Clarisse : or, The Merchant's daughter. A romance

Preface

. At a time when translating bad French novels is all the rage, we may, perhaps, be allowed to take some little credit to ourselves for having produced a fiction of English manufacture, though grafted on a foreign stock. Our readers need not be reminded that Clarisse is founded upon a very effective drama, produced at the Adelphi Theatre about two years since, and which, through the admirable acting of Madame Celeste, Mr. Webster, and, indeed, the whole of the company, enjoyed a degree of popularity that has rarely been equalled. To the Author of the following pages, the plot and characters of the drama seemed well adapted for all the purposes of a romance, certain additions and alterations being made to adapt it to the closet instead of the stage. Nor was he disap" pointed in the anticipations he indulged in — the work has met with an unpre" cedentedly large sale, — a success which is perhaps to be rather attributed to the popularity of the drama than to any merit of his own.

Be that as it may, the large sale of this work is a gratifying proof that English works wil' yet meet with an extensive circulation, in spite of the previously alluded lo translations of foreign romance?, which seldom have any good end in view, and always contain some passages that are repulsive to the feelings of the right-minded reader. The portraits which serve partly to illustrate this volume will be acknowledged to be unquestionable likenesses of many favourite actors and actresses of the Adelphi Theatre. They^are from actual sittings, and much labour aud expense have beeu incurred to render them worthy of the liberal patronage which, we are happy to say, was not looked for in vain. June, a 3&0maur<r,

Chapter I. The Counting House

— FRIEND OB FOE. — THE FOREMAN. Five years ago there resided near the canal of St. Martin, in the city oi Paris, a wood-merchant named La roche. That he possessed more than an ordinary share of worldly riches was a prevalent opinion, but being naturally of a morose disposition, his society was generally avoided by all persons except those who had business transactions with him. Even the rare beauty of his daughter, Clarisse, failed No. I to attract visitors to his house, and, shunned by the whole world, he ivec 1 almost ke a recluse, amidst the splendour and gaiety of the French metropol s. To Monsieur Laroche, however, this was a subject rather for congratulation than regret. He had no desire to 'obtain the good opinion of mankind, for his pursu t of had been successful beyond his most sanguine hopes, and having acquired a large fortune, hrSeT^thYontei^pt the ev.f reports and insinuations that were .everywhere throws out against him.

Chrisse his conduct was generally k H though occasionally he was severe even to her-the on y being in the world who enter tained towards him the slightest feeling of regard. On the evening when our narrative commences, he was seated at his desk in the counting house, writing letters of business to various correspondents, and occa sionally addressing himself to his daughter who meekly attentive to all that he uttered, stood a lew paces from him. At length, having sealed the last of his letters he despatched them by his clerk to the post-office, and then, turning towards Clansse, demanded if he might depend upon her vigilance and attention to the business during his tern; orary absence from home. To this question she promptly answered in the affirmative. . " It is the first time I have ever left you," he continued, " and will probably be the last.

To-morrow I shall return, in the full reliance that you have performed y°" You shall not be deceived," she replied ; " tkough I had rather your confidence had been bestowed elsewhere." . " Whom else could I so well have trusted with the superintendence 01 my busi ness I" demanded the merchant. " In the first place, sir, there is Robert." " An old, and, 1 believe, faithful servant," replied Monsieur Laroche ; '* he has been my foreman for many years, and I place in him the full confidence you seem to think he merits." " Then there is Armand." " As a clerk I have found him diligent and attentive to my business," replied the merchant ; " but he is young, and therefore not to be trusted at present in affairs of importance." " Nay," answered Clarisse, " if his youth forms the only obstacle, the same objection must surely apply to myself, for I am two years younger than Monsieur St. Armand."

" But you will feel a stronger interest in ray behalf," returned her father ; " and with you to superintend my affairs I shall leave home in the greater confidence and security." " And your absence will not exceed the time you have said?" "To-morrow evening I shall most assuredly return," answered Laroche. "I have received news of the arrival of my vessel with a cargo of timber, and am going down the river in order to see the captain, who, 1 expect, has brought me intelligence of considerable importance. I shall return within the time that has been named, and you will then be released from the charge I am about to impose upon you." " It appears that the duties are not likely to prove very heavy," said Clarisse, laughingly, " and I trust you will see no occasion to complain of my having omitted anything in which your interest is concerned."

