The Search after Happiness

The Search after Happiness

A Tale by C Bronte

August the seventeenth 1829

THE SEARCH AFTER HAPINESS

A TALE BY CHARLOTTE BRONTE

PRINTED BY HERSELF AND SOLD BY NOBODY &ct &ct

AUGUST THE SEVENTEENTH EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND on Twenty nine

Preface

The persons meant by the Chief of the city and his Sons are the Duke of Wellington the Marquis of Duro and Lord Wellesly the city is the Glass town Henry O'Donell and Alexander Delancy are Captain Tarry-not-at-home and Monsieur Like-to-live-in-lonely-places

Charlotte Bronte

August the 17 1829

A TALE BY

CB July 28 1829

The search after happiness

chapter I

NOT many years ago there lived in a certain city a person of the name of Henry O'Donell, in figure he was tall of a dark complexion and searching black eye, his mind was strong and unbending his disposition uncosiable and though respected by many he was loved by few. the city where he resided was very great and magnificent it was governed by a warior a mighty man of valour whose deeds had resounded to the ends of the earth. this soldier had 2 son's who were at that time of the seperate age's of 6 and 7 years Henry—O'Donell was a nobleman of great consequence in the city and a peculiar favourite with the governor before whose glance his stern mind would bow and at his comand O'Donells selfwill would be overcome and while playing with the young princes he would forget his usual sulleness of demeanour the day's of his childhood returned upon him and he would be a merry as the youngest who was gay indeed. one day at court a quarrel ensued between him and another noble words came to blows and O'Donell struck his oponent a

violent blow on the left cheek at this the miliatry King started up and commanded O'Donell to apologize this he imediatly did, but from that hour the spell of discontent seemed to have been cast over him and he resolved to quit the city. the evening before he put this resolution into practise he had an interview with the King and returned quite an altered man. before he seemed stern and intractable now he was only meditative and sorrowful as he was passing the inner court of the palace he perceived the 2 young princes at play he called them and they came runing to him. I am going far from this city and shall most likely never see you again said O'Donell. where are you going? I canot tell then why do you go away from us why do you go from your own house and lands from this great and splendid city to you know not where because I am not happy here. And if you are not happy here where you have every thing for which you can whish do you expect to be happy when you are dying of hunger or thirst in a desert or longing for the society of men

when you are thousands of miles of miles From any human being. how do you know that that will be my case? it is very likely that it will. and if it was I am determined to go. take this then that you may sometimes rememberus when you dwell with only the wild beast of the desert or the great eagle of the mountain, said they as they each gave him a curling lock of their hair yes I will take it my princes and I shall rember you and the mighty warrior King your father even when the angel of Death has stretched forth his bony arm against me and I am within the confines of his dreary kingdom the cold damp grave replied O'Donell as the tears rushed to his eyes and he once more embraced the little princes and then quitted them it might be for ever——

CHAPTER. THE II

THE Dawn of the next morning found O'Donell on the sumit of a High mountain which overlooked the city he had stopped to take a farewell view of the place of his nativity. all along the eastern horizon there was a rich glowing light which as it rose gradually melted into the pale blue of the sky in which just over the light there was still visible the silver crescent of the moon in a short time the sun began to rise in golden glory casting his splendid radiance over all the face of nature and illuminating the magnificent city in the midst of which towering in silent grandeur there appeared the Palace where dwelt the mighty Prince of that great and beautiful city. all around the brazen gates and massive walls of which there flowed the majestic stream of the Guadima whose Banks where bordered by splendid palaces and magnificent gardens behind these stretching for many a league were fruitful plains and forests whose shade seemed almost impenetrable to a single ray of light while in the distace blue mountains were seen

raising their heads to the sky and forming a misty girdle to the plains of Dahomey. on the whole of this grand and beautiful prospect |[4]| O'Donells gaze was long and fixed but his last look was to the palace of the King and a tear stood in his eye as he said ernestly may he be preserved from all evil may good attend him and may the cheif Geni spread their broad sheild of protection over him all the time of his sojourn in this wearisome world. then turning round he began to decend the mountain he pursued his way till the sun began to wax hot when he stopped and sitting down he took out some provisions which he had brought with him and which consisted of a few biscuits and dates while he was eating a tall man came up and acosted him O'Donell requested him to sit beside him and offered him a biscuit this he refused and taking one out of a small bag which he carried he sat down and they began to talk. In the course of conversation O'Donell learnt that this mans name was ALexander DeLancy that he was a native of France and

that he was engaged in the same pursuit with himself i-e the search of happiness they talked for along time and at last agreed to travel together then rising they pursued their journey towards night fall they lay down in the open air and slept soundly till morning when they again set off and thus they continued till the 3 day when about 2 hours after noon they aproached an old castle which they entred and as they were examining it they discovered a subteaneous passage which they could not see the end of Let us follow where this passage leads us and perhaps we may find happiness here said O'Donell Delancy agreed the 2 stepped into the opening imediately they a great stone was rolled to the mouth of the passage with a noise like thunder which shut out all but a single ray daylight. "What is that! exclaimed O'Donell "I cannot tell," replied DeLancy "but never mind I supose it is only some genius playing tricks" "Well it may be so returned O'Donell and they proceeded on their way after traveling for a long time as near as they

