"Hadley!" repeated she, in the first moment of surprise.
"Yes; that very loving letter he addressed to you fell into your parent"s hands, together with another one from the same writer, directed to himself wherein Hadley asks forgiveness for himself, and especially for you, fair lady, whom he represents to be in deep distress, that love irresistibly draws you to him and away from home."
"Villain!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Eveline, with flashing eye.
"Be careful of your words, my dear; you are not now in your father"s house, and it may not suit my purpose to allow you the use of such epithets, as applied to myself."
With this remark, Eveline at once turned to her book and commenced reading again, as much as to say:--"Have the conversation all to yourself, then!"
and the miscreant so understood and interpreted the act, and felt that he was outgeneraled by the superior tactics of his opponent, notwithstanding the immense advantage he was master of in the contest.
"Nay, fair lady," he said, "I did not intend to cut you off from the privilege of speech, but only to advise you to be a little careful in the use of terms and epithets."
"Sir, if after forcing a conversation upon me on your own terms, and at an advantage of your own choosing, you are too cowardly to hear what I please to say, you must talk to yourself. When I speak at all I select my own words. I do not belong to that cla.s.s of contemptible poltroons, who slink behind others to hide themselves and their crimes, basely exposing the innocent to the censures and punishment that should fall upon their own guilty heads. No, sir; woman as I am I would scorn to stoop to such a low depth of infamy to screen myself from any position, even from death itself; and if you, with all this littleness of mind and cringing cowardice of soul, expect to intimidate me by any menaces, all I have to say is, you have "reckoned without your host." And permit me to tell you that there are no words in any language half adequate to express my contempt of you as a man, or my abhorrence of your acts as a criminal, of whom, thus far, the gallows has been shamefully cheated."
This bold speech fairly took the rascal out of himself. He ground his teeth in rage and seemed on the point of committing some desperate deed, but those unquailing and flashing eyes were fixed upon him with a look that seemed to burn into his innermost soul, and penetrate its dark recesses of guilt. He was again conquered by that look; there was a magnetic power about it he could not withstand; and swallowing his rage as best he could, replied after this manner:
"I perceive you have that implement for which your s.e.x is so distinguished, a ready tongue, and I must confess it points words sharply and drives them home with force, and under some circ.u.mstances I might feel like retaliating; but here, as my guest, I shall not presume to do so; it will accord much better with my wishes to proceed with the matter in hand,--As I was saying, your father fully believes that Hadley has persuaded you to leave home and elope with him, and he is so shocked by your want of filial affection, as to be totally disqualified for acting with his usual energy; beside, he says if you care so little for him as to desert him and the home of your childhood for a horse-thief and a vagabond, he cares not to seek after you, but says you may go."
At the first, Eveline felt like weeping, and for a moment buried her face in her hands; but then she felt it would not do to give way to feelings of tenderness and sorrow in her present situation, and choking down the great grief that swelled up in her bosom on her father"s account, she suddenly a.s.sumed a commanding att.i.tude, and addressed the calculating human fiend as follows:
"Inhuman monster! how long do you expect thus to dare the vengeance of heaven? You have stained your soul with crimes that would darken the pit of night; you have committed robberies, and thefts, and _murder_! Ay, start and turn pale when your crimes stare you in the face, you have done so before, and you will again. You thought there was no eye to witness your plotting deeds, no ear to hear your murderous plans except those of your vile confederates, but you see I am aware of your crimes."
"Who told you these things?" he demanded, breaking in upon her discourse.
"That is a question I shall not take the trouble to answer; it is enough for you to understand that _I know what you are_, and that long-delayed justice will overtake you, perhaps, sooner than you deem it possible your secret acts can be brought to light; for you seem to have forgotten that there is One, whose eye never slumbers, whose ear is always open to the prayer of the distressed and to the voice of the blood of the innocent, which crieth from the ground as did the blood of Abel."
"Ah, what a pity it is you are not a parson, or at least a parson"s wife!
You really talk like a preacher; but I fear your discourse has produced little more effect upon _your_ auditory than do the polished words of a fashionable divine upon _his_; all very fine, but fancy sketches are not apt to effect as much with sober, common-sense people, as is the truth."
