Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 74: what you’re looking at

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

—_——_—— + SS OO > LC --.CLDC' OOO wre aa anneaeaees=s ee ee ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. 61 particular thoroughfare; and I now observed that we were in the neighbourhood of the Regent’s Park. The equipage pursued its way; and Lilla said to me, “Now keep watch, Ellen! I am about to point out to you a particular house df “But perhaps I shall not recognise it?” I ex- claimed, as the thought immediately struck me that she was alluding to the scene of that outrage which I had experienced on the night of the dinner at Mr. Parks’s. * Look well !—we are approaching it!” she sud- denly cried. “Surely you can recollect & “Yes, yes—I do!” I ejaculated, as she pointed out a particular villa-residence which the equipage was just approaching. “It is the same!” “ And that house,” continued Lady Lilla Es- sendine, again fixing her large and beautiful blue eyes significantly upon me,—“ that house belongs not to Colonel Bellew—but it is a suburban retreat in the possession of Captain St. Clair.” “ Good heavens!” I exclaimed, suddenly bewil- dered what to think. “Is this possible?” * Oh, my dear Ellen!” exclaimed Lady Lilla, “if you cannot read the whole truth of that ad- venture, I can read it for you! Yes—that is St. Clair’s house!—and rest assured that Bellew was but the instrument of St. Clair’s deep-laid stra- tagem !” “ But this is monstrous!” I cried, terribly shocked. “He had offered me his hand in mar- riage Fe *Yes—no doubt he was infatuated with you; and by that stratagem he hoped to win you as his wife. Do you not now comprehend it? It was Bellew who was to have the appearance of carry- ing you off—and St. Clair was to rescue you. The duel was equally a sham: it was to win your sym- pathy. No such hostile encounter ever took place: nor was St. Clair wounded. Gratitude and sympathy—these were the debts you owed him: and he conceived that in such circumstances you could not fail to accept his hand.” It would be impossible to describe the indigna- tion which seized upon me as I comprehended the truth of all that Lady Lilla was saying. Every circumstance confirmed it. St. Clair had fallen on his knees to plead his passion at my feet immediately after the pretence of rescuing me from Colonel Bellew: I had subsequently found hima visitor at the Colonel’s own house; and on that very occasion suspicions had been excited in my mind in respect.to the complete truth of the story of the duel. But now even amidst my very indignation did my soul experience a sudden shock, as it struck me that the letter of which I had read a fragment, was not after all addressed to Colonel Bellew, but to St. Clair himself! Good heavens, in what a frightful shape of wickedness was the whole character of Edwin St. Clair now revealed to my view,—and I who had at one time profferred him my friendship—although I thanked God that I had been saved the deplorable catas- trophe of giving him my love! ** And does your ladyship think,” I tremulously inquired, “that Mr. and Mrs. Parks could have been in any way accessory to Colonel Bellew’s stratagem on behalf of Captain St. Clair that night ?” Lilla reflected for some moments; and ther she said impressively, a * No !—it is impossible ' ’ There was now a long interval of silence—dur- ing which I meditated profoundly and painfully, yet thankfully, on all the incidents of the recent past upon which so strong a light had just been shed. Yes—painfully did I meditate, as I thought of the diabolic stratagems of which I had been: rendered the object, and of the perils which the fiendish villany of St. Clair had raised up around me like a woven mesh: but I was thankful like- wise at the manner in which I had escaped from that tangled skein of dangerous intricacies. “ Ah, my dear Lady Lilla,’ I suddenly ex. claimed, “how deeply, deeply grateful am I to you for having afforded me the means of triumph- ing at last over that wicked and designing man, and reducing him to abject powerlessness. But if it be not indiscreet, tell me in what constituted the charm which produced such an awful effect ?” “The effect, then, was very awful?” said Lady Lilla inquiringly: “and St. Clair was appalled ?” “Never before did I witness such a scene,” I responded, shuddering at the bare recollection “and heaven grant that I may never again behold such a spectacle of ghastly horror as that which Captain St. Clair presented to my view when I took the flower from the vase !” Lady Lilla averted her countenance, and looked for some minutes from the carriage-window. During that interval theré was again a profound silence; and when she once more turned towards me, she said, “ You must not question me, Ellen, relative to the meaning of that charm which wrought such power. Suffice it for you that it served your purpose on the occasion. But I be- seech you to keep the seal of secrecy inviolably upon your lips—as you ere now assured me that you have hitherto done. I told you the other night that during the lifetime of my late husband, St. Clair’s uncle, circamstances came to my know- ledge But here we are at my humble resi- dence !” CHAPTER XIII. CLAREMONT VILLA. Lapy Litia EssEnDINE occupied a beautiful villa in the neighbourhood of St. John’s Wood, Re- gent’s Park. It was not a spacious dwelling—~ but it was commodious, and elegantly furnished. Standing back about thirty yards from the road, it had a screen of shrubs along the palings in front, and which shut in a small but well-kept lawn. It had a garden of tolerable dimensions attached; and this was closed in the rear by a small shrubbery. In the summer-time it wa3 a truly charming retreat; though I fancied that in the winter it must be somewhat lonely and dull. Its situation was completely isolated; and the nearest habitation—also a charming villa—was about two hundred yards distant. Three female and two male servarits comprised her ladyship’s domestic establishment ; and though not possessed of affluence for a lady of her rank and position, she evidently enjoyed a handsome competency. Indeed, St. Clair had told me that she had an in- come of fifteen hundred a year—which seemed to be true enough, judging of the style in which she — ee CORNIELOO@ <S (COIN