CHAPTER XIV.
Thenext morning, the gentlemen informed the young ladies, that they had become acquainted with one of their favourite novelists, and that they hoped soon to make them acquainted. This evening she will not be there. “This evening,” said Miss Mortimer, “we could not be at the library, as my uncle is to have a party to dinner.” Nothing important happened till the hour of appointment; when our hero, repairing to the captain’s, found, to his great pleasure, that one of the guests was his new acquaintance, Mrs. Somerive. The conversation during dinner, whether the party consist of genius or no genius, generallyturns on one subject; nor was the present an exception; foals, turbot, and Down mutton, being the chief topics discussed. The fruits and wines having passed the same ordeal of criticism, the conversation took a more liberal and enlarged range, and entered on such literary subjects, as were within the knowledge of the fair members of the party. Among these were included novels, which, though one of the first writers of the age was present, the Captain, more naturally benevolent, than artificially polite, introduced. “My good friend Mrs. Somerive,” said he, “though I always could see that you had great abilities, and knew much more than most young ladies of your age; but I did not think you would have been an author.” A cloud was beginning to overcast the countenance of the lady at these words; but her recollection and good sense presently dispelled it; and the Captain,who had not remarked this expression, proceeded; “I often in fine weather, at sea, read books of amusement, and sometimes on shore; I have lately read your Orphan of Pembroke, which my niece Maria here agrees with me in admiring very highly; but there is one of the characters that she likes beyond all others,—he that proves the hero of the piece; the Sea Captain. But do not you think he is rather too refined for our service? To be sure, young men are now better prepared than they were in my time, and I will honestly confess, they are as far before us in point of civilization, as——what shall I say, Hamilton? Help me out with a simile.” “Why, sir, as you are before Smollet’s Tom Bowling, Trunnion, Hatchway, and Tom Pipes; the difference, you will please to observe, is chiefly in the manners, and keeps pace with the progressiveimprovement of general society in Britain. The hearts of the former are equally brave and benevolent with those of the latter. The humanized and accomplished character, to which you allude, is a gallant and generous British seaman, acting from the same benignant motives, in the circumstances in which he is placed, from which the rough virtues of his predecessors would have exerted themselves. In affording his protection to the helpless infant of his unfortunate sister, he acts from benevolence, and seeks beneficence: so did Tom Bowling. In exerting himself to relieve distress,—to rescue a meritorious character from confinement, he acts from benevolence, and seeks beneficence; so did Hatchway and Pipes, in endeavouring to release Peregrine. He procured the promotion of professional merit, from the same principle that Trunnion purchasesa commission for Gauntlet; but the British naval officer of 1789, has an understanding, improved by cultivation and manners, softened by commixture with elegant and enlightened society. In both cases, the picture is just; in the former, it represents an original, namely, a diamond of the first water, rough from the mine; in the second, after undergoing the highest polish.” “Besides,” said young Mortimer, “the seaman of Mrs. Somerive was farther mildened by the tenderest of passions, which sailors certainly feel as strongly as other men; and what man, enamoured of such an object as the Fair Orphan of Pembroke, would not be softened, even if he had been naturally less benignant?” At this remark, Miss Hamilton, who had been by her admirer frequently compared to this very heroine, could not avoid blushing; which Mrs. Somerive perceiving,and struck with a resemblance, easily comprehended the case; and as Hamilton, in many respects, resembled the hero of her work, after a little observation, she was at no loss to account for the peculiar predilection of Maria for that character. Dr. Wentbridge