Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 319: what you’re looking at

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306 that Melissa Harrison spoke in the strongest terms upon the subject.” 3 “Well, then,” answered my father, “all I can tell you is that Miss Harrison and Lord Frederick are now on excellent terms together — though heaven forbid that I should go so far as to assert anything of a more prejudicial kind to Miss Har- rison’s character. But within the last few days I have seen them more than once together :—and on the first occasion—I recollect now perfectly well—they went off to dine at the Star and Garter at Richmond.” ‘Ig this possible, my dear father ?” I exclaimed. “ Surely you must be mistaken ?” “So far from being mistaken, I am positive of it,” he replied,—“ and all the more so since you have mentioned the name of Melissa. I recog- nised the girl immediately I saw her in your company just now: but I did not know until you told me, what her surname is nor to what pro- fession she belongs.”’ “It is extraordinary!” I murmured, with a painful sensation at the heart—for I had fancied that Melissa was deeply penitent for the past, that she was devoted to her little girl, and that she was now incapable even of an indiscretion, much more of a deed of profligacy. “Yes, it is as I tell you,” continued my father. “Tt was but three or four days ago that the inci- dent to which I have so particularly alluded, took place. I was proceeding along the Strand, follow- ing Mr. Parks ata distance, and not even thinking at the moment of Lord Frederick,—when I beheld him alight from an elegant brougham at a house of business. Then all in a moment my thoughts were directed from the lawyer to settle upon the young nobleman; and true to my plan of pene- trating as much as possible into his circumstances and pursuits, I entered the house of business after him. I saw that he did not recognise me: I got near enough to him to ascertain precisely what his purpose was in going thither; and then I followed him out,—after I had put some trivial question to one of the clerks as an excuse for having entered the place. He went straight up to the window of the brougham, and said, ‘ Now, my dear Melissa, since that business is done, we will be off to enjoy ourselves at the Star and Garter.’—He leapt into the brougham, wherein Miss Harrison had re- mained seated while he was in the banking-house ; and the equipage was whirled away.” “T am astonished, my dear father—and I am| pained likewise,” I said, “to think that Melissa could possibly be so deceptive. It is true that she is ignorant of Lord Frederick’s treachery towards Julict—unless he himself may now have commu- nicated the secret to her a ** No—it is barely probable he would do so,” re- plied my father: “ for Lord Frederick must regard it as something too serious to be made the subject of an idle boast or flourishing vaunt.” “I hope so,” I rejoined. “ But though Melissa may indeed be ignorant that she is forming a friendship with a young man who has so grossly deceived a friend of her’s—and though there may not actually be anything criminal in her conduct— yet her indiscretion is such as to render me careful in future how I associate with her.” “Yes, you must indeed be thus careful, Ellen,” replied my father; “for a young female who SNIEGGie aaa 5.4 ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. would go to dine alone with a profligate young nobleman Ah! and speaking of his, profli- gacy,” exclaimed my father, thus suddenly inter. rupting himself, “I am convinced that he must be pursuing a most extravagant course—a courso that will inevitably pauperize him even before he succeeds to the family estates. It is my opinion that he is borrowing large sums of money from certain patrician friends—men who perhaps minis- ter to his extravagances in order that they may take all the greater advantage of them. ‘The in- ference which I draw in respect to this ruinous career of his, is deduced from “what I beheld at Coutts’s banking-house on the day of which [ am speaking.” “Coutts’s P’ I ejaculated, as a recollection flashed to my mind. “‘Yes—the celebrated bankers in the Strand, you know,” rejoined my father. ‘‘ Lord Frederick entered that banking-house to receive no less a sum than five thousand guineas.” “Five thousand guineas!” I repeated, with a sort of wild terror: for the mention of this precise amount struck me as being most strange. “Ah, you may well wonder at the profligacy of his career !—but I can assure you that such was the sum he received.” * Five thousand guineas,” I repeated, a sicken- ing sensation coming over me. “ Coutts —three or four days back — Melissa — five thousand guineas Y , “ Why, Ellen, what ails you?” cried my father. “You have turned so deadly pale! Are you ill, my dear child P” *Yes———no. But tell me, father—tell me,” I hastily exclaimed, now in a terribly excited condi- tion, “do you recollect—did you chance to notice whose name was appended to the cheque P” “‘Yes—I purposely bent over as Lord Frederick held it for a few moments in his hand before there was a cashier disengaged to receive it ——~” * But the name? the name?” I cried vehe- mently. “Tell me, father “Tynedale,” was the response. mean you, Hilen és * Good God!” I murmured, with a feeling ot the intensest agony: for all ina moment I com- prehended what but a short time back was so utterly unintelligible: it blazed upon me like the broad, vivid, blinding glare of a tremendous sheet of lightning ! “My dear child,” said my father, sustaining me by the arm—for he thought that I was about to drop,—“ what is the meaning of this excite- ment ?” “Ah!” I suddenly ejaculated, with a thrilling sense of joy as new thoughts abruptly poured in unto my mind: “he is in our power !—and as for myself, the mystery can be cleared up to the Mar- quis!” My father gazed upon me with a sort of con- sternation, as if he feared that I was going mad. And no wonder !—for that rapid transition from anguish and affright to the wildness of joy—my changing looks—my altering accents—and the words which i had just uttered, so incomprehen- sible to my sire,—naturally filled him with the worst apprehensions on behalf of my sanity, ‘“ Wather—dear father,” I exclaimed, “ Lord Frederick Ravenscliffe is now so completely in our “But what connicbooks com