Peveril of the Peak Read online

  CHAPTER XVI

  _Acasto._--Can she not speak? _Oswald._--If speech be only in accented sounds, Framed by the tongue and lips, the maiden's dumb; But if by quick and apprehensive look, By motion, sign, and glance, to give each meaning, Express as clothed in language, be term'd speech, She hath that wondrous faculty; for her eyes, Like the bright stars of heaven, can hold discourse, Though it be mute and soundless. --OLD PLAY.

  At the head of the first flight of steps which descended towards thedifficult and well-defended entrance of the Castle of Holm-Peel,Peveril was met and stopped by the Countess's train-bearer. This littlecreature--for she was of the least and slightest size of womankind--wasexquisitely well formed in all her limbs, which the dress she usuallywore (a green silk tunic, of a peculiar form) set off to the bestadvantage. Her face was darker than the usual hue of Europeans; and theprofusion of long and silken hair, which, when she undid the braids inwhich she commonly wore it, fell down almost to her ankles, was alsorather a foreign attribute. Her countenance resembled a most beautifulminiature; and there was a quickness, decision, and fire, in Fenella'slook, and especially in her eyes, which was probably rendered yet morealert and acute, because, through the imperfection of her other organs,it was only by sight that she could obtain information of what passedaround her.

  The pretty mute was mistress of many little accomplishments, which theCountess had caused to be taught to her in compassion for her forlornsituation, and which she learned with the most surprising quickness.Thus, for example, she was exquisite in the use of the needle, and soready and ingenious a draughtswoman, that, like the ancient Mexicans,she sometimes made a hasty sketch with her pencil the means of conveyingher ideas, either by direct or emblematical representation. Above all,in the art of ornamental writing, much studied at that period, Fenellawas so great a proficient, as to rival the fame of Messrs. Snow,Shelley, and other masters of the pen, whose copybooks, preserved inthe libraries of the curious, still show the artists smiling on thefrontispiece in all the honours of flowing gowns and full-bottomed wigs,to the eternal glory of caligraphy.

  The little maiden had, besides these accomplishments, much ready witand acuteness of intellect. With Lady Derby, and with the two younggentlemen, she was a great favourite, and used much freedom inconversing with them, by means of a system of signs which had beengradually established amongst them, and which served all ordinarypurposes of communication.

  But, though happy in the indulgence and favour of her mistress, fromwhom indeed she was seldom separate, Fenella was by no means a favouritewith the rest of the household. In fact, it seemed that her temper,exasperated perhaps by a sense of her misfortune, was by no means equalto her abilities. She was very haughty in her demeanour, even towardsthe upper domestics, who in that establishment were of a much higherrank and better birth than in the families of the nobility in general.These often complained, not only of her pride and reserve, but of herhigh and irascible temper and vindictive disposition. Her passionatepropensity had been indeed idly encouraged by the young men, andparticularly by the Earl, who sometimes amused himself with teasing her,that he might enjoy the various singular motions and murmurs by whichshe expressed her resentment. Towards him, these were of course onlypetulant and whimsical indications of pettish anger. But when she wasangry with others of inferior degree--before whom she did not controlherself--the expression of her passion, unable to display itself inlanguage, had something even frightful, so singular were the tones,contortions, and gestures, to which she had recourse. The lowerdomestics, to whom she was liberal almost beyond her apparent means,observed her with much deference and respect, but much more from fearthan from any real attachment; for the caprices of her temper displayedthemselves even in her gifts; and those who most frequently shared herbounty, seemed by no means assured of the benevolence of the motiveswhich dictated her liberality.

  All these peculiarities led to a conclusion consonant with Manxsuperstition. Devout believers in all the legends of fairies so dear tothe Celtic tribes, the Manx people held it for certainty that the elveswere in the habit of carrying off mortal children before baptism, andleaving in the cradle of the new born babe one of their own brood, whichwas almost always imperfect in some one or other of the organs proper tohumanity. Such a being they conceived Fenella to be; and the smallnessof her size, her dark complexion, her long locks of silken hair, thesingularity of her manners and tones, as well as the caprices of hertemper, were to their thinking all attributes of the irritable, fickle,and dangerous race from which they supposed her to be sprung. And itseemed, that although no jest appeared to offend her more than when LordDerby called her in sport the Elfin Queen, or otherwise alluded to hersupposed connection with "the pigmy folk," yet still her perpetuallyaffecting to wear the colour of green, proper to the fairies, as well assome other peculiarities, seemed voluntarily assumed by her, in order tocountenance the superstition, perhaps because it gave her more authorityamong the lower orders.

