Part 27 (1/2)
”Signior Don Diego, I see you are moved, and therefore will not dwell on such distressful circued this life for a more happy state; and so exquisite was the sorrow of the tender-hearted Serafina, as to torturesurvive her pioussaint, Monimia (for that name she now assulided into our mutual confidence, abused our ears, poisoned our unsuspected faith, and effected that fatal breach, productive of all the misery and vexation which we have suffered, and which is now so happily expelled”
”Heaven,” said the Castilian, ”hath visited me for the sins and errors of led with its chastisements, I dare not murmur or repine The tears of penitence and sorrow shall water rave; as for Mendoza, I rejoice at his treachery, by which the obligation of my promise is cancelled, and uilt My services, my character, and innocence shall soon confront his perfidy, and, I hope, defeat his interest The King is just and gracious, nor is , presented to him a letter from a person of consequence at Madrid, whoo; that nobleman had already found means to represent the case of Zelos to his Majesty, who had actually ordered Don Manuel to be confined, until the injured person should appear to justify hi to the tero was su within a liht against hiratitude and joy, when he read this intiive utterance to his thoughts, told hi been prepossessed in his favour, craved the honour of seeing Don Diego; and that he, Joshua, was ready to conduct him to the house
”Then is my heart at rest!” cried the Castilian; ”the house of Zelos once ain revisit my native country with honour, and abase the villain who hath soiled my fame! O my children! this day is replete with such joy and satisfaction, as I did not think had been in the power of Heaven to grant, without the interposition of a miracle! To you, Renaldo, to you illustrious lady, and to these worthy gentlemen, am I indebted for the restoration of that for which alone I wish to live; and when ation, may I forfeit the name of a Castilian, and scorn and dishonour be my portion”
Perhaps all Europe could not produce another company so happy as that which now sat down to dinner in the house of Madam Clement, whose own benevolent heart was peculiarly adapted for such enjoyment The lovers feasted their eyes lances, which needed not the slow interpretation of speech; while the Spaniard regarded them alternately with looks of wonder and paternal joy, and every individual surveyed the all-deserving pair with ade of this general satisfaction, when the heart, softened into coht: ”I ood company shall bear witness to ive, but to withhold your vengeance froratitude, and villany are, I believe, unrivalled; yet his base designs have been defeated; and Heaven perhaps hathour constancy and virtue to the test; besides, his perfidy is already punished with the last degree of hurace The doctor, who has traced him in all his conduct and vicissitudes of fortune, will draw a picture of his present wretchedness, which, I doubt not, will move your coenerous hostess was ready to enforce this charitable proposal with all her eloquence, when Melvil, with a look that well expressed his entle Serafina!
O! every moment furnishes me with fresh matter to admire the virtues of thy soul If thou, whose tender heart hath been so rent with uish, canst intercede for thy tormentor, who now suffers in his turn, shall I refuse to pardon the reat exao in behalf of the same miscreant whose perfidious barbarity cost hih,” cried the Castilian, ”I have disclaimed the vindictive principles of a Spaniard; and leave theof his own conscience, which, soon or late, will not fail to avenge the wrongs we have sustained from his deceit”
CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
THE HISTORY DRAWS NEAR A PERIOD
Universal was the applause which they acquired by this noble sacrifice of their resentood-humour; and at the earnest solicitation of Renaldo, whose fancy still harboured the apprehensions of another separation, Don Diego consented that the indissoluble knot should be tied between that young gentleman and Serafina in two days, and the place appointed for the ceremony was the very church where they had been restored to the arms of each other
The lovely bride, with a silent blush that set her lover's heart on fire, submitted to this determination, in consequence of which the co being pretty far advanced, they took leave of the ladies, and retired to their respective ho reconducted to their lodgings, in the coach of the Jeho, taking an opportunity of being alone with Melvil, observed that it would be necessary on this occasion to supply the Castilian with a sunity and independence, in furnishi+ng Serafina with everything suitable to her rank and ly accoive no offence to his punctilious disposition
Renaldo, thanking hienerous anticipation, advised him to solicit the Spaniard's correspondence in the way of business, and to put the whole on the footing of his own interest; by which ht with this instruction, the Israelite desired a private audience of the Castilian, in which, after an apology for the freedoo,” said he, ”as your fortune hath been so long embezzled by your adversary in Spain, and your correspondence with that country entirely cut off, it is not to be supposed that your finances are at present in such a condition as to maintain the splendour of your family Count de Melvil's whole fortune is at your coe to the peculiar delicacy of your sentiments, he would have pressed you to use it for your convenience For my own part, over and above the inclination I have to serve Don Diego, I consultyou to accept my service on this occasion Money is the chief commodity in which I deal, and, if you honour ainer by o replied, with a s of this address, ”Surely, Signior, I aest ties to exert e; and I pray God this your proposal enerosity and refined notions of honour; and too ed by hi his future assistance Nevertheless, since you have contrived a sche all scruples of that sort, I shall execute it with pleasure; and, in the forive for what shall be necessary to answerthus settled, Joshua advanced for his use a thousand pounds, for which he would take neither bond, note, nor receipt, desiring only that the Castilian would ht appear, in case any accident should befall the borrower Although the Spaniard had been accustoenerosity of Melvil, he could not help wondering at this nobleness of behaviour, so little to be expected from any merchant, much less from a Jewish broker
