Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 187: what you’re looking at

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

i => our own Jamaica newspapers as with the English ones. The public everywhere have a morbid taste in these matters; and the press panders to it. Perhaps,” added Mr. Pinnock, with a smile, “ the old lady whom the girl murdered, was likewise a very interesting person?” “No, no—I didn’t tell you that!” ejaculated Mr. Adair, laughing. ‘“ On the contrary, if I re- collect aright, she is represented as being a woman of bad character ; and this renders the affair all tbe more mysterious—because, according to what I read, it seems unaccountable that a girl who had previously borne such an irreproachable character as the accused, could have had any connexion with the old wretch who has been assassinated.” ~“Do for heaven’s sake, my dear papa,” ex- claimed the elder Miss Adair, “discourse upon | something else!—for we cannot help overhearing what you say, and it is p>rfectly horrible to broach | 1» : such topics on such an occasion as the present *} have got no more a say upon the subject, my dear,” responded Mr, Adair, smiling. “ Ah! here are the Thurlows!” Mr. Pinnock hastened from the apartment to welcome the new-comers, who were speedily in- troduced to the drawing-room. These were Mr. Thurlow and his two daughters; and the usual greetings were exchanged, The two Miss Thur- lows ascended to Emily’s bed-chamber to make some little amendment to the toilet which had been rumpled in the carriage that had brought them; and Mr. Pinnock, with true West Indian hospitality, proposed to Mr. Adair and to Mr. Thurlow to take some little refreshment previous to setting off into Kingston. Jor this purpose those three gentlemen adjourned to the breaktast- parlour where the refreshments were spread ; so that the bride and bridegroom now remained alone with the two Miss Adairs. “If I had chosen,” said the younger Miss Adair, “I could have refreshed my papa’s me- mory with regard to the recent topic of his dis- course: for I glanced over the London Times last evening, and I read some particulars concerning the crime. In the first place I recollect the date: it was the fifth of October.” “ The fifth of October?” ejaculated Gustavus, With a sudden start. | “ What is the matter P” inquired Emily, who perceived his emotion. * Ob, nothing! nothing!” he hastily responded, as he instantaneously recovered himself. “ Now [ insist,” said the elder Miss Adair, “that we do not take up a topie which I just now so much deprecated when my father and Mr. Pinnock were discoursing on it.” “ No—certainly not!” said Emily: “it is pain- ful and horrible !” ““Yes—painful and horrible,’ repeated Gus- tavus, scarcely however knowing what he said: for though his countenance was now calm, his mind was strangely agitated. The fifth of October was a date which he bad for some time ceased to recollect with apy degree of significancy: but now it had been suddenly recalled to his memory. His thoughts were reflected back to that day when on board the AGNES; OR, BRAUTY ANP PLEASURE. | ta a tet C attest. eee SSS Satine ssioeeeanennrmenpnt a ee er —_ 179 ye g ladies who commit a crime are sure to be ;some vague presentiment which he could nos described as interesting. It is just the same with / shake off, and which indeed had grown upon him with such a superstitious power at the time that he had said to himself, “ The fifth of October! I shall not forget it !” And now, as this date was so vividly brought back to his memory, a cloud of other ideas and associations came sweeping in unto his mind, He recollected how, when on board the Catharine | Millard, and under the influence of that evil pre- sentiment, he had been smitten with vague appre- hensions lest anything should be occurring at that particular moment to his relatives in England. He felt that he had then cared for those relatives far more than he had recently done; and he was smitten with a feeling of remorse at the idea of having now for ever cut himself off, as it were, from those whom but a month back he would not for the world have thought of abandoning. No wonder, therefore, was it that at this moment his conduct towards Winifred should suddenly assume the aspect of a perfidy, and that though he had never actually breathed in his cousin’s ears the language of love, yet that he was proving faithless to that species of tacit understanding of constancy and fidelity which had existed between them at the time when he left England. Thus, altogether, a sudden damp was thrown upon the young bridegroom’s spirits; aud he felt as if he were standing upon the threshold of the perpetration of a crime. At this juncture Mr, Pinnock returned to the drawing-room ; and as he flung a package of news- papers upon the table, he exclaimed, “Come! we must be upon the alert! The carriages will be here in a few minutes !” “ What have you got there ?” inquired Gus- tavus, starting up from his seat and saying the first thing that came into his head in the hope of turning his ideas into some new channel. “Ob! it is nothing but a packet of London newspapers which Mr. Thurlow has just given me,” responded Mr. Pinnock, * Ab, London newspapers!” ejaculated Gus- tavus, who felt himself irresistibly impelled by his gloomy presentiments to glance at those jour- nals, Be it borne in mind that it was the younger Miss Adair who had happened to mention that she glanced over the newspapers on the preceding evening; and it was she who had mentioned that date of the fifth of October which suddenly pro- duced such an effect upon the bridegroom. She noticed that there was something strange—her recollection was quickeved — she was suddenly struck by that very coincidence to* which her father himself had ere now vaguely alluded while talking to Mr, Pinnock; and she hastily whis- pered to Emily, “ It is strange—most strange !— but the name of the young English murdoress is also Barrington Winifred Barrington !” A deadly pallor instantaneously overspread Emily’s countenance,—a pallor the ghastliness of which might be seen through her brunette complexion; and Mr, Adair’s two daughters were now seized with a wild affright. At the same time a terrific ery burst forth from the lips of Gustavus, who bad just opened the packet of newspapers and had glanced rapidly over the first Catharine Millard he found himself haunted by | which came to hand. There his eyes at once set- oe SR ert eee OO - en COMmcoool<s com