Lady Isabella

“ Thus does man judge!
The Duchess, taking the sheet of music in her hand, commanded Lelio, who obeyed not unwillingly, to sit by her side, and began to teach him where the voice should rest, and how and where it should glide at length, or quaver in melodious trills; in short, all the tastes of an accomplished musician. But Lelio paid more attention to the white hands than to the notes, and still more to the lovely face that grew animated over the music; wrapt in a kind of ecstasy, he not only ceased accompanying Lady Isabella, but could hardly draw his breath. Lady Isabella said:—"But keep on." ”

“ I know full well to what you allude; but never, never will I sell my rights for gold! No, my dear wife—my beloved daughter—we must prepare ourselves to meet our misfortunes in a becoming manner."
"Dear father," murmured Isabella, "your goodness has conferred upon me an excellent education: surely I might turn to advantage some of those accomplishments—"
"You, my sweetest girl!" cried the nobleman, surveying with feelings of ineffable pride the angelic countenance of the lovely being that was leaning upon his shoulder: "you—my own darling girl—a lady of your high rank become a governess! ”

“ Isabella loved those best whom she served most. Besides, she had a sort of fellow-feeling with Mary, for Lady Anne's lamentations were always over her eldest and youngest daughters—the one as having survived her beauty, the other as not likely to have any to survive. A loud rap at the door made the whole party start. Louisa coloured a deep, beautiful crimson. Lady Anne exclaimed, "I am sure I shall be glad to find that any one is in town as well as myself." And Isabella, going to the window, announced that it was a dark cabriolet, and that Lady Penrhyn and her brother were getting out of it. ”

“ The affliction of the latter at the tidings of Isabella's death is strongly depicted in a letter written immediately after to his son Diego. "It is our chief duty," he says, "to commend to God most affectionately and devoutly the soul of our deceased lady, the queen. Her life was always Catholic and virtuous, and prompt to whatever could redound to His holy service; wherefore, we may trust, she now rests in glory, far from all concern for this rough and weary world." ”

“ This ballad is given from an old black-letter copy in the Pepys Collection, collated with another in the British Museum, H. 263, folio. It is there intitled, "The Lady Isabella's Tragedy, or the Step-Mother's Cruelty: being a relation of a lamentable and cruel murther, committed on the body of the lady Isabella, the only daughter of a noble duke, &c. To the tune of, The Lady's Fall." To some copies are annexed eight more modern stanzas, intitled, The Dutchess's and Cook's Lamentation. ”

“ The queen remained a good while gazing on her without saying a word, figuring to herself, as she afterwards told her lady of the bed-chamber, that she had before her a starry heaven, the stars of which were the many pearls and diamonds worn by Isabella; her fair face and her eyes its sun and moon, and her whole person a new marvel of beauty. ”

“ A child ought to have no ears or eyes, but as a parent directs.”
“Well, to be sure, madam, you were born to be a saint,” said Bianca, “and there is no resisting one’s vocation: you will end in a convent at last. But there is my Lady Isabella would not be so reserved to me: she will let me talk to her of young men; and when a handsome cavalier has come to the castle, she has owned to me that she wished your brother Conrad resembled him.” ”

“ And now, signora—now——"
"Call me Isabella," said the Italian lady, affectionately.
"Now, my dear Isabella," preceded Mary-Anne, "I come to that part of my narrative which involves an indiscretion that may appear grave in your eyes—though, God knows, I was at the time entirely ignorant of the imprudence of the step which I was taking."
"I am prepared to allow every extenuation for one so young, so artless, and so inexperienced as yourself," observed Isabella.
"Ah! how kind you are," returned Mary-Anne, pressing her companion's hand. ”

“ Who being now seventeen years of age was, it is conceived, pricked and stung * * * * by the adorable and ravishing beauty of the Lady Isabella, in such wise that he was quite unable to contain himself, and finding the lady aforesaid to look not unkindly on him, became against all honour and religion her lover par amours. And so it fell out on a hot afternoon in May, they two being together in a retired arbour hard by the castle, were terribly and fearfully surprised by the Knight of the Tower, standing after an enraged and malevolent sort over against them, having his axe uplifted in the air. ”

“ He preaches charity and neighborly love to all, it is true, but he does it for his own sake; for he does not find it for his interest to encourage people to scrutinize too closely, and to discover by rigid examination the characters of others."
Lady Isabella said, smilingly, "Beware, Lelio; judge not, that you be not judged." ”

“ Isabella approached the couch, knelt down by it, and drawing the hand nearest to her, covered it with kisses and tears. "You have been to blame for not telling me, dearest, because you planted in my bosom jealousy and suspicion, which are now vanished, therefore I can bear my share of your trouble; and on your part some of my surprise and bitter mortification must be endured also. If you can give me the history of this poor lady, do. If it will affect you too much do not attempt it, but say at once what you desire me to do." ”

“ In this affair, I must say Isabella was left to her own council entirely, for Lady Anne was as much surprised as I was, I really believe."
"So young, and so ambitious!" said the marquis, musingly.
"Not one of those young ladies can be called ambitious; they are innocent of all worldly and selfish passions. Isabella was almost in the nursery, as it were; Mr. Glentworth, though not young, was a handsome man, still in his prime, intelligent and very kind; no wonder she was charmed with him, poor thing!"
"And do you really believe, my good sir, the girl married him for love?" ”

“ Never was house so admired and praised as Louisa's, and never husband so lauded as hers, when her emotion had passed by, and her tongue resumed its function; and if she could have given just such a partner, such a house, and such prospects as her own to each sister, she would have been satisfied that the world contained no other being so happy, save Isabella, who, in helping all, had a right to be happier than any. ”

