第1章

byAnthonyTrollopeThatBelgiumisnowoneoftheEuropeankingdoms，livingbyitsownlaws，restingonitsownbottom，withakingandcourt，palacesandparliamentofitsown，isknowntoalltheworld。Andaverynicelittlekingdomitis；fullofoldtowns，fineFlemishpictures，andinterestingGothicchurches。Butinthememoryofverymanyofuswhodonotthinkourselvesoldmen，Belgium，asitisnowcalled——inthosedaysitusedtobeFlandersandBrabant——wasapartofHolland；anditobtaineditsownindependencebyarevolution。InthatrevolutionthemostimportantmilitarystepwasthesiegeofAntwerp，whichwasdefendedonthepartoftheDutchbyGeneralChasse，withtheutmostgallantry，butneverthelessineffectually。 AfterthesiegeAntwerpbecamequiteashowplace；andamongthevisitorswhoflockedtheretotalkofthegallantgeneral，andtoseewhatremainedofthegreateffortwhichhehadmadetodefendtheplace，weretwoEnglishmen。Onewastheheroofthislittlehistory；andtheotherwasayoungmanofconsiderablylessweightintheworld。ThelessIsayofthelatterthebetter；butitisnecessarythatIshouldgivesomedescriptionoftheformer。 TheRev。AugustusHornewas，atthetimeofmynarrative，abeneficedclergymanoftheChurchofEngland。Theprofessionwhichhehadgracedsateasilyonhim。Itsexternalmarksandsignswereaspleasingtohisfriendsaswereitsinternalcomfortstohimself。 Hewasamanofmuchquietmirth，fullofpolishedwit，andonsomerareoccasionshecoulddescendtothemorenoisyhilarityofajoke。Lovedbyhisfriendshelovedalltheworld。Hehadknownnocareandseennosorrow。Alwaysintendedforholyordershehadenteredthemwithoutascruple，andremainedwithintheirpalewithoutaregret。Attwenty—fourhehadbeenadeacon，attwenty— sevenapriest，atthirtyarector，andatthirty—fiveaprebendary； andashisrectorywasrichandhisprebendalstallwellpaid，theRev。AugustusHornewascalledbyall，andcalledhimself，ahappyman。Hisstaturewasaboutsixfeettwo，andhiscorpulenceexceededeventhoseboundswhichsymmetrywouldhavepreferredasbeingmostperfectlycompatibleevenwithsuchaheight。ButneverthelessMr。Hornewasawell—mademan；hishandsandfeetweresmall；hisfacewashandsome，frank，andfullofexpression；hisbrighteyestwinkledwithhumour；hisfinely—cutmouthdisclosedtwomarvellousrowsofwell—preservedivory；andhisslightlyaquilinenosewasjustsuchaprojectionasonewouldwishtoseeonthefaceofawell—fedgood—natureddignitaryoftheChurchofEngland。WhenIaddtoallthisthatthereverendgentlemanwasasgenerousashewasrich——andthekindmotherinwhosearmshehadbeennurturedhadtakencarethatheshouldneverwant——IneedhardlysaythatIwasblessedwithaverypleasanttravellingcompanion。 Imustmentiononemoreinterestingparticular。Mr。Hornewasratherinclinedtodandyism，inaninnocentway。Hisclericalstarchedneckclothwasalwaysofthewhitest，hiscambrichandkerchiefofthefinest，hisbandsadornedwiththebroadestborder；hissablesuitneverdegeneratedtoarustybrown；itnotonlygaveonalloccasionsglossyevidenceoffreshness，butalsoofthetalentwhichtheartisanhaddisplayedinturningoutawell—dressedclergymanoftheChurchofEngland。Hishairwaseverbrushedwithscrupulousattention，andshowedinitsregularwavestheguardiancareofeachseparatebristle。AndallthiswasdonewiththateaseandgracewhichshouldbethecharacteristicsofadignitaryoftheestablishedEnglishChurch。 IhadaccompaniedMr。HornetotheRhine；andwehadreachedBrusselsonourreturn，justatthecloseofthatrevolutionwhichendedinaffordingathronetotheson—in—lawofGeorgetheFourth。 