"And I, then, dearest mamma, am to be torn from your tender arms to be consigned to a reluctant husband, who has never seen me, and who will regard me with coldness and distaste," said the weeping princess. "My dear child," replied the Queen, you are, no less than the Dauphin, the property of the state, and, like him, bound to submit your own inclinations to the good ofyour country and the authority of your parents. It is the lot of royalty." "Cruel heritage!" sighed the princess; "yet, dearest mamma, think not that I am about to embitter our approaching separation with unavailing opposition to my royal father's will. I know my duty both as a daughter and a subject, and I submit myself to the disposal of my king and country." "Spoken like my own noble girl," replied the Queen, embracing her daughter, and fondly kissing away the sorrowful drops that still hung on her cheek. "Go, my child," continued she; "fulfil the glorious destiny that awaits thee. Thou art worthy to reign over a mighty nation. Qualities like thine cannot fail to con ciliate the respect, and finally to win the love, of any husband who has a heart to appreciate virtue and mental charms. Instead of thy father's, thou shalt have children whom thou mayest make princes in all lands." "But, oh! my mother," said the princess, pressing closer to the maternal bosom from which she was so soon to be separated, "how shall I meet the Queen of France, and who is the daughter of the traitor Stanislaus Luzinski, who endeavoured to rob my father of the throne of Poland; nay, even succeeded, through the assistance of the conquering arms of Charles of Sweden, in driving him from his dominions, and wresting for a season the sceptre from his hands?" "You must forget the circumstance, and treat her with the reverence that is due to your sovereign, and the mother of your consort." "But how, dearest mamma, will the daughter of the deposed usurper, Stanislaus, endure the presence of the child af the royal Augustus, whom Poland, with an unanimous voice, recalled to his rightful throne, when released from the foreign domination of the King of Sweden? Will she not make use of her power as Queen of France, and, above all, as the mother of my husband, to treat me with unkindness and neglect? And my husband, too, may not he regard me as the daughter of an enemy?" "My child, you will be placed in a delicate situation," returned the Queen "but you are aware of its difficulties, and are, I trust, possessed of sufficient greatness of mind, sweetness, and forbearance to meet and conquer them." It was a severe trial for the youthful Josepha, when the dreaded moment came for her to bid adieu to her fond parents and weeping friends. She struggled to appear composed, and in some measure succeeded in concealing her grief, and the strong reluctance she entertained against this marriage; but, though she bore herself like a princess, and a heroine, she felt like a timid, tenderhearted girl, on quitting the scenes of her childhood, and the beloved objects of her affection and reverence, for an unknown land of strangers. The French hastened in crowds to obtain a sight of the new Dauphiness on her public entrance into Paris; but they are a people so influenced by externals, that, although they could not help admit ting that her countenance was ingenuous, and indicative both of talent and sweet ness, there was a murmur of disapprobation when they contrasted her appear ance with the recollection of her beautiful predecessor. The bride was painfully aware of this impression, which was the more distressing to so young a female, when deprived of the soothing support of a mother's encouraging presence, and for the first time in her life thrown on her own resources, to think, to speak, and to act for herself: but, with the true dignity of a superior mind, she summoned all the slumbering energies of her character to meet the trying scenes that awaited her. Her first interview with the Dauphin and his royal parents was at hand, and she was compelled to stifle alarm, agitation, and childish tremors, to comport herself in a manner likely to conciliate the regard of these arbiters of her future destiny. The Queen, Maria Luzinski, received her with frigid politeness, but uttered no word of soothing or encourage ment. "It is plain," thought poor Josepha, "that her Majesty remembers the relative situation of our fathers, and dislikes me for the sake of mine." There was a greater show of friendli ness on the part of Louis the Fifteenth in his reception of his daughter-in-law, as far at least as complimentary phrases and expressions of affectionate regard went; yet the slight but perceptible shrug with which the royal profligate scanned her from head to foot, when she advanced to offer him the homage of her knee, was sufficiently indicative of his contemptuous opinion of her person. Josepha saw and felt it all; but she had strength of mind and magnanimity enough to endure the mortification with calmness. Her keenest pang was caused by the unanswered appeal for sympathy and compassion which her meek eye addressed to the pale statue-like being to whom a marriage of state policy was about to unite her. The touch of his hand, as with formal courtesy and averted looks the Dauphin raised her from her kneeling posture, chilled her with the contact of that mortal coldness which is of the heart. 