Chapter XX: Act I (2)

“‘Then you do not understand! You think this duel will end every thing? You deceive yourself! A family history like mine does not terminate with a duel. Have you read those tragedies where everybody is killed?--where not a single one of the _dramatis personae_ escapes? Well, this is going to be a drama of that exact description. Do you wish to save that woman, yonder? To do so, you must kill _me_. I tell you that to warn you to do your best, sir!’

“Mortimer glared at me. It is hard to imagine a glance more sinister.

“‘So you have arranged the whole affair?’ he said; ‘there is to be a wholesale killing.’

“‘Yes.’

“‘You are going to kill--_her_?’

“‘Yes.’

“‘Yourself, too?’

“‘Yes.’

“Mortimer’s smile became more sinister, as he raised his foil.

“‘Take your position, sir,’ he said; ‘I am going to save you the latter trouble.’

“I grasped my weapon, and placed myself on guard.

“In an instant he had thrown himself upon me with a fury which indicated the profound passion under his assumed coolness. His eyes blazed; his lips writhed into something like a deadly grin; I felt that I had to contend rather with a wild animal than a man. The grave yawned in the moonlight at our very feet, and Mortimer closed in, with fury, endeavoring to force me to its brink, and hurl me into it.

“Ten minutes afterward the combat was over; and it was Mortimer who occupied the grave.

“He had given ground an instant, to breathe; had returned to the attack more furiously than before; a tremendous blow of his weapon snapped my own, eighteen inches from the hilt; but this had probably saved my life instead of destroying it, as Mortimer, from his fierce exclamation as the blade broke, evidently expected.

“Before he could take advantage of his success, I sprang at his throat, grasped his sword-arm with my left hand, and, shortening my stump of a weapon, drove the point through his breast.

“He uttered a cry, staggered, and threw up his hands; I released my clutch on his arm; and he fell heavily backward into the grave.

“‘Now to end all,’ I said, and I set out rapidly for Fonthill.”

XXV.

GOING TO REJOIN MORTIMER.

“I had not gone a hundred yards, when I heard the sound of wheels approaching.

“I had said to myself, ‘I am going back to madam; she will hear my footsteps upon the staircase; will open the door; will rush forward to embrace me, under the impression that I am her dear Mortimer, returning triumphant from the field of battle; and then a grand tableau!’ Things were destined to turn out differently, as you will see in an instant.

“The sound of wheels grew louder; a carriage appeared; and I recognized my own chariot.

“‘Why have you disobeyed my orders?’ I said to the old gray-haired driver, arresting the horses as I spoke, by violently grasping the bridles.

“The old coachman looked frightened. Then he said, in an agitated voice:--

“‘Madam ordered me to obey her, sir.’

“‘Madam?’

“‘Yes, sir.’

“‘Where is she?’

“‘In the carriage, sir. As soon as I got back, she came down to the door--ordered me to drive her to _you_--and I was obliged to do so, sir.’

“‘Good,’ I said, ‘you have done well.’

And opening the door of the carriage, through the glass of which I saw the pale face of the woman, I entered it, directing the coachman to drive to the ‘Hicksford Crossing.’

A hoarse, but defiant voice at my side said:--

“‘Where is Mr. Mortimer?’

“‘Gone over the river,’ I said, laughing, ‘and we are going, too.’

“‘To rejoin him?’

“‘Yes, madam.’

“The carriage had rolled on, and as it passed the grave I heard a groan.

“‘What is that?’ said she.

“‘The river is groaning over yonder, madam.’

“‘You will not attempt to pass it to-night?’

“‘Yes, madam. Are you afraid?’

“She looked at me with fiery eyes.

“‘Afraid? No!’ she said, ‘I am afraid of nothing!’

“I really admired her at that moment. She was truly brave. I said nothing, however. The carriage rolled on, and ten minutes afterward the roar of the river, now near at hand, was heard. That sound mingled with the deep bellowing of the thunder, which succeeded the dazzling flashes at every instant dividing the darkness.

“All at once my companion said:--

“‘I am tired of this--where is Mr. Mortimer?’

