Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 50: what you’re looking at

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

— ~~ 42 AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. receive the Count of Ramorino with smiles, there was a perfect hellin her heart. A thousand times in the course of that day and the preceding one had she asked herself how it was possible that Edgar Mareellin and Ciprina could have escaped the effects of the poison? She knew—or at least she hsd been well assured by La Dolfina, of whom she bad purchased it, that it was speedy in its opera- : tion, and inevitable in its effects: she had poured» some drops into every decanter, glass, and jug containing liquids in the chambers which she had | stealthily ‘visited—and could it be supposed that | by some strange accident none of those beverages | had been touched by the lips of the intended | victims? This indeed was the only solution of | the mystery on which the Marchioness could at all | vousness which revealed the ivory whiteness of the teeth. settle her mind—the only reasonable conjecture | which her imagination could conjure up. And yet there was a certain vague, uneasy idea floating | in her mind, that this was not the veritable ex- planation of the affair—but that something else lay behind the veil which she could neither lift with her hand nor penetrate with her eyes. But during these two whole days she had not sought to procure other poison—she had not visited La Dolfina to seek an explanation, if possible, of the mystery :—she had waited and waited in the last faint hope that some decanter or jug the contents of which might not have been thrown away or changed, would yet produce the desired effect. But no! Down to the moment when the Mar- cbioness left her town-mansion to pay this present visit to her villa in the Vale of Arno, that hope remained unfulfiled—KEdgar Marcellin and Ciprina both lived! Without entering for the present into a deeper auslysis of Lucrezia di Mirano’s thoughts, specu- lations and fears, we may presume that the reader _ ean have no possible difficulty in comprehending how unsettled was her mind, and how perplexed | ' she was to conceive in what manner all her em- barrassments would end. At length the Count di | _ Ramorino, Minister of Police, was announced ; and | then all in a moment the spirits of the "“Mar- | ebioness rose—she felt as if she were under the influence of a powerful protection; and that with a friend to screen her from all difficulty and pro- | tect her from all enemies, she might defy every- | thing and everybody. The Count had long been enamoured of tke Alarchioness of Mirano—he had long striven to) obtain her favours; his passion had been excited | by the very obstacles its gratification had en- | countered—his desires had derived an additional zest from the same cause. And now the hour of his success and triumph had arrived—the moment of | his happiness was at hand! Never had he seen Lucrezia di Mirano to greater advantage—never in his eyes had she appeared more ravishingly handsome! All nneasiness—all traces of sinister passions had vanished from her countenance: her looks were full of love and tenderness and volup- tuous-languor. The Count of Ramorino folded her again and again in his arms—he fastened his lips to hers—and while bestowing the most pas- sionate kisses, he received the most deliciously voluptuous ones in return. They sat down together at the table: Lucrezia poured out wine; and every gesture, every more- ment which she made, gave new effect to the charms of her person,—now riveting the attention ef the Count upon the lovely white hand, with the long tapering fingers, and the almond-sheped nails with their natural pinkiness far more pel- lucid and beautiful than the henna-tinted nails of oriental beauties,—then displaying the well- rounded and symmetrically shaped arm, bare almost to the shoulder,—or else affording a still more complete view of the gorgeous treasures of | the bust than the low-bodied dress was wont te | disclose! And then too, as Lucrezia preffered to the Count the glass which she had filled, she bent upon him those blue eyes which seemed to swim in a soft sensuous languor—and she smiled toe with a sensuous significancy and a sly mischie- Altogether the amorous Count had every reason to be charmed, fascinated, and enrap- tured with her in whose society he thus found ‘himself, seated at that table covered with ail delicacies, and in that exquisitely furnished apartment where the atmosphere was warm and perfumed. “Let me not omit to thank you, my dear Count,” said the Marchioness, in the course of conversation, “for the promptitude with which you attended to my request in reference to that dangerous Neapolitan Ob, I beseech you, dearest Lucrezia,” inter- rupted the Minister of Police, “not to take the trouble of expressing a syllable of thanks on account of such a trifle! The fellow was turnea out of Florence at an early hour of the morning of the day before yesterday; and some of my most zealous officers saw him on the high road to Lucca,—at the same time giving him the strictest injunctions not to be again found in the Tuscan territories on pain of the severest punishment.” * And if he were to disobey your orders?” in- quired the Marchioness. “ Ah! at his peril he will do it !” ejaculated the Count. “ My sbirri failed not to threaten him with eternal immurement in some fortress amongst the Appenines—at Barberino or Bagno——” “Oh, how sweet it must be to exercise such power!” said the Marchioness, with a certain de- gree of emphasis, though in a low tone—for she was rather musing to herself than intending to speak to be overheard by her companion. “Tt is sweet to possess power,” replied the Count, “in order that it may be exercised on be- half of those whom one loves. Ah, dearest Lu- erezia! if there were ever a moment when I felt thatit was really worth while to undertake the cares of office for the sske of enjoying whatsoever advantages the position ing the mandates that were dictated by your wishes! And as I observed to you the other evening, it would afford me infinite delight to have an opportunity of proving my devotion in some manner far more important than this comp tively trivial and insignificant affair in which my services have just been rendered available.” “You are all kindness and all generosity,” said the Marchioness, bestowing of her own accord a tender caress upon her companion. “ And you, Lucrezia,” murmured the Count, in @ Voice that was half stifled by the ecstatic emo- tions which he experienced,—* Oh! you are glori- ously handsome! I would do anything for you! affords, it was when issue_ COMMUCLIOOLKSS nn} (E(0)