_Innocence in the Grip of Lust._
The day which succeeded the stormy night described in the last chapter,
was an unusually fine one. The sun shone clear and bright, and many
people were abroad to enjoy the fine bracing air, and indemnify
themselves for having been kept within doors on the preceding day. The
streets were covered with an ample garment of snow, and the merry music
of the sleigh-bells was heard in every direction.
At an early hour, Fanny Aubrey (for that was the name of our little
heroine,) issued from her dwelling, and taking the sunny side of the
streets, resumed her accustomed perambulations, with her basket on her
arm. Fanny was small for her age, but exceedingly pretty; her eyes were
of a dark blue--her hair a rich auburn--her features radiant with the
inexpressible charm of youth and innocence. I have said that her air was
superior to her condition; in truth, every motion of hers had in it a
certain winning grace, and her step was light as a fawn's, although her
figure was not without a certain degree of plumpness, which gave ample
promise of a speedy voluptuous development. Though plumpness in the
female figure is considered to be incompatible with perfect grace, I
agree with those who regard it as decidedly preferable to an excessive
thinness, though the latter be accompanied with the lightness of a
zephyr, and the grace of a sylph.
Dress is sometimes acknowledged to be a sign of character--and the dress
of Fanny Aubrey certainly indicated the native refinement of her
mind--for though poor in material and faded by long use, it was well put
on and scrupulously neat--indeed, there was something almost coquettish
in the style of her bonnet and the arrangement of her scanty shawl--too
scanty, alas! to shield her adequately from the inclemency of the
weather.
As she passed along the street, her beauty and prepossessing appearance
attracted the attention of many gay loiterers, who regard her with
various feelings of admiration, pity and surprise that one so lovely
should pursue so humble an occupation; nor were there wanting many
well-dressed libertines, young and old, who gazed with eyes of lustful
desire upon the fair young creature, evidently so unprotected and so
poor.
Reader, pardon us if for one brief moment we pause to contemplate the
black and hideous character of THE SEDUCER. Should the teeming hosts of
hell's dominions meet in grand convention, amid the mysterious darkness
and lurid flames of their eternal abode--should that infernal conclave
of murderers, robbers, monsters of iniquity, perpetrators of damning
crimes; possessors of black hearts and polluted souls on earth, whose
mighty sins had sunk them in that burning pit--should all those lost
spirits select from among their number, _one fiend_, the worst of them
all, to represent them _all_ on earth--unite within his being _all_ the
crimes of which they had collectively been guilty--to show mankind how
vast and stupendous have been _all_ the sins perpetrated since the
creation of the globe--_that fiend_ could not cast a blacker shadow upon
human nature than doth the seducer of female innocence. Oh! if there be
one wretch living who deserves to be cast forth from the society of his
fellow men--if there be one who deserves to be trod on as a venomous
insect, and crushed as the vilest reptile that crawls--it is he who
calmly and deliberately sets himself about the hellish task of
accomplishing the ruin of a weak, confiding woman--and then, having
sipped the sweets and inhaled the fragrance of the flower, tramples it
beneath his feet. Will not the thunderbolts of Omnipotent wrath shatter
the perjured soul of such a villain?
But to resume. Fanny Aubrey pursued her walk, and was so fortunate as to
escape the insults (except such as were conveyed in glances,) of the
many libertines who are ever ready to take advantage of a female in a
situation like hers. As she was passing a magnificent mansion in a
quarter of the city mainly occupied by the residences of the
aristocracy, a beautiful young lady alighted from a splendid sleigh, and
observing the little fruit girl, beckoned her to approach. Fanny
modestly complied, and the young lady, with one of the sweetest smiles
imaginable selected an orange from her basket, and taking out a purse,
presented her with a bright gold coin.
"I have no change, Miss," said Fanny, in some confusion.
"Keep the money, my poor girl," rejoined the young lady, with a look of
deep compassion, as a tear of pity dimmed her bright eyes--"I am sure
you need it; you are much too pretty for such an employment. If you will
try and pass this way to-morrow at about this time, you may see me
again."
