it was one of those gorgeous and enduring sunsets that seemed to linger as if they wished to celebrate the mid-period of the year. perhaps the beautiful hour of impending twilight never exercises a more effective influence on the soul than when it descends on the aspect of some distant and splendid city. what a contrast between the serenity and repose of our own bosoms and the fierce passions and destructive cares girt in the walls of that multitude whose domes and towers rise in purple lustre against the resplendent horizon!
and yet the disturbing emotions of existence and the bitter inheritance of humanity should exercise but a modified sway, and entail but a light burden, within the circle of the city into which the next scene of our history leads us. for it is the sacred city of study, of learning, and of faith; and the declining beam is resting on the dome of the radcliffe, lingering on the towers of christchurch and magdalen, sanctifying the spires and pinnacles of holy st. mary’s.
a young oxonian, who had for some time been watching the city in the sunset, from a rising ground in its vicinity, lost, as it would seem, in meditation, suddenly rose, and looking at his watch, as if remindful of some engagement, hastened his return at a rapid pace. he reached the high street as the blenheim light post coach dashed up to the star hotel, with that brilliant precision which even the new generation can remember, and yet which already ranks among the traditions of english manners. a peculiar and most animating spectacle used to be the arrival of a firstrate light coach in a country town! the small machine, crowded with so many passengers, the foaming and curvetting leaders, the wheelers more steady and glossy, as if they had not done their ten miles in the hour, the triumphant bugle of the guard, and the haughty routine with which the driver, as he reached his goal, threw his whip to the obedient ostlers in attendance; and, not least, the staring crowd, a little awestruck, and looking for the moment at the lowest official of the stable with considerable respect, altogether made a picture which one recollects with cheerfulness, and misses now in many a dreary market-town.
our oxonian was a young man about the middle height, and naturally of a thoughtful expression and rather reserved mien. the general character of his countenance was, indeed, a little stern, but it broke into an almost bewitching smile, and a blush suffused his face, as he sprang forward and welcomed an individual about the same age, who had jumped off the blenheim.
‘well, coningsby!’ he exclaimed, extending both his hands.
‘by jove! my dear millbank, we have met at last,’ said his friend.
and here we must for a moment revert to what had occurred to coningsby since he so suddenly quitted paris at the beginning of the year. the wound he had received was deep to one unused to wounds. yet, after all, none had outraged his feelings, no one had betrayed his hopes. he had loved one who had loved another. misery, but scarcely humiliation. and yet ‘tis a bitter pang under any circumstances to find another preferred to yourself. it is about the same blow as one would probably feel if falling from a balloon. your icarian flight melts into a grovelling existence, scarcely superior to that of a sponge or a coral, or redeemed only from utter insensibility by your frank detestation of your rival. it is quite impossible to conceal that coningsby had imbibed for sidonia a certain degree of aversion, which, in these days of exaggerated phrase, might even be described as hatred. and edith was so beautiful! and there had seemed between them a sympathy so native and spontaneous, creating at once the charm of intimacy without any of the disenchanting attributes that are occasionally its consequence. he would recall the tones of her voice, the expression of her soft dark eye, the airy spirit and frank graciousness, sometimes even the flattering blush, with which she had ever welcomed one of whom she had heard so long and so kindly. it seemed, to use a sweet and homely phrase, that they were made for each other; the circumstances of their mutual destinies might have combined into one enchanting fate.
and yet, had she accorded him that peerless boon, her heart, with what aspect was he to communicate this consummation of all his hopes to his grandfather, ask lord monmouth for his blessing, and the gracious favour of an establishment for the daughter of his foe, of a man whose name was never mentioned except to cloud his visage? ah! what was that mystery that connected the haughty house of coningsby with the humble blood of the lancashire manufacturer? why was the portrait of his mother beneath the roof of millbank? coningsby had delicately touched upon the subject both with edith and the wallingers, but the result of his inquiries only involved the question in deeper gloom. edith had none but maternal relatives: more than once she had mentioned this, and the wallingers, on other occasions, had confirmed the remark. coningsby had sometimes drawn the conversation to pictures, and he would remind her with playfulness of their first unconscious meeting in the gallery of the rue tronchet; then he remembered that mr. millbank was fond of pictures; then he recollected some specimens of mr. millbank’s collection, and after touching on several which could not excite suspicion, he came to ‘a portrait, a portrait of a lady; was it a portrait or an ideal countenance?’
edith thought she had heard it was a portrait, but she was by no means certain, and most assuredly was quite unacquainted with the name of the original, if there were an original.
coningsby addressed himself to the point with sir joseph. he inquired of the uncle explicitly whether he knew anything on the subject. sir joseph was of opinion that it was something that millbank had somewhere ‘picked up.’ millbank used often to ‘pick up’ pictures.
