by Fanny Burney
CHAPTER iii
A MASQUERADE.
The first check this tranquillity received was upon the day of themasquerade, the preparations for which have been already mentioned.The whole house was then in commotion from various arrangements andimprovements which were planned for almost every apartment that was tobe opened for the reception of masks. Cecilia herself, however littlepleased with the attendant circumstance of wantonly accumulatingunnecessary debts, was not the least animated of the party: she was astranger to every diversion of this sort, and from the novelty of thescene, hoped for uncommon satisfaction.
At noon Mrs Harrel sent for her to consult upon a new scheme whichoccurred to Mr Harrel, of fixing in fantastic forms some coloured lampsin the drawing-room.
While they were all discoursing this matter over, one of the servants,who had two or three times whispered some message to Mr Harrel, and thenretired, said, in a voice not too low to be heard by Cecilia, "Indeed,Sir, I can't get him away."
"He's an insolent scoundrel," answered Mr Harrel; "however, if I mustspeak to him, I must;" and went out of the room.
Mrs Harrel still continued to exercise her fancy upon this new project,calling both upon Mr Arnott and Cecilia to admire her taste andcontrivance; till they were all interrupted by the loudness of a voicefrom below stairs, which frequently repeated, "Sir, I can wait nolonger! I have been put off till I can be put off no more!"
Startled by this, Mrs Harrel ceased her employment, and they all stoodstill and silent. They then heard Mr Harrel with much softness answer,"Good Mr Rawlins, have a little patience; I shall receive a large sum ofmoney to-morrow, or next day, and you may then depend upon being paid."
"Sir," cried the man, "you have so often told me the same, that it goesjust for nothing: I have had a right to it a long time, and I have abill to make up that can't be waited for any longer."
"Certainly, Mr Rawlins," replied Mr Harrel, with still increasinggentleness, "and certainly you shall have it: nobody means to disputeyour right; I only beg you to wait a day, or two days at furthest, andyou may then depend upon being paid. And you shall not be the worsefor obliging me; I will never employ any body else, and I shall haveoccasion for you very soon, as I intend to make some alterations atViolet-Bank that will be very considerable."
"Sir," said the man, still louder, "it is of no use your employing me,if I can never get my money. All my workmen must be paid whether I am orno; and so, if I must needs speak to a lawyer, why there's no help forit."
"Did you ever hear any thing so impertinent?" exclaimed Mrs Harrel; "Iam sure Mr Harrel will be very much to blame, if ever he lets that mando any thing more for him."
Just then Mr Harrel appeared, and, with an air of affected unconcern,said, "Here's the most insolent rascal of a mason below stairs I evermet with in my life; he has come upon me, quite unexpectedly, with abill of 400 pounds, and won't leave the house without the money. BrotherArnott, I wish you would do me the favour to speak to the fellow, for Icould not bear to stay with him any longer."
"Do you wish me to give him a draft for the money upon my own banker?"
"That would be vastly obliging," answered Mr Harrel, "and I will giveyou my note for it directly. And so we shall get rid of this fellow atonce: and he shall do nothing more for me as long as he lives. I willrun up a new building at Violet-Bank next summer, if only to shew himwhat a job he has lost."
"Pay the man at once, there's a good brother," cried Mrs Harrel, "andlet's hear no more of him."
The two gentlemen then retired to another room, and Mrs Harrel, afterpraising the extreme good-nature of her brother, of whom she was veryfond, and declaring that the mason's impertinence had quite frightenedher, again returned to her plan of new decorations.
Cecilia, amazed at this indifference to the state of her husband'saffairs, began to think it was her own duty to talk with her uponthe subject: and therefore, after a silence so marked that Mrs Harrelenquired into its reason, she said, "Will you pardon me, my dear friend,if I own I am rather surprized to see you continue these preparations?"
"Lord, why?"
"Because any fresh unnecessary expences just now, till Mr Harrelactually receives the money he talks of--"
"Why, my dear, the expence of such a thing as this is nothing; in MrHarrel's affairs I assure you it will not be at all felt. Besides,he expects money so soon, that it is just the same as if he had italready."
Cecilia, unwilling to be too officious, began then to express heradmiration of the goodness and generosity of Mr Arnott; taking frequentoccasion, in the course of her praise, to insinuate that those only canbe properly liberal, who are just and economical.
She had prepared no masquerade habit for this evening, as Mrs Harrel,by whose direction she was guided, informed her it was not necessaryfor ladies to be masked at home, and said she should receive her companyherself in a dress which she might wear upon any other occasion. MrHarrel, also, and Mr Arnott made not any alteration in their appearance.
At about eight o'clock the business of the evening began; and beforenine, there were so many masks that Cecilia wished she had herself madeone of the number, as she was far more conspicuous in being almost theonly female in a common dress, than any masquerade habit could have madeher. The novelty of the scene, however, joined to the general airof gaiety diffused throughout the company, shortly lessened herembarrassment; and, after being somewhat familiarized to the abruptnesswith which the masks approached her, and the freedom with which theylooked at or addressed her, the first confusion of her situationsubsided, and in her curiosity to watch others, she ceased to observehow much she was watched herself.
