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The Routledge Companion To Race and Ethnicity Routledge Companions 2nd Edition Stephen M Caliendo Editor Charlton D Mcilwain Editor
The Routledge Companion To Race and Ethnicity Routledge Companions 2nd Edition Stephen M Caliendo Editor Charlton D Mcilwain Editor
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The Routledge Companion to
Race and Ethnicity
The second edition of The Routledge Companion to Race and Ethnicity offers
readers a broad overview of scholarly exploration of the ways that humans have
organized themselves (and have been organized) according to racial and ethnic
divisions. More than 80 scholars from around the world and representing multiple
academic traditions contribute entries to this accessible yet sophisticated volume
that addresses contemporary issues in historical context. The first half of the
book challenges readers to grapple with some of the most controversial aspects
of categorization, prejudice and discrimination through focused chapters ranging
from the notion of Whiteness to the supposed biological rationale for racial
categorization. The second half is comprised of 70 shorter entries on specialized
concepts, persons and groups that are crucial to understanding these issues. Taken
as a whole, this volume provides a broad, multi-disciplinary and global overview
of issues that continue to provide challenges to notions of equality and justice.
Stephen M. Caliendo is Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Professor of
Political Science at North Central College, where he studies political psychology
and political communication, particularly as it relates to U.S. elections and
race. He is the author of Teachers Matter: The Trouble with Leaving Political
Education to the Coaches (2000) and Inequality in America: Race, Poverty and
Fulfilling Democracy’s Promise (Routledge, third edition forthcoming). He is
also coauthor of Race Appeal: How Candidates Invoke Race in U.S. Political
Campaigns (2011).
List of contributors ix
Acknowledgments xxi
Introduction 1
PART I 7
1 Origins of the concept of race 9
F. CARL WALTON AND STEPHEN M. CALIENDO
2 Ethnicity 18
VIVIAN IBRAHIM
3 Whiteness 25
ROBERT JENSEN
4 Colonialism/postcolonialism 33
WILLIAM MUCK
7 Immigration 60
KATHARINA NATTER
PART II
A to Z: key concepts in the study of race and ethnicity 99
Index 274
Contributors
As anyone who has been in our shoes knows, putting together a volume of this
scope is no easy task. While our names are on the front of the book, there are
scores of people who deserve credit for making this come together. First and fore-
most, of course, are the contributors. They come from around the globe and from
very diverse academic traditions and trainings, and they are in various stages of
their professional development. While some are finishing doctoral degrees, others
are established academics, and some of those are among the most well-respected
scholars in their fields. For all, it is an arduous undertaking to offer a concise
response to such involved topics. This is, indeed, a service to the audience, and
we are extremely grateful for all of their participation.
We had a series of administrative assistants who contributed to this effort as
well. For the first edition, Shannon Lausch helped to compile a list of potential
contributors some two years before the volume was to go to print, and Rebecca
Mortland Valero and Julie Saflarski helped with early edits. Many of those con-
tributors have entries in this edition, as well. Sidra Hamidi corresponded with
scholars from around the globe with professionalism and efficiency for the first
edition, all while working on an undergraduate degree and holding down a part-
time job. (She is now Dr. Sidra Hamidi, Assistant Professor of Political Science
at Stetson University.) Early work on the second edition was made possible by
Stella Go Fanega, and the finishing touches were greatly enhanced by the careful
eye of Christine Drover. We are grateful to both of them for their time and dedica-
tion to the project. The editorial staff at Routledge, particularly Diana Ciobotea,
Luke Allen, and Ramachandran Vijayaragavan, were tremendously supportive
and helpful throughout the process. We appreciate their interest in the project
and their patience with us throughout. A number of reviewers were also helpful
in their criticisms of and suggestions for multiple early drafts. We have included
many of their suggestions, and the result is a stronger book. Any remaining weak-
nesses are ours.
Finally, we want to express our deep appreciation to our families for their
patience and support as we worked to get this all put together. Our spouses and
children were denied our attention at various points throughout this process; their
love and encouragement are invaluable to us.
Introduction
In the decade since the first edition of this volume was published, much has
changed and much has remained the same. We began the introduction to that edi-
tion with this sentence: “Perhaps no two concepts are as central to modern human
life and civilization as race and ethnicity” (xxii). We build this new edition on
that enduring, fundamental point. While systemic racism and pervasive bigotry
were relevant elements of global sociopolitical realities in 2010, this volume cata-
logs significant increases in vocalized xenophobia and race- and ethnicity-based
hostilities over the past ten years. Europe saw a resurgence in far-right political
parties and candidates, and the United States has experienced renewed energy in
White supremacist organizations and a spike in anti-immigrant sentiment, particu-
larly since 2015.
