Agnes: A Tale of the Streets — page 280: what you’re looking at

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

AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASUER. bis leisure in the course of the day. Waving nothing better to do at the moment, and not daring to seek. Gustavus at the placo of appoint- ment, Charles put on his hat and bent his steps towards the hotel where the Hardress family were staying. As be emerged into tho strect, he flung his looks around to see if he could catch a glimpse of the quadroon: but the thoroughfares were now tolorably crowded, and he discerned her not amongst the passengers who were proceeding hither and thither. CHAPTER XXXIX. g°iCELY AND CTARLES. Ix order to explain the purpose for which Cicely @had written to desire that Charles Da Vere would favour her with a call, we must record a conversa- tion that touk place between herself and her hus- band in the morning of the same day whoreof we are writing. It was after breakfast: Josephine Hardress bad retired to hor own chamber: Hector and Cicely were alone together. The young patri. cian hummed a tuno—threw himself back in his chair—stretched out his legs and arms—then sud- denly starting up, walked to fro in the gpartmpont for nearly a minute—and ultimately throwing him- self upun a seat in the window-recess, he became absorbed in deep thought. Cicoly watched him without appearing to do so. Sho held a book in her band; and her eyes seemad tu be fixed upon it—but in reality her regards were wandering from boneath the long lashes to- wards her husband. <At longth rising from her chair, she advanced straight up to him, and laid her hand upon his shoulder. He started as if awakened from a dream ; and it was almost with petulance that he ejaculated, “ How you frighten me, Cicely !” ‘‘And what a singular mood you must bo in, Hector,” she roplied, “ to*be startled by so simple an action! Come now, tell me what is uppermost in your thoughts ?” “ 7 was not aware, Cicely,” answered her hus- band, somewhat coldly, “that there was so much loving confidence subsisting botween us as to give you the right to inquire the subject of my thoughte.” ‘“‘ Neither did I assert the right,” said Cicely, arming herself with a still haughtier coldness than that which her husband had just put on. “ Lut inasmuch as it is quite probable I can guess what is passing in your mind——” “ Indeed ?” ejaculated Hector, asif the discourse suddenly becamo invested with a cortain degree of interest. ‘“ What do you mean ?” ‘I mean precisely what I say,” rejoined Cicely, ewéth a smile that displayed her magnificent teoth. You are thinking of some one——” « Ah!” cried Hector, starting up from his seat : “ what penetration you must have! But yet Ido not know that it needs so very much penetration, after all, to discover these sorta of things. I think it is merely catching up with boldness, as it were, the first passing conjecturo which strikes one,—assuming it at once to be a fact, and assert- ing if as such with bardihood and dogmatic om. ' phasis.” | “ What do you mean, Tcetor, with this cloud of verbiayn P” inquired Cicely. “] will soon explain myself,” responded her husband. “ You think you have made sume dis- covery in respect to me ?” * Yos—1 am sure of it,” answered Ciecly, with confidence. “ What then ?” “I think [ have made some discovery in refer- once to you,” roplied Iector, assuming an equal degree of confidence in his luok and tone: and then, as he behold a slight flush {lt over his wife’s countenance, he added still more emphatically and positively, “ I have no doubt of it!” “Tell me what you mean,” said Cicely; and thero was a half-smile upon her lips, while the blush was again flitting over bor checks. “Do you explain yourself first,” said ILardvoss ; and then he also smiled in an encouraging manner. “Come, our explanations are about to bo interest- ing. Speak, Cicely.” “There is a certain image,” replied Mrs. Hard- ress, “which is uppermost in your mind. I am neither so vain nor go fuolish as to mean that it ig myimage. It is tho imago of one far more beau- tiful than I. She disappeared suddonly ; and ever sinco hor abrupt departure, you have becn restless, unsettled, and uncasy. A fortnight has now elapsed since that departure; and you have beon incessantly haunted by the image of the lust ono. I mean Fioribel Lister.” Cicely’s large blue eyos were fixed steadfastly upon her busband as she thus spoke ; and the ex- pression of a sly significancy, good-hurmouredly mischievous and full of meaning, played upon the rich fulness of her lips; for she saw by tfector’s countenance that her suspicions and conjectures wero most accurate. “And now before I give you any answer, Cicely,” he said,—“ before I tell you whether you aro right or wrong—before I proclaim any denial or proffer any contession—let me accuso you in my turn.” Again the blush swept across Cicely’s counto- nance—but deeper in its hue than before; and with » smile and look of ropuish archness, she said, “Procoed, Hectur—and let us seo to What extent your skill goes in forming conjectures.” “Tam not tho only one,” answered her hus- band, “who is haunted by images: you are haunted by a special image likewise! I know that you havo been struck by a particular indi- vidual and tho one to whom I allude is Charles De Vere !” “Well,” said Cicely, with a deepening blush, “but what about the charge I brought against you ?—what about Floribel Listor ?” “I havo certainly conceived a fancy in that di- roction,” he answered. “But you, Cicely — in reference to Charles De Vero——” “ He is doubtless a very fascinating young man,” replied Mrs, Hardress; “and if any one could pes- sibly lead mo astray, it would be Charles Deo Vere.” “ Now our confessions are mutual,” said Hard- ress. ‘ Ilave you anything to propose P” “T donot know,” resumod Cicely, “ how your feelings of jealousy 7 “Ah! I understand to what you allude!” ex. claimed Hector, ‘“ You think that because I was so terribly fierce and vindictive when I thought Comiclooo SS