Her expectations of entertainment were not only fulfilled but surpassed;the variety of dresses, the medley of characters, the quick successionof figures, and the ludicrous mixture of groups, kept her attentionunwearied: while the conceited efforts at wit, the total thoughtlessnessof consistency, and the ridiculous incongruity of the language with theappearance, were incitements to surprise and diversion without end. Eventhe local cant of, _Do you know me? Who are you?_ and _I know you_; withthe sly pointing of the finger, the arch nod of the head, and thepert squeak of the voice, though wearisome to those who frequent suchassemblies, were, to her unhackneyed observation, additional subjects ofamusement.
Soon after nine o'clock, every room was occupied, and the common crowdof regular masqueraders were dispersed through the various apartments.Dominos of no character, and fancy dresses of no meaning, made, as isusual at such meetings, the general herd of the company: for the rest,the men were Spaniards, chimney-sweepers, Turks, watchmen, conjurers,and old women; and the ladies, shepherdesses, orange girls, Circassians,gipseys, haymakers, and sultanas.
Cecilia had, as yet, escaped any address beyond the customary enquiryof _Do you know me?_ and a few passing compliments; but when the roomsfilled, and the general crowd gave general courage, she was attacked ina manner more pointed and singular.
The very first mask who approached her seemed to have nothing less inview than preventing the approach of every other: yet had he littlereason to hope favour for himself, as the person he represented, of allothers least alluring to the view, was the devil! He was black from headto foot, save that two red horns seemed to issue from his forehead;his face was so completely covered that the sight only of his eyes wasvisible, his feet were cloven, and in his right hand he held a wand thecolour of fire.
Waving this wand as he advanced towards Cecilia, he cleared asemi-circular space before her chair, thrice with the most profoundreverence bowed to her, thrice turned himself around with sundrygrimaces, and then fiercely planted himself at her side.
Cecilia was amused by his mummery, but felt no great delight in hisguardianship, and, after a short time, arose, with intention to walk toanother place; but the black gentleman, adroitly moving round her,held out his wand to obstruct her passage, and therefore, preferringcaptivity to resistance, she was again obliged to seat herself.
An Hotspur, who just then
made his appearance, was now strutting boldlytowards her; but the devil, rushing furiously forwards, placed himselfimmediately between them. Hotspur, putting his arms a-kimbo with an airof defiance, gave a loud stamp with his right foot, and then--marchedinto another room!
The victorious devil ostentatiously waved his wand, and returned to hisstation.
Mr Arnott, who had never moved two yards from Cecilia, knowing her toowell to suppose she received any pleasure from being thus distinguished,modestly advanced to offer his assistance in releasing her fromconfinement; but the devil, again describing a circle with his wand,gave him three such smart raps on the head that his hair was disordered,and his face covered with powder. A general laugh succeeded, and MrArnott, too diffident to brave raillery, or withstand shame, retired inconfusion.
The black gentleman seemed now to have all authority in his own hands,and his wand was brandished with more ferocity than ever, no one againventuring to invade the domain he thought fit to appropriate for hisown.
At length, however, a Don Quixote appeared, and every mask in the roomwas eager to point out to him the imprisonment of Cecilia.
This Don Quixote was accoutered with tolerable exactness according tothe description of the admirable Cervantes; his armour was rusty, hishelmet was a barber's basin, his shield, a pewter dish, and his lance,an old sword fastened to a slim cane. His figure, tall and thin, waswell adapted to the character he represented, and his mask, whichdepictured a lean and haggard face, worn with care, yet fiery with crazypassions, exhibited, with propriety the most striking, the knight of thedoleful countenance.
The complaints against the devil with which immediately and from allquarters he was assailed, he heard with the most solemn taciturnity:after which, making a motion for general silence, he stalkedmajestically towards Cecilia, but stopping short of the limitsprescribed by her guard, he kissed his spear in token of allegiance, andthen, slowly dropping upon one knee, began the following address:
"Most incomparable Princess!--Thus humbly prostrate at the feet of yourdivine and ineffable beauty, graciously permit the most pitiful of yourservitors, Don Quixote De la Mancha, from your high and tender grace, tosalute the fair boards which sustain your corporeal machine."
Then, bending down his head, he kissed the floor; after which, raisinghimself upon his feet, he proceeded in his speech.
"Report, O most fair and unmatchable virgin! daringly affirmeth that acertain discourteous person, who calleth himself the devil, even now,and in thwart of your fair inclinations, keepeth and detaineth yourirradiant frame in hostile thraldom. Suffer then, magnanimous andundescribable lady! that I, the most groveling of your unworthy vassals,do sift the fair truth out of this foul sieve, and obsequiously bendingto your divine attractions, conjure your highness veritably to informme, if that honourable chair which haply supports your terrestrialperfections, containeth the inimitable burthen with the free and legalconsent of your celestial spirit?"
Here he ceased: and Cecilia, who laughed at this characteristic address,though she had not courage to answer it, again made an effort to quither place, but again by the wand of her black persecutor was prevented.
This little incident was answer sufficient for the valorous knight, whoindignantly exclaimed,
"Sublime Lady!--I beseech but of your exquisite mercy to refrainmouldering the clay composition of my unworthy body to impalpable dust,by the refulgence of those bright stars vulgarly called eyes, till Ihave lawfully wreaked my vengeance upon this unobliging caitiff, for hismost disloyal obstruction of your highness's adorable pleasure."
Then, bowing low, he turned from her, and thus addressed his intendedantagonist:
"Uncourtly Miscreant,--The black garment which envellopeth thy mostunpleasant person, seemeth even of the most ravishing whiteness, incompare of the black bile which floateth within thy sable interior.Behold, then, my gauntlet! yet ere I deign to be the instrument of thyextirpation, O thou most mean and ignoble enemy! that the honour of DonQuixote De la Mancha may not be sullied by thy extinction, I do hereconfer upon thee the honour of knighthood, dubbing thee, by my ownsword, Don Devil, knight of the horrible physiognomy."