  Many were the tales circulated respecting the Countess's _Elf_, asFenella was currently called in the island; and the malcontents ofthe stricter persuasion were convinced, that no one but a Papist and amalignant would have kept near her person a creature of such doubtfulorigin. They conceived that Fenella's deafness and dumbness were onlytowards those of this world, and that she had been heard talking, andsinging, and laughing most elvishly, with the invisibles of her ownrace. They alleged, also, that she had a _Double_, a sort of apparitionresembling her, which slept in the Countess's ante-room, or bore hertrain, or wrought in her cabinet, while the real Fenella joined the songof the mermaids on the moonlight sands, or the dance of the fairies inthe haunted valley of Glenmoy, or on the heights of Snawfell and Barool.The sentinels, too, would have sworn they had seen the little maidentrip past them in their solitary night walks, without their having it intheir power to challenge her, any more than if they had been as muteas herself. To all this mass of absurdities the better informed paid nomore attention than to the usual idle exaggerations of the vulgar, whichso frequently connect that which is unusual with what is supernatural.

  Such, in form and habits, was the little female, who, holding in herhand a small old-fashioned ebony rod, which might have passed for adivining wand, confronted Julian on the top of the flight of steps whichled down the rock from the Castle court. We ought to observe, that asJulian's manner to the unfortunate girl had been always gentle, and freefrom those teasing jests in which his gay friend indulged, with lessregard to the peculiarity of her situation and feelings; so Fenella, onher part, had usually shown much greater deference to him than to any ofthe household, her mistress, the Countess, always excepted.

  On the present occasion, planting herself in the very midst of thenarrow descent, so as to make it impossible for Peveril to pass by her,she proceeded to put him to the question by a series of gestures, whichwe will endeavour to describe. She commenced by extending her handslightly, accompanied with the sharp inquisitive look which served heras a note of interrogation. This was meant as an inquiry whether he wasgoing to a distance. Julian, in reply, extended his arm more than half,to intimate that the distance was considerable. Fenella looked grave,shook her head, and pointed to the Countess's window, which was visiblefrom the spot where they stood. Peveril smiled, and nodded, to intimatethere was no danger in quitting her mistress for a short space. Thelittle maiden next touched an eagle's feather which she wore in herhair, a sign which she usually employed to designate the Earl, and thenlooked inquisitively at Julian once more, as if to say, "Goes hewith you?" Peveril shook his head, and, somewhat wearied by theseinterrogatories, smiled, and made an effort to pass. Fenella frowned,struck the end of her ebony rod perpendicularly on the ground, and againshook her head, as if opposing his departure. But finding that Julianpersevered in his purpose, she suddenly assumed another and milder mood,held him by the skirt of his cloak with one hand, and raised
the otherin an imploring attitude, whilst every feature of her lively countenancewas composed into the like expression of supplication; and the fire ofthe large dark eyes, which seemed in general so keen and piercing asalmost to over-animate the little sphere to which they belonged, seemedquenched, for the moment, in the large drops which hung on her longeyelashes, but without falling.

  Julian Peveril was far from being void of sympathy towards the poorgirl, whose motives in opposing his departure appeared to be heraffectionate apprehension for her mistress's safety. He endeavoured toreassure by smiles, and, at the same time, by such signs as he coulddevise, to intimate that there was no danger, and that he would returnpresently; and having succeeded in extricating his cloak from hergrasp, and in passing her on the stair, he began to descend the steps asspeedily as he could, in order to avoid farther importunity.

  But with activity much greater than his, the dumb maiden hastened tointercept him, and succeeded by throwing herself, at the imminent riskof life and limb, a second time into the pass which he was descending,so as to interrupt his purpose. In order to achieve this, she wasobliged to let herself drop a considerable height from the wall of asmall flanking battery, where two patereroes were placed to scour thepass, in case any enemy could have mounted so high. Julian had scarcetime to shudder at her purpose, as he beheld her about to springfrom the parapet, ere, like a thing of gossamer, she stood light anduninjured on the rocky platform below. He endeavoured, by the gravityof his look and gesture, to make her understand how much he blamed herrashness; but the reproof, though obviously quite intelligible, wasentirely thrown away. A hasty wave of her hand intimated how shecontemned the danger and the remonstrance; while, at the same time,she instantly resumed, with more eagerness than before, the earnestand impressive gestures by which she endeavoured to detain him in thefortress.

  Julian was somewhat staggered by her pertinacity. "Is it possible," hethought, "that any danger can approach the Countess, of which thispoor maiden has, by the extreme acuteness of her observation, obtainedknowledge which has escaped others?"

