The Mysteries of Udolpho
the society of her friends might contribute, more than retirement, to
restore her to tranquillity.
When Ludovico again appeared, she desired him to give a detail of his
adventure in the north apartments, and to tell by what means he became
a companion of the banditti, with whom the Count had found him.
He immediately obeyed, while Annette, who had not yet had leisure to
ask him many questions, on the subject, prepared to listen, with a
countenance of extreme curiosity, venturing to remind her lady of her
incredulity, concerning spirits, in the castle of Udolpho, and of her
own sagacity in believing in them; while Emily, blushing at the
consciousness of her late credulity, observed, that, if Ludovico’s
adventure could justify Annette’s superstition, he had probably not
been here to relate it.
Ludovico smiled at Annette, and bowed to Emily, and then began as
follows:
“You may remember, madam, that, on the night, when I sat up in the
north chamber, my lord, the Count, and Mons. Henri accompanied me
thither, and that, while they remained there, nothing happened to
excite any alarm. When they were gone I made a fire in the bedroom,
and, not being inclined to sleep, I sat down on the hearth with a book
I had brought with me to divert my mind. I confess I did sometimes look
round the chamber, with something like apprehension—”
“O very like it, I dare say,” interrupted Annette, “and I dare say too,
if the truth was known, you shook from head to foot.”
“Not quite so bad as that,” replied Ludovico, smiling, “but several
times, as the wind whistled round the castle, and shook the old
casements, I did fancy I heard odd noises, and, once or twice, I got up
and looked about me; but nothing was to be seen, except the grim
figures in the tapestry, which seemed to frown upon me, as I looked at
them. I had sat thus for above an hour,” continued Ludovico, “when
again I thought I heard a noise, and glanced my eyes round the room, to
discover what it came from, but, not perceiving anything, I began to
read again, and, when I had finished the story I was upon, I felt
drowsy, and dropped asleep. But presently I was awakened by the noise I
had heard before, and it seemed to come from that part of the chamber,
where the bed stood; and then, whether it was the story I had been
reading that affected my spirits, or the strange reports, that had been
spread of these apartments, I don’t know, but, when I looked towards
the bed again, I fancied I saw a man’s face within the dusky curtains.”
At the mention of this, Emily trembled, and looked anxiously,
remembering the spectacle she had herself witnessed there with
Dorothée.
“I confess, madam, my heart did fail me, at that instant,” continued
Ludovico, “but a return of the noise drew my attention from the bed,
and I then distinctly heard a sound, like that of a key, turning in a
lock, but what surprised me more was, that I saw no door where the
sound seemed to come from. In the next moment, however, the arras near
the bed was slowly lifted, and a person appeared behind it, entering
from a small door in the wall. He stood for a moment as if half
retreating, with his head bending under the arras which concealed the
upper part of his face except his eyes scowling beneath the tapestry as
he held it; and then, while he raised it higher, I saw the face of
another man behind, looking over his shoulder. I know not how it was,
but, though my sword was upon the table before me, I had not the power
just then to seize it, but sat quite still, watching them, with my eyes
half shut as if I was asleep. I suppose they thought me so, and were
debating what they should do, for I heard them whisper, and they stood
in the same posture for the value of a minute, and then, I thought I
perceived other faces in the duskiness beyond the door, and heard
louder whispers.”
“This door surprises me,” said Emily, “because I understood, that the
Count had caused the arras to be lifted, and the walls examined,
suspecting, that they might have concealed a passage through which you
had departed.”
“It does not appear so extraordinary to me, madam,” replied Ludovico,
“that this door should escape notice, because it was formed in a narrow
compartment, which appeared to be part of the outward wall, and, if the
Count had not passed over it, he might have thought it was useless to
search for a door where it seemed as if no passage could communicate
with one; but the truth was, that the passage was formed within the
wall itself.—But, to return to the men, whom I saw obscurely beyond the
door, and who did not suffer me to remain long in suspense, concerning
their design. They all rushed into the room, and surrounded me, though
not before I had snatched up my sword to defend myself. But what could
one man do against four? They soon disarmed me, and, having fastened my
arms, and gagged my mouth, forced me through the private door, leaving
my sword upon the table, to assist, as they said, those who should come
in the morning to look for me, in fighting against the ghosts. They
then led me through many narrow passages, cut, as I fancied, in the
walls, for I had never seen them before, and down several flights of
steps, till we came to the vaults underneath the castle; and then
opening a stone door, which I should have taken for the wall itself, we
went through a long passage, and down other steps cut in the solid
rock, when another door delivered us into a cave. After turning and
twining about, for some time, we reached the mouth of it, and I found
myself on the sea-beach at the foot of the cliffs, with the château
above. A boat was in waiting, into which the ruffians got, forcing me
along with them, and we soon reached a small vessel, that was at
anchor, where other men appeared, when setting me aboard, two of the
fellows who had seized me, followed, and the other two rowed back to
the shore, while we set sail. I soon found out what all this meant, and
what was the business of these men at the château. We landed in
Rousillon, and, after lingering several days about the shore, some of
their comrades came down from the mountains, and carried me with them
to the fort, where I remained till my Lord so unexpectedly arrived, for
they had taken good care to prevent my running away, having blindfolded
me, during the journey, and, if they had not done this, I think I never
could have found my road to any town, through the wild country we
traversed. After I reached the fort I was watched like a prisoner, and
never suffered to go out, without two or three companions, and I became
so weary of life, that I often wished to get rid of it.”