We begin our exploration with the notion of identity and sociopolitical con-
text. For many people across the globe, race and ethnicity, in addition to gender
and sexual orientation, help to define our individual and collective identities, our
social worlds, our personal dreams, and our shared visions. Race and ethnicity
function as code, reminding us and telling others who “I” am, who “we” are,
what we do, how we live, and what we value, not to mention what we look like.
Race and ethnicity – as well as the interrelationship with and intersectionality of
gender, class, and sexual orientation – uniquely (though not clearly) position us
and provide a perspective from which to see and interpret the world and others in
it. Race and ethnicity influence the range, scope, and boundaries of that perspec-
tive. Beyond personal and collective identities, race and ethnicity provide key
foundations for organizing our societies – our tribes, neighborhoods, villages,
cities, and nations.
Despite being central to individual and collective identity and formations of
larger organized groupings such as nation-states, the terms “race” and “ethnicity”
are fraught with misunderstanding. As detailed in the first two chapters of this
book, people often disagree and variably rely on the existence of racial categories
and the salience of ethnic groupings across the globe. The original biological and
genetic basis for the concept of race has been thoroughly debunked by scientists
the world over. The scientific community, armed today with the tools to analyze
the depths and breadth of the human genome, point out that despite differences
in body type, bone structure, cranial size, hair texture, skin pigmentation or any
2 Introduction
other human variation, human beings are more genetically similar than they are
different. Irrespective of the fact that race is not a biologically valid construct,
however, few would reject the notion that race is very real in terms of individu-
als’ lived experiences. This is especially so given the fact that since its inception,
biological notions of race have largely functioned as an accepted truth about the
nature of human difference.
Further, “race” and “ethnicity” are not often clearly delineated constructs. For
example, many social justice activists and scholars were surprised to learn that
“Latino” was listed as an ethnicity rather than a race on the 2010 United States
census, despite the fact that most Americans consider Latinos to be a racial group
parallel to African Americans. Since “race” is not “real” in the sense that it is not
a valid biological classification, the construction of race and ethnicity is inher-
ently blurry. In this book, the scholars who weigh in on the most salient elements
of contemporary considerations of race and ethnicity do so with full awareness of
this dilemma, centering their observations on the most relevant scholarship in the
various fields and generally considering “race” to be a social construction rooted
in physical differences, among the most prominent of which is skin color/tone,
and ethnicity to be centered largely on geographical origin of one’s ancestors and/
or shared cultural elements.
But race and ethnicity, as an experience, are more salient for some than others.
Whether related to colonialism (Chapter 4), contemporary public policy (Chap-
ter 5), or the myriad aspects of immigration (Chapter 7), citizens are counted and
labeled in a way that renders members of some racial and ethnic groups more
dominant than others. As Robert Jensen explains in Chapter 3, Whites are in privi-
leged positions in most sociopolitical contexts – so much so that their race and/
or ethnicity is often perceived to be nonexistent. In this way, “race” is “seen” by
those who possess the dominant racial characteristic wholly in terms of “other-
ness.” As such, resistance to racial and ethnic preferences is often manifested in
nonwhite groups engaging in social movements designed to dismantle systems of
oppression (Chapter 6).
The pride and prejudices that accompany individual and collective racial and
ethnic identities, the annexation of racial and ethnic group designations with
matters of state and nation, international struggles for self-determination, and
power struggles for equal access to resources and equal opportunity for socio-
economic mobility all complicate the contemporary terrain of race and ethnic-
ity in a way that has and continues to manifest in racial and ethnic tension and
conflict throughout the world. While ethnic conflict in national and regional
civil wars accounts for some of this conflict, much of the widespread friction
across the globe related to race and ethnicity comes in the form of national ten-
sions resulting from the contemporary reality of globalization (Chapter 10). In
an environment where national borders are more fluid and porous, the expor-
tation and importation of everything from new technologies to global media
products to the values embodied in these material objects (originating primarily
among “developed” Western nations to the “developing” or “underdeveloped”
world) threaten traditional ethnic, racial, and national identities. Proponents of
Introduction 3
Western-dominated globalizing patterns argue that it contributes to world pro-
gress, while critics point out that it does nothing more than reduce the world’s
rich diversity to a set of singular cultural values destined to leave the West more
economically dominant and the rest of the globe more dependent on them for
resources.