Amid Fanny's heartfelt thanks, the young lady entered the mansion, and
the door was closed.
Poor Fanny! she resumed her journey with a light heart. She never before
had possessed so much money. Five dollars! the sum seemed inexhaustible,
and she began to devise a thousand plans to expend it to advantage--and
the fact that she herself was not included in any of those plans, was a
beautiful illustration of the unselfishness of her character. Not for a
moment did she dream of appropriating it to the purchase of a good warm
shawl or dress for herself, although, poor girl! she so much needed
both. She would buy a nice comfortable rocking-chair for her
grandfather; or a thick great-coat for little Charley--she couldn't make
up her mind which, she loved them both so much--yet when she thought of
the poor, sick, blind old man, a holy pity triumphed over sisterly
affection, and she resolved upon the rocking-chair. Then she determined
to hasten homewards to communicate her good fortune to her friends; and
on her way she could not help thinking of the beautiful young lady who
had given her the money, of her sweet smile, and the kind words she had
spoken; and wondered if she should really see her again the next day.
These thoughts, and the hope of seeing her benefactress again, made her
feel very happy; and she was hastening towards her home with a glad
heart, when her footsteps were arrested by a crowd of those dissolute
young females, who pervade every section of the city, and are
universally known as "apple girls."
These girls are usually from ten to fifteen years of age, and are
proverbial for their vicious propensities and dishonesty. Under pretence
of selling their fruit, they are accustomed to penetrate into the
business portions of the city particularly; and in doing this they have
two objects in view. In the first place, if on entering an office or
place of business, they find nobody in, an opportunity is afforded them
for plunder; and it is needless to say they are ever ready to steal and
carry off whatever they can lay their hands on. Secondly, these girls
have been brought up in vice from their infancy; they are, for the most
part, neither more nor less than common prostitutes, and will freely
yield their persons to whoever will pay for the same.--Should the
merchant, or lawyer, or man of business, into whose office one of these
"apple girls" may chance to intrude, solicit her favors (and there are
many miscreants, _respectable_ ones, too, who do this, as we shall
show,) and offer her a small pecuniary reward, he has only to lock his
door and draw his curtains, to accomplish his object without the
slightest difficulty. Thus, their ostensible employment of selling fruit
is nothing but a cloak for their real trade of prostitution and
thieving. The profanity and obscenity of their conversation alone, is a
sufficient evidence of their true character.
The girls whom we have mentioned as having encountered Fanny on her
return home, were a squalid and dirty set, though several of them were
not destitute of good looks, as far as form and features were
concerned. They surrounded her with many a fierce oath and ribald jest,
and it was easy to see that they were jealous of her superior
cleanliness of person and respectability of character.
"Ha, ha!" cried one, a dirty-faced wench of thirteen, clutching Fanny
fiercely by the arm, while the poor girl stood afraid and trembling in
the midst of that elfish crew--"ha, ha! here is my fine lady, with her
smooth face and clean gown, who disdains to keep company with us, and do
as we do! Let us tear off her clothes, and roll her in the mire!"
They were proceeding to act upon this suggestion, when Fanny, bewildered
and speechless with terror, dropped her gold coin, which she held in her
hand, upon the ground. It was instantly snatched up by one of the gang,
who was immediately attacked by the others, and a fierce struggle
ensued, for the possession of the coin, the young wretches tearing,
scratching and biting each other like so many wild cats. During this
conflict, Fanny made off as fast as she could run, but was followed and
overtaken by one of the gang, a large girl of fifteen, who was known
among her companions by the pleasing title of "Sow Nance." She was a
thief and prostitute of the most desperate and abandoned character,
hideously ugly in person, and of a disposition the most ferocious and
deceitful.--Laying her brawny hand upon Fanny's shoulder, she said, in a
hoarse and croaking voice--
"See here, Miss What's-yer-name, I wants to speak to you, if you please.
You needn't be afraid of me, for I won't hurt you. Them thieving hussies
has got your money, and you must make up your loss the best way you can.
