Venetia

  CHAPTER VIII.

  As Lady Annabel entered the terrace-room, Doctor Masham came forwardand grasped her hand.

  'You have heard of our sorrow!' said her ladyship in a faint voice.

  'But this instant,' replied the Doctor, in a tone of great anxiety.'Immediate danger--'

  'Is past. She sleeps,' replied Lady Annabel.

  'A most sudden and unaccountable attack,' said the Doctor.

  It is difficult to describe the contending emotions of the mother asher companion made this observation. At length she replied, 'Sudden,certainly sudden; but not unaccountable. Oh! my friend,' she added,after a moment's pause, 'they will not be content until they have tornmy daughter from me.'

  'They tear your daughter from you!' exclaimed Doctor Masham. 'Who?'

  'He, he,' muttered Lady Annabel; her speech was incoherent, her mannervery disturbed.

  'My dear lady,' said the Doctor, gazing on her with extreme anxiety,'you are yourself unwell.'

  Lady Annabel heaved a deep sigh; the Doctor bore her to a seat. 'ShallI send for any one, anything?'

  'No one, no one,' quickly answered Lady Annabel. 'With you, at least,there is no concealment necessary.'

  She leant back in her chair, the Doctor holding her hand, and standingby her side.

  Still Lady Annabel continued sighing deeply: at length she looked upand said, 'Does she love me? Do you think, after all, she loves me?'

  'Venetia?' inquired the Doctor, in a low and doubtful voice, for hewas greatly perplexed.

  'She has seen him; she loves him; she has forgotten her mother.'

  'My dear lady, you require rest,' said Doctor Masham. 'You areovercome with strange fancies. Whom has your daughter seen?'

  'Marmion.'

  'Impossible! you forget he is--'

  'Here also. He has spoken to her: she loves him: she will recover: shewill fly to him; sooner let us both die!'

  'Dear lady!'

  'She knows everything. Fate has baffled me; we cannot struggle withfate. She is his child; she is like him; she is not like her mother.Oh! she hates me; I know she hates me.'

  'Hush! hush! hush!' said the Doctor, himself very agitated. 'Venetialoves you, only you. Why should she love any one else?'

  'Who can help it? I loved him. I saw him. I loved him. His voice wasmusic. He has spoken to her, and she yielded: she yielded in a moment.I stood by her bedside. She would not speak to me; she would not knowme; she shrank from me. Her heart is with her father: only with him.'

  'Where did she see him? How?'

  'His room: his picture. She knows all. I was away with you, and sheentered his chamber.'

  'Ah!'

  'Oh! Doctor, you have influence with her. Speak to her. Make her loveme! Tell her she has no father; tell her he is dead.'

  'We will do that which is well and wise,' replied Doctor Masham: 'atpresent let us be calm; if you give way, her life may be the forfeit.Now is the moment for a mother's love.'

  'You are right. I should not have left her for an instant. I would nothave her wake and find her mother not watching over her. But I wastempted. She slept; I left her for a moment; I went to destroy thespell. She cannot see him again. No one shall see him again. It was myweakness, the weakness of long years; and now I am its victim.'

  'Nay, nay, my sweet lady, all will be quite well. Be but calm; Venetiawill recover.'

  'But will she love me? Oh! no, no, no! She will think only of him. Shewill not love her mother. She will yearn for her father now. She hasseen him, and she will not rest until she is in his arms. She willdesert me, I know it.'

  'And I know the contrary,' said the Doctor, attempting to reassureher; 'I will answer for Venetia's devotion to you. Indeed she has nothought but your happiness, and can love only you. When there isa fitting time, I will speak to her; but now, now is the time forrepose. And you must rest, you must indeed.'

  'Rest! I cannot. I slumbered in the chair last night by her bedside,and a voice roused me. It was her own. She was speaking to her father.She told him how she loved him; how long, how much she thought of him;that she would join him when she was well, for she knew he was notdead; and, if he were dead, she would die also. She never mentionedme.'

  'Nay! the light meaning of a delirious brain.' 'Truth, truth, bitter,inevitable truth. Oh! Doctor, I could bear all but this; but my child,my beautiful fond child, that made up for all my sorrows. My joy, myhope, my life! I knew it would be so; I knew he would have her heart.He said she never could be alienated from him; he said she nevercould be taught to hate him. I did not teach her to hate him. I saidnothing. I deemed, fond, foolish mother, that the devotion of my lifemight bind her to me. But what is a mother's love? I cannot contendwith him. He gained the mother; he will gain the daughter too.'

  'God will guard over you,' said Masham, with streaming eyes; 'God willnot desert a pious and virtuous woman.'

  'I must go,' said Lady Annabel, attempting to rise, but the Doctorgently controlled her; 'perhaps she is awake, and I am not at herside. She will not ask for me, she will ask for him; but I will bethere; she will desert me, but she shall not say I ever deserted her.'

  'She will never desert you,' said the Doctor; 'my life on her pureheart. She has been a child of unbroken love and duty; still shewill remain so. Her mind is for a moment overpowered by a marvellousdiscovery. She will recover, and be to you as she was before.'

  'We'll tell her he is dead,' said Lady Annabel, eagerly. 'You musttell her. She will believe you. I cannot speak to her of him; no, notto secure her heart; never, never, never can I speak to Venetia of herfather.'

  'I will speak,' replied the Doctor, 'at the just time. Now let usthink of her recovery. She is no longer in danger. We should begrateful, we should be glad.'

  'Let us pray to God! Let us humble ourselves,' said Lady Annabel. 'Letus beseech him not to desert this house. We have been faithful to him,we have struggled to be faithful to him. Let us supplicate him tofavour and support us!'

  'He will favour and support you,' said the Doctor, in a solemn tone.'He has upheld you in many trials; he will uphold you still.'

  'Ah! why did I love him! Why did I continue to love him! How weak, howfoolish, how mad I have been! I have alone been the cause of all thismisery. Yes, I have destroyed my child.'

  'She lives, she will live. Nay, nay! you must reassure yourself. Come,let me send for your servant, and for a moment repose. Nay! take myarm. All depends upon you. We have great cares now; let us not conjureup fantastic fears.'

  'I must go to my daughter's room. Perhaps by her side I might rest.Nowhere else. You will attend me to the door, my friend. Yes! it issomething in this life to have a friend.'

  Lady Annabel took the arm of the good Masham. They stopped at herdaughter's door.

  'Rest here a moment,' she said, as she entered the room without asound. In a moment she returned. 'She still sleeps,' said the mother;'I shall remain with her, and you--?'

  'I will not leave you,' said the Doctor, 'but think not of me. Nay! Iwill not leave you. I will remain under this roof. I have shared itsserenity and joy; let me not avoid it in this time of trouble andtribulation.'