The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 80: what you’re looking at

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a ep tc 66 love that dear little Annie, she shall always find a true friend—aye, a mother in me.” ‘““Miss Hartland,” said the Duchess, in a voice that was now low and tremulous, ‘you are speak- , ing in the most generous manner ! is ‘altogether so admirable——” “No, no!” interrupted Imogen hastily: not address me thus! J have been wrong to per- secute you even for a moment. If ever you wish to hear of your child, you may seek me: for that purpose : but otherwise you will see me no more.” The Duchess gazed upon the actress with a look which was as much as to say, ' “Singular and unactountable being that you are!”—then rising Your conduct from her seat, she drew forth a purse, which was | heavy with gold and with bank-notes.; and prof- ' fering that purse, she observed; “Here are a tops 3 sand pounds for your use.’ ‘No, madair '—no !” exclaimed Imogen em- : “You provided well for the child at’ the outset ; and it is for me to act precisely as if: my poor father had not by ‘his speculations lost | the amount that you thus furnished. Ah! I said: But in: phatically. that you should hear from me no more ! case that I became unable to earn bread for that dear child, then most assuredly would | i appeal unto your bounty. -but not till then !” The Duchess again pressed the money upon - Imogen; but it was still refused firmly though respectfully ; ; and.then the patrician lady, lower- ing her veil, said, “Farewell, Miss Hartland. Never, never can i forget the generosity of your conduct ! 1" She pressed Imogen’s jhand and ‘hastened from ; the room. She opened: the front door for jherself, and issued forth, .at once closing that door behind ' her. She;had.not proceeded a dozen yards along the street—the dusk'having now. closed in—when she was suddenly caught round the waist by the strong | arms of a man, and in the twinkling of an YE lifted into a .cab, which was drawn olose ip ; against the kerbstone, and the,door of which was: standing open. closing ‘the door; and the vehicle rolled away at a rapid pace. Meanwhile Imogen Hartland, the instant the : Duchess took her departure, sank,down upon the ‘ sofa ; and covering her face with her hands, burst ; into a convulsive fit of sobbing and weeping. ; Launcelot Osborne was almost immediately by - of the postboy, they both suddenly recollected her side : and then he threw himself at her feet. “Imogen, Imogen !” away from her countenance and pressing them to his lips ; ‘for heaven’s sake tranquillize yourself ! What is the matter? Speak to me, dearest, dear- est Imogen !” “Oh! now I know,” she murmured, her voice broken with those convulsing sobs, ‘‘ you will hate me! The very means which I have adopted to make you love me, will cause you to detest me !” ‘*No, no, Imogen! no, no, dearest!” cried Launcelot. ‘I swear that I love you more than life! Oh, heaven only knows how I love you!” “But this dreadful act of treachery which I have committed towards that unfortunate wo- man——” ‘*T forced you to do it—and you were justified under the circumstances !” “Oh! if you think so !”—and with a cry of joy Imogen threw herself into his arms; and the lovers were locked in a fervid embrace. At do ; The man sprang in after jher, , he said, forcing her hands ' THE YOUNG DUCHESS; OR, MEMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY. CHAPTER XV. THE FIRS. | Nornme could exceed the excitement which pre- vailed in the usually quiet little village of South- dale, when the postchaise which had been hired to convey Ethel and her maid to Dorchester, re- turned to the inn, the postilion and constable bear- ing the intelligence of the rescue which had been effected. Of course the postboy, having received the five-pound note from Tim Gaffney and Jack Peppercorn to enter into the plot, told his tale in such a way as completely to screen those two worthies from all suspicion. He declared that he obtained a perfect view of the two men who iknocked him off his horse; and he gave such a description as quite separated their persons from the remotest idea of identifying them with the strangers who had hired the phaeton. He repre- sented them as two men of herculean size and colossal strength ; whereas Gaffney was of mode- rate stature, and ‘Peppercorn was a dapper little fellow, thin, wiry, and active. The constable Gibson, willing enough to snatch at any apology | for suffering himself to ‘be overpowered so easily, corroborated the postboy’s tale, though in point of fact he had not obtained so much as the slight- est glimpse of the two men; for he was dozing at the time when the vehicle was stopped, and scarcely had his eyes opened from his snooze than they were closed again by the stunning effect of the blow which stretched him in the road as he was dragged out of the chaise. Thus not for a single instant did suspicion attach itself to the real authors of the occurrence. On the following day Messrs. Gaffney and Pep- percorn, with cigars in their mouths, and their | Dats perched jauntily on one side, drove up to the ann, and alighted from the phaeton. They in- stantaneously ordered glasses of ale; and with a knowing wink, gave the landlord to understand that they had won no end of money by the prize- ‘| fight, which they said had come off at a very early hour that morning. perfectly astounded when the unsophisticated Mr. Goodman: told them of the rescue of Mrs. Trevor ; and when they heard the personal description of the two villains, according to the representation that they had met two such fellows along the road, and were rather alarmed at the time for their own safety. Thus everything considered, Mr. Goodman was perfectly convinced that his two sporting-looking customers had no more con- cern than he himself had with the particular affair that was now exciting so strong a sensation in Southdale. But Mr. Trevor—otherwise the Duke of Ard- suspicion until the prompt institution of an in- quiry resulted in the clearing of his character also on this special point. Another local constable, a trifle more astute than Gibson, was sent off very early in the morning to Dorchester to find the postilion who had driven the so-called Mr. Trevor from Southdale. But the postilion was fully prepared for any questions that might be put to him, inasmuch as he had the Duke’s twenty guineas in his pocket and his Grace’s They seemed to be . leigh—did not pass equally free from the taint of | y I , i i i \ — Comicbooks.com