Графични страници
PDF файл
ePub

"Indeed?-that would be fearful," replied Le Blond, striving against his somnolency.

"Not at all fearful to the sleeper," said the Chaldean, "while the trance lasts; for he has the sweetest possible dreams, and can wish for nothing better than to be entranced his whole lifetime. But waiting so long for his recovery was a miserable bore to me; and".

"But the treasure was got up in spite of all that?" asked Le Blond.

Abubeker looked at the hour, and motioned to Le Blond to be silent, and follow. He lighted a small dark-lan

tern, and went down a few steps. Le Blond followed, but so overcome with sleep that he scarcely knew what he was doing. They went a little way through the wood till they came to a broken down wall. The Chaldean signed with his finger that this was the situation of the treasure. While he took out a book and began reading it by the light of the dark-lantern, Le Blond sat down on a fragment of the wall, and settled himself to repose. The Chaldean read on, and Le Blond, in spite of the importance of the adventure of which he was the hero, fell very unheroically fast asleep.

THE DREAM.

When at last he awoke from this ill-timed sleep, it was full daylight. He rubbed his eyes. He was lying in a splendid bed, in the mild twilight of green silk curtains. He drew these back, and perceived that he was in a gorgeous room, whose walls were ornamented with the finest pictureswhose subjects, he observed, were principally the adventures of Cupid and other deities who owned his power -the furniture was rich beyond de. scription. On a table near the bed was an elegant vase, filled with freshgathered roses.

Le Blond had some difficulty in remembering all that had passed. He had but a confused recollection of the stone in the hunting lodge-the tumbled down wall-and Abubeker reading by the light of the dark-lantern. He raised himself in bed, and looked for the Chaldean.

At the noise a side door opened; a chamberlain in rich gold livery came in, while two other attendants followed him, walking noislessly on tiptoe, and after them came a venerable old man, who took hold of Le Blond's wrist, and afterwards poured out some medicine into a silver spoon, and offered it to the patient.

"I don't need any of your stuff," said Le Blond. "If it weren't that I am a little bewildered, I never felt better in my life."

The physician shook his head, and said, "I beseech your Highness, take but one spoonful; 'twill do you good, I assure your serene highness.'

Monsieur Le Blond stared at the old man with all his eyes, and, putting

aside the medicine, enquired for Abubeker. The attendants looked at cach other, and it was evident from their faces they considered him out of his mind. At last the physician ventured to enquire," Whom does your highness refer to by the name of Abubeker?"

"The person who came here with me last night-the Chaldean."

"Your Highness has been here for a considerable time, and no one came with you but your highness's wife, her grace the duchess."

"Wife!-duchess !-considerable time!" ejaculated the amazed youth;

66

I beg you will leave off fooling me with your ridiculous titles about duchesses and graces, and let me get up. Where are my clothes?"

The physician and servants looked at each other with pitying faces at their master's melancholy condition, and at last united in begging him to remain tranquil in his couch, at all events, till they had obtained the commands of his lady the duchess. One of the attendants left the room for this purpose. Le Blond considered the whole party insane, or the whole business a trick of the Chaldean's. He asked if he was at St Valerien des Anges?

Your highness is in your hunting castle of Charmes, as retirement is recommended for the recovery of your highness's health."

The emissary now returned with orders to give his highness his clothes.

"Will your grace have your morn. ing robe, or the uniform, or your hunting-suit?"

"No; I want my clothes, I tell you, and be done with your folly about graces, as I told you before."

They brought him clothes of the finest stuffs; a coat of blue silk, on the left breast of which a silver star was fixed. At this Le Blond lost temper entirely. He demanded his own clothes in a whirlwind of passion. The attendants trembled, and grew pale as death; the physician alone had the courage to entreat him to moderate his fury-it might have the worst effects on his distemper. Le Blond having exhausted himself in his anger, yielded at last to his destiny, and hoped to discover the Chaldean when he was dressed. When his toilet was completed, breakfast was brought in, in a magnificent china service. He ate and drank, though every thing was strange and wonderful. Such splendour he had, of course, never seen in his days before. On going to the window he saw that he was in an oldfashioned looking castle, in the middle of a forest, through which alleys had been cut in all directions.