" Vigilance is all" that I require of you," replied her father ; " and as that will not be needed lor any long time, I am under no apprehension of any failure on your part. I shall leave directions for Armand to receive twenty thousand francs, which are to be paid to rae in the course of to-morrow, and, as soon as it is placed in your eustody, it must be safely locked up in this desk till I come back. This is the principal service I require, and as there is no difficulty in the way, I shall expect my orders to be strictly complied with." " They shall, dear father,' exclaimed Clarisse. " I will guard your treasure as I would my own life, for I know that if the money should be lost " " You would bring upon yourself my eternal anger," interrupted Monsieur Laroche, hastily. " I require the twenty thousand francs for a very particular purpose, and were the money lost I should be most seriously inconvenienced."

At this moment, the wood merchant perceived a stranger gazing upon him from the outside of the window, and, starting up from his seat, he sprang forward, as if resolved to lay violent hands upon the intruder. The person, however, had moved away so quiekly that not a trace of him was to be seen, and Laroche, turning away from the window, exclaimed, in accents of despair, — " By Heavens, Clarisse ! we have had spies near us ; and all will be lost if our conversation has been overheard." " May it not have been one of the work people whom you saw passing by the window?" "Had it been so, I should have known him," replied Monsieur Laroche. "The countenance ofthe man I saw just now was strange to me, and that circumstance, together with the fact of his sudden flight, conspire to convince me that his object here was to commit a robbery."

" Indeed, dear father, you must be mistaken," exclaimed Clarisse. " There is something singular, no doubt, in a stranger being detected watching us at the mo ment when you spoke of receiving a large sum of money, but it may have been the result of accident, rather than of design." " You know not, Clarisse," replied her father, " the number of villains who exist in Paris by the plunder of their fellow-men. The city so swarms with them, that we may have them near us when least their presence is suspected." "Have you ever heard of any suspicious persons being seen about here before?" asked Clarisse. "Robert has told me that he has reason to belicre there was a plot on foot to rob me," answered her father. "At first, I was inclined to think his fears had misled him. but what I have just observed convinces me that my property is no longer safe."

" Then, of course, you will not leave me, when there is so much need for your own presence here ?" "My business is of such importance," replied her father, "tbat I eannot postpone it, even for a moment. Besides, I shall not be away many hours, and as you will have the assistance of Robert and Armand, sufficient vigilance may be used to disconcert any plans that may have been made for plundering me." " But I have heard you say that you would not place too much confidence in either of the persons you have mentioned." " 1 am not going to do so now," answered the merchant ; " for, though absent for a short time, they will not find it very easy to deceive me. By-the-by, Armand seems to be an especial favourite of youis, Clarisse ; I hope you give him no encouragement, if he has dared to aspire to your hand."

" Armand is ever respectful to me," replied Clarisse, with some little hesitation. " He has been many years in your counting-house, and, from long acquaintance, we have begun to regard each other in the light of brother and sister." "A most dangerous position for both of you," exclaimed Monsieur Laroche. " These sentimental attachments generally teiminate in positive love, and, were that to be the case, in tl-ie present instance, bo'th you and Armand would for ever forfeit my esteem and protection. Be careful, girl, be careful, for you are now standing on the edge of a precipice that threatens utter destruction." " You impose upon me a hard task," sighed Clarisse ; " for were I to exhibit any coolness now towards Monsieur Armand, it would cut him to the heart. He is not less zealous in your service than he has ever been ; and surely, where there is no fault to complain of, it would be unjust to let it appear that some cause of offence has been given."

" At all events," said her father, " you will give him no encouragement— no hope that your hand can ever become his. Robert, I have reason to believe, is at the bottom of the mischief I have so much reason to dread ; but let him beware how he excites my anger, for I have long been dissatisfied with him, and " " Dissatisfied with Robert !" interrupted Clarisse, in accents of unfeigned aston- ■1 ishment. " You have given him the management and control of your business, and yet, after years of faithful servitude, yoa now make the discovery that he is unworthy the eonfidence reposed in him." " I have not yet gone so far as to say he is unworthy of my confidence, replied Monsieur Laroche ; " but there are reasons for my being guarded against Inm, which I cannot at present explain. At some future opportunity— too soon, perhaps, you will know why I do not regard Robert with the respect you seem to think is due to him." .

