Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 105: what you’re looking at

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

ELLEN PERCY ; OR, THE cdour smote my nostrils; and I relapsed into in- sensibility as suddenly and as abruptly as I had fallen down into a swoon in the theatre! When for the second time on this memorable evening I regained my senses, I found myself in that very same bed-chamber which I had before occupied at St. Clair’s house at the time I believed it to belong to Colonel Bellew. I was lying upon a sofa which stood against the foot of the bed: lights were burning in the room; and Catherine, the female-servant whom I had before seen at that house, was bending over me. My forehead and hair were all wet: a powerful odour of vinegar floated around me; and I knew therefore that re- storatives had been administered. For nearly a minute after opening my eyes, I felt so weak and enfeebled as to be unable to move or to give utter- ance to a word—although I recognised both the woman and the apartment. At length my energies seemed to come back with suddenness. I started up, and flung my looks rapidly around,—expect- ing to encounter St. Clair. But I was alone in the chamber with Catherine. “You are better now, Miss?” she said. *‘-Yes,” I answered. “Am I again a prisoner here P” “Captain St. Clair,” responded the woman, “hopes you will not think of leaving until he has had the honour of an interview in the morning.” “Very well,” I rejoined. ‘“ You can now leave me.” Catherine inquired if I wished for any refresh- ments, or if there were anything else she could do for me ?—but I replied in the negative. She then quitted the room; and I hastened to lock the door, I knew very well from antecedent circumstances that it would have been utterly useless to remon- strate with her, to implore or to menace; for that she would not assist in giving me my liberty, even if she possessed the power. I had therefore dealt curtly with her, as the reader has seen: but though I maintained an air of fortitude in her presence, I was not the less afflicted and frightened inwardly at finding myself once more in the power of such an unprinocipled character as St. Clair. Still I did not lose my self-possession. The reader will recollect that the chamber was entered by means of an ante-room, exquisitely fitted up as a boudoir. “I had locked the door of communi- cation between the two; and I now began to in- spect the chamber itself, so as to guard against any latent treachery of which I knew St. Clair to be fully capable. I looked under the bed and under the sofa: the curtains were closely drawn over the window-recess; L looked behind them. There was a large cupboard in the room: this I opened, and found the shelves to be crowded with china and linen. Against the wall facing the window, there stood a large, massive, and handsome piece of fur- niture, about eight feet high and about four in width, looking like a wardrobe or clothes-press. It had large folding-doors reaching from the top to the bottom, with glass half-way down, and pink silk curtains inside these windows, I tried those doors also: but they were fastened; and having now completed the examination of the room, I feit convinced that I was safe from any treachery of the kind which I had apprehended. I sat down to reflect on the course which I should pursue in my present difficulty; for as to i MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. undressing myself or lying down to seek repose, it was out of the question, though I experienced a severe headach from the effects of the subtle nar- cotic which the villanous St. Clair had applied to my nostrils in the vehicle in order to reduce me to insensibility and prevent me from screaming out for succour while in the streets of London. I knew the chamber to be too high from the ground to admit the possibility of escape: I was also aware of the in- utility of crying out from the casement in the hope of arousing any occupants of the neighbouring villas; for on the former occasion threats and warnings had been held out to me on that very point. How, then, should I effect my freedom? how should I deal with St. Clair when meeting him in the morning? and would the presentation of a flower (for I had one in my hair, having gone in full dress to the theatre) produce that same talis- manic effect which it had done on a former occa- sion P Common sense at once answered this last query ; and that response was of course in the negative: for if St. Clair were to be a second time overawed, dismayed, and vanquished by such a proceeding, he would not have carried me off at all, when he must have known that it would be merely to en- counter such a defeat at my hands. I felt there- fore that the talisman had lost its power, and that my safety and my freedom must be ensured by other means. Suddenly a thought struck me; and prompted as much by curiosity as by the idea that the document might possibly help me in my serious embarrassment, I rose and proceeded to the toilet-table. It was a superb piece of furniture,— a framework of beautifully carved rosewood sus- taining a massive marble slab; and to the back of the table a looking-glass in a gilt frame was at- tached by means of splendid supporters. As I have noticed in a preceding chapter, the table itself was covered with all the necessaries and elegancies suitable for the toilet of the most refined lady; and these seemed to have been s0 little disturbed since I was previously in that room some months back, that I felt almost convinced the chamber never could have been used during the interval. I was about to open the drawer to which I had re- stored the fragment of the mysterious letter,— when happening to glance into tbe mirror, I be- held something that suddenly petrified me with terror. The toilet-table was almost exactly facing that large wardrobe of which I have before spoken; and as distinctly as possible I saw by the reflection in the glass, the pink curtain of that wardrobe drawn partially aside for an instant, and an eye looked forthat me. The next moment the curtain was closed again; and there I stood transfixed,— terror having arrested the shriek which had risen up to my very lips. But my presence of mind was almost as promptly regained as it was lost; and not choosing immediately to open the drawer and search for the tragment of the letter, I took up one of the brushes from the toilet-table and began to smooth down my hair. I composed my features as much as possible, and studied so to model my demeanour as to produce the impression that I was utterly unsuspicious of the pending treachery, and still deemed myself completely alone in that chamber. I remained for two or three minutes in front of =” oe Ps ie ts CONnNIEDIOOKS Com