The day of election now rapidly approached. The duke, Sir Ambrose, the
rival candidates, and the opposition lords, were all in London. The
deputies were also assembled; and though it was forbidden to declare
publicly for whom they intended to vote, till the decisive moment
arrived; yet the popular feeling seemed so strongly in favour of
Rosabella, that there appeared scarcely a chance for her rival.
Exulting in her expected triumph, and confident of success, Rosabella
sate in the splendid _boudoir_ allotted to her use in Lord Gustavus's
house, musing on her hoped-for grandeur. A large mirror was opposite
to her; and as Rosabella saw her own fine figure reflected in it, joy
sparkled in her eyes, and her mind wandered enraptured through scenes
of future glory. Thus, completely absorbed in pleasing meditations,
Rosabella was not aware that Cheops stood before her, till she heard
his full, deep-toned voice repeating her name.
"Rosabella!" said he--"Rosabella! Queen of England! hail!"
"Cheops!" exclaimed she.
"Hail to the Queen of England!" resumed he: "no longer need you stoop
to solicit suffrages: your fate is sealed!"
"Think you that I am quite safe?" asked the princess; her eyes
sparkling, and her cheeks glowing.
"Certainly--there cannot be a doubt."
"Then I may bid defiance to these wretches, and need no longer submit
to their caprices, or be subservient to their humours."
"Not unless you like it."
"Like it!" exclaimed Rosabella, her eyes flashing fire; "can you
suppose I like to practise meanness?"
"Policy, indeed, recommends a contrary course," continued the Mummy;
"as, if you do not assert your own independence, they will encroach
upon your condescension, and treat you as a slave."
Rosabella bit her lips, and her bosom swelled with indignation.
The Mummy took no notice of her agitation, but went on. "Let them
not bind you by any promises. Prove yourself a free and independent
sovereign. Trample upon them, and they will crouch at your feet: but
crouch to them, and they will trample upon you!"
"You say right," said Rosabella proudly; "and my would-be masters shall
soon find their error. They think weakness has made me submit to their
arrogance; but they shall see their folly."
The influence the Mummy exercised over the minds of all those he came
in contact with was astonishing; and, in pursuance of his advice,
Rosabella, from this moment, resumed her usual imperious manner; and
received the compliments paid to her with the air rather of an empress
long seated upon the throne, than that of an aspiring candidate for
regal honours, dependant only upon the favour of the people. This
excessive confidence, however, displeased the deputies.
"She hardly leaves us a choice," said they; "for she seems to command
us to choose her. Notwithstanding the strength of her party, and the
weakness of her rival, we don't think she should take the thing quite
in her own hands: the old Queen ordered that the people should choose
her successor; but this princess seems to have chosen herself. It is
very kind of her to wish to save us the trouble; but, with her good
leave, we think we might have managed to go through it without her
help."
These murmurs, however, though deep, were not loud; the party of
Rosabella being too firmly established for any one to dare openly to
oppose it. The opposition lords had all returned to town, and, though
they had not completely succeeded in the object of their journey to the
country, they had at least satisfied themselves; and by the activity
they had displayed, given themselves, as they imagined, a just title to
the gratitude of their future Queen.
In the mean time, the friends of Elvira almost despaired; few persons
of note declared themselves her advocates; and though the favourable
impression she had made upon the deputies still faintly operated, the
feeling was fast fading away. An invincible repugnance to appear as the
leader of a party, oppressed her; and she shrank from the public gaze
with a sensation little short of horror. Lord Edmund, however, still
remained her firm and almost her only friend. Yet, though he exerted
every nerve on her behalf, even he despaired of obtaining her election.
Sometimes, indeed, as he gazed upon her beauty, a selfish feeling
crept over his soul, and he could scarcely repress an emotion of joy,
as he thought of the possibility that she might still be his; for the
very qualities that impeded her success, only endeared her yet more
fondly to his heart. The next instant, however, his nobler feelings
would reproach this selfish joy, and with a kind of penitential
sorrow, he would strive by fresh efforts to destroy the hopes, for the
gratification of which his very soul panted.