This was said with something of returning a.s.surance, Duffel having tried to work himself into the belief that all was guess-work on the part of Eveline, so far as her accusations were concerned. She saw this, and in a moment the remembrance of her dream that morning flashed across her mind, and she determined to try the effect a reference to the scenes which pa.s.sed in review before her mental vision would have upon him:
"Sir, your a.s.sumed a.s.surance would soon leave you if you were in a court-room, and the evidence of your guilt, as I have it, detailed by witnesses. When your secret conference with those vile instruments--not yet so vile as yourself--whom it has pleased you to use as tools, were made known before a court and jury, your brazen impudence would depart, and the specter of a gibbet in the distance--and but a short distance, too--would pale your unblushing cheek and palsy your false tongue, skillful as you may have been in casting blame upon others by deceptive and lying words. When it was proved that _you_ stole my father"s horse; that _you_ are responsible for the absence of Mr. Hadley; that _you_ pointed the knife and the pistol at his heart, and then mendaciously represented him as the thief and kidnapper who is found in your own person; then, sir, would you vail your face and go out no more among men, but upon your forehead, as _now_ upon your soul, would be the brand of _thief_, _robber_, _murderer_! Ay, well may you cower! well may the cold sweat force itself out upon your brow! Did it never enter into your debased mind that the villain who is degraded enough to sell himself to crime for a little sordid dust, will, for a larger sum, betray his employer? Do you suppose that when _you_ meditate vengeance upon your tools, they will idly await your pleasure and plans, and lift no hand in their own defense?"
At this point Duffel actually sprang to his feet, the great drops oozing from every pore! How had his secret thoughts become known to her?--thoughts that no mortal ear had ever heard him utter?
"Girl! girl!" he shouted, "who and what are you? demon, witch or spirit?"
Then he paused a moment, as if to collect himself, and decide upon a course of action. Becoming a little more composed, he continued:
"If you are in league with h.e.l.l, then are we of one family if you have not belied me, and I shall take it upon myself to strengthen the affinity by--"
"Sir!" she said, with a commanding look which awed him into silence, (for his superst.i.tious feelings were already in the ascendant, and he began to _fear_ her) "I have no connection with the household of his Satanic majesty, _nor do I intend to have_, albeit you have intimated to the contrary."
"Don"t be too sure of that," he interrupted. "You must know that when I set my heart upon a measure, I never allow myself to be defeated in its accomplishment; and just now the darling object I have in view is a union with yourself."
This was _said_ with much of his usual a.s.surance, though the expression of his face gave indications of internal uneasiness, and a trembling of soul, which belied the ostensible bravery put on for the occasion.
"You speak as though there was but one will in the world, of which you were the fortunate possessor; permit me to disabuse your overweening confidence and selfishness on this point. I have no wish to pa.s.s words with such an unmanly representative of mankind as you, sir, but let me a.s.sure you it is my very calm and fixed determination to show you that all your intentions cannot be carried out."
"We will see, then," he said, with something of aroused indignation, "whose will is the stronger, or, rather, who has the advantage in this contest.
You seem to forget your situation at the present moment, and that you are entirely and completely in my power."
"I forgot nothing, sir: I am in the hands of One, before whom you are as a gra.s.shopper; and His justice does not always slumber."
"Turning parson again! It is all very well; but just now that high authority seems to be engaged in some one else"s behalf, and, much to my satisfaction, has left you to take care of yourself. I, on the contrary, having an immediate interest in your welfare, have undertaken to care for you; and inasmuch as your very powerful ally has given you into my hands, I esteem it my interest and privilege to find a home and provide for you."
These words of derision were spoken with mock politeness, and the manner of the speaker indicated that much of his wonted a.s.surance had returned.
"May that G.o.d you impiously defy, whose attributes you daringly and deridingly blaspheme, let fall upon your guilty head the just punishment for your crimes; I ask for you no greater curse--Heaven knows that will be dreadful enough!"
