Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 243: what you’re looking at

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

: AGNES; OB, BEAUTY AND PLFEASURR. at which one he was stopping, or whether indeed he was still tarrying in Florence at all;—and tho seen Mr. De Vere was when the Barringtons were .at the eetublisbment ; thought, he said that Mr. De Vere had subse- quently called upon you.” “Yes—I think he did—most likely he did,” said Cicely: and she looked slightly confused. “TI believe, Mrs, Hardress,” continued Lord Ormsby, “that Charles De Vere is an admirable young man—well-principled —right. minded—and high spirited ? You are aware that he is engaged to our mutual friend Agnes ?” “The young lady in whom you are 80 deeply interested,” said Cicely, in a musing tone; for she was revolying in her mind an idea which had just strack her. “Oh, yes!” exclaimed Ormsby; “I am indeed interested in Agnes Evelyn !—so deeply interested that notwithstanding all the good accounts I have heard of young De Vere, I could not think of sanctioning his euit in respect to Agnes [ mean I could not as Miss Evelyn's friend counte- nance it, unless by personal inquiries and re- searches I should have obtained the completest corroboration of all the eulogies which have thus reached my ears.” “ Does De Vere know you?” asked Cicely. “ He has never seen me,” replied Lord Ormsby. “ Ho has heard of me, just in the same way as you have done, through the medium of Agnes. But he is not aware that I am at all interested in Agnes: he is even ignorant that I am acquainted with her: for to tell you the truth, Mrs. Hardress, 1 bade Agnes abstain from mentioning the sub- ject in the last letter which she wrote to Charles : because ——” “JT understand you, Mr. Hargrave !’” exclaimed Cicely : “it was because you intended to prosecute your inquiries into Charles De Vere’s character secretly and privately, before you should suffer him to learn that you were at all interested in the matter.” Precisely so,” answered Ormsby. ‘Therefore you will oblige me by not mentioning to Mr. De Vere, if he should again call upon you ie “ Ho will not again call upon me, Mr. Har- grave,” said Cicely, with a tone and look which showed that there was a deep meaning in her words ; for her mind was now fully made up how she should act in respect to the idea which had ere bow strack her. “ He will not call here again?” said Lord Ormsby, catching at the lady’s words. “No, sir. I should think not—and I should hope not,” she replied, with a significant em- hasis. “Mrs. Hardrese,” said Lord Ormsby, “ if you know anything in reference to Charles De Vere, I beseech that you will not conceal it from me! By your friendship for Agnes I adjure you to be candid and explicit!” “ One word, Mr. Hargrave!” said Cicely. “ Some time ago my husband fought a duel with Charles De Vere it was however before he was my husband atill if I said anything against Mr. De Vere, it might possibly be thought that it was a species of vengeance I was wreaking on Heotor’s beLalf ‘ | Ormsby. jandlord answered me that the last time he had | surdity. and then, on a second tial,” resumed Cicely, “Impossible, Mrs. Hardress !” ejaculated “ No one could conceive such an ab- I beseech you to be candid with me!” “Tf the communication be considered confiden- “T can have no objection indeed, as you have said, fur the sake of my dear friend it becomes a veritable duty ; nnd therefore, Mr. Hargrave, relying upon your honour as a gentleman not to compromise me in any way, I will tell you what I know. It is all connected with those Barrringtons “Ah!” ejaculated Ormsby: “to tell you the truth I did not like the aspect of the affair when I heard ere now from the landlord of this hotel that Gustavus Barrington left his wife in the night-time, and that the very next morning Charles De Vere came and took her away. Was this really so?” “Tt was actually so,” responded Mrs. Hardress. “There was a terrible scene betwixt Gustavus Barrington and his quadroon wife; and if it had not been for my timely intervention, murder would have been committed. The young man left his wife at once, and at an early hour in the morning Mrs. Barrington entreated me to send and fetch Mr. De Vere. I did s0,—thinking that it was to a friend that the quadroon was about to appeal, and little dreaming that it was a paramour whom in her desperation she was invoking !” “Good heavens! poor Agnes !’’ murmured Lord Ormsby. ‘ And De Vere came at once ad “ He lost not a moment,” pursued Cicely : “ he was here instantanevusly ; and I regret to add, Mr. Hargrave, that it was in the most shameless manner he took the quadroon away with him. Yea—leaving the man-servant behind to pack up bis master’s effects ! “Good God!” ejaculated Ormsby, deeply affected, ‘ that a young man of whom I was in- clined to think so highly, should prove so profli- gate and unprincipled !—Ab,” he mentally added, “ it is sufficient to plunge me back again into that cynicism which made me mistrust all human nature !” “And then, would you believe it, Mr. Har- grave ?” continued Cicely, inwardly rejoicing at the signal revenge she was thus wreaking upon De Vere—* would you believe it ? the depraved young man dared to call upon me the very day after he had taken another’s wife under his protection ! And it was not until then that I became fully aware of his great iniquity: but when the dis. couree naturally turned upon the affair of the Bar- ringtons, he gave vent to expressions which smote me with the conviction that he was the author of the entire mischief.” “ There is consequently no possibility of error or misconception ?’ said Ormsby in a sorrowful tone. “ Alas, no, Mr Hargrave!” replied Cicely : the case is only too transparent. Indeed, Charles De Vere—while admitting the other day in my presence that jealousy on the part of Gustavus was the origin of the quarrel—expressed his own bitter regret that he himself had got involved in such a dilemma.” “ A dilemma indeed !” ejaculated Ormaby. “Oh! this isa sad tale for me to bear toAgnes Evelyn! Do you know whether Gustavus Bar- riogton hav gone to Hagland?” ” Ghboo <SHIGO inn