IX.
Miss Sarah led Daniel to a small boudoir adjoining her own room. Nothingcould be fresher and more coquettish than this little room, which lookedalmost like a greenhouse, so completely was it filled with rare andfragrant flowers, while the door and window-frames were overgrownwith luxuriant creepers. In the windows stood large vases filled withflowers; and the light bamboo chairs were covered with the same brightsilk with which the walls were hung. If the great reception-roomreflected the character of Mrs. Brian, this charming boudoir representedMiss Brandon's own exquisite taste.
She sat down on a small sofa and began, after a short pause,--
"My aunt was right; it would have been more proper for me to convey toyou through M. Elgin what I want to say. But I have the independenceof all the girls of my country; and, when my interests are at stake, Itrust no one but myself."
She was bewitching in her ingenuousness as she uttered these words withthe air of a little child who looks cunning, and determined to undertakesomething that appears quite formidable.
"I am told that my dear count has been to see you this afternoon," shecontinued, "and you have heard that in less than a month I shall be theCountess Ville-Handry?"
Daniel was surprised. In less than a month! What could be done in solittle time?
"Now, sir," continued Miss Brandon, "I wish to hear from your own lipswhether you see--any--objections to this match."
She spoke so frankly, that it was evident she was utterly unconscious ofthat article in the code of social laws which prescribes that a Frenchgirl must never mention the word "marriage" without blushing to theroots of her hair. Daniel, on the contrary, was terribly embarrassed.
"I confess," he replied with much hesitation, "that I do not understand,that I cannot possibly explain to myself, why you do me the honor"--
"To consult you? Pardon me; I think you understand me perfectly well.Have they not promised you Miss Ville-Handry's hand?"
"The count has permitted me to hope"--
"He has pledged his word, sir, under certain conditions. My dear counthas told me every thing. I speak, therefore, to Count Ville-Handry'sson-in-law, and I repeat, Do you see any objections to this match?"
The question was too precisely put to allow of any prevarication. Andstill Daniel was bent upon gaining time, and avoiding any positiveanswer. For the first time in his life he said a falsehood; and, turningcrimson all over, he stammered out,--
"I see no objection."
"Really?"
"Really."
She shook her head, and then said very slowly,--
"If that is so, you will not refuse me a great favor. Carried away byher grief at seeing her father marry again, Miss Ville-Handry hates me.Will you promise me to use your influence in trying to persuade her tochange her disposition towards me?"
Never had honest Daniel Champcey been tried so hard. He answereddiplomatically,--
"I am afraid you overestimate my influence."
She looked at him suddenly with such a sharp and penetrating glance thathe felt almost startled, and then said,--
"I do not ask of you to succeed, only promise me upon your honor thatyou will do your best, and I shall be very much obliged to you. Will yougive me that promise?"
Could he do so? The situation was so exceptional, Daniel had at allcost to lull the enemy into security for a time, and for a moment he wasinclined to pledge his honor. Nay, more than that, he made an effort todo it. But his lips refused to utter a false oath.
"You see," resumed Miss Brandon very coldly, "you see you were deceivingme."
And, turning away from him, she hid her face in her hands, apparentlyovercome by grief, and repeated in a tone of deep sorrow,--
"What a disgrace! Great God! What a humiliation!"
But suddenly she started up again, her face bright with a glow of hope,and cried out,--
"Well, be it so. I like it all the better so. A mean man would not havehesitated at an oath, however determined he might have been not to keepit. Whilst you--I can trust you; you are a man of honor, and all is notlost yet. Whence comes your aversion? Is it a question of money, thecount's fortune?"
"Miss Brandon!"
"No, it is not that, I see. I was quite sure of it. What, then, can itbe? Tell me, sir, I beseech you! tell me something."
What could he tell her? Daniel remained silent.
"Very well," said Sarah, clinching her teeth convulsively. "Iunderstand."
