With that complacency and fortitude which were peculiar to herself, this
hapless stranger resisted all those artful temptations. Her sustenance
was barely such as exempted her from the guilt of being accessory to her
own death; her drink was the simple element. She encouraged no discourse
but that which turned upon the concerns of her immortal part. She never
went abroad, except in visits to a French chapel in the neighbourhood;
she refused the proffered assistance of our adventurer with equal
obstinacy and politeness, and with pleasure saw herself wasting towards
that period of mortality which was the consummation of her wish. Yet her
charms, far from melting away with her constitution, seemed to triumph
over the decays of nature. Her shape and features still retained that
harmony for which they had always been distinguished. A mixture of
majesty and sweetness diffused itself in her looks, and her feebleness
added to that soft and feminine grace which attracts the sympathy, and
engages the protection of every humane beholder. The associates thus
baffled in their attempts to excite her ideas of pleasure, again shifted
their plan, and resolved to attack this forlorn beauty on the side of
fear and mortification.
Our adventurer became less frequent in his visits, and more indifferent
in his language and deportment; while Madam la Mer gradually relaxed in
that complacency and respect with which she had hitherto behaved towards
her fair lodger. She even began to drop hints of disapprobation and
reproach against this pattern of innocence and beauty, and at length grew
bold enough to tell her, that her misfortunes could be attributed to
nothing but her own obstinacy and pride; that she had been at great pains
to disoblige the only person who was able and willing to raise her above
dependence; and that, if his protection should be withdrawn, she must be
exposed to the utmost extremity of distress.
These insinuations, instead of producing the desired effect, inflamed the
indignation of Monimia, who, in a most dignified style of rebuke, chid
her for her indelicacy and presumption, observing, that she could have no
title to take such freedoms with lodgers, whose punctuality and regular
deportment left her no room to complain. Notwithstanding this animated
reply, she underwent the most deplorable anguish, when she reflected upon
the insolence of this woman, from whose barbarity she had no resource;
and, seeing no other possibility of redress than that of appealing to the
good offices of Fathom, she conquered her reluctance so far, as to
complain to him of Madam la Mer's incivility.
Pleased with this application, he gave her to understand, with very
little ceremony or preamble, that it wholly depended upon herself whether
she should continue to be wretched, or be delivered at once from all her
cares and perplexity; that, notwithstanding the disdain with which she
had treated his addresses, he was still ready to lay himself and his
fortune at her feet; and that, if she should again reject the
disinterested proposal, the whole world and her own conscience would
charge upon herself whatever calamities she might be subjected to in the
sequel. Interpreting into a favourable hesitation her silence, which was
the result of wrath and amazement, he proceeded to throw himself at her
feet, and utter a romantic rhapsody, in the course of which, laying aside
all that restraint which he had hitherto preserved, he seized her
delicate hand, and pressed it to his lips; nay, so far did he forget
himself on this occasion, that he caught the fair creature in his arms,
and rudely ravished a kiss from those lips which he had before
contemplated with the most distant reverence of desire.
Having thus broken down the fences of decorum, and being heated with
transport, he, in all probability, would have acted the part of young
Tarquin, and violated by force that sacred shrine of honour, beauty, and
unblemished truth, had not the wrath kindled by such an unexpected
outrage inspired her with strength and spirits sufficient to protect her
virtue, and intimidate the ruffian who could offer violence to such
perfection. She broke from his detested embrace with surprising agility,
and called aloud to her landlady for assistance; but that discreet matron
was resolved to hear nothing, and Fathom's appetite being whetted to a
most brutal degree of eagerness, "Madam," said he, "all opposition is
vain. What you have refused to my entreaties, you shall yield to my
power; and I am determined to force you to your own advantage."
