THEFIRSTPART
CHAPTERI
Intheyear1860,thereputationofDoctorWybrowasaLondonphysicianreacheditshighestpoint。Itwasreportedongoodauthoritythathewasinreceiptofoneofthelargestincomesderivedfromthepracticeofmedicineinmoderntimes。
Oneafternoon,towardsthecloseoftheLondonseason,theDoctorhadjusttakenhisluncheonafteraspeciallyhardmorning’sworkinhisconsulting-room,andwithaformidablelistofvisitstopatientsattheirownhousestofilluptherestofhisday——
whentheservantannouncedthataladywishedtospeaktohim。
’Whoisshe?’theDoctorasked。’Astranger?’
’Yes,sir。’
’Iseenostrangersoutofconsulting-hours。Tellherwhatthehoursare,andsendheraway。’
’Ihavetoldher,sir。’
’Well?’
’Andshewon’tgo。’
’Won’tgo?’TheDoctorsmiledasherepeatedthewords。Hewasahumouristinhisway;andtherewasanabsurdsidetothesituationwhichratheramusedhim。’Hasthisobstinateladygivenyouhername?’
heinquired。
’No,sir。Sherefusedtogiveanyname——shesaidshewouldn’tkeepyoufiveminutes,andthematterwastooimportanttowaittillto-morrow。Theresheisintheconsulting-room;andhowtogetheroutagainismorethanIknow。’
DoctorWybrowconsideredforamoment。Hisknowledgeofwomen(professionallyspeaking)restedontheripeexperienceofmorethanthirtyyears;hehadmetwiththeminalltheirvarieties——
especiallythevarietywhichknowsnothingofthevalueoftime,andneverhesitatesatshelteringitselfbehindtheprivilegesofitssex。
Aglanceathiswatchinformedhimthathemustsoonbeginhisroundsamongthepatientswhowerewaitingforhimattheirownhouses。
Hedecidedforthwithontakingtheonlywisecoursethatwasopenunderthecircumstances。Inotherwords,hedecidedontakingtoflight。
’Isthecarriageatthedoor?’heasked。
’Yes,sir。’
’Verywell。Openthehouse-doorformewithoutmakinganynoise,andleavetheladyinundisturbedpossessionoftheconsulting-room。
Whenshegetstiredofwaiting,youknowwhattotellher。
IfsheaskswhenIamexpectedtoreturn,saythatIdineatmyclub,andspendtheeveningatthetheatre。Nowthen,softly,Thomas!
Ifyourshoescreak,Iamalostman。’
Henoiselesslyledthewayintothehall,followedbytheservantontip-toe。
Didtheladyintheconsulting-roomsuspecthim?ordidThomas’sshoescreak,andwashersenseofhearingunusuallykeen?
Whatevertheexplanationmaybe,theeventthatactuallyhappenedwasbeyondalldoubt。ExactlyasDoctorWybrowpassedhisconsulting-room,thedooropened——theladyappearedonthethreshold——
andlaidherhandonhisarm。
’Ientreatyou,sir,nottogoawaywithoutlettingmespeaktoyoufirst。’
Theaccentwasforeign;thetonewaslowandfirm。Herfingersclosedgently,andyetresolutely,ontheDoctor’sarm。
Neitherherlanguagenorheractionhadtheslightesteffectininclininghimtograntherrequest。Theinfluencethatinstantlystoppedhim,onthewaytohiscarriage,wasthesilentinfluenceofherface。
Thestartlingcontrastbetweenthecorpse-likepallorofhercomplexionandtheoverpoweringlifeandlight,theglitteringmetallicbrightnessinherlargeblackeyes,heldhimliterallyspell-bound。Shewasdressedindarkcolours,withperfecttaste;
shewasofmiddleheight,and(apparently)ofmiddleage——sayayearortwooverthirty。Herlowerfeatures——thenose,mouth,andchin——
possessedthefinenessanddelicacyofformwhichisoftenerseenamongwomenofforeignracesthanamongwomenofEnglishbirth。
Shewasunquestionablyahandsomeperson——withtheoneseriousdrawbackofherghastlycomplexion,andwiththelessnoticeabledefectofatotalwantoftendernessintheexpressionofhereyes。
Apartfromhisfirstemotionofsurprise,thefeelingsheproducedintheDoctormaybedescribedasanoverpoweringfeelingofprofessionalcuriosity。Thecasemightprovetobesomethingentirelynewinhisprofessionalexperience。’Itlookslikeit,’hethought;
’andit’sworthwaitingfor。’
Sheperceivedthatsheshehadproducedastrongimpressionofsomekinduponhim,anddroppedherholdonhisarm。
’Youhavecomfortedmanymiserablewomeninyourtime,’shesaid。
’Comfortonemore,to-day。’
Withoutwaitingtobeanswered,sheledthewaybackintotheroom。
TheDoctorfollowedher,andclosedthedoor。Heplacedherinthepatients’chair,oppositethewindows。EveninLondonthesun,onthatsummerafternoon,wasdazzlinglybright。
Theradiantlightflowedinonher。Hereyesmetitunflinchingly,withthesteelysteadinessoftheeyesofaneagle。Thesmoothpallorofherunwrinkledskinlookedmorefearfullywhitethanever。
Forthefirsttime,formanyalongyearpast,theDoctorfelthispulsequickenitsbeatinthepresenceofapatient。
Havingpossessedherselfofhisattention,sheappeared,strangelyenough,tohavenothingtosaytohim。Acuriousapathyseemedtohavetakenpossessionofthisresolutewoman。Forcedtospeakfirst,theDoctormerelyinquired,intheconventionalphrase,whathecoulddoforher。
Thesoundofhisvoiceseemedtorouseher。Stilllookingstraightatthelight,shesaidabruptly:’Ihaveapainfulquestiontoask。’
’Whatisit?’
