Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 159: what you’re looking at

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

AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. greesed—ascended to the apartment where Cicely remained. “May I hope, Miss—ma’am—Mrs. Hardress,” said Luke, not exactly knowing how to address the young lady, “thatall goes well? I knew that the convinced it could not be maintained any longer ; and when you gave me that letter to put in the eat ——”’ ‘ “And that letter has gone to the post?” in- quired Cicely. “Yes, Miss—withiu five minutes after it was in my hand,” was the response. “Pyerytkiog progresses according to my best wishes, Luke,” said Miss Neale. “I fel con- vinced that in another hour I shall be recagnised as your master’s wife. But whatsoever may be the result, here is a handsome reward for you. You have served me well and faithfully.” amount of a hundred pounds in Luke’s hand; and the valet expressed his gratitude in words and with many profound salutations. * T think all was managed excellently, Miss ?” said the man. ‘“‘The wine did its work—and the shiftings from one railway line to another passed off admirably.” “Tt was impossible that anything could have been better,” replied Cicely. “ But, asI told you at the time, everything depended on that wine.” Luke withdrew; and Cicely waited in calm con- fidence for Hector’s return. When she was again alone in the room, she did not give way to any passionate outburst of exultation—she did not joy : ber demeanour was that of one who had suc- cessfully accomplished a scheme which from the very outset she had been certain of achieving. The reader must not however suppose, from these observations, that she was indifferent with regard to this success: on the contrary, there was a deep inward satisfaction—but it was rational, sedate, and without agitation. In about an hour Hector returned. He was yery pale ; but the expression of his countenance was that of a calm firmness, as if he hed resolved on some particular course to be pursued. He closed the door; and taking off his hat, advanced eognise you as Mrs. Hardress.” Cicely had foreseen this: she felt convinced that such would be the course into which Hector would find himself by circumstances impelled. Never- theless, when thus recognised as a wife—when ad- dressed in this manner for the first time without fiction or pretence—when suddenly struck by the consciousness that she was no longer a dis- honoured young woman in her own estimation, but that she could lift ber head high and look the world in the face—she did now at length expe- rience a strong enthusiasm of the feelings; and for a moment they so far overpowered her that she sank down upon a seat, quivering with emotion, She could have wept: indeed up to the very brims of her eyelids rose the tears—but by a strong effort she kept them back; and recovering her self-possession, she said, “ You are now con- vinced, Hector, that I have in nothing miscalcu* lated the effects of my proceedings ?” “Yes, madam,” he replied, sternly, “I have mystery must be discovered this morning: I felt Thus speaking, she placed bank-notes to the abandon herself to any enthusiastic ebullition of towards Cicely, saying with a slight bow, “T re-| lol indeed learnt that by stratagem and fraud you have established a claim upon me; and that claim I have already recognised. You are the Hon. Mrs. Hardress.” There was a deep silence for a few minutes,— during which Hector had likewise taken a chair, on which he sat with a cold stern expression of countenance; and Cicely appeared not to be watching him, though she was really doing so with a furtive but earnest attention, “T presume,” Hector at leneth said, “ that the story of the thirty thousand pounds is as mucha fiction as the aunt at York? But of course it is! I am a fool to ask such a question.” “* And what if I really possessed thirty thousand pounds?” said Cicely, now affecting to play with her kerchief, but in reality still fixing her eyes penetratingly upon Hector. “Of what avail to put such a query?” he de- manded, with a cold disdain, slightly broken by an accent and a gesture of impatience ; “ for I well know that you have nothing, and that you are de- pendent on the Timperleys for everything.” ** Be not too sure of that which you assert,” re- joined Cicely, in a tone which was sufficiently peculiar to make Hector start and survey her with attention. “Tf you possess thirty thousand pounds,” he said, “there would be something like a better excuse than any I can yet offer to the world for having ”’—ho gulped at the word, and then added, “for having married you.” “Within four-and-twenty hours after my re- turn to London,” replied Cicely,—*I do not say our return, because I know not whether you ac- company me ud ““ Suppose that I do,” * what then ? our return “TJ will produce to you the proofs,” rejoined Cicely, “ that I have thirty thousand pounds of my own—but every shilling of which, remember ! will be settled on myself.” “Ts this true, Cicely ?” exclaimed Hector in as- tonishment. “You know my character and my disposition,” answered the young lady proudly: “ judge thereby whether it is likely that [ should descend to such a mean useless falsehood. You have found me playing a deep game and carrying out an intri- cate stratagem. But wherefore? Because you yourself had deceived me for a long time past: indeed, you had deceived me from the very begin- ning! Everything, therefore, was fair which I might do in order to compel you to render me an act of justice. Now I have succeeded; and I shall not think of deluding you with the idea that I possess a fortune in order to win for a couple or three days those attentions which would be more than ever withdrawn if the instant should come for me to confess to you that it was a decep- tion.” “ But how is it possible, Cicely “No matter how it is possible,” she interrupted him. “I tell you that within twenty-four hours after my arrival in London vs “Tf I thought this,” ejaculated Hector, starting up from his chair,—“ if I thought that you really possessed such a fortune in your own right—why, I should care much Jess——and then too, it would interjected Hardress; Within four-and-twenty hours of BP Comiclooolks Oimn