The Knight of the Golden Melice Part 16

"Waqua," he continued, "will have but one totem, and it is that of his ancestors; but if the white chief desires to please Waqua, let him recollect and teach his people that the same Great Spirit made red men and white men, and wishes them to be brothers."

The sagacity of Winthrop penetrated the motive of the savage, and wonder at the refusal to accept the token was lost in admiration of the other's jealousy of whatever might imply a want of exclusive devotion to his tribe, or a placing of himself in a position inconsistent with perfect independence. He scrutinized the Indian with much more attention than he had at first bestowed upon him, and fancied that in his daring face he read an air of n.o.bleness and command which at first he had not remarked.

"It troubles me, Waqua," he said, "to have thee refuse this badge of my friends.h.i.+p, and which would be a declaration to the world that thou wert my friend, and the friend of the white man, but sith it may not be, receive my promise that I will inculcate the maxim on my people, that we are all descended from the same heavenly father, and bound to love and to practice actions of mutual kindness. I were less, indeed, than Christian man were I to do otherwise."

"And now I have a pet.i.tion to proffer to your excellency, and which lies very near to my heart, and without the granting whereof the life saved by Waqua will be of little value to me," said Arundel.

"A thing of moment, indeed; and with such a consequence following its rejection, a prayer which I cannot refuse."

"It is your reputation, honored sir, for justice, which emboldens me, who am but a comparative stranger, with no further claim to your consideration than one man has upon his fellow to do him right, to address you, and endeavor to secure your all-powerful interest in my behalf."

Here the eyes of the Governor fell with an inquiring look upon the Indian, and the mute appeal was understood by the young man.

"I care not," he said, unwilling, by any appearance of a want of confidence, to hazard an interruption of the friendly relations existing between himself and the savage, in whom he already felt a considerable interest--"I care not if Waqua hears my story; he is my brother and may look into my heart."

A gratified expression crossed the countenance of Waqua, but, without a remark, he rose from his seat, and, with a delicacy little to be expected among the wild children of Nature, withdrew to a distant part of the room.

"It is better thus," said the Governor, "if thy complaint, as I partly suspect, touch a member of the Government. The secrets of a family should not be blazoned to the world. Our little Commonwealth is a family, and it becometh each one tenderly to guard the good repute of all."

"I crave your Excellency's pardon," said the young man, casting down his eyes at the rebuke, "for my imprudence; but your sagacity has already divined what forces me to fly to you for succor. It is of the unjustifiable conduct of the a.s.sistant Spikeman I would speak."

"It is as I supposed. Something of this have I heard, but only as flying gossip, which it were unmanly in any one to heed; and which, as such, it were disgraceful in the ruler of a people to regard. But, if the charge come, bearing upon itself an authentic stamp, it is a different matter."

"The words which I shall utter I will avouch with my blood. A great and grievous wrong hath been committed and is continued, against which both Heaven and earth cry out."

"It is a heavy charge, and now to the proof."

Hereupon Arundel entered upon the particulars of the breach of faith on the part of Spikeman, and of the restraint exercised by him over Eveline; to all which Winthrop listened with profound attention, by neither word nor sign interrupting the narrative. Upon its conclusion, however, he began in the spirit of the profession wherein he had been educated, to ask questions and urge objections,

"Thou hast truly, Master Arundel," he said, "made out a case of great hards.h.i.+p, if the view taken by thee be correct; and, understand me, I doubt not thine entire sincerity. But what further testimony than that of the young lady hast thou, her representations being contradicted by Master Spikeman?"

"What!" cried the young man, with some warmth, "is not the word of Eveline sufficient to outweigh the prevarications of a thousand tricksters like this Spikeman?"

"This is no proper language," said Winthrop, a little sternly, "but _Amor semper coecus_," he added, smiling, "This rule I take to be without exception. Am I to understand that thou hast no further proof?"

"There is the a.s.severation of Eveline Dunning, met only by the denial of the a.s.sistant Spikeman, who would deny every truth, so only it were necessary for his purpose."

"Thou dost prejudice thy cause by want of moderation. It seemeth me, however, that Master Spikeman hath no necessity to join issue with thee on the facts, and that a bare demurrer were all-sufficient to throw thee out of court. Forgive me for inflicting this pain, but I do it not without a motive, which is to possess thee fully of the manner in which this matter is viewed by others."

"There is then no justice in this land," cried the young man.

"I have thus far," Winthrop went on without heeding the exclamation, "considered the case, under the supposition of a denial on the part of Master Spikeman (whom thou dost not deny to be the rightly const.i.tuted guardian of Mistress Dunning) of the facts which, in thy opinion, impose on him a duty to give thee his ward in marriage. But suppose, as I have said, he were to demur to thy declaration, that is to say, admit the truth of all thou hast said, but deny that any obligation resulted therefrom to comply with thy wishes, would thy condition be thereby bettered?"

"Admitting the facts, I see not how he could do otherwise than hasten to perform the desire of his deceased friend; but this he will never do, forsworn and treacherous that he is."