observed, that he was particularly struck with the wise and beneficial tendency of the work. In a noble family, two of the children, a sister and a brother, had received boundless indulgence; which, acting on very different dispositions, the one vain, selfish, and illiberal, the other generous and elevated, produced catastrophes, of the former, disgraceful; the latter, lamentable; but both resulting directly from preposterous education. A third sister participating of the generous and noble spirit of her brother, but having undergone, in her childhood and youth, restraint and direction, improves her talentsby instruction, guides benignity of disposition by prudence, and adorns beauty by apposite accomplishments; she is rewarded for her virtues, by the heart and hand of a man of rank, fortune, and merit; and becomes the sole comfort of her father, in his declining years, bent down by affliction, for the fatal effects of his conduct towards his more favoured children. “The character of the father himself,” Hamilton observed, “displays strong discrimination; he isofnaturally good intentions, and respectable capacity; but in his counsels and conduct, not possessing that firmness, without which, ability and disposition can, neither in private or public life, regularly and steadily produce beneficial effects. He is governed by talents beneath his own, one of the greatest sources of error and defect in conduct. Wanting stability of principle, he is in a stateof oscillation, between the suggestions of his own benignant dispositions, the imperious dictates of a weak and illiberal wife, and the artful insinuations of an attorney without talents, but by dint of cunning and sycophancy arrived at wealth and importance. In the adoption, contrary to his own judgment and approbation, of the policy which the mean and selfish heart of this person recommends, he has to look for the occasions which call into fatal action the respective characters of his son and daughter.” “I think,” observed young Mortimer, “that the nobleman in question is not without a resemblance to a minister of considerable talents, benevolent and patriotic intentions; who, wanting firmness, and complying with men far inferior to himself, permitted unexampled corruption, entailed on the nation an immense burden of debt withoutproducing any benefit in return.” “John,” said the captain, “the American war, in which either the rash counsels or feeble plans of that administration involved this country, has produced one advantageous effect: it has demonstrated, that if the whole world unite to attack England, England can resist and repel the whole world.” “Bravo,” said a lieutenant, who had hitherto taken little part of the conversation, “my brave commander.” “Come then, Jack,” replied the commander, “suppose, if the ladies have no objection, you sing, Rule, Britannia.” Mrs. Somerive, who, though highly pleased with the criticism upon her performance, yet feeling some uneasiness that she should monopolize the whole attention, was the first to second this motion; and he performed in a very masterly style. This introduced successive requests fromthe ladies. The lieutenant sang two or three other songs, at the end of each of which, the captain proposed some appropriate bumper toast; by this time, as he shewed a very bountiful example of hospitality, Mrs. Somerive, fearing he might go too far, proposed retiring to the drawing room; a movement, which it had not occurred to Maria herself to suggest. “Nay, you must not go,” said the host, “till we have a chorus of Hearts of Oak; Jack there can sing it to admiration, and I can bear a bob myself.” Mrs. Somerive, seeing no wish in the younger part of the company of either sex for early separation, desisted. The song, notwithstanding rather too much vociferation on the side of the captain, was executed to the satisfaction of the company; when the laird of Etterick, turning to his nephew, said, “Willie, you are half a Scotchman, and descendedfrom an honourable Scotch family; the lairds of Etterick are equal to any gentlemen in the country for descent, and we live, as your father used to observe, in the Scottish Arcadia, the scene of pastoral poetry:—come, sing us a Scottish song.” The company joining in this request, our hero began