THE-WATCH TOWER OF KOAT-VEU,

A TALE OF THE SEA.

"

PREFACE.

THIS novel has gained considerable popularity in France, and in a philosophic sense it may be deserving of its favour.It is one of several by the same author, written expressly for the purpose of exposing the state of scepticism at present prevailing amongst a large proportion of the French people. In his preface he explains his views very distinctly in a single paragraph: be says, Every age having its peculiar expression and indelible character, it appeared to me that the most prominent and decisive feature of the present age is un des enchantement profond et amer, which has its source in the thousand social and political deceptions by which we have been mocked, a spirit incontestibly proved by the organic and constituent materialism of our epoch." Again, in stating that the present age has been characterized by the majority of writers as a "siecle positif," he continues, "According to the acceptation which the liberal, progressive, and philosophic party give to this word, it appears to me that siecle positif et materialiste, or desenchanté et athée, is one and the same." All the characters have been carefully drawn under a full impression of the wretchedness of mind produced by religious scepticism, and with a view to prove satisfactorily the existence of a future state. If, therefore, it should be objected that the continuity and uniformity of the story is occasionally broken, English readers will understand that the object of the author has been rather to pourtray character and evolve results than to follow the plan of a consecutive story which is more familiar to them.

CHAPTER I.

TOWARDS the close of the month of September, 1780, a lady on horseback, followed by her esquire, appearing to quit the margin of of the ocean, and make her way inwards towards the country, clambered the mountain of Fal-Goët, which is situated near the little town of St. Renan, on the coast of Brittany.

Having reached the summit of the mountain, the lady reined in her steed, as if to enjoy the majestic picture which spread before her view.

In the west the sun was setting behind the rocky isles, half veiled in the vapoury mists of evening, and streaked with long crests of crimson the light waves as they broke playfully upon the coast. On the north rose the turrets of the castle of Kervan. Its tall spires, glittering in the last rays of departing day, towered over the dense masses of green foliage of the forest of Ar-Toel-Cout, already darkening in the shade. On the east were verdant meadows divided by luxuriant hedgerows of hawthorn, which serve as fences to all the fields of Brittany, and these spangled by a thousand flowerets, were encompassed by the mountains of Arrès, whose heather slopes bristled with the forms of yews and pines. And on the south, St. M. M.-No. 1.

Renan, with its Gothic spire and rugged steeple of gray stone, was already mantled by the evening dusk and by a light mist that hovered over the little river of Hell-Arr, whose cool and limpid waters flowed through the bosom of the valley.

The lady of whom we speak was dressed after the English fashion in a black riding-habit, which displayed a tall person. By a movement which she made in throwing aside the veil which surrounded her hat, her face was seen to be youthful, beautiful, pale, and of a dark complexion.

Withdrawing one of her gloves, she passed a delicate and taper hand over her black tresses, smooth and unpowdered, upon her forehead, then held it above her finely arched brows, doubtless to screen her eyes from the dazzling rays of the setting sun.

It could hardly be conceived how much this last golden reflection of the sun, spreading upon this pale and beautiful face, gave to it life and brilliancy, how much the warm rays of this glowing light harmonized with the energetic character of these features; one would have taken it for a noble portrait of Murillo, whose powerful effect alone displays itself in all its splendour beneath the fires of a Spanish sun.

After the lady had looked several minutes with great attention towards the north-west, a kind of signal, a white streamer, waved for an instant upon the summit of a ruined tower built upon the rocks very near the shore, and then disappeared.

At sight of this the lady's eyes brightened, her brow was suffused with crimson, her cheeks empurpled, and she pressed her hands with force upon her lips, as if to send a kiss of love, when, knitting her dark brows and drawing down her veil, she gave a smart switch to her horse and galloped down the side of Fal-Goët with fearful raidity.

"Her grace the duchess does not consider," exclaimed the squire, approaching his mistress a little nearer than he had hitherto done, "Coronella has good legs-but this road is frightful."