'Why did they take me from affectionate parents and a happy home?" thought the offended bride, suppressing, with a powerful effort, the gush of bitter tears which appeared ready to overflow her eyes, in spite of her struggles to restrain them. It was difficult for one so young and unaccustomed to disguise, to conceal the feelings of wounded pride, and all the other painful emotions that filled her heart. Yet she commanded herself sufficiently to make graceful and appropriate replies to the observations which the King addressed to her; and so well did she acquit herself, that his Majesty, after she had withdrawn with the ladies of the bedchamber, was pleased to express his approbation of the ease and elegance of her manners, her ready wit, and the agreeable tones of her voice. Even her countenance, he said, became pleasing when she spoke. Poor Josepha, meantime, unconscious of these commendations, had quitted the royal presence with a heavy heart, and was preparing to exchange the simplicity of her virgin attire for the splendid robes prescribed for the approaching nuptial solemnity. Far, however, from betraying the secret anguish and proud reluctance of her troubled spirit, with which she assumed the jewelled tiara and glittering decorations of a Dauphiness of France, she conversed with those about her with a sweetness and affability that made them almost forget her want of beauty. The fair courtiers even carried their complaisance so far as to pronounce the princess "tres charmante," when the duties of her tedious toilette were at length completed, and she stood arrayed in all the pomp of her bridal magnificence; and they vied with each other in lavishing all the expressions of admiration their language could convey on the beauty of her luxuriant flaxen hair, which was in truth deserving of all that could be said in its praise. In compliance with the urgent entreaties of these ladies, Josepha walked to the mirror, but with a deep sigh she withdrew her eyes, after a hasty glance, which at the same moment showed her the reflection of a full-length portrait of the late Dauphiness, whose angel features and graceful figure, as there depicted, appeared to render her own want of personal attraction more apparent from the contrast. "Alas!" said she, " why did they cruelly select for the second wife of the Dauphin one so little calculated to bear a comparison with his first ?" a foreboding pang which shook her frame with a tremor of agitation that subsided not till the conclusion of the momentous ceremony, which had united her for life to one in whose ear the officious congratulations of courtiers and friends appeared to sound more dismally than a knell. Painfully aware as she was of her husband's-feelings, it was impossible for her to pause for the indulgence, or even the analysation of her own. She was compelled to smile, to appear composed, to exchange appropriate compliments with the King, the Queen, and the whole court. She had a prescribed part in the heartless drama of courtly ceremonial, and she saw the necessity of performing it well, and in this she was engrossingly occupied till the hour arrived for her to withdraw to her own apartment. The magnificence of the bridal chamber, the richness of its decorations, the blaze of its lights, and the glittering coup d'œil of the toilet that was prepared for her, oppressed her full heart with the sickening consciousness of how much at variance was all the pomp and splendour with which she was surrounded, with the dark and joyless aspect of her destiny. The ladies of the bedchamber were urgent in their entreaties to be allowed to assist her in disrobing. She stood for a moment irresolute: then feeling it impossible to overcome her reluctance, she implored them to retire for half an hour, that she might enjoy the unrestrained opportunity of performing her devotions. "The most beautiful woman in the world would be regarded by my brother, the Dauphin, with the same feelings of indifference, when considered as the successor of his lost Theresa," observed Madame Louise of France, who had entered while the young Dauphiness was thus speaking. 66 Courage, my sister!" continued this amiable lady, affectionately embracing the dejected bride: "the race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong: you may, by unobtrusive gentleness and softness, obtain an influence over the heart of your husband, which beauty might fail of acquiring, unless assisted by the charms of mental superiority. It was in the first moments of this priThat you possess those charms in no vacy, so eagerly desired by the gilded ordinary degree, I am persuaded. Be puppet who had so sorely wearied of the patient; and the time may come when you part she had been reluctantly performing will be as much to him as her for whom in the pageant of that festive day, that she he laments with such passionate regret." gave vent to the long restrained flood of Thus comforted and encouraged, the tears which could no longer be suppressPrincess Josepha was enabled to present ed, and throwing herself upon her knees, herself to the scrutinising eyes of the and burying her face in her hands, she French court, with the self-possession fervently implored counsel and support which the formidable ceremonial that of her Heavenly Father; and so deeply awaited her presence required. was she absorbed in the earnestness of her tearful supplications, which she at length breathed in audible murmurs, mixed with convulsive sobs, that it was not till