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During

our

walk

,

Clerval

endeavoured

to

say

a

few

words

of

consolation

;

he

could

only

express

his

heartfelt

sympathy

.

"

Poor

William

!

"

said

he

,

dear

lovely

child

,

he

now

sleeps

with

his

angel

mother

!

Who

that

had

seen

him

bright

and

joyous

in

his

young

beauty

,

but

must

weep

over

his

untimely

loss

!

To

die

so

miserably

;

to

feel

the

murderer

's

grasp

!

How

much

more

a

murderer

that

could

destroy

such

radiant

innocence

!

Poor

little

fellow

!

one

only

consolation

have

we

;

his

friends

mourn

and

weep

,

but

he

is

at

rest

.

The

pang

is

over

,

his

sufferings

are

at

an

end

for

ever

.

A

sod

covers

his

gentle

form

,

and

he

knows

no

pain

.

He

can

no

longer

be

a

subject

for

pity

;

we

must

reserve

that

for

his

miserable

survivors

.

"

Clerval

spoke

thus

as

we

hurried

through

the

streets

;

the

words

impressed

themselves

on

my

mind

and

I

remembered

them

afterwards

in

solitude

.

But

now

,

as

soon

as

the

horses

arrived

,

I

hurried

into

a

cabriolet

,

and

bade

farewell

to

my

friend

.

Отключить рекламу

My

journey

was

very

melancholy

.

At

first

I

wished

to

hurry

on

,

for

I

longed

to

console

and

sympathise

with

my

loved

and

sorrowing

friends

;

but

when

I

drew

near

my

native

town

,

I

slackened

my

progress

.

I

could

hardly

sustain

the

multitude

of

feelings

that

crowded

into

my

mind

.

I

passed

through

scenes

familiar

to

my

youth

,

but

which

I

had

not

seen

for

nearly

six

years

.

How

altered

every

thing

might

be

during

that

time

!

One

sudden

and

desolating

change

had

taken

place

;

but

a

thousand

little

circumstances

might

have

by

degrees

worked

other

alterations

,

which

,

although

they

were

done

more

tranquilly

,

might

not

be

the

less

decisive

.

Fear

overcame

me

;

I

dared

no

advance

,

dreading

a

thousand

nameless

evils

that

made

me

tremble

,

although

I

was

unable

to

define

them

.

I

remained

two

days

at

Lausanne

,

in

this

painful

state

of

mind

.

I

contemplated

the

lake

:

the

waters

were

placid

;

all

around

was

calm

;

and

the

snowy

mountains

,

'

the

palaces

of

nature

,

'

were

not

changed

.

By

degrees

the

calm

and

heavenly

scene

restored

me

,

and

I

continued

my

journey

towards

Geneva

.

The

road

ran

by

the

side

of

the

lake

,

which

became

narrower

as

I

approached

my

native

town

.

I

discovered

more

distinctly

the

black

sides

of

Jura

,

and

the

bright

summit

of

Mont

Blanc

.

I

wept

like

a

child

.

"

Dear

mountains

!

my

own

beautiful

lake

!

how

do

you

welcome

your

wanderer

?

Your

summits

are

clear

;

the

sky

and

lake

are

blue

and

placid

.

Is

this

to

prognosticate

peace

,

or

to

mock

at

my

unhappiness

?

"

I

fear

,

my

friend

,

that

I

shall

render

myself

tedious

by

dwelling

on

these

preliminary

circumstances

;

but

they

were

days

of

comparative

happiness

,

and

I

think

of

them

with

pleasure

.

My

country

,

my

beloved

country

!

who

but

a

native

can

tell

the

delight

I

took

in

again

beholding

thy

streams

,

thy

mountains

,

and

,

more

than

all

,

thy

lovely

lake

!

Yet

,

as

I

drew

nearer

home

,

grief

and

fear

again

overcame

me

.

Night

also

closed

around

;

and

when

I

could

hardly

see

the

dark

mountains

,

I

felt

still

more

gloomily

.

