you are my +well-wisher? Do you love me?" + +"I hate you, as I hate all Christians; but I have need, for an +incantation, of an object which has belonged to a virgin." + +As Esther hesitated, the gypsy snatched the filmy tissue from her hand +and fled, vanishing round an angle in the wall like an apparition. + +Considerably disturbed in mind, Esther remained some time motionless +upon the spot where the gypsy had left her. It seemed to her that the +strange creature had exhaled a sort of torpor which she could not shake +off. At last she closed the gate and stepped back. As she did so she +noticed a bit of folded paper lying at her feet and picked it up. +Unfolding it, she read these lines:-- + +"You love me. I feel it, know it. Have confidence in my love and honor. +I long to tear you from the slavery in which you live to dwell with me +in brightness and joy. Go to the Pantheon on Friday next wearing a brown +domino with blue rosettes, and when you hear behind you these words, +'The moon is risen,' directly leave the person who will accompany you +and follow the one who will take your hand. Ir order to assure me that +you consent, send me some article which you have worn. I cannot be +mistaken in the scent of vervain, which you love. While inhaling it, it +will seem as though I inhaled your breath, as though I held my Esther in +my arms." + +No address, no signature. But the origin of the missive was no more +doubtful than its destination. + +"How stupid have I been!" exclaimed the girl. "Of what a farce have I +been the dupe! Here I fancied that I was dealing with a sorceress, and +she turns out to be a common go-between! It was she who dropped this +letter at my feet. Out of doubt she knew its contents. That is why she +snatched my handkerchief, for which she will be well paid;--and all the +while I was wondering at her disinterestedness!" + +With a twinge of vexation she thought that even at that moment Lord +Mowbray probably believed that he held the pledge of his victory. + +"Bah!" she mentally ejaculated; "what matters it? His triumph will be +short-lived, since I will not go to the masquerade on Friday; though I +could go if I wished. Lady Vereker and my theatre companions have wished +to take me there. Reuben has had only one word to say upon the +abominations of the Pantheon, and my aunt, who is afraid of him, has +been only too ready to refuse her permission. But there is nothing to +fear!" + +Just a shade of disappointment and annoyance dimmed this reassuring +thought, but an unexpected incident altered the face of the matter. +Reuben was absent at tea-time. He had scarcely been visible for several +days; he appeared to be wholly absorbed in projects of import, of which +he disclosed no hint to any one. + +"My dear child," said Mrs. Marsham with a touch of embarrassment and +some mystery, "I have undertaken a surprise for you which it is quite +time to reveal. For a long time you have desired to see a masked ball at +the Pantheon, but as I dare not entrust you to the care of so frivolous +a person as your new friend, Lady Vereker, I have decided to take you +there myself." + +"You, aunt!" + +"Why not? To the pure all things are pure, and if my eyes commit the sin +of looking upon evil, I shall at least have the consolation of screening +your innocence from the dangerous spectacle. Moreover, I shall pray +without ceasing, and the Lord will go with us." + +"But we really ought to have a different sort of cavalier." + +"I have thought of that, and have asked Mr. O'Flannigan to serve as our +escort. He is a brave man, as he has amply proved himself to be. We +shall have, in case of an emergency, an intrepid defender. He has +consented, and all that remains is for us to prepare our costumes." + +Good Mrs. Marsham forgot to add that, like her niece, she was dying to +see a masked ball, and that the curiosity which had been devouring her +for years played its little part in the famous "surprise." + +"Above all things," she added, "not a word to Reuben!" + +When at last she found herself alone in her chamber Esther could not but +reflect upon the odd situation which was hurrying on towards a dangerous +result. After all, she was free to go to the Pantheon, and even to wear +a brown domino with blue rosettes, without its leading to anything +culpable. Her heart beat, and she experienced that delicious vertigo +which conducts the great-granddaughters of Eve to the verge of the +abyss. + +What should she do? Of whom ask advice? She had neither mother nor +friend, at least no friend who merited the name. Under similar +circumstances gamblers toss up a goldpiece; bigots open the Scriptures +and the first verse upon which their eyes fall resolves their doubt +after the manner of an oracle. At the moment she was standing before a +table upon which rested a bust of Shakespeare with a vase of flowers, a +sort of offering renewed each day as though it were a domestic altar. A +book-shelf upon the wall contained the works of the great dramatist. In +those pages, so often conned, Esther had learned to think and to feel, +to know mankind, the world, and love. It was her Bible, her book of +books, august and authentic revelation before all others, the repository +of her religion and philosophy. For this reason, struck with a sudden +inspiration, she caught up the volume, which opened of itself to the +first scene of the second act of "All's Well That Ends Well." In the +middle of the page five words seemed to blaze before her stupefied +eyes,-- + +"_By Heaven, I'll steal away!_" + +There was no ambiguity in this response. Esther bowed her head as if +overwhelmed by a fatality. At this moment the memory of Frank crossed +her mind. Again she saw that sweetly sad face with eyes which reproached +her for her treason. She felt an inward anguish; it seemed to her that, +following the example of the pirates of the Thames, whose cruelty she +had so lately condemned, she was casting the poor boy a second time into +the dark abyss that yawned to engulf him. + +But she rose with a sort of rage against the thought. Had Frank ever +spoken a word of love to her? Did she even know that he loved her? + +And her conscience promptly replied,-- + +"Yes, you do know; his eyes have told you!" + +Well, so be it; he did love her; but could she consider a man who +possessed nothing, whose profession earned him scarce a livelihood? +Could she marry her poverty to Frank's misery? She saw herself as if +depicted in two different pictures. Here, wretched, faded before her +time, nursing a puny infant in a garret, bare of even the necessaries of +life. In the companion picture, covered with diamonds and flowers, she +was entering St James's, while the gentlemen-in-waiting bowed before her +and a footman announced, "Lady Mowbray!" + +When Mrs. Marsham inquired, "What will your domino be?" she answered, +"Brown with blue ribbons." + +That same evening aunt and niece set out for Drury Lane as usual, +leaving Maud asleep in the kitchen. The shades of night had begun to +gather about the little house in Tothill Fields,--a calm, balmy night +towards the end of May. The strollers had gone their ways, and the gypsy +camp had emigrated to another of the great tracts of waste land so +numerous at that day in the suburbs of London. Save the distant rumbling +from Westminster naught disturbed the peace of this countrified quarter, +already dozing in the evening silence. Nevertheless, several shadows +flitted along the old wall; men in groups of two and three made their +way noiselessly towards the little postern gate where Esther had +conversed with the gypsy. A lantern placed upon the threshold guided +them towards the narrow entrance veiled in ivy. After a minute or two, +which seemed carefully calculated, a new group followed the one that +preceded it. Once within the garden the men seemed to hesitate, +wandering here and there haphazard in the dense obscurity of the old +trees. Presently Reuben's voice called to them:-- + +"This way, brothers!" + +Thereupon they followed him, descended a stairway of seven or eight +steps, and penetrated a vaulted hall, where they found all those who had +preceded them united. The floor was of well-trodden earth, while the +walls bore numerous traces of mould. There was nothing in the way of +furniture except a few wooden benches, a table at the back, and a single +lamp suspended from the ceiling, the ruddy flame of which flickered with +every gust of air above their heads. + +When the assembly was complete Reuben carefully closed the doors. At +this moment the chamber contained some twenty men. Two among them were +attired in clerical garb, but with that extreme simplicity which marked +the members of dissenting churches. The remainder appeared to be either +shop-keepers or laborers. Some even were in their working clothes, +notably a tanner with his leathern apron, and a butcher with his knife +hanging from his belt. One man only was attired with elegance, although +the tints were sombre. His little narrow head and thin, pale face, +feminine in outline, emerged from an aureole of powdered hair, and were +illumined by a pair of eyes singularly close together, black, +glittering, and hard, and animated by an expression of inquietude. His +companions treated him with marked respect, and seemed to be of one mind +in yielding him first place in everything. They addressed him as "Lord +George"; in fact, he was Lord George Gordon, a Scotch nobleman, who had +begun to attract attention in the House of Commons by his peculiarities. +After a term of years spent in dissipation, folly, and travelling, he +served in the navy, demanded a post of command from the ministry, failed +to obtain it, and suddenly joined the opposition. Again, quite as +brusquely changing his tactics, he put himself at the head of a party of +intolerants who were opposing the repeal of the laws against the +Catholics. + +Lord George Gordon took his place behind the table, with one of the +clergymen upon his right hand and Reuben on his left. + +"Friends," he began in a very sweet and modulated tone, "our host, this +worthy young man, who is animated by the spirit of God,--our friend +Reuben Marsham,--informs me that an indelible memory attaches to this +chamber in which we are met. When the impious Charles Stuart remounted +the throne of which his father had been deprived by the anger of the +Lord, and which the weakness of men had restored to the son, two +fugitives were concealed here, and lived for a considerable time in this +subterranean hall, existed here until, through the information of a +servant, their asylum was discovered. The tyrant's soldiery dragged them +forth, and they lost their heads upon the scaffold, praising God, who +held their rewards in store for them. Shades of the great dead, martyrs +of the holy cause, here do I salute your invisible presence! Be with us! +Inspire, protect us!" + +A tremor passed through the very bones of each auditor. Thereupon the +clergyman took up the word. + +"Since we are assembled for the glory of God and of His Son, let us +first invoke his most holy name, my brothers; let us pray!" + +He fell upon his knees; every man imitated his example with such +unanimous precision that the earth gave forth a dull sound, as when at +the word of command a company of soldiers grounds arms. + +The clergyman intoned in a low voice the psalm beginning, "By the rivers +of Babylon." + +To each verse all present murmured a response, toning their rough, harsh +voices. When the last _amen_ had been pronounced Lord George remarked, +"Friends, none among us is ignorant of our purpose in coming hither +to-night. For the sake of those of us who have not been present at our +previous reunions, I will in brief rehearse the facts. Aided by a +damnable philosophy, impiety has made great progress in our midst, +disguised at present under the new name of tolerance. Thanks to these +circumstances, Rome has reared her head. The great courtesan seeks to +queen it among us with unveiled face and lofty brow. Sons of the saints, +will you permit it?" + +"No!" responded twenty voices. + +"You are aware that a bill has been presented to the House of Commons +annulling the penal laws against the Catholics. I have raised my voice +in protest, but my words have been choked in my throat and I have been +treated as a fool. Both parties are united against us!" + +Varied exclamations greeted these words. + +"Burke is a Jesuit in disguise!" + +"Fox is a scapegrace, a drunkard, a gambler!" + +"Lord North's only thought is to fill his pockets and his stomach!" + +"The Parliament is rotten to the core!" + +"We must appeal to the king!" cried one. + +"I have thought of that," said Lord George, "and I brought him one of +the pamphlets which I have published on the subject. His Majesty +listened to a part of it, and promised to read the rest. That was many +months ago, and still I have no response from him." + +"The king," observed the clergyman upon Gordon's right, "has no power to +interfere in the resolutions of Parliament and in the legal vote." + +"Is he prevented," burst out Reuben impetuously, "when some policy of +his own is at stake, or when he wishes to depose some minister who has +displeased him?" + +Thereupon the tanner boldly advanced. + +"The king is playing us false!" said he. "A while ago he went to dinner +with Lord Petre. Now, do you know who this Lord Petre is? A determined +papist! He is the grand-nephew of that same Father Petre who brought to +the palace in a warming-pan that miller's son whom they presented as the +Prince of Wales, and whom they have since called the knight of Saint +George!" + +"That's neither here nor there." + +"Wait!" continued the tanner with unruffled obstinacy. "When one is the +friend of a papist, one is nigh to becoming a papist. Who knows whether +the king is not already baptized!" + +"It is certain in any case," interrupted Reuben, "that we have only +ourselves to depend upon. Unless we intimidate the House of Commons the +law will be passed." + +"Yes," assented Lord George, "that is the truth. I have given notice +that on Friday I intend to lay our petition before Parliament, and that +I shall have two hundred thousand men to back me. You don't propose to +fail me, do you?" + +"Certainly not!" cried the clergyman. "Each one of us is good for ten +thousand; we will answer for our neighborhoods." + +"Will the Methodists march?" inquired Reuben. + +"Every mother's son of them," replied a voice. "John Wesley has declared +against tolerance." + +"In that case," said Gordon, "success is assured. We will meet at Saint +George's Fields at ten o'clock; there the final arrangements will be +made. Neglect no detail, brothers, which will tend to make our +manifestation imposing, grand, and irresistible. Infiltrate every soul +with the fire which animates you. Let the voice of the people, which is +the voice of God, be heard. For a century pious England has slept, +lulled by the indifference of mechanical practices, mercantile +preoccupations, ambitious intrigues, and worldly pleasures. The sun of +the morrow should shine upon her awakening, and this awakening should be +so sudden, so powerful, as to terrify the enemies of God. Let our warcry +be that of our ancestors, 'To your tents, O Israel!'" + +"Brothers," said the clergyman in his turn, "let us intone the song of +the Hebrews, when God delivered them out of the land of +Egypt,--_Cantemus Domino_!" + +They sang, always _sotto voce_, but the sustained accent of those deep +voices lent to the terrible words their full energy. + +"O God, thou hast crushed thine enemies. The sea has swallowed them up; +they have fallen into the depths like a stone. Thou hast sent thine +anger upon them; it has consumed them like straw. The enemy hath said, I +will pursue them, I will fall upon them, I will share their spoils, I +will slay them with my sword, and I will be master. But thou hast sent +thy breath upon them, and they have been swallowed up as lead in a +raging sea. O Lord, what God is like unto thee!" + +They sang, and a very tempest of enthusiasm whistled among their bowed +heads. A sort of heroic madness raised their commonplace souls quite out +of themselves. They fancied that they felt the spirit of the Lord upon +them; not the God of pity, who blesses and pardons, raises the fallen, +makes the sinner a saint, wipes away tears, heals the wounded, promises +peace to the weary, glory to the humble, love to the forsaken, heaven to +all such as the earth has wounded and made desperate, but a powerful, +jealous, revengeful God, a God who seeks bloody holocausts, and pursues +in the children the sins of the father, in the infant at the breast the +iniquities of vanished generations. + +"The day of glory is at hand!" cried Reuben. "Happy are they who perish +in the combat!" + +"Amen!" was the universal response. + +And with that word they dispersed. + + + + +CHAPTER XI. + +THE DAY OF DAYS. + + +A cloudless sun rose upon the 2d of June, 1780. Before six o'clock a +large crowd filled Saint George's Fields and the neighborhood. A certain +number of the men sought each other and stood in groups as if in +obedience to a previous word of command. They talked together in low +tones and wore a sombre air of resolution. A great number of humble folk +and shop-keepers had come hither at the request of their clergymen, +convinced that they were destined to do a pious work in repulsing the +religious joke of which their fathers had rid themselves; though from +their very bearing it was evident that these worthies were ready to do +more barking than biting. A multitude of the curious surrounded them, +resolved to see the show out, though it should cost them a cracked pate +or two. Occasionally a face betrayed fierce expectation of disorder, a +sort of presentiment of what might occur; but the