He then attempted to strike his shoulder with his spear, but the blackgentleman, adroitly eluding the blow, defended himself with his wand: amock fight ensued, conducted on both sides with admirable dexterity; butCecilia, less eager to view it than to become again a free agent, madeher escape into another apartment; while the rest of the ladies, thoughthey almost all screamed, jumped upon chairs and sofas to peep at thecombat.
In conclusion, the wand of the knight of the horrible physiognomy wasbroken against the shield of the knight of the doleful countenance;upon which Don Quixote called out _victoria_! the whole room echoedthe sound; the unfortunate new knight retired abruptly into anotherapartment, and the conquering Don, seizing the fragments of the weaponof his vanquished enemy went out in search of the lady for whosereleasement he had fought: and the moment he found her, prostrating bothhimself and the trophies at her feet, he again pressed the floor withhis lips, and then, slowly arising, repeated his reverences with addedformality, and, without waiting her acknowledgments, gravely retired.
The moment he departed a Minerva, not stately nor austere, not marchingin warlike majesty, but gay and airy,
"Tripping on light fantastic toe,"
ran up to Cecilia, and squeaked out, "Do you know me?"
"Not," answered she, instantly recollecting Miss Larolles, "by your_appearance_, I own! but by your _voice_, I think I can guess you."
"I was monstrous sorry," returned the goddess, without understandingthis distinction, "that I was not at home when you called upon me. Pray,how do you like my dress? I assure you I think it's the prettiest here.But do you know there's the most shocking thing in the world happened inthe next room! I really believe there's a common chimney-sweeper gotin! I assure you it's enough to frighten one to death, for every time hemoves the soot smells so you can't think; quite real soot, I assure you!only conceive how nasty! I declare I wish with all my heart it wouldsuffocate him!"
Here she was interrupted by the re-appearance of _Don Devil_; who,looking around him, and perceiving that his antagonist was gone, againadvanced to Cecilia: not, however, with the authority of his firstapproach, for with his wand he had lost much of his power; but torecompense himself for this disgrace, he had recourse to another methodequally effectual for keeping his prey to himself, for he began agrowling, so dismal and disagreeable, that while many of the ladies,and, among the first, the _Goddess of Wisdom and Courage_, ran away toavoid him, the men all stood aloof to watch what next was to follow.
Cecilia now became seriously uneasy; for she was made an object ofgeneral attention, yet could neither speak nor be spoken to. She couldsuggest no motive for behaviour so whimsical, though she imagined theonly person who could have the assurance to practise it was Sir RobertFloyer.
After some time spent thus disagreeably, a white domino, who for a fewminutes had been a very attentive spectator, suddenly came forward,and exclaiming, "_I'll cross him though he blast me!_" rushed upon thefiend, and grasping one of his horns, called out to a Harlequin whostood near him, "Harlequin! do you fear to fight the devil?"
"Not I truly!" answered Harlequin, whose voice immediately betrayedyoung Morrice, and who, issuing from the crowd, whirled himself roundbefore the black gentleman with yet more agility than he had himselfdone before Cecilia, giving him, from time to time, many smart blows onhis shoulders, head, and back, with his wooden sword.
The rage of _Don Devil_ at this attack seemed somewhat beyond what amasquerade character rendered necessary; he foamed at the mouth withresentment, and defended himself with so much vehemence, that he soondrove poor Harlequin into another room: but, when he would have returnedto his prey, the genius of pantomime, curbed, but not subdued, atthe instigation of the white domino, returned to the charge, and bya perpetual rotation of attack and retreat, kept him in constantemployment, pursuing him from room to roo
m, and teazing him withoutcessation or mercy.
Mean time Cecilia, delighted at being released, hurried into a corner,where she hoped to breathe and look on in quiet; and the white dominohaving exhorted Harlequin to torment the tormentor, and keep him at bay,followed her with congratulations upon her recovered freedom.
"It is you," answered she, "I ought to thank for it, which indeed I domost heartily. I was so tired of confinement, that my mind seemed almostas little at liberty as my person."
"Your persecutor, I presume," said the domino, "is known to you."
"I hope so," answered she, "because there is one man I suspect, and Ishould be sorry to find there was another equally disagreeable."
"O, depend upon it," cried he, "there are many who would be happyto confine you in the same manner; neither have you much cause forcomplaint; you have, doubtless, been the aggressor, and played thisgame yourself without mercy, for I read in your face the captivity ofthousands: have you, then, any right to be offended at the spirit ofretaliation which one, out of such numbers has courage to exert inreturn?"
"I protest," cried Cecilia, "I took you for my defender! whence is ityou are become my accuser?"
"From seeing the danger to which my incautious knight-errantry hasexposed me; I begin, indeed, to take you for a very mischievous sort ofperson, and I fear the poor devil from whom I rescued you will be amplyrevenged for his disgrace, by finding that the first use you make ofyour freedom is to doom your deliverer to bondage."
Here they were disturbed by the extreme loquacity of two oppositeparties: and listening attentively, they heard from one side, "Myangel! fairest of creatures! goddess of my heart!" uttered in accentsof rapture; while from the other, the vociferation was so violent theycould distinctly hear nothing.
