Rookwood (Historical Novel) - William Harrison Ainsworth

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and wild, and frantic as ever he used to be when wine had got the better of him; and then all of a sudden, in the midst of his shouting, he stopped, exclaiming, ‘What! here again? — who let her in? — the door is fast — I locked it myself. Devil! why did you open it? — you have betrayed me — she will poison me — and I cannot resist. Ha! another! Who — who is that? — her face is white — her hair hangs about her shoulders. Is she alive again? Susan! Susan! why that look? You loved me well — too well. You will not drag me to perdition! You will not appear against me! No, no, no — it is not in your nature — you whom I doted on, whom I loved — whom I— but I repented — I sorrowed — I prayed — prayed! Oh! oh! no prayers would avail. Pray for me, Susan — for ever! Your intercession may avail. It is not too late. I will do justice to all. Bring me pen and ink — paper — I will confess —he shall have all. Where is my sister? I would speak with her — would tell her — tell her. Call Alan Rookwood — I shall die before I can tell it. Come hither,’ said he to me. ‘There is a dark, dreadful secret on my mind — it must forth. Tell my sister — no, my senses swim — Susan is near me — fury in her eyes — avenging fury — keep her off. What is this white mass in my arms? what do I hold? is it the corpse by my side, as it lay that long, long night? It is — it is. Cold, stiff, stirless as then. White — horribly white — as when the moon, that would not set, showed all its ghastliness. Ah! it moves, embraces me, stifles, suffocates me. Help! remove the pillow. I cannot breathe — I choke — oh!’ And now I am coming to the strangest part of my story — and, strange as it may sound, every word is as true as Gospel.”

      “Ahem!” coughed Small.

      “Well, at this moment — this terrible moment — what should I hear but a tap against the wainscot. Holy Virgin! how it startled me. My heart leapt to my mouth in an instant, and then went thump, thump, against my ribs. But I said nothing, though you may be sure I kept my ears wide open — and then presently I heard the tap repeated somewhat louder, and shortly afterwards a third — I should still have said nothing, but Sir Piers heard the knock, and raised himself at the summons, as if it had been the last trumpet. ‘Come in,’ cried he, in a dying voice; and Heaven forgive me if I confess that I expected a certain person, whose company one would rather dispense with upon such an occasion, to step in. However, though it wasn’t the ould gentleman, it was somebody near akin to him; for a door I had never seen, and never even dreamed of, opened in the wall, and in stepped Peter Bradley — ay, you may well stare, gentlemen; but it was Peter, looking as stiff as a crowbar, and as blue as a mattock. Well, he walked straight up to the bed of the dying man, and bent his great, diabolical gray eyes upon him, laughing all the while — yes, laughing — you know the cursed grin he has. To proceed. ‘You have called me,’ said he to Sir Piers; ‘I am here. What would you with me?’—‘We are not alone,’ groaned the dying man. ‘Leave us, Mr. Tyrconnel — leave me for five minutes — only five, mark me.’—‘I’ll go,’ thinks I, ‘but I shall never see you again alive.’ And true enough it was — I never did see him again with breath in his body. Without more ado, I left him, and I had scarcely reached the corridor when I heard the door bolted behind me. I then stopped to listen: and I’m sure you’ll not blame me when I say I clapped my eye to the keyhole; for I suspected something wrong. But, Heaven save us! that crafty gravedigger had taken his precautions too well. I could neither see nor hear anything, except after a few minutes, a wild unearthly screech. And then the door was thrown open, and I, not expecting it, was precipitated head foremost into the room, to the great damage of my nose. When I got up, Peter had vanished, I suppose, as he came; and there was poor Sir Piers leaning back upon the pillow with his hands stretched out as if in supplication, his eyes unclosed and staring, and his limbs stark and stiff!”

