CHAPTER IV.
THE next day Lord Raymond called at Perdita's cottage, on his way toWindsor Castle. My sister's heightened colour and sparkling eyes halfrevealed her secret to me. He was perfectly self-possessed; he accosted usboth with courtesy, seemed immediately to enter into our feelings, and tomake one with us. I scanned his physiognomy, which varied as he spoke, yetwas beautiful in every change. The usual expression of his eyes was soft,though at times he could make them even glare with ferocity; his complexionwas colourless; and every trait spoke predominate self-will; his smile waspleasing, though disdain too often curled his lips--lips which to femaleeyes were the very throne of beauty and love. His voice, usually gentle,often startled you by a sharp discordant note, which shewed that his usuallow tone was rather the work of study than nature. Thus full ofcontradictions, unbending yet haughty, gentle yet fierce, tender and againneglectful, he by some strange art found easy entrance to the admirationand affection of women; now caressing and now tyrannizing over themaccording to his mood, but in every change a despot.
At the present time Raymond evidently wished to appear amiable. Wit,hilarity, and deep observation were mingled in his talk, rendering everysentence that he uttered as a flash of light. He soon conquered my latentdistaste; I endeavoured to watch him and Perdita, and to keep in mind everything I had heard to his disadvantage. But all appeared so ingenuous, andall was so fascinating, that I forgot everything except the pleasure hissociety afforded me. Under the idea of initiating me in the scene ofEnglish politics and society, of which I was soon to become a part, henarrated a number of anecdotes, and sketched many characters; hisdiscourse, rich and varied, flowed on, pervading all my senses withpleasure. But for one thing he would have been completely triumphant. Healluded to Adrian, and spoke of him with that disparagement that theworldly wise always attach to enthusiasm. He perceived the cloud gathering,and tried to dissipate it; but the strength of my feelings would not permitme to pass thus lightly over this sacred subject; so I said emphatically,"Permit me to remark, that I am devotedly attached to the Earl of Windsor;he is my best friend and benefactor. I reverence his goodness, I accordwith his opinions, and bitterly lament his present, and I trust temporary,illness. That illness, from its peculiarity, makes it painful to me beyondwords to hear him mentioned, unless in terms of respect and affection."
Raymond replied; but there was nothing conciliatory in his reply. I sawthat in his heart he despised those dedicated to any but worldly idols."Every man," he said, "dreams about something, love, honour, and pleasure;you dream of friendship, and devote yourself to a maniac; well, if that beyour vocation, doubtless you are in the right to follow it."--
Some reflection seemed to sting him, and the spasm of pain that for amoment convulsed his countenance, checked my indignation. "Happy aredreamers," he continued, "so that they be not awakened! Would I coulddream! but 'broad and garish day' is the element in which I live; thedazzling glare of reality inverts the scene for me. Even the ghost offriendship has departed, and love"----He broke off; nor could I guesswhether the disdain that curled his lip was directed against the passion,or against himself for being its slave.
This account may be taken as a sample of my intercourse with Lord Raymond.I became intimate with him, and each day afforded me occasion to admiremore and more his powerful and versatile talents, that together with hiseloquence, which was graceful and witty, and his wealth now immense, causedhim to be feared, loved, and hated beyond any other man in England.
My descent, which claimed interest, if not respect, my former connectionwith Adrian, the favour of the ambassador, whose secretary I had been, andnow my intimacy with Lord Raymond, gave me easy access to the fashionableand political circles of England. To my inexperience we at first appearedon the eve of a civil war; each party was violent, acrimonious, andunyielding. Parliament was divided by three factions, aristocrats,democrats, and royalists. After Adrian's declared predeliction to therepublican form of government, the latter party had nearly died away,chiefless, guideless; but, when Lord Raymond came forward as its leader, itrevived with redoubled force. Some were royalists from prejudice andancient affection, and there were many moderately inclined who feared alikethe capricious tyranny of the popular party, and the unbending despotism ofthe aristocrats. More than a third of the members ranged themselves underRaymond, and their number was perpetually encreasing. The aristocrats builttheir hopes on their preponderant wealth and influence; the reformers onthe force of the nation itself; the debates were violent, more violent thediscourses held by each knot of politicians as they assembled to arrangetheir measures. Opprobrious epithets were bandied about, resistance even tothe death threatened; meetings of the populace disturbed the quiet order ofthe country; except in war, how could all this end? Even as the destructiveflames were ready to break forth, I saw them shrink back; allayed by theabsence of the military, by the aversion entertained by every one to anyviolence, save that of speech, and by the cordial politeness and evenfriendship of the hostile leaders when they met in private society. I wasfrom a thousand motives induced to attend minutely to the course of events,and watch each turn with intense anxiety.
