A few days after the departure of his uncle, Gustave paid a visit to
Grinselhof. He was received by Monsieur De Vlierbeck and his daughter
with their usual kindness, passed the greater part of an afternoon with
them, and went home at nightfall to the _château_ of Echelpoel full of
delightful recollections and hopes. Either from a fear of disturbing the
reserved habits of the old gentleman, or from a sense of politeness,
Gustave did not at first repeat his visits too frequently; but after a
couple of weeks the extreme cordiality of Vlierbeck dispelled all his
scruples. The ardent youth no longer resisted an impulse that drew him
toward the bewitching girl, nor did he allow a single day to roll by
without passing the afternoon at Grinselhof. The happy hours flew
rapidly on the wings of love. He strolled with Lenora through the shady
walks of the old garden, listened to her father's observations on
science and art, drank in the delicious notes of his loved one's voice
as it was breathed forth in song, or, seated beneath the flowery and
spreading catalpa, dreamed the dream of happiness that was in store for
him with her who was probably soon to become his betrothed.
If the noble and beautiful face of the maiden had won his eye and
enlisted his feelings the moment he first beheld her in the village
churchyard, _now_, that he had become familiar with her character, his
love grew so ardently absorbing that the world seemed sad and dead if
she were not present to shed the light of her joyous spirit upon every
thing around him. Neither religion nor poetry could conjure up an angel
more fascinating than his beloved. Indeed, though God had endowed her
person with all those feminine graces that adorned the first woman in
Paradise, he had also lavished on her a heart whose crystalline purity
was never clouded, and whose generosity burst forth with every emotion
like a limpid spring.
But in all his interviews, Gustave had never yet been alone with Lenora.
When he visited her she never left the apartment where she commonly sat
with her father, unless the old gentleman expressed a wish that they
should unite in a walk through the garden; and, of course, he had never
enjoyed an opportunity to breathe the love that was rising to his lips.
Still, he felt that it was altogether useless to express by words what
was passing in their hearts; for the kindness, the respect, the
affection, that shone in everybody's eyes, betokened the feeling which
united them in a mingled sentiment of attachment and hope.
Though Gustave entertained profound veneration for Lenora's father and
really loved him as a son, there was something which at times came like
a cloud betwixt himself and the old gentleman. What he heard outside of
Grinselhof of De Vlierbeck's extraordinary avarice had been fully
realized since he became intimate at the house. No one ever offered him
a glass of wine or beer; he never received an invitation to dinner or
supper; and he frequently observed the trouble that was taken by the
master of the house to disguise his inhospitable economy.
Avarice is a passion which excites no other emotion than that of
aversion or contempt, because it is natural to believe that when so
degrading a vice takes possession of one's soul it destroys every spark
of generosity and fills it with meanness. Accordingly, Gustave had a
long and fearful conflict with himself in order to subdue this
instinctive feeling and to convince his judgment that De Vlierbeck's
conduct was only a caprice which did not detract from the native dignity
of his character. And yet, had the young man known the truth, he would
have seen that a pang was hidden beneath every smile that flitted over
the old man's face, and that the nervous shudders which at times shook
his frame were the results of a suppressed agony that almost destroyed
him. As he gazed on the happy face of Lenora and steeped his soul in the
intoxication of her love, he never dreamed that her father's life was a
prolonged punishment; that, day and night, a terrible future opened its
vista before him; and that each moment of his existence brought him
nearer and nearer to a dreadful catastrophe. He had not heard the
inexorable sentence of the notary:--"Four months more and your bond
expires, when all you possess in this world will be sold by the officers
of justice to satisfy your creditors!"
Two of those fatal months had already expired!
If Monsieur De Vlierbeck appeared to encourage the young man's love, it
was not alone in consequence of his sympathy with his feelings. No: the
_dénouement_ of his painful trial was to be developed within a defined
period; and, if it proved inauspicious, there was nothing but dishonor
and moral death for himself and child! Destiny was about to decide
forever whether he was to come out victorious from this ten years'
conflict with poverty, or whether he was to fall into the abyss of
public contempt! These were the feelings that induced him to conceal his
true position more carefully than ever, and, while he watched over the
lovers like a guardian spirit, made him do nothing to check the rapid
progress of their passion.
As the time of his uncle's return approached, the two months seemed to
Gustave to have flown by like a pleasant dream; and, although he felt
sure that his relative would not oppose the union, he foresaw that he
would not be allowed hereafter to spend so much of his time away from
business. Indeed, the very idea that he might be obliged to pass
considerable periods without seeing Lenora made him look for his
uncle's return with any thing but delight.
