Agnes: A Tale of the Streets — page 285: what you’re looking at

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

234 “ You havo alluded to an incident that mate- rially concorns myself: I mean my visit to the house of Mrs. Maddox to purchase Mrs. Chick- lade’s letters. It is truo that I did so. Certain letters from Hector t> Mra. Chicklade were in ek istence,—letters which compromised me! I nei say no more on this point: you understand me, sir! ‘Well then, it was vitally importané to me to procure those letters; dnd I purchased them accordingly.” “And amongst them,” interjected Mr, Hare grave, “was one from Mr. Timperley to Mrs. Chickiade.” I will explain the point,” resumed Cicely. “I met Mrs. Chicklade but a short time before she was killed. She demanded money of me; and one Sunday, when the greater péttion of the household were at church, I admitted fet into the house in Lincoln’s Inn Fields. I took her into my uncle’s private office: { went up to my own room fo fetch my purse—atd the ciretinsfance of a housémaid commencing 8 dist down the lower fight of staire, prevented imé from returning to thé office for twenty Ayory of half-an-hour. In the Mvab- while thé phd Wag was there by herself; and the ee oie Wis stroWi with documents of the utm tan —Fot tiny uncle had departed for chatth With the impression that he had locked the door @f that office, whereas he had not. ‘The infamows Wedikh exatnihéd those papors; and she saw chough t contitiee Heteelf, by certain memo- randa or letters-—-ferhaps both — that forgeries had been committwd! Wes, forgeries by the lato Mr. Waldron!—tergeties to which my uncle must have undoulitedly beth peivy !” “Forgetien Genderbihg What case?” deked the nobleman: * You tay speak frankly: I will be- tray nothing that you tell me.” “Forgeries,” adawered Cicdly, “voncerning that noted business #f the Ov affair, which as I havé head, eatited # peat a sonsation about nineteen ot twent) poate ies. But of course you know that thé Very elalinant himself was Agnes Evelyn's Sathee 1” ““Procetd, Mra. Mm =< proceed,’ said the nobloman, “ You Weré tolling mo that Mrs. Chicklade saw those papers lying upon your uncle’s desk. le had doubtless been referring to them-———” “Yos. Somehow or another,” contiaued Cicety, “ho was always harping on that ca#6~always ex- pressing his conviction that sométhivg Would sorte day or another come of it. But to fétatn to Mrs. Chicklade,—you can doubtiess now conjecture, Mr. | itor just now told me.” AGNRS; OR, BEAUTY AND PLRASURE. did say sufficient in that letter—although it was brief enougb—to enable mo to comprehend when it fell into my hand, what stupendous secret it was which Mrs. Chicklade bad got in hor possession, aid likewise by what means it had come to her kiewledge.” * Ad thet letter,” satd Lord Ormsby,—" what has bebeise of it P” “JT gave it to my uncle,” replied Cicely, “ and he destvoyed it. It is true, Mr. Hargrave, as you have stated, that he purchased it from me with a dower of thirty thousand pounds. But tell me how this fact came to your knowledge.” “Agnes Evelyn casually mentioned that such was your dower,” rejoined Lord Ormaby; “and then, as other circumstances giddually came to my knowledge, it was ensy by putliag two ond two together, to conjecture how go Wrutig such an im- menee sum from the niggardhaW Std selfishness of Mr. Timperley. And now, M¥é, Hatdress, before we quit thig topic, I would fai take an observa- tion or two. You ere now expressed a wonder that your uncle, usually so cautious and se prudent, should have committed himself so fatally in that letter. Let me tell you, Mra. Hatdresé, that the solutioi of the sceming mystery is eaty :—it was Providenco that did it! Yes!—how often do we marx that when a crime is perpetrated, the crimi- nal comimits some oversight or some inadvertence which ultimately leads to his detection! ere, in the case of which we are speaking, your uncle com- mitted the oversight of recording on paper an allu- sion to one crime—namély, the forgery; and this very same letter subsequently led to the detection of his guilt in respect td the other rime which ho afterwards édtmitted—namely, the murder! It is thus by ways apparently so mysterious and in- scrutablo that Providence Worke out its objects !” Mrs. Hardréws feficcted sériously for a fow minutes tfpon the observations which had just fallen from the tips of her visitor ; and then with a sith she murmured, “Yes—it must be so !” “It is go, Mrs. Hardyess,” rejvined Lord Ormaby solemnly. “But now let us proceed to another topic. I accidentally learnt just now, on making certain inquiries, that young Mr. Barring- ton and his wife had been ataying at this very | hotel.” “Yes—it was a week ago,” replied Cicoly. “They wore only here a few hours——” f . “And something unpleasant occurred, I bo- Heve?” said Lord Ormsby. “At least so the “Ah! then you were inquiring after thom, Mr. Uiargrave, how she availed hersclf of the know- | Hargrave ?” ledge which she had that day acquired in my “Not exactly,” responded the nobleman; “ for unclo’s office, to endeavour to cxtort money from | I thought that they would have loft immediately him. It ia ovident that she wrote him a noto de- | upon hearing of the death of old Mr. Barrington manding five thousand pounds; and she insisted upon @ positive answer, yea or nay, by a certain hour, to be left ata certain house; and that house was the one in Norton Street. My uncle sent a veply; and it was thislottcr which 1 found amongst the papers of the deceased Mrs. Chicklade when I purchased them from Mrs. Maddox. How my uncle could have been so imprudent as he was to say 60 much in- that letter which he wroto as an answer, I cannot tell. Such imprudence was most inconsistent with the general cautiousness of his character. However, very sure it isthat my uncle —which intelligonce must have reuched them a woek back " + “Tt did so reach them,” rejoined Cicely. “ But I was inquiring,” pursued Mr. Margrave, “ whether a cortain Mr. Do Vere———” “Ab! Mr. De Vore?”’—and Mrs. Iardress could scarcely repress a staré or keep back a blush. “Yes — Charles De Vere,” continued Lord Ormsby. “I am awaro that you know him. Well then, as I was saying, I inquired if ht were known at this hotel; tor I know not exactly Comiclooo SS CO