The white domino satisfied his curiosity by going to both parties; andthen, returning to Cecilia, said, "Can you conjecture who was makingthose soft speeches? a Shylock! his knife all the while in his hand, andhis design, doubtless, to _cut as near the heart as possible!_ while theloud cackling from the other side is owing to the riotous merriment of anoisy Mentor! when next I hear a disturbance, I shall expect to see somesimpering Pythagoras stunned by his talkative disciples."
"To own the truth," said Cecilia, "the almost universal neglect of thecharacters assumed by these masquers has been the chief source of myentertainment this evening: for at a place of this sort, the nextbest thing to a character well supported is a character ridiculouslyburlesqued."
"You cannot, then, have wanted amusement," returned the domino, "foramong all the persons assembled in these apartments, I have seen onlythree who have seemed conscious that any change but that of dress wasnecessary to disguise them."
"And pray who are those?"
"A Don Quixote, a schoolmaster, and your friend the devil."
"O, call him not my friend," exclaimed Cecilia, "for indeed in or out ofthat garb he is particularly my aversion."
"_My_ friend, then, I will call him," said the domino, "for so, werehe ten devils, I must think him, since I owe to him the honour ofconversing with you. And, after all, to give him his due, to which, youknow, he is even proverbially entitled, he has shewn such abilities inthe performance of his part, so much skill in the display of malice, andso much perseverance in the art of tormenting, that I cannot but respecthis ingenuity and capacity. And, indeed, if instead of an evil genius,he had represented a guardian angel, he could not have shewn a morerefined taste in his choice of an object to hover about."
Just then they were approached by a young haymaker, to whom the whitedomino called out, "You look as gay and as brisk as if fresh from thehay-field after only half a day's work. Pray, how is it you prettylasses find employment for the winter?"
"How?" cried she, pertly, "why, the same as for the summer!" And pleasedwith her own readiness at repartee, without feeling the ignorance itbetrayed, she tript lightly on.
Immediately after the schoolmaster mentioned by the white dominoadvanced to Cecilia. His dress was merely a long wrapping gown of greenstuff, a pair of red slippers, and a woollen night-cap of the samecolour; while, as the symbol of his profession, he held a rod in hishand.
"Ah, fair lady," he cried, "how soothing were it to the austerity of mylife, how softening to the rigidity of my manners, might I--without a_breaking out of bounds_, which I ought to be the first to discourage,and a "confusion to all order" for which the school-boy should himselfchastise his master--be permitted to cast at your feet this emblem of myauthority! and to forget, in the softness of your conversation, all theroughness of discipline!"
"No, no," cried Cecilia, "I will not be answerable for such corruptionof taste!"
"This repulse," answered he, "is just what I feared; for alas! underwhat pretence could a poor miserable country pedagogue presume toapproach you? Should I examine you in the dead languages, would not yourliving accents charm from me all power of reproof? Could I look at you,and hear a false concord? Should I doom you to water-gruel as a dunce,would not my subsequent remorse make me want it myself as a madman? Wereyour fair hand spread out to me for correction, should I help applyingmy lips to it, instead of my rat-tan? If I ordered you to be _calledup_, should I ever remember to have you sent back? And if I commandedyou to stand in a corner, how should I forbear following you thithermyself?"
Cecilia, who had no difficulty in knowing this pretended schoolmasterfor Mr Gosport, was readily beginning to propose conditions foraccording him her favour, when their ears were assailed by a forcedphthisical cough, which they found proceeded from an apparent old woman,who was a young man in disguise, and whose hobbling gait, gruntingvoice, and most grievous asthmatic complaints, seemed greatly enjoyedand applauded by the company.
"How true is it, yet how inconsistent," cried the white domino, "thatwhile we all desire to live long, we have all a horror of being old! Thefigure now passing is not meant to ridicule any particular person, norto stigmatize any particular absurdity; its sole view is to expose tocontempt and derision the general and natural infirmities of age! andthe design is not more disgusting than impolitic; for why, while socarefully we guard from all approaches of death, should we close theonly avenues to happiness in long life, respect and tenderness?"
Cecilia, delighted both by the understanding and humanity of her newacquaintance, and pleased at being joined by Mr Gosport, was beginningto be perfectly satisfied with her situation, when, creeping softlytowards her, she again perceived the black gentleman.
"Ah!" cried she, with some vexation, "here comes my old tormentor!screen me from him if possible, or he will again make me his prisoner."
"Fear not," cried the white domino, "he is an evil spirit, and we willsurely lay him. If one spell fails, we must try another."
Cecilia then perceiving Mr Arnott, begged he would also assist inbarricading her from the fiend who so obstinately pursued her.
Mr Arnott most gratefully acceded to the proposal; and the white domino,who acted as commanding officer, assigned to each his station:he desired Cecilia would keep quietly to her seat, appointed theschoolmaster to be her guard on the left, took possession himself of theopposite post, and ordered Mr Arnott to stand centinel in front.
This arrangement being settled, the guards of the right and left wingsinstantly secured their places; but while Mr Arnott was consideringwhether it were better to face the besieged or the enemy, the arch-foerushed suddenly before him, and laid himself down at the feet ofCecilia!
Mr Arnott, extremely disconcerted, began a serious expostulation uponthe ill-breeding of this behaviour; but the devil, resting all excuseupon supporting his character, only answered by growling.
The white domino seemed to hesitate for a moment in what manner toconduct himself, and with a quickness that marked his chagrin, said toCecilia, "You told me you knew him,--has he any right to follow you?"
