Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 170: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

— JOSEPH WILMOT; “ My lady, I am not—I am afflicted I know not what to say iS “Tell me, Joseph,” she interrupted me vehe- mently,—“is it true that you did write to me? If so, the letter was intercepted “ “On my soul I wrote to you! It was from Salisbury, whither I removed after leaving Myrtle _ Lodge. I directed to you at the post-office, Enfield.” “Then the letter was intercepted!” said Calanthe, with a bitterness which was evidently levelled against her relatives. “Ah! they doubt- less suspected that some arrangement might have been made for our correspondence But what did you say in that letter? You told me, no doubt, that you would love me as faithfully as I loved you for I have loved you faithfully, Joseph !—and never has your image been absent from my mind. Oh! what anguish I experienced when day after day elapsed—weeks went past— they grew into months—and still no tidings came! Did you not tell me in your letter that you loved me ?” “T confessed everything,” was my response, as I mustered up all my courage to give it. “I made avowals which——” “ Dearest Joseph!” exclaimed Calanthe, in a perfect paroxysm of enthusiastic joy: and in a moment her arms were wound about my neck, and her lips were pressed to my cheeks. “Ah!” she suddenly ejaculated, “wherefore do you treat me thus coldly? What! no return of my loving caress? Joseph, there is something strange in your manner—lI cannot comprehend you!” “You have misunderstood me all along,” I said, determined to reveal the truth at last, no matter what pangs I might inflict—no matter what deep humiliation I might cause: for I felt that my duty towards Annabel imperiously commanded this frank and honest course. “* Misunderstood you?” ejaculated Calanthe, re- coiling from me as it were in utter amazement. “What mean you? Speak! Did you dare to trifle with my affections? Speak, sir!” she added, with a sudden access of haughty indignation. “ For heaven’s sake, be not offended with me!’’ I said, in an earnest and imploring tone. “Had you received my letter, it would have explained everything !” “ T understand you, Joseph,” she cried. “ For- give me—Oh! forgive me, for that momentary ex- pression of feeling on my part. I can conjecture full well what you must have said in that letter! You doubtless told me that it were madness and folly for us to think of remaining pledged to each other. Oh! but love is in its very essence both hope and faith:—love for the present is the same as confidence for the future ; and I have cherished all that hope, all that faith, and all that con- fidence !” “ Pray listen to me!” I exclaimed, almost im- petuously: “TI beseech youto listen tome! Ihave a duty to perform alike to myself and to your ladyship i “ Ah, ladyship again !” ejaculated Calanthe ; and in the silvery beams of the starlight which pene- trated into the arbour, I saw that she started with the petulance of vexation, and that her eyes flashed with the same feeling. “But go on, Joseph—go on! I will hear you—I was wrong to interrupt you!” OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. 157 “Tf you will but look back,” I said, now care- fully avoiding to address her by any name or title at all; for 1 saw that she was feverishly excited, and from the depths of my very soul I pitied her, —“if you will but look back to all the incidents which occurred at Myrtle Lodge, you will remember that I never a “Oh, Joseph! I have not patience to refer to those times,’ she interrupted me vehemently,— “only to recollect that it was at Myrtle Lodge I first saw you—at Myrtle Lodge I learnt to love you “ But Lady Calanthe——” “Call me Calanthe! Iam Calanthe to you! Do not attempt to reason, Joseph—do not argue! Such a love as our’s is above mere cold delibera- tion. You see that I am resolved to cling to this love as the only anchor of my heart’s happiness—— Good heavens, what is that 2” We both started up suddenly; and Calanthe clung to me in a wild terror: for her name, called forth in a stern masculine voice, smote our ears. “My father!’ she murmured. “You must away, Joseph! you must away! Come quickly!” —and she hurried me out of the arbour. “ We must see each other again,” she went on to ob- serve, in low but hasty and excited whispers. “In a few days I will manage to communicate with you 9 “T am about to leave Cheltenham immediately,” was my answer: and I myself was so excited and alarmed that I scarcely knew what I said. “Leave Cheltenham? But whither are you going? Tell me, that I may write to you.” “Yes, yes—do so—that I may write to you in return—and as speedily as possible: for I have much, very much to say.” “But where are you going, Joseph?” she de- manded with feverish impatience. “ With a family named Robinson—to the Isle of Wight. The residence is in the neighbourhood of Ryde——” Calanthe’s name was now again called forth by her father; and his voice seemed to be drawing nearer to the path which we were pursuing. “Here is the gate, Joseph!” said the young lady, in the same hurried whisper as_ before. “Dearest, dearest Joseph!’—and she embraced me with all the fervour and enthusiasm of her il- limitable fondness. “ Farewell, my beloved Joseph!” —and the next instant the’ garden-gate closed behind me. CHAPTER XXXIII. THE ROOM OF THE DREADFUL PICTURE, T was once more in the pathway deeply shaded by the trees; and I hurried along with painfully dis- satisfied thoughts in my mind. Another interview had taken place with Lady Calanthe—another op- portunity had for the moment seemed to present itself for me to reveal the actual state of my feel- ings towards her; and yet it had terminated with- out this most vitally important aim being achieved. But it was through no deficiency of moral courage on my part this time: it was on account of that sudden interruption caused by Lord Mandeville’s voice. Alas! Calanthe was still left in the belief Se ElOQO) cS (CO) im