The Genius (Carl Grosse)/Chapter 23
CHAP. VI.
Retiring to an adjoining room, Don Fernandos, bursting into tears, embraced me, and thus began:
"Pardon, O pardon my worthy friend, the man, who hurried away by a long fostered and resistless passion, has now abjured it in the blood of the miscreant, who, by the most mysterious artifice, had flattered me with the perpetration of a crime, inexpiable by its consequences, and a source of everlasting remorse to my misguided heart.
"You must have perceived how powerfully the charms of your Adela operated on my captivated mind, from the first moment we saw her. You must likewise have been aware, that her condescending familiarity and the indulgence with which you encouraged our intercourse, could not but add fresh fuel to the unhappy flame, which my nature was too weak to stifle in my languishing and too susceptible bosom. As I was stretched out in listless thoughfulness beneath the great linden-tree, I was surprised by the apparition of the same being clad in white whom you call your Genius, and who had eluded our pursuit some months ago at the masked ball. He held a dagger in his hand; I was struck with terror, unprovided with arms, and in a posture, which even denied me the least chance of defending myself from any attack that might have been made upon me. "Hear me Fernandos," whispered the being, in gentle accents, "I am not your enemy, though you once sought my life, You love Adela, and I am sure that your passion will be crowned: with all the success it merits, if you send her an assignation to meet" you at eight o'clock tomorrow night, near this spot." I was deeply studying what answer I should make, when the Genius, profiting by my reverie, stole away, and suddenly disappeared.
"I obeyed the treacherous summons, and repairing in due time to the appointed place, found instead of Adela, a man, and mistaking him for the impostor, was going, IN the rage of my disappointment to plunge my sword into his body, when recognizing your voice, I stood motionless, abashed and confounded. Soon the cries and struggles behind me, roused me from stupefaction, and kindled my vengeance. Seeing our friend Bernardos engaged with the traitor who had thus tempted and betrayed me, I flew—attacked, and laid him low. HAD I known it was Alfonso, I would have spared his life; but what is done cannot be undone. He sought the life of Bernardos, and I flew him to save my friend. It is homicide, justified by the first principles of self-defence, and I thank God! that neither my conscience nor the laws can charge me with premeditated murder, I pity the fate of Alfonso, as much as I deplore the passion which has hitherto chained my reason, and benumbed every virtue which formerly ruled my mind. I abjure my errors, and in commiseration to the foibles of our nature, hope, you will not deny me your pity and forgiveness. To avoid the very shadow of future inducements to my criminal error I am resolved to quit Paris in a few days, and renounce the intercourse with the friend of my youth, and the rest of a company, that I shall never cease to remember with affection and respect."
I embraced my friend, exclaiming deeply moved, "dear Fernandos, all is forgiven?"
This moment Adela came to tell us Alfonso wished for our immediate attendance. Our curiosity made us instantly comply, and we hastened back, in eager expectation of a speedy disclosure of the most important secrets.
Bernardos had raised Alfonso from his pillow, he surveyed us all with an eloquent mien, then applying his hand to the wound, which seemed to give him great pain, he fixed his eyes towards Heaven. His countenance appeared entirely changed, and I hardly knew him again.
"I thank you, madam," began he, laying hold of my wife's hand, "I thank you for your kind care; I thank you even for the cause of my approaching dissolution, and still more for your fidelity to your husband. I hope and pray, you will always give him reason to rejoice in his future happiness."
Adela was silent. Perhaps she know not what to answer, nor understood his meaning.
"My moments are counted," pursued he after a short pause, "and I feel it, that those which still remain, are but a few. My papers will teach Don Carlos the whole series of the vicissitudes of my eventful life. I left them at the villa near Alcantara, in a little box, in the room which I inhabited on the groundsel. You will find the key of it in my portmanteau, with some papers relative to our covenant. Ah! Carlos, how I lament, that this should be the reward of my love, of my fidelity, my more than human tenderness to you. It was I that received you an infant from your mother's lap; have you never heard of Count Diego de Lascara?"
"I have heard of such a man," replied I, "he is my uncle, my mother's brother, formerly governor of Seville."
"Then I am he," continued Alfonso; "I am that uncle, who renounced all the gifts of fortune and affluence, to follow and protect my dear nephew, in this humble disguise. Your mother vowed to your grandfather whom a long train of misfortunes had driven to become the second chief of the mighty Covenant, to leave her first-born-under the influence of our order, and I promised to be your guide and Genius ere you beheld the light. Our designs were your happiness, I swore it solemnly to my late sister, whose love to you could never exceed mine. I lived for my Carlos, and now I die for him!"
