_Penthea._ First his heart
Shall fall in cinders, scorch'd by your disdain,
Ere he will dare, poor man, to ope an eye
On these divine looks, but with low-bent thoughts
Accusing such presumption: as for words,
He dares not utter any but of service.
Yet this lost creature loves ye!
FORD. _The Broken Heart_--Act 3.
At this moment the bugle of the cavalry called the attention of Mr.
Williams and Bertram: they were mounting in some hurry, and leaving the
castle upon private intelligence just received by Sir Charles Davenant.
All that could be learned of the occasion which summoned them on duty
was--that some attack, supposed to be headed by Captain Nicholas, was
this evening meditated on a depot of horses designed for remounting one
troop of the dragoons: this depot had been recently formed in the
neighbourhood of Walladmor for the purpose of receiving horses
purchased at different fairs on the borders. But with what design
could Captain Nicholas attack it? No doubt to mount a party from some
one or more of the various smuggling vessels on the coast. "But with
what further end?" asked Bertram: "or why, being under so serious a
charge--and a high reward offered for his apprehension, does he still
linger in this neighbourhood?"
"I imagine," said Mr. Williams, "that the ordinary motives on which men
are careful of their lives are wanting to Captain Nicholas, and have
been for some time: and just at this moment his old feelings of
jealousy, or rather of anxiety and irritation, are perhaps revived by
the presence of Sir Charles Davenant.--You are aware probably that Sir
Charles was formerly a suitor of Miss Walladmor's, and rejected only
through the firmness of that lady; for his pretensions had the
countenance and support of all her friends. Apart from Sir Charles's
great expectations, which entitled him to look as high, he was
encouraged by some members of the family, not so much on his own
account as with a view of extinguishing the hopes of Captain Nicholas;
of whose long devotion to Miss Walladmor I presume that you must by
this time have heard."
"Some little I have heard," replied Bertram; "and some little I have
collected from my own observations and the benefit of accident. Under
what circumstances however this attachment commenced, or of its
history, I know absolutely nothing. I do not even know who Captain
Nicholas is: nor can I form any reasonable conjecture in what way or
upon what pretensions a person, connected with smugglers and people of
that class, could ever be led to aspire to the favor of the heiress of
Walladmor."
"Who Captain Nicholas is--you will not find any body able to tell you:
his origin is a mystery to all people, and himself amongst the number.
But, as to his connection with smugglers, _that_ is but an accident in
his early life which he now renews for temporary purposes, as he has
done once or twice before. I acknowledge that I take a good deal of
interest in Captain Nicholas: and Sir Morgan feels upon that subject as
I do. Many circumstances of great generosity in his conduct have at
times came to our knowledge: deep and persevering love is itself a
proof of some nobility in a man's nature; more especially when it is
nearly hopeless; and where it is certain that a man has refused all
dishonourable means for aiding his own success. Many times Captain
Nicholas has had it in his power to carry off Miss Walladmor to sea,
and at one time without any risk of discovery. And, if _that_ was not
the way to win the favor of a noble-minded woman, still that a man so
wildly educated should feel that it was not--and that a despairing man
should resist all temptations which deep love and opportunity combined
to offer, implies an elevation of mind which alone would have attracted
some degree of regard to Captain Nicholas: independently of which he is
a man of various accomplishments, great address, intrepidity, dignified
manners, and---as I have heard--an excellent officer both in the sea
and land services."
"But how came he first connected with smugglers; and what introduced
him to the notice of Miss Walladmor?"
