Agnes, or, Beauty and Pleasure — page 98: what you’re looking at

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

' Sere me et, Ss St a me rm ne me ee ee ee ee ee ee ee er 90 countenancing any very serious degree of infidelity on the part of the young Frenchman towards that absent lady. She then crossed the threshold ; and Edgar Marcellin locked the door behind her. Edgar, carrying the little leathern portmanteau in his hand, entered the secret passage, closing the door behind him. He groped his way along ; for he was involved in pitchy darkness—and this time he had not cared to bring a lamp with him, inas- much as scarcely an hour had elapsed since he had explored it thoroughly by the aid of a light. He reached the spiral staircase—he descended it —and now he found himself close by the door leading into one of the stable-yards. In respect to this door he had already made up his mind how to act; for the lock was not let into the thickness of the wood, but was screwed on to the inner surface of the door itself; and it had one of those rsund bolts shooting into a massive circular staple, such as may often be seen in old buildings in Italy, Now, the simple removal of the lock or of the staple was the only step to be accomplished for the attainment of freedom from amidst the perils with which the very atmosphero itself in that accursed mansion seemed to be laden. Marcellin had brought with him from Ciprina’s suite of apartments a sharp- pointed poker belonging to an iron atove ; and he had no fear of being unable to effect his purpose. But let us return to Antonia. The young girl had just issued forth from the ante-room, with a blush upon her cheeks, and yet with a smile upon the lips where the handsome Edgar Marcellin had imprinted a kiss. She was speeding back to the boudoir of the Marehioness, when from a diverg- ing passage that lady herself suddenly appeared. We may here incidentally throw in the observation that Lucrezia di Mirano had all ia a moment fan- cied it would bo better if she herself repaired in person to Ciprina’s apartments to procure the ar- ticles of raiment and the pistol; for she was not quite sure to what an extent Antonia might be in the confidence of Ciprina, or how the young damsel might have listened to any discourse which had taken place bettveen her mistress and Edgar Mar- cellin. - And then too, the Marchioness was anx- ious to ascertain whether either of them had left behind any papers—such as letters or memoranda —which might contain allusions calculated to com- promise herseif. Thus was it that as an after- thought Lucrezia di Mirano determined upon fol- lowing so closely on the heels of Antonia. “ Ah, I was coming to join you in those rooms,” said the Marchioness. “I thought that I would seo if there wero any traces or clue to be discovered in respect to the destination taken by the Signora Ciprina, as I really should like to write to her. Or she may have left a billet for me on her toilet table? But where are the articles I sent you for #” “TIT have not got them, my lady,” responded Antonia. “Not got them?” ejaculated the Marchioness. “No, my lady,” rejoined Antonia. “I cannot get into the rooms again,” “Not get into the roomsP this is ridiculous! How did you first find out that your mistress and her lover had fled, unless you had been enabled to penetrate into the apartments-——” “Ah, true !” responded Antonia, who saw that the present proceedings were inyclying her in AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PLEASURE. LLL some little contradiction with other statements “Yes—I was able to penetrate into the rooms just now I mean befure I saw your ladyship in your boudoir; and therefore I suppose some accident must have happened to the lock when I drew the door after me.” “Indeed?” said the Marchioness, fixing a look full of suspicion upon Antonia’s countenance. “We shall see. Remain with me, girl.” Lucrezia di Mirano passed rapidly on towards the door of the ante-room : she found it fastened —she stooped down—peeped—and saw that the key was in the lock. How on earth could this happen? There were only two ways of accounting for the circumstance,—either that there was some one still within those apartments who had locked the door behind Antonia after she had issued forth ; or else that the secret passage had been discovered and made use of by some one in addi- tion to the police on the preceding night. “The key is in the lock,’ said the Marchioness, again fixing her looks searchingly and suspiciously upon the young damsel. “Is any one in those rooms 2” “No one, my lady,” replied Antonia, steadily meeting the gaze that was thus riyeted upon her. “And did you leaye the apartment by this door ?” demanded the Marchioness, ‘If so, how came it locked behind you, and the key on the other side? Ah! you look confused !—you are seeking for an answer !—you are endeavouring to make up a tale in your mind—and you cannot § Come with me.” Antonia was not exactly afraid of the Mar- chioness ; but she was now acting submissively in order that she might not foster suspicions that were already engendered, but that on the other hand she might ensure Edgar Marcellin a sufficient interval to mako his escape altogether from the precincts of a mansion where malevolence at any moment might, as a last desperate resource, turn round and give him into custody on the fatal charge of being tho murderer of Giulio. In order, therefore, to provoke the suspicions of the Marchioness as litile as might be, and lull her into as great a sense of security as possible, An-« tonia followed with a submissive air. The Mar- chioness hastily led the way to her boudoir; ana thrusting Antonia into that room, she exclaimed, * Romain here, deceitful girl! and at your peril do aught to raise analarm! JI shall returnina few minutes.” Lucrezia di Mirano then locked the door— secured the key about her person—and bent her rapid steps towards the private back staircase which led into the vestibule where Edgar Marcel- lin had encountered Signor Paoli on the memo- rable night that had led to so many startling incidents and grave complications. From that vestibule the Marchioness now passed into a cor- ridor, and thence by a private door into the small yard belonging to the stable where her favourite riding-horse was kept. A glance thrown round the premises, showed Lucrezia that no one was nigh at the moment; and she hastily turned her steps towards the little low door which on a former occasion we have described as being set in the solid brickwork forming the basement-part of the mansion. She placed the key in the lock—she oO Comichboo KS (EO) S|