Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 165: what you’re looking at

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

AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. to convince me that you have indeed sinned deeply and that you have need of all heaven’s mercy in order to save you from the eternal consequences of your crimes! But, Oh! in the first instance let me beseech and implore that you will render an act of justice where that justice is so imperiously due—and that you will lift from the character of an innocent man the aspersion which you have so falsely thrown upon it!” “Enough! you are insulting me!” ejaculated Lucrezia, now completely regaining her self- possession; and she shuddered at the idea that in a moment of mental weakness she was on the very point of betraying the deep consciousness of her guilt in the presence of that young priest. She sprang up from her kneeling posture as she interrupted him in that peremptory manner; and her cheeks appeared to be veritably flushing with indignation— but it wasin reality with the feverish excitement to which her mind was wrought up. ** Erring woman,” said Father Falconara so- lemnly, “ you stand upon the brink of ruin in this world and of perdition in the next. By your | conduct you compel me to speak out! Yow, the | murderess of Giulio Paoli, have falsely accused | Edgar Marcellin of the crime! You have doubt- less deceived your husband, thereby inducing him to issue & warrant for the capture of an innocent person. But heaven fights on the side of justice and truth; and that warrant has not been exe- | cuted. Confess therefore, lady ! make timely repa- | ration! Summon your husband into my presence, i and acknowledge that you are in every sense as guilty as I proclaim you to be !” Again was Lucrezia overpowered by her horrify- ' ing and agonizing feelings :—to her morbid mind _ that young ecclesiastic, so pale and so handsome, seemed to be the arbiter of her destiny ;—and again sinking upon her knees before him, she pas- sionately exclaimed, “Oh, save me! save me, I beseech you !—and I will confess everything !” “Good heavens! what is that I have heard ?” exclaimed the Count of Ramorino, abruptly burst- ing into the room. “ My wife accused as a mur- deress ! and acknowledging the justice of the ac- cusation! No, no! it cannot be!”’—and Ramo- rino flung himself upon his knees by Lucrezia’s side, as if he were overwhelmed with despair at the bare idea of such an aspersion falling on the head of his bride. ‘Speak, dearest Lucrezia ! speak !” he vehemently exclaimed: “ tell this holy priest thet he is labouring under some cruel mis- take! Ob, tell him this, I beseech you!” So well was Ramorino playing this new part which he had suddenly assumed, that Father Falco- nara was more than ever convinced that he had been completely ignorant of Lucrezia’s guilt until the present moment. Lucrezia herself was for an instant astonished at her husband’s behaviour: but the next instant she was smitten with the idea that he was adopting this course in order to give her to understand as significantly as possible, that she was committing a fatal error by yielding to any weakness of mind or conscience in the pre- sence of the young priest. ‘Good heavens!” she ejaculated ;—“ I guilty of such iniquity as that !’—and she once more started up to her feet. “ No—God forbid! Ramo- rino, I am surprised at you! Father Falconara, you have been grossly and infamously deceived ! But it is no wonder that such an accusation falling so suddenly and unexpectedly on my ear should overwhelm and paralyze me !” “ No wonder indeed !” said Ramorino ; “ for in- nocence when unjustly accused, often wears the very aspect of guilt itself. Father Falconara, I cannot permit you to address another word to my wife. You will have the goodness to follow me.” With these words the Minister of the Police hurried the ecclesiastic from the apartment ; and taking him into another room, he said with astern expression of countenance, “ If you were not the priest whose lips had spoken the nuptial benedic- tion upon our heads, I should hold you answer- able for a diabolical attempt to bring down curses upon us! Besides, I feel convinced you must be labouring under some extraordinary error " “No, my lord,” interrupted Father Falconara ; **T am labouring under no error. Deeply grieved am I at the idea that you yourself should be so misled by iove as to bestow your hand on a woman utterly unworthy of it es “By heaven, holy father !” ejaculated Ramo- rino, now affecting to be excited by a boiling indig- nation; “unless you in some sense make good your words—or at least satisfy me that you be- lieve yourself to be speaking with due authority — I shall hold you accountable for all the wickedness of those foul calumnies which you keep on reiter- ating against the lady who, as you know, within the last few hours has become my wife!” ** Alas, my lord,” replied Father Falconara, “the evidence is only too strong, as you will pre- sently find to the cost of that happiness which you seem to have staked upon this marriage that I myself solemnized! I have only recently parted from Charles De Vere and Edgar Marcellin— the Minister of the Interior himself proteots them ‘ “Enough !” ejaculated Ramorino: “I cannot possibly hear anything more to the disparagement of my wife! But tell me, holy father,” he added, —‘tell me, will not you be enabled to certify, if the very worst should prove to be true—will not you be enabled to certify, I ask, that it was in complete ignorance of the true character of Lu- crezia di Mirano, and utterly unsuspicious of the terrible charges which were pressing against her, that I knelt by her side when you pronounced the nuptial benediction ?” Up to this point Father Falconara had really believed that Ramorino was ignorant of Lucrezia’s antecedents: but now the very question which the Count put to him, excited a suspicion in his mind. He remembered too the terms in which Charles De Vere had spoken of Ramorino when he said, “The Count is a villain, and he protects Lucrezia!”’ In a word, the Minister of Police had just over-reached himself in dealing with the young ecclesiastic; and the latter maintained an ominous silence. “You do not answer me?” said Ramorino. “ Of course | know that my wife is completely inno- cent : but etill I was staggered by the earnestness with which you yourself persevered in an accusa- tion as strange as it is terrible.” “My lord,’ interrupted Falconara, “ I would rather not pass another opinion upon the subject. I see that it is one beset with difficulties. You will permit ms to hold my peace and to retire.” COMmMiclbooOoks 157 | (©) S|