"And you do love your cousin," he cried, angrily, pausing to watch her half-averted face.
She turned it fully towards him, and answered, with her native sincerity: "Yes, I do, with all my heart, and now my mother will not thwart me, for Maurice has saved my life, and I am free to devote it all to him."
"Happy man, I wish I had been a cripple!" sighed Annon, then with a manful effort to be just and generous, he added, heartily, "Say no more, he deserves you; I want no sacrifice to duty; I yield, and go away, praying Heaven to bless you now and always."
He kissed her hand and left her to seek my lady and make his adieux, for no persuasion could keep him. Leaving a note for Sir Jasper, he hurried away, to the great relief of Treherne, and the deep regret of Blanche, who, however, lived in hopes of another trial later in the season.
"Here comes Jasper, mamma, safe and well," cried Octavia, an hour or two later, as she joined her mother on the terrace, where my lady had been pacing restlessly to and fro nearly ever since her son rode away.
With a smile of intense relief she waved her handkerchief, as he came clattering up the drive, and seeing her, he answered with hat and hand. He usually dismounted at the great-hall door, but a sudden whim made him ride along the wall that lay below the terrace, for he was a fine horseman, and Mrs. Snowdon was looking from her window. As he approached, the peac.o.c.ks fled screaming, and one flew up just before the horse"s eyes as his master was in the act of dismounting. The spirited creature was startled, sprang part way up the low, broad steps of the terrace, and being sharply checked, slipped, fell, and man and horse rolled down together.
Never did those who heard it forget the cry that left Lady Treherne"s lips as she saw the fall. It brought out both guests and servants, to find Octavia recklessly struggling with the frightened horse, and my lady down upon the stones with her son"s bleeding head in her arms.
They bore in the senseless, shattered body, and for hours tried everything that skill and science could devise to save the young man"s life. But every effort was in vain, and as the sun set Sir Jasper lay dying. Conscious at last, and able to speak, he looked about him with a troubled glance, and seemed struggling with some desire that overmastered pain and held death at bay.
"I want Maurice," he feebly said, at length.
"Dear lad, I"m here," answered his cousin"s voice, from a seat in the shadow of the half-drawn curtains.
"Always near when I need you. Many a sc.r.a.pe have you helped me out of, but this is beyond your power," and a faint smile pa.s.sed over Jasper"s lips as the past flitted before his mind. But the smile died, and a groan of pain escaped him as he cried, suddenly, "Quick! let me tell it before it is too late! Maurice never will, but bear the shame all his life that my dead name may be untarnished. Bring Edith; she must hear the truth."
She was soon there, and lying in his mother"s arms, one hand in his cousin"s, and one on his sister"s bent head, Jasper rapidly told the secret which had burdened him for a year.
"I did it; I forged my uncle"s name when I had lost so heavily at play that I dared not tell my mother, or squander more of my own fortune. I deceived Maurice, and let him think the cheque a genuine one; I made him present it and get the money, and when all went well I fancied I was safe. But my uncle discovered it secretly, said nothing, and believing Maurice the forger, disinherited him. I never knew this till the old man died, and then it was too late. I confessed to Maurice, and he forgave me; he said, "I am helpless now, shut out from the world, with nothing to lose or gain, and soon to be forgotten by those who once knew me, so let the suspicion of shame, if any such there be, still cling to me, and do you go your way, rich, happy, honorable and untouched by any shadow on your fame." Mother, I let him do it, unconscious as he was that many knew the secret sin, and fancied him the doer of it."
"Hush, Jasper, let it pa.s.s; I can bear it; I promised your dear father to be your stanch friend through life, and I have only kept my word."
"G.o.d knows you have, but now my life ends, and I cannot die till you are cleared. Edith, I told you half the truth, and you would have used it against him had not some angel sent this girl to touch your heart. You have done your part to atone for the past, now let me do mine. Mother, Tavie loves him, he has risked life and honor for me, repay him generously and give him this."
With feeble touch Sir Jasper tried to lay his sister"s hand in Treherne"s, as he spoke; Mrs. Snowdon helped him, and as my lady bowed her head in silent acquiescence, a joyful smile shone on the dying man"s face.