could reckon about 2 days they perceived a silvery streak of light on the walls of the passage something like the light of the moon in a short time they came to the end of the passage and leaping out of the opening which formed they entred a new world they where at first so much bewildred by the different objects which struck their senses that they almost fainted but at length recovering they had time to see every thing around them they were upon the top of a rock which was more than a thousand fathoms high, all beneath them was liquid Mountains tossed to and fro with horrible confusion roaring and raging with a tremendous noise and crowned with waves of foam all above them was a mighty firmament in one part covere with black clouds from which darted huge and terrible sheets of Lightning in another part an imense globe of Light like silver was hanging in the sky and several smaller globes which spakled exceedingly surounded it. in a short time the tempest which was dreadful beyond description ceased the large black clouds

cleared away the silver globes vanished and another globe whose light was of a gold colour appeared it was far larger than the former and in a little time it became so intensely bright that they could no longer gaze on it so after looking around them for some time they rose and pursued their journey. they had travelled a long way when they came an imense forest the trees of which bore a large fruit of a deep purple colour of which they tasted and found that it was fit for food, they journeyed in this forest for three days and on the 3 day they entred a valley or rather a deep glen surounded on each side by tremendous rocks whose tops where lost in the clouds in this glen they continued for some time and at last came in sight of a mountain which rose so high that the could not see the sumit though the sky was quite clear. at the foot of the mountain there flowed a river of pure water border by trees which had flowers of a beautiful rose coulour except these trees nothing was to be seen but black forests and huge rocks rising out of

a wilderness which bore the terrible aspect of devastation and which stretched as far as the eye could reach in this desolate land no sound was to be heard, not even cry of the eagle or the scream of the Curlew but a silence like the silence of the grave reigned over all the face of nature unbroken except by the murmur of the river as it slowly wound its course through the desert

CHAPTER THE III

after they had contemplated this scene for some time O'Donell exclaimed "ALEXANDER Let us abide here what need have we to travel father let us make this our place of rest"! "We will" replied DeLancy and "this shall be our abode" added he pointing to a cave at the foot of the mountaine "It shall" returned—O'Donell as they entered it. in this country they remained for many long years and passed their time in a maner which made them completely happy sometimes they would sit upon a high rock and listen to the hoarse thunder rolling through the sky and making the mountains to echo and the deserts to ring with its awful voice, somtimes they would watch the lightning darting across black clouds and shivering huge fragments of rock in its terrible passage sometimes they would witness the great glorious orb of gold sink behind the far distant mountains which girded the horizon and then watch the advance of grey twilight and the little stars coming forth in beauty and the silver moon arising in her splendour till the cold dews of night began

to fall and then they would retire to their bed in the cave with hearts full of joy and thankfulness. one evening they were seated in this cave by a large Blazing fire of turf which cast its lurid light to the high arched roof and illuminated the tall and stately pillars cut by the hand of nature out the stony rock with a cheerful and red glare that appeared strange in this desolate land which no fires had ever before visited except those feirce flames of death which flash from the heavens when robed in the dreadful majesty of thunder. they were seated in this cave then listening to the howling night wind as it swept in mournful cadences through the trees of the forest which encircled the foot of the mount and bordered the stream which flowed round it. they were quite silent and their thoughts were ocupied by those that were afar off and whom it was their fate most likely never more to behold O'Donell was thinking of his noble master and his young Princes of the thousands of miles which intervened between him and them and the sad silent tear gushed forth as he ruminated on the

happiness of those times when his master frowned not when the gloom of care gave place to the smile of freindship when he would talk to him and laugh with him and be to him not as a brother no no but as a mighty warrior who relaxing from his haughtiness would now and then converse with his high officers in a strain of vivacity and playful humour not to be equalled. next he viewed him in his minds eye at the head of his army he heared in the ears of his imagination the buzz of expectation of hope and supposition which humed round him as his penetrating eye with a still keeness of expression was fixed on the distant ranks of the enemy then he heard his authorative voice exclam, Onward brave sons of freedom onward to the battle and lastly his parting words to him "in prosperity or, in misery In sorrow or in joy In populous cities or in desolate wildernesses my prayer shall go with you" darted across his mind with such painful distinctness that he at length gave way to his uncontrollable greif at the thought that he should never

behold his beloved and mighty comander more and burst into a flood of tears. What is the matter Henry exclaimed Delancy O nothing nothing was the reply and they were resuming their tacit thinking when a voice was heard outside the cavern which broke strangely upon the desolate silence of that land which for thousands of years had heard no sound save the howling of the wind through the forest the echoing of the thunder among mountains or the solitary murmuring of the river if we except the preseence of O'Donell and Delancy. Listen! cried ALEXANDER listen! what is that. it is the sound of a mans voice replied Henry and then snatching up a burning torch he rushed to the mouth of the cave followed by Delancy when they had got there they saw the figure of a very old man sitting on the damp wet ground moaning and complaining bitterly they went up to him at their approach he rose and said are you human or supernatural beings? they assured him that they were human. he went on. then why have you taken up your abode in this land of the grave? O'Donell answered that he would relate to him all

the particulars if he would he would take shelter for the night with them the old man consented and when they were all assembled round the cheerful fire O'Donell fulfilled his promise and then requested the old man to tell them how he came to be travelling there he complied and began as follows——

