Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 105: what you’re looking at

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92 — aot the less a bandit for all this; and you must be perfectly well aware that though I will keep my promise in avoiding to give publicity to what I now know, I shall lose no time in acquainting Lord and Lady Ringwold with the character of this Angelo Volterra.” Having thus spoken, Captain Raymond dis- missed me from his presence; and when [I retired to rest, it was a long time before sleep visited my eyes—for I continued to be harassed with the most painful thoughts. Not that my belief in Volterra’s integrity, despite all the suspicious cir- cumstances which surrounded him, was at all staggered by Captain Raymond’s utter incredulity on the same point; and as for my romantic no- tions, as he was pleased to call them, I flattered myself that I only took a common-sense view of the whole circumstances, considering the strong reasons IL had to entertain a good opinion of Vol- terra, and to avoid being entirely influenced by certain appearances which seemed to tell against him. At an early hour on the following morning, the hotel-porter came up to my chamber while I was dressing, and gave me a note. I opened it; and found that it contained the following words, written in English :— **T am distressed almost to madness—and you can comprehend wherefore, I have now every reason to apprehend that a certain statement will be made in a particular quarter—and, Oh, the anguish that it will produce! But you, I amconvinced, do not believe that I really am what I may seem to be! Were it not for the solemn pledge I gave you, I shonld at once endea- your to obtain an interview with a certain lady, and beseech her to suspend her judgment with regard to me. But I respect that pledgs; and is not this another proof of honour and integrity which I am affording your? I therefore leave the matter in yourhands. That Captain Raymond will lose no time in returning to Flo- rence to state what has come to his knowledge, I feel con- vinced. You therefore will be soon in Florence again; and I trust to your good offices to procure that suspension of opinion for which I myself would plead were I not bound by my pledge to you. If I dare ask such a favour—if you can sufficiently suspend your own judgment con- cerning me,—the boon 1 would crave is that you will show this letter to the lady whom for prudence’ sake I do not name. And, oh! I beseech that her opinion may be suspended with regard to me! In no sense am I what Iseem. God grant that circumstances may so far prove favourable as shortly to enable me to render my meaning clearly intelligible, and fling away this odious veil of mystery which now envelopes me. Never would I have reminded you that you owe me your liberty and also your life, were it not that I am constrained to adopt all means to move and interest you in my behalf: therefore on those grounds do I now appeal to your genorosity—your goodness! ” I was profoundly affected by the perusal of this letter ; and when I had finished it, my first im- pulse was to show it to Captain Raymond,—trust- ing to his magnanimity to put the most favour- able construction on its contents. But then I re- collected that he was by no means an impartial person to judge of Angelo Volterra: for in the Italian he beheld a successful rival with regard to the affections of Olivia Sackville—and even with the most generous dispositions there is an apti- tude for prejudice towards a rival—a readiness to catch up and use aught to his disparagement. Therefore I resolved to abstain from showing the letter to Captain Raymond: but equally deter- a JOSEPH WILMOT; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT mined was I to fulfil Volterra’s behests to the ut- most of my power. Immediately on proceeding to the Captain’s apartment, he informed me that we were about to return to Florence: but he said not another word in respect to Signor Volterra—neither did he appear to know that I had received any letter. I therefore concluded that Angelo had instructed his emissary, whoever he were, to bribe the porter of the hotel to deliver the note privately and secretly into my hand. We retraced our way to Florence. I sate out- side the post-chaise—and therefore had no oppor- tunity of judging by my master’s demeanour whether he now entertained any hope of being enabled to supplant Angelo Volterra in the affec- tions of Olivia Sackville. So far, however, as I could judge from his looks before we started, I fancied that there was a certain degree of satis- faction—though scarcely perceptible—beneath the calm dignity of his bearing. Alas, poor Olivia!— and I said to myself that before the day was out her heart would doubtless have experienced a severe trial. But would she believe Volterra to be entirely unworthy of the love she had bestowed upon hin? No—I could not think it: for when I recalled to mind the discourse that I had over- heard between them in the garden of the village- hotel on the Modena side of the Apennine range, I said to myself, “ Her love is too deeply seated to be thus readily destroyed !” The post-chaise entered Florence at about noon; and as it drove up to the hotel, I felt my heart fluttering as much as if the whole proceeding in- timately concerned myself in the keenest and most painful manner. The domestics of the establish- ment were surprised to see us return; and we were at once put in possession of the apartments we had left in the afternoon of the previous day. The valet and the lady’s-maid attached to the Ringwolds were also astonished at my master’s speedy and most unexpected revisit to the Tuscan capital: but I gave no explanation—I affected to be ignorant of his motives—and yet, with all the painful feelings that agitated in my breast, it was no easy matter to practise this little dis- simulation. rs CHAPTER, XCVII. OLIVIA. I HAD no opportunity for some hours of judging what took place,—as Captain Raymond, almost immediately after our arrival, sought an interview with Lord and Lady Ringwold, and remained closeted with them for a considerable time. Then he retired to his own apartment, to which I was not summoned during the rest of the day, he having no need for me. But between four and five in the afternoon, I encountered Lord Ring- wold’s valet, who said to me, “ What on earth is the matter, Joseph? I am sure that you know something, but you will not tell me. Bessy says that Miss Olivia is overwhelmed with grief—that she has retired to her own chamber, and is giving way to her affliction.” re EloOOKKS. (EO)