Ifyouhaveeverbeendisposedtoregrethisabsencedosonolonger。Hopeandpray,rather,thatyouandhemaynevermeetfacetofaceagaininthisworld。Iwriteingreathasteandingreatfearofbeingobserved。TimefailsmetoprepareyouasyououghttobepreparedforwhatIhavenowtodisclose。Imusttellyouplainly,withmuchrespectforyouandsorrowforyourmisfortune,thatyourhusband_hasmarriedanotherwife_。Isawtheceremonyperformed,unknowntohim。IfIcouldnothavespokenofthisinfamousactasaneye—witness,Iwouldnothavespokenofitatall。
\"IdarenotacknowledgewhoIam,forIbelieveMr。JamesSmithwouldstickatnocrimetorevengehimselfonmeifheevercametoaknowledgeofthestepIamnowtaking,andofthemeansbywhichIgotmyinformation;neitherhaveItimetoenterintoparticulars。Isimplywarnyouofwhathashappened,andleaveyoutoactonthatwarningasyouplease。Youmaydisbelievethisletter,becauseitisnotsignedbyanyname。Inthatcase,ifMr。JamesSmithshouldeverventureintoyourpresence,I
recommendyoutoaskhimsuddenlywhathehasdonewithhis_newwife,_andtoseeifhiscountenancedoesnotimmediatelytestifythatthetruthhasbeenspokenby\"YOURUNKNOWNFRIEND。\"
Poorasmyopinionwasofmymaster,Ihadneverbelievedhimtobecapableofsuchvillainyasthis,andIcouldnotbelieveitwhenthelawyerhaddonereadingtheletter。
\"Oh,sir,\"Isaid,\"surelythatissomebaseimposition?Surelyitcannotbetrue?\"
\"ThatiswhatIhavetoldyourmistress,\"heanswered。\"Butshesaysinreturn——\"
\"ThatIfeelittobetrue,\"mymistressbrokein,speakingbehindthehandkerchiefinafaint,smotheredvoice。
\"Weneednotdebatethequestion,\"thelawyerwenton。\"Ourbusinessnowistoprovethetruthorfalsehoodofthisletter。
Thatmustbedoneatonce。Ihavewrittentooneofmyclerks,whoisaccustomedtoconductingdelicateinvestigations,tocometothishousewithoutlossoftime。Heistobetrustedwithanything,andhewillpursuetheneedfulinquiriesimmediately。
Itisabsolutelynecessary,tomakesureofcommittingnomistakes,thatheshouldbeaccompaniedbysomeonewhoiswellacquaintedwithMr。JamesSmith’shabitsandpersonalappearance,andyourmistresshasfixeduponyoutobethatperson。Howeverwelltheinquiryismanaged,itmaybeattendedbymuchtroubleanddelay,maynecessitatealongjourney,andmayinvolvesomepersonaldanger。Areyou,\"saidthelawyer,lookinghardatme,\"readytosufferanyinconvenienceandtorunanyriskforyourmistress’ssake?\"
\"ThereisnothingI_can_do,sir,\"saidI,\"thatIwillnotdo。
IamafraidIamnotcleverenoughtobeofmuchuse;but,sofarastroublesandrisksareconcerned,Iamreadyforanythingfromthismoment。\"
Mymistresstookthehandkerchieffromherface,lookedatmewithhereyesfulloftears,andheldoutherhand。HowIcametodoitIdon’tknow,butIstoopeddownandkissedthehandsheofferedme,feelinghalfstartled,halfashamedatmyownboldnessthemomentafter。
\"Youwilldo,myman,\"saidthelawyer,noddinghishead。\"Don’ttroubleyourselfabouttheclevernessorthecunningthatmaybewanted。Myclerkhasgotheadenoughfortwo。Ihaveonlyonewordmoretosaybeforeyougodownstairsagain。Rememberthatthisinvestigationandthecausethatleadstoitmustbekeptaprofoundsecret。Exceptusthree,andtheclergymanhere(towhomyourmistresshaswrittenwordofwhathashappened),nobodyknowsanythingaboutit。Iwillletmyclerkintothesecretwhenhejoinsus。Assoonasyouandheareawayfromthehouse,youmaytalkaboutit。Untilthen,youwillcloseyourlipsonthesubject。\"
