Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 141: what you’re looking at

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

128 reminded of something which had not before struck him: “a profession? Oh, Ellen! Ellen! do you, do you mean me to understand that you will be compelled to return to the stage P” “To be sure, Henry,” I answered him, quietly, as if it were altogether a matter of course. “And you know very well that I did not abandon the stage through any distaste vi? - “Ellen, I will labour day and night—I will work like a slave,” exclaimed Henry vehemently, “rather than that you shall again have to toil after having been so immensely rich 1 ‘‘ Rich for a few weeks,” I said, smiling. ‘‘ Be- lieve me, dear Henry, I had not become so accus- tomed to riches as to stand the slightest chance of missing them now that they are gone, Yes, I shall return to the stage 4 s “Ah, then, I may still continue a partner in the house which you have saved fromruin! I also shall obtain a competency es “Indeed, my dear Henry,” I said, “I think that you must have had quite enough of partner- ships! For heaven’s sake dream not again of such connexions! All the prudence of one in- dividual may be neutralized by the incautiousness of another—in the same way that ability may be neutralized by ignorance. I do not say it is so in the present case: heaven forbid that I should throw the slightest slur upon Mr. Macdonald! But in one word, Henry, profit by this dreadful experience “ Ah, Ellen!” he exclaimed, suddenly starting up from his seat; “I ill profit by it! Your words shall not be thrown away! But tell me,” he continued, taking me by the hand, holding it tight, and looking me fixedly in the face, “are you determined to go back to the stage P” “Dearest Henry,” I replied, throwing my arms about his neck, “ be not angry with me for the de- cision: but there is no alternative! There are no other means of subsistence > “T tell you that I will work and toil for you!” he cried passionately. ‘But when I have a profession which will pro- duce us a handsome revenue,” I said, “ would-it not be a veritable sin “9 ‘There, Ellen, I see that you are decided! And, Oh!” he added, for a moment wringing his hands bitterly, “I see likewise that an interval must again elapse ere we may proceed to the altar! Ah, accursed destiny !—but there is no help for it! No, no!—and if such be indeed our destiny, we must accept it! I will fulfil mine. Courageous girl that you are! You, the heroine, inspire me with the courage of a hero! Oh, I will acquire riches, Ellen—yes, immense riches! Believe me that the wealth you have this day lavished for the noblest and most generous of purposes, is but as nothing in comparison with the almost fabulous treasures which may be had for the seeking! Yes — treasures unheard of before! — treasures such as throw eastern tales into the shade! And these treasures will I make mine!” I gazed in consternation, dismay, and affright upon my cousin: I thought that his brain was turning—I feared lest the excitement through which for the last two or three days he had been passing, should have driven him mad. “Good heavens, Henry—my best beloved!” I exclaimed: “ what means 4 ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS, “ Ellen, you think me mad ?” he cried. “Pray, pray be calm, Henry dearest Pe “Oh! calm, Ellen? I am wild with joy, now that the idea has struck me Ee “Henry, I beseech you to sit down—tranquil« lize yourself! You are frightening me, dearest— and Oh! it is more than I can endure!” I now wept outright: Henry seized me in his arms—kissed away my tears—lavished caresses upon me. “Ellen, my beloved,” he said, “Iam not mad! But there is gold P “Oh! again that idea!” I ejaculated, almost impatiently. “Pray, pray be rational! Continue to look your position in the face as hitherto you had regarded it 3 “Dearest Ellen,” said my cousin, “I am in- capable of trifling with your feelings! I implore you to listen to me!’ “Speak, Henry,” I said: calm !” “Do not therefore again interrupt me, Ellen dearest,” resumed Henry, looking entreatingly in my countenance, “ when I approach the same sub- ject-————No, do not !—believe me, [ am most sane —most serious for there is in America, Ellen, a region where gold is abundant yes as abun- dant as the sands on the sea-shore——” - A wild cry now issued from my lips, for I felt convinced that poor Henry’s brain was in reality turned. “Good God, Ellen!” he exclaimed, “ why will you not believe me ?” “ Yes, yes, I believe you, Henry,” I said, now thinking it necessary to humour him—and I felt as if my heart was about to break. ‘‘ But let us turn to another topic “ “Ts it possible you think “What shal! we talk of, my dear Henry? Come, sit down quietly S “Tn the name of God, hear me, Ellen!” he cried. “I am not mad—TI am not even excited unnaturally! When I was at New York I heard accounts of this gold region—I listened only with the interest which one bestows on intelligence of a curious nature, but with which there is no selfish concern “ And you do not believe, Henry ce “TI firmly believe, Ellen, that there is a region y “Oh! where is my father? Henry, Henry dearest sf “ Ah! I must indeed seem to be dealing with fables—with romances — with oriental legends !” exclaimed Henry: “but, by heaven! Ellen, I am telling you the sober truth after all! Do listen— I ask you not to believe until you shall have heard! Will you hear me, Ellen? But first of all look at me well—and tell me, do I seem as if I were going mad ?” I gradually became more tranquil as I gazed upon Henry’s countenance and saw that it was beaming with the animation of intelligence the most lucid, of candour the most open, and of love the most devoted. The mind shone in the depths of those handsome brown eyes: there was no vacancy nor aberration in those marvellously handsome orbs. Full of delight, therefore, at the conviction which now seized upon me that his brain was not “let us both be affected—but full of a wild wonder as to what Gomichboo @ cS (E(@)