Chapter III: The Scene changes to Glen-Morgan

When the appointed morning came, and the hearse with its attendant mourners issued from the portal of the court of Kray Castle, the tenants of De Lancaster presented themselves in a body and fell in respectfully and silently in rear of the cavalcade; but when Sir Arthur Floyd and the party of gentlemen, who had dined at the castle attached themselves to the train, following the coach, in which De Lancaster was seated, till they came to the last verge of his domain, where the tenants dispersed, and they approached to pay their valedictory respects, the venerable old man, overcome even to tears by the unexpected compliment, and, bowing from the window of his coach, had only strength to say--Gentlemen, I thank you from my heart! you have conferred an honour and a favour upon me and mine, which I never shall forget.

When they arrived upon the lands of Glen Morgan, though yet at some distance from the house, they were again met and escorted by the tenants and retainers of that ancient and opulent family, till they arrived at the place of their destination.

Here Mr. De Lancaster, by the persuasion of his daughter, consented to repose after the fatigue and agitation of the journey, whilst Cecilia and her nephew, as chief mourners, followed the body to the church, there to consign it with all solemnity to the vault, where the remains of the Morgans had been deposited for many generations.

The crowd, which such a spectacle could not fail to bring together, were not so engrossed by their sorrow as to prevent them from bestowing their attention on the countenance of the youthful heir, and dull indeed must have been the eye, which had not discerned that spirit of innate benevolence, which not all the clouds of sorrow could obscure. Our hero had now advanced into his eighteenth year; he was tall of stature, erect in person and of manly growth and proportion. When he led his aunt from the church, after the solemnity was concluded, and the people, who lined his passage to the coach, uncovered and in respectful silence paid their homage, he stopped, looked round, and in a manner at once the most graceful and most gracious, returned their salutation. It was a look, set off with such an action, as spoke comfort to the poor, and gave assurance to all beholders of a kind and noble nature. What sensations it conveyed to the feeling bosom of the approving Cecilia, is easier to conceive than to describe: it was not overlooked by Amelia, who beheld it through her tears, and the interesting glance was not rendered the less impressive by the tender medium, through which it made its passage to her heart.

She was leaning on the arm of Mrs. Jennings; conscious that she had no place in that awful ceremony, she had modestly stood at distance from those who had; and, it was now for the first time that our hero’s eyes had been directed towards her. She did not put it in the power of the chief mourners to offer her a seat in their coach, but carefully avoided being noticed by them, and walked with Mrs. Jennings from the church to the house. When there arrived, she did not enter by the hall, but through the offices, and by a private staircase retired to her chamber, conducted by the house-keeper.

Cecilia also, after she had paid her respects to the father of the deceased, repaired to the apartment appointed for her, and dispatched a servant to Mrs. Jennings and Amelia, requesting the favour of their company. In a very few minutes the former of these ladies presented herself, leading by the hand her elegant and lovely charge in deep mourning, for which Mrs. Jennings took immediate occasion to apologize, and hoped she should not give offence to any of the family by having so done. Whilst this was passing, her timid pupil had drawn back, and held her handkerchief to her eyes at once to hide her tears and her confusion.

Madam, (said Cecilia in that melodious tone, which charmed all ears) you have judged correctly right in this particular, as I doubt not but you have in every other, that has reference to this young lady, who is most fortunate in being under your protection. Of the propriety of her wearing mourning there can be no doubt, were it only on account of the interest she has in Mrs. De Lancaster’s will, where her name will be found attached to a legacy of two thousand pounds.

Bless me, cried Mrs. Jennings, that is beyond all expectation, and I’m afraid--

Hold, if you please, said Cecilia (taking Mrs. Jennings by the hand, as if to apologize for the interruption) and let us sit down, for we keep this young lady standing, who, if I am not mistaken, has occasion for repose.--When they were seated, Cecilia proceeded to say, that the bequest to Miss Jones, which you are pleased to consider as above your expectation, was only limited, as I have occasion to know, to the sum of two thousand pounds because the deceased was not possessed of disposable property sufficient to meet her wishes for making a more ample provision for the amiable young lady here present; and this, she added, will be put out of doubt by a particular and very urgent clause in the said will, in which she recommends and appeals in the most solemn manner to her son to bear in mind those earnest wishes, which she had imparted to him, and not forget the promises, which he had made--And now, madam, as the full purport of this article, which to you may appear mysterious, is to me and to my nephew also perfectly clear, this amiable young lady may be assured, that the wishes of the testator in their most extended sense will be fulfilled by him, to whom they are bequeathed, if Heaven shall in its mercy grant him life.