"I presume," said Lord Gustavus de Montfort to Rosabella, the day
before that appointed for the election, "your Highness does not intend
to make Lord Maysworth a minister as well as a general; for, thinking
as I think, and as I am confident every one else must think, I feel
assured he has no talents for the cabinet."
"As Queen of England, my Lord," returned Rosabella proudly, "I will
not be dictated to; though I will do my best to choose such ministers
as may, in my judgment, be most likely to promote the welfare of my
country."
Lord Gustavus was thunderstruck, and he gazed after her, as she
retired, with mingled feelings of astonishment and indignation. "You
are _not_ Queen of England yet, however," said he to himself, "and it
is possible you never may be. What pride! what haughtiness! If I had
been a slave, she could not have shown more contempt. 'When I am Queen
of England,' said she, I 'will not be dictated to.' 'Queen of England,'
said she? Humph! thinking as I think, and as I am sure every one else
must think, it is possible, that that is a contingency that may never
arrive. Humph! 'I will not be dictated to'--Humph! Well, certainly I
must confess I never heard a more dignified '_will not_' in my life."
It was the hour when Lord Gustavus was accustomed to hold a kind
of levee where the partizans of the princess had been in the habit
of assembling, under the guise of casual visitors; and as he thus
cogitated, Lord Maysworth and Dr. Hardman were announced.
"My dear Lord Gustavus," cried the former, "you cannot imagine
how impatient I feel to have to-morrow over. The uniform of the
household-troops is horrible: I have determined to change it the very
instant I am appointed commander-in-chief."
"If you should obtain that situation," replied Lord Gustavus doubtingly.
"What do you mean?" asked his friend, in astonishment. "I thought the
means we had taken must infallibly ensure success."
"They must ensure the election of Rosabella," replied Lord Gustavus.
"And is not that all we wish?"
"Not quite," returned Lord Gustavus dryly.
"I do not understand you," said Lord Maysworth.
"What can you mean?" demanded Dr. Hardman.
"I mean," replied Lord Gustavus, in his usual cold, precise manner,
"that, thinking as I think, and as I am sure every one else must think,
from the conversation that has just taken place between the princess
and myself, I am convinced that our possession of the places she
has promised to us, is by no means the necessary consequence of her
accession to the throne."
"Oh!" cried his auditors, looking perfectly aghast: a farther
explanation confirmed their fears. "I could not have believed it!"
exclaimed both; and as the partizans of Rosabella continued to arrive,
they were successively apprized of and paralyzed by the appalling
news. Divers were the sensations thus excited: but amongst all,
notwithstanding their professed disinterestedness, there was not one
whose sentiments remained unchanged by the intelligence.
In the mean time, Rosabella, in the solitude of her own chamber, became
aware of the imprudence she had committed, though she brooded in secret
over her uneasiness, and felt too proud to avow it even to Marianne;
whilst that faithful confidant, quite unsuspicious of the error of her
mistress, exulted in her expected triumph with as much transport as
though it had been her own.
"To-morrow," said she, "I shall have to do homage to my Queen, and I
shall have the rapture of seeing crowds kneel humbly at her feet. Oh,
would the happy day were come! how tedious will seem this long, long
night! how wearisome will be the hours! Does not your heart also throb,
my princess? To-morrow I shall see my Queen. To-morrow! oh, would it
were to-day!"
The important day at last arrived, and the delegates, assembled
in Blackheath Square, awaited with impatience the arrival of the
princesses. Each was to deliver a speech; after which, a nobleman was
to be permitted to address the mob on her behalf, and then the majority
of their votes was to decide.
