"Our good minister Dr Brightwell," she commenced, "was a man of
considerable scholastic attainments, and he delighted in making a
display of them. At one time he had been master of an extensive grammar
school, and now he employed a good deal of his leisure in teaching those
boys and girls of the town, who indicated the possession of anything
like talent. The overseers used to talk jestingly to my father, of the
Doctor teaching ploughboys Greek and Latin; and wenches, whose chief
employment was stone-picking in the fields, geography and the use of the
globes. Even the churchwardens shook their heads, and privately thought
the Rector a little out of his seven senses, for wasting his learning
upon such unprofitable scholars. Nevertheless, he continued his
self-imposed task, without meeting any reward beyond the satisfaction of
his own conscience. It was not till he added to his pupils myself and
young Reichardt, he felt he was doing his duty with some prospect of
advantage.
"The spirit of emulation roused both of us to make extraordinary efforts
to second our worthy master's endeavours: and this did not, as is
usually the case, proceed from rivalry--it arose entirely from a desire
of the one to stand well in the estimation of the other. In this way we
learned the French and Latin languages, geography, and the usual
branches of a superior education: but our bias was more particularly for
religions knowledge, and our preceptor encouraged this, till we were
almost as good theologians as himself.
"While this information was being carefully arranged and digested, there
sprung up in our hearts so deep a devotion for each other, that we were
miserable when absent, and enjoyed no gratification so much as being in
each other's society. We knew not then the full power and meaning of
this preference, but as we changed from boy and girlhood to adult life,
our feelings developed themselves into that attachment between the
sexes, which from time immemorial has received the name of love."
"I think I know what that means, now," said I, as my day-dream, which
was so rudely disturbed by my fall into the sea, occurred to me.
"It would be strange if you did," she replied, "considering that it is
quite impossible you should have become acquainted with it."
"Yes, I am certain I understand it very well," I rejoined, more
confidently, and then added, not without some embarrassment, "If I were
placed in the position of Heinrich Reichardt, I am quite sure I should
feel towards any young female who was so kind to me, the deepest regard
and affection. I should like to be constantly near her, and should
always desire that she should like me better than any one else."
"That is quite as good an explanation of the matter, as I could expect
from you," she observed, smiling. "But to return to my story. Our
mutual attachment attracted general attention, and was the subject of
much observation. But we had no enemies: and when we were met strolling
together in the shady lanes, gathering wild flowers, or wandering
through the woods in search of wild strawberries, no one thought it
necessary to make any remark if we had our arms round each other's
waist. My father, if he heard anything about it, did not interfere.
Young Reichardt had made himself so useful to him, and showed himself so
remarkably clever in everything he undertook, that the old man loved him
as his own son.
"It was a settled thing between us, that we were to become man and wife,
as soon as we should be permitted. And many were our plans and schemes
for the future. Heinrich considered himself to be in the position of
Jacob, who served such a long and patient apprenticeship for Rachel; and
though he confessed he should not like to wait so long for his wife as
the patriarch had been made to do, he acknowledged he would rather serve
my father to the full period, than give up all hope of possessing me.
"This happy state of things was, however, suddenly put an end to, by Dr
Brightwell one day sending for my father. It was a long time before he
came back, and when he did, he looked unusually grave and reserved. In
an hour or so, he communicated to me the result of his long interview
with the Rector. The Doctor had resolved to send young Reichardt to a
distant place, where many learned men lived together in colleges, for
the purpose of farther advancing his education, and fitting him for a
religious teacher, to which vocation he had long expressed a desire to
devote himself. The idea of separation seemed very terrible, but I at
last got reconciled to it, in the belief that it would be greatly for
Heinrich's advantage, and we parted at last with many tears, many
protestations, some fears, but a great many more hopes.
"For some days after he had left me, everything seemed so strange, every
one seemed so dull, every place seemed so desolate, that I felt as if I
had been transported into some dismal scene, where I knew no one, and
where there was no one likely to care about me in the slightest degree.
My father went about his avocations in a different spirit to what he had
so long been used to exhibit; it was evident he missed Heinrich as much
as I did, and the villagers stared whenever I passed them, as though my
ever going about without Heinrich was something which they had never
anticipated.
"In course of time, however, to all appearance, everything and every one
went on in their daily course, as though no Heinrich had ever been heard
of. My father would sometimes, when overpressed by business, refer to
the able assistant he had lost, and now and then I heard a conjecture
hazarded by some one or other of his most confidential friends, as to
what young Reichardt was doing with himself. My conjectures, and my
references to him, were far from being so occasional; there was scarce
an hour of the day I did not think of him; but, believing that I should
please him most by endeavouring to improve as much as possible during
his absence, I did not give myself up to idle reflections respecting the
past, or anticipations, equally idle, respecting the future.
"My great delight was in hearing from him. At first, his letters
expressed only his feelings for me; then he dwelt more largely on his
own exertions for preparing himself for the profession he desired to
adopt; and after a time, his correspondence was almost entirely composed
of expositions of his views of a religious life, and dissertations on
various points of doctrine. He evidently was growing more enthusiastic
in religion, and less regardful of our attachment.
"Yet I entertained no apprehensions or misgivings. I did not think it
necessary to consider myself slighted because the thoughts of my future
husband were evidently raised more and more above me; the knowledge of
this only made me more anxious to raise myself more and more towards the
elevation to which his thoughts were so intently directed.
"Things went on in this way for two or three years. I never saw him all
this time; I heard from him but seldom. He excused his limited
correspondence on the plea that his studies left him no time for
writing. I never blamed him for this apparent neglect--indeed I rather
encouraged it, for my exhortations were always that he should address
his time and energies towards the attainment of the object I knew him to
have so much at heart--his becoming a minister of our Lord's Gospel.
"One day my father came home from the rectory with a troubled
countenance. Dr Brightwell was very indignant because Heinrich had
joined a religious community that dissented from the Articles of the
Church of England. The Doctor had offered to get him employment in the
Church, if he would give up his new connections: but the more earnest
character of his new faith exerted so much influence over his
enthusiastic nature, that he willingly abandoned his bright prospects to
become a more humble labourer in a less productive vineyard.
"My father, as the clerk of the parish, seemed to think himself bound to
share in the indignation of his pastor for this desertion, and Heinrich
was severely condemned by him for displaying such ingratitude to his
benefactor: I was commanded to think no more of him.
"This, however, was not so easy a matter, although our correspondence
appeared to have entirely ceased. I knew not where to address a letter
to him, and was quite unaware of what his future career was now to be."