Alida Part 37

--"Something extraordinary (said Mrs. Vincent) has prevented her coming. Perhaps she is ill." Alonzo shuddered at the suggestion. He looked at his watch; it was half past eleven o'clock. Again he hastily sallied out, and took the road to her father's.]

The night was exceedingly dark, being illuminated only by the feeble glimmering of the twinkling stars. When he came within sight of the house, and as he drew near, no lights were visible, all was still and silent. He entered the yard, walked up the avenue, and approached the door. A solemn stillness prevailed around, interrupted only by the discordance of nightly insects. The dwelling was shrouded in darkness.

In Alida's room no gleam of light appeared.

[_A&M_:

The night was exceedingly dark, and illuminated only by the feeble glimmering of the twinkling stars. When he came within sight of the house, and as he drew near, no lights were visible, all was still and silent. He entered the yard, walked up the avenue, and approached the door.... A solemn stillness prevailed all around, interrupted only by the discordance of the nightly insects, and the hooting of the moping owl, from the neighboring forest. The dwelling was shrouded in darkness. In Melissa's room no gleam of light appeared.]

"They are all buried in sleep," said Theodore, deeply sighing, and I have only to return in disappointment.

[_A&M_:

"They are all buried in sleep, (said Alonzo, deeply sighing) and I have only to return in disappointment."

Theodore now withdrew slowly from the place, and repa.s.sed the way he came. As he went back through the garden, he found a person standing at the foot of it, near the road. After a moment's scrutiny, he perceived it to be Bonville.

[_A&M_:

Alonzo withdrew slowly from the place, and repa.s.sed the way he came.

As he jumped back over the garden wall, he found a man standing at its foot, very near him; after a moment's scrutiny he perceived it to be Beauman.]

"What, my chevalier, why are you here?" said he to Theodore. "Hast thou, then, eluded the watchful eyes of Argus, and the vigilance of the dragon?"

[_A&M_:

"What, my chevalier, [said he to Alonzo] such an adept in the amorous science already? Hast thou then eluded the watchful eyes of Argus, and the vigilance of the dragon!"]

[[In _Alonzo and Melissa_, "Argus" and "the dragon" are two different people, Melissa's father and her aunt.]]

"Unfeeling and impertinent intruder!" retorted Theodore, "dost thou add impudence to thy interference? Go," said he, "you are unworthy of my anger. Pursue thy grovelling schemes. Strive to win to your arms a lady who must ever continue to despise you."

[_A&M_:

"Unfeeling and impertinent intruder, [retorted Alonzo, seizing hold of him] is it not enough that an innocent daughter must endure a merciless parent's persecuting hand, but must thou add to her misery by thy disgusting interference!"--"Quit thy hold, tarquin, [said Beauman.] Art thou determined, after storming the fortress, to murder the garrison?"--"Go," said Alonzo, quitting him, "go sir; you are unworthy of my anger. Pursue thy grovelling schemes. Strive to force to your arms a lady who abhors you, and were it not on one account, must ever continue to despise and hate you."]

"Theodore," replied Bonville, "You and I were rivals in the pursuit for the hand of Alida. Whether from freak or fortune the preference was given to you, I know not; and I retired in silence. From coincidence of circ.u.mstances, I think she will now be induced to give the preference to me, especially after her prospects of connecting with you are cut off by the events which ruined your fortune. You, Theodore, have yet, I find, to learn the character of woman. It has been my particular study. Alida, now ardently impa.s.sioned by first impressions, irritated by recent disappointment, her feelings delicate and vivid, her affections animated, it would be strange if she could suddenly relinquish premature attachments founded on such premises. But remove her from your presence one year, with only distant and uncertain prospects of seeing you again, admit me as the subst.i.tute in your absence, and she accepts my hand as freely as she would now receive yours. I had no design. It never was my wish to marry her without her free consent;--that I believe I shall yet obtain. Under existing circ.u.mstances it is impossible but that you must be separated. Then, when cool deliberation succeeds to the wild vagaries of fancy, she will discover the dangerous precipice to which her present inclinations lead. She will prefer indifference and splendour to love and a cottage.

[_A&M_:

"Alonzo," replied Beauman, I perceive thou knowest me not. You and I were rivals in our pursuit--the hand of Melissa. Whether from freak or fortune, the preference was given to you, and I retired in silence. From coincidence of circ.u.mstances, her father has now been induced to give the preference to me. My belief was that Melissa would comply with her father's will, especially after her prospects of connecting with you were cut off by the events which ruined your fortune. You, Alonzo, have yet, I find, to learn the character of women. It has been my particular study. Melissa, now ardently impa.s.sioned by first impressions, irritated by recent disappointment, her pa.s.sions delicate and vivid, her affections animated and unmixed, it would be strange, if she could suddenly relinquish primitive attachments founded on such premises, without a struggle. But remove her from your presence one year, with only distant and uncertain prospects of seeing you again, admit me as the subst.i.tute in your absence, and she accepts my hand as freely as she would now receive yours. I had no design--it was never my wish to marry her without her consent. That I believe I shall yet obtain.

