Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 256: what you’re looking at

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

ni LL eee eh . a" DN eee — Ch OOO RE JOSEPH WILMOT; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. 8 q 243 the trick. ~ Don’t you see, that after Sir Alexander left Inch Methglin, he was naturally anxious to correspond with Emmeline: and how could he do it except through you? But then arose the diffi- eulty of ascertaining whether you yourself were still at Inch Methglin, or whether you had been sacrificed completely to Lennox Vennachar’s jealous suspicion. So I suggested a plan, though not quite so learned in love as Tam inlaw. Don’t you see. now ?' I wrote you that letter to ascertain whether you were still at Inch Methglin. I found that you were ; and a few days afterwards you received a communication from Sir Alexander, then plain Mr. Stuart.” | “JT comprehend,” I observed, with another smile. *But did Miss Vennachar know that it was her lover whom she was about to see this day in the person of Sir Alexander Carrondale?” *No—not exactly,” responded the lawyer. “You delivered to her a second note ze *“ Yes—about a fortnight back.” “Well, that was to tell her that certain hopes which her lover had entertained, were amply ful-, filled—that he felt. himself to be now in a position | justifying him to aspire to her hand—and that as Sir Alexander Carrondale proposed to pay a visit) to Inch Methglin, she would receive a very im- portant communication on the day of his coming.” “Then Miss Vennachar doubtless expected to receive letters from her lover, through Sir Alex- ander? and perhaps to find in Sir Alexander a friend to intercede with her uncle on behalf of Donald Stuart’s suit?” “No doubt, it was something of this sort that Miss Vennachar must have fancied,” said Dun- cansby; “and likewise that Sir Alexander would take an opportunity of explaining to her what the hopes were on Donald Stuart’s part that had been thus fulfilled. But now Donald Stuart merges into a wealthy Baronet, the representative of one of the finest families in Scotland.” “Yet methinks, Mr. Duncansby, if I were Sir Alexander Carrondale,” I observed, “ I should not have sustained the mystery until the very last moment, in respect to one who was loved so fondly. The instant the lawsuit was over, I should have written to communicate my real name—which there was no longer any necessity to conceal.” “What? and have thrown Miss Emmeline into such a flutter of excitement for several days pre- vious to the intended visit, that her uncle and her jealous lynx-eyed cousin would have seen it—and perhaps suspecting something, might have guessed at the truth, or else have insisted that she should marry off-hand with only forty-eight hours’ notice! No, no!—depend upon it, Joseph, Sir Alexander adopted the wisest course to keep the mystery un- broken until the very last instant. And, Ah! my young friend, can you not also conceive that even in the breast of the most high-minded and intel- ligent, there may be a certain little feeling of pride —a certain sentiment of satisfaction, in appearing with a sudden and startling effect in the capacity of rank, wealth, and importance, amidst those scenes where the individual had previously been known merely in his poyerty, his humility, and his obscurity ?” “Yes, sir,” I remarked; “it is human nature :” and then, as an idea struck me, I inguired, “ Did you not, in writing to Sir Alexander Carrondale, when he was staying in this neighbourhood under the name of Stuart, mention to him that you had travelled with axyoung man who was'on his way to the castle ?” “Tt happened, my young friend,” responded Mr. Duneansby, “that I had no occasion to write to Sir Alexander Carrondale during the entire in- terval which took place between your first meeting with me and the time when we fell against each other in the little village of Methglin on the other side of the loch—you remember ?” “remember perfectly well,’ I said: “it was the first time you discoyered that I was in the Chief’s service.” “ Well,’ proceeded Mr. Duncansby, “you can now understand that I paid that visit to the vil- | lage of Methglin for the purpose of having an in- terview with Sir Alexander. I did see him that same afternoon; and then, for the first time, I spoke to him of you. He.eulogized you highly, I can assure you—and told me how you had most unaccountably made yourself a scapegoat on two or three occasions, to save Emmeline from her cousin’s and uncle’s wrath. By the bye, that very same afternoon you beheld a scene in the lane Sir Alexander perfectly well comprehended that you made your sudden appearance by leaping through the hedge, in order to give him and Miss Vennachar warning of some threatened danger. I can assure you, young man, we spoke a great deal of you on that particular evening.” « And I remember that the next morning,” I said, “when I happened to encounter Sir Alex- ander Carrondale—then. Donald Stuart—it oc- curred to me that his manner was kinder and more affable towards me than ever; and I could scarcely understand the reason.” “ Now you know it,” exclaimed Mr. Duncansby. “You must not think, Joseph, that when I wrote you that letter from Edinburgh, it was altogether for the selfish purpose of ascertaining if you were still at Inch Methglin, in order to make you a convenience for the exchange of correspondence between Sir Alexander and Miss Vennachar. I feared, from what Sir Alexander had told me, that even if you had not already left, the tenure of your situation was nevertheless somewhat pre- carlous; and therefore I felt an anxiety to serve you if the opportunity should occur. I dare say Sir Alexander will speak to you to-morrow—I know that he wishes you well.” “T feel grateful for all this kind consideration,” I said. “ Might I venture to ask whether Sir Alexander has yet thought of putting that fine old castle into repair P” “There are hundreds of workmen engaged upon the building and the grounds at this present moment,” responded Mr. Duncansby. “ God bless you, young man, we do not allow the grass to grow under our feet. _ It has been growing for too long a time already,” he added seriously, “in the court-yards of Carrondale. The instant that the mortgagees were settled with, and the right of appeal was renounced, measures were taken to put the castle into repair. There is now plenty of money to accomplish all this; and money, you know, Joseph, is a talisman which can cause smiling scenes to take the places of havoe and desolation, and stately mansions to spring up Glyoo SS co im