" That he is a faithful, honest servant, I think you will not attempt to deny, exclaimed Clarisse. " I admit he deserves the character you give him," answered her father ; " nor would he have remained in my service for so many years, but that I know him to be trustworthy. There is, however, a roughness and doggedness in his manner to wards my labouring people that renders him rather unpopular among them, whilst, on the other hand, it inspires me with a feeling of confidence that he is actuated by a strong feeling of honour towards myself." " I ara sure he is," replied Clarisse ; " he has ever shown an earnest desire to fulfil his duty to your satisfaction, and towards me has manifested an affection scarcely less parental than your own." " That is because he has known you from infancy," exclaimed Monsieur Laroche, in a tone of agitation that Clarisse could not account for.

" Robert has been with me eighteen years, during which time you have become to him almost as a child of his own. It is my desire, however, that you now avoid him more than you have hitherto done, for there are reasons, Clarisse, that render it essential to my own safety, and " " Alas ! what is it I hear 1" interrupted our heroine. " Does my father then ac knowledge that he has done aught which has placed him in the power of an other?" " Girl !" exclaimed the merchant, angrily ; " this is not the first time you have given utterance to suspicions injurious to the character of your father! I have told you before that my life — if not entirely blameless — was certainly untainted with dishonour ; and yet you still encourage a suspicion that thcie are certain events eonnected with my career, which I cannot think of without remorse."

" If such a thought has ever entered my head," replied Clarisse, " it has had its origin in the melancholy which marks-your demeanour. I have observed your fre quent depression of spirits, and, from circumstances that have occurred, it seems but too probable that your grief is permanent." " From your own acknowledgement, then, you have been acting the part of a spy upon me," exclaimed Laroche, sternly. " I could not avoid perceiving that which was so apparent," answered his daughter. " Between yourself and Robert theie is a mystery which remains to be developed, and which I trust may hereafter be explained without injury to your honour." " It shall be explained," returned the merchant, " but you must wait with patience till a more favourable opportunity arrives. That you entertain a very high respect for Robert, I have good reason to know, and am not by any means displeased at it ; for the length of his services renders him like a member of our family, and I am myself so well satisfied with the zeal and fidelity he has manifested, that it is pro bable, in the course of the present year, I shall admit him to a share of my bu siness."

"And Arraand," cried our heroine ; " he is also faithful, and I do trust the good services he has performed will meet with a reward similar to the one you have just mentioned." " Time will prove my intention concerning him," answered her father ; " at pre sent Monsieur Armand is too young to undertake the leading part of a business like mine ; but as age and experience advance, I dare say there will be no reason to withhold such a reward as you have suggested. Much, however, will depend upon himself aud yoa ; I must see that your hearts are indifferent to each other • and when your hand is bestowed according to my wish, I shall no longer hesitate to re ceive Armand as a partner in ray business." " He is aware of your disapprobation, and will, no doubt, bow to it with submission," exclaimed Clarisse.

" Not whilst he receives any encouragement from you," retorted Monsieur La roche. " Nay, deny it not, girl, for I have watched your growing attachment with too much anxiety to be deceived in the matter. You have refused all other offers, though many advantageous ones have been made. Your heart has been thoughtlessly bestowed upon him ; but mark me ! I will not accept as a son-in-law the man who, as a menial, depends upon me for his daily bread." " Armand is no menial," exclaimed Clarisse, indignantly. " He receives your wages, it is true, but his duties are performed with zeal and activity, and I have heard you, ere now, admit that lie was an invaluable acquisition." " As a servant, 1 have no reason to find fault with him," answered her father ; " but as your husband I should turn my face from him for ever.

You now know my mind upon the subject, and it will prevent much future pain to all parties if you take an early opportunity to inform him, that his attentions must henceforward be addressed elsewhere." " On what ground am I to tell him so?" she inquired. " A very sufficient one, in my opinion," replied Monsieur Larnche. " Tell him it is your father's peremptory command, that he abandons his pretension to your hand." " I will obey you," said Clarisse, with a sigh ; " but lie must needs think your prejudice against him a very harsh one." " Let him think what he pleases, so that I am not defied," exclaimed the merchant. " It is his duty to yield submission, and if he does not. do so, I have but one other alternative." " And that will be to turn him adrift upon the world ?" " Exactly so," answered her father.

