Sir Henry, however, was gone!--The moment he left the letter, he sprang
into a boat which was putting off for the shore; nor with the strictest
search and inquiry could they trace the way he had taken. For three days
the Captain experienced the torture of suspense, when he received
intelligence, that the corpse of a youth, answering the description of
Sir Henry, had been washed on shore about two miles from Lowestoff.
Alarmed by this account, he went to the cottage where it had been
conveyed, accompanied by his nephew and Mr. Talton; and where their
fears were fully confirmed, by the people producing the clothes, and a
watch the Captain had himself presented to the unfortunate Sir Henry:
who, they informed him, had that morning been interred.
A tear fell on the cheek of the Captain as he resigned the hope so
lately raised, of hearing of--and seeing his Ellenor; accompanied by one
for the unhappy fate of his favourite St. Ledger: nor did the severity
of Mr. Talton refuse the tribute of a sigh: the faults of Sir Henry sunk
beneath the sod which encircled him, and left to his remembrance only
the youth he regarded for the sake of his mother.
With his mind deeply depressed, the Captain returned on board; long had
he experienced unhappiness, but the events of the last week had struck
the shaft still deeper in his heart; nor could the friendship of Mr.
Talton, or the affection of Frederick, preserve him from a corroding
melancholy.
The death of Sir Henry, as St. Ledger, was universally regretted; even
the obdurate Harland, for a moment, forgot his enmity, and expressed a
sentiment of pity; whilst the generous Frederick, who had regarded him
with fraternal friendship, paid that tribute to his memory his merits
demanded; and whilst he dwelt with praises on the name of his friend,
the faltering accent and half-suppressed sigh evinced the sincerity of
his grief for his loss.
Mr. Talton finding the impracticability of his endeavours to alleviate
the sorrow of the Captain, took his leave, and set out for London, to
acquaint Lady Corbet with the death of her son: as, however disagreeable
the task, he rather chose to inform her himself, than hazard an abrupt
disclosure from an uninterested person, or even by epistolary
communication.
The Captain felt relieved at his departure, as he wished to visit the
grave of Sir Henry, but was unwilling to betray the weakness of his
heart, even to his friend. The ensuing morning, therefore, he went on
shore, and, unattended, pursued his way to the church-yard; where a
simple flag of fragrant turf marked the spot where the remains of the
unfortunate youth were laid.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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