The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 290: what you’re looking at

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276 THE YOUNG DUCHESS, OR, MEMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY. the windows Good heaven! if Mandeville should be groaning beneath one of them!—now towards the couch Ah! and thence on towards an immense mahogany wardrobe of magnificent workmanship, in which some of the robes and dresses of the young Duchess were suspended. Mrs. Quinlan was opening the doors of that ward- robe; and now all in amoment a terrible suspicion flashed to our heroine’s mind. Did Mrs. Quinlan actually conjecture that there was something wrong ? and was it on this account she was making the search under a pretence of doing so for the mere purpose of satisfying the Dowager-Duchess ? A ghastly pallor seized upon the countenance of the frail patrician lady as these thoughts struck her; and then, as if this blow were not sufficient to overwhelm her, she fancied that the sound of a low quick whisper passing in the next room reached her ear. She was ready to sink under the weight of a thousand terrors, when Mrs. Quinlan came from the sleeping-apartment. ‘“‘There, my dear ma’am,” she said to the Dowager-Duchess, in her wonted soothing tone— but at the same time it struck our frail and trembling heroine that the woman darted a pecu- liar look upon herself,—‘‘ you see, dear ma’am, there is nothing in that room. I have looked everywhere—there is no spirit or spectre, white or black.” ‘Are you sure?” asked the Dowager, now passing her hand across_her brow, and looking as if her thoughts and ideas were all falling into confusion. ‘*Yes—I’m sure, my lady. And now do come with me !—you must stand in need of repose and rest! Do come!—and to-morrow morning we will take such a nice walk in the garden—and your Grace shall pick such a beautiful nose- ““Oh, then I'll come !”—and the poor demented lady sprang up from the sofa; and having affec- tionately embraced her daughter-in-law, she fol- lowed Mrs. Quinlan from the ante-chamber. But as they paused a moment at the door, Mrs. Quinlan turned and bent so strange and peculiar a look upon the young Duchess that the latter shrank back aghast, dismayed, and full of guilty terror, as if the woman’s tongue had proclaimed her secret in accents loud enough to be heard by all the inmates of the mansion. The door closed behind the Dowager and her female-keeper; and then the young Duchess, unable to endure for an- other moment the tortures of this horrible sus- pense, rushed into the bed-chamber. At the same instant Count Mandeville came forth from the wardrobe; and with a wild and mournful cry the Duchess sank upon the nearest seat. “Do not despair, Mary !—for God’s sake do not despair!” cried Mandeville. ‘The secret is safe !” He advanced towards her, and made a move- ment as if to take her in his arms; but she pas- sionately waved him back, murmuring, “I am lost ! 1 am lost!” ‘“‘ Lost ? No, no, dearest! no!” “‘Yes—lost, I say!” exclaimed the unfortunate creature in the accents of despair; “‘and to-morrow all the world will know that I had a lover con- eealed in my room !” “‘Again I conjure you to compose yourself, dear —=. Mary! Again too I tell you,” added Mande- ville urgently, ‘‘ that your secret is safe !” ‘What do you mean? Safe! How so? Think you that I understood not that woman’s glance ?—aye, and my ears had previously caught the whisper in this room!” ““*Twas she who whispered,” interjected the Count. ‘On my soul it was, Mary! Not for worlds would I deceive you! She opened the clothes-press— she discerned me: —not for a single instant did she lose her presence of mind— but she hastily whispered, ‘Remain! be quiet ! the secret is safe with me !’” “Oh, but to be in the power of such a woman!” moaned the young Duchess, wringing her hands: but still there was a slight—though very slight— sense of relief in her soul. “‘Methought at one time that all was safe?” she suddenly ejaculated. ‘I fancied you had lowered yourself from the window ?” “T opened it with that intention,” answered Mandeville. ‘‘ God knows, I would have done any desperate deed or run any risk for your sake, Mary !—but that would have been mad and use- less! A glance showed me that the window was too high from the ground—I should have broken my limbs—and there remaining, unable to crawl away, I should have been found ” ““Yes, yes,” said the Duchess; “ it would have been impossible—and I was mad to think of it ! But what happened with my mother-in-law ?” ‘“* To tell you the truth, Mary,” responded Man- deville, ‘I had half a mind to lock that door the instant you pushed me into the room: but a second thought told me I had better not, and that I should leave everything to your discretion and ingenuity. But scarcely had I thus made up my mind how to act, when in rushed your mother-in- law. This irruption was so suddenly made that I had not time to conceal myself, otherwise than by gliding into the nearest dark corner. Then your mother-in-law hastened towards the toilet- table—I know not what for—but it struck me that her object was to take one of the tapers ; and then I, perceiving the necessity of some desperate effort for my perfect concealment, sped on tiptoe towards the nearest window-draperies. But her Grace.saw me——and then you may guess what followed.” ‘Qh, there is a fatality in all this!” moaned the young Duchess. ‘“‘ Compose yourself, dear Mary! take courage !” said Mandeville: and again he offered to approach her. But once more did she passionately wave him back : and then suddenly starting up to her feet, she drew the disordered wrapper over her bosom —flung back the glossy tresses that had fallen . over her face—and looking Mandeville full in the countenance, with a frank earnest expression of her large liquid blue eyes, she said, ‘‘ Hippolyte, I beg you to leave me now. I owe you a thou- sand obligations :—add one more to them by granting the boon that I now ask. I am your’s, body and soul, if you insist upon it !—but I ap- peal to your generosity for a brief delay. Oh, compel me not to say more!—but I am ill—I am agitated I beseech you that I may be left {| alone !” The Count thought that there was indeed nothing unnatural or astonishing in the present COMO YN Wn) Colin