While this affair was on the anvil, Renaldo, who could no longer withhold the communication of his happiness from his sister and relations in Germany, took up the pen, and, in a letter to his brother-in-law, recounted all the circu turn of fate which he had experienced since his arrival in England He likewise related the story of Don Diego, informed them of the day appointed for his nuptials, and entreated the Major to make a journey to London with his wife; or, if that should be impracticable, to come as far as Brussels, where they should be met by him and his Serafina There was now but one day between him and the accomplish a licence, and adjusting the preparations for the grand festival Don Diego in the forenoon visited Madahter, and presented to Serafina bank notes to the amount of five hundred pounds, to defray the necessary expense for her wedding orna taken for the sole event, and the hour of appointroom, accompanied by his father-in-law, hastened to the place of rendezvous, which was the vestry-room of the church we have already described; where they were received by the good clergyman in his canonicals; and here they had not waited many minutes, when they were joined by Madam Clement and the amiable bride, escorted by the friendly physician, who had all along borne such a share in their concerns Serafina was dressed in a sack of white satin, and the ornaments of her head were adjusted in the Spanish fashi+on, which gave a peculiar air to her appearance, and an additional spirit to those attractions which engaged the heart of each beholder
There was nothing remarkable in the habit of Renaldo, who had copied the plainness and elegance of his mistress; but, when she entered the place, his features were animated with a double proportion of vivacity, and their eyes , seeh the countenances of all present
After a short pause, her father led her to the altar, and gave her away to the transported Renaldo, before the priest who performed the ceremony, and bestowed the nuptial benediction on this enraptured pair The sanction of the church being thus obtained, they withdrew into the vestry, where Melvil sealed his title on her rosy lips, and presented his wife to the company, who embraced her in their turns, with fervent wishes for their h the scene of this transaction was rehbourhood, the church was surrounded by a crowd of people, ith uncommon demonstration of surprise and admiration, petitioned Heaven to bless so fair a couple Such indeed was their eagerness to see theered by the pressure of the crohich attended theroom had deposited in the hands of the minister one hundred pounds for the benefit of the poor of that parish, and thrown several handfuls ofthe multitude Serafina re-eood lady and Don Diego, while Renaldo, with the clergyman and doctor, followed in Joshua's coach, to a pleasant country-house upon the Thames, at a distance of a few miles from London
This the Jew had borrowed from the owner for a few days, and there they were received by that honest Hebreho had provided a very elegant entertainment for the occasion He had also bespoke a saled their ears while they sat at dinner; and the afternoon being calm and serene, he prevailed on thee which he had prepared for the purpose
But, notwithstanding this diversity of aest day he had ever passed, had not his iination been diverted by an incident which e They had drunk tea, and engaged in a party at whist, when they were surprised with a noise of contention from a public-house, that fronted the s of the apartment in which they sat Alar up the casement, beheld a hearse surrounded by four e, and violently pulled the driver froed the curiosity of the publican's family, who stood at the door to observe the consequence, when all of a sudden appeared a person in canonicals, wellup to those who maltreated the driver, bestowed upon one of them such a bloith the butt-end of his whip, as laid hi from his saddle upon the box, took the reins into his own hand, swearing with great vehemence, that he would murder every ood priest who had married Renaldo was not a little scandalised at this ferocious behaviour in a clergyrace to the cloth when the horse up to the , replied, ”Sir, reater respect for the cloth than I have; but at present I a, he whipped up the horses, and had actually disentangled the hearse from those who surrounded it, when he was opposed by another troop, one of whoreat expedition, and cut the harness so as that he could not possibly proceed Finding hiround, and exercised his weapon with such aonists were left motionless on the field, before he was overpowered and disarmed by dint of numbers, who assailed hi thus taken prisoner, an elderly person, of a very prepossessing appearance, went up to the hearse, and, unbolting the door, a young lady sprung out, and shrieking, ran directly to the public-house, to the infinite astonishht of the whole family, who believed it was the spirit of the deceased person, whose body lay in the carriage Renaldo, ith difficulty restrained froainst such odds, no sooner perceived this apparition, than, supposing her to be some distressed damsel, his Quixotism awoke, he descended in an instant, and rushed into the house, ao and the physician took the sayman and Joshua tarried with the ladies, ere, by this time, verylady in the hands of the old gentleman, who had released her from the hearse, and who now bitterly upbraided her for her folly and disobedience; while she protested with great vivacity, that whatever she ht suffer from his severity, she would never submit to the hateful match he had proposed, nor break the proentleman who now attempted to rescue her from the tyranny of a cruel father This declaration was followed by a plentiful shower of tears, which the father could not behold with unh he reviled her withto the Count, ”I appeal to you, sir,” said he, ”whether I have not reason to curse the undutiful obstinacy of that pert baggage, and renounce her for ever as an alien to e by an honest citizen, a thirty thousand pound eous proposal, she hath bestowed her heart upon a young fellow not worth a groat Ah! you degenerate hussy, this comes of your plays and romances If thy mother were not a woman of an unexceptionable life and conversation, I should verily believe thou art no child of ar! for shame!”
”I suppose,” replied Renaldo, ”the person to whoyyman!” cried the other, ”adad! he has more of the devil than the church about hientleue, if I had not kept out of his ould, I suppose, have served me with the same sauce Me! who have been his master for many years, and had resolved to make a man of him Sir, he was my own clerk, and this is the return I have met with from the serpent which I cherished in my bosom”