Agnes Vol. 2 — page 219: what you’re looking at

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

212 fact, it might @awo“Tooked queer even then: but with what I sow know ” “Tell me everything,” said Ormsby; “for Iam distressed on Mr. Timperley’s account—I see that it is indeed something serious ; but gold shall pur. chase your secrecy! Lixplain yourself. Did you know Mrs. Chicklade ?”’ “ Did I know her, sir! Ab, full well! Why, she was lodging io this very house at the time she met her death !” *Is this possible ?” ejaculated Ormsby. “I was not aware of it !"’ AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. woman! that evening never came for her: she was murdered in the afternoon !” “But the letter?” ejaculated Ormsby: “you have kept it ?” “No, sir: I gave it up the very evening after the murder took place,” answered Mre. Maddox. “Gave it up P” echoed Ormsby. ‘To whom ?” “Why, sir, a@ young lady came, with a great thick veil over her face, so that I could not ostoh the slightest glimpse of ber features —~” ‘Then how do you know she was young P” “You shall hear presently. This lady came “‘ But I suppose you must have read the murder | and proposed to buy up every document, paper, at the time,” said the woman ; “and you must have | seen that Mra. Chicklade lived at a particular number in Norton Street: and so when Mr. Tim- perley asked you to call here, I wonder it did not strike you that it was the very same house P” Oh! but I read the murder hurriedly at the (ime—and I remembered it imperfectly !” replied Ormaby. ‘Depend upon il,” rejoined Mrs, Maddox, “ Mr. Timperley must have noticed the coinci- dence: and that was why he did not hke to come himeelf. So he sent you. But no matter! It was letter, even tothe veriest scrap, that I might have found in Mrs. Chicklade’s box. She offered me twenty guineas; aud when I saw that she was #0 eager to have the letters ” ‘You endeavoured to drive a better bargain F” interjected Ormaby. “OF course, sir,”’ replied Mre. Maddox, with a knowing luck, ‘1 was anxious to get as much as I possibly could for the papers.” ‘And no doubt,” said Ormsby, “it was with the view of selling Mr. Timyerley’s letter back to him at a good price thajr you did not give it up here that poor Mre. Chicklade lodged at the time. | intothe hands of the vice ?” I bad known her for years—she had seen many an | up and duwn—--—— “ Well, well,” interposed Ormsby : “ but what of helped heuself to another glass of wine. | must tell you candidly I did not of course think Mr. Timperley in reference to that woman P” “Why, you must know, sir,” pursued Mrs. Maddox, “that the moment I heard that poor Mrs. Chicklade had been found murdered “Welk sir, perhaps there was something in that,” rejqined the woman, laughing: and now she “But I that Mr. Timperley had anything to do with the murder of Mrs. Chicklade—no more than the in- ; young lady herself, who came to bargain about the deed, I went and identified the curpse at the , letters; because Winifred Barrington was already tavern I tvok possession of all the papers in| in custody~—she had been examined before the her bux ; and perhaps you wouldn't believo me if | police. magistrate—and who could doubt at the I was to say that I didn’t think of reading them.” “Of course you @id read them. That was natural !” interjected Ormsby. ‘Well, sir—and amongst those papers was a letter from Mr. Timperley. It bore the date of only the day before; and it was evidently in an- swer to one which Mrs. Chicklade must have written to hifa. He wrote in great terror, be- seeching her tu keep silence in reference tu some discovery she had made—it expressod his wonder how she could possibly have made that discovery at all 7 “Did it not allude more explicitly,” inguired Urmeby, “ to the nature of the discovery itself P” “ Let me think ?” said Mrs. Maddox. “ Ah! I remember! It did allude to some papers respect- ing @ peerage and an estate; but I don’t think it mentioned any names.” “I daresay,” thought Ormsby to himself, “ that woman Chicklade had by some means or another discovered how Timperley had preserved the turged ducuments which. he found in Waldron’s vffice, and which related to my affairs.—Proceed, my good woman,” he suid, addressing himself to Mrs. Maddox. ‘You were telling me the con- tents of the letter which Mr. Timperley wrote to Mrs. Chicklade. What else did he say therein P” “Qh, let me see? Heo-said that though it was a very large sum which she had demanded—five thousand pounds—yet she should have it; and he bade her mect him on tho following evening at nine o'clock, on Waterloo Brive, and he would be prepared with the amount But alas, poor time that she was the guilty party?” ‘‘ And why did you suppose that the young lady wanted the letters?” asked Lord Ormsby. “I naturally fancied,” rejoined Mra. Maddox, “that the lady’s character had been compromised -—that she had either become a mother while un- wedded, or that she had carried on some intrigue, and that Mrs. Chicklade had been an agent or a go-between - “ Ab, I comprehend !’”’ said Lord Ormaby. “ And therefore you concluded the bargain P” ‘‘] made a bargain with her and gave up the papers, Mr. Timperley’s letter being amonget them. I suppose the young lady saw that I was anxious to catch a glimpse of her face; and so she concluded I must bo full of curiosity with regard to her. Well, and so I naturally was. But what did shé do? She actually secreted the key of the atreet-door; and as she went out she locked the door and dropped the key down the area. That was to prevent herself from being followed before she should have time to get to a sufficient distance from the house.” “And did her stratagem succeed PY ~cuquitvd Ormsby, who was burning with imy¢7ence to learn the end of the narrative ..ud see how it would again connect itself with jr. Timperley. *T had no intention, of, fullowing the lady,” re- plied Mrs. Maddox,—“# ough, ae I bave said be- fore, I naturally felt a jreat curiosity concerning her. But clever as sl) was, she was bafiled by an accident — though.“ap to this day I daresay she suspects it not.(a will teli you how it was, sir. ‘Whan aha ealladi.at the houses mv servantewoman GORLGO OO SS