Newton Forster; Or, The Merchant Service

by Frederick Marryat

  VOLUME TWO, CHAPTER THREE.

  'Tis pleasing to be schooled in a strange tongue By female lips and eyes; that is, I mean When both the teacher and the taught are young, As was the case, at least, where I had been. They smile so when one's right, and when one's wrong They smile still more. BYRON.

  Monsieur de Fontanges, aware of the impetuosity and caprice of his wife(at the same time that he acknowledged her many redeeming goodqualities), did not further attempt to thwart her inclinations. Hisgreat objection to her plan was, the impropriety of retaining aprisoner, whom he was bound to give up to the proper authorities. Hemade a virtue of necessity, and having acquainted Newton with the wishof Madame de Fontanges, requested his parole of honour that he would notattempt to escape, if he was not delivered up to the authorities, andremain some time at Lieu Desire. Newton, who had no wish to beacquainted with a French _cachot_, sooner than it was absolutelynecessary, gave the promise required by Monsieur de Fontanges, assuringhim that ingratitude was not a part of his character. Monsieur deFontanges then requested that Newton would accept of a portion of hiswardrobe, which he would direct to be sent to the room that would beprepared for him. This affair being arranged, Newton made his bow tothe lady, and in company with Monsieur de Fontanges, retired from theboudoir.

  It may be suspected by the reader, that Madame de Fontanges was one ofthose ladies who cared a great deal about having their own way, and verylittle for her husband. As to the first part of the accusation, I canonly observe, that I never yet had the fortune to fall in with any ladywho did not try all she could to have her own way, nor do I conceive itto be a crime. As to the second, if the reader has formed thatsupposition, he is much mistaken. Madame de Fontanges was very muchattached to her husband, and the attachment as well as the confidencewas reciprocal.

  It was not therefore from any feeling of jealousy that Monsieur deFontanges had combated her resolution; but, as we have before observed,from a conviction that he was wanting in his duty, when he did notreport the arrival of Newton at the plantation. The wish of Madame deFontanges to detain Newton was, as she declared, a caprice on her part,which had entered her head, to amuse herself by teaching him French. Itis true that had not Newton been remarkably prepossessing in hisappearance, the idea would in all probability have never been conceived;but, observing that he was much above the common class, and wishing torelieve the general monotony of her life by any thing which would createamusement, she had formed the idea, which, when combated by her husband,was immediately strengthened to a resolution.

  Of this Newton received the benefit. An excellent dinner or rathersupper with Monsieur de Fontanges, a comfortable bed in a room suppliedwith all that convenience or luxury could demand, enabled him to pass avery different night from those which we have latterly described.

  About twelve o'clock the ensuing day, Newton was summoned by one of theslave girls to the boudoir of Madame de Fontanges. He found her on theottoman, as before. Newton, who had been operated upon by a blackbarber, and was dressed in the habiliments of Monsieur de Fontanges,made a much more respectable appearance than upon his formerintroduction.

  "Bon jour, Monsieur," said the lady.

  Newton bowed respectfully.

  "Comment vous appelez-vous?"

  Newton, not understanding, answered with another bow.

  "Le jeun homme n'entends pas madame," observed Mimi.

  "Que c'est ennuyant, monsieur," said Madame Fontanges, pointing toherself; "Moi--Madame de Fontanges--vous,"--pointing to him.

  "Newton Forster."

  "Nu--tong Fasta--ah, c'est bon, cela commence," said the lady. "Allons,mes enfans repetez lui tous vous noms."

  "Moi--Mimi," said the girl bearing that name, going up to Newton, andpointing to herself.

  "Mimi," repeated Newton, with a smile and nod of his head.

  "Moi--Charlotte."

  "Moi--Louise."

  "Moi--Celeste."

  "Moi--Nina."

  "Moi--Caroline."

  "Moi--Manchette."

  "Et moi--Cupidon," finished the little black boy, running up, and thenretreating as fast back into his corner.

  Newton repeated all the names, as the individuals respectivelyintroduced themselves to him. Then there was a pause, during which, atthe desire of Monsieur de Fontanges, Newton was offered a chair, and satdown.

  "Allons--dites lui les noms de toute la garniture," said Madame deFontanges to her attendants.

  "Oui, madame," said Mimi, going up to Newton, and pointing to the fan inher hand,--"eventail."

  "Eventail," repeated Newton, who began to be amused, and who nowrepeated every French word after them.

  "Flacon," said Charlotte, showing him the eau de Cologne bottle.

  "Chaise," cried Louise, holding up a chair.

  "Livre," said Nina, pointing to a book.

  "Mouchoir," said Caroline, holding up an embroidered handkerchief.

  "Montre" followed up Manchette, pointing to her mistress's watch.

  "Canape," cried Celeste, pointing to the ottoman.