But large-scale violent conflict is only one way that racial and ethnic tensions
play out in today’s world. The more routine, mundane, less visible, everyday
struggles come in the form of contesting state controlled public policy, countering
stereotypical representations that circulate in mass media and other forms of pop-
ular culture (Chapter 9) and trying to draw increased recognition to the ways that
issues of gender and sexuality contribute to the character and power dimensions
of racial and ethnic politics across the globe (Chapter 8). The degree to which
race, especially, is an important dimension of public policy concerns of citizens
and state representatives depends much on the degree or level of race conscious-
ness expressed within certain national boundaries. As we point out in Chapter 5,
significant elements of policy debate in countries such as Britain and the United
States either specifically relate to racial issues or make racial designations a sig-
nificant factor in policy deliberations. In Chapter 7, Katharina Natter discusses
global shifts in migration patterns and the policies nations have implemented to
shape immigration. The complexities inherent in cultural interactions, notions of
identity, and the politicization of what many believe to be a fundamental human
right to move about freely have led to increased tensions in many parts of the
world in the past decade.
With greater channels for distribution, more accessible media technologies, and
increased global demand for popular music, television, film, and art, transnational
popular culture flourishes in many places across the globe. The breadth of their
circulation on the one hand has the effect of solidifying certain race-related norms,
such as perpetuating the notion that light and White is “right” when it comes to
dominating standards of beauty. On the other hand, it allows groups to produce
and circulate artistic creations that lend themselves to a more positive valuation
of one’s racial group (such as global hip-hop) or extend the reach of non-Western
media products. The Japanese-originating style of animation known as anime –
whose popularity spread from East and Southeast Asia, and eventually throughout
the Western world – is but one prominent example.
It is crucial to remember, however, that race and ethnicity are but two related
elements that have been used to divide and oppress individuals based on group
identification. As Nina Asher illustrates in Chapter 8, gender and sexuality inter-
sect with race and ethnicity in sometimes unpredictable ways to provide addi-
tional factors by which persons can be labeled and controlled. Increased reliance
on technology in conjunction with economic and cultural globalization add weight
to this tendency, as religious practices and interpretations, ideological beliefs, and
other cultural traditions come under increased scrutiny and face increased pres-
sure as a result of the sharing of ideas and stories – not just by published authors,
scholars, and public figures, but by ordinary citizens through websites, “blogs,”
podcasts, and social media.
4 Introduction
The book
Consistent with the aims of this series, the Companion to Race and Ethnicity
is designed to be a one-stop shop of sorts for information about and discussion
of the foundational and most relevant concepts and scholarship about the con-
temporary, broad, and ever-changing terrain of race and ethnicity. The book is
organized into two primary sections. The first section contains a series of longer
chapters designed to introduce readers to some of the most fundamental concepts
and issues related to race and ethnicity, both historically and in our contemporary
world. These chapters – outlined in this introduction – focus on the following
topics: the origins of the concept of race and ethnicity, the idea of “Whiteness,”
the relationship of race and ethnicity to social movements and the establishment
of public policy, and the ways that race and ethnicity affect broader sociopolitical
realities such as immigration, gender and sexuality, popular culture, globalization,
and postcolonialism. The contributors to this section provide an overview of the
topics they consider and offer a firm foundation to further explore these issues in
greater depth throughout their academic life. To be clear: this book is not designed
to be an exhaustive, authoritative treatment of the topic. Rather, this is an excel-
lent starting point to understand the complexity of these issues. To that end, each
author provides a set of “key readings” so that readers can “jump off” to pursue
more advanced study.
Accordingly, the second section of the book provides A-to-Z coverage of the
terms, concepts, and figures that any student of race and ethnicity should know.
From “#BlackLivesMatter” to “xenophobia,” the essays in this section – some
longer than others – will help students become conversant in the language and
scholarship related to race and ethnicity studies. The writings in both sections
share several characteristics. The authors span a wide array of disciplines, includ-
ing sociology, political science, media and communication, racial and ethnic stud-
ies, psychology, international relations, geography, history, anthropology, and
others. Additionally, the contributors bring an international perspective to the
study of the issues of race and ethnicity covered in this book. They represent
institutions in (and are writing from) North and South America, Europe, Asia,
Australia and New Zealand, and Africa. The interdisciplinary and international
background of these authors provides a wide range of perspective from which
to view and discuss issues that have and continue to be relevant for individuals,
groups, and nations across the globe. Readers will note the overlap in many of the
pieces. This is quite intentional, as we wish to highlight the degree to which many
of these concepts and terms are interrelated.
