Part 17 (1/2)
Influenced by this dire an to be invaded with the horrors of jealousy The tender-hearted Moniriefs in silence; she in secret be; her tears floithout interht not to know the object for which she was forsaken; she meant not to upbraid her undoer; her aie her sorrohere she could brood over the melancholy remembrance of her former felicity; where she could recollect those happy scenes she had enjoyed under the wings of her indulgent parents, when her whole life was a revolution of pleasures, and she was surrounded with affluence, pomp, and admiration; where she could, unmolested, dwell upon the wretched comparison between her past and present condition, and paint every circu colours, that they ht make the deeper impression upon her mind, and the more speedily contribute to that dissolution for which she ardently wished, as a total release froan to loathe all sustenance; her cheeks grean, her bright eyes lost their splendour, the roses vanished from her lips, and her delicate limbs could hardly support their burden; in a word, her sole consolation was lirave; and her only as to procure a retreat in which she nation for that happy period Yet this melancholy comfort she could not obtain without the advice and mediation of Fathom, whom she therefore still continued to see and consult While these consultations were held, Renaldo's bosoe and distraction He believed himself superseded in the affection of his mistress, by some favoured rival, whose success rankled at his soul; and though he scarce durst communicate the suspicion to his own heart, his observation continually whispered to him that he was supplanted by his friend Fathom; for Monimia was totally detached from the conversation of every other man, and he had of late noted their intercourse with distempered eyes
These considerations soree of frenzy, that he was teratitude, friendshi+p, and love; but such deliriums soon vanished before his honour and humanity He would not allow himself to think auilt should appear; and this was so far fro the case, that hitherto there was scarce a presumption ”On the contrary,” said he to hi proofs of his sympathy and attachment Not but that he may be the innocent cause of my mishap His superior qualifications ed the heart of that inconstant fair, without his being sensible of the victory he has won; or, perhaps, shocked at the conquest he hath unwillingly es her advances, tries to reason down her unjustifiable passion, and in the ard to my happiness and quiet”
Under cover of these favourable conjectures, our adventurer securely prosecuted his scheme upon the unfortunate Monimia He dedicated himself wholly to her service and conversation, except at those times when his company was requested by Renaldo, who now very seldom exacted his attendance In his ministry about the person of the beauteous orphan, this cunning incendiarycompassion, as effectually screened him from the suspicion of treachery, while he widened the fatal breach between her and her lover by the most diabolical insinuations He represented his friend as a voluptuary, who gratified his own appetite without the least regard to honour or conscience; and, with a show of infinite reluctance, ined for the purpose; then he would exclaim in an affected transport, ”Gracious Heaven! is it possible for any man who has the least title to perception or humanity to injure such innocence and perfection! for my own part, had I been so undeservedly happy--Heaven and earth! forgivesuch divine attractions I cannot help resenting your wrongs; it is the cause of virtue I espouse; it ought to be the cause of every honest man”
He had often repeated such apostrophes as these, which she ascribed to nothing else than sheer benevolence and virtuous indignation, and actually began to think he had made some impression upon her heart, not that he now entertained the hope of an immediate triumph over her chastity The more he contemplated her character, the more difficult the conquest seemed to be: he therefore altered his plan, and resolved to carry on his operations under the shelter of honourable proposals, foreseeing that a wife of her qualifications, if properly reatly to the account of the husband, or, if her virtue should prove refractory, that he could at any ti without beat of drum, after he should be cloyed with possession
Elevated by these expectations, he one day, in thethat he could no longer conceal the fire that preyed upon his heart, threw himself on his knees before the lovely h he did not presume to take this liberty till after such preparation as he thought had altogether extinguished her regard for Melvil, and paved the way for his own reception in room of that discarded lover, he had so far overshot hishis declaration, started up, and retired in silence, her cheeks gloith shanation
Ferdinand no sooner recovered from the confusion produced by this unexpected repulse, than he saw the necessity of co to a speedy determination, lest the offended fair one should appeal to Renaldo, in which case they ht be mutually undeceived, to his utter shaer by hu, that, whatever tortures hehis sentiain be offended with a declaration of his passion
Having thus appeased the gentle Monimia, and discovered that, in spite of her resentment, his friend still kept possession of her heart, he deter lady, being utterly deserted by Melvil, should be left altogether in his power
With this Christian intention, he began to sadden his visage with a double shade of pensive melancholy, in the presence of Renaldo, to stifle a succession of involuntary sighs, to answer from the purpose, to be incoherent in his discourse, and, in a word, to act the part of a person wrapt up in sorrowful cogitation
Count Melvil, soon as he perceived these symptoms, very kindly inquired into the cause of them, and was not a little alarmed to hear the artful and evasive answers of Ferdinand, ithout disclosing the source of his disquiet, earnestly begged leave to retire into some other corner of the world Roused by this entreaty, the Hungarian's jealousy awoke, and with violent agitation, he exclaimed, ”Then areof your request I have for so from that quarter I know your worth and honour I depend upon your friendshi+p, and conjure you, by all the ties of it, to freeyou have involuntarily captivated the heart of that unhappy ation hea flood of tears, of which he had always a , and took God to witness, that what he proposed was solely for the quiet of his honoured patron and beloved friend