“‘He awaits us,’ I replied.

“‘You are going to him?’

“‘Yes.’

“We had reached the bank of the river, and, stopping the carriage, I sprung out. Madam followed me, without being invited. A small boat rose and fell on the swollen current. I detached the chain, seized a paddle, and pointed to the stern seat.

“‘The river is dangerous to-night,’ said madam, coldly.

“‘Then you are afraid, after all?’

“‘No!’ she said.

“And with a firm step she entered the boat.

“‘Go back with the carriage,’ I said to the driver. He turned the heads of the horses, and obeyed in silence.

“Madam had taken her seat in the stern of the boat. I pushed from shore into the current, and paddling rapidly to the middle of the foaming torrent, filled with drift-wood, threw the paddle overboard, and took my seat in the stern.

“As I threw away the paddle, my resolution seemed to dawn for the first time upon my companion. She had become deadly pale, but said nothing. With folded arms, I looked and listened; we were nearing a narrow and rock-studded point in the river, where there was no hope.

“The frail boat was going to be overturned there, or dashed to pieces without mercy. I knew the spot--knew that there was no hope. The torrent was roaring and driving the boat like a leaf toward the jagged and fatal rocks.

“‘Then you are going to kill me and yourself at the same time!’ she said.

“The woman was fearless.

“‘Yes,’ I said, ‘it is the only way. I could not live dishonored--you dishonored me--I die--and die with you!’

“And I rose erect, baring my forehead to the lightning.

“The point was reached. The boat swept on with the speed of a racehorse. A dazzling flash showed a dark object amid the foam, right ahead of us. The boat rushed toward it--the jagged teeth seemed grinning at us--the boat struck--and the next moment I felt the torrent sweep over me, roaring furious and sombre, like a wild beast that has caught its prey.”

XXVI.

AFTERWARD.

“When I opened my eyes, the sun was shining in my face.

“I was lying on a mass of drift-wood, caught by a ledge of rock, jutting out into the river. I had apparently been hurled there, by the force of the current, stunned and bruised; the sunshine had aroused me, bringing me back to that life which was a burden and a mockery.

“And where was _she_? I shuddered as I asked myself that question. Had she been thrown from the boat? Had it been overturned? Was she drowned? I closed my eyes with a shudder which traversed my body, chilling my blood as with the cold hand of death.

“For a moment I thought of throwing myself into the river, and thus ending all my woes. But I was too cowardly.

“I turned toward the shore, groaning; dragged my bruised and aching limbs along the ledge of jagged rocks, through the masses of drift-wood; and finally reached the shore, where I sank down exhausted, and ready to die.

“I will not lengthen out the gloomy picture. At last I rose, looked around, and with bent head and cowering frame, stole away through the woods toward Fonthill. On my way, I passed within two hundred yards of _the grave_--but I dared not go thither. He was dead, doubtless--and he had been slain in fair combat! It was another form that haunted me--the form of a woman--one who had dishonored me--attempted to poison me--a terrible being--but still a woman; and I had--murdered her!

“I reached home an hour or two afterward. Nighthawk was sitting in the library, pale, and haggard, watching for me.

“As I entered, he rose with an exclamation, extending his arms toward me, with an indescribable expression of joy.

“I shrunk back, refusing his hand.

“‘Do not touch that,’ I groaned, ‘there is blood on it!’

“He seized it, and kneeling down, kissed it.

“‘Bloody or not, it is _your_ hand--the hand of my dear young master!’

“And the honest fellow burst into tears, as he covered my hand with kisses.

“A month afterward, I was in Europe, amid the whirl and noise of Paris. I tried to forget that I was a murderer--but the shadow went with me!”

XXVII.

MOHUN TERMINATES HIS NARRATIVE.

Mohun had spoken throughout the earlier portions of his narrative in a tone of cynical bitterness. His last words were mingled, however, with weary sighs, and his face wore an expression of the profoundest melancholy.

The burnt-out cigar had fallen from his fingers to the floor; he leaned back languidly in his great arm-chair: with eyes fixed upon the dying fire, he seemed to go back in memory to the terrible scenes just described, living over again all those harsh and conflicting emotions.