The rival princesses appeared, and were hailed with enthusiasm. They
were dressed with the utmost simplicity, in the purest white; whilst
from their heads hung long veils of gossamer web, the ample folds of
which effectually shielded their persons from observation. They were
followed by their respective suites; Lord Gustavus and the opposition
lords being most conspicuous in that of Rosabella; and Lord Edmund in
that of Elvira. The Duke and Sir Ambrose, attended by the reverend
fathers Morris and Murphy, were amongst the number of spectators: the
two former feeling too much agitated to allow of their appearing as
actors in the scene; and the others being, from different reasons,
equally disqualified from taking a part in it.
All now was silent--the tumultuous, wave-like heaving of the multitude
ceased; and every one listened in breathless expectation--for the
princesses were about to speak. It was an awful moment: the poor old
duke's heart beat almost audibly; he sate, his eyes fixed upon the
ground, not daring to look up, and holding the hand of his friend, Sir
Ambrose, firmly in his own. It was Rosabella who was to speak first:
she advanced with a firm, decided step; and when the attendants drew
back the veil that covered her, the assembled multitude uttered a
shout of admiration at her beauty. Her dark eyes flashed fire, as she
proudly surveyed the crowd; and anticipated triumph gave an animated
glow to her fine features. She looked, indeed, already a Queen, and
seemed born only to command, and be obeyed. The multitude were awed by
her presence; and listened with uplifted eyes, and the most profound
silence, whilst she thus addressed them:
"My Lords and Gentlemen,
"I feel the presumption I am guilty of, in thus venturing to address
so august an assembly; but I trust the magnitude of the occasion
that calls me forward may afford an excuse for my temerity. I come,
gentlemen, to offer myself to you as your Sovereign, and the exalted
nature of the trust I wish you to repose in me, inspires me with
courage to deserve it. Yes, gentlemen, I say to deserve it; for I
should consider myself unworthy to be appointed your Queen, if I were
to shrink from performing any of the duties attendant upon the station;
and one of the most arduous of these do I consider that of thus
addressing you. I am aware, that, upon occasions like the present, it
is usual for the aspiring candidate to promise miracles of reformation,
that are to be effected upon the obtaining of power; I promise nothing
of the kind, for I will tie myself to no promises. Elect me for your
Queen, and I will fulfil the duties of my rank, according to the best
of my own judgment. I will not submit to dictation; neither will I be
censured by my subjects. I will be a free, independent Sovereign, or
I will remain a subject. I scorn to attempt to practise any deception
upon you. I wish you to see me as I really am; and then, if you think
me worthy of the high office I aspire to, then, at least, I may assure
you, you shall never have reason to blush for your choice; nor shall
the proud character which England has so long maintained, ever suffer a
stain upon its glory at my hands. No, my countrymen, haughty as I may
be deemed, I assure you, with sincerity, that I have ever held the name
of Englishwoman as my noblest boast; and that I would not relinquish
my title to it, were kingdoms offered in exchange. I can say no more.
If you approve me as your Sovereign, your voices will obtain the
fulfilment of your wishes; if you do not, worlds would not tempt me to
accept the throne."
Rosabella now sate down amidst thunders of applause, whilst
acclamations of "Long live Rosabella!" rent the air. These symptoms
of approbation were, however, only produced by her beauty and her
commanding manner; for when men came to analyze her speech, they found
much in it to disapprove. The haughty manner in which she had disavowed
control, indeed was neither calculated to win new friends, nor secure
those she already had: as the counsellors who had so warmly supported
her cause, had certainly not imagined, that by so doing, they should
shut the door of preferment against themselves; and what hope of
promotion or power could remain during the reign of a Queen who had
thus openly announced her intention of acting entirely for herself?
The prejudices of the people, too, were wounded; they had been so
accustomed to promises of reformation and relief from taxation, upon
the accession of a new Sovereign, that they were disappointed at
not receiving them, although they knew from experience, that they
meant nothing: just as persons fond of flattery cannot live without
it, though they are well acquainted with its fallacy. Besides, even
experience cannot make some people wise; and though the hopes of the
English had been so often disappointed, it was pleasant still to have
something held out to them to hope for. These thoughts soon arose
in the breasts of the multitude; and a rising murmur was beginning
to swell upon the ear, when the assembly was hushed to silence by
perceiving Lord Noodle had risen, and was about to address them.
