Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 233: what you’re looking at

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220 London to fold me in his arms. This letter, as well as the numerous preceding ones I had re- ceived from Harry, breathed the purest love and the most unchanging affection ; and I wept with a blissful pleasure over the epistle as I held it in my hands. But what course was I to adopt? If Henry Wakefield were to arrive in London during my absence at River House, he would assuredly set off after me on finding I was not in Hunter Street; and thus sooner or later it would be impossible to conceal Juliet’s secret from his knowledge. That secret was not my own; and I was bound to shield it to the utmost of my ability. At length, after much reflection, I resolved how to act. I wrote a letter—directed to Henry, to the care of Mr. Macdonald at Paisley—wherein I requested my cousin to send me an answer announcing his arri- val the instant he received it, so that I might have the satisfaction of being assured of his safety. The servants in Hunter Street knew that I was about to pay a visit to River House near Dover: they knew likewise that Juliet was there—but they were ignorant of her situation. I gave them express orders that all letters whieh might arrive for me, should be at once posted to River House. By this arrangement I calculated that if I re- ceived a letter from Henry while there, I could hasten up to London and thus be in Hunter Street before he was likely to reach the metropolis—as I had no doubt that business matters would detain him a day or two in Paisley after his arrival in Great Britain. I felt hurt, and even shocked, at being compelled to have recourse to what appeared to me a certain degree of petty manceuvring: but i¢ was all for Juliet’s sake, and to guard against the possibility of her secret being discovered by any sudden and unexpected visit on the part of my cousin at River House. But before I dismiss the present subject I must state that the moment had now come when it was absolutely necessary for me to reveal to Harry that Ellen Percy and the celebrated Miss Trafford were one and the same person. Though upwards of nine months had elapsed since he set out on his trans-atlantic voyage—and though a constant cor- respondence had been maintained between us—yet had I lacked the moral courage to make the com- plete revelation, I had however in my letters, under the guise of gossiping information, recorded a variety of facts to disabuse him of his prejudice against the stage and the dramatic world in general. I had thus prepared him for the final announcement : but still that announcement itself had not as yet been made. It was now impossible to delay it any longer; and I accordingly included it in the letter which I addressed to him under cover to the manufacturer at Paisley. It was through no sentiment of idle vaniff¥—but in order to gratify him, if possible, with the knowledge of the fame which I had acquired—that I enclosed in the letter several critiques from the leading news: papers upon my performance ; and this I did all the more willingly, inasmuch as in those critiques there were frequent allusions to me as “a young lady whose unimpeachable character and personal beauty were only equalled by her genius as the greatest actress of the day.” I likewise informed Harry in this letter that 1 was in the receipt of upwards of a thousand a year, with every prospect - —_——se tee | ~ o9 EL EE TT TY I II TN Et ah li I en 7 ee es ares ete | ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS, of this income being shortly doubled; and that my savings were therefore already considerable. I delicately hinted that my cousin therefore need have no care for the future, inasmuch as it mattered not in an alliance with two fond hearts from which side riches emanated. All preparations being complete, I set out on my visit to River House. I accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Norman in the steam-vessel to Ramsgate ; and thence on the following day I proceeded alone by the coach to Dover. It was at about the hour of noon when I reached the last-mentioned place ; and as the weather in that month of June was charming and delicious, I determined to walk to River House, which was only about a mile anda half distant. Leaving my luggage therefore to the care of the carrier, who was to bring it toits desti- nation in the course of the afternoon, I set out. I was soon beyond the precincts of the town of Dover; and when at a distance of about a mile, I thought of assuring myself by inquiry that I was in the nearest route to River House. I was at- tracted by a beautiful little cottage-residence, where the roses were blushing over the portico, and where the open windows afforded a glimpse of the neatly furnished parlours. This cottage stood in the midst of a garden, where there were the most beautiful flowers scattered over the well-kept parterres,—between which the gravel walks were well rolled, an? shining in the sunbeams. The garden-gate stood open; and I entered. I was about to accost an old gardener whom I beheld at a little distance, busily engaged in his occupation, —when a glance in the opposite direction revealed to my view a young lady seated at work in a summer-house. This summer-house was formed of wood painted green : its architecture was quaint ; and with the jasmine and clematis that twined up the trellis-work over it, mingled with festooning roses, it had a sweetly picturesque appearance. The young lady did not immediately observe me as my feet trod noiselessly over a grass-plat by which the arbour was approached; and I there- fore had an opportunity of contemplating that pleasing picture before I made my presence known. The occupant of the summer-house was apparently about my own age—namely, nineteen. Her dress was characterized by mingled neatness and elegance. A profusion of light brown ringlets escaped from beneath a beautiful little French cap, and fell upon her shoulders. The corsage of her | light summer dress was open down to the waist : | but a habit-shirt was modestly closed up to the throat. Her countenance had an expression of the chastest innocence and of the purest thoughts: her complexion was fair—but upon her cheeks bloomed the rose-hues of health. While thus seated at her work, she seemed to be of the medium stature— symmetrically and finely formed—with the well- rounded contours of a country-girl constantly in- haling the fresh breeze, with its invigorating ad- mixture of the saline properties afforded by the | close vicinage of the sea. | While I stood contemplating this young lady, she laid down her work to take up a book; and it was at this instant that her eyes encountered mine. And what beautiful eyes were those that were thus raised towards me !—eyes of a clear liquid blue, only a shade darker than azure—full of softness, and yet with a proper animation. | Po <=) oo CON Ghooks.eGom