She made a supreme effort not to break out in sobs; and big tears,resembling diamonds of matchless beauty, rolled slowly down from betweenher long, trembling eyelashes.
"Yes," she said, "I understand. The atrocious calumnies which my enemieshave invented have reached you; and you have believed them. They have,no doubt, told you that I am an adventuress, come from nowhere; that myfather, the brave defender of the Union, exists only in the paintingin my parlor; that no one knows where my income comes from; thatThorn, that noble soul, and Mrs. Brian, a saint upon earth, are vileaccomplices of mine. Confess, you have been told all that, and you havebelieved it."
Grand in her wrath, her cheeks burning, her lips trembling, she rose,and added in a tone of bitter sarcasm,--
"Ah! When people are called upon to admire a noble deed, they refuseto believe, they insist upon inquiring before they admire, they examinecarefully. But, if they are told something bad, they dispense with thatceremony; however monstrous the thing may appear, however improbable itmay sound, they believe it instantly. They would not touch a child; butthey do not hesitate to repeat a slander which dishonors a woman, andkills her as surely as a dagger. If I were a man, and had been toldthat Miss Brandon was an adventuress, I would have been bent uponascertaining the matter. America is not so far off. I should have soonfound the ten thousand men who had served under Gen. Brandon, and theywould have told me what sort of a man their chief had been. I shouldhave examined the oil-regions of Pennsylvania; and I would have learnedthere that the petroleum-wells belonging to M. Elgin, Mrs. Brian, andMiss Brandon produce more than many a principality."
Daniel was amazed at the candor and the boldness with which this younggirl approached the terrible subject. To enable her to speak with suchenergy and in such a tone, she must either be possessed of unsurpassedimpudence, or--he had to confess it--be innocent.
Overcome by the effort she had made, she had sunk back upon the sofa,and continued in a lower tone of voice, as if speaking to herself,--
"But have I a right to complain? I reap as I have sown. Alas! Thorn hastold me so often enough, and I would not believe him. I was not twentyyears old when I came to Paris, after my poor father's death. I had beenbrought up in America, where young girls know no other law but that oftheir own consciences. They tell us at home, all the time, that it isour first duty to be truthful. In France, young girls are taught thathypocrisy is their first duty. We are taught not to blush, exceptwhen we have done wrong; they are taught all the appearances of falseprudishness. In France, they work hard to save appearances; with us,we aim at reality. In Philadelphia, I did every thing I chose to do,provided I did not think it was wrong. I thought I could do the samehere. Poor me! I did not count upon the wickedness of the world. I wentout alone, on horseback, in the morning. I went alone to church, to prayto God. If I wanted any thing for my toilet, I sent for the carriage,and drove out, alone, to buy it. When a man spoke to me, I did not feelbound to cast down my eyes; and, if he was amusing and witty, I laughed.If a new fashion pleased me, I adopted it. I committed all these crimes.I was young, rich, popular. These were as many more crimes. And after Ihad been here a year, they said that Malgat, that wretch"--
She jumped up as she said this, ran up to Daniel, and, seizing him bythe hands, she said,--
"Malgat! Have they talked to you about Malgat?"
And, as he hesitated to answer, she added:--
"Ah, answer me! Don't you see that your hesitation is an insult?"
"Well--yes."
As if in utter despair, she raised her
hands to heaven, calling God, asit were, to witness, and asking for inspiration from on high. Then sheadded suddenly,--
"But I have proofs, irrefutable proofs of Malgat's rascality."
And, without waiting for another word, she hurried into the adjoiningroom. Daniel, moved to the bottom of his heart, remained standing wherehe was, immovable, like a statue.
He was utterly confounded and overcome by the charm of that marvellousvoice, which passed through the whole gamut of passion with such asonorous ring, and yet with such sweet languor, that it seemed by turnsto sob and to threaten, to sigh with sadness and to thunder with wrath.
"What a woman!" he said to himself, repeating thus unconsciously thewords uttered by M. de Brevan.