HereyestravelledslowlyfromthewindowtotheDoctor’sface。
Withouttheslightestoutwardappearanceofagitation,sheputthe’painfulquestion’intheseextraordinarywords:
’Iwanttoknow,ifyouplease,whetherIamindangerofgoingmad?’
Somemenmighthavebeenamused,andsomemighthavebeenalarmed。
DoctorWybrowwasonlyconsciousofasenseofdisappointment。
Wasthistherarecasethathehadanticipated,judgingrashlybyappearances?Wasthenewpatientonlyahypochondriacalwoman,whosemaladywasadisorderedstomachandwhosemisfortunewasaweakbrain?’Whydoyoucometome?’heaskedsharply。’Whydon’tyouconsultadoctorwhosespecialemploymentisthetreatmentoftheinsane?’
Shehadheranswerreadyontheinstant。
’Idon’tgotoadoctorofthatsort,’shesaid,’fortheveryreasonthatheisaspecialist:hehasthefatalhabitofjudgingeverybodybylinesandrulesofhisownlayingdown。Icometoyou,becausemycaseisoutsideofalllinesandrules,andbecauseyouarefamousinyourprofessionforthediscoveryofmysteriesindisease。
Areyousatisfied?’
Hewasmorethansatisfied——hisfirstideahadbeentherightidea,afterall。Besides,shewascorrectlyinformedastohisprofessionalposition。Thecapacitywhichhadraisedhimtofameandfortunewashiscapacity(unrivalledamonghisbrethren)
forthediscoveryofremotedisease。
’Iamatyourdisposal,’heanswered。’LetmetryifIcanfindoutwhatisthematterwithyou。’
Heputhismedicalquestions。Theywerepromptlyandplainlyanswered;
andtheyledtonootherconclusionthanthatthestrangeladywas,mentallyandphysically,inexcellenthealth。Notsatisfiedwithquestions,hecarefullyexaminedthegreatorgansoflife。
Neitherhishandnorhisstethoscopecoulddiscoveranythingthatwasamiss。Withtheadmirablepatienceanddevotiontohisartwhichhaddistinguishedhimfromthetimewhenhewasastudent,hestillsubjectedhertoonetestafteranother。Theresultwasalwaysthesame。Notonlywastherenotendencytobraindisease——
therewasnotevenaperceptiblederangementofthenervoussystem。
’Icanfindnothingthematterwithyou,’hesaid。’Ican’tevenaccountfortheextraordinarypallorofyourcomplexion。Youcompletelypuzzleme。’
’Thepallorofmycomplexionisnothing,’sheansweredalittleimpatiently。’InmyearlylifeIhadanarrowescapefromdeathbypoisoning。Ihaveneverhadacomplexionsince——andmyskinissodelicate,Icannotpaintwithoutproducingahideousrash。
Butthatisofnoimportance。Iwantedyouropiniongivenpositively。
Ibelievedinyou,andyouhavedisappointedme。’Herheaddroppedonherbreast。’Andsoitends!’shesaidtoherselfbitterly。
TheDoctor’ssympathiesweretouched。Perhapsitmightbemorecorrecttosaythathisprofessionalpridewasalittlehurt。
’Itmayendintherightwayyet,’heremarked,’ifyouchoosetohelpme。’
Shelookedupagainwithflashingeyes,’Speakplainly,’shesaid。
’HowcanIhelpyou?’
’Plainly,madam,youcometomeasanenigma,andyouleavemetomaketherightguessbytheunaidedeffortsofmyart。Myartwilldomuch,butnotall。Forexample,somethingmusthaveoccurred——
somethingquiteunconnectedwiththestateofyourbodilyhealth——
tofrightenyouaboutyourself,oryouwouldneverhavecomeheretoconsultme。Isthattrue?’
Sheclaspedherhandsinherlap。’Thatistrue!’shesaideagerly。
’Ibegintobelieveinyouagain。’
’Verywell。Youcan’texpectmetofindoutthemoralcausewhichhasalarmedyou。Icanpositivelydiscoverthatthereisnophysicalcauseofalarm;and(unlessyouadmitmetoyourconfidence)
Icandonomore。’
Sherose,andtookaturnintheroom。’SupposeItellyou?’shesaid。
’But,mind,Ishallmentionnonames!’
