Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 264: what you’re looking at

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

. a ee ee —=—_————— a ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. 251 lug her arms round my neck: \?? “how you must | fleci upon the course which you may decide upon have suffered on my account! ' pursuing. But———However,” she interrupted “Indeed I have, Beda!” I responded. “I herself, “let me tell my tale. I was returning knew not now how to act—and if I had not now | through the streets last evening, after having pro- found you here I should not have suffered many | cured . your medicine at the chemist’s, when I sud- hours to pass without adopting energetic measures | denly found myself face to face with the old gipsy, for your discovery. When did you return?” | Zarah’s grandmother—Dame Betty, as we call her. “Tt was about three in the morning when I | I showed but little astonishment, and was careful reached the hotel,” she replied. “ Kuowing that | not to betray the slightest annoyance at this en- my absence must have occasioned strange sus- | counter; for I could in a moment tell by the picions amongst the domestics of the establish- | dame’s countenance that she had some particular ment, I told the porter who let me in, that I had | reason on her own part for being gratified at the chanced to fall in with some relatives, in whose} meeting. Thus it instantaneously flashed to my company I had been; and to give a colour to my | mind that whatsoever her objects might be, I story, I expressed the hope that I should not be should do well to listen to them, and with appa- chided by my mistress. The man has therefore by this time repeated the tale to his fellow-domes- tics; and thus my absence is so far accounted for.” “ But now tell me, Beda,” I exclaimed, full of | anxiety, “ what has been the real cause of this ab-— sence of your’s? Or perhaps you wish to sleep 3? longer—and you shall tell me presently “No, Miss—I have slept sufficiently,” she re- plied; “and I am sure that you must be dying with curiosity, But perhaps you suspected that there must be some strong reason in “T felt confident that you were incapable of absenting yourself wilfully or improperly,” I has- tily interjected: and then, haying thrown on a morning wrapper, I sat down by the side of Beda’s bed. “ Look at these two boxes,” said the young girl, her luminous eyes darting upon me one of those strange looks which were so incomprehensible for any one who did not rightly understand her dispo- sition, or who had not positive proof of her sin- cerity and trustworthiness. As she spoke, she produced from beneath her pillow a couple of little tin boxes; and opening their lids, she showed me that one contained a num- ber of small lozenges, about the size of coffee-beans, and of a similar colour, The other box likewise contained things like lozenges: but these were of a light pinky hue. I gazed upon Beda with asto- nishment,—wondering what these articles could possibly have to do with that mysterious absence of her’s which had yet to be explained. The girl’s countenance grew not merely serious -—there was a certain deep solemnity in her look : but at the same time a vislble shudder swept over her sylphid form, as she said to me in slow mea- sured accents, “ These brown lozenges contain poison: these pink ones are a complete anti- dote !” “ Good heavens, Beda !” I ejaculated, my whole - frame quivering with horror: but my ideas at once settled upon St. Clair, Lady Lilla Kssendine, and the old gipsy. * Yes, Miss—I have told you truly,” continued Beda; “ and again have I been fortunate enough to fathom a plot which was laid against your life.” “Oh, I suspected that your absence must have some motive of this kind!” I exclaimed. “ But those wretches who are thus seeking my death! -_—it has now indeed become time that I should act not merely upon the defensive fc “ Listen to me,” interrupted Beda; “ and hear all that I have to say: it will then be time to re- rent readiness lend myself to them likewise, if asked to do so.—‘ Why, you are with Miss Percy! if Dame Betty almost immediately said; and she | looked me very hard in the face, as if to assure herself to what extent she could trust me, or how deeply I might be attached to your interests.— ‘Oh, yes,’ I answered, with an off-hand air: ‘ did you not know it before?’—‘I only knew,’ re- sponded Dame Betty, ‘ that you had accepted ser- vice with some lady: but Zarah did not tell me who she was. She had doubtless her own good reasons for what she was doing when she got you into Ellen Percy’s service; for though she has se- parated from me and made herself a lady, yet as a matter of course we continue to row in the same boat,’-—All the while she was thus speaking, Dame Betty continued to regard me fixedly; and there- fore I knew very well that she said those things as a means of probing my mind, and to ascertain whether what she was throwing out at random was substantially correct.—‘ Yes,’ I answered with an air of the most perfect sincerity, ‘ Zarah had her reasons for getting me, through some indirect channel, into Miss Percy’s service; and I can as- sure you,’ I added, throwing a look of wicked sig- nificancy at the dame, ‘1 keep a very sharp watch upon Miss Percy’s movements.’—‘ No. doubt, no doubt,’ rejoined Dame Betty, with alow chuckling expression of her satisfaction. ‘ Zarah is always afraid lest Miss Percy should turn suddenly round upon Captain Sf. Clair. Besides, Ellen Percy has somehow or another got hold of secrets which render her dangerous; and Zarah trembles for her own sake and for mine also. Is it not soPr— ‘Ah, dame,’ I replied, ‘I do not know the motives which actuated Zarah: all I can say is that the instructions she gave to me seemed completely to tally with everything you have just said.’—All this while Dame Betty kept eyeing me with the keenest scrutiny; and as you perceive, my dear Miss, I was careful to say only just sufficient to inspire her with the completest confidence in me; but I wouid not give utterance to a single unne- cessary word, nor appear to know too much of reasons and motives, for fear lest by a single inad- vertence I should excite the dame’s suspicion.” “You acted most wisely, Beda,” I said. “And now pray continue! Iam full of impatience: but do not abridge your narrative—tell it in your own style—and give me every particular.” “Dame Betty was evidently full of confidence in me,” continued Beda; “and it was likewise apparent enough to my comprehension that she flattered herself she had completely fathomed all Zarah’s motives in getting me into your service. CORNIELOO 6S (COUN