The Eve of All-Hallows Volume Ii Part 9

The d.u.c.h.ess again beheld her early friends, once more she partook of their juvenile pastimes. Time advances--her courts.h.i.+p with the duke proceeds--her consent to the marriage given--the wedding takes place--the birth of Adelaide--the duke's increased favour with his sovereign--his several appointments--his promotion--the introduction of the d.u.c.h.ess at court--the duke presented with the order of the garter, and appointed viceroy of Ireland--the scenes attendant thereon--Adelaide the admiration of every eye, and the praise of every tongue. All these events, conjured up by deceptive vision, pa.s.sed in rapid succession, seen through the _camera obscura_ of the past. Now floats before her tortured fancy the obverse of the medal:--The battle of the Boyne is fought and lost--King James is forced to make a precipitate flight--the Duke of Tyrconnel accompanies his deposed sovereign--the duke is outlawed by King William, who pa.s.ses an act of attainder against him--the d.u.c.h.ess is compelled to depart from Ireland--Adelaide accompanies her mother in her voyage. The dream continues:--The d.u.c.h.ess much perturbed--at sea they encounter a violent storm--she and Adelaide are about to perish in a watery grave. The d.u.c.h.ess moans, and becomes deeply depressed, which awakened Adelaide, who arose, and gently opening the shutter, the rays of a summer sun glanced in at the cas.e.m.e.nt. Then putting on her attire with great caution and silence Adelaide seated herself by her mother's side. The d.u.c.h.ess greatly disturbed in her sleep, with a deep moan and restless motion turned around in the bed; in doing so her arm fell next Adelaide; who gently, but affectionately, kissed her mother's hand, and while in the act the d.u.c.h.ess awoke.

"Oh! _this_, at least, is no vision to mock my misery!--I am awake--_this_ is no dream! Oh, my dear, dear Adelaide!--my darling child is it you?"

The d.u.c.h.ess sat up in her bed, and warmly embracing Adelaide, while the fond, maternal tear moistened as it fell upon her daughter's cheek, she said:--"May heaven ever bless and protect thee, my dear and duteous daughter, and its gracious mercy be always thine! for thou hast ever been dutiful to thy parents, and obedient to thy Creator!"

The d.u.c.h.ess now arose, and as neither her Grace nor Adelaide expended any unnecessary waste of time at their toilette, they were soon at their post at the breakfast table. Sir Patricius rung, and desired the waiter to place a Malines ham and a bottle of Louvain beer on the side-table, both of which he declared were excellent in their kind; some of the ladies tasted the ham, but the Louvain beer remained untasted except by the provident Baronet himself, who smacked his lips, and observed that it was pa.s.sing good; and then noticed that there were three kinds of it, that which lay upon the table was of the weakest sort; the next was called Caniac, which was to be met with at the tables of the n.o.blesse and the wealthier bourgeois; the strongest kind is called Peterman, which, he observed, was sold at the coffee-houses in the evening; and in such repute is Louvain beer held, he said, that annually one hundred and fifty thousand tuns are brewed for exportation; "but for my poor part,"

next continued Sir Patricius, (filling out a second gla.s.s,) "I have slight objection to quaff it at the fountain head!--"_Satius est petere fontes, quam sectari rivulos._"--Ha, ha, ha!

Breakfast having terminated, and the practical panegyric of Sir Patricius on Louvain beer and Malines ham being duly exemplified and concluded, the d.u.c.h.ess sallied forth in search of a furnished house, which her Grace intended to engage for a term not less than that of a year. Three or four houses were inspected, but they were found not to answer; one was too small to accommodate the family, another was indifferently furnished, a third was objected to from its unpleasantness of situation; a fourth was examined, which was agreeably situated in the Rue Ducale, opposite to the park; this seemed to promise well, Sir Patricius rang the hall bell, and a tall, meagre figure, in a rich flowered silk robe _de chambre_, and his head enveloped in a red night-cap, opened the door; it was Monsieur Pa.s.semier, the proprietor of the house, who grinned and bowed most obsequiously; he was about sixty-five years of age, but seemed in spirits, and also in activity, to enjoy all the vigour of youth. He now proceeded to show the house: the hall, or vestibule, was s.p.a.cious, and very handsomely ornamented with marble tables, bronze busts on brackets, and a statue of white marble of the G.o.d of silence. The garden, which adjoined the hall, was very tastefully laid out; a corridore of trellis work, entwined with parasite plants, led from the hall to the garden, where several walks, arched above, formed pleasant arbours, through and around which the cl.u.s.tering vines had entwined themselves, and now displayed their luxuriant bunches of red and white grapes.

