Ev’n so, the mirth of man is madness;—
His joy as a sepulchral light,
Which shows his solitude and sadness,
But chaseth not the night.
-----
Such nearly was the lot of the last of the Hartpoles. He had scarcely
commenced a flattering entrance into public life, when one false and
fatal step, to which he was led first by a dreadful accident, and
subsequently by his own benevolent disposition, worked on by the
chicanery of others, laid the foundation of all his future miseries.
While quartered with his regiment at Galway, in Ireland, his gun, on a
shooting party, burst in his hand, which was so shattered, that it was
long before his surgeon could decide that amputation might be dispensed
with.
During the protracted period of his indisposition he was confined to his
chamber at a small inn, such as Ireland then exhibited in provincial
towns. The host, whose name was Sleven, had two daughters, both of whom
assisted in the business. The elder, Honor, had long been celebrated as
a vulgar wit and humourist, the cleverest of all her female
contemporaries; and the bar, on circuits, frequented her father’s house
purposely to be amused by her repartees. Her coarse person was well
calculated to protect her moral conduct; and she jested and took her
glass with reasonable _moderation_. Besides entertaining the bar, she
occasionally amused the judges also; and Lord Yelverton, the chief
baron, (who admired wit in _any body_,) was Honor’s greatest partisan.
Such females ever appeared to me unnatural and disgusting. A _humorous_
and vulgar Amazon, who forgets her own sex, can scarcely expect that
ours will recollect it.
Mary, the younger sister, was of a different appearance and character.
She was as mild and unassuming as, from her low occupation and habits of
life, could be expected: though destitute of any kind of talent, she yet
appeared as if somewhat better born than Honor, and her attention to her
guests was at the same time assiduous but properly reserved; which
conduct, contrasted with the masculine effrontery of the other, gave
her, in my mind, a great superiority.
It must have been remarked by every person who has observed the habits
and manners of provincial towns, that the distinctions of society are
frequently suspended by the necessary familiarities of a contracted
circle, and that inferior females frequently excite (especially among
youthful military) sensations of tenderness which in a metropolis would
never have been thought of—at least in the same point of view. And here
the evil genius of Hartpole first commenced her incantations for his
ruin.
Throughout George’s painful and harassing confinement, the more than
assiduous care of Mary Sleven could not escape the observation of the
too sensitive convalescent. Hartpole has often described to me the rise
and progress of the giddy, romantic feeling which then seized upon him;
how he used to catch her moistened eye watching his interrupted
slumbers, or the progress of his recovery; and when she was conscious of
being perceived, how the mantling blush would betray a degree of
interest far beyond that of an ordinary attendant.
Mary was _rather_ well-looking; though there was little to captivate,
there was nothing about her to excite his distaste: he was not permitted
to have society; and thus, being left nearly alone with this young
female during many weeks of pain and solitude, and accustomed to the
solicitude of a woman, (so exquisite to a man in every state of
suffering,) Hartpole discovered in the sequel, that a feeling of
_gratitude_ of the highest order had sunk deeper than he wished within
his bosom.
He could not but perceive, indeed, that the girl actually _loved_ him,
and his vanity of course was alive to the disclosure; but his honourable
principles prevented him from taking any advantage of that weakness,
which she could not conceal, and whereto he could not be blind. It was
in truth a dangerous situation for both. There were, as I have said, no
external objects to divert George’s mind from this novel sensation;
there was no one to point out its folly or interrupt its progress. Her
partiality flattered him in his seclusion, and led his thoughts
gradually and imperceptibly into a channel inconsistent with the welfare
of himself, the honour of his family, and the becoming pride of a
gentleman. It certainly was, after all, a sort of non-descript passion:
it was not actually _love_.
Meanwhile the keen masculine understanding of Honor soon perceived the
game which it would be wise in her to play, and conceived a project
whereby to wind up Hartpole’s feeling to the pitch she wanted, and
insensibly to lead his gratitude to love, and his love to _matrimony_.
This was Honor’s aim; but she overrated her own penetration, and
deceived herself as to Hartpole’s character: she _overacted_ her part,
and consequently diminished its effect.
At length, awakened from his vision of romantic gratitude, and beginning
to open his eyes to the views of the two women, my friend felt ashamed
of his facility, and mustered up sufficient resolution to rescue himself
from the toils they were spreading for his capture. He had never made
_any species_ of _proposal_ to Mary, and she could not, with just or
honest hope, look to marriage with a person so greatly her superior. On
his perfect recovery, he determined, by going over to England, to avoid
all their machinations; and he also determined that his departure should
be abrupt.
The keen and rapid eye of the designing Honor, however, soon discovered
the secret of his thoughts; and guessing the extent of his resolution,
she artfully impressed upon him (under the affectation of concealing it)
the _entire_ attachment of her pining sister; but at the same time
communicated Mary’s resolution to be seen by him no more—“since it would
be useless further to distract her devoted heart by cultivating society
from which she must so soon be separated for ever.”
Here Honor was again mistaken:—no melting looks, no softening
blandishments, now intervened to oppose George’s pride or stagger his
resolution. He had only to struggle with _himself_; and after a day and
night of calm reflection, he fully conquered the dangers of his
high-flown _gratitude_, and departed at day-break from the inn without
even desiring to see the love-lorn and secluded Mary.
The sisters were thus totally disappointed. He had paid munificently for
the trouble he had given them, written a letter of grateful thanks to
Mary, left her a considerable present, and set off to Dublin to take
immediate shipping for England.