disappointed in his love, coningsby sought refuge in the excitement of study, and in the brooding imagination of an aspiring spirit. the softness of his heart seemed to have quitted him for ever. he recurred to his habitual reveries of political greatness and public distinction. and as it ever seemed to him that no preparation could be complete for the career which he planned for himself, he devoted himself with increased ardour to that digestion of knowledge which converts it into wisdom. his life at cambridge was now a life of seclusion. with the exception of a few eton friends, he avoided all society. and, indeed, his acquisitions during this term were such as few have equalled, and could only have been mastered by a mental discipline of a severe and exalted character. at the end of the term coningsby took his degree, and in a few days was about to quit that university where, on the whole, he had passed three serene and happy years in the society of fond and faithful friends, and in ennobling pursuits. he had many plans for his impending movements, yet none of them very mature ones. lord vere wished coningsby to visit his family in the north, and afterwards to go to scotland together: coningsby was more inclined to travel for a year. amid this hesitation a circumstance occurred which decided him to adopt neither of these courses.
it was commencement, and coming out of the quadrangle of st. john’s, coningsby came suddenly upon sir joseph and lady wallinger, who were visiting the marvels and rarities of the university. they were alone. coningsby was a little embarrassed, for he could not forget the abrupt manner in which he had parted from them; but they greeted him with so much cordiality that he instantly recovered himself, and, turning, became their companion. he hardly ventured to ask after edith: at length, in a depressed tone and a hesitating manner, he inquired whether they had lately seen miss millbank. he was himself surprised at the extreme light-heartedness which came over him the moment he heard she was in england, at millbank, with her family. he always very much liked lady wallinger, but this morning he hung over her like a lover, lavished on her unceasing and the most delicate attentions, seemed to exist only in the idea of making the wallingers enjoy and understand cambridge; and no one else was to be their guide at any place or under any circumstances. he told them exactly what they were to see; how they were to see it; when they were to see it. he told them of things which nobody did see, but which they should. he insisted that sir joseph should dine with him in hall; sir joseph could not think of leaving lady wallinger; lady wallinger could not think of sir joseph missing an opportunity that might never offer again. besides, they might both join her after dinner. except to give her husband a dinner, coningsby evidently intended never to leave her side.
and the next morning, the occasion favourable, being alone with the lady, sir joseph bustling about a carriage, coningsby said suddenly, with a countenance a little disturbed, and in a low voice, ‘i was pleased, i mean surprised, to hear that there was still a miss millbank; i thought by this time she might have borne another name?’
lady wallinger looked at him with an expression of some perplexity, and then said, ‘yes, edith was much admired; but she need not be precipitate in marrying. marriage is for a woman the event. edith is too precious to be carelessly bestowed.’
‘but i understood,’ said coningsby, ‘when i left paris,’ and here, he became very confused, ‘that miss millbank was engaged, on the point of marriage.’
‘with whom?’
‘our friend sidonia.’
‘i am sure that edith would never marry monsieur de sidonia, nor monsieur de sidonia, edith. ‘tis a preposterous idea!’ said lady wallinger.
‘but he very much admired her?’ said coningsby with a searching eye.
‘possibly,’ said lady wallinger; ‘but he never even intimated his admiration.’
‘but he was very attentive to miss millbank?’
‘not more than our intimate friendship authorised, and might expect.’
‘you have known sidonia a long time?’
‘it was monsieur de sidonia’s father who introduced us to the care of mr. wallinger,’ said lady wallinger, ‘and therefore i have ever entertained for his son a sincere regard. besides, i look upon him as a compatriot. recently he has been even more than usually kind to us, especially to edith. while we were at paris he recovered for her a great number of jewels which had been left to her by her uncle in spain; and, what she prized infinitely more, the whole of her mother’s correspondence which she maintained with this relative since her marriage. nothing but the influence of sidonia could have effected this. therefore, of course, edith is attached to him almost as much as i am. in short, he is our dearest friend; our counsellor in all our cares. but as for marrying him, the idea is ridiculous to those who know monsieur sidonia. no earthly consideration would ever induce him to impair that purity of race on which he prides himself. besides, there are other obvious objections which would render an alliance between him and my niece utterly impossible: edith is quite as devoted to her religion as monsieur sidonia can be to his race.’
a ray of light flashed on the brain of coningsby as lady wallinger said these words. the agitated interview, which never could be explained away, already appeared in quite a different point of view. he became pensive, remained silent, was relieved when sir joseph, whose return he had hitherto deprecated, reappeared. coningsby learnt in the course of the day that the wallingers were about to make, and immediately, a visit to hellingsley; their first visit; indeed, this was the first year that mr. millbank had taken up his abode there. he did not much like the change of life, sir joseph told coningsby, but edith was delighted with hellingsley, which sir joseph understood was a very distinguished place, with fine gardens, of which his niece was particularly fond.
when coningsby returned to his rooms, those rooms which he was soon about to quit for ever, in arranging some papers preparatory to his removal, his eye lighted on a too-long unanswered letter of oswald millbank. coningsby had often projected a visit to oxford, which he much desired to make, but hitherto it had been impossible for him to effect it, except in the absence of millbank; and he had frequently postponed it that he might combine his first visit to that famous seat of learning with one to his old schoolfellow and friend. now that was practicable. and immediately coningsby wrote to apprise millbank that he had taken his degree, was free, and prepared to pay him immediately the long-projected visit. three years and more had elapsed since they had quitted eton. how much had happened in the interval! what new ideas, new feelings, vast and novel knowledge! though they had not met, they were nevertheless familiar with the progress and improvement of each other’s minds. their suggestive correspondence was too valuable to both of them to have been otherwise than cherished. and now they were to meet on the eve of entering that world for which they had made so sedulous a preparation.
