The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 275: what you’re looking at

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

210 THE STEAM PACKET. birth, and so jealous of his fair fame that he considered every one hé met inclined to filch him of it, or injure it in some shape or way. Thus was he the most miserable husband upon the face of-the earth— and he would have rendered me the most wretched wife, had not the natural volatility of my character prevented me from taking his beha- viour on all occasions in a serious light. He was the most jealous man in existence ;—alas! he is now gone to a better world—and God knows he had many virtues and brilliant talents to counterbalance his defects. His jealousy would not permit him to allow me to be out of his sight. He had heard of the circumstance of your brother Albert having so nobly saved my life at the risk of his own, and of the inter-: change of gifts which took place between us all; and he immediately conceived the idea that Albert was chivalrous enough to assert a claim tomy heart. Pardon me for mentioning this fact—it may argue vanity onmy part; butitisnecessary to my narrative. Indeed it explains the motives of my silence—the reason that I was never enabled to write a line to you to renew my gratitude for the hospitality I experienced at your hands. My father stayed not in Paris, and I was without a friend whom I could instruct to communicate with you. The viscount in- sisted upon all correspondence being broken off in that quarter ;—and. what could Ido? I was compelled to submit to the decree, however unjust, especially as almost immediately after our marriage he con- celved certain fears prejudicial to his honour, but as false and un- founded as calumny could be. He appealed to the tribunals, and a reconciliation was effected between us. It was immediately after this circumstance that your brother met us in Paris. My husband’s fears all returned with renewed strength ; I will not insult you by even al- luding to the accusations he made against your brother in regard to myself ;—suffice it to say he used his influence with the king to obtain a lettre de cachet, and your brother was consigned to the Bastille, Of this I was unaware, until some time afterwards I met your father in Paris, and he mentioned the extraordinary disappearance of his son. The truth instantly flashed to my brain; and my suspicions were corroborated by the changing brow and quivering lip of my husband. I boldly desired him to restore the old man his son. He promised to do that act of justice; and, as God is my judge! I believed that he had fulfilled his word. Oh, Pauline! could I have supposed that he would have accomplished such a deed of black and horrible treachery ! Alarmed that the hints already given to your father relative to the viscount’s knowledge of the place where Albert was confined would lead to an investigation that would set the youth, of whom he was so absurdly jealous, once more at liberty, and give occasion, if the tale Eomichooks:co