Part 15 (1/2)
The scope of it is to preserve the being, and confirm the health of our fellow-creatures; of consequence, to sustain the blessings of society, and crown life with fruition The character of a physician, therefore, not only supposes natural sagacity, and acquired erudition, but it also implies every delicacy of sentiment, every tenderness of nature, and every virtue of humanity That these qualities are centred in you, doctor, I would willingly believe But it will be sufficient for rity To whose concern I am indebted for your visits, you best know But if you understand the art of medicine, you must be sensible by this tiether unnecessary
”Come, sir, you cannot--you don't believe thatme to be really under the influence of that deplorable ht to treat me as a lunatic, or to sue out a conorance of my name and family, you shall understand that I am Sir Launcelot Greaves, of the county of York, Baronet; and that inald Meadows, of Cheshi+re, the eldest son of entle ht into the fields, where I was surprised, overpowered, and kidnapped by armed ruffians Had he really believedto the dictates of honour, humanity, and the laws of his country Situated as I a application to the Lord Chancellor, to be tried by a jury of honest ht I cannot avail myself, while I remain at the mercy of a brutal miscreant, in whose house I am enclosed, unless you contribute your assistance Your assistance, therefore, I deentleh every other ht to interest himself in my case as a common concern, and concur with all your power towards the punishainst the liberty of your country”
The doctor seemed to be a little disconcerted; but, after some recollection, resumed his air of sufficiency and importance, and assured our adventurer he would do him all the service in his power; but in the meantime advised hiht's eyes lightening with indignation, ”I am now convinced,”
cried he, ”that you are an accomplice in the villany which has been practised upon , a disgrace to the faculty, and a reproach to human nature--yes, sirrah, you are theminister of the worst of all villains; who, froe, rob the innocent of all the comforts of life, brand them with the imputation of madness, the most cruel species of slander, and wantonly protract theirconfinement, a prey to reflections infinitely more bitter than death but I will be calm--do me justice at your peril
I deislature--if I a will coainst me, must, in order to cloak your treachery, have recourse to murder,--an expedient which I believe you very capable of e,--or a er concealed Trehts of one, lest my just resentment impel me to dash your brains out upon that marble--away”----
The honest doctor was not so firmly persuaded of his patient's lunacy as to reject his advice, which he made what haste he could to follohen an unexpected accident intervened
That this ht's brace of trusty friends, Captain Crowe and lawyer Clarke, e left in sorrowful deliberation upon the fate of their patron Clarke's genius being rather ested an advertisely inserted in the daily papers; ientleman of considerable rank and fortune had suddenly disappeared, on such a night, from his house near Golden Square, in consequence of a letter delivered to hireat reason to believe some violence hath been offered to his life; any person capable of giving such information asto Mr Thos in Upper Brook Street, receive proper security for the reward of one hundred guineas, to be paid to hi the discovery required”
The porter who delivered the letter appeared accordingly, but could give no other information, except that it was put into his hand with a shi+lling, by a reatcoat, who stopped hih Queen Street It was necessary that the advertisement should produce an effect upon another person, as no other than the hackney-coachman who drove our hero to the place of his imprisonment This fellow had been enjoined secrecy; and, indeed, bribed to hold his tongue, by a considerable gratification, which, it was supposed, would have been effectual, as the ood circumstances, and well known to the keeper of the madhouse, by whom he had been employed on former occasions of the same nature Perhaps his fidelity to his employer, reinforced by the hope of ainst the offer of fifty pounds; but double that sum was a temptation he could not resist He no sooner read the inti's pot at an alehouse, than he entered into consultation with his own thoughts; and, having no reason to doubt that this was the very fare he had conveyed, he resolved to earn the reward, and abstain fro He had the precaution, however, to take an attorney along with him to Mr Clarke, who entered into a conditional bond; and, with the assistance of his uncle, deposited thewhen the conditions should be fulfilled These previoustaken, the coachman declared what he knew, and discovered the house in which Sir Launcelot had been ie's chamber, where he made oath to the truth of his inforranted to search the house of Bernard Shackle, and set at liberty Sir Launcelot Greaves, if there found
Fortified with this authority, they engaged a constable, with a for them in coaches, repaired with all possible expedition to the house of Mr Shackle, who did not think proper to dispute their clai evident sy them, by his master's order, to Sir Launcelot's apart such a noise as did not fail to alarm the physician, who had just opened the door to retire, when he perceived their irruption Captain Crowe conjecturing he was guilty from the confusion that appeared in his countenance,him by the collar as he endeavoured to retreat; while the tender-hearted Toht, with his eyes briot all the for his arms round his neck, blubbered in his bosom
Our hero did not receive this proof of attachment unmoved He strained him in his embrace, honoured him with the title of his deliverer, and asked him by what miracle he had discovered the place of his confinean to unfold the various steps he had taken with equalthe doctor still by the collar, shook his old friend by the hand, protesting he was never so overjoyed since he got clear of a Sallee rover on the coast of Barbary; and that two glasses ago he would have started all the money he had in the world in the hold of any s The knight having oodwill, desired hi the doctor; who, finding himself released, withdreith some precipitation
Then our adventurer, attended by his friends, walked off with a deliberate pace to the outward gate, which he found open, and getting into one of the coaches, was entertained by the way to his own house with a detail of every measure which had been pursued for his release
