""Fool!" she cried--yet her countenance indicated the fear she really felt, notwithstanding the boldness of her words--"fool! expose me at your peril! You dare not, for your own neck would be stretched in payment for your treachery, while your charges against me, low, miserable menial that you are, would never be believed--never! Such accusations against me, a peeress of the realm, and a lady whose reputation has never been a.s.sailed, would but add to the general belief in your own guilt, and the certainty of your fate; such charges would be regarded as a paltry subterfuge, and no one would credit them. Go, fellow--the bat cannot consort with the eagle, nor can such as you aspire to even the most distant familiarity with persons of my rank. Depart, instantly; and to-morrow you shall receive a pecuniary reward that will amply compensate you for the disappointment you now feel."
"With these words she turned away from me, waving her hand in token that the conference was closed; but I was enraged and desperate, as much by the scorn of her manner as by the disappointment I felt. A h.e.l.l of pa.s.sion was burning in my heart; and I said to her, in a low, deep tone--
""Woman, you shall be mine, even if I am obliged to commit another murder--I swear it! I hesitated not at perpetrating a deed of blood; nor will I hesitate now to obtain, by violence and even bloodshed, the reward you promised me for that deed! Lady, be wise; we are alone at this silent hour--I am powerful and you are helpless. Consent, then, or--"
"She interrupted me with a scornful laugh, that rendered me almost frantic with fury. Reason forsook me; I lost all self-control, and rushed upon her with the ferocity of a madman, determined to strangle her.
"Ere I could lay my grasp upon her, I was seized with a force that nearly stunned me. I arose with difficulty, and to my astonishment beheld the handsome countenance and glittering uniform of her ladyship"s favored lover, Captain St. Clair!
""Villain," said he, in his usual cold and haughty manner, (he was of n.o.ble blood, and as proud as Lucifer,) "you little imagined that I was a witness of the entire scene in which you have played so praiseworthy a part! Upon my honor, you are the most ambitious of butlers! Cooks and chambermaids are not sufficiently delicate for your fastidious taste, forsooth!--but you must aspire to ladies of n.o.ble birth! Faith, I should not be surprised to hear of your attempting an intrigue with her gracious Majesty, the Queen! Hark"ee, fellow, begone! and thank my moderation that I do not punish you upon the spot, for your infernal presumption! Yet I would scorn to tarnish the l.u.s.tre of my good sword with the blood of such a thing as thou!"
""Captain," said I, boldly, (for I am no coward, ladies and gentlemen, as you all know,) "as you have seen fit to play the spy, it is fair to presume that you are acquainted with the circ.u.mstances upon which my claim to the favor of this lady is based. At her instigation, and prompted by her promises of reward, I have murdered Lord Hawley"s valet, Lagrange, in order to prevent his revealing to his master, the criminal intimacy existing between you and her ladyship. Now, Captain, I submit it to you as a man of honor--having committed such a deed, and exposed myself to such a fearful risk, am I not ent.i.tled to the reward promised by her ladyship? without the hope of which reward, I never would have bedewed my hands in the blood of my fellow servant.
And can I justly be blamed for claiming that reward, and even for attempting to obtain it by force, since I have faithfully earned it?"
"The Captain laughed, half in good nature, half in scorn, and said--
""Faith, you are a well-spoken knave, and appeal to my honor as if you were my equal; and I am half inclined to pardon your presumption on account of your wit. Now listen, my good fellow;--her ladyship, as a measure of policy, wished to have a certain person removed, who was possessed of a dangerous secret; now you were the only available agent she could employ to effect that removal. But you demanded a certain favor, (which shall be nameless,) as the price of your services, and would accept of no other remuneration. The danger was imminent; what could her ladyship do? The man must be disposed of, even at the sacrifice of truth; her ladyship gave the required promise (_intending never to keep it_,) you performed the service, and very properly, I own, come to receive your reward. Of course, you perceive the impossibility of a compliance with your wishes. No intrigue can exist between the patrician and the plebeian--you are low-born, she of the n.o.blest blood of the kingdom. Are you so blind, man, that you cannot see--or are you so stupid that you cannot comprehend--the repugnance which her ladyship must naturally feel at the very idea of an amorous intimacy existing between a high-born lady and--good heavens!--a _butler_? Here, my good fellow, is a purse, containing fifty guineas--I will double the sum to-morrow. Now go; and remember that you have everything to expect from our generosity, in a pecuniary point of view; but a repet.i.tion of your demand for her ladyship"s favors, will most a.s.suredly result to your lasting disadvantage."
