SWIMMING IN COMPANY WITH THE GIRLS OF THE VALLEY--A CANOE--EFFECTS
OF THE TABOO--A PLEASURE EXCURSION ON THE POND--BEAUTIFUL FREAK OF
FAYAWAY--MANTUA-MAKING--A STRANGER ARRIVES IN THE VALLEY--HIS MYSTERIOUS
CONDUCT--NATIVE ORATORY--THE INTERVIEW--ITS RESULTS--DEPARTURE OF THE
STRANGER
Returning health and peace of mind gave a new interest to everything
around me. I sought to diversify my time by as many enjoyments as lay
within my reach. Bathing in company with troops of girls formed one of
my chief amusements. We sometimes enjoyed the recreation in the waters
of a miniature lake, to which the central stream of the valley expanded.
This lovely sheet of water was almost circular in figure, and about
three hundred yards across. Its beauty was indescribable. All around
its banks waved luxuriant masses of tropical foliage, soaring high above
which were seen, here and there, the symmetrical shaft of the cocoanut
tree, surmounted by its tufts of graceful branches, drooping in the air
like so many waving ostrich plumes.
The ease and grace with which the maidens of the valley propelled
themselves through the water, and their familiarity with the element,
were truly astonishing. Sometimes they might be seen gliding along just
under the surface, without apparently moving hand or foot--then throwing
themselves on their sides, they darted through the water, revealing
glimpses of their forms, as, in the course of their rapid progress, they
shot for an instant partly into the air--at one moment they dived deep
down into the water, and the next they rose bounding to the surface.
I remember upon one occasion plunging in among a parcel of these
river-nymphs, and counting vainly on my superior strength, sought to
drag some of them under the water, but I quickly repented my temerity.
The amphibious young creatures swarmed about me like a shoal of
dolphins, and seizing hold of my devoted limbs, tumbled me about and
ducked me under the surface, until from the strange noises which rang in
my ears, and the supernatural visions dancing before my eyes, I thought
I was in the land of the spirits. I stood indeed as little chance among
them as a cumbrous whale attacked on all sides by a legion of swordfish.
When at length they relinquished their hold of me, they swam away in
every direction, laughing at my clumsy endeavours to reach them.
There was no boat on the lake; but at my solicitation and for my special
use, some of the young men attached to Marheyo’s household, under
the direction of the indefatigable Kory-Kory, brought up a light and
tastefully carved canoe from the sea. It was launched upon the sheet
of water, and floated there as gracefully as a swan. But, melancholy to
relate, it produced an effect I had not anticipated. The sweet nymphs,
who had sported with me before on the lake, now all fled its vicinity.
The prohibited craft, guarded by the edicts of the ‘taboo,’ extended the
prohibition to the waters in which it lay.
For a few days, Kory-Kory, with one or two other youths, accompanied
me in my excursions to the lake, and while I paddled about in my light
canoe, would swim after me shouting and gambolling in pursuit. But I
as ever partial to what is termed in the ‘Young Men’s Own Book’--‘the
society of virtuous and intelligent young ladies;’ and in the absence
of the mermaids, the amusement became dull and insipid. One morning
I expressed to my faithful servitor my desire for the return of the
nymphs. The honest fellow looked at me bewildered for a moment, and
then shook his head solemnly, and murmured ‘taboo! taboo!’ giving me to
understand that unless the canoe was removed I could not expect to have
the young ladies back again. But to this procedure I was averse; I not
only wanted the canoe to stay where it was, but I wanted the beauteous
Fayaway to get into it, and paddle with me about the lake. This latter
proposition completely horrified Kory-Kory’s notions of propriety. He
inveighed against it, as something too monstrous to be thought of. It
not only shocked their established notions of propriety, but was at
variance with all their religious ordinances.
However, although the ‘taboo’ was a ticklish thing to meddle with, I
determined to test its capabilities of resisting an attack. I consulted
the chief Mehevi, who endeavoured to dissuade me from my object; but
I was not to be repulsed; and accordingly increased the warmth of my
solicitations. At last he entered into a long, and I have no doubt a
very learned and eloquent exposition of the history and nature of the
‘taboo’ as affecting this particular case; employing a variety of most
extraordinary words, which, from their amazing length and sonorousness,
I have every reason to believe were of a theological nature. But all
that he said failed to convince me: partly, perhaps, because I could not
comprehend a word that he uttered; but chiefly, that for the life of me
I could not understand why a woman would not have as much right to
enter a canoe as a man. At last he became a little more rational, and
intimated that, out of the abundant love he bore me, he would consult
with the priests and see what could be done.