In his own parlour he found Mrs Dolly Cowslip, who had been waiting with great fear and impatience for the issue of Mr Clarke's adventure She now fell upon her knees, and bathed the knight's hands with tears of joy; while the face of this young wo the idea of heremotions, and stimulated his mind to the immediate achievement he had already planned As for Mr Crabshaw, he was not the last to signify his satisfaction at his arment, he retired to the stable, where he cos to his friend Gilbert, whom he saddled and bridled; the sa on his squire-like attire and accoutreht's door, before which he paraded, uttering, from time to time, repeated shouts, to the no small entertainment of the populace, until he received orders to house his companions Thus commanded, he led them back to their stalls, resumed his livery, and rejoined his fellow-servants, ere resolved to celebrate the day with banquets and rejoicings
Their master's heart was not sufficiently at ease to share in their festivity He held a consultation with his friends in the parlour, whom he acquainted with the reasons he had to believe Miss Darnel was confined in the same house which had been his prison; a circumstance which filled them with equal pleasure and astonish plentifully, conjured hi now remained but to concert the plan for her deliverance As Aurelia had informed Dolly of her connexion with Mrs Kawdle, at whose house she proposed to lodge, before she was overtaken on the road by her uncle, this particular was now iht which seeement
Our hero, accompanied by Mrs Cowslip and Tom Clarke, set out immediately for the house of Dr Kawdle, who happened to be abroad, but his wife received theenteel woly attached to Aurelia by the ties of affection, as well as of consanguinity She no sooner learned the situation of her cousin than she expressed theset at liberty, and assured Sir Launcelot she would concur in any scheme he should propose for that purpose There was no room for hesitation or choice; he attended her ie, who, upon proper application, issued another search-warrant for Aurelia Darnel The constable and his posse were again retained, and Sir Launcelot Greaves once more crossed the threshold of Mr Bernard Shackle Nor was the search-warrant the only implement of justice hich he had furnished hireed upon the radually to Miss Darnel, that her tender nature ht not be too much shocked by their sudden appearance
When they arrived at the house, therefore, and produced their credentials, in consequence of which a female attendant was directed to show the lady's apartment, Mrs Dolly first entered the cha up her eyes, screamed aloud, and flew into the arms of her faithful Cowslip Some minutes elapsed before Dolly could make shi+ft to exclaim, ”Am coom to live and daai with my beloved leady!”--”Dear Dolly!” cried heryou again Good Heaven! what solitary hours of keen affliction have I passed since we parted!--but, tell me, how did you discover the place ofto his indulgence?”
Dolly answered in the negative; and by degrees gave her to understand that her cousin, Mrs Kawdle, was in the next room; that lady inition passed between the two relations It was she who, in the course of conversation, perceiving that Aurelia was perfectly co deliverance When the other eagerly insisted upon knowing to whose humanity and address she was indebted for this happy turn of fortune, her cousin declared the obligation was due to a young gentleman of Yorkshi+re, called Sir Launcelot Greaves At low, and her eyes beah, ”I know not what to say-- that gentleman, Sir Launcelot Greaves, was surely born--Lord bless el”
Mrs Kawdle, who had er to the for between those two lovers, and had always favoured the pretensions of our hero, without being acquainted with his person She now observed with a sel, and he adored her as a demi-deity, nature seemed to have intended them for each other; for such sublime ideas exalted them both above the sphere of ordinary mortals
She then ventured to intimate that he was in the house, impatient to pay his respects in person At this declaration the colour vanished from her cheeks, which, however, soon underwent a total suffusion Her heart panted, her bosoitated by transports rather violent than unpleasing She soon, however, recollected herself, and her native serenity returned; when, rising from her seat, she declared he would see him in the next apart for permission to approach her person
Here she broke in upon hiant white undress, the e beauty, warratitude and affection His heart was too big for utterance; he ran towards her with rapture, and throwing himself at her feet, imprinted a most respectful kiss upon her lily hand--”This, divine Aurelia,” cried he, ”is a foretaste of that ineffable bliss which you was born to bestow!--Do I then live to see you sain? to see you restored to liberty, your mind at ease, and your health uniations to Sir Launcelot Greaves accumulated in such a oodness”--”You greatly overrate my services, which have been rather the duties of coenerous passion, too noble to be thus evinced;--but let not er on this detested scene Give me leave to hand you into the coach, and coood lady, attended by this honest young gentle, he presented Mr Thomas Clarke, who had the honour to salute the fair hand of the ever-a safely coached under the escort of the lawyer, Sir Launcelot assured the at the house of Dr Kawdle, whither they immediately directed their course Our hero, who re, inquired for Mr Bernard Shackle, upon whose person he intended to serve a writ of conspiracy, over and above a prosecution for robbery, in consequence of his having disencuht of his ht of his confineh to avoid this encounter, and even to anticipate the indict one of his servants to restore the cash and papers, which our adventurer accordingly received before he quitted the house
In the prosecution of his search after Shackle, he chanced to enter the cha at a table, with a bandage over one eye, and his head covered with a nightcap of baize The knight, having y for this intrusion, desired to know if he could be of any service to Mr Distich, as he was now at liberty to use the little influence he had for the relief of his fellow-sufferers--The poet having eyed him for some time askance, ”I told you,” said he, ”your stay in this place would be of short duration
--I have sustained a small disaster on my left eye, from the hands of a rascally cordwainer, who pretends to believe hialling his majesty with keen iambics-- If you can help eneva, so;--if you are not so inclined, your humble servant, I shall share in the joy of your deliverance”
The knight declined gratifying hiht be prejudicial to his health, but offered his assistance in redressing his grievances, provided he laboured under any cruel treatenerosity,” replied the satirist; ”you are willing to assist , except the only circumstances in which assistance is required--God b'w'ye--If you see Ben Bullock, tell him I wish he would not dedicate any ed his note, and begins to snivel--For my part, I stick to my former maxim, defy all the world, and will die hard, even if death should be preceded by daible, left hi one day comforted by the dram-bottle; but resolved, if possible, to set on foot an accurate inquiry into the economy and transactions of this private inquisition, that aht be done in favour of every injured individual confined within its walls