Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 229: what you’re looking at

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

rn SS ca 7 aaa — ———— AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. Our hero thought that this incident was some- | cantly, “never ought to be estimated at a fire! what singular: but he continued his way, and in a few moments reached the top of the staircase. Benedetta ncw again issued forth, and invited him to enter. Her countenance was composed—unless it were that there was a slight glittering of uneasiness in her dark eyes as she saw that Charles was evidently marvelling what could be the mean- ing of the little incident which had just happened. He entered the room, wondering for a moment whether he should find her husband there: but Nino Corso was not present. It struck him that Benedetta was not altogether the true wife which Nino doubtless believed her to be, and that she was somewhat too intimate with her neighbour on the same floor. But when he beheld all her ebildren in the room—when he looked again upon her countenance and saw that if it were not com- pletely composed, it expressed only a mild depreca- tion of any injurious suspicion on his part—he thought to himself, “ I must not judge too quickly by appearances ; for in every other respect she has thoroughly the air of a correct and virtuous woman.” He remembered the kiss with which she had welcomed her husband’s return on the preceding evening—a glance showed him that her children though poorly clad, were all scrupulously neat and clean—and the babe whom he had confided to her, was sleeping in a new cradle, which had been evidently bought that morning out of the liberal funds which he had left behind him. Everything, therefore, seemed to forbid the thought that Benedetta could be a bad woman;—and yet that incident of the cloaked individual rushing so hastily from her room and disappearing in the opposite one, troubled our young hero’s mind. That it was not the cloaked stranger of the pre- ceding night, he was confident; for the individual whom he had just seen flit across the landing was much taller than the other to whom we have just alluded. “Welcome, signor,” said Benedetta, in a tone which struck Cbarles as being slightly tremulous ; “though I did not expect you so soon—for you gave Nino and me to understand that you would returo ip a few days.” “TI am indeed afraid,” replied Charles De Vere, looking her steadily in the face, “that I am an intruder at this particular moment.” “No, signor,” answered Benedetta: and for an instant her lip quivered, though with her large black eyes she unflinchingly met our young hero’s look. “My little charge,” she continued, some- what more quietly, as if to turn the conversation —and she glanced towards the cradle — “has taken to me wondrously. He’s a healthy boy.” “Of what age do you suppose?” inquired Charles. “‘ What, signor! do you not know ?” exclaimed Benedetta in astonishment. “Surely 2 ““ The child is not mine,” interrupted our hero, epeaking gravely, and with a slight flush upon the countenance : but yet there was all the frankness of an unquestionable sincerity in his tone and jook. ‘ But I desired most emphatically that no questions should be asked me.” “True, signur!” said Benedetta, respectfully and humbly. “I was very wrong to judge by appearances: for appearances,” she added signifi- glance.” “Let that be an understanding between us, rejoined Charles, with an equal degree of signifi- cancy; so that Benedetta’s countenance brightened up—for his words were as much as to imply that if she would not judge him suspiciously in respect to the child, he would be equally careful in ar- riving at a rapid conclusion with regard to the incident of the cloaked stranger. “The infant, signor,” she proceeded to say, now speaking more cheerfully and with more good humoured frankness than at first, “is about six weeks old.” “ Six weeks,” muttered Charles, half audibly - “that wag the idea which struck me last night. And now tell me, Benedetta,” he continued, “ have you discovered any initials upon the clothing of the infant—any name—any trace Ms “ Nothing of all that, signor,’’ answered the woman ; and still she could not belp gazing on him with astonishment—though the expression of her curlosity was confined to her looks, and did not again allow itself vent in questioning. Charles had not put those queries with any idea of obtaining a clue to the mystery into which he considered himself bound not to seek by any un- due means to penetrate: he merely wished to dis- cover whether the woman herself had got upon the track of any such clue. Her answer was thus far satisfactory ; and Charles, now rising from the seat which he had taken, bent over the child as it slept in its cradle. It was a beautiful babe ; and our young hero felt a mournful interest in the little innocent who was already, so to speak, the victim of some calamity, though itself utterly un- conscious thereof, “ Where is your husband P” inquired Charles, resuming his seat. “ But I presume that he is busy in superintending the repairs required by his vehicle P” “ He stepped out, signor, about ten minutes aco to see how they were getting on,” answered Benedetta ; “and I expect that he will return every moment.” The answer was given quite naturally ; and yet Charles De Vere could not help thinking that it sought to convey a more pointed meaning than that which belonged to a simple response to @ casually put question. It appeared as if Bene- detta had intended to give him to understand that her’ husband’s absence was on this occasion so brief and so temporary it would be ridiculous to suppose that there was any evil intention in her reception of the individual whom Charles had seen gliding across the lauding,—or rather whose muffled form he had seen, for not the slightest glimpse bad he obtainea of that person’s counte- nance. According as Benedetta had intimated, Nine Corso returned in a few minutes; and he ex- pressed his delight at seeing our young hero. After some little conversation, Charles rose to take his leave: and Nino descended with him into the street. “I beg your pardon, signor,” said the man : “but if the infant is to remain altogether out at nurse, I hope you will leave it entirely with Peane- detta: for though she has children of her own, she will be like a mother to it—and your liberality ” — - —-——_—_ --—- —_ -_ — -- ——— = COMmiclooolkxs Olin