The

picture

appeared

a

vast

and

dim

scene

of

evil

,

and

I

foresaw

obscurely

that

I

was

destined

to

become

the

most

wretched

of

human

beings

.

Alas

!

I

prophesied

truly

,

and

failed

only

in

one

single

circumstance

,

that

in

all

the

misery

I

imagined

and

dreaded

,

I

did

not

conceive

the

hundredth

part

of

the

anguish

I

was

destined

to

endure

.

It

was

completely

dark

when

I

arrived

in

the

environs

of

Geneva

;

the

gates

of

the

town

were

already

shut

;

and

I

was

obliged

to

pass

the

night

at

Secheron

,

a

village

at

the

distance

of

half

a

league

from

the

city

.

The

sky

was

serene

;

and

,

as

I

was

unable

to

rest

,

I

resolved

to

visit

the

spot

where

my

poor

William

had

been

murdered

.

As

I

could

not

pass

through

the

town

,

I

was

obliged

to

cross

the

lake

in

a

boat

to

arrive

at

Plainpalais

.

During

this

short

voyage

I

saw

the

lightning

playing

on

the

summit

of

Mont

Blanc

in

the

most

beautiful

figures

.

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The

storm

appeared

to

approach

rapidly

,

and

,

on

landing

,

I

ascended

a

low

hill

,

that

I

might

observe

its

progress

.

It

advanced

;

the

heavens

were

clouded

,

and

I

soon

felt

the

rain

coming

slowly

in

large

drops

,

but

its

violence

quickly

increased

.

I

quitted

my

seat

,

and

walked

on

,

although

the

darkness

and

storm

increased

every

minute

,

and

the

thunder

burst

with

a

terrific

crash

over

my

head

.

It

was

echoed

from

Saleve

,

the

Juras

,

and

the

Alps

of

Savoy

;

vivid

flashes

of

lightning

dazzled

my

eyes

,

illuminating

the

lake

,

making

it

appear

like

a

vast

sheet

of

fire

;

then

for

an

instant

every

thing

seemed

of

a

pitchy

darkness

,

until

the

eye

recovered

itself

from

the

preceding

flash

.

The

storm

,

as

is

often

the

case

in

Switzerland

,

appeared

at

once

in

various

parts

of

the

heavens

.

The

most

violent

storm

hung

exactly

north

of

the

town

,

over

the

part

of

the

lake

which

lies

between

the

promontory

of

Belrive

and

the

village

of

Copet

.

Another

storm

enlightened

Jura

with

faint

flashes

;

and

another

darkened

and

sometimes

disclosed

the

Mole

,

a

peaked

mountain

to

the

east

of

the

lake

.

While

I

watched

the

tempest

,

so

beautiful

yet

terrific

,

I

wandered

on

with

a

hasty

step

.

This

noble

war

in

the

sky

elevated

my

spirits

;

I

clasped

my

hands

,

and

exclaimed

aloud

,

"

William

,

dear

angel

!

this

is

thy

funeral

,

this

thy

dirge

!

"

As

I

said

these

words

,

I

perceived

in

the

gloom

a

figure

which

stole

from

behind

a

clump

of

trees

near

me

;

I

stood

fixed

,

gazing

intently

:

I

could

not

be

mistaken

.

A

flash

of

lightning

illuminated

the

object

,

and

discovered

its

shape

plainly

to

me

;

its

gigantic

stature

,

and

the

deformity

of

its

aspect

more

hideous

than

belongs

to

humanity

,

instantly

informed

me

that

it

was

the

wretch

,

the

filthy

daemon

,

to

whom

I

had

given

life

.

What

did

he

there

?

Could

he

be

(

I

shuddered

at

the

conception

)

the

murderer

of

my

brother

?

No

sooner

did

that

idea

cross

my

imagination

,

than

I

became

convinced

of

its

truth

;

my

teeth

chattered

,

and

I

was

forced

to

lean

against

a

tree

for

support

.

The

figure

passed

me

quickly

,

and

I

lost

it

in

the

gloom

.

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