Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 283: what you’re looking at

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270 ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE throat of the prostrate lady, for I was determined to give William Lardner as much opportunity as pessible of distancing the chances of a pursuit: but still I felt that I could not for many minutes longer keep in my present position; for my arms were getting benumbed and my fingers were grow- ing stiff. Yet in my soul there was a senso of in- effable joy to think that I had thus triumphed over this lady whose very courtesy had at first been a supercilious insult, whose softly glossed self-suffi- ciency was a most galling arrogance, and whose menaces at the last had proved still more chafing to my spirit; for I possessed my own pride as well as anybody else. “He is out of sight!” said the dame, at the expiration of about three minutes, “Now, Lady Lilla,” I said, “I am about to re- lease you. Whether you choose to raise an alarm and bring up those ruffians to assassinate my- self and this old woman, it is for you to decide. At all events you see the precautions which I have taken—and you will therefore act at your peril. Now rise.” Thus speaking, I relinquished my hold upon her throat,—at the same time hastily stepping backward in order to avoid any sudden attack which in her infuriate rage she might think fit to make upon me. I thus reached the table, and took up a knife which lay there, to show her that my energies still continued firm and resolute. But there was no need for these precautions: Lady. Lilla strove to riss—she gasped—a Surgling sound came up from her throat—and she fell back in a state of insensibility. I hastened to her assist- ance: I raised her in my arms; and I bade Dame Betty sprinkle water upon her face. Several minutes elapsed before she recovered her conscious- ness; and thus there was a still further interval gained to ensure the unpursued flight of William Lardner, “Where am I?” asked Lady Lilla, as she opened her beautiful large blue eyes; and then, as a train of recoliections evidently swept with the velocity of a whirlwind through her brain, her countenance became convulsed with the agitation of all the direst passions that could possibly find a place in the human heart. “T do not wish fo triumph ungenerously over you,” I said; “but you must see that you are now in my power. Perhaps you would do well to listen to me ere you think of summoning assist- ance.” Lady Lilla flung upon me a look of indescrib- able hatred, as she rose up from my arms and tott@ed to a seat. I resumed possession of the knife, and rushed to the window to assure myself that the dame had not been deceived by her own eyesight. Not a soul was in view; and my heart leapt as I thought that ten good minutes had now elapsed since the faithful gipsy youth had fled from the ruins—and in another ten minutes he would be at Petersfield. “You have conquered, Ellen,” said Lady Lilla Nssendine ; “ and now will you come to terms ?” “ It is not for you to dictate terms,” I answered : “it is for me to proclaim my own stipulations.” “And what are these?” asked Lady Lilla. “That you immediately intimate to the men beiow that they are to suffer this woman and my- self to go hence unmolested. Perhaps you will MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. tell me that our lives are in your power,” I con- tinued. “Yes!—no doubt it is so, with foes as wicked as yourself and as desperate as your myr- midons! But on the other hand remember that William Lardner can tell a tale which would send you and those men to the scaffold, if you dare have recourse to extreme measures towards us!” Lady Lilla appeared to reflect for a few mo- ments; and then she said, humbly and submis sively, “I must confess, Ellen, that I am tho- roughly vanquished. I know you are not malig. nant—I know you are not revengeful. If you will consent to bury this present adventure in oblivion, you shall never hear of me again: and I will undertake to promise that you shall never more hear of Edwin St. Clair either. I am promising in reference to the latter nothing more than I can perform,” I felt that I had achieved a grand triumph, and that it was all the more signal inasmuch as what- soever the contents of the foolscap sheet of paper might be which Dame Betty had signed, it was as good as in my own possession, and was almost sure to constitute some hold upon Lady Lilla and St. Clair, and strengthen the power which former cir- cumstances had given me over them. I also re- flected that by refusing terms I might goad her to desperation, and provoke her to run any risk; for I could not forget that she had three desperadoes in her service. I therefore said, “I am satisfied, Lady Lilla, with the triumph I have accomplished and the lesson I havetaught you. Being a heroine upon the stage, Ido not seek to render myself a heroine in real life. Besides, my time is valuable, and I have no desire to waste it in proceedings be- fore the local magistrates. Suffer me and this wo- man to depart without further molestation; and I promise you that I have on hand business of a more important character than to seek for any additional revenge for the atrocity of your conduct.” ‘Prepare to depart,” replied Lady Lilla; “and from the head of the stairs I will call to the men, bidding them suffer you and this woman to issue forth unmolested.” “Be it so,” I said. “But remember, if you hear any report in reference to this outrage, you must attribute it to other sources; for not even to such a one as you would I wilfully break whatso- ever might savour of a promise. The postilion, for instance, may have told the tale ie ** No—he is silenced,” answered Lady Lilla. “What?” I ejaculated: “was he bribed ?” “Not before the attack took place,” rejoined her ladyship. ‘“ But very soon afterwards I was on the spot; and I can assure you that beyond a few bruises the postilion was uninjured. He was stunned, but soon brought back to consciousness ; and then a liberal reward placed a seal upon his lips.” : *e My house in London had been watehed—was it not so?” I asked, determined to glean all par- ticulars, if possible. “Yes—your house was watched by one of the men down stairs. Dame Betty had long been looked for: she was seen entering your house the other evening—and then the day before yesterday you were both seen to leave London by different means of conveyance.” “ And you were on the alert,” I ejaculated, “ at the time I was leaving my house in a postchaise : KCOMICLOOKS —_— ———_—————— (Ee)