"Seeing the folly of attempting to press my claim further, I sneaked out of the room, with very much the air of a disconcerted cur with his tail between his legs, to use a simile more expressive than elegant.
The moment I had entered my own chamber, the clock in a neighboring steeple proclaimed the hour of two, and then for the first time I remembered the appointment which I had made with my two particular friends, from the "Jolly Thieves," in reference to the disposal of Lagrange"s body. The hour appointed for meeting them, was pa.s.sed; and suddenly a thought struck me--a strange thought--which had no sooner flashed through my mind, than I resolved to act upon its suggestion.
"Twas a glorious plan of revenge, and one which could only have emanated from my fertile imagination.
""The corpse of the Frenchman shall become the instrument of my vengeance," thought I, chuckling with glee. "I shall not need the a.s.sistance of those two fellows now--and, if they are still lurking about the house, I will reward them for their trouble and send them away. Ah, lucky thought--lucky thought!"
"I found my two friends in waiting for me; they grumbled much at my want of punctuality, but their murmurings were hushed when I paid them liberally, and dismissed them, saying that I had discovered a much safer and more convenient method of disposing of the body, than the plan originally proposed, and therefore should not require their a.s.sistance.--They departed, rejoicing at their good fortune in being freed from a difficult and dangerous task, and congratulating themselves on having received as much money as they had been promised for its performance.
"Taking with me a dark lantern, I descended noiselessly into the wine vault, and having secured the ma.s.sive iron door, proceeded to execute my plan of vengeance. Comrades, can you guess what that plan was? No, I"ll swear you cannot. But listen, and you shall hear.
"Placing my light in a convenient position, I dragged the dead body of Lagrange from its place of concealment; then I bent over it, and examined the ghastly countenance. The features were pale and rigid, the teeth firmly set, and the gla.s.sy eyes wide open and staring. The awful expression of those dead orbs seemed, bold as I was, to freeze my very soul as with the power of a basilisk. For a single moment I repented the deed; but that feeling soon pa.s.sed, and I rejoiced at it.
"It occurred to me to search the pockets of my victim; I did so, and found a small sum of money, and a sealed letter, addressed to Lord Hawley. The valet had probably intended to despatch that letter to his master that afternoon--which design was frustrated by his sudden death by my hand. Eagerly I broke the seal, and read as follows:--
""LONDON.
""My lord.--Should your lordship have possibly designed extending your visit to Berkshire beyond the time originally allotted to the same, I entreat your lordship to set aside every consideration--every engagement, however pressing or important its nature may be, and to return immediately to town. Something has occurred, in the conduct of her ladyship, intimately affecting your lordship"s honor. To relieve your lordship from any painful uncertainty that may be occasioned by this indefinite announcement, you will pardon me for stating plainly, that I myself saw her ladyship and Captain St. Clair, under circ.u.mstances that admitted of but one opinion in reference to the nature of the intimacy existing between them. Simpson, the butler, whom I am persuaded is in the confidence of her ladyship and the Captain, this afternoon questioned me in regard to my knowledge of the affair, and the use I intended to make of that knowledge; and he, not deeming my replies satisfactory, abused and struck me. My duty to your lordship prevented any retaliation on my part; and that duty, (the offspring of humble grat.i.tude for your lordship"s many acts of generous kindness to me, both in this country and in France,) now impels me to communicate these unpleasant facts--which I do, with sincere sorrow for her ladyship"s indiscretion, and every desire for the preservation of your lordship"s honor.
""From your lordship"s humble servant, ""LOUIS LAGRANGE."