  "Joli garcon," bawled out Cupidon, coming up to Newton, and pointing tohimself.

  This created a laugh, and then the lesson was continued. Every articlein the room was successively pointed out to Newton, and he was obligedto repeat the name; and afterwards the articles of their dress wereresorted to, much to his amusement. Then there was a dead stand:--thefact is, that there is no talking with noun substantives only.

  "Ah! mon Dieu! il faut envoyer pour Monsieur de Fontanges," cried thelady; "va le chercher, Louise."

  Monsieur de Fontanges soon made his appearance, when the lady explainedto him their dilemma, and requested his assistance. Monsieur deFontanges laughed, and explained to Newton, and then, by means of hisinterpretation, connected sentences were made, according to the fancy ofthe lady, some of which were the cause of great merriment. After anhour, the gentlemen made their bows.

  "I think," observed Monsieur de Fontanges, as they walked away, "that ifyou really are as anxious to learn our language as madame is to teachyou, you had better come to me every morning for an hour. I shall havegreat pleasure in giving you any assistance in my power, and I trustthat in a very short time that, with a little study of the grammar anddictionary, you will be able to hold a conversation with Madame deFontanges, or even with her dark-complexioned page."

  Newton expressed his acknowledgments, and the next day he received hisfirst lesson; after which he was summoned to support the theory bypractice in the boudoir of Madame de Fontanges. It is hardly necessaryto observe that each day increased the facility of communication.

  For three months Newton was domiciled with Monsieur and MadameFontanges, both of whom had gradually formed such an attachment to him,that the idea of parting never entered their head. He was now a verytolerable French scholar, and his narratives and adventures were to hisbenefactors a source of amusement, which amply repaid them for thetrouble and kindness which they had shown to him. Newton was, in fact,a general favourite with every one on the plantation, from the highestto the lowest; and his presence received the same smile of welcome atthe cottage of the slave, as at the boudoir of Madame de Fontanges.

  Whatever may have been the result of Newton's observations relative toslavery in the English colonies, his feelings of dislike insensibly woreaway during his residence at Lieu Desiree; there he was at leastconvinced that a slave might be perfectly happy. It must beacknowledged that the French have invariably proved the kindest and mostconsiderate of masters, and the state of bondage is much mitigated inthe islands which appertain to that nation. The reason is obvious: inFrance, there is a _bonhommie_, a degree of equality established betweenthe different grades of society by universal politeness. A Frenchservant is familiar with his master at the same time that he isrespectful: and the master, in return, condescends to his inferiorwithout forgetting their relative positions. This runs through societyin general, and as no one can well be polite without some good-nature(for
politeness, frivolous as it may appear, is a strong check uponthose feelings of selfishness, too apt to be indulged in), it leads to ageneral feeling of good will towards others. This has naturally beenpractised by Frenchmen wherever they may be; and the consequence is,that the slaves are treated with more consideration, and, in return,have warmer feelings of attachment towards their owners than are to befound in colonies belonging to other nations. Newton perceived andacknowledged this, and, comparing the condition of the people at LieuDesiree with that of most of the peasantry of Europe, was unwillinglyobliged to confess that the former were in every respect the morefortunate and the more happy of the two.

  One morning, soon after Newton had breakfasted with Monsieur deFontanges, and had been summoned to the boudoir, a letter was broughtin. It was from the governor to Monsieur de Fontanges, stating that hehad heard with great surprise that Monsieur de Fontanges concealed anEnglish prisoner in his house, and desiring that he might be immediatelysent up to head-quarters. That there might be no delay or refusal, acorporal, accompanied by two file of men, brought down the intimation tothe plantation.

  Newton was in the very middle of a long story, Madame de Fontanges onthe ottoman, and her attendants collected round her, seated on thefloor--even Cupidon had advanced from his corner to within halfdistance, his mouth and eyes wide open, when Monsieur de Fontangesentered the boudoir, with anxiety and chagrin expressed in hiscountenance.

  "Qu'est ce qu'il y a, mon ami?" said Madame de Fontanges, rising hastilyand running up to her husband.

  Monsieur de Fontanges answered by putting the governor's letter into hiswife's hands.

  "Ah! les barbares!" cried Madame de Fontanges, "est il possible? PauvreMonsieur Nutong! on l'amene au cachot."

  "Au cachot!" cried all the coloured girls at a breath, and bursting intotears--"oh ciel!"

