rallied his friend in his boisterous manner, and gave him all the consolation in his power; some little encouragement was also afforded by Johanna's indifference to her rich suitor. Every body, excepting De Silva, perceived that her heart was not interested in the affair. Accustomed to think a good deal of himself, and not being at all of an observant disposition with regard to others, her silence and constrained demeanour were totally lost upon him; he talked quite enough for both; and, in rattling away about his intended doings, was quite unconscious of the little sympathy which his plans excited in the silent listener, absorbed in the contemplation of measures of her own for her extrication from her present difficulties. The announcement of a performance at the Chowringee theatre, enabled Mr. De Silva to gratify himself and his friends, by making up a party of pleasure; tickets were purchased, and Fortescue and myself, taking up a position on the opposite side, had the pleasure of seeing a whole box-full of the sable relatives of Johanna and her futur. What an assemblage they made !-stiffened out in new dresses, the ladies with longer peaks to their bodies, fuller puffs to their sleeves, and wider falls to their blondes than any of the European belles who graced the scene; the gentlemen far more voluminous in their frills and embroidery, and exhibiting seals, chains, rings, pins, and brooches, in sufficient quantity to fill the show-glass of a London shop-window. De Silva bounced in and out the box, and his exits were marked by a discharge of sodawater bottles in the lobby. His delight was equal to his activity; he applauded the efforts of the performers with the heartiest good-will, and only knocked two high combs and one gold tiara from the heads of the ladies into the pit, while stooping over to obtain a fuller view of the stage. A few secret but intelligent signals passed between Fortescue and Johanna; and at the end of the performances, we hastened into the crowd, in the hope that some opportunity would occur to make ourselves useful to Mrs. Costello. There is always a tremendous crush at the entrance of the Chowringee theatre; a beautiful confusion of carriages and palanquins, and a jostling and pushing amongst the most polite part of the audience, who use little ceremony in the order of their going: but, notwithstanding these facilities, we were disappointed. Mrs. Costello's carriage came up in its turn, and she and her daughter were handed into it by Messrs. De Silva and Gomez, who marched off armin-arm to the buggy of the latter, Mr. De Silva having, with his usual gallantry, lent his palanquin for the accommodation of a lady. We were amongst the last to go; the scene amused us, and we had an opportunity of hearing more of the scandalous on dits of Calcutta than the retired life we had led hitherto permitted. The scene which took place in the lobby might be supposed to have been the last act of the play, the School for Scandal. The characters of Sir Peter Teazle, and of Charles Surface, according to the general opinion, too closely resembled, in private, those of the amateurs who supported them, to render their appearance on the stage commonly decent. It was agreed, however, on all sides, that they had impudence enough for any thing; and then came remarks upon the various flirtations which had taken place during the evening. Having quite satisfied ourselves that the wife of one of the members of council was giving the most shameful encouragement to a cornet of the Lancers, and that, if another lady of her acquaintance was not quite out of society, she would not remain in it long, we departed. The night, though dark, was heavenly; and, in order to protract our drive, we determined upon going round by the fort, and accordingly took the road which passes between the hospital and the jail, proceeding at a steady pace, and admiring the resplendent beauties of a southern hemisphere. We had passed Fort William, and had not gone far, after crossing the opening leading from Park Street, when the horse shyed at some object lying huddled up on one side of the road. We immediately called out to the syce to see what it could be, and the man, with terror on his countenance, reported that it was a dead gentleman. Down we both jumped out of the buggy, and picked up poor De Silva, not dead, but apparently in a dying state; his dress was disordered, the gold chains having been torn from his neck, and his watch from the fob; his rings also were gone, and a wound in the throat from a pistol-ball shewed that he had been in the hands of villains, who, after stripping him of his valuables, had left him for dead. We placed him cautiously in the buggy, supporting him on either side, while the syce led the horse, and in this manner reached the house of the nearest resident surgeon, with whom we left directions to follow us to Mrs. Costello, since, not knowing the precise site of the wounded man's habitation, Fortescue, for reasons of his own, determined to take him to that of our neighbour. Great was the consternation in the house. hold we invaded. Mrs. Costello, with her hair hanging dishevelled over her bronzed and greasy face, flew out into the hall, listening to the account we had to give, but apparently not comprehending a single word of it. Poor De Silva was speechless, and on the arrival of half-a-dozen surgeons, who flocked in from all quarters, was pronounced to be in a very precarious condition. The explanation we could give, relating merely to the circumstances in which we found him, could afford very little satisfaction; and while wearying ourselves with conjectures, Gomez burst in and overwhelmed us with a frightful detail of an assault he