"How far is this from Namur?" he enquired.

Nobody could tell. He enquired again for the Chaldean. He described him minutely, and told them all he

knew of him, and particularly that he was three hundred and twelve years old.

The servants shrugged their shoulders; the physician assured him that nobody had seen such an indivi. dual as he described, and on hearing of the three hundred and twelve years, he seized again on the pulse.

"Gentlemen," said Le Blond, "either I am foolish, or you; for that I am awake, and not dreaming, I am perfectly convinced. Whose house am I in now?"

"Your highness is inhabiting your Chateau des Charmes, along with your highness's wife, her Highness the duchess."

"Wife? I beg you won't treat me any longer as if I were out of my senses. I never was married, and how the devil can I have a wife? I should like to see her, that's all."

"I will announce your highness's wishes to her grace," said one of the servants with a deep bow, and left the apartment.

"Folly!" exclaimed Le Blond, and was preparing to go out of the room, when he observed that he was in slippers, and called for his boots. At this moment an attendant opened the door, and announced "her grace the duchess."

THE DUCHESS.

In a light morning dress, still more graceful than it was splendid-splendid as it was a lady glided into the room, and motioned for the physician and attendants to retire. "I wish to be alone with my husband for a moment; you can wait outside the door."

Le Blond, when he saw the fair and elegant creature, whose face was perfectly unknown to him, approach him with a countenance of the most friendly interest, did not know whether he was actually mad, or only in a very vivid dream. She bent deeply and respectfully before him, and appeared to wish to apologise for her intrusion, but failed to utter a word. She laid her hand lightly upon his shoulder, and looked long and earnestly in his face; then, in a voice of tender anxiety, enquired, "How do you find yourself to-day? Do be good and rational at last; and rave no longer about your lace-trades, and conjurors, and Jacquelines, and treasures. You have

spoken of nothing else for a year past Ah! how happy should I be, if your grace were perfectly yourself again, that we might return to the Court; Paris, they tell me, is so gay just now! The Duchess of Nemours writes me such charming accounts, and enquires so affectionately after your health.'

"The Duchess of Nemours!" said Le Blond, to whose handsome countenance, the lady's hand on his shoulder, her glances of affection, and her musical and confidential tones, brought one blush after another. "Most gracious lady, I know not where I am. I almost believe-may the saints forgive me! I am bewitched. I beseech you, madam, rescue me from the delusions I labour under. I will tell you my whole history, from the day of my birth to the present hour. You shall then judge."

He related his adventures. The lady listened and smiled sadly, "Oh,

heavens!" she exclaimed at last, when Le Blond had finished his recital; "all this you have told me, at least a hundred times before. It was on this very account we were recommended by his majesty's physician to leave Paris, to avoid every thing that might increase your excitement. I beg, for my sake, you will keep yourself calm, Think no more of those vain dreameries. Be again as you always used to be before this attack, and banish your fantastic imaginations. Will you? for my sake, say you will!" "Whatever you like, most gracious madam; but either I am as mad as a March hare, or bewitched; or that infernal conjuror has bewitched you, and all your servants: for I'll take my solemn oath, I am no duke; I am the lace-merchant, Le Blond, of Namur. I have"

"Alas! alas! 'tis but the old tale again!" sighed the duchess, sadly, "and this after having promised me to be rational. All seems to be in vain. You have forgotten who I am again?"

Le Blond shook his head; and yet there was something in the whole bearing of the duchess, and particularly in the sound of her voice, that did not seem entirely unknown to him.

“I feel, madam," he answered, "as if I had, some time or other, but when or where I know not, had the honour of seeing you before, but"

"Heaven be praised!" interposed the lady, "your senses begin to return.

This is the first time you have spoken so rationally for many months. Let us have but patience, and you will remember every thing in time. As your strength returns, you will be able to banish your fancies. At all events, never speak of them again; and don't expose your want of selfknowledge to the servants. You are the Duc de Melfi; you are my husband, and might be so happy and comfortable if you"

"I the Duc de Melfi! I your husband! I must indeed be mad, madam, before I can believe so unlikely a story as that."

