Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 159: what you’re looking at

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

AGNES; OB, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. and Paoli, on hearing that the warrant was actually issued for her arrest, clasped bis hands fervidly, exclaiming, “ My poor boy will yet be avenged!” Marcellin and De Vere acquainted Paoli with all that they themselves, as well as Ciprina, had respectively undergone at the instigation of the Marchioness; and the Neapolitan listened with the deepest interest to these narratives. He poured forth his gratitude to both the young men for the interest they had displayed on behalf of the Cause wherein he himself was so greatly in- terested ; and he begged them to convey the as- surance of a similar sentiment to Ciprina. The narratives, explanations, and discussions occupied a long time; and nearly two hours passed away in this manner, Charles De Vere totally for- getting the appointment which he had made with Father Falconara. At length, when it only wanted a few minutes of midnight, he suddenly recollected it; and he rose to take his departure. Marcellin was in readiness to accompany him: but ere taking leave of Paoli, they enjoined him to remain per- fectly quiet at Petroro’s house, assuring him that he should be made acquainted with everything of importance that might occur in the course of the proceedings wherein they were all so much in- terested. On leaving Petroro’s house, the two young gentlemen walked together in the direction of the British Embassy, that being Marcellin’s route, as well as De Vere’s, for a certain distance. On reaching the gate of the Embassy, just as the clocks of Florence were proclaiming the hour of midnight, they were shaking hands in order to bid each other farewell until the morrow, when all in a moment they were surrounded by a posse of ebirri who seemed suddenly to concentrate them- selves there from different directions. “Separate them! gag them!” ejaculated the officer in command of the party, and whom Charles De Vere at once recognised to be the same who had superintended the expedition when he and Ciprina were hurried away from Florence to Bagno. “Stop!” exclaimed Marcellin: “at your peril do this!’ ‘‘We are under the protection,” cried De “of your own Government !” “Gag them !” ejaculated the officer in a com- manding tone. “Then let us act in self-defence!” cried De Vere: and with one desperate effort he cleared himself from the grasp which two of the sbirri had fixed upon him. They were hurled to the ground: a similar ex- ploit was at the same moment performed by Mar- cellin; and then De Vere exclaimed, “We are Vere, provided with safe-conducts from the Minister of the Interior !” The officer of the sbirri, who was furious at be- holding his men so rudely treated, had drawn his sword and was. rushing on with the rest of his party to recapture the two young gentlemen, when the term safe-conduct seemed to paralyze him. He stopped short: his men did the same; and Mar- cellin said, “ Depart at once, or it will be the worse for you!” “Tt is a trick! a stratagem!” exclaimed the officer. “The Englishman there’’—and he pointed to De Vere—* played me a double game before 161 now: but he shall not repeat it on the present occasion! Seiza him!” While the officer was yet speaking, both our hero and Marcellin had drawn forth their safe- conducts ; and they held them up in the light of the lamp over the gate of the British Embassy. “Halt, my men !” exclaimed the officer, as the sbirri were about to precipitate themselves once more upon Charles and Edgar. ‘If this is so, the signature of his Excellency the Minister of the Interior must be respected.” ‘Behold that signature!”’ said De Vere. “ But beware how you make any attempt to snatch the paper from my hand: for, by heaven! if you do ”? *€ Do you think, signor,” demanded the officer indignantly, “that I am capable of such a base dishonest action P” ‘In good sooth,” answered De Vere, “ I think you are capable of anything: for a more unmiti- gated set of cut-throat scoundrels than you Tusean | police-officers, I never in all roy life had the mis- fortune to encounter !” It was almost a howl of rage which burst from the lips of the officer of the sbirré, while kindred ejaculations denoted the fury of his adherents. But they dared not proceed to farther violence: there was a talismanic influence in the signature of the Minister of the Interior. “ Well,” growled the officer, “ you are quit, young men, on the pfesent occasion: but I dare say it will not be long before I shall catch both trippiog in some rascally fashion 4 But here the fellow’s insolence was suddenly cut short; for De Vere dealt him a blow which knocked him down as if he had been stricken by a flash of lightning. The blood gushed from his mouth, for half-a-dozen of his teeth had been dashed out. “Ruffian!” said our young hero; “if evera man were rightly served, itis you! You have brought this punishment upon yourself entirely by your own impertinence.” The officer spcke not another word. He rose slowly from the ground, wiping his mouth with his kerchief; while his men, armed though they were, retreated a pace or two, evidently afraid lest the same species of chastisement should overtake them- selves. They departed with their discomfited off. cer at their head; and when they were beyond the view of the young gentlemen, these two took leave of each other. On entering the mansion of the British Em- | bassy, Charles was informed that a priest had been waiting for upwards of an hour, to see him; he was accordingly hastening in the direction of his own apartment, when he met one of the attachés, who said to him, ‘‘ Ramorino has been here!” “ Indeed !” ejaculated Charles. ‘And what said he P” “Oh! [I received him on behalf of his Excel. ' leney,” replied the a/taché, thus alluding to the Aim- | bassador; “and I mystified him completely. You may think it a difficult thing to mystify a Minister of Police; and yet let me assure you that I did it! He evidently suspects that a storm of some kind is brewing: there was a certain uneasiness in his manner, despite all his efforts to conceal it; but he went away without obtaining the slightest in telligence from me.” oO mn ONG OO) eee eee me an ee ee Sr 5}