Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 223: what you’re looking at

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210 ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS, dress ; and then she hastened along the thorough- | teen, ana who evidently belonged to the class of fare. Yes—she walked very quickly; and I be- | drudges known as maids-of all-work, lieve that she is a young person of the strictest | Does Miss Churchill live here ?” I inquired. propriety of conduct—for two or three times while; “Miss Churchill? No, ma’am,” was the girl’s I was following her, I beheld ber turn abruptly | answer, so readily given that I scarcely dared aside and evidently with much indignation as some | suspect its sincerity. foppish individual bent his insolent looks upon| ‘Are you sure?” I nevertheless asked. “ Miss her, at the same time giving utterance to some Jane Churchill—or perhaps Mademoiselle Ange. words which were no doubt offensive to her ears. | line is the denomination ?” On she went towards the Strand — Waterloo; ‘No such lady here, ma’am,” responded the Bridge was reached—she traversed it. I con-| maid-of-all-work. “There’s Mr. and Mrs. Pars- tinued to follow her; and, to be brief, I traced | nip—a very quiet old couple which lives on the her to a house in a street leading out of the York | first floor leastways they ain’t at home now— Road. The appearance of the house is quite re- | they’re gone into the country to spend Christmas spectable ; and I have no doubt that Angeline | with some friends at Woking $3 does live there—for I remained upwards of half- * But I speak of a young lady an hour watching, and she did not come forth “ Ah, well! there’s Mr. and Miss Smith which again. Besices, I am almost confident that I | lives on the second floor—father and daughter. caught a glimpse of her face at a window on the | She’s a nice young lady—though [I don’t like the second floor ; and she had no bonnet on. But I| genelman much:”’—and here the maid-of-all-work instituted no inquiries in the neighbourhood—for | lowered her voice to the softest whisper, so that I I thought she might probably hear of them; and | had no difficulty in concluding that Mr. and Miss at all events I preferred waiting until I should | Smith were at home in their lodgings at the have communicated with you.” time. “You did well, Beda,” I answered; “and to- That name of Smith was the one which Ange- morrow I will go and call upon Angeline.” line gave at the pawnbroker’s, as Mr. Richards Yes—I was resolved to avail myself of the dis- | had discovered: but then Smith was a common covery which was thus made. I bad now more than | name, and from this very fact it was the most one reason: I was not only anxious to come to an | frequently assumed by persons using a fictitious explanation with Miss Churchill, and ascertaining nomenclature. Thus, after all, I reflected within from her, if possible, the grounds upon which she | myself, the fact that the young lady bad used had levelled such singular charges against me, two | that name at the pawnbroker’s afforded no posi- months ago, in my own dressing room at the | tive ground for believing that it was the name she theatre; but I was desirous also of seeing if I | passed by elsewhere. could be of any assistance to her. [I felé confident| ‘ Have the goodness,” I said to the maid-of- that the poor girl laboured under some error in | all-work, slipping some money into her hand, “to reference to myself, and for which she was to be | describe this Miss Smith.” pitied not blamed: I therefore harboured noanger| ‘ Well, ma’am, I should think she is about two towards her; but on the contrary, all my best | or three and twenty years old—very handsome— sympathies continued to be engaged in her bebalf, | dark brown hair—yes, and dark blue eyes—tall— as I could not forget the painful history which I had | fine figure -———” received from the lips of Mr. Richards, and which; “It must be the same!” I mentally ejaculated : showed how great her distresses must have been | “and then too, Beda is almost positive that she ere she procured an engagement at his theatre.| saw her at one of tke second floor windows of Since he had been bankrupt I had not seen Ange-| this very house! At all events I will risk an in- line’s name announced in the advertisements of | trusion upon Mr. and Miss Swith; for if there be any other theatrical establishment. Perhaps she | any error I can but apologize.” had failed to obtain such an engagement as she| Having thus made up my mind, I said to the might choose to accept P—perhaps the hand of | girl, “ Have the goodness toconduct me up-stairs ; 2? er ee eee poverty might once more be pressing heavily upon | for [ am tolerably certain that Lam acquainted her? It was thus that I thought; and I was| with Mr. and Miss Smith.” resolved to avail myself of the present opportu- “Well, to be sure!” ejaculated the girl: “if nity of offering the succour of my purse, if it | this isn’t the very first time they’ve even so much should be needed. For the reader must bear in|as had a soul to see them! JBut do tell me, mind that I had at the outset become interested in | ma’am, if you think it’s true that ‘3 Angeline Churchill as much from her modest and| ‘ What?” I asked, perceiving that the maid- well-behaved demeanour, as on account of her | of-all-work was artless and ingenuous, with all the misfortunes, her personal beauty, or her artistic | uncouthness and familiarity of a girl fresh from talents, the country. I bade Beda remain at home that she might! ‘“ Why, that Miss Smith,” she responded, “is a be sure to see the dwarf when he should happen | theatre going young lady ?” to call again; and between eleven and twelve in “Ah!” I ejaculated, now thoroughly convinced the forenoon of the day after my return to Lon- | that there was no mistake and that I was on the don, I alighted from a hack cab at the commence- right track. ‘“ But what makes you think ——” ment of the York Road, near the foot of) “Ob! pray don’t say a word, ma’am,” inter- Waterloo Bridge. In a few minutes I diverged jected the girl, looking half frightened; “but two out of that thoroughfare into the street which or three times I’ve seen Miss Smith working at Beda had mentioned; and I knocked at the front such thin queer-looking dresses—mere skirts door of the house which she had specified. The | no, frocks 1 mean!—made of gauze-stu coor was opened by a servant-girl of about six-; “Do not ask questions about other people’s I ECORNICLOOOKS (EO