Nightmare Abbey

by Thomas Love Peacock

  CHAPTER IV

  The flight of Marionetta, and the pursuit of Scythrop, had beenwitnessed by Mr Glowry, who, in consequence, narrowly observed his sonand his niece in the evening; and, concluding from their manner, thatthere was a better understanding between them than he wished to see,he determined on obtaining the next morning from Scythrop a full andsatisfactory explanation. He, therefore, shortly after breakfast,entered Scythrop's tower, with a very grave face, and said, withoutceremony or preface, 'So, sir, you are in love with your cousin.'

  Scythrop, with as little hesitation, answered, 'Yes, sir.'

  'That is candid, at least; and she is in love with you.'

  'I wish she were, sir.'

  'You know she is, sir.'

  'Indeed, sir, I do not.'

  'But you hope she is.'

  'I do, from my soul.'

  'Now that is very provoking, Scythrop, and very disappointing: I couldnot have supposed that you, Scythrop Glowry, of Nightmare Abbey,would have been infatuated with such a dancing, laughing, singing,thoughtless, careless, merry-hearted thing, as Marionetta--in allrespects the reverse of you and me. It is very disappointing,Scythrop. And do you know, sir, that Marionetta has no fortune?'

  'It is the more reason, sir, that her husband should have one.'

  'The more reason for her; but not for you. My wife had no fortune, andI had no consolation in my calamity. And do you reflect, sir, what anenormous slice this lawsuit has cut out of our family estate? we whoused to be the greatest landed proprietors in Lincolnshire.'

  'To be sure, sir, we had more acres of fen than any man on thiscoast: but what are fens to love? What are dykes and windmills toMarionetta?'

  'And what, sir, is love to a windmill? Not grist, I am certain:besides, sir, I have made a choice for you. I have made a choice foryou, Scythrop. Beauty, genius, accomplishments, and a great fortuneinto the bargain. Such a lovely, serious creature, in a fine state ofhigh dissatisfaction with the world, and every thing in it. Such adelightful surprise I had prepared for you. Sir, I have pledged myhonour to the contract--the honour of the Glowries of Nightmare Abbey:and now, sir, what is to be done?'

  'Indeed, sir, I cannot say. I claim, on this occasion, that liberty ofaction which is the co-natal prerogative of every rational being.'

  'Liberty of action, sir? there is no such thing as liberty of action.We are all slaves and puppets of a blind and unpathetic necessity.'

  'Very true, sir; but liberty of action, between individuals, consistsin their being differently influenced, or modified, by the sameuniversal necessity; so that the results are unconsentaneous, andtheir respective necessitated volitions clash and fly off in atangent.'

  'Your logic is good, sir: but you are aware, too, that one individualmay be a medium of adhibiting to another a mode or form of necessity,which may have more or less influence in the production ofconsentaneity; and, therefore, sir, if you do not comply with mywishes in this instance (you have had your own way in every thingelse), I shall be under the necessity of disinheriting you, thoughI shall do it with tears in my eyes.' Having said these words, hevanished suddenly, in the dread of Scythrop's logic.

  Mr Glowry immediately sought Mrs Hilary, and communicated to her hisviews of the case in point. Mrs Hilary, as the phrase is, was as fondof Marionetta as if she had been her own child: but--there is always a_but_ on these occasions--she could do nothing for her in the wayof fortune, as she had two hopeful sons, who were finishing theireducation at Brazen-nose, and who would not like to encounter anydiminution of their prospects, when they should be brought out of thehouse of mental bondage--i.e. the university--to the land flowing withmilk and honey--i.e. the west end of London.

  Mrs Hilary hinted to Marionetta, that propriety, and delicacy, anddecorum, and dignity, &c. &c. &c.,[3] would require them to leave theAbbey immediately. Marionetta listened in silent submission, for sheknew that her inheritance was passive obedience; but, when Scythrop,who had watched the opportunity of Mrs Hilary's departure, entered,and, without speaking a word, threw himself at her feet in a paroxysmof grief, the young lady, in equal silence and sorrow, threw her armsround his neck and burst into tears. A very tender scene ensued, whichthe sympathetic susceptibilities of the soft-hearted reader can moreaccurately imagine than we can delineate. But when Marionetta hintedthat she was to leave the Abbey immediately, Scythrop snatched fromits repository his ancestor's skull, filled it with Madeira, andpresenting himself before Mr Glowry, threatened to drink off thecontents if Mr Glowry did not immediately promise that Marionettashould not be taken from the Abbey without her own consent. Mr Glowry,who took the Madeira to be some deadly brewage, gave the requiredpromise in dismal panic. Scythrop returned to Marionetta with a joyfulheart, and drank the Madeira by the way.

  Mr Glowry, during his residence in London, had come to an agreementwith his friend Mr Toobad, that a match between Scythrop and MrToobad's daughter would be a very desirable occurrence. She wasfinishing her education in a German convent, but Mr Toobad describedher as being fully impressed with the truth of his Ahrimanicphilosophy,[4] and being altogether as gloomy and antithalian a younglady as Mr Glowry himself could desire for the future mistress ofNightmare Abbey. She had a great fortune in her own right, which wasnot, as we have seen, without its weight in inducing Mr Glowry toset his heart upon her as his daughter-in-law that was to be; he wastherefore very much disturbed by Scythrop's untoward attachment toMarionetta. He condoled on the occasion with Mr Toobad; who said, thathe had been too long accustomed to the intermeddling of the devil inall his affairs, to be astonished at this new trace of his clovenclaw; but that he hoped to outwit him yet, for he was sure there couldbe no comparison between his daughter and Marionetta in the mind ofany one who had a proper perception of the fact, that, the worldbeing a great theatre of evil, seriousness and solemnity are thecharacteristics of wisdom, and laughter and merriment make a humanbeing no better than a baboon. Mr Glowry comforted himself with thisview of the subject, and urged Mr Toobad to expedite his daughter'sreturn from Germany. Mr Toobad said he was in daily expectation of herarrival in London, and would set off immediately to meet her, thathe might lose no time in bringing her to Nightmare Abbey. 'Then,' headded, 'we shall see whether Thalia or Melpomene--whether the Allegraor the Penserosa--will carry off the symbol of victory.'--'There canbe no doubt,' said Mr Glowry, 'which way the scale will incline, orScythrop is no true scion of the venerable stem of the Glowries.'

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