Beneath the hawthorn’s shade;
To mark the spot in which she wept—
In which she wept and prayed.”—Mallet.
The night was waning1 fast, and Adela rose to depart as her friend concluded her story; yet it required an effort of resolution to retire. Mrs. Marlowe, however, was too well convinced of the expediency2 and propriety3 of this to press her longer stay, though the eyes of Oscar, suddenly turned to her, seemed to entreat4 she would do so. The night was dark and wet, which prevented Mrs. Marlowe from accompanying Adela to the carriage. Not so Oscar; he took the umbrella from the servant, who held it for his mistress, and bid him hasten on to have the carriage-door opened. “Oscar,” cried Mrs. Marlowe, extremely unwilling5 to allow even this short tete-??-tete, “Mrs. Belgrave will dispense6 with your gallantry, for you are really too great an invalid7 to venture out such a night as this.” Adela attempted to dissuade8 him from it, but her voice was so low and faltering9 as scarcely to be articulate. Oscar gently seized her hand, and pulled it under his arm; he felt it tremble as he did so. The touch became contagious10; an universal tremor11 affected12 his frame, and never, perhaps, had he and Adela experienced a moment of greater unhappiness. Adela at last found herself obliged to speak, conscious that her silence must appear particular, and said, she feared he would be injured by his attentions to her. More fatally injured than he already was, he might have replied, he could not be; but he checked the words ready to burst from his lips, and only answered that he would be unfit for a soldier, if he could not endure the inclemency13 of the wintry blast. The light from the globes of the carriage gave him a view of her pale lovely cheeks, and he saw she was weeping. Confused at the idea of betraying her distress14, she averted15 her head, and hastily ascended16 the steps; yet, for a moment, her trembling hand rested upon Oscar’s, as if, in this manner, she would have given the adieu she had not the power of pronouncing. Lost in agony, he remained, like a statue, on the spot where she had left him, till roused by the friendly voice of Mrs. Marlowe, who, alarmed at his long[Pg 134] absence, came to seek him. Soothed17 by her kind solicitude18, he directly returned with her to the house, where his indignation against the perfidious19 Belgrave again broke forth20. He execrated21 him, not only as the destroyer of his peace, but a peace infinitely22 more precious than his own—that of the charming Adela.
Mrs. Marlowe essayed every art of consolation23, and, by sympathy and mildness, at last subdued24 the violence of his feelings; she acknowledged the loss he sustained in being deprived of Adela; but, since irrevocable, both virtue25 and reason required him to struggle against his grief, and conceal26 it. By their sacred dictates27, she entreated28 him to avoid seeing Adela. He felt she was right in the entreaty29, and solemnly promised to comply with it; her friendship was balm to his wounded heart, and her society the only pleasure he was capable of enjoying. Whenever he could absent himself from quarters he retired30 to her, and frequently spent three or four days at a time in her cottage. By discontinuing his visits in the gay neighborhood of Woodlawn, he avoided all opportunities of seeing Adela, yet often, on a clear frosty night, has he stole from the fireside of Mrs. Marlowe to the beloved and beautiful haunts about the lake, where he and Adela passed so many happy hours together. Here he indulged in all the luxury of woe31; and such are the pleasures of virtuous32 melancholy33, that Oscar would not have resigned them for any of the commonplace enjoyments34 of life.
Often did he wander to the grove35 from whence he had a view of Adela’s chamber36, and if a lucky chance gave him a glimpse of her, as she passed through it, a sudden ecstasy37 would pervade38 his bosom39; he would pray for her felicity, and return to Mrs. Marlowe, as if his heart was lightened of an oppressive weight. That tender friend flattered herself, from youth and the natural gayety of his disposition40, his attachment41, no longer fed by hope, would gradually decline; but she was mistaken—the bloom of his youth was faded, and his gayety converted into deep despondency. Had he never been undeceived with regard to the general and Adela, pride, no doubt, would quickly have lessened43 the poignancy44 of his feelings; but when he reflected on the generous intentions of the one, on the sincere affection of the other, and the supreme45 happiness he might have enjoyed, he lost all fortitude46. Thus, by perpetually brooding over the blessings47 once within his reach, losing all relish48 for those which were yet attainable49, his sorrow, instead of being ameliorated, was increased by time. The horror and indigna[Pg 135]tion with which he beheld50 Belgrave, after the first knowledge of his baseness, could scarcely be restrained. Though painful, he was pleased the effort had proved a successful one, as, exclusive of his sacred promise to Mrs. Marlowe, delicacy51 on Adela’s account induced him to bear his wrongs in silence. He could not, however, be so great a hypocrite as to profess52 any longer esteem53 or respect for the colonel, and when they met, it was with cold politeness on both sides.