Hartpole now congratulated himself on his escape from the sarcasms of
the world, the scorn of his family, and his own self-condemnation. He
had acted with honour; he had done nothing wrong; and he had once more
secured that rank in society which he had been in danger of
relinquishing. In Dublin he stopped at the Marine Hotel, whence the
packet was to sail at midnight, and considered himself as on the road to
Stratford-place, London, which his uncle, Lord Aldborough, had built,
and where his Lordship then resided.
The time of embarkation had nearly arrived when a loud shriek issued
from an adjoining chamber to his, at the hotel. Ever alive to any
adventure, Hartpole rushed into the room, and beheld—Mary Sleven! She
was, or affected to be, fainting, and was supported by the artful Honor,
who hung over her, apparently regardless of all other objects, and
bemoaning, in low accents, the miserable fate of her only sister.
Bewildered both by the nature and suddenness of this rencontre, Hartpole
told me that for a moment he nearly lost his sight—nay, almost his
reason; but he soon saw through the scheme, and mustered up sufficient
courage to withdraw without explanation. He had, in fact, advanced to
the door, and was on the outside step, the boat being ready to receive
him, when a second and more violent shriek was heard from the room he
had just quitted, accompanied by exclamations of “She’s gone! she’s
gone!” Hartpole’s presence of mind entirely forsook him; he retraced his
steps, and found Mary lying, as it should seem, quite senseless, in the
arms of Honor: his heart relented; his evil genius profited by the
advantage; and he assisted to restore her. Gradually Mary’s eyes opened;
she regarded George wildly but intently, and having caught his eye,
closed hers again—a languid, and, as it were, an involuntary pressure of
his hand, conveying to him her sensations. He spoke kindly to her: she
started at the sound, and _renewed the pressure_ with _increased_ force.
As she slowly and gradually revived, the scene became more
_interesting_. A medical man being (by preconcert) at hand, he ordered
her restorative cordials. Madeira only could at the moment be procured.
She put the glass to her mouth, sipped, looked tenderly at Hartpole, and
offered it him; her lips had touched it; he sipped also; the patient
smiled; the doctor took a glass; Hartpole pledged him; glass followed
glass, until George was bewildered! The artful Honor soon substituted
another bottle: it was Hartpole’s first wine after his accident, and
quickly mounted to his brain.
Thus did an hour flit away, and, meanwhile, the packet had sailed.
Another person affected also to have lost his passage while occupied
about the patient, and this turned out to be a _Catholic priest_.
Refreshments were ordered: the doctor and the priest were pressed to
partake of the fare: the Madeira was replenished: the moments fled! The
young man’s brain was inflamed; and it is only necessary to add, that
the morning’s sun arose, not on the happy George, but on the happy
_Mary_, the wedded wife of Hartpole.
I will not attempt to describe the husband’s feelings when morning
brought reflection. Every passion met its foe within his bosom: every
resolve was overwhelmed by an adverse one: his sensitive mind became the
field of contest for tumultuous emotions; until, worn out by its own
conflicts, it sank into languor and dejection. He had lost himself! he
therefore yielded to his fate, abandoned all idea of further resistance,
and was led back in chains by the triumphant sisters.
None of his family or connexions would ever receive her; and George for
awhile, sunk and disgraced, without losing all his attachment for the
girl, had lost all his tranquillity. After two years’ struggle, however,
between his feelings for her and his aspirations after a more honourable
station in society, the conspiracy which had effected his ruin, being by
chance discovered, arose before his eye like a spectre, and, as if
through a prism, the deception appeared in the clearest colours.
A revulsion followed, and the conflict became still more keen within his
breast: but, at length, his pride and resolution prevailed over his
sensibility, and he determined (after providing amply for her) to take
advantage of that statute which declares null and void all marriages
between a Catholic and a Protestant solemnised by a popish priest. He
made this determination; it was just; but, unfortunately, he lingered as
to its _execution_. Her influence was not extinguished; and she
succeeded in inducing him to procrastinate from time to time the fatal
resolve. She could not, it is true, deny that he had been inveigled, and
had made up her own mind, should he stand firm, to accept a liberal
provision, and submit to a legal sentence, which indeed could not be
resisted.
As the propriety of Mary’s moral conduct had never been called in
question, she might, after all, be able to obtain a match more adapted
to her station and to every thing except her ambition: but the coarse
and vulgar Honor miscalculated all. She irritated and wound up Mary
almost to madness; and in this state, her characteristic mildness
forsook her; she became jealous of all other women, and hesitated not
daily to lavish abuse on the passive and wretched Hartpole.
One morning, in Dublin, where they were residing, he came to my house in
a state of trembling perturbation. He showed me a wound on his hand, and
another slight one from a knife’s point indented on his breast-bone.
Mary, he said, had, in a paroxysm of rage, attempted to stab him whilst
sitting at breakfast: he had, with difficulty, wrested the knife from
her grasp, and left the house never to return to it. He could in fact no
longer feel _safe_ in her society; and therefore, arranging all his
necessary concerns, he repaired to Edinburgh, where his regiment was
quartered.
The suit for a decree of nullity was immediately commenced, but no
effective proceedings were ever taken, nor any sentence in the cause
pronounced, owing to events still more unfortunate to poor Hartpole.
Prior to this fatal act of George’s, I had never observed an attachment
on his part toward any female, save a very temporary one to a young lady
in his neighbourhood, whom few men could see without strong feelings of
admiration;—the second daughter of Mr. Yates, of Moon, a gentleman of
the old school, almost antediluvian in his appearance, and of good
fortune in County Kildare.
