Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 292: what you’re looking at

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

en ee ee ae ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. 279 | riot his wife, he might plunge me back again into a mad-house: but he will not dare take such a step with one whom he has deemed sane and fitting enough to accompany him to the altar. If he treat me only with cold neglect, I shall care nothing so long as I enjoy my due share of the wealth which he possesses— the luxuries and the splendours which those ampie means may furnish. Let him, if he will, live in one part of his house and I in another. Oh! I can assure you,” added Zarab, her lips wreathing with scorn and her large dark eyes flashing fire, “he will not be enabled to break my heart by such treatment as this!” Finding that Zarah was fully resolved upon pursuing the course which she had chalked out for herself, I at length desisted from further argu- ment; and we conversed on other subjects until Beda’s return, Her absence, as I have said, lasted for about an hour and a half: it was therefore be- tween ten and eleven when she returned to the lodgings. Zarah and I both saw by her counte- nance that her mission had been successful—at least so far as the exaction of a particular promise from St. Clair; though I had still my own secret misgivings whether ho would fulfil it, or whether he might not even yet, despite the terrible threat held out, discover some means of evading it. “On reaching Captain St. Clair’s house in the neighbourhood of the Regent’s Park,” began Beda, in explanation of her mission, “‘ I learnt that he was at home. I was at once conducted into his presence; and I found that he was in a furious rage. He accosted me, his countenance white with passion; and he accused me of having aided in your escape, Zarah, from the lunatic-asylum. I assumed a courageous demeanour: I even flung upon him a look of defiance; and I said signifi- cantly, ‘Yes, Captain St. Clair: I performed my part in that transaction: and wheresoever I have an opportunity of frustrating schemes of villany, rest assured that I shall never hesitate to do my duty.’— His countenance then suddenly underwent a complete change: it expressed a sinister con- fusion: his whole form trembled violently; and coming close up to me, he said in a low hoarse voice, ‘ Your words have a double meaning: you have told your mistress Ellen Percy everything that passed ———’ But there he stopped suddenly short, as if struck by the idea that he was about to commit himself most unnecessarily and in a most insensate manner. I at once divined, how- ever, into what allusion his guilty conscience had been about to betray bim; and again fixing my eyes significantly upon his countenance, I said, ‘Yes; there is no need for me to conceal the fact! I have told Miss Percy everything that took place between the old gipsy-woman and wyself at her cottage near Birmingham. — Some vehement ejaculation expressive of rage burst from St. Clair’s lips; and he began pacing to and fro in the apartment in an agitated manner.—‘ And you have done this,’ he said, at length stopping short, “and you have been all the while a traitress; you have been playing false to those > Bat then agaia he suddenly broke off, and with an impre- cation levelled against himself ior what he termed his folly in giving way to the impulse of the mo. ment, he renewed his agitated walk. I was not in the least frightened: on the contrary, me- thought the more I could work upon his feelings and surround him with terrors, the better I could serve not only the purpose which I had in view on your behalf, Zarah—but likewise the better conduce to your own interests, Miss Percy.” Both Zarah and myself flung approving glances upon the faithful girl; and she continued in the following manner :— “When Captain Sf Clair had made three or four turns in the room, I accosted him and said, ‘You may henceforth tell those whom you choose to employ for your iniquitous aims, that they must not think to find an accomplice in the gipsy-girl Beda. Do you suppose that for a single instant I really intended to lend myself to the atrocious views and objects of that wretched old woman, who on the other hand is endeavouring to seryo you only too well? But I seemed to give a willing ear to Dame Betty’s instructions that I might fathom the depth of the fearful scheme. Rest assured, Captain St, Clair, that every fresh step which you take in your vindictive rancour or your measures of wicked expediency against Miss Percy, will only tend to place you more com- pletely in her power, and furnish her with an ad- ditional weapon to wield against you in case of necessity. —He listened in silence, but with a ghastly look and with a strange wicked expression of the eyes: it was dreadful to behold such a look upon such a handsome countenance. I could not help thinking of the fallen angels of Scripture,— as you, Miss Percy, read of them ono day to me, in Milton I think it was, showing how they pre- serve in some sense their celestial beauty, but with an expression borrowed from Pandemonium itself upon their features.” Beda paused for a few moments, as if still giving way to the same thoughts which she had just ex- plained and illustrated ; and then she continued in the following manner :— “Captain St. Clair made me no answer to my long speech: methought that he waited to hear whether I had anything more to say, so that he might ascertain to what extent his iniquities were known; and I fancied that it would be better for your interest, Miss Percy, to impress him with the idea that you were acquainted with every detail of his villanous conduct. I therefore went on to say, ‘In me, Captain St. Clair, you behold one who is devoted heart and soul to the amiable and excellent mistress whom she is proud to serve, but whom you have thought fit to persecute. It was I who fathomed all your diabolical intentions, in which you were aided by Lady Lilla Essendine, with respect to the treacherously-contrived yacht : and so surely as you take each successive step in your iniquitous career, will heaven enable virtue and innocence to triumph over your machinations. You see that you can do nothing without being detected: your deep design in regard to that yacht was laid bare; and yesterday you thought you had for ever removed Zarah from your path; but that plot was likewise fathomed and has likewise been baffied. You are in the position of an enemy who is surrounded by spies, and who stands upon a mine which may explode at any instant.—Thus I spoke to Captain Sf. Clair; and I saw that he quailed at my words, that the conviction of their _ truth was forced upon him, and that his guilty con- science was torturing him with a poignancy which COMMUC hr = . a a ieee Oe a ee eee Oe rh Tl 0)(0)) 6S Com