The Young Duchess; or, Memoirs of a Lady of Quality — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

er a ts 58 ne ee THE YOUNG DUCHESS; OR, MEMOIRS OF A LADY OF QUALITY. ance you have so considerately afforded, on the one condition only—that you go not with me!” ““Oh, Ethel! Ethel! let me see you in safety !” —and the Duke actually clasped his hands in the urgency of his appeal. “It you persist,” replied Ethel, “I shall return to the spot where the postchaise has been left with the postilion and the sexton both bound and gagged. JI will surrender myself into the con- stable’s custody again——” ““My God! what misery for both! But do as you like, dearest and best beloved! It is your safety only that I think of or care for !” “ Now Ethel, * and I will go in that case. Farewell. a What! no kiss? no grasp of the hand ?” “My hand—yes!” and she gave it him. “Oh, Ethel! Ethel!” murmured the Duke, in a broken suffocating voice, as he strained that hand to his lips: “is it possible that we are to part—that you, tear yourself away from me—and that I must likewise’ separate from this dear infant ?” “Yes—it must be so,” answered Ethel, firmly, ek dt severely: and she withdrew her hand. TR at : ‘ ‘You want money, Ethel—” “No. I have enough for my purposes. No- thing - was takén from me when I was searcHéd at the magistrate’: 8 house.” ‘f And that document, Ethel, ” pursued | the young Duke, “sealed up in the envelope—which you recéiyed the other day from Mr. Warren, the stock- roker—” “T have taken care of that document,” replied Ethel; “not from any selfish feeling, because I can work for miy Own bread; but for the sake—for the Sake ”—her voice trembled for a moment; then instantaneously rendering it firm again, she said, “for the sake of that dear child.” “ ‘Oh, suffer me to double the amount, Ethel!” said Herbert, in an impassioned tone,— a to treble or quadruple it!” ‘‘No,” interrupted the young lady, “that sum is sufficient. But tell me—are you sure that there will be no difficulty in the way of my making use of the interest of that toney ?” ““No difficulty, Ethel,” replied the Duke. ‘¢‘When you open the envelope, you will compre- hend why I directed Warren so to seal it, and why I enjoined you not to examine the contents until after my death. But now all those pre- cautions have been rendered needless—and you may break the seal.” “Farewell,” said Ethel, “ and—and—may God Almighty give you happiness!” ‘“‘One word more!” sobbed the Duke, whose heart seemed to be well-nigh broken. “ Will you not write to me from time to time, if only to tell me that dear little Alfred is in good health ?” “Yes, yes,” replied Ethel, hurriedly: she hastened to take her seat in the chaise. Herbert now took the child and strained it to his breast: again and again he pressed the in- fant to his heart; and then he restored it to the care of the nursemaid, who was already seated by Ethel's side in the vehicle. “God bless thee, Ethel,” murmured the young Duke; ‘and may heaven likewise protect our dear child!” “ Farewell,” replied Ethel, in a voice that wag and ou speak as I could wish,” answered scarcely audible: and then she added, in a firmer tone, ‘I conjure you to let this scene end at once!” Herbert closed the door of the chaise: the postilion, who was already mounted, whipped his horses—and the equipage rolled away. All the unnatural courage which had hitherto sustained Ethel, now suddenly broke down: she burst forth into an agony of weeping—she wrung her hands in despair; and then straining her child to her bosom, she continued to weep and sob over the infant, heedless of the entreaties of the good- héarted Susan that she would tranquillize herself, and be comforted with the hope of better times. When the postchaise rolled away from the spot, the young Duke felt as if he were being | separated from everything on earth that was worth living fot : But no more tears came from hjs eyes—and hot another sob convulsed his heart. A blank despair seized upon him. “Beg pardon, my lord,” said Tim Gaffney, approaching and touching his hat: “but it won’t do for us to remain loitering here after the busi- ness that has just taken place.” “True!” said the Duke, awakened. from the forlorti and desolate reverie into which ke sank as the postchaisé disappeared from his view. “You ake tike me with you t tp Dorchester.” Then nave seated Himself it the phaeton along with the 0 meh, he inquired, “Did you accomplish the business i in such a way as to ensure your own safety in cdse of a hue and ery ?” “We have no fear on that score, my lord,” responded Gaffney. “The constable couldn't recognise us again—and the postboy wouldn’t do it.” “Ah! is it so?” ejaculated the Duke. explain yourself.” “Why, my lord,” rejomed Gaffney, ‘“‘for the sake of a five pun’ note the postboy agreed to be knocked off his horse and to be stunned on the spot, so that he might be bound hand and;foot without any difficulty. Of course, therefore, the rap on the head we gave him was a werry gentle one, and he tipped me a knowing winkgwhen he laid upon the ground and ought to have been stunned. So Jack Peppercorn, and me, with black masks on our faces ” ‘Yes, my lord,” interjected Jack, coolly, ‘we always make it a rule to travel with masks in our pockets. It’s sometimes conwenient to have ’em ready for use.” ‘Well, as I was saying,” continued Gaffney, ‘*-we opened the door of the chaise in a jiffey, we drags out Gibson the constable—we whips a handkerchief over his head, and ties it round his neck—we binds him hand and foot—and we lays him alongside of the postboy. Then we gets the lady and the nursemaid to the phaeton, which we had left a little further a-head, and there’s an end of the business.” ‘‘ It was cleverly done,” remarked the Duke of Ardleigh, “and you will presently have the promised reward.” On the outskirts of the town of Dorchester, the Duke counted out a second sum of a thousand pounds in Bank of England notes; and having bestowed the amount on his two delighted co- adjutors, he,separated from them. Carrying his carpet-bag in his hand, he sought the nearest hotel, where he ordered a postchaise to be gotten “ But YN Wn) COMO Colin