How it was that the priesthood of Typee satisfied the affair with their
consciences, I know not; but so it was, and Fayaway dispensation from
this portion of the taboo was at length procured. Such an event I
believe never before had occurred in the valley; but it was high time
the islanders should be taught a little gallantry, and I trust that the
example I set them may produce beneficial effects. Ridiculous, indeed,
that the lovely creatures should be obliged to paddle about in the
water, like so many ducks, while a parcel of great strapping fellows
skimmed over its surface in their canoes.
The first day after Fayaway’s emancipation, I had a delightful little
party on the lake--the damsels’ Kory-Kory, and myself. My zealous
body-servant brought from the house a calabash of poee-poee, half a
dozen young cocoanuts--stripped of their husks--three pipes, as many
yams, and me on his back a part of the way. Something of a load; but
Kory-Kory was a very strong man for his size, and by no means brittle in
the spine. We had a very pleasant day; my trusty valet plied the paddle
and swept us gently along the margin of the water, beneath the shades
of the overhanging thickets. Fayaway and I reclined in the stern of
the canoe, on the very best terms possible with one another; the gentle
nymph occasionally placing her pipe to her lip, and exhaling the mild
fumes of the tobacco, to which her rosy breath added a fresh perfume.
Strange as it may seem, there is nothing in which a young and beautiful
female appears to more advantage than in the act of smoking. How
captivating is a Peruvian lady, swinging in her gaily-woven hammock of
grass, extended between two orange-trees, and inhaling the fragrance of
a choice cigarro!
But Fayaway, holding in her delicately formed olive hand the long yellow
reed of her pipe, with its quaintly carved bowl, and every few moments
languishingly giving forth light wreaths of vapour from her mouth and
nostrils, looked still more engaging.
We floated about thus for several hours, when I looked up to the warm,
glowing, tropical sky, and then down into the transparent depths below;
and when my eye, wandering from the bewitching scenery around, fell upon
the grotesquely-tattooed form of Kory-Kory, and finally, encountered the
pensive gaze of Fayaway, I thought I had been transported to some fairy
region, so unreal did everything appear.
This lovely piece of water was the coolest spot in all the valley, and I
now made it a place of continual resort during the hottest period of
the day. One side of it lay near the termination of a long gradually
expanding gorge, which mounted to the heights that environed the vale.
The strong trade wind, met in its course by these elevations, circled
and eddied about their summits, and was sometimes driven down the
steep ravine and swept across the valley, ruffling in its passage the
otherwise tranquil surface of the lake.
One day, after we had been paddling about for some time, I disembarked
Kory-Kory, and paddled the canoe to the windward side of the lake. As
I turned the canoe, Fayaway, who was with me, seemed all at once to be
struck with some happy idea. With a wild exclamation of delight, she
disengaged from her person the ample robe of tappa which was knotted
over her shoulder (for the purpose of shielding her from the sun), and
spreading it out like a sail, stood erect with upraised arms in the head
of the canoe. We American sailors pride ourselves upon our straight,
clean spars, but a prettier little mast than Fayaway made was never
shipped aboard of any craft.
In a moment the tappa was distended by the breeze--the long brown
tresses of Fayaway streamed in the air--and the canoe glided rapidly
through the water, and shot towards the shore. Seated in the stern, I
directed its course with my paddle until it dashed up the soft sloping
bank, and Fayaway, with a light spring alighted on the ground; whilst
Kory-Kory, who had watched our manoeuvres with admiration, now
clapped his hands in transport, and shouted like a madman. Many a time
afterwards was this feat repeated.
If the reader has not observed ere this that I was the declared admirer
of Miss Fayaway, all I can say is that he is little conversant with
affairs of the heart, and I certainly shall not trouble myself to
enlighten him any farther. Out of the calico I had brought from the ship
I made a dress for this lovely girl. In it she looked, I must confess,
something like an opera-dancer.
The drapery of the latter damsel generally commences a little above
the elbows, but my island beauty’s began at the waist, and terminated
sufficiently far above the ground to reveal the most bewitching ankle in
the universe.
