Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 261: what you’re looking at

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AGNES; OB, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. adjoining room; and then I confess I trembled for a moment through fear that Carlotta might betray everything in the surprise of a sudden recog- nition.” “Ah! you knew full well,” exclaimed Floribel, with an arch look, “that though your disguise of falso beard, whiskers, and moustache might de- ceive the eyes of the parents, yet the truth would be quickly penetrated by the loving regards of the daughter !” . “You may conceive, my dear Madame Lovel,” said Carlotta, “ how great was my astonishment when at the first glance which I threw upon the guest whom my father was introducing, it struck me that the features were those which were well impressed upon my mind, A second glance, and there was no longer a doubt! How it was that I did not give vent to an qjaculation in the wild- ness of my surprise, I can now scarcely tell. But you may be sure that my heart beat with the riost violent palpitations.” “IT need not dwell at very great length upon the rest of the narrative,” resumed Sir Alexander Holeroft. “In my capacity of Inspecting Com- missioner on behaif of his Excellency the new Minister of Police, it was easy for me to create so much bustle, activity, and even confusion, that while Captain Belluno was hastening in one direc- tion and his wife was speeding in another, my faithful and cunning valet found an opportunity to furnish Carlotta with the articles which we had brought for her own special use. Then, in order to prepare the way for the final carrying-out of my project, I desired that all the soldiers of the garrison should be marshalled before me in the court-yard,—well knowing that when the inspec- tion was over, the sentinels who had previously been stationed at the gates would not be sent back to mount guard, but would be succeeded by others. In a little while I received from my valet a hint that everything was all right in respect to the Signora Carlotta. The moment for striking the grand blow was therefore approaching. I sought Captain Belluno ; and I said to him, ‘ As it is my purpose to remain here for the present, I will thank you to write me a pass to enable my two dependants to go in and out of the fortress at their discretion. —The Captain had only seen me with one attendant ; he did not however know but that I might have been followed by a couple—and he was too cringingly polite to ask any questions, So the pass was quickly made out, and in a very few minutes it wasin the hands of my valet. Then I got the Captain away toa distant compartment of the fortress—while his wife, the Signora Bel- luno, was busying herself in the store-rooms, col- lecting certain statistical details for which I had specially inquired. In the meanwhile Carlotta had put on the disguise furnished for her use—that elegant little suit of male raiment to which I have alluded: her cheeks were embellished with a sweet pair of auburn whiskers—and her upper lip was graced with a moustache about a shade darker. Thus prepared for the venture, she joined my valet, who was anxiously awaiting her on the landing just outside the Governor’s suite of apartments. They descended the staircase; but as they entered the vestibule, they found themselves face to face with the female turnkey, Gudulla.” straw,” interjected Carlotta; “for I knew that the woman possessed the eyes of a lynx, and that ever since the mysterious escape of yoursolf, dear madame, the faculties of all her senses had been more keen than ever. Sir Alexander’s valet at once displayed the written order to the nearest sentinel ; and by this presence of mind on his psrt, he diverted Gudulla’s attention from me. I passed on: Gudulla was evidently satisfied—and the next instant the valet was again by my side, Without any farther cause of alarm we passed out of the fortress; for the sentinels who were then at the gates did not know that the pretended Inspector had only arrived with one valet.” “I was not long in joining them,” added Sir Alexander Holeroft: “ the postchaise was waiting in the very same spot where it recently served your purpose, Mrs. Lovel—and we were soon across the frontier into the Roman territory. And now you have learnt the entire history of that series of adventures which I just now represented as a worthy sequence to the romantic circum- stances of your own escape.” “You certainly deserve immense credit,” re- joined Floribel, ‘for the ingenuity of the scheme, as well as for the boldness with which it was executed.” She then took leave of Sir Alexander Holcroft and Carlotta, and retired to her own chamber, where the faithful Antonia was waiting to assist in the night-toilet of her mistress. — CHAPTER XLIII, FLORIBEL AND HER VISITOBS, FLORIBEL slept till a late hour in the morning, for it was past two o’clock when she had retired to rest. When she awoke, she reviewed all the incidents of the preceding evening,—the immense sensation her presence had created at the theatre being the principal subject on which her thoughts dwelt. She had not failed to notice how one of the royal aides-de-camps had been particularly smitten by her beauty; and as he was an ex- ceedingly handsome young man, with an appear- ance at once distinguished and elegant, she felt that she should be by no means displeased to ree ceive some overture from that quarter. She was reclining in her couch, abandoning her- self to these reflections,—the expression of her features catching a tinge of voluptuousness from the nature of the reflections themselves, and her snowy bosom softly palpitating,—when the door gently opened. She thought that it was Antonia who was entering the chamber; and she did not even turn her eyes in that direction. But at the expiration of nearly a minte she began to think it strange that Antonia did not give utterance to a word, nor yet move away from the vicinage of the door; and she accordingly looked round. Then an ejaculation burst from her lips; for a man had penetrated into her apartment—and there he stood, devouring with his eyes the beau- teous spectacle which was indeed only too well calculated to rivet his regards! This daring in- truder was none other than Hector Hardress; and “I might have been stricken down with a! Floribel immediately recognised him, COMIC OOKSc© iin