Look at my basket--you see it's empty, don't yer? I've sold all my fruit
already, and if you'll go with me, I'll show you a nice gentleman who
will buy all the fruit in your little basket, and pay you well, too.
It's not far--will you go with me?"
The prospect of effecting a speedy sale of her stock in trade, was too
tempting to be resisted by poor Fanny, especially in view of the severe
loss she had just sustained, in being robbed of the money which the kind
young lady had given her. She therefore gladly consented to accompany
Sow Nance to the nice gentleman who would pay her so well for the
contents of her basket.
Poor, innocent, unsuspecting Fanny! she little thought that the
abandoned creature at her side was leading her into a snare, imminently
dangerous to her peace of mind and future happiness! "I will save up
money enough to buy grandfather a rocking-chair, after all," thought
she, as she gaily trudged onward, while ever and anon Sow Nance would
glare savagely at her from the corners of her snake-like eyes. It is one
of the worst qualities peculiar to corrupt human nature, the hatred with
which the wicked and abandoned regard the innocent and pure. Fanny had
never in the slightest degree injured the wretch who was plotting her
ruin;--and Sow Nance had no other reason for hating her, than because
she herself was a guilty and polluted being, while Fanny she knew to be
without stain or blemish.
In about a quarter of an hour they reached a handsome brick house in
South street.
"This is the place," said Sow Nance, as she rang the door bell; the
summons was immediately answered by an old negro woman, who, exchanging
a significant look with Nance, admitted them, and ushered them into a
large parlor. The apartment was handsomely furnished, the walls adorned
with many pictures, and the floor covered with a very rich carpet.
"Sit down, young ladies, and I will call Mr. Tickels down," said the old
negro woman, as she left the room; in a few moments, a gentleman
entered, and regarded Fanny with a gaze so piercing, that the poor girl
was covered with confusion.
The gentleman was, to all appearances, full sixty years of age; he was a
large, portly man, with very gray hair and a very red face: he was
attired in a dressing-gown and slippers, and wore a magnificent diamond
pin in his shirt frill.
This man was one of those wealthy beasts whose lusts run riot on the
innocence of young females--whose crimes outnumbered the gray hairs upon
his head, and whose riches were devoted to no other purpose than the
procurement of victims for his appetite, and the gratification of his
abominable passions.
A vague, strange fear stole over Fanny, while this gentleman thus viewed
her so closely--a fear which she could not define, yet which rendered
her excessively uneasy. Apparently the survey was satisfactory to the
gentleman--for he smiled, and in doing so displayed two rows of teeth
not unlike the fangs of a wolf. Then he beckoned Sow Nance to follow him
from the room, and held a whispered conversation with her in the
passage.
"Who is she, Nance?" asked the gentleman.
"Not _one of us_," was the reply, "she sells fruit, and is poor, but her
folks are respectable;--you must pay me well for bringing her here, for
she's handsome."
"True; but are you sure she has never--"
"_Sure!_" replied Nance, almost fiercely--"I'll take my oath on it;
hasn't she always kept away from us, and ain't all the girls hating her
like h----l, 'cause she's virtuous? Don't you suppose _I_ know?"
"Good," said the gentleman; and taking a gold coin from his pocket, he
gave it to Nance, who, stooping down, secreted it in her stocking; then
she noiselessly opened the front door and left the house, singing in a
hoarse voice, as she sped on her way towards Ann street, (where she
lived,) these barbarous words:--
"The lamb to the wolf is sold, sold, sold;
No more she'll return to her fold, fold, fold--
And Sow Nance will dare another to snare,
And the wolf shall have her for gold, gold, gold!"
The gentleman (I use the word _ironically_, reader,) re-entered the
parlor, advanced to where Fanny was seated, and laying his heavy hand
upon the young girl's shoulder, glued his polluted lips to her pure
cheek. She sprang from his profaning grasp with a cry of terror, and
fled towards the door--it was _locked_! The gentleman laughed, and
said--
"No, no, my pretty bird, you cannot escape from your cage so easily; and
why should you wish to? Your cage shall have golden wires, and you shall
be fed on delicacies, my little flutterer--so smooth the feathers of
your bright wings, my dear, and sing your sweetest notes!"
