Part 39 (2/2)
”I interpose not No voice callethis still dark, and I know not whether it is best to admit thee fully to my counsels Yet, thus much mayest thou no, and more shalt thou know hereafter, that thy father is no pauper, to crave the wealth of others, and that his poverty is voluntary The body is kept poor, that divine grace may the more readily enrich the soul”
”Believewhich it is your desire to keep secret”
”There is nothing secret that shall not be revealed,” exclai in its own order
Let it satisfy thee, therefore, my son, to know for the present that thy father hath but to stretch forth his hand and it shall be filled, but to knock and it shall be opened But this is not the day, nor for my own sake, should the clock of time ever strike the hour, when that which was throay shall be taken again, that which was despised shall be valued Yet because of thee aze upon thy fair young face, thou seemest one whose spirit is so balanced that what men call prosperity will not hurt thee But affection is blind, and my heart may deceive me, and therefore will I wait until He speaks who cannot lead astray or deceive”
It was partly to himself, and partly to his son, that the Solitary spoke, nor was Pownal at all certain that he co
He had at first fancied, his father was offended at his acceptance of the rich ardedof it as of much consequence Upon further reflection, and a consideration of the manner in which his father had lived for so many years, the idea which yet seee, that he was possessed of property, appeared utterly chimerical He was therefore disposed to attach to his father's words soined himself in possession of a secret, by means of which he could co man considered such anticipations as visionary as the i eyes of the enthusiast daily looked forth
CHAPTER xxxIII
Froard'ner Ada descent: Howe'er it be, it seeood; Kind hearts are more than coronets, And simple faith than Norman blood
TENNYSON
The news of the discovery of the relationshi+p between Holden and Pownal had reached Hillsdale before their arrival, and the friends and acquaintances of both, coe, hastened to present their congratulations Many supposed now they had obtained a clue to the singularities of the Solitary, and expected that since he had recovered his son, he would resu seemed further from Holden's intention In spite of the entreaties of his son, and the remonstrances of those feho ventured to speak to him on the subject, he returned on the very day of their arrival to his cabin It was, however, with no harshness, but with gentle and even exculpatory language, he refused their request
”Think not hard of me, my son, nor you, kind friends,” he said, ”if my ears are deaf to your solicitations The oldnerves still quiver to the cries of the horse of chariots, norin with soft ministry coladly in solitude lay my tired head on the bosom of the Father, and thank Hiht”
Holden, however, could not refuse to allow his son to accompany him, and to provide such little necessaries, as were estee man to reht before thee; enjoy its transient sunshi+ne The time may come when even thou, with hope and confidence in thy heart, and heaven in thine eyes, shalt say, 'I have no pleasure therein'” Pownal therefore returned to Hillsdale, without reluctance itfound him at the house of Mr Bernard It will be recollected he had coe and his wife, but if the reader thinks that not a sufficient reason why he should call upon the any other conjecture, even to the extravagant supposition, that there was so feet
It was a happy evening Pownal spent at the Judge's house All seeht and wonder at the discovery of his parent And yet the young reater difference between his reception by the members of the family, than he had been accustomed to Mr and Mrs Bernard, indeed, were equally cordial as of old, but Anne, though she tendered hier in his, appeared graver, and less disposed to indulge an exuberance of spirits, while William Bernard was evidently more distant, and formal
There was, however, no want of politeness on his part, for he ence in the conversation, and the change was perceptible rather in the omission of old terms of familiarity, than in any manifestation of coldness He seemed to pay the same attention, and evince a like interest with the rest, in the particulars of the adventures of Pownal, which, at the request of Mrs
Bernard, he narrated Had a stranger, or one who saw the two young ether for the first ti inconsistent with ordinary friendshi+p, but Pownal compared the present with the past, and his jealous sensitiveness detected a soh it ht be lessened, was not, as we have intimated, destroyed He half suspected the cause, and his proud spirit rose with resent as he enjoyed the esteem of the parents, and was a welcome visitor at their house, and Miss Bernard treated hiht, to pass by without notice hued condition, he considered equally unreasonable and absurd For, he was no longer a mere clerk, without position in society, but the -established and wealthy firm, and a favorite of its head, who see partner into his own hands, with a determination to secure their success True, he was the son of a poor and eccentric man, but no dishonor was attached to his father's naenuine refinement were concerned, he was the equal of any, and the superior of s, therefore, from those in the earlier period of his acquaintance with Miss Bernard, when he discovered she was beco dearer to him than prudence permitted, did he now approach her He dared to look forward to the tis
The cause of William Bernard's coldness will be better understood by a reference to a conversation between him and his sister, shortly before the return of Pownal to Hillsdale Ruues, had been busy, and, as is not unusual on such occasions, embellished the story with innumerable fanciful ornaments The brother and sister had both heard the reports, and they were the subject of their discussion
”Why, Anne!” said William, ”this is more wonderful than Robinson Crusoe, or the Children of the Abbey How do you think Pownal, or Mr
Holden, as I suppose we must call him now, relishes the relationshi+p?”
”How, Willialad to find a father?”
replied his sister
”A vast deal depends upon who the father is”
”What! is it you who speak so?” cried Anne, with sparkling eyes ”What is there in the father unworthy of the son?”
”Were I now in Pownal's place, I should have preferred to discover a parent in some one else than in a half crazy ”
”And can you not,” said his sister, indignantly, ”under the mask which circuentleman? This is not at all like you, Williaht to be a passport to your kindness”