The Wanderer; or, Female Difficulties (Volume 4 of 5) Read online

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  VOLUME IV

  CHAPTER LX

  Juliet was precipitately followed by Lord Melbury.

  'It is not, then,' he cried, 'your intention to return to Mrs Ireton?'

  'No, my lord, never!'

  She had but just uttered these words, when, immediately facing her, shebeheld Mrs Howel.

  A spectre could not have made her start more affrighted, could not haveappeared to her more horrible. And Lord Melbury, who earnestly, at thesame moment, had pronounced, 'Tell me whither, then,--' stoppingabruptly, looked confounded.

  'May I ask your lordship to take me to Lady Aurora?' Mrs Howel coldlydemanded.

  'Aurora?--Yes;--she is there, Ma'am;--still in the gallery.'

  Mrs Howel presented him her hand, palpably to force him with her; andstalked past Juliet, without any other demonstration of perceiving herthan what was unavoidably manifested by an heightened air of haughtydisdain.

  Lord Melbury, distressed, would still have hung back; but Mrs Howel,taking his arm, proceeded, as if without observing his repugnance.

  Juliet, in trembling dismay, glided on till she entered a vacantapartment, of which the door was open. To avoid intrusion, she wasshutting herself in; but, upon some one's applying, nearly the nextminute, for admittance, the fear of new misconstruction forced her toopen the door. What, then, was her shock at again viewing Mrs Howel! Shestarted back involuntarily, and her countenance depicted undisguisedhorrour.

  With a brow of almost petrifying severity, sternly fixing her eyes uponJuliet, Mrs Howel, for a dreadful moment, seemed internally suspended,not between hardness and mercy, but between accusation and punishment.At length, in a tone, from the deep sounds of which Juliet shrunk, buthad no means to retire, she slowly pronounced, while her head rose moreloftily at every word, 'You abscond from Mrs Ireton, though she wouldpermit you to remain with her? 'Tis to Lord Melbury that you reveal yourpurpose; and the inexperienced youth whom you would seduce, is the onlyperson that can fail to discover your ultimate design, in taking themoment of meeting with him, for quitting the honourable protection whichsnatches you from want, if not from disgrace: at the same time that itoffers security to a noble family, justly alarmed for the morals, if notfor the honour of its youthful and credulous chief.'

  The terror which, in shaking the nerves, seemed to have clouded even thefaculties of Juliet, now suddenly subsided, superseded by yet morepotent sensations of quick resentment. 'Hold, Madam!' she cried: 'I maybear with cruelty and injustice, for I am helpless! but not with insult,for I am innocent!'

  Mrs Howel, surprised, paused an instant; but then harshly went on, 'Thiscant, young woman, can only delude those who are ignorant of the world.Whatever you may chuse to utter to me of that sort will be perfectlynull. What I have to say is simple; what you have to offer must, ofcourse, be complicate. But I have no time to throw away upon rants androdomontades, and I have no patience to waste upon impostors. Hear methen without reply.'

  'Not to reply, Madam, will cost me little,' indignantly cried Juliet:'but to hear you,--pardon me, Madam,--force only can exact from me sodreadful a compliance.'

  She looked round, but not having courage to open a further door, norpower to pass by Mrs Howel, walked to a window.

  Not heeding her resistance, and disdaining her emotion, Mrs Howelcontinued: 'My Lord Melbury is not, it is true, like his sister, undermy immediate care; but he is here only to join her ladyship, whom myLord Denmeath has entrusted to my protection. And, therefore, though heis as noble in mind as in rank, since he is still, in years, but a boy,I must, in honour, consider myself to be equally responsible to my LordDenmeath for the brother as for the sister. This being the case, I mustnot leave him to the machinations of an adventurer. In two words,therefore,--Declare yourself for what you are; or return with Mrs Iretonto Brighthelmstone, and remain under her roof, since she deigns topermit it, till I have restored my young friends, safe and uninjured, totheir uncle. Otherwise--'

  Juliet, casting up her eyes, as if calling upon heaven for patience,would have opened the window, to seek refuge in the air from sounds ofwhich the shock was insupportable: but Mrs Howel, offended into yetdeeper wrath, advanced with a mien of such rigid austerity, that shelost her purpose in her consternation, and listened irresistibly to whatfollows: 'Otherwise,--mark me, young woman! the still unexplainedmystery with which you have made your way into the kingdom, willauthorise an application which you will vainly try to elude, and withwhich you will not dare to prevaricate. You will take your choice, and,in five minutes, you will be summoned to make it known.'

