by Walter Scott
CHAPTER XXI
What say'st thou, Wise One? that all powerful Love Can fortune's strong impediments remove, Nor is it strange that worth should wed to worth, The pride of genius with the pride of birth.
CRABBE.
V. Brown--I will not give at full length his thrice unhappy name--hadbeen from infancy a ball for fortune to spurn at; but nature had givenhim that elasticity of mind which rises higher from the rebound. Hisform was tall, manly, and active, and his features corresponded withhis person; for, although far from regular, they had an expression ofintelligence and good-humour, and when he spoke, or was particularlyanimated, might be decidedly pronounced interesting. His mannerindicated the military profession, which had been his choice, and inwhich he had now attained the rank of captain, the person who succeededColonel Mannering in his command having laboured to repair theinjustice which Brown had sustained by that gentleman's prejudiceagainst him. But this, as well as his liberation from captivity, hadtaken place after Mannering left India. Brown followed at no distantperiod, his regiment being recalled home. His first inquiry was afterthe family of Mannering, and, easily learning their route northward, hefollowed it with the purpose of resuming his addresses to Julia. Withher father he deemed he had no measures to keep; for, ignorant of themore venomous belief which had been instilled into the Colonel's mind,he regarded him as an oppressive aristocrat, who had used his power asa commanding officer to deprive him of the preferment due to hisbehaviour, and who had forced upon him a personal quarrel without anybetter reason than his attentions to a pretty young woman, agreeable toherself, and permitted and countenanced by her mother. He wasdetermined, therefore, to take no rejection unless from the young ladyherself, believing that the heavy misfortunes of his painful wound andimprisonment were direct injuries received from the father, which mightdispense with his using much ceremony towards him. How far his schemehad succeeded when his nocturnal visit was discovered by Mr. Mervyn,our readers are already informed.
Upon this unpleasant occurrence Captain Brown absented himself from theinn in which he had resided under the name of Dawson, so that ColonelMannering's attempts to discover and trace him were unavailing. Heresolved, however, that no difficulties should prevent his continuinghis enterprise while Julia left him a ray of hope. The interest he hadsecured in her bosom was such as she had been unable to conceal fromhim, and with all the courage of romantic gallantry he determined uponperseverance. But we believe the reader will be as well pleased tolearn his mode of thinking and intention from his own communication tohis special friend and confidant, Captain Delaserre, a Swiss gentlemanwho had a company in his regiment.
EXTRACT
'Let me hear from you soon, dear Delaserre. Remember, I can learnnothing about regimental affairs but through your friendly medium, andI long to know what has become of Ayre's court-martial, and whetherElliot gets the majority; also how recruiting comes on, and how theyoung officers like the mess. Of our kind friend the Lieutenant-ColonelI need ask nothing; I saw him as I passed through Nottingham, happy inthe bosom of his family. What a happiness it is, Philip, for us poordevils, that we have a little resting-place between the camp and thegrave, if we can manage to escape disease, and steel, and lead, and theeffects of hard living. A retired old soldier is always a graceful andrespected character. He grumbles a little now and then, but then his islicensed murmuring; were a lawyer, or a physician, or a clergyman tobreathe a complaint of hard luck or want of preferment, a hundredtongues would blame his own incapacity as the cause. But the moststupid veteran that ever faltered out the thrice-told tale of a siegeand a battle, and a cock and a bottle, is listened to with sympathy andreverence when he shakes his thin locks and talks with indignation ofthe boys that are put over his head. And you and I, Delaserre,foreigners both--for what am I the better that I was originally aScotchman, since, could I prove my descent, the English would hardlyacknowledge me a countryman?--we may boast that we have fought out ourpreferment, and gained that by the sword which we had not money tocompass otherwise. The English are a wise people. While they praisethemselves, and affect to undervalue all other nations, they leave us,luckily, trap-doors and back-doors open, by which we strangers, lessfavoured by nature, may arrive at a share of their advantages. And thusthey are in some respects like a boastful landlord, who exalts thevalue and flavour of his six-years-old mutton, while he is delighted todispense a share of it to all the company. In short, you, whose proudfamily, and I, whose hard fate, made us soldiers of fortune, have thepleasant recollection that in the British service, stop where we mayupon our career, it is only for want of money to pay the turnpike, andnot from our being prohibited to travel the road. If, therefore, youcan persuade little Weischel to come into OURS, for God's sake let himbuy the ensigncy, live prudently, mind his duty, and trust to the fatesfor promotion.
