Agnes Vol. 2 — page 143: what you’re looking at

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

166 Father Falconara remained silent. “You have evidently seen him,” continued the Minister: “ perhaps you have conversed with him P” “Jt is my duty, my lord, to visit all prisoners with the least possible delay.” “‘ And therefore you visited this one of whom we are speaking P and you conversed with him P Could you not judge from his accents to what country he belongs ? Frenchman P” AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE, had simply reported to his master that the two prisoners had been duly consigned to that fortress: he had said nothing in respect to their escapes from the postchaise during the journey into the Aponnines: he was afraid of being accused of cowardice or want of vigilance. Neither did hoe now make any allusion to those matters. The Minister questioned him minutely with regard to the young gentleman who had been carried off Is he an Italian or a} along with the young lady. The shirro repeated thro personal description already given by Father Fai- conara,—-adding, “If there be anything wrong, “He is an Englishman,” rejoined the priest. | * But beyond this, my lord -———” well aware that the rules of those fortresses are nost stringent, and that prisoners are not allowed ‘0 speak of any affairs beyond a certain sphere.” Chen hastening to the spot where Lucrezia was ated, he whispered, “ You have heard that de- cription, Do you happen to know the indivi- | lual P” | “ No—I do not recollect any young Mnglish- | my lord, you know that I fully obeyed the orders “Ob, of course !” ejaculated Ramorino; “I am {| which were given me.” “There is nu blame to be attached to jou. But tell mo—bave you any idea who this young gentle- man can be? fur he was carried off by mistake!” “It is strange, my lord,” ejaculated the sbirro, “but from something | heard upon the road, [ really fancied there might be anerror, Yet it was not for ime to act upvu any such assumpticn: [ was obeying tho mandates Thad received direct of that age or description visiting at my from your Excellency.” souse. But Ciprina herself is of English extrac- jon, you know—she may have fallen in with a over or a relative—she may have met hin in ber ipartmert at the moment when the Irruption of be sbirri tvok place 7 “ Yes-~it must have been so!" said Kamorino. ‘This is the only possible way of accounting for be capture and carrying-off of that uuknown oung man along with Ciprina! Lut if he ba sully English, the affair is somewhat awkward. ‘hese Englighmen are terribly indepoendent—they ever brook an insult or an iujury in a foreign ountry: they at once appeal to their ambassa- ors———"” “Oh, that difficulty is nothing in comparison rith all the rest!’ ejaculated Luerezia, but still peaking in a voice that was inaudible to Father alconara. “For heaven's sake take immediate neasures } —let Marcellin be arrested !—let Cipriua e recaptured, if she bavo dared to return to Flo- ence !”’ ; “ Trust to me,” eaid Ramorino: “the grass shall ot grow under my feet!— Holy father, you aay retire: but the pledge which I have givon ou ehall be fulfilled. Come to me to-morrow, in he afternoon; and I wil) give you a letter that hall be perfectly satiefactory to tho Governor of Sagno.” Father Falconara took his departure from the rivate residence of the Minister of Police ; and he issued forth, mine o’clock was being pro- laimed from the church towers of Florence, * 7 will lose not an instant, dear Lucrezia,” said he Count of Ramorino, sv soon as he and hia ride were left alune together, “ in putting every- ling in @ proper train for the purpuse of ensuring our complete safety and crushing your enemies. temain you bere, dearest! I shall return as. peedily as possible The Minister imprjated another kiss upon the row of his bride, and he then quitted the rvom, Imbst immediately afterwards he left the house, nd proceeded towards the Office of the Pulice. ‘oa arriving there, he commanded the principal béivvo to whom he had entrusted the expedition » the Mirano mansion, to be summoned into his reqene> his officer, on is return from Bagno,} which it is not however necessary to lay before “But what was it that you heard upon the road?” demanded Kamorino. “That the young gentleman proclaimed himeelf to be Knglisu—that his name is Ds Vere—and that he is attached to the British Iimbassy at Naples.” “Ah!” cried Ramorino, as a thought now struck him. “I remember that tho landlord of some hotel called here this mornoing, in very groat trepidation ; but wy private secretary tovk down the notes of what he said.” The Minister hastened to open a memorandum. book which lay upon the table; and after running his eye over the contents of two or three pages, he suddenly ejaculated, ‘Ab! there itis! Yes—this is the entry! ‘Ds Vere—an Englishman—about twenty years of age—tall—dark-haired—attached to the Neapvhitan Embass7: arrived at the —— hotel at seven o’cluck in the evening of Novem- ber Ist. Dined, and went out at about eight or nine o'clock: has not been heard of since.’ —Then tis the same !’”’ cried the Minister: “and hore is a pretty embarrassment—for he has escaped from Bagno !—and tho lady has escaped also !” Ramorino paced three or four times to an. fro in his private cabinet where this conversation was taking place: but suddenly stopping short, he ejaculated, ‘‘ Weill, we must leave this affair to take ifs chauce—or olse I must sea into it pre- sently. But now take prompt and immediate measures to effoct the arrest of these persons,” continued Ramuriry, anding to tho police-agent e paper on which there was a tolerable amount of writing, dividod into three distinct paragraphs. “Tdyeur Marcellin, a Frenchman—Bernardo, re- cently a groom in the service of the Marchionegs of Mirano—and a girl whose Christian name is Antonia, alsu in the same service. The deacriptions are there minutely given. Let them ba arrested and gagged un the sput. If found tugother, let them be instuntancously separated —and let them be sent off in different conveyances and by different routes to the fortress of Barbarino. Let the Sig- nora Ciprina also be searched for and re-cap- tured !”” ‘ The Minister issued a few more instractione, 1OOO () COMMU SS COLUM