"What a woman! And how well she defends herself."
But Miss Brandon was already back again, carrying in her arms a smallbox of costly wood inlaid with jewels. She resumed her seat on the sofa;and in that brief, sharp tone which betrays terrible passions restrainedwith a great effort, she said,--
"Before all, I must thank you, M. Champcey, for your frankness, since itenables me to defend myself. I knew that slander had attacked me; I feltit, so to say, in the air I was breathing; but I had never been able yetto take hold of it. Now, for the first time, I can face it; and I owe itto you that I am able to defy it. Listen, therefore; for I swear to youby all that is most sacred to me, by the memory of my sainted mother,I swear to you solemnly, that you shall hear the truth, and nothing butthe truth."
She had opened the box, and was eagerly searching something among thepapers inside. She then continued, in feverish haste,--
"M. Malgat was the cashier and confidential clerk of the Mutual DiscountSociety, a large and powerful company. M. Elgin had some business withhim, a few weeks after our arrival here, for the purpose of drawingfunds which he had in Philadelphia. He found him an exceedingly obligingman, and, to show his appreciation, invited him to dine here. Thus hebecame acquainted with Mrs. Brian and myself. He was a man of aboutforty, of medium height, ordinary looking, very polite, but not refinedin his manners. The first time I looked at his light yellow eyes, I feltdisgusted and frightened. I read in his face an expression of base vice.The impression was so strong, that I could not help telling M. Elgin howsure I was this man would turn out a bad man, and that he ought not totrust him in money-matters."
Daniel listened with breathless attention. This description of Malgatimpressed his portrait so deeply on his mind, that he thought he sawhim before his eyes, and would certainly recognize him if he should evermeet him.
"M. Elgin," continued Miss Brandon, "only laughed at my presentiments;and even Mrs. Brian, I remember distinctly, scolded me, saying it wasvery wrong to judge a man by his appearance, and that there werevery honest men in the world who had yellow eyes. I must acknowledge,moreover, that M. Malgat behaved perfectly well whenever he was here.As M. Elgin did not know Paris, and had money to invest, he advisedhim what to do. When we had drafts upon the Mutual Discount Society, healways saved M. Elgin the trouble, and brought the money himself.After a while, when M. Elgin took it into his head to try some smallspeculations on 'change, M. Malgat offered him his assistance, althoughthey never had any luck, in fact."
By this time Miss Brandon had found the papers she was looking for. Shehanded them to Daniel, saying,--
"And, if you do not believe what I say, look at this."
There were a dozen square bits of paper, on which Malgat had reportedthe result of his operations on 'change, which he carried on on accountof, and with the money of, M. Elgin. All ended with these words:--
"We have lost considerably; but we may be more fortunate next time.There is a capital chance on such and such funds; send me all the moneyyou can spare."
The words were always the same; the name of the funds alone varied ineach.
"That is strange," said Daniel.
Miss Sarah shook her head.
"Strange? Yes, indeed!" she replied. "But it does not help me in anyway. This letter, however, will tell you more. Read it, sir, and read italoud."
Daniel took the letter, and read,--
"'Paris, Dec. 5, 1865.
"'M. Thomas Elgin. _Dear Sir_,--It is to you alone, the most honorableamong men, that I can make the terrible confession that I have committeda crime.
"'I am wretched. Employed by you in your speculations, I have given wayto temptation, and have speculated on my own account. One loss broughtabout another, I lost my head; I hoped to recover my money; and now, atthis hour, I owe more than ten thousand dollars, which I have taken fromthe safe of the society.
"'Will you have pity on me? Will you be so generous as to lend me thatsum? I may not be able to return it in less than six or seven years; butI will repay you, I swear it, with interest.
"'I await your answer, like a criminal, who waits for the verdict. Itis a matter of life and death with me; and as you decide, so I may besaved, or disgraced forever. A. Malgat.'"