"This letter, so characteristic of the polished, wily and educated Frenchman, was written in the French language, with which I was well acquainted, I therefore easily translated it. After a careful perusal, I placed it in my pocket-book--for I was well aware that it might one day prove a valuable auxiliary to me, should I feel disposed to inform my master of his wife"s infidelity, and his lordship then could not doubt the truth of his own favorite and faithful servant, in whom he had the most unbounded confidence.
""Oh, scornful Lady Hawley and sarcastic Captain St. Clair!" I could not forbear exclaiming--"ye shall both be caught in a net of your own making, when ye least expect it! My lady will be turned out of doors as an adulteress; and my gentleman will perhaps be shot through the head by the husband he has wronged! Patience, patience, good Simpson; thou shalt yet riot in the very satiety of thy vengeance. But now to put in operation my first method--an ingenious one it is, too--of avenging my wrongs!"
"Among the various wines with which the extensive cellar was abundantly stocked, was a large cask containing a particular kind, of a very rich and peculiar flavor; and of this wine I knew Lady Hawley, who was a luxurious woman, very fastidious in her taste, to be especially fond. Captain St. Clair, too, preferred it above all other kinds; and at the midnight suppers which he so often enjoyed with her ladyship, the ruby contents of this particular cask was most frequently called into requisition, as I well know, for I had been accustomed to carry it from the cellar to the door of the bed-chamber wherein the amorous pair indulged in the joys both of Venus and of Bacchus. The wine had been imported by his lordship, who was a _bon vivant_, from Bordeaux and was particularly valued for its rich color, solid body, and substantial yet delicate flavor, rivalling in these qualities, perhaps, that cla.s.sic beverage, the famed Greek wine.
""I will add to the exquisite flavor of this wine," said I--"her ladyship and her lover shall banquet on human blood; the corruption of a putrifying corpse shall be mingled with the sparkling fluid that nourishes their unholy pa.s.sions."
"With but little difficulty, and less noise, (for I well understood such matters,) I removed the head of the cask, which I found to be about half full. How luxurious was the odor that arose from the dark liquid, fragrant with spices! Taking a small vessel, I drank a b.u.mper--then another. My blood instantly became charged with a thousand fires; my heart seemed to swell with mighty exultation; my brain seemed to swim in a sea of delight. I laughed with mad glee to think of the superb vengeance I was about to wreak on my enemies; then I raised the corpse of Lagrange with Herculean strength, thrust it into the cask, and pressed it into the smallest possible compa.s.s; but found to my inexpressible chagrin, that it would be absolutely impossible to re-adjust the head of the cask, unless the body was in some manner made smaller. After a few moments" reflection, a happy thought struck me. I hesitated not a moment, but drew a sharp clasp knife from my pocket, deliberately severed the head from the body, and thrust it into the cask. Then, without the least difficulty, I replaced the top of the cask, and my work was accomplished.
"I repaired to my chamber but slept not, as you may suppose; the events of that day and night had been of a nature too singularly exciting to admit of repose. Shortly after I had retired, I heard Lady Hawley conduct her lover to the back stair-case; there was a sound of kissing, and a whispered appointment made for another meeting, on a night when his lordship would probably be absent. "Yes, and at that interview, my amorous pair," thought I, "shall you taste of the wine which I have improved by an addition which you little suspect, but with which you shall one day be made acquainted." And then I laughed till the tears rolled down my cheeks.
"Lord Hawley returned at the expected time, and immediately inquired for his valet, Lagrange. The gentleman was, of course, among the missing; and I overheard her ladyship announcing to her husband that the Frenchman had absconded, carrying off plate and jewelry to a considerable amount. Lord Hawley was extremely shocked and grieved on receiving this (false) intelligence; and I heard him mutter, as he retired in great perturbation of mind to his study,--"What, can it be possible?--Lagrange, whom I esteemed to be the most honest and faithful fellow in the world--of whose fidelity I have had so many evidences,--whom I have often benefitted,--can it be that _he_ has deserted and robbed me? Then indeed do I believe all mankind to be false as h.e.l.l!"
