Part 16 (1/2)
Before I am summoned to that offended tribunal, to propitiate which I have passed so many years in penitence and prayer, let me record for the benefit of others the history of one, who, yielding to fatal passion, embittered the remainder of his own days, and shortened those of the adored partner of his guilt Letmay be taken froe my offence, and the tears which I have shed, efface it from the accumulated records of the willfulness and disobedience of led with the dust fro, and scattered by the winds of heaven, or by the labour of future generations, as chance may dictate, will yield sustenance to the thistle which wars against the fertility of nature, or the grain which is the support of our existence,--to the nightshade with its deadly fruit, or the creeping violet with its sweet perfume The heart which has throbbed so tumultuously with the extreme of love, and which has been riven with the excess of ill shortly pant no more The mind which has been borne down by the irresistible force of passion,-- which has attee of it has passed away, has been left like the once fertile valley which has been overflown, a waste of barrenness and desolation,--will shortly cease from its wearied action In a few brief days I must appear in the presence of an offended, yet , weeps at the insanity of our rejection Let then the confessions of Henrique serve as a beacon to those who are inclined to yield to the first impulse; when, alarmed at the discovery of their errors, they will find that conviction has arrived too late, and that, like les of reason and of conscience
I alishman by birth: my parents were called away before I was five years old; yet still I have a drea memory of my mother--a faint recollection of one at whose knees I used, each night, to hold up my little hands in orison, and who blessed her child as she laid hiht have been valuable to uardianshi+p of one who thought that, in attending to my worldly interests, he fulfilled the whole duty which was required of hilected, but there was no one to advise me upon points of more serious importance Naturally of a fiery and impatient temper,--endued with a perseverance which was only increased by the obstacles which presented the in my mind in preference to repose, which was hateful To such excess did it arrive as I grew up, that difficulty and danger, even pain and remorse, were preferable to that calm sunshi+ne of the breast which others consider so enviable I could exist but by strong sensations: remove the, until his nerves have been again stihts My pursuits were of the sae of scene hat I coveted I felt a desire ”to be imprisoned in the viewless winds, and bloith restless violence about the pendent world” At night I was happy; for as soon as sleep had sealed my eyes, I invariably dreaination, cleaved through the air with the strength of an eagle, soaring abovedown upon theery with contempt
To a mind thus constituted by nature, and unchecked by counsel, it is not surprising that the darling wish and constant idea was to roam the world; and the vast ocean, which offered tomy passion, was an object of love and adoration If I had not the wings of the eagle hich fancy had supplied s of the wind, and, as in my aerial excursions when asleep, leave no track behind As soon as I had arrived at the age which allowed ht the eleenial to my disposition For some years I continued the profession, and was fortunate in ht was in roving fro with defiance at the vast mountainous seas which threatened to overwhel of the surf,--in the excitement of battle, even in the destruction and disasters of the wreck
It e of thirty without ever feeling the sensation of love; but so it was This most powerful of excitements, which was so to influence my future existence, had not yet been called into action: but it was roused at last, and like the hurricane, swept every thing before it in ruin and desolation I was at Cadiz, where I had arrived with a valuable cargo, when it was proposed that I should witness the cere woman who professed was of a noble fareatest splendour, I consented
The ing, the solean, the splendid robes of the priests in contrast with the so of the censers, the ascending clouds of frankincense, and, above all, the extres of interest which I had not ieantry When the ceremony was over, I quitted the church with new and powerful sensations, which at the time I could not precisely analyse But when I lay down on h the splendour of the rites were but faint inbefore the altar was engraven on my heart I felt an uneasiness, a restlessness, a vacuum in my bosom, which, like that in the atmosphere, is the forerunner of the te froht, rose the next , as usual, the is, I repaired to her relative, who had taken me to witness the ceremony, and persuaded him to introduce me at the wicket of the convent
As she had yet one year of probation previous to her taking the final vohich were for ever to seclude her fro her there was no difficulty Her duteous resignation to the will of her parents, her serene and beautiful countenance, her angelic smile,--all contributed to the increase of my passion; and, after an hour's conversation, I left her with my heart in a state of tumult, of which it is not easy to express the idea My visits were repeated again and again In a short time I declared my senti Before I quitted Cadiz which ements rendered iment And as there were still nine months to pass away previous to her decision upon a monastic life, before that period had elapsed I faithfully promised to return and claim her as my own As we professed the same faith, and she had only been sacrificed that the possessions of her brother e would require, I did not anticipate any objections fro more than sufficient to supply her with every luxury We parted: our hands tre; our tears fell, but could not be led; our lips quivered, but could notwith excess of love but I could not strain her in my embrace ”In three months rating, my eyes still fixed upon her ”Till then farewell, Henrique!
Relying upon your faith and honour, I shall not hesitate to cherish your dear is, Rosina burst into tears and hurried froales, and arrived safely at my own country
My ventures were disposed of, I realised a large suements, and in a few days intended to return to Cadiz to fulfil e for the reht, to be put on board of the vessel in which I had takenin the park, anticipating the bliss of rejoining the object of e richly attired, as escorting two of the ladies of the court Fired at the insult, and as usual acting upon the first i at the time that I was in the precincts of the palace I was seized and imprisoned: 's I offered a large sum for my release; but when they found out that I ealthy, they rejected as I increased my offers, until I was compelled to sacrifice one half of my worldly possessions to escape from the severity of the Star Cha; I had still th ofwhich anxiety had swelled hours into days, and days into months of torture and suspense I had been incarcerated more than a year before I could obtain ination I conjured up Rosina-- la me in her solitude for ht) yielding in her resentrief to the solicitations of her parents, and taking the veil,--I was frantic; I tore my hair, beat the walls of my prison, raved for liberty, and offered to surrender up every shi+lling that I possessed
”By the beard of the Prophet this tires me,” exclaimed the pacha
”Murakhas, you are dismissed”
The Greek slave bowed, and retired
END OF THE FIRST VOLUME
VOLUME TWO, CHAPTER ONE
The nextwhether, as we have no story, it would not be as well to let the Greek finish the story of yesterday evening”
”True, O pacha,” replied Mustapha, ”better is hard fare than no food--if we cannot indulge in the pillau, we must content ourselves with boiled rice”
”It is well said, Mustapha, so let him proceed”
The Greek slave was then ordered in, and re-commenced as follows:--
Freedom was obtained at last; I flew to the sea-coast, chartered a s, because they would not bloith a force equal to my impetuous desires, arrived at Cadiz
It was late in the evening when I disembarked and repaired to the convent; so exhausted was I by contending hopes and fears, that it ith difficulty I could support ht I tottered to the wicket, and demanded my Rosina
”Are you a near relation,” inquired the portress, ”that you request the presence of a sister?” Her interrogation decided the point; Rosina had taken the veil, had abjured the world and me for ever My brain reeled, and I fell senseless on the pavement Alarmed at the circu her that a person had asked for sister Rosina, and, receiving her answer, had fallen senseless at the wicket Rosina was present at the narration; her heart told her who it was; also told her that I had not been faithless Joy at rief at her own precipitancy, which rendered it unavailing, overpowered her, and she was led to her cell in a state as pitiable as mine
When I recovered my senses, I found myself in bed I had been there for weeks in a state of mental alienation With reason and er in the frenzy of excitement; my mind was as exhausted as my body, and I felt a species of calm despair
Convinced that all was lost, that an insuperable bar was placed between Rosina and me, I reasoned myself into a kind of philosophy; and resolved, as soon as I could recover th, to fly from a place which had been the scene of so much anticipated happiness, and of so much real woe