Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 237: what you’re looking at

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a AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. bis leisure in the course of the day. Having nothing better to do at the moment, and not daring to seek Gustavus at the place of appoint- ment, Charles put on his hat and bent his steps towards the hotel where the Hardress family were staying. As he emerged into the street, he flung his looks around to see if he could catch a glimpse of the quadroon: but the thoroughfares were now tolerably crowded, and he discerned her not amongst the passengers who were proceeding hither and thither. CHAPTER XXXIX. CICELY AND CHARLES. In order to explain the purpose for which Cicely had written to desire that Charles Da Vere would favour her with a call, we must record a conversa- tion that took place between herself and her hus- band in the morning of the same day whereof we are writing. It was after breakfast: Josephine Hardress had retired to her own chamber: Hector and Cicely were alone together. The young patri- cian hummed a tune—threw himeelf back in his chair—stretched out his legs and arms—then sud- denly starting up, walked to fro in the apartment for nearly a minute—and ultimately throwing him- self upon a seat in the window-recess, he became absorbed in deep thought. Cicely watched him without appearing to doso. She held a book in her hand; and her eyes seemed to be fixed upon it—but in reality her regards were wandering from beneath the long lashes to- wards her husband. At length rising from her chair, she advanced straight up to him, and laid her hand upon his shoulder. He started as if awakened from a dream ; and it was almost with petulance that he ejaculated, ‘“ How you frighten me, Cicely !” “And what a singular mood you must be in, Hector,” she replied, “ to be startled by so simple an action! Come now, tell me what is uppermost tn your thoughts fF” ** I was not aware, Cicely,” answered her hus- band, somewhat coldly, “that there was so much loving confidence subsisting between us as to give you the right to inquire the subject of my thoughts.” “‘ Neither did I assert the right,’ said Cicely, arming herself with a still haughtier coldness than that which her husband had just puton. “ But inasmuch as it is quite probable I can guess what is passing in your mind 2 *‘ Indeed P” ejaculated Hector, asif the discourse suddenly became invested with a certain degree of interest. ‘‘ What do you mean?” * IT mean precisely what I say,” rejoined Cicely, with a smile that displayed her magnificent teeth. “You are thinking of some one——~” “ Ah!” cried Hector, starting up from his seat : “ what penetration you must have! But yet Ido not know that it needs so very much penetration, after all, to discover these sorts of things. I think it is merely catching up with boldness, as it were, the first passing conjecture which strikes one,—assuming it at once to be a fact, and assert- ing it as such with hardihood and dogmatic em- phasis.” 229 “ What do you mean, Hector, with this cloud of verbiage P” inquired Cicely. “T will soon explain myself,” responded her husband. “ You think you have made some dis- covery in respect to me ?” “ 'Yes—lI am sure of it,” answered Cicely, with confidence. “ What then ?” “T think I have made some discovery in refer- ence to you,” replied Hector, assuming an equal degree of confidence in his look and tone: and then, as he beheld a slight flush fit over his wife’s countenance, he added still more emphatically and positively, “‘ I have no doubt of it!” “Tell me what you mean,” said Cicely; and there was a half-smile upon her lips, while the blush was again flitting over her cheeks. **Do you explain yourself first,” said Hardress ; and then he also smiled in an encouraging manner, “Come, our explanations are about to be interest- ing. Speak, Cicely.” “There is a certain image,” replied Mrs. Hard. ress, “which is uppermost in your mind. I[ am neither so vain nor so foolish as to mean that it is my image. It is the image of one far more beau- tiful than I. She disappeared suddenly ; and ever since her abrupt departure, you have been restless, unsettled, and uneasy. A fortnight has now elapsed since that departure; and you have been incessantly haunted by the image of the lost one. I mean Floribel Lister.” Cicely’s large blue eyes were fixed steadfastly upon her husband as she thus spoke ; and the ex- pression of a sly significancy, good-humouredly mischievous and full of meaning, played upon the rich fulness of her lips; for she saw by Hector’s countenance that her suspicions and conjectures were most accurate. “And now before I give you any answer, Cicely,” he said,— before I tel} you whether you are right or wrong—before I proclaim any denial or proffer any confession—let me accuse you in my» turn.” Again the blush swept across Cicely’s counte- nance—but deeper in its hue than before; and with a smile and look of roguish archness, she said, * Proceed, Hector—and let us see to what extent your skill goes in forming conjectures,” “Tam not the only one,” answered her hus- band, “who is haunted by images: yo are baunted by a special image likewise! I know that you have been struck by a particular indi- vidual and the one to whom [I allude is Charles De Vere!” “Well,” said Cicely, with a deepening blush, “but what about the charge I brought against you ?—what about Floribel Lister ?”’ “T have certainly conceived a fancy in that di- rection,” he answered. ‘“ But you, Cicely —in reference to Charles De Vere——” “ He is doubtless a very fascinating young man,” replied Mrs. Hardress; “and if any one could pos. sibly lead me astray, it would be Charles Da Vere.” “Now our confessions are mutual,” said Hard- ress. ‘‘ Have you anything to propose P” “T do not know,” resumed Cicely, ‘“ how your feelings of jealousy ig “Ab! I understand to what you allude!” ex. claimed Hector. “ You think that because I was so terribly fierce and vindictive when I thought MmIELOOKS (©) 5}