Agnes: A Tale of the Streets — page 266: what you’re looking at

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

AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. “Yt wag not, sir, Lucy Maitland went away, es she had promised you. I almost fancied it was to place herself under your keeping: I hinted ae much to her: but with mingled tears and in- dignation she repelled the suspicion.” “And she repelled it truthfully!” ejaculated the nobleman. “I swear to you most solemnly that nothing but friendship subsisted between my- self and Lucy Maitland on those occasions when I thus sew her. Often and often have | since thought of her !—often and often during the twenty years which have since elapsed have 1 wondered what had become of her! But I tell you that I had ao little faith in human nature that I pictured to myself Lucy Maitland wandering as a depraved creature and as socicty’s forlorn outcast upon the pavement of London, her good resolves having vanished, if indeed they were ever entertained ; and I should not bave been astonished if I had this night learnt that my evil presages bad proved only too accurate. But enough upon this point ! Let us hope that she has done well in the world.” There was a pavge for a few moments, during which Ormsby thoug.*to himself, “ My useful sym- pathy towards one fellow-‘geature may have com- pensated in the eyes of heaven for a lomy night of cynicism. And now,” he said, again .addressing the woman before him, “let us proceed to other matters, You are in pecuniary distress. What amount will relieve you P”’ The debts uf Mrs. Maddox, including the rent due to her landlord, were under sixty pounde ; but she thought she might venture upun nating eighty. “ Here are a hundred,” said Ormsby; and he counted the bank-notes down on the table. “This sum is your's; and you shall receive a like amount,” he added, riveting his large dark eyes earnestly upon her, “on the day which sees the conviction of the villain Timperley for the murder of Mrs Chicklade !” “You mean to do half frightened. “ Yes—I mean to do it,” rejoined the nobleman sternly ; “ because society demande that so great a crime should be brought home to its true author- ebip and the criminal himself should be punished ! I mean to do it because he suffered an innocent young lady to pase through the terrific ordeal of accusation, arrest, captivity, and trial; and he would have allowed her to go to the scaffuld so long as he himself was safe! I will do it because although that young lady was acquitted, yot inas- much as the deed itself is still involved in the deepest mystery, suspicion may in the minds of some continue to attach itself to her, and her guilticssness never can be cumpletely proven until the real assassin shall have been unmasked and gd befure the whole world, These are the I will do it; and you will aid oral considerations, but be- cause you shall be libyally rewarded !” “Tell me what I ym to do, sir,” said Mra, Maddox, “and I will o€ey your commands.” When do you expec\ Mr. Timperley P” asked Ormeby. t, “Y desired him to call We, me this evening or tomorrow evening,” rejoin) the woman: “I thought he would rather comeJo such a house as this at those hours when there ras ti: least.chance this f” said Mre. Maddox, me—not from a 216 of his being observed by any one who might chance to know him.” “Well, then,” said Ormsby, “if he come this evening, let your servant deny you-rlet her say that you waited for him, but that as he came not you went out—ani lot an appointment be made for nine o’clock tu-morrow evening. Will you do thie ?”’ “I will, air,” was the reply. “ And I suppose that to-morrow evening you will return P” “To-morrow evening I shall be here, at half. past vight o'clock, to give you your lesson how to act.” “Do you think, sir—do you think,” asked Mrs, Maddox, “that Mr. Timperloy’s niece, Mrs. Har- dress, was an accomplice in his crime P” “ Assurediy not,” replied the nobleman. “f have already acquired the certainty that Mr. Tim- perlcy wae seen with the wretched woman Chick- lade, at about the time when abe was so foully murdered.” “ But Mrs. Hardress came and purchased the letters of me,” interjected Mra, Maddox. “There may be two ways of accounting for that: circumstance,” said the nobleman. “In the first place her uncle » ay bave induced her to visit you for that purpose: he may have either confessed his great guilt unto her—or he may have deluded her by speaking of compromising Jettera which would tend to fix suspicion on him, though all the time he may have averred his innocence and in- duced his niece to believe that he waa innocent. Or on the other hand, she herself may have had her own reasons for coming to purchase those letters ; and by a strange coincidence she may have chanced to find amongst them that very ducument which so fearfully criminated her uncle. But you your- self ought to be able to say something on this point: you had the letters in your poasession—you looked over thon-———” “ But only in the most cursory manner,” inter- jected Mre. Maddox. “I glanced at a few—they were chiefly from youthe at the University Acad yet it certainly has struck me, sinte I beheld the portrait of Mre. Hardrees last evening and dis- covered who she was, that the name of Cicely occurred in one or two of those letters. But [ cannot be sure—my ideas are confused on the subject " “Tt is nu matter,” said Ormsby: “ suspicion does not point to that young lady as the accom. plice of her uncle—at least not before the fact. That she subscquently became acquainted with his guilt there can be no doubt. And now I am about to take my departure. Be trusty! Attempt not to deceive me! If you think that by giving Mr. Timperley warning of the etorm that is gathering, you may obtain a larger bribe than the roward which I shall give you, you will be in error! Within the hour that is passing a detective oflicer of justice will be sct to watch him day and night —to dog his footsteps—to track all hia movements, until circumstances shall be sufficiently combined to justify his arrest !” The woman promised to maintain the utmost fidelity in the cause which was entrusted to her ; and Lord Ormsby g.Mted tho house. It was no ven threat to which he had given utterance : be joat not a moment in consulting his friend Mr, Stefford, the Government official, who ” Ccomicboo SS CO