"Our good minister Dr Brightwell," she commenced, "was a man of
considerable scholastic attainments, and he delighted in making a
display of them. At one time, he had been master of an extensive
grammar school, and now he employed a good deal of his leisure in
teaching those boys and girls of the town, who indicated the possession
of anything like talent. The overseers used to talk jestingly to my
father of the Doctor teaching plough-boys Greek and Latin; and wenches,
whose chief employment was stone-picking in the fields, geography and
the use of the globes. Even the churchwardens shook their heads, and
privately thought the Rector a little out of his seven senses for
wasting his learning upon such unprofitable scholars. Nevertheless, he
continued his self-imposed task, without meeting any reward beyond the
satisfaction of his own conscience. It was not till he added to his
pupils myself and young Reichardt, that he felt he was doing his duty
with some prospect of advantage.
"The spirit of emulation roused both of us to make extraordinary
efforts to second our worthy master's endeavours: and this did not, as
is usually the case, proceed from rivalry--it arose entirely from a
desire of the one to stand well in the estimation of the other. In this
way we learned the French and Latin languages, geography, and the usual
branches of a superior education: but our bias was more particularly
for religious knowledge, and our preceptor encouraged this, till we
were almost as good theologians as himself.
"While this information was being carefully arranged and digested,
there sprung up in our hearts so deep a devotion for each other, that
we were miserable when absent and enjoyed no gratification so much as
being in each other's society. We knew not then the full power and
meaning of this preference, but, as we changed from boy and girl-hood
to adult life, our feelings developed themselves into that attachment
between the sexes, which from time immemorial has received the name of
love."
"I think I know what that means, now," said I, as my day-dream, which
was so rudely disturbed by my fall into the sea occurred to me.
"It would be strange if you did," she replied, "considering that it is
quite impossible you should have become acquainted with it."
"Yes, I am certain I understand it very well," I rejoined, more
confidently, and then added, not without some embarrassment, "If I were
placed in the position of Heinrich Reichardt, I am quite sure I should
feel towards any young female, who was so kind to me, the deepest
regard and affection. I should like to be constantly near her, and
should always desire that she should like me better than anyone else."
"That is quite as good an explanation of the matter, as I could expect
from you," she observed, smiling. "But to return to my story. Our
mutual attachment attracted general attention, and was the subject of
much observation. But we had no enemies: and when we were met strolling
together in the shady lanes, gathering wild flowers, or wandering
through the woods in search of wild strawberries, no one thought it
necessary to make any remark if we had our arms round each other's
waist. My father, if he heard anything about it, did not interfere.
Young Reichardt had made himself so useful to him, and shewed himself
so remarkably clever in everything he undertook, that the old man loved
him as his own son.
"It was a settled thing between us, that we were to become man and
wife, as soon as we should be permitted. And many were our plans and
schemes for the future. Heinrich considered himself to be in the
position of Jacob, who served such a long and patient apprenticeship
for Rachel; and though he confessed he should not like to wait so long
for his wife as the patriarch had been made to do, he acknowledged he
would rather serve my father to the full period, than give up all hope
of possessing me.
"This happy state of things was, however, suddenly put an end to, by Dr
Brightwell one day sending for my father. It was a long time before he
came back, and when he did, he looked unusually grave and reserved. In
an hour or so he communicated to me the result of his long interview
with the Rector. The Doctor had resolved to send young Reichardt to a
distant place, where many learned men lived together in colleges, for
the purpose of further advancing his education, and fitting him for a
religious teacher, to which vocation he had long expressed a desire to
devote himself. The idea of separation seemed very terrible, but I at
last got reconciled to it, in the belief that it would be greatly for
Heinrich's advantage, and we parted at last with many tears, many
protestations, some fears, but a great many more hopes.
"For some days after he had left me, everything seemed so strange,
every one seemed so dull, every place seemed so desolate, that I felt
as if I had been transported into some dismal scene, where I knew no
one, and where there was no one likely to care about me in the
slightest degree. My father went about his avocations in a different
spirit to what he had so long been used to exhibit; it was evident he
missed Heinrich as much as I did, and the villagers stared whenever I
passed them--as though my ever going about without Heinrich, was
something which they had never anticipated.
"In course of time, however, to all appearance, everything and every
one went on in their daily course, as though no Heinrich had ever been
heard of. My father would sometimes, when overpressed by business,
refer to the able assistant he had lost, and now and then I heard a
conjecture hazarded by some one or other of his most confidential
friends, as to what young Reichardt was doing with himself. My
conjectures, and my references to him, were far from being so
occasional; there was scarce an hour of the day I did not think of him;
but, believing that I should please him most by endeavouring to improve
as much as possible during his absence, I did not give myself up to
idle reflections respecting the past, or anticipations, equally idle,
respecting the future.
"My great delight was in hearing from him. At first, his letters
expressed only his feelings for me; then he dwelt more largely on his
own exertions for preparing himself for the profession he desired to
adopt; and after a time, his correspondence was almost entirely
composed of expositions of his views of a religious life, and
dissertations on various points of doctrine. He evidently was growing
more enthusiastic in religion, and less regardful of our attachment.
"Yet I entertained no apprehensions or misgivings. I did not think it
necessary to consider myself slighted because the thoughts of my future
husband were evidently raised more and more above me; the knowledge of
this only made me more anxious to raise myself more and more towards
the elevation to which his thoughts were so intently directed.
"Things went on in this way for two or three years. I never saw him all
this time; I heard from him but seldom. He excused his limited
correspondence on the plea that his studies left him no time for
writing. I never blamed him for this apparent neglect--indeed I rather
encouraged it, for my exhortations were always that he should address
his time and energies towards the attainment of the object I knew him
to have so much at heart--his becoming a minister of our Lord's Gospel.
"One day my father came home from the rectory with a troubled
countenance. Dr Brightwell was very indignant because Heinrich had
joined a religious community that dissented from the Articles of the
Church of England. The Doctor had offered to get him employment in the
Church, if he would give up his new connections: but the more earnest
character of his new faith exerted so much influence over his
enthusiastic nature, that he willingly abandoned his bright prospects
to become a more humble labourer in a less productive vineyard.
"My father, as the clerk of the parish, seemed to think himself bound
to share in the indignation of his pastor for this desertion, and
Heinrich was severely condemned by him for displaying such ingratitude
to his benefactor: I was commanded to think no more of him.
"This, however, was not so easy a matter, although our correspondence
appeared to have entirely ceased. I knew not where to address a letter
to him and was quite unaware of what his future career was now to be."