Within these last twenty-four hours I have been the most wretched ...
the happiest ... and again the most agonized of human beings! I have thought Camilla bestowed upon another, ... I have believed her, ... oh, Doctor!... my own!... I have conceived myself at the summit of all earthly felicity!... I find myself, at this moment deluded and undone!"
He then detailed the account, calling upon the Doctor to unravel to him the insupportable aenigma of his destiny; to tell him for what purpose Camilla had shewn him a tenderness so bewitching, at the very time she was carrying on a clandestine intercourse with another? with a man, who, though dest.i.tute neither of wit nor good qualities, it was impossible she should love, since she was as incapable of admiring as of partic.i.p.ating in his defects? To what incomprehensible motives attribute such incongruities? Why accept and suffer her friends to accept him, if engaged to Sir Sedley? why, if seriously meaning to be his, this secret correspondence? Why so early, so private, so strange a meeting? "Whence, Doctor Marchmont, the daring boldness of his seizing her hand? whence the never-to-be-forgotten licence with which he presumed to lift it to his lips, ... and there hardily to detain it, so as never man durst do, whose hopes were not all alive, from his own belief in their encouragement! explain, expound to me this work of darkness and amazement; tell me why, with every appearance of the most artless openness, I find her thus eternally disingenuous and unintelligible?
why, though I have cast myself wholly into her power, she retains all her mystery ... she heightens it into deceit next perjury?"
"Ask me, my dear young friend, why the sun does not give night, and the moon day; then why women practise coquetry. Alas! my season for surprise has long been pa.s.sed! They will rather trifle, even with those they despise, than be candid even with those they respect. The young baronet, probably, has been making his court to her, or she has believed such was his design; but as you first came to the point, she would not hazard rejecting you, while uncertain if he were serious. She was, possibly, putting him to the test, by the account of your declaration, at the moment of your unseasonable intrusion."
"If this, Doctor, is your statement, and if your statement is just, in how despicable a lottery have I risked the peace of my life! You suppose then ... that, if sure of Sir Sedley ... I am discarded?"
"You know what I think of your situation: can I, when to yet more riches I add a t.i.tle, suppose that of Sir Sedley less secure?"
The shuddering start, the distracted look of Edgar, with his hand clapped to his burning forehead, now alarmed the Doctor; who endeavoured to somewhat soften his sentence, dissuading him against any immediate measures, and advising him to pa.s.s over these first moments of emotion, and then coolly to suffer inquiry to take place of decision. But Edgar could not hear him; he shook hands with him, faintly smiled, as an apology for not speaking; and, hurrying off, without waiting for his servant, galloped towards the New Forest: leaving his absence from Cleves to declare his defection, and bent only to fly from Camilla, and all that belonged to her.
All, however, that belonged to Camilla was precisely what followed him; pursued him in every possible form, clung to his heart-strings, almost maddened his senses. He could not bear to reflect; retrospection was torture, antic.i.p.ation was horror. To lose thus, without necessity, without calamity, the object of his dearest wishes, ... to lose her from mere declension of esteem....
"Any inevitable evil," he cried, "I could have sustained; any blow of fortune, however severe; any stroke of adversity, however terrible; ...
but this ... this error of all my senses ... this deception of all my hopes ... this extinction of every feeling I have cherished"--
He rode on yet harder, leaping over every thing, thoughtless rather than fearless of every danger he could encounter, and galloping with the speed and violence of some pursuit, though wholly without view, and almost without consciousness; as if, hoping by flight, to escape from the degenerate portrait of Camilla: but its painter was his own imagination, and mocked the attempt.
From the other side of a five-barred gate, which, with almost frantic speed, he was approaching with a view to clear, a voice halloo"d to stop him; and, at the same time, a man who was leading one horse, and riding another, dismounted, and called out, "Why, as sure as I"m alive, it"s "Squire Mandlebert!"
Edgar now, perceiving Jacob, was going to turn back to avoid him; but, restraining this first movement, faintly desired him to stand by, as he had not a moment to lose.
"Good lack!" cried Jacob, with the freedom of an old servant, who had known him from a boy; "why, I would not but have happened to come this way for never so much! why you might have broke your neck, else! Leap such a gate as this here? why, I can"t let you do no such a thing! Miss Camilla"s like a child of my own, as one may say; and she"ll never hold up her head again, I"ll be bound for it, if you should come to any harm; and, as to poor old master! "twould go nigh to break his heart."