AtthatmomentGeneralChasse’snameandfamewereineveryman’smouth，and，likeothercuriousadmirersofthebrave，Mr。HornedeterminedtodevotetwodaystothesceneofthelateeventsatAntwerp。Antwerp，moreover，possessesperhapsthefinestspire，andcertainlyoneofthethreeorfourfinestpictures，intheworld。 OfGeneralChasse，ofthecathedral，andoftheRubens，Ihadheardmuch，andwasthereforewellpleasedthatsuchshouldbehisresolution。ThisaccomplishedweweretoreturntoBrussels；andthence，viaGhent，Ostend，andDover，ItocompletemylegalstudiesinLondon，andMr。HornetoenjoyoncemorethepeacefulretirementofOllertonrectory。AsweweretobeabsentfromBrusselsbutonenightwewereenabledtoindulgeinthegratificationoftravellingwithoutourluggage。Asmallsac—de—nuitwasprepared；brushes，combs，razors，strops，achangeoflinen，&c。&c。，werecarefullyputup；butourheavybaggage，ourcoats，waistcoats，andotherwearingapparelwereunnecessary。Itwasdelightfultofeeloneselfsolight—handed。Thereverendgentleman，withmyhumbleselfbyhisside，lefttheportaloftheHoteldeBelleVueat7a。m。，ingoodhumourwithalltheworld。Therewerenorailroadsinthosedays； butacabriolet，bigenoughtoholdsixpersons，withropetracesandcorrespondingappendages，depositedusattheGoldenFleeceinsomethinglessthansixhours。Theinwardmanwasdulyfortified，andwestartedforthecastle。 Itbootsnotheretodescribetheeffectswhichgunpowderandgrape— shothadhadonthewallsofAntwerp。LetthecuriousinthesemattersreadthehorrorsofthesiegeofTroy，orthehistoryofJerusalemtakenbyTitus。TheonemaybefoundinHomer，andtheotherinJosephus。OriftheypreferdoingsofalaterdatethereisthetakingofSebastopol，asnarratedinthecolumnsofthe\"Times\"newspaper。Theaccountsareequallytrue，instructive，andintelligible。InthemeantimeallowtheRev。AugustusHorneandmyselftoentertheprivatechambersoftherenownedthoughdefeatedgeneral。 Werambledforawhilethroughthecoveredway，overtheglacisandalongthecounterscarp，andlistenedtotheguideashedetailedtous，inalreadyaccustomedwords，howthesiegehadgone。Thenwegotintotheprivateapartmentsofthegeneral，and，havingdexterouslyshakenoffourattendant，wanderedatlargeamongthedesertedrooms。 \"Itisclearthatnooneevercomeshere，\"saidI。 \"No，\"saidtheRev。Augustus；\"itseemsnot；andtotellthetruth，Idon’tknowwhyanyoneshouldcome。Thechambersinthemselvesarenotattractive。\" Whathesaidwastrue。Theywereplain，ugly，square，unfurnishedrooms，hereabigone，andtherealittleone，asisusualinmosthouses；——unfurnished，thatis，forthemostpart。Inoneplacewedidfindatableandafewchairs，inanotherabedstead，andsoon。 Buttomeitwaspleasanttoindulgeinthoseruminationswhichanytracesofthegreatorunfortunatecreateinsoftlysympathisingminds。Foratimewecommunicatedourthoughtstoeachotherasweroamedfreeasairthroughtheapartments；andthenIlingeredforafewmomentsbehind，whileMr。Hornemovedonwithaquickerstep。 AtlastIenteredthebedchamberofthegeneral，andthereI overtookmyfriend。Hewasinspecting，withmuchattention，anarticleofthegreatman’swardrobewhichheheldinhishand。Itwaspreciselythatvirilehabilimenttowhichawell—knowngallantcaptainalludesinhisconversationwiththeposthumousappearanceofMissBailey，ascontainingaBankofEngland5poundnote。 \"Thegeneralmusthavebeenalargeman，George，orhewouldhardlyhavefilledthese，\"saidMr。