Part 6 (1/2)
Though he expressed infinite anxiety and chagrin at this misfortune, which could not fail to raise new obstacles to their love, his heart was a stranger to the uneasiness he affected; and rather pleased with the occasion, which would furnish hiradually fro and unprofitable Being well acquainted with the uessed the present situation of her thoughts, and concluding she would e, he resolved frouard against any future intervieith the lady whom he had rendered so iood fortune so seasonably interposed; for that same day, in the afternoon, he was favoured with a billet from the jeweller's wife, couched in the sa an earnest desire of seeing hih his penetration was sufficient to perceive the drift of this e, or at least to discern the risk he should run in co to be more fully certified of the truth of his suspicion, and wrote an answer to the billet, in which he assured her, that he would repair to the place of appointment with all the punctuality of an i this pro, took post in a public-house opposite to the place of assignation, in order to reconnoitre the ground, and about noon had the pleasure of seeing the German, wrapped in a cloak, enter the door of his wife's she-friend, though the appoint
Fatho conducted hireat tranquillity till the hour of ed Thalestris take the same route, and enjoyed her disappointment with ineffable satisfaction
Thus favoured with a pretext, he took his leave of her, in a letter, giving her to understand, that he was no stranger to the barbarous snare she had laid for hirateful return for all his tenderness and attach a reply to this expostulation, which seemed to have been dictated in all the distraction of a proud woeance baffled, as well as her love disdained Her letter was nothing but a succession of reproaches, menaces, and incoherent execrations She taxed him with knavery, insensibility, and dissimulation; imprecated a thousand curses upon his head, and threatened not only to persecute his life with all the arts that hell and malice could inspire, but also to wound hihter-in-laho should be enclosed for life in a convent, where she should have leisure to repent of those loose and disorderly practices which he had taught her to commit, and of which she could not pretend innocence, as they had it in their power to confront her with the evidence of her lover's own confession Yet all this denunciation was qualified with an alternative, by which he was given to understand, that the gates of mercy were still open, and that penitence was capable of washi+ng out the deepest stain of guilt
Ferdinand read the whole rereat composure and moderation, and was content to incur the hazard of her hate, rather than put her to the trouble of enerosity, as would induce her to forgive the heinous offence he had committed; nor did his apprehension for Wilhelmina in the least influence his behaviour on this occasion So zealous was he for her spiritual concerns, that he would have been glad to hear she had actually taken the veil; but he knew such a step was not at all agreeable to her disposition, and that no violence would be offered to her inclinations on that score, unless her stepmother should communicate to the father that letter of Fathom's which she had intercepted, and by which the Ger; but this htly supposed, the ould not venture to take, lest the husband, instead of taking her advice touching the young lady, should seek to coe to her debaucher, a proffer which, if accepted, would overwhelm the mother with vexation and despair He therefore chose to trust to the effects of lenient tiradually weaken the resentment of this Penthesilea, and dissolve his connexion with the other parts of the faed to be totally detached
Hoell soever he ht have succeeded in his attempts to shake off the yoke of the mother, who by her situation in life was restrained froainst his fortitude and indifference, he would have found greater difficulty than he had foreseen, in disengaging hihter, whose affections he had won under the most solemn professions of honour and fidelity, and who, now she was debarred of his co hi the aht interpose in behalf of her peace and reputation, and secure her happiness by the sanction of the church
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
OUR HERO DEPARTS FROM VIENNA, AND QUITS THE DOMAIN OF VENUS FOR THE ROUGH FIELD OF MARS
Luckily for our adventurer, before she adhered to this deter by his father, who desired to see him, before he should take the field, in consequence of a rupture between the E; and Fathom of course quitted Vienna, in order to attend his patron, after he and Renaldo had resided thole years in that capital, where the former had made himself perfect in all the polite exercises, becoue, and learned to speak the Italian with great facility; over and above those other accomplishinal
As for the young Count, his exteriors were so much improved by the company to which he had access, since his departure from his father's house, that his parents were equally surprised and overjoyed at the alteration All that aardness and rusticity, which hung upon his deporth coat of a diamond, polished away; the connexion and disposition of his lie was becoay and unrestrained The reat measure ascribed to the care and example of Mr Fathom, as received by the old Count and his lady with ular friendshi+p and esteem; nor was he overlooked by Mademoiselle, who still rened all hope of altering her condition; she expressed uncommon satisfaction at the return of her old favourite, and readree of familiarity hich he had been honoured before his departure
The joy of Teresa was so excessive at his arrival, that she could scarce suppress her raptures, so as to conceal them from the notice of the family; and our hero, upon this occasion, perfor those transports which his bosom never knew So well had this pupil retained the lessons of her instructor, that, in the midst of those fraudulent appropriations, which she still continued to make, she had found means to support her interest and character with Mademoiselle, and even to acquire such influence in the family, that no other servant, male or female, could pretend to live under the sae to this artful waiting-wo the entle which a se was prepared for Renaldo, they repaired to the camp at Heilbron, under the auspices of Count Melvil, in whose regiment they carried arms as volunteers, with a view to merit promotion in the service by their own personal behaviour Our adventurer would have willingly dispensed with this occasion of signalising hi much better adapted to another sphere of life; nevertheless, he affected unco laurels in the field, and subscribed to his fortune with a good grace; foreseeing, that even in a caht find er to his reputation Accordingly, before he had lived full three weeks in cae in his way of life, had such a violent effect upon his constitution, that he was deprived of the use of all his li, his hard fate, by which he found hience, courage, and activity, in the character of a soldier, to which he now aspired
