Chapter XXXV

by Charles Dickens

　　Containing the Unsatisfactory Result of Oliver's Adventure; and a Conversation ofSome Importance Between Harry Maylie and RoseWhen the inmates of the house, attracted by Oliver's cries,hurried to the spot from which they proceeded, they found him,pale and agitated, pointing in the direction of the meadowsbehind the house, and scarcely able to articulate the words, 'TheJew! the Jew!'Mr. Giles was at a loss to comprehend what this outcry meant; butHarry Maylie, whose perceptions were something quicker, and whohad heard Oliver's history from his mother, understood it atonce.'What direction did he take?' he asked, catching up a heavy stickwhich was standing in a corner.'That,' replied Oliver, pointing out the course the man hadtaken; 'I missed them in an instant.''Then, they are in the ditch!' said Harry. 'Follow! And keep asnear me, as you can.' So saying, he sprang over the hedge, anddarted off with a speed which rendered it matter of exceedingdifficulty for the others to keep near him.Giles followed as well as he could; and Oliver followed too; andin the course of a minute or two, Mr. Losberne, who had been outwalking, and just then returned, tumbled over the hedge afterthem, and picking himself up with more agility than he could havebeen supposed to possess, struck into the same course at nocontemptible speed, shouting all the while, most prodigiously, toknow what was the matter.On they all went; nor stopped they once to breathe, until theleader, striking off into an angle of the field indicated byOliver, began to search, narrowly, the ditch and hedge adjoining;which afforded time for the remainder of the party to come up;and for Oliver to communicate to Mr. Losberne the circumstancesthat had led to so vigorous a pursuit.The search was all in vain. There were not even the traces ofrecent footsteps, to be seen. They stood now, on the summit of alittle hill, commanding the open fields in every direction forthree or four miles. There was the village in the hollow on theleft; but, in order to gain that, after pursuing the track Oliverhad pointed out, the men must have made a circuit of open ground,which it was impossible they could have accomplished in so shorta time. A thick wood skirted the meadow-land in anotherdirection; but they could not have gained that covert for thesame reason.'It must have been a dream, Oliver,' said Harry Maylie.'Oh no, indeed, sir,' replied Oliver, shuddering at the veryrecollection of the old wretch's countenance; 'I saw him tooplainly for that. I saw them both, as plainly as I see you now.''Who was the other?' inquired Harry and Mr. Losberne, together.'The very same man I told you of, who came so suddenly upon me atthe inn,' said Oliver. 'We had our eyes fixed full upon eachother; and I could swear to him.''They took this way?' demanded Harry: 'are you sure?''As I am that the men were at the window,' replied Oliver,pointing down, as he spoke, to the hedge which divided thecottage-garden from the meadow. 'The tall man leaped over, justthere; and the Jew, running a few paces to the right, creptthrough that gap.'The two gentlemen watched Oliver's earnest face, as he spoke, andlooking from him to each other, seemed to fell satisfied of theaccuracy of what he said. Still, in no direction were there anyappearances of the trampling of men in hurried flight. The grasswas long; but it was trodden down nowhere, save where their ownfeet had crushed it. The sides and brinks of the ditches were ofdamp clay; but in no one place could they discern the print ofmen's shoes, or the slightest mark which would indicate that anyfeet had pressed the ground for hours before.'This is strange!' said Harry.'Strange?' echoed the doctor. 'Blathers and Duff, themselves,could make nothing of it.'Notwithstanding the evidently useless nature of their search,they did not desist until the coming on of night rendered itsfurther prosecution hopeless; and even then, they gave it up withreluctance. Giles was dispatched to the different ale-houses inthe village, furnished with the best description Oliver couldgive of the appearance and dress of the strangers. Of these, theJew was, at all events, sufficiently remarkable to be remembered,supposing he had been seen drinking, or loitering about; butGiles returned without any intelligence, calculated to dispel orlessen the mystery.On the next day, fresh search was made, and the inquiriesrenewed; but with no better success. On the day following,Oliver and Mr. Maylie repaired to the market-town, in the hope ofseeing or hearing something of the men there; but this effort wasequally fruitless. After a few days, the affair began to beforgotten, as most affairs are, when wonder, having no fresh foodto support it, dies away of itself.Meanwhile, Rose was rapidly recovering. She had left her room:was able to go out; and mixing once more with the family, carriedjoy into the hearts of all.But, although this happy change had a visible effect on thelittle circle; and although cheerful voices and merry laughterwere once more heard in the cottage; there was at times, anunwonted restraint upon some there: even upon Rose herself:which Oliver could not fail to remark. Mrs. Maylie and her sonwere often closeted together for a long time; and more than onceRose appeared with traces of tears upon her face. After Mr.Losberne had fixed a day for his departure to Chertsey, thesesymptoms increased; and it became evident that something was inprogress which affected the peace of the young lady, and ofsomebody else besides.At length, one morning, when Rose was alone in thebreakfast-parlour, Harry Maylie entered; and, with somehesitation, begged permission to speak with her for a fewmoments.'A few--a very few--will suffice, Rose,' said the young man,drawing his chair towards her. 