University of Virginia Library

10. CHAPTER X.
The Signet.

`What street is this?' demanded the Duke as they alighted beneath a lamp
at the door of the money-lender's shop.

`Monmouth street, your grace,' answered Rachel. `This is my father's
abode.'

`True. I should have known that, being a Jew, he should live in Monmouth
street. Now go in, young man, and I will follow thee: but beware of
treachery, for see you I am not without means of defence;' and the nobleman
touched lightly with his finger the hilt of his sword, an appendage worn at that
day by every private gentleman.

`Nay, thou wilt have no cause for drawing thy sword here, my lord! Stoop,
my lord, for the ceiling is low.'

`'Tis a dark stair way this,' said the Duke to himself, instinctively taking
his sword into his hand, yet going boldly up after her.

`It will be lighter soon, my lord,' she said as she struck upon the door at
the landing. It was opened by Moloch in person. The chamber was brightly
lighted by wax candles in massive silver stands, and the Duke stood still, surprised
by the luxury and elegance of the apartment, so widely contrasting the
shop through which he had come. He then fixed his eyes on the dark Israelitish
face of Moloch, its high, bold features and strong lines, strengthened by
the manner in which the light fell upon his head. There was something in
the Jew's appearance that seemed to impress tho Duke with strange interest,
for he fixed his gaze upon him steadily for a few seconds, as if recalling some
painful recognition.

`My lord Duke, I am happy to have this honor,' said Moloch in a manner at
once haughty and deferential. `My poor threshold is seldom crossed by such
noble guests. Be seated, your grace.'

Still the Duke stood surveying him without removing his eyes from his face.
Moloch turned his head and addressing a few words in Hebrew to Rachel, she
retired leaving the two alone.

`You sent me this letter, Jew,' said the Duke, inquiringly, holding it out in
his hand.

`I did, my lort Duke!'

`You are a Jewish broker?'

`Such is my profession, your grace. Will your lortship do me the honor to
pe seated?'

`No, I have no leisure. If you possess interesting information, you darkly
hint at in this letter, I am here to hear it; but first I would ask you what common
bond of interest exists in common between you and my unfortunate
son! you a money-lender and he a gaming spendthrift without money or
manor?'

`You shall learn my lort Duke! Thy son is my nephew-in-law!' gave the
Jew answer in an even tone of voice while his eyes watched the impression
his words made,

`Thy nephew? How is this?'

`He ish wedded to mine neice!'

`Tudor Dauling wedded to a Jewess!'

`No less, my lort. He has this day taken to wife a daughter of the race of
Abraham!'

`Jew! dost thou speak the truth?'

`I do, your Grace. Behold here de instrument which confirms it!'

The Duke looked at the certificate and his face became pale as the confirmation
of the truth pressed upon him.

`This disturbs thee, my lort,' said Moloch, speaking very slightly in his
Jewish dialect as he commenced with the noble; `I did suppose it mattered
little to thee whom he wedded, Jew or Gentile?'

`But a Jewess!'

`Was the mother of thy Christ!'

`That my blood should thus be degraded;' not heeding this reproof of his
prejudices: `I would have cared less had he been hanged!

`My lort he vould haf been hanged iv he did not marry her; put for me he
would never have got out of the dangerous situations he put himself in!'

`To save him from the gallows you have married him to your neice?'

`And I gave her a dowry of ten thousand pounds! It was worth that to
wed a Duke's son!' added Moloch with a peculiar expression.

`Thou art the first Jew I ever knew to be guilty of a folly! Didst thou include
the six thousand pounds which you advanced him on the forged draft
which I tore up in the presence of your son?' asked the Duke with a sneer.

`No, my lort!'

`Thy neice and thy money are both thrown away. Henceforth Tudor may
go his own way to infamy and death. I will, henceforth, be regardless of his
honor; for he who will stoop so low as to wed a Jewess, has no honor worth
possessing!'

`Your grace loves not the race of Apraham!'

`No.'

`I knew this well!' responded the Jew, and partly for this did I urge this
union; but there were other and deeper motives as you shall see.'

`The motive must have been deep to lead you to give your neice (if she
were fair, or even of common worth) to an outcast, when you had no prospect
of gain, but every thing to lose.'

`My neice was fair, and of worth as your grace, shall, ere long, satisfy
yourself. She was very dear to me, as my own daughter, and therefore I
sought for her this match!'

`A poor prize has she won in the lottery of marriage. But if she be but
half as fair to the eye, and but a tenth part so clever in intellect and education
as thy son, then Tudor's choice need not so much to be wondered at, as
thine own and hers. Did she marry him willingly?'

`Willingly, my lort, Duke!'

`Knowing all his vices?'

`All, my lort!'

`Then thou art a fool, Jew, and she a fool's neice, and I wish you both
great comfort with your hymeneal acquisition. Now, if thou hast no more
than this to reveal, I will leave thee, thanking thee for thy news; for, by our
Heaven! it is rare and needeth thanks.

`You are bitter and ironical, my lort. Have I not done thee service in warning
thee not to adventure in the yacht!'

