CHAPTER FIFTY EIGHT.
Under his lordship's leave, all must be mine.
MIDDLETON.
The first moments of leisure that McElvina could obtain from his dutieswere employed in writing to the vicar, informing him of the reappearanceof Seymour, under such peculiar circumstances; and requesting hisimmediate presence, that our hero's claims to the property of Admiral deCourcy might be established. As before observed, Rainscourt was not atthe castle, nor was he expected for some days, having accepted aninvitation to join a shooting party some miles distant. A letter wasdespatched to him by his daughter, detailing the circumstances of theshipwreck, stating that the wounded officer was in the castle, and that,in consequence, until his return, Mrs McElvina would remain as hercompanion.
Although the wound that Seymour had received had been pronounced by thesurgeon not to be of a dangerous tendency, still, he did not recover sorapidly as might have been expected from his youth and excellentconstitution. The fact was, that all his love for Emily, who wasconstantly at his side, and could not conceal her regard for him, hadreturned with tenfold violence. The same honourable principle which hadbefore decided him--that of not taking advantage of her prepossession inhis favour, and permitting her to throw away herself and her largefortune upon one of unknown parentage and penniless condition,--militated against his passion, and caused such a tumult of contendingfeelings, as could not but affect a person in his weak state. A slowfever came on, which retarded the cure, and even threatened more seriousconsequences.
Madame de Stael has truly observed, that love occupies the whole life ofa woman. It is not therefore surprising that women should be moreskilful in detecting the symptoms of it in others. Mrs McElvina, withthe usual penetration of her sex, discovered what was passing in themind of Seymour, and communicated her suspicions to her husband. As forsome days the health of our hero rather declined than improved, McElvinadetermined to entrust him with the secret of his birth, which, byremoving all difficulties, he imagined would produce a beneficialeffect. But there was one point which McElvina could not conceal fromour hero, which was the melancholy fact of his father having, under anassumed name, fallen a sacrifice to the offended laws of his country;and the knowledge of this had so serious an effect upon Seymour, asalmost to neutralise the joy arising from the rest of the communication.The first question which he asked himself was, whether Emily would orought to marry a man whose father had perished by so ignominious adeath; and, now that all other impediments to his making her an offer ofhis hand were removed, whether that circumstance alone would not be aninsuperable bar to their union. Agitated by these conflicting doubtsSeymour passed a sleepless night, and on the ensuing morning his feverhad alarmingly increased. This was observed by the surgeon, who statedthat he could not account for it, except by supposing that there wassomething heavy on the mind of his patient, which, unless removed, wouldretard, if not prevent, recovery.
Susan, who with her husband had imagined that the disclosure which hadtaken place would have had a beneficial effect, hastened to the sickchamber, and soon persuaded our hero to make her a confidant of hisdoubts and fears. "There is but one who can satisfy you on that point,my dear William," replied she; "for although I feel convinced that I cananswer for her, it is not exactly a case of proxy--McElvina will be heredirectly, and then I will obtain his permission to disclose the whole toEmily, and you will have the answer from her own lips."
In the course of the forenoon, Emily was made acquainted with theeventful history of our hero's birth and parentage--of her no longerbeing an heiress--of his ardent love for her, and of the fears that heentertained upon the subject.
"I am only sorry for one thing," replied Emily, "that he did not ask meto marry him when I thought that I was an heiress--now, if I accept him,I am afraid it may be thought--oh, if you knew how I have loved him--howI have thought of him when far away," cried the sobbing girl, "you wouldnot--no one would think me capable of interested motives.--I am so gladthe property is his," continued Emily, looking and smiling through hertears.
"Why, my dear Emily, if you begin to make difficulties, we shall beworse than ever. There never was a more fortunate occurrence than thisattachment between you and Seymour. It reconciles all difficulties,puts an end to all Chancery suits, and will shower general happiness,when some at least must have been made miserable. Come with me--Williamis very feverish this morning: you only can do him good."