"One more confession, and then I am ready," he said, looking up into the face of the woman whom he had loved with all the power of a shallow nature. "It was a jest to you, Edith, but it was bitter earnest to me, for I loved you, sinful as it was. Ask your husband to forgive me, and tell him it was better I should die than live to mar a good man"s peace. Kiss me once, and make him happy for my sake."
She touched his cold lips with remorseful tenderness, and in the same breath registered a vow to obey that dying prayer.
"Tavie dear, Maurice, my brother, G.o.d bless you both. Good-by, mother, he will be a better son than I have been to you." Then, the reckless spirit of the man surviving to the last, Sir Jasper laughed faintly, as he seemed to beckon some invisible shape, and died saying, gayly, "Now, Father Abbot, lead on, I"ll follow you."
A year later three weddings were celebrated on the same day and in the same church. Maurice Treherne, a well man, led up his cousin. Frank Annon rewarded Blanche"s patient siege by an unconditioned surrender, and, to the infinite amus.e.m.e.nt of Mrs. Grundy, Major Royston publicly confessed himself out-generaled by merry Rose. The triple wedding feast was celebrated at Treherne Abbey, and no uncanny visitor marred its festivities, for never again was the north gallery haunted by the ghostly Abbot.
Perilous Play
Editor"s Note:Even a writer as skilled as Alcott must have found it difficult to rework the gothic formula Holding up her finger to preserve silence, Belle pulled out her watch, and waited with an expectant smile. The rest of the young party, who were indolently scattered about under the elms, drew nearer, and brightened visibly, for Doctor Meredith"s inventive powers were well known, and something refreshingly novel might be expected from him. One gentleman did not stir, but, then, he lay within earshot, and merely turned his fine eyes from the sea to the group before him. His glance rested a moment on Belle"s piquant figure, for she looked very pretty with her bright hair blowing in the wind, one plump white arm extended to keep order, and one little foot, in a distracting slipper, just visible below the voluminous folds of her dress. Then the glance pa.s.sed to another figure, sitting somewhat apart in a cloud of white muslin, for an airy burnoose floated from head and shoulders, showing only a singularly charming face. Pale, and yet brilliant, for the Southern eyes were magnificent, the clear olive cheeks contrasted well with darkest hair; lips like a pomegranate flower, and delicate, straight brows, as mobile as the lips. A cl.u.s.ter of crimson flowers, half falling from the loose black braids, and a golden bracelet of Arabian coins on the slender wrist, were the only ornaments she wore, and became her better than the fashionable frippery of her companions. A book lay on her lap, but her eyes, full of a pa.s.sionate melancholy, were fixed on the sea, which glittered round an island green and flowery as a summer paradise. Rose St. Just was as beautiful as her Spanish mother, but had inherited the pride and reserve of her English father; and this pride was the thorn which repelled lovers from the human flower. Mark Done sighed as he looked, and, as if the sigh, low as it was, roused her from her reverie, Rose flashed a quick glance at him, took up her book, and went on reading the legend of "The Lotus Eaters."
"Time is up now, doctor," cried Belle, pocketing her watch with a flourish.
"Ready to report," answered Meredith, sitting up, and producing a little box of tortoise-sh.e.l.l and gold.
"How mysterious! What is it? Let me see, first!" And Belle removed the cover, looking like an inquisitive child. "Only bonbons; how stupid! That won"t do, sir. We don"t want to be fed with sugar-plums. We demand to be amused."
"Eat six of these despised bonbons, and you will be amused in a new, delicious and wonderful manner," said the young doctor, laying half a dozen on a green leaf, and offering them to her.
"Why, what are they?" she asked, looking at them askance.
"Hasheesh; did you never hear of it?"
"Oh, yes; it"s that Indian stuff which brings one fantastic visions, isn"t it? I"ve always wanted to see and taste it, and now I will," cried Belle, nibbling at one of the bean-shaped comfits with its green heart.
"I advise you not to try it. People do all sorts of queer things when they take it. I wouldn"t for the world," said a prudent young lady, warningly, as all examined the box and its contents.
"Six can do no harm, I give you my word. I take twenty before I can enjoy myself, and some people even more. I"ve tried many experiments, both on the sick and the well, and nothing ever happened amiss, though the demonstrations were immensely interesting," said Meredith, eating his sugar-plums with a tranquil air, which was very convincing to others.