The day that Fayaway first wore this robe was rendered memorable by a
new acquaintance being introduced to me. In the afternoon I was lying
in the house when I heard a great uproar outside; but being by this time
pretty well accustomed to the wild halloos which were almost continually
ringing through the valley, I paid little attention to it, until old
Marheyo, under the influence of some strange excitement, rushed into my
presence and communicated the astounding tidings, ‘Marnoo pemi!’ which
being interpreted, implied that an individual by the name of Marnoo was
approaching.
My worthy old friend evidently expected that this intelligence would
produce a great effect upon me, and for a time he stood earnestly
regarding me, as if curious to see how I should conduct myself, but as
I remained perfectly unmoved, the old gentleman darted out of the house
again, in as great a hurry as he had entered it.
‘Marnoo, Marnoo,’ cogitated I, ‘I have never heard that name before.
Some distinguished character, I presume, from the prodigious riot the
natives are making;’ the tumultuous noise drawing nearer and nearer
every moment, while ‘Marnoo!--Marnoo!’ was shouted by every tongue.
I made up my mind that some savage warrior of consequence, who had
not yet enjoyed the honour of an audience, was desirous of paying his
respects on the present occasion. So vain had I become by the lavish
attention to which I had been accustomed, that I felt half inclined,
as a punishment for such neglect, to give this Marnoo a cold reception,
when the excited throng came within view, convoying one of the most
striking specimens of humanity that I ever beheld.
The stranger could not have been more than twenty-five years of age, and
was a little above the ordinary height; had he a single hair’s breadth
taller, the matchless symmetry of his form would have been destroyed.
His unclad limbs were beautifully formed; whilst the elegant outline of
his figure, together with his beardless cheeks, might have entitled him
to the distinction of standing for the statue of the Polynesian Apollo;
and indeed the oval of his countenance and the regularity of every
feature reminded one of an antique bust. But the marble repose of art
was supplied by a warmth and liveliness of expression only to be seen in
the South Sea Islander under the most favourable developments of nature.
The hair of Marnoo was a rich curling brown, and twined about his
temples and neck in little close curling ringlets, which danced up and
down continually, when he was animated in conversation. His cheek was
of a feminine softness, and his face was free from the least blemish
of tattooing, although the rest of his body was drawn all over with
fanciful figures, which--unlike the unconnected sketching usual among
these natives--appeared to have been executed in conformity with some
general design.
The tattooing on his back in particular attracted my attention. The
artist employed must indeed have excelled in his profession. Traced
along the course of the spine was accurately delineated the slender,
tapering and diamond checkered shaft of the beautiful ‘artu’ tree.
Branching from the stem on each side, and disposed alternately, were
the graceful branches drooping with leaves all correctly drawn and
elaborately finished. Indeed the best specimen of the Fine Arts I had
yet seen in Typee. A rear view of the stranger might have suggested the
idea of a spreading vine tacked against a garden wall. Upon his breast,
arms and legs, were exhibited an infinite variety of figures; every
one of which, however, appeared to have reference to the general
effect sought to be produced. The tattooing I have described was of the
brightest blue, and when contrasted with the light olive-colour of the
skin, produced an unique and even elegant effect. A slight girdle of
white tappa, scarcely two inches in width, but hanging before and behind
in spreading tassels, composed the entire costume of the stranger.
He advanced surrounded by the islanders, carrying under one arm a small
roll of native cloth, and grasping in his other hand a long and richly
decorated spear. His manner was that of a traveller conscious that he is
approaching a comfortable stage in his journey. Every moment he turned
good-humouredly on the throng around him, and gave some dashing sort of
reply to their incessant queries, which appeared to convulse them with
uncontrollable mirth.
Struck by his demeanour, and the peculiarity of his appearance, so
unlike that of the shaven-crowned and face-tattooed natives in general,
I involuntarily rose as he entered the house, and proffered him a seat
on the mats beside me. But without deigning to notice the civility, or
even the more incontrovertible fact of my existence, the stranger passed
on, utterly regardless of me, and flung himself upon the further end
of the long couch that traversed the sole apartment of Marheyo’s
habitation.
Had the belle of the season, in the pride of her beauty and power, been
cut in a place of public resort by some supercilious exquisite, she
could not have felt greater indignation than I did at this unexpected
slight.