I could not but perceive that Perdita loved Raymond; methought also that heregarded the fair daughter of Verney with admiration and tenderness. Yet Iknew that he was urging forward his marriage with the presumptive heiressof the Earldom of Windsor, with keen expectation of the advantages thatwould thence accrue to him. All the ex-queen's friends were his friends; noweek passed that he did not hold consultations with her at Windsor.
I had never seen the sister of Adrian. I had heard that she was lovely,amiable, and fascinating. Wherefore should I see her? There are times whenwe have an indefinable sentiment of impending change for better or forworse, to arise from an event; and, be it for better or for worse, we fearthe change, and shun the event. For this reason I avoided this high-borndamsel. To me she was everything and nothing; her very name mentioned byanother made me start and tremble; the endless discussion concerning herunion with Lord Raymond was real agony to me. Methought that, Adrianwithdrawn from active life, and this beauteous Idris, a victim probably toher mother's ambitious schemes, I ought to come forward to protect her fromundue influence, guard her from unhappiness, and secure to her freedom ofchoice, the right of every human being. Yet how was I to do this? Sheherself would disdain my interference. Since then I must be an object ofindifference or contempt to her, better, far better avoid her, nor exposemyself before her and the scornful world to the chance of playing the madgame of a fond, foolish Icarus. One day, several months after my return toEngland, I quitted London to visit my sister. Her society was my chiefsolace and delight; and my spirits always rose at the expectation of seeingher. Her conversation was full of pointed remark and discernment; in herpleasant alcove, redolent with sweetest flowers, adorned by magnificentcasts, antique vases, and copies of the finest pictures of Raphael,Correggio, and Claude, painted by herself, I fancied myself in a fairyretreat untainted by and inaccessible to the noisy contentions ofpoliticians and the frivolous pursuits of fashion. On this occasion, mysister was not alone; nor could I fail to recognise her companion: it wasIdris, the till now unseen object of my mad idolatry.
In what fitting terms of wonder and delight, in what choice expression andsoft flow of language, can I usher in the loveliest, wisest, best? How inpoor assemblage of words convey the halo of glory that surrounded her, thethousand graces that waited unwearied on her. The first thing that struckyou on beholding that charming countenance was its perfect goodness andfrankness; candour sat upon her brow, simplicity in her eyes, heavenlybenignity in her smile. Her tall slim figure bent gracefully as a poplar tothe breezy west, and her gait, goddess-like, was as that of a winged angelnew alit from heaven's high floor; the pearly fairness of her complexionwas stained by a pure suffusion; her voice resembled the low, subdued tenorof a flute. It is easiest perhaps to describe by contrast. I have detailedthe perfections of my sister; and yet she was utterly unlike Idri
s.Perdita, even where she loved, was reserved and timid; Idris was frank andconfiding. The one recoiled to solitude, that she might there entrenchherself from disappointment and injury; the other walked forth in open day,believing that none would harm her. Wordsworth has compared a belovedfemale to two fair objects in nature; but his lines always appeared to merather a contrast than a similitude:
A violet by a mossy stone Half hidden from the eye, Fair as a star when only one Is shining in the sky.
Such a violet was sweet Perdita, trembling to entrust herself to the veryair, cowering from observation, yet betrayed by her excellences; andrepaying with a thousand graces the labour of those who sought her in herlonely bye-path. Idris was as the star, set in single splendour in thedim anadem of balmy evening; ready to enlighten and delight the subjectworld, shielded herself from every taint by her unimagined distance fromall that was not like herself akin to heaven.
I found this vision of beauty in Perdita's alcove, in earnest conversationwith its inmate. When my sister saw me, she rose, and taking my hand, said,"He is here, even at our wish; this is Lionel, my brother." Idris arosealso, and bent on me her eyes of celestial blue, and with grace peculiarsaid--"You hardly need an introduction; we have a picture, highly valuedby my father, which declares at once your name. Verney, you willacknowledge this tie, and as my brother's friend, I feel that I may trustyou."