The beauty of Myrtle Yates arose nearly to perfection. It was of that
brilliance with which poets and romance writers endeavour to adorn the
most favoured of their heroines. Had she lived of yore, the Grecian
sculptor or Roman artist might have profited by charms which they could
never _fancy_:—she might have been the model for a Venus, or, at a later
era, sat for a Madonna. Nature, indeed, seemed to have created her
solely for the blandishments of affection; and her whole form appeared
susceptible of being dissolved in love.
In a word, at twenty, Myrtle Yates was wholly irresistible; not a youth
of her country, who had a heart, could boast of its insensibility; and
perhaps she owed to the bewildering number of those admirers the good
fortune of not devoting herself to any of them.
Yet Hartpole’s attachment to Myrtle Yates was neither deep nor lasting.
He considered her _too_ attractive—perhaps too _yielding_; and had he
always adhered to the same principle of judgment, it is possible he
might have yet existed.
On his return from Scotland he immediately repaired to Clifton, to drink
the waters for a severe cold which could no longer be neglected, and
required medical advice and a balmy atmosphere. Here fate threw in the
way of this ill-fated youth another lure for his destruction, but such a
one as might have entrapped even the most cautious and prudent. Love, in
its genuine and rational shape, now assailed the breast of the
ever-sensitive Hartpole; and an attachment sprang up fatal to his
happiness, and eventually to his existence.
At Clifton, my friend made the acquaintance of a lady and gentleman, in
whose only daughter were combined all the attractive qualities of youth,
loveliness, and amiability. Their possessor moved in a sphere calculated
to gratify his pride; and those who saw and knew the object of George’s
new attachment could feel no surprise at the vehemence of his passion.
The unfortunate young man, however, sorely felt that his situation under
these circumstances was even more dreadful than in the former connexion.
Loving one woman to adoration, and as yet the acknowledged husband of
another, it is not easy to conceive any state more distracting to a man
of honour. His agitated mind had now no suspension of its misery, save
when lulled into a temporary trance by the very lassitude induced by its
own unhappiness.
He wrote to me, expressing the full extent of his sensations—that is, as
fully as pen could convey them. But imperfect indeed must be all
expression which attempts to describe intensity of feeling. It was from
blots and scratches, and here and there the dried-up stain of an
hieroglyphic tear, rather than from words, that I gathered the excess of
his mental agony. He required of my friendship to _advise_ him—a task,
to the execution of which I was utterly incompetent. All I could
properly advise him to, was what I knew he would not comply with;
namely, to come over to Ireland, and endeavour to conquer the influence
of his passion, or at least to take no decisive step in divulging it
till the law had pronounced its sentence on his existing connexion.
Hartpole had strong feelings of honour as to this latter. For a length
of time he could scarcely reconcile himself to the idea of publicly
annulling what he had publicly avowed; and it was only by urging on his
consideration the fact, that the ceremony by a popish priest in no such
case legally constituted a marriage, that he was prevailed on to seek
for a decree of _nullity_. Such decree was not indeed absolutely
_necessary_; but to have it upon record was judged advisable. Though the
incipient proceedings had been taken by his proctor, they were not
completed, and Mary Sleven’s marriage _never_ was formally declared a
nullity by the sentence of the Ecclesiastical Court, nor was she ever
judicially separated from the deluded Hartpole.
Under all these circumstances, I was totally bewildered as to what ought
to be my friend’s future conduct, when I was one morning greatly
surprised by the sudden appearance of Hartpole at my breakfast-table,
obviously in better health:—he looked very superior to what I had
expected; his eye sparkled, and there was an air of satisfaction
diffused both over his features and address which convinced me that some
decisive step had been taken by him. He lost no time in telling me that
he had actually proposed for Miss Otway to her father and mother; that
she herself had consented; that Mr. and Mrs. Otway had come over to have
his fortune investigated, and wished to see me with as little delay as
convenient; and concluded by saying, that he was most anxious to
introduce me to the source of all his terrestrial happiness.
I could not but start on hearing all this, and declined entering at all
into the business with Mr. Otway till George had given me a written
license to communicate with him as I pleased. He acceded to all I
desired, and the next morning I waited on that gentleman—(Mr. Cooke
Otway, of Castle Otway).
I never felt more embarrassed in my life than at this interview. I had
in the interim made myself master of Mr. Otway’s character, and the
knowledge by no means contributed to ease my scruples or diminish my
embarrassment. However, to my surprise, a very short time disposed of
both, and in a way which I had heretofore conceived quite impossible.
I found Colonel Cooke Otway a strong-minded, decided, gentlemanly man,
obviously with more head than heart,—sensible, and practically
good-natured;—in short, one of those well-trained persons who appear to
be quite off-handed, yet, on closer remark, are obviously _in
reservation_.
He introduced me to Mrs. Otway, whose character required no research. It
was ordinary, but amiable: she had evidently great kindness of heart,
and her conduct was uniformly reported to be such as left nothing to
amend either as wife or mother: she appeared to be in declining health,
whilst her daughter, in the full bloom of youth and first blush of
ripening beauty, presented a striking contrast.
I also read, as far as its hitherto slight development would admit, the
character of Maria Otway. I could perceive neither the languor of love
nor the restlessness of suspense at all predominant in her feelings.
Perfect ease and entire resignation appeared to sit most cheerfully on
her brow: she seemed voluntarily to consider the wish of her parents as
the rule of her destiny; and it was perceptible that Hartpole had the
_love_ entirely at his own disposal.