I was thrown into utter astonishment. The conduct of the savages had
prepared me to anticipate from every newcomer the same extravagant
expressions of curiosity and regard. The singularity of his conduct,
however, only roused my desire to discover who this remarkable personage
might be, who now engrossed the attention of every one.
Tinor placed before him a calabash of poee-poee, from which the stranger
regaled himself, alternating every mouthful with some rapid exclamation,
which was eagerly caught up and echoed by the crowd that completely
filled the house. When I observed the striking devotion of the natives
to him, and their temporary withdrawal of all attention from myself, I
felt not a little piqued. The glory of Tommo is departed, thought I, and
the sooner he removes from the valley the better. These were my feelings
at the moment, and they were prompted by that glorious principle
inherent in all heroic natures--the strong-rooted determination to have
the biggest share of the pudding or to go without any of it.
Marnoo, that all-attractive personage, having satisfied his hunger and
inhaled a few whiffs from a pipe which was handed to him, launched
out into an harangue which completely enchained the attention of his
auditors.
Little as I understood of the language, yet from his animated gestures
and the varying expression of his features--reflected as from so many
mirrors in the countenances around him, I could easily discover the
nature of those passions which he sought to arouse. From the frequent
recurrence of the words ‘Nukuheva’ and ‘Frannee’ (French), and some
others with the meaning of which I was acquainted, he appeared to be
rehearsing to his auditors events which had recently occurred in the
neighbouring bays. But how he had gained the knowledge of these matters
I could not understand, unless it were that he had just come from
Nukuheva--a supposition which his travel-stained appearance not a little
supported. But, if a native of that region, I could not account for his
friendly reception at the hands of the Typees.
Never, certainly, had I beheld so powerful an exhibition of natural
eloquence as Marnoo displayed during the course of his oration. The
grace of the attitudes into which he threw his flexible figure, the
striking gestures of his naked arms, and above all, the fire which shot
from his brilliant eyes, imparted an effect to the continually changing
accents of his voice, of which the most accomplished orator might have
been proud. At one moment reclining sideways upon the mat, and leaning
calmly upon his bended arm, he related circumstantially the aggressions
of the French--their hostile visits to the surrounding bays, enumerating
each one in succession--Happar, Puerka, Nukuheva, Tior,--and then
starting to his feet and precipitating himself forward with clenched
hands and a countenance distorted with passion, he poured out a tide of
invectives. Falling back into an attitude of lofty command, he exhorted
the Typees to resist these encroachments; reminding them, with a fierce
glance of exultation, that as yet the terror of their name had preserved
them from attack, and with a scornful sneer he sketched in ironical
terms the wondrous intrepidity of the French, who, with five war-canoes
and hundreds of men, had not dared to assail the naked warriors of their
valley.
The effect he produced upon his audience was electric; one and all they
stood regarding him with sparkling eyes and trembling limbs, as though
they were listening to the inspired voice of a prophet.
But it soon appeared that Marnoo’s powers were as versatile as they
were extraordinary. As soon as he had finished his vehement harangue, he
threw himself again upon the mats, and, singling out individuals in the
crowd, addressed them by name, in a sort of bantering style, the humour
of which, though nearly hidden from me filled the whole assembly with
uproarious delight.
He had a word for everybody; and, turning rapidly from one to another,
gave utterance to some hasty witticism, which was sure to be followed
by peals of laughter. To the females as well as to the men, he addressed
his discourse. Heaven only knows what he said to them, but he caused
smiles and blushes to mantle their ingenuous faces. I am, indeed, very
much inclined to believe that Marnoo, with his handsome person and
captivating manners, was a sad deceiver among the simple maidens of the
island.
During all this time he had never, for one moment, deigned to regard me.
He appeared, indeed, to be altogether unconscious of my presence. I
was utterly at a loss how to account for this extraordinary conduct. I
easily perceived that he was a man of no little consequence among the
islanders; that he possessed uncommon talents; and was gifted with a
higher degree of knowledge than the inmates of the valley. For these
reasons, I therefore greatly feared lest having, from some cause or
other, unfriendly feelings towards me, he might exert his powerful
influence to do me mischief.
It seemed evident that he was not a permanent resident of the vale, and
yet, whence could he have come? On all sides the Typees were girt in by
hostile tribes, and how could he possibly, if belonging to any of these,
be received with so much cordiality?