Then, with lids humid with a tear and trembling voice, she continued--"Dear friends, do not think it strange that now, visiting you for the firsttime, I ask your assistance, and confide my wishes and fears to you. To youalone do I dare speak; I have heard you commended by impartial spectators;you are my brother's friends, therefore you must be mine. What can I say?if you refuse to aid me, I am lost indeed!" She cast up her eyes, whilewonder held her auditors mute; then, as if carried away by her feelings,she cried--"My brother! beloved, ill-fated Adrian! how speak of yourmisfortunes? Doubtless you have both heard the current tale; perhapsbelieve the slander; but he is not mad! Were an angel from the foot ofGod's throne to assert it, never, never would I believe it. He is wronged,betrayed, imprisoned--save him! Verney, you must do this; seek him out inwhatever part of the island he is immured; find him, rescue him from hispersecutors, restore him to himself, to me--on the wide earth I have noneto love but only him!"
Her earnest appeal, so sweetly and passionately expressed, filled me withwonder and sympathy; and, when she added, with thrilling voice and look,"Do you consent to undertake this enterprize?" I vowed, with energy andtruth, to devote myself in life and death to the restoration and welfare ofAdrian. We then conversed on the plan I should pursue, and discussed theprobable means of discovering his residence. While we were in earnestdiscourse, Lord Raymond entered unannounced: I saw Perdita tremble and growdeadly pale, and the cheeks of Idris glow with purest blushes. He must havebeen astonished at our conclave, disturbed by it I should have thought; butnothing of this appeared; he saluted my companions, and addressed me with acordial greeting. Idris appeared suspended for a moment, and then withextreme sweetness, she said, "Lord Raymond, I confide in your goodness andhonour."
Smiling haughtily, he bent his head, and replied, with emphasis, "Do youindeed confide, Lady Idris?"
She endeavoured to read his thought, and then answered with dignity, "Asyou please. It is certainly best not to compromise oneself by anyconcealment."
"Pardon me," he replied, "if I have offended. Whether you trust me or not,rely on my doing my utmost to further your wishes, whatever they may be."
Idris smiled her thanks, and rose to take leave. Lord Raymond requestedpermission to accompany her to Windsor Castle, to which she consented, andthey quitted the cottage together. My sister and I were left--truly liketwo fools, who fancied that they had obtained a golden treasure, tilldaylight shewed it to be lead--two silly, luckless flies, who had playedin sunbeams and were caught in a spider's web. I leaned against thecasement, and watched those two glorious creatures, till they disappearedin the forest-glades; and then I turned. Perdita had not moved; her eyesfixed on the ground, her cheeks pale, her very lips white, motionless andrigid, every feature stamped by woe, she sat. Half frightened, I wouldhave taken her hand; but she shudderingly withdrew it, and strove tocollect herself. I entreated her to speak to me: "Not now," she replied,"nor do you speak to me, my dear Lionel; you can say nothing, for you knownothing. I will see you to-morrow; in the meantime, adieu!" She rose, andwalked from the room; but pausing at the door, and leaning against it, asif her over-busy thoughts had taken from her the power of supportingherself, she said, "Lord Raymond will probably return. Will you tell himthat he must excuse me to-day, for I am not well. I will see him to-morrowif he wishes it, and you also. You had better return to London with him;you can there make the enquiries agreed upon, concerning the Earl ofWindsor and visit me again to-morrow, before you proceed on yourjourney--till then, farewell!"
She spoke falteringly, and concluded with a heavy sigh. I gave my assent toher request; and she left me. I felt as if, from the order of thesystematic world, I had plunged into chaos, obscure, contrary,unintelligible. That Raymond should marry Idris was more than everintolerable; yet my passion, though a giant from its birth, was toostrange, wild, and impracticable, for me to feel at once the misery Iperceived in Perdita. How should I act? She had not confided in me; I couldnot demand an explanation from Raymond without the hazard of betraying whatwas perhaps her most treasured secret. I would obtain the truth from herthe following day--in the mean time--But, while I was occupied bymultiplying reflections, Lord Raymond returned. He asked for my sister; andI delivered her message. After musing on it for a moment, he asked me if Iwere about to return to London, and if I would accompany him: I consented.He was full of thought, and remained silent during a considerable part ofour ride; at length he said, "I must apologize to you for my abstraction;the truth is, Ryland's motion comes on to-night, and I am considering myreply."