Under existing circ.u.mstances it is impossible, but that you must be separated for some considerable time. Then--when cool deliberation succeeds to the wild vagaries, the electric fire of frolic fancy, she will discover the dangerous precipice, the deadly abyss to which her present conduct and inclinations lead.... She will prefer indifference and splendor to love and a cottage.]

"At present I relinquish all further pursuit; to-morrow I shall return home. When Alida, from calm deliberation, and the advice of friends, shall freely consent to yield me her hand, I shall return to receive it.

I came from my lodgings this evening to declare these intentions to her father; but it being later than I was aware of, the family had gone to rest. I was about to return, but, looking back again at the house, to see if I could descry a light, I stood a moment by the garden gate, when you approached and discovered me." So saying, he bade Theodore good night, and walked hastily away.

[_A&M_:

"At present I relinquish all further pursuit; to-morrow I return to New London. When Melissa, from calm deliberation and the advice of friends, shall freely consent to yield me her hand, I shall return to receive it. I came from my lodgings this evening to declare these intentions to her father, but it being later than I was aware of, the family had gone to rest. I was about to return, when I saw a light from the chamber window, which soon withdrew. I stood a moment by the garden wall, when you approached and discovered me." So saying, he bade Alonzo good night, and walked hastily away.]

"I find he knows not the character of Alida," said Theodore, as he pursued his way to Raymond's. When he arrived at the house of his friend, he related all that had pa.s.sed between himself and Bonville; and from what he related, the Raymonds concluded that Alida must be watched and guarded.

[_A&M_:

--"I find he knows not the character of Melissa," said Alonzo, and returned to Vincent's.

The next day Alonzo told the Vincents of all that had pa.s.sed....]

[[Continuous text from _Alonzo and Melissa_ ends here.]]

CHAPTER XIII.

Friendship! thou sovereign balm of every care.

When all serene and placidly appear; Domestic happiness! of that possessed, Then may we leave to Providence the rest.

[Anonymous Couplet, no later than 1770:

Nor fell Despair, nor Noise invades the Ear; But all serene and placid does appear.]

The father of Alida now thought proper to enter into a second marriage.

A lady of worth and understanding had wrought upon his fancy, and won his particular regards. Her elegance of manner and dignified deportment engaged general attention; and although she was rather advanced in life, yet "the remains of former beauty were still visible in her appearance."

She was honourably descended from English parents, who had resided in New-York since the revolution. Her father had been actively engaged in business there, which had been ultimately crowned with the successful gifts of fortune.

Her education had been governed by the strictness of the English discipline. A foundation laid in early piety continued to influence her mind with unaffected ardour, blended with a generous benevolence, the genuine effects of the inexhaustible goodness of her heart. She was one who manifested to the world that a "doer of good" is far preferable to any other character, and in a superlative degree above those who maintain high principles in theory, without ever once reducing them to practice.

This lady had an only sister, who married a native of Ireland, and after the course of a few years went to reside there, where she had recently died. The children returned to this country, having lost their father long before, and several of her nephews now resided in the city. Having been always accustomed to reside in town herself, where her many excellent qualities had endeared her to numerous friends and acquaintances, who would now feel themselves lost without her society, therefore the parents of Alida formed the conclusion to pa.s.s their winters in the city, and return to the country in the summer season.

In the mean time, Alida's father thought the event fortunate, and was pleased at this time to remove his daughter from the place where the late scenes appeared so trying and afflictive, with the hope that in mingling her with the gay world she would in a while forget Theodore, while he in his turn would be induced to leave the neighbourhood.

It was now at that season when weary summer had lapsed into the fallow arms of autumn, and was approaching to the chilly breezes of winter. The morning was clear, and the light gales bore invigorating coolness on their wings as they tremulously agitated the foliage of the western forest, or fluttered among the branches of the trees that surrounded the mansion. The green splendours of the lawn had faded into a yellow l.u.s.tre; the flowery verdure of the fields was changed to a russet hue.

[_A&M_:

It was that season of the year when weary summer is lapsing into the arms of fallow autumn. The day had been warm, and the light gales bore invigorating coolness on their wings as they tremulously agitated the foliage of the western forest, or fluttered among the branches of trees surrounding the mansion. The green splendors of spring had begun to fade into a yellow l.u.s.tre, the flowery verdure of the fields was changed to a russet hue.]

A robin chirped in a favourite tree in the yard; a wren chattered beneath, while some few solitary birds still continued to warble their notes among the leaves of the aspen.

The surrounding groves partially rung with melody; while deep in the adjacent wilderness the woodp.e.c.k.e.r, hammering on some dry and blasted trees, filled the woods with reverberant echoes.

[_A&M_:

A robin chirped on a neighboring oak; a wren chattered beneath, swallows twittered around the decayed buildings, the ludicrous mocking bird sung sportively from the top of the highest elm, and the surrounding groves rung with varying, artless melody; while deep in the adjacent wilderness the woodc.o.c.k, hammering on some dry and blasted trees, filled the woods with reverberant echoes.]