[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
you do not mean to pass all the autumn in this barbarous spot! One
ought to bring hither a cup of the waters of Lethe, that the remembrance
of pleasanter scenes may not heighten, at least, the natural dreariness of
these.
I shall be governed by circumstances, madam, said the Count,
this barbarous spot was inhabited by my ancestors.
The carriage now stopped at the chateau, where, at the door of the
great hall, appeared the old steward and the Parisian servants, who had
been sent to prepare the chateau, waiting to receive their lord. Lady
Blanche now perceived, that the edifice was not built entirely in the
gothic style, but that it had additions of a more modern date; the large
and gloomy hall, however, into which she now entered, was entirely
gothic, and sumptuous tapestry, which it was now too dark to
distinguish, hung upon the walls, and depictured scenes from some of
the antient Provencal romances. a vast gothic window, embroidered with
CLEMATIS and eglantine, that ascended to the south, led the eye, now
that the casements were thrown open, through this verdant shade, over a
sloping lawn, to the tops of dark woods, that hung upon the brow of the
promontory. Beyond, appeared the waters of the Mediterranean,
stretching far to the south, and to the east, where they were lost in the
horizon; while, to the north-east, they were bounded by the luxuriant
shores of Languedoc and Provence, enriched with wood, and gay with
vines and sloping pastures; and, to the south-west, by the majestic
Pyrenees, now fading from the eye, beneath the gradual gloom.
- 177 -
THE MYSTERIES OF UDOLPHO Vol III
Blanche, as she crossed the hall, stopped a moment to observe this
lovely prospect, which the evening twilight obscured, yet did not
conceal. But she was quickly awakened from the complacent delight,
which this scene had diffused upon her mind, by the Countess, who,
discontented with every object around, and impatient for refreshment
and repose, hastened forward to a large parlour, whose cedar wainscot,
narrow, pointed casements, and dark ceiling of carved cypress wood,
gave it an aspect of peculiar gloom, which the dingy green velvet of the
chairs and couches, fringed with tarnished gold, had once been designed
to enliven.
While the Countess enquired for refreshment, the Count, attended
by his son, went to look over some part of the chateau, and Lady
Blanche reluctantly remained to witness the discontent and ill-humour of
her step-mother.
How long have you lived in this desolate place? said her
ladyship, to the old house keeper, who came to pay her duty.
Above twenty years, your ladyship, on the next feast of St.
Jerome.
How happened it, that you have lived here so long, and almost
alone, too? I understood, that the chateau had been shut up for some
years?
Yes, madam, it was for many years after my late lord, the Count,
went to the wars; but it is above twenty years, since I and my husband
came into his service. The place is so large, and has of late been so
lonely, that we were lost in it, and, after some time, we went to live in a
cottage at the end of the woods, near some of the tenants, and came to
look after the chateau, every now and then. When my lord returned to
France from the wars, he took a dislike to the place, and never came to
live here again, and so he was satisfied with our remaining at the
cottage. Alas -- alas! how the chateau is changed from what it once was!
What delight my late lady used to take in it! I well remember when she
- 178 -
THE MYSTERIES OF UDOLPHO Vol III
came here a bride, and how fine it was. Now, it has been neglected so
long, and is gone into such decay! I shall never see those days again!
The Countess appearing to be somewhat offended by the
thoughtless simplicity, with which the old woman regretted former
times, Dorothee added -- But the chateau will now be inhabited, and
cheerful again; not all the world could tempt me to live in it alone.
Well, the experiment will not be made, I believe, said the
Countess, displeased that her own silence had been unable to awe the
loquacity of this rustic old housekeeper, now spared from further
attendance by the entrance of the Count, who said he had been viewing
part of the chateau, and found, that it would require considerable repairs
and some alterations, before it would be perfectly comfortable, as a
place of residence.
I am sorry to hear it, my lord, replied the Countess.
And why sorry, madam?
Because the place will ill repay your trouble; and were it even a
paradise, it would be insufferable at such a distance from Paris.
The Count made no reply, but walked abruptly to a window.
There are windows, my lord, but they neither admit entertainment, or
light; they shew only a scene of savage nature.
I am at a loss, madam, said the Count, to conjecture what you
mean by savage nature. Do those plains, or those woods, or that fine
expanse of water, deserve the name?
Those mountains certainly do, my lord, rejoined the Countess,
pointing to the Pyrenees, and this chateau, though not a work of rude
nature, is, to my taste, at least, one of savage art. The Count coloured
highly. This place, madam, was the work of my ancestors, said he,
and you must allow me to say, that your present conversation discovers
neither good taste, or good manners. Blanche, now shocked at an
altercation, which appeared to be increasing to a serious disagreement,
- 179 -
THE MYSTERIES OF UDOLPHO Vol III
rose to leave the room, when her mother's woman entered it; and the
Countess, immediately desiring to be shewn to her own apartment,
withdrew, attended by Mademoiselle Bearn.
Lady Blanche, it being not yet dark, took this opportunity of
exploring new scenes, and, leaving the parlour, she passed from the hall
into a wide gallery, whose walls were decorated by marble pilasters,
which supported an arched roof, composed of a rich mosaic work.
Through a distant window, that seemed to terminate the gallery, were
seen the purple clouds of evening and a landscape, whose features,
thinly veiled in twilight, no longer appeared distinctly, but, blended into
one grand mass, stretched to the horizon, coloured only with a tint of
solemn grey.
The gallery terminated in a saloon, to which the window she had
seen through an open door, belonged; but the increasing dusk permitted
her only an imperfect view of this apartment, which seemed to be
magnificent and of modern architecture; though it had been either
suffered to fall into decay, or had never been properly finished. The
windows, which were numerous and large, descended low, and afforded
a very extensive, and what Blanche's fancy represented to be, a very
lovely prospect; and she stood for some time, surveying the grey
obscurity and depicturing imaginary woods and mountains, vallies and
rivers, on this scene of night; her solemn sensations rather assisted, than
interrupted, by the distant bark of a watch- dog, and by the breeze, as it
trembled upon the light foliage of the shrubs. Now and then, appeared
for a moment, among the woods, a cottage light; and, at length, was
heard, afar off, the evening bell of a convent, dying on the air.
When she withdrew her thoughts from these subjects of fanciful
delight, the gloom and silence of the saloon somewhat awed her; and,
having sought the door of the gallery, and pursued, for a considerable
time, a dark passage, she came to a hall, but one totally different from
that she had formerly seen. By the twilight, admitted through an open
portico, she could just distinguish this apartment to be of very light and
airy architecture, and that it was paved with white marble, pillars of
- 180 -
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]