CHAPTER the IV

I was the son of a respectable merchant in moussoul my father intended to bring me up to his own trade but I was idle and did not like. it one day as I was playing in the street a very old man came up to me and asked me if I would go with him I asked him where he was going he replyed that if I would go with him he would show me very wonderful things this raised my curiosity and I consented he imediatly took me by the hand and hurried me out of the city of Moussoul so quickly that my breath was almost stopped and it seemed as if we glided along in the air for I could hear no sound of our footsteps we continued on our course for a long time till we came to glen surrounded by very high mountains how we passed over those mountains I could never tell, in the middle of the glen there was a small fountain of very clear water my conducter directed me to drink of it this I did and imediatly I found myself in a palace the glory of which far exceeds any description which I can give the tall stately pillars reaching from heaven to earth were

formed of the fines and pured diamonds the pavement sparkling with gold and precious stones and the mighty dome made solem and awful by its stupendous magnitude was of a single emerald. in the midst of this grand and magnificent palace was a lamp like the sun the radiance of which made all the palace to flash and glitter with an almost fearful grandeur the ruby sent a stream forth of crimson light the topaz gold the saphire intensest purple and the dome poured a flood of deep clear splendour which overcame all the other gaudy lights by its mild triumphant glory in this palace were thousands and tens of thousand of faires and geni some of whom flitted lightly among the blazing lamps to the sound of unearthly music which dyed and swelled in a strain of wild grandeur suited to the words they sung—

when they had finished their was a dead silence for about half an hour and then the palace began slowly and gradualy to vanish till it disapeared intirely and I found myself in the glen surounded by high mountains the fountain illuminated by the cold light of the moon springing up in the middle of the valley and standing close by was the old man who had conducted me to this enchanted place he turned round and I could see that his countenance had an expression of strange severity which I had not before observed. Follow me he said I obeyed and we began to ascend the mountain it would be needless to trouble you with a repititon of all my adventures suffice it to say that after two months time we arrived at a large temple we entred it the interior as well as the outside had a very gloomy and ominous aspect being intirely built of black marble the old man suddenly seized me and dragged me to an altar at the upper end of the temple then forcing me down on my knees he made me swear that I would be his servant forever and this

promise I faithfully kept notwithstanding the dreadful scenes of magic of which every day of my life I was forced to be a witness one day he told me that he would discharge me from the oath I had taken and comanded me to leave his service I obeyed and after wandering about the world for many years I one evening laid myself down on a little bank by the roadside intending to pass the night there suddenly I felt myself raised in the air by invisible hands in a short time I lost sight of the earth and continued on my course through the clouds till I became insensible and when I recovered from my swoon I found myself lying outside this cave what may be my future destiny I know not——

CHAPTER the V

When the old man had finished his tale O'Donell and Delancy thanked him for the relation adding at the same time that they had never heard anything half so wonderful then as it was very late they all retired to rest next morning O'Donell awoke very early and looking round the cave he perceived the bed of leaves on which the old man had lain to be empty the rising he went out of the cave the sky was covered with red fiery clouds except those in the east whose edges were tinged with the bright rays of the morning sun as they strove to hide its glory with their dark veil of vapours now all beauty and radiance by the golden line of light which sreaked their gloomy surface beneath this storm portending sky and far off to the westward rose two tremendous rocks whose sumits were enveloped with black clouds rolling one above another with an awful magnificence well suited to the land of wilderness and mountain which they canopied gliding along in the air between these two rocks was a chariot of light and in the chariot sat a figure the

expression of whose countenance was that of the old man armed with the majesty and might of a spirit O'Donell stood at the mouth of the cave watching it till it vanished and then calling Delancy he related the circumstance to him |[8]| some years after this ALexander went out one morning in search of the fruit on which they subsisted noon came and he had not returned evening and still no tidings of him O'Donell began to be alarmed and set out in search of him but could no where find him one whole day he spent in wandering about the rocks and mountains and in the evening he came back to his cave weary and faint with hunger and thirst days weeks months passed away and no Delancy apeared O'Donell might now Be said to be truly miserable he would sit on a rock for hours together and cry out ALexander ALexander but receive no answer except the distant echoing of his voice among the rocks sometimes he fancied it was another person answering him and he would listen ernestly till it dyed awey then sinking into utter despair again he