New to the second edition are terms that have increased in importance over
the past decade: alt-right, #BlackLivesMatter, Brexit, Far Right (Europe), First
Nation People, War on Drugs, and White Nationalism. Still, as was the case with
the original edition, astute readers will surely be able to identify concepts that do
not receive treatment in Part II as a result of our space constraints (and desire to
keep the price of the book accessible). The intention, of course, is that these pieces
serve as jumping-off points for interested readers, as they each also feature a short
list of “key readings.”
Introduction 5
As a final note, we want to point out that the contributors to this volume were
all asked to do something that is very difficult for them: write in a thoughtful
way without including formal citations. Volumes in the Companions series are
designed to be written in a fluid, accessible style, so we asked the authors to write
as they would give a lecture or other presentation, noting important landmark
works in the text while providing a list of suggested readings at the end of their
piece. We hope that you find this style to be digestible and useful.
Another random document with
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But make such expiation as you can—prove at least that there is some truth
in your words."
"Your death would not redeem it. What is your paltry life to me?
Neither do I require it—the sacrifice I would have you make is easier. Give
him up!"
"Oh! anything but that! Sibyl, that is worse than death!" said the
stricken child-bride, in a fainting voice.
"Did you not say you would atone? Prove it now—give him up—it is
my right, and I demand it. Promise."
"And this is your repentance—this, your atonement for what you have
done?" said Sibyl, stepping back, and regarding her with superb scorn.
"This, then, is the end of all your fine promises. Girl, I tell you, you dare
not; it is at your peril you see him more. My claim is above yours. I warn, I
insist, I demand you to give him up. It is my right, and you shall do it. What
are you, little reptile, that you should stand in the path of Sibyl Campbell?"
"I am his wife!" arose to the lips of Christie. That little sentence she
well knew would have silenced Sibyl's claim forever, but she remembered
her promise in time, and was silent.
"Rise, girl, don't cower there at my feet," said Sibyl, stepping back in
bitter contempt. "It is your place, it is true; but his love has ennobled you,
since it has raised you to the rank of my rival. Am I to understand you
promise your intimacy with him is at an end?"
"Miss Sibyl, I cannot. I love him!" And pale and sad, Christie rose and
stood before her.
The blaze, the dark, scorching, flaming glance from those eyes of fire
might have killed her.
"And you dare utter this to me?" she said, or rather hissed, through her
tightly clenched teeth. "Audacious girl, do you not fear that I will strike you
dead where you stand?"
"Promise!" she said, in a hollow voice, coming nearer, and raising her
arm threateningly.
"I cannot! Oh, Miss Sibyl, I cannot!" faltered the almost fainting
Christie.
"Promise!" again cried Sibyl, glaring upon her with her wild, dark eyes.
"I cannot!" still wailed Christie, pressing her hand over her heart.
"Promise, or die!" exclaimed the mad girl, grasping her by the arm in a
vise-like grip.
"I cannot—I would sooner die!" said Christie, as, unable to stand, she
again sank at the feet of her vindictive foe.
An hour later Aunt Moll entered, and beholding Sibyl, with her
streaming hair, lying prone on the floor, grew alarmed, and coming over,
she shook her gently, saying:
"Miss Sibyl, is yer sick? Come, git up now, like a good chile, 'fore you
catch your def o' cold, a lyin' on de bare floor. 'Deed, honey, 'taint right for
young people to heave derselves into de draft, dis way."
But Aunt Moll went through all the phases of the potential mood
—"commanding, exhorting"—in vain. Her young mistress neither moved
nor stirred.
"Now, Miss Sibyl, do get up—please do. De Lord knows I's 'fraid you'll
cotch de rheumatiz in yer bones. Most oncomfortablest thing as ever was;
'specially fore a rain storm, when ebery j'int feels as if dere was forty
hundred cross-cut saws a going t'rough it. Come, chile—come, git up, an'
let yer ole mammy ondress you, an' put yer to bed."
Sibyl lifted her head, and half rose, disclosing a face so pale and
haggard, a form so sunken and collapsed, that Aunt Moll started back in
terror.
"What on airth de matter in you, Miss Sibyl? I 'clare to man, if yer ain't
almost skeered me out o' my wits, sure 'nuff! Is you sick, chile?"
"I knowed sumfin' was de matter wid yer. Well, git up like a good chile,
and let me git some catnip tea for you, it's the best cure in the world for sich
complaints."
"Oh, Aunt Moll, leave me. My illness is beyond your art. 'Not poppy
nor mandragora can ever medicine me to that sweet sleep' I once slept
beneath this roof."