Fanny burst into tears, and fell on her knees before the old
libertine.--Young and innocent as she was, a dark suspicion of his
purpose came like a shadow over her soul, and she cried in piteous
accents--
"Pray, good sir, let me go home to my poor grandfather and my little
brother--they will be expecting me, and will feel worried at my absence.
Surely, sir, you will not have the heart to harm me--I am but a poor
fruit girl, without father or mother. Pray let me go, sir."
That appeal, made touching by the youth and innocence of the speaker,
and by her profound distress, might have melted a heart of iron--but it
moved not the stony heart of the old villain, and he looked upon her
with his cold, hard eyes, and his disgusting smile, as he said--
"Your tears make you doubly interesting, my sweet child. I am afraid
that your poor grandfather and your little brother, as you call them,
will be obliged to wait a long while for your return, let them worry
ever so much at your absence. You say truly that I have not the heart to
harm you, a poor fruit girl,--no, I will make a lady of you; and as you
have, you say, neither father nor mother, I will supply their place, my
pretty dear, and be your _lover_ into the bargain. Those coarse garments
shall be changed for silks and satins,--that shining hair shall be made
radiant with gems,--jewels shall sparkle on that fair neck, and on those
taper fingers,--you shall ride in a carriage, and have servants to wait
on you,--and you shall sleep on a downy bed, and live in a grand house,
like this. Say, will not all these fine things be better than selling
fruit in the cold streets?"
But the sobbing girl implored him to let her go home. The gentleman
ground his teeth with rage.
"Well, well," said he, after a brief pause, and speaking in an assumed
tone of kindness, "you _shall_ go home, since you wish it." He rang a
bell, and the old negro woman appeared, to whom he whispered for a few
moments, and then left the room.
"Come, Miss," said the old wench, addressing Fanny, with a grin that was
anything but encouraging or expressive of a friendly feeling--"come with
me up stairs, and wash the tears from your pretty face; then you shall
go home--ha, ha, ha!"
It was a demon's laugh, full of malice and hatred; yet Fanny smiled
through her tears, for she saw not the old wretch's malignity, and only
thought of her escape from the danger which had menaced her, and
anticipated the happiness she should feel when once more in safety
beneath her own humble roof, in the society of all she held dear on
earth. Joyfully did she follow the old wench up stairs and into an
apartment still more handsomely furnished than the one below; but what
was her astonishment and affright, when her sable conductress gave her a
violent push which threw her violently to the floor, and then quickly
left the room and locked the door! A presentiment that she was
imprisoned, and for the worst of purposes, flashed through her mind, and
she made the apartment resound with her shrieks. But, alas! no help was
near--no friendly hand was there to burst open the door of her prison,
and rescue her from a house, within whose walls she was threatened with
the worst fate that can befall a helpless maiden--the loss of her honor.
Her loud shrieks penetrated not beyond the precincts of that massive
building--her calls for help were answered only by the taunting laugh of
the black hag outside, who loaded her with alternate abuse, threats, and
curses. At last, exhausted and despairing, poor Fanny threw herself upon
the carpet, and prayed--oh, how earnestly!--that no harm might happen to
her, which could call the blush of shame to her cheek, or make her poor
grandfather think of her as a lost, polluted thing.
Somewhat relieved by this, (and who shall say that a holy whisper
breathed not into her pure heart the assurance that she should pass
unscathed through the fiery furnace?) she arose with a calmer spirit,
and began to survey the apartment in which she was confined. It was a
large room, very elegantly furnished, containing a piano, and a
profusion of paintings. On examining one of these, Fanny turned away
with a burning cheek--for it was one of those immodest productions of
the French school, which show how art and talent can be perverted to the
basest uses. She looked at no more of the pictures, but went to a window
and looked out. The view from thence was not extensive, but merely
included a garden of moderate size, surrounded by a high wall; the
prospect was not a pleasant one, for instead of blooming flowers, the
appropriate divinities of such a place, nothing was to be seen but a
smooth surface of snow, relieved here and there by gaunt trees, whose
leafless branches waved mournfully in the breeze, seeming to sing a
requiem for the departed summer.
