The Amorous Intrigues and Adventures of Aaron Burr/Chapter 10
CHAPTER X.
Burr carries a message to Gen. Montgomery.—His adventures at a Convent.—The beautiful Nun.
Aaron Burr confessed to an intimate friend, at Staten Island, a few days before his decease, that he had never embarked on any dangerous expedition, nor approached any event which was destined to make a great change in his fortunes, without being strongly impressed with the remembrance of Adelaide King, the unhappy maiden who had yielded up her virtue to his youthful doings, with whom he had commenced that career of intrigue and seduction, which carried sorrow and ruin into the bosoms of so many families.
As the time drew near, when he should set out, with Col. Benedict Arnold, for Canada, the image of Adelaide King frequently rose before his mind's eye; but it was not altogether a sad impression. There was a sort of pensive pleasure attending her imaginary presence, as if she loved him still, and was waving him on to glory and renown.
It was late in September, in the year 1775, when Arnold embarked at Newburyport with his troops, and Aaron Burr was with them.
We need not detail all the particulars of their journey, which was partly by water and partly by land. They passed through the wilderness, encountering steep mountains, tangled swamps, and morasses; and were exposed to a variety of hardships, such as were calculated to appal the stoutest hearts.
When the troops reached Chandiere Pond, Col. Arnold wanted a brave and trusty messenger, by whom he could send a verbal message to George Montgomery. He had an opportunity of witnessing the gallant bearing, the intelligence and activity of Burr, and fixed upon him as the bearer of the message.
Burr knew that the French Catholics were discontented with the government, and for that reason, he adopted a disguise that would afford him access to that portion of the community. In short, he assumed the disguise of a young Catholic priest, and thus accutred, he set out upon his perilous adventure.
Burr applied to one of the reverend gentlemen whom he counterfeited and revealed his true character and intentions. The priest entered into the spirit of it, and supplied our hero with a guide and a cabriolet.
In this way, Burr traveled from one religious family to another. When he had arrived within a day's journey of Trois Rivieres, he put up at an old convent, the venerable building of which was almost a ruin, so that he could not avoid being brought into direct contact with the nuns.
The Lady Superior informed him that a partition wall had lately given way, and was so much cracked and fallen, that she had it taken down, for fear it should tumble of itself and hurt some of the young ladies.
Although it was an object to keep the nuns from the presence of man, and they were, therefore, prevented from seeing travelers who passed by, yet, if a man was to be entertained at the house, there was no alternative. He must be visible to the inmates; and this state of things would continue until repairs could be made in the building.
Young Burr gallantly replied that he was thankful to the accident which had revealed to him so much beauty and innocence, adding, as he saw the Lady Superior turn an anxious eye upon the listening and gratified nuns: "I mean, madam, the beauty of innocence—that beauty which virtue and devotion never fail to confer upon the 'human face divine,' whether it belongs to your sex or to ours."
The Lady rewarded the speaker with a calm smile of approval.
"For instance," continued Burr, "what is more beautiful than the face of Madoina, and yet it is a beauty which is calculated to excite none, but the most holy emotions in the soul!"
By this time, the Lady Superior was calmed with the pious sentiments of our hero, but the nuns, who had listened to every word, showed plainly by their looks that they gave him little credit for sanctity and asceticism. From the time that Burr entered the building, the nuns had fixed their eyes upon him with that eager and intense gaze, common to young ladies who have been immuned in their season of love, and sedulously prevented from seeing man.
To them there is an overwhelming attraction in the masculine countenance, in the tones, bearing, and in every peculiarity of the proscribed sex. These girls feasted their eyes with the handsome young soldier, as if they would gladly devour him, like so many wolves, if they could obtain permission to do.
Whatever he did, whichever way he turned, their eyes clung to him, and every motion was watched as closely as the naturalist watches the movements and peculiar developments of some strange animal, which he has seen for the first time, and which he has procured from some adventurous traveler, at an enormous expense.
While she was absent, making some arrangements for his accommodation, in an upper chamber, Burr turned his eyes full upon the nuns, who were congregated at the distance of some ten or twelve feet from the spot in which the lady superior had placed him.
We have spoken of the singular magnetic influence of our hero's eyes, and the perturbation which it caused in the bosoms of the fair sex. When young Burr turned his full black eyes upon the nuns, and regarded them with passionate admiration—they exhibited much emotion. There was a fluttering among them, as if a bomb-shell had burst in their midst. They blushed, turned pale, their lips quivered, they looked at each other, and, finally, at Burr again, reminding one of the passage in Solomon's Song:
"Thou hast ravished me with one of thy eyes!"