Maria united in her appearance, her manners, and her obvious
disposition, most of those amiable and engaging traits which the age of
eighteen can develope in a female.—Her figure, in height rather below
the middle stature, had arrived at that proportionate fulness which
forms the just medium between the round and slender, and without the
defects of either gives the advantages of both. Her limbs, cast in the
mould of perfect symmetry, moved with that ease and moderate activity
which constitute the natural grace of female action. Her features small,
and not justifying the epithet of “beautiful,” yet formed in their
assemblage a blooming and expressive index of the young heart that ruled
them: the imperfections of the profile were lost in the brilliant
delicacy of the complexion which embellished it. Her blue eyes were
untutored; but her smile was intoxicating; and my friend was bound and
fettered in the trammels of female witchery.
In my own judgment, Maria Otway was certainly at that time a most
interesting young female: still her beauty, obviously aided by youth,
health, and thoughtless happiness, was not of that animated and vigorous
cast on which we so often see neither time, care, nor age make quick
impression: it was, on the other hand, that soft and delicate loveliness
to which years and family are such inveterate and sometimes rapid
enemies.
Over such a person as Hartpole, the victory of Miss Otway’s beauty was
complete; and the result of that unfortunate passion convinces me that a
man (unless his judgment be superior to his sensibility) cannot commit
an act of greater folly than to encourage an attachment to any woman
whom he thinks every body else must admire as well as himself. George at
first was inclined to resist his passion, but he did not _fly from the
cause of it_, and he therefore fell a victim to romantic love as he had
before done to romantic gratitude.
Mr. Otway at once opened the business, and told me Hartpole had referred
him to me for a statement of his estates and financial situation. On
this point I had come fully prepared. Hartpole’s circumstances exceeded
rather than fell below Mr. Otway’s expectation.
“I am quite satisfied, my dear sir,” said he to me, with a significant
nod; “you know that in Ireland we always make some allowances for the
Stratford consanguinity.”
I now found my embarrassment recommence, but determined, at every risk,
to free myself from all future responsibility or reproach: I therefore
informed Col. Otway explicitly of Hartpole’s marriage, and that no
sentence had as yet been pronounced to declare that marriage a nullity,
though in point of law it was so.
Having heard me throughout with the greatest complacency, he took me by
the hand:—“My dear sir,” said he with a smile which at first surprised
me, “I am happy to tell you that I was fully apprised, before I came to
Ireland, of every circumstance you have related to me as to that woman,
and had taken the opinions of several eminent practitioners on the
point, each of whom gave without any hesitation exactly the same opinion
you have done: my mind was therefore easy and made up on that subject
before I left England, and I do not consider the circumstance any
impediment to the present negotiation.”
It is not easy to describe the relief thus afforded me; though, at the
same time, I must own I was somewhat astonished at this seeming
_nonchalance_. We parted in excellent humour with each other, and I
believe he was my friend to the day of his death.
The negotiation went on: _Miss Sleven_ was no more regarded; and after a
deal of discussion, but no difference of opinion, the terms were agreed
on, and settlements prepared, for a marriage, in all its results as
unfortunate for the young people, and _as culpable in the old_, as any
that ever came within my recollection.
A circumstance of singular and not very auspicious nature occurred on
the first step toward the completion of that ill-starred alliance. It
was necessary to procure a license from the Prerogative Court for the
solemnization of the marriage in the city of Dublin, and Hartpole’s
uncle, the Honourable Benjamin O’Neil Stratford (now Earl of
Aldborough), attended with George upon Doctor Duigenan, then judge of
the prerogative, for that purpose.
The doctor (who when irritated was the most outrageous judge that ever
presided in a court of justice) was on the bench officiating upon their
arrival. Benjamin conceived that his rank and intimacy with the doctor
would have procured him at least common civility; but in this he was
egregiously mistaken.
Benjamin O’Neil Stratford, who attended his nephew on that dangerous
expedition, was endowed with several good-natured qualities, but, as
folks said, rather inclined to the pleasures of _litigation_. In every
family which is not very popular, there is always one, of whom people in
general say, “Oh! he is _the best of them_:” and this was Benjamin’s
reputation as to the Stratford family.[16]
-----
Footnote 16:
The noble Earl had then also the appellation of “Blind Ben,” which had
been conferred on him by the agreeable and witty Lady Aldborough, and
which ought not to have been by any means considered derogatory,
inasmuch as his name is certainly _Benjamin_, and one of his eyes is
actually “_not at home_;” and as the abrupt mode of its quitting his
Lordship’s service was rather humorous, it may be amusing to mention
it.
He had once (as he thought) the honour of killing a crane. Benjamin’s
evil genius, however, maliciously scattered the shot, and the crane
had only been what they call in Ireland _kilt_; but feeling pretty
sure that her death was determined on, she resolved to die heroically,
and not unrevenged. She fell, and lying motionless, seduced her
assassin to come and wring her head off, according to the usual rules
and practice of humanity by fowlers. The honourable sportsman
approached triumphantly, and stooping to seize the _spolia opima_,
Madam Crane, (having as good eyes of her own as the one that took aim
at her,) in return for his compliment, darted her long bill plump into
the head of the Honourable Benjamin O’Neil Stratford, entering through
the very same casement which he had closed the shutters of to take
_his aim_. In fact, she turned the honourable gentleman’s eye clean
out of its natural residence; and being thus fully gratified by
extinguishing the light in one of her enemy’s lanterns, she resigned
her body to be plucked, stuffed, and roasted, in the usual manner, as
was performed accordingly. Thus, though her slayer was writhing in
agony, his _family_ was fully revenged by _feasting_ on his
_tormentor_. Daily consultations were held to ascertain whether her
long rapier had not actually penetrated the _brain_ of the Honourable
Benjamin. One of the tenants being heard to say, in a most
untenant-like manner, that it might in such case be _all for the
best_, was asked his reason for so undutiful an expression; and
replied, that if she had just pricked his honour’s brain, maybe it
might have let out the _humours_, which would have done no harm either
to his honour or to Baltinglass.