"If he thinks he has," answered she, a little alarmed by his question,"this is no time to dispute it."
And then, to avoid any hazard of altercatio
n, she discreetly forboremaking further complaints, preferring any persecution to seriouslyremonstrating with a man of so much insolence as the Baronet.
The schoolmaster, laughing at the whole transaction, only said, "Andpray, madam, after playing the devil with all mankind, what right haveyou to complain that one man plays the devil with you?"
"We shall, at least, fortify you," said the white domino, "from anyother assailant: no three-headed Cerberus could protect you moreeffectually: but you will not, therefore, fancy yourself in the lowerregions, for, if I mistake not, the torment of _three guardians_ isnothing new to you."
"And how," said Cecilia, surprised, "should you know of my threeguardians? I hope I am not quite encompassed with evil spirits!"
"No," answered he; "you will find me as inoffensive as the hue of thedomino I wear;----and would I could add as insensible!"
"This black gentleman," said the schoolmaster, "who, and veryinnocently, I was going to call your _black-guard_, has as noble andfiend-like a disposition as I remember to have seen; for without evenattempting to take any diversion himself, he seems gratified to hisheart's content in excluding from it the lady he serves."
"He does me an honour I could well dispense with," said Cecilia; "but Ihope he has some secret satisfaction in his situation which pays him forits apparent inconvenience."
Here the black gentleman half-raised himself, and attempted to takeher hand. She started, and with much displeasure drew it back. He thengrowled, and again sank prostrate.
"This is a fiend," said the schoolmaster, "who to himself sayeth, _Budgenot!_ let his conscience never so often say _budge!_ Well, fair lady,your fortifications, however, may now be deemed impregnable, since I,with a flourish of my rod, can keep off the young by recollection of thepast, and since the fiend, with a jut of his foot, may keep off the oldfrom dread of the future!"
Here a Turk, richly habited and resplendent with jewels, stalked towardsCecilia, and, having regarded her some time, called out, "I have beenlooking hard about me the whole evening, and, faith, I have seen nothinghandsome before!"
The moment he opened his mouth, his voice, to her utter astonishment,betrayed Sir Robert Floyer! "Mercy on me," cried she aloud, and pointingto the fiend, "who, then, can this possibly be?"
"Do you not know?" cried the white domino.
"I thought I had known with certainty," answered she, "but I now find Iwas mistaken."
"He is a happy man," said the schoolmaster, sarcastically looking atthe Turk, "who has removed your suspicions only by appearing in anothercharacter!"
"Why, what the deuce, then," exclaimed the Turk, "have you taken thatblack dog there for _me_?"
Before this question could be answered, an offensive smell of soot,making everybody look around the room, the chimney-sweeper alreadymentioned by Miss Larolles was perceived to enter it. Every way he moveda passage was cleared for him, as the company, with general disgust,retreated wherever he advanced.
He was short, and seemed somewhat incommoded by his dress; he held hissoot-bag over one arm, and his shovel under the other. As soon as heespied Cecilia, whose situation was such as to prevent her eluding him,he hooted aloud, and came stumping up to her; "Ah ha," he cried, "foundat last;" then, throwing down his shovel, he opened the mouth of hisbag, and pointing waggishly to her head, said, "Come, shall I popyou?--a good place for naughty girls; in, I say, poke in!--cram you upthe chimney."
And then he put forth his sooty hands to reach her cap.
Cecilia, though she instantly knew the dialect of her guardian MrBriggs, was not therefore the more willing to be so handled, and startedback to save herself from his touch; the white domino also came forward,and spread out his arms as a defence to her, while the devil, who wasstill before her, again began to growl.
"Ah ha!" cried the chimney-sweeper, laughing, "so did not know me? Poorduck! won't hurt you; don't be frightened; nothing but old guardian; alla joke!" And then, patting her cheek with his dirty hand, and noddingat her with much kindness, "Pretty dove," he added, "be of good heart!shan't be meddled with; come to see after you. Heard of your tricks;thought I'd catch you!--come o' purpose.--Poor duck! did not know me!ha! ha!--good joke enough!"
"What do you mean, you dirty dog," cried the Turk, "by touching thatlady?"
"Won't tell!" answered he; "not your business. Got a good right. Whocares for pearls? Nothing but French beads." Pointing with a sneer tohis turban. Then, again addressing Cecilia, "Fine doings!" he continued,"Here's a place! never saw the like before! turn a man's noddle!--Allgoings out; no comings in; wax candles in every room; servants thick asmushrooms! And where's the cash? Who's to pay the piper? Come to morethan a guinea; warrant Master Harrel thinks that nothing!"
"A guinea?" contemptuously repeated the Turk, "and what do you suppose aguinea will do?"
"What? Why, keep a whole family handsome a week;--never spend so muchmyself; no, nor half neither."
"Why then, how the devil do you live? Do you beg?"
"Beg? Who should I beg of? You?--Got anything to give? Are warm?"
"Take the trouble to speak more respectfully, sir!" said the Turk,haughtily; "I see you are some low fellow, and I shall not put up withyour impudence."
"Shall, shall! I say!" answered the chimneysweeper, sturdily; "Hark'ee,my duck," chucking Cecilia under the chin, "don't be cajoled, nick thatspark! never mind gold trappings; none of his own; all a take-in; hiredfor eighteenpence; not worth a groat. Never set your heart on a fineoutside, nothing within. Bristol stones won't buy stock: only wants tochouse you."