'And now, I hope you are expiring with curiosity to learn the end of myromance. I told you I had deemed it convenient to make a few days' touron foot among the mountains of Westmoreland with Dudley, a youngEnglish artist with whom I have formed some acquaintance. A fine fellowthis, you must know, Delaserre: he paints tolerably, draws beautifully,converses well, and plays charmingly on the flute; and, though thuswell entitled to be a coxcomb of talent, is, in fact, a modestunpretending young man. On our return from our little tour I learnedthat the enemy had been reconnoitring. Mr. Mervyn's barge had crossedthe lake, I was informed by my landlord, with the squire himself and avisitor.
'"What sort of person, landlord?"
'"Why, he was a dark officer-looking mon, at they called Colonel.Squoire Mervyn questioned me as close as I had been at 'sizes. I hadguess, Mr. Dawson" (I told you that was my feigned name), "but I touldhim nought of your vagaries, and going out a-laking in the merea-noights, not I; an I can make no sport, I'se spoil none; and SquoireMervyn's as cross as poy-crust too, mon; he's aye maundering an myguests but land beneath his house, though it be marked for the fourthstation in the survey. Noa, noa, e'en let un smell things out o'themselves for Joe Hodges."
'You will allow there was nothing for it after this but paying honestJoe Hodges's bill and departing, unless I had preferred making him myconfidant, for which I felt in no way inclined. Besides, I learned thatour ci-devant Colonel was on full retreat for Scotland, carrying offpoor Julia along with him. I understand from those who conduct theheavy baggage that he takes his winter quarters at a place calledWoodbourne, in ---shire in Scotland. He will be all on the alert justnow, so I must let him enter his entrenchments without any new alarm.And then, my good Colonel, to whom I owe so many grateful thanks, praylook to your defence.
'I protest to you, Delaserre, I often think there is a littlecontradiction enters into the ardour of my pursuit. I think I wouldrather bring this haughty insulting man to the necessity of calling hisdaughter Mrs. Brown than I would wed her with his full consent, andwith the King's permission to change my name for the style and arms ofMannering, though his whole fortune went with them. There is only onecircumstance that chills me a little: Julia is young and romantic. Iwould not willingly hurry her into a step which her riper years mightdisapprove; no--nor would I like to have her upbraid me, were it butwith a glance of her eye, with having ruined her fortunes, far lessgive her reason to say, as some have not been slow to tell their lords,that, had I left her time for consideration, she would have been wiserand done better. No, Delaserre, this must not be. The picture pressesclose upon me, because I am aware a girl in Julia's situation has nodistinct and precise idea of the value of the sacrifice she makes. Sheknows difficulties only by name; and, if she thinks of love and a farm,it is a ferme ornee, such as is only to be found in poetic descriptionor in the park of a gentleman of twelve thousand a year. She would beill prepared for the privations of that real Swiss cottage we have sooften talked of, and for the difficulties which must necessarilysurround us even before we attained that haven. This must be a pointclearly ascertained. Although Julia's beauty and playful tendernesshave made an impression
on my heart never to be erased, I must besatisfied that she perfectly understands the advantages she foregoesbefore she sacrifices them for my sake.
'Am I too proud, Delaserre, when I trust that even this trial mayterminate favourably to my wishes? Am I too vain when I suppose thatthe few personal qualities which I possess, with means of competence,however moderate, and the determination of consecrating my life to herhappiness, may make amends for all I must call upon her to forego? Orwill a difference of dress, of attendance, of style, as it is called,of the power of shifting at pleasure the scenes in which she seeksamusement--will these outweigh in her estimation the prospect ofdomestic happiness and the interchange of unabating affection? I saynothing of her father: his good and evil qualities are so strangelymingled that the former are neutralised by the latter; and that whichshe must regret as a daughter is so much blended with what she wouldgladly escape from, that I place the separation of the father and childas a circumstance which weighs little in her remarkable case. MeantimeI keep up my spirits as I may. I have incurred too many hardships anddifficulties to be presumptuous or confident in success, and I havebeen too often and too wonderfully extricated from them to bedespondent.