Horne，holdinguptothelighttherespectableleathernarticlesinquestion。\"Hemusthavebeenaverylargeman，——thelargestmaninAntwerp，Ishouldthink；orelsehistailorhasdonehimmorethanjustice。\" Theywerecertainlylarge，andhadaboutthemacharmingregimentalmilitaryappearance。Theyweremadeofwhiteleather，withbrightmetalbuttonsatthekneesandbrightmetalbuttonsatthetop。 Theyownednopockets，andwere，withtheexceptionofthelegitimateoutlet，continuousinthecircumferenceofthewaistband。 Nodanglingstringsgavethemanappearanceofsenileimbecility。 Wereitnotforacertainrigidity，sternness，andmentalinflexibility，——wewillcallitmilitaryardour，——withwhichtheywereimbued，theywouldhavecreatedenvyinthebosomofafox— hunter。 Mr。Hornewasnofox—hunter，butstillheseemedtobeirresistiblytakenwiththelady—likepropensityofwishingtowearthem。 \"Surely，George，\"hesaid，\"thegeneralmusthavebeenastoutermanthanIam\"——andhecontemplatedhisownproportionswithcomplacency——\"thesewhat’s—the—namesarequitebigenoughforme。\" Idifferedinopinion，andwasobligedtoexplainthatIthoughthedidthegoodlivingofOllertoninsufficientjustice。 \"Iamsuretheyarelargeenoughforme，\"herepeated，withconsiderableobstinacy。Ismiledincredulously；andthentosettlethematterheresolvedthathewouldtrythemon。Nobodyhadbeenintheseroomsforthelasthour，anditappearedasthoughtheywerenevervisited。Eventheguidehadnotcomeonwithus，butwasemployedinshowingotherpartiesaboutthefortifications。Itwasclearthatthisportionofthebuildingwasleftdesolate，andthattheexperimentmightbesafelymade。SothesportiverectordeclaredthathewouldforashorttimeweartheregimentalswhichhadoncecontainedthevalorousheartofGeneralChasse。 WithalldecorumtheRev。Mr。HornedivestedhimselfoftheworkoftheLondonartist’sneedle，and，carefullyplacinghisowngarmentsbeyondthereachofdust，essayedtofithimselfinmilitarygarb。 Atthatimportantmoment——atthecriticalinstantoftheattempt—— theclatteroffemalevoiceswasheardapproachingthechamber。 Theymusthavesuddenlycomeroundsomepassagecorner，foritwasevidentbythesoundthattheywerecloseuponusbeforewehadanywarningoftheiradvent。AtthisveryminuteMr。Hornewassomewhatembarrassedinhisattempts，andwasnotfullyinpossessionofhisusualactivepowersofmovement，norofhisusualpresenceofmind。 Heonlylookedforescape；andseeingadoorpartlyopen，hewithdifficultyretreatedthroughit，andIfollowedhim。Wefoundthatwewereinasmalldressing—room；andasbygoodluckthedoorwasdefendedbyaninnerbolt，myfriendwasabletoprotecthimself。 \"Thereshallbeanothersiege，atanyrateasstoutasthelast，beforeIsurrender，\"saidhe。 Astheladiesseemedinclinedtolingerintheroomitbecameamatterofimportancethattheabove—namedarticlesshouldfit，notonlyforornamentbutforuse。Itwasverycold，andMr。HornewasaltogetherunusedtomoveinaHighlandsphereoflife。Butalas，alas！GeneralChassehadnotbeennurturedintheclassicalretirementofOllerton。Theungivingleatherwouldstretchnopointtoaccommodatethedivine，thoughithadbeenwillingtoministertotheconvenienceofthesoldier。Mr。Hornewasvexedandchilled； andthrowingthenowhatefulgarmentsintoacorner，andprotectinghimselffromthecoldasbesthemightbystandingwithhiskneestogetherandhisbodysomewhatbentsoastogivetheskirtsofhiscoatanopportunityofdoingextraduty，hebeggedmetoseeifthosejabberingfemaleswerenotgoingtoleavehiminpeacetorecoverhisownproperty。