with Tweedside; and doing justice to the melody of that charming air, he dwelt with an emphasis of peculiar tenderness on the name of Mary. Maria feeling this indirect address, wished to turn our hero’s voice to less interesting subjects, and with a bewitching smile, asked him to favour them with a martial song. “Do, dear William,” said his mother; “but do not let it be one song,” and here the tears filled her eyes. William, affected by the allusion to an air, which he knew was the delight of his revered father, requested his friendMortimer to sing, promising he should go on next. The penetration of Mrs. Somerive saw that a tender string had been touched, and her feeling heart was affected. Mrs. Hamilton now proposed to withdraw, saying, she would hear William’s other song after tea. The ladies retired, and Miss Mortimer was very expeditious, both in ordering and announcing coffee. Meanwhile, the captain had promoted a very quick circulation of the bottle, and begun a round of toasts, which he insisted should be completed, before any of the gentlemen should leave him. Dr. Wentbridge and his venerable father claimed a privilege of exemption, by all allowed to belong to their cloth,though very frequently not claimed, and was suffered to join the female part of the company. Before this round was over, Etterick had become remarkably facetious, crackedjokes, and told comical stories; but his countenance, though somewhat exhilarated, still retained the characteristic gravity of a long Scottish face. He also entered into narratives, which, in point of subject, formed a great contrast with the seriousness of voice and manner. His composure of countenance did not arise from a desire of enhancing the mirth by apparent sedateness, but from habitual cast of muscles. Their young companions left the three old gentlemen to themselves; Hamilton, though not intoxicated, was in that state, which, without much disordering the understanding, opens the heart. Accosting Mrs. Somerive, he asked her, whether she, who was such an exquisite judge, and perfect exhibitor of beauty, had ever seen, or could conceive any object, more lovely and fascinating than his charming Maria? But she resemblesSophia Western more than any of your beauties; she has the taste and genius of your heroine; the understanding of her first friend, with all the fascinating softness of your hero’s younger sister. Maria, wishing to shift the subject of conversation from herself, made some remark on the one who first appeared likely to prove the hero, and wished it had been possible to have carried on the story without his death; but I don’t see how it could have been managed. “I could have been very well pleased,” said Hamilton, “if that fiery youth had wreaked his vengeance on the villainous attorney and his two sons.” Maria now, at the request of Hamilton, favoured them with a song, which happened to be “One day I heard Mary say,” which she performed with exquisite taste and pathos, and appearedto our hero to dwell with peculiar softness on the words, “I’ll never leave thee;” Hamilton thought he had never seen her so bewitching, and whispered to her, that he could live no longer without her; and that unless she consented to be immediately his, his reason, if not even his life, must pay the price of the delay. “Could you bear, my beloved Maria, to see me a miserable lunatic or a lifeless corpse?” “In the one or the other, I should follow you,” replied she, in a still softer whisper. At this time, a letter was brought to Hamilton, which Maria could not help perceiving to be in a woman’s hand. Our hero seeing it to be the same writing as he had received the day before from an unknown lady, put it into his pocket; but the servant telling him that a porter waited for the answer,he went out, leaving poor Maria pale and trembling. Opening the letter, Hamilton read the following words:
“Charming youth,Will you, at eleven this evening, be on the Steyne, and meet a lady, neither old, ugly, nor disagreeable? Your appearance bespeaks you a man of honour; I need say no more.Amanda.”
“Charming youth,
Will you, at eleven this evening, be on the Steyne, and meet a lady, neither old, ugly, nor disagreeable? Your appearance bespeaks you a man of honour; I need say no more.
Amanda.”