So saying, he sprung towards her, with the most savage and impious
intent, when this amiable heroine snatching up his sword, which lay upon
a by-table, and unsheathing it instantaneously, presented the point to
his breast, and, while her eyes glanced with intolerable keenness,
"Villain!" cried she, "the spirit of my father animates my bosom, and the
vengeance of Heaven shall not be frustrated." He was not so much
affected by his bodily danger, as awestruck at the manner of her address,
and the appearance of her aspect, which seemed to shine with something
supernatural, and actually disordered his whole faculties, insomuch that
he retreated without attempting to make the least reply; and she, having
secured the door after his departure, sat down to ponder upon this
shocking event.
Words are wanting to describe the accumulated horrors that took
possession of her mind, when she thus beheld all her presaging fears
realised, and found herself at the mercy of two wretches, who had now
pulled off the mask, after having lost all sentiments of humanity.
Common affliction was an agreeable reverie to what she suffered, deprived
of her parents, exiled from her friends and country, reduced to the brink
of wanting the most indispensable necessaries of life, in a foreign land,
where she knew not one person to whose protection she could have
recourse, from the inexpressible woes that environed her. She complained
to Heaven that her life was protracted, for the augmentation of that
misery which was already too severe to be endured; for she shuddered at
the prospect of being utterly abandoned in the last stage of mortality,
without one friend to close her eyes, or do the last offices of humanity
to her breathless corse. These were dreadful reflections to a young lady
who had been born to affluence and splendour, trained up in all the
elegance of education, by nature fraught with that sensibility which
refines the sentiment and taste, and so tenderly cherished by her
indulgent parents, that they suffered not the winds of Heaven to visit
her face too roughly.
Having passed the night in such agony, she rose at daybreak, and, hearing
the chapel bell toll for morning prayers, resolved to go to this place of
worship, in order to implore the assistance of Heaven. She no sooner
opened her chamber door, with this intent, than she was met by Madam la
Mer, who, after having professed her concern for what had happened
overnight, and imputed Mr. Fathom's rudeness to the spirit of
intoxication, by which she had never before seen him possessed, she
endeavoured to dissuade Monimia from her purpose, by observing, that her
health would be prejudiced by the cold morning air; but finding her
determined, she insisted upon accompanying her to chapel, on pretence of
respect, though, in reality, with a view to prevent the escape of her
beauteous lodger. Thus attended, the hapless mourner entered the place,
and, according to the laudable hospitality of England, which is the only
country in Christendom where a stranger is not made welcome to the house
of God, this amiable creature, emaciated and enfeebled as she was, must
have stood in a common passage during the whole service, had not she been
perceived by a humane gentlewoman, who, struck with her beauty and
dignified air, and melted with sympathy at the ineffable sorrow which was
visible in her countenance, opened the pew in which she sat, and
accommodated Monimia and her attendant. If she was captivated by her
first appearance, she was not less affected by the deportment of her fair
guest, which was the pattern of genuine devotion.
In a word, this good lady, who was a merchant's widow in opulent
circumstances, was inflamed with a longing desire to know and befriend
the amiable stranger, who, after service, turning about to thank her for
her civility, Madam Clement, with that frankness which is the result of
true benevolence, told her, she was too much prepossessed in her favour
to let slip this opportunity of craving her acquaintance, and of
expressing her inclination to alleviate, if possible, that affliction
which was manifest in her looks.
Monimia, overwhelmed with gratitude and surprise at this unexpected
address, gazed upon the lady in silence, and when she repeated her
tenders of service, could make no other reply to her goodness, than by
bursting into a flood of tears. This was a species of eloquence which
did not pass unregarded by Madam Clement, who, while her own eyes were
bedewed with the drops of sympathy and compassion, took the lovely orphan
by the hand, and led her, without further ceremony, to her own coach,
that stood waiting at the door, whither they were followed by Mrs. la
Mer, who was so much confounded at the adventure, that she made no
objections to the proposal of the lady, who handed her lodger into the
carriage; but retired, with all possible despatch, to make Fathom
acquainted with this unforeseen event.