-----
On their arrival in the presence of the doctor, who pretended never to
know any body in Court, he asked, “Who _those people_ were?” and on
being informed, proceeded to inquire what business brought them there.
The Honourable Benjamin answered, “that he wanted a marriage-license for
his nephew, George Hartpole, of Shrewl Castle, Esq., and Miss Maria
Otway, of Castle Otway, County Tipperary.”
He had scarcely pronounced the words when the doctor, rising, with the
utmost vehemence roared out, “George Hartpole! George Hartpole! is that
the rascal who has _another wife_ living?”
George, struck motionless, shrank within himself; but Benjamin, not
being so easily frightened, said something equally warm, whereupon the
doctor, without further ceremony, rushed at him, seized him by the
collar, and cried, “Do you want me to countenance bigamy, you villains?”
at the same time roaring to his crier and servants to “turn the fellows
out!” which order, if not literally, was virtually performed, and the
petitioners for a license congratulated themselves upon their
providential escape from so outrageous a judge of prerogative.
The fact was, a suit of nullity had been actually _commenced_ in the
Court, but its merits never having been stated, the judge only knew
Hartpole as a married man _de facto_, and it certainly could not appear
very correct of the Honourable Benjamin to apply to the _same_ judge who
was to try the validity of the _first_ marriage, to grant his license
for the solemnization of a _second_ while the first remained undecided.
On Hartpole’s mind the circumstance made an indelible impression, and he
never afterward took any further proceedings in the cause then
instituted.
Hartpole returned to me and recounted the adventure, affecting to treat
it as a jest against his uncle. But it was a vain disguise; although, by
struggling sharply with his feelings, he in some degree overcame them.
But what was now to be done, since no license could be obtained in
Dublin? A general consultation was held; Mr. Otway (still singularly to
me) appeared to regard the circumstance as a mere _bagatelle_. I thought
_far otherwise_; and it was so deeply engraven on Hartpole’s mind, that
he mentioned it to me not three days previous to his dissolution, as
having foreboded all his subsequent misfortunes.
It was at length agreed on that he should be married in the diocese of
Kildare, by a license from the bishop’s surrogate there. This was in
effect accomplished. I did not attend at the ceremony; after which, the
parties pursued their journey to Castle Otway, where, in the midst of
every thing that was desirable on earth, Hartpole commenced the trial of
his new connexion.
In spite of these apparent advantages, however, my friend soon began
either to find or conjure up new and dangerous sources of uneasiness. He
continued some months at Castle Otway, listless and devoured by
_ennui_—pining for a change of scene, and longing to return to his
hereditary domain. His health gradually, although slowly, declined; yet
he took no medical advice: remote symptoms of consumption began to
exhibit themselves, and the effects of care upon a constitution
naturally irritable favoured their development. But, amidst all this, he
fancied for awhile that he possessed every thing he could wish for;—his
wife daily improved in her person, her manners were delightful, her
conduct unexceptionable.
Maria was adored by her parents, but adored to a degree that tended
eventually to create her misery: the thought of separating from them was
to her almost unbearable; she durst scarcely look at such an event with
firmness. Her reluctance could not be concealed from the sharp eye of
her uneasy husband. Every mark of affection lavished by her on her
parents he considered as if filched from him. He thought her heart
should have no room for _any_ attachments but to himself, whereas it had
been wholly preoccupied by filial tenderness, that true passion of
nature. In a word, she had never _loved_ Hartpole, for whom she felt no
other than a neutral species of attachment. Neither her mind nor her
person had arrived at their full maturity, when she was called upon to
love; and under such circumstances, she really evinced more affection
for her husband than I supposed she would do, but far less than he
expected.
At length it was agreed that they should come, on a visit, to my house
in Dublin for some time, and that her mother should afterwards stay with
her at Shrewl Castle till Maria was gradually reconciled to the dreaded
change, and to final residence with a man whom I believe she early
discovered was not exactly calculated to make her happy. The story of
Mary Sleven, I believe, she had not heard; if she had, I am pretty sure
she never would have left the protection of her father.
When Hartpole arrived at my house, I soon perceived that my gloomy
auguries had been too well grounded. I found his mind bewildered; he
received no enjoyment from reading; his health did not permit strong
exercise; he took no pleasure in new and strange society; but, on the
contrary, pined for his own home, his free associates, his steward, his
tenants, his colliers, and above all, for a passive, fond companion who
should have no wish but her husband’s.
Now, none of these things were to Maria’s taste, and she yielded to the
inroads of discontent, as I think, unreasonably: still, this feeling
never showed itself with offensive prominence. She gave way to every
desire expressed by her husband, but her acquiescence seemed to me like
that of a _victim_. I have often noticed that, even whilst she intimated
her obedience, her averted eye betrayed a rebel tear, and she only
awaited the moment when it might gush out with safety, and relieve her.