"My lords and gentlemen," said he, "it is with feelings of considerable
embarrassment that I rise to address you. Every thing that can be said,
has been said; and every thing that has been said, ought to have been
said; and every thing that ought to have been said, has been said.
What, then, can there possibly be left for me to say?
"Let it not be supposed, however, by my saying this, that I have
nothing to say for myself; on the contrary, I think every body must
allow I have said a great deal upon the said subject;" (here the noble
lord tittered at his own wit, and well it was that he did so; as, if
he had not, perhaps nobody might have found it out;) "say what I will,
however, one thing must be clear, and that is, (if I was to speak for
an hour I could say no more;)--that is, that you must have a Queen; and
that you cannot choose a better one than the noble lady who has just
sat down!--and so, gentlemen, she having finished, I think I cannot do
better than follow her example!"
Shouts and roars of laughter followed this speech, to the infinite
delight of the enlightened orator; and he bowed and bowed on all sides,
till his little head and bobbing periwig seemed to have acquired the
gift of perpetual motion.
No sooner was the tumult a little subsided, than Elvira came forward
to address the people. When her veil was removed, her agitation was
extreme. Elvira was delicately fair, and the "eloquent blood spoke in
her cheeks" in a thousand varying tints; for a few seconds she stood,
her eyes fixed upon the ground, apparently endeavouring to collect
herself: then raising her eyes, she seemed on the point of speaking,
but her courage failing as she surveyed the immense multitude, every
eye fixed upon her, and every ear listening for her words, the sounds
died upon her lips, and after a few ineffectual attempts to speak, she
buried her face in her veil, and sobbed aloud.
Who can describe the agitation of her aged father at this moment!
When she appeared, he had risen, and, leaning forward, listened with
a fearful eagerness, as though his ear would drink in every syllable,
and as though his own death-warrant hung upon her words. He became
pale as he saw her agitation, and his countenance varied with every
variation of hers; till, when he saw her total inability to speak, his
lips became of livid whiteness, he uttered a piercing shriek, and fell
senseless to the ground!
A bustle immediately took place; the duke was carried off; and Elvira
remained pale, trembling, and almost fainting, leaning against one of
the pillars that supported the canopy over the platform upon which she
stood. An awful pause ensued, which was at last broken by Lord Edmund
rushing forward, and eagerly addressing the crowd in the following
words:
"My friends and countrymen,
"If one spark of kindness and compassion dwell in your breasts; if
your hearts are open to noble feelings; if you can pity defenceless
age and helpless womanhood, listen to me now! Hear me whilst I plead
the cause of the timid female now before you; who, agitated by the
solemn occasion for which you are convened, and awed by the august
majesty of this assembly, finds it impossible to give vent to her
feelings in words; for difficult, indeed, is it to express by words
the strong emotions of the heart. Oh! would to Heaven, my friends,
that I could lay her heart open before you, that you might there read
the love of her country--the devotion to your dearest interests--and
the generous wish to sacrifice her domestic happiness to secure yours,
that prompt her this day to appear before you. Do you fear tyranny? Is
this trembling woman likely to impose it? Do you wish remission from
oppression? Is not she who evidently possesses such extreme sensibility
likely to relieve your cares? Can her breast, which now throbs with
emotion, ever be deaf to the cry of misery? No, no; that gentle spirit
which shrinks from exposure in the garish light of day, will devote
itself to soothing your woes, and lightening your burdens. Do you wish
for victory? Has not my arm been hitherto successful, and am I not
devoted to Elvira?
"My countrymen, I plead not from interested motives, God knows I do
not! Nay, there may be some among you who know I now plead for the
destruction of my dearest hopes: but the welfare of my country is more
to me than my own. I give my country the treasure that might have been
mine: contented, if by the sacrifice of my own happiness, I can secure
that of thousands.