’Thereisnoneedtomentionnames。ThefactsareallIwant。’
’Thefactsarenothing,’sherejoined。’Ihaveonlymyownimpressionstoconfess——andyouwillverylikelythinkmeafancifulfoolwhenyouhearwhattheyare。Nomatter。Iwilldomybesttocontentyou——
Iwillbeginwiththefactsthatyouwant。Takemywordforit,theywon’tdomuchtohelpyou。’
Shesatdownagain。Intheplainestpossiblewords,shebeganthestrangestandwildestconfessionthathadeverreachedtheDoctor’sears。
CHAPTERII
’Itisonefact,sir,thatIamawidow,’shesaid。’Itisanotherfact,thatIamgoingtobemarriedagain。’
Thereshepaused,andsmiledatsomethoughtthatoccurredtoher。
DoctorWybrowwasnotfavourablyimpressedbyhersmile——
therewassomethingatoncesadandcruelinit。Itcameslowly,anditwentawaysuddenly。Hebegantodoubtwhetherhehadbeenwiseinactingonhisfirstimpression。Hismindrevertedtothecommonplacepatientsandthediscoverablemaladiesthatwerewaitingforhim,withacertaintenderregret。
Theladywenton。
’Myapproachingmarriage,’shesaid,’hasoneembarrassingcircumstanceconnectedwithit。ThegentlemanwhosewifeIamtobe,wasengagedtoanotherladywhenhehappenedtomeetwithme,abroad:
thatlady,mind,beingofhisownbloodandfamily,relatedtohimashiscousin。Ihaveinnocentlyrobbedherofherlover,anddestroyedherprospectsinlife。Innocently,Isay——becausehetoldmenothingofhisengagementuntilafterIhadacceptedhim。
WhenwenextmetinEngland——andwhentherewasdanger,nodoubt,oftheaffaircomingtomyknowledge——hetoldmethetruth。
Iwasnaturallyindignant。Hehadhisexcuseready;heshowedmealetterfromtheladyherself,releasinghimfromhisengagement。
Amorenoble,amorehigh-mindedletter,Ineverreadinmylife。
Icriedoverit——Iwhohavenotearsinmeforsorrowsofmyown!
Iftheletterhadlefthimanyhopeofbeingforgiven,Iwouldhavepositivelyrefusedtomarryhim。Butthefirmnessofit——
withoutanger,withoutawordofreproach,withheartfeltwishesevenforhishappiness——thefirmnessofit,Isay,lefthimnohope。
Heappealedtomycompassion;heappealedtohisloveforme。
Youknowwhatwomenare。Itoowassoft-hearted——Isaid,Verywell:yes!Inaweekmore(ItrembleasIthinkofit)
wearetobemarried。’
Shedidreallytremble——shewasobligedtopauseandcomposeherself,beforeshecouldgoon。TheDoctor,waitingformorefacts,begantofearthathestoodcommittedtoalongstory。’ForgivemeforremindingyouthatIhavesufferingpersonswaitingtoseeme,’
hesaid。’Thesooneryoucancometothepoint,thebetterformypatientsandforme。’
Thestrangesmile——atoncesosadandsocruel——showeditselfagainonthelady’slips。’EverywordIhavesaidistothepoint,’
sheanswered。’Youwillseeityourselfinamomentmore。’
Sheresumedhernarrative。
’Yesterday——youneedfearnolongstory,sir;onlyyesterday——
IwasamongthevisitorsatoneofyourEnglishluncheonparties。
Alady,aperfectstrangertome,cameinlate——afterwehadleftthetable,andhadretiredtothedrawing-room。Shehappenedtotakeachairnearme;andwewerepresentedtoeachother。
Iknewherbyname,assheknewme。ItwasthewomanwhomIhadrobbedofherlover,thewomanwhohadwrittenthenobleletter。
Nowlisten!YouwereimpatientwithmefornotinterestingyouinwhatIsaidjustnow。IsaidittosatisfyyourmindthatIhadnoenmityoffeelingtowardsthelady,onmyside。
Iadmiredher,Ifeltforher——Ihadnocausetoreproachmyself。
Thisisveryimportant,asyouwillpresentlysee。Onherside,Ihavereasontobeassuredthatthecircumstanceshadbeentrulyexplainedtoher,andthatsheunderstoodIwasinnowaytoblame。
Now,knowingallthesenecessarythingsasyoudo,explaintome,ifyoucan,why,whenIroseandmetthatwoman’seyeslookingatme,Iturnedcoldfromheadtofoot,andshuddered,andshivered,andknewwhatadeadlypanicoffearwas,forthefirsttimeinmylife。’
TheDoctorbegantofeelinterestedatlast。
’Wasthereanythingremarkableinthelady’spersonalappearance?’
heasked。
’Nothingwhatever!’wasthevehementreply。’Hereisthetruedescriptionofher:——TheordinaryEnglishlady;theclearcoldblueeyes,thefinerosycomplexion,theinanimatelypolitemanner,thelargegood-humouredmouth,thetooplumpcheeksandchin:
these,andnothingmore。’
’Wasthereanythinginherexpression,whenyoufirstlookedather,thattookyoubysurprise?’
