Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 290: what you’re looking at

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

Ai te tt Ma 282 _ ————— rr self in the first instance at the Count’s chamber. On entering the humble room, he beheld Bene datta weeping: her husband was not there—but her children were standing by, surveying their mother in mournful silence. Charles was smitten with the idea of some new calamity having oc- curred ; for he felt convinced that the intelligence of Ginevra’s death could not as yet have possibly reached the habitation where he now found him- self— and indeed he likewise remembered that Benedetta was ignorant who the mother of the child really was, while he also knew that the Count of Camerino was little likely to have enlightened her upon the point, Charles was not however kept long in suspense : for Benedetta, rising from her seat, beckoned him to approach the little cradle ; and lifting a snow- white cloth which lay over it, she showed him the child. The infant was dead ! “Ah! mother and babe both alike gone!” murmured the youth, stricken by the coincidence. “What mean you, signor?” anxiously asked Benedetta, who had caught the sense of his words, ~ ‘T mean,” replied Charles solemnly, “ that death is not this day contented with having one victim: but two have been demanded! The wretched mother of that child has ceased to exist !”’ He did not however choose to say any more, for fear of affording a clue to establish the identity of the infant’s parent with the Countess of Came- rino. Benedetta continued to weep; and after a pause our hero, glancing towards the cradle, in- guired, ‘‘ When did this happen ?” “Two hours ago, signor,” replied Benedetta : ‘the poor infant was seized with convulsions— and by the time a surgeon arrived it was a corpse in my arms,” There was another pause; and then Charles asked whether he could see the gentleman who tenanted the opposite apartment? Benedetta re- plied in the affirmative, and showed him how he was to knock at the door, so as to convey by a signal that it was a friend who sought admittance. Our hero placed in Benedetta’s hand some gold as the means for interring the dead infant ; and he then took his leave of her. On knocking at the opposite door, the summons was answered by the Count of Camerino, who grasped the youth most cordially by the hand. “You have been in the other room perhaps?” said the nobleman, in a low deep voice. “‘ Yes—I have been there,” replied Charles sig- nificantly. “ Heaven has thought fit,” resumed the Count, to take from this earthly spbere the offspring of crime—and it were a miserable affectation to de- plore the event!” “No, my lord—it cannot be deplored,” rejoined our hero. ‘ Death has been busy to-day—I have intelligence to impart “4 “Ah! what mean you ?” inquired the Count quickly. ‘I see there is something in your looks beyond the effect which the death of that child would produce. Speak, my young friend! Per- haps the guilty Ginevra te My lord,” said Charles solemnly, “ your erring wife has ceased to exist !” “But how died she?” demanded the Count, AGNES; OR, BEAUTY ANP PLEASURE. trembling all over: “is it possible that the wretched woman, driven to despair -——” “Yes, my lord—she has perished as a suicide} Not half-an-hour has elapsed since I beheld her lifeless form dragged forth from the deep waters of the sea!” The Count of Camerino sat down: he was still trembling from head to foot with the violence of his emotions ; and he said, “ Unfortunate Ginevra! I did not desire this! I would not have driven thee to such a catastrophe! No!—rather, ten thousand times rather would I that thou should’st have lived to atone for thine errors and win the pardon of heaven!” All the natural generosity of the Count of Camerino’s soul was awakened by the intelligence he had just received ; and he wiped the tears from his eyes. “T forgive thee, Ginevra! from the very bottom of my heart do I forgive thee !” he continued, in @ mournful tone; “and henceforth I swear that by me thy memory shall not be contemplated with bitterness! Oh! thy fate is asad and a terrible one—and it seems as if heaven were determined that thou and the offspring of thy shame should — pass away from the earth on the same day and al- most in the same hour !” There was again a pause; and then the Count of Camerino, rising from his seat, said, “ My young friend, I have learnt many things since we parted this morning in the church. Already had I every reason to admire the generosity of your conduct throughout these deplorable transactions : but now there are a thousand reasons wherefore I should admire its magnanimity. Yes—I have learnt all those particulars which you, in the lofti- ness of your mind, suppressed. It has come to my knowledge that my wretched son, as if not satisfied with the odious crime he had already committed, would have superadded iniquity upon © iniquity: he would have taken the life of the child —his own child !—he would have taken your life also! All these things have I heard; and I com- prehend full well wherefore you suppressed them in your explanations of this morning.” “ And how did you ascertain, my lord,” inquired — Charles, “the particulars to which you have al- luded ?” “ T have seen the unprincipled villain Visso— and from his lips I extorted everything. Lan- — guage has not the power to convey an adequate — idea of the admiration which I entertain for your Rest assured that it will experience its — Z conduct! reward!” “ Beyond your Jordship’s approval and that of © my own conscience,” replied Charles De Vere, “I © Tell me, Count—is — there anything that I can now do under existing — circumstances?—for the corpse of your perished ~ seek no other recompense. wife has by this time been conveyed to the man~ sion —the rumour of the suicide must soon — ” spread “ True!” ejaculated Camerino: “ that rumour — will spread, and the wildest conjectures will get — Yes—you can serve me in the present — case. Hasten to Father Falconara, and learn what — took place between himself and the hapless Gi- — nevra—if indeed -he saw her at all after she quitted © afloat ! the church. Then go to the Marquis of Ortona:r he is wy bosom friend—he will accompany you to ~ Comicbooks