Agnes: A Tale of the Streets — page 213: what you’re looking at

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

102 ‘Let me again request you to be seated,” he said, now speaking with an air of mournfulness “aud everything shall be managed in as tranqui end noiseless a manner as possible.” In the meanwhile Lucrezia bad passed a few minutes of indes:ribable agony in the apartment precisely overhead. It was an anguish of suspense to which eves tho horrors of the rack itself might be deemed a bed of roses!—it was a successivn of pangs to which the excruciation of impalement was but as a sephyr to a storm! And though she was in this frightful condition of uncertainty, yet was there the sure foreboding in her mind that something dreadful wae about to happen; so that she made her preparations for the worst, She put on her bonnet and shawl; and she stood watching the wire of the bell with all that hideous, poignant, lancinating suspeneo which we have just beon endeavouring to describe. Ab! was the wire already vibrating P No! ’twas a falee alarm ! But now did her eyes deceive berP Yes! again it wae an illusion of the fevered fancy! She passed her Hand rapidly scross her eyes; and now she looked again. Holy saints! this time it was no mistake !—no illusion! The wire was drawn down visibly~-it grated against the wainscot in that corner of the apartment--and then it flew upward with a strong recoil: it had evidently been pulled hard and suffered to escape suddenly, so that the signal should be conveyed beyond the possibility of error. Ob! now there was no alternative but to depart -—to fly!—yes, and with all possible speed Lu- crezia glided towards the door-—opened it noise- lessly—and as quickly and as airily did she thread the passage. She opened the right hand door at the end: it communicated with the landing—end she sprang up the narrow atsircaso that was now before her. She gained the top; and there she beheld a glass-door that looked upon the leads of the house. She opened it and stepped forth. The stare were ehining brightly uver-hoad : silence and that silvery light surrounded her. A glance flung all around, showed her in which direction she was to proceed ; for she beheld the spires and towers of several churches the situations of which were com- plotely familiar to her. Ob! the excitement of this escape would have been enhanced up to the very point of madness itself, were it not that it seemed as if she were suddenly breathing the fresh air of freedom after a species of captivity for about six mortal hours in the apartment below ! She continaed her way along the leads; and now she reached an attio-window which projected forth as it were from a slanting part of the roof. She must pass in front of this window ; and the feat was somewhat a dangerous one, for it was little that separated her from-the edge of the dizzy abyss. She however aummoned all her courage to her aid: she knew thet ebe never in her life needed it more than at this present moment. The starlight shone full apon the window; and as Lucregia was passing it, she glanced into the room to avhioh it belonged. - Just heaven | why did she give that terrific atart P and why did that wild cry peal forth from her lips? It was because inside ‘het room — indeed close to the window, and facing it as it were, so that the silver lustre of the heavens shone full upon it,—wab the portrait of Lucrosia Borgi..! . 4GNES; OB, BEAUTY AN) PLEASURE. A fearful dizziness seized upon the brain of Lucrezia: it whirled in horrible confusion. Every- thing around then eppeared suddenly to be grow- ing up to a gigantic sise,—attic-windows and chimneys, church-towers and eteeples !—it was a phantasmagoria, stupendous and terrible, in which abe was involved! And amidet it all the fase of Lucrezia Borgia seemed to be gazing upon hei !— it was tho only object that was clear amidst the countless images that were thronging confusedly and bewilderingly upon her brain. She tottered — and then the horrible consciousness smote her that she was staggering to the very verge of the ‘abyas! The unbeppy wretch! she all in a moment became aware that she was losing her footing on that giddy height! With a desperate effort she strove to recover heraelf—but she could not |—a fearful shriek pealed from bse lipsp——~and down sho fell! , For a few instants the wild ecreamis of Lucrezia di Mirano rent the air; and all the inhabitants of that district of Florence were suddenly startled and horrified by the terrific sounds. The house was so gituated that the portion of the roof where Lucrezia had tried to make hor way towards the adjacent dwellings, and whence she had fallen, was concealed from the view of those who might hap- pen to be in any of the neighbouring strecta ; and thus the agents of the Minister of the Interior, who had been stealthily gathering in the neigh- bourhood of Ramorino’s private residence, sus- pected not that the object of their search had been endeavouring to escape from them. But when those pealing shrieks rang through the air, the agenta to whom we have just alluded thundered at the gates of several houses in that quarter—sprang upon the garden-walls—and made rapid researches in every direction, to ascertain what had hap- pened and where. The neighbours came forth from their dwellings, mcat of them having been startled from their slumbers; and thus the half- clad forms of men and women were seen huddled together at the street-doors, or grouped upon bal- conies, all wondering what could possibly have happened. But let us again look into the room where we left the Minister of Police with Charles Do Vere and Edger Marcellin. The Minister had pulled the bell-wire, and the two young men naturally fancied that it was to command the attendance of a servant for the purpose of summoning Lucresia di Mirano to that apartment. A few minutes elapsed, during which a profound silence reigned in the room— Charles and Edgar anxiously await- ing the presence of the guilty woman,—the Count of Ramorino standing before the fire, with his back towards bie two visitors, so that his countenance was concealed from them. ‘Your summons is not aneawered, my lord,” Charlee De Vere at length said. ; “My attendants must be asleep !” ejaculated Ramorino, turning away from the fire-place. “ And it is not astonishing—for the night is far advanced !”” "Ah! what is that ?” oried De Vore. shriek !” * Hush!” said Marcellin: and then there were a few momenta-of breathless suspense. “ Yor! a weam !’ ejaculated Kdgar. “ Another! and another!” exclaimed Charlies. sa oO MIKGIOO C© C©