Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 92: what you’re looking at

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

ee em ee ———— ee ee eae cata ln ai , . —— hill a glimpse of the little village, which was situ- ated in the depth of a valley. It was embowered in verdure: it did not seem to consist of more than some twenty houses; and above the wide- spreading yew-trees the spire of the little church peeped up. A rivulet meandered through the Village, and was crossed by a small bridge at its entrance. Altogether the scene was picturesque, as [| thus caught the first view of it from the chaise-window on the brow of the hill that the vehicle was beginning to descend. The road wound down into the valley, where it crossed the rivulet by means of the bridge to which I have just alluded. As the chaise approached that bridge, I beheld an individual leaning listlessly against the brick-parapet. He was dressed in black—he was of tall stature: a thought flashed to my mind that he was the object of my visit; and as he now slowly turned to look at the ap- proaching equipage, I unmistakably recognised the countenance of Mr. Croft. I saw at the same time too that he recognised me; and I was’suddenly filled with confusion. What explanation could I possibly give for my visit to Embledon? On this point I had not reflected before; nor had I many moments for re- flection now, inasmuch as immediately on recog- nising my face, Mr. Croft made a sign for the postilion to stop; and he came up to the chaise- window. “ Miss Percy,” he said, in a voice which struck me to be of constrained softness, while the affa- bility of his manner likewise appeared to be forced, —‘‘T presume you have come to see me: for no other object could possibly bring you to this out- of-the-way place P” Thus speaking, he at once opened the door of the chaise, let down the steps, and proffered his hand to assist me to alight. “You can goon to the public-house,” he said to the postilion,—thus taking upon himself a sort of authority in the proceedings. “This young lady has come to see me on particular business: I will show her the way to the tavern when she chooses to take her departure again.” All this was done so suddenly, and yet in such a collected, business-like, off-hand manner, that I was taken as it were by surprise; and I yieided mechanically to Mr. Croft’s guidance. I therefore descended from the vehicle, which immediately drove away; and I remained alone with bim upon that bridge. He was dressed in black, as I have already said; and he wore a white cravat,—thus far having the appearance of a clergyman: but there was something slovenly in his toilet, and his linen was not remarkably clean. Still I had no doubt that he was really what he represented him- self to be; and now that 1 began somewhat to recover from the confusion and bewilderment in which the encounter had at first thrown me, my next feeling was one of joy on Juliet’s account. * And now, tell me, Miss Percy,” said Mr. Croft, “what has brought yeu here? 1 hope no mis- fortune nor accident has occurred to either of those whom I met the other day when you were present. But this mourning that you wear ? * It is not for either of them,” I answered : “ it is for a relative of my own:”’—and the tears trickled down my cheeks as the memory of my deceased aunt was thus vividly conjured up. ee eee OS ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. eS * And might I inquire who this relative was ?” asked Mr. Croft, as he gazed intently upon me —yet not in a disrespectful manuer; but it was rather with a mournful earnestness, “My aunt—Mrs. Wakefield,’ I responded. “She recently died at Paisley—- whence I have just come.” Methought that Mr. Croft murmured some- thing—but I could not catch what it was; and as I contemplated his countenance, the conviction was once more strong in my mind that he was in reality the stranger whom I had twice seen at my gerandfather’s house at Leeds, and of whose visit to the late Mrs. Parks in London If had subsequently become aware. « And now tell me, Miss Percy,” he continued, ‘‘ what has brought you to Embledon P” “Will you first of all tell me, Mr. Croft,” I in- quired, looking him very hard in the face, “ whe- ther you ever saw me before you met moe the other day at Lord Frederick Ravenscliffe’s cottage in the neighbourhood of Blackheath ?” “ Yes, Miss Percy,” he at once answered. “I was in London some few weeks previous to that occasion ; and I beheld you make your debut m the character of Portia. I know you therefore to be that same Miss Trafford who is already so favourably known to the world.” This reply was given with an ingenuousness which seemed so off-hand and so natural, that a sudden change took place within me; and f felt convinced that L must be mistaken in supposing that Mr. Croft was identical with the stranger whose presence had so excited my deceased grand- father at Leeds, and concerning whom Mrs. Parks had spoken to me in such disparaging terms. “But why did you ask me that question f” continued Mr. Croft. “ Surely,” he added with a smile, “ you have not come all the way to Em- bledon to put such a query P” “feel the necessity of dealing frankly with you,” I now said, collecting all my thoughts for an explanation which to a certain extent | saw myself bound to give. ‘“ On the occasion when we met the other day at the bridal ceremony, it at once struck me that [ had seen you before. In my earlier years I lived at Leeds with my grand- father, Mr, Forsyth ; and it was at his house that Ifancied I had thus seen you.” “{ never wus at Leeds in my life,” answered Mr. Croft, with a countenance so unchanging, an air so composed, and a manner so completely un- ruffied, that I could not possibly disbelieve bim, “Tt is therefore evidently a mistake on my part,” I said; “and I hope you will pardon——” “There is nothing to pardon, Miss Percy,” re. joined Mr. Croft. “ But on the other hand, you may vaturally suppose that my curiosity is now somewhat excited $ “Then once more must I deal candidly with you, sir,’ I exclaimed, determined to tell the truth: for indeed 1 saw no way of evading it, “T beheld at Leeds that person to whom I have alluded, and whom I mistook for you, under cir- cumstances which led me to contemplate with astonishment and mistrust the idea that he could now possibly be exercising the duties of a minister of religion.” * And therefore, Miss Percy,” added Mr. Croft, “you have come to Embledon to satisfy yourself COmic o)(OO)|;< Com