Agnes: A Tale of the Streets — page 187: what you’re looking at

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

AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE, 186 Father Falconara remained silent. had simply reported to his master that the two “You have evidently seen him,” continued the prisoners had been duly consigned to that fortress: Minister: “ perhaps you have conversed with he had said nothing in respect to their escapes him P” from the postchaise during the journey into the “t is my duty, my lord, to visit all prisoners Aponnines: he was afraid of being accused of with the least possible delay.” cowardice or want of vigilance. Neither did ho “‘ And therefore you visited this one of whom now make any allusion to those matters, The we are speaking P and you conversed with him? Minister questioned him minutely with regard to Could you not judge from his accents to what; the young gentleman who had been carried off country he belongs? Is he an Italian or a/ along with the young lady. The shirro repeated tito Frenchman P” personal description already given by Father Fai- “He is an Englishman,” rejoined the priest. * But beyond this, my lord ——~” “Oh, of course !” ejaculated Ramorino; “ I am well aware that the rules of those fortresses are nost stringent, and that prisoners are not allowed ‘0 speak of any affairs boyond a certain sphere.” Chen hastening to the spot where Lucrezia was vated, he whispered, “You have heard that de- ioription. lual Pp” “ No—I do not recollect any young Fnglish- of that age or description visiting at my 1ouse, But Cipriua herself is of English extrac- Do yow happen to know the indivi- | really fancied there might be an error, conara,—adding, “If there be anything wrong, my lord, you know that I fully obeyed the orders which were given me.” “There is nu blama to be attached to jou. But tell mo—bave you any idea who this young gentle- man can be? fur he was carried off by mistake!” “It is strange, my lord,” ejaculatod the sbirro, “but from something | heard upon the road, [ Yet it was not for me to uct upon any such assumpticn: [ was obuying tho mandates I bad received direct from your Excellency.” “ But what was it that you heard upon the ion, you know—she may havo fallen in with a road?” demanded Lamorino. over or a relative—she may have met hin in ber | at the moment when tho irruption of ipartme he sbirri tvok place * Yea-~it must have been so!” said Ramorino. ‘This is the only possible way of accounting for be capture and carrying-off of that uuknown oung man along with Ciprina! But if he ba eally English, the affair is somewhat awkward. ‘hese Englishmen are terribly indepondent—they ever brook an insult or an ivjury in a foreign ountry: they at once appeal to thoir ambassa- ors———"" “Oh, that difficulty is nothing in comparison rith all the rest!” ejaculated Luerezia, but still peaking in a voice that was inaudible to Father ‘aloonara. “For heaven's aake take immediate peasures } —let Marcellin be arrested !—)et Cipriua e recaptured, if she bavo dared to return to Flo- ence |” m “ Trust to me,” said Ramorino: “the grass shall ot grow under my feet!— Holy father, you aay retire: but the pledge which I have givon ou shall be fulfilled. Come to me to-morrow, in he afternoon; and I wil) givo you a letter that hall be perfectly satiefactory to tho Governor of Jagno.” Father Falconara took his departure from the Tivate residence of the Minister of Police ; and he issued forth, mine o'clock was being pro- laimed from the church towers of Florence, “ 1 will lose not an instant, dear Lucrezia,” said he Count of Ramorino, sv soon as he and his ride were left alune together, ‘ in putting every- ling in @ proper train tor the purpuse of ensuring our complete aufety and crushing your cnemies. temain you here, dearest! I peedily as possible The Minister imprjoted another kiss upon the row of his bride; and he then quitted the rvom. lmtst immediately afterwards be left the house, nd proceeded towards the Office of the Pulice. ao arriving there, he commanded the principal béswo to whom be had entrusted the expedition » the Mirano mansion, to be summoned into his shall return as. “That the young gentleman proclaimed himself to be Knglisu—that his name is Ds Vere—and that he is attached to the British Iimbassy at Naples.” “ Ah!” cried amorino, as a thought now struck him. “I remember that tho, landlord of some hotel called here this morning, in very groat trepidation ; but wy private secretary touk down the notes of what he said.” The Minister hastened to open a memorandum. book which lay upon the table ; and after running his oye over the contents of two or three pages, he suddenly ejaculated, “Ab! there itis! Yes—this is the entry! ‘Ds Vere—an Englishman—about twenty years of age—tall—dark-huired—attached to the Neapolitan Embass;: arrived at the ——= hotel at seven o’cluck in the eveniug of Novem- ber Ist. Dined, and went out at about eight or nino o'clock: bas not been heard of since.’—Then tis the same !” cried the Minister: “and hore is a pretty embarrassment—for he hag escaped from Bagno !—and tho lady has escaped also!” Rimorino paced three or four times to au. fro in his private cabinet where this conversation was taking place: but suddenly stopping short, ho ejaculated, “ Well, we must leave this affair to take its chaucu—or olse I must sea into it pre. sently. But now take prompt and immediate measuros to effoct the arrest of these persons,” continued Ramurire, sanding to tho police-agent @ paper on which there was a tolerable amount of writing, divided into three distinct paragraphs. “Tdgur Marcellin, a Frenchman—Bernardo, re- cently a groom in thie service of the Marchioness of Mirano~and 8 girl whuse Christian name is Antonia, alsv in the same service. The descriptions are there minutely given. Let them be arrested and gagged on the sput. If found tugether, let them be instantancously separated — and let them be aent off in different conveyances aud by different routes to the fortress of Barbarino. Let the Sig- nora Ciprina also be searched for and re-cap- tured !” ‘ The Minister -isaued a few more instructions, reyonus his officer, on bis return from Bugno,}) which it is not however necessary to lay before COnmniclooe® CO