"A week pa.s.sed, and nothing occurred in Hawley House worthy of mention. At the expiration of that time, his lordship went on a short journey, (connected with some political object,) which would occasion him a fortnight"s absence from home. Then was her ladyship and the captain in clover! and then was afforded me an opportunity to set before them the wine which I had enriched by my famous _addition_!
"Not deeming it necessary to adopt the usual precautions, my lady feasted, toyed and dallied with her handsome lover in her own private apartments, fearing no detection, as she was certain that her husband would not return before the specified time, and as I was the only person aware of the captain"s presence in the house; she feared not, thinking that I dared not betray her, as she imagined that I was completely in her power on account of the murder I had committed.
Pretty fool! she little thought of the plan I had formed for her destruction, and that of her haughty and hated paramour.
"I waited on them at table in my humblest and most respectful manner; and I could perceive that they inwardly congratulated themselves on having, as they thought, completely subdued me, and bribed me to eternal silence with regard to their amours.
"At their very first banquet, (for the splendor of their repasts merited that high-sounding t.i.tle,) I was requested to bring from the cellar a decanter of their _favorite_ wine. You may be sure I did not mistake the cask, comrades. I drew from the cask which contained the corpse of Lagrange, a quant.i.ty of the wine, and holding it to the light, observed with intense satisfaction that it had a.s.sumed a darker tinge--it looked just like blood. For a moment I was tempted to _taste_ it; but d.a.m.n me! bad and blood-thirsty as I was, I could not do _that_. The corpse had been soaking in the wine a full week; I was convinced that the liquid was pretty thoroughly impregnated with the flavor of my scientific improvement; and even my stomach revolted at the idea of drinking wine tainted and reeking with the dead flesh and blood of the man I had murdered.
"I placed the wine on the table before my lady and the Captain; and I am free to confess that I trembled somewhat, in view of the possibility of their detecting, at the first taste, the trick which I had played them. Very nervous was I, when the Captain slowly poured out a wine gla.s.s full, and raised it to his lips; but how delighted was I, when he drained every drop of it with evident satisfaction, smacked his lips, and said to the lady--
""By my faith, Adelaide, "tis a drink for the G.o.ds! How that wine improves by age! Never before has it tasted so rich, so fruity, so delicious! Observe what a firm body it has--what deep, rich color--a fitting hue for a soldier"s beverage, for "tis red as blood. Allow me to fill your ladyship"s gla.s.s, that you may judge of its improved and wonderful merits."
"Her ladyship drank, and p.r.o.nounced it excellent. I was in silent extacies. "Drink the blood and essence of the murdered dead, ye fools, and call it sweet as honey to your taste!" I mentally said--"ere many days your souls shall be made sick with the knowledge of _what_ ye have drank!"
"The guilty pair were not in the slightest degree reserved in my presence; on the contrary they jested, they talked, they indulged in familiarities before my face, in a manner that astonished me not a little. Comrades, none of you have seen much of fashionable life, I take it; for although you all belong to the very best society in Ann street, you can"t reasonably be supposed to have much of an idea of society as "tis seen in the mansion of an English n.o.bleman. Therefore, if you don"t think my yarn already too tedious, (it"s as true as gospel, every word of it, upon the unsullied honor of a gentleman!) and if you"d like to know something of the capers of rich and fashionable people in high life, I"ll tell you, in as few words as possible, some of the sayings and doings of my lady Hawley and her handsome lover, Captain St. Clair, as witnessed by me, at the time of which I have been speaking, in London."
Jew Mike paused to take breath and "wet his whistle;" while all his listeners eagerly requested him to "go on" with his yarn. During the progress of the narrative, an old, comical looking man, not over well dressed, had entered the room, unnoticed; and seating himself in one corner, he pulled a pipe from his pocket, lighted it, and began to smoke, at the same time taking a keen and intelligent survey of the motley a.s.sembly. Jew Mike, having quenched his thirst, resumed his story. [The reader will be good enough to observe, that while we give the substance of this worthy gentleman"s narrative, we pretend not to give his precise words. It is highly probable that he adapted his language to the humble capacities of his low and illiterate auditors; and we have taken the liberty to clothe his ideas in words better suited to the more intelligent and refined understandings of our readers.]