      A profound silence succeeded this narrative. Mr. Coates would not venture upon a remark. Dr. Small seemed, for some minutes, lost in painful reflection; at length he spoke: “You have described a shocking scene, Mr. Tyrconnel, and in a manner that convinces me of its fidelity. But I trust you will excuse me, as a friend of the late Sir Piers, in requesting you to maintain silence in future on the subject. Its repetition can be productive of no good, and may do infinite harm by giving currency to unpleasant reports, and harrowing the feelings of the survivors. Every one acquainted with Sir Piers’s history must be aware, as I dare say you are already, of an occurrence which cast a shade over his early life, blighted his character, and endangered his personal safety. It was a dreadful accusation. But I believe, nay, I am sure, it was unfounded. Dark suspicions attach to a Romish priest of the name of Checkley. He, I believe, is beyond the reach of human justice. Erring Sir Piers was, undoubtedly. But I trust he was more weak than sinful. I have reason to think he was the tool of others, especially of the wretch I have named. And it is easy to perceive how that incomprehensible lunatic, Peter Bradley, has obtained an ascendancy over him. His daughter, you are aware, was Sir Piers’s mistress. Our friend is now gone, and with him let us bury his offences, and the remembrance of them. That his soul was heavily laden, would appear from your account of his last moments; yet I fervently trust that his repentance was sincere, in which case there is hope of forgiveness for him. ‘At what time soever a sinner shall repent him of his sins, from the bottom of his heart, I will blot out all his wickedness out of my remembrance, saith the Lord.’ Heaven’s mercy is greater than man’s sins. And there is hope of salvation even for Sir Piers.”

      “I trust so, indeed,” said Titus, with emotion; “and as to repeating a syllable of what I have just said, devil a word more will I utter on the subject. My lips shall be shut and sealed, as close as one of Mr. Coates’s bonds, for ever and a day: but I thought it just right to make you acquainted with the circumstances. And now, having dismissed the bad for ever, I am ready to speak of Sir Piers’s good qualities, and not few they were. What was there becoming a gentleman that he couldn’t do, I’d like to know? Couldn’t he hunt as well as ever a one in the county? and hadn’t he as good a pack of hounds? Couldn’t he shoot as well, and fish as well, and drink as well, or better? — only he couldn’t carry his wine, which was his misfortune, not his fault. And wasn’t he always ready to ask a friend to dinner with him? and didn’t he give him a good dinner when he came, barring the cross-cups afterwards? And hadn’t he everything agreeable about him, except his wife? which was a great drawback. And with all his peculiarities and humors, wasn’t he as kind-hearted a man as needs be? and an Irishman at the core? And so, if he wern’t dead, I’d say long life to him! But as he is, here’s peace to his memory!”

      At this juncture, a knocking was heard at the door, which some one without had vainly tried to open. Titus rose to unclose it, ushering in an individual known at the hall as Jack Palmer.

      * * * * *

      CHAPTER 9

       AN ENGLISH ADVENTURER

       Table of Contents

      Mrs. Peachem. Sure the captain’s the finest gentleman on the road.

      Beggar’s Opera.

      Jack Palmer was a good-humored, good-looking man, with immense bushy, red whiskers, a freckled, florid complexion, and sandy hair, rather inclined to scantiness towards the scalp of the head, which garnished the nape of his neck with a ruff of crisp little curls, like the ring on a monk’s shaven crown. Notwithstanding this tendency to baldness, Jack could not be more than thirty, though his looks were some five years in advance. His face was one of those inexplicable countenances, which appear to be proper to a peculiar class of men — a regular Newmarket physiognomy — compounded chiefly of cunning and assurance; not low cunning, nor vulgar assurance, but crafty sporting subtlety, careless as to results, indifferent to obstacles, ever on the alert for the main chance, game and turf all over, eager, yet easy, keen, yet quiet. He was somewhat showily dressed, in such wise that he looked half like a fine gentleman of that day, half like a jockey of our own. His nether man appeared in well-fitting, well-worn buckskins, and boots with tops, not unconscious of the saddle; while the

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