Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 372: what you’re looking at

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

‘and so forth, called at my house. to characterize you when you were with me! You saw how readily I recollected you the instant I obtained a full view of your countenance when you sat down upon this form; for you are all in personal beauty that in your girlhood I prophe.- sied you would become! This is no flattery; my dear cliild; for L look upon you with @ maternal fondness.” I pregsed the old lady’s hand, and again wiped away the tears from my eyes. | “JT will give you a proof; my dear girl,” re- sumed Mrs. Kelly, “that I had not forgotten you.” She took up a large portfolio as she thus spoke ; and opening if upon her little tdble, she turned over 4 number of drawings made by her Scholars, as well as various prints and pictures, ~continuing to speak the while in the following strain :— It was about six months ago that a hawker of cheap publications, lithographic prints, music, On looking over his collection, I beheld a portrait which at once struck me. It was that of Miss Trafford, the eminent tragic actress.” “Ah!” was the involuntary ejaculation which fell from my lips: but the dame did not notice it; and she continued her discourse, while turning over the contents of the portfolio. “TI purehased that portrait—for if seemed to me, Bilen, to be a speaking likeness of what I pic- tured to myself that you must have grown up to becorhe. And it is, too! The more I look at you But where is this portrait? I shall find itina moment! You yourself will then recog- nise the remarkable resemblance and, my dear girl, it was on this account that I bought it. I of course knew very well that it could not be really meant for you. In the first place the names are different; and then too, you never showed the slightest taste in that direction! But sometimes, when alone, I have looked at that por- trait, and I have thought to myself that if by any accident my dear little Ellen Perey should have beconmie the greatest actress of the day—if for any reason you had taken another name—in a word, if you were really this Miss Trafford,—how proud and happy should Ibe! Yes—and I will confess, my dear Ellen, that with an old woman’s vanity —pardonable though foolish~I should never have ceased to boast to my neighbours that the far- famed tragediin had once sat upon that very form where you are now seated, and had réceived the rudiments of education from me.” The old dame was still turning over the con- tents of her portfolio, so that shé did not perceive the emotions which her kind and affectionate words conjured up; and after a brief pause she went on as follows :—~ “But of course I knew very well that these were merely dreams and visions on my part—and that with the exception of the resemblance be- tween the portrait and yourself, there was nothing identical in respect to Miss Trafford afd Miss Percy. Ah! here’s the portrait!’—and Mrs. Kelly produced it. I had never before seen this lithograph: but then there had been many portraits of mé pub- lished at different times, even though my career upon the stage had been so short: I todk this oue in my hand: I at once saw that it was more ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. 359 one; and { marvelled not that the worthy dame should continue to ejaculate, “ Now, is not the resemblance singulatly striking P—is it not life- hke?—would not anybody fancy it had been really intended for yourself ?” “ Yes,” I answered, bending my countenance over the picture: “there is a certain reséme blanée 3 ** A certain resemblance do you call it 2?” she éx- claimed: “itis a very giteat one! ‘I shall eover over the words ‘ Miss Trafford, and shall substi- tute the name of Hilen Percy. It is to me a treasure !’’—anil she replaced the portrait in ler portfulio; “And now; my dear friend,” I said, hastening to elange the topie, “you will wonder what has brought me to Leeds. [I will tell you a tale of villany. My grandfather bequeathed me every- thing: Mrs, Parks and her son forged the will which deprived me of my fortune; and all that I have obtained of the deceased Mr, Forsyth’s pro- perty is the old house in this same street.”’ “This is dreadful !” ejaculated Mrs. Kelly. “ My poor child, that you should have thus been plun- dered! But Mr. Parks is living: can you not invoke the aid of the law rf “<6 is too long now to tell you,” I interrupted her, “ how grossly I have been defrauded by that man. Suffice it to say that he has so cleverly managed matters that the law cannot reach him. In a word, I have nothing but the house—and I am come to visit it. When I say nothing,’ I hastily added, “ I mean nothing of my late grand- father’s property. But now enough of my per- sonal concerns! All that I have been telling you, my dear Mrs. Kelly, you had better keep to your. self. I would rather that these affairs should not become generally known.” “i never liked that Mrs, Parks,” said the dame: “no—I never liked her, even before all those evil reports began to circulate in the neighbour. hood “What evil reports do you mean, my dear friend ?” I asked quickly. “Oh! perhaps they were mere idle romours,” rejoined Mrs, Kelly,—“something about tho treatment which your poor grandfather expe- rinced at the hands of the old woman. But scandal, you know, is always busy with the cha- racters of others and perhaps Mrs, Parks, bad though she were, was not quite so infamous as the world would make her out. Yet, as I was saying, I never liked her; and as for her son, from what little Lever saw of him, I liked him even less. But these are such unpleasant topics, for heaven’s sake let us change them: and now tell me, my dear Ellen—you are happy and prosperous —are you not?” “Both happy and prosperous,” I responded. “ Bat tell me in your turn; my dear Mrs, Kelly, are you yourself perfectly happy in every sense— comfortable—with no drawback to your content. ment ?” “My dear child, we all have our troubles in this world,” interjected the dame: and methought that she heaved a sigh. “Ah! I feel convineed,” I cried, “that you have some source of aflliction! Name it,” “it is of no use, Hilen,’ said the worthy COMMUC than a tolerable likeness—it was indeed a good oOQO)|;< (COU