Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 83: what you’re looking at

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

———— + oo exclaimed Mrs. Slater. ‘‘ For God’s sake prepare yoarself! The blow will be terrible!” “Ob, what do you mean ?”’—and the poor old man was now quivering nervously from head to foot: and he was looking into Mrs. Slater’s coun- tenance with the most poignant anxiety as if to fathom the truth. “Could poor Winnie have done anything wrong? Perhaps disappointed in receiving money due to her—fearful that I might want—and so—and so—she may have taken some- thing that did not properly belong to her at the time—but she meant to pay for it at a future day PB] “Oh, Mr. Barrington! it is much worse than this!” faltered Mrs. Slater, again sobbing violently. “T mean that the eharge which is made against her is much worse—for I know that she is inno- cent—— Ob, I am sure she is!” “Good God! what is it?’—and the old man trembled like an aspen leaf. “Tell me! tell me!” “Some woman—but pray compose yourself— geome woman has been—now don’t shake and tremble like this—she may not be dead after all, you know she might only have been very seri- ously hurt—tbough at first they thought she was killed and some how or another poor Miss Winnie has been suspected arrested —— But ng “Impossible!” exclaimed the old man, his bowed form suddenly becoming as upright as if he was in his prime. ‘My Winnie a murderess? No, no! I would sooner believe anything than this!. You are mad!—you are labouring under some horrible delusion!” * Ob, Mr. Barrington! it is not I who am mad —itis the wicked people who have accused poor Miss Winnie !? and Mrs. Slater could not give utterance to another syllable ; her voice was choked in an agony of weeping. “My God! my God!” moaned the wretched old man, now sinking upon a seat and clasping his hands in anguish. “I do indeed see that some- thing terrible has happened!” For some minutes he rocked himself to and fro, gazing stedfastly upon vacancy—giving utterance to DO sound, not even so much as a moan: and Mrs. Slater, wiping away her tears, looked at him with| apprehension—for she thought that his senses were abandoning bin, “Where is my Winnie?” he suddenly ex- claimed, starting up from his seat, “I will go to her! For many a long year she has comforted me: I will now go and comfort her! The poor girl! I think I see that sweet face of her’s look- ing mournful—Oh, so mournful !—and those beau- tiful eyes filled with tears! Good God! I cannot endure it! My darling, darling Winnie—I come to thee!” The old man strode towards the door: but Mrs. Slater, now again weeping bitterly, caught him by the arm, exclaiming, ‘For heaven’s sake be tran- qu:l, Mr. Barrington! out! I will do everything I can for your poor | Winnie! But you—you are a prisoner !” “ Just God, it is true!” ejaculated the old man: | and he staggered back to his seat. “It is like a’ irivitfui dream !—it is asa death-blow!: Winnie, Winnie, where art thou? ‘You in one prison—| AGNES ; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. 75 i cero eae). Eee ee ee ‘‘ Something dreadful, indeed, Mr. Barrington!” | I in another! O heaven, it is enough to drive one mad !” Then the old man began to weep—again rock- ing himself to and fro; and Mrs. Slater regarded him with illimitable compassion. All that selfish- ness of old age which had so long rendered him indifferent to the amount of work that his grand- child might have to toil through in order to sup- port herself and him, was now melted and absorbed in the strength of the tenderness which he veri- tably experienced towards her. It would be im- possible to conceive a more heartrending spectacle than that of the old man’s grief, as it was now presented to the view of the worthy lodging-house keeper. “If they have taken my Winnie from me,” he said, in the whimpering tremulous tone of childish old age, “ they have taken the only prop that sus- tained me. Her cousinis far away across the seas— she has but me tolook to—and I cannot go to her! She cannot come tome! Bars and bolts to keep her secure '!—bars and bolts to keep me secure ! Ob, the wretches! to have taken away the old man’s darling !” se And now the unfortunate prisoner’s grief be- came so violent that Mrs. Slater was seriously alarmed. She endeavoured to breathe soothing words in his ear: but he repulsed her. “ No, no! I will go to her!” he cried, again suddenly starting up from his seat. ‘“ Nobody shall keep me back !—nothing shall restrain me!” Again too did Mrs. Slater catch him by the arm,—reminding him, though with all possible delicacy, that he was a prisoner. He stopped short —he gazed upon her with a wild vacant stare— her alarm increased—she thought that he was going mad—when all of a sudden he gave vent to a hollow groan and sank down senseless upon the floor. Mrs. Slater summoned the turnkeys ; and the unfortunate old man was borne up to the infir- mary of the prison,—the officials assuring the worthy woman that every attention should be shown him. On issuing forth from the gaol, with a sad tightening at the heart, Mrs. Slater remembered her pledge tu do all she could for Winnie ; and having made inguiries respecting the particular station-house to which it was most probable the unfortunate girl had been conveyed, she took a cab and proceeded thither. The officials could not however permit the interview which the worthy woman so much desired to have with her: but they assured Mrs. Slater that as much attention had been shown her as circumstances would permit. * And do you really think she is guilty, sir ?” inquired the lodging-house-keeper of the Inspector into whose presence she had been ushered. “TI cannot give an opinion, ma’am,” was his guarded reply. “ We shall know more about it to-morrow when the magistrate has taken the business in hand.” « Ah! I feared there was something wrong !” You know you cannot go} said Mrs. Slater, thus inconsiderately giving: audi- ble expression to her painful musings. “ It struck me like a presentiment of evil when I opened tie door for the poor girl and saw how strange and agitated she looked ui “ Indeed ?” said the Inspector, catching at these words, “And pray what time was this?”