’Therewasnaturalcuriositytoseethewomanwhohadbeenpreferredtoher;andperhapssomeastonishmentalso,nottoseeamoreengagingandmorebeautifulperson;boththosefeelingsrestrainedwithinthelimitsofgoodbreeding,andbothnotlastingformorethanafewmoments——sofarasIcouldsee。Isay,\"sofar,\"
becausethehorribleagitationthatshecommunicatedtomedisturbedmyjudgment。IfIcouldhavegottothedoor,Iwouldhaverunoutoftheroom,shefrightenedmeso!Iwasnotevenabletostandup——
Isankbackinmychair;Istaredhorror-struckatthecalmblueeyesthatwereonlylookingatmewithagentlesurprise。
Tosaytheyaffectedmeliketheeyesofaserpentistosaynothing。
Ifelthersoulinthem,lookingintomine——looking,ifsuchathingcanbe,unconsciouslytoherownmortalself。Itellyoumyimpression,inallitshorrorandinallitsfolly!Thatwomanisdestined(withoutknowingitherself)tobetheevilgeniusofmylife。
HerinnocenteyessawhiddencapabilitiesofwickednessinmethatI
wasnotawareofmyself,untilIfeltthemstirringunderherlook。
IfIcommitfaultsinmylifetocome——ifIamevenguiltyofcrimes——
shewillbringtheretribution,without(asIfirmlybelieve)
anyconsciousexerciseofherownwill。InoneindescribablemomentIfeltallthis——andIsupposemyfaceshowedit。
Thegoodartlesscreaturewasinspiredbyasortofgentlealarmforme。\"Iamafraidtheheatoftheroomistoomuchforyou;
willyoutrymysmellingbottle?\"Iheardhersaythosekindwords;
andIremembernothingelse——Ifainted。WhenIrecoveredmysenses,thecompanyhadallgone;onlytheladyofthehousewaswithme。
ForthemomentIcouldsaynothingtoher;thedreadfulimpressionthatIhavetriedtodescribetoyoucamebacktomewiththecomingbackofmylife。AssoonIcouldspeak,IimploredhertotellmethewholetruthaboutthewomanwhomIhadsupplanted。Yousee,Ihadafainthopethathergoodcharactermightnotreallybedeserved,thathernobleletterwasaskilfulpieceofhypocrisy——inshort,thatshesecretlyhatedme,andwascunningenoughtohideit。
No!theladyhadbeenherfriendfromhergirlhood,wasasfamiliarwithherasiftheyhadbeensisters——knewherpositivelytobeasgood,asinnocent,asincapableofhatinganybody,asthegreatestsaintthateverlived。Myonelasthope,thatIhadonlyfeltanordinaryforewarningofdangerinthepresenceofanordinaryenemy,wasahopedestroyedforever。TherewasonemoreeffortIcouldmake,andImadeit。IwentnexttothemanwhomIamtomarry。
Iimploredhimtoreleasemefrommypromise。Herefused。
IdeclaredIwouldbreakmyengagement。Heshowedmelettersfromhissisters,lettersfromhisbrothers,andhisdearfriends——
allentreatinghimtothinkagainbeforehemademehiswife;
allrepeatingreportsofmeinParis,Vienna,andLondon,whicharesomanyvilelies。\"Ifyourefusetomarryme,\"hesaid,\"youadmitthatthesereportsaretrue——youadmitthatyouareafraidtofacesocietyinthecharacterofmywife。\"WhatcouldIanswer?
Therewasnocontradictinghim——hewasplainlyright:ifIpersistedinmyrefusal,theutterdestructionofmyreputationwouldbetheresult。
Iconsentedtolettheweddingtakeplaceaswehadarrangedit——
andlefthim。Thenighthaspassed。Iamhere,withmyfixedconviction——
thatinnocentwomanisordainedtohaveafatalinfluenceovermylife。
Iamherewithmyonequestiontoput,totheonemanwhocananswerit。
Forthelasttime,sir,whatamI——ademonwhohasseentheavengingangel?oronlyapoormadwoman,misledbythedelusionofaderangedmind?’
DoctorWybrowrosefromhischair,determinedtoclosetheinterview。
Hewasstronglyandpainfullyimpressedbywhathehadheard。
Thelongerhehadlistenedtoher,themoreirresistiblytheconvictionofthewoman’swickednesshadforceditselfonhim。
Hetriedvainlytothinkofherasapersontobepitied——apersonwithamorbidlysensitiveimagination,consciousofthecapacitiesforevilwhichliedormantinusall,andstrivingearnestlytoopenherhearttothecounter-influenceofherownbetternature;theeffortwasbeyondhim。Aperverseinstinctinhimsaid,asifinwords,Bewarehowyoubelieveinher!