"Now, chile, don't say so," said Aunt Moll, touched by her hopeless
tone. "Folks ain't tuk so sudden as all dat, you know. I ain't got no poppy
nor man dragoon; but catnip tea is jes' as good, cordin' to my way o'
thinkin'. An' when you take a good night's res', you'll be all well in de
mornin'—please de Lor'."
"Rest! Rest! When shall I rest again? Aunt Moll, leave me. I want to be
alone."
"Yes, chile, I knows; I 'spects it's de cramps you'se got, an' I 'vises of
you to get up. Come, honey, come." And Aunt Moll put her arm coaxingly
round her young lady's neck, and attempted to lift her up.
"You mustn't talk so, Miss Sibyl; 'taint right, nor likewise 'spectful to de
Lord, who sends us cramps, as well as healf, sometimes. 'Tis r'ally
'stonishin', de way you takes on 'bout it."
"Dear heart! don't take on so about it. I's real sorry, I is."
And good Aunt Moll passed her hand gently and caressingly over the
glossy, dark locks of the young girl.
"Oh! there is nothing but falsehood and treachery in this world! I, who
loved and trusted so much, to be now deceived! I would have staked my
life, my soul, my hopes of heaven on his fidelity! And now, this awakening
from my blissful, delusive dream is worse than death. Oh, Aunt Moll! my
dear old friend, is there any one who really loves me in this world but you?"
"Aunt Moll," she said, suddenly, "what time does Lem go over to
Westport to-morrow?"
"Then tell him to be ready to take me to N—— before he goes for him!
And now, Aunt Moll, I will follow your advice, and retire."
"But won't you take the catnip tea, chile?" persisted the old woman,
who had some vague idea of the all-powerful virtues of the herb.
"But it'll do you good, chile; you'll feel more comfortable for it."
"Comfort! comfort! Can anything ever restore comfort here?" And she
struck her breast with her hand.
"Good-night, Aunt Moll." And Sibyl flitted, like a shadow, up the long
staircase, and disappeared in the gloom beyond.
CHAPTER XIV.
JEALOUSY.
——"Trifles, light as air,
Are to the jealous confirmation strong
As proofs of holy writ.—OTHELLO.
The next morning, Sibyl made her appearance in the sitting-room, pale,
wan, and haggard, as though she had spent a sleepless night. But she
appeared calm. Whatever course she had determined to pursue, seemed
fully settled, and now she was calm; but it was like the calmness of a
sleeping volcano, from which fire and flame, hurling destruction on all,
might at any moment burst forth.
Answering gravely all Aunt Moll's anxious inquiries after her health,
she seated herself at the breakfast-table, but touched nothing, save a cup of
hot coffee. And, after this slight refreshment, she put on her hat and mantle
and descended to the beach, where Lem, with the boat, was already
awaiting her coming.
Seating herself, she wrapped her mantle closely around her, and fixing
her eyes steadily on the dancing waves, the journey was performed in stern
silence. Two hours brought them to N——, and, leaving her there, Lem set
out for Westport to meet Drummond. Arrived there, he found that young
gentleman, accompanied by Captain Campbell and a florid, bald-headed,
old man, who proved to be the surgeon.
On their way, Willard explained to them how the wounded man and his
wife had been saved from the wreck. And when they reached the island,
Captain Campbell, unconscious that his sister was gone, hastened to the
lodge, while Willard accompanied the surgeon to the cottage of Mrs. Tom.
As they entered, Christie, who in spite of her hidden grief, was busily
employed as usual, looked hastily up, and turned, if possible, a shade paler
than before.
Mrs. Courtney sat listlessly turning over the leaves of a novel, with a
bored look on her pretty face; while opposite her, supported by pillows, on
Mrs. Tom's wooden sofa, lay her wounded husband, whose eyes never for a
moment, wandered from her face.
He was a man of thirty, at least, and would have been handsome but for
his ghastly pallor and a certain sour, querulous, suspicious expression his
face were. His complexion, naturally dark, had faded to a sickly yellow,
looking almost white in contrast with his black hair, and thick, black
whiskers and mustache. But it was the expression of his face that was
particularly unprepossessing—in the thin, compressed lips, and watchful,
cunning eyes you could read suspicion, distrust, and doubt. Two things
would have struck you instantly, had you seen him sitting there—one, was
his passionate love for his wife; the other, a slumbering fire of jealousy, that
the faintest breath might have fanned into a never-dying flame.
