Roland Cashel Volume Ii Part 21

"Shylock, again!" exclaimed Tiernay, who continued to pace the room during this scene with hasty strides.

"Not so, sir," said Cashel, as h.o.a.re moved towards the door, against which Roland now placing a chair, sat down. "Out of this room you shall not stir, till I hear a distinct and clear account of the circ.u.mstances by which I find you in possession of this paper."

"You have no right, sir, to demand such an answer."

"Possibly not, legally speaking," said Cashel, whose voice became calmer and deeper as his pa.s.sion increased. "You are more conversant with law than I am, and so I take it that your opinion is correct. But I have the right which a good conscience and strong will beget, and I tell you again, you 'll not leave this room before you satisfy me, or you 'll not leave it living."

"I call you to witness, Dr. Tiernay," said h.o.a.re, whose accents trembled with fear and anger together, "that this is a case of false imprisonment,--that a threat against my life has been uttered, if I do not surrender the possession of certain papers."

"Nothing of the kind," broke in Tiernay; "there is no thought of taking anything from you by force. Mr. Roland Cashel--doubtless for good reasons of his own--has asked you a question, which you, demurring to answer, he tells you that you shall not leave the room till you do."

"And do you fancy, sir, that such conduct is legal?" cried h.o.a.re.

"I cannot say," rejoined Tiernay; "but that it is far more mild and merciful than I could have expected under the circ.u.mstances, I am perfectly ready to aver."

"May I read the paper out?" said h.o.a.re, with a malicious scowl at Cashel.

"There is no need that you should, sir," said Roland; "its contents are known to me, whom alone they concern."

"You can, I opine, have no objection that your friend, Dr. Tiernay, should hear them?"

"I repeat, sir, that with the contents of that paper neither you nor any one else has any concern; they relate to me, and to me alone."

"Then I must labor under some misapprehension," said h.o.a.re, affectedly; "I had fancied there was another person at least equally interested."

"Will you dare, sir!" said Roland; and in the thick guttural utterance there was that which made the other tremble with fear.

"If the matter be one, then," said he, rallying into his former a.s.surance, "that you deem best kept secret, it would be perhaps a judicious preliminary to any conversation on the subject, that Dr.

Tiernay should withdraw."

"I only await Mr. Cashel's pleasure," said Tiernay, moving towards the door.

"Then you will remain, sir," said Roland, firmly. "Remain, and listen to what this gentleman has so menacingly alluded. Here it is: it is the promise, given under my hand, that I will espouse the daughter of a certain Don Pedro Rica, to whom, in the date herein annexed, I have been this day betrothed; or, in forfeiture of such pledge, pay down the sum of seventy thousand dollars, thereby obtaining a full release from the conditions of the contract. It was the rash pledge of a young and thoughtless boy, with regard to one who neither accepted his affection nor acknowledged the contract. I do not say this to absolve myself from the forfeiture, which I am ready to acquit this hour; I speak of it, that, as a man of honor, I may not seem to pay a debt of feeling by a check on my banker."

"But this betrothal," said Tiernay,--"what does it imply?"

"It is a ceremony common enough in Old Spain and her once colonies, and is simply the recognition of a private promise of marriage."

"You have forgotten two circ.u.mstances, sir," said h.o.a.re, whose eyes never quitted Cashel's face.

"Which are they?"

"One is, that this contract should be either fulfilled, or the forfeit paid, within two years,--twenty-one months of which have already expired."

"True!--and the other condition?"

"That the acceptance or refusal of the forfeit is optional with Don Pedro, who may, at his pleasure, select which clause he likes,--the marriage or the penalty."

"I never acknowledged this interpretation of the doc.u.ment," said Cashel, reddening. "I know Don Pedro did, and there we were at issue. Methinks it were somewhat hard to compel a marriage distasteful to both parties, and only to suit the speculations of a ruined adventurer."

"I hope, sir, the likelihood of future relations.h.i.+p will moderate the warmth of your language."

"And is the man fool enough to fancy such a promise could be legally enforced in this country?" said Tiernay.

"He is not without the opinion of learned counsel," said h.o.a.re, "who are strongly of opinion that the interpretations Columbian law would put upon the doc.u.ment would be recognized by our own courts, and recognize the marriage as such."

"And does he, or do you, suppose," said Cashel, indignantly, "that I could expose her name, were I indifferent about my own, to be bandied about your a.s.size courts, and printed in newspapers, and made the gossip of the town for a nine days' wonder?" He stopped, for he saw by the elation of h.o.a.re's features with what triumph this avowal had been listened to. "And now, sir, enough has been said of this; I come back to my former question,--How came you by this paper?"

"I received it from Don Pedro, with whom I have had much business intercourse, and who left it in my hands a few days back."

"Then he is in this country?" said Cashel, anxiously.

h.o.a.re nodded an a.s.sent.

"Here, in Ireland! and is Mari--" He stopped suddenly, remembering to whom he was speaking; but h.o.a.re, as if eager to show an intimacy with names and events, said,--

"Yes, sir, she is also here."

Cashel became silent, his mind a very chaos of confused thought,--memories of his buccaneer life, its lawless habits, its wild companions.h.i.+p, its adventures of love and war, of play, of heroism, and of mad debauch. The villa and Maritana were before him as last he saw her at the fountain; and from these he came to his fine and lordly friends.h.i.+ps, with all their fict.i.tious warmth; and he began to fancy how would his present society--the very guests at that moment beneath his roof--receive or recognize his old a.s.sociates!

The deep pre-occupation of his look suggested to Tiernay's mind the notion that Cashel was overwhelmed by the intelligence he had just received, and drawing close to him, he said, in a whisper,--

"That fellow is watching and enjoying your confusion; put a bolder face on the matter, and we 'll see what is best to be done."

Roland started, and then, as if by an effort chasing away an unpleasant thought, he said to h.o.a.re,--

"Our first business is Mr. Corrigan's. The sum due is--"

"Three thousand seven hundred and forty."

"Will you accept my bill for this?"

"At what date, sir?" said h.o.a.re, cautiously.

"At whatever date you please; a month or a week."

"A month be it."

"Does that release Mr. Corrigan from every claim so far as your princ.i.p.al is concerned?"

"All, up to this date."

"By which, probably, you would imply, that new liabilities may begin again. Is that so?"

"I think, from the nature of Mr. Leicester's claim, such an event is not impossible."

"Never mind the threat," whispered Tiernay; "it is but a threat."