Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 397: what you’re looking at

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

AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE, 389 Nearly a month had elapsed since the departure | residing there, and that she was not merely paying of Signor Paoli for Florence; and it was now |a passing visit or making a call on the occasion. about the middle of October. One day — the | Still Edgar did not like to throw away this chance weather being remarkably fine, with a sun as/of obtaining an interview with the refugee’sa bright and an atmosphere as genial as if the | daughter; and the feelings which were now seasons had made a mistake and Spring had caught | prompting him towards this end, were rapidli¢ up the sceptre of declining Autumn—Agnes and | growing stronger than the sense of shame which Corinna walked out together. The little boy was | had hitherto held him back. at school, as usual; the little girl was playing in ** Why should I not present myself?” he asked. the garden under the eye of the good-hearted | “ Can she really have ceased to love me? Did Rachel. The two young ladies walked round the | she purposely avoid me ere now ?” Regent’s Park, and then began to bend their steps Corinna and Agnes were entering the villa, homeward. Just as they were issuing from the | while the little girl disappeared along an avenue Park, Corinna was recognised by a young man who of evergreens, where she rejoined the kind and was a little way behind. She happened to turn, watchful Rachel. Edgar entered the garden, and ber head for a moment: he caught a glimpse of bent his way towards the door of the picturesque her countenance—he knew her in an instant—for ' habitation,—unseen by any one belonging to the this was Edgar Marcellin. But she perceived him | premises. not; and even if she had, she might have been ex- Corinna at once ascended to her chamber to put cused if she failed to recognise him so speedily as | off her bonnet and scarf: Agnes was likewise he had known her. For he was much altered:— | about to repair to her own room for a similar pur- he had shaven off the moustache which was wont | pose, when the housemaid accosting her, said, “ If to set off his upper lip, and the beard which had | you please, Miss, the general postman brought given so manly a finish to his remarkably hand- | this letter while you were out, apologizing that some face. His garments were shabby: there was| through some mistake it was not delivered this a poverty-stricken air about him: it was no longer | morning.” the brilliant and fashionable Edgar Marcellin whom | Agnes took the letter, which was addressed to we first introduced to our readers in the gorgeous | herself; and she saw that it was the handwriting of | saloons of the Mirano mansion at Florence: it | a foreigner, while one of the postmarks indicated was the young Frenchman in a decayed and fallen | the city of Florence. Miss Evelyn therefore felt condition! But yet his toilet indicated the despe- | tolerably certain that this letter emanated from rate struggle of a gentleman to maintain as much | Signor Paoli; and she feared lest there must be neatness as possible, and to conceal to the utmost | something wrong on acccount of the circumstance of his power the presence of that BOvErHy which | of the refugee thus writing in the first instance to had fastened its hand upon him. herself instead of to his daughter. She hastened And now accident has thrown Edgar Marcellin | to her chamber, where she opened the epistle: but in the track of the Neapolitan refugee’s daughter. | she had not perused many lines before the colour But could that indeed be Corinna? Yes: there | vanished from her cheeks—an expression of horror was no doubt of it! That beautiful face—that | appeared upon her countenance—aud she mun symmetrical figure—that elastic walk—that gait | mured to herself, “Ob, what a task has the un- which was replete with girlish elegance scarcely as | happy father deputed unto me !—how can I break yet blending with womanly dignity,—Ob, yes! all| the intelligence to poor Corinna? Murdered |— this was unmistakable—it was bis own Curinna! | just heaven, murdered!” But had she not seen him? or was she purposely Agnes was so much affected by the contents of endeavouring to avoid him? Perhaps at a glance | the letter which she had just opened, that she felt she had caught sight of his impoverished appear- | a faintness coming over her—she was compelled ance; and walking as she was with that young | to sit down to recover herself—and then she de- lady, she felt ashamed to be aceosted by any one | liberated upon the best means of breaking to apparelled in a mean or shabby style? He was| Corinna the fearful intelligence which she had to about to turn hastily round and rush away in an-| impart. Indeed it was not merely an unpleasant other direction, when he thought that at least he | task: it was positively a frightful one :—and the would endeavour to ascertain where Corinna was | young lady cuuld not settle her thoughts to the living,—inasmuch as he might then take any step | precise form of words in which she should com- which farther deliberation should suggest. He | mence her revelation to Corinna. Thus for up- accordingly followed at a distance,—keeping the | wards of a quarter of an hour, or perhaps nearly ladies in view, but taking care to be unperceived | twenty minutes, did Agnes remain in her own by them if either should happen to look round. In | chamber after she had opened that letter ;—and this manner he tracked them until they turned in | we must see what in the meanwhile is taking place at the gate of Sidney Villa: he longed to follow | below. to seek an interview with Corinna, to congratulate Corinna, heeds thrown off her bonnet and her on the prosperity which her own appearance | scarf, descended to the parlour on the ground indicated: but his cheeks glowed with shame as floor ; and she was about to take up her needle- he thought that the aspect of his own toilet would | work, when she heard a rustling of the window- tell so very different a tale! Nevertheless he could | curtains. One of the casements reaching down to not tear himself away from the spot: he lingered | the ground, bad been left open to give admittance near the gate. He now beheld a little child come | to the fresh warm atmosphere ; for we have already bounding forward with arms outstretched towards | said that although it was now the middle of Oc- Corinna and the lady with whom she was walking ; | tober, yet that the weather was as delicious as on and he recognised Corinna’s little sister. It was | the finest days of Spring. Corinna, on hearing tierefore now tolerably evident that Corinna was | that rustling sound, fancied that it was her little mente sternite he A TY SS SE Ae comicloookks.c — — onl