Agnes: A Tale of the Streets — page 57: what you’re looking at

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

~ AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AxD PirAgcRr. Bo soon as he was alone, he could no longer subdue the agitation and nervousness which had got pos- session of him. He paced to and fro—he atopped short—he clenched his fists—then he sat down, and drew forth from his-pockets a pair of very small, bat elegantly manufactured pistols, which he exa- mined with a half fierce, half desperate air. Con- Bigning them to his pockets again, he rang the bell,and ordered in a further supply of wine. Very soon afterwards the door opened, and a gentleman with sandy hair, whiskers, and mous- tache, entered the coffee-room. The gentleman who was already there, atarted and then appeared © be seized with an utter uncertainty in respect the course which he ought to adopt. ‘Why! surely,” 2jacalated the new-comer in accents of surprise, “ you are Hardress P”—and t his Land. -for be indeed was the individual with ..~ wvseured mind, the nervous trembling, and the pocket-pistols—grasped the hand with a fervour as if it were something new to him, and therefore most delightful, to encounter a friend. ‘“‘ My dear Mervyn,” he said, “ I am rejoiced to wee you. Where have you been this long time rast P” “Chiefly in Paris,” replied Visqpunt Mervyn. ‘I am sorry, Hector, to have read and heard of 0 many terrible things in connexion with yourself —very sorry, positively.” ‘‘ Terrilie indeed !” interjected Hardress. ‘Very bad—positively,” said Mervyn. “I am S3id—excuse my -“~ark-—’tis as well to be candid —I was told, I1s.,, rat you were cut by all the English at Brussels and Paris, Deuced awkward ! But Iam cot over fastidious. Besides, I think you must have quite enough upon your mind— quite enough, positively — without being made mofe miserable.” “You are a good fellow, Mervyn !” exclaimed Hardress, “ Yes! the devil has mixed himself up in all my affairs of late! My poor sister firet— and then my mother—and | abroad, unable to at- vend my mother’s funeral ‘a “ Awkward and sad—sad and awkward !” oried Mervyn. “ But where is your wife, Hardress ?” ‘I left her ill at Brussels. deuce of a shuck—an uncle of her’s dying without leaving ber anything- ‘‘ Bad, bad,” said Mervyn. “ 1 think I can guess who the uncle was. But no matter! ‘Tis all very sad—positively. Well, so you left Mrs, Hardress ill at Brussela?—and then you went to ” eis, where the English residents behaved very wi-rivil to you.” “ But it wasn’t on account of their incivility I .eft Paris,” interrupted Hector. “ I was only two days at Meurice’s Hotel - “Why did you leave?” asked Mervyn. “ For the eame reason that I suddenly left Brus- sels,” replied Hardress. ‘‘ You are evidently my friend, Mervyn—and I will tell you the exact state of affairs. The truth is’—and the unhappy joung man looked ghastly as he made the state- ment-—“ it was whispered to me, first in Brussels, that the Belgian Government meant to give we up to an English detective who waa after me: then the eame rumour reached me in Paris with Tespect to the intentions of the French Govern- ment; so that to be brief, Mervyn, I feel as if I She received a ‘411, bad been hunted from pillar to post and here I am, lurking sbout—_ Stay tape: hide and sesk as it were at Genoa!” “Very awkward,” ejaculated the Viscount ! “very unpleasant—positively—actually! I pit you, my dear Hardress! And you mean to te me that an English detective is truly, literally, and undoubtedly in pursuit of you ?” ““I mean to say that such is my apprehension, on account of all that I have heard : but whether it be actually true or not, I cannot take it upon myself to say. I don’t even know the law upon the subject—I have been afraid to ask—I have taken it for granted that what rumour whispered in my ear must be correct. My fears have seemed to confirm the reporta themselves. I am wretched, Mervyn !” “You look so—positively, my dear fellow. When @id you arrive here ?” “” “Only last evening. And you?” “Only this afternoon. You have dined,” con- tinued Mervyn : “ at least, if one may judge by the way you are drinking that wine. I shail not dine until presently. I have got a friend coming. Ah! by the bye, how strange !—it is Fitsherbert. You remember, he was your second in that duel which you fought some time ago with—what was his name then 7—I mean that fine young Englisb- man who has become Count of Oamerino.” “Charles De Vere,” replied Hardress. so Fitzherbert is at Genoa ?” “By the bye,” ejaculated Viscount Mervyn, “talking of that duel and Charles De Vere, pute me in mind of those beautiful girls—the two cousins —— We used to call them, if you remewn- ber, Beauty and Pleasure——” | “Ah!” and Hector gave a quick start; and seizing the wine-bottle, he filled his glass with a kindred impetuosity. “Why what the deuce does this mean?” asked Mervyn. “You are unaccountable—positively— decidedly. Just because I mentioned those two sweet creatures you seem as if you were About to fly into the most violent rage! You ate very droll with your troubles, Hector—very. As for one of the girls—Agnes—she whom we used to call Beauty~I have frequently heard her spoken of | in the highest terms. She is going to marry the Count of Camerino. Floribel—that was Pleasure, you know—she went wrung—she went away with Clifford But, Ab! I really forgot! it’s a sore subject— positively —decidedly.”” “ Yes!” ejaculated Heotor, fiercely, as he struck his clenched fiat upon the tuble; “ everything which in any way relates to Florivel Lister is sore subject with me! If you knew how I loved her— sti// love her—no, not love her !—hate ber!” “On my soul, Hardress,”’ interjected the Vis- count, “ you are strange--incemprehenaible— posi- tively. With a handsome wife—as fiae a woman as any in all Kurope, positively—thougb perhaps there are some handsomer in the face—yet ae for form and figure—pardon me for speaking to such terms of Mre. H... uress ” “Speak «° .er as you like,” exclaimed Hector, with an almost fierce abruptuess. “But if you wish to speak of a being who is adorable—one for whose sake a man could commit a thousand follies —a being in whose oature the moet delicious voluptuousness mingles with the most elegant “ And cConniclooolkkS.Cconn