"All, that I know of his history, is this: About eight years ago, when
he was little more than fifteen years old, he first appeared on this
coast in character of son, or more properly (I believe) adopted son, of
Captain Donneraile who commanded a large Dutch vessel of suspicious
character, which had long resorted to these seas. She gave herself out
for a regular merchantman, but was pretty well understood to be a
smuggler as opportunities offered. Edward Nicholas, as I have said,
passed for the Captain's son: and in that character, as well as for his
personal qualities, was much looked up to by the crew. Such indeed was
the hardihood and romantic spirit of enterprise with which he conducted
the difficult affairs sometimes confided to him--that Captain
Donneraile, who was old and indolent, gradually allowed the command of
the ship to devolve on him; and at the age of sixteen he was much more
the commander of the vessel than the nominal captain. This habit of
early command over a large and warlike crew, tempered by good nature
and great generosity of disposition, gave to his manners a tincture of
dignity much beyond his situation. These manners and this disposition,
united with his fine person and countenance, conciliated the kind
feelings of all about him; and he was a great favorite with the ship's
company as well as with the country people on shore. Many of his boyish
exploits are current at this day amongst them,--and his affrays with
the revenue officers, or hair-breadth escapes from them, are still
narrated with interest. In all these however he seemed rather to be
amusing himself, than like one who considered them as his regular
occupation. In the same spirit he attached himself for a time to a
company of strolling players. And that this was the just construction
of his temper and purposes--is evident from the sequel. When he was
about eighteen, old Captain Donneraile died, and left a considerable
legacy together with the ship of which he was sole owner to Edward
Nicholas. This ship, and such of the crew as would follow him to those
climates, he carried to South America,--and entered into the patriotic
service of one of the new republics in that quarter of the world. There
he rose to considerable distinction, and at one time commanded a
frigate. Afterwards, under some adverse circumstances attending the
naval administration, he transferred himself to the land service; and
served with high reputation first as a partizan officer in the
guerrilla warfare, afterwards in the regular cavalry. Some change of
circumstances made it advisable to restore the naval force; and with
the view of manning a small flotilla with a proportion of picked
British seamen, he returned to the old haunts of his youth in this
country--hoping to find it still the rendezvous of smugglers. This
happened just four years and a half ago; and then it was that his
connexion commenced with Miss Walladmor--a connexion which has since
determined the whole course of his life.
"Miss Walladmor was at that time not more than sixteen years old: she
was exquisitely beautiful; and, though prematurely womanly in the
developement of her person, had yet an expression of almost childlike
innocence in her style of countenance which made it peculiarly
charming. Edward Nicholas first saw her in the woods of Tre Mawr from a
situation where he was himself unseen; and so powerfully was he
fascinated that from that hour he abandoned all his schemes in South
America. Morning, noon, and night, he spent in devising some means of
introducing himself to her notice: but love, where it is deep and pure,
is also timid--delicate--and reverential. Captain Nicholas, moreover,
was aware of Miss Walladmor's rank and expectations: these, on many
accounts, as they tended to misinterpret his motives, made him shy of
intruding himself upon her notice. But at length chance did for him
what he could never have done for himself. In the woods of Tre Mawr
ridings are cut in all directions, and for many miles: these, being on
the Walladmor domain and so near to the park, are considered part of
the grounds; and Miss Walladmor was accustomed to ride here almost
daily without attendants. This was soon discovered by Captain Nicholas,
and he lay concealed here whole days together with the mere hope of
seeing her for a moment. On one of these occasions her horse stumbled
over the root of a tree, and on recovering himself ran away: he was
rapidly carrying her into a situation of extreme peril amongst the
precipices of Ap Gauvon, when Captain Nicholas, who was lurking about
on his usual errand, and saw the whole from a distance, stept out from
a thicket as the horse approached--crossed him--seized the rein--and
saved her. This was the best possible introduction: and all the rest
followed naturally. Miss Walladmor had every excuse: she was a mere
child, and quite inexperienced: Captain Nicholas--who had from his
youth been placed in stations of command, and had just come from a
service in which as an Englishman he had been greatly respected and
admitted to intimacy with the staff of the patriot army,--was
distinguished by a remarkable dignity of manners and deportment: the
style of his sentiments, naturally lofty, was now exalted by love: and
finally he had in all probability saved Miss Walladmor's life. These
were strong appeals to a young heart: doubtless it did not weaken them
that the noble expression of his countenance was then embellished by
the graces of early youth (for he was not twenty), and yet unsaddened
by internal suffering--which has since given him the look of a person
older than he really is. Above all perhaps there pleaded for him in
Miss Walladmor's heart--that which must always plead powerfully with a
woman of virtuous sensibilities--the display which every look, word,
and gesture, made of his profound and passionate devotion. 'Never'
indeed (to quote our great poet, Mr. Bertram)--
"----never did young man fancy
With so eternal and so fix'd a soul:"[1]
"He hallowed the very air she breathed; doated on the very hem of her
garments; worshipped the very ground she trod on. This child, this
innocent child (for she was no more), guided the wild ungovernable
creature as absolutely and as easily as a mother guides her infant:
and, if Captain Nicholas had always been under such guidance, no tongue
(as I will warrant) would ever have had any cause to make free with his
name: there is no such a safeguard in this world to a young man under
the temptations which life presents as deep love for a virtuous woman.
The misery is--that for every thousand such women there is hardly one
man capable of such a love. No: men in this respect are brutal
creatures.
