Agnes Vol. 2 — page 239: what you’re looking at

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

232 in the cushion; and she there stifled sobs—aye, and oven cries that if not thus subdued, would have been heard throughout the building. Never was woman so mortified! never was a rebuff so deeply, keenly, poignantly fel¢! But all of a sudden she started up~she dashed away her tears AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. conjecture for what he was so arrested, Mrs, Ifard- ress P”’ ‘ “My God!’’ she said, becoming as pale as death : “ has that been brought to light at last ?” “ Yes—it is so,” responded Lord Ormaby ; “ and I do not hesitate to tell you, Mrs. Hardress, that —aud she murmured to herself, “I must be re- IT have taken some share in those proceedings venged !—yes, by some means I must bo revenged! which have resulted in bringing your uncle to upon that young profligate who keeps all his, sensual love for the quadroon !” ; Five or six days passed, during which interval Cicely beheld nothing more of Charles Doe Vere; and Hector had left Florence upon somo clue, real or imaginary, which he had obtained to the desti- nation taken by Floribol Lister when she quitted the Tuscan capital. One day—to bo particular as to date, it was on tho 22nd of November—Cicely was seated alone in the apartment where hor terrible humiliation had taken place, when a domestic entered announcing that a gentleman from Kngland desired an interview with ber. “A gentleman from Lngland?P” ejaculated Cicely, “Who can he be? Let him be shown up.” In a few minutes a tall distinguished-looking man—dressed in black, with picrcing dark eyes, and hair tLat was turning grey, though he had a remarkably fine set of teeth, and in other respects looked youngor than those prematuro snows upon the head might seem to indicate—entered the apartment. Cicely rose to receive him; and he, at once recognising her by the portrait he had seen in Londun at the houso of Mrs. Maddox in | justice !” ‘You, sir? And why you, sir?’ demanded Cicely, with a sudden sinister flashing of her eyes. “ ‘Why should you have done this ?” “Because,” replied Ormsby, “it was a duty that I owed to sdciety—and a duty likewise which was owed to that poor Winifred whom your wretched uncle suffered to be arrested, tried—aye, and would have suffered likewise to be hanged for the crime which he himself committed! And you too, Mrs. Hardress, have not played a very fino part towards poor Winifred; for you have long been cunversant with the fact that your uncle was the true criminal—and Yyot you have never raised your voice to proclaim it !” “Toll me, Mr. Hargrave—tell me,” said Cicely, in an agitated manner, “ will any harm accrue to me?” “Yu kpow of a murder, Mrs. Hardress,” ro- plied Ormsby,—“ you knew who the murderer was—and you shielded him! It is almost like becoming an accessory after the fact 7 “Hoe was my uncle, Mr. Hargrave !” exclaimed Cicely. *Yos: and say also,” rejoined the nobleman, Norton Stroet, said, “I know that I havo the | “ that he purchased your silouce for thirty thousand honour of speaking to Mrs. Hardross. Permit me to announce myself as Mr. Hargrave.” “Ab, | have heard of you, Mr, Hargrave!” ejaculated Cicely. “ You brought from Jamaica a cortuin document which had found its way thither, and which I in the first instance procured from my uncle Mr. Timperley. My friend Miss Erelyn told me how you arrived in England and gave the document to Winifred Barrington.” *Y havg brought you a letter from Miss Evelyn,” said Lord Ormsby. “ Here it is.” “Ah! a letter from my dear friend Agnes P” cried Cicoly, broaking the seal. ‘* And it is dated the 14th instant. Ab! i¢ seems, thon, Mr. Lar- pounds! The world, Mrs, Hardress, will form its vpinion upon your conduct; but I do not know that the law itself will moddle with you. The man was your uncle, as you say; and that con- sidoration will have ita weight—for it is natural to screen a relative For my own part, Mrs. Hardress, I came to break to you the intelligence of this awful bursting of the storm above the head of your uncle: I have travelled day and night from England to be the bearer of the intelligence, so that it should be communicated delicately—~and with due preparation,” he added, pointing to Agnes’ letter, “ Because Iam not unmindtul of your gencrous intervention in procuring the docu- grave, that you are a very vld friend of Agnes—| ment from your uncle on behalf of poor old Mr. docply intorested in hor welfare—and as much attached to her as if you wero her own father. Oh! no wonder! It is impossible not to lovo Agnes! Aud so I perceive also by this letter, that M. Marcellin and Sigaor Paoli have arrived in Iingland— *Yes—upon the very same day on which that letter was written,” responded Lord Ormsby; and then it was with » considerable degree of anxiety that he watched Ciculy’s countenance, for be knew what would next follow in the lotter which she held in her hand. ° * Good heavens!” she cricd, “what does Agnes meanP J am to prepare myself for a terrible Barrington- “ Alas, Mr. Wargrave!” said Cicely, “it was in- decd my duty to do something for the Barrington family after having held my peace and kept the soal of silence on my lips when on the other hand it was my bounden duty to proclaim the innocence of Winifred! But good heavens! my uncle ar- restod on that terrible charge! And my poor aunt ?” I know not how she has taken it,” replied | Ormeby. “I left London on the evening of the 14th, the day on which your uncle was arrested.” “ And the chain of evidence?” inquired Cicely. © Most providentially worked out!” answered revelation !—a revolation of something which oc Ormsby; “and by no means unconnected with curred on the very day on which she penned tais| your visit, Mrs. Hardress, when you were atill communication—the lth instant! Ob, Mr. Tar- Miss Neale, to Mrs. Maddox in Norton Street to grave! what is itP what is it?” _ purchase Mrs. Chicklade’s letters,” ‘Your unclo Mr. Timperley,” replied Lord, “Ah!’? cried Cicely, turning pale. “ Good Ormsby, “was on that day arrested Prepare | heavens! has any inadvertence on my part——” yourself—nerve yéurscli——no doubt you can| “ By the account which I have heard, Mrs, CORNICE OO <S