Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 350: what you’re looking at

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

a ee eee = a ee eee - eee oe mee ee ee eee ee eee 342 AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. MS cc'YY'-_ -+ 0000 4 { upon the landing—there the waiter was in readi- | keep her husband beyond the sphere of that in. ‘ Re ness to conduct them to the private staircase— | fluence which she feared or fancied his relatives | and in a few more instants the unconscious Gus- | might be enabled to exercise over him, she by no tavus was safely stowed away in the cab. Mean-| means intended to do any direct and positive while the hotel-porter was conveying down-stairs| wrong towards either of those persons. But such of Emily’s boxes as appeared to be in readi- | now she apprehended that she had been un- ness for removal; while she was preparing to | guardedly led into some such instance of wrong- settle the hotel bill which had just been presented | doing; and she was at first materially vexed— to her. The accommodating waiter quickly re- | nay, even distressed. But her's was a mind which appeared; and Emily, on paying the account, be- | was not likely to suffer little evils to annoy it for stowed upon him a liberal reward. She then | any lengthened period, when it had so much passed into the bed-chamber to make certain re- | cause for rejoicing at a great triumph that had quisite changes in her toilet previous to embarka- | been achieved; and she therefore consoled herself tion. She now recollected the document which | by mentally ejaculating, “Well, it cannot be was to have been delivered to old Mr. Barrington, | helped! I must keep the untoward incident a but which she had locked up in one of her trunks. | complete secret from Gustavus; and on arriving Alas! the very trunk in which she had thus|at Kingston the first thing to do will be the secured that packet, was amongst those which had | transmission of the packet back to England by been already sent away. Emily was now for a "some trustworthy hand!” moment frightened: she knew not what injury might result from this oversight. But she quickly —_—— reflected that when on board the vessel she might take the packet from the box, and discover some CHAPTER LVII. means of forwardifig it, unknown to her husband, to Whitecross Street Prison. Reassured by this FRESH MISPORTUNES. reflection, Emily hastened to put off her evening | costume and to apparel herself in thick warm rai- WINIFRED BARRINGTON remained at her lodg- ment. She then departed from the hotel, taking | ings, awaiting the return of her cousin Gustavus the remnant of her luggage with her; and in due| whom she fancied to be at Whitecross Street time she reached the West India Docks. | Prison. For some time she remained plunged in Her husband was sleeping in his berth on board |a painful reverie. It was evident that Gustavus the ship. Poor Gustavus! little suspected he in | was not happy in his married state, and that the his dreams how the selfish feelings of his quadroon hot blood of the quadroon boiled with those strong wife had engendered so many machinations, to the | passions which were but little calculated to ensure duplicity of which he was not the only victim! | domestic peace. Winifred was profoundly afflicted Little suspected he that at that very hour his | at the thought that Gustavus should have wedded cousin Winifred was almost like a distracted being | misery, for which even the acquisition of wealth —and that his grandsire was weeping in his prison | was not an indemnification; and there was a chamber—all because of that sudden disappear-| moment when Miss Barrington could not help ance which was so inexplicable to them both! thinking within herself, “It is a retribution Emily lost no time in applying to the Captain | for his conduct towards me!” But the next of the ship in respect to the boxes which she had | instant the generous girl repudiated the idea—she first of all sent on board. She was informed that | even felt distressed as well as ashamed of herself they had been let down into the hold, and that it | for having entertained it—and she strove to turn was impossible to get at them, as quantities of | her thoughts into another channel. other merchandise had since been lowered into the “Gustavus is now with his grandsire!” she game place. said to herself. “Oh? how fondly have they em- “Why, ma’am,” said the Captain, “I thought | braced! and the poor old man’s heart is warming you knew very well that all such luggage as you | towards him! And they have much to talk of! did not want for your use during the voyage, | Yes—and Gustavus has much to explain, if indeed must be thus stowed away. So, when those men | he will suffer himself to be led into explanations! came with your husband, and said they had also | But it were better not—Oh, it were better not! Let brought the heavy boxes, and that you would | the simple fact suffice for our grandsire as I myself follow in another cab with the lighter ones, I took | have mentioned it,—yes, the simple fact that Gus- it for granted that those which came first were to | tavus has espoused the quedroon Emily——and go below.” in reference to his conduct towards me no- “ But it is of importance,” said Emily, “ that I | thing!” should have access to one of those trunks.” While Winifred is giving way to her reflections, “Tt couldn’t be done now if you was to give me | we will avail ourselves of the opportunity to afford a hundred guineas,” answered the Captain. “Mr. | the reader a few necessary explanations. At first Millard will be on board directly, to give his last | when the gold arrived in England, the utmost re- | instructions; and as I think you said you didn’t | serve had been maintained towards old Mr. Bar- want to see him, you had better get below, | rington, inasmuch as it was apprehended that he ma’am, at once. Besides, your husband may want looking to.” wealth in the prosecution of his lawsuit. But “True!” said Emily: and she descended to the | since his affairs had been placed in the hands of cabin, where Gustavus lay plunged in a condition | Messrs. Cartwright, and under the supervision of of complete unconsciousness. Mr. Wardour, it gradually became plainer and | Emily was deeply vexed at this incident in re- | plainer that his cause was a good one, and if pro- spect to the sealed packet. In her endeavours tu} perly and expeditieusly conducted it must evi- te we me ee Ss ET A TT KT ¥ - et would insist upon embarking all the newly acquired | EOmiIcbooks.cor