Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 151: what you’re looking at

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

whe SS PEM oe \ monte ime remain in her mind if you consent to the manner which must naturally sug- elf to your understanding.” * Ob h, I fully comprehend !” exclaimed Hector ess. “It is a little innocent cheat which eat ipa upon the old lady ?”’ ‘e Precisely so,” responded Miss Neale. ‘© Then you wish me to accompany you to “York ?” said Hector inquiringly. “It is absolutely necessary. You can surely | give me three days of vour time, when I am ab- ee f 2 ‘* = | ia i .' solying you from a compact which, if fulfilled, would devote the whole remnant of your existence unto me!” “TI will give you three days—or five—or seven, for that purpose and on this condition,” Hector. “ When do you wish to start ” ~ po-morrow: ANrDINE, by an early train,” re- plied Cicely. “There must be no delay 3 in the matter; for my aunt is very ill “There shall be no delay so far as I am con- | cerned!” exclaimed Hardress. ‘I can easily get | away from London for a week, if it be necessary. will meet you therefore at the station to-morrow morning 4 “At nine o'clock,” said Cicely. ‘ We shall reach York in the evening—we shall first of all _| tepair to an hotel—and thence will I despatch a _} messenger to my aunt with the intelligence that I have arrived with my husband, and that we both of us solicit permission to pay our respects to her immediately.” “Good!” said Hardress: “lay your plans as you like—and rest assured that when in the pre- sence of your aunt, I will perform to perfection _‘ the part of a loving husband towards you. I will / call her ‘ dear aunt,’ and will manifest such con- cern for her illness re ~ It you do all this, Hector,” exclaimed Cicely, in atone that appeared to be full of gratitude, “1 shall forgive you for all the past—and we shall be | good friends for the future !” | “I am delighted to hear you speak thus,” Hardress. “And I am delighted,” rejoined Cicely, “ to j-and that you exhibit so much readiness to succour me. Ab! by the bye, my aunt must | of course be led to suppose that you are very weil off, and that we are not courting her merely for the sake of the mcney which she has to leave.” “ We will go to the best hotel and engage hand- some apartments there,” exclaimed Hector. “I will take my valet with me—we still live sump- tuously—in short, if the old lady, who seems foud of making inquiries, should send any private agent to ask questions at the hotel, everything shall be satisfactory.” _** And in this case the fortune will be mine!” said Cicely, at the same time raising her veil and gazing up with an animated countenance at her patrician companion. “But there is one little thing which has just | struck me,” said Hardress, who could not help thinking that Miss Neale looked handsomer and more captivating than ever; “and this is that if we play the part of husband and wife for a few days at the hotel—and if we so conduct our pro- | ceedings as to satisfy any inquiries which the old } lady may make—we must in every particular be- rejoined cried AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. oe ee oe M3 You have as if we were really man and wife. understand me, Cicely ?” “Yes—I understand you, Hector,” said the young lady, bending down her looks. “I have not become a prude—I do not mean to affect a virtue which you know that 1 possess not. For the time being,” she added, in a lower tone, “I will be to you as a wife.” Hector—inspired with some of the former pas- sion with which Cicely’s personal charms and voluptuous beauties had filled him—passed his aroi ruund her waist, Grew her towards him, and imprinted a kiss upon her lips. She abandoned herself to his embrace for a few moments; and then she disengaged her form from the arms that were thrown about it. They had by this time reached a retired portion of the Park; and they began to retrace their way towards the gates by which they had entered it. * Tell me, my dear Cicely,” said Hector, as they walked along together,—* tell me, now that we are good friends once again, why you came to this appointment armed with your pistols, since it was your purpose to propose so amicable a method of settling the matter ?” ‘IT was not sure that you would consent to assist me,” replied Miss Neale: “I feared that in consequence of recent circumstances you might be vindictive against me; and therefore, if you had refused to render me the service which is so vitally important as the only means of giving back happiness to my existence,—if you had re- fused, I say, I should have killed you first and myself afterwards.” Hector shuddered: but immediately throwing off the disagreeable sensation which these words produced, he said, “ Well, it is indeed much better that the business should be thus amicably ar- ranged, and that we should be good friends once more, Besides, the jaunt will be a pleasant one under all circumstances; and I shall have the happiness of being with you again, for a short whiie; for I love yau, Cicely—and family reasons alone haye prevented me from making you my wife.” We will not discuss the past,” answered Miss Neale: and then she added in a gay tone, “ Be- sides, you must recollect that while we are tos gether we are to maintain all the affectionate ap- pearance of man and wife. Here we separate, Farewell for the present, Hector.” Cicely gave him her hand, which he pressed and she then hurried away, again drawing down her veil. On issuing from the Regent’s Park, Cicely took a cab and proceeded to the Strand. It was now late: but shefound a chemist’s shop open, She entered it, and purchased some laudanum,— alleging that it was for the toothach, though she had never suffered from such an iniliction in all her life, her teeth being pure and sound, without speck or blemish. Having made her purchase, she returned to Lincoln’s ‘Inn Fields—where sho had some ready-inyented tale to account not only for her absence of that evening, but likewise for the journey she purposed to undertake on the morrow. CoOMmiclooolks aa