Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 213: what you’re looking at

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a= 200 os that she was born in honourable and sacred wed- lock !” “ All your reasoning is excellent, Miss Percy,” said Mr. Singleton. “And then too, does it not occur unto you that a woman of remorseful feel- ings, as Mrs. Glentworth evidently was—a woman whose sense of bygone guilt and shame had traced its melancholy expression upon her countenance, furrowed her brow with untimely wrinkles, and given her a haggard careworn look,—do you not conceive, I ask, that such a woman was the very one who was the least likely to go out of the world carrying an important secret with her? Indeed, such a woman "ould have looked upon it as some- thing awful and desecrating to allow a human being to remain in eternal ignorance of his or her parentage ; and she was sure to devise some means by which it should be sooner or later made known. Doubtless it was from affectionate motives that she preserved the many letters that she received from her sister Jane; and therefore she had these to annex in after years, as corroborative evidence, to the narrative which in her compunction and re- morse she was finally led to pen. And it is easy to perceive by the tone of this narrative, that its authoress was a strict believer in religious truths: she had hopes in heaven, and entertained fears of hell: she was even superstitious in her senti- ments. But I have now said encugh, Miss Percy,” added Mr. Singleton, “ to account to you for the motives which could have induced the un- happy lady to pen the narrative of her cegra- dation and her shame.” * And perhaps she intended on her death-bed,” I observed, in a mood of mournful musing, “ to place those documents in the hands of Mary, or to tell her where they might be found after her demise: but alas! she little foresaw that she was doomed to perish so suddenly and so prematurely. But now, Mr. Singleton, with your permission, I will go and reveal to Mary Glentworth this intel- ligence so startling and so romantic, as well as so well calculated to infuse joy into her heart.” “ And I will revisit my patient,” said the sur- geon : then looking at his watch, he added, “ We have been together an entire hour, I declare !” Mr. Singleton and I now left the apartment where the preceding explanations had taken place; and I thought that it would be but seemly to enter the invalid chamber with him, if only for a mo- ment, to ascertain how the Duchess of Ardleigh was progressing. I did so, and found that her condition was slightly improved,—though, as a matter of course, this improvement was very trifling, considering the serious injury she had sustained. Juliet was seated by her bedside ; and I just whispered to her, “ As [ foresaw, the revela- tion is most important. I will tell you everything presently.” I then issued from the chamber ; and I was about to commence the ascent of the second flight of stairs, which led to Mary’s bed-room, when lo and behold ! she herself came tripping down that flight. “Ah!” she ejaculated, the least thing impa- tiently : “it is lucky that I have at last fallen in with a human being!” ‘“‘ What in heaven’s name do you mean ?” I de- manded. “ But stay not out here on the land- ing! Come hither with me! I have something of the utmost impurtance to say to you !” ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. — “Indeed?” she ejaculated, as she at once fol- lowed me into the room where I had previously been conversing with Mr. Singleton. At the same moment I heard another door open on the landing; so that I hastily dragged Mary into the apartment with me, and closed the door as quickly as possible. “What did you mean, my dear Mary,” I now asked, “by saying it was fortunate that you at last fell in with a human being ?” “Why, do you know, Ellen,” she exclaimed, “that two mortal hours have elapsed since the accident in the road!” “‘T could not come to you before, Mary,” I in- terjected. ‘Circumstance followed circumstance in quick succession ——” “But how could I know all this?” she asked. “Tam sorry if I just now displayed any petulance : but somehow or another [ have got irritable and restless of late. I did not like to be for two hours alone up in my chamber—seeing no one— ringing the bell without getting a servant to at- tend upon me uf “Oh,” I exclaimed, “they have all been so occupied !” “But you forget that I continued in utter ig. norance of what was going on,” she said. “ You did not come near me—I even grew alarmed— though I scarcely know at what “| “ Well, well, my dear Mary,” I interjected : “you need not say so much to excuse your- self.”’ “ Yes—but I feel it is necessary, because I do not like to seem to be irritable with you, dear Ellen. I really did not know whether the Ardleighs were here still or not: so I thought that at any risk I would come down to see what was the matter.” “The Ardleighs are still here,’ I said; “and the Duchess is very ill. She is most seriously in- jured—there is concussion of the brain : “JT presume therefore,” interrupted Mary, “that they are now all going to stay here for some time P—and therefore I at least must find another asylum v7 ‘Be not impatient,” I said, assuming a most solemn look and tone, “ Before you decide on any step, listen to what I have to tell you. I have an important revelation to make !” “ Indeed?” ejaculated Mary: “an important revelation? But I hope it is not concerning these Ardleighs % “Tt will afford you pleasure, Mary, because it will remove the stigma which you believe to affix itself rr “To my birth? Oh, Ellen!—dear Ellen—if this be so ¥ “Ttis, Mary—it is!” I exclaimed. “ Listen be not too much excited But—but—-you are not the daughter of the Duke of Ardleigh ! You were not born in shame!” A wild ery of joy burst from Mary’s lips; and she flew into my arms. But at the same instant the door of the apartment was thrown violently open—and Herbert Dalrymple rushed in, ex- claiming in a tone as wildly joyous as was the cry from Mary’s lips, “Ob, God be thanked! Mary, dearest Mary, you may now become mine !” He was about to fling his arms around her, when she sprang back, and gazed upon hii for — eee 0)(0 0) CS (E)