At first little Laura submitted to his caprices, because she loved him, or
thought she did; but as he grew more and more exacting, this love died
wholly away, and the little bride awoke one morning in dismay to find she
had made a life-long mistake. Still, she was too good and generous to strive
to lay the blame on him for taking advantage of her youth and romantic
impulse to fly with him, and would have laughed and danced on as merrily
as ever with him through life, without letting him know it, had not his own
conduct brought on the denouement.
All this long digression is necessary, that too much blame may not be
thrown upon the shoulders of the poor little girl-bride for her reckless
conduct and the awful catastrophe that followed.
When Willard and the doctor entered, Christie, who had anxiously
waited for this opportunity, seeing Mrs. Tom busily engaged, touched her
husband on the arm, and, whispering "Follow me," left the house.
He unhesitatingly obeyed, and overtook her near the end of the garden,
where, pale and troubled, she stood, leaning against a tree.
"Willard," she said, lifting her reproachful eyes to his face, "Sibyl
Campbell was here last night!"
"Oh, Willard! she told me all—how you had deceived her, and deceived
me! Oh, Willard! how could you do so?"
"Oh, Willard! you do! You promised to love only her—to marry her; yet
you deceived her, and married me!"
"Well, a moment ago, you said I deceived you likewise. And how, I pray
you, madam? Go on," he said, with a sneer.
"You made me your wife while pledged to another!"
"Oh, Willard! you know being your wife is the greatest happiness on
earth for me; but when I saw her, last night, so wild, passionate, and
despairing, I felt as if I could have died for very shame to think I had been
the cause of her misery!"
"Then she did seem despairing!" he said, while his face flushed.
"Oh, yes! almost crazed, mad, frenzied. Her eyes seemed killing me!"
"Oh, no—no! I do not know how she heard it; but she knew all."
"What! our marriage, and all?" he cried, starting up, and speaking in a
tone that made Christie start back.
"Oh! why will you speak to me in that tone, dearest Willard? I did not
mean to reproach you."
"But may I not tell her, Willard? She wanted me to give you up; and I
thought she would have killed me because I refused. I fear she may come
again; and, indeed, such another interview would kill me! If she knew all,
she would desist. Oh, Willard, dearest! will you not tell her—or may I not
tell her?"
"Not for the world—not for ten thousand worlds! Would you ruin me,
Christie?" he exclaimed, impetuously.
"Ruin you, Willard?" she said, faintly.
"And will keep that promise when the proper time comes. At present it
is impossible—utterly impossible, I tell you. You must have faith in me, and
wait, Christie."
Faith! Was he worthy of it? The thought arose in the mind of Christie, to
be instantly banished, as she heroically kept back her rising tears and strove
to say, in a calm voice:
"Wait! But for how long? Willard, this secrecy is dreadful! this
deception weighs on my heart like lead!"
"I do not know; I cannot tell. How often have I said, when the proper
time comes, when I may safely avow it, all shall be revealed. Christie, you
are selfish—you have no consideration for any one but yourself. If I loved
you better than Miss Campbell, you should be the last one to reproach me
with it. Take care that many such scenes as this do not banish that love
altogether."
His deeply offended tone sent the coldness of death to the very heart of
Christie. She had not meant to anger him; and now he was deeply
displeased. He had never looked nor spoken to her so before. And, totally
overcome, she covered her face with her hands and wept aloud.
He was not proof against her tears. All the old tenderness returned at the
sight, and, going over, he removed her hands, saying, gently:
"My dearest love, forgive me, I was vexed, surprised, grieved, and in
the wrong. Look up, little wife. Lift those blue eyes and say you forgive
me!"
Before she could reply a footstep was heard approaching, and she had
only time to bestow on him one look of love and pardon, and dart away, ere
Captain Campbell came in view.
"I have not seen him since he went in. But here he comes, to answer for
himself."
"Oh, it's nothing serious, sir! He'll be better in a day or two," replied the
doctor. "Meantime, how am I to get home?"
"My servant is down on the shore, waiting to take you over," said
Captain Campbell.
"I'll attend you down, doctor," said Willard, taking the old gentleman's
arm.
Equally surprised and pleased to find so pretty and piquant a little lady
in Mrs. Courtney, the young captain took a seat beside her, and entered,
forthwith, into conversation. Mr. Courtney scowled at the handsome young
captain from under his black eyebrows, but said nothing.
"My sister, will, doubtless, be here in a day or two, Mrs. Courtney, and
then you must become our guest. Meantime, I shall be delighted to show
you my island home, and assist, in every way I can, to make the time of
your stay pass as pleasantly as possible."