The personal appearance of the enigmatical stranger suggested additional
perplexities. The face, free from tattooing, and the unshaven crown,
were peculiarities I had never before remarked in any part of the
island, and I had always heard that the contrary were considered the
indispensable distinction of a Marquesan warrior. Altogether the matter
was perfectly incomprehensible to me, and I awaited its solution with no
small degree of anxiety.
At length, from certain indications, I suspected that he was making me
the subject of his remarks, although he appeared cautiously to avoid
either pronouncing my name, or looking in the direction where I lay. All
at once he rose from the mats where he had been reclining, and, still
conversing, moved towards me, his eye purposely evading mine, and seated
himself within less than a yard of me. I had hardly recovered from my
surprise, when he suddenly turned round, and, with a most benignant
countenance extended his right hand gracefully towards me. Of course I
accepted the courteous challenge, and, as soon as our palms met, he bent
towards me, and murmured in musical accents--‘How you do?’ ‘How long you
been in this bay?’ ‘You like this bay?’
Had I been pierced simultaneously by three Happar spears, I could not
have started more than I did at hearing these simple questions. For a
moment I was overwhelmed with astonishment, and then answered something
I know not what; but as soon as I regained my self-possession, the
thought darted through my mind that from this individual I might obtain
that information regarding Toby which I suspected the natives had
purposely withheld from me. Accordingly I questioned him concerning
the disappearance of my companion, but he denied all knowledge of
the matter. I then inquired from whence he had come? He replied, from
Nukuheva. When I expressed my surprise, he looked at me for a moment,
as if enjoying my perplexity, and then with his strange vivacity,
exclaimed,--‘Ah! Me taboo,--me go Nukuheva,--me go Tior,--me go
Typee,--me go everywhere,--nobody harm me,--me taboo.’
This explanation would have been altogether unintelligible to me, had
it not recalled to my mind something I had previously heard concerning
a singular custom among these islanders. Though the country is possessed
by various tribes, whose mutual hostilities almost wholly prelude any
intercourse between them; yet there are instances where a person having
ratified friendly relations with some individual belonging longing to
the valley, whose inmates are at war with his own, may, under particular
restrictions, venture with impunity into the country of his friend,
where, under other circumstances, he would have been treated as an
enemy. In this light are personal friendships regarded among them, and
the individual so protected is said to be ‘taboo’, and his person, to a
certain extent, is held as sacred. Thus the stranger informed me he had
access to all the valleys in the island.
Curious to know how he had acquired his knowledge of English, I
questioned him on the subject. At first, for some reason or other, he
evaded the inquiry, but afterwards told me that, when a boy, he had
been carried to sea by the captain of a trading vessel, with whom he
had stayed three years, living part of the time with him at Sidney in
Australia, and that at a subsequent visit to the island, the captain
had, at his own request, permitted him to remain among his countrymen.
The natural quickness of the savage had been wonderfully improved by his
intercourse with the white men, and his partial knowledge of a foreign
language gave him a great ascendancy over his less accomplished
countrymen.
When I asked the now affable Marnoo why it was that he had not
previously spoken to me, he eagerly inquired what I had been led to
think of him from his conduct in that respect. I replied, that I had
supposed him to be some great chief or warrior, who had seen plenty
of white men before, and did not think it worth while to notice a poor
sailor. At this declaration of the exalted opinion I had formed of him,
he appeared vastly gratified, and gave me to understand that he had
purposely behaved in that manner, in order to increase my astonishment,
as soon as he should see proper to address me.
Marnoo now sought to learn my version of the story as to how I came
to be an inmate of the Typee valley. When I related to him the
circumstances under which Toby and I had entered it, he listened
with evident interest; but as soon as I alluded to the absence, yet
unaccounted for, of my comrade, he endeavoured to change the subject, as
if it were something he desired not to agitate. It seemed, indeed, as
if everything connected with Toby was destined to beget distrust and
anxiety in my bosom. Notwithstanding Marnoo’s denial of any knowledge
of his fate, I could not avoid suspecting that he was deceiving me; and
this suspicion revived those frightful apprehensions with regard to my
own fate, which, for a short time past, had subsided in my breast.