Iaccordinglywenttothedoor，andopeningittoasmallextentIpeepedthrough。 WhoshalldescribemyhorroratthesightwhichIthensaw？Thescene，whichhadhithertobeentintedwithcomiceffect，wasnowbecomingsodecidedlytragicthatIdidnotdareatoncetoacquaintmyworthypastorwiththatwhichwasoccurring，——and，alas！hadalreadyoccurred。 Fivecountry—womenofourown——itwaseasytoknowthembytheirdressandgeneralaspect——werestandinginthemiddleoftheroom； andoneofthem，thecentreofthegroup，theseniorharpyofthelot，amaidenlady——Icouldhavesworntothat——witharednose，heldinonehandahugepairofscissors，andintheother——thealreadydevotedgoodsofmymostunfortunatecompanion！Downfromthewaistband，throughthatgoodlyexpanse，afellgashhadalreadygonethroughandthrough；andinuseless，unbecomingdisorderthebroadclothfellpendantfromherarmonthissideandonthat。AtthatmomentIconfessthatIhadnotthecouragetospeaktoMr。 Horne，——noteventolookathim。 Imustdescribethatgroup。OfthefigurenexttomeIcouldonlyseetheback。Itwasabroadbackdoneupinblacksilknotofthenewest。Thewholefigure，onemaysay，wasdumpy。Theblacksilkwasnotlong，asdressesnowareworn，norwideinitsskirts。Ineverywayitwasskimpy，consideringthebreadthithadtocover； andbelowthesilkIsawtheheelsoftwothickshoes，andenoughtoswearbyoftwowoollenstockings。Abovethesilkwasaredandblueshawl；andabovethataponderous，elaboratebrownbonnet，astothematerialsofwhichIshouldnotwishtoundergoanexamination。OverandbeyondthisIcouldonlyseethebacksofhertwohands。Theywereheldupasthoughinwonderatthatwhichthered—nosedholderofthescissorshaddaredtodo。 Oppositetothislady，andwithherfacefullytamedtome，wasakindly—looking，fatmotherlywoman，withlight—colouredhair，notinthebestorder。Shewashotandscarletwithexercise，beingperhapstoostoutforthesteepstepsofthefortress；andinonehandsheheldahandkerchief，withwhichfromtimetotimeshewipedherbrow。Intheotherhandsheheldoneoftheextremitiesofmyfriend’sproperty，feeling——good，carefulsoul！——whatwasthetextureofthecloth。Asshedidso，Icouldseeaglanceofapprobationpassacrossherwarmfeatures。Ilikedthatlady’sface，inspiteofheruntidyhair，andfeltthathadshebeenalonemyfriendwouldnothavebeeninjured。 Oneithersideofhertherestoodaflaxen—hairedmaiden，withlongcurls，largeblueeyes，freshredcheeks，anundefinedlumpynose，andlargegood—humouredmouth。Theywereaslikeastwopeas，onlythatonewashalfaninchtallerthantheother；andtherewasnodifficultyindiscovering，atamoment’sglance，thattheywerethechildrenofthatover—heatedmatronwhowasfeelingthewebofmyfriend’scloth。 Buttheprincipalfigurewasshewhoheldthecentreplaceinthegroup。Shewastallandthin，withfierce—lookingeyes，renderedmorefiercebythespectacleswhichshewore；witharednoseasI saidbefore；andaboutheranundescribablesomethingwhichquiteconvincedmethatshehadneverknown——couldneverknow——aughtofthecomfortsofmarriedlife。Itwasshewhoheldthescissorsandtheblackgarments。Itwasshewhohadgiventhatunkindcut。AsI lookedathershewhiskedherselfquicklyroundfromonecompaniontotheother，triumphinginwhatshehaddone，andreadytotriumphfurtherinwhatshewasabouttodo。IimmediatelyconceivedadeephatredforthatQueenoftheHarpies。 \"Well，Isupposetheycan’tbewantedagain，\"saidthemother，rubbingherforehead。 \"Ohdearno！\"saidsheoftherednose。\"Theyarerelics！