`True, and for this you place me under obligations,' said the Duke in a
more natural tone. `But' he added in a sarcastic way, `what is thy purpose
with thy noble-blooded nephew? Dost thou mean to teach him the mystery
of money-getting! By the mass I would like to see him when he is well-taught!'

`Your grace is pleased to be facetious,' said Moloch with singular calmness
yet compressing his lips as if the calmness were forced! `Your grace has a
daughter?' he added abruptly.

`Well, what is thy purpose in naming this fact?' said the Duke with surprise.

`You love her!' continued the Jew, in the same even tone.

`I do! What danger menaces her?' he asked in alarm, impressed by the
money-lender's manner, with some apprehension of evil to her.

`Which would your grace prefer, should inherit your name and rank, and
wide domain? thy daughter or thy son?'

`This is a strange question, Jew!'

`I would know if you had choice between them in your heart!'

The child is dear to me, but not dearer than Tudor once was, and still
would have been but for his conduct! But what is this to do with the matter.
I asked you what your purpose was with your son, nephew-in-law! for although
he has forfeited my love, still I feel an interest in him still! Besides, I
would like to know the hidden mystery of this strange union. What deeper
purpose than I can fathom has your sagacity at heart?' asked the Duke, haughtily.
`Dost thou hope I will pay thee a large sum of money to keep this marriage
a secret? If this is thy hope, Jew, thou art deceived. I have been weak,
but henceforth I leave Tudor to his own self-shaped destinies!'

`I will explain to your grace, my purpose in bringing about this marriage,
which has been for years on my heart; and to which very end I have educated
my neice!'

`Educated her to be the wife of Tudor Dauling?'

`Yes, my lord Duke. From her tenth year, her education has been directed
with this ultimate object. Tudor knew not of it—nay, he saw her himself
but lately; but on him I have kept my eye steadily till the hour for the consummation
of my wishes should arrive!

`This is strange language and incomprehensible,' said the Duke, with interest
in his looks. `I see you have something still to unfold. Proceed; I
will hear this riddle out!'

`My lord duke here is the key to the solution,' said Moloch, taking from a
casket and placing in his hand a signet ring. On receiving it the Duke's face
changed color, and with a trembling hand he quickly brought it close to his
eyes as if to confirm by some secret mark the recognition he had made.

`Where—where—how did you come by this ring?' he asked with broken
words; for the sight of it had produced an extraordinary impression upon him.

`Does my lord Duke remember thirty-seven years ago when a student at
Oxford, striking a Jew?' asked Moloch, slowly, and fixing his dark, Arabian
eyes upon the face of the nobleman.

`I do—wert thou then that Jew?' demanded the nobleman.

`I am, my lord Duke. You was with a party of merry companions, and
meeting me in the suburbs of the University, struck me because I refused to
take off my hat to a guide post in the form of a cross that stood at the corner
of two ways, and say `Jesus is the Christ.”

`Well!' said the Duke impatiently.

`I never forgave the blow, my lord!'

`I care not for thy forgiveness, Jew,' answered the Duke, haughtily. `What
about this signet which I hold?'

`You shall know,' began the Jew; but we omit his dialect in the narrative
he is about to give. `I threatened to be avenged of you. I followed you day
and night to have an opportunity that would be safe to myself. I was your
shadow unseen. I discovered your visits to the daughter of a poor baronet
and followed you there, I overheard from an arbour where I watched an opportunity
to strike you to the heart, I overheard your pledge to wed her! I
heard you give it under the partly assumed name of Henry Tudor Dauling.
You start! But listen patiently, for I will soon be done with what I have to
say. I, alone, knew your true rank and name to be Henry Tudor, Duke of
—! I went to the country priest whom I overheard you mention as the person
to unite you to your victim; for I had planned a new sort of vengeance.
I told the good man your intention of coming to his rustic church in the evening
to be united to the lovely girl who believed you to be sincere. I told him
that he must deceive the false nobleman in his wicked purposes. He consented
without bribe or reward, for he felt it was an act of duty to prevent a fictitious
marriage under a false name. He, therefore, prepared the certificates, with
your true name and title! my lord duke. You were married under your true

name of Henry as was your wife under hers! The priest had prepared the
church record in the same manner as the certificate, omitting the name of
`Dauling.' Before asking you to sign this, the clergyman, you remember,
asked you for your signet to annex also. You drew it from your finger without
thinking, but had hardly got it off when you seemed to recollect that it would
betray you, therefore you suffered it to fly off from your finger as if by accident,
to a distant part of the shadowy aisle. `No matter about the signet,'
you said quickly. `Let me sign the record.' It was handed to you! The
priest closely watched your pen, and when you had ended the name of Tudor,
he let the record book fall as if by accident, the lights were also knocked over
by it and the church was left in darkness!