"But you are mad, my love, because you don't believe so true a story as that; because you are constantly flying to the window, and wishing to escape into the wood; I have been forced to have the windows nailed down, the drawbridge drawn up, and carefully guarded. I have had to stay away from you for many, many days, the sight of me seemed always to increase your malady so much. I have had to station attendants at the door even now; for once you tried to murder me-me your faithful and affectionate wife,-so completely has your disease banished me from your heart!"

Tears stood in the eyes of the beautiful duchess as she recalled this instance of the cruelty of her husband.

"What?" exclaimed Monsieur Le Blond, starting up, "I wish to fly out of the window? I wish to murder you? by heavens, madam, my head really begins to turn. How can you".

"And you won't frighten me any more then?" said the duchess, coaxingly.

"Certainly not, most honoured madam."

"Nor speak of your former fooleries, or, at least, not make yourself ridiculous before the servants, but show yourself master here; my husband, Duc de Melfi, in short, every thing that you really and truly are.'

"Fair lady," said Le Blond, who doubted the evidence both of his eyes and ears, "I know no more than the man in the moon, who or what I am; may the foul fiend run away with the Chaldean!-but I am ready to obey your orders, and be exactly who or what you wish me."

The duchess cast her arms round his neck, and kissed his cheek in gratitude for this obedience. A flame ran through his veins at the touch of her lips, and, having returned the salute without well knowing what he did, he gave his hand into hers, and was led through the rest of the apart

ments.

THE DUKE.

One room surpassed the other in magnificence and comfort. As often,

however, as he exclaimed that he had never seen such things in his life, the

duchess smiled, and shook her hand threateningly, or placed it over his mouth.

"Remember your promise, my dear De Melfi," she said, and Le Blond instantly perceived his fault.

"I don't exactly understand the trick somebody or other is playing me," reflected the youth, "nor what their object can be ; nor do I feel perfectly sure that I am not insane, or dreaming, or that that infernal Chaldean has not enchanted me. But, in the mean-time, I can wait and see how things turn out. This can't last for ever, and when" But here he remembered what Abubeker had told him, when they were sitting by the fire in the hunting lodge, of the man who had fallen into a trance the moment he had found the treasure, and had not awakened from it for four weeks, but had had the most ravishing and delightful dream for the whole of that time.

66

"What an odd thing it would be," he thought, as this recollection occurred to him, if I was lying all this time on the mattrass at the side of the stone, with the Chaldean beside me, dreaming I was a duke, and striving to believe myself one with all my might! Well, I must wait." And from that moment he did his best to play the part of the Duc de Melfi. The only thing that puzzled him was how he ought to behave to the duchess. He stood in such awe of her that he could scarcely look her in the face. It was only her extreme graciousness that could have given him a little more courage.

[ocr errors]

*

The castle lay exceedingly retired, in the midst of a deep wood. It was old and weatherbeaten on the outside, however handsomely fitted up within; situated on a rock, and surrounded by a deep ditch, which was crossed by a massive drawbridge. Its interior consisted, besides the principal rooms, which were magnificent and stately in their proportions, of a great number of pigeon-hole chambers, and long rambling corridors, so dark that lamps had to be kept burning in them even in the day-time. Great splendour was kept up in the whole arrangements of the castle, though the servants were few in number. There were but three male domestics, and two females; the physician, the cha

tellain, a cook, half-a-dozen grooms, and about the same number of foresters and rangers.

But the duchess interested him more than all. He could not deny that she was very lovely, and could not help wondering at the fancy she had to consider him her husband who felt himself unworthy of so high an honour. At last, however, he acted as he had promised, and resisted no longer. He seemed never so happy as when he assumed an air of authority with the servants, and comported himself in all respects as his grace the Duc de Melfi. The medicines which the physician had persisted in administering were now discontinued ; the duchess loaded the overjoyed practitioner with praises of his skill, and more substantial proofs of her gratitude; and the patient was declared quite cured at the very moment when he was more thoroughly persuaded than ever that the rest of the party were under some extraordinary delusion, for which he could not possibly account, unless by supposing that he had got by some among the fairies. However, after a few days he reconciled himself as entirely to this fairy kind of existence as if he had never led any other. His wife seemed to grow more and more beautiful every day, and even the memory of Jacqueline became dimmed in her rival's presence. In fact, it seemed something approaching to a sin to think of Jacqueline now that he was the husband of another. Day after day passed on; they sang-they played they read the newest poems