  With this menace she left the room.

  In an agony of terrour, that again absorbed even resentment, Julietremained motionless, confounded, and incapable of deliberation, till thegroom of Mrs Ireton came to inform her that his lady was ready to setout.

  Juliet, scarcely herself knowing her own intentions, precipitatelyejaculated, 'The crisis is arrived!--I must cast myself upon LadyAurora!'

  The servant said he did not understand her.

  'Tell Lady Aurora--;' she cried, 'or Lord Melbury,--no, Lady Aurora,--'she stopt, fearfully balancing upon which to fix.

  The groom asked what he was to say.

  'You will say,--I must beg you to say,--' cried Juliet, endeavouring torecollect herself, 'that I desire,--that I wish,--that I take theliberty to request that Lady Aurora will have the goodness to honourme,--that I shall be eternally obliged if her ladyship will honour mewith a few moment's conversation!'

  The groom went; and almost the next instant, she heard the fleet step ofLady Aurora approaching, and her soft voice, with unusual emphasis,pronounce, 'Pardon me, dear Madam, but I could not refuse her for athousand worlds!'

  'She ought not to refuse her, Mrs Howel!' added, with fervency, thevoice of Lord Melbury; 'in humanity, in justice, in decency, Auroraought not to refuse her! Whatever may be your fears of objections to anintimacy, there can be none to common civility; for though we know notwhat Miss Ellis has been, we see what she now is;--a pattern ofelegance, sweetness, and delicacy.'

  'A moment, my lord!--one moment, Lady Aurora!' answered Mrs Howel; 'wemay be overheard here;--honour me with a moment's attention in anotherroom.' She seemed drawing them away, and not a word more reached Juliet.

  A dreadful ten minutes preceded any farther information: a quick step,then, followed by a tap at the door, re-awakened at once terrour andhope. She awaited, motionless, its opening, but then saw neither theobject she desired, nor that which she dreaded; neither Lady Aurora norMrs Howel, but Lord Melbury.

  Affrighted by the threatened vengeance of Mrs Howel, but irresistiblycharmed by his generous defence, and trusting esteem, Juliet looked sodisturbed, yet through her disturbance so gratified, that Lord Melbury,evidently much agitated himself, approached her with a vivacity ofpleasure that he did not seek to repress, and could not have disguised.

  'Miss Ellis will, I am sure, forgive my intrusion,' he cried, 'when Itell her that it is made in the name of my sister. Aurora is grievedpast all expression not to wait upon you herself; but Mrs Howel is insuch haste to depart, from her fear of travelling after sun-set, that itis not possible to detain her. Poor Aurora sends you a thousandapologies, and entreats you not to think ill of her for appearing thusunfeeling--'

  'Think ill of Lady Aurora?' interrupted Juliet, 'I think her anangel!--'

  'She is very near it, indeed!' cried Lord Melbury, ardently; 'as nearit, I own, as I wish her; for I don't see, without wings, and flying toheaven, how she can well be nearer! However,
since you are so kind, soliberal, as to do her that justice, would it be possible that you couldcommunicate, through me, what you had the goodness to intend saying toher? She is quite broken-hearted at going away with an appearance ofsuch unkindness. Can you give her this consolation?'

  'Oh, my lord!' answered Juliet, with an energy that shewed off allguard, 'if I might hope for Lady Aurora's support--for your lordship'sprotection,--with what transport would my o'er-burthened heart,--'Seizedwith sudden dread of Mrs Howel, she stopt abruptly, and fearfully lookedaround.

  Enchanted by a prospect of some communication, Lord Melbury warmlyexclaimed, 'Miss Ellis, I swear to you, by all that I hold most sacred,that if you will do me so great an honour as to trust me to be thebearer of your confidence to my sister, no creature upon earth, besides,shall ever, without your permission, hear what you may unfold! and itshall be my whole study to merit your good opinion, and to shew you myrespect.'

  'O my lord! O Lord Melbury,' cried Juliet, 'what hopes, what sweetbalsamic hopes you pour into my wounded bosom! after sufferings by whichI have been nearly,--nay, through which I have even wished myselfdemolished!--'

  Lord Melbury, inexpressibly touched, eagerly, yet tenderly, answered,'Name, name what there is I can be so happy as to do! Your wishes shallbe my entire direction. And if I can offer you any services, I shallconsole Aurora, and, permit me to say, myself, still more than you.'

  'I will venture, then, my lord,--I must venture!--to lay open myperilous situation!--And yet I may put your feelings,--alas!--to a test,alas, my lord!--that not all your virtues, nor even your compassion maywithstand!'

  Trembling almost as violently as she trembled herself, from impatience,from curiosity, from charmed interest, and indescribable wonder, LordMelbury bent forward, so irresistibly and so palpably to take herhand, that Juliet, alarmed, drew back; and, calling forth theself-command of which her sorrows, her terrours, and her hopes hadconjointly bereft her, 'If I have been guilty,' she cried, 'of anyindiscretion, my lord, in this hasty, almost involuntary disposition toconfidence,--excuse,--and do not punish an errour that has its sourceonly in a--perhaps--too high wrought esteem!--'

  Starting with a look nearly of horrour, 'You kill me,' he cried, 'MissEllis, if you suspect me to be capable, a second time, of dishonouringthe purest of sisters by forgetting the respect due to her friend!--'

  'No, my lord, no!' warmly interrupted Juliet; 'whatever you thinkdishonourable I am persuaded your lordship would find impracticable: butthe stake is so great,--the risk so tremendous,--and failure would be sofatal!--'

  Her preturbation now became nearly overpowering; and, not with standingshe was prepared, and resolved, to disclose herself, her ability seemedunequal to her will, and her breast heaved with sighs so oppressive,that though she frequently began with--'I will now,--I must now,--' shestrove vainly to finish her sentence.

  After anxiously and with astonishment waiting some minutes, 'Why doesMiss Ellis thus hesitate?' cried Lord Melbury. 'What can I say or do toremove her scruples?'

  'I have none, my lord, none! but I have so solemnly been bound tosilence! and ...'

  'Oh, but you are bound, now, to speech!' cried he, with spirit; 'and, tolessen your inquietude, and satisfy your delicacy, I will shew you theway to openness and confidence, by making a disclosure first. Will you,then, have more reliance upon my discretion?'

  'You are too,--too good, my lord!' cried Juliet, again brightening up;'but I dream not of such indulgence: 'tis to your benevolence only Iapply.'

  'Oh, but I have a fancy to trust you! Aurora will be delightedthat I should have found such a confidant. Yet I have nothingpositive,--nothing fixed,--to say, it is but an idea,--a thought,--akind of distant perspective ...'

  He coloured, and looked embarrassed, yet evidently with feelings ofpleasure.

  A radiant smile now illumined the face of Juliet, 'Ah! my lord,' shecried, 'if I might utter a conjecture,--I had almost said a wish--.'

  'Why not? cried he, laughing.'

  'Your lordship permits me?--Well, then, let me name--Lady BarbaraFrankland?--'

  'Is it possible?' cried he, while the blood mantled in his cheeks, andpleasure sparkled in his eyes; 'what can have led you to such a thought?How can you possibly have suspected ... She is still so nearly achild....'

  'It is true, my lord, but, also, how amiable a child! how richly endowedwith similar qualities to those which, at this instant, engage mygratitude!--'

  He bowed, with smiling delight. 'I will not deny,' he cried, 'that youhave penetrated into my secret; though as yet, in fact, it is hardlyeven a secret; for we have not,--hitherto,--you will easily believe,conversed together upon the subject! Nor shall we say a word about it,together, till I have made the tour. But I will frankly own, that wehave been brought up from our very cradles, with this notion, mutually.It was the wish of my father even in our infancy.--'

  'Hold it then sacred!' cried Juliet, with strong emotion. 'Happy, thricehappy, in such a wish for your guide!'

  She burst into tears.

  'How your sorrows,' said he, tenderly, 'affect me! and how they interestme more deeply every moment! Tell me, then, sweet Miss Ellis!--amiablefriend of my sister!--tell me why you are thus afflicted? and how, andin what manner, there is the least possibility that I may offer you myservices, or procure you any consolation?'

  The door here was abruptly opened by Mrs Howel.

  Red with constrained rage, yet assuming a courteous demeanour, 'Yourlordship will pardon,' she cried, 'my intrusion;' but Lady Aurora is sodelicate, that I am always uneasy at keeping her ladyship out late.'

  Highly provoked, yet deeply confused, Lord Melbury stammered that he wasextremely sorry to have detained them, and begged that they would setout; promising to follow immediately.

  Civilly smiling, though fixing her eyes upon his face in a manner thatdoubled his embarrassment, she entreated him to use his own influencewith Lady Aurora, to prevail upon her ladyship to proceed.

  Too much perturbed to resist, he ran out of the room; casting a glanceat Juliet, as he passed, expressive of his chagrin at this interruption,and full of sensibility and respect.

  Juliet dreadfully affrighted, and utterly confounded, had hid herstreaming eyes, and conscious blushes, with her handkerchief, upon theentrance of Mrs Howel; but, when left alone with that tremendous lady,mingled terrour and indignation would have urged immediate flight, hadshe not been apprehensive of seeming to follow, and clandestinely, LordMelbury.

  Benign had been as yet the countenance, and melody itself the voice ofMrs Howel, compared with the expression of the one, or the sound of theother, while she now pronounced the following words: 'The terms, youngwoman, that I would keep with a person of name and character; the honourand delicacy due to myself in any intercourse with such a one, I setwholly aside in treating with an adventurer. I know all that has passed!I have heard every syllable! Convinced, therefore, of your deep laidscheme, to captivate to his disgrace a youth of an illustrious house, byrevealing to him a pretended tale, which you craftily refuse to trust toall who may better judge, or try, its truth; I shall take, withoutdelay, such measures as it behoves should be taken, by a friend of hisfamily, and of himself, to effectually open his eyes to your arts, andto his own danger. In one word, therefore, Will you, and this instant,return to Brighthelmstone under the superintendence of Mrs Ireton?'

  'No, Madam!' Juliet, without hesitation, replied.

  'Enough! I shall myself take in charge, then, that you do not quit thecastle, till the arrival of a peace-officer; who may conduct you whereyou may make your confession with rather more propriety than to a youngnobleman!'

  Neither native courage, nor resentment of hard usage, could supportJuliet against a menace such as this. She changed colour, and sunk,terrified, upon a chair.

  Mrs Howel, after a moment's pause, magisterially moved to the door;whence she took the key, which was within side, and was leaving theroom; but Juliet, struck with horrour at such a preparation forconfinement, started
up, exclaiming, 'If you reduce me, Madam, to cryfor help, I must cast myself at once upon the protection of LordMelbury;--and then assure yourself,--be very sure! he will not sufferthis outrage!'

  'This affrontery exceeds all credibility! Assure yourself, however,young woman, and be very sure, in return! that I shall not beintimidated by an imposter, from detecting imposition; nor fromconsigning it to infamy!'

  With a scoffing smile of power, she then left the room, locking the doorwithout.

  Consternation alone had prevented Juliet from rushing past her, andforcing a passage; though such violence was as opposite to her nature,as to propriety, and to the habits of her sex.

  Alone, and a prisoner, the first reflexion that found way through herdisturbance, served less to diminish her terrour than to awaken newalarm. It represented to her all the blighting horrours of calumny, inbeing known to place her confidence in Lord Melbury, while forced toexact that he himself should guard her secret. She felt as if cast upona precipice, from which, though a kind hand might save, the leastimprudence might precipitate her downfall. She struggled for fortitude,she prayed for patience. What, indeed, she cried, are any sufferingsthat Mrs Ireton can inflict, compared with those I am flying? If I mustsubmit to transient tyranny, or hazard incurring misery as durable as myexistence,--can I hesitate to which I shall yield?

  Hastily, now, she looked for the bell, and rang it repeatedly, till someone through the door demanded her orders.

  'Acquaint Mrs Ireton,' she answered, 'that I am ready to attend her toBrighthelmstone.'

  The door was almost instantly unlocked, and Mrs Howel again appeared. 'Ideign not, young woman,' she sternly said, 'to enquire into the reasons,the arts, or the apprehensions that may have induced your repentance: Iam aware that whatever you would tell me is precisely what I ought notto believe. I come merely to give you notice that, if you venture toattempt keeping up any sort of correspondence with Lady AuroraGranville, or with Lord Melbury, nothing can save you from detection andpunishment. Mark me well! You will be properly watched.'

  She then retired, shutting, but no longer locking the door.

  All of philosophy, of judgment, or of forbearance that the indignantJuliet possessed, was nearly insufficient to keep her firm to herconcession upon an harangue thus insulting. Necessity, however,inculcated prudence. I will await, she cried, better days! I will learnmy ultimate doom ere I seek any mitigation to my passing sorrows. If allend well,--this will be as nothing!--forgive and forgotten at once! Ifill,--in so overwhelming a weight of woe, 'twill be still lessmaterial!