Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 50: what you’re looking at

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

——— ee eee — ee 42 a ad —— AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURR. 1)? *“ Yes—dying with curiosity—positively ! terjected Lord Mervyn. “Well, I will not keep you in suspense,” re- sumed Clifford. ‘‘ The principals were our friend Hardress and young De Vere.” Jjaculations of astonishment burst from the lips of Clifford’s auditors—astonishment that was un- feigned on the part of Lowden and Lord Mervyn, but which was affected on that of Floribel. Mr. Clifford proceeded to describe that Hardress was slightly wounded—but that the whole affair was enveloped in much mystery and had been hushed up with all possible precaution. He therefore again begged his listeners to regard the matter in the light of an inviolable secret; and they faith- fully promised that they would do so. Presently the young men took their leave of Floribel,—who then anxiously awaited the return of Agnes; for Miss Evelyn had gone to call upon the Tim- perleys. When Agnes came back, she learnt from her cousin as much of the particulars in respect to the duel as that young lady was enabled to communi- cate. Agnes was deeply afilicted that the lives of two human beings should have been perilled on her account: but on the other hand there was a material solace in the retlection that the conse- quences had been so slight. She experienced a warmer admiration for Charles De Vere’s conduct than she had ever felt before ; and no doubt there was the thcught in her mind that since it was fated for one of the combatants to be wounded in the encounter, it was at least a source of satis- faction to know that it was not he in whom she was naturally most interested. Scarcely had Agnes partially recovered from the agitation into which the intelligence had thrown her—and to dispel which she had left Floribel in order that she might roam by herself in the gar- den—when she perceived Charles De Vere entering at the gate. The young man hastened towards her, little suspecting that she had learnt the secret of the duel: but he was at once struck by the ex- pression of her countenance. Those beautiful fea- tures were a faithful reflex of the sentiments that were stirring in her soul: they denoted gratitude, admiration, and sorrow, all commingled. ** Mre De Vere,” she said, in a low deep voice that was full of emotion, as she proffered her hand, “ I know everything ; and you have perilled your life on my account !” “And can you pardon me,” he exclaimed, “ for having violated the species of promise that I gave you, Miss Evelyn? SBut, Oh! I can assure you that it was not I who provoked the duel! I was challenged—and I was bound to accept the cartel !” “It is rather for me,’ replied Agnes, still speaking with much emotion, “ to implore your forgiveness that I, however unwillingly, should have been the cause C “Ob, speak not thus!” cried Charles: and then he checked himself, for he was about to give utter- ance to the enthusiastic language of love—and he was again withbeld by the idea that it would not be generous to avail himself of the species of claim which circumstances had given him upon the beautiful Miss Evelyn. They walked together for some time,— Charles eftording such an account of the duel as he in- thought proper to give, without entering into those details in respect to his mother which would only have rendered the narrative all the more painful for Agnes to listen to: and then he bethought himself of asking, “ But how could you possibly have learnt the secret ?—for we agreed amongst ourselves to keep it inviolate !” “My cousin learnt it,” replied Agnes; “ but E am not at liberty to tell you how, Mr. De Vere— and I pray that you will not press me upon tho point. I donot think that the tale will be re- peated elsewhere; and if it should be, most sin- cerely do I hope that it will not act to your pre- judice.” Again Charles was on the point of enthusiasti- eally proclaiming that he cared not what might happen so long as it was for the sake of Agnes that be suffered; and again too he checked him- self, giving some response that was couched in terms of mitigated fervour. When they separated, he was if possible more enamoured than ever of the beauty, the amiability, the modesty, and the generous disposition of Miss Evelyn; while she, on her part, reflected with a deeper feeling than she had before known upon the handsome counte- nance as well as the noble character of Charles De Vere. CHAPTER IX. CICELY NEALB&. THE reader will not have forgotten that the offices of Mr. Waldron, the deceased grandfather of Floribel and Agnes, were situated in Lincoln's Inn Fields. Those offices still served the purposes of a legal practitioner: but instead of the name of Waldron appearing in the passage just inside the front-door, that of Timperley was engraven on @ brass plate fixed upon the door itself, The house was no longer let out in a series of offices: it was wholly in the tenancy of Mr. Timperley, who re- sided there with his wife and a numerous establish- ment of domestics. After the suicide of Waldron—between seven- teen and eighteen years anterior to the date which our story has reached—Mr. Timperley was left to wind up whatsoever legal business lis deceased master had left unfinished,—it being supposed that this duty would simply consist in assorting all the various documents for their respective owners, as a preliminary to their being handed over to other solicitors. But ina short time the name of Tim- perley was substituted for that of Waldron on the wall of the passage; and it likewise figured with due professional qualification in the “ Law List.” Waldron’s successor, moreover, managed to retain several of his late employer’s best clients; and thus for awhile be went on, with a gradually in- creasing practice, much to the surprise of many who had fancied that Mr. Timperley could not possibly have been worth a shilling, much less have been enabled to command the several hun- dred pounds requisite to take out an attorney’s certificate and carry on such a business. As years went by, the number of Mr. Timperley’s clients augmented: he assumed the appearance of a well- to-do practitioner; and from this phase he gra- com Ebooks: —E—E a a oe ee a ee ee er ee | wee — ' 2 (E(0)