"How shall I feel?" asked Belle, beginning on her second comfit.
"A heavenly dreaminess comes over one, in which they move as if on air. Everything is calm and lovely to them: no pain, no care, no fear of anything, and while it lasts one feels like an angel half-asleep."
"But if one takes too much, how then?" said a deep voice, behind the doctor.
"Hum! Well, that"s not so pleasant, unless one likes phantoms, frenzies, and a touch of nightmare, which seems to last a thousand years. Ever try it, Done?" replied Meredith, turning toward the speaker, who was now leaning on his arm, and looking interested.
"Never. I"m not a good subject for experiments. Too nervous a temperament to play pranks with."
"I should say ten would be about your number. Less than that seldom affects men. Ladies go off sooner, and don"t need so many. Miss St. Just, may I offer you a taste of Elysium? I owe my success to you," said the doctor, approaching her deferentially.
"To me! And how?" she asked, lifting her large eyes with a slight smile.
"I was in the depths of despair when my eye caught the t.i.tle of your book, and I was saved. For I remembered that I had hasheesh in my pocket."
"Are you a lotus-eater?" she said, permitting him to lay the six charmed bonbons on the page.
"My faith, no! I use it for my patients. It is very efficacious in nervous disorders, and is getting to be quite a pet remedy with us."
"I do not want to forget the past, but to read the future. Will hasheesh help me to do that?" asked Rose, with an eager look, which made the young man flush, wondering if he bore any part in her hopes of that veiled future.
"Alas, no. I wish it could, for I, too, long to know my fate," he answered, very low, as he looked into the lovely face before him.
The soft glance changed to one of cool indifference, and Rose gently brushed the hasheesh off her book, saying, with a little gesture of dismissal: "Then I have no desire to taste Elysium."
The white morsels dropped into the gra.s.s at her feet; but Doctor Meredith let them lie, and turning sharply, went back to sun himself in Belle"s smiles.
"I"ve eaten all mine, and so has Evelyn. Mr. Norton will see goblins, I know, for he has taken quant.i.ties. I"m glad of it, for he don"t believe in it, and I want to have him convinced by making a spectacle of himself for our amus.e.m.e.nt," said Belle, in great spirits at the new plan.
"When does the trance come on?" asked Evelyn, a shy girl, already rather alarmed at what she had done.
"About three hours after you take your dose, though the time varies with different people. Your pulse will rise, heart beat quickly, eyes darken and dilate, and an uplifted sensation will pervade you generally. Then these symptoms change, and the bliss begins. I"ve seen people sit or lie in one position for hours, rapt in a delicious dream, and wake from it as tranquil as if they had not a nerve in their bodies."
"How charming! I"ll take some every time I"m worried. Let me see. It"s now four, so our trances will come about seven, and we will devote the evening to manifestations," said Belle.
"Come, Done, try it. We are all going in for the fun. Here"s your dose," and Meredith tossed him a dozen bonbons, twisted up in a bit of paper.
"No, thank you; I know myself too well to risk it. If you are all going to turn hasheesh-eaters, you"ll need some one to take care of you, so I"ll keep sober," tossing the little parcel back.
It fell short, and the doctor, too lazy to pick it up, let it lie, merely saying, with a laugh: "Well, I advise any bashful man to take hasheesh when he wants to offer his heart to any fair lady, for it will give him the courage of a hero, the eloquence of a poet, and the ardor of an Italian. Remember that, gentlemen, and come to me when the crisis approaches."
"Does it conquer the pride, rouse the pity, and soften the hard hearts of the fair s.e.x?" asked Done.
"I dare say now is your time to settle the fact, for here are two ladies who have imbibed, and in three hours will be in such a seraphic state of mind that "No" will be an impossibility to them."
"Oh, mercy on us; what have we done? If that"s the case, I shall shut myself up till my foolish fit is over. Rose, you haven"t taken any; I beg you to mount guard over me, and see that I don"t disgrace myself by any nonsense. Promise me you will," cried Belle, in half real, half feigned alarm at the consequences of her prank.
"I promise," said Rose, and floated down the green path as noiselessly as a white cloud, with a curious smile on her lips.
"Don"t tell any of the rest what we have done, but after tea let us go into the grove and compare notes," said Norton, as Done strolled away to the beach, and the voices of approaching friends broke the summer quiet.