"There, that will do! We have had enough preaching for one day; let us now proceed to business. I was just remarking how completely you are in my power, and a glance at your situation will at once reveal to you the fact that I have you where I can compel a compliance with my wishes; but I do not propose to use force, unless compelled to do so by your own obstinacy and willfulness. I have already, on former occasions, spoken to you of my deep and unquenchable love for you, and it is not my purpose to repeat the declarations made at those several interviews farther than to say, that my feelings toward you remain unchanged; I regard you too highly to permit another to wed you; I may be selfish, but that is a natural result of love; no one ever loved but he desired to possess the object of his affection. In this respect I do not claim for myself any superior excellence; my love is human in kind, it only differs from others by being stronger in degree; and the deeper the love, the more ardent the desire to win the beloved. This is my only apology for bringing you here; and, as it is a very flattering one, I hope you will accept it, and pardon the act to the performance of which I was irresistibly driven by this strongest pa.s.sion of the human heart."
Seeing the direction he was giving the conversation, Eveline took up her book and commenced reading. Duffel was exceedingly vexed, but this time he was not to be balked in his designs, and so took the book from her hands, saying as he did so.
"I beg pardon, but now I _must_ and _will_ be heard. I have already informed you of your father"s feelings toward yourself and Charles Hadley: I have now another piece of intelligence to communicate to you; and that is, that your parent gave you to me in case I should be able, by _any means_, to save you from a union with Hadley."
"It is false! My parent gave me his solemn promise never to interpose his authority to compel me to marry against my will."
"Very well: you at the same time gave him your word never to see Hadley until he was cleared of the crime imputed to him; he believes you have been unfaithful on your part, and that he, therefore, is no longer bound to observe the compact entered into between you."
"Again you are guilty of misrepresentation. My father"s word was pledged to me before he had even asked me not to see Mr. Hadley, and there was, consequently, no compact between us, but a voluntary promise on either side."
"Which you violated by going to meet Hadley, as you supposed."
"No, sir, I did not. My word was given to be observed so long only as Mr.
Hadley appeared to be guilty. I know him to be innocent, and that knowledge absolves me."
"As you please on that point; for it matters but little, and does not change the view taken of the subject by Mr. Mandeville, who, as I said, has given you to me on the one condition of preventing a union between you and Hadley; _and I am at liberty to act just as I see fit_ in order to accomplish this end. Don"t you see that I have everything my own way, and your father"s sanction, also, to any measures I may adopt?"
"What you say _may_ be true, though I have no evidence whatever that it is; for if you would lie to my parent, you would lie to me also. One thing, however, I _do_ know, and that is, that you have not yet obtained _my_ consent to your proposed measures, and being of age, I have the legal right to make such disposition of my hand as I may see proper; and be a.s.sured I will never bestow it upon _you_! Sir, I would prefer to wed the vilest wretch in the Penitentiary of any State before you."
"You may repent the use of such words, fair lady; and, indeed, but for my merciful feelings toward you, ere this you would have been glad to beg the boon I now offer and you reject."
"Infamous villain! never!"
"We shall see."
"And we _shall_ see!"
She fixed upon him that look from which he had so often shrunk before, and again he quailed beneath it.
"From what you have already said," he replied, avoiding her gaze, "I am led to suppose you suspect me of crimes in the eyes of the law, which it would not be pleasant for the world to know. This is an additional reason why I cannot permit you to leave this place except as my wife; for I am not prepared just yet to enter the court-room. I am persuaded that one of your strongest reasons for refusing to marry me, has its foundation in a former preference, and is kept active by the hope of a union with the object of that preference; if so, permit me to say to you that Charles Hadley is _dead_!"
"Perhaps, but I must have better evidence of the fact than your simple, unsupported word, or I will not believe it. _I know you bargained to have him killed_, but I hope G.o.d overruled your wicked intentions."
"Your hope is vain, and I will bring you the necessary witnesses to-morrow to prove my words; at present I will state the fact, and add; for your benefit, that, whether true or false, your destiny is the same, and from it you cannot, shall not escape. I will now lay down the unalterable decree of fate, which you may as vainly attempt to avoid, as to pluck down the stars of heaven, or to blot out the sun from the firmament!"
"Perhaps."