Hamilton was very far from being a man of intrigue; but, on the other hand, was not a perfect Sir Charles Grandison; besides, he was now elevated with wine, and not indisposed to a frolic; and having a ready invention, he immediately devised a scheme for disengaging himself from his mother and sister: he wrote the lady that he should attend so sweet an invitation; but that, as he wasengaged with a family party, he requested that she would send a message by a different porter, earnestly desiring his company at the Coffee-house, in the name of Richard Scribble, esq. The lady, who highly relished every kind of artifice, had this stratagem completely executed. Hamilton having returned to the ladies, observed marks of uneasiness in Maria’s face, and that though Mrs. Somerive was entertaining her with that mixture of sense, feeling, and humour, which he knew to be most agreeable to the taste of his mistress; she lent a very constrained attention. Mrs. Hamilton now proposed to go home, and as she was rising for that purpose, a servant informed her son that Mr. Scribble was at the Coffee-house, and very earnestly requested to see Mr. Hamilton, on most particular business. “My compliments, and I will be with himpresently.” He accordingly departed. “It is very strange what that foolish fellow could want with my son at such an hour.” Maria was entirely of the same opinion as to the strangeness of Hamilton’s going out, though she had a different conception of the cause; she well knew that Hamilton very thoroughly despised the book manufacturer, and reckoned his particular businesses frivolous nonsense; she therefore conjectured that he was going upon some other business, arising from the letter she had seen him receive. Brooding over this idea, resentment and grief filled her susceptible bosom, which finding herself unable to contain, she hastily withdrew, and sending an apology to the ladies, ran to her own apartment, and threw herself upon the bed in an agony of tears. Mrs. Somerive comprehended the case, and, that the young lady might not bedisturbed, withdrew; but her friend, Charlotte Hamilton, would not depart without seeing Maria; she repaired to her room, and inquiring into her illness, for some time could obtain no answer. At last, Maria informed her of her suspicions, and their grounds. Charlotte endeavoured to convince her that she must certainly be mistaken; and besides, from what she had read and heard, it was possible for a man to be passionately fond of one woman, though he might pay some attention to another. “What, though he intrigues with another?” said Maria. “Yes,” said Charlotte; “at least so Fielding and Smollett tell us, and they knew human nature very well.—Do not you remember Upton, my dear?” “Yes; but did Jones leave his Sophia in order to meet another?” “Do not you,” replied Charlotte, “remember the grove where there was thebattle with Thwackum?—Do not you remember Roderic Random and Nannette?” “Why, Charlotte,” said Maria, half smiling, “you have stored your memory with the best passages.” “Poogh,” said Charlotte, “one cannot help remembering what one reads.” “But,” said Maria, “the cases are not in point; these were all accidents, and might be forgiven; the present is certainly an assignation,—and an assignation, to keep which, he leaves me:” here she again burst into tears. Charlotte wishing to comfort her friend, proposed to stay with her all night, which was thankfully accepted.
Meanwhile, our hero repaired to the Steyne, and there met two females; one of whom he found to be the Countess of Cockatrice, and accompanied her to the house of a fat woman that sold toys, in the adjacent part of North-street, whileher husband exercised divers other professions in another quarter. The attendant, who was the lady’s own waiting maid, went into the parlour with the plump hostess, and her lord and master, who was supping very sociably with his consort, perfectly reconciled to the exercise of her immediate occupation, or any other that should help to fill his pockets. The lady, with the gentleman, went to the drawing-room. As the subject of conversation had nothing in it of any importance to the public, our hero never detailed it to us, and therefore, we cannot detail it to our readers. We trust, however, should any countesses be in that number, the security and innocence belonging to that illustrious rank will convince them, that in conference with a right honourable lady, nothing but what wasright honourablecould pass. Our hero, aboutone, returned. The next morning, at breakfast, inquiring where his sister was, he learned that she had stayed with Maria, who was taken ill.—“Taken ill?” said Hamilton, alarmed,—“my beloved Maria ill?” and without waiting for any answer, ran out. Etterick was breakfasting in his room, and his daughter attending him; so that with Mrs. Hamilton, there were only her father and brother. “I have suspected,” said she, “from the first time that I saw them together, that William and Maria Mortimer are fondly attached to each other. She is a charming girl; but William, who is so very fine a youth, might certainly do a great deal better in the way of fortune.” “He certainly might,” said Doctor Wentbridge; “and besides, he is a youth of great talents, and might so connect himself, as to be the means of rising in the state.—What sayyou, father?” “I say, that what you both say is true; he might acquire riches, as you, daughter, observe; or power, as you, son, observe; but is he thereby to attain happiness? besides, neither of you have practised as you preach: you, Eliza, married a man you loved, though of small fortune, and would not marry a suitor that you did not love, though of great fortune; you, Edward, not having succeeded with the lady that you did love, would not marry at all, even though you once had opulence in your power;—I acted upon the same principle, and was happy.” “What then, sir, would you wish your grandson to marry this young lady?” “Not immediately; I would wish him called to the bar first; though I must confess, I should like very well to see a great grandchild before I die.” “As we are on the subject of love,” said Dr. Wentbridge, “Ithink young Mortimer is well affected to Charlotte; that would be a very good marriage for our girl, sister, and I should rather see a great grandson to you, father, in that way, than by so early a marriage of my nephew.” “Mortimer,” said Mrs. Hamilton, “is only a year older; besides, you know he is going abroad as secretary to our ambassador in France.” “I think,” said Wentbridge, “of late, he does not seem to relish that appointment, and frequently enlarges upon the pleasures of agriculture, and a country life. I observe, both he and my nephew are particularly bent on ingratiating themselves with the captain, who is the supreme director of the Mortimer family.”