'What I shall have to say, hasalready presented itself to your mind; the most cherished hopesof my heart are not unknown to you, though from my lips you havenot heard them stated.'Rose had been very pale from the moment of his entrance; but thatmight have been the effect of her recent illness. She merelybowed; and bending over some plants that stood near, waited insilence for him to proceed.'I--I--ought to have left here, before,' said Harry.'You should, indeed,' replied Rose. 'Forgive me for saying so,but I wish you had.''I was brought here, by the most dreadful and agonising of allapprehensions,' said the young man; 'the fear of losing the onedear being on whom my every wish and hope are fixed. You hadbeen dying; trembling between earth and heaven. We know thatwhen the young, the beautiful, and good, are visited withsickness, their pure spirits insensibly turn towards their brighthome of lasting rest; we know, Heaven help us! that the best andfairest of our kind, too often fade in blooming.'There were tears in the eyes of the gentle girl, as these wordswere spoken; and when one fell upon the flower over which shebent, and glistened brightly in its cup, making it morebeautiful, it seemed as though the outpouring of her fresh youngheart, claimed kindred naturally, with the loveliest things innature.'A creature,' continued the young man, passionately, 'a creatureas fair and innocent of guile as one of God's own angels,fluttered between life and death. Oh! who could hope, when thedistant world to which she was akin, half opened to her view,that she would return to the sorrow and calamity of this! Rose,Rose, to know that you were passing away like some soft shadow,which a light from above, casts upon the earth; to have no hopethat you would be spared to those who linger here; hardly to knowa reason why you should be; to feel that you belonged to thatbright sphere whither so many of the fairest and the best havewinged their early flight; and yet to pray, amid all theseconsolations, that you might be restored to those who lovedyou--these were distractions almost too great to bear. They weremine, by day and night; and with them, came such a rushingtorrent of fears, and apprehensions, and selfish regrets, lestyou should die, and never know how devotedly I loved you, asalmost bore down sense and reason in its course. You recovered.Day by day, and almost hour by hour, some drop of health cameback, and mingling with the spent and feeble stream of life whichcirculated languidly within you, swelled it again to a high andrushing tide. I have watched you change almost from death, tolife, with eyes that turned blind with their eagerness and deepaffection. Do not tell me that you wish I had lost this; for ithas softened my heart to all mankind.''I did not mean that,' said Rose, weeping; 'I only wish you hadleft here, that you might have turned to high and noble pursuitsagain; to pursuits well worthy of you.''There is no pursuit more worthy of me: more worthy of thehighest nature that exists: than the struggle to win such aheart as yours,' said the young man, taking her hand. 'Rose, myown dear Rose! For years--for years--I have loved you; hoping towin my way to fame, and then come proudly home and tell you ithad been pursued only for you to share; thinking, in mydaydreams, how I would remind you, in that happy moment, of themany silent tokens I had given of a boy's attachment, and claimyour hand, as in redemption of some old mute contract that hadbeen sealed between us! That time has not arrived; but here,with not fame won, and no young vision realised, I offer you theheart so long your own, and stake my all upon the words withwhich you greet the offer.''Your behaviour has ever been kind and noble.' said Rose,mastering the emotions by which she was agitated. 'As youbelieve that I am not insensible or ungrateful, so hear myanswer.''It is, that I may endeavour to deserve you; it is, dear Rose?''It is,' replied Rose, 'that you must endeavour to forget me; notas your old and dearly-attached companion, for that would woundme deeply; but, as the object of your love. Look into the world;think how many hearts you would be proud to gain, are there.Confide some other passion to me, if you will; I will be thetruest, warmest, and most faithful friend you have.'There was a pause, during which, Rose, who had covered her facewith one hand, gave free vent to her tears. Harry still retainedthe other.'And your reasons, Rose,' he said, at length, in a low voice;'your reasons for this decision?''You have a right to know them,' rejoined Rose. 