Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 400: what you’re looking at

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

ee ee ee oe ees a a eee 392 delay. received that communication, I may daily and hourly be looking for another letter — because Florence is at no great distance from Le- ghorn “Ah! then your father has gone to Florence ?”’ said Marcellin. “Yes,” replied Corinna: “ for alas! it is now eight months since we received any tidings of my beloved brother g “Poor Corinna !” said Marcellin compassion- ately: ‘‘ you have now this new cause for appre- hension and distress!” “Alas, yes!” rejoined Corinna: “ but heaven grant that nothing calamitous may have occurred to my dear brother Giulio!” “Giulio!” ejaculated Edgar, with a sudden start: and then he muttered to himself, “ But no! it cannot be! A mere coincidence!” “ Yes,” continued C»rinna, “ my brother’s namu is Giulio. Why did you seem to look as if you were listening to something strange? Ah, Edgar, I ought now to reveal to your ears a certain piece of information which through a sense of false shame I suppressed when first I knew you. It was that poor Giulio found himself compelled to Jeave the University of Padua—he then went to Florence Alas! he was compelled to accept a menial position “ “A menial position!” ejaculated Edgar: and then as he glanced half in affright at the young girl, he was suddenly smitten with the conviction of something which had never struck him before —namely, that there was a likeness betwixt the page Giulio whom he had known in Florence and the maiden who stood before him. “Ts it possible that you ever met my brother ?” asked Corinna hastily. ‘Have you been to Flo- rence, Edgar? Were you at Florence before your misfortunes in France P” “Florence ?’—and it was with a half vacant, half bewildered air that Marcellin thus repeated the name of the Tuscan capital. “Ob, yes! I have been to Florence.” “Did you happen to know or to hear of the Marchioness di Mirano?” inquired Corinna. “ But Ah! you again start !—you look frightened !—Oh, I understand! Yes! yes! footsteps are approach- ing! Miss Evelyn is coming! Hasten you into the garden, until I summon you back !” With these words the young maiden playfully pushed her lover across the threshold of the case- ment ; and as she turned away from thence, Agnes entered the room. She held a letter in her hand; end Corinna was at once struck by the sad serious- ness of her countenance. Instead therefore of at once entering upon the ingenuous revelation of her love for Edgar Marcellin, the young maiden anxiously inquired, ‘ Good heaven, my dear friend! is anything the matter ?” “My poor Corinna,” responded Agnes, “ it grieves me infinitely to become the medium of unpleasant intelligence x ‘Unpleasant intelligence?’ echoed Corinna, glancing at the letter which Agnes held in her hand: “what can you mean? Is that from my —_— ~—_——__-_ — —. have only received one letter from him, which was but a hasty line written from Leghorn to say that he had reached the Italian shore in safety, and that he was about to continue his journey without Now as three days have elapsed since I jure you! AGNES; OB, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. dear father? Ob, has any mischief occurred to him ?” “No, Corinna,” hastily rejoined Miss E-elyn = “no personal injury has.been sustained by your parent! Of that you may rest assured !” “Then my poor brother—my beloved brother Giulio,” ejaculated Corinna, with feverish haste, anxiety, and suspense—‘ has any mischief be- fallen bim ?” At this moment there was a rustling behind the draperies of the open casement: but it escaped tho notice of both the young ladies. “It is of your brother Giulio,” continued Agnes, “that I am compelled to speak ee ** Compelled to speak ?” ejaculated Corinna, who while thus catching at the words, fancied she had caught their meaning likewise. “ Then he has been doing something wrong? Oh, unhappy Giulio !” “No, Corinna,” interrupted Agnes, speaking very seriously, “ you must not thus accuse your poor brother, who did nothing wrong—at least I firmly believe not - “Oh, thanks, thanks for this assurance!” ejacu- lated the maiden. “Then Giulio has met with some calamity—some misfortune arising from no fault of his own ” “My dear girl,” interrupted Agnes, laying her hand up.n Corinna’s shoulder and gazing tenderly and fixedly upon her countenance, “ your brother Giulio 1s beyond the sphere of this world’s tempta- tion, as well as beyond the reach of the earth’s calamity !” “Ab, dead! dead!’ moaned Corinna, sinking upon a chair and giving way to her grief. For some minutes she wept, and then wiping her eyes, she rose from her seat, saying, “ Perhaps, dear Miss Evelyn, it is all for the beat —and heaven, taking pity upon his youth, his blighted prospects, and perhaps his vain struggling to carve out for himself a career in the world, has received him to another sphere! That letter is doubless from my father ? Does he give any particulars?” “ Yes — take the letter, my poor Corinna,” responded Agnes, “and read it, But prepare yourself Xd She stopped short; and instead of suffering Corinna to take the letter, she held it back. ““ My dear friend,” she continued, her voice trembling with emotion, “ I ought to prepare you somewhat more fully for the terrible revealings which you will encounter in this epistle. Sum- mon to your aid, dear Corinna, all Caristian forti- tude and resignation: for alas! a terrible crime was committed in Florence it occurred up- wards of eight months ago nerve yourself, Corinna! nerve yourself, my sweet friend, I cun- It was the crime of murder which was committed ——murder “ Murder!” repeated the damsel, a cold shudder visibly thrilling through her entire form, while she clasped her hands and her countenance expressed a mingling horror and dismay. “Alas, it is so!” responded Agnes: “a murder most foul—most horrible! And it was thus that your poor brother Giulio met his death !”’» ‘Alas, my poor brother! to think that you should perish thus!” moaned Corinna, “ Oh, what a frightful discovery for my poor father to make! Just heavens! I feel as if my brain ware — ———. — eer ee Cc J Gomilcbooks | om