Part 24 (2/2)
Everybody in the apartment was affected by this exclamation; and Melvil, above all the rest, felt such eentleman to believe himself in the midst of such friends as would effectually secure him from all violence and mortification; he conjured him to compose the perturbation of his spirits, and quiet the apprehensions of his mind with that reflection; and protested, that he himself would not quit the house while his attendance should be deeer's cure, or his conversation conducive to his amusement
These assurances, considered with the heroic part which the young Hungarian had already acted in his behalf, inspired the cavalier with such a subliazed upon hiel sent froratitude, could not help exclai in reserve for this unfortunate wretch, in whose favour such a enerosity hath interposed!”
Being accommodated with proper care and attendance, his constitution in a little tieon declared hied with opportunities of conversing with the patient, and of inquiring into the particulars of his fortune and designs in life, with a view to manifest the inclination he felt to serve hier contemplated the character of the Count, the more his amazement increased, on account of his extraordinary benevolence in favour of a person whose merit he could not possibly know; he even expressed his surprise on this subject to Renaldo, who at length told hih his best offices should always be ready for the occasions of any gentleard to hier,” said he, ”to the virtues and honour of the gallant Don Diego de Zelos”
”Heaven and earth!” cried the stranger, starting from his seat with extreme e-lost appellation! lows at the expression! h every nerve! Say, young gentleman, if you are really an inhabitant of earth, by what means are you acquainted with the unhappy naation, Renaldo gave him to understand, that in the course of his travels, he had resided a short tio, and often heard his character mentioned with uncommon esteem and veneration ”Alas!” replied the Castilian, ”that justice is no longer done to the wretched Zelos; his honours are blasted, and his reputation canker-bitten by the venomous tooth of slander”
He then proceeded to unfold his misfortunes, as they have already been explained in the former part of these memoirs; at the recapitulation of which, the heart of Melvil, being intendered by his own calaroans of Don Diego, and wept over his sufferings with the most filial sympathy When he repeated the story of that cruel fraud which was practised upon hiination teemed with the villanies of Fatho the knave; because, indeed, he could not believe that any other person was so abandoned by principle and huentleman in distress
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
HIS RETURN TO ENGLAND, AND MIDNIGHT PILGRIMAGE TO MONIMIA'S TOMB
He considered the date of that unparalleled transaction, which agreed with his conjecture, and fro the person of the traitor, gathered reasons sufficient to confirm his supposition
Thus certified, ”That is the villain,” cried the Count, ”whose infernal arts have overwhelmed me with such misery as Heaven itself hath s on that perfidious n to drag about an hateful being O Don Diego! what is life, when all its enjoyments are so easily poisoned by the , he sht the Spaniard to relate the steps he took in consequence of this disaster
The Castilian's cheeks reddened at this infor up his eyes to heaven, ”Sacred powers!” cried he, ”let hi him within my reach You ask me, noble cavalier, what measures I took in this abyss of misery? For the first day, I was tortured with apprehensions for the friendly Fadini, fearing that he had been robbed and murdered for the jehich he had, perhaps, too unwarily exposed to sale But this terror soon vanished before the true presages of my fate, when, on the morrow, I found the whole family in tears and confusion, and heard ainst the fugitive, who had deflowered his daughter, and even robbed the house You will ask, which of the passions of my heart were interested on this occasion? they were sharief flowed in another channel; I blushed to find ment deceived; I scorned to coainst my base betrayer I silently retired to hts
”I had borne greater cala driven to despair; I summoned all my fortitude to my assistance, and resolved to live in spite of affliction Thus detereneral officer, whose character was fair in the world; and having obtained admission in consequence of my Oriental appearance, 'To a man of honour,' said I, 'the unfortunate need no introduction My habit proclaims me a Persian; this passport from the States of Holland will confirm that supposition I have been robbed of jewels to a considerable value, by a wretch whom I favoured with ence, I come to offer myself as a soldier in the arth sufficient to discharge that duty