great day still hung +heavily on their hands, and the men felt that their hour had not yet +come, and that they must leave it to the psalm-singers and idlers to +lead the way. About eleven o'clock Lord George Gordon appeared, and was +received with acclamation. Mounted upon a table, he delivered some words +which were quite lost, but his desperately energetic gestures were seen +and were responded to with cries of "Down with popery!" "Death to the +papists!" + +The leaders passed from place to place endeavoring to enforce order in +this vast assemblage of men animated by such contrasting sentiments, but +scarcely had they turned their backs ere the confusion was renewed. At +last they succeeded in forming four main bodies, which, taking different +ways, crossed the Thames upon three bridges,--Westminster, Blackfriars, +and London Bridge. + +[Illustration] + +At the head of this last column marched Reuben Marsham, whose fine, +menacing face, flashing eyes, and floating yellow locks attracted +universal attention, especially among the women. Men bore before him +several banners upon which was emblazoned the legend, "No popery!" +Behind came a silent phalanx of fanatical sectarians, who ordered their +marching-step to the slow measures of a religious chant. The crowd +followed in clamorous disorder, struggling with a thousand emotions, +like a tempestuous flood-tide sweeping between the walls of the narrow +streets. From the windows and the thresholds of the shops a curious, +amused, but perfectly peaceful horde of people watched the progress of +the procession. + +Here and there a philosopher or practical man would shrug his shoulders, +murmuring, "Fanatics!" or, "Still another working day wasted!" But the +majority sympathized with the object of the expedition, and saluted the +passage of the manifesto with answering cries of "No popery!" + +No effort was made to interfere with the proceedings; not a red-coat nor +an officer of police appeared. What could all the watchmen in +London--those timid, innocent watchmen--have availed against such a +multitude, even though they had been united in one solid troop? As for +the soldiers, they were only called out as a last resort. + +Reuben crossed Ludgate Hill without obstacle, went up Fleet Street, and, +having passed through old Temple Bar, entered the Strand. As a river +receives its affluents, the column constantly grew larger through the +human currents which joined it from the north and swept into it from the +side-streets. In front of houses where well-known Catholics dwelt the +procession would pause while, amidst groans and cries of execration from +the crowd, men slashed the doors with a chalk-mark, which designated the +places for approaching vengeance. + +Having followed the Strand to its end, traversed Charing Cross, and +passed through Whitehall, the procession spread over Westminster Place, +which, despite its somewhat confined dimensions and the buildings which +obstructed it, nevertheless offered a favorable stamping-ground for such +popular displays. The other bodies had already arrived at the +rendezvous, and being united formed an immense, compact mass which +nothing could resist. The crowd, proud of its power, gave voice to a +long acclamation, above which isolated voices were heard, and which +caused every window in Westminster to rattle. + +The afternoon being far advanced, the hour of the meeting approached. +The members of the two assemblies who had not taken time by the forelock +and reached the House of Parliament were recognized as they courageously +tried to penetrate the crowd, were marked out, abused, and beaten; but +the popular hatred was particularly directed against the orators, +ministers, and prelates, who were roundly accused, as they made their +appearance, of betraying the cause of religion and of selling England to +the Pope. With their carriage windows broken, their horses wildly +snorting, their coachmen purple with rage or pallid with fear and +deprived of their whips and reins, their terrified footmen clinging to +the straps behind, the coaches swayed like ships in distress upon this +furious human sea. They cracked and oscillated, until it was quite a +wonder they were not overturned. The unfortunate occupants were torn +from their seats and dragged over the pavements by the legs, arms, and +even by their powdered cues. "Kill them! Drown them!" was the cry. Lord +North, Lord Sandwich, the Archbishop of York, and several others thus +saw imminent death staring them in the face, and escaped it only by +their presence of mind or the energy of their friends. The crowd grew +intoxicated with success, but more particularly with the gin and the +beer which were dispensed in floods by the publicans of the +neighborhood. Who could foretell to what point of excess the affair +would be carried? + +One after another the members of Parliament succeeded in joining their +colleagues. With their frills and ruffles in streamers, soiled with mud +and blood, they bore ample testimony of the violence to which they had +been subjected. Each one regarded the event according to his particular +humor; some laughed and swore, while others, grinding their teeth and +pale with rage, silently wiped their faces where they had been wounded +by the missiles, or their lacerated ears, which dripped blood upon their +fine attire. All these men bore the sword; many had used it; the +majority had risked their lives for a trifle in worldly duels, genuine +tilting scrimmages with bare bodkins. They had no fear of a London +rabble; the instinct of battle, the taste for combat, which is never +quite dormant in the breast of an Englishman, awoke within them. One +very aged member recounted how, sixty years before, the gentlemen of the +Loyal Societies, whom a Jacobite mob of 1720 undertook to prevent from +drinking King George's health, had charged upon the crowd in Cheapside +and Fleet Street and had broken not a few worthless skulls. The +recollection caused the old man's eyes to dance and excited the group of +his more youthful hearers. "What say you if we make an onslaught?" +proposed one of them. + +With brandished canes a dozen of the younger members fell suddenly upon +the multitude and disengaged a friend from his perilous situation. +Several times was this manoeuvre repeated, with visible pleasure on +the part of those who executed it. What sport it was to warm the +rascals' backs! Directly their canes did not suffice, they drew their +swords and let a little blood for the good of their patients. Each time +that this occurred the populace fell back with a howl to give them place +out of respect for their quality, but instantly closed in again more +furious than ever. Soon with that destructive power of crowds it had +broken down the gates which had been closed against them, and had +invaded the courtyard; even now it had surged to the foot of the +staircase. Separated from the insurgents by only a few steps, the +deputies, crowded together in a solid mass, stamped with rage the +vestibule leading to the House. From time to time a member of the +government would come to take a bird's-eye view of the state of affairs, +as a sailor watches the weather, and would then return to the +Treasurer's office and report to his colleagues. + +Nathaniel Wraxall, who had travelled everywhere, conspired with a queen, +risked his head in various countries, and had been mixed up in all the +brawls of his time, stood leaning upon the balustrade, watching the +spectacle with the calmly profound scrutiny of an entomologist at his +microscope. He listened to the remarks, studied the faces, and took +mental notes for the edification of posterity. From time to time he +would draw forth his watch, a beautiful work of art purchased in Paris, +which struck the hours and played the chimes of Dunkirk at noon and +midnight, in order not to make any error in the chronology of the +different phases of the day. If the precincts of Parliament, violated by +Cromwell and his Round-heads, but unassailed unto the present time by +vulgar invasion, were fated to be profaned by the mob, it was important +that Wraxall should be able to state historically at what precise moment +the fact was accomplished. + +At this moment Lord George Gordon, borne in triumph upon the shoulders +of the people, and accompanied by a deafening tumult, mounted the +staircase. He was received with a burst of violent exclamations. His +colleagues apostrophized him, seized him by the arms, and called upon +him to order back the crowd. Without paying the slightest heed, Lord +George, with his eternal smile upon his face and as calm as possible, +very gently remarked:-- + +"By your leave, gentlemen." + +Thereupon they followed him into the hall. With its vaulted ceiling, its +sombre woodwork richly carved, its Gothic ornamentation and fine stained +glass, which represented the story of Adam and Eve, together with that +of the patriarchs and the principal events in the life of Christ, the +ancient chapel of St. Stephen still preserved its religious character. +Therein Parliament had sat for upwards of one hundred and twenty years. +To be sure, it had not echoed the voices of Sir Thomas More and Bacon, +but it had vibrated to the accents of Shaftesbury, of Bolingbroke, and +the elder Pitt, and it still preserved the echoes of those noble +harangues which Voltaire declared worthy of the Roman senate. Just then +the silence which reigned within contrasted strangely with the infernal +tumult outside. At the usual hour prayer had been said, the speaker had +taken his seat, and the mace, that "plaything" of which Cromwell spoke +so disdainfully, had been laid upon the table, which indicated the +official opening of the meeting. The ministers upon their long, +high-backed bench at the right hand of the speaker, the leaders of the +opposition upon the opposite bench, the sergeant-at-arms standing just +beyond the bar, the clerk seated at the table,--every one was at his +post, as tranquil as though nothing out of the common were taking place. + +Lord George Gordon demanded and obtained permission to lay upon the +table a petition from the inhabitants of London who protested against +the favors accorded to the Catholics. + +"Two hundred thousand citizens have accompanied me in order to bear +respectful witness," he said. + +A bitter burst of sneering interrupted him, but Lord George repeated his +phrase,-- + +"In order to bear respectful but firm witness of their immutable, +unreserved devotion to the liberty acquired by their fathers at the cost +of almost superhuman efforts." + +Having pronounced these words he retired, taking special care to salute +the speaker at the exact spot where this formality is expected. + +Again the hall was nearly deserted, the members crowding out into the +vestibule. Gordon reappeared and the vociferations were renewed. The +maledictions and menaces from above were answered by an enthusiastic +clamor from below. The tumult assumed such proportions that a man +speaking in his neighbor's ear and using the whole power of his lungs +was unable to make himself understood. Believing that Gordon was about +to join his friends, they barred his passage. + +"You are a hostage," they said, "and you shall not go out!" + +Lord George made a sign that he had no idea of going; he only desired to +speak a few encouraging words to the crowd. He descended a few steps and +attempted to speak, but all that was heard were such fragments as: +"Cause of God ... generous martyrs ... detestable idolatry ... rights of +the people ... even unto death." + +Finding that his voice failed to prevail against the noise, he returned +to his colleagues; whereupon the multitude prepared to follow him. Then +Col. Gordon, who was a relative of the young lord, but of quite a +different calibre, drew his sword. + +"You see!" he exclaimed. "Now I swear to you, sir, that if one of these +wretches enters here you are a dead man! Before he crosses the threshold +of Parliament I shall have passed my sword through your body!" + +The little sleek, colorless face preserved its slyly evil smile. He +scarcely blinked his eyes before the tempest of furious insults which +burst upon him. + +"The villains!" cried Reuben. "They are going to murder him!" + +Drawing a pistol from his mantle, he was about to rush forward, when the +roll of drums was heard. It was Col. Woodford with a detachment of the +Guards coming to the relief of Parliament. + +The crowd recoiled step by step, without panic or disorder, but with a +dull muttering of hate which presaged a lively resistance. As for the +soldiers, they advanced with precaution, content to occupy the abandoned +ground and to rescue the gates. From all sides a rain of invective +poured upon them, and even stones thrown from a distance fell within the +ranks. + +"Are you going to fight for the Pope now?" cried one; while another +added,-- + +"Is it with the blood of Englishmen that the cardinals' gowns are dyed?" + +The soldiers appeared crestfallen, disgusted with the part they were +obliged to play. These fine fair-weather soldiers, who are rarely sent +to war, relished still less the repression of a riot; and somehow the +rumor passed from mouth to mouth that they were about to revolt, to +refuse to obey their officers. + +Within the Houses of Parliament a sudden change had taken place. If some +of the members rejoiced at the deliverance, others murmured thereat. The +presence of the soldiers in the precincts of the representatives of the +nation seemed to them a violation of the rights of Parliament almost as +grave as had been the vulgar invasion. One phrase, always magical under +such circumstances, circulated among them,--"Breach of privilege." The +danger being passed, or at least avoided, the sentiment of justice +towards and respect for the person of every citizen took its place. +After all, these men who protested against the resolutions of the +legislators were but using their right, albeit in rather buoyant +fashion. Were they going to massacre them? Fists, canes and the flat of +swords did not count, but gunshots were quite another matter! No, no: it +was wiser to save the powder for the Frenchmen. + +Night was closing in upon the field of battle. Their spirits were +beginning to flag, for spirits cannot continue keyed up to a high pitch +forever, and the most critical situations in great popular movements +frequently languish for the reason that they have been too long +sustained. The supper hour was keenly appreciated by every stomach, +especially by those who had given themselves no time for dinner. Judge +Addington profited by these circumstances to make an attempt at +conciliation. + +"Friends," he cried, "give me your word of honor that you will retire +and I will dismiss the soldiers!" + +A burst of applause followed the words. The Guards made ready to beat a +retreat. A louder burst of applause. Considering that they had +manifested their power and given their betters a lesson, the mob slowly +evacuated the neighborhood of Parliament. By degrees the cries grew more +indistinct, and at last Westminster Place was deserted. Both parties +fancied themselves conquerors, and order appeared to be re-established. + +This illusion was of short duration. A few minutes later prolonged +cries, and flames which suddenly burst forth, reddening the heavens, +announced the fact that the true excesses had but just begun. It soon +became known that the populace had attacked the chapel of the Sardinian +ambassador in Duke Street, and still another of the Romish persuasion in +Warwick Street. Benches, pictures, chairs, crucifixes, and +confessionals,--all had been torn down and dragged out of doors, leaving +merely the four walls standing, and a bonfire was made of these +instruments of idolatry. Menaced upon every hand, the Catholics fled in +hot haste, as if London in the midst of the eighteenth century was about +to assist at a Protestant "Saint Bartholomew." + +Thus alarm reigned in one quarter of the town, while joy presided in +another. While the shrieks of death resounded in Duke Street, they were +dancing at the Pantheon! + + + + +CHAPTER XII. + +THE MASQUERADE AT THE PANTHEON. + + +The two women had passed the entire day in arranging their dominos. Only +an occasional echo of the popular disturbance had reached them; and when +they learned that a great crowd had surrounded Parliament, Mrs. Marsham, +who was not easily disquieted, remarked: "That's good! It is the +petition against the papists." And she dismissed the subject from her +mind once and for all. + +As for Esther, a great calm had replaced her agitation of the preceding +evening. The gypsy's prediction, the Shakespearean oracle, together with +the conspiracy of things in general so far as her vanity was concerned, +failed to prevail against the sentiment hidden away in the depths of her +heart. She had arrived at a determination and proposed to abide by it. +She would go to the ball, would have as pleasant a time as she could, +but she would not permit herself to be led away. She would not notice +any such preconcerted signal as "The moon is risen!" She was resolved to +act thus--unless at the last minute, and actuated by some new caprice, +she did exactly the contrary. + +Esther was ready in good time, and Mrs. Marsham, although much slower, +was not behind hand in joining her in the parlor. + +About nine o'clock, shortly after nightfall (for these were the longest +days of the year), the women were startled by a great hubbub at the +door, which resembled the hooting of children. In her curiosity and +impatience Esther hastened to open the door, and discovered to her +amazement, in the midst of a dozen or more boys who were throwing mud at +him, a strange creature dressed like a gentleman but wearing the +enormous head of an ass. The monster, who seemed either blind or +intoxicated, bolted into the garden, slamming the gate behind him. + +"Shut the door, quick!" muttered an indistinct voice which issued from +the snout of the animal. "Can't you see they're hunting me?" + +Mechanically the young girl obeyed, and then the intruder quickly +removed his artificial head and displayed to the women the pale, +haggard, dripping features of their friend, the music teacher. + +"Mr. O'Flannigan!" + +"O'Flannigan himself, astonished that he is still alive to tell the +tale! Did you see those madmen?" + +"Madmen! Why, the eldest was not more than twelve years of age." + +"Are you sure of it?" + +"Of course. But why this ass's head?" + +"Well, they are having a terrible time with the Catholics this evening, +and I thought it wise to be in disguise; and it's all right, since we +are going to a masquerade ball. I hired from the property room at Drury +Lane the ass's head which Bottom wears in the 'Midsummer-Night's Dream.' +It fits me, does it not?" + +"As if it had been made for you!" + +[Illustration] + +"Unfortunately, in passing Charing Cross my chair was stopped and turned +upside down by the populace, and my bearers deserted me like cowards. I +hastily put on my ass's head, but evidently not quickly enough to avoid +being recognized. I took to my heels, and they gave chase, screaming, +'Drown the papist!' and they would have been as good as their threat." + +Esther burst out laughing. + +"Bah! a parcel of children amusing themselves at your expense!" she +said. + +"Yes, children! For that reason I refrained from drawing my sword. Ah, +had I had men to deal with, they would have paid dearly for their +insolence!" + +"You have indeed been magnanimous, Mr. O'Flannigan, which was worthy of +you.