Capitola The Madcap | Page 4

the moral and intellectual worth of his young protege that he
actually gave him his daughter?"
"I cannot suppose an impossibility, Doctor Williams," replied Colonel
Le Noir, haughtily.
"Then, sir, I have the pleasure of startling you a little by a prodigy that
you denominate an impossibility! Clara Day and Traverse Rocke were
betrothed with full knowledge and cordial approbation of the young
lady's father."
"Impossible! preposterous! I shall countenance no such ridiculous
absurdity!" said Colonel Le Noir, growing red in the face.
"Miss Day, Doctor Rocke, Mrs. Rocke, and myself are witnesses to that
fact."

"The young lady, and the young man are parties immediately
concerned--they cannot be received as witnesses in their own case; Mrs.
Rocke is too much in their interest for her evidence to be taken; you, sir,
I consider the dupe of these cunning conspirators-- mother and son,"
replied Colonel Le Noir, firmly.
"Tut!" said Doctor Williams, almost out of patience. "I do not depend
upon the words of Miss Day and her friends, although I hold their
veracity to be above question; I had Doctor Day's dying words to the
same effect. And he mentioned the existing betrothal as the very reason
why Clara should remain here in the care of her future mother-in-law."
"Then, sir, that the doctor should have spoken and acted thus, is only
another and a stronger reason for believing him to have been deranged
in his last moments! You need give yourself no farther trouble! I shall
act upon the authority of this instrument which I hold in my hand,"
replied Colonel Le Noir, haughtily.
"Then, as the depository of the dying man's last wishes and as the next
friend of his injured daughter, I shall make an appeal to the Orphans'
Court," said Doctor Williams, coldly.
"You can do as you please about that; but in the mean time, acting upon
the authority of the will, I shall to-morrow morning set out with my
ward for my own home."
"There may be time to arrest that journey," said Doctor Williams,
arising and taking his hat to go.
In the passage he met Mrs. Rocke.
"Dear Doctor Williams," said Mrs. Rocke, earnestly, "pray come up to
poor Clara's room and speak to her, if you can possibly say anything to
comfort her; she is weeping herself into a fit of illness at the bare
thought of being, so soon after her dreadful bereavement, torn away
from her home and friends."
"Tut! tut! no use in weeping! all will yet be right."

"You have persuaded that man to permit her to remain here, then?" said
Marah, gladly.
"Persuaded him! no, nor even undertaken to do so! I never saw him
before to-day, yet I would venture to say, from what I have now seen of
him, that he never was persuaded by any agent except his own passions
and interests, to any act whatever. No, I have endeavored to show him
that we have law as well as justice on our side, and even now I am
afraid I shall have to take the case before the Orphans' Court before I
can convince him. He purposes removing Clara to-morrow morning. I
will endeavor to see the Judge of the Orphans' Court to-night, take out a
habeas corpus, ordering Le Noir to bring his ward into court, and serve
it on him as he passes through Staunton on his way home."
"But is there no way of preventing him from taking Clara away from
the house to-morrow morning."
"No good way. No, madam, it is best that all things should be done
decently and in order. I advise you, as I shall also advise my young
friends, Traverse and Clara, not to injure their own cause by unwise
impatience or opposition. We should go before the Orphans' Court with
the very best aspect."
"Come, then, and talk to Clara. She has the most painful antipathy to
the man who claims the custody of her person, as well as the most
distressing reluctance to leaving her dear home and friends; and all this,
in addition to her recent heavy affliction, almost overwhelms the poor
child," said Mrs. Rocke, weeping.
"I will go at once and do what I can to soothe her," said Doctor
Williams, following Mrs. Rocke, who led him up to Clara's room.
They found her prostrate upon her bed, crushed with grief.
"Come, come, my dear girl, this is too bad! It is not like the usual noble
fortitude of our Clara," said the old man, kindly taking her hand.
"Oh, Doctor, forgive--forgive me! but my courage must have been very

small, for I fear it is all gone. But then, indeed, everything comes on me
at once. My dear, dear father's death; then the approaching departure
and expected long absence of