Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 348: what you’re looking at

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

“/* ws ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. 335 that this child should be made away within case| ‘“ You need offer no excuses,” I interrupted her, the other and greater crime succeeded.” | a3 I took the packet and placed it on the table be- “And how did it fail?’ I asked. ‘Were the | fore me: and then I asked, “ How came it in your Robinsons too well principled to listen to such | possession P” hideous and demoniac proposals ?” | “I must finish the narrative, Miss, which I “Either it was this,’ responded Mrs. Sturton; | have previously been telling you,” resumed Mrs. “or else it was on account of the spite they had|Sturton. ‘“ When Mr. Gerald Wakefield found against us—so that they would rather resign all | out that he had been deceived by the Robinsons, chance of emolument for themselves, tham allow | he was like a madman. He did not blame my my parents to remain in a position to reap a fine | parents for any neglect on their part in losing reward,” the child after having stolen it; because, in truth, “Rest assured,” I exclaimed, somewhat indig- | the possession of that child for any purpose what- nantly, “the natura! good feelings of those! soever was useless so long as the father and elder Robinsons predominated above every such petty | brother remained alive. Therefore, even if the vindictive personal feeling as this to which you infant Frederick had not been so taken by the have been alluding. But no matter! Proceed— | Robinsons, he would have been restored all the and tell the tale in your own way.” same, for the reasons I have just stated. Mr. “The Robinsons pretended to fall into Mr. | Wakefield had concealed himself in a hut midway Gerald Wakefield’s views: but they acted in quite | between Embledon and Birmingham; it was at a different manner. The postchaise which was | that time in the possession of some old gipsy bearing the Harl and his son from Birmingham to | Women—it has since fallen into the hands of that Carshalton, passed along the road unmolested: | very Dame Betty of whom you have spoken 4 and that same night the infant was stolenfrom; “Au!” I ‘ejaculated; “I know that cottage! the keeping of my parents. I need scarcely tell | Yes—I have beenthere! But proceed. Mr. Wake- you, Miss Percy, that it was the Robinsons who | lield, you say, was concealing himself there——” thus got possession of the child—the little Frede-| “And when he learnt the failure of his plans, rick Ravenscliffe; and he was forthwith restored | he was either seized with a sudden and fatal ill- to his parents. The Robinsons were well re- | ness,” continued Mrs. Sturton; “or else he took warded : it was even said they received a pension | poison—I cannot. tell you which. However, he from the Earl of Carshalton until their deaths,— | died. My iather was with him in his last mo- but how true this may be I donot know. They | ments; and—and “ did not however breathe a syllable calculated to “J understand you,” I observed, seeing that the betray either my parents or Mr. Wakefield. | woman hesitated. ‘“ Your father took possession Gipsies never turn round upon each other—no, | of everything he found about the person of the not even those between whom a feud is raging; | accomplished villain, and perhaps suicide, Wake- and thus I daresay that the Earl of Carshaltom | field ?—and thus was it that those papers fell into never suspected for what purpose his infant had | your father’s hands?” been carried off, nor how Gerald Wakefield had “Your conjectures are correct, Miss Percy,” re- been ramifying such a tremendous plot.” plied the woman; “and 1 may add that as Wake- “ And what were Gerald Wakefield’s motives in | field died so suddenly, the old gipsy-women ia the forming such an atrocious design?”’ I inquired, | house were afraid that they might be accused of * But I need scarcely ask !—for the whole inatter | foul play with regard to him; so that he was speaks for itself. He considered himself entitled | buried quite secretly in the little garden behind to the earldom and estates of Carshalton in the | the cottage. As for those papers,” continued Mrs. event of the Earl and his two sons being put out | Sturton, “they proved to be valueless to my of existence ?”’ HAE and they afforded no indication of any “There could be no doubt, Miss Percy,” replied | relatives that Mr. Wakefield might have possessed. Mrs. Sturton, “tbat in such a case he would have | My father would have destroyed them; but my been the heir to the title and estates of Carshalton. | mother considered it better to keep them in case He was descended from a family which in former | by any accident they should ever prove of the times had litigated the possession of the honours | slightest use to any person, and thus become the and property with the then holders thereof: in| source of reward to us for giving them up. I short, I often heard my father say that there} have kept them with the same hope since my could be nv doubt as to the position of Mr. Wake- | parents’ death: — through all my misery and field towards the Carshalton, or Ravenscliffe, | poverty have I kept them—and now, Miss Percy, family. But all these points might be perhaps | 1 have given the packet into your hands,” cleared up, if it were worth while, by means of the | “Andcan you form an idea,” I asked, “ whether papers 3 this Mr. Gerald Wakefield was really any relation “What papers?” I inquired. to Mr. James Wakefield, who many years ago died “The papers, Miss, 1 am about to place in your | in insolvent circumstances at Sheffield ?” hands,” rejoined Mrs. Sturton: “that is to say, if| “I have no positive means of making any as- you think it worth while to take possession of | sertion on the point, Miss,” replied the woman. them.” “ But still He At the same time she produced a small brown-| ‘Dame Betty told me,” I interrupted her, “ that paper parcel, tied round with a piece of string and | when she saw you some time ago, you made use sealed with wax. It was dirty and greasy: and|of an expression, to the effect that if you could the woman said, “I am really almost ashamed to | voly find the Wakefields of Sheffield you should bring it to you in this state, Miss Percy: but I | not be so badly off as you were.” came away in a hurry to keep my appointment} “I will explain this observation on my part,” with you 4 said Mrs. Sturton. “It was about two years ago Sessa CORNICLOOOLK ee — (SO)