Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 332: what you’re looking at

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

324 AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE, and in a secret drawer he found a sealed packet addressed simply, “To my HErR.” The first impulse of the young Count was to hasten to Signor Palmas and show him the packet ; but the old notary at once said, “ You must not break that seal, my lord, in my presence. There is 60 much secrecy in respect to the way in which the packet was disposed of, that it can only ba for the eyes of the heir to glance over its contents, Re- turp, my lord, to the library ; and in the solitude thereof ascertain what instructions your deceased benefactor has left you. If they be of a secret character, breathe not another syllable on the sub- ject to me; and rest assured that I shall ask your lordship no impertinent questions.” Charles accordingly sped back to the library; and locking himself in, he opened the packet. It contained a letter addressed like the superscription on the envelope—“ To my heir;” and then fol- lowed these lines, written in the well-known hand of the Count of Camerino :— “Tt is proper and needful that whosoever be- comes the master of this mansion, should be ac- quainted with its mysteries. Inthe boudoir of the suite of Crimson Apartments, there is an immense mirror which reaches to the floor. The gilt frame is carved to represent wreaths and festoons of flowers as well as of vines laden with grapes. If you press hard upon the centre of the large rose on the left-hand side of the frame, at the same time pressing upon the lowest grape of the bunch nearest above that rose, the effect will be to make the entire mirror itself open asif it were a door. It is unnecessary to give directions in respect to the opening of this door from inside of the passage with which it communicates, inasmuch as the spring is visible and easily discovered. * But now to another point. In the back garden, close by the large conservatory, there isa summer- house, with a table standing in the middle. Look underneath: and exactly facing the northern side of the summer-house, you will perceive what at first appears to be a large knot in the solid leg of the table. Press upon it hard with the ball of the thumb—the table will turn round and reveal an opening. By these means you may reach the subterraneans communicating with the staircase and passages leading to the mirror-contrived door. “The mystery of these contrivances may some day or another be serviceable: — who can tell ? Therefore let not the secret be lightly revealed ; but rather let it be treasured up in your own breast, to be confided only to those whom circum- stances may point out. Indeed, you must not cuppose that you are now the sole depositor of this secret. It is known to several; but with them it is safe. If you understand my meaning, well and good: but if it be otherwise, you need not by any means seek to learn it.” Such were the contents of the document which so singularly fell into the possession of our hero. It bore no signature; but as we have already said, it was in the well-known handwriting of the late Count of Camerino. And Charles did compre- hend that nobleman’s meaning, The subter- raneans. entered by means of an aperture disclosed by a turning-table—all this was not quite new to him; and ne had recently experienced at the Spar- tivento Palace in Turin sufficient to enable him to understand why there were such hidden places in the mansion which had now become his own pro- perty. He was about to fold up the letter, when his eye caught a direction at the bottom, to “ turn over ;” and he perceived that there was writing on the otherside. This ran in the following strain: — “Under the central stone in the large subter- ranean hall, there is a tin box containing a number of letters. To me, so long as I live, they are valuable, inasmuch as they were penned by the hands of patriots whose noble example inspires me with additional courage and perseverance on be- half of the grand cause to which I have devoted myself. But when I shall be no more, it will be- come needless to preserve those letters: indeed it were more prudent to destroy them; for by an accident might their existence possibly become known—and in this case they would compromise those whom I love and with whom I have acted. Therefore, to you, my heir, do I assign the task of destroying those documents within the shortest convenient period after this packet shall have fallen into your hands.” We need hardly inform our readers that Charles determined to obey the instructions of his bene- factor; and he resolved that in the silence of the ensuing night his visit should be paid to the sub- terranean. But while he was reflecting on the subject, it occurred to him that the suite of Crim- son Apartments had been allotted to the Princess of Spartivento. It was therefore in her boudoir that the mirror-door existed; but little did our hero think that she was already well acquainted with the mystery. “TI will penetrate thither,” he said to himeelf, “by means of the entrance from the summer- house.” , He locked up the papers in the bureau, and de- scended from the library into the garden, that he might inspect the particular summer-house to which allusion has just been made. He discovered the key to the secret spring; but he now pushed his investigations no further, reserving them for the hours when darkness should be upon the scene, As he was now clad in his mourning, Charles be- thought himself of the fulfilment of a duty which he owed to the memory of the deceased Count ;~ and this was to visit the tomb which the Marquis of Ortona had ordered to be raised over the resting-place of the departed in the church of the adjacent town. Indeed the monument had only been completed the day before: and Charles had received an intimation to this effect from Signor Palmas. Towards the sacred edifice did he repair; the church door stood open, for the sexton was engaged in sweeping it out. The munument was soon found; and there stood our hero for some moments, praying inwardly and with deepest de- votion for the eternal welfare of him to whom he was so much indebted. The sexton judged who he must be by his mourning raiment and by his at- titude at that tomb; and it had moreover been rumoured through the town that the new Count of Camerino had arrived to take possession of his estate. The sexton waited till Charles left the neighbourhood of the monument: then the old —<$_——_— ——- -—__ ee Eee MIC DOOKS (©) S|