On the margin, methodical M. Elgin had written in his angularhandwriting,--
"Answered immediately. Sent to M. M. ten thousand dollars, to be drawnfrom funds deposited with the Mutual Discount Society. No interest to bepaid."
"And that," stammered Daniel, "that is the man"--
"Whom they charge me with having turned aside from the paths of honesty;yes, sir! Now you learn to know him. But wait. You see, he was saved. Itwas not long before he appeared here, his false face bathed in tears.I can find no words to convey to you the exaggerated expressions of hisgratitude. He refused to shake hands with M. Elgin, he said, becausehe was no longer worthy of such honor. He spoke of nothing but of hisdevotion unto death. It is true M. Elgin carried his generosity to anextreme. He, a model of honesty, who would have starved to death ratherthan touch the gold intrusted to his care,--he consoled Malgat, findingall kinds of apology for him, telling him, that, after all, he was notso very much to blame, that there were temptations too strong to beresisted, and repeating even those paradoxical principles which havebeen specially invented as an apology for thieves. Malgat had stillsome money of his own; but M. Elgin did not ask him for it, for fear ofhurting his feelings. He continued to invite him, and urged him to comeand dine with us as heretofore."
She stopped, laughing in a nervous manner, which was painful to hear,and then continued, in a hoarse voice,--
"Do you know, M. Champcey, how Malgat repaid all this kindness? Readthis note; it will restore me in your esteem, I trust."
It was another letter written by Malgat to M. Elgin, and ran thus,--
"M. Elgin,--I have deceived you. It was not ten thousand dollars I hadtaken, but sixty thousand five hundred dollars.
"Thanks to false entries, I have been able to conceal my defalcationsuntil now; but I can do so no longer. The board of directors have begunto suspect me; and the president has just told me that tomorrow thebooks will be examined. I am lost.
"I ought to kill myself, I know; but I have not the courage to do so.I venture to ask you to furnish me the means of escaping from thiscountry. I beseech you on my knees, in the name of all that is dear toyou, for mercy's sake; for I am penniless, and cannot even pay the fareon the railway as far as the frontier. Nor can I return to my house; forI am watched.
"Once more, M. Elgin, have pity on a poor man, and leave the answer withthe concierge. I will come by about nine o'clock. A. Malgat."
Not on the margin, as before, but across the lines, M. Elgin had writtenthese laconic words:--
"Answered immediately. No! The scamp!"
Daniel could not have uttered a word to save his life; he was toofearfully excited. Miss Brandon continued,--
"We were dining alone that day; and M. Elgin was so indignant, that heforgot his usual reserve, and told us everything. Ah! I felt only pityfor the poor man; and I besought him to give the wretch the means toescape. But he was inflexible. Seeing, however, how excited I was, hetried to reassure me by telling me that Malgat would certainly not come,that he would not dare to expect an an
swer to such a letter."
She pressed both her hands on her heart, as if to still its beating; andthen continued, in a weak voice,--
"Nevertheless, he came, and, seeing his hopes disappointed, he insistedupon speaking to us. The servants let him go up, and he entered. Ah!if I lived a thousand years, I should never forget that fearful scene.Feeling that all was lost, this thief, this defaulter, had becomeenraged; he demanded money. At first he asked for it on his knees inhumble words; but, when he found that this did not answer, he suddenlyrose in a perfect fury, his mouth foaming, his eyes bloodshot, andoverwhelmed us with the coarsest insults. At last M. Elgin's patiencegave out, and he rang for the servants. They had to employ force to draghim out; and, as they pushed him down stairs, he threatened us with hisfist, and swore that he would be avenged."
Miss Brandon shuddered till she appeared to be all in a quiver; and, fora moment, Daniel thought she was going to be ill. But she made an effortto overcome her weakness; and, in a more decided tone, she continued,--
"Forty-eight hours passed; and the impression of this horrible scenebegan to fade from our minds, till it appeared like a bad dream. If wementioned Malgat at all, it was with pity and contempt; for what couldhe do to us? Nothing, you will say. Even if he should dare to accuseus of some great crime, we thought no one would listen to him, and weshould never hear of it. How could we imagine that the world would setto work doubting our honor upon the mere word of a wretch like him?
