Emmeline Part 54

'Alas! Milor, but little. I know n.o.body there but an old relation of my poor wife's, who is _Touriere_ at a convent; and if I cannot get a service for Madelon, I must give the good abbess a little money to take her till I can do something better for her.'

'And where do you expect to get money?'

'_Tenez, mon Seigneur_,' answered he, pulling a watch out of his pocket, '_ayez la bonte d'examiner cet montre_.[23] It is an English watch. Gold; and in a gold case. I have been offered a great deal of money for it; but in all my poverty, in all my distresses, I have contrived to keep it because it was the last gift of my dear master. But now, my poor Madelon must be thought of, and if it must be so, I will sell it and pay for her staying in the convent.'

'You shall not do that, my friend,' replied Lord Westhaven, still holding the watch in his hand.

It had a cypher, H. C. M. and a crest engraved on it.

'H. C. M,' said his Lordship, 'and the Mowbray crest! Pray what was your master's name?'

'_Milor Moubray_,' answered Le Limosin.

'_Comment? Milor Mowbray?_'

'_Oui Milor--regardez s'il vous plait. Voila son chiffre, Henri-Charles Moubray--et voila le cimier du famille._'[24]

Emmeline, who no longer doubted but this was her father's servant, was so much affected, that Lady Westhaven, apprehending she would faint, called for a.s.sistance; and the Chevalier, who during this conversation had attended only to her, s.n.a.t.c.hed up the beechen cup out of which Le Limosin and Madelon had been drinking, and which still stood on the ground, and flying with it to the spring, brought it instantly back filled with water; while Lady Westhaven bathed her temples and held to her her salts. She soon recovered; and then speaking in a faint voice to his Lordship, said--'My Lord, this is the servant in whose arms my poor father expired. Do allow me to intercede with your Lordship for him and for his daughter; but let him not know, to-night at least, who I am. I cannot again bear a circ.u.mstantial detail about my father.'

Lord Westhaven now led Le Limosin out of the cave; told him he had determined, as he had known his master's family, to take him into his own service, and that Lady Westhaven would provide for his daughter. At this intelligence the poor fellow grew almost frantic. He would have thrown himself at the feet of his benefactor had he not been prevented; then flew back to fetch his Madelon, that she might join in prayers and benedictions; and hardly could Lord Westhaven persuade him to be tranquil enough to understand the orders he gave him, which were, to hire some kind of conveyance at the next village to carry his daughter to Toulon; where he gave him a direction to find his English benefactor the next day.

It was now late; and the party hastened to leave this romantic spot, which had been marked by so singular a meeting. On their arrival at Toulon, they equipped, and sent away before them to St. Alpin, Le Limosin and Madelon, the latter of whom Lady Westhaven took entirely to wait on Emmeline.

The soft heart and tender spirits of Emmeline had not yet recovered the detail she had heard of her father's death. A pensive melancholy hung over her; which the Chevalier, nothing doubting his own perfections, hoped was owing to a growing affection for himself. But it had several sources of which he had no suspicion; and it made the remaining three weeks of their tour appear tedious to Emmeline; who languished to be at St. Alpin, where she hoped to find letters from Mrs. Stafford and from Lady Adelina. She thought it an age since she had heard from the latter; and secretly but anxiously indulged an hope of meeting a large pacquet, which might contain some intelligence of G.o.dolphin.

[Footnote 3: If the young lady would please to sit down.]

[Footnote 4: That she might sit down without inconvenience.]

[Footnote 5: I perceive I have the honour to speak to an English n.o.bleman.]

[Footnote 6: How? are you then well acquainted with the English?]

[Footnote 7: I pa.s.sed part of my youth in their service.----They are the best masters in the world.]

[Footnote 8: Do you speak English, my friend?]

[Footnote 9: It is almost nineteen years, since my master--my poor master, died in my arms; had he lived, for he was quite a young man, I should have pa.s.sed my life with him--I should have returned with him to England--Ah! that England is a charming country!]

[Footnote 10: Of this pretty maid.]

[Footnote 11: Some little necessaries, bargains, at the neighbouring town.]

[Footnote 12: A burning fever seized him at Milan; his companions seemed to have but little affection for the sick.]

[Footnote 13: Why not stay there?]

[Footnote 14: Ah, Sir! I was rich, and I longed eagerly to share my riches with a pretty young woman with whom I was distractedly in love.]