"My countrymen, I cannot more strongly prove my devotion to your
interests, for if you choose Elvira for your Queen, my widowed heart
will have no bride but glory. Take, however, the treasure I resign to
you. Prize her as she deserves, and Heaven in its mercy grant that
prudent counsellors and sagacious statesmen may so direct her steps,
that victory may shine on her banners, wisdom in her counsels, and
happiness in her kingdom!"
Lord Edmund stopped, overpowered by his own emotions; and his agitation
found an echo in the bosom of every auditor. The effect of his speech
was instantaneous: cries of "Elvira shall be our Queen!" "Elvira for
ever!" rose in deafening tumult from the crowd, nor did there appear
a single dissentient voice. In fact, after all that can be said upon
the subject, feeling is the only true eloquence. The passions of the
crowd were strongly excited: the fainting of the duke; the agitation
of Elvira; and the speech of Lord Edmund, who was the hero of the
day, absolutely had driven them distracted. They shouted again and
again that Elvira, and Elvira alone, should be Queen, and, forming a
triumphal car, placed her in it, and dragged her along to Westminster
Abbey, where the ceremony of the coronation was appointed to take
place. This venerable pile, which had stood for centuries, and resisted
alike the war of nature, and the destroying hand of innovation, with
which the barbarous taste of the middle ages had endeavoured to destroy
its grandeur, shone forth in all its original splendour, and afforded
another magnificent proof of the length of time the labours of man
survive the term of his fragile existence.
It had been a brilliant sight, when Westminster Hall was crowded with
the nobles of the land, to choose the council of state; but far more
splendid was it now, when, after the religious part of the ceremony
of the coronation had been performed in the Abbey, the trembling
and beautiful Queen entered its sumptuous walls, surrounded by her
counsellors, and welcomed with transport by her kneeling subjects. All
had been previously prepared for the ceremony, as the ordinance of the
old Queen had directed the coronation to take place immediately after
the election; and the venerable Hall was now crowded with the nobles
and ladies of Claudia's court, splendidly attired, waiting for the
Queen, whom the choice of the deputies might give them, with the most
eager impatience. Elvira was received with transports; and though,
perhaps, under different circumstances, her rival might have been
honoured with equal rapture, yet, as Elvira knew it not, the thought
did not damp her pleasure.
In the mean time Father Morris had remained aghast, a prey to the
combined tortures of grief, rage, and disappointment. The crowd
had disappeared, yet still he stood gazing upon the platform, the
speechless image of despair.
"For Heaven's sake, do not remain here," cried a voice he knew only
too well; and, obeying the impulse of Marianne's arm, he suffered
himself to be led from the scaffold, where all his hopes had perished.
There was a small house, at no great distance from the spot, where the
partizans of Rosabella had held frequent conferences respecting their
plans for securing her election; and to this place Marianne led the
disappointed friar.
"Curses on the fiend that has betrayed me to my ruin!" said he, as he
threw himself upon a sofa in this abode: "may demons haunt him here,
and eternal misery be his portion hereafter!"
The fiendish laugh of Cheops rang in the father's ears as he pronounced
these words; and ere he finished, the hated form of the Mummy stood
before him.
"What, Father Morris!" cried the Egyptian, "is this your treatment of
your friends? Fie! fie! is this your strength of mind? I am ashamed of
you. Is it the part of a man of courage to shrink from such a slight
reverse? However, I am still your friend, and if you will follow my
advice--"
"Avaunt! demon!" cried Father Morris; "tempt me no more! Ruin hangs
upon thy words, and it is thy advice that has destroyed me."
"Say rather, your own evil passions," returned the Mummy.
"Fiend!" exclaimed the monk; "was it not by thy advice Rosabella
rejected the address I had prepared for her, and determined to deliver
her own sentiments extempore."
"Such an expression of her genuine feelings was likely to produce ten
times the effect of a studied address. The oration of Lord Edmund was
from the feeling of the moment, and you saw its power was magical."
"And it was not by your desire that the fool Lord Noodle seconded her,
instead of Lord Gustavus, as I had intended?"
