Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 187: what you’re looking at

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i74 and mean you to do so—and no one wiili euter to interfere with you.” I accordingly passed into the adjoining room: her ladyship closed the folding doors,—she herself remaining in the apartment where she had first received me, and which, as the reader comprehends, was the central one of a suite of three. Almost immediately afterwards a loud double knock re- sounded through the house; and in a few moments I heard the name of Lord Frederick Ravenscliffe announced in the adjoining room. “ Dearest Cecilia!” exclaimed the young noble- man, when the door had closed behind him and the domestic had retired; “you are about to render me supremely happy by positively fixing the day when our nuptials are to take place !” “ But first tell me, Frederick,’ responded her ladyship, in a half gay, half serious tone, “ whether you really love me so fondly as you have de- clared ?” “Can you doubt itP Oh, is it possible that you can doubt it?” cried Ravenscliffe, with a tone of so much sincerity that i¢ must have doubtless bewildered the young lady in the presence of the allegations made against her suitor. “No, no—I do not doubt it!” she replied. “ But still ——” “Ah, dearest! I comprehend you!” ejaculated Lord Frederick. “Yes: for I know how sweet it is to receive over and over again from your lips the assurance of your love,—that assurance which never can be reiterated-too often! Oh, you know I love you!” “ And for myself alone?” asked Cecilia, as if in a fondly murmuring voice. “Oh! can you fancy that there is any alloy of selfishness in my love?” he exclaimed, in that gushing tone of enthusiasm which had so fatally beguiled poor Juliet, and which it was indeed so difficult. to disbelieve. “It is true, Cecilia, that according to report you are far wealthier than I can ever hope to be: but surely, surely the de- voted love which I bear you cannot be sus- pected P” “No, no!” she interrupted him, “I do not suspect you! But the step I am about to take is @ serious one; and every fresh assurance I receive from your lips is an additional guarantee of the genuine sincerity of your affection. ‘Tell me, Fre- derick—repeat those dear words which you yester- day breathed in my ear Iam the first whom you ever loved ?” “ Oh, I swear it!—most solemnly do I swear it!’ exclaimed Lord Frederick: and I, who was an unseen listener at all that was passing in the adjacent room, trembled at the stupendous per- jury which had just been committed. “The only one whom you have ever loved?” said Cecilia, murmuringly. “Ah! it is delightful to receive this assurance! Yor such sad tales are sometimes told of man’s duplicity and deceit 7 “ Cecilia!” ejaculated Ravenscliffe, “I take heaven ‘to witness the vow that I am incapable of deceiving you!” Again I shuddered at his perjury; and that moment another double knock resounded through the house. In a few moments [I heard the foot- man enter the adjoining room; and he said, “If you please, my lady, Mr. Lockhart has called to see your ladyship upon business.” ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS, ‘“ How provoking!” ejaculated Cecilia; “and without sending me any previous notice of his in- tention! Well, I suppose that I must see him.— Show Mr. Lockhart up, James,” “Yes, my lady:’—and I heard the domestic retire, “It is only my solicitor,” Lady Cecilia now hastily said to Lord Frederick, ‘I do not think he can detain me long: you will not perhaps mind waiting during his visit? You can pass into the adjoining room: you will find books and newspapers there—and it is of no consequence,” she added with a laugh that sounded gay and gleeful, “ that the folding-doors are but slight: for I can have no secrets with my lawyer which you, Frederick, may not overhear.” I heard one of the leaves of the opposite folding- doors open and shut; and I knew that Lady Ce- cilia once more remained alone in the central apartment of the suite. In less than a minute the domestic reappeared, announcing Mr. Lock- hart. * T suppose I must bid you welcome, my dear sir,’ exclaimed Lady Cecilia with a tone of play- ful reproach, “ as an old friend of the family: but really you ought to have sent me notice of your intention to pay this visit: for I see that itisa professional one. Heavens! that ominous bag, loox- ing so plethoric with papers which imagination depicts as dingy and dusty~and all tied round with red tapes! But you surely do not mean to inflict the reading of them upon me?” “That must be according to your ladyship’s pleasure,” answered a loud-speating voice; s0 that I was quite sure Lord Frederick must over- hear as plainly as I could everything that was about to take place; and I had no doubt that his curiosity was rendering him an attentive listener. “ Come, Mr. Lockhart,” said Lady Cecilia, ina tone which sounded slightly petulant, as if with true patrician indolence she were impatient of any- thing that savoured of the stern realities of business; “if we must get to these musty parchments, pray be quick. But Ob! I begin to observe that your countenance is more than ordinarily serious. Surely there can be nothing but the most satis- factory account to be rendered of the property for which you are one of the trustees P” *“T am sorry to say, my lady,” replied Mr. Lockhart, “that I have indeed evil intelligence for you; and under existing circumstances—I allude to the communication with which your ladyship honoured me a few days ago, in respect to your contemplated alliance with Lord Frederick Ravenscliffe ¥ “Tor heaven’s sake spare set speeches, Mr. Lockhart,” exclaimed Lady Cecilia, in accents that appeared to be replete with suspense; “and come to the point.at once.” “T was about to observe, my lady,’ continued Mr. Lockhart, “ that under existing circumstances I deemed it my duty to lose not an instant in communicating the sad—the afflicting intelligence which has just come to my knowledge = “ Good heavens, Mr. Lockhart!” cried Cecilia: “you alarm mé! . What do you mean P” “Prepare yourself, my lady, for an announce- ment which I can assure you it distresses me to make—but one which nevertheless must be made. At the same time it is really fortunate that you are Gomicbook a ee eee ee nel Gom,