Nor alory and occupation I therefore sue for your protection, that I h in the lowest order of the; and that your future favour eneral, surprised at my declaration, surveyed me with uncommon attention; he perusedthe art of war, to which I returned such answers as convinced hinorant in that particular In short, I was enlisted as a volunteer in his own regiment, and soon after promoted to the rank of a subaltern, and the office of equerry to his own son, who, at that tie did not exceed eighteen years
”This young man was naturally of a ferocious disposition, which had been rendered quite untractable by the pride of birth and fortune, together with the licence of his education As he did not know the respect due to a gentleman, so he could not possibly pay it to those ere, unfortunately, under his command Divers mortifications I sustained with that fortitude which becaations to the father; till, at length, laying aside all decoruo de Zelos, in presence of his whole household
”Had my sword been endoith sensation, it would of itself have started fronity offered to its , 'Know, insolent boy, he is a gentleed; and thou hast thus cancelled the ties which have hitherto restrained nation' His servants would have interposed, but he commanded them to retire; and, flushed with that confidence which the impetuosity of his temper inspired, he drew, in his turn, and attackedvery unequal to his courage, he was soon disar norance,' said I, 'I spare that life which thou hast forfeited by thy ungenerous presumption'
”With these words, I put up h thetheir e, and,my horse, in less than two hours entered the Austrian doht embark in the first shi+p for Spain, in order to wash aith my own blood, or that ofdefiled rievance that still corroded my heart, and rendered ineffectual the inhuman sacrifice I had made to my injured honour This was the consideration that incessantly prompted, and still importunes me to run every risk of life and fortune, rather than leave nominious aspersion I purpose to obey this internal call I am apt to believe it is the voice of Heaven--of that Providence which enerous auxiliary to my aid, when I was overpowered by banditti, on the very first day of ratified the curiosity of his deliverer, he expressed a desire of knowing the quality of hied; and Renaldo did not scruple to make the Castilian acquainted with his name and family He likewise communicated the story of his unfortunate love, with all the symptoms of unutterable hich drew tears froroan, that announced the load which overwhelhter,” said he, ”such as you describe the peerless Monimia; had Heaven decreed her for the arms of such a lover, I, who am now the most wretched, should have been the most happy parent upon earth”
Thus did these new friends alternately indulge their mutual sorrow, and concert measures for their future operations Melvil earnestly solicited the Castilian to favour hiland, where, in all probability, both would enjoy the glooed upon their common betrayer, Fathom; and, as a farther inducement, he assured him, that, as soon as he should have accoe, he would accoo to Spain, and employ his whole interest and fortune in his service The Spaniard, thunderstruck at the extravagant generosity of this proposal, could scarce believe the evidence of his own senses; and, after some pause, replied, ”My duty would teach me to obey any command you should think proper to ireeably flattered, that I should be equally ungrateful and unwise, in pretending to co settled, they o was in a condition to bear the shock of such a re until his wounds were perfectly cured, they hired a post-chaise for Ostend, embarked in a vessel at that port, reached the opposite shore of England, after a short and easy passage, and arrived in London without having met with any sinister accident on the road
As they approached this capital, Renaldo's grief seeitate with redoubled violence His memory aked to the ination teees, and his ierly for the consummation of his wishes, than Melvil, for an opportunity of stretching hirave of the lost Monimia
The Castilian was astonished, as well as affected, at the poignancy of his grief, which, as a proof of his susceptibility and virtue, endeared hih his own misfortunes had rendered him very unfit for the office of a co discourse, to h it was dark when they alighted at the inn, Melvil ordered a coach to be called; and, being attended by the Spaniard, ould not be persuaded to quit hienerous Jehose rheum distilled very plentifully at his approach The Count had already acquitted hiations to this benevolent Hebrew; and now, after having ht be expected froed to knohat channel he had received that letter which he had been so kind as to forward to Vienna
Joshua, as ignorant of the contents of that epistle, and saw the young gentleman extre he had forgot the circumstance; but when he understood the nature of the case which was not explained without the manifestation of the ut lover, telling hience about that unfortunate beauty, in consequence of Melvil's letter to him on that subject; and then directed hiht the fatal billet which had made him miserable