means

they hunted. The duchess was a famous horsewoman; and with her fowling-piece she brought down more game than his grace himself, who at first was very awkward at the sport. But in time he acquired more skill, and the duchess triumphed greatly on occasion of his fortunate hits, and reminded him that before his illness he had been the best shot at Court, and had attracted his majesty's observation at several royal battues.

"You remember, love, the majestic stag you brought down in the Duke of Orleans' park, and how his ma jesty complimented you on your achievement?"

His grace smiled some unintelligible answer to this reminiscence, and muttered to himself" Not one word

of all these wonderful stories can I re. collect. I know nothing about either kings or dukes; all I know is, that somebody or other is making a confounded fool of me, but-mum!"

Such observations as these he now strictly confined to soliloquy, in case of bringing a cloud of regret and sorrow over the beautiful and sunny brow of the duchess. He, therefore, concealed his real feelings as well as he could, and at last acquired that power in such perfection that he very nearly hid them from himself. He slid very naturally into the train of thoughts and feelings adapted to his present rank and mode of life. The duchess read letters to him from va

rious persons of importance, making enquiries after the progress of his recovery; and what appeared the oddest thing of all was that some of these epistles were from the princes and princesses of the Royal family-and he had, indeed, to thank Louis himself for his condescension in sympathising with his indisposition. The duchess used to laugh till she was almost ill, when he showed her at first some of the letters of thanks he was obliged to send to those illustrious personages, where the mercantile phraseology of the lace-merchant came into ludicrous combination with the courtly style of the Duc de Melfi.

THE SECRET.

And months in this way passed on. The spring began to appear—birds sang in the wood-the meadows became green-the rock was covered with flowers. Then Le Blond thought oftener than he had hitherto done of Jacqueline and the jasmin bower, and the Italian lessons. An indescribable

longing sometimes came over him, and he sighed to be at home again. In such moods as these the enchanted

castle was nothing but a splendid prison. But even if he had wished to leave it, it was no longer in his power -the drawbridge was not so powerful an impediment to him as his heart. He loved his wife with all his soul, and she deserved his affection from the tenderness of her behaviour. He became more devoted to her than ever, when, one morning, with many blushes and broken confessions, she gave him to understand that her highest wishes were fulfilled-that, in short, that she was as ladies wish to be who love their lords. From that instant she was the only object of his care; if Jacqueline for a moment reasserted her place in his affection, he strove to banish her from his thoughts. The Duchess also, since the day of the confession, seemed to have redoubled her affection; but he sometimes read in her eyes an expression of sadness which seemed to become stronger every day. Often for a long time she looked dull and disconsolate in his face, and then burst into tears and sobs which she found it impossible to control. In vain he tried to soothe

her, or to learn the cause of her grief. She continued cheerless and depressed, and strove to avoid his enquiries with all manner of excuses. The physician whom he consulted on the occasion, shook his head with a look of professional importance.

Her grace's melancholy is quite natural, my lord—the condition of her Grace is amply sufficient to account for it. Your Highness may be quite easy.

[ocr errors]

And, indeed, this seemed to his Highness a very sensible way of accounting for it. But when he attended more closely to the tears of the duchess, and the way she behaved towards himself, it seemed as if there was some secret pressing upon her mind. Once, indeed, she went so far as to say, somewhat enigmatically, "Alas! now that my object is gained, I am made at once most happy and most miserable."

One evening, when she would scarcely leave him for a moment, and when smiles and tears succeeded each other like sunshine and showers in April, he entreated her once more to explain her strange behaviour. He pressed her so closely that at last she said

"Not now-you shall know every thing to-morrow."

She led him to the supper-table, and, pouring out a cup of sparkling champagne, begged him to drown his anxiety and curiosity in a draught of wine.

« ПредишнаНапред »