Agnes: A Tale of the Streets — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

tA AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. the course of policy which the Tuscan Sovereign adopted. Some people supposed that it was a especies of compliment which hie Royal Highness paid to the young Count of Camerino, after all the strange adventures that had occurred; and others suggested that Lord Ormsby had used the in- fluence which as a British Peer he possessed with the English Ambassador at Florence, to induce this diplomatist to recommend a lenient course to the Florentine Government. Indeed, it was sup- posed that one of the main objects of the concilia- tory policy was to hush up the share that the Marquis of Ortona had taken in the late conspi- raey; and hence it wae surmised that the friend- ship of the young Count of Camerino had in- terested itselfon that nobleman’s behalf. But the truth is that neither Charles nor Lord Ormsby in- terfered at all in the matter, beyond urging Signor Palmas to recommend the Marquis of Ortona to do everything he could to put himself right with the several Italian Governments, lest it should end in hie proscription and exile, or even in @ more serious catastrophe. The Marquis yielded to these representations ; and he availed himeelf of the alternative which permitted him, not being a sub- ject of Tuscany, to obtain a pardon on applying tor it. 2 The Marquis of Ortona was, as the reader will recollect, a Neapolitan; and therefore he would not have particularly cared about setting himeelf right with the Government of Tuscany, were it not that he was most anxious to pay a visit to our hero. The Marquis was a good-hearted and well-meaning man, notwithstanding the severity with which he may have seemed to fulfil his duties as loader of the conspirators when our hero was invulved in such tremendous perils at the Sparti- vento palace. A brave man himeelf, he admired cJurage in others; and he had seen enough of Charles to be convinced of his magnanimity. The Marquis had expected to succeed to the property of his late friend the Cotnt of Camerino; but when he found that it was left to our hero, he was merely filled with amazement-he experienced no envy nor jealousy. Indeed, he had formed a friendship tor Charles : and he was most anxious to be in a position to visit him at his palatial man- sion and congratulate him on his accession to an ancient title and to great wealth. The year 1849 closed in bappiness for our hero and hie intended bride, and for those who were in- terested in them. In.the early part of January of the ensuing year there was gaiety at the Came- rino mansion. The Marquis of Ortona arrived there, accompanied by Signor Palmas; and the British Ambassadors from Naples and from Fio- rence had accepted invitations to pass a fow days beneath the huspitable roof of the young Count. The promise made by Mrs. De Vere to Laura and Mirtilla was not forgotten; and as a mattcr of course, their father General Germini was included in the invitation. It was accepted: and most affectionately were the Italian sisters welcomed by Mrs. De Vere and by Agnes. so that in the kind- ness which they now received they were recom- pensed for the generous sympathy which they had shown towards a fellow-creature at a period of the deepest mental affliction, For several days there were festivities and ban- dqueta.at the Camerino mansion : but on one par- 870 <—eeeereeeateae-eerevrarnantaesennnenenssetaomrnnshaesnneein ticular evening a grand entertainment was given, to which all the nobility and gentry resident in the neighbourhood were invited. Upwards of four hundred guests were ageoemblied in the state saloons: and amongst them were some of tho finest specimens of Italian beauty. But who could compare witu the charming Agnes ? whose loveliness could compete with her’a? She was tha centre of all admiration—the cynosure of all re- garda; and our hero’s heart thrilled with rap- turous pride as he beheld the homage which was paid to that being whom he so sincerely and de- votediv loved ! The entertainment wes over—it was past one o'clock in the morning—Agnes retired to hor chamber—and the two lady’s-maids who had been specially appointed to minister unto her, were soon dismissed to take their own rent. Our lovely heroine stught her couch, thinking of the incidents of the evening, and pondor- ing with pleasurable sensations the tender words which Charles had breathed in her ear, Sleep now sank upon her eyes; and she slum- bered serenely and profoundly. How long she slept she knew not—but presently she opened ber eyes; and even when thus awaking, she fancied that she was in a dream, for her thoughts were more or less in confusion, and the images floating in her brain were only seen with vagueness and uncertainty, like objects that are discerned by the physical vision through a mist. A light was burn- ing in the room; and as Agnes awoke, her face was turned towards a wall against which there stood a large and splendid wardrobe of rosewood elaborately carved. The paper with which. the room was hung, was of a light pattern, and threw out in strong relief the objects that stood against the walls. The apartment was spacious; and the night-lamp burnt upon the toilet-table, which was on the opposite side of the bed to the ward- robe. It was therefore with a certain degree of dimness that the light fell ugon the wall againat waich this wardrobe stood. As Agnes lay in a sort o dreamy bewilder- ment, with ber eyes Open, yet scafcely conscious af being veritably awake, the idea gradually stol@\ into her mind that she was looking upon a door the existence of which now seemed to be revealing itself fur the firet time, She continued gazing— sbe became more completely awake—and she telt assured that she was lubouring under no delusion ; tor there, in that wall against which the wardrobe stood, was a piece of blackness, so to speak, of the height, width, regularity, and shape of what a door would be. A sensation of terror now seized upon our heroine: ehe started up in her couch— she gazed more intently, uatil she became unmis- takably convinced that there was indeed a ‘door now standing open in the wall ayaimst which the wardrobe stood! She perfectly well remembered that all over the space where that duor at present appeared, there was ordinarily wont to be valy the light-coloured paper with 118 beautilul panel- pattern. — Smitten with affright, Agnes was on the very point of precipitating hersvit tram ber couch in order to ring the belli, when a figure suddenly ap- peared in that doorway. Jt was a temaly furm— und the rustling uf ber dress proved that 1¢ was no preternatural apparition. Ose glimpee.cf ber MICO S CO