"But to return to Miss Walladmor: you will not wonder that, under the
circumstances I have mentioned, she did not discontinue her rides in
the woods of Tre Mawr: child as she was, her own heart told her that,
from a man animated by love so tender and profound, she could no more
have any thing to fear than she could from any third person whilst
under his protection. Hence she did not refuse to meet him: and, for
more than a year and a half, they carried on a clandestine
correspondence. Clandestine I call it with regard to the mode in which
it was conducted, and with regard to Sir Morgan Walladmor: for else it
was known to all the country beside. How it was that nobody spoke of it
to Sir Morgan, I cannot say: you will wonder that I did not. The truth
is--that, when it came to my knowledge, it was too late (as I saw) to
interfere without misery to both parties, and ruin to one. The chief
objections to the connexion were of course the want of adequate rank
and prospects on the part of Captain Nicholas, and the uncertainty of
his birth. These, in any common case, were no doubt sufficient
objections: still, as Captain Nicholas had raised himself at so very
early an age to the rank of a gentleman, I did not see that they were
insuperable: or, however valid against such an attachment in its first
origin, were less entitled to attention when it had reached its present
stage.
"Miss Walladmor was nearly eighteen, when Sir Morgan came to know of
the affair. He was grieved, and seemed to view it as one of the
judgments upon himself, but did not express any displeasure. Just about
that time Sir Charles Davenant was introduced to Miss Walladmor in the
character of suitor. From the first she declined his addresses with a
firmness that should naturally have at once discouraged a man of his
discernment. But he had encouragement from other quarters:--Sir Morgan
gave him no encouragement; but others amongst Miss Walladmor's
relatives did. Edward Nicholas was too noble to harbour so mean a
passion as jealousy: still he trembled for the effect of a long
persecution upon so gentle a nature as Miss Walladmor's: but in this he
was wrong: for, though the gentlest of creatures, she is one of the
firmest in any point which she conceives essential to her honor. And
this he now found unhappily in a case too nearly affecting himself.
"All at once many stories of outrages, scandalous and even bloody acts,
were revived against the company of smugglers with whom Captain
Nicholas had passed his youth: and with these stories the name of
Edward Nicholas, as the name of their leader, was studiously coupled.
Both Miss Walladmor and her lover being generally favourites amongst
the country people about Walladmor, it was a matter of some wonder to
me whence such stories, which were clearly devised for their
persecution, could arise; and at length I traced them to Gillie Godber.
However they got into some circulation; and, now that the rank of Miss
Walladmor and the universal interest in the romantic part of the story
had drawn the attention of the county and the whole local gentry upon
the character of Edward Nicholas, they could not but affect his
pretensions very disadvantageously with all Miss Walladmor's
connexions. With the sincerity of real love, Captain Nicholas had not
concealed from Miss Walladmor the circumstances of his early education
amongst smugglers and sea-rovers: but these she justly regarded as the
palliations of any youthful levities he might have committed, and as
his great misfortune, and not as any part of his offences. Neither had
he concealed the obscurity of his birth; so that, with regard to that,
she had nothing to learn. The worst part of the charges, as it soon
came out, were easily repelled by the mere dates of the transactions to
which they referred: of all the cruel and bloody part every man, who
knew his nature, acquitted him; for, howsoever he may choose to talk
ferociously since he has become desperate, he has nothing cruel in his
disposition. But, when these were disposed of, there still remained
many wild infractions of law which left a taint behind, such as ought
not to attach to the name of him who was a candidate for Miss
Walladmor's hand. If Miss Walladmor in the tenderness of her affection
steadily refused to believe these stories, others (she saw) did not.
Something was due to her family; and to Sir Morgan, the head of it,
more especially, from the unlimited confidence he had reposed in her
discretion. However it were palliated by his extreme youth and the
connexions upon which his misfortunes had thrown him, still some part
of what had been alleged against Captain Nicholas appeared to be true:
for even, with such an interest at stake, the nobility of his mind
would not stoop to the meanness of falsehood. Miss Walladmor was
greatly shocked; suffered much in mind and in health; and discovered in
her countenance the agitations to which she was now a prey. She knew,
she could not but know, that she was consigning him to despair: her
woman's heart relented again and again in behalf of the man who had
loved her so long and so fervently: but at length she told him calmly
and yet firmly that it was necessary they should part. Whatever she
could do by tenderness of manner to mitigate the bitterness of this
parting--she did; her affections, there was no need to tell him, were
wholly his: and she assured him that, if he would in any way efface the
stains upon his name, her heart should remember only his misfortunes.