I perceived that, unless some step was taken to occupy George’s mind, a
residence at Shrewl Castle would surely proclaim to the world both his
folly and his ruin. I therefore applied to Mr. Pelham, then secretary in
Ireland, to appoint Hartpole to the office of high sheriff for Queen’s
County for the ensuing year, 1794. My application was immediately
conceded. I also took out for him a commission of the peace. Meanwhile
his old castle was in part newly furnished, and I was happy to see that
he felt a sort of gratification in the appointment of sheriff; and
though in a state of health badly calculated to execute the duties of
such an office, the occupation of his mind would, I hoped, make ample
amends for his necessary personal exertions. If that year had passed
favourably, it was my intention to have recommended a tour to some
foreign country, where change of climate and of scene might tend to
restore my friend’s health, to amuse his mind, and perhaps to make a
desirable alteration in the feelings both of himself and his wife:—but
Heaven decreed otherwise.
While on their visit at my house, I perceived, in Hartpole’s
disposition, among other traits which so close a communion could
scarcely fail to develope, one which I had never before suspected in
him, and calculated to prove the certain and permanent source of
unhappiness. Jealousy is of all others the most terrible of human
passions. When once it fixes its roots in a hasty, sanguine nature, it
becomes master of every action and every word; and reason, justice, and
humanity, all fly before it! When it pervades a less ardent spirit,
impetuosity is bridled; but the desire of revenge is no less powerful,
and too often seeks gratification in the exercise of cold treachery or
petty annoyance: in either case, the eye magnifies every object which
can at all feed the greediness of suspicion. When this passion has any
fair cause, it may be justifiable, and a crisis generally ends it; but
when no cause exists, save in the distempered fancy of a sinking
constitution, it is permanent and invincible.
Such was the case with my friend: his jealousy had no fixed object on
which to fasten itself, but wandered from person to person. Indeed, it
could have no resting-place; for, in this point of view, Maria was
blameless. But in the eye of my friend she had guilt—the guilt of being
attractive. He conceived that every body must love her as he did
himself, and fancied that a female universally admired could not be
universally _ungrateful_.
This melancholy and morbid state of mind appeared to me likely to
increase from residence in a metropolis, and I hastened his departure
for Shrewl Castle, to take upon himself the office of high sheriff. I
did not go with them, for my mind misgave me: her mother met them there,
and innocently completed the ruin of her children by a step the
consequences whereof should ever be a warning to wives, to parents, and
to husbands!
At Shrewl, Mrs. Otway perceived George’s ideal malady: she was a silly
woman, who fancied she was wise, and thought she never could do wrong
because she always intended to do right. She proposed to Maria a most
desperate remedy to cure her husband of his jealousy, though she did not
reflect that it might probably be at the expense of his existence, and
certainly of her daughter’s duty. They conspired together, and wrote two
or three letters directed to Mrs. Hartpole, without signature, but
professing love and designating meetings. These they took measures to
drop so as Hartpole might accidentally find some of them, and thus they
thought in the end to convince him of his folly, and _laugh_ him out of
his suspicions.
The result may be easily anticipated by those who have read with
attention the character of the husband. He became outrageous; the
developement did not pacify him; and his paroxysm was nearly fatal.
Maria was in consequence but little better, and the unexpected result of
her own injudicious conduct nearly distracted the unhappy mother. But it
was too late to retrieve their error: the die was thrown. Hartpole was
inflexible; and the first I heard of it was Maria’s departure to her
father’s, and a final separation:—and thus, after a marriage of a few
months, that ill-starred young man, completely the sport of fortune,
became once more solitary! Labouring under the false idea that he could
soon conquer his attachment, he made Maria an ample separate
maintenance, and determined to go to Lisbon, where he thought a change
of scene might, perhaps, restore his peace, and the climate his
shattered constitution.
Before he sailed, I endeavoured in vain to reconcile them. She did not
love him well enough to risk a further residence at Shrewl, in the
absence of her connexions; and his mind was case-hardened against the
whole family from which she sprang. His reasons to me for parting from
her finally were at least plausible.
“I acquit her at once,” said he, “of ever having shown a symptom of
impropriety, nay, even of giddiness: there I was wrong, and I own it:
but she has proved herself perfectly capable of, and expert at,
_deception_; and the woman that has practised deception for _my_ sake
would be equally capable of practising it for _her own_. So far from
_curing my error_, she has confirmed me in it; and when confidence
ceases separation ought to ensue.”
Hartpole shortly after embarked for Portugal, and only returned to
terminate his short career by a lingering and painful death.
On his arrival at Lisbon without any amendment either in mind or body, I
felt, and I am sure he did himself, that the world was fast receding
from him. The rough manners of one Lieutenant Waters, the person whom he
had chosen as a _led captain_, were little congenial to his own
characteristic mildness. He had, however, Simon, a most faithful Scotch
valet; and after a few posts, I conceived, from his letters, that his
spirits had very much improved, when a circumstance occurred which, had
he been in health, would have been merely ludicrous; but which the
shattered state of his nerves rendered him almost incapable of bearing
up against.
On his marriage he had given the commission in the army which he then
held to Mr. Otway, his brother-in-law (I believe, now, General Otway);
on his separation, however, he determined to resume the profession, and
accordingly purchased a commission in a regiment of the line then
raising by his uncle the late Lord Aldborough; and he had been gazetted
previously to his departure.
After he had been a short time at Lisbon, some mischievous person, for
some mischievous object, informed his uncle that he had been dead a
fortnight! and, without further inquiry, that nobleman resold George’s
commission, and an announcement appeared in the newspapers, that
Hartpole had fallen a victim at Lisbon, to consumption, the rapid
progress of which had rendered his case hopeless even before he quitted
Ireland,—adding the name of the party who had succeeded him in his
regiment.
