Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 164: what you’re looking at

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

156 AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. room when you received guests—that I should be} senses, by being called upon to plead guilty or not an attraction, in short. You likewise fancied that | guilty, and that she had given her reply firmly in I should form some alliance which would reflect / the latter sense. Now all objects in the cours honour, credit, and respectability on yourself and | were plainly visible to her, and were no longer your wife. Now you see, uncle, that I compre- | seen through the phantasmagorian medium of a hend you both thoroughly ;—and you comprehend | painfully self-deluding imagination. The indict- me,” ment was read—the counsel for the prosecution Mr. Timperley listened in astonishment, not al- | was opening the case. For some minutes Wini- together unmingled with admiration and satisfac- | fred kept her eyes bent downward, as if she could tion, at this voluntary self-unveiling of his niece. | thereby shut herself out from becoming the focus The bold hardibood with which she proclaimed her | for all the regards of that crowded court. At real character excited his admiration—and all the | length the recollection began slowly to dawn in more so, because it was a character which in its| unto her mind that her life huog to a thread, unpriocipled and unscrupulous qualities was per-/ which twelve mon, seated in an adjacent box, fectly akin to his own. His satisfaction too was | could with their verdict either snap in a moment excited, because he saw at a glance that with such | or strengthen to the consistency of the stoutest a character the secret connected with that letter | cord. She was impelled by a species of fearful was altogether safe, provided he yielded to her | curiosity to study the countenances of those men pecuniary demand. She had thrown aside the/| who were thus the arbiters of her destiny. She mask from her countenance; and he was now} looked towards them, furtively and timidly at enabled to look her in the face—to encounter her | first—then more attentively, Her eyes settled gaze, as one bad person may without being abashed | upon the foreman. He was an elderly man, with meet the regards of another. a great hook nose, on the middle of the bridge of ‘Yes, there is now a mutual understanding,” | which rested a pair of huge silver spectacles. he said ; “ and you shall have the dower which | There was something very grave if not stern in you require. I will give you an undertaking ” | the expression of his countenance; and Winifred “ Write it at once,” interjected Cicely; “ and | experienced a sensation of heart-sinking as she order your clerks in the course of the day to draw | thought to herself that there was little chance up a deed which shall setile the whole amount | of such a man being swayed otherwise than by upon myself.” the details of the evidence; and alas! she ** Ah, you are wise, Cicely—you are wise !” said | knew that this evidence weighed most strongly the lawyer, as he sat down at a table where there | against her. As her eyes slowly wandered over were writing materials in readiness. the other jurors, she suddenly gave a slight start ; Mr. Timperley then proceeded to pen the un- | for there was a countenance amongst them which dertaking which he had agreed to give; and when | instantaneously struck her as being familiar. She it was concluded, Cicely read it with attention. looked again, with wonder and perplexity in ber “ That will do,” she said, taking the paper from | mind. Yes—assuredly it must be he! She passed the table—for she had bent over her uncle’s shoul- | her hand athwart her eyes, for fear lest she were der to read it: and she now banded him the letter | the victim of some strange unaccountable optical which had possessed the talismanic power of elicit- | delusion; and then she looked again. It was no ing the large amount constituting her dowry. delusion: for how could she possibly fail to recog- Mr. Timperley took that letter, his countenance | nise that pale countenance, shaded by dark hair, becoming animated with a strange sinister satis- | and with its black whiskers—that aquiline profile faction; and hastening to the fireplace, he tossed | —that well-shaped mouth—those dark piercing it into the grate. He waited until he perceived | eyes? Yes, it was he!—that gentleman of about that it was reduced to tinder; and he then| forty years of age, of moderate stature, and of stirred the fire so that there should be no possi- | thin figure—the very same indeed whom Winifred bility of a fragment of that letter remaining to | had met at the gate of Sidney Villa and had fol- afford the slightest clue to the secret which its con- | lowed into the bye-lane on that memorable after- tents might have revealed. noon when the murder was committed for which ‘Now, Cicely,” he said, again turning towards | she now stood arraigned before a tribunal! his niece, ‘‘ you will tell me, my dear girl, how Oo that day to which we aro referring, the that document fell into your hands ?” | gentleman was very handsomely dressed; but now “* Not now, af all events,” replied Cicely =: “ on | he was apparelled with exceeding plainness, in the some future occasion perhaps. But speed you | style of a respectable tradesman. He wore a back to the court, or whithersoever else your busi- ‘simple suit of black — with no jewellery dis. ness may take you; for I know that your time is ‘played, except a watch-chain of moderate price, precious.” The jurors sat in two rows in the box: he was ia “And I may rely upon you, Cicely ?” said the | the back row, and quite in a corner. He ap- lawyer, fixing his earnest gage upon her. | peared not to be taking the slightest notice of * You know that you can,” she responded signi- | Winifred: his eyes were ‘fixed upon the barrister ficantly, ‘ for more reasons than one.’ who was detailing the case for the prosecution. “'Prue!—for more reasons than one!” repeated | There was now no longer a doubt in Winifred’s Mr. Timperley: and taking up his hat, he issued | mind that in this particular juror she beheld the from the apartment, gentleman who was so well known to her, and We must now return to the tribunal of justice | through whose assistance she had obtained the in the Old Bailey, and see what has been taking | services of Mr. Wardour. That pale-faced gen- place during Mr. Timperley’s absence. tleman had never visited her during her month’s It will be remembered that Winifred was sud- (ete abut but he had not forgotten her! denly etartled from a dream-like illusion of the | No—he was thore, in the jury-box! 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