The unfortunate Adela pined in secret. Her interview with Oscar had destroyed the small remainder of her peace. His pale and emaciated54 figure haunted her imagination; in vain, by dwelling55 on his unkind letter, did she endeavor to lessen42 her tenderness. She felt the emotion of pity stronger than that of resentment56, and that the friendship of Oscar would have been sweeter to her soul than the love or attention of any other object. By obeying the impulse of passion, she feared she had doomed57 herself to wretchedness. Belgrave was a man whom, upon mature deliberation, she never could have chosen. The softness of his manners gradually vanished when the purpose for which they had been assumed was completed. Unfeeling and depraved, the virtues58 of Adela could excite no esteem in his bosom, and the love (if it can merit that appellation) which he felt for her, quickly subsided59 after their marriage; but as the general retained the greatest part of his fortune in his own power, he continued tolerably guarded in his conduct. A slave, however, to the most violent passions, he was often unable to control them; and, forgetful of all prudential motives60, delighted at those times in mortifying61 Adela by sly sarcasms62 on her attachment for Oscar. Though deeply wounded, she never complained; she had partly forged her chains, and resolved to bear them without repining. Tranquil63 in appearance, the poor general, who was not penetrating64, thought his darling perfectly65 happy. Such, however, was not the opinion of those who visited at Woodlawn. The rose of health no longer spread its beautiful tints66 on the cheek of Adela, nor were her eyes irradiated by vivacity67.
The colonel never went to Enniskillen except about military business, but he made frequent excursions to the metropolis68 and other parts of the kingdom in pursuit of pleasure. Adela felt relieved by his absence; and the general, satisfied at his not attempting to take her along with him, never murmured at it. The period now arrived for the departure of the regiment69. Adela had not seen Oscar since the interview at Mrs. Marlowe’s. She declined going to the reviews which pre[Pg 136]ceded the change of garrison70, and sincerely hoped no chance would again throw him in her way. Oscar sickened at the idea of quitting the country without seeing her. He knew she was not to accompany the colonel. The officers were going to pay a farewell visit to Woodlawn, and he could not resist being of the party. They were shown into the drawing-room, where Adela and the general sat. She was startled at the appearance of Oscar, but though a blush tinged71 her pale face, she soon recovered her composure, and entered into conversation. The general pressed them to stay to dinner, but they had many visits to pay and begged to be excused. “My dear Fitzalan,” said the general, who had long dropped his displeasure, “I wish you happiness and success, and hope I shall soon hear of your being at the head of a company; remember, I say soon—for I am an old veteran, and should be sorry to drop into the trench72 till I had heard of the good fortune of my friends. Your father was a brave fellow, and, in the speedy advancement73 of his son, should receive a reward for his past services.” Oscar pressed the general’s hand to his breast. He cast his tearful eyes on Adela; she sighed, and bent74 hers to the ground. “Be assured, sir,” he cried, “no gratitude75 can be more fervent76 than that your goodness has inspired me with; no wishes can be more sincere than mine for the happiness of the inhabitants of Woodlawn.” “Ineffectual wishes,” softly exclaimed Adela; “happiness, from one of its inhabitants at least, has, I fear, fled forever.”
The general’s wishes for the success of Oscar may be considered as mere77 words of course, since not enforced by more substantial proofs of regard; but, in reality, soon after his daughter’s marriage, in his usual blunt manner, he had mentioned to the colonel his giving a thousand or two to help the promotion78 of Oscar. Belgrave, who could not bear that the man whom he had injured should have a chance of obtaining equal rank with himself, opposed this truly generous design, by saying, “Oscar was taken under the patronage79 of Lord Cherbury, and that the general’s bounty80 might therefore, at some future period, be better applied81 in serving a person without his interest.” To this the general assented82, declaring that he never yet met with a brave soldier or his offspring in distress without feeling and answering the claim they had upon his heart.
Oscar obtained a ready promise from Mrs. Marlowe of corresponding with him. He blushed and faltered83 as he besought84 her sometimes to acquaint him with the health of their friends[Pg 137] at Woodlawn. Change of scene produced no alteration85 in him. Still pining with regret, and languid from ill-health, his father and sister found him. The comforts of sympathy could not be his, as the anguish86 which preyed87 on his heart he considered of too sacred a nature to divulge88. He hoarded89 up his grief, like a miser90 hoarding91 up his treasure, fearful that the eye of suspicion should glance at it, as he pressed his lovely sister to his heart. Had he imagined she was the object of Colonel Belgrave’s licentious92 passion, the bounds he had hitherto prescribed to his resentment would in a moment have been overturned, and he would, had it been necessary, have pursued the monster round the world, to avenge93 the injury he had meditated94, as well as the one he had committed.
