Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 183: what you’re looking at

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

— es ee ewe ee ee 170 to assist poor Juliet, who -had turned deadly pale aud was sinking from her chair in @ swoon. “ELLEN PERCY$3 OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. where anger might have been expected? The Normans themselves were as much at a loss as L Mrs. Armstrong—apparently forgetting all that | was to interpret the old lady’s conduct otherwise she had been saying, and perhaps not for an ine stant conceiving that it had anything to do with Juliet’s sudden indisposition—flew to the mantel to procure a bottle of sal-volatile salts ; while Mr. and Mrs, Norman, with mingled grief ana conster- nation on their countenances, rushed to assist me in sustaining their daughter. “Remove her into the adjoining room,” said Mrs. Oldcastle; “and give her fresh air. ag SPR not trouble yourself, Mrs. Armstrong,” she added; “ Juliet is with those who will take care of hep! and do youremain with me. Yes, it is perfect true that Juliet stayed at my house fiye or six months ago; and I mean to take her there with me again,” These words met the ears of Mr. and Mrs. Nor: man and myself as we were conveying the inani- mate form ef Juliet into the next room. The speech startled us; and we exchanged rapid glances of amazement. Indeed, we could scarcely believe our own ears. We closed the folding-door behind us; and placing Juliet on a sofa, adminis- tered restoratives. She soon began to recover; and in the meanwhile we heard Mrs, Armstrong taking her departure. Aunt Oldcastle had evi- dently managed to get rid of her; and this seemed to be another proof that there was some design on the part of the old lady which we could not fathom—unless if were by the conjecture that having seen some falsehood had been told, she did not wish to expose her relatives, and therefore was generously shielding them. Juliet opened hereyes; and looking around, she said in a mournful voice, “ Now everything is dis- covered !” “Hush, my dear child!—hush!” said Mrs, Norman: and the next instant the folding-door opening, Mrs. Oldcastle made her appearance. Our glances were all flung quickly, anxiously, and searchingly upon her countenance; but there was nothing very ominous nor menacing in its expression. She advanced towards the sofa; and sitting down, took Juliet’s hand, saying, “ I hope, my dear, that you are better now P” “Yes—thank you, aunt,” replied Juliet, blush- ing and full of confusion. “These sudden indispositions do take place at times,”’ continued Mrs. Oldcastle, with an air as if she veritably meant what she said, and was not by any means seeking an excuse to restore Juliet to self-possession and confidence. ‘“ By the bye, Mr. Norman, I think as this is the last day I shall spend at your house, you may as well direct the servants to say you are not at home to any other visitors.” Mr. Norman hastened with alacrity to obey this instruction; and Mrs. Oldcastle continued to speak in an affectionate manner to Juliet. At length we all returned to the front drawing- room; and Mrs. Oldcastle went on conversing just as if nothing had occurred to alter her good opinion of the Normans—but on the contrary, as if some- thing had happened to confirm it. I could scarcely understand her conduct. Did she suspect Juliet’s secret P—had she fathomed it P—~were her sympa- thies enlisted on behalf of the unfortunate girl P —and was she resolyed to display compassion than by similar conjectures; and at all events it was a material solace, as well as a relief from | much cruel embarrassment, to find that she was behaving thus, It was about an hour before dinner-time that Mrs. Oldeastle left off knitting—dcliberately rolled up her work round the needles—deposited it in her great bag;—and taking off her horn spec. tacles with the large circular glasses, she evidently prepared herself for some serlous announcement or proposition. “Mr. Norman,” she at length said, “can you part from your daughter for a time ?” “Part with her?” he faltered forth. ‘ Why, my dear aunt—the proposal comes so unex- pected not but that it is very sg ? ' “Oh, excessively kind!” interjected Mrs. Nor- man. « But I am afraid ——” “ Juliet, my dear,” said Mrs. Oldcastle, turning towards Miss Norman, “ will you come and spend a few months with me ?” Julie} was once more full of confusion: her cheeks for an instant elowed with blushes, and then became ‘deadly W ite. Mrs. Oldeastle looked astonished; and she slowly gazed from one to the other, her mouth gradually pursing up, and the dark cloud gathering upon her features. “ey certainly did not expect this hesitation,” she at lengtl ‘said. “My aim could scarcely be mis- taken. You know, Mr. Norman, that I have it in my it to leave some one a few pounds at my death ; T therefore thought But no mat- ter!’ sont 2 abruptly checked herself. “Let the subject ‘drop. There is an end of it!” The teats were now trickling down Juliet’s cheeks; and unable to restrain her emotions, she 7&s7,- * Go and attend to your daughter, ” said Mrs. Oldcastle to Mrs. Norman; “and fell her that I am by no means angry with her.” endeavoured to stammer | out some sort of apoloay for the hesitation with which the aunt’s proposal had been received: but the old lady cut him short by saying, “Not another syllable, if you please, upon the subject !” I now quitted the room, and hastened to rejoin Juliet,—whom I found weeping passionately on her mother’s bosom. “Oh, how unhappy I am!” she murmured amidst her sobs. “To be unable to accept the invitation—to lose perhaps every chance of find- ing favour in the eyes of my relative i “Console yourself, my dear girl,” said Mrs. Norman, who was herself weeping. “It is im- possible to recall the past; and all the regrets in the world will not amend it.” Juliet presently became more tranquil: but when we descended to the dining-room, her eyes still betrayed the traces of recent weeping. The old aunt continued to maintain an affectionate de- meanour towards Juliet, and one of kindness to. wards myself; but in respect to My. and Mrs. Norman I fancied: that she was a little more cold and distant than she had at any time been since her first appearance at the house. After dinner they were compelled to repair to the theatre: but te ee CONNIEIOOKS (ECA