Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 55: what you’re looking at

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42 ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. was at least something which required explan-| the more shocking that he should have breathed ation.” the language of a deceptive tenderness in the ears “ And as we are not here to be catechised in | of one who by blood was related to him. That this manner,” said Mary Glentworth, “we will | Mary was completely innocent—that she was pure take our departure,” /and chaste— that she had escaped whatsoever Thus speaking, she rose abruptly from her seat. | seductive wiles the young Marquis had hitherto Her mind had been chafed by the incidents pre- | been with a systematic craftiness practising to- ceding our arrival at Ardleigh House: she had wards her, I had not the slightest doubt: but looked upon her father as the betrayer of her were it not for the combination of circumstances mother rather than in any other light—and she | which had led to this explosion, as it may be now felt that she stood in the position of one who termed, heaven only knows to what miserable was about to receive charitable or eleemosynary | catastrophe my too trusting and confiding friend assistance from the proud Duchess. ‘Therefore might have been hurried onward! that spirit which was usually latent under the The scene which was now occurring in that mild amiability of her disposition and thé in- | apartment presented what in theatrical language genuous artlessness of her character, had flamed | may be denominated a perfect tableau. It indi- up. The Duchess of Ardleigh was by no means a! cated several varieties of interest, sentiment, and lady formed to brook any display of temper of this | feeling. For myself; I was, as I have already kind ; and she said with haughty indignation, “I | Said, for an instant shocked and smitten with a little thought to find so forward and perverse a disposition in the young person whose best in- terests I was endeavouring to serve. She may do as she pleases : but until I am convinced that her hand is sought by a respectable young man, not | its being recklessly expended by an unprineipled adventurer !” . “ Unprincipled adventurer ?” ejaculated Mary Glentworth, her cheeks flushing with itidignation —and I noticed that she quivered with rage. ** Hush, my dear Mary! hush!” I hastened to interpose—for I saw that she was indeed damag- ing all her best interests, and even proving un- grateful towards the Duchess of Ardleigh who was disposed to treat her with liberality: “you are not behaving right towards het Grace y “ Did she not call Clarence Beauchamp an uf- principled adventurer?” demanded Mary, with the glow still upon her cheeks ; “and Have not I over and over again proclaimed that he is in every way worthy But ah!” she ejaculated; in a tone of joy and amazement; “here he is to speak for him- self !” They were likewise ejaculations of amazement —though heaven knows with nothing of joy in them—which almost simultaneously burst from the lips of the startled Duchess and myself as Mary Glentworth bounded towards the individual who entered the room at the moment: for he whom she believed to be Clarence Beauchamp, was none other than the Marquis of Dalrymple, the Duke and Duchess of Ardleigh’s son ! CHAPTER LXXV. THE HALF-BROTHER AND SISTER. A HORRIBLE shudder swept through my entire frame at the thought of the fearful precipice on which not merely Mary Glentworth had been standing, but likewise that young nobleman him- self. The half-brother and half-sister had formed shuddering tremor at the discovery : and then the next moment my heart leaped with satisfaction that this discovery should have been made ere it was too late: but if another instant my mind ex- perienced an ery powerful revulsion, and I 8 brother! The Duchess of Ardleigh was smitten with amazement on finding that her son had been unconsciously wooing his half-sister, evidently with no honourable purpose; but with the seductive de- sign of a profligate; and as I glanced towards her Grace, I saw that the colour was coming and going in rapid transitions’ upon her haughtily handsome eduntenance. The Marquis of Dalrymple had en- tered that room in ignorance of whom he was to meet there: he Was séized with a stidden confu- sion on beholding Mary Glentworth and myself; and when the former bounded towards him, he mechanically sustained her in his atims—but it Was with the embarrassed air of a guilty person whose criminal desigis Weré on the point of re- eéiving the fullest exposite. Yet be it understood he was still utterly unaware of the peculiar cir- cumstances attaching thotiselves to Mary Glent- worth: these startling facts he had yet to learn, As for Mary herself, she had at first flown to- wards him with all the confidence of her sincere and artless love, delighted that he should suddenly present himself to vindicate a character which she believed to have been unjustly aspersed, or at least suspected, by the Duchess of Ardleigh: — she dreamt not of aught sinister lurking in the back- ground and being about to transpire; and even when she perceived that her lover was stricken with confusion, she attributed it not to a guilty conscience, but to the embarrassment of a sudden meeting with me, in the presence too of the mis- tress of the mansion. Yes, it was a veritable tableau, — lasting for nearly a minute —during which every lip was sealed by the sentiments that were respectively experienced. Mary Glentworth was the first to break that silence; and looking up into her lover’s countenance, she exclaimed, “Ob, 1 am so glad you have come, Clarence !” a mutual passion; and though for a variety of| ‘Unhappy girli” cried the Duchess of Ard- reasons I was in a moment struck by the convic- | leigh, hastening forward; “ you know not what tion that on Herbert Dalrymple’s part it was no | you say! you know not what you do!” genuine love, but merely the inclination of a liber.| ‘Mary, for God’s sake pardon me!” exclaimed tine, yet for this very reason it was perhaps all| the young Marquis, in a voice of anguish—for he | one single shilling of the Duke of Ardleigh’s | thought of the anguish that was now in store for money shall be forthcoming with the chance of | poor Mary, who had learnt to love her own half- ae COLA Ghboo