Renaldo, as actually enauishi+ng hied hi his constitution familiarised to the inconveniences of a caht would alleviate the pain of his body, as well as the anxiety of his mind The old Count, who sincerely sympathised with his affliction, would have persuaded him to retire into quarters, where he could be carefully nursed, and provided with everything necessary to a person in his condition; but such was his desire of glory, that he resisted his patron's i the old gentle hiradually suffered himself to recover the use of his hands, made shi+ft to sit up in his bed, and a the feeble condition of his legs, ventured to ride out on horseback to visit the lines, though the Count and his son would never yield to his solicitations so far, as to let hi parties, by which a volunteer inures hie in the operations of hich qualifies hi this exeed matters so as to pass for a youth of infinite mettle, and even rendered his backwardness and timidity subservient to the support of that character, by expressing an i his prowess, which even the disabled condition of his body could scarce restrain He must be a man of very weak nerves and excessive irresolution, who can live in thesoer becoreat part of its terror; and as fear is often caught by contagion, so is courage co the individuals of an army The hope of fame, desire of honours and preferrace, arethat aversion to death or mutilation, which nature hath implanted in the human mind; and therefore it is not to be wondered at, if Fathoes over his disposition before the end of the can, which happened to be neither perilous nor severe
During the winter, while both armies remained in quarters, our adventurer attended his patron to Presburg, and, before the troops were in motion, Renaldo obtained a coarrison at Philipsburg, whither he was followed by our hero, while the old Count's duty called him to the field in a different place Ferdinand for some time had no reason to be dissatisfied with this disposition, by which he was at once delivered fron, and the inspection of a severe censor, in the person of Count Melvil; and his satisfaction was still increased by an accidentalwith the Tyrolese who had been his confederate at Vienna, and now chanced to serve in garrison on the sahts-errant renewed their fora, levied contributions upon all those officers who had money to lose, and te pursued this branch of traffic, when their success was interrupted by a very serious occurrence, that for the present entirely detached the gentlearrison from such amusements The French troops invested Fort Kehl, situated on the Rhine, opposite to Strasburg; and the I that the next storreat diligence to put that important fortress in a proper posture of defence If the suspension of play was displeasing to our hero, the expectation of being besieged was by no ineers, the power of their artillery, and the perseverance of their general He felt, by anticipation, the toils of hard duty upon the works, the horrors of night-alar, bombardment, sallies, and mines blown up; and deliberated with himself whether or not he should privately withdraw, and take refuge aers; but, when he reflected that such a step, besides the infa upon Scylla, seeking to avoid Charybdis, as he would be exposed to er and inconvenience in the trenches than he could possibly undergo in the town, and after all run the risk of being taken and treated as a deserter; upon these considerations he resolved to subate the rigour of his fate by those arts he had forly foundthe whole siege, which lasted about six weeks after the trenches were opened; and then the garrison marched out by capitulation, with all the honours of war
CHAPTER NINETEEN
HE PUTS HIMSELF UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF HIS assOCIATE, AND STUMBLES UPON THE FRENCH CAMP, WHERE HE FINISHES HIS MILITARY CAREER
Nothing else of n; and in the winter our adventurer, with the young Count, and his friend the Tyrolese, were disposed in quarters of cantonrin he had undergone, by the exercise of those talents in which he excelled Not that he was satisfied with the sphere of life in which he acted; though he knew himself consuamester's name; nor did he find himself disposed to hazard those discoveries and explanations to which heroes of that class are so the tents of civil life, undisturbed by quarrels and the din of war, and render ems which irritate, but by that suppleness of insinuation, which could not fail to soothe the temper of those on whom he meant to prey
He saw that all his expectations of Count Melvil's future favour were connected with his choice of a military life; and that his proreat encies as he did not at all wish to encounter On the other hand, he confided so much in his own dexterity and address, that he never doubted of being able to rear a splendid fortune for himself, provided he could once obtain a fixed and firland, not only as his native country, to which, like a true citizen, he longed to be united; but also as the land of pro with subjects on which he knew his talents would be properly exercised
These reflections never occurred, without leaving a strong impression upon the mind of our adventurer, which influenced his deliberations in such a th a hireeable events, and of transporting himself into the country of his ancestors, which he considered as the Canaan of all able adventurers
But, previous to his appearance on that stage, he was desirous of visiting the metropolis of France, in which he hoped to is, and acquire such intelligence as would qualify him to act afor soed these prospects in secret, he determined to accommodate himself with the company and experience of the Tyrolese, whom, under the specious title of an associate, he knew he could convert into a very serviceable tool, in forwarding the execution of his own projects