"A ridiculous fool was more likely to put the people in good-humour
than a prosing one."
"Yes, yes, I know; it was thus you made your plans seem feasible, but
how have they succeeded?"
"Success is not always the test of merit. How could I foresee the
fainting of the duke, and the agitation of Elvira? That timid silence
said far more for her than words: if she had spoken, she would have had
no chance."
"Would she were dead!" said Father Morris, grinding his teeth.
"So would you seal your ruin. Rosabella would be suspected, and her
chance of reigning destroyed--destroyed for ever."
"What shall I do?"
"Let Elvira reign!--Nay, start not! for it is but for a time: she
will naturally make Edmund her first counsellor from gratitude for
the service he has rendered her; and, as he has sense and talent,
he will as naturally either reject employing the noble lords who
were your friends entirely; or, at best, give them but subordinate
situations. Their hopes having been previously raised, they will feel
this disappointment bitterly, and look back with longing eyes to
Rosabella, by whom they were promised place and power. That princess
must moderate her natural haughtiness: if she wish to reign, she must
submit to bend before she rise; for, though ambition be the most
lofty of all passions, perhaps no one makes its votaries occasionally
condescend to greater meanness. At present patience alone is required.
Novelty is always delightful; but the pleasure it produces can never
be lasting: and the expectations of men having been raised too high
by the brilliancy with which a new government is certain to commence,
they will soon be disposed to quarrel with every thing that may chance
to fall short of the standard they will then propose to themselves:
though this same standard, if they give themselves time to consider,
they would find far too exalted for mortals to have ever any hopes of
reaching. Their extravagant expectations not being realized, they will
then plunge into the opposite extreme; they will see every thing with
a jaundiced eye; and, not liking to own they find themselves deceived,
they will overturn the government of Elvira to conceal for ever the
folly they have been guilty of."
"But will not the government of Rosabella afterwards share the same
fate?"
"No: for they will have learnt wisdom by experience; and having just
suffered from the inconveniences inseparable from a revolution, they
will idolize every word and action of Rosabella, to spare themselves
the necessity of again undergoing the same horrors, and yet avoid the
charge of inconsistency. They will thus fear even to censure, and
will gloss over any thing that may not quite please them, rather than
run the risk of again interrupting that tranquillity which the late
disturbance has made them taste the sweets of."
The sophistry of Cheops was well suited to the feelings of his hearers;
and well did he know how to work upon the passions of those he
conversed with. The indignation of Father Morris and Marianne subsided,
and they again became the Egyptian's devoted slaves. Cheops watched
them as they retired; a smile of derision curling his haughty lip.
"Fools that they are!" said he, as again a fearful expression flashed
across his saturnine countenance: "by Typhon! they are scarcely worth
deceiving, for they rush blindfold into the net."
In the mean time, nothing could exceed the grandeur of the scene
exhibiting in Westminster Hall. The ceremony was finished; for
the Queen had taken oaths of fidelity to the interests of her new
subjects, and had received their humblest homage in return. A sumptuous
banquet was now served, where all that could please the eye mingled
in luxuriant profusion with all that could tempt the appetite. Music
completed the charm; and as the harmonious notes swelled through the
lofty dome, it seemed a choir of angels rejoicing from on high. Thus,
whilst all that could gratify the senses was combined, the fairy
loveliness of Elvira seemed to fit her well to be the goddess of the
scene; and the figure of the poor old duke, her father, gazing at her
with indescribable rapture--the tears trickling down his furrowed
cheeks, and his long white hair hanging loose upon his shoulders,
completed the interest of the picture.
Great and glorious was the triumph of Elvira: but, whilst the nation
rang with acclamations of joy, and bonfires and illuminations
proclaimed the transport of the people, who shall paint the despair,
the desolation, of the unfortunate Rosabella? Forlorn and deserted by
her friends; despised and injured by him she loved; disappointed in
the fairy dreams of her ambition; and disgusted with a world that had
rejected her--what could she do? where find a refuge from her woes?