At tea, the initiated glanced covertly at one another, and saw, or fancied they saw, the effects of the hasheesh, in a certain suppressed excitement of manner, and unusually brilliant eyes. Belle laughed often, a silvery ringing laugh, pleasant to hear; but when complimented on her good spirits, she looked distressed, and said she could not help her merriment; Meredith was quite calm, but rather dreamy; Evelyn was pale, and her next neighbor heard her heart beat; Norton talked incessantly, but as he talked uncommonly well, no one suspected anything. Done and Miss St. Just watched the others with interest, and were very quiet, especially Rose, who scarcely spoke, but smiled her sweetest, and looked very lovely.
The moon rose early, and the experimenters slipped away to the grove, leaving the outsiders on the lawn as usual. Some bold spirit asked Rose to sing, and she at once complied, pouring out Spanish airs in a voice that melted the hearts of her audience, so full of fiery sweetness or tragic pathos was it. Done seemed quite carried away, and lay with his face in the gra.s.s, to hide the tears that would come; till, afraid of openly disgracing himself, he started up and hurried down to the little wharf, where he sat alone, listening to the music with a countenance which plainly revealed to the stars the pa.s.sion which possessed him. The sound of loud laughter from the grove, followed by entire silence, caused him to wonder what demonstrations were taking place, and half resolved to go and see. But that enchanting voice held him captive, even when a boat put off mysteriously from a point near by, and sailed away like a phantom through the twilight.
Half an hour afterward, a white figure came down the path, and Rose"s voice broke in on his midsummer night"s dream. The moon shone clearly now, and showed him the anxiety in her face as she said hurriedly: "Where is Belle?"
"Gone sailing, I believe."
"How could you let her go? She was not fit to take care of herself."
"I forgot that."
"So did I; but I promised to watch over her, and I must. Which way did they go?" demanded Rose, wrapping the white mantle about her, and running her eye over the little boats moored below.
"You will follow her?"
"Yes."
"I"ll be your guide, then. They went toward the lighthouse; it is too far to row; I am at your service. Oh, say yes," cried Done, leaping into his own skiff, and offering his hand persuasively.
She hesitated an instant and looked at him. He was always pale, and the moonlight seemed to increase this pallor, but his hat-brim hid his eyes, and his voice was very quiet. A loud peal of laughter floated over the water, and, as if the sound decided her, she gave him her hand and entered the boat. Done smiled triumphantly as he shook out the sail, which caught the fresh ening wind, and sent the boat dancing along a path of light.
How lovely it was! All the indescribable allurements of a perfect summer night surrounded them; balmy airs, enchanting moonlight, distant music, and, close at hand, the delicious atmosphere of love, which made itself felt in the eloquent silences that fell between them. Rose seemed to yield to the subtle charm, and leaned back on the cushioned seat, with her beautiful head uncovered, her face full of dreamy softness, and her hands lying loosely clasped before her. She seldom spoke, showed no further anxiety for Belle, and soon seemed to forget the object of her search, so absorbed was she in some delicious thought which wrapped her in its peace.
Done sat opposite, flushed now, restless, and excited, for his eyes glittered; the hand on the rudder shook, and his voice sounded intense and pa.s.sionate, even in the utterance of the simplest words. He talked continually and with unusual brilliancy, for, though a man of many accomplishments, he was too indolent or too fastidious to exert himself, except among his peers. Rose seemed to look without seeing, to listen without hearing, and, though she smiled blissfully, the smiles were evidently not for him.
On they sailed, scarcely heeding the bank of black cloud piled up in the horizon, the rising wind, or the silence which proved their solitude. Rose moved once or twice, and lifted her hand as if to speak, but sank back mutely, and the hand fell again, as if it had not energy enough to enforce her wish. A cloud sweeping over the moon, a distant growl of thunder, and the slight gust that struck the sail, seemed to rouse her. Done was singing now like one inspired, his hat at his feet, hair in disorder, and a strangely rapturous expression in his eyes, which were fixed on her. She started, shivered, and seemed to recover herself with an effort.
"Where are they?" she asked, looking vainly for the island heights and the other boat.
