Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 170: what you’re looking at

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

LLL Ce — 162 AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. “Let me again request you to be seated,” he eaid, now speaking with an air of mournfulness; “‘and everything shall be managed in as tranquil and noiseless a manner as possible.” In the meanwhile Lucrezia had passed a few minutes of indescribable agony in the apartment precisely overhead. It was an anguish of suspense to which even the horrors of the rack itself might be deemed a bed of roses!—it was a succession of pangs to which the, excruciation of impalement was but as a gephyr to a storm! And though she was in this frightful condition of uncertainty, yet was there the sure foreboding in her mind that something dreadful was about to happen; so that she made her preparations for the worst. She put on her bonnet and shawl; and she stood watching the wire of the bell with all that hideous, poignant, lancinating suspense which we have just been endeavouring to describe. Ah! was the wire already vibrating? No! ’twas a false alarm! But now did her eyes deceive her? Yes! again it was an illusion of the fevered fancy ! She passed her hand rapidly across her eyes; and now she looked again. Holy saints! this time it was no mistake !—no illusion! The wire was drawn down visibly—it grated against the wainscot in that corner of the apartment—and then it flew upward with a strong recoil: it had evidently been pulled hard and suffered to escape suddenly, so that the signal should be conveyed beyond the possibility Of error. Ob! now there was no alternative but to depart —to fly!—yes, and with all possible speed Lu- crezia glided towards the door—opened it noise- lessly—and as quickly and as airily did she thread the passage. She opened the right hand door at the end: it communicated with the landing—and she sprang up the narrow staircase that wa3 now before her. She gained the top; and there she beheld a glass-door that looked upon the leads of the house. She opened it and stepped forth. The stars were shining brightly over-head: silence and that silvery light surrounded her. A glance flung all around, showed her in which direction she was to proceed ; for she beheld the spires and towers of several churches the situations of which were com- pletely familiar to her. Oh! the excitement of this escape would have been enhanced up to the very point of madness itself, were it not that it seemed as if she were suddenly breathing the fresh air of freedom after a species of captivity for about six mortal hours in the apartment below ! She continued her way along the leads; and now she reached an attic-window which projected forth as it were from a slanting part of the roof. She must pass in front of this window ; and the feat was somewhat a dangerous one, for it was little that separated her from the edge of the dizzy abyss. She however summoned all her courage to her aid: she knew that she never in her life needed it more than at this present moment. The starlight shone full upon the window; and as Lucrezia was passing it, she glanced into the room to which it belonged. Just heaven! why did she give that terrific start? and why did that wild cry peal forth from her lips? It was because inside that room — indeed close to the window, and facing it as it were, so that the silver lustre of the heavens shone full upon it,—was the portrait of Lucrezia Borgia! A fearful dizziness seized upon the brain of Lucrezia: it whirled in horrible confusion. Every- thing around then appeared suddenly to be grow- ing up to a gigantic size,—attic-windows and chimneys, church-towers and steeples !—it was a phantasmagoria, stupendous and terrible, in which she was involved! And amidst it all the face of Lucrezia Borgia seemea to be gazing upon her !— it was the only object that was clear amidst the countless images that were thronging confusedly and bewilderingly upon her brain. She tottered— and then the horrible consciousness smote her that she was staggering to the very verge of the abyss! The unhappy wretch! she all in a moment became aware that she was losing her footing on that giddy height! With a desperate effort she strove to recover herself—but she could not !—a fearful shriek pealed from her lips and down she fell! : For a few instants the wild screams of Lucrezia di Mirano rent the air; and all the inhabitants of that district of Florence were suddenly startled and horrified by the terrific sounds. The house was so situated that the portion of the roof where Lucrezia had tried to make her way towards the adjacent dwellings, and whence she had fallen, was concealed from the view of those who might hap- pen to be in any of the neighbouring streets ; and thus the agents of the Minister of the Interior, who had been stealthily gathering in the neigh- bourhood of Ramorino’s private residence, sus- pected not that the object of their search had been endeavouring to escape from them. But when those pealing shrieks rang through the air, the agents to whom we have just alluded thundered at the gates of several houses in that quarter—sprang upon the garden-walls—and made rapid researches in every direction, to ascertain what had hap- pened anc where. The neighbours came forth from their dwellings, most of them having been startled from their slumbers; and thus the half- clad forms of men and women were seen huddled together at the street-doors, or grouped upon bal- conies, all wondering what could possibly have happened. But let us again look into the room where we left the Minister of Police with Charles De Vere and Edgar Marcellin. The Minister bad pulled the bell-wire, and the two young men naturally fancied that it was to command the attendance of a servant for the purpose of summoning Lucrezia di Mirano to that apartment. A few minutes elapsed, during which a profound silence reigned in the room—Charles and Edgar anxiously await- ing the presence of the guilty woman,—the Count of Ramorino standing before the fire, with his back towards his two visitors, so that his countenance was concealed from them. “Your summons is not answered, my lord,” Charles De Vere at length said. ““My attendants must be asleep!” ejaculated Ramorino, turning away from the fire-place, “ And it is not astonishing—for the night is far advanced!’ “Ah! what is that P” shriek !” “ Hush!” said Marcellin: and then there were a few moments of breathless suspense. “ Yes! a scream !” ejaculated Edgar. “ Another! and another!” exclaimed Charies. cried De Vere. “aA Comichboo S (©) S| ore