Theclerkdidnotkeepuslongwaiting。HecameasfastasthemailfromLondoncouldbringhim。
Ihadexpected,fromhismaster’sdescription,toseeaserious,sedateman,ratherslyinhislooks,andratherreservedinhismanner。Tomyamazement,thispracticedhandatdelicateinvestigationswasabrisk,plump,jollylittleman,withacomfortabledoublechin,apairofverybrightblackeyes,andabigbottle—noseofthetruegroggyredcolor。Heworeasuitofblack,andalimp,dingywhitecravat;tooksnuffperpetuallyoutofaverylargebox;walkedwithhishandscrossedbehindhisback;andlooked,uponthewhole,muchmorelikeaparsonoffree—and—easyhabitsthanalawyer’sclerk。
\"Howd’yedo?\"sayshe,whenIopenedthedoortohim。\"I’mthemanyouexpectfromtheofficeinLondon。JustsayMr。Dark,willyou?I’llsitdownheretillyoucomeback;and,youngman,ifthereissuchathingasaglassofaleinthehouse,Idon’tmindcommittingmyselfsofarastosaythatI’lldrinkit。\"
IgothimthealebeforeIannouncedhim。Hewinkedatmeasheputittohislips。
\"Yourgoodhealth,\"sayshe。\"Ilikeyou。Don’tforgetthatthename’sDark;andjustleavethejugandglass,willyou,incasemymasterkeepsmewaiting。\"
Iannouncedhimatonce,andwastoldtoshowhimintothelibrary。
WhenIgotbacktothehallthejugwasempty,andMr。Darkwascomfortinghimselfwithapinchofsnuff,snortingoveritlikeaperfectgrampus。Hehadswallowedmorethanapintofthestrongestoldaleinthehouse;and,foralltheeffectitseemedtohavehadonhim,hemightjustaswellhavebeendrinkingsomuchwater。
AsIledhimalongthepassagetothelibraryJosephinepassedus。Mr。Darkwinkedatmeagain,andmadeheralowbow。
\"Lady’smaid,\"Iheardhimwhispertohimself。\"Afinewomantolookat,butadamnedbadonetodealwith。\"Iturnedroundonhim,ratherangryathiscoolways,andlookedhardathimjustbeforeIopenedthelibrarydoor。Mr。Darklookedhardatme。
\"Allright,\"sayshe。\"Icanshowmyselfin。\"Andheknocksatthedoor,andopensit,andgoesinwithanotherwickedwink,allinamoment。
Halfanhourlaterthebellrangforme。Mr。Darkwassittingbetweenmymistress(whowaslookingathiminamazement)andthelawyer(whowaslookingathimwithapproval)。Hehadamapopenonhisknee,andapeninhishand。Judgingbyhisface,thecommunicationofthesecretaboutmymasterdidnotseemtohavemadethesmallestimpressiononhim。
\"I’vegotleavetoaskyouaquestion,\"sayshe,themomentI
appeared。\"Whenyoufoundyourmaster’syachtgone,didyouhearwhichwayshehadsailed?WasitnorthwardtowardScotland?Speakup,youngman,speakup!\"
\"Yes,\"Ianswered。\"TheboatmentoldmethatwhenImadeinquiriesattheharbor。\"
\"Well,sir,\"saysMr。Dark,turningtothelawyer,\"ifhesaidhewasgoingtoSweden,heseemstohavestartedontheroadtoit,atallevents。IthinkIhavegotmyinstructionsnow?\"
Thelawyernodded,andlookedatmymistress,whobowedherheadtohim。Hethensaid,turningtome:
\"Packupyourbagfortravelingatonce,andhaveaconveyancegotreadytogotothenearestpost—town。Looksharp,youngman——looksharp!\"
\"And,whateverhappensinthefuture,\"addedmymistress,herkindvoicetremblingalittle,\"believe,William,thatIshallneverforgettheproofyounowshowofyourdevotiontome。ItisstillsomecomforttoknowthatIhaveyourfidelitytodependoninthisdreadfultrial——yourfidelityandtheextraordinaryintelligenceandexperienceofMr。Dark。\"
