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Thaddeus of Warsaw: England

When summoned to return to England he parts from his Polish hosts with keenest regrets, and with the eager plea that when the war is over Thaddeus shall visit him in London.

That Poland will be the winner in the present struggle, and a victorious peace soon be concluded when the friends shall be reunited, neither doubts. But no such fortunate result comes out of the war.

Instead the Polish army is set upon at every point by superior numbers. One stronghold after another falls. Kosciusko is taken prisoner; and at length, in order to prevent the slaughter of an entire people, the king surrenders and agrees to sign a treaty of partition.

It is a terrible day for Thaddeus Sobieski.

Wounded, he tries in vain to rally his followers. It is useless. The Cossacks rush forward in pursuit of the vanquished army, swarming after their prey. Thaddeus is compelled to retire, and as, with his few retainers, he retreats toward "Villanow" he comes upon the dead body of his grandfather, who has been killed in the combat. There is, however, scant time to mourn this overwhelming loss. Hurriedly young Sobieski presses on to his castle where the women of his household are defenseless. Here he finds his mother wasted by illness, and even while he lingers to protect her she dies in his arms. Further delay is certain death. If he is to escape with his life he must flee. As he mounts his horse and gallops away the foe storms the redoubts and puts the buildings to flame. No alternative now remains for him but to say farewell to his native land and, an exile, hasten his flight to England. All his property is gone. The riches the family possessed have been sacrificed to aid in equipping the Polish army. In consequence young Thaddeus leaves home carrying with him nothing but a few trinkets he chances to have upon his person. One hope, however, cheers him in his loneliness and despair. He will soon be with Pembroke Somerset, and no longer be friendless and alone. During the turmoil of the past few months he has mislaid Pembroke's address, to be sure; and in addition no letters from England have reached him, but these facts he explains away as a result of the chaos in which he has been living. It never occurs to him to doubt the loyalty or affection of the Englishman. On reaching London Thaddeus goes at once to a hotel, planning to stay there only until he can discover the whereabouts of his friend, but on finding the charges beyond the scope of his meager purse is forced to take cheaper lodgings with a kindly woman he encounters in the street. Fortunately, this worthy soul proves herself a true Samaritan, for on reaching her house Thaddeus, overcome by the strain through which he had passed, at once falls ill, and but for the care of his faithful nurse would have died. As it is he slowly recovers, and in order to meet the expenses of his sickness is driven to pawn almost every treasure he owns. On the heels of this misfortune the child of Mrs. Robson, his good landlady, dies, and, since she has no money to defray the bills of physician and undertaker, Thaddeus, or Mr. Constantine as he now styles himself, assumes them. In the mean time the refugee secures the address of Pembroke Somerset and writes him two letters; but, much to his grief, these are returned unanswered. He even meets his former comrade on the street and the Englishman passes him by. What choice has Sobieski but to believe Pembroke a fair-weather friend who scorns his defeat and poverty, and has ceased to cherish any further regard for him?

The discovery is a cruel blow to his faith in humankind. Life now begins in deadly earnest for our hero.

While he is still without money a beloved old general from the Polish army--a man whom he had pledged the king he would always befriend, comes to him in want and illness. Thaddeus takes him into his lodgings and tries to nurse him back to health. The young nobleman's financial condition is now desperate. He pawns what scanty possessions remain to him. But he must do more. He makes some drawings and sells them. Still he has not money enough to support himself and General Butzou.

It is just when he reaches the end of his resources that he meets Lady Tinemouth, a rich Londoner, who becomes interested in him and suggests that he teach the languages to a group of her friends.

Thaddeus is only too glad to accept this means of earning a livelihood, but the result of the venture is not altogether fortunate, since two of his pupils at once fall in love with him and do not hesitate to tell him so. One is Lady Sara Ross, who already has a husband; and the other is the foolish and sentimental Euphemia Dundas. The forwardness and patronage of these women of fashion disgusts Mr. Constantine. Nevertheless, he is penniless and cannot afford to cast aside the position. Hence it taxes all his wit to maintain his dignity, and his honor as a gentleman.

Yet his path is not entirely without sunlight, for at the Dundas' residence he has the good fortune to meet Lady Mary Beaufort, a charming heiress who is a cousin of Pembroke Somerset's, and as good as she is rich. Of course Thaddeus falls deeply in love with her and she with him. During his acquaintance with these many English people all of them have suspected that Mr. Constantine is something more than an impecunious teacher of languages and they try to make him reveal his identity. Had he yielded to their wishes he would no longer have been without friends, for England was ringing not only with the fame of Kosciusko, but also with that of the brave and dauntless Sobieski. But Thaddeus is too modest to thus court recognition. He will stand upon his present merits or not at all. Therefore when General Butzou dies and Mr. Constantine is unable to pay for his burial he is arrested for debt and borne away to Newgate. Did ever hero endure such a chapter of calamities?

From his dilemma Mary Beaufort rescues him, imploring her cousin Pembroke to go to the jail and release the unfortunate foreigner. Pembroke, however, believes the stranger to be an impostor, and therefore, instead of going himself, sends a messenger with the money. Had he gone he would at last have met Thaddeus face to face.

Nevertheless, such a meeting cannot be avoided indefinitely. Lady Tinemouth is an old friend of the Somerset family, and at her house the two men finally confront each other. On recognizing his friend Pembroke is filled with joy and immediately reproaches Thaddeus for never having searched him out. It is then that Sobieski tells him of the letters that have been returned to him. Pembroke is puzzled. He admits, however, that his father has always cherished a hatred for Poland and forbidden his son ever to visit that country. Hence Pembroke has never told him of his stay with the Sobieski family. But having now discovered Thaddeus, the young Englishman confesses everything to his father and begs him to welcome to his home the Polish noble who has saved his life.