LANSINGBURGH, N.Y.,
_Saturday, May 18, 1839_.
‘Confusion seize the Greek!’ exclaimed I, as wrathfully rising from my
chair, I flung my ancient lexicon across the room, and seizing my hat
and cane, and throwing on my cloak, I sallied out into the clear air of
heaven. The bracing coolness of an April evening calmed my aching
temples, and I slowly wended my way to the river-side. I had promenaded
the bank for about half an hour, when flinging myself upon the grassy
turf, I was soon lost in revery, and up to the lips in sentiment.
I had not lain more than five minutes, when a figure, effectually
concealed in the ample folds of a cloak, glided past me, and hastily
dropping something at my feet, disappeared behind the angle of an
adjoining house, ere I could recover from my astonishment at so singular
an occurrence.
‘Cerbes!’ cried I, springing up, ‘here is a spice of the marvellous!’
and stooping down, I picked up an elegant little rose-coloured,
lavender-scented _billet-doux_, and hurriedly breaking the seal (a
heart, transfixed with an arrow) I read by the light of the moon the
following:--
‘GENTLE SIR,--If my fancy has painted you in genuine colours, you
will on the receipt of this, incontinently follow the bearer where
she will lead you.
‘INAMORATA.’
‘The deuce I will!’ exclaimed I. ‘But soft!’ And I reperused this
singular document, turned over the billet in my fingers, and examined
the handwriting, which was femininely delicate, and I could have sworn
was a woman’s. Is it possible, thought I, that the days of romance are
revived? No, ‘The days of chivalry are over!’ says Burke.
As I made this reflection, I looked up, and beheld the same figure which
had handed me this questionable missive, beckoning me forward. I started
toward her; but, as I approached, she receded from me, and fled swiftly
along the margin of the river at a pace, which, encumbered as I was with
my heavy cloak and boots, I was unable to follow; and which filled me
with sundry misgivings as to the nature of the being who could travel
with such amazing celerity. At last, perfectly breathless, I fell into a
walk; which my mysterious fugitive perceiving, she likewise lessened her
pace, so as to keep herself still in sight, although at too great a
distance to permit me to address her.
Having recovered from my fatigue, and regained my breath, I loosened the
clasp of my cloak, and inwardly resolving that I would come at the
bottom of the mystery, I desperately flung the mantle from my shoulders,
and dashing my beaver to the ground, gave chase in good earnest to the
tantalising stranger. No sooner did I from my extravagant actions
announce my intention to overtake her, than with a light laugh of
derision, she sprang forward at a rate, which in attempting to outstrip,
soon left me far in the rear, heartily disconcerted and crestfallen, and
inly cursing the _ignis fatuus_ that danced so provokingly before me.
At length, like everyone else, learning wisdom from experience, I
thought my policy lay in silently following the footsteps of my
eccentric guide, and quietly waiting the _dénouement_ of this
extraordinary adventure. So soon as I relaxed my speed, and gave
evidence of having renounced my more summary mode of procedure, the
stranger, regulating her movements by mine, proceeded at a pace which
preserved between us a uniform distance, ever and anon looking back like
a wary general to see if I were again inclined to try the mettle of her
limbs.
After pursuing our way in this monotonous style for some time, I
observed that my conductress rather abated in her precautions, and had
not for the last ten or fifteen minutes taken her periodical survey over
her shoulder; whereat plucking up my spirits, which I can assure you,
courteous reader, had fallen considerably below zero by the ill-success
of my previous efforts, I again rushed madly forward at the summit of my
speed, and having advanced ten or twelve rods unperceived, was
flattering myself that I should this time make good my purpose; when,
turning suddenly round, as though reminded of her late omission, and
descrying me plunging ahead like an infuriated steed, she gave a slight
audible scream of surprise, and once more fled, as though helped forward
by invisible wings.
This last failure was too much. I stopped short, and stamping the ground
in ungovernable rage, gave vent to my chagrin in a volley of
exclamations: in which, perhaps, if narrowly inspected, might have been
detected two or three expressions which savoured somewhat of the jolly
days of the jolly cavaliers. But if a man was ever excusable for
swearing, surely the circumstances of the case were palliative of the
crime. What! to be thwarted by a woman! Peradventure baffled by a girl!
Confusion! It was too bad! To be outgeneraled, routed, defeated by a
mere rib of the earth? It was not to be borne! I thought I should never
survive the inexpressible mortification of the moment, and in the height
of my despair I bethought me of putting a romantic end to my existence
upon the very spot which had witnessed my discomfiture.
But when the first transports of my wrath had passed away, and
perceiving that the waters of the river, instead of presenting an
unruffled calm, as they are wont to do on so interesting an occasion,
were discomposed and turbid; and remembering, that beside this, I had no
other means of accomplishing my heroic purpose except the vulgar and
inelegant one of braining myself against the stone wall which traversed
the road; I sensibly determined after taking into consideration the
afore-mentioned particulars, together with the fact that I had an
unfinished game of chess to win, on which depended no inconsiderable
wager, that to commit suicide under such circumstances would be highly
inexpedient, and probably be attended with many inconveniences. During
the time I had consumed in arriving at this most wise and discreet
conclusion, my mind had time to recover its former tone, and had become
comparatively calm and collected; and I saw my folly in endeavouring to
trifle with one apparently so mysterious and inexplicable.