“So it ended, Surry,” he said, after a long pause. “Such was the frightful gulf into which the devil and my own passions pushed me, in that month of December, 1856. A hand as irresistible and inexorable as the Greek Necessity had led me step by step to murder--in intent if not in fact--and for years the shadow of the crime which I believed I had committed, made my life wretched. I wandered over Europe, plunged into a thousand scenes of turmoil and excitement--it was all useless--still the shadow went with me. Crime is a terrible companion to have ever at your elbow. The _Atra cura_ of the poet is nothing to it, friend! It is a fiend which will not be driven away. It grins, and gibbers, and utters its gibes, day and night. Believe me, Surry,--I speak from experience--it is better for this world, as well as the next, to be a boor, a peasant, a clodhopper with a clear conscience, than to hold in your hand the means of all luxury, and so-called enjoyment, and, with it, the consciousness that you are blood guilty under almost any circumstances.

“Some men might have derived comfort from the circumstances of _that_ crime. I could not. They might have said, ‘I was goaded, stung, driven, outraged, tempted beyond my strength, caught in a net of fire, from which there was but one method of exit--to burst out, trampling down every thing.’ Four words silenced all that sophistry--‘She was a woman!’ It was the face of that woman, as I saw it last on that stormy night by the lightning flashes, which drove me to despair. I, the son of the pure gentleman whose portrait is yonder--I, the representative of the Mohuns, a family which had acted in all generations according to the dictates of the loftiest honor--I, had put to death a woman, and that thought spurred me to madness!

“Of _his_ death I did not think in the same manner. I had slain him in fair combat, body to body--and, however the law of God may stigmatize homicide, there was still that enormous difference. I had played my life against his, as it were--he had lost, and he paid the forfeit. But _the other_ was _murdered_! That fact stared me in the face. She had dishonored me; tricked me; attempted to poison, and then shoot me. _She_ had designed to murder _me_, and had set about her design deliberately, coolly, without provocation, impelled by the lust of gold only. She deserved punishment, but--she was a woman! I had not said ‘Go!’ either, in pointing to the gloomy path to death. I had said ‘Come!’--had meant to die too. I had not shrunk from the torrent in which I had resolved she should be borne away. I had gone into the boat with her; accompanied her on her way; devoted myself, too, to death, at the same moment. But all was useless. I said to myself a thousand times--‘at least they can not say that I was a coward, as well as a murderer. The last of the Mohuns may have blackened his escutcheon with the crime of murder--but at least he did not spare _himself_; he faced death with his victim.’ Useless, Surry--all useless! The inexorable Voice with which I fenced, had only one reply--one lunge--‘She was a woman!’ and the words pierced me like a sword-blade!

“Let me end this, but not before I say that the dreadful Voice was _right_. As to the combat with Mortimer, I shall express no opinion. You know the facts, and will judge me. But the other act was a deadly crime. Gloss it over as you may, you can never justify murder. Use all the special pleading possible, and the frightful deed is still as black in the eyes of God and man as before. I saw that soon; saw it always; see it to-day; and pray God in his infinite mercy to blot out that crime from his book--to pardon the poor weak creature who was driven to madness, and attempted to commit that deadly sin.

“Well, to end my long history. I remained in Europe until the news from America indicated the approach of war--Nighthawk managing my estate, and remitting me the proceeds at Paris. When I saw that an armed collision was going to take place, I hastened back, reaching Virginia in the winter of 1860. But I did not come to Fonthill. I had a horror of the place. From New York, where I landed, I proceeded to Montgomery, without stopping upon the route; found there a prominent friend of my father who was raising a brigade in the Southwest; was invited by him to aid him; and soon afterward was elected to the command of a company of cavalry by his recommendation. I need only add, that I rose gradually from captain to colonel, which rank I held in 1863, when we first met on the Rappahannock--my regiment having been transferred to a brigade of General Lee’s cavalry.

