The Soldier's Wife — page 208: what you’re looking at

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

THE SOLDIER'S WIFE. “For heaven’s sake command yourself, my ewn dear wife,’ murmured the miserable man: “for we must exert all our fortitude. To- morrow, then, will be our last interview, and you and I must be alone together. To-day I shall bid farewell an eternal farewell to—to ” But he could not finish the broken, murmured, whispered sentence as he glanced towards the pale though beautiful countenance of little Frederick, who with the tears bedewing his cheeks, was gazing up at him in so sad a man- ner, that the father’s heart was riven with an- guish, But when the moment came for this day’s meeting to end, and when that father, on straining the boy to his breast, felt that it was for the last time,—Oh, it was crucifixion ! 1t was mpalement! it was the agony of agonies that he endured! It seemed as if life itself were being torn away from him, amidst excruciating tortures: it was as if parting from tne very chords that held his soul as yet bound to exis- tence. And the child, instinctively compre- hending what it meant, asked in so piteous a tone “if he should never see his dear papa again ? that both Lonsdale and Lucy felt as if they were on the verge of shrieking forth as maniacs, or of dashing their heads against the wall in despair. Indeed, for a short space did frenzy sv seize upon the brain of the condemned soldier, that he held both his wife and child to his breast, declaring that he would not part from them ; and they also clung with an equal tena- city to him. But at length Lucy staggered forth from the cell, with the weeping boy: the door closed, and Lonsdale, seized with the sud- den numbuess of a stupor, fell heavily upon the sisue-floor, When he came back to conscious- ness, it all appeared to him a hideous dream: but the conviction of its reality soon fastened upon him azain,—and then what anguish did he endure! what bitter lamentations came forth f.om his lips ! On the ensuing day—the Friday—Frederick Lonsdale was informed at about noon that the proceédings of the court-martial had been ap- proved of at the Horse Guards, and that the sentence would be carried into effect on the fol- Jowing morning. We must however observe that Colonel Wyndham had comphed with Cap- tain Redburn’s selicitation for a recommenca- tion to mercy; and that this recommendation had been duly despatched to the Horse Guards in Lofidon, It had reached the com- mander-in-chief aflér he had seut off his first uecision : indeed the approval of the sentence and the recommendation to mercy crossed exch other on the way—so ‘hat the receipt «f the forrser at Middleton was no proof tha: the latter would not be attended to. But it was not usual to suffer a. coudeumed soldier to learn that any in terest.was beiny used on his behalf, or that there was any hope of a reprieve; and Lonsdale was consequently left in perfect xguorance of what was going on. He therefore reeeived that an- nouncement in respect to the approval of the sentence by the Horse Guards, as the final warning to prepare for a doom that was ineviti- ble. Not for an instant had he entertamed the tlightest wope, even from the very fiist: for he knew how raucorous were his enemies, and he CC ————— ————— — — 187 little thought of the interest that had so sud- denly been awakened on his behalf at the dwel- ling of Sir Archibald Redturn, Now came the last interview between him- self and Lucy. His farewells had been said to little Frederick on the previous day: he had felt that it would be better that he and his wite should on this final oceasion be alone together. It was at five o'clock in the evening that she was introduced t¢@ the cell. The poor creature had, on her own part, nerved berself witb ail the energy of her soul for this last meeting: Lons- dale had done the same on his side. He wished to converse with her in a mood of sacred serene composure: he wished once more to receive from her lips the assurance that his past mis- couduct was forgiven ; and he was desirous that this assurance should be conveyed, not i Im- passioned and vehement accents, but with as much awe-felt solemnity as if the speaker were by the side of a death-bed. And then, too, he wished to talk to Lucy seriously of the future: to implore that she would endeavor to live for their child’s sake—and to take counsel with her in respect to the means of obtaining her subsis- tence. With these several objects in view, Frederick Lonsdale had put forth all the natural powers of his mind, and had gathered all his evergies, so that there might be no undue weak- ness nor fatling at the last. Lucy entered the cell—the door closed be- hind her—the next instant they were clasped in each other's arms, Then for several minutes all their fortitude »ppeared to be melung away ; all their strength of mind was yielding to the influence of imeflabfe emotions, But each at length remembered the predetermined attempt to appear as calm as possible; and sitting down together, with each other’s hands retained in a firm clasp, they struggled against the gush of feelings that were swelling and surging up into their very throats. They gazed upon each other long, and tenderly, aud mournfuily — Heavens! how poor Lucy was altered. For many montlis past her personal appearance had been changing ; for many weeks past it had been changing more and more: within the last few days it had been changing more rapidly still: but wichin the last twenty-four hours that change had been terrific. It had done the work of years. She looked as if the anguish of the entire earth had been concentrated in her bo- som—as if the woes of all the world had accu- mulated themselves upon her heaa. And yet, even with that profoundly moun.ful expression upon her countenance——with despair in her eyes——With woe printed and stamped on every feature—there was still an interesting beauty lett, which filled her husband’s heart with an ineffable pathos. O God! that he had ever been cruel to such a wite as this! and worse sti, that he had ever raised his hand against her ! All the immensity of the love she had borne him—tlat love which had survived all cruelty, all ill-treatment, all blows—that love which had known no diminuticn even when she her: self was dragged through the mire of poverty and amidst the keenly piercing thorns of the world’s highway—the whole exient of this sub- lime and immortal affection Gomaie nore. than (Xo)