had sustained from European soldiers. According to his account, upon crossing the meidaun, or plain, which stretches itself between Chowringee and the river, they were encountered by two men in uniform, with black crape over their faces; these villains attempted to stop the buggy, and one of them succeeded in pulling Mr. De Silva out, but, evading the attempt made by his companion, he urged the horse on and fortunately got out of the reach of the ruffians, leaving of course his friend to his fate :-a mode of proceeding which Gomez did not appear to suspect would redound very little to his honour, self-preservation being a law of nature he had obeyed unhesitatingly. The medical men contrived to extract the ball, which had entered De Silva's cheek, and had evidently been fired by a person quite close to him, his face being marked with the powder; they looked very grave upon the case, which threatened a locked jaw, and indeed not the slightest hope could be drawn from their report. Mrs. Costello was in a state of distraction at this untoward event, and Johanna would have been glad to owe her deliverance from the addresses of a man whom she could not approve to a less fatal catastrophe. In the confusion and distress of Mrs. Costello's household, Fortescue's ready address and presence of mind were eminently useful; the services he had rendered to De Silva gave him great importance in the eyes of the worthy matron at the next door, and as she was every instant in want of fresh counsel and consolation, he became, in a very short time, a sort of right-hand man, one whose assistance could not possibly be dispensed with. The outrageous attack upon De Silva had, in the meantime, spread a panic all over Calcutta ; people did not think themselves safe in their beds, since the fort was not properly guarded, and a lawless licentious soldiery could escape from their quarters to rob and murder the peaceable inhabitants of the city. A strict search was instituted throughout the barracks for the missing property; not a trace of it could be discovered in the fort, but the whole was speedily forthcoming, being found scattered over the Meidaun, at very short distances from the place where the assault was made. It was conjectured that the thieves, alarmed by the hue and cry, had contrived to rid themselves of these proofs of their guilt; and, again, the facility with which the soldiers could quit their quarters in Fort William occasioned terror and alarm. By order of the Governor-general, all the men belonging to King's corps were paraded, and a proclamation was read, offering a large reward upon the conviction of the offenders. Suspicion fell upon all whose characters were not perfectly irreproachable; the seeds of distrust were sown between comrades, and each man, anxious to clear himself from the stain, eagerly endeavoured to discover the real perpetrators. De Silva's life hung upon a thread; every day he was expected to breathe his last; but the skill of medical attendants kept alive the vital spark, and at length there seemed to be a chance of his recovery. He had not as yet spoken a word; the tongue, formerly so glib, was mute and motionless; he seemed, however, to be in full possession of his faculties, and upon all occasions manifested pleasure at the appearance of Fortescue and myself, to whose prompt attentions, it was evident, he was fully aware that he owed the preservation of his life. Gomez, on the contrary, by no means relished our interference; every body could perceive that he was not at all anxious for the recovery of his rival, whose death, he flattered himself, would have made him master of the field. His visage became blacker and more elongated as the hopes of the wounded man's attendants increased; at last, De Silva recovered the use of his speech, and the first words he uttered were truly astounding: "Gomez is the murderer; seize him!" We could scarcely believe our ears, and thought the poor fellow must be raving; but he persisted in the charge, and a warrant was immediately issued for the apprehension of the accused. Up to this moment, not a shadow of suspicion had fallen upon Gomez; his somewhat base desertion of his friend, and his tardiness in giving the alarm, were attributed solely to cowardice; the story he had related being universally credited, and the whole of the guilt heaped upon the heads of some ruffians in Fort William. The assassin had not secured any preparation for flight; up to the last moment, he had flattered himself that the wound would prove fatal; he made no admission when taken into custody, and his relatives, who were people of wealth and importance, began to spread about a report of his insanity. The recovery of De Silva, though slow, proceeded steadily; he was soon able to give his evidence, and related his story with more coherence and propriety than we had been taught to expect from our previous acquaintance with the discursive nature of his style. After Gomez had prevailed upon him to lend his palanquin to a lady, though it afterwards turned out that Miss Luize Mendetto, for whose accommodation it was said to be required, had one of her own in waiting, he dismissed the syce and proposed to take a round-about direction by way of the road leading from Park Street towards the fort. His conduct during the drive was very extraordinary; he stood up in the buggy several times, staring about him, and coming to a lonely spot between the fort and government-house, he suddenly stopped, and pretending that something was the matter with the vehicle, got out and seemed to be adjusting the harness. At this time, two buggies passed: Gomez then re-entered the vehicle, driving very slowly. De Silva, having a vague feeling that