This was said in pure Castillian, with that tone of respectful remonstrance which is sometimes taken by an old and faithful servant. "Silence, Perez," answered the duchess in the same language, as she urged still faster, if it were possible, the speed of her palfrey. The old esquire was hushed; but it was easy to perceive the interest which he took in his mistress by the uneasy and painful attention with which he followed every movement of Coronella, without paying any regard to his own horse.

As the old man had said, Coronella had good legs, so that in spite of the inequalities, the hollows, and the channels which furrow all the roads in Lower Brittany, she made not a single false step.

Perez, nevertheless, did not breathe freely until he saw his mistress, having reached the foot of the mountain, follow a deep avenue which led to the castle of Kervan.

Perez appeared to be about fifty years of age. He was thin and of a tawny complexion, like a Spaniard of the south. A flat threecornered hat, with rolled brin, ornamented with a red cockade, covered his rolled and powdered hair. He was dressed in a black

coat and waistcoat, white leather breeches, and high loose boots, which sat tight round the knee. The only sign of servitude which he bore was an armorial plate which secured a belt of green and red fringed with gold, in which was hung a hunting-knife; the same crest was also seen upon the studs of the bridle and upon the black pummel of

the saddle.

His horse was followed by an enormous shaggy greyhound. When the duchess was within a short distance of the gate Perez gave the rein to his courser, raised his hat on passing by the side of his mistress, and hastened to announce her arrival to the servants.

Her servants were clad in mourning, and bore upon the left shoulder an epaulette of green and red ribbons fringed with gold. The old esquire gave up the horses to the charge of the grooms, but went himself to the stables to see that Coronella was carefully attended to.

When he had satisfied himself that nothing was neglected for the well-being of his favourite palfrey he returned, aud rested near the bridge which separates the grand court-yard from the outer court.

"God save you, Donna Juanna," said the esquire to a woman about his own age dressed in the Spanish costume--mantle, petticoat, and monillo of black cloth.

"Good day, Perez. What news?"

"None."

"Ever at yon rock?" enquired Juanna, stretching her hand towards the west.

For ever. The duchess alights from her horse behind a huge mound, follows a narrow path between the rocks, and disappears. I wait an hour, sometimes two; but, by St. James, never so long as to-day."

"God bless us! Perez, I believe you, for I too suffered a mortal anxiety. But what can mean these solitary walks on the sea-coast? Her grace had not this taste before the day when

"You know, Juanna," replied the old man, interrupting his wife, somewhat impatiently, I conceal nothing that concerns myself from you, but the secret of mistress is not mine; indeed I do not possess it, and though it needed merely to turn my head to know all I would not do it."

"St. Viergi! I believe you. Ever since we have been married, Perez, you have never trusted me with a single confidence; and no more about his late grace the duke—

"Than you have me of her grace the duchess-isn't that it Juanna ?" added the old man. So we combine our double silence to keep sacred the secrets of the house of Alméda-if the house of Alméda have any secrets," added he suddenly, after a pause.

And, offering his arm to Juanna, they reached the castle, for the night was dark and gloomy.

"I will return to you presently, Perez," said Juanna, as she quitted her husband to cross the gallery, "I must prepare for the retirement of her grace the duchess."

CHAPTER II.

THE tower of Koat-veu, which the evening before had excited so warmly the attention of the duchess of Alméda, stood, as we have before said, upon the high rocks on the western coast of Brittany.

This edifice, originally constructed for a watch-tower, had been abandoned, and afterwards granted by the intendant of the department to Joseph Rumphius, a learned astronomer, for the purpose of facilitating the meteorological and hydrographical experiments and observations which had for a long time engaged his attention; and as the tower of Koat-veu was at a very short distance from St. Renan, where Rumphius lived, he found this observatory of the greatest value to his pursuits. The different rooms, of a circular form, were therefore usually in confusion, from the number of quadrants, astrolabes, watches, globes, telescopes, and other instruments, heaped together, without the slightest order.