"His crime had, in the meantime, become known; and all the papers werefull of it, adding a number of more or less reliable stories. Theyexaggerated the sums he had stolen; and they said he had succeeded inescaping to England, and that the police had lost his traces in London.
"I, poor girl, had nearly forgotten the whole matter.
"He had really fled; but, before leaving Paris, he had succeeded inpreparing everything for the vengeance which he had threatened. Wherecould he have found people mean enough to serve his purposes? and whowere they? I do not know. Perhaps he did nothing more, as Mrs. Briansuggested, than to address two or three anonymous letters to some of ouracquaintances, who he knew did not like us, or envied us.
"At all events, in less than a week after his disappearance, it wasreported everywhere, that I, Sarah Brandon, had been an accomplice ofthis defaulter, and, worse than that, that the sums he had stolen mighteasily be found, if a certain bureau in my bedchamber could be searched.
"Yes, that is what they said, at first in a whisper and most cautiously,then louder, and finally openly, and before all the world.
"Soon the papers took it up. They repeated the facts, arranging themto suit their purpose, and alluding to me in a thousand infamousinnuendoes. They said that Malgat's defalcation was after the Americanstyle, and that it was perfectly natural he should go to a foreigncountry, after having been associated with a certain foreign lady."
She had become crimson all over; her bosom rose; and shame, indignation,and resentment alternately appeared on her face, changing finally intoan ardent desire of vengeance.
"We, in the meantime," she continued, "quiet and safe in our honesty,did not even suspect these infamous proceedings. It is true, I hadbeen struck by some strange whisperings, by curious looks and singularsmiles, when I passed some of my friends; but I had not noticed themspecially.
"A paper which had been left at the house one afternoon, when we wereout, showed us the true state of things. It was a summons. I was orderedto appear before a magistrate.
"It was a thunderbolt. Mad with wrath and grief, M. Elgin swore Ishould not go, that he would most assuredly find out the authors of thisinfamous libel, and that, in the meantime, he would challenge and killevery one who dared repeat it.
"In vain did Mrs. Brian and myself beseech him, on our knees, not toleave the house until he had grown cooler. He pushed us aside almostwith brutality, and rushed out, taking with him the papers and letterswritten by Malgat.
"We were at the end of our endurance, having suffered all the torturesof anxiety, when, at last, near midnight, M. Elgin returned, pale,exhausted, and distressed. He had found no one willing even to listen tohim; everybody telling him that he was much too good to give a thoughtto such infamous reports; that they were too absurd to be believed."
She nearly gave way, sobs intercepting her words; but she mastered heremotion, and continued,--
"The next day I went to the court-house; and, after being kept waitingfor a long time in a dark passage, I was brought before the magistrate.He was an elderly man, with hard features and piercing eyes, whoreceived me almost brutally, as if I had been a criminal. But, when Ihad shown him the letters which you have just read, his manner suddenlychanged, pity got the better of him; and I thought I saw a tear in hiseye. Ah! I shall be eternally grateful to him for the words he said whenI left his office,--
"'Poor, poor young girl! Justice bows reverently before your innocence.Would to God that the world could be made to do the same!'"
She fixed her eyes, trembling with fear and hope, upon Daniel, andadded, in a voice of supplication and touching humility,--
"The world has been more cruel than justice itself but you, sir, willyou be harder than the magistrate?"
Alas! Daniel was sorely embarrassed what to answer. He felt as if allhis senses were in an uproar and in utter confusion.
"Sir!" begged Miss Brandon again. "M. Champcey!"
She continued to fix her eyes upon him. He turned his head aside,feeling as if, under her obstinate gaze, his mind left him, his energyevaporated, and all the fibres of his strong will were breaking.