Mrs McElvina led the agitated girl into the sick chamber, andwhispering to Seymour that Emily knew all, and that all was well, was sovery imprudent as to allow her feelings to overcome her sense ofchaperonism, and left them together.
I am aware that I now have a fair opportunity of inserting a mostinteresting conversation, full of _ohs_ and _ahs, dears_ and _sweets_,etcetera, which would be much relished by all misses of seventeen, orthereabouts; but as I do not write novels for them, and the young couplehave no secrets to which the reader is not already a party, I shallleave them to imagine the explanation, with all its concomitantretrospections and anticipations, softened with tears and sweetened withkisses; and, as the plot now thickens, change the scene to thedressing-room of Rainscourt, who had now just risen, at his usual hour,viz., between two and three in the afternoon. His French valet is inattendance shaving him, and dressing his hair, and communicating whatlittle intelligence he has been enabled to collect for his master'samusement.
"Monsieur has not seen the young officer who was wounded?"
"No; I wonder why they brought him up here. What sort of a person ishe?"
"_C'est un joli garcon, Monsieur, avec l'air bien distingue_.--I carriedin the water this morning when his wound was dressed, for I had thecuriosity to see him--_C'est un diable de blessure_--and the youngofficer has a very singular mark on his right shoulder, like--_commentl'appelez-vous?--pied du corbeau_."
Rainscourt started under the operation of the razor: he remembered themark of the grandchild, so minutely described by the vicar.
"_Pardon, Monsieur, ce n'est pas ma faute_," said the valet, applying anapkin to stanch the blood which flowed from his master's cheek.
"It was not," replied Rainscourt, recovering himself; "I had a slightspasm."
The operation was continued, and fortunately had just been finished whenthe valet resumed,--"_Et rappelez-vous Monsieur le Vicaire de ---. Ilest arrive hier au soir_, on a visit to Mr McElvina."
"The devil he is?" replied Rainscourt, springing from his chair, at thecorroborating incident to his previous ground of alarm.
The astonished countenance of the valet restored the master to hissenses. "Bring me my coffee--I am nervous this morning."
But Rainscourt had not long to endure suspense. He had barely finishedhis toilet, when he was informed that the vicar, McElvina, and someother gentlemen, were below, and wished to speak to him. Rainscourt,anxious to know the worst, descended to the library, where he found theparties before mentioned, accompanied by Debriseau and a legalgentleman. We shall not enter into details. To the dismay ofRainscourt, the identity of our hero was established beyond all doubt,and he felt convinced that eventually he should be forced to surrenderup the property. His indignation was chiefly levelled at McElvina, whomhe considered as the occasion of the whole, not only from having rescuedour hero from the wreck, but because it was by his assertions,corroborated by Debriseau, that the chain of evidence was clearlysubstantiated. McElvina, who, from long acquaintance, had a feelingtowards Rainscourt which his conduct did not deserve, waited only forhis acknowledgment of our hero's claim to communicate the circumstanceof the attachment between the young people, which would have barred allfurther proceedings, and have settled it in an amicable arrangement.
"Well, gentlemen," observed Rainscourt, "if you can satisfactorily provein a court of justice all you have now stated, I shall of course bow toits decision; but you must excuse me if, out of regard to my daughter, Iresist, until the assertions can be substantiated on oath. You cannotexpect otherwise."<
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"We do not expect otherwise, Mr Rainscourt," replied McElvina,--"but wethink it will not be necessary that it should go into court."
"Mr McElvina," interrupted Rainscourt, angrily,--"I wish noobservations from you. After your intimacy with the family,particularly with my daughter, who, by your means, will probably forfeitall her prospects, I consider your conduct base and treacherous. You'llexcuse my ringing the bell for the servant to show you the door."
McElvina turned pale with rage. "Then, sir, you shall have nosuggestions from me. Come, gentlemen, we will retire," continuedMcElvina, now determined that Rainscourt should be left in ignorance forthe present; and the parties quitted the room, little contemplating thatsuch direful consequences would ensue from this trifling altercation.
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