Agnes: A Tale of the Streets — page 208: what you’re looking at

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

AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLRASURR. to convince me that you have indeed sinned deeply and that you have need of all heaven’s mercy in order to save you from tho eternal consequences of your crimes! But, Oh! in the first instance let me besecch and implore that you will rendor an act of justice where that justice is so imperiously due—and that you will lift from the character of an innvcent man tho aspersion which you havo so flscly thrown upon it!” 4 “Knough! you are insulting me!” ejaculated Lucrezia, now completely regaining her self- possession ; and sho shuddered at the idea that in @ mowent of mental weakness she was on tho vory aunt of betraying the deep consciousness of her gui hed e t in tho presence of that young priest. Sho spranp’ up trom her kneeling posture as she interrupted him in that peremptory manner ; and her cheeks appeared to be veritably flushing with indignation— but it wasin reality with the feverish excitement to which borsmind was wrought up. “Erring woman,” said Father Falconara so- lemnly, “ you stand upon the brink of ruin in this world and of perdition in the next. By your conduct you compel me to speak out! You, the murderess of Giulio Paoli, have falscly accused Edgar Marcellin of the crime! You have doubt- less deceived your husband, thereby inducing him tu issue a warrant fur the capture of an innocent person. But heavon fights un the side of justice and truth; and that warrant has not been exe- cuted. Confess thorefore, lady ! make timely repa- ration ! Summon your husband into my presence, and acknowledge that you are in every sense as guilty as I proclaim you to be !” Again was Lucrezia overpowered by her horrify- ing and agonizing feelings :—to her morbid mind that young ecclesiastic, so pale and so handsume, seomed to be the arbiter of ber destiny ;—and again sinking upon her knees before him, she pas- sionately exclaimed, “Ob, save me! save me, I beseech you !—and I will confess everything !” *“ Good heavens! what is that I have heard ?” exclaimed the Count of Ramorino, abruptly burst- ing into the room. “ My wife accused as a mur- deress ! and acknowledging the justice of the ac- cusition! No, no! it cannot be !’—and Ramo- rino flung himself upon his knees by Luerezia’s side, as if ho were overwhelmed with despair at the bare idea of such an aspersion falling on the head of his bride. “Speak, dearest Lucrezia ! speak !” he vehomently eaciaimed: “ tell this boly priest that he is labouring under some cruel mis- take! Ob, tell him this, I beseech you!” So well was Ramorino playing this new part which he had suddenly assumed, that Father Falco- nara was more than ever convinced that he had been completely ignorant of Luerezia’s guilt until the present moment. Lucrezia herself was for an instant astonished at her husband’s behaviour: . but the noxt instant she was smitten with the idea that he was adopting thie course in order to give her to understand as significantly as possible, that she was committing a fatal error by yielding to any weakness of mind or cunscicnce in the pre- sence of the young nriest. “ Good heavens!’ she ejaculated ;—“ I guilty of such iniquity as that !’’—and she once more started up to her feet. “ No—God forbid! Ramo- rinv, | am surprised at you! Father Faloonara,: I see that it is one beset with difficulties. you have been grossly and infamously deceived ! | 157 But it 19 my wonder that such an accusation fallin, so suddenly and unexpectedly on my ear shouk overwholm and paralyze me !” “ No wonder indeed !” said Ramorino ; “ for in. nocence when unjustly accused, often wears thi very aspect of guilt itself. Father Falconara, | cannot permit you to address another word to my wife. You will have tho goodness to follow me.” With these words the Minister of the Police hurried the ecclesiastic from the apartment ; and taking him into another room, he said with a stern expression of countenance, “ If you were not the priest whose lips had spoken the nuptial benedic- tion upon our heads, I should hold you answer- ablo for a diabolical attempt to bring down curses upon us! Besides, I feel convinced you must be labouring under some extraordinary error id “ No, my lord,” interrupted Father Falconara ; “*T am labouring under no error. Deeply grieved am [ at the idea that you yourself should be so misled by love as to bestow your hand on a woman utterly unworthy of it ” “ By heaven, holy father !” ejaculated Ramo- rino, now affecting tu be excited by a boiling indig- nation; “unless you in some sense make good your words—or at least satisfy mo that you bo- lieve yourself to be speaking with due authority— I shall hold you accountable for all the wickedness of those foul calumnies which you keep on reiter- ating against the lady who, as you know, within the last few hours has becume my wife!” “ Alas, my lord,” replied Father J alconnra, “the evidenco is only too strong, as you will pre- sently find to the cust of that happiness which you seem tu have staked upon this marriage that I myself solomnized! I have only recensly parted from Charles De Vero and Edgar Marcellin— tho Mimster of the Interior himself protects them ” “ Enough !” ejaculated Ramorino: “JT cannot possibly hear anything more to the disparagement if my wife! But tell me, holy father,’ he added, — toll me, will not you be enabled to certify, if the vory worst should prove to be true—will not you be enabled to certify, I afk, that it wae in complete ignorance of the true character of Lu- crezia di Mirano, and utterly unsuspicivus of the terrible charges which were pressing against her, that I knelt by her side when you pronounced the nuptial benediction P” Up to this point Father Falconara had really believed that Ramorino was ignorant of Lucrezia’s antecedents: but now the very question which ho Count put to him, excited a suspicion in his mind. He remembered tvo the terms in which ‘harles De Vere had spoken of Ramorino when he said, “The Count is a villain, and he protects Lucrezia!” In a word, tho Minister of Police had just over-reached himself in dealing with the young ecclesiastic; and the latter maintained an ominous silence. “You do not answer me P” said Ramorino. “ Of course | know that my wife is completely inno- cent : but still I was staggered by the earnestness with which you yourself persevered in an qccusa- tion as strange as it is terrible.” “ My lord,” interrupted Fualconara, “ 1 would rather not pass another opinion upon tho subject. ou | permit my to buld my peace and to .xtire.” Coniclbooolk