Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 95: what you’re looking at

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

rich brown iashes; and the pearly teeth were gleaming between the lips that were wreathing with Ecorn or indignation, or some other feeling power- fully stirred. I could not immediately catch a glimpse of St. Clair’s countenance: but I heard him say in a cold voice, which also had a tincture of contemptuous indifference in its accents, “ Let it be war then, Lilla, if you will :—and perhaps it was absurd of me to think of offering you peace.” They passed on; and the nearest group of trees concealed them from my view. I was about to retreat towards the villa, when they immediately re-appeared ; and as they had turned to pursue the contrary direction, it was now Kdwin St. Clair’s countenance that was towards me, while that of Lilla was averted. He wasspeaking in a low tone, but vehemently. There was an animation likewise upon Ais countenance ; and then all in a moment it gave place to that expression of sardonic wicked- ness which I had on former occasions seen sweep over it. He gesticulated—he appeared to be threatening. Lady Lilla stopped short: she drew her tall form up to its full height; and at that moment nothing could exceed the imposing ma- jesty of her appearance, The carriage of the well- shaped head on its straight alabaster column, the upheaving of the superb bust, and the entire atti- tude of that shape with its sweeping length of limbs, had something statuesque which reminded one of the effigy of an ancient goddess. “You speak to me of peace or war,’ I heard her say in the silver clearness of her half-scornful, half-indignant yoice; “and you think perhaps that I am to express gratitude for the patronising lan- guage in which you have addressed me? No, Edwin St. Clair! The day has gone by ———” Here they reached a distance which prevented me from catching the remainder of the sentence: they were pacing to and fro in that little open space in the midst of the shrubbery; and as they again returned, another fragment of Lady Lilla’s speech was wafted to my ear. “Peace or war?” she was exclaiming, in evident reiteration of those words which from his lips had rendered her so scornful and so indignant: “it were well indeed to propose to me peace if I were a coward, and if I trembled at any consequences ! As for war, if you know aught of the character of woman—if that bright intelligence of your’s of which, with all your affected disdain for the opinion of the world, you are so proud—if, I say, by means of that bright intelligence you have been enabled to fathom the mysterious depths of the human heart—surely, Edwin St. Clair, you must have known that such an one as Lilla Essendine 7 Here again the speech was broken off so far as my power of hearing was concerned; and when the two retraced their way, it was Captain St. Clair who was addressing her ladyship. “Nay, be it as you say, Lilla!” were the words which my ear now caught. “Pursue this path which you have sketched out for yourself! Frus- trate me in all my designs “4 “In your iniguities, Edwin!” ejaculated her ladyship vehemently: and stopping short, she looked him full in the face. A scornful laugh rang forth from St. Clair’s lips: it was a laugh which resembled what ima- gination might suppose to be the sardonic malice- mirth of a fiend; and though in itself vibrating ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS, with the natural harmony of Edwin’s voice, it made me shudder and quiver all over. laugh which shocked and terrified my soul! the human capabilities of mischief—all the evil feelings and passions which could possibly concrete in the heart of man—appeared to find expression in that dread laugh. to speak—horrible as that which in Pandemonium — itself might ring forth a pean in praise of the Prince of the fallen angels! lt wasa It was a horrible music, so Shocked, dismayed, and horrified, I retreated from my hiding-place and re-entered the villa. At once ascending to my own chamber, I sat down and gave way to my reflections. Bitterly did I regret my revisit toa dwelling where it seemed as if I was ever to be perplexed and tortured by mysteries that inspired me with a poignant curiosity as well as with the most painful sensations. Again did the suspicion—strong and almost irresistible—come back to my mind that Lilla herself must really have been the authoress of that fragment of a letter which I had seen at St. Clair’s house; for that there was some stupendous and portentous secret subsisting between those two, I could scarcely have any doubt. And yet, on the other hand, the scorn and indignation with which she had treated him—the power which she seemed conscious of wielding over him—the authority and the virtuous hauteur with which she had corrected him in his speech when she seemed to declare that it was only his iniguities which she sought to frustrate,—there were these circumstances, I say, which compelled me to hesitate ere I came to the conclusion that Lilla herself was a guilty being, the victim of St. Clair, and only for this reason his enemy. I was in the midst of my reflections, when I heard light footsteps on the gravel-walk just underneath the window, which was open; and glancing forth, I beheld Lady Lilla Essendine. She caught a glimpse of my countenance; ard her own becoming animated with joy ([ had not been able to observe what its immediately previous expression was) she exclaimed, “ Ah, Ellen! I amso rejoiced that you have come!” I hastened down stairs,;—making up my mind to veil as much as possible whatsoever unpleasant thoughts or feelings were agitating within me; and the next moment I was strained in her arms, There was something so warm in her embrace— something so cordial in the tone with which she greeted me—something so ingenuous, sincere, and frank-hearted in the joy which my presence ap- peared to occasion her, that I was again prepos- sessed in her fayour; and when once more alone with my own reflections, they assumed a different aspect from that which they had so recently worn. ‘* How can I believe this amiable and beautiful creature to be stained with crime? It were a terrible libel upon the whole sex to conceive that such fearful guile could be harboured in so angelic a form! She could not have been the authoress of that fragment of a letter. But I understand it all! Inasmuch as St. Clair is the nephew of her deceased husband, she respects the memory of that husband too much to make an open exposure of her knowledge of the misdeeds, whatsoever they may be, that have been perpetrated by his sur- viving relative. Yet, on the other hand, she is resolved to frustrate, to the best of her power, any fresh iniquities on his part. And it was for this a Eomichooks;c¢om