_The Scene changes to Glen-Morgan._
When the appointed morning came, and the hearse with its attendant
mourners issued from the portal of the court of Kray Castle, the tenants
of De Lancaster presented themselves in a body and fell in respectfully
and silently in rear of the cavalcade; but when Sir Arthur Floyd and the
party of gentlemen, who had dined at the castle attached themselves to
the train, following the coach, in which De Lancaster was seated, till
they came to the last verge of his domain, where the tenants dispersed,
and they approached to pay their valedictory respects, the venerable old
man, overcome even to tears by the unexpected compliment, and, bowing
from the window of his coach, had only strength to say--Gentlemen, I
thank you from my heart! you have conferred an honour and a favour upon
me and mine, which I never shall forget.
When they arrived upon the lands of Glen Morgan, though yet at some
distance from the house, they were again met and escorted by the tenants
and retainers of that ancient and opulent family, till they arrived at
the place of their destination.
Here Mr. De Lancaster, by the persuasion of his daughter, consented to
repose after the fatigue and agitation of the journey, whilst Cecilia
and her nephew, as chief mourners, followed the body to the church,
there to consign it with all solemnity to the vault, where the remains
of the Morgans had been deposited for many generations.
The crowd, which such a spectacle could not fail to bring together, were
not so engrossed by their sorrow as to prevent them from bestowing their
attention on the countenance of the youthful heir, and dull indeed must
have been the eye, which had not discerned that spirit of innate
benevolence, which not all the clouds of sorrow could obscure. Our hero
had now advanced into his eighteenth year; he was tall of stature, erect
in person and of manly growth and proportion. When he led his aunt from
the church, after the solemnity was concluded, and the people, who lined
his passage to the coach, uncovered and in respectful silence paid their
homage, he stopped, looked round, and in a manner at once the most
graceful and most gracious, returned their salutation. It was a look,
set off with such an action, as spoke comfort to the poor, and gave
assurance to all beholders of a kind and noble nature. What sensations
it conveyed to the feeling bosom of the approving Cecilia, is easier to
conceive than to describe: it was not overlooked by Amelia, who beheld
it through her tears, and the interesting glance was not rendered the
less impressive by the tender medium, through which it made its passage
to her heart.
She was leaning on the arm of Mrs. Jennings; conscious that she had no
place in that awful ceremony, she had modestly stood at distance from
those who had; and, it was now for the first time that our hero’s eyes
had been directed towards her. She did not put it in the power of the
chief mourners to offer her a seat in their coach, but carefully avoided
being noticed by them, and walked with Mrs. Jennings from the church to
the house. When there arrived, she did not enter by the hall, but
through the offices, and by a private staircase retired to her chamber,
conducted by the house-keeper.
Cecilia also, after she had paid her respects to the father of the
deceased, repaired to the apartment appointed for her, and dispatched a
servant to Mrs. Jennings and Amelia, requesting the favour of their
company. In a very few minutes the former of these ladies presented
herself, leading by the hand her elegant and lovely charge in deep
mourning, for which Mrs. Jennings took immediate occasion to apologize,
and hoped she should not give offence to any of the family by having so
done. Whilst this was passing, her timid pupil had drawn back, and held
her handkerchief to her eyes at once to hide her tears and her
confusion.
Madam, (said Cecilia in that melodious tone, which charmed all ears) you
have judged correctly right in this particular, as I doubt not but you
have in every other, that has reference to this young lady, who is most
fortunate in being under your protection. Of the propriety of her
wearing mourning there can be no doubt, were it only on account of the
interest she has in Mrs. De Lancaster’s will, where her name will be
found attached to a legacy of two thousand pounds.
Bless me, cried Mrs. Jennings, that is beyond all expectation, and I’m
afraid--
Hold, if you please, said Cecilia (taking Mrs. Jennings by the hand, as
if to apologize for the interruption) and let us sit down, for we keep
this young lady standing, who, if I am not mistaken, has occasion for
repose.--When they were seated, Cecilia proceeded to say, that the
bequest to Miss Jones, which you are pleased to consider as above your
expectation, was only limited, as I have occasion to know, to the sum of
two thousand pounds because the deceased was not possessed of disposable
property sufficient to meet her wishes for making a more ample provision
for the amiable young lady here present; and this, she added, will be
put out of doubt by a particular and very urgent clause in the said
will, in which she recommends and appeals in the most solemn manner to
her son to bear in mind those earnest wishes, which she had imparted to
him, and not forget the promises, which he had made--And now, madam, as
the full purport of this article, which to you may appear mysterious, is
to me and to my nephew also perfectly clear, this amiable young lady may
be assured, that the wishes of the testator in their most extended sense
will be fulfilled by him, to whom they are bequeathed, if Heaven shall
in its mercy grant him life.
