Graham's Magazine, Vol. XLI, No. 4, October 1852Various
General
Graham's Magazine, Vol. XLI, No. 4, October 1852
Various
Literature -- Periodicals; Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals
“They deceived me, then, and she _is_ dead; and they have buried her
deep in the earth to hide her from my sight,” said he. “But there are no
flowers on her grave—no birds to cheer her lonely resting-place. And
see! even the very leaves have striven to hide her grave from me. But
they shall not—they shall not. I will see her once more. Ha, ha, ha!”
With this he dashed the leaves away, and commenced tearing up the earth
with his hands. Mrs. White strove vainly to restrain him; he threw her
from him and pursued his fearful task with the strength and activity of
insanity. He was suddenly arrested by the strong hands of his
attendants, who had missed him, and in their search had been directed
thither. He resisted stoutly, but at length was overpowered by their
superior numbers.
Next day his fever returned, and for weeks his life was despaired of.
His illness now took a favorable turn, and he slowly recovered. With
renewed strength reason returned; and his physicians advised an
immediate change of scene and air, lest the sight of familiar faces
should cause a second relapse into insanity. Preparations were
immediately made for a visit to the Continent; and when Paul was well
enough to be removed, they departed, late at night, in order that the
darkness might hide every thing from his eyes.
A week later they found themselves in Paris, and Paul was still
improving in health. Here they rested a short time, and strove by every
means to dispel the melancholy which still brooded over him. When summer
arrived they repaired to one of the German watering-places. The two
succeeding years were spent in Italy, and then, as Mr. Weldon’s health
declined, and he pined for the air of his native land, they returned to
London. Immediately after their arrival Lady Laura fell ill and died.
The corpse was removed for interment to Weldon. The anxious father would
fain have left Paul in London; but the latter persisted in paying the
last sad rites to his mother.
He was deeply affected when, after his long absence, he found himself
gazing again on the scene of his sin and suffering. His thoughts, were,
however, diverted from such reflections by his grief for his mother.
Next day she was buried. For a fortnight Paul never left his father’s
side; the old man was sinking rapidly. At the expiration of that time
Mr. Weldon was laid beside his wife, and Paul was alone in the world. On
his death-bed Mr. Weldon entreated his son to leave England immediately
after his funeral, and advised him not to return until time had entirely
obliterated the past.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account