Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 156: what you’re looking at

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

ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE “Now,” I said, “ beware how you touch me!— I will cry for assistance! Let me leave your house, Sir Hugh Ward!” ** Yes, leave it !” he ejaculated, with an air of ineffable disgust and contempt; “for by heaven! though you possess the beauty of an ange), I have no farther fancy for you! By all means go!” I was bounding towards the door, indifferent up to this point in respect to the taunts and abuse which he was levelling against me: but I suddenly stopped short, as he added, “ Go—and to-morrow all London shall ring with the report that Miss Trafford, the celebrated tragic actress, sold herself to me for a thousand pounds!” Yes—I stopped short as if a thunderbolt had suddenly fallen at my feet! I felt that I suddenly became ghastly pale, and my limbs were sinking under me. That threat so horrible—so diabolical —was overwhelming ! “ Ah! have I touched you at last ?” exclaimed the Baronet, with a fierce malignant expression of triumph in his usually mild and intelligent eyes. “Yes, Miss Percy—or Miss Trafford—or what- ever you call yourself—you may have made me a dupe: but I will expose your character and tear the mask from your countenance! My conduct may have been daring in the first instance ; but your's was nothing short of robbery. In a word, you might have scorned the overture—but in that case you should have returned the bank-note !” A half-stifled scream burst from my lips. “The bank-note?” I exclaimed. ‘“ I never re- ceived a bank-note from you !” “Not a bank-note for a thousand pounds— nearly three weeks back-—~” “Good heavens! what does this mean?” I ex- claimed, now actually writhing with the torture of suspense and bewilderment. “ Nearly three weeks back, do you say—a bank-note———” “Yes,” exclaimed Sir Hugh, with a smile with more than a genteel irony in it : it hada veritable sardonism : “and the note was not sent back to me! And what is more, I know that it was paid into the Bank of England ; for I went and asked the question—and the reply was an affirmative. My own valet delivered the enclosure at your house !” * My God! what have I done P—into what a fearful error have I been led! —what a tremen- dous mistake kas been committed!” and I tot- tered to a seat, on which I fell almost annihilated by the announcement that had just been made. “ What! another phase in your drama of hypocrisy ?”’ ejaculated Sir Hugh, again speaking with disgust and impatience. ‘I should have thought you were now sufficiently unmasked-——~” ‘As I have a soul to be saved, Sir Hugh Ward,” I interrupted him, “I am innocent of all you would impute to me!” “ Answer me!” he vociferated, now stepping forward and seizing me forcibly by the. wrist : “are you not tired of playing the fool? are you not ashamed of yourself for having played it so effec- tually? You acknowledge that you received the bank-note for a thousand pounds which I sent you in a blank envelope nearly three weeks back ” “ Yes—hear me, Sir Hugh!’—and I forcibly drew my hand away: “ yes—hear me!—it is true —lI received a bank-note at that time o “To be sure! I thought it could not have been MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. 143 intercepted and used by any one else! I knew it had been paid into the Bank; and I had the strongest conviction that it was you who must have so paid it, A truce therefore to all argu. ment or recrimination !—you are thoroughly beater at every point—and heaven only besides yourself can tell why you should have waged this protracted but ineffectual contest. I have indeed a right to be angry,” continued Sir Hugh, in a softening tone; “but if you will only smile and look pleased, and come of your own accord to throw your arms about my neck ” “or God’s sake spare me, sir!” I exclaimed, almost maddened by my feelings. “Amidst all the confusion that is in my brain, I comprehend just sufficient to show me that circumstances have combined in a most extraordinary manner to ren- der me their victim 7 “What! not enough of prudery and folly yet 2” ejaculated the Baronet; “and I who was good. naturedly offering to forgive you for this half-hour of the idlest and silliest scene that ever was con- jured up by woman !” “Ob, heavens!” I exclaimed, wringing my hands: “circumstances are so terribly against me that even if I were to tell you all the tale you would not believe me! But Oh, Sir Hugh Ward ! I entreat you to listen !’—and I clasped my hands imploringly. “All this is idle, and even nauseating to a de- gree,” he impatiently exclaimed, “You received my bank-note-——” “ By heaven, I swear,” I cried, with the most passionate vehemence, “that I knew not it came from you! No note or message accompanied i”? . “But my name and address were written on the back!” ejaculated Sir Hugh, “as legibly and plainly as writing could be rendered! It wasa new bank-note—that was the only writing at the back—indeed [I flattered myself I was managing everything in the most delicate way possible—and most assuredly my conduct ought to have been otherwise appreciated !” “Sir,” I answered, well-nigh overwhelmed by my horrible feelings, “ a tremendous mistake hag been committed. Alas! I now see itall! For heaven’s sake be not incredulous—do not at every step set me down as a cunning hypocrite endea- vouring to deceive you: but believe me when I declare, as I have a soul to be saved, that by a coincidence I was at that very time expecting the remittance of precisely that same sum; so that when I received a bank-note for the amount in a blank envelope, it never occurred to me to read the writing at the back Indeed I never do But I went to the Bank itself—I paid in the money—not to my own name Ka “ A truce to all this verbiage!” interrupted Sir Hugh. “You enhance a thousand times all that is blameable in your conduct, and the insult you put upon me becomes all the more galling and intolerable, by the fact that you seem to take mo for a senseless idiot to be duped and deluded by any rhodomontade !” “And yet I declare,” I vehemently cried, “ it was all as I have told you! Yes—and to prove it, I will pay you back the money, Sir Hugh " * Another idle tale!” he ejaculated; “ for if you have invested it in the name of another, you (COMMU OOK (ECO)