Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 395: what you’re looking at

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

ee si ee ela 382 ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. Ne tion, could have lent yourself to that savage act of ;guiled to the house in Penton Street, I was just vengeance P” now giving you explanations. My husband met “Miss Percy,” responded the housekeeper, “I | his lordship at King’s Cross, and induced him to loved poor Felicia as much as if she were my own | enter a cab, to be conveyed to the house of the un- daughter; and that assurance is perhaps sufficient | known friend who had written the letter, Lt does “| to explain my complicity in the punishment that | not appear that his lordship had the faintest sus- was inflicted upon a villain, Frankly do I confess | picion of any sinister intent, until entering the that for yourself I experienced an immense sym- | house he found himself a prisoner in the hands of pathy: but my master was resolute in rendering | those men whose seryices Mr. Gower had procured you the spectatress of that scene—and I dared not | for the effectual accomplishment of the business, disobey him. I however exacted from his lips the | And now you know the rest.” most solemn pledge that no injury should be done “ And do you think,’ I asked, “ that the day unto yourself ;—and that promise was fulfilled.” | may never come when your master will repent of “ But do you not think it was very, very cruel to | that vengeance so fiendish which he has inflicted ? become an accomplice even to that extent,—thereby | All barbarous punishments are revolting to the rendering me the witness of so awful a spectacle P | mind: but to torture the body—to mar the beauty Yet doubtless you were acting under the coercive | of the human countenanco—Oh, this to me ap- influence of Mr. Gower, who is evidently a man | pears a terrible thing to do, no matter how great of implacable disposition f the provocation !” ‘“ What, Miss Percy ?” exclaimed the woman; The woman was evidently impressed with my ® would you vindicate the cause of the villain | words: a shade came ovér her countenance, and Ravenscliffe against that of the ruined and | she sighed audibly, I passed on my way, think- perished Felicia P” to myself that of all the accomplices in the tree “ Heaven forbid!” I responded: “ but though | mendous deed she at least was one who looked not the right of punishment belongs to society at | with completest satisfaction upon its savage bare large, represented by its Government, the right of | barism. vengeance belongs to no individual, We will not) On the following morning I received a letter however discuss the subject, which is a most pain- | from Beda. She wrote from Petersfield, in Hamp- ful one. Do you happen to know how Lord Fre- | shire, informing me that she had succeeded in derick Ravenscliffe was induced to proceed to Mr.| tracing Dame Betty thither, or rather into the. Gower’s house P” neighbourhood of that town, where the old gipsy | “ An appointment was made for him at King’s | was now residing. I therefore made up my mind Cross,” replied the matron; “and he kept that | to depart immediately and join Beda at Peters- appointment. While standing there, he was ac-| field. Mary Glentworth was already acquainted costed by my husband, who is Mr. Gower’s butler, | with the projects which I had in hand; and I and who, as well as myself, was in the whole secret, | asked her if she would like to accompany me to My husband inquired if he had the honour of | Petersfield? She replied that if I particularly speaking to Lord Frederick Ravenscliffe 4 wished her to go with me she would of course “ Did not his lordship recognise your husband,” | yield to my desire: but I saw that she had really I asked; “inasmuch as he was at one time a con. | a disinclination to be my companion in the jour- stant visitor in Stratton Street?” ney. I did not therefore choose to press her: “Neither my husband nor myself were ever at | neither did I by word or look convey the intima- Stratton Street: we remained at our master’s | tion that I regarded her conduct as somewhat un- country-seat while he and poor Miss Felicia came | kind. Yet such was actually the sentiment whieh to London on the first occasion.” I did entertain upon the point; for I thought that “Then it is really true that your master and his | Mary might at least accompany me to Petersfield, deceased daughter went home to their country-| where she could remain at the hotel while I was residence after the unfortunate destruction of | executing my plan in respect to the old gipsy. Felicia’s hopes in Stratton Street ?” I therefore set off alone; and in the afternoon “Yes—they went home to their country-resi-|I reached Petersfield. I proceeded to the hotel dence ; and there it was that Miss Gower’s condi- | from which Beda had dated the letter ; and there tion was discovered. Ah! Miss Percy! it was a} I found the faithful girl anxiously awaiting my terrible scene which took place between the poor | presence. She. speedily gave me those explana- young lady and her father. But I will not dwell| tions which were too long to be committed to a upon it. Mr. Gower brought his daughter up to | hastily written letter. London for a twofold purpose,—in the first place “ First of all, as you know, my dear Miss,” she ws ee a , — ——— ————EEEEEEEEEEEE that her shame might be concealed, and in the | said, “ I went to Birmingham. Thence I took a second place that he himself might devise a means | vehicle at dusk, and proceeded into the vicinity of of wreaking a bitter vengeance upon her seducer.| the old dame’s cottage on the Embledon road. For some time Mr. Gower endeavoured to dis- | Leaving the vehicle at a short distance, I alighted cover where Lord Frederick Ravenscliffe was re-| and approached the cottage. No light was bura- siding—but ineffectually. Then accident threw | ing there: the plaee seemed entirely shut up; and him in your way; and from your lips he elicited | a labouring man who lived in the neighbourhood, that his lordship dwelt in seclusion in the neigh-| told me that Dame Betty had been absent for bourhood of Dover. Mr. Gower already knew | some weeks. He however knew not whither she that the Carshalton family had refused to be re-| was gone, I returned into Birmioghim, delibe- conciled to Lord Frederick; and thus he was at| rating with myself what course I should pursue : no loss how to prepare a letter which should have | but I could not resolve upon any settled plan. Oa the effect of bringing him up to London, With | the following morning—as I was walking through regard to the mode in which his lordship was be-! the streets of Birmingham, in that kind of mood — a_i net ieee ann ECONNICLHOOKS.COMm