The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 360: what you’re looking at

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

— 346 THE YOUNG DUCHESS; OR, MEMCIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY. _— might be. And he listened with a glacial terror and with an awful consternation, as Hester pro- ceeded in a low whispering tone, which was hollow and gloomy, to reveal the particulars of the tragedy so far as it had come to her knowledge. She had seen the corpse in the house where she had dwelt—she knew that Grills and his wife had been bribed by Henri Ponchard to dispose of it—there could not be a doubt in her mind that Mrs. Grills was the woman who had been seen by the toll-keeper on Waterloo Bridge, or that the carpet-bag contained the remains of the dead body of which she had caught a4 glimpse in the scullery ! ee - Was it wonderful that Edward Walpole should , be appalled as he listened to this tale of hortor? - —or could he be any longer surprised if Hester's mind should have been labouring under an im-| pression stronger, and either more exciting or. more overwhelming than any for which she cowld previously account? When the narrative was finished, a deep silence prevailed,—a silence as solemn and as awful as that which reigns in the » churchyard by night ! At length Edward said in a low tone, ‘* And you lived in the house where you knew that all this was going on 2” , : ‘What could I do, Edward?” she asked, with : a look that seemed to reproach him for putting ‘the question. “I knew that I was watched— that my footsteps were dogged—and that at the: first sign of an intent to betray the secret I should ‘ become the victim of those wretches.” —- ‘But when you went out, even though you | saw that you were followed, you might have sud- ‘ denly claimed the protection of the first police-: man whom you met ?” ‘“‘Ah, I see, Edward,” cried Hester, bitterly, ' ‘“* that your experiences of the sorrows and mise-- ries of the world have not been half ‘80 acute and terrible as mine! Ever since you and I were separated, when the arm of the law tore you from me, I met with but one person who spoke to me with kindness. And, Oh! to a lost, : fallen, degraded creature such as I was, the slightest look of sympathy is a pearl beyond all price! the least ‘benevolent word is as manna falling from heaven itself! Henri Ponchard was the one who thus looked compassionately upon me and spoke kindly to me. I experienced an illimit-! able sense of gratitude to that man : I would not have injured a hair of his head even though he had committed ten thousand murders and I was cognizant of bis stupendous turpitude! But how much less, therefore, would I say or do aught to _implicate him, when I know that he is guiltless of the deed of blood; for, as I just now explained to you, I learnt sufficient by eavesdropping and listening to convince me that the unfortunate de- ceased must have met his death at the hands of some other. Frequently methought that Henri Ponchard suspected that I knew something of the matter—and, Oh! I will confess that there were times when I wai afraid of him: I feared lest he should be prompted by desperation itself to en- sure the safety of the secret bymaking away with me !” ‘And this,” exclaimed Walpole, with a look and tone of irrepressible disgust,— and this is the man whom you studied so scrupulously to shield ?” . ‘Hear me out, Edward!” the girl interrupted him. “TI tell you I was grateful to that man, even though for awhile I was afraid of him! But then all of a sudden he displayed so much goodness of heart towards me, when thinking that he had the means of placing me in the right track towards the discovery of my parentage, —he took so much trouble—he spoke so kindly and encouragingly—that at last I felt convinced I had wronged him in the idea that he was capable of doing mea mischief even though it were for the ensurance of his own safety ! But enough upon the subject! I see that I have disgusted as well as horrified you, Edward. Per- haps I myself have become more loathsome in your eyes than I was before!” ' “ Hester, Hester! speak not thus !’” exclaimed Walpole. ‘Oh, it is'a frightful secret which you have revealed to me!” ‘And which you have sworn to keep!” added the girl impressively. ‘““’'Yes, yes!—fear not that I shall betray it !” cried the young man, scarcely able to repress a shudder as with a quick mental glance ‘he re- viewed all he had heard. | “It was a secret which I could not keep to my- self,” pursued Hester ; ‘‘ and though I really know not the good ef scaring and horrifying you with the revelation, yet it seems to have relieved my mind |” “Then in that case,” interjected the generous- hearted Edward, “ I will no longer appear to re- gret that you should have taken me into your ‘confidence on the point. No!—-enough upon the ‘topic ! And now let us turn to another one— though really, Hester, I tremble at the possible ‘consequences of all this excitement i ‘ “Do not entertain this fear on my aceount, Edward,” interrupted the young woman. “ After all that I have just gone through in revealing that tremendous secret, there is nothing you can now have to tell me that will do me any harm. Besides, after all, what can it be? There is no greater happiness can possibly await me in this life,’ she added, with a sigh, ‘‘than that which I experience in meeting you and in learning of your miraculous prosperity: while on the other hhand I do indeed’ begin to feel as if fortune had ‘ceased to persecute me, and that J never again ‘can know so great an amount of misery as that from which you have dragged me. Ah! Edward, if in the whole world there were one being at whose hands I would have received bounties in preference to another, that one was you! But think not—think not,” the young girl hastily went on to say, while a blush overspread her cheeks,—“ think not by this language on my part that I am again courting your affection otherwise than that of a brother towards a sister! No, no, Edward! it were impossible! I am aware that I cannot be your wife and as to again becoming your mistress — no, never! never !” There was a pause — during which Edward Walpole gazed with mingled admiration and sur- prise upon this young girl of so singular a dispo- sition, and who still retained so many good quali- ties intact and so many right principles unim- paired after having been dragged through the mire of all possible pollutions and contaminations. ‘‘ No!” she resumed, with sudden yehemence; Orr Nl a it Gf fA COMO oO SS