Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 390: what you’re looking at

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

EE cme ee ee — ee ee. re - ee ee «ee owe 382 AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. teld you, the employment which my father could | dressing her in very good English, but with a succeed in obtaining, bas been limited, precarious, and utterly inadequate for the respectable suste- nance of his family. Our descent has been gra- dient, and only too sure. From lodging to lodg- ing, each one humbler than the former, have we been as it were driven,— until we found ourselves reduced to almost the rags of beggary. And our pride, Miss, has induced us to flee from the great city and to conceal ourselves in this hovel. Oh! for myself I care not: Ido not repine—I would submit to any lot! But—but ” Here the poor girl could restrain her emotions no longer; and she burst into a violent flood of weeping. Her little brother and sister wept like- wise ; and the reader may be assured that the eyes of our amiable heroine did not remain unmoistened. *T am not rich,” said Agnes, “but all that I can do for you shall be done. You are a young lady, Corinna—and you will give me credit for the wish to accomplish all I can do in as delicate @ manner as possible. Take this purse—be not shocked nor offended—endeavour to look upor me as a friend whom you have known some time, and who exercises the right of assisting you — nay, more, who only performs a duty in rendering that succour which a comparative affluence enables her to afford.” ‘ Miss Evelyn’s purse happened to contain a bank-note for five pounds and some five or six sovereigns, besides silver: but its contents were not known to Corinna until after the benefactress had departed. The Italian girl took the purse ; and sinking upon her Enees, she pressed to her lips the hand which gave it. The two little chil- dren, though not rightly understanding, the scene that was taking place, nevertheless instinctively imitated their sister’s example, and went down likewise upon their knees. Agnes was profoundly affected: she raised them all three ;—she was in the act of embracing them, when the door opened, and a man made his appearance. The ejacula- tions which burst from the lips of Corinna and the little ones, at once revealed to Agnes that this was their father, Signor Paoli. He was about fifty years of age: his hair was streaked with grey—he had once been good-looking —but his countenance was wrinkled with affliction, and had a sad careworn look. His attire was ex- cessively shabby and threadbare; but it had a certain air of neatness. It was through no selfish motive that he provided himself with shoes while his children were shoeless: for upon the circum. stance of his maintaining even the smallest degree of a respectable appearance depended the con- tingency of his procuring bread to put into the mouths of his offspring. The scene before him at once made him aware that an angel had entered into his hut; and as- suredly no angel from heaven could have descended in a lovelier shape! The little children flew to him in a manner which conyineed Agnes that his character had not been exaggerated when she re- ceived the assurance that he was a good father: Corinna likewise bounded towards him, displaying the purse and pointing to Agnes—but the poor girl’s heart was tvo full to allow her tongue to give utterance to a syllable. ‘Whoever you may be, excellent young lady!” caid Signor Paoli, turning towards Agnes, and ad- Gees Ge foreign accent—and his voice trembled with emo- tion,—“ you have this day done something which will not be forgotten -by Him who is the giver of all bounties. No!—and assuredly it never can be forgotten by us! I came home in despair—and you have filled my heart with joy! I came to an- nounce to my poor children that I had brought no bread to give them—and I find that you have be- stowed your charity with a bounteous hand! [ came to tell them that we must all lie down and die together, or adopt the hateful expedient of mendicancy; and you have bidden us live—aye, and what is more, you have saved us from that crowning degradation! Tell me your name that I may bless it !” Agnes was weeping softly—for there was a most touching pathos in this scene, and all the more so on account of the evident sincerity, the genuine feeling, and the heartfelt emotion with which Paoli spoke. She wiped away her tears; and she gave Paoli her card,—saying, “ Your daughter will teil you all that I have proposed in reference to your son Giulio. Come to me to-morrow, and let us discuss the subject at our leisure,” She was then about to hasten from the hut; but Corinna detained her, exclaiming, “Oh let me have the happiness of telling my father in your presence what you have so generously proposed to do in reference to Giulio! Father,” she continued, perceiving that Agnes consented to remain, “ this angel whom heaven has sent us in the hour of our bitter need, will give you the means of visiting Florence; and she has a friend at the British Em- bassy at Naples, who will use his influence with the Embassy at the Tuscan Court, to cause in- quiries to be instituted concerning my dear brother!” Paoli could only take our heroine’s hand and press it in his own; for it was now Ais turn to have a heart too full to permit the expression of the feelings from the lips. But then a cloud came over his countenance; and he said, after a long silence, “ My duty towards my son prompts me to use every exertion to clear up the mystery which at present shrouds his fate: but on the other hand there isa duty which I must perform towards these unprotected ones!”—and he glanced with tearful eyes upon his children. ‘Let not this latter consideration trouble you, Signor,” said Agnes; “for I have something to propose. Corinna shali come and live with me during your absence. She shall be my friend and companion—I will treat her as if she were my sister. As for these little ones, they too shall find an asylum at my house, ‘The boy shall go to school: there is a seminary in the neighbourhood, where he may be a day-scholar; and every care shall be taken of him, as well as of this poor child:” —and she patted the little. girl caressingly upon the cheek. It were impossible to find words to depict the joy—the almost incredulously wild delight, which seized upon the exiled family as these generous an- nouncements met their ears. “Down upon your knees, my dear children !” exclaimed Paoli; “ upon your knees, and thank our benefactress!”—and he himself was about to sink into that suppliaot pusture when Agnes prevented him, EComichooks ——————————— | esses th SS Sete