Now the fact was, that the climate of Lisbon had been of great service
to his health; and he was quickly recovering strength and spirits when,
taking up, one day, an English paper, he read the above-mentioned
paragraph.
His valet described to me coarsely the instantaneous effect of this
circumstance on his master’s mind. It seemed to proclaim his fate by
anticipation:—his commission was disposed of, under the idea that he was
actually dead; every melancholy reflection crowded upon him; he totally
relapsed; and I firmly believe that paragraph was his death-blow. After
lingering several months longer, he returned to England, and I received
a letter requesting me to meet him without delay at Bristol, and stating
that he had made his will. I immediately undertook the journey, and took
him over a horse which I conceived adapted to him at that time. His
sister (the present Mrs. Bowen, of Rutland-square) was with him. His
figure was emaciated to the last degree, and he was sinking rapidly into
the grave. He was attended by a very clever young physician of that
place, a Doctor Barrow, and I soon perceived that the doctor had fallen
a victim to the charms of Miss Hartpole.
The patient had, however, declined but little in appetite, when the
disorder fixed itself in his throat, and he ceased to have the power of
eating: he now entirely gave himself up as a person who must die of
hunger. This melancholy scene almost distracted me. The doctor gave us
little consolation; and Hartpole himself, though reduced to such a
state, was really the most cheerful of the party, evincing a degree of
resignation at once heroic and touching. His will had been prepared by
Mr. Lemans of Bristol, (to me a perfect stranger,) and executed whilst I
was in Ireland: he informed us all that I was joint executor with two of
his uncles.
On the morning of Hartpole’s death he sent for me to rise and come to
him. I found him in an _agony of hunger_—perspiration in large drops
rolling down his face. He said neither food nor liquid could descend
into his stomach; that his ribs had contracted inward, as if
convulsively drawn together; and that he was in great pain. I cannot
describe my emotion! He walked about his room and spoke to me earnestly
on many subjects, on some of which I have been, and ever shall be,
totally silent. At length he called me to the window:—“Barrington,” said
he, “you see at a distance a very green field?” “Yes,” I replied.
“Well,” continued George, “it is my dying request that I may be buried
there _to-morrow evening_.”
He spoke so calmly and strongly, that I felt much surprised. He observed
this, and said, “It is true: _I am in the agonies of death_.” I now
called in the doctor and Hartpole’s servant: the invalid sat down upon
the bed; and when he took me by the hand, I shuddered, for it was
burning hot, whilst every nerve and sinew seemed to be in spasmodic
action, then iced and clammy. I never had been in collision with a dying
person before: he pressed my hand with great fervour, and murmured, “My
friend!”—these were the last words I heard him utter. I looked in his
face: his eyes were glazed—his lips quivered—he laid his head on the
pillow, and expired.
This awful scene, to me so perfectly new, overpowered me, and for a few
minutes I was myself totally insensible.
I disobeyed Hartpole’s injunctions respecting his funeral; for I had his
body enclosed in a leaden coffin and sent to be interred at Shrewl
Castle, in the cemetery of his ancestors, wherein his remains were not
admitted without much reluctance by his ungrateful sister and her
husband, who resided there in his absence.
On the reading of the will, his first bequest appeared to be to “his
friend Barrington, six thousand pounds,” together with the reversion of
his landed estates and collieries, by moieties, on the death of each of
his sisters without children: one had been some years married and had
none; the other was unmarried, but soon after made a match with a
respectable gentleman of very considerable property, but whom I should
think few young ladies of fortune would have fancied.
The uncles would not act as executors; considered me as an interloper;
and commenced a suit to annul the will, as prepared under undue
influence. Fortunately for my reputation, I had never known or even seen
the persons who prepared it. I was in another kingdom at the time, and
had not seen Hartpole for many months before its execution: _his sister_
was with him; not I.—I was utterly unacquainted with his will or its
contents.
I got a decree without delay. The family of Stratford, who preferred
_law_ to all other species of _pastime_, appealed. My decree was
confirmed, and they were burdened with the whole costs; and in effect
paid me six thousand pounds, on an amicable arrangement. My reversion
yielded me nothing; for I fancy the sisters have since had nearly twenty
children between them to inherit it.
Thus ended Hartpole’s life, and thus did a family become extinct, of the
most respectable description. I neither looked to nor expected any
legacy from my friend, beyond a mourning-ring. He left numerous other
bequests, including a considerable one to Mary Sleven, whose fate I
never heard.
The sequel of Maria Otway’s history was not much less melancholy than
that of her unhappy partner, as she died prematurely, by the most
affecting of all deaths, some time after—childbirth. I saw her after the
separation, but never after George’s decease. As I predicted, her style
of beauty was not calculated to _wear well_; and even before she was out
of her teens, Maria Otway _had been_ much handsomer. Her manner became
more studied—of course, less graceful: and that _naïveté_, which had
rendered her so engaging to my friend, was somewhat superseded by the
affectation of fashionable manners.
Maria, I think, _never_ had been attached to Hartpole; and within two
years after his decease, she made another and a most unexceptionable
match—namely, with Mr. Prittie, the present member for Tipperary: but
Providence seemed to pursue fatally even the relict of my friend; and,
at the age of twenty-three, death cut off the survivor of that union
which an unconcerned spectator would have deemed so auspicious. It was
said and believed, (but I do not wish to be understood as vouching the
report,) that after Mrs. Prittie’s death a prediction of that event was
found written by herself six months before it occurred, designating the
precise time of her departure.
