Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 172: what you’re looking at

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

164 AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. Hardress family were thereP Indeed, they are still there, for the ball is now commencing.” “ And you have left that scene of gaiety on my account, M. Marcellin ?” said Ciprina, half bitterly, half tenderly. “I am very sorry that you should have done so. Of course I could not expect an invitation to the Embassy,—I who have to deplore a reputation which is tarnished if not altogether ruined!” “Do not speak in such a strain as this, Ciprina!” interrupted Marcellin. “As a matter of course, I redeemed my promise by stealing away from the entertainment as soon as I could, and coming hither to see you. Was it not my duty? dol not owe you my life? Think you that I can ever forget the ministering care I received at your hands,—and how your own life was risked while thus tending me beneath the roof of that vile woman who :s now no more! But you wear a singular look this evening, Ciprina!”’ continued the young Frenchman: and he himself now experi- enced certain feelings of uneasiness, for he felt that the time was at hand when he must come to a full explanation with the young lady. “Well,” she ejaculated, her countenance sud- denly clearing up, and its expression becoming joyous and unrestrained as was its wont, “ since you have come on purpose to see me, and have torn yourself away from such pleasant society, I must not seem dull or miserable in your presence ! But do give me some details of to-day’s investi- gation P” “Ah! I had almost forgotten,” replied Mar- cellin, “that I had not seen you since ten o’clock this morning.” “And then you were on your way,” said Ci- prina, “to the Judge’s residence; and I told you that when next we met, I felt confident I should be enabled to congratulate you on your character being fully cleared up.” | “Yes! and you may congratulate me, my dear Ciprina,” exclaimed Edgar; “for there exists not the breath of a suspicion against me !” “Oh! I do congratulate you, M. Marcellin !— most sincerely! most sincerely!” repeated the young lady, with a tone of fervour. “Twice you have called me M. Marcellin within these five minutes,” observed Edgar; “may I ask you why you address me in these formal terms r” “Tis nothing! I will tell you presently !” re- sponded the young lady. “But pray give me some description of the day’s proceedings. You really seem to forget that I was not present at the investigation, and that I know nothing more of it than what rumour has circulated. I however pre- sume that it must have lasted until a late hour; or else either you or Mr. De Vere would have called, if only for a moment, to give mea few details.” “Tt lasted until five o’clock, Ciprina,” inter- jected Marcellin; “and then De Vere and myself had only just time to perform our toilets for the banquet which was to take place. I told you in the morning that I thought this might possibly be the case—and that if I could not come to you before the dinner, I would be sure to be with you in the evening. So here I am, faithful to my pledge, and ready to give you the fullest details of everything which took place before the Judge.” * Proceed,” said Ciprina; “for, as you may easily suppose, I am stil? much interested in everything which is connected with the wondrous melodrama that has now drawn to an end.” “It was a sort of private investigation,” re- sumed Edgar, “and took place in private apart. ments, and not in a court of justice itself. I repeated to the Judge all that I had heard from the lips of Lisetta in England; and then I explained how it was that I came to Florence for the purpose of bringing home the foul crime of Giulio’s murder to its authoress. Bernardo the groom was examined; and he deposed to the fact that the Marchioness di Mirano went out upon her steed in a secret and stealthy manner, and dressed in masculine costume, on that very evening of Giulio’s assassination. The costume was pro- duced before the Judge, and Bernardo identi- fied it as the same which the Marchioness wore on the occasion referred to. In the breast-pocket of the surtout coat, some grains of gunpowder were discovered. I likewise produced the pistol which Lisetta had marked—and the flask of gun- powder, the top of which had come off when it had been hurriedly tossed into the drawer. And then I proceeded to relate how the Marchioness had stabbed me, and how I was indebted to you for the salvation of my life. I failed not to describe how the Marchioness sought to take us both off by poison:—in a word, I told the Judge everything! Antonia gave her evidence in respect to the con- cluding scenes which had occurred at the Mirano mansion; and Signor Paoli likewise gave his own testimony.” “Did he mention how he flung the purse through the window of the ball-room ?” inquired Ciprina. “Neither he, nor myself, nor any one who was examined,” responded Marcellin, “ omitted a single detail which in any way bore upon the case. Charles De Vere was equally candid in describing how he was carried away into captivity.” “ Ah! then, doubtless the Count of Ramorino is seriously compromised ?” exclaimed Ciprina. “Most seriously,” rejoined Marcellin. “ You may depend upon it I did not spare him; for I did not forget how he caused yourself and De Vere to be carried off, nor how he issued a warrant for murder against myself. Well, then, we proved him to be an accomplice of the Marchioness di Mirano’s to a certain extent: we showed by cir- cumstantial evidence that it could have been only at the instigation of the Marchioness he had ordered Paoli to leave Tuscany; while the produc- tion of the billet which he had written to Lucrezia in the Vale of Arno, stating how you and your companion at the time had been borne away into imprisonment = “Ab! that letter was criminatory indeed {7 ejaculated Ciprina. ‘“ But, by the bye, I forgot to ask whether the Count of Ramorino was present during the investigation ?” “Yes,” replied Marcellin. “It was by the Grand Duke’s own special order that he attended the inquiry. The French and English Ambas- sadors were also present. But in respect to Ra- morino, the old proverb was fulfilled, which says that it never rains but it pours: for not merely did he stand accused of having exercised his power as a Minister fur the most despotic and infamous purpuses, but it was represented by the steward of lNOOLK (@) ons