The d.u.c.h.ess ascended to the drawing-rooms, which were hung with rich Brussels' tapestry, and hangings of Arras; the subjects represented were woven from designs of Teniers, Snyders, and Rubens; the different compartments represented village fairs, rural merry-makings, and boar hunts.

The sofas, or settees rather we should say, the rude, gothic predecessors of the present modern sofa, were extremely long and extremely low, and yet withal of an enormous size; they were covered with blue velvet, and fringed with gold lace; the chairs, which corresponded, were on castors, and were of that formidable s.p.a.ce and magnitude to have afforded seats to the two redoubtable city giants of Guild-Hall, Messieurs Gog and Magog, who, if hither transported, might have held thereon a seeming _tete-a-tete_, without any diminution or disparagement of their gravity and greatness.

Monsieur Pa.s.semier, (for to the lank gentleman in the red night-cap the said mansion appertained,) ever and anon was restlessly employed in raising or lowering the red cap on his forehead, and with continued and extravagant grin, grimace, and gesticulation, became exceedingly loquacious, his teeth chattering most monkey-like. He dwelt much on the commodiousness of his house, the fine view of the park which it commanded, the fas.h.i.+onableness of the situation, the salubrity of the air, the convenience of his _jardin orne_; and rung various changes on the fine furniture of his mansion, so superior, he insisted, to _les miserables meubles garnis_ of Paris; he once indeed (_malheureux!_) had, in an evil hour, let lodgings, but he would never do so again--_jamais!_ He once, _pardie_, had set these apartments (_en haut_) to Monsieur Le Compte d'Egmont and Madame la Comptesse, _et quatres pet.i.tes diables des enfants_; the lower (_en bas_) apartments were set to le bon Eveque de Bruges. But, _une jour_, Le Compte et Madam la Comptesse were abroad _pour faire visite_, when _les quatres pet.i.tes diables des enfants_ made, _mon Dieu!_ such a _grand boulevers.e.m.e.nt_, you never did hear--no persone did ever see de like.

Here Monsieur Pa.s.semier acted to the life _encore le tres grande boulevers.e.m.e.nt_, flinging down, with great force, fire, fury, and energy, stool, tripod, candelabra, chairs, &c., and scattering around the broken fragments of marble tables. He then, with the agility of a Shamois goat, bounded from stool to chair and settee, indeed he seemed as if recently escaped from Bedlam; he jumped, he stamped, he danced, he laughed, he chattered, racing round the room, jumping on chairs and settees, and violently stamping and kicking thereon, and by practical ill.u.s.trations demonstrating how _les quatres pet.i.tes diables des enfants d'Egmont_ had accomplished _cet horrible boulevers.e.m.e.nt_! and all dat in defiance of _le pet.i.te dieu de silence, dans le grande vestibule_, who, _avec le main droite_, to his lip does (_tout le gentilhomme_) impose silence, and _avec le main gauche_, does vid _beaucoup de politesse_ point de way _en haut! pour vous montez. Le bon Eveque de Bruges_ left me _au desespoir! pauvre homme, car, malheureux_,

_Il ne pouvoit pas_, _ni lire_, _ni dire_, _ni rire_, _ni prier_, _ni ecrire_,

_et mon Dieu! quelle horrible, il ne pouvoit pas dormire!_

The d.u.c.h.ess came in for more of the _boulevers.e.m.e.nt_ than her Grace had calculated upon; and having concluded her bargain, hastened to depart before the lank landlord in the red night-cap could, by possibility, be seized with another fit of _la malade du boulevers.e.m.e.nt_.

Sir Patricius was extremely diverted with the eccentricities of this original, and declared that the Monsieur was wondrous comical--most amusingly facetious.

