Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 357: what you’re looking at

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

eimai ess, AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. Jamaica, she nevertheless made such allusions to the misfortunes which had been experienced by his cousin Winifred as almost completely to justify that abrupt departure: and then by lavishing caresses upon Gustavus, she made her uncle—or her father, as we ought to call him—understand that she was devotedly attached to her husband, and that she bespoke all the most affectionate and friendly consideration on his behalf. Mr. Pinnock was not disposed to look too deeply into past mat- ters: he was glad that his daughter had returned to him—glad also that she had succeeded in bring- ing back the truant—glad to have a companion again to sit with him of an evening while he smoked his cigar and drank his wine. The tidings quickly spread that the beautiful quadroon had returned—not as Miss Pinnock, but as Mrs. Barrington ; and visits of congratulation were speedily paid at Mount Pleasant. The Thurlows and the Adairs—who had been present on the memorable bridal day when everything was strangely cut short by the flight and disappear- ance of Gustavus—were now amongst the first to pay their respects to the wedded pair on their return from England. The fact that Emily had gone alone in search of her fugitive lover — that she had found him, married him, and brought him back—gave a most romantic interest to the return of the young couple to Mount Pleasant; and Mr. Pinnock celebrated the event with a series of entertainments, banquets, and festivities —at which all his friends and acquaintances were invited toattend. When all these rejoicings were over and Mount Pleasant had relapsed into its wonted tranquillity, it almost seemed to Gustavus as if his voyage to Europe had been but a vision, and as if all the in- cidents of his sojourn there were but mere phan- tasmagorean details of the same dream; while Emily joyously hugged the belief that having brought the truant safely home, he was settled there for the remainder of his days, and that with the wide ocean rolling betwixt himself and his relatives, their images would pale in the distance and his yearnings towards them would dwindle and sink into complete extinction. Thoroughly ac- quainted with the human heart, the quadroon had gained immensely by her own visit to Europe; her experiences during her absence of those few months had amouuted to what might have been under other circumstances the inculcations of years. She now no longer perceived a necessity to play the tyrant towards her husband; for she knew that he could not now escape from her so easily as when in those far-off climes across the Atlantic. She therefore relaxed the bonds which she had cast around him: or rather we should say that in their place she substituted silken tram- mels, which by her art she rendered alike im- palpable and invisible. Instead of constantly following him—constantly keeping with him— constantly rendering herself his companion, she seemed to allow him all the license of a husband and a man of free and independent spirit ; though secretly assured was she that her fascinations and her wiles hac cast upon him a spell which was sure to bring him back to her arms. She curbed the impetuosity uf her temper; she seemed loving aod kind, affectionate and devoted—without suffering the demonstrations of her love to run to 349 the extreme of maudlin sentimentalism ; and yet she so well plied her blandishments on proper oc- casions, as to leave their influence upon his imagi- nation and upon his senses, if not actually upon his heart. Now, the truth is that the quadroon fully com- prehended one fact ; and this was that she had a hold upon Gustavus rather through the medium of the sense than of the sentiment. In plainer terms, she was aware that she scarcely possessed his love in the pure ethereal meaning of that sen- timent: it was on his part a passion the fires of which had to be constantly fed. But who more fit to sustain this ardour than a being who was herself all warm, glowing, and fervid? She hada lurking dread in her mind that it was Winifred who had possessed his heart—that she was the only being he had ever truly and really loved—and that the only chauce for herself was by this love for another becoming absorbed in the intensity of the passion which she by her arts and blandishments could ever manage to sustain. When the whirl of pleasure attendant upon the festivities at Mount Pleasant was over, Mr. Pin- nock and Gustavus had a little conversation to- gether on business-matters. “T wish, my dear Gustavus,” said the planter, “to place you in a position of independence. You know that Emily is not my niece, but that she is my own daughter; and you therefore are now re- garded by me as a son. At my death you ana Emily will inherit all I possess. Meanwhile it were just as well that you should have some little occupation, even though it be more nominal than real. To you therefore be assigned the duty of superintending my estate, while I attend to the affairs of my counting-house. Take five hundred a year by way of pocket-money—keep your horses —purchase your chaise, or little turn-out of some kind or another—consider the house your own— issue what invitations you please—and bring any friends you like to sit down at the table.” Having thus spoken, Mr. Pinnock thrust into the youth’s hand a roll ot bank-notes amounting to a considerable sum; and then he hurried away to escape the thanks which his son-in-law was pour- ing forth. This conduct on the part of the mer- chant was full well calculated to assist Emily io her constant study to abstract the young man’s thoughts from his transatlantic native land, and rivet them upon the island-home of his present adoption. Yet Mr. Pinnock knew not that any artifice was at all necessary for the purpose; he fancied that the heart of his son-in-law was ea- tirely devoted to his daughter; and therefore his liberal treatment of the young man was only the spontaneous effusion of a naturally generous dis- position. Gustavus endeavoured to render himself as happy as possible; and he certainly had almost every reason to be happy: for he had a cumfortable home, a superbly handsome wife, horses and equip- ages, the command of money, every luxury that could be desired, and just sufficient occupation upon the estate to while away the few hours that might otherwise be tedious. But then there were mo- ments when the thought of his grandsire and his cousin would steal into his brain,—coming as if it were an ice-wind to chill the glowing ideas that were otherwise engendered by all the circumstances COMmiclooolkks OimM