Rose Mortimer; Or, The Ballet-Girl's Revenge — page 20: what you’re looking at

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

12 ROSE MORTIMER ; OR, nnn nn eee EEE yE SESE ESSN ITNT Gimmeemeneeree a eee ann ‘Gentlemen, gentlemen,’”’ he said with a forced smile ; ‘‘ you will not leave me thus? ”’ ‘‘T don’t feel inclined for more play to-night,”’ said Sir Harold, very evidently wishing to avoid meeting bis host’s eye, and moving away as he spoke. ‘Nor I, nor I,’”? muttered the remainder of the company; and now all were on the point of depar- ture, when the count flung himself between them and the door. “Ere you depart, gentlemen,” he said, “‘you will, I trust, give me an assurance of your belief that I was until now totally ignorant of the character of the man whom I had for a guest.”’ ‘Yes, yes; certainly,” said one of the gentlemen nearest to him, though in a hesitating tone. “¢- Your hand upon it, sir.”’ His guest tendered his hand, and the example was followed by the rest, but then, after an awkward silence, all departed, leaving the count slowly pacing to and fro in his deserted drawing-room. A fearful sight was it to see his handsome face dis- torted by passion, as he raised his clenched fists and poured forth a terrible curse upon the head of the luckless swindler captain. ‘This night’s work,” he muttered, “‘can never be undone. No, the first brick of the house has fallen : the secret of my life is no longer safe. But not yet, I swear before Heaven, not yet, if I have life and strength left to me, will I shrink from the course I have determinedupon! No,no! along and glorious career of profligacy and dissipation is still in store for me! Lovely women will yet be found whom my gold shall purchase—lovely women and ruby wine— what care I for more? ”’ As he spoke he filled and drained a goblet of spark- ling champagne, then laughed a low noiseless laugh which was peculiar to him, and in which his cruel eyes took no part. “Sweet Rose!’’ he muttered; ‘‘ you at least shall not escape me! No; if rnin and disgrace stared me in the face—if instant death threatened me—I would not turn away from the course I have laid down! No, Rose; nothing in heaven or earth can save thee. Thou shalt be mine, thou shalt be mine!” CHAPTER V. THE CROWD—THE RESCUE—A NEW HOME—THE BALLET-GIRL’S CAREER—THE FIRST NIGHT— A DEEP-LAID SCHEME—THE FALSE FRIEND— THE ABDUCTION—THE LONELY HOUSE--THE RUFFIAN—FLIGHT—DANGER—THE OLD HAG— IN THE LION’S DEN. WHEN Rose Mortimer recovered from the swoon into which she had fallen after effecting her escape from her brutal assailant, she found a crowd of strangers round her, and a policeman who was endea- vouring to raise her from the ground. Opening her eyes, she gazed around in terror upon the unknown faces pressing upon her. Then, recol- lecting the danger which had so lately menaced her, she shrunk back, and faintly murmured a prayer for mercy. But as she did so a voice, the tones of which seemed familiar to her, bade her not to be alarmed, and, looking up, she saw to her surprise her friend the Scene-painter, Jack Halliday. ‘“Ts it you ?” she asked with a faint smile ; “‘ where am I? Qh, save-me from him !’’ ‘“* Pray do not be agitated, Miss Mortimer ; allow me to see you to your home, and you shall tell me what has occurred upon our way thither.”’ The policeman, at Halliday’s suggestion, obtained a cab, and the scene-painter, having placed his fair charge inside the vehicle, as they travelled onwards listened in’ wonder to the relation of the strange and terrible scene through which she had just passed. ““There seems a fate about our meeting, Miss Mortimer,’’ said Halliday in a voice which, in spite of the effort he made to conceal it, trembled perceptibly ; ‘‘ there is something more than mere chance about it. Would to Heaven, though, I had arrived sooner, so that I might have afforded you more timely assistance ! ” They did not expect to find the clerical scoundrel still lurking about Hugh Mortimer’s lodgings, and when they got back all was silent and deserted. The inhabitants of the low and squalid neighbour- hood and the poverty-stricken house in which Rose and her father dwelt were too well accustomed to brawls and disturbances at all hours of the night to have been more than temporarily aroused by the noise which Rose had made in her flight from Abel Booth. The young girl begged her new friend to wait for her at the door, whilst she proceeded tremblingly up- stairs to see whether or not her father had returned. He was nowhere to be seen, and the rooms pre- sented exactly the same appearance as when she last saw them. What was to be done? ‘You must not think of remaining here,’’ said Jack Halliday; ‘‘ but must allow me to see you to some respectable hotel, where you can stay till the morning, when, perhaps, we may be able to clear up the mystery.” She thankfully took his arm, and they walked along together. Presently he stopped, and said, with a hesi- tating voice— ‘You won’t be offended, I trust, with what I am going to say, Miss Mortimer, but, if I might venture to offer the shelter of my mother’s roof, she will, I am certain, be only too happy to try her best to make you comfortable until you have time to settle your plans for the future.”’ Rose would have refused, but a glance at her friend’s face convinced her of the purity of his intentions, and, going to his mother’s house, she there met with so warm a welcome that from the first moment she felt completely at home and at her ease. At her ease as far as she herself was concerned, but the dreadful anxiety which she felt with regard to the fate of her father rendered her low-spirited and miser- able. The whole particulars of the fearful scene through which she had passed were communicated to the authorities at Scotland Yard, but, though searching inquiries were immediately made by the most experi- enced detectives, nothing was discovered either of Rose’s father or his supposed murderer. And thus a week passed, and the mystery was still unravelled. But the time was soon to come when all would be explained, as the future chapters of this story will shew. In the meanwhile (strange as it may seem, but necessity has no law) our heroine daily attended her theatrical duties. % Very soon Rose became familiar with ballet life. Mr. Flathers was secretly delighted with the notion of his having secured at a very cheap rate indeed the ser- vices of a young creature so exquisitely graceful, and possessing so faultless a form. Her training under Mr. Totts, the ballet-master, began in earnest the first day she joined the Babylo- nian company, and, as perhaps some of our young lady readers may feel curious upon the subject, we will briefly describe the sort of life a ballet-girl goes through before she bursts upon your enraptured sight, a lovely vision, as the premiére danseuse. ECONAAHKELEK EXE) CS COM?!