TowhichDeleroymockedinanswer:
"Good！I'llgo,mygentlecousin,whichitsuitsmewelltodowhohavecertainbusinessoftheKing'sawaitingmeinFrance。Aye,I'llgoandleaveyoutosettlewiththisworthytraderwhomayholdthatyouhavedupedhim。Doitasyouwill,exceptinonefashion,ofwhichyouknow。NowawordwithmycousinBlancheandanotheratthePalaceandIrideforDover。Farewell,CousinAleys。Farewell,worthymerchantforwhoselossIshouldgrieve,didInotknowthatsoonyouwillrecoupyourselfoutofgentlepockets。Mournnotovermeovermuch,eitherofyou,sincedoubtlesseresoverylongIshallreturn。"
NowmybloodflamedupandIanswered:
"Iprayyoudonothurry,mylord,lestyoushouldfindmewaitingforyouwithashieldandaswordinplaceofawarrantandapen。"
Heheardandcalledout,"ForeGod,thischapmanthinkshimselfaknight！"
Thenwithamockinglaughhewent。
CHAPTERVI
MARRIAGE——ANDAFTER
SirRobertandIstoodfacingeachotherspeechlesswithrage,bothofus。Atlengthhesaidinahoarsevoice:
"Yourpardon,MasterHastings,fortheaffrontsthatthisbastardlordlinghasputuponyou,anhonestman。Itellyouthatheisaloose—livingknave,asyouwouldagreeifyouknewallhisstory,acockatricethatformysinsIhavenurturedinmybosom。'Tishethathaswastedallmysubstance;'tishethathasmadefreeofmyname,sothatIfearmeyouaredefrauded。'Tishethatusesmyhouseasthoughitwerehisown,bringingintoitvilewomenoftheCourt,andmenthatarevilerstill,howeverhightheirnamesandgaudytheirattire,"andhechokedwithhiswrathandstopped。
"Whydoyousufferthesethings,sir？"Iasked。
"ForsoothbecauseImust,"heansweredsullenly,"forhehasmeandminebythethroat。ThisDeleroyisverypowerful,MasterHastings。AtawordfromhimwhisperedintheKing'sear,I,oryou,oranymanmightfindourselvesintheToweraccusedoftreason,whenceweshouldappearnomore。"
Then,asthoughhewishedtogetawayfromthesubjectofDeleroyandhisholduponhim,hewenton:
"Ifearmethatyourmoney,ormuchofit,isindangerforDeleroy'sbondisworthless,andsincethelandisalreadypledgedwithoutmyknowledge,Ihavenowheretoturnforgold。ItellyouthatIamanhonestmanifonewhohasfallenintoillcompany,andthiswickednesscutsmedeep,forIknownothowyouwillberepaid。"
Nowathoughtcametome,andaswasmyboldfashioninallbusiness,Iactedonitinstantly。
"SirRobertAleys,"Isaid,"shoulditbepleasingtoyouandanother,Icanseeawayinwhichthisdebtmaybecancelledwithoutshametoyouandyettomyprofit。"
"TheninGod'snamespeakit！ForIseenone。"
"Sir,inbygonetime,asitchancedIwasableyonderatHastingstodosomeservicetoyourdaughterandinthathourshetookmyheart。"
Hestartedbutmotionedtometocontinue。
"Sir,Ilovehertrulyanddesiremorethananythingtomakehermywife。Iknowsheisfarabovemeinstation,stillalthoughbutamerchant,IamofgooddescentasIcanprovetoyou。Moreover,Iamrich,forthismoneythatIhaveadvancedtoyou,ortothelordDeleroy,isbutasmallpartofmywealthwhichgrowsdaybydaythroughhonesttrade。Sir,ifmysuitwereacceptedIshouldbeready,notonlytohelpyoufurtheroncertainterms,butbydeedandwilltosettlemostofitupontheladyBlancheanduponourchildren。Sir,whatsayyou？"
SirRoberttuggedathisredbeardandstareddownatthefloor。
PresentlyheliftedhisheadandIsawthathisfacewastroubled,thefaceofaman,indeed,whoisstrugglingwithhimself,or,asI
thought,withhispride。
"Afairofferfairlyput,"hesaid,"butthequestionis,notwhatI
say,butwhatsaysBlanche。"
"Sir,Idonotknowwhohaveneveraskedher。YetattimesIhavethoughtthathermindtowardsmeisnotunkind。"
