Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 265: what you’re looking at

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

im a ~ 5 —— ~ > = i os ae ~ => = ——— . >~s er =, S —— ~ ae. my ee a te Be a 202 ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. $a — —CS ee She proceeded to say, ‘I saw Miss Perey and your- | as her services were not required any more for the self alight from a hackney-fly at the hotel: where | night. Then Dame Betty produced provisions did you come from?’—‘ From Manchester,’ I | and liquor: but she did not eat or drink much, readily answered.—‘ And what has your mistress | for she was intent on opening her designs to me; been doing there?’ inquired Dame Betty.— | —and as for myself, I partook not at all of the pro- ‘ Merely visiting the manager of the local theatre,’ | vender set upon the table. She again questioned I rejoined, ‘ with a view, I suppose, to a dramatic | me in respect to my feelings towards yourself. I engagement.’—* And do you like Miss Percy?’ | replied in a strain similar to that in which I had asked the dame, now fixing her eyes upon my | previously spoken of you; and as if quite in a countenance with even a still more penetrating | casual manner, I threw out hints that I was be- keenness than hitherto.—‘I am perfectly indif- | coming wearied of your service, that I hoped ferent with regard to her,’ I answered: ‘perhaps | Zarah would soon withdraw me from it, for that I if I did not know that she was an enemy of your’s | longed to be my own mistress, to get out into the and Zarah’s, I might be inclined to like her a/| open country and to lead the free unrestrained little: but as it is, the feeling is rather otherwise.’ | happy life of a gipsy. Without appearing to pay —‘Could you possibly absent yourself for a few | any particular attention to the dame’s looks, [ hours ?’ inquired Dame Betty, ‘ without the know- | nevertheless furtively watched the effect which ledge of your mistress ??—‘ Oh, yes, to be sure,’ I | these words produced; and I saw that they had readily exclaimed: ‘though perhaps it would be | accomplished my purpose by fully confirming the better that I should first run into the hotel and | trust she was previously disposed to place in me, invent some excuse for so absenting myself.’—‘ If | Yet she was evidently cautious in making her ap- this is not absolutely necessary,’ rejoined the dame,_| proaches towards the final development of her ‘I had much rather you should come with me at | views: she no doubt fancied that though my mind once. I want to speak to you particularly; we} was plastic enough in her hands, yet that she ‘ | | | cannot talk in the streets; and there is no place | must not proceed too rudely nor abruptly in mo- in Birmingham to which I can conduct you for | delling it to her aims, for fear lest she should the business that I have in hand.’—‘ Well, then,’ | shock any latent good principle still remaining I at once answered, ‘I can come with you imme-/| within me. Therefore she began to speak insidi- diately. Miss Percy is tired with her journey; | ously and darkly relative to yourself: I threw out she will go to bed early; and she never asks for | an occasional word to give her just sufficient en- me of an evening.’—‘ Come, then,’ said the old | couragement to proceed; and in a little while she woman: and she began leading the way through | went on with a gradual abandonment of restraint the streets of the town. You understand, my | and reserve. ‘She told me that I could not pos- dear Miss, why I so promptly agreed to go with | sibiy hope to be freed from the shackles of my her. I was afraid that if I first of all insisted on} present service so long as you remained in exist- the necessity of returning to the hotel, a suspicion | ence; she likewise indirectly strove to work upon might be excited in her mind; she would possibly | my fears by telling me that if you were suddenly be put upon her guard; and she might either deal | to adopt an overt hostile attitude towards those more reservedly with me, or else change her mind | whom you knew to be your enemies, your ven- and reject my services altogether. I of course | geance would include me within its circle, inas- knew that my absence for several hours would | render you uneasy: but still I thought it better | that you should endure the temporary vexation of | upon your actions. At last she came to tho suspense than that I should lose the opportunity point and here, my sweet mistress, I shudder i — much as you could not possibly fail to discover that I was an agent of those enemies and a spy of penetrating into whatsoever fresh designs the | to repeat the dreadful things-——” vile old dame might be harbouring against your| ‘I understand you, Beda!” I said, shuddering peace and security.” also. “The vile infamous wretch proclaimed the “You did well, Beda,’ I said: “ you acted for | expediency, for many reasons, of putting me out the best—and your conduct was marked by the | of existence!” strictest policy and prudence, as well as by the; “ Yes, Miss—it was so,” responded Beda. “TI most friendly considerations towards myself. And | seemed to fall into her views: I first hesitated now proceed.” | sufficiently to give a better colouring to my final “Dame Betty led me to a little public-house, | assent; and the wicked woman was completely quite on the outskirts of the town; and there she | duped by the course which I adopted. She then had a covered cart and an old horse waiting for her. ; produced the little box containing the brown The equipage was a wretched, mean, and shabby | lozenges; and she bade me dissolve one daily in one, as you may easily suppose—just such as many | your coffee or tea, whichsoever you might partake travelling gipsies are accustomed to use. The | of—or in your soup—or in whatsoever article of horse was soon harnessed: we took our seats in | food might be convenient for the purpose. In the cart,—Dame Betty performing the functions , short, from the explanations she gave me, I found of driver. We must have been pretty nearly two | that those seeming coffee-berries contained a slow hours in performing the dozen miles or so which | poison—a poison which was inevitable in its lay before us until the dame’s cottage was | effects, but which produced no outward symptoms reached. A young woman, belonging to the| that could lead even the most skilful physician to | dame’s tribe, received us at the door. This was | suspect its inward presence. As I listened to t | NT the female who supplied my place when I was in- | these frightful revealings, most carefully control- troduced, Miss, into your service. The dame led| ling my emotions the while, several thoughts me into the parlour ; and when the young woman | flashed through my brain. There was this woman had put up the cart and horse in the old stable ad- | in possession of a fearful weapon which dealt death joining, the dame told her that she might go to bed, | slowly, insidiously, imperceptibly, and in a way to -_—_——_—- oS GomiGvdookstecom