a heavy sigh near her informed her she was not alone, that she became aware of the presence of an earthly witness of her communings with God. "I must forget the sensitive feelings of woman's delicacy and woman's pride, which prompt me to shrink from exchanging the nuptial plight with a man to whom I am too evidently an object of dislike, and remembering only that I am a princess, act in conformity with the duty I owe to my country and my parents," thought she, as she encountered the tearful melancholy glance of the Dauphin, when he took his place beside her at the altar; and when the archbishop united their trembling hands, the mortal coldness of his touch again thrilled her heart with Starting from her kneeling attitude, the trembling agitated girl encountered, for the first time, the mournfully intense gaze of her husband. Her timid eyes sought the ground in confusion, and she stood, covered with blushes, waiting with a fluttering heart or only one kind look or word of encouragement from him with whom her destiny was now irrevocably united. But he was silent; and when she again summoned courage to direct a glance towards him, she discovered that his eyes were averted from her, and turned with a glance of agonising recognition on the jewels of his late wife, with which the toilet was covered; and, with a cry of anguish, he exclaimed, "Is it not enough that I have been compelled to give thy name and place to another, but must they mock my grief by arranging for me to keep a second bridal in this very room, my lost Theresa, where every object so painfully reminds my widowed heart of thee." She did not finish the sentence, her apprehensive delicacy checking the expression of hopes which might alarm the fastidious feelings of the Dauphin; but the time, the happy time, which then arose before her in blissful anticipation, did at length arrive, when the grateful husband acknowledged that the fond soother of his cares-the tender mother of his numerous and hopeful progeny-the prudent counsellor on whose wisdom he could confidently rely in every situation of doubt and difficulty-and the affectionate nurse who watched over his sick, and, finally, his dying bed, was dearer to him than even his adored Theresa in the bloom of her bridal beauty. Lady's Mag. 'Conscience makes cowards of us all.' At these words the weeping Dauphiness approached, and, throwing herself at his GHOST STORY OF SQUIRE SQUCE. feet, exclaimed, "Fear not, my lord, that I shall ever seek to intrude upon the love and regret which are given to my lamented predecessor. We are equally the victions of state policy, in being compelled to a marriage in which you must be aware my inclinations have been as little consulted as your own. All I ask of you is compassion and endurance: I am too evidently an object of aversion to you, yet I entreat you not to hate a young, a helpless, and a very friendless creature, who is thrown upon your protection, and who is anxious to devote herself to your will, either as the most dutiful of wives, or the tenderest of friends." The unexpected frankness of her address-the modesty, yet the boldness of her eloquent appeal to his justice and his sympathy-the touching sweetness of her voice, and the pleading tears which filled the eyes of the youthful wife, made their way resistlessly to the heart of the Dauphin. He raised her from the lowly posture of supplication which she had not disdained to assume, and, begging her to forgive the coldness and abstraction of his manner, and the inconsiderate indulgence of his passionate grief for his first wife, he gently drew her to him, and, imprinting a first kiss on her lips, said "The friendship, the confidence, and the esteem of a widowed heart, Josepha, is all I can offer to any one-dare I ask you to accept these ?" "The confidence, the friendship, and the esteem of a heart like your's is much for me to have gained in one day, my lord," replied the Dauphiness, pressing her consort's hand to her lips; doubt not of my valuing these precious offerings at their full worth, and making it the study of my whole life to improve and deserve them; and perhaps a time may come " 'Is Uncle Squce as bad as ever?' inquired a neat elderly female, as she dismounted from the upping stock' and gave the reigns of the bridle to the manIs he not any better? she hastily repeated the question, throwing back the large hood from her features. The man shook his head, and led the horse round to the stable. The porch door was gently opened-several females were stepping lightly, with various errands of kindness for the sick man overhead; some were red with weeping; some applied the fainting restoratives to their nostrils, and general mourning was apparent. I am sincerely glad you are come, sister,' said a female, the mistress of the house, as she pressed her relative's hand, and embraced her- we have had such a night of it, as none living can imagine who were not here.'-'What, is brother not any better?'-Oh! dear no! worse-worseworse! Now; he gets no rest. The physician sat up the night before with him, but he was fetched ten miles across the country. He was loath to leave the dear creature! for he calculated he could not survive to-day.'-'Is he aware of his danger?' 'I think not!' 'Does he seem prepared?' 