Mr。Darkdidnotseemtohearthecompliment。Hewasbusywriting,withhispaperuponthemaponhisknee。
Aquarterofanhourlater,whenIhadorderedthedog—cart,andhadgotdownintothehallwithmybagpacked,Ifoundhimtherewaitingforme。Hewassittinginthesamechairwhichhehadoccupiedwhenhefirstarrived,andhehadanotherjugoftheoldaleonthetablebyhisside。
\"Gotanyfishing—rodsinthehouse?\"sayshe,whenIputmybagdowninthehall。
\"Yes,\"Ireplied,astonishedatthequestion。\"Whatdoyouwantwiththem?\"
\"Packacoupleincasesfortraveling,\"saysMr。Dark,\"withlines,andhooks,andfly—booksallcomplete。Haveadropofthealebeforeyougo——anddon’tstare,William,don’tstare。I’llletthelightinonyouassoonasweareoutofthehouse。Offwithyoufortherods!Iwanttobeontheroadinfiveminutes。\"
WhenIcamebackwiththerodsandtackleIfoundMr。Darkinthedog—cart。
\"Money,luggage,fishing—rods,papersofdirections,copyofanonymousletter,guide—book,map,\"sayshe,runningoverinhismindthethingswantedforthejourney——\"allrightsofar。Driveoff。\"
Itookthereinsandstartedthehorse。AsweleftthehouseI
sawmymistressandJosephinelookingafterusfromtwoofthewindowsonthesecondfloor。Thememoryofthosetwoattentivefaces——onesofairandsogood,theothersoyellowandsowicked——hauntedmymindperpetuallyformanydaysafterward。
\"Now,William,\"saysMr。Dark,whenwewereclearofthelodgegates,\"I’mgoingtobeginbytellingyouthatyoumuststepoutofyourowncharactertillfurthernotice。Youareaclerkinabank,andI’manother。Wehavegotourregularholiday,thatcomes,likeChristmas,onceayear,andwearetakingalittletourinScotlandtoseethecuriosities,andtobreathetheseaair,andtogetsomefishingwheneverwecan。I’mthefatcashierwhodigsholesinadrawerfulofgoldwithacoppershovel,andyou’rethearithmeticalyoungmanwhositsonaperchbehindmeandkeepsthebooks。Scotland’sabeautifulcountry,William。Canyoumakewhisky—toddy?Ican;and,what’smore,unlikelyasthethingmayseemtoyou,Icanactuallydrinkitintothebargain。\"
\"Scotland!\"saysI。\"WhatarewegoingtoScotlandfor?\"
\"Questionforquestion,\"saysMr。Dark。\"Whatarewestartingonajourneyfor?\"
\"Tofindmymaster,\"Ianswered,\"andtomakesureiftheletterabouthimistrue。\"
\"Verygood,\"sayshe。\"Howwouldyousetaboutdoingthat,eh?\"
\"IshouldgoandaskabouthimatStockholminSweden,wherehesaidhislettersweretobesent。\"
\"Shouldyou,indeed?\"saysMr。Dark。\"Ifyouwereashepherd,William,andhadlostasheepinCumberland,wouldyoubeginlookingforitattheLand’sEnd,orwouldyoutryalittlenearerhome?\"
\"You’reattemptingtomakeafoolofmenow,\"saysI。
\"No,\"saysMr。Dark,\"I’monlylettingthelightinonyou,asI
saidIwould。Nowlistentoreason,William,andprofitbyitasmuchasyoucan。Mr。JamesSmithsaysheisgoingonacruisetoSweden,andmakeshiswordgood,atthebeginning,bystartingnorthwardtowardthecoastofScotland。Whatdoeshegoin?A
yacht。Doyachtscarrylivebeastsandabutcheronboard?No。
WilljointsofmeatkeepfreshallthewayfromCumberlandtoSweden?No。Dogentlemenlikelivingonsaltprovisions?No。WhatfollowsfromthesethreeNoes?ThatMr。JamesSmithmusthavestoppedsomewhereonthewaytoSwedentosupplyhissea—larderwithfreshprovisions。Where,inthatcase,musthestop?