I have been diffuse on the memoirs of Hartpole, because I felt myself
interested in almost every material event of his career. To overlook our
friendship, indeed, and his liberality, would have been ungrateful, in
any memoir of myself.[17]
Before I quit these “records,” and the associations which they excite, I
am tempted once more to revert to the peculiarities of the Stratford
family, which indeed present an ample field for anecdote. More curious
or dissimilar characters never, surely, bore the same name.
Earl Robert, one of those who declared war against me on Hartpole’s
death, was surnamed “The Peer of a Hundred Wills;” and it is matter of
fact, that, upon a trial at law in County Wicklow, since his Lordship’s
death, fifty-one different wills were produced, together with a great
number of affidavits, &c., also signed by the Earl. Several of these
documents are of the most singular description, highly illustrative of
the Earl’s character, and I should think among the most extraordinary
papers existing.
-----
Footnote 17:
George Hartpole was sponsor to my only son.
-----
It was a general rule with this peer to make a will or codicil in favour
of any person with whom he was desirous of carrying a point,—taking
especial care that the party should be made acquainted with his
proceeding: no sooner, however, was his end accomplished, and other game
started, than a fresh instrument annulled all the provisions of the
preceding one! Thus, if desirous of obtaining a lady’s regards, _he made
a will in her favour_, and let her find it _by accident_. He at length
got 50,000_l._ with a grand-daughter of the Duke of Chandos, and brought
her over to Belan.
In the cause before mentioned I was specially retained by the late Earl
John, to argue that his brother was _mad_, and Mr. Plunkett was retained
specially as my opponent, to argue that he was _sane_. In support of
_our_ positions it was that the fifty wills were produced; and I
hesitate not to say, that _either_ of them, had it emanated from any
other individual than his Lordship, would have been deemed conclusive of
insanity. But the jury had known the party whose vagaries they were
summoned to decide upon; and therefore found, as usual, in favour of his
Lordship’s _last_ will. I subsequently asked one of those gentlemen the
grounds of their verdict; and his answer was—“We all knew well that the
testator was more * * * * * than fool: did you ever hear of any body
_taking him in_?”—and, the truth is, the jury were right; for I never
met with a man who had more worldly tact than Robert, Earl of
Aldborough, and, owing to my close connexion with his nephew, Hartpole,
I had abundant opportunities of judging, as well as by his extraordinary
correspondence and transactions with myself.
The present Countess Dowager of Aldborough was in the habit of uttering
_jeux d’esprit_ with more spirit and grace than any woman in the world:
she often cut deeply; but so keen and polished was the edge of her wit,
that the patient was never mangled; or if he was, nobody consoled him in
his tortures.
The cause of her naming the Honourable and Reverend Paul Stratford, her
brother-in-law, “Holy Paul,” was droll enough. Mount Neil, a remarkably
fine old country-house, furnished in the ancient style, was that
ecclesiastic’s family mansion, wherein he resided many years, but of
which it was thought he at last grew tired. One stormy night, this house
(some time after it had been insured to a large amount) most perversely
and miraculously took fire: (the common people still say, and verily
believe, it was _of its own accord_:) no water was to be had; of course
the flames raged _ad libitum_: the tenants bustled, jostled, and tumbled
over each other, in a general uproar and zeal to save his Reverence’s
“great house:” his Reverence alone, meek and resigned, beheld the
voracious element devour his hereditary property—piously and audibly
attributing the evil solely to the just will of Providence as a
punishment for his having vexed his mother some years before, when she
was troubled with a dropsy. Under this impression, the Honourable and
Reverend Paul adopted the only rational and pious means of extinguishing
the conflagration: he fell on his bare knees in front of the blazing
pile, and, with clasped and uplifted hands, and in the tone of a saint
during his martyrdom, besought the Lord to show him mercy, and
extinguish a flame which was setting all human aid at defiance! The
people around, however, did not place equal reliance on the
interposition of Providence,—which, as a country fellow very judiciously
observed, “might be employed somewhere else at the time, and unable to
look to his Reverence’s _consarns_:” so they continued, while
practicable, to bring out the furniture piecemeal, and range it on the
grass-plat. Paul no sooner perceived the result of their exertions than,
still on his knees, he cried out—“Stop! stop! throw all my valuable
goods and chattels back into the flames! never fly, my friends, in the
_face_ of Heaven! When the Almighty resolved to burn my house, he most
certainly intended to burn the furniture. I feel resigned. The Lord’s
will be done! Throw it _all_ back again!”
The tenants reluctantly obeyed his orders; but, unfortunately for “Holy
Paul,” the Insurance Company, when applied to for payment of his losses,
differed altogether from his Reverence as to the agency of Providence,
and absolutely refused to pay any part of the damage incurred. Paul
declared it would be a crime in him to _insist_ by a _law-suit_ upon
payment; and that he’d rather lose all his insurance than bring any act
of Providence into the Court of Exchequer, which never was renowned for
any great skill in ecclesiastical polity. In tithe cases, they showed no
sort of _partiality_ to the clergy; and never would pay the least
attention in any instance to assertions from the board of first-fruits
without putting the clergy to the _trouble_ of producing their
_witnesses_.
The Honourable and Rev. Paul, however, got into disrepute by this
occurrence, and his nephew declined being married by him. In fact, the
fault of Holy Paul was, love of money: he had very good property, but
was totally averse to paying away any thing. He was put into prison by
his niece’s husband, where he long remained rather than render an
account; and when at length he settled the _whole_ demand, refused to
pay a few pounds fees, and continued voluntarily in confinement until
his death. Notwithstanding, greatly to his credit, he bestowed large
sums in charity.