"What do you mean by that, you little old scrub!" cried the imperiousTurk; "would you provoke me to soil my fingers by pulling that beastlysnub nose?" For Mr Briggs had saved himself any actual mask, by merelyblacking his face with soot.
"Beastly snub nose!" sputtered out the chimneysweeper in much wrath,"good nose enough; don't want a better; good as another man's. Where'sthe harm on't?"
"How could this blackguard get in?" cried the Turk, "I believe he's amere common chimneysweeper out of the streets, for he's all over dirtand filth. I never saw such a dress at a masquerade before in my life."
"All the better," returned the other; "would not change. What do thinkit cost?"
"Cost? Why, not a crown."
"A crown? ha! ha!--a pot o' beer! Little Tom borrowed it; had it of ourown sweep. Said 'twas for himself. I bid him a pint; rascal would nottake less."
"Did your late uncle," said the white domino in a low voice to Cecilia,"chuse for two of your guardians Mr Harrel and Mr Briggs, to give you anearly lesson upon the opposite errors of profusion and meanness?"
"My uncle?" cried Cecilia, starting, "were you acquainted with myuncle?"
"No," said he, "for my happiness I knew him not."
"You would have owed no loss of happiness to an acquaintance with him,"said Cecilia, very seriously, "for he was one who dispensed to hisfriends nothing but good."
"Perhaps so," said the domino; "but I fear I should have found the goodhe dispensed through his niece not quite unmixed with evil!"
"What's here?" cried the chimney-sweeper, stumbling over the fiend,"what's this black thing? Don't like it; looks like the devil. Youshan't stay with it; carry you away; take care of you myself."
He then offered Cecilia his hand; but the black gentleman, raisinghimself upon his knees before her, paid her, in dumb shew, the humblestdevoirs, yet prevented her from removing.
"Ah ha!" cried the chimney-sweeper, significantly nodding his head,"smell a rat! a sweetheart in disguise. No bamboozling! it won't do;a'n't so soon put upon. If you've got any thing to say, tell _me_,that's the way. Where's the cash? Got ever a _rental_? Are warm? That'sthe point; are warm?"
The fiend, without returning any answer, continued his homage toCecilia; at which the enraged chimney-sweeper exclaimed, "Come, comewith me! won't be imposed upon; an old fox,--understand trap!"
He then again held out his hand, but Cecilia, pointing to the fiend,answered, "How can I come, sir?"
"Shew you the way," cried he, "shovel him off." And taking his shovel,he very roughly set about removing him.
The fiend then began a yell so horrid, that it disturbed the wholecompany; but the chimney-sweeper, only saying, "Aye, aye, blacky, growlaway, blacky,--makes no odds," sturdily continued his work, and, asthe fiend had no chance of resisting so coarse an antagonist without aserious struggle, he was presently compelled to change his ground.
"Warm work!" cried the victorious chimney-sweeper, taking off his wig,and wiping his head with the sleeves of his dress, "pure warm workthis!"
Cecilia, once again freed from her persecutor, instantly quitted herplace, almost equally desirous to escape the haughty Turk, who waspeculiarly her aversion, and the facetious chimney-sweeper, whosevicinity, either on account of his dress or his conversation, was by nomeans desirable. She was not, however, displeased that the white dominoand the schoolmaster still continued to attend her.
"Pray, look," said the white domino, as they entered another apartment,"at that figure of Hope; is there any in the room half so expressive ofdespondency?"
"The reason, however," answered the schoolmaster, "is obvious; thatlight and beautiful silver anchor upon which she reclines presents anoccasion irresistible for an attitude of elegant dejection; and theassumed character is always given up where an opportunity offers todisplay any beauty, or manifest any perfection in the dear properperson!"
"But why," said Cecilia, "should she assume the character of _Hope_?Could she not have been equally dejected and equally elegant as Niobe,or some tragedy queen?"
"But she does not assume the character," answered the schoolmaster, "shedoes not even think of it: the dress is her object, and that alone fillsup all her ideas. Enquire of almost any body in the room concerning thepersons they seem to represent, and you will find their ignorance moregross than you can imagine; they have not once thought upon the subject;accident, or convenience, or caprice has alone directed their choice."
A tall and elegant youth now approached them, whose laurels and harpannounced Apollo. The white domino immediately enquired of him if thenoise and turbulence of the company had any chance of being stilled intosilence and rapture by the divine music of the inspired god?
"No," answered he, pointing to the room in which was erected the newgallery, and whence, as he spoke, issued the sound of a _hautboy_,"there is a flute playing there already."
"O for a Midas," cried the white domino, "to return to thisleather-eared god the disgrace he received from him!"
They now proceeded to the apartment which had been lately fitted up forrefreshments, and which was so full of company that they entered itwith difficulty. And here they were again joined by Minerva, who, takingCecilia's hand, said, "Lord, how glad I am you've got away from thatfrightful black mask! I can't conceive who he is; nobody can find out;it's monstrous odd, but he has not spoke a word all night, and he makessuch a shocking noise when people touch him, that I assure you it'senough to put one in a fright."
"And pray," cried the schoolmaster, disguising his voice, "how camestthou to take the helmet of Minerva for a fool's cap?"
"Lord, I have not," cried she, innocently, "why, the whole dress isMinerva's; don't you see?"
"My dear child," answered he, "thou couldst as well with that littlefigure pass for a Goliath, as with that little wit for a Pallas."
