Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 91: what you’re looking at

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

AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. “Yes, signora,” replied Charles. “A thousand, thousand thanks for all this that you are doing on my account !” Our hero was already upon the sill of the win- dow as he thus expressed his gratitude: the next moment he was lowering himself down by the rope. Signora Belluno dared not remain another instant in the dressing-room,—no, not even to watch the progress of De Vere from the little yard beneath the window into the larger yard adjoining. But she left the window open: in short, she suffered everything alike in the dressing-room and the bed- ebamber to remain in the state of confusion into which her proceedings had thrown those apart- ments, because she would have presently her own tale to tell. Taking away the candle from the dressing-room and extinguishing the light in the chamber, she sped back to the sitting-apartment where we first introduced her to the reader. She found no one there: she hurried out upon the landing, for the purpose of descending the stairs into the lobby, with the ostensible object of making inquiries whether the escaped prisoner was recap- tured, but in reality that she might show herself somewhere at that crisis. But on the landing she encountered Father Falconara, who was _ just emerging from his own apartments. He had put on another ecclesiastical suit which he possessed : his looks were composed,-—but his cheeks were perhaps even paler than was tneir wont. *« Ah, reverend sir!” exclaimed Sigaora Belluno, “how rejoiced I am to perceive that you have suf- fered comparatively so little from the diabolical outrage !” “T thank you, signora, for your generous sym- pathy,” responded the ecclesiastic. ‘Do you know whether the prisoner has effected his escape, or whether he is retaken?” he quietly asked. “JT know nothing, holy sir!” eried the lady. -“T was coming forth to put the same question! My husband has been sent for But perhaps he has come P—perhaps you have seen him?” “No, signora,” rejoined the priest. “I have been in my own apartments, resuming a suitable apparel.” “Ab, yes! the villain stripped you of your upper raiment, I am told—and bound you hand and foot—and gageed you !”—but Signora Belluno ' had already noticed that the gagging process had not in the slightest degree injured Father Fal- conara’s beautiful teeth. At this moment the door at the bottom of the staircase opened; and Captain Belluno made his appearance, accompanied by his daughter,—a rather nice-looking girl, of about fifteen or sixteen, and who possessed a figure which had all the just- ness of symmetry without the voluptuous fulness of her mother’s shape. What tidings, my dear husband?” inquired Signora Belluno, who was now playing her part with considerable tact and ability. “Tf the young fellow is still within the castle walls, he must be speedily recaptured,” responded the Governor; “and from everything I can learn, J do not possibly think he could have got outside the gates. However, | have ordered that no one should be allowed to pass without giving the watch-word In short, I have taken every pre- caution.” | 83 stooped to pick it up—for she felt that the ghastli- est pallor came over ber countenance as she heard the announcement that no one could pass the gatea without the watch-word ! With lightning rapidity she calculated that her husband must have been af least some minutes inside the castle—if not longer —in receiving explanations and giving his orders; and those orders would therefore be in time enough to frustrate her scheme at its very last step and bar the outer gates effectually against the escaped prisoner ! But while the lady is making every effort to re- gain her self-possession and wield a strong control over her feelings—while her daughter is plying her rapid questions in respect to the circumstances of the escape from the cell, little suspecting how- ever that her mother could, if she chose, relate all subsequent particulars,—and while Captain Belluno is expressing to Father Falconara his sympathy for the outrage which was experienced by the young priest—we will see how it was faring with Charles De Vere. Having glided down the rope from the dressing- room window, and safely alighted in the little yard below, Charles quickly found his way to the cistern, upon which he clambered. As Signora Belluno had intimated, he found that by the succour of this cistern he was enabled to climb the boundary- wall into the next yard. Lanterns were thero being hurried to and fro—oscillating like meteors in the darkness; and thus Charles had to select a particular moment to let himself over the wall into | the yard, so as to escape the danger of having the light of one of those lanterns suddenly turned upon him. Keeping beneath the black shado thrown by the wall, he flung his looks in every di- rection, in search of the woman Ursula. Ab! there she was !—and sure enough, she was holding a horse by the bridle! Charles glided towards her, and whispered in her ear— Twenty-nine !” She beheld the form emerging from the depths of the surrounding darkness:—for a moment she thought it was that of the Governor himeelf, and she was about to give vent to an ejaculation, when the words “ Twenty-nine” were thus whispered in her ear. “ Mount !” she said. ‘‘ Quick! quick !—and away with you to that gate through which you see half-a-dozen horsemen now pressing !” Charles was on the horse’s back in a moments he received a whip from the woman’s hand; and the next instant he was passing through the gate- way to which she had alluded. He was now in the principal court-yard of the castle,—the one which the postchaise had entered and where he and Ciprina had therefrom alighted in the morning. He was just behind the half-dozen horsemen who had preceded him when issuing forth from the stable-yard: he was careful not to get sufficiently far into their midst to stand the 'ehance of being recognised by any sudden light ‘flashing upon his countenance ; and he was like- wise cautious enough not to remain so far in the rear as to cause any particular attention to be riveted upon himself. The night was as black as pitch ; and the only lights which were to be seen in the outer court-yard were at the great gates. Everything appeared to be progressing favour: ably ; and Charles felt as if his escape was already Signora Belluno dropped her kerchief and hastily | as good as ensured when he heard the foremost of oo See we Se rn rer mae oe ee ae eee ete es nn) S — ee —™S—S DN eee ee S|