"Isitso？Well,perhapsnowthathe——well,letthatlie。MasterHastings,youhavemyleavetotryyourfortuneandItellyoustraightthatIhopeitwillbegood。WithyourwealthyourrankmaybesoonmendedandyouareanhonestmanwhomIshouldbegladtowelcomeasason,forIhavehadenoughoftheseCourtknavesandpaintedJezebels。ButifsuchisyourfancytowardsBlanche,mycounseltoyouisthatyouputitquicklytotheproof——aye,man,atonce。Markmywords,forsuchaswanassheismanysnaresaresetbeneaththedirtywatersofthisCourt。"
"Thesoonerthebetter,sir。"
"Good。I'llsendhertoyouand,onewordmore——benotovershy,orreadytotakethefirst'no'forananswer,ortolistentothetaleofbygonefancies,suchasallwomenhave。"
Thensuddenlyhewent,leavingmetherewonderingathiswordsandmanner,whichIdidnotunderstand。ThisIunderstood,however,thathedesiredthatIshouldmarryBlanche,whichconsideringallthingsI
heldsomewhatstrange,althoughIhadthewealthshelacked。
Doubtless,Ithought,itmustbebecausehishonourhadbeentouchedonthematterofthetrickthathadbeenplayeduponhimwithouthisknowledge。ThenIceasedfromthesewonderingsandgavemythoughttowhatIshouldsaytoBlanche。
Iwaitedalongwhileandstillshedidnotcome,tillatlastI
believedthatshewasawayfromthehouse,orguessingmybusiness,hadrefusedtoseeme。Atlength,however,sheenteredtheroom,sosilentlythatIwhowasstaringatthegreatabbeythroughawindow—
placeneverheardthedooropenorclose。Ithinkthatsomesenseofherpresencemusthavedrawnme,sincesuddenlyIturnedtoseeherstandingbeforeme。Shewascladallinwhite,havingaroundcaporcoronetuponherheadbeneathwhichhershiningfairhairwasloopedinbraids。Herlittlecoat,trimmedwithermine,wasfastenedwithasinglejewel,thatrubyheartembracedbyserpentswhichIhadgivenher。Sheworenootherornament。Thusseenshelookedmostlovelyandmostsweetandallmyheartwentoutinyearningforher。
"Myfathertellsmethatyouwishtospeakwithme,soIhavecome,"
shesaidinherlowclearvoice,searchingmyfacecuriouslywithherlargeeyes。
Ibowedmyheadandpaused,notknowinghowtobegin。
"HowcanIserveyou,who,Ifear,havebeenillserved？"shewentonwithalittlesmileasthoughshefoundamusementinmyconfusion。
"Inonewayonly,"Iexclaimed,"bygivingyourselfinmarriagetome。
ForthatIseek,noless。"
Nowherfairfacethathadbeenpalebecamestainedwithredandshelethereyesfallasthoughsheweresearchingforsomethingamongtherushesthatstrewedthefloor。
"Hearkenbeforeyouanswer,"Icontinued。"WhenfirstIspokewithyouonthatbloodydayatHastingsandyouhadbutjustcometowomanhood,IlovedyouandsworetomyselfthatIwoulddietosaveyou。Isavedyouandwekissedandwereparted。AfterwardsItriedtoputyououtofmyheart,knowingthatyouweresetfarabovemeandnomeatforsuchasI,thoughstillforyoursakeIwooednootherwomaninmarriage。Theyearswentbyandfortunebroughtustogetheragain,andlo！theoldlovewasstrongerthanbefore。IknowthatIamnotworthyofyouwhoaresohighandgoodandpure。Still————"andIstopped,lackingwords。
Shemoveduneasilyandtheredcolourlefthercheeksasthoughshehadbeensuddenlypained。
"Bethinkyou,"shesaidwithatouchofhardnessinhervoice,"canonewholivesthelifeIliveandkeepsmycompany,remainasholyandunstainedasyoubelieve？Ifyouwouldgathersuchalily,surelyyoushouldseekitinacountrygarden,notinthereekofLondon。"
"Ineitherknownorcare,"Ianswered,whosebloodwasallafire。"I
