Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 182: what you’re looking at

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

o~ ee ee ee oe eeu eres © om + ee 0 ne eee. oe ere a? & Ars | ; ; . 174 “Yes,” rejoined Mr. Hargrave. ‘“‘ But you need not be afraid that I purpose to make any representation at all prejudicial to your self. Such is not my object—but the humour has taken me to sympathise with the poor old gentleman.” **Oh, this is indeed good of you!” cried Gus- tavus. ‘‘ Obligation after obligation do you lay me under !”’ **To-night, at twelve o’clock precisely, be upon the look out!’’ said Mr. Hargrave curtly ; and he then hastened away, as though unwilling to prolong the interview. his scene took place in a road bordered on one side by a dense line of trees; and at the very instant that the misanthrope hurried off, as just stated, it struck Gustavus that he not merely heard a slight rustling amongst those trees at a little distance, but he felt almost cer- an that he likewise caught a glimpse of a human orm. He at once sped in that direction; he plunged. amidst the trees—but he beheld no one. He looked everywhere about—he even examined the ground to ascertain if there were any traces of footsteps: but there was nanght to justify his een that a listener had been concealed there. He returned into the road, and pursued his way towards Mount Pleasant,—where, on being at once jomed by Emily, he communicated to her the arrangement he had just made with Mr. Hargrave. The quadroon had all along been most anx- ious that the box of gold should be by some means shipped off to England; for so long as it was in the house she never felt entirely safe with regard to her lover—she feared lest at any moment he should alter his mind and insist upon becoming himself the bearer of the treasure to his relations in his native land. Now, there- fore, that it was at length to be removed from Mount Pleasant, and that Gustavus dropped no hint of any desire to accompany it, Emily was much rejoiced; and she accordingly expressed her approval of the plan devised by Mr. Har- grave. ‘ Gustavns retired to his chamber at the usnal hour—namely, 2 short time before eleven o’clock; for Mr. Pinnock was wont to keep him with him for some little while after Emily had withdrawn from the sitting-room. On being alone in his own apartment, Gus- tavus drew forth the box of gold from the cupboard, and fastened around it the end of a cord which he had taken the precaution of pro- curing as a means of lowering it from the case- ment. The night was somewhat a gloomy one, though there was a sufficient glimmering to show objects that were near. Gustavus wondered who was the trustworthy person that Mr. Hargrave purposed to send to receive the treasure: but after 2 moment's re- flection he concluded that the individual must ? Sambo, the old negro who attended upon m. Then Gustavus began to wonder what the misanthrope intended to write to his old grand. father in London: but he was by no means uneasy on the point, for he felt convinced that Mr. Hargrave was a man of his word, and he had promised not to make any representation which might prejudice the youth in the opinion of his relatives. In these and other reflections, with which the image of the beauteous quadroon was frequentl ‘blended, did Gustavus while away the time until NS ~—-~ ee nn ee mn ewe we AGNES; Ok, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. _ TTT tii —<——,-_—!,,c .-ccn-.c.cj.WAittec.--VWt 2%. ‘Ss Pd No a % his watch showed that it was close ur midnight hour. a Se" ne ni m the Hy 5 He then bethought himself that it would be better to extinguish his light; for if any one | passing in the neighbour. — hood of the villa at the time when the box was — should happen to be being lowered from the casement, the proceed ing would stand all the greater chance of being observed if the taper were kept burning. He therefore extinguished it; and estimating as well as he was able the minutes which had to elapse until midnight, he at iength noiselessly the casement. Almost at the same moment his ear caught the sound of a slight rustling amidst the adjacent trees; and this sound was followed by the light and stealthy tread of cautiously advancing foot- steps. A figure stopped underneath the window: but it was too dark for Gustavus to recognise the individual. The box was in readiness: the youth lifted it —he was on the very point of placing it on the window-sill in order to be thence lowered by the rope, when the silent air was suddenly broken upon by the report of a pistol, instantaneously followed by a second. A cry of mortal agony rang forth from be- neath young Barrington’s casement; and this was immediately followed by the heavy fall of a human form. Though with hair standing on end and blood curdling with horror, yet Gustavus mechani- cally deposited the box upon the floor; and then thrusting forth his head from the casement, he exclaimed,— **Good heavens! what is the matter >—what has happened ?” He thus spoke because he at the instant be- held a couple of’ men hurrying through the garden towards the spot where the individual lay beneath the window; and one of those men car- ried a lantern, which thus revealed their forms to the youth. ‘Don’t be afraid, Mr. Barrington!” ex- claimed a voice, which the youth at once re- céenised to be that of an upper servant, or bailiff, belonging to the domain of Mount Plea- sant, “it is only a robber who is very rightly served.”’ ‘* A robber ?”’ ejaculated Gustayus, in accents of wild horror: for he fancied that it was the faithful and inoffensive negro attached to the service of Mr. Hargraye who had thus meta violent death. Indeed, in the frenzy of his harrowed feelings, the youth was on the very point of giving vent to ejaculations that would have at least excited suspicion, if not actually betrayed something in | connexion with his own arrangement for that ls "4 ' b ‘ , ‘e io OI 4 opened | — A ih particular hour,—when a gentle hand was laid “4 upon his shoulder, and a sweet voice said im his ear,— ** Hush !”” Emily was standing behind him; and he at once turned towards her. ‘For heaven's sake beware how you betray | everything !”’ whispered the quadroon hnrriedly: and the youth now saw that she was only par- | tially dressed. ‘‘ But murder has been committed !—a hide- ous murder!’’ he ejaculated, though in a sub- dued tone— the murder of a faithful and trast- worthy person x ‘Hush! hush!’’ said the quadroon, in an “They are beneath the win- agony of terror. dow—they will hear you “And by heaven they may hear me, , ' icomicbooks.cc