”Enough,” cried the unfortunate Renaldo, ”the , he fell backwards in a swoon, from which he ith difficulty recovered to the sensation of thethis paroxysm, our adventurer nursed him with infinite care and tenderness, he exhorted him to summon all his fortitude to his assistance, to remember his forefathers, and exert himself in the i charms which had enslaved his better part, to retrieve his peace of ratitude of wolory
After these adradual advances made to hie her addresses, and re-establish her virtue, poisoning the ree, that, in all probability, he would have put a fatal period to his own existence, had not Fatho arrangeainst his love, he opposed his resentment to his sorrow, and his a the balance of power so settled aonists, so violent were the shocks of their successive conflicts, that his bosom fared like a wretched province, harassed, depopulated, and laid waste, by two fierce contending ar but an alternation of starts and reveries; he wept and raved by turns, according to the prevailing gust of passion; food becaer to his lips, and sleep to his eyelids; he could not support the presence of Monis; and, when he met her by accident, he started back with horror, like a traveller who chances to tread upon a snake
The poor afflicted orphan, worn to a shadoith self-consuer to find some lowly retreat, where she could breath out her soul in peace, and terrified at the frantic behaviour of Renaldo, coed that he would take a small picture of her father, decorated with diamonds, and convert them into money, for the expense of her subsistence This was the last pledge of her family, which she had received from her mother, who had preserved it in the midst of numberless distresses, and no other species of roaned under could have prevailed upon the daughter to part with it; but, exclusive of otherto herin dependence upon a ratitude; besides, she flattered herself with the hope that she should not long survive the loss of this testimonial
Our adventurer, with many professions of sorrow and mortification at his oant of capacity to prevent such an alienation, undertook to dispose of it to the best advantage, and to provide her with a cheap and retired aparth at the hazard of his life In the meantime, however, he repaired to his friend Renaldo, and, after having admonished him to arm his soul with patience and philosophy, declared that Monier be kept within bounds, that she had conjured hi froeons, because she was in it daily exposed to the sight and company of a man whom she detested, and that she had bribed him to compliance with her request, not only with repeated promises of eternal love and submission, but also with the picture of her father set with diareatest testimony of her affection and esteee to the eyes of the astonished youth, upon whoht of the basilisk, for in an instant, the whole passions of his soul were in the e, ”is she so abandoned to perfidy, so lost to sharatitude, and virtuous love, as tome without decency, without remorse! to forsake er flatter the pride and vanity of her expectation! O woman! woman! woman! what simile shall I find to illustrate the character of the sex? But I will not have recourse to vain complaints and feeble exclamations By Heaven! she shall not 'scape, she shall not triumph in her levity, she shall not exult in my distress; no! I will rather sacrifice her to my just resentment, to the injured powers of love and friendshi+p I will act the avenging le that fair bosom, which contains so false a heart! I will tear her to pieces, and scatter those beauteous limbs as a prey to the beasts of the field, and the fowls of the air!”
Fatho to oppose its progress, waited with patience until its first violence was overblown; then, assu an air of condolence, aniht to maintain on such occasions, ”My dear Count,” said he, ”I am not at all surprised at your emotion, because I knohat an heart, susceptible as yours,the object of your love, admiration, and esteehts ony much more severe than that which divorces the soul from the body Nevertheless, I am so confident of your virtue and your manhood, as to foresee, that you will allow the fair Monimia to execute that resolution which she hath so unwisely taken, to withdraw herself from your love and protection
Believe me, my best friend and benefactor, this is a step, in consequence of which you will infallibly retrieve your peace of s, it s will be soothed by the gentle and salutary wing of ti will rouse you to a due sense of your own dignity and importance, which will enable you to convert your attention to objects far more worthy of your contemplation All the hopes of happiness you had cherished in the possession of Monimia are now irrecoverably blasted; her heart is now debased beneath your consideration; her love is, without all doubt, extinguished, and her honour irretrievably lost; insomuch, that, were she to profess sorrow for her indiscretion, and iarding you for the future with unalterable fidelity and affection, you ought not to restore her to that place in your heart which she hath so meanly forfeited, because you could not at the same time reinstate her in the possession of that delicate esteem without which there is no harmony, no rapture, no true enjoyment in love
”No, my dear Renaldo, expel the unworthy tenant froratitude, by deserting her lover, friend, and benefactor Your glory deenerosity, and your own heart approve of your conduct
So disencu your departure from this island, that you may revisit your father's house, do justice to yourself and as; then dedicate yourself to glory, in imitation of your renowned ancestors, and flourish in the favour of your imperial patron”
These rearian, that his face was lighted up with a transient gleareat ardour, calling hienius, and entreated hiratify the inclination of that fickle creature so far as to convey her to another lodging, without loss of ti hi obtained this permission, went immediately to the skirts of the tohere he had previously bespoke a sh neat apartee He had already reconnoitred the ground, by sounding his landlady, from whose poverty and complaisance he found reason to expect all sorts of freedom and opportunity for the accomplish prepared for her reception, he returned to that disconsolate beauty, to whouineas, which he pretended to have raised by pledging the picture, though he himself acted as the pawnbroker on this occasion, for a very plain and obvious reason
The fair orphan was overjoyed to find her wish so speedily accomplished
She forthwith packed up her necessaries in a trunk; and a hackney-coach was called in the dusk of the evening, in which she ee and conductor