'Alas! alas! something wanders in his mind; but it is not religion. He was about revealing the cause in a lucid interval, but the nurse entered, and he relapsed into frantic unconsciousness. A second moment he attempted, when his bodily agony abated but a screech owl rattled his wings against the windows, (the bird was attracted by the light), your brother inquired 'what's that?' and turning on the pillow resumed his incoherent detail about last wills and testaments, and deeds of settlement.'' Has he made his will? I am sorry to say he has not. The schoolmaster came here several times for the purpose of effecting it-but a something on his mind prevented his executing it; and you know he is so passionate and suspicious none of us dared press the subject. But, sister, as he has inquired for you, you will go up and see him?' 'Certainly I will.'-' Hark! how he raves!-Oh! dreadful!-Are those the imprecations of a dying man ?'We had need pray for him-But I will go and face the worst.' 'Take some re. freshment first, sister,' said the afflicted wife, worn down almost to a skeleton, and applying a handkerchief to her eyes. 'Nay, nay, replied the anxious visitress, and following the nurse, she mustered courage sufficient to advance into the presence of her dying brother-in-law. As she drew the curtain gently aside, a ghastly and emaciated figure was bolstered in the bed, scarcely a trace of the once proud and boasted form of Squire Squce could be recognized. But, whatever inroads had been made on his constitution by the unrelenting gout, yet his mental sufferings were more paramount to the undermining his last moments and, as yet, a mystery clouded the reason of those around him. He waved his hand for the visitress to depart. She burst into a flood of tears and sank on a couch in the adjoining room. The patient was evidently dying. But, in his parox. isms of delusion, he cried out to the nurse- The devil is waiting for mecan't you see him? oh!-can't you see him? behold his prong!-see his horns! there-there oh I'm ready-ready to go I own the sentence is just-I confess it, thou harassing demon of blackness-I cancelled the will-I deprived my cousin of her inheritance-He comes!-as black as h-1. I feel the flames hotter-they scorch me. How terrible is death! Lo! how my senses reel! I did cancel the will! Will ye now be satisfied? Oh! ye hordes of imps! fluttering your wings round me- -draw the curtains close ;-let me sleep-let me lie in safety from these demons. Is this death? I will not, cannot die! Is this conscience? let me not live! Is this a dream? let me wake-let me be ransomed. Oh, preposterous fool! was I to cancel the will.'-The tears ran from his eyes as his breathing accelerated, for the momentary dawn of reason, like the flare of a candle, ere it expires, lit his mind. The family were called into his presence they knelt round the bed. He prayed God to forgive him, and weak as an infant, fell back on his pillow, and calmly ceased shortly after to exist. Tears gave full vent to the silence which serenely succeeded so awful a storm of human feeling-a reality pervaded every part of the house-toned every bosom fancy seemed to hear the groans→→→ the disparting sinews of life. However the bustle of mourning, the thoughts of funeral honours, guests, and the immediate requisition of a hundred embassies filled the passing gap. But months afterward came the trial, which the sequel will sufficiently indicate. Squire Squce had not long been safely deposited in the family vault, ere the sexton was persuaded that he often met him on his way home from the churchyard. The Squire was imaginarily observed by the work people surveying his grounds. He visit ed his loved haunts so frequently, that no servant could walk alone after dark without meeting him; indeed, his ghost was the common theme in the neighbour. hood of C- -k, and all persons confirmed the fact of his returning sojourn in the wilderness of time. But how trifling an incident will elucidate the mysterious spell of years! A notorious poacher, who courted the dairy-maid, and whom he married, personified the Squire. His size, and somewhat similar indentity, favoured the deception. By this ruse de guerre he carried on his poaching propensities for a considerable time. He supplied the markets and coaches in defiance of the caution of keepers of preserves; and which practice had several times nearly cost him his life. At length, however, so closely beset by the less credulous of his race, he was necessitated to disrobe himself of his imitatory semblance, and obliged to have general recourse to the fustian. Hence, by repeated depredations in his gamesome career, he was overtaken in the night by falling into a steel trap. His cries reached the keeper at the lodge. He was tried at the county assizes, and im prisoned. But the wound in his leg mortified when his term had nearly expired, and he died within the infirmary of the prison. Some of his townsmen visited him, and his widowed wife was his constant and faithful attendant. To her he desired in his dying moments that he should make it known how he had imposed on the widow Squce, her late mistress, by disturbing her peace, and that of her family. With this injunction the poacher's wife complied. Some of the relatives were satisfied with the probability; but others registered their scepticisms of its truth, anh have handed down their disbelief to their children, who are not sure but they may yet meet their great uncle on the stairs of the Marsh Gate House, in the uncultivated precincts of C-k, exclaiming, 'Can't you see him?' EURES. |