Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 259: what you’re looking at

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

——— ee _ AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE, We will sup together after the performances,’ replied Holeroft ; entire history.” Meanwhile the representation was proceeding ; the new actress made her dedut, and was com- pletely successful. When the entertainments were over, Floribel, the Baronet, and Carlotta returned to the hotel, where Sir Alexander Holeroft at once ordered supper to be served up in the sitting-room occupied by himself and Carlotta; so that Floribel became their guest. When ample justice had been done to the repast and the champagne had circulated, Floribel reminded the Baronet of his promise to give her the particulars of Carlotta’s escape; and he at once prepared to do so. “You will laugh,” he said, “ at the adventure which after all constitutes a very appropriate sequence to your own romantic escape by means of the baker’s basket.” * You must begin by telling Madame Lovel,” said Carlotta, “that after her escape my father was more than ever vigilant throughout the for- tress, as well as moro than ever particular with regard to wyself.” ““T hope ‘that you were not accused,” inter- jected Floribel, “of any complicity in my es- cape P” ‘Tor a moment it seemed as if my father was inclined to suspect me,” responded Carlotta, “ be- cause it was of course known that I was with yon in the chapel. But I told my tale so well—and moreover if was so completely corroborated by Father Falconara himself—that all suspicion was averted from me and was directed towards Gudulla, But she also cleared herself; and thus the whole affair appeared to be enveloped in tho deepest mystery. My father was dreadfully frightened ; and he sent off the priest Falconara to Florence, to represent everything to the Minister of Police and appease that functionary. Ah! little did we then think that the star of the once all-powerful Count Ramorino was so soon to set !” “T knew that Father Falconara was in Florence,” observed Floribel; “for Mr. De Vere saw him there.” ““And now,” said Sir Alexander Holcroft, “ I may enter upon the explanations which you have requested me to give. After I had separated from you, Mrs, Lovel, on that day when I con- signed you to the care of the Hardress family, I wont back to the town of Bagno, wondering what on earth I was to do in order to effect the escape of my pretty Carlotta. I devised a thousand schemes, but was compelled to reject them all one after another. J could not even induce either of tho bakers’ men to become the boarer of a letter into the fortress :—they declared that they dreaded lest they themselves should end by becoming pri- soners there. I kuew not how to act: I was al- most reduced to despair. J was even frightened lest Captain Belluno should discover, through the timidity of those journeymen bakers, that I had been carrying on a correspondence with his daughter—in which case he would only have ex- ercised the greater vigilance over her movements, { therefore thought that it would be perhaps more prudent for me to remove out of the neighbuur- nood, at least for a short period; and even at that moment I had some general idea that I should do well to return in a deep disguise, co that if any “and then you shall have tho ~—— een eee oe suspicion had been excited against me it might not continue to act prejudicially to my aims.” “You see, my dear Carlotta,” said Floribel—for Sir Alexander Holcroft was giving these explana- tions in I[talian,—“ you see how resolute he was to overcome all obstacles, and therefore how strong was his affection for you !” *“Yes—I know that he loves me very much,” answered the amiable and confiding young Indy. * Well,” resumed Sir Alexander Holeroft, “ couple of days after your escape from the for rates Mrs. Lovel, I took my departure from the town of Bagno. I travelled in a postchaise, attended by my confidential valet, whom you saw on the occasion to which I have ere now alluded—I mean that of your escape. We had journeyed somo fourteen or fifteen miles, when on reaching a little hamlet we saw a travelling carriage upset in the middle of the road, and a group of persons gathered about it. An accident ofa serious nature had evidently occurred, for some of those persons were bearing the form of a gentleman into the little village hostelry. I drove up to the sput, and learnt that the chariot had upset with considerable violence in consequence of the breaking of the fore-axle, and that the traveller who occupied the vehicle, was most serious!y injured. Indeed, he was completely deprived of consciousness; and the village-surgeon, who was upon the spot, had at a first glance expressed his fears that the injury sxs- tained might prove very serious, if not absolutely fatal. I stopped at that hostelry, not merely to change horses, but also to learn some additicnal particulars in reference to tho injured traveller, eo that I might render any assistance that was in my power. He had a valet with him, and I proceeded to question this individual. Then, to my surprise, I learnt that the injured traveller was a certain Count of Camerino, with whom I had some slight acquaintance a ccuple of years ago in Naples. Ho had been engaged in a political conspiracy; and there were subsequently all kinds of tragical events connected with his wife and son. I now learnt that a free pardon had beon granted to tho Count of Camerino at the instance of some of his power. ful acquaintances, and that he was then on his way to Florence, where he was to meet some very pare ticular friend of his, a certain Marquis of Ortona, who was the bearer of the pardon signed by tho King of Naples. Such were the particulars which I learnt from the Count of Camerino’s valet; and while we were still convereing together, an- other postchaise drove up to the door of the hos- telry. Who should alight but Father Falconara?” “Ah! now perhaps your story will begin to con- nect itself with the circumstances of Cerlotta’a escape from Bagno?” exclaimed Floribel, with a smile: “ for IT certainly have been wondering what all these details about the Count of Camerino could possibly have to do with it.” “ You shall see,’ answered the Baronet. “I had some slight knowledge of Father Falconara, aod I at once accosted him, inasmuch as [ some- what suspected for what purpose he had been de- spatched from Bagno to Florence. He told me that terrible things had occurred in the Tuscan capital, for that a certain Marchioness whom Count Ramorino had married (f'aleonara himself officiat- ing as the priest) had been exposed as a murderess and had perished miserably. 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