University of Virginia Library

22. CHAPTER XXII.
THE VISIT.

At half past six o'clock, Ellery was at Clow's door and admitted to his
chambers.

`I am here now to call with you on the beautiful Jewess singer,' said he,
as Clow closed the door of his private room after he entered. `You set this
hour in the note you wrote to me instead of any other time. Is it to tea?'

`No. You can see her at this hour before she goes to the opera, and
in full dress. She will not have to go until half past eight o'clock, as there
is a ballet to come first.'

`Do not delay a moment. Every instant is precious with such a fair entertainer
awaiting my presence. Does she know that I am to be presented
to her, and who I am?'

`I told her you were a young man of fortune and birth who had been enamored
with her beauty and voice, and desired to pay your respects to her
in person.' The irony with which this was said did not attract Ellery's
attention.

`That was very well. Are you ready?'

`Not yet. I have a word to say to you about my own affairs. This was
what I wished particularly to speak with you upon. You say you are satisfied
now that Mr. Daily is ruined with Mr. Weldon.'

`Yes,' answered Ellery, with impatience.

`But I am not. His ruin must be complete to satisfy me. You remember
the note I wrote him. I think it may bring him, and then I shall take
my revenge.'

`You must hate him more heartily than I do, Clow,' answered Carlton,
regarding him with surprise. `You have not yet told me why you hate
him at all. Let me know. You have entered into my scheme knowing
my motives for destroying him, but I am ignorant of yours.'

`Daily is my rival.'

`Your rival?'

`Yes. I have discovered that he is the young man whom I saw kiss,
as I told you, the beautiful Frederica, when I looked through the window
that night.'

`You mystify me! Kiss Frederica! Who, pray, is she? And whose
windows have you been peeping into?'

Here Clow briefly revealed his passion for the bonnet-girl, and told how
he had seen a young man, whom he did not know, folding her to his heart
and wiping from her eyes the bright tears.

`I did not know at the time that it was Daily. But a few days after I
passed him talking with another person and recognized him. They separated
and I went up to the person who left him and asked him if that gentleman
was not Mr. Wilson.'

`Mr. Wilson?'

`Yes; it was the first name I chanced to think upon; for my question was
only a bait to get his name. `No, sir,' he said, `it is Mr. Daily.'

`Mr. James Daily?' I asked.

`Yes, sir,' he answered, leaving me, and hurrying on his way. `I then
knew my man.'

`And was this before I got you to aid me in destroying him?'

`No; afterwards.'

`Then what led you to coöperate with me?'

`The money you offered me was one motive, and the love of doing an
injury to a man who had too fair a character to please me, was another,'
answered the mulatto. `But after I discovered that my rival and yours
were — '

`Don't unite me with yourself in that free and easy style again, Clow,'
said Ellery, haughtily.

`After discovering that we had both the same ground of hatred against
the man,' continued Clow, smiling scornfully, `I entered heart and hand
with you into the forgeries for his ruin. You say you have succeeded so far
as you wish. I have not.'

`You called this young girl's name Frederica.'

`I think I know now who it is, and you have no cause for rivalry. If it
is the person I suspect, it is Daily's half sister. I have heard lately that he

had a confoundedly handsome half-sister who was a milliner. And, but for
other matters on hand I should have tried to make her acquaintance, for
love of the brother.'

`Dare to think or speak of her lightly, Mr. Ellery, and I — '

`Tut, tut, man. You are too fiery and quick to take offence altogether.
The young woman is Daily's sister.'

`No; she is no relation to him. She is only adopted by the mother. I
am sure of this, for I inquired of Mrs. Daily herself while purchasing a
handkerchief at her counter. I had heard she was a sister, as you have
believed she was, and this led me to make certain of it. She is no relation.'

`He probably regards her as a sister. I don't believe he loves her. He
had no other person in his heart than Grace.'

`I am satisfied he likes this person better than I care he should. Besides,
I have seen his accursed lip press her check, and this I can never forgive.
The man shall no more stand in my way than in yours.'