SomewhereinScotland,supposinghedidn’talterhiscoursewhenhewasoutofsightofyourseaport。WhereinScotland?Northwardonthemainland,orwestwardatoneoftheislands?Mostlikelyonthemainland,wheretheseasideplacesarelargest,andwhereheissureofgettingallthestoreshewants。Next,whatisourbusiness?Nottorisklosingalinkinthechainofevidencebymissinganyplacewherehehasputhisfootonshore。Nottoovershootthemarkwhenwewanttohititinthebull’s—eye。NottowastemoneyandtimebytakingalongtriptoSwedentillweknowthatwemustabsolutelygothere。Whereisourjourneyofdiscoverytotakeustofirst,then?ClearlytothenorthofScotland。Whatdoyousaytothat,Mr。William?Ismycatechismallcorrect,orhasyourstrongalemuddledmyhead?\"
Itwasevidentbythistimethatnoalecoulddothat,andItoldhimso。Hechuckled,winkedatme,and,takinganotherpinchofsnuff,saidhewouldnowturnthewholecaseoverinhismindagain,andmakesurethathehadgotallthebearingsofitquiteclear。
Bythetimewereachedthepost—townhehadaccomplishedthismentalefforttohisownperfectsatisfaction,andwasquitereadytocomparethealeattheinnwiththealeatDarrockHall。
Thedog—cartwaslefttobetakenbackthenextmorningbythehostler。Apost—chaiseandhorseswereorderedout。Aloafofbread,aBolognasausage,andtwobottlesofsherrywereputintothepocketsofthecarriage;wetookourseats,andstartedbrisklyonourdoubtfuljourney。
\"Onewordmoreoffriendlyadvice,\"saysMr。Dark,settlinghimselfcomfortablyinhiscornerofthecarriage。\"Takeyoursleep,William,wheneveryoufeelthatyoucangetit。Youwon’tfindyourselfinbedagaintillwegettoGlasgow。\"
CHAPTERIII。
ALTHOUGHtheeventsthatIamnowrelatinghappenedmanyyearsago,Ishallstill,forcaution’ssake,avoidmentioningbynamethevariousplacesvisitedbyMr。Darkandmyselfforthepurposeofmakinginquiries。ItwillbeenoughifIdescribegenerallywhatwedid,andifImentioninsubstanceonlytheresultatwhichweultimatelyarrived。
OnreachingGlasgow,Mr。Darkturnedthewholecaseoverinhismindoncemore。TheresultwasthathealteredhisoriginalintentionofgoingstraighttothenorthofScotland,consideringitsafertomakesure,ifpossible,ofthecoursetheyachthadtakeninhercruisealongthewesterncoast。
Thecarryingoutofthisnewresolutioninvolvedthenecessityofdelayingouronwardjourneybyperpetuallydivergingfromthedirectroad。ThreetimesweweresentuselesslytowildplacesintheHebridesbyfalsereports。Twicewewanderedawayinland,followinggentlemenwhoansweredgenerallytothedescriptionofMr。JamesSmith,butwhoturnedouttobethewrongmenassoonasweseteyesonthem。Thesevainexcursions——especiallythethreetothewesternislands——consumedtimeterribly。ItwasmorethantwomonthsfromthedaywhenwehadleftDarrockHallbeforewefoundourselvesupattheverytopofScotlandatlast,drivingintoaconsiderablesea—sidetown,withaharborattachedtoit。Thusfarourjourneyhadledtonoresults,andIbegantodespairofsuccess。AsforMr。Dark,henevergottotheendofhissweettemperandhiswonderfulpatience。
\"Youdon’tknowhowtowait,William,\"washisconstantremarkwheneverheheardmecomplaining。\"Ido。\"
Wedroveintothetowntowardeveninginamodestlittlegig,andputup,accordingtoourusualcustom,atoneoftheinferiorinns。