The d.u.c.h.ess and Lady Adelaide, &c. drove through the squares and princ.i.p.al streets of Brussels, they visited the park l'Alle Verte, &c.; and then drove to Soignies Forest: Adelaide was highly delighted, and with much liveliness and enthusiasm, she said:--"Fair Brussels! renowned in days of ancient chivalry, aye, full many a joust, tilt, and tournament, hast thou witnessed within thine princely walls, when kings and mighty paladines sought valour's prize and beauty's smile, while trumpets brayed the victor's fame, and damsels gave the guerdon to the brave! Nor, Soignies, ever be thy dark forest forgot, here many a chase has re-echoed throughout thy woodland waste, led on by prince and peer, what time the savage boar of the forest, roused from his lair, started forth on the hunter's path, and sunk beneath his valiant spear, while blithely the bugle reckless rung his requiem!"

"My dear daughter, you are the child of romance, and you should have been born in the days of chivalry, for our own days are too tame and common-place for thee withal!"

"I do commend, my lady d.u.c.h.ess," said Sir Patricius, "the enthusiasm of the Lady Adelaide; and I must take occasion to observe, that although there is much liveliness, there is likewise much historical truth in the young lady's remarks. _Certes_ Brussels is a fine city; in many respects it may vie with Paris. Look at the park, at the promenades, the palaces, the mansions, churches, fountains, &c.; and I will be bold to say that in healthfulness of its climate, the beauty of its local situation, the s.p.a.ciousness of its streets, the abundance and cheapness of its provisions, that at this period Brussels is probably second to no city in Europe. It is proverbial for the luxuriance of its fruits and vegetables.--And now, my Lady d.u.c.h.ess, I do remember me that Anne of Cleves, the consort of King Henry VIII. of England, whom he somewhat ungallantly called a Flanders mare"----

"It was indeed," observed the d.u.c.h.ess, "not only an uncourtly, but it was an unkinglike phrase!"

"I was about to observe, my Lady d.u.c.h.ess, that Anne of Cleves used frequently to send to the _Pays Bas_ for a sallad! and I dare be sworn, my lady, that if her Majesty had only known what a luxurious fruit Flemish cherries and strawberries were, which latter they call here _fraises l'Anglaises_, and in size are as large as the largest walnut, and their exquisite flavour quite unparalleled--no doubt, I think, but that the queen would have despatched a special messenger to procure a dessert of those delicious fruits of Flanders, provided they would have borne the carriage. Ay, though even her royal head were to pay the forfeit I' faith!--ha, ha, ha!"

"To lose one's head were rather an unseemly joke for a bunch of Flemish fruit; besides, methinks it were rather too dear a purchase even in the decapitating days of bluff Harry Tudor!" observed Lady Adelaide.

"Commend me the spirit," said her Grace, "of the d.u.c.h.ess of Milan, who, when Henry had sent an amba.s.sador demanding her hand in marriage, she boldly desired the amba.s.sador to tell his master that she must decline the honour which his Majesty had so graciously intended, as she had but one head: if she had had two indeed, one of them should certainly be at the disposal of his Majesty of England!"

"Ha, ha, ha,--'fore Jupiter," exclaimed Sir Patricius, "her Highness was as witty as she was spirited!--Ha, ha, ha."

The d.u.c.h.ess now deemed it full time for her Grace to send a despatch to the palace of d'Aremberg, addressed to her old friend,--her once youthful, lovely friend--the kind a.s.sociate of her early years, the d.u.c.h.ess d'Aremberg, notifying her arrival at Brussels, and likewise, meanwhile, expressing the cogent reasons which had rendered such a step necessary, if not imperative; at the same time also intimating her intention of calling upon the following day at an early hour specified, to pay her demonstrations of love, regard, and respect.

Accordingly, upon the following day, and at the appointed time, the d.u.c.h.ess, accompanied solely by Lady Adelaide, waited upon her Grace d'Aremberg at the ducal palace.

Our readers no doubt possibly may recollect the relations.h.i.+p in which the d.u.c.h.ess d'Aremberg stood to the Lady Adelaide, that her Grace was Lady Adelaide's _marraine_, or G.o.dmother. They too may perchance recollect the princely baptismal presents given on the august occasion, and long since narrated in our story, all of which have been duly detailed in the second chapter of the first volume of this romance.

