Part 26 (2/2)
This powerful shock aroused his faculties; a cold sweat bedewed his forehead; his knees began to totter; he dropped upon the floor, and throwing his arms around her, cried, ”O nature! O Serafina! Merciful Providence! thy ways are past finding out” So saying, he fell upon her neck, and wept aloud The tears of sympathetic joy trickled down her snowy bosom, that heaved with rapture inexpressible Renaldo's eyes poured forth the briny stream The cheeks of Madam Clement were not dry in this conjuncture; she kneeled by Serafina, kissed her with all the eagerness of maternal affection, and with uplifted hands adored the Power that preordained this blessed event The clergyeneral transport; and as for Joshua, the drops of true benevolence flowed from his eyes, like the oil on Aaron's beard, while he skipped about the roo the hoarse notes of the long-eared tribe, cried, ”O father Abraha scene hath not been acted since Joseph disclosed hi found utterance to his passion, proceeded in this strain: ”O ain, after our last unhappy parting, is wonderful! ood, my conscience I am not then the dire assassin, who sacrificed his wife and daughter to an infernal h I a to hear explained”
”That shall be my task,” cried Renaldo, ”but first permit me to implore your sanction to my passion for the incomparable Serafina You already know our h I own the possession of such inestimable worth and beauty would be a recompense that infinitely transcends the ood fortune to inspire her with a ence here, what I could not expect from my own desert; and we present ourselves, in hope of your paternal assent and benediction”
”Were she entle than she is,” answered the Castilian, ”and to ht e'er appeared on earth , I would approve your title to her heart, and recommend you to her smiles, with all a father's influence and power
Yes, e of those tender ties of love that bind thee to this aenerosity I owe ether with the inexpressible delight that now revels in my bosom Enjoy, my children, the happy fruits of your reciprocal attachh a labyrinth of perplexity and woe, to this transporting view of blissful days, indulge you with that uninterrupted streaht to be the boon of virtue, such as yours!”
So saying, he joined their hands, and embraced them with the most cordial love and satisfaction, which diffused itself to every individual of the cohty Power, in behalf of this enraptured pair The tu a little subsided, and the Castilian being seated betwixt Renaldo and his beauteous bride, he politely bespoke the indulgence of Mada she would permit him to deht be forthwith made acquainted with those circumstances of his own fate which he was so i assured hi the recapitulation, the Spaniard, addressing himself to Melvil, ”In the name of Heaven!” said he, ”how could you supplant that rival, who fell a sacrifice to my resentment, after he had bewitched the heart of Serafina? for, sure, the affection he had kindled in her breastsurvived his death,” ”That rival,” replied the Count, ”who incurred your displeasure, was no other than Renaldo” With these words, he applied to one eye a patch of black silk provided for the purpose, and turning his face towards Don Diego, that gentle, ”Good Heaven! the very countenance of Orlando, who!”
CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
A RETROSPECTIVE LINK, NECESSARY FOR THE CONCATENATION OF THESE MEMOIRS
”Indulge arian, ”and all these riddles soon will be explained Inflan countries, I disobeyed the will of an indulgent father, fro privately, I set out for Italy, in disguise, by the way of Tyrol, visited Venice, Rolish shi+p, arrived at St Lucar, from whence I repaired to Seville; there, in a few days, was ed by the fame of the fair Serafina, as justly deemed the most accoentle creature! for by my hopes of heaven! thy charms were even injured by the cold applause of that report
Nevertheless, I ared to see this pattern of perfection As Don Diego did not train her up in that restraint to which the Spanish ladies are subjected, I soon found an opportunity of seeing her at church; and no person here present will, I presume, doubt but that I was instantly captivated by her beauty and deported, perhaps I should have followed the dictates of vanity and inexperience, and presentedthe crowd of her professed aduished rank and reputation, and did not doubt that he would have regarded a young soldier of unexceptionable pedigree, and, I will even add, of untainted faainst such an advantageous match; but, by dint of industrious inquiry, I learned, that the divine Serafina was already betrothed to Don Manuel de Mendoza, and this infor revolved a thousand projects for retarding and preventing that detested union, I resolved to avail , and professedemployed by the father of Serafina, who, I knew, let slip no opportunity of iood fortune to attract his notice, was invited to his house, honoured with his approbation, and furnished with unrestricted opportunities of conversing with the dear object of my love The passion which her beauty had kindled was by the perfections of her ree of transport, as could not be concealed froradually acquired her friendshi+p; pity was the next passion that she entertained in my favour I then ventured to disclose myself, and the dear charmer did not disapprove of my presuious scruples, concerning which they appealed to h to set their minds at ease
”This sort of intercourse naturally created aus; and, in a word, I was blessed with the daughter's love and o will pardon these clandestine measures, which we took, from a full persuasion that it was impossible to render him propitious to the views in which our hearts and hands were so deeply interested I did not then kno little he was addicted to superstition
”Without entering into a detail of the schemes we projected to delay the happiness of Mendoza, I shall only observe, that, knowing the fatal day was at length unalterably fixed, we deterht; and everything was actually prepared for our escape
When the hour of appointment arrived, I repaired to the place at which I had proposed to enter the house, and stumbled, in the dark, over the body of aAlarh the , and rushi+ng to the apartment of the ladies, (immortal powers!) beheld the peerless Serafina, and her virtuous mother, stretched on a couch, and, in all appearance, deprived of life
