by T. Smollett
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
HE IS THE MESSENGER OF HAPPINESS TO HIS SISTER, WHO REMOVES THE FILMWHICH HAD LONG OBSTRUCTED HIS PENETRATION, WITH REGARD TO COUNT FATHOM.
As the most endearing affection had always subsisted between Renaldo andhis sister, he would not one moment deny himself the pleasure of flyingto her embrace, and of being the glad messenger of her deliverance.Soon, therefore, as he understood the place of her retreat, and hadobtained a proper order to the abbess, signed by Count Trebasi, he setout post for Vienna, still accompanied by his faithful Hibernian, and,arriving at the convent, found the abbess and the whole house soengrossed in making preparations for the ceremony of giving the veil nextday to a young woman who had fulfilled the term of her probation, that hecould not possibly see his sister with that leisure and satisfactionwhich he had flattered himself with enjoying at this meeting; andtherefore he was fain to bridle his impatience for two days, and keep hiscredentials until the hurry should be over, that Mademoiselle might haveno intimation of her good fortune, except from his own mouth.
In order to fill up this tedious interval, he visited his friends atcourt, who were rejoiced to hear the happy issue of his excursion toPresburg; the prince, who was his particular patron, desired he wouldmake himself perfectly easy with regard to the death of Count Trebasi,for he would take care to represent him in such a light to theempress-queen, as would screen him from any danger or prosecution onthat account. His highness, moreover, appointed the following day forperforming the promise he had made of presenting him to that augustprincess, and in the meantime prepossessed her so much in his favour,that when he approached her presence, and was announced by his nobleintroductor, she eyed him with a look of peculiar complacency, saying,"I am glad to see you returned to my dominions. Your father was agallant officer, who served our house with equal courage and fidelity;and as I understand you tread in his footsteps, you may depend upon myfavour and protection."
He was so much overwhelmed with this gracious reception, that, while hebowed in silence, the drops of gratitude trickled from his eyes; and herimperial majesty was so well pleased with this manifestation of hisheart, that she immediately gave directions for promoting him to thecommand of a troop of horse. Thus fortune seemed willing, and indeedeager to discharge the debt she owed him for the different calamities hehad undergone. And as he looked upon the generous Hebrew to be the solesource of his success, he did not fail to make him acquainted with thehappy effects of his recommendation and friendship, and to express, inthe warmest terms, the deep sense he had of his uncommon benevolence,which, by the bye, was still greater, with regard to Renaldo, than thereader as yet imagines; for he not only furnished him with money for hispresent occasions, but also gave him an unlimited credit on a banker inVienna, to whom one of his letters was directed.
The ceremony of the nun's admission being now performed, and the conventrestored to its former quiet, Melvil hastened thither on the wings ofbrotherly affection, and presented his letter to the abbess, who havingperused the contents, by which she learned that the family disquiets ofCount Trebasi no longer subsisted, and that the bearer was the brother ofMademoiselle, she received him with great politeness, congratulated himon this happy event, and, begging he would excuse her staying with him inthe parlour, on pretence of business, withdrew, saying, she wouldimmediately send in a young lady who would console him for her absence.In a few minutes he was joined by his sister, who, expecting nothing lessthan to see Renaldo, no sooner distinguished his features, than sheshrieked aloud with surprise, and would have sunk upon the floor, had nothe supported her in his embrace.
Such a sudden apparition of her brother at any time, or in any place,after their long separation, would have strongly affected this sensibleyoung lady; but to find him so abruptly in a place where she thoughtherself buried from the knowledge of all her relations, occasioned suchcommotions in her spirits as had well-nigh endangered her reason. For itwas not till after a considerable pause, that she could talk to him withconnexion or coherence. However, as those transports subsided, theyentered into a more deliberate and agreeable conversation; in the courseof which, he gradually informed her of what had passed at the castle; andinexpressible was the pleasure she felt in learning that her mother wasreleased from captivity, herself restored to freedom, and her brother tothe possession of his inheritance, by the only means to which she hadalways prayed these blessings might be owing.
