While they amused themselves with this sort of conversation, the
physician returned with the coach, and accompanied them back to their
inn, where he left them to their repose, after having promised to call
again at noon, and conduct Renaldo to the house of Madam Clement, the
benefactress of Monimia, to whom he eagerly desired to be introduced.
The appointment was observed with all imaginable punctuality on both
sides. Melvil had arrayed himself in a suit of deep mourning, and he
found the good lady in the like habit, assumed upon the same occasion.
The goodness of her heart was manifest in her countenance; the
sensibility of the youth discovered itself in a flood of tears, which he
shed at her appearance. His sensations were too full for utterance; nor
was she, for some time, able to give him welcome. While she led him by
the hand to a seat, the drops of sympathy rushed into either eye; and at
length she broke silence, saying, "Count, we must acquiesce in the
dispensations of Providence; and quiet the transports of our grief, with
a full assurance that Monimia is happy."
This name was the key that unlocked the faculty of his speech. "I must
strive," said he, "to ease the anguish of my heart with that consolation.
But say, humane, benevolent lady, to whose compassion and generosity that
hapless orphan was indebted for the last peaceful moment she enjoyed upon
earth; say, in all your acquaintance with human nature, in all your
intercourse with the daughters of men, in all the exercise of your
charity and beneficence, did you ever observe such sweetness, purity, and
truth; such beauty, sense, and perfection, as that which was the
inheritance of her whose fate I shall for ever deplore?"--"She was,
indeed," replied the lady, "the best and fairest of our sex."
This was the beginning of a conversation touching that lovely victim, in
the course of which he explained those wicked arts which Fathom practised
to alienate his affections from the adorable Monimia; and she described
the cunning hints and false insinuations by which that traitor had
aspersed the unsuspecting lover, and soiled his character in the opinion
of the virtuous orphan. The intelligence he obtained on this occasion
added indignation to his grief. The whole mystery of Monimia's
behaviour, which he could not before explain, now stood disclosed before
him. He saw the gradual progress of that infernal plan which had been
laid for their mutual ruin; and his soul was inflamed with such desire of
vengeance, that he would have taken his leave abruptly, in order to set
on foot an immediate inquiry about the perfidious author of his wrongs,
that he might exterminate such a monster of iniquity from the face of the
earth. But he was restrained by Madam Clement, who gave him to
understand, that Fathom was already overtaken by the vengeance of Heaven;
for she had traced him in all the course of his fortune, from his first
appearance in the medical sphere to his total eclipse. She represented
the villain as a wretch altogether unworthy of his attention. She said,
he was so covered with infamy, that no person could enter the lists
against him, without bearing away some stain of dishonour; that he was,
at present, peculiarly protected by the law, and sheltered from the
resentment of Renaldo, in the cavern of his disgrace.
Melvil, glowing with rage, replied, that he was a venomous serpent, which
it was incumbent on every foot to crush; that it was the duty of every
man to contribute his whole power in freeing society from such a
pernicious hypocrite; and that, if such instances of perfidy and
ingratitude were suffered to pass with impunity, virtue and plain-dealing
would soon be expelled from the habitations of men. "Over and above
these motives," said he, "I own myself so vitiated with the alloy of
human passion and infirmity, that I desire--I eagerly pant for an
occasion of meeting him hand to hand, where I may upbraid him with his
treachery, and shower down vengeance and destruction on his perfidious
head."
Then he recounted the anecdotes of our adventurer which he had learned in
Germany and Flanders, and concluded with declaring his unalterable
resolution of releasing him from jail, that he might have an opportunity
of sacrificing him, with his own hand, to the manes of Monimia. The
discreet lady, perceiving the perturbation of his mind, would not further
combat the impetuosity of his passion; contenting herself with exacting a
promise, that he would not execute his purpose, until he should have
deliberated three days upon the consequences by which a step of that kind
might be attended. Before the expiration of that term, she thought
measures might be taken to prevent the young gentleman from exposing his
life or reputation to unnecessary hazard.