Fanny turned sadly away from this gloomy prospect, and seating herself
upon a luxurious sofa, abandoned herself to the melancholy reflections
engendered by her situation. Soon the fortitude which she had summoned
to her aid, deserted her, and as the increasing darkness of the room
betokened the approach of night, a thousand fears chilled her heart. She
was alone in that strange house--no friends were near--the treatment she
had received from the gentleman and his negro menial, indicated that
neither of them would hesitate to do her mischief, if they were so
inclined--what if they should murder her--or, dreadful thought! first
outrage, and then despatch her! While employed in such terrible
meditations as these, the darkness increased; grim shadows hovered
around, and dim but terrific shapes seemed to glide towards the
trembling girl. She groped her way towards the window, and looked
out--there was no moon, and not a star glimmered in the firmament. Soon
the darkness grew so intense, that had she held her hand close to her
eyes, she could not have seen it.
Every moment augmented her fears; and sinking down in one corner, she
pressed her hands to her aching eyes, as if to shut out some hideous
spectacle.
Not long had she been thus, when a mortal terror, to which all her other
fears were as nothing, seized her; she shivered with horror, and cold
perspiration started from every pore of her skin--for her sense of
hearing, painfully acute, detected the presence of a _moving object_ in
the room--she heard the rustle of garments--a footstep--the sound of
breathing; she strained her eyes through the intense darkness, but could
distinguish nothing. The moving object approaching her, nearer and
nearer--it seemed to be groping in search of her--and her blood froze
with horror when at last a cold hand touched her cheek, and she beheld a
pair of eyes glaring at her through the gloom. A low, mocking laugh--a
whispered curse--and the object glided away; then Fanny lost all
consciousness.
When she recovered from the swoon into which she had fallen, daylight
was shining through the windows. Hours passed away, and no one came to
invade the girl's solitude. At about noon, the door was unlocked, and
the old negro woman appeared, bearing a plate of provisions and a basket
full of clothing. Placing the food before Fanny, the hag bade her eat, a
request readily complied with, as she had fasted since the preceding
day. While she was eating, the old negress regarded her with a hideous
grin, and eyes expressing all the malignity of a serpent; and at the
conclusion of the repast, asked her--
"Well, Miss, how did you pass the night?"
Fanny related the fearful visitation she had experienced, and implored
to be released from her confinement; the black woman laughed
disdainfully.
"No, no, Miss," said she, "my master will never let you go until of your
own free will, you become his own little lady, and take him for a lover.
Listen to me, girl: I am going to speak for your own good. My master is
very fond of young ladies such as you, and goes to every expense to get
them into the house; but he never likes to _force_ them to his wishes,
his delight being to have them _willing_ to receive him as a lover--do
you understand? But those silly girls who are _not_ willing, he shuts up
in this room, which is haunted by a fearful spectre, who every night
visits the obstinate girl, and sometimes punishes her dreadfully, until
she consents to my master's wishes."
Fanny shuddered--and the old black woman continued, in a gentler tone--
"Now won't you, to avoid this fearful spectre, consent to become my
master's little lady? I am sure you will, my dear. See--I have brought
you some fine clothes to wear, so that you may be fit to receive Mr.
Tickels this afternoon, as he intends to visit you. Now, don't fail to
be very good and kind to him, for he loves you very much, and will make
a fine lady of you. Come, let us take off those old clothes, and put on
this beautiful silk dress that has been bought on purpose for you."
