Agnes Vol. 2 — page 250: what you’re looking at

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

AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE, “What, my poor boy!’ exclaimed Mrs. De' Vero, turning towards her son and surveying him with wingled anxiety and tender interest : “ are you doomed to disappointment in a matter where all your fondest hopes are concerned P” “Mrs. De Vere,” said Lord Ormesby gravely, “TT should not of my own accord have entered upon this topic in your presence. Mr. De Vore, you would do well not to pursue it.” ‘* My lord, I have no secrets from my mother,’ roplied the young man. The nobleman gazed upon him with the deepest attention for a few moments; and he thought to himsclf, “He is either the most accomplished hypocrite-——or else he is tho victim of a series of errors or mistakes more extraordinary than were ever before combined in the shape of circumstan- tial ovidence !” “Mother,” exclaimed Charles, with an air of the most ingenuous franknoss, “it is ovident that you are well acquainted with Lord Ormsby—you muat have known his lordship in other times—and I will now leave you with him. You will ¢ell his lordship, my dear mother, how devotedly I love his daughter Agnes—and porhaps you may be enabled to satisfy him that at least by my conduct Lam worthy of that young lady, thougA I ha®e no fortune to offer and no patrician rank to annex unto her own.” Having thus spoken, Charlos Do Vere rushed from the room, leaving Lord Ormsby and his roother alone together. Then, the instant the door closed behind our hero, Mre. De Vere sank upon her kuecs in the presence of the nobleman; and she said in a voice that was full of emotion, “'Twouly years ago you were my benefactur—my saviour !—and fur these ¢wonty yours have I cherished an undying gratitude for your namo!” “Riso, wy dear madam — rise!” excluimed Ormsby, much mvuved by the scene. “ May L hope that naught unpleasant oy disagreeable can ensue from tho unguarded and indisereet way in which Iere now ejaculated your name? I mean your son ” . “fo will suspect nothing ot al! associated with the real truth,” answered Mrs, De Vere. “He knows that my family name was Maitland You will perhaps permit me to represont to him that you and I were old friends, and hence the familiar terms in which wo addressed oach other the moment the recognition was mutual and com- plete.” “Say what you will, Mrs. De Vere,” answered Lord Ormsby: “JI shall nut contradict you. But have you never montioned to your son that you were acquainted with me many long years ago ?” ‘* No—never,”’ responded Mra. De Vere. “Will he not therefore think it strange,” in- qaired Ormsby, “that such should have been the fact and yet that you should have nover mentioned it 1” “T must devise some cxcuse—must frame somo explanation to account for the circumstance. Alas, my lord!” continued Mrs. Do Vere, in a sad tone, “it will not be the first time that I have found myself compelled to have recourse to duplicitics and decoits for the purpose of satisfying my son’s min#® aud explaining points whoreupon he has questioned me. You may possibly conceive, for instance, that when he has asked tne to tell him of a Ss his father—when he has inquired where we were married, and whero bis sire died, and where he was buriod Oh, my lord! I nave felt that to be compelled to give utterance to falsehoods on such solemn points as these, was horrible! horrible ! And yet I have been compolled to do so! But you know that Charles is the son of my betrayer—and that betrayer atill lives ” “You never mentioned to me,” said Ormsby, “the name of your betrayer.” “No—I remember that I did not,” sho re- joined: then, after a few momonte’ reflection, she went on to say, “ But towards one who proved sv great a benefactor as you, [ must have no accrets, My betrayer was Lord Mendlesham. Ie was married at the time when he seduced mo from the path of virtue. Twenty yeara ago I tuld you the tale when you met mea in the streets of London and rescued me from becoming an outcast irra- decmably lost as so many thousands are in that mighty motropolis! Yes—on that memorable evening I told you my tale, though suppressing the name of my seducer. Perhaps you huve for- gotten if 2” _ © Not ona single word—~not one single syllable of that tale have [ ever forgotten!” ruplied Ormsby. “1 conceived au interest in your wol- fare; and often and often have I thought of you und wondercd what bad become of you. Yos—I recollect you told mo that when you first knew your betrayer and learnt to love hii, that yuu were ignorant he was a married man.” And, Ob! how guiletul waa his conduct!’ ox- claimed Mrs. De Vere. “But on this it is now useless to dwoll. ‘Tu a certain extent his lurdship has made me a reparation 7 Porhaps it was through his interest,” remarked Ormaby, “that your son—Ads son, as 1 way alse call him—has obigiued the diplumatic appointmoat he holds ?” ‘“Yos,” answored Mrs. Do Vere; “and moro than that, Lord Mendlesham has mada mo an sllowance of two hundred pounds a year, which income has boen rerularly paid througl? the agency of an attorney Ah! you know him oy the bye! I mean Mr. Timperley.” “Mr. Timperley,’ remarked tho nobleman, “after a long career of iniquity, is at length about to be rendered amenadie to Justice tor the crowning turpitude of his life,” “What does your lordship mean 2?” asked Mrs. De Vere, her curiosity becoming suddenly much excited. “T mean that he is within (he walls of a ravi,” responded Ormaby, “ accuse of the murder of Mrs. Chicklade ?” Mrs. Do Vere started with the wildost astouish- ment; and then she ejaculated, “ What! 3 the murderer of Mrs, Chicklade ?” “* Yos—thore can be no doubt of it,” replied Ormesby. “ Circumstances have come to light which prove that he had the strongest pussiblo motive at the time to make away with the wretched woman.” “ Wretched woman indeed !” exclaimed Mrs, Dv Vere. “Just at that period she discovered me— she haunted mo— harassing my lifo -~extorling money trom mco—aye, aud even plaving me ina position most deplurably suspicious in the preacaro of my own son!—And Mr. Timperley was hor mui- deror! Ab! now I reeullect,” she ejaculated, ECOMRRICLO© <S ©