Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 205: what you’re looking at

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

AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. —but with their hands still fast locked, as if they feared that by the loosening of those hands they might suddenly be separated again. But still their hearts were too full to give utterance to anything beyond a few broken and tremulously murmured ejaculations of endearment; and still they continued to gaze upon each other as if asking whether it were really possible that they were thus reunited, or whether it were all a dream P It was a long time before their feelings grew sufficiently composed for deliberate discourse. At length Gustavus inquired concerning his old grandsire; and then he asked whether Winifred had received his letter announcing the transmis- sion of the treasure? She replied that she had, and that in the morning of this very same day she had received an advice from Liverpool to the effect that the case would be almost immediately sent off by luggage-train for London. Then there was a pause in the discourse; for Gustavus knew not how to commence any explanation of the cause of his sudden arrival in England—sand Winifred knew not how to touch upon those re- cent misfortunes which would compel her likewise to give explanations. And yet neither noticed that there was any tincture of confusion or em- barrassment in the manner of the other: it seemed to each as if the joy of this meeting had again put a seal upon the lips of the other,—a joy that was too deep to find utterance in continuous discourse ! At length Gustavus broke this silence by ex- claiming, “Oh! my dearest, dearest Winifred, how terribly you must have suffered! It was on the tenth of November that I first read in the English newspapers of the frightful occurrence. That moment I departed from Jamaica, abandoning friends—prospects—everything, in order to hasten unto you!” “Dearest Gustavus!—and you have done all this?” said Winifred, in a voice that was scarcely audible, so clouded was it with emotions. ‘Ob, you have sacrificed too much for my sake !” “‘ By heaven, darling Winnie, I would have sacrificed everything for your sake !—and I did sacrifice everything !” exclaimed the youth vehe- mently ; but his words had a deeper meaning than his cousin suspected or than she could even pos- sibly dream of. ‘“ But no matter! it was my duty —and I have perfurmed it! Yes—not merely my duty, but my inclination likewise !—for Oh! not for worlds could I have abandoned you, my dear Winnie, when such hideous circumstances en- vironed you!”—and again he pressed her to his heart. “Ob, Gustavus,” she murmured, “ you must have believed me innocent— you must have thought me still worthy of your generous interest, to have done so much !” “Innocent !” he ejaculated: “I knew that you were innocent! I would have doubted an angel from heaven if he had descended to tell me the contrary! But oh! the horrible anguish I en- dured for the first fortnight of the voyage home- ward, until we met a ship from England :—and then how ineffable was my joy when I read in the Rewspapers with which the ship furnished us, that you had been acquitted! Then, dearest Winnie, instead of excruciating impatience it was all joyous impatience that I felt to reach my nativo ee ee ee 197 land—to fold you in my arms—to proclaim that I would never leave you again—but that hence. forth you should ever have me with you as a de- fender and protector !”’ Winifred was weeping softly yet plenteously: and now, with a sudden convulsing sob, she fal- tered forth, * But you have not resigned all those brilliant prospects i “I have resigned everything,” ejaculated the youth,—“ yes, everything, everything! And oh! let me never again think of Jamaica! In a word, let us not think of the past at all!—let us think only of the present and the future!” Winifred was indescribably touched by the con- duct of her cousin. There was much to explain relative to her own life since they had parted two years back, especially her connexion with Mrs, Chicklade: but he, without asking or awaiting the slightest explanation, treated her as one who could not be otherwise than pure, innocent, and immaculate: it was a blind confidence arising from the most magnanimous generosity. And Winifred, feeling that she was pure and chaste despite the ordeals through which sho had passed —enjoying the consciousness of that virtue which had been preserved to her, in the hour of despair and temptation, by the generosity of Roderick Dalham—was enabled to look her cousin in the face while she reiterated her thanks for all the noble sacrifices which he had made upon her be- balf. Then she gradually merged into explana- tions:—but can the reader blame her if she sup- pressed something which there was indeed no necessity to reveal? She did not state the precise truth in respect to the ring: she suffered Gustavus to understand that in the bitterness of her poverty she had sold that ring to Mrs. Chicklade whom she had accidentally met within the walls of the prison. She did not therefore reveal how it was that she had first encountered Roderick Dalbam : but this circumstance she likewise attributed to an accident :—and then she expatiated fervidly upon the delicate generosity of that gentleman in supplying her with funds for the maintenance of her grandsire. It was intelligible to Gustavus why Winifred had maintained so perilous a re- serve in respect to her defence when upon her trial, from the fact of the absolute necessity of suppressing everything that might cause the name of Roderick Dalham to transpire. In a word, Gustavus beheld everything that was consistent and truthful in his cousin’s narrative : he sus- pected not for a moment that there was the slightest suppression of facts or deviation from the precise line of sincerity: and he sighed in- wardly as be thought that fe was not enabled to deal with equal candour and frankness towards Wiuifred ! “And now, my dearest cousiv,” he said, “I must go and see our poor old grandsire. But he must be prepared to receive me And ab! when I bethink me, I have a letter for him—a letter from that strange gentleman, Mr, Hargrave, whom I mentioned in my letter, you know, as the prin- cipal author of the good fortune which overtvok me in respect to the treasure.” ‘“ Mr. Hargrave ?” said Winifred. “I never heard our grandtatber mention such a name, oor state that he ever possessed such a friend or ac- This letter, theretore ~ quain tance, COMmiclooolkks OimM