But at this time Rumphius no longer dwelt in the tower of Koatveu; therefore all the machinery of the science of astronomy had been banished to a kind of lantern placed upon the summit of the building, and the useful pieces of furniture which replaced all this learned apparatus proved pretty clearly that the destination of the tower was for the moment changed, and that its new master, more interested with the earth than with the empyrean, had attempted to render this building habitable.

The four long and narrow windows looking to the south, north, east, and west, which lighted the vast room which alone formed the first stage were ornamented with long curtains; some chairs, and a large and excellent easy chair with well-cushioned sides and back, surrounded a large table covered with papers and works on theology.

It was the day succeeding that on which the duchess had so imprudently risked her safety in the descent of Fal-Goët. The sun was sinking into the waves, which the wanton breeze tossed playfully on; and the girdle of the isles and rocks, whose brown points stood in dark relief against the horizon, stretched in the midst of the pearly foam which leaped to embrace its base.

There was nevertheless an indescribable melancholy in the aspect of the sky, so pure, so uniform, which gave rise to an unconquerable sentiment of sadness. One would have desired to see the white flakes of some cloud spread forth over this monotonous blue, as if the sight of these clouds would by their form and contrasts have relieved the soul from its painful reverie.

Yes, for a sky of perfect blue, a sky without the striking touches of light and shade, of sunshine and gloom, such a sky is sad, most sad. It is life without joy and without tears, without love and without hate.

It was two o'clock. At this hour all is silent on the shore; all was hushed at Koat-veu. Sometimes only the plaintive cry of the seamew mingled with the dull and regular murmur of the broad waves which broke heavily upon the beach. Sometimes the humid wings of a large gull shook the narrow casements of this tower, or the halcyon skimmed the transparent talc as he brought into the crevices of

the walls the shreds of moss and sea-weed which he stores against the winter.

Occasionally too, ainidst the fantastic angles of the black rock, might be seen a white sail gilded by the sun, peep, sweep by, and then disappear, like recollections of love and youth which brighten sometimes in a soul withered and aged before its time.

But this gloomy silence is suddenly interrupted. Rapid footsteps re-echo through the spiral stair which leads to the upper apartments; the door of the principal apartment opens violently, and a man enters, exclaiming, ""Tis her!" and throws himself into the arm-chair.

This man appeared to be at most five and twenty years of age; his long chestnut hair without powder, in place of being confined behind, as was the fashion of the time, flowed loosely upon his shoulders. - His brow was white and elevated, his eyes large and expressive, nose taper and well proportioned, lips thin, and his rounded chin was so fresh and so tinted, his complexion so delicate, that many of the softer sex would have envied him his handsome face.

Some slight folds at the angle of the eye might perchance have declared a gay and joyous character, had not the deep wrinkles which furrowed suddenly the forehead of this young man given an expression of suffering and sadness to his charming countenance.

His simple costume, of a dark colour, displayed the elegance of his figure; but by the rigid plainness of its form resembled the ecclesiastic dress.

He rested his head upon one of his hands, his features became more and more pale as he turned over the pages and read with meditation and attention an enormous quarto, with clasps of copper, which lay open upon the table.

The abstraction in which he was plunged must indeed have been great, for the door of the apartment was opened without appearing in the least to arouse his attention.

And the duchess of Alméda appeared at this door.

CHAPTER III.

THE Duchess stood for an instant upon the sill of the door; then. loosing and removing her hat, she placed it upon a seat, and advanced so lightly, and so near, so near to the young man, that her cheek almost touched his cheek, so much was he absorbed in his reverie.

Curious to examine what could engage so entirely his attention, she advanced her head, and saw her own portrait-her portrait sketched in pencil, and an admirable likeness. Unutterable delight! Celestial joy! She saw also recent traces of tears.

Then, as if by a sudden movement of pride, the beautiful duchess raised her head, her pallid cheeks became flushed, and an inconceivable expression of happiness and of pride lighted up her brow: there was perhaps a thought of disdain which knit her lips, and chastened the regard which she cast upon the young man with effeminate features and delicate form, when lowering her long brown eyelashes, and crossing her arms upon her breast, she towered above him by her tall and noble stature, which her riding-habit contributed still more to increase.