Ellery laughed lightly at Clow's determined manner, and said,

`What will you do? You would not kill him?'

`No. I would only destroy him so far that life shall be his hell. I
would not kill a man, I would be avenged upon. Oh, no! This would be
folly as great as hanging. When my enemy is dead, how can he suffer?
how can I injure, torture, glut my vengeance? I might as well forgive him
as kill him; for dead, I should cease to hate, and he to feel. No, no; he
shall live — but degraded!'

`What a devil in hatred you are, Clow.'

`Hate and revenge are not monopolies for the white race,' answered Clow,
derisively. `James Daily having suffered enough to sate yours, must now
suffer to glut mine. It is not enough for me that he has been degraded in
the estimation of one man; the man Philip Clow hated must be degraded
and infamous to the world, blackened with every crime which an honest man
would abhor. I love the young girl I saw him fold to his heart; I love her
with madness. No power on earth shall prevent me from making her my
bride; and woe be to the man who stands in my path. Daily, I can never
forgive for what I have seen. Rejected by Grace Weldon he will give his
heart, if he has not done so yet, to this lovely girl beneath his own mother's
roof.'

`Do not fear; Daily will be sure to quit Boston at once. He has too
much pride to remain where he would be likely to meet every day with Mr.
Weldon or Grace. But have your own way, Philip. I shall be the last
man to plead in behalf of Daily.'

`You are not yet sure that he has been degraded by Mr. Weldon.'

`I have ascertained it since I saw you to-day, and in this artful way.
Our firm had occasion to purchase some sugars, and knowing Weldon had
just received a cargo, I went to his counting-room to see on what terms he
would sell. I entered boldly, and with a business air. It was just before
sunset, and full five hours since Daily left, during which time he had not
been in, as I learned from one of the younger clerks I met at the head of
the wharf.'

`We have the sugars and will let you have them for so and so,' answered
Mr. Weldon.

`Did he look as if he suspected?'

`Not at all. There is no fear of that. He believes Daily as guilty as we
could desire to have him; be assured of that, my good Phillip. I bargained

for the sugars, and in course of conversation, I said, by way of feeling his
pulse, `If you should not be in when we send for the sugars, will you leave
orders with Mr. Daily to deliver them.'

`Mr. Daily is no longer with me,' he answered, with embarrassment, looking
pale and red in the same moment.

I betrayed my surprise, but he said nothing more, and as I knew very
well why he was no longer with him, I did not betray myself by any useless
inquiries. So I merely answered that I was very sorry, that Mr. Daily
was an excellent young man and a promising merchant, and hoped he would
do well;' adding, `whoever has him with them will have an invaluable
head clerk.'

`What did Mr. Weldon say to this?'

`He slightly shook his head, made no reply for a moment or two, and then
said,

`It is probable Mr. Daily will not go into business again in this city as a
clerk with any one.'

`Did he say this?'

`The very words, and in a manner that satisfied me he had privately discharged
him and bade him leave the city for fear of consequences.'

`Then there is no doubt that so far you have been successful. You must
now leave him to me. Before three days his disgrace shall be known publicly.
It is necessary it should be known, or suspicion by-and-by may fasten
upon us. We must bruit it abroad, till Mr. Weldon will be compelled to
arrest him to satisfy the public clamor. In his conviction rests only our
security.'

`That is true. But you must be very guarded that the rumor is not
traced to you. Daily himself knows he is innocent. He will therefore be
on the watch for a clue to the real actors. If he can trace a rumor up to
you or me, he will promptly fasten upon us the crime, for he knows that no
one could circulate a story that he did what he never did, but those who
themselves did what is charged upon him. You understand me?'

`Yes. And I see I must use caution.'

`We have every thing to fear now from Daily. He will not rest, be assured,
till he finds out who are his enemies. I did intend to entrap him in a
gambling room and then send Weldon there. But let him pass. We can't
be too wary. As to you fearing a rival in him, I doubt it.'

