Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 375: what you’re looking at

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

en ee AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. unaer the half-exposed archway of a cellar, sat ki»guso and Spezzi,—their countenances beingre- vealed by the light of a lantern which stood between them on the ground. ** Sh! who comes P” they both ejaculated, almost simultaneously, as the sounds of footsteps reached their ears; and epringing to their feet, they at once produced their pistols, which they pointed up towards the aperture. “ Priends!” replied Stefano: and then he em- phatically added, “* Carlo Alberto’s letters!” This being the watchword agreed upon amongst the friends for the insurance of their safety in the present perilous position of effairs. “Ab, Voitura P”’ said Raguso, dropping the muzzle of his pistol. ‘But whom have you in your company P”’ “One whom you will rejoice to bail in the sphere of renewed activity,” responded Voitura, as he pri ffered his arm to assist the Princess to de- scend the steps “Ah! her Highness ?” cried Spezzi. come, signora!” “JT rquire no aid to surmount the difficulties of this descent,” she said to Voitura, from whose speech to the two others she at once took the cue of the part which she had to perform. ‘TI feel not now as a lady requiring courteous attentions and delicate ministrations—but as a woman who re- members what she was at the Spartivento Palace, and who is prepared for every hardship or peril, difficulty or danger, no matter how great or how severe, so long as there be a chance of adopting fresh measures in the interest of the good cause.” “By all the saints,” ejaculated Raguso, “ it is refreshing to heer such language as this! Wel- come, Princess! You were ever one to whom we all looked up as a leader—for we love heroines as well, as berves; and doubtless the time will suon return when we shall again be assembled with numbers of our friends in sulemn conclave, to dis- cuss the fate of Italy.” Voitura and the Princess bad by this time cescended the steps; and the entire party of four persons were soon seated together under the arch. *“ What news in Sienna?” asked Raguso. “Nothing worthy of mention,” replied Voitura, “has occurred since the condemnation of young Camerino to death upless it be that I have had the honour of a lony conference with her Highness, and we have come to the conclusion that ye two, my friends, may have been right, after all, in declining to give up the correspond- ence of Charles Albert.” “Yes,” added the Princess; “on dispassion- ately envisagifig the matter, I could not blame you.” “TI am glad to receive these assurances,” ex- elaimed Raguso, “If the young Count had been atrue friend to the cause, heaven knows how ready we should have feit to save his lite! But as matters stand, what object have we * “None!” answered Vuitura. “This is certainly the fact.” “Ab! you have found it out when the momen- tary en*husiasm of your false generosity base sub- sid:d!” observed Raguso, with a smile, “The young Count was not with us—and consequently he would bave been against us. He would not have “ Wel- LE IO A I LCG LT th 367 employed for the true advancement of Italian intes rests the immense fortune which the late Count be- queathed unto him! He would not have permitted the brethren to hold their secret conclaves in the subterranean of his country-mansion !—but, on the contrary, be suffered the secret of those places to be revealed to the sbirri when La Dolfina was given up to justice For who but he eould have prompted your Highness’ sister to denounce the hiding-place of the old woman? However, to be brief, there was no single circumstance which > served to plead with me on that young man’s behalf,” “ Nor with me,” added Spezzi. “And mow,” said Voitura, “let us depart from that topic. Even if there were a momentary misunderstanding on the point, it ia all settled and arranged “ * And I must observe,” interjected Raguso, “that you, my dear Voitura, acted as a good member of the brutherhood and as a straivht- forward consistent liberal, when you yielded with- out another syllable of remonstrance to the de- cision unto which Signor Spegzi and myself deemed it expedient to arrive.” “ T need hardly assure you,’ said Voitura, “that the mowent I represented to the Privcvss the decision to which yourself and Spezzi had come, she at once bowed to it;—and then it was that on calmer discussion, we were almost com- pelled to arrive at the conviction that you had reason on your side.” ** Who can tell,” exclaimed Spegzi, “ of what im- portance the fact of possessing these documents may prove P—of infinitely greater benefit to the good cause than the saving of a comparatively worthless life! And now tell us—did anything particular transpire curing the trial ?” * Nothing except those particulars which were known to you before you took your departure from the hotel 1n Sienna.” * Doubtless the authorities,” said Raguso, “ will endeavour to obtain from young Cawmerino a list of the names of all who served in the late en- terprise, together with descriptions of their persons P” ‘No doubt of it,’ said Voitura; “and there- fore it will be expedient for us to remain secreted here until after tne execution to-morrow, when we shall be enabled to learn precisely to what ex- tent the young Count will have compromised us, or whether be bave done go at all.” “And your sister, signora?” said Raguso, ad- dressing the Princess: “may I venture to ask if there be any hope that the Countess di Milazzo will return to the allegiance of that good cause from which, as we learnt through Vuitura, she was seduced away by the wiles and caresses of the young Eoglishman P” ‘Do not speak to her Highness concerning her sister!” said Voitura, in a solemn tone. “ Yuu may suppose bow painful it was for her Highness to be compelled by a sense of duty to surrender up ber sister to the grasp of the law,—or at least to determine upon so surrendering ber — for of course her Highness could not have foreseen that the Countess was prepared with the means ef saving berselt.” “1 love the good cause,” said the Princesa, “better than everything else in the world. 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