Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 84: what you’re looking at

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

SD SP - can well understand his feelings. ELLEN PERCY; OB, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. that period of life, his mind would be sufficiently formed and his experiences enlarged enough to allow him to cater for his own happiness.” “ Andif,” interjected Mrs. Norman, “he should contract a marriage contrary to his parents’ wishes before the age of twenty-three, the money so bequeathed by his deceased relative is to pass into other hands. Is it not so, my dear P” * The matter stands as you have described it,” rejoined Mr. Norman. “ Now, it is quite certain my dear Ellen,” he continued, “ that the Earl and Countess of Carshalton will not give their consent in the present instance ee “Then why not wait,” I exclaimed, “ until Lord Frederick shall be three-and-twenty and his own master P” * Ah!” said Mr. Norman, with a sigh, “ because Lord Frederick is madly enamoured of our Juliet; and the period of eighteen months which he would have to wait, appears a perfect age to him. I And then too, there is no denying the fact, Ellen, that so pro- longed a courtship would have its inconveniences and its risks. Juliet could not continue on the stage when once formally plighted to Lord Fre- derick ; and our means would be seriously cur- tailed by the loss of her salary. Not but that we would make any sacrifice for our dear girl There is however another consideration ; and this is that the ardour of love may cool in a pro- longed courtship; and it would be a terrible blow to Juliet’s happiness, if, after all, Lord Frederick should change his mind and break off the match.” “© Besides,’ added Mrs. Norman, “it would be useless to seek to disguise from you, Ellen, that situated as we are—wanting to give our dear daughter a position—this match is a very eligible one—I may even say brilliant. She acquires a title—and though for eighteen months she may not bear it 5 “In a word,” ejaculated Mr. Norman, “ we Lave yielded to Lord Frederick’s entreaty that the marriage shall take place with the utmost privacy. When once his twenty-third year is attained, and the money in the funds is finally and irrevocably made over to him by the trustees, he may boldly proclaim his marriage without the necessity of concealing the date of it; and thus our dear child’s reputation cannot possibly suffer in the long run, whatsoever temporary little incon- venience may arise from this secret—and I may say clandestine union. Everything, therefore, is settled according to Lord Frederick’s desire ; and though one could have wished that it were other- wise ina certain sense, yet we cannot in this world expect everything to run precisely with our inclinations.” “The marriage will take place in about a fort- night,” resumed Mrs. Norman: “ it will of course be solemnized by special license—and none but our- selves will be present.” “ But the clergyman ?” I waepenibd: * how will you ensure Ais secresy? He might possibly be- tray the affair to the Harl of Carshalton before it is too late to recede m * Lord Frederick has undertaken to provide against that casualty,’ said Mr. Norman. “ He is acquainted with a clergyman—a poor curate in some distant county—on whom he can rely; and by this reverend gentleman will the nuptial bless. 71 ing be pronounced. In short, my dear Juliet, every arrangement is finally settled ; and Ellen’s mother and myself have done our best to ensure our dear child’s happiness. Ah! by the bye, I forgot to mention that Lord Frederick has a beau- tiful little place—a mere cottage, but singularly picturesque in its situation amidst the few acres of pleasure-grounds belonging to it it is only a few miles distant from London and it is there that the ceremony is to be performed. The happy pair will immediately go upon the Continent, un- der circumstances of the strictest privacy, to pass the honeymoon : we shall pretext a visit that Juliet is paying to a relation in the country; and on her return she will come back to us, until the time when Lord Frederick may no longer be necessi- tated to conceal their marriage.” “You forget to add, my dear,” said Mrs. Nor- man, who had sighed more than once during her husband’s last speech, “that Lord Frederick just now showed us all the papers connected with the manner in which his fortune was left him. And therefore you see, my dear Ellen,” she remarked, turning to me, “that the young nobleman has behaved most straightforward and frankly in the matter, and that he is doing all he can under ex- isting circumstances.” The footman now entered to announce that lun. cheon was served ; and we proceeded to the dining: room, where we were almost immediately joined by Juliet and her noble suitor. I saw at a glance that Miss Norman was completely happy; and it was no wonder —for being deeply enamoured of Lord Frederick, as well as having her ambition gratified by the prospect of sharing his patrician rank, she could easily reconcile herself to the temporary in-. convenience of secresy and privacy in reference to the contemplated marriage. Besides, one who loves thinks only of possessing the object of the heart’s adoration ; and to ensure this aim even the opinion of the world itself will be defied so long as there is the consciousness that the time will come when everything will be cleared up. After luncheon [ retired to my own chamber, to reflect upon all that I had heard,—leaving the Normans and Lord Frederick together. I by no means approved of the plans that were to be adopted; nor did I conceive that they augured satisfactorily for my friend Juliet’s eventual happi- ness. I considered that in existing circumstances it would have been much more prudent to wait until Lord Frederick was released from all shackles and became his own master. Methought that if his love were of a nature calculated to ensure Juliet’s felicity, it could not possibly be impaired by the ordeal of an additional eighteen months’ | courtship ; but that if, on the other hand, it were of a character to cool down during that interval, it were better that Juliet should altogether re- nounce the idea of marriage with such an indi- vidual. It was not however for me to suggest my advice, much less to proclaim my misgivings to Mr. and Mrs. Norman, who were the best judges —or at least the most rightful and natural ones— of the means most calculated to ensure their daugh- ter’s welfare; and as for starting a presentiment, a presage, or an objection to throw a damp on Juliet’s happiness, 1 could not do such a thing! One fact was clear enough,—that Mr. and Mrs. Norman, with all their good qualities in other re- ECORNIELAOO cS Com