The meeting was of the tenderest and most affecting description. The d.u.c.h.ess d'Aremberg had been for some years a widow, but she was not childless, she had an only son, the present Duke d'Aremberg. Her sight was much impaired, being obliged to wear spectacles; but notwithstanding this, her countenance still bore striking traits that she had once been beautiful. Her const.i.tution had been so much impaired by ill-health, caused by paralysis, and not by years, that her Grace had nearly lost the powers of locomotion: she moved on crutches. But still her brilliant eye beamed forth intelligence; and still warm and true to all its fires, her generous and expanded heart was alive to every social tie, to every n.o.ble impulse, and every endearing feeling. While, meantime, every object around bore strong indications of mortality; in one station was placed her once favourite paroquet, that had gaily talked in its cage, and had each successive morning duly greeted its mistress's approach.--There now it stood a stiff and motionless mummy, a mere mockery of what it once had been! The cherished and favourite lapdog too had undergone a similar transformation, and starchly stuffed, and studded with its glaring eye-b.a.l.l.s, unspeculatingly stared from its gla.s.sy cabinet.

The d.u.c.h.ess of Tyrconnel warmly embraced with tender and intense affection her old, her once young, her still kind-hearted friend, while their tears, united, trickled down in comminglement on the cheeks of each beloved friend; while Adelaide, whose heart was ever responsive to every impulse of affection or affliction, wept a flood of tears. This transport of joy and tears having pa.s.sed the d.u.c.h.ess d'Aremberg strongly pressed, with the kindest and most affectionate solicitation, that her early friend and her G.o.ddaughter should, during their sojourn at Brussels, make the palace d'Aremberg their home, where they would be as free from restraint as if the residence were their own. But the d.u.c.h.ess of Tyrconnel declined in terms of the deepest grat.i.tude, at the same time in the tone of firm determination. Her Grace said that they should be often together, and that every day, if possible, during her stay, accompanied by Adelaide, they would have the pleasure of pa.s.sing a large portion of their time with the d.u.c.h.ess d'Aremberg.

Upon being made acquainted that the d.u.c.h.ess had taken a house in the _Rue Ducale_, and that the Ladies Let.i.tia and Lucy, and Sir Patricius Placebo, had accompanied her in her journey, matters were so far compromised by an invitation being made and accepted of, that on that same day the entire party should dine within the hospitable walls of the palace d'Aremberg.

While the two old friends were in deep converse the young Duke d'Aremberg entered the apartment, and was formally introduced by his amiable mother to the d.u.c.h.ess of Tyrconnel and to Lady Adelaide.

The Duke d'Aremberg was a few years elder than our heroine. He was remarkably handsome, tall in person, and martial in appearance, well made, and much admired for the symmetry of his form. His deportment was dignified and graceful, as free from _hauteur_ as it was devoid of conceit and affectation. His eye-brows were dark, his eyes hazel, which sparkled with intelligence. His complexion was, however, rather saturnine; and in person as well as in visage, he much resembled the portrait of his ill.u.s.trious grandfather, which hung in the d'Aremberg palace, as drawn by the inimitable hand of Vand.y.k.e, of which a fine engraving by Earlom has been handed down to posterity. The same characteristic melancholy too which had predominated in the expression of countenance in his grandsire prevailed likewise in the lineaments of the grandson; but withal mildness and intelligence of expression gave an intense tone of interest to the manly and open expression of his visage, which was in sooth the index of his truly n.o.ble heart. He was generous, he was brave, and accomplished as he was learned: hence it is unnecessary to say that he was most agreeable and affable in his manners. He was truly beloved by all his dependants, as he was courted by his a.s.sociates, and respected and adored by his friends.

The d.u.c.h.ess and Lady Adelaide remained about two hours at the palace d'Aremberg, and then returned to their house in the _Rue Ducale_ to attire for dinner. At a few moments before three o'clock punctually they returned to the palace. Two, or even so early as one o'clock, was then the usual hour of dinner upon the continent; but in compliment to her friends it was postponed until the third hour. The Earl of Aylesbury and his countess, who was his second wife, and his son, Lord Eyrecourt, were the only guests invited, and they had first arrived.