“ After holding the letter some minutes so closely to her face that no one could read the many thoughts busy in her mind, she all at once dashed the good news into the fire, exclaiming—
”Oh, Isabella, Isabella, how can you be so foolish! All young mothers make sad noodles of themselves, but you are the worst of all."
"Why did you burn the poor child's letter, Lady Anne?" ”

“ Such were the lineaments on which he had gazed in passionate admiration, dwelt on with tender devotion, and lamented with sorrow, the more deep and abiding in that it was silent and unsuspected, nourished and fed, despite of the wealth which offered every other treasure, and even of the young, innocent, and ardent love of Isabella's virgin heart.
The long companionship of years, the interchange of thought, the gradual unfolding of affection, ripening ripening by degrees, until the whole being is absorbed in one object, and holds existence as tending to one end. ”

“ My dear Isabella—My whole existence has been a tissue of mystery and misfortune, to myself as well as to others, for the who and what I was only was revealed to me by degrees, and my ignorance having operated as a blight on my own happiness, and must often have communicated a painful influence on those who were willing to love me, I have at length determined, in your person, and for your sake, to end it. ”

“ Isabella, on the contrary, felt a real interest in the strangers, at least in one of them, of whose face she did not get so good a view as her sister had done, and though her spirits were by no means in tone for forming acquaintance with a stranger, and she was really much engaged with the solemn and beautiful objects by which she was surrounded, yet still, from time to time, she could not forbear looking towards the younger. ”

“ What do you say, dear Isabella, to my having actually picked up another ci-devant lover of one of your sisters, poor little Georgiana, who is at present wearing the willow, as well as this fine young man, who is really the beau ideal of a sailor-gentleman, because Lady Anne must have lords at least for the rest of her daughters? ”

“ When the first joyful feelings of the moment had subsided, Isabella took an earnest survey of that which she undoubtedly considered to be her best earthly possession, and, with sincere satisfaction, perceived that her husband was blest with the general characteristics of health, though many of the finer lineaments of his countenance were obliterated, and he was decidedly looking old for his years. ”

“ Although to Isabella Glentworth related every particular of his first affecting interview with her he now called sister, and dwelt on every lineament in her person, which recalled his father to his memory, or allied her to himself, a narrative that evidently cost him much, yet Isabella remarked that he seldom recurred to Lady Osmond, even cursorily, therefore, she did not, for she dreaded every subject likely to awaken his feelings. ”

“ It is the peculiar property of jealousy to "make the food it lives on;" and although poor Isabella hid not one point on which to hang an argument, save the evident uneasiness of her husband—though she did not know whether her supposed rival was dead or alive, whether the complaints she at once pitied and resented were those which "poppy and mandragora" might medicine, or "those written troubles of the brain" which were incapable of cure, she contrived to make up for herself a draught of most terrible infliction. ”

“ Even in Helen, who was a decided beauty, she scarcely tolerated the dark hair; but it was too much to endure in Isabella—dark hair, eyes, and skin—yet Isabella was pretty, and promised to be still prettier; those large and penetrating orbs were full of fire and expression, and the slight form and regular features only required a little rounding and filling up for positive beauty. ”

“ Glentworth, as to clear his character or to prove his guilt; you have awakened in Isabella's breast the agonies of jealousy; I see you have, and I appeal to your humanity to relieve her tortures, for I declare, upon my honour, that I think them natural and even justifiable."
"Oh, God!" cried the lady, "why did I not foresee this? Isabella, my dear child, I have never beheld your husband, never; he knows not there is such a woman in existence as myself ”

“ Penrhyn. "Hold yourself prepared for a great, indeed, an alarming change in Lady Anne, my dear Isabella; she is a shadow of her former self, but by no means a change from it. Go forward with your brother; I will be near to protect you, if she scolds."
Isabella was seized with as genuine a sensation of girlish fear as if she had never left the paternal dwelling, yet she had also an ardent desire to see her mamma, and a sincere pity for her complaints, be they what they might ”

“ In fact, if ever it was possible to outgrow, by care and wisdom, by affection and good principles, the evils threatened by an ill-assorted marriage, himself and Isabella were the couple who would do it; but he was also deeply, and, for his young wife, happily impressed, with the belief, that she had thus far made the greater sacrifices, and showed the more active disposition to that end; and he said to himself, "Really I love that poor girl better every day! I have been singularly fortunate in having so sweet a young woman to be the mother of my son." ”

“ Could a man so situated fail to evince the joy he felt in the circumstance expected; thereby, delighting and sustaining his suffering young wife, if he were not wrapt and absorbed in the contemplation of an object still more interesting—an object still living, still capable, however high or virtuous, of working woe to Isabella?
Carefully did Mary conceal these thoughts in her bosom, and earnestly did she beseech Almighty mercy to avert the evils they threatened, and Almighty guidance to those who were the subject of her fears and her affections. ”

“ She could a little, but not then. By an impatient gesture, Isabella was compelled to make an effort, finding her husband was in the anteroom. At that moment she considered him her fellow-sufferer; she could have wept over him, but it was difficult indeed to sing for him.
But Isabella had a strong mind as well as a kind heart, and she sung, successively, various songs, until the arrival of Parizzi, who found her looking almost as pale as his patient; and it was understood that she could not return that evening, her situation accounting for her indisposition. ”

“ Le futur must be rich, and I am afraid that she is unreasonable enough to expect that he should be young, and good-looking also."
"And pray what would you like yourself?" asked her sister.
"I ask three good qualities," replied Isabella, somewhat seriously; "he must be kind, rich, and rational."
"Certainly young ladies now-a-days think a great deal more about money than I did when I was a girl, and yet I made a great match," said Mrs. Palmer, looking reverently back to the honours and glories of her first marriage. ”