While the venerable vicar and his children were thus entertaining themselves about his grand-children, our hero had reached the house that contained hisadored Maria; he found his sister and young Mortimer in the parlour, and inquiring with the most tender anxiety for Maria, learned that she was somewhat better, but did not think she would be well enough to go to the ball that evening; “but, cannot I see her?” “She will be down in half an hour.” At this time the door opened, and Mr. Richard Scribble was announced, who entered the room with a face of joy and exultation. “Congratulate, my dear Hamilton.”—“Congratulate you on what?” Scribble took out a card, and presenting it, Hamilton read—“Dr. Scribble,”—“Who the devil made you a doctor?” “The learned university of Aberdeen; but not without expence: it costs three pounds six shillings and eight pence,—I have got the news by this very post.” “Dr. Scribble, I congratulate not only you, but the university of Aberdeen itself,that has got such an accession to its doctorial dignitaries.” “What became of you,” replied Scribble, “yesterday, that I did not see you the whole day?” Charlotte looked in her brother’s face. “Yesterday,” said Mortimer, “did not you spend the evening together?” “No,” answered the doctor. John perceiving our hero colour, saw that there was some mystery. Soon after, Charlotte went out, and sending for her brother, explained the real cause of Maria’s indisposition, and the whole circumstances, as have been already narrated. “Now, I dare say you know me too well, to suppose I wish to dive into any secrets; but for the peace of Maria, whom I know you love to distraction, give some account respecting the letter, that may be satisfactory; even a little invention may be excuseable for such a purpose.” “Invention,” said Hamilton, “is not necessary; theletter came from a female that I did not know, and from whom I found a letter, on our return from Worthing. I went out, merely to explain to her, without offending her pride, that, however amiable she might be, it was totally impossible for me to make any return to her partiality; I saw her in company with her confidant, and found her to be a lady of great fortune. She was very much affected; but said, that since it was so, she would immediately leave this place, and bury herself in the country.” This story imposed on the unsuspicious Charlotte, and she hastily ran to report it to Maria, who, wishing it true, was the more easily persuaded; her eyes brightened; she soon descended, and found our hero alone in the drawing-room. She confessed she had been extremely affected and angry; but he now tasted, on her charming lips, the sweetsof reconciliation. While he held her encircled in his enraptured arms, he implored her to consent to an immediate marriage. Her denials were fainter than formerly, and at last she promised, that, whenever he could procure the consent of her friends, hers should not be wanting; but, she begged him not to be too precipitate. “My beloved William is at present in great favour with my father and uncle, and perhaps, by cautious and skilful management, you may prevail on them to make us happy.” The last words she spoke with inexpressible softness, and downcast eyes. William pressed her in his arms, and ardently kissing her, exclaimed, “Why propose time and delay? By Heavens I cannot live without you! I will immediately apply to your father and uncle; and though my fortune be by no means such as, on account of my beloved Maria,I could wish; yet, with my efforts, it will be sufficient to command independence.” Maria had almost yielded to his intreaties, when the entrance of Mrs. and Miss Hamilton put a stop to the conversation, and the rest of the day was spent in consultations and dispositions for the approaching ball.