“Well, but they let you talk,” said Annette, “they did not gagg you
after they got you away from the château, so I don’t see what reason
there was to be so very weary of living; to say nothing about the
chance you had of seeing me again.”
Ludovico smiled, and Emily also, who enquired what was the motive of
these men for carrying him off.
“I soon found out, madam,” resumed Ludovico, “that they were pirates,
who had, during many years, secreted their spoil in the vaults of the
castle, which, being so near the sea, suited their purpose well. To
prevent detection they had tried to have it believed, that the château
was haunted, and, having discovered the private way to the north
apartments, which had been shut up ever since the death of the lady
marchioness, they easily succeeded. The housekeeper and her husband,
who were the only persons, that had inhabited the castle, for some
years, were so terrified by the strange noises they heard in the
nights, that they would live there no longer; a report soon went
abroad, that it was haunted, and the whole country believed this the
more readily, I suppose, because it had been said, that the lady
marchioness had died in a strange way, and because my lord never would
return to the place afterwards.”
“But why,” said Emily, “were not these pirates contented with the
cave—why did they think it necessary to deposit their spoil in the
castle?”
“The cave, madam,” replied Ludovico, “was open to anybody, and their
treasures would not long have remained undiscovered there, but in the
vaults they were secure so long as the report prevailed of their being
haunted. Thus then, it appears, that they brought at midnight, the
spoil they took on the seas, and kept it till they had opportunities of
disposing of it to advantage. The pirates were connected with Spanish
smugglers and banditti, who live among the wilds of the Pyrenees, and
carry on various kinds of traffic, such as nobody would think of; and
with this desperate horde of banditti I remained, till my lord arrived.
I shall never forget what I felt, when I first discovered him—I almost
gave him up for lost! but I knew, that, if I showed myself, the
banditti would discover who he was, and probably murder us all, to
prevent their secret in the château being detected. I, therefore, kept
out of my lord’s sight, but had a strict watch upon the ruffians, and
determined, if they offered him or his family violence, to discover
myself, and fight for our lives. Soon after, I overheard some of them
laying a most diabolical plan for the murder and plunder of the whole
party, when I contrived to speak to some of my lord’s attendants,
telling them what was going forward, and we consulted what was best to
be done; meanwhile my lord, alarmed at the absence of the Lady Blanche,
demanded her, and the ruffians having given some unsatisfactory answer,
my lord and Mons. St. Foix became furious, so then we thought it a good
time to discover the plot, and rushing into the chamber, I called out,
‘Treachery! my lord count, defend yourself!’ His lordship and the
chevalier drew their swords directly, and a hard battle we had, but we
conquered at last, as, madam, you are already informed of by my Lord
Count.”
“This is an extraordinary adventure,” said Emily, “and much praise is
due, Ludovico, to your prudence and intrepidity. There are some
circumstances, however, concerning the north apartments, which still
perplex me; but, perhaps, you may be able to explain them. Did you ever
hear the banditti relate anything extraordinary of these rooms?”
“No, madam,” replied Ludovico, “I never heard them speak about the
rooms, except to laugh at the credulity of the old housekeeper, who
once was very near catching one of the pirates; it was since the Count
arrived at the château, he said, and he laughed heartily as he related
the trick he had played off.”
A blush overspread Emily’s cheek, and she impatiently desired Ludovico
to explain himself.
“Why, my lady,” said he, “as this fellow was, one night in the bedroom,
he heard somebody approaching through the next apartment, and not
having time to lift up the arras, and unfasten the door, he hid himself
in the bed just by. There he lay for some time in as great a fright, I
suppose—”
“As you were in,” interrupted Annette, “when you sat up so boldly to
watch by yourself.”
“Aye,” said Ludovico, “in as great a fright as he ever made anybody
else suffer; and presently the housekeeper and some other person came
up to the bed, when he, thinking they were going to examine it,
bethought him, that his only chance of escaping detection, was by
terrifying them; so he lifted up the counterpane, but that did not do,
till he raised his face above it, and then they both set off, he said,
as if they had seen the devil, and he got out of the rooms
undiscovered.”
Emily could not forbear smiling at this explanation of the deception,
which had given her so much superstitious terror, and was surprised,
that she could have suffered herself to be thus alarmed, till she
considered, that, when the mind has once begun to yield to the weakness