"Thus may pa.s.sion speak, but not so the unprejudiced reason concerning thy difference with Master Spikeman. Might he not reply to thy reproaches--that it was only when Master Dunning was weakened by sickness that he did yield to importunity; but that in the days of unclouded health, and when the mind sat like a king upon his throne, he did steadily oppose thy union with his daughter, and then ask thee which he was in duty bound to obey--the settled purpose of his friend, as demonstrated by his daily life and conversation, or a chance word of sickness, perhaps, of delirium? That Edmund Dunning did at first, even till his death-bed, deny thee his daughter, thou dost admit; and this is a weighty argument, hard to be overcome by a dying whisper.

The reason thereof will satisfy most, for is it not written, 'Be ye not unequally yoked with unbelievers?' Seest thou not that it is only thyself who dost stand in the way of thy happiness? Oh! that the light of Divine truth might penetrate thy mind, and make thee, in all respects, worthy of the lovely lady."

"Eveline Dunning would despise me, were I, even for the sake of her hand, to renounce the faith of my fathers."

"Not for the sake of her hand, (that would be only a collateral blessing,) but for other and worthier motives. Very precious and encouraging is the promise in the Scripture, 'Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven, and all other things shall be added unto you,'

Doubt it not, and consider also how sweet is the tie that doth bind consenting hearts with one true faith--a faith consoling exceedingly--a faith to lift high above the tempests of adversity--to heal the wounds of earth, and to be crowned with glory and immortality in heaven."

"Were I even to join the congregation, which, in my present way of thinking, I might not do without guilt, Master Spikeman would, doubtless, find means to make vain my suit."

"Judge him not so harshly. What motive can he have, other than to perform his duty to the living and to the dead? Think, rather, that Providence hath, in its own wonderful way, determined to lead thee by the silken cord of thy affections unto grace. Be not disobedient unto the heavenly impulse."

"I perceive that I have failed in my prayer, and can have no hope of your intercession, honored sir," said Arundel, rising, "and will therefore take my sorrowful leave."

"It pains me," said Winthrop, also rising, "that, under present circ.u.mstances, I am compelled to deny it. I may not do aught to contravene a resolution of the deceased Edmund Dunning, which seems to have been inspired by Heaven; but, the cause of that resolution being removed, no one will be happier to promote your purpose. I say this the more cheerfully, because thy happiness is within reach, to be wisely seized or unwisely refused."

"With thanks for your Excellency's good will, and lamenting that it is fruitless, I will now depart."

Hereupon, the young man making a sign to his companion, the Indian approached. The sight of the latter seemed to suggest an idea to Winthrop, for, turning to him, he said:

"On the morrow I expect an emba.s.sy from some of your countrymen, Waqua. Will not the chief remain to witness it?"

On the quiet countenance of the Indian only an inquiry was to be read.

"The Taranteens," said the Governor, in answer to the look, "desire to brighten the chain of friends.h.i.+p between the white men and themselves, and it ought to give pleasure to a wise chief to behold it."

"Waqua is a young man," replied the Indian, "and is not wise; but he has heard the old men of his tribe say, that no faith was to be placed in the word of a Taranteen."

"Let them beware," said Winthrop, who, from obvious motives of policy, adopted this tone in the Indian's presence, "how they attempt to deceive me. The friends.h.i.+p of the white man is like the blessed sun, which brings life and joy; his enmity, like the storm-clouds, charged with thunders and lightnings."

"Listen!" said the Indian, laying his hand on the arm of the Governor.

"The beavers once desired the friends.h.i.+p of the skunk. They admired his black and white hair, and thought his round, bushy tail, which was different from theirs, very beautiful; so they invited him into their lodges; but when he came, his scent was so bad that they were all obliged to abandon them. The Taranteens are the skunk."

"I have no fear that they will drive us away," said Winthrop, with a smile. "They have every reason to conciliate our favor, and we would be at peace, if we are permitted, with all men. We came not into these far off regions to bring a sword, but the blessings of civilization and of the Gospel."

"Waqua will come," said the Indian, "but the Taranteens are a skunk.

The white chief will remember the words of Waqua, and will say, before many days, that he spoke the truth."

"We know how to deal with the treacherous," answered the Governor, "but antic.i.p.ate no evil now."

With these words, and, as if striving by extraordinary courtesy to palliate the pain which he had inflicted on Arundel, he accompanied the two to the door of the apartment, where he dismissed them.

CHAPTER XI.

Oh! he sits high in all the people's hearts.

SHAKESPEARE.

It was evident that, so far from anything being to be expected from the interposition of the Governor, he was opposed to the marriage of Arundel as long as the latter should remain outside of the charmed circle of the Church--a full communion with which was necessary, even to the exercise of the rights of a citizen. But the young man was incapable of deception. His ingenuous mind turned, displeased, away from the bait the wily Governor had presented; and, dearly as he loved his mistress, he would have preferred to renounce her rather than play the hypocrite to obtain the prize. He was not much cast down, for, having sought the interview, not from the promptings of his own judgment, but out of deference to the wishes of the knight, he was not greatly disappointed. He remained firm in the resolution, whatever might be the risk, to release Eveline from the constraint exercised over her by her guardian. Silent, with the Indian silent following in his footsteps, he returned to his lodgings to brood over his prospects and to devise schemes.