all was not right, yet, far from guessing the truth, Asiat. Jour.N.S. VOL.14. No.54. P asked his companion why he did not drive faster; Gomez instantly started up, and drawing a pistol from under his coat, levelled it at his victim's head, and fired. From that moment, De Silva knew nothing of what ensued; whether he fell, or was dragged out of the carriage by his adversary, he could not say, being in a state of insensibility at the time. It was necessary to make it appear that a robbery had been committed, and Gomez, it was supposed, having rifled the person of the wounded man, threw his watch, rings, and chains in different directions on the sward. The English reader will perceive a striking similarity between this attempt at murder, and the one committed at a subsequent period at Elstree. By a reference to the proceedings in the Supreme Court at Calcutta, it will be seen that our friend Gomez had the doubtful honour of being the originator of the design; he was no servile copyist, neither is there any reason to believe that Thurtell was guilty of wilful plagiarism; both hit upon the same method for the furtherance of their projects. Gomez wisely employed no confederates; but his work was less effectually performed than that of his European ante-type. The sensation, which this discovery made in such a place as Calcutta, may be easily imagined; to the military portion of the community, the stigma thrown upon the soldiers seemed to be the most reprehensible feature in the affair. The Governor-general also, it was said, felt highly indignant at having been trepanned into the issue of a proclamation calculated to throw discredit upon the army; and the privates of the suspected regiment, in particular, were exceedingly exasperated. A well-known proverb was exemplified in this case; Fortescue could not exclaim, with the unfortunate notary of Paris, that no wind, from the thirty-nine points of the compass, would blow unto him, as to his fellows, good. Mesdames Costello and De Silva quarrelled in consequence of the late occurrence; the latter was so fully persuaded that some undue encouragement, on the part of Johanna or her mama, had stimulated Gomez to the attempt upon her darling, that she was not to be convinced to the contrary, and all attempts at pacification proved vain : Mrs. Costello being quite as easily incensed and as difficult to calm as her quondam friend. It was Fortescue's interest to fan the flames of discord between these ladies, and his exertions in this way were so successful, that a breach ensued which never could be made up. As the period appointed for the trial approached, the alarm of Mrs. Costello was excited for her daughter's reputation. Fortescue demonstrated so plainly to the anxious mother, that Miss Steele's name could not be kept out of the affair, and this opinion was so strongly confirmed by the general voice, that poor Johanna declared she should die of horror unless shielded by a husband's protection against the vile calumnies which would be uttered against her. De Silva's attachment had been so much cooled by the attack of an irritated rival, that he did not appear at all anxious to dispute the possession of so fatal a beauty; his lukewarmness put weapons into the hands of Johanna's enemies; their power to wound her was purposely exaggerated; and Mrs. Costello, who was really a good-hearted woman, and had got over her prejudice against Fortescue, suffered herself to be persuaded to give her consent to the marriage. We all deemed it advisable that the nuptials should be celebrated before the trial came on in the Supreme Court; the ceremony was performed at the cathedral in the presence of a very large assemblage, who afterwards adjourned to Mrs. Costello's mansion, where it was repeated by Father José, confessor to the family. A splendid dinner, furnished by Messrs. Gunter and Hooper, ensued, and at the ball in the evening, I had the pleasure of dancing with Miss Luize Mendetto, instead of gazing at her from the opposite veranda: nor was this all, for the young lady confessed she had thought it very cruel in Mrs. Costello not to have sent me an invitation on former occasions. Simpleton that I was, what an opportunity I lost of enriching myself for ever! I do not know how many lacs of rupees, together with jewels to an enormous amount, courted my acceptance. I might have flourished in Portland Place with the queen of Golconda by my side. Unluckily, I could not get over my prejudice in favour of lilies and roses, and remained a subaltern, and a bachelor, leaving the young lady to console, and be consoled by, Mr. De Silva. A Calcutta jury have a great objection to bring in a verdict of guilty upon a hanging-matter. Upon this occasion, the evidence against Gomez was too clear to admit of the shadow of a doubt; however, they recommended him to mercy on the score of insanity; the counsel took an objection to the form of indictment, and the case was sent home for final decision. In process of time, the sentence came out; the assassin was condemned to imprisonment for life in the Calcutta gaol, and there he is supposed to be at this day. Fortescue resigned the service and went home; a sojourn of two or three years upon the Continent has, I understand, done wonders for his bride; and few returning Indians recognize the beauty of the Durrumtollah, in the fashionable leader of a London circle. TWO EPIGRAMS IN THE MANNER OF THE ANTHOLOGY. I. How often Fancy from her urn Flowers upon thine eyes did rain, Shining with celestial dew Sweet poet! but in vain! Thy spirit, bowed with grief and pain, IJ. She sleeps at last! unheeded, now, No unkind word, no broken vow, Her sister's hand in Paradise Shall crown her with the rose. |