Meanwhile the agitation of Monimia, at this providential deliverance, was
such as had well-nigh destroyed her tender frame. The blood flushed and
forsook her cheeks by turns; she trembled from head to foot,
notwithstanding the consolatory assurances of Madam Clement, and, without
being able to utter one word, was conducted to the house of that kind
benefactress, where the violence of her transports overpowered her
constitution, and she sunk down upon a couch in a swoon, from which she
was not easily recovered. This affecting circumstance augmented the
pity, and interested the curiosity of Madam Clement, who concluded there
was something very extraordinary in the case of the stranger, to produce
these agonies; and grew impatient to hear the particulars of her story.
Monimia no sooner retrieved the use of her faculties, than looking
around, and observing with what humane concern her new hostess was
employed in effecting her recovery, "Is this," said she, "a flattering
illusion of the brain? or am I really under the protection of some
beneficent being, whom Heaven hath inspired with generosity to rescue an
hapless stranger from the most forlorn state of misery and woe?" Her
voice was at all times ravishingly sweet; and this exclamation was
pronounced with such pathetic fervour, that Madam Clement clasped her in
her arms, and kissing her with all the eagerness of maternal affection,
"Yes," cried she, "fair creature, Heaven hath bestowed upon me an heart
to compassionate, and power, I hope, to lighten the burden of your
sorrows."
She then prevailed upon her to take some nourishment, and afterwards to
recount the particulars of her fate; a task she performed with such
accuracy and candour, that Madam Clement, far from suspecting her
sincerity, saw truth and conviction in every circumstance of her tale;
and, having condoled her misfortunes, entreated her to forget them, or at
least look upon herself as one sheltered under the care and tuition of a
person whose study it would be to supply her want of natural parents.
This would have been an happy vicissitude of fortune, had it not arrived
too late; but such a sudden and unlooked-for transition not only
disordered the faculties of poor Monimia's mind, but also overpowered the
organs of her body, already fatigued and enfeebled by the distresses she
had undergone; so that she was taken ill of a fever that same night, and
became delirious before morning, when a physician was called to her
assistance.
While this gentleman was in the house, Madam Clement was visited by
Fathom, who, after having complained, in the most insinuating manner that
she had encouraged his wife to abandon her duty, told her a plausible
story of his first acquaintance with Monimia, and his marriage at the
Fleet, which, he said, he was ready to prove by the evidence of the
clergyman who joined them, and that of Mrs. la Mer, who was present at
the ceremony. The good lady, although a little staggered at the genteel
appearance and engaging address of this stranger, could not prevail upon
herself to believe that she had been imposed upon by her fair lodger, who
by this time had given too convincing a proof of her sincerity;
nevertheless, in order to prevent any dispute that might be prejudicial
to the health or recovery of Monimia, she gave him to understand, that
she would not at present enter upon the merits of the cause, but only
assure him, that the young lady was actually bereft of her senses, and in
imminent danger of her life; for the truth of which assertions she would
appeal to his own observation, and the opinion of the physician, who was
then employed in writing a prescription for the cure of her disease.
So saying, she conducted him into the chamber, where he beheld the
hapless virgin stretched upon a sick-bed, panting under the violence of a
distemper too mighty for her weakly frame, her hair dishevelled, and
discomposure in her looks; all the roses of her youth were faded, yet all
the graces of her beauty were not fled. She retained that sweetness and
symmetry, which death itself could not destroy; and though her discourse
was incoherent, her voice was still musical, resembling those feathered
songsters who warble their native wood-notes wild.
Fathom, as upon all other occasions, so on this, did behave like an
inimitable actor; he ran to the bedside, with all the trepidation of a
distracted lover; he fell upon his knees, and, while the tears rolled
down his cheeks, imprinted a thousand kisses on the soft hand of Monimia,
who regarding him with a lack-lustre and undistinguishing eye, "Alas!
