CHAPTER CXXXII.
[Chapter 142]
THE WEDDING MORNING. —DISRUPTION OF HARMONY, AND THE NEW ACQUAINTANCE. —
THE CONCLUSION.
Accident, strange to say, had taken our old acquaintance, Admiral Bell,
to the house of a lawyer, there to transact some business, as well as to lodge
at his house. The fact was, the old admiral hearing that a brother officer
was in trouble —one who had shared with him the dangers of the sea and the
fight —he came to town to see, himself, what could be done; and finding the
affair beyond his comprehension, or, at least beyond his power of personal
interference; that, in fact, it required the aid of a third party, and that
third person must, of necessity, be a lawyer, he determined to employ the man
who happened to be conversant with the circumstances of the case, and this was
no other than Mrs. Meredith's friend, Twissel.
However, the admiral's good will towards the race who follow the law, not
being so great as his philanthropy, he determined to watch every stage of the
proceedings, and to permit nothing to be done without his knowledge, and to
see that nothing was neglected.
Hearing from Mr. Twissel the affair that was to take place, a sudden
crotchet entered his head, that he should like to be present at the ceremony,
and he broached it to Mr. Twissel, who turned to his daughter to ascertain if
it were at all possible.
That young lady was desirous of shining among her acquaintances, as one
who could introduce an admiral, and who did not like the idea of Margaret
Meredith being so find a lady as she now attempted to make herself appear;
indeed, she would have been willing to have assisted in raising her some
species of mortification; she felt more than true pleasure in the disaster
that would be the cause of such feelings. There was a very general dislke to
Miss Margaret Meredith, and the truth was, she was much more than usually
arrogant and proud, and took all imaginable methods of vexing and mortifying
those around her.
But there is little to be said about that; the consent was brought back
to the attorney, who felt somewhat elated at it, and communicated it to the
admiral, with some remarks upon the kindness and condescension of the persons
who had done him so much honour.
This, however, only had the effect of drawing from the admiral, the word,
swab, and then he became silent and did not appear to be at all taken aback by
the knowledge that an East India colonel was the bridegroom on the occasion,
and one of very large property and singular behaviour.
The evening before the marriage was a busy one. The young ladies had to
arrange and to re-arrange all their finery; and the bride herself had the task
of seeing how she became her bridal dress, to do an infinity of other little
matters, and to contemplate the change that was about to take place in so
short a period. A few hours more, and she would become a wife.
The colonel, himself, did not in the least fall off in his ardour; he was
particularly anxious it should, on no account, be delayed after the day fixed.
A later day he appeared to have the utmost objection to; indeed, he declared
he would do anything if it came but a day or two earlier.
However, this was considered impossible, and the young lady was permitted
to have her way, though it was expressly stipulated that it should not be an
hour after the appointed time, for he declared himself dying with impatience
to call her his own.
"Now, ma," said Margaret, as she sat talking to her mother the night
before; "now, ma, I hope you will not give any of these people countenance
when I am gone, and throw off their acquaintance; you will be firm on this
point for my sake."
"I will, my dear," said Mrs. Meredith, "I will."
"Then, when I come back, I shall know more of the colonel's mind about
where we shall live, and how we shall live. He must let me have something
handsome; I have no doubt but what he will; he does not appear to be a
close-handed man, quite the reverse; and, all things considered, we shall be
able to make a very agreeable living out of it."
"Why, yes, my dear, I cannot doubt it; he is, no doubt, a man of property
and can well afford us enough, and some sum as pin-money; indeed, he is too
liberal now to be otherwise by and bye; perhaps he will keep on this house,
and pay for proper domestics, and keep a carriage. What a change it will be
for us all, and how the neighbourhood will stare!"
"Yes, ma, they will; but suppose we were to reside out of town, we should
have our carriage driving into town, as a matter of course, and now and then
sleep in town when we made up a party, or went to the theatre."
"Yes, my dear. What time shall you see the colonel in the morning?"
"Not before I am ready to go."
"To church? Well, but you will have some breakfast with him?"