We have so far depicted Fanny as a very timid, gentle girl; but she was
not destitute of a becoming spirit.--When, therefore, she heard that old
wretch so calmly and deliberately talk of her surrendering herself to
dishonor and shame, the flush of indignation mantled her cheek; she
arose, and boldly confronting her tormentor, said, with spirit and
determination--
"I _will not_ wear your fine clothes, nor become the slave of your
master's will! He is a villain for keeping me here--and you are a
wretch, a wicked wretch, for trying to tempt me to do wrong. I am not
afraid of the spectre you speak of, for God will protect me, and keep me
from harm. You may kill me, if you like, but I will not--_will not_ be
guilty of the wickedness you wish me to commit; and if ever I get free
from this bad place, you and your master shall be made to suffer for
treating me so. Remember this, you nasty old black devil--remember
this!"
The negress quailed before the young girl, whose singular beauty was
enhanced ten-fold by the glow of indignation on her cheek and the
sparkle of anger in her eye. Then, without saying a word, she left the
room, locking the door after her.
Half an hour elapsed, and the wench again made her appearance; in her
hand she carried a short, stout piece of rope. With the fury of a
tigress, and a countenance (black as she was) livid with rage, she flew
at the young girl, tore every shred of clothing from her person, and
then beat her cruelly with the rope, until her fair skin was covered in
various places with black and blue marks. In vain poor Fanny implored
for mercy; the black savage continued to beat her until obliged to
desist by sheer exhaustion. Throwing herself breathless into a chair,
she said, with a fierce oath--
"So, Miss--I'm a nasty old black devil, am I? You impudent hussy, how
dare you use such language to me? But I'll learn you better. You shall
be more civil, and do as my master wishes, and obey me in everything, or
I'll not leave a whole bone in your skin. Now put on these new clothes
instantly, or I solemnly swear I'll not leave off beating you, until you
lie at my feet, a corpse!"
Poor Fanny was obliged to obey--for, apart from the black woman's
threat, she had no alternative but to put on the costly garments which
had been procured for her, her own clothes being torn to pieces; and of
course she did not wish to remain in a state of nudity. She therefore
dressed herself--and in truth, the garments were well selected, and
fitted her to a charm. Even when attired in her old clothes, she had
looked exceedingly pretty; but now, dressed in an elegant costume which
displayed her fine shape and budding charms to the best advantage, she
was positively beautiful. Even the old black woman could not help
smiling with satisfaction at her improved appearance.
"She is a choice tit-bit for my master's appetite," thought she,
chuckling to herself; and then she brought water, and made Fanny wash
the traces of tears from her face, and arrange her rich auburn hair
neatly and tastefully. This done, the negress departed, after telling
the young girl to prepare to receive Mr. Tickels in the course of the
afternoon.
What must have been the reflections of that poor young creature, while
dreading the entrance of the hoary villain who sought her ruin? We can
but imagine them: doubtless she thought with agony of her poor
grandfather and little Charley, both of whom she knew would suffer all
the anguish of uncertainty and fear, with reference to her fate. Then,
perhaps, her mind reverted to the happiness she used to enjoy within the
hallowed precincts of her humble home--which, humble as it was, and
devoid of every luxury, and many comforts, was nevertheless endeared to
her by a thousand tender associations, and had been to her as an ark of
safety from the storms of life. Her thoughts next dwelt upon the kind
young lady, who had given her the gold coin, and whose sweet smile and
pitying words still lingered in her heart. And should she ever see those
dear relatives or that kind friend again? Or if she did, would she be
able to look them in the face as a pure and stainless girl, or would she
blush in their presence with a consciousness of degradation? But she was
interrupted in these painful meditations by the sound of the key turning
in the lock; and a moment afterwards Mr. Tickels entered the room, and
advanced towards her. On observing her improved appearance, a smile of
intense satisfaction overspread his bloated face and sensual
features--and his eyes rested admiringly upon her form, which, though
not ripened, was beginning to assume a voluptuous fullness that
betokened approaching womanhood. Taking her hand, he drew her to a sofa
and seated her by his side. How tumultuously her heart beat with
apprehension and fear!--and the old _gentleman's_ first words were by no
means calculated to allay her alarm.