knowonlythatwhereveryougrowandfromwhateversoil,youaretheflowerIwouldpluck。"
"Bethinkyouagain;anuglyslugmighthavesmearedmywhiteness。"
"IfsothehonestsunandrainwillrecoverandwashitandIamagardenerwhoscatterslimetoshrivelslugs。"
"Iftothisoneyouwillnotlisten,thenhearanotherargument。
PerchanceIdonotloveyou。Wouldyouwinalovelessbride？"
"Perchanceyoucanlearnoflove,orifnot,Ihaveenoughtoservefortwo。"
"Bymyfaith！itshouldnotbedifficultwithamansohonestandsowellfavoured。Andyet——afurtherplea。MycousinDeleroyhascheatedyou"（hereherfacehardened）,"andIthinkIamofferedtoyoubymyfatherinsatisfactionofhishonour,asmenwhohavenogoldofferahouseorahorsetocloseadebt。"
"Itisnotso。Iprayedyouofyourfather。Theloss,iflosstherebe,isbutachanceoftrade,suchasIfaceeveryday。Still,IwillbeplainandtellyouthatIriskeditwithopeneyes,expectingnothingless,thatImightcomeneartoyou。"
Nowshesatherselfdowninachair,coveringherfacewithherhands,andIsawfromthetremblingofherbodythatshewassobbing。WhileI
wonderedwhattodo,forthesightwrungme,sheletfallherhandsandthereweretearsuponherface。
"ShallItellyouallmystory,yougood,simplegentleman？"sheasked。
"Nay,onlytwothings。Areyouthewifeofsomeotherman？"
"Notso,thoughperhaps——onceIwentneartoit。Whatistheotherquestion？"
"Doyoulovesomeothermansothatyourhearttellsyouitisnotpossiblethatyoushouldeverloveme？"
"No,Idonot,"sheansweredalmostfiercely,"butbytheRood！Ihateone。"
"Whichisnoaffairofmine,"Isaid,laughing。"Fortherest,letitsleep。Fewaretheythatknowlife'swarswhohavenoscartohide,andIamnotoneofthem,thoughintruthyourlipsmadethedeepestyonderbythecaveatHastings。"
Whensheheardthisshecolouredtoherbrowandforgettinghertears,laughedoutright,whileIwenton:
"Thereforeletthepastbeandifitisyourwill,letussetoureyesuponthefuture。OnlyonepromisewouldIaskofyou,thatneveragainwillyoubealonewiththelordDeleroy,sinceonesolight—fingeredwithapenwould,Ithink,stealotherthings。"
"Bymysoul！thelastthingIdesireistobealonewithmycousinDeleroy。"
Nowsherosefromthechairandforalittlewhilewestoodfacingeachother。Thensheveryslightlyopenedherarmsandliftedherfacetowardsme。
ThusdidBlancheAleysandIbecomeaffianced,thoughafterwards,whenIthoughtthebusinessover,Irememberedthatneveroncedidshesaythatshewouldmarryme。This,however,troubledmelittle,sinceinsuchmattersitiswhatwomendothatweighs,notwhattheysay。FortherestIwasmadwithloveofher,alsoboththenandasthedayswentby,moreandmoredidsheseemtobetravellingonthissameroadofLove。Ifnot,indeedsheactedwell。
WithinamonthwewerewedonacertainOctoberdayinthechurchofSt。Margaret'satWestminster。Onceitwasagreedalldesiredtopushonthismarriage,andnotleastBlancheherself。SirRobertAleyssaidthathewishedtobegonefromLondontohisestatesinSussex,havinghadenoughoftheCourtanditsways,desiringtheretolivequietlytilltheend;I,beingsomuchinlove,wasonfireformybride,andBlancheherselfvowedthatshewaseagertobecomemywife,sayingthatourcourtship,whichbeganonHastingsHill,hadlastedlongenough。Fortherest,therewasnothingtocausedelay。IcancelledSirRobert'sdebttomeandsignedadeedinfavourofhisdaughterandheroffspring,whereofIgaveacopytohislawyerandtherewasnoughtelsetobedoneexcepttopreparemyhouseforherwhich,withmoneyatcommand,waseasy。
