Agnes: A Tale of the Streets — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE, urance that my mother desires to have you as a suest ab my mansion~she will Jove and cherish ‘ou—— “Tam come to bid you farewell, Charles,” inter- ‘upted the Countess. “Within an hour I spall ‘ake my departure from Sienna.” “Indeed ?” ejaculated our hero. speedily 2” “Yes,” responded Lucia. “I have no secrets from you: ET am about to return forthwith to Turin. My.sister has entrusted me to realize all her vast possessions, that she ‘may bestow liberal endowments upon the church and on other re- ligious institutions. The convent which she has entered will not be forgotten. She offered me none of her wealth, because sho knew that I re- quired it not; for I myself am rich. But she has presented me with her splendid palace at Turin; and I can assure you, Charles, that it will not be very long before all those secret subterraneans will be bricked up; for henceforth I bid farewell to all political intrigues that have to be carried on amidst sO much mystery.” “ And such is precisely my intention,” observed our hero, “ in reference to my own mausion. But you are about to bid me farewell P Remember, Lucia, that there is a bond of eternal friendship between us, and when I have conductdél my Agnes Lo the altar, you must come and visit us—you know full well that you will be received as a wel- rome guest———-” “When you are settled, Charles, with your beautiful wife, and dwelling in the married state, and having your mother likewise with you at that splendid mansion which you possess, I shall indeed have much pleasure in visiting you. Yes—Oh, yes !’’ added Lucia fervently; “for no one more sincerely wishes you the enjoyment of happiness thag, I! And now farewell.” Our hero kissed her on the brow; and again may we say, a8 on & former occasion, that it was friendship’s kise, so pure, so chaste, that Agnes need not have been jealous if she had seen it given. And then Lucia repaired to the apartment where Mrs, De Vere was seated with Laura and Mir- tilla ; and to those Jadies her adioux were likowise paid. In less than an hour afterwards the Countess wason her way from Sienna. In the course of that day the young Count ihowed Goneral Germini the document which had seen drawn up and signed by Bianca and Lucia ; ind the Commandant at once volunteered to trana- mit it to the Government, backed by a strong letter ‘rom his own hand. Charles accepted the pro- yosal ; and the despatches were accordingly sent 4F without delay to Florence. fa But let us now give a few explanations of a re- rospective character. The reader will remember ‘hat when our hero hastened away ftom Florence n order to speed to England and ubtain an inter- riew with Agnes, Lord Ormsby sent a courier ifter him. ‘This courier traced Charlos as far as Curin; and there he abruptly lost sight of him. He accordingly returned to Florence, to report to Lord Ormsby the failure of-fS mission. Mean- | while ten days had elapsed ; and Ormeby, on the ‘eturn of the courier, was resolyod to proceed with | he utmost despatch to England, so that he might | vy hie presence there cfface the evil impression he | ed left upon the mind of Charles in Florence, “So soon? go 378 Ormsby had in the meanwhile sent off letters to, his daughter, to explain how grievously he had been mistaken in falsely accusing Charles ; and ho enclosed beneath the same envelopes letters for Charles himself, containing everything that was suitable and appropriate in the altered circum. stances of the case. But not satisfied with having merely sent these letters, Ormsby set off for Eng- land, as we have already said, so soon as he found that the mission of the courier had proved a failure, and that having tracked our hero to Turin he there utterly lost sight of him. When Lord Ormaby left Florence, he advised Mrs. De Vere to return to Naples, and make suit- able apologies to the ambassador for her son’s con- tinued absence, so that there might be no chance of an unfavourable report being sent concerning him to the Government at home. But scaréely had Lord Ormsby left Florence—and while Mra. De Vere was beginning to prepare for a return to Naples—she received the letter which Charles had despatched from the Camwerino mansion, acquaint ing her with the almost fabulous intelligence that he had become possessed of immenso wealth and of a noble title. Amazed and delighted with tho in- telligence, Mrs. Do Vere set off for her son’s country-seat : but alas! on arriving there, it was only to receive the sad tidings that he had been arrested a few hours previously and conveyed to Sienna. This was the first intimation she had re- ceived of his forced complicity in the perilous and startling adventures that had been crowned by the failure’at Leghorn. Thus the unfortunate lady, when thinking to congratulate her son for having risen to the very height of prosperity, had found herself borne down into the very vortex of despair, and crushed almost to annihilation by the awful proceedings at Sienna ! Having givon these requisite explanations, wo may resume the thread of opr narrative. The young Count accepted the hospitalities of General Germini’s mansion for a couple of days after the tromendous incidents which we have been just re- cording ; because he found it absolutely necessary to allow his mother an interval of repose to re- cruit hor strength after the painfully ozhausting processes through which she had passed. It was now our hero’s intention to proceed with his mother, to his mansion. But here we think some of our readers will exclaim, “ What ! did ho not instantaneously set off to visit his Agnes in Eng- land?’ Fain indeed were he to have flown upon the wings of love for that purpose: but there were several reasons which prevented him. In the first place he would not leave his mother, who was per- fectly incompetent to undertake so long a journey at present. In the second place, let it be borne in mind that all the formalities for putting him in complete possession of his estates and title were not yet accomplished, and that in the course of the next few days it would be requisite for him to sign certain documents in the presence of the authorities in the town of Camerino. In the third place, Charles felt very well assured that Lord Ormsby would have no objection, after everything that had occurred, to bring his daughter with the least possible delay into ltaly; and our hero experienced a very natural pride at the idea of welcoming his intended bride to his own mansion and catutcs-to those palatial halls comiciaoo C©