Having complied with her request in this particular, he took his leave,
after he had, by repeated entreaties, prevailed upon her to accept a
jewel, in token of his veneration for the kind benefactress of the
deceased Monimia; nor could his generous heart be satisfied, until he had
forced a considerable present on the humane physician who had attended
her in her last moments, and now discovered a particular sympathy and
concern for her desponding lover. This gentleman attended him to the
house of the benevolent Joshua, where they dined, and where Don Diego was
recommended, in the most fervid terms of friendship, to the good offices
of their host. Not that this duty was performed in presence of the
stranger--Renaldo's delicacy would not expose his friend to such a
situation. While the physician, before dinner, entertained that stranger
in one apartment, Melvil withdrew into another, with the Jew, to whom he
disclosed the affair of the Castilian, with certain circumstances, which
shall, in due time, be revealed.
Joshua's curiosity being whetted by this information, he could not help
eyeing the Spaniard at table with such a particular stare, that Don Diego
perceived his attention, and took umbrage at the freedom of his regard.
Being unable to conceal his displeasure, he addressed himself to the
Hebrew, with great solemnity, in the Spanish tongue, saving, "Signior, is
there any singularity in my appearance? or, do you recollect the features
of Don Diego de Zelos?"
"Signior Don Diego," replied the other in pure Castilian, "I crave your
pardon for the rudeness of my curiosity, which prompted me to survey a
nobleman, whose character I revere, and to whose misfortunes I am no
stranger. Indeed, were curiosity alone concerned, I should be without
excuse; but as I am heartily inclined to serve you, as far as my weak
abilities extend, I hope your generosity will not impute any little
involuntary trespass of punctilio to my want of cordiality or esteem."
The Spaniard was not only appeased by this apology, but also affected
with the compliment, and the language in which it was conveyed. He
thanked the Jew for his kind declaration, entreated him to bear, with the
peevishness of a disposition sore with the galling hand of affliction;
and, turning up his eyes to Heaven, "Were it possible," cried he, "for
fate to reconcile contradictions, and recall the irremediable current of
events, I would now believe that there was happiness still in reserve for
the forlorn Zelos, now that I tread the land of freedom and humanity, now
that I find myself befriended by the most generous of men. Alas! I ask
not happiness! If, by the kind endeavours of the gallant Count de
Melvil, to whom I am already indebted for my life, and by the efforts of
his friends, the honour of my name shall be purified and cleared from the
poisonous stains of malice by which it is at present spotted, I shall
then enjoy all that satisfaction which destiny can bestow upon a wretch
whose woes are incurable."
Renaldo comforted him with the assurance of his being on the eve of
triumphing over his adversaries; and Joshua confirmed the consolation, by
giving him to understand, that he had correspondents in Spain of some
influence in the state; that he had already written to them on the
subject of Don Diego, in consequence of a letter which he had received
from Melvil while he tarried at Mons, and that he, every post, expected a
favourable answer on that subject.
After dinner, the physician took his leave, though not before he had
promised to meet Renaldo at night, and accompany him in the repetition of
his midnight visit to Monimia's tomb; for this pilgrimage the unfortunate
youth resolved nightly to perform during the whole time of his residence
in England. It was, indeed, a sort of pleasure, the prospect of which
enabled him to bear the toil of living through the day, though his
patience was almost quite exhausted before the hour of assignation
arrived.
When the doctor appeared with the coach, he leaped into it with great
eagerness, after he had, with much difficulty, prevailed with Don Diego
to stay at home, on account of his health, which was not yet perfectly
established. The Castilian, however, would not comply with his request,
until he had obtained the Count's promise, that he should be permitted to
accompany him next night, and take that duty alternately with the
physician.