"Dear uncle," cried I, "now I recognize your benefits, but it is too late to shew you my gratitude!" At these words, which tears and sobs would scarcely permit me to articulate, I embraced him with tenderness and gloomy despair.
Adela, Fernandos and Bernardos seemed equally touched, and Fernandos kneeling asked my uncle's pardon.
"Be not afflicted, young man," continued Don Diego, "though you have killed him who only wished to preserve you from danger, still he fees his blood spilt cheerfully, as it will doubtless reclaim you to the path of virtue, from which you began to swerve. I feel myself very faint, and am unable to expatiate long on the mystery of this unhappy night, but in justice to you all, will briefly relate some particulars.
"The most sacred duty of our Covenant, is, to protect our unexperienced members, and to chastise conjugal infidelity, especially in wives and their seducers. The crime of adultery has risen to an alarming: height in this degenerate age, the laws instead of preventing tend rather to encourage it, and thousands of husbands bewail the consequences of that baneful and detested; crime. Friendship is now but an empty, name, and under its mask the artful seducer generally succeeds in his diabolical purpose. My Carlos has always shewn too much kindness to friends, and unless he attends to this, salutary lesson, by tempering with caution, the confidence he reposes in them, he will split upon that rock. It was I, who have promoted his union with Adela, whose constancy and virtues will, I hope, never vary. Circumstances have induced me to put her sidelity to the test; I have tried the experiment, and must alone bear the cost. I overheard Bernardos, in a secret conversation, tell his confidential servant, that he would certainly kill the presumptuous man, who had dared to rival the affections of his friend. Attempting to prevent the mischief, I watched his motions at the place of rendezvous, and in saving Fernandos's life, lost my own by the latter's hands. Adela has proved herself worthy of my nephew, the accident has made Fernandos repent his error, and I trust, that my unmerited fate will confirm Bernardos in his attachment to the duties of friendship, and make him detest all perfidy and dissimulation under the mask of domestic familiarity.
"As to my Carlos, he has entertained false notions respecting the motives which guide the Cabal, for I was at its head, and introduced him into its bosom. To make him great, without promoting his virtue and his happiness, could never have been my intention. I was master of the circumstances, but accidents I could not control, On your account contentions have arisen among our brethren; I have saved Elmira; and the deceitful female who wanted to usurp her place, has perished by the measures I took, I kept you out of Spain, Carlos, as soon as I found the majority of my brethren against you. The ficiitious murder was doubtless their own contrivance. Don Pedro had sworn your ruin, and Francisca was to accomplish ir. This Don Pedro was a traitor, he is now gone; your friends and mine have the majority in the Cabal, and you risk nothing to return among your brethren."
"My dear uncle!" exclaimed I sobbing.
"You need not be afraid, Carlos," returned he: "you are among friends and confidants. Make them acquainted with the value of our mystic society, when you shall once be fully penetrated with its real spirit. Though I have not gained the falutary cnd of my painful and laborious carcer, yet all my existence has been devoted to extricate you from the multifarious dangers in which your impetuous and airy temper threatened to involve you. Oft have I saved you from absolute perdition, and now leave you without a guide. Your Genius transmigrates to another world, but keep the lessons of foresight and moderation which he now gives, carefully stored in your memory, nor let any opportunity go by, without profiting by their wholesome practice."
At this interval Counts Giraumont and Selami, who had left us immediately after my uncle's wound had been dressed, entered the apartment, accompanied by a commissary and some police officers, to take my uncle's deposition, that he had come fairly by his death. He signed-a declaration to this, purport, and saved Fernandos from all criminal pursuit, which would otherwise have been commenced against him.
The commissary having withdrawn, Don Diego embraced us all, and gave his blessing to me and Adela. He added, in presence of all our friends, that he had made a will constituting me or the issue of my body, sole heirs to his estates in the district of Seville, observing that this will would be found among his papers at my seat near Alcantara.
He now began to struggle with the last agonies of death. "My eyes grow dim," cried he, with a deep groan, "my sight vanishes—Farewel Carlos.—I leave you my whole soul!—Farewel Adela,—Farewel all!"—At these words a slight cough drowned his speech, and he instantly expired.
Two days after we buried his remains in the cemetery of St. Sulpice, and the Spanish Ambassador and several Spaniards of distinction followed him with due solemnity to the grave.
I now saw the reason, why my mother, on receiving the news of my assassination, had made the then obscure Alfonso, heir of the whole bulk of our fortune.