"No, he will be in his own room, I dare say, till late; he will scarce
present himself before the time has come to start; you know his habits, he
does not get up very early, and I do not expect to see much alteration. At
eleven o'clock we are to be at church. We breakfast at nine, you know, so we
shall have time."
"Oh, he is sure to be down to breakfast, ther can be no doubt about that;
indeed, he must be called for the purpose; of course, there must be some
deviation form a regular rule upon extraordinary occasions like the present."
"Well, well, there may be; but have you given all the invitations you
intended to give? —and have you got any answers to them so as to ensure
their attendance?"
"Oh, yes, that is all safe and fixed; we shall have a good many here by
half-past eight in the morning, at the latest; but you must contrive to let me
have money very soon, or to send me some up, as I am getting very short, for I
have laid out a great deal of money lately, and much more than I could, under
other circumstances, spare or afford."
"Of course, ma, you will not lose anything by this; I shall take care of
you; not a penny that you have laid out but what shall be repaid, and with a
handsome return; but do not think about this, it grows late and I must to
sleep."
"Do, my dear, and I'll wake you in time in the morning."
* * * * *
The morning came, and some of them were about early. Mrs. Meredith was
up, and so was Margaret. She could not lie so late as usual. She had done
much, and yet she had so much to do still. It was really astonishing to see
what there was to do —no one would have believed it, and even Margaret
became surprised.
The morning was now fairly come; the servants were about in the house,
and the neighbours were up and about; she could hear her mother chiding and
scolding; she could hear the sound of her voice, and she began to believe
there was now no time to lose.
The hour of nine was now gone. The knocker and the guests had been heard
for the last half hour at the door, and she could hear the voices of the
guests below, some of whom spoke audibly enough; then they soon after
descended to th breakfastroom, which, by the way, was the drawingroom, as
there was not enough room below.
The colonel, at the same moment, entered the room, and a vast number of
congratulations were given and received, form side to side, with the utmost
urbanity and good will. The colonel, for the first time, had thrown on one
side the green shade which he usually wore, but he looked remarkably pale,
though he had still the looks of a hearty and healthy man.
The paleness, which seemed to be constitutional, was very extraordinary;
but that was explained by the colonel saying, that he had been so ever since
he had the yellow fever, which had had that effect upon his complexion.
There was much rejoicing at the occurrences that were now in progress;
everybody praised the viands; everything was of the best and first-rate
quality, and there were many attendants, which made it so much the better and
the more comfortable, as everybody had an abundance of everything.
Mrs. Meredith now shone in the greatest triumph; there was none so great
and grand. She patronized everybody, and appeared remarkably condescending,
considering she was the mother of a daughter who was about to marry a retired
East India service colonel. There were few who did not understand fully the
nature of the condescension of the lady herself; besides, she was the
presiding goddess of the feast.
Among those who had been invited was the Miss Smith and Mr. Smith. This
was the young lady who had been so terrifed at the attack that had been made
upon her the first night that Colonel Deverill lodged there, and on that night
he was so terribly vexed and disturbed.
Mrs. Meredith had invited them, because they were people of means, and
Miss Smith could not now do any mischief, because the colonel was pledged to
Margaret too far to retract; and as there were several young females, why, the
more the better, because it would divert his attention.
Miss Smith, however, came out of curiosity, and because it was a wedding
party, which is the delight and admiration of all young females, and Miss
Smith was no exception. Mr. Smith was civil and polite, and hid his internal
dislke to the colonel, which he felt and could not account for it; neither did
his daughter —she had a great aversion to him, but at the same time
suppressed it.
The colonel was courtly and complimentary, and made civil speeches to
such as spoke to him; indeed, he never for a moment lost his self-possession;
he stood in a less stooping posture than usual, and he was considered a tall,
handsome man —a fine man.
"Mr. Twissel," said the colonel, "I am happy to see you—especially
gratified to see you—you will be witness of my happiness to-day—you will
mark my progress in this affair, and learn what lesson it may teach. That is
the way we should pass through life, Mr. Twissel, is it not? Gain knowledge
by experience, and become, in old age, a wise man."