These girls were very generally interesting, and one of them was eminently handsome. Her large blue eyes swam with tenderness, and her abundant hair was of the finest and most glossy brown; her features were regular, and her mouth peculiarly beautiful. Her form was voluptuous, and her general appearance bewitching in the extreme.
This was sister Catharine; her real name was Antoinette Mortier. She had been bewitched by the attentions of a handsome French officer, who left her for another, but without having received any favors from her, if we except a few amorous kisses.
She was disconsolate when her lover deserted her, and, in a fit of melancholy, threw herself into a convent. Two years had passed, and it is probable that the Frenchman was forgotten, for she fastened her blue eyes upon the countenance of young Burr, with an earnestness that told how capable she was of feeling the most passionate desire for the opposite sex.
Now that the lady superior was absent, Burr looked very tenderly at the amorous and beautiful nun, and she scarcely turned away her eyes from his, so thrilled was she by the magnetic influence, while her passions, long controlled, were threatening to consume her.
All this, Burr saw, in an instant. He knew that Sister Catharine was dying for the embrace of a man, and his natural benevolence prompted him to undertake her cure, if such a thing were possible.
But how could this be effected? The nuns were under the strict supervision of the lady superior, and how could so great a sacrilege be committed without discovery, and the mortal offence would be given to the church authorities, and to the priests who encouraged the expedition, and upon whom Burr depended for protection?
Many men would have been discouraged, by those prudent reflections, from making any attempt to comfort and console this amorous young lady. But Burr was too mindful of the welfare of the sex to let any consideration intimidate him.
He believed it impossible for these nuns to continue always within doors, and he did not doubt that, when darkness veiled all outward objects, they were in the habit of taking the air.
When, therefore, he retired to his room, Burr did not undress, but sat watching at a window which looked out upon a paved court; and he observed that he could easily get from his window upon the roof of a sort of moss-grown portico which jutted out from the rear of the main building. From thence, the descent to the ground was easy.
Scarcely had he taken his place at the window, before he saw some person moving out from the little covered passage-way, and slowly walking along the pavement. Burr stooped down so as to be invisible from the court, for he had heard a low sigh breathed by the unknown, and something told him that it was Sister Catharine, the beautiful nun.
She spoke, though in a low tone. He held his breath to catch the accents which came from those lovely lips:
"For two long—long years," said she, "have I endured this, and what do I gain by thus denying myself the indulgence that nature loudly calls for? I feel that something calamitous must ensue if this is continued much longer. Nature is isolated. Madness itself cannot be far off! Oh! rash and foolish girl that I was! and now I have seen one of that sex forbidden to us—ay, forbidden even to look upon those masculine countenance, so winning—so seductive—so lovely—oh! my heart do not burst quite—"
There she threw herself on the pavement, and sobbed in an agony of grief and despair, which none can conceive of but those who, like her, look forward to life-long misery.
This was quite enough for Burr. He slid down from the window upon the portico, and then sprang to the ground as lightly as an antelope. The melancholy girl heard him as his feet struck the pavement, and looked around.
She recognized him at once as the strange visitor, with the wonderful eyes. He rushed towards her.
"Back! back to your room!" cried she, placing her white hands against his forehead and shoulder. "Back, on your life! Discovery would be destruction to us both!"
"Beautiful, angelic creature! my love forbids it. I cannot live without one kiss from those heavenly lips of yours. Suffer me to take but one kiss."
"Oh! my God!" cried she, waving her hands, "what shall I do?"
"Nay, is not the good lady asleep?" asked he, clasping her around the waist, and kissing her violently.
She answered not, though she tried to do so, but her voice was choked by her emotions, by her heart swelling with love and passion that quite mastered her. She sank into his arms, sighing deeply.
Burr drew her into the portico, where was an old settee; and having hastily thrown up her dress, he passed his hand along those plump limbs those round thighs, as smooth as polished marble, and then he touched the most sacred spot of all, which betrayed the amorous fire which consumed her.
The beautiful nun now struggled to prevent an exposure, which too plainly told how much she was under the influence of burning desire, but soon all thoughts of shame were lost in joys unutterable!
Even the pang of losing her virginity was unheaded unheeded by the frenzied girl; for so keen was her desire, that the pain, itself, seemed to be delightful to her, knowing, as she did, what caused the momentary sufferings. The plump and rounded "mons veneris" being vigorously pressed by the ardent youth, in the act of coition, shot forth its jets, causing the nun such sweet throes of pleasure that she writhed, sighed, and could scarcely prevent herself from screaming. The seat of pleasure itself, influenced as it was by long-suppressed desire, now rubbed by the instrument of manhood, burned with such intensity of joy, that her motions became convulsive. She clasped Burr with arms and legs. She turned her limbs about him—her eyes rolled with maddening delight— she caught his lips between hers and sucked them till they were bloodless, and we will not repeat the ejaculations, the phases of wild and inflamed affection which she lavished upon him, as her bounding heart swelled with gratitude to the handsome youth, who was filling her whole being with the sweetest raptures that imagination can depict.