\"Wemustbeginatthebottom,\"Mr。Darkusedtosay。\"Highcompanyinacoffee—roomwon’tbefamiliarwithus;lowcompanyinatap—roomwill。\"Andhecertainlyprovedthetruthofhisownwords。ThelikeofhimformakingintimatefriendsoftotalstrangersattheshortestnoticeIhavenevermetwithbeforeorsince。CautiousastheScotchare,Mr。Darkseemedtohavetheknackoftwistingthemroundhisfingerashepleased。Hevariedhiswayartfullywithdifferentmen,buttherewerethreestandingopinionsofhiswhichhemadeapointofexpressinginallvarietiesofcompanywhilewewereinScotland。Inthefirstplace,hethoughttheviewofEdinburghfromArthur’sSeatthefinestintheworld。Inthesecondplace,heconsideredwhiskytobethemostwholesomespiritintheworld。Inthethirdplace,hebelievedhislatebelovedmothertobethebestwomanintheworld。Itmaybeworthyofnotethat,wheneverheexpressedthislastopinioninScotland,heinvariablyaddedthathermaidennamewasMacleod。
Well,weputupatamodestlittleinnneartheharbor。Iwasdeadtiredwiththejourney,andlaydownonmybedtogetsomerest。Mr。Dark,whomnothingeverfatigued,leftmetotakehistoddyandpipeamongthecompanyinthetaproom。
Idon’tknowhowlongIhadbeenasleepwhenIwasrousedbyashakeonmyshoulder。Theroomwaspitchdark,andIfeltahandsuddenlyclappedovermymouth。Thenastrongsmellofwhiskyandtobaccosalutedmynostrils,andawhisperstoleintomyear——
\"William,wehavegottotheendofourjourney。\"
\"Mr。Dark,\"Istammeredout,\"isthatyou?What,inHeaven’sname,doyoumean?\"
\"Theyachtputinhere,\"wastheanswer,stillinawhisper,\"andyourblackguardofamastercameashore——\"
\"Oh,Mr。Dark,\"Ibrokein,\"don’ttellmethattheletteristrue!\"
\"Everywordofit,\"sayshe。\"Hewasmarriedhere,andwasoffagaintotheMediterraneanwithNumberTwoagoodthreeweeksbeforeweleftyourmistress’shouse。Hush!don’tsayaword,Gotosleepagain,orstrikealight,ifyoulikeitbetter。Doanythingbutcomedownstairswithme。I’mgoingtofindoutalltheparticularswithoutseemingtowanttoknowoneofthem。
Yoursisaverygood—lookingface,William,butit’ssoinfernallyhonestthatIcan’ttrustitinthetap—room。I’mmakingfriendswiththeScotchmenalready。TheyknowmyopinionofArthur’sSeat;they_see_whatIthinkofwhisky;andIratherthinkitwon’tbelongbeforetheyhearthatmymother’smaidennamewasMacleod。\"
Withthosewordsheslippedoutoftheroom,andleftme,ashehadfoundme,inthedark。
IwasfartoomuchagitatedbywhatIhadheardtothinkofgoingtosleepagain,soIstruckalight,andtriedtoamusemyselfaswellasIcouldwithanoldnewspaperthathadbeenstuffedintomycarpetbag。Itwasthennearlyteno’clock。Twohourslater,whenthehouseshutup,Mr。Darkcamebacktomeagaininhighspirits。
\"Ihavegotthewholecasehere,\"sayshe,tappinghisforehead——\"thewholecase,asneatandcleanasifitwasdrawninabrief。Thatmasterofyoursdoesn’tstickatatrifle,William。It’smyopinionthatyourmistressandyouhavenotseenthelastofhimyet。\"
Weweresleepingthatnightinadouble—beddedroom。AssoonasMr。Darkhadsecuredthedooranddisposedhimselfcomfortablyinhisbed,heenteredonadetailednarrativeoftheparticularscommunicatedtohiminthetap—room。Thesubstanceofwhathetoldmemayberelatedasfollows:
