Agnes: A Tale of the Streets — page 194: what you’re looking at

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

4GNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. he lockod up the safe and consigued the key t his pocket ; ‘‘ but I would much rather decline the transaction. 1 am sorry, my lord—but—but ——” “ Speak ! tell me your moaning !” cried Ramo- rinv. ‘“ Speak! I adjure—I command you !”— for he was utterly bewildered by the conduct of the old man. “ To not press me, my lord,” said Furlo. “You have married the lady Well, of course it is your lordebip’s choice Yos, indeed, L hope for your Excellency’s sake-———” “ Furlo, I beseech you to explain your mean- ing,” said the Minister of Police. “ I do nut de- wand—I implore and entreat! Is not Lucrezia di Mirans,rich ?” “No doubtf..it, my lord,” answered Furlo. “ Yes—rich beyond all question “ “ And beautiful,” continued the Count. “ But pshaw !” he cried, stamping his foot with angry impatience: “ what bas beauty to do with a money-transactiop lke this ?—or what concern has an old misér with female loveliness ?” “ True, my lord—I have no concern with any- thing of the kind,” stammered Furlo. ‘I hope 143 tu tha Fronch Ambassador—sbe signed it with her own hand.” “And M. Marcellin was present P” inquired Ramorino, “Yes : and he bade her lose no time in leaving Florence, my lord.” “ Then this was yestorday ?” said the Minister of Police, “ Yea—this was yosterday. Perhaps, my lord. you will be astonished that I should know any. thing of all these circumstances,” continued Furlo: * but I will toll you how it happened. For some yoars past, La Dolfina has been accustomed to leave her little savings in my hands, eo that [ might place them out at interest ; and she suddenly came to me yesterday for the purpose of recalling what was due to her. Having known her for so long a time rm “ Au eligible acquaintance, Signor Frrio!” gaid the Minister. ‘ Proceed. Having known her for so Jong # time 7 *“* 1t was natural enough, my Jord, that we should got chatting together,” continued Furlo; “ al- [though of course I did not admire La Dolfina’s your Excellency will excuse me if I say no more | character generally. But howaver, we got chat- on the subject- “Ab! but more must be said !”’ ejaculated the Minister. ‘“ You must tell me, old man, where- fore you sv suddenly declined the bargain which you had at first accepted,—and why you gave vent to an ejaculation when the name of a nuble lady was mentioned—that lady who has nuw become my wife P” ‘““ Ah, my lord! if you foree me to speak,” re- plied Furlo, “I must e’en tell the truth. Iam sorry for your lordship—but perhaps it may be hushed up _ “ What mean you ?”’ ejaculated the Minister ; and he wondered how anything of all that was uppermost in bis own thoughts, could be known to the old miser. ‘* Methinks, my lurd,” réjoined Furlo, “ that the sooner you take sume step, the better: for La Dolfina told me ” “La Dolfiua !” cried Ramorino: “what that vile harridan ——” “Ab, my lord! if thore bad not been such ladies as the Marchioness di Mirano—saving your Excellency’s presence—to patronive La Dolfina, she would not have been enabled to drive the traffic that she did a “Well, well,” interrupted the Count, burning with impatience: “ but what about Lucrezia di Mirano P She patronised La Dolfina, you said ?” “Yes, my lord: and a certain French gentle- man——it appears his name was M. Marcel- lin ” © Yes—M. Marcellin—a French gentleman. Proceed !” “He made her confess, my lord, befure the French Awbassador, that she had auld poison to the Marchionese di Mirano. He had found a phial in her ladyship’a writing-desk ” “ And do you meun tu tell me,” asked the Count, while @ shudder passed throughvut his form,—“ do you mean to tell me that the wretched woman La Dolfina told such a tale of falsehood against the Marchioness of Mirano P” “ Whether true or false, my lord,” rejoined Furl», “ she told the trie—she gave it in writing ting together ; and she explained to mo the rea- sons which induced her to leave Florence. In fact, my lord, she asked me to receive a few little inots that are owing tu her, and to sell off her funiture, and remit her the produce ; but I would ha‘te no- tning to do with the business until she acquainted me with the reasons of her abrupt departure.” “ Perdition!” muttered the Minister of Police to himself; “step by step I seem to be floundering further and further into a morass of difficulties! And Lucrezia tou—danger upon danger accumu- lates !—peril upon peril!” He mused painfully for a few moments; and then he said, “ But tell me, old man—what hag this silly gossip of La Dulfina got to do with the transaction which [ was just now proposing to you? —why reject the aecurity that was offered? Have I not tuld you that the lady of whom we are speaking has become my wife ?” “Since your lordship compels me tu proclaim the truth,” answered the old man; “I am bound tu confess that I do not like the business, nor yet the security, You are very powerful as a Minister no doubt, my lord: but you would be totally un- able to protect the lady against the hand of justice, if that hand were outstretched to clutch her. And then I have heard in fact, I know that accord- ing to the law a person’s property ie always jiable tu confiscation for bigh crimes aod felonies such ag this; and it is very evident that something hostile is intended by that M. Marcellin:—or else why should ho have everything taken down in black and white before the French Ambassador P” “But remember, Turlo,” said the Minister, “that Lucrezia di Muirano’s property has become mine by marriage !”- “IT am not so sure of that, my lord,” inter- rupted the old man. “Some eighteen or twenty years ago, | lost a good round sum through a par- ticular decisiun rendered by the criminal tribunal at Leghorn: for I was living at Leghorn at the time “ ‘And that decision P” said the Minister impa- tiently. “A lady borrowed a sum of money of we—a MICO CO S CO