Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 396: what you’re looking at

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

ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS, 383 him, “that I first beheld poor Mary. This was two years ago. She was sitting at work,—her light brown ringlets showering upon her shoulders ——the rose-hues of health upon her cheeks—her countenance expressing the purest thoughts : But I stopped short; for Herbert Dalrymple Was now groaning audibly, and it did me harm to hear him. The tears streamed down his cheeks: he leant upon the gate—he buried his face in his hands, and sobbed violently. “ My lord!” i said; “ mylord! pray forgive me for having touched a chord which has excited such painful feelings!” “Ob, you have no need, Miss Percy, to ask for my forgiveness,” he said. “I wish you to talk of Mary! Yes—speak of her in that tender strain ; for it does me good to weep for her !” “Oh, then,” I said, “you did love her very, very sincerely? Yes—lI am sure of it!” “Would to God,” he passionately exclaimed, “that by surrendering the half of my own exist- ence I could restore life to her whom I loved and whom I have lost! Yes—speak of her, Miss Percy! tell me of her as she was when you first knew her!” “We will not now go to the churchyard,” I said, as we moved away from the front of the picturesque little cottage. “Let us go on to River House. Lady Frederick Ravenscliffe will be anxious to see me—and she will speak to you of Mary. Besides, she may be desirous Af “Yes, yes—I comprehend!” interjected Her- bert: “she may be desirous to accompany us to the churchyard. Your suggestion shall be obeyed, Miss Percy: we will go first to River-House. In- deed it is after all a suitable and proper act of courtesy which I owe Lady Frederick after her generous and hospitable conduct towards my poor mother.” River House was soon reached; and as the front door stood open—for Juliet had beheld our ap- proach from a distance—I at once conducted Her- bert up to the front drawing-room. | there re- quested him to remain for a few minutes ;—and it was only for a few minutes that I left him there alone. When I returned to him, he was leaning against a window-recess, absorbed in such pro- found thought that he did not hear the door open ; and I paused to contemplate him for a moment. “ My God! my God!” I beard him murmur, in a tone of the bitterest lamentation; “ that I should have come hither to weep for Mary’s death, in- stead of to claim her as my bride!” I advanced towards Herbert: he turned—and beholding me, said, “Where is your friend Lady Frederick Ravenscliffe ?” “She will be here presently,” I responded. “Does it still appear to you as if it were a dream ?” “Yes—all a dream,” rejoined Herbert, in a tone profoundly mournful. “I know that it is true !—as a matter of course I have a perfect con- v:ction that all which you have told me has hap- pened !—but still I feel a difficulty in realizing it in my own mind, Good heavens! if instead of coming to this house to gaze as it were upon the vacant places which were once occupied by Mary, it were to behold her bounding forward to receive me, how happy should I be !” “Can your imagination depict such a scene ?” I asked. ‘Come—let us sit down together, and you shall tell me to what extent the fancy may reach uhder such circumstances,” “Oh, Miss Perey,” answered Herbert, “ you désire me to do something which would only be followed by the most painful feelings! You ask me to imagine a picture fraught with delight and bliss; whereas, O God! it is one—it is one”—and here his voice was almost choked by his emotions —‘ of darkness and sadnessandwoe! Ah! heard I not some one else lamenting in the adjoining room P” and he glanced towards the folding-doors which separated the two apartments. | “Yes—there is some one sobbing there,” I an- swered,—“ some one whose bosom is at this mo- ment so agitated ‘i You mean Lady Frederick Ravenscliffe P” in- terrupted the young nobleman. ‘Ah! she was likewise deeply attached to poor Mary! I bethink me!” ejaculated Herbert, turning his gaze suddenly, and I might even say sharply upon me; ‘it did not strike me-before !” “* What mean you?” I asked. | “ You, Miss Percy,” pursued the Marquis, “ have not displayed so much sorrow for the loss of your dear friend as I could have expected! Not once—no, not once have I heard from your lips such sobbings as were just now audible from the adjoining room! How is this? ‘You, so sensi- tive!—so kind-hearted—noat to have been more deeply afflicted than you are! And then too, you are not in mourning, Miss Percy! Yet how often have you told me that you loved poor Mary as if she’ were your own sister !” “Ts it not in the power of heaven,” I asked, “to turn mourning looks into smiles P” “Oh, Miss Percy! asmile upon your lips,” ex- claimed Herbert, “ when the earth has only closed so recently over the remains of your friend! But what mean you? Ob, there is something strange in your look! Ah, thatsmile again! What? in- stead of tears—instead of sobbings and lamenta- tions, your countenance is lighting up with joy!” “Qh! and smiles shall be upon your face also,” I cried, in an exulting voice; “and there shall be no mourning !—and when you visit the church, it shall not be to kneel over the grave or weep over the tomb of a perished and lost one—but it shall be to conduct a bride to the altar!” “ Ellen!—Miss Percy! what mean you?” and Dalrymple sprang up from his seat, gazing upon me in utter bewilderment —as well indeed he might ! “TI mean—I mean,” I ejaculated,‘ that you have been put to a test—a cruel and a severe one perhaps—yet necessary "i “Just heaven! is this true?’—and the words pealed forth from Herbert’s lips in a tone that was as much as to implore that he should be kept no longer in suspense. “No,no! you would not trifle with me! Tell me—tell me—I beseech you!—tell me! Mary—Mary—is—is G “ Mary lives!” I answered: “she lives!” At that moment the folding-doors opened; and Mary Glentworth made her appearance. But in- stead of bounding forward to welcome her faith. ful and constant lover, she was suddenly trans- fixed to the spot: a deadly pallor overspread her features—she tottered and would have fallen but that Herbert, darting towards her with a wild cry / But now. ECORNICLOO© SS (C(O)