Nogreatbusinesswasmadeofthismarriage,sinceneitherhiskinnorSirRoberthimselfwishedtonoiseitaboutthathisonlychild,thelastofhisHouse,wastakingamerchantforherhusbandtosaveherandhimfromwreck。NordidI,themerchant,wishtoprovoketalkamongstthoseofmyownstation,especiallyasitwasknownthatIhadadvancedmoneystothesefinefolksoftheCourt。Soitcameaboutthatfewwereaskedtotheceremonythatwasfixedforanearlyhour,andofthesenotmanycame,becauseonthatday,althoughitwasbutOctober,agreatgalewithstormsofrainbegantoblow,thegreatestindeedthatIhadknowninmylife。
Thusitchancedthatwewerewedinanalmostemptychurchwhilethefiercewind,thunderingagainstthewindows,overcamethefeeblevoiceoftheoldpriest,sothathelookedlikeoneactinginashowwithoutwords。Thedarknesscausedbythethickrainwassodeep,also,thatscarcecouldIseemybride'slovelyfaceorfindthefingeruponwhichImustsetthering。
AtlengthitwasdoneandwewentdowntheaisletofindourhorseswhereonwemustridetomyhouseinCheapside,wheretherewastobeafeastformydependentsandsuchofmyfewfriendsascaredtocome,amongwhomwerenotnumberedanygrandfolkfromWestminster。AswedrewnearthechurchdoorInotedamongthosewhowerepresentthosetwogaudyladiesbetweenwhomDeleroyhadsatatthatmealafterthebusinessoftheloanwassettled。Moreover,Iheardoneofthemsay:
"WhatwillDeleroydowhenhecomesbacktofindhisdarlinggone？"
andtheotheranswerwithahighlaugh:
"Seekanother,doubtless,orborrowmoremoneyfromthemerchant,and————"HereIlosttheirtalkintherushofthewindthroughtheopeneddoor。
IntheporchwasoldSirRobertAleys。
"MotherofGod！"heshouted,"maytherestofthelivesofyoutwobesmootherthanyournuptials。NoCheapsidefeastforme,I'mforhomeinsuchfiend'sweather。Farewell,sonHubert,andalljoytoyou。
Farewell,Blanche。Learntobeobedientasawifeandkeepyoureyesforyourhusband'sface,thatismycounseltoyou。TillwemeetagainatChristmastideinSussex,whitherIrideto—morrow,farewelltobothofyou。"
Farewell,itwasindeed,forneverdideitherofuslookonhimagain。
Wrappedcloseinourcloakswebattledthroughthestormandatlength,somewhatbreathless,reachedmyhouseintheCheapwherethegarlandsofautumnflowersandgreenerythatIhadcausedtobewreathedfrompostsbeforethedoorwerealltornawaybythegale。
HereIwelcomedmywifeasbestIcould,kissingherasshecrossedthethresholdandsayingcertainsweetwordsthatIhadprepared,towhichshesmiledananswer。Thenthewomentookhertoherchambertomakeherselfreadyandafterwardscamethefeast,whichwassumptuousofitssort,thoughtheevilweatherkeptsomeoftheguestsaway。
ScarcelyhaditbegunwhenKari,whooflatehadbeensad—facedandbrooding,andwhodidnoteatwithus,enteredandwhisperedtomethatmyMasterofLadingfromthedocksprayedtoseemeatonceonamatterwhichwouldbrooknodelay。MakingexcusetoBlancheandthecompany,Iwentouttoseehimintheshopandfoundthemanmuchdisturbed。ItseemedthatacertainvesselofminethatIhadrechristened/Blanche/inhonourofmywife,whichlayinthestreamreadytosail,wasingreatdangerbecauseofthetempest。Indeed,shewasdraggingatheranchor,anditwasfearedthatunlessmoreanchorscouldbeletdownshewouldcomeashoreandbewreckedagainstthejetty—headsorotherwise。Thereasonwhythishadnotbeendone,wasthatonlythemasterandonesailorwereonboardthevessel;therestwerefeastingashoreinhonourofmymarriage,andrefusedtorowouttoher,sayingthattheboatwouldbeswampedinthegale。