Rosabella sought no refuge: wretched as she was, her proud spirit still
supported her: she neither retired from society, nor gave herself up
to the paroxysms of despair. Hers was not a mind to brood over useless
grief. She felt her wrongs, it is true, and most keenly did she feel
them, but she wasted not her time in lamentation, and burnt only to
avenge them. Marianne had communicated to her the advice of Cheops, and
her whole soul was now devoted to revenge. For this, she determined
to obey his injunctions; to bend her haughty spirit to his wishes; to
conciliate the friends that had deserted her; and to submit to any
meanness to keep up a party in the state. This done, she resolved to
watch for the errors unavoidable in a new government; to take advantage
of every weakness, and foment every discontent; in short, to open a
chasm under her rival's feet, and then, like the lion pismire on the
brink of his sandy trap, to rest concealed until the entanglement of
the expected prey enabled her to rush upon and destroy it.
Elvira's disposition was naturally noble; and, satisfied with the
possession of the throne, she sought no farther triumph. Her generous
soul was touched by the apparent resignation of her rival, and she
endeavoured, by every means in her power, to console her for her
disappointment. The duke had quitted the country, and now resided
entirely with his daughter; whilst upon Rosabella, Elvira, with the
utmost delicacy, conferred a palace and a separate establishment.
Notwithstanding, however, the delicacy with which Elvira's favours were
conferred, Rosabella could not forget that they were favours, and hers
was not a mind to brook dependence. Her hatred for her cousin thus
increased with the weight of her obligations, whilst that of Elvira
had vanished with the occasion that gave it birth. It is, indeed,
scarcely possible for a proud, haughty temper, like that of Rosabella,
to love the person to whom it owes every thing. Such dispositions find
infinitely more pleasure in obliging, than in being obliged--pride
being gratified in one case and humbled in the other. People are thus
often devotedly attached to their protégées, as they seem, in some
measure, creations of their own, and lavish favours upon them with
a profuse hand; but they often expect such devotion in return, that
love withers into slavery, or changes into hatred, and what was once
gratitude, soon becomes mortification.
Elvira had an arduous part to sustain. It was difficult to find the
medium between giving too much or too little; and more difficult still,
to discover a means of giving at all, without hurting the feelings of
Rosabella. The sense she had of this, rendered the manner of Elvira
towards her cousin, occasionally, cold and restrained, and Rosabella
felt acutely the slightest change. She, indeed, saw every thing with
a jaundiced eye: she imagined insults, where none were intended; she
shrank from the slightest observation, that could be supposed to
allude to her present situation; and she appeared to feel so much pain
whenever she was in the society of Elvira, that the intercourse between
the cousins gradually dwindled to a mere formal interchange of visits,
and the customary ceremonials of court etiquette.
The cousins thus completely estranged from each other, Rosabella's
palace became the resort of the discontented. The King of Ireland had
died soon after the departure of the Duke of Cornwall for the country,
and those malcontents, formerly in his pay, being repulsed by his son,
now crowded round Rosabella. Men of talents, but of dissolute habits;
daring spirits that preyed upon themselves for want of employment; and
desperate characters, to whom every change was agreeable, as they had
nothing to lose, and every thing to hope for by a revolution, vied with
each other in devoting themselves to her service. It was often grating
to Rosabella's feelings to associate with wretches such as these; but
to what cannot proud spirits sometimes submit, to gain the determined
purpose of their souls! Every thing is swallowed up in one vast
overwhelming passion, and minor difficulties are neither seen, thought
of, nor felt.
Thus, Rosabella scrupled not to waste her time in the society of such
beings as Lord Noodle and his friend Lord Doodle; she even stooped
to flatter them, and occasionally to ask, and appear to follow
their advice: she endured patiently the dictatorial prosing of Lord
Gustavus, and listened with an appearance of interest to the wearisome
pettinesses of Lord Maysworth. All she thought of, was whether any
particular line of conduct were likely to conduce to placing her on
the throne; and if it were, be it what it might, the haughty Rosabella
instantly condescended to practise it. Taught by the late events not
to rely too confidently upon her own strength, she rushed into the
opposite extreme, and descended even unto servility.