TheyachthadhadawonderfulrunallthewaytoCapeWrath。Onroundingthatheadlandshehadmetthewindnearlydeadagainsther,andhadbeateneveryinchofthewaytothesea—porttown,whereshehadputintogetasupplyofprovisions,andtowaitforachangeinthewind。
Mr。JamesSmithhadgoneashoretolookabouthim,andtoseewhethertheprincipalhotelwasthesortofhouseatwhichhewouldliketostopforafewdays。Inthecourseofhiswanderingaboutthetown,hisattentionhadbeenattractedtoadecenthouse,wherelodgingsweretobelet,bythesightofaveryprettygirlsittingatworkattheparlorwindow。Hewassostruckbyherfacethathecamebacktwicetolookatit,determining,thesecondtime,totryifhecouldnotmakeacquaintancewithherbyaskingtoseethelodgings。Hewasshowntheroomsbythegirl’smother,averyrespectablewoman,whomhediscoveredtobethewifeofthemasterandpartownerofasmallcoastingvessel,thenawayatsea。Withalittlemaneuveringhemanagedtogetintotheparlorwherethedaughterwasatwork,andtoexchangeafewwordswithher。Hervoiceandmannercompletedtheattractionofherface。Mr。JamesSmithdecided,inhisheadlongway,thathewasviolentlyinlovewithher,and,withouthesitatinganotherinstant,hetookthelodgingsonthespotforamonthcertain。
Itisunnecessarytosaythathisdesignsonthegirlwereofthemostdisgracefulkind,andthatherepresentedhimselftothemotheranddaughterasasingleman。Helpedbyhisadvantagesofmoney,position,andpersonalappearance,hehadmadesurethattheruinofthegirlmightbeeffectedwithverylittledifficulty;buthesoonfoundthathehadundertakennoeasyconquest。
Themother’swatchfulnessneverslept,andthedaughter’spresenceofmindneverfailedher。SheadmiredMr。JamesSmith’stallfigureandsplendidwhiskers;sheshowedthemostencouragingpartialityforhissociety;shesmiledathiscompliments,andblushedwheneverhelookedather;but,whetheritwascunningorwhetheritwasinnocence,sheseemedincapableofunderstandingthathisadvancestowardherwereofanyotherthananhonorablekind。Attheslightestapproachtounduefamiliarity,shedrewbackwithakindofcontemptuoussurpriseinherface,whichutterlyperplexedMr。JamesSmith。Hehadnotcalculatedonthatsortofresistance,andhecouldnotseehiswaytoovercomingit。Theweekspassed;themonthforwhichhehadtakenthelodgingsexpired。Timehadstrengthenedthegirl’sholdonhimtillhisadmirationforheramountedtodownrightinfatuation,andhehadnotadvancedonestepyettowardthefulfillmentoftheviciouspurposewithwhichhehadenteredthehouse。
Atthistimehemusthavemadesomefreshattemptonthegirl’svirtue,whichproduced:acoolnessbetweenthem;for,insteadoftakingthelodgingsforanotherterm,heremovedtohisyacht,intheharbor,andsleptonboardfortwonights。
Thewindwasnowfair,andthestoreswereonboard,buthegavenoorderstothesailing—mastertoweighanchor。Onthethirdday,thecauseofthecoolness,whateveritwas,appearstohavebeenremoved,andhereturnedtohislodgingsonshore。Someofthemoreinquisitiveamongthetownspeopleobservedsoonafterward,whentheymethiminthestreet,thathelookedratheranxiousanduneasy。Theconclusionhadprobablyforceditselfuponhismind,bythistime,thathemustdecideonpursuingoneoftwocourses:eitherhemustresolvetomakethesacrificeofleavingthegirlaltogether,orhemustcommitthevillainyofmarryingher。