"Well, ladies and gentlemen," said Jew Mike--"as I was saying, Lady Hawley and Captain St. Clair got so bad that they never minded my presence a bit, but talked and acted before me with as much freedom as if I were both deaf and blind. My lady would dress herself in the Captain"s uniform, which fitted her to a charm, for she was a large, magnificent woman, while he was of no great stature for a man, although exceedingly well-made and handsome. Not was that all: the Captain would attire himself in her splendid garments, and, but for his moustache and imperial, might have pa.s.sed for a very handsome woman. And, to carry out the idea still further, my lady would pretend to take very wild and improper liberties with her lover, which he would affect to resent with all the indignation proper to his a.s.sumed s.e.x. Then they would roll and tumble upon the soft carpet until they were quite spent and breathless; after which the Captain would run into the chamber, and conceal himself beneath, behind, or _in_ the bed; she would follow in pursuit, close the chamber door, and--I would apply my eye to the key-hole; but as I am a polite man, and as there are ladies present, (ahem!) you"ll excuse me for not entering into particulars.
"So much for their actions, now for their words. I was attending them at supper one night, and to say the truth they were both of them highly elevated in consequence of having too profusely imbibed their favorite wine, seasoned with the _essence of Lagrange,_ the name which I had privately given it. The Captain was very slightly attired, and my lady had on nothing but a very _intimate_ garment, which revealed rather more than it concealed--for they had just before been playing the very interesting game of "hide and seek," and had not yet resumed all their appropriate garments. I had formerly regarded lady Hawley as the very _beau ideal_ of all that was dignified, haughty and majestic; but that night she looked lewd and sensual, in an eminent degree, and appeared utterly reckless of all decency. She exposed her person in a manner that astonished me, and seemed to abandon herself without reserve, to all the promptings of her voluptuous nature. Her appearance, conversation and actions were not without their influence on me, you may be sure; and if ever I envied mortal man, it was that young officer, who could revel at will in the arms of the beautiful wanton at his side.
"The Captain, reclining his head upon her fair bosom, said--
""And so Adelaide, in a few days your odious husband will return, and terminate these rapturous blisses. Why in the devil"s name don"t the accursed old man die of apoplexy, or break his neck, or get shot in a duel, or do something to relieve us of his hated interference with our stolen joys?"
""Ah, St. Clair," answered the lady, with a glance of pa.s.sion--"would that the old man were dead! Since I have tasted the sweets of your society--since I first listened to the music of your voice, and since first this heart beat tumultuously against yours, my whole nature is changed--my blood is turned to fire; my religion is my love for you; my deity is your image, and my heaven--is in your arms. Oh," she suddenly exclaimed, as the rich blood mantled on her face and neck--"how terrible it is for a young and pa.s.sionate woman to be linked in marriage to an old, impotent, cold, pa.s.sionless being, who claims the name of _man_, but is not ent.i.tled to it! And then if she solaces herself with a lover--as she must, or die--she is continually agitated with fears of her husband"s jealousy, and the dread of discovery. Like the thirsty traveller in a barren waste, her soul yearns for an ocean of delights--and pants and longs in vain.
Husband--would that there was no such word, no such relation as it implies--"tis slavery, "tis madness, to be chained for life to but one source of love, when a thousand streams would not satiate or overflow.
Yet the world--the world--disgraces and condemns such as I am, if discovered; it points to my withered husband, and says--"there is your only _lawful_ love." Heavens! the very thought of him sickens and disgusts me; _he_ a lover! He is no more to be compared to thee, my St. Clair, than is the withered leaf of autumn to the ripe peach or juicy pomegranate!"
""By all the G.o.ds of war," exclaimed the Captain, fired with admiration at her beauty and the fervor of her pa.s.sion for him, and straining her to his breast in a perfect phrenzy of transport--"thy husband shall be no longer a stumbling-block between us, angel of my soul; I will insult him--he will challenge me--we will fight--I am the best shot in Europe, and he will be shot through the heart, if the cold dotard have one. Yet stay--d.a.m.n it, why not have him disposed of after the manner of the valet? Ha, ha! a good thought! Simpson, what say you? Will you do it for a couple of hundred guineas, and without laying claim to the favors of her ladyship?"
"The last sentence was uttered with a very palpable sneer; it enraged me, for by it I was reminded of the manner in which I had been swindled out of the reward promised for my other murder. Besides, the man"s cool villainy, and the woman"s shameless lechery, disgusted me, bad as I was; for they belonged to that cla.s.s which professes all the gentility, refinement and virtue in the world; and to hear the one glorying in adultery, and the other deliberately proposing murder, afforded such a d.a.m.nable instance of the sublime hypocrisy peculiar to the "upper ten" of society, that I became desperately angry, and answered the Captain in a manner that astonished him.--You will remember, comrades, that as great a villain as I am, I am no hypocrite, and was never accused of being one. And yet hypocrisy prevails in every department of life. Look," continued Jew Mike, getting into a philosophical strain, and stroking his enormous beard with an air of profound complacency--"Look at that venerable looking old gentleman, who every Sabbath stands in his pulpit to declaim against wickedness and fleshy l.u.s.ts. Mark his libidinous eye, as he follows that painted strumpet to her filthy den. There"s hypocrisy.
Then turn your eyes toward a sister city, and mark that grey-headed, sanctimonious editor, who every week solemnly prates of honesty, sobriety, and their kindred virtues. "What an excellent man he is,"
exclaim the whole tribe of fat, tea-drinking old women in mob-caps, raising their pious eyes and snuffy noses to heaven.--Ha, ha, ha! Why, ladies and gentlemen, that editor is so cursedly dishonest and so im--_mensely_ mean, that his hair wouldn"t stay black, but turned to a dirty white before its time--so mean, his food won"t digest easy--his shirt won"t dry when washed--his clothes won"t fit him--the cholera won"t have him--musquitoes won"t bite him--and if, after his lean carca.s.s is huddled under the turf, his cunning little soul should attempt to crawl through the key-hole of h.e.l.l"s gate, the devil, whose lacky he has ever been, would kick him with as much disgust as this _fraction_ once displayed in kicking a poor wretch whom he had beggared, starved and ruined!
"But I see, comrades, that you begin to grow impatient at this moralizing--and well you may, for "tis always distasteful to look at such reptiles as we have been contemplating. Well, to take up the thread of my yarn, which I shall bring to a close as speedily as possible, for "tis getting late.--When the Captain proposed that I should murder Lord Hawley, his and her ladyship"s hypocrisy enraged me to such an extent, that I boldly looked him in the face, and said to him--
""Say, who is the greater villain, you or I? You, who prate of your birth, rank and position in life, and propose a murder, or I, making no pretensions whatever, I that have committed a murder at the instigation of one of your cla.s.s, in the hope of reward? Look you, Captain; neither you nor your n.o.ble strumpet at your side shall bribe me to commit further crime. Wretches that you both are, false in honor and in truth, know that I am already fearfully revenged upon you--and your exposure is at hand. Another murder, indeed!--_have you not both drank blood enough?_"
"This last sentence I uttered with such significance that the Captain started and turned pale. "What mean you, scoundrel?" he demanded.
""Follow me, both of you, to the wine cellar!" I exclaimed in answer, fully determined to reveal the awful truth to them at once. Astonished and subdued by the impressiveness of my manner and the singularity of my words, they obeyed. Having seized a light from the table, I led the way to the cellar, and advanced to the cask wherein rotted the remains of the murdered Lagrange.
"The scene must have been a striking one, comrades. There was the vast vault, dimly lighted by a single wax taper; around were many black and mouldering casks containing the juice of the grape, some of which was of a great age. Before one of those casks, much larger than the others, stood I, brandishing aloft the implement with which I was about to break open that strange tomb, and disclose its awful secret.
Beside me, dressed in the slight garments I have already described, their pale countenances expressive of mingled curiosity and fear, stood Lady Hawley and Captain St. Clair, whom I thus addressed--