  He signed to Fenella hastily to give him the tablets and the pencilwhich she usually carried with her, and wrote on them the question, "Isthere danger near to your mistress, that you thus stop me?"

  "There is danger around the Countess," was the answer instantly writtendown; "but there is much more in your own purpose."

  "How?--what?--what know you of my purpose?" said Julian, forgetting, inhis surprise, that the party he addressed had neither ear to comprehend,nor voice to reply to uttered language. She had regained her book inthe meantime, and sketched, with a rapid pencil, on one of the leaves, ascene which she showed to Julian. To his infinite surprise he recognisedGoddard Crovan's Stone, a remarkable monument, of which she had giventhe outline with sufficient accuracy; together with a male and femalefigure, which, though only indicated by a few slight touches of thepencil, bore yet, he thought, some resemblance to himself and AliceBridgenorth.

  When he had gazed on the sketch for an instant with surprise, Fenellatook the book from his hand, laid her finger upon the drawing, andslowly and sternly shook her head, with a frown which seemed to prohibitthe meeting which was there represented. Julian, however, thoughdisconcerted, was in no shape disposed to submit to the authority ofhis monitress. By whatever means she, who so seldom stirred from theCountess's apartment, had become acquainted with a secret which hethought entirely his own, he esteemed it the more necessary to keep theappointed rendezvous, that he might learn from Alice, if possible, howthe secret had transpired. He had also formed the intention of seekingout Bridgenorth; entertaining an idea that a person so reasonableand calm as he had shown himself in their late conference, mightbe persuaded, when he understood that the Countess was aware of hisintrigues, to put an end to her danger and his own, by withdrawing fromthe island. And could he succeed in this point, he should at once,he thought, render a material benefit to the father of his belovedAlice--remove the Earl from his state of anxiety--save the Countess froma second time putting her feudal jurisdiction in opposition to that ofthe Crown of England--and secure quiet possession of the island to herand her family.

  With this scheme of mediation on his mind, Peveril determined torid himself of the opposition of Fenella to his departure, with lessceremony than he had hitherto observed towards her; and suddenly liftingup the damsel in his arms before she was aware of his purpose, he turnedabout, set her down on the steps above him, and began to descend thepass himself as speedily as possible. It was then that the dumb maidengave full course to the vehemence of her disposition; and clappingher hands repeatedly, expressed her displeasure in sound, or rather ashriek, so extremely dissonant, that it resembled more the cry of a wildcreature, than anything which could have been uttered by female organs.Peveril was so astounded at the scream as it rung through the livingrocks, that he could not help stopping and looking back in alarm, tosatisfy himself that she had not sustained some injury. He saw her,however, perfectly safe, though her face seemed inflamed and distortedwith passion. She stamped at him with her foot, shook her clenched hand,and turning her back upon him, without further adieu, ran up the rudesteps as lightly as a kid could have tripped up that rugged ascent, andpaused for a moment at the summit of the first flight.

  Julian could feel nothing but wonder and compassion for the impotentpassion of a being so unfortunately circumstanced, cut off, as it were,from the rest of mankind, and incapable of receiving in childhood thatmoral discipline which teaches us mastery of our wayward passions, ereyet they have attained their meridian strength and violence. He wavedhis hand to her, in token of amicable farewell; but she only replied byonce more menacing him with her little hand clenched; and then ascendingthe rocky staircase with almost preternatural speed, was soon out ofsight.

  Julian, on his part, gave no farther consideration to her conduct or itsmotives, but hastening to the village on the mainland, where the stablesof the Castle were situated, he again took his palfrey from thestall, and was soon mounted and on his way to the appointed place ofrendezvous, much marvelling, as he ambled forward with speed far greaterthan was promised by the diminutive size of the animal he was mountedon, what could have happened to produce so great a change in Alice'sconduct towards him, that in place of enjoining his absence as usual, orrecommending his departure from the island, she should now voluntarilyinvite him to a meeting. Under impression of the various doubts whichsucceeded each other in his imagination, he sometimes pressed Fairy'ssides with his legs; sometimes laid his holly rod lightly on her neck;sometimes incited her by his voice, for the mettled animal neededneither whip nor spur, and achieved the distance betwixt the Castle ofHolm-Peel and the stone at Goddard Crovan, at the rate of twelve mileswithin the hour.

  The monumental stone, designed to commemorate some feat of an ancientKing of Man, which had been long forgotten, was erected on the side ofa narrow lonely valley, or rather glen, secluded from observation bythe steepness of its banks, upon a projection of which stood the tall,shapeless, solitary rock, frowning, like a shrouded giant, over thebrawling of the small rivulet which watered the ravine.