Ryland was the leader of the popular party, a hard-headed man, and in hisway eloquent; he had obtained leave to bring in a bill making it treason toendeavour to change the present state of the English government and thestanding laws of the republic. This attack was directed against Raymond andhis machinations for the restoration of the monarchy.
Raymond asked me if I would accompany him to the House that evening. Iremembered my pursuit for intelligence concerning Adrian; and, knowing thatmy time would be fully occupied, I excused myself. "Nay," said mycompanion, "I can free you from your present impediment. You are going tomake enquiries concerning the Earl of Windsor. I can answer them at once,he is at the Duke of Athol's seat at Dunkeld. On the first approach of hisdisorder, he travelled about from one place to another; until, arriving atthat romantic seclusion he refused to quit it, and we made arrangementswith the Duke for his continuing there."
I was hurt by the careless tone with which he conveyed this information,and replied coldly: "I am obliged to you for your intelligence, and willavail myself of it."
"You shall, Verney," said he, "and if you continue of the same mind, I willfacilitate your views. But first witness, I beseech you, the result of thisnight's contest, and the triumph I am about to achieve, if I may so callit, while I fear that victory is to me defeat. What can I do? My dearesthopes appear to be near their fulfilment. The ex-queen gives me Idris;Adrian is totally unfitted to succeed to the earldom, and that earldom inmy hands becomes a kingdom. By the reigning God it is true; the paltryearldom of Windsor shall no longer content him, who will inherit the rightswhich must for ever appertain to the person who possesses it. The Countesscan never forget that she has been a queen, and she disdains to leave adiminished inheritance to her children; her power and my wit will rebuildthe throne, and this brow will be clasped by a kingly diadem.--I can dothis--I can marry Idris."---
He stopped abruptly, his countenance darkened, and its expression changedagain and again under the influence of internal passion. I asked, "DoesLady Idris love you?"
"What a question," replied he laug
hing. "She will of course, as I shallher, when we are married."
"You begin late," said I, ironically, "marriage is usually considered thegrave, and not the cradle of love. So you are about to love her, but do notalready?"
"Do not catechise me, Lionel; I will do my duty by her, be assured. Love! Imust steel my heart against that; expel it from its tower of strength,barricade it out: the fountain of love must cease to play, its waters bedried up, and all passionate thoughts attendant on it die--that is tosay, the love which would rule me, not that which I rule. Idris is agentle, pretty, sweet little girl; it is impossible not to have anaffection for her, and I have a very sincere one; only do not speak of love--love, the tyrant and the tyrant-queller; love, until now my conqueror,now my slave; the hungry fire, the untameable beast, the fangedsnake--no--no--I will have nothing to do with that love. Tell me,Lionel, do you consent that I should marry this young lady?"
He bent his keen eyes upon me, and my uncontrollable heart swelled in mybosom. I replied in a calm voice--but how far from calm was the thoughtimaged by my still words--"Never! I can never consent that Lady Idrisshould be united to one who does not love her."
"Because you love her yourself."
"Your Lordship might have spared that taunt; I do not, dare not love her."
"At least," he continued haughtily, "she does not love you. I would notmarry a reigning sovereign, were I not sure that her heart was free. But,O, Lionel! a kingdom is a word of might, and gently sounding are the termsthat compose the style of royalty. Were not the mightiest men of the oldentimes kings? Alexander was a king; Solomon, the wisest of men, was a king;Napoleon was a king; Caesar died in his attempt to become one, andCromwell, the puritan and king-killer, aspired to regality. The father ofAdrian yielded up the already broken sceptre of England; but I will rearthe fallen plant, join its dismembered frame, and exalt it above all theflowers of the field.
"You need not wonder that I freely discover Adrian's abode. Do notsuppose that I am wicked or foolish enough to found my purposedsovereignty on a fraud, and one so easily discovered as the truthor falsehood of the Earl's insanity. I am just come from him. Before Idecided on my marriage with Idris, I resolved to see him myself again, andto judge of the probability of his recovery.--He is irrecoverably mad."