--Now let us set out without further loss of time." + +"But are the streets safe?" queried Mrs. Marsham. + +"I believe it is all over. At least I hear nothing." + +In fact it was the moment of cessation of hostilities when the rioters +evacuated the Palace Yard. + +Without accident a hired carriage conveyed the two women and their +escort to Oxford Road, where the Pantheon was situated. + +The passion for masked balls which had been the delight of the +contemporaries of the first two Georges had received a serious check +about the middle of the century, at the time that Europe was terrified +by the report of earthquakes. London believed herself upon the eve of +experiencing the fate which had befallen Lisbon. Indeed, a prophet +appeared in the streets who announced the destruction of the city upon a +certain date. On the night preceding the fateful day a great part of the +population emigrated and encamped in the open air; but, though the +dreaded event passed without catastrophe, a vague terror prevailed, +paralyzing all sorts of pleasure. From their pulpits the popular +preachers thundered against the vices of the day, and especially against +the abominable license of masked balls. God was about to chastise +England; already was His arm upraised against her. No more masquerades, +or a rain of fire and brimstone would devour the new Babylon; the earth +would yawn and engulf in its entrails the sinners, with their infamous +tinsel and their masks, which hid all their impurities. Thus attired +they would appear before their pitiless Master, and would pass from the +laughter and intoxication of the dance hall straight into the +inexpressible anguish of the last Judgment! + +Thus at one fell swoop the masked balls disappeared. + +By degrees, however, the panic calmed, was forgotten, and in time became +a historic memory. The strong-minded even risked a smile at the +recollection. + +The first time that a purveyor of amusement spoke of resuscitating +masked balls a wag remarked, "He may be going to treat us to an +earthquake!" The proposition met with success, and the whole town +hastened to the _fetes_ which Teresa Cornelys inaugurated at Carlisle +House in Soho Square. In the first place, the good Cornelys asked no +money; oh, no! If she accepted a little it was devoted to the purchase +of charcoal for the poor of London, who were suffering extremely from +the cold that winter. But the summer came, and still the dances +continued at Carlisle House. The Cornelys explained that her aim was to +encourage business, which was undergoing a crisis. (Business is always +undergoing a crisis!) Nevertheless, the bishops complained loudly of the +liberty which reigned at Madame Cornelys's house; according to them +Carlisle House was a very bad place indeed. + +It was then decided to create a masked ball, access to which should be +refused to persons of questionable reputation, and to which only women +of the fashionable world should be admitted. The Pantheon threw open its +doors on the 27th of January, 1772. On the very first evening Miss +Abington, who occupied a place in the foremost rank of the excluded, +presented herself smilingly at the door, fluttering her fan with a +victorious air. + +"Mademoiselle," faltered the master of ceremonies respectfully, "it is +with the profoundest regret that I am forced to refuse you admittance +to this house. The rule is stringent and--" + +Miss Abington turned and gave a signal, whereupon forty gentlemen in +good order appeared, with drawn swords. The poor master of ceremonies +yielded to number, and Miss Abington made her triumphal _entree_ to the +ballroom. Through the breach thus opened passed the whole army of vice, +from the princes' favorites to the rovers of Drury Lane. + +The evening was well advanced ere Mrs. Marsham and her niece entered the +great rotunda, both in domino and masked. Upon coming out of the fresh, +sleepy streets through which their coach had jolted them they were dazed +and overwhelmed at finding themselves in the midst of such a furnace and +din. The confusion amounted almost to delirium. The atmosphere was hot, +heavy, and charged with pungent perfumes. The heat was so excessive that +the candles melted and ran down upon such maskers as were not upon the +lookout. Fifteen hundred persons, some intoxicated, others excited by +the stir, the fun, and the noise, talked, laughed, screamed, and +fluttered about; while their feet raised a dust which rose in a cloud +and spread like a fog, enveloping the entire scene. Such was the turmoil +of the crowd that the strident scraping of the violins and the shrill +blasts of the horns were only occasionally heard. + +"This is Bedlam let loose!" remarked Esther. + +"It is hell!" responded Mrs. Marsham, who trembled with emotion and +already regretted having come to such a place. + +Mr. O'Flannigan, who was stifling beneath his ass's head, scarcely +seeing anything and hearing nothing, kept turning from one to the other +of his companions, but he had not counted upon his prominent snout, +which continually struck them in the face unless they dodged quickly. + +Amidst the rout they soon began to distinguish certain details, certain +characteristic figures. A sultana, half-naked beneath her diaphanous +draperies, was borne in a velvet palanquin upon a cardboard elephant, +the legs of which were formed by four stout men, conducted by a +magnificent Mussulman with a long beard and a golden caftan, and with an +enormous ruby in his turban. Two little negroes, one bearing a casket of +perfumes, the other waving a fan of plumes, slipped into the hands of +the gentlemen mysterious bits of paper carefully folded. Upon each of +these was found the address of the merchant in Bond Street who sold East +Indian stuffs at the lowest cash prices, and for whom the masquerades +served as an advertisement. The _cortege_ closed with a group of +odalisques, in the midst of whom a grinning eunuch carried a banner upon +which was inscribed, "Slaves for sale." These odalisques were +perpetually assailed by a band of man-monkeys, who left nothing to be +desired in the way of audacity and effrontery. Next a Friesland +nurse-girl, her head covered with metallic ornaments, gravely carried a +little dog in her arms swaddled like an infant. Then came a personage +half-miller, half-chimney-sweep, one side being white with flour, the +other black with soot. A rigorously straight line divided his forehead, +followed the line of his nose, crossed his mouth and chin, and +apportioned his body into two equal parts. Among the promenaders were to +be seen a dark-lantern, an artichoke, the shaft of a pillar, an +egg-shell, a gigantic spider, and a corpse swathed in his winding-sheet, +carrying his coffin under his arm, which he showed to the ladies with a +gesture of jovial invitation that was received with roars of laughter. +Adam and Eve in flesh-colored tights with a cincture of leaves in +painted paper carried between them a little tree, about the trunk of +which was entwined a remarkable imitation of the serpent. As she passed +along Eve gathered crystallized fruits from the tree and offered them to +the men with a sweetly innocent smile. + +Caricatures of living personages were also seen, and easily recognized +and understood. A mariner's compass which bore a vague resemblance to +George III. held its needle turned towards the north, that is, towards +Lord North, who advanced in the garb of Boreas, having a hideous +cannibal upon his arm,--the symbol of the alliance between the Prime +Minister and the Indians. Another group, formed by a Spaniard, a French +coxcomb dressed in the latest Versailles fashion, and a Virginian +planter (the three enemies united against England at this epoch), fled +before Dame Britannia, who lashed them soundly to the immense delight of +the patriots in the hall. A woman impersonating Intrigue whispered +mysteriously, distributed bags of money and pension certificates, and +wore the national coat-of-arms, on which the horse of Hanover was +represented as kicking the British lion, while she stamped with rage +upon a ragged piece of paper upon which was written in large letters, +"Bill of Rights." Near her the Pope, with mitre on his head, turned +somersaults and juggled with Saint Peter's keys. + +"We had better go above in order to have a bird's-eye view," said Esther +to her aunt. + +So they dragged poor O'Flannigan up to the top of the staircase, +stumbling as he went. + +From the upper floor, leaning upon the velvet railing, they viewed the +spectacle for some time. The great rotunda seemed like the crater of an +active volcano, while the vapor that ascended scorched their cheeks. At +this moment a string of men and women, uttering insane cries, whirled +round and round the hall with ever-increasing velocity. Woe to him who +met them in their mad career! Woe to the one who fell, for he would be +trampled under foot! Carried away by the intoxication of their folly, +they regarded neither decorum nor obstacles, and in their wild sport +lost the very sentiment of their existence as they whirled like gnats +dancing themselves to death in the sunlight. + +The two curious women turned away. Close about them were different +scenes, other phases of pleasure. In adjoining halls, which represented, +according to the fancy of the time, the interiors of Chinese and +Japanese houses, persons seated at tables ate and drank. There were +hungry women among them who greedily devoured pork-pies with prunes; +others who nibbled cakes and sipped whipped cream. Champagne and Rhine +wine flowed in torrents. From obscure corners came the sound of +whispered words, stifled laughter, and the smack of kisses. Elsewhere +the merry-makers made greater exertions, and the supper was changed into +an orgy. Mounted upon a table a young girl of sixteen danced with a +man's cocked hat slipping down over her eyes. Another with dishevelled +hair had thrown herself upon a man's knee, tossed her naked arm about a +second, and was smiling at a third with a glance languid, half +unconscious with wine. Still another, stretched at full length upon a +sofa, slept as tranquilly as if she had been in bed. + +"Come away, quick!" ejaculated Mrs. Marsham, uttering mental anathemas +upon her curiosity. + +At this moment, in an alcove between two pillars, Esther perceived two +persons,--a man and a woman, partially concealed by the draperies. The +remarkable thing about it was that the latter wore a domino exactly +similar to her own,--brown with blue ribbons. The man, leaning towards +her, spoke in low tones, seeming to beseech, to supplicate her; while +she, with a wave of her fan and a shake of the head, said "No" with a +coquettish gesture,--that sort of a "no" which is the preface to and +synonym of "yes." Undoubtedly it was one of those momentary love affairs +which are born and expire by the myriad upon such nights. However, the +cavalier appeared to be more serious than the men about him. The way in +which he pressed one of the little hands which had been entrusted to his +clasp, and sought to plunge his gaze through the openings in the mask to +find the eyes of the unknown, was at once anxious, impassioned, and +sorrowful. For one moment he turned his head, but in that moment Esther +recognized Francis Monday! + +The impression that she experienced was one of more unexpected violence +than she would ever have been able to imagine or foresee. Every drop of +blood in her veins fled to her heart, and her limbs trembled. Being +dragged away by her aunt, she took several steps without knowing whither +she was going. That one moment sufficed to reveal to her the fact that +she loved, and to teach her at one and the same blow that he did not +love her. She had permitted herself to believe his tender words, his sad +glances, and the recital of his early hardships; it had seemed so sweet +to console the lonely orphan. It was for him, without her daring to +frankly confess it even to herself, that she would willingly sacrifice +her dreams of fortune, grandeur, and pleasure! And Frank was a +libertine, after all, like the rest of them; he had never even thought +of her! At the thought her irritation against herself knew no bounds. +The spirit of audacity and adventure, which had often tormented her, +rose imperiously and urged her on, as the spur incites the high-bred +horse. + +"I have had a narrow escape," thought Esther; "a hut, a garret with +_him_, the joy of freezing to death, of starving for bread! That is what +I have been nigh to plighting my troth to,--I, a daughter of +Shakespeare,--I, who was born for a brilliant career, for great _roles_ +and lofty emotions!--The die is cast: I shall be Lady Mowbray!" + +The two women with their ass-headed cavalier had returned to the foot of +the stairs. All at once a woman flung herself upon O'Flannigan, uttering +so shrill a cry that even amidst the deafening uproar more than thirty +persons turned and paused to witness the scene which was about to take +place. + +"Wretch!" screamed the woman, "is it thus that you desert me, and our +poor children crying for bread?" + +"I!" faltered O'Flannigan, paralyzed with surprise, and well-nigh +strangled by the stranger, who had seized him by his ruffled +shirt-front. + +"Yes, you! While you are promenading here with hussies, whom I should +blush to touch with the tip of my finger, you leave your lawful wife to +the care of the parish!" + +"Madam, there is some mistake! Permit me to say to you, with all the +respect due to your misfortune, that you hold me too tight! You will +tear my ruffles, which belong to the property-room of Drury Lane. I +repeat, there is some mistake!" + +And taking off the ass's head, O'Flannigan revealed his honest face +convulsed with perplexity. The spectators crowded anxiously about them. + +"No, there is no mistake! You are, indeed, my husband, Pat O'Flannigan, +music teacher and prompter to Drury Lane Theatre." + +"Certainly, I am O'Flannigan, music teacher and prompter at Drury Lane, +but as to being your husband, may Heaven confound me if I ever set eyes +on you before!" + +"You have never set eyes on me? You have never set eyes on Molly +MacMurragh, to whom you were married by the priest at Bray, in Ireland? +You have never set eyes on the mother of your six children?" + +Mrs. Marsham loosened her hold upon the unhappy O'Flannigan's arm. + +"Can this be true?" she cried. "Can this woman really be Mrs. +O'Flannigan?" + +"My dear madam, I protest! There is no Mrs. O'Flannigan! This woman is +either a fool or a jade; she has been hired by my enemies!" + +"A fool! a jade! If there is any jade here it is this bold hussy who has +helped herself to other people's belongings, and seduced a married man +from his duty!" + +"Mercy!" gasped Mrs. Marsham in horror. + +"I do not know," cried the woman, "what prevents me from tearing off her +mask, and leaving the marks of my nails upon her as the headsman brands +forgers!" + +She advanced menacingly, and shook her clinched fist in Mrs. Marsham's +face, who feebly cried, "Help! help!" + +A circle had been formed; those who could not see elbowed their +neighbors, or mounted upon chairs, while such exclamations were heard +as-- + +"Two women! They're going to fight! Bravo! Let 'em go!" + +Some one cried out. "I'll wager five to one on the lawful dame!" + +To which came the reply, "I'll take you!" + +Others made sport of O'Flannigan's piteous face. Mrs. Marsham had let go +of Esther's hand, who found herself in the background, and quite +unnoticed. Presently a voice close behind her pronounced these words +very distinctly,-- + +"_The moon is risen!