Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 356: what you’re looking at

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

i Ee EE ee AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE, smiles, Gustavus wag not very likely to prove in- | by no means easy to still—Gustavus soon ceased furiate with anger; although on the other hand j to complain of the circumstances of his abrupt he could not help giving vent to a certain degree | departure ; so that instead of continuing to revert of lamentation at having been thus hurried from the metropolis without paying a visit to his grand- father or bidding farewell to his cousin. We should observe that he could not suppose the champagne which he had imbibed at dinner-time and afterwards, had been drugged, inasmuch as he had partaken of quite a sufficient quantity to account for his being in a completely inebriate cordition and thereby deprived of consciousness. “Oh! why, why, Emily,” he asked, when she would at length suffer him to speak, “ have you carried me off thus?’ ‘The vessel was ready to clear out,’’ responded Emily, in her softest tones: “and I thought that “i “ But why this particular vessel ?” asked Gus- tavus. “ Did I not tell you that we must goin a ship belonging to Mr. Millard—my uncle’s correspon- dent u ““T do not remember your saying anything on the subject, Emily.” **Ob, but I did!” she exclaimed, still lavishing her blandishments upon him. ‘ And then too, my dear Gus, I was afraid that illness was seizing upon you you remember those fits of drowsi- ness—they alarmed me—the medical man, whom I called in, said that you would not be better until your constitution should be reinvigorated by the fresh breezes of the ocean & “ Ah, Emily!” murmured Gustavus, “ I feel— Oh! I feel, that I have behaved infamously— vilely—to that poor old man and to my cousin u “ Not so, Gustavus!” interrupted the qua- droon ; “ for it was not your fault that you could not go to visit them—you were very, very ill throughout the day! I did all that I could under existing circumstances ——” “Ah! I remember, you told me,” said Gus- tavus, “ you sent the deed to my grandsire—and affectionate messages fe “To both him and your cousin,” rejoined the quadroon quickly. “ Now, be not unhappy dearest Gustavus !—we are on our way back to the happy island where we first met! There shall all pos- sible felicity await us. You know my uncle’s kind disposition—he will welcome you as well as myself with open arms—he knows that we are married—I have written to assure him that you are all kindness and affection towards me, and that you have so fully atoned for the cruel abrupt- ness of your departure from Jamaica, that the subject ought never to be alluded to again. Yes —all this have I told my uncle; so that he will receive you with open arms—and he will lavish his wealth upon you—and everything that may contribute to render your life a blissful one will be within your reach!” It was in this manner that the quadroon ad- dressed herself to Gustavus, throwing all the most melting music of her tones into her language, and lavishing upon him the tenderest caresses. Weak- minded as he had become with regard to her—in- fatuated with her beauty, and afraid of her tem- per—a slave to her fascinations, and frightened | both together. his looks towards his native land, he sent them travelling across the Atlantic to the island which was now his destination and which he had no doubt would prove the place of his residence for the greater portion, if not the whole, of his life. He conjured up all those circumstances which were best calculated to make him forget England, his grandsire, and Winifred: he thought of his splendid wife—of the luxurious isle to which he was going—of the wealth which he knew would be at his command—of his future prospects when Mr. Pinnock should die—and he said to himeelf, “Truly, I ought to be happy and contented !” The voyage was a long one; for the weather was most inauspicious during the greater portion of the passage—and thus eleven weeks elasped from the day that the ship left the Thames uatil that on which it entered Kingston barbour. But at last the destination was reached in safety; and it was almost with a feeling of wonderment at finding himself there again, that Gustarus disem- barked on the spot whence he had so frantically leapt on board the mail-packet that was bound for England about six months back. But as for the quadroon—Obh! was not she delighted thus again tc set foot upon her native land—to be about to return to the home of her birth—and to be se- companied by him whom she loved so passionately —for whom she had undertaken, en7ure2, and done so much ! It was past five o’clock in the ev in when Gustavus and his quadroon wife landed at MKings- town: they therefore knew that Mr. Pinnock would have by this time left his office and proceeded to his suburban home. Thither they at once pro- ceeded in a hired vehicle; and the moment it rolled up to the front of the verandah, the casements of which stood open as usual in the warm season of the year (for it was the beginning of the month of May) Mr. Pinnock himself came rushing forth, with joy depicted on his countenance. And then what a happy meeting it was! The worthy mer- chant hugged and embraced Emily and her hus- band one after the other again and again, and then The quadroon’s heart was swelling with triumph: while Gustavus himself experienced all the bliss of the moment; for he felt like a wan- derer who had returned to his home—and he had not a regretful or disagreeable thought for England on that occasion. And now how much there was to talk about! and what a multitude of questions did Mr, Pin- nock ask! But Emily managed him with the ut- most skill and adroitness: she said everything that was calculated to be agreeable—she suppressed everything that might prove disagreeable; and thus, for instance, not a syllable was spoken in reference to the box of gold — the recovery of which, be it remembered, and its transmission to England, had never been revealed to Mr. Pinnock. But if Emily thus studied, as heretofore, to sineld herself and to keep the merchant in the dark in respect to the fact of her having been the veritable thief of the gold dust—she likewise did her best to make the character of Gustavus appear io the most amiable light to Mr. Pinnock. Thus, while to raise a storm of passion which he knew to be ! excluding the topic of his abrupt departure from eee eee eee eee eee _— — —_——-~- — OO OL OW ee 5 ere comicbooks : e r & ~~” — ——— om EE ——————