Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 50: what you’re looking at

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

ELLEN PERCY 5; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. 87 “The world, Miss Percy, is scandalous,” he con- tinued; “and though every one who knows you, cannot fail to comprehend and appreciate the purity of your mind and character,—yet those who know you not, may think within themselves, and whisper to each other, that a young and beautiful lady—carried off by treachery as you were—could not have passed so many long, long hours a whole night in the house of a notorious liber- tine se * Good heavens!” I murmured, overwhelmed with shame and confusion: “ is it possible that the effects of that unprincipled man’s conduct , “ Alas, yes, Miss Perey!” continued St. Clair: “they will be fatally experienced by you, if you suffer publicity to be given to this adventure. It is one which for your own sake must be hushed in silence. Leave me to the chastisement of Bel- lew ff “No, no,” I exclaimed: “it is now for me, Captain St. Clair, to offer my advice! Promise that you will not provoke that man toa hostile encounter—he is indeed so utterly unworthy of your resentment rr ** IT promise anything—everything, Miss Percy !” ejaculated St. Clair, “provided that you yourself will follow my counsel. Not even tothe Normans ought you to explain what has happened—unless indeed they should by any accident have discovered that you did not remain during the past night be- neath the roof of Mr. and Mrs. Parks ‘4 « The accomplices in Colonel Bellew’s treachery !” I exclaimed, with a feeling of the bitterest indig- nation against the persons thus alluded to. St. Clair gazed upon me with a look of astonish- ment; and he exclaimed, “ Impossible!” “ Tmpossible P” I echoed, also insurprise: “ how can I entertain any other opinion? Have I not told you all the circumstances * “True! But did not you hear what Bellew himself said during the few instants’ altercation which took place between him and me? His words were, ‘St. Clair, if you feel yourself ag- grieved in respect to this young lady, you may have satisfaction. But implicate not others by your unjust suspicions: the deed was all mine own!’ —Thus you see, Miss Percy,” continued St. Clair, “ Mr. Parks and his wife were utterly ignorant, and therefore innocent s “ But all those little circumstances ?” I inter- jected, my mind still full of suspicion in reference to Parks and his wife,—“the presence of Colonel Bellew—the excuse in respect to the carriage—the summoning of a hackney-coach ——” “ Mere coincidences!” interrupted St. Clair; “and they would not have surprised you if no- thing serious had been the result. But tell me— did Bellew accompany you down stairs to the hackney-coach !” “ Yes,” I answered. “Ah! now I recollect !— he looked at the horses—he said something to the coachman “The mystery is cleared up!” ejaculated St. Clair. “ A piece of gold dropped into that coach- man’s hands—a few hurriedly whispered words— and the man had his cue! Perhaps he took you by a circuitous route, so as to allow Bellew full time in the interval to speed hither and give the requisite orders to his servants. Assuredly, Miss have no just grounds to charge your friends with whom you dined m “ Ob, Captain St. Clair!” I exclaimed ; “ in- finitely would I prefer the belief that Mr. and Mrs. Parks are really innocent—they who have known me since my infancy! Yes, it must be so! and heaven forgive me if I have hitherto been unjust enough to fling upon them the weight of my sus- picions !” “ T know nothing of Mr. and Mrs. Parks,” con- tinued St. Clair: “but still, as a matter of justice, I should be sorry that innocent people were unde- servedly charged. You have now displayed the true generosity of your character in its wonted and most natural light. Of course, Miss Percy, I mean that you should inform Mr. and Mrs. Parks of the villanous deed perpetrated by their friend Colonel Bellew—so that they may be put upon their guard against him. Lut to all the rest of the world secrecy and silence! Pardon me for adding that your fair fame must not stand even the slightest risk of being tarnished by the breath of scandal. As for Bellew himself, he will only be too glad to hush up an exploit which has termi- nated to his discomfiture.” * Again, Captain St. Clair,” I said, “ doI ex- press my heartfelt gratitude towards you:”’—then as I gave him my hand, I added, “ You have in- timated that we may be friends: pray let us be always so !” Although I bent down my countenance in con- fusion as I spoke, yet I gave to the concluding words a certain emphasis, which was as much as to imply that he was to consider it impossible he could ever be more to me than a mere friend. As he retained my hand for a few seconds in his own, his countenance—which, as the reader knows, was most remarkably handsome—assumed an expres- sion of such ineffable sadness, mingled with se much appealing tenderness, that I experienced 4 boundless compassion for him who loved me so well yet loved me so vainly. * You shall now depart, Miss Percy,” he said: “‘ my carriage is at the door—use it—I will go in ancther direction. You ought to drive at once to the house of Mr. Parks; and there you can dis- miss my equipage. His own carriage can take you home ; and thus the Normans need not sus- pect that you have been elsewhere unless in- deed they should have already discovered it—which I think is however by no means probable; for when they found that you did not return home last night, they would naturally conclude that you had remained with the friends with whom you were so intimate, and beneath whose roof you might so well sojourn, inasmuch as they had known you from your childhood.” Captain St. Clair handed me down the stairs; /and I was pleased at not encountering any of the servants of the house, as their presence would only have excited my indignant blood after the coercive treatment I had experienced. St. Clair assisted me into his carriage—ordered me to be driven to the house cf Myr. Parks—and raising his hat, sped away in another direction. During my ride to the lawyer’s abode, I reviewed all the ad- ventures through which I had passed; and I cama to the conclusion that St, Clair was perfectly right in the counsel he had given me with regard ta Percy,” added St. Clair, with emphasis, “ you | maintaiving silence onthe subject. Inexperienced (re ce rr ec I A 2 I SS EI " Ere - Comicbooks com