Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 336: what you’re looking at

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

828 AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE, may come to me again at this same hour to-morrow night; and you shall then receive the purse of gold, and the requisite disguise to enable you to accomplish your escape out of the Tuscan terri- tory. And now leave me.” Charles De Vere instantaneously extinguished his iamp, and glided noiselessly down the stone steps. With the utmost caution did he close the door at the bottom of the descent; and all thie was effected before the hideous dealer in poisons had emerged from the mirror-contrived door above. Charles groped his way to the room where he had seen the stove and the articles of provender; and there he stationed himself, having closed the door. Ina few moments his ear caught the sound of the shutting of the door at the bot- tom of the staircase; and he now knew that it must have been the noise which had startled him when he was about to destroy the documents in the hall of assemblage. The hag was now ap- proaching: he heard her footsteps—a light glim- mered through the chinks of the door of the room —then the door itself opened—and the woman appeared with a candle in her hand. “Not a word! not acry!” exclaimed our hero, Suddenly emerging from behind the door as La Do\fina was entering. So startled was she that if he had not clutched nt the candle it would have fallen from her grasp ; but when she beheld a very young and remarkably bandsomo man, and also perceived by his accent that he was not an Italian, she at once felt con- viaced that this must be the new Count of Came. rino—and she somewhat recovered her presence of mind. “YT know you!” Charles went on to gay. are the vile poison-vender of Florense.” “And you are the Lord Count of Camerino,’ replicd the woman, “ who escaped from amidst the Tuscan soldiery at Leghorn.” ‘You have about you a phial, and some drug or other article which has just been placed in your hand. Give them up to me!” added the young Count sternly. La Dolfina now looked frightened, for it natu- rally struck her that her recent discourse with the Princess must have been overheard. ‘Give me those things, I repeat!” exclaimed Charles, with almost a fierce impatience. * Remember, my lord,” said the woman, ina voice which trembled despite all her endeavours to assume a bold look of defiance,—“ remember, my lord, we are in each other’s power ‘i “Silence, wretch! and give me the phial and the drug! \ ejaculated the young Count, stamping his foot impatiently. With quivering hands La Dolfina produced a little toilet-bottle, and a small packet enveloped in a blue paper,—saying at the same time, “If you have heard anything, my lord, you must not judge me too harshly.” “ Silence, woman!’ interrupted our hero: ‘“*speak only when I question you!” He turned towards the cupboard, and took forth the bundle of herbs which he had previously seen there. Qpening the lid of the stove, he threw therein those herbs and that little packet which he had received from the woman: he then broke up some bits of the dry wood; and drawing back the ventilator, he soon beheld the flames rising up in “You now the stove, the funnel or pipe of which communt- cated with one of the chimneys of the edifice. “‘ Now, vile woman,” said our hero, “ the means for brewing your devilish compounds are destroyed. You will remain here a prisoner, until I shall have made up my mind how to dispose of you.” “Suffer me to depart, my lord!” cried La Dob fina, falling upon her knees; “ and I swear that I will not betray you, nor the ladies that are with ou !”’ “T make no terms with you—and I take my own precautions,” said Charles. ‘ Remain here, I repeat. You shall be provided with food.” While thus speaking, he had lifhted his lamp: and he had previously noticed that there was a massive bolt outside the door, so that he was not. speaking at random when he bade the woman ree main a prisoner there. She threw herself with a moan upon the heap of wood; and she gave vent to piteous lamentations as Charles withdrew from her presence. But when once the door was closed upon her, she either ceased to abandon herself to useless demonstrations of grief, or else the mas- siyeness of the door itself beat back the sounds of her mingled rage and woe, Charles now bent his steps along the corridor, towards the hall of assembly: but scarcely had he opened the door when he was startled on beholding a light in the middle of the apartment, and atthe same instant he became aware of the presence of three individuals muffled in cloaks. “De Vere!” ejaculated one; and it struck our hero that the voice was familiar to him. But not another moment had he for reflection: for like three tigers springing upon one and the same prey, did the men fly at hin—the lamp was wall—and consciousness abandoned him. As he gradually awoke to his senses, he became: aware that he was in utter darkness, and he expe- rienced a pain at the back of his head. Presently, as his recollections began to arrange themselves in his mind, and he felt about for the lamp, his hand encountered the hilt of a dagger, which proved to be sticking through the lapel of his coat. It was not the poniard he had brought with him, for this latter lay by his side. He felt to ascertain if he were wounded by the first-mentioned dagger; but he was not. He now comprehended what had happened. The force with which he had been hurled down, had stunned him: but one of the villains had evidently dealt a blow with the dagger at him, at the same time—and then as he lay mo- tionless and no sound was heard from his lips, it was naturally at once concluded that he had been stabbed to the heart. Having discovered the lamp, Charles lighted is by means of the materials he had brought with him for the purpose: the globe was smashed—it was otherwise injured—but fortunately all the oil had not run out. Clutching his own long dagger in one hand, and holding the lamp in the other, Charles proceeded to reconnoitre. All was silent. The lantern, candle, or lamp—whatever it were which the three men had with them—was gone; and Charles felt almost convinced that they had departed altogether from the subterranean. A sudden thought struck him. He glanced towards the stone in the centre of the pavement; anda cry of rage escaped him, as he perceived that Comichboo nn} S dashed from his hand—he was hurled against tle | | | (©) 5}