About midnight, they reached the place, where they found the sexton in
waiting, according to the orders he had received. The door was opened,
the mourner conducted to the tomb, and left, as before, to the gloom of
his own meditations. Again he laid himself on the cold ground; again he
renewed his lamentable strain; his imagination began to be heated into an
ecstasy of enthusiasm, during which he again fervently invoked the spirit
of his deceased Monimia.
In the midst of these invocations, his ear was suddenly invaded with the
sound of some few solemn notes issuing from the organ, which seemed to
feel the impulse of an invisible hand.
At this awful salutation, Melvil was roused to the keenest sense of
surprise and attention. Reason shrunk before the thronging ideas of his
fancy, which represented this music as the prelude to something strange
and supernatural; and, while he waited for the sequel, the place was
suddenly illuminated, and each surrounding object brought under the
cognisance of his eye.
What passed within his mind on this occasion is not easy to be described.
All his faculties were swallowed up by those of seeing and hearing. He
had mechanically raised himself upon one knee, with his body advancing
forwards; and in this attitude he gazed with a look through which his
soul seemed eager to escape. To his view, thus strained upon vacant
space, in a few minutes appeared the figure of a woman arrayed in white,
with a veil that covered her face, and flowed down upon her back and
shoulders. The phantom approached him with an easy step, and, lifting up
her veil, discovered (believe it, O reader!) the individual countenance
of Monimia.
At sight of these well-known features, seemingly improved with new
celestial graces, the youth became a statue, expressing amazement, love,
and awful adoration. He saw the apparition smile with meek benevolence,
divine compassion, warm and intendered by that fond pure flame which
death could not extinguish. He heard the voice of his Monimia call
Renaldo! Thrice he essayed to answer; as oft his tongue denied its
office. His hair stood upright, and a cold vapour seemed to thrill
through every nerve. This was not fear, but the infirmity of human
nature, oppressed by the presence of a superior being.
At length his agony was overcome. He recollected all his resolution,
and, in a strain of awestruck rapture, thus addressed the heavenly
visitant: "Hast thou then heard, pure spirit! the wailings of my grief?
hast thou descended from the realms of bliss, in pity to my woe? and art
thou come to speak the words of peace to my desponding soul? To bid the
wretched smile, to lift the load of misery and care from the afflicted
breast; to fill thy lover's heart with joy and pleasing hope, was still
the darling task of my Monimia, ere yet refined to that perfection which
mortality can never attain. No wonder then, blessed shade, that now,
when reunited to thy native heaven, thou art still kind, propitious, and
beneficent to us, who groan in this inhospitable vale of sorrow thou hast
left. Tell me, ah! tell me, dost thou still remember those fond hours we
passed together? Doth that enlightened bosom feel a pang of soft regret,
when thou recallest our fatal separation? Sure that meekened glance
bespeaks thy sympathy! Ah! how that tender look o'erpowers me! Sacred
Heaven! the pearly drops of pity trickle down thy cheeks! Such are the
tears that angels shed o'er man's distress!--Turn not away--Thou
beckonest me to follow. Yes, I will follow thee, ethereal spirit, as far
as these weak limbs, encumbered with mortality, will bear my weight; and,
would to Heaven! I could, with ease, put off these vile corporeal
shackles, and attend thy flight."
So saying, he started from the ground, and, in a transport of eager
expectation, at awful distance, traced the footsteps of the apparition,
which, entering a detached apartment, sunk down upon a chair, and with a
sigh exclaimed, "Indeed, this is too much!" What was the disorder of
Renaldo's mind, when he perceived this phenomenon! Before reflection
could perform its office, moved by a sudden impulse, he sprung forwards,
crying, "If it be death to touch thee, let me die!" and caught in his
arms, not the shadow, but the warm substance of the all-accomplished
Monimia. "Mysterious powers of Providence! this is no phantom! this is
no shade! this is the life! the panting bosom of her whom I have so long,
so bitterly deplored! I fold her in my arms! I press her glowing breast
to mine! I see her blush with virtuous pleasure and ingenuous love! She
smiles upon me with enchanting tenderness! O let me gaze on that
transcendent beauty, which, the more I view it, ravishes the more! These
charms are too intense; I sicken while I gaze! Merciful Heaven! is not
this a mere illusion of the brain? Was she not fled for ever? Had not
the cold hand of death divorced her from my hope? This must be some
flattering vision of my distempered fancy! perhaps some soothing dream--
If such it be, grant, O ye heavenly powers! that I may never wake."
