Lady Byron Vindicated eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 363 pages of information about Lady Byron Vindicated.

Lady Byron Vindicated eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 363 pages of information about Lady Byron Vindicated.

’The separation of Lord and Lady Byron astonished the world, which believed him a reformed man as to his habits, and a becalmed man as to his remorses.  He had written nothing that appeared after his marriage till the famous “Fare thee well,” which had the power of compelling those to pity the writer who were not well aware that he was not the unhappy person he affected to be.  Lady Byron’s misery was whispered soon after her marriage and his ill usage, but no word transpired, no sign escaped, from her.  She gave birth, shortly, to a daughter; and when she went, as soon as she was recovered, on a visit to her father’s, taking her little Ada with her, no one knew that it was to return to her lord no more.  At that period, a severe fit of illness had confined me to bed for two months.  I heard of Lady Byron’s distress; of the pains he took to give a harsh impression of her character to the world.  I wrote to her, and entreated her to come and let me see and hear her, if she conceived my sympathy or counsel could be any comfort to her.  She came; but what a tale was unfolded by this interesting young creature, who had so fondly hoped to have made a young man of genius and romance (as she supposed) happy!  They had not been an hour in the carriage which conveyed them from the church, when, breaking into a malignant sneer, “Oh! what a dupe you have been to your imagination!  How is it possible a woman of your sense could form the wild hope of reforming me?  Many are the tears you will have to shed ere that plan is accomplished.  It is enough for me that you are my wife for me to hate you!  If you were the wife of any other man, I own you might have charms,” etc.  I who listened was astonished.  “How could you go on after this,” said I, “my dear?  Why did you not return to your father’s?” “Because I had not a conception he was in earnest; because I reckoned it a bad jest, and told him so,—­that my opinions of him were very different from his of himself, otherwise he would not find me by his side.  He laughed it over when he saw me appear hurt:  and I forgot what had passed, till forced to remember it.  I believe he was pleased with me, too, for a little while.  I suppose it had escaped his memory that I was his wife.”  But she described the happiness they enjoyed to have been unequal and perturbed.  Her situation, in a short time, might have entitled her to some tenderness; but she made no claim on him for any.  He sometimes reproached her for the motives that had induced her to marry him:  all was “vanity, the vanity of Miss Milbanke carrying the point of reforming Lord Byron!  He always knew her inducements; her pride shut her eyes to his:  he wished to build up his character and his fortunes; both were somewhat deranged:  she had a high name, and would have a fortune worth his attention,—­let her look to that for his motives!”—­“O Byron, Byron!” she said, “how you desolate me!” He would then accuse himself of being mad, and throw himself

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Lady Byron Vindicated from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.