Struck with words which, from so faithful an old servant, could not but be touching, Edgar was brought suddenly to himself, and felt the claim of the Tyrold family for a conduct more guarded. He endeavoured to put his own feelings apart, and consider how best he might spare those of the friends of Camilla; those of Camilla herself he concluded to be out of his reach, except as they might simply relate to the female pride and vanity of refusing rather than being given up.
He paused, now, to weigh how he might obviate any offence; and, after first resolving to write a sort of general leave-taking, and, next, seeing the almost insuperable objections to whatever he could state, determined upon gaining time for deliberation, by merely commissioning Jacob to carry a message to Cleves, that some sudden affairs called him, for the present, to a distant part of the country. This, at such a period, would create a surprise that might lead the way to what would follow: and Camilla, who could not, he thought, be much astonished, might then take her own measures for the defection she would see reason to expect.
But Jacob resisted bearing the intelligence: "Good lack, sir," he cried, "what have you got in your head? something that will do you no good, I"ll be bound, by the look of your eyes, which look as big as if they was both going to drop out; you"d better come yourself and tell "em what"s the matter, and speak a word to poor Miss Camilla, or she"ll never believe but what some ill has betided you. Why we all knew about it, fast enough, before our master told us; servants have eyes as well as their masters; only Mary will have it she found it out at the first, which an"t true, for I saw it by the time you"d been a week in the house; and if you"ll take my word, squire, I don"t think there"s such another heart in the world as Miss Camilla"s, except just my own old master"s."
Edgar leant against his horse, neither speaking nor moving, yet involuntarily listening, while deeply sighing.
"What a power of good she"ll do," continued Jacob, "when she"s mistress of Beech Park! I warrant she"ll go about, visiting the poor, and making them clothes, and broths, and wine possets, and baby-linen, all day long. She has done it at Etherington quite from a child; and when she had nothing to give "em, she used to take her thread papers and needle books, and sit down and work for them, and carry them bits and sc.r.a.ps of things to help "em to patch their gowns. Why when she"s got your fine fortunes, she"ll bring a blessing upon the whole county."
Edgar felt touched; his wrath was softened into tenderness, and he e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed to himself: "Such, indeed, I thought Camilla! active in charity, gentle in good works!... I thought that in putting my fortune into her hands, I was serving the unhappy, ... feeding the indigent, ...
reviving the sick!"
"Master," continued Jacob, "took a fancy to her from the very first, as well as I; and when master said she was coming to live with us, I asked to make it a holiday for all our folks, and master was as pleased as I.
But n.o.body"d think what a tender heart she"s got of her own, without knowing her, because of her singing, and laughing, and dancing so, except when old Miss Margland"s in the way, who"s what Mr. Lionel calls a kill-joy at any time. Howbeit, I"ll take special care she shan"t be by when I tell her of my stopping you from breaking your neck here; but I wish you could be in a corner yourself, to peep at her, without her knowing it; I"ll warrant you she"ll give me such a smile, you"d be fit to eat her!"
Shaken once more in every resolution, because uncertain in every opinion, Edgar found the indignant desperation which had seized him begin to subside, and his mind again become a.s.sailable by something resembling hope. Almost instinctively he remounted his horse, and almost involuntarily ... drawn on by hearkening to the praise of Camilla, and fascinated by the details made by Jacob of her regard, accompanied him back to Cleves.
As they rode into the park, and while he was earnestly endeavouring to form some palliation, by which he might exculpate what seemed to him so guilty in the strange meeting and its strange circ.u.mstances, he perceived Camilla herself, walking upon the lawn. He saw she had observed him, and saw, from her air, she seemed irresolute if to re-enter the house, or await him.
Jacob, significantly pointing her out, offered to shew the effect he could produce by what he could relate; but Edgar, giving him the charge of his horse, earnestly besought him to retire in quiet, and to keep his opinions and experiments to himself.
Each now, separately, and with nearly equal difficulty, strove to attain fort.i.tude to seek an explanation. They approached each other; Camilla with her eyes fixed upon the ground, her air embarra.s.sed, and her cheeks covered with blushes; Edgar with quick, but almost tottering steps, his eyes wildly avoiding hers, and his complexion pale even to indisposition.
When they were met within a few yards, they stopt; Camilla still without courage to look up, and Edgar striving to speak, but finding no pa.s.sage for his voice. Camilla, then, ashamed of her situation, raised her eyes, and forced herself to say, "Have you been into the house? Have you seen my cousin Lynmere?"
"No ... madam."