We shall now bid adieu to Oscar for the present, and, drawing on our boots of seven leagues, step after Fitzalan and Amanda.
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1
waning
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| adj.（月亮）渐亏的，逐渐减弱或变小的n.月亏v.衰落( wane的现在分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡 | |
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expediency
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| n.适宜；方便；合算；利己 | |
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propriety
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| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
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entreat
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| v.恳求，恳请 | |
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unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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dispense
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| vt.分配，分发；配(药)，发(药)；实施 | |
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invalid
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| n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的 | |
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dissuade
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| v.劝阻，阻止 | |
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faltering
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| 犹豫的，支吾的，蹒跚的 | |
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contagious
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| adj.传染性的，有感染力的 | |
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tremor
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| n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震 | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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inclemency
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| n.险恶，严酷 | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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averted
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| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
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ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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17
soothed
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| v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦 | |
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18
solicitude
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| n.焦虑 | |
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19
perfidious
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| adj.不忠的，背信弃义的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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execrated
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| v.憎恶( execrate的过去式和过去分词 )；厌恶；诅咒；咒骂 | |
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infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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26
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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27
dictates
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| n.命令，规定，要求( dictate的名词复数 )v.大声讲或读( dictate的第三人称单数 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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28
entreated
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| 恳求，乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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entreaty
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| n.恳求，哀求 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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virtuous
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| adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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34
enjoyments
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| 愉快( enjoyment的名词复数 )； 令人愉快的事物； 享有； 享受 | |
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35
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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ecstasy
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| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
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pervade
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| v.弥漫，遍及，充满，渗透，漫延 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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40
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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attachment
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| n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附 | |
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42
lessen
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| vt.减少，减轻；缩小 | |
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43
lessened
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| 减少的，减弱的 | |
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poignancy
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| n.辛酸事，尖锐 | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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46
fortitude
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| n.坚忍不拔；刚毅 | |
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47
blessings
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| n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福 | |
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48
relish
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| n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味 | |
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49
attainable
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| a.可达到的，可获得的 | |
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50
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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51
delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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52
profess
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| v.声称，冒称，以...为业，正式接受入教，表明信仰 | |
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53
esteem
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| n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作 | |
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54
emaciated
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| adj.衰弱的，消瘦的 | |
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55
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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56
resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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58
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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59
subsided
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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60
motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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61
mortifying
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| adj.抑制的，苦修的v.使受辱( mortify的现在分词 )；伤害（人的感情）；克制；抑制（肉体、情感等） | |
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62
sarcasms
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| n.讥讽，讽刺，挖苦( sarcasm的名词复数 ) | |
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tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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64
penetrating
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| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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66
tints
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| 色彩( tint的名词复数 )； 带白的颜色； （淡色）染发剂； 痕迹 | |
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vivacity
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| n.快活，活泼，精神充沛 | |
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metropolis
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| n.首府；大城市 | |
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69
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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70
garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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71
tinged
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| v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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72
trench
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| n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕 | |
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73
advancement
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| n.前进，促进，提升 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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fervent
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| adj.热的，热烈的，热情的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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promotion
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| n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传 | |
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patronage
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| n.赞助，支援，援助；光顾，捧场 | |
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bounty
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| n.慷慨的赠予物，奖金；慷慨，大方；施与 | |
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81
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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82
assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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83
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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84
besought
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| v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的过去式和过去分词 )；(beseech的过去式与过去分词) | |
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85
alteration
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| n.变更，改变；蚀变 | |
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86
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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87
preyed
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| v.掠食( prey的过去式和过去分词 )；掠食；折磨；（人）靠欺诈为生 | |
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88
divulge
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| v.泄漏(秘密等)；宣布，公布 | |
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89
hoarded
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| v.积蓄并储藏（某物）( hoard的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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90
miser
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| n.守财奴，吝啬鬼 (adj.miserly) | |
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91
hoarding
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| n.贮藏；积蓄；临时围墙；囤积v.积蓄并储藏（某物）( hoard的现在分词 ) | |
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92
licentious
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| adj.放纵的，淫乱的 | |
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93
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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94
meditated
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| 深思，沉思，冥想( meditate的过去式和过去分词 )； 内心策划，考虑 | |
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