_" + +She trembled in every nerve; her heart beat violently. Her whole future +life depended upon the step she was about to take. In that supreme +moment the pantomime which she had just surprised above stairs shot with +the rapidity of lightning through her mind; again she saw Francis Monday +pressing the hand of the unknown domino and supplicating her with his +eyes. + +"Enough!" thought she. + +She closed her eyes as does one who is about to leap into an abyss. + +A hand seized hers and drew her away, and without a word she followed +her guide. + + + + +CHAPTER XIII. + +MOWBRAY'S FOLLY AT CHELSEA. + + +The situation was becoming critical for poor O'Flannigan and his +companion, when an unexpected ally appeared upon the field of battle, in +the person of the majestic Oriental who had served as the elephant +driver. + +"Look here!" he cried. "This is a shameful farce. This gentleman is +innocent; I'll go bond for him! And as for this brown-skinned Jezebel, +do you not recognize her as the gypsy who told fortunes at Saint +Bartholomew fair, and who has so often been hauled up before the +magistrates in Bow Street?" + +"It's a fact!" explained some one. "It is Rahab, the gypsy queen!" + +"Call the watchmen and let the beggar be taken to prison!" + +From all sides resounded groans of disapproval. "No, no! no police! This +is a joke. Don't do her any harm!" + +But at the words "watchmen" and "prison" the gypsy had folded her tent +and silently stolen away. + +Assisted by his generous auxiliary, O'Flannigan conducted Mrs. Marsham, +suffocating with mortification and rage, to a retired seat in an almost +deserted side-room. There a footman brought her a glass of water, of +which she swallowed half and then proceeded to take a survey of her +surroundings. + +"I shall remember this evening!" she remarked. "The Lord has punished me +for my curiosity as he chastised our mother Eve before me. However," +added the good woman, relieving her mind with a fib, "I wished to give +my niece the pleasure." + +The words suggested the girl. + +"But where is Esther?" she exclaimed. + +"Sure enough!" said O'Flannigan. "What has become of Miss Woodville?" + +Different suppositions were offered. She must have become frightened; +she must have been separated from them by the crowd. + +"But she must be sought! She must be found!" cried Mrs. Marsham. + +"How was she dressed?" inquired the man in the turban. + +Mrs. Marsham described her niece's costume. + +"Useless to search for her. Miss Woodville has been carried off, or, +rather, she has followed her abductor of her own free will. I divined +that all this ridiculous rumpus had but one object,--to daze you and +distract your attention. At the moment that I came to your relief I saw +with my own eyes a brown domino with blue ribbons going towards one of +the doors on the arm of a masked gentleman." + +"Esther! It is impossible, sir!" + +"I beg your pardon, madam. And I can go further: I can give you the name +of her abductor." + +"Who was it?" + +"Lord Mowbray." + +"As you seem to know so much," said O'Flannigan, "pray who are you +yourself? A sorcerer or the devil himself?" + +By way of answer the Oriental removed his false beard. + +"Mr. Fisher!" exclaimed the Quakeress and her cavalier in the same +breath. + +"At your service. This is Prospero's beard in the 'Tempest.'" + +"Well done!" said O'Flannigan. "The Shakespeare accessories have been +largely plundered this evening! But tell us, Fisher, what leads you to +suppose that Lord Mowbray has designs upon Miss Woodville?" + +"I have had proofs enough," replied Fisher mysteriously; "all the proofs +I want, you may believe me." + +The hairdresser considered it unnecessary to say more, or to add that +the proofs in question bore the effigy of his Majesty. + +"Merciful Heaven! what shall I do?" cried Mrs. Marsham wringing her +hands. + +"You had better warn your son," suggested the Irishman. + +The Quakeress quaked with terror. + +"Reuben! He will overwhelm me with reproaches!" + +"Never mind what he says. He is the betrothed of his cousin; he is +energetic and courageous; if any one is capable of snatching the girl +from impending doom, it is he. There is not a moment to be lost." + +"But where shall we find him?" + +"As to that," replied Fisher, "nothing is easier. All day long he has +been at the head of the papal enemies. I must be greatly mistaken if he +is not at this moment engaged in setting fire to the Sardinian chapel." + +It was thereupon decided to place Mrs. Marsham in safety in Fisher's +house, which was near Oxford Road, while the two men went in search of +Reuben. + +The hairdresser had friends everywhere. At the door he received fresh +tidings which confirmed his suppositions. Capt. Hackman, Lord Mowbray's +inseparable companion, had been seen in Oxford Road with a pistol under +each arm. A carriage without armorial bearings, with neutral colored +livery, had been stationed at a short distance. A masked gentleman with +a brown and blue domino upon his arm had come out of the Pantheon. He +had signalled the carriage, which had approached, and the man and woman +had entered it. Thereupon Hackman sprang upon the box, saying to the +coachman, "To Chelsea!" Then the horses set off at full speed towards +the left, narrowly escaping running over people. There was still another +version which a page had to tell. It was the same masked man and the +domino in the same colors; only the affair had taken place at one of the +little side-doors of the Pantheon. Instead of the coach a sedan-chair +had carried off the fugitive towards the right, in the direction of the +city. In affairs of the kind there are always points of difference among +the witnesses. Who was to be believed? Evidently those who had +recognized Hackman and heard the address given to the coachman. It was +towards the "Folly" at Chelsea that Mowbray had undoubtedly taken his +victim. Fisher was an alert and intelligent man. Some minutes later, +divested of his turban, his Persian robe, and his beard, he joined +Reuben in Duke Street. The vandals had achieved their work, and the +crowd of by-standers, lit up by the flames, gloated over the spectacle. +The blazing pile, formed of the ornaments of the chapel, was beginning +to flag for lack of combustibles. + +A horde of children of fourteen or fifteen years of age, having taken +the places of the men, danced about the charred remains, uttering cries +and causing a flame to spring up here and there by administering a kick +to the embers. A transient glow illumined the street, revealing the +faces of terrified women at the windows, and in an obscure corner a +group of the rioters with their hats drawn down over their eyes. Among +them stood Reuben, coldly implacable, watching lest any one should +approach the fire to save or steal anything. + +It was at this moment that Fisher approached him and whispered a few +words in his ear. Reuben started in surprise and rage. + +"Esther carried off by Lord Mowbray! Taken to Chelsea!" he gasped. + +However, he quickly regained his composure and reflected for a moment. + +"Friends," he said in a loud but firm voice, in order to make himself +heard by the thirty or forty men grouped about him, "there is nothing +more to be done here. If we remain longer we shall be hunted down by the +soldiers, of whose approach we have already been warned. Let us +disperse, to meet again within the hour at Chelsea, near the Bun-house. +Thence I will lead you to the assault of a house, the master of which +secretly favors the papists." + +For the time being Reuben was falsifying; but examples in Holy +Scriptures which authorized a pious lie crowded his memory. He also +added in an assured tone, casting an expressive glance upon the band of +pillagers who had given some sign of discontent,-- + +"This house is full of riches. It also contains a young girl prisoner, +one of our own set, whom this villain has seized to make her the toy of +his pleasure. Let us hasten if we hope to arrive in time to save her!" + +These words were received with murmurs of adhesion. The little legion of +disorder divided into groups, set off through the streets that led +westward, and gained the place of rendezvous by different ways. Reuben +accompanied Fisher, who recounted the details of the adventure as they +went along. + +The Bun-house was celebrated at the period for the fabrication of those +somewhat heavy and substantial cakes which still form the traditional +family diet on Good Fridays. In fine weather a goodly company was wont +to wend its way thither for the purpose of eating buns and washing them +down with port. When George III. passed that way, on his way from Kew to +Saint James's, he did not disdain to stop and chat familiarly with +Mistress Hand, the pastry-cook. She must have slept like a log that +night not to have heard the strange assemblage which formed under the +walls of her garden. Reuben found but a few of the fanatical sectarians +whom he had led to Parliament. Weary with the fatigues of the day, +content with having intimidated the representatives of the nation, as +they flattered themselves, and destroyed two of the lairs of idolatry, +they had undoubtedly gone home and to bed. One phrase only in Reuben's +brief harangue had carried the day,--"This house is full of riches!" +Well might he be astonished, for the words had fallen unintentionally +from his lips. But if Reuben remained unmoved, Fisher trembled at sight +of the bandit faces which surrounded him. Seeing them thus, no one +would have suspected that these shady cavaliers were marching to the +defence of menaced innocence. + +All told, they were some forty men armed with pistols, clubs, and +knives. Truly formidable, resolute, ready for anything, accustomed, as +it appeared, to such nocturnal escapades, they marched silently, and +obeyed promptly with some show of discipline. + +"Yonder is the house," said Reuben, "behind those trees. It is best to +form a ring about it so that no one shall escape us." + +"I have been hostler at the Folly," said a red-headed fellow with a +hang-dog look, advancing as he spoke; "there is a breach on the north +side of the wall through which I used to slip every night to join my +sweetheart Peg, who was maid at the Nell Gwynne. If it be your will, I +will conduct you." + +"Lead on!" answered Reuben laconically. + +A few minutes later the troop penetrated the little park and crept +softly in the shadow of the great trees, avoiding the gravelled paths. +The thick sward muffled their footfalls, while a high, warm wind, which +had arisen, rustled the foliage, thus favoring them by masking still +more such sounds as they did make. Occasionally a pebble crackled or a +dead twig snapped beneath their feet, but that was all. For the space of +fifty yards about the house extended an open space. + +"Halt!" whispered Reuben in a prudent tone. + +The house was in complete darkness; it seemed either uninhabited or +wrapped in sleep; however, upon examination Reuben and Fisher discovered +a ray of light which filtered between the closed blinds upon the second +floor. + +"They are there!" thought Reuben, quivering with rage; while aloud he +cried,-- + +"Forward!" + +They obeyed the command with a rush; but undoubtedly some one had been +watching, some one whom they had not perceived. The alarm had been +given, and the heavy oaken door, swinging upon its well-oiled hinges, +closed in their faces. Then from within followed the sound of bolts +being shot into place and of the adjusting of bars. + +A pause ensued, a moment of amazement, and then an outcry of rage +mingled with at least forty oaths. The man who had spoken before, the +former hostler, again ventured to the rescue. + +"Behind the laundry," said he, "there is a pile of lumber, placed there +for the building of a summer house. With one of the rafters we could +force the door." + +Reuben approved the scheme. A few moments later an improvised +battering-ram, borne upon twenty shoulders and skilfully balanced, at +the word of command went crashing against the solid woodwork. At the +third blow a splitting sound was heard. + +"Listen!" cried Fisher. "Some one above is speaking." + +The men, panting, and bathed in perspiration, paused. + +In fact, a window upon the second floor had been suddenly thrown open, +and a man--probably Lord Mowbray--had appeared upon the balcony. Every +eye was raised to him and every tongue hurled some insult at him in the +same breath. With a calm curiosity he regarded the crowd swarming and +howling in the darkness beneath him. + +"Gentlemen," he said, "we are at least a dozen strong here, well armed +and determined to defend ourselves. The first man who sets foot within +this house will pay dearly for his imprudence; but before we resort to +bloodshed, suppose we hold a parley. What is your will with me? Do you +fancy, perhaps, that I am a papist? According to my nurse I am a member +of the Church of England, and I am ready to pronounce in your presence +the test oath or any other oath, to swear by the body of Christ, the +belly of Mahomet, by Belial or Beelzebub." + +This harangue scandalized Reuben's virtuous friends, while it set their +rowdy escort in a roar of laughter. Young Marsham was not slow to +appreciate the _prestige_ which such jocose coolness in the hour of his +peril was giving Mowbray,--a supreme quality in the eyes of an English +mob; therefore he hastened to interpose. + +"You are detaining a young girl here whom you have abducted from her +family," he declared. + +"It is true," answered Lord Mowbray; "there is a young lady here. Do you +wish to see her?" + +"At once! I insist upon it!" + +"I do not understand your last words, but I willingly yield to your +request. Madam, be good enough to show yourself to these gentlemen, who +are nervous about you." + +He turned towards the interior of the chamber and bowing respectfully, +with much grace extended his hand to a woman who stood there, and +assisted her to step out upon the balcony. At the same time he added,-- + +"Hackman, my good fellow, give us some light." + +Capt. Hackman, with a blazing torch in each hand, appeared upon the +balcony in his turn. + +"It is she!" cried Fisher. "I recognize the brown domino and the blue +ribbons! I can swear that it was I who furnished that mask!" + +"Madam," said Mowbray with renewed demonstrations of respect, "are you +here of your own free will?" + +The masked woman gave an affirmative sign. + +"Has any one molested or offended you in any way?" + +She answered by a negative gesture. + +"Esther," cried Reuben, "can it be that you have forgotten--" + +Mowbray quickly interrupted him. + +"Come, come, sir! Is it in so numerous a company as this that one +proceeds to indulge in a family explanation, or gives a curtain lecture +to a young girl? Be good enough to come up here. You will find my house +open to you, but to you alone. I give you my word that if, after some +moments of conversation, you still persist in claiming this young lady, +she shall follow you. On the other hand you must swear to me--" + +"I never swear," said Reuben rudely. + +"There you are wrong," retorted Mowbray courteously; "an oath frequently +eases matters." + +"It is written, 'Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God, in +vain.'" + +"Very well. But promise me at least that, during the time, your men +shall not move or commit any folly." + +"So be it." + +And turning to his companions Reuben added, "If in the space of a +quarter of an hour I do not come out of this house, enter and cut down +with your swords whomsoever you may meet!" + +"An admirable plan," concluded Mowbray, always ironical. + +When Reuben, having been introduced into the enemy's camp under a flag +of truce, had at last reached the apartment upon the second floor, +Mowbray remarked:-- + +"Now, madam, you may unmask." + +The young woman loosened the strings of her mask, and Reuben found +himself in the presence of Bella, Lady Vereker, whose black eyes +regarded him with a singular expression of mingled curiosity and +amusement. + +"You are surprised, sir," resumed Lord Mowbray, "as I was myself an hour +ago. Heaven is my witness that it was not her ladyship whom I supposed I +had carried off; but after all, as the French proverb has it, _Quand le +vin est tire, il faut le boire_, and an old sweetheart, like old wine, +is best." + +"Insolent fellow!" murmured Lady Vereker, toying with her fan. + +Still Reuben remained sombre and defiant. + +"What assurance have I," he demanded, "that this lady is not your +accomplice?" + +Then her ladyship with feigned anger mingled with raillery, exclaimed:-- + +"I! when I have wished my reputation to protect that of my young +friend!" + +Without pausing to consider this important sacrifice, Marsham +continued:-- + +"And what assurance have I that my cousin is not concealed in some +corner of this accursed house, for it is certain that she has +disappeared?" + +"If she has been carried off, it must have been by the devil," said +Mowbray, "and unfortunately I cannot be held responsible. I freely +consent to your searching the house. I can refuse nothing to so amiable +a man." + +Conducted by Hackman, and accompanied by Fisher and the former hostler, +who knew all the ins and outs of the place, young Marsham visited every +recess of the "Folly." Carrying to a grotesque degree the affected +civility of his patron, the captain preceded them, opening all the +cabinets, the wardrobes and the closets, and even inviting them to +examine nooks scarcely large enough to stow away a hare in. Quite +unmoved by his impertinence, Reuben and his companions sounded the walls +with their sticks. + +"Esther! Esther!" cried Reuben in a loud voice. But there was never a +reply. + +The officious Hackman, who stood aside at every door according to the +rigid rules of French courtesy, showed them the kitchens, the offices, +in fact everything, sparing no detail. He insisted that they should +explore the entire length of the two subterranean passages, one of which +led to the open country, the other to the river bank. + +"Now," he remarked, "you know the house as well as its architect." + +"Well?" inquired Mowbray of young Marsham when he returned from his +fruitless exploration. + +"I have found nothing, my lord," answered Reuben with a tinge of +embarrassment. + +"Then undoubtedly you divine what I expect of you." + +"That I dismiss the men? I was about to do so." He stepped out upon the +balcony and addressed his companions. + +"The young girl whom I sought is not here; at least she is no longer +here. Consequently your presence is no longer required and you may +retire." + +A muttering of evil augury arose from the ranks of the little group. + +"These gentlemen will not go," suggested Mowbray, "until my butler has +given each of them a half-guinea with which to drink my health. It would +be a pity to give such brave fellows so much trouble for nothing." + +A general cheer and cry of "Long live Lord Mowbray!" responded to this +largesse. + +"I knew," continued the young nobleman, "that we should understand each +other. The manner in which you have split my door has given me a high +opinion of your ability in case of an emergency, and it appears that we +should accomplish great results, were I your leader.