I now resolved, that whatever might betide, I would patiently await the
issue of the affair, and advancing forward in the direction of my guide,
who all this time had maintained her ground, steadfastly watching my
actions, we both simultaneously strode forward, and were soon on the
same footing as before.
We walked on at an increased pace, and were just past the suburbs of the
town when my conductress, plunging into a neighbouring grove, pursued
her way with augmented speed, till we arrived at a spot, whose singular
and grotesque beauty, even amidst the agitating occurrences of the
evening, I could not refrain from observing. A circular space of about a
dozen acres in extent had been cleared in the very heart of the grove,
leaving, however, two parallel rows of lofty trees, which at the
distance of about twenty paces, and intersected in the centre by two
similar ranges, traversed the whole diameter of the circle. These noble
plants shooting their enormous trunks to an amazing height, bore their
verdant honours far aloft, throwing their gigantic limbs abroad and
embracing each other with their rugged arms. This fanciful union of
their sturdy boughs formed a magnificent arch, whose grand proportions,
swelling upward in proud pre-eminence, presented to the eye a vaulted
roof, which to my perturbed imagination at the time, seemed to have
canopied the triumphal feasts of the sylvan god. This singular prospect
burst upon me in all its beauty, as we emerged from the surrounding
thicket, and I had unconsciously lingered on the borders of the wood,
the better to enjoy so unrivalled a view, when, as my eye was following
the dusky outline of the grove, I caught sight of the diminutive figure
of my guide, who, standing at the entrance of the arched way I have been
endeavouring to describe, was making the most extravagant gesture of
impatience at my delay. Reminded at once of the situation, which put me
for a time under the control of this capricious mortal, I replied to her
summons by immediately throwing myself forward, and we soon entered the
Atlantian arbour, in whose umbrageous shades we were completely hid.
Lost in conjecture, during the whole of this eccentric ramble, as to its
probable termination, the sombre gloom of these ancestral trees gave a
darkening hue to my imaginings, and I began to repent the inconsiderate
haste which had hurried me on in an expedition so peculiar and
suspicious. In spite of all my efforts to exclude them, the fictions of
the nursery poured in upon my recollections, and I felt with Bob Acres
in the _Rivals_, that ‘my valour was certainly going.’ Once, I am almost
ashamed to own it to thee, gentle reader, my mind was so haunted with
ghostly images, that in an agony of apprehension I was about to turn and
flee, and had actually made some preliminary movements to that effect,
when my hand, accidentally straying into my bosom, gripped the billet,
whose romantic summons had caused this nocturnal adventure. I felt my
soul regain her fortitude, and smiling at the absurd conceits which
infested my brain, I once more stalked proudly forward, under the
overhanging branches of these ancient trees.
Emergent from the shades of this romantic region, we soon beheld an
edifice, which seated on a gentle eminence, and embowered amidst
surrounding trees, bore the appearance of a country villa; although its
plain exterior showed none of those fantastic devices which usually
adorn the elegant châteaux. My conductress, as we neared this
unpretending mansion, seemed to redouble her precautions, and although
she evinced no positive alarm, yet her quick and startled glances
bespoke no small degree of apprehension. Motioning me to conceal myself
behind an adjacent tree, she approached the house with rapid but
cautious steps; my eyes followed her until she disappeared behind the
shadow of the garden wall, and I remained waiting her reappearance with
the utmost anxiety. An interval of several moments had elapsed, when I
descried her, swinging open a small postern, and beckoning me to
advance. I obeyed the summons, and was soon by her side, not a little
amazed at the complacency which, after what had transpired, brooked my
immediate vicinity. Dissembling my astonishment, however, and rallying
all my powers, I followed with noiseless strides the footsteps of my
guide, fully persuaded that this mysterious affair was now about to be
brought to an _éclaircissement_.
The appearance of this spacious habitation was anything but inviting; it
seemed to have been built with a jealous eye to concealment; and its
few, but well-defended windows were sufficiently high from the ground,
as effectually to baffle the prying curiosity of the inquisitive
stranger. Not a single light shone from the narrow casement; but all was
harsh, gloomy, and forbidding. As my imagination, ever alert on such an
occasion, was busily occupied in assigning some fearful motive for such
unusual precautions, my leader suddenly halted beneath a lofty window,
and making a low call, I perceived slowly descending therefrom, a thick
silken cord, attached to an ample basket, which was silently deposited
at our feet. Amazed at this apparition, I was about soliciting an
explanation: when laying her fingers impressively upon her lips, and
placing herself in the basket, my guide motioned me to seat myself
beside her. I obeyed, but not without considerable trepidation; and, in
obedience to the same low call which had procured its descent, our
curious vehicle, with sundry creakings, rose in the air.