If the sensibility of the soul has power without the use of words to
convey its meaning, the look and action, which Amelia now directed to
Cecilia De Lancaster, could not be misunderstood: neither were they,
for that excellent lady, who in that species of eloquence was herself
inferior to none, needed no interpreter, and immediately said--Put
yourself to no exertions, Miss Jones, but withdraw for a time, till you
can recover your spirits, for I readily comprehend both what you feel,
and what you wish to say. If you find yourself disposed to pass a little
time in private, I will undertake for your apology to the company below
stairs.
This said, Amelia rose, made a respectfull obeisance, and withdrew:
Cecilia had given Mrs. Jennings intimation that she wished to be in
private with her, and immediately, resuming her seat, said--That young
lady does you great credit, madam; I declare to you I never yet
contemplated any thing more elegant in manners, or more interesting in
person. I understand she has been some years under your tuition, and as
I am intimately acquainted with Mrs. De Lancaster’s motives for that
anxious attachment to her future fortune, which she manifests in her
will, you will not think me too officious, if I request to be informed
of the plan, which you may have adopted, or in your judgment would
advise, for the further education of this young creature, whose beauty
and attraction at this critical time of life demand no common degree of
care and attention.
Therein, madam, replied Mrs. Jennings, I must refer to better judgment
than my own, and solicit to be ruled by your instruction and advice. I
am a solitary woman, and having no other influence or authority over her
than what her prudence and good will voluntarily concede to me, I must
confess I am not in myself sufficient to encounter every species of
danger, that may possibly occur to alarm me for her sake, and permit me
to add for the sake of one other person also, whom I fear I have too far
offended ever to be forgiven.
If you allude to my nephew, said Cecilia, I beg of you to be explicit.
I own it is to him that I allude, she replied, and as his resentment is
now of so long standing, I have reason to fear I shall never be
forgiven. I confess to you, madam, that when I thought I had discovered
an attachment forming between your nephew and my humble charge, I
considered it as my duty to stop it in its beginning, and prevent their
interviews. This I did, when he last came to my house, and wished to see
Amelia Jones for the purpose of presenting to her a miniature picture
of her father, sent by Mrs. De Lancaster, to which he had added a rich
and elegant chain of gold, which I believe was of his own procuring.
Upon my hesitating to give him immediate admission to Amelia, he left my
house in displeasure, and from that time to this neither myself, nor
Amelia to my knowledge, have either seen him, or been noticed by him in
the slightest degree. If, unfortunately for her, she is involved in an
offence, of which I alone was guilty, you see, madam, how improper it
will be for her, but more especially for me, to remain any longer in
this house, where we must consider ourselves unwelcome to young Mr. De
Lancaster at least, and probably to others, whom I need not name. I
should add, that for Amelia’s sake it behoves us to be gone, as she,
poor child, is distressed by his displeasure to a degree, which, as you
have witnessed, renders her unfit to appear even in your presence, who
are all condescension and benevolence. This being the case, is it for me
to advise what is further to be done for Miss Jones’s education? Am I,
in short, any longer the proper person to conduct it? I humbly conceive
I am not.
To this Cecilia answered--As I draw conclusions from what you have been
stating very different from what you seem to apprehend, I think your
taking Amelia away from us at this time would be the most unadvisable
measure you could adopt and the most irreconcilable to her interest. The
motives, upon which you have hitherto acted towards my nephew, are
certainly very honourable; but you need not pursue them any further; at
least, not with the same degree of rigour. Assure Miss Jones from me,
that she has not the least occasion to be alarmed; let her act as her
own good sense and discretion shall dictate, and I am persuaded you will
not find it necessary to lay any restraint upon her conduct. You will
endeavour therefore to detach her from her solitude and her sorrows as
speedily as you can, and convince her that she will find none but
friends in our circle, regardful of her interests, and anxious for her
happiness.
Mrs. Jennings having made her acknowledgments for these kind assurances,
respectfully withdrew, and hastened to communicate intelligence so
consolatory to her beloved charge, happy to find herself in a great
degree relieved from an anxious responsibility, which had put her upon
assuming a reserve, much more rigid and punctilious than was natural to
her character.