Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 219: what you’re looking at

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

oS ES ee aetevacath beneath the duskiness of ner ddmrplenidin2 a saw that all in a moment she had lost her | vantage. -ground, and that nothing but some des- perate effort would enable her to recover it. At least so she fancied : for judging others by herself, she could not conceive that Winifred would now surrender up the lover who displayed so decided a preference for herself. But the quadroon had yet to learn the full extent of Wivifred’s self: eacrificing generosity; and thus assistance sud- denly came to Emily Pinnock from the quarter whence she now so little expected to receive it. All the time that Winifred was held in her eousin’s frenzied embrace, she had struggled to disengage herself: but at that moment the qua- droon’s eyes were blinded with rage-and jealousy, so that she percéived not these efforts on Wini- fred’s part. But now Miss Barrington suddenly exclaimed “ Unhand me, Gustavus—and hear me !” She spoke in a voice of such unwonted firmness, and her words were accompanied by a kirdred look of such resolute command, that Gustavus was suddenly overawed: and he released his cousin’s hands. “ Now hear me!” said Wiuifred, retreating two or three paces: “ hear me, I beseech you—and in- terrupt me not! My resolve, Gustavus, is irre- vocably taken. Your’sIcannever be! I would not accept a heart that has even partially belonged to another! JBesides, tiis young lady asserts claims upon you which she will not renounce; whereas I, on the other hand, renounce every claim which [ might possibly assert. Tbat you love her IL know; and that she loves you, isevi- denced by her coming across the seas to claim you. You know, Gustavus, that. when you offered me your hand the evening before last, I first replied in the negative; and that negative was dictated by a previous determination on my part. The events of this day will therefore only carry me back to the position in which I was when I formed that determination; andafiI can forgive you—as I sincerely do, Gustavus—for everything that has since taken place, there is no harm done. Now you have heard me, I beseech that there may be no more passion nor excitement: for everything is settled and nothing,” added Winifred, firmly, “can possibly alter my resolution. aoe Gustavus !—farewell, Miss Pinnock !” Winifred just gave her hand to her cousin 1 and quickly withdrew it: she gave her hand to Emily, but suffered it to linger for an additional moment in the pressure which the quadroon bestowed upon it. There was a vertigo in the young man’s brain—he knew not what he was doing—he was not the master of himself—he stared around him in wild vacancy: and then, like one who had sud- denly fallen into an idiotic tranquillity, he suffered Emily to lead him from the apartment. It was a look of fervid gratitude which the quadroon flung back upon Winifred ere the door closed behind her ; and she hurried Gustavus down the stairs to the cab in which she had arrived, and which was waiting in front of the house. But now that Winifred was alone, all the feel- ings she had pent up by the strongest efforts which ever human being made to conquer violent emo- tions—or rather, we should say, to assume a firm and tranquil exterior while the heart within was a AGNES; OR, se Aye AND PLEASURE, Se Re ee eT RE FEE SSE see ee om 211 voleano,—all those pent up feelings now burst forth. Winifred sank upon her knees—buried her face in her hands, which rested against the edge of the table—and gave way to her grief. She was alone! Gustavus was gone!—gone with auother who had come to claim him! Within one short hour all Winifred’s hopes of happiness seemed to be utterly wrecked: for she loved her cousin— dearly, dearly loved him! And now she was alone; and he was gone! An eternal farewell had been spoken;—perhaps they should never meet again! In the generosity of her heart, when seeking to smooth down all difficulties in the late fearful scene, she bad volunteered to teli the old man in prison some tale which should properly account for his grandson’s sudden disappearance: but what tale could she devise for such a purpose P And had not the old man’s assent been obtained to the union of his two grandchildren ?—how therefore could this abrupt breaking off of the contemplated alliance be so explained as to save the honour of Gustavus in the estimation of his grandfather, and likewise prove that no fault lay with Winifred herself? Ob, it was indeed a diff- cult task which the poor girl had to perform !—it was altorether a hard lot which she had to bear ! No wonder, therefore, if she sank down upon her knees and wept bitterly!—no wonder if she thought that God himself had abandoned her when she found herself being smitten by calamity after calamity, blow upon blow! And no wonder either if the wound which had been made by the iron of recent misfortune penetrating into her soul, was now opened afresh!—and no wonder if her heart bled from its very core! Poor Winifred, thou wast indeed doomed to suffer—thou wast one of the world’s martyrs—innocent, yet oppressea— virtuous, yet chastised as if saturated with ail vices! Alas, poor Winifred ! She went not from her room during the re- mainder of that day; and throughout the night which followed, her fcrm pressed not the couch. When the feeble light of a cold winter’s morning gleamed in at the window, it found her seated upon achair, her arms drooping downward—the hands elasped—ber whole attitude that of deep, unutterable despair. But now she rose, and she suddenly said to herself, “‘ 1 have been wrong thus to yield to afflictioa!—wrong to imagine that I am abandoned by heaven! Does not the Book of Life itself give the assurance that those whom the Supreme Being loves he chastens ?” Winifred knelt down and prayed. She prayed long—not with agony nor with grief, but with earnestness and with fervour: she besought God to give her strength to pass through all ber trials. She rose, comforted. She performed her ablu- tions, and she felt refreshed. But she would par- take of no food ; and issuing forth from the house, she walked far away—she walked rapidly, wooing the fresh air to her pale cheeks, and hoping that by the invigoration of the,body she would like- wise be able to invigorate the mind. At length she began to retrace her steps ; and at about noon she returned to her lodgings. She was met in the passage by Mrs, Slater, who exclaimed, “ The case is come, my dear Winifred! I ordered it to be taken up to your own room. I locked the door— and here is the key.” comleloooks OR ee ee ee -— COUN