When the climax arrived, the belly and thighs of the youth were bathed with what seemed to be burning lava, so ardent was this amorous maid, so hot was her blood after two years of hopeless repining at her virgin state.
Burr then regained his feet, when the nun sprang up and threw herself upon his breast, clutching him like a cat, so fearful was she of losing the author of her sweet transports. Burr then rained kisses on her mouth, neck, and bosom.
"Oh!" said she, "my heart! Oh! my soul! Oh! my God! to think what I lose by remaining in this cursed convent! Oh! my dearest, most blessed man! Oh! sweet man! Oh! blessed man! Oh! heavenly man! Let me eat a piece of you! You have so thrilled me—so delighted me! so sweetened me—come—come," and she drew her consoler down upon her bosom.
Burr then gave her the second part of the same performance, in which she was, if possible, more enraptured than the first time. So bereft of all prudence, of reason, was the thrilled and delighted girl that, when the final keene throe of pleasure arrived, she threw back her head convulsively, and gave one loud, wild scream expressive of her intolerable joys.
Burr gave up all for lost; but no one stirred. Accustomed as they were to all sorts of noises, from wild beast and straggling Indians, the inmates of the convent, when startled from their dreams, by any strange cry, only crossed themselves, repeated a pater noster, and went to sleep again.
After listening some minutes, and perceiving that no one came. Burr proposed to the loving beauty that she should go up with him into his room, and after a moment's reflection, she acceded to the proposal. What could she refuse him at that moment? She would cheerfully have laid down her life to give him one moment's gratification.
With little difficulty, Burr assisted the nun to gain the top of the portico. He then lifted her into the window of his chamber.
During the removal of the beautiful girl to his chamber, Burr's passion was enkindled to the last degree. Lifting her about in his arms, and thus becoming cognizant of the rounded plumpness of her form, the full and protuberant posteriors, the voluminous thighs, and the fleshy calf, he felt a trembling eagerness to deposite her on his couch, and a dread of interruption, not from any fear of consequences, but because he could not think with any patience of losing the prize so opportunely placed within his reach.
Very soon, however, they were in the room, and Burr having closely drawn the curtains, relighted his lamp. Then he looked upon the sweet morsel of heavenly food which lay panting upon his bed, impatient to be pressed once more in his arms.
The delightful young creature looked more beautiful than when he saw her first.
She had experienced pleasure since then; and the rich color—the flush of her cheeks, the softened expression of her loving eyes, the humid redness of the lips slightly ajar, the bosom, all conspired to render an object of adoration, of sincere worship.
Burr could not resist the temptation to survey those beauties which were hidden by the gloomy drapery of superstition. He raised her dress above her knees, and as the light fell full upon them, and revealed their luxurious fullness, he ardently kissed the glowing flesh, and then higher he ventured, lifting the drapery till it revealed all. He kissed the white round belly, sweeter than the honey of Hybea, and then remarked the full voluminous thighs, their glossy smoothness, and the exquisitely beautiful, pouting, little, heavily-thatched paradise which lay between them. What he did then we will not pretend to know; but he caused the nun to wonder and sigh, and finally to put down her hand and press them against the back of his head, as if she loved the action greatly.
Burr examined and admired all her beauties, from the swelling loins to the well-turned ankle and little feet. Then again, they met in the ardent encounters of Venus, and the night wore fast away.
At lenght, length, the lovely nun informed Burr that she must leave him, as day-light would reveal her absence from her dormitory.
They sat together upon the edge of the bed. She announced that the time had come for leaving him—yes, him from whom she had tasted those long-desired joys, which now she must probably forego for ever!
Burr knew what was the subject of her thoughts, by the earnest, sad, and despairing manner in which she gazed upon him. He afterwards confessed that that was the most unhappy moment of his life.
To leave that beautiful young creature whose sweetness he had tasted till his enraptured sense could endure no more—that loving girl who adored him with her whole mind and heart—to leave her a victim to pangs which now would be more cruel than ever, rent his heart with anguish.
"I shall think of you when far away," said Burr, pressing her to his heart, and giving her one long ardent kiss.
"But I shall see you no more," said she, in that low, hopeless tone of forced resignation, which is more agonizing to the hearer than the most tumultuous grief.
"We may meet again, and I will make it a point to visit the convent at some future time," returned Burr, and with this assurance, he aided the half-fainting girl down into the court, where they took a mournful leave of each other, and repaired to their respective couches.