We must here trespa.s.s a few words on our reader, briefly to say what he may perchance not be already acquainted with. The n.o.ble peer here noticed was Thomas, the second Earl of Aylesbury. He had rallied around King James upon the event of the Prince of Orange having embarked troops for England. But when King James withdrew himself from Whitehall, in order to embark for France, Lord Aylesbury was one of the twenty-five peers who signed the declaration applying to the Prince of Orange to rescue the country from "popery and slavery." He subsequently, however, took a different part, having been implicated or accused in an attempt to restore the abdicated monarch to his throne and realm, in consequence of which accusation his Lords.h.i.+p was committed a prisoner to the tower of London by order of Queen Mary, the consort of William III., at the time that William was in Ireland. The charge or accusation was for having consulted and conspired how to restore King James. His countess, the Lady Elizabeth, was so afflicted at her lord's confinement, that she died in childbirth, when the month following her husband, the Earl, was admitted to bail.

His Lords.h.i.+p afterwards obtained leave of King William to reside at Brussels; and a year or two previous to this period he secondly married Charlotte, Countess of Sannu, of the ancient and n.o.ble house of Argenteau, in the Duchy of Brabant, by whom he had a daughter, Charlotte Maria,[32] an infant at this time of about twelve months old.

[32] Lady Charlotte Maria Bruce was married to the Prince of Houre, one of the princes of the empire, by whom she had a large progeny.

The Earl of Aylesbury[33] was a n.o.bleman _de La Vieille cour_ of the most polished manners. Every thing he said or did was done with a peculiar grace and ease. He had read much, and remembered with judicious advantage what he had read. He abounded in amusing anecdotes, had seen much of the world, and had read men as well as books.

[33] One of the handsomest fountains in Brussels, which stands in _le grand Sablon_, was erected by the munificence of the above-mentioned Earl of Aylesbury. Its appearance is that of a Sarcophagus, ascended by three steps; the water flows from a brazen head, surmounted by the arms and coronet, into a marble bason beneath. It is surmounted by a figure of Minerva, bearing a medallion containing the busts of Lord Aylesbury and his countess, with three figures, one supporting the medallion, one as a river G.o.d, and the third blowing the trumpet of fame. The following is the inscription:--"_Cette fontaine a ete construite par les liberalites du Comte d'Aylesbury, pair de la Grande Bretagne, et reconnoissance du long et agreable sejour qu'il a fit dans cette ville_," &c. The figures are executed by Jacques Berge, a celebrated sculptor.

However, it cannot be denied that he was at times stately in his deportment; and he never appeared at his own dinner-table, even when none were present but his own family, unless in a full court-dress costume, with the appendices of star and ribbon, which made many to suspect that a deep affection for aristocracy was rooted in his breast.

The countess was low in stature as she was in mind. Her figure, however, though small, was pa.s.sing well; her complexion sallow; her eyes dark and lively. She possessed more envy than good-nature, more pa.s.sion than sense, and more pertness than pride. Her chief, and probably only recommendations, were the ancient n.o.bility of her family and the largeness of her fortune, two qualifications that rarely, if ever, bestow happiness upon the marriage state.

Lord Eyrecourt was the only surviving offspring of the deceased countess, and heir apparent to the earldom of Aylesbury. He was confessedly a finished _pet.i.te maitre_--the daily slave of his barber, perfumer, tailor, and looking-gla.s.s. To Monsieur Jasmin, his perfumer, in the _Rue Madelaine_, he had lately paid the enormous sum of six hundred ducats, being his bill for the last year for lotions, perfumes, cosmetics, &c.

His Lords.h.i.+p never appeared abroad until close upon the hour of dinner, "for," he averred, "it would be vastly supersingular, and besides extremely vulgar in him, to be seen abroad before the sun had fully mounted the meridian, and the world had become well warmed!"