"Why, yes; oh, yes," said Twissel, who felt there was something in the
remark that touched him to the quick, and he winced under the smart; but he
thought it might have been accidentally given, and the colonel was quite
ignorant of his disasters; and yet it was a very home thrust, without any
previous introduction to it, that made it all the more uncomfortable, and he
merely replied, —
"I am happy to see you, Colonel Deverill, and to see you so happy, and
the young lady, who, I am sure, deserves to be happy; in fact, I think you
both deserve happiness; I am sure, I wish you every imaginable joy, and it
gives me great pleasure in seeing it."
"I am sure you do, sir; but you do not seem to eat and enjoy yourself."
"I am so occupied in witnessing the felicity of others, that I had
forgotten it; moreover, I expect a friend to be present who happens to be
late; he is quite a stranger to all present, and therefore I wished to
countenance him as much as I could on that account."
"Then I will not press you now; perhaps you'll do me the favour of
introducing your friend to me when he comes, yourself, and I shall be most
happy to receive him."
"Thank you, colonel, you do me much honour; I will accept of your great
kindness, and do myself the pleasure of presenting him to you, and to Miss
Meredith, whom I hope to see soon changed in name."
"I hope the time will now be very short. What hour is it?"
"Half-past nine," said the attorney, consulting his watch.
"At eleven we must be at the church. Well, if we leave at half-past ten,
then we shall be there in ample time; I would it were over and that we were on
our journey."
"Ah! you are impatient, colonel," said Margaret, as she came up to him.
"My dear angel!" replied Deverill, bowing, "how could I be otherwise when
you are the object of my affections? It is not impatience to leave this good
company—quite the reverse. But it is because the change of scene,
travelling, and change of air will do you much good, and is, I can see, quite
necessary for you."
"I think it will do me no harm," said Margaret; "but here comes ma, who
really looks tired."
"Well, my dear, I am a little fatigued, but you know I shall have ample
time to recover myself. I shall have nothing to disturb my repose."
"Indeed, Mrs. Meredith!" said the colonel; "I am sure we must alter that;
we must find some other kind of employment for you, and not suffer you to
remain hidden at home. You have catered so well for us this morning, that I
am sure you are a most valuable acquisition to a household; with such a
superintendence as yours, we should have everything in the utmost plenty, and
at the proper moment."
"Ah, colonel! you are flattering—you are."
"We shall soon show that we are not flattering, I hope," said the
colonel. "My dear madam, you are the life and soul of the whole company.
What should we have done without you? I hope all our friends here are happy
and comfortable. I do not know them well enough to pay them all that
attention and respect they deserve."
"Exactly, colonel; they all know that well enough, and are fully alive to
the honour you do them in being present in the midst of them."
"Who is that young lady who was looking here just now?" inquired the
colonel.
"Who? the young lady with the elderly gentleman by her side?"
"Yes; I should like to be introduced to her," said the colonel.
"Oh! certainly," said Mrs. Meredith, vexed in her own heart that she had
invited her and her father, now, for she had no wish that any one present
should be future acquaintances; but there was no help for it; she must
introduce them, and accordingly she went up, with the best grace she could put
on, to them both, to request they would be introduced to the colonel, who
desired the honour of their acquaintance.
There was no hesitation, of course, and they at once advance to meet him,
and were introduced to the colonel as Miss and Mr. Smith.
"I am most happy to see you, sir," said the colonel; "and the young lady
here is your daughter, I can see, by the family likeness she bears to you."
Miss Smith, however, could not repress a convulsive shudder as she looked
upon the colonel. It might have been his complexion, or it might have been
that his features brought some terrible recollections to her mind; but she
could not, for a moment or so, speak.
"The young lady is ill!" said the colonel, who noticed the emotion.
"What is the matter, Clara, my dear?" said Mr. Smith; "what's the
matter—you are ill?"
"No, no," said Miss Smith; "it was a—a—sudden—sudden dizziness that
came across me. I dare say I shall be better by and bye. I am sorry it
should have come upon me now."
"Ah! my dear young lady," said Colonel Deverill, drawing himself up to
his full height, and looking gravely, but speaking with the utmost courtesy,
"you have nothing to regret respecting the occasion; the illness itself is a
matter of regret to us all, I am sure; however, let us hope it will be but
temporary, and that you will be able to wish me joy, and my beautiful bride."