'I wish you saw this country. I think the scenery would delight you. Atleast it often brings to my recollection your glowing descriptions ofyour native country. To me it has in a great measure the charm ofnovelty. Of the Scottish hills, though born among them, as I havealways been assured, I have but an indistinct recollection. Indeed, mymemory rather dwells upon the blank which my youthful mind experiencedin gazing on the levels of the isle of Zealand, than on anything whichpreceded that feeling; but I am confident, from that sensation as wellas from the recollections which preceded it, that hills and rocks havebeen familiar to me at an early period, and that, though now onlyremembered by contrast, and by the blank which I felt while gazingaround for them in vain, they must have made an indelible impression onmy infant imagination. I remember, when we first mounted thatcelebrated pass in the Mysore country, while most of the others feltonly awe and astonishment at the height and grandeur of the scenery, Irather shared your feelings and those of Cameron, whose admiration ofsuch wild rocks was blended with familiar love, derived from earlyassociation. Despite my Dutch education, a blue hill to me is as afriend, and a roaring torrent like the sound of a domestic song thathath soothed my infancy. I never felt the impulse so strongly as inthis land of lakes and mountains, and nothing grieves me so much asthat duty prevents your being with me in my numerous excursions amongrecesses. Some drawings I have attempted, but I succeed vilely. Dudley,on the contrary, draws delightfully, with that rapid touch which seemslike magic; while I labour and botch, and make this too heavy and thattoo light, and produce at last a base caricature. I must stick to theflageolet, for music is the only one of the fine arts which deigns toacknowledge me.
'Did you know that Colonel Mannering was a draughtsman? I believe not,for he scorned to display his accomplishments to the view of asubaltern. He draws beautifully, however. Since he and Julia leftMervyn Hall, Dudley was sent for there. The squire, it seems, wanted aset of drawings made up, of which Mannering had done the first four,but was interrupted by his hasty departure in his purpose of completingthem. Dudley says he has seldom seen anything so masterly, thoughslight; and each had attached to it a short poetical description. IsSaul, you will say, among the prophets? Colonel Mannering write poetry!Why, surely this man must have taken all the pains to conceal hisaccomplishments that others do to display theirs. How reserved andunsociable he appeared among us! how little disposed to enter into anyconversation which could become generally interesting! And then hisattachment to that unworthy Archer, so much below him in every respect;and all this because he was the brother of Viscount Archerfield, a poorScottish peer! I think, if Archer had longer survived the wounds in theaffair of Cuddyboram, he would have told something that might havethrown light upon the inconsistencies of this singular man's character.He repeated to me more than once, "I have that to say which will alteryour hard opinion of our late Colonel." But death pressed him too hard;and if he owed me any atonement, which some of his expressions seemedto imply, he died before it could be made.
'I propose to make a further excursion through this country while thisfine frosty weather serves, and Dudley, almost as good a walker asmyself, goes with me for some part of the way. We part on the bordersof Cumberland, when he must return to his lodgings in Marybone, upthree pair of stairs, and labour at what he calls the commercial partof his profession. There cannot, he says, be such a difference betwixtany two portions of existence as between that in which the artist, ifan enthusiast, collects the subjects of his drawings and that whichmust necessarily be dedicated to turning over his portfolio andexhibiting them to the provoking indifference, or more provokingcriticism, of fashionable amateurs. "During the summer of my year,"says Dudley, "I am as free as a wild Indian, enjoying myself at libertyamid the grandest scenes of nature; while during my winters and springsI am not only cabined, cribbed, and confined in a miserable garret, butcondemned to as intolerable subservience to the humour of others, andto as indifferent company, as if I were a literal galley slave." I havepromised him your acquaintance, Delaserre; you will be delighted withhis specimens of art, and he with your Swiss fanaticism for mountainsand torrents.
'When I lose Dudley's company, I am informed that I can easily enterScotland by stretching across a wild country in the upper part ofCumberland; and that route I shall follow, to give the Colonel time topitch his camp ere I reconnoitre his position. Adieu! Delaserre. Ishall hardly find another opportunity of writing till I reach Scotland.'