In the mean time, the attention of Elvira was completely devoted to the
establishment of her government. She had many qualities worthy of her
rank; and some of the most conspicuous were her nobleness in forgetting
injuries, and her inflexible sense of justice: thus, though she had
made no promises herself to her people on the day of her election, she
justly considered those made by Edmund on her part as equally binding,
and endeavoured by every means in her power to redeem the pledges he
had given. Cheops had judged rightly in supposing she would make Edmund
her prime minister--her gratitude to him, indeed, was unbounded; and
though her noble and generous disposition prevented her depriving the
lords who had voted against her of their dignities, yet that the strong
mind, and commanding genius of Edmund would make them dwindle into
nonentities, he had also been equally correct in predicting. The noble
lords, quite unconscious of their own inefficiency, were indignant at
finding themselves subalterns where they had hoped to be commanders,
and rallied round the standard of Rosabella, who, on her part, received
them so graciously, that her former haughtiness was forgotten.
Elvira was not aware of their defection, or if she were, she thought
them too insignificant to merit notice, her attention being entirely
occupied in affairs which she considered of infinitely more importance.
Though the laws of the old Queen had been excellent, many abuses had
crept into the manner of putting them into execution; and these Elvira
now, with the aid of Edmund, set herself diligently to work to discover
and correct. She could not, indeed, have chosen an assistant more
competent to the task. The penetrating mind and commanding genius of
Edmund were unequalled. With a single glance, he saw where errors had
been committed, and how they ought to be amended. Whilst under his
auspices, vice was punished and virtue rewarded, goodness, though in
rags, was raised to affluence, and villainy compelled to disgorge its
ill-gotten wealth. Justice was impartially dispensed to all, and the
first Monday in every month, the Queen proceeded in solemn state to the
grand square at Blackheath, to receive there, in person, the petitions
of her subjects.
The crowd assembled upon these occasions was immense. However well a
constitution may be organized, it is impossible to give satisfaction to
every one; and even under the best-regulated governments there will be
always some who fancy themselves aggrieved. Besides, as free access was
allowed on these occasions to every one, numbers went merely to see the
Queen; and nothing could be better contrived for letting her Majesty
know the real feelings of her subjects, than this arrangement; as,
from the people being placed in lines, along each of which the Queen
walked, she became alternately in personal contact with every separate
individual. Like every thing else, however, that sounds perfect in
theory, difficulties arose when this plan came to be put in practice:
it was originally intended that the Queen should receive, with her own
hands, and read herself, all the petitions that might be presented; but
when it was found their numbers frequently amounted to some thousands,
this scheme was abandoned as impracticable, and the Lords Noodle and
Doodle were appointed to the important office of walking behind the
Queen, carrying large bags, in which the petitions were deposited,
and from which they would probably never again have emerged, if they
had not been dragged to light by the persevering and indefatigable
exertions of Lord Edmund.
The people, however, were not aware of this, and there was something in
the show that delighted them. It was indeed a fine sight, to behold so
many hundreds of human beings anxiously watching the movements of their
beautiful Queen, as she glided along their ranks, smiling graciously
upon all, and looking like an angel sent upon earth to dispense
blessings to mankind: ladies of honour walking behind her, with pages
bearing their train, and the two aged counsellors of state, bending
beneath the weight of their ponderous bags, bringing up the rear.
Thus gloriously commenced Elvira's reign. The people, delighted with
the attention paid to their wishes, and struck by some instances of
the Queen's love of justice and hatred of oppression, lauded her to
the skies; the nobility, hoping riches and power from her liberality,
almost worshipped her; and the ambassadors of foreign powers, dreading
the valour of Lord Edmund and his soldiers, offered the humblest homage
at her feet. In short, all seemed to smile upon her, and the kingdom to
bid fair shortly to rival even the imagined happiness of Utopia itself.