You did not delay to search for your ring, but telling the priest falsely that
it was one you had bought of a Jew, you desired him, if he found it, to send it
to you at such a place. You then groped your way from the church, too conscious
of having in your heart performed a wicked part towards your fair young
wife, to think about completing your name, and unsuspecting the consequences
that might result from it! Your signet was found and now is in your grace's
hands! On the record of the village church of Hamersley your grace will find
recorded the marriage of Henry Tudor with her whom he believed he was only
making his mistress. There were two witnesses also present, my lord, who
knew you well and whom I called for the purpose of bearing testimony to your
nuptials and identifying you as the young Duke of—. Thus, your grace,
will see that you were the lawful husband (contrary to your wishes had suspicions)
of the baronet's daughter, and that your son Tudor Dauling is the
legimate heir to your title, name and rank. These facts being thus known to
me, I being the chief agent in producing them, I resolved that I would not take
your life for the blow, but suffer you to live, for I was partly avenged by the
success of my stratagem, and by and by take advantage as circumstances
should offer of my knowledge and power. Your wife gave birth to a son and
soon after died. I watched his growth and as he grew up to youthful years my
thoughts were daily upon him and also upon your grace. I could not decide
how I should best avail myself of my power. At length my brother died,
leaving an only daughter to my guardianship. She was beautiful, intelligent,
and soon became attached to me. My long conceived plans now suddenly
assumed shape and tangibility. I resolved, that I would educate her to become
the wife of the supposed bastard. But I will not detail the steps which I took.
The result of my success, your grace, is already fully aware! The neice of the
money-lender Moloch, is the daughter-in-law of the haughty Duke of —
and a peeress of the realm of England.

It would be impossible to convey any adequate idea of the emotions with
which the confounded and astonished nobleman listened to this developement
of facts, for facts he felt convinced they were. Moloch sat a few minutes,
closely watching his pale countenance and silently enjoying his revenge; for
if ever one human being had worked out the full meed of vengeance against
another, Moloch the Jew was certainly the man. The Duke sat transfixed,
and immoveable, with an expression upon his face as if going over the past in
his thoughts. At length he sprung to his feet! A smile that perplexed Moloch
passed across his mouth as he said quickly,

`Prove me this, Jew!'

`Thy marriage?'

`Yes. Prove it me that it is as you say!'

`Here are the proofs, your grace,' answered the Jew, laying before him certain
papers.

The Duke examined them and saw that there could no longer be any doubt
as they were regularly made out certificates of the clergyman and witnesses
that Henry Tudor, Duke of — had been lawfully joined in wedlock to
Mary — the daughter of Sir George Healey, knight.

`Does my son know this?' asked the Duke hoarsely.

`I do, my noble father,' answered Tudor advancing from the recess. I

kneel for a father's blessing, and do here upon my bended knee solemnly objure
and cast off my follies and crimes to which the force of circumstances
had driven me, and will henceforth be thy loving son, and seek by a life of
integrity and honor to be worthy of the proud name and rank I inherit.'

The Duke gazed upon him at first coldly, and then tenderly embraced him:

`Tudor,' said he with deep emotion, `I am not sorry that this thing has happened,
as it proves to be, it has relieved my soul from a heavy weight which
my intended injustice to your sainted mother has cast upon it. I tenderly loved
her, and I have loved you for her sake; and for her sake I forgive you the
past and acknowledge you as my son. Moloch I can thank thee for thy stratagem.
Thy revenge hath been turned aside from the mark like an arrow ill-shot!'

`Nay, does your grace forget in thy joy at recovering, and son of thy name
that he has a Jew's daughter—a despised daughter of Israel for his bride
whom thou must acknowledge too!'

'Tis too true!' answered the Duke, turning pale at the recollection. `Alas,
Tudor, that this discovery had not been made earlier, and I had found thee
free from this debasing alliance! The Jew hath his revenge!'

`But that he had wedded my niece, your grace, the secret would have been
still a secret. I have revealed it only for the sake of this alliance, by which
my revenge would humble you!'

`Let me behold thy wife!' said his grace, sadly and sternly.

The duke started back with surprise and pleasure as he beheld not only a
woman of matchless beauty, but recognised in her the features and expression
of the Jewish youth he had taken such interest in.

`Your beauty and dignity placed eloquently in defence of your birth and
race,' said the Duke as he advanced and took her hand. `I see I must needs
compromise this matter and accept thee for my daughter; for by the rood!
thou hast a face and person that would have graced the throne of thy country-woman,
Queen Esther! Be, henceforth, a daughter to me, and I will be to
thee a father!'

Touched with this generous reception, Rachel knelt at his feet to implore
his pardon for having taken part to injure him, but raising her up he kissed her
cheek and leading her to Tudor, said—

`Take her, my sonand wear her close to thy heart; for she is a jewel worthy
of thy high position. Moloch,' he added, smiling proudly and turning towards
the perplexed and astonished money-lender, `Moloch where is now thy
revenge!'

`Thou hast conquered it, my nople Duke,' answered Moloch overcome with
surprise and admiration.

Tudor Dauling was publicly acknowledged by the Duke to be his legitimate
son and heir, and when he appeared at Court, the grace and beauty of the
Jewess was the theme of every tongue. Lord Tudor reformed his life and
character and the lovely Israelite made him a devoted wife. His sister, lady
Mary, in due time, wedded Captain, Lord Percy of the navy, a gentleman
whom the reader has already known something of as the middy who slipped
the cables of the Thames barge and did all that mischief which in the end
resulted so happily for all the personages of our story.