Their attention was now drawn from the goddess of wisdom to a mad Edgar,who so vehemently ran about the room calling out "Poor Tom's a cold!"that, in a short time, he was obliged to take off his mask, from aneffect, not very delicate, of the heat!
Soon after, a gentleman desiring some lemonade whose toga spoke theconsular dignity, though his broken English betrayed a native of France,the schoolmaster followed him, and, with reverence the most profound,began to address him in Latin; but, turning quick towards him, hegaily said, "_Monsieur, j'ai l'honneur de representer Ciceron, le grandCiceron, pere de sa patrie! mais quoique j'ai cet honneur-la, je ne suitpas pedant!--mon dieu, Monsieur, je ne parle que le Francois dans labonne compagnie_!" And, politely bowing, he went on.
Just then Cecilia, while looking about the room for Mrs Harrel, foundherself suddenly pinched by the cheek, and hastily turning round,perceived again her friend the chimney-sweeper, who, laughing, cried,"Only me! don't be frightened. Have something to tell you;--had noluck!--got never a husband yet! can't find one! looked all over, too;sharp as a needle. Not one to be had! all catched up!"
"I am glad to hear it, sir," said Cecilia, somewhat vexed by observingthe white domino attentively listening; "and I hope, therefore, you willgive yourself no farther trouble."
"Pretty duck!" cried he, chucking her under the chin; "never mind, don'tbe cast down; get one at last. Leave it to me. Nothing under aplum; won't take up with less. Good-by, ducky, good-by! must go homenow,--begin to be nodding."
And then, repeating his kind caresses, he walked away.
"Do you think, then," said the white domino, "more highly of Mr Briggsfor discernment and taste than of any body?"
"I hope not!" answered she, "for low indeed should I then think of therest of the world!"
"The commission with which he is charged," returned the domino, "hasthen misled me; I imagined discernment and taste might be necessaryingredients for making such a choice as your approbation would sanctify:but perhaps his skill in guarding against any fraud or deduction in thestipulation he mentioned, may be all that is requisite for the executionof his trust."
"I understand very well," said Cecilia, a little hurt, "the severityof your meaning; and if Mr Briggs had any commission but of his ownsuggestion, it would fill me with shame and confusion; but as that isnot the case, those at least are sensations which it cannot give me."
"My meaning," cried the domino, with some earnestness, "should I expressit seriously, would but prove to you the respect and admiration withwhich you have inspired me, and if indeed, as Mr Briggs hinted, such aprize is to be purchased by riches, I know not, from what I have seen ofits merit, any sum I should think adequate to its value."
"You are determined, I see," said Cecilia, smiling, "to make mostliberal amends for your asperity."
A loud clack of tongues now interrupted their discourse; and the domino,at the desire of Cecilia, for whom he had procured a seat, went forwardto enquire what was the matter. But scarce had he given up his placea moment, before, to her great mortification, it was occupied by thefiend.
Again, but with the same determined silence he had hitherto preserved,he made signs of obedience and homage, and her perplexity to conjecturewho he could be, or what were his motives for this persecution, becamethe more urgent as they seemed the less likely to be satisfied. But thefiend, who was no other than Mr Monckton, had every instant less andless encouragement to make himself known: his plan had in nothingsucceeded, and his provocation at its failure had caused him thebitterest disappointment; he had intended, in the character of atormentor, not only to pursue and hover around her himself, but he hadalso hoped, in the same character, to have kept at a distance all otheradmirers: but the violence with which he had over-acted his part, byraising her disgust and the indignation of the company, rendered hisviews wholly abortive while the consciousness of an extravagance forwhich, if discovered, he could assign no reason not liable to excitesuspicions of his secret motives, reduced him to guarding a painfuland most irksome silence the whole evening. And Cecilia, to whoseunsuspicious mind the idea of Mr Monckton had never occurred, addedcontinually to the cruelty of his situation, by an undisguisedabhorrence of his assiduity, as well as by a manifest preference to theattendance of the white domino. All, therefore, that his disappointedscheme now left in his power, was to watch her motions, listen to herdiscourse, and inflict occasionally upon others some part of the chagrinwith which he was tormented himself.
While they were in this situation, Harlequin, in consequence of beingridiculed by the Turk for want of agility, offered to jump over the newdesert table, and desired to have a lit
tle space cleared to giveroom for his motions. It was in vain the people who distributed therefreshments, and who were placed at the other side of the table,expostulated upon the danger of the experiment; Morrice had a rage ofenterprise untameable, and, therefore, first taking a run, he attemptedthe leap.
The consequence was such as might naturally be expected; he could notaccomplish his purpose, but, finding himself falling, imprudently caughthold of the lately erected Awning, and pulled it entirely upon his ownhead, and with it the new contrived lights, which, in various forms,were fixed to it, and which all came down together.
The mischief and confusion occasioned by this exploit were veryalarming, and almost dangerous; those who were near the table sufferedmost by the crush, but splinters of the glass flew yet further; and asthe room, which was small, had been only lighted up by lamps hangingfrom the Awning, it was now in total darkness, except close to the door,which was still illuminated from the adjoining apartments.
The clamour of Harlequin, who was covered with glass, papier-machee,lamps and oil, the screams of the ladies, the universal buz of tongues,and the struggle between the frighted crowd which was enclosed toget out, and the curious crowd from the other apartments to get in,occasioned a disturbance and tumult equally noisy and confused. But themost serious sufferer was the unfortunate fiend, who, being nearer thetable than Cecilia, was so pressed upon by the numbers which poured fromit, that he found a separation unavoidable, and was unable, from thedarkness and the throng, to discover whether she was still in the sameplace, or had made her escape into another.