'You can saynothing to alter my resolution. It is a duty that I mustperform. I owe it, alike to others, and to myself.''To yourself?''Yes, Harry. I owe it to myself, that I, a friendless,portionless, girl, with a blight upon my name, should not giveyour friends reason to suspect that I had sordidly yielded toyour first passion, and fastened myself, a clog, on all yourhopes and projects. I owe it to you and yours, to prevent youfrom opposing, in the warmth of your generous nature, this greatobstacle to your progress in the world.''If your inclinations chime with your sense of duty--' Harrybegan.'They do not,' replied Rose, colouring deeply.'Then you return my love?' said Harry. 'Say but that, dear Rose;say but that; and soften the bitterness of this harddisappointment!''If I could have done so, without doing heavy wrong to him Iloved,' rejoined Rose, 'I could have--''Have received this declaration very differently?' said Harry.'Do not conceal that from me, at least, Rose.''I could,' said Rose. 'Stay!' she added, disengaging her hand,'why should we prolong this painful interview? Most painful tome, and yet productive of lasting happiness, notwithstanding; forit will be happiness to know that I once held the high place inyour regard which I now occupy, and every triumph you achieve inlife will animate me with new fortitude and firmness. Farewell,Harry! As we have met to-day, we meet no more; but in otherrelations than those in which this conversation have placed us,we may be long and happily entwined; and may every blessing thatthe prayers of a true and earnest heart can call down from thesource of all truth and sincerity, cheer and prosper you!''Another word, Rose,' said Harry. 'Your reason in your ownwords. From your own lips, let me hear it!''The prospect before you,' answered Rose, firmly, 'is a brilliantone. All the honours to which great talents and powerfulconnections can help men in public life, are in store for you.But those connections are proud; and I will neither mingle withsuch as may hold in scorn the mother who gave me life; nor bringdisgrace or failure on the son of her who has so well suppliedthat mother's place. In a word,' said the young lady, turningaway, as her temporary firmness forsook her, 'there is a stainupon my name, which the world visits on innocent heads. I willcarry it into no blood but my own; and the reproach shall restalone on me.''One word more, Rose. Dearest Rose! one more!' cried Harry,throwing himself before her. 'If I had been less--lessfortunate, the world would call it--if some obscure and peacefullife had been my destiny--if I had been poor, sick,helpless--would you have turned from me then? Or has my probableadvancement to riches and honour, given this scruple birth?''Do not press me to reply,' answered Rose. 'The question doesnot arise, and never will. It is unfair, almost unkind, to urgeit.''If your answer be what I almost dare to hope it is,' retortedHarry, 'it will shed a gleam of happiness upon my lonely way, andlight the path before me. It is not an idle thing to do so much,by the utterance of a few brief words, for one who loves youbeyond all else. Oh, Rose: in the name of my ardent and enduringattachment; in the name of all I have suffered for you, and allyou doom me to undergo; answer me this one question!''Then, if your lot had been differently cast,' rejoined Rose; 'ifyou had been even a little, but not so far, above me; if I couldhave been a help and comfort to you in any humble scene of peaceand retirement, and not a blot and drawback in ambitious anddistinguished crowds; I should have been spared this trial. Ihave every reason to be happy, very happy, now; but then, Harry,I own I should have been happier.'Busy recollections of old hopes, cherished as a girl, long ago,crowded into the mind of Rose, while making this avowal; but theybrought tears with them, as old hopes will when they come backwithered; and they relieved her.'I cannot help this weakness, and it makes my purpose stronger,'said Rose, extending her hand. 'I must leave you now, indeed.''I ask one promise,' said Harry. 'Once, and only once more,--saywithin a year, but it may be much sooner,--I may speak to youagain on this subject, for the last time.''Not to press me to alter my right determination,' replied Rose,with a melancholy smile; 'it will be useless.''No,' said Harry; 'to hear you repeat it, if you will--finallyrepeat it! I will lay at your feet, whatever of station offortune I may possess; and if you still adhere to your presentresolution, will not seek, by word or act, to change it.''Then let it be so,' rejoined Rose; 'it is but one pang the more,and by that time I may be enabled to bear it better.'She extended her hand again. But the young man caught her to hisbosom; and imprinting one kiss on her beautiful forehead, hurriedfrom the room.