\"I thoughttoleapforth；butforwhatpurposeshouldIhaveleaped？ Theaccursedscissorshadalreadydonetheirwork；andthesymmetry，nay，eventheutilityofthevestmentwasdestroyed。 \"GeneralChasseworeaverygoodarticle；——Iwillsaythatforhim，\" continuedthemother。 \"Ofcoursehedid！\"saidtheQueenHarpy。\"Whyshouldhenot，seeingthatthecountrypaidforitforhim？Well，ladies，who’sforhavingabit？\" \"Ohmy！youwon’tgofortocutthemup，\"saidthestoutback。 \"Won’tI，\"saidthescissors；andsheimmediatelymadeanotherincision。\"Who’sforhavingabit？Don’tallspeakatonce。\" \"Ishouldlikeamorselforapincushion，\"saidflaxen—hairedMissNo。1，ayoungladyaboutnineteen，actuatedbyageneralaffectionforallsword—bearing，fire—eatingheroes。\"Ishouldliketohavesomethingtomakemethinkofthepoorgeneral！\" Snip，snipwentthescissorswithprofessionalrapidity，andaroundpiecewasextractedfromthebackofthecalfoftheleftleg。I shudderedwithhorror；andsodidtheRev。AugustusHornewithcold。 \"Ihardlythinkit’spropertocutthemup，\"saidMissNo。2。 \"Ohisn’tit？\"saidtheharpy。\"ThenI’lldowhat’simproper！\"Andshegotherfingerandthumbwellthroughtheholesinthescissors’ handles。Asshespokeresolutionwasplainlymarkedonherbrow。 \"Well，iftheyaretobecutup，Ishouldcertainlylikeabitforapen—wiper，\"saidNo。2。No。2wasaliteraryyoungladywithaperiodicalcorrespondence，ajournal，andanalbum。Snip，snipwentthescissorsagain，andthebroadpartoftheupperrightdivisionaffordedamplematerialsforapen—wiper。 Thentheladywiththeback，seeingthatthedesecrationofthearticlehadbeencompleted，pluckedupheartofcourageandputinherlittlerequest；\"IthinkImighthaveaneedle—caseoutofit，\" saidshe，\"justasasuvneerofthepoorgeneral\"——andalongfragmentcutrapidlyoutofthewaistbandaffordedherunqualifieddelight。 Mamma，withthehotfaceanduntidyhair，camenext。\"Well，girls，\" shesaid，\"asyouareallserved，Idon’tseewhyI’mtobeleftout。Perhaps，MissGrogram\"——shewasanoldmaid，yousee—— \"perhaps，MissGrogram，youcouldgetmeasmuchaswouldmakeadecent—sizedreticule。\" Therewasnottheslightestdifficultyindoingthis。Theharpyinthecentreagainwenttowork，snip，snip，andextractingfromthatportionoftheaffairswhichusuallysustainedthegreaterportionofMr。Horne’sweighttwolargeroundpiecesofcloth，presentedthemtothewell—pleasedmatron。\"Thegeneralknewwellwheretogetabitofgoodbroadcloth，certainly，\"saidshe，againfeelingthepieces。 \"AndnowforNo。1，\"saidshewhomIsoabsolutelyhated；\"Ithinkthereisstillenoughforapairofslippers。There’snothingsoniceforthehouseasgoodblackclothslippersthatarewarmtothefeetanddon’tshowthedirt。\"Andsosaying，shespreadoutonthefloorthelaceratedremainders。 \"There’sanicebitthere，\"saidyoungladyNo。2，pokingatoneofthepocketswiththeendofherparasol。 \"Yes，\"saidtheharpy，contemplatingherplunder。\"ButI’mthinkingwhetherIcouldn’tgetleggingsaswell。Ialwayswearleggingsinthethickofthewinter。\"Andsosheconcludedheroperations，andtherewasnothingleftbutamelancholyskeletonofseamsandbuttons。 Allthishavingbeenachieved，theypocketedtheirplunderandpreparedtodepart。Therearepeoplewhohaveawonderfulappetiteforrelics。AstonewithwhichWashingtonhadbrokenawindowwhenaboy——withwhichhehaddonesoorhadnot，forthereislittledifference；abuttonthatwasonacoatofNapoleon’s，oronthatofoneofhislackeys；abulletsaidtohavebeenpickedupatWaterlooorBunker’sHill；these，andsuchlikethingsaregreattreasures。 