Influenced by these feelings, I now felt a strong desire to avail myself
of the stranger’s protection, and under his safeguard to return to
Nukuheva. But as soon as I hinted at this, he unhesitatingly pronounced
it to be entirely impracticable; assuring me that the Typees would never
consent to my leaving the valley. Although what he said merely confirmed
the impression which I had before entertained, still it increased
my anxiety to escape from a captivity which, however endurable, nay,
delightful it might be in some respects, involved in its issues a fate
marked by the most frightful contingencies.
I could not conceal from my mind that Toby had been treated in the same
friendly manner as I had been, and yet all their kindness terminated
with his mysterious disappearance. Might not the same fate await me?--a
fate too dreadful to think of. Stimulated by these considerations,
I urged anew my request to Marnoo; but he only set forth in stronger
colours the impossibility of my escape, and repeated his previous
declaration that the Typees would never be brought to consent to my
departure.
When I endeavoured to learn from him the motives which prompted them to
hold me a prisoner, Marnoo again presumed that mysterious tone which had
tormented me with apprehension when I had questioned him with regard to
the fate of my companion.
Thus repulsed, in a manner which only served, by arousing the most
dreadful forebodings, to excite me to renewed attempts, I conjured him
to intercede for me with the natives, and endeavour to procure their
consent to my leaving them. To this he appeared strongly averse; but,
yielding at last to my importunities, he addressed several of the
chiefs, who with the rest had been eyeing us intently during the whole
of our conversation. His petition, however, was at once met with the
most violent disapprobation, manifesting itself in angry glances and
gestures, and a perfect torrent of passionate words, directed to both
him and myself. Marnoo, evidently repenting the step he had taken,
earnestly deprecated the resentment of the crowd, and, in a few moments
succeeded in pacifying to some extent the clamours which had broken out
as soon as his proposition had been understood.
With the most intense interest had I watched the reception his
intercession might receive; and a bitter pang shot through my heart
at the additional evidence, now furnished, of the unchangeable
determination of the islanders. Marnoo told me with evident alarm in his
countenance, that although admitted into the bay on a friendly footing
with its inhabitants, he could not presume to meddle with their
concerns, as such procedure, if persisted in, would at once absolve
the Typees from the restraints of the ‘taboo’, although so long as
he refrained from such conduct, it screened him effectually from the
consequences of the enmity they bore his tribe. At this moment, Mehevi,
who was present, angrily interrupted him; and the words which he uttered
in a commanding tone, evidently meant that he must at once cease talking
to me and withdraw to the other part of the house. Marnoo immediately
started up, hurriedly enjoining me not to address him again, and as I
valued my safety, to refrain from all further allusion to the subject of
my departure; and then, in compliance with the order of the determined
chief, but not before it had again been angrily repeated, he withdrew to
a distance.
I now perceived, with no small degree of apprehension, the same savage
expression in the countenances of the natives, which had startled me
during the scene at the Ti. They glanced their eyes suspiciously from
Marnoo to me, as if distrusting the nature of an intercourse carried on,
as it was, in a language they could not understand, and they seemed to
harbour the belief that already we had concerted measures calculated to
elude their vigilance.
The lively countenances of these people are wonderfully indicative of
the emotions of the soul, and the imperfections of their oral language
are more than compensated for by the nervous eloquence of their looks
and gestures. I could plainly trace, in every varying expression of
their faces, all those passions which had been thus unexpectedly aroused
in their bosoms.
It required no reflection to convince me, from what was going on, that
the injunction of Marnoo was not to be rashly slighted; and accordingly,
great as was the effort to suppress my feelings, I accosted Mehevi in
a good-humoured tone, with a view of dissipating any ill impression
he might have received. But the ireful, angry chief was not so easily
mollified. He rejected my advances with that peculiarly stern expression
I have before described, and took care by the whole of his behaviour
towards me to show the displeasure and resentment which he felt.
Marnoo, at the other extremity of the house, apparently desirous of
making a diversion in my favour, exerted himself to amuse with his
pleasantries the crowd about him; but his lively attempts were not so
successful as they had previously been, and, foiled in his efforts, he
rose gravely to depart. No one expressed any regret at this movement,
so seizing his roll of tappa, and grasping his spear, he advanced to
the front of the pi-pi, and waving his hand in adieu to the now silent
throng, cast upon me a glance of mingled pity and reproach, and flung
himself into the path which led from the house. I watched his receding
figure until it was lost in the obscurity of the grove, and then gave
myself up to the most desponding reflections.