As she had been treated with uncommon humanity by the abbess, she wouldnot consent to leave the convent until he should be ready to set out forPresburg; so that they dined together with that good lady, and passed theafternoon in that mutual communication with which a brother and sistermay be supposed to entertain themselves on such an occasion. She gavehim a detail of the insults and mortifications she had suffered from thebrutality of her father-in-law, and told him, that her confinement inthis monastery was owing to Trebasi having intercepted a letter to herfrom Renaldo, signifying his intention to return to the empire, in orderto assert his own right, and redress his grievances. Then turning thediscourse upon the incidents of his peregrinations, she in a particularmanner inquired about that exquisite beauty who had been the innocentsource of all his distresses, and upon whose perfections he had often, inhis letters to his sister, expatiated with indications of rapture anddelight.
This inquiry in a moment blew up that scorching flame which had beenwell-nigh stifled by other necessary avocations. His eyes gleamed, hischeeks glowed and grew pale alternately, and his whole frame underwent animmediate agitation; which being perceived by Mademoiselle, she concludedthat some new calamity was annexed to the name of Monimia, and, dreadingto rip up a wound which she saw was so ineffectually closed, she for thepresent suppressed her curiosity and concern, and industriouslyendeavoured to introduce some less affecting subject of conversation. Hesaw her aim, approved of her discretion, and, joining her endeavours,expressed his surprise at her having omitted to signify the leastremembrance of her old favourite, Fathom, whom he had left in England.He had no sooner pronounced this name, than she suffered some confusionin her turn; from which, however, recollecting herself, "Brother," saidshe, "you must endeavour to forget that wretch, who is altogetherunworthy of retaining the smallest share of your regard."
Astonished, and indeed angry, at this expression, which he considered asthe effect of malicious misrepresentation, he gently chid her for hercredulity in believing the envious aspersion of some person, who repinedat the superior virtue of Fathom, whom he affirmed to be an honour to thehuman species.
"Nothing is more easy," replied the young lady, "than to impose upon aperson, who, being himself unconscious of guile, suspects no deceit. Youhave been a dupe, dear brother, not to the finesse of Fathom, but to thesincerity of your own heart. For my own part, I assume no honour to myown penetration in having comprehended the villany of that impostor,which was discovered, in more than one instance, by accidents I could notpossibly foresee.
"You must know, that Teresa, who attended me from my childhood, and inwhose honesty I reposed such confidence, having disobliged some of theinferior servants, was so narrowly watched in all her transactions, as tobe at last detected in the very act of conveying a piece of plate, whichwas actually found concealed among her clothes.
"You may guess how much I was astonished when I understood thiscircumstance. I could not trust to the evidence of my own senses, andshould have still believed her innocent, in spite of oculardemonstration, had not she, in the terrors of being tried for felony,promised to make a very material discovery to the Countess, provided shewould take such measures as would save her life.
"This request being complied with, she, in my hearing, opened up such anamazing scene of iniquity, baseness, and ingratitude, which had beenacted by her and Fathom, in order to defraud the family to which theywere so much indebted, that I could not have believed the human mindcapable of such degeneracy, or that traitor endowed with such perniciouscunning and dissimulation, had not her tale b
een congruous, consistent,and distinct, and fraught with circumstances that left no room to doubtthe least article of her confession; on consideration of which she waspermitted to go into voluntary exile."
She then explained their combination in all the particulars, as we havealready recounted them in their proper place, and finally observed, thatthe opinion she had hence conceived of Fathom's character, was confirmedby what she had since learned of his perfidious conduct towards that verynun who had lately taken the veil.
Perceiving her brother struck dumb with astonishment, and gaping with themost eager attention, she proceeded to relate the incidents of his doubleintrigue with the jeweller's wife and daughter, as they were communicatedto her by the nun, who was no other than the individual Wilhelmina.After those rivals had been forsaken by their gallant, their mutualanimosities and chagrin served to whet the attention and invention ofeach; so that in a little time the whole mystery stood disclosed to both.The mother had discovered the daughter's correspondence with Fathom, aswe have formerly observed, by means of that unfortunate letter which heunwittingly committed to the charge of the old beldame; and, as soon asshe understood he was without the reach of all solicitation orprosecution, imparted this billet to her husband, whose fury was soungovernable, that he had almost sacrificed Wilhelmina with his ownhands, especially when, terrified by his threats and imprecations, sheowned that she had bestowed the chain on this perfidious lover. However,this dreadful purpose was prevented, partly by the interposition of hiswife, whose aim was not the death but immurement of his daughter, andpartly by the tears and supplication of the young gentlewoman herself,who protested, that, although the ceremony of the church had not beenperformed, she was contracted to Fathom by the most solemn vows, towitness which he invoked all the saints in heaven.