" I have no wish to deal harshly with him, but if he forces me by his own wilfulness, the guilt will be none of mine. Remem ber, Clarisse, you are my only child, the heiress of more wealth than you anticipate, — a prize for which even one of noble blood might be glad to contend. I have toiled hard — have been the slave of Mammon from the very outset of my life — and for what has all this been endured ? To see thee the possessor of an immense fortune, and the wife of some man whose illustrious birth will raise thee above the common herd of mankind, from which thou hast sprung. Sleeping and waking I have thought only upon this one all-engrossing subject, and you may therefore judge of my ann-er and disappointment when it became but too apparent that you were on the point of pledging yourself to become the wife of Monsieur Armand."

" At present your apprehensions upon that subject need not be excited," replied Clarisse. " Arc you not avowedly attached to him ?" " I will not deny it," she replied ; " but my regard for him is that of a sister for a beloved brother." *' Believe me, Clarisse," exclaimed her father, " the feeling you speak of, is a dangerous one, and will lead to more misery than your inexperience anticipates. Armand is aware of the influence he possesses over your heart, and there are few persons in his circumstances who would have the resolution to throw away an op portunity of uniting themselves by an union with the daughter of a wealthy mer chant." " But the people do not seem to guess that your wealth is so great as you have led me to believe." " It has been my care to keep them in the dark upon that subject," answered Monsieur Laroche.

" I have lived frugally — have been content with an humble dwelling, instead of taking a handsome mansion, as most persons in my circumstances would have done. 1 have kept no company — visited no scenes of pleasure or dissipation ; but, with my one object in view, have plodded on my even way, unheeding and unheeded. Some have called me miser — others have said I was poor — that the web I spun one day was destroyed the next, and that I am but little better off now than I was on the dav I comme need business by the canal of St. Martin. Thes expressions of opinion, however, never disturbed me ; I knew the flourishing stat of my own increasing hoards, and could well afford to smile at the interfering imper tinence of my fellow men." , " Robert, I suppose, is aware of your great success in life ? ' " Ay, ay. he of course knows everything," replied her father.

"I could not help having one confidant ; and who so worthy of the trust as the man whose fidelity has been tried and never found wanting?" " Yet the mystery in whieh he is involved," observed Clanssc, might almost have led you to infer that he would not prove a very safe depository of your secret •" " You, surely, cannot think he was likely to prove treacherous to his trust?" observed her father. " Robert, I have always thought, was an especial favourite of your's ; and was " " I have just as good opinion of him as ever," interrupted our heroine ; " but 1 confess feeling some surpiise that you should have chosen him from among all other persons, as a man in whom to repose a trust that you deem so important." " Psha! ' exclaimed her father ; " that part of his conduct which appears mys terious to you, is to me as clear and open as the daylight.

I have known Robert for a very long period, and during that time every important event of his previous life has been made known to me." " Is it true," asked Clarisse, " that in his youth his career was marked with dis sipation and intemperance ?" " Who has told you that it was so?" demanded Laroche, hastily. "Monsieur Galon." "Monsieur Galon is himself a drunkard, and his word cannot be taken," answered the merchant. " The fellow is an evil example to his fellow-workmen, and I have long had thoughts of dismissing him from my employ." " He has at least the quality of good temper to counterbalance his defects," observed Clarisse, " and being an especial favourite among the men, he often keeps them in good humour when they would otherwise have broken out in acts of vio lence against yourself and Robert."

" And, pray, what reason have they for entertaining thoughts of violence against me or my foreman ?* demanded Monsieur Laroche, with warmth. "I know not," replied his daughter, "unless it is that they sometimes think themselves worked more hours than many other places in the city." " For which they would call me and my foreman to account V " They certainly do complain of you," replied our heroine, "but Robert is the more especial object of their anger. His naturally reserved disposition is mistaken for moroseness, and on several occasions recently he would have received rough usage at their hands, but for the interference of Monsieur Galon, who, in spite of his habits of intemperance, seems to have a tolerably good heart of his own." "These fellows of mine must have a sharper eye kept over them," exclaimed the merchant ; " I will myself watch them narrowly, and at the first appearance of dis content the whole of the offenders shall be marched into the presence of a magistrate.

I will instruct Robert how to proceed during my absence." " He is here, father," said Clarisse, as the door opened, and the foreman made his appearance. Seeing them in conversation, however, Robert was about to retire when the merchant desired him to remain where he was. "I have just been informed," said the merchant, " that the men in my employ are at times inclined to break into rebellion against my authority ; is there any truth in this?" " There is," replied Robert. " In that case why have I not been informed of it?" *' Because I am already disliked by them," answered the foreman, " and I was unwilling to make matters worse." " But your silence has served to encourage them." "I hope not," said Robert. " They know I ke;p a vigilant watch over their actions, and whenever there seems to be any fear of an outbreak, I call them belore me, and venture to remonstrate against the violence of their proceedings."