[Footnote 15: I know not how it happened, my English money, which I thought inexhaustible, diminished by little and little; and at length it was necessary to think what I was to do for my wife and my two little girls.]

[Footnote 16: Yes, gentlemen, we were indeed poor; but we were very, very happy!]

[Footnote 17: Oh! Theresa!--and you, my poor Suzette, I lament ye!--bitterly I still deplore your loss!]

[Footnote 18: I know well--I know, that we must learn to suffer!]

[Footnote 19: So here I am, gentlemen, at fifty years old, without bread to eat. But it is not that which troubles me--If I could get a comfortable place for my poor Madelon, all would be well!]

[Footnote 20: Your name?]

[Footnote 21: Baptiste La Fere. But the name under which I served as a soldier and as a servant is Le Limosin.]

[Footnote 22: Tell me then.]

[Footnote 23: See, my Lord; have the goodness to look at this watch.]

[Footnote 24: Yes, my Lord; be so good as to observe. There is his cypher, H. C. M. and there the family crest.]

END OF THE THIRD VOLUME

VOLUME IV

CHAPTER I

The Chateau de St. Alpin was a gloomy and antique building, but in habitable repair. The only constant resident in it for some years had been the Demoiselle de St. Alpin, now about five and forty; whose whole attention had been given to keeping it in order, and collecting, in the garden, variety of plants, in which she took singular pleasure. Detached from the world, and with no other relations than her brother and her nephews, whom she was seldom likely to see, she found in this innocent and amusing pursuit a resource against the tedium of life. Her manners, tho' simple, were mild and engaging; and her heart perfectly good and benevolent. With her, therefore, Emmeline was extremely pleased; and the country in which her residence was situated, was so beautiful, that accustomed to form her ideas of magnificent scenery from the first impressions that her mind had received in Wales, Emmeline acknowledged that her eye was here perfectly satisfied.

With her heart it was far otherwise. On her arrival at St. Alpin, she found letters from Lady Adelina enclosed in others from Mrs. Stafford.

Lady Adelina gave such an account of her own health as convinced Emmeline it was not improved since she left England. Of Mr. G.o.dolphin she only said, that he was returned from Ireland, but had staid with her only a few hours, and was then obliged to go on business to London, where his continuance was uncertain.

Mrs. Stafford gave of herself and her family a more pleasing account.

She said she had hopes that the readjustment of Mr. Stafford's affairs would soon allow of their return to England; and as it might possibly happen on very short notice, and before Emmeline could rejoin them, she had sent, by a family who were travelling to Geneva, and who readily undertook the care of it, a large box which contained some of her cloaths and the caskets which belonged to her, which had been long left at Mrs. Ashwood's after Emmeline's precipitate departure from her house with Delamere, and which, on Mrs. Ashwood's marriage and removal, she had sent with a cold note (addressed to Miss Mowbray) to the person who negociated Mr. Stafford's business in London.

Their lengthened journey had so much broken in on the time allotted to their tour, that Lord and Lady Westhaven purposed staying only a month at St. Alpin. The Baron, who had equal pride and pleasure in the company of his nephew, endeavoured by every means in his power to make that time pa.s.s agreeably; and felt great satisfaction in shewing to the few neighbours who were within fifteen miles of his _chateau_, that he had, in an English n.o.bleman of such rank and merit, so near a relation.

He had observed very early the growing pa.s.sion of his son for Miss Mowbray. He was a.s.sured that she returned it; for he never supposed it possible that any woman could behold the Chevalier with indifference.

He had heard from Lord Westhaven that Emmeline was the daughter of a man of fashion, but was by the circ.u.mstances of her birth excluded from any share of his fortune, and entirely dependant on the favour of the Marquis of Montreville. The old Baron, charmed himself with her person and her manners, rather approved than opposed the wishes of his son; and however convenient it might have been to have seen him married to a woman of fortune, he was disposed to rejoice at his inclining to marry at all; and convinced that with Emmeline he must be happy, thought he might dispense with being rich. The Chevalier, confident of success, and believing that Emmeline had meant by her timid refusals only encouragement, grew so extremely importunate, that she was sometimes on the point of declaring to him her real situation.

But from this she was deterred by the apprehension that he would apply to Lord Delamere for the relinquishment of her promise; and should he obtain it, consider himself as having a claim to the hand his Lordship resigned.