Nowthisship,althoughnotverylarge,wasthebestandstaunchestthatIowned,beingalmostnew;moreover,thecargoonboardofher,ladenfortheMediterranean,wasofgreatvalue,sogreatindeedthatitslosswouldhavebeenverygrievoustome。Therefore,itwasplainthatImustseetothematterwithoutdelay,sincefrommyservant'saccounttherewasnohopethattheserebellioussailorswouldlistentoanylessermanthanmyself。So,ifIwouldsavetheshipandhercargo,Imustrideforthedocksatonce。
Goingbacktotheeating—chamber,inafewwordsItoldmywifeandtheguestshowthematterstood,prayingtheoldestmanamongthelattertotakemyplacebythebride,whichhedidunwillingly,mutteringthatthiswasanunluckymarriagefeast。
ThenitwasthatBlancherose,beseechingmeearnestlyandalmostwithtearsthatIwouldtakeherwithmetothedocks。Ilaughedather,asdidthecompany,butstillshebesoughtwithmuchpersistence,tillI
begantobelievethatshemustbeafraidofsomething,thoughtheotherscriedthatitwasbutloveandfearlestIshouldcometoharm。
IntheendImadeherdrinkacupofwinewithme,butherhandshooksomuchthatshespilledthecupandtherichredwinerandownherbreast,stainingthewhitenessofherrobe,whereatsomewomenamongthecompanymurmured,thinkingitabadomen。AtlengthwithakissI
toremyselfaway,forIcouldbidenolongerandthehorseswerewaitingpresently。SoIwasridingforthedocksasfastasthestormwouldsuffer,withtilesfromtheroofs,andwhenwewereclearofthesethetorn—offlimbsoftreeshurtlingroundme。Kari,Ishouldsay,wouldhaveaccompaniedme,butItookaserving—man,biddingKaribidewherehewasinthehouseincasehemightbeofservice。
AtlastwecamesafelytothedockswhereIfoundallasmycargo—
masterhaddescribed。Theship/Blanche/wasingreatperilanddraggingeveryminutetowardsapierheadwhich,ifshestruck,wouldstaveherinandmakeanendofher。Themen,too,werestillfeastingintheinnwiththeirwharfsidetrollops,andsomeofthemhalfdrunk。
Ispoketothem,showingthemtheirshame,andsayingthatiftheywouldnotcome,Iandmymanwouldtakeaboatandgetaboardaloneandthisuponmyweddingday。Thentheyhungtheirheadsandcame。
Wewontotheshipsafelythoughwithmuchtoilanddanger,andtherefoundthemasteralmostcrazedwithfearanddoubtoftheissue,andthemanwithhiminjuredbyafallingblock。Indeed,thispoorcaptainclungtotherail,watchingthecableasitdraggedtheanchorandfearingeverymomentlestitshouldpart。
Therestissoontold。Wegotouttwomoreanchorsanddidotherthingssuchassailorsknow,tohelpinsuchacase。Whenallwasassafeasitcouldbemade,Iandmymanandfoursailorsstartedforthequay,tellingthemasterthatIwouldreturnuponthemorrow。Thewindandcurrentaidingus,welandedsafeandsoundandatonceI
rodebacktoCheapside。
Now,thoughitisshorttotell,allthishadtakenalongwhile,alsothewaywasfartorideinsuchastorm。Thusitcameaboutthatitwasnightoteno'clockatnightwhen,thankingGod,Idismountedatthegateofmyhouseandbadetheservanttakethehorsestothestable。AsIdrewnearthedoor,itopened,whichastonishedmeand,asthelightwithinshowed,therestoodKari。Whatastonishedmestillmore,hehadthegreatsword,Wave—Flame,inhishand,thoughnotdrawn,whichswordhemusthavefetchedfromwhereitwaskeptwiththeFrenchknight'sarmourandtheshieldthatborethreearrowsasacognizance。
Layinghisfingeronhislipsheshutthedoorsoftly,thensaidinalowvoice:
"Master,thereisamanupyonderwiththelady。"
"Whatman？"Iasked。