”The coonies I felt at such a spectacle! I ran towards the spot in a transport of horror! I claspedher still breathing, endeavoured, but in vain, to wake her froic power My fancy was i poisoned Regardless of my own situation, I alarmed the family, called for assistance, and requested the servants to suo to the dismal scene I was informed that their master had rode forth inexcursion, an apothecary in the neighbourhood entered the cha examined the pulses of the ladies, declared that their lives were in no danger, and advised that they should be undressed, and conveyed to bed While their women were busied in this employment, I went into the court-yard, attended by sohts, in order to view the body of the man which I had found at my arrival His apparel wasspado was buckled to his thigh, and, in his belt, were stuck a brace of loaded pistols; so that we concluded he was so the casement open, intended to rob the house, but was prevented, and slain by Don Diego himself, whose retreat, however, did not a little confound our conjecture For ht in the house, tortured with fear, vexation, and suspense
”My hope was altogether disappointed by this unhappy accident; and I shuddered at the prospect of losing Serafina for ever, either by this e with Mendoza, which I now despaired of being able to defeat Thewaited several hours for his lord's return, without seeing hier to Don Manuel, with an account of what had happened; and that noble, took possession of the house About four o'clock in the afternoon, Serafina began to stir, and, at five, she and her mother were perfectly awake
”They no sooner recovered the use of reflection, than they gave signs of equal sorrow and amazement, and earnestly called for Isabella, as privy to our design, and who, after a very minute inquiry, was found in a lone and solitary chamber, where she had been confined Such was the confusion of the house, that no person ever drea how I entered, each do I had been introduced by his fellow; so that I tarried unquestioned, on pretence of concern for the distress of a faenerously entertained, and, by Isabella, sent my respects and duty to her ladies
She was, therefore, not a little surprised, when, after every other servant had withdrawn, she heard the lovely Serafina exclairief, 'Ah! Isabella, Orlando is no reater, when she assured the alive, and in the house They recounted to her the adventure of last night, which she explained, by inforo had intercepted And they immediately concluded, that he had, in the precipitation of his wrath, killed, by mistake, the person as found dead in the court-yard This conjecture alarmed them on my account; they, by the mediuo should return, and accomplish his resentment; and I was persuaded to withdraw, after I had settled the channel of a correspondence with the confidant
”Being now obliged to alter our measures, because our foro, I secured a retreat for Serafina and her lish consul in Seville, asfrom Isabella that her lord had not yet reappeared, and that Don Manuel was very urgent in his addresses, we concerted an assignation in the garden, and that sah to convey my prize to the asylum I had prepared for their reception Inexpressible was the rage of Mendoza, when he heard of their elopement He raved like one deprived of reason--swore he would put all the servants of the faence he obtained by threats and promises, set on foot a very strict inquiry, in order to apprehend the fugitives and Orlando, who had by some means or other incurred his suspicion
”We eluded his search by the vigilance and caution of our kind host; and, while we remained in concealment, were extreo was proclaimed a traitor, and a price set upon his head This information overwhelmed us all with the utrace of her beloved lord, from whom she never would have withdrawn herself, but with the lively hope of a reconciliation, after the first transports of his ire should have subsided, and the real character of Orlando should have appeared It was not long before we had reason to believe that Mendoza was the accuser of Don Diego--
”Nay, start not, Signior; Manuel was actually that traitor! This was the turn of his revenge! when he found hi the incoe of your absence and retreat He posted to Madrid, i maintained a criminal correspondence with the enemies of Spain, included me in his accusation, as a spy for the house of Austria, and framed such a plausible tale, froo was outlawed, and Mendoza gratified with a grant of his estate
”These melancholy incidents made a deep i every other consideration, would have personally appeared for the vindication of her husband's honour, had not we dissuaded her fro her inability to contend with such a powerful antagonist; and representing that her appearance would be infallibly attended with the ruin of Serafina, ould certainly fall into the hands of the villain to whom she had been contracted We exhorted her to wait patiently for soed her with the hope of Don Diego's exerting himself effectually in his own defence
”Meanwhile our worthy landlord was suddenly cut off by death; and hisbeing resolved to retire into her own country, we secretly ehteen o
Antonia still continued to pine over the ruin of her house; as she could hear no tidings of Don Diego, she concluded he was dead, andsorrow In vain I assured her, that, soon as my own affairs should be adjusted, I would exert my whole endeavours to find and succour hiine that ain obscurity And her affliction derived new force from the death of the consul's ith whom she had lived in the most unbounded intimacy and friendshi+p From that day, her health evidently declined She foresaw her dissolution, and co her husband and her friend in a place where no treachery is felt, and no sorrow is known; confident of rity, and the purity of my love, she, in the most pathetic terms, recommended Serafina to my care
”Ha! weepest thou, fair excellence, at the reood Antonia, on the bed of death, joined thy soft hand to mine, and said, 'Renaldo, I bequeath this orphan to your love; it is a sacred pledge, which, if you cherish with due honour and regard, internal peace and happiness will ever smile within your bosolect, just Heaven will punish your breach of trust with everlasting disappointments and disquiet'