THE DOUBLE CONFERENCE--OLD PAPERS.
"When last I saw you," said O'Hanlon, seating himself before the
hearth, and motioning O'Connor to take a chair also, "I told you that
you ought to tame your rash young blood, and gave you thereupon an old
soldier's best advice. It seems, however, that you are wayward and
headlong still. Young soldiers look for danger--old ones are content to
meet it when it comes, knowing well that it will come often enough,
uninvited and unsought; nevertheless, we will pass by this night's
adventure, and turn to other matters. First, however, it were meet and
necessary that you should have somewhat to refresh you; you must needs
be weary and exhausted."
"If you can give me some wine, it will be very welcome. I care not for
anything more to-night," replied O'Connor.
"That can I," replied he, "and will myself do you reason." He arose,
and after a few minutes' absence entered with two flasks, whose dust
and cobwebs bespoke their antiquity, and filled two large, long-stemmed
glasses with the generous liquor.
"Young man," said O'Hanlon, "from the moment I saw you in the inner
room yonder, I know not how or wherefore my heart clave to you; and now
knowing you for the son of my true friend, I feel for you the stronger
love. I will tell you now how matters stand with us. I will hide
nothing from you. I am old enough to have learned the last lesson of
experience--the folly of too much suspicion. I will not distrust the
son of Richard O'Connor. I need hardly tell you that those men whom you
saw below stairs are no friends of the ruling powers, but devoted
entirely to the service and the fortunes of the rightful heir of the
throne of England and of Ireland, met here together not without great
peril."
"I had conjectured as much from what I myself witnessed," rejoined
O'Connor.
"Well, then, I tell you this--the cause is not a hopeless one; the
exiled king has warm, zealous, and powerful friends where their
existence is least suspected," continued O'Hanlon. "In the Parliament
of England he has a strong and untiring party undetected--some of them,
too, must soon wield the enormous powers of government, and have
already gotten entire possession of the ear of the Queen; and so soon
as events invite, and the time is ripe for action, a mighty and a
sudden constitutional movement will be made in favour of the prince--a
movement entirely constitutional and in the Parliament. This will,
whether successful or not, raise the intolerant party here into fierce
resistance--the resistance of the firelock and the sword; all the
usurpers, the perjurers, and the plunderers who now possess the wealth
and dignities of this spoiled and oppressed country, will arise in
terror to defend their booty, and unless met and encountered, and
defeated by the party of the young king in this island, will embolden
the malignant rebels of the sister country to imitate their example,
and so overawe the Parliament, and frustrate their beneficent
intentions. To us, therefore, has fallen the humbler but important task
of organizing here, in the heart of this country, and in entire
secrecy, a power sufficient for the occasion. Fain would I have thee
along with us in so great and good a work, but will not urge you now;
think upon it, however--it is not so mad a scheme as you may have
thought, but such a one as looked on calmly, with the cold eye of
reason, seems practicable--ay, sure of success. Ponder the matter,
then; give me no answer now--I will take none--but think well upon it,
and after a week, and not sooner, when you have decided, tell me
whether you will be one of us or not. Meanwhile, I have other matters
to tell you of, in which perhaps your young heart will take a nearer
interest."
He paused, and having replenished their glasses, and thrown a fresh
supply of wood upon the fire, he continued,--
"Are you acquainted with a family named Ashwoode?"
"Yes," replied O'Connor, quickly, "I have known them long."
O'Hanlon looked searchingly at the young man, and then continued,--
"Yes," said he, "I see it is even so--your face betrays it--you loved
the young lady, Mary Ashwoode--deny it not--I am your friend, and seek
not idly or without purpose thus to question you. What thought you of
Henry Ashwoode, now Sir Henry Ashwoode?"
"He was latterly much--_entirely_ my friend," replied O'Connor.
"He so professed himself?" asked O'Hanlon.
"Ay," replied O'Connor, somewhat surprised at the tone in which the
question was put, "he did so profess himself, and repeatedly."
"He is a villain--he has betrayed you," said the elder man, sternly.
"How--what--a villain! Henry Ashwoode deceive me?" said O'Connor,
turning pale as death.
"Yes--unless I've been strangely practised on--he has villainously
deceived alike you and his own sister--pretending friendship, he has
sowed distrust between you."
"But have you evidence of what you say?" cried O'Connor. "Gracious
God--what have I done!"
"I have evidence, and you shall hear and judge of it yourself," replied
O'Hanlon; "you cannot hear it to-night, however, nor I produce it--you
need some rest, and so in truth do I--make use of that poor bed--a
tired brain and weary body need no luxurious couch--I shall see you in
the morning betimes--till then farewell."
The young man would fain have detained O'Hanlon, and spoken with him,
but in vain.
"We have talked enough for this night," said the elder man--"I have it
not in my power now to satisfy you--I shall, however, in the morning--I
have taken measures for the purpose--good-night."
So saying, O'Hanlon left the chamber, and closed the door upon his
young friend, now less than ever disposed to slumber.
He threw himself upon the pallet, the victim of a thousand harassing
and exciting thoughts--sleep was effectually banished; and at length,
tired of the fruitless attitude of repose which he courted in vain, he
arose and resumed his seat by the hearth, in anxious and weary
expectation of the morning.