’Ihavealreadygivenyoumyopinion,’hesaid。’Thereisnosignofyourintellectbeingderanged,orbeinglikelytobederanged,thatmedicalsciencecandiscover——asIunderstandit。
Asfortheimpressionsyouhaveconfidedtome,Icanonlysaythatyoursisacase(asIventuretothink)forspiritualratherthanformedicaladvice。Ofonethingbeassured:
whatyouhavesaidtomeinthisroomshallnotpassoutofit。
Yourconfessionissafeinmykeeping。’
Sheheardhim,withacertaindoggedresignation,totheend。
’Isthatall?’sheasked。
’Thatisall,’heanswered。
Sheputalittlepaperpacketofmoneyonthetable。
’Thankyou,sir。Thereisyourfee。’
Withthosewordssherose。Herwildblackeyeslookedupward,withanexpressionofdespairsodefiantandsohorribleinitssilentagonythattheDoctorturnedawayhishead,unabletoendurethesightofit。Thebareideaoftakinganythingfromher——notmoneyonly,butanythingeventhatshehadtouched——suddenlyrevoltedhim。
Stillwithoutlookingather,hesaid,’Takeitback;Idon’twantmyfee。’
Sheneitherheedednorheardhim。Stilllookingupward,shesaidslowlytoherself,’Lettheendcome。Ihavedonewiththestruggle:
Isubmit。’
Shedrewherveiloverherface,bowedtotheDoctor,andlefttheroom。
Herangthebell,andfollowedherintothehall。Astheservantclosedthedooronher,asuddenimpulseofcuriosity——
utterlyunworthyofhim,andatthesametimeutterlyirresistible——
sprangupintheDoctor’smind。Blushinglikeaboy,hesaidtotheservant,’Followherhome,andfindouthername。’
Foronemomentthemanlookedathismaster,doubtingifhisownearshadnotdeceivedhim。DoctorWybrowlookedbackathiminsilence。
Thesubmissiveservantknewwhatthatsilencemeant——hetookhishatandhurriedintothestreet。
TheDoctorwentbacktotheconsulting-room。Asuddenrevulsionoffeelingsweptoverhismind。Hadthewomanleftaninfectionofwickednessinthehouse,andhadhecaughtit?Whatdevilhadpossessedhimtodegradehimselfintheeyesofhisownservant?
Hehadbehavedinfamously——hehadaskedanhonestman,amanwhohadservedhimfaithfullyforyears,toturnspy!Stungbythebarethoughtofit,heranoutintothehallagain,andopenedthedoor。
Theservanthaddisappeared;itwastoolatetocallhimback。
Butonerefugefromhiscontemptforhimselfwasnowopentohim——
therefugeofwork。Hegotintohiscarriageandwenthisroundsamonghispatients。
Ifthefamousphysiciancouldhaveshakenhisownreputation,hewouldhavedoneitthatafternoon。Neverbeforehadhemadehimselfsolittlewelcomeatthebedside。Neverbeforehadheputoffuntilto-morrowtheprescriptionwhichoughttohavebeenwritten,theopinionwhichoughttohavebeengiven,to-day。Hewenthomeearlierthanusual——unutterablydissatisfiedwithhimself。
Theservanthadreturned。Dr。Wybrowwasashamedtoquestionhim。
Themanreportedtheresultofhiserrand,withoutwaitingtobeasked。
’Thelady’snameistheCountessNarona。Shelivesat——’
Withoutwaitingtohearwhereshelived,theDoctoracknowledgedtheall-importantdiscoveryofhernamebyasilentbendofthehead,andenteredhisconsulting-room。Thefeethathehadvainlyrefusedstilllayinitslittlewhitepapercoveringonthetable。
Hesealeditupinanenvelope;addressedittothe’Poor-box’
ofthenearestpolice-court;and,callingtheservantin,directedhimtotakeittothemagistratethenextmorning。
Faithfultohisduties,theservantwaitedtoaskthecustomaryquestion,’Doyoudineathometo-day,sir?’