"Great God!" exclaimed Miss Brandon, with grieved surprise; "he stilldoubts me. Sir, I pray you, speak! Do you doubt the authenticity ofthese letters? Ah, if you do, take them; for I do not hesitate toconfide them, the only proofs of my innocence, to your honor. Take themand show them to the other clerks who have been sitting for twenty yearsin the same office with Malgat; and they will tell you that it is hishandwriting; that he has signed his own condemnation. And, if that isnot enough for you, go to the magistrate who examined me; his name isPatrigent."
And she waited, waited, but not a word came forth.
Daniel had sunk, undone, into a chair; and his elbow resting on a smallstand, his brow in his hands, he endeavored to think, to reason. ThenMiss Brandon rose, came gently up to him, and taking his hand, saidsoftly,--
"I beseech you!"
But as if suddenly electrified by the touch of this soft, warm hand,Daniel rose so hastily, that he upset the chair; and, trembling withmysterious terror, he cried out,--
"Kergrist!"
It was as if a fearful insult had set Miss Brandon on fire. Her faceturned crimson, and then, almost instantly, livid; and, stepping back alittle, she darted at Daniel a look of burning hatred.
"Oh!" she murmured, "oh!" finding, apparently, no words to express allshe felt.
Was she going away? It looked as if she thought of it, for she walkedto the door; but, suddenly changing her mind, she came back to where shehad stood, facing Daniel.
"This is the first time in my life," she said, trembling with rage,"that I condescend to justify myself against such infamous charges; andyou abuse my patience by heaping insult after insult upon me. But nevermind. I look upon you as upon Henrietta's husband; and, since I havecommenced, I mean to finish."
Daniel tried to say a few words of apology; but she interrupted him,--
"Well, yes; one night a young man, Charles de Kergrist,--a profligate,a gambler, crowning his scandalous life with the vilest and meanestact,--did come and kill himself under my window. The next day a greatoutcry arose against me. Three days later the brother of that wretchedmadman, a M. Rene de Kergrist, came and held M. Elgin to account. Butdo you know what came of these explanations? Charles de Kergrist, itappears, killed himself after a supper, which he left in a state ofdrunkenness. He committed suicide because he had lost his fortune atHomburg and at Baden; because he had exhausted his last resources;because his family, ashamed at hi
s disgrace, refused to acknowledgehim any longer. And, if he chose my window for his self-murder, it wasbecause he wanted to satisfy a petty grievance. Looking upon me as anheiress, whose fortune would enable him to continue his extravagantlife, he had courted me, and been refused by M. Elgin. Finally, at thetime when the catastrophe occurred, I was sixty miles away from here, inTours, staying at the house of one of M. Elgin's friends, M. Palmer, whodeposed"--
And, as Daniel looked at her with an air of utter bewilderment, sheadded,--
"Perhaps you will ask me for proofs of what I state. I have none to giveyou. But I know a man who can give you what you want, and that man is M.de Kergrist's brother; for, after those explanations, he has continuedto be our friend, sir, one of our best friends. And he was hereto-night, and you have seen him; for he came and spoke to me while youwere standing by me. M. de Kergrist lives here in Paris; and M. Elginwill give you his address."
She looked at Daniel with a glance in which pity and contempt werestrangely mixed, and then added, in her proudest tone,--
"And now, sir, since _I_ have deigned to stand here like a criminal, doyou sit in judgment on me. Question me, and I will answer. What else areyou going to charge me with?"
A judge, however, ought to be calm; and Daniel was but too conscious ofhis deep excitement; he knew he could not even prevent his features fromexpressing his utter bewilderment. He gave up all discussion therefore,and simply said,--
"I believe you, Miss Brandon, I believe you."
Miss Brandon's beautiful eyes lighted up for a moment with joy; and in atone of voice which sounded like the echo of her heart, she said,--
"Oh, thank you, sir! now I am sure you will grant me Miss Henrietta'sfriendship."