The jeweller, upon cooler consideration, was unwilling to lose the lastspark of hope that glittered among the ruins of his despair, and resistedall the importunities of his wife, who pressed him to consult the welfareof his daughter's soul, in the fond expectation of finding some expedientto lure back the chain and its possessor. In the meantime Wilhelmina wasdaily and hourly exposed to the mortifying animadversions of her mamma,who, with all the insolence of virtue, incessantly upbraided her with thebackslidings of her vicious life, and exhorted her to reformation andrepentance. This continual triumph lasted for many months, till atlength, a quarrel happening between the mother and the gossip at whosehouse she used to give the rendezvous to her admirers, that incensedconfidante, in the precipitation of her anger, promulgated the history ofthose secret meetings; and, among the rest, her interviews with Fathomwere brought to light.
The first people who hear news of this sort are generally those to whomthey are most unwelcome. The German was soon apprised of his wife'sfrailty, and considered the two females of his house as a couple ofdevils incarnate, sent from hell to exercise his patience. Yet, in themidst of his displeasure, he found matter of consolation, in beingfurnished with a sufficient reason for parting with his helpmate, who hadfor many years kept his family in disquiet. He therefore, withouthazarding a personal conference, sent proposals to her by a friend, whichshe did not think proper to reject; and seeing himself restored to thedominion of his own house, exerted his sway so tyrannically, thatWilhelmina became weary of her life, and had recourse to the comforts ofreligion, of which she soon became enamoured, and begged her father'spermission to dedicate the rest of her life to the duties of devotion.She was accordingly received in this convent, the regulations of whichwere so much to her liking, that she performed the task of probation withpleasure, and voluntarily excluded herself from the vanities of thislife. It was here she had contracted an acquaintance with Mademoisellede Melvil, to whom she communicated her complaints of Fathom, on thesupposition that he was related to the Count, as he himself had oftendeclared.
While the young lady rehearsed the particulars of this detail, Renaldosustained a strange vicissitude of different passions. Surprise, sorrow,fear, hope, and indignation raised a most tumultuous conflict in hisbosom. Monimia rushed upon his imagination in the character of innocencebetrayed by the insinuations of treachery. He with horror viewed her atthe mercy of a villain, who had broken all the ties of gratitude andhonour.
Affrighted at the prospect, he started from his seat, exclaiming, in themost unconnected strain of distraction and despair, "Have I thennourished a serpent in my bosom! Have I listened to the voice of atraitor, who hath murdered my peace! who hath torn my heart-stringsasunder, and perhaps ruined the pattern of all earthly perfection. Itcannot be. Heaven would not suffer such infernal artifice to takeeffect. The thunder would be levelled against the head of the accursedprojector."
From this transport, compared with his agitation when he mentionedMonimia, his sister judged that Fathom had been the occasion of a breachbetween the two lovers; and this conjecture being confirmed by thedisjointed answers he made to her interrogations upon the affair, sheendeavoured to calm his apprehensions, by representing that he would soonhave an opportunity of returning to England, where the misunderstandingmight be easily cleared up; and that, in the meantime, he had nothing tofear on account of the person of his mistress, in a country whereindividuals were so well protected by the laws and constitution of therealm. At length he suffered himself to be flattered with the fond hopeof seeing Monimia's character triumph in the inquiry, of retrieving thatlost jewel, and of renewing that ravishing intercourse and exaltedexpectation which had been so cruelly cut off. He now wished to findFathom as black as he had been exhibited, that Monimia's apostasy mightbe numbered among the misrepresentations of his treachery and fraud.
His love, which was alike generous and ardent, espoused the cause, and heno longer doubted her constancy and virtue. But when he reflected howher tender heart must have been wrung with anguish at his unkindness andcruelty, in leaving her destitute in a foreign land; how her sensibilitymust have been tortured in finding herself altogether dependent upon aruffian, who certainly harboured the most baleful designs upon herhonour; how her life must be endangered both by his barbarity and her owndespair--I say, when he reflected on these circumstances, he shudderedwith horror and dismay; and that very night despatched a letter to hisfriend the Jew, entreating him, in the most pressing manner, to employall his intelligence in learning the situation of the fair orphan, thatshe might be protected from the villany of Fathom, until his return toEngland.