Afteramoment’shesitationhesaid,’No:Ishalldineattheclub。’
Themosteasilydeterioratedofallthemoralqualitiesisthequalitycalled’conscience。’Inonestateofaman’smind,hisconscienceistheseverestjudgethatcanpasssentenceonhim。
Inanotherstate,heandhisconscienceareonthebestpossibletermswitheachotherinthecomfortablecapacityofaccomplices。
WhenDoctorWybrowlefthishouseforthesecondtime,hedidnotevenattempttoconcealfromhimselfthathissoleobject,indiningattheclub,wastohearwhattheworldsaidoftheCountessNarona。
CHAPTERIII
Therewasatimewhenamaninsearchofthepleasuresofgossipsoughtthesocietyofladies。Themanknowsbetternow。
Hegoestothesmoking-roomofhisclub。
DoctorWybrowlithiscigar,andlookedroundhimathisbrethreninsocialconclaveassembled。Theroomwaswellfilled;
buttheflowoftalkwasstilllanguid。TheDoctorinnocentlyappliedthestimulantthatwaswanted。WhenheinquiredifanybodyknewtheCountessNarona,hewasansweredbysomethinglikeashoutofastonishment。Never(theconclaveagreed)
hadsuchanabsurdquestionbeenaskedbefore!Everyhumancreature,withtheslightestclaimtoaplaceinsociety,knewtheCountessNarona。
AnadventuresswithaEuropeanreputationoftheblackestpossiblecolour——
suchwasthegeneraldescriptionofthewomanwiththedeathlikecomplexionandtheglitteringeyes。
Descendingtoparticulars,eachmemberoftheclubcontributedhisownlittlestockofscandaltothememoirsoftheCountess。
Itwasdoubtfulwhethershewasreally,whatshecalledherself,aDalmatianlady。ItwasdoubtfulwhethershehadeverbeenmarriedtotheCountwhosewidowsheassumedtobe。
Itwasdoubtfulwhetherthemanwhoaccompaniedherinhertravels(underthenameofBaronRivar,andinthecharacterofherbrother)
washerbrotheratall。ReportpointedtotheBaronasagambleratevery’table’ontheContinent。Reportwhisperedthathisso-calledsisterhadnarrowlyescapedbeingimplicatedinafamoustrialforpoisoningatVienna——thatshehadbeenknownatMilanasaspyintheinterestsofAustria——thather’apartment’inParishadbeendenouncedtothepoliceasnothinglessthanaprivategambling-house——
andthatherpresentappearanceinEnglandwasthenaturalresultofthediscovery。Onlyonememberoftheassemblyinthesmoking-roomtookthepartofthismuch-abusedwoman,anddeclaredthathercharacterhadbeenmostcruellyandmostunjustlyassailed。
Butasthemanwasalawyer,hisinterferencewentfornothing:
itwasnaturallyattributedtothespiritofcontradictioninherentinhisprofession。HewasaskedderisivelywhathethoughtofthecircumstancesunderwhichtheCountesshadbecomeengagedtobemarried;andhemadethecharacteristicanswer,thathethoughtthecircumstanceshighlycreditabletobothparties,andthathelookedonthelady’sfuturehusbandasamostenviableman。
Hearingthis,theDoctorraisedanothershoutofastonishmentbyinquiringthenameofthegentlemanwhomtheCountesswasabouttomarry。
Hisfriendsinthesmoking-roomdecidedunanimouslythatthecelebratedphysicianmustbeasecond’Rip-van-Winkle,’andthathehadjustawakenedfromasupernaturalsleepoftwentyyears。
Itwasallverywelltosaythathewasdevotedtohisprofession,andthathehadneithertimenorinclinationtopickupfragmentsofgossipatdinner-partiesandballs。AmanwhodidnotknowthattheCountessNaronahadborrowedmoneyatHomburgofnolessapersonthanLordMontbarry,andhadthendeludedhimintomakingheraproposalofmarriage,wasamanwhohadprobablyneverheardofLordMontbarryhimself。Theyoungermembersoftheclub,humouringthejoke,sentawaiterforthe’Peerage’;andreadaloudthememoirofthenoblemaninquestion,fortheDoctor’sbenefit——
withillustrativemorselsofinformationinterpolatedbythemselves。
’HerbertJohnWestwick。FirstBaronMontbarry,ofMontbarry,King’sCounty,Ireland。CreatedaPeerfordistinguishedmilitaryservicesinIndia。Born,1812。Forty-eightyearsold,Doctor,atthepresenttime。Notmarried。Willbemarriednextweek,Doctor,tothedelightfulcreaturewehavebeentalkingabout。
Heirpresumptive,hislordship’snextbrother,StephenRobert,marriedtoElla,youngestdaughteroftheReverendSilasMarden,RectorofRunnigate,andhasissue,threedaughters。Youngerbrothersofhislordship,FrancisandHenry,unmarried。Sistersofhislordship,LadyBarville,marriedtoSirTheodoreBarville,Bart。;andAnne,widowofthelatePeterNorbury,Esq。,ofNorburyCross。
Bearhislordship’srelationswellinmind,Doctor。ThreebrothersWestwick,Stephen,Francis,andHenry;andtwosisters,LadyBarvilleandMrs。Norbury。Notoneofthefivewillbepresentatthemarriage;
andnotoneofthefivewillleaveastoneunturnedtostopit,iftheCountesswillonlygivethemachance。Addtothesehostilemembersofthefamilyanotheroffendedrelativenotmentionedinthe’Peerage,’ayounglady——’