One day he contrived to whisper his fears and anticipations to Lenora,
and, for the first time since their acquaintance, saw tears gathering in
her eyes. The girl's emotion touched his heart so sensibly that he
ventured timidly to take her hand, and held it in his for a long time
without uttering a word. De Vlierbeck, who had overheard the remark,
tried to comfort him, but his words did not seem to produce the desired
effect; and, after a short time, Gustave rose abruptly and took leave,
though his usual time of departure had not yet arrived. Lenora read in
his expression that some sudden revolution had occurred in her lover's
mind, for his eyes glistened with extraordinary animation. She strove
eagerly to retain him by her side; but he resisted her appeal
pleasantly, and declared that nothing should unveil his secret till the
following day, when he would return to Grinselhof. De Vlierbeck,
however, was more familiar with the world than his daughter; and,
imagining that lie had penetrated the mystery of Gustave's conduct, many
a pleasant dream hovered that night around his pillow.
As the usual hour of Gustave's visit approached next day, De Vlierbeck's
heart beat high with hope; and when the visitor appeared, clad with
unusual neatness and care, the old gentleman welcomed him with more than
ordinary warmth. After the compliments of the day had been paid to his
ladylove, Gustave expressed a desire for a few moments' conversation
with her father, who led him into an adjoining cabinet and seated
himself by his side.
"What is it you wish of me, my young friend?" said he, kindly.
Gustave was silent for a moment, as if endeavoring to rally his ideas,
and then spoke out in a manly way:--
"I am about, my dear sir, to speak to you in regard to a matter that
concerns my happiness; and, no matter what may be your decision, I am
sure, from your kindness upon all occasions, that you will pardon my
boldness. I can hardly imagine that the feeling--the irresistible
feeling--I have entertained for Lenora from the first moment I saw her,
has escaped your penetrating eye. I ought probably to have asked your
consent long ago, before she obtained so complete a dominion over my
heart; but I have always secretly encouraged the belief that you read my
soul and wore not displeased with my motives."
Gustave was silent, awaiting the hoped-for words of encouragement; but
De Vlierbeck only looked at him with a gentle smile, and gave no other
indication of his pleasure. A motion of the hand, as if he wished the
lover to go on with his conversation, was the only sign he made in
reply,
Gustave's resolution began to ebb at this discouraging by-play; but,
summoning all his energy for another attack, he continued:--
"Yes, sir, I have loved Lenora from my first sight of her; but what was
then a spark is now a flame. Don't think it is her loveliness alone that
bewitched me. She might indeed enchant the most insensible of mankind;
but I found a far more glorious treasure in the angelic heart of your
daughter. Her virtue, the immaculate purity of her soul, her gentle and
magnanimous sentiments,--in a word, the prodigal gifts of mind and body
which God has lavished on her,--have increased my admiration to love, my
love to absolute idolatry! How dare I conceal my emotion from you any
longer? I cannot live without Lenora; the very thought of even a short
temporary separation from her overwhelms me with despair. I long to be
with her every day, every hour; I long to hear her voice and read my
happiness in her eloquent eyes! I know not what may be your decision;
but, believe me, if it shall be adverse to my hopes, I shall not long
survive the blow. If your decree separate, me from my beloved Lenora,
life will no longer have a charm for me!"
Gustave uttered his romantic rhapsody--the rhapsody of most lovers--with
that genuine emotion which bespoke his sincerity, and touched the heart
of De Vlierbeck so deeply that he grasped his hand and implored him to
be calm.
"Don't tremble so, my young friend," said the old gentleman. "I know
very well that you love Lenora, and that she is not insensible to your
affection for her. But what have you to propose to me?"
Gustave replied, dejectedly,--"If I still doubt your approval, after all
the marks of esteem you have given me, it is because I fear you do not
consider me worthy the happiness I have sought. I have no ancestral tree
whose roots are buried in the past; the good deeds of my forefathers do
not shine in history; the blood that runs in my veins comes from a
common stock."
"Do you think," said De Vlierbeck, interrupting him, "that I was
ignorant of all this from the first day of our acquaintance? No Gustave;
no matter what your lineage may be, your own heart is generous and
noble; and, had it not been so, I would never have esteemed and treated
you as my son."
"And so," exclaimed Gustave, catching at the last words with a burst of
joyous impatience, "you don't refuse me Lenora's hand?--you will
interpose no objection, provided my uncle gives his consent?"