"Thatsamelord,Master,whocameherewithheroncebeforetobuyjewelsandborrowgold。Hearken。Thefeastbeingfinishedtheguestswentawayatfallofnight,butthewife—ladywithdrewherselfintothechamberthatiscalledsun—room（thesolar）,thatupthestairs,whichlooksoutonthestreet。Aboutonehourgonetherecameaknockatthedoor。Iwhowaswatching,opened,thinkingitwasyoureturned,andtherestoodthatlord。Hespoketome,saying:
"'Moor—man,Iknowthatyourmasterisfromhome,butthattheladyishere。Iwouldspeakwithher。'
"NowIwouldhaveturnedhimaway,butatthatmomenttheladyherself,whoitseemedwaswatching,camedownthestairs,lookingverywhite,andsaid:
"'Kari,letthelordcomein。Ihavemattersofyourmaster'sbusinessaboutwhichImusttalkwithhim。'So,Master,knowingthatyouhadlentmoneytothislord,Iobeyed,thoughIlikeditnot,andhavingfetchedtheswordwhichIthoughtperchancemightbeneeded,I
waited。"
Thiswasthesubstanceofwhathesaid,thoughhistalkwasmorebrokensinceheneverlearnedtospeakEnglishwellandhelpeditoutwithwordsofhisowntongue,ofwhich,asIhavetold,hehadtaughtmesomething。
"Idonotunderstand,"Iexclaimed,whenhehadfinished。"Doubtlessitislittleornothing。Yetgivemethesword,forwhoknows？andcomewithme。"
Kariobeyed,andasIwentupthestairsIbuckledWave—Flameaboutme。AlsoKaribroughttwocandlesofItalianwaxlightedupontheirstands。ComingtothedoorofthesolarItriedtoopenit,butitwasbolted。
"God'struth！"Isaid,"thisisstrange,"andhammeredonthepanelwithmyfist。
Presentlyitopened,butbeforeenteringit,forIfearedsometrick,Istoodwithoutandlookedin。Theroomwaslitbyahanginglampandafireburnedbrightlyonthehearth,forthenightwascold。InanoakchairbythefireandstaringintoitsatBlanchestillasanystatue。SheglancedroundandsawmeinthelightofthecandlesthatKariheld,andagainstaredintothefire。Half—waybetweenherandthedoorstoodDeleroy,dressedaseverinfineclothes,thoughI
notedthathiscapewasoffandhungoverastoolnearthefireasthoughtodry。Inotedalsothatheworeaswordandadagger。I
enteredtheroom,followedbyKari,shutthedoorbehindmeandshotthebolt。ThenIspoke,asking:
"Whyareyouherewithmywife,LordDeleroy？"
"Itisstrange,Mastermerchant,"heanswered,"butIwasabouttoputmuchthesamequestiontoyou:namely,whyis/my/wifeinyourhouse？"
Now,whileIreeledbeneaththesewords,withoutturningherhead,Blanchebythefiresaid:
"Helies,Hubert。Iamnothiswife。"
"Whyareyouhere,myLordDeleroy？"Irepeated。
"Well,ifyouwouldknow,Mastermerchant,Ibringapaperforyou,orratheracopyofit,forthewrititselfwillbeservedonyouto—morrowbytheKing'sofficers。ItcommitsyoutotheTowerundertheroyalsealfortradingwiththeKing'senemies,atreasonthatcanbeprovedagainstyou,ofwhichasyouknow,orwillshortlylearn,thepunishmentisdeath,"andashespokehethrewawritingdownuponasidetable。
"Iseetheplot,"Iansweredcoldly。"TheKing'sunworthyfavourite,forgerandthief,usestheKing'sauthoritytotrytobringtheKing'shonestsubjecttobondsanddeathbyafalseaccusation。Itisacommontrickinthesedays。Butletthatbe。ForthethirdtimeIaskyou——whyareyouherewithmynew—wedwifeandatthishourofthenight？"
"Socourteousaquestiondemandsacourteousanswer,Mastermerchant,buttogiveitImusttroubleyoutolistentoatale。"
"Thenletitbelikemypatience,brief,"Ireplied。
"Itshall,"hesaidwithamockingbow。
Thenveryclearlyandquietlyhesetoutadreadfulstory,givingdatesandcircumstances。Letthatstorybe。ThesubstanceofitwasthathehadmarriedBlanchesoonaftershereachedwomanhoodandthatshehadbornehimachildwhichdied。