Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 109: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. - Having sat up till this hour, Agnes thought that she might just as well remain until her cousin’s return: but as the hands of the time-piece on the mantel drew nearer and nearer towards the announcement of two o’clock, our young heroine began to grow uneasy. Machel, who was also sitting up, entered the drawing-room on some pretext, but in reality to ascertain if Miss Evelyn were prepared for this protracted absence on her Agnes however merely intimated her belief that Miss Lister could not be many cousin’s part, minutes longer ere she returned ; and Rachel with- drew. Still time passed on without the appearance of Floribel ; and now, as it was nearly three o’clock in the morning, the uneasiness of Agnes was en- hanced into positive alarm. She summoned Rachel, and expressed her wonder that her cousin had not returned,—adding, “ Miss Lister led me to believe that she should be home early. I am really afraid something must have happened— though I can scarcely conceive how this could be the case and no message from Mrs, Sheridan to that effect.” Rachel at once volunteered to proceed to Mrs. Sheridan’s residence, which was only about half a mile distant from Sidney Villa; and Agnes thank- fully accepted the offer. Away went Rachel; and during the twenty minutes that her absence lasted, Agnes endeavoured to reason with herself against the vague fears that were creeping over her—but she could not subdue her uneasiness. Rachel returned with consternation and dismay upon her counte- nance. The party at Mrs. Sheridan’s had broken up at one o’clock: but Miss Lister had suddenly disappeared at eleven. Mrs. Sheridan and her guests were alike astonished and hurt at that abrupt departure, which was all the more unac- countable inasmuch as Miss Lister had not availed herself of the hackney-vehicle which had returned to bear her home. Indeed, Mrs. Sheridan could only conjecture that Miss Lister had taken a sud- den offence at something, although the hostess was utterly unaware of having given cause for such displeasure. All these particulars Rachel had learnt from Mrs. Sheridan’s parlour-maid, who had risen from her bed to answer the good woman’s summons at the door. Agnes listened with affright and dismay to these communications, At first she was so bewildered she knew not what to think: she burst into tears, and experienced a grief which seemed to be utterly inconsolable. At length a faint suspicion —yet vague and uncertain as the sound of far- distant bells in the ear—began to steal into our heroine’s mind. She repelled it—or rather she endeavoured to do so: but it returned and grew stronger. Was it possible that Floribel could have voluntarily absented herself? Yes! —all circumstances combined to force upon Agnes the conviction that such had been the case. It was but too evident that her cousin had stealthily glided away from Mrs. Sheridan’s house: she had not therefore been carried off by force. But for what purpose could she have so absented herself? Oh! was it on account of the remonstrances which Agnes had addressed to her, with such weil-meant earnestness, against a rash and precipitate union Our unhappy heroine with Theodore Clifford ? feared that she now sawit all! 161 Rachel—who was deeply attached to both the young ladies—was also weeping; and she anxiously watched Miss Evelyn’s countenance to discover what was passing in her thoughts. But Agnes would not as yet explain herself thoroughly to the domestic, for fear lest by any accident the mys- tery should receive a different solution—in which case she knew that she would feel sorry for baying breathed aught prejudicial to the cousin whom she so dearly loved. She retired to her chamber, where she gave way to the grief that filled her soul, As early as nine o’clock in the morning, Mrs. Sheridan presented herself at Sidney Villa; and Agnes at once received her. That lady, on hear- ing from her parlour-maid of Rachel’s visit to ber house long after the party had broken up, had in- stituted inquiries; and from a police-constable she learnt that precisely at eleven o’clock on the preceding night, a post-chaise had stopped in the lane at the back-gate of the garden. The con- stable, having been led by curiosity to watch from a little distance, had seen a lady issue forth from that gate: she was received by a gentleman in acloak and travelling cap: he handed her into the chaise, which at once drove away in a north- erly direction, The tale seemed to be confirmed by the fact that the bolts by which the garden- door of Mrs. Sheridan’s premises was secured, were found that morning to have been drawn back. The policeman, we should add, was at too great a distance to observe the countenances of the gentle- man and lady to whom he alluded: but so far as the few details of his description went in respect to their stature and figure, there could be little doubt that the one was Floribel and the other Theodore Clifford. The suspicions of Agnes were thus fully con- firmed; and though overwhelmed with grief on account of the imprudence of the step which her cousin had taken, she nevertheless felt assured that the elopement was for the purpose of imme- diate marriage. For the sake of Floribel’s reputa- tion, she therefore at once assured Mrs, Sheridan that such was the fact,—at the same time men- tioning the name of the Hon. Mr. Clifford as that of the individual with whom her cousin had un- questionably eloped. Mrs. Sheridan tvok her de- parture; and then Agnes proceeded to reveal to Rachel all that she had hitherto suppressed. This worthy woman was of course afllicted to think that Miss Lister should have deemed it requisite to take such an extraordinary step, when by the free exercise of her own will she might have seé Miss Evelyn’s remonstrances at naught: but still she had too high an opinion of Floribel’s good principles to fancy for a moment that the elopes ment had any other object than that of marriage. Poor Agnes knew not what course to adopt. She felt so uneasy, wretched, and afflicted that it seemed as if she must do something—but she was bewildered by her own thoughts, If she could only find the slightest clue to the track which Floribel and Theodore Clifford had taken, she would speed after them—she would not allow her cousin to proceed to the aliar without at least being accompanied by herself. But that clue was utterly wanting; for though the post-chaise had departed from Mrs. Sheridan’s gate in a northerly direction, how could conjecture hit upon the pre- Con Ghook a — (C©)