--Stay! There is, +hard by, the residence of a papist, which ought to be sacked. I have a +mind to lead you thither myself. It is not that I owe the papists any +particular grudge, but I am ready to labor for honor's sake, and for the +love of the art." + +The enthusiastic cries burst forth anew. Reuben could not but feel that +his day was over, and that henceforth Lord Mowbray was the true master +of his men. With a haughty, sullen air he turned towards the door. + +"I reserve my suspicions," he said. "We shall meet again, Lord Mowbray." + +"One moment, if you please. I reproach myself with having concealed +something from you. There is a chamber in this house which has escaped +your examination." + +[Illustration] + +Saying which, he moved a small picture and pressed an invisible button. +One of the panels in the wainscoting shot upward without a sound, like +the curtain of a theatre, revealing a narrow passage. Mowbray led the +way, Reuben following him. After a few steps he found himself in a +circular apartment furnished with extraordinary richness and taste. From +the ceiling fell a rosy radiance, soft, tender, and faint, vaguely +illumining the tapestries with which the walls were draped, upon which +were represented rare subjects derived from Boccaccio. The feet sank +into a rich carpet as into the sward of glades which no human step has +ever pressed. The low rounded furniture seemed fashioned to render the +fall of a body insensible and silent. + +Ere Reuben had had time to cast his glance about the apartment the panel +had fallen into place, leaving no more suggestion of a door than a wall +of polished steel. Mowbray had vanished, and Marsham was alone. In an +excess of rage he flung himself against the wall with all his might, he +scratched it with his nails and beat upon it with his clinched fists. + +Ten feet above his head a peephole opened, in which was framed the +mocking face of Mowbray. + +"You are giving yourself needless exertion," he remarked. "The panel +will defy all your efforts. No one can hear you, and no one will release +you before to-morrow morning. A night of seclusion in so charming a +place is scarcely cruel chastisement enough for your insolence, more +especially as this prison saves you from another. At this moment they +are searching for Reuben Marsham high and low, but truly such a boudoir +as this is preferable to a cell in Newgate. Therefore be resigned, and +seek some means of passing the time. Ah, I forgot. You will find a +venison pie and a bottle of Canary wine upon the table at your +left.--And now, good night!" + +And the peephole closed. + +There was no timepiece in that strange boudoir to mark the flight of the +hours. Naught disturbed the profound silence of the night save the +cracking of the crystal sconces as one after another the candles +expired. At last a feeble ray of the crescent dawn descended from the +vaulted ceiling. In the numerous mirrors, which had reflected many a +festal scene, Reuben caught a glimpse of his own haggard, watchful +face. + + + + +CHAPTER XIV. + +VAIN QUESTS. + + +The preceding events had occurred upon the night of the 2d and 3d of +June. The next day, Saturday, the city was comparatively quiet. + +A feeling of assurance pervaded all classes; once again it was believed +that the riots were over. On Sunday morning several priests ventured to +celebrate mass with closed doors before their little nervous +congregations, who trembled at the slightest sound from outside and +apprehensively watched the doors, thinking of the catacombs without +possessing the courage of the early Christians. But on that same Sunday, +in the afternoon, the disorders began again and increased until +nightfall. On Monday matters were aggravated. + +The blind fury of the rioters augmented with their number. It was now +directed against the wealthy Catholics and such influential personages +as had cast their vote in favor of tolerance. Savile House in Leicester +Fields was assaulted and the proprietor, Sir George Savile, one of the +most enlightened, amiable, and humane men of his time, nearly lost his +reason and his life. The mob broke into the residence of Lord Mansfield, +who escaped, half-naked, with his family, by the rear entrance. They +then built an immense pile of his furniture in the street and set fire +to it. Barnard's Inn and the Langdale distillery in Holborn yielded to +the flames. Several entire districts fell a prey to the insurgent +population. A dome of smoke hung over the city from Leicester Fields to +London Bridge, which by night flared like a vault of flame. + +However, no one seemed moved as yet. Curious idlers flocked to the +scene. Between a game of "quadrille" and a sitting at the magnetizer's, +the fair gamesters, with their idle, foppish escorts, arrived by the +coachful upon the theatre of riot and conflagration. It frequently +chanced that they were set upon and robbed, the men of their purses and +snuff-boxes, the women of their watches and jewels. Sometimes the traces +were cut and the horses sent flying off in terror, while the coach was +tossed upon the blazing pile. Amidst all this the peaceful watchman +passed with slow, methodical gait, appearing to see nothing, quite as if +all were calmness about him, and swinging his sickly little lantern here +and there in the blinding glare of the fires. + +Whether through inertia or policy, magisterial authority moved neither +hand nor foot. Col. Woodford having given his soldiers command to fire +upon the mob, popular exasperation rose to such a degree that he was +obliged to hide himself for several days. While the Guards were leading +their prisoners to Newgate they were assailed with every description of +missile. One of them being wounded in the face and maddened by the sight +of blood, was about to fire upon the crowd, when his captain exclaimed, +"In Heaven's name, do not fire!" Such management as this made the +fortune of the insurrection. + +If any one considered that King George's ministers were cowards who had +lost their heads, he was seriously mistaken. These gentlemen, with +truly British phlegm, listened to the cries of "Death!" raised against +them much in the spirit that Fielding, playing besique behind the scenes +of Drury Lane, lent one ear to the public hissing his plays. The recital +of an eye-witness describes some strange pranks during the sittings of +the Council. He affirms that there was more claret discussed than +resolutions. + +"Though I," said Lord North, indicating his colleague with pretended +terror, "go about armed to the teeth, I am more afraid of Saint John's +pistol than anything else!" Thereupon they ascended to the roof of the +house. Thence they observed the conflagration, noted its phases and +progress, and exchanged conjectures upon the direction of the wind and +upon its probable effects. + +"And now, gentlemen," concluded the minister, "let us return and finish +our wine." + +This government, discredited on account of its external showing, cared +not to assume the odium of an energetic repression. Curious as it may +seem, it was upon the opposition that it sought to shift the +responsibility. It was said that Lord North held an interview with Fox +in the lobby of Drury Lane Theatre. A plenary reunion of the Privy +Council was held under the presidence of the king, which only occurs at +serious crises and in times of great peril to the monarchy. The judges +were convoked in order to pass their opinions upon the course of +procedure to be pursued and to give their advice upon the legal side of +the question. It was Burke, the great Liberal orator, who proposed to +proclaim the martial law. + +In fact, the most alarming tidings were received hour by hour. The Fleet +and Newgate prisons had been forced, and had vomited their prisoners +upon the pavements of London. At Rag Fair and similar localities the +orgy was at its height, the license of the mob unbridled. It was no +longer a question of papism and tolerance: it was a social revolution, +greatest of all misfortunes, which had begun; it was the subversion of +law, the accession of crime. It was reported that a formidable army was +forming for the assault of the Bank of England. Inasmuch as the bank was +the vital centre, the very heart of the country, the ministers awoke +from their lethargy. As if by enchantment several regiments entered +London from all sides and encamped with their cannon in Hyde Park. A +plan had been decided upon for the total annihilation of the revolt. +Lord Amherst mounted his horse, and when by the ruddy light of the +conflagration the aged courtier was seen advancing it was generally +understood that that class of society, until now so disdainfully +indulgent, had taken a hand, and would show itself pitiless in the +defence of its property and life. Soon the firing resounded far and +wide,--at Blackfriars, at Saint George's Fields, near the Mansion House; +the victims lay about in heaps, while the Thames received many corpses +and more than one living sacrifice. + +On that terrible night, during which the horrors of civil war were added +to those of incendiarism, while so many men animated by the spirit of +vengeance and the hope of pillage rushed upon one another, a little band +of kind-hearted folk, moved by so much suffering, patrolled the streets, +bearing relief to the victims. It was Levet, the surgeon of the poor, +who urged them on, and case in hand led that dangerous campaign in the +interest of humanity. + +[Illustration] + +As he trudged along Cheapside with his troop, who carried the litters +and ladders, he recognized Francis Monday walking in the opposite +direction, and called out to him,-- + +"Is that you, Frank?" + +The young man quickly raised his head, perceiving his former savior, +whom he frequently went to see and for whom he cherished a grateful +friendship. + +Perhaps it is time that the young artist's conduct at the Pantheon ball +was explained. + +As must have been already divined, he loved Esther Woodville--loved her +with an exclusive, profound passion which was born on the same day that +the girl made her appearance upon the stage of Drury Lane. Standing in +a corner of the _parterre_, Frank had experienced those devouring +sensations which have disturbed twenty-year-old hearts ever since the +world began. + +The passion which actresses inspire in young men of indigent +circumstances and timid disposition is the most romantic and delightful +of all, since it unites every impossibility and chimera. + +The footlights seem an obstacle which it is impossible to surmount; +possession appears an infeasible, madly absurd dream, the very thought +of which produces vertigo. The unrecognized lover is not jealous of the +comrades who elbow his idol and speak familiarly with her; he does not +even consider the admirer or husband who awaits her behind the scenes. +They find in her but a woman like unto all other women. The mistress of +his heart is in his sight Juliet, Imogen, Ophelia, Desdemona. She +imparts her youth and beauty to the _role_, lends poetry and passion to +it. From such a _melange_ is born a perfectly adorable creature who only +exists for a few hours for the public, but continues to live for the +lover long after the curtain has fallen and when the actress has washed +off her paint and is supping with a hearty appetite. + +In this fashion had Frank loved Miss Woodville until the day that he had +met her face to face in Reynolds's studio. From that moment the young +girl replaced the artist in his mind, and he fell to loving her in +another guise. Their lengthy chat on the day that Sir Joshua was absent +from the studio had for the time being awakened certain hopes in his +heart. Why should he not love her? Why should she not grow to regard +life with his eyes? Little by little, however, without the slightest +event interposing to undeceive him, he realized how poorly calculated +were his modest lot and unceasing struggle with poverty to tempt a +girl reared amidst adulation and covetousness, amidst circumstances +which could not fail to nurture her vanity and her taste for luxury. +Many times had she returned to Sir Joshua's, and each time she had +addressed him some few rapid words, always with a touch of +embarrassment,--annoyed, as he fancied, at the recollection of that hour +of freedom and intimacy, desirous perhaps of effacing it from her +memory. The thought smote him to the heart, and, though accustomed to +the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, resignation came hard. + +Proportionally as the great painter advanced in his work, Frank secretly +copied the portrait of Esther. One morning, while busily engaged at his +task, the source of mingled pleasure and pain, a light chuckling caused +him to start suddenly and turn. + +"You accursed gypsy!" he cried, turning pale with anger, "who permitted +you to enter here? How dare you spy upon me?" + +It was Rahab, who, together with her numerous vocations, joined that of +model, and frequently posed for Sir Joshua. More than once, annoyed at +the procrastination or laziness of his fair clients, the painter had set +the head of some patrician dame or artist upon Rahab's beautiful body, a +genuine living manikin whom he could pose and drape according to his +fancy. Rahab had also consented to pose for Frank; and, although she +professed disdain for Christians, her hard, ironical eyes sometimes +softened as they rested upon the young man. + +To-day she was not stirred by his anger, but with a shrug of her +shoulders remarked:-- + +"Poor boy! She will never be yours." + +"Why not? Tell me, since you pretend to read the future." + +"Because she loves Lord Mowbray." + +And, turning upon her heel, she danced away, humming some gypsy ditty. + +That name filled the boy's soul with discouragement. Lord Mowbray! A +cold-hearted libertine, the most corrupt, 'twas said, of all the Prince +of Wales's new _coterie_. And it was towards him that Esther's heart had +been attracted! And the passing sympathy which he had inspired in her +was due, perhaps, to his resemblance to that man! His grief was +profound; he had experienced nothing akin to it since the day in his +babyhood when he had lost his precious goldpiece. + +Revolving these facts in his mind, he had gone to the Pantheon. Why +should he go to a masquerade? By what sentiment was he actuated? Some +vague desire to console his aching heart by a vulgar adventure? The hope +of meeting Esther there? No: rather that instinct which sometimes impels +the downcast to air their woes in the midst of a crowd. And while he +stood absently watching that wild scene, that dance of fools, a hand was +laid upon his shoulder. + +Rahab again! What would she with him, this compatriot of the Sphinx, +with her fathomless black eyes and enigmatical smile? + +"The one you love is here!" she breathed. + +"What! Esther?" + +"Brown domino with blue ribbons. Seek and you shall find. Is not that +what you say?" + +"Yes; but explain." + +"The moments are precious. In a few minutes Esther will be lost, lost +forever. Hasten, if you wish to save her. In saying this I betray some +one whom I ought to serve, but I am a woman and I pity you." + +He would have questioned her further, but she slipped away and vanished +among the groups of maskers. + +As deeply moved and agitated as he had just been indifferent and +discouraged, Frank traversed the ballroom, searching in every direction +for the domino which had been described to him. All at once he uttered a +stifled cry; he had discovered the object of his quest. He hastened +forward and was at her side in a moment. She was alone, but her eyes, +seen through the openings in her velvet mask, seemed to be anxiously +watching. + +"Esther," he said to her, "a danger menaces you. What it may be I know +not, having only received a hint of it: but permit me to follow your +footsteps that I may watch over and save you; for save you I must in +spite of yourself." + +He had seized the young woman's hand and was pressing it between his +own, without for a moment doubting that the true Esther stood before +him. + +The unknown answered never a word, but yielded her hand to his clasp as +though she derived some pleasure from the contact with this feverish +love. A man approached them and for an instant raised his mask. Frank +recognized him; it was Lebeau, Lord Mowbray's intimate companion. The +young man turned upon him with a menacing air, determined to prevent his +companion from following him. + +"Is your ladyship ready?" inquired Lebeau. + +"Quite ready. Good night, Mr. Monday." + +The voice of Lady Vereker! Frank remained riveted to the spot in +amazement. So, then, the gypsy had tricked him. He left the Pantheon and +gained his lonely garret room, vainly seeking some solution of the +adventure. + +Next day