To attempt an analysis of my feelings at this moment were impossible.
The solemnity of the hour--the romantic nature of my present situation,
the singularity of my whole adventure, the profound stillness which
prevailed, the solitude of the place, were enough of themselves to
strike a panic into the stoutest heart, and to unsettle the strongest
nerves. But when to these was added the thought--that at the dead of
night, and in the company of a being so perfectly inexplicable, I was
effecting a clandestine entrance into so remarkable an abode, the kind
and sympathising reader will not wonder, when I wished myself bestowed
in my own snug quarters in ⸻ Street.
Such were the reflections which passed through my mind during our aerial
voyage, throughout which my guide maintained the most rigid silence,
only broken at intervals by the occasional creakings of our machine, as
it rubbed against the side of the house in its ascent. No sooner had we
gained the window, than two brawny arms were extended, circling me in
their embrace, and ere I was aware of the change of locality, I found
myself standing upright in an apartment, dimly illuminated by a solitary
taper. My fellow-voyager was quickly beside me, and again enjoining
silence with her finger, she seized the lamp, and bidding me follow,
conducted me through a long corridor, till we reached a low door
concealed behind some old tapestry, which opening to the touch,
disclosed a spectacle as beautiful and enchanting as any described in
the Arabian Nights.
The apartment we now entered, was fitted up in a style of Eastern
splendour, and its atmosphere was redolent of the most delicious
perfumes. The walls were hung round with the most elegant draperies,
waving in graceful folds, on which were delineated scenes of Arcadian
beauty. The floor was covered with a carpet of the finest texture, in
which were wrought with exquisite skill the most striking events in
ancient mythology. Attached to the walls by cords composed of alternate
threads of crimson silk and gold, were several magnificent pictures
illustrative of the loves of Jupiter and Semele, Psyche before the
tribunal of Venus, and a variety of other scenes, limned all with
felicitous grace. Disposed around the room were luxurious couches,
covered with the finest damask, on which were likewise executed after
the Italian fashion the early fables of Greece and Rome. Tripods,
designed to represent the Graces bearing aloft vases, richly chiselled
in the classic taste, were distributed in the angles of the room, and
exhaled an intoxicating fragrance.
Chandeliers of the most fanciful description, suspended from the lofty
ceiling by rods of silver, shed over this voluptuous scene a soft and
tempered light, and imparted to the whole that dreamy beauty which must
be seen in order to be duly appreciated. Mirrors of unusual magnitude,
multiplying in all directions the gorgeous objects, deceived the eye by
their reflections, and mocked the vision with long perspective.
But overwhelming as was the display of opulence, it yielded in
attraction to the being for whom all this splendour glistened; and the
grandeur of the room served only to show to advantage the matchless
beauty of its inmate. These superb decorations, though lavished in
boundless profusion, were the mere accessories of a creature, whose
loveliness was of that spiritual cast that depended upon no adventitious
aid, and which as no obscurity could diminish, so no art could heighten.
When I first obtained a glimpse of this lovely being, she lay reclining
upon an ottoman; in one hand holding a lute, and with the other, lost in
the profusion of her silken tresses, she supported her head. I could not
refrain from recalling the passionate exclamation of Romeo:--
‘See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand!
O, that I were a glove upon that hand,
That I might touch that cheek!’
She was habited in a flowing robe of the purest white, and her hair,
escaping from the fillet of roses which had bound it, spread its
negligent graces over neck and bosom and shoulder, as though unwilling
to reveal the extent of such transcendent charms. Her zone was of pink
satin, on which were broidered figures of Cupid in the act of drawing
his bow; while the ample folds of her Turkish sleeve were gathered at
the wrist by a bracelet of immense rubies, each of which represented a
heart pierced through by a golden shaft. Her fingers were decorated with
a variety of rings, which as she waved her hand to me as I entered,
darted forth a thousand coruscations, and gleamed their brilliant
splendours to the sight. Peeping from beneath the envious skirts of her
mantle, and almost buried in the downy cushion on which it reposed, lay
revealed the prettiest foot you can imagine cased in a satin slipper,
which clung to the fairylike member by means of a diamond clasp.
As I entered the apartment, her eyes were downcast, and the expression
of her face was mournfully interesting; she had apparently been lost in
some melancholy revery. Upon my entrance, however, her countenance
brightened, as with a queenly wave of the hand she motioned my
conductress from the room, and left me standing, mute, admiring, and
bewildered in her presence.
For a moment my brain spun round, and I had not at command a single one
of my faculties. Recovering my self-possession, however, and with that,
my good breeding, I advanced _en cavalier_, and gracefully sinking on
one knee, I bowed my head and exclaimed, ‘Here do I prostrate myself,
thou sweet Divinity, and kneel at the shrine of thy beauty.’
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