Lord Eyrecourt was, in verity, a strange and singular model of a man, and, to use his own favourite expression--"Odds my life, my person and accomplishments are supersingular, and not to be matched!" His Lords.h.i.+p was in height about five feet five, with brawny shoulders and arms, a bronzed visage, that seemed resolved to outstare the world in confidence; his cheeks were meantime of that roseate hue that the scandalous chronicle of the times reported that they fully owed their blooming radiance to the cosmetics of Monsieur Jasmin. His neck was short, and bull-modelled; and this self-supposed Adonis finished his form by thighs and legs of elephantine shape and form. In London he had obtained the _soubriquet_, or nick-name, of "The Pocket Hercules," which t.i.tle followed him to Brussels. "_Voila, mi Lor Hercule, de la poche!--bah! ha, ha!_" has been often repeated within his Lords.h.i.+p's hearing.

When this _great_ man in his own eyes, did condescend to speak, he lisped most miraculously; and his whole mien and manner were in complete variance with nature and simplicity.

It was marvellous strange, but true, that this misshapen model of mortality in his own eyes really fancied himself the handsomest man of the day, whether in England, France, or Belgium, the true and most redoubtable Antinous of the age! and he fondly fancied that every dame who set eye upon his irresistible charms, immediately became irretrievably enamoured! so prepossessing and fascinating did he behold himself reflected in the mirror of egotism and vanity. His lords.h.i.+p was peculiarly fond of repeating this, his much favourite pa.s.sage, from Ma.s.singer:

"I re-refine the court, and civilize Their barbarous natures. I have in a table, With curious punctuality set down, To a hair's breadth, how low a new stamped courtier May vail[34] to a country gentleman, and by Gradation, to his merchant, mercer, draper, &c."

[34] "May vail," that is, "May bow."

The dinner at the palace d'Aremberg was magnificent, and pa.s.sed off with a good deal of good-humour, and some laughter at the expense of Lord Eyrecourt. The Lady Adelaide this day made a double conquest,--of the Duke d'Aremberg, who became deeply captivated with her beauty and accomplishments; and of Lord Eyrecourt, who declared that it was vastly supersingular that at last the barb of Cupid rankled in his bosom, and that he was in a fair way of being caught in the toils of matrimony!

The ensuing morning, at an early hour, Lord Eyrecourt presented himself in the _Rue Ducale_, where the love-struck Lord loud and l.u.s.tily rang at the door of the palace of Tyrconnel. The d.u.c.h.ess happened at the time to be looking out from the front window, and observed to Lady Adelaide, "See, my love, who now approaches this mansion; I foresaw, my dear daughter, all this, and that during his presence the last evening, that you had made a deep and firm impression, aye, and conquest to boot, of this self-sick Adonis. So I pray that you see him, and hearken to his most precious proposals, for such you will find to be the object of this his matutinal visit; which said intended proposals I know to a certainty thou wilt reject. Hence I entertain no apprehensions whatever, sweet daughter of mine, in this perilous _rencontre_," said the d.u.c.h.ess, smiling; "for I well know that all his matrimonial propositions thou wilt firmly reject. I shall just in due and stately form receive him, and then retire to my cabinet, whence I can with facility overhear all the ridiculous rhapsodical speeches of this painted popinjay. Do you, notwithstanding, my dear daughter, hear him with a sufficient sum of due patience, meet respect, and with all becoming attention and grat.i.tude; for any man offering his hand to a fair lady is ent.i.tled, by all the rules and achievements of the courts of chivalry, love, and courtesy, to a meet and becoming audience. But be brief as thou canst; and the sooner that with due distant and becoming politeness, he were despatched it were all so much the better, and then we shall fully have an end to all his _fariboles mal appliques_."

"Fear not," said the Lady Adelaide, "my dearest mother, my fullest obedience."

Here another loud and l.u.s.ty pull at the hall-bell announced an arrival, when almost immediately Lord Eyrecourt was announced, and ushered in by the footman in waiting. His Lords.h.i.+p, with much grimace, and a smirking visage withal, made two low bows on his _entre_, and advanced with a gait which was a halting attempt between a _cha.s.se_ and a _pirouette_.

But although this was all self sufficiently done, it was truly and practically the tramp and gait of an elephant, if indeed we could for a moment suppose that mighty creature could stalk on his hind legs; but in other respects "the half-reasoning" quadruped of Africa was every way the superior of the animal who now made his approach.

"Good-morrow to your Grace," lisped forth this conceited popinjay.