Andtheirmostdesirablecharacteristicistheeasewithwhichtheyareattained。Anybulletoranybuttondoesthework。Faithaloneisnecessary。Andnowtheseladieshadmadethemselveshappyandgloriouswith\"Relics\"ofGeneralChassecutfromtheill—usedhabilimentsofanelderlyEnglishgentleman！ Theydepartedatlast，andMr。Horne，foronceinanillhumour，followedmeintothebedroom。HereImustbeexcusedifIdrawaveiloverhismanlysorrowatdiscoveringwhatfatehaddoneforhim。Rememberwhatwashisposition，unclothedintheCastleofAntwerp！ThenearestsuitablechangeforthosewhichhadbeendestroyedwaslockedupinhisportmanteauattheHoteldeBelleRueinBrussels！Hehadnothinglefttohim——literallynothing，inthatAntwerpworld。TherewasnootherwretchedbeingwanderingtheninthatDutchtownsoutterlydenudedofthegoodsoflife。Forwhatisamanfit，——forwhatcanhebefit，——whenleftinsuchaposition？Therearesomeevilswhichseemutterlytocrushaman； andiftherebeanymisfortunetowhichamanmaybeallowedtosuccumbwithoutimputationonhismanliness，surelyitissuchasthis。HowwasMr。Hornetoreturntohishotelwithoutincurringthedispleasureofthemunicipality？Thatwasmyfirstthought。 Hehadacloak，butitwasattheinn；andIfoundthatmyfriendwasoppressedwithagreathorrorattheideaofbeingleftalone； sothatIcouldnotgoinsearchofit。Thereisanoldsaying，thatnomanisaherotohisvaletdechambre，thereasondoubtlessbeingthis，thatitiscustomaryforhisvalettoseetheherodivestedofthosetrappingsinwhichsomuchoftheheroicconsists。 Whoreverencesaclergymanwithouthisgown，orawarriorwithouthisswordandsabre—tasche？WhatwouldevenMinervabewithoutherhelmet？ IdonotwishittobeunderstoodthatInolongerreverencedMr。 Hornebecausehewasinanundress；buthehimselfcertainlylostmuchofhiscomposed，well—sustaineddignityofdemeanour。Hewasfearfulandquerulous，cold，andrathercross。When，forgettinghissize，Iofferedhimmyown，hethoughtthatIwaslaughingathim。 Hebegantobeafraidthatthestorywouldgetabroad，andhethenandthereexactedapromisethatIwouldnevertellitduringhislifetime。Ihavekeptmyword；butnowmyoldfriendhasbeengatheredtohisfathers，fullofyears。 AtlastIgothimtothehotel。Itwaslongbeforehewouldleavethecastle，cloakedthoughhewas；——not，indeed，tilltheshadesofeveninghaddimmedtheoutlinesofmenandthings，andmadeindistincttheoutwardgarnitureofthosewhopassedtoandfrointhestreets。Then，wrappedinhiscloak，Mr。Hornefollowedmealongthequaysandthroughthenarrowestofthestreets；andatlength，withoutventuringtoreturnthegazeofanyoneinthehotelcourt，hemadehiswayuptohisownbedroom。 Dinnerlessandsupperlesshewenttohiscouch。Butwhentherehedidconsenttoreceivesomeconsolationintheshapeofmuttoncutletsandfriedpotatoes，asavoryomelet，andabottleofclaret。 ThemuttoncutletsandfriedpotatoesattheGoldenFleeceatAntwerpare——orwerethen，forIamspeakingnowofwell—nighthirtyyearssince——remarkablygood；theclaret，also，wasofthebest；andso，bydegrees，thelookofdespairingdismaypassedfromhisface，andsomescintillationsoftheoldfirereturnedtohiseyes。 \"Iwonderwhethertheyfindthemselvesmuchhappierforwhattheyhavegot？\"saidhe。 \"Agreatdealhappier，\"saidI。\"They’llboastofthosethingstoalltheirfriendsathome，andweshalldoubtlessseesomeaccountoftheirsuccessinthenewspapers。\" \"Itwouldbedelightfultoexposetheirblunder，——toshowthemup。