Agnes Vol. 2 — page 222: what you’re looking at

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

AGNES ; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. “Yt wag not, sir. Lucy Maitiand went away, es she had,promised you. I almost fancied it was to place herself under your keeping: I hinted ae much to her: but with mingled tears and in- dignation she repelled the suspicion.” “And she repelled it truthfully !” ejaculated the nobleman. “I swear to you most solemnly that nothing but friendship subsisted between my- self and Lucy Maitland on those occasions when I thus sew her. Often and ofteu have | since thought of her !—often and often during the twenty years which have since clapsed have 1 wondered what had become of her! But I tell you that I had ao little faith in human nature that I pictured to myself Lucy Maitland wandering as a depraved creature and as socicty’s forlorn outcast upon the pavement of London, her good resolves having vanished, if indeed they were ever entertained ; and I should not have been astonished if I had this night learnt that my evil presages bad proved only too accurate. But enough upon this point ! Let ue hope that she has done well in the world.” There was a pavyo for a few moments, during which Ormsby thoug.’ to bimeelf, “ My useful sym- pathy towards one fellow-‘geature may have com- pensated in the eyes of heaven for a long night of cynicism. And now,” be said, again .addressing the woman before him, “let us proceed to other matters. You are in pecuniary distress. What amount will relieve you P” The debts of Mre. Maddox, including the rent due to her landlord, were under sixty pounde ; but she thought she mnght venture upun naming eighty. “ Here are a hundred,” aaid Ormsby; and he counted the bank-notes down on the table. ‘“ This sum is your's; and you shall receive a like amount,” he added, riveting his large dark eyes earnestly upon her, “on the day which sees the conviction of the villain Timperley for the murder of Mrs Chicklade !” “You mean to do half frightened. “ Yes—I mean to do it,” rejoined the nobleman eternly ; “ because society demands that eo great a crime should be brought home to its true autbor- ebip and the criminal himself should be punished! I mean to do it because he suffered an innocent young lady to pass through the terrific ordeal of accusation, arrest, captivity, and trial; and he would have allowed her to go to the ascaffuld so lony as he himself was safe! I will do it because although that young lady was acquitted, yet inas- much ss the deed itself is still involved in the deepest mystery, suspicion may in the minds of some continue to attach itself to her, and her guilllessness never can be cumpletely proven until the real assassin shall have been unmasked and gd befure the whole world. These are the I will do it; and you will aid oral considerations, but be- ally rewarded !” this f” said Mre. Maddox, me—not from a cause you shall be lib! “Tell me what I gm to do, sir,” said Mra, Maddox, “and I will ofey your commands.” “When do you expec\ Mr. Timpericy ?” asked Ormeby. : “1 desired bim to call uf&n me this evening or toSmorrow evening,” rejuir } the woman: “I thought he would rather come Jo such a house as this at those hours when there Gras tis: least.chance 215 of his being cbserved by any one who might chance to know him.” “Well, then,” said Ormesby, “if he come this evening, let your servangé deny you-let her say that you waited fur him, but that as be came not you went oul—ani lot an appointment be made ot nine o'clock tu-morrow evening. Will you do this ?”’ “Twill, sir,” was the reply. “And I suppose that to-morrow evening you will return P” “To-morrow evening I shall be hero. at half- pact vight o'clock, to give you your lesson how to act.” “Do you think, sir—do you think,” asked Mra, Maddox, “that Mr. Timperley’s niece, Mrs. Har- dress, was an accomplice in his crime P”’ “Assurediy not,” replied the nobleman. “f have already acquired the certainty that Mr. Tim- perlcy was seen with the wretched woman Chick- lade, at about the time when ashe was so foully murdered.” “ But Mrs. Hardress came and purchased the letters of me,” interjected Mra, Maddox. “There may be two ways of accounting for that: circumstance,” said the nobleman. “In the first place her uncle » ay have induced ber to visit you for that purpose: he may have either confessed his great guilt unto her—or he may have deluded her by speaking of compromising lettera which would tend to fix suspiciun on him, though all the time he may bave averred his innocence and in- duced hie niece to believe that he was innocent. Or on the other hand, she herself may have had her own reasons for coming to purchase those letters ; and by a atrange coincidence she may have chanced to find amongst them that very ducument which so fearfully criminated her uncle. But you your- self ought to be able to say something on this point: you had the letters in your poasession—you looked over them ” “ But only in the most cursory manner,” inter- jected Mra. Maddox. “I glanced at a few—they were chiefly from youths at the University Aca yet it certainly has struck me, sinte I beheld the portrait of Mre. Hardress iast evening and dis- covered who she was, that the name of Cicely occurred in one or two of those letters. But [ cannot be sure—my ideas are confused on the subject " “Tt is no matter,” said Ormsby: “ suspicion does not point to that young lady as the accom- plice of her uncle—at least not before the fact. That she subscquently became acquainted with his guilt there cau be no doubt. And now I am about to take my departure. Be trusty! Attempt not to deceive me! If you think that by giving Mr. Timperley warning of the etorm that is gathering, you may obtain a larger bribe than the roward which I shall give you, you will be in error! Within the hour that is passing a detective oflicer of justice will bo sct to watch him day and night —to dog his footateps—to track all his movements, until circumstances shall be sufficiently combined to justify his arrest !’ The woman promised to maintain the utmost fidelity in the cause which was entrusted to her ; and Lord Ormsby g-#ted tho house. It was no ven threat to which he had given utterance : he fost not a moment in consulting his friend Mr. Steffurd, the Government official, who EOMRnnicloooks OY