Ellen Percy; or, The Memoirs of an Actress — page 232: what you’re looking at

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

ss ees se dium of a letter from one of my sisters—that you were going upon the stage—I was at the same time informed that you did not wish your real name to be known; and therefore I considered it a secret which I was bound to keep even from friends so dear and so intimate as Charlotte and her family.” 219 reply; and I said, “ Yes, Miss Tremaine—it is true that our friend’s mother, and brothers and sisters, have gone abroad And perhaps you may suspect by this time that her father has ex- perienced misfortunes $ * Alas! some idea of this kind did certainly enter my head,” said Miss Tremaine, “ when I This was another good trait which I had just | found that you did not write, Jane—that my own discovered in the character of Jane Parks; and I But letters were returned through the post could scarcely help wondering that so unprincipled | travelling about the Continent as we were, we 80 a father should possess so excellent a daughter. “I hope, Miss Percy,” said Charlotte Tremaine, “that you will do me the favuur of calling upon me. I assure you I shall esteem it an honour seldom received tidings of anything that happened in England ee “Ah! I did write to you, my dear friend,” said Jane. “I wrote to you twice; and—and—re- my parents and sisters likewise will be glad to give | ceiving no answer, I feared lest I had lost the you the most cordial welcome!” I could not possibly resist a courtesy and a | figured in the Gazette kindness which expanded indeed into the most friendly demonstrations towards me: and 1 said, “Tt will afford me great pleasure to call upon you, Miss Tremaine, and to be presented to your rela- tions. But you will likewise allow me to have the satisfaction of seeing you at my own house ?”’ I named my address in Great Ormond Street; and Miss Tremaine intimated her own present place of abode, which was in some fashionable street at the West Ead of the town. ** Bat you, my dear Jane,” she ejaculated, now turning towards Miss Parks,—“ what has become | friendship of your family —— for my father’s name “Good heavens, Jane!” ejaculated Charlotte; “ could you form such an opinion of myself or any one connected with me? We never heard of this misfortune which overtook your father; and as for the letters which you declase that you wrote to me, they must have miscarried. But such mis- carriage is by no means a rare thing with the French post-office, when letters follow you about from place to place and are re-directed half-a-dozen times. Now let us think of a few dates, my dear Jane,” continued Charlotte. “It was about the middle of May when you left us in Paris, to re- of you for the last eight month: ?—howis it that | turn to England in pursuance of letters received I never heard from you—that my own letters | from your parents. A fortnight afterwards we went were returned through the post? Jane! you know not what uneasiness you have caused us all!” “Alas, Charlotte,” said Miss Parks, bursting | 27> |} into tears, “it is a long and a painful story “ Good heavens! what can have happpened ?” | to Dieppe. “The rumour reached | two—and on our return to Paris, { made sure that ejaculated Miss Tremaine. Oh, my dear | to Rouen “ And it was about that time that I must have >? written to you in Paris,” interjected Jane. * From Rouen we almost immediately proceeded to Havre,” resumed Miss Tremaine, “ and thence We crossed to Jersey for a week or our ears that your family had all left England— | I should find letters from you at the post-office. we of course supposed that you had accompanied your father and mother weeping! chord “ | There were none, But Ab! you are, you, my dear Jane I see that I have touched some painful | after some weeks through the post-oflice, with an intimation that you were not to be found at that It was then that I wrote to the letters were returned “Perhaps it were as well,’ I here interjected, address. Then my uncle Colonel Tremaine arrived “if 1 were to leave you together; for you have in Paris; and he mentioned a rumour which he 33 doubtless much to talk about had heard to the effect that you and your family “No—do not leave us, Miss Percy!” cried | bad all gone abroad.” Charlotte Tremaine. ‘‘I am sure we can have * How singular—and Oh! how ungrateful,” ex- no secrets from you. Nay—I do implore that | claimed Miss Parks, ‘must my conduct have ap- you will stay with us! Indeed I will walk in whichever direction you may think fit to pursue! | The object which brought me into this part of | you hastily. It forms an opinion precipitately, and always endea- London can be accomplished another time. _ peared !” “No,” replied Charlotte; “we did not judge You know that my father never was to call upon an old nurse who was in our} vours to prevent those around him from being family many years ago—she lives somewhere in the neighbourhood of the Blackfriars Road—I have a few little presents for her—but I will take | mystery and bring letters from you another opportunity of calling upon the worthy | ' murmured June, much affected. old creature.” “When did you arrive in London, Charlotte?” second time to you hasty in their judgments. We all said that we would wait-—that time perhaps would solve the >) “Ab, this was most kind! most generous!” * And I wrotea that was in the month of inquired Miss Parks, who had now considerably | June. I do not hesitate to confess, Charlotte,” recovered her self-possession. “Only the day before yesterday,” replied Miss | very, very poor “Yesterday I passed by the house | friendship Tremaine, where you used to live; and I saw that it was she continued, in a tremulous voice, “that I was I yentured to appeal to your 33 “Oh, heavens! that you should have been shut up. I therefore knew that the report which | poor!” cried Miss Tremaine; “ and that I should reached us some months ago, that your family have remained ignorant of the fact! And is it | that I am incapable of telling a falsehood on the had quitted England, must be true. not so, Jane ?” You know subject; and therefore I can only say that there I saw that Miss Parks scarcely knew how to! was a strange fatality about these two letters se ee eget i ECORNICLOOOLK ——————— ll tii. SS Sa sa a reece mere cere SS ELLEN PERCY; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF AN ACTRESS. (SO)