I gasped for breath--
"I will not detail to you," continued Raymond, "the melancholy particulars.You shall see him, and judge for yourself; although I fear this visit,useless to him, will be insufferably painful to you. It has weighed on myspirits ever since. Excellent and gentle as he is even in the downfall ofhis reason, I do not worship him as you do, but I would give all my hopesof a crown and my right hand to boot, to see him restored to himself."
His voice expressed the deepest compassion: "Thou most unaccountablebeing," I cried, "whither will thy actions tend, in all this maze ofpurpose in which thou seemest lost?"
"Whither indeed? To a crown, a golden be-gemmed crown, I hope; and yet Idare not trust and though I dream of a crown and wake for one, ever andanon a busy devil whispers to me, that it is but a fool's cap that I seek,and that were I wise, I should trample on it, and take in its stead, thatwhich is worth all the crowns of the east and presidentships of the west."
"And what is that?"
"If I do make it my choice, then you shall know; at present I dare notspeak, even think of it."
Again he was silent, and after a pause turned to me laughingly. When scorndid not inspire his mirth, when it was genuine gaiety that painted hisfeatures with a joyous expression, his beauty became super-eminent, divine."Verney," said he, "my first act when I become King of England, will be tounite with the Greeks, take Constantinople, and subdue all Asia. I intendto be a warrior, a conqueror; Napoleon's name shall vail to mine; andenthusiasts, instead of visiting his rocky grave, and exalting the meritsof the fallen, shall adore my majesty, and magnify my illustriousachievements."
I listened to Raymond with intense interest. Could I be other than all ear,to one who seemed to govern the whole earth in his grasping imagination,and who only quailed when he attempted to rule himself. Then on his wordand will depended my own happiness--the fate of all dear to me. Iendeavoured to divine the concealed meaning of his words. Perdita's namewas not mentioned; yet I could not doubt that love for her caused thevacillation of purpose that he exhibited. And who was so worthy of love asmy noble-minded sister? Who deserved the hand of this self-exalted kingmore than she whose glance belonged to a queen of nations? who loved him,as he did her; notwithstanding that disappointment quelled her passion, andambition held strong combat with his.
We went together to the House in the evening. Raymond, while he knew thathis plans and prospects were to be discussed and decided during theexpected debate, was gay and careless. An hum, like that of ten thousandhives of swarming bees, stunned us as we entered the coffee-room. Knots ofpoliticians were assembled with anxious brows and loud or deep voices. Thearistocratical party, the richest and most influential men in England,appeared less agitated than the others, for the question was to bediscussed without their interference. Near the fire was Ryland and hissupporters. Ryland was a man of obscure birth and of immense wealth,inherited from his father, who had been a manufacturer. He had witnessed,when a young man, the abdication of the king, and the amalgamation of thetwo houses of Lords and Commons; he had sympathized with these popularencroachments, and it had been the business of his life to consolidate andencrease them. Since then, the influence of the landed proprietors hadaugmented; and at first Ryland was not sorry to observe the machinations ofLord Raymond, which drew off many of his opponent's partizans. But thething was now going too far. The poorer nobility hailed the return ofsovereignty, as an event which would restore them to their power andrights, now lost. The half extinct spirit of royalty roused itself in theminds of men; and they, willing slaves, self-constituted subjects, wereready to bend their necks to the yoke. Some erect and manly spirits stillremained, pillars of state; but the word republic had grown stale to thevulgar ear; and many--the event would prove whether it was a majority--pined for the tinsel and show of royalty. Ryland was roused to resistance;he asserted that his sufferance alone had permitted the encrease of thisparty; but the time for indulgence was passed, and with one motion of hisarm he would sweep away the cobwebs that blinded his countrymen.
When Raymond entered the coffee-room, his presence was hailed by hisfriends almost with a shout. They gathered round him, counted theirnumbers, and detailed the reasons why they were now to receive an additionof such and such members, who had not yet declared themselves. Sometrifling business of the House having been gone through, the leaders tooktheir seats in the chamber; the clamour of voices continued, till Rylandarose to speak, and then the slightest whispered observation was audible.All eyes were fixed upon him as he stood--ponderous of frame, sonorous ofvoice, and with a manner which, though not graceful, was impressive. Iturned from his marked, iron countenance to Raymond, whose face, veiled bya smile, would not betray his care; yet his lips quivered somewhat, and hishand clasped the bench on which he sat, with a convulsive strength thatmade the muscles start again.