Why did she mention that name? It broke the charm which had overcomeDaniel. He saw how weak he had been, and was ashamed of himself.
He said sternly, thus proving his anger at himself, and the failure ofhis judgment,--
"Permit me not to reply to that to-night. I should like to consider."
She looked at him half stupefied.
"What do you mean?" she said. "Have I, or have I not, removed yourdoubts, your insulting suspicions? Perhaps you wish to consult one of myenemies?"
She spoke in a tone of such profound disdain, that Daniel, stung tothe quick, forgot the discretion which he had intended to observe, andsaid,--
"Since you insist upon it, Miss Brandon, I must confess that there isone doubt which you have not removed."
"Which?"
Daniel hesitated, regretting the words he had allowed to escape him. Buthe had gone too far now to retract. He replied,--
"I do not understand, Miss Brandon, how you can marry Count Ville-Handry."
"Why not?"
"You are young. You are immensely rich, you say. The count is sixty-sixyears old."
She, who had been so daring that nothing seemed to be able to disconcerther, now lowered her head like a timid boarding-school girl who has beencaught acting contrary to rules; and a flood of crimson spread over herface, and every part of her figure which was not concealed by her dress.
"You are cruel, sir!" she stammered; "the secret into which you pry isone of those which a girl hardly dares to confide to her mother."
He was triumphant, thinking he had caught her at last.
"Ah, indeed!" he said ironically.
But the proud young lady did not waver, and replied with bittersadness,--
"You will have it so; be it so. For your sake, I will lay aside thatveil of proud reserve which conceals the mysteries of a young girl'sheart. I do not love Count Ville-Handry."
Daniel was startled. This confession seemed to him the height ofimprudence.
"I do not love him,--at least not with real love; and I have neverallowed him to hope for such a feeling. Still I shall be most happy tobecome his wife. Do not expect me to explain to you what is going onwithin me. I myself hardly understand it as yet. I can give no precisename to that feeling of sympathy which attracts me towards him. Ihave been captivated by his wit and his kindness; his words have anindescribable charm for me. That is all I can tell you."
Daniel could not believe his ears.
"And," she continued, "if you must have motives of more ordinarycharacter, I will confess to you that I can no longer endure this life,harassed as I am by vile calumnies. The palace of Count Ville-Handryappears to me an asylum, where I shall bury my disappointments and mysorrows, and where I shall find peace and a position which commandsrespect. Ah! you need not be afraid for that great and noble name.I shall bear it worthily and nobly, and shrink from no sacrifice toenhance its splendor. You may say that I am a calculating woman. I daresay _I_ am; but I see nothing mean or disgraceful in my hopes."
Daniel had thought he had confounded her, and it was she who crushedhim by her bold frankness; for there was nothing to say, no reasonableobjection to make. Fifty marriages out of every hundred are made uponless high ground. Miss Brandon, however, was not a woman to be easilyovercome. She rose as she spoke, to her former haughtiness, and inspiredherself with the sound of her voice.
"During the last two years," she said, "I have had twenty offers; andamong them three or four that would have been acceptable to a duchess. Ihave refused them, in spite of M. Elgin and Mrs. Brian. Only yesterday,a man of twenty-five, a Gordon Chalusse, was here at my feet. I havesent him off like the others, preferring my dear count. And why?"
She remained a moment buried in thought, her eyes swimming in tears;and, answering apparently her own questions, rather than Daniel's, shewent on,--
"Thanks to my beauty, as the world calls it, a fatal beauty, alas! Ihave been admired, courted, filled to satiety with compliments. They sayI am in the most elegant and most polished society in Europe; and yet Ihave looked in vain for the man whose eye could for a moment even breakthe peace of my heart. I have seen everywhere only persons of likeperfection, whose characters had no more wrinkles than the coat madeby the first of tailors, all equally eager and gallant, playing well,talking well, dancing well, riding well."