"But in what way was he to do this? He was a friendless man for any
views of advancement in England; any thing he might do in South
America, would avail him little at home: and thus, being without hope,
he became frantic--and began to tamper with criminal enterprizes.
"What follows is still more painful; nor am I accurately acquainted
with the particulars. Political disturbances at that time prevailed in
various parts of the country; amongst others, in this. These he
fomented; and, according to the charges against him, committed some
overt acts of treason. The best excuse for him, over and above that
general excuse which applies to all that he has done since his parting
with Miss Walladmor, namely, his state of utter distraction (some say
positive aberration) of mind,--the best excuse for him, I say, in all
his political conduct, is this; that, having lived so much of his life
in foreign and convulsed states of society, where every body was
engaged in active hostilities to some party or other that was--had
been--or pretended to be the government, he had not been trained to
look with much horror on a charge which he has heard so much tossed
about as that of treason: in fact he thinks of it with more levity than
you can imagine. I may add that, having seen so little comparatively of
England, he is really under the greatest delusions as to our true
political state--and does sincerely believe in the existence of
oppressions which are altogether imaginary. This must be borne in mind
in speaking of what remains. After the disturbances were quelled in
this neighbourhood, he escaped; went to South America; served again in
various quarters of that agitated continent; but was still pursued by
his old distraction of mind in regard to Miss Walladmor; came back;
connected himself, it is said, with some of those who were parties to
the Cato-street conspiracy: I know not how, or with what result. He
talks of himself as though he had shared in all their designs: but he
often talks worse of himself than he deserves; and government have
certainly abandoned the Cato-street charges against him: though, if he
were taken, he would still be tried on those which arise out of his
transactions in this county."
"But with what purpose," said Bertram, "can he linger in this
neighbourhood, where his haunts and his person are so well known--that
it is impossible he can long escape apprehension?"
"Still, no doubt, as heretofore, from the blindness and infirmity of
his passion for Miss Walladmor: merely to see her--is perhaps some
relief to his unhappy mind: _that_ however is a gratification he can
seldom have; for she now rarely stirs out of the castle. His old
anxieties too may be again awakened by the re-appearance of Sir Charles
Davenant at Walladmor. Then, as to the intimacy of his connexions with
this neighbourhood, you must remember that, if _that_ exposes him to
some risque, he is also indebted to it for much kindness and
assistance. Just now indeed, when the smugglers are returned to this
coast, what with the open assistance he receives from them, and the
underhand support and connivance he meets with from the country people,
he contrives effectually to baffle the pursuit of the police."
At this moment a sound swelled upon the wind: Bertram and Mr. Williams
were looking down from the battlements upon the park: and in a few
seconds a herd of deer rushed past with the noise of thunder; and
shortly after the heavy gallop of two bodies of horse, one in pursuit
of the other, advanced in the direction of the castle. It was bright
moonlight. About two hundred yards from the walls, some smart
skirmishing took place: random discharges of pistols and carbines
succeeded at intervals; the broad swords of the cavalry, and the
cutlasses of sailors, could be distinguished gleaming in the moonlight:
and it became evident that the party under Captain Nicholas had fallen
in with Sir Charles Davenant somewhere in the neighbourhood, and were
now retreating before him. The smugglers, it was pretty clear, had been
taken at great disadvantage; for they were in extreme disorder when
they first appeared--being wholly unfitted by the state of their
equipments and horses for meeting a body of dragoons so superbly
mounted and appointed. Their horses, though of the hardy mountain
breed, wanted weight and bulk to oppose any sort of resistance to the
momentum of the heavy dragoon horses--and were utterly untrained to any
combined movement. It was obviously on this consideration that Edward
Nicholas, whose voice was now heard continually giving words of
command, had drawn his party to this point where the broken ground
neutralized in a great measure the advantages of the dragoons. He was
now upon ground every inch of which he knew; in which respect he had
greatly the advantage of Sir Charles Davenant; and he availed himself
of it so as to draw off his own party, and to distress the cavalry.
From the point at which they had just been skirmishing, a long range of
rocky and sylvan scenery commenced which traversed the park for miles;
and upon this Captain Nicholas now began to wheel in tolerably good
order, showing at times a bold front to his enemy. This movement drew
them away from the castle: but the character of the retreat continued
to be apparent for some time. At intervals the two parties were
entangled in rocks and bushy coverts. On ground of this character, the
dragoons were much distressed by their horses falling, and were thus
checked and crippled in their movements; whilst the sure-footed
mountaineers of the smugglers advanced with freedom. Suddenly the whole
body, pursuers and pursued, would be swallowed up by a gloomy grove of
pines; suddenly again all emerged with gleaming arms upon little island
spots of lawny areas, where the moonlight fell bright and free.