Ryland began by praising the present state of the British empire. Herecalled past years to their memory; the miserable contentions which in thetime of our fathers arose almost to civil war, the abdication of the lateking, and the foundation of the republic. He described this republic;shewed how it gave privilege to each individual in the state, to rise toconsequence, and even to temporary sovereignty. He compared the royal andrepublican spirit; shewed how the one tended to enslave the minds of men;while all the institutions of the other served to raise even the meanestamong us to something great and good. He shewed how England had becomepowerful, and its inhabitants valiant and wise, by means of the freedomthey enjoyed. As he spoke, every heart swelled with pride, and every cheekglowed with delight to remember, that each one there was English, and thateach supported and contributed to the happy state of things nowcommemorated. Ryland's fervour increased--
his eyes lighted up--hisvoice assumed the tone of passion. There was one man, he continued, whowished to alter all this, and bring us back to our days of impotence andcontention:--one man, who would dare arrogate the honour which was due toall who claimed England as their birthplace, and set his name and styleabove the name and style of his country. I saw at this juncture thatRaymond changed colour; his eyes were withdrawn from the orator, and caston the ground; the listeners turned from one to the other; but in themeantime the speaker's voice filled their ears--the thunder of hisdenunciations influenced their senses. The very boldness of his languagegave him weight; each knew that he spoke truth--a truth known, but notacknowledged. He tore from reality the mask with which she had beenclothed; and the purposes of Raymond, which before had crept around,ensnaring by stealth, now stood a hunted stag--even at bay--as allperceived who watched the irrepressible changes of his countenance. Rylandended by moving, that any attempt to re-erect the kingly power should bedeclared treason, and he a traitor who should endeavour to change thepresent form of government. Cheers and loud acclamations followed the closeof his speech.
After his motion had been seconded, Lord Raymond rose,--his countenancebland, his voice softly melodious, his manner soothing, his grace andsweetness came like the mild breathing of a flute, after the loud,organ-like voice of his adversary. He rose, he said, to speak in favour ofthe honourable member's motion, with one slight amendment subjoined. He wasready to go back to old times, and commemorate the contests of our fathers,and the monarch's abdication. Nobly and greatly, he said, had theillustrious and last sovereign of England sacrificed himself to theapparent good of his country, and divested himself of a power which couldonly be maintained by the blood of his subjects--these subjects named sono more, these, his friends and equals, had in gratitude conferred certainfavours and distinctions on him and his family for ever. An ample estatewas allotted to them, and they took the first rank among the peers of GreatBritain. Yet it might be conjectured that they had not forgotten theirancient heritage; and it was hard that his heir should suffer alike withany other pretender, if he attempted to regain what by ancient right andinheritance belonged to him. He did not say that he should favour such anattempt; but he did say that such an attempt would be venial; and, if theaspirant did not go so far as to declare war, and erect a standard in thekingdom, his fault ought to be regarded with an indulgent eye. In hisamendment he proposed, that an exception should be made in the bill infavour of any person who claimed the sovereign power in right of the earlsof Windsor. Nor did Raymond make an end without drawing in vivid and glowingcolours, the splendour of a kingdom, in opposition to the commercial spiritof republicanism. He asserted, that each individual under the Englishmonarchy, was then as now, capable of attaining high rank and power--withone only exception, that of the function of chief magistrate; higher andnobler rank, than a bartering, timorous commonwealth could afford. And forthis one exception, to what did it amount? The nature of riches andinfluence forcibly confined the list of candidates to a few of thewealthiest; and it was much to be feared, that the ill-humour andcontention generated by this triennial struggle, would counterbalance itsadvantages in impartial eyes. I can ill record the flow of language andgraceful turns of expression, the wit and easy raillery that gave vigourand influence to his speech. His manner, timid at first, became firm--hischangeful face was lit up to superhuman brilliancy; his voice, various asmusic, was like that enchanting.
It were useless to record the debate that followed this harangue. Partyspeeches were delivered, which clothed the question in cant, and veiled itssimple meaning in a woven wind of words. The motion was lost; Rylandwithdrew in rage and despair; and Raymond, gay and exulting, retired todream of his future kingdom.