"My charming little girl," said he, raising her hand to his lips--"how
beautiful you look! A _fruit girl_!--by heavens, you are fit to be a
duchess! Such sweet blue eyes--such luxuriant hair--such pure Grecian
features--such a complexion, the rose blending with the lily--such a
snowy breast, expanding into the two "apples of love!" And that little
foot, peeping so coquettishly from beneath the skirts of your dress,
should ever be encased in a satin slipper, and press naught but rich and
downy carpets in the magnificent saloons of aristocratic wealth! Nay,
nay, my little trembler, be not afraid, but listen to me: I love you
more than words can express--you are the star of my life, and your
lustre shall light me on my way to more than celestial felicity. Hear me
still further: the world bows the knee to me because I am rich--thus do
I kneel to you, my angel, for you are beautiful. You shall dwell with me
in a mansion, to which, in point of splendor, this is nothing. I will
have a _boudoir_ prepared expressly for your use; it shall be lined with
pink satin, and in summer the windows will overlook a beautiful garden,
full of choice fruits and rare flowers; a sparkling fountain shall play
in its centre, and your ears will be ravished with the melody of birds.
You shall wander in that garden as much as you choose, and when you are
tired, you shall repose in a shady arbor, and dream of love and its
thousand blisses. In the winter season, like this, the opera, the
ballroom, the theatre, shall minister to your pleasure; and in those
places, none shall surpass you in splendor of dress or magnificence of
jewels. Say, _belissima_, will you give me your love in exchange for all
these things?"
While uttering the above wild rhapsody, (which is given at length in
order to show the temptations with which the old libertine sought to
allure his intended victim,) he had kneeled at her feet, and, despite
her resistance, encircled her waist with his arm.
And did that poor girl--the daughter of poverty--the child of
want--whose home was a garret, and who was familiar with the chills of
winter and the cravings of hunger,--did she, while listening to the
splendid promises of the rich man who knelt at her feet, for a moment
waver in her pride of virtue, or even dream of accepting his brilliant
offers? No! for even had she no other scruples, a host of holy memories
encircled her heart, as a shield of power against the tempter's
wiles,--the memory of home, of the two loved beings she had left there,
of former happiness in a more elevated sphere; and of a gentle mother,
whose beauty and virtues she had inherited, whose counsels she
remembered, and who was sleeping in the churchyard.
Disengaging herself from the libertine's embrace, and thoroughly aroused
to a sense of her danger, and the necessity of making all the resistance
she was capable of, to preserve her chastity and honor, the young girl,
losing all sense of fear, poured forth a torrent of indignant eloquence
that for the time completely abashed and overcame the hoary and
lecherous villain.
"No, sir--I will not, cannot love you; I hate and despise you, old
wretch that you are, seeking to tempt a poor child like me to her ruin.
Oh! you are rich, and have the manners of a gentleman before the
world,--and yet you are more base, mean and cowardly than the commonest
ruffian that ever stole a purse or cut a throat! Let me go hence, I
command you; you dare not refuse me, for I know there is a law to
protect _me_, as well as the richest and the highest, and I will go to
those who execute the law, and have you dragged to the bar of justice to
answer for this outrage. Do you hear, sir?--let me go from this accursed
place, or dread the power of the law and the vengeance of Almighty God!"
The libertine quailed before the flashing eyes and proud scorn of his
intended victim; his discomfiture, however, lasted but for a moment. His
red face grew black with the passions of rage and lust combined; he
muttered a fierce curse, and springing forward, seized her in his
vice-like grasp, and forced her towards the sofa, exclaiming--
"Curses on you, little hell-bird, since neither persuasions nor promises
will make you mine, it shall be done by force. Nay, if you scream so, by
the powers of darkness I'll strangle you!"
In all human probability he would have been as good as his word, for
Fanny continued to scream louder and louder; when suddenly Mr. Tickels
received a blow on the head that brought him to the ground, and a voice
cried out--
"Broad-swords and bomb-shells! I am just in time!"
While the libertine lay sprawling upon the carpet, Fanny turned to thank
her deliverer; and what was her astonishment and joy when she beheld the
wrinkled, care-worn face, and odd, shabby garments of--Corporal Grimsby.