Asuddenoutburstofprotestinmorethanonepartoftheroomstoppedthecomingdisclosure,andreleasedtheDoctorfromfurtherpersecution。
’Don’tmentionthepoorgirl’sname;it’stoobadtomakeajokeofthatpartofthebusiness;shehasbehavednoblyundershamefulprovocation;
thereisbutoneexcuseforMontbarry——heiseitheramadmanorafool。’
Inthesetermstheprotestexpresseditselfonallsides。
Speakingconfidentiallytohisnextneighbour,theDoctordiscoveredthattheladyreferredtowasalreadyknowntohim(throughtheCountess’sconfession)astheladydesertedbyLordMontbarry。HernamewasAgnesLockwood。ShewasdescribedasbeingthesuperioroftheCountessinpersonalattraction,andasbeingalsobysomeyearstheyoungerwomanofthetwo。
Makingallallowanceforthefolliesthatmencommittedeverydayintheirrelationswithwomen,Montbarry’sdelusionwasstillthemostmonstrousdelusiononrecord。Inthisexpressionofopinioneverymanpresentagreed——thelawyerevenincluded。
Notoneofthemcouldcalltomindtheinnumerableinstancesinwhichthesexualinfluencehasprovedirresistibleinthepersonsofwomenwithouteventhepretensiontobeauty。TheverymembersoftheclubwhomtheCountess(inspiteofherpersonaldisadvantages)
couldhavemosteasilyfascinated,ifshehadthoughtitworthherwhile,werethememberswhowonderedmostloudlyatMontbarry’schoiceofawife。
WhilethetopicoftheCountess’smarriagewasstilltheonetopicofconversation,amemberoftheclubenteredthesmoking-roomwhoseappearanceinstantlyproducedadeadsilence。
DoctorWybrow’snextneighbourwhisperedtohim,’Montbarry’sbrother——
HenryWestwick!’
Thenew-comerlookedroundhimslowly,withabittersmile。
’Youarealltalkingofmybrother,’hesaid。’Don’tmindme。
NotoneofyoucandespisehimmoreheartilythanIdo。
Goon,gentlemen——goon!’
Butonemanpresenttookthespeakerathisword。ThatmanwasthelawyerwhohadalreadyundertakenthedefenceoftheCountess。
’Istandaloneinmyopinion,’hesaid,’andIamnotashamedofrepeatingitinanybody’shearing。IconsidertheCountessNaronatobeacruelly-treatedwoman。Whyshouldn’tshebeLordMontbarry’swife?
Whocansayshehasamercenarymotiveinmarryinghim?’
Montbarry’sbrotherturnedsharplyonthespeaker。’Isayit!’
heanswered。
Thereplymighthaveshakensomemen。Thelawyerstoodonhisgroundasfirmlyasever。
’IbelieveIamright,’herejoined,’instatingthathislordship’sincomeisnotmorethansufficienttosupporthisstationinlife;
alsothatitisanincomederivedalmostentirelyfromlandedpropertyinIreland,everyacreofwhichisentailed。’
Montbarry’sbrothermadeasign,admittingthathehadnoobjectiontooffersofar。
’Ifhislordshipdiesfirst,’thelawyerproceeded,’Ihavebeeninformedthattheonlyprovisionhecanmakeforhiswidowconsistsinarent-chargeonthepropertyofnomorethanfourhundredayear。
Hisretiringpensionandallowances,itiswellknown,diewithhim。
FourhundredayearisthereforeallthathecanleavetotheCountess,ifheleavesherawidow。’
’Fourhundredayearisnotall,’wasthereplytothis。
’Mybrotherhasinsuredhislifefortenthousandpounds;
andhehassettledthewholeofitontheCountess,intheeventofhisdeath。’
Thisannouncementproducedastrongsensation。Menlookedateachother,andrepeatedthethreestartlingwords,’Tenthousandpounds!’
Drivenfairlytothewall,thelawyermadealastefforttodefendhisposition。
’MayIaskwhomadethatsettlementaconditionofthemarriage?’
hesaid。’SurelyitwasnottheCountessherself?。’
HenryWestwickanswered,’itwastheCountess’sbrother’;andadded,’whichcomestothesamething。’
Afterthat,therewasnomoretobesaid——solong,atleast,asMontbarry’sbrotherwaspresent。Thetalkflowedintootherchannels;
andtheDoctorwenthome。
ButhismorbidcuriosityabouttheCountesswasnotsetatrestyet。
InhisleisuremomentshefoundhimselfwonderingwhetherLordMontbarry’sfamilywouldsucceedinstoppingthemarriageafterall。
Andmorethanthis,hewasconsciousofagrowingdesiretoseetheinfatuatedmanhimself。Everydayduringthebriefintervalbeforethewedding,helookedinattheclub,onthechanceofhearingsomenews。
Nothinghadhappened,sofarastheclubknew。TheCountess’spositionwassecure;Montbarry’sresolutiontobeherhusbandwasunshaken。
TheywerebothRomanCatholics,andtheyweretobemarriedatthechapelinSpanishPlace。SomuchtheDoctordiscoveredaboutthem——
andnomore。
Onthedayofthewedding,afterafeeblestrugglewithhimself,heactuallysacrificedhispatientsandtheirguineas,andslippedawaysecretlytoseethemarriage。Totheendofhislife,hewasangrywithanybodywhoremindedhimofwhathehaddoneonthatday!
