Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 223: what you’re looking at

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Tt was not, sir. ‘as she had promised you. I almost fancied it was to place herself under your keeping: I hinted as much to her: but with mingled tears and in- dignuation she repelled the suspicion.” “And she Rebellion it truthfully !” ejaculated the nobleman, “I swear to you most solemnly that nothing but friendship subsisted between my- self and Lucy Maitland on those occasions when I thus saw her. Often and often have I since thought of her !—often and often during the twenty years which have since elapsed have I wondered what had become of ber! But I tell you that I had so little faith in human nature that I pictured to myself Lucy Maitland wandering as a depraved creature and as society’s forlorn outcast upon the pavement of London, her good resolves having vanished, if indeed they were ever entertained ; and I should not bave been astonished if I had this night learnt that my evil presages bad proved only too accurate. But enough upon this point ! Let us hope that she has done well in the world.” There was a pause for a few moments, during which Ormsby thought to himself, ‘My useful sym- pathy towards one fellow-creature may have com- pensated in the eyes of heaven for a long night of cynicism, And now,” he said, again addressing the woman before him, “let us proceed to other matters, You are in pecuniary distress. What amount will relieve you P” The debts of Mrs. Maddox, including the rent due to ber landlord, were under sixty pounds ; but she thought she might venture upon naming eighty. “ Here area hundred, ” said Ormsby; and he counted the bank-rotes down on the table. ‘ This sum is your's; and you shall receive a like amount,” he added, riveting his large dark eyes earnestly upon ber, “on the day which sees the conviction | of the villain Timperley for the murder of Mrs Chicklade !” “You mean to do this?” said Mrs. Maddox, half frightened. “ Yes—I mean to do it,” rejoined the nobleman sternly ; “ because society demands that so great a crime should be brought home to its true author- ship and the criminal himself should be punished ! I mean to do it because he suffered an innocent young lady to pasa through the terrific ordeal of accusation, arrest, captivity, and trial; and he would have allowed her to go to the scaffold so long asehe himself was safe! I will do it because although that young lady was acquitted, yet inas- much as the deed itself is still involved in the deepest mysiery, suspicion may in the minds of some continue to attach itself to her, and her guiltlessness never can be completely proven until the real assassin shall have been unmasked and proclaimed before the whole world. These are the reasons for which I wiil doit; and you will aid me—not from any moral considerations, but be- cause you shall be liberally rewarded !” “Tell me what I am to do, sir,’ said Mrs, Maddox, “and | will obey your commands.” “When do you expect Mr. Timperley ?” asked Ormsby. “J desired bim to call upon me this evening or to-morrow evening,” rejoined the woman: “ 1 thought he would rather come to such a house as this at thuse hours when there was the least chance ( AGNES ; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. ! 215 Lucy Maitland went away, of bis being observed by any one who might chance to know him.” ““Well,, then,” said Ormsby, “if be come this evening, let your servant deny you—let hev say that you waited for him, but that as he came not you went out—and let an appointment be made for nine o’clock to-morrow evening. Will you do this ?” ‘“‘T will, sir,” was the reply. “And I suppose that to-morrow evening you will return P” “To-morrow evening I shall be here at half. past eight o'clock, to give you your lesson how to act.” * Do you think, sir—do you think,” asked Mrs, Maddox, “that Mr Timperley’s niece, Mrs. Har- dress, was an accomplice in his crime ?” * Assuredly not,” replied the nobleman. “f have already acquired the certainty that Mr, Tim- perley was seen with the wretched woman Chick- lade, at about the time when she wag so foully murdered.” * But Mrs. Hardress came and purchased the letters of me,” interjected Mrs. Maddox. *There may be two ways of accounting for that circumstance,” said the nobleman. “In the first place her uacle ay have induced her to visit you for that purpose: he may have either confessed his great guilt unto her—or he may have deluded her by speaking of compromising letters which would tend to fix suspicion on him, though all the time he may have averred his innocence and in- duced his niece to believe that he was innocent. Or on the other hand, she herself may have had hor own reasons for coming to purchase those letters ; and by astrange coincidence she may have chanced to find amongst them that very document which so fearfully criminated her unclee But you your- self ought to be able to say something on this point: you had the letters in your pussession—you looked over them———” ‘But only in the most cursory manner,” inter- jected Mrs. Maddox. “I glanced at a few—they were chiefly from youths at the University Asd yet it certainly bas struck me, since I beheld tho portrait of Mrs. Hardress last evening and dis- covered who she was, that the name of Cicely occurred in one or two of those letters. But l cannot be sure—my ideas are confused on the subject “It is no matter,” said Ormsby: “ suspicion does not point to that young lady as the accom- plice of ber uncle—at least not before the fact. That she subsequently became acquainted with his guilt there can be no doubt. And now I am about to take my departure. Be trusty! Attempt not to deceive me! if you think that by giving Mr, Timperley warning of the storm that is gathering, you may obtain a larger bribe than the reward which I shall give you, you will be in error! Within the hour that is passing a detective officer of justice will be set to watch him day and night —to dog his footsteps—to track all his movements, until circumstances shall be sufficiently combined to justify his arrest !” The woman promised tv. maintain the utmost fidelity in the cause which was entrusted to her ; aud Lord Ormsby quitted the house. It was no vain threat to which he had given utterance : he lost not a moment in consulting his friend Mr. Stafford, the Government oificial, who — rn Ghbooks oO (©) im co 5}