“You saw me then, and remember my bitterness and melancholy. But you had no opportunity to descry the depth and intensity of those sentiments in me. Suddenly the load was lifted. _That woman_ made her appearance, as if from the grave, and you must have witnessed my wonder, as my eyes fell upon her. Then, she was not dead after all! I was not a murderer! And to complete the wonder, _he_ was also alive. A man passing along the bank of the river, as I discovered afterward from Nighthawk, who ferreted out the whole affair--a man named Swartz, a sort of poor farmer and huckster, passing along the Nottoway, on the morning after the storm, had found the woman cast ashore, with the boat overturned near her; and a mile farther, had found Mortimer, not yet dead, in the grave. Succored by Swartz, they had both recovered--had then disappeared. I was to meet them again, and know of their existence only when the chance of war threw us face to face on the field.

“You know the scenes which followed. Mortimer, or Darke, as he now calls himself, confronted me everywhere, and _she_ seemed to have no object in life but my destruction. You heard her boast in the house near Buckland that she had thrice attempted to assassinate me by means of her tool, the man Swartz. Again, at Warrenton, in the hospital, she came near poniarding me with her own hand. Nighthawk, who had followed me to the field, and become a secret agent of General Stuart, warned me of all this--and one day, gave me information more startling still. And this brings me, my dear Surry, to the last point in my narrative, I now enter upon matter with which you have been personally ‘mixed up.’

“On that night when I attacked Darke in his house in Pennsylvania, Swartz stole a paper from madam--the certificate of her marriage with Mr. Mortimer-Darke, or Darke-Mortimer. The object of Swartz was, to sell the paper to me for a large sum, as he had gotten an inkling of the state of affairs, and my relation with madam. Well, Nighthawk reported this immediately, made an appointment to meet Swartz in the Wilderness, and many times afterward attempted to gain possession of the paper, which Swartz swore was a _bona fide_ certificate of the marriage of these two persons _before the year_ 1856, when I first met them.

“You, doubtless, understand now, my dear Surry, my great anxiety to gain possession of that paper. Or, if you do not, I have only to state one fact--that will explain all. I am engaged to be married to Miss Conway, and am naturally anxious to have the proof in my possession that I have not _one wife_ yet living! I know _that woman_ well. She will stop at nothing. The rumor that I am about to become the happy husband of a young lady whom I love, has driven madam nearly frantic, and she has already shown her willingness to stop at nothing, by imprisoning Swartz, and starving him until he produced the stolen paper. Swartz is dead, however; the paper is lost; I and madam are both in hot pursuit of the document. Which will find it, I know not. She, of course, wishes to suppress it--I wish to possess it. Where is it? If you will tell me, friend, I will make you a deed for half my estate! You have been with me to visit that strange woman, Amanda, as a forlorn hope. What will come I know not; but I trust that an all-merciful Providence will not withdraw its hand from me, and now dash all my hopes, at the very moment when the cup is raised to my lips! If so, I will accept all, submissively, as the just punishment of my great crime--a crime, I pray God to pardon me, as the result of mad desperation, and not as a wanton and wilful defiance of His Almighty authority! I have wept tears of blood for that act. I have turned and tossed on my bed, in the dark hours of night, groaning and pleading for pardon. I have bitterly expiated throughout long years, that brief tragedy. I have humbled myself in the dust before the Lord of all worlds, and, falling at the feet of the all-merciful Saviour, besought His divine compassion. I am proud--no man was ever prouder--but I have bowed my forehead to the dust, and if the Almighty now denies me the supreme consolation of this pure girl’s affection,--if loving her as I do, and beloved by her, as I may venture to tell you, friend, I am to see myself thrust back from this future--then, Surry, I will give the last proof of my submission: I will bow down my head, and say ‘Thy will, not mine, Lord, be done!’”

Mohun’s head sank as he uttered the words. To the proud face came an expression of deep solemnity and touching sweetness. The firm lips were relaxed--the piercing eyes had become soft. Mohun was greater in his weakness than he had ever been in his strength.

When an hour afterward we had mounted our horses, and were riding back slowly through the night, I said, looking at him by the dim starlight:--

“This is no longer a gay young cavalryman--a mere thoughtless youth--but a patriot, fit to live or die with Lee!”