If the sensibility of the soul has power without the use of words to convey its meaning, the look and action, which Amelia now directed to Cecilia De Lancaster, could not be misunderstood: neither were they, for that excellent lady, who in that species of eloquence was herself inferior to none, needed no interpreter, and immediately said--Put yourself to no exertions, Miss Jones, but withdraw for a time, till you can recover your spirits, for I readily comprehend both what you feel, and what you wish to say. If you find yourself disposed to pass a little time in private, I will undertake for your apology to the company below stairs.

This said, Amelia rose, made a respectfull obeisance, and withdrew: Cecilia had given Mrs. Jennings intimation that she wished to be in private with her, and immediately, resuming her seat, said--That young lady does you great credit, madam; I declare to you I never yet contemplated any thing more elegant in manners, or more interesting in person. I understand she has been some years under your tuition, and as I am intimately acquainted with Mrs. De Lancaster’s motives for that anxious attachment to her future fortune, which she manifests in her will, you will not think me too officious, if I request to be informed of the plan, which you may have adopted, or in your judgment would advise, for the further education of this young creature, whose beauty and attraction at this critical time of life demand no common degree of care and attention.

Therein, madam, replied Mrs. Jennings, I must refer to better judgment than my own, and solicit to be ruled by your instruction and advice. I am a solitary woman, and having no other influence or authority over her than what her prudence and good will voluntarily concede to me, I must confess I am not in myself sufficient to encounter every species of danger, that may possibly occur to alarm me for her sake, and permit me to add for the sake of one other person also, whom I fear I have too far offended ever to be forgiven.

If you allude to my nephew, said Cecilia, I beg of you to be explicit.

I own it is to him that I allude, she replied, and as his resentment is now of so long standing, I have reason to fear I shall never be forgiven. I confess to you, madam, that when I thought I had discovered an attachment forming between your nephew and my humble charge, I considered it as my duty to stop it in its beginning, and prevent their interviews. This I did, when he last came to my house, and wished to see Amelia Jones for the purpose of presenting to her a miniature picture of her father, sent by Mrs. De Lancaster, to which he had added a rich and elegant chain of gold, which I believe was of his own procuring. Upon my hesitating to give him immediate admission to Amelia, he left my house in displeasure, and from that time to this neither myself, nor Amelia to my knowledge, have either seen him, or been noticed by him in the slightest degree. If, unfortunately for her, she is involved in an offence, of which I alone was guilty, you see, madam, how improper it will be for her, but more especially for me, to remain any longer in this house, where we must consider ourselves unwelcome to young Mr. De Lancaster at least, and probably to others, whom I need not name. I should add, that for Amelia’s sake it behoves us to be gone, as she, poor child, is distressed by his displeasure to a degree, which, as you have witnessed, renders her unfit to appear even in your presence, who are all condescension and benevolence. This being the case, is it for me to advise what is further to be done for Miss Jones’s education? Am I, in short, any longer the proper person to conduct it? I humbly conceive I am not.

To this Cecilia answered--As I draw conclusions from what you have been stating very different from what you seem to apprehend, I think your taking Amelia away from us at this time would be the most unadvisable measure you could adopt and the most irreconcilable to her interest. The motives, upon which you have hitherto acted towards my nephew, are certainly very honourable; but you need not pursue them any further; at least, not with the same degree of rigour. Assure Miss Jones from me, that she has not the least occasion to be alarmed; let her act as her own good sense and discretion shall dictate, and I am persuaded you will not find it necessary to lay any restraint upon her conduct. You will endeavour therefore to detach her from her solitude and her sorrows as speedily as you can, and convince her that she will find none but friends in our circle, regardful of her interests, and anxious for her happiness.

Mrs. Jennings having made her acknowledgments for these kind assurances, respectfully withdrew, and hastened to communicate intelligence so consolatory to her beloved charge, happy to find herself in a great degree relieved from an anxious responsibility, which had put her upon assuming a reserve, much more rigid and punctilious than was natural to her character.