Avarice-Anger Part 66

"'After this long and careful examination of myself, I summed up the result as follows:

"'Anger is a pa.s.sion of such intensity in me, that it increases my mental and physical powers a hundred-fold. In other words, it is a force.

"'When this force is brought into action by generous motives, it leads to acts of which I have every reason to be proud.

"'When, on the contrary, it is brought into action by unworthy motives, it causes me to commit culpable or even criminal acts, which I shall never cease to regret.

"'Anger has been the cause of my ruin and of my despair. It killed my wife. Now, anger shall be my salvation and the salvation of my daughter.

"'These words may seem incomprehensible to you, my child, but listen.

"'In my position of magistrate, my p.r.o.neness to anger and violence was most prejudicial to me. It caused people to regard me with derision, even with contempt, and destroyed every prospect of my advancement in my judicial career. In other words, my mind, character, and temperament did not harmonise with my functions.

"'It was consequently advisable for me to adopt a profession in which the vice, or rather, the radical force of my nature could be utilised to the best advantage of myself and of others.

"'I soon found such a profession.

"'My grandfather had been a sea-faring man, like nearly all Bretons who live on the coast; but my father's rather delicate health led him to enter the judiciary. But I had been reared on the coast, and the sight of the sea, and the daring, adventurous, and independent life of the fishermen had made a deep impression upon my mind.

"'A privateer! to be a privateer! When this idea presented itself to my mind my heart bounded with hope.

"'It seemed to amount to a revelation.

"'It offered an outlet for the feverish ardour that was devouring me.

"'My one object in life now was to save you from poverty, and ensure you the comforts of life, both now and in years to come,--to secure sufficient wealth to make it possible for you to marry the man of your choice, some day. This, and to find a career in which my powers could be best utilised.

"'How could I do this more effectually than by becoming a privateer?

"'The prize-money gained by privateers often amounts to large sums, so it was quite possible that I might succeed in ama.s.sing a very comfortable little fortune for you; besides, where could I hope to find a life that would suit me better, or even as well as the daring, exciting, adventurous life of a corsair?

"'Contention and strife were like the breath of life to me. Resistance exasperated me to frenzy; peril only incited me to greater efforts; the presence of danger set my blood to boiling. Madness seized me, and my capabilities seemed to increase in power in proportion to the number of my enemies.

"'Nor was this all, my child. As I have remarked before, cruelty, or oppression, or treachery, enraged me well-nigh to madness, and against whom should I fight if I became a corsair? Against a country I abhorred,--against a country that, impelled by hatred, greed, or ambition, as the case might be, had pursued France with the utmost vindictiveness for years, hesitating at nothing,--now trying to ruin us by flooding our country with counterfeit a.s.signats, now torturing our brave soldiers to madness, even to death, in her horrible prison hulks,--in short, _England_!

"'_England_! In spite of the despair that overwhelms me as I write, the mere name of that country (which I hate with an even more mortal hatred since the dastardly attempt of which you so narrowly escaped becoming the victim) brings a hot flush of anger to my cheek; my wrath kindles again, and--

"'But forgive me, forgive me, my poor child, forgive me for thus grieving your tender and ingenuous heart, which is incapable of aught like hatred.

"'I did feel it necessary, however, to explain all the reasons that actuated me in entering upon the only career that seemed open to me.

"'My decision made, I kissed you farewell while you were sleeping, and departed in company with Segoffin.'"

Onesime's reading was here interrupted by a despairing sob that Sabine could no longer repress.

CHAPTER XXII.

CONCLUSION.

Sabine had been deeply touched by the opening paragraphs of her father's letter.

Cloarek's simple and straightforward confession, his deep remorse at the ebullition of temper which had been the cause of his wife's death, his resolve to expiate his faults, or, rather, to make them a.s.sist in ensuring his daughter's future happiness, the paternal love which dominated every word and deed, all combined to arouse a feeling of tender commiseration for misfortunes which had been due, in a great measure, at least, to peculiarities of temperament; and seeing the strong impression that had been made on the young girl, the others saw a ray of hope.

Segoffin and the housekeeper exchanged inquiring glances, but seemed to silently agree that it would be advisable to make no comment, but leave Sabine to the influence of her own reflections.

But after a few moments, Suzanne, leaning toward her nephew, whispered in his ear:

"All is not lost yet. Go on, go on, my dear Onesime." So Onesime continued as follows:

"'Segoffin and I went to Dieppe, where we s.h.i.+pped as common sailors on a privateer, for we realised that we must both serve an apprentices.h.i.+p at our new trade. We made several voyages in that capacity. In my leisure moments I studied mathematics and the art of navigation a.s.siduously, so I should be able to command a vessel myself when the necessary practical knowledge had been acquired.

"'My apprentices.h.i.+p lasted two years, during which we were engaged in a number of b.l.o.o.d.y conflicts. At the end of that time I was offered the position of mate aboard a well-known privateer. After eighteen months spent in this way, I had become so well known that a s.h.i.+p owner offered me the command of a vessel called the _h.e.l.l-hound_, that he was fitting out.

"'Strange to say, I was never wounded, though I took part in so many desperate conflicts. I received my first wound on coming to your a.s.sistance the other night.

"'I dare not tell you the cause to which I attribute this singular immunity from danger. I should be obliged to mention your mother's name, and that would revive your grief, and possibly it is only a superst.i.tious fancy, after all.

"'Fate has not been equally kind to Segoffin, unfortunately. He has received several wounds, and, in boarding a vessel during our last fight, he lost an eye by a blow from a pike. No words could do justice to this worthy man's wonderful devotion. I no longer regard him as a servant, but as a friend.

"'One more brief explanation, my child.

"'I knew your affection for me. I knew, too, that your nervous system had received a severe shock at the time of your poor mother's death, so I resolved to save you from constant anxiety by concealing my real occupation from you. So it was agreed between Segoffin and me that we should explain our frequent absences by pretending that we were travelling around the country selling dry goods. I also arranged that the letters you sent to the different towns agreed upon should be forwarded to Dieppe.

"'When I returned after a cruise, I got these letters, and dated my replies from different towns, where I had previously arranged to have them mailed.

"'Such were some of the many precautions that I was obliged to take to conceal the truth from you and allay any suspicions that might be excited in your mind.

"'Forgive these deceptions. They seemed to me necessary. That excuse will, I am sure, avail me.

"'Two years ago the doctors a.s.sured me that the sea air would be very beneficial to you, so I purchased our present home and established you in it. Our home being a long way from Dieppe, the port from which I usually sail, my secret has been carefully guarded, up to this time, thanks to my a.s.sumed name, Captain l'Endurci, and neither you nor Suzanne have ever suspected that the famous corsair, whose b.l.o.o.d.y exploits so excited your horror, was your father, Yvon Cloarek.

"'And now, my darling child, you know all. I have not made this confession with any hope of changing your resolution; I can see that my presence will henceforth be extremely painful to you, but I could not leave you for ever without removing the veil of mystery that has enshrouded my conduct up to the present time.

"'And now, farewell, and for ever, my beloved daughter.

"'My only consolation is the thought that your future happiness is well-nigh certain. You love, and you are loved in return by a generous and n.o.ble-hearted man; Suzanne will be another mother to you, and I leave you my good and faithful Segoffin.

"'My notary has received full instructions in relation to your marriage contract. I wish your marriage to take place on the first of next month, so I may be with you in thought on that happy day.

"'Once more farewell, my idolised daughter. The tears are falling so fast, that I cannot see to write any more.