Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 273: what you’re looking at

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

“Well, to be sure,” said the Minister coolly, “your father was amongst them. But he who wishés to save himself by displaying contrition and making atonement, must forget all the ties of kinship—or rather he must sacrifice them!” “True!” said Silvio: and yet he shuddered as be thus corroborated the Minister’s sophisticated aphorism. “And are you prepared to make this sacrifice, even in respect to your own father, for the sake of life and liberty?” demanded the wily official. To die ignominiously and prematurely was a terrible idea: to languish out the rest of exist- ence in a loathsome dungeon was scarcely less horrible; and the Viscount, after a few moments of strong internal struggling, said with the firm- ness of a desperate resolve, “‘I am prepared to make any sacrifice!’ “ Look here!” said the Minister of Police, taking from a drawer a file of official documents, held to- No, 34,—AGygs, AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. SS, sss gether by a piece of red tape at one corner. “ Cast your eye over these pages!” Silvio did so; and he found that the documents contained all the information to which the Minister had alluded,—thbe names of the personages present at the last meeting of the conspirators on the 5th of January, and an outline of the speeches deli- vered on the occasion. The young nobleman’s heart sank within him—a cruel sense of disap- pointment smote him—but the next instant he was inspired with a feeling of indignation, as he turned his flashing eyes upon the Chief of the Police. “Softly my lord!’ said this functionary, evi- dently reading what was passing in Silvio’s mind: “be not angry—lose not your ‘temper! What I have already said and done was only intended to try you. A moment’s reflection might have con- vinced you that I already long ago possessed the information mentioned, and that therefore I could not require it from your :ips,” ———— CoOMmcooolks a) Oim