  Monsieur de Fontanges then explained to Newton the order which he hadreceived. Newton replied that he had had no right to expect otherwiseon his first landing on the island; that he had incurred a heavy debt ofgratitude to them for having preserved him so long from a prison; andthat the remembrance of their kindness would tend to beguile the tedioushours of captivity (from which it may appear that Newton, in point ofexpressing himself, was half a Frenchman already). He then kissed thehand of Madame de Fontanges, tried to console the little slave girls,who were all _au desespoir_, patted Cupidon on the head, by way offarewell, and quitted the boudoir, in which he had passed so many happyhours. When he was outside, he again expressed his obligations toMonsieur de Fontanges, who then stated his determination to call uponhis brother, the governor, and try to alleviate the hardships of his lotas much as was possible. In less than an hour Newton, in company withhis host, was on the road to Basse Terre, leaving the corporal and histwo file of men to walk back as fast as they could; the corporal havingsufficient _savoir vivre_ not to refuse the pledge of the governor'sbrother for the safe delivery of the prisoner.

  It was not until late in the evening that they arrived at Basse Terre,when they immediately proceeded to the house of the governor, and wereadmitted to his presence.

  The governor, who had been much displeased at the circumstance of Newtonhaving remained so long on the island, was more pacified when Monsieurde Fontanges explained to him the way in which he had been madeprisoner, and the hardships which he had previously endured. Monsieurde Fontanges accounted for his long detention at Lieu Desiree by statingthe real fact, _viz_, the pertinacity of Madame de Fontanges; which,although it might have been considered a very poor argument in England,had its due weight in a French colony.

  The governor entered into conversation with Newton, who detailed to himthe horrors of the shipwreck which he had undergone. The narrativeappeared to affect him much. He told Newton that under suchcircumstances he could hardly consider him as a prisoner, and would takethe first opportunity of releasing him, and would accept his parole fornot quitting the island. Newton returned his thanks for so muchcourtesy, and withdrew in company with Monsieur de Fontanges.

  "Monsieur le Marquis has much sympathy for those who have beenshipwrecked," observed Monsieur de Fontanges, after they had quitted theroom. "Poor man! he lost his wife, a beautiful young woman, and hisonly child, a little girl, about seven years back, when they wereproceeding home in a vessel bound to Havre. The vessel has never beenheard of since, and he has never recovered the loss."

  "In what year was it?" inquired Newton.

  "In the autumn of the year ---."

  "There were many vessels wrecked on our coast during that dreadfulwinter," replied Newton: "I myself, when in a coaster, picked up severalarticles belonging to a French vessel. I have them in my possessionnow;--they are of some value."

  "What did they consist of?" inquired Monsieur de Fontanges.

  "A large trunk, containing the wearing apparel of a female and a child:there were also several orders of knighthood, and some jewels; but Ihardly know what they were, as it is some time since I have looked atthem."

  "How strange that you could find no clue to discover the names of theparties!"

  "There were French letters," replied Newton, "which I could not read;they were only signed by initials, which did not correspond with themarks on the linen belonging to the lady, although the surname mighthave been the same as that of the child."

  "Do you recollect the initials?"

  "Perfectly well: the marks on the lady's apparel were LC, that on thelinen of the infant JF."

  "Mon Dieu! mon Dieu!" cried Monsieur de Fontanges; "then it may indeedhave been the apparel of the Marquise de Fontanges. The linen must havebeen some marked with her maiden name, which was Louise de Colmar. Thechild was christened Julie de Fontanges, after her grandmother. My poorbrother had intended to take his passage home in the same vessel, hissuccessor being hourly expected; but the frigate in which the newgovernor had embarked was taken by an English squadron, and my brotherwas forced to remain here."

  "Then the property must undoubtedly belong to the marquis," repliedNewton: "I only wish I could have been able to assure him that his wifeand child were equally safe; but that I am afraid is impossible, asthere can be no doubt but that they were all lost. Do you mean tocommunicate what I have told you to the marquis?"

  "By no means; it will only tear open a wound which has but partiallyhealed. If you will send me all the particulars when you return I shallfeel much obliged, not that the effects are of any consequence. Themarquise and her child are undoubtedly lost, and it could be noconsolation to my brother to ascertain that a trunk of their effects hadbeen saved."

  Here the conversation dropped, and was never again renewed.

  Newton was heartily welcomed again at Lieu Desiree, where he remainedthree weeks, when a note from the governor informed him that a cartelwas about to sail.

  It was with mutual pain that Newton and his kind friends took theirfarewell of each other. In this instance Monsieur de Fontanges did notaccompany him to Basse Terre; but bade him adieu at his own door.Newton, soon after he was on the road, perceived that Monsieur deFontanges had acted from a motive of delicacy, that he might not receivethe thanks of Newton for two valises, well furnished, which overtookNewton about a quarter of a mile from the plantation, slung on each sideof a horse, under the guidance of a little negro, perched on the middle.Newton made his acknowledgments to the governor for his kindconsideration, then embarked on board of the Marie Therese schooner, andin three days he once more found himself on shore in an English colony;with which piece of information I conclude this chapter.