She had, however, encountered the white domino, and, under hisprotection, was safely conveyed to a further part of the room.Her intention and desire were to quit it immediately, but at theremonstrance of her conductor, she consented to remain some time longer."The conflict at the door," said he, "will quite overpower you. Stayhere but a few minutes, and both parties will have struggled themselvestired, and you may then go without difficulty. Meantime, can you not,by this faint light, suppose me one of your guardians, Mr Briggs, forexample, or, if he is too old for me, Mr Harrel, and entrust yourself tomy care?"
"You seem wonderfully well acquainted with my guardians," said Cecilia;"I cannot imagine how you have had your intelligence."
"Nor can I," answered the domino, "imagine how Mr Briggs became soparticularly your favourite as to be entrusted with powers to dispose ofyou."
"You are mistaken indeed; he is entrusted with no powers but such as hisown fancy has suggested."
"But how has Mr Delvile offended you, that with him only you seem tohave no commerce or communication?"
"Mr Delvile!" repeated Cecilia, still more surprised, "are you alsoacquainted with Mr Delvile?"
"He is certainly a man of fashion," continued the domino, "and heis also a man of honour; surely, then, he would be more pleasant forconfidence and consultation than one whose only notion of happinessis money, whose only idea of excellence is avarice, and whoseonly conception of sense is distrust!" Here a violent outcry againinterrupted their conversation; but not till Cecilia had satisfied herdoubts concerning the white domino, by conjecturing he was Mr Belfield,who might easily, at the house of Mr Monckton, have gathered the littlecircumstances of her situation to which he alluded, and whose size andfigure exactly resembled those of her new acquaintance.
The author of the former disturbance was now the occasion of thepresent: the fiend, having vainly traversed the room in search ofCecilia, stumbled accidentally upon Harlequin, before he was freed fromthe relicks of his own mischief; and unable to resist the temptationof opportunity and the impulse of revenge, he gave vent to the wrath sooften excited by the blunders, forwardness, and tricks of Morrice, andinflicted upon him, with his own wooden sword, which he seized for thatpurpose, a chastisement the most serious and severe.
Poor Harlequin, unable to imagine any reason for this violent attack,and already cut with the glass, and bruised with the fall, spared nothis lungs in making known his disapprobation of such treatment: but thefiend, regardless either of his complaints or his resistance, forborenot to belabour him till compelled by the entrance of people withlights. And then, after artfully playing sundry antics under pretence ofstill supporting his character, with a motion too sudden for prevention,and too rapid for pursuit, he escaped out of the room, and hurrying downstairs, threw himself into an hackney chair, which conveyed him to aplace where he privately changed his dress before he returned home,bitterly repenting the experiment he had made, and conscious too latethat, had he appeared in a character he might have avowed, he could,without impropriety, have attended Cecilia the whole evening. Butsuch is deservedly the frequent fate of cunning, which, while it plotssurprise and detection of others, commonly overshoots its mark, and endsin its own disgrace.
The introduction of the lights now making manifest the confusion whichthe frolic of Harlequin had occasioned, he was seized with such a dreadof the resentment of Mr Harrel, that, forgetting blows, bruises, andwounds, not one of which were so frightful to him as reproof, he madethe last exhibition of his agility by an abrupt and hasty retreat.
He had, however, no reason for apprehension, since, in every thing thatregarded expence, Mr Harrel had no feeling, and his lady had no thought.
The rooms now began to empty very fast, but among the few masksyet remaining, Cecilia again perceived Don Quixote; and while, inconjunction with the white domino, she was allowing him the praise ofhaving supported his character with more uniform propriety than anyother person in the assembly, she observed him taking off his mask forthe convenience of drinking some lemonade, and, looking in his face,found he was no other than Mr Belfield! Much astonished, and more thanever perplexed, she again turned to the white domino, who, seeing inher countenance a surprise of which he knew not the reason, said,half-laughing, "You think, perhaps, I shall never be gone? And indeedI am almost of the same opinion; but what can I do? Instead of growingweary by the length of my stay, my reluctance to shorten it increaseswith its duration; and all the methods I take, whether by speakingto you or looking at you, with a view to be satiated, only double myeagerness for looking and listening again! I must go, however; and ifI am happy, I may perhaps meet with you again,--though, if I am wise, Ishall never seek you more!"
And then, with the last stragglers that reluctantly disappeared, he madehis exit, leaving Cecilia greatly pleased with his conversation and hismanners, but extremely perplexed to account for his knowledge of heraffairs and situation.
The schoolmaster had already been gone some time.
She was now earnestly pressed by the Harrels and Sir Robert, who stillremained, to send to a warehouse for a dress, and accompany them to thePantheon; but though she was not without some inclination to comply,in the hope of further prolonging the entertainment of an evening fromwhich she had received much pleasure, she disliked the attendance of theBaronet, and felt averse to grant any request that he could make, andtherefore she begged they would excuse her; and having waited to seetheir dresses, which were very superb, she retired to her own apartment.
A great variety of conjecture upon all that had passed, now, and tillthe moment that she sunk to rest, occupied her mind; the extraordinarypersecution of the fiend excited at once her curiosity and amazement,while the knowledge of her affairs shown by the white domino surprisedher not less, and interested her more.