At length the red light of the dawn broke over the smoky city, and with
a dusky glow the foggy sun emerged from the horizon of chimney-tops,
and threw his crimson mantle of ruddy light over the hoary thorn-wood
and the shattered mansion, beneath whose roof had passed the scenes we
have just described. Never did the sick wretch, who in sleepless
anguish has tossed and fretted through the tedious watches of the
night, welcome the return of day with more cordial greeting than did
O'Connor upon this dusky morn. The time which was to satisfy his doubts
could not now be far distant, and every sound which smote upon his ear
seemed to announce the approach of him who was to dispel them all.
Weary, haggard, and nervous after the fatigues and agitation of the
previous day--unrefreshed by the slumbers he so much required, his
irritation and excitement were perhaps even greater than under other
circumstances they would have been. The torments of suspense were at
length, however, ended--he did hear steps approach the chamber--the
steps evidently of more than one person--the door opened, and O'Hanlon,
followed by Signor Parucci, entered the room.
"I believe, young gentleman, you have seen this person before?" said
O'Hanlon, addressing O'Connor, while he glanced at the Italian.
O'Connor assented.
"Ah! yees," said the Neapolitan, with a winning smile; "he has see me
vary often. Signor O'Connor--he know me vary well. I am so happy to see
him again--vary--oh! vary."
"Let Mr. O'Connor know briefly and distinctly what you have already
told me," said O'Hanlon.
"About the letters?" asked the Italian.
"Yes, be brief," replied O'Hanlon.
"Ah! did he not guess?" rejoined the Neapolitan; "_per crilla!_ the
deception succeed, then--vary coning faylow was old Sir Richard--bote
not half so coning as his son, Sir Henry. He never suspect--Mr.
O'Connor never doubt, bote took all the letters and read them just so
as Sir Henry said he would. _Malora!_ what great meesfortune."
"Parucci, speak plainly to the point; I cannot endure this. Say at once
what has he done--_how_ have I been deceived?" cried O'Connor.
"You remember when the old gentleman--Mr. Audley, I think he is
call--saw Sir Richard--immediately after that some letters passed
between you and Mees Mary Ashwoode."
"I do remember it--proceed," replied O'Connor.
"Mees Mary's letters to you were cold and unkind, and make you think
she did not love you any more," added Parucci.
"Well, well--say on--say on--for God's sake, man--say on," cried
O'Connor, vehemently.
"Those letters you got were not written by her," continued the Italian,
coolly; "they were all wat you call _forged_--written by another
person, and planned by Sir Henry and Sir Reechard; and the same way on
the other side--the letters you wrote to her were all stopped, and read
by the same two gentlemen, and other letters written in stead, and she
is breaking her heart, because she thinks you 'av betrayed her, and
given her up--_rotta di collo!_ they 'av make nice work!"
"Prove this to me, prove it," said O'Connor, wildly, while his eye
burned with the kindling fire of fury.
"I weel prove it," rejoined Parucci, but with an agitated voice and a
troubled face; "bote, _corpo di Plato_, you weel keel me if I
tell--promise--swear--by your honour--you weel not horte me--you weel
not toche me--swear, Signor, and I weel tell."
"Miserable caitiff--speak, and quickly--you are safe--I swear it,"
rejoined he.
"Well, then," resumed the Italian, with restored calmness, "I will
prove it so that you cannot doubt any more--it was I that wrote the
letters for them--I, myself--and beside, here is the bundle with all of
them written out for me to copy--most of them by Sir Henry--you know
his hand-writing--you weel see the character--_corbezzoli!_ he is a
great rogue--and you will find all the _real_ letters from you and Mees
Mary that were stopped--I have them here."
He here disengaged from the deep pocket of his coat, a red leathern
case stamped with golden flowers, and opening it presented it to the
young man.
With shifting colour and eyes almost blinded with agitation, O'Connor
read and re-read these documents.
"Where is Ashwoode?" at length he cried; "bring me to him--gracious
God, what a monster I must have appeared--will she--_can_ she ever
forgive me?"
Disregarding in entire contempt the mean agent of Ashwoode's villainy,
and thinking only of the high-born principal, O'Connor, pale as death,
but with perfect deliberateness, arose and took the sword which the
attendant who conducted him to the room had laid by the wall, and
replacing it at his side, said sternly,--
"Bring me to Sir Henry Ashwoode--where is he? I must speak with him."
"I cannot breeng you to him now," replied Parucci, in internal
ecstasies, "for I cannot say where he is; bote I know vary well where
he weel be to-day after dinner time, in the evening, and I weel breeng
you; bote I hope very moche you are not intending any mischiefs; if I
thought so, I would be vary sorry--oh! vary."
"Well, be it so, if it may not be sooner," said O'Connor, gloomily,
"this evening at all events he shall account with me."
"Meanwhile," said O'Hanlon, "you may as well remain here; and when the
time arrives which this Italian fellow names, we can start. I will
accompany you, for in such cases the arm of a friend can do you no harm
and may secure you fair play. Hear me, you Italian scoundrel, remain
here until we are ready to depart with you, and that shall be whenever
you think it time to seek Sir Henry Ashwoode; you shall have enough to
eat and drink meanwhile; depart, and relieve us of your company."
Signor Parucci smiled sweetly from ear to ear, shrugged, and bowed, and
then glided lightly from the room, exulting in the pleasant conviction
that he had commenced operations against his ungrateful patron, by
involving him in a scrape which must inevitably result in somewhat
unpleasant exposures, and which had beside reduced the question of Sir
Henry's life or death to an even chance.