She shook her head with a movement full of energy; and, beaming withenthusiasm, she exclaimed,--
"Ah! I had dreamed of better things to come. What I dreamed of was aman of noble heart, with an inflexible will, capable of attempting whatothers dared not,--what, I do not know, but something grand, perilous,impossible. I dreamed of one of those ambitious men with a pale brow, alonging look, whose eyes sparkle with genius,--one of those strong menwho impose their will upon the multitude, and who remove mountains bythe force of their will.
"Alas! to repay the love of such a man, I would have found treasures inmy heart, which now remain useless, like all the wealth that is buriedat the bottom of the sea. I would have drunk deep from the cup of myhopes; my pulse would have kept time with the fever of his excitement.For his sake, I would have made myself small, humble, useful; I wouldhave watched in his looks for the shadow of a desire.
"But how proud I would have been, I, his wife, of his success and of hisglories, of the reverence paid him by his admirers, and the hatred ofhis enemies!"
Her voice had vibrations in it that might have stirred up the heart of astoic. The splendor of her exalted beauty illumined the room.
And gradually, one by one, Daniel's suspicions vanished, or fell topieces like the ill-jointed pieces of an ancient armor. But Miss Brandonpaused, ashamed of her vehemence, and continued more slowly,--
"Now, sir, you know me better than any other person in this world. Youalone have read the innermost heart of Sarah Brandon. And yet I see youtoday for the first time in my life. And yet you are the first man whohas ever dared to speak harshly to me, harsh unto insult. Will you makeme repent of my frankness? Oh, no, no! surely you will not be so cruel.I know you to be a man of honor and of high principles; I know how, inorder to save a name which you revere, you have risked your prospects inlife, the girl you love, and an enormous fortune. Yes, Miss Ville-Handryhas made no ordinary choice."
She looked a
s if she were utterly despondent, and added, in a tone ofconcentrated rage,--
"And I, I know my fate."
Then followed a pause, a terrible pause. They were standing face toface, pale, troubled, trembling with excitement, their teeth firmly set,their eyes eloquent with deep feeling.
Daniel, as he felt the hot breath of this terrible passion, becamealmost unconscious of the surroundings; his mind was shaken; amysterious delirium took possession of his senses; the blood rushed tohis head; and he felt as if the beating at his temples was ringing inthe whole house.
"Yes," began at last Miss Brandon once more, "my fate is sealed. I mustbecome the Countess of Ville-Handry, or I am lost. And once more, sir,I beseech you induce Miss Henrietta to receive me like an elder sister.Ah! if I were the woman you think I am, what would I care for MissHenrietta and her enmity? You know very well that the count will goon at any hazard. And yet I beg,--I who am accustomed to commandeverywhere. What more can I do? Do you want to see me at your feet? HereI am."
And really, as she said this, she sank down so suddenly, that her kneesstruck the floor with a noise; and, seizing Daniel's hands, she pressedthem upon her burning brow.
"Great God!" she sighed, "to be rejected, by him!"
Her hair had become partially loosened, and fell in masses on Daniel'shands. He trembled from head to foot; and, bending over Miss Brandon,he raised her, and held her, half lifeless, while her head rested on hisshoulder.
"Miss Sarah," he said in a hoarse, low voice.
They were so near to each other, that their breaths mingled, and Danielfelt Miss Brandon's sobs on his heart, burning him like fiery flames.Then, half drunk with excitement, forgetting every thing, he pressed hislips upon the lips of this strange girl.
But she, starting up instantly, drew back, and cried,--
"Daniel! unhappy man!"
Then breaking out in sobs, she stammered,--
"Go! I pray you go! I ask for nothing now. If I must be lost, I must."
And he replied with terrible vehemence,--
"Your will shall be done, Sarah; I am yours. You may count upon me."
And he rushed out like a madman, down the staircase, taking three stepsat once, and, finding the house-door open, out into the street.