"Shall you, madam?" muttered her husband, between his teeth. "We
shall see about that!"
All the rest of the evening Mr. Courtney was just as silent, sulky, and
sour as he knew how to be, which is saying a good deal. And that night,
after they had retired to the inner room which Mrs. Tom had vacated to their
use, he took her to task in the following manner:
"Pray, madam, may I ask what business you had, giving that fellow any
such promise as you did?"
Now Mrs. Courtney had seen her husband's groundless jealousy all the
evening, and had been excessively annoyed thereby, fearing Captain
Campbell might observe it, too, and wonder at it. Therefore, feeling justly
indignant, she coolly replied:
"Because, sir, it was my good pleasure to do so."
"Sir, I shall go!" said the lady, imitating his tone exactly.
"Silence, madam!" he thundered, grinding his teeth with rage. "Do not
dare to be impertinent, or you will repent it."
"Mr. Courtney, allow me to observe, the inmates of this house are trying
to sleep. How they will succeed, if you go on in that manner, is a question
easily answered," said Mrs. Courtney, sitting down, with a most provoking
coolness, and beginning to unbutton her boots.
"Mr. Courtney, you may command till you are black in the face; but I've
promised, and I'll go!" said his rebellious spouse.
He half sprang up from the bed in which he was lying, his eyes fairly
scintillating with rage.
"Would you dare disgrace me in this way?" he said, in a voice hoarse
with passion.
"Disgrace you? Disgrace a fiddlestick! Are you losing all the little sense
you ever had, Mr. Courtney?" said his wife, now really indignant.
"Are you really smitten with—do you love this man?" he asked, in a
hoarse, fierce whisper, keeping his gleaming, black eyes still fixed on her
face.
For a moment a flash of intense anger shot from the eyes of Mrs.
Courtney; then, as if the absurdity of the question overcame every other
feeling, she threw herself back in her chair, and broke out in a hearty peal of
laughter.
The action might have dispelled his absurd doubts; but, as nothing can
convince jealous souls, he even looked upon this, as another proof of her
guilt, and, raising himself up in his bed, he grasped her arm, while again he
hissed:
"Mr. Courtney, don't bother me!" said his polite spouse, indignantly
shaking off his hand; "and don't make a greater simpleton of yourself than
nature made you. Love him indeed! I've had enough of love for one while, I
can tell you. I found it dose enough the last time I was fool enough to try it,
and now that I've got nicely over it, nobody'll catch me at it again."
This was a most unfortunate speech, for Courtney's fear, day and night,
was, lest his wife should cease to love him. He closed his teeth with a snap,
and fell back on his pillow with a sepulchral moan.
There was a pause, during which Mrs. Courtney leisurely combed out
her curls, and Mr. Courtney lay with knit brows, and deep, labored
breathing. At length, he turned over, and said huskily:
"Laura!"
"Well?" said Laura, going on with her combing and brushing.
"Most decidedly. And now, Mr. Courtney, hold your tongue, for I'm
going to sleep."
He clenched his teeth with impotent rage, and his jealous soul shone
forth hideously from his glittering eyes. And, angry and indignant, Mrs.
Courtney went to sleep, muttering:
"I vow to Cupid, you shall have some cause for jealousy, my wise lord
and master. Pity to have you jealous for nothing; so, handsome Captain
Campbell, look out, for I mean to flirt like fury!"
CHAPTER XV.
SELF-TORTURE.
"And to be wroth with one we love,
Doth work like madness on the brain."—COLERIDGE.
That night of deepest woe to the passionate heart of Sibyl had been
spent in pacing up and down her room, now hurling fierce, bitter
maledictions on the head of him who had deceived her, and on this puny
girl for whose sake she had been thrown aside; then in breathing wild,
passionate vows of vengeance for the wrong, the deep humiliation that had
been done her, and anon, throwing herself upon the floor in a convulsive fit
of weeping. Then another mood would come, when she would forget all but
the blissful days of the past, and all her despised love and tenderness would
flood back to her soul, and her very heart would cry out to be with him
again. And then would come the thought that this could never, never be
again, and she would spring up with blazing eyes, her very tears seemingly
turned to sparks of fire.
The flame that leaped like forked lightning from her black eyes, the
deep smile that curled her lips, better than words, spoke the rest.
Leaning her head on her hand, she thought intently. She would return to
the parsonage, and remain there until her future course was decided upon.
She could easily feign some plausible pretext for leaving the island, and
good Mrs. Brantwell, she knew, would be but too happy to have her.