"They have gone to the beach, I fancy, but we will follow." As Done leaned forward to speak, she saw his face, and shrank back with a sudden flush, for in it she read clearly what she had felt, yet doubted until now. He saw the telltale blush and gesture, and said impetuously: "You know it now; you cannot deceive me longer, nor daunt me with your pride! Rose, I love you, and dare tell you so tonight!"
"Not now-not here-I will not listen. Turn back, and be silent, I entreat you, Mr. Done," she said, hurriedly.
He laughed a defiant laugh, and took her hand in his, which was burning and throbbing with the rapid heat of his pulse.
"No, I will have my answer here, and now, and never turn back till you give it; you have been a th.o.r.n.y Rose, and given me many wounds. I"ll be paid for my heartache with sweet words, tender looks, and frank confessions of love, for, proud as you are, you do love me, and dare not deny it."
Something in his tone terrified her; she s.n.a.t.c.hed her hand away, and drew beyond his reach, trying to speak calmly, and to meet coldly the ardent glances of the eyes which were strangely darkened and dilated with uncontrollable emotion.
"You forget yourself. I shall give no answer to an avowal made in such terms. Take me home instantly," she said, in a tone of command.
"Confess you love me, Rose."
"Never!"
"Ah! I"ll have a kinder answer, or-" Done half rose and put out his hand to grasp and draw her to him, but the cry she uttered seemed to arrest him with a sort of shock. He dropped into his seat, pa.s.sed his hand over his eyes, and shivered nervously, as he muttered in an altered tone: "I meant nothing; it"s the moonlight; sit down, I"ll control myself-upon my soul I will!"
"If you do not, I shall go overboard. Are you mad, sir?" cried Rose, trembling with indignation.
"Then, I shall follow you, for I am mad, Rose, with love-hasheesh!"
His voice sank to a whisper, but the last word thrilled along her nerves, as no sound of fear had ever done before. An instant she regarded him with a look which took in every sign of unnatural excitement, then she clasped her hands with an imploring gesture, saying, in a tone of despair: "Why did I come! How will it end? Oh, Mark, take me home before it is too late!"
"Hush! Be calm; don"t thwart me, or I may get wild again.
My thoughts are not clear, but I understand you. There, take my knife, and if I forget myself, kill me. Don"t go overboard; you are too beautiful to die, my Rose!"
He threw her the slender hunting-knife he wore, looked at her a moment with a far-off look, and trimmed the sail like one moving in a dream. Rose took the weapon, wrapped her cloak closely about her, and, crouching as far away as possible, kept her eye on him, with a face in which watchful terror contended with some secret trouble and bewilderment more powerful than her fear.
The boat moved round, and began to beat up against wind and tide; spray flew from her bow, the sail bent and strained in the gusts that struck it with perilous fitfulness. The moon was nearly hidden by scudding clouds, and one-half the sky was black with the gathering storm. Rose looked from threatening heavens to treacherous sea, and tried to be ready for any danger, but her calm had been sadly broken, and she could not recover it. Done sat motionless, uttering no word of encouragement, though the frequent flaws almost tore the rope from his hand, and the water often dashed over him.
"Are we in any danger?" asked Rose at last, unable to bear the silence, for he looked like a ghostly helmsman, seen by the fitful light, pale now, wild-eyed, and speechless.
"Yes, great danger."
"I thought you were a skillful boatman."
"I am when I am myself; now I am rapidly losing the control of my will, and the strange quiet is coming over me. If I had been alone I should have given up sooner, but for your sake I"ve kept on."
"Can"t you work the boat?" asked Rose, terror-struck by the changed tone of his voice, the slow, uncertain movements of his hands.
"No. I see everything through a thick cloud; your voice sounds far away, and my one desire is to lay my head down and sleep."
"Let me steer-I can, I must!" she cried, springing toward him, and laying her hand on the rudder.
He smiled and kissed the little hand, saying, dreamily, "You could not hold it a minute; sit by me, love; let us turn the boat again, and drift away together-anywhere, anywhere out of the world."
"Oh, Heaven, what will become of us!" and Rose wrung her hands in real despair. "Mr. Done-Mark-dear Mark, rouse yourself and listen to me. Turn, as you say, for it is certain death to go on so. Turn, and let us drift down to the lighthouse; they will hear and help us. Quick, take down the sail, get out the oars, and let us try to reach there before the storm breaks."