Mr. Fisher did not appear, as was his custom, in order to serve +Sir Joshua. However, the riot had ceased, and to all outward appearance +London had regained her wonted tranquillity. Soon it would be known that +Mr. Fisher had passed the night searching for Miss Woodville, who, +according to report, had been carried off by Lord Mowbray. The accident +was of too common occurrence to arouse spirited comment, especially at +so serious a time. The invasion of Parliament, or what almost amounted +to an invasion, was an affair of far greater importance than the +abduction of an _ingenue_. On this account Ralph, who gayly recounted +the news to the young artist, was stupefied to see him seize his hat and +rush forth into the street. + +Frank hastened directly to Fisher's house, who had at once shut himself +up in prudent reserve; but, pressed by questions and touched by the +young man's emotion, he ended by narrating the night's events and +proposing that he should call upon Mrs. Marsham. The good woman had wept +incessantly and was in a fine frenzy of despair, having fallen from a +state of the most serene confidence into the extreme of despondency. Her +niece abducted; her son lost to sight but sought by justice for the +events of the preceding day, of which she was beginning to comprehend +the importance; her house occupied by soldiers; and even Maud gone, no +one knew whither nor with whom! Such a conglomeration of misfortunes +was indeed enough to disturb the steadiest brain and unseat the best +established optimism. It was amidst such disorder that Frank found her, +ignorant how to solve the problem, and fearing, if she claimed the aid +of the authorities to find her niece, that by the step she should +deliver over her son to his hunters. + +There was no help to be expected from this poor, half-crazed woman; +Fisher had his clients to attend to; while O'Flannigan, believing +himself menaced as a Catholic, remained under cover in his lodgings. +Thrown upon his own resources, Frank registered a mental oath that he +would find Esther, and during those days of terror and battle, +indifferent to the prevailing trouble, insensible to his own danger, he +came and went, passing from the turbulent quarters to the more peaceful +districts, searching the lost clew with impassioned despair. + +From the first day he knew beyond peradventure that Mowbray's "Folly" +was deserted. Thanks to the persuasion that resides in a goldpiece, the +footman who was left in charge of the place found no difficulty in +permitting the young man to enter. He showed him all the secrets of the +house, the subterranean passages, even the boudoir where Reuben had +passed the night. + +"At daybreak," said he to Frank, "the stranger and the young lady were +placed in a berlin, and no one knows whither they went." + +Frank was satisfied by Fisher's recital that "the young lady" could have +been none other than Lady Vereker. It was she who had mystified Mowbray +as she had for a moment deceived him. She, then, was the one to give him +the key to the enigma. He hastened to her residence, but was not +received. Her ladyship was not in town! He recalled the gypsy's words, +who, undoubtedly having been paid by the young nobleman, had played a +part in the comedy. In order to find her he visited every spot where the +gypsies were accustomed to camp,--Blackheath, Hampstead, the fields +adjoining the Edgeware Road and Notting Hill. All in vain! Probably the +members of the tribe had rushed into the thick of the riot which +occupied the heart of the city. + +At last he understood that the gypsy had been but an instrument. As for +Lady Vereker, would she be likely to wish to save Esther or recapture +her lost lover for her own sake? Would she not play her own game? Would +she obey the will of the one who had directed the whole intrigue? It was +then that his thoughts reverted to Lebeau. That mysterious person who +was said to be the purveyor of Lord Mowbray's diversions had always +inspired him with a vague repulsion. Two or three times he had met him, +and each time he had felt annoyance at the piercing glance which the man +had fixed upon him. Still it was he who had approached Lady Vereker at +the Pantheon and had asked,-- + +"Are you ready?" + +Frank began to suspect some shady machination to which Lebeau held the +thread. + +While Lord Mowbray, accompanied by his faithful Hackman, was seen +everywhere, following with the interest of a dilettante the progress of +the riot, Lebeau was invisible. Where was he concealed, and why should +he conceal himself? Was Esther his prisoner, the victim of this +scoundrel in some undiscovered lair? Frank's blood curdled with horror +and rage at the thought. + +It had been reported that at the moment Lord Mowbray's coach had carried +off a masked woman, another young woman similarly attired, and escorted +by a gentleman whose features were not distinguishable, had entered a +sedan-chair which stood in waiting for her at one of the side entrances. +This chair had been borne off rapidly in the direction of the city. +Frank had questioned every chairman he chanced to meet; no one could or +would give him the slightest satisfaction. After three days of fruitless +search in every sense, he was at last forced to avow his impotence, when +he was accosted by Levet, the surgeon. + +"Come with us," said the big-hearted man; "there are Christians to be +succored, lives to be saved, for to-night the devils are loose, and I +know not which are more to be feared, the incendiaries or the soldiers. +Since so many are doing their worst, let us try to accomplish some +little good." + +Without a word Frank followed him. He needed action to lessen his fever, +to make him forget his mortal anxiety. The office which he was about to +fill at Levet's side was rife with peril, but whenever did a desperate +man count the cost of his action? + + + + +CHAPTER XV. + +SANCTUARY. + + +That same night, in a poorly furnished chamber, Esther sat, with bowed +head, and hands clasped in her lap. By her side crouched an aged woman +who mumbled incessantly, mingling wails, maledictions, and +incomprehensible reminiscences of her childhood with fragments of +prayers and scraps of biblical texts. She spoke to herself, never +addressing the girl, who on her part paid her no heed. Esther's +attention was riveted upon the sounds which reached her from the +streets. With every minute the firing of a platoon, the crash of a wall +undermined by the flames, or a savage clamor which rent the air, reached +her ears and made her tremble. + +[Illustration] + +The chamber was situated upon the second floor of a low house at the end +of an alley, apparently deserted by its inhabitants; for there was no +movement of life and no human being in sight. But at sixty paces away, +though invisible, the great artery of Holborn, filled to overflowing +with the howling, maddened crowd, sent a rumor of its infernal tumult to +the two women. No candle burned in the room, but the neighboring glare +from the conflagration of Langdale House illumined every object as +distinctly as though it were noonday. Thus the hours dragged themselves +away in gloomy monotony, notwithstanding the proximity of the confusion +and the fury of human passions in a state of paroxysm. Suddenly Esther +sprang to her feet. + +"Maud," she exclaimed, "the flames are gaining upon us!" + +It was true. From the side of the little court upon which the chamber +looked, the panes of a grated window had burst into fragments, while a +tongue of flame had suddenly darted forth, licking the blackened walls +and casting its lightning athwart the pervading flare. + +"Maud! Maud! Soon it will be no longer safe for us to remain here!" + +"God be praised!" answered the old woman, having raised a vague glance +upon the scene. "He gives the victory unto his saints; it is he who has +cast both horse and rider into the sea!" + +"She is madder than ever," thought Esther; "this night has quite +unseated her reason.--And Mons. Lebeau does not return!" + +What was to be done? What resolution ought to be taken? + +[Illustration] + +The circumstances which had led her into this perilous situation passed +swiftly through her mind. When she had placed her hand in that of the +unknown who had pronounced the preconcerted signal,--"The moon has +risen!"--she immediately experienced a sense of regret at her fault; but +this regret had not been sufficiently potent to arrest in time the +accomplishment of her resolution. She permitted herself to be conducted +to the door where the sedan-chair awaited her. + +"No!" she then exclaimed, "this is enough! I will go no farther!" + +"This is no time for discussion," replied an imperious voice which was +not Lord Mowbray's; "get into the chair, quick!" + +The thought of Frank, whom she was now certain she loved since jealousy +had cast its unerring ray into the depths of her heart--this thought +tortured her. + +"I am lost!" she cried, "lost!" + +"On the contrary, you are saved!" + +And with the words ringing in her ears the chair started. The men almost +ran with it, the result of the masked personage having said something to +them about "paying double." + +In less than a quarter of an hour the chair stopped in an alley-way off +Holborn, and the gentleman, conducting the fugitive into one of the +houses, dismissed the bearers. + +When at last they were alone in the chamber upon the second floor and +the man had succeeded in lighting a candle upon the mantelpiece, Esther +easily recognized him. + +"Mons. Lebeau!" she gasped in surprise. + +"Yes," he replied, "and you are out of all danger here, absolute +mistress of your destiny, since all that I wish is to offer you some +respectful advice." + +"But how could you have known? How could you take the place of another?" + +"That is my secret--at least for the present. It is enough that I have +succeeded. One word which has escaped you has led me to believe that you +will not blame me for my intervention. I await the assurance with +anxiety. Have I been in the wrong to act as I have?" + +"No," she answered after a moment's hesitation, "and I thank you. I do +not love Lord Mowbray, and my folly was as inexcusable as it has been +without consolation." + +An expression of joy illumined Lebeau's withered features. + +"Good!" he said. "But what motive has led you astray for the moment?" + +"Vanity. Lord Mowbray assured me that he wished to make me his wife." + +"His wife! He never dreamed of doing such a thing! Moreover, such a +marriage would have been impossible. But let us speak no more about it." + +"Are you not going to take me back to my aunt, whom I left in such a +ridiculous predicament, and who must be dying with anxiety about me?" + +"The predicament of which you speak must have soon terminated; and as +for her anxiety, it is my duty not to disturb it for the present. Lord +Mowbray has sworn that, by consent or force, he would abduct you this +night, and I am not sure that you would be safe in the house in Tothill +Fields, where there is no one to defend you, not even your cousin +Reuben. These are my humble lodgings, although none of my acquaintances +know of its existence nor the way thither. Rest here for a few hours. +To-morrow, by daylight, we will consider the situation. Be very sure +that Mrs. Marsham will raise no objection, will address you no shadow of +reproach. Your fault will not transpire, since I will tell her that it +was I who brought you here to save you from the peril which menaced your +honor." + +"She knows you, then?" + +"Very well indeed." + +"For some time?" + +"For a very long time." + +After a brief pause he added,-- + +"It was I who brought you, a little child, to her house before you were +confided to the care of the Quakeresses at Bristol." + +"Is it possible!" + +And, impetuously seizing Lebeau's hand, she added:-- + +"Then you knew my parents? O, I beseech you, sir, tell me something of +my mother! Who was she? Do I resemble her? Where did she die, and how?" + +The queries crowded to her lips in an imperative tumult. + +Lebeau's features relaxed in a melancholy smile. + +"Patience!" he replied. "Later I will tell you all. Only know that your +mother was exceedingly beautiful, and that you are her living image. She +too was carried away by excess of emotion and by the thirst of +adventure. There was no one at hand to give her timely warning, and she +paid dearly for her imprudence." + +Esther bowed her head, while a tear glided slowly from her lashes to her +cheek. + +"It was then that your father met her and took pity upon her. She was in +sore need of pity and protection. Her child was born. You are that +child." + +"Alas!" murmured Esther. "But my father--is he still living?" + +"Yes." + +"Why does he not come? Why does he not show himself? I should be so +happy to embrace him!" + +At this moment an extraordinary change took place in Lebeau. His +features, scarred by the battle with life, his dulled eyes, his entire +vulgar face were ennobled with a solemn tenderness. Irresistibly his +arms seemed to open to clasp the girl to his breast. Then they fell at +his sides, and his face resumed its expression of discouragement and +fatigue. + +"Your father would indeed be happy," he said, "and very proud to call +you his daughter; but circumstances prevent. I do not justify his +conduct; far from it. He has committed wrongs, grievous wrongs,--and +even more than that!" + +Esther recoiled from him violently. + +"You are my father's friend, and you calumniate him!" + +Lebeau's only response was a shrug of his shoulders and a sigh. He +turned to the window, and from a convulsive movement of his back Esther +divined that he was weeping. In a moment she was at his side. + +"Pardon me!" she cried, "pardon! You are perhaps the only human being +whose interest in me is not tainted with calculation. You have saved me +from death, you have saved me from shame, and by way of recompense I +accuse and wound you! O, pardon me, my friend!" + +Delightful words to Lebeau's ear! + +"Thank you, my child," he said; "thank you, and good by. It is already +daybreak, and all is calm. Sleep in peace. In a few hours I will +return." + +And Mons. Lebeau hastened away. Left alone, Esther dared not undress in +a house which filled her with forebodings. She threw herself upon the +bed just as she was, clasping in her hand a tiny poignard which had been +Garrick's gift. Tradition had it that the weapon had once belonged to +Sir William Davenant, who pretended to have received it from Ben Jonson. +The latter, while a soldier in Flanders, had purchased it of a Jew who +came from Italy. It was a marvellous bit of Florentine work, and must +have been manufactured towards the close of the fifteenth century. What +had been its history? In what dramas had it taken part? What ferocious +jealousies, what mortal desires, had it served? Had it ever been dyed +in human blood? In whose snowy breast, in whose throbbing heart, had it +been plunged? Considering these fancies, but especially her own destiny, +her imagination in a whirl, our little heroine fell asleep. + +When she awoke she perceived Lebeau, who stood watching her as she +slept, and she heard the clocks chiming high noon. + +"Well?" she demanded. + +"I came from Tothill Fields," he answered; "the house is full of +soldiers come thither to arrest your cousin Reuben, and they are to +remain there, lying in ambush to surprise him upon his return. Your aunt +has not come home, and up to the present time I have been unable to +discover her place of refuge. Old Maud was alone at the mercy of the +soldiers, whom, in her turn, she provoked and insulted. I have brought +her here. She will attend to your wants and will be a companion for you +so long as you are obliged to lie in concealment here, which from +present appearances may be for some time; for the city is still in an +agitated state, and this very disorder singularly favors your admirer's +plans, since he has not lost the hope of taking his revenge." + +Soon after Lebeau departed, promising to return on the morrow with the +latest tidings; but Sunday passed and he did not appear. On Monday a +child brought an unsigned note from him, which ran:-- + +"I cannot come to see you. I am suspected, and every step I take is +shadowed. Have patience until to-morrow." + +The rioting had begun again, and the two women in their sanctuary +listened to the sound of it as it grew each minute more distinct. +Esther slept but little that night. + +Next day affairs assumed an even more threatening aspect. The Langdale +distillery was in flames close by, although the situation of the house +prevented the girl from following the progress of the catastrophe. +Towards evening, when the tumult increased and the firing became +general, her agitation was extreme. The sight of the flames which +enwrapped the neighboring buildings and threatened her refuge put the +finishing touch upon her anxiety. + +"Shall I remain here," she thought, "shut up with this crazy old +creature, who does nothing but sing psalms? Shall I suffer myself to be +burned alive in this strange trap? Mons. Lebeau has forgotten me or else +he cannot come to me. Who knows if he is even alive?" + +She approached the window and looked at the tower of St. Giles, upon +which the clock marked the first hour of a new day. So brilliant was the +flare from the conflagration that Esther could distinguish the delicate +V-shaped shadow which the hands made upon the dial, the slightest detail +in the sculpture about the dial, and even the joining of the masonry. + +She resolved to depart. But where should she go? She knew not; but first +of all it was necessary to escape from the circle of fire which was fast +hemming her in. She put on her mantle and cast a silken handkerchief +over her hair, knotting it under her chin. Then she called Maud, who had +passed into an adjoining chamber. + +But here she found herself in the presence of an unlooked-for +difficulty. The old woman had fallen fast asleep and only responded to +her words, her entreaties and cries by vague mutterings without +awakening in the slightest degree. Esther shook her in desperation and +tugged at her garments, but her girlish strength, depleted by the sense +of her peril, was powerless to arouse the inert mass. + +Perhaps she might secure assistance from outside! She opened the outer +door, and, standing upon the threshold, cried, "Help!" + +All in vain; her voice was lost, incapable of piercing the tumult. She +was scarcely able to hear it herself. No one appeared. The neighboring +houses, deserted as they were, were slowly yielding to the flames, and +no one appeared to think of disputing the ravage. The almost intolerable +heat fairly scorched the girl's eyelids. + +Then she rushed towards Holborn, crossed like a flash the vaulted +arcade, the only exit which opened from that side, and ran into the +highway. + +There she paused, terrified by the spectacle which met her gaze. + + + + +CHAPTER XVI. + +GAMES OF DEATH AND CHANCE. + + +The Langdale establishment, changed into a furnace, belched forth +torrents of fire at every aperture. The roof had fallen, and the flames +ascended free of all impediment in one great sheet, which, being lashed +by the wind at a certain height, curved into an arch and threatened to +deluge the city with a devouring rain. Before the vast blazing pile a +hideous, anomalous mob clad in indescribable rags and tatters, danced +with furious, drunken joy. Several hours earlier the great hogsheads +which had been dragged out of the distillery had been knocked in the +head without ceremony, and every one had drunk his fill. Then the +precious liquids had escaped, forming foaming pools and rippling +rivulets, in which rare old port mingled with malmsey, and gin with +sherry. Along the line of these pools and rivulets a crowd of human +beings of both sexes and all ages, some with their infants in their +arms, crouched upon their hands and knees, stretching their lips to sip +the wine and mud. These were very soon rendered incapable of regaining +their feet and insensible to the brutal passage of fresh bands, who +trampled them under foot, and thus increased the quivering heap. At last +the sparks falling from the lurid heavens ignited this sea of alcohol, +which surged in bluish, spectral waves, enveloping the wretches, +drowning while it set them on fire. The wallowing bodies writhed like +mutilated serpents, the spasmodic convulsions, vain, desperate efforts, +and hoarse cries having in them no semblance to humanity. Thus the most +horrible of deaths fell upon them in the midst of their intoxication, +without so much as sobering them in the moment of dissolution. Meanwhile +the rest, amidst all this horror, continued their demoniacal dance. + +One of these fiends espied Esther. Staggering with open mouth and +outstretched arms, hideous in his bestial carouse, he made two or three +steps towards her. She fled back to the house, which she reached in a +few moments. Upon the threshold stood Lebeau. + +"At last!" she gasped. "I thought I was going mad!" + +"Be calm," he replied. "I have found Mrs. Marsham, and I am going to +take you to her. I know a way, but there is not a moment to be lost. In +less than an hour this house will be reduced to ashes with the rest." + +"But Maud!--she has lost her senses and refuses to follow me." + +Without a word Lebeau hurried into the chamber, where he found the old +woman. During the moment of silence that ensued Esther heard a sound +upon the lower floor of the house. + +"Some one has opened the door!" she cried; "some one is entering below!" + +She thought with terror of the wretch who had followed her, and whom she +had seen stumble over some obstacle and fall heavily to the ground, +whence he was unable to rise. + +Lebeau reappeared in answer to her warning of danger. Too late! Some one +was mounting the stairs, advancing with rapid step, and when at last +the flare of the conflagration fell upon his features through the open +doorway Esther and Lebeau recognized Lord Mowbray. + +The first thought that presented itself to the girl's mind was that she +had been betrayed. + +"Oh!" she cried, bending upon Lebeau a glance of despair and hatred, +"you have ruined me!" + +This fresh shock proved too much for her endurance. Exhausted with +emotion, she fell, striking her head upon the foot of the bed, and lay +there motionless upon the floor. Lebeau sprang to her, raised her in his +arms, and placed her gently upon the bed; then he bent above her pallid +face. + +"Swooned!" he murmured, as if speaking to himself. + +With folded arms Lord Mowbray watched him, following every movement with +an ironical smile. + +"Master Lebeau!" he said, breaking the silence. + +"My lord?" answered Lebeau, turning and facing him, pale but resolute. + +"Do you still deny that you have played me false?" + +"More than ever do I affirm that I have served your lordship +faithfully." + +"By thwarting my plans and robbing me of this girl?" + +"By robbing you of this girl, yes. It was my duty." + +"Your duty? That is the first time I have ever heard the word upon your +lips." + +"That was my fault. After all, my lord, perhaps there is a God." + +"You should have sooner told me so. If you are converted, go join the +hypocrites of your ilk, and leave me. This deserted place, this night of +conflagration and slaughter, this unconscious girl,--all suits me well. +I have a fancy for adventure which has no vulgar tang about it." + +Standing between the bed where Esther lay and young Mowbray, Lebeau did +not move. + +"Excuse me, my lord," he said steadily, "it is you who are to leave. You +will not lay a finger upon this child." + +"Why not?" + +"Because I forbid you." + +"And pray why do you forbid me?" + +"_Because she is my daughter and your sister!_" + +For an instant Mowbray stood transfixed with amazement; then he burst +into a laugh. + +"By my soul!" he exclaimed, "my father was right: you are the most +amusing rascal in the world! Long live Lebeau! No human being but you +could have conceived such an idea. The day that my father awoke in the +bottom of that monster pie, the surprise was good, but it cannot hold a +candle to this one! After this night's affair no one can ever say that +you are degenerating; for your imagination, my dear man, was never so +brilliant. Ask me a hundred pounds, or twice that amount; I will refuse +you nothing. But go away now and let the farce end. I have enough of +it." + +"I shall not go, and this is no farce. I repeat, Esther Woodville is +your sister." + +The young man smiled disdainfully. + +"Would you have me believe that Lady Mowbray--" + +"Lady Mowbray was a saint! May she hear and pardon me!" + +"Amen!" + +"Mock if you will, for you will not mock long. Lady Mowbray had nothing +whatever to do with this affair; moreover, Lady Mowbray was a stranger +to your birth, sir!" + +This time the young nobleman recoiled in rage. + +"Listen to me," said Lebeau authoritatively. + +Esther was beginning to recover a vague consciousness. Athwart the +shadows of her swoon thought began to reassert itself, though doubtful, +timid, misty. Stretched upon the bed, incapable of movement, her eyes +closed, she heard voices without comprehending what they said, without +distinguishing the sense of what was spoken. + +"Twenty-three years ago," continued Lebeau, "two women were _enceintes_ +at the same time, the wife and the mistress of Lord Mowbray, one at his +residence in St. James's, the other in a chamber of his 'Folly' at +Chelsea. The latter was the daughter of a London shop-keeper, whom Lord +Mowbray had abducted from her family, and had concealed as his prisoner. +It was Fate's decree that his lordship should be made a father twice in +one and the same night. He called my attention to your vigor and +vitality when you came into the world. 'Look, Lebeau,' he said to me, +'it is a genuine love-child. See how strong he is, while the other--' +Then a thought occurred to him: why not substitute the illegitimate for +the legitimate child? He hated his wife as he hated all things good and +pure. The thought of rearing the child of a rival charmed him, and he +considered me worthy to execute the change. It was I who bribed the +young nobleman's nurse and placed you in his cradle. When your mother's +health was re-established Lord Mowbray washed his hands of her and the +child whom she believed hers. It was enough for him that the child +should be dispossessed of his fortune and title; he desired that he +should be wretched, deprived of everything. He knew that the family of +his mistress, inflexible as they were in principles, would close their +doors upon the fallen girl and her child. At rest upon this point, he +forbade me to give the sufferers aid, and I disobeyed him." + +"That was the beginning of virtue!" + +"No, sir. I found her beautiful and provided for her. In my turn she +made me a father, but I treated her as though I were a grand gentleman. +I sank to the infamous level of Lord Mowbray. I exposed her to all the +hazards and misery of a wandering life. She became an actress and +travelled from country town to country town, with a troop of mediocre +actors, dragging Lady Mowbray's son along with her, the child whose +position and name you had usurped. She died--almost starving!" + +Lebeau pronounced these final words in a harsh tone of profound woe, +upon which slowly accumulated remorse had set the tinge of indescribable +bitterness. + +"My daughter," he continued after a pause, "I saved from this cruel +existence, provided for her education, and placed her in the home of +honest folk." + +"And the other,--the vagabond, my pretended brother?" + +Beneath Mowbray's apparent irony Lebeau detected his anxiety. + +"His life has been hard, frightfully hard, sir; until the age of ten +years so cruel was it that the recital of his sufferings would touch +any other heart than yours. From one adventure to another he at last +fell into the hands of the Thames pirates, who made a little thief of +him, and reared him for a life of shame and crime." + +"Very much as you reared me." + +"It is true. I merit the reproach and accept it; but while your evil +instincts grew apace, the germ of good developed in your brother. He +fled from those who had marked him for wrong-doing, and was received by +upright persons.--Ah, you would like to know if he still lives? Do you +think me fool enough to deliver him over to your jealousy and +suspicions? No. You now know enough of this business to understand that +you ought not to remain here an instant longer." + +"I have listened to you even unto the end with a patience that +astonishes me. It would appear from this recital that I am under +nameless obligation to you, your _protege_, your creature. As the king +reigns by the grace of God, I am a nobleman by permission of Mons. +Lebeau, and if I cease to merit his good opinion, I lose everything! +Well," he added, suddenly changing his tone, "I do not care to know how +much truth there is in your story, but I do know that this situation is +no longer tenable. No such man as I am ought to be at the mercy of a +Lebeau, hanging upon his discretion. The surest means of my assuring +myself of your silence is to kill you! And kill you I will!" + +Saying these words, he whipped out his sword and darted upon his former +tutor. + +Esther uttered a feeble cry, but the cry was lost in a frightful crash. +A neighboring wall, undermined by the fire, reeled and fell, striking +upon the roof of the house. A rafter in falling struck the window and +shattered it. A dense, stifling smoke, starred with a myriad sparks, +filled the chamber. + +Meanwhile Lebeau, who had never for an instant lost sight of Mowbray's +movements, had darted backward a pace or two, thus placing a table +between himself and his adversary, at the same time drawing his sword in +his turn. Now they were equally matched. It was he who had first placed +a fencing-foil in the young man's hand, he who had taught him with +infinite patience all the secrets of the French and Italian schools of +fencing. In those very schools had they studied the noble art in +company, not disdaining the lessons of resident masters. They had fenced +together every day for ten years, but had never succeeded in scratching +each other, so easy was it for either to parry the thrusts of the other +and to divine his intentions. However, it was necessary that one of +these two men, who had lived so long together as master and disciple, +almost as father and son, should take the other's life; and each bore +written upon his very eyes the fierce desire, the implacable longing, to +kill. + +It was not a duel, but a combat. Shifting their footing, retreating +precipitately or lunging unexpectedly, profiting by every obstacle, +bending forward until they almost squatted upon the ground, or bounding +into the air, every few moments they would desist, watching each other, +panting, bathed in perspiration, their features rigid as if petrified +with the same mortal intent. The furniture lay about them upset and +broken, and all the while the smoke continued to thicken. It grew +suffocating and darkened the chamber, recently so bright, while at the +same time it altered the character of the combat, which threatened to +become a blind struggle in the dark. Not a word was exchanged; nothing +was audible but the stifled oaths, the short, harsh breathing that +rattled in the throat, the hissing of the crossed swords, that metallic +sound which freezes the marrow in the bones like a death-knell. In the +adjoining chamber old Maud chanted:-- + +"Saul hath slain a thousand, but David hath slain ten thousand! Glory be +to the God of hosts! _Deus Sabaoth! Alleluia!_" + +Outside the house the tumult of the horrible fete had waned and expired +in a vague, distant wail, intermingled with the dying shrieks of the +participants. + +Slowly Esther raised herself upon her elbow; with eyes dilated with +horror she watched the two men as they pursued and evaded each other, +leaping like stags in the ruddy smoke which was neither day nor night. +She fancied herself the dupe of some hideous nightmare. + +Neither of the combatants seemed aware of her presence, since both held +their sight riveted upon the tips of their swords as if their very souls +had passed into the glittering points. But Lebeau was weakening, and he +knew it. His grasp trembled and his sight grew dim from minute to +minute. A cold sweat pearled upon his brow, which he attempted to wipe +away with a swift gesture of his left arm; but the beads grew more +abundant, dripped from his eyebrows to his eyelids, and obscured his +vision. His weary feet struck the furniture; already had he stumbled +once; a sort of vertigo caused surrounding objects to whirl about him. +It was death!... Then in sheer desperation he thrust out blindly. + +Esther saw the two men run each other through, fall almost one on top of +the other, roll heavily over upon the floor, and lie motionless. Again +she lost consciousness, and for a time no sound disturbed the silence of +the chamber save the chanting of the mad woman. + +However, Lebeau raised himself, and strove to collect his ideas and +strength. He was losing great quantities of blood, but the welfare of +Esther was the only clear thought which remained amidst the baleful +giddiness which had invaded his brain. Save Esther! But how? Bear her +away in his arms? He could not do it. Had he even the strength left to +crawl to the stairs, drag himself down and through the alley in search +of help? Yes, there was no alternative. But in the mean time would not +the fire reach her in its swift course? Would not the smoke asphyxiate +the poor child? Stimulated by this alarming thought, the unhappy man +began to drag himself by his bruised and bleeding hands. Every now and +then he was forced to pause, exhausted, fainting, believing that the end +had come. "Esther!"--that name alone revived him. His daughter! his +child! No, he would not leave her to die like that. As for himself, what +mattered it? But _she_, so young, so beautiful,--she, for whom life was +so full of promise! Thus he advanced step by step, lowering himself from +stair to stair amidst the most atrocious agony. + +[Illustration] + +But when he reached the foot of the stairs he discovered that the wind +had closed the door which Lord Mowbray had left open. He stretched out +his hand and tried to raise himself upon his knee. He could not do it. +Horrible mockery! So simple an action,--to raise a latch, thrust open a +door; but he could not do even so much, he who had accomplished such +extraordinary feats! And salvation lay beyond that door, for it seemed +to him--or was it an illusion?--that he caught the sound of voices in +the court. He strove to raise his voice, but no sound issued from his +lips. Then he sank down in an inert mass, his body obstructing the door +which he would have given the last hour of his existence to open! + +Lebeau had not been mistaken; there were voices in the alley-way. +Perhaps, had he been able to attempt one supreme effort, he would have +recognized the voice of his compatriot, the surgeon of the poor, and +that of Francis Monday. + +In fact, they were continuing their work of succoring the unfortunates, +upon which they had been engaged for several hours. They had relieved +more than one wounded sufferer, had snatched from the flames more than +one wretch lying at death's door. They pursued their course like +soldiers of duty and humanity, soiled with blood and mud, their +eyelashes singed, their clothing in disorder. Many times had the flying +bullets grazed them. Many times had they been insulted and menaced. They +had seen one of their number crushed by the fall of a blazing wall, but +their zeal had not been dampened; and it was Frank who, in a sort of +heroic frenzy, now urged on his companions. + +It was rumored in the crowd that behind the flaming ruins of the +Langdale establishment was a group of dwellings, now wrapped in fire, +which had not been evacuated by the inhabitants. + +In seeking a way to reach these unfortunate sufferers, Levet and Frank +had gained the alley-way upon which Lebeau's little house was situated. + +Suddenly Frank paused. + +"Did you hear that?" he exclaimed. + +"What?" + +"I don't know.--A voice--singing--in this house!" + +They held their breath, and the psalmody of old Maud distinctly reached +the ears of the surgeon and his followers. + +"There is someone in there!" cried Levet, "and the roof is already on +fire! They must be raving maniacs!--What ho! Within there!" + +He walked around the house, endeavoring to attract the attention of the +inmates. + +"Can you not see that the fire is gaining upon you?" he cried. "Come +out, quick!" + +But there was no reply, only in the interim of silence they again heard +the old fool's monotonous chanting, the very words even being audible. + +"We must save them at any cost!" exclaimed Levet. "Come, comrades!" + +They tried to force the door, but as it resisted their efforts they +supposed it must be locked. + +"To the window!" said Frank. + +With a blow of his elbow he shattered the glass, and, inserting his hand +through the fracture, adroitly opened the casement. It was one of the +talents taught him by his early instructors, the river thieves. + +Then, springing upon the window ledge, he entered the chamber, followed +by Levet. + +"One dead already!" cried the surgeon. "Great Heaven, it is Lebeau! No, +he still breathes! Hand me a lantern, gentlemen!" + +He was already upon his knees beside the dying man. + +At the name of Lebeau a sudden thought crossed Frank's mind. If the man +he had sought high and low had been found in this sordid retreat, +perhaps he was close upon the solution of the enigma. Hastily he sprang +up the steep steps of the little stairway,--so hastily that he slipped +in the tracks left by Lebeau's bleeding hands. Upon the landing of the +second floor an unexpected enemy lay in wait for him; a jet of smoke and +flame, issuing from the wide-open door, scorched his face and nearly +suffocated him. With his hands upon his eyes he attempted to rush +through, but tripped over a pair of legs extended upon the floor. + +"Still another body!" he thought with horror. + +Upon his knees he felt his way with difficulty up to the face of the +dead. It was Lord Mowbray who lay there upon his back, his hair burned +to a crisp, his features blackened but still set in that last defiant +grimace. + +Frank had seen enough and was about to recoil to the door, when it +seemed to him that in a corner of the chamber he descried a human figure +lying upon a bed. + +Gathering all his energy, he darted thither. + +Esther!--it was she! + +"Help!" he cried; "help! Levet!" + +The surgeon answered the call with several men, but they were arrested +by the terrible current of scorching air which traversed the chamber +from the window to the door. + +"She is dead, and I will die with her!" + +Such was the only thought that filled Frank's distracted brain. In +despair he threw himself upon the bed, murmuring, "Esther, my beloved!" + +And even in that awful moment when his lips touched that still warm +cheek the supreme contact was one of ineffable sweetness. Knotting his +arms about the object of his love, who had not been granted the +opportunity to love him, the poor boy bade farewell to life. + +But simultaneously a voice, scarcely more than a sigh, murmured in his +ear, "Save me!" + +In an instant he was upon his feet. With a vigor of which he would not +have believed himself capable a moment before, he raised the girl in his +arms and sprang with her through the belt of igneous smoke. + + + + +CHAPTER XVII. + +HORACE AND SHAKESPEARE. + + +The sun was already high above the horizon when at last Lebeau opened +his eyes. The brilliant light of dawn, penetrating the chamber where he +lay, wounded his sight, and his heavy eyelids drooped. After a moment he +raised them painfully and perceived the kindly face of the surgeon of +the poor bending above him. + +"Do you recognize me?" he asked. + +The sufferer made an affirmative sign and feebly faltered Levet's name. +Then in a low, indistinct tone he inquired,-- + +"Where am I?" + +"At Dr. Johnson's house. Keep perfectly quiet and all will be well." + +Suddenly memory asserted its sway. + +"Esther!" Lebeau cried, in as eager and anxious a voice as his utter +prostration would permit. + +"Miss Woodville is here. She is alive, having only fainted. There was a +slight abrasion of the flesh behind her ear, probably the result of a +fall; but that will soon disappear. And as for you, my good friend, we +shall soon have you upon your feet again." + +Lebeau moved his eyes in a negative sign, and with a sad smile +murmured,-- + +"My account is settled. Why do you attempt to deceive me? Am I a +coward?" + +A moment later he asked,-- + +"Who saved Esther?" + +"Francis Monday, the foundling, Sir Joshua Reynolds's pupil." + +Levet briefly recounted how the rescue had come about; how old Maud, +whose obstinacy and madness had nearly been the cause of her young +mistress's death, had finally saved her life by her psalm-singing; with +what infinite difficulty they had entered the house and snatched from +the devouring flames three living beings and one corpse. + +"One thing is certain," he concluded, "and that is, that these two +children love each other. It was his future wife whom Frank saved last +night in Holborn, and, though this sad week will leave its mark in ruins +for many a day, it has at least served to make two hearts supremely +happy." + +A profound satisfaction overspread the pallid features of the dying man. + +"Miss Woodville has begged several times to see you. Shall I bring her +to you?" + +Lebeau's face brightened still more. Then he appeared to reflect. Of +course it would have been balm to his departing soul to make himself +known to her, to be a father for one short hour, to go with the pardon +and caress of his child. But would she not repulse him? Would she find +him worthy of her? And after all, was it not better that she should +remain a foundling rather than be known as the child of Lebeau, the +adventurer, the professor and purveyor of vice to the great?--Ah, well! +he would hold his peace, would die without disturbing any one, and leave +her happy. But in any case he must hasten to inform Frank who he was, +and give him the means of establishing his identity. + +"Frank!" he murmured. "I wish to see Frank--to speak with him." + +"You have made sufficient effort for to-day. Rest now; to-morrow you +shall talk with him." + +"To-morrow--I shall not be here. Go--go and find him." + +Without further objection Levet, who understood the true condition of +his patient, left the chamber. In a few moments he reappeared, followed +by Frank and Esther hand in hand. Their faces, radiant with youth and +happiness, clouded with sadness. With bowed heads and faltering steps +they approached the bed. Frank paused upon one side, while Esther sank +upon her knees at the other. + +"Father!" she breathed. + +"Then you heard--" + +"All!" + +The emotion proved too much for the sufferer. He felt his head swim, and +believed that the final vertigo had come. + +"Only one moment!" he murmured, as though demanding respite of the +destructive forces of nature; "Frank must know--" + +"Frank already knows that he is the true Lord Mowbray," whispered +Esther. + +"But the proofs!" pursued Lebeau; "the proofs are necessary. The nurse, +Elizabeth Hughes, still lives--at Bangor--in Wales. She will give all +the necessary evidence.--Elizabeth Hughes--do not forget!" + +He was exhausted with so much speech. His aching eyes had lost their +circumspection. Gropingly his hand sought the fair head of his daughter +and rested there. Then his thoughts fled backward over forty long years. +Again he saw the humble peasant's cot in the mountains of Dauphine, +whence he had set out to see the world. We saw a dying woman lying upon +her bed,--his mother! Her faltering hand was laid upon his boyish head, +pressing it gently, tenderly. All the remainder of his existence had +vanished; all that remained was the Alpha and Omega; an utter void +united that caress received and this caress given. It was a foretaste of +that world where there is no reckoning of time, where moments are as +ages, where thoughts and acts are lost in one eternal present. + +Entering noiselessly, Levet passed here and there about the room upon +tiptoe. Lebeau realized all that took place, but the power of perception +had abandoned him. + +"Are you there, doctor?" he asked. + +"Yes." + +"Bring them close to me." + +Esther stooped and kissed the brow upon which the dews of death had +begun to gather. + +"We shall meet again, father," she whispered. + +"Perhaps," faltered Lebeau. + +"Did you wish to sleep?" inquired Levet, when the young people had left +the room. + +"No, but I could not die before them. There is no use in saddening their +young lives." + +The surgeon did not attempt to deny the danger. + +"You are a brave man, comrade," he said; "and since you are able to look +death in the eye, do you not wish to make some preparation? There is a +Catholic priest here in the house. Although Dr. Johnson is no friend to +the papists, he has given this man the protection and shelter of his +roof. If you desire to see him I--" + +But Lebeau made a negative sign, while by some singular reaction the +sceptic and philosopher again took possession of his expiring body. + +"Read to me," he said, "the ode of Horace--to Posthumus." + +"Horace's ode to Posthumus!" repeated Levet, scarcely believing that he +had heard aright. + +But he had made no mistake. It was Lebeau's wish that the Horatian ode +should be read to him instead of the prayers for the dying. The aged +surgeon arose and passed into an adjoining apartment, which contained +Dr. Johnson's library. Soon he returned with a large book in his hand, +and seated himself at the bedside. In a slow, impressive voice he began +to read the famous ode, which the dying man accompanied in a low murmur, +punctuating the familiar verses as though he were giving the responses +to a psalm. + +"'_Visendus ater flumine languido_,'" Levet read. + +"'_Cocytus errans_,'" continued Lebeau faintly. + +But when Levet pronounced the fatal words, which typify "the end-all +here," _Linguenda tellus_, he perceived that no response came from the +bed. Quickly he bent above the poor pagan, and placed his hand upon his +heart; finding no answering throb there, with reverent fingers he closed +the eyes of the dead. + + * * * * * + +After a few days London regained her habitual aspect. Blackened ruins; +fragments of walls and roofs, still sheltering emptiness; gaping, +desolate spaces, which had once been human abodes with happy firesides, +about which many generations had been warmed and cheered,--these alone +remained to tell the tale of that four days' madness, of the strange +delirium which had fallen upon the great city. But how many human +remains lay beneath these ruins, which would never be recognized, and +how many corpses had been swallowed by the Thames? One knew not, one +dared not attempt to estimate. Some unfortunate wretches, who confessed +nothing and remembered still less, or, lost to all sense of decency, +accused each other, were hastily tried and hanged. The principal +criminal, he who had loosed the passions of the populace, Gordon, was +already under lock and key in Newgate. Had he been more misguided than +perverse? He was given the benefit of the doubt. His madness, and +perhaps his rank, saved him: but the remarkable fact remains that this +man, who had set fire to London and led to death several hundred human +beings, not to mention the enormous destruction of property of which he +was the cause, was not punished; though a few years later, having +written some insolent lines upon Queen Marie Antoinette, he was thrown +into prison and there languished for the remainder of his days. + +When Reuben at last appeared after a considerable lapse of time, the +events of June, 1780, had begun to be obliterated from the public mind. +Though in no way apprehensive for his personal safety, he seemed pursued +by a memory, haunted by a remorse which it was impossible to evade. +Gloomy and humiliated, he shunned meeting his "brethren," who accused +him of having deserted them in the hour of peril. He made no opposition +to his cousin's marriage, but refused to be present; and on the very day +that the wedding was celebrated he embarked with some emigrants bound +for Canada. Thence later he journeyed to Botany Bay, after which time no +tidings were received from him. It was thought that he preached the +gospel in Australia. Some believed that he was killed and devoured by +cannibals; others pretended that he died at Sydney in extreme old age. + +Lady Vereker, whose name has been assumed out of respect to her family, +continued her disorderly course of life and became a desperate +faro-player, remaining steadfast to her alliance with Lady +Buckinghamshire, Lady Archer, and Mrs. Hobart. She transformed into a +_quatuor_ the ignobly famous trio whom the caricaturist Gillray so +frequently exposed to ridicule and shame in his cruel sketches. + +Mrs. Marsham recovered her peaceful afternoons in which she was wont to +dream those pious dreams which translated her to Paradise, where she +never failed to be received with distinction. Mr. O'Flannigan, the +crisis over, resumed the slaughter of his enemies (in words, be it +understood), and acted as prompter until his own cue came summoning him +from the field of service. Maud never recovered the minimum of sense +with which Heaven had endowed her. In the asylum to which she was +banished she continually narrated the end of the world, which she firmly +believed she had witnessed. + +Thanks to the testimony of Elizabeth Hughes, Frank was able with but +little difficulty to establish claim to his title and possessions. The +king and queen, together with the entire nobility, evinced the deepest +interest in his romantic story and that of his young wife. + +He resolved to destroy the "Folly," which could only serve evil purposes +and recall unpleasant memories. Before its demolition Esther expressed a +wish to see the place which had exerted so strange an influence upon her +life and that of her husband; consequently they visited those haunts +which had never witnessed a pure, upright love,--love as clear as the +day and conscious in its pride. + +It was just one year after Lebeau's death, and a perfect summer's day. +The radiance of an unclouded sun flooded the apartments, to which still +clung an indescribably sensual perfume, the faded hangings, and +licentious pictures. Esther could not disassociate the thought of her +ill-starred mother from this abyss, while Frank evoked the memory of his +mother, the pale, charming being whom Reynolds had sketched, towards +whom his heart had involuntarily yearned. Had not every stone in this +hideous house weighed upon her as heavily as though she had worn it +about her neck? Had not every infidelity which this den of infamy had +witnessed cost her a tear, a pang, humiliation? Thus, hand in hand, they +passed from room to room, oppressed at heart; and they experienced a +sense of infinite relief when at last the doors of the accursed mansion +closed behind them and they saw God's daylight resting upon the meadows +and the mellow cornfields softly swaying in the June breeze. + +At the Bun-house were congregated many Londoners, who had come out to +the country to enjoy this rare day. Sedan-chairs, coaches and horses +held by pages in brilliant livery, formed a picturesque group; while +dogs barked joyously amidst the crowd. The porters and grooms were +grouped about a juggler, who aroused their merriment with his tricks, or +smoked their pipes beneath the ample, pillared veranda of the house. +Within doors some were admiring the silver pitcher presented to Mistress +Hand by Queen Charlotte, or the two leaden grenadiers, with their +German shakos in sugar candy, and uniforms of 1745; while others, seated +about a grass plot beneath elm-trees trained into the shape of vaulted +arches, sipped a dish of tea with one of those famous smoking, piping +hot buns as its accompaniment. These delicate, savory confections had +made the reputation of the house. + +The remaining few had formed a circle about Rahab, the fortune-teller. +Perceiving Frank and Esther among her audience, she impudently +exclaimed,-- + +[Illustration] + +"Ask that pair if I do not tell the truth! It was I who predicted their +happiness." + +"You!" said Esther, amazed at her audacity. "Do you pretend that you +predicted to me--" + +"I told you that you would marry Lord Mowbray. Have I deceived you?" + +Esther smiled and blushed. + +"Give her a trifle," she said to her husband. + +And while the young nobleman emptied his purse into the gypsy's hands, +Garrick's pupil murmured these verses of her favorite poet,-- + + "All yet seems well; and if it end so meet, + The bitter past, more welcome is the sweet." + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Garrick's Pupil, by Auguston Filon + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GARRICK'S PUPIL *** + +***** This file should be named 35023.txt or 35023.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/3/5/0/2/35023/ + +Produced by Annie McGuire. 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