And, in pursuance of this resolution, she went early the following
morning back to N——.
"And you know, my dear," said Mrs. Brantwell, "now that you are an
heiress, it is time that you should come out. Next winter you must go to
New York and spend the gay season there; for, of course, you are quite too
young to think of being married yet. I do not believe, for my part, in this
new fashion of marrying girls before they are out of their bibs and tuckers,
and having them settled down into old women before they are five-and-
twenty. So, my dear, just politely inform Mr. Drummond that he must wait
your ladyship's sovereign pleasure; and if he rebels, as of course he will,
give him to understand he is not your lord and master yet, and you intend
doing as you please. Men need to be put down, you know, my dear; it does
them good, and takes the nonsense out of them." And Mrs. Brantwell
laughed her jolly little laugh.
Sibyl averted her head to conceal the deadly paleness of her face.
"And now, Sibyl," continued the good old lady, "I want you to go with
me to the island. Guy has told me of a lady and gentlemen who were saved
from the wreck, and are stopping at that cottage, and I wish to invite them
here to-morrow. So go and get ready."
"Mrs. Brantwell, excuse me, I would rather not go," said Sibyl, still
keeping her face averted.
"Not go! What now, Mistress Sibyl? This is certainly something new,"
said the astonished old lady.
"I have a—headache, and would prefer lying down," said Sibyl, without
turning round.
"Oh, in that case I suppose I must go alone. I'll send Betty up with some
vinegar to bathe your head before I go," said the unsuspecting lady of the
mansion, as she left the room to dress for her journey.
Captain Campbell, who was waiting for her on the shore, accompanied
her to Mrs. Tom's and presented her to pretty little Mrs. Courtney, who took
captive, almost instantly, the good lady's heart as she did that of most other
people, and promptly accepted the invitation, to the manifest annoyance of
her husband.
Mr. Courtney, though still quite weak and ailing, resolved also upon
going, to watch his wife, under the conviction that her sole intent and
purpose in going was to meet Captain Campbell.
The evening for the party came; and at an early hour the drawing-room
of the parsonage was all ablaze with lights. Carriage after carriage rolled up
to the door, and bevy after bevy of fair ladies, elegantly dressed, flocked
like bright-plumaged birds, through the brilliant rooms, and carried on gay
flirtations with their friends in broadcloth.
Surpassingly beautiful she looked, with her crisp, shining curls of jet,
shading on either side the burning crimson cheeks, her splendid Syrian eyes
emitting a vivid streaming light, the rich dark robe of sheeney satin falling
with classic elegance from her rounded waist; but the light in her eye was
the fire of fever—the glow on her cheek the blaze of excitement, for the
hour she had waited for was come, and Willard Drummond would stand
arraigned before her that night.
The company were all assembled, chatting, laughing, fluting, all but
one. Sibyl stood in the midst of a gay group, the "bright particular star" of
the evening, carrying on a spirited conversation, but ever and anon her eyes
would wander to the door with fierce impatience. Why did he not come?
And now he saw them before him, she leaning on his arm; her head
bent, as with downcast eyes and smiling lips she listened to his low words.
He gnashed his teeth, and glared upon them like a madman. At that moment
his face was like that of a demon.
There was no dancing. Mr. Brantwell was a clergyman, and did not
approve of it; but there was music, and as if to excite his jealous soul to
madness, Captain Campbell led Laura to the piano, and hung over her,
while she glanced slyly at him from under her long lashes, and sang "Oh,
had we some bright little isle of our own," as though every word was meant
for him alone.
Loud and long was the applause which followed. And then Captain
Campbell led her to a seat, and took another beside her, and this low
conversation was resumed.
Full with jealous rage, the self-tortured Courtney watched them, until, at
the end of an hour or so, he saw Captain Campbell rise and leave her alone
for a moment. Then, going over, and seeing all were too much engaged, by
some one who was singing, to notice him, he grasped her fiercely by the
arm, saying, in a hoarse whisper:
"No need; you're that already," said Mrs. Courtney, startled out of a
reverie she had fallen into, but instantly remembering to be provoking.
"Mrs. Courtney, will you tell me what you mean by permitting the
attentions of this puppy?" he said, clenching his teeth to keep down his
passion.
"Ah-h!"
It was like a groan from a sepulcher, that deep, hollow respiration from
his labored chest. He looked really a pitiable object, as he sat there, white,
ghastly, and rigid. It touched with remorse his wife's heart, and, laying her
hand on his arm, she said, more seriously: