The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom — Complete
with a view to calm the present transports of her sorrow, than with any
expectation of seeing himself redeemed from his fate by her
interposition; such at least were his professions when he took his
leave, assuring her, that he would not quit his being before he should
have devoted a few hours to another interview with the dear object of
his love.
Having thus kindled the train, he did not doubt that the mine of his
craft would take effect, and repaired to his own lodging, in full
persuasion of seeing his aim accomplished, before the time fixed for
their last assignation. His prognostic was next morning verified by the
arrival of a messenger, who brought to him a small parcel, to which was
cemented, with sealing wax, the following epistle:—
“JEWEL OF MY SOUL!—Scarce had you, last night, quitted my disconsolate
arms, when I happily recollected that there was in my possession a gold
chain, of value more than sufficient to answer the exigence of your
present occasions. It was pledged to my grandfather for two hundred
crowns by a knight of Malta, who soon after perished in a sea
engagement with the enemies of our faith, so that it became the
property of our house, and was bequeathed to me by the old gentleman,
as a memorial of his particular affection. Upon whom can I more
properly bestow it, than him who is already master of my heart! Receive
it, therefore, from the bearer of this billet, and convert it, without
scruple, to that use which shall be most conducive to your ease and
satisfaction; nor seek, from a true romantic notion of honour, which I
know you entertain, to excuse yourself from accepting this testimony of
my affection. For I have already sworn before an image of our blessed
Lady, that I will no longer own you as the sovereign of my heart, nor
even indulge you with another interview, if you reject this mark of
tenderness and concern from your ever faithful WILHELMINA.”
The heart of our adventurer began to bound with joy when he surveyed
the contents of this letter; and his eyes sparkled with transport at
sight of the chain, which he immediately perceived to be worth twice
the sum she had mentioned. Nevertheless, he would not avail himself,
without further question, of her generosity; but, that same night,
repairing to her apartment at the usual hour of meeting, he prostrated
himself before her, and counterfeiting extreme agitation of spirit,
begged, in the most urgent terms, not even unaccompanied with tears,
that she would take back the present, which he tendered for her
acceptance, and spare him the most insufferable mortification of
thinking himself exposed to the imputation of being mercenary in his
love. Such, he said, was the delicacy of his passion, that he could not
possibly exist under the apprehension of incurring a censure so
unworthy of his sentiments; and he would a thousand times sooner
undergo the persecution of his rancorous creditor, than bear the
thought of being in the smallest consideration lessened in her esteem;
nay, so far did he carry his pretensions to punctilio, as to protest,
that, should she refuse to quiet the scruples of his honour on this
score, her unyielding beneficence would serve only to hasten the
execution of his determined purpose, to withdraw himself at once from a
life of vanity and misfortune.
The more pathetically he pleaded for her compliance, the more
strenuously did she resist his remonstrances. She advanced all the
arguments her reason, love, and terror could suggest, reminded him of
her oath, from which he could not suppose she would recede, whatever
the consequence might be; and in conclusion vowed to Heaven, with great
solemnity and devotion, that she would not survive the news of his
death. Thus the alternative she offered was either to retain the chain
and be happy in her affection, or forfeit all title to her love, and
die in the conviction of having brought his innocent mistress to an
untimely grave.
His fortitude was not proof against this last consideration. “My savage
honour,” said he, “would enable me to endure the pangs of eternal
separation in the confidence of being endowed with the power of ending
these tortures by the energy of my own hand; but the prospect of
Wilhelmina’s death, and that too occasioned by my inflexibility,
disarms my soul of all her resolution, swallows up the dictates of my
jealous pride, and fills my bosom with such a gush of tenderness and
sorrow, as overwhelms the whole economy of my purpose! Yes, enchanting
creature! I sacrifice my glory to that irresistible reflection; and,
rather than know myself the cruel instrument of robbing the world of
such perfection, consent to retain the fatal testimony of your love.”
So saying, he pocketed the chain, with an air of ineffable
mortification, and was rewarded for his compliance with the most
endearing caresses of his Dulcinea, who, amidst the tumults of her joy,
ejaculated a thousand acknowledgments to Heaven for having blessed her
with the affection of such a man, whose honour was unrivalled by
anything but his love.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
HIS SUCCESS BEGETS A BLIND SECURITY, BY WHICH HE IS ONCE AGAIN
WELL-NIGH ENTRAPPED IN HIS DULCINEA’S APARTMENT.
In this manner did the crafty Fathom turn to account those ingratiating
qualifications he inherited from nature, and maintain, with incredible
assiduity and circumspection, an amorous correspondence with two
domestic rivals, who watched the conduct of each other with the most
indefatigable virulence of envious suspicion, until an accident
happened, which had well-nigh overturned the bark of his policy, and
induced him to alter the course, that he might not be shipwrecked on
the rocks that began to multiply in the prosecution of his present
voyage.
The jeweller, who, as a German, wanted neither pride nor ostentation,
never failed to celebrate the anniversary of his birth by an annual
feast granted to his neighbours and friends; and on these occasions was
accustomed to wear that chain which, though bequeathed to his daughter,
he considered as an ornament appertaining to the family, whereof he
himself was head. Accordingly, when the time of this festival revolved,
he, as usual, ordered Wilhelmina to surrender it for the day. This
injunction, the reader will perceive, our young lady was in no
condition to obey; she had, however, foreseen the demand, and contrived
a scheme of behaviour for the occasion, which she forthwith put in
execution.
With an air of uncommon cheerfulness, purposely assumed, she retired to
her closet, on pretence of complying with his desire, and, having
employed a few minutes in rummaging her drawers and disordering her
moveables, uttered a loud shriek, that brought her father instantly
into the apartment, where he found his daughter tossing about her
clothes and trinkets with violent demonstrations of disorder and
affright, and heard her, in a lamentable strain, declare that she was
robbed of her chain, and for ever undone. This was so far from being an
agreeable intimation to the jeweller, that he was struck dumb with
astonishment and vexation, and it was not till after a long pause that
he pronounced the word Sacrament! with an emphasis denoting the most
mortifying surprise.
Soon as that exclamation escaped from his lips, he flew to the
escritoire as if instinctively, and, joining Wilhelmina in her
occupation, tumbled its whole contents upon the floor in a trice.
While he was thus employed, in the most expressive silence, the wife of
his bosom chanced to pass that way, and seeing them both occupied with
such violence and trepidation, believed at first that they were
certainly actuated by the spirit of frenzy; but, when she interposed,
by asking, with great earnestness, the cause of such transports and
distracted behaviour, and heard her husband reply, with an accent of
despair, “The chain! the chain of my forefathers is no more!” she
immediately justified his emotion, by undergoing the same alarm, and,
without further hesitation, engaged herself in the search, beginning
with a song, which might be compared to the hymn of battle among the
Greeks, or rather more aptly to that which the Spartan females sung
round the altar of Diana, surnamed Orthian; for it was attended with
strange gesticulations, and, in the course of utterance, became so loud
and shrill, that the guests, who were by this time partly assembled,
being confounded at the clamour, rushed towards the place from whence
it seemed to proceed, and found their landlord, with his wife and
daughter, in the attitudes of distraction and despair.
When they understood the nature of the case, they condoled the family
on their misfortune, and would have retired, on the supposition that it
would defeat the mirthful intent of their meeting; but the jeweller,
mustering up his whole temper and hospitality, entreated them to excuse
his disorder, and favour him with their company, which, he observed,
was now more than ever wanted, to dispel the melancholy ideas inspired
by his loss. Notwithstanding this apology, and the efforts he made in
the sequel to entertain his friends with jollity and good-humour, his
heart was so linked to the chain, that he could not detach himself from
the thoughts of it, which invaded him at short intervals in such qualms
as effectually spoiled his appetite, and hindered his digestion.
He revolved within himself the circumstances of his disaster, and, in
canvassing all the probable means by which the chain would be stolen,
concluded that the deed must have been done by some person in the
family, who, in consequence of having access to his daughter’s chamber,
had either found the drawer left open by her carelessness and neglect,
or found means to obtain a false key, by some waxen impression; for the
locks of the escritoire were safe and uninjured. His suspicion being
thus confined within his own house, sometimes pitched upon his workmen,
and sometimes upon his wife, who, he thought, was the more likely to
practise such finesse, as she considered Wilhelmina in the light of a
daughter-in-law, whose interest interfered with her own, and who had
often harangued to him in private on the folly of leaving this very
chain in the young lady’s possession.
The more he considered this subject, he thought he saw the more reason
to attribute the damage he had sustained to the machinations of his
spouse, who, he did not doubt, was disposed to feather her own nest, at
the expense of him and his heirs, and who, with the same honest
intention, had already secreted, for her private use, those
inconsiderable jewels which of late had at different times been
missing. Aroused by these sentiments, he resolved to retaliate her own
schemes, by contriving means to visit her cabinet in secret, and, if
possible, to rob the robber of the spoils she had gathered to his
prejudice, without coming to any explanation, which might end in
domestic turmoils and eternal disquiet.
While the husband exercised his reflection in this manner, his innocent
mate did not allow the powers of her imagination to rest in idleness
and sloth. Her observations touching the loss of the chain were such as
a suspicious woman, biassed by hatred and envy, would naturally make.
To her it seemed highly improbable, that a thing of such value, so
carefully deposited, should vanish without the connivance of its
keeper, and without much expense of conjecture, divined the true manner
in which it was conveyed. The sole difficulty that occurred in the
researches of her sagacity, was to know the gallant who had been
favoured with such a pledge of Wilhelmina’s affection; for, as the
reader will easily imagine, she never dreamed of viewing Ferdinand in
that odious perspective. In order to satisfy her curiosity, discover