"O gentle youth!" replied the beauteous orphan, still clasped in his
embrace, "what joy now fills the bosom of Monimia, at this triumph of thy
virtue and thy love? When I see these transports of thy affection, when
I find thee restored to that place in my esteem and admiration, which
thou hadst lost by the arts of calumny and malice--this is a meeting
which my most sanguine hopes durst not presage!"
So entirely were the faculties of Renaldo engrossed in the contemplation
of his restored Monimia, that he saw not the rest of the company, who
wept with transport over this affecting scene. He was therefore amazed
at the interposition of Madam Clement, who, while the shower of
sympathetic pleasure bedewed her cheeks, congratulated the lovers upon
this happy event, crying, "These are the joys which virtue calls her
own." They also received the compliments of a reverend clergyman, who
told Monimia, she had reaped, at last, the fruits of that pious
resignation to the will of Heaven, which she had so devoutly practised
during the term of her affliction. And, lastly, they were accosted by
the physician, who was not quite so hackneyed in the ways of death, or so
callous to the finer sensations of the soul, but that he blubbered
plentifully, wile he petitioned Heaven in behalf of such an accomplished
and deserving pair.
Monimia taking Madam Clement by the hand, "Whatever joy," said she,
"Renaldo derives from this occasion, is owing to the bounty, the
compassion, and maternal care of this incomparable lady, together with
the kind admonitions and humanity of those two worthy gentlemen."
Melvil, whose passions were still in agitation, and whose mind could not
yet digest the incidents that occurred, embraced them all by turns; but,
like the faithful needle, which, though shaken for an instant from its
poise, immediately regains its true direction, and points invariably to
the pole, he soon returned to his Monimia; again he held her in his arms,
again he drank enchantment from her eyes, and thus poured forth the
effusions of his soul:--"Can I then trust the evidence of sense? And art
thou really to my wish restored? Never, O never did thy beauty shine
with such bewitching grace, as that which now confounds and captivates my
view! Sure there is something more than mortal in thy looks!--Where hast
thou lived?--where borrowed this perfection?--whence art thou now
descended?--Oh! I am all amazement, joy, and fear!--Thou wilt not leave
me!--No! we must not part again. By this warm kiss! a thousand times
more sweet than all the fragrance of the East! we nevermore will part.
O! this is rapture, ecstasy, and what no language can explain!"
In the midst of these ejaculations, he ravished a banquet from her
glowing lips, that kindled in his heart a flame which rushed through
every vein, and glided to his marrow. This was a privilege he had never
claimed before, and now permitted as a recompense for all the penance he
had suffered. Nevertheless, the cheeks of Monimia, who was altogether
unaccustomed to such familiarities, underwent a total suffusion; and
Madam Clement discreetly relieved her from the anxiety of her situation,
by interfering in the discourse, and rallying the Count upon his
endeavours to monopolise such a branch of happiness.
"O my dear lady!" replied Renaldo, who by this time had, in some measure,
recovered his recollection, "forgive the wild transports of a fond lover,
who hath so unexpectedly retrieved the jewel of his soul! Yet, far from
wishing to hoard up his treasure, he means to communicate and diffuse his
happiness to all his friends. O my Monimia! how will the pleasure of
this hour be propagated! As yet thou knowest not all the bliss that is
reserved for thy enjoyment!--Meanwhile, I long to learn by what
contrivance this happy interview hath been effected. Still am I ignorant
how I was transported into this apartment, from the lonely vault in which
I mourned over my supposed misfortune!"