" Which I suppose they merely laugh at," said Laroche. "What they may do when they get out of my sight, 1 know not," replied Robert, " but whilst in my presence they appear to listen to my advice with attention. Whether this submission is real oi feigned I am at a loss to determine, but were I once to discover that my power over them is gone 1 should throw up my situation, and leave them in the hands of some one who might possess a greater degree of in fluence than myself." " For my father's sake, nay, for mine, I hope you will never leave us," exclaimed our heroine, earnestly. " That, my dear young lady, must depend on circumstances," answered Robert. " Whilst my services are of any use, I shall certainly not withdraw them. I should bitterly lament the circumstance that might take me away from those whom I so much regard ; and yet, knowing the dislike in which I am held by most of the people in your father's employ, I have more than once had thoughts of throwing up my situation, and living out the remainder of my days upon the sum which I have been able to layby during the long years of my servitude."

" I'll not hear of your leaving me, Robert," exclaimed Monsieur Laroche. " I give you unlimited authority over my people — discharge those whose conduct is most obnoxious to you, and take in their place only such men as will work contentedly, and without wrangling." " That may not be," replied Robert, " for it would be most unjust to discharge men whose families depend upon them for support, when I believe that, by removing myself from their sight, they will become all that you wish." "At any rate you must remain with me some time longer," exclaimed Monsieur Laroche. " You know the reason I have for wishing you not to quit my service, and, therefore, I do not imagine it will be necessary for me to repeat my request." " I do know your motive," said Robert, with marked emphasis, " and at once yield to your desire.

I may, however, perhaps, be permitted to say, that there is another reason why I wish to quit your service as soon as my doing so will be convenient to yourself." " What do you allude to V " The fact that age, long servitude, and growing infirmities, render repose desirable, and, indeed, necessary." " But your labour is not a heavy one." "Granted," replied the foreman ; " it is light enough, and yet for all that I am not inclined to continue it much longer. Monsieur Aimand is young, active, and persevering ; he is devotedly attached to your interests in all things, and my remaining in your service during the last twelve months has been caused solely by my anxiety to see you place him in the situation I hold." " Armand is too young for so responsible a situation," exclaimed Monsieur Laroche, impatiently.

" He is just the age that I was when you selected me from among many others to occupy the same post," answered Robert. " From first to last I have succeeded in affording tolerable satisfaction to my employer ; and knowing as I do the nature and disposition of Armand, I feel every confidence in the zealous discharge of his duties." "That maybe," exclaimed the merchant, "but I am not qnite certain that Armand will remain much longer in my employ. You look at me with amazement, Robert, but the tiuth is, 1 have made a discovery that renders it necessary that he should find another situation." " Surely," exclaimed the foreman, " you do not suspect his honesty ?" " Had tbat been the case I should not have entrusted him to the extent that I have," replied Monsieur Laroche. '* He has had large sums of money placed under his care, and I have always found his accounts accurate to the smallest coin.

Nay, as a further proof that I have no fear of him, he is this day to receive for me twenty thousand francs, which are to be deposited in the hands of my daughter, who will place them in my desk till my return, which will take place to-morrow morning." " That your directions will be faithfully performed, there is no fear," said Robert. " I was not, however, aware that you were going to quit Paris." " Nor sriould I have done so," replied Monsieur Laroche, " but that 1 have received a letter informing me of the arrival of my vessel, the * St. Nicholas,' a few days earlier than was expected. The captain wishes to see me with as little delay as possible ; and I shall return with him, as I said before, at an early hour tomorrow morning." " And, in the meantime," said Robert, " my young friend, Armand, is to receive the twenty thousand francs from one of your customers ?"

"Ay," replied the merchant, "and to put them in the place I have mentioned. The money will be safe there, and, at all events, if any robbery should take place, Armand will not be blamed for it, should he act according to the instructions I have given." Whilst the merchant was thus speaking, Robert observed the form of a man passing quickly away from the window, through which it was evident he had been watching them. "There has been a listener !" exclaimed the foreman, with anxious alarm. "I this moment saw a person gliding away stealthily, and, should our conversation have been overheard, I am afraid the twenty thousand francs will not remain long in our possession." " I dare say it was only one of our own people that you saw," replied Monsieur Laroche. " It was a stranger," replied Robert.