Whenever a favourable interspace of this character occurred, the
dragoons endeavoured to form and use the advantage it presented for
effecting a charge. But the address of Edward Nicholas, who was an
excellent cavalry officer, and far more experienced in this kind of
guerrilla warfare than his antagonist,--together with the short
intervals during which the ground continued favourable for charges, and
his minute knowledge of its local details,--uniformly defeated the
efforts of the dragoons, and protected the retreat of his own party
until they were gradually lost in the distance and the shades of those
great sylvan recesses, which ran up far into the hilly tract upon which
their movement had been continually directed.
Late in the evening the dragoons returned to the castle: they had
suffered a good deal on the difficult ground to which they had allowed
themselves to be attracted by Captain Nicholas; fifteen being reported
as wounded severely, and several horses shot. They had however defeated
the object of Captain Nicholas, which was (agreeably to the secret
information) to possess himself of the horses in the depot; with what
ultimate view, they were still left to conjecture.
That this was simply some final effort of desperation, it was easy to
judge from what followed. A little before midnight on this same evening
Captain Nicholas appeared at the castle-gate, and surrendered himself
prisoner to the soldiers on guard; at the same time desiring one of
them to carry a note to Sir Morgan Walladmor. In this note he requested
an interview with Sir Morgan for a few moments, which was immediately
granted: Captain Nicholas was conducted to the library; and the guard,
who attended him, directed to wait on the outside.
Edward Nicholas began by adverting rapidly to his own former connexion
with Miss Walladmor. This had been broken up: he blamed nobody for
that: it was but one part of the general misfortune which had clouded
his life. Now however, on returning to Merionethshire after a long
absence, and with the constant prospect of being soon consigned to a
prison, he had been particularly anxious for an opportunity of meeting
and speaking to Miss Walladmor: he had accordingly written to her
repeatedly, but had received no answer. This silence on the part of
Miss Walladmor, so little in harmony with her general goodness,
happening to coincide with the visit of Sir Charles Davenant to
Walladmor, had raised suspicions in his mind that it was to some
influence of his that he must ascribe the continued neglect of his
applications to Miss Walladmor. He feared that Sir Charles was renewing
his pretensions to Miss Walladmor's hand. Hence he had taken his
resolution, as he would frankly avow, to force his way into the
castle--and supplicate Miss Walladmor to grant him an opportunity of
speaking to her in private before it was too late for him to hope it.
Such a plan obliged him, as his first step, to attack the dragoons. To
do this with effect he wanted horses; and he had therefore arranged a
plan for possessing himself of the horses at the depot: in what way this
plan had become known to Sir Charles Davenant, he could not guess. Having
however been thus prematurely discovered, it was now finally defeated.
Hence, as a man now careless of life, and without hope, he wished to
surrender himself to government on the charges of high treason alleged
against him. He had abundant means of escape, or of indefinitely
delaying this surrender: but to what purpose? To stay here was of
necessity to fall into the hands of government. To escape was to be
self-banished from the neighbourhood of Miss Walladmor, and all chance
of ever seeing her; without which fe had long ceased to be of any value
to him.--He concluded by assuring Sir Morgan that to confine him in any
other place than Walladmor Castle would be to expose him to certain
rescue; and at the same time to cause needless bloodshed, if it was
attempted to strengthen any of the weak prisons in the neighbourhood by
a guard of soldiers.
Sir Morgan Walladmor could not but accept his surrender, as it was thus
deliberately tendered. And, until the pleasure of government were
known, he ordered the rooms of the Falcon Tower to be prepared with
every accommodation for Captain Nicholas.--At the same time Sir
Morgan's countenance testified the pity and concern which he felt for
the prisoner: for to a man of his discerning sensibility it was evident
that it was the last infirmity of love, and the mere craziness of a
doating heart, that had driven him to surrender himself. If in no other
way he could reach Miss Walladmor's neighbourhood, it seemed that he
was determined to reach it in the character of prisoner. To every door
that he passed on his road to the Falcon Tower he looked with a wild
keenness of eye, in the hope that he might obtain some glimpse of her.
And, fantastic as such comfort seemed, the unhappy prisoner felt a deep
joy even in his solitary prison on feeling that for the first time in
his life he was passing the night under the same roof with Miss
Walladmor.
FOOTNOTE TO "CHAPTER XIX.":
[Footnote 1: Troilus and Cressida.]