"No," replied De Vlierbeck; "I shall not refuse it to you. On the
contrary, it will give me unbounded happiness to intrust the fate of my
only child to your keeping. And yet there is an obstacle of which you
have no idea."
"An obstacle!" exclaimed Gustave, growing pale;--"an obstacle between
Lenora and me?"
"Be silent a moment," said De Vlierbeck, "and listen to the explanation
I shall give you. You think, Gustave, I suppose, that Grinselhof and
all its dependencies belong to us? It is not so: we are penniless. We
are poorer far than the peasant who rents our farming-land and lives
yonder at the gate!"
Gustave looked doubtingly at De Vlierbeck, with so incredulous a smile
that the poor gentleman blushed, and trembled like an aspen.
"I see you do not believe me," continued he; "I see it in your smile and
look. Like the rest of them, you think me a miser, hiding my wealth and
starving my child and myself to amass riches,--a wretch who sacrifices
every thing for money,--a vagabond whom all ought to fear and despise!"
"Oh, pardon me, pardon me, sir!" interrupted Gustave, moved by the
excitement of the old man "I think nothing of the kind! My veneration
for you is unbounded!"
"Nay, don't be frightened at my words, young man," continued De
Vlierbeck, in a calmer tone. "I make no accusations against you,
Gustave. I only saw in your incredulous smile that I had succeeded in
masking my poverty even from you, and in making you suppose that my
economy was avarice. But it is needless for me to give you any further
explanation just now. Let it suffice you to know that what I say is
strictly, honestly true. I possess nothing,--nothing!"
"And now," added he, after a moment's silence on both sides, "let me
give you a piece of advice. Go home to-day without seeing Lenora;
examine your soul calmly, and see whether there are no secret emotions
that may make you change your present views; let a night pass, and if,
to-morrow, Lenora, poor as you now know her to be, is still dear to
you,--if you still think you can be happy with her and can make her
happy,--seek your uncle and ask his consent. Here is my hand: if the day
shall ever come when I can offer it as a father's, it will be the
happiest of my life!"
Although the revelation made by Monsieur De Vlierbeck was astonishing to
Gustave, the solemn tone in which he announced it convinced the lover of
its truth. He was silent for a moment; but soon a spark of enthusiasm
began to glisten in his eye and light up his face, as he exclaimed,--
"How can you ask me if I shall continue to love Lenora now that I know
her to be poor? It will be happiness enough for me to receive her as a
wife, to be bound to her by the eternal bonds of love, to be forever
within her reach, and to receive my happiness from her look and voice!
What delight it will be for me to protect her and know that I have the
privilege of working for her! Palace or hovel; riches or poverty, all
are equally indifferent to me, provided her presence animates the spot!
A night's reflection, Monsieur De Vlierbeck, cannot change my
resolution. Grant me Lenora's hand, and I will thank you on my knees for
the priceless gift!"
"And suppose I do," replied the old gentleman; "generosity and
constancy are natural to the ardent character of youth:--but your
uncle?"
"My uncle!" murmured Gustave, with evident grief; "that is true; I need
his consent. All I possess or ever shall possess in the world depends on
his affection for me. I am the orphan son of his brother. He adopted me
as his child and has overwhelmed me with kindness. He has the right to
decide my lot in life, and I must obey him."
"And do you think that he, a merchant, who probably places a very high
value on money, because experience has taught him its value, will say,
like you, 'Palace or hovel, poverty or wealth, it makes no difference'?"
"Alas! I know not, Monsieur De Vlierbeck," said Gustave, droopingly.
"But my uncle is so good to me--so extraordinarily good--that I may
rightly hope for his consent. He will return to-morrow. When I embrace
him I will declare all my wishes. I will say my comfort, my happiness,
my life, depend on his consent. I know that he loves Lenora sincerely;
for, before his departure, he even seemed to encourage my pretensions to
her hand. Your disclosures will undoubtedly surprise him; but my prayers
will conquer: believe it!"
Monsieur De Vlierbeck rose, to put an end to the conversation.
"Well, ask your uncle's consent," said he; "and, if your hopes are
realized, let him come here and consult about the marriage. Whatever
may be the issue of this affair, Gustave, you at least have always
behaved toward us with the delicacy of a generous youth. My esteem and
friendship shall always be yours. Go now; quit Grinselhof this time
without seeing Lenora, for you ought not to meet her until this affair
is settled. I will tell her myself whatever I think proper for her to
know."
Half pleased, half sad,--his heart divided between joy and
anxiety,--Gustave bade farewell to Lenora's father and returned to
Echelpoel.