Scoundrelashewas,hehesitatedatencounteringtherisk——perhaps,also,atbeingguiltyofthecrime——involvedinthislastalternative。Whilehewasstillindoubt,thefather’scoastingvesselsailedintotheharbor,andthefather’spresenceonthescenedecidedhimatlast。Howthisnewinfluenceacteditwasimpossibletofindoutfromtheimperfectevidenceofpersonswhowerenotadmittedtothefamilycouncils。Thefact,however,wascertainthatthedateofthefather’sreturnandthedateofMr。JamesSmith’sfirstwickedresolutiontomarrythegirlmightbothbefixed,asnearlyaspossible,atoneandthesametime。
Havingoncemadeuphismindtothecommissionofthecrime,heproceededwithallpossiblecoolnessandcunningtoprovideagainstthechancesofdetection。
ReturningonboardhisyachtheannouncedthathehadgivenuphisintentionofcruisingtoSwedenandthatheintendedtoamusehimselfbyalongfishingtourinScotland。Afterthisexplanation,heorderedthevesseltobelaidupintheharbor,gavethesailing—masterleaveofabsencetoreturntohisfamilyatCowes,andpaidoffthewholeofthecrewfromthematetothecabin—boy。Bythesemeansheclearedthescene,atoneblow,oftheonlypeopleinthetownwhoknewoftheexistenceofhisunhappywife。Afterthatthenewsofhisapproachingmarriagemightbemadepublicwithoutriskofdiscovery,hisowncommonnamebeingofitselfasufficientprotectionincasetheeventwasmentionedintheScotchnewspapers。Allhisfriends,evenhiswifeherself,mightreadareportofthemarriageofMr。JamesSmithwithouthavingtheslightestsuspicionofwhothebridegroomreallywas。
Afortnightafterthepayingoffofthecrewhewasmarriedtothemerchant—captain’sdaughter。Thefatherofthegirlwaswellknownamonghisfellow—townsmenasaselfish,graspingman,whowastooanxioustosecurearichson—in—lawtoobjecttoanyproposalsforhasteningthemarriage。Heandhiswife,andafewintimaterelationshadbeenpresentattheceremony;andafterithadbeenperformedthenewly—marriedcoupleleftthetownatonceforahoneymoontriptotheHighlandlakes。
Twodayslater,however,theyunexpectedlyreturned,announcingacompletechangeintheirplans。Thebridegroom(thinking,probably,thathewouldbesaferoutofEnglandthaninit)hadbeenpleasingthebride’sfancybyhisdescriptionsoftheclimateandthesceneryofsouthernparts。ThenewMrs。JamesSmithwasallcurositytoseeSpainandItaly;and,havingoftenprovedherselfanexcellentsailoronboardherfather’svessel,wasanxioustogototheMediterraneanintheeasiestwaybysea。
Heraffectionatehusband,havingnownootherobjectinlifethantogratifyherwishes,hadgivenuptheHighlandexcursion,andhadreturnedtohavehisyachtgotreadyforseaimmediately。Inthisexplanationtherewasnothingtoawakenthesuspicionsofthelady’sparents。ThemotherthoughtMr。JamesSmithamodelamongbridegrooms。Thefatherlenthisassistancetomantheyachtattheshortestnoticewithassmartacrewascouldbepickedupaboutthetown。Principallythroughhisexertions,thevesselwasgotreadyforseawithextraordinarydispatch。Thesailswerebent,theprovisionswereputonboard,andMr。JamesSmithsailedfortheMediterraneanwiththeunfortunatewomanwhobelievedherselftobehiswife,beforeMr。DarkandmyselfsetforthtolookafterhimfromDarrockHall。