Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 191: what you’re looking at

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

AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. 183 being at home at the Gime. Winnie was right in | Winifred. ‘* You know under what circumstances her supposition—it was Mr. Dalham who was | you and [I first met,” she continued, a deep blusb awaiting her presence ; and we may here at once | overspreading her countenance, observe that he was the personage whom she had ** Yes, yes,” said Dalham, speaking hastily, for met near the neighbourhood of Sidney Villa and | he was perfectly aware how painful the subject | whom she had followed into the bye-lane, upon/ must be to the young girl. “ But about the the memorable day of Mrs. Chicklude’s murder. | ring i We then described him as a man of about forty | “IT will tell you,” she responded. “ That vile years of age—of moderate stature—of slim figure | woman Mrs. Chicklace came one Sunday afternoon —and tolerably good-looking countenance, His to Whiteeross Street Prison to see some man who hair and whiskers were dark; his profile was! was there. This was about two years ago; and aquiline ; his eyes were large and piercing. The | she then beheld me for the first time. She after- expression of his countenance indicated strong | wards stopped me in the street and began to ad- | passions, which, as we have previously said, might | dress me in a strain which I could not at first be moved either for good or for evil, but which | understand, but of which a dim comprehension would go to the extreme according to whalsoever | began at length to arise in my mind. She told impuise they obeyed. me how I might earn much gold and lead a life of ** Winifred,” he said, as the young girl made| pleasure and of mdolence: but [I need not tell her appearance, “ most heartily do I congratulate | you, Mr. Dalham, what the wretch said—for you you on the result of yesterday’s proceedings :’’— | can well understand the tenour of that insidious and taking her hand he pressed it fervently. discourse which such a woman was likely to hold “But it was to you, Mr. Dalham,” she revlied, | unto me. It was at the time when I was so truly with the accents of strong emotion, “ that I was | wretched: it was just after my aunt’s death, when indebted for this result. Ob! how generous and | my cousin Gustavus had gone to sea, and when | how good has been your conduct towards me! | was thrown utterly on my own resources. I was Yes, and to my grandfather likewise !—for I have| driven almost to madness; for in imagination I learnt from his lips sufficient to convince me that | beheld my poor grandfather starving—and Oh! every week you have been the anonymous source | the bare idea thereof cut me to the very quick! of bounty towards him. a Yet when that old woman addressed me in the in- * But be suspects it not P” said Roderick Dal- | sidious language of temptation, I recoiled from it ham hastily. in horror the moment I began to comprehend it. “* Heaven forbid!” ejaculated Winifred with | She waylaid me several times; and on each occa- vehemence. “ Ob, I trembled ere I read the ac- | sion she grew bolder and plainer in the language count in the newspaper we which she used. The state of my mind was grow- ““ My name, you perceive, was not mentioned,” | ing day by day more desperate, and [ listened to interjected Mr. Dalbam. ‘“ The accounts in all| her in spite of all the loathing and repugnance _ the morning journals are precisely the same.” that I entertained. At last, one day, I found the “Ob, if your father knew how you have be-| slender stock of money left me by my poor aunt | | ' | friended me,” cried Winifred, clasping her hands, | utterly exhausted; and I dared not tell my grand- ‘the consequences would be terrible! He would | father how I was situated. He thought I had diseard you—he would disown you! Ob, Mr.| money still left; and he desired me to bring him Dalham, how immense is the debt of gratitude | different things—little comforts that he needed; which I owe you !” so that it was with a reeling brain I listened to “Speak not of that, Winifred,” responded | his words, I had no money and no work; and I Roderick Dalham. “It is impossible to help| had already made away with as much of my ap- admiring your virtues and the magnanimity of | parel as I could possibly dispense with. But I your character. But let me solicit a few explana-| had my mother’s ring still left. I had to decide tions from your lips—although I have little diffi- | whether I would part with it, or whether I should culty in conjecturing the reasons that induced you | keep it and see my grandfather die of starvation. to suppress all those circumstances which might| I decided upon the former course: I would dis- have told so well in your defence.” pose of the ring. I took it to a pawnbroker’s—but “Has not Mr. Wardour explained to you every-| he refused to receive it unless I gave a reference thing ?” inquired Winifred. “On the day when|to prove my respectability and thus show that I the examination before the magistrate took place, | had come honourably by it. I issued from his I revealed all the circumstances to that gentleman,” | shop in despair. In the street I met Mrs. Chick- “ But if was under a promise of implicit secrecy | lade, who seemed to be lying in wait for me. I on his part,” rejoined Dalham; “and therefore he| have read in romances how men in moments of would repeat nothing—no, not evento me! I did/| desperation have sold their souls to the Evil Oue ; not press him; and indeed I knew not whether | and it was in a similar mood that I accosted that there might be any secret which you would wish| woman. I told her my tale—and she offered to to keep from my knowledge ” dispose of the ring for me. I assented: I was to “No, no, Mr. Dalbam! I am incapable of| meet her again in an hour or two, I met her— such ingratitude !” exclaimed Winifred ; “for to | she toid mea tale of difSculties which she had to you would I tell everything, even in preference to| encounter—how she had left the ring at some Mr. Wardour himself !” place, and how two or three days must elapse be- “ That mystery relative to the ring,” said Dal- | fore its sale could be effected. Then I was indeed |} ham,—“ I cannot completely fathom it: and yet | frenzied. She whispered evil wordsin my ear—I_ , methinks I can comprehend how it must have | scarcely knew what I was doing—I was mad at fallen into the vile woman’s hands _ the time—lI suffered her to lead me to her own and there I met you!” “ That ring belonged to my mother,” answered ! abode x comliclooks