Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

ruin, will find friends to pursue you: and now I have this full proof of your detestable wickedness, and have heard your base incitements, will have no mercy upon you!"

They could not laugh at the poor figure I made.Lord! how every devil, conscience-shaken, trembled !

"And as for thee, thou vile Dorcas! thou double deceiver !-whining out thy pretended love for me!—begone, wretch-Nobody will hurt thee !-Begone, I say !-Thou hast too well acted thy part to be blamed by any here but myself.―Thou art safe: thy guilt is thy security in such a house as this!-Steal away into darkness!—No inquiry after this will be made, whose the first advances, thine or mine."

And, as I hope to live, the wench, confoundedly frightened, slunk away; so did her sentinel Mabell; though I, endeavouring to rally, cried out for Dorcas to stay.—But I believe the devil could not have stopped her, when an angel bid her begone.

Madam, said I, let me tell you; and was advancing towards her, with a fierce aspect, most cursedly vexed, and ashamed too

But she turned to me; "Stop where thou art, O vilest and most abandoned of men!-Stop where thou art!nor, with that determined face, offer to touch me, if thou wouldst not that I should be a corpse at thy feet!"

To my astonishment, she held forth a penknife in her hand, the point to her own bosom, grasping resolutely the whole handle, so that there was no offering to take it from her.

"I offer not mischief to anybody but myself. You, sir, and ye, women, are safe from every violence of mine. The law shall be all my resource: the law!" and she spoke the word with emphasis that struck a panic into them. "The law only shall be my refuge

[ocr errors]

The infamous mother whispered me, that it were better to make terms with this strange lady, and let her go.

Sally, notwithstanding all her impudent bravery at other times, said, If Mr. Lovelace had told them what was not true of her being his wife

And Polly Horton, that she must needs say, the lady, if she were not my wife, had been very much injured; that was all.

That is not now a matter to be disputed, cried I and I know, madam

: you

We do, said she; and I thank God, I am not thine -once more, I thank God for it.—I have no doubt of the further baseness that thou hadst intended me, by this vile and low trick but I have my senses, Lovelace and from my heart I despise thee, thou very poor Lovelace !-How canst thou stand in my presence !—thou, that

Madam, madam, madam-these are insults not to be borne-and was approaching her.

She withdrew to the door, and set her back against it, holding the pointed knife to her heaving bosom; while the women held me, beseeching me not to provoke the violent lady for their house sake, and be cursed to them, they besought me and all three hung upon me-while the heroic lady braved me, at that distance :

Approach me, Lovelace, with resentment, if thou wilt. I dare die. It is in defence of my honour. God will be merciful to my poor soul! I expect no mercy from thee! I have gained this distance, and two steps nearer me, and thou shalt see what I dare do!

[ocr errors]

Leave me, women, to myself, and to my angel!-They retired at a distance.-O my beloved creature, how you terrify me-holding out my arms, and kneeling on one knee. Not a step, not a step farther, except to receive my death at that injured hand which is thus held up against a life far dearer to me than my own! I am a villain! the blackest of villains -Say you will sheath your knife in the injurer's not the injured's heart; and then will I indeed approach you, but not else.

The mother twanged her damned nose; and Sally and Polly pulled out their handkerchiefs, and turned from us. They never in their lives, they told me afterwards, beheld such a scene

Unawares to myself, I had moved onward to my angel. "And dost thou, dost thou, still disclaiming, still advancing-dost thou, dost thou, still insidiously move towards me? (And her hand was extended) I dare-I dare not rashly neither-my heart from principle abhors the act, which thou makest necessary!-God, in thy mercy! (Lifting up her eyes, and hands) God, in thy mercy!"

I threw myself to the further end of the room. An ejaculation, a silent ejaculation, employing her thoughts that moment; Polly says the whites of her lovely eyes were only visible: and, in the instant that she extended her hand, assuredly to strike the fatal blow (How the very recital terrifies me!) she cast her eye towards me, and saw me at the utmost distance the room would allow, and heard my broken voice-my voice was utterly broken; nor knew I what I said, or whether to the purpose or notand her charming cheeks, that were all in a glow before, turned pale, as if terrified at her own purpose; and lifting up her eyes-"Thank God !-thank God! said the angeldelivered for the present; for the present delivered— from myself!-Keep, sir, keep that distance! (looking down towards me, who was prostrate on the floor, my heart pierced, as with a hundred daggers!) That distance has saved a life; to what reserved, the Almighty only knows!____"

To be happy, madam; and to make happy!—And O let me but hope for your favour for to-morrow.-I will put off my journey till then-and may God—

"Swear not, sir!-With an awful and piercing aspectYou have too, too often sworn !—God's eye is upon us!His more immediate eye;"-and looked wildly.

If not to-morrow, madam, say but next Thursday, your uncle's birthday; say but next Thursday!

"This I say, of this you may assure yourself, I never, never will be yours. And let me hope, that I may be entitled to the performance of your promise, to be permitted to leave this house as soon as the day breaks.”

Did my perdition depend upon it, that you cannot, madam, but upon terms. And I hope you will not terrify me-Still dreading the accursed knife.

[ocr errors]

Nothing less than an attempt upon my honour shall make me desperate. I have no view, but to defend my honour with such a view only I entered into treaty with your infamous agent below."

Then, taking one of the lights, she turned from us; and away she went, unmolested.-Not a soul was able to molest her.

Mabell saw her, tremblingly, and in a hurry, take the key of her chamber-door out of her pocket, and unlock it : and, as soon as she entered, heard her double lock, bar, and bolt it.

By her taking out her key, when she came out of her chamber to us, she no doubt suspected my design: which was, to have carried her in my arms thither, if she made such force necessary, after I had intimidated her; and to have been her companion for that night.

She was to have had several bedchamber women to assist to undress her upon occasion; but, from the moment she entered the dining-room with so much intrepidity, it was absolutely impossible to think of prosecuting my designs against her.

This, this, Belford, was the hand I made of a contrivance from which I expected so much!--And now am I ten times worse off than before.

Thou never sawest people in thy life look so like fools upon one another, as the mother, her partners, and I, did

for a few minutes. And at last, the two devilish nymphs broke out into insulting ridicule upon me; while the old wretch was concerned for her house, the reputation of her house. I cursed them altogether; and, retiring to my chamber, locked myself in.

And now it is time to set out all I have gained, detection, disgrace, fresh guilt by repeated perjuries, and to be despised by her I doat upon; and, what is still worse to a proud heart, by myself.

But for the lady, by my soul I love her, I admire her, more than ever! I must have her. I will have her stillwith honour, or without, as I have often vowed. My cursed fright at her accidental bloody nose, so lately, put her upon improving upon me thus. Had she threatened me, I should soon have been master of one arm, and in both!

But she is not gone. She shall not go. I will press

her with letters for the Thursday. She shall yet be mine, legally mine. For, as to cohabitation, there is now no such thing to be thought of.

The captain shall give her away, as proxy for her uncle. My lord will die. My fortune will help my will, and set me above everything and everybody.

But here is the curse-she despises me, Jack! What man, as I have heretofore said, can bear to be despised -especially by his wife? O Lord! O Lord! What a hand, what a cursed hand, have I made of this plot! And here ends

The history of the lady and the penknife!!! The devil take the penknife! It goes against me to say, God bless the lady!

« VorigeDoorgaan »