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第19章

the purcell papers-2-第19章

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the desolate mourner was gone to that

land where the pangs of grief; the tumults

of passion; regrets and cold neglect; are

felt no more。 I leant over the lifeless face;

and scanned the beautiful features which;

living; had wrought such magic on all that

looked upon them。 They were; indeed;

much wasted; but it was impossible for

the fingers of death or of decay altogether

to obliterate the traces of that exquisite

beauty which had so distinguished her。

As I gazed on this most sad and striking

spectacle; remembrances thronged fast upon

my mind; and tear after tear fell upon the

cold form that slept tranquilly and for ever。



A few days afterwards I was told that a

funeral had left the Lodge at the dead of

night; and had been conducted with the

most scrupulous secrecy。 It was; of course;

to me no mystery。



Heathcote lived to a very advanced age;

being of that hard mould which is not

easily impressionable。 The selfish and the

hard…hearted survive where nobler; more

generous; and; above all; more sympathising

natures would have sunk for ever。



Dwyer certainly succeeded in extorting;

I cannot say how; considerable and advantageous

leases from Colonel O'Mara; but

after his death he disposed of his interest

in these; and having for a time launched

into a sea of profligate extravagance; he

became bankrupt; and for a long time I

totally lost sight of him。



The rebellion of '98; and the events

which immediately followed; called him

forth from his lurking…places; in the

character of an informer; and I myself have

seen the hoary…headed; paralytic perjurer;

with a scowl of derision and defiance; brave

the hootings and the execrations of the

indignant multitude。









STRANGE EVENT IN THE LIFE OF SCHALKEN THE PAINTER。



Being a Seventh Extract from the Legacy of the late

Francis Purcell; P。 P。 of Drumcoolagh。



You will no doubt be surprised;

my dear friend; at the subject of

the following narrative。 What

had I to do with Schalken; or Schalken

with me? He had returned to his native

land; and was probably dead and buried;

before I was born; I never visited Holland

nor spoke with a native of that country。

So much I believe you already know。 I

must; then; give you my authority; and

state to you frankly the ground upon

which rests the credibility of the strange

story which I am; about to lay before

you。



I was acquainted; in my early days;

with a Captain Vandael; whose father had

served King William in the Low Countries;

and also in my own unhappy land during

the Irish campaigns。 I know not how it

happened that I liked this man's society;

spite of his politics and religion: but so it

was; and it was by means of the free

intercourse to which our intimacy gave

rise that I became possessed of the curious

tale which you are about to hear。



I had often been struck; while visiting

Vandael; by a remarkable picture; in

which; though no connoisseur myself; I

could not fail to discern some very strong

peculiarities; particularly in the distribu…

tion of light and shade; as also a certain

oddity in the design itself; which interested

my curiosity。 It represented the interior

of what might be a chamber in some

antique religious buildingthe foreground

was occupied by a female figure; arrayed

in a species of white robe; part of which is

arranged so as to form a veil。 The dress;

however; is not strictly that of any religious

order。 In its hand the figure bears

a lamp; by whose light alone the form and

face are illuminated; the features are

marked by an arch smile; such as pretty

women wear when engaged in successfully

practising some roguish trick; in the

background; and; excepting where the dim red

light of an expiring fire serves to define

the form; totally in the shade; stands the

figure of a man equipped in the old fashion;

with doublet and so forth; in an attitude

of alarm; his hand being placed upon the

hilt of his sword; which he appears to be

in the act of drawing。



'There are some pictures;' said I to my

friend; 'which impress one; I know not

how; with a conviction that they represent

not the mere ideal shapes and combinations

which have floated through the imagination

of the artist; but scenes; faces; and

situations which have actually existed。 When

I look upon that picture; something assures

me that I behold the representation of a

reality。'



Vandael smiled; and; fixing his eyes upon

the painting musingly; he said:



'Your fancy has not deceived you; my

good friend; for that picture is the record;

and I believe a faithful one; of a remarkable

and mysterious occurrence。 It was

painted by Schalken; and contains; in the

face of the female figure; which occupies

the most prominent place in the design; an

accurate portrait of Rose Velderkaust; the

niece of Gerard Douw; the first and; I

believe; the only love of Godfrey Schalken。

My father knew the painter well; and from

Schalken himself he learned the story of

the mysterious drama; one scene of which

the picture has embodied。 This painting;

which is accounted a fine specimen of

Schalken's style; was bequeathed to my

father by the artist's will; and; as you

have observed; is a very striking and

interesting production。'



I had only to request Vandael to tell

the story of the painting in order to be

gratified; and thus it is that I am enabled

to submit to you a faithful recital of what

I heard myself; leaving you to reject or to

allow the evidence upon which the truth

of the tradition depends; with this one

assurance; that Schalken was an honest;

blunt Dutchman; and; I believe; wholly

incapable of committing a flight of

imagination; and further; that Vandael; from

whom I heard the story; appeared firmly

convinced of its truth。



There are few forms upon which the

mantle of mystery and romance could

seem to hang more ungracefully than

upon that of the uncouth and clownish

Schalkenthe Dutch boorthe rude and

dogged; but most cunning worker in oils;

whose pieces delight the initiated of the

present day almost as much as his manners

disgusted the refined of his own; and yet

this man; so rude; so dogged; so slovenly;

I had almost said so savage; in mien and

manner; during his after successes; had

been selected by the capricious goddess; in

his early life; to figure as the hero of a

romance by no means devoid of interest or

of mystery。



Who can tell how meet he may have

been in his young days to play the part of

the lover or of the herowho can say that

in early life he had been the same harsh;

unlicked; and rugged boor that; in his

maturer age; he provedor how far the

neglected rudeness which afterwards

marked his air; and garb; and manners;

may not have been the growth of that

reckless apathy not unfrequently produced

by bitter misfortunes and disappointments

in early life?



These questions can never now be answered。



We must content ourselves; then;

with a plain statement of facts; or what

have been received and transmitted as

such; leaving matters of speculation to

those who like them。



When Schalken studied under the

immortal Gerard Douw; he was a young

man; and in spite of the phlegmatic

constitution and unexcitable manner which he

shared; we believe; with his countrymen;

he was not incapable of deep and vivid

impressions; for it is an established fact that

the young painter looked with considerable

interest upon the beautiful niece of his

wealthy master。



Rose Velderkaust was very young;

having; at the period of which we speak;

not yet attained her seventeenth year; and;

if tradition speaks truth; possessed all the

soft dimpling charms of the fail; light…

haired Flemish maidens。 Schalken had

not studied long in the school of Gerard

Douw; when he felt this interest deepening

into someth

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