Theweddingwasstrictlyprivate。Aclosecarriagestoodatthechurchdoor;afewpeople,mostlyofthelowerclass,andmostlyoldwomen,werescatteredabouttheinteriorofthebuilding。
HereandthereDoctorWybrowdetectedthefacesofsomeofhisbrethrenoftheclub,attractedbycuriosity,likehimself。
Fourpersonsonlystoodbeforethealtar——thebrideandbridegroomandtheirtwowitnesses。Oneoftheselastwasanelderlywoman,whomighthavebeentheCountess’scompanionormaid;theotherwasundoubtedlyherbrother,BaronRivar。Thebridalparty(thebrideherselfincluded)woretheirordinarymorningcostume。
LordMontbarry,personallyviewed,wasamiddle-agedmilitarymanoftheordinarytype:nothingintheleastremarkabledistinguishedhimeitherinfaceorfigure。BaronRivar,again,inhiswaywasanotherconventionalrepresentativeofanotherwell-knowntype。
Oneseeshisfinely-pointedmoustache,hisboldeyes,hiscrisply-curlinghair,andhisdashingcarriageofthehead,repeatedhundredsoftimesoverontheBoulevardsofParis。
Theonlynoteworthypointabouthimwasofthenegativesort——
hewasnotintheleastlikehissister。Eventheofficiatingpriestwasonlyaharmless,humble-lookingoldman,whowentthroughhisdutiesresignedly,andfeltvisiblerheumaticdifficultieseverytimehebenthisknees。Theoneremarkableperson,theCountessherself,onlyraisedherveilatthebeginningoftheceremony,andpresentednothinginherplaindressthatwasworthasecondlook。Never,onthefaceofit,wastherealessinterestingandlessromanticmarriagethanthis。FromtimetotimetheDoctorglancedroundatthedoororupatthegalleries,vaguelyanticipatingtheappearanceofsomeprotestingstranger,inpossessionofsometerriblesecret,commissionedtoforbidtheprogressoftheservice。Nothingintheshapeofaneventoccurred——
nothingextraordinary,nothingdramatic。Boundfasttogetherasmanandwife,thetwodisappeared,followedbytheirwitnesses,tosigntheregisters;andstillDoctorWybrowwaited,andstillhecherishedtheobstinatehopethatsomethingworthseeingmustcertainlyhappenyet。
Theintervalpassed,andthemarriedcouple,returningtothechurch,walkedtogetherdownthenavetothedoor。DoctorWybrowdrewbackastheyapproached。Tohisconfusionandsurprise,theCountessdiscoveredhim。Heheardhersaytoherhusband,’Onemoment;Iseeafriend。’LordMontbarrybowedandwaited。
ShesteppeduptotheDoctor,tookhishand,andwrungithard。
Hefeltheroverpoweringblackeyeslookingathimthroughherveil。’Onestepmore,yousee,onthewaytotheend!’
Shewhisperedthosestrangewords,andreturnedtoherhusband。
BeforetheDoctorcouldrecoverhimselfandfollowher,LordandLadyMontbarryhadsteppedintotheircarriage,andhaddrivenaway。
Outsidethechurchdoorstoodthethreeorfourmembersoftheclubwho,likeDoctorWybrow,hadwatchedtheceremonyoutofcuriosity。
Nearthemwasthebride’sbrother,waitingalone。Hewasevidentlybentonseeingthemanwhomhissisterhadspokento,inbroaddaylight。
HisboldeyesrestedontheDoctor’sface,withamomentaryflashofsuspicioninthem。Thecloudsuddenlyclearedaway;theBaronsmiledwithcharmingcourtesy,liftedhishattohissister’sfriend,andwalkedoff。
Themembersconstitutedthemselvesintoaclubconclaveonthechurchsteps。TheybeganwiththeBaron。’Damnedill-lookingrascal!’
TheywentonwithMontbarry。’IshegoingtotakethathorridwomanwithhimtoIreland?’’Nothe!hecan’tfacethetenantry;
theyknowaboutAgnesLockwood。’’Well,butwhereishegoing?’
’ToScotland。’’Doesshelikethat?’’It’sonlyforafortnight;
theycomebacktoLondon,andgoabroad。’’AndtheywillneverreturntoEngland,eh?’’Whocantell?DidyouseehowshelookedatMontbarry,whenshehadtoliftherveilatthebeginningoftheservice?
Inhisplace,Ishouldhavebolted。Didyouseeher,Doctor?’
Bythistime,DoctorWybrowhadrememberedhispatients,andhadheardenoughoftheclubgossip。HefollowedtheexampleofBaronRivar,andwalkedoff。
’Onestepmore,yousee,onthewaytotheend,’herepeatedtohimself,onhiswayhome。’Whatend?’