Renaldo," said she, "we were born to be unhappy." "Would to Heaven,"
cried Ferdinand, in a transport of grief, "the wretch Renaldo had never
been born! that is the villain who seduced the affection of this
unfortunate woman. I admitted the traitor into my friendship and
confidence, relieved him in his necessities; and, like the ungrateful
viper, he hath stung the very bosom that cherished him in his distress."
Then he proceeded to inform Madam Clement how he had delivered that same
Renaldo from prison, maintained him afterwards at a great expense, and at
length furnished him with a sum of money and proper credentials to
support his interest at the Court of Vienna.
Having finished this detail, he asked the physician's sentiments of his
wife's distemper, and being told that her life was in extreme jeopardy,
begged he would use his utmost endeavours in her behalf, and even made
him a tender of an extraordinary fee, which was refused. He also thanked
Madam Clement for her charity and benevolence towards a stranger, and
took his leave with many polite professions of gratitude and esteem. He
had no sooner quitted the house, than the physician, who was a humane
man, and a foreigner, began to caution the lady against his insinuations,
observing, that some circumstances of the story concerning Renaldo were,
to his particular knowledge, contrary to truth; for that he himself had
been applied to for letters of recommendation in behalf of Count Melvil,
by a Jew merchant of his acquaintance, who had supplied the young
gentleman with money sufficient for his occasions, in consequence of a
minute inquiry he had made into the character of Renaldo, who was, by all
reports, a youth of strict honour and untainted morals.
Madam Clement, thus cautioned, entered into deliberation with her own
thoughts, and, comparing the particulars of this account with those of
Monimia's own story, she concluded that Fathom was the very traitor he
himself had described; and that he had, by abusing the confidence of
both, effected a fatal breach between two innocent and deserving lovers.
She accordingly looked upon him with horror and detestation; but
nevertheless resolved to treat him with civility in the meantime, that
the poor young lady might not be disturbed in her last moments; for she
had now lost all hopes of her recovery. Yet the fever abated, and in two
days she retrieved the use of her reason; though the distemper had
affected her lungs, and she was in all appearance doomed to linger a few
weeks longer in a consumption.
Fathom was punctual in his visitation, though never admitted into her
presence after the delirium vanished; and he had the opportunity of
seeing her conveyed in a chariot to Kensington Gravel Pits, a place which
may be termed the last stage of many a mortal peregrination. He now
implicitly believed that death would in a few days baffle all his designs
upon the unfortunate Monimia; and foreseeing that, as he had owned
himself her husband, he might be obliged to defray the expenses incurred
by her sickness and burial, he very prudently intermitted in his visits,
and had recourse to the intelligence of his auxiliary.
As for Monimia, she approached the goal of life, not simply with
resignation, but with rapture. She enjoyed in tranquillity the
conversation of her kind benefactress, who never stirred from her
apartment; she was blessed with the spiritual consolation of a worthy
clergyman, who removed all her religious scruples; and she congratulated
herself on the near prospect of that land of peace where sorrow is not
known.
At length Mrs. la Mer gave notice to our adventurer of this amiable young
lady's decease, and the time fixed for the interment. Upon which these
two virtuous associates took possession of a place from whence they
could, unperceived, behold the funeral. He must have a hard heart, who,
without an emotion of pity, can see the last offices performed to a young
creature cut off in the flower of youth and beauty, even though he knows
not her name, and is an utter stranger to her virtues. How callous then
must the soul of that wretch have been, who, without a symptom of remorse
or concern, saw the sable hearse adorned with white plumes, as emblems of
Monimia's purity, pass before him, while her incomparable merit stood
full in his remembrance, and he knew himself the wicked cause of her
untimely fate!
Perfidious wretch! thy crimes turn out so atrocious, that I half repent
me of having undertaken to record thy memoirs; yet such monsters ought to
be exhibited to public view, that mankind may be upon their guard against
imposture; that the world may see how fraud is apt to overshoot itself;
and that, as virtue, though it may suffer for a while, will triumph in
the end; so iniquity, though it may prosper for a season, will at last be
overtaken by that punishment and disgrace which are its due.