Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 255: what you’re looking at

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

_ — a ls ter _—_—_— AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE, ry far were they from suspecting who the lady herself was. Indeed we may observe that the worthy couple had never to their knowledge seen the Countess of Camerino. The child, awakened from its slumbers, began to ery; and Ginevra gave the infant back to Bene- detta’s arms. She then sank upon a seat, over- powered by her feelings; and for some minutes she wept and sobbed asif her heart must break. At levgtb she faltered forth, ‘‘ I need scarcely tell you, my friends, that I hold towards that poor babe the same position which yow'’—now specially ad- — 247 The door of the bureau now opened, and the nobleman came forth: but he was pale as death, and he staggered as if intoxicated or about to sink down in a swoon, ‘Blessed Virgin! my lord, you are ill!” ex- claimed Corso, springing forward to sustain the nobleman. ‘Indeed the heat must have been suffocating in that place!” “Knough to stifle his lordship !” added Bene- detta. “And to think that his lordship should have been pent up there for a whole half-hour!” “It is nothing, my friends—nothing,” gasped dressing herself to Benedetta—“ doubtless hold {the nobleman: “I shall be better ina few minutes towards those sleeping childrenin that bed. I am the babe’s mother.” There was a silence of nearly a minute; and then Ginevra went on to say, “ But I have not come to take the child from you. On the con- trary, if you will consent to keep it, as I have been led to believe you will 4 “Oh, yes, Signora!” exclaimed Benedetta : “we will assuredly keep the child—for we already love it dearly. And our own little ones love it ” “Then you shall keep the innocent, my good friends,’ answered Ginevra; “and you shall bring it up as one of your own. It were useless to attempt to deceive you: all circumstances must from the very first havo made you aware that the babe, though very dearly loved by me, its mother, constitutes its mother’s shame !” “We ask no questions, Signora—and we seek no explanations,” replied Benedetta. “It is suf- ficient for us that you decide upon leaving the ehild in our keeping; and by the holy Virgin! we pledge ourselves to rear the innocent with as much fondness as if it were our own.” “‘T am sure you will,’ answered Ginevra, in a voice that was scarcely articulate through the strong emotions that swayed her. “He who con- fided the babe to your keeping, spoke in the highest terms of you both. But him you will see no more; and therefore have I come to make such arrangements as shall be satisfactory to you Here is a sum of money; and every six months a similar sum shall be transmitted to you. A pro- vision shall likewise be made by some means or another, for the continued payment of such a sum, even though death shall snatch me away. On this head be not uneasy! Not for worlds,” added Ginevra emphatically, “ would I completely aban- don my poor child for heaven knows that even as it is the abandonment is only too great!” She again wept bitterly: but all this time she kept her veil so closely drawn and so thickly folded over her countenance, that neither Nino nor Bene- detta could obtain the slightest glimpse of her features. Presently she rose to depart; and again taking the child in her arms, and turning her back upon the worthy couple, she just sufficiently raised the veil to enable her to imprint numerous kisses on the infant’s cheeks. Then, with that veil carefully replaced, she restored the child to Benedetta,—to whom in a broken voice she whis pered some few parting instructions; and she hurriedly issued from the room. We may add that the sum which she had left behind her, wes a very diberal one; and thus the worthy couple had every reason to be gratified with the result of ~ the visit. I am already better now own room.” “Stop, my lord, for an instant,’”’ exclaimed Corso, “ till I see that the coast is clear.” But the nobleman did not hear him, or at all events did not heed him; for witi his cloak upon his arm, he strode, or rather reeled across the land- ing—entered his own chamber—and drew the door behind him. Fortunately, however, there was no one near to observe this incautious removal from one room to the other: and Corso returned to his own chamber, saying to Benedetta, “If the lady had stayed but a few minutes longer, [ am cer- tain his lordship would have been suffocated.” Four-and:twenty bours passed; and it was in the evening of the day following the incidents which we have just related, thata tall man, enve- loped in a cloak, entered the gateway of the house No, 27 in the Via Graciosa ; and after exchanging a few words with the porter, rapidly ascended the staircase. On reaching the uppermost landing, he knocked ina peculiar manner at the door of the room occupied by the nobleman. The nobleman himself appeared upon the threshold; and the visi- tor entered. Dropping his cloak, he revealed the countenance of General the Marquis Ortona. The two political friends embraced; and when they sat down, the Marquis of Ortona was shocked to behold how haggard, how careworn, and how woe-begone was the other’s countenance, “ Good heaven, my dear Count! you have been very, very ill?” exclaimed the Marquis, with a look and tone of the deepest concern, ‘** No—I have not been ill, my dear friend—but of course much vexed, and agitated, and ex- cited a “ Doubtless!” said the Marquis. think it prudent to run this risk “Not prudent, but imperative,” rejoined the Count. “ The affairs of Rome demand all the care and anxiety of Italian patriots; for it is now through the Roman republicans only that Italy can hope to obtain her freedom. But of that anon. Teil me, my dear Marquis—how—how—fares it with—with—Gineyra P” “Her ladyship is well,’ replied the Marquis, “ though she has suffered much of late. Indeed, for a time she altogether secluded herself $4 “Ah! she secluded herself ?”—and the Count spoke as if the words were hot cinders sticking in his throat one by one as they came up, and parch- ing his tongue as they passed over it. ““Yes—but can you wonderP However,” aja- culated the Marquis, “ the Countess is now better ; and the night before last she was at a grand ball at the British Ambassador’s mansion,” “Ah! at the British Ambassador’s mansion?” I will seek my * But do you ” CoMmiclooolks oe LC Om