Struck with a cold formality that never before, from Edgar, had reached her ears, and shocked by the sight of his estranged and altered countenance, with the cruel consciousness that appearances authorised the most depreciating suspicions, she advanced, and holding out her hand, "Edgar," she gently cried, "are you ill? or only angry?"
"O Camilla!" he answered, "can you deign to use to me such a word? can you distort my dearest affections, convulse my fairest hopes, eradicate every power of happiness ... yet speak with so much sweetness ... yet look at me with such mildness? such softness ... I had almost said ...
such kindness?"
Deeply affected, she could hardly stand. He had taken her offered hand, but in a manner so changed from the same action the preceding day, that she scarce knew if he touched while he held it, scarce felt that he relinquished, as almost immediately she withdrew it.
But her condescension at this moment was rather a new torment than any solace to him. The hand which she proferred, and which the day before he had received as the token of permanent felicity, he had now seen in the possession of another, with every licence, every apparent mark of permitted rapture in which he had been indulged himself. He knew not to whom it of right belonged; and the doubt not merely banished happiness, but mingled resentment with misery.
"I see," cried she, after a mortified pause; "you have lost your good opinion of me ... I can only, therefore...." She stopt, but his melancholy silence was a confirmation of her suggestion that offended her into more exertion, and, with sensibility raised into dignity, she added, "only hope your intended tour to the Continent may take place without delay!"
She would then have walked on to the house; but following her, "Is all over?" he cried, "and is it thus, Camilla, we part?"
"Why not?" said she, suppressing a sigh, yet turning back.
"What a question! cruel Camilla! Is this all the explanation you allow me?"
"What other do you wish?"
"All!... every other!... that meeting ... those letters...."
"If you have any curiosity yet remaining ... only name what you desire."
"Are you indeed so good?" cried he, in a voice that shewed his soul again melting; "those letters, then...."
"You shall have them ... every one!" she cried, with alacrity; and instantly taking out her pocket-book, presented him with the prepared packet.
Penetrated by this unexpected openness and compliance, he s.n.a.t.c.hed her hand, with intent to press it to his lips; but again the recollection he had seen that liberty accorded to Sir Sedley, joined to the sight of his writing, checked him; he let it go; bowed his thanks with a look of grateful respect, and attempting no more to stop her, walked towards the summer-house, to peruse the letters.
CHAPTER X
_Resolutions_
The sound of the dinner-bell, which rang in the ears of Edgar before he reached his intended retreat, would have been unnoticed, if not seconded by a message from Sir Hugh, who had seen him from his window.
Compelled to obey, though in a state of suspense almost intolerable, he put up the important little packet, and repaired to the dining parlour; where, though none were equally disturbed with himself, no one was at ease. Young Lynmere, under an appearance of mingled a.s.surance and apathy, the effect of acquired conceit, playing upon natural insipidity, was secretly tormented with the rueful necessity of sacrificing either a n.o.ble fortune, or his own fine person; Sir Hugh felt a strange disappointment from the whole behaviour of his nephew, though it was what he would not acknowledge, and could not define; Mr. Tyrold saw with much uneasiness the glaringly apparent unsuitableness of the intended alliance; Eugenia had never yet thought herself so plain and insignificant, and felt as if, even since the morning, the small-pox had renewed its ravages, and she had sunk into being shorter; Indiana and Miss Margland were both acutely incensed with Mandlebert; Dr. Orkborne saw but small reason to expect grat.i.tude for his labours from the supercilious negligence of the boasted young student; Lavinia was disturbed for both her sisters; and Camilla felt that all she valued in life depended upon the next critical hour or two.
In this state of general discomfort, Sir Hugh, who could never be silent, alone talked. Having long prepared himself to look upon this meeting as a day of happiness, he strove to believe, for a while, the whole family were peculiarly enjoying themselves; but, upon a dead silence, which ensued upon his taking a copious draught of Madeira and water, "Why, my dear nephew," he cried, putting down his goblet, "you don"t tell us any thing? which I"ve no doubt but you know why yourself.
However, as we"re all met o" purpose to see you, I can"t say I should be sorry to hear the sound of your voice, provided it won"t be disagreeable."
"We are not much--conversant, sir, in each other"s connexions, I believe," answered Lynmere, without ceasing a moment to eat, and to help himself, and ordering a fresh plate at every second mouthful; "I have seen nothing, yet, of your folks hereabouts; and, I fancy, sir, you don"t know a great deal of the people I have been used to."