MYSTERY DEVELOPED.
UNFORTUNATELY for Charlotte, about three weeks before this unhappy
rencontre, Captain Beauchamp, being ordered to Rhode-Island, his lady
had accompanied him, so that Charlotte was deprived of her friendly
advice and consoling society. The afternoon on which Montraville had
visited her she had found herself languid and fatigued, and after making
a very slight dinner had lain down to endeavour to recruit her exhausted
spirits, and, contrary to her expectations, had fallen asleep. She
had not long been lain down, when Belcour arrived, for he took every
opportunity of visiting her, and striving to awaken her resentment
against Montraville. He enquired of the servant where her mistress was,
and being told she was asleep, took up a book to amuse himself: having
sat a few minutes, he by chance cast his eyes towards the road, and saw
Montraville approaching; he instantly conceived the diabolical scheme
of ruining the unhappy Charlotte in his opinion for ever; he therefore
stole softly up stairs, and laying himself by her side with the greatest
precaution, for fear she should awake, was in that situation discovered
by his credulous friend.
When Montraville spurned the weeping Charlotte from him, and left her
almost distracted with terror and despair, Belcour raised her from
the floor, and leading her down stairs, assumed the part of a tender,
consoling friend; she listened to the arguments he advanced with
apparent composure; but this was only the calm of a moment: the
remembrance of Montraville's recent cruelty again rushed upon her mind:
she pushed him from her with some violence, and crying--“Leave me, Sir,
I beseech you leave me, for much I fear you have been the cause of my
fidelity being suspected; go, leave me to the accumulated miseries my
own imprudence has brought upon me.”
She then left him with precipitation, and retiring to her own apartment,
threw herself on the bed, and gave vent to an agony of grief which it is
impossible to describe.
It now occurred to Belcour that she might possibly write to Montraville,
and endeavour to convince him of her innocence: he was well aware of her
pathetic remonstrances, and, sensible of the tenderness of Montraville's
heart, resolved to prevent any letters ever reaching him: he therefore
called the servant, and, by the powerful persuasion of a bribe,
prevailed with her to promise whatever letters her mistress might write
should be sent to him. He then left a polite, tender note for Charlotte,
and returned to New-York. His first business was to seek Montraville,
and endeavour to convince him that what had happened would ultimately
tend to his happiness: he found him in his apartment, solitary, pensive,
and wrapped in disagreeable reflexions.
“Why how now, whining, pining lover?” said he, clapping him on the
shoulder. Montraville started; a momentary flush of resentment crossed
his cheek, but instantly gave place to a death-like paleness, occasioned
by painful remembrance remembrance awakened by that monitor, whom,
though we may in vain endeavour, we can never entirely silence.
“Belcour,” said he, “you have injured me in a tender point.” “Prithee,
Jack,” replied Belcour, “do not make a serious matter of it: how could I
refuse the girl's advances? and thank heaven she is not your wife.”
“True,” said Montraville; “but she was innocent when I first knew her.
It was I seduced her, Belcour. Had it not been for me, she had still
been virtuous and happy in the affection and protection of her family.”
“Pshaw,” replied Belcour, laughing, “if you had not taken advantage of
her easy nature, some other would, and where is the difference, pray?”
“I wish I had never seen her,” cried he passionately, and starting from
his seat. “Oh that cursed French woman,” added he with vehemence, “had
it not been for her, I might have been happy--” He paused.
“With Julia Franklin,” said Belcour. The name, like a sudden spark
of electric fire, seemed for a moment to suspend his faculties--for a
moment he was transfixed; but recovering, he caught Belcour's hand, and
cried--“Stop! stop! I beseech you, name not the lovely Julia and
the wretched Montraville in the same breath. I am a seducer, a mean,
ungenerous seducer of unsuspecting innocence. I dare not hope that
purity like her's would stoop to unite itself with black, premeditated
guilt: yet by heavens I swear, Belcour, I thought I loved the lost,
abandoned Charlotte till I saw Julia--I thought I never could forsake
her; but the heart is deceitful, and I now can plainly discriminate
between the impulse of a youthful passion, and the pure flame of
disinterested affection.”
At that instant Julia Franklin passed the window, leaning on her uncle's
arm. She curtseyed as she passed, and, with the bewitching smile of
modest cheerfulness, cried--“Do you bury yourselves in the house this
fine evening, gents?” There was something in the voice! the manner! the
look! that was altogether irresistible. “Perhaps she wishes my company,”
said Montraville mentally, as he snatched up his hat: “if I thought she
loved me, I would confess my errors, and trust to her generosity to pity
and pardon me.” He soon overtook her, and offering her his arm, they
sauntered to pleasant but unfrequented walks. Belcour drew Mr. Franklin
on one side and entered into a political discourse: they walked faster
than the young people, and Belcour by some means contrived entirely to
lose sight of them. It was a fine evening in the beginning of autumn;
the last remains of day-light faintly streaked the western sky, while
the moon, with pale and virgin lustre in the room of gorgeous gold and
purple, ornamented the canopy of heaven with silver, fleecy clouds,
which now and then half hid her lovely face, and, by partly concealing,
heightened every beauty; the zephyrs whispered softly through the trees,
which now began to shed their leafy honours; a solemn silence reigned:
and to a happy mind an evening such as this would give serenity, and
calm, unruffled pleasure; but to Montraville, while it soothed
the turbulence of his passions, it brought increase of melancholy
reflections. Julia was leaning on his arm: he took her hand in his, and
pressing it tenderly, sighed deeply, but continued silent. Julia was
embarrassed; she wished to break a silence so unaccountable, but was
unable; she loved Montraville, she saw he was unhappy, and wished to
know the cause of his uneasiness, but that innate modesty, which nature
has implanted in the female breast, prevented her enquiring. “I am bad
company, Miss Franklin,” said he, at last recollecting himself; “but
I have met with something to-day that has greatly distressed me, and I
cannot shake off the disagreeable impression it has made on my mind.”
“I am sorry,” she replied, “that you have any cause of inquietude. I am
sure if you were as happy as you deserve, and as all your friends wish
you--” She hesitated. “And might I,” replied he with some animation,
“presume to rank the amiable Julia in that number?”
“Certainly,” said she, “the service you have rendered me, the knowledge
of your worth, all combine to make me esteem you.”
“Esteem, my lovely Julia,” said he passionately, “is but a poor cold
word. I would if I dared, if I thought I merited your attention--but
no, I must not--honour forbids. I am beneath your notice, Julia, I am
miserable and cannot hope to be otherwise.” “Alas!” said Julia, “I pity
you.”
“Oh thou condescending charmer,” said he, “how that sweet word cheers my
sad heart. Indeed if you knew all, you would pity; but at the same time
I fear you would despise me.”
Just then they were again joined by Mr. Franklin and Belcour. It had
interrupted an interesting discourse. They found it impossible to
converse on indifferent subjects, and proceeded home in silence. At
Mr. Franklin's door Montraville again pressed Julia's hand, and faintly
articulating “good night,” retired to his lodgings dispirited and
wretched, from a consciousness that he deserved not the affection, with
which he plainly saw he was honoured.