`That is my affair, not yours.'

`Take care of it then, and keep it your affair. I would like much to see
the fair maid who has captivated your heart, Philip. Nay, don't look daggers
— I mean no harm. I have as much as I can do to win Grace Weldon's
good will. So don't fear me. Come. Let us not dally here, I
must see the beautiful Jewess.'

`Grace Weldon is to be won. Why do you dally here?' asked Clow,
sarcastically.

`Grace and the Jewess. To this I give my heart; to the other, by-and-by,
my hand. Allons.'

They sprung into a cab in waiting; Philip drew the curtains too, closely,
and after a drive of many turns and windings they alighted before a door
of a handsome brick house in one of the numerous `Courts' or `Places'
characteristic of Boston. The steps were marble, and two white columns
supported a neat architrave above them. Philip rung at the door, which
was opened by a young white girl with an exceedingly fair skin and blue
eyes.

`Is Mademoiselle in?' asked Clow.

`Yes, sir,' answered the girl, with great deference, and opened wide the
door for them to enter. A lighted hall richly carpeted and hung with pictures
received them.

`We will leave our cloaks here. The lady is in the drawing-room above
stairs,' said Clow.

Ellery gazed round in silent surprise upon the elegance of every thing
which met his eyes, and followed Clow up the softly carpeted stair-case to a
semi-circular hall lighted by a beautiful chandelier.

`This is a luxurious abode for a Jewish cantatrice,' said Ellery, with surprise,
mixed with pleasure and anticipation.

The mulatto made no answer, but throwing open a dark, polished mahogany
door, which was ajar, he ushered him into an apartment richly and tastefully
furnished and filled with a soft dreamy light like that produced by
moon-beams intercepted by gauze curtains. To Ellery's vision, coming in
from the bright hall, the room appeared obscure at first, but by degrees he
became accustomed to the mellow radiance that pervaded the place, and was
enabled to discern objects distinctly, yet with wavy outlines. There was no
person in the room that he could see. He had hardly entered when the
door closed behind him, shutting out the glare from the chandelier in the
hall. He looked around. The mulatto had disappeared. He had hardly
time to feel surprise when his ears were arrested by low, soft notes of
music, that came he knew not whence. They sounded afar, very far off,
and to his imagination appeared to come from the most distant skies.
Louder, sweeter, still it came, making his blood thrill and his heart to cease
its beating. He stood transfixed, like one entranced. Whether the music
were vocal or instrumental he could not tell; whether in the room or in
heaven. He was bewildered, and for a moment questioned his own waking
identity. Nearer and clearer, yet still soft and melodious, like the tones of a
harp and a human voice flowing together, as meeting rivulets mingle their
waters, it swelled around him, till his senses were overpowered, when suddenly
it ceased.

`This is wonderful. It must be human, for I am not superstitious enough
to believe in the supernatural,' he said, waiting to hear it again. `It must
be the fair Jewess, who has prepared for me this surprise. What a voluptuous
light pervades this apartment! its source as invisible as that of the melody
that I have just heard! I will fain seek the fair performer.'

He moved softly over the gorgeous Bigelow carpet, and approached a door
ajar. It opened into a small boudoir, where, seated at a glittering harp, he
discovered, by the soft light of the place, the beautiful quadroon, Isabel. She
was in an attitude at once captivating and commanding. Her graceful fingers
rested upon the chords and her superb figure, slightly bent forward,
displayed her noble shape to the highest advantage. Her black, lustrous
eyes were raised an instant to those of the intruder, and then dropped
modestly to the floor, while she started with confusion, and half rose, as if
surprised.

`Pardon me,' said Ellery, embarrassed by her presence and matchless
beauty, and feeling the awkwardness of his situation; `but — '

`No apology is necessary, sir,' she said, in tones and with a smile of
thrilling power. If you are the guest whom Signor de — was to introduce,
you are welcome.'