"You see, Colonel Deverill, ever since the night she was disturbed by the
strange attack of what she believes to have been a vampyre, or something that
had the form of a man, and a taste for blood, she has been affected thus."
"Dear me!" said the colonel; "what a shocking thing—a very shocking
affair! I think perhaps, the young lady is subject to illness," and he
touched his forehead, as much as to intimate an insinuation that the young
lady might be somewhat affected in her intellects.
"No, sir; quite the reverse," said her father. "I myself saw a tall,
gaunt figure gliding away, which felled me in an instant, and I lay half a
minute stunned."
"God bless me!" said the colonel; "this affair is quite romantic! If a
German writer had such material by him, what would he not make of it?"
There had been a loud knocking at the door, and some one announced; but
nobody took any notice of it. Colonel Deverill did not hear it, but stood
talking to Mr. Smith; while Admiral Bell was introduced by Mr. Twissel, who
led him towards the group, explaining what had happened.
"By G-d!" said the admiral; "d'ye see how they are crowding about the
poor girl? Why, they'd extinguish a fire—if there was one! Why don't you
give young woman air? If you don't stand on one side, I'll put a whole
broadside into you, as I would into a Frenchman!"
This singular address produced an immediate sensation, and many moved
away.
"Colonel Deverill," said Mr. Twissel, "allow me to introduce my friend
Admiral Bell to you. Admiral Bell, this is Colonel Deverill. —Eh? —oh!
—eh?"
These latter exclamations were uttered in consequence of the extreme
surprise depicted on the countenances of both parties. Admiral Bell's
surprise was nothing out of the way; but that of Colonel Deverill was a matter
of consternation to many of them. He stepped back a pace or two, and then his
lips parted, as though he would speak, but he could not; he panted —his eye
glared, and his nostrils dilated.
"Shatter my mainmast—upset the cabouse—turn my state-cabin into a
cockpit, and the quarter-deck to a gambling-booth to the whole ship's
company!"
"What's all this about?" exclaimed Mrs. Meredith.
"Oh, that odious man! —who is he? —what is—"
"Why, ma'am, I'm old Admiral Bell; very well known for having beaten the
French, and the terror of all vampyres. Why, look at the swab—but you ain't
going to get off this time!"
"What is the matter, dear colonel?" said Margaret. "You are ill—
speak—what is the matter?"
"Ah!" said the admiral; "let him speak, and he'll tell you he's no
colonel, and his name ain't Deverill, or, if it be, it ain't his only name; he
is Varney the vampyre!"
"A vampyre!" said Miss Smith, starting up with a shriek; "a vampyre!
Good heavens! I was not mistaken, then; that must be the man!" and she sank
back in her father's arms.
"What! has he been at any of his tricks again!" exclaimed the admiral,
and he made a stride towards him; but Varney —for it was he —avoided him
by stepping aside, and placing some other person between himself and the
admiral, and then he said, —
"What this madman will say you will not listen to—you——."
"Madman! well, I'm hanged; call me man!" said the admiral. "I wish I had
my sword by my side, and I would teach you how a madman can fight; but you are
not going; I have something to say to you first. If he's going to marry that
young lady, all I can say is, she will be food for him—she'll never live
till to-morrow; her blood will made his pale face ruddy!"
Varney stood no longer; but seeing many around him who appeared to have
an inclination to stop his passage, he suddenly made to the door, which he
secured for a moment on the outside, and then in another he was clear of the
house.
This was no sooner done, than all present, who were staring at each other
in mute amazment, and unable to account for what had happened, looked at the
new comer, the admiral, who immediately began to relate enough of Varney that
made it apparent to all present that he was not what he represented himself to
be.
* * * * *
Amid the commiserations of their friends, and their jeers, Mrs. Meredith
sold all